National security, venezuela accuses the United States of plotting another coup as it helped to do in 2002. We will look at the growing crisis. These accusations like previous such accusations come are ludicrous. As a matter of longstanding policy, the United States does not support political transitions by nonconstitutional means. Amy gateway to freedom the Hidden History of the underground railroad. We will speak with the pulitzer prizewinning author and historian eric foner. All that and more, coming up. Welcome to democracy now , democracynow. Org, the war and peace report. Im amy goodman. The Iraqi Military and iranianbacked shiite militias have seized large parts of tikrit as part of their offensive to retake the city from the selfproclaimed islamic state. The operation marks iraqs Largest Military attempt to roll back the gains made by isis last june. Iranian advisers and iranianbacked shiite fighters are playing a key role while the u. S. Has been sidelined. Colombia is halting air attacks on farc rebels for one month as peace talks between the two sides advance. Colombian president Juan Manuel Santos said the pause reflects the rebels adherence to a unilateral ceasefire declared in december, and could be extended if the ceasefire continues to hold. To boost the deescalation of the conflict, i have decided to order the ministry of defense and commanders of the armed forces to stop bombings over farc camps for a month. After that time, we will review the implantation of the unilateral ceasefire. And according to the results, we will decide whether to continue. Amy cubanbrokered negotiations in havana have made progress on several key issues, including land reform, political integration of exrebels, the drug trade, and clearing landmines from rural areas. The city manager of ferguson missouri has resigned in the continued fallout from a federal probe into systemic racial bias. In its report last week, the Justice Department blamed john shaw for overseeing a municipal system that targets africanamericans for arrest and then profits off of their fines. The city and john came to a mutual decision that we want to be up to move forward with the committee. Community. Amy as city manager, he was the most powerful local official in ferguson. His departure comes one day after the local Municipal Court judge was also forced to resign his post. A court park and two Police Supervisors were forced out last week for sending racist emails. Former secretary of state and presumed democratic president ial candidate Hillary Clinton has spoken out for the first time on the controversy surrounding her personal email account. Clinton used a private account rather than a government one during her state department tenure, and her aides failed to preserve her emails on government servers in a possible violation of federal law. On monday, clinton said using a personal account was a matter of convenience, and that staffers have handed over her governmentrelated emails for public use. When i got to work as secretary of state, i opted for convenience to use my personal email account, which was allowed by the state department because i thought it would be easier to carry just one device for my work and for my personal emails instead of two. Looking back, it would have been better if i had simply used a second email account and carried a second phone. But at the time, this didnt seem like an issue. The server will remain private and i think the state department will be able over time to release all of the records that were provided. Amy in fact, a few weeks ago at a business women summit, Hillary Clinton said she does use two phones, a blackberry and an iphone. The law changed in 2009 around using government email. Colin powell didnt use it. Hillary clinton didnt, though her term went beyond 2009. The first person to use the state Department Government email as secretary of state was john kerry. During her remarks, clinton also weighed in on the controversy surrounding republican letter to iran aimed at undermining the undergoing nuclear talks. An open letter from 47 republican senators warned the iranian government the deal could be next by Republican Congress or future republican president. The recent letter from republican senators was out of step with the best traditions of american leadership. And one has to ask, what was the purpose of this letter . There appear to be two logical answers. Either the senators were trying to be hopeful to the iranians, or harmful to the commanderinchief in the midst of highstakes international diplomacy. Either answer does discredit to the letters signatories. Amy according to website, the senator who spearheaded the letter, freshman arkansas tom cotton received nearly one lane dollars in donations to his Election Campaign efforts last year from the Emergency Committee for israel run by neoconservative pundit bill kristol. To intercept reports cotton was to appear at secretive meeting of weapons contractors one day after sending the letter on monday. The Obama Administration is pulled a measure to limit ammunition and assault rifles and handguns under pressure from the gun lobby. The bureau of alcohol, tobacco, firearms and explosives had called for banning the green tip ammunition in ar15s because it could be used to pierce through police body armor. But the proposal was withdrawn after campaign by the National Rifle association and several republican members of congress. A Bipartisan Group of senators has introduced what is being described as the First Comprehensive medical marijuana legislation in the nations history. The act from rand paul and cory booker and Christian Gillibrand will end the federal prohibition on medical marijuana and let states set their own rules. Poker angela brent helped unveil the measure. Today we join together to say enough is enough. Our federal government has long overstepped the boundaries of common sense, fiscal prudence, and compassion with its marijuana laws. These laws must change. This new back this new act would recognize marijuana has accepted medical uses and would recognize the 23 states that have decided to nine families access is wrong. The bipartisan bill would finally allow patients to Access Medical care without fear prosecution. Amy a coalition of Online Medical media, has filed suit over the u. S. Governments mass surveillance. Organizations including wikipedia and Human Rights Watch are challenging the nsas upstream program, which taps into the fiberoptic cables moving internet traffic around the world. Attorney Patrick Toomey of the American Civil Liberties union said the spying violates constitutional protections. The nsas indiscriminate copying and searching through Americans International can medications imposes a Chilling Effect on basic freedoms freedom of speech, freedom of expression, the freedom of inquiry and also innovation of americans right to privacy in those communications. We have long operated in this country on a basic rule that the government does not search your home coming your papers, and today, your emails when you have done nothing wrong. The flip side of that role is the government must go to a court to invite to individualized suspicion when once access. Amy the Supreme Court previously rejected an aclu challenge to warrantless spying on the grounds the plaintiffs could not prove they were targeted. North carolina has fined the utility giant duke energy 25. 1 million, the largest environmental fine in state history. The penalty concerns groundwater contamination from a coal ash plant near wilmington. It is separate from a pending fine at the federal level for dukes spill of over 35 million gallons of coal ash into the dan river one year ago, one of the worst such spills in u. S. History. Lawmakers in utah have approved a measure that would reintroduce the firing squad if lethal injections are unavailable for state executions. Utah governor gary herbert says he has not yet decided on whether he will sign the bill into law. The ceremony was held in tokyo tuesday to mark the 70th anniversary of the u. S. Bombing of the city. The socalled operation meetinghouse air raid of march 1945 is known as the deadliest in history, killing over 100,000 people and leaving much of tokyo in flames. Today, japan is marking the fourth anniversary of the earthquake and tsunami that killed over 18,000 people and set off a Nuclear Meltdown at the fukushima plant. And those are some of the headlines, this is democracy now , democracynow. Org, the war and peace report. Im amy goodman with juan gonzalez. Juan welcome to all our listeners and viewers from around the country and around the world. Amy before we move on you have a very interesting piece in the new york daily news. Juan i wrote about an interesting symposium held at the harvard cup club yesterday. An allday symposium titled bombs and blackboards investing in turkey schools. It was in thea a meeting sponsored by the Gates Foundation and the Walton Foundation amy of walmart. Juan basically, enticing more investors to begin to see how they can make money off of Charter Schools. An allday symposium, a small protest of parents were outside. But it really has marked the enormous change that has occurred in new york politics and i think around the country as a new report showed Hedge Fund Executives over the last decade have poured nearly 40 million into political contributions just in new york state, the prime beneficiary over the last two years has been Governor Cuomo who has received almost 5 million. Were talking about carl icahn, the famous corporate raider them a talking about paul singer the Vulture Hedge Fund i, Julian Robertson of tiger management. Some of the richest people in new york city. Most of them also are major backers of Charter Schools. Amy how do they make money from Charter Schools . Juan i think a lot of it will be coming in with the facilities financing that will occur. Governor cuomo progressed the legislature, in new york state, to revision to begin providing the equivalent of 2600 per child to build new facilities for Charter Schools forcing mayor to blasio of new york city to share some of the cost. Will be a new revenue stream in addition to direct funding from the state for perpupil education, the ruby charter Facilities Fund that has been set up. The governor wants to live the cap on Charter Schools to amount allow many more Charter Schools to be started in new york. The amount of money is not just in direct contributions, but also many being given to new groups, the dark money we saw after the Citizens United case where folks like robertson and and low contributed as much as dan loeb contribute it as much as one lane dollars apiece to a new group of funding ads promoting republicans for senate seats in new york state, which would assure support for Charter Schools. It is in enormous amount of money to import into being poured into these political campaigns, specifically, by hedge fund folks who are very close to Charter Schools. In fact, one Charter Network alone, the Success Academy which i reported on repeatedly, 19 members of the board of directors or their family members gave 600,000 to Governor Cuomos campaign in the last for his last two Election Campaigns. Amy we will continue to cover this issue. We just did an interview with chuy garcia, the contender mayoral contender against rahm emanuel, the mayor of chicago and Charter Schools are a key issue there as well. Juan absolutely. Tension between the United States and venezuela is increasing after the Obama Administration declared venezuela to be an extraordinary threat to National Security and slapped sanctions on seven top officials for alleged human rights relations and corruption. On tuesday, venezuelan president Nicolas Maduro asked the National Assembly for increased power to protect the countrys integrity and sovereignty from what he described as imperialist aggression. President obama has decided to put himself into a box with no way out, a box of failure. He has decided he wants to be remembered in the future like Richard Nixon and george w. Bush. President obama will be remembered in the future his decision today and the aggression against the venezuelan people, the noble people will stop because the people of venezuela are a peaceful people. President obama, you dont have a right to attack us. Nor to declare an as well as a threat to the people of the United States. You are a threat to the people of the United States. He who decide to invade, kill, finance terrorism in the world. Amy at the state Department Spokesperson jen psaki defended the new sanctions against venezuela. There are specific reasons why each of those individuals and as the executive order were sanction under the executive order were sanction. The United States remains an important trading partner and despite the stamens to the contrary from venezuelan officials, were not promoting instability in venezuela. Rather, we believe respect for democratic norms is test. Hence our executive order. So allegations that these actions are in attempt to undermine the venezuelan government are false. The goal of the sanctions is to persuade the government of venezuela to change their behavior. Juan tension between the United States and venezuela has been escalating for the past few months. In december, president obama signed legislation to impose sanctions on venezuelan government officials accused of violating protesters rights during demonstrations last year when 43 people died, including demonstrators, government supporters and security , officials. On february 19, the mayor of caracas, Antonio Ledezma was arrested after being accused of being involved in a u. S. Backed coup plot. Days later, venezuela announced it had arrested an unspecified number of americans for engaging in espionage and recruitment activities. Venezuela also announced a series of measures including visa requirements for u. S. Citizens and restrictions and the downsizing of the u. S. Embassy in caracas. This all comes as venezuela is facing an economic crisis in part because the price of oil has plummeted in recent months. Amy well, for more, we go now to claremont, california, where were joined by Miguel Tinker Salas. He is a professor at Pomona College, in claremont, california. Tinker salas is the author of , the enduring legacy oil, culture and society in venezuela and the forthcoming venezuela what Everyone Needs to know. Miguel tinker salas, welcome to democracy now if you could start off by talking about the significance of president obama declaring venezuela to be an extraordinary threat to the National Security of the United States. I think it is a dramatic escalation and largely in unnecessary escalation of existing tensions between both countries. What is the objective . Is it to appease the right in the u. S. Amy it looks like the video has frozen. Let us go professor, go right ahead. I think it is an unnecessary dramatic escalation of tensions between both countries. It comes on the heels of the fact obama in december of 2014 issued the sanctions. But those sanctions come after the house approved sanctions against venezuela. It is been an increase in tension beginning since the time obama announced he would begin the normalized relations with cuba. On the one hand, we have an effort to radically to normalize relations with cuba, while we maintain an embargo. And on the other hand, create the image of venezuela as the new cuba, said new country to be sanctioned. In many ways, it is counterproductive. On the one hand, we are to believe our response to the interest of the u. S. Them a particularly in terms of obama addressing the right and u. S. , but the reality is, how it is read in latin america is once again the u. S. And big state diplomacys red in terms of it is ludicrous on its face. Were the 2009 coup in honduras which you extensively cover that was clearly u. S. Was involved for the same thing with paraguay a few years later. Obviously, the