Amy Bernie Sanders declares a virtual tie with Hillary Clinton in the Iowa Caucuses. Sanders was once 40 points behind clinton in the polls, but it now looks like theyll split iowas delegate votes for the democratic nomination. On the republican side, an upset victory for texas senator ted cruz over frontrunner donald trump. Tonight is a victory for the grassroots. Tonight is a victory for courageous conservatives across iowa and all across this great nation. Love you, we thank you, you are special. We will be back many, many times. In fact, i think i might come here and buy a farm. Amy donald trump had led the iowa polls for months, but a strong turnout of evangelicals helped give cruz the win. Now the president ial primary turns to New Hampshire. Well talk iowa and whats next with john nichols of the nation and longtime Hillary Clinton supporter Ellen Chesler. Then, the road to the white house might begin in iowa, but is that road already bought and sold to big donors . Well look at the intersection of money and politics in the 2016 campaign with lee fang of the intercept. He recently asked Hillary Clinton if shell release the transcripts of her lucrative speaking engagements for Goldman Sachs. Her response . Laughter. Youecretary clinton, will release the pages of your transcript of Goldman Sachs . [laughter] all that and more coming up. Welcome to democracy now , democracynow. Org, the war and peace report. Im amy goodman. The Iowa Caucuses on upset victory for republican senator ted cruz over frontrunner donald trump while the virtual tie between Hillary Clinton and rival Bernie Sanders. The latest returns show clinton leading sanders by less than half a percentage point, a result that would split iowa delegate votes for the democratic nomination. Addressing supporters, sanders said iowa has begun a political revolution. I think the people of iowa have sent a very profound message to the political establishment, to the economic establishment, and, by the way, to the media establishment. For walls that be street with her in the supply of money, corporate america, the Large Campaign donors, are so powerful that no president can do what has to be done. And that is why what iowa has begun tonight is a political revolution. Amy sanders was able to catch up with glenn and i went despite polls once showing him 40 points behind. There were number of coin tosses when there were unequal delegates to divide between clinton and Bernie Sanders, and in each one clinton one. If sanders had one is going tosses, he would have won. On the republican side, ted cruz upset donald trump with the help of a strong evangelical turnout. He called his with a victory for the grassroots. Tonight is a victory for the grassroots. Tonight is a victory for courageous conservatives across iowa and all across this great nation. Tonight the state of iowa has spoken. Amy marco rubio came in a close third after trump am a bit ted cruz won. We will have more on iowa after headlines. The World Health Organization has declared the zika virus an International Public health emergency. While the virus itself is usually not lifethreatening, it appears to be linked to microcephaly, which causes babies to be born with abnormally small heads. It also causes a host of other health problems, including seizures, developmental delays, hearing loss and vision problems. The World Health Organization says the virus is spreading explosively and that up to 4 Million People in the americas could be infected with zika by the end of this year. Who directorgeneral dr. Margaret chan spoke out at a News Conference in geneva. That theow declaring recent cluster of microcephaly and other neurological abnormalities reported in latin inrica, French Polynesia 2014, constitutes a Public Health emergency of international concern. Amy scientists have linked rising temperatures from Global Warming to the increased incidence of mosquitoborne infections such as zika. A saudi military spokesman has acknowledged saudi arabia bombed a Doctors Without Borders hospital in yemen in october. Saudi arabia had previously denied the october 27 airstrike, which injured one person and completely destroyed the small hospital in saada province, leaving an estimated 200,000 people without access to a medical facility. The u. S. Backed Saudiled Coalition has been accused of carrying out multiple attacks on Health Facilities in yemen in recent months. In january, an airstrike destroyed another hospital supported by Doctors Without Borders, killing at least 6 patients and staff. Doctors without borders executive director jason cone has accused saudi arabia of waging the ongoing war in yemen with utter disregard for International Humanitarian law. In afghanistan, a taliban Suicide Attack near a Police Complex in kabul has killed at least 20 Police Officers and wounded dozens more. Its the latest in a growing string of taliban attacks in the capital. This comes as s. Military officials confirm afghan soldier and Police Casualties were up by nearly a third in 2015. U. Militarofficialare increasing pressuron the oma administration to change its rules to give u. S. Forces a larger role in military operations in afghanistan. In guatemala, two former military officers are on trial for crimes of sexual and domestic slavery and forced disappearance perpetrated against indigenous mayan women in 1982 during the u. S. Backed dirty wars. A 1999 u. N. Backed Truth Commission report found that the Guatemalan Military systematically used rape as a weapon of terror during the decadeslong war, but this is the first time any individual officers have faced trial related to these crimes. The trial, which opened monday, comes after decades of organizing by the defendants, who say that they were forced into sexual slavery for months in the small village of sepur zarco in eastern guatemala. They say they were required to report for 12hour shifts, during which soldiers forced them to clean, cook and submit , to routine gang rapes. The defendants are now in their 70s and 80s. Ada valenzuela, of the collective breaking the impunity called the trial an historic step. Cookt marks e first,ot only in e historof guatala, butlso in torld beuse it ihe firstime nation tribunahas triea casef sexualiolence. Sexu slaverynd domestic slavery crimes war, which were committed during the armed civil conflict in guatemala. Amy International Academics are raising concern about the crackdown against their turkish colleagues who have signed a petition denouncing the turkish militarys violent crackdown on kurdish communities. The petition entitled, we will not be a party to this crime, has been signed by more than 2000 professors, including noam chomsky, judith butler, and david harvey. In response, turkish president erdogan has verbally attacked the professors. Turkish Security Forces have arrested more than two dozen professors on charges of spreading terrorism propaganda. In new york city, dozens of academics held a News Conference to call attention to the crackdown. Colombia University ProfessorMarianne Hirsch spoke out. That was signed by over 2000 people, we will not be a party to this crime, merely asked the government to observe national and International Law and to initiate a pce process with the populations of southeast anatolia and its kurdish dominated region that they havent targeting have been targeting with major acts of persecution. Almost immediately, the signatories of this petition were targeted by the turkish government, and they were accused, as weve been hearing, of terrorist propaganda investigated by their universities and otherwise harassed. Amy this comes as a top u. N. Human rights official is urging turkey to investigate a report that the army opened fire on unarmed civilians in the majority kurdish town of cizre. The shooting was captured on film by turkish journalist refik tekin. The video appears to show Security Forces shooting at a group of unarmed people, some of whom are carrying white flags. At least two people were said to be killed. The journalist is now facing arrest on charges of belonging to a terrorist organization. A United Nations working group says the United States should consider reparations to African Americans whose ancestors were enslaved as part of transatlantic slave trade. The u. N. Working group of experts on people of african descent released its recommendations after spending a week meeting with African Americans across the United States, including in baltimore, chicago, new york city, d. C. , and jackson, mississippi. The factfinding missions chair, mireille fanonmendes france, said the legacy of enslavement, racial subordination and segregation, racial terrorism and racial inequality in the u. S. Remains a serious challenge as there has been no real commitment to reparations and to truth and reconciliation for people of african descent. In news from africa, a new report warns of continued violence and economic decline in south sudan, which has been gripped by bouts of civil war since 2013. The report cites at least five violations of the ceasefire, which took effect more than a year ago. Since 2013, thousands have died in the conflict, and famine is widespread. South sudan is the worlds newest country. It gained independence from sudan in 2011. In india, the Supreme Court has begun hearings in a case that could strike down a colonialera law that criminalizes sex between gay, lesbian, and transgender adults. The law, known as section 377, was ruled unconstitutional in 2009, but it was reinstated in 2013. Hundreds of people report being arrested under the law. Activists also say that there has been a surge of attacks against gay, lesbian and , transgender people since the law was reinstated. The department of Human Services has announced it will revoke the license of the Berks Family Detention Center in pennsylvania. This comes after a Lengthy Campaign by a coalition of grassroots oanizatio to shut down theontroveral famil detention center, which has housed thousands of parents and children seeking u. S. Asylum. Berks is one of only three Family Detention Centers in the United States. To see our recent report on the Berks Family Detention Center from democracy now criminal justice correspondent renee feltz, go to democracynow. Org. In burns, oregon, as many as 500 people faced off yesterday in competing protests over the ongoing armed occupation of the federal wildlife reserve. On january 2, a rightwing antigovernment militia took over the wildlife refuge in support of two ranchers sentenced to prison for setting fires that burned federal land. The ranchers later turned themselves in to authorities, but militia members continued their occupation despite the protest of local residents. On monday, both residents opposed to the occupation and some of their supporters rallied in front of the Harney County courthouse during a tense stand off that lasted more than two hours. There are reportedly only four remaining militia members continuing the armed occupation. In kansas, a u. S. Military veteran is fighting to regain custody of five of his children after kansas took them into child custody last year over the mans use of medical marijuana. Raymond schwab says he treats his ptsd and chronic pain with homemade cannabis butter. Last april, he and his wife were preparing to move to colorado, remailer on a were marijuana use is legal. But before they could finish the move, the schwabs say the state of kansas took their five youngest children into state custody, on suspicion of child endangerment. Even though the state later found these allegations to be unsubstantiated, schwab says kansas is requiring him to provide four months of drugfree urine tests to get his kids back. Israel is going open its doors to refugees. Those headlines, at least according to a fake version of the new york times, being distributed across new york city today. The print copy of the revered paper also says democratic president ial candidate alerted clinton plans to quit the president ial race and head up a womans nonprofit based in rome a lot on the west bank. The addition even has fake ads. It is not yet clear who was behind the prank. The group the yes men pulled off a similar prank in 2008. And civil rights lawyer Myron Beldock has died. Throughout the course of his legal career, beldock championed the cases of those who had been discriminated against by the justice system. He is best known for defending yusef salaam, one of the five teenagers falsely convicted in the 1989 central park jogger case. He also defended former boxer rubin hurricane carter, who served 19 years in prison for three murders in new jersey, before beldock helped win his freedom. Beldock died monday in manhattan at the age of 86. And those are some of the headlines. This is democracy now , democracynow. Org, the war and peace report. Im amy goodman. The Iowa Caucuses saw an upset victory for republican senator ted cruz over frontrunner donald trump while a virtual tie between Hillary Clinton and rival Bernie Sanders. The latest returns show clinton leading sanders by less half a percentage point, a result that would split iowas delegate votes for the democratic nomination. Sanders was able to catch up with clinton in iowa despite polls showing him at least 40 points behind. 4in10 caucusgoers were voting for the firsttime, a segment that overwhelmingly favored sanders. More than one in our democratic one in four democratic voters listed income inequality as the elections top issue. Some sites decided their winter with a coin toss. In all, six situations clinton won. Waiting late into the night, the republican contest was decided earlier. Texas senator ted cruz upset national frontrunner donald trump despite trumps dominance in the polls for months. Florida senator marco rubio came in just behind trump. Cruz won in a race that saw a record republican turnout for iowa and a strong showing of evangelical voters. Cruz also took iowa despite opposing ethanol subsidies favorable to local corngrowers, a stance that led Iowa RepublicanGovernor Terry branstad to openly oppose him. On the democratic side, Maryland GovernorMartin Omalley announced he will suspend his campaign after attracting just 0. 6 of the iowa vote. Omalley has floated a president ial run since 2013, but failed to gain traction with democratic voters. For republicans, former Arkansas Governor Mike Huckabee also announced hes suspending his campaign. We begin todays show with highlights from iowa. Vermont senator Bernie Sanders finished the night in a virtual tie with Hillary Clinton, but sounded like a winner in his speech to supporters last night. Months agowe came this beautiful state. Had no Political Organization , we had no money, we had no name recognition, and we were taking on the most powerful, Political Organization in the United States of america. [applause] resultsonight while the are still not known, it looks like we are in a virtual tie. [applause] and the reason that we have done so well here in iowa, the reason i believe we are going to do so well in New Hampshire and the other states that follow, the reason is the American People are saying no to a rigged economy. [applause] longer want to see an economy in which the average american works longer hours for lower wages, while almost all new income and wealth is going to the top 1 . [applause] what the American People understand is this country was based and is based on fairness. Fairness. It is not fair when the top. 1 today owns honest as much wealth as the bottom 90 . Not fair when the 20 wealthiest people in this country own more wealth than the bottom half of america. So are you guys ready for radical idea . [applause] is america. And that radical idea is, we are going to create an economy that works