Immigration case in decades, the Supreme Court hears arguments to determine if president obama overstepped his authority when he took unilateral action to protect more than 4 million undocumented immigrants from deportation. We will speak to congressman Luis Gutierrez and immigration activist and journalist Jose Antonio Vargas. Then its election day in new york. We have a system here in new york were independent can get involved in the democratic primary. [boos] where young people who have not previously registered want to register today, just cannot do it. It is going to be a top primary for us. Why cant millions of new yorkers vote in todays New York Primary . As Bernie Sanders attempts to upset Hillary Clinton in new york, we will look at the restrictive voting laws. Then as North Carolina and mississippi has sweeping antilgbt laws, we will look at utah with the other way. The u. S. Legislature last year passed a landmark lgbt antidiscrimination law. I do believe that what we have done will become a model for the rest of the country of how they, too, can resolve these issues in their own respectives dates as we find the right balance necessary to discourage discrimination law protecting religious liberties. Amy we will speak with the only openly gay member of the Utah State Legislature as well as the head of equality utah. All that and more, coming up. Welcome to democracy now , democracynow. Org, the war and peace report. Im amy goodman. Voters in new york are heading to the polls today for one of the most closely watched races of the election. Donald trumps leading of the republican side will Bernie Sanders and Hillary Clinton are locked in an increasingly tight race for the democratic contest. Has 18 of the last nine contests, but Hillary Clinton enjoys wide support in parts of new york where she served as a senator for eight years. At least new yorkers 27 of 3 million the states population cannot vote today because are not registered as either democrats or republicans, and are therefore barred from voting in the closed primary. The deadline to switch Party Affiliation was back in october. Meanwhile, more than 200 new yorkers who saw their Party Affiliations mysteriously switched are filing a lastminute lawsuit to try to make todays primary open. We will have more on the New York Primary later in the broadcast. Meanwhile, more than 300 people were arrested monday in washington, d. C. , in a mass civil disobedience to protest against the influence of big money and corporate lobbying in politics. Mondays demonstration, dubbed democracy awakening, caps a week of massive protests in which about 1200 people were arrested in total. Among those arrested monday were naacp president Cornell William brooks, moral monday organizer reverend william barber, and greenpeace usa director annie leonard. To see our interview with reverend barber before his arrest, go to democracynow. Org. Hundreds of refugees from ethiopia and somalia are feared to have died after their boat capsized in the mediterranean en route to italy on monday. Survivors say that up to 500 people may have drowned, although the reports are still unconfirmed. The number of people trying to cross from libya to italy has surged after a controversial new deal took effect in march that calls for all new refugees arriving in greece to be deported to turkey. Mondays disaster comes nearly a year after a refugee boat capsized in the mediterranean april 19, 2015, killing as many as 800 people. After mondays news broke Doctors Without Borders tweeted , 2016, the mediterranean is a mass grave. This comes as a latest round of syrian peace talks are close to collapse in geneva after the opposition pulled out of the formal negotiations in protest of ceasefire violations by assad s regime and his backers. Senior opposition negotiator Mohammad Alloush spoke out. When they are mobilizing of troops and strikes, when the rent since further armed men in russia since a large group of , allts and unmanned planes of this tells us there is no real will for a political solution that ensures the safety and stability in the country. And ensures transition of political power. Amy in afghanistan, a Taliban Attack in kabul has killed at least 28 people and wounded more than 300. Afghan Officials Say the morning rushhour attack included both a car suicide bomb and multiple gunmen. The majority killed were civilians. After more than 15 years of the u. S. War in afghanistan, the taliban currently controls more territory than at any time since the 2001 u. S. Invasion. Ecuadorian Officials Say the death toll from saturdays 7. 8magnitude earthquake has risen to at least 413 people, as First Responders continue to search for survivors. Nearby latin american countries, as well as the Palestinian National authority, have sent emergency responders. The help from palestine comes after ecuador sent humanitarian aid to gaza following israels 2014 offensive. Texas Governor Greg Abbott has declared a state of emergency in nine counties after unprecedented flooding killed five people and inundated thousands of homes in the houston area. More than 20 inches of rainfall was recorded in some areas. Israeli police say 21 people were injured after a bomb exploded on a bus in jerusalem monday. No one was killed. No one has claimed responsibility for the attack. The Los Angeles Public high school Santee Education Complex has opened the School Districts first genderneutral bathroom, following months of student organizing. Student activist johnny ramos spoke out about the bathrooms significance. This restroom is important for all students to feel comfortable, not just lgbt students are minority students, it is for all students. Everyone can feel welcome. We are eight hours here. At a certain point in time, were going to have to use the restroom. It is unfair some of the kids have to hold the restroom and it honestly sucks. Amy this comes amidst the passage of antitransgender laws in North Carolina and mississippi. A 22yearold black transgender woman has been killed in montgomery county, maryland. Keyonna blakeney was killed saturday at the red roof inn. Police are investigating her murder. Keyonna is the 9th trans person to be murdered this year. In chicago, a father of five American Children has taken sanctuary in a church to protect himself from deportation. 34yearold Jose Juan Federico Moreno has spent seven years fighting deportation after he was convicted of a dui in 2009. On monday, moreno said leaving my children behind is not a choice i can make. All i am asking for is a chance to see my children grow and support my family, he said. This comes as the Supreme Court heard arguments in one of the most significant immigration in decades. Well have more on the Supreme Court case after headlines. In baltimore, 20yearold destiny watford has become one of the youngest winners of the Goldman Environmental Prize in the awards history for organizing to stop a trash incinerator from being built in baltimores curtis bay neighborhood, which already has the worst air pollution in the city. She began the campaign she was only 17 years old. This is destiny watford. Shy,have always been a bit but when i joined the group, was really challenged to come out of that comfort zone. And i went up to this mans door and i told him about the incinerator. He just said, what you kids are doing is pointless. Curtis bay is and always will be a dumping ground and youre not going to change that. And it was a disheartening moments, but it also lit a fire. Amy other winners of the prestigious environmental prize lawyer wholovakia shut down a toxic waste dont, dump a cambodian activist who , went under cover to expose illegal logging, a puerto rican who established a new nature reserve on the island, a tanzanian man who developed a new way to grant land titles to indigenous communities, rather than individuals, and a peruvian farmer who fought a gold and copper mine from taking her land. And the 100th annual Pulitzer Prizes have been announced. The Washington Post won for the series fatal force, which tracked the 990 Police Killings throughout 2015. Linmanuel miranda won best drama for hamilton. Ken armstrong of the Marshall Project and t. Christian miller of propublica won for the investigation an unbelievable story of rape, which chronicles a botched rape investigation. And the Associated Press won the Pulitzer Prize for Public Service for the investigative series seafood from slaves, which uncovered slavery in the Southeast Asia fishing industry, which is a major supplier of seafood to the United States. I sat down with two of the ap reporters, Robin Mcdowell and martha mendoza, last week in los angeles. Partys issue of third suppliers, what he said it companies, we cant be responsible for going back to the beginning of where fish is caught him if these men are slaves, certainly we do not condone that. But how would we know . We are a couple of moms we are News Reporters and we found this. I dont buy it. A Major Corporation that really cares and is really committed to keeping Human Trafficking out of their supply chain can get meticulous, get on the ground, talk to people, figure out where there products come from. It may be a little more expensive and their profit margin may be a little smaller, but it is entirely doable for them to follow their product from the producer right onto their store shelves. Amy the Pulitzer Prize debut into an all woman team. To see our full interview with the fillets are prizewinning reporters Robin Mcdowell and martha mendoza, go to democracynow. Org. And those are some of the headlines. This is democracy now , democracynow. Org, the war and peace report. Im amy goodman in salt lake city, utah. It is part of our 100 city tour and headed to colorado this afternoon. In what is being called one of the most significant immigration cases in decades, the Supreme Court heard arguments monday to determine if president obama overstepped his authority when he took unilateral action to protect more than 4 million undocumented immigrants from deportation. The case pits the Obama Administration against 26 states led by texas. The states filed suit to prove block daca. Following the death of antonin scalia, the court is divided with four liberal justices and four conservatives. A 44 split would leave in place a 2015 lowercourt ruling that threw out the president s executive action. Attorney thomas saenz of the Mexican AmericanLegal Defense and Educational Fund was one of four attorneys to argue the case before the court. He spoke after the hearing. In defending the president s exercise of his constitutional prerogative as has been exercised by his many predecessors over the last 50 years, to set priorities in immigration enforcement, his guidance issued in november 2014 was simply an exercise of that longstanding authority. The justices this morning seem very concerned and vigorous questioning about whether the state of texas had standing or the right to even be in court to challenge that exercise of enforcement discretion. Amy sofie cruz, a sixyearold american citizen and child of an undocumented immigrant from texas, may have been the youngest person watching the historic proceedings. She spoke at a press conference after the arguments ended. I asked the judges to protect us children and all immigrants. Help us with daca and Immigration Reform for all. I have the right to protection. I have the right to live with my parents. I have the right to live without fear. I have the right to be happy. Amy for more we are joined by , two guests. Congress member whos good tears represent illinois in congress. He is the chair of the Immigration Task force of the congressional hispanic caucus. And Jose Antonio Vargas is a Pulitzer Prizewinning journalist and filmmaker. He famously came out of the shadows in 2011 in the New York Times magazine with his story, my life as an undocumented immigrant. Hes the founder and editor of emergingus and founder of define american. Welcome to democracy now you both were in the Supreme Court yesterday. ,ongress member Luis Gutierrez talk about the significance of this case. Lay out exactly what the supreme work is considering. Collects whether or not you can a drivers license and a work permit to someone. When you listen, and i was there in new orleans at the fifth circuit, and what has clearly been established as the president does have the authority under the law to set priorities about who is going to be deported or not will stuff it was a lot clearer in orleans and yesterday, but he came through the resoundingly yesterday. In other words, as judge ginsburg said, theyre going to Say Something that i and my colleagues have in saying for a long time, they are not going anywhere. And nothing yesterday is going to stop them from being deported. They get to stay, but what theyre really saying is, yeah, were not here to challenge whether the president of the United States is going to deport them or not. He is not going to port them, but we dont want them to have a drivers license. We do not want theto have a work pmit. We want them to live in miser and in sh conditons that maybe they will leave. Anotr words, it is aery mespiritekind of contentious because a drivers license has as the justices said yesterday, they are driving today. They are working today. Isnt it better to put them on throughs, have them go a background check and have them drive with a drivers license and insurance . They are here and no one is going to deport them. I think were going to win. If robert sank unity are consistent with their decision that they had an arizona which they must flippantly asserted, it is up to the state of arizona whether they get a drivers license or not, but on the other hand, they can not become involved in dictating the gratian policies. That that is the purview of the federal government. Amy and you talk, congressman, about the significance of, well, the death of antonin scalia, what it means for this case and 4 will happen in this 4 well, it is not necessarily a 44 split on this, but with the shape looks like now. No one ever expected judge really up to te and se with e immigrt cmunity on th caser with t predent. At was ner a conrn. Itas alwaygoing to be4 d it wile3 or ybe 62. It depends on how the supreme urt lookat this. It is clearly the pview evenhen the lawyers for the reblican partyeresked yesterday whher orot they were theo force e no. Ationsnd they said at is noeven an sue. Moover, wh the attornefor pa ryan and the marity of republicans in e house of representatives came rward an ied to aue about t presidt overstped his clearlyutshe was do by the jusces of the supremcourt. Let me say one thi, and that is, iot to tell you, if there s ever aeason fo having chary and juice and uality tween men and women, it was sterday. E women the supmeourt rely took thione forwd and were vigous and ergetic d aski t kinds o questns what believeill leado a viory of o committ. Lets make sure we keep passing those laws to make sure women and men have equality, even on the federal bench. Amy i want to turn to Texas Attorney general ken paxton speaking after the oral arguments monday before the Supreme Court. Today, our solicitor general argued the case strongly for the rule of law. , whetherow a psident it is is presint or fure present, no mter what their political persuasion or their party to make changes in the law without congressiona approval, then we will end up with a perverted constitution. So today, it was a strong day for the constitution defending the rule of law. Amy congressman gutierrez, your response . Look, the president of the United States is to set the priority. They are here. They did not sue under daca. We can see 750,000 strong today. What a magnificent example of the positive nature of the president s action. The fact is, the American Public amy, look, the law is on our side. It is clear the law is on our side. The American People are on our side. If they would allow a vote in the house or the senate today, this case would become moot. Moreover, five