Russia amidst reports that members of trumps team made repeated contact with russian intelligence officials before the november election. We will speak with democratic commerce member ted lieu of california. Then we look at one of Donald Trumps most powerful advisors, Stephen Miller, a 31yearold former aide to senator Jeff Sessions. The end result of this is that our opponents, the media, and the whole world will soon see as we begin to take further actions that the powers of the president to protect our c couny are very substantial and will not be questioned. Amy we will look at how Stephen Miller went from pestering latino students to designing trumps immigration policy. We will speak with one of his former classmates and a reporter at univision. All that and more, coming up. Welcome to democracy now , democracynow. Org, the war and peace report. Im amy goodman. The Washington Post reports the white house is in fullblown crisis following the resignation of former National Security advisor Michael Flynn. On tuesday, the white house admitted that President Trump new for weeks michael flylynn hd discussed center than a call on december 29 with the Russian Ambassador and then lied to Vice President mike pence and other officials about it. The New York Times and cncnn e reporting phone records and intercepted calls show w that members of Donald Trumps president ial campaign had repeated contacts with senior russian intelligence officials in the lead up to the november election. The New York Times reports the u. S. Law enforcement and intelligence agencies intercepted the communications around the time they were discovering evidence that russia was trying to disrupt the president ial election by hacking into the Democratic National committee. These advisers include trumps former Campaign ChairPaul Manafort and former trump advisor carter page. According to the New York Times, call records show Paul Manafort was in touch with russian officials before the election. The publication of the expose came only hours after White House PressSecretary Sean Spicer denied anyone from the Trump Campaign was in touch with russia before the electction. During t the press conferencnce, spicer also refused to say when trump became aware of the contents of flynns phone call with the Russian Ambassador, saying instead, flynn had simply lost the president s trust. We got to a a point not babad on a legal issueue, but a trust issue, with a level of trust between the president and general flynn had eroded to the point where he felt he had to make a change. Amy while the white house has a knowleledged trump knew about flynns discussion of sanctions after former acting attornrney general sally eight warned the administration weeks ago, many are questioning whether trump in fact new at the very time of the call. And december 30, the day after the call, trump tweeted onon Tuesday Morning, president t trump ininitially responded to Michael Flynns resignation by tweeting lawmakers are now calling for an investigation. Michigan commerce and john conyers maryland congressman Elijah Cummings said in a statement not we in Congress Need to know who authorized his actions, permitted them, and continue to let him have access to our most sensitive National Security information despite knowing these risks. We need to who else within the white house is a current and ongoing risk to our National Security. We will have more on that resignation of Michael Flynn after headlines. The office of government ethics hass counselor to the president Kellyanne Conway committed a clear violation of federal ethics rules which he used a tv appearance on fox and friends last week to market merchandise sold by President Trumpss daughter training. Stuff. Utyivankas i own some of it. Im going to get a free commercial here. Go buy it today. Amy in a letter released tuesday, walter shaub called on the white house to investigate conway and consider disciplining her. The thursday, following appearance on fox and friends, conway said she spoke to trump and he stands behind her 100 . Conway is also under fire this morning after buzzfeed reported to ay tweeted love you White Nationalist on valentines day. The user has a bio that reads it also includes an image of pepe the frog, which the Antidefamation League has classified as a hate symbol. Lib hypocrisy tweeted at conway tuesday your strength and resiliency in face of vile hatred, bigotry, sexism of the unhinged left is a daily inspiration. Love you conway retweeted the message and added, love you back. President trump also signed legislation tutuesday to repeala doddfrank anticorruption measure e requiring oil and ming cocompanies to disclosose paymes to governmnments. Pres. Trump this is h resolution 41, disproving the securitys and exchanange commissions rule on disisclosue payments by resource extraction issue is. It is a big deal. We are bringing back jobs bigly at the plants level in the mine level. The energy jobs are coming back. Amy the rule had required public oil, gas and mineral Extraction Companies to disclose annually its payments to both foreign governments and the u. S. Government. Lawmakers say these disclosures help fight corruption in resourcerich countries. The oil industry had fiercely lobbied against the measure. Politico reports longtime exxonmobil ceo rex tillerson, who is now secretary of state, personally lobbied against the rule, flyingo o washingtonon, d. To meet with thensenator , Richard Lugar in 2010, to try to get the measure removed from doddfrank. President trump is meeting with israeli Prime MinisterBenjamin Netanyahu today. A u. S. Official told reporters tuesday trump may not focus on a twostate solution as the path to peace between israelis andd palestinians. If so, trump would be departing sharply from the u u. S. s public diplomatic stance for more than 20 years. Since trump won the u. S. Election, netanyahus farright government has announced the construction of hundreds of settlement Housing Units as well as the first brand new settlement in two decades in the israelioccupied west bank. Trumps pick for ambassador to israel, david friedman, is a longtime polititical and financl supporter of israels settlements, which are illegal under international law. Netanyahu is a close friend of the kushner family, Jared Kushner in advisor to President Trump and also his soninlaw. In washington state, lawyers are suing the federal government over the arrest and detention of Daniel Ramirez medina, who was arrested friday by agents with immigration and customs enforcement, or ice, even though the 23yearold has permission to live and work in the United States under president obamas daca program. That is deferred action for childhood arrivals. His lawyers have called his detention unprecedented and unjustified. Ramirez was arrested when ice agents came to his fathers home and detained both men on friday. Ramirez has been living in the United States since he was seven years old. His family is originally from mexico. Hes now being imprisoned at tacomas northwest detention center. Advocates say his detention may be the first of a daca recipient since trump took office. It came amid a wave of ice raids nationwide last week, in which more than 600 people were arrerested and detained. In california, authorities have lifted a mandatory evacuation order, allowing tens of thousands of residents near the oroville dam to return to their homes. Nearly 200,000 residents living near the nations tallest dam were forced to evacuate over the weekend after e erosion caused a hole to open up in t the dams emergency spillway, threatening to unleash a 30foot wall of water onto nearby towns. Environmental groups had warned california officials more than a decade ago that the oroville dams emergency spillway was at risk of erosion, but the officials ignored the warnings. Scientists say this seasons recordbreaking levels of rainfall in california, which has filled the oroville dam to the brink, is one of the latest exexamples of extreme weatather caused by climate e change. In more Climate Change news, preliminary data from the National Snow and Ice Data Center shows the sea ice around antarctica has shrunk to the smallest annual extent ever recorded. Meanwhile, in bolivia, a state of emergency over Drought Conditions has now been in place for r over 100 days. Scientists say thehe drought is fueled by the retreat of bolivian glaciers as a result of Global Warming. Protesters in bolivia also say the water shortages have been worsened by government mismanagement and Industrial Mining projects. This is bolivian president evo morales. Perhaps Global Warming bris with it many issues. My concerns are in the bolivian highlands. In january, there was a lot of rain but now there is no rain. If it does not rain this month and thee next month of march, we are going to have many problems with the issue of water. Amy Russias Foreign Ministry says russia will not relinquish control of crimea, despite calls from the white house that russia return the territory to ukraine. On wednesday, a russian spokesperson said we dont give back our own territory. Russia illegally annexed crimea in 2014, prompting the us and prompting the u. S. And the European Union to impose sanctions. Russias announcement comes as the u. S. Is embroiled in the political scandal of former National Security adviser Michael Flynns resignation after revelations he discussed separate sanctions imposed against russia with the Russian Ambassador in late and then lied december about the phone call. Human rights watch says the Syrian Government repeatedly and systematically deployed the chemical weapon chlorine gas ainst reredents in a aleppo during t the final weeks of a siege and battle to o retake the city from antigovererent rebels late last year. The report, released monday, accuses Syrian Military helicopters of dropping chlorine gas canisters on residential neighborhoods at least eight times. Last week, Amnesty International published a shocking report accusing the Assad Government of engaging in a deliberate policy of extermination by hanging thousands of civilians at the saydnaya prison near damascus. In china, mass protests have erupted against the proposed construction of a 6. 7 billion aluminum plant in a city n near the siberian border. On tuesday, thousands of people poured into the streets of daqing for a Third Straight day of protest against the plant over concerns of pollution. Protesters say there are already two chemical plants in the city, which they say have caused hihih levels of pollution. In the dominican republic, two radio journalists were shot dead Tuesday Morning after gunmen opened fire in the middle of a broadcast on facebook live. Radio host Luis Manuel Medina of the program hot millennium was killed and producer and director leo martinez at the station in san pedro de macacoris in the middle of the live broadcast, during which one c can hear the sounund of a g gunshot, and thee words tiro, tiro or shots shots before the videdeo cuts out. In more journalism news, back in the United States, the wall street journal is facing accusations of being too favorable in its coverage on President Trump. On monday, the wall street journals top editor gerard baker called a staff meeting to address internal dissent. The paper is owned by conservative mogul rupert murdoch. Under bakers direction, the wall street journal ousted opinion editor mark lasswell, after blocking him from publishing editorials critical of President Trump. The paper refused to run a story about white supremacist support for trump. Business insider reports baker even tried to avoid highlighting that the seven countries included in trumps travel ban or majority muslim instead , suggesting to editors the nations be called terror hotspots. Meanwhile, the white house has given press credentials to a reporter with the far rightwing outlet the gateway pundit one of the most fervently protrump blogs. Its considered even farther to the right than breitbart media. Even conservative commentator Erick Erickson has criticized the move, writing and in health care news, humana has announced it will no longer offer Health Insurance coverage in the Affordable Care act state marketplaces, dealing another blow to obamacare. The announcement came as aetna said it was abandoning its plan to merge with humana after the proposed 37 billion merger was block on antitrust grounds. Last year, aetna announced it would cut its participation in the Affordable Care acts marketplaces by two thirds. President trump and republicans have vowed to dismantle the Affordable Care act. And those are some of the headlines. This is democracy now , democracynow. Org, the war and peace report. Im amy goodman. Tthe New York Timess and cne reporting phone records and intercepted calls show that memberers of Donald Trumpss president ial camampaign had repeated contacts with senior russian intelligence officials in the lead up to novembers election. The times reports u. S. Law enforcement and intelligenence agencies intercecepted the communications around the same time they were discovevering evidence that russia was trying to disrupt the president ial election by hacking into the Democratic National committee. The New York Times and cnn published their stories tuesday night less than 24 hours after , trumps National Security advisor Michael Flynn resigned following revelations he spoke with the Russian Ambassador about u. S. Sanctions during a late december phone call. Former acting attorney general sally yates had warned Trumps Administration weeks ago that flynn might be lying about the call but the white house took no , action for 17 days. Days after yates issued the warning trump fired her for , refusing to enforce his muslim ban. Michael flynn is at least the third trump official to reportedly have ties to russia. Others include trumps former Campaign ChairPaul Manafort and former trump advisor carter page. According to the New York Times, call records show manafort was in touch with russian officials before the election. Hours before the times published its expose, White House Press secretary sean questioned if anyone was in touch with russia before the election. Back in january, the president said no one in his campaign had been in touch with the russians. Now, today, can you still say definitively that nobody on the Trump Campaign, not even general flynn, had any contact with the russians before the election . My understanding is what general flynn has expressed is that during the transition time we were clear during the transition period from he did speak with the ambassador im talking about in the campaign. Theres nothing to conclude theres anything different. 17 days ago, flynn had misled otherice resident, officials, and he was a potential threat to blackmail by the russians. Why would he be kept on for almost three weeks . That assumes a lot of things that are not true. The president was informed of this. Toasked white House Counsel review the situation. The first matter was whether there was a lega