Then 40,000 verizon workers enter their sixth week on strike in one of the biggest u. S. Labor strikes in years. We are on day 43 of our strike against verizon. It is about the 39,000 workers on strike and our families, but really about so much more than that. This about working people fighting back and saying what verizon is doing is not right and we are going to take a stand to protect our jobs. Amy and then activists in peekskill, new york, have launched a blockade to stop a planned gas pipeline being built near the Indian Point Nuclear plant. Were directly in the path of the pipeline at an active construction site so when workers come this morning, they will find our home in the middle of their worksite and will not be able to do construction. Amy all that and more, coming up. Welcome to democracy now , democracynow. Org, the war and peace report. Im amy goodman. Protests erupted outside a donald trump rally in albuquerque, new mexico, tuesday night, overshadowing trumps victory in Washington States republican primary. Police said antitrump demonstrators threw rocks and bottles, overturned barricades, lit fires, and smashed the glass door to albuquerques Convention Center where trump was speaking. Police descended on the protesters on horseback and in riot gear using pepper spray and smoke bombs. Inside the Convention Center, protesters repeatedly interrupted trump, who responded by taunting them. You know, they are Bernie Sanders supporters but i am hearing that we are going to get about 40 of Bernie Sanders he is not going to win. Againstem is rigged Bernie Sanders, so he cant win. But i am hearing we are going to get close to 40 of his supporters. Maybe not these people, though. Get them out of here. Get them out. Get them out of here. Amy donald trump won the republican primary in Washington State with over 77 of the vote, bringing him closer to clinching the republican president ial nomination. His rivals, texas senator ted cruz and Ohio Governor john kasich, have dropped out of the race. Meanwhile, Republican Party leaders are reportedly considering changing the president ial nominating process following trumps success, including closing republican contests to independents. More than 600 u. S. Writers have signed an open letter to the American People opposing trumps candidacy. Signed by stephen king, junot diaz, amy tan, and dave eggers, the letter reads in part the rise of a political candidate who deliberately appeals to the basest and most violent elements in society, who encourages aggression among his followers, shouts down opponents, intimidates dissenters, and denigrates women and minorities, demands, from each of us, an immediate and forceful response. In brazil, interim president michel temer has unveiled a raft of economic austerity measures and introduced a farreaching constitutional amendment limiting the growth of public spending. The move comes a day after the interim governments planning minister resigned after explosive transcripts showed him plotting to oust president Dilma Rousseff in order to scuttle a corruption investigation targeting him. Speaking tuesday, temer sought to defend his governments integrity. We are not going to impede investigations with regards to public morality and administrative morality. On the contrary, we will always incentivize it. I have said this with great frequency. However many times i say it, there are always news reports saying there is a scheme to do this or that. We do not want that. Nobody wants that. I think those people whose names come up now and again do not want that, either. What they do want is a Democratic State to have the right to defend themselves, the nothing that the government can interfere in. Amy well have more on brazil after headlines. In france, gas stations have reported fuel shortages as protesters blockade oil depots amidst sweeping protests against labor reform. All eight of the countrys refineries were reportedly out of commission tuesday as workers went on strike. France has been forced to dip into its Strategic Oil reserves for the First Time Since 2010. Unions are protesting reforms that would make it easier to fire workers among other , provisions. Spoke on monday. It has been less than a week that we have been mobilized all around france. There are you shortages everywhere. Let them try to find some lies that are a little more credible. Amy in argentina, teachers and other Public Workers launched a 24hour National Strike tuesday. They are demanding higher salaries and opposing rightwing president Mauricio Macris veto of a bill intended to prevent layoffs. Since taking office in December Macri has slashed 10,000 public , sector jobs. Here in the u. S. , the Justice Department has said it will seek the Death Penalty for dylann storm roof, the man accused of massacring nine africanamerican worshippers in charleston, south carolina, last year. Roof is accused of opening fire during bible study at Emanuel Ame Church in an attack motivated by racism. In a statement, attorney general Loretta Lynch said the nature of the alleged crime and the resulting harm compelled this decision. State prosecutors have already said they will seek the Death Penalty and roof has been indicted on federal hate crimes charges. A pennsylvania judge has ruled there is enough evidence to proceed with a criminal Sexual Assault trial against comedian bill cosby. About 60 women have accused of cosby of Sexual Assault dating back decades. But the statute of limitations on many cases has lapsed. In this case, andrea constand, a accused cosby of sexually assaulting her at his home in 2004. A former District Attorney in Montgomery County chose not to bring charges in the case in 2005, but prosecutors in pennsylvania reopened the case last year amid a tidal wave of accusations against cosby. The current da kevin steele vowed to move forward. The point of this is that it was intoxicating to her, and that she was unable to consent. That is the crime. That is the charges that we are bound over. We look forward to handling this in court. Amy the brother of a guantanamo prisoner who wrote a bestselling memoir on his experiences at the prison has been barred from entering the United States. Mohamedou ould slahi has been imprisoned at guantanamo for nearly 14 years without being charged with a crime. He wrote the book guantanamo diary. On june 2, he is set to go before the periodic review board, which could recommend his release. His brother, yahdih ould slahi, who lives in germany, had planned to come to the United States for a series of Public Events ahead of his brothers hearing. But when he arrived at jfk airport in new york saturday, he was detained by customs and border patrol, held overnight, interrogated, and sent back to germany. Slahi spoke out about his brothers case in a video recording after arriving home. Going ate 2, he is another hearing. We hope you will be released. We have created a petition. I would like to ask you to sign it. We need your help. Only with your help can we make eye brother free man. Of course his mother is no longer living. She died in 2013, but he has the rest of his family waiting for him. Amy agribusiness giant monsanto has rejected a 62 billion takeover bid from the german pharmaceutical firm bayer, but said it remains open to future negotiations. A merger between the firms would create the largest supplier of seeds and agricultural chemicals in the world. The news comes after protesters took to the streets in more than 400 cities on Six Continents saturday to protest monsanto. In texas, kevin ellis has won a republican primary runoff for a seat on the state board of education. The race was closely watched across the country because ellis opponent, mary lou brune, has touted a rash of rightwing conspiracy theories, including that president obama was a drugaddicted prostitute, that Climate Change is a hoax invented by karl marx, and that federal prekindergarten programs are a ploy to confuse children about their sexuality. Brune was expected to win but ellis defeated her. In peekskill, new york, residents have launched a permanent blockade in an effort to stop construction of a pipeline that would carry highpressure methane gas from massachusetts, through rhode island, connecticut, and down to the communities along the hudson river. Spectra energys algonquin incremental market project, known as the aim pipeline, would run only hundreds of feet from the aging Indian Point Nuclear power plant, sparking concerns that a pipeline break could cause a Catastrophic Nuclear disaster that would threaten the all of new york city. Democracy now was there as the blockade was launched just hours ago. Well bring you a report later in the broadcast. Here in new york city, babeland has become the first unionized sex toy store in the country. Babeland workers voted last week to join the retail, wholesale, and Department Store union, saying it will help them address concerns related to training and wages and the rights of several transgender employees. And those are some of the headlines. This is democracy now , democracynow. Org, the war and peace report. Im amy goodman. Juan and i am one gonzalez. Welcome to all of our listeners and viewers from around the country and around the world. We begin todays show with the political crisis engulfing brazil. On tuesday, the countrys interim president michel temer unveiled a raft of economic austerity measures and introduced a farreaching constitutional amendment limiting the growth of public spending to the equivalent of the previous years inflation. Temer reportedly is now focused on overhauling brazils pension system, but two of the countrys largest unions have refused to participate in talks, saying they dont recognize the interim government. Temer has also called for the immediate abolition of a fund created to channel oil revenues into education initiatives. On tuesday, he addressed a meeting of brazilian Congressional Party leaders. Public spending is on an unsustainable path. We can delight ourselves in one of the other conquests, or further down the line, we will have condemned the brazilian people to extraordinary difficulties. Amy meanwhile, a key figure in brazils interim government has resigned after explosive new transcripts revealed how he plotted to oust president Dilma Rousseff in order to end a corruption investigation that was targeting him. The transcripts, published by brazils largest newspaper, folha de sao paulo, document a conversation in march, just weeks before brazils lower house voted in favor of impeaching president rousseff. Romero juca, who was then a senator but became a planning minister after rousseffs ouster, was speaking with a former Oil Executive, sergio machado. Both men have been targets of the socalled car wash investigation over Money Laundering and corruption at the statecontrolled oil firm petrobras. In the conversation, the men agree that ousting president rousseff would be the only way to end the corruption probe. , we transcript, juca says have to and it. Writing for the intercept, journalist journalist Glenn Greenwald said the transcripts provide proof for virtually every suspicion and accusation impeachment opponents have long expressed about those plotting to remove dilma from office. On monday, the planning minister said his comments were taken out of context but he would step , down as a planning minister. Well, for more, we go now to berkeley, california, where were joined by Maria Luisa Mendonca. She is the director of brazils network for social justice and human rights. She is also a professor in the International Relations department at the university of rio de janeiro. Her recent piece for the progressive is called, brazils parliamentary vote is a coup. Maria luisa mendonca, welcome to democracy now can you explain what is happening and the significance of these audiotapes . See andthey actually prove very clearly something we have been saying from the beginning that this is a coup because there is no reason, no legal basis for the impeachment of president dilma, that the main reason to do this was to actually stop investigations of corruption. It was clear from the beginning because the interim president , michel temer, appointed seven ministers that are now facing charges of corruption. And also one of the first things theid was to eliminate state agency that controls contracts between the government and private businesses. A way to clear it was stop the investigations of corruptions, and in the second main reason was to implement austerity measures in the rightwing agenda that has been Society Since 2002. So the rightwing forces have not been able to win elections. The only way for them to take our was by orchestrating the coup. Juan could you talk about his elimination of all of these other ministers that deal with social issues within the government . Exactly. Just a few hours after taking power, he eliminated the ministers of women, of agricultural development, of human rights, and racial equality, of culture of communications. So it was a huge structural change with very serious consequences. For instance, the minister of culture is an institution that promotes brazilian culture all over the world. You cannot justify that by any argument, even economics. It doesnt make any sense. Since then, there have been huge demonstrations. Just over the weekend, this past weekend, several Office Buildings have been occupied by artists. The offices of the minister of culture are now occupied. And we have seen huge concerts with demonstrations against michel temer. Even in soccer stadiums, were seeing demonstrations all over the country. So it is very clear that this agenda will be rejected. Also, for instance, in the case of the minister of women, there now is a secretary. It lost its status as a ministry. Invited five women, academics and artists, that rejected the invitation. I think it is interesting to see no women want to be part of the new government, which is a positive sign considering what this government looks like. And just yesterday, finally, he found someone for that position. It is a former congresswoman who herself is being accused of corruption. In the case of the communications, the Public Communications system is actually very concerning. Just a few hours after taking fired the public broadcasting m in brazil and replaced him with an executive from the very powerful network that is calling for demonstrations against the government for over a year right now. So that is a huge change. Imagine if suddenly the head of a fox newslaced by executive. That is a comparison that we can make. So he eliminated several very important public institutions. Juan you mentioned global. What has been the role of the mass media, of the commercial media as all of these events have been unfolding . Yes, that is a key role. I have been saying, imagine if here in the u. S. All tv stations and they all news started to call for demonstrations against the government, and were broadcasting those demonstrations live all day long. And at the same time, the large demonstrations in support of the government and support for democracy in brazil remain ignored. I think it is very important for people to understand that this was created this idea that the main problem in brazil was corruption was pretty much created by Corporate Media and now it is very clear with the recent release of this transcript that the main goal was to actually stop the investigations of corruption and to implement an agenda, neoliberal agenda, that not only cut important social programs, but changes legislation, as you were mentioning in the beginning of the show. For instance, in the case of the governmental spending for education. Right after the end of the military dictatorship in brazil, the new constitution determines in local and state administrations, 25 of the budget is the minimum that has to be applied, invested on education. The same as for the federal level. That is, a minimum of 18 . Michel temer is proposing to change legislation so the state is not obligated to spend a minimum on education which will have a huge impact. This is not going to improve the economy. This will create more economic inequality and more stability. Amy last week, the intercepts Glenn Greenwald spoke to former president Dilma Rousseff. She expressed some concerns about the situation unfolding in brazil. Say it is thet i end of democracy . Because today, institutions can be disrupted, but they are stronger than you think. I am apprehensive because what happens under an illegitimate government . It tries to dress itself in the villa of pseudoorder. It bans free of expression and shows an enormous willingness to cut social programs. , well, thet is president does the democratically elected president domaazil, delivers just rousseff, who is just been asked to by the Vice President michel temer. Maria luisa mendonca, go more into who juca is, who was then a senator but became a planning minister after the ousterrousse. The one on the states speaking to the former Oil Executive and theyre talking about ending the corruption investigations against them. Yes, he has been a key player in this conspiracy against president Dilma Rousseff, and that is very clear now by the transcripts. Ofis a very powerful member the Political Party of michel temer. He has been in politics forever. And he is being charged of corruption. In his history, also had very horrible stories in the 1980s as the head of the infrastructure in brazil that is the foundation for Indigenous People in brazil. And at that time, he allowed to oust thenies andous communities in hundreds were killed in from diseasesalso from mining explication in their territories exploration in their territories. He has a history of corruption and being a very conservative politician. But the joke now in brazil was that he was the planning minister, right . It is clear there was a plot, that the impeachment is actually a plot as a coup, that is why we have to call this a coup. And i think a key point out like to emphasize is that there is no reason for the impeachment. We cannot say that president dilma can be impeached just because her popularity may be low at some point in her term or because it is an economic crisis in brazil. We are not a parliamentary system. We are a president ial system. So no matter if you like president dilma or not, if you criticize the government or not, we cannot justify the impeachment. It would be almost like, can you arrest someone in brazil . Yes. But if the person did not commit any crime, then this is fascism. You cannot impeach the president just because you dont like her personality. Juan let me ask you in terms of the strategy of the Workers Party at this point with these extraordinary developments, what is Dilma Rousseff planning to do now as she is facing this impeachment . What about the role of the president former president Lula Da Silva . The main shortage he now is to oppose this interim government to say this is not a legitimate government and the Workers Party, congress members, have been saying that very clearly. The senators, the congress numbers and the lower house, but what we have been seeing in the last few days is huge demonstrations against the government. I think this will increase the opposition from society, from Brazilian Society will increase from the part of the academic committee, artists, and in the people in general. We have been seeing very large demonstrations against michel temer, including demonstration by his house. The movement of Homeless People in the state of san paolo just had a large demonstration in front of Michel Temers house, and he is being called so we have been seeing those types of things, including the new foreign minister who was just in argentina and was ineived with protests argentina as well. I think the international committee, we need to Pay Attention and we need solidarity from u. S. Organizations to call on the Obama Administration to support president Dilma Rousseff in the process that elected and reelected her just over a year ago. Amy quickly, what has been the Obama Administrations response to what so many are calling a coup in brazil . At the beginning, it was not showing any very strong statements. But recently, it is basically confirming that it would support president the interim president michel temer, which is not a very good sign. Administrationma doesnt do the same thing as we saw in honduras. So we hope they dont make the same mistake because this will be a very dangerous precedent that can bring instability to the whole region. Amy we want to thank you for being with us, Maria Luisa Mendonca director of brazils , network for social justice and human righ. She is also a professor in the International Relations department at the university of rio de janeiro. We will link to your piece for the progressive is called, brazils parliamentary vote is a coup. One of the largest u. S. Strikes in history is underway in the northeast. We will talk with a verizon worker and organizer. Stay with us. [music break] amy war on the workers. This is democracy now , democracynow. Org, the war and peace report. Im amy goodman with juan gonzalez. An today rks siweeks since nearly 40,000 verizon workers went on strike along the east coast, from massachusetts to virginia, marking one of the biggest u. S. Strikes in years. The workers ve been without a contract since august amid attempts by verizon to cap pensions, cut benefits and , outsource work to mexico, the philippines and the dominican , republic. On tuesday, verizon ceo lowell mcam admitted e companys secondquarter earnings may take a hit because the strike has resulted in the company falling behind on new internet and television installations. Financial analysts are projecting the strike willost verizon 200 million in profits this year and a loss of 343 million in revenue in the Second Quarter alone. Verizon is currently advertising for hundreds of temporary positions. Amy picket lines have been set up across the east coast. Verizon strikes are being organized by the committee occasions workers of america and the electrical workers. On monday, syracuse became the 16th city to pass resolutions in support of a strike in workers. For more were joined by pamela galpern, Striking Verizon worker, a Field Technician at verizon for 17 years and a mobilizer with Communications Workers of america local 1101. Bob master is the assistant to the vicepresident of cwa district one. Welcome to democracy now jen, lets begin with you pamela, lets begin with you. What sparked these strike . We are on strike basically to protect our jobs and preserve our time with our families and to keep good jobs and our communities. Wereon and the unions bargaining for 10 months. During that time, verizon had a long list of concessionary demands. One wanted to attack our medical benefits and retirees medical benefits, send more jobs offshore, transfer workers a long list of concessions. For a company is profitable as verizon, i think it was clear that that wasnt right, that it is not right they want to take so much from the workers who have helped make this company so profitable. This strike is about keeping good jobs here and it is about our families. 39,000 workers on strike. It is the families of all of those workers. I think that during these strike what we have seen has been tremendous resolve on the part of the strikers because people really understand the strike is about as in her jobs but really about so much more than that. If we cant win the strike against verizon, then what does it say about i think we can win the strike against verizon so basically we need to show working people are prepared to stand up and fight to protect our jobs and our familys future. Juan bob master, the company has been on an enormous advertising blitz telling his side of the story climbing verizon their packer their workers are being paid 130,000 the was year. What about the companys financial standing and its message of what the workers are actually receiving . 1. 5e Company Makes billion a month and has made that amount for 15 straight months. 1. 5 billion a month. Juan that is in profits. Exactly. Hanger top executives 50 million a year for the last years. There are credibly profitable but saying, you cannot share in the profits. What theyre saying to pam and fellow landline workers, you are in antique, a relic of the princes bureau. Your wages and benefits are out of whack. To future theyre saying, we can only pay you the industry standard. Either on the cutting edge or relics, they say only the executives and the shareholders can profit. Pam and the landline workers are installing the most advanced Broadband Network in america, fios, so theyre misleading there. They load up that figure with all caps of extraneous costs, overtime, by outcome all caps of things. The average striker is making about 74,000 he or. Amy last month, democratic president ial candidate Hillary Clinton and Bernie Sanders joined verizon workers on the picket lines in new york city. Sanders criticized verizon and praised workers for taking on a large greedy corporation. Greedy corporation. The issue came up during the , democratic debate in brooklyn. This is sanders talking about verizon ceo. Example ofa perfect the kind of corporate greed, which is destroying the middle class of this country. This gentleman makes 18 million he or and salary. That is his compensation. This gentleman is now negotiating to take away Health Care Benefits of verizon workers, outsource jobs to the trying tos, and create a situation where workers will lose their jobs. He is not investing in the way you should in inner cities in america. Amy that is Bernie Sanders. Just before the debate, Andrea Mitchell question Clinton Campaign manager robby mook about her history with verizon. Toshe gave a paid speech verizon in may of 2013, which she earned 225,000. Can you tell us the circumstances of that speech . Again, the question is, who are democrats going to nominate who is going to get things done lets get back to the speech. Why did you take 225,000 from verizon, the same company which has this massive strike, the biggest strike in america in five years, and she was out with the strikers, yet she took 200 25,000 from the very company they are striking career,and again in her Hillary Clinton has stood with people against powerful interests. She did that in the 1990s against the Health Insurance companies and in a more recently against the fossil fuel industry calling for tax breaks to be taken away. No one can be trusted more than Hillary Clinton to stand up to these interest is. Alert clintons Campaign Manager being questioned by Andrea Mitchell. Your response . We feel at the issues are much bigger than any Political Campaign than any particular candidate. This is about what is the future of the country going to look like, as pam said earlier. A corporation is profitable, if you cannot preserve good jobs and are committed he with a company like this, then what is the future of good jobs . What you saw on those clips is the mood of the country is very clearly arrayed against that kind of Corporate Power we are fighting. We have got enormous support. We welcome support from secretary clinton. Our union endorsed Bernie Sanders, so we were ecstatic to have him calling out verizon on national tv. I think what youre seeing is something important about the larger mood of the country. Juan pam, i want to ask about the issue of fios. Bestusly, it is one of the Broadband Networks, if not the best, in the country. In many places where fios is established as a cable and internet service, verizon made certain promises that it would roll out fios to the public. In new york city, they are years behind what they were supposedly going to do as part of the cable franchise they got to the bloomberg era. Could you talk about this and why it has taken the company so long to actually fulfill the promises it made when it won the franchise . When franchise when verizon got the agreement, they agreed that would make highest available to every new yorker who wants it by 2014. We have been working hard to build fios during that time. It is a huge build. In 2014, the Companies Said we have completed our obligations to the city of new york, passed every home. Now every verizon worker and many customers know that is not true, that they could get fios. To say they have passed the home doesnt mean it is available. A lot of fios is left to do in new york city. It is a landline workers doing that build and we want to continue doing it, but verizon is essentially holding to its position that it has completed its obligations. To say you have passed a home but your two blocks away going down the avenue, and when a customer calls verizon and verizon says it is not available to you and i cant tell you when it is going to be available, indicates to us they have not completed the build and fulfilled their obligations to the city of new york. Beyond new york, there are where theyunities are not going to build at all. Fios is a great product. People want it. It helps deserve good jobs. It is a winwin for the company to continue the build, to meet its obligations. We believe that is what they should be doing. They need to hire more workers in order to complete the bill. Amy what about the workers inside . Last night i was in brooklyn and there was a protest there were protesters outside the verizon store, marching in a circle. Inside, he saw guards and you so workers. I was asking the guys outside, what about those workers . He said, some have expressed support. A lot worked out. He said inside, in fact, were pushing to organize tjem. Can you talk about who is going inside and who these replacement workers are . Sure. At Verizon Wireless, the workers in the six brooklyn stores organized to join cwa in 2014 and have been fighting for a first contract since then. That is an important part of the struggle. Close to 100 Verizon Wireless technicians who were in my local 1101. Beyond that, the rest of Verizon Wireless is nonunion. A big issue is to try to unionize those workers to try to improve the wages and working conditions for them as well as to the workers in the store were you were in brooklyn were probably replacement workers brought in. I want to talk about replacement workers verizon has brought in, not just to the wireless stores, but to do the landline work. The companys advertising aggressively for thousands of temporary workers. They are training those workers for a week or two weeks at these training facilities, then putting them out in the field to do what is a highly skilled job. They are not able to do that job. I think one of the things we have seen is the folks there bringing in, the scabs being brought in to do the job, they have not done background checks on them. There and in a number of incidents of scabs essentially either who have already been convicted of duis, running down figures an incident in Nassau County where a scab took out a machetelike knife on a picket or was arrested for that. Isse are folks that verizon sitting into peoples homes and businesses to repair their lines. Not only are they not able to do the work, it is a safety issue. Juan bob, one, the issue of off shoring, of moving jobs overseas that verizon denied is happening, but this whole division between the wireless portion of verizon and the landlines, as you say, the broadband or the old copper lines. The point you have made is, even in the wireless division, which is largely nonunion, that Committee Case and eventually goes into ground lines. Can you explain the difference between wireless and landlines . Them he take the two questions one at a time. They are off shoring thousands and thousands of call center jobs. That has already been going on. They would like to do more. They want to cut the decision percentage. One of the demands is to cut the percentage of jobs of work handled by workers here in the footprint. Amy when you say off shoring, what d mean . Primarily, the philippines, mexico, and the dominican republic. Once a when a person calls verizon, they will get someone in the philippines. Depending on the tech support theyre getting. People in the philippines are making 1. 70 an hour, being forced to work overtime because of the strike without getting any overtime pay and where women are testing monthly to save their pregnant because tele tech, the company that operates the all centers for verizon in the philippines, doesnt want pregnant workers on the job. Amy because . I dont know. That is the policy. We sent a delegation of strikers over to meet with the tele tech workers and got a tremendous response. In fact, there have been job actions by the filipino callcenter workers slowdowns, increasing the amount of time it takes to handle a call, refusing overtime. And when our delegation tried to meet with verizon management over tre, the people running the call centers for them, they were ejected by verizon security and then a swat team from the Filipino Police came and attained our delegation, held of them, took them down to the police station, police eventually said, what is going on here . Juan the relationship between wireless you cannot have a functioning wireless system unless you have a wellmaintained wire line. It eventually goes underground that carries it to the next tower and then broadcast it. This notion you can ever functioning wireless system without a what old wellmaintained wireline is not true. Amy thank you for being with us, pamela galpern and fio bob master. This is democracy now stay with us. [music break] amy this is democracy now , democracynow. Org, the war and peace report. Im amy goodman with juan gonzalez. Juan in peekskill, new york, just about an hour north of new york city, residents have launched a blockade in efforts to stop construction of spectra energys algonquin incremental market project known as the aim pipeline, which would carry highpressure methane gas from massachusetts, through rhode island, connecticut and down to the communities along the hudson river. In peekskill, the pipeline is slated to run only hundreds of feet from the aging Indian Point Nuclear power plant, sparking concerns from residents and Nuclear Experts that a pipeline break could cause a Catastrophic Nuclear disaster that would threaten the entirety of new york city. Well, only hours ago, peekskill residents and activists escalated the campaign to stop this pipelines construction by installing a fully sustainable shipping container at the entrance of spectras work yard, complete with two activists living inside. Democracy now was there as the blockade was launched. My name is lee stewart, were on the construction site of pipeline. M workers will be finding our home here now where theyre supposed to be doing work. We have a pouch we can fill with water and put it up here so the sun will eat it so we can have hot showers. Spectra energy has put their construction for the pipeline through peoples yards, through our woodland, through our wetlands. Now we are putting our home in their yard, in their path. You will see theres heavy equipment. Theyre beginning to plow through to get the cap to lay the pipeline. Over here is the yard where they are keeping heavy women. Wheres the shipping container . Right smack in the middle. It is stopping everything. The great thing is, everybody in this area driving back and forth on the way to work is going to see it what is the message on the side of the container say . Our lives on the line, stop spectra. Here we go, there are workers. Amy that was lee stewart, speaking this morning before he and jane kendall locked themselves into the shipping container blockading spectra energys work yard. The project has already faced massive resistance at other points along the route, including in rhode island and massachusetts, where activists from a group known as the fang collective have staged a series of treesits and protests. Spectra is currently suing three fang members for 30,000 over a protest in which activists locked themselves to structures at a construction site, delaying work for hours. The three are heading to court this thursday. In peekskill, this mornings blockade is the latest in a series of escalating actions. On saturday, 21 people were arrested after forming a human chain to block trucks from moving in or out of the construction site. Democracy now was there speaking to residents, protesters risking arrest, and a Nuclear Safety expert. [chanting] my name is courtney williams, a resident of peekskill. I am working to stop the pipeline expansion. The first heard about pipeline over two years ago when atocal organization a session at the local library. They have been working to stop fracking. They realized we would still be feeling a lot of the health and safety impacts of it if we had massive frack Gas Pipelines going through our communities. That is when we first learned about the project. My husband said, i think his people are crazy or we need to move because their building risk does this right next to the power plant and 400 feet from our front door. Our home will be incinerated if this pipeline ruptures near our house. The school district, the Great School District we were buying to live in, now ill daughter will be going to kindergarten 400 feet from the pipeline where she and 300 other kids would be harmed if the pipeline ruptured. How old is your daughter . Six. Shes a kindergartner there now. My done is going to be four on monday. He would be starting their if we still live here. Section becomes operational, will you stay and send your kids to the school where they are 400 feet away, the possibility there could be a caps on explosion . We dont feel safe here anymore. My name is jean. We are protesting the spectra pipeline. Right now we have over 20 people willing to risk arrest to try to stop this pipeline from being built. Were standing across the entrance to the pipeline work area and were going to stay here and present vehicles prevent vehicles from coming in or out as long as we can. I am Benjamin Shepard from brooklyn. Were here to ask of all of our elected representatives are on record of being against this pipeline. Ifhe mayor of peekskill and the people of peekskill are on record being against this, it is the corporations. The people are going to have to get in their way. Were here to stop the machinery. My name is paul. I studied Nuclear Safety for 50 years. I know there is a probability of an event ukraine that would literally occurring that would literally destroy the area here and in fact 20 Million People and cause property and infrastructure damage, exceeding 8 trillion. Theres dont Nuclear Power plant there is no Nuclear Power plant that we are aware of that is located in such a highly densely populated area. There are no Nuclear Power plants with a gas line running 400 feet from the control room. There is no protection in the control room should an event occur. If an explosion or the release of gas even unexploded occurs, could cause disabling the people in the control room and result in the meltdown of both reactors. To would engulf the indian point facility and the containment would not be affected, but it is very likely that we would have a release exceeding those of chernobyl and fukushima because there is more Radioactive Material stored here then at those facilities. You are saying if there was an explosion at indian Nuclear Power plant, everybody in new york city would be displaced . Im not saying everybody. It would depend which way the wind is blowing. If it blows to new york city, there have been studies that the evacuation eric could extend beyond 50 miles. New york city downtown is only 35 miles away. Predominate winds down the hudson river could cause the relocation of people permanently. Keep fossil fuels and the ground amy that was Nuclear Power safety expert paul blanche speaking about the Indian Point Nuclear power plant, the facility long played with aging infrastructure and safety concerns. On tuesday, the Environmental Group friends of the earth filed an emergency petition with the Nuclear Regulatory commission demanding one of indian points reactors be kept offline and another be shutdown due to the disintegration of key bolts holding the reactor cooling system together. Well for more, were joined here in new york by nancy vann, president of Safe Energy Rights group and a member of resist aim. Shes a resident of peekskill, new york, and she just left the newly launched blockade of the aim pipeline. Nancy, welcome to democracy now the significance of this pipeline being next to this Nuclear Power plant and then friends of the earth filing this complaint . The pipeline is dangerous enough on its own. We anticipate a blast radius from a rupture would be between 800 to 1000 feet. It runs within about 105 feet of the switch yard that supplies all of the power to indian point to keep the cores cool. Goes out,er theres a backup generator. The pipeline will run 115 feet from the fuel that wouldfuel those backup generators. Any rupture of this pipeline would completely obliterate really critical safety structures at indian point. Juan white of Public Officials allow thisto be built in the first place . Governor cuomo, for instance, is a known opponent of the Indian Point Nuclear power plant and wants to close it down. Why havent they step forward on this issue . Governor cuomo did step forward on it. He issued a letter and sent it to ferc, the federal Energy Regulatory commission, about a month ago, saying he wanted this pipeline construction halted until an independent Risk Assessment could be done. , we always talk about them captured bythey are the industry. They are really a new agency. All of their funding comes from the fossil fuel industry. If there were no new projects, there would be no agency. Amy last year, the fang collective, recorded a series of interviews with a whistleblower who worked as a contract safety inspector on spectras aim pipeline. His voice has been distorted. We had an excavator that flipped over, i would have to guess but i would be remiss to say he was easily 50,000 pounds, flipped over on a jobsite. The rest of it telling down the field. Where a the situation crane forgets to unhook from the front of the crane and starts to bloom out. When you do that, the cable is supposed to bit longer get longer, but it didnt. His hit a 10 inch play. What if that would have been live pressurized plate . It could have led to a huge and for mental safety issue as well as multiple deaths. The bottom line is, these are all situations where i was personally confronted from crane to the track coach of the minor heat exhaustion to do so on and so forth. Amy the whistleblower went on to say inspectors told him about other safety violations. Inspectors come up to me in the field and say, theres a height. Underground that was not as active properly and the reason it was not excavated and inspected was that it cost too much money. The right thing for the inspector to do is make them dig it up. That is the right thing to do. With the pressure you receive from specter, they will never do that. Amy nancy vann, explain what the safety inspector is saying in the last 30 seconds we have. He is talking about the fact that new pipelines are actually failing at a much higher rate than older pipelines that are being put into fast, the wells are not being inspected, theyre oftenlty steel using chinese steel that is not up to the standards that it should be. Amy our latest news is always our curly try to cut through the shipping container that was set up today, not successful so far. What about this blockade lunch that was just begun this morning . Our lives really are on the line. In court we are pleading the necessity defense saying that we have to do this to keep a greater harm from being perpetrated on the people of new york. There are 20 Million People that could be affected if something goes wrong with this pipeline next to indian point. Amy nancy vann president of , thank you for being with us president of Safe Energy Rights , group and a member of resist aim. She lives in peekskill new york. That does it for the show. 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