And total accounting for that. But he isnt about to do it and it can be done, obviously. If a person is gay and seeks god and has goodwill, who am i to judge them . Children born today grow up in a World Without doma, and the same children who happen to be gay will be free to love and get thated as thea and i did with the same federal benefits and protections as anyone else. At 2013. A look back all of that and more coming up. This is democracy now , democracynow. Org, the war and peace report. Im amy goodman. At 2013. Look back it was an historic year. Edward snowden exposed how the National Security agency amid the nsa, built a worldwide surveillance apparatus while Chelsea Manning wasnt it said 35 years in jail for leakin your secret documents was sentenced to 35 years in jail for leaking secret documents. Pope francis warned about the journey of unfettered capitalism. Tens of thousands were killed in syria. The philippines was devastated by typhoon haiyan. The Supreme Court struck down part of the Voting Rights act all over turning the defense of marriage act to charge recognition of samesex marriage. George zimmerman was acquitted in the killing of Trayvon Martin. The u. S. Government was shut down for 16 days while congress failed to pass conference of Immigration Reform or any true gun control measures. U. S. War in afghanistan entered its 13th year while over a thousand siblings were killed in iraq in the deadliest year there since 2008. The drone war continued. We will spend the are looking back at 2013. We begin with resident obamas inauguration. Ask our journey is not complete until our wives, mothers and owners can earn a living equal to their efforts. [applause] completeey is not until our gay brothers and sisters are treated like anyone else under the law. [applause] for if we are truly created equal summit in surely the love we commit to one another must be equal as well. Prominent rights activists has spoken out after she and her mother were detained. She is played a leading role in the undocumented Youth Movement and urged an end to the raids in a tearful recording. We need to do something. We need to stop separating families. Stopd everybody to pretending like nothing is wrong, stop pretending we are living normal lives because were not. This can happen to any of us. Aaron swartz was laid to rest on tuesday at a funeral their chicago. He killed himself on friday weeks before he was to go on trial for downloading millions of articles provided by the Nonprofit Research service j stor. He was facing 35 years in prison, a penalty supporters called harsh. In a moment we will be joined by his girlfriend. First, lets turn to aaron swartz in his own words. Hes is part of the speech delivered last may and washington, d. C. When he explained the challenges he sees the internet facing. Theres a battle going on right now to the financing that happens on the internet in terms of traditional things the law understands. Sharing a video like shoplifting from the video store or like loaning one to a friend . Is reloading the webpage like a peaceful virtual sit in or a violet smashing of shop windows . Is the freedom to connect like freedom of speech or like the freedom to murder . He was the most dedicated person to fighting social injustice of any one of ever met in my life and i loved him for it. Say, what we do this thing, will make you happy. You would say, i dont want to be happy, i just want to change the world. Its a retired cia agent who blew the whistle on the bush era torture program has been sentenced to 2. 5 years in prison. He becomes the first cia official to be jailed for any reason relating to the torture program. Im going to prison ostensibly for violating the intelligence identities protection act of 1982. I believe and my supporters believe that this however was not a case about leaking, but about torture. I believe im going to prison because i blew the whistle on torture. President obama has formally unveiled his second term nominations for two key post, former republican senator chuck hagel for defense secretary and counterterrorism adviser john brennan to helm the cia. In a rare move, his confirmation hearing was temporary called into recess following multiple interruptions by protesters drawing attention to John Brennans leading role in the drone war. Im pleased to be joined today by my wife and brother i speak for the mothers we will stop again [indiscernible] they wont even Tell Congress what country we are killing children in. Senator feinstein, are your children more important than the children of pakistan . Are they more important . Do your job world peace depends on it. 48 and terminal active as were arrested in front of the white house as part of an ongoing protests calling on the Obama Administration to reject the keystone xl pipeline. t win if wee can continue to talk about it and dont do anything. We are engaging in civil disobedience for the first time because with a moral catastrophe on our hands and we need to do everything we can to compel stronger, bolder action. Venezuela has announced seven days of mourning for the president hugo chavez who has died at the age of 58. He died after a twoyear battle with cancer that was first attempted in june 2011. This is the bolivian president remembering chavez. He fought for his country with a great nation like bolivar, a friend who gave his entire life for the liberation of the venezuelan people, the people of latin america and all antiimperialist and anti capitalists of the world. More than 100 detainees held in the u. S. Military prison at Guantanamo Bay cuba are reportedly entering their fifth week of a Hunger Strike against deteriorating conditions. We have heard reports of people losing over 20, 30, 40 pounds and today we are in day 36 or so of the strike. By day 42, 45, you start seeing things like loss of vision, loss of hearing, and eventually death. A papal conclave has selected the new pope. He is viewed as a theological conservative who staunchly opposed abortion, samesex marriage, and the ordination of women. In argentina has long been dogged to reports he aided the military dictatorship in the 1970s. He really does live a life identified with the poor. He lives in a simple apartment, cooks his own meals, and is really been identified with a very, very Strong Social justice in latin america. He uses language about the inequalities between countries and talks about argentina as one of the most unequal places in the world. Talks about the unjust distribution of goods as a social sin. Military officials before a panel to answer questions over the failure to halt the epidemic of Sexual Assault within their ranks. Senator john brennan who chaired the senate panel last of the militarys handling senator Kristen Hillebrand who chaired the senate panel blasted the militarys handling. Each of you believes that the convening authority is what maintains discipline and order within your ranks. If that is your view, i dont havingw you can say that 19,000 Sexual Assaults and rapes a year is discipline and order. Service womens Action Network also testified. Military Sexual Violence is a very personal issue for me. During my five years as a marine officer, i express daily discrimination and Sexual Harassment. I was exposed to a culture rife with sexism, rape jokes, pornography him and widespread commercials Sexual Exploitation of women and girls both in the United States and overseas. My experiences came to a head while i was stationed at the school of infantry at camp lejeune, North Carolina from 20022004. Eyewitness reports of rape, Sexual Assault, Sexual Harassment swept under the rug by handful of field grade officers. Perpetrators were promoted or transferred to other units without punishment, while victims were accused of lying or exaggerating their claims in order to ruin mans reputation. A series of bomb blasts have ripped through baghdad and surrounding towns on the 10th anniversary of the u. S. Led invasion of the game began a long war in iraq. 10 years ago today the United States under president george w. Bush invaded iraq on the false pretext of Saddam Hussein was hiding weapons of mass distraction. Now a decade after the invasion began, a new poll confirms most people in the u. S. Believe it was a mistake. A situation in iraq today, 10 years after the u. S. Led invasion and occupation began, it is just utter devastation. It is a situation were overall he can say iraq is a failed state or the economy is in a state of crisis, perpetual crisis, that began far back with the institution of the 100 armor orders under the Coalition Provision Authority the civil government set out to run iraq during the first year of the occupation. And it is been in crisis ever since. To High School Football players in steubenville, ohio have been found guilty of raping a 16yearold girl at a party last august. On sunday the teenagers were convicted of sexually assaulting the victim who witnesses testified was too drunk to move or speak. This case sparked National Controversy following the images in social media postings from the night of the assaults, including one picture of the defendants holding the victim over a basement floor. Are deadthree people and 144 when did, 17 of them critically, after two bombs exploded near the finish line of the Boston Marathon on monday. It was a heinous and cowardly act. And given what we now know about what took place, the fbi is investigating it as an act of terrorism. One suspect in the Boston Marathon bombings is dead and a massive manhunt is underway for the second after a chaotic scene erupted overnight that left one Police Officer dead, another critically wounded. He will not be treated as an enemy combatant. We will prosecute this terrorist through our civilian system of justice. Tuesday, the senate held its firstever public hearing on the with secret drone program. 12 years after the United States launched its first deadly drone strike. The most moving testimony at the Senate Hearing on drones came from a youth activist from yemen. Now, however, when i think of america, they think of the terror they feel from the drones that have her over their heads ready to fire missiles at any time. What the violence militants had previously failed to achieve, one drone strike accomplished in an instant. There is now an instant anger against america. For the first time the obama ministration admitted wednesday it killed four u. S. Citizens in drone strikes overseas. For more we go to jeremy scahill, author of the new book dirty wars. Premieres in theaters around the country june 7. I think that Congress Needs to step it up and ask how these americans were killed, but i also think about a moral level it reallyegal level, is irrelevant whether they are americans were not americans. Why i think it is important to focus on these cases is because how a society will treat its own citizens is a good indicator of how it will treat noncitizens around the world. If the basic standards of due process are not being afforded to american citizens, then they certainly are not going to be afforded to nonamerican citizens. Walmart has been tied to the collapse in the industrial building where over 1100 workers died last month. Ahe New York Times says contractor and hired one of the factors for walmart store. Addressing walmart chair. Mr. Walton, im sure you know that fixing buildings would cause too many frictions in your family, so i implore to you, please, help us. You have the power to do this very easily. Dont you agree that the factories where walmart products are made should be safe for the workers . For years, every time there is an accident, walmart officials include the terrible conditions in my countrys garment factories, but the tragedies continue. Respect, the time for empty promises is over. The fbi has outed the former black panther to its most wanted terrorist list and the reward for capture is been doubled to 2 million. Shes the first woman added to the list. We are joined now by angela davis. The is designed it is designed to frighten people who are involved in struggles today. 40 years ago seems as if it were a long time ago. For decades. However, in the 21st century, the beginning of the 21st century, we are still fighting around the same very same issues, police violence, health care, education, people in prison, and so forth. So i see this as an attack not so much on her herself, although. He deserves to be brought home historic verdict, former guatemalan dictator rios mont was found guilty of genocide and crimes against humanity and was sentenced to 80 years in prison. Judge barrios announce the verdict on friday. By unanimous decision, the Court Declares the accused is responsible of genocide. Our next guest is a nobel peace laureate rigoberto manchu. It was her lawsuit that help to lead to the conviction for his trial first to strum and an eight year sentence of the former u. S. Backed dictator of guatemala. This verdict is historic, monumental. The verdict is historic. We waited for 33 years for justice to prevail. There is no peace without justice. There is no peace without truth. We need justice for the victims. Or their to be real peace this verdict is crucial. I want to move to another subject with the former attorney general of the United States in a room c clarke rn this top story in our headlines today, the Associated Press and Justice Department secretly obtained a trove of journalist phone records, believed more than 100 reporters working at ap and outside, reporters even use the ap phones. It seems to be a terrible intrusion on freedom of the press. I dont see how the press can if the effectively public and people that talk to the press have to assume big zeother is listing in or sei the conversations they engage in. It seems freedom of the press would be a threat, clear and substantial. Be done. Not to ask president obama speech at the National Defense university washington, d. C. Was interrupted multiple times by medea benjamin, founder of code pink. Once again [indiscernible] desperate people. [indiscernible] youre the commanderin chief. [indiscernible] look at tedue our 2013 in a moment. [music break] died at the age of 78. This is democracy now , democracynow. Org, the war and peace report. Im amy goodman. Atcontinue our look back 2013. A newly disclosed Court Order Shows the Telecom Giant verizon is handing over the phone records of millions of subscribers to the u. S. Government without individual warrants. The guardian of london reports the fbi obtained a threemonth authorization from the Foreign Intelligence Surveillance Court in april. It compels verizon to provide the National Security agency with metadata of all subscriber phone calls, who they spoke to, where and what time they made the call, and for how long. This appears to mark the broadest act of government surveillance known to date. Were now joined by two former employees of the National Security agency. And william binney. It is or lan extension of what ive been trying to say that we were on a slippery slope to a totalitarian state to and that was censored based on the idea that government was collecting so much information about all the citizens inside the country that he gave them so much power. I think what people are now realizing is this just it isnt just a terrorist issue, this is simply the ability of the government secret on a vast scale to collect any and all phone call records, including domestic, local, as well as location information. Call is no need now to this the foreign intelligence court. Just call it the surveillance work. It is no longer about foreign intelligence. It is simply about harvesting millions and millions and millions of phone call records and beyond. We turn now to the man who blew the whistle on the National Security agency and the expanding your surveillance state. On sunday, the Guardian Newspaper revealed the source of its explosive series on the nsa to be a 29yearold former cia Technical Assistant named Edward Snowden. Any analyst at any time can target anyone. Where those communications will be picked up depends on the range of the Sensor Networks and the authorities that analyst is empowered with, not all analysts have the ability to target everything. But i am sitting at my desk, certainly had the authority to wiretap anyone from you or your accountant to a federal judge to even the president if i had a personal email. On friday, president obama confirm the existence of the surveillance program. When it comes to telephone calls, nobody is listening to your telephone calls. That is not what this program is about. When greenwald, Edward Snowden turned 30 on friday. Also then the charges against known. E made can you explain what he has been charged with by the United States . He has been charged so far with three felony counts, one of which is essentially stealing property that doesnt belong to him, the other two are the much more serious ones they are offenses under the espionage act of 19 17. Journalist Michael Hastings has died at the age of 33. He was killed in a car crash in los angeles early tuesday morning. Speaking to democracy now in 2012, Michael Hastings said it was based on a false premise. Wmds for the big lie of the iraq war, the safe haven myth is the big lie of the afghan war. And what i mean by that and this was true in iraq as well. 99 of the people maybe even higher, honestly, the people were fighting weather was sunni insurgents or shia militias, the taliban never actually posed a threat to the United States homeland. In a major blow to Voting Rights, the Supreme Court has added an integral part of the landmark 1965 Voting Rights act. The act was a crowning achievement of the Civil Rights Movement and helped transform the south. Reverend jesse jackson, lets begin with you. Your reaction to the Supreme Court decision. Pain. Ource of deep my father came from world war ii. They did not have the right to vote. I marched in selma, alabama for the right to vote. Trying to get mandela the right to vote. It hurt at that level. Its resounding victory for marriage equality, Supreme Court ruled marriage samesex couples were entitled to federal benefits as instruct him in 1996 defense of marriage act. In addition, the court paved the way for samesex marriages to resume in california. When the five to four decision on doma was announced, enormous cheer went up outside the courtroom and the crowd started chanting doma is dead as couples hugged and cried. The lead plaintiff in the case was an 84yearold lesbian named edith windsor. Children born today will grow up in a World Without doma, and the same children who happen to be gay will be free to love and get married as thea and i did, but with the same federal benefits, protections, and dignity as everyone else. , what a to survive thea glorious way to do it. And she would be so pleased. Prochoice advocates and democratic lawmakers waged a battle into the early hours of wednesday morning to successfully block a bill that would force nearly all of the states abortion clinics to close. Members, i am rising on the floor today to humbly give voice to thousands of texans who have been ignored. Wendy davis filibuster lasted nearly 11 hours before republicans cut her off. That is when her colleagues and the protesters in the gallery took over. Violence is continuing in each of days after the military ouster president mohamed morsi. At least 42 people were reportedly killed earlier today at the military side where he is being detained. The Muslim Brotherhood says the victims were holding a peaceful sit in when gunmen opened fire, wounding over 500. The victims included women and children. We areo cairo where joined by sharif abdel kouddous. Amy, im just coming back from the scene of a bloodbath in cairo today. As you mentioned, the official count is at least 42 people , many of00 wounded them killed with live ammunition. I spoke to many eyewitnesses. All of them say the attack began right at the end of dawn prayer where a promorsi supporters are holding a sit in. The pakistani schoolgirl attacked by the taliban last year appeared at the u. N. Friday to deliver her first speech since undergoing surgery for to celebrate a global day in her honor. A was left sears they wounded when militants shot her in the head for campaigning for the rights of girls. On friday, her 16th birthday, she said she is undeterred by the talibans efforts to silence her voice. , on the ninth of october 2012, the taliban and shot me on the left side of my four head. They shot my friends, too. They thought the bullet would silence us. But they failed. Cameut of the silence thousands of voices. The terrorists thought they would change me and stop my ambitions, but nothing changed in my life except this. Weakness, fear, and helplessness died. Strength, fervor, and courage was born. Members of the jury, have you reached a verdict . In the Circuit Court of the seminal county, florida, the state of florida versus George Zimmerman, verdict, we the jury find George Zimmerman not guilty. So say we all, for. When Trayvon Martin was first shot, i said, this could have been my son. Is,her way of saying that Trayvon Martin could have been me. 35 years ago. For more we go to columbus, ohio, joined by michelle alexander, civil rights advocate, turney, author of the best selling book the new jim crow mass incarceration in the age of color blindness i think it is critically important we not allow ourselves to get bogged down in the details of who said what, when, but rather step back and consider what the zimmerman mindset, a mindset that views a boy walking in his neighborhood caring nothing but as a threat, icet this mindset that views black men and boys as a perpetual problem to be dealt with. This mindset has infected our criminal justice system, has infected our schools and has infected our politics in ways that it had disastrous consequences, birthing a prison system unprecedented in World History and stripping millions of basic civil millions of people a basic civil and human rights once theyve been branded criminals and felons. Pope francis has issued unusually candid remarks about lgbt people saying they should not be marginalized in society but maintaining that homosexual acts are a sin under catholic teaching. If a person is gay and six god and has goodwill, who am i to judge him . President ial oath of office sunday, replacing outgoing president ahmadinejad. Interactions based on equal footing and cooperation will be the basis of our relations with other countries. On this basis, proportion to the behavior and approach of the other side, in view of improving and promoting future ties, we will ascertain our next step. So i will say this, if you want the right response, dont speak with iran in the language of sanctions, speak in the language of respect. A federal judge has denied a request for compassionate release for jailed civil rights attorney Lynne Stewart who is dying from fourth stage breast cancer. Lynn stewart has served almost four years of a 10year prison sentence for mr. Bidding for his releases on behalf of her jailed client for the egyptian cleric known as the blind shake. Your wife is in prison. You visited her last week. This is dangerous situation. And the prison wants her dead. Call them death camps. We begin with a ruling in federal court to stop and frisk tax excuse by new york Police Officers are unconstitutional. Shortly after the decision was announced, the plaintiffs held a News Conference alongside their lawyers. The reason why i joined onto this case was because any of us, including myself, believe stop and frisk is police abuse and that is the lowest level of police abuse. And once police abuse they can do it in times of falsely arresting people and they can do it in times of planting evidence. In the most extreme cases, they can do it in times of killing people. Theayor bloomberg accused judge of denying the city a fair trial. This is a very dangerous decision made by a judge that i think just does not understand how policing works and what is compliant with u. S. Constitution as determined by the Supreme Court. And breaking news out of russia, National Security Agency Whistleblower Edward Snowden has been given one year temporary political asylum in russia. Snowden reportedly has already left the moscow airport where he has been holed up for over a month. Members of egypts Muslim Brotherhood have called on followers to march and protest in cairo today after at least 500 25 people died when Security Forces raided two protesting cam is filled with supporters of ousted president mohammed morsi. 3500 people were injured. The Muslim Brotherhood said the death toll may top 2000. The scene inside the main medical facility was extremely tragic. People were being brought in. The dead and wounded, every few minutes. The floor was slippery with blood. The windows were closed to prevent tear gas from coming in in it was a most unbearably hot. The dead were everywhere. In one room alone, i counted 24 theies just strewn on ground. I counted 24 bodies just written the ground. On another floor, another 30. Another floor, 8. Doctors were overwhelmed with casualties. The British Government is being accused of abusing press freedom after attending the partner of guardian journalist glenn greenwald. On sunday, Glenn Greenwalds partner was held in london to Heathrow Airport and interrogated while traveling home to brazil. I stayed in the room with three different agents. They were entering and exiting, they spoke to me, ask any questions about my whole life. They took my computer, my video games, cell phone, everything. Steering opposition activists are accusing the regime of killing hundreds of civilians in new chemical violence. The steering revolutionary command Council Claims as many as 650 people have died in a gas attack on rubbleheld areas of eastern damascus. Hours later we started [indiscernible] the injured were removed. We could not believe our eyes. I havent seen such death in my whole life. People were lying on the ground in hallways, on roadside, and in hundreds. Army private Bradley Manning has been sentenced to 35 years in prison for leaking more than 700,000 classified files and videos to wikileaks. The sentence is much longer than any punishment given to previous u. S. Government officials who have leaked information to the media. Under current guidelines, manning could be released on parole in about seven years. After the hearing, manning defense attorney david coombs read a statement from manning asking president obama for a pardon. When i chose to disclose classified information, i did so out of a love for my country and a sense of duty to others. If you deny my request for a pardon, i will serve my time knowing that sometimes you have to pay a heavy price to live in a free society. Julian assange, what is your response to the verdict . Symbol. Important Bradley Mannings incarceration is also important some all. Radley manning is now a martyr you did not choose to be a martyr. I dont think it is a proper way r activists to behave to choose to be martyrs. Men, allegedly in the case of Bradley Manning and clearly in the case of Edward Snowden, have risked their freedom, risked their of us. Or all that makes them heroes. In a statement just released this morning, Radley Manning thanked supporters and announced lands to live as a woman under the name Chelsea Manning. Manning said tens of thousands gathered in washington, d. C. On saturday to mark the 50th anniversary of the march on washington for jobs and freedom, originally held on august 28, 1963. Democratic Congress Member john lewis of georgia oneill the surviving speaker from the 1963 march, said the struggle for racial and Economic Justice continues today. We are one people, one family, one house. We all live in the same house. [applause] so i say to you, my brothers and. Isters, we cannot give up we cannot give out. We cannot give in. We must get out there and push and pull. The Obama Administration is considering launching unilateral airstrikes against syria after british lawmakers voted against the use of force. It is very clear tonight while the house has not passed a motion, it is clear the British Parliament reflecting the views of the british people does not want to see british poetry action. I get that and the government will act accordingly. Im confident in the case our government has made without waiting for you in inspectors. Im comfortable one forward without the approval of the United Nations Security Council has so far has been completely paralyzed and unwilling to hold assad a countable. Fast food workers went on strike and 60 u. S. Cities in the largest protest of an almost yearlong campaign to raise Service Sector wages and restaurants, including mcdonalds and burger king. I have kids, six and 12. Both my boys graduated kindergarten and fifth grade at the same time this year. My general manager told me he was going to give me some extra opportunities to make some money , extra days. He calls me in on my day off and three days after that, every day a different manager sends me home. At the end of the week, only get a paycheck for 28 hours. I did have enough to do anything for my sons,. I could not really celebrate his graduation because i didnt have any money. New york city councilmember Leticia James expressed support for the fast food workers. The individuals who work in fast food restaurants, which is one of the growing Fastest Growing industries in the city of new york, it is a race to the bottom. A significant number in retail and fast food restaurants are women of color who look like me. So there is a feminization of poverty. It is a term which describes most women who live below the Poverty Level while struggling to make ends meet. We will be back with our 2013 year in review in a moment. [music break] sunday morning featuring away octoberpassed 27 at the age of 71. This is democracy now , democracynow. Org, the war and peace report. Im amy goodman. As we continue our look back at 2013. The new yorkan, times reveal the National Security agency is successfully waging a secret war on encryption. Jeopardizing hundreds of millions of peoples ability to protect their privacy online. And what these documents show is not just the nsa is trying to break the codes of encryption to let them get access to everything, but they are forcing the companies that provide Encryption Services to put backdoors into their programs, which means, again, not only the nsa, but all sorts of hackers and other governments and all kinds of ill motivated people can have a weakness to exploit the vulnerability to exploit in the systems, which makes the entire internet insecure for everybody. Styria foreign minister announced that accepted a russian proposal to surrender control over its chemical weapons. The Russian Initiative was a poorly sparked by remarks made by john kerry on monday about what syrian president Bashar Al Assad could do to prevent a u. S. Attack all stop attack. He could turn over his weapons to the International Community in the next week. Turn it over, all of it. Without delay. Allow a full and total accounting for that. But he isnt about to do it, and it cant be done, obviously. International address from the white house tuesday night, obama said the u. S. Will explore russias proposal to place syrias chemical weapons under international control. It is too early to tell whether this offer will succeed. Any agreement must verify the alassad regime keeps its commitments. Has the initiative potential to remove the threat of chemical weapons without the use of force. Particularly because russia is one of assads extremist allies. Therefore i have asked the leaders of congress to postpone a vote to authorize the use of force while we pursue this diplomatic cap. Your response of these latest fastmoving developments . It reveals both president obamas International Isolation with its only main ally supporting the campaign against syria being the saudis who themselves have funded many of the socalled rebels in syria and at the same time president obama is facing increasing domestic opposition from the republicans to the democrats across the political spectrum. We go to washington to speak with Seymour Hersh himself. His latest piece in the london review of books is the fact is, i think the administration should just take the high road here and put out what it knows. I have reasonably they know more than they indicated about who did what and what the sarin look like. As i wrote in the article, you have a president of the United States that one day is saying hes going to bomb syria and suddenly he cuts a deal. Box 13 people have died after former Navy Reservist opened fire and enable basin washington, d. C. Monday morning, killing 12 people and wounding several others before dying in a shootout with police. The government has been identified as aaron alexis, 34 yearold who had been arrested at least twice in the past for shootingrelated incidents, but who had security clearance to enter the Washington Navy yard and worked for military contractor. In the wake of the mass shooting at the Washington Navy yard that left 12 people dead, dozens of gun control activists, many from the Newtown Action alliance, convened on capitol hill wednesday to try to revive a bill that would expand federal background checks of gun buyers. You guys can leave your go on with your lives, but weve got to go home to empty rooms because our childrens lives were taken away by people who should not have had guns anyway. Most of our childrens lives were lost by people under 21. This universal background check is a start. We need healing, you guys. And it is a global thing. It is beyond an epidemic. America. Enocide in brazilian president Dilma Rousseff has canceled an Upcoming Trip to the United States over revelations of spying by the national secured agency. Doma rousseff was to visit washington next month and attend a state dinner in her honor at the white house. Box like so many other latin americans, i myself fought on a firsthand basis against arbitrary behavior in censorship and therefore i could not possibly fail to uncompromisingly defend individuals rights to privacy and my countries sovereignty. An armed standoff is continuing at a mall in nairobi, kenya, where al qaedalink militants have taken hostages in a deadly rampage. At least 68 people have died, nearly 200 have been wounded since armed gunmen with the samaras alshabaab stormed the Shopping Center on saturday. Republican senator ted cruz is staging a marathon filibuster as part of his campaign against the Affordable Care act. The Democratcontrolled Senate is set to strip a provision from House Republicans spending bill at which idea aversion of a Government Shutdown to the defining of obamacare. During his comments, ted cruz compared those who oppose efforts to repeal obamacare to the western appeasement of not see germany. Azi you go to the 1940s ,ns germany. We saw britain, Neville Chambliss who told the british people, except the nazis. Yes, they will dominate the continent of europe, but that is not our problem. Lets appease them. Why question mark because it cant be done. We can possibly stand against them. This government has begun a partial down for the first time in 17 years after congress has felt to break a person dead like deadlocked. Some 800,000 will be furloughed and more than 1 million will be asked to work without pay. The Affordable Care act is moving forward. And funding is already in place. You cant shut it down. Hundreds gathered saturday in angle aans to remember threemember Herman Wallace as he was laid to rest. Wallace spent nearly 42 years in solitary confinement before he was released october 1 and died three days later, a free man after louisiana federal judge overturned his conviction. 3 memberello angola speaking at his funeral. Im the only free member of the angola 3. That is true. But someone would also say that herman [indiscernible] herman died with a clean slate. A trade to describe by critics as nafta on steroids that would establish a free trade zone stretching from vietnam to chile to japan and encompassing nearly 40 of the global economy. For more were joined by lori wallach. One of the most important things to understand as it is not really about trade. I guess the way to think about it is, a corporate trojan horse. The agreement has 29 chapters and only 5 have to do with trade. The other 24 chapters either handcuffed our domestic government, limiting food safety , environmental standards, financial regulation, energy and, policy, or establishing new powers for corporations. President obama defended his Signature Health care law monday following weeks of technical manyres that prevented people from signing up. Theres no sugar coating it. The website is been too slow, people have been getting stuck in the application process, and i think it is fair to say that nobody is more frustrated by that than i am. Precisely because the product is good. Were joined now by the family who just traveled to the United States from pakistan. On tuesday they became the first victims of u. S. Drone wars to address members of congress on capitol hill. Gone to school that day when i came back i had a snack and offered my prayers. My grandma asked me to come outside and help her pick the vegetables. Youre hit by this drone that killed your grandmother . Yes, i had seen a drone and two missiles hit down where my grandmother was standing in front of me and she was blown into pieces and i was injured to my left leg. You were nine years old. How have things changed for you since the attack . How is your going out again come out into the fields alone or do you fear again of other possible attacks . Ever since the strike, im just scared. Im always scared. All of us little kids are scared to go out. Bill de blasio won an overwhelming victory to become the first of a credit mayor in two decades. So and we call on the wealthiest among us, to pay just a little more in taxes to fund universal prek and after School Programs [applause] we arent threatening anyones success. We are asking those who have done very well to ensure that every child has the same opportunity to do just as well as they have. [applause] all riseow we together. One of the most intense storms in World History has hit the philippines. Typhoon haiyan has already killed at least four people, injured several others, and prompted millions to flee. President aquino has warned the country faces climb it with sustained winds of up to 199 miles per hour, it may be the most powerful storm ever to make landfall. The filipino chief climate negotiator yeb sano. What my country is going to resurrect old of this extreme climate events is madness. Crisis ise crie madness. We can stop this madness right here in warsaw, mr. President. We cannot sit and stay helpless, stirring this international stalemate. We need to take action. We need an emergency climate pathway. Where broadcasting from warsaw, poland, where the climate is cold and the protest are hot. We are at the u. S. The human Climate Summit known as cotton 19. As we go to broadcast, hundreds of activists are walking out of the talks. Oe turn right now to kumi naido who moments ago, surrounded by hundreds of people, addressed to protest. He is head of greenpeace international. Understand they should not negotiate. You cannot change the science. We have to change political will. It is within their capacity to do that. They cannot drag their feet any longer. Powers and six world have clinched a deal to temporarily limit and roll back the Iranian Nuclear program in exchange for the easing of international sanctions. For the first time in nearly a decade, we have halted the progress of the Iranian Nuclear program. Key parts of the program will be rolled back. President , please, use or executive order to halt deportation for all 11. 5 undocumented immigrants in this country right now. You have the power to stop deportations actually, i dont. That is why were here. I need your help wit. A federal judge has approved detroits in group c. Bankruptcy. In a landmark decision that could harm Retiree Benefits nationwide, federal judge Stephen Rhodes ruled federal records the law can override state law to protect public pensions. That clears the way for detroit to make major cuts to health and Retirement Benefits of city employees. For more were joined by Rachel Richard wolf. Example of a failed Economic System. You have to judge in Economic System like ours. Not only by the good things it can produce, which it does, but also by the disasters which it sees, which it worsens, in which it does nothing to reverse. Cooks across south africa in the world today, people are mourning the death of nelson mandela. The antiapartheid leaders spent 27 years in prison before becoming south africas first black and democratically elected president in 1994. South african president jacob zuma deliver the news to the nation in a televised address saying mandela died peacefully surrounded by his family. Our nation has lost its greatest son. Our people have lost a father. Knew that this day diminishe, nothing can loss. Nse of the profound a White House Panel has proposed a series of curbs on some key National Security agency surveillance operations. Following the leaks by Edward Snowden. The panel recommended the nsa halt its bulk collection of billions of american phone call records. Also with this is been wizner ben wizner. Towhat a week this has been vindicate the act of conscious he engaged in. First a conservative federal judge saying the nsas sweeping Domestic Intelligence program violates the constitution and within what we expected to be a whitewash executive branch report, coming back with these really incredible recommendations for a sweeping overhaul. None of this would have happened but for what snowden did. Edward snowden has released a new video statement urging concerned citizens to unite against unfettered surveillance. Address,stmas day snowden said massive spying is undermining basic rights to privacy. Books recently, we learned our government working in concert have created a system of worldwide mass surveillance. Watching everything we do. Great britains George Orwell warns us of the danger of this kind of information. The types of collection in the book, microphones and video cameras, tvs that watch us, are nothing compared to what we have available today. We have sensors in our pockets that track as everywhere we go. Inc. About what this means for the privacy of the average. Erson a child born today will grow up with no conception of privacy at all. They will never know what it means to have a private moment to themselves, unrecorded, unanalyzed not. And that is a problem because privacy matters. Travis he is what allows us to determine who we are and who we want to be. The conversation occurring today will determine the amount of trust we can place both in the technology that surrounds us and the government that regulates it. Together, we can find a better balance and mass surveillance. Remind the government if it really wants to know how we feel, asking is always cheaper than spying. For everyone out there listening, thank you and merry christmas. That does it for our look at the 2013. Democracy now is looking for feedback from people who appreciate the closed captioning. Email your comments to outreach democracynow. Org or mail them to democracy now p. O. Box 693 new york, new york 10013. [captioning made possible by democracy now ]