Opposes sending 1000 Canyon Police to haiti as part of the u. N. Peacekeeping force. Then federal prosecutors in u. S. Court have rested their case against former honduran president juan Orlando Hernandez, who faces accusations of turning the country into a narcostate. We will get the latest. And well speak with the producer of the oscarnominated holocaust film zone of interest who spoke about the israeli siege of gaza in his bafta award speech last month. Those rules are not new, before, during, since the holocaust, and it seems stark right now that we should care about innocent people being killed in gaza or yemen in the same way we think about innocent people being killed in mariupol or israel. Amy all that and more, coming up. Welcome to democracy now , democracynow. Org, the war and peace report. Im amy goodman. The u. S. Supreme Court Unanimously ruled states do not monday have the authority to remove donald trump from the ballot under the insurrection clause of the 14th amendment, which was written to prevent civil war confederates from returning to government. The courts ruling came in after the state of colorado attempted to take trump after primary ballot over his actions inciting the january 6 insurrection. In the majority opinion, justices wrote, states have no power under the constitution to enforce section 3 with respect to federal offices, especially the presidency. The courts three liberal justices issued a concurring opinion, warning. Colorado secretary of state Jena Griswold responded to the courts ruling on msnbc. I larger reaction is disappointment. I do believe states should be under our constitution to bar oath breaking insurrectionists. Amy millions of voters are heading to the polls today as 15 states are holding primaries and caucuses in whats known as super tuesday. In california, there is a fourway race to fill the seat of the late senator dianne feinstein. Three democratic members of congress adam schiff, katie porter, and barbara lee are on the ballot along with republican steve garvey, a former Major League Baseball player. The top two candidates regardless of party will face off in november. In minnesota, some democratic activists are urging voters to select uncommitted on the ballot to protest joe bidens support for israels assault on gaza. Jaylani hussein is cochair of the abandon biden campaign. For tuesday, it is not minnesota muslims, muslims in the United States, it is really the overwhelming majority of democrats who believe that the president is on a very dark course. So many children have been killed in gaza over 30,000 dead. Every single day the Israeli Defense force is killing innocent people and our president has not done anything. We have done the opposite. We have stopped the world from calling and stopping this war and calling for an immediate ceasefire. Amy the World Health Organization is warning malnutrition in northern gaza is particularly extreme as talks continue over a possible sixweek temporary ceasefire. On monday, palestinian u. N. Ambassador Riyad Mansour warned children in gaza are increasingly dying of starvation. He raised the case of yazan alkafarneh, an emaciated 10yearold palestinian child who died of severe malnutrition and insufficient healthcare. Look at our children. Look at yazan. Look what agony they are enduring. A dozen more children who died of malnutrition have been identified and many more have died and are dying in darkness and destitution. This has to stop, for god sakes. Amy a team of United Nations experts say they have found reasonable grounds to believe that Sexual Violence including rape occurred on october 7 during the hamasled attack on israel. The u. N. Special envoy for Sexual ViolencePramila Patten spoke at the United Nations on monday. We also found there are reasonable grounds to believe conflictrelated violence including rape and gang rape occurred during the october 7 attacks in at least three locations, namely the is a festival site and its surroundings, in most, they were first subjected to rape and then killed. At least two incidents related to the rape of women amy the u. N. Expert Pramila Patten went on to say that reports of rapes occurring at a fourth location, kibbutz beeri, were unfounded. She said her team had also found clear and convincing information that some hostages held in gaza had also suffered Sexual Violence. The u. N. Experts did not conduct their own investigation but instead wrote the report based in large part from conversations with israeli institutions, including zaka, an israeli searchandrescue organization that has been accused of spreading false stories about atrocities on october 7. The u. N. Team said it did not meet with any survivors of the Sexual Violence from october 7. Patten also said her team received reports about imprisoned palestinians facing Sexual Violence while in israeli detention. We, nevertheless, received from several information about degrading treatment palestinians under detention, including Sexual Violence, invasive body searches, threats of rape and prolonged nudity. Amy two weeks ago, a group of u. N. Experts expressed alarm over the mistreatment of palestinian women and girls held by israel. In a statement, the experts said we are particularly distressed by reports that palestinian women and girls in detention have also been subjected to multiple forms of sexual assault, such as being stripped naked and searched by male israeli army officers. At least two female palestinian detainees were reportedly raped while others were reportedly threatened with rape and Sexual Violence. The u. N. Experts said that israeli troops took photos of female palestinian detainees in degrading circumstances and posted them online. Ukraine is claiming it has sunk a russian warship in the black sea. Ukrainian naval drones reportedly attacked the 65 million ship off the coast of crimea. In other news from the region, more than 20,000 soldiers from nato countries have begun a massive war exercise in the northern regions of finland, norway, and sweden. 4000 troops are talking part from finland, which joined nato last year and shares an 800mile border with russia. The head of the military junta in chad has confirmed he will run in the upcoming election for president. Mahamat Idriss Deby Itno made the announcement saturday just days after his chief rival was killed. Yaya dillo died when Security Forces opened fire on the headquarters of his political party, the socialist Party Without borders. South koreas government has announced its moving to suspend the licenses of thousands of doctors whove been on strike for at least two weeks. About 7000 doctors have defied orders by south korean officials to return to work by the end of february. Doctors have been protesting the governments plan to increase medical School Admissions by around 65 . Theyre demanding higher wages and a more manageable workload. Jack teixeira, a member of the Massachusetts Air national guard, has pleaded guilty to posting secret intelligence reports online. He could serve 16 years in prison. He was indicted last year under the espionage act and has been jailed since april 2023 after he posted a series of highly classified pentagon intelligence documents to a group of gamers on the messaging app discord. And in connecticut, five antinuclear activists connected to the Catholic Worker Movement were arrested monday for blocking the gates of a General Dynamics plant in new london, where the columbia Class Nuclear submarines are being designed and constructed. During the action, a group of put 20 protesters held up five sides images of the father of the atomic bomb with a banner reading dont be a destroyer of worlds. Stop the colombia sub. And those are some of the headlines. This is democracy now, democracynow. Org, the war and peace report. Im amy goodman in new york, joined by democracy now s Juan Gonzalez in chicago. Hi, juan. Juan hi, amy. Welcome to all of our listeners and viewers across the country and around the world. Amy we begin todays show in haiti, where portauprinces International Airport is reportedly under siege by armed gangs as haiti is under a state of emergency. Tens of thousands have been displaced across the haitian capital as they flee the rising violence. They destroyed our houses and we are on the streets. Amy over the weekend, haitis powerful gangs freed thousands from haitis largest prisons. The Gang Federation leader known as barbeque claimed responsibility and is calling for the ousting of unelected Prime Minister ariel henry. Gang members are reportedly uniting to bring down haitis de facto Prime Minister henry, who yet who has yet to return to haiti since he traveled to kenya last week to discuss a deal to send about 1000 police to lead a u. N. Peacekeeping force. The Kenyan High Court in january ruled the plan unconstitutional. For more we are joined by three guests. In nairobi, were joined by kenyan parliamentarian otiende amollo, who opposes the Police Deployment to haiti. In washington, d. C. , Jake Johnston, runs the haiti relief reconstruction watch blog for the center for economic and policy research and is the author of the new book aid state elite panic, disaster capitalism, and the battle to control haiti. But first, we go to portauprince, haitis capital, to speak with monique clesca, a haitian prodemocracy advocate who worked for many years with the United Nations and unicef for 15 years. We welcome you to democracy now monique clesca, can you talk about what is happening on the ground . People fleeing for their lives . Thank you for inviting me. It is desolation. The feeling. It is tear that we are living and it is horrifying what we are going through. Since last thursday, there is been an assault on different neighborhoods, different areas and faith institutions. Yesterday was the biggest assault on the airport. People cannot travel. People are scared. People cannot go to work. On saturday night, it was a jail a massive assault on the portauprince jail and about 4000 prisoners who were out in the streets somewhere. Among them, rapists, murderers, kidnappers, etc. We are terrorized. What is important to say, we have been terrorized the last 30 months of jovenof henrys rule. We have it in a state of terror, horror. People are dying. Our sisters are being raped. Our children are going to sleep hungry for the last 30 months or more. We are under a regime of bottom line, we are hostages of about 3000 men who are running the country with gang ties or white shirts, roaming the streets and terrifying this. That is the situation we are living right now in haiti. Lets be clear, the Biden Administration has its hands in the bloodshed because we have been saying since august 2021, 2. 5 years ago, that this must stop. We have an alternative solution. We must get those criminals out of office. We must get those criminals out. So the Biden Administration is paying the price because there is no doubt in my mind that they bear huge responsibility, along with the u. N. And france and canada. But the Biden Administration has its knee on our necks because we would not be here if they had listen to us haitians who have said for a long time this is unacceptable. This criminal regime is unacceptable to us haitians. Throughout haiti, haitians have demonstrated and said ariel henry must go. He can stay in kenya, he could say in washington. Wherever he is, he can either but we need new blood in the government of haiti. It and women who can provide for haitians. Juan monique clesca, you said on the criminals in white suits or the white shirts but the focus in most of the Media Coverage here about haiti in the United States is on the gangs in the streets. Are all of these gangs the same or are there distinctions between them . Because some claim that some are more political than some of the other gangs, especially, for instance, Jimmy Cherizier and his group. How do you regard the situation on the street with these gangs . I am here to say that the government coming from the u. N. Reports that have said the former president of haiti formed a gang, armed gangs. So since 2011, it has been a criminal regime that is armed the gangs and now they gangs are stronger and theyre going about whatever they is the is there behavior. People in power, president , Prime Ministers, ministers, even a document from the yellow Law School Clinic and Human Rights Organization yale Law School Clinic and Human Rights Organizations like it is a crime against humanity. We are talking about construct. This is not something that happened out of the blue. These government officers, as well as Prime Minister, president , and some economic oligarchs, have financed the gangs come armed the gangs, given them even contracts to distribute food in neighborhoods, it etc. So we must be clear that the gangs happened instrumentalized in the past created arms to terrorize us so they can keep power. So now the gangs have gained their independence and maybe they have their political whatever, but i think the main culprit here is government that started to finance them, senators arming the gangs, giving them money. Huge economic players in haiti. Even if a director is under sanction, even though it is not United Nations sanctions. So lets be clear about this. Theres no doubt in my mind about this that the gangs with white shirts or whatever shirts and ties are also extremely involved not only involved, but responsible for this. And the United States knows this. We have told this to assistant secretary brian nichols. We have told this to Barbara Feinstein at the state department. We have told this to ben erickson, who is now at the white house. We have told this. The Biden Administration knows this, that it is a criminal regime, that it is financing, that it is supporting, that it is helping to kill us. And we say it is enough. We need new leadership in haiti. Wendy different governance that respects our human rights. This is unattainable. This is unbelievable. It is inadmissible. We do not want it and we are in assistance mode. We are saying, no, we do not want this and the Biden Administration will pay for some of this because there are 1. 5 million haitians in the United States and their beginning to threaten not to vote for biden. Elections are decided by a few thousand votes, so 1. 5 million haitians, that means a lot. They must reverse course. They must. Juan i would like to bring in Jake Johnston, the author of the new book aid state elite panic, disaster capitalism, and the battle to control haitis. Welcome. Your assessment of the situation right now in haiti and the steps that need to be taken to restore some sense of safety to the population and an actual functioning government . Thank you for having me. I think when we look at haiti, we have to understand some of the roots of what we are seeing today. At the heart of this is a broken social contract, state that is no longer representative or accountable to the population. That has created the dynamics come the broader situation that has allow the situation to spiral the way it has. Would you look at how to address that, you have to start there and i echo moniques call to focus on the political environment. You look at what is happening now. This doesnt happen in a vacuum. The armed groups dont seize control. Without hierarchy. One of the most shocking things over the last four or five days has been the total silence from the government. Ariel henry is not even in the country. The state of urgency was announced in a press release. This is not a crisis entirely created by haitians. We have to understand this has been a Long Time Coming and a process stoked and perpetuated by the international community. Mainly the United States. You can go back to haitis founding. But we dont need to go back that far in history to see this history of intervention. The 2000 four coup detat, overturning of Election Results in 2010, and the u. S. Insistence on moving forward with the current government against all odds and against the very clear expression from the haitian people. Unless that begins to change, it is extremely unlikely the situation on the ground improves. Juan i want to ask you about the role of former president aristide, removed from office twice but at the same time there are reports that he has had some kind of accommodation wit