The problem across the city Casey is the. From the Pacific This is Democracy Now. For the people of this country I think what's dangerous is to ignore the continued threads if the previous administration had done anything and dealt with North Korea dealt with Iran instead of sitting back and doing nothing we wouldn't have to clean up their mess new President Trump tweets his nuclear button is much bigger and more powerful than North Korean leader Kim Jong un's Meanwhile North and South Korea have open lines of communication saying they're open to direct negotiations we'll speak with Bruce Connick sprit pastor of history at the University of Chicago author of North Korea another country then t.m. And where a u.s. Backed Saudi air campaign has killed more than 10000 civilians this week Norway says it will stop supplying weapons and ammunition to the coalition we'll speak with reporter Iona Craig Elmsley the primary weapons sales becoming a weapon sells a coming from the u.s. To Saudi Arabia Britain is also involved other European countries are also involved Canada is also involved I think it's a very lucrative business for the u.s. And the. Then we look at it case it highlights what some are calling the Palestine exception to free speech on college campuses across the United States. Try to stop the supposed finder of boredom to educate unity about these calls to the rights holder not quite so far because just among their peers I'm hoping that for the other process to come that they did not come into are the same 40 issues that I once heard. We'll speak with a student a model law who has sued Ford in University here in New York and Dean Holliday director of Palestine legal all that and more coming up. Welcome to Democracy Now Democracy Now dot org The War and Peace Report I mean the goodman president trumps former chief strategist Steve Bannon has portrayed as former boss was wholly unprepared for the presidency predicting President Trump's administration could unravel a special counsel Robert Muller finds evidence of money laundering while accusing Donald Trump Jr of treason over a 2016 meeting and Trump Tower with Russian officials that's according to explosive excerpts from the new book fire and fury by journalist Michael Wolff made public Wednesday in the book banning is quoted predicting Robert Muller's Russia investigation will find strong evidence of money laundering saying quote They're going to crack down Junior like an egg on national t.v. Unquote speaking about a 2016 meeting and Trump Tower between a Russian lawyer and top campaign officials Donald Trump Jr chair of Kushner and Paul man of Fort Bannon is quoted as saying the 3 senior guys in the campaign thought it was a good idea to meet with a foreign government inside Trump Tower in the conference room on the 25th floor with no lawyers they didn't have any lawyers even if you thought that this was not treasonous or unpatriotic or bad expletive and I happen to think it's all of that you should have called the f.b.i. Immediately unquote Bannon's comments prompted President Trump's lawyers to issue a cease and desist letter saying Bannon violated a non-disclosure agreement in a statement President Trump wrote Steve Benen has nothing to do with me or my presidency when he was fired he not only lost his job he lost his mind Steve doesn't represent my base he's only in it for himself Trump said at the White House . Press secretary Sarah Huckabee Sanders called the book trashy tabloid fiction as reporters grilled her over its revelations. In the presence of adult children trees I think that is a ridiculous accusation and one that I'm pretty sure we've addressed many times from here before if that's in reference to comments made by Mr Bennett I'd refer you back to the ones that he made previously on 60 Minutes were a cold collusion with Russia about this president a total force so I think I would look back at that if anybody's been inconsistent it's been him certainly has been the president or this administration or President Trump's former campaign chair Paul man of Ford filed suit in federal court Wednesday seeking to limit the power of Special Counsel Robert Muller accusing the investigation and 2 alleged Trump Russia ties of overstretching its authority last October Miller indicted man a Ford and his former business associate Rick Gates on 12 counts including money laundering acting as unregistered agents of Ukraine's former pro Russian government and conspiracy against the United States President Trump abruptly shut down his advisory commission on Election Integrity Wednesday after it failed to provide any evidence of voter fraud civil rights groups say the commission's true aim was laying the groundwork for a nationwide voter suppression effort the commission's chair Kris Kobach blamed quote barrage of meritless lawsuits for the investigations closure after most us States and the District of Columbia refused to share data with the commission Kobach has a long record of employing voter suppression tactics as secretary of state of Kansas and as a Republican consultant President Trump has repeatedly falsely asserted he lost the popular vote to Hillary Clinton in 2016 because 3 to 5000000 unauthorized votes were cast in the election. A major winter storm is raking the Atlantic seaboard bringing high winds coastal flooding and heavy snow to cities as far south as Savannah Georgia and parts of northern Florida meteorologists describe the storm as hyper Bamma Genesis that rapidly drop pressure and quickly intensified over the Atlantic forecasters predict the storm will be followed by bone chilling temperatures as a polar vortex returns to much of the u.s. Later this week last month President Trump cited cold winter weather in the u.s. To repeat his claim that global warming is a hoax but climate scientists say greenhouse gas emissions may be contributing to such weather events in Baltimore Maryland parents teachers and students are protesting frigid conditions at public schools with schoolchildren left shivering in classrooms and temperatures barely rising above freezing photos shared widely on social media show children bundled in winter parkas seated on a classroom floor a high school classroom and a gymnasium left badly damaged after they were flooded by burst pipes and a thermometer measuring one classroom's temperature at $42.00 degrees the Baltimore teachers union condemned the conditions as unfair and inhumane and called on officials to close schools for the rest of the week State Sen Bill Ferguson a former Baltimore public school teacher said Baltimore schools requested funds for heating and air conditioning but were denied due to fiscal constraints Ferguson blasted Republican governor Bill Hogan in a tweet writing gov Hogan suggests enough money has gone to Baltimore City additional resources not needed unquote. In the occupied West Bank Israeli forces shot and killed Palestinian the sob to me during a protest near Ramallah Wednesday making the 17 year old the 1st teenager to be killed by Israel in 2018 to mean he was also the 16th Palestinian to be killed in demonstrations since President Trump declared last month that the us recognized Jerusalem as Israel's capital witnesses say too many was unarmed when he was shot in the neck this is my sop to Mimi's father fear us to me. More to. The soldiers arrested a mentally ill boy and when I tried to release of the officer said to me we want to kill someone and I moved backward to disperse youths away because I saw the bad will in their eyes I was close to the u.s. When the soldiers shot my boy in the neck and killed 2 of those 5 or 6 meters away from the Thank God he is a martyr to me was a relative of another Palestinian teenager 16 year old I had to meet me who is in Israeli custody awaiting trial before a military court and she was filmed in a viral video slapping and Israeli soldier Israel's government has ordered thousands of African migrants to leave Israel within 90 days or face arrest the plan was announced as Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu called African migrants infiltrators during a cabinet meeting on Wednesday. Do you feel traitors have a simple choice cooperate with us and leave voluntarily respectfully humanely and legally we will have to use the many other tools at our disposal which are also according to the law I hope that they will choose to cooperate with us most of the estimated 40000 migrants in Israel are refugees from Eritrea and Sudan fleeing war and persecution although Israel considers them economic migrants Meanwhile members of Israel's parliament the Knesset erupted in a shouting match Wednesday as Prime Minister Netanyahu and right wing lawmakers advanced legislation that would make it easier to carry out the death sentences against. Palestinians being treated on terrorism charges capital punishment is illegal in Israel but has not been implemented since 1962 when Nazi leader Adolf Eichmann was put to death for his role in the Holocaust in Iran tens of thousands of people took to the streets of cities across Iran Wednesday for pro-government rallies the state sanctioned demonstrations were held one week after anti-government protests are rapid across Iran targeting high unemployment inequality and housing costs on Wednesday the head of Iran's Aslambek Revolutionary Guard Corps said there would be no more sedition and that protest leaders had been arrested state media has reported the detention of over 500 people across Iran any Theo be a prime minister highly Moller aim to solving said on Wednesday he would release all of Ethiopia's political prisoners and close the notorious prison that human rights groups have labeled a torture chamber Amnesty International welcome the surprise announcement saying if authorities follow through it will mark the quote end of an era of bloody repression in Ethiopia unquote Ethiopia remains a major u.s. Ally in Africa despite its long history of human rights abuses and its record of silencing journalists protesters and opposition political parties in Nigeria a suicide bomber struck a mosque in the northeastern Borno state Wednesday killing 11 worshippers during morning prayers no group has claimed responsibility for the bombing which occurred in an area where the military group Boko Haram remains active back in the United States the acting director of ice that's the u.s. Immigration and Customs Enforcement Agency says politicians who resist the trumpet ministrations immigration policy should be arrested and charged with crimes Thomas Homan made the comment during an appearance on Fox News Tuesday one day after California formally declared itself a sanctuary state for immigrants. Well for the whole there are bold see a lot more special needs a lot more deportation always in the state of California it's a politicians in California don't want to protect their communities will Homans comment came as the trump of ministration continues its campaign to force local police officers to cooperate with the federal government's mass deportation plans Washington state filed suit against the budget hotel chain motel 6 Wednesday accusing it of violating anti discrimination and privacy laws by handing over personal information of hotel guests to ice Washington Attorney General Bob Ferguson says hotel managers gave the names dates of birth driver's license numbers and license plate numbers of some 9000 guest immigration officers who scrutinized the list for a Latino sounding names leading to the arrests of at least 6 people the lawsuit comes 4 months after the Phoenix New Times reported Motel 6 managers in Arizona had a similar cooperation agreement with ice in New York City the daughter of Haitian immigrant John Montreaux says her father was arrested Wednesday by a chance outside his home in Far Rockaway in Queens and was taken to the Essex County Jail in New Jersey Jon nontrivial came to the United States from Haiti with a green card in 1906 at the age of 17 last June when he went to his 1st check in under President Trump nontrivial was detained handcuffed processed to be deported until calls from his supporters apparently prompted his release speaking on Democracy Now last summer nontrivial described the dangers he could face if he's deported to Haiti. Want to do the porn for me 1000000000 is a process you go through in the movie. About 12. Minute almost So I mean there's always a little. Bit of money to give the McKinney moment both both cool to pull to the. Mantra Hills arrest by ice on Wednesday came after the trumpet ministration said it's revoking a special immigration program for nearly $60000.00 Haitians including many who came to the United States after the devastating earthquake of 2010 their temporary protected status or t.p.s. Will now end in July next year on Capitol Hill vice president Mike Pence swore in 2 Democrats to the Senate on Thursday giving the Democratic Caucus $49.00 seats to the Republicans $51.00 Democrats are now 2 seats shy of a Senate majority after former federal prosecutor Doug Jones beat Republican Roy Moore in a special election last month Jones was seated Wednesday along with Tina Smith of Minnesota who was appointed by Minnesota Governor Mark Dayton to replace former Senator Al Franken Franken formally resigned Tuesday after at least 7 women said he groped them or forcibly tried to kiss them without their consent. And Connecticut Senators Richard Blumenthal and Chris Murphy have wrapped up a 2 day trip to Puerto Rico warning the island remains in deplorable shape more than $100.00 days after Hurricane Maria made landfall Senator Murphy noted Congress approved a $36500000000.00 disaster relief package for hurricane devastated states and Puerto Rico but said much of the needed funds including Community Development Block Grants have not yet reached the island the White House is nickel Ling and dining the Puerto Rican government in making them go through all sorts of bureaucracy and red tape that is unnecessary and the result is that the economy is still hemorrhaging and those are some of the headlines This is Democracy Now Democracy Now dot org The War and Peace Report I mean the men and I met in the Welcome to our listeners and viewers around the country and around the world. We begin today's show with North Korea President Trump took to Twitter this morning to take credit for a new communications between North and South Korea Trump tweeted quote with all of the failed experts weighing in does anybody really believe that talks and dialogue would be going on between North and South Korea right now if I wasn't firm strong and willing to commit our total might against the North fools but talks are a good thing this comes after North Korean leader Kim Jong un ordered the real printing of a hotline with South Korea's leaders bringing the biggest 0 in relations between the countries in 2 years the overture came after South Korean president and said he's open to talks with the North next week in the so-called truce village in the demilitarized zone earlier this week President Trump drew international attention when he tweeted a threat to North Korea that was steeped in sexual bravado writing quote North Korean leader Kim Jong un just stated that the nuclear button is on his desk at all times will someone from his depleted and food starved regime Please inform him that I too have a nuclear button but it is much bigger and more powerful than his and my button works unquote during the press conference on Wednesday White House press secretary Sara Sanders addressed questions about Trump's taunting of North Korean leader. I don't think that it's tontines to stand up for the people of this country I think what's dangerous is to ignore the continued threats if the previous administration had done anything and dealt with North Korea dealt with Iran instead of sitting behind doing nothing we wouldn't have to clean up their mess no knowledge of us is Americans here and there is a taunting tweet to say that he has a larger number than he is of that. Trumps tweet came after North Korean leader Kim Jong un declared his nation a fully fledged nuclear power Monday saying in a televised New Year's Day speech he was prepared to launch a nuclear attack against his enemies including South Korea Japan or the United States you want the entire United States is within range before a nuclear weapon is a nuclear button is always on my desk this is reality not a threat you'll be an instance of the world Kim said North Korea would now focus on mass producing nuclear warheads and ballistic missiles for operational deployment for more we're joined in Chicago by Bruce Cummings professor of history at the University of Chicago author of several books on Korea including Korea's place in the sun of modern history and North Korea another country perfessor Cummings Welcome back to Democracy Now why don't we start off with the breaking news this week of communications being opened between South and North Korea what does this mean and the possibility that as early as next week they will somehow meet it truce village in the demilitarized zone. Well it's very important. Particularly the tone of Kim Jong un statement which was very conciliatory toward the south and was followed up by a high official who was even more conciliatory talking about North Korea's hopes for the South Korean winter Olympics going well and of course Kim Jong un offered to send a delegation. To the Olympics this is in great contrast to the for example the 1988 Olympics which the North Koreans tried to disrupt with terrorist attacks so it's a very good sign and I would add that Kim Jong un did say he had a big button with a lot of nuclear weapons but he very clearly said that North Korean nuclear weapons are for defensive purposes and would not be used unless North Korea was attacked. And secondly he said something that North Korean officials have been saying for the last 6 months without a lot of attention and that is words to the effect that their nuclear program is nearly completed which would mean they don't have to test so much they tested a great deal in 2017 particularly missiles and then a very large h. Bomb test last September so I think on all 3 counts this was generally. A welcome statement a conciliatory statement. President Trump's tweet this morning is trying to take credit for these talks going forward that's fine the fact is the trumpet administration was very opposed to President Mungy in of South Korea's proposals for talks. The north the Trump administration position is that there can be no talks until North Korea commits to denuclearization. That's their only hole card so they're not going to do that before talks open I would give a lot of credit to President moon in Seoul for. Opening up these talks next January 9th next week in spite of tremendous opposition that the mention almost daily provocations coming from President Trump and this morning there was a call on that hotline the South Koreans reached out to the noise do we know anything about the content of that call. No I actually was all I could do to get through the New York Times a bit before coming down here early in the morning so I don't know what the content was but. That line was closed 2 years ago in the context of then South Korean president Park. Shutting down a very large industrial zone just across the d.m.z. In North Korea in the case of industrial zone where about 60000 North Koreans were working for mostly South Korean firms and it was the last and biggest fruit of really more than a decade of attempts at reconciliation between north and south so I have hopes that this communication line but the. Export zone will be reopened so you I don't know that but I hope that the u.n. Ambassador Nikki Haley said Tuesday North Korea might be preparing for another missile test and warns such a move would necessi