Politics, the ongoing wars in the middle east, u. S. Empire, and working with the late historian howard zinn and more. In the Police Boycott of director plus films of speaking out against Police Brutality. All that and more, coming up. Welcome to democracy now , democracynow. Org, the war and peace report. Im amy goodman. Doctors without borders has released an internal report on the u. S. Bombing of its hospital in kunduz, afghanistan. The airstrike killed at least 30 people, including 13 Staff Members, 10 patients, and seven unrecognizable victims get to be identified. Doctors without borders has said the strike appears to be a war crime. In a report describes patients burning in a beds, medical staff who were decapitated and lost limbs, and Staff Members shot from the air while they fled the burning building. The report described doctors and other medical staff thing shot while running to reach safety in a different part of the compound. Doctors without borders says it provided the gps coordinates to u. S. And afghan officials weeks before, and other strikes continued for half an hour after u. S. And afghan authorities were told the hospital was being bombed. Doctors without borders general director Christopher Stokes said the view from inside the hospital is that this attack was conducted with the purpose to kill and destroy, but we dont know why. In mexico, the Supreme Court has issued a strong condemnation of the u. S. Backed war on drugs and paved the way for the possible legalization of marijuana. On wednesday, the court ruled four people who had applied for a license to grow and use marijuana have the right to do so. The case lays the groundwork for future legal action that could lead to legalization nationwide. Uruguay legalized marijuana in 2013, and medical Marijuana Legalization bills are being debated in brazil, chile, colombia, costa rica. Mexican president Enrique Pena Nieto spoke after the ruling. The government respect the definitions of the Supreme Court of the nation and particularly on this issue. Im also clear this position opens a white debate for eventually discussing a regulation on the issue of consumption of marijuana. This means for us the deliberation now will be about the commercialization for consumption in the legalization of marijuana consumption. Amy this comes as president ial candidate Bernie Sanders introduced legislation that would end the federal prohibition on marijuana, allowing states the power to legalize and regulate marijuana in the same way state and local laws now govern the sale of alcohol and tobacco, without fear of federal impediment. Impeachment. President ial candidate Bernie Sanders also introduced legislation wednesday to ban new drilling on public lands and waters. The keep it in the ground act would prohibit offshore drilling in the arctic and the atlantic and stop new federal leases for oil, gas or coal extraction on federal lands. If we are serious about moving aggressively with the rest of the world, we have got to lead. And that says that senator merkley has said so well, that we do not continue to extract fossil fuel from federally owned land. You cant talk the talk and say im concerned about climate change, at the same time, oh, by the way, were going to extract huge amount of oil or coal or gas from federal land. You cant do that. Amy in romania, Prime Minister victor ponta has resigned amid massive protests over a Night Club Fire that killed 32 people. Following his resignation wednesday, tens of thousands of people took to the streets of bucharest to demand the end to corruption. One protester told al jazeera, if the system doesnt remove corrupt people by itself, people will make their own justice. If in 1989 people fought for liberty, in 2015 we are fighting for justice. Britain has unveiled a plan for sweeping new surveillance powers, which include giving the government the ability to monitor which websites people visit. Experts say parts of the new bill go beyond even the surveillance powers permitted in the United States. Home secretary theresa may called the new powers unprecedented, while also promising transparency. Legislationer, the we are proposing today is unprecedented. It will provide unparalleled openness and transparency about our investigator he powers, provide the strongest safeguards and were leading oversight arrangements, and give the men and women of our security and intelligence agencies and our Law Enforcement agencies who do so much to keep us safe and secure the powers they need to protect our country. Amy on twitter, nsa whistle blower Edward Snowden said by my read, snooperscharter legitimizes mass surveillance. It is the most intrusive and least accountable surveillance regime in the west. British Prime MinisterDavid Cameron has said that it is more likely than not that an explosive device brought down a russian passenger plane in egypts Sinai Peninsula over the weekend. The crash killed 224 people. Britain has suspended flights to and from the red sea resort of sharm el sheikh. Both russia and egypt have pushed back against the claim that the plane was bombed. Russia said such theories were speculation, while egypt said there was no evidence yet to support them. In turkey, the editors of a leftleaning magazine nokta have been arrested and charged with attempting to instigate a coup after it published a cover suggesting the results of Sundays National election could lead to a civil war. The party of president Recep Tayyip Erdogan regained its parliamentary majority on sunday. The victory helps erdogan strengthen a hold on power critics say has become increasingly authoritarian and authoritarian. Nokta editor ismail eren spoke out about the cover and his colleagues arrest. We picked our cover with the idea the results of the election may polarize the country and may bring the people to a breaking point. It was not an insult or provocation. When you read the story, you could see it is just the summary of what has been going on, but the Prosecutors Office interpreted that as a bit and decided to take our magazine out of circulation and also andined our editor in chief another editor. Amy egypts top court has postponed the final trial of former egyptian president Hosni Mubarak over the killing of protesters during the 2011 uprising against his rule. Mubarak was originally sentenced to life in prison for conspiring to murder demonstrators but a , retrial was ordered on appeal. The court adjourned the retrial until january 21. In fox lake, illinois, an investigation has found that Police OfficerCharles Gliniewicz elaborately staged his suicide in september in order to look like he had been killed in the line of duty. The probe also revealed laundered stole and money from a Police Department program for at least seven years. On the morning of september 1, the officer sent word over his radio that he was pursuing three people on foot. Three minutes later, he requested backup. When more officers arrived, they found gliniewicz dead. The department then launched a massive manhunt with more than 400 Law Enforcement officers raking through the heavy woods allterrain vehicles and on , horseback. The death was originally investigated as a homicide, but on wednesday the Lake County Major Crimes Task force commander announced the death was a carefully staged suicide, was the end result of extensive criminal acts that gliniewicz had been committing. Before wednesdays revelations that the officer had in fact killed himself, his death had been used by Police Groups to denounce the black lives matter movement. In september, fox lake residents gathered after gliniewiczs death with signs that read police lives matter, and the head of the National Fraternal order of police told the washington post, theres a hostile element within the community at large. Meanwhile, in alabama, a second mistrial has been declared in the trial of a madison Police Officer in a case that left an indian grandfather partially paralyzed. In february, officer eric parker and other officers approached Sureshbhai Patel as he was taking a walk after a neighbor called to report a skinny black guy in the neighborhood. Dashcamera Footage Shows Police slamming patel from a standing position facefirst into the ground. On wednesday, a judge declared a second mistrial after a jury deadlocked on a single charge against officer parker of violating patels civil rights. In marksville, louisiana, a 6yearold boy has died and his father is critically wounded after city marshals opened fire on the familys car tuesday. Authorities say city marshals were chasing his father, chris few, in efforts to serve him a warrant. When few reached a dead end, he allegedly began to back into the marshals car. The officers then opened fire, killing firstgrade Jeremy Mardis and critically wounding his father. Awardwinning film director Quentin Tarantino is refusing to back down from his support of the black lives matter movement, even as Police Unions have launched a campaign to boycott tarantinos films. Tarantino sparked controversy after he called Fatal Police Shootings murders during the rise up october rally against Police Brutality in new york city on october 24. I got something to say, but i would like to give my time to the families who want to talk. I want to get my time to the families just give my time to the families. However, i do want to say, what am i doing here . Im doing here because im a human being with a conscience. And when i see murder, i cannot stand by and i have to call the murdered the murdered and the murderers the murderers. Now i will give my time to the family. Amy Quentin Tarantino defended his remarks on all in with chris hayes on wednesday night. Walter scott, of the men running in the park and shot in the back in the case of sam dubose, i believe those were murders. They were deemed murder. The reason the only reason they were deemed murder is because the incidences were caught on video. However, if they had not been caught on video, the murderers would have gotten away with their murder. In the case of air gardener, the case of tamir rice, i believe those were murders, but they were exonerated. Amy other prominent cultural figures have come out in support of Quentin Tarantino including , mark ruffalo, musician tom morello, native american activist and journalist simon moyasmith, and author Joyce Carol Oates. We will get response from actor and writer Viggo Mortensen after headlines. Former president George Hw Bush has criticized former Vice President dick cheney and former secretary of defense Donald Rumsfeld over their hawkish reaction to the september 11 attacks in a forthcoming biography. Bush is quoted as saying rumsfeld was an arrogant fellow and that dick cheney was ironass. The biography, destiny and power the american odyssey of George Herbert walker bush, will be published next week. Arizona senators jeff flake and john mccain have released a report showing how the u. S. Military has spent millions of dollars paying the nfl and other sports leagues for paidfor patriotism events and ceremonies. The report documented 6. 8 million worth of agreements between branches of the armed forces and sports leagues over the last four years, but it says this amount is only a sliver of the 53 million the military spent on advertising with sports teams during that time. New york, protesters have rallied outside the Rockefeller Plaza in manhattan to call on nbc to cancel president ial candidate Donald Trumps upcoming performance on saturday night live. A petition to dump trump has garnered nearly half a million signatures. Nbc had previously said it would cut ties with trump after he called mexican immigrants criminals and rapists, but the candidate is now scheduled to guest host saturday night live this weekend. Protester Juan Escalante spoke out at wednesdays protest. Nbc needs to stand by take a stance, break all ties with donald trump and they should not provide him with a platform to be able to attack our communities. I think what donald trump continues to say but immigrants and latinos is revolting. The bottom line, saturday night live should not be tried to make fun of what donald trump has said because when donald trump is that he plans on deporting 11 million people, he means that. When he said mexican immigrants are rapists, murderers, drug dealers, he meant that. There is no way for them to take those clips and try to repackage them and pass them off as comedy. Amy Police Arrested more than 50 professors and their supporters during a rally for faculty on wednesday in new york city. Protesters blocked the doors of the Administrative Offices of the City University of new york in manhattan in protest of their lack of a contract and low wages. Cuny professors say they have not had a contract since 2010 and have not received raises in six years. Hundreds of warehouse workers for new york citys B H Photo Video voted overwhelmingly to unionize wednesday. The 200 to 88 vote to join the United Steel Workers Union comes after the warehouse workers organized for more than a year with the support of the laundry center. The workers are demanding a contract that will protect them from what they describe as dangerous working conditions inside b h photos two brooklyn warehouses. And canadas new Prime MinisterJustin Trudeau has announced a new cabinet in which half of new members are women. One is a former refugee. An aboriginal woman will be the minister of defense. The minister of justice. An astronaut will be leading the ministry of transport. Trudeau spoke out about the new cabinet. [indiscernible] have a cap in her that was gender balanced. Why is that so important to you . Because it is 2015. Amy and those are some of the headlines. This is democracy now , democracynow. Org, the war and peace report. Im amy goodman. Nermeen and i am nermeen shaikh. Welcome to all our listeners and viewers from around the country and around the world. Our guest is a worldfamous actor from one of the most popular movie franchises of all time, yet Box Office Success is not whats defined his career. In the lord of the rings trilogy, Viggo Mortensen has starred as the warrior king who fords the fight earth. Picking. This day does not belong to one man, but to all. Let us together revealed this world, that we may share in the days of peace. Nermeen let us together rebuild this world that we may share in the days of peace. Viggo mortensen might have said that in middle earth, but it is a line that applies to him on this earth as well. Mortensen is the vocal advocate of progressive causes using his celebrity to speak out for social justice. Mortensen has appeared in howards performances of zinns, voices of a peoples history of the United States and is a cast member of the Television Documentary version of, the people speak. Hell be reading excerpts from voices of a peoples history of the United States tonight at lincoln center. Amy on top of the lord of the rings trilogy, mortensen has starred in numerous films, including David Cronenbergs movies, a history of violence, eastern promises for which he received an oscar nomination for best actor, and a dangerous method for which he received a golden globe award. His most recent films include far from men and jauja ,in addition to his acting pursuits, Viggo Mortensen is a poet, painter, and photographer. He is also a book publisher. Spotlighting alternative voices. He is the editor at his own imprint, perceval press, which has just reissued the 2003 book, twilight of empire responses to occupation. Viggo mortensen joins us for the hour. Welcome to democracy now thanks for having me. To talkre not going about lord of the rings right now or history of violence even about your latest film, but we do want to talk to about this latest book, twilight of empire. You are we releasing it after 12 years. Today, relevant about 2015, that actually goes back to 2003 when he first released the book . It response to occupation it is a book that was published at the moment we were invading and occupying iraq under false pretenses, you know, based on a pack of lies. It