From 1982 to 1990 and brought to power by the United States by Ronald Reagan. It was the first covert operation of the Reagan Administration before the contras in nicaragua, before jonas. Amy then Hillary Clinton faces new questions about her familys ties to Goldman Sachs. Secretary clinton, how much money you invested in your soninlaws hedge fund . Secretary clinton . Amy we will speak to lee fong of the intercept. Five months ago, he was the first reporter to ask Hillary Clinton about releasing the transcripts to her paid speeches at Goldman Sachs. Now he is asking a new round of questions. And then we will find out what what happened when a 24yearold Bernie Sanders in new mexico got into a 30 minute debate with former president bill clinton at a Mexican Restaurant in santa fe. All that and more, coming up. Welcome to democracy now , democracynow. Org, the war and peace report. Im amy goodman. More than 700 refugees have drowned in only three days as border crackdowns across europe have forced refugees to make more dangerous journeys across the mediterranean. The United NationsChildrens Fund says many of the victims were youth fleeing war and violence in their home countries. The majority of the refugees were from eritrea, nigeria, somalia, and south sudan. Under a European Union plan enacted in april, all refugees arriving in greece are deported back to turkey, forcing people to attempt the more dangerous route between libya and italy. On monday, the photo of a german volunteer from the group seawatch holding the body of a drowned child became the latest symbol of the migration crisis. Seawatch spokesman Ruben Neugebauer spoke out. It is always a difficult decision to publish such a picture, but in this specific case, we decided to send the picture out because of the greatness of the situation. We thought this material needed to be published. What we see here is the effect of european Foreign Policy. Chadthe former dictator of Hissene Habre has been convicted and sentenced to life in prison. He is accused of killing as many as 40,000 people during his eight years in power in the 1980s. He was tried in a special african unionbacked court established after a two decade Long Campaign led by his victims. This is the first time the leader of one african country has been prosecuted in another african countrys Domestic Court system for human rights abuses. We will go to senegal to speak with Human Rights Watchs reed brody after the headlines. Democratic president ial candidates Bernie Sanders and Hillary Clinton are both campaigning in california ahead of the june 7 primary where , polls are showing the two in a dead heat. Clinton was in her home town of chappaqua, new york, this weekend, but has canceled some Campaign Stops in new jersey to add more stops in california. She spoke at a Small Community meeting in oakland on friday. I really think one of the best ways that i can be a good partner is to lift up what is working and lift up people who are trying to work together, and using the white house i like to say, yes, we can use the white house as a bully pulpit. We dont want a bully in the white house, but we can use the bully pulpit to talk about issues. Amy senator sanders has focused his Campaign Energy into the california primary in recent weeks. He spoke at a rally in san pedro friday. Our ideas and beliefs and economic justice, and social justice, andracial environmental justice, and Immigration Reform and a half toward citizenship, and rebuilding inner cities throughout this country, and protecting the needs of the native American People our ideas are the future of this country. Amy on sunday, sanders visited the original delano headquarters of the united farm workers union, where he reiterated his call for a national ban on fracking when asked what he would do about poor Water Quality in the san joaquin valley. This comes as environmental groups are criticizing the Obama Administration after two federal agencies finalized reports claiming fracking off the coast of california would pose no significant risk to the environment. The announcement of the reports by the u. S. Bureau of Ocean Energy Management and the bureau of safety and Environmental Enforcement ends a courtordered moratorium on offshore fracking, which was put into place earlier this year after the center for biological diversity challenged the administrations practice of rubber stamping offshore drilling without an environmental review. Meanwhile, in more news from the campaign trail, Bernie Sanders is criticizing donald trump for backing out of a proposed debate between the two candidates ahead of the california primary. Donald trump first agreed to the idea when it was proposed by jimmy kimmel during an interview last week. On his latenight show. Sanders quickly signed on to the idea, but then trump backed out of the idea on friday, saying in a statement based on the fact that the democratic nominating process is totally rigged and crooked Hillary Clinton and Deborah Wasserman schultz will not allow Bernie Sanders to win, and now that i am the Presumptive Republican nominee, it seems inappropriate that i would debate the second place finisher, trump said. In response, sanders asked what trump was afraid of. It is the first ive heard about it. I heard he was going to debate me, then i heard he wasnt going to debate me, that i heard he was going to. Now youre telling me he not going to debate me. Well, i hope he changes his mind again. Mr. Trump has changed his mind many times in a day. Trump is a big tough guy. Mr. Trump, what are you afraid of . Amy meanwhile, donald trump has attempted to insult a federal judge by calling attention to his mexican heritage after the judge ordered the release of internal Trump University documents. On friday, trump when after the judge during a Campaign Rally in san diego. I have a judge who is a hater of donald trump. A hater. He is a hater. His name is than zollo gonzalo curiel. The judge, happen to believe is mexico, which is fine. I think the mexicans are going to end up loving donald trump when i give all of these jobs, ok . Amy that was trump, speaking in san diego. Outside this rally, thousands of people protested trumps positions on immigration, which include building a wall across the entire length of the border and deporting 11 million undocumented immigrants. At least 35 people were arrested. Trump says he is planning to release the documents on Trump University today. He is also expected to announce the names of the charities selected to receive the 6 million trump says he raised for veterans. Meanwhile, donald trump is facing criticism for referring to massachusetts senator andabeth worn as Indian Pocahontas several times last week. Elizabeth warren says her family is part cherokee. The comments have sparked protests from indigenous people, including from cree Nation Reporter nicole robertson, who called out donald trump in the middle of a speech in north dakota last week. Robertson later spoke on msnbc. You look at the number of women that have been victimized through either missing and murdered indigenous women. That is happening content why. Human trafficking. To use the word pocahontas, it brings to mind derogatory comments that are not, and this day and age, a word that is not usable. Amy meanwhile, in argentina, exdictator Reynaldo Bignone and 14 other former military officials have been sentenced to prison for their role in the secret 1970s International Kidnapping plot known as operation condor. The operation was a campaign of coordinated terror and assassinations carried out by regimes in chile, argentina, bolivia, brazil, paraguay, and uruguay. Lawyer luz palmas zaldua spoke out after the verdict monday. This ruling determines not only that state terrorism in argentina was a criminal conspiracy, but also the repressive coordination with other dictatorships. These states worked together in legally to maximize efforts to persecute the political opposition from each of the dictatorships, and to disappear or eliminate those who are considered to be with subversive groups, groups who confronted the dictatorships in southern countries. Amy in brazil, a second minister in the interim government has resigned. Fabiano silveira headed the ministry tasked with fighting corruption. Yet he resigned monday after a recording surfaced of him attempting to block an investigation into corruption at the staterun oil company petrobras. Last week, the planning minister for the interim government also resigned after explosive transcripts revealed how he plotted to oust president Dilma Rousseff in order to end a corruption investigation that was targeting him. In the philippines, journalist alex balcoba was murdered in manila monday by two gunmen. Balcoba was a reporter for the peoples brigada tabloid. The philippines is one of the worlds deadliest countries for reporters. More than 30 journalists have been killed under president aquinos administration. His murder comes one day after the Philippines Congress officially declared Rodrigo Duterte the next president. Duterte has admitted to his role in death squads, joked about the gang rape of an australian missionary, and pledged to kill tens of thousands of people. Meanwhile, in egypt, the head of the Journalists Union and two of the unions Board Members are facing trial on charges of harboring opposition journalists in the latest crackdown against press freedom in egypt. The charges stem from a raid on the Journalists Unions headquarters in may, where authorities arrested two reporters working for the opposition website bawabet yanayer. In iraq, more than 20 people were killed in a series of bombings in baghdad monday. The attacks come amid fierce fighting between u. S. Backed iraqi forces and militants with the selfproclaimed Islamic State over control of fallujah, which was seized by isis in 2014. French Railway Worker are set to workers are set to join the growing strikes, which are threatening to immobilize the country amid protests over labor reforms. Last week, workers at refineries and Nuclear Power plants went on strike, creating fuel shortages across the country. Unions are protesting reforms that would make it easier to fire workers, among other provisions. France is slated to host the euro 2016 football championships next week. Former u. S. Attorney general eric holder has said nsa whistleblower Edward Snowden performed a Public Service by leaking documents revealing nsa mass surveillance. Holder made the comments while speaking on a podcast hosted by david axelrod. We can certainly argue about the way in which snowden did what he did, but i think he actually performed a Public Service by raising the debate that we engaged in and by the changes that we made. Amy this comes as Edward Snowden is calling for an overhaul in whistleblower protections after former Senior Pentagon official john crane has spoken out publicly about how his superiors broke the law to punish a Key National SecurityAgency Whistleblower for leaking information about waste, mismanagement and surveillance. , to see our exclusive broadcast interview with a former pentagon official john crane go to , democracynow. Org. And after nearly seven weeks on strike, tens of thousands of verizon workers have declared victory. It was one of the biggest u. S. Strikes in years, as workers fought verizons efforts to cap pensions, cut benefits and outsource work to mexico, the philippines and the dominican , republic. Under a deal announced monday, workers will receive a nearly 11 raise over four years. The deal also decreases verizons ability to outsource work. Last week, verizon worker pamela galpern spoke with democracy now about the strike. For a company as profitable as verizon, i think it was clear that that wasnt right to month that it is not right that they want to take so much from the workers who have helped make this company so profitable. This strike is about keeping good jobs here, and it is about our families. 39,000 workers on strike. The families of all of those workers. Amy and those are some of the headlines. This is democracy now , democracynow. Org, the war and peace report. Im amy goodman. In a historic ruling, the former dictator of chad Hissene Habre has been convicted of crimes against humanity and sentenced to life in prison. The former u. S. Backed leader is accused of killing as many as 40,000 people during his eight years in power in the 1980s. At the landmark trial in senegal, habre was also convicted of rape, sexual slavery, and ordering killings during his reign of terror. This is judge gustave kam announcing the courts decision on monday. Hissene habre, the court condemns you to life in prison. You have a period of 15 days from the pronouncement of this judgment to appeal the decision in accordance with the criminal procedure code. Amy habre was tried in a special african unionbacked court established after a two decade Long Campaign led by his victims. This is the first time the leader of one african country has been prosecuted in another african countrys Domestic Court system for human rights abuses. After the verdict was read, survivors of habres regime embraced each other in the courtroom. This is souleymane guengueng, founder of the chadian association of victims. Honestly, i am very satisfied. Be the name of god alone glorified. It hurts me that many of my colleagues died along the way. They could not be here to see the result, which is why i was moved and brought to tears. It is still a truly happy moment. I have to say it, but cannot say that enough, Hissene Habree in. That is all we wanted. I hope this serves as a lesson to all of the other dictators out there. Amy Hissene Habre is a former u. S. Ally who has been described as africas pinochet. He came to power with the help of the Reagan Administration in 1982. The u. S. Provided habre with millions of dollars in annual military aid and trained his secret police, known as the dds. After habres sentencing, Human Rights Watchs reed brody tweeted habres conviction for these horrific crimes after 25 years is a huge victory for his chadian victims, without whose tenacity this trial never would have happened. This verdict sends a powerful message that the days when tyrants could brutalize their people, pillage their treasury and escape abroad to a life of luxury are coming to an end. Today will be carved into history as the day that a band of unrelenting survivors brought their dictator to justice. Well for more, we go now to , dakar, senegal, where were joined via democracy now video stream by reed brody, counsel and spokesperson for Human Rights Watch. He has worked with victims of Hissene Habres regime since 1999 and played a Critical Role in bringing habre to trial. Reed brody, welcome to democracy now share your reaction to the verdict yesterday. Thank you, amy. Well, it is an immense satisfaction. The judge was reading the his , and as we heard you know, the narrative the victims have been weaving for 25 years, basically detailed by the judge who found the allegations credible, and we could see we could see the way the judge was heading. It was just this immense moment of satisfaction. Right after the verdict, you know, we were embracing and there are a number of widows who had come from chad, especially for the occasion. Specially for the occasion. Very few people thought this day would ever come. One of them was souleymane guenggueng, who you highlighted before. Last night with souleymane guenggueng until 1 00 in her hotel room, we were rewatching the reading of the verdict on tv. Hard to believe that this day has come, that these victims have finally achieved justice. Reed, talk about souleymane guenggueng, who we just saw responding to the verdict. Tell us his story. I want to go back to 2008 when we spoke to this chadian activist who spearheaded the case. He described why it was