Administrations plans to slash the power of the Environmental Protection agency under its new head scott pruitt. Occasion mmitted ive indicated a message that there are essential to protect. Amy but a leaked copy of the epas new budget reveals plans to eliminate programs on Climate Change, toxic waste cleanup and environmental justice, and to the work staff by 20 , and cut funding for state level clean air and water programs. We will get response from Wenonah Hauter and bill becker. Finally, as honduras marks the First Anniversary of the us session nation of the renowned environmental activist Berta Caceres, we look at a new investigation that links the u. S. Military to her murder and at a new bill to cut u. S. Military funding to honduras. In particular, the law mandates a suspension of all military aid that the United States gives to honduras until the murder case of Berta Caceres is solved in an effective manner. All that and more, coming up. Welcome to democracy now , democracynow. Org, the war and peace report. Im amy goodman. Attorney general Jeff Sessions said thursday he will recuse himself from any investigation into last years president ial Campaign Following reports he met twice with russias ambassador to the u. S. While serving as a campaign surrogate for donald trump. The revelation directly contradicts sessions sworn testimony to congress in january that he did not meet with any russian officials in the runup to novembers election. In a hastily assembled News Conference thursday, sessions called charges he lied under oath totally false and said he failed to mention the meetings with ambassador Sergey Kislyak because the two did not discuss the campaign. I was taken aback a little bit about this brandnew information, this allegation i have been called a surrogate for trump had been meeting continuously with russian is whats and that struck me very hard and that is what i focused my answer on. In that respect, i should have slowed down and said, that i did meet one russian official a couple of times. That would be the ambassador. Thank you all. Take care. Amy attorney general sessions decision to recuse himself came just hours after President Trump said calls for sessions to resign amounted to a total witch hunt. Trump was questioned by reporters while touring a naval warship thursday. Do you still have confident in the attorney general, sir . Pres. Trump total. [indiscernible] pres. Trump i dont think so at all. Can you explain that he spoke to the Russian Ambassador . When were you aware that he spoke to the russian abbasid are . Pres. Trump i was not aware at all. Amy abc news reported thursday that political funds for use from the senatorial reelection account to meet with ambassador kislyak on the sidelines of the rnc in july. There were growing calls thursday for sessions to resign and even to face prosecution. The aclu demanded an investigation into whether sessions committed perjury and president george w. Bushs former ethics lawyer said misleading the senate in sworn testimony about own contacts with the russians is a good way to go to jail. On capitol hill, a chorus of democratic lawmakers called for sessions to step down, while demands grew for a special prosecutor to investigate allegations that russia interfered in the 2016 election on behalf of donald trump. Meanwhile, the New York Times reported thursday that two other members of Donald Trumps inner circle met with russias ambassador ahead of the president ial inauguration. At the december meeting at trump tower in new york were trumps soninlaw and Senior Adviser, jared kushner, and former National Security adviser Michael Flynn, who resigned last month following revelations he spoke by phone with the ambassador and discussed u. S. Sanctions against moscow. Well have more on the widening scandal and allegations that russia interfered in novembers election after headlines. On capitol hill, republican senator rand paul is blasting his partys leadership for failing to make public a draft document of the republican plan to replace the Affordable Care act. Senator paul brought a portable copy machine with him as he unsuccessfully searched the offices of the house of representative for a draft of the bill. At one point, Capitol Police barred senator paul from entering a room where the bill was rumored to be. Document was rumored to be. Ator paul told reporters on we are here asking for written copy of this because this should be an open and transparent process. In climate news, the top you an official tasked with tackling Global Warming says she was denied a visit with u. S. Secretary of state and former exxonmobil ceo Rex Tillerson. Patricia espinosa, head of the Un Framework Convention on Climate Change, is touring the u. S. And said thursday her requests for a meeting with tillerson went unanswered. Meanwhile, the New York Times reports the white house is sharply divided over President Trumps Campaign Pledge to cancel the 2015 paris climate accord. The times cited unnamed officials who said trumps chief strategist Stephen Bannon is pushing the u. S. To withdraw from the agreement entirely, while trumps daughter ivanka and secretary of state Rex Tillerson are said to be calling for the u. S. To remain a signatory to the pact. In washington, rick perry was sworn ins secretary of energy, following a Senate Confirmation vote earlier on thursday. 10 democrats and maine independent angus king joined 51 republicans in confirming the former texas republican governor. In 2011, perry famously attempted to propose abolishing the energy department, but then couldnt even remember the name of the agency. Perry previously mocked climate scientists and has called Global Warming a hoax, but walked back those comments during confirmation hearings, saying some Climate Change is caused by manmade activity. Meanwhile, dr. Ben carson was sworn in thursday as secretary of housing and urban development. Senate confirmation of the retired neurosurgeon and former republican president ial candidate came on a vote of 5841 earlier in the day. Dr. Carson has never been elected to any office and has no experience heading a government bureaucracy. The Indianapolis Star has reported Vice President mike pence routinely conducted state business over a private female account private email account while serving as governor of indiana and hackers broke into his emails. He used his aol account to communicate with Senior Advisers on sensitive matters and Homeland Security issues. The move closely mirrored former secretary of state Hillary Clintons use of a private email server to conduct official business, a practice sharply criticized by pence and other republicans. This is thengovernor mike pence speaking on cbss face the nation last october. Gov. Pence literally, Hillary Clinton had classified information on a private server that she be milled classified information that she said she did not do all of these things misrepresented mishandling class of an information, the to conclude she was extremely careless and or be no recommendation of charges, that to me is the kind of double standard the American People are weary of. Amy the Indianapolis Star reports mike pences account was broken into by hackers who emailed the pences contacts asking for money. In a statement, Vice President pences office said thursday pence had not violated the public records act. President donald trump toured a nuclearpowered Aircraft Carrier in virginia thursday, using the massive warship as a backdrop to push his plan to increase the pentagons budget by 54 billion. Agingtrump right now our frontline strike and strike many, many aircraft, are often more likely to be down for maintenance than they are to be up in the sky. It navy is now the smallest has been, since believe it or not, world war i. Dont worry. It will soon be the largest it has been. Amy on monday, trump proposed increasing the military budget to just over 600 billion. Daily 10 increase, while deeply cutting the budgets of other agencies, including the epa and the state department. In yemen, u. S. Warplanes and drones bombed targets across three provinces overnight, in what the pentagon said were 20 airstrikes targeting al qaeda in the arabian peninsula. They were the first direct u. S. Attacks on yemen since a botched raid in january left 25 civilians and one u. S. Navy seal dead. The strikes came after the white house said it has given wide latitude to the secretary of defense and top generals to carry out attacks without president ial approval. In syria, progovernment forces recaptured most of palmyra two months after isis took control of the ancient city. Its the fourth time the city, which is home to a World Heritage site, has changed hands during syrias civil war. In egypt, a court has acquitted former dictator Hosni Mubarak on charges of murder, over his crackdown in 2011 that killed hundreds of people opposed to his 30year rule. The ruling clears the way from mubaraks release from detention. Amnesty International Says mubaraks treatment contrasts sharply with that of hundreds of journalists and human rights activists, who face mass arbitrary arrests, unfair trials and torture over their political dissent. In honduras, hundreds of protesters rallied outside the Honduran Supreme Court building thursday to demand justice for Berta Caceres, the famed environmental activist and feminist leader who was assassinated in her home one year ago. Eight men have been arrested as suspects in bertas killing, including one active army major and two retired military members. Two of these suspects reportedly received military training in the United States. This is Berta Caceress daughter Berta Isabel Zuniga caceres. Here to renounce the lack of justice. The authorities one us to feel the case has been resolved. On the contrary, were saying the process is full of irregularities. Amy at thursdays demonstration in tegucigalpa, police in riot gear fed tear gas at protesters who responded by hurling rocks. Protesters were demanding an end to impunity for the killers of more than 150 land rights activists in the aguan valley since 2009. Well have more on the assassination of Berta Caceres after headlines. In rochester, new york, vandals toppled more than a dozen headstones at a Jewish Cemetery thursday, defacing some of the grave markers. New York Governor Andrew Cuomo ordered police to investigate the vandalism as a possible hate crime. It was at least the third desecration of a Jewish Cemetery in the u. S. Over the past two weeks. At the vatican, a prominent member of a commission advising pope francis on how to end clerical sexual abuse stepped down this week to protest what she described as inaction by the church. Marie collins, an irish survivor of childhood Sexual Assault by a priest, said wednesday she could no longer work with the commission because vatican officials refused to implement basic protections for children and vulnerable adults. Collins resignation came as the archdiocese of new york petitioned a court for permission to mortgage a hundred 100 million worth of Church Property in manhattan in order to Fund Compensation for victims of sexual abuse by priests. Msnbc has obtained a leak intelligence document from the department of Homeland Security that undercuts President Trumps rationale for a ban on refugees and travelers from some majority muslim nations. The Rachel Maddow show reports the leaked document makes the case that most foreignborn u. S. Based violent extremists are only radicalized after living in the u. S. For a number of years and are unlikely to pose a threat upon arrival. In an update to a story we reported on thursday, ice has released a 26yearold el salvadorian Asylum Seeker who was removed from a texas hospital in handcuffs and taken back to a private jail after she had been diagnosed with a brain tumor. On thursday, Sara Beltran Hernandez was granted a 15,000 bond, and her family raised the total sum to secure her freedom. Beltran issued a statement thanking supporters who made calls for her release, saying i can now get the medical care i need and be reunited with my family. You can go to democracynow. Org to see the whole discussion on thursday show. In more news from texas, a woman arrested by immigration officials at a courthouse where she was seeking a protective order against an abusive boyfriend has now been charged with illegal reentry to the United States. County officials believe that the agents acted after a tipoff from irvin gonzalezs alleged abuser. Womens rights advocates have argued that the arrest of gonzalez sends a message to survivors that if they seek help they will be deported or jailed. , in mississippi, lawyers for Daniela Vargas say ice officials are preparing to deport the 22yearold undocumented immigrant without a court hearing. Vargas was arrested this week shortly after she spoke out publicly against a february immigration raid that saw her father and brother detained by ice. Vargas was brought to the u. S. From argentina as a child has a , pending application to renew her daca status granting her permission to live and work in the u. S. And a bill before the Arkansas State legislature would prohibit publicly funded schools from teaching the works of legendary historian howard zinn. House bill 1834 would bar teachers from including all of zinns writings from 1959 through his death in 2010. In 1980, howard zinn published his classic book, a peoples history of the United States, which would go on to sell more than one million copies. The arkansas bill is nothe first attempt to censor howard zinns works. Indianas governor attempted a similar measure in 2010 and arizona lawmakers removed a 2011 peoples history from schools in tucson as part of the ban on Mexican American studies. And those are some of the headlines. This is democracy now, democracynow. Org, the war and peace report. Im amy goodman. Attorney general Jeff Sessions has recused himself from any investigation into last years president ial Campaign Following reports he met twice with russias ambassador the u. S. At a time when he was serving as both a senator and a campaign surrogate for donald trump. The revelation directly contradicts sessions sworn testimony to congress in january that he did not meet with any russian officials in the runup to novembers election. On thursday, sessions called charges he lied under oath totally false and said he failed to mention the meetings with ambassador Sergey Kislyak because the two did not discuss the campaign. I was taken aback a little bit about this brandnew information, this allegation that circuit i have been called a surrogate for donald trump have been meeting continuously with russian that is what struck me very hard and that is what i focused my answer on. In retrospect, i should have slowed down and said but i did meet one russian official a couple of times. That would be the ambassador. Amy on thursday night, Tucker Carlson and reviewed Jeff Sessions. Ihink i performed exactly correctly from attorney general of the United States. You are foreignpolicy adviser, the chairman, i think, of the advisors, to now President Trump. In that capacity, do your member conversations you had as a campaign about russia and was there any did you have any believe they were putting their some on the scale, rooting for President Trump over Hillary Clinton . What were your conversation