Draft bernie for a Peoples Party. Theyre urging them to start a new Progressive Party and run for president again in 2020. We will speak with professor cornel west, whose new piece and the guardian is headlined a book of the democrats delivered one thing in the past 100 days disappointment. From thenick brana Bernie Sanders campaign. Then we speak to Omar Barghouti, cofounder of the boycott, the investment transactions committee. Last month, Israeli Police were accused of dirty tricks when they arrested him, seizing his passport, preventing him from leaving israel. The investigation included a travel ban that came a few weeks before he was scheduled to travel to the u. S. To receive the on the peace award, jointly with ralph nader is a money at Yale University. After public out cry, the ban was lifted. Awardi home except the for 2017, i dedicate this to the wrote posted in listeners on Hunger Strike prisoners in Hunger Strike for refugees yearning to return home to with the to reunite land and homeland. And you go first, we look at last nights double execution in arkansas. All of that and more coming up. Welcome to democracy now , democracynow. Org, the war and peace report. Im amy goodman. Arkansas carried out a double execution monday night, marking the first time in nearly 17 years that any state has killed two people on the same day. At 7 20 p. M. Arkansas time 52yearold Jack Harold Jones , was pronounced dead in the Death Chamber at the cummings unit state prison. Infirmary workers had spent more than 45 minutes unsuccessfully trying to put a central line into his neck. According to a court filing, during jones execution, he was moving his lips and gulping for air, which suggests he continued to be conscious during the lethal injection. The controversial sedative midazolam is administered as part of a cocktail of execution drugs to make prisoners unconscious, but its repeatedly failed to do so during other executions, leading to painful deaths. Ahead of monday night, jones lawyers had argued his medical condition was likely to reduce the sedatives effectiveness, leading to an unconstitutionally painful death, but this argument was rejected by a court. Before being killed, jones gave a long final statement in which he apologized to the daughter of Mary Phillips. Jones has admitted to raping and killing Mary Phillips in 1995. His final words were im sorry. Lawyers for the second man, Marcel Williams, filed a lastminute appeal for a stay of execution following jones killing, arguing williams could also experience a botched, painful death. A District Court judge initially granted a temporary stay of williams execution, but then allowed the execution to go forward. Williams was pronounced dead at 10 33 p. M. He had been convicted and sentenced to death for the 1994 kidnap, rape, and murder of stacy errickson. Monday nights executions came after legal challenges reached the u. S. Supreme court, which rejected a stay for williams. The only justice to dissent in this ruling was Justice Sonia sotomayor. The last double execution carried out in the United States was in 2000 in texas. Arkansas carried out its first execution in 16 years on thursday, killing ledell lee, and plans to execute a fourth man, kenneth williams, this coming thursday. The state had initially planned to execute eight people within 11 days this month, an unprecedented rate of executions in modern u. S. History. Well have more on arkansas executions after headlines with guardian reporter Ed Pilkington, who is in arkansas. President trump has walked back from demands that a government funding bill allocate 1. 4 billion for border wall construction. The Government Faces the looming possibility of a Government Shutdown if a funding deal is not reached by the end of this week. On the campaign trail, trump had promised mexico would pay for trumps expanded border wall. This is white house Spokesman Sean Spicer answering questions on monday. Look, they are currently negotiating. We feel very confident that they understand the president s priorities and bill come to an agreement by the end of friday. I think the president has made clear initially, we needed to get the funding going. There are several mechanisms to make sure that happens. That funding will happen in due time. That is a promise in the campaign would pay for the wall. Now we having the discussion amy President Trump is expected to unveil his proposed tax overhaul wednesday, which will reportedly include a plan to slash the Corporate Tax rate from 35 to a mere 15 . If passed, the tax cut could significantly reduce government revenue for key public programs. Democrats have vowed not to work with trump on a tax plan until he release his tax returns. Another top fox news, sean hannity, is facing accusations of unwanted sexual advances. Former fox news guest Debbie Schlussel has accused hannity of inviting her back to his hotel room, and that, after she rejected his advance, he called me and yelled at me. And i kind of knew i wouldnt be back on his show. While schlussel says she doesnt think the incident qualifies as Sexual Harassment, she says she thought hannity was weird and creepy. The accusations come after foxs bill oreilly was ousted last week amid revelations he and fox paid more than 13 million to settle five Sexual Harassment claims. Meanwhile, new York Magazine reports seven black employees at fox are planning to join a Racial Discrimination lawsuit accusing foxs longtime comptroller of spewing racist insults for years. The employees also accuse the comptroller judy slater of forcing black women workers to arm wrestle their white coworkers. In a letter to the network, the workers lawyers write forcing a black woman employee to fight for the amusement and pleasure of her white superiors is horrifying. This highly offensive and humiliating act is reminiscent of jim crow era battle royals. The state department is facing criticism after using taxpayer money to promote President Trumps private, forprofit florida resort maralago. On a state department website, a promotional article offers a inside look at the winter white house. That is maralago. The Watchdog Group american oversight says it will file an ethics complaint with the state department and the office of government ethics. Oregon democratic senator ron wyden criticized the promotion, tweeting yes, i am curious statedept. Why are taxpayer promoting the president s private country club . President obama delivered his first postpresidency speech monday night, speaking to a group of students in chicago. Without ever once uttering trumps name, obama encouraged Civic Engagement and expressed concern about increasing political polarization. The u. S. Treasury department has imposed sanctions on 271 officials with syrias scientific studies and research center, which the u. S. Says is linked to the Syrian Governments alleged chemical weapons program. The sanctions are in response to a chemical weapons attack, allegedly carried out by the Syrian Government, which killed 86 civilians, including dozens of children, in early april. The Syrian Government has denied carrying out the attack and has instead blamed the antigovernment rebels. In los angeles, tens of thousands of people marched to the turkish consulate monday to commemorate the 102nd anniversary of the armenian genocide. Every year, because theyre not accepting the genocide, the government of turkey, especially now is a dictator, ok . He is not accepting. They have to accept. This is a genocide that happen. Amy the turkish government continues to deny the genocide, which saw an estimated 1. 5 million armenians exterminated through direct killing, starvation, torture, and forced death marches. In the congo, the United Nations says a video appears to show the killing of two u. N. Investigators who went missing more than a month ago. The government, which had been accused of complicity in their disappearance, screened the video monday and said it shows the killings were carried out by an antigovernment militia. The u. N. Investigators went missing in the kasai region, where at least 17 mass graves have been unearthed over the last month amid ongoing fighting between rebels and government forces. In mexico, a dutch ship operated by women on waves spent the weekend in International Waters off the coast of guerrero over the weekend providing free safe abortions. Outside the capital mexico city abortion is illegal except in , limited cases, such as rape, forcing women to seek dangerous clandestine abortions. This is women on waves director rebecca gomperts. Inwe are here with the ship mexico to raise awareness to the violations of womens rights here in guerrero where abortion is still very restrictive will stop we can take out women to to National Waters where the mexican jurisdiction does not apply anymore, and provide medical abortions to women and international water. United states,e new orleans has removed four confederate monuments, including one whose original inscription celebrated White Supremacy in the south. The government workers who removed the statues wore masks and bullet proof vests for protection and were guarded by Police Snipers during the job. White nationalists had staged a series of protests in the lead up to the memorials removals. A car belonging to one of the workers had also been set on fire. And in southwestern pennsylvania, residents and activists have launched ongoing 24hour treesits to try to block the construction of sunocos mariner east two pipeline, which would carry fracked gas from the marcellus shale in ohio across pennsylvania to an export facility on the east coast. Multiple residents and activists are currently suspended in trees in Huntingdon County in efforts to prevent workers from clearcutting the forest to make way for the pipeline. And those are some of the headlines. This is democracy now , democracynow. Org, the war and peace report. I am amy goodman and boston. Juan and im juan gonzalez. Welcome to all of our listeners and viewers from around the country and around the world. Arkansas carried out a double execution monday night, marking the first time in nearly 17 years that any state has killed two people on the same day. At 7 20 p. M. Local time, 52yearold Jack Harold Jones was pronounced dead in the Death Chamber at the cummings unit state prison. Infirmary workers had spent more than 45 minutes unsuccessfully trying to put a central line into his neck. According to a court filing, during jones execution, he was was moving his lips and gulping for air, which suggests he continued to be conscious during the lethal injection. The controversial sedative midazolam is administered as part of a cocktail of execution drugs to make prisoners unconscious, but its repeatedly failed to do so during other executions, leading to painful deaths. Ahead of monday night, jones lawyers had argued his medical condition was likely to reduce the sedatives effectiveness, leading to an unconstitutionally painful death, but this argument was rejected by a court. Before being killed, jones gave a long final statement in which he apologized to the daughter of Mary Phillips. Jones has admitted to raping and killing Mary Phillips in 1995. His final words were im sorry. Lawyers for the second man, Marcel Williams, filed a lastminute appeal for a stay of execution following jones killing, arguing williams could also experience a botched, painful death. A District Court judge initially granted a temporary stay of williams execution, but then allowed the execution to go forward. Williams was pronounced dead at 10 33 p. M. He had been convicted and sentenced to death for the 1994 kidnap, rape, and murder of stacy errickson. Amy monday nights executions came after legal challenges reached the u. S. Supreme court, which rejected a stay for williams. The only justice to dissent in this ruling was Justice Sonia sotomayor. The last double execution carried out in the u. S. Was in 2000 in texas. Arkansas carried out its first execution in 16 years and thursday, killing ledell lee, and plans to execute a fourth man, kenneth williams, this coming thursday. The state had initially planned execute eight people within 11 month, an unprecedented rate of executions in modern u. S. History. They wanted to perform these executions before the end of the month when midazolam would expire. For more, were joined via video stream by the guardian reporter Ed Pilkington, who has been following the executions closely with local reporters on the ground. Welcome back to democracy now you have a witness statement on the execution . Can you explain . There were two what the witness saw . We spoke with a reporter for arkansas times. He was in the Death Chamber for the second execution last night of Marcel Williams. I thinkesting account, really important part of it, there are two things, really, one, because of the court stated that happened for Marcel Williams while the judge while the judge considered what happened to the first prisoner to die, mr. Jones, Marcel Williams was kept strapped to the gurney the entire time. We dont quite know where that began, probably Something Like 8 00 p. M. Last night. 10 33. Pronounced at or maybe longer than two and half hours, this 400 count prisoner was kept strapped to a gurney, which i think is fairly disturbing in itself. The other thing that came out of our eyewitness report is that there is a missing half an hour. The media the three media vanesses work kept in a while the delay was happening, the court proceedings. There was a little window they can look out the backup. They saw Marcel Williams being taken out to the bathroom, then walked back. He was brought back in about 9 29. The execution began at 10 16. We dont know anything about what happened in that period. I think that is important and will continue to be important, because of the secrecy the Death Penalty states have imposed on the entire process of execution. The media witnesses were only allowed to see when the curtain was opened and the execution began. They were not allowed to see the crucial period in which i v lives were trying to be found. That is the problem with jack jones execution earlier the evening. The state admitted they tried to find an iv line and the prisoners neck and failed. This is precisely because of problems that have come up time and again. A gruesome execution and oklahoma with a man right for 43 minutes on the gurney. That was due to an iv line that cannot be found. In arizona, the woods execution where they stuck him 15 times and ejected him 15 different times because they tried to find a vein. I think were starting to see the same problem emerge again, secrecy, the fact the public cannot see what is being done when prisoners are being killed, leading to problems in the process. Juan Ed Pilkington, what are the requirements in terms of the publics ability to view this or the witnesses, at least, who are there who are permitted to see the execution being able to witness the entire process . That is the problem. Like so much with the Death Penalty, it is down to each individual state. But theres something in common, and that is all of the Death Penalty states come all nine or so of them that are still actively trying to pursue the Death Penalty, have taken the same line, which is, we should let the public know as little as ohsible so they dont latest the members of the Execution Team. Maybe that is understandable. The executioners could face harassment. Who wont let us know manufactures the drugs they use or were they got them from, and that is problematic because we dont know whether these drugs they have try that in the past. Now theyre fighting over how much the public can see in the process. In arkansas, they went to extraordinary lengths to make our job difficult as reporters and i am one of them and to start with, they would not allow as laptops and the media room where we were watching if we were not in the Death Chamber. This is just the visiting room. We are nowhere near the Death Chamber. Towere not allow laptops start with. They consented on it in the end, but we were not allowed telephones in the room. In the end, they only allowed reporters to take in and pencils, supplied to them by the Priso