Then we get to North Carolina where over 700 people have been arrested in the past 10 weeks in a weekly protest called moral monday. It means using bills to suggest their prolife when in fact they are prohypocrisy. We will look at moral mondays and a move by North Carolina lawmakers to shut down abortion clinics by adding antichoice restrictions to a bill on Motorcycle Safety. Prisonersover 12,000 in california enter their fifth day on Hunger Strike to protest solitary confinement, we will speak with a reporter who survived solitary in iran, shane bauer, author of, solitary in iran nearly broke me. Then i went inside americas prisons. All of that and more coming up. This is democracy now , democracynow. Org, the war and peace report. Im amy goodman. National Security Agency whistleblower Edward Snowden is reportedly set to meet today with International HumanRights Groups in the transit area of a moscow airport or he has been holed up for nearly three weeks. He has received asylum offers from venezuela, nicaragua, and bolivia. In an email invitation purportedly sent by snow to the groups, he condemns the United States has been exerting heavy pressure on latin american countries not to help him. Leaked by documents snowden reveal how microsoft collaborated with u. S. Intelligence agencies to facilitate the interception of online communications. The guardian reports microsoft worked closely with the nsa, even helping its current the companys own encryption on outlook. Com web chats. The firm reportedly worked with the fbi to facilitate nsa access to its popular Cloud Storage service sky drive. The documents also relate to skype, the microsoft owned internet phone service. A document in july shows the nsa bragged the number of video calls been collected through its topsecret Prism Program had tripled due to a new capability. Microsoft issued a statement in response to the revelation, saying the leading u. S. Diplomat on afghanistan has dismissed the possibility of the United States might withdraw all troops from afghanistan at the end of the combat mission next year. The remarks by James Thompsons came after reports president obama is seriously considering a total withdrawal following tensions with afghan president karzai over peace talks with the taliban and. Dobbins spoke before Senate Committee thursday. Without an agreement on our presence in afghanistan, we would not remain, but we dont believe that is the likely outcome of these negotiations. Emma to whichk comparisons are often made, the afghans actually need us to stay. In egypt, supporters of president morsi are holding rival rallies today. The Muslim Brotherhood is refusing to halt protest until morsi resumes power, even though many of the groups leaders have been detained by the egyptian. Rmy which to our last week the New York Times is reporting there is increasing evidence that allies of egypts military establishment and former president mubarak helped fill the Popular Uprising that led to morsis ouster. Orsi supporters say fuel shortages and blackouts were orchestrated purposefully to incite public outcry. The times reports one man who reportedly played a key role in the protests was a billionaire and opponent of morsis Muslim Brotherhood who said he backed the opposition by donatingd offices, boosting media coverage, and commissioning a music video without the group realizing he was involved. Despite the militarys ouster morsi, the u. S. Is reportedly planning to move ahead with the delivery of f16 fighter jets to egypts military. Trial United States, the of George Zimmerman for the Fatal Shooting of unarmed africanamerican teenager Trayvon Martin is wrapping up in florida. In his Closing Remarks thursday, the prosecutor accused zimmerman , a selfappointed Neighborhood Watch captain, of profiling Trayvon Martin as the 17year ring only skittles and iced tea. The prosecutor opened his final statement with these words. A teenager is dead. He is dead through no fault of his own. Mans dead because another made assumptions. George zimmerman could face up to life in prison if convicted of seconddegree murder. On thursday, the judge told jurors they could also find zimmerman guilty of a lesser charge of manslaughter, which could carry up to 30 years in prison. The defense will make its closing Statement Today followed by rebuttal from prosecutors. Then a jury of six women, five of them white, will deliberate zimmermans fate. The texas Senate Committee has approved an antichoice bill opponents that could in Abortion Access in the state for setting the stage for a showdown at the State Capitol today is the full Senate Debates the bill. Protesters successfully blocked the sweeping restrictions last month following a nearly 11 hour filibuster by texas state senator wendy davis. The North Carolina house meanwhile has passed sweeping antichoice restrictions attached to Motorcycle Safety bill, prompting some opponents to arrive for the vote wearing motorcycle helmet. E bill now goes to the senate. In another defeat for abortion rights, the Illinois Supreme Court has ruled the state can enforce a law requiring abortion providers to notify the parents of girls under 18 at least 48 hours before an abortion. 30 eight other states require some form of parental notification for minors. And washington, d. C. , house subcommittee has slipped a writer into a general appropriations bill that would ban d. C. From using its own tax revenues to Fund Abortions for low income women through medicaid area did we will have more on antichoice restrictions are protest sweeping texas and North Carolina later in the broadcast. House lawmakers have passed it portion of the version of the farm bill that expands government subsidies to agribusiness, but for the first time in 40 years does not include funding for the food stamp program. Republican said it will seek a separate bill on food stamps. Has ordereddge commanders at Guantanamo Bay prison to stop conducting invasive tunable searches of prisoners seeking to meet with their lawyers. Ruled the searches were aimed at hindering prisoners access to legal counsel. The judge also said prisoners weakened an ongoing Hunger Strike must be allowed to meet with attorneys at their housing camp instead of being forced to travel. On thursday, the military counted 104 Hunger Strikers at the prison, claiming two had ended their strike. 45 are still being force fed. Six climbers with the Environmental Group reviews were arrested thursday for scaling the tallest building western europe in order to protest shells plans to drill in the arctic. The all Woman Climbing Team topped the more than 1000 foot shard tower over 15 hours. A greenpeace spokesperson said they chose the building because it is in full view of shells london offices. One of our biggest factions ever, and it really is a huge into the00 10 meters air. Hopefully this will bring home to show we will not be ignored. Japans lead Nuclear Regulator has admitted the fukushima day to Nuclear Power plant has likely been leaking water contaminated with Radioactive Material for the past two years, ever since it was heavily damaged by a massive earthquake and tsunami. Japans Nuclear Regulation authority contest neither operators nor regulators know the origin of the leaks or how to stop them. Meanwhile, the manager of the plant to lead the hazardous fight to staunch the 2011 Nuclear Disaster has died of Esophageal Cancer at the age of 58. The state of georgia is set to put a mentally disabled prisoner to death on monday unless the u. S. Supreme court intervenes. Warn hill was sentenced to death for murdering a fellow prisoner while serving a life sentence for fatally shooting his girlfriend. He was granted a lastminute reprieve before his last scheduled execution in february. At 2002 Supreme Court ruling bans execution of people deemed mentally retarded, but george is the only state that requires group of such disabilities the on a reasonable doubt. Three experts who once testified hill did not meet the criteria have since recanted. The New York Times wrote in an editorial thursday worn hill will die on monday at 7 00 p. M. From a single injection of pentobarbital unless the Supreme Court stays his execution. Those are some of the headlines. This is democracy now , democracynow. Org, the war and peace report. Im amy goodman. Welcome to all our listeners and viewers from around the country and around the world. More than 12 thousand prisoners in california have entered their fifth day of a Hunger Strike in a pushed in on terms solitary confinement, which they call a form of indefinite state sanctioned torture. In addition to refusing meals, more than 1000 prisoners are also missing classes in prison work programs. This is the third largescale Hunger Strike in the past two years. The current fast began a pelican bay state prison and has spread to two thirds of the states 33 prisons. Corrections officials have reportedly responded by threatening to search prisoners cells, subject them to Mental Health evaluations, and deny them access to visitors and mail. While this is a video produced Hunger Strikers solitary the committee listing their demands. It includes a response from terry thornton, a spokeswoman for the California Department of corrections. In longterm confinement. Into there are some things we cannot do. Some of the other things like calendar, those are things that may be doable, i cap. I dont know we will be pressured or coerced into doing these things. The Hunger Strike comes as california has asked the Supreme Court to release it from an order to reduce its prison population by about 10,000 prisoners this year due to inhumane conditions. Documents, atourt least one california prisoner needlessly dies every six or seven days due to constitutional deficiencies. California has had a prisoner suicide rate that at times has been 80 higher than the national average. Reporter shane bauer, was held in solitary confinement in a ran, when inside californias pelican bay prison last year. This is a clip from of radio report he made last year when officials gave him a tour of one of the 11 by seven foot solitary confinement cells in the security housing unit or shu. Why dont they have windows . I cannot explain that. You may be in a cell and a food tray will be released through the opening. They will be stripped naked, wait for the door to be opened. Come out and get exercise. Prisoners only get one hour in this concrete run every day. Guestt report was by our journalist shane bauer, who joins us now from san francisco. He spent 26 months in prison in iran, many in solitary. He began investigating solitary confinement in the u. S. When released. Withs covered stories mother jones with his article entitled, solitary in iran nearly broke me. Then i went inside americas prisons. He found that california prisoners are being held for years in isolation based on allegations theyre connected to prison gangs. It is great to have you with us. Talk about this strike going on throughout california prison systems. Thank you for having me. Californiahe department of corrections is reporting about 2400 people are on Hunger Strike. By their criteria, this means people have refused meals nine consecutive meals. The numbers could be higher of those on Hunger Strike. The issue is indefinite detainment in solitary confinement. The way it works now, in inmate is deemed a gang affiliate and placed in the shu for an indeterminate amount of time. And pelican bay, the average amount of time spent there is seven and a half years for but there are around 80 people who have been in a prison for 20 years or more. One man has been there for 42 years. Shane, the prison authorities definition of gangs seems to be pretty elastic, not having to do with any actual activities or illegal acts of the prisoners within the system. Would you talk about how they define these gangs . Ago, until about a year there were seven gangs that qualified for placement in the shu, prison gangs. Really dangerous games like Mexican Mafia that can really run crime out onto the streets. But the criteria for determining whether someone is a member or an associate of the gangs is notoriously loose. I have seen cases of people who are put in the shu and deemed gang members because they have academic books on the black panthers or journal writings about africanamerican history, for gangmaterials investigators teach the use of or father inle spanish. Someone does not have to do anything to get put in their. They dont have to hurt someone to get in indefinite shu term. Since the last Hunger Strike about a year and half ago, the department of corrections has been reforming its policy to who isow in inmate considered an associate, not a member, but someone who associates with one of these gangs, has to commit a serious rules violation to get put in the shu. At the same time, they have changed the rules for what that means. In the past, that would mean an inmate tried to escape, stab someone, Something Like that. Now it can include the possession of these books or drawings by an inmate that show gang symbols. It is the same kind of stuff that has always been used to put people in the shu indefinitely. In your major report you examine how hard it is for prisoners who are in solitary confinement due to alleged gang affiliation to appeal for the release to a less restrictive area. This is a clip from the video that accompanied your report when he spoke with officials at pelican bay prison. Broughtof the evidence by gang investigators comes from informants. It is confidential and cannot be refuted. Trucks there are multiple avenues to review the material and used against them and challenge it. But he says he is never seen a successful appeal and his 15 years at pelican bay. The only inmates allowed to talk to us are those informing. They dont like me asking why. They take me out of the shu to meet a man who is in solitary for 12 years. It is punishment. He got out by informing on other prisoners, a process called the briefing, which means death among prisoners. Youll be target for assault, possibly murder. That report from shane bauer with mother jones. Shane is with us in the studio in san francisco. He himself was imprisoned in initary confinement in iran 2009. Shane, talk about the demands right now of the prisoners who are on Hunger Strike. One of the core demands the video clip youre just showing, in and to the debriefing process. The way it is set up now, on of two ways to get out is to inform another prisoners or snitch. And that involves giving a roster of names of people who are involved to the person alleged to be affiliated with preat it is extremely dangerous. If someone does this, they are marked for death by actual gang members. A lot of prisoners faced this dilemma where they either have to stay in solitary confinement for years at a time, four years is minimum for case to to be reviewed, or give up names. It creates a revolving door scenario where people are giving up names to get out and other people will be brought in. In a case where someone is not an actual gang affiliate and they want to get out, there is a lot of pressure to give up something, you know, to get out of this difficult situation. Also right now with this Hunger Strike as opposed to the one a year and a half ago, while the solitary confinement is that the core of it, it is kind of about a lot of other issues. It has become a much more widespread Hunger Strike. Each prison has its own demands. There are demands you see for rise in wages from . 13 an hour to one dollar an hour, a demand for the return of educational classes and really the demand for the return of a lot of the services that have been cut in california prisons over the past years. Shane, given his remarkable level of resistance now over several years by the inmates, how have they been able to organize statewide and be able to maintain their networks or their collectives within the prisons, even to the point now of producing a video explaining some of their demands . Ofthere is a lot coordination with groups inside and outside that are k