The people. Amy last week a u. S. Postal carrier named doug hughes flew a gyrocopter on to the lawn of the u. S. Capitol in an attempt to deliver letters to every member of Congress Calling for Campaign Finance reform. He was arrested and faces up to four years in jail. Today he joins us while under house arrest in florida. Then to earth day. After some test we discovered he had high blood lead levels, and that is the first time i decided to confront the issue. Amy we will speak with Phyllis Omido and an antidam campaigner, both winning prestigious 2015 goldman prize for environmental activism, one activism. And then how many more . A new report by Global Witness finds killings of environmental activists on the rise with indigenous communities hardest hit. At least 116 environmentalists were killed last year more than two a week. All that and more, coming up. Welcome to democracy now democracynow. Org, the war and peace report. Im amy goodman. Saudi arabia has resumed airstrikes against shiite Houthi Rebels in yemen, hours after announcing an end to its nearly monthlong bombing campaign. The Saudi DefenseMinistry Said it would conclude the airstrikes and shift to a new strategy focused on a political solution. But after rebels gained ground in the central city of taiz, the strikes resumed. Meanwhile tuesday, two airstrikes killed at least 40 people, most of them civilians. On monday, the committee to protect journalists reports a tv journalist and three Staff Members of the tv station yemen today were killed in an airstrike in the capital sanaa. A United Nations official has called for wealthy countries to collectively accept one million Syrian Refugees over the next five years in order to curtail the migrant crisis in the mediterranean. U. N. Special rapporteur on the human rights of migrants Francois Crepeau told the crepeau told the guardian the plan could also extend to eritreans and other refugees who are fleeing from war. Over 1,750 migrants have died this year in the mediterranean trying to reach europe, 30 times higher than the same period last year. Libya says it has detained 600 migrants in the past few days after stopping boats poised to depart for italy. French Authorities Say they have arrested a man suspected of planning imminent attacks on paris churches. Officials say the man is an Algerian National who expressed a desire to travel to syria. He is also suspected of murdering a woman before being detained sunday when he allegedly shot himself by accident, and called an ambulance. Authorities say they found a trove of weapons and notes about the planned attack in his car. In the united states, Senate Lawmakers have reached a deal on an antior abortion bill. Senate Majority Leader Mitch Mcconnell refuse to proceed with the nomination of Loretta Lynch until after the Senate Passed the trafficking bill, but democrats rejected to a provision. The compromise separates the victims fund into two streams criminal fines that will be used for health care, and Health Related financing. President obama has criticized fellow democrats who oppose the Transpacific Partnership trade deal. The 12nation pact would encompass 40 of the Global Economy and is being negotiated in secret. In an interview on msnbc obama responded to criticism from democratic senator Elizabeth Warren says the tpp would undermine sovereignty and help the rich get richer. President obama i love elizabeth. We are allies on a host of issues, but this that she is wrong on this. Everything i do is to measure the middle class is getting a fair deal. I would not do this trade deal if i did not think it was good for the middle class. When you hear folks make a lot of suggestions about how bad this trade deal is when you dig into the facts, they are wrong. Amy the senate is expected to vote on a bill that would grant president obama fasttrack authority. The measure has received a growing chorus of protests, including from protests like Senate Minority leader harry reid, who said his stance is hell no. A joint oped criticized the tpp which would allow companies to sue countries. Analysts usually stand on Opposing Side of trade policy issues, but we find Common Ground in opposing this special privilege for foreign firms. The head of the Drug Enforcement administration will require retire next month following a scandal dea agents anticipated in sex parties with prostitutes hired by drug cartels. Michele leonhart, who has served 35 years at the agency, has also opposed obama on marijuana policy, criticizing the Justice Department for deciding not to sue states that have legalized pot. The Drug Policy Alliance has launched a petition calling for obama to appoint a replacement who will quote help reduce mass incarceration that is a result of the failed war on drugs. President obama has criticized fellow democrats who oppose the at least 1000 people rallied tuesday at the side of the arrest of freddy gay freddy gray. Police have received the names of the officers involved in his arrest, including the lieutenant who led the initial chase, who said gray made eye contact with him, then ran away. According to the guardian, lieutenant brian rice has been accused of Domestic Violence twice, and was ordered by a judge to stay away from a second person who took him to court. An attorney for freddie grays family said questioned lieutenant rices decision to pursue gray in the first place saying quote running while black is not probable cause. Felony running doesnt exist, and you cant arrest someone for looking you in the eye. Protesters who walked over 200 miles from staten island, new york to washington, d. C. , to oppose Police Killings of unarmed people of color rallied at the us capitol tuesday. Carmen perez, an organizer of the nineday march 2 justice said the march should be part of a cultural shift. Carmen we cannot sit on our couch anymore. We cannot wait for someone to save us. The march is one of the tactics in a larger strategy. We need to change the hearts and minds of individuals. We need a cultural shift. We are coming with three pieces of federal legislation that will address police brutality, racial profiling, and invest back into our communities and our children. Amy in detroit, michigan, the Police Officer who shot and killed sevenyearold Aiyana Stanleyjones in her own home during a night raid being filmed by a Reality Tv Show has been reinstated for active duty. Joseph weekley fatally shot aiyana as she slept on the couch with her grandmother in 2010. Two attempts to prosecute him resulted in hung jurys. Detroit police chief james craig told the detroit news, weekley will operate on limited duty and wont work in the field. Amy here in new york activists rallied at the office of andrew cuomo to reject a deepwater port that will be used to import natural gas. Patrick robinson said cuomo should reject and support me noble energy. Patrick we are here to tell Governor Cuomo to veto. We have other options. We know we can build offshore wind in the same area. That is with the people want, what they need. We want clean, renewable jobs. We are Governor Cuomo to stand with the people, and not the private equity that wanted to be built. Amy it marked the second day of marching on Climate Change. On monday, they marked the anniversary of the deepwater horizon disaster. Kate mcneilly and ana said they were standing in solidarity. Kate we are standing in solidarity with communities that are asking bp. Ana it is going to happen again. It is not a matter of if but one. Our communities cannot be sacrificed. There are alternatives. Amy last month was the hottest march on record worldwide. According to the National Oceanic and atmospheric administration, the First Quarter of the year, from was the hottest start to any year on record, beating the previous record set in 2002. Arctic sea ice meanwhile hit its smallest extent for the month since recordkeeping began 35 years ago. We will have more on the moment as we mark earth day later in the broadcast. Actor ben affleck has apologized after hacked sony emails published by wikileaks showed he asked that information about his slaveowning ancestor be omitted from the pbs documentary finding your roots. In a post on social media, affleck said he regretted the request, but had been, quote embarrassed by his link to a slave owner. The sentencing phase of the trial of convicted Boston Marathon bomber Dzhokhar Tsarnaev has opened in boston, with the jury to decide whether tsarnaev faces the Death Penalty of life in prison. A pair of newlyweds who lost limbs in the bombings have become the latest to call on the federal government to drop its pursuit of the Death Penalty. In a statement, Jessica Kensky and Patrick Downes wrote, quote, the defendants objective on april 15, 2013, and our objective in deciding his punishment should not be one and the same. We must overcome the impulse for vengeance. The parents of eightyearold martin richard, who was killed in the attack, have also opposed the Death Penalty. Hundreds of students have sent a letter to authorities in orange new jersey, to reinstate a teacher suspended for letting her students write getwell cards to imprisoned journalist and former black panther mumia abujamal. Abujamal was convicted of killing a philadelphia Police Officer but Amnesty International has found he was deprived of a fair trial. Speaking before the School Board Last week after her suspension Marilyn Zuniga said her students wanted to send him letters after learning he was seriously ill. Marilyn so long as one just person is silent, there is no justice. In april i mentioned to my students that mum wasi ill, and they told me they would like toa right getwell letters. The important matter is my love for and commitment to my students. Amy in their letter urging zunigas reinstatement, top educators including noam chomsky, marc lamont hill, and kevin kumashiro, dean of the university of San Francisco school of education, wrote quote, it seems to us that we are at a moment in World History where it is important to encourage teachers to help their students develop empathy for others, and to see themselves as people who want to strive to make the world a better place. How we pursue these aims is a legitimate question, but threatening to fire teachers who are trying to engage students hearts seems to us to be profoundly wrongheaded. And those are some of the headlines. This is democracy now democracynow. Org, the war and peace report. Im amy goodman. Juan i am Juan Gonzalez and welcome to our viewers around the country and around the world. We begin todays show with doug hughes, the u. S. Mail man who made headlines when he flew a helicopter known as the gyrocopter onto the u. S. Capitol lawn in an active civil disobedience. The letter began with a quote from john kerry Farewell Speech to the senate. The unending chase for money, i believe, threatens to steal our democracy itself. Hughes flew about an hour from maryland into restricted airspace and onto the capitols west lawn, stunning authorities and bystanders. Homeland security secretary jeh johnson said hughes literally flew below the radar, going undetected, before landing on the capitol lawn. Before taking off, hughes had spoken about his plans to the Tampa Bay Times. Doug i am going to violate the nofly zone, nonviolently, for no one to get hurt, and im going to land on the capitol lawn in front of the capitol building. I will have 535 letters strapped to the landing gear, and those letters are going to be addressed to every member of congress. I do not believe that the authorities are going to shoot down a 60 euros mailman in a flying bicycle. Amy after landing on the capitol mall, doug hughes was arrested and could now face up to four years in prison on charges of violating National Defense air space and operating an unregistered aircraft. He is under house arrest and wearing a gps monitoring device. Doug hughes has decided to keep speaking out about the need for Campaign Finance reform. He joins us now from his home in ruskin, florida. Doug hughes, welcome to democracy now doug good morning. Thank you for inviting me. Amy it is very good to have you with us. We will try to bring up the sound of your microphone because we can hardly hear you. Can you describe it what exactly you did . Doug well, a key part of my plan was amy it looks at we just lost doug hughes. You have to understand we have a truck as he is under house arrest inside of his house. Lets go to Congress Member walter jones of North Carolina who took to the house floor and talked about the gyrocopter protest and the need for Campaign Finance reform. Representative jones onto the capitol lawn to make a point about the influence of money and politics, but i do not condone putting innocent people at risk by flying a gyrocopter onto the capitol lawn. Mr. Hughes does have a point about the influence of money in politics. I have seen it get worse. The Citizens United decision by intensive Supreme Court in 2010 created super packs and multimillionaires that by candidates. Amy that was Republican Congress number walter jones speaking on the floor of the house. That was one day after doug use landed his one day after doug hughes landed on the lawn, we spoke with alan grayson. Representative grayson thousands of people came to our website and made contributions. I am one of 435. On the other side of the building, but the u. S. Senate, there is only one member that raised from small contributions, and that is bernie sanders, who you heard earlier in this broadcast. That tells you something. To a large degree, in both parties, because of the absence of campaignfinance reform, the place is bought and paid for. The only question is do the members stay on. That is what corporate lobbyists stay up late at night wondering about. I was in the courtroom when the disaster Citizens United decision was decided by musical. Mitch mcconnell was two seats was decided five years ago. Mitch mcconnell was two seats to my left. He was the happiest i have ever seen him that day. I said that night that if we do nothing you can kiss this country goodbye. Well, pucker up, because the millionaires and billionaires, and the multinational corporations are calling the shots of whatever they want in tpp, whatever they want in fasttrack generally whatever they want. The bailouts, the tax breaks the deregulation. They get what they want here because they get what they paid for. Juan that was congressman alan grayson talking about campaign reform. Doug use is doug hughes, i wanted to ask, were you surprised that you are able to get as far as you were able to get onto the capital lawn . Doug my thought was it was less dangerous to let me land since i had been vetted. That did not work. It turned out i was able to land safely anyway. Juan you did Everything Possible to warn folks ahead of time that you were doing this protest. Doug yeah. I sent an email, which some people said was inadequate, but the email give the reasons why they did not need to shoot me down, and i had a website. On the website, i asked people to call the website to tell them to read the email, what address it went to, and who it was from. And the Tampa Bay Times called him through the white house to tell them that i was coming in. Every effort was made to give Homeland Security advanced warning of my arrival, who i was, and that i was not a threat. Amy so, you fly under the radar, in this flying bicycle contraption, and you land on the west lawn of the capital. You could have been blown out of the sky. Was Capital Finance reform that important to you . Doug yes. Im a father, i am a grandfather, and i can see the change over the decades as we slide from a democracy to a plutocracy. Just like alan grayson said, the fat cats are calling the shots. They are getting everything they want, and the voters know it. Across the political spectrum, center, left, and right, they know this congress is not representing the people, and yes