Had five children. You never saw his children again. He died after being beaten and tased. No one was ever held accountable. In his family is petitioning her quest for justice. We will speak with his brother. Then president obama has t to sp upup the fight against terror wn ththe prescrcription drug abuse. It isis important to recognie that today we are seeing moree opioidkililled because of overdose than traffic accidents. Amy we will speak with mamaia and Michael Collins of the Drug Policy Alliance. All of that and m more coming u. Welcome to democracy now , democracynow. Org, the war and peace report. Im amy goodman. The suprpreme court has deadlocd four to fofour in a key case tht could have undermined the power of Public Employee unions to effectively dealing a major victory to the unions. Following the death of Justice Antonin Scalia last month, the eightmemember court splplit ovr whether Public Employee unions can continue to collect mandatory dues from workers who benefit from collective bargaining, even though they decline to join the union. The split leaves in place a Lower Court Ruling allowing unions to continue to collect the fees. Its the clearest example to date of the impact scalias death has had d on the court. He had made it clear during questioning that he sided against the unions. In a rare move that could be aimed at averting another fourfour deadlock, ththe supree Court Ordered attorneys in a key Birth Control case to file new information. The court heard arguments a challenge by religiously affiliated nonprofits to the Affordable Care acts guaranteed coverage for Birth Control. The Obama Administration has said the nonprofits can simpson provide written notice of their objection to providing employees with Birth Control coverage at which point the government and insurers take over. But the groups say the mere act of expressing that objection violates their religious liberty. Tuesdays order asks the parties to address if Birth Control coverage could be provided to employees without any involvement by the religiously affiliated nonprofits. Meanwhile, illinois senator mark kirk became the first republican to meet with obamas nominee to replace Justice Scalia on the supreme court. Kirk called on his fellow republicans to stop refusing to meet with the nominee, merrick garland. I understand 15, 16 republican thinking about meeting with judge garland and leading by example, im showing what a rational, responsible guy would do that really once the constitutional process to go forward. Amy republican president ial frontrunner Donald Trumps campaign manager, corey lewandowski, has been charged with battery for allegedly grabbing a reporter and pulling her away from trump earlier this month. Surveillance footage from trumps own golf club in florida shows lewandowski grabbing reporter michelle fields. The footage, released by the jupiter, Florida Police department, directly contradicts earlier claims by both lewandowski and trump, who both said lewandowski didnt touch fields. Two days after the incident, trump told cnn perhaps she made the story up. Bubut fields posted photographsf bruises she said were caused by lewandowski grabbing and yanking her arm. She and a number of her colleagues resigned from the rightwing site breitbart news, saying the editors failed to defend fields, instead publishing an article casting doubt on her claims. On tuesday, lewandowski turned himself in at police headquarters. He has been ordered to appear in court may 4. The charge could carry up to a year in jail. But speakiking on his private airplane, trump continued to defend his campaigign manager ad attack reporter michelle fields. If you look at her, according to a lot of people, she is grabbing at me. He is acting as an intermediary and trying to block her from doing that. The News Conference was over. It was done. It was finished. She was running up and grabbing and asking questions, and she wasnt supposed to be doing that. I told him, you should never settle this case. You should go all the way. I think they really hurt very good person. Amy democratic candidate Hillary Clinton criticized donald trump saying he bears , responsibility for lewandowskis behavior. A lot of rhetoric as well as behavior coming from Donald Trumpss campaign that is concerning to many people, including many women. Therefore, as people are making up their minds to vote here in wisconsin and in the contest remaining, they ought to take a hard look at the example that candidate set, what t wos and actions they employ, and hold them responsible. Amy in mexico, senators hung an antitrump banner outside the senate in mexico to criticize trumps rhetoric calling mexicans rapists and vowing to make mexico pay for a border wall. The banner, which read mexico against trump, was launched by Senate Leader miguel barbosasa. A call from mexico, from any part of the world, to the society, to the american people, to reject that strategy and reject the initiative of donald trump to become first the candidate of a Political Party and then president of the most powerful country in the world. And with that, put it risked the stability of peace on our planet. Amy donalald trumps closestst rival, texas senator ted cruz, won an endorsement tuesday from wisconsin Governor Scott walker, just one week before the wisconsin primary. Walker, known for his attacks on publicsector unions in wisconsin, dropped out of the race for the republican president ial nomination in september and called for unity against trump. In pakistan, authorities said they have detained more than 5000 people and released most of them following the easter bombings at a park in lahore. The attack killed 72 people, many of them children. Rana sanaullah, a state minister for punjab province, where the bombings t took placace, said me thanan 200 people remain in custody. During these raids, 5221 suspects were rounded up. 5005 of them were released after the verification of their particulars. 200 16 suspects are in custody pending further investigation. After further investigation, we will know more about them. If someone is innocent, they are innocent. If someone is found to be guilty, they will be charged. Amy in cyprus, a court has ordered an eightday detention for an egyptian man who hijacked a domestic egyptair flight and diverted it to cyprus by threatening to detonate what turned out to be a fake explosives belt. All 72 passengers and crew were ultimately released safely from the plane and Seif Eddin Mustafa was arrested. Officials said mustafa told police whats someone supposed to do when he hasnt seen his wife and children in 24 years and the Egyptian Government wont let him . Authorities described the alleged hijacker as psychologically unstable. In brazil, president Dilma Rousseff has suffered a major setback amid the countrys worst political crisis in more than two decades. Rousseffs opponents are attempting to impeach her on corruption charges, but rousseff has said the attempts are an undemocratic bid by her rightwing opposition to oust her from power. On tuesday, brazils largest Political Party said it was leaving rousseffs governing coalition. The Brazilian Democratic Movement party has several ministers in rousseffs cabinet and 68 members in the lower house of congress. The vote paves the way for more Party Members to side with attempts to impeach rousseff next month. To see our conversation with pulitzer p prize winning journalist when greenwald about what is happening in brazil, go to democracynow. Org. The turmoil in brazil comes just months before the summer olympics in rio de janeiro. The Television Network nbc said tuesday it has already surpassed 1 billion in Advertising Sales for the rio olympics, putting it on track to set a record for the most National Advertising ever sold for a single event. North carolina is facing a growing backlash over a new law barring cities and towns from passing laws prohibiting discrimination against lgbt people in public accommodations. The law, known as house bill 2, was introduced after the city of charlotte in North Carolina passed an ordinance seeking to protect the right of transgender people to use the bathroom that matches their gender identity. On tuesday night north , carolinas largest corporation, bank of america, came out against the antitransgender law. Earlier in the day, 80 chief executives from facebook, applpe and other firms wrote an open , letter to governor pat mccrory opposing it. And North Carolinas attorney general roy cooper, who is running for governor against pat mccrory, announced he would not defend the new law in court. We will have more on this story later in the broadcast with a transgender student who is a plaintiff in the aclu lawsuit against the new law. A judge has allowed former supermodel Janice Dickinson to proceed with a Defamation Case against comedian bill cosby. Dickinson accused cosby of drugging and raping her in 1982. She sued him and his former attorney i in may after they publicly denied her account. The judges decision clears the way for a trial in the case. More than 50 women have come forward to accuse cosby of sexual assaults dating back decades. In many cases, the statute of limitations has expired, preventing bill cosby from being prosececuted. A coalition of attorneys general have announced a historic effort to investigate corporations that may have misled the public about time a change. Massachusetts attorney general, flanked by former Vice President out gore e and multiple other attorneys general, said her office would join new York Attorney general Eric Schneiderman investigation into exxonmobil. Certain companies, Certain Industries may not have told the whole story, leading many to doubt whether Climate Change is real and a misunderstanding and is apprehend the catastrophic nature of its impacts. Also feel companies deceived investors and consumers about the dangers of Climate Change and should be, must be held accountable. That is why i have joined in investigating the practices of exxonmobil. We can all see today the troubling disconnect between what exxon new, what industry folks nato, and what the company and industry chose to share with investors and with the american public. Amy democracy now and new york juan gonzalezost is leaving after 20 years. Mayor bill de blasio tweeted we will miss hearing one gonzalezs loud voice for the workers in the New York Daily News. We hope to give hearing g it elsewhere. Former Village Voice writer tweeted and those are some of the headlines. This is democracy now , democracynow. Org, the war and peace report. Im amy goodman with juan gonzalez. Juan welcome to all of our listeners and viewers from around the country and around the world. Amy im just thankful youre not headed out this door. But i have to say, your career of 29 years at the New York Daily News, i would like to read the letter that your editor in chief wrote about you that he is released to the staff. You cannot interrupt. Juan he release that on deadline yesterday. Amamy this is the letter from e editor in chief jim rich. He writes one gonzalez has been an inspiration to each of us at some point in our careers, some of us grew up in new york city area and were compelled to become journalists after reading his unsparing investigative work. Some of us has to children to shoulder with him as he covered with unmatched grace and integrity, many of the most important or harrowing stories and the citys history. All of us have missed is unflinching devotion as an agent of social good. His accomplishments are too long to list here, but a few must be noted, says the head of the New York Daily News. He writes his investigation into the 26 shooting of sean bell helped disrupt the nypds narrative of the incident and lead to a more complete telling of the fact while shedding light on institutional misdeeds and the Police Department that still resonates. In 2010, he exposed corruption surrounding the city time project, computerized payroll system and novel, reporting that the four federal fraud indictments and won his second polk award for these columns. And then he goes on to say, just one of these stories is enough to cement a journalists career and having them all and callous others makes you a legend, and that is what one gonzalez is, a legend who set his powerful, intelligent, compassionate boys on a 29 your course at the daily news, standing up to every bully that came his way and his Relentless Assault on justice. A man of and turning energy, juan and a coauthor also post is a little book news for all people. The magnitude of his work and importance to this newspaper in the city cannot be overstated, which is why it is difficult for me to tell you that he has step into take a half retirement and will be leaving us as a full columnist at the end of april. I place quotes around retirements, because he will still write from time to time around his new job as a journalism for vassar records university and the completing an upcoming book while embarking on other similar projects as they arise. Not that for a onetime young lord. Please join me and letting juan know how much we appreciate him and how much we will miss him. It is been an honor to share the same newsroom with him. Again, those are the words of daily news editorinchief about jim rich about one gonzalez who is leaving the New York Daily News after 29 years. Congratulations for an astounding career. Juan you know it is time to leave when the people who are your bosses are telling you they were inspired to get involved in the profession because of you. I am one of these people was always believed in term limits for politicians and i think there should be term limits for columnists, and im way over the limit. But i will still be here on democracy now amy youre leaving of a gore the daily news but i am very happy youre staying with us. We turn to an unprecedented effort to hold the United States responsible for violence committed by its customs and Border Protection agents. Six years ago in may 2010, mexican immigrant named Anastasio Hernandezrojas tried to cross the border to return to san diego where he had lived for 25 years and had fathered five children. He was then stopped by Border Patrol agents. He would never see his children again. The agents initially said hernandezrojas had became hostile and resisted arrest but eyewitness video showed the agents had beaten and tasered him. Footage of hernandezrojass death was obtained by reporter John Carlos Frey and aired in a 2012 pbs report by correspondent john larson. Can you helpp me. What u. U. S. Border agents did not realize,e, eyewitness s vids of thehe incident cacaught the sounds of anastasioo hernanandezrojas screaming and pleaeang f for his life. Know. Helplp and now a neverer before seen eyewitness video of the incident raises new disturbing questions. The dark video reveals more than a dozen u. S. Border agents standing over Anastasio Hernandezrojas. It shows the firing of the taser. Was Anastasio Hernandezrojas, ress releasee p suggested, combative . Juan the san diego Coroners Office classified Anastasio Hernandezrojass death as a homicide, concluding he suffered a heart attack as well as bruising to his chest, stomach, hips, knees, back, lips, head and eyelids, five broken ribs, and a damaged spine. Despite these findings, the department of justice announced last year there was insufficient evidence to pursue federal , criminal civil rights or other , federal charges against the agents. Amy well, today, the family Anastasio Hernandez rojas is taking another step in their quest for justice. The family is filing a petition in washington, d. C. After this broadcast. We are joined by two guests. Bernardo Hernandez Rojas is the brother of Anastasio Hernandezrojas. And Roxanna Altholz is an associate director at uc Berkeley International human rights law clinic. She is an International Human rights lawyer and scholar. We welcome you both to democracy roxanna, lets start with you. What exactly are you filing today and what do you hope will come of it . Good m