Transcripts For LINKTV Democracy Now 20170727 : comparemela.

1964 does not protect members of the lgbtq community. We will speak to the first openly transgender infantry soldier in the u. S. Army about theident trumps words and resistance rolls on. We will look at how disability activist are staging a stork protest in washington and around the world to fight the republican effort to restrict health care from tens of millions of people. [chanting] amy all that and more, coming up. Welcome to democracy now , democracynow. Org, the war and peace report. Im amy goodman. In a surprise announcement, President Trump tweeted wewednesday he will than transgender people from serving in the u. S. Military. Trump made the declaration on twitter after consultation with my generals and military experts, please be advised that the United States government will not accept or allow transgender individuals to serve in any capacity in the u. S. Military. Our military must be focused on decisive and overwhelming victory and cannot be burdened with the tremendous medical costs and disruption that transgender in the military would entail. Thank you. Trumps decision came despite his pledge at the Republican National Convention Last year, that he would do everything in power to protect our lgbtq citizens. The move set off protests outside the white house and at the military Recruitment Centers around the country. Well, it seems what the president is saying is that he is going to fire 15,000 highly trained, motivated troops. It is a catastrophe for military readiness. It is a catastrophe for those 15,000 people who are just trying to serve their country. But it is just absurd that he dold think to do this and it, apparently, without consulting the pentagon. Amy it appear to shock the pentagon which has sent all of the questions about the order to the white house. David shall can said he learned of the policy change from trumps tweet. It came after defense secretary james mattis said last month he would give generals another six months to determine whether to allow transgender troops to enlist. Questioningporter the White House Press secretary Sarah Huckabee sanders during a News Conference wednesday. What happens to tranansgender servrvice members now . Are they merely thrown out of the military . That is something the department of defense and the white house will have toured together as and limitation takes place e and is done soo lawfull. Amy is study by the Rand Corporation estimates gender treatmentsreat would cost the military between 2. 5 million and 8. 5 million annually, a miniscule fraction of the pentagons 600 billion budget. By comparison, the total military spending on erectile dysfunction medicines amounts to 10 times as much annually. We will have more on trurumps move to ban tranansgender people from the military after headlines. On capitol hill, the Senate Wednesday rejected legislation to repeal the Affordable Care act without a replacement, after seven republican senators broke ranks to reject the bill in a 45 to 55 vote. The latest defeat came a day after republicans failed in a bid to pass their bill to repealandreplace obamacare. With just eight hours left to debate healthcare, Senate Leaders are now considering whats being called a skinny repeal, which would eliminate the individual and the employer mandate that requires certain businesses to provide Health Insurance to employees. It would not touch the medicaid program. Democrats blasted Majority Leader Mitch Mcconnell for keeping details of the skinny repeal secret. But on wednesday night, the Congressional Budget Office offered its assessment of what democrats said is a likely draft of the bill, finding it would increase the number of uninsured people by at least 16 million while increasising premiums by about 20 . The debate came amid massive protests on capitol hill and at lawmakers offices. A recent usa today poll found just 12 of americans supported the Senate Version of the healthcare bill. Well have more on the fight over healthcare later in t the broadcast. Meanwhile, President Trump has nominated former republicann Congress Member Pete Hoekstra as u. S. Ambassador to the netherlands. Hoekstra is a cofounder of the House Tea Party caucus. He supports the death penalty, opposes abortion rights, and has spoken out against Marriage Equality and lgbtq rights. In yemen, the heads of the United Nations relief agencies pleaded wednesday for a massive increase in humanitarian aid, as the number of cases of cholera in yemen hit 400,000. U. N. Leaders say the outbreak has increased ththe number off yemenis in need of assistance to nearly 21 million. This is peter maurer, head of the E International committee of the red cross. The overall situation is very dire and catastrophic with regard to certain areas that i have mentioned, Health Situation in particular. If the icrc, within two weeks, dedecideto double its program in yemen, it is an indicatation tht the situation is very bad. Amy the cholera outbreak comes as more than two years of u. S. Backed, saudiled bombing in yemen has devastated the countrys health, water and sanitation systems. Meanwhile, reuters is reporting that u. N. Investigators blame the u. S. Backed saudiled military coalition for a deadly attack on a somali migrant boat off yemen in march that killed 42 people and injured 32 others. Reuters cited a confidential u. N. Report that found the attack violated International Humanitarian law. It blamed a u. S. Made helicopter gunship operated by saudi arabia for the e assault. In iraq, thousands of families from mosul remain liviving in camps and unable to return to their homes nearly a month after iraqs Prime Minister declared victory in the u. S. Backed offensive to reclaim the city from isis. At the salamiya camp west of mosul, residents complain of limited Water Supplies and sweltering heat. Those returning to mosul say they face ongoing violence and unlivable conditions. I cant go back to my neighborhood because theres no water, no electricity, no services. Our homes were destroyed. Everything was stolen. We came here to this camp and life your is very difficult. Amy the independent reports more than 40,000 civilians died in the ninemonth battle to retake mosul, with thousands of bodies still trapped under the rubble. Meanwhile, Human Rights Watch is calling on the Trump Administration to cut off support to an Iraqi Army Division after it reported wednesday that iraqi troops trained by the u. S. Allegedly executed several dozen prisoners in mosuls old city. The New York Times reports President Trump is being pressured by billionaire financier and chemical executive to escalate the u. S. War in afghanistan in a a bid to explot afghghanistans mineral wewealt. Trump times reports discussed the vast deposits of metals and rivers metals with ishan president and reportedly considering sending an envoy to afghanistan to meet with mining officials. A 2010 u. S. Estimamate found afghanisistan has mineral dedeps worth nearly 1 trillion. In france, human Rights Groups warn police are abusing migrants in the Northern City of calais, as they return to the site of a former camp known as the jungle in the hopes of crossing into the united kingdom. Benedict jeannerod, the director of Human Rights Watch france, says police have r routinely confiscated sleeping bags and clothing from migrants, ile pepper spraying them and confiscating food and water. Police forces use peppers are a the migrants who are sleeping or disrupt food distribution. This is the use of force which is unjustified. It is disproportionate and constitutes a violation of human rights and the protections these people have a right to. Amy last november, French Police dismantled the calais refugee camp, scattering thousands of Asylum Seekers many of them unaccompanied children seeking to reunite with relatives in britain. Back in the United States, police in minneapolis will be required to Start Recording video on their body cameras whenever they respond to emergency calls or interact with anany victim, suspect, or wits under a new policy announced wednesday by they citys interim police chief. What good is a camera if it is not being used when it may be needed the most . From this day forward in the Minneapolis Police department, we want to add strength to our expectations. Body worn cameras must be on. Amy the change follows public outcry over the death of 40yearold resident justine ruszczyk, who was shot in the abdomen by officer mohamed noor on july 15 after she dialed 911 twice to report a possible Sexual Assault near her home. Neither officer noor nor his partner had activated body cameras at the time of ruszczyks killing. In austin texas, Police Arrested 15 immigrants rights activists wednesday as they blocked an intersection near the State Capitol in a peaceful sitin protest. The activists were calling on lawmakers to repeal sb 4, texas harsh new antiimmigrant law. They also called on the Trump Administration not to end the daca program, or deferred action for childhood arrivals, which gives some immigrants permission to live, work, and study in the u. S. Among those arrested were four Daca Recipients who chanted, undocumented, unafraid. This is juan ortiz, an activist from el paso and one of the 15 arrested. Time is running out under this leadership and we need to do whatever we can now so that we can get people out of the shadows and into the light. Amy the protests s came as firefighters in el paso, texas, say they discovered the bodies of four migrants, including two children, who died attempting to cross the Rio Grande River along the u. S. Mexico border. The deaths came just days after 10 undocumented immigrants died from heat exposure and asphyxiation after they and dozens of others were crammed into the back of a sweltering tractortrailer as part of their journey to enter the United States from mexico. They were found in a truck in a walmart parking lot in san antonio. And in new york city, pedro hernanandez, a bronxnx teen whs been held at the notorious Rikers Island jail while awaiting trial for a 2015 crime he says he did notot commit, wil be released on bail. L. The robert f. Kennedy Human Rights Group agreed to post 100,000. Hernandez is fighting charges that he fired a shot that injured another teen in 2015, even though the victim and eight other teens who witnessed the shooting say hernandez is innocent. Hernandez has been in jail since july of 2016. His plight has drawn comparisons to the case of kalief browder, another bronx teen, who committed suicide in 2015 at the age of 22 after being held at rikers for nearly three years without trial for a crime he did nonot commit. And those are some of the headlines. This is democracy now, democracynow. Org, the war and peace report. Im amy goodman. On wednesday evening, protesters gathered in front of the white house and u. S. Armed forces are crewmen station in times square in new york to denounce president Donald Trumps surprise announcement banning transgender people from serving in the military. Trump made the declaration on twitter wednesday morning, tweeting after consultation with my generals and military experts, please be advised that the United States government will not accept or allow transgender individuals to serve in any capacity in the u. S. Military. Our military must be focused on decisive and overwhelming victory and cannot be burdened with the tremendous medical costs and disruption that transgender in the military would entail. Thank you. He tweeted in three separate tweets. Trumps announcement reverses obamaera rules allowing transgender people to serve in the military and have all their healthcare costs, including gender reassignment surgery, covered. Trumps announcement appeared to have even shocked the pentagon, which is directed all questions about the order to the white house. Reports york times james mattis learned of trumps plans on tuesday. Veterans Affairs Secretary david schalk and said he learned of the policy change from trumps tweet. Politico is reporting trump may have made the snap decision in an attempt to secure congressional funding to build a wall along the u. S. Mexican border. A spending bill, which included money for the wall, was facing possible defeat in the house because some republican lawmakers wanted to ban pentagonfunded sex reassignment operations. A study by the Rand Corporation truru took a drdramatic stand to completely ban transgender people from serving in the military. But many questions remain unanswered. What will happen to the estimated 15,000 Trans Service members currently in the military . This is a reporter questioning White House Press secretary Sarah Huckabee sanders during a News Conference on wednesday. What happens to transnsgender Service Members now . Are they i in legally thrown out of the military . That is something the department of defense and the white house will have to Work Together as implementation takes lace and is done so lawfully. Amy according to the transmilitary project, some 15,500 transgender individuals currently serve in the u. S. Military. Transgender people are twice as likely to serve than cis gender people and there is no other known organization that employs more transgender people than the us military. The 69thecisionn came on anniversary of the desegregation of the military. On july 26, 1948, president truman signed an executive order to integrate the armed forces. Well, for more, we go now to seattle, washington, where were joined by Staff Sergeant Patricia King. She was the first infantrymember to reveal she is transgender. King has served in the army for 18 years, including three active combat deployments to afghanistan. Staff Sergeant Patricia king, welcome to democracy now your response to the president ial announcement yesterday that all transgender people will be banned from the military . For havingu so much me. When i woke up yesterday morning, i woke up to the news as my phone blewew it from other Service Members who are concerned about what this meant for them. Do we still have a job . Will we still have a job . Can i continue to serve . A stateo very much in of shock. My first reaction was, d did i just get fired via tweet . From there i m moved on and cons it down my fellow servicemembers. We banded together, as we alwaws do, and then i laced up my boots and liking of the day, i went to work. Amy where do you work . Im a soldier at fort lewis, washington. Amy what t were peoeople sayiyn the base . The truth is, people still did not know. I was the first person to tell my chain of command what had happened. My leadersrship was quick to reassure me and say they supported m me and they have my back and that we are a team and they were in my corner. Amy so what exactly does this mean . I mean, if he is banning all trans, members who are are they going to bases all over the world, not to mention here like yours, for lewis him and kick you out . I i could not speak to what s going to happen next. What i know is i a a been servig fofor 18 years now. I have served honorably and probably. It is my intention to continue to serve and it is my golden make it so i can do that. Amy the pentagon has major to reassignment covered help benefit as ordered by the obama administration. What would it mean to transgender Service Members t to losese this benefit . T . Well, i dont think healthth care should be considered a benefit, first of all. We h have to rememember that wht the previous secretary of defensnse had is that all medically necessary care will be covered. Hard tortigan it is consider something medically necessary a benefit. The most important thing to usus is the ability to conontinue serving our cocountry. So while my health care is a concern, my major coconcern rirt now w is t that i have been serg this country from his two decades. I love my country. I just want to be able to continue to serve. Amy canan you talk about why yu joined the military . Initially, i joined out of high school. It was very much a soulsearching opportunity. I came into the military in an effort to figure out who