Democracy Now!

Venezuelan President Nicolás Maduro is claiming to have defeated a coup attempt launched by opposition leader Juan Guaidó, the president of the Venezuelan National Assembly. On Tuesday morning, Guaidó appeared in an online video standing among heavily armed soldiers, calling for the military to back what he called the "final phase" of an effort to topple Maduro's government. Guiadó appeared alongside Leopoldo López, a longtime opposition leader, who was reportedly released from house arrest by renegade officers. Guaidó has been attempting to topple the Venezuelan government since January, when he declared himself to be Venezuela's interim president. The Trump administration, as well as Brazilian President Jair Bolsonaro and others, openly supported the coup attempt. Earlier today, U.S. Secretary of State Mike Pompeo told Fox Business that military action in Venezuela is possible, "if that’s what is required." We speak to Miguel Tinker Salas, Venezuelan historian and professor at Pomona College.

Venezuelan President Says U.S.-Backed Coup Attempt Has Been Defeated, Julian Assange Sentenced to 50 Weeks in British Jail as U.S. Presses Extradition, Robert Mueller Sent Letter to Complain About AG William Barr's Summary of Report, Ady Barkan, Activist Dying of ALS, Testifies to Congress in Favor of Medicare for All, 2 Killed, 4 Injured as Gunman Opens Fire at University of North Carolina, Minnesota Cop Guilty of Murder, Manslaughter in Killing of Australian Woman, Prominent Black Women Rally on Capitol Hill in Defense of Rep. Ilhan Omar, Democratic Leaders Agree With Trump to Pursue $2 Trillion Infrastructure Deal, Protesters Pushing Sen. Schumer to Support Green New Deal Arrested in New York

Funeral services were held Monday in San Diego, California, for Lori Kaye, a 60-year-old Jewish congregant who was shot dead Saturday in the latest attack by a white supremacist on a house of worship. To talk about the rise of white supremacist violence and the Trump administration's response, we speak to Daryl Johnson, a former senior analyst in the U.S. Department of Homeland Security. In 2009, Johnson authored a report warning about the increasing dangers of violent right-wing extremism in the United States, sparking a political firestorm in the process. Under pressure from Republican lawmakers and popular talk show hosts, DHS ultimately repudiated Johnson’s paper.

Venezuelan opposition leader Juan Guaidó says a coup is underway in Caracas. Guaidó appeared this morning, in a video posted online, standing among heavily armed soldiers, proclaiming he is "starting the final phase of Operation Liberty." He appeared alongside formerly jailed opposition leader Leopoldo López, who said he'd been freed from house arrest by military officers loyal to the opposition. Venezuela's defense minister said the government of Nicolás Maduro remains in control and that military units reported "normality" at barracks and bases across Venezuela. We speak to attorney Eva Golinger, who who served as an adviser to former Venezuelan President Hugo Chávez.

In February, Angela Davis returned to her hometown of Birmingham, Alabama. She originally planned the visit to receive the Fred L. Shuttlesworth Human Rights Award from the Birmingham Civil Rights Institute, but the institute withdrew the award in January, soon after the Birmingham Holocaust Education Center sent a letter urging the board to reconsider honoring Davis due to her support of the Boycott, Divestment and Sanctions movement targeting the Israeli government and Israeli institutions. Facing swift and widespread outcry, the institute then reversed its decision and reinstated the award. While Angela Davis has yet to accept the award, she tells Democracy Now! she would like to accept it, but says it is not an individual decision to make. "I will take the leadership from those doing the on-the-ground work."

Two of the founders of Black Lives Matter, as well as professor Angela Davis and scores of other black women, are holding a rally today on Capitol Hill to defend Congresswoman Ilhan Omar of Minnesota and to urge Congress to censure President Trump for his attacks on her. Omar made history earlier this year when she and Rashida Tlaib of Michigan became the first Muslim women in Congress. She is also the first member of Congress to wear a hijab. Omar, who was born in Somalia and came to the United States as a refugee, has been at the center of numerous right-wing attacks since taking office. Omar recently said death threats against her have spiked in number since President Trump tweeted a video juxtaposing her image with footage of the 9/11 attacks. We speak to the academic and activist Angela Davis, as well as Barbara Ransby, historian, author, activist adviser to the Movement for Black Lives and one of the planners behind Black Women in Defense of Ilhan Omar.

Venezuelan Opposition Leaders Claim a Coup Is Underway, Trump to Make Asylum Seekers Pay Application Fees, Trump Organization Sues Banks in Bid to Resist Congressional Subpoenas, Pentagon Links More U.S. Military Members to Neo-Nazi Group, Christchurch, NZ Police Find Explosive Device Amid Fears of More Anti-Muslim Violence, Terror Suspect Arrested After Receiving Fake Explosives from FBI Informant, Lori Gilbert-Kaye, Killed in Synagogue Shooting, Mourned at San Diego Funeral, Trump to Designate the Muslim Brotherhood a Terrorist Organization, Deputy Attorney General Rod Rosenstein, Who Oversaw Mueller Probe, Steps Down, ISIS Leader Abu Bakr al-Baghdadi Appears in Video for First Time in Five Years, Death Toll Rises from Mozambique's Worst-Ever Cyclone, Moroccan Authorities Attack Western Saharan Activists Ahead of U.N. Vote, Families of 737 Crash Victims Protest as Boeing Shareholders Meet in Chicago, Tennessee Governor Leads Anti-Union "Captive Audience" Meeting at VW Plant, John Singleton, Who Directed "Boyz n the Hood" and "Rosewood," Dies at 51

Robert Caro is always working. The two-time Pulitzer Prize winner published his first book, "The Power Broker: Robert Moses and the Fall of New York," 45 years ago and has spent the decades since meticulously chronicling the life and times of Lyndon B. Johnson. The result is four sweeping volumes that total more than 3,000 pages and offer an unprecedented window into the inner world of one of the country's most influential presidents. And he's not done yet—Caro is currently writing the fifth and final installment of the collection. Robert Caro has been described as "the greatest political biographer of our times," but to reduce his work as simply biographies of great men misses the point. Caro uses both Moses and Johnson to show how political power works. Robert Caro has just released a new book—by far the smallest volume in his collection—titled "Working." It offers an inside look into the author's meticulous research and writing process. We speak with Robert Caro in our New York studio.

White Nationalist Gunman Opens Fire on San Diego Synagogue, Killing 60-Year-Old Lori Kaye, Trump Admin Disbanded Domestic Terror Unit Amid Rising Far-Right Violence, One Dead, Seven Wounded as Gunman Fires Indiscriminately at Baltimore Crowd, At NRA Convention, Trump Ends Ratification Process for Arms Treaty, Oliver North, Who Illegally Funneled Weapons to Contras, Resigns as NRA President, Trump Praises Robert E. Lee as "One of the Great Generals", Spanish Socialist PM Pedro Sánchez Wins Election as Far-Right Vox Party Makes Gains, Mozambique Battered by Cyclone Kenneth, the Strongest Storm in Its History, U.K. Labour Leader Corbyn to Call for National Emergency Vote on Climate Change, Pipeline Protester in West Virginia Faces Terrorism Charge for Civil Disobedience, Sri Lanka Bans Face Coverings Following Easter Attacks, Alarming Muslim Leaders, Thousands in Hong Kong Protest Proposal to Allow Extradition to China for Trial, Kansas Supreme Court Rules That Abortion Is Protected by State Constitution, Prominent Women's Rights Activists Launch New Political Action Group, Pentagon Plan Would Expand Role for Military on U.S.-Mexico Border, Judge and Court Officer Charged for Helping Undocumented Immigrant Evade ICE, Over 1,000 Quarantined at Los Angeles Colleges Amid Measles Outbreak

The award-winning Filipina journalist Maria Ressa has been arrested twice in recent months by the Philippines government as President Rodrigo Duterte cracks down on critics and the media. In February, she was detained in a cyber libel case that's widely seen as politically motivated. She was arrested again in late March for allegedly violating a ban on foreign media ownership. Duterte has long attempted to shut down Rappler, which has published groundbreaking work on Duterte's deadly war on drugs that has killed thousands. Duterte has repeatedly described the site as fake news outlet. We speak with Maria Ressa, the founder of the independent news site Rappler and a vocal critic of President Rodrigo Duterte.

Abortion rights are under threat across the United States, with 28 states currently considering legislation to ban or restrict abortion in various ways. Among the slew of strategies are trigger bans, to make abortion completely illegal in a state should Roe v. Wade be overturned, and six-week abortion bans. Earlier this month, Ohio Governor Mike DeWine signed into law a six-week abortion ban, which bans abortions once a fetal heartbeat can be detected—something that typically happens before many women realize they're pregnant. The bill does not include exceptions for cases of rape or incest. A similar law is set to take effect in Mississippi in July, while judges have blocked similar bills from going into effect in Kentucky and Iowa. Georgia Governor Brian Kemp is expected to sign his state's abortion ban in the coming weeks. While over two-thirds of Americans are pro-choice, anti-choice activists have the edge in state governments, with Republicans controlling roughly two-thirds of statehouses and 27 of the country's 50 governorships. We speak with the president of Planned Parenthood, Dr. Leana Wen.

A second federal judge has blocked a gag rule that would have stripped federal funding known as Title X for Planned Parenthood and other clinics that refer patients for abortions or even mention abortion as an option. The judge's ruling halts the rule, which was announced by President Trump in February and was scheduled to go into effect on May 3. Washington state Federal Judge Stanley Bastian ruled against the changes to Title X funding Thursday, saying they would require clinics "to face a Hobson's choice that harms patients as well as the providers." This came two days after an Oregon judge issued a preliminary injunction to stop the gag order from going into effect, calling the rule a "ham-fisted approach to public health policy." Title X covers non-abortion services like STD prevention, cancer screenings and contraception, and provides over $280 million in funding for 4 million mostly low-income women every year. We speak with the president of Planned Parenthood, Dr. Leana Wen. She says the gag rule would force doctors "to compromise the oath that we took to serve our patients."

The Trump administration is under fire after the United Nations Security Council passed a resolution to end rape as a weapon of war on Tuesday that excluded any mention of sexual and reproductive health. The resolution was gutted after the U.S. threatened to veto the measure altogether unless language referencing reproductive health was taken out due to the Trump administration's belief that the language was code for abortion. The watered-down measure also weakened references to the International Criminal Court, making it harder for women and girls to seek justice. We speak with Jessica Neuwirth, director of the Human Rights Program at Roosevelt House at Hunter College and the director of the Sisterhood Is Global Institute. She sent a letter to Secretary of State Mike Pompeo protesting the U.S. stance on the Security Council resolution. We also speak with Planned Parenthood President Dr. Leana Wen.

Sri Lanka Lowers Death Toll from Easter Attacks; Top Officials Resign over Intelligence Failures, Anita Hill: I Am Not Satisfied by Biden's Apology over Handling of Clarence Thomas Allegations, As Comcast Lobbyist Hosts Biden's First Fundraiser, Campaign Boasts of Support from "Top 1%", Biden Hires Ex-Bernie Sanders Staffer as Senior Adviser, Hundreds of Thousands Protest in Sudan Demanding Civilian Rule, North Korea's Kim Jong-un Accuses U.S. of Acting in Bad Faith in Nuke Talks, In Response to Yellow Vest Protests, Macron Vows to Cut Taxes, Tells Nation It Must Work Harder, Report: U.S. Sanctions Have Killed 40,000 in Venezuela Since 2017, Second Judge Blocks Trump's Title X "Gag Rule" on Abortion, Texas Judge Temporarily Blocks Anti-BDS Bill, Saying It Violates First Amendment, Roger Waters & Linda Sarsour Event on Backlash Against Pro-Palestinian Voices Faces Lawsuit, Protest, Judge Considers Freeing Coast Guard Official Accused of Domestic Terrorist Plot, NSA Recommends Ending Metadata Surveillance Program Exposed by Edward Snowden, Pentagon Ethics Probe Clears Shanahan over Ties to Boeing, FBI & IRS Raid Homes & Office of Baltimore Mayor, After 1,100 Arrests, Extinction Rebellion Concludes 10 Days of Climate Civil Disobedience in London

Navy SEALs who witnessed their platoon chief commit war crimes in Iraq were encouraged not to speak out, and told they could lose their jobs for reporting him at a private meeting with a superior officer last year, according to new reports from The New York Times. A confidential Navy criminal investigation obtained by the Times reveals that the commandos saw Special Operations Chief Edward Gallagher stab and kill an unarmed teenage captive, shoot to death a young girl and old man, and fire indiscriminately into crowds of civilians. But when the men on Gallagher's team called a private meeting with their troop commander and demanded an investigation, they were told to stay quiet on the matter, and no action was taken. The group of seven SEALs eventually were able to force an investigation, and Chief Edward Gallagher was arrested in September on more than a dozen charges, including premeditated murder and attempted murder. The court-martial centers on a charge that Gallagher stabbed to death a teenage member of the self-proclaimed Islamic State while the unarmed youth was being treated by a medic. The trial begins May 28. If convicted, Gallagher could face life in prison. We speak with Pulitzer Prize-winning journalist and national correspondent for The New York Times Dave Philipps. His latest piece is headlined "Navy SEALs Were Warned Against Reporting Their Chief for War Crimes"

Former Vice President Joe Biden has entered the 2020 race for the White House, becoming the 20th Democrat to seek the nomination in the largest and most diverse field of Democratic candidates ever to run for president. Biden will face scrutiny for his long and checkered record in the coming weeks, including his 1994 crime bill, that helped fuel mass incarceration with financial incentives to keep people behind bars, and his handling of Anita Hill's sexual harassment allegations against Supreme Court justice nominee Clarence Thomas in 1991. Biden is also known for close ties to the financial industry and voting to authorize the U.S. invasion of Iraq in 2003. In the weeks before Biden announced his bid for the presidency, at least seven women stepped forward to accuse him of inappropriate touching. We speak with Andrew Cockburn, Washington editor for Harper's magazine, about Biden's record. His recent piece is headlined "No Joe! Joe Biden's disastrous legislative legacy."

A major new investigation by Amnesty International and Airwars has revealed the U.S.-led military coalition killed more than 1,600 civilians during the 2017 offensive to oust ISIS militants from the Syrian city of Raqqa. The coalition launched thousands of airstrikes and tens of thousands of artillery strikes on the city. U.S. troops fired more artillery into Raqqa than anywhere since the Vietnam War. At the time, the United States claimed it was the "most precise air campaign in history." We speak with Donatella Rovera, lead investigator with Amnesty International. She is calling on the U.S. and coalition nations to fully investigate the mass civilian casualties. Rovera is senior crisis response adviser at Amnesty International. The new investigation is titled "Rhetoric versus Reality: How the 'most precise air campaign in history' left Raqqa the most destroyed city in modern times."

President Trump Vows to Fight "All the Subpoenas" from Congress, U.S. Forces and Allies Killed More Afghan Civilians in Early 2019 Than the Taliban, U.S.-Led Coalition Killed 1,600 Syrian Civilians in Raqqa, Syria, China Jails Hong Kong Activists Who Led 2014 Pro-Democracy Rallies, Wealthy Sri Lankan Spice Trader Among Those Arrested over Easter Bombings, U.N. Condemns Saudi Arabia's Mass Execution of 37 Prisoners, Texas Executes White Supremacist Behind 1998 Lynching of James Byrd Jr., Joe Biden Enters 2020 Presidential Race, Kirstjen Nielsen Warned Against Discussing Russian Election Meddling with Trump, Thousands of Indigenous People Protest Bolsonaro's Deforestation Policies, U.K., Irish Politicians Join Funeral for Murdered Journalist Lyra McKee

As the 2020 election race barrels forward with nearly 20 Democratic candidates, we speak with Nobel Prize-winning economist Joseph Stiglitz about the policy platforms of progressive hopefuls Elizabeth Warren and Bernie Sanders, including Warren's plan to break up big tech companies and cancel student debt and Sanders's commitment to democratic socialism, which Stiglitz compares to "what in Europe is called social democracy, sometimes called the welfare state." Stiglitz has a new book out titled "People, Power, and Profits: Progressive Capitalism for an Age of Discontent."

We look at staggering inequality and the state of the U.S. economy with Nobel Prize-winning economist Joseph Stiglitz, who served as chair of the Council of Economic Advisers under President Clinton. Joseph Stiglitz is a professor at Columbia University and chief economist for the Roosevelt Institute. His latest book, out this week, is "People, Power, and Profits: Progressive Capitalism for an Age of Discontent."

Presidential candidate and Vermont Senator Bernie Sanders said at a town hall Monday that he believed in restoring voting rights for prisoners, sparking a national discussion about re-enfranchisement for the more than 2 million Americans behind bars. Presidential hopeful Pete Buttigieg has spoken out against prisoner voting rights, while Senator Elizabeth Warren said "I'm not there yet" on the issue. Senator Kamala Harris said "there has to be serious consequence for the most extreme types of crimes," referencing her background as a prosecutor. We speak with Ari Berman, senior writer at Mother Jones, about the public debate on voting rights for imprisoned Americans. Berman notes that prisoners are currently counted in the U.S. census in the counties where they are imprisoned, despite not being allowed to vote in most states.

The U.S. Supreme Court heard arguments Tuesday in a case challenging the Trump administration's plans to include a citizenship question on the 2020 census. Voting rights activists fear that adding the question will deter immigrants from participating in the census and lead to a vast undercount in states with large immigrant communities. Census officials have estimated 6.5 million people will not respond to the census if the citizenship question is added. This undercount could affect everything from the redrawing of congressional maps to the allocation of federal funding. The case centers on whether Commerce Secretary Wilbur Ross had the authority to add the question to the census. The American Civil Liberties Union and 17 states have sued, saying Ross's move was aimed at deterring immigrants from participating in the census. During the oral arguments, the court's conservative majority appeared to side with the Trump administration, while the liberal minority questioned the administration's motives and methods. Liberal Justice Sonia Sotomayor said, "There's no doubt that people will respond less. If you're talking about prediction, this is about 100 percent that people will answer less." We speak with Thomas Saenz, president and general counsel of the Mexican American Legal Defense and Educational Fund. MALDEF is representing plaintiffs in one of the lawsuits challenging the census citizenship question. We also speak with Ari Berman, senior writer at Mother Jones. His new piece is titled "In Census Case, Supreme Court Suddenly Cares a Lot About Voting Rights Act."

Trump Says White House Aides Should Not Testify to Congress, Treasury Secretary Mnuchin Ignores Congressional Deadline on Trump's Tax Records, U.S. Uses Veto Threat to Gut U.N. Resolution On Sexual Violence, Death Toll from Sri Lanka Easter Bombings Climbs to 359, Saudi Arabia Carries Out Mass Execution of Prisoners, Including Public Crucifixion, Hasan Minhaj Confronts Jared Kushner over His Support of Saudi Crown Prince, Kim Jong-un Arrives in Russia for First Meeting with Vladimir Putin, Malawi Begins First-Ever Malaria Vaccination Campaign, NYT Report: Navy SEALs Were Ordered to Remain Silent on War Crimes, Drug Company Executives Criminally Charged with Trafficking Opioids, SCOTUS Hears Case on Trump Admin's Plan to Add Citizenship Question to Census, Watchdog Launches Ethics Probe into Top Interior Department Officials, Thousands of Boy Scout Leaders Accused of Sexual Abuse, Florida Prosecutors Drop Charges Against Black Teen Brutalized by Cops, Bodycam Video Shows Connecticut Police Firing on Car with Unarmed Passengers, Disney Heiress Calls on Her Family's Company to Fight Inequality, Floods and Mudslides Kill At Least 33 in South Africa, Melting Arctic Permafrost Set to Cost the World $70 Trillion, 16-Year-Old Climate Activist Greta Thunberg Meets U.K. Lawmakers

"We Speak for Ourselves: A Word from Forgotten Black America." That's the name of a new book by D. Watkins that amplifies the experiences of poor black Americans typically sidelined by the public and the media—including his own life story. He writes, "I'm from the bottom, and what I mean by bottom is first-generation scholars, the project babies, the people without Wi-Fi, the workers, the people most likely to get hit by police bullets. We are the subjects of protests, the rarely heard-from even as our deaths are debated by media personalities who wouldn't step foot on our blocks. … To quote the brilliant scholar and activist Dr. Su'ad Abdul Khabeer, 'You don't need to be a voice for the voiceless. Just pass the mic.'" D. Watkins is a professor at the University of Baltimore and founder of the BMORE Writers Project. He is also the author of "The Cook Up: A Crack Rock Memoir" and "The Beast Side: Living and Dying While Black in America."

Students at Johns Hopkins University in Baltimore, Maryland, have entered their 21st day of a sit-in occupation of their campus administration building to protest the university's plans for an armed police force on campus, as well as Johns Hopkins's contracts with Immigrations and Customs Enforcement. Students at Johns Hopkins are demanding the cancellation of contracts with ICE and a pledge to donate all money received from ICE to Baltimore's immigration defense fund. They're also demanding voluntary recognition for all workers wishing to unionize, and a student and faculty representative spot on the university's board of trustees.

Authorities at the University of Arizona in Tucson have dropped charges against three students who held a nonviolent protest against Border Patrol agents speaking on their campus. During the March 19 protest, the students called border agents "Murder Patrol" and an "extension of the KKK." All three students were charged with misdemeanors. On Friday, motions to dismiss the charges were granted after the American Civil Liberties Union and other groups led a campaign on behalf of the students. We speak with Mariel Bustamante, one of the "Arizona Three." She is a graduating senior who is double-majoring in law and anthropology.

The FBI has arrested the head of an armed vigilante group that has repeatedly filmed itself detaining migrant border crossers at gunpoint. Sixty-nine-year-old Larry Mitchell Hopkins is the leader of the far-right, pro-Trump group calling itself United Constitutional Patriots, which the American Civil Liberties Union described as an "armed fascist militia organization." His arrest came just days after the ACLU accused the vigilantes of illegally detaining 300 migrants, including young children, near Sunland Park, New Mexico, last week. We speak to Peter Simonson, executive director of the ACLU of New Mexico.

Sri Lankan Minister Says Easter Bombings Were Retaliation for NZ Mosque Attacks, Trump Admin to Ratchet Up Unilateral U.S. Sanctions on Iranian Oil, House Democrats Subpoena Former White House Counsel Don McGahn, Trump Sues to Quash Subpoena Requesting 10 Years of Financial Records, Sen. Kamala Harris Calls for Trump's Impeachment, Breaking from Democratic Leaders, Sen. Elizabeth Warren Proposes Canceling Student Loan Debt, Making Public Colleges Free, Supreme Court to Weigh Citizenship Question on 2020 Census, Supreme Court to Decide If LGBTQ Workers Are Protected by Civil Rights Act, Charges Dropped Against 3 Arizona Students Who Protested Border Patrol, Activists Seek to Block U.S. Handover of Venezuelan Embassy to Opposition Leaders, Herman Cain Withdraws as Federal Reserve Board Nominee, Fed Reserve Board Nominee Stephen Moore Penned Sexist Columns, Burma's High Court Upholds 7-Year Sentences for Pulitzer-Winning Journalists, At Least 16 Killed as Two Powerful Earthquakes Strike Philippines, Greenland Ice Sheet Melting Even Faster Than Feared Due to Warming Climate, "Extinction Rebellion" Arrests in London Top 1,000 as Climate Campaign Continues, Polly Higgins, Who Sought to Make Ecocide an International Crime, Dies Aged 50

As millions celebrate Earth Day around the globe, we speak with organizer Dallas Goldtooth about indigenous-led anti-pipeline activism in the United States. President Trump signed two executive orders earlier this month to facilitate the approval of pipeline projects at a federal level, limiting states' ability to regulate such projects. The move is intended in part to clear the way for permitting on the northeastern Constitution pipeline, which has stalled after New York invoked the Clean Water Act to reject the project on environmental grounds. This comes as climate activists have filed a federal lawsuit with the ACLU challenging three South Dakota laws that they say violate the First Amendment rights of anti-pipeline organizers. Dallas Goldtooth is one of the plaintiffs in the ACLU lawsuit and an organizer with Indigenous Environmental Network.

In one of the worst terrorist attacks to hit South Asia, Sri Lankan government officials say a local Islamist extremist group called the National Thowheed Jama'ath coordinated a series of eight bombings on Easter Sunday at churches and luxury hotels throughout the country. The attacks killed at least 290 people, injured more than 500 and left behind scenes of carnage and chaos. The government has apologized for not taking more preventative measures. Sri Lanka's telecommunications minister said a government memo circulated by Sri Lanka's top police official 10 days earlier warned of a possible attack, but that the warning was ignored. Officials have forced the country of 21 million people to go on a dawn-to-dusk curfew, and blocked many social media networks in the wake of terrorist attacks. We go to the capital, Colombo, for an update from Bhavani Fonseka, senior researcher with the Centre for Policy Alternatives. "The discrimination, the targeting and the ethnic tensions have been there for decades," says Fonseka. "This was most evident during the [Sri Lankan civil] war, but this has continued postwar, as well." We are also joined by Alan Keenan, Sri Lanka project director at the International Crisis Group, and T. Kumar, former international advocacy director for Amnesty International USA. Kumar was a political prisoner for over five years in his native Sri Lanka.

Easter Sunday Attacks Kill Nearly 300 Across Sri Lanka, House Judiciary Chair Subpoenas Unredacted Mueller Report, Sen. Elizabeth Warren Calls on Congress to Impeach President Trump, Afghanistan: 10 Killed in Suicide Attack as Taliban Peace Talks Collapse, Libya Death Toll Climbs to 227 as Trump Backs Renegade General, Hundreds of Thousands of Algerians March Demanding Democratic Reforms, Thousands March on Morocco's Parliament, Demanding Release of Political Prisoners, Sudan Protest Leaders End Talks with Ruling Military Council, Volodymyr Zelensky, Who Played a President on TV, Elected to Lead Ukraine, France: Weekly Yellow Vest Protests Channel Anger over Notre-Dame Donations, 2,000+ French Climate Campaigners Hold Civil Disobedience Actions, Police Clear Extinction Rebellion Sit-In Protesters as Arrest Total Nears 1,000, FBI Arrests Leader of Militia That Detained Migrants at Gunpoint, Washington State Rep. Discussed Violence and Surveillance of Opponents, Massachusetts Rep. Seth Moulton Enters 2020 Presidential Race, 31,000 Stop & Shop Grocery Workers End 10-Day Strike with Contract Victory

Mueller Report Shows No Trump-Russia Conspiracy But Leaves Open Question of Obstruction, Trump Admin to Spend $40 Million on New Immigration Detention Camps, Central American Migrants Claim Assault by Mexican Authorities, ACLU Warns of "Fascist Militia" Holding Migrant Border Crossers at Gunpoint, Nicaragua Bans Anti-Government Protests, Arresting Dozens, Mali's Government Resigns as Protesters Condemn Ethnic Violence, Sudan: Mass Protests Demand Civilian Rule After Omar al-Bashir's Ouster, Bangladeshi Teen Burned to Death After Reporting Sexual Assault, Saudi Court Suspends Hearing for 11 Women's Rights Activists Who've Faced Torture, Journalist Lyra McKee Shot Dead Amid Northern Ireland Riots, Florida Police Dept. to Investigate Officers Filmed Brutalizing Teenagers, New York City Approves Climate Plan Meant to Curb Emissions from Big Buildings, New Yorkers Rally Against Proposed Fracked Gas Pipeline, CIA Director Gina Haspel Confronted over Torture During Rare Public Appearance

As Attorney General William Barr releases Robert Mueller's long-anticipated report into Russian interference in the 2016 election, we speak with world-renowned political dissident, linguist and author Noam Chomsky about what he sees as the political perils of "Russiagate."

Supporters of the Green New Deal are launching a nationwide tour Thursday to build support for the congressional resolution to transform the U.S. economy through funding renewable energy while ending U.S. carbon dioxide emissions by 2030. Democracy Now! spoke with Noam Chomsky about the Green New Deal and the lessons of the old New Deal in Boston last week.

"We can be whatever we have the courage to see." That's the message of a stunning new video released by The Intercept, Naomi Klein and award-winning artist Molly Crabapple Wednesday that imagines a future shaped by the Green New Deal. It's called "A Message from the Future with Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez." The film was co-written by Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez herself, along with Avi Lewis, the co-founder of The Leap. We speak with Avi Lewis and award-winning artist Molly Crabapple about the power of art to create social change.

As the push for the Green New Deal builds momentum in the United States, The Intercept has released a short illustrated video imagining a future shaped by the progressive environmental movement. It's titled "A Message from the Future with Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez." The New York congressmember narrates the film to envision an America that has been transformed by the Green New Deal policies, including a just transition of jobs, Medicare for all, and a total overhaul of the country's energy system. The result is a vision of radical hope and transformation. The film features stunning artwork by award-winning illustrator Molly Crabapple. It is presented by The Intercept and Naomi Klein, co-written by Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez and Avi Lewis, and co-directed by Kim Boekbinder and Jim Batt.

Attorney General Barr to Release Redacted Mueller Report, John Bolton Praises Monroe Doctrine as U.S. Sanctions Cuba, Venezuela, Nicaragua, New U.S. Sanctions to Target Remittances & Companies Doing Business in Cuba, North Korea Tests New Weapon, Rejects Role of U.S. Secretary of State, Trump Administration to End Reporting on Size of U.S. Nuclear Arsenal, Former Peruvian President Alan García Dies by Suicide as Police Move In, Teen Who Threatened Colorado Schools Dead of Self-Inflicted Gunshot, Philadelphia DA Clears Path for Mumia Abu-Jamal to Appeal Murder Conviction, New York Grants Parole to Brink's Heist Getaway Driver Judith Clark, Ivanka Trump Says Her Father Offered to Make Her World Bank President, Energy Secretary Rick Perry Reportedly Planning to Resign, 16-Year-Old Climate Activist Greta Thunberg Greeted by Pope Francis, London Climate Activists Chain Themselves to Jeremy Corbyn's Home, 62 Arrested as Climate Activists Stage Die-In Outside NYC City Hall

The International Criminal Court has announced it will not investigate possible war crimes and crimes against humanity committed by the United States and other actors in Afghanistan. The court suggested the U.S.'s lack of cooperation with the investigation was behind the decision. Earlier this month, the U.S. revoked the visa of the ICC's chief prosecutor, Fatou Bensouda. A 2016 report by the ICC accused the U.S. military of torturing at least 61 prisoners in Afghanistan during the ongoing war. The report also accused the CIA of subjecting at least 27 prisoners to torture, including rape, at CIA prison sites in Afghanistan, Poland, Romania and Lithuania. We speak to Katherine Gallagher, senior staff attorney at the Center for Constitutional Rights.

At least four people died in heavy shelling on Tuesday in the capital city of Tripoli. According to the United Nations, over 170 people have been killed and 750 injured since a Libyan warlord launched an assault on Tripoli on April 5. The fighting pits the U.N.-backed Government of National Accord against a militia led by former Libyan General Khalifa Haftar, who already controls much of eastern Libya. The Libyan government has accused the United Arab Emirates, Saudi Arabia and Egypt of funding and arming Haftar, who has dual U.S.-Libyan citizenship. Meanwhile, Qatar has called for the enforcement of an arms embargo against Haftar. The fighting has displaced nearly 18,000 people, but authorities fear the humanitarian crisis could quickly escalate if the fighting continues. We speak to Anas El Gomati, director of the Tripoli-based Sadeq Institute, Libya's first independent research organization.

Extinction Rebellion. That's the name of the movement shutting down Central London this week in a series of direct actions, as activists close bridges, occupy public landmarks and even superglue themselves to buildings to demand urgent action to combat climate change. Police have arrested more than 300 people so far, and the protests are continuing. Today, activists have halted trains at Canary Wharf—a financial hub of the city—with two protesters climbing a train car and another supergluing his hand to a train window. We speak to Clare Farrell, one of the co-founders of the environmental action group Extinction Rebellion, and Farhana Yamin, international environmental lawyer who helped draft the landmark 2015 Paris Agreement. On Tuesday, she was arrested after gluing both of her hands to the ground outside the Shell building in Central London.

Trump Vetoes Resolution Ending U.S. Support for War on Yemen, DOJ Orders Denial of Bond to Migrants, Allowing for Indefinite Detention, Trump Admin Resumes "Remain in Mexico" Policy, Dems Probing Report of Trump Pardon for Blocking Entry to Migrants, U.K.: Police Arrest 200+ Climate Activists Occupying Central London, D.C.: Extinction Rebellion Stages Protest in Front of RNC, French President Macron Vows to Rebuild Notre-Dame in 5 Years, Sudan: Al-Bashir Moved to Prison as African Union Sets Deadline to Install Civilian Gov't, Egypt: MPs Vote to Extend President Sisi's Rule to 2030, Indonesia: President Joko Widodo on Track to Win 2nd Term, Libya: U.N. Warns of Humanitarian Crisis as Fighting Escalates, Israel to Deport HRW Researcher over Alleged Boycott, Internet Activists Call for Release of Swedish Programmer Ola Bini, CO: Schools Shut Down as Hunt Continues for Woman "Infatuated" w/ Columbine, Alan Dershowitz Sued for Defamation in Epstein Sex Abuse Case, Rutgers Univ. Union Reaches Tentative Contract Deal w/ Administration, Neles Tebay, Noted West Papuan Peace Activist, Dies at 55

Minnesota freshman Congressmember Ilhan Omar says death threats against her have spiked in number since President Trump tweeted a video juxtaposing her image with footage of the 9/11 attacks. Trump posted the video Friday with the caption, "WE WILL NEVER FORGET." Trump's tweet intercut video of the World Trade Center towers burning with video of Omar speaking about the increasing attacks on the Muslim American community after 9/11. Congressmember Omar's comments were originally taken out of context and circulated by right-wing media, from The Daily Caller to Fox News. Congressmember Omar said in a statement, "This is endangering lives. It has to stop." We speak with Moustafa Bayoumi, the author of "This Muslim American Life: Dispatches from the War on Terror." His Guardian article is headlined "Ilhan Omar has become the target of a dangerous hate campaign." Bayoumi is an English professor at Brooklyn College at the City University of New York. He is also the author of "How Does It Feel to Be a Problem? Being Young and Arab in America."

Critics are demanding answers after the Trump administration refused to allow prominent Palestinian human rights activist Omar Barghouti to enter the United States for a speaking tour, despite his valid U.S. visa. Barghouti is co-founder of the Boycott, Divestment and Sanctions movement, or BDS, an international campaign to pressure Israel to comply with international law and respect Palestinian rights. When he arrived at the Ben Gurion Airport in Tel Aviv on April 10, Barghouti was told the United States was denying him entry. He was not given an explanation. Barghouti and his supporters say the move was motivated by his involvement with the BDS movement, calling it a form of "McCarthyite repression." We reached Omar Barghouti in Ramallah to talk about his travel ban, the growth of the BDS movement and attempts to quash it, and the recent Israeli election that saw Benjamin Netanyahu re-elected prime minister for a fifth term.

France is reeling after a massive fire tore through Paris's beloved Notre-Dame cathedral, built 800 years ago and a celebrated landmark around the world. Parisians looked on in shock Monday as around 400 firefighters attempted to get the blaze under control—some onlookers engaging in prayers and religious songs. The fire claimed the cathedral's spire and ravaged parts of the interior, but the iconic twin medieval towers remain standing, as does the rest of the stone structure. Two of France's wealthiest men have pledged over $330 million to the reconstruction effort. The European Union has also vowed to help rebuild the church. Authorities have launched an investigation into how the fire started, but ruled out arson, saying they believed it was started by accident, likely related to the ongoing $180 million renovation of the building. We speak with Anne Lester, associate professor of medieval history at Johns Hopkins University, about the role of Notre-Dame in French cultural and spiritual life, as well as its significance to the wider world.

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Indonesian President Joko Widodo, who is better known as "Jokowi," is up for re-election on Wednesday. His chief rival is Prabowo Subianto, a former special forces military commander and the former son-in-law of Indonesia's longtime dictator Suharto. It is a rematch of the 2014 election that Jokowi won by almost 6 percentage points. Investigative journalist Allan Nairn has just uncovered shocking plans made by Prabowo for if he wins the presidency. According to minutes of a campaign strategy session obtained by Nairn, Prabowo has made plans to stage mass arrests of political opponents and his current allies. Nairn reports Prabowo also wants to restore Indonesia's Army to the role it played in the U.S.-backed Suharto dictatorship which lasted from 1967 to 1998. Indonesia is the world's largest Muslim nation and the third-largest democracy in the world behind India and the United States. We speak with Allan Nairn in Indonesia.

President Trump signed two executive orders last week to facilitate the approval of pipeline projects at a federal level, limiting states' ability to regulate such projects. The move is intended in part to clear the way for permitting on the northeastern Constitution pipeline, which has stalled after New York invoked the Clean Water Act to reject the project on environmental grounds. We speak with Bill McKibben, co-founder of 350.org and the author of the new book "Falter: Has the Human Game Begun to Play Itself Out?"

Thousands are taking to the streets in London today to demand radical action to combat the climate crisis. Protesters with the group Extinction Rebellion have set up encampments and roadblocks across Central London and say they'll stay in the streets for at least a week. It's just the beginning of a series of global actions that will unfold in the coming days, as activists around the world raise the alarm about government inaction in the face of the growing climate catastrophe. The London protests come just days after schoolchildren around the globe left school again on Friday for the weekly "strike for climate" and as the push for the Green New Deal continues to build momentum in the United States. The deal—backed by Congressmember Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez and Senator Ed Markey—seeks to transform the U.S. economy through funding renewable energy while ending U.S. carbon dioxide emissions by 2030. We speak with climate activist and journalist Bill McKibben, who has been on the front lines of the fight to save the planet for decades. Thirty years ago, he wrote "The End of Nature," the first book about climate change for a general audience. He's just published a new book titled "Falter: Has the Human Game Begun to Play Itself Out?"

Democrats Slam Trump Threat to "Release" Immigrants to Sanctuary Cities, Rep. Ilhan Omar Sees Spike in Death Threats After Trump 9/11 Attack, NYC: Yemeni Bodegas Boycott NY Post over Cover Attacking Rep. Omar, ICC Will Not Investigate U.S. War Crimes in Afghanistan, Sudan: Military Leadership Challenged by Ongoing Protests, Algeria: Protesters Call for Removal of Ruling Elite After Fall of Bouteflika, Libya: U.N. Warns of Mounting Casualties as Fighting Escalates, Gaza: Israeli Forces Shoot and Kill Palestinian Teen, Pakistan: Minority Hazara Protest After Suicide Bomb Kills 24, South Korea Lifts 66-Year-Old Abortion Ban, Ohio Governor Signs "Fetal Heartbeat" Bill into Law, House Dems Set New Deadline for IRS to Hand Over Trump Tax Returns, Pete Buttigieg Launches 2020 Presidential Run