Democracy Now!

More than 1,600 prisoners at a Brooklyn federal detention center were forced to endure freezing temperatures during last week's polar vortex, with no heat, no light, no hot water for showers and no hot meals. Demonstrators rallied throughout the weekend to protest the conditions at the Metropolitan Detention Center, which is run by the Bureau of Prisons. Prisoners communicated with protesters by banging on the jail windows. On Sunday afternoon, some of the protesters, including family members of those incarcerated, were pepper-sprayed by guards. Democracy Now! was there on the ground. By 6:30 p.m., officials said electricity was restored. We speak with Brad Lander, a New York city councilmember who spoke with prisoners and prison officials this weekend.

We discuss the history behind calls for Democratic Virginia Governor Ralph Northam to resign after a photo surfaced on his 1984 Eastern Virginia Medical School yearbook page showing a man wearing blackface posing next to a man wearing a Ku Klux Klan outfit. The yearbook also features an image of a white man in a wig, dress and black face. The photo's caption reads, "'Baby Love,' who ever thought Diana Ross would make it to Medical School!" Another photo in the yearbook shows three men in blackface. We are joined by Rhae Lynn Barnes, assistant professor of American cultural history at Princeton University and author of the forthcoming book "Darkology: When the American Dream Wore Blackface." Her new article for The Washington Post is headlined "The troubling history behind Ralph Northam's blackface Klan photo."

Democratic Virginia Governor Ralph Northam is facing calls to resign after a photo surfaced on his 1984 Eastern Virginia Medical School yearbook page showing a man wearing blackface posing next to a man wearing a Ku Klux Klan outfit. Northam apologized for the photo on Friday, but walked back his statements on Saturday, claiming neither of the men in the photo was him. He did admit to using blackface to portray Michael Jackson at a dance contest. We speak with Reverend Kevin Chandler, president of the Virginia State Conference of the NAACP.

Calls are mounting for Democratic Virginia Governor Ralph Northam to resign after a photo surfaced from his medical school yearbook page showing a man wearing blackface posing next to a man wearing a Ku Klux Klan outfit. On Friday, Northam apologized for the photo in his 1984 Eastern Virginia Medical School yearbook. However, on Saturday, he reversed course and claimed neither of the men in the racist yearbook photo was him as he initially thought. As Northam resisted growing calls for his resignation, he admitted to a separate instance of blackface: darkening his face to imitate Michael Jackson in a 1984 dance contest. Meanwhile, a separate 1981 yearbook from the Virginia Military Institute has surfaced revealing Northam was known by the racist nickname "Coonman" as an undergraduate student there. We get response from Lamont Bagby, chair of the Virginia Legislative Black Caucus, who is calling for Governor Northam to step down.

Calls Mount for VA Gov. Northam to Resign over Racist Yearbook Photo, Trump Sends Aid to Venezuela, Says Military Intervention "An Option", Trump: U.S. Should Maintain Troops in Iraq to "Watch" Iran, Trump Floats Another Gov't Shutdown or Nat'l Emergency over Border Wall Funding, El Salvador Elects Outsider Nayib Bukele as President, Mexico Denies Entry to U.S Lawyers & Journalists Working with Migrants, Iraq: Gunman Shoots Novelist Alaa Mashzoub, Amnesty Int'l: Boko Haram Killed At Least 60 in Nigeria Attack Last Week, Russia Suspends INF in Response to U.S. Withdrawal, U.N.: At Least 29 Children Died on Way to Syrian Refugee Camp Since December, Vice Media, McClatchy Cuts Add to Spate of Media Layoffs, Foxconn Commits to Building Wisconsin LCD Panel Plant, Sen. Warren Apologizes to Cherokee Nation for DNA Test, Rep. Tulsi Gabbard Launches 2020 Presidential Bid, NYC: Protesters Rally Outside Jail After Inmates Report No Heat & No Power

As we mark the beginning of Black History Month, we look at "Always in Season," a disturbing new documentary that examines lynching in the United States both past and present. It interviews Bryan Stevenson, founder of the Equal Justice Initiative, which built the National Memorial for Peace and Justice in Montgomery to remember the more than 4,000 African Americans lynched in the United States. It also looks closely at the case of Lennon Lacy, a 17-year-old African-American high school student who, on August 29, 2014, was found hanging from two belts attached to a wooden swing set in a largely white trailer park in Bladenboro, North Carolina. At the time of his death, Lacy was dating an older white woman. Local authorities quickly determined his death to be a suicide, but Lacy's family and local civil rights activists feared authorities may have been covering up a lynching. We speak with Lacy's mother, Claudia Lacy, and Jacqueline Olive, the director of "Always in Season."

As the state of Texas this week carried out the nation's first execution of the year, we look at "Clemency," a new film starring Alfre Woodard that examines the death penalty from the perspective of those who have to carry out executions as well as the condemned. Woodard portrays prison warden Bernadine Williams as she prepares to oversee what would be her 12th execution as warden in the aftermath of one that was horribly botched. As her life seems to unravel, Williams, for the first time, grapples with what it means to be part of a system of state-sanctioned murder, as the execution date for Anthony Woods, played by Aldis Hodge, gets closer. The film premiered at the Sundance Film Festival. We speak with Nigerian-American writer-director Chinonye Chukwu, who says she was inspired to take on the subject after the execution of Troy Anthony Davis, who was put to death by the state of Georgia on September 21, 2011. Davis's execution was carried out despite major doubts about evidence used to convict him of killing police officer Mark MacPhail, and his death helped fuel the national movement to abolish the death penalty.

WSJ: After Venezuela, U.S. to Target Cuba in Effort to Reshape Latin America, Venezuela: Guaidó Seeks Support from Russia, China as Maduro Gov't Remains Defiant, U.S. Announces Withdrawal from INF, Sen. Sanders Proposes Expanding Estate Tax for Wealthiest Americans, Senate Bill Opposes U.S. Withdrawal from Syria & Afghanistan, Trump Dismisses Funding Talks 2 Weeks Ahead of Gov't Shutdown Deadline, Progressive Dems: "Not Another Dollar" for DHS, Court: Syrian Gov't Responsible for Killing War Reporter Marie Colvin, Somalia: U.S. Airstrike Kills 24 al-Shabab Militants, Reports: EPA Won't Set Limits on Harmful Chemicals in Drinking Water, Pharma Co. Insys Accused of Bribing Doctors to Prescribe Fentanyl , DHS Created Fake School to Catch Immigration Violators, ICE Is Force-Feeding Immigrant Prisoners in Texas, McConnell: Dem. Move to Make Election Day a Holiday Is a "Power Grab", Jezebel: FBI Warned Law Enforcement of "Pro-Abortion Extremists", FBI Investigated Group That Protested Far-Right Rally, Considered KKK as Victims, Texas Catholic Church Identifies 286 Priests Accused of Sexually Abusing Children, NJ Sen. Cory Booker Announces 2020 Presidential Run

Supreme Court Justice Ruth Bader Ginsburg recently missed oral arguments as she continues to recover after having two tumors removed from her lung last month. But the Supreme Court has said she is cancer-free and that the 85-year-old, now three-time cancer-surviving justice, has been reviewing arguments and weighing in on cases from home. Meanwhile, the documentary "RBG" about her life has been nominated for an Academy Award. At the Sundance Film Festival, we speak with Julie Cohen, one of the film's directors.

Acclaimed actor Tessa Thompson joins us at the Sundance Film Festival to talk about the Me Too movement and the Time's Up initiative, which is pushing Hollywood studios and actors to commit to work with women directors in its new #4PercentChallenge. Time's Up is about "addressing safety in the workplace," says actor Thompson. "It's really looking at imbalance of power."

Thousands took to the streets for women's marches across the country on January 19, exactly two years after Donald Trump's inauguration sparked a burgeoning women's movement. But some of this year's marches were steeped in controversy. In November, Teresa Shook, one of the founders of the Women's March movement, called for the removal of the four national co-chairs: Bob Bland, Tamika Mallory, Carmen Perez and Linda Sarsour. She accused them of allowing "anti-Semitism, anti-LBGTQIA sentiment and hateful, racist rhetoric to become a part of the platform." Much of the criticism focused on links between some of the co-chairs and the Nation of Islam's Minister Louis Farrakhan, who has been widely accused of being anti-Semitic. A new documentary premiering at the Sundance Film Festival captures how Mallory and the movement handled the crisis. It's called "This Is Personal." On Monday, Tamika Mallory and Linda Sarsour joined Rebecca Walker, author of the autobiography "Black, White, and Jewish," and Nancy Kaufman, CEO of the National Council of Jewish Women, to discuss the controversy.

Democrats have selected former Georgia gubernatorial candidate Stacey Abrams to deliver the response to President Trump's State of the Union address. The address will take place on Tuesday, after being delayed due to the government shutdown. Abrams will become the first person not in public office to respond to the president, as well as the first African-American woman to deliver the response. She recently launched Fair Fight Action, a voting rights advocacy group, after she narrowly lost Georgia's governor's race to Secretary of State Brian Kemp, who was widely accused of suppressing the vote. In mid-November, Abrams refused to concede the race, and Fair Fight Action is now suing Georgia election officials for mismanagement of the midterm elections. We recently spoke to Abrams in Los Angeles, where she was attending the National Day of Racial Healing. "Our responsibility doesn't end on Election Day," she said. "The minute the elections are over, the people who won—who did not share our values—are going to be working hard. We have to be working even harder."

Venezuela: U.S. Urges Military to Back Guaidó as Protesters Take to Streets, Reuters: UAE Hired Ex-NSA Agents to Spy on Opponents and Critics, Congress Reintroduces War Powers Resolution to End War on Yemen, Trump Hits Back After Intelligence Chiefs Contradict Him on Iran, N. Korea, Israeli Forces Kill Teenage Palestinian Girl at West Bank Checkpoint, Israel: Thousands of Israeli Ethiopians Protest Racism, Police Brutality, Migrants: Scores Killed in 2 Boat Wrecks Off Djibouti Coast, Humanitarian Ship Docks in Italy After European Nations Agree to Process Migrants, Colombia: 2 Community Leaders Killed Amid Mounting Attacks on Activists, Philippines: Grenade Kills 2, Injures 4 in Mosque Attack, Thailand: Toxic Smog Blankets Bangkok, Shuts Down Schools, Special Counsel Says 1,000+ Confidential Files Leaked by Russians, Foxconn May Drop Plan to Produce LCD Panels at Wisconsin Plant, At Least 10 Dead as Polar Vortex Disrupts Travel, School, USPS, Report: FDA Failing to Protect Young People from Vaping Risks, Morton Sobell, Co-Defendant of Julius & Ethel Rosenberg, Dies at 101

As the Trump administration continues its attempt to oust Venezuelan President Nicolás Maduro, the U.S. has imposed a de facto embargo on oil from Venezuela's state-run oil company. The new sanctions include exemptions for several U.S. firms, including Chevron and Halliburton, to allow them to continue working in Venezuela. We speak with prize-winning investigative journalist Allan Nairn about the push to privatize Venezuela's oil.

In an ongoing effort to topple Venezuelan President Nicolás Maduro, Vice President Mike Pence met with members of the Venezuelan opposition at the White House Tuesday alongside Trump's new special envoy to Venezuela, Elliott Abrams. Elliott Abrams is a right-wing hawk who was convicted in 1991 for lying to Congress during the Iran-Contra scandal, but he was later pardoned by President George H.W. Bush. Abrams defended Guatemalan dictator General Efraín Ríos Montt as he oversaw a campaign of mass murder and torture of indigenous people in Guatemala in the 1980s. Ríos Montt was later convicted of genocide. Abrams was also linked to the 2002 coup in Venezuela that attempted to topple Hugo Chávez. We look at Abrams's track record with prize-winning investigative journalist Allan Nairn, who has closely tracked Abrams for over three decades. Nairn is two-time winner of the George Polk Award and a recipient of the Robert F. Kennedy Memorial Award.

The United States is continuing to ratchet up pressure on the Venezuelan government in an attempt to topple President Nicolás Maduro. On Tuesday, the State Department announced it is giving control of Venezuela's U.S. bank accounts to opposition leader Juan Guaidó, who declared himself to be president last week. Meanwhile, the U.S. has also refused to rule out a military invasion of Venezuela. We spend the hour with prize-winning investigative journalist Allan Nairn.

U.S. Hands Over Assets to Guaidó as Venezuela Restricts His Travel, Intelligence Community Contradicts Trump on Iran, N. Korea, ISIS, Trump Immigration Rule Forces 1st Asylum Seeker Out of U.S., Back into Mexico, Pentagon to Send "Several Thousand" More Troops to U.S.-Mexico Border, Honduras: Rights Groups Slam Guilty Verdict for Opposition Critic María Luisa Borjas, Brazil: 5 Arrested in Dam Collapse That Killed 65, Devastating Environment, Mexico: Tens of Thousands Strike as 27 Factories Reach Deals for Pay Raises, U.K. Lawmakers Order PM Theresa May to Reopen Brexit Negotiations, Cameroon: Security Forces Arrest Opposition Leader, Journalists, Record-Breaking Polar Vortex Grips the Midwest, Jury Files New Charges Against Pittsburgh Synagogue Mass Shooter, Roger Stone Pleads Not Guilty in Mueller Indictment, Actor Jussie Smollett Recovers After Brutal Racist, Homophobic Attack, Stacey Abrams to Deliver Democratic Response to State of the Union

In her first television interview, we speak with a woman who helped topple Harvey Weinstein and expose his rampant sexual abuse but has remained largely behind the scenes until now. Lauren O'Connor was a literary scout at the Weinstein Company who worked closely with Weinstein. In 2015, she penned an internal memo about her boss that would later become famous. In it, she wrote, "I am a 28 year old woman trying to make a living and a career. Harvey Weinstein is a 64 year old, world famous man and this is his company. The balance of power is me: 0, Harvey Weinstein: 10." This memo was later leaked and would eventually become the bedrock of the 2017 New York Times investigation that first exposed Weinstein's decades of abuse. Lauren O'Connor tells her own story for the first time in "Untouchable," a damning documentary about Weinstein's abuse of power through the eyes of the women he targeted, that premiered at the Sundance Film Festival on Friday.

As we broadcast from the Sundance Film Festival in Park City, Utah, we look at a new film that is forcing the movie industry to look closely at itself. It's about the rise and fall of a movie titan who once used Sundance as a hunting ground: movie mogul Harvey Weinstein, who has been accused of rape, sexual assault or misconduct by more than 75 women. The film "Untouchable" takes on Harvey Weinstein's decades of predatory behavior and the system that allowed it to happen, through the stories of survivors of his abuse, from his time as a young music promoter in Buffalo in the 1970s all the way until a series of investigations toppled Weinstein in 2017. The stories of accusers, from Gwyneth Paltrow to Salma Hayek to Angelina Jolie, rocked Hollywood, sparking the Me Too movement. More than a year after this public reckoning, Weinstein now faces five charges that could land him in prison for life, including rape and predatory sexual assault. Weinstein has just hired the former lawyers of one of his most public accusers, actor Rose McGowan, who says Weinstein raped her here at Sundance in 1997. His trial is expected to begin in May. Just two years after Harvey Weinstein joined the Women's March in Park City, "Untouchable" premiered here on Friday. We sat down with the film's director, Ursula Macfarlane, the day after the premiere.

U.S. Imposes Sanctions on Venezuela in Latest Challenge to Maduro, White House Raises Specter of Military Intervention in Venezuela, CBO: Gov't Shutdown Caused $3 Billion Permanent Loss to Economy, Joshua Tree Damage from Shutdown Could Take 300 Years to Recover, DOJ Charges Huawei with Bank Fraud, Seeks CFO's Extradition, Yemen: Attack on Camp Kills 8 Civilians as Ceasefire Is Delayed, Polar Vortex Hits Midwest, Bringing Dangerous Conditions, Senate Advances Anti-BDS Bill, Acting AG: Mueller Probe "Close to Being Completed", Virginia Teachers Protest for Fair Wages and Education Funding, Immigrant Rights Activist Ravi Ragbir Checks In with ICE, 1 Year After Release from Detention

Former Trump campaign adviser Roger Stone, who was arrested on Friday, and Donald Trump share a unique history: Both were heavily influenced by the infamous attorney Roy Cohn, who served as a chief counsel to Senator Joseph McCarthy during the Red Scare in the 1950s and would later become a leading mob attorney. Cohn represented Trump for years and once claimed he considered Trump to be his best friend. Cohn is the subject of a new documentary at the Sundance Film Festival titled "Where's My Roy Cohn?" We speak to the film's director, Matt Tyrnauer.

More information has come to light about the direct U.S. role in an attempted coup in Venezuela. The Wall Street Journal reports Vice President Mike Pence called opposition leader Juan Guaidó on the night before he declared himself to be president, pledging U.S. support for his actions. Venezuelan President Nicolás Maduro has accused the United States of attempting to wage a coup. Meanwhile, U.S. Secretary of State Mike Pompeo has named Elliott Abrams to be his special envoy to Venezuela. Abrams is a right-wing hawk who was convicted in 1991 for lying to Congress during the Iran-Contra scandal, but he was later pardoned. Abrams defended Guatemalan dictator General Efraín Ríos Montt as he oversaw a campaign of mass murder and torture of indigenous people in Guatemala in the 1980s. Ríos Montt was later convicted of genocide. Abrams was also linked to the 2002 coup in Venezuela that attempted to topple Hugo Chávez. We speak to Ro Khanna, Democratic congressmember from California.

U.S. & Taliban Agree to Path for Afghan Peace Deal, Federal Employees Return to Work as Gov't Agencies Temporarily Reopen, Venezuela: Maduro Gov't Defies U.S. and European Calls to Support Opposition, Philippines: Twin Bombs Rock Cathedral, Killing At Least 20, U.N. Condemns Killing of Palestinian by Israeli Settlers, Israeli Forces Kill 3 Palestinians Across Occupied Territories, Brazil: Mining Dam Collapse Kills At Least 58, Hundreds Still Missing, France: Protesters Take Streets for 11th Week, Call Out Police Brutality, Germany to Shut Down All Coal Plants by 2038, Birmingham Civil Rights Institute Reinstates Award for Angela Davis After Public Outcry, Roger Stone to Be Arraigned, Does Not Rule Out Cooperation with Mueller, U.S. Reporter for Iranian TV Marzieh Hashemi Speaks Out After Her Arrest, Philadelphia: DA Krasner to Challenge Ruling Allowing Mumia Abu-Jamal Appeal

On Thursday, U.S. Secretary of State Mike Pompeo pledged to send $20 million to the Venezuelan opposition in the form of humanitarian aid to address the shortages of food and medicine caused in part by harsh U.S. sanctions. Pompeo made the announcement while speaking at the OAS, the Organization of American States. Pompeo's speech was interrupted by CodePink co-founder Medea Benjamin, who held a sign reading, "OAS: Don't Support a Coup in Venezuela."

While Mexico and Uruguay are calling for dialogue to address the crisis in Venezuela, much of Latin America has sided with the Trump administration by recognizing Venezuelan opposition leader Juan Guaidó as Venezuela's new leader. We look at what this mean for the broader region with professors Alejandro Velasco and Steve Ellner.

The U.S.-led effort targeting the oil-rich nation of Venezuela dates back two decades, since the late Hugo Chávez became president in 1999. In November, John Bolton accused Venezuela, Cuba and Nicaragua of being part of a "troika of tyranny." In September, The New York Times reported the Trump administration conducted secret meetings with rebellious military officers in Venezuela to discuss overthrowing Maduro. We air more of our recent interview with Venezuelan Foreign Minister Jorge Arreaza. He came into the Democracy Now! studio last week.

Venezuela remains in a state of crisis as opposition forces—with the backing of the United States—attempt to unseat the government of Nicolás Maduro. On Thursday, Venezuelan Defense Minister Vladimir Padrino López said the military continues to stand by Maduro. His remarks came one day after President Trump announced that the U.S. would recognize opposition leader Juan Guaidó as Venezuela's new leader. Guaidó, the new head of Venezuela's National Assembly, declared himself president on Wednesday during a large opposition protest. Meanwhile, Venezuelan President Nicolás Maduro has ordered the U.S. to remove all of its diplomats from Venezuela, but Washington is ignoring the request, claiming Maduro no longer has authority to take such action. We speak to two long-term observers of Venezuelan politics: Venezuelan-born NYU professor Alejandro Velasco and Steve Ellner, who lives in Venezuela, where he taught for several decades.

Competing Bills to End Government Shutdown Fail in the Senate, House Democrats Consider Offering Trump $5.7 Billion for "Smart Wall", 800,000 Federal Workers Miss Second Paycheck Amid Government Shutdown, Commerce Secretary Wilbur Ross: Unpaid Workers Should Take Out Loans, Roger Stone Arrested for Allegedly Lying to Congress About WikiLeaks, U.S. Secretary of State Calls Venezuelan President "Illegitimate", Trump Administration to Force Asylum Seekers to Return to Mexico, Supporters Demand ICE Release Undocumented Activist Eduardo Samaniego, Minnesota: Two Men Plead Guilty to Bombing Bloomington Mosque, Sudan: Protests Demanding Ouster of President Omar al-Bashir Spread, Brazil: Openly Gay Lawmaker Flees the Country Amid Death Threats, Sen. Elizabeth Warren Proposes "Ultra-Millionaire Tax" on Top 0.1%, New York School Denies That Four Black Girls Were Strip-Searched, New York City Agrees to Settle Lawsuit over Death of Kalief Browder, Florida Secretary of State Quits over Photos Showing Him in Blackface, Indiana School Official Arrested for Insurance Fraud After Helping Sick Student , Belgium: 35,000 Students Strike for Action on Climate Change

As Venezuela faces an attempted coup supported by the U.S., Brazil and the European Union, we speak with human rights attorney Wolfgang Kaleck. In November, John Bolton accused Venezuela, Cuba and Nicaragua of being part of a "troika of tyranny." Kaleck says the real "troika of tyranny" is George W. Bush, Dick Cheney and Donald Rumsfeld, who should be in prison for war crimes. Kaleck is a human rights attorney who for decades has been at the forefront of the legal fight to hold powerful actors and governments around the world accountable for human rights abuses. His new book, titled "Law Versus Power: Our Global Fight for Human Rights," documents his remarkable career, including his time as whistleblower Edward Snowden's lawyer in Europe. Kaleck is general secretary of the European Center for Constitutional and Human Rights.

As President Trump announces that the U.S. will recognize opposition leader Juan Guaidó as Venezuela's new leader and sitting President Nicolás Maduro breaks off relations with the United States, we speak with a former U.N. independent expert who says the U.S. is staging an illegal coup in the country. Alfred de Zayas, who visited Venezuela as a U.N. representative in 2017, says, "The mainstream media has been complicit in this attempted coup. … This reminds us of the run-up to the Iraq invasion of 2003." We also speak with Miguel Tinker Salas, professor at Pomona College and author of "The Enduring Legacy: Oil, Culture, and Society in Venezuela" and "Venezuela: What Everyone Needs to Know."

The Venezuelan government is accusing the United States of staging a coup, after President Trump announced that the U.S. would recognize opposition leader Juan Guaidó as Venezuela's new leader. Trump made the announcement shortly after Guaidó, the new head of Venezuela's National Assembly, declared himself president during a large opposition protest. The European Union and the Lima Group have joined the U.S. in recognizing opposition leader Juan Guaidó as president. Mexico is the one dissenting nation in the Lima Group to still recognize Maduro. We speak with Miguel Tinker Salas, professor at Pomona College, who says, "This is unprecedented not only in Venezuelan history, but in Latin America." He is the author of "The Enduring Legacy: Oil, Culture, and Society in Venezuela" and "Venezuela: What Everyone Needs to Know."

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The pioneering trans actress and activist Laverne Cox responds to the Supreme Court's revival of President Donald Trump's plan to ban transgender people from serving in the U.S. military. She spoke on Tuesday at the National Day of Racial Healing as part of a conversation moderated by Amy Goodman.

On Tuesday, the Supreme Court revived President Donald Trump's plan to ban transgender people from serving in the U.S. military. In a 5-4 decision, the Supreme Court lifted two lower court rulings that had blocked the ban from going into effect on constitutional grounds. Justices Stephen Breyer, Ruth Bader Ginsburg, Sonia Sotomayor and Elena Kagan dissented. A third injunction remains in place for now. We speak to Chase Strangio, staff attorney at the ACLU, which is challenging the Trump administration's ban on servicemembers who are transgender.

As Los Angeles teachers agreed to end their strike on Tuesday, Denver teachers voted to strike for the first time in 25 years. The strike could begin as soon as Monday. Meanwhile, teachers in Oakland are planning to vote on a strike next week. We speak with Arlene Inouye, chair of the bargaining team for United Teachers Los Angeles, and Sarah Jaffe, reporting fellow at the Type Media Center.

Public school teachers in Los Angeles are returning to classrooms today after approving an agreement to end a historic 6-day strike. The strike was the first in Los Angeles in three decades. It came after more than 20 months of strained negotiations between the union—United Teachers Los Angeles—and the school district. The strike effectively shut down Los Angeles Unified, the nation's second largest school district. On Tuesday morning, union leaders and Los Angeles city officials announced that they had reached a deal on a new contract. After a vote, the union announced Tuesday night that the contract had been approved by a supermajority of UTLA members. Included in the agreement are pay increases for teachers, additional support staff in schools, smaller class sizes and the regulation of charter schools. For more, we speak with the union's bargaining committee chair, Arlene Inouye, as well as labor journalist and author Sarah Jaffe.

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We end today's show with "The Heartbeat of Wounded Knee," a stunning new book by David Treuer that looks at Native America from 1890 to the present day. The book's powerful mix of memoir, extensive interview and storytelling presents decades of indigenous history that have been sidelined by the mainstream. David Treuer is Ojibwe from the Leech Lake Reservation in northern Minnesota. He teaches literature and creative writing at the University of Southern California.

As we continue to look at the video that has gone viral showing a group of Catholic high school students apparently mocking an indigenous tribal elder near the Lincoln Memorial, we speak to Chase Iron Eyes, an activist and lead attorney for the Lakota People's Law Project. He is a spokesperson for the Indigenous Peoples March.

On Friday, thousands took part in the Indigenous Peoples March in Washington, D.C. The next day, video went viral of an interaction that took place soon after the march ended between an indigenous elder and a group of Catholic high school students from Kentucky who had attended a March for Life protest the same day. In the video, Omaha elder Nathan Phillips is seen peacefully playing his drum and singing while being encircled by the students—some of whom were wearing red "Make America Great Again" hats. The video appears to show the students taunting and mocking Phillips. Some of the students are seen making a tomahawk-chop motion with their arms. One student wearing a red MAGA hat is seen standing directly in front of Phillips while grinning and smirking. The videos sparked widespread outrage, but some commentators walked back their critique of the students after more videos were posted online. We speak to Nathan Phillips about what happened. He is a Vietnam-era veteran and previous director of the Native Youth Alliance.

Gov't Shutdown Drags On as Dems Reject Trump DACA Proposal, Indigenous Elder and MAGA Hat-Wearing Student Face Off in Viral Video, Protesters Hit the Streets for 3rd Annual Women's March, Special Counsel Rebukes BuzzFeed Claim Trump Told Cohen to Lie to Congress, Sen. Merkley Calls for Probe into DHS Secretary over Family Separation, Afghanistan: Taliban Kill Dozens in Military Base Attack, Syria: Car Bomb Targets Kurds, as Israeli Airstrikes Kill At Least 21, Yemen: Saudi Airstrikes Pound Capital Sana'a, Reports: Shipwrecks in Mediterranean Kill 170 Migrants, Serbia: 10,000+ People Take to the Streets in 8th Week of Anti-Gov't Protests, Venezuela: Military Revolt Suppressed After Sergeant Calls for Gov't Overthrow, Colombia: ELN Claims Responsibility for Attack That Killed 21, Mexico: Journalist Killed After Criticizing Local Mayor, Ghana: Journalist Killed After Lawmaker Calls for His Attack, Judge Convicts "No More Deaths" Volunteers After They Left Water for Migrants, NYC: Martin Luther King Honored at Riverside Church, Trump and VP Pence Visit MLK Memorial for 2 Minutes, Sen. Kamala Harris Announces 2020 Presidential Run, Rep. Tulsi Gabbard Apologizes for Past Anti-LGBTQ Statements, Officer Who Killed Laquan McDonald Sentenced to Over 6 Years in Prison, RCA Records Drops R. Kelly from Label, Oxfam: 26 Wealthiest People Own as Much as World's 3.8 Billion Poorest

As the nation marks 90 years since the birth of Dr. Martin Luther King Jr., we air a rediscovered speech he delivered on December 7, 1964, days before he received the Nobel Peace Prize in Oslo. In a major address in London, King spoke about segregation, the fight for civil rights and his support for Nelson Mandela and the anti-apartheid struggle in South Africa. The speech was recorded by Saul Bernstein, who was working as the European correspondent for Pacifica Radio. Bernstein’s recording was rediscovered by Brian DeShazor, director of the Pacifica Radio Archives.

The United States and allied nations in Latin America are ratcheting up pressure on Venezuela in what appears to be a coordinated effort to remove Venezuelan President Nicolás Maduro from office. Maduro was sworn in last week to a second 6-year term following his victory in last May's election, which was boycotted by the opposition. Days before Maduro was sworn in, opposition figure Juan Guaidó became head of the National Assembly, which soon voted to declare Maduro a "usurper" in an effort to remove him from office. The United States, Brazil and other nations have welcomed the effort. As the political crisis intensifies, Maduro has reached out to the United Nations to help establish a peace dialogue in Venezuela. We speak with Jorge Arreaza, Venezuelan foreign minister. He met with U.N. Secretary-General António Guterres this week.

In Syria, a suicide bomber struck a restaurant in the northern city of Manbij Wednesday, killing 19 people including four Americans. Two of them were U.S. soldiers. The bombing was claimed by ISIS and came just weeks after President Trump declared victory over the group and ordered U.S. troops to withdraw from Syria, prompting the resignation of Pentagon chief Jim Mattis. Just hours after the attack, Vice President Mike Pence reiterated that ISIS has been defeated. Wednesday's attack drew renewed calls from congressional hawks—both Republicans and Democrats—to reverse Trump's Syria withdrawal. The U.S. has an estimated 2,000 troops stationed in Syria, even though Congress has never declared war on the country. We speak with Ro Khanna, Democratic congressmember from California. He is a leading critic of U.S. military interventions abroad.

Watchdog: Trump Admin Vastly Underreported Migrant Family Separations, Trump Grounds Flight of Congressmembers to Visit NATO, Afghanistan, Government Shutdown Threatens Safety Net Programs for Millions, As Shutdown Grinds On, Senate Debates Anti-Abortion Bill, Trump Admin Recalls Workers to Assist in Offshore Oil Projects, BuzzFeed: Trump Ordered Michael Cohen to Lie to Congress, WSJ: Trump Paid Cohen to Rig Polls in Likely Campaign Finance Violation, Colombia: Suicide Car Bomber Kills 21 at Bogotá Police Academy, Sudan: Security Forces Fire on Anti-Government Protesters, U.S. Citizen and Iranian TV News Anchor Marzieh Hashemi Arrested, Brazil: Former Rio de Janeiro Cop Identified as Marielle Franco's Killer, Chicago Judge Acquits 3 Officers in Laquan McDonald Killing, L.A. Teachers' Strike Enters Fifth Day as Oakland Teachers Hold One-Day Strike

Senate confirmation hearings began Wednesday for former coal lobbyist Andrew Wheeler, whom President Trump has nominated to become administrator of the Environmental Protection Agency. Wheeler has been the acting head of the EPA since Scott Pruitt resigned in July amid an onslaught of financial and ethics scandals. We speak with Heather McTeer Toney, national field director for Moms Clean Air Force and former Southeast regional administrator for the Environmental Protection Agency during the Obama administration. We also speak with Mary Anne Hitt, director of the Sierra Club's Beyond Coal campaign.

We look at the widespread impact of the government shutdown on Native American communities, as the Indian Health Service goes understaffed and a federally funded food delivery program to Indian reservations has halted. Democratic members of Congress held a hearing Tuesday on the effects of the shutdown on health, education and employment in Native communities. We speak with Mark Trahant, editor of Indian Country Today and member of the Shoshone-Bannock Tribes.

The longest government shutdown in U.S. history is now on Day 27. As 800,000 workers continue to go without pay, federal employees around the country are rising up to demand an end to the shutdown, which has run public institutions ragged and left hundreds of thousands financially strapped. We speak with Barbara Ehrenreich, author of the best-seller "Nickel and Dimed: On (Not) Getting By in America." She is calling for TSA workers around the country to strike.

Speaker Pelosi to Trump: Cancel or Postpone State of the Union, Federal Employees and Contractors Demand End to Government Shutdown, Trump to Propose Biggest Space-Based Missile Program Since "Star Wars", Andrew Wheeler, at EPA Confirmation Hearing, Downplays Climate Risks, Climate Study Finds Ocean Temperatures Hit Record High in 2018, Syria: Four Americans Among 19 Killed in ISIS Suicide Attack, Zimbabwe: Five Killed as Government Attacks Fuel Hike Protesters, Kenya: Death Toll in al-Shabab Attack on Nairobi Hotel Rises to 21, British PM Theresa May Survives No-Confidence Vote, NYT: Trump Inaugural Committee Took In Record $107 Million, Watchdog Says Regulators Ignored Constitutional Concerns over Trump Hotel, T-Mobile Execs Seeking Merger Approval Bought Stays in Trump Hotel, Trump Attorney No Longer Denying Campaign Colluded with Russia, Michigan State Interim President Resigns over Larry Nassar Comments, L.A. Teachers Return to Bargaining Table on Day 4 of Historic Strike, New York Protest Targets Fracked Gas Power Plant, The Yes Men Target Fossil Fuel Ties of BlackRock Investment Firm, Phony Washington Post Proclaims End to Trump's Presidency

A federal judge in New York City has ruled against the Trump administration's decision to put a citizenship question on the census. In a lengthy opinion, U.S. District Judge Jesse Furman wrote that in deciding to add a citizenship question to the census, U.S. Commerce Secretary Wilbur Ross violated a "veritable smorgasbord" of federal rules and "alternately ignored, cherry-picked, or badly misconstrued the evidence in the record before him." Ross announced the citizenship question in March, touting it as a way to enforce the Voting Rights Act and protect minorities against voter discrimination. Voting rights activists feared the question would deter immigrants from participating in the census, leading to a vast undercount in states with large immigrant communities. That could impact everything from the redrawing of congressional maps to the allocation of federal funding. We speak with David Cole, national legal director of the American Civil Liberties Union, which challenged the addition of the citizenship question.