Democracy Now!

We look at the life and legacy of the founder of black liberation theology, Rev. Dr. James Cone. Starting in the 1960s, he argued for racial justice and interpreted the Christian gospel from the experience of the oppressed. He said he was inspired by Rev. Dr. Martin Luther King Jr., who gave black theology its Christian identity, and Malcolm X, who gave black theology its black identity. Dr. Cone died Saturday at age 79. We play excerpts of his speeches and speak with Rev. Dr. Serene Jones, president of Union Theological Seminary, where Dr. Cone taught for 50 years; Rev. Dr. Kelly Brown Douglas, dean of the Episcopal Divinity School and professor at Union Theological Seminary and a former student of Dr. Cone; and another former student of Dr. Cone, Reverend Dr. Raphael Warnock, who serves as senior pastor of the Ebenezer Baptist Church, which was the spiritual home of Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. He is also the chair of the New Georgia Project, author of "The Divided Mind of the Black Church: Theology, Piety, and Public Witness," and on the board of Union Theological Seminary.

North Korean leader Kim Jong-un has pledged to abandon his nuclear weapons if the United States agrees to formally end the Korean War and promises not to invade his country. The announcement came after a historic meeting Friday between Kim and South Korean leader Moon Jae-in in the truce village of Panmunjom. Then, on Sunday, North Korea's state media said Kim had vowed to immediately suspend nuclear and missile tests, and would dismantle its Punggye-ri Nuclear Test Site. We discuss the potentially historic developments with Tim Shorrock, correspondent for The Nation and the Korea Center for Investigative Journalism in Seoul.

North Korea Pledges to Abandon Nuclear Arms If U.S. Agrees Not to Invade, 8 Journalists, Including Famed Photographer, Killed in ISIS Bombing in Afghanistan, Israeli Soldiers Kill 7 Palestinians in Gaza over the Weekend, Trump Admin Moves to Freeze Fuel-Efficiency Standards for Cars, John Bolton: Trump Has Not Yet Decided Whether to Withdraw from Iran Nuclear Deal, Parkland Students Cry Hypocrisy After Guns Are Banned for Pence's NRA Address, In Campaign-Style Rally in Michigan, Trump Attacks Migrants, Media, Democrats & FBI, Dr. Ronny Jackson Will Not Return to His Role as White House Physician, Migrant Caravan Attacked by Trump Arrives at U.S. Border to Seek Political Asylum, British Home Secretary Resigns Amid Scandal over Deportation of Windrush Generation, Arizona Teachers Continue Strike into Third Day, Sprint & T-Mobile Agree to $26.5 Billion Merger, Former Black Panther Herman Bell Freed from Prison, Dr. James Cone, Founder of Black Liberation Theology, Dies at Age 79

The U.S. Supreme Court looks poised to uphold President Trump’s travel ban, which blocks most people from seven countries—including Iran, Libya, Somalia, Syria and Yemen—from entering the United States. During oral arguments on Wednesday, Justice Anthony Kennedy appeared to side with the conservative side of the court. Lower courts have repeatedly ruled against versions of Trump’s travel ban, saying they were unconstitutional and in violation of federal immigration law. Among those who have asked the Supreme Court to rule the travel ban unconstitutional are the children of Japanese Americans who were interned during World War II.Joining us now is one of those children: Karen Korematsu, daughter of civil rights icon Fred Korematsu, who was jailed for refusing orders to be sent to an internment camp set up for U.S. residents of Japanese ancestry. His case went all the way to the Supreme Court. Last year Karen Korematsu wrote an op-ed for The Washington Post headlined "My father resisted Japanese internment. Trump’s travel ban is just as unfair." For more, we speak with Karen Korematsu, founder and executive director of the Fred T. Korematsu Institute.

Environmental Protection Agency Administrator Scott Pruitt was grilled by lawmakers Thursday on Capitol Hill about a slew of scandals over his spending habits and ties to industry lobbyists. Pruitt faces more than a half-dozen investigations. Among the scandals, he paid only $50 a night to live in a Capitol Hill condo owned by the wife of a prominent Washington energy lobbyist whose firm represents a roster of fossil fuel companies. Pruitt had a $43,000 soundproof phone booth installed in his office, which a government watchdog says violated spending laws. Pruitt had the EPA spend $3 million on his security detail, including 18 full-time agents. Pruitt routinely travels first- or business-class, reportedly because Pruitt was confronted by economy-class customers angry over his policies. For more, we speak with Emily Atkin, a staff writer at The New Republic. Her latest pieces include "Scott Pruitt Is Forced to Confront Reality" and "The EPA Is Acting Like Big Tobacco." We also speak with Michael Brune, the executive director of the Sierra Club.

History has been made on the Korean Peninsula today, as South Korean President Moon Jae-in and North Korean leader Kim Jong-un shook hands at the Demilitarized Zone between the two countries and pledged to work to denuclearize the peninsula and to declare the official end to the Korean War. Today's historic summit marks the first time a North Korean leader has ever set foot inside South Korea. During the meeting, North Korean leader Kim Jong-un said, "I came here to put an end to the history of confrontation." The North and South Korean leaders pledged to pursue talks with the United States aimed at negotiating a formal peace treaty to replace the uneasy 1953 armistice. For more, we speak with Ann Wright, retired U.S. Army colonel and former State Department diplomat. She is a member of Women Cross DMZ, a group of international peacemakers who have been calling for an end to the Korean War.

In Historic Move, North & South Korean Leaders Meet at DMZ and Commit to Peace, On Capitol Hill, Lawmakers Call on Scott Pruitt to Resign over Slew of Scandals, Senate Confirms Mike Pompeo as Secretary of State, Newly Released Docs Detail CIA Nominee Gina Haspel’s Torture Record, Jury Convicts Bill Cosby Guilty on 3 Sexual Assault Charges, NBC Anchor Tom Brokaw Accused of Sexual Harassment, Thousands Protest in Spain After Court Clears Men of 2016 Gang Rape, Thousands of Arizona & Colorado Teachers Strike to Protest Cuts to Education Funding, In Rambling Interview, Trump Admits Cohen Represented Him in Stormy Daniels Payment, NYC: 14 Jewish Activists Arrested at Schumer's Office over Israel's Killing of Palestinian Protesters, Wisconsin: Tens of Thousands Forced to Evacuate After Refinery Explosion, Editorial Board of Montgomery Advertiser Apologies for Past Coverage of Lynching

Aid agencies are scrambling to relocate tens of thousands of Rohingya refugees from crowded camps in Bangladesh ahead of the monsoon season in June. Hundreds of thousands of registered Rohingya refugees now live in the Cox's Bazar district in southeastern Bangladesh after fleeing a Burmese military campaign of rape, murder and arson that the U.N. has called a “textbook example of ethnic cleansing." Now the United Nations High Commissioner for Refugees says at least 150,000 people are at "high risk from mudslides and floods" from the heavy rain in the next few months. Some could be moved to a recently formed island at the mouth of the Meghna River. This comes as more refugees are still crossing over from Burma. We are joined in our New York studio by Tun Khin, President of the Burmese Rohingya Organisation UK and a member of the Free Rohingya Coalition. He was born in Burma, but in 1982 he was rendered effectively stateless along with a million other ethnic Rohingya under a nationality law.

A new exposé by The Intercept confirms how powerful Democratic officials have worked to crush competitive progressive candidates in primaries around the country, choosing instead to back moderate, business-friendly candidates. This comes after President Obama used his farewell address to encourage Americans upset about the outcome of the 2016 election to take action by running for office themselves. We speak with Levi Tillemann, a Colorado man who heeded Obama's call and found himself disappointed by the process, after he was repeatedly pressured by powerful Democrats not to run. In fact, he recorded a conversation in which he was directly told to drop out of the Democratic primary for Colorado's sixth Congressional district by none other than the second-ranking House Democrat, Representative Steny Hoyer of Maryland. We go to Denver to speak with Levi Tillemann, a candidate in Colorado's Democratic primary for the 6th Congressional District, which includes Denver. He is featured in the new exposé by Lee Fang, investigative journalist at The Intercept, "Secretly Taped Audio Reveals Democratic Official Pressuring Progressive to Bow Out of Election.”

During Wednesday's oral arguments over President Trump's travel ban at the Supreme Court, attorney Neal Katyal made reference to how the ban has blocked a U.S. citizen named Nageeb al-Omari. Al-Omari has been prevented from bringing his 10-year-old daughter to the United States to receive medical care for cerebral palsy. The family's story was featured in a new Al Jazeera Fault Lines "documentary":https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=324k9qPkU0I, "Between War and the Ban: A Yemeni-American Story." We air an excerpt of the documentary and speak with two attorneys fighting the travel ban.

The U.S. Supreme Court looks poised to uphold President Trump’s travel ban, which blocks most people from seven countries—including Iran, Libya, Somalia, Syria, and Yemen—from entering the United States. During oral arguments on Wednesday, Justice Anthony Kennedy, who is often seen as a swing vote, appeared to side with the conservative wing of the court. U.S. solicitor general Noel Francisco argued the travel restrictions were not a “so-called Muslim ban” and that the order fell within the president’s executive authority. Francisco made the claim even though Trump campaigned for president calling for a "total and complete shutdown of Muslims entering the United States.” Lower courts have repeatedly ruled against versions of Trump’s travel ban, saying they were unconstitutional and in violation of federal immigration law. We are joined by Lee Gelernt, deputy director of the ACLU's national Immigrants' Rights Project, who presented the first challenge to President Trump's travel ban order last year, and Diala Shamas, a staff attorney at the Center for Constitutional Rights. She was in Djibouti last month speaking to Yemeni relatives of U.S. citizens attempting to come to the United States under Trump's travel ban.

Supreme Court Justices Suggest They'll Allow Trump Travel Ban, U.S. Cancels Protected Status for Nepali Immigrants on Earthquake Anniversary, Veterans Affairs Nominee Ronny Jackson Withdraws Amid Misconduct Claims, EPA Chief Scott Pruitt to Face Lawmakers' Questions About Ethics Scandals, Trump Attorney Michael Cohen to Take the Fifth in Stormy Daniels Lawsuit, French President Blasts Trump's Policies in Address to U.S. Congress, Second Palestinian Journalist Shot Dead by Israeli Forces in Gaza, Afghan Journalist Abdul Manan Arghand Assassinated in Kandahar, Japan: Okinawans Protest Construction of U.S. Military Base, HUD Chief Ben Carson's Bill Would Triple Poorest Tenants' Rents, California Police Say They've Captured the "Golden State Killer", Philippines Activist Denied U.S. Entry, Claims Torture in CBP Custody, New Alabama Memorial Is Dedicated to Victims of White Supremacy

Immigrant rights and reproductive justice activist Alejandra Pablos has been freed from the for-profit Eloy Detention Center, where she was detained for more than 40 days after she reported to a routine ICE check-in on March 7. Advocates say she was detained in retaliation for her activism, particularly for protesting outside the Homeland Security Department office in Virginia earlier this year. Pablos works for the National Latina Institute for Reproductive Health. Pablos was a legal permanent resident who grew up in Arizona, but a conviction for driving under the influence nearly a decade ago has made her subject to deportation.

According to reporting by Rewire.News, Catholic hospitals across the country are imposing dangerous and life-threatening mandates on their patients, including requiring fetal burial after a miscarriage and restricting access to contraception, abortion, fertility treatments and gender-affirming care for transgender patients. And now, right-wing politicians like Vice President Mike Pence are pushing to enshrine these dangerous practices into law. For more, we speak with Rewire investigative journalist Amy Littlefield.

Last week, a U.S. appeals court declared unconstitutional an Indiana law signed by then-Governor, now Vice President, Mike Pence, that requires fetuses to be buried or cremated. This comes as Texas passed a law last year saying all fetal remains had to be buried or cremated, and also banned donation of that tissue for research purposes. In January, U.S. District Judge David Alan Ezra temporarily halted the fetal remains law, but Texas Attorney General Ken Paxton has vowed to continue fighting for it. For more, we speak with Blake Norton, who had a miscarriage in 2015 at the Seton Medical Center in Austin, Texas, and was forced to choose whether she would let the hospital bury the remains in a shared grave, or arrange for a "private burial" at her own expense. We're also joined by Texas Observer reporter Sophie Novack, whose cover story about Blake Norton is headlined "Indoctrinated: A Catholic hospital in Austin forces patients who miscarry to consent to fetal burials. For one woman, that made a painful loss even worse—and she worries it could soon become routine across Texas."

President Trump threatened to attack Iran on Tuesday if it restarts its nuclear weapons program, while at the same time hinting he plans to scrap the international deal to prevent Iran from obtaining nuclear arms. Trump made his comments at the White House during a meeting with French President Emmanuel Macron, who had come to Washington in an attempt to preserve the Iran deal. Trump must decide by May 12 whether the U.S. should stay in the deal. Macron said he opposes throwing out the existing nuclear deal but is open to a new agreement with Iran to address Iran's role in Syria and other issues. But advocates say Trump is likely to leave the deal and that the U.S. is trying to force Iran to be the party that ends up leaving the accord—and that Trump's National Security Adviser John Bolton and State Department Secretary nominee Mike Pompeo aren't "seriously interested" in further negotiations. "I think the United States has never abandoned the idea of regime change in Iran," says Jamal Abdi, the vice president for policy at the National Iranian American Council.

Federal Judge: U.S. Must Continue DACA Program, Lawmakers Suspend Confirmation Hearing for VA Secretary Nominee Ronny Jackson, CFPB Interim Head Mick Mulvaney to Bankers: I Only Met with Lobbyists Who Gave Me Money, U.N. Warns of Impending Humanitarian Catastrophe in Idlib, Syria, Amnesty: Iraqi Women with Perceived Ties to ISIS Face "Collective Punishment", Israel Scraps Plans to Forcibly Deport or Imprison 30,000 African Asylum Seekers, Mexico: Hundreds Protest Disappearance and Murder of 3 University Students, South Africa: Unions Call for Nationwide Strike to Protest Proposed Minimum Wage, New York City: ICE Arrests 225 People in 6-Day Raid, Judge in Spokane Blocks Trump from Defunding Planned Parenthood Program, Arizona: Republican Debbie Lesko Beats Out Democratic Challenger for U.S. House Seat, Columbia University Graduate Students Strike to Demand Right to Unionize, Rapper Meek Mill Freed from Prison in Pennsylvania

Immigrants rights activists are demanding the release of Manuel Duran, a prominent Latino journalist in Memphis who has been in ICE custody since early April. Duran was detained by immigration officials after he was arrested while covering a protest against immigrant detention outside a county jail. Duran, who was born in El Salvador, is a well-known reporter on Spanish radio stations in Memphis. He also runs the online site Memphis Noticias. Duran issued a statement while detained about the conditions in the LaSalle Detention Center in Jena, Louisiana, where he is being held. He writes, "Through this experience I have learned first hand details about the treatment our immigrants receive before they are deported. How they keep the lights on day and night and you have to sleep with a towel over your eyes. How they make you lie in bed for 45 minutes, in what seems to be at random after roll calling, and you cannot use the phone or the bathroom during that time."

A new Politico cover story reveals how an ABC journalist named Lisa Howard conducted a secret liaison with Cuba's Fidel Castro, eventually establishing a secret back channel between Castro's office and the White House. For more, we speak with Peter Kornbluh, who directs the Cuba Documentation Project at the National Security Archive at George Washington University, and who wrote the piece in Politico, "'My Dearest Fidel': An ABC Journalist's Secret Liaison with Fidel Castro."

For the first time since the Cuban revolution toppled dictator Fulgencio Batista, a president who does not have the last name Castro has taken power. Miguel Díaz-Canel was sworn in as president last Thursday. He succeeds Raúl Castro, who served two consecutive 5-year terms in office. Castro is now 86 years old and will remain head of the Communist Party. Fidel Castro handed over power to his brother Raúl in 2008 while his health deteriorated, and died in 2016. Thursday's session was held on the 57th anniversary of Cuba's 1961 defeat of a CIA-backed Cuban exile invasion known as the Bay of Pigs. Díaz-Canel began his term with a promise to defend the socialist revolution led by the Castro brothers. We speak to Peter Kornbluh, who directs the Cuba Documentation Project at the National Security Archive at George Washington University.

At least 20 people died Sunday when a Saudi-led coalition airstrike hit a wedding party in northern Yemen. Most of the dead were reportedly women and children who were gathered in one of the wedding party tents. The bride was among the dead. Medics and residents said more than 46 others—including 30 children—were also injured. The attack on the Yemeni wedding party was one of at least three airstrikes over the weekend that killed Yemeni civilians. A family of five died in an airstrike in the province of Hajjah. And 20 civilians died on Saturday when fighter jets bombed a bus near the city of Taiz. Earlier this month, U.N. Secretary-General António Guterres said Yemen had become the world's worst humanitarian crisis. We speak to Shireen Al-Adeimi, a Yemeni doctoral candidate at Harvard University.

Yemen: U.S.-Backed, Saudi-Led Airstrike Kills At Least 20 at Wedding, Toronto Driver Plows into Pedestrians, Killing 10 and Injuring 15, Suspected Gunman in Waffle House Massacre Arraigned on Murder Charges, Senate Committee Recommends Mike Pompeo for Secretary of State, 109 Retired Military Leaders Oppose Gina Haspel to Head CIA, Veterans Affairs Nomination in Doubt over Alleged "Improper Conduct", Trumps Welcome French President Macron for Official State Visit, French Parliament Advances Immigration Bill Restricting Asylum Seekers, Greece: Neo-Nazis Attack Peaceful Demonstration of Asylum Seekers, White House Defends Trump Tweet Condemned as Racist Toward Immigrants, Tucson, AZ: Murder Acquittal for Border Agent Who Shot Mexican Teen, Armenia: Prime Minister Serzh Sargsyan Resigns Amid Mass Protests, George H. W. Bush Hospitalized One Day After Barbara Bush's Funeral

Fifty years ago today, on April 23, 1968, hundreds of students at Columbia University in New York started a revolt on campus. They occupied five buildings, including the president's office in Low Library, then students barricaded themselves inside the buildings for days. They were protesting Columbia's ties to military research and plans to build a university gymnasium in a public park in Harlem. The protests began less than three weeks after the assassination of Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. The 1968 Columbia uprising led to one of the largest mass arrests in New York City history—more than 700 people arrested on April 30. It also inspired student protests across the country. Today, we spend the hour looking back at this pivotal moment. We are joined by Raymond Brown, former leader of the Student Afro-American Society; Nancy Biberman, a Barnard College student who joined the protests as a member of Students for Democratic Society; Mark Rudd, chair of the Columbia University chapter of SDS during the student strike; Juan González, _Democracy Now!_ co-host who was a Columbia student and strike organizer; and Paul Cronin, editor of the new book "A Time to Stir: Columbia '68." We also feature excerpts from the 1968 documentary "Columbia Revolt" by Third World Newsreel.

North Korea to Freeze Nuclear Tests Ahead of Trump Summit, French President Macron in U.S. for Three-Day State Visit, Manhunt Underway for Tennessee Shooter Who Killed 4 People of Color, Afghanistan: Suicide Bomb Kills 57, Injures 119 at Voter ID Center, Israeli Snipers Kill 4 More Palestinians at Gaza's Militarized Border, Palestinian Engineer Assassinated in Malaysia; Family Blames Mossad, Syrian Military Bombards Last Opposition-Held Areas Around Damascus, Nicaraguan President Scraps Pension Rollback as Protest Death Toll Hits 26, Peru: Assassinated Forest Defender Olivia Arévalo Lomas Laid to Rest, Armenia: Thousands Protest Power Grab by Leader Serzh Sargsyan, Arizona Teachers Authorize a Strike, Demanding Public Education Funds, Harvard Student Teaching Assistants Vote to Unionize, Climate Denier Jim Bridenstine Narrowly Confirmed as NASA Chief, HSBC Pledges to Roll Back Financing of Fossil Fuel Projects, Women Claim 5 of 6 Goldman Environmental Prizes for 2018, Georgia: Police Arrest 10 Anti-Fascist Protesters as Neo-Nazis Rally, Herman Bell Set to Be Freed on Parole After 45 Years in Prison, Colin Kaepernick Wins Amnesty's Ambassador of Conscience Award

This Sunday more than a billion people will celebrate Earth Day. This year's theme: ending plastic pollution by Earth Day 2020. Of the nearly 300 million tons of plastic sold each year, about 90 percent ends up in landfills, in the oceans—and in our bodies. Part of the focus will be microplastics, those small bits of plastic that are seemingly everywhere. We speak to Marcus Eriksen of the 5 Gyres Institute, who has led 20 expeditions around the world to research plastic marine pollution, and Priscilla Villa of the #BreakFreeFromPlastics movement.

The imprisonment of former Brazilian President Luiz Inácio Lula da Silva has shaken up this year's presidential election. Lula is the front-runner but will likely be barred from running if he is not released from prison. Polling second is the far-right former military captain Jair Bolsonaro. We speak to former Brazilian President Dilma Rousseff about the rise of the far right and the recent assassination of Brazilian human rights activist and Rio City Councilmember Marielle Franco.

Protests are continuing in Brazil over the imprisonment of former President Luiz Inácio Lula da Silva. Two weeks ago, Lula began serving a 12-year prison sentence for a highly controversial corruption conviction. Lula had been the front-runner in this year's presidential election. His supporters say his jailing is a continuation of a coup that began in 2016, when his close ally, Dilma Rousseff, was impeached as president. Both Lula and Rousseff are members of the left-leaning Workers' Party, which has been credited with lifting tens of millions of Brazilians out of poverty since Lula was first elected in 2003. Last month, Lula spoke on Democracy Now! in one of his final TV interviews before being jailed. Earlier this week, Lula was dealt another setback when Brazil's Fourth Federal Regional Court denied Lula's latest appeal. Meanwhile, hundreds of Lula supporters have set up an encampment outside the prison where Lula is being held in the the southern city of Curitiba. We speak to former Brazilian President Dilma Rousseff. Her impeachment in 2016 ended nearly 14 years of rule by the Workers' Party. Rousseff is a former political prisoner who took part in the underground resistance to the U.S.-backed Brazilian dictatorship in the 1960s. She was jailed from 1970 to 1972, during which time she was repeatedly tortured. She was elected president in 2010 and re-elected in 2014.

Released Comey Memos Show Trump Distracted by Rivalries, Fear, Rudy Giuliani to Join Trump's Legal Team, Nationwide Student Walkout Marks 19th Anniversary of Columbine Massacre, Dick's Sporting Goods to Destroy Assault-Style Rifles It Didn't Sell, Trump Admin Moves to Open Arctic National Wildlife Refuge for Oil Drilling, Trump Admin Aims to Expand Sale of Armed Drones Globally, GOP Voter Suppression Architect Kris Kobach Found in Contempt of Court, Cuba: Outgoing President Raúl Castro Gives Final Speech at National Assembly, Nicaragua: Thousands Protest New Pension Plan, 4 Reported Dead, Chile: Massive Student Mobilization Protests Privatization of Education, Detroit Threatens to Shut Off Water at 17,000 Homes for People $150 Behind on Bills, Wells Fargo to Be Hit with $1 Billion Fine over Financial Crimes, Natalie Portman Refuses to Go to Israel to Accept Award over "Recent Events", Reproductive Justice Activist Alejandra Pablos Freed from ICE Detention

Tuesday marked the end of the inaugural Black Maternal Health Week, a campaign founded and led by the Black Mamas Matter Alliance. The effort was launched to build awareness and activism around the state of black maternal health in the U.S. The United States ranks 32 out of the 35 wealthiest nations in infant mortality. Black infants are now more than twice as likely to die as white infants, a disparity greater than existed in 1850, 15 years before slavery ended. Each year, an estimated 700 to 900 maternal deaths occur in the U.S., which is one of only 13 countries in the world where the rate of maternal mortality is worse than it was 25 years ago. And according to the Centers for Disease Control, black women are three to four times as likely to die from pregnancy-related causes as their white counterparts. These statistics were reported in a powerful new investigation in The New York Times Magazine, "Why America's Black Mothers and Babies Are in a Life-or-Death Crisis." Even more shocking is that, according to the report and contrary to widely accepted research, education and income offer little protection. The answer to the disparity in death rates has everything to do with the lived experience of being a black woman in America. We speak to New York Times Magazine contributing writer Linda Villarosa, who directs the journalism program at the City College of New York.

As President Trump continues to refuse to close the U.S. military prison at Guantánamo, we speak to a former prisoner at the camp—Moazzam Begg. He was held in extrajudicial detention by the U.S. government from 2002 to 2005, first in Kandahar, then at Bagram Air Base, for approximately a year before being transferred to Guantánamo.

Columbia professor Rashid Khalidi discusses how the war in Syria in has become a proxy war with a number of nations involved, including Russia, Iran, the United States, Israel, Turkey and the Gulf States.

In Syria, international chemical weapons inspectors are still attempting to enter the town of Douma, where an alleged chemical gas attack killed dozens of people earlier this month. Inspectors with the Organization for the Prohibition of Chemical Weapons arrived in Damascus on Saturday but have been unable to reach Douma and have accused Syrian and Russian authorities of blocking access to the town. On Friday, the United States, France and Britain carried out airstrikes against two chemical weapons storage facilities and a research center in Syria. In response to the U.S.-led strikes, Russia announced it may supply Syria with a state-of-the-art air defense system—a move likely to anger the United States and Israel. Israel has carried out more than 150 bombing raids in Syria since 2011. Just last week Israel bombed an Iranian air-defense system at a Syrian base. We go to London to speak with Moazzam Begg. He is a former Guantánamo detainee. He was held in extrajudicial detention by the U.S. government from 2002-2005, first in Kandahar then at Bagram airbase for approximately a year before being transferred to Guantánamo. In 2011 and 2012 Begg made several trips to Syria to investigate reports of U.S. and U.K. rendition operations and to interview former prisoners of the Assad regime. Begg works as outreach director at the London-based organization CAGE, which advocates on behalf of victims of the War on Terror.

Palestinian protests against the Israeli occupation are continuing this week as Israel begins to mark the country’s 70th anniversary of its founding in 1948. According to the Palestinian Ministry of Health in Gaza, Israeli forces have killed 33 Palestinian protesters over the past three weeks since the "Great March of Return" protests began to commemorate the mass expulsion of Palestinians during Israel’s establishment. Palestinian authorities estimate nearly 4,300 Palestinians have been injured in the peaceful protests—many were shot with live ammunition or rubber-coated steel bullets. Gaza authorities have also accused Israel of deliberately targeting journalists and medics. Since the protests began, one journalist—Yaser Murtaja—was killed, and 66 journalists were injured. In addition, 44 medics have been wounded, and 19 ambulances were reportedly targeted. The protest marches are set to last to until May 15, recognized as the official Israeli Independence Day. Palestinians mark the date as Nakba Day, or "Day of the Catastrophe." For more we're joined by Rashid Khalidi, Edward Said Professor of Arab Studies at Columbia University. He's the author of several books, his most recent is titled “Brokers of Deceit: How the U.S. Has Undermined Peace in the Middle East.”

Trump Says He's Prepared to Abandon North Korea Summit if Talks "Fruitless", Trump Won't Say Whether He'll Fire Special Counsel Mueller, Pittsburgh Police Preparing for Riots If Trump Fires Robert Mueller, Senate Votes Against Rule on Predatory Car Loans for People of Color, Senate to Allow Breastfeeding Mothers to Bring Infants to Chamber Floor, Puerto Rico: 1.4 Million Lose Electric Power in Island-Wide Blackout, Syria: U.N. Chemical Weapons Team Comes Under Fire, Delays Inspections, Palestinian Security Forces Arrest West Bank Journalist, Cuba: Miguel Díaz-Canel to Become President as Raúl Castro Steps Down, Kansas: Militia Members Convicted of Plot to Massacre Somali Immigrants, FBI Whistleblower Convicted of Leaking Documents in "Act of Conscience", Georgia: Immigrants Sue For-Profit Prison, Alleging Forced Labor, New York State to Restore Voting Rights to Those With Felonies on Parole, Poland: EU Court Orders a Halt to Logging in Pristine Forest, Canadian PM Trudeau Faced With Pipeline Protest in London

An environmental activist and young black mother in Detroit may be forced to give birth behind bars, after standing her ground during a frightening encounter. Since she was 15 years old, Siwatu-Salama Ra has fought for environmental justice. She campaigned against the Marathon oil refinery and the Detroit Renewable Power trash incinerator. She represented Detroit at the Paris climate summit. She's also worked to engage kids and educate young mothers about nutrition. Now, at age 26, Siwatu has been sentenced to a mandatory two years in prison, following an incident in which she brandished her unloaded—and legally registered—handgun while defending her mother and 2-year-old daughter. She was sentenced last month to two years in prison even though she is scheduled to give birth in June. We speak to two of her attorneys and Patrisse Khan-Cullors, co-founder of Black Lives Matter.

A new exposé by Reuters reveals how the Trump administration plans to make the U.S. an even larger weapons exporter by loosening restrictions on the sale of equipment ranging from fighter jets and drones to warships and artillery. Reuters reveals that the new initiative will provide guidelines that could allow more countries to be granted faster deal approvals, and will call on Cabinet officials to help close deals between foreign governments and U.S. defense contractors. In one example, Reuters reveals President Trump himself urged the emir of Kuwait, in a telephone call, to finalize a $10 billion fighter jet deal with Boeing, the country's second-largest defense contractor. The exposé details the role U.S. Cabinet officials may be asked to play in pushing arms exports abroad as part of the new initiative, which will call for a "whole of government" approach—from the president and his Cabinet to military attachés and diplomats—to help draw in billions of dollars more in arms business overseas. The Trump administration is expected to announce the new rules as early as Thursday. We speak to Mike Stone of Reuters and William Hartung, director of the Arms and Security Project at the Center for International Policy.

The New York Times is reporting President Trump launched airstrikes against Syria on Friday despite opposition from his own defense secretary, James Mattis, who wanted Trump to first get congressional approval. Meanwhile, a number of lawmakers have described the strikes on Syria as illegal since Trump did not seek congressional input or authorization.This comes as Congress is considering rewriting the war powers granted to the president after the September 11 attacks—what's known as the AUMF, or Authorization for Use of Military Force. On September 14, 2001, the current AUMF passed the Senate 98-0 and 420-1 in the House, with California Democrat Barbara Lee casting the sole dissenting vote. Since then, it's been used by Presidents Bush, Obama and Trump to justify at least 37 military operations in 14 countries—many of which were entirely unrelated to 9/11. On Monday, Senate Foreign Relations Committee Chair Bob Corker, a Tennessee Republican, and Democratic committee member Tim Kaine of Virginia introduced legislation to replace the AUMFs with a new one. Corker and Kaine claim their legislation would strengthen congressional oversight. But critics, including the American Civil Liberties Union, warn the proposed legislation would actually expand the authority of President Trump and all future presidents to engage in worldwide war without limitations. For more, we're joined by Faiz Shakir, national political director for the ACLU.

Pompeo Held Clandestine Meeting with Kim Jong-un, Congress Considers Rewriting the Post-9/11 Authorization for Use of Military Force, Nikki Haley to White House on Russia Sanctions: "I Don't Get Confused", In 5-4 Vote, Supreme Court Strikes Down Law Mandating Deportation for Some Crimes, Cuba: President Raúl Castro Stepping Down from Power, Starbucks to Close More Than 8,000 Stores for 1-Day Anti-Racial Bias Training, NYC Removes Statue of Gynecologist Who Experimented on Enslaved Black Women, Activists Fundraise to Erect Ida B. Wells Monument in Chicago, Graduate Students at Harvard, Northeastern, Columbia Demand Right to Form a Union, Former First Lady Barbara Bush Dies at 92

On Monday, rapper Kendrick Lamar became the first non-classical or jazz musician to ever win a Pulitzer Prize for Music. Lamar has topped the charts with music that tackles issues of race, politics, religion and even mental health. The Pulitzer follows the five Grammy Awards won by Lamar in January for "DAMN.," his fourth studio album. His previous album, "To Pimp a Butterfly," also won five Grammys. Lamar recently produced and curated the soundtrack for the "Black Panther" film to critical acclaim. We speak to a high school teacher in New Jersey who uses Lamar's recordings in his classroom.

At least seven prisoners died and 17 were seriously injured after bloody violence broke out Sunday night at a maximum security prison in South Carolina. It was the deadliest prison riot in the United States in 25 years. A coroner said all of the prisoners were stabbed, slashed or beaten. Six of the seven were African-American. No guards were hurt. In total, at least 20 prisoners have been killed by fellow prisoners in South Carolina since the start of 2017. One investigation found the number killed across the state's prisons had quadrupled from 2015 to 2017. The state's prison agency has also been hit with several lawsuits that outline a "long history of violence" and allege sometimes the violence is "encouraged" by guards. We speak with Pulitzer Prize-winning journalist Heather Ann Thompson, who wrote "Blood in the Water: The Attica Prison Uprising of 1971 and Its Legacy."

In a potentially major setback for President Trump, a federal judge has rejected efforts from the president to be given first access to documents seized by the FBI last week during raids on the properties of Trump's personal attorney Michael Cohen, who is being investigated for possible bank and wire fraud. Monday's court hearing pitted the president against his own Justice Department. Assistant U.S. Attorney Thomas McKay urged the judge to reject the president's request. McKay said, "Just because he has a powerful client doesn't mean he should get special treatment." The FBI seized 10 boxes of documents and as many as a dozen electronic devices from Cohen. According to press accounts, the Trump administration now views the probe into Cohen as a more serious threat to the president than special counsel Robert Mueller's investigation. Meanwhile, on Monday, Cohen's attorneys were forced to reveal Fox News host Sean Hannity was also one of Cohen's other legal clients. Just last week, Hannity slammed the FBI for raiding Cohen's office and home, but he never disclosed his ties to Cohen. We speak to Marcy Wheeler, independent journalist who covers national security and civil liberties. She runs the website EmptyWheel.net.

Theresa May & Emmanuel Macron Face Backlash over Military Strikes on Syria, U.S. & U.K. Issue Joint Warning About Risks of Russian Cyberattacks, Judge Rejects Trump's Efforts to Have First Access to Cohen Docs Seized by FBI, Watchdog Rules EPA Broke Law with $43,000 Soundproof Phone Booth, Philadelphia: Protesters Shut Down Starbucks over Racial Discrimination, Trudeau Continues to Back Controversial Kinder Morgan Oil Pipeline, Nina Simone & Sister Rosetta Tharpe Inducted into Rock and Roll Hall of Fame, Beyoncé Rocks Coachella with Historic Performance Celebrating Black Culture, Kendrick Lamar Wins Historic Pulitzer Prize for Music

Police officers responding to a 911 call shot dead an unarmed, mentally troubled African-American man on a street corner in Brooklyn on April 5. At the time of his death, Saheed Vassell was holding a metal pipe that police say they mistook for a gun. The NYPD said four officers—three in plainclothes and one uniformed—fired 10 rounds at Vassell, a Jamaican immigrant. None of the officers who opened fire were wearing body cameras. The Vassell family is now calling for the release of all unedited video from the area leading up to and during the shooting. We are joined by Saheed Vassell's parents, Lorna and Eric Vassell.

Palestinians gathered at the Israeli-Gaza border for a third Friday in a row as part of the ongoing "Great March of Return" protests. Paramedics say at least 30 Palestinians were injured by Israeli soldiers during Friday's protest. Israeli soldiers have killed at least 34 Palestinians since the wave of protests against Israel's occupation began on March 30. We get response from Ramah Kudaimi, director of grassroots organizing at US Campaign for Palestinian Rights. She is also a member of the Syrian Solidarity Collective and on the National Committee of the War Resisters League. She calls for the U.S. to end its military support for Israel, and argues that Palestinian rights cannot be separated from U.S. actions in the region.

On Friday, the U.S., U.K. and France launched coordinated military strikes in response to an alleged chemical weapons attack in Douma, Syria, over a week ago. The attack has not yet been independently investigated. The U.S. has blamed the Assad government for the alleged attack. On Sunday, United Nations chemical weapons investigators began examining the scene of the alleged attack, which came amid a brutal campaign by the Syrian government to retake the rebel-held district of Eastern Ghouta outside the capital Damascus. We get response from perhaps the most famous whistleblower of the Iraq War, Chelsea Manning, who is now a network security specialist and advocate for government transparency and queer and transgender rights. She spent seven years in military prison after leaking a trove of documents about the Iraq and Afghan wars and the State Department to WikiLeaks in 2010 and is now running for the U.S. Senate. We also speak with Ramah Kudaimi, a Syrian-American activist who is a member of the Syrian Solidarity Collective and on the National Committee of the War Resisters League.

The United States is expected to introduce new sanctions against Russian companies with links to Syrian leader Bashar al-Assad, following the coordinated U.S., British and French military strikes against two alleged chemical weapons storage facilities and a research center in Syria on Friday night. Trump hailed the military strikes a success and declared in a tweet, "Mission Accomplished!" The military strikes came in response to an alleged chemical weapons attack in Douma over a week ago. "The United States has claimed, proclaimed that it wants to see and support the Syrian people's revolution," says our guest Ramah Kudaimi, "but in fact has really intervened in ways that have strengthened the [Syrian] regime." Kudaimi is a Syrian-American activist, a member of the Syrian Solidarity Collective, and is on the National Committee of the War Resisters League.

U.S. Threatens Sanctions Against Russia After Military Strike Against Syria, Nikki Haley Defends Trump's Refugee Ban, Claiming Syrians Don't Want to Come to U.S., James Comey: Trump Is Not Morally Fit to Be President, Michael Cohen Faces New Scrutiny About Trip to Prague & Broidy's Affair Payoff, Afghanistan: 26 Government Officers Killed in String of Attacks, Nationwide Protests in India Denounce Rape & Murder of Muslim Girl, Palestinians Gather at Israeli-Gaza Border in Latest "Great March of Return" Protests, Ecuador Accuses Colombian Rebel Group of Killing 2 Journalists and Driver, Salvadoran Journalist Karla Lisseth Turcios Murdered, Hundreds of Thousands Protest in Barcelona to Demand Freedom for Catalan Leaders, Protests at Philadelphia Starbucks After Viral Video of Cops Arresting 2 Black Men Inside Store, Hundreds of Denver Teachers Join Teachers' Protests Sweeping Nation, South Carolina: At Least 7 Prisoners Dead After Uprising at Lee Correctional Institution, Alabama: Black Teen Sentenced to 30 Years in Prison for a Murder Committed by Cop, Lawyer Self-Immolates in Prospect Park, Brooklyn, as Protest Against Climate Change, Tens of Thousands Gather in South Africa for Funeral of Winnie Madikizela-Mandela

A new project called the Eviction Lab examined more than 80 million eviction records going back to 2000 and found that in 2016 alone there were nearly four evictions filed every minute. More than 6,300 Americans are evicted every day. Studies show that eviction can lead to a host of other problems, including poor health, depression, job loss and shattered childhoods. Having an eviction on one's record also makes it far more difficult to find decent housing in the future. Now the Eviction Lab's database is being shared with the public in an interactive website that allows people to better track and understand evictions in their own communities. We speak with Matthew Desmond, who runs the project at Princeton University, where he is a professor of sociology. It grew out of his Pulitzer Prize-winning book, "Evicted: Poverty and Profit in the American City."

President Trump campaigned against the Trans-Pacific Partnership, calling it a "disaster," a "horrible deal" and a "rape of our country." He withdrew from the controversial deal during his first week in office. But on Thursday, he told a group of state lawmakers he wants the U.S. to rejoin the pact. Meanwhile, 11 nations that represent about a seventh of the world's economy signed the TPP earlier this year. We get response from Lori Wallach, director of Public Citizen's Global Trade Watch. "I do think where the real fight is right now is on NAFTA renegotiation," Wallach says. "And this kind of pandering on the TPP makes that NAFTA fight even more important."

As the United Nations Security Council holds an emergency session over the growing prospect of a war between Russia and the U.S., after President Trump threatened U.S. strikes in response to an alleged chemical weapons attack in Douma, we get response from Syrian-Canadian writer Yazan al-Saadi. "Let's remind everyone that the U.S. is striking Syria already. You have more than 2,000 soldiers on the ground. There are bases." He adds, "For me, as a Syrian, I see it as an occupation, just like how I see the Russians are an occupation on the country." Regarding the alleged chemical attack in Syria, he says, "This ignores the fact that most deaths are happening through conventional means," such as airstrikes.