Democracy Now!

Trump to Address Nation as Shutdown Takes Toll on Workers, Dem. Lawmakers Blast Trump's Nat'l Emergency Threat on Visit to Border, TN Gov. Haslam Grants Clemency to Sex Trafficking Survivor Cyntoia Brown, Asylum-Seeking Saudi Teen Avoids Deportation from Thailand After Int'l Outcry, Beijing: Kim Jong-un to Meet with President Xi as U.S.-China Trade Talks Underway, Brazil: Troops Deploy to Fortaleza as Violence Spikes in Coastal City, Brazil: Rio Governor Says Armed Forces Can Shoot to Kill, Head of World Bank Resigns, Canada: Armed Police Raid Protected Indigenous Territory, Dems to Introduce Gun Control Bill on 8th Anniversary of Giffords Shooting, NYT: Dem. Operatives Created Fake Online Alcohol Ban Campaign in 2017 Senate Race, Birmingham Civil Rights Institute Rescinds Award for Angela Davis, SCOTUS: Ruth Bader Ginsburg Misses Oral Arguments for 1st Time in 25 Years, SCOTUS Rejects Exxon Bid to Block Investigation by Massachusetts AG

We look at the shocking Lifetime documentary series "Surviving R. Kelly," which chronicles two decades of allegations of sexual assault and misconduct against the celebrated R&B singer and producer. R. Kelly has been accused of abuse, predatory behavior and pedophilia throughout his career but has avoided criminal conviction despite damning evidence and multiple witnesses. We speak with Angelo Clary, whose daughter Azriel Clary met R. Kelly at the age of 17 and moved in with him with hopes of advancing her music career. He hasn't seen her in almost four years. We also speak with Oronike Odeleye, co-founder of #MuteRKelly—a campaign to end R. Kelly's music career—and an Atlanta-based arts administrator.

House Speaker Nancy Pelosi is facing criticism from some climate activists for failing to back a Green New Deal. Last week Pelosi announced the formation of a new Select Committee on the Climate Crisis, headed by long-standing Florida Congressmember Kathy Castor. But the committee is far weaker than what backers of a Green New Deal had envisioned. The committee will not have subpoena power or the power to draft legislation. We speak with Varshini Prakash, founder of the Sunrise Movement, a youth-led climate group that has occupied and lobbied at congressional offices, risking arrest to demand adoption of the Green New Deal and bold climate leadership.

Voting rights activists are hailing a new House bill that aims to restore voting rights to millions, crack down on the influence of dark money in politics, restore the landmark Voting Rights Act, establish automatic and same-day voter registration and other measures. The bill has been dubbed the For the People Act. It is the first piece of legislation introduced by the new Democratic majority in the House. We speak with Ari Berman, senior writer at Mother Jones, reporting fellow at The Nation Institute and author of "Give Us the Ballot: The Modern Struggle for Voting Rights in America." His latest piece is titled "Democrats' First Order of Business: Making It Easier to Vote and Harder to Buy Elections."

Trump Threatens to Call Nat'l Emergency as Shutdown Shows No Sign of Abatement, Bolton Says Syria Troop Withdrawal Contingent on Defeating ISIS, Netanyahu Calls for U.S. to Recognize Israeli Sovereignty Over Golan Heights, Yemen: U.S. Airstrike Kills Plotter of 2000 USS Cole Attack, Pentagon Chief of Staff Resigns in Wake of Mattis Departure, France: Yellow Vests Protesters Take to Streets as Impasse with Gov't Persists, Intercept: Senate Set to Vote on Anti-Israeli Boycott Bill, 49 Migrants Stranded at Sea as European Countries Refuse to Host Them, Scientists Identify Recording of Noise Targeting U.S. Diplomats in Cuba as Crickets, DOJ Says It Will Not Correct Errors in 2018 Terrorism Report, Man Arrested in Killing of 7-Year-Old African-American Girl, NV: Death Row Prisoner Whose Execution Was Blocked Dies of Suicide, Shooting at SoCal Bowling Alley Kills Three, SC: 2 Men Charged with Manslaughter in Drowning Death of 2 Women Detainees Fired, D.C. Court Rules For Trump's Transgender Military Ban, NYC: Trial Challenges Trump Admin's Revocation of TPS for Haitians, Canada: Indigenous Activists Say Raid on Wet'suwet'en Camps "Imminent"

One Cabinet member after another has been forced to leave the Trump administration over corruption and other issues in recent months, leaving Trump's Cabinet at its most unstable since he assumed office two years ago. We look at whether Trump's Labor Secretary Alex Acosta will be the next Trump Cabinet member to go, after an explosive Miami Herald investigation revealed that Acosta cut what's been described as "one of the most lenient deals for a serial child sex offender in history" as U.S. prosecutor in Florida. Multimillionaire hedge fund manager Jeffrey Epstein—friend to Bill Clinton, Donald Trump and others—has been accused of molesting and trafficking hundreds of underage girls in Florida, but served just 13 months in county jail. We speak with Julie Brown, longtime investigative reporter at the Miami Herald. Her series exposing multimillionaire Jeffrey Epstein's crimes is titled "Perversion of Justice."

As the government shutdown heads into its 14th day and Trump doubles down on his demands for a border wall, we turn to look at the ongoing crisis unfolding at the U.S. border and the protesters on the ground fighting back. In West Texas, immigrant rights activists are staging daily actions to shut down the Tornillo prison camp, where thousands of immigrant youth are being detained. The organizers call themselves the "Christmas in Tornillo" occupation. On New Year's Eve, they shut down the entrance of the sprawling prison camp, where 2,300 children are being held in more than 150 tents. We speak with Juan Ortiz, immigrant rights activist and lead organizer with the Christmas in Tornillo occupation, and Democratic Congressmember Judy Chu from California.

The 116th Congress made history Thursday, swearing in the most diverse group of lawmakers ever and more than 100 women in the House, including the first two Native American women, the first two Latina women from Texas and the first two Muslim women. The first-ever African-American women congressmembers from Connecticut and Massachusetts were sworn in, as was Colorado's first-ever African-American member of Congress. The first-ever and now second female House speaker, Nancy Pelosi, and House Democrats sought to end the government shutdown as their first order of business, passing a package of spending bills that would reopen the federal government without meeting Trump's demand for $5 billion for expanding the wall on the U.S.-Mexico border. We speak with California Rep. Judy Chu.

116th Congress Sworn In as Nancy Pelosi Elected House Speaker, House Democrats Adopt PAYGO Austerity Spending Rule, House Democrats Approve New Ethics Rules, Form Climate Committee, Trump Repeats Border Wall Demands as Gov't Shutdown Enters 14th Day, Trump Admin Wants to Send More Troops to U.S.-Mexico Border, Brazil: President's Assault on Indigenous Rights Threatens Amazon, Mexico: Mayor Assassinated Hours After Taking Office, Trump Administration Threatens Iran over Its Space Program, Former Interior Secretary Ryan Zinke Faces Criminal Inquiry, Google Uses "Double Irish Dutch Sandwich" Scheme to Avoid Taxes, President Trump May Roll Back Federal Anti-Discrimination Rules, Houston, TX: Police Seek Killer of 7-Year-Old African-American Girl, Salvadoran Mother of Three Takes Sanctuary in Maryland Church

We look at the remarkable story of Nadia Murad, the Yazidi human rights activist from Iraq who was recently awarded the 2018 Nobel Peace Prize. Murad was kidnapped by the Islamic State in 2014 and repeatedly raped as she was held in captivity. After managing to escape, Murad fled Iraq and has dedicated her life to drawing international attention to the plight of the Yazidi people. The documentary "On Her Shoulders" follows Murad as she shares her story with the world. The documentary has been shortlisted for an Academy Award for Best Documentary and recently received the Columbia Journalism duPont Award. We speak with the film's award-winning director Alexandria Bombach.

Netflix is under fire for pulling an episode of U.S. comedian Hasan Minhaj's show "Patriot Act" from Saudi Arabia, after officials from the kingdom complained to the streaming company that it violated Saudi cybercrime laws. The episode was posted in late October, a few weeks after Saudi journalist Jamal Khashoggi's murder in the Saudi Consulate in Istanbul. Hasan Minhaj sharply criticized the Saudi royal family and Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman. The censored episode has been viewed more than 1.6 million times on YouTube, where it remains available to viewers in Saudi Arabia. On Wednesday, Minhaj tweeted, "Clearly, the best way to stop people from watching something is to ban it, make it trend online, and then leave it up on YouTube. Let's not forget that the world's largest humanitarian crisis is happening in Yemen right now. Please donate: help.rescue.org/donate/yemen." We speak with Courtney Radsch, advocacy director at the Committee to Protect Journalists, and Sarah Leah Whitson, executive director of Human Rights Watch's Middle East and North Africa Division.

Democrats Take Back House with Historic Firsts, Dems to Vote on Contested PAYGO Rule, Which Restricts Gov't Spending, Dems to Vote on Plan That Funds Gov't Without Border Wall Funding, Shutdown Takes Toll on on Native American Communities, Trump Takes Aim at Mattis, Praises Kim Jong-un in Cabinet Meeting, Trump Takes Takes Credit for Markets, China Trade Relations, India: 2 Women Enter Hindu Temple After Centuries of Denied Access for Women, Mali: Gunmen Kill 37 Civilians Amid Mounting Ethnic Tensions, Russia: U.S. Citizen Detained on Espionage Charges, Chinese Probe Lands on Far Side of Moon in Historic First, NASA's New Horizons Space Probe Visits Farthest Object Ever Explored, NRA Sues Washington State over New Semiautomatic Rifle Law, News Veteran Arkin Quits NBC, Slams Network's Reporting, NYC: Activists Arrested for Peaceful Protest Against War on Yemen

Far-right former Army Captain Jair Bolsonaro was sworn in as president of Brazil on New Year's Day. His election marks the most radical political shift in the country since military rule ended more than 30 years ago. We speak with Fernando Haddad, former Brazilian presidential candidate on the Workers' Party ticket who lost in a runoff to Jair Bolsonaro. Haddad is the former mayor of São Paulo and served as education minister under former Brazilian President Luiz Inácio Lula da Silva.

The government shutdown continues as President Trump prepares to meet with congressional leaders just one day before Democrats take control of the House. President Trump has insisted on including $5 billion for border wall funding before he'll agree to sign any spending measure. Eight hundred thousand government workers' lives have been thrown into disarray by the shutdown, with 380,000 workers on furlough and 420,000 who have worked without pay since December 22. We speak with a federal workers' union that is suing the Trump administration over the shutdown. The American Federation of Government Employees, or AFGE, says it is illegal for federal workers to work without pay. We speak with Heidi Burakiewicz, lead attorney in the lawsuit, and David Borer, general counsel for AFGE.

Brazil Swears In Far-Right President Jair Bolsonaro, Gov't Shutdown Enters 12th Day, Causing Chaos for Workers, Border Agents Tear-Gas Migrants at U.S.-Mexico Border, Texas: Activists Block Access to Tornillo Youth Immigration Jail, AZ: Prosecutors to Investigate Child Abuse at Immigrant Prison, Sec. of State Pompeo Reaffirms U.S. Military Relationship with Israel, Israeli PM: Bolsonaro Pledged to Move Brazilian Embassy to Jerusalem, Gaza: Israeli Forces Kill Palestinian Man at Protest, U.S. and Israel Formally Leave UNESCO, North Korea: Kim Jong-un Offers Both Threats and Peaceful Overtures to U.S., Netflix Pulls Episode of Hasan Minhaj's Show for Criticizing Saudi Arabia over Khashoggi Killing, Bangladesh: 17 People Killed in Election Violence as Ruling Party Wins Landslide, Philippines: Flash Floods and Landslides Kill At Least 85, Indonesia: Landslide Kills At Least 15 on New Year's Eve, Sen. Warren Announces 2020 Presidential Exploratory Committee, Democratic House Leaders Reject Green New Deal for Weaker Climate Committee, New EPA Rules Would Roll Back Regulations on Mercury & Other Toxins, Romney Attacks Trump's Character While Praising His Policies, Interior Dept. Tries to Limit FOIA Requests After Ex-Secretary Zinke Ethics Scandals, Son of Yemeni Woman Who Sued to Get Travel Ban Waiver Dies in California Hospital

In this special rebroadcast of a Democracy Now! exclusive documentary, we break the media blockade and go to occupied Western Sahara in the northwest of Africa to document the decades-long Sahrawi struggle for freedom and Morocco's violent crackdown. Morocco has occupied the territory since 1975 in defiance of the United Nations and the international community. Thousands have been tortured, imprisoned, killed and disappeared while resisting the Moroccan occupation. A 1,700-mile wall divides Sahrawis who remain under occupation from those who fled into exile. The international media has largely ignored the occupation—in part because Morocco has routinely blocked journalists from entering Western Sahara. But in late 2016 Democracy Now! managed to get into the Western Saharan city of Laayoune, becoming the first international news team to report from the occupied territory in years.

On October 27th, a gunman stormed the Tree of Life synagogue in Pittsburgh, killing 11 Jewish worshipers. The massacre has been described as the worst anti-Semitic attack in U.S. history. After the shooting, we spoke with Noam Chomsky, the world-renowned professor, linguist and dissident, about Pittsburgh, Israel's policies toward Gaza and other recent white supremacist and right-wing attacks in the U.S.

As the death toll from the climate change-fueled Camp Fire in California continues to rise and hundreds remain missing, we rebroadcast our conversation about climate change with world-renowned political dissident, linguist and author Noam Chomsky from October. He says Republican Party leaders are dedicated to "enriching themselves and their friends" at the cost of the planet, and warns: "We have to make decisions now which will literally determine whether organized human life can survive in any decent form."

President Donald Trump recently announced plans to pull the United States out of a landmark nuclear arms pact with Russia, in a move that could spark a new arms race. President Ronald Reagan and former Soviet leader Mikhail Gorbachev signed the Intermediate-Range Nuclear Forces Treaty, or INF, in 1987. The INF banned all nuclear and non-nuclear missiles with short and medium ranges. The treaty helped to eliminate thousands of land-based missiles. We spoke with world-renowned political dissident, linguist and author Noam Chomsky in October about the significance of the INF treaty and the impact of Trump's plan to pull out.

Days after a federal judge in California temporarily halted Trump's asylum ban, we revisit our conversation with world-renowned professor, linguist and dissident Noam Chomsky about U.S. foreign policy in Central America. He joins us in Tucson, Arizona, where he teaches at the University of Arizona. Chomsky is also institute professor emeritus at the Massachusetts Institute of Technology, where he has taught for 50 years. We ask him about the Central American caravan and national security adviser John Bolton declaring Venezuela, Cuba and Nicaragua to be part of a "troika of tyranny" and a "triangle of terror" earlier this month.

As Brazil's President-elect Jair Bolsonaro prepares to take office on Tuesday, we return to our conversation with world-renowned political dissident, linguist and author Noam Chomsky shortly after the election. Bolsonaro's impending presidency marks the most radical political shift Brazil since military rule ended more than 30 years ago. Bolsonaro is a former Army officer who has praised Brazil's former military dictatorship, spoken in favor of torture and threatened to destroy, imprison or banish his political opponents. Bolsonaro has also encouraged the police to kill suspected drug dealers, and once told a female lawmaker she was too ugly to rape. Noam Chomsky calls Bolsonaro a "disaster for Brazil."

"The War at Home," a landmark documentary about antiwar protests in the 1960s and '70s in Madison, Wisconsin, has just been re-released nationwide. We speak with co-director Glenn Silber, two-time Academy Award nominee, about the making of the film and why he argues now is an important time to revisit the responsibility to stand up and say no to war.

As President Donald Trump makes a surprise visit to Iraq this week and defends his plans to withdraw all U.S. troops from Syria and about half the nearly 7,000 U.S. troops in Afghanistan, we get response from leading antiwar activist Medea Benjamin, co-founder of CodePink. "We want to challenge Donald Trump … by pointing out that he continues to support the war in Yemen and the repressive Saudi regime," Benjamin says. Her recent piece for Salon.com is titled "Bring the troops home—but stop the bombing too."

Former Black Panther and award-winning journalist Mumia Abu-Jamal was convicted of the 1981 murder of Philadelphia police officer Daniel Faulkner but has always maintained his innocence. On Thursday, a Philadelphia judge ruled Abu-Jamal can reargue his appeal in the case before the Pennsylvania Supreme Court. The judge cited then-Chief Justice Ronald Castille's failure to recuse himself from the case due to his prior role as Philadelphia district attorney when Abu-Jamal was appealing. We get an update from Johanna Fernández, professor of history at Baruch College-CUNY and one of the coordinators of the Campaign to Bring Mumia Home. She has been in the courtroom for much of this case and is the editor of "Writing on the Wall: Selected Prison Writings of Mumia Abu-Jamal."

Gov't Shutdown Set to Extend into 2019 over Border Wall Impasse, Mother of Migrant Boy Who Died in U.S. Custody Speaks Out, DHS Secretary Visits Border Amid Calls for Investigations into Migrant Children's Deaths, D.C. Judge Denies DOJ Request to Delay Deadline in Asylum Ban Case, Saudi Arabia: Cabinet Reshuffle Consolidates Power for Crown Prince, DRC: Political Unrest Ahead of Presidential Elections, Sudan: Deadly Anti-Government Protests Flare Amid Economic & Political Turmoil, PA Judge: Mumia Abu-Jamal Can Reargue Appeal in 1981 Police Killing Case, Ohio GOP Fails to Pass "Heartbeat Bill" But Kasich Signs Bill Banning D&E Abortions, GOP Blocks Bill to Help Murdered and Missing Indigenous Women, African-American Woman Dies While in Mississippi Prison, NYC: Times Square NYE Festivities to Honor Committee to Protect Journalists

Supreme Court Justice Ruth Bader Ginsburg has been discharged from the hospital following surgery that removed two malignant growths in her left lung. Doctors called the surgery a success and said there’s no sign that Ginsburg’s cancer has spread. The health of the liberal 85-year-old justice—the oldest sitting justice on the Supreme Court bench—has come under increased scrutiny in recent years. In November, she was hospitalized after a fall that resulted in three fractured ribs. She previously fractured two ribs in 2012 and has twice survived cancer—pancreatic cancer in 2009 and colon cancer in 1999. Despite her illnesses, in her 25 years on the court Ginsburg has never missed a day of oral argument. We turn now to a remarkable award-winning documentary released earlier this year at the Sundance Film Festival. The film has been shortlisted for an Academy Award for Best Documentary. It's called "RBG."

U.S. Customs and Border Protection have ordered medical checks on every child in its custody, following the death of two Guatemalan children in recent weeks. On Christmas Eve, an 8-year-old Guatemalan boy named Felipe Gómez Alonzo died in New Mexico while in CBP custody. This follows the death of a 7-year-old indigenous Guatemalan girl, Jakelin Caal Maquín, who died on December 8—also in New Mexico—two days after she and her father presented themselves at the border in a bid for asylum. Meanwhile, authorities in El Paso, Texas, scrambled over the Christmas holiday to assist hundreds of migrant asylum seekers who were dropped off suddenly by ICE officials outside a Greyhound bus terminal without any plan to house them. We speak with Dylan Corbett, executive director of Hope Border Institute, an El Paso-based charity that assists migrants.

President Trump Makes Surprise Visit to U.S. Military Base in Iraq, NYT: Queens Podiatrist Helped Donald Trump Avoid Vietnam in 1968, Trump Says No End in Sight to Partial Government Shutdown, Violence Against Women Act Expires Due to Government Shutdown, Texas: Hundreds More Migrants Released by ICE at El Paso Bus Station, Guatemala: Funeral Held for 7-Year-Old Girl Who Died in U.S. Custody, ProPublica: Sexual Assaults Pervasive Inside Jails for Migrant Children, Sudan: 37 Killed as Protests Call for an End to Omar al-Bashir's Rule, Russia Tests New "Hypersonic" Nuclear-Capable Missile, Yemen: U.N. Team Tasked with Monitoring Ceasefire Arrives in Hodeidah, Israel Advances New West Bank Settlements, Sets Election for April 9, Japan Will Resume Commercial Whaling, Defying International Ban, Kevin Spacey Charged with Sexual Assault, White Referee Forces Black New Jersey Teen Wrestler to Cut Dreadlocks

A group of Yemeni Americans have filed a new federal lawsuit over President Trump's Muslim ban. The suit alleges the State Department has revoked previously approved visas, preventing many Yemenis from reuniting with their families living in the United States. We speak to two of the plaintiffs and the Center for Constitutional Rights, which brought the lawsuit.

The partial shutdown of the U.S. federal government is entering its fifth day after a political impasse over President Donald Trump's contentious demand for border wall funding. Funding for about a quarter of all federal programs expired at midnight on Friday, including the departments of Justice, Agriculture and Homeland Security. On Christmas Day, Trump said the shutdown will last until Democrats agree to fund his $5 billion U.S.-Mexico border wall, despite previously repeatedly claiming Mexico would pay for the wall. The shutdown is occurring as concern grows over the U.S. economy. U.S. stock markets are on pace to suffer their worst December since 1931 during the Great Depression. In response, Treasury Secretary Steven Mnuchin held an emergency meeting with top financial regulators and also convened a separate call with top executives of six major banks. We speak to economist and professor Richard Wolff.

For the second time this month, a Guatemalan child has died in the custody of U.S. Customs and Border Protection. Eight-year-old Felipe Gómez Alonzo died in New Mexico on Christmas Eve, after being detained since December 18. This follows the death of a 7-year-old indigenous Guatemalan girl, Jakelin Caal Maquín, who died on December 8, two days after she and her father presented themselves at the border in a bid for asylum. Meanwhile, the Supreme Court has rejected President Trump's asylum ban, which attempted to deny asylum to anyone entering the country from outside of a legal port of entry. Supreme Court Chief Justice John Roberts joined the liberal wing of the court in the 5-4 vote. We speak to Baher Azmy, legal director of the Center for Constitutional Rights, which helped file the lawsuit.

8-Year-Old Guatemalan Migrant Dies in U.S. Custody, Trump Warns of "Very Long" Government Shutdown over Border Wall, 800,000 Federal Employees Furloughed or Working Without Pay, Supreme Court Blocks Trump's Asylum Ban, Supreme Court Justice Ruth Bader Ginsburg Has Lung Cancer Surgery, ICE Strands Hundreds of Migrants in Winter Cold for Christmas, Stocks Plunge as Trump Assails Federal Reserve, Syria: Israeli Warplanes Bomb Sites Near Damascus, U.S. Ends Support to Kurdish Militias as Turkish Troops Mass for Invasion, Trump to Replace James Mattis with Patrick Shanahan on January 1, U.S. Anti-ISIS Envoy Quits over Trump's Withdrawal from Syria, Indonesia: Death Toll from Tsunami Rises to 430, Kabul, Afghanistan: 43 Killed as Gunmen Storm Government Building, Indonesian Army Accused of Using Banned Chemical Weapon in West Papua

His name might not be familiar to many, but his songs are sung by millions around the world. Today, we take a journey through the life and work of Yip Harburg, the Broadway lyricist who wrote such hits as “Brother, Can You Spare a Dime?” and who put the music into The Wizard of Oz. Born into poverty on the Lower East Side of Manhattan, Harburg always included a strong social and political component to his work, fighting racism and poverty. A lifelong socialist, Harburg was blacklisted and hounded throughout much of his life. We speak with Harburg’s son, Ernie Harburg, about the music and politics of his father. Then we take an in-depth look at The Wizard of Oz, and hear a medley of Harburg’s Broadway songs and the politics of the times in which they were created.

Legendary scholar and activist Angela Davis's work around issues of gender, race, class and prisons has influenced critical thought and social movements across several generations. Amy Goodman sat down with her in Washington, D.C., in October to discuss freedom struggles over the past 50 years, and where people's movements are going next.

Angela Davis is a leading advocate for prison abolition, a position informed by her own experience as a prisoner and a fugitive on the FBI's top 10 wanted list more than 40 years ago. Once caught, she faced the death penalty in California. After being acquitted on all charges, she spent her life fighting to change the criminal justice system. Amy Goodman sat down with Angela Davis at Busboys and Poets in Washington, D.C., in October to talk about the prison abolition movement.

For more than four decades, Davis has been one of most influential activists and intellectuals in the United States. An icon of the black liberation movement, Davis's work around issues of gender, race, class and prisons has influenced critical thought and social movements across several generations. She is a leading advocate for prison abolition, a position informed by her own experience as a prisoner and fugitive on the FBI's top 10 most wanted list more than 40 years ago. Once caught, she faced the death penalty in California. After being acquitted, she has spent her life fighting to change the criminal justice system. Just before the midterm elections, Angela Davis sat down with Amy Goodman in Washington, D.C., at Busboys and Poets to tell her life story.

Nearly a month after a photo of a Honduran mother and her small children fleeing tear gas fired by U.S. Border Patrol captivated the nation, 39-year-old Maria Meza was finally admitted into the U.S. with her five children on Monday. Their asylum request is now being processed. But this came only after California Congressmembers Jimmy Gomez and Nanette Barragán intervened on behalf of Meza's family, camping out overnight with them on the U.S. side of the border near the Otay Mesa Port of Entry between Tijuana and San Diego. We speak with Congressmember Nanette Barragán, who just returned from the U.S.-Mexico border.

A major criminal justice reform bill is poised to become law after the U.S. House of Representatives overwhelmingly voted in its favor Thursday. The First Step Act, passed in the Senate earlier this week with an 87-12 vote, would roll back sentences for federal prisoners, including mandatory life terms for third-time offenders and mandatory sentences for nonviolent drug users. The bill is now heading to the desk of President Trump, who has pledged to sign it into law. The bill only affects federal prisoners, who make up less than 10 percent of the more than 2 million U.S. prisoners. It has been endorsed by a wide range of supporters across the political spectrum, from the American Civil Liberties Union to the conservative Koch brothers. But parts of the bill explicitly exclude immigrants, and it has been criticized by groups such as the Movement for Black Lives, a coalition of more than 150 black-led organizations, for encouraging profiteering and making "false promises" about bringing black prisoners home. We speak with Van Jones, president and co-founder of #cut50, a national bipartisan initiative to reduce the U.S.'s incarcerated population by 50 percent over the next 10 years. We also speak with Jessica Jackson Sloan, a human rights attorney and co-founder and national director of #cut50.

Secretary of Defense James Mattis has announced he will resign at the end of February, in a letter publicly rebuking President Trump's foreign policy. Mattis resigned one day after President Trump ordered the withdrawal of all 2,000 U.S. troops from Syria and on the same day that reports emerged that Trump has ordered the withdrawal of about 7,000 troops from Afghanistan. The New York Times reports Mattis is the first prominent Cabinet member to resign in protest over a national security issue in almost 40 years. Much of the Washington establishment expressed shock over Mattis's resignation. We speak with Andrew Bacevich, a retired colonel and Vietnam War veteran. He's the author of several books, including his latest, "Twilight of the American Century." His other books include "America's War for the Greater Middle East: A Military History" and "Washington Rules: America's Path to Permanent War." He is professor emeritus of international relations and history at Boston University.

Secretary of Defense Mattis Resigns in Rebuke of Trump Foreign Policy, Trump & Senate at Impasse over Border Wall Funding as Shutdown Looms, Acting AG Whitaker Rejected Advice of DOJ to Recuse Himself from Mueller Probe, U.S. Plans to Send Asylum Seekers Back to Mexico While Awaiting Claims Processing, Treasury Dept. Lifts Sanctions on Russian Oligarch's Business Empire, DOJ Charges 2 Chinese Nationals over Massive Hacking Campaign, Yemeni Mother Reunites with Dying Son After Travel Ban Waiver, Egypt: Court Acquits 40 NGO Workers over 2013 Illegal Funding Charges, Pope Francis: Catholic Church Will "Never Again" Cover Up Sexual Abuse, U.K.: Flights Resume at Gatwick After Drone Sightings, Washington, D.C., Passes Ambitious Clean Energy Bill, France: Environmental Groups Plan Lawsuit over Gov't Climate Change Inaction

Facebook is under fire again, this time for new revelations that Russian trolls targeted African Americans on social media in an effort to influence the vote ahead of the 2016 election. A pair of bipartisan reports published by the Senate Intelligence Committee Monday claim the Russian government focused on African Americans in its effort to suppress the turnout of voters likely to cast ballots for Hillary Clinton, spreading fake news and sowing discord in the run-up to the election. The NAACP has launched a Facebook boycott in response, demanding the social media giant be held responsible. We speak with Derrick Johnson, president and CEO of the NAACP.

President Trump has announced that the U.S. will withdraw troops from Syria, in a move that has been praised by some in the American peace movement and some progressive lawmakers, as well as anti-interventionist Republicans, including Senators Rand Paul and Mike Lee. We speak with Phyllis Bennis, fellow at the Institute for Policy Studies, who warns that the U.S. warplanes and drones will continue to bomb the country. "ISIS has not been 'defeated,' and the U.S. should not remain in Syria militarily," Bennis says. "You cannot defeat terrorism militarily. Terrorism is a phenomenon that emerges out of social and economic and national and all kinds of crises, in all kinds of countries. And stopping it doesn't mean playing whack-a-mole with your military."

President Trump has ordered the withdrawal of all 2,000 U.S. troops in Syria, shocking many in Washington and around the world. On Wednesday, Trump tweeted, "We have defeated ISIS in Syria, my only reason for being there during the Trump Presidency." He ordered the withdrawal despite opposition from within the White House. We speak with Yazan al-Saadi, a Syrian-Canadian writer and researcher, who warns that U.S. military presence in the region will continue. "You might have a large chunk of the boots on the ground leaving, but it seems very clear that the American air power is going to remain," al-Saadi says.

Trump Announces Withdrawal of U.S. Troops from Syria, Senates Passes Stopgap Spending Measure in Hopes of Averting Shutdown, WSJ: AG Nominee Barr Sent Memo to Justice Dept. Critical of Mueller Probe, Trump Signed "Trump Tower Moscow" Letter of Intent, Contradicting Giuliani Claim, Blackwater Guard Found Guilty of Murder in 2007 Nisoor Sq. Massacre, D.C. Attorney General Sues Facebook over User Privacy Violations, U.K. and EU Leaders Prepare for Possible "No-Deal Brexit", Mexico: 2 Honduran Teenagers Who Traveled with Migrant Caravan Killed, Five-Month-Old Girl Who Traveled with Migrant Caravan Hospitalized in California, Judge Blocks Trump Asylum Rule Barring Domestic and Gang Violence Survivors, HHS Relaxes Sponsorship Requirement for Migrant Children in Gov't Custody, Trump Administration Restricts Eligibility for Food Stamps, Judge Dismisses 83 Complaints Against New SCOTUS Justice Kavanaugh, NYT: Hackers Penetrated Private Communications of EU, the U.N., NYT: Democratic Operatives Used Russian Cyber Tactics in 2017 Alabama Senate Race, Senate Votes to Make Lynching a Federal Crime, Catholic Church Withheld Info on Child Sexual Abuse by 500+ Priests, L.A. Bishop Resigns 13 Years After Revelation of Child Sexual Abuse Allegation, Reports: Tobacco Giant Altria to Sign $13 Billion Deal with Juul, Ohio: Bank Calls 911 on Black Patron After Refusing to Cash His Check, ACLU Sues in Texas & Arkansas over Israel Boycott Employment Provisions, NYC: Immigration Activist Who Scaled Statue of Liberty Found Guilty

Cambodians are being deported from the U.S. at record numbers, including many who have been living in the U.S. for decades after fleeing war, U.S. bombings and genocide under the Khmer Rouge. On Monday, an Omni Air flight departed from El Paso, Texas, with 36 Cambodians on board. They were deported to the Cambodian capital Phnom Penh. Attorneys believe it to be one of the largest deportation flights to Cambodia yet under the Trump administration. We speak with Kevin Lo, staff attorney in the Immigrant Rights Program at Asian Americans Advancing Justice - Asian Law Caucus. He has been working with Cambodians living in the U.S. who are facing deportation.

It's been more than four months since a judge ordered the Trump administration to reunite all families that were separated at the U.S.-Mexico border, but 140 children are still separated from their parents in U.S. custody. It is believed that 30 children will never be reunited. Despite this, family separation is no longer in the daily headlines. We speak with a Harvard psychologist who is trying to change this by calling on U.S. media outlets to highlight the growing number of days that migrant children have been forcibly separated from their parents. Dr. Paula J. Caplan is a clinical and research psychologist and associate at the DuBois Institute at Harvard University. She is leading a coalition of human rights groups and mental health professionals calling attention to the ongoing family separation crisis.

As public outrage grows over the death of Jakelin Caal Maquín, a 7-year-old indigenous Guatemalan girl who died in Border Patrol custody, we discuss U.S. policy in Central America with Greg Grandin, prize-winning author and professor of Latin American history at New York University. Searching for answers after Jakelin's death, Grandin points to border militarization policies dating back to the Clinton administration and the closure of safer urban routes to the U.S. border. He also links the displacement of Jakelin's family to the U.S.-backed coup in Guatemala in 1954 and economic policies that destroyed subsistence agriculture in her region. Grandin's latest piece in The Nation, co-authored with Elizabeth Oglesby, is titled "Who Killed Jakelin Caal Maquín at the US Border?"

Outrage is mounting over the death of a 7-year-old indigenous Guatemalan girl in Border Patrol custody, as lawmakers demand answers for the conditions that led Jakelin Caal Maquín to die after being detained at the U.S.-Mexico border. Maquin died on December 8, two days after she and her father presented themselves at the border alongside 161 other Central American asylum seekers. She had been held in detention for more than eight hours when she began to have seizures. Border Patrol agents brought the girl to the hospital after her body temperature spiked to 105.7 degrees. The 7-year-old died of dehydration, shock and liver failure at an El Paso hospital less than 24 hours later. We speak with Clara Long, senior researcher at Human Rights Watch.

Senate Approves Bipartisan Criminal Justice Bill, Federal Judge Rebukes Michael Flynn But Delays Sentencing, Trump Foundation to Dissolve over "Willful Self-Dealing Transactions", Trump Backs Down from Government Shutdown Threat over Border Wall, Honduran Mother Tear-Gassed by U.S. Border Guards Applies for Asylum, Lawmakers Demand Answers In Death of 7-Year-Old Guatemalan Migrant, Yemeni Mother of Dying 2-Year-Old Gets Waiver from Trump Travel Ban, Advertisers Flee as Tucker Carlson Says Immigrants Make U.S. "Dirtier", NYT: Facebook Shared Users' Data with Other Silicon Valley Giants, Trump to Ban Bump Stocks, More Than a Year After Las Vegas Massacre, Arizona Republican Martha McSally Will Fill John McCain's Senate Seat, Reuters: Burma Taking Steps to Prevent Rohingya Refugee Repatriation, U.S. Sportswear Was Manufactured in Chinese Forced Labor Camp, German Amazon Workers Strike for Better Pay and Conditions

Less than a month after CNN fired Temple University professor Marc Lamont Hill for giving a speech at the United Nations supporting Palestinian rights, we speak with him about the international attention his comments have received, academic freedom and why he feels it's more important than ever to speak out about Israeli human rights abuses. Marc Lamont Hill is a professor of media studies and urban education at Temple University. He is the author of several books, including "Nobody: Casualties of America's War on the Vulnerable, from Ferguson to Flint and Beyond." We also speak with Pulitzer Prize-winning journalist Glenn Greenwald, whose recent piece is titled "CNN Submits to Right-Wing Outrage Mob, Fires Marc Lamont Hill Due to His 'Offensive' Defense of Palestinians at the U.N."