Democracy Now!

Syrian Forces Retake Damascus Suburb of Eastern Ghouta from Rebels, Russia's U.N. Ambassador Warns of Possible War with U.S. over Syria, Russia Claims Douma Chemical Attack Was "Fabricated", Secretary of State Nominee Mike Pompeo Grilled at Senate Confirmation Hearing, In Reversal, Trump Says U.S. Should Join Trans-Pacific Partnership, Former FBI Director Comey: Trump "Unethical, Untethered to Truth", Trump to Pardon Former Cheney Aide Scooter Libby over Perjury Charges, Report: National Enquirer Killed Rumor About Trump's Out-of-Wedlock Child, Senate Approves Former Coal Lobbyist as EPA's Second-in-Command, Palestinian Shot Dead by Israeli Troops Near Gaza Border, 34th in 2 Weeks, Colombian Activist Álvaro Pérez Killed Near Venezuela Border, French Police Raid Protest Encampment at Site of Planned Airport, Trump Administration Drops Chad from Travel Ban List, Former U.S. Ambassador: Trump Plans Deportation of Vietnamese Immigrants, Muslim Activist Yassmin Abdel-Magied Refused Entry to U.S., Columnist Shaun King Detained at Airport and Questioned over Activism, Levels of Toxic Lead Exceed FDA Limit in 30% of Chicago Water Samples, Seattle Seahawks Cancel Tryout for Quarterback Colin Kaepernick, Report: Wealthiest 1 Percent Will Hold Two-Thirds of Wealth by 2030

In the continuing teachers' rebellion sweeping the U.S., dozens of Oklahoma teachers have completed a 7-day, 110-mile march from Tulsa to the state capital Oklahoma City. Public schools across Tulsa and Oklahoma City remain closed as thousands of teachers continue their strike for education funding into a ninth day. The strike comes as the Supreme Court is considering Janus v. AFSCME, a case that could deal a massive blow to public unions nationwide—and as President Trump is successfully appointing right-wing judges to federal courts, reshaping the judiciary for decades to come. We continue our conversation with Corey Robin, a professor of political science at Brooklyn College and the Graduate Center of the City University of New York. Robin calls the conservative movement "weak and incoherent" and the Democratic Party "a gutted machine," and says labor organizing like the teachers' revolt are the "real resistance" in the U.S. today.

In news that has sent shock waves through Capitol Hill, House Speaker Paul Ryan has announced he will not seek re-election this fall. Over 40 House Republicans have announced they will resign or retire, including nine chairmen of committees, leading many to speculate Republicans are fearing a blue wave will bring a Democratic majority to power in November. The most prominent Republican contender for Ryan's seat is Paul Nehlen, a white nationalist and anti-Semite who has called for deporting all Muslims from the United States. For more, we speak with Corey Robin, a professor of political science at Brooklyn College and the Graduate Center of the City University of New York. He is the author of "The Reactionary Mind: Conservatism from Edmund Burke to Donald Trump," which The New Yorker called "the book that predicted Trump."

Vermont independent Senator Bernie Sanders has warned the White House against any attack on Syria without a declaration of war from Congress. On Wednesday, Sanders tweeted, "President Trump has no legal authority for broadening the war in Syria. It is Congress, not the president, who determines whether our country goes to war, and Congress must not abdicate that responsibility." We speak to Trita Parsi of the National Iranian American Council and The Intercept's Zaid Jilani, who co-wrote, with Glenn Greenwald, the piece "With Latest Syria Threats, Trump Continues to Be More Confrontational Toward Russia Than Obama Was."

Confirmation hearings begin today for Mike Pompeo, the CIA director, tapped by President Trump to become the next secretary of state. Last year the Senate confirmed Pompeo to head the CIA by a vote of 66 to 32, but the vote is expected to be far closer this year. At least one Republican—Rand Paul—has already announced he will vote against Pompeo due to his support for the Iraq invasion and for torture. Pompeo also has a long history of ties to Islamophobic organizations, and the National Iranian American Council has warned that Pompeo's confirmation would threaten the Iran nuclear deal and increase the risk of a U.S. attack on Iran. We discuss Pompeo's nomination with Trita Parsi, president of the National Iranian American Council, and Zaid Jilani, a staff reporter at The Intercept.

Trump Tweets Syria Assault Could Come "Soon or Not So Soon At All!", Russian Ambassador Warns U.S. over "Sad and Serious Events" in Syria, Sen. Bernie Sanders Warns Trump Against Syria Strike, House Speaker Paul Ryan Will Not Seek Re-Election, FBI Raid on Trump's Lawyer Sought Documents on "Access Hollywood" Tape, Algeria: Plane Crash Kills 257, Including Western Sahara Activists, Facebook CEO Mark Zuckerberg Grilled on Privacy by House Panel, Trump Judicial Nominee Won't State Position on School Desegregation, Missouri Gov. Eric Greitens Won't Resign over Reported Sexual Abuses, Study: Climate Change Is Weakening Gulf Stream Ocean Currents, Chicago Tribune Journalists Seek to Unionize, Former House Speaker John Boehner Joins Medical Marijuana Firm

During Facebook CEO Mark Zuckerberg's 5-hour testimony to lawmakers Tuesday about the massive privacy scandal enveloping the platform, lawmakers also questioned him about Facebook's increasing effort to market the platform to children. For more, we speak with Josh Golin, executive director of the Campaign for a Commercial-Free Childhood. The group has launched a campaign to end Facebook Messenger Kids.

As Facebook CEO Mark Zuckerberg testified to lawmakers Tuesday about the massive privacy scandal enveloping the platform, Facebook has also been slapped with a new lawsuit by fair housing groups who accuse Facebook of allowing employers and housing brokers to discriminate in their targeted advertising. The lawsuit says some of Facebook's advertisers do not show job and housing listings to African Americans and women. For more, we speak with Neema Singh Guliani, legislative counsel for surveillance and privacy at the American Civil Liberties Union.

In Burma, seven soldiers have been sentenced to 10 years in prison for participating in the massacre of Rohingya Muslims in the village of Inn Din in western Rakhine State. The bodies of 10 Rohingya men were discovered in a mass grave there last September. The victims are among thousands of Rohingya who have been killed by the Burmese military's ethnic cleansing campaign against the minority Muslim group. For years, activists have demanded Facebook regulate hate speech against Rohingya on its platform, saying this speech has contributed to the rise in violence against the persecuted community. For more, we speak with Zeynep Tufekci, associate professor of information and library science at the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill. She is also a faculty associate at the Harvard Berkman Klein Center for Internet & Society. Her book is titled "Twitter and Tear Gas: The Power and Fragility of Networked Protest."

Facebook CEO Mark Zuckerberg faced off with lawmakers in a marathon 5-hour hearing Tuesday about how the voter-profiling company Cambridge Analytica harvested the data of more than 87 million Facebook users, without their permission, in efforts to sway voters to support President Donald Trump. We speak with Zeynep Tufekci, associate professor of information and library science at the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill. She is also a faculty associate at the Harvard Berkman Klein Center for Internet & Society. Her book is titled "Twitter and Tear Gas: The Power and Fragility of Networked Protest."

"Get Ready Russia": Trump Threatens to Strike Syria After Alleged Chemical Attack, After FBI Raid, Concern Trump Will Fire Rosenstein or Mueller, Zuckerberg Faces Off with Lawmakers About Facebook Privacy Scandal, Trump's Chief Homeland Security Adviser Thomas Bossert Ousted, Israeli Military Censures Soldiers Who Cheered After Shooting Palestinian Man in Gaza, Burma: 7 Soldiers Sentenced to 10 Years in Prison for Killing Rohingya in Inn Din, Indian Supreme Court Upholds Right to Interfaith Marriage, in Blow to Hindu Nationalists, Oklahoma Teachers Complete 110-Mile March to State Capitol as Strike Continues, Florida's Broward County Votes Not to Arm Teachers, California Sheriff: "Better Financially" for Officers to Kill Suspects, Arizona Supreme Court Ends In-State Tuition for DACA Students, NYC Immigration Lawyers Protest Against ICE Agents at Courthouses, Sex Workers Speak Out Against Shut Down of Backpage.com, Reports: House Speaker Paul Ryan Will Not Seek Re-election, 257 Die in Algerian Military Plane Crash Near Algiers

The Denver Post has launched a revolt against its owner: New York-based hedge fund Alden Global Capital. On Sunday, The Denver Post's editorial board published a lead editorial headlined "As vultures circle, The Denver Post must be saved." Alden Global Capital is the parent company of Digital First Media, one of the country's largest newspaper chains. Since 2010, Digital First Media has slashed budgets and staff at newspapers across the country, including the Oakland Tribune, The San Jose Mercury News and the St. Paul Pioneer Press. Alden Global Capital is backed by founder and chief of investments Randall Smith and president Heath Freeman. Both are known on Wall Street as vulture capitalists who make their money investing in distressed businesses and selling them off. For more, we speak with Ricardo Baca, the former cannabis editor at The Denver Post, who wrote one of the op-eds, titled "When a hedge fund tries to kill the newspapers it owns, journalists must fight back." Baca worked at the Post for 16 years and is now the CEO and founder of Grasslands.

Facebook CEO Mark Zuckerberg is set to testify today on Capitol Hill amid the burgeoning scandal about how the voter-profiling company Cambridge Analytica harvested the data of more than 87 million Facebook users, without their permission, in efforts to sway voters to support President Donald Trump. In prepared remarks ahead of his testimony today, he writes, "We didn't take a broad enough view of our responsibility, and that was a big mistake. ... It was my mistake, and I'm sorry. I started Facebook, I run it, and I'm responsible for what happens here." The company has also unveiled new privacy tools ahead of Zuckerberg's testimony today. For more, we speak with David Dayen, a contributor to The Intercept and columnist for The New Republic. His recent pieces include "Ban Targeted Advertising" and "The U.S. Government Is Finally Scrambling to Regulate Facebook."

President Trump has threatened a forceful response to this weekend's alleged chemical gas attack in Syria that killed at least 40 people and injured as many 1,000 in the rebel-held town of Douma. During a meeting with military officials Monday, Trump vowed to take action. Washington and its chief allies at the United Nations have blamed the Assad government for the chemical attack, but Russia claims there is no evidence an attack even took place. Meanwhile, Iran has acknowledged seven Iranians died in an Israeli airstrike on a Syrian base early on Monday. For more, we speak with Phyllis Bennis, a fellow at the Institute for Policy Studies, author of several books, including, most recently, "Understanding ISIS and the New Global War on Terror." Her latest piece for In These Times is headlined "It's John Bolton's First Day in the White House. We Must Stop Him from Escalating War in Syria."

FBI agents have raided the home, office and Park Avenue hotel room of President Trump's longtime personal lawyer Michael Cohen. During the Monday morning raid, the FBI seized a slew of business records, emails and documents. The Washington Post reports Cohen is under investigation for bank fraud, wire fraud and campaign finance violations. Agents also reportedly seized documents related to a $130,000 payment Cohen made to adult film star Stephanie Clifford, also known as Stormy Daniels. Cohen has admitted to personally paying Clifford to keep her quiet about an alleged 2007 affair she had with Donald Trump. The payment, only days before the 2016 election, may violate federal election law. The raid was reportedly approved by the U.S. attorney of New York, Geoffrey Berman, who was handpicked by President Trump after Trump fired Preet Bharara. Berman is a former law partner of New York City Mayor Rudolph Giuliani. Monday's raid came after a referral by special counsel Robert Mueller. President Trump reacted angrily to news of the raid Monday. For more, we speak with Marcy Wheeler, an investigative journalist who runs the website EmptyWheel.net.

FBI Raids Home, Office & Hotel Room of Trump's Lawyer Michael Cohen, Zuckerberg to Testify on Capitol Hill over Cambridge Analytica Scandal, Trump Threatens to Respond "Forcefully" to Alleged Chemical Weapons Attack in Syria, Report: Celebrated Journalist Marie Colvin Was "Assassinated" by Syrian Regime, Gaza: Palestinians Pay Tribute to Journalist Yaser Murtaja, Killed by Israeli Sniper, Jewish Activists in Boston, New York Arrested Protesting Israel's Killing of Palestinian Protesters, Germany: Hundreds of Flights Canceled Amid One-Day Union Strike, Oklahoma Teachers Enter Second Week of Strike Demanding Better Education Funding, Florida Students Walk Out to Protest Teens Killed by Gun Violence in Liberty City, Denver Post Launches Public Revolt Against Its Hedge-Fund Owner, CBO Analysis: Trump's Tax Breaks for Rich Will Contribute to Growing Deficit, 42 Workers Contaminated by Radioactive Particles at Hanford Nuclear Site

On Saturday, hundreds of mourners gathered in Gaza for the funeral of Palestinian journalist Yaser Murtaja, who was fatally shot by the Israeli army while covering a fresh round of deadly protests along the Israel-Gaza border. Photos show the 30-year-old journalist was wearing a flak jacket clearly marked "PRESS" at the time of the shooting. He's one of at least nine Palestinians who were killed by the Israeli army during its brutal crackdown against Friday's protests. The Palestinian Health Ministry says Israeli forces have killed 31 people in total since Palestinians kicked off a 6-week-long nonviolent protest late last month, dubbed "The Great March of Return." Both the International Criminal Court and the United Nations have rebuked Israel in recent days and warned its actions on the border could violate international human rights conventions. For more, we continue our conversation with Glenn Greenwald, Pulitzer Prize-winning journalist and one of the founding editors of The Intercept.

In Brazil, former Brazilian President Luiz Inácio Lula da Silva has begun serving a 12-year sentence for a controversial corruption conviction. After missing a 5 p.m. Friday deadline, Lula turned himself in to police on Saturday following a standoff during which he spent the night in São Paulo's steelworkers' union building. Lula's supporters gathered outside, many hoping he would defy orders to surrender. On Saturday, Lula addressed thousands of his supporters and members of his Workers' Party. Last week, the Supreme Court rejected Lula's bid to stay out of jail while he appealed his conviction, effectively removing him from Brazil's presidential election later this year, where he was the front-runner. Lula is a former union leader who served as president of Brazil from 2003 to 2010. During that time, he helped lift tens of millions of Brazilians out of poverty. His supporters say the ruling against him is a continuation of the right-wing coup that ousted Lula's ally, President Dilma Rousseff, from power in 2015. Last year, Rousseff said, "The first chapter of the coup was my impeachment. But there's a second chapter, and that is stopping President Lula from becoming a candidate for next year's elections." Still with us in Rio de Janeiro is Glenn Greenwald, Pulitzer Prize-winning journalist and one of the founding editors of The Intercept.

We begin today's show in Syria, where Israeli F-15 bomber jets have reportedly bombed a Syrian air base used by Iranian forces. There are reports that 14 people died in the strikes, including Iranian nationals. Israel is said to have launched the raid from Lebanon's airspace. The Israeli bombing came a day after a suspected chemical weapons attack killed at least 60 people and wounded more than 1,000 in the Syrian town of Douma, the last rebel-held town in Eastern Ghouta. The Syrian opposition blamed the Assad government for carrying out the attacks, but Syria denied having any role. The chemical attack came one day after Syrian forces launched an air and ground assault on Douma. While international officials are still investigating what happened, President Trump took to Twitter to directly accuse Russian President Vladimir Putin of playing a role. The U.N. Security Council is meeting today to discuss the crisis in Syria. Today also marks John Bolton's first day as President Trump's national security adviser. We get reaction from Pulitzer Prize-winning journalist Glenn Greenwald, one of the founding editors of The Intercept.

Israel Bombs Syrian Air Base; 60 Killed in Alleged Chemical Weapons Attack in Douma, Israeli Army Kills 9 Palestinians at Protest, Including Journalist Yaser Murtaja, Brazil: Lula Begins Serving Jail Sentence, After 2-Day Standoff, U.S.: Kim Jong-un Open to Talking Denuclearization in Meeting with Trump, ICE Carries Out Biggest Raid in a Decade, Arresting Nearly 100 in TN Meat-Processing Plant, Texas Deploys 250 National Guard Troops to U.S.-Mexico Border, Scott Pruitt Faces Scrutiny over $3 Million Security Detail, CNN: Trump Preparing for Possible Interview with Mueller, Hungarian Far-Right Prime Minister Wins Third Term After Xenophobic Campaign, Protesters Denounce Saudi Crown Prince's Visit to Paris & Saudi War in Yemen, U.N. Warns of Worsening Humanitarian Crisis in the Democratic Republic of the Congo, After Protests, Kinder Morgan Suspends Work on Trans Mountain Pipeline, Indonesia: 5 Dead After Massive Oil Spill Off Island of Borneo, Last Year's Keystone Pipeline Oil Spill in South Dakota Twice as Big as Reported, Tony Robbins Forced to Apologize for Claiming Women Use #MeToo to Play Victim, Actress Sri Reddy Strips Down to Protest Sexual Harassment in Indian Film Industry, Retrial of Bill Cosby's Sexual Assault Case Begins in Pennsylvania, NYC: 1 Resident of Trump Tower Dies After Fire, Lack of Sprinklers

A judge in New York has suspended the release of Herman Bell, a 70-year-old prisoner who has been granted parole after 45 years in prison. Bell was sentenced to 25 years to life in prison for the killing of two New York City police officers in 1971. At the time, he was a member of the Black Liberation Army and a former Black Panther. Since then, he has mentored thousands of young men while behind bars and kept a clean disciplinary record. State-mandated tests show he would pose the lowest possible risk if he is allowed to re-enter society. In March, the New York Parole Board granted parole for Bell, noting he had expressed remorse and was likely to lead a "law-abiding life." State law requires commissioners to consider such factors, but they've only recently started to comply. On Wednesday, a state judge agreed to hear a challenge from the widow of one of the officers, who says the board violated procedure. A hearing on the petition is set for April 13, just days before Bell's earliest originally scheduled release date. We speak with Robert Boyle, lawyer for Herman Bell, who says the board followed the rules. We are also joined by Jose Saldaña, who was incarcerated in New York until he was released by the parole board earlier this year in January, after 38 years inside. He knew Herman Bell and is now an organizer with the group RAPP, Release Aging People from Prison, who has helped push for parole reform.

Reporter Iona Craig exposed the Trump administration's lie about its first military engagement and is in New York to receive the George Polk Award for documenting the destruction and civilian casualties from a covert U.S. Navy SEAL raid on a remote village in Yemen that left 25 civilians and one U.S. soldier dead.

On Thursday, the Trump administration told Congress it has approved a $1.3 billion artillery sale to Saudi Arabia. This is the second weapons deal between the U.S. and Riyadh in as many months and has sparked concern from human rights groups, who warn the deals may make the United States complicit in war crimes committed in the Saudi-led bombing campaign in Yemen. Lawmakers have 30 days to act before the sale is final. The announcement comes as Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman wraps up his whirlwind tour of the United States. One topic that has received relatively little media attention during his trip is his role in escalating Saudi Arabia's military involvement in Yemen. Last month marked three years since the U.S.-backed, Saudi-led coalition began its military offensive in Yemen, leading to one of the world's worst humanitarian crises. The U.S.-backed, Saudi-led airstrikes and naval blockade have destroyed Yemen's health, water and sanitation systems, sparking a massive cholera outbreak and pushing millions of Yemenis to the brink of starvation. More than 15,000 people have died since the Saudi invasion in 2015. We speak with Iona Craig, a journalist who was based in Sana'a between 2010 and 2015 as the Yemen correspondent for The Times of London.

A judge on Thursday ordered former Brazilian President Luiz Inácio Lula da Silva to turn himself in to police within 24 hours and begin serving a 12-year sentence for a controversial corruption conviction, effectively removing him from Brazil's presidential election later this year, where he was the front-runner. Lula is a former union leader who served as president of Brazil from 2003 to 2010. During that time, he helped lift tens of millions of Brazilians out of poverty. His supporters say the ruling against him is a continuation of the coup that ousted Lula's ally Dilma Rousseff from power last year. We play excerpts from our recent interview with Lula and get an update from Mark Weisbrot, co-director of the Center for Economic and Policy Research and president of Just Foreign Policy, who argues "the investigation is political, and that everything [Judge Moro is] trying to do is political, including the latest order that Lula surrender today."

Brazilian Judge Orders Former President Lula to Report to Prison, Oklahoma Teachers' Strike Shuts Schools for a Fifth Day, Puerto Rico to Close 283 Public Schools, NYPD Settles Lawsuit over Secret Muslim Surveillance Program, 14 States Sue EPA as Scandals Swirl Around Scott Pruitt, Trump Repeats Conspiracy Theories About Illegal Voters & Mexican Rapists, Prominent Latino Journalist Detained by ICE in Memphis, U.S. Condemns Palestinians for Protesting in Gaza, Turkey Admits to Seizing 80 Gov't Critics in Other Countries, Thousands Protest in Brooklyn over Police Killing of Bipolar African-American Man, Shell Knew: Documents Show Oil Giant Hid Dangers of Fossil Fuels for Decades, Michigan OKs Plan for Nestlé to Expand Water Bottling Operations Despite Public Outcry, Two Arrested at Protest Against Bayou Bridge Pipeline, Visionary Jazz Pianist Cecil Taylor, 89, Dies

Ninety-five out of every 100 American adults owns a cellphone today. And worldwide, three out of four adults now have cellphone access. The wireless industry is one of the fastest-growing on Earth, raking in annual sales of $440 billion in 2016. But are cellphones safe? A new investigation by The Nation suggests that's a question that cellphone giants prefer you don't ask. We speak with Mark Hertsgaard, The Nation's environment correspondent and investigative editor. His report, co-authored with Mark Dowie, is headlined "How Big Wireless Made Us Think That Cell Phones Are Safe."

Despite efforts by Mexican immigration authorities to disband a caravan of Central American migrants, hundreds are still bound for the U.S.-Mexico border. This comes after an early-morning tweet from President Trump that said the caravan "is largely broken up thanks to the strong immigration laws of Mexico and their willingness to use them so as not to cause a giant scene." The group People Without Borders, or Pueblo Sin Fronteras, has organized the caravan since 2010 to draw attention to the right to seek asylum and refuge. This year its members are disproportionately from Honduras, which remains in political upheaval after U.S.-backed right-wing President Juan Orlando Hernández was inaugurated for a second term despite allegations of widespread election-rigging in November. We get an update from Arturo Vizcarra, a volunteer with People Without Borders. He just returned from the caravan.

A new wave of troops could soon be deployed to the U.S.-Mexico border, even as border crossings by undocumented immigrants are at their lowest levels since 1971. The move comes as a caravan of Central American migrants and asylum seekers in Mexico has prompted a series of threats from President Trump. Meanwhile, The Wall Street Journal reports the Trump administration is requesting that the U.S. military build walls for at least one military base along the U.S.-Mexico border. We go to Tucson, Arizona, for an update from Todd Miller, a border security journalist and author of "Storming the Wall: Climate Change, Migration, and Homeland Security."

Brazilian Supreme Court Rules Lula Must Face Prison Term, Trump Signs Order to Deploy National Guard to U.S.-Mexico Border, Trump Backs Off Plan to Withdraw U.S. Troops from Syria as General Says "Hard Part" Is Still Ahead, Oklahoma Teachers' Strike Closes Schools for a Fourth Day, Facebook Admits Cambridge Analytica May Have Obtained Personal Info on 87 Million Users, 3,000 Google Workers Urge Company to Cancel Pentagon Drone Project, Sinclair Producer Quits, Accuses Trump-Linked Network of "Obvious Bias", Israeli Human Rights Group Urges Israeli Troops to Refuse Orders to Shoot Unarmed Palestinians, Macedonia Apologizes to Man Who Was Seized on Vacation & Tortured in Secret CIA Prison, The "Edward Snowden of Banking" Is Arrested in Spain for Leaking Documents About 100,000 Tax Evaders, New York Police Kill Bipolar Jamaican Immigrant Holding Object That Looked Like Shower Head, Long Beach to Pay $2 Million to Family of Bipolar Man Shot Dead by Police, 10,000 March in Memphis to Honor the Rev. Martin Luther King Jr., Seven Plowshares Activists Arrested Protesting at U.S. Nuclear Sub Base

It was 50 years ago today when Rev. Martin Luther King Jr. was assassinated in Memphis. He was just 39 years old. We turn now to a conversation Democracy Now! recently had with Pulitzer Prize-winning historian Taylor Branch and writer Trey Ellis, who both worked on the new HBO documentary "King in the Wilderness," which premiered at the Sundance Film Festival. The film recalls the last three years of King's life, beginning after President Lyndon Johnson signed the Voting Rights Act of 1965. Despite passage of the monumental legislation, King set his eyes on new battles by launching a Poor People's Campaign and campaigning to stop the Vietnam War. King's decision to publicly oppose the war isolated him from many of his closest supporters.

Schools across Oklahoma are closed today for a third day as teachers continue their strike demanding more funding for education and increased pay. Oklahoma's public education budget has been slashed more than any other state since the start of the recession in 2008, and its teachers are among the lowest paid in the nation. Scores of teachers are planning to begin a 123-mile protest march today from Tulsa to Oklahoma City. Meanwhile, thousands of teachers continue to protest in Kentucky, demanding a reversal to a provision in a recently passed bill about sewage treatment that gutted their pension benefits. On Monday, every school in the state was closed either due to spring break or in anticipation of a massive rally in the capital of Frankfort, where teachers filled the rotunda of the Kentucky state Capitol, chanting "Fund our schools!" This year's wave of teacher rebellions began in West Virginia, where teachers won a 5 percent pay raise after a historic strike. We speak to four guests: Oklahoma teacher Andrea Thomas, Kentucky state lawmaker Attica Scott, retired Kentucky teacher Mickey McCoy and labor journalist Mike Elk.

President Trump Says He'll Deploy Troops to the U.S.-Mexico Border, 17 States Sue Trump Administration over Census Citizenship Question, California: Shooting at YouTube Headquarters Leaves 3 People Injured, Lawyer Gets 30-Day Jail Term in First Sentence of Mueller Probe, WaPo: Trump Is a Subject, Not Target, in Mueller Investigation, EPA Chief Scott Pruitt Lauds Rollback of Auto Emissions Standards, Republicans Join Calls for EPA Head to Resign over Mounting Scandals, China Hits Back as Trump Slaps Tariffs on 1,300 Chinese Products, Gaza: Palestinian Man Shot Dead by Israeli Troops Near Border Wall, United Nations Appeals for $3 Billion in Aid for War-Ravaged Yemen, Asheville, NC, Police Video Shows Beating of Man Accused of Jaywalking, California Bill Would Tighten Rules on Police Use of Force, Supreme Court Ruling Shields Police Officer Who Used Deadly Force, Florida Jury Finds Former Bolivian President Responsible for 2003 Massacre

Rev. Martin Luther King Jr. was assassinated 50 years ago this week while in Memphis, where he was supporting striking sanitation workers and building support for his Poor People's Campaign. We look at King's long history of fighting for economic justice, with the Rev. James Lawson and historian Michael Honey, author of the new book "To the Promised Land: Martin Luther King and the Fight for Economic Justice."

Fifty years ago today in Memphis, Rev. Martin Luther King Jr. delivered his final sermon, "I've Been to the Mountaintop." Less than 24 hours later, King was assassinated at the Lorraine Motel in Memphis, Tennessee. He was just 39 years old. King was in Memphis to support striking sanitation workers. We speak to Rev. James Lawson, who invited King to come to Memphis to support the strike. At the time, Lawson was the pastor of Centenary Methodist Church in Memphis. King called Rev. Lawson "the leading theorist and strategist of nonviolence in the world."

While Sinclair Broadcast Group is not a household name, it is one of the most powerful TV companies in the nation. It owns 173 local TV stations across the country, including affiliates of all the major networks. And it's attempting to grow even larger by purchasing Tribune Media—a $3.9 billion deal currently under regulatory review. Sinclair has been widely criticized for its close ties to the White House. But Sinclair is facing new scrutiny after it ordered news anchors at scores of its affiliate stations to recite nearly identical "must-read" commentaries warning of the dangers of "fake news" in language that echoes President Trump's rhetoric. The commentaries reached millions of viewers last month and drew widespread attention after the website Deadspin published a video over the weekend showing side-by-side comparisons of the broadcasts from 45 Sinclair-owned stations. We speak to Andy Kroll, senior reporter at Mother Jones magazine.

EPA Orders Rollback of Obama-Era Greenhouse Gas Emissions Rules, Report: Climate Change Driving Rapid Melting of Antarctica's Glaciers, Mexico to Crack Down on Migrant Caravans as Trump Tweets Threats, Trump Anti-Immigrant Tweets Follow Mar-a-Lago Meeting with Fox News Hosts, Justice Dept. Orders Immigration Court Quotas to Speed Deportations, Thousands of Striking Teachers Rally in Oklahoma, Kentucky State Capitals, Stocks Fall Amid Trade War Fears, as Trump Attacks Amazon on Twitter, Sinclair Broadcast Group Forces Anchors to Recite Trumpian Commentary, Syria: Rebels Evacuate Douma in Russia-Brokered Deal, Yemen: U.S.-Backed, Saudi-Led Coalition Airstrike Kills 12 Civilians, Afghan Government Airstrikes Kill At Least 70 at Kunduz Mosque, Trump Congratulates Egyptian President over Rigged Election Win, Philippines: Marawi Residents Return to Homes Left Devastated by War, South African Anti-Apartheid Activist Winnie Madikizela-Mandela Dies, Activists Blockade Puget Sound Energy HQ to Protest Natural Gas Plant

This week, commemorations are being held to mark the 50th anniversary of the assassination of Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. The civil rights leader and peace activist was gunned down April 4, 1968, on the balcony of his hotel room at the Lorraine Motel in Memphis, Tennessee. He was just 39 years old. King was in Memphis to support striking sanitation workers, who he saw as being on the front lines of fighting poverty and integral to his new initiative, the Poor People's Campaign. "It is a crime for people to live in this rich nation and receive starvation wages," King told people in Memphis shortly before his death. In the late 1960s, King recognized that the next phase in the quest for civil rights and equality would focus on the economic divide. We speak with William "Bill" Lucy, former secretary-treasurer with AFSCME. He played a key role in the 1968 Memphis sanitation workers' strike. He is also president emeritus of the Coalition of Black Trade Unionists. Also with us in Memphis is H.B. Crockett, one of the striking sanitation workers in 1968. He worked for the Memphis Sanitation Department for 53 years before retiring.

At least 18 Palestinians have died in Gaza after Israeli forces opened fire Friday on a protest near the Gaza Strip's eastern border with Israel. As many as 1,700 Palestinians were wounded. The deaths and injuries came as 30,000 Gaza residents gathered near the wall, as part of a planned 6-week-long nonviolent protest against the blockade of Gaza and to demand the right of return for Palestinian refugees. The protests began on Friday, March 30, known as "Land Day," marking the anniversary of the 1976 killing of six Palestinians protesting the Israeli confiscation of Arab land. Video posted online shows unarmed Palestinians being shot in the back while taking part in Friday's protest. Another 49 Palestinians were injured by Israeli forces on Saturday. Israel's actions have been condemned around the world, but Israel is rejecting calls to investigate the killings. At the United Nations, the U.S. blocked a move by the U.N. Security Council to open an investigation.

Israeli Troops Fire on Gaza Protesters, Killing 18 and Wounding 1,700, Trump Declares DACA Dead, Demands Border Wall, Trump Calls for Immigration Crackdown as Migrant Caravan Heads for U.S., Sacramento Police Car Injures Woman Protesting Stephon Clark Killing, Independent Autopsy Finds Stephon Clark Was Shot in Back by Police, Yemen: Fire Destroys World Food Programme Warehouse at Red Sea Port, Kashmir: Indian Forces Open Fire on Pro-Independence Protesters, Costa Rica: Carlos Alvarado Quesada Wins Presidency, Promising Marriage Equality, China Imposes Retaliatory Tariffs on U.S. Food Imports, Ousted VA Chief Says Trump Fired Him over Privatization Push, Top Justice Department Official Demoted Amid Sex Harassment Claims, Howard U. Students Occupy Campus Building, Demanding Reforms, Oklahoma Teachers Strike, Demanding More Pay and Education Funding, Kentucky Teachers Hold Wildcat Strikes to Protest Pension Cuts, Guatemala: U.S.-Backed Ex-Dictator Efraín Ríos Montt Dies at 91

On Saturday, members of the scientific community, family, friends and fans alike will gather to remember the life and legacy of groundbreaking physicist Stephen Hawking. Hawking died on March 14 at his home in Cambridge, England, at the age of 76. For decades, Hawking enchanted both scientists and science lovers by making groundbreaking discoveries about the origins of the universe, then translating these ideas for millions of nonscientists worldwide. His career and life itself have been celebrated as a medical miracle. Born in Oxford, Britain, in 1942, he was diagnosed with a neuromuscular disorder known as Lou Gehrig’s disease at the age of 21. Doctors said he had only a few years to live. Instead, he went on to live for more than 50 years, traveling the world in his motorized wheelchair and communicating through a custom-made computerized voice synthesizer. His only complaint was that the synthesizer gave him an American accent. He also protested against U.S. wars, including the U.S. war in Vietnam and the U.S. invasion of Iraq. We speak to Kitty Ferguson, author of two books about Hawking, "Stephen Hawking: An Unfettered Mind" and "Stephen Hawking: Quest for a Theory of Everything."

Doctors across the country are slamming former Republican Senator Rick Santorum for arguing that young people protesting for gun control would be better served by learning CPR. Dr. Eugene Gu of Vanderbilt University Medical Center tweeted, "As a surgeon, I've operated on gunshot victims who've had bullets tear through their intestines, cut through their spinal cord, and pulverize their kidneys and liver. Rick Santorum telling kids to shut up and take CPR classes is simply unconscionable." We speak to Dr. Gu about gun violence, his lawsuit against President Trump and why he was suspended for taking a knee to fight white supremacy.

On Wednesday, President Trump fired Secretary of Veterans Affairs David Shulkin and said he'd replace him with White House physician Dr. Ronny Jackson, a rear admiral in the Navy. Dr. Jackson has no experience running a large agency. The Department of Veterans Affairs is the federal government's second-largest department, with 360,000 employees. Shulkin had been facing criticism for various ethics violations, including using taxpayer money to pay for his wife's airfare during a trip to Europe last summer. But Shulkin says he's actually being ousted because of his opposition to privatizing the VA, which runs 1,700 hospitals and clinics. The push to privatize the VA has been led by a group called Concerned Veterans for America, which is funded by the billionaire conservative Koch brothers. We speak to Suzanne Gordon, an award-winning healthcare journalist. Her forthcoming book is titled "Wounds of War: Veterans' Healthcare in the Era of Privatization."

EPA to Roll Back Fuel Efficiency and Emissions Standards, Leaked EPA Email Orders Employees to Mislead on Climate Change, Fossil Fuel Lobbyist Gave EPA Chief Cheap Access to D.C. Condo, Leaders of North and South Korea to Meet in April at Truce Village, Russia Expels 60 American Diplomats Amid Mounting Tensions, Gaza: Five Dead, Hundreds Injured as Israeli Troops Fire on Protests, Egypt: Abdel Fattah el-Sisi Wins Second Presidential Term in "Farce" Election, Trump Says U.S. to Pull Troops Out of Syria "Like Very Soon", Pentagon Chief Meets John Bolton, Jokes That He's "Devil Incarnate", Immigration and Customs Enforcement to Allow Jailing of Pregnant Women, North Carolina Prohibits Shackling Women Prisoners During Childbirth, Boycott of Laura Ingraham Grows After She Mocks Shooting Survivor, Punished for Distributing Clean Water, MA Prisoner Enters Hunger Strike, Stephon Clark: Hundreds Attend Funeral for Sacramento Man Slain by Police, Texas Woman Sentenced to 5 Years for Voting While on Probation, Oklahoma Teachers Plan Strike as Lawmakers Grant Limited Pay Raise, New York: Activists Hold Jericho Walk to Support Immigrant Mother in Sanctuary

The family of Stephon Clark is holding his funeral today in Sacramento, California, as massive protests continue against the police shooting that killed the unarmed African-American man in his grandmother's backyard on March 18. Police first claimed he was holding a gun, but later admitted they found only his cellphone near his body. We get an update from Berry Accius, with Voice of the Youth in Sacramento.

We turn now to a Democracy Now! broadcast exclusive interview with a Guatemalan woman named Aura Hernández, who has taken sanctuary in the Fourth Universalist Society of New York, the Unitarian church on Manhattan's Upper West Side, to avoid her deportation to Guatemala. She has been living in the United States for 13 years. She's the mother of two U.S.-born children: 10-year-old Victor Daniel and 14-month-old Camila Guadalupe. She entered sanctuary a few weeks ago to keep her family united as she continues to fight her immigration case. She says that in 2005, when she first entered the United States, she was sexually abused while detained by the Border Patrol in Texas. She says the officer who abused her then threatened to come find her if she ever went public about the abuse. She has fought for years, quietly, to obtain a U visa as a result of the alleged sexual abuse. U visas are for the victims of certain crimes who cooperate with law enforcement. She says that despite her cooperation with authorities, the Department of Homeland Security has refused to certify her U visa, meaning she has not yet been able to obtain protections to stay in the country. The Customs and Border Protection agency declined to comment. After being forced to take sanctuary to avoid her deportation, she is now breaking her silence. On Tuesday night, Democracy Now!'s Amy Goodman and Laura Gottesdiener sat down with Aura Hernández for her first-ever television interview.

A few weeks ago, the Fourth Universalist Society of New York City opened its doors to Guatemalan mother Aura Hernández, who took sanctuary to avoid her deportation to Guatemala. Last year, the congregation voted to become a sanctuary church; shortly thereafter, the church was vandalized with swastikas carved into the church's front doors. On Tuesday night, Democracy Now! sat down with the senior minister of the Unitarian church, Rev. Schuyler Vogel.

The leaders of North and South Korea announced today that they will hold a historic meeting on April 27, coming together for talks for the first time in more than a decade. The news comes after Kim Jong-un's surprise trip to China this week to meet with Chinese President Xi Jinping, where he reportedly said he was willing to give up North Korea's nuclear weapons. Kim is due to meet sometime soon with President Trump, although a date has not been set for that summit. It would be the first-ever meeting between a sitting U.S. president and a North Korean leader. We speak with Tim Shorrock, correspondent for The Nation and the Korea Center for Investigative Journalism.

Fired Veterans Affairs Secretary Says He Was Ousted for Opposing Privatization of Agency, White House Says Police Killing of Stephon Clark Is "Local Matter", North & South Korea Summit to Be Held April 27, Lawsuit Accusing Trump of Illegally Accepting Gifts from Foreign Gov'ts to Move Forward, NYT: Trump Lawyer Floated Idea of Pardoning Flynn and Manafort, 9/11 Lawsuit Against Saudi Arabia to Move Forward, Judge Rules, Michigan State U. Paid PR Firm $500,000 to Monitor Nassar's Accusers' Social Media, Venezuela: 68 People Die in Fire in Prison in Valencia, Ecuadorean Embassy Cuts Off Julian Assange's Internet Access, Puerto Rico's Gov. Challenges New Austerity Measures Imposed by Fiscal Control Board, Malala Yousafzai Returns to Pakistan for First Time Since She Was Shot by Taliban

Louisiana Attorney General Jeff Landry has announced the state will not bring charges against two white police officers from Baton Rouge for the 2016 killing of Alton Sterling, an African-American father of five. Bystander video shows Sterling was pinned to the ground by the two police officers when they shot him. Alton Sterling's killing sparked nationwide protests. It's the latest case in which authorities have refused to bring charges against officers for killing civilians, despite video evidence of the killings and mass protests demanding accountability for the death. We speak to Chris Stewart, an attorney for Alton Sterling's children.

On Tuesday, Democracy Now! interviewed Chelsea Manning in her first live TV interview. She was released from prison last May after serving seven years for leaking a trove of documents about Iraq and the Afghan wars and the State Department to WikiLeaks in 2010. Manning is now running for U.S. Senate in Maryland. In part two we talk more with Manning about her run for the U.S. Senate, trans rights and whistleblowing.