Democracy Now!

"The time to act is now." That's the message of survivors of last week's school shooting in Florida. On Wednesday, the nation witnessed grieving students, parents and teachers powerfully confront the president and lawmakers over gun control in pointed—and often tense—televised exchanges. The day began with students across the United States—from Minnesota to Colorado to Arizona—walking out of class to demand stricter gun laws. Meanwhile, survivors of the shooting descended on the Florida state Capitol in Tallahassee to demand lawmakers pass legislation addressing gun violence before the legislative session ends. In the afternoon, President Trump—along with Vice President Mike Pence and Education Secretary Betsy DeVos—hosted a listening session with survivors of recent shootings, including students at Marjory Stoneman Douglas High School. Wednesday evening, survivors of the massacre at Stoneman Douglas High School sparred with politicians during a town hall hosted by CNN.

U.N. Warns of "Monstrous Campaign of Annihilation" in Syria, Tallahassee, Florida: Survivors of School Massacre Demand Gun Reforms, Students Across the Country Hold Walkouts to Protest Gun Violence, Families of Gun Victims Confront Trump in White House Listening Session, School Shooting Survivors Confront Politicians at Florida Town Hall, California: Police Say They Thwarted a School Shooting at High School, Amnesty International: Trump Leads "Hate-Filled Rhetoric" in 2017, Nigeria: Over 100 Girls Missing After Boko Haram Raid on School, Brazil: President Temer Deploys Military to Police Rio de Janeiro, France: Bill Would Tighten Immigration Laws for Asylum Seekers, WaPo: First Lady's Parents Benefited from Immigration Policy Opposed by Trump, Son-in-Law of Russian Oligarch Strikes Plea Deal in Mueller Probe, Record Wintertime Warmth Hits the Arctic as Sea Ice at Record Low, Wyoming Bill Would Severely Punish Fossil Fuel Protesters, West Virginia: 15,000 Teachers Strike over Low Pay, Healthcare Costs, Christian Evangelical Leader Billy Graham Dies at 99

Dozens of students who survived last week's school shooting at Marjory Stoneman Douglas High School in Florida have arrived in Tallahassee to push for new gun control measures. On Tuesday, the Republican-controlled Florida House of Representatives blocked a bid to bring up a bill to ban sales of assault-style rifles in the state. The Florida gunman, a 19-year-old white former student named Nikolas Cruz, was a member of the Army Junior Reserve Officer Training Corps program, and was also part of a four-person JROTC marksmanship team at the school which had received $10,000 in funding from the NRA. For more, we speak with Pat Elder, director of the National Coalition to Protect Student Privacy, an organization that confronts militarism in schools. He's the author of "Military Recruiting in the United States."

The British charity Oxfam has released its own internal report into the sex scandal. It concluded senior aid workers at Oxfam, including the country director in Haiti, hired prostitutes at Oxfam properties in Haiti and then tried to cover it up. Oxfam's internal report includes claims that three Oxfam staff members physically threatened a witness during the charity's internal investigation. For more, we speak with Edwidge Danticat, Haitian-American novelist, author of several books, including "The Farming of Bones," which won an American Book Award. We also speak with Taina Bien-Aimé, executive director of the Coalition Against Trafficking in Women, and Sean O'Neill, chief reporter at The Times newspaper in London, which broke the story of the scandal.

Oxfam has been hit with dozens more misconduct allegations in the days since The Times of London revealed Oxfam tried to cover up sex crimes by senior aid workers in Haiti after the devastating 2010 earthquake. On Tuesday, Oxfam's leadership was questioned by British lawmakers, and apologized for its failure to report sexual misconduct to Haitian authorities. Prostitution is illegal in Haiti, but Oxfam refused to report the activity of its aid workers to Haitian police. Haiti has threatened to expel Oxfam from the country over the scandal. For more, we speak with Sean O'Neill, chief reporter at The Times newspaper in London, which broke the story of the scandal.

Syria: 200 Killed in Two Days of Gov't Bombing in Eastern Ghouta, Florida Lawmakers Vote Down Debate on Assault-Style Weapons Ban After Parkland Massacre, Trump Calls for Rule Change to Ban "Bump Stocks" After Parkland Shooting, Woman Accusing Trump of Sexual Assault in Trump Tower Demands Release of Security Camera Footage, Woman Accusing Justice Clarence Thomas of Sexual Harassment Calls for His Impeachment, Guess Co-Founder Steps Down After Kate Upton Accuses Him of Groping Her, NYT: Kushner and Kelly Face Off over Security Clearances, Mahmoud Abbas Calls for International Conference to Restart Peace Process, Bahraini Human Rights Activist Nabeel Rajab Sentenced to 5 Years in Prison, U.N.: Hundreds of Thousands Flee Violence in Southeast Democratic Republic of Congo, Minnesota Reaches $850 Million Settlement with 3M over PFCs, Polk Awards Honor Weinstein Exposé, Revelations on U.S. Raid in Yemen

As a presidential candidate, Donald Trump made a promise to the American people: There would be no cuts to Medicare, Medicaid and Social Security. Well, the promise has not been kept. Under his new budget, President Trump proposes a massive increase in Pentagon spending while cutting funding for Medicare, Medicaid and Social Security. Trump's budget would also slash or completely eliminate core anti-poverty programs that form the heart of the U.S. social safety net, from childhood nutrition to care for the elderly and job training. This comes after President Trump and Republican lawmakers pushed through a $1.5 trillion tax cut that overwhelmingly favors the richest Americans, including President Trump and his own family. We speak to Robert Reich, who served as labor secretary under President Bill Clinton. He is now a professor at the University of California, Berkeley. His most recent book, out today, is titled "The Common Good."

There have been a number of significant developments in special counsel Robert Mueller's investigation into the Trump administration. CNN is reporting Mueller is now investigating Trump's son-in-law Jared Kushner and his attempts to secure financing for his family's business while working on the president's transition team. Meanwhile, the Los Angeles Times is reporting former Trump campaign aide Rick Gates has agreed to plead guilty and testify against Paul Manafort, Trump's former campaign manager. Under the deal, Gates will plead guilty to money laundering and illegal foreign lobbying. These developments come just days after the Justice Department indicted 13 Russians and three companies in connection with efforts to influence the 2016 presidential election by orchestrating an online propaganda effort to undermine the U.S. election system. We speak to Marcy Wheeler, an independent journalist who covers national security and civil liberties. She runs the website EmptyWheel.net.

Syria: Up to 100 People Die in Gov't Airstrikes Against Eastern Ghouta, School Shooting Survivors Travel to Florida Capitol to Demand Gun Control, CNN: Mueller Investigating Kushner's Contact with Foreign Investors During Transition, Donald Trump Jr. Arrives in India to Promote Trump Family Luxury Apartments, Israel: 7 Members of Netanyahu's Inner Circle Arrested as Corruption Probes Widen, Oxfam Releases Internal Report into Its Sex Scandal & Cover-Up in Haiti, Iraq: ISIS Claims Responsibility for Attack on Shiite Militia, Afghanistan, 3 Tribal Elders Killed in Blast; 8 Police Killed in Attacks on Checkpoints, Pennsylvania State Supreme Court Redraws Electoral Map, NYPD Officers on Trial for Carrying Out False Arrests to Increase Overtime Pay, West Virginia Teachers Announce Statewide Walkout This Week, Transgender Women Tonya Harvey & Celine Walker Murdered

Five months after Hurricane Maria hit Puerto Rico, swaths of the island still have no electricity, while food and water supplies have been slow to arrive. The Federal Emergency Management Agency, known as FEMA, has been hit by a series of scandals, after it was revealed that only a fraction of the 30 million meals slated to be sent to the island after Hurricane Maria was actually delivered. FEMA approved a $156 million contract for a one-woman company to deliver the 30 million meals. But in the end, FEMA canceled the contract after she delivered only 50,000 meals, in what FEMA called a logistical nightmare. This came after FEMA gave more than $30 million in contracts to a newly created Florida company which failed to deliver a single tarp to Puerto Rico. For more, we speak with San Juan Mayor Carmen Yulín Cruz.

As this week marks five months since Hurricane Maria battered the island of Puerto Rico, more than a quarter of the island remains without power, marking the longest blackout in U.S. history. While the official death toll is just 64, it is believed that more than 1,000 died since the storm struck the island on September 20. Puerto Rico's governor has also announced plans to privatize the Puerto Rico Electric Power Authority, known as PREPA, which is the largest publicly owned power authority in the United States. For more, we speak to San Juan Mayor Carmen Yulín Cruz.

In Florida, as funerals continue for the 17 people killed in at the Stoneman Douglas High School in Broward County, Florida, survivors of the school shooting have launched an unprecedented youth-led movement to demand gun control. At a rally on Saturday, survivors of the school shooting demanded politicians stop accepting money from the National Rifle Association. For more, we broadcast the full speech of Emma Gonzalez, a senior at Marjory Stoneman Douglas High School.

Trump Lashes Out in Angry Tweetstorm After DOJ Indicts Russians for Election Meddling, After Parkland, Students Launch Historic Youth-Led Movement to End Mass Shootings, 66 Feared Dead After Iranian Plane Crash in Zagros Mountains, Israeli & Iranian Leaders Clash over Syria Conflict at Munich Security Conference, Syrian Gov't to Enter Afrin to Help U.S.-Backed Syrian Kurds Repel Turkish Offensive, Gaza: Two Palestinian Teenagers Killed by Israeli Tank Fire, Ethiopia Imposes Six-Month State of Emergency, Mexico Military Helicopter Crashes in Oaxaca, Killing 14 Earthquake Survivors, "Black Panther" Film Smashes Opening Weekend Box Office Records

African National Congress leader Cyril Ramaphosa has been confirmed as the new president of South Africa, after the former leader, Jacob Zuma, resigned from office abruptly on Wednesday night amid a series of corruption scandals. Ramaphosa once led the National Union of Mineworkers under apartheid in the 1980s. He later built a business empire that encompassed mining interests—including the Marikana platinum mine, where police killed 34 workers during a strike in 2012. Ramaphosa is now one of Africa's wealthiest men, with a net worth of about $450 million. Now, activists are talking about Ramaphosa's ties to tax havens during his time in the corporate sector. We go to Johannesburg to speak with activist Koketso Moeti, founder of the community advocacy organization Amandla.mobi. Her recent piece for News24 is headlined "The rich can't steal, right?"

Seventeen people were killed and at least 15 other people were wounded Wednesday at the Stoneman Douglas High School in Broward County, Florida, in one of the deadliest school shootings in U.S. history. More evidence has emerged showing that the gunman, a 19-year-old former student named Nikolas Cruz, shared a common trait with many other men who have carried out mass shootings: He had a record of abusing and threatening women. On Thursday, a white nationalist hate group called the Republic of Florida Militia also claimed the gunman was a member who had trained with the militia, but the group's leader later walked back the claim. Former classmates of Cruz did describe him as politically extreme and espousing racist beliefs. For more, we speak with George Ciccariello-Maher, a visiting scholar at the Hemispheric Institute at New York University and the author of "Decolonizing Dialectics," and Trevor Aaronson, executive director and co-founder of the Florida Center for Investigative Reporting and a contributing writer to The Intercept.

In Parkland, Florida, students and family members gathered for a candlelight vigil on Thursday night to mourn the 17 people killed at Stoneman Douglas High School in Broward County, Florida, in one of the deadliest school shootings in U.S. history. Early Thursday morning, President Trump tweeted, "So many signs that the Florida shooter was mentally disturbed, even expelled from school for bad and erratic behavior. Neighbors and classmates knew he was a big problem. Must always report such instances to authorities, again and again!" Mental health advocates are warning President Trump's comments perpetuate stigma against people with mental illness, who are more likely to be the victims than the perpetrators of violence. We speak with Lindsay Nichols, the federal policy director for Giffords Law Center to Prevent Gun Violence, and Vanderbilt University psychiatry professor Jonathan Metzl, lead author of a Vanderbilt study entitled "Mental Illness, Mass Shootings, and the Politics of American Firearms," which found that fewer than 5 percent of fatal shootings in the United States are committed by people diagnosed with mental illness. Metzl also wrote a recent Politico piece titled "I'm a Psychiatrist. Making Gun Violence About Mental Health Is a Crazy Idea."

Senators Wrap Four Days of Open Debate with No Deal on Immigration, DACA Recipients Launch 250-Mile, 15-Day March from New York to D.C., Thousands Attend Vigil for Victims of Florida High School Massacre, President Trump Blames Mental Health—Not Guns—for School Shooting, Cyril Ramaphosa Sworn In as South African President, Ethiopian Prime Minister Hailemariam Desalegn Resigns, El Salvador: Court Releases Woman Jailed over Stillbirth, Appeals Court Rules Trump Travel Ban Discriminates Against Muslims, New Yorker: President Trump Used Tabloid to Quash News of Affairs, NYPD Sergeant "Not Guilty" of Murdering 66-Year-Old Bronx Resident, Austin to Become First Southern City with Paid Sick Leave, Texas: Solitary Confinement for Asylum Seeker over Sexual Assault Allegations

A shocking new investigation by Reveal and the Center for Investigative Reporting has uncovered evidence that African Americans and Latinos are continuing to be routinely denied conventional mortgage loans at rates far higher than their white counterparts across the country. Reveal based its report on a review of 31 million mortgage records filed with the federal government in 2015 and 2016. The Reveal investigation found the redlining occurring across the country, including in Washington, D.C., Atlanta, Detroit, Philadelphia, St. Louis and San Antonio. We speak to Aaron Glantz, senior reporter at Reveal from The Center for Investigative Reporting, and Rachelle Faroul, a 33-year-old African-American woman who was rejected twice by lenders when she tried to buy a brick row house in Philadelphia, where Reveal found African Americans were 2.7 times as likely as whites to be denied a conventional mortgage.

Since the Sandy Hook Elementary School massacre in Newtown, Connecticut, in 2012, there have been 200 school shootings. But on Capitol Hill and in many state legislatures, Republican lawmakers have blocked efforts to enact gun control. Wednesday's shooting in Florida comes just days after President Trump released his budget, which proposes cutting millions of dollars from the National Instant Criminal Background Check System. We speak to Josh Horwitz, executive director of the Coalition to Stop Gun Violence. He is the co-author of "Guns, Democracy, and the Insurrectionist Idea."

In Parkland, Florida, 17 people died Wednesday in one of the deadliest school shootings in U.S. history. The massacre at the Stoneman Douglas High School was the 18th school shooting this year, according to Everytown for Gun Safety. This means there has been a school shooting on average every 60 hours so far this year. Police have identified the gunman as a 19-year-old former pupil named Nikolas Cruz. He was carrying an AR-15 with multiple magazines of ammunition. In addition to the 17 dead, 15 people were injured. We speak to Geraldine Thompson, a former Florida Democratic state senator. She represented the Orlando district where the 2016 Pulse nightclub massacre took place.

17 Dead, 15 Wounded in Parkland, Florida, High School Massacre, More Than 400 Shot in Over 200 School Shootings Since Sandy Hook, President Trump Says He's "Totally Opposed" to Domestic Violence, Vice President Pence Says Rob Porter Case Was Mishandled; Backs John Kelly, U.N. Envoy Says Syrian Civilians Killed on a "Horrific Scale", Save the Children: 357 Million Children in Conflict Zones, 1 in 6 Worldwide, Libya: 23 Migrants Killed, 124 Injured in Truck Crash, South Africa: Cyril Ramaphosa to Become President as Jacob Zuma Resigns, Zimbabwean Opposition Leader Morgan Tsvangirai Dies at 65, Canada: All-White Jury Acquits White Farmer over Killing of Cree Man, Report: VA Chief Shulkin Misused Taxpayer Funds for European Junket, ICE Targets "Uncooperative Jurisdiction" of L.A. in Immigration Sweep, Federal Court Halts White Alabama Community's Secession from School District, New York City Mayor de Blasio Details Plan to Close Rikers Jail

As the White House is facing an escalating scandal over how it ignored the serious accusations of former Staff Secretary Rob Porter's verbal and physical violence against his two ex-wives, we end today's show looking at the worldwide movement called V-Day to stop violence against women and girls. Today marks the 20th anniversary of the V-Day movement, which was inspired by Eve Ensler's groundbreaking play "The Vagina Monologues." We speak to three V-Day activists from around the world: Christine Schuler Deschryver of the Democratic Republic of Congo, Rada Borić from Croatia and Agnes Pareyio from Kenya.

Rep. Pramila Jayapal talks about the scandal embroiling the White House over former Staff Secretary Rob Porter, who resigned after evidence surfaced that he had abused his two ex-wives. On Tuesday, FBI Director Christopher Wray testified to the Senate that the FBI had told the White House about the physical and verbal abuse allegations that were holding up Porter's background check months earlier than the White House has admitted. Jayapal talks about why she has called for White House Chief of Staff John Kelly to resign, as well as her support for impeachment proceedings against Trump.

Lawmakers on Capitol Hill are continuing to debate the future of DACA, the Obama-era Deferred Action for Childhood Arrivals program, which gives some 800,000 young undocumented immigrants permission to live and work in the United States. Republican lawmakers are pushing to include an amendment to punish so-called sanctuary cities as part of any immigration legislation to protect DREAMers. Meanwhile, a second federal judge has temporarily blocked the Trump administration from canceling DACA. On Tuesday, Judge Nicholas Garaufis in New York issued an injunction to keep the program temporarily in place, warning its cancellation would have "profound and irreversible" social costs, writing, "It is impossible to understand the full consequences of a decision of this magnitude." For more, we speak with Rep. Pramila Jayapal (D-WA), vice ranking member of the House Budget Committee and vice chair of the Congressional Progressive Caucus.

President Trump's $4.4 trillion budget proposes deep cuts to education, healthcare and social safety net programs—while massively increasing the Pentagon's budget. Trump's plan would slash the Department of Education's budget by more than 10 percent. It would sharply reduce income-based student loan repayment plans, while ending the Public Service Loan Forgiveness Program. Trump's budget would cut more than $17 billion from the Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program—or SNAP—barring food stamp recipients from buying fresh fruit and vegetables, and instead providing only a boxed food delivery program. The budget would also phase out federal funding for the Corporation for Public Broadcasting, which supports public and community radio and TV stations. This comes as McClatchy reports the Trump administration is considering a plan that would not only impose work requirements for Medicaid enrollees, but which would also put a lifetime limit on adults' access to Medicaid. Meanwhile, Trump's budget would see a 13 percent rise in spending on weapons and war, bringing the Pentagon's budget to $686 billion. We speak to Rep. Pramila Jayapal (D-WA), vice ranking member of the House Budget Committee and vice chair of the Congressional Progressive Caucus.

In Burma, two journalists from the Reuters news agency have entered their third month in jail. Wa Lone and Kyaw Soe Oo were arrested on December 12 and charged with violating Burma's Official Secrets Act. They have been denied bail and face up to 14 years in jail. At the time of their arrest, they were investigating a massacre committed by the Burmese military targeting Rohingya Muslims in the village of Inn Din in September. While the two journalists remain in prison, other journalists with Reuters have continued to piece together what happened in Inn Din. In a shocking new exposé, Reuters reports Burmese soldiers and members of an informal militia executed 10 Rohingya Muslim captives. At least two of the men were hacked to death. The others were shot. We speak with Antoni Slodkowski, Reuters bureau chief in Burma.

WH Discussed Promoting Rob Porter Months After Receiving FBI's Report on Alleged Domestic Violence, Second Judge Temporarily Blocks Trump from Canceling DACA, ICE Seattle Official Charged with Stealing Immigrants' Identities to Commit Credit Card Fraud, Trump's Lawyer Personally Paid to Silence Ex-Porn Star About Encounter with Trump, U.S. Intelligence Chiefs Claim Russia Planning to Meddle in 2018 Election, After 3-Year Bombing Campaign, U.S. Refuses to Commit Money to Iraq's Reconstruction, Israeli Justice Minister: Maintaining Jewish Majority More Important Than Human Rights, Israeli Police Recommend Indicting PM Netanyahu on Corruption Charges, Imprisoned Reuters Journalists Win PEN Award for Reporting on Massacre in Burma, Ethiopia: Top Oromo Opposition Leader Freed from Prison, British Judge Again Upholds Arrest Warrant Against Julian Assange, CAIR Sues Southwest for Removing Passenger from Plane for Speaking Arabic, Olympic Gold Medalist Shaun White Faces Questions About Sexual Harassment Suit

This week marks 25 years since Bill Clinton signed the Family and Medical Leave Act, which gave employees in the U.S. the right to unpaid time off to care for themselves and family members. A decade later, San Francisco became the first city to approve paid sick leave. Today some 14 million workers in 32 municipalities and nine states have paid sick leave policies. On Thursday, Austin city councilmembers will vote on an ordinance that would make it the first city in the South to require paid sick leave from private employers. But the measure is facing strong opposition from a Koch brothers-backed lobbying group called the National Federation of Independent Business, which is fighting paid sick leave policies across the country. This the same lobbying group that led the opposition to the Affordable Care Act. For more we speak to Gregorio Casar, the Austin city councilmember who introduced the paid sick leave measure. When he first won election in 2014, he was the youngest councilmember in the city's history. He is the son of Mexican immigrants.

Tensions across northern Syria are escalating sharply amid a series of clashes between external and internal powers, including Israel, Iran, Turkey, Russia and the Syrian government. On Saturday, Israel shot down what it says was an Iranian drone that had entered Israel's airspace after being launched in Syria. Israel then mounted an attack on an Iranian command center in Syria, from where the drone was launched. One of the Israeli F-16 military jets was then downed by a Syrian government anti-aircraft missile. Meanwhile, also in northern Syria on Saturday, a Turkish Army helicopter was shot down by U.S.-backed Syrian Kurdish YPG fighters near the Syrian Kurdish city of Afrin, where Turkey has launched a bombing and ground offensive. All this comes as the United Nations is warning of soaring levels of civilian casualties in Syria. For more, we speak with Anne Barnard, The New York Times bureau chief in Beirut, Lebanon. Her recent articles are titled "Israel Strikes Iran in Syria and Loses a Jet" and "It's Hard to Believe, But Syria's War Is Getting Even Worse." And we speak with Syrian-Canadian researcher Yazan al-Saadi.

Trump's $4.4T Budget Plan Would Gut Social Programs, Expand Pentagon, Senate Begins Immigration Debate as DACA Expiration Looms, White House Won't Explain Timeline of Rob Porter Abuse Allegations, Syria: Civilian Toll Mounts as Fighting Rages in Damascus Suburbs, Israel: Likud Party Says U.S. Discussed Annexation of Settlements, Palestinian President to "Refuse to Cooperate" with U.S. as Mideast Mediator, Israel: Military Trial Opens for Palestinian Teen Who Slapped Soldier, Tonga: Massive Cyclone Destroys Homes, Flattens Parliament Building, South Africa: ANC Orders President Jacob Zuma to Resign, Trump Admin Won't Support Transgender Students' Bathroom Access, Health and Human Services Dept. Coordinated with Anti-Abortion Group, Trump's Pick to Run 2020 Census Withdraws Nomination, Fox News Editor Calls U.S. Olympic Team "Darker, Gayer, Different", AG Sessions Praises "Anglo-American Heritage" of Law Enforcement, Wisconsin: 3 Jail Staffers Charged over Prisoner's Dehydration Death, West Virginia Woman Dragged from Capitol for Calling Out Campaign Donors, Apple Seeks Court Injunction Against French Tax Protesters

On Sunday, in Lahore, Pakistan, the world-renowned Pakistani human rights lawyer and activist Asma Jahangir died suddenly at the age of 66. For decades, Jahangir has been a leading advocate for women, minorities and democracy in Pakistan. In 1983, she was imprisoned for her work with the Movement to Restore Democracy during the military rule of General Zia ul-Haq. Later, in 2007, she was put under house arrest for helping lead a lawyers' protest movement that helped oust military leader Pervez Musharraf. As one of Pakistan's most powerful lawyers, she founded the country's first legal aid center in 1986, served as the first female president of the Supreme Court Bar Association of Pakistan and was the U.N. special rapporteur for human rights, extrajudicial killings and religious freedoms. Democracy Now! interviewed Asma Jahangir in "2007":https://www.democracynow.org/2007/11/14/under_house_arrest_pakistani_human_rights and "2016":https://www.democracynow.org/2016/8/9/pakistan_mourns_after_bombing_at_hospital. Click "here":https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=b4g7bsw3o9Q to watch Asma Jahangir’s full speech when she accepted the Right Livelihood Award in 2014. For more on her extraordinary life, we speak with her close personal friend, Tufts University professor Ayesha Jalal.

A federal judge temporarily stayed the deportation order for New Sanctuary Coalition executive director Ravi Ragbir on Friday, only one day before he was scheduled to be deported. He's one of a growing number of immigrants whose scheduled deportations—both individual or en masse—have been halted by federal judges in New Jersey, Massachusetts, Michigan and Florida. For more on the legal battle against Trump's mass deportation efforts, we speak with Lee Gelernt, deputy director of the ACLU Immigrants' Rights Project; Seth Kaper-Dale, pastor of the Reformed Church of Highland Park; and Ravi Ragbir, executive director of the New Sanctuary Coalition.

On Friday, a federal judge stayed the deportation of New York City immigrant rights leader Ravi Ragbir, after he filed a free speech lawsuit arguing immigration officials unconstitutionally used their power to suppress political dissent by targeting outspoken activists for surveillance and deportation. The judge stayed the deportation only one day before Ravi Ragbir was scheduled to be deported. He has now been ordered to check in with Immigration and Customs Enforcement on March 15. For more, we speak with Ravi Ragbir, executive director of the New Sanctuary Coalition.

Syria: Tensions & Casualties Rise Amid Clashes Between Israel, Iran, Turkey & Syrian Gov't, As White House Domestic Violence Scandal Spirals, Trump Supports Accused Abusers, DOJ's Third-Highest-Ranking Official, Rachel Brand, Abruptly Resigns, Senate Slated to Begin Debate on Immigration Today, Federal Judge Stays Ravi Ragbir's Deportation on Free Speech Grounds, NYC Public Defenders Strike to Protest ICE Arrests at Bronx Courthouse, Court Rules Immigrants' Class Action Lawsuit Against GEO Group Can Proceed, Trump Blocks Release of Schiff Memo, After Release of Nunes Memo, NY Attorney General Sues Weinstein Company over Sexual Harassment, Oxfam Faces Crisis over Cover Up of Sex Crimes in Post-Earthquake Haiti, Kim Jong-un Invites South Korean President to Visit North, in Latest Thaw in Tensions, Reuters Publishes Shocking Report on Burmese Military's Killing of Rohingya, ICC Opens Inquiry into Extrajudicial Killings in the Philippines, Honduras: Activist Edwin Espinal & Others Jailed over Post-Election Protests, Iran: Hundreds of Thousands Gather to Mark Anniversary of 1979 Islamic Revolution, Iranian-Canadian Environmentalist Found Dead in Tehran Jail, Report: Britain Pressured Sweden Not to Drop Assange's Extradition Proceedings 5 Years Ago, Russian Plane Crashes Near Moscow, Killing 71, Puerto Rico: Fire at Electrical Station Plunges Swaths of Island Back into Darkness, World-Renowned Pakistani Human Rights Lawyer Asma Jahangir Dies at 66

Fifteen years ago this week, Secretary of State General Colin Powell gave a speech to the United Nations arguing for war with Iraq, saying the evidence was clear: Saddam Hussein had weapons of mass destruction. It was a speech Powell would later call a blot on his career. Is President Trump doing the same thing now with Iran? We speak to Powell's former chief of staff, Col. Lawrence Wilkerson. He recently wrote a piece titled "I Helped Sell the False Choice of War Once. It's Happening Again."

In Pyeongchang, South Korea, the 2018 Winter Olympics have opened, with North and South Korean athletes marching together at the open ceremonies. The games are seen as a pivotal moment for relations between the two countries, who have been officially at war since 1950. In an effort to de-escalate tensions on the Korean Peninsula, North Korea has sent a 500-person delegation of athletes, musicians and performers to the Olympics. North Korean leader Kim Jong-un's influential sister attended today's opening ceremony and shook hands with South Korean leader Moon Jae-in; the pair are scheduled to have lunch together. But as the peninsula tries to de-escalate the threat of nuclear war, U.S. Vice President Mike Pence warned the U.S. is slated to impose another round of sanctions against North Korea. We speak to Christine Ahn, the founder and international coordinator of Women Cross DMZ, a global movement of women mobilizing to end the Korean War.

In a pair of early-morning votes, the U.S. House and Senate approved bills to end a brief overnight shutdown of the government. The bill raises military and domestic spending by almost $300 billion over the next two years. But the bill failed to meet the demands of immigrant rights groups—and many Democrats—who wanted protection for young undocumented immigrants whose protections President Trump ended last fall. The House only passed thanks to 73 Democrats who joined Republicans backing the measure. We speak to Greisa Martínez Rosas, advocacy director for United We Dream. She is a recipient of DACA, Deferred Action for Childhood Arrivals.

Congress Passes Spending Bill Without Deal to Protect Young Immigrants, Dow Jones Falls 1,000+ Points Again in Stock Market "Correction", Korean Athletes March Under Unified Flag as Winter Olympics Open, Mike Pence Denies Reported Snub by Olympic Figure Skater Adam Rippon, Reports: Senior White House Officials Knew of Rob Porter Abuse Allegations, Dozens of White House Staffers Lack Permanent Security Clearance, Guatemala: Two Journalists Murdered in Apparent Execution, Bermuda Becomes First to Revoke Marriage Equality Rights, Illinois: White Supremacist Poised to Win GOP Congressional Primary, Southern Poverty Law Center Reports "The Alt-Right Is Killing People", Ohio Sues DuPont, Citing Decades-Long Spill of Toxic Chemical, Seattle: Former Olympic Swimming Coach Accused of Sexual Abuse, Immigration Arrests Up 30 Percent in 2017, Still Far Below Peak Obama Levels, Draft Trump Admin Plan Would Punish Immigrants on Government Assistance, Tacoma, Washington: ICE Detainees Begin Hunger Strike, Immigration Activist Ravi Ragbir Heads to Court Hoping to Halt Deportation

The U.S. is intensifying its air war in Afghanistan as U.S. Central Command has announced it is shifting military resources from Iraq and Syria back to Afghanistan, where the United States has been fighting for over 16 years in the longest war in U.S. history. U.S. Air Force Major General James Hecker recently said Afghanistan has "become CENTCOM's main effort." The news comes after a particularly bloody period in Afghanistan. Despite the spiraling violence, President Trump recently ruled out negotiations with the Taliban during a meeting of members of the United Nations Security Council. We speak to Pulitzer Prize-winning journalist Steve Coll about his new book, "Directorate S: The C.I.A. and America's Secret Wars in Afghanistan and Pakistan."

In New Orleans, Black Lives Matter activist and Charleston, South Carolina, community organizer Muhiyidin d'Baha died Tuesday, after he was struck in the thigh by a bullet as he rode his bicycle. Police have not named any motive or suspects in the killing. He made national headlines last year after he appeared in a viral video that shows him leaping over a police line in an attempt to grab a Confederate flag from a white supremacist at a rally in Charleston. In 2015, Democracy Now! spoke with Muhiyidin d'Baha outside the Emanuel AME Church amid the funerals of nine African-American worshipers who were gunned down by white supremacist Dylann Roof.

Senators Reach 2-Year Spending Agreement Without Deal on Immigration, Minority Leader Nancy Pelosi Speaks for 8+ Hours to Support DREAMers, DREAM Activists Arrested at Nonviolent Capitol Hill Protest, White House Aide Rob Porter Resigns Amid Domestic Violence Allegations, Syria: Dozens Dead as U.S. Airstrikes Target Pro-Government Forces, Iraq: UNICEF Appeals for Aid After Mosul's Hospitals Left in Ruins, Taiwan: Powerful Earthquake Leaves 6 Dead, 76 Missing, Pay Equity Lawsuit Targets British Supermarket Chain Tesco, Vice President Pence Warns North Korea Despite Winter Olympics Thaw, Mike Pence to Lead U.S. Olympics Delegation, Drawing LGBTQ Protests, EPA Chief Scott Pruitt Suggests Global Warming is Not a "Bad Thing", California Officials to Block Oil Shipments from New Offshore Wells, North Dakota: 1-Year Prison Sentence for Anti-Pipeline Activist, Electronic Frontier Foundation Founder John Perry Barlow Dead at 70, Black Lives Matter Activist Muhiyidin d'Baha Shot Dead in New Orleans

In Ohio, a 16-year-old girl who killed her abusive father is finally home from juvenile detention, after her case sparked national outcry over the treatment of domestic violence survivors. The young girl, Bresha Meadows, was just 14 years old when she shot dead her abusive father, Jonathan Meadows, with a bullet to his head as he slept. Only two months earlier, Bresha had run away from home, telling relatives that she was scared for her life "because her father was beating her mother and threatening to kill the whole family." Bresha was sentenced to a year in juvenile detention, with credit for time served, as well as six months at a mental health treatment center. We speak to journalist Victoria Law, who has been closely following the story.

The NAACP and the NAACP Legal Defense Fund have sued the Department of Homeland Security over its decision to rescind the temporary protected status (TPS) designation for Haitian immigrants. We speak to Sherrilyn Ifill, president and director-counsel of the NAACP Legal Defense Fund.

In Maryland, closing arguments are scheduled to begin today for two Baltimore police officers who are part of what has been described as one of the most startling police corruption scandals in a generation. The officers were part of an elite plainclothes unit called the Gun Trace Task Force—but, according to prosecutors, the unit acted more like a criminal outfit. In his opening argument during the trial, the lead federal prosecutor, Leo Wise, said, "They were, simply put, both cops and robbers." According to prosecutors, the officers stole hundreds of thousands of dollars from city residents. They broke into houses. They stole drugs and then gave them to drug dealers. They carried BB guns that they could plant on people they shot. Six members of the task force have already pleaded guilty. We speak to Sherrilyn Ifill, president and director-counsel of the NAACP Legal Defense Fund.

New York City taxi drivers held a vigil on Tuesday to honor livery car driver Douglas Schifter, who killed himself in front of City Hall Monday morning after writing a long Facebook post condemning local politicians and Wall Street-backed apps like Uber for pushing him into financial ruin. He wrote, "I worked 100-120 consecutive hours almost every week for the past fourteen plus years. When the industry started in 1981, I averaged 40-50 hours. I cannot survive any longer with working 120 hours! I am not a Slave and I refuse to be one. … There seems to be a strong bias by the Mayor and Governor in favor of Uber. A Company that is a known liar, cheat and thief." Over the past five years, the number of for-hire cars has more than doubled in the city, largely thanks to Uber. But the soaring number of cars has resulted in a financial crisis for many longtime taxi drivers who now struggle to get customers. We speak to Bhairavi Desai, executive director and co-founder of the New York Taxi Workers Alliance, which represents over 19,000 taxi drivers in New York City.

U.N. Calls for Ceasefire in Syria as Dozens Are Killed by Regime Airstrikes, Pence Warns of New Sanctions on N. Korea, Ahead of Olympic Games in S. Korea, John Kelly Sparks Outrage by Suggesting DREAMers Are Lazy, Trump Gives Pentagon Marching Orders to Stage Giant Military Parade, FEMA Slammed After Only 50,000 of 30 Million Meals Were Delivered to Puerto Rico, House Passes Legislation Overhauling Congress' Sexual Harassment Process, Las Vegas Casino Mogul Steve Wynn Resigns Amid Sexual Harassment Scandal, Ecuador Reaffirms Support for Assange After London Judge Upholds Arrest Warrant, Hong Kong's Highest Court Throws Out Prison Sentences for Pro-Democracy Activists, NYC Livery Driver Commits Suicide at City Hall, Blaming Uber & Politicians for Financial Ruin, Baltimore Cops on Trial for Conspiracy, Robbery in Massive Police Corruption Scandal, Court Upholds $25 Million Settlement Against Trump University, Rep. Nydia Velázquez Introduces Private Bill to Protect Ravi Ragbir

On February 4, 1968, Martin Luther King Jr. delivered his historic "The Drum Major Instinct" sermon at the Ebenezer Baptist Church, two months before his assassination. On Sunday, 50 years later, the words of his sermon were used to in a Dodge Ram truck advertisement at the Super Bowl. The ad sparked widespread criticism for the obvious distortion of Dr. King's message. But other revisions to civil rights history are often more subtle. For more, we speak with the author of a new book showing how the legacy of the civil rights movement in the U.S. has been distorted and whitewashed for public consumption. Professor and historian Jeanne Theoharis's new book is titled "A More Beautiful and Terrible History: The Uses and Misuses of Civil Rights History." She is also the author of the award-winning book "The Rebellious Life of Mrs. Rosa Parks."

Super Bowl Sunday marked the 50th anniversary of "The Drum Major Instinct," a historic sermon the Rev. Martin Luther King Jr. gave at the Ebenezer Baptist Church on February 4, 1968, two months before his assassination. The sermon is mostly remembered for the way King concluded it, by imagining his own funeral, downplaying his famous achievements and saying, "If you want to say that I was a drum major, say that I was a drum major for justice." Well, on Sunday, Ram trucks marked the anniversary of King's speech by using part of it in a Super Bowl ad to sell trucks. The controversial ad featured King's voice played over video showing U.S. marines, ranchers and a soldier wearing camouflage, but it ignored King's own warning about car advertisements from the same speech. We speak to the famed sociologist and civil rights activist Harry Edwards.

As the battle over the DREAMers and DACA heats up in Washington, we look at a stunning new piece in The New Yorker titled "When Deportation is a Death Sentence." It looks at how an unknown number of men and women have been killed in their home countries after being deported or turned away by the United States. The article focuses in part on a Mexican-born woman named Laura. Despite living her whole adult life in Texas, she was deported to Mexico after a traffic stop. She warned a U.S. Border Patrol agent, "When I am found dead, it will be on your conscience." Within a week of her deportation, she was murdered by her ex-husband. We are joined by the award-winning journalist and New Yorker staff writer Sarah Stillman. She is also director of the Global Migration Project at Columbia University's Graduate School of Journalism.

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