Democracy Now!

On Tuesday, former U.S. intelligence contractor Reality Leigh Winner appeared in court in Augusta, Georgia, where her lawyers asked the judge to exclude her statements to FBI agents on the day she was arrested, arguing she was denied her Miranda rights. Winner is a former National Security Agency contractor who has pleaded not guilty to charges she leaked a top-secret document to The Intercept about Russian interference in the 2016 election. She is facing up to 10 years in prison on charges she violated the Espionage Act. For more, we speak with two guests. In Chicago, we're joined by Kevin Gosztola, a journalist and managing editor of Shadowproof Press. He was in the courtroom in Augusta on Tuesday, and his recent article is titled "In Reality Winner's Case, Defense Seizes Upon FBI Testimony to Bolster Motion to Suppress Statements." And in Augusta, Georgia, we speak with by Reality Winner's mother, Billie Winner-Davis. She's joining us from her daughter's house, where Reality Winner was questioned and arrested by FBI agents on June 3.

After Oval Office Meeting with NRA, Trump Backpedals on Gun Control, Georgia Will Punish Delta After the Airline Distances Itself from NRA, President Trump Imposes Tariffs on Steel, Aluminum, Russian President Putin Touts New "Invincible" Nuclear Weapons, Syria: 674 Civilians Reportedly Dead in Latest Eastern Ghouta Assault, FBI Scrutinizes Ivanka Trump over Vancouver High-Rise Project, President Trump Says Drug Dealers Should Receive Death Penalty, Civil Rights Progress Elusive 50 Years After Kerner Commission, Louisiana Agency Spied on Activists Opposing Bayou Bridge Pipeline, Billy Graham to Be Buried After Lying in Honor at U.S. Capitol, Treasury Secretary Mnuchin Blocks Video Showing Protests at UCLA Talk

Scientists are expressing dismay over unprecedented warm temperatures in the Arctic. In recent days, temperatures at the North Pole have surged above freezing—even though the sun set last October and won't rise again until later this month. On the northern tip of Greenland, a meteorological site has logged an unprecedented 61 hours of temperatures above freezing so far in 2018. The record-breaking temperatures are connected to an unusual retreat of sea ice in the sunless Arctic winter. Scientists suggest warming temperatures are eroding the polar vortex, the powerful winds that once cushioned the frozen north. The alarming heat wave is causing scientists to reconsider even their bleakest forecasts of climate change. According to a leaked draft of a scientific report by a United Nations panel of scientists, "The risk of an ice-free Arctic in summer is about 50 per cent or higher," with warming of between 1.5 and 2.0 degrees Celsius. We speak with Jason Box, professor in glaciology at the Geological Survey of Denmark and Greenland in Copenhagen.

In West Virginia, public schools remain closed today, after the state's teachers' unions remained on strike over the high cost of health insurance. On Tuesday, West Virginia Gov. Jim Justice agreed to boost teacher salaries by 5 percent in the first year of a new contract, but the teachers say the deal isn't enough to offset skyrocketing premiums in the Public Employees Insurance Agency. Some 20,000 teachers and 13,000 school staffers say they'll remain on strike until they win a better agreement on healthcare.

Two weeks after the school shooting in Parkland, Florida, left 17 people dead, President Trump appears to have broken with the NRA and his Republican colleagues. At a televised White House meeting with lawmakers on Wednesday, Trump urged Republican and Democratic lawmakers to pass comprehensive gun control measures. At one point he accused Republican Senator Pat Toomey of being "afraid of the NRA." After the meeting, NRA spokesperson Jennifer Baker said, "While today's meeting made for great TV, the gun control proposals discussed would make for bad policy that would not keep our children safe. Instead of punishing law-abiding gun owners for the acts of a deranged lunatic, our leaders should pass meaningful reforms that would actually prevent future tragedies." Joining us in Washington is Randi Weingarten, president of the American Federation of Teachers. She wrote an open letter to Trump on Wednesday explaining her opposition to his push to arm teachers. Also in Washington is Kris Brown, co-president at the Brady Campaign to Prevent Gun Violence. And here in New York is Andy Pelosi, executive director of the Campaign to Keep Guns Off Campus.

Survivors of Parkland, Florida, High School Massacre Return to Classes, Schools Lock Down in New Mexico, Georgia Amid Gun Threats, Trump Shocks GOP by Supporting Gun Age Restrictions, Criticizing NRA, Walmart Joins Dick's Sporting Goods in Limiting Gun Sales, Rep. Don Young Says Armed Jews Would Have Prevented the Holocaust, Syria: Eastern Ghouta Assault Continues as Ceasefire Fails, Senate Bill Seeks to End U.S. Support for Saudi-Led War on Yemen, Honduras: Nikki Haley Praises President Despite Reports of Election Rigging, White House Communications Director Hope Hicks to Step Down, Mueller Investigation Probes Trump's Efforts to Oust AG Jeff Sessions, Former Trump Campaign Chair Paul Manafort Pleads Not Guilty, NYT: Jared Kushner Got Massive Loans After White House Meetings with Executives, Housing Secretary Carson Under Fire for Spending Amid HUD Budget Cuts, British Police Open New Criminal Investigation into Harvey Weinstein, Native American Author Sherman Alexie Apologizes Amid Sexual Abuse Claims, U.S. Olympic Committee Chair Resigns Amid Larry Nassar Sex-Abuse Scandal, West Virginia Teachers Remain on Strike over Healthcare Costs, Argentina: Former General Who Tortured and Murdered Activists Dies, Slovakia: Hundreds March to Protest Killing of Journalist Ján Kuciak, San Francisco: Hundreds Protest Northern California ICE Raids

While "Black Panther" has broken box office records, it has also generated an intense debate. We host a roundtable with three guests: Christopher Lebron, a professor at Johns Hopkins University who recently wrote "Black Panther Is Not the Film We Deserve"; Robyn C. Spencer, a professor at Lehman College, who wrote "Black Feminist Meditations on the Women of Wakanda"; and Carvell Wallace, author of The New York Times Magazine story "Why Black Panther Is a Defining Moment for Black America."

As Black History Month wraps up, we look at the record-breaking movie "Black Panther." Since the release of "Black Panther" earlier this month, fans have crowdfunded campaigns to ensure children can see the film in theaters, teachers have incorporated the movie's core themes of anti-colonialism and cultural representation into their curriculum, and activists have used film screenings to hold mass voter registration drives. The movie has also renewed calls for the release of more than a dozen imprisoned members of the real Black Panther Party. "Black Panther" has also ignited a firestorm of impassioned social commentary online among fans and detractors alike. We speak to historian Robyn C. Spencer, who wrote a piece, "Black Feminist Meditations on the Women of Wakanda," and Carvell Wallace, whose piece, "Why Black Panther Is a Defining Moment for Black America," appeared in The New York Times Magazine.

The Supreme Court ruled Tuesday that federal authorities can continue to indefinitely detain some immigrants and asylum seekers without a bond hearing. The 5-3 ruling overturned the rulings of two lower courts that found immigrants facing prolonged detention must be given a custody hearing. But Tuesday's Supreme Court decision does not end the battle over indefinite detention. The justices sent the case back to the federal appeals court to evaluate the constitutionality of the practice. Tuesday's decision came a day after the Supreme Court dealt a blow to President Trump's efforts to rescind DACA, the Obama-era Deferred Action for Childhood Arrivals program, which gives at least 700,000 young immigrants permission to live and work in the United States. The court refused to hear a White House appeal of lower court rulings saying Trump's move to cancel the program was unconstitutional. We speak to Michael Tan, staff attorney at the American Civil Liberties Union's Immigrants' Rights Project.

Syrian Gov't Continues Violating 5-Hour Daily "Truce" in Eastern Ghouta, U.N. Report Warns of Sexual Exploitation by Aid Workers in Syria, Supreme Court: U.S. Can Continue to Indefinitely Detain Immigrants & Asylum Seekers, ICE Arrests Over 150 People in Raids in Northern California, 40 Faith Leaders Arrested During Capitol Hill Protest to Demand Clean DREAM Act, WaPo: Officials in 4 Countries Tried to Manipulate Kushner Through Business Ties, NSA Head: Trump Has Not Directed Him to Counter Russian Election Meddling, Florida Lawmakers Vote to Create Statewide Program to Arm Teachers in Classrooms, Afghan President Offers to Begin Peace Talks with the Taliban, Yemen: U.S.-Backed, Saudi-Led Airstrikes Kill 5 Civilians Outside Saada, Somalia: Nearly 40 People Killed in 2 Bombings in Mogadishu, Fellow Nobel Peace Prize Winners Criticize Aung San Suu Kyi over Violence Against Rohingya, Committee to Protect Journalists Calls for Probe into Killing of Slovak Journalist, Climate News: Temps Surge at North Pole; Sea Rise Floods U.S. Bases; Shrinking Lake Chad Causes Hunger Crisis, Treasury Department Slashes Puerto Rico's Disaster Relief Loan Fund, U.S. Intelligence Contractor Reality Winner Appears in Court in Georgia, West Virginia Teachers Win Pay Raise After 4-Day Statewide Strike

On Monday, the U.S. Supreme Court heard arguments in a key case that could deal a massive blow to public unions nationwide. The case, Janus v. American Federation of State, County and Municipal Employees, deals with whether workers who benefit from union-negotiated contracts can avoid paying union dues if they opt not to join the union. The lead plaintiff, Mark Janus, is a child support specialist who argues that a state law in Illinois allowing the union to charge a fee for collective bargaining activities violates his First Amendment rights. Numerous right-wing groups have trumpeted his claim in their latest attempt to weaken the political power of public unions. The groups include the Koch brothers' Americans for Prosperity, the State Policy Network, ALEC—American Legislative Exchange Council—and the Bradley Foundation. We speak to Amanda Shanor, staff attorney at the American Civil Liberties Union, which filed an amicus brief in Janus v. AFSCME in support of AFSCME.

As the state of Pennsylvania and the city of Philadelphia begin probes into racist lending practices, Pennsylvania state Senator Vincent Hughes urges constituents to pull their money from banks denying home loans to people of color. This comes after a recent investigation by Reveal found African-American mortgage applicants in Philly are almost three times as likely to be denied a conventional mortgage as white applicants.

A shocking new investigation by Reveal and the Center for Investigative Reporting has uncovered evidence that African Americans and Latinos continue to be routinely denied conventional mortgage loans, even at rates far higher than their white counterparts, across the country. According to the piece, the homeownership gap between whites and African Americans is now wider than it was during the Jim Crow era. Reveal based its report on a review of 31 million mortgage records filed with the federal government in 2015 and 2016. The investigation found the redlining occurring across the country, including in Washington, D.C., Atlanta, Detroit, Philadelphia, St. Louis, and San Antonio, Texas. Since its publication earlier this month, the report has sparked national outrage and, in some states, unusually swift political action. Pennsylvania's attorney general and state treasurer have both launched investigations into redlining in Philadelphia. We speak to Pennsylvania state Senator Vincent Hughes and Aaron Glantz, senior reporter at Reveal from The Center for Investigative Reporting. His new investigation is headlined "Kept out: How banks block people of color from homeownership."

Supreme Court Deals Major Blow to Trump's Efforts to Cancel DACA, Trump Claims He Would Run into a Building to Stop a School Shooting, Washington Gov. Jay Inslee Slams Trump's Idea to Arm Teachers, Georgia Lt. Gov. Threatens to Retaliate Against Delta for Stopping Discount to NRA, WH Aide Ivanka Trump: "Inappropriate" to Ask Her About Reports of Father's Sexual Assault, Trump Proposes Appointing His Private Pilot to Head Federal Aviation Authority, Syrian Gov't Continues Airstrikes & Shelling in Eastern Ghouta During 5-Hour Truce, China Drops Presidential Term Limits, Clearing Path for Xi to Serve Indefinitely, Congo: Soldiers Kill 4 People Protesting Delay of Elections & Kabila's Extended Rule, Israeli Soldiers Arrest 10 Members of Ahed Tamimi's Family, Including Cousin Shot by IDF, Haaretz: Israeli Prosecutor's Office Directly Links PM Netanyahu to Bezeq Bribery Case, ACLU: Jailed Mexican Immigrant Was Beaten and Put in Solitary for Joining a Hunger Strike, Court Rules Civil Rights Law Prohibits Employers from Sexual Orientation Discrimination, Georgia: Reality Leigh Winner to Appear in Court Tuesday, NBA Golden State Warriors Meet with D.C. Kids, Not President Trump, Indian Superstar Actress Sridevi Dies at 54, Health Advocate & Anti-TPP Activist Zahara Heckscher Dies at 53 of Breast Cancer

This week marks six months since Hurricane Harvey caused historic flooding in Houston, Texas, the most diverse city in the nation and one of its largest. Houston is also home to the largest refining and petrochemical complex in the country. As federal money for rebuilding trickles in, Houston's chief "recovery czar" is the former president of Shell Oil, Marvin Odum, whose past experience includes rebuilding Shell's oil and gas facilities after Hurricane Katrina. Meanwhile, immigrants and fenceline communities who suffer from pollution along Houston's industrial corridor are still largely absent from much of the discussion about how the city plans to recover. For more, we host a roundtable discussion with Dr. Robert Bullard, the "father of environmental justice"; Bryan Parras of the Sierra Club; undocumented immigrant activist Cesar Espinosa; and Goldman Environmental Prize winner Hilton Kelley in Port Arthur, Texas.

The U.S. Supreme Court is set to hear arguments today in a key case that could deal a massive blow to unions nationwide. The case, Janus v. American Federation of State, County and Municipal Employees, deals with whether workers who are covered by union-negotiated contracts are required to pay a portion of union dues even if they are not members of the union. This case is among a slew of conservative causes that right-wing donors have poured money into in recent years—among them, the Koch brothers, who recently boasted they've won a "laundry list" of victories from the Trump administration. For more, we speak with Lee Fang, investigative reporter for The Intercept. His recent piece is entitled "Koch Document Reveals a Laundry List of Policy Victories Extracted from the Trump Administration."

In Parkland, Florida, students returned to Marjory Stoneman Douglas High School on Sunday afternoon for the first time inside their school since February 14, when a 19-year-old former student named Nikolas Cruz walked into the school and opened fire with an AR-15 semiautomatic rifle, killing 17 people. This comes as lawmakers return to Capitol Hill today after a one-week vacation. Congress is facing massive pressure to pass gun control measures amid the rise of an unprecedented youth movement, led by Marjory Stoneman Douglas High School students who survived the mass shooting. President Trump has reiterated his calls to arm teachers with concealed weapons. For more, we speak with The Intercept's investigative reporter Lee Fang, whose recent piece is entitled "Even as a Student Movement Rises, Gun Manufacturers Are Targeting Young People."

U.N. Chief: "Stop This Hell on Earth" in Syria's Eastern Ghouta, Students Return to Stoneman Douglas HS for First Time Since Massacre, Broward Sheriff Faces Criticism over Failure to Probe Warnings About Gunman, Congress, NRA Face Pressure as Support for Stricter Gun Control Laws Grows, Ex-Trump Aide Pleads Guilty & Agrees to Cooperate with Mueller Probe, Democratic Memo Defends FBI Actions Surrounding Surveillance of Trump Aide, Weinstein Company to File for Bankruptcy, California Democrats Vote Not to Endorse Sen. Dianne Feinstein, Report: Trump Speaks Privately About Executing Drug Dealers, U.S. Imposes New N. Korea Sanctions, Palestinians Condemn U.S. Plan to Move Embassy to Jerusalem on Nakba Day, 20,000 Protest Israeli Plan to Push Out African Migrants, Oakland Mayor Warns Residents of Possible ICE Raid, Louisiana Judge Revokes Permit for Energy Transfer Partners Pipeline, West Virginia Teachers Begin Third Day on Strike, Supreme Court to Hear Arguments in Key Case About Future of Labor Unions

World-famous filmmaker Raoul Peck is releasing a film today in Los Angeles and New York on the life and times of Karl Marx. It's called "The Young Karl Marx." The film's release comes as the head of the National Rifle Association, Wayne LaPierre, broke his silence after last week's Florida school shooting that left 17 dead, attacking gun control advocates as communists in an address to the Conservative Political Action Conference, or CPAC. We speak with acclaimed Haitian filmmaker and political activist Raoul Peck about his new film and the role of Marxism in organizing for gun reform.

Russian-American journalist Masha Gessen talks about how President Trump has benefited from what she calls the "conspiracy trap" around Russia's role in the 2016 election. She wrote last year, "Russiagate is helping him—both by distracting from real, documentable, and documented issues, and by promoting a xenophobic conspiracy theory in the cause of removing a xenophobic conspiracy theorist from office."

The Justice Department recently indicted 13 Russians and three companies in connection with efforts to influence the 2016 presidential election. The indicted are accused of orchestrating an online propaganda effort to undermine the U.S. election system. The indictment claims the Russians spread negative information online about Hillary Clinton and supportive information about Donald Trump, as well as Bernie Sanders—but some are warning against overstating what Russia accomplished. For more, we speak with award-winning Russian-American journalist Masha Gessen, a longtime critic of Russian President Vladimir Putin. Her recent piece for The New Yorker is titled "The Fundamental Uncertainty of Mueller's Russia Indictments."

National Rifle Association Attacks Gun Control Advocates, Trump Repeats Call to Arm Teachers in Wake of Florida School Massacre, Deputy Who Failed to Engage Florida School Shooter Retires, Texas School District to Punish Students Protesting Gun Violence, Minneapolis Mayor Joins Student Protests as Orono Schools Lock Down, Russia Delays U.N. Security Council Resolution on Syria Bloodshed, UNICEF Executive Resigns Following Reports of Sexual Harassment, Haiti Suspends Oxfam over Sex Crimes and Cover-Up, Video Shows Dead Palestinian Was Beaten by Soldiers, Rebutting Israeli Claims, Florida: Prisoner Screams "Murderers!" as Lethal Drugs Administered, Alabama Halts Execution of Cancer Sufferer over Collapsed Veins, Texas Grants Clemency to Death Row Prisoner Amid Father's Plea, Special Counsel Mueller Files New Charges Against Manafort and Gates, Missouri Gov. Greitens Indicted on Felony Invasion of Privacy Charge

The United Nations has condemned the Syrian government's recent deadly barrage of airstrikes and artillery fire against the rebel-held enclave of Eastern Ghouta, outside the capital of Damascus. Aid workers report at least 300 people have been killed over the past three days. Many of the victims are women and children. Targets have included hospitals and residential apartment buildings. We are joined now by three guests: Rawya Rageh of Amnesty International, Syrian-American journalist Alia Malek and Wendy Pearlman, author of "We Crossed a Bridge and It Trembled: Voices from Syria."

As students protests grow in Florida, we speak to a former intern for Senator Rubio who is also a graduate from Stoneman Douglas High School. Shana Rosenthal just wrote a piece for The New York Times titled "I Interned for Senator Rubio. Now I'm Begging Him to Act on Guns." In the piece, the 21-year-old reveals she has already been near four mass shootings: at Florida State University, Fort Lauderdale airport and the massacres at the Pulse nightclub in Orlando and at Stoneman Douglas High School last week. She attended the CNN town hall last night.

"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.