Democracy Now!

In what may be the single largest dismissal of wrongful convictions in U.S. history, Massachusetts prosecutors announced Tuesday they would throw out 21,587 criminal drug cases. The cases were all prosecuted based on evidence or testimony supplied by a former state chemist who admitted to faking tests and identifying evidence as illegal narcotics without even testing it. The chemist, Annie Dookhan, pleaded guilty in 2013 to tampering with evidence during her nine years working at a state crime lab in Boston. During that time, thousands of people were convicted based on her false statements. For more, we speak with Matthew Segal, legal director of the ACLU of Massachusetts, and Mallory Hanora of the group Families for Justice as Healing.

In 2013, Steven Odiase was convicted for the shooting death of 15-year-old Juan Perez in the Bronx. At the time, the only evidence against the 31-year-old Odiase were the words of a lone eyewitness, who admitted to being intoxicated at the time of the murder. Odiase was sentenced to 25 years to life in prison. Then, Odiase's younger sister, Kalimah Truesdale, set out to prove her brother's innocence. She scoured the scene of the crime and eventually found a woman who said that she saw the shooting. Most shockingly, the woman said she had already spoken to a detective at the time of the murder and described the shooter as a man not matching Odiase's description. However, there was no mention of the woman's testimony in the version of the police report that was presented to Steven Odiase's defense attorney. For more on the mystery of this altered police report, we speak with Jonathan Edelstein, one of the lawyers who represented Steven Odiase, and with Jennifer Gonnerman, a staff writer for The New Yorker. Her most recent piece is titled "A Woman's Quest to Prove Her Brother's Innocence Leads to a Discovery."

Defense Sec. Mattis Hails U.S.-Saudi Relations as War Pushes Yemen to Brink of Famine, U.N.: 25,000 Sickened with Cholera in Somalia Amid Severe Drought, Syria: Residents Say 30 Civilians Killed in Alleged U.S. Airstrike, Reports: Dozens of Iraqi Civilians Killed in U.S. & Iraqi AF Airstrikes, Ivanka Won Exclusive Trademarks in China the Same Day She Dined with Chinese Leader, Reuters: Philippine Police Receive Cash Payments for Extrajudicial Killings, Report: Child Refugees in Greece Forced to Sell Sex to Fund Journey Across Europe, Bill O'Reilly May Be Ousted from Fox Amid Mounting Accusations of Sexual Harassment, Democrat Jon Ossoff Narrowly Misses Winning GA Special Election Outright, MA Throws Out 20,000 Drug Cases over Scandal of Chemist Falsifying Evidence, Trump Administration Deports DREAMer Despite His DACA Protection, Hundreds Protest White Nationalist Richard Spencer at Auburn University, Migrant Justice Activist Hugo Castro Found Alive in Mexico City

As President Trump continues to vow a crackdown against immigration and immigrants living inside the United States, we turn to a new book described by the Texas Observer as "the First Must-Read Book of the Trump Era." The book is titled "Tell Me How It Ends: An Essay in 40 Questions" by Mexican-born author Valeria Luiselli. Luiselli is one of the most acclaimed young Mexican writers. She recently spent time as a volunteer interpreter for dozens of Central American child migrants here in the United States who risked their lives crossing Mexico to seek refuge in the U.S. For more, we speak with Valeria Luiselli.

Two months ago, Jeanette Vizguerra skipped a scheduled check-in with ICE officials and instead sought refuge in the First Unitarian Society church, along with her four children, three of whom are U.S.-born. Democracy Now! recently visited Jeanette and her 10-year-old son, Roberto, at the First Unitarian Society church in Denver.

The White House is facing new criticism over its lack of transparency, as President Trump is refusing to release his tax returns as well as logs of White House visitors. On Monday, White House Press Secretary Sean Spicer said Trump did not plan to release his tax returns, saying Trump was under an audit. Spicer's comments came just two days after more than 100,000 people took to the streets on Saturday to call on Trump to release his taxes. Crowds gathered in more than a dozen cities from coast to coast, including Washington, D.C., New York City, Chicago, Seattle, and in South Florida, where activists marched to Trump's private Mar-a-Lago resort, where Trump was staying over the weekend. Meanwhile, Democratic lawmakers are vowing not to work with Trump on reforming or rewriting the tax code unless Trump releases his own taxes. More than a dozen Republican lawmakers are also calling on Trump to release his taxes. For more, we speak with Susan Lerner, executive director of Common Cause New York. She was on the steering committee for the NYC Tax March.

British Prime Minister Calls for Early Elections Amid Brexit Process, France's Left Candidate Surges in Polls Ahead of Presidential Election, Trump Congratulates Erdogan as Monitors Slam Handling of Referendum, Vice President Pence in Japan Amid Rising U.S.-North Korea Tensions, Airwars: Dozens of Iraqi Civilians Reportedly Killed in Airstrikes Last Week, Airwars: Up to 20 Syrian Civilians Reportedly Killed by U.S. Airstrikes Last Week, As Taxes are Due Today, Calls Grow for Trump to Release His Returns, U.S. Supreme Court Halts 2 Arkansas Executions, Egyptian Court Acquits Aya Hijazi After 3 Years of Imprisonment, More Than 1,000 Palestinian Prisoners on Hunger Strike in Israeli Jails, Kashmir: 100 Students Wounded After Police Open Fire on Protest with Rubber Bullets, Mexico: Journalist Maximino Rodríguez Murdered, Democrat Jon Ossoff Front-Runner in Today's Special Election in Georgia , Facebook Under Fire over Video of Man Killing Cleveland Grandfather, Kathrine Switzer, First Woman to Officially Finish Boston Marathon, Runs Race Again

Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan has claimed victory in Sunday's referendum over whether to give sweeping powers to the president, but Turkey's main opposition party is calling for the the referendum results to be tossed out, citing irregularities. According to unofficial results, just 51 percent of voters approved the sweeping change. Turkey's three largest cities—Istanbul, Ankara and Izmir—all voted against the referendum. The opposition says they've received thousands of reports of voter fraud, including some alleged instances caught on camera. Critics say the constitutional changes will allow Erdogan to rule until at least 2029, if not longer, and could turn Turkey into a dictatorship. Earlier today, Turkey announced it would extend its state of emergency put in place after an attempted coup last year.

Arkansas's plan to carry out an unprecedented series of executions has been thrown into chaos, after judges ruled to temporarily halt the state's plan. Hundreds of death penalty opponents rallied at the State Capitol in Little Rock on Friday, as state Judge Wendell Griffen issued a temporary stay of the executions over concerns the state used false pretenses to obtain the drug vecuronium bromide, which is one of a cocktail of drugs slated to be used in the executions. The following day, federal Judge Kristine Baker also temporarily blocked the state's execution plans from proceeding over concerns about another one of the execution drugs: the sedative midazolam. Arkansas is appealing the rulings. If Arkansas prevails, it's slated to begin the executions today.

Vice President Mike Pence has made an unannounced visit to the Demilitarized Zone separating South and North Korea, following North Korea's attempted missile launch and a massive military parade celebrating the birthday of the country's founder on Saturday. Pence's visit comes at a time when tension between the United States and North Korea is quickly ratcheting up. A U.S. armada, including an aircraft carrier and multiple warships, has been deployed to the Korean Peninsula. Last week, NBC News reported the Trump administration is prepared to launch a preemptive attack on North Korea if it proceeds toward a nuclear weapons test. Hours before Pence arrived in South Korea, North Korea attempted to test launch a new ballistic missile, but the test failed as the missile blew up almost immediately.

Pence Visits DMZ as Tensions Rise Between U.S. and N. Korea, Turkey: Erdogan Claims Victory in Referendum to Give President Sweeping Powers, Syria: 126 Civilians Killed in Bombing on Evacuation Bus, Gen. McMaster Meets with Afghan President After U.S. Drops Largest Non-Nuclear Bomb, On Tax Day, Tens of Thousands Demand Trump Release Tax Returns, White House Will Keep Visitor Logs Secret, Berkeley: 21 Arrested in Clashes Between White Nationalists & Antifascists, Arkansas: Legal Rulings Temporarily Block Scheduled Executions, 700 Palestinian Prisoners Launch Hunger Strike in Israeli Jails, Migrant Justice Activist Hugo Castro Disappears in Mexico, Georgia: 2 Cops Fired for Kicking and Beating Handcuffed Black Student, 9 Arrested in Good Friday Protest Against Drones at Hancock Air Base in NY

Hundreds of undocumented immigrants are on hunger strike to protest the conditions and extremely low wages at the for-profit Northwest Detention Center in Tacoma, Washington. We speak with Maru Mora Villalpando, an activist and undocumented immigrant with the group Northwest Detention Center Resistance and the group Mijente, and Alexis Erickson, the partner of hunger striker Cristian Lopez. Cristian was part of the hunger strike in the Northwest Detention Center in Tacoma, Washington, before he was transferred to a jail in New Mexico, where he is continuing the strike. He's facing deportation to Mexico. Alexis and Cristian have three U.S.-born children.

Amid fallout from the United Airlines passenger who was beaten and dragged from a flight by airport security guards, we speak with longtime consumer advocate Ralph Nader, who in the early 1970s helped force airlines to begin compensating passengers bumped from their flights.

The "Mother of All Bombs" is the nickname for the bomb the U.S. dropped Thursday on Afghanistan, but our guests in Kabul say civilians there are asking if any mother would conduct such an attack. Basir Bita is a mentor with Afghan Youth Peace Volunteers, and Dr. Hakim is a medical doctor who has provided humanitarian relief in Afghanistan for over a decade. He works with Afghan Peace Volunteers, an inter-ethnic group of young Afghans dedicated to building nonviolent alternatives to war. We are also joined by Kathy Kelly of Voices for Creative Nonviolence, who is just back from Afghanistan, and Wazhmah Osman, professor of media and communication at Temple University and member of the Afghan American Artists and Writers Association.

In Afghanistan on Thursday, the United States military dropped its most powerful non-nuclear bomb ever—the Massive Ordnance Air Blast, or MOAB, nicknamed "The Mother of All Bombs." The 21,600-pound bomb reportedly unleashed an explosion equivalent to 11 tons of TNT with a mile-wide blast radius. This comes as the United Nations recently published a report saying airstrikes from the Afghan government forces and the U.S.-led coalition killed nearly 600 civilians in 2016—almost twice as many than in 2015. The U.S. war in Afghanistan is the longest war in U.S. history, extending into its 16th year. We are joined by Kathy Kelly, co-coordinator of Voices for Creative Nonviolence, a campaign to end U.S. military and economic warfare. She just returned from Afghanistan earlier this month. We also speak with Wazhmah Osman, professor of media and communication at Temple University and member of the Afghan American Artists and Writers Association.

U.S. Drops Largest-Ever Non-Nuclear Bomb on Afghanistan, Syria: U.S.-Led Coalition Airstrike Kills 18 U.S.-Backed Rebels, Syrian President Claims Chemical Attack Footage Was Fabricated, Syrian Rebels, Government Begin Exchange of Besieged Residents, NBC News: Trump Administration Prepared to Strike North Korea, Trump Signs Law Allowing States to Withhold Planned Parenthood Funds, New York: 25 Arrested at Protest in Trump Tower Lobby, CIA Director Pompeo: WikiLeaks a "Hostile Intelligence Service", Libya: Nearly 100 Migrants Feared Dead After Boat Capsizes, Brazil: Judge Opens Corruption Probe into Nearly 100 Senior Politicians, Arkansas: Death Penalty Opponents Rally Ahead of 7 Planned Executions, Lawyer: United Customer Suffered Lost Teeth, Broken Nose, Concussion, Canadian Bill Would Legalize Recreational Marijuana

Lawmakers and Jewish organizations, including the Anne Frank Center, are continuing to call for White House Press Secretary Sean Spicer to be fired, after Spicer compared Syrian President Bashar al-Assad to Hitler and falsely claimed Hitler never used chemical weapons. In fact, the Nazis systematically used poison gas as part of its genocide of 6 million Jews. The Nazis began experimenting with gas with the specific purpose of carrying out mass murder in the late 1930s. We speak to Steven Goldstein, executive director of the Anne Frank Center for Mutual Respect.

On Wednesday, Secretary of State Rex Tillerson said, "I think it is clear to all of us that the reign of the Assad family is coming to an end." But what will Syria look like if the U.S. pushes for regime change in Syria? Professor Stephen Cohen predicts Syria could fall into even more chaos.

At the United Nations, Russia blocked a Security Council resolution Wednesday to denounce last week's chemical attack in Syria. Russia and Syria have both claimed the Syrian government was not behind the attack. Meanwhile, Russia has accused the United States of violating international law by bombing a Syrian air base last week. We speak to Jonathan Steele, former Moscow correspondent for The Guardian, and professor Stephen Cohen.

Secretary of State Rex Tillerson has wrapped up a visit to Moscow, where he met with Russian President Vladimir Putin and Russian Foreign Minister Sergey Lavrov. The meetings come at a time of increased tension between Washington and Moscow. On Wednesday during a press conference, President Trump said relations with Russia had reached a new low point. Trump's comments came a day after the White House accused Russia of attempting to cover up the role of the Syrian government in the recent chemical attack in Syria that killed 87 people. Russia has rejected the claim, saying the U.S. has been too quick to blame Syrian President Bashar al-Assad. We speak to Stephen Cohen, professor emeritus of Russian studies and politics at New York University and Princeton University.

President Trump Declares U.S.-Russia Relations "At an All-Time Low", In Reversal, President Trump Says NATO No Longer "Obsolete", Eric Trump Says Tensions Disprove Alleged Trump-Russia Ties, Former Trump Campaign Chair Manafort to Register as Foreign Agent, Trump Says He Ordered Missile Strikes over Dessert with President Xi, President Trump Appears to Sour on Chief Strategist Steve Bannon, U.N.: Famine in Yemen, African Nations "Becoming an Inevitability", Sean Spicer Apologizes After False Claim Nazis Never Used Poison Gas, Kansas Republican Wins Congressional Seat by Narrow Margin, Afghanistan: Suicide Bomber Targets Kabul Government Offices, Hunger Strike Grows at Washington State Immigration Jail, Attempted Manslaughter Charge for North Miami Cop in Charles Kinsey Shooting, Sacramento Police Officer Filmed Beating Alleged Jaywalker, Lawsuit Seeks Documents on 2012 NYPD Killing of Ramarley Graham, United Airlines to Refund Passengers on Flight Where Doctor Was Beaten, South Africa: Tens of Thousands March, Calling on President Zuma to Resign, Sheila Abdus-Salaam, First Muslim Woman U.S. Judge, Found Dead

As President Trump's administration continues to be rocked by investigations and scandals, we continue our conversation with award-winning investigative journalist Allan Nairn. We asked him to talk more about his assessment of the opening months of the Trump presidency.

Since taking office, Trump has rapidly expanded U.S. military operations in Yemen. Last month, the U.S. reportedly launched more than 49 strikes across the country—more strikes than the U.S. has ever carried out in a single year in Yemen. The U.S. has also resumed some weapons sales to the Saudis, after the transfers were frozen by President Obama amid concerns about mounting civilian casualties in Yemen. For more, we speak with longtime investigative reporter Allan Nairn.

As Secretary of State Rex Tillerson meets with his Russian counterpart, Sergey Lavrov, in Russia to talk about the war in Syria and other issues, we spend the hour with the longtime investigative journalist Allan Nairn. For decades, Nairn has covered the impact of U.S. foreign policy across the globe in East Timor, Guatemala, El Salvador, Indonesia and other countries. Democracy Now! spoke to Nairn on Monday, discussing the escalation of U.S. military operations across the Middle East, as well as the unique danger Trump poses both abroad and at home. We began by asking Allan Nairn about last week's U.S. attack on a Syrian air base.

Sean Spicer Under Fire After Falsely Claims Nazis Never Used Poison Gas, Japan to Join U.S. Military Drills Amid Escalation with N. Korea, WashPost: FBI Obtained FISA Order to Monitor Trump Aide Carter Page, AP: Manafort Received $1.2M for Consulting for Fmr. Pro-Russia Ukrainian President, Lawmakers Contradict Nunes, Say Docs Don't Show Rice Broke Laws in Unmasking Names, 400+ Prisoners at Tacoma, WA, Immigrant Prison Launch Hunger Strike, Pentagon: Soldier Killed in Afghanistan was Mark De Alencar, Chile: 68 Arrested in Protest Against Education Privatization, India: 50+ Arrested in Protest Against University Fee Hike, Reports: Gay Men Facing Violence and Imprisonment in Chechnya, Florida State Attorney Sues Gov. Scott in Escalating Death Penalty Dispute, United Apologizes Amid Fury over Video of Doctor Dragged Off Flight, At Tent City Protest, Atlanta Residents Demand Agreement with Georgia State over Development, Civil Rights Activist Lolis Edward Elie Dies in New Orleans

Does President Trump stand to personally profit off the wars he is escalating in Iraq, Yemen, Syria, Somalia and beyond? That's the question many are asking, after it emerged that Trump has personally invested in Raytheon, the military contractor who makes the Tomahawk missiles used in the U.S. strike on a Syrian airbase last week. Raytheon's stocks briefly surged after the attack. Overall, the stocks of defense contractors, such as Boeing and General Dynamics, have increased since Trump's election, further fueled by his promise of a "historic" 10 percent increase in U.S. military spending. For more, we speak with William Hartung, director of the Arms and Security Project at the Center for International Policy. His latest book is "Prophets of War: Lockheed Martin and the Making of the Military-Industrial Complex."

United Airlines is facing widespread criticism after video surfaced of a doctor being forcibly dragged off a plane by security officers on Sunday, after United overbooked the flight and then demanded some passengers disembark. The flight was leaving from Chicago O'Hare International Airport and was headed to Louisville, Kentucky. When no one volunteered to get off the flight, the 69-year-old man was selected to be forced off the plane. He protested, saying he was a doctor who needed to see patients at a hospital in Kentucky the following morning. The Washington Post reports a fellow passenger says, "He said, more or less, 'I'm being selected because I'm Chinese.'" Multiple Chicago Department of Aviation security officers then began dragging him through the aisle as fellow passengers screamed. After being removed, the man, who was bloodied by the first removal, attempted to run back onto the plane. He was then forcibly removed a second time. For more, we speak with Sherrilyn Ifill, president and director-counsel of the NAACP Legal Defense Fund, and Norm Stamper, the former chief of the Seattle Police Department and the author of the book "To Protect and Serve: How to Fix America's Police."

A viral Facebook video posted by the Lake County Sheriff's Department in Florida shows Sheriff Peyton Grinnell, surrounded by four masked men wearing sheriff's department uniforms and Kevlar vests, warning people who deal drugs: "To the dealers that are pushing this poison, I have a message for you: We're coming for you." For more, we speak with Sherrilyn Ifill, president and director-counsel of the NAACP Legal Defense Fund.

Attorney General Jeff Sessions is attempting to shake up policing in the country by limiting federal oversight of police departments with a history of civil rights violations, while calling for an escalation of the war on drugs. Last week, Sessions ordered a wide-ranging review of the federal consent decrees with local law enforcement agencies that have been accused of brutality and violating civil rights laws. The review signals the Justice Department intends to shift away from monitoring and forcing changes within police departments, such as the police department of Ferguson, Missouri, where systematic racial discrimination by the police and the police killing of unarmed 18-year-old African American Michael Brown sparked an uprising in 2014. Attorney General Jeff Sessions also called for what many see as a new war on drugs during a speech in Richmond, Virginia. For more, we speak with Norm Stamper, the former chief of the Seattle Police Department and the author of the book "To Protect and Serve: How to Fix America's Police."

Attorney General Jeff Sessions is attempting to shake up policing in the country by limiting federal oversight of police departments with a history of civil rights violations, while calling for an escalation of the war on drugs. Last week, Sessions ordered a wide-ranging review of the federal consent decrees with local law enforcement agencies that have been accused of brutality and violating civil rights laws. The review signals the Justice Department intends to shift away from monitoring and forcing changes within police departments, such as the police department of Ferguson, Missouri, where systematic racial discrimination by the police and the police killing of unarmed 18-year-old African American Michael Brown sparked an uprising in 2014. This comes as Sessions is also calling for what many see as a new war on drugs. We speak with Sherrilyn Ifill, president and director-counsel of the NAACP Legal Defense Fund.

Funerals have begun in Egypt for victims of two bomb attacks targeting Coptic Christian churches on Sunday. At least 49 people were killed, and over 100 people were injured. ISIS has claimed responsibility for the attacks, which targeted the St. George's Coptic church in the northern city of Tanta and the St. Mark's Cathedral in Alexandria. Egyptian President Abdel Fattah el-Sisi responded by declaring a three-month state of emergency. The state of emergency gives el-Sisi's government even further power to continue its crackdown against human rights activists and journalists. For more, we speak with Sharif Abdel Kouddous, Democracy Now! correspondent and a Nation Institute fellow, in Cairo.

Tillerson Heading to Russia, as White House Threatens More Attacks in Syria, Syria: U.S.-Led Airstrikes Reportedly Kill Over a Dozen Civilians in Recent Days, North Korea Warns U.S. It's Ready for War, After U.S. Sends Warships, California: Husband Murders His Wife & an 8-Year-Old Boy at Elementary School, Report: Shell Knew About Billion-Dollar Corruption in Nigerian Oil Deal, South Carolina: Dylann Roof Pleads Guilty to 9 Counts of Murder in State Court, Houston Judge Again Rules Texas Voter ID Law is Discriminatory, Alabama Gov. Resigns over Accusations of Affair and Cover-up, Wells Fargo Executives Forced to Pay Back $75M over Fake Accounts Scandal, Video of Doctor Being Dragged Off United Flight Goes Viral, WashPost, ProPublica, McClatchy Win Pulitzer Prizes

In releasing the trove of DNC and Podesta emails during the 2016 campaign, was WikiLeaks staying true to its radical transparency mission by refusing to engage in partisan politics? Or was WikiLeaks recklessly bolstering the Trump and the Republicans? For more, we speak with activist and journalist Allan Nairn and WikiLeaks founder Julian Assange.

In March, WikiLeaks published what it says is the largest leak of secret CIA documents in history. The thousands of documents, dubbed "Vault 7," describe CIA programs and tools that are capable of hacking into both Apple and Android cellphones. The documents also outline a CIA and British intelligence program called "Weeping Angel," through which the spy agency can hack into a Samsung smart television and turn it into a surveillance device that records audio conversations, even when it appears to be off. For more, we speak with the founder of WikiLeaks, Julian Assange.

As President Trump's presidency nears its first 100 days, Trump and his campaign are facing multiple investigations over whether the campaign colluded with Russian officials to influence the 2016 presidential election. In a Democracy Now! exclusive, we speak with a man who has been at the center of much discussion of Russian election meddling: Julian Assange, the founder of WikiLeaks.Just before the Democratic National Convention last July, WikiLeaks published 20,000 internal emails from the Democratic National Committee. Then, between October 7 and Election Day, WikiLeaks would go on to publish 20,000 of Clinton campaign chair John Podesta's emails, generating a rash of negative stories about the Clinton campaign. Intelligence agencies have pinned the email hacking on Russians. WikiLeaks maintains Russia was not the source of the documents.For more, we speak with Julian Assange from the Ecuadorean Embassy in London.

Global Tensions Rising After U.S. Strike on Syrian Airbase, Raytheon Stocks Surge After Chemical Attack, Personally Benefiting Trump, Egypt Imposes State of Emergency After ISIS Attacks Kill 49 at Coptic Churches, U.S. Sending Warships to Korean Peninsula, Neil Gorsuch Being Sworn In as Supreme Court Justice, Airwars: Dozens of Iraqi Civilians Reportedly Killed by Airstrikes Last Week, Somalia: 15 Killed in al-Shabab Bombing Targeting Military Leaders, Kashmir: Indian Security Forces Kill 8 Civilians During Protests, Sweden: 4 Killed When Man Drove Car into Crowd in Stockholm, Pentagon: U.S. Special Forces Soldier Killed in Afghanistan, Texas: Thousands Rally to Protest Trump's Crackdown on Immigrants, Arizona: New Law Dramatically Expands Private School Voucher Program, New York State to Make Tuition Free at Public Universities for Nearly 1 Million Families, NYC: Ravi Ragbir's ICE Check-in Delayed Until 2018, Delaying Threat of Deportation

Neil Gorsuch has been confirmed to the Supreme Court in a final Senate vote today, replacing Justice Antonin Scalia nearly 14 months after Scalia's death. This comes after senators voted along party lines Thursday for a historic rule change that allows Supreme Court justices to be confirmed by a simple majority. We are joined by Ian Millhiser, senior fellow at the Center for American Progress Action Fund, editor of ThinkProgress Justice and author of "Injustices: The Supreme Court's History of Comforting the Comfortable and Afflicting the Afflicted."

We continue our roundtable discussion on Syria after the United States carried out a missile attack on a Syrian airfield, saying it was a response to a chemical weapons attack that killed 86 people, including at least 30 children. Syria denies carrying out the attack. "Both these superpowers … do not give a damn about Syrian self-determination nor justice for Syrians," says Yazan al-Saadi, a Syrian-Canadian writer who joins us from Beirut. "We do want something that will be positive for the Syrian people," adds Medea Benjamin, cofounder of CodePink. "That means immediately lifting of the Trump ban on Syrian refugees coming to the United States, of funding of the $5 billion that the U.N. says is desperately needed to help the humanitarian crisis facing the Syrian refugees, and demand that the U.S. work with Russia to finally come to a ceasefire and work for a political solution." We are also joined by Alia Malek, journalist and former human rights lawyer, and Phyllis Bennis, fellow at the Institute for Policy Studies.

Without congressional approval, on Thursday night the United States attacked a Syrian airfield, marking the first military action by the U.S. against Syrian President Bashar al-Assad's forces since the Syrian war began over six years ago. The move comes after the U.S. accused Assad's forces of using the air base to carry out a chemical weapons attack that killed 86 people, including at least 30 children. Syria denies carrying out the attack. "After six years of watching genocide, … today I am very happy that there is one less airfield," says Lina Sergie Attar, a Syrian-American writer from Aleppo, in the first part of our roundtable discussion. We also speak with Alia Malek, journalist and former human rights lawyer, and Phyllis Bennis, a fellow at the Institute for Policy Studies. "The hypocrisy of it from the vantage point of the Trump administration is staggering," Bennis says, calling the strike an act of war and arguing all sides in Syria have violated international law.

President Trump Orders Missile Attack on Syrian Air Base, Syria Attack Launched Without Congressional Authorization, Russia Condemns U.S. Attack; Will Bolster Air Defenses in Syria, Rep. Tulsi Gabbard Blasts "Illegal Regime Change War" in Syria, Senate Deploys "Nuclear Option," Paving Way for Gorsuch Confirmation, House Intelligence Committee Chair Steps Down from Russia Probe, Trump Falsely Claims Susan Rice Committed a Crime by Unmasking Intel, President Trump Hosts Chinese President at Trump Golf Resort, EPA to Slash Programs Aimed at Preventing Lead Poisoning, BLM Website Photo Swaps Green Hills for a Mountain of Coal, South Sudan Refugees Describe Massacre by Government Soldiers, Burmese Leader Aung San Suu Kyi Denies Ethnic Cleansing of Rohingya, Argentina: General Strike Targets Austerity and Neoliberal Policies, Navajo Land Defender Katherine Smith Dies, Aged 98—or Higher

Donald Trump is hosting Chinese President Xi Jinping today at his Florida resort Mar-a-Lago. It is the first meeting between the leaders of the world's two largest economic powers. On the campaign trail, Trump repeatedly attacked China, once accusing China of "raping" the United States. The meeting comes just a day after North Korea launched another ballistic missile test. In an interview with the Financial Times, Trump warned he would be willing to take unilateral action against North Korea, saying, "If China is not going to solve North Korea, we will." We speak to Orville Schell, director of the Center on U.S.-China Relations at Asia Society.

The number of advertisers boycotting Bill O'Reilly's Fox News program has increased to at least 52, following revelations that he and the network paid out $13 million to settle lawsuits by five women who accuse O'Reilly of sexual harassment and inappropriate sexual behavior. Meanwhile, a third Fox News employee has joined a lawsuit charging the network with racial discrimination. The employees claim top executives—including former CEO Roger Ailes—refused to intervene as they were forced to endure "years-long relentless racial animus" at the hands of a white manager. We speak to Arisha Hatch, managing director of campaigns at Color of Change, which has organized a major campaign calling on advertisers to boycott "The O'Reilly Factor."

President Donald Trump is lending his support to Bill O'Reilly, as the number of advertisers boycotting the Fox News host's program has increased to at least 52, following revelations that he and the network Fox News paid out $13 million to settle lawsuits by five women who accuse O'Reilly of sexual harassment and inappropriate sexual behavior. Other women have made similar accusations. In an Oval Office interview with The New York Times Wednesday, Trump said, "I think he's a person I know well. He is a good person. … I think he shouldn't have settled. Personally, I think he shouldn't have settled. Because you should have taken it all the way. I don't think Bill did anything wrong." We speak to attorney Lisa Bloom, who represents Dr. Wendy Walsh, one of the women who has publicly accused Bill O'Reilly of unwanted sexual advances. She also represented Jill Harth, a Florida business associate of Trump who sued him for sexual harassment after he allegedly groped her at a business dinner and later attempted to sexually assault her in the empty bedroom of his daughter Ivanka.

In Syria, the death toll from a suspected chemical weapons attack in a rebel-held town in the province of Idlib has risen to 86. The dead include at least 30 children. Dozens of civilians were also injured. Much of the international community has said the Syrian military is responsible for the chemical attack. Syria has denied the charge, claiming the chemicals were released after a Syrian airstrike hit a stockpile of chemical weapons controlled by rebel groups. Meanwhile at the White House, President Trump said the attack had transformed his views on the war in Syria. Just last week the Trump administration was signaling it would not push for the removal of Syrian President Bashar al-Assad, but during a press conference on Wednesday Trump struck a different tone. We speak to the Syrian-American writer Lina Sergie Attar, who is originally from Aleppo. She is co-founder and head of the Karam Foundation, a charitable organization assisting Syrians inside and outside the country.

President Trump Says Gas Attack Changed His Views on Syria, In Reversal, Trump Administration Threatens Unilateral Syria Attack, Chief Strategist Stephen Bannon Removed from National Security Council, GOP Readies "Nuclear Option" for Supreme Court Nominee Neil Gorsuch, Politico: Gorsuch Lifted Entire Passages for Book Without Citations, Trump to Meet Chinese President Xi Jinping at Trump Mar-a-Lago Resort, President Trump Backs Bill O'Reilly Amid Sexual Harassment Charges, African-American Employees Sue Fox News, Charging Racism, Mosul Assault Continues as Nearly 300 Bodies Pulled from Site of Airstrike, Pakistan: Suicide Bomber Kills Six in Attack on Census Workers, Puerto Rican Students Extend Strike Indefinitely to Protest Austerity, New York Mayor Bill de Blasio: Rikers Jail to Close Within 10 Years, Pepsi to Drop Commercial Coopting Black Lives Matter Amid Furor

When Noam Chomsky was 10 years old, he wrote one of his first articles. It focused on the fall of Barcelona to Franco’s fascist forces. We talk to Chomsky about how fascism once rose in Europe and the possibility of it rising here in the United States.

This week is the 50th anniversary of Dr. King’s "Beyond Vietnam" speech at Riverside Church, where he said the United States is "the greatest purveyor of violence on Earth." For more on this revolutionary political period—and the counterrevolutionary forces it unleashed—we speak with Noam Chomsky, world-renowned political dissident, linguist and author of more than 100 books, including, most recently, "Requiem for the American Dream."

In Ecuador, leftist ruling party candidate Lenín Moreno narrowly beat out right-wing former banker Guillermo Lasso in Sunday’s presidential runoff vote. The election is seen as an outlier in the recent trend in Latin America, which has seen right-wing governments rise to power. For more on the politics in Ecuador, Brazil, Venezuela and across Latin America, we speak with Noam Chomsky, world-renowned political dissident, linguist and author.

Last month, a U.N. agency sparked controversy when it published a report accusing Israel of imposing an "apartheid regime" on the Palestinians. The report came the same month the Israeli government took the extreme step of banning non-Israeli citizens who endorse the Boycott, Divestment and Sanctions movement from entering Israel. For more, we speak with world-renowned political dissident, linguist and author Noam Chomsky.

As worldwide outrage mounts over an alleged chemical weapons attack in Idlib province, which was reportedly carried out by the Assad government, we speak with world-renowned political dissident, linguist and author Noam Chomsky about the ongoing conflict in Syria.