Democracy Now!

In Syria, the death toll has risen from a suspected chemical weapons attack in the northern province of Idlib. At least 72 people have died, including 20 children. Hundreds more were wounded. It’s been described as the largest chemical attack in Syria since 2013. The United States, France and Britain have accused the Syrian government of carrying out the attack and have proposed a United Nations Security Council resolution condemning it. Russia is claiming the gases were released after an airstrike hit a depot where rebels were making chemical weapons. On Tuesday, White House Press Secretary Sean Spicer said the chemical attack will not change the United States' new position that the U.S. priority is not to get Assad out of power.

Syria: Death Toll from Suspected Assad Gas Attack Rises to 72, 300,000 Civilians Have Fled Mosul, as U.S. Strikes Reportedly Kill More Civilians, North Korea Launches Ballistic Missile Test, 22 Advertisers Pull Ads from "O'Reilly Factor" Amid Sexual Harassment Scandal, Susan Rice: "I Leaked Nothing to Nobody", Trump Revoked Equal Pay Law, Only Days Before Equal Pay Day, NCAA Lifts Boycott on North Carolina, Despite Demands by Activists, Documents: NYPD Officers Infiltrated Black Lives Matter Protesters, Activist Accuses NYPD of Arresting Him in Retaliation for Cop Watch, Pepsi Ad Criticized & Ridiculed for Coopting Anti-Police Brutality Movement, Phoenix to Close Scorching Outdoor Jail Known as "Tent City", Maryland Bans Fracking, After Grassroots Organizing Effort

Over the first 75 days of the Trump administration, the White House has taken multiple steps to escalate the possibility of a U.S. war with Iran. Trump included Iran on both his first and second Muslim travel bans. As a candidate, Trump also threatened to dismantle the landmark Iran nuclear agreement. For more on U.S.-Iranian relations, we speak with world-renowned political dissident, linguist and author Noam Chomsky.

Many have accused President Trump of trying to scapegoat immigrants and refugees in order to distract the American public from the fact that he will be unable to fulfill his campaign promises to bring back manufacturing jobs. But what happens if, after time, the scapegoating fails to provide sufficient distraction? World-renowned linguist, political dissident and author Noam Chomsky says the next step would be for the Trump administration to stage an alleged terrorist attack. For more, we speak with Chomsky. His new book, "Requiem for the American Dream," is out today.

Naomi Klein has called the Trump administration a "corporate coup." The Washington Post reports, "86 percent of Trump counties make less in a year than 27 Trump staffers are worth." For more, we speak with world-renowned political dissident, linguist and author Noam Chomsky.

President Trump will be meeting with Chinese President Xi Jinping on Thursday at his Florida resort Mar-a-Lago. Ahead of the meeting, Trump said in an interview with the Financial Times he would be willing to take unilateral action against North Korea over its nuclear weapons program. Trump said, "If China is not going to solve North Korea, we will." His warnings come after the U.S. and the South Korean militaries staged weeks-long training drills throughout March, while North Korea launched rocket engine and missile tests. For more, we speak with world-renowned political dissident, linguist and author Noam Chomsky.

Since Trump's inauguration, his presidency has been engulfed by a media scandal and investigations into whether the Trump campaign colluded with Russia to influence the 2016 election. But is the Democratic Party's obsession with this question distracting the public from the Trump administration's actions? And, given the United States' long history of influencing other countries' elections and overthrowing democratically elected leaders, is the outrage over Russia's alleged interference laughable? That's the opinion of world-renowned linguist, author and political dissident Noam Chomsky. For more, we sit down with Chomsky on the day his new book is released. It's titled "Requiem for the American Dream: The 10 Principles of Concentration of Wealth & Power."

President Trump threw his weight behind the Republican plan to repeal and replace the Affordable Care Act. But he failed to muster enough support to pass the Republican plan, which would have stripped up to 24 million people of health insurance while giving the rich a massive tax break. For more, we speak with world-renowned political dissident, linguist and author Noam Chomsky. His new book, out today, is titled "Requiem for the American Dream: The 10 Principles of Concentration of Wealth & Power."

Seventy-five days ago today, Donald Trump was sworn in as the 45th president of the United States. Trump has expanded U.S. military operations in Iraq, Syria, Yemen and Somalia, while resuming arms sales to Bahrain. At the United Nations, the Trump administration led a boycott of U.N. talks to ban nuclear weapons, while pushing for the United States to expand its own nuclear arsenal. Trump picked climate deniers to head the Environmental Protection Agency and the Energy Department, while slashing the EPA's programs to combat climate change. He's also attempted unsuccessfully to ban refugees and people from majority-Muslim nations from entering the U.S., and to dismantle the Affordable Care Act. For more on President Trump's first 75 days, we speak with world-renowned political dissident, linguist and author Noam Chomsky. His new book, out today, is titled "Requiem for the American Dream: The 10 Principles of Concentration of Wealth & Power."

Report: Dozens of Civilians Killed in Chemical Weapons Attack in Syria, WashPost: Blackwater Founder Met with Russian in Secret Back-Channel Effort, Senate Judiciary Approves Gorsuch Nomination, Democrats Vow Filibuster, Trump Praises Egyptian President el-Sisi: "We Agree on So Many Things", Iraq: Jared Kushner Meets with Iraqi Prime Minister Amid Mosul Offensive, Trump Gives Pentagon More Power to Carry Out Raids & Airstrikes in Somalia, Russia: 14 Killed in Bombing in St. Petersburg Metro Station, Fox's Julie Roginsky Sues Former Chair Roger Ailes for Sexual Harassment, Dr. Wendy Walsh Accuses Fox's Bill O'Reilly of Sexual Harassment, Report: Trump Counterterrorism Aide Supported Racist Hungarian Paramilitary Militia, Attorney General Orders Review of Federal Decrees Aimed at Stopping Police Abuse, Utah: Police Shoot and Kill Man with his own Gun, California Senate Passes "Sanctuary State" Bill, FL Gov. Removes State Attorney from Cases After She Said She Won't Seek Death Penalty, Virginia: "RESIST" Spray-Painted on Course of Trump's National Golf Club, NYC: Hundreds Rally to Protest Proposed Cuts to Arts & Humanities

President Trump is to meet with Egyptian President General Abdel Fattah el-Sisi at the White House today, even as el-Sisi faces widespread criticism for human rights abuses in Egypt. Human rights organizations say Sisi and his security forces have arrested tens of thousands of Egyptians and have committed torture, forced disappearances and extrajudicial killings. The Trump administration has indicated it will not bring up the human rights abuses during today's meeting. For more, we go to Cairo, Egypt, to speak with Democracy Now! correspondent Sharif Abdel Kouddous.

Tuesday marks the 50th anniversary of Dr. Martin Luther King's groundbreaking speech against the Vietnam War at New York City's Riverside Church. He delivered the speech on April 4, 1967, a year to the day before he was murdered. For more about Martin Luther King's speech and its legacy, we speak with Rev. Dr. William Barber, president and senior lecturer of Repairers of the Breach and president of the NAACP in North Carolina.

Last week, North Carolina lawmakers repealed the anti-trans law HB 2. But the new law is also facing criticism for discriminating against the LGBT community. The new law denies employment and housing protections for the LGBTQ community and prohibits municipal governments from enacting anti-discrimination ordinances through 2020. For more, we speak with Rev. Dr. William Barber, president and senior lecturer of Repairers of the Breach and president of the NAACP in North Carolina.

Last week, North Carolina lawmakers repealed the anti-LGBT law HB 2, known as the "bathroom bill." But the new law that replaces HB 2 is facing widespread criticism from LGBT activists. The new law prohibits municipal governments from enacting anti-discrimination ordinances through 2020. The new law also denies employment and housing protections to the LGBTQ community. For more, we speak with James Esseks, director of the ACLU LGBT & HIV Project. And we speak with Joaquin Carcaño, a transgender man and lead plaintiff in the ACLU lawsuit against North Carolina.

Senate Intelligence Committee Rejects Flynn's Request for Immunity, Facing Questions About Flynn, Trump Flees Oval Office Before Signing Ex. Orders, Documents: Kushner and Ivanka Continue to Be Beneficiaries of Empire, Trump Meeting with Egyptian Leader General el-Sisi at White House, Trump Says He Would Act Unilaterally Against North Korea, China Calls on U.S. Not to Break Paris Climate Change Pledge, EPA Head Says U.S. Should Not Prioritize Renewables Over Fossil Fuels, KY Judge Rules Suit Accusing Trump of Inciting Violence Can Proceed, Bill O'Reilly & Fox Paid 5 Women $13M in Sexual Harassment Settlements, Demonstrators Protest Against Supreme Court Nominee Neil Gorsuch, Kushner Visits Iraq, as U.S. Continues Airstrikes on Mosul, White House Says Assad is "Political Reality," as 5M Syrians Now Made Refugees by War, Paraguay: Police Kill Activist Amid Protests Against Vote to Remove Term Limit, Ecuador: Ruling Party's Moreno Edges Out Right-Wing Rival in Presidential Runoff, Colombia President Santos Points to Climate Change as 230 Die in Mudslides, El Salvador Bans Metal Mining Nationwide, After Legal Victory, Mumia Abu-Jamal to Begin Receiving Hep C Drugs This Week

Are immigration agents targeting undocumented organizers for their political work? That is the question many are asking after three prominent immigrant rights activists in Vermont were jailed by ICE in what local organizers are calling a clear case of political retaliation. We speak with Enrique Balcazar and Zully Palacios, who were freed Monday after spending 11 days in jail. Both are leaders of the group Migrant Justice. They were arrested by undercover ICE agents in Burlington, Vermont, earlier this month as they were leaving the Migrant Justice office. Balcazar, who is known as Kike, serves on Vermont Attorney General T.J. Donovan's immigration task force, which was created to respond to the Trump administration's immigration policies. A third activist with Migrant Justice, Cesar Alex Carrillo, remains jailed after he was arrested by ICE earlier. We also speak with immigration attorney Matt Cameron.

As U.S. Secretary of State Rex Tillerson visits Turkey this week, we look at how he has failed to raise concerns that the country may be sliding toward a dictatorship. Tillerson made no public mention of mass arrests of protesters, a purge of opponents that followed last year's failed coup attempt, or a crackdown on the news media. This comes as Turkey continues to express frustration over U.S. support for Kurdish forces in Syria and Iraq, at the same time it says Kurdish militants are waging an insurgency inside Turkey. Turkey is set to hold a referendum next month on a constitutional overhaul that would give sweeping powers to President Erdogan and extend his presidency to 2029. We speak with Kani Xulam, director of the American Kurdish Information Network.

In the 10 weeks since President Trump was sworn in as the nation's 45th president, he has faced a growing crisis over allegations his campaign colluded with Russia ahead of the 2016 election. On Thursday, reports surfaced that former National Security Adviser Michael Flynn is seeking immunity from prosecution in exchange for his testimony to the FBI and congressional investigators. Meanwhile, The New York Times revealed one of Flynn's former aides was one of two White House officials to secretly meet with Republican House Intelligence Committee Chair Devin Nunes last week on the White House grounds to show him secret U.S. intelligence reports. Meanwhile, the Senate Intelligence Committee held its first public hearing Thursday on the issue. "If we want to understand Russia's point of view, President Putin and those around him—and of course we do—whether or not we agree with it, we need to understand how our adversaries see us, how all other nations see us, through their eyes," says our guest Robert David English, professor of international relations at the University of Southern California. "If we do that, we realize very quickly that their frame of reference has a lot to do with the mistakes and, yes, the U.S. interference in Russian politics in the '90s, when we directly intervened in a presidential election to boost a losing candidate into a winning position—that was Boris Yeltsin."

Michael Flynn Seeks Immunity in Exchange for Russia Testimony, Senate Committee Opens Hearings on Russian Election Meddling, NYT: White House Secretly Fed Rep. Nunes Surveillance Reports, Secretary of State Tillerson Praises Turkey Amid Erdogan Power Grab, LGBTQ Groups Blast NC Governor over "Repeal" of Bathroom Bill, Trump to Issue Executive Orders on Trade Ahead of Visit by Chinese Leader, Trump Warns Right-Wing Republicans Over Healthcare Opposition, Senate Votes to End Federal Funds to Clinics That Offer Abortions, Iowa House Advances a Bill Outlawing Abortions After 20 Weeks, Arkansas Law Adds New Obstacles to Abortion Access, Pakistan: Blast at Shia Mosque Kills 22, Injures Scores, Venezuelan High Court Seizes Legislative Power from Congress, South Korea: Ousted President Park Geun-hye Arrested, Jailed, Hate Crimes Charges Filed Against Two in Assault on Arab American, Palestinians Mark "Land Day" as Israel Plans New West Bank Settlement

Some 120 countries gathered at the United Nations this week to draft a treaty to ban nuclear weapons. But the United States is leading a boycott of the talks. Meanwhile, more than 2,000 scientists signed an open letter endorsing the U.N. talks, and, on Tuesday, Pope Francis encouraged the United Nations to pursue the "total elimination" of nuclear weapons. We speak to Zia Mian, physicist, nuclear expert and disarmament activist. He is co-director of the Program on Science and Global Security at the Woodrow Wilson School of Public and International Affairs, Princeton University.

Independent journalist Iona Craig recently traveled to the Yemeni village where the U.S. Navy SEALs conducted a raid in January that left 25 civilians and one Navy SEAL dead. White House Press Secretary Sean Spicer described the raid as "absolutely a success," but Yemeni villagers who spoke to Craig painted a very different picture.

The U.S. is also rapidly expanding military operations in Yemen. The U.S. has reportedly launched more than 49 strikes across the country this month—according to The New York Times, that's more strikes than the U.S. has ever carried out in a single year in Yemen. While the U.S. airstrikes have been targeting suspected al-Qaeda operations in Yemen, The Wall Street Journal is reporting the U.S. is now offering even more logistical and intelligence support for the Saudi-led war against Yemen's Houthi rebels, who are accused of being linked to Iran. More than 10,000 people have been killed since the U.S.-backed, Saudi-led bombing campaign in Yemen began two years ago this month. Meanwhile, The New York Times is reporting today that the Trump administration has approved the resumption of sales of precision-guided munitions to Saudi Arabia. President Obama froze some of these weapons sales last year due to concern about civilian casualties in Saudi Arabia's expanding war in Yemen. We speak to Iona Craig, a journalist who was based in Sana'a from 2010 to 2015 as the Yemen correspondent for The Times of London.

The Iraq War started 14 years ago this month, and it is showing no signs of letting up. Since President Trump took office, the U.S. military has expanded its aerial bombing campaign targeting areas held by the Islamic State. The Air Force Times is reporting U.S.-backed military aircraft have dropped over 2,000 bombs on the ISIS-held city of Mosul so far this month. According to Airwars, almost 1,500 civilians have reportedly been killed in U.S. airstrikes in Iraq and Syria this month alone. On March 17, a U.S. airstrike in Mosul reportedly killed up to 200 civilians. Meanwhile, Amnesty International is reporting that hundreds of Iraqi civilians have been killed by U.S.-led airstrikes inside their homes or in places where they sought refuge following Iraqi government advice not to leave during the offensive to recapture the city of Mosul. We speak to Donatella Rovera, senior crisis response adviser at Amnesty International.

Federal Judge Extends Hold on Trump Travel Ban, LGBTQ Groups Reject "Repeal" of North Carolina Bathroom Bill, Senate Intelligence Committee Opens Hearings on Russia Allegations, Ivanka Trump Takes White House Job as Unpaid Federal Employee, Chinese Firm Drops Real Estate Deal with Jared Kushner's Company, White House Sends Mixed Signals on Future Healthcare Plans, President Trump Proposes Deep Cuts to National Institutes of Health, Gallup: Trump Approval Rating Plummets to Historic Low, Senate to Vote April 7 on Neil Gorsuch for Supreme Court Justice, Amid Civilian Deaths, Trump Cites "Very, Very Good" Results in Iraq, State Department Seeks F-16s for Bahrain Despite Rights Violations, Westinghouse Files for Bankruptcy, in Blow to Nuclear Power Industry, California: Protesters Target Top Immigration Enforcement Official, Seattle-Area "DREAMer" Released After 6 Weeks in ICE Detention Center, Energy Department Office Bars Use of Term "Climate Change", Trump Seeks to End Funding for Corporation for Public Broadcasting, In Separate Attacks, Two Mexican Journalists Targeted Within 24 Hours, Puerto Rican Public University Students Strike Against Budget Cuts

On Tuesday, the House narrowly voted to allow internet providers to sell your web browsing history and other personal information. The vote will give companies like Verizon, Comcast and AT&T more power to collect people's sensitive data, including their internet browsing history, and to sell this information. Last week, the Senate also approved the measure in a vote largely split across party lines. President Trump is expected to sign the bill. For more, we speak to Laura Moy, deputy director of the Center on Privacy and Technology at the Georgetown University Law Center.

President Trump signed an executive order Tuesday to dismantle a slew of climate rules established by President Obama. If carried out, the executive order will virtually guarantee that the United States will fail to meet its 2015 Paris Agreement pledge to reduce emissions in order to curb the effects of climate change. The executive order marks the first step to undo Obama's Clean Power Plan to limit emissions and replace coal-fired power plants with new solar and wind farms. For more, we speak with Jacqueline Patterson, director of the NAACP Environmental and Climate Justice Program.

President Trump's son-in-law Jared Kushner has agreed to testify to the U.S. Senate committee investigating ties between the Trump campaign and Russia during the 2016 election. He may also face questioning over a December meeting with the head of a U.S.-sanctioned Russian state development bank known as VEB. President Obama imposed the sanctions in 2014 over Russia's military actions in Ukraine. The bank disclosed the meeting on Monday and said Kushner was acting as "the head of Kushner Companies." This information contradicts the statements of White House Press Secretary Sean Spicer, who said on Monday that Kushner was acting as a Trump adviser during the meeting, not as a private developer. The revelations came on the same day Kushner agreed to testify to the Senate committee.

On Capitol Hill, calls are growing for House Republican Intelligence Committee Chair Devin Nunes to step down from his committee's investigation into possible collusion between the Trump campaign and Russia, as the investigation itself stalls amid the controversy. On Tuesday, the House Intelligence Committee was scheduled to hear testimony from former acting Attorney General Sally Yates. But Nunes canceled the hearing last week, a day after Yates and former CIA head John Brennan, who was also slated to testify Tuesday, informed the government they would contradict some statements that White House officials had made. The Washington Post is reporting the White House sought to block Yates's testimony. White House Press Secretary Sean Spicer called this report "100 percent false." The House Intelligence Committee has now canceled all meetings this week. Lawmakers are calling on Nunes to step down as chair, after it emerged he had met with a source on the grounds of the White House and viewed secret U.S. intelligence reports before supposedly briefing President Trump about the reports. Nunes says the reports indicate Trump or his associates might have been "incidentally" swept up in surveillance carried out by American spy agencies as they conducted foreign surveillance. For more, we speak with Michael Isikoff, chief investigative correspondent for Yahoo News. His new piece is titled "Russia probe in turmoil as top Dem calls for Nunes' recusal."

Trump Signs Executive Order Dismantling Rules to Curb Climate Change, House Intelligence Committee in Turmoil as Nunes Refuses to Step Down, Trump Lawyers Argue He's Immune from Civil Suit Because He's President, Lawmaker: Treasury Sec. Mnuchin Broke Ethics Rules by Promoting Movie He Financed, British Prime Minister Theresa May Formally Triggers Brexit Process, General: U.S. "Probably Had Role" in 200 Casualties from Airstrike on Mosul, VT: 2 Immigrant Rights Activists Released After ICE Arrests, Supreme Court Rules in Favor of Death Row Prisoner Bobby Moore, California: Anti-Choice Activist David Daleiden Charged with 15 Felonies, Women's Hockey Players Win Stipends & Paid Travel from USA Hockey, Olympic Gymnasts Testify to Congress About Sexual Abuse by Officials, French Guiana: General Strike Continues as 10,000 March in Capital, Civil Rights Activist, Journalist, Professor Roger Wilkins Dies at 85

President Trump is expected to sign an executive order Tuesday to dismantle a slew of climate rules put in place by President Obama. The executive order marks the first step to undo President Obama's Clean Power Plan to limit power plant emissions. The rule was seen as a critical element of the U.S. pledge to cut emissions as part of the 2015 Paris Agreement. Trump's executive order is also expected to scrap regulations limiting methane emissions and open up the door for more coal mining and fracking on federal lands. For more, we speak with Rebecca Solnit, one of the nation's most celebrated writers, who has spent years writing about climate change. She's the author of more than 20 books, including, most recently, "The Mother of All Questions."

Philadelphia City Councilmember Helen Gym and Austin City Councilmember Gregorio Casar talk about fear spreading in immigrant communities, as well as the growing resistance to federal immigration policy.

In 2007, the New Haven City Council and mayor agreed to adopt the first municipal ID card in the nation. The move sparked fierce backlash from federal immigration authorities. Forty-eight hours after the Board of Alders approved the new ID cards, ICE conducted the largest raid in the history of the state, sweeping across immigrant neighborhoods, kicking in doors and arresting 32 people. For more on how the community fought back against the illegal raid, we speak with Michael Wishnie, clinical professor of law at Yale Law School, where he oversees the Worker and Immigrant Rights Advocacy Clinic.

Texas U.S. Magistrate Judge Andrew Austin said in open court that federal agents had alerted him that ICE would be targeting the area of Austin, Texas. The raids would be retribution for Travis County Sheriff Sally Hernandez's new policy that limited cooperation between local and federal authorities. For more, we are joined by Austin City Councilmember Gregorio Casar. When he first won election in 2014, he was the youngest councilmember in the city's history.

The Trump administration has unveiled its latest attempt to target sanctuary cities that are refusing to help federal agents detain and deport undocumented immigrants. On Monday, Attorney General Jeff Sessions said the Justice Department would withhold billions of dollars in grants to law enforcement agencies in sanctuary cities. In response to Attorney General Jeff Sessions, New York Mayor Bill de Blasio, Boston Mayor Martin Walsh and others vowed to defy the order and remain sanctuary cities. For more, we speak with Helen Gym, longtime community activist who was recently elected to the Philadelphia City Council.

Democrats Call for Nunes to Step Down as House Intelligence Chair, Trump Son-in-Law Kushner Met with Head of U.S.-Sanctioned Russian Bank, Mayors Vow to Fight Sessions's Threat to Cut Funding from Sanctuary Cities, Chicago: ICE Agent Shoots and Injures Father During Home Raid, Trump to Sign Executive Order Dismantling a Slew of Climate Rules, U.S. Leads Boycott of U.N. Talks on Outlawing Nuclear Weapons, U.S. to Send More Troops to Iraq, as Pentagon Probes Reports of Hundreds of Civilian Casualties, WSJ: Trump Increasing Military Support for Saudi-Led War on Yemen, N. Korea Launches Rocket Engine Test as U.S. & S. Korea Conduct Military Drills, Hong Kong Charges 9 Activists for 2014 Pro-Democracy Protests, Peru: Death Toll from Worst Flooding in Decades Rises to 90, French Guiana Rocked by General Strike to Protest Unemployment, Lack of Services, Michigan to Pay Nearly $100 Million to Flint to Replace Water Lines, White Supremacist Charged with Murder as Terrorism for Killing Black Man with Sword, Colorado: Residents Rally to Support Vandalized Fort Collins Mosque, Anti-Apartheid Activist Ahmed Kathrada Dies at Age of 87

The Trump administration has approved a permit allowing TransCanada to build the Keystone XL pipeline, which would transport 830,000 barrels of crude every day from Alberta's tar sands to refineries on the U.S. Gulf Coast for export. TransCanada's Keystone XL pipeline would cross the Yellowstone River, as well as the Ogallala Aquifer, the largest freshwater aquifer in the United States. Trump's approval of the Keystone XL pipeline is a reversal of the Obama administration's decision to halt the project in late 2015 following massive, sustained resistance from Native Americans, farmers, ranchers and environmental groups. For more, we speak with Bill McKibben, co-founder of 350.org and author of several books, including "Eaarth: Making a Life on a Tough New Planet."

Details are emerging about U.S.-led coalition airstrikes that are believed to have killed over 200 people in a single day in Iraq. The U.S.-led coalition has admitted launching airstrikes on March 17 targeting a crowded neighborhood in Mosul. They are among the deadliest U.S. airstrikes in the region since the U.S. invasion of Iraq in 2003. According to some reports, one of these strikes destroyed houses where hundreds of people were taking refuge amid the city's heavy fighting. Up to 80 civilians, including women and children, may have died in one house's basement alone. This bombing is just one of an onslaught of U.S.-led coalition airstrikes in Iraq and Syria that has killed as many as 1,000 civilians in March alone, according to the journalistic project Airwars. For more, we speak with Chris Woods, founder of Airwars, a nonprofit group that monitors civilian deaths from international airstrikes in Syria and Iraq.

On Friday, House Republicans failed to muster enough support to pass the GOP healthcare plan, which some call Trumpcare. In response, Vermont Senator Bernie Sanders has announced he will soon introduce a bill to create a single-payer healthcare system. Several progressive groups are backing a single-payer system, including the Working Families Party, the Progressive Campaign Change Committee, CREDO, Social Security Works and National Nurses United. For more, we speak with Dr. Steffie Woolhandler, co-founder of Physicians for a National Health Program. She is a professor at CUNY-Hunter College and a primary care physician. She is also a lecturer at Harvard Medical School.

Under President Obama, House Republicans voted more than 50 times to repeal or rewrite the Affordable Care Act. But on Friday, the House couldn't muster the votes needed to pass its own healthcare law, which some call Trumpcare. Just minutes before the vote was scheduled, President Trump pushed House Speaker Paul Ryan to pull the legislation. The bill was opposed by every Democrat, as well as many members of the ultraconservative House Freedom Caucus and some moderate Republicans. For more. we speak with Dr. Steffie Woolhandler, co-founder of Physicians for a National Health Program. She is a professor at CUNY-Hunter College and a primary care physician. She is also a lecturer at Harvard Medical School.

Republicans Pull Healthcare Bill After Failing to Muster Enough Votes, Reports: U.S.-Led Coalition Airstrikes Killed 200+ in West Mosul, Yemen: Tens of Thousands Protest U.S.-Backed, Saudi-Led Bombing, 5th Round of Syrian Peace Talks Begin as 16 Civilians Killed in Damascus Airstrike, Russia: 600+ Protesters Arrested at Anti-Corruption Demonstrations, Belarus: Hundreds of Protesters Arrested Opposing Tax on Unemployed, Jared Kushner: "Government Should Be Run Like a Great American Company", Democrats Demand Publication of White House & Mar-a-Lago Visitor Logs, California: Trump Supporters Attack Anti-Trump Protesters, SC Sen. Lindsey Graham Booed at Angry Town Hall, Senate Moves to Dismantle Internet Privacy Protections, Washington, D.C.: 1,000+ Jewish Activists Protest AIPAC Conference, Chile: Massive Nationwide Protests Demand End to Privatized Pension System, Argentina: Demonstrations Mark 41st Anniversary of 1976 Military Coup, Colombia: Town Votes Against Plans for Massive Open-Pit Gold Mine, South Korea: Prosecutors Seek to Arrest Fmr. President Park Geun-hye, London: Crowds Protest Brexit Plans to Leave European Union, Ohio: 1 Dies in Shooting in Cameo Nightclub in Cincinnati, Mexican Journalists Protest Murder of 3 Reporters in March

A battle over the death penalty is brewing in Florida, where Orange-Osceola State Attorney Aramis Ayala has announced her office will no longer seek the death penalty in any murder cases, including in the case of Markeith Loyd, who is accused of murdering his pregnant ex-girlfriend, Sade Dixon, and Orlando police officer Debra Clayton. Ayala's announcement sparked immediate backlash from the police union and Florida Governor Rick Scott, who called on her to recuse herself from the Loyd case. When she refused, Scott signed an executive order removing her from the case and reassigning it. Now Ayala, the first African-American state attorney in Florida history, has been receiving death threats, including from local government employees. We are joined by Angel Harris, assistant counsel at the NAACP Legal Defense Fund.

We feature an extended excerpt of Senator Al Franken (D-MN) grilling Supreme Court nominee Judge Neil Gorsuch during his Supreme Court confirmation hearing about the so-called frozen trucker case of Alphonse Maddin. Gorsuch ruled it was right for Maddin to be fired after he disobeyed a supervisor and abandoned the trailer that he was driving, because he was on the verge of freezing to death. "It is absurd to say this company is in its rights to fire him because he made the choice of possibly dying from freezing to death or causing other people to die possibly by driving in an unsafe vehicle," says Sen. Franken. "It makes me question your judgment."

As confirmation hearings for Supreme Court nominee Neil Gorsuch wrap up and Senate Democrats vow to filibuster his nomination, we look at Gorsuch's ruling in a case known as the "frozen trucker." Truck driver Alphonse Maddin was fired after he disobeyed a supervisor and abandoned the trailer that he was driving, because he was on the verge of freezing to death. We speak with Robert Fetter, the attorney who represented Maddin in his wrongful termination lawsuit.

As President Trump and House Speaker Paul Ryan face a showdown with Republicans, both moderate and conservative, on whether to repeal Obamacare, the party has been scrambling to rewrite the legislation in order to appease members of the right-wing Freedom Caucus and win its passage. The latest version of the bill strips away provisions that would require health insurers to provide basic services including maternity care, newborn care, emergency services, mental health and addiction treatment. The Democratic Caucus has been united in opposition to the bill, which is projected to leave 24 million fewer people insured by 2026 than under Obamacare. The bill also includes over $275 billion in tax breaks for wealthy Americans. We are joined by John McDonough, professor at the Harvard School of Public Health. He is the former executive director of Health Care for All in Massachusetts, which played a key role in the passage of the 2006 Massachusetts health reform bill, which was known as Romneycare. He later became a top aide to the late Senator Ted Kennedy and worked on the development and passage of the Affordable Care Act.

GOP Delays Healthcare Vote as President Trump Issues Ultimatum, Police Arrest 24 at Healthcare Protest Outside White House, House Intel Committee Democrat: More Evidence of Trump-Russia Ties, House Intel Committee Chair Devin Nunes Under Fire for Wiretap Claims, Senate Minority Leader Plans Filibuster of SCOTUS Nominee Neil Gorsuch, State Department Tightens Visa Rules for Some Travelers, Death Threats Target Federal Judge Who Ruled Against Trump Travel Ban, Hundreds of Migrants Feared Dead After Boats Capsize in Mediterranean, Britain: Police Identify Assailant in Attack Near Parliament, Video Shows Israeli Police Officer Assaulting Palestinian Driver, Israel Accused of "Dirty Tricks" in Arrest of Palestinian Activist, Israel Arrests Jewish Teen for Bomb Threats Against Jewish Centers, Ousted Dictator Hosni Mubarak Released from Egyptian Prison, GOP Congressmember Duncan Hunter Faces DOJ Corruption Probe, La Jornada Reporter Miroslava Breach Gunned Down in Mexico, Chicago Officer Draws Additional Charges in Laquan McDonald Killing, Trump Issues Keystone XL Pipeline Permit to TransCanada, Scientists Report New Record Low for Sea Ice in Winter, RIP: Bob Lee aka Robert Alwalee, Black Panther Activist & Community Organizer

One of the more mysterious parts of the Mercer family's political orbit is Cambridge Analytica. The data firm claims it has psychological profiles of over 200 million American voters. The firm was hired by the Trump campaign to help it target its message to potential voters. The Mercers have bankrolled the company and placed Steve Bannon on its board. We speak to The New Yorker's Jane Mayer.

Years before backing Donald Trump, the Mercers helped support the congressional campaign of Arthur Robinson, who attempted to oust Rep. Peter DeFazio. Robinson made for an unusual candidate. He is a climate change denier who speaks about the positive effects of nuclear radiation. Robinson runs the Oregon Institute of Science and Medicine, which stores some 14,000 samples of human urine. Robinson has said he is trying to find new ways of extending the human lifespan. The Mercers funded Robinson's campaign and institute. The New Yorker's Jane Mayer reports the Mercers also pushed to have Trump name Robinson as his science adviser. Jane Mayer writes about Robinson in her new piece, "The Reclusive Hedge-Fund Tycoon Behind the Trump Presidency: How Robert Mercer exploited America's populist insurgency."

We look at Robert Mercer, the man who is said to have out-Koched the Koch brothers in the 2016 election. The secretive billionaire hedge-fund tycoon, along with his daughter Rebekah, is credited by many with playing an instrumental role in Donald Trump's election. "The Mercers laid the groundwork for the Trump revolution," Trump's chief strategist Stephen Bannon said. "Irrefutably, when you look at donors during the past four years, they have had the single biggest impact of anybody, including the Kochs." Before Bannon and Kellyanne Conway joined the Trump campaign, both worked closely with the Mercers. The Mercers bankrolled Bannon's Breitbart News, as well as some of Bannon's film projects. Conway ran a super PAC created by the Mercers to initially back the candidacy of Ted Cruz. While the Mercers have helped reshape the American political landscape, their work has all been done from the shadows. To talk more about the Mercers, we speak with Jane Mayer, staff writer at The New Yorker. Her latest piece is headlined "The Reclusive Hedge-Fund Tycoon Behind the Trump Presidency: How Robert Mercer exploited America's populist insurgency." She is also author of "Dark Money: The Hidden History of the Billionaires Behind the Rise of the Radical Right," which just came out in paperback.

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A growing number of U.S. citizens are sharing accounts of having been detained at airports across the country since the start of the Trump administration. Boston-based civil rights attorney Iván Espinoza-Madrigal says he was returning home on March 12 from a vacation in Portugal when he was detained at Boston's Logan Airport. A day later, the former police chief of Greenville, North Carolina, Hassan Aden, says he was detained for over an hour by Customs and Border Protection agents when he was flying into New York City's JFK International Airport after returning from visiting his mother in Paris. The two join other U.S. citizens, including a U.S. Olympic medalist, a NASA scientist and the son of boxing legend Muhammad Ali, who have all been detained at airports across the country since the start of the Trump administration. For more, we're speak with Iván Espinoza-Madrigal and Hassan Aden.