Democracy Now!

Supreme Court nominee Neil Gorsuch was tapped by President Trump to fill the seat left vacant by Antonin Scalia's death over a year ago. President Obama nominated Merrick Garland to replace Scalia nearly a year ago, but Republicans refused even to hold hearings, fearing that Garland would tip the ideological balance of the court to the left. Now Senate Minority Leader Chuck Schumer is calling on Democratic lawmakers to refuse to vote on Gorsuch's confirmation while the Trump administration is under FBI investigation. For more, we speak with Kristen Clarke, president and executive director of the Lawyers' Committee for Civil Rights Under Law, and with Elliot Mincberg, former chief counsel for oversight and investigations of the House Judiciary Committee.

During Tuesday's hearing, Supreme Court nominee Neil Gorsuch faced questions about his views on the Supreme Court's Citizens United ruling and the $10 million dark money campaign supporting his nomination. A recent New York Times investigation reveals Gorsuch has close ties to Colorado billionaire Philip Anschutz. For more, we speak with Kristen Clarke, president and executive director of the Lawyers' Committee for Civil Rights Under Law, and with Elliot Mincberg, former chief counsel for oversight and investigations of the House Judiciary Committee.

Supreme Court nominee Neil Gorsuch is heading to Capitol Hill today for his third day of confirmation hearings. On Tuesday, he was questioned for over 10 hours by members of the Senate Judiciary Committee. He faced particularly intense scrutiny over his decision to rule against a truck driver whose employer fired him for deserting a trailer so he wouldn't freeze to death. For more on this case and the rest of Gorsuch's record, we speak with Kristen Clarke, president and executive director of the Lawyers' Committee for Civil Rights Under Law. We also speak with Elliot Mincberg, former chief counsel for oversight and investigations of the House Judiciary Committee.

Supreme Court Nominee Neil Gorsuch Undergoes 10 Hours of Questioning, Trump Heads to Capitol Hill to Lobby for Republican Healthcare Plan, U.S. Gov't Pulls Out of Human Rights Hearing on Deportations, Muslim Ban, Dakota Access, Confirmation Hearings Begin for Labor Secretary Nominee Alex Acosta, AP: Paul Manafort Secretly Worked for Russian Billionaire to Advance Putin's Interests, Supreme Court Rules 6-2 to Limit Presidential Appointment Powers, Syria: Monitor Group Says U.S.-Led Coalition Strike Killed 33 Civilians, Somalia: 5 Killed in Car Bombing; 26 Starve to Death Amid Risk of Widespread Famine, 6,000 Refugees Rescued in Mediterranean over Last Few Days, India: Auto Workers Protest Life Sentences in 2012 Plant Uprising Case, Brussels: Thousands of Healthcare Workers Protest Austerity, Washington, D.C.: Honduran President Faces Protests over Cáceres's Murder, Head of Nation's Largest Anti-Muslim Group Visited White House, Vigils Held Across Ireland to Mourn Death of Martin McGuinness

FBI Director James Comey has confirmed the FBI is investigating whether President Trump's campaign collaborated with Russia to sway the 2016 election. Comey also said the FBI has "no information" that supports Trump's unsubstantiated claims that President Obama tapped Trump's phones in Trump Tower during the election. The director of the National Security Agency, Michael Rogers, also refuted President Trump's claims that President Obama asked the British intelligence agency GCHQ to carry out the wiretap on Trump Tower. For more, we speak with journalist Marcy Wheeler, who runs the website EmptyWheel.net. We also speak with Eric Lipton, Pulitzer Prize-winning investigative reporter at The New York Times.

All eyes are on the Supreme Court nomination of Neil Gorsuch, who is facing his second day of confirmation hearings. But Trump has 123 other federal judgeships to fill, because Senate Republicans blocked many of Obama's nominees. We take a look at how a top official at the Federalist Society, named Leonard Leo, is playing a key role in helping Trump reshape the nation's judicial landscape from behind the scenes. We speak with Pulitzer Prize-winning journalist Eric Lipton of The New York Times. He recently co-wrote a piece headlined "In Gorsuch, Conservative Activist Sees Test Case for Reshaping the Judiciary."

Supreme Court nominee Neil Gorsuch is heading back to Capitol Hill today for a second day of confirmation hearings. During Monday's hearing, Democratic senators repeatedly criticized Gorsuch's record, as well as their Republican counterparts for refusing to take up the nomination of President Obama's pick, Merrick Garland, to replace the late Supreme Court Justice Antonin Scalia. Judge Neil Gorsuch has a long history of ruling against employees in cases involving federal race, sex, age, disability and political discrimination and retaliation claims. For more, we speak with Ian Millhiser, senior fellow at the Center for American Progress Action Fund and editor of ThinkProgress Justice. His recent piece is headlined "The Judge Gorsuch who spoke in the Senate today is nothing like the man who wrote his opinions."

James Comey: FBI Is Investigating Trump's Ties to Russia, James Comey: FBI Has "No Information" to Support Trump's Wiretapping Claims, Fmr. Trump Campaign Chair Paul Manafort Facing New Accusations in Ukraine, Reuters: Tillerson to Skip April NATO Meeting, Then Head to Russia, Day 2 of Neil Gorsuch Supreme Court Confirmation Hearings Begin, Reports: Ivanka Trump to Receive Security Clearances, White House Office, Republicans Amend Healthcare Bill to Further Limit Medicaid, Trump Admin. Imposes New Rules on Passengers Flying to U.S. from Some Airports, WMO: Climate Change Has Pushed Planet into "Uncharted Territory", Indian Court Grants Ganges & Yamuna Rivers Legal Rights of Human Beings, Iraqi Officials: 180,000 People Displaced from West Mosul Amid Fighting, Veracruz, Mexico: Mexican Journalist Killed; Mass Grave Discovered, Parents of 43 Missing Ayotzinapa Students Meet with IACHR Officials in D.C., FL: State Attorney Threatened with Lynching After Refusing to Seek Death Penalty in Cop Murder Case, CA: African Trade Summit Held Without Any African Attendees, After Visas Were Denied, Forbes: Trump's Fortune Dropped by $1 Billion, Banker David Rockefeller Dies at Age of 101, NYC: Leading Asian-American Studies Scholar Peter Kwong Dies

In Burlington, Vermont, at least three prominent immigrant rights activists have been arrested in recent days. All three—Cesar Alex Carrillo, Enrique Balcazar and Zully Palacios—are leaders or members of the group Migrant Justice. 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. For more, we speak with Will Lambek, organizer with Migrant Justice.

On Thursday, a U.S. Reaper drone struck a gathering in a rebel-held village in Aleppo province, killing as many as 49 people. Monitoring groups say most of the dead were civilians who had gathered at a mosque to pray, while the Pentagon claims the gathering was a meeting of al-Qaeda members. The next day, 42 Somali refugees were gunned down by a helicopter gunship near the Yemen coast. Somalia accused Saudi Arabia of carrying out the strike. Eyewitness accounts suggest a U.S.-made Apache helicopter was used to carry out the deadly strike. For more, we speak with Samuel Oakford, investigative reporter for the journalistic project Airwars, who reports that the number of civilian casualties in U.S. airstrikes has been escalating since Donald Trump took office two months ago.

As Neil Gorsuch begins his Supreme Court confirmation hearings, we look at his extreme right-wing political positions as a student at Columbia in the 1980s and speak with his former classmate, Jordan Kushner. While on campus, Gorsuch co-founded the right-wing campus newspaper the Federalist Paper. The Associated Press reports that in Gorsuch’s writing both for the Federalist Paper and the Columbia Daily Spectator, he criticized anti-apartheid protests, saying divestment could hurt the university’s endowment. He also criticized racial justice protests and black-led movements on campus, while he defended the Reagan administration during the Iran-Contra scandal.

As confirmation hearings begin for Neil Gorsuch, Trump's nominee for the Supreme Court, we look at his record on voting rights and speak with Ari Berman, senior contributing writer for The Nation. His recent piece is headlined "In E-mails, Neil Gorsuch Praised a Leading Republican Activist Behind Voter Suppression Efforts."

Confirmation hearings begin today for Neil Gorsuch, President Trump's pick to replace the late Justice Antonin Scalia on the Supreme Court. If confirmed by the Senate, Gorsuch would give conservatives a narrow 5-4 majority on the court. When he was first nominated, Gorsuch praised Antonin Scalia. As a judge on the Tenth Circuit, Neil Gorsuch ruled in favor of Hobby Lobby in the case deciding whether the company could refuse to provide birth control coverage to employees as required by Obamacare. Judge Gorsuch also has a long history of ruling against employees in cases involving federal race, sex, age, disability and political discrimination and retaliation claims. For more, we speak with Fordham law professor Zephyr Teachout. She recently ran for a congressional seat in upstate New York. Her recent piece for The Washington Post is headlined "Neil Gorsuch sides with big business, big donors and big bosses."

Confirmation Hearings Begin for Supreme Court Nominee Neil Gorsuch, FBI Director Comey Going Before House Intelligence Committee Today, Hawaii Judge Rejects DOJ Request to Narrow Injunction Against Travel Ban, Former NC Police Chief Hassan Aden Says He Was Detained at JFK, Trump to Tap Kellyanne Conway's Husband to Head Civil Division of DOJ, Kellyanne Conway Has Helped Female Friends Get Abortions, Betsy DeVos Hires For-Profit College Official Robert Eitel, North Korea Tests Rocket Engine as Tillerson Wraps Up Asia Visit, 42 Somali Refugees Gunned Down in Helicopter Attack Off Yemen Coast, U.N. Official Resigns After Refusing to Withdraw Report Accusing Israel of Apartheid, France: Thousands Protest Police Brutality, Peru: 70 Die in Country's Worst Flooding in 30 Years, Japan: Activist Hiroji Yamashiro Released on Bail, Philippines: Duterte Faces Impeachment & International Criminal Court Case, Florida: No Charges Against Guards in Death of Schizophrenic Prisoner, Oil to Start Flowing Through Dakota Access Pipeline This Week, Legendary NYC Journalist Jimmy Breslin Dies at Age 88

Is President Donald Trump’s top counterterrorism adviser, Sebastian Gorka, a member of a Hungarian far-right, Nazi-allied group? We speak with reporter Larry Cohler-Esses, who first reported the allegations in The Forward, a leading Jewish American newspaper. The outlet reports members of the Vitézi Rend elite order confirmed Gorka took a lifelong oath of loyalty to the Hungarian far-right group, which is listed by the U.S. State Department as having been “under the direction of the Nazi Government of Germany” during World War II. Questions first emerged about Gorka's ties to the group after the website LobeLog published photographs of Gorka wearing a Vitézi Rend medal on his lapel at a presidential inauguration ball on January 20. Gorka has denied reports of his involvement with the group, but if he is found to have failed to disclose this in his immigration application, it could make him inadmissible to the country under the Immigration and Nationality Act. The revelation comes as Jewish community centers and synagogues around the U.S. reported another wave of bomb threats over the weekend.

Longtime consumer advocate and former presidential candidate Ralph Nader responds to President Donald Trump's 2018 budget proposal to Congress, which calls for an unprecedented $54 billion increase in military spending while slashing environmental, housing, diplomatic and educational programs. "The mask is off. The fangs are now out," Nader says. "He is collaborating with what is, on the record, the most vicious, ignorant Republican Party in its history, since 1854."

President Trump has unveiled his 2018 budget proposal to Congress, which calls for an unprecedented $54 billion increase in military spending while slashing environmental, housing, diplomatic and educational programs, and calling for the outright elimination of 19 agencies. The budget would also cut spending for the State Department and USAID by 28 percent, and slash billions of dollars in funding for the United Nations. The Office of Management and Budget director describes Trump’s proposal as an America First budget, even though numerous programs to help the poor are on the chopping block, including the Low Income Home Energy Assistance Program, which helps the poor pay for heat during the winter, the Legal Services Corporation, which funds free legal aid nationwide, and the Community Development Block Grant program, which partially funds Meals on Wheels to feed the elderly, poor, veterans and disabled. When asked about the cuts, OMB head Mick Mulvaney said they were "about as compassionate as you can get."

Tillerson Says Military Action Against North Korea is on the Table, Japanese Protested U.S. Military Base in Okinawa Ahead of Tillerson's Visit, Speaker Paul Ryan Loses Support for Republican Healthcare Plan, Lawmakers, Human Rights Advocates Oppose Trump's 2018 Budget, Trump Stands by Wiretapping Story, as Lawmakers Say Claims are Baseless, Trump Meets with German Chancellor Angela Merkel Today, Report: Trump's Counterrerrorism Aide is "Sworn Member" of Nazi-Allied Group, Syria: U.S. Confirms Airstrike But Denies Hitting Mosque Where 40 Were Killed, Indigenous Namibian Tribes Suing Germany for Reparations for Genocide, Brazil: Workers Mount General Strike in São Paulo, McDonald's Tweet to Trump: "You are Disgusting Excuse of a President", EPA Official Faces Allegation He Tried to "Kill" Investigation into Monsanto's Roundup, Orlando: Attorney General Will Not Seek Death Penalty in Murder Cases, Fmr. L.A. County Sheriff Lee Baca Guilty of Obstructing FBI Probe into Abuse in Jail, Muhammad Ali's Son Stopped at Airport for Second Time in a Month

For the first time, a United Nations agency has directly accused Israel of imposing an "apartheid regime" on the Palestinian people. The report also urges governments to "support boycott, divestment and sanctions [BDS] activities and respond positively to calls for such initiatives." The findings come in a new report published by the U.N. Economic and Social Commission for Western Asia, which is comprised of 18 Arab states. For more, we speak with the co-author of the report, Richard Falk. He's professor emeritus of international law at Princeton University and previously served as the U.N. special rapporteur on Palestinian human rights.

Border agents are increasingly seizing cellphones and demanding passwords of travelers, including U.S. citizens. The number of searches skyrocketed under President Obama, reaching 25,000 last year. But the number is expected to be far higher this year. According to NBC News, more than 5,000 devices were searched in February alone—that's more than the entire number searched in all of 2015. For more, we speak with Esha Bhandari, staff attorney with the ACLU Speech, Privacy, and Technology Project. Her recent article is headlined "Can Border Agents Search Your Electronic Devices? It's Complicated."

Iowa Republican Congressmember Steve King sparked outrage Sunday after publishing a racist tweet in support of far-right Dutch politician Geert Wilders, who was rejected by the majority of Dutch voters during Wednesday's parliamentary elections. Congressmember King was retweeting a cartoon by the anti-immigrant group Voice of Europe depicting Wilders with a finger plugging a leak in a dike, labeled "Western Civilization," holding back a toxic wave of Islam. The cartoon also depicts Muslim men with a sword and a suicide bomb vest. Rep. King's retweet of the cartoon read, "Wilders understands that culture and demographics are our destiny. We can't restore our civilization with somebody else's babies." For more, we speak with Democratic Congressmember Luis Gutiérrez of Illinois.

In Chicago, federal police handcuffed Democratic Congressmember Luis Gutiérrez along with activists and lawyers Monday, after they held a sit-in protest at a federal immigration office. Gutiérrez says the group refused to leave the Chicago office of Immigration and Customs Enforcement, or ICE, after the agency's regional director refused to answer his questions about the Trump administration's plans for immigration sweeps and mass deportation. For more, we speak with Democratic Congressmember Luis Gutiérrez of Illinois, co-chair of the Immigration Task Force of the Congressional Hispanic Caucus.

On Wednesday, only hours before the Trump administration's new travel ban was set to go into effect, a federal judge in Hawaii issued a nationwide halt to the executive order, which would have temporarily suspended refugees and people from six majority-Muslim nations from entering the United States. This morning, a federal judge in Maryland also blocked part of the travel ban, dealing a second legal blow to the Trump's executive order. For more, we speak with Lee Gelernt, an ACLU attorney who presented the first challenge to the executive order on immigration. His argument resulted in a nationwide injunction.

Hawaii Judge Blocks Trump's Muslim Travel Ban, Trump Budget Slashes Funding for EPA, Education, Housing & State Dept., Top Republicans Reject Trump's Unsubstantiated Wiretapping Claims, Trump's Visit to Honor Andrew Jackson Draws Criticism, Senate Confirms Dan Coats as Director of National Intelligence, Fmr. Goldman Executive Dina Powell Promoted to Deputy National Security Adviser, Tillerson Travels to Asia with Only 1 Reporter from New Conservative Outlet, DOJ Indicts 2 Russian Spies over 2014 Yahoo Hacking, Dutch Voters Reject Xenophobic Right-Wing Politician Geert Wilders, French Presidential Candidate François Fillon Charged with Embezzlement, U.N. Agency Publishes Report Calling Israel an "Apartheid Regime", Cambodia Resisting U.S. Demands to Repay Loans Paid to Former Dictatorship, Syria: 30 Killed in Bomb Attacks; Pentagon Considering Sending 1,000 U.S. Troops, France: 1 Injured in Explosion at International Monetary Fund Headquarters, Texas Senate Passes Anti-LGBT "Bathroom Bill", San Francisco Moves to Divest from Banks Financing Dakota Access Pipeline

The state of Arkansas is planning to execute eight men within a 10-day period in April—that's nearly a quarter of its entire death row population. Earlier this month, Republican Governor Asa Hutchinson signed proclamations setting four execution dates for the eight inmates between April 17 and 27, which would be an unprecedented rate of executions in modern U.S. history. Arkansas has suspended executions since 2005 amid challenges in acquiring lethal injection drugs, and lawsuits over the drugs used. Arkansas says it is rushing the executions because the state's supply of the sedative midazolam will soon expire. For more, we speak with Megan McCracken, an attorney with the Death Penalty Clinic at the University of California, Berkeley, School of Law.

The Trump administration is seeking billions of dollars in cuts in funding to the United Nations, even as the United Nations warns that the world is facing its largest humanitarian crisis since the end of the Second World War, and seeks $4.4 billion in additional funding by July to avert famine in Yemen, Somalia, Nigeria and South Sudan. For more, we speak with Joel Charny, director of the Norwegian Refugee Council USA.

The United Nations has warned that the world is facing its largest humanitarian crisis since the end of the Second World War. Nearly 20 million people are at risk of starvation in Nigeria, Somalia, South Sudan and Yemen. Last month, the U.N. declared a famine in parts of South Sudan. Earlier this week, aid officials said they're in a race against time to prevent a famine brought on by a U.S.-backed, Saudi-led war and blockade. Almost 19 million people in Yemen, two-thirds of the total population, are in need of assistance, and more than 7 million are facing starvation. For more, we speak with Joel Charny, director of the Norwegian Refugee Council USA.

Two pages from Trump's tax return were obtained by Pulitzer Prize-winning investigative journalist David Cay Johnston of DCReport, who appeared last night on "The Rachel Maddow Show" on MSNBC. The 2005 tax return shows Trump earned $153 million—or more than $400,000 a day. Trump paid out $36.6 million in federal income taxes, much of it in the form of what's known as the alternative minimum tax, which Trump now wants to eliminate. For more, we speak with investigative journalist David Cay Johnston, who obtained part of Trump's 2005 tax returns and who has won a Pulitzer Prize for his reporting on tax law.

Calls are growing for President Trump to release his full tax returns after part of his 2005 return was made public Tuesday. Two pages from Trump's tax return were obtained by Pulitzer Prize-winning investigative journalist David Cay Johnston of DCReport, who appeared last night on "The Rachel Maddow Show" on MSNBC. The 2005 tax return shows Trump earned $153 million—or more than $400,000 a day. Trump paid out $36.6 million in federal income taxes, much of it in the form of what's known as the alternative minimum tax, which Trump now wants to eliminate. On Wednesday morning, President Trump tweeted, "Does anybody really believe that a reporter, who nobody ever heard of, 'went to his mailbox' and found my tax returns? @NBCNews FAKE NEWS!" That's despite the fact that the White House confirmed the authenticity of the documents Tuesday, after Maddow teased the scoop. For more, we speak with Pulitzer Prize-winning investigative journalist David Cay Johnston, who obtained part of Trump's 2005 tax returns.

2 Pages of Trump's 2005 Tax Return Leaked, House Republicans Demand Changes to Party's Healthcare Plan, Trump May Tap Marc Mukasey to Replace Preet Bharara as Manhattan AG, Rep. Conyers Demands DOJ Reveal All Investigations into Trump, Trump to Tap Goldman Sachs Banker James Donovan to Be Deputy Treasury Sec., Spicer: Trump Thinks He'll be Vindicated on Unsubstantiated Wiretapping Claims, Breitbart Releases Audio of Paul Ryan Saying He'll Never Defend Trump, Judges in Hawaii and Maryland Hear Arguments over New Travel Ban, Trump Meets with Saudi Deputy Crown Prince at the White House, White House Considering Slashing U.S. Funding to United Nations, NYT: Neil Gorsuch Has Deep Ties to Colorado Billionaire, Dutch Voters Head to Polls in Closely Watched Election, EU Court Rules Companies Can Ban Headscarves, Reuters: Russia May Have Deployed Troops to Egypt Near Libyan Border, WSJ: Trump Has Given CIA Expanded Authority to Carry Out Drone Strikes, 9 High-Ranking Navy Members Indicted in Bribery Scandal, Marines Head Testifies to Senators over Facebook Group with Naked Photos of Female Marines, Report: Hate Crimes Surged More Than 20 Percent in 2016 in 9 Major U.S. Cities

ProPublica's Justin Elliott has been looking into the hundreds of officials Trump has quietly installed across the government. He describes the backgrounds of these officials in a recent piece for ProPublica: "A Trump campaign aide who argues that Democrats committed 'ethnic cleansing' in a plot to 'liquidate' the white working class. A former reality show contestant whose study of societal collapse inspired him to invent a bow-and-arrow-cum-survivalist multi-tool. A pair of healthcare industry lobbyists. A lobbyist for defense contractors. An 'evangelist' and lobbyist for Palantir, the Silicon Valley company with close ties to intelligence agencies. And a New Hampshire Trump supporter who has only recently graduated from high school."

A company owned by President Trump's senior adviser and son-in-law Jared Kushner will receive more than $400 million from a Chinese firm in a real estate deal that many experts are calling unusually favorable. The payout from the Anbang Insurance Group is part of a $4 billion deal at Kushner's Manhattan office tower at 666 Fifth Avenue. Bloomberg reports Anbang has links to the Chinese power structure and that past investments by the company in New York real estate have drawn federal review. Critics say the transaction could be a "sweetheart deal" meant to curry favor with President Trump. We speak with investigative journalist Justin Elliott of ProPublica, who has been closely examining Kushner's possible conflicts of interest.

Attorney General Jeff Sessions asked for the resignations of 46 U.S. attorneys on Friday, angering the prosecutors, who say they weren't warned in advance. One of the most high-profile prosecutors asked to resign, United States attorney in Manhattan Preet Bharara, refused to step down Friday and was quickly fired. Bharara's termination came as a surprise, since Donald Trump met personally with Bharara at Trump Tower last November and assured him he could remain at his post. The unusual circumstances of Bharara's dismissal prompted Democrats to suggest it was politically motivated. Preet Bharara's dismissal came as his office was probing Fox News after it allegedly failed to inform shareholders about numerous settlements in sexual harassment and assault cases. The dismissal also came less than a week after government watchdog groups sent a letter to the Manhattan prosecutor's office asking for an investigation into whether President Trump violated a clause of the Constitution barring federal employees from receiving benefits from foreign governments. In addition, Preet Bharara was one of 18 U.S. officials barred from entering Russia. Russian President Vladimir Putin was reportedly angered by Bharara's prosecution of Russian arms dealer Viktor Bout. We speak to Harry Siegel, an editor at The Daily Beast and columnist at the New York Daily News.

As the Congressional Budget Office projects 24 million people will lose health insurance coverage by 2026 under the Republican plan to replace the Affordable Care Act, we look at who stands to benefit from the law. Lee Fang, investigative journalist at The Intercept, talks about how the American Legislative Exchange Council (ALEC) and the for-profit medical industry is backing the plan despite opposition from health providers. Plus, we look at how the bill is just the first of a three-part plan to repeal Obamacare.

A startling new report from the Congressional Budget Office is projecting 24 million people will lose health insurance coverage by 2026 under the Republican plan to replace the Affordable Care Act. Fourteen million people would lose health insurance in the next year alone. While the White House rejected the CBO findings, Politico is reporting the White House's own analysis predicts 26 million people will lose coverage under the bill over the next decade. According to the CBO, the bill would reduce the deficit by $337 billion, but one of the biggest beneficiaries of the Republican bill will be millionaires. A new study by the Tax Policy Center shows people in the top 0.1 percent would get a tax cut of about $207,000 under the plan. House Minority Leader Nancy Pelosi accused Republicans of attempting to push through the biggest transfer of wealth in the nation’s history. We speak to Elisabeth Benjamin, vice president of Health Initiatives at the Community Service Society of New York and co-founder of the Health Care for All New York campaign.

CBO on Republican Health Plan: 24 Million to Lose Health Insurance, States File Federal Lawsuit to Halt Trump's "Muslim Ban 2.0", Fearing Travel Ban, Girl Guides of Canada to End U.S. Travel, Oregon Man Shouts "Go Back to Your Country, Terrorist!" During Assault, Rep. Luis Gutiérrez Among Activists Handcuffed at ICE Sit-in Protest, Trump Administration Walks Back Wiretap Claims as DOJ Misses Deadline, Jared Kushner's Family to Get $400 Million Payout from Chinese Firm, Former Exxon CEO Tillerson Used Alias to Discuss Climate Change, Yemen: Aid Officials in "Race Against Time" to Prevent Famine, 20 Million at Risk of Famine In U.N.'s "Largest Humanitarian Crisis", Far-Right Dutch Politician Surging Ahead of National Election, Israeli-American Activist Jeff Halper Detained over BDS Materials

A top official at the Environmental Protection Agency has resigned in protest of a Trump administration proposal to scale back severely the size and work of the agency. Mustafa Ali helped launch the EPA's Office of Environmental Justice in 1992 and served under both Republican and Democratic administrations. Up until last week he headed the environmental justice department. He joins us in one of his first interviews since leaving the EPA.

The political upheaval in South Korea comes shortly after North Korea test-fired several ballistic missiles. In response, the Trump administration announced it would deploy a missile defense system to South Korea. Meanwhile, hundreds of thousands of South Korean and U.S. troops, backed by warships and warplanes, are currently engaging in a massive military exercise. Last week, Chinese Foreign Minister Wang Yi warned that the U.S. and North Korea are like two "accelerating trains coming toward each other." He called on both sides to de-escalate tensions. We speak with University of Chicago professor Bruce Cumings and Christine Ahn, founder and international coordinator of Women Cross DMZ.

On Sunday, ousted South Korean leader Park Geun-hye left the Blue House presidential compound and returned to her private residence in southern Seoul two days after South Korea's Constitutional Court unanimously ruled to remove her from office over charges of graft and corruption. The unanimous ruling strips Park of immunity from prosecution, clearing the way for her to face criminal charges. The ruling followed months of mass protests. Park's power had been sharply reduced since December, when South Korea's parliament voted overwhelmingly to impeach her. We speak to University of Chicago professor Bruce Cumings and Christine Ahn, founder and international coordinator of Women Cross DMZ.

Attorney General Orders 46 U.S. Attorneys to Resign, U.S. Attorney Preet Bharara Fired After Refusing Order to Resign, CBO to Score Republican Healthcare Bill as Early as Today, House Intelligence Panel Sets Monday Deadline for Wiretap Claims, Native American Actions in D.C. Target Trump Administration, More Bomb Threats Target Jewish Community Centers, Florida Arsonist Sought to "Run Arabs Out of Our Country", Rep. Steve King (R–IA) Tweets Racist Anti-Muslim Comment, South Dakota Governor Signs Anti-LGBTQ Foster Care & Adoption Bill, New Orleans Church Service Attacked Amid Anti-Transgender Violence, Federal Court Rules 3 Texas Congressional Districts Drawn Illegally, Documentary Reveals New Details About Michael Brown's Last Night, Iraq: Civilians Fleeing Mosul Assault Dodge Sniper Fire, Syria: Suicide Bomb Blasts Hit Iraqi Pilgrims in Damascus, Killing 74, Ethiopia: Collapse at Garbage Landfill Kills 46, Haiti: Bus Driver Rams Crowds, Killing 38 Before Escaping, California Environmental Protesters Carve Message in Trump Golf Green

We speak with Electronic Frontier Foundation Executive Director Cindy Cohn about thousands of documents WikiLeaks published this week, dubbed "Vault 7," that describe CIA programs to hack into both Apple and Android cellphones, smart TVs and even cars. Some of the released documents describe tools to take over entire phones, allowing the CIA to then bypass encrypted messenger programs such as Signal, Telegram and WhatsApp. Other documents 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. Other documents outline how the CIA has used the U.S. Consulate in Frankfurt, Germany, as a covert base to spy on Europe, the Middle East and Africa. "It's extremely troubling that the CIA was keeping all of this information rather than giving it to the tech companies so that they could fix these problems and make us all safer," Cohn notes.

We continue our conversation about Israel by looking at a film that's just been released titled "Junction 48." The film centers on Kareem, an aspiring Palestinian rap artist who lives in an impoverished, mixed Palestinian-Jewish city near Tel Aviv. "Junction 48" shows how Kareem, his Palestinian girlfriend Manar and their friends use hip-hop to fight back against Israel's policies. The role of Kareem is played by Tamer Nafar, a rap artist with the Palestinian hip-hop group DAM. To talk more about the film, we're joined by the film's director Udi Aloni and the lead actor, Tamer Nafar.

While President Trump has made international headlines for his attempt to temporarily ban refugees and residents of some Muslim-majority nations, one of Washington's closest allies has instituted a travel ban of its own. Earlier this week, Israeli lawmakers approved a law barring supporters of the Boycott, Divestment and Sanctions movement, known as BDS, from entering Israel. The BDS movement is an international campaign to pressure Israel to comply with international law and respect Palestinian rights. The Israeli parliament voted to ban non-Israelis from entering the country if they, or any organizations they are a part of, support the boycott. After the law was passed, the Israeli parliament posted a message on its site reading, "In recent years calls to boycott Israel have been growing. It seems this is a new front in the war against Israel, which until now the country had not prepared for properly." We are joined by three guests. Rebecca Vilkomerson is executive director of Jewish Voice for Peace. Also with us are two guests connected to the new film "Junction 48." Israeli-American filmmaker Udi Aloni directed the film, and the Palestinian actor Tamer Nafar is the film's star.

We begin with an update on the case of prominent immigrant rights advocate Ravi Ragbir, whom we interviewed Thursday on Democracy Now! right before his check-in with a deportation officer. Ragbir, originally from Trinidad, immigrated to the United States legally but has a 15-year-old criminal conviction. He's avoided deportation since 2011 due to a series of stays that could end under President Trump. After he left our studios, Ragbir spoke at a press conference and rally, where hundreds gathered to support him before he went inside, unsure if he would come back out. He was accompanied to his check-in by his wife, his attorney, pastors and four elected officials. He emerged with mixed news. Even though he has a stay in place until 2018, he was told to return for another check-in next month. Officials also instructed Ragbir, who is married to a U.S. citizen and has a U.S.-born daughter, to prepare his travel documents, which are often the first step toward deportation.

South Korean President Park Geun-hye Removed from Office, House Republicans Rush Efforts to Pass Healthcare Bill, EPA Chief Scott Pruitt: Carbon Dioxide Not a Factor in Global Warming, EPA Official Resigns Amid Push to Defund Environmental Justice Office, Trump Administration Seeks End to Youth Climate Lawsuit, Ambassador to Israel Nominee David Friedman Wins Senate Committee Backing, CENTCOM Commander Wants "A Few Thousand" More Troops for Afghanistan, Michael Flynn an Undisclosed Foreign Agent During Trump Campaign, FBI Director Meets Top Senators Amid Russia Probe and Wiretap Charges, WikiLeaks Offers to Help Tech Companies Protect Against CIA Hacking, Washington, D.C., Restaurateurs Sue Trump Hotel over Unfair Practices, Fox News Contributor Wins Sexual Assault Settlement Against Executive, Izzy Awards Honor Journalism on Prisons, Voting, Inequality

In New York, thousands of women marched from Washington Square Park past the site of the Triangle Shirtwaist Factory fire, the deadliest workplace accident in New York City's history and a seminal moment for the American labor rights movement. They proceeded past the historic LGBTQ landmark, Stonewall Inn, in the West Village and then ended the march in Zuccotti Park, the site of the 2011 Occupy Wall Street uprising. Democracy Now!'s Deena Guzder and Charina Nadura spoke to some of the protesters.

Women rallied around the world Wednesday to mark International Women's Day. Here in the United States, it was dubbed "A Day Without a Woman," as organizers called on women to go on strike. In Prince George's County, Maryland, the entire school district closed down after 1,700 teachers asked for the day off. In Virginia, the entire public school system of Alexandria also closed after 300 workers requested the day off. Here in New York, thousands rallied outside Trump International Hotel. Speakers included Linda Sarsour, a lead organizer of the historic January 21 Women's March on Washington. Sarsour was one of 13 activists later arrested for acts of civil disobedience outside Trump Tower. Meanwhile, thousands of people took part in a rally at New York City's Washington Square Park. We air voices from the rally.

*UPDATE: Ravi Ragbir was released after his ICE check-in after arriving at the meeting surrounded by hundreds of supporters. Watch live coverage on our "Facebook":https://www.facebook.com/democracynow/videos/10155067024968279/ page.*One of New York's best-known immigrant rights advocates joins us on what might be his last day as a free man in the United States. Ravi Ragbir is executive director of the New Sanctuary Coalition of New York City. This morning, right after our broadcast, Ravi heads for a check-in with Immigration and Customs Enforcement. He plans to go to the meeting, even though he may not be released. Ravi legally immigrated to the United States from Trinidad and Tobago more than 25 years ago, but a 2001 wire fraud conviction made his green card subject to review. Even though he is married to a U.S. citizen and has a U.S-born daughter, the government refuses to normalize his status. Just last month, Ravi was recognized with the Immigrant Excellence Award by the New York State Association of Black and Puerto Rican Legislators, given to those who show "deep commitment to the enhancement of their community."

A Day Without a Woman: U.S. Strikes Mark International Women's Day, Protests and Marches Mark International Women's Day Worldwide, Republicans Push Bill to Repeal and Replace Affordable Care Act, Report: Trump Campaign Sent Carter Page to Russia in July, Rep. Schiff: Congress Should Interview British Spy Who Wrote Dossier on Trump-Russia Ties, White House Says Trump is Not Target of Any Investigation, Jon Huntsman Reportedly Offered Russian Ambassadorship, Hawaii Challenges Trump's Refugee & Muslim Ban, U.N.: Migrants Fleeing War Will Suffer from Trump's Refugee Ban, U.S. Deploys Hundreds of Marines to Syria, Save the Children Warns Syrian Children Suffering from "Toxic Stress", U.N.: Worsening Drought Could Push Millions of Somalis into Famine, Israeli Lawmakers Vote to Silence Muslim Call in Residential Areas, Guatemala: 21 Die in Massive Fire at Shelter for Abused Teens, Brazilian Men Seen on Video Assaulting Transgender Woman Before She Was Found Dead, No Charges for NC Police Officer Who Slammed High School Student onto Floor