Democracy Now!

As the nonexistent terrorist attack manufactured by Donald Trump's counselor Kellyanne Conway makes headlines, we look at an actual threat by an extremist in Bowling Green, Ohio. In 2012, an FBI raid uncovered a full arsenal of assault rifles, firearms, body armor and ammunition amassed by the suspect, who prosecutors later determined was planning to carry out mass killings. But the suspect is not a radical Muslim. He is white supremacist Richard Schmidt, who federal authorities say was planning targeted attacks on African Americans and Jews. Investigators found a list of names and addresses of people to be assassinated, including the leaders of NAACP chapters in Michigan and Ohio. Schmidt was sentenced to less than six years in prison after a federal judge said prosecutors had failed to adequately establish that he was a political terrorist. He is scheduled for release in February 2018. His case isn't the only one involving terror threats by a white supremacist that received little coverage by mainstream media. On Monday, the trial of Christian minister Robert Doggart began in Tennessee federal district court. Undercover FBI agents allege that Doggart was plotting to travel to upstate New York to kill Muslims there, using explosives, an M-4 assault rifle and a machete. According to a federal investigation, Doggart saw himself as a religious "warrior" and wanted to kill Muslims to show his commitment to his Christian god. We speak with ProPublica's A.C. Thompson, whose recent article is "When the Government Really Did Fear a Bowling Green Massacre—From a White Supremacist," and with Dean Obeidallah, a columnist for The Daily Beast writing about the Doggart case.

We are joined from Phoenix by Aarón Rayos, the husband of a mother of two U.S.-born children who is at the center of an immigration fight in Arizona and has been deported to Mexico. Guadalupe García de Rayos was arrested and detained Wednesday during a routine check-in with immigration officials. She had been living in the United States for the past 21 years, but had been arrested in 2008 during a raid on a water park in Maricopa County and convicted of a felony for using forged documents in order to get a job. Advocates say her arrest signals a clear shift by the Trump administration to deport people considered a "low priority" for removal under President Obama. We also speak with Francisca Porchas, organizing director of Puente Arizona.

On Thursday, President Trump signed three new executive orders addressing crime and immigration. One seeks to increase penalties on those found guilty of assaulting police officers. A second order directs law enforcement agencies to increase intelligence sharing while going after drug cartels. A third order directs Attorney General Sessions to prioritize fighting "illegal immigration" alongside drug trafficking and violent crime. This is "the beginnings of what we are calling a blue lives matter regime," explains our guest, Vincent Warren, executive director of the Center for Constitutional Rights.

In a major victory for civil rights advocates, the U.S. Ninth Circuit Court of Appeals has unanimously refused to reinstate Donald Trump's executive order that banned people from seven Muslim-majority countries from entering the United States and sparked nationwide protests. The judges ruled that the administration "has pointed to no evidence that any alien from any of the countries named in the order has perpetrated a terrorist attack in the United States." Trump has vowed to appeal the case, possibly to the U.S. Supreme Court. We get reaction from Vincent Warren, executive director of the Center for Constitutional Rights. "It is the veracity of the administration that is at stake," Warren says.

Appeals Court Upholds Injunction on Trump Travel and Refugee Ban, Report: Threats Against At Least One Judge Weighing Trump Ban, Jeff Sessions Sworn In as U.S. Attorney General, President Trump Signs New Executive Orders on Crime, Immigration, Protests Erupt in Los Angeles After Reports of ICE Home Raids, Arizona Mother of Two Deported Under Trump's New Orders, White House Warns Journalists and Lawmakers over Botched Yemen Raid, Senate Confirms Tom Price as Health and Human Services Secretary, In Reversal, Trump Commits U.S. to "One China" Policy, Report: Michael Flynn Discussed Sanctions with Russian Ambassador in December, President Trump to Host Japanese Leader at Trump Properties, Report: Trump Tells Russia's President the U.S. Won't Renew Nuclear Treaty, Ethics Probe for Kellyanne Conway to Follow Ivanka Trump Product Endorsement, Rep. Jason Chaffetz Protested at Raucous Town Hall Meeting, Construction Begins on Final Section of Dakota Access Pipeline, Syria: Russian "Friendly Fire" Kills Three Turkish Soldiers, South Africa: Fistfights Erupt at President Zuma's National Address, Independence Activist Oscar López Rivera Returns to Puerto Rico

The Senate has confirmed Jeff Sessions as the United States attorney general after a 52-47 vote Wednesday evening. Sessions's confirmation has faced widespread protests over his opposition to the Voting Rights Act and his history of making racist comments. The vote capped a contentious 24 hours that began Tuesday night, when Massachusetts Senator Elizabeth Warren was silenced and rebuked by the Senate for reading a 1986 letter written by Coretta Scott King denouncing Sessions, who was at the time being considered for a federal judgeship. For more, we speak with Rev. Dr. Barbara A. Reynolds. She worked with Coretta Scott King on her memoir, "Coretta Scott King: My Life, My Love, My Legacy."

The White House is considering officially designating more groups as foreign terrorist organizations, including the Muslim Brotherhood—one of the Middle East's oldest and most influential Islamic groups. We speak to Hina Shamsi, director of the ACLU's National Security Project.

An appeals court is expected to rule as early as today on President Trump's ban on refugees and people from seven Muslim-majority countries from entering the United States. On Wednesday morning, Trump accused the judges on the court of being "so political" and described the legal process as "disgraceful." For more updates on the legal fight over the executive order, we speak with Hina Shamsi, director of the American Civil Liberties Union's National Security Project. Although she is a legal permanent resident of the United States, Shamsi was stopped and questioned about her Pakistani citizenship and her work with the ACLU, when she flew back into the country last week.

Amnesty International's report on prison hangings at Saydnaya prison was published less than two weeks after President Trump signed an executive order banning refugees indefinitely and temporarily barring entry to all citizens from Syria and six other Muslim-majority nations. We speak to Nicolette Waldman about the root causes of the Syrian refugee crisis.

Amnesty International has released a shocking report claiming as many as 13,000 people—mostly civilians—have been hanged in a Syrian government military prison in recent years. Amnesty accuses the Assad government of running a human slaughterhouse and engaging in a deliberate policy of extermination by hanging thousands of civilians at a prison near Damascus. Amnesty says the killings amount to war crimes and crimes against humanity. We speak to the co-author of the report, Nicolette Waldman, an Amnesty International researcher specializing in detention issues.

Senate Confirms Jeff Sessions as Attorney General, Trump Lashes Out at Judges Hearing Lawsuit over Muslim Ban, Neil Gorsuch Calls Trump's Attacks on Judges "Disheartening & Demoralizing", Rosie Ayliffe to Trump: "My Daughter's Death Will Not Be Used to Further This Insane Persecution", Wisconsin Rep. Claims White Terrorist Attacks are "Different", Protests Erupt Nationwide as Army Approves Dakota Access Pipeline, Phoenix: 7 Arrested Blocking ICE Van After Mother Is Detained Under Trump's New Orders, Trump Faces Conflict of Interest Accusations over Nordstrom Tweet, Afghanistan: 6 Red Cross Workers Killed in Ambush, Romania: Nightly Anti-Government Protests Continue, 3 Patriots Players Will Refuse to Visit White House Super Bowl Celebration, PA State Senator Calls Trump a "Fascist, Loofa-Faced, Sh*t-Gibbon"

On Tuesday, the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers said Tuesday it will greenlight the final phase of construction of the pipeline. Amnesty International called the announcement "an unlawful and appalling violation of human rights." In recent months, police have launched an escalating and violent crackdown against the resistance at Standing Rock. Last week, more than 70 people were arrested after militarized police raided a new resistance camp set up on historic Sioux treaty land. Among those arrested was award-winning Pueblo journalist Jenni Monet, who was on assignment for Indian Country Media Network.

The U.S. Army Corps of Engineers said Tuesday it will greenlight the final phase of construction for the Dakota Access pipeline, prompting indigenous-led water protectors to call for a "last stand" against the $3.8 billion project. In a letter to Congress, acting Army Secretary Robert Speer said the Army Corps will cancel an environmental impact study of the Dakota Access pipeline and will grant an easement today allowing Energy Transfer Partners to drill under Lake Oahe on the Missouri River. The Army Corps also said it would suspend a customary 14-day waiting period following its order, meaning the company could immediately begin boring a tunnel for the final one-and-a-half miles of pipe. We speak to Standing Rock Sioux Tribal Council Chair Dave Archambault II.

Within 24 hours of President Trump signing his executive order on immigration, the American Civil Liberties Union filed the first legal challenges. The ACLU asked a federal judge to intervene in the case of two Iraqis detained at JFK airport. On Saturday night, U.S. District Judge Ann Donnelly in Brooklyn ordered the men released as part of a nationwide stay on part of Trump's executive order. Her ruling temporarily blocked the deportation of valid visa holders, including those from countries listed in Trump's ban. We speak to Lee Gelernt, the ACLU attorney who helped argue the case.

The Ninth U.S. Circuit Court of Appeals heard arguments Tuesday on whether to restore President Donald Trump's executive order banning people from Iraq, Syria, Iran, Sudan, Libya, Somalia and Yemen from entering the United States. The case was brought by the states of Washington and Minnesota. The emergency hearing came just days after a judge in Seattle imposed a nationwide temporary restraining order on the ban. Justice Department lawyer August Flentje questioned the court's authority to review Trump's executive order, while the state of Washington argued the court must provide a check on the executive branch. We air excerpts of the oral arguments and speak to ACLU attorney Lee Gelernt, who presented the first challenge to Trump's executive order on immigration. His argument resulted in a nationwide injunction.

Army Corps to Greenlight Construction of Dakota Access Pipeline, Seattle to Divest $3 Billion from Wells Fargo over Dakota Access Pipeline, Senate Confirms Billionaire Betsy DeVos for Education Secretary, Senator Warren Silenced After Reading Coretta Scott King's Letter on Floor, Labor Sec. Pick Andrew Puzder Under Fire for Employing Undocumented Worker, EPA Pick Scott Pruitt Sued for Withholding Emails with Oil & Gas Industry, Appeals Court Hears Arguments over Trump's Muslim Ban, Trump Falsely Claims U.S. Murder Rate is at Highest in 40 Years, Trump Threatens to "Destroy" Career of Texas State Senator, Yemen Bans U.S. from Running Military Ground Operations After Failed Raid, Japan: Levels of Radiation at Fukushima Nuclear Plant are "Unimaginable"

On Monday, President Trump falsely claimed that the media is intentionally covering up terrorist attacks. "It's gotten to a point where it's not even being reported," Trump said. "And in many cases, the very, very dishonest press doesn't want to report it." The claims appear to be part of a wider push by the White House to increase fear about potential—and even imaginary—terrorist attacks in order to justify President Trump's crackdown on immigration, including his Muslim ban. We speak to Harvard professor Stephen Walt. His recent piece in Foreign Policy is headlined "Trump Has Already Blown It."

We turn now to look at President Trump's emerging foreign policy. Last week, Trump reportedly abruptly ended a call with Australian Prime Minister Malcolm Turnbull after complaining about the terms of a refugee deal between the U.S. and Australia. Meanwhile, during a call with Mexican President Enrique Peña Nieto, Trump reportedly threatened to send U.S. troops to Mexico. Trump's national security adviser, Michael Flynn, also announced the United States was putting Iran "on notice"—but it's not clear what that means. And Trump's first covert operation in Yemen went disastrously wrong: One U.S. Navy SEAL and as many as 23 Yemeni civilians died as a result. We speak to Harvard professor Stephen Walt. His recent piece in Foreign Policy is headlined "Trump Has Already Blown It."

A federal appeals court will hear arguments today on whether to restore President Donald Trump's executive order banning people from Iraq, Syria, Iran, Sudan, Libya, Somalia and Yemen from entering the United States. We speak to one of the people caught up in Trump's ban, Saira Rafiee, a doctoral student enrolled at the CUNY Graduate Center through an F1 visa. She was initially barred from entering the country last week. We speak to her and Hadi Ghaemi, founder and director of Campaign for Human Rights in Iran.

Rep. Maxine Waters calls for a full investigation to determine if the Trump campaign colluded with Russia in any way during the campaign. Waters says such collusion would be grounds for impeachment.

Donald Trump's pick for treasury secretary, Steven Mnuchin, has deep ties on Wall Street, including working as a partner for Goldman Sachs, where his father also worked. Mnuchin's hedge fund also played a role in the housing crisis, after it scooped up the failing California bank IndyMac in 2008. Under Mnuchin's ownership, IndyMac foreclosed on 36,000 families, particularly elderly residents trapped in reverse mortgages. Mnuchin was accused of running a "foreclosure machine." We speak to Rep. Maxine Waters about why she opposes Mnuchin for the Treasury post.

The Senate is scheduled to hold a full vote today on the confirmation of Donald Trump's nominee for education secretary, billionaire Betsy DeVos. DeVos is perhaps Trump's most contested pick among a group of controversial Cabinet nominees. DeVos is a longtime backer of charter schools and vouchers for private and religious schools. She and her husband have also invested in a student debt collection agency that does business with the Education Department. On Monday, Senate Democrats took to the floor of the U.S. Senate to begin a 24-hour protest opposing DeVos. Last week, two Republican lawmakers, Senators Susan Collins and Lisa Murkowski, announced plans to vote against DeVos, leaving Senate Republicans one vote short of confirming her. If the Senate vote is 50-50, Vice President Mike Pence would then cast the deciding vote—an event that has never happened to any other presidential nominee in history. We speak to Democratic Congressmember Maxine Waters of California.

Senate Dems Are Stalling DeVos Confirmation with 24-Hour Protest Debate, Fmr. Secretaries of State & 100+ Companies Back Suit Against Muslim Ban, Trump Falsely Claims Media Covering Up Terrorist Attacks, Kellyanne Conway Has Repeatedly Lied About Nonexistent "Bowling Green Massacre", British Speaker of Commons to Refuse to Invite Trump to Speak to Parliament, Patriots' Martellus Bennett Says He Won't Visit Trump's White House, Trump on Gutting Dodd-Frank: "Friends of Mine Can't Borrow Money", Melania Trump Suing Owner of Daily Mail for $150M over Article, Amnesty International: 13,000 People Secretly Hanged at Military Prison, Israel Approves Bill to Retroactively Legalize Settlements, Afghanistan: More Than a Dozen Dead in Suicide Blast in Kabul, NYC Students Slated to Walk Out Today in Protest Against Trump

Speaking at a National Prayer Breakfast on Thursday, Trump vowed to "destroy" the Johnson Amendment, a 1954 provision that prohibits tax-exempt religious or charitable organizations from "directly or indirectly participating in, or intervening in, any political campaign on behalf of (or in opposition to) any candidate for elective public office." White evangelical Protestants have long pushed for the amendment to be repealed. Another move reportedly being considered by the Trump administration is a sweeping religious freedom executive order that would create wholesale exemptions for people and organizations who claim religious objections to same-sex marriage, premarital sex, abortion and trans identity. For more, we speak with journalist Sarah Posner. Her most recent piece published in The Nation is titled "Leaked Draft of Trump's Religious Freedom Order Reveals Sweeping Plans to Legalize Discrimination."

Among the thousands of anti-Trump demonstrators who gathered outside the Stonewall Inn in New York City's West Village was actress Cynthia Nixon, best known for her role as Miranda in "Sex and the City."

On Saturday, thousands of anti-Trump demonstrators supporting the LGBT community held a rally in front of the Stonewall Inn in New York City's West Village. The site was recently designated by the Obama administration as a national monument for its historic role in the long fight for gay rights. On June 28, 1969, police raided the Stonewall Inn. The people inside, led by transgender patrons, fought back. The ensuing riot launched the modern gay and lesbian rights movement. New York City elected officials, activists and celebrities spoke at Saturday's event. We hear voices from the rally, including the first openly gay New York City Council member, Corey Johnson, as well as actress and model Hari Nef, actor Omar Sharif Jr. and transgender Mexican activist Ishalaa Ortega.

Over the weekend, the Department of Homeland Security began allowing visa holders affected by Trump's order to board U.S.-bound flights. The agency said it had "suspended any and all actions" related to the travel ban. Among those who were able to travel back to the U.S. was a 12-year-old Yemeni daughter who was able to reunite with her family on Sunday. For more, we speak with her family's lawyer, Matt Adams. He's the lead attorney for a class action lawsuit challenging the Trump administration's executive order.

Courts have temporarily blocked President Trump's executive order banning people from seven majority-Muslim nations from entering the United States. Early this morning, lawyers for the states of Washington and Minnesota filed a brief with a panel of the Ninth Circuit Court of Appeals arguing against restoring Trump's executive order banning people from Iraq, Syria, Iran, Sudan, Libya, Somalia and Yemen from entering the United States, saying that to reinstate the ban would "unleash chaos again." On Sunday, a California appeals court sided with a lower court in Seattle and refused to reinstate the travel ban. The Seattle ruling, issued by U.S. District Court Judge James Robart on Friday, imposed a nationwide temporary restraining order on the ban. Over the weekend, the Department of Homeland Security began allowing visa holders affected by Trump's order to board U.S.-bound flights. On Sunday, Roslyn Sinha, an Iraqi passport holder with a valid visa to live in the United States, was among those who was able to return.

Courts Temporarily Block Trump's Muslim Ban, Sen. Leahy Accuses Trump of Trying to Spark "Constitutional Crisis", Army Secretary Pick Vincent Viola Withdraws from Nomination, Senate to Vote on Betsy DeVos for Education Secretary Today, Neil Gorsuch Opposed Anti-Apartheid Protesters in College, Coast to Coast, Tens of Thousands Protest Against Trump, Thousands Protest Dakota Access Pipeline in L.A.; Video Shows BIA Officer Beating Water Protector, Ajit Pai Rolls Back Net Neutrality & Consumer Protections, France: Marine Le Pen Kicks Off Presidential Bid with Xenophobic Speech, Argentine President Pushes Immigration Crackdown, Drawing Comparisons to Trump, Romania: Protests Swell as Demands Widen to Include Resignation of Government, U.N.: Civilian Casualties Rose in Afghanistan in 2016, "Rest in Power": Trayvon Martin's Parents to Release Book on Their Son, Watch the Scenes of the Pro-Immigration Super Bowl Ad That Fox Rejected

Until last week, Lewis Wallace was the only out transgender reporter at the public radio show "Marketplace." Then he published a blog post on the website Medium about journalistic neutrality and the challenges of being a transgender journalist who covers the current administration. Under the headline "Objectivity is dead, and I'm okay with it," he questioned whether people who hold "morally reprehensible" positions, such as supporting white supremacy, can be covered objectively, and he argued journalists shouldn't care if they are called "politically correct" or "liberal." "Marketplace" said Wallace's blog post violated its code of ethics. It suspended him for writing it and asked him to take it down. When he later republished it, he was fired. Lewis Wallace joins us to explain what he wrote, and why.

President Trump has selected Gina Haspel to be the new deputy director of the CIA. The Intercept reports Gina Haspel was directly involved in the CIA’s torture program under the George W. Bush administration. She was responsible for running a secret CIA black site in Thailand where prisoners were waterboarded and tortured. The Intercept also reports Haspel played a role in the 2005 destruction of two interrogation videotapes that depicted the torture of prisoners. We speak with journalist Jeremy Scahill, co-founder of The Intercept, which reported on Haspel's record at the CIA.