02/19/15 02/19/15 [captioning made possible by democracy now!] >> from pacifica this is democracy now! >> we have 11 million people here who we are not all going to deport. many of them are our neighbors working in our communities. many of their children are u.s. citizens. >> immigration change delayed after a judge blocked president obama's executive order to shield millions of undocumented immigrants from deportation. we will speak to the head of the national immigration law center and go to houston, texas to speak with an undocumented immigrant infected by the ruling. as extreme cold temperatures the last eastern third of the united

states, 100 cities could break records for the cold. the fossil fuel industry has seen a series of disasters in less than a week, including an explosion at an exxon plan in los angeles, the derailment of a crude oil train in ontario, canada, and the explosion of a so-called oil bomb train in west virginia. >> i made it about 10 feet and heard the house caving in behind me. i ran out of the house in my sock feet in the snow. the house was engulfed in flames . >> was it murder or suicide? as many as 400,000 people march in argentina demanding answers to the mysterious death of the state prosecutor who was investigating the deadly 1994 bombing of a jewish community center in buenos aires. all of that and more coming up. welcome to democracy now!, democracynow.org, the war and peace report.

i'm amy goodman. pro-russian rebels are now fully in control of the town following a pullout by ukrainian troops. heavy clashes continue their over the past several days despite the cease-fire agreement that went into effect sunday will stop the ukrainian military finally withdrew after suffering heavy casualties. the rebels claim the cease-fire never applied to the town will stop in washington, state department spokesperson jem p saki said the cease-fire appears to have held in most other areas. >> reports indicate separatist publicly declared the refuse to observe the cease-fire in the town and had "a right to shell" the town because it was "their territory." is reported they deny monitors access to the town.

the oec confirms the violation in ukraine continues as was the case yesterday, but the quantity and intensity of attacks has decreased with the dramatic exception being the town which i just outlined. we've seen reports of the withdrawal of certain types of heavy weapons in various parts of donetsk ben lujan scott by both separatists and ukrainian government forces. >> greece has formally asked eurozone for six-month extension of a loan agreement as it seeks to revive -- the terms. greece had been given a friday deadline to request an extension of its bailout loans. germany has rejected the demand so far saying it needs to stick to previous austerity commitments. on wednesday, the european central bank reportedly agreed to free up billions of dollars in emergency credit to greek banks.

members of the taliban in afghanistan are reportedly set to hold a new round of peace talks with u.s. officials in qatar. there is no firm timetable, but a pakistani official said the negotiations could begin in march. the news comes as united nations officials reported a 22% spike in afghan civilian casualties last year. >> civilian casualties increased once again by 22% to those in comparison to those of 2013. documenting more than 10,000 sibling casualties in 2014, the highest number of civilian deaths and injuries recorded in a single year since 2009. >> we saw a 40% increase in children casualties, with some 2700 children killed and injured compared to 2013, and an

increase in women casualties by 21% with some 300 women killed and 611 injured. >> the white house is holding a summit on countering the threat of violent extremism worldwide. in a speech on wednesday president obama rejected -- called it a perversion of islam. >> al qaeda and isil and groups like it are desperate for legitimacy. they try to portray themselves as religious leaders, holy warriors in defense of islam. that is why isil presumes to declare itself the islamic state. and they propagate the notion that america and the west, generally, is at war with islam. that is how they recruit. that is how they try to radicalize young people.

we must never accept the premise that they put forward, because it is a lie. nor should we grant these terrorists the legitimacy of religion they seek. they are terrorists. >> an explosion at an exxon mobil refinery south of los angeles has rocked the surrounding area with the equivalent of a 1.4-magnitute earthquake. the blast in california happened as oil tank cars from a derailed train remained on fire wednesday in west virginia, two days after the accident. the derailment forced the evacuation of two towns and destroyed a house. more on this story later in the broadcast. as many as 400,000 people have marched through the argentine capital of buenos aires demanding an independent judiciary. the protest came one month after the mysterious death of special prosecutor alberto nisman who had accused argentina's president, cristina fernandez de kirchner, of helping to cover up iran's role in the deadly 1994

bombing of a jewish community center that killed 85 people and injured hundreds. that was his allegation. we'll have more on this story later in the broadcast. a military appeals court judge has overturned the 2007 conviction of former guantánamo prisoner david hicks. captured in afghanistan, hicks was held at guantánamo for five years before reaching a plea deal to return to his native australia. hicks admitted to material support for terrorism and agreed to renounce his claim of suffering abuse in u.s. custody. he had said he was sodomized beaten and subjected to forced injections, allegations the military denied. hicks was the first guantánamo prisoner convicted under the military commissions act. he appealed his case in 2013 saying his plea was made under duress. on wednesday, hicks' conviction was struck down on the grounds his lone charge wasn't recognized as a crime until years after his capture.ay david hicks

called on the u.s. to pay him compensation for medical damages resulting from his imprionsonment and torture. >> i'm sure no one is surprised by today's long-awaited acknowledgment the government of united states of america of my innocence. even the australian government has admitted i committed no crime. it is just unfortunate that because of politics, i was subjected to 5.5 years of physical and psychological torture that i will now with -- live with always. i do think someone should be responsible for my medical expenses. i'm in a lot of trouble at the moment physically. i am in need of an operation on my left knee, my right elbow, my back, my teeth because i could not brush them for 5.5 years. >> david hicks had previously said he had no choice but to

plea guilty or he would have died in guantánamo. australian prime minister tony abbott has refused to apologize to hicks on behalf of the australian government. a former guantanamo bay interrogator involved in torture was also a longtime chicago police officer known for abusing people of color. according to the guardian, richard zuley spent three decades as a notoriously brutal detective on the chicago police force. from 1977 to 2007, zuley used tactics including torture, threats, and abuse to elicit confessions from suspects, the majority of whom were not white. one of those confessions was later ruled to be false. the sentence was vacated. his methods including shackling suspects to walls through eyebolts for several hours; allegedly planting evidence, and issuing threats of harm to family members and sentences of the death penalty unless a suspect confessed. zuley was also accused of brutal methods at guantanamo bay, where he was a reserve officer in charge of interrogating a

prisoner who said he made a false confession due to torture. the white house says around 11.4 million people have signed up for health insurance during the second enrollment period of obamacare. in a video posted by the white house, president obama said his signature healthcare program is doing better than expected. >> it gives you some sense of how hungry people were out there for affordable accessible health insurance. the affordable care act is working, working a little bit better than we anticipated certainly, working a lot better than many of the critics talked about early on. >> the justice department is reportedly prepare to sue the ferguson, missouri police department if it does address racial bias in its practices. according to cnn, outgoing attorney general eric holder will announce the findings of a federal probe in the coming weeks, before he steps down. the justice department is expected to accuse the ferguson police force of a history of

systemic bias, backing the claims of a recent lawsuit that accused local officials of targeting people of color for arrests, tickets, and fines. eric holder meanwhile has announced he would support a national moratorium on the death penalty. holder made the comments in light of a recent supreme court decision to stay executions in oklahoma pending a review of its lethal injections. >> now speaking personally, not as a member of the administration, so somehow separate yourself here. i think are fundamental questions we need to ask about the death penalty. i have not been shy in saying i am a person who is opposed to the use of the death penalty. the supreme court's determination of whether or not lethal injection is consistent with our constitution is one that ought to occur. from my perspective, think of moratorium until the supreme court made a determination would be appropriate. >> subzero temperatures have

engulfed the eastern third of the united states today as a blast of arctic air rolls in from siberia. the cold is expected to shatter records in more than 100 places. we will have more on this later in the broadcast. hillary rodham clinton has held a private meeting with the woman many progressives hope will challenge her for the democratic nomination, elizabeth warren. "the new york times" reports clinton invited warren to her washington, d.c. home to consult on building a populist economic agenda. warren has been one of the senate's leading voices challenging corporate power and financial deregulation including policies advanced under clinton's husband, president bill clinton, in the 1990's. warren has said she is not running for president, but progressive activists have launched a campaign urging her to reconsider. during their meeting, clinton reportedly did not ask warren to endorse her likely presidential campaign. in the university of massachusetts amherst has backed down on a plan to bar iranian students from science and

engineering programs following a wave of protest. last week, the university setting within iranian nationals from graduate programs in chemical computer, and mechanical engineering as well as natural sciences in what he said was a move to comply with u.s. sanctions dating back to 2012. that after a chorus of outrage from both students and faculty said it will lift the ban. and those are some of the headlines this is democracy now!, democracynow.org, the war and peace report. i'm amy goodman with nermeen shaikh. president obama's plan to shield as many as five million immigrants from deportation was supposed to begin taking its first applications this week. but late monday night, u.s. district judge andrew hanen of brownsville, texas issued an injunction after a motion filed by texas and 25 other states. now the administration says it will comply with the ruling and delay accepting applications for work permits and deportation reprieves. speaking at the white house, president obama said he's confident the decision will be

struck down on appeal. >> keep in mind, this is something that we necessarily have to make choices about because we have 11 million people here who we are not all going to deport. many of them are our neighbors. many of them are working in our communities. many of their children are u.s. citizens. and as we saw with the exact direction that i took for dreamers people who had come here as young children and our american by any other name, except for their legal papers. >> president obama's executive order on immigration would apply to those brought to the u.s. illegally as children and have lived here for at least five years, as well as those who have lived in here for at least five years and are the parents of u.s. citizens or legal permanent residents. it remains on hold as the case

is appealed, possibly ending up before the supreme court. well, for more, we are joined by three guests. in washington, d.c., marielena hincapié is executive director national immigration law center, which filed a court brief opposing the challenge to obama's order. and in houston, texas, josé espinoza is an undocumented immigrant who had hoped to apply for relief on wednesday. also in houston is oscar hernandez, who was granted relief in 2012, and is now a lead field organizer with united we dream in houston, texas where he has been helping to get eligible immigrants like josé ready to apply. welcome all of you to democracy now! let's begin with marielena hincapié. talk about the significance of this judge's ruling in the court case on which it was based. >> thank you for the invitation. this is an extremely disappointing decision by a conservative judge in brownsville, texas. it is not a surprise that texas and 25 other states chose

brownsville to file this lawsuit. while it is disappointing, it is also an outlier. this decision for the much ignores decades of legal precedent and constitutional authority. it is interesting the judge did not rule the president's initiative that unconstitutional but decided to focus on a very procedural issue, which basically, the judge found the administration failed to follow the administrative procedures act and did not go through a public comment period. that despite legal scholars across the spectrum agree with us that this wasn't required that the president has prosecutorial discretion just as any other law-enforcement agency does to decide how to use its limited resources, who to deport, and who not to deport. recently the supreme court in 2012 in the arizona versus the u.s. decision said clearly and actually gave examples such as the administration has the authority not to deport parents of u.s. citizen children, workers, and others for

humanitarian reasons. the president simply expanded the daca 2012 initiative he announced which is not being challenged by texas and the states, either. but i want to read from the opinion. he wrote -- "the court finds that the government's failure to secure the border has exacerbated illegal immigration into this country. further, the record supports the finding that this lack of enforcement, combined with this country's high rate of illegal immigration, significantly drains the states' resources." marielena hincapié, talk about what he is saying here. >> the interesting thing, our communities, especially those that live and work at the border, know full well in fact this administration has very aggressively enforced. there's nothing about lacks enforcement under the obama administration. the border is more secure than ever before. we have record numbers of deportations in this country.

this is a result of immigrants who have fought for and won the significant victory, talking about dreamers, putting some of the folks on today show, dreamers mothers and fathers workers who have fought for this, including putting their lives on the line, civil disobedience, hunger strikes etc. that is what brought us to this place, the grassroots energy. the judge basically decided to ignore even law enforcement leaders, who came out and support and said, we need this for public safety reasons. >> i want to turn to comments by texas governor greg abbott, who led the lawsuit against obama's executive order on immigration along with 25 other states. he spoke wednesday. quick the district judge ruled it was clear the president's executive action violated what is called the administrative procedure act. and because of that, it was unnecessary for the judge to dig deeper into the other legal claims that we made.

[indiscernible] the obama administration has violated the administrative procedure act. as a result, i think on that issue alone, we will win all the way up to the appellate ranking. >> after a judge ruled in his favor, abbot tweeted president obama's order "has been ruled unconstitutional." marielena hincapié, is that correct? >> that is incorrect. in fact, it is reminder that governor abbott's lawsuit, this is not about the legality constitutionality, but a communications campaign by opponents of the executive action. frankly, by opponents of immigrants. it is not a surprise that when you look at the states that have filed this lawsuit, these are states that have passed anti-immigrant legislation anti-choice legislation, and who really are basically afraid of the demographic shift happening in this country. >> it is not as if we did not

know what the judge's personal views were. he previously called president obama's reprieve for a document it immigrants "an open invitation to the most dangerous criminals in society." >> yes, unfortunately, that is why we expected this decision. we expected the decision, our communities are ready and prepared. we see this as a temporary setback. this is not the end of this. in fact, it is important for viewers and listeners to understand that this decision does not affect the current daca program, those lucarelli have daca or other upper annual -- those who currently have daca or are up for renewal. including the new priorities with respect to deportation. >> i want to turn to our other guests in houston. oscar, you were a recipient of the deferred action for

childhood arrivals program known as daca. this doesn't affect you. but you are also a lead organizer for united we dream in houston. he organized for this executive order. can you explain how you organized and what this judge's decision means for you? >> yes, we took a lot of measures. this has happened since way back in 2010 when the senate failed us in the dream acted not pass. we were organizing to fight for some kind of administrative relief for our committees. i was lucky to benefit in 2012 to be able to apply for deferred action. it is because of that i am able to help our community. we're still servicing people, helping people apply for deferred action. we have legal clinics throughout the year. like the attorney said before, we were expecting this. i live in texas. we know the reality of a what the demographic is here. we were expecting this to happen

and were more than prepared to not be afraid, to know this is a tempora setback. we will be able to continue our process. more than anything to know just because we're here undocumented does not mean we do not have value and does not mean we won't contribute. we want to make sure our community feels empowered, properly informed, and we are fighting for immigrant rights. if you can benefit from daca we want to be able to be of service. this is only a delay. this is not a delay for united we dream. we will continue to do the services we do and inform our community. and those that can benefit from the deferred action that came out in 2012, we will be able to help them. those who may benefit from the 2014 expansion we will be offering services information. this is not going to stop us. trucks josé espinoza, i want to thank you for joining us. i know you drove an hour to have to get to this interview and it is your first tv interview.

you are risking a lot to come out of the shadows and say you are in a dock and it immigrant. you were planning to apply -- undocumented immigrant. you are planning to apply this week? >> yes, i was. >> talk about your own story and why this was so important to you. >> well, it was important for me because it is not just me, it was also my family. for years, for so many years, i have been looking for an opportunity to become legal and be in this country and able to work -- it was for my family to finally be -- just for a better life here in the united states. i'm sorry. >> in your time here in the

united states, when did you come to the united states? where have you been working? >> i came to the united states as a kid when i was 14 years old. i started working at different places. right now, what i have been doing for the last 12 years is, i have been working in the oilfield industry. i have been doing -- i have been working for companies known worldwide, and this is -- this is something that can benefit -- that can benefit me in my family because of this. >> you have been married for 15 years?

you came here when you're 14 years old. all three of your children are u.s. citizens? >> yes, ma'am, they are. >> so you were too old to apply under daca as oscar hernandez did? >> yes. i did not have the age for that. finally, when this new law came in place, i was very excited and i was willing to get -- to move out of the shadows, to come out and through oscars help an organization finally, i saw the chance to do that and actually had everything ready, but one day before my dream came down. >> oscar hernandez, what are you telling people like josé espinoza to do?

he can't your workshops, got everything in order, what happens now? >> first of all, save your money. we want people to avoid fraud. the community is very honorable and we want to make sure we get the services we deserve. second of all, prepare documentation. this is something we expected and we will continue to fight. deferred action was not given to us. this was organized by undocumented immigrant youth in the community, and we were able to win this. we will continue to fight for immigrant rights and make sure we get representation we deserve. anybody who is out there who may potentially benefit from this, who thinks they may benefit from this, go to our webpage united wedream.org. you can also look up services new york area -- near your area. if you're preparing documents make sure you have everything in order. look for people you can trust in your community. don't be afraid. we expected this to happen, and we expect something to pass in

the coming months are coming weeks. right now, we're hoping president obama presses the department of justice for an appeal, to make sure we move this as quickly as possible. it is not the end of the road for us. we will continue to fight for immigrant rights and help people who may benefit from daca and help our immigrant community. >> texas governor greg abbott says he will sign legislation to repeal the state's dream act if it comes before him. this is abbott. >> the way the law is written is that students who are applying for in-state tuition under that law, must be making progress toward establishing legal status. there is absolutely no rules or regulations or determinations to see whether or not they are fulfilling the law as is written. so at a minimum, the law has to be fixed. >> the texas dream act offers

in-state tuition rates to children of undocumented immigrants. it actually went into effect under his predecessor, rick perry. oscar hernandez, your reaction to governor abbott? and as we wrap up, your parents where, oscar, are they and where do they stand and all of this legislation and these executive actions? >> it is good you bring that up. the fact of the matter is, this executive action, deferred action, is not really a solution. it is a step forward in the right direction, but for example, my karen's, who have been here all my life, they owned houses, they own a business. they are still undocumented. based on the regulations, they may not benefit from the deferred action for parent of american citizens or legal permanent residents. we know this is not the final step for us. this is not the final step of the community. even when it comes to greg

abbott's comments referring to the texas in-state tuition that allows undocumented immigrants in texas to get financial aid to go to university, we know this is more playing politics with our community. to me, that is something i will not stand for. people over politics. that is one of the big things we tell people. we will not let anybody play politics with our immigrant community, because that is not how i know this country is based on. just like a battle that might be going on for deferred action, there is one happening for in-state tuition. this is something we are also involved in. if there any and undocumented youth out there, we're here to tell them they can go to school. we know people who have done this before. we know you can get financial aid. we will continue to fight to make sure other immigrant and undocumented youth can take it

manage of the services. we will continue to fight for parents who may not benefit from deferred action and the lgbt community who sometimes they collected when it comes to this. there is a lot of power with undocumented immigrants, a lot of power with the community. we intend to use that power. >> josé espinoza, as i said, you drove an hour and a half for this interview and it is your first time speaking and you're risking a lot. why did you decide to do this? >> i want to be in example for everybody like me in a position to come up and not be afraid, and use resources that are available through organizations like united we dream and others. many friends i have, they are afraid to come out. they are free to say something. they are afraid or insecure

because they don't have the resources ways to help their families. it is just different. i lost what i was going to say. quick so are you -- >> i just want to give them an example and show them that we can do it and there are people out there that can help us. >> josé espinoza, thank you for being on with us your bravery. josé espinoza is an undocumented immigrant who had hoped to apply on wednesday for consideration to stay in the united states under the expanded deferred action for childhood arrivals program that is part of president obama's executive order.

he now cannot make that application, but will continue to follow your case. i also want to thank oscar hernandez for joining us, a lead field organizer with united we dream in houston, texas, where he has lived for more than 15 years. it is an immigrant youth-led organization fighting for relief and fair treatment for all undocumented immigrants. i also want to thank our guest in washington, d.c. marielena , hincapié, executive director national immigration law center. when we come back, record cold strikes one third of the country, maybe 100 cities will post record lows today. at the same time, we're seeing explosions at oil plants, derailment of oil bomb trains, as they are called, what does this all mean? what can we do about it? stay with us. ♪ [music break]

>> "the browning of america" by olmeca. the video for their song was made in collaboration with puente vision and the national day laborers organizing network. this is democracy now! democracynow.org, the war and peace report. i'm amy goodman. subzero temperatures have engulfed the eastern third of the united states today as a blast of arctic air rolls in from siberia. the cold is expected to shatter records in more than 100 places. it comes as scientists at rutgers and university of wisconson-madison have published a new study linking extreme weather, from the record cold to climate change. they say warming temperatures in the arctic have caused "wavier" fluctuations in the jet stream the air current which carries weather patterns. the scientists predict the frequency of extreme weather

will increase due to the rapidly warming arctic. meanwhile, the fossil fuel industry, which is largely responsible for warming the planet, has seen three major disasters in less than a week. on wednesday, an explosion at an exxon mobil refinery south of los angeles rocked the surrounding area with the equivalent of a 1.4-magnitute earthquake. plant worker jason hernandez described what it felt like. >> i felt the explosion really, really, really, really hard through my body. it scared me. i got scared. i'm not going to live. the first thing i thought it was, let's go meet up with 13 and figure out what is going on. you see smoke going through the air. we had an evacuation point. everything was planned, well executed. nobody got hurt. they god. i did not get hurt myself, thank god. i just appreciate being here right now. >> the blast in california happened as oil tank cars from a derailed train remained on fire

wednesday in west virginia, two days after the accident. the derailment forced the evacuation of two towns and destroyed a house. the man who lived in the house morris bounds, told local news station wsaz how he barely escaped as the tank cars barreled toward him. >> i made it about 10 feet and heard the house caving in behind me. so i ran out of the house in my sock feet in the snow. the house was engulfed in flames. >> the derailment in west virginia happened just two days after another oil train derailed in ontario, canada, which also left rail cars burning for days. we go now to washington, d.c., where we're joined by stephen kretzmann, executive director of oil change international. steve, can you talk about what is happening? all of these derailments explosions, the backdrop being some of the coldest weather this country has experienced.

>> i think you framed it well, amy. too bad most people are not making the link. climate policy and energy policy are not usually discussed together in this country, but there is a huge link because, of course, the fossil fuel industry is primarily responsible for climate change. that is what we're seeing. these explosions that have happened derailments, the refinery explosion, etc., this is a completely and sadly predictable result of the all of the above energy policy the obama administration has been pursuing. and really is the only energy policy in town here in washington unfortunately. despite the fact the administration says they're very committed to addressing climate change and parts of the administration seems to be, but i think they haven't quite made the connection yet that these two things are fully -- or are not fully compatible.

>> you talk about, policy and energy policy not being linked. all of the networks don't just have the weather centers, they have extreme weather centers or severe weather centers. you tune in for the news and you tune in for the weather, but rarely, do they link the two. for example, collett a climate change center or global disruption center when they're giving you the news. i want to turn to west virginia first. what happened there? >> you had a train coming from the balkan, north dakota crude that is very light and flammable , that came around the turn of the tillman's house that we heard from a moment ago -- gentleman's house that we heard from a moment ago, and it came off the rails and ignited. these were actually the newer railcars that we have been told are supposed to be safer than the old railcars, which are being phased out. obviously, and sadly, they're

not particularly safer and are not adequate to protect public safety. there is new regulations that are pending by the department of transportation to actually supposedly make crude by real safer, but these regular and's are already watered down. industry is intervening again to water them down further. what we're seeing is regulatory process in washington that unsurprisingly remains captured by the fossil fuel industry and there are millions of dollars in campaign donations that really has the bureaucracy here, for the most part, cowed. >> how has west virginia been affected? and what is an oil bomb train? >> the czar, at times, mile plus long trains filled with explosive crude oil that moved through communities not only in was virginia, but increasingly across the united states. they move through people's

backyards, by schools, etc., etc. there is been huge increase in these trains in recent years, as we of seen an explosion in north american oil production. there are moving bakken crude which is highly explosive, as we saw before. they're also moving tar sands crude, some cases. over the weekend, we had an explosion in canada of a train carrying tar sands crude. >> explain what happened there in ontario, canada. >> similarly, yet a tar sands train that went off the rails and exploded. again, this is the kind of thing that we have been seeing happening again and again with his industry. it is interesting because the industry says, well, this is why we need pipelines, because rail is more dangerous. that is not a choice at all choice between pipelines or rail

is really a choice -- tremendously bad choice. the real choices about energy policy for the future and whether or not we are going to choose clean energy or continue to use also fuels that not only pose grave dangers to our communities, but also culturally, drive up time a change. >> stephen kretzmann, you have a map on the website that illustrates the shipment of oil by rail across north america. you see colored lines representing different rail companies which form a vast web across the entire united states. talk about how communities from california to florida to massachusetts are impacted by these shipments. >> these shipments are increasing in frequency and going through people's backyards on a regular basis. we totally encourage people to check out the map on pric eofoil.org. unfortunately, it is been externally difficult to get

real-time data from the states not to mention the federal government or the companies, about when these shipments are due and what the exact routing of them are a different times. that is not something the regulators have seen fit to actually release to the public. and i think something people would be very interested to know, for instance, if bombed trains are moving behind day cares when day cares are in session, or schools were these kinds of things. people deserve to know what the risks are of this huge increase in the industrial activity. that information is not being made available at this point. >> stephen kretzmann, i want to go to the oil refinery explosion , the exxonmobil explosion that took place yesterday in los angeles, which came on the 18th day of an historic strike by oil refinery workers. not at that plan. more than 5,000 workers at 11

plants remain on strike in the largest action of its kind in decades. the workers say safety issues, including safe staffing levels are their top concern. while workers at the plant that exploded, colleagues were on a strike at a nearby plant in carson, california. refinery worker erica kent spoke to local station kcal in los angeles. >> they say a certain amount of fatigue is comparable to being drunk, right? so when you're working seven or eight days in a row, sometimes 13 or 14 in a row, and you're working 12 hours a day on a rotating shift, it creates a safety hazard. >> can you talk about what she is saying, what the refinery worker erica can't is saying, and although the torrents plant, the workers were not on strike, how they are related? >> throughout this, what we're seeing is the industry unsurprisingly, to those of us

who follow the industry for years, continues to prioritize profit over people and safety. that extends to the workers, but it also extends to communities and ultimately, to our entire planet where the industry is recklessly moving forward and privatizing their safety at the end of the day. there is a clear connection here in a clear pattern of behavior that is irresponsible and dangerous and tragic. at some point, people will recognize that climate change means that we have to transition away from fossil fuels sooner rather than later. all of the above is climate denial, the end of the day. >> last week, the republican-controlled house gave

final passage to measure approving the keystone xl oil pipeline. however, the bill does not have enough votes to override a veto from president obama, who has vowed to reject it. on friday republican house speaker john boehner called on obama to approve the pipeline. >> this really is pretty simple. the keystone xl pipeline is a good idea for our economy and a good idea for our country. members of both parties know it. they are put politics aside and passed is very important bill. the president's own state department says this project will create up to 42,000 jobs. many labor unions know it. they say keystone is in a pipeline, it is a lifeline for america's construction workers. and the overwhelming majority of the mac and people know it as well. -- megan people know it as well. to the president would say this, do the right thing. sign this bill and help us create more jobs in america and create a healthier economy. works president obama has said

he will reject the keystone xl oil pipeline if it would significantly increase carbon emissions. earlier this month, the epa warned the pipeline could increase greenhouse gas emissions by about as much as eight new coal-fired power plants. stephen kretzmann, if you could talk about this and then about the development movement. we only have a minute to go. the latest school to the vest from fossil fuel, here in new york city, has announced he will divest its investment from fossil feel companies. and in enough to the university president and nounced ever proved a significant investment of the university's endowment and renewable energy. how significant is this, stephen kretzmann? >> i think the divestment movement is one of the most significant developments on the climate change activism scene ever. we're seeing a huge upwelling of

people who are concerned about fossil fuels and it is less about the exact amount of money being depressed did moment to moment and more about the mobilization of people who are really making clear their future should not be fossil fuels. we saw this, 400,000 people in the streets in new york city last fall when that was an amazing moment. power comes from two places. speaker boehner gets up from the money he gets from the fossil feel industry, but the activists and the people concerned about clean energy get it from increasing number of people who are concerned about this and ultimately, we believe the president will side with those people and see signs for what it is which is the keystone xl pipeline will indeed cause a significant increase in carbon emissions and should be rejected. >> stephen kretzmann, executive director of oil change international. we will link to your map of the rail to the united states carrying oil trains at democracynow.org.

when we come back, why do close to 400,000 people march in buenos aires argentina? stay with us. ♪ [music break]

>> this is democracy now!, democracynow.org, the war and peace report. i'm amy goodman. as many as 400,000 people marched through the argentine

capital of buenos aires on wednesday, demanding an independent judiciary. the march came one month after the mysterious death of special prosecutor alberto nisman who had accused argentina's president, cristina fernandez de kirchner, of helping to cover up iran's role in the deadly 1994 bombing of a jewish community center that killed 85 people and injured hundreds in buenos aires. at wednesday's march, protesters waved placards reading "truth" and "justice" while others held posters saying "i am nisman." >> there was a death. alberto nisman for i think 10 years. i think he deserves our respect. of come to support other prosecutors were investigating other cases, mainly for this. >> we had to be here. i think everyone had to be here. the search for justice is something constant. i think it was worth getting wet. >> on january 18, alberto nisman was found dead in his apartment of a gunshot wound to the head.

his body was discovered just a day before he was due to testify before lawmakers on his findings into the 1994 attack. just four days earlier, he appeared on television and outlined his allegations against the president and foreign minister. >> the signing of the memorandum and the finalization of a process of impunity that started two years ago. in january 2012, president cristina fernandez de kirchner ordered her foreign minister to to see is he ate from the case for reasons i'm going to explain. >> investigators initially said his death appeared to be a suicide, but no gun powder residue was found on his hands but many theories have been floated as to who may have been involved. to help us make sense of this story, we're joined by sebastian rotella a senior reporter for

, the investigative news website propublica. his most recent piece is headlined, "alberto nisman and argentina's history of assassinations and suspicious suicides." he first cover the bombing for reporter of "the los angeles times" when he was based in buenos aires. welcome. can you lay out for us what has taken place and why -- i don't know, do you think it could bring down the government of cristina fernandez de kirchner? >> good morning. i don't know if he could bring down the government, but it is certainly, perhaps, the worst crisis in argentine democracy since the return of democracy in 1983. and it is a fascinating case and that you have this history of investigations that are like elaborate the lead not to justice, but brent -- new labyrinths withers government and deflation of corruption and abuse of cases

like this terrorist case, as part of a war in the security forces in politics instead of the truth. you are seeing a profound moment where people are in the streets protesting about this case and also a larger impunity and strength for support in the justice system. >> it happened in 1994. >> a bigger part in? >> explain what happened in the 1994 bombing of the jewish community center. >> it was the worst anti-jewish attack in the history of the hemisphere. a huge bombing of the on the a jewish community center which have been preceded two years earlier by another test attack, a car bomb attack on the israeli embassy. there was intelligence pointing at middle eastern terrorists, hezbollah and iranian diplomats but all kinds of theories come all kinds of murky mysteries and

contradictions. the investigation was marred by in aptitude and corruption and falsely and police forces and intelligence services tackling each other. in fact, a lot of the original investigators were themselves charged with coverups or bribery, obstruction of justice. alberto nisman become a special prosecutor pointed by the government in 2004 inmate consider will progress in in cheating and items of iranian -- alleged iranian spies and hezbollah operatives for him interpol warns for issued. what happened in 2013 was, the government of cristina kirchner changed its policy dramatically and reached an agreement with iran, ostensibly, to set up a truth commission that would investigate the attack. what nisman alleged, this agreement was legal, but he alleged there was a secret criminal conspiracy to absolve iran behind this memorandum and

that argentine spies were working against him and even negotiating this agreement with some of the two suspects in iran fugitives in the case. >> after nisman died in a was world a suicide, the president cristina kirchner said she thought it was a suicide, but a sense change tribute and says she believes he was murdered. >> this has caused great consternation and confusion. she quickly came out and said she thought it was a suicide and she and her government deny these charges, which are -- she said she felt alberto nisman had been mutilated by allies -- manipulated by allies. then a few days later, she changed her view and said, not setting new evidence but her new thesis she expressed publicly what she felt here been killed by the same forces as part of an undermine -- plot to undermine her administration.

there have been state suicides and political assassinations that have been covered up at the highest levels in the past. this change in sort of the assessment from the president combined with questions about this death, which may have been a suicide, but obviously, is a strange depth with strange timing by manhood made very powerful accusations against the president, caused incredible doubt and suspicion. >> opposition congresswoman laura alonso presented her testimony during the investigation into nisman's death last week. she was speaking to the prosecutor in charge of the case, viviana fein. >> in the minutes in which we were alone, prosecutor nisman looked me in the eyes and said laura, kirchner ordered everything. he told me was going forward with the complaint. i said, don't community tells of the complaint, because i don't

want to find out nor is it my role to find out, but i do want you to tell me, yes or no, if you present this complaint, will have to call to the president's impeachment? he took a breath and said, yes. >> that is laura alonso. we only have a minute to go, sebastian. can you comment on what she is saying and what led to alberto nisman filling a kernel complaint against the president herself? >> we have to understand this is just a complaint in these very serious allegations have yet to be proven but there is obvious they are great conflict in the political arena and the intelligence services in which these men felt the president and her allies were going after his allies and himself in terms of trying remove them and block his case and his girdle complaint was retaliation that best on what he felt strong evidence. the remains to be seen how strong the evidence had and how serious the charges are in terms of being able to implicate powerful people up to the level of the president.

that remains to be seen. hopefully, this case will be different than others in the past and we will actually see some clarity and some justice achieved. >> sebastian rotella, thank you for being with us, senior reporter for the investigative news website propublica. his most recent piece is headlined, "alberto nisman and argentina's history of assassinations and suspicious suicides." and that does it for our show. today's the 19th anniversary of the first radio broadcast of democracy now! now we broadcast on over 1300 television and radio stations across the globe and reach millions of viewers and listeners through our website at democracynow.org. go to our website to listen to our first program that aired the day before the 1996 new hampshire primary. thank you so much to our staff and stations an audience for making democracy now! possible. democracy now! is looking for feedback from people who appreciate the closed captioning. e-mail your comments to outreach@democracynow.org or mail them to democracy now! p.o. box 693 new york, new york 10013. [captioning made possible by democracy now!]

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