06/29/15 06/29/15 [captioning made possible by democracy now!] amy: from pacifica, this is democracy now! >> today love wins. amy: same-sex weddings took place across the country this weekend after the u.s. supreme court ruled all 50 states must now permit same sex couples the "the fundamental right to marry." the ruling puts an end to same-sex marriage bans that remained in 14 states. we will go to michigan to speak with april deboer and ayne rowse who sued the right to adopt each other's children. >> we spend family time

together, we teach the kids to do chores, we teach the kids to ride bikes. we teach -- there is no difference in our family. the only difference is who we love. and that should not be a reason to not treat us the same and not give us the same legal rights as everybody else. d'amico on saturday morning on the capitol grounds in columbia south carolina, a 30-year-old african-american woman named bree newsome scaled the 30 foot flagpole and brought down the confederate flag. as she climbed down, she said, "in the name of god, this flag comes down today." >> [indiscernible] amy: we were at the jail where bree newsome was taken in columbia. we will speak with the supporters who gathered there before her release. all of that and more coming up.

welcome to democracy now! democracynow.org, the war and peace report. i'm amy goodman. same-sex weddings took place across the country this weekend after the supreme court ruled that all 50 states must now permit lgbtq couples "the fundamental right to marry." the historic decision puts an end to marriage equality bans that remained in 14 states impacting tens of thousands of couples. the plaintiff in the case, jim obergefell, celebrated the victory. >> today's ruling from the supreme court affirms what millions across this country already know to be true in our hearts, our love is equal. the four words etched onto the steps of the supreme court eagle protection under the law apply to us, too. it is my hope the term gay marriage will soon be a thing of the past. that from this day forward, it

will simply be, marriage. in our nation will be better off because of it. amy: obergefell's home state of ohio had refused to recognize his marriage on the death certificate of his late husband, john arthur. friday's ruling coincided with pride day events across the country this weekend, drawing hundreds of thousands of people to the streets in celebration. we'll have more on the supreme court's marriage equality ruling after headlines. funerals continue in south carolina for the african-american victims of the massacre at emanuel ame church. later rest this week in work center graham heard, susie jackson, tywanza sanders, and the reverend doctor. on friday, president obama deliver the eulogy for state senator and reverend clementa pinckney. the pastor of emanuel ame. in his address, obama urged the nation to try -- tackle racial bias. >> for too long we've been blind to the way past injustices

continue to shape the present. perhaps we see that now. perhaps this tragedy causes us to ask some tough questions about how we can permit so many of our children to languish in poverty or attend dilapidated schools or grow up without prospects for a job or career. perhaps a causes us to examine what we're doing to cause some of our children to hate. [applause] perhaps it softens hearts towards those lost young men. tens and tens of thousands caught up in the criminal justice system, and lead us to make sure that system is not biased. amy: president obama led the

crowd in a version of "amazing grace." the following day 30-year-old african-american woman was arrested at the state capitol after skilling the 30 foot flagpole and unhooking the confederate flag. as police officers shouted at her to come down, bree newsome shimmied to the top of the flagpole, took the flag in her hand, and said "in the name of god, this flag comes down today." the action went viral and was seen around the world. we were at the jail where bree newsome and jimmy tyson retaken after their arrest. we spoke with her supporters at the jail in columbia. we'll have more on the story after the broadcast -- will have more on the story later in the broadcast. greece's standoff with international creditors has intensified with emergency banking measures and a plan to put austerity demands to a popular vote. over the weekend, greek prime minister alexis tsipras announced a national referendum

for next sunday on whether the country should accept the terms of a new international bailout. european creditors want greece to accept an austerity package in exchange for new loans that would help it avoid a default. the european central bank followed by rejecting greece's request to extend an emergency loan program until after the vote. in response, tsipras announced the closure of greek banks and the stock market, as well as restrictions on bank transfers. tsipras called the rejection of a loan extension blackmail. >> it is more than obvious that this decision has no other purpose but to blackmail the greek people and to obstruct the smooth democratic processes of the referendum. one thing is certain the rejection of the request for shorter extension and the attempt to cancel a democratic process is an insult and ashamed of the democratic traditions of europe. amy: tspipras has urged voters to reject the bailout terms, saying creditors want greece to abandon our dignity. greek banks will remain closed until after sunday's referendum. bank machines are reopening

today with withdrawal limits of around $66. greece faces a tuesday deadline to make a $1.8 billion payment to the imf or face a default. the iran nuclear talks are likely to miss tuesday's deadline for a comprehensive final agreement. foreign minister javad zarif has returned to iran to discuss a final negotiation position with the country's top leadership. ahead of his departure, zarif and secretary of state john kerry both acknowledged gaps remain. >> i think it is fair to say we are hopeful. we have a lot of hard work to do. there are various issues. i think we all look forward to getting down to the final effort here to see whether or not a deal is possible. i think -- i think everybody would like to see an agreement but we have to work through some difficult issues. amy: the outstanding differences include access to international

inspectors and iranian nuclear activity in the deal's final years. dozens of people were killed on three continents friday in attacks tied to thislamic state. in tunisia, a lone gunman shot dead 38 people in the resort town of sousse before being killed by police. most of the victims were european tourists. a witness described the attack. >> we were lying on the beach. everything was fine. it was paradise. beautiful sea and anything was good. and then, pop, pop, pop. we thought it was fireworks. suddenly everybody standing up and running, running really fast all crying, run, run run! security all told us to r run, go into your rooms, run away. amy: isil has claimed responsibility for the tunisia massacre. thousands of tunisians marched in sousse on saturday to denounce the killings and show solidarity with the victims. isil also took credit for a

simultaneous attack in kuwait, where a suicide bomber killed 27 people at a shiite mosque. kuwait has identified the bomber as a saudi citizen who flew into the country just hours before. thousands of shiites and sunnis marched in kuwait city on saturday in a mass funeral procession for the victims. meanwhile in france, two militants attacked a u.s.-owned factory in the town of grenoble, leaving one victim decapitated and several others wounded. the attackers tried to blow up the factory by ramming their car into gas containers. the decapitated victim had employed one of the two suspects. the attackers reportedly carried an isil flag and covered the victim's head in arabic script. thousands of people marched in rome on sunday to promote pope francis' historic call for global action on climate change. a vatican encyclical this month urged world leaders to pay their grave social debt to the poor and take swift action to save the planet from environmental ruin. a march participant said the cause of climate justice unites all faiths. >> i think what it is saying is globally, the moral and spiritual concern has grown and

the fact there's so many different faiths take amenities are willing to put aside the different faiths to come together on a common issue. whether it is the pope or muslim or christian or catholic community, we have all come together to address it because it is an issue that affects all of us as human beings. amy: the vatican is hosting a conference on climate change this week with activists and scientists from around the world. a three-week manhunt has ended in new york after two escaped murderers were shot by law enforcement, one of them fatally, near thcanadian border. david sweat was sh and arrested sunday afternoon near coveytown. his capture comes two days after a federal agent shot dead his fellow escapee, richard matt. new york governor andrew cuomo announced the manhunt had ended. >> the nightmare is finally over. it took 22 days, but we can now confirm as of two days ago, as you know, mr. matt is deceased and the other escapee, mr. sweat, is in custody. he is in stable condition and

let's give a big round of applause to the men and women of law enforcement. [applause] amy: the prisoners used power tools to drill through the walls and break out of the clinton correctional facility in dannemora. two prison workers have been arrested for allegedly aiding their escape. in puerto rico has announced it will not be able to pay back at $72 billion in public debt. state officials are reportedly seeking to delay payments and talks with creditors. puerto rico's governor is reportedly set to call for hundreds of millions of dollars in cuts in a budget address today. and those are some of the headlines. this is democracy now! democracynow.org, the war and peace report. i'm amy goodman. same-sex weddings took place across the country this weekend after the u.s. supreme court ruled friday that all 50 states must now permit same sex couples "the fundamental right to marry." the ruling puts an end to same-sex marriage bans that remained in 14 states -- alabama, arkansas, georgia kentucky, louisiana, michigan, mississippi, most of missouri, nebraska, north dakota, ohio south dakota, tennessee and texas. the court's decision could

impact some 70,000 couples living in these states, out of an estimated one million same-sex couples nationwide. writing for the majority justice anthony kennedy said -- "changed understandings of marriage are characteristic of a nation where new dimensions of freedom become apparent to new generations." he added, it "demeans gays and lesbians for the state to lock them out of a central institution of the nation's society." on friday, president obama hailed the landmark ruling, but pointed out that not everyone was in agreement. >> i know that americans of good will continue to hold a wide range of views on this issue. opposition in some cases has been based on sincere and deeply held beliefs. all of us who welcome today's news should be mindful of that fact. recognize different viewpoints, revere our deep commitment to religious freedom. but today should also give us hope that on the many issues with which we grapple, often

painfully, real change is possible. amy: supreme court rulings generally take 25 days to go into effect, and louisiana and mississippi say they will continue to refuse marriage licenses for same-sex couples as they await legal formalities. meanwhile, the texas attorney general ken paxton said sunday county clerks and judges can , refuse to issue marriage licenses to same-sex couples based on religious objections, and said the state would assist them in defending their beliefs. all of this comes as advocates note there is more work to be done in the fight for lgbt rights, a point highlighted at many of this weekend's pride celebrations. protesters at chicago's pride parade on sunday staged a die-in to draw attention to ongoing issues like housing and job discrimination and violent attacks on transgender people. we'll talk more about all of this in our next segment. but first, we go first to detroit, michigan where we are , joined by two of the plaintiffs in the supreme court's same-sex marriage case. april deboer and jayne rowse initially went to court in michigan to win the right to jointly adopt each other's children. they then challenged the state's ban on same-sex marriage since joint adoption in michigan is tied to marriage. and here in our new york studio, we are also joined by marc

solomon, the national campaign director of freedom to marry. he is also author of, "winning marriage: the inside story of how same-sex couples took on the politicians and pundits and won." as we go to detroit to get reaction to this historic decision on same-sex marriage. april and jayne, your response to the court's decision? >> you know, obviously, we are happy that our family will finally be a legally recognized family once jayne and i put our wedding together and adopt our children. amy: jayne, when he heard the supreme court decision announced on friday morning, just after 10:00 eastern standard time, how did you feel? >> you know, i felt that the court had done the right thing but they recognized that we are not second-class citizens anymore, and that our children deserve protections like everyone else and that they were

not treated like second-class citizens anymore. amy: michigan is one of 14 states that had a ban on same-sex marriage. that gets lifted. in texas, the attorney general says the court clerks and others don't have to participate in the -- be a part of any kind of same-sex marriage ceremony. marc solomon, can you respond to this latest showdown? >> yeah, it is pretty unconscionable, i think, that the decision was very clear, it was a powerful decision by the supreme court, and the clerks in texas will need to provide marriage licenses to same-sex couples who come in to seek to marry. every county is going to need to provide those licenses. amy: what about other states? what are they saying? >> i think things are going to go very smoothly. we had bobby jindal yesterday said louisiana is going to perform marriages. the supreme court is the final arbiter of this question. some politicians who have not

caught up with where the public is will make a fuss, but i'm confident in the next couple of days everything will have been taking care of and gay couples same-sex couples will be up to marry. amy: this is attorney general of texas and the county clerks can refuse to issue marriage licenses to same-sex couples based on religious objection to gay marriage. in a formal attention dish opinion, he stated -- "friday, the united states supreme court again ignored the text and spirit of the constitution to manufacture a right that simply does not exist. in so doing, the court weakened itself and weakened the rule of law, but did nothing to weaken our resolve to protect religious liberty and return to democratic self-government in the face of judicial activists attempting to tell us how to live." he went on to add -- "judges and justices of the peace have no mandatory duty to conduct any wedding ceremony." >> i really disagree and i think the courts will disagree with that perspective. if you are a public employee, and you are mandated by the government to provide marriage licenses, you can't pick and choose who you want to provide a marriage license to. i think that effort will fail in

texas. amy: april deboer, can you explain the linkage between adoption and marriage? what first motivated you to get involved with this case? >> here in michigan, we are not allowed to second parent adopt each other's children, so the law here states that only married couples and single people can adopt. so only married couples can adopt. honestly, we could not get married here in the state of michigan. so we were actually thinking -- seeking to overturn the second apparent adoption law initially. and then were guided into fighting for the marriage ban as well. amy: jayne you announced plans to adopt another child, is that right, after the announcement came down on friday? >> yes, we do have a fifth adoption in the works. not, coincidently, her name will be kennedy.

hopefully, by the end of the summer, she will be adopted. amy: when you plan to get married? >> that is the billion dollar question, i believe, everyone wants to know. we are working on it. we're getting some plans together. hopefully, by the end of summer we will have everything work out. amy: who will be the judge and who will officiate over your marriage? >> judge friedman, who was our trial judge and the judge that recommended we change our second can adoption case to a marriage case. we asked him friday. amy: marc solomon, your reaction to judge roberts dissenting opinion? >> i thought it was really unfortunate and sort of mean. i think he was essentially saying you know, gay and lesbian folks, same-sex couples

you know, continue to go at it in legislatures, on ballot initiatives, but our constitution guarantees that fundamental liberties, our fundamental liberties. amy: he said -- "the court invalidates the marriage laws of more than half the states and orders the transformation of a social institution that has formed the basis of human society for millennia, for the kalahari bushmen and the han chinese, the carthaginians and the aztecs. just who do we think we are?" >> i saw on reagan appointee, who wrote a response to that and was talking about how the aztecs actually sliced the hearts out of the people that they conquered and said, that is not the image that we're looking to replicate. look, the constitution guarantees fundamental liberties and guarantees equal protection under the law, and that is exactly what justice kennedy and the majority did. amy: can you talk about the significance of the 14th the mimicked in this ruling and

explain what it is? >> the 14th the mimicked is stored nearly powerful amendment . it takes the promise of the declaration of independence of life, liberty, pursuit of happiness and the notion that all people are created equal and puts it in the constitution. so it says fundamental liberties , like the right to marry, can't be denied and kennedy says for same-sex couples, that is the only person they're going to marry someone of the same gender and they s be denied. that is sort of number one. number two, a guarantees equal protection under the law. what could be more unequal than saying that straight couples can marry and gay couples can't? it is a powerful guarantee of the promise of the declaration of independence to all americans. amy: jayne rowse, how did your kids respond? >> well, they are still not

quite understanding everything that is going on. their concept is the whole family is getting married, so they're looking forward to the day. our daughter wants to wear princess outfit. our son -- our oldest son was to wear a tuxedo. i'm not sure if our youngest son has an opinion on that or not. their concept is that we are all getting married. amy: and your neighbors, your community? >> you know, they have been amazingly supportive through this whole thing. we have gotten congratulations and lots of hugs. like i said, they have just been supportive. amy: did you ever think this day would come? >> i never thought in my lifetime. i have been out since i was 16, and it was always a dream in the

lgbt community, but i don't think any of us ever thought it would happen in our lifetime. hopefully, in our kids lifetime, but not in ours. amy: congratulations to you both, april deboer and jayne rowse to the plaintiffs in the supreme court same-sex marriage case. thank you for joining us from detroit, michigan. and marc solomon, national , campaign director of freedom to marry. author of, "winning marriage: the inside story of how same-sex couples took on the politicians and pundits and won." i would like you to stay for our next segment as we talk about where the struggle goes from here. stay with us. ♪ [music break]

amy: "amazing grace" sung by president obama at the funeral of reverend clementa pinckney in charleston, south carolina, one of the nine victims of the massacre that took place on june 17. later in the broadcast, we will bring you more of that funeral and also the words of the woman who shimmied up the flagpole on

the state capitol grounds in columbia and pulled down the confederate battle flag on saturday. this is democracy now! democracynow.org, the war and peace report. i'm amy goodman. as the supreme court delivered a historic ruling on marriage equality friday, we turn to the future of the lgbtq movement. many gay rights leaders are now redirecting their attention to obtaining federal, state and local legal protections in areas of employment, housing, and commerce. nationwide, anti-discrimination laws for gay people are inconsistent and unequal with only 22 states barring discrimination based on sexual orientation. the human rights campaign is now advocating for a broad federal shield that would protect people of all sexual orientations and gender identities under the civil rights act of 1964. meanwhile, grassroots lgbtq activists are calling for large, national organizations to also focus their attention and resources on other pressing issues, including lesbian and gay refugees and asylum seekers, the plight of homeless youth ostracized by their families and the disproportionately high

levels of violence experienced by transgender people. during the first two months of this year, transgender women of color were murdered at a rate of almost one per week in the united states. according to the southern poverty law center, transgender women of color are among the groups most victimized by hate violence in the country. for more, we go now to los angeles, california where we're joined by jennicet gutiérrez, an undocumented trans activist from mexico. last week, she made national headlines when she interrupted president obama at the white house to say "no more , deportation!" gutiérrez was a founding member of familia tqlm, established to advocate for lgbtq immigrants often excluded in the immigration debate. and we are here in new york with marc solomon, national campaign director of freedom to marry. we welcome you both to democracy now! jennicet gutiérrez, your reaction to the supreme court's ruling on friday? >> good morning and thank you for having me again.

i do believe that the u.s. supreme court made the right decision and this is a huge victory for the lgbt community and for justice in this country. however, many people in the lgbtq, especially people of color, emeritus not a priority. we are facing many challenges. -- marriage is not a priority. we are facing many challenges. amy: can you talk about what you think needs to be the focus of lgbtq activism today? >> personally, as an undocumented trans woman of color and my community is facing a lot of incarceration, police brutality, and deportation. so i do believe we are at a point where we have to -- the main street lgbt community can come and get behind the transgender community and include all of the voices and

listen to the struggles that we are facing. hopefully, we can move in the right direction and make progress for all of us. amy: marc solomon, you are the national campaign director of freedom to marry. what happens with this organization now? >> our organization, as we have always promised, will shut down in the next few months. but the fight for equality, for lgbt people must continue. and there are some crucial items on the agenda that i believe we can harness all of the moment am and all of the conversations and all of the goodwill that is come out of this marriage ruling to make steady and actually rapid progress. amy: your book is called, "winning marriage: the inside story of how same-sex couples took on the politicians and pundits and won." do you have any strategy suggestions for all that you have learned in this victory for

how people organize effectively? >> to lily. i have a number of them. people can look at the book if they want the full picture, but i think a coupler having a powerful vision of what you want to accomplish, which i think motivated so many people in our community and so many of our allies to get motivated. and it is really looking strategically at the map and where we can put wins on the board and build momentum every single day towards that end. amy: jennicet gutiérrez, if you could talk specifically about the experience of immigrants. you, an undocumented trans activist from mexico. i mean, it is quite astounding. i want to go back to that moment. we had you on when you interrupted president obama wednesday as he spoke to a gathering celebrating lgbt pride month at the white house. this is what happened.

>> i want to thank all of you advocates, organizers, friends families, for being here today. and over the years, we have gathered to celebrate pride month and i told you that i'm so hopeful about what we can accomplish, told you that the civil rights of lgbt americans -- >> president obama, release all lgbtq -- president obama -- [indiscernible] president obama, i am a trans woman. i am tired -- >> as a general rule, i'm just fine with a few hecklers. [laughter] but not when i am up in the house. amy: that was president obama and jennicet gutiérrez last wednesday at the white house.

if you had the microphone for longer, if you could talk about the plight of undocumented trans immigrants -- six-month fusion investigation found some 75 transgender detainees are detained by immigration authorities every day? >> yes, that is correct. i have been involved, especially in the last two months, with this community in particular that has been affected. i have spoken spe transgender women -- woman from guatemala who came to the u.s. and hope of a better treatment and future. and they turned themselves in to immigration officials, only to be put in these detention centers. they shared the horrific stories , the views, the torture they are being -- going through in

this facility. the abuse their facing is like sexual abuse, being harassed. when they need to take showers the officials say, turn run a limit see your breast. they want to touch them. and other people detained, they are sexually abusing them. to me, that was heartbreaking to hear. i connected with her with that because i am an undocumented woman and i am potentially at risk to be putting -- put in one of these detention centers. it is very important for the mainstream lgbt community to listen to the struggles and to unite and do something that will benefit us all. and move us in the right direction. amy: and the issue of housing? >> housing is a huge issue we face as well. i have known people, transgender people, who -- i have come in contact through the last year or

so him and they have employment in transition during the work -- and transitioned during a work. once they transition, they get fired because they don't support it and then they have to be demoted with the risk of losing housing. that is another very critical issue that we have to come together and face this and get behind our community and do something productive and positive in the struggles that we are facing. amy: u.s. army whistleblower chelsea manning has a new piece for the guardian called "same-sex marriage isn't , equality for all lgbt people. our movement can't end." in it, manning writes -- "i worry that, with full marriage equality, much of the queer community will be left wondering how else to engage with a society that still wants to define who we are -- and who in our community will be left to push for full equality for all transgender and queer people

now that this one fight has been won. i fear that our precious movements for social justice and all the remarkable advancements we have made are now vulnerable to being taken over by monied people and institutions, and that those of us for whom same-sex marriage rights brings no equality will be slowly erased from our movement and our history." she wrote this in prison chelsea manning, the whistleblower who was in -- in iraq intelligence officer, released documents to wikileaks, revealing u.s. killings in iraq and has been sentenced to decades in prison. as you hear chelsea's words marc solomon, your response? >> i much are positive and optimistic than that. i think with this tremendous win nationwide for equality and dignity for so many people, i believe that americans now see a much more multidimensional

aspect of who our entire community is and i think -- i mean, they are fully behind protections unemployment, on housing come on public accommodations. and i think you also now have huge amount of power that we have harnessed through the marriage conversation with all of these companies that are behind us and i just think we need to take that power and move it and drive it toward nondiscrimination protection. and i think we can do it. i think we can do it with a republican in congress and red states, we just need to move forward. amy: in new york city, the stonewall inn, the site of the uprising that helped launch the modern lgbt movement and been granted landmark status by city commission. stonewall uprising began the morning of june 28, 1968 when members of the gay community decided to fight back against

yet another new york city police raid in a greenwich village gay bar. the co-owner of the stonewall inn praised its new landmark status. >> a particular night, they'd had enough. it was the first time people from lgbt backgrounds actually stood up and said, we are queer get used to it. they started throwing pennies. it was called the riots, but it was pretty peaceful for the most part. a few cars overturned and those kinds of things, but for the most part, people gathered for three days after that. the next year, there was actually the first lgbt bike parade. amy: jennicet gutiérrez, it was trans activist the lead that uprising, is that right? sylvia rivera? >> that is correct, and that is something we must not forget. a transgender of woman, at the front lines of this current lgbtq movement. and we need to give them credit. we also need to be listening to the concerns that these people

were bringing up to the community and were still trying to be ignored. i think we're at a critical moment where our mainstream lgbtq community can reach out to organizations who have been advocating for transgender people. and to start providing funds and to start opening up resources so that more members of our community do see the benefit and are treated with respect and a giddy. amy: this is kathy marino thomas of marriage equality usa. >> we're not fully equal. we still have some of our brothers and sisters that suffer, our transgender mothers and sisters have virtually no legal protection. we have over 5000 lgbt homeless youth in manhattan alone every night. we have to fix those problems. we have to be able to move freely around the world and be supported citizens.

this is a significant step. amy: as we wrap up, final comments, jennicet gutiérrez? >> i just want to say by mainstream community, it was heartbreaking and it really -- i felt betrayed when they turn their back on me, so i believe now they are in a position to do the right thing and to reach out to us and to include us in the conversation and listen to our struggles. amy: jennicet gutiérrez, thank you for being back with us, undocumented trans activist from mexico. founding member of familia tqlm, established to advocate for lgbtq immigrants often excluded in the immigration debate. and thank you to marc solomon, national campaign director of freedom to marry. he's the author of, "winning marriage: the inside story of how same-sex couples took on the politicians and pundits and won." mark just wrote an article for the new york daily news called "a field guide to making history."

we will link to it at 06/29/15 06/29/15 . when we come back, speaking of making history, bree newsome scales the flagpole in columbia, south carolina the capitol grounds and takes down the confederate battle flag. stay with us. ♪ [music break]

amy: that is bree newsome was singing a love song to freedom fighters. it is bree newsome were talking about today. this is democracy now! democracynow.org, the war and peace report. i'm amy goodman. democracy now! has just returned from south carolina, where the massacre of nine african-american churchgoers on june 17 by a white suspect who embraced the confederate flag has renewed protests to remove the flag from outside the state capitol. last tuesday, lawmakers agreed to debate removing the flag once they've passed the final budget later this summer. but early saturday morning, a 30-year-old african-american woman named bree newsome, armed with a helmet and climbing gear, scaled the 30-foot flagpole and unhooked the confederate flag.

as police officers shouted at her to come down, newsome shimmied to the top, took the flag in her hand and said, "you come against me with hatred...i come against you in the name of god. this flag comes down today." >> you come against me with hatred and violence. i come against you in the name of god. this flag comes down today. amy: bree newsome recited psalm 27 and the lord's prayer as she brought the flag down. as soon as she reached the ground, she was arrested, along with james tyson, who had stood at the bottom of the pole to spot her as she climbed. news station wis spoke to bree newsome as she was led away in handcuffs. she told them -- "every day that flag stays up there is an endorsement of hate." >> why did you do that? >> because it was the right thing to do and it was time for some of the to step up.

we have to bury hate. it is been too long. it is killing us. it is not right. >> why not wait until lawmakers vote to take it down? >> what is there to vote on? there's doing the right thing and the wrong thing. it is time for people to have courage. we have to step up in love, nonviolence. we have to do the right thing or else it will not stop. every day that flag remains is an endorsement of hate. i was very afraid, but then i wasn't afraid anymore. the lord calls us all to do different things. this is what he called me to do. >> what is your name? >> bree newsome. amy: that was bree newsome being escorted away by a black law enforcement officer. bree newsome's action went viral and was seen around the world. her bail fund has raised over $110,000. oscar-nominated filmmaker ava

duvernay was among the many to hail her, writing on twitter -- "i hope i get the call to direct the motion picture about a black superhero i admire. her name is @breenewsome." but within about an hour, a maintenance worker and state security officer had raised a new confederate flag at the capitol. bree newsome's protest capped a week which saw at least six predominately black churches across the south destroyed or damaged by fire, at least three of them arsons. it came one day after president obama delivered the eulogy at the funeral for south carolina state senator and reverend clementa pinckney at emanuel ame church in charleston, south carolina. he was speaking at the college of charleston, the arena that held thousands. democracy now! was there as the president called for the flag to come down. >> removing the flag from the state's capital would not be an act of political correctness, it would not be an insult to the

valor of confederate soldiers. it was simply be an acknowledgment that the cause for which they fought -- the cause of slavery was wrong. [applause] the imposition of jim crow after the civil war, the resistance to civil rights for all people, was wrong. it would be one staff in an honest accounting of america's history, a modest but meaningful

moment for so many unhealed wounds. it would be an expression of the amazing changes that have transformed this state and this country for the better, because of the work of so many people of good will come of people of all races striving to form a more perfect union. by taking down that flag, we express god's grace. amy: that was president obama speaking friday before thousands of people at the college of charleston for the funeral for reverend and state senator clementa pinckney. that was one day before bree newsome took the confederate battle flag down on the capitol grounds and thereby columbia the state capitol. at 11:00 a.m. on saturday, the funeral service began for cynthia hurd, a 54-year-old

librarian killed with eight others by white gunman dylann roof on june 17. meanwhile in the capital columbia, about two hours away confederate flag supporters held a rally in front of the newly replaced flag. antiracist counter protesters also attended the standing shoulder to shoulder with the flag supporters asking passing drivers to "honk the flag down." democracy now! was there and i spoke with protesters on both sides. >> not racism. my name is william. i fly this flag for the people who died -- all of the people who died, anybody who died for this flag. period. it ate got nothing to do is black, white. amy: are you opposed to slavery? >> hell, yeah. amy: what does this flag means you? >> the 13 original colonies wanted to stay out of the united states government. amy: can i ask what your

thoughts are about this rally? tell me the sign your saying. >> it is to represent the nine people who lost their lives in charleston. amy: what else does it say? >> take the flag down. amy: what your thoughts about the confederate flag? >> it doesn't represent me. my people. my people. my people as an african-american. i'm an african-american woman. >> i'm aired to a brown american. >> excuse me, i was speaking. >> i'm sorry. >> as an african-american woman -- i go to usc. every time i have to walk passes flag, it hurts. it doesn't make me feel good about being a south carolinians. i've never been proud to be a south carolinians until this past week because i see how great people are in charleston. there china fight for love. i don't want my children to have to grow up in south carolina and see that flag that represents so

much turmoil for african-americans. i understand people want to say it is not a race thing, but to me, it is. >> [indiscernible] >> what the flag means to me we're standing on a street now if you cross over that bridge right? you are known not to be there at night. if i cross over that bridge, i know not to ask for help if i have a flat tire. i just know that. i'm not saying it is true, i'm saying i know that. the right? i'm saying i know that. for a fact. so what we have to do is stop acting like we don't know that when some of the has a confederate flag in their yard don't stop there. take it down. >> take it down.

>> it is the first stepping stone. amy: what does your signs a? >> i'm going to let it show for itself. amy: for people who are listening on the radio. >> i can't believe i still have to protests this crap. oh, my god, how many years are we still protecting it? how many marches? how many lives? that's the main part. how many more lives that we have to -- amy: what is your name? >> did you hear lindsey graham the other day on the floor of the senate say what happened in charleston was some mideast style hate? where his he been living this whole time? he is from south carolina. that is south carolina style hate, if you ask me. that is some white ass south carolina racial hate. that's all it is. [horns honking]

amy: what is your name? >> stewart. amy: what are you here today? >> my friend called and said they were going to have a rally the guy with the big flag over there. amy: what flag? >> the confederate flag. amy: do you think dylan roof to the wrong thing? >> what he did was get a black eyed of the confederate flag by allowing the media and irrational people to say, well that has to come down because some nut killed somebody which has nothing to do with that monument. the monument was not built over racism and over hatred. the monument was built because people died fine for this -- fighting for the state, just like that you now or memorial and world war ii. amy: thank you. >> they love the people that died for this state. do you? thank you. what is your name? amy: my name is amy and i'm from new york. crooks what is your last and? amy: goodman.

>> summit he told me that was a jewish name. >> my name is tom. i live in columbia, born in savannah. >> who is your great, great grandfather? >> i did this in 2008 when i came down on confederate memorial day, but at a great great grandfather that was captured at the bloody angle. and i have been there, which was an awful awful massacre, basically. amy: he was a confederate soldier? >> confederate from georgia. he was in his division. central georgia. he had five brothers. so there were six of them. three of them were killed in the civil war. amy: your here with the folks that are -- >> absolutely not. i'm against what they stand for. i find they don't really know the history. they have not even read the december 1860 reasons for secession, which were all about slavery. but my whole life i have pretty

much have had the same viewpoint that the flag should be taken down. i like to pitch it we are been fighting the civil war down here since the war was over. 100 50 years. we just commemorated here in south carolina. amy: down the road from the capitol grounds at 2:00 p.m. on saturday at court, a bond hearing was held for bree newsome and james tyson. about a dozen supporters waited in the lobby of the jail for her release. i spoke with some of them. what were your feelings as you watched the confederate flag be in taken down on the property of the state capitol? >> it was one of the most liberating and beautiful moments that i have known in my 25 years of life besides my daughter being born. to see that flag actuallcome down and all of the things that it represented being taken down by strong black woman was one of

the greatest symbols are symbolic images that one person could ever witness i feel. amy: that was very interesting. during this whole past week after the massacre of the nine emanuel prisoners and their pastor, you had the american flag above the state capitol south carolina flag above the state capitol, both at half mast. and right next to them you had -- trucks>> what wrong is wrong. amy: the confederate flag flying at half mast. >> while the people who are murdered are lying under the casket while you're viewing people's caskets and viewing the people while barely dressed, you can look up. although there was a black curtain, you still know what was on the other side of the curtain. amy: yet a walk past the confederate flag -- trucks a friend of mine waited two hours under the confederate flag. we see the pictures of the murderer and he is holding these confederate flags with so much glee and joy and pride.

it is like, why we would be allow this to continue, why would our legislators councilman mayor, the president -- he was here, he could've taken a down himself if he really felt compelled to. just saying. amy: you mean by executive order? >> yes. >> i was notified this morning that one of my chair people was arrested, so i came down to ensure she was ok and to give her some support. bree newsome is the chair of our social media in the cochair -- amy: what does the confederate flag mean to you? >> hate and segregation. it doesn't mean anything american at all. in fact, when you lose or anywhere us in the country, that flag is not allowed to be flown anywhere. so why should we allow it here in the united states? amy: what is your name? >> carol parker. i came out here to show my

support for bree. this is not her battle alone, we stand with her. she did what many people have not had the courage to do and we are proud of her and support her . whatever she needs, we are here for her. i wanted her to know that. it doesn't matter whether you feel she should or should not have done it it is done. it needs to come down. she is done with our governor has not had the courage to do what our general simile hasn't had the courage to do. she did what needed to be done when he needed to be done. amy: it is over 100 degrees. i am looking at your t-shirt. can you tell us what it says? >> dreamlike martin, lead like harriet, fight like malcolm, think like garvey, right like maya misspeak like frederick educate like wd, believe like thurgood -- who is here, might i add -- challenge like rosa. >> are you going to be adding another name? >> stand like bree. amy: you are from columbia. >> my home, born and raised.

amy: you have seen this particular flag for a long time. >> that flag doesn't mean any more today than it meant two weeks ago. that flag has always meant hate. and now dylann roof has just brought that hate to life. it meant hate when i was in high school. i had no problem with you wearing your flight if you want to read on your t-shirt. i have a problem of stand in front of what is supposed to be our state house grounds. it may mean heritage to you, but if it means hate to me, doesn't diminish when a means to me, it still means oppression and hate and slavery. that is not going to change. amy: was there discussion about whether to wait for the south carolina legislature to take their time in a debate? >> so we have noticed they have been pushing it off for very

long time, since everything started to happen. and we just did not have time for, basically. i think that is how we summarize and use that, right? it is ambiguous, right? they're going to take it through the house and then stop and then they're going to come back to it. it might have not been to the end of july or august, and we don't even know what they're going to rule. the country will be waiting around to figure out what it is, and they may not even favor and removal of the flag. amy: speaking outside the jail in columbia, south carolina. bree newsome and jimmy tyson were both released from jail on saturday afternoon after supporters posted the requisite $300 of their $3000 bonds. their next court appearance was scheduled for july 27. a very special thanks to my colleagues working with me. that does it for our broadcast.

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!] ditors of cook's illustrated magazine it's america's test kitchen with your host christopher kimball, featuring test kitchen chefs julia collin davison bridget lancaster, becky hays

with adam ried in the equipment corner and jack bishop in the tasting lab. discover the secrets of america's foremost food testers and tasters today on america's test kitchen. today on america's test kitchen bridget shows chris how to make the best grilled glazed pork tenderloin roast. next, adam reviews inexpensive chef's knives in the equipment corner. and finally, dan uncovers the secrets to perfect grilled boneless skinless chicken breasts. that's all right here on america's test kitchen. america's test kitchen is brought to you by dcs by fisher & paykel. america's cooks rely on innovation