03/04/16 03/04/16 [captioning made possible by democracy now!] amy: from pacifica, this is democracy now! >> here is what i know. phony, aump is a fraud. his promises are as worthless as the degree from trump university. [applause] amy: in an extraordinary day for the republican party, the gop's last two presidential nominees, mitt romney and john mccain, announced the party's current frontrunner hours before the republican candidate squared off at a debate in detroit. >> two thirds of the people who will cast of vote have voted

against you. they do not want you to be our nominee. and the reason why is because we are not going to turn over the conservative movement or the party of lincoln or reagan, for example, to someone whose positions are not conservative. >> don't worry about it, little marco. amy: we will have highlights of the debate and response. then we remember the life of berta caceres. she was assassinated this week just months after winning the goldman environmental prize, the world's leading environmental award. >> our mother earth, militarized, poisoned, a place where basic rights are systematically violated, demands that we take action. amy: we will speak with her nephew, journalist in san francisco. all of that and more coming up. this is democracy now!, democracynow.org, the war and peace report. i'm amy goodman juan gonzalez. i'm amy goodman. four republican presidential

candidates faced off thursday night at the fox theater in downtown detroit. marco rubio, ted cruz and john , kasich all teamed up against frontrunner donald trump. meanwhile, outside the fox theater, hundreds of people rallied to protest the gop debate, and what they say is hateful and islamophobic rhetoric coming from the republican party. this is william antoun of the michigan muslim community council. >> we're here to protest the republican debate, the policies and things that some of the candidates are saying, particularly donald trump, the islamaphobic comments with a straight of fascism that is being presented and his followers and their actions. we are here to protest the racism and also to support all people of color over the injustices in the racist comments. amy: we'll have more on the gop debate after headlines.

the 11th republican presidential debate comes as the fbi arrested a donald trump campaigner and 11 other people on charges related to the 2014 stand off at cliven bundy's ranch in nevada. jerry delemus is the co-chairman of veterans for donald trump in new hampshire. he has been indicted on nine federal felony charges, including conspiracy to commit an offense against the united states, assault on a federal officer, and several firearms charges. two of cliven bundy's sons were also arrested in the fbi sweep meaning that a total of five , bundy family members are now in jail. japan, prime minister shinzo abe has said he will temporarily halt construction work at the site of a proposed u.s. military base on the island of okinawa. this announcement is the latest in a decades-long battle between japan's central government and the residents of okinawa, the majority of whom oppose the new base. okinawa already houses about 26,000 u.s. troops. on friday, prime minster abe said he decided to halt

construction work and resume talks because the central government and the okinawa region are locked in a stalemate. >> if we had continued as we have been doing, which is the japanese government and the okinawa and protector locked an internal battle of lawsuits, we would have reached a stalemate. amy: meanwhile, democrats are mounting an increasing campaign to force republicans to consider a supreme court nomination by president obama, following the death of justice antonin scalia. judiciary committee chair chuck grassley has said he will refuse to hold confirmation hearings until the next president -- until the next president takes office. democrats appear to be launching a campaign to force grassley to reconsider this position by threatening his re-election in iowa later this year. on thursday, news spread across washington that former iowa lieutenant governor patty judge will challenge grassley in the iowa senate race. this comes only one day after news leaked that the white house is considering nominating prominent iowa jurist jane kelly, whom grassley has

publicly endorsed in 2013 during her confirmation to the united states court of appeals for the eighth circuit. the justice department has asked the fbi to evaluate whether oil giant exxon mobil broke federal laws by lying to investors and the public about climate change. the move comes in response to a request from california congressmen ted lieu and mark desaulnier, who have sought a investigation of exxon mobil following exposes by inside climate news and the los angeles times revealing exxon knew that fossil fuels cause global warming as early as the 1970's, but hid that information from the public and instead poured millions into climate denial. california attorney general kamala harris and new york attorney general eric schneiderman have also launched investigations of exxon. the increasing scrutiny of exxon mobil comes as record-high temperatures in alaska have forced organizers of iditarod to

transport a train full of snow to age because there is not enough snow for the famous dog sled race. organizers also say the teams will cover only 3 miles on saturday's ceremonial start, rather than the usual 11 miles because of the lack of snow to , sled on. this is the second year that the lack of snow has forced organizers to make changes to the race. there does appear to be snow on pluto, however, nasa scientists say. on thursday, scientists released a photo showing a chain of snowcapped mountains stretching across the dwarf planet. they believe the snow consists of methane that has condensed on the mountain peaks. in news from the legal stand off between apple and the fbi, the tech giant has gained a number of prominent allies in recent days, including leading security experts, the united nations human rights chief, and the husband of a woman who was injured in the san bernardino attack. the fbi is seeking to force apple to unlock the iphone of one of the suspected shooters in the attack.

one of apple supporters is salihin kondoker, whose wife, anies, was shot three times during the attack last december, and has submitted a letter to the judge in the case, writing that apple is "worried that this software the government wants them to use will be used against millions of other innocent people. i share their fear." u.n. human rights chief zeid ra'ad al hussein echoed this sentiment during a briefing in geneva on thursday. >> in order to address the security-related issue linked to encryption in one case, the authorities risk unlocking a pandora's box that could have extremely damaging implications for the human rights of many millions of people, including the physical and financial security, and this is not just about one case and one i.t. company and one country. it will have tremendous ramifications for the future of

individuals security elsewhere. amy: in south africa, a court has rejected olympic and paralympic runner oscar pistorius' right to appeal his conviction of murdering his girlfriend reeva steenkamp on valentine's day in 2013. last year, an appeals court ruling overturned a lower court's decision to convict pistorius on the lesser charge of manslaughter. pistorius faces a minimum 15-year sentence. in texas, state trooper brian encinia has formally been fired 8 months after he arrested 28-year-old african-american sandra bland, who was found hanged in her jail cell three days after her arrest. dashcam footage of the arrest shows encinia dragging sandra bland out of her car and threatening to light her up. sandra bland can later be heard on video accusing the police officer of slamming her head into the ground. she tells them she has epilepsy to which trooper encinia , replies, "good." in january, encinia indicted on perjury charges for lying to a grand jury about the traffic

stop. authorities say bland committed suicide while in jail, a claim her family rejects. in argentina, a nobel peace prize winning human rights activist has called on president obama to change the date of his trip to argentina because the scheduled visit on march 24 coincides with the 40th anniversary of the u.s.-backed military coup. the coup toppled argentina's democratically elected government and installed a brutal dictatorship. withetails have emerged elliott management, which was one of many u.s. hedge funds to buy up argentine debt at pennies on the dollar amidst the country's economic crisis in 2001. former argentine president cristina de kirchner had long demanded the hedge funds, which she called "vulture funds," renegotiate the debt, arguing they were unfairly profiting off argentina's economic crisis.

but this week, president macri's right-wing government agreed to pay singer's fund and three others $4.65 billion. singer's fund itself netted $2.4 billion, 10 and 15 times its original investment. in new york city, about people 100 rallied as the coalition of immokalee workers announced a national boycott of fast food giant wendy's. the florida farm workers said they were launching the boycott because wendy's has refused for years to join the fair food program, which the immokalee workers established to protect farm workers' rights. other fast food giants, including taco bell, mcdonald's and burger king have already , signed on to the program after pressure. farm worker and organizer lupe gonzalo explained the new york city rally was targeting billionaire nelson peltz, who is a major investor in wendy's. cent're asking for one more from every pound of tomatoes they buy from the farms where we are working the

hardest. we're demanding their be a code of conduct that protects the rights of the workers so that we can report abuses and have solutions to them. we're also asking for intelligence to sexual abuse -- intolerance to sexual abuse and modern-day slavery, and as women, we're faced sexual abuse. on penow we are focusing ltz, a very big investor in wendy's, and has a lot to do with what happens at wendy's. amy: nelson felt his chair of wendy's board. and finally william h. schaap, a , radical lawyer, author and publisher has died. together with his wife and partner ellen ray, who died a few months ago, he published the covert action information bulletin, which reported -- reported on illegal central intelligence agency activities. it also identified cia agents by name from a practice outlawed by congress in 1982. schaap also represented cia

whistleblowers, including philip agee. he and ray also founded sheridan square press, which published the new orleans prosecutor jim garrison's book "on the trail of , the assassins: my investigation and prosecution of the murder of president kennedy," which was a source for oliver stone in making the 1991 film "jfk." he was also democracy now!'s first lawyer. and those are some of the headlines. this democracy now!, democracynow.org, the war and peace report. i am amy goodman with juan gonzalez. juan: welcome to all of our listeners and viewers from around the country and around the world. in an extraordinary day for the republican party, the gop's last two presidential nominees, mitt romney and john mccain, denounced the republican's current frontrunner donald trump saying he is a danger to the nation and the party. romney spoke in utah. >> let me put it very plainly. if we republicans choose donald trump is our nominee, the prospects for a safe and prosperous future are greatly

diminished. i understand the anger americans feel today. in the past, our presidents have channeled that anger and forged it into resolve, into endurance and high purpose come in into the will to defeat the enemies of freedom. our anger was transformed into energy directed for good. mr. trump is directing our anger for less than noble purposes. he creates scapegoats and muslims -- and muslims and mexican immigrants. he calls for the use of torture. he calls for killing the innocent children and family members of terrorists. .e cheers assault on protesters he applauds the prospect of twisting the constitution to limit first amendment freedom of the press. this is the very brand of anger that has led other nations into the abyss. here is what i know. donald trump is a phony, a

fraud. he has -- his promises are as worthless as a degree from trump university. amy: hours after mitt romney spoke, donald trump came under more criticism at a debate in detroit hosted by fox news. florida senator marco rubio also focused on trump university, trump's for-profit venture now at the center of a multimillion-dollar fraud claim. >> he is trying to do to the american voter what he did to the people that signed up for this course. he is making promises he is no intention of keeping and it won't just be $32,000 they lose, it is our country that is at stake. the future of the united states and the most important election in a generation and he is trying to con people into giving them their vote just like he conned these people into giving them their money. >> excuse me, excuse me. the real con artist is senator marco rubio. who was elected in florida and has the worst voting record in the united states senate. he doesn't go to vote.

he is absent. he doesn't go. the people of florida can't stand him boast of you could not get elected dogcatcher. >> i understand the folks were supporting donald right now. you're angry. you're angry at washington and he uses angry rhetoric. but for 40 years, donald has been part of the corruption in washington that you're angry about. and you're not going to stop the corruption in washington by supporting someone who is supported liberal democrats for four decades from jimmy carter to john kerry to hillary clinton. you're not when to stop the corruption and the cronyism by supporting someone who has used government power for private gain. instead, we need a president who stands with the american people. amy: the republican debate repeatedly broke down into shouting matches and name calling.

within the first 10 minutes of the debate, trump even defended the size of his penis on while responding to a recent comment from marco rubio about the size of his hands. >> i also happened to call him a lightweight, ok, and i have said that. so i would like to take that back. usually not that much of a lightweight. as far -- i have to say this, i have to say this, he hit my hands. nobody has ever hit my hands. look at those hands. are they small hands? if he referred to my hands they were small, something else may be small. i guarantee you, there's no problem. i guarantee it. juan: ohio governor john kasich tried to stay out of the fray but also advocated for the most , hawkish foreign policy of the night calling for a significant , number of u.s. ground forces in syria, iraq and libya. klux fortunately come in libya, there are only a few cities on the coast because most of libya is a desert. the fact of the matter is, we

absolutely have to be -- not just with special forces, that's not going to work. come on, yet to go back to the invasion when we pushed saddam hussein out of kuwait. we have to be on the ground in significant numbers. we do have to include our muslim, arab friends to work with us on that. and we have to be in the air. it should be a broad coalition made up of the kinds of people that were involved when we defeated saddam. now, you to be on the ground and in the air both in area and iraq . and at some point, we will have to deal with libya. amy: despite the growing attacks on donald trump from within the republican establishment, all three of his challengers vowed to support trump if he wins the nomination. click i will support the republican nominee. klux mr. trump, yes or no? >> senator cruz, yes or no, you will support donald trump if he is the nominee? word i because i gave my would. >> would you support donald trump?

>> i kind of thing before it is all said and done, i will be the nominee. amy: to talk more about the republican debate, we're joined by two guests. lester spence is associate pressor of political science and africana studies at johns hopkins university. his new book is, "knocking the hustle: against the neoliberal turn in black politics." and joining us from irvine, california, is brian levin, the director of the center for the study of hate & extremism at california state university in san bernardino. his recent article in the huffington post is, "we all must draw a line against hate and violence." lester spence, your reaction to the debate last night? >> it was like pulling teeth watching it. i was born in detroit, grew up in the area, and i think it is really interesting that at no point in time during the debate at all did they talk about the policies that are affecting detroit are the policies affecting cities like flint, policies of emergency financial management that are kind of reflected of bipartisan consensus but were basically created by republican

legislature and republican governor. my mom was a substitute teacher at spain elementary. she just retired. spain elementary had a roach into station, a gymnasium crumbling, and it required village a generous --ellen bieber to gettin it straight now. they did not talk about that. juan: you talk about the public education in the country, but on the republican debate, very little discussion of education except for trump repeatedly saying we're going to get rid of common core. and a company department of education. that is how we save money. >> if you think about the state it is been, suggested because of the lack of regulation, you had significant levels of corrupt number of charter schools that were loud to function long after they should have been closed.

we have a discussion -- we do not have a discussion of any of that. amy: can we get your response, brian levin, to what you watched last night, the republican debate, the 11th, i think it was, now down to the four candidates vying to be the republican presidential candidate nominee? >> what i found disturbing was that with all of the rhetoric coming from republicans of good will -- if you listen to, for instance, george w. bush when he visited a mosque after 9/11, john mccain when he was on the arabphobic,il, and it's were made. even the speaker of the house tried to say, look, we have to put a line in the sand with regard to white nationalist, klansman, neo-nazis thomas and it was a footnote. it started and said, would you disavow, and what i think needed to be done was something by all

the candidates, not to retreat from their positions. we are not -- we are a nonpartisan center. as a line that we drawn that line is against white white nationalists, and neo-nazis. because i've not in the decade that i've been researching this, a successful mainstream candidate having the endorsement of a virtual who's who of klansman, white nationalist and others. we're talking about not david duke, but the loyal white front., storm a tidal wave of support. it is because there are not policy messages that appeal to the was a premises -- white supremacists and nationalists, but the xenophobic and racist tones were mexicans are labeled as criminals and muslims are a broad brush to an extent they should not only be excluded from coming into the country, but not even dog whistle that there should be some sociopolitical

exclusion of muslims. this is a terrible time for the party of lincoln. amy: when we come back from break, i'm going to ask you about your attendance at a klan rally and what the members had to say about donald trump. we're talking to brian levin, director of the center for the study of hate & extremism at california state university in san bernardino. and lester spence. he is a new book out called "knocking the hustle: against , the neoliberal turn in black politics." stay with us. ♪ [music break]

amy: this is democracy now!, democracynow.org, the war and peace report. i'm amy goodman juan gonzalez. we are going to turn right now rally, saturday, a klan a chapter in anaheim known as the loyal white knights or lwk. dozens of counterprotesters also showed up when a fight broke out.

brian levin, you actually stepped in to shield klan leader bill quigg from being assaulted. for our radio viewers, we're showing scenes of the melee. you can go to democracy now.org for a link. after things calmed down a bit, brian spoke to some lwk members. >> white lives matter. everybody on black lives matter and all that -- cork but what about the klan hate. can you see why people would be upset? >> [inaudible] >> do you have a candidate that you like? give a presidential candidate that you like? >> trump. , you'rean levin director of the center for the

study of hate and extremism at california state university at san bernardino. explain what was taking place. >> the loyal white knights, which has had significant growth nationally last year, the klan only has maybe 4500 to 5500 members nationwide, far cry from the 4.5 million to five point million inn -- 5 previous years. you really had to get a klan endorsement to get a political position. now they are very small. i think they just have somewhat more than a handful in their chapter. nationally has grown. in california, their miniscule. nevertheless, all held broke lose went about half a dozen klansman tried to get out of their vehicle. with woodent upon planks, metal rods, and when the

vehicle moved away, there were three klansman left. two near me were just brutally set upon by a mob, and i interceded with my outstretched hand in my iphone as a camera and said, "do not heard this gentleman." thisbeing said, mr. quig, grand dragon, the leader of a state chapter, the realm for the california rome, and we're talking very small number of people here, was getting kicked in the head, was getting attacked. he is a reprehensible person who believes hitler is a great person and the holocaust did not happen and white christians are god chosen people and that concentration camps were swimming pools and luxuries. believes there is a white genocide going on and also believes that illegal immigration of mexicans is

taking our country into a tailspin and that muslims are encroaching on america and destroying it. amy: what did he have to say about donald trump? >> interestingly enough, his about donaldoke trump. he was much more cagey he had effiv oveth top twact in september saying how all americans should support donald trump. this time, he joked, hillary clinton, then said he is undecided. he is not undecided. he is been quite vocal in his support for mr. trump, which i think gives mr. trump an opportunity not to say, how many times you have to disavow, but to say, what does america mean to him? what does diversity mean to him? and what do the people of goodwill and the republican totallyo have just spoken against bigotry?

even ronald reagan when running for president and had the klan endorsement, was quite clear. what i'm worried about is not how many disavows he gives, but more of the authenticity of his rejection of it. it doesn't appear genuine and it doesn't appear deep. juan: but as you say, the klan is a relatively minor organization now compared to what -- it's strength decades ago. you mentioned several other hate groups, all of which are you could say, the extreme fringe of white nationalism here in the united states. what about the masses of people that are voting for trump? how do you think the positions and the viewpoints of these extreme groups are affecting or reflecting a broader movement, right-wing movement in the country that has a white nationalist movement that has lined up behind trump? >> great question.

look, white supremacists are showing up to his rallies. in the past, you would never see that. --erily big it was involved a verily to big it was involved in manhattan manhandling an african-american woman at a rally. some of mr. trump should say, wait, stop, i policy positions, but let me make it clear that .igotry is unacceptable that really has not been done. if i may, one of the things that the white nationalists, neo-nazi movement has left has been a charismatic leader. what i am saying, i'm not saying mr. trump is a neo-nazi, but they view him as a celebrity brand mouthpiece who is parroting what they are saying. and the kinds of rhetoric that we see on these hate sites are being retransmitted into the mainstream.

there was a problem when 40% or more republicans believe president obama is a muslim or that muslims are a threat. there really is a need for a leader in the republican party who can still take their partisan policy positions where a nonpartisan organization, but with a have to do is disentangle the bigotry that comes with it. this xenophobia, this division toward latinos and broad brushing of muslims as some kind of portable threat. this is just a terrible time for the republican party. and i know republican people of goodwill. people like lindsey graham who have made statements. we had george bush the elder sign a hate crimes statistics act and make statement against hate. it is a terrible time, and i'm hoping the forces of good within the republican party who may have your conservative policy positions on affirmative action and national security speak out. because what this is doing, it

is inflaming and amplifying this fear and anger that exists with a very significant part of the republican party that is slipping through the thin ice of bigotry. we cannot have that for a party with us -- juan: i want to ask lester spence, this whole issue of white nationalism being such a key force, oppressing among the supporters of donald trump. how do you respond to that and how do you sense in terms of the african-american community, that this is being received? saidthink that our brother is right, this is something that we should be really scared of and we should actually be a lot more forceful in articulating it. about as forceful as we are on climate change, this is reflecting a political climate change. it is important to know that ronald reagan began his political -- 1980 presidential campaign in philadelphia, mississippi them or right outside of it. the only historical significance was that it was a home for the site of the brutal murder of

civil rights workers. arguedhat announcement strongly for states rights. amy: killing three. >> while we can say trump represents an outlier, he is very well within the mainstream republican party who is had to in chasing republican or the conservative white voter have become more and more extreme. trump is just the outlier. we should be really, really deeply concerned, but he reflects just the general tendency. he is not some crazy person -- well, kind of crazy that he is talking about his penis on a debate, but he is not as extreme first. second, i think black voters, one of the reasons people have been questioning why are black voters supporting hillary clinton over bernie sanders, there are -- there's a lot of really, really interesting stuff

going on. cedric johnson hits this up in a really good piece. but one of the things that could be driving some of the voters is they are seeing trump and they are frightened. they kind of should be. the question is, which of these people can actually have the best opportunity to take trump out and to be kind of a same governor? they're making the same position for hillary clinton. and because some polls indicate in a matchup, bernie sanders would be the one who would be front runner. >> that is absolutely right. several fromto bet the polls, that is the type -- joint amy: let's go to this clip, super tuesday night, cnn coverage, then jones and jeffrey lord who is a trump supporter clashed over donald trump hedging around david duke's endorsement. >> he is whipping up and pushing buttons that are very, very frightening to me and fighting to a lot of people.

number one, when he is playing funny with the klan, that is not cool. i know this man. when he gets passionate about terrorism. i know how he talks about terrorism. klan the is a test organization that is killed -- you can do whatever label on it you want. that is your game to play. we're not going to play that game. to take au need serious look at the fact that this man is playing fast and loose and footsie --when you talk about terrorism, he says, no, this is wrong. when you talk about the klan, google oh, i don't know, i don't know." you came on the air in you said this is like when reverend wright was speaking. he never lynched anyone. he never killed anyone. reverend wright -- hold on a second. you never put anybody on a post and you guys are playing these word games and it is wrong to do in america.

juan: those were analysts van jones of cnn and also jeffrey lord, a trump supporter, clashing over donald trump's hedging on his support of david duke or of david duke's support of him. last i, donald trump was questioned about his clothing line. >> will you promise that you will -- and how soon -- when you move your clothing collection of the clothing that is made in china and mexico? they devalue their currencies. by the way, i've been doing it more and more. they devalue their currencies, in particular china, mexico is doing a big number now, japan is unbelievable what they're doing. they devalue their currencies and they make it impossible for clothing makers in this country to do clothing in this country. if you look at what is happened on 7th avenue and you look at what is happening new york with the garment industry, so much of the clothing is made in vietnam, china, and other places.

it is all because of devaluation. juan: lester spence, your reaction to this? has beeny, since trump demonizing china and mexico, as he says, eating our lunch, all the time? >> he was flip-flopping so often it was kind of funny. the one thing i can say about the news analyst and give him credit, they pushed it on a number of deaths pushed him on a number of points a policy. i started talking about detroit. and flint, two large democratic bodies with a large white population. let's say we do not focus on detroit, we focus on metropolitan detroiters. if you look at the audience, i saw a couple of black faces but i'm presuming most of the people in the audience were outside of detroit in the surrounding suburbs. they could have easily talked about labor. allowing those folks in the suburbs, producing more and more, raising the flat line, right, every -- they talked about policy, whether foreign

trade or the irs stuff. all of this stuff was repeat of the 1980's that we know don't work. how can you with a straight face say, we should on the one hand abolish the irs and then secondarily send a massive military presence into the middle east? how can we do that and be same -- sane? i had to do because you asked me . i'm only going to watch because you asked me. it was like, what are we doing? so would we talk about trump as if he is an outlier, what we have to do is be really, really hard line and say, no, this is the tendency, this is what the republican party is. amy: let's go to both ted cruz and marco rubio talking about detroit and then about flint. this is ted cruz addressing the economic crisis in detroit. >> detroit is a great city with a magnificent legacy that has been utterly decimated by 60

years of failed left-wing policy. the way you bring manufacturing back to america's number one, you lift the regulations. as president i will repeal obamacare, the biggest job killer in america. i will pull back the federal regulators, the epa, and all the regulators that are killing small businesses and manufacturing. and my tax plan, a very detailed dcruz.org,e website te we get rid of all of the taxes, the corporate income tax and the death tax and the obamacare taxes and the payroll tax and we replace it with a 16% business flat tax that is border adjustable, which means all exports are entirely tax-free the 16%imports pay business flat tax. that's a 32% differential. what that will do, chris, is bring millions of manufacturing jobs back to this country, bring the steel industry back to this country, create an environmt where when we compete on a fair

and level playing field, american ingenuity can beat anyone. but right now, the federal government is not giving us a level playing field. amy: the lead water crisis in flint came up once during last nights debate after fox moderator bret baier asked marco rubio about it. >> what happened in flint was a terrible thing. it was a systemic breakdown at every level of government at both the federal and partially the state -- the state and partially the federal level as well. the politicizing of it, i think is unfair because i don't think that someone woke up one morning and said, let's figure out how to poison the water and hurt someone. but accountability is important. i give the governor credit. he took responsibility for what happened and he is talked about people being held accountable and the need to change, governor snyder. here's the point, this should not be a partisan issue. the way the democrats of try to turn this into a partisan issue that somehow republicans woke up and decided, it is a good idea to poison some kids with lead will stop it is absurd.

it isn't true. all of us are outraged by what happened and we should work together to solve it and there is a proper role for the government to play the federal level in helping local communities to respond to a catastrophe of this kind, not just to deal with the people impacted by it, but to ensure that something like this never happens again. amy: lester spence, you are born in detroit. >> i had use the bathroom when those two guys -- [laughter] what cruz suggested is basically, republican policies warmed over, like you significantly reduce the reduce regulation, significantly reduce taxes. this is where chris is really good. he was adjusting -- suggesting that more money would be gained and actually there was money the line item budget, right, is that it it doesn't work for any set of black populations. any black population, much less the white population.

what is going on in detroit is not the result of failed democratic policies, it is the result of a bipartisan consensus that has been reproduced and crystallized under republican administration. that's it. that's it. you should sort of be able to claim it, but they can't because that is the only policy line they have and they cannot also because the racial resentment that they're using to pull voters, they would require a city like detroit in order to say, ok, that is an example of failed government, vote for us. as far as what rubio suggested, it is clear every bit of doubt we have suggests that, no, we do know it wasn't a matter of the governor michigan saying, damn, really don't like people in flint, i'm going to poison their water. but what we know is in every single city with a significant -- majority black population, they basically, the state has taken it over, rendered broken, dysfunctional.

whether you're talking about detroit public schools, flint, saginaw, whether you're talking about pontiac -- everywhere. that is republican project. amy: we have to leave it there but we will continue to cover all of these issues. the democratic debate is in flint on sunday night. we will be bringing you highlights and response on monday. and check out our website at democracynow.org. we came back recently from flint "thirsty for democracy." lester spence, thank you so much. respect -- professor of political science and africana studies at johns hopkins university. his new book is, "knocking the hustle: against the neoliberal turn in black politics." i think you to brian levin professor at the department of , criminal justice and director of the center for the study of hate & extremism at california state university in san bernardino. when we come back, the murder, the assassination of a leading honduran environmentalist. stay with us. ♪ [music break]

amy: this is democracy now!, democracynow.org, the war and peace report. i'm amy goodman juan gonzalez. juan: honduran indigenous and environmental organizer berta caceres has been assassinated in her home. she was one of the leading organizers for indigenous land rights in honduras. in 1993, she co-founded the national council of popular and indigenous organizations of honduras, or copinh. for years the group faced death , threats and repression as they stood up to mining and dam projects that threatened to destroy their community. last year, caceres won the goldman environmental prize, the world's leading environmental award. in a video released by the foundation, she described how

she helped organize indigenous communities in honduras to resist a hydro dam on the gualcarque river because it could destroy their water supply. klux and more than 150 indigenous assemblies, our community decided it did not want that hydroelectric dam. >> there to file complaints with the hundred government and organized feasible protests in the nation's capital, as her visibility increased the she became a target for the government. dams andounced these were threatened with smear campaigns, prison meant, and murder. but nobody has heard our voices until we set up a roadblock to take back control of our territory. klux for well over a year, the link up maintain the roadblock with standing harassment and violent attacks. tragically, community leader

tomas garcia was shot by the honduran military at a peaceful protest. murdered,these men the community became and it met -- indignant, forcing a confrontation. the company was told they had to get out. here.have 500 people we will defend our lands and not let them pass. the companyis how left our lands, but it cost us in blood. 2015that was a profile of goldman environment apprise wehner berta caceres, narrated by robert redford. excepting the ward, she vowed to continue standing up for the rights for mother earth and indigenous communities.

juan: that was berta caceres speaking less than a year ago which you receive the goldman environment apprise. she was gunned down in her home early on thursday. today, protests demanding justice for caceres are scheduled from washington, d.c., to tegucigalpa, honduras. on thursday, the goldman environmental foundation released a statement that read in part -- "we mourn the loss of an inspirational leader, and will honor her life's work by continuing to highlight the courageous work of goldman prize winners like berta. she built an incredible community of grassroots activists in honduras, who will carry on the campaign she fought and died for." meanwhile, democratic senator patrick leahy of vermont called caceres' death a "great loss for the people of honduras" and warned that the honduran government's inability to protect her would "weigh heavily" on future u.s. aid to the central american country.

amy: last year, a report by the group global witness found that honduras is one of the deadliest countries for environmentalist. according to the report, at least two people working to save the environment were killed each week in 2014. in total, the group global witness documented the murders of at least 116 environmental activists last year. three-quarters of them were killed in central and south america. for more we are going to san francisco, california, where we're joined by berta caceres' nephew, silvio carrillo. he is a freelance video journalist in the bay area. and in albuquerque, new mexico we're joined by beverly bell. , she is a long-time friend and colleague of berta caceres. she's currently the coordinator of "other worlds", a social and economic justice organization. silvio, our condolences. we're so utterly devastated by the death of your aunt. i know you're flying down to honduras. thank you for state for this conversation. can you talk about -- can you significanterta's

and what she was trying to do in her life? >> that is a big ask. she was china do many things in her life. she was trying to be a mother, a aunt, be a human being -- respect human beings. and this is what she did every day for the indigenous people of honduras and across latin america. i mean, she helped coordinate indigenous solidarity networks throughout latin america and around the world. in fact, she was always asked to speak around the world. many people knew her throughout the world stop if you look on social media, there are reactions from everywhere. she was always on the go. go.ow we have to be on the knewis how it is and she

this is how this was going to end. , are theerly bell importance of her work in the role of the honduran government and the current government that exists in honduras? overstates no way to the importance of berta's work. she was working very closely with the democratically elected "refound"zelaya to democracy interesting and this in the same way that she did everything, which was through grassroots mobilization of workers, of women, of significantly indigenous people -- the population represented in the organization as she founded some 20 years ago. she was working for a wholly new form of government in honduras, not just a new government, but a new system whereby people had

the say and the riches of the country would to benefit them, instead of the tiny elite. laya,s for this that mel ze in large part for this, that he was ousted and i must add with very close help of the u.s. governmentberta continue to work for that change for troop participatory democracy that empowered women, empowered lgbtq individuals, that empowered those who have always been left on the margins excluded from political processes and from economic benefits and it was for that reason in part that she was assassinated by the government. amy: in 2013 -- >> with the backing of the transnational corporations that she the group ran that were opposing. amy: in 2013, berta caceres spoke to democracy now! the population today, those

who have been in resistance are challenging the repressive apparatus. but now these people are voting enthusiastically for the libre party that we hope will be distinct from other political parties. this scenario is playing out in ,ll of the regions in honduras women, feminists, artists, indigenous communities. we although how these people of in hard-hit, especially the journalist, lgbt communities, indigenous communities. here there is a policy of the state to instill terror and political persecution to punish the hundred people some people do not opt for the other ways in the for changes to the political, economic situation and the militarization. amy: that was berta caceres and 2013 an. silvio carrillo, you covered for al jazeera, the coup in 2009 in honduras. talk about what happened then,

the also the democratically elected leader zelaya, the president, how that has set the tone for what is happening, the murders that are taking place today in honduras. >> is set a precedent for chaos that the u.s. was apparently, very willing to accept. they did not like zelaya. they thought he was too allied with chavez. and did not overly support the coup, but did not denounce it, either. barack obama was asked about it in the white house and he says, legal.p is not of course it is not legal. no coup is legal. by definition, that is what a coup is, illegal. and they did nothing to help the situation in honduras. clinton -- the state department spokesperson is not even know what to say. it was an embarrassment. they were it not even called out

on it. it was a shameful, shameful exhibition. by the u.s.. and in honduras on the ground, it was complete chaos when zelaya tried to fly back in, i was there when the military sought a boy in the head. they kill temples that i followed the family back to their hometown where they buried him and mourned the loss. there was no justice for the . they never figured out who shot him. it was quite clear it was a military gun that fired the bullet that went into his head. the autopsy for the boy was conducted by the government officials, and no one was there to oversee that. autopsy lastta's night, there was a request from the family to have an independent forensic expert there, and they denied it. you know, it is just a culture where these things happen and

must sadly, that is what it is going to continue to be. juan: beverly bell, really have a minute or so group of gunmen supposedly that brokerage or her home and kilter an initial -- killed her an initial reports from the please it was probably robbery. your sense of whether this was a targeted assassination occurring here? >> this was a targeted assassination. berta caceres received so many death threats, it would be impossible to count them. she lived under constant her nephewas ar said, we all knew she was going to be assassinated. i began writing her eulogy months ago. two is absolutely assassinated. i would like to say the single continues her crime to be held by the government. i just spoke to his wife a few moments ago and they have your released them. they say for questioning, now,

more than 24 hours later. this is a tremendous concern that this man be allowed to leave and go back home safely to mexico. amy: you mention the coup. at the time, hillary clinton was the secretary of state and was very involved in what was happening in honduras. know, i don't know what she was involved in, she was involved -- lanny davis was also involved in getting payments from the honduran government and his closely allied to hillary clinton. this is does this is why was never called an outright push for them to say was a coup. they backed off of that. they did not know what to do. it was a very confusing situation for them, but i think it is pretty clear now in hindsight what they should have done. amy: i want to thank you both for being with us, silvio andillo, the nephew of

beverly bell the close friend of berta caceres.

>> ciao, i am nick stellino. today i picked up a couple of wonderful recipes from my past. we will make stuffed meat loaf, in italian called polpettone, followed by a chocolate butter cake with rum cream sauce. please join me in the kitchen. [lively jazz music] ♪ spicy, just right. >> male announcer: cooking with nick stellino is made possible by domino foods, makers of c&h sugar, pure cane sugar, and makers of domino sugar. we'll always be your sugar. >> male announcer: additional support and appliances provided by electrolux,