12/27/16 12/27/16 [captioning made possible by democracy now!] amy: from pacifica, this is democracy now! >> this is a day of hope, a day of peace. this is a victory for those who believe in a two state solution. this is a totaled effete for those forces of extremism in israel who believe in destroying a two state solution and achieving understanding me aside regime. amy: the united nations security council passes a resolution condemning israeli settlements as a flagrant violation under international law. the u.s. abstained from the vote sparking outrage from the israeli government. >> that is why this proposed

resolution is bad. it is bad for israel, bad for the united states, and bad for peace. amy: we will speak to yousef munayyer of the u.s. campaign for palestinian rights. then we look at donald trump's inaugural plans. >> i can announce the radio city rockettes will be taking part in the inaugural events. and 2005.o in 2001 i have been part of the american culture for decades. they will present -- represent many women from around the country. we are honored to have them take part. amy: however, not all of the rockettes are excited. some are refusing to dance for the president-elect. we will speak to a former rockette and the journalist who revealed the donald trump dangled ambassadorships to lure a-list inauguration talent. why is he having so much trouble? then what will happen when donald trump takes over obama's

drone war program? we will speak with jameel jaffer author of the "the drone memos: , targeted killing, secrecy, and the law." all that and more, coming up. welcome to democracy now!, democracynow.org, the war and peace report. i'm amy goodman. israeli officials vowed on monday to build thousands of new settlement homes on occupied palestinian land in defiance of a united nations resolution passed friday condemning such construction as a flagrant violation under international law. the plans violate security council resolution 2334, which was approved friday on a 14-0 vote after the united states abstained, denying a veto sought by israel and president-elect donald trump. palestinian negotiator saeb erekat welcomed passage of the resolution. >> we hope that this your message to the israeli people is they must accept international committees call to stop

settlement activities, to stop the occupation. occupation and settlements provide no peace or security. the only way to peace and security is through a negotiated settlement to achieve a two state solution. amy: the resolution does not provide for any sanctions against israel for failing to halt settlement construction. it was introduced on friday by malaysia, senegal, venezuela, and new zealand one day after egypt withdrew the measure under intense pressure from israeli officials and from donald trump. its passage infuriated israeli prime minister benjamin netanyahu, who summoned and reprimanded envoys from most of the security council member nations who approved the resolution. netanyahu also lashed out at president obama. >> as i told john kerry thursday, france don't take friends to the security council. i encourage by the statements of our friends in the united states

, republicans and democrats alike. they understand how reckless and have this u.n. resolution was. they understand the western wall isn't occupied territory. i look forward to working with those friends and with the new administration when it takes office next month. amy: the obama administration previously sided with israel at the united nations vetoing a , similar security council resolution in 2011 that would have condemned israeli settlement building. the u.s.'s abstention in friday's vote drew criticism from many democratic and republican lawmakers. incoming democratic senate minority leader chuck schumer of new york called the move extremely frustrating, disappointing, and confounding. republican senator lindsey graham of south carolina threatened to cut off u.s. funding to the united nations. we'll have more on israeli settlements and the vote at the united nations after headlines. meanwhile, in the west bank, israeli forces fired tear gas and rubber-coated steel bullets

to disperse a protest of palestinians on friday ahead of christmas celebrations in bethlehem, where christians believe jesus was born. the crackdown came as palestinians -- many dressed as santa claus -- approached israel's massive separation barrier. protesters were demanding unrestricted access to jerusalem. they currently must apply for permits to travel to the city, which borders bethlehem to the north. president obama on friday signed the national defense authorization act, or ndaa, providing nearly $619 billion for war and military spending. the measure passed both houses of congress with a veto-proof majority and will bring troops a modest pay raise while increasing the number of active duty soldiers to more than 1.3 million. the ndaa also restricts transfers from the guantanamo prison guaranteeing that obama , will leave office without fulfilling his pledge to close the prison. meanwhile, press freedom

advocates are raising alarm over a little-known bill rolled into ndaa, which will create an anti-propaganda center. under the act, the state department will actively work to "recognize, understand, expose, and counter foreign state, and nonstick propaganda and disinformation efforts aimed at undermining united states national security interests." a egypt, authorities arrested journalist friday comic using him of disturbing public security and spreading false news. police said hussein would be held for 15 days while prosecutors considered whether to press charges against him. egypt has charged a number of al jazeera reporters with crimes in recent years. last may, a court recommended the death penalty for two al jazeera reporters convicted in absentia with endangering national security. according to reporters without borders, egypt ranks among the worst countries on earth for press freedom, with dozens of

bloggers and reporters imprisoned by the government of president abdel fattah al-sisi. u.s. officials have quietly begun a new program asking noncitizen travelers to reveal the social media presence when entering the united states. on tuesday, u.s. customs and border protection's started providing foreigners on the week -- visa waiver program on the computerized drop-down menu asking for their account names on platforms such as facebook, twitter, and youtube. although the program is billed voluntary, civil liberties groups fear most travelers will feel pressured to complete the forms, and many fear the program threatens free expression and poses new privacy and security risks. donald trump said saturday he would dissolve his charitable foundation before inauguration day as part of an effort to prevent conflicts of interest. but the effort could be blocked by new york's attorney general, who says trump cannot dissolve the charity while it's under

investigation for violating state law. in a pair of tweets monday, trump claimed 100% of the funds raised by his foundation money went to charity. but a "washington post" investigation revealed trump used more than a quarter-million of the foundation's dollars to pay off legal fees associated with his businesses -- which is illegal under u.s. law. "the washington post" also reported trump used foundation money to buy advertisements for his hotels and spent tens of thousands of dollars to purchase at least two portraits -- of himself. meanwhile, donald trump's plans to attract celebrity performers to his inauguration suffered another blow over the weekend after the company that manages the rockettes said its members will be allowed to opt out of a command performance in washington, d.c., on january 20. the decision by the madison square garden company came after the union that represents members of the rockettes initially said full-time members of the troupe were contractually obligated to perform at trump's inauguration.

that prompted a firestorm of protest from the public, as well as from some members of the rockettes. one dancer, phoebe pearl, wrote on instagram in a post that was later deleted -- "the women i work with are intelligent and are full of love and the decision of performing for a man that stands for everything we're against is appalling. i am speaking for just myself but please know that after we found out this news, we have been performing with tears in our eyes and heavy hearts. we will not be forced! #notmypresident" donald trump has struggled to find star performers to attend his inauguration. according to journalist itay hod of the wrap trump's team even , offered u.s. ambassadorships to at least two talent bookers if they could deliver marquee talent to the inaugural. we'll have more on this story journalist itay hod as well as a former rockettes later in the broadcast.

the nation's largest police union is pressuring amazon.com to stop selling t-shirts and hoodies emblazoned with the phrases, "bulletproof: black lives matter" and "hands up, don't shoot." a letter from the police union to amazon ceo jeff bezos accuses the online retailer of selling offensive merchandise from "third party sellers who are making money by exploiting racial divisions in our country." the campaign by the fraternal order of police follows a successful effort to get walmart.com to stop selling clothes with the phrase, "bulletproof: black lives matter" in its online store. in north carolina, a new report finds the state's democratic institutions are so flawed, the state should no longer be considered a functioning democracy. the report by the electoral integrity project points to extreme gerrymandering, voter suppression of communities of color, and the stripping of power of incoming democratic roy

cooper by the power of the republicans. writing in the raleigh news and observer, lead researcher andrew reynolds gives north carolina an electoral integrity score of 58 out of 100 points -- similar to the scores of cuba, sierra leone and indonesia. , speaking on democracy now!, the head of north carolina's chapter of the naacp, reverend william barber, says republicans are fighting to prevent black and brown voters from claiming power. >> i believe all of the pushback we are seeing, the voter suppression, the redistricting, it's because the extremists see the possibility of a third reconstruction. they know if we register 30% of the african-american voter, unregistered voter in the south, and we added that white and progressive whites and latinos, you will have changed the south. amy: in syracuse, new york, four people were arrested outside the hancock air national guard base on friday at a nonviolent protest against the u.s. drone assassination program. demonstrators marked the christmas holiday by dressing as biblical figures and erecting a

20-foot-long nativity scene at the gates of the air base, which is home to the 174th attack wing of the national guard's reaper drone program. the pop legend and gay icon george michael has died at the age of 53. michael was found dead at his home on christmas day of heart failure. the british singer-songwriter became famous as part of the 1980's pop duo wham! when michael came out as a gay man in 1998, his lyrics celebrating all forms of sexuality had already helped change public attitudes on -- toward homosexuality. george michael lent his celebrity to the fight against hiv, helping to raise millions of dollars for aids research. he was also a vocal critic of the iraq war. his 2002 song and satirical video "shoot the dog" took aim at george w. bush and his british ally in support of the iraq invasion, tony blair.

and those are some of the headlines. this is democracy now!, democracynow.org, the war and peace report. i'm amy goodman. israeli officials are vowing to build thousands of new settlement homes on occupied palestinian land in defiance of a united nations resolution passed friday condemning such construction as a "flagrant violation under international law." jerusalem's municipal government says it will approve construction of another 600 homes in jewish-only settlements as part of a project to add another 5600 housing units in the city's east, which was captured by israel in a 1967 war. the plans violate security council resolution 2334, which was approved friday on a 14-0 vote after the united states abstained, denying a veto sought by israel and president-elect donald trump. palestinian negotiator saeb erekat welcomed passage of the resolution. >> this is a day of hope, a day of peace. this is a victory for those who

believe in peace, who believe in a two state solution. this is a total defeat for those forces of extremism in israel who believe in destroying the two state solution and achieving and sustaining the assad regime their building the west bank. we hope this message is that they must accept international community's call to stop settlement activities, to stop the occupation. occupation and settlements provide no peace and the security. in the only way to peace and security for israelis and palestinians is through a negotiated settlement to achieve the two state solution of the to live side-by-side with israel in peace and security. amy: it is the first resolution the security council has adopted on israel and the palestinians in nearly eight years. this is prime minister netanyahu. >> over decades going american a and israeli governments have disagreed about settlement.

but we agree the security council was not the place to resolve this issue. we knew that going there would make negotiation's harder and drive peace further away. as i told john kerry on thursday, friends don't take friends to the security council. i am encouraged by the statements of our friends in the united states, republicans and democrats alike. they understand how reckless and destructive this u.n. resolution was. they understand that the western wall isn't occupied territory. i look forward to working with those friends and with the new administration when it takes office next month. executivef munayyer's director of u.s. campaign for palestinian rights. welcome to democracy now! how unusual is what happened on friday, the passage of this resolution critical of israel? >> it is good to be with you.

it is not exactly unusual. we have seen tremendous agreement in the international community on the illegality of the israeli settlement enterprise. there is a lot of international agreement that the geneva conventions apply to the territory that was occupied after 1967, which makes the transfer of civilians to occupied territory illegal in international law. we have seen that fact affirmed in the united nations to get a council resolutions for years, since 1967, under various american administrations that either voted for similar resolutions or abstain on similar resolutions. the only president since 1967 who, prior to this week, had not done something like that, was barack obama. amy: when we say in the last eight years, that is true because that was barack obama's two terms. >> absolutely. the only veto that president obama had ever used in the

united nations security council was used to protect israel from a resolution that was criticizing settlement enterprise. i think any objective comparative analysis of u.s. presidents since 1967 has to conclude that there has been no president that has done more to protect israel before the international community than barack obama. when you consider that ronald reagan allowed 21 different united nation's security council resolutions critical of israel, including criticizing the bombings of beirut and the siege of beirut throughout the 1980's, barack obama had various opportunities during the sieges of gaza in the bombardment of gaza that took lace under his watch to do so and didn't, you know, these accusations somehow being anti-israel of obama really raises questions about whether those accusations are not about something else that is

unique about president obama. amy: let's turn to samantha power, the u.s. ambassador to the u.n. who invoked ronald reagan when she spoke out explaining why the u.s. would abstain from this vote. >> let me begin with a quote. "the united states will not support the use of any additional land for the purpose of settlements during the transitional period. indeed, the immediate adoption of a settlement freeze i israel could create the confidence needed for wider participation in these talks. further settlement activity is in no way necessary for the security of israel and only diminishes the confidence of the arabs that a final outcome can be freely and fairly negotiated." that is the end of the quote. 1982 by set in president ronald reagan. he was speaking about a new proposal that he was wanting to end the israeli-palestinian

conflict. while ultimately, president reagan's proposal was not realized, his words are still illuminating in at least two respects. first, because they underscore the united states deep and long-standing commitment to achieving a comprehensive and lasting peace between the israelis and palestinians. that has been a policy of every administration, republican and democrat, since before president reagan and all the way through to the present day. second, because president reagan's words highlight the united states is long-standing position that israeli settlement activity in territories occupied in 1967 undermines israel's security, harms the viability of a negotiated two state outcome, and erodes prospects for peace and stability in the region. amy: that is the u.s. ambassador to the united nations, samantha power, explaining the reason the u.s. would be abstaining from this resolution that was passed

by the u.n. security council. yousef munayyer, in fact, netanyahu, the israeli prime minister, is singling out barack obama and making it personal. >> absolutely. what you're seeing right now, and why samantha power in the administration have felt the need to defend themselves by citing ronald reagan come even ause they are being attacked i the right in an attempt right now, and we are seeing netanyahu do this in hysterical fashion since the passing of this resolution, to intimidate any future american elected officials from even deviating the slightest bit from the everywhim and demand of israel's right-wing government. i think that is what you're seeing take place today, not simply because they have an issue with the obama administration, but because they have an issue with u.s. policy and they do not want to see the united states ever supporting

the idea that there should be pressure on israel for its illegal settlements. amy: netanyahu took the extraordinary step of summoning u.s. ambassador to israel, dan shapiro, and told the foreign ministry to summoned the ambassadors of the 10 countries which voted in favor of the resolution -- which have embassies in israel. and now there is discussion of defining the united nations. what does the usa, something like more than 1/5? >> a very large portion of the united nations budget comes from the united states. as i said, there is an effort right now to really intimidate politicians in the united states from ever deviating from the benjamin netanyahu line. thisssue of settlements -- is not controversial. there is an effort now to make this controversial, even though it is very clear in international law and agreed on in the international community by everyone except for the

israeli right wing, that settlements are illegal under international law and arne obstacle to division of an independent, contiguous palestinian state. so there is a lot of theater going on. but i think the important thing about all of this, this resolution and so on, is not so much the language about settlements as much as the language about salvaging the two state solution. the desperation that is expressed in this text about the two state solution dying. when you read that and you consider that the incoming administration, the trump administration, takes a completely different view, takes the benjamin netanyahu view, opposes the idea of a palestinian state, has appointed an ambassador to israel that opposes the palestinian state, supports settlements -- literally --

amy: what do you mean, literally? >> yes dedicated his life's work to funneling money to israeli settlements through raising terrible contributions in the united states. have an ambassador now to israel that is incapable of delivering the message that settlements are an obstacle because he himself has helped create as obstacles. amy: i want to turn to david friedman, the bankruptcy lawyer -- donald trump's anchorage the lawyer who donald trump capped to be the next your semester to israel. in october, he was interviewed on the israeli network i24 news. >> will donald trump recognize as israel's solar capital? >> yes, he said that countless times that he will recognize the city of jerusalem as israel's eternal capital. he will move the embassy from

tel aviv to jerusalem. >> so trump's policies, as far as the israeli-jewish-american voter, why should israeli voters, israeli american voters vote for trump? those who want to see a strong relationship between israel and the united states with no daylight, those who want to see israel protected at the united nations, those who want to see the strongest level of military and strategic cooperation between the two countries, those who do not what is he any daylight between the two countries, those who want to live in an environment where the united states does not intend to impose upon israel as solution to the palestinian conflict against the state of israel, those who want to see jerusalem recognize as the capital of israel, vote for donald trump. amy: that is the bankruptcy lawyer david freeman. normally, people would not care so much what a bankruptcy lawyer had to say on this issue, except

that he has been cap to be the u.s. ambassador to israel by trump. the significance of both this and that move of the embassy from tel aviv to jerusalem, and then this latest news of the hundreds of homes that will be built in jerusalem? >> there's something particularly fitting about putting a bank lawyer charge of this milliliter -- u.s. middle east policy. it is very clear from donald trump's statement, from his behavior, from the donald trump campaign's effort to change the gop platform to include the most anti-palestinian language that we have ever seen in a national party platform that this is an administration that is goingo wholeheartedly embrace israeli apartheid. they're going to give a green light to israeli settlement expansion. they are going to, as the appointee for ambassador stated, move the embassy to jerusalem.

all of these things -- joint amy: what would happen if they did that? >> we will find out. things there are two that we are think about in terms of implications. there's a reaction from the arab and muslim world. and there is reason to think that there's going to be varied reactions to that sort of move. but there's also the very clear u.s. policy toward the israeli-palestinian issue. jerusalem has always been treated as a separate entity, separate issue by u.s. policy. and u.s. policy, since 1947, really -- that jerusalem has a separate status, a unique status that has to be resolved through negotiations by israel he's and palestinians. that is why there is not even an american entity in west jerusalem, let alone east jerusalem. anif you have the move of

embassy to jerusalem, what you are essentially saying is that bipartisan american policy for decades toward the israeli-palestinian peace process has just been thrown out the window. and i think the two state solution, frankly, has long been dead. they've never had a ceremony to bury it. i think if they do move the embassy to jerusalem, they can have that ceremony when they lay the cornerstone for the embassy in jerusalem. amy: i wonder if trump's businesses will be bidding on building that embassy. let me ask about this comment from the spokesperson for the israeli prime minister benjamin netanyahu, david keyes, who told fox news the administration helped push the resolution condemning settlement activity. >> we're rather ironclad information from sources in both the air world and internationally that this was a deliberate push by the united states and the fact they helped create the resolution in the first place.

so it is deeply disappointing that this has been the path of president obama. we are deeply grateful for the military assistance that israel has gotten, but this resolution pushes peace further away. it is no surprise that many senior democrats and republicans have condemned this resolution. amy cozad that is david keyes. -- a makeup that is david keyes, benjamin netanyahu spokesperson, that the u.s. initiated this so we? >> so what? i don't see anything particularly controversial about this. the fact that the israelis are trying to do so, make it so in this -- >> the u.s. adamantly denies it. >> they're doing that because of the way in which this has become the third rail issue. even the slightest bit of criticism of israeli policy has become a third rail issue in american domestic politics. the last thing i would say about

this is, if the israelis want to attach themselves here in the united states, not just to the republican party -- which has been happening for a number of years -- but to the donald trump wing of the republican party, you know, that may be helpful for a couple of years. and in the long-term, i think it will send a very clear message to the american people about this notion of shared values between israel and the united states being quite bogus and being something that most americans who believe in values that are not embodied by donald trump or benjamin netanyahu will ultimately reject. amy:y, thanks for being with us executive director of u.s. , campaign for palestinian rights. when we come back, donald trump is having a hard time finding performing talent for his inauguration. what is he offering to get a-list performers to come to washington?

stay with us. ♪ [music break]

amy: "soul to squeeze," by linda oh. this is democracy now!, democracynow.org, the war and peace report. i'm amy goodman. we turn to the ongoing controversy around plans for the upcoming inauguration of donald trump. according to reports, trump's presidential inaugural committee has undergone a major shakeup in an effort to attract a-list celebrities to perform for the january 20 event. to date, only a few major performers have agreed to sign on, like 16-year-old opera singer jackie evancho, the radio city rockettes, and the mormon tabernacle choir. several others have turned down the opportunity to perform at the event, including celine dion, elton john, and andrew pacelli. >> up a together a list of people who agree to perform your

inauguration. mr. trump: so many great names or, really. i love them both. amy: according to a report published in the entertainment publication the wrap, the trump team not only wanted major talent. donald trump's plans to attract celebrity performers to his inauguration suffered another blow over the weekend after the company that manages the rockettes said its members would be allowed to opt out of performing at the inauguration. the decision by the madison square garden company came after the union that represents members of the rockettes initially said full-time members of the troupe were contractually obligated to perform at trump's the migration. that prompted a firestorm of protest from the public as well as some members of the rockettes. one dancer wrote on instagram -- " "the women i work with are intelligent and are full of love and the decision of performing for a man that stands for everything we're against is appalling. i am speaking for just myself but please know that after we found out this news, we have

been performing with tears in our eyes and heavy hearts. we will not be forced! #notmypresident" those are the words of rockette phoebe pearl who later deleted or message. we're joined now by two guests. autumn withers is a former member of the radio city rockettes. and itay hod the senior reporter for the wrap he covers the intersection of politics and entertainment. his recent article headlined, "radio city rockettes 'appalled' over trump inauguration command performance." we welcome you both to democracy now! autumn, you're a former rockette. what was your response when you heard the announcement that your former dance troupe was going to be performing for donald trump for the inauguration? >> thank you for having me. my first reaction is i had a heavy heart. i felt very disappointed. the rockettes represent the legacy of strong, intelligent,

and classy women. and that really embodies the rockettes brand. so to associate this with mr. trump who is a public history of degrading women, objectifying women, in my opinion, really tarnishes what the rockettes and body and stand for. it cheapens these women. and also what they represent to other women, girls, and aspiring girls across north america. i was really outraged initially. amy: so you are a former rockette. could you say this if you are dancing now? >> know, i could not. amy: what are the rule's? >> when you are an active rockette, any interview with media must go through proper channels of their internal pr department. if you're going to speak about anything related to the rockettes brand. amy: so talk about your union, the american guild of variety

artists. it initially sent the imo to members of the rockettes at was leaked that said "rockettes are obligated to perform a donald trump's inauguration." what was your reaction to that statement? >> anger, because i felt the union was not protecting the rockettes and i understand they were outlining the terms of the contracts that the 12 full-time rockettes have, but i really feel that it represents a community of artists and nation for the artist first and a performer should have to perform at a public event that just goes against everything they stand for. amy: how much dissent is there among your colleagues and former colleagues, the dancers? >> most of my colleagues in the rockettes who are still active performing with the line right now, they are opposed to performing at the inauguration.

amy: the answer to that is, we have plenty of dancers who have signed up voluntarily. do you believe that? >> i think that is a really multilayered and complex question. here is why. you know, when you are a rockette, you are part of a corporation. you are in employee of the corporation. you have less of an artistic voice and you may have as being part of her broadway show are member of a ballet company, let's say. so anything that is ask of you by your employer or by executives who want you on stage in washington, you will feel pressured to accept that. and everything you do while employed plays into being rehired when you do have the real dish and at the end of every year. individually, yes, i think these women are feeling pressure, even though it is a publicly announced it is voluntary. specific to that statement that madison square garden's released, i think that might have been more in interest like any mail of inquiry sent

out to the rockettes saying, would you be willing to think about this or be considered any more details. amy: is there discussion of go totes who do washington and say, take any, like athletes do around the national anthem? >> i don't know. i can't speak to that. i think now that it has been made voluntary carino, i would gently withdraw. if i was in the line and was forced to do it, it is something i would consider doing. amy: itay hod, talk about what you have found in doing your reporting for the wrap on this particular issue, before we go on to what has been day old before agents and a-list celebrities to do the gig. talk about what you found with the response to the announcement last week that the rockettes would be performing.

>> yeah, so i agree with your guest. the fact what we're hearing, at least i've spoken to at least one insider futrell me that -- is,told me that the worry it is voluntary. at the question is, if you don't volunteer, what happens? a lot of the women are perhaps if they don't volunteer, that may affect their chances of getting rehired next year. the question now is that really voluntary or is that just for saving face? that is really the issue right now. i know some people within the group are worried about that. of: and this discussion donald trump's own admission of sexually assaulting women? talk about how that has weighed in, itay hod. >> that is really the basis of

the issue here, right? you are going to have a lot of women who are essentially dancing in front of a man that has not only been bragging about possibly sexual assaulting women, but has also been accused by several women -- about a dozen, who say he did exactly just that. i can imagine how uncomfortable just the idea of having to perform in front of someone like that, when you're obligated to do it and you don't really want of the 72 orw, out so dancers, i think that 36 dancers for one truth, danger, and 36 dancers for the night troupe, i think there are about 13 dancers right now who are contractually obligated to perform. so everything else is voluntary. sort of like a freelance gig, if you will. the question was, what happens to those 13 women who are obligated to perform whenever

the troupe is assigned to perform somewhere? what happens to the rest of the women who may not be obligated, but may feel pressured to volunteer because they're worried they may not be hired next time? that really was the basis of the issue. the union did not side with the dancers at first. then later, after a lot of pressure from the reporting done by the wrap, several other places including broadway world.com and perezhilton, because that pressure, it bubbled up to the service and the statement from anson square garden came out. -- madison square garden came out. now the question is, is there still an issue or is the issue over with? i don't believe it is over with. i think a lot of the women are still feeling the pressure. the question is, what ha madisosquare gardenonto make surheseom don't feel

like they have to volunteer if they don't want to? that they won't be punished or won't suffer any repercussions if they don't come forward or volunteer? amy: itay hod, i want to ask you .bout your article what did you find? >> we got a tip and it sounded crazy a first, but we followed up and discovered the trump team was having such a difficult time finding any a-list stars and you really wanted those a-list stars, that they quietly sort of approached talent bookers around hollywood. most of them are democratic leads. this is hollywood. it is a very democratic area. help order to get them to them book these artists, they promised them -- first we heard about cash possibly government posts. we knew was possible it was and

ambassadorships. we waited until we were able to confirm it him and him we found out that they had offered at least two talent bookers ambassadorships if they were able to help book those marquee names. they were looking specifically for the big names, the katy perry, bruno mars, justin timberlake -- old people who have been very vocal -- all people who have been very vocal during the campaign and some have actively campaign for hillary clinton. trumps teamte denied offering ambassadorships. they said -- that?esponse to you are not naming the people that you spoke to. he said according to the insider, there was no ambiguity over.the investo mastership my first thought was, are you joking? he said, no, but it was serious.

>> the response was expected. my question is, if there's a many people eager, why have we not found any in our reporting and why hasn't anyone come forward? it is possible they're holding these names as a surprise, but so far, we see no evidence of that whatsoever. in fact, what we do know is that few people he was able to wrangle, talking about andreaz boccili another names have said they might purchase a paid and after public -- or dissipate and after a look pressure in the articles came out, sort of backed out. right now all we know is jackie evancho. we know perhaps others will be performing. assuming they will have enough volunteers. there is the mormon tabernacle choir. other than that, we're not releasing those names way head of this inauguration. it will be interesting to see who he is able to get. it is possible they might really

get someone last minute. so far i'm not seeing any evidence of our sources told us they have heard anything of that kind. that is where we see it right now. it will be interesting to see what happens january 20. amy: autumn withers, would you have performed? >> i would not. absolutely not. the rockettes perform at the inauguration, the optics of that contributes to the normalization of the very derogatory things that trump has said about women, and i cannot be a part of that. i could never do that. amy: i want to thank you both for being with us, autumn withers is an actress, writer, founder of hollywood women's collective, was a member of the rockettes,adio city rockettes from 2005 to 2007. itay hod, we will link to your pieces. when we come back, the drone

memos, targeted killings, secrecy and the law. what kind of foundation as president obama laid for president trump when it comes to extrajudicial killings? stay with us.

amy: george michael. he has died at the age of 53. this is democracy now!, democracynow.org, the war and peace report. i'm amy goodman. syracuse, new york, four people were arrested outside the hancock are national guard base friday at a nonviolent protest against the u.s. drone assassination program. demonstrators marked the

christmas holiday by dressing as biblical figures and erecting a 20 foot long nativity scene at the gates of the air base, which is home to the 174th attack wing. marianne grady flores is with ithaca catholic worker. >> drone assassinations in our name. today we say, we remember the message of jesus, which was the message of nonviolence. amy: we turn now to look at what will happen when donald trump takes over president obama's drone war program. joining us now, jameel jaffer, founding director of the knight first amendment institute at columbia university. previously the deputy legal director at the aclu. his new book, "the drone memos: targeted killing, secrecy, and the law." has presidenttion obama built the president trump will inherit? startedpresident obama

escalating the use of armed term, early in his first he had to build a legal and bureaucratic infrastructure for the use of targeted killing, the practice of targeted killing. and that infrastructure now exists for the next president, for president trump to use. the real concern is the lines that the obama administration our lines that can be swept aside by the next administration. these are rules obama administration adopted for itself and it fought very hard to keep the courts from enforcing those rules or even asking whether the rules were the right one, whether they reflected international law or reflected constitutional law. in some ways, the obama administration i think was very successful in carving out this authority, this unchecked authority to use lethal force against suspected enemies.

and that power will not be available to president trump. amy: you begin your book, the introduction, check off -- check off plus drones with a powerful program about what happened in in februaryiod 2016. in a number of different countries. explain. >> i think at this point, most americans don't even notice the drone campaign. this is something that has faded into the background. but in a period of just a few weeks earlier this year, the obama administration authorized drone strikes in seven different countries. it expanded its authorities to use drones or its ability to use armed drones in libya. this is a campaign now that extends beyond conventional battlefields. it extends to not just

afghanistan and pakistan and iraq in syria, but also yemen and somalia in libya. there is no -- there is no legal reason. there is no line the obama administration has drawn that the trump administration will have to honor. i think for the last eight years, americans have invested very broad powers in the presidency because they trusted the president. at the problem with doing that is that the powers that you invest in a presidency will be available to every president after this one, even if you think president obama has used these powers wisely. i have real complaints about some of the ways the a administration has used the powers. and even if you think the obama and ministry's and has used the powers -- administration's use the powers widely, the powers may be used very different lead by president trump or presidents thereafter. amy: explain just what these memos are and how you obtained them. how difficult they were to obtain.

>> the memos that are collected in the book include memos that were released only because of litigation. the litigation was brought to the aclu, in some cases by "the new york times" and in some cases by other journalists. the obama administration fought very hard to keep some of that information secret. -- in fact, at the beginning, the position the obama administration took was that even acknowledging the existence of the drone campaign, technology and the cia's role in the drone campaign would cause harm to national security. that was a proposition the court ultimately rejected. as a result, some of these memos were released. amy: in an interview earlier this year, donald trump said he would continue obama's policy of carrying out drone strikes overseas. mr. trump: as far as drones are concerned, yes, to take out terrorists. i want them to get it right. but to take out terrorists,

yes, that is something i would continue to do. beyond that, i don't talk about it because i do want to be in a predictable. amy: that is donald trump. explain what most surprised you in these secret documents that you got. >> to me, the most remarkable document is the memo that the justice department wrote in 2010, july 2010, to justify the targeting of an american citizen. awlaki, who is in yemen. this crossed the legal rubicon because now we're talking about targeting citizen who is never been adjudicated by a court to or a threat a crime to the nation. so it is all dependent on the administration's determination that this person constitutes a sufficient threat to justify the use of legal force -- lethal

force. that memo -- the thing that is remarkable in that memo, the administration can conclude the justice department can use that not only does the government not have to go to a court before hand to justify the use of legal force, but there's no theirement that administration go to a court after the fact to justify the use of legal force. the administration later on defended that position come a defended the idea that the identification of a target, the determination that particular person constituted a legitimate target was a determination that the executive branch should be allowed to make a loan without oversight, before or after the fact, by any court. i think that is a power the administration that the obama administration may come to regret or people who are in the obama administration may come to regret having claimed because that power will now be available to the next administration.

amy: and in the u.s. administration, president obama, had assassinated the son of anwar al-awlaki. >> there was a strike in september 2011 that killed his son and another american citizen samir khan in two weeks later, instruct 400 miles away, the 16- awlaki. son of anwar to explaint have their actions. i think that is probably the most remarkable claim the obama administration made in this context. amy: and how trump will use this, president trump? >> i should say, i think president obama is been a great president in many different ways. but in this particular context, he has claimed powers that will be abused. it was entirely predictable that they would be abused because the

lines the obama administration drew were elastic. the terms they used were valuable terms -- malleable terms, terms of the obama administration invented and by manipulable.and when the obama administration fought to keep the courts from evaluating the lawfulness of its policies, it was fighting not just for power that it would exercise, but for power that the next administration and the administration after that will exercise as well. amy: let me switch gears to ask you about the son of -- some of donald trump's picks. lieutenant general michael flynn. let's go to a clip of flynn speaking earlier this year about the threat of islamism. >> we are facing another ism naziism and communism. this is islamism. it is a vicious cancer inside

the body of 1.7 billion people on this planet. and it has to be excised. amy: that is general flint, who would be the national security advisor if approved. >> i think there is a deep is shown there. i hope it is not reflective of the way that general flint will approach this job. that is not true. honestly, it is not true that 1.7 billion muslims are islamists. and even of islamist, it is ridiculous to say islamism is a cancer in that way. one of the things the obama administration did that i think was good w abandon the rhetoric of the global war against terrorists, abandon the easy equation of terrorism and islam. i think that was not just

inaccurate in that equation, but also counterproductive. it is worrying to see someone who is going to have such a high position, such an important position in the national security sphere articulating views like that. amy: trump's nominee for central intelligence of the cia, mike -- mike pompeo, said nsa whistleblower ed snowden should be given the death penalty. been up to secure all the american information that we needed to and we have had the traitor edward snowden still of information. you should be brought back from russia and given due process. i think the proper outcome would be that he would be given the death sentence for having for friends of mine, friends of yours who serve in the military today at enormous risk because of the information he stole and released to foreign powers. amy: that is the man a donald trump has chosen to be head of the cia, mike pompeo. you worked with the aclu that represents and snowden.

your response? >> i see this reflective of a theder hostility toward freedom of the press and freedom of speech. president trump were -- during the campaign, donald trump ejected reporters from his campaign rallies because -- his perceptions of their reporting, he ejected protesters from the rallies. he is made the mainstream media into a kind of bogeyman. i see this sort of hostility toward whistleblowers in -- as part of the same pattern. i think that is all very worrying. i hope some of the rhetoric that we've seen during the campaign and over the last few weeks will not turn out to reflect the policies -- amy: we will depart to of that discussion and post it online at democracynow.org. jameel jaffer founding director , of the knight first amendment institute at columbia university. his new book "the drone memos:

, targeted killing, secrecy, and , targeted killing, secrecy, and

♪ hello, i'm hubert keller. i must say each time i'm going to hawaii, i return from the islands totally inspired by the colorful cuisine and the great ingredients that i've seen over there. on today's show of secrets of a chef, i will show you some great cuisine from hawaii. i will show you how to make octopus right at home. we will grill it and then combine it into a wonderful salad with fresh heart of palm, sea beans and a chipotle aioli. then it's a classic hawaiian sandwich, or musubi, made with some delicious rich pork belly and sushi rice flavored with furikake. dessert is a pineapple infused with vanilla beans, soaked in a rum and brown sugar syrup and slow-roasted to perfection. so join me on secrets of a chef today for some great hawaiian cuisine. ♪