12/08/17 12/08/17 [captioning made possible by democracy now!] amy: from pacifica, this is democracy now! >> look, people are in the streets. there are checkpoints. there are demonstrations. people are also being killed, assassinated by the apparatus of the state. there is a massive protest of society because of the lack of transparency in the electoral system. amy: the political crisis continues in honduras as the government is still refusing to release the results of the presidential election that pit november 26 u.s.-backed

president juan orlando hernandez against opposition candidate salvador nasralla. massive protests erupted after the government-controlled electoral commission stopped tallying votes when the count showed nasralla ahead. we'll speak with former honduran president manuel zelaya, was ousted in a 2009 u.s.-backed coup. he now heads the opposition libre party, part of the coalition, alliance against the dictatorship. so democracy here. we are suffering repression. people are being persecuted. is no duethere process. there is nothing. , thenthe coup d'etat changed all of the laws. amy: president zelaya in a democracy now! exclusive. then, "the dangerous case of donald trump: psychiatrists and mental health experts assess a president." we will speak with forensic

lee,iatrist dr. brandy organizer of the yale duty to warn conference. all that and more, coming up. welcome to democracy now!, democracynow.org, the war and peace report. i'm amy goodman. in california, nearly 200,000 people have been forced to evacuate as drought-fueled wildfires tear across southern california. climate experts say the intensity of the winter blazes is linked to climate change. the fires caused the intermittent shutdown of the 101 and 405 freeways. nearly 150,000 acres have been scorched so far by the fires. authorities have warned residents to stay inside because of the dangerous air quality caused by smoke and cancerous ash from the fires. but a number of farms have stayed open, sparking concerns that farm workers are laboring in hazardous conditions without proper equipment. on wednesday, volunteers handing out free protective masks to farm workers say they were

kicked off some farms, despite the fact that the pickers were asking for the safety equipment. tens of thousands of palestinians protested in the west bank and gaza strip following president trump's announce he was recognizing jerusalem as israel's capital and initiating a process of moving the u.s. embassy from tel aviv to jerusalem. dozens of palestinians were injured as israeli soldiers crackdown on the protest. at least 16 protesters were hospitalized. control of jerusalem is one of the most contested issues between israelis and palestinians. the israeli military seized control of east jerusalem in 1967, and has occupy the territory ever since. palestinians have long seen east jerusalem as the capital of their future country. the un security council is meeting today to discuss president trump's announcement a top palestinian official has now said vice president mike pence is not welcome to visit the

palestinian city of bethlehem in the west bank during his scheduled visit later this month. democratic senator al franken of minnesota is resigning after being accused by at least seven women of groping them or forcibly trying to kiss them without their consent. >> today i am announcing that in the coming weeks, i will be resigning as a member of the united states senate. i, of all people, am aware that there is some irony in the fact that i am leaving, while a man who has bragged on tape about his history of sexual assault sits in the oval office. and a man that has repeatedly preyed on young girls campaigns for the senate with the full support of his party. but this decision is not about me.

it is about the people of minnesota. amy: minnesota governor mark dayton is expected to appoint lieutenant governor tina smith to replace senator franken. republican arizona congressman trent franks has announced he's also resigning, after learning the congressional ethics committee is investigating him for sexual harassment. multiple female staff members say franks asked them if they would give birth to his children because he and his wife were having trouble conceiving. franks is one of the most conservative members of congress, part of republicans' far-right-wing freedom caucus. meanwhile, republican utah congressmember mia love is calling on her fellow republican congressmember, blake farenthold of texas, to resign following revelations of his 2014 sexual harassment settlement with a former aide. former usa gymnastics doctor larry nassar has been sentenced to 60 years in prison for possessing tens of thousands of

images of child pornography, including images of infants. nassar has also admitted to sexually assaulting women and children and is awaiting sentencing in two separate trials. dozens of female athletes, including members of the u.s. olympic gymnastics team, have accused him of penetrating their vaginas with his fingers and covering up the abuse by pretending it was part of a medical treatment. in alabama, a number of african american lawmakers are planning to campaign for democratic senate candidate doug jones, who is running against republican candidate roy moore in the contentious december 12 special senate election. among those who are planning to campaign with jones this weekend are new jersey senator cory booker, alabama congress person terri sewell, georgia congress person john lewis, and former massachusetts democratic governor deval patrick. jones is in a close race against roy moore, who has been accused by at least nine women of sexually harassing or assaulting them when they were teenagers. one as young as 14.

moore has repeatedly been endorsed by president trump, who is holding a rally today in pensacola, does four days before the special election. pensacola is just 20 miles from the alabama border and in the same media market as mobile, alabama. president trump will be in pensacola this afternoon. white former police officer michael slager has been sentenced to twenty years in prison for murdering unarmed black motorist walter scott in north charleston, south carolina, in 2015. video footage shows scott was unarmed and running away from officer slater when slager opened fire, shooting scott eight times in the back, killing him. the video was captured by a bystander. an investigation by the center for investigative journalism in puerto rico has revealed that nearly 1000 more people died in the 40-day period after

hurricane maria hit puerto rico, compared to that same time period last year. these findings sharply contradict the september 20 storm's official death toll of 62. meanwhile, nearly 90% of schools have reopened across the island, following protests and political pressure from parents. but parents whose children attend the schools that still remain closed are concerned they may never be reopened and that the storm may be used to further privatize education. >> i am a father of a child. we're here right now at the department of public education if we canrico to see resolve the issue with the goes that has kid been closed. right now we don't have an answer as wyatt has been closed. even though it didn't have any

structural damage. amy: protesters flooded the streets thursday for a national day of action protesting the federal communications commission plan to dismantle landmark regulations that ensure equal access to the internet. protesters demanded the net neutrality rules stay in place at more than 100 rallies coast to coast, including here in manhattan. >> my name is ellen. i am fighting for net neutrality, which will be voted on next week. if the fcc gets their way, they will have more control over the internet. it will cost everyone more. and the only one who benefit will be big business. it will hurt small businesses, individuals. and once again, the trump administration is helping the top 1% and the corporations, and hurting everybody else. amy: two african american democratic congress members, john lewis of georgia and bennie thompson of mississippi, say they will not attend the opening

of a new civil rights museum in jackson, mississippi, in protest of president trump's planned attendance saturday. in a joint statement, the lawmakers said -- "president trump's disparaging comments about women, the disabled, immigrants, and national football league players disrespect the efforts of fannie lou hamer, aaron henry, medgar evers, robert clark, james chaney, andrew goodman, michael schwerner, and countless others who have given their all for mississippi to be a better place." congressmember's john lewis and bernie thompson wrote that statement. in new york city, hundreds of people rallied outside the brooklyn courthouse thursday to demand courtrooms prohibit undercover immigration agents from arresting people at or in the vicinity of courthouses. attorney. immigration i am also a member of the defenders here in new york city. i'm here today because

joining all of the public defenders in our city to demand that our city courts, the courts and our state, our free from the president -- presence of ice. what is happening right now, ice is arresting and really high numbers. a lot of the plants we are representing for. the fact is, the immigrant community here in new york no longer has the trust that they need to have in order to be able to access justice in courts. amy: in california, advertisers are pulling their business with the award-winning alternative newspaper "the l.a. weekly" after it was bought by a shadowy group of male investors, who fired every editor and all but one writer on staff last week. "the l.a. weekly" is a long-running left-leaning newspaper in los angeles. but the new owners, who refused to even reveal themselves at the time of the mass firing, are conservative investors based in orange county, some of whom have donated heavily to the republican party. and football player colin

kaepernick accepted the puffin/nation prize for creative citizenship tuesday night for having sparked a movement against racism and police brutality across the nfl and beyond after refusing to stand for the national anthem before nfl games. >> i would like to say at this point in time with freedom of speech and freedom of press being under attack in so many ways and so many forms, the nation institute and the work that journalists and reporters are doing right now is more important than it ever has been. you truly are the pathway for the people to see the truth that is going on. so in thisoment of time, my message to all of you is, continue to speak just and unjust, regardless of the consequences and the backlash. we are with you. we need that tree. continue to spread that treat for us because people need to know what is truly going on so we can game plan as far as how

to fight against these oh press of forces. amy: that is football player colin kaepernick being honored at the nation institute gala. and those are some of the headlines. this is democracy now!, democracynow.org, the war and peace report. i'm amy goodman. in honduras, the political crisis continues as the government is still refusing to release the results of the november 26 presidential election. the election pits u.s.-backed president juan orlando hernandez against opposition candidate salvador nasralla, head of the alliance against the dictatorship. massive protests erupted over the weekend after the government-controlled electoral commission stopped tallying votes when the count showed nasralla ahead of hernandez by more than 5 percentage points. after the delay, the electoral commission then claimed hernandez was ahead, sparking protests in as which as many as 11 people were killed and others

to attain. earlier this week, the honduran police mutinied against the government, saying it would no longer enforce a curfew and crackdown against protesters. well, on wednesday, we spoke via democracy now! video stream with manuel zelaya, who was president of honduras from 2006 to 2009 before he was ousted in a u.s.-backed coup on june 28, 2009. he is now head of the opposition libre party, part of the coalition of the alliance against the dictatorship, which which is led by the opposition presidential candidate salvador nasralla. we spoke the democracy now! video stream. i began by asking president zelaya to describe the situation in honduras right now. >> look, people are in the streets. there are a million people in the streets. there are takeovers.

there are checkpoints. their demonstrations. people are also being killed, assassinated by the repressive apparatuses of the state. there is a massive protest of society because of the lack of transparency in the electoral system. calling oure candidate who is now president-elect, we are calling for a count of all polling places. there are only 18,000 polling places. that can be done in a matter of four days. so the people can regain calm. on the data the state itself put out, the supreme electoral tribunal, the alliance of opposition against the dictatorship on the day of the election, the tribunal said thead a 5% lead with 71% of

votes counted. with 57% counted, the alliance already had a 5% advantage. them was 71% have to, the 5% trend was maintained. 71%. it was a 5% lead and growing. now than the system went down to three days. they say that their server was overloaded. that is like putting three needles into a room. how is a server going to be overloaded with so little data? the server can take billions and billions of pieces of data. so three days, the vote count was stopped. then there was a change in the server. and we were told they had reset when we asked to the backup, and it was all lost.

then it was resumed and we were told 29% left of the vote to be counted, we were losing. people were indignant. that -- withe fact respect to honduras, they control the country. they control the media, the private enterprise, the churches, the military, and they are silent. it is very striking is a twofold discourse. amy: president zelaya, what are you calling for right now? >> at this time, we are asking for two things. first, for people to stay firm and stay in the streets. because if we don't defend what we have won at the polls in the streets, hundreds of institutions have been co-opted from the coup d'etat. there is no rule of law. we're suffering repression. there are human rights

violations. there is no due process. since the coup d'etat, the u.s. has done what it wants with this country. they have all of the laws. this is a military state with iraq, andcolumbia, afghanistan. that is what is happening in honduras. there done away with guarantees. what is being done in this country is unjust. we're calling for people to defend themselves in the streets the polls, we at defend in the streets. and second, the little bit of institutional framework that the --te has, well, theoas let's count the 18,000 polling places. review thet's reports on the votes. but that is manipulative. let's actually look at the vote. the votershere

signed and see if the signatures on the reports of the votes coincide with what is on the actual vote. we're asking for something that is very -- this is a sensitive demand and we think the community should support democracy in honduras. we want peace in honduras. amy: are you calling for a full recount or a new election? we know that salvador nasralla won the election. in a matter of six months. we had an alliance with the libre party that was founded after the coup d'etat. injured into an alliance with him. he is practically a tv personality and sports journalist. and in a matter of six months, with happiness and dancing in all of the towns with music, he won the elections. we defeated 130 years of

bipartisan rule in honduras. the people defeated them because of the poverty, the misery, the violence, the people could not put up with anymore. so the elections were won. they recognize it the day of the elections. it was in the press worldwide that the alliance hadwon the election. and today, silence. here.see the voice of the church, the military? they react only when the united states gives them the order. amy: president zelaya, the u.s. state department certified the honduran government has been fighting corruption and supporting human rights, clearing the way for honduras to receive millions of dollars in u.s. aid. this came just a few days after the election took place on november 26, in the midst of the

dispute. can you talk about the significance of this? ago, theone month united nations organization in geneva that looks out for human rights involved honduras. and footage roughly on the list of countries that violate human rights. just one year ago, they assassinated berta caceres. they went to assassinate her and the dust it indicates the masterminds of this crime are being protected by the state. nonetheless, the state department comes out with these things. the state department is a very political organization. they protect the dictators who are their friends. nonetheless, in honduras it has been clear, well, in the last six months, there has not been an ambassador of the united states. the ambassador of the united states is like a governor. it is like a state that is under

the dollar. we find it shameful that state department is so indifferent to the honduran people who are suffering. there have been 12 assassinations in the last 48 hours. we're under a state of siege. they have declared a state of siege against the protest. there catching the votes under a state of siege with color present state in honduras. -- highly repressive state in honduras. amy: what is the united states doing behind the scenes, president zelaya? >> they want to leave the dictator in, endorsing a dictator. amy: how do you know that? what is it doing to ensure that? the organization of american states put out a report mostlyay, which is , about how the operational side of the elections are being held. is ahe oas, well, this

report that must be analyzed with the state department as well. and they say clearly that the oas cannot consider the results put out by the election tribunal to be reliable. they are saying the current illegallyis being reelected. they violated the constitution. they have assaulted the institutions of the state. they carried out a fraud. they did not want to carry out the census. since they were not able to win at the ballot box, they are now manipulating the count system. the oas are to put out a report that we find very satisfactory. based on that report, today we will be presenting challenges to the election. we will be calling for a general count of all of the votes. now, if the state department

would like to rectify its physician, they should go along with us that there should be account. ,f the current president won then what is wrong with having a recount? let's have a count. what is the problem? if the electoral tribunal says you won -- they're all employees of the presidency -- is have a public count in front of cameras and television and international organizations. until they say everything is transparent. i would hope it would be. and i would hope that can happen in coming hours. amy: that his former honduran president manuel elias ousted in 2009. we will be back with our exclusive interview with him and then talk about the dangerous case of donald trump. psychiatrists and mental health experts assessing the president. stay with us. ♪ [music break]

amy: one of the most politically outspoken bands in honduras. after the 2009 u.s. backed coup, they became known as the band of

the resistance. this is democracy now!, democracynow.org, the war and peace report. i'm amy goodman. now to our exclusive interview with the former honduran president manuel zelaya, ousted in the 2009 u.s. backed coup. the political crisis in hunter's is continuing as the government still refuses to release the results of the november 26 presidential election that hit the u.s. backed president juan orlando hernandez against opposition candidate salvador nasralla, head of the alliance against the dictatorship. massive protests erupted over the weekend after the government-controlled electoral commission stopped tallying votes when the count showed nasralla ahead of hernandez. i asked if he thinks the u.s. is still running the show in honduras. i have no doubt about it, amy. and you know why? because i was president of the country. they tried to run everything.

their opposition is what took me out of power. the coup d'etat against me was planned in miami. i know here they run the churches. not all of them. not all of the pastors or priests. but they finance the main churches, evangelical churches as well -- not all of them, but most of them. run the large owners of the media corporations. they feed them a line day after day. and the military only them because they were trained by them at the school of the ericas. it now has another name, but graduates are throughout latin america. private business, well, if you're going to be a business person and make money in

honduras, you have to have a good relationship with the u.s., have a be set. anything the united states has, it is a law for the private sector here. if they say go into the business, they will. they run a transnationals, private sector, churches am a the major media. not just here, but around the world. the major difference roberts answer to the u.s. line. and that is what it dismisses it for them to reflect upon what they're doing to small country like this is incredible. but they're not going to be able to govern. -- people willis be in the streets. joseone is shouting "out orlando hernandez, the president." has nasralla been speaking to the u.s. government? >> yes, quite a bit. they have been meeting with

them. but they want salvador to sign an agreement with the president to review vote reports. salvador has refused because he knows it is a trap that they are trying to lead him into. they want just a partial review. that is obviously not enough. amy: and what does nasralla say to that? what is his response? is the same that i am giving you all step i have spoken with him. i am the coordinator of the alliance. he is the candidate and the president-elect. the answer is, let's have a general count and have the people in the streets. amy: can you talk about general kelly? general kelly, who is this white house chief of staff right now the formerly the head of south

com. do you see him playing a role in the honduran election? please extend my greetings to general kelly. he came here several times. i did not meet him personally, but i know who he is. when he was the head of the southern command, head of southcom, he was given responsibility over hundreds. he exercised a great deal of influence in the changes in the country. president obama said it was a mistake to put the military in charge of drug trafficking because their armed forces are going to become contaminated. general kelly made a mistake of getting the armed forces involved instead of involved in defense, there are involved in security. that is a big mistake because the military have a patriotic function to defend and support security, but not be the first line on sick dirty. inhe is currently

responsibility. and he could you see the difference in the trump administration involvement in honduras and the obama administration, clearly involved , that coup against you toppled you, president zelaya, in 2009? there is less hypocrisy with trump. he is more direct about what he's going to do and he says it. under the previous administration, there was a lack of sincerity in the words. so anyway, we like this but trump is very repressive. he is very cold and harsh. he only sees the world from the standpoint of business. beings,that we, human in the eyes of god and the eyes of the law, have the same value. this is what jefferson said and what washington said and what the u.s. constitution says. he lacks humanity.

amy: dcn connection with between the two interview in 2009 in the violence that has grown in honduras -- do you see a connection with the coup between you in 2009 and the violence that has grown in honduras? is a global village. everything is interrelated. you are here after the coup d'etat and you experience the tragedy of honduras. since then, those who carried out the coup and removed me have been governing. i organized the people. we have now defeated them. at the polls, and a civic manner, without violence we defeated them. they have the weapons. and of course, they changed the state. they turned it into a military, repressive state, violator of human rights. and there is no more respect for due process. they have introduced new laws. there's a law on secrecy. i had a law called -- a law for

access to public information and for transparency. and a law on citizenship per dissipation. -- or dissipation. and now they are -- popular consultations are by the juridical government. they say there are elections with the elections are not the essence of democracy. you are presented a piece of paper with a bunch of photos and you market. that is not the full extent of democracy. making decisions is democracy. it is not accepted here come almost 10 years after the coup d'etat. of death squads, people are being massacred, we haven't seen that before in this country. that is a result of the state

instead of seeking to be democratic, well, it is simply centralized power in mated authoritarian and military. indicated in the reports, the amount of drugs coming through honduras has tripled. of course, now there is directly military control over the country so it is easier for the drug traffickers in an open democratic system. now there is too much control by the security forces, therefore, the drugs go through very openly through honduras. of course, all of that has been the result of the control that the united states came to acquire after the coup d'etat. right camember, auto through. came through the acquisitions against honduras. even so, we won the elections. controled states took

after the coup d'etat and they've done a very bad job running the country, the economy has been low, the violence has grown. violence went down in the six months leading up to the elections. well, that was clearly an indicator that those who are violence and control, those producing the violence are those who -- why? because there is elections. after the elections, the violence will come back. a plan colombia. amy: are you are the passage of the berta caceres human rights act in the u.s. congress that would cut off military aid to honduras until human rights violations stop? >> yes, i agree with passage of the burda berta caceres -- berta

caceres human rights act because e we need to have an investigation. amy: having the organization of american states, the oes alarm observation mission, said the tight margi -- president zelaya, what is your response to the former bolivian president? look, he is a mafrom the far right. of the cia. few works with them. he informs them. of as vice president dictator in bolivia. in bolivia, he appears to be

critical of the system. here he has come to defend a dictator. a traitor forever. amy: in "the wall street journal," there was a opinion doingthat said you are the bidding of venezuela, president zelaya. it is also what the pr firms in washington that represent the honduran right are trying to say. what is your response to them? >> i did not know the venezuelans until i became president of honduras and i met hugo chavez. my record as a citizen is well known throughout my entire life in honduras. i am a democratic minded man. i am a pacifist. i don't use weapons. plus, i have a clean record throughout my life. my private life.

my public life, my administrative life. no one can have any doubts about me. in terms of my thinking and my ideology and my ways of thinking , i share directly with all --ple struggling for justice venezuela, the people of bolivia, central america, the ecuador, thea, --ple of mexico, the people the sandinistas all have struggled against dictatorships for centuries. that is consistent with my way of eating. defend that revolutions in the african countries, the middle east are putting up with so much

pressure by the empire. i am a defender of just causes and i identify with that. because of that, they say i have some affinity with the people. it is true. the struggle being carried out by nicolas maduro to defend his natural resources that the united states wants to recover oil for the oil wells and the european companies as well, is a just struggle of the venezuelan people and i am with nicolas maduro in that struggle because the actions carried out by the united states against venezuela are public. the obama decrees against venezuela is public. the aggression by trump saying he's going to invade venezuela is public. we latin americans and caribbean's, hispanic americans , just as we defend immigrants in the united states, we also defend people who fight

for change here in honduras i began a process of change and they took us out by bullets. and it was the latin american left the defendant me. at that time, the right united but as a matter of hypocrisy. within months, those who carried out the coup here said they don't want change anywhere in the world, not even in the united states. there was a candidate proposing democratic socialism. similarly, we had a proposal along the same lines at the opposition alliance. is denyinged states reality. they might stop changes momentarily, but changes of human kind cannot be stopped. we continue going forward, of the forces that

historically have tried to keep things as they are. humankind has gone through all sorts of change -- war, revolution, peaceful demonstrations like gandhi as jesus christ taught us. we are involved in that. in those causes is a matter of public record. i come from a right-wing already. but in a resizing power -- in exercising power at the top realized we needed to teachers.orkers, the , wanted -- i brought chavez presidents of mexico. i maintain good relations with the united states. you might not believe me, but center with chavez. they wanted to destroy chavez because he wanted to free these

people from the oppression of that transnationals, the military and the transnationals. the u.s. and european military that,rial complex with they've gone to destroy the middle east. we have anti-imperialist principles and anti-capitalist principles because capital is good. it needs to be developed. private enterprise plays a fundamental role in the history of our peoples. the private sector. own agricultural businesses and so one. but capital was created by man. it is not possible capital is dominating human beings. here they want to run the nations. they want to run the states. they want to oppress and exploit the peoples. i am a businessperson. but the role of a businessperson is to drive the economy.

not to guide the nation. the nation should be guided by common sense and reason. and that is democracy. for thisgrateful opportunity. i see this is not coming from the coup d'etat. we are resisting with force. it maintained its position the rest of our lives and we see the people who are on the right side of history. the peoples like the concept of god, the people is justice, the people is transparency. the people is calling for justice, demanding justice. want to judge me or criticize me for these views, they may do so. amy: would you say salvador nasralla shares your views? . in large measure, he is a fair man. he is a man of the right, but he is a fair man. into an alliance and said we're going for

participatory democracy because representative democracy is a betrayal. it represents a betrayal of the people who need to be involved in consultations. a socialist, but he is a progressive man. that is why he was our candidate and that is why we won the election. the people were able to pick up on his message. amy: president zelaya, the police refusing to enforce the curfew for president hernandez? thehere was a mutiny in special mmando group, the cobra group, rebellion. that then spread to all of the civilian police. there was like 24 hours of rebellion. logically, these are disciplined espirithat have their d'cor. it since two messages.

your governing poorly. we want clean elections and we want the winner to be recognized as the winner. obey the going to president when he orders us to lash out against the people. they are sisters and brothers. and they said, we're not going to repss the people. they demand transparent elections and vote count. stepped back.have they reached a specific agreement. but they left a revolutionary message with the people. it is a group that is with the people. we have confidence and we're grateful for this is sort of gesture on the part of the police, unlike the military. the military are the ones who are killing us. they should reflect upon this because they, too, a persons of the people. amy: finally, what do you see happening from this went on,

president zelaya? >> asked general kelly. i already told you what we're going to do. whate going -- i told you salvador nasralla is doing. we are calling on the people to defend themselves and the streets, to take to the streets. if they do not defend their defend inhat we don't the streets, we are not going to feel to defend in the institutions which is co-opted and controlled by the tyranny that has been established in honduras and the sport of the state department. in the state department, to conclude -- i ask you, you in the united states, you're a major responsibility in the world. you have the weapons, power, the technology, some of the greatest strides in science. don't do this to these people. stop supporting a fraud in honduras. allow us to act democratically.

we want to have a good relationship with the united states. but in this way come all that is done this for the u.s. to get a poor image, worse than it already might be. amy: that his former honduran president manuel zelaya who was ousted in a 2009 u.s. backed coup. he was speaking to us from tegucigalpa, honduras. he has the operation libre party, led by salvador nasralla, the opposition presidential candidate. the honduran government controlled election commission still refuses to release the final results from the election nearly two weeks ago. you can go to democracynow.org to see all of our honduran coverage, including the coverage inhis return to honduras 2011 on a plane from nicaragua. this was after he was deposed and then returning to honduras after the u.s. backed coup. when we come back, we will be

talking about the dangerous case .f donald trump stay with us. ♪ [music break]

amy: "if i was president" by l.a.-based band las cafeteras here on our democracy now! studio. this is democracy now! i am amy goodman. we end today's show with growing questions about president donald trump's mental health. on wednesday, trump slurred his speech and mispronounced words during an address on israel. allo let us rethink assumptions and open our hearts and minds to possible and possibilities. and finally, i ask the leaders of the region, political and religious, israeli and palestinian, jewish and christian and muslim, to join us in the noble quest for lasting peace. thank you. god bless you. god bless israel. god bless the palestinians. and god bless united states. thank you very much. amy: white house press secretary

jack reese reynders -- sarah huckabee sanders responded thursday to questions. physical for the first part of next year. the full physical that was president's garter take place at walter reed. those records will be released by the doctor following that. amy: this comes as "new york times's" chief white house reporter maggie haberman commented on trump's behavior when she was interviewed on cnn last week. >> something is unleashed with them lately. i don't know what is causing it. >> you see a difference in the past days and weeks? >> the last couple of days tweets have been -- >> unhinged. >> markedly accelerated in terms of seeming a little -- amy: last month, pentagon leaders told a senate panel they would ignore any unlawful order by the president to launch a nuclear strike. the testimony came as part of the first congressional hearings

in more than 40 years on the president's authority to start a nuclear war. this is connecticut democrat chris murphy. for more, we are joined by someone who has led a discussion of mental health professionals who are concerned about president trump's psychological instability. dr. bandy lee is a forensic psychiatrist on the faculty of yale school of medicine and an internationally recognized expert on violence. she edited the book, "the dangerous case of donald trump: 27 psychiatrists and mental health experts assess a president." the book became a best-seller when it was published in october. it sold out over and over again. dr. bandy lee, welcome to democracy now! what are your concerns and are they increasing? >> we have been concerned about the mental stability of the president as well as his since -- pretty much since his campaign, but heightened since his election.

i have been flooded with phone messages --ail's, emails, messages since morning after the election. much of my profession has silenced because of what is called the goldwater rule. amy: explain the goldwater rule. not tohiatrists are diagnose a public figure without having examined them are silly and gotten consent -- personally and gotten consent. the psychiatric association has modified its own interpretation of the rule and march of this year to basically say that psychiatrists are not allowed to say anything about their speech or behavior, even in an emergency. i felt that actually went against the ethical principles of our profession. i held a conference in april to discuss the ethical rules and

invited robert jay lifton as well as other renowned the members of my field. only about 20 people showed up to a large auditorium. basically, they were afraid. they were afraid of being targeted metoo justly by the president or physically by his violence prone followers. andwhen the news got out the national and international mental health of professionals got in touch with me. and now we are in the thousands. amy: the movement is called the duty to warn movement, your conference. what does that mean? >> the phrase comes from a california case which has been litigated hundreds of times compared to the goldwater case, which was only litigated once.

but our profession in general has a duty to report, a duty to warn, and a duty to take steps to protect potential victims in the case of danger. and we as mental health professionals routinely screen for a risk and are involved in preventing violence, as well as intervening. with collaboration with security forces, generally. so when we have information that would cause as to suspect danger, we do have an obligation to intervene. amy: so you have just left from capitol hill. your urging lawmakers to call for an urgent mental evaluation of donald trump. >> yes. usually when there is a sign of danger, it is an emergency. what we're doing is we contain the person, remove them from access to weapons, and do an

urgent evaluation. this is what we have been urging for with regard to the president. he has shown a number of signs showing proneness to violence, incited violence and the past. here shown an attraction to oflence as a coping strategy his own. he has taunted hostile nations with nuclear power. , and our, the risk minds, is quite high. amy: i want to ask you, there are those who are really questioning the duty to warn movement. there is the disability blogger who said bigotry is not a mental illness. done was a piece that was .y noah feldman if you can respond to some of this criticism? with ae often confused nonprofessional group called a

duty to warn. we are national coalition of mental health professionals who believe in the duty to warn as a principle of our profession because we have an obligation not just to our individual s, but also to the public. immigrant richard freeman wrote -- your response? notental impairment is mutually exclusive with criminal responsibility. in fact, only about 1% of murder cases are deemed not guilty by reason of insanity. what we're seeing is the combination of mental disability

, instability, and criminal mindedness actually makes one more dangerous. so we are basically just warning about danger. we're not making diagnoses. you're calling for an evaluation. i hear that mr. trump is undergoing a physical exam in january. i hope it includes a screen for mental capacity. the capacity to serve. the basic ability to take incorrect information and advice when needed, to process that information to make sound, logical decisions based on fact and real consequences. amy: as we wrap up, how does this relate to the issue of impeachment? >> in my mind, well, that is really not my area. my expertise is in medicine and psychiatry and violence prevention. but when i met with the lawmakers, it seems that while

the 25th amendment would be the only area that deals with , evenential disability that is a political decision. in other words, in courts or for legal bodies, we give our expert opinion based on medical data, but all we do is give recommendations. the disability or unfitness for duty, these things are still legal decisions. it seems in this case, it would be a political decision whereby it can play a role. amy: we will do part two of this discussion and put it on our web exclusive at democracynow.org. dr. bandy lee forensic , psychiatrist on the faculty of yale school of medicine, and an internationally recognized expert on violence. editor of "the dangerous case of donald trump: 27 psychiatrists and mental health experts assess a president." happy birthday carla wills! democracy now! is looking for feedback from people who appreciate the closed captioning. e-mail your comments to outreach@democracynow.org or mail them to democracy now! p.o. box 693

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