09/13/16 09/13/16 [captioning made possible by democracy now!] amy: from pacifica, this is democracy now! >> i have agonized ovever this vote, but i came to grips with it today and i came to grips with opposing this resolution during the very painful yet very beautiful memorial service. as a member of the clergy so eloquently said, as we act, let us not become the evil that we

deplore. tomorrow,ars ago congress voted to authorize military attacks. we will go to the womanan who sd lee,ommerce member barbara in a vote of 420 to one. the professors and teachers walkout from long island university in brooklyn after 400 union faculty are locked out. we are here. we are ready to teach. we are being prevented from doing so by this lockout. amy: we will week with srividhya swaminathan, chair of the english department at liu, one of the 400 faculty members locked out of the campus. we will speak with students.

mannining is on h hunger stririke. wewe wilget t an updatate from e strangio, ststaff attorneyey ate aclu. >> the apparel and the damages of being forced to be punished through the denial of your core identity is something that has , in perilsr depressioion her h health, and something that many transgender people across the country are facing on a daily basis. amy: all of that and more, coming up. this is democracy now!, democracynow.org, the war and peace report. i'm amy goodman. in news from the train -- the campaign trail, hillary clinton says she'll release more medical records after she fell ill with what her doctor described as pneumonia and dehydration. on sunday, clinton was seen abruptly leaving a ceremony in lower manhattan commemorating the 9/11 attacks. video showed her stumbling as secret service agents helped her into a van. clinton says she's feeling much better. yet sunday's episode has set off a wave of speculation about whether the democratic party may

replace clinton as the candidate. this is abc commentator cokie roberts speaking with npr morning edition host david greene monday. >> it is taking her off of the campaign trail, canceling her trip to california -- >> today. >> it has some nervously beginning to whisper about having her step aside and finding another candidate. >> that is no small thing to say. is that a real thing? >> i think is unlikely to be a real thing. i am sure it is an overreaction of an already skittish party. amy: this comes as former democratic national committee chairman don fowler says the democratic party should draft up a contingency plan in case it needs to identify a replacement candidate. on monday, fowler told politico -- "i think the plan should be developed by 6:00 this afternoon. it's something you would be a fool not to prepare for." after the article ran, fowler, who has backed clinton,

clarified that he was only calling for a process to drafted up, not for a replacement candidate to be named. the dnc's rules allow fofor the party to name the replacement candidate ahead of november's election. in more campaign news, donald trump has named former cia director james woolsey to be his senior adviser on national security. woolsey is considered a far-right neoconservative. after the 9/11 attacks, he was a leading voice calling for war with iraq. donald trump, in contrast, has repeatedly claimed that he has been against the war in iraq. donald trump is continuing to attack hillary clinton over her comments friday calling half of trump supporters "a basket of deplorables." this comes as a new video has emerged of a trump supporter punching an anti-trump protester as the protester was being escorted out of a rally in asheville, north carolina, in march one of trump's supporters was caught on video sucker-punching an anti-trump

protester at a rally in tucson. donald trump has said he would pay the legal fees of his supporters who also said the next time he might kilill the protester. that the story in asheville. meanwhile, donald trump's running mate, indiana governor mike pence, refused to call former ku klux klan leader david duke deplorable during an interview with cnn's wolf blitzer monday. >> david duke, for example, other what nationalists, who will fit into that category of deplorables, right? >> well, as i told you last time i was on, i'm not really sure why the media keeps dropping david duke's name. donald trump has denounced david duke repeatedly. we do not want the support of people -- >> you would call him deplorable? >> i i'm not in the name-calling business, wolf. amy: in a major victory for farm workers, california governor jerry brown has signed

legislation requiring paid overtime for hundreds of thousands of farm workers across california. the new laws come after decades of organizing g by the united fm workers of america to close gaps in national lawsws that exclude farm workers from key labor protections. the ufw prevailed despite an intense lobbying campaign by big agricultural companies against the labor protections. the new laws will be phased in beginning in 2019 and will guarantee paid overtime after eight hours per day, or after 40 hours per week. in international news, former british prime minister david cameron has stepped down from parliament. this comes after cameron resigned as prime minister in july, less than a month after britain shocked the world by voting to leave the european union -- a move he'd strongly opposed. cameron had initially said he would not resign as prime minister until october, and that he would continue to serve as a parliament member. but on monday, cameron steppeded downwn from parliament, sayiyine didndn't want to be a distractin for the new prime minister,

theresa may. in brazil, f former speaker eduardo cunha -- who led the impeachment of former president dilma rousseff -- is facing possible arrest on charges of perjury and corruption after he was expelled from the lower house monday. cunha's charges stem from his secret swiss bank accounts, which he's lied about. his expulsion strips him of his congressional immunity. meanwhile, brazil has ratified the paris climate deal. brazil is responsible for emitting about 2.5% of global green house gas emissions. israeli i prime minister benjamn netanyahu has sparked outrage by calling palestinian opposition to israeli-only settlements in the israeli-occupied territories a version of "ethnic cleansing." this is netanyahu in a video released friday. >> the palalestinian leadedershp actually demands that palestiniann state with one precondition -- no jews.

there e is a phrase for ththat. it is called ethnicic cleansing. .nd ththis demand is outrageous it is even more outrarageous s t the world does not find this outrageous. amy: in fact, palestinian leaders have said that jews -- as well as members of any other religion -- good be citizens in a future palestinian state. palestinian leaders hahave long opopposed, howeverer, the israeli-only enclaves that currently dot the israeli-occupied west bank. ststate department spokekespersn elizabeth trudeau called netanyahu's comments inappropriate. >> we obviously strongly disagree with the characterization that those who oppose it settlement activity or view it as an obstacle to peace are somehow calling for f thing of jews from the west bank. we believe using that type of teterminology is inappropriate d unhelpful. amy: tododay is a global day of action against the $3.8 billion dakota access s pipeline, which

has faced months of opposition from the standing rock sioux tribe, as well as members from hundreds of other tribes across the u.s., latin america and , canada. as many as 80 protests a are expected to take place today in major u.s.s. cities including nw orleans, denver, age and -- anchorage and honolulu, as well a as in britain, portugala, japan, and other countries. meanwhile, in north dakota, cody hahall of the cheyennene river x tribe has been released from jail after being held for four days without bail or bond. hall says he was chased down by four squad cars and arrested only minutes after going through a check point on friday afternoon. an arrest warrant had been issued for him over his alleged presence at the september 3 land defense action and for a subsequent protest on september 6. hall is considered a lead organizer in the movement against the dakota access pipeline. speaking to democracy now! hall , said fbi agents visited him while he was in custody, but

that he refused to speak to them. this is hall speaking after he was released on monday. >> i was met with intimidating forces him a bylaw enforcement. they tried to show their flex and break me down mentally and just do those psychological things which i would givive mysf up to know that i w won't b be brokoken down.n. amy: in sports news, the ncaa has announced it's moving its seven championship events out of north carolina for this coming academic year following north carolina's decision to pass the anti-lgbtq law known as hb2, or the bathroom bill. the law nullifies ordinances protecting lgbt people from discrimination and prohibits transgender people from using the bathroom that matches their gender identity. the aclu is suing to overturn the law. in more sports news, nfl 49ers quarterback colin kaepernick and

his teammate eric reid knelt during the national anthem during the first game of the season against the los angeles rams monday night. kaepernick has been refusing to stand for the anthem during pre-season games saying -- "i am not going to stand up to show pride in a flag for a country that oppresses black people and people of color." more pro football players have joined the growing protest -- as many as 18 players, according to "new york daily news" journalist shaun king. on sunday, four members of the miami dolphins took a knee during the anthem. that same day, players with the new england patriots, the tennessee titans, and the kansas city chiefs raised their fists in the air as the anthem played, in a protest that recalled the black power salutes made by john carlos and tommie smith at the 1968 olympics. this is olympian john carlos, speaking monday about colin kaepernick.. >> this is an issue that causes to bring about attention that

these atrocities are still taking place and have been taking place for some time now, and time is running out. we need to come t together r and start trying to resolve these issues. he is bringing attention to them. how did he? the same way we did and 48 years in terms of giving america s shk treatment. that is s the only way they mov, is when you shop them. amy: u.s. olympic gold medalist swimmer ryan lochte faced protests during his appearance on the television show "dancing with the stars." lochte has been charged by brazilian police for falsely reporting a crime after he and his teammates claimed they were robbed at gunpoint during the olympic games in rio. brazilian authorities say the olympic swimmers actually vandalized a gas station and then invented a story about having been ththe victims of a crime. on monday night, two protesters attempted to rush the stage right after lochte's performance of the foxtrot. this is judge carrie ann inaba's reaction. >> you have a long way to go --

excusesee. hey, back off. excuse me. excuse me. excuse me. off. off. excuse me. >> wow. ok. right,ll you what, alall we will take a break. amy: and peace activist stanley sheinbaum has died at the age of 96. he grew up i in new york city te late 1950's, with the south vietnam with the michigan university group which he quit once he realized it was in fact a cia front group. the experience radicalized him and field his antiwar activism. he went on to help ramparts magazine exposed the university group as a cia front in 1966. yes i helped raise funds to defend pentagon's paper whistleblower daniel ellsberg and helped organize to oust los angeles police chief daryl gates after the brutal police beating of rodney king in 1991. as an american jew, he

participated in a delegation in the 1980's that met with yes or arafat and helped pave the way for the 1993 white house meeting the israeliat and prime minister.. he died monday at his home in los angeles. and those are some of the headlines. this is democracy now!, democracynow.org, the war and peace report. i'm amy goodman. we begin today in new york where what may be the first time in u.s. history of the university has locked out professors from campus after their contract expired. this was supposed to be the second week of classes at long island university's campus in brooklyn, but last week the administration barred all 400 members of the faculty union from its brooklyn campus after their contract expired on august 31. the new proposed contract would slash pay for adjunct professors and pay lower salaries compared to those earned by colleagues at a satellite campus. as part of the lockout, liu cut off professor's email accounts and health insurance, and told

them they would be r replaced. in a letter before the start of classes, liu president kimberly cline assured students the lockout would have no effect on the beginning of the school year. but since the semester started last week, classes have been taught by replacement teachers, and many are scheduled to teach subjects for which they have no experience. in what the school later called an error, the university's chief operating officer, formerly a professor of political science, was slated to teach a yoga class. the dean of students for the college of liberal arts and sciences, a botanist by training, was tapped to teach ballet. on monday, students staged a walk out from their classes in support of their locked out professors. democracy now! was there. >> right now we are really rallying for our campus president to get our professors back into the office right now. we want our professors to teach.

it has been almost a week since they have been locked out and we are really upset. we pay a must thousand dollars for tuition. it is unacceptable our professors are not able to teach the students. >> i am the chair of the english department at aumf brooklyn. using a gathering of sympathetic faculty here to support our students as they walk out of class. they are not being supplied with qualified replacement professors as was promised by this administration, which is a testament to the fact you cannot replace an entire faculty. the real faculty are out here. we are here. we are ready to teach and we are being prevented from doing so by this lockout. virginia rodrigues. i was supposed to have a sociology class this morning. nobody showed up. every time i go into a class, they greet you for five to 10

minutes and leave. i have no syllabus. they posted a fake syllabus on our blackboard system from last summer. this is just really disappointing because i pay a lot of money to come to this school. i have two children to support. i cannot afford to take off whole other semester and keep continuing to put my life on hold. it is unfair. hopefully, we get our professors back as soon as possible. >> i did not have class today. i came in basically at 9:00 for no reason. i had no teacher. no one showed up. i want to get what i'm paying for. i want this to end. i feel bad for the teachers. i feel bad for the students. are notrofessors there. administrative staff are trying to teach. it is not working. everyone is walking out. it is horrible. we want ourrs -- professors back. get our professors back.

[chanting] member for 30lty years in the arts department. i am here because this is what corporations are trying to do to education. they're trying to corporate ties and remove the familiar and the important part of learning. >> i have taught in english years.ent promised 20 i just retired. i'm supposed to be coming back to teach part-time. this is breaking my heart. i did tell you, it is a wonderful institution. we have spectacular students, as you can see. this president has very little in the way of academic background. she sees herself as a corporate turnaround artist. that is why the board hired her. the board should be ashamed of what is happening here. liu shame on you! >> i am looking at you.

this should not be happening. why are you walking out? >> i am angered right now. i spent over $100,000 to move to study under my professor, for her to lock them out. i am in my last year. special thanks for that report. those are professors and students at long island university's campus in brooklyn, speaking during a campus walk out on monday. liu's chief operating officer gale haynes told democracy now! in statement that -- "the university will continue to bargain in good faith, with the goal of welcoming its valued faculty back to the classroom upon timely resolution of the contract. during this timeframe, we will remain laser focused on our students beginning the fall semester with little or no disruption to their academic studies." well, for more, we are joined by two guests. srividhya swaminathan is the chair of the english department at long island university brooklyn and one of 400 faculty

memberers locked out of the campus. and kiyonda hester is a social work graduate student and president of activists for social justice, a student organization at long island university. we welcome you both to democracy now! professor, how long a be been the chair of the department of english? >> this would have been my fifth year as chair. amy: what happened? >> it is a very complicated situation, but essentially what happened is we have a president who does not value the labor faculty and believes that we are replaceable -- which is an affront in and of itself. august 31 was the expiration of our contract. the negotiating team was told on that day that if we did not accept a contract, we would be locked out. before the membership was given the opportunity to vote on the contract, we were told by management that we would be locked out of campus. this was clearly a bullying

tactic to force a contract down our throat. the management characterized this contract as fair and reasonable. if that is truly the case, then why didn't they give us an opportunity to vote on it before they decided to tatake these vey drastic step of blocking this out? amy: what were the issues you are concerned about? >> two primary issues, one under the amber alert of economics in one under academic freedom. in terms of economics, there is a petty disagreement with the cw post campus, which is the other main campus that the contract did not address in satisfactory ways. amy: it is on long island. >> c correct. the other issue in teterms of economics was the creation of a two-tiered system that would greatltly disadvantageged incomg adjuncts as well as new hires on full-time e faculty lines. there were also severe restrictions put on after turning capacity. basically, they wanted to take back adjunct pay in order to address the disparityty withh

full-time pay, which is just absolutely unacceptable. the other issue was academic freedomm. this management has attempted more and more to encroach on curricular issues that really are the purview of the faculty. of all ofn violation our shared governance agreements. over the summer, they took aggressive steps to disenfranchise faculty by primitively canceling classes, by putting advertisements on monster.com for replacement faculty -- whole notion you can replace an entire faculty by posting on monster.com flies in the face of what academia is about. amy: labor historians say they cannot recall example of a university using a lockout against their faculty members -- a total lockout. >> that is correct. for all we know, this is the first in u.s.s. history, which s why this has national implications. amy: kiyonda hester, you are a student.

what happened on the first day of classes last week? what classes did you have? >> for me, i had my core classes -- i'm in my second year. amy: required classes. >> yes, required classes. i had my social work for insect science class that ties in criminal justice for the family welfare. i went into that class and the amended straight of person was there and he -- administrative person was there and he is not qualified to teach this. he is than all over teaching about 15 other classes that they. amy: now, the president says you will have equal education. what was the role of the teacher in your class -- what was t the person's position before? >> in administrator. to my knowledge, he does our placements, but he is not qualified to teach that class in particular.

amy: and he told you that. >> he e stated that. yes a a stated he hopepes this l end next week. he attempted to give us knowledge and then we went about our way. amy: what other cases were you involved with or fellow sister students involved with? >> of a friend who is also in the social work department and she was literally in the class next door. she is taking the substance abuse part of the social work department. statingsent an e-mail the room change. they go into the classroom and i actually peaked in, and they have a skype going on with liu post students where the professor was supposed to teach both classes. they never showed up. even though they sent an e-mail calling for room change, they simply did not show up. for me person like, i have no qualified professors actually to teach me.. i'm a student who commutes to liu brooklyn.

i chose to have a: 45 class -- which is hard on a saturdayy coconsidering traffic from the trains in new york and i only chose that class because i knew the professor and the quality of them and how they can teach us and that is not what we're getting at this point. amy: what are your plans? talk about the walkout. >> we actually started rallying up that wednesday. once we assessed the situation, we quickly got together and started then. we have been continuing. we've been trying to send out of and send the mayor letters out to the board of trustees and call them, sent letters to kimberly cline and trying to make as much noise as possible because we of been called by gail haines, the vocal minority. we have been looked at as -- just a few of them who are saying anything, it doesn't represent the 8000 did and said basically on caps on brooklyn. amy: how much is tuition? >> it ranges from $30,000 to

$54,000 depending if you are staying on campus. amy: for the year. >> for the year. amy: p professor, what happenedd when you walked out? you didid't walkout, you're locked out. pay? health care? >> everything g was cut immediately. amy: your health insurance. >> yes. health care, papal stop this is a bullying tactic. we met some temer 62 ratify the contract. this is whwhat we have d done ey contract ratification is the day after labor day. nototed to under 26 to 10 to accept this contract. at which time the administration said the lockout would container -- conontinue. my two majoror issues with the statement is that their bargaining and good faith and that they are laser focused on the students.

neither of whichch s seems to be true. they're not bargaining in good faith. campusions on have no contract. incapable oft is working with labor and sees us fungible e commodities, whicich is deeply prproblematic. if she is in fact invested in the degrees this university is climbing to granant, how c can e then d divided the degrees the faculty has been training people in order to get these degrees? it seems very counterintuitive to me. amy: in a statement supporting the liu union faculty memberers, american federation of teachers president randi weingarten wrote -- "long island university's hostile action to lock out faculty rather than deal with the fact that it pays its brooklyn faculty less than their counterparts is a slap in the face to its students and their teachers. the university would rather act like a tough guy and bully its faculty than meet its academic obligation to its students and confront a moral obligation to not pay one set of educators less than another."

talk about -- well, whwhat are e demographics of the students at cw post long island -- and long island, liu's long island campus, versus liu in brooklyn. >> they're quite different. postemographics at the cw pulled from the demographics of long island. it is a suburban campus. so they don't have the same degree of diversity that we have on the brooklyn campus. by diversity, i mean a broad range. not just racial, but also gender diversity, also diversity in age as well as diversity and immigration status. we have a lot of first-generaration collelege stududents, a lot of c childrenf immigrants, immigrants themselves coming to the brooklyn campus. we are the united nations o of college campuses in many ways. the post cap is does not have the same degree of diversity -- which i find very problematic existsan a pay disparity

between the campuses. amy: liu has a page on its website dedicated to updating information about the lockout. the school addressed the issue of teacher salaries in contract negotiations, writing -- "based on the most recent contract, the brooklyn faculty and adjuncts are well compensated when compared to peers at other institutions within the tri-state area and nationally. average salaries for liuff faculty at liu brooklyn outperformed 80% of peer four-year master's colleges and universities across the united states in academic year 2015-2016." the school also describes its reason for the lockout, saying -- "while the lockout instituted by the university is an isolated incident, five out of the last six contract negotiations have resulted in strike votes by the liu brooklyn faculty- including one lasting nearly two months. a strike situation -- which appeared to be inevitable as the faculty authorized and publicized a vote this year in may, before active negotiations

were even underway -- would clearly compromise our ability to keep tuition affordable. in the interest of providing stability for students, the university was forced to develop a contingency plan -- bringing in a qualified and temporary teaching staff to ensure classes could start as scheduled." your response to that? >> the entire state andnd his rebel with falsehood. five out of the last contract ended in a strike is a falsehood. we did not strike in 2000. we did not strike in 2006. we do have a history of striking. if you go to our union website,, you can pull of a history of when and how we have gone on strike.. place in this one took 1985. there have been several contract since then. that is falsehood number one. the second is, don't look at comparable institutions. look at your own. if there's a pay disparity between two campuses, it is irrelevant what other institutions are making. moreover, they are stealing from the adjuncts to pay the full

timers will stop it is robbing peter to pay paul. a soundt strategy. she tells she has a $30 million for the campus and surplus funds will stop she describes them as surplus funds, and then turns around and says she cannot pay the faculty. i think if you look at what the administration is paid salary also telling.i the idea of pitting faculty against the students as though if one gets sosomething, the otr doesn't, is -- amy: what are your plans? >> do not have health insurance will stop the organize has -- the union has organized for information about cobra. we were given information about cobra from the administration. even with that, we were giviven false information. the reason was given as a result of reduction of hours. it was their action against us. we have also filed for unemplployment. which is what we are allowed to do in the event of a lockout. i have never filed f for

ununemployment in my l life. it is galling to have to do so. i spent eight years working on a masters and a phd. i just achieved full professor status. i don't even know the the status of that. amy: what are your plans as a student? >> we're going to continue to stand behind our faculty and rally outside and demand to end this lockout. we a ask everyonone to support - all family, friends, parents, everybody to come out. amy: thank you for being with us, srividhya swaminathan, chair of the english department at long island university brooklyn. and kiyonda hester, student and organizer at liu brooklyn. when we come back, woman 15 years ago who said no to war on the floor of the house. we will hear her speech and speak with her, congressman barbara lee. ♪ [music break]

amy: "what did you learn in school today," by pete seeger. this is democracy now!, democracynow.org, the war and peace report. i'm amy goodman. this week marks the 15th anniversary of the september 11 attacks. thousands gathered in new york this weekend f for a solemn ceremony marking the anniversary of when two hijacked airplanes crashed into the world trade center. memorials were also held at the pentagon and at the site in western pennsylvania where a hijacked plane crashed on september 11, 2001. well, right afteter the attacks, the bush administration demanded from congress the legagal authorization to usese military force against those they deemed responsible for the attack, thus beginning the war on afghanistan. the senate soon approved the authorization for use of military force by a vote of 98 to zero. in the house, it passed d 420 to 1. the lone dissenting vote was

democratic representative barbara lee of california, who , three days aftfter the 9/11 attack voted "no." , this is the speech she gave on the floor of the house. > september 11 changed the world. our deepest fears now haunt us. yet i'm convinced that military action will not prevent further acts of international terrorism against the united states. this is a very complex and complicated matter. now this resolution will pass, although we all know that the president can wage a war even without it. however difficult this vote may urge the uses must of restraint. our country is in a state of mourning. some of us mustst say, lelet's p back for a momenent. let's pause for just a moment and think through the

implplications of our actions today so that this does not spiral out of control. voteave agonized over this , but i came to grips with it today. and i came to grips with opposing this resolution during the very painful, yet very beautiful, memorial service. as a member of the clergy so eloquently said, as we act, let us not become the evil that we deplore. amy: that was democratic congress member barbara lee of california casting the sole dissenting vote against the authorization for use of military force, ththat vote september 14, 2001 -- 15 years ago, tomorrow. after her speech, she was inundated with insults and death threats. she reportedly needed around-the-clock bodyguards. less than a month later on

october 7, 2001, u.s. submarines -- the afghanistan war was on. it would become the longest war in american history. 15 years later, the obama administration conontinues to ue the same military authorization for attacks. for more we go to capitol hill where congress member lee joins us from the cannon rotunda. she is chair of the congressional progressive caucus peace and security task force, former chair of the congressional black caucus. we welcome me back to democracy now! your thoughts 15 years after you gave that speech and cast that loan dissenting vote on the floor of the house? back tomy thoughts go that horrific day, and of course, my thoughts go out to the families and of the victims, to the communities that were devastated by this horrific attack. so we always have to stop and

pause and thank our first responders and those who really came to the aid selflessly of those who are in harms way. i voted against that resolution 15 years ago because it was so broad that i knew it was setting the stage and the foundation for perpetual war. and that is exactly what it has done. i actually asked the library of congress to conduct a study into to resent to us the unclassified version of how many times and where it has been used. it has been used over 37 times everywhere in the world. it is time that we repeat that blank check. otherwise, we're going to continue in the state of endless war and the american people minimally deserve their members of congress to debate and vote either up or down for a new authorization. 15 years is much too long to use as legal basis to wage war everywhere the world.

amy: how are you try to organize that repeal, congress member lee? a defenseime we have authorization or appropriations bill, he for us, i offer amendments to either deny funding until we have a new authorization to repeal that authorization or to repeal that authorization until there is a new authorization within 90 days. i am very pleased we are able to -- we received up to 160 something votes for such a measure them as low as 135. believe you me, that is a lot better than just one. i think what you see now is really bipartisan support building for the repeal of that resolution. plus, the public has demanded that we have a debate and vote. it just takes time. we need to do this and do it quickly. we have spent over $1.7 trillion.

our young men and womenen contie to be in harms way. there is no end in sight. the american people deserve for congress to do their job and that is to debate and vote up or down. amy: that same authorization is being used today by the obama administration to bobomb syria? >> i''m sorry, what did you say? amy: the same authorization used to attack afghanistan and iraq is being used to attack syria? >> yes, it is. it has been used in yemen, somalia -- it is been used for guantanamo. it has been used for wiretapping. it has beeeen used for everythi. what we're saying is we have a new war in syria and minimally, congress should be straight with the mecca people and debate the cost and consequences of it. this 2001 resolution is the legal basis the administration says gives them the blank check or gives them the legal basis --

i say it is a blank check, to use force and continue with military action. i must say, amy, president obama over a year and a half of with estimated authorization to speaker boehner, gnostic orion, will not even bring that resosotion up. whether you agree or disagree with it, and i do not agree with it because it did not reveal the 2001 resolution, but one where the other we should have brought forward to the floor to be debated and voted up or down or to amend it or make it now or -- to fix it in a way that members who would vote for would vote for. amy: i want to get y your respoe to reduction jan at, former mayor of new york last week, defending donald trump's statement or donald trump himself, i should say, but saying that the with should take the oil from iraq. this is former new york city mayor who is a top adviser to

trump, making his remark on abc's "this week." >> he said leave the forced b bk there and take it. >> take it and make sure it is distributed in a proper way. >> that is now illegal, is it? >> of course it's legal. it's war. until the war is over, anything is legal. amy: your response to what donald said about taking the oil from iraq? a that doesn't sound like global leader, first of all. that is very dangerous. how do you take anything from any country. we need to really look at what it entails in terms of a conference of strategy to dismantle and finally destroy isis. going into countries taking oil -- he said we are in a state of war. i guess the rules of war for donald trump mean anything. but i think there are some rules that need to be looked at. so i think that was a statement that the american people really

should hear, should know, and i'm glad you replayed it does that just shows you how dangerous it is if donald trump were to be in the white house and have his hand on not only the button to trigger a nuclear war, but also just in terms of how he would solve the current wars the need to really begin to understand and come upup with a comprehensive strategy to end. amy: you have endorsed hillary clinton. she voted for the war in iraq. your thoughts on this and what it would mean if she became president? >> well, i think when you look clinton's first of all experience with regard to foreign policy -- first of all, she is said that was a mistake. i have to take her at her word that she believes it was a mistake. even thohough the bush administration put out all of this information that was really bogus, was not true with regard to weapons of mass destruction in the rack, -- in iraq, they

sent secretary colin powell to the united nations. the fear tactic was being used. some members of congress, you know, bought into that. that was just wronong. when you look at what took place during that period, action had a resolution as head, hold up, let's not authorize the use of force in iraq until the un's inspectors complplete their job. let's determine if there are weapons of mass destruction in iraq. i only got 72 vovotes on that amendment. it had that passed, had we held up, i'm certain that those members who voted for that, including secretary clinton, would probably say, let's step back for a minute to look at what is really the truth and what is taking place because now the un's inspectors have found there are no weapons of mass destruction in iraq. amy: i know you have to go, but i wanted to ask you about the concerns about hillary clinton's health and what you make of the kind of drumbeat being built right now.

she says she has pneumonia and was suffering from dehydration, has taken a few days off she says from the campaign trail. but there's a whole discussion going back to the former head of ae dnc fofowler to set up position of their has to be a new presidential candidate chosen. can you address these issues? >> first of all, we wish secretary clinton well. it sounds like she is making a very speedy recovery. of course, the issue arounund disclosing health records and being transparent about one's health condition when you're running for president is extremely important. and her campaign has responded forthrightly about the mistakes that were made and the delays and what have you. but i think we need to move forward, hopefully, donald trump will submit his medical records. the debate must go forward. i am hoping the american people

really understand the issues that a are before us today as it relates to global peace and security, as it relates to an economy that works for all, as it relates to ensuring the bigotry and hatred that is being spoken throughout our country, that we come together and unify and speak up in terms of our american values. and that is the debate that needs to move forward. amy: congress member barbara lee, thank you for being with us, democrat of california and chair of the congressiononal progreressive caucusus peace and security task force. former chair of the congressional black caucus. .hank you so much, compass member lee is author of house bill 1303, which would repeal the 2001 authorization for use of military force, or aumf. she cast the lone vote in congress against the measure in 2001. when we come back, what has happened to chelsea manning? why has she gone on hunger

strike in prison? stay with us.

amy: this is democracy now!, democracynow.org, the war and peace report. i'm amy goodman. we turn now to imprisoned army whistleblower chelsea manning. on friday, manning began a hunger strike to protest her prison conditions. in the statement, she said she would only consume water and medication until she's provided of dignity,ndards respect, and humanity." she's demanding a written promise from the army that she will receive medically prescribed recommendations for her gender dysphoria. manning is serving a 35-year-sentence in the disciplinary barracks in fort leavenworth, kansas. she has been subjected to long stretches of solitary confinement and denied medical treatment related to her gender identity. in an interview published by the

guardian last month, manning said -- "i am always afraid. i am still afraid of the power of government. a government can arrest you. it can imprison you. it can put out information about you that won't get questioned by the public -- everyone will just assume that what they are saying is true. sometimes, a government can even kill you -- with or without the benefit of a trial." well, for more, we're joined by chase strangio, staff attorney at the aclu. he represents chelsea manning in a lawsuit against the department of defense. chase, welcome back to democracy now! talk about what is happening with chelsea in prison right now. >> after six years of being locked away by our government, chelsea has used really one of the only forms of protest available to her, which is her body, to draw attention to the ongoing abuses that she has faced. on friday, she began a hunger strike, which he has made clear will continue until she receives written assurances from the

government that she is not only going to be treated proroperly r her gender dysphoria, but the ongoing harassment and abuses against her commentating most recently with the charges brought against are related to her attempted suicide,.. amy: let's go to chelsea manning's ststatement announcing her hunger strike. she said -- "i have decided that i am no longer going to be bullied by this prison -- or by anyone within the u.s. government. i have asked for nothing but the dignity and respect -- that i once actually believed would be provided for -- afforded to any living human being." she goes on to say -- "i do not believe that this should be dependent on any arbitrary factors -- whether you are cisgender or transgender; service member or civilian, citizen or non-citizen. in response to virtually every request, i have been granted limited, if any, dignity and respect -- just more pain and anguish." so tell us, chase, about the last few months. chelsea attempted suicide. is that right?

>> on the week in a july 4, chelsea attempted to take her own life. she was unsuccessful in that attempt and ultimately conveyed to us she was happy to be alive. but during her recovery while still under medical observation status, she was served with him in a straight of charges from the prison indicating that she would be punished for attempting to take her life. just yesterday she was formerly served those charges and will be facing an administrative board on september 20. that does reflect the ongoing pattern of abuses she is experiencing, even when she goes so far as to decide that the only agency she had left is to end her love. her survival itself becomes a mode of punishment. amy: talk about her life in prison in leavenworth every day. >> chelsea is incredibly strong and resilient person unable to navigate so much. but i think what she is being faced with is the prospect of another three decades in prison being treated with this ongoing

surveillance, punished for toothpaste, punished for books, punished for not properly writing her name in her books every time, and also being told repeatedly that despitite the medical recommendatitions of the armies of providers, she will not be treated with the health care she needs. despite the fact in our filings before the court of almost two years ago, we indicated she was at a grave risk of attempted suicide a possible susceptible suicide, they have attempted to not follow the treatment protocols recommended by her provider. amy: i want to turn to a clip from then-secretary of state hillary clinton in december 2011, the day before army whistleblower private chelsea manning went on trial for passing hundreds of thousands of documents to wikileaks. mrs. clinton: i think in an age and so much information is flying through cyberspace, we

all have to be aware of the fact that some information, which is sensitive, which does affect the security of individuals and relationships, deserves to be protected. and we will continue to take necessary steps to do so. amy: that with hillary clinton. years ago when she was secretary of state. chase strangio, do you think chelsea manning as suffering for what -- for the release of documents? >> i think chelsea's expense in prison has been in ongoing set of her tawdry actions by the government from her treatment at quantico to her denial of health care to the ongoing scrutiny she faces. she is summoned who put her life on the line for things he will end. i think as a society, we have an obligation to stand behind her as she continues to suffer the consequences of that. amy: i want to switch gears and

ask about what is happening in north carolina. v very in aclu lawyer involved with this case. the ncaa has announced it is moving its seven champa to events out of north carolina for this coming academic year following north carolina's decision to pass the anti-lgbt nullifying protection of information and prevents transgender people from using the bathroom that matches their gender identity. the aclu is suing to overturn the law. can you talk about what is happening and what has developed? >> there's a lawsuit challenging hb2 as does the us against north carolina. we have had a partial luminary injunction, so the law cannot be enforced by unc power three clients in the case will be moving forward to trial and we will also appeal to our other case to the fourth circuit. right now what we're looking at is right before the election you have governor mccrory another

legislators digging in, defending this law. you have increased momentum from the business community, in particular, litigants to jewish and's -- ncaa, nbaba -- saying e will pull our events from north carolina. this is incredibly important. othersn't a message to states that if you go ahead and try something like hb2, you're likely to face the severe economic conseququences that noh carolina has faced as a result of their law. amy: have you been encouraged by the kind of activism that is -- has responded to hb2? >> it is encouraging to see corporation standing up and others with strong support from north carolina. that is important message to other states. what is most encouraging is incredible mobilization of the trans community and allieses on the ground who have the local naacp and the moral desk led by reverend barber and world monday's bringing attention to the ways in which this type of

action by north carolina state legislature is deeply connected to the other restricted voting rights measures, the racism you see coming out of that north carolina general assembly. realwe're having is a mobilization across movements to recognize the ways in which the most vulnerable people are being shut out of public life. amy: i want to talk about the murder of transgender women across the u.s. this year, by some estimates, as many as 20 transgendeder woman have bebeen killed so for this year including 28-year-oldld raymond thomas am a a black k transgendr woman who was fatally shot by her mother's ex-boyfriend in columbus, ohio, last month. family members say the shooter, james ellenberg, frequently made transphobia comments to a and sometimes called her the devil. there are now reports that another transgender woman may have been murdered over the weekend on the west side of chicago. the woman's friend said at a vigil on monday night "people

don't know what we go throughout here. they don't see the struggle of being transgender on the west side. it is crazy. i just want justice for my friend." the chicago police have confirmed a body was found on sunday, but have not released details.s. cacan you talk about violence against transgender people? >> what we're seeing is a complete escalation of violence against trans people, particularly black transgender women. this is something we're seeing escalating over the last two years post of about 20 trans people have been murdered this year. it is impossible to extricate this escalation of violence from the anti-transgender sentiment we are seeing in state legislatures come a litigation. in texas, lawswsuits are been filed by state officials arguing that treating transgender people constitutes material cooperation with evil. that is a direct quote. meanwhile, you have individuals

perpetrating heinous acts of violence, calling transgender people the devil. these things are connected. the people who will suffer the most are the black and brown transgender women who are living very seriously situated as the violence escalates. we want to thank you for being with us, chase strangio staff , attorney at the aclu. he represents chelsea manning in a lawsuit against the department -- and to gone. that does it for our broadcast. i will be speaking this thursday in new york. democracy now! is looking for feedback from people who appreciate the closed captioning. e-mail your comments to outreach@democracynow.org or mail them to democracy now! p.o. box 693 new york, new york 10013. [captioning made possible by democracy now!]

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