amy: tread water. paul.birthday prince this is democracy now! democracy dog. >> last week north carolina lawmakers repealed house bill 2 the new law but faces criticism and ncaa is eighing whether tournament games should be allowed in the state again. understood the new law ransgender people will be able to use the bathroom matching ender identity but phraoupbs governments are prohibited from enacting antidiscrimination 2020 and it hrough denies employment and house eing protection to the lgbtq communities. amy: to talk more about the law we are joined by refuse repbdz president barber

seni seni and president of the naacp of north carolina. we take about the anniversary of dr. king's anniversaryech 50th in north carolina we wanted to get your take on what is taking right now in north carolina with the repeal, kind and there new law put -- this now will you 1 142. the part of what we hope is that the nation understand how we got first of all, this hb2 deal was passed by an all white jim crow publican caucus and i want to sayay ithat by senate leader tim burger and house leader

floor in north carolina. secondly, it was passed as an just like the oy attempt in north carolina some years ago to do the marriage amendment. it was passed w wedge issue during the elelection. amy, that has 15 times passed that have been found unconstitutional. this is the same legislature the all white republican caucus that passed the worst voter iscrimination laws in the country and worst redistricting aws since the 19th century which have both been found unconstitutional. sameme legislate that denied in north xpanansion carolina. people need to understand that this is a pattern. the hb2 law, we never referred law because throom that was a ploy. the goal was to split the off.sgender community there is an antiwork bill and

anti antiaccess to the court bill for even heterosexuals because since 1985 citizens of north carolina could bring employment iscrimination cases to the state court. hb2 removed that. it took away the ability of phraoupbsities to -- phaoupb municip municipalities to raise wages offhand transgender bill. is note so-called repeal a repeal. it is a trojan horse and capitulation. it puts a moratorium on equal rights. 1/2 years municipalities can't pass or livingination laws wage rules. after 3 1/2 years certain laws passed if the legislature gives permission on municipality hat or that city or county. that is a violation of equal

law and it nder the is not a compromise and it is not a repeal. a capitulation and trojan horse. what about barber, the issue of the prominent role he naacp has taken in this issue and do you think what the toil rights community can do keep the pressure on the ncaa to able to keep the pressure on north carolina? other groups as well. the first thing we have to frame right. i think progressively we have to be careful of using the language started this.who they wanted us to call in a athroom bill so we didn't look at how it was an interlocking of bring ces that can communities together. one thing we have said our role look at the bill in the totality. not just one community.

they want to highlight that we should light the fact that it is antiworker, antitransgender, nti-gay and antiaccess to the court. even disableded veterans and health row sexuals were hurt by hb2. the ncaa has a task force where examining whether or not we will call for a full escalation and boycott of north just because of the same legislature attempted to strip power from the incoming governor which is thing that confuses you why would the current governor sign just fought a battle and are fighting a battle of the same legislature trying to strip from him? we are saying that because this refused tolature has follow the court in redrawing and having a ines special election because we have an unconstitutionally

legislature, because he way they tried to arrange a legislative coup and stack the hb2 and implications of and this appeal we are boycotting a full-blown and we have already basically aid we would not put forth bringing our own national convention to north carolina. amy and juan, this is very serious. when we start saying that you can put a moratorium on civil rights, that should cause every north carolinian outrage and concern. start saying that we are going to give to a state to say yes the power or no to local municipalities ho want to engage in nondiscrimination laws, who want to increase their living wages citizens. that should trouble us all. we should see there as a civil issue, as a moral issue, as a gay issue, as a worker's

issue, as a bad piece of legislation that all people against.e >> i want to turn to the words of dr. martin luther king. 50th y marks the anniversary of his ground breaking speech against the ietnam wararn new yorkrk city's riverside church. he delivered that speech april 1967, a year to the date before he was murdered. there is part of what he said. >> i speak as a child of god and poor ofto the suffering vietnam. i speak for those whose land is laid waste, whose homes re being destroyed, whose culture is being subverted. america or the poor of who are paying the double price f smashed hopes at home and dedeaths and corruptption in vietnam. i speakak as a cititizen of tht worldd world, f for the world a as it path we aghast at the

havetaken. ii speak as one who lovesmerica to the leaders of our own nat n in on,he greatnitiatate therar is ours -- this wars thephreurbtctive to stopttust be os. amy:e callethe unit states purveyor of violence in the world today. the i have walalked amon desperat rejecd and angry told them thaave m cocktai an rifles would n solve tir problems. my deesto offer them compason while maintaing my convicti tt social change ost meaninglly through action. t they ask, and rightly so, what about vietn. they a of our ownation asn't using massive doses of

violenceoo solve its problems. bring abouthahanges it wanted. -hit heions li m i knew i uld n raise voicagaiainsthe vlence in the ghettos whout havg first spoken clearly to the greatest purveyor of violence in the world today, my own government. dr. martin luther king speaking at riverside church april 4, 1967. more about the speech we are still joined by dr. william arber president andnd senior lecturer for pairers of the breach. e delivered a sermon at riverside church sunday commemorating the 50th dr. kiking's beyondd vietnam speech. the severalen he delivered was is not an option. can you talk about the significance of what dr. king he said it, even is inner circle, reverend

barber, saying don't speak against the war in vietnam. you have the president of the united states lyndon johnson your figure and simple and voting rights act passed. sing is not your war but said know -- but king said no and gave the speech. >> yes, he gave the speech, i a prophetic sermon and was killed exactly one year later. ut he was very clear that you tri-un er separate the everyone of racism. militarism. e knew that the prophetic role of the preacher or religious eader or moral leader is to challenge the soul and the heart of the nation. if you listen to his voice and words, he is very clear. vincent harding, who helped him draft that particular speech and

some say that something like 150 newspapers wrote articles the next week, even civil rights organizations passed resolutions against him. unions did the same thing. not all but some. know that there was one place the nation magazine stuck with him but many pulled away. his own staff. he understood that we had to challenge. he questition is and the reason we a are at the press club toda is because repairs of the breach and we are convening the souls poor folk auditing america years rs after the -- 50 after the campaign challenged racism. inch -- materirial inch and morality. he went into the poor people's and the question today is where are we on the same issues? when we we on racism see 22 states in this country based systemic race

voter suppression laws and we have fewer voting rights 1965 with then in gutting of the voting rights act. we have a e when he second highest level of child overty and exorbitant and extreme inequality with wages. use are we when we hardly the word poor in our public and political conversation? when we just a few weeks ago saw an out of control kill 200 trike innocent citizens and some citizens were killed during the iraq war that we into.d never have gone where are we when we talk about expanding a bloated military and spending some $54 billion if we use that in a war against poverty and call for health care and education we could do so much for. we when we just saw debate on a

fundamental human rights issue and argue that it was wrong to provide people healthcare and wanting to engage worst attacks on the poor we have seen since the war on poverty? need a serious audit but also we need and action. we cannot are saying just remember dr. king agenci's actions. we have called for the national moral revival poor people poor campaign to start in audit, ginning with this the audit leading to action and the audit will be chaired by forbes the former a lawyer riverside and and economist and dr. tim tyson is a renown historian. we are bringing economists and legions -- theologians and scientists and poor people to

not just how we remember but reengage and reinstitute the campaign with everything including civil disobedience disobedience. >> i want to ask you, you will be moving on from where you are later in the week going to memphis where dr. king feels a year after that speech in riverside church. thead gone there to support sanitation workers who were on strike in memphis. go there to to $15 an th the issue of hour. can you talk about that? >> as a powerful coming together king -- that is one reason he people feel it because was bringing together the nti-war movement and poverty concerns. we will be there first at the -- m to train clench clergy and there about the then gn and moral revival

we join the fight for $15, black even in memphis today in the south today the states are still in the south. the same states that passed suppression laws do not have living wages, many have expansion and have the highest rates of poverty. $15 as though for cities a those workers are demanding the $15 and are challenging the strufrpls legally and otherwise. he fought yesteryear but we ust bring it alive today and remember 50 years later we still do not have a living wage. one thing dr. king. he said you could give him meal.s but it piece he wanted the government to provide a living wage because he

it was government policy that created slavery and disparity and he knew that people needed a living and racism t wars the hindering us from doing right thing economically. that is why we are going to lead in memphis rrow around some of the same issues that we have to decide we are merely glorify and -- glamour rise the raises what are we going to do with what he said today. thanks so much for being with us president and senior of the and president north carolina naacp. speaking to us from the national ress club in washington before he goes to memphis where he and others will hold a news 9:00 a.m. today at tomorrow mocracy now!

norm chomsky and we will talk to him about the speech. when we come back we go to cairo cairo, egypt to speak. egyptian president is in washington to speak with president trump today. stay with us.

>> president trump is scheduled to welcome egyptian president the white al-sisi to house today. he is a former military general president to tian visit the white house since egypt's s 2011 revolution. rose to power in 2013 through overthrowing p egypt's first freely elected ed morsi. mohammed the trump administration says it ly address the human rights record. was said invite being a did

as tens of thousands rot in jail and torture is the orders strange way to build a strategic relationship. sisi resident trump calls him.tasticic guy meeting he was reportedly the first world leader to congratulate presidency ning the in november in a phone call. comes musharrbarak was freed from pitcher. he 88-year-olds left the military hospital in cairo and returned to his hohome in the northern suburbs. we go to cairo where we our correspondent. welclcome back it democracy y n. the oyou talk about significance of meeting today in he white house between

abdel-fata al-sisi and president trump? >> i i think first it is importt h he has presideded over the repression in and inith many in prison exile. torture, killing, forced disappearances. journalists prosecuted and sentenc draconian low limiting limiting freedom. nd airwaves purged of opposition po opposition voices. egyptof people think ththat has stabilized somewhat. nadin sensor which is a promine humidity rights organization its doors were forced. they put out a report government abuses just in the month of march alone. found 177 killings, 37

deaths in torture, , 13 medical , 66 cases of negligence in prison. these are numbers t tt are h hd to comomprehend but it gigives a of the repressive climate that egyptians are living in today. sisi's meeting today with trump it is more else.ic than anything he is the first arab leader to white house t the by president trump. he was never invited under of ident obama and there is course like the crown jewel of diplomacy to be at the white house. they only met once on the sidelines of a u.n. general assembly in 2014. is a difference in rhetoric and tone with the trump administration administration. both leaders have expressed mutual admiration for each other. and adopted a rhetoric devoid of any criticism.

the white house has made clear it won't make human rights a of contention and they will discuss the matters behind closed doors. at obama administration did times offer criticism for human rights abuses or highlighted cases.c however, it is important to sisi was that while presiding over this wave of repression obama did very little alter the r relationship between the uniteted states and egypt. egypt is the second biggest recipient of military aid from only toed states sececond israel. after morsi was ousted in 2013, of nearly assssacre 1,000 of his supporters in ugust of that year, obama did partially suspend the delivery f some accept systemsms f-16 warplanes and tanks and missiles. ne thing he did cancel is cash

flow finanancing which basicall llolows egygypt to buy military equipment on credit. only egypt a and israel have th privilege. that has been canceled. restoration of full military aid in 2015 comes despite government rights dgment of human abuses. if you look at the state department report on human 2 2015 or 2016 you will see they acknowledgege security engaged in unlawful l killings, torture and the state ce and departrtme has been regularly assuring whahat is cacalled the security waiver that allows congress to override continue the and funding. also lastly a report by the government accountability office last may f found the u.s. is not sufficiently vetting the sale of weapons to egypt. such as ing weapons

rubber coated bullets and tear and hich have been used have killed peaceful protestere in egypt. not tate department has rejected a single case. embassy vets thousands of ndividuals in the egyptian security forces anand not a one as been rejected the same police forces accused of all of these abuses. -- go ent accountability ahead. >> in terms of the supposed cooperation between the trump and sisi in n ighting the war on terror to what degree is there a terrorist ovement in egypt or is it a resistance movement against the slshidictatorship? because we are hearing reports between military and militants.

>> his reason for launching himself on thehe war on terror d really only seen more war and terror in egypt. a sustained insurgency in northern sinai with militants attacking police and army positions. we have seen scores of civilians of police and s soldiers killed and militants. torturere and tur fuse and air strikes and attacks in itillery northern sinai. they havave wiped out p pretty raffaq to prevent w wedges.of n isis affiliate that pledged allegiance to isis drdrove doze of chrhristin famieses from thtr home runs s last month in northe sinai. they w we forced to flelee by a campaigngn.

the attatacks are not limited jt to sinai. seen multiple attacks in the main land of egypt targeting forces, nd security police stations and so forth but also targeting for example in ripped through egypt's main cathedral killing people. we have seen attacks on tourist isis afaffiliate claiming responsibility for the inning of a russian airliner 2015 that killed all 224 people on board. this is increased militancy has been used as thehe thehe harsh forr reprotective measures. age is kind of the same old authoritarian logic that continues. i want to ask about the gyptian american citizen detained by egypt for over 1,000 days. can you tell us who she is?

>> she is a 30-year-old egyptian american who grew up in falls church and graduated from george mason university. she returned to egypt following the revolution and got married their wedding money they found a foundation where they work to educate and stretch children in cairo. in -- street children. 2014 there was a crackdown on ivil society and they were raided without a warrant and she was arrested with her husband charged them with raft of charges including human trafficking, employment says of children, inciting protest andpatch in carry a life sentence. prison and it in is called a travesty. prison almost in three years aopbtd that violates yp's even penal code where

detainees are only allowed to be eld two years under pretrial detention rules. there's been very frequent pose poefrpbmentes of the trialtponement of and they have not been allowed i wast their attorney and where the verdict was to be heard and she was in the defendant's cage and her husband embraced. and they they only see each other in the cage weeks or month apart and the judge postponed it inexplicabable inexplicably to aprilil 16. we will have to wait to see what happens. hard to know but i doubt topic of ill be a conversation between trump and sisi and be forgotten by th by both countries. amy: before we go, the whole ratesof not raising human as the trump administration said this meeting do in

and the significance of sisi for first hat he was the person to accept his call to congratulate him. i think that the main difference in the relationship of tone and rhetoric. they see in each other kinindre that they both have a p stance that b brought them to power and use uthoritarian language and tactics and darark values of th umuslim brotherhood and looooko annihilate any and all opposition. begs the t think it question how much the u.s. relationship will change because obama to realize that before him echoed decades of .s. policy toward egypt that priorititizes perceived nationa security interest. amy: we have to leave it there. do part two of conversation online. cairo.respondent with

breaking news at least 10 died st. o bombings in petersburg and i will speak this weekend friday in denver, british columbia. i'm

♪ >> mosques typically have these tall spires you see on the side of the dome. they originally functioned as eliminated watchtowers. their primary function now is a podium to call the faithful to prayer five times a day. the interesting things about the blue mosque in istanbul is