09/22/17 09/22/17 [captioning made possible by democracy now!] amy: from pacifica, this is democracy now! >> she misses her several things, her mom, heard that. she think she will go home and findnd them therere. loooks on august 25,5, a bomb destroyed her hohouse. she was the only survivor. myeven now i can't forget brother and i am a grown man. i can't forget my brother. so how c could a five-year-old? amy: a major new investigation byby amnesty international reves

the bomb that killlled 16 civilians in yemen's capital last month was made in the usa. among the survivors, five-year-old buthaina, who lost her entire family in the strike. the amidst tensions over north korea's nuclear test, 51 countries have signed a new united nations treaty to ban nuclear weapons. >> today we rightfully celebrate the milestone. now we must continue along the hard roaoads towards the nuclear arsenals. amy: thousands gathered in washington, d.c. come to celebrate the life of the legendary comedian and human rights activist dick gregory, who passed away last month at the age of 84. among them, malcolm x' daughter. >> he r raised hhis voice for malcolm and d dr. king and medgr evers and all of the others w wo were slain b by bullies, by bigs

, because they could not do so for themselves. amy:y: we will hear r the voicef ,he chihildren of thehe legend mamartin luther king, junior, richard pryor, malcolm x, and medgar evers, among others. all that and more, coming up. welcome to democracy now!, democracynow.org, the war and peace report. i'm amy goodman. the trump administration ordered new sanctions thursday against north korea over its nuclear weapons and ballistic missile program, promising to squeeze north korean industries and cut off the country's access to the international banking system. trump said china had agreed to participate in the sanctions -- a potentially major step, since china is north korea's main trading partner -- though chinese officials declined to confirm whether trump's claim was true. the new sanctions come after trump mocked north korean leader kim jong un as "rocket man" during a speech at the u.n. general assembly, threatening to totally destroy north korea, a

nation of million people. 25 on friday, korean state television read a statement attributed to kim in which he called trump a frightened dog and a gangster fond of playing with fire. >> i will surely indefinititely tame the m mentally deranged u.. dotted with fire. amy: north korea also said kim was considering a plan to explode a hydrogen bomb over the pacific ocean in response to u.s. provocations. in the caribbean, the death toll from hurricane maria rose to 32 as the hurricane's eye barreled towards the islands of turks and caicos as a category 3 storm. in puerto rico, where local newspaper reported 15 people have died, governor -- the governor has imposed a dusk to dawn curfew for saturday. islandwide blackouts have made it ethical for recovery work is to survey the damage, but parts of puerto rico were left underwater in what many compared to last month's flooding in texas from hurricane harvey.

president trump told reporters puerto rico had been totally obliterated and said he is planning a visit to the island. in mexico c come the death toll fromom the masassive earthquake outside e mexico city hass riseo 273. rescue workers worked around the clock to search for anyone trapped alive in as many as 10 buildings around the capital city. at the united nations, signatories to the iran nuclear agreement sought thursday to shore up the landmark deal after president trump suggested he is seeking to renegotiate the deal and withdraw u.s. entirely. ththis is the german foreign minister. how are we going to convince countries like north korea that international agreements provide them with security and in so doing, make them commit to further disarmament efforts if the only international example are such an endeavor thing successful, the agreement with iran, no longer has affect? amy: iraq's military has launched a u.s.-backed offensive

against isis in the northern city of hawija. the u.n. wararns as many as 85,0 people could be displaced by the fighting, and the aid group save the children says up t to 30,000 children are in extreme danger. the group's deputy director said children were already suffering terribly under isis with food, water, and medicine in short supply, adding -- "now families face a terrible choice of staying put as fighting intensifies, or risking their lives to flee on foot for up to 12 hours through minefields and snipers, then wade across a river to reach safety." in yemen, amnesty international is reporting t that the bomb tht destroyed a residential building in the capitalal sana'a last momonth, killingng 16 civilianad injuring 17 more, was made in the e usa. amnesty international's arms expert analylyzed remnants of te weapon and found clear markings ththat matched u.s.-made components used in laser-guided air-dropped bombs. the attack severely injured a five-year-old child, whose five brothers and sisters were among the seven children killed in the strike. we'll have more on the amnesty

report and the u.s.-backed saudi-led war on yemen after headlines. "the new york times" reports the trump administration is preparing to dismantle rules limiting cia and military drone strikes and commando raids outside of conventional battlefields. the plan would remove so-called high-level vetting of proposed raids and drone strikes and would allow for the assassination of low-level foot-soldiers. in new delhi, india, protesting against t the hindnanationalistt government to o deport somome 40 rohingya refugees for thee burmese e army is rryiying out a widescale ethnic cleansing. the protest came as inindia's up in court hears a challenge to the plan, which h is backed by prprime minister rendrara modi. at the united nations general assembly, bangladesh's leader laid out a plan thursday to begin repatriating 800,000 rohingya, more than half of whom have fled to bangladesh since august 25. prime minister sheikh hasina said the u.n. should set up safe zones in burma for returning refugees.

thee are horrified to see myanmar authorities are laying landmines along their stretch of the border to prevent the rohingyas from returning to million mark. these people must be able to return in safety and dignity. amy: in recent days, bangladeshi authorities have sharply restricted the movements of rohingya refugees, telling them they can't leave their makeshift camps, ordering drivers not to transport rohingya, and landlords not to rent to them. in india, reporter covering political strife in the northeast state of tripura was stabbed and beaten to death wednesday as he reported on a road blockade by a political party representing indigenous tribal people. shantanu bhowmick is at least the second journalist murdered in india in recent weeks. earlier this month, gauri lankesh, a prominent journalist and outspoken critic of right-wing hindu nationalism, was assassinated on her doorstep. in the philippines, tens of

thousands of protesters rallied in cities across the philippines thursday warning that president rodrigo duterte was on the brink of imposing a dictatorship. the mass protests came on the 45th anniversary of nationwide military rule imposed by former dictator ferdinand marcos. organizers pledged that future anti-duterte rallies will be even bigger. >> it is the biggest rally so far of the use and the people. they are about to get bigger. the government is bound to get more isolated and exposed amonongst the pepeople andnd sol be ousted. amy: president duterte has already declared martial law over the philippines' mindanao region, and he's threatened to expand a bloody so-called war on drugs that's seen police and vigilantes kill at least 12,500 people since duterte took office last y year. in france, tens of thousands of union members marched through the streets of paris thursday, protesting president emmanuel macron's plans to roll back labor protections by presidential decree. macron is looking to give employers more power to set

working conditions and wants to roll back pension anand employmt insurance benefits. states, theunited authors of a republican senator that would repeal the affordable care act are set to square off monday evening in a live 90 minute debate on cnn with vermont independent senator bernie sanders who is countering with the universal health care plan to bring medicare to every american. also joining the debate will be minnesota democratic senator amy klobuchar, who h has n not endod the sanders bill. and washington, d.c., three children of japanese americans who were interned during world war ii have asked the u.s. supreme court to reject the trump administration's ban on refufugees and travelers froromx majority-muslim nations. karen korematsu, holly yasui, and jay hirabayashi filed an amicus brief monday arguing the travel ban violates the constitution. in 1944, their fathers were litigants in korematsu v. united states, an unsuccessful supreme court challenge to president

franklin d. roosevelt's mass incarceration of 120,000 japanese americans. in sports news, medical investigators who examined the brain of former new england patriots tight end aaron hernandez said the nfl star had the most severe case of a brain injury known as cte that researchers had ever seen in someone so young. hernandez hanged himself last april in a prison cell after he was convicted of murder. cte, which is caused by repetitive head trauma, has been linked to memory loss, depression, impulsivity, and aggression. a recent study in the journal of the american medical association found that of 111 nfl players whose brains were studied, 110 of them had signgns of cte. in labor news, hundreds of employees of vice media have voted to unionize. thursday's announcement brings the number of unionized staffers and freeeelancers who work onn vice's website and cable tv programs to 430. in st. louis, missouri, hundreds of protesters rallied outside a

billy joel concert thursday evening in the latest protest against last week's acquittal of white former police officer jason stockley for the murder of 24-year-old african american anthony lamar smith. the latest protest came after press freedom groups condemned last weekend's arrest of mike faulk, a 31-year-old reporter for the "st. louis post-dispatch" newspaper, who was charged sunday with failure to disperse after police kettled him along with a group of about 100 protesters. a photo of faulk's arrest shows him with his press badge clearly visible on a lanyard around his neck. st. louis mayor lyda krewson criticized her city's police department for its aggressive handling of demonstrations after officers were seen marching in formation while chanting, "whose streets? our streets!" and after police chief lawrence o'toole said police "owned tonight." nevertheless, krewson says she has confidence in the police chief. hundreds of black students marched into cornell

university's willard straight hall on wednesday afternoon and occupied the building for several hours after delivering a list of demands to the university's president in a protest reminiscent of the 1969 takeover of the same building.g. more than 300 marchers, led by black students united, silently climbed three flights of stairs in day hall and handed a list of demands to president martha pollack, who had met with bsu earlier in the day. the protesters, the majority of whom were black and most of whom were people of color, were responding in part to the assault on friday of a black cornell student who said a group of white men called him the n-word and bloodied him by repeatedly punching him in the face in collegetown. two weeks prior to the occupation, a resident of the latino living center reported hearing chants of "build a wala" from a nearby fraternity, zeta psi. and those are some of the headlines. thisis is democracy now!, democracynow.org, the war and peace report. i'm amy goodman. we begin today's show in yemen, where a new investigation

reveals a bomb that killed 16 civilians in yemen's capital last month was made in the usa. at least 17 more were injured when their residential building was deststroyed in a a direct h. among the survivors was five-year-old buthaina, whose photograph went viral in the aftermath of the strike. she lost her entire family in the strike. amnesty international's arms expert analyzed remnants of the weapon and found clelear markins that matched u.s.-made components used in laser-guided air-dropped bombs. the august 25 air strike hit a group of homes, severely damaging three of them, and killing seven childrdren includg all five of buthaina's brothers and sisters. coalition airstrikes continue to be the leadiding cause of child casualties, as well as ovovall civilianan casualties. the e latest finding by amnenesy comes as some m member countries

of the european union countries recently tabled a motion at the u.n. human rights council calling for an independent inquiry into human rights abuses committed d by all sides in thee conflictct. the u.n. high commmmissioner for human rights has called the humaninitarian crisis in yemen n entirely man-made catastrophe. for more, we're joined in washington, d.c., by raed jarrar, the advocacy director for the middle east and north africa at amneststy internationl usa. welcome back to democracy now! tell us what amnesty found in its report. >> as you mentioned, there was an attack on august 25. it got the attention -- what amnesty found is the weapon that was used in that attack was a u.s. laserguided bomb. we found that out with collaboration with local yemeni ofrnalist who took pictures

the site, took pictures of the remains of the bomb parts, shrapnel, other parts the journalists found. and sent it to our team. our experts look into these photos and determined that some of these parts are definitely linked to a u.s.-made laserguided bomb. significant for a couple of reasons. the first one is that this links the u.s. directly to what appears to be a violatioion of international law, maybe a war crime, that needs to be ininvestigated. and the other reason is that this particular incident is such a high-profile incidenents that havinina documented u.s. role in it wililhave an effect on how yemenis s and people in the regn

and the error wororld will view the u.s. role there. it will explososives how involv, how directly involved united states is in the war r in yemen. amy: can you talk about this direct hit that happened, who buthaina is, the five-year-old girl, and what exactly happened to her family? >> there was so much attention in the air world because there was a tv interview. some tv reporter went to the hospital to check on her. whois a five-year-old girl just came out of this huge attack that killed 17 civilians, including her entire family. so the reporter talks to her and asks her about her family. she answers with her innocence, she says her family went to heaven.

she tries to open her eyes, but she can't open them because she is injured. so she uses her fingers to open her eyelids. and that one picture of her opening her eyelids with her little fingegers ended up being this iconic photo. it went viral. it is a symbolic photo of a child seeing the world, let people talk about the famous eyes seeing the world through famous eyes. it got a lot of attention in the airborne and social media and even in mainstream media. we knew all along that it was the saudi-led coalition. was behind the attack. the saudi led coalition issued a statement admitting they hit the house. according to them, it was a technical error.

they said they were going to investigate themselves. everyone who has been following the alleged investigation, nothing has happened. there are no signs that saudi arabia or other countries involved in the coalition has been taking any steps towards investigating themselves or holding anyone accountable. and that is why amnesty international is calling for an international investigation into what happened, into this particular incident and into other incidents that appears to be violations of international law by all parties, including the saudi-led coalition. amy: how did you access the shrapnel in order to identify the bomb that killed buthaina's whole family? >> a local yemeni journalist took pictures of the building.

went through the rubble and dugout parts of the shrapnel and took pictures of them and sent them to amnesty international, to our team. and so what our team of experts ofnd was a small piece computer board, a motherboard, that is linked to guided missiles. so u.s. laserguided bombs. they identified that it is 100% linked to u.s.-made guided bombs. so the information came through the local journalalists and analysis hapappen through oururm of experts. amy: can you talk about the larger role of the u.s., this being one example? inthe u.s. is very involved the war in yemen.

the u.s. is very involved in multiple armed conflicts in the middle east region. cases,olvement, in some our direct involvement, like we have seen the u.s. direct compartment -- one bartman and ground troop involvement in iraq and syria in other parts of the middle east. in yemen, u.s. involvement has been very significant through since a -- selling weapons, saudi led coalition. also through other ways such as fighter jets of the saudi-led coalition. and also providing them with intelligence and targeting information. so there is a lot of involvement there. this involvement -- and that is one of the other points of amnesty international, is we have made this point over and over again, that this is not

only about saudi arabia or emirates or other members of the saudi-led coalition committing war crimes or violations of international law. the trump administration, the u.s. government, is also complicit in these violations of international law, including war crimes because they are selling weapons to countries knowing these weapons will be used for violations. knowing these weapons will be used to kill civiliansns. so that isis one of ththe import angles is that this is not only an action that will requiring because of vioiolations of a thirird-party, it actually constitutes a violation by the u.s. government and the u.s. has to abide not only by international law in this regard, but also by u.s. a law. there u.s. laws and regulations that prohibit the e u.s. frorom transferring weapons to other

countries when we have enough suspicion or knowledge that the weapons will be used for gross violations are war crimes. -- war were crimes. so it is a very serious involvement. u.s. involvement in yemen is extremely serious. --hink now that we have can confirmed this iconic attack that has killed buthaina's family, that this attack also resembles or is also an example of the u.s. involvement by supplying saudi arabia with the weapons, which were used to kill civilians, i think it should be another -- there should be another push to demand that the trump administration immediately to thell weapon sales saudi-led coalition. this is something that can happen and should happen

immediately. that no more weapons are sold to saudi arabia or any other members of the coalition because we have e to stopop the supply f topons s that are being used kill civilians. amy: can you talk about the resolution that was presented to the u.n. human rights council by the dutch calling for a new entity? this was tabled? that would investigate what is going on. >> the resolution was tabled. it should be voted on either next thursday or friday. the resolution, in paragraph eight, it establishes a new international body that would crimes, anyany war violations of international humanitarian law or international law in yemen for the last few years. notrtunately, the u.s. is supportive of that resolution, either. the u.s. seems to be trying to push another resolution that has

been introduced by a number of other untries, including saudi arabia. and that other resolution tries importance ofhe investigating crimes or alleged crimes of violations through the local and regional body. and the idea of relying on saudi arabia to investigate itself doesn't sound bad as a principle, but it actuaually i't working. therere are no -- or is no evididence thahat saudi a arabis been able to i investigate itsef and itss violations by itself. and that is why many coununtries and many international organizations, including amnesty international, have been calling for ththe establishment for this international inquiry. so it will be a close vote if the vote happens there say or friday. it is going to be close.

i think out of the 47 members of ththe human rights council, it s a must split now. we're all watchining very close. that it will pass. because having an international body to investigate these war tomes is extremely important hold individuals and governments who have committed violations, to hold them accountable and to ensure that future attacks will also be investigated and any potential crimes will not go unpunished. amy: raed jarrar, thank you for being with us, advocacy director for the middle east and north africa at amnesty international. later in the broadcast, we will look at the nuclear ban that over 50 countries have signed onto, the nuclear weapons ban. gathert up, thousands

outside washington, d.c., to remember the human rights activist and comedian dick grgregory. stayay with usus. ♪ [music break]

amy: ayanna gregory, daughter of the late dick gregory, seeing a dick gregory celebration of life last saturday. this is democracy now!,, democracynow.org, the war and peace report. i'm amy goodman. this past saturday, thousands

gathered at the city of praise in landovever, maryland,d, to celebrate the lifefe of legendar comedidian and humanan rights activist dick gregory, who passed away on august 19 at the age of 84. in the early 1960's gregory became one of the most popular comedians in the country, paving the way for generations of african-american comedians. he was the first african-american comedian to sit on the couch of "the tonight show," then hosted by jack parr. as his popularity grew, so did his activism. in 1967, dick gregory ran for mayor of chicago against the infamous richard daley. he was a close friend of reverend martin luther king jr., and in 1968 dick gregory ran for president against richard nixon. he also became well known for his hunger strikes for justice. a 1967, he began a public fast starting thanksgiving day to protest the war in vietnam. 40 days later, he broke his fast with a hearty glass of fruit juice. he weighed 97 pounds.

in the summer of 1968, he fasted for 45 days as a show solidarity with native americans. the following summer, he did another 45 day fast in protest of de facto segregation in the chicago public schools. in 1970, gregory went 81 days without food to bring attention to the drug problem in america. a getting a 1971, he went nearly three years without solid food. again, to protest the war. during that fast, he ran 900 miles from chicago to washington, d.c. during the iran hostage crisis, he traveled to tehran in an effort to raise free to hostages in the northern ireland to advise hunger striking ira prisoners. hunger,ampaign against he traveled to ethiopia more than 10 times. or recently come his face appeared in newspapers across the country for his community action approach to investigate allegations behind the cia's connection with drugs in the african-american community. he camped out in dealer-ridden

public parks and rallied community leaders to shut down head shops. he protested at cia headquarters and was arrested. throughout his life, dick gregory has been a target of fbi and police surveillance. and he was virtually banned from the entertainment arena for his political activism. well, saturday's six-hour celebration of dick gregory featured passionate speeches and musical tributes. the program booklet also included letters from former president barack obama, the national newspaper publishers association, the naacp, and the congressional black caucus. we turn now to some of those who gathered to remember dick gregory. we hear from the children of the legends, martin luther king, junior, richard pryor, malcolmx, medgar evars. we begin with r reverend william barber, president t and senior lecturer of repairerers of the breach. >> to anyone who thinks justice

inin in justice isis final, thee isis on you. salms says the would get plot against the godly may snarl at them in defiance, but thee lord just laughs. fofohe sees ththeir day of judgment coming. dick gregogory knew this. hehe was a f free man, nevever t his humanity. he was a political and comedic satirist off the highest order. actsswrit said humorist dick gregogory was a a man of ny words whose fighting spirit helped transform americaca. he was known for his off-the-cucuff no holds barredd humor. he could capaptivate any c crowd with his cool, but passionate, demeanor. he said that he openlnly refused to shy awaway from stinging subjects, but often reminded

people that humor was not enough . it was a vehicle, but t not enenough. he saiaid humor can n no more fa solution t to raise problems thn it can n cure cancer. we did n not laugh hitler's outf existence, he once said. in a time when dissenting opinion this writer set on rarae and discririmination cououldut a littlele t target -- little tart on your back. he said it like you u sought, bt then he did it. marcrching for votin rights, performing at benefits for civil rights groups. he was even n shot in the leg while e serving asas a piecece r during the 1965 right in los angeles. i love that. racism,once said about he saiaid, hold lotsts of ameris got thatat attitude. we tolerate it becausese you can hide youour feelings behind policies.. that is why we got t to work to flflesh this whole t thing out.

gregory understood that racism was far more than whether or not you had a black friend. hihis laughter r was a battlele. his j jokes w were not merely fr entertainment t and money, but r empowerment and movement building. his laughter and his comomedy ws a ld criritique. hihis satire wasas fearless anad as he challenged america's original sin o of genocide a and racism and war. he boldly wentnt where otherer comedianans refused to g go. but t his comomedy was nonot ona battttle cry in n a bold cririt, his comemedy and his l laughters a bomb in gileadad. it helped d to heal thee woundsd slavery by ththe violent vestigeges and racism ad poverty and war.r. hihis comedy helped us livve through and make it t through a psychihic trauma.

he was a genius. he was brilliant. his comedy was not mere buffoooonery. he gavave us backbonene. and when you listen to dick gregory's comededy, you were not hearing a performer, but a prophet. phets s of thero bible were e sarah's. when jerememiah put iron yoke around his neck k to show thee nation how f flish it was to do wrong, he was being a comedic satirist. it was comedic. it was satirical genius when jejesus said of f the hypocritef his day, when you try to be outside, butthe you heard people on the inside, it is just like having graves that you make r real white but inside of them, they are f fullf deadad men's bones. when jesus i in his day set of hypocrites, you trtry to be religious, but you leave undone

love, memercy, and justice, that is comommitted genius. and dick gregory was prophpheti. in f fact, i want to c channel y energygy gregory. if hee was commementing totodaye mighght just say, yoyou know, president gives like babies in texas the other day. say he is n not aacist or a white s supremacist. dick might say, we don't need to remember the alamo, we need remember the okey doe. becaususe when you u kiss a blak baby i in texas whilile you're tryiying to take b babies health care i in d.c., when yoyou kissa black k baby in texas are stealg their voting rights in d.c., whwhen you kiss a baby or brown baby i in texas butt you a are stealing t their immigrarant ris in d.c., that is the okkieie do.

or if i was to channel my y innr didick gregory, i can hear him saying to o some parts o of whie amica, we popoor black fololks d white folks b better come togher and stop votining forr these pee lying to you about tax cuts and his extremism when all they're going to do is give momore tax cuts to thee g greedy will s stu betterer learn how t to work wih black k folks and browown folks bebecause when t they get all of your money and givive it to the corporatioion and you lose your jobs and can't pay your light bill, just remember, we all black in the dark. [laughter] i am just saying. g gregory -- dick gregory's comedy was prophetic. it cut to thee truth, challenged lies, , exposed racicism as a fm of socieietal insanity and d maa foolol o of jim crow.w.

hehe wasn't performing. he was prpreaching. he made e you want to leave the comedy club and get in the fight for justice. >> when our mothers and fathers decide to change the world, and they do, there are places -- their places in history are cemented. and they are among our most reveredand legends, picking up the mantle to fight for justice are the children of the way makers and the freedom fighters we hold so dear. so please put your hands ain pryor,o welcome r the daughter of richard p pryor. > i am honored to be here inn sharing thisis day of celebratin ancestor, brother dick gregory. i remember the first thrhree bos by father ever gave me. rerevolutionary suicide.

malcolm x and nigger.r. i was to r read them and understand them well. the shea of feel our anancestors. [applalause] feel his family, hitit all ofof the admirerers t tt are he. prolificcdick gregogory, actitivi, wieldingng truth likis wield swordss, his words popoignant, funny, painful, awakenining, joyce, likekehat of ancicient who flfloat on ancesel drums heard in the rhythm of our hearts. life.as a part of my prioror since e i was old enouough to underrstand and listen wiwith a

whole heart to the stories that made our eyes water and p power siside s split from masterful ad mamaster field lips that poured out truth libations. troops t that werere soul food, troooops that were soso we can e by their words. father gregory would tell me t to truth wesley them choose your r words lilike thert ancestral wordsmitiths witithout getttting drunk on n its l lies. told abobout us and tolold about them. be who you say. it doesn't matterer what she they's h have to say. so today as s we honor ourur net iconic a ancestor and d stand wh e e gregory familily, , let us l remember w what the e real meang of carining the legacycy meansn. caring the legacy is not t for s to become, not for us to morph

into, not for us to imitate the greatness. the legacy is s to a always spek our highghest truth and becomee better than their greatness. better than what they carved out , edged, and reaped into this life. it is to recall ththeir spirit d those of the ancestors. oururep them listed in actions as w we become the c che ththey sought, as wewe b becomee words that they wrote. legacy is w what runs thrhroughr veins s and everery manifestatin thatat we toucch. as he e would'veve wanted, letes celebrate and live up his legacy so t that they can keep growing thr wings. and as we e say in my tradition when magic touches both earth andd sky -- [applause] >> d daughter of medgar evers. >> thohough they were not bloodd brothers, my father and dick

gregory were b brothers of the spiriritual part. [applause] they cononnected on the intellectualal level. ththey connected emotitionally,, especiallyly when he came to our mississippi.on, welcome back, mark, if you ever go back to jackson. i remember the timimes of heated peals ofnss a and laughter.. bebecause my father had a wickcd sense of humor. and didick gregory brought out evevery wicked strtrain he had. [laughter] remember there was had a heated they

d andssion over the n-woror where it w was appropriate andnw to use it anand how too own it r disown it. i found out later in my 20's when at one function that t we attended with dick gregory -- he ."nnot to me and said, "girl i said, , "i'm here, i'm here." "come here steps it down." he saiaid, "i want t to tell you about yoyour dadad and i want to tell you the promise i maade hi. i'm your godfather.

and i said, "what?" wouldd, "i prpromised him i i prototect you and i would help u move up in life. anand that is n not moving ththt financialllly, that is spiritua. that is understandingg whatt humanity is all about." so i have special memorieies of laughter, but always of knowledge. always of feeliling from thee heart, determination to make things right. >> martin luther king iii. >> he has been a friend really to a lot of us. but he was a mentor to me, like a father figure. having lost my father at 10 years old, not having an

opportunity to have a adult convertitions, b havaving the opportunity to have many withh dick gregory. many of those words, those deeds i will never forget. i think it is for interesting that when dick gregory transitioned on that dayay in august, that o on that same dayn the statate were his children we raised and wife lives in massachusetts, there was the largest to missed ration for peace andustice andnd human rights on the day ththat he went home to o live with god. interesting is vevery that just yesterday in the city of st. louis were dick gregory was born, that there were protesters prorotesting about te death h of an african-american o had been killed by police. and probablyly what went unnotic was most of those protesters were white americans. even they realize that injustice

anywhere is a threat to justice everywhere. malcolm x.hter of fivive sisters, of my i amam humbled and hononored toe here witith you on this special day as we e celebrate the life f this extraordinary man, dick gregory. , dickike our fathers gregory stood up to the power structure to reclaim truth a and justicfor his peoplple. and when it t was time too clary who took k brother malcolm''s l, it was d dick gregory who rose o the occasioion. [applause] and whenen it wass time to clary

who assassinated d dr. martin luther king, it was dick gregory who rose to t the o occasion. [applaususe] he raised d his voice for malalm and dr. king and medgar r evers and all of the o others who work ,lang g by bulullies, by bigots because they could not do so for themselves. when this new generation of powerful voices reminded ththe woworld that blalack lives mata- [applause]] it wasas yet again baba dig gregory who stood by them and spoke truth too power whether yu like him or nonot. we know ththat dick gregegory wa comedian, i iellectual,l, and we

know that t he was funny. we are -- so extraordinary abouout him was hs williningness to shahare his st, but not just anytory, enengaging story that informed, entertrtained, a and empowers hs listeners. it was his ability to criticize us because he loved us. and like myy fatheher he e saw himself in us. educated.d.a a miss shortly afteter my mother passed away in n 1997, my sisters a ani attended a gatathering with distinctive african-americican leaders, maya angelou, coretta, dick gregory amongst them. i was sitting quiet and dick gregory cameme over to me and ststarted talalking. he saiaid, "ilyasa, have eveverd

you about my magicic glasses?" justid,d, " "one day i was walking g in the forest mindingy business and i saw something glistening in the grgrass. so i bid down to get a closer look and it looks likee magic. it was a pair ofof glasses that illuminanated light. but bebefore i could catch t the spipiritses, "hehe said, "a surroundnded me anand the spspit don't tatake of those glasses. bebecause if you do, y you wille imag t that will consume you.. pain and injustices your stomach will not containin. your heartrt will pound through your heaead and will b be no tug

back. criminal s sins off injustice commmmitted against h humanity. looking througugh these g gsses will change the course of yoyour career andnd require youou to at and sharththe goel.. dick gregory explained that meeting my father acted as a lens, , which identified d whate could do o in this quest. you see, before malcolm's life was taken from us, he said, atat ththe heart of o our plight wawt race, but ececonomic injustice. said,d, we must ensurerehe economic system is jujust and fair or t the massesf our people will continue toto remain t trapped and lingering n the periphery of economic justice and opportunity. >> conongresswoman maxinine wat. >> we're all herere to celebrare tributeilife and t to pay

to his extxtraordinary contributitions, not onlnly to s famimily and his fririends, buto ourr society, to this country, o the world. heardday, y you have all over and over agagain about allf his tremendous and awesome talent. you have heard about his genius. you have heard and you know about his civil rights advocacy, his politics, humor, his wisdom, vision, and uncanny ability to dissect personalities, events, national andnd internationonal proboblems, and ococcurrences. for h hoursith dick and he wldld come with stacks of newspapers from all over the world. and we would talk -- no, he would talk. i would listen. and hehe would explain to me wht was really goioing on in t the d

in hisis own fashionon. and he taught meme to look twtwe at people. he taught me to payay a attenti. becacause he said, you can't always pay attention too what ththeyay, it's what thehey do. and so i listened, i paid attention, and because of that, it has brought me to a time and place in my life where i have taken off the gloves. [applause] decided thahat i have no fear. i decided ththat i don't want to be s safe. i am not lookingng for who likes me and who does not lilike me.e. us to walkfor all of in the walk of dick gregory. did you like him? did you love him? did you care abobout him?

if you like tim, if y youlove him, if youu cared about him, yu have to stock bebeing weak. you have to stop speaking that which you don't mean. you just got grinning. it is time to stand up and deal with the problems of this country. amy: caucus member maxine waters reading saturday at the city of praise family ministry in landover, maryland, as she addressed thousands among so many others at the celebration of the life of legendary comedian and human rights activist dick gregory who passed away on august 19 at the age of 84. this is democracy now!, democracynow.org. among those who honored h him, stevie wonder. ♪ [music break]

amy: stevie wonder singing at dick gregory's memorial service last saturday. this is democracy now!, democracynow.org, the war and peace report. i'm amy goodman. amid tensions over north korea's nuclear and missile tests, president donald trump told the u.n. general assembly tuesday that the united states would totally destroy north korea, a country of 26 million people. then on wednesday, 51 countries signed a new treaty to outlaw

nuclear weapons. the united nations calls it the world's first legally-binding treaty banning nuclear weapons. it prohibits the development, testing, and possession of nuclear weapons, as well as using or threatening to use these weapons. the treaty is set to take effect 90 days after it was ratified. it was first adopted in july by 122 u.n. member states, despite heavy u.s. opposition. none of the nine countries that possess nuclear weapons signed the measure. those countries are the united egg, russia britain, china, , france, india, pakistan, north korea, and israel. for more, we're joined by susi snyder, nuclear disarmament program manager for the netherlands-based group pax, and author of the report, "don't bank on bomb." welcome to democracy now! talk about what happened this week at the u.n.. >> 50 countries said, we ultimately reject nuclear weapons. we find them completely illegitimate and we're willing to sign the first treaty that makes them totally illegal. this is the first 50. that are 42 in an hour.

it is the first time that nuclear weapons are categorically prohibited. this is new and it is an effective measure that responsible countries are taking to make sure to reduce nuclear dangers. amy: what is that mean exactly? what does it mean to adopt it and now to sign it and what happens with ratification? >> every country has a ratification process that is a little different. adopting this treaty is part of national law. there are already 115 countries that have rejected nuclear weapons and regional agreements. we expect a lot of those will be able to ratify quickly. all the way through this process, countries have been condemning nuclear weapons because they are inhumane, catastrophic effects. this is a humanitarian treaty that is rooted in international humanitarian law, the law of war, saying nuclear weapons cannot be possessed or used or even the threat of nuclear weapons is illegal. that is a positive step for us. you'll see 50 ratifications in the coming year or so.

enter intoeaty will force. amy: what does it mean the nuclear countries, none of them participated? >> it is unfortunate, especially since five them are required by the nonproliferation treaty to negotiate nuclear disarmament. they did not do that. they are missing an opportunity. the countries that led this process recognize that it is the impact of nuclear weapons it when you do talk about them as weapons, not as tools. that is what reframed the debate, reframed the discussion. and the impact it will have on the nuclear armed state is we are strengthening a norm and making the weapons illegitimate. that has led historically to disarmament. amy: you are author of "don't bank on bomb." >> it works with the financial sector to stop investment in nuclear weapon producing company will stop at a great announcement from a bank in new york here on the day of the signing that said, hey, we don't have any investment in nuclear

weapons producers because we find it illegitimate. that is the first u.s. bank bank we know of that has made such an announcement. this is one of the things that will have a big impact on making sure the production of weapons, nuclear weapons, stops. amy: who are the forces he hide this nuclear ban? >> it is been a coalition of nongovernmental organizations through the international campaign to abolish nuclear weapons, governments spend about -- about 120 governments have been emphatic about this. an international committee of the red cross and red crescent of talked about the humanitarian consequences of this weapon. amy: what about the fact this is happening iran as well as threatening the country of north korea? >> that is deplorable. that type of activity is what this treaty seekeks to end. the iran deal -- it is a good deal. it stops the iranian nuclear program. the activities of north korea,

there should've been a negotiation directly with north korea to make a similar deal. we missed that opportunity. there needs to be direct negotiations that we don't get into war. amy: thank you, susi snyder, for joining us, nuclear disarmament program manager for the group pax, based in the netherlands, and author of the report, "don't bank on bomb." that does it for our broadcast. be speakingz will next week in kansas city. i will be speaking and when it had, canada. go to democracynow.org for a complete listing. 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!]