♪ >> from pacifica, this is "democracy now!" president trump: the only thing that can stop it are foolish wars, politics, or ridiculous partisan investigations. [applause]

amy: in his state of the union address, president trump attacks democrats and the mueller investigation claiming probes of his presidency are jeopardizing -- even as he called for a bipartisan unity. he threatened a nuclear arms race and about to build a wall along the southern border. president trump: this is a moral issue. the lawless state of our southern border is a threat to the safety, security, and financial well-being of all americans. amy: in u.s. history, trump did not mention the longest government shutdown in u.s. history, which even delayed his speech by a week. she maderams did as history as the first african-american woman to give the democratic response. >> the shuhutdown was a stunt engineered by the president of the united states one that on fairnessthing

and not just our people but our values. amy: we will hit -- air andlights from the speeches speak to a democratic congresswoman of minnesota who recently became one of the first congresswomen, a somalian refugee, she became the first member of congress to wear a hijab. we will also be joined by -- by ana maria archila who protested the nomination of supreme court justice brett kavanaugh. she attend the state of the union as a guest of alexandria ocasio-cortez. all that and more coming up. ♪ welcome to democracy now, democracynow.org, the war and peace report. i'm amy goodman. president trump delivered the state of the union address from the house chamber tuesday night. in the speech, he repeated his calls for a border wall,

referred to a quote "tremendous onslaught" of migrants allegedly trying to get into the country. president trump: in the past, most of the people in this room voted for a wall but the proper wall never got built. i will getet it built. amy: trump however did not declare a national emergency over the border wall, as some had speculated. trump also addressed the situation in venezuela, where the u.s. has been accused of orchestrating the overthrow of sitting president nicolas maduro. president trump: two weeks ago, the united states officially recognized venezuela's new president. address that lasted nearly an hour and a half, trump also warned democrats against what he termed "ridiculous partisan investigations", which he said could hinder american

prosperity, and attacked abortion protections recently passed in new york. and proposed in virginia. trump said he will call for a federal ban on "the late-term abortion". former georgia gubernatorial candidate stacey abrams delivered the democratic response to the address. abrams slammed the recent government shutdown and spoke out against voter suppression. she also addressed gun control, climate change, and immigration reform. >> we know bipartisanship can graphically for century immigration plan. this in administration chooses to cage children a and tear families apart. compassionate treatment at the border is not the same as ". amy: in virginia, the president of eastern virginia medical school responded to the ongoing scandal around a 1984 yearbook photo which possibly shows democratic governor ralph northam either in blackface or a

ku klux klan outfit. or at least to the appeared on his yearbook page. richard homan apologized for the pain inflicted by racist yearbook photos over the years, and announced the school would investigate how such photos made i into the yearbook foror decades. northam, who so far has resisted mounting calls to resign, initially apologized for the photo, but later walked back his statements, claiming neither of the men in the photo was him; although he did admit to using blackface on one another occasion that same year. dressing as michael jackson. he is reportedly hiring a private investigator to look into the photos. pope francis acknowledged for the first time that priests and bishops were guilty of sexually abusing nuns. women isstreatment of a problem p.m. i would dare to say that humanity has not yet matured. s.men are second-class citizen

it is a cultural problem. amy: pope francicis has called a summit later this month on the ongoing sexual abuse crisis in the catholic church. an antinuclear activist has accused former costa rican president and nobel peace prize laureate oscar arias sanchez of sexual assault. alexandra arce von herold, a psychiatrist and nuclear disarmament advocate who frequently worked with arias, said he approached her from behind, fondled her and forcefully digitally penetrated her while at his home in 2014. arce filed a criminal complaint monday against arias. the death toll from a shipwreck off the coast of the bahamas over the weekend has risen too 29, as search and rescue teams continueue to look foror bodies. the e ship was c carrying haitin migrants. 18 survivors of the shipwreck have been rescued.

taliban fighters killed nearly 50 people in a series of attacks on tuesday. the largest death toll came in a raid on an army base in kunduz province, where at least 26 soldiers and police officers were killed. the attacks come the week after u.s. and taliban officials agreed to a framework for a peace deal in afghanistan. during his state of the union, trump touted u.s. involvement in the peace negotiations with the taliban. a new report by cnn finds that saudi arabia gave u.s.made weapons to al qaeda-linked fighters and other militant factions in yemen, in violation of a u.s.saudi arms deal. some arms may have also made theieir way into the hands of iranian-backed houthi rebels. saudi arabia and the united arab emirates are using the weapons to buy the loyalties of various militias or tribes and gain influence in yemen's political landscape, according to the report. a u.s. defense official confirmed to cnn there is an ongoing investigation into the matter. general joseph votel, the head of u.s. central command, tolold

the senate armed services committee tuesday he was not told about trump's withdrawal of u.s. troops from syria before trump made his public announcement in december. vovotel also tolold the committe that quote "the fight against isis is not over." a federal judge dismissed a lawsuit against steven salaita, the american studies association-or asa-and other defendants who were sued after endorsing the boycott, divestment and sanctions-or bds-movement. professor salaita joined the board of the asa 2 years after the organization passed a boycott resolution but was still named as a defendant. the center for constitutional rights, which represented salaita, said in a statement, quote "these desperate lawsuits brought to silence advocates of palestinian rights are not only losers-they're helping to grow the movement by making even clearer who's on the wrong side of history, who is the

aggressor, who is unreasonable, and who wants to silence debate." the lawsuit is not the first time salaita has been targeted in a case related to israel and palestine. in 2014,4, the university of illinois urbana-champaign withdrew a job offer for a tenured position for salaita after he posted tweets critical of the 2014 israeli assault on gaza. meanwhile on capitol hill, senators passed a bill that included the controversial 'anti-bds' provision, aimed at preventing opposition to the israeli government by allowing state and local governments to sanction u.s. companies boycotting israel. the bill also includes an amendment opposing an immediate withdrawal of troops from syria. senators held a coconfirmation hearing tuesday for noemi rao, president trump's nominee to replace susupreme e court justee brett kavanaugh on the d.c. circuit court of appeals, tuesday. calilifornia senator kamala hars

asked rao about articles she wrote while in college in the mid-90s, including a piece in which she blamed women for putting themselves at risk for sexual assault by drinking too much. rao said she regrets her past views on sexual assault. this is senator harris questioning rao. > you said women should take steps to avoid becoming a victim or what steps did you have in mind? >> it is a commonsense idea about excessive drinking here that was the advice given to me by my mother. >> that is one step you ththink women shouldld take? >> it isis a way to make it less likely. >> s she also wrote in pastt articles that affirmative action is the anointed dragon of liberal access and welfare was called lgbt and issues a trendy political movement. a former koch industries official is overseeing research

at the environmental protection agency that will inform the regulation of certain toxic chemicals found in drinking water. causing some to raise concerns over a possible conflict of interest. david dunlap was hired to the epa in october and did not require senate confirmation for his position. regulations on the toxic chemicals could mean companies that produce them-such as koch industries-can be held liable for cleanup costs. the intercept is reporting that a top aide to house speaker nancy pelosi told health insurance executives from blue cross blue shield that democratic leadership had major objections to medicare for all and would continue to try to block single-payer health care. in a december presentation, pelosi adviser wendell primus said that strengthening the affordable care act and lowering drug prices were instead the priorities for the party. polls have found that a majority of americans support the idea of medicare for all. many high profile democratic lawmakers have also come out in favor of single payer

healthcare, including 2020 presidential hopefuls senators kamala harris, cory booker, kirsten gillibrand and elizabeth warren, anand congressmember tui gabbard. a federal judge approved a plan for puerto rico to restructure a portion of its debt monday, which would require puerto rico to pay $32 billion over 40 years. critics say the deal will allow vulture funds to make huge profitits by buying up those debts. several of those vulture funds include public employee pension funds and the investment funds of harvard, princeton and yale. judge laura taylor-swain, who held a hearing on the proposed deal last month, echoed critic'' concerns about puerto rico's ability to make the payments and the likely effects on public services. however, she said in her decision, quote "the court is not free to impose its own view of what the optimal resolution of the dispute could have been."

we'll have more on puerto rico later in the broadcast. in alabama, the attorney general cleared the officer who shot and killed 21 year-old african american man e.j. bradford at a birmingham-area mall on thanksgiving day, after responding to an unrelated shooting. the aclu of alabama said in a statement: "the characterization of e.j. bradford as a 'threat' that needed 'eliminating' reveals how little regard the attorney general has for the life of this black man. we won't stay quiet while law enforcement continues to inflict lethal violence against black people and attempt to justify it." bradford's family say they will sue. the heat of the facility started to fail as early as january. a hearing came following reports that quickly spread over social

media over the weekend that nearly 1600 prisoners were being held without heat. hot meals, or electricity including last week's polar vortex. after the hearing, the judge visited herself to inspect congested -- conditions at the jail. you u can go to democracynow.org for our two reports. supportding messages of -- celebrities and fans are sending messages of support to grammy-nominated rapper 21 savage, who was detained by agents from immigration and customs enforcement on sunday. ice says british-born shayaa bin abraham-joseph, better known by his stage name 21 savage, overstayed his visa after coming to the u.s. at the age of 12 in 2005. a "free 21 savage" petition, created by black lives matter co-founder patrisse cullors, has so far gathered over 200,000 signatures. lawyers for the rapper say he is being wrongfully detained, and that his new visa application is currently pending.

and those are some of the headlines. this is democracy now, democracynow.org, the war and peace report. i'm amy goodman. one: and i am one gonzalez. welcome. in his state of the union address on tueuesday night president trump attacked democrats and the robert mueller' investigation claiming -- investigation. president trump: an economic miracle is taking place in the united states in the early thing that can stop it are foolish wars, politics, or ridiculous partisan investigations. president trump: there is going to be peace and legislation. there cannot be war and investigation. it just t doesn't work that way. spent muchresident

of his speech focused on the southern border and repeated his vow to build the border wall. organizedtrump: large caravans are on the march to the united states. we have just heard that mexican cities, in order to remove the illegal immigrants from their communities, are getting trucks and buses to bring them up to our country in areas where there is little border protection care i have ordered another 3750 toops to our southern border prepare for this tremendous onslaught. this is a moral issue. the lawless state of our southern border is a threat to the safety, security, and financial well-being of all of america.

>> on the international front, trump announced plans to hold another summit with north korean leader kim jong un in vietnam . now,is democracy democracynowow.org. when we come back, we will speak with a congress member. stay with us. ♪

♪ ♪ >> this is democracy now democracynow.org, the war and peace report. we continue to look at president trump passes state of the union address. on the international front, he announced plans to hold a summit with kim jong own in vietnam beginning the 27th and he also

defended his decision to pull out of the intermediate-range nuclear forcrces treaty a landma n nuclear armrms deal with r russia. trump p went on toto threaten aw nuclear arms race. president trump: perhaps we can negotiate a different agreement, and in and others. or perhaps we can't. in which case we will outspend all others by far. >> in other international news, trump warned against endless wars in the middle east while boasting about recent u.s.backed efforts to topple the venezuelan government. on the domestic front president trump criticized the state of new york for passing a law codifying a woman's right to an abortion. president trump: to defend the dignity of every person, i'm asking congress to defend legislation to prohibit the late-term abortion of children,

whwho can feel pain in t the mother's womb. >> new york governor andrew cuomo responded on twitter by writing quote "breaking: @realdonaldtrump just proposed rolling back roe-the law of our nation for 46 years affirmed & reaffirmed by numerous supreme courts. never. ny has a message to those who spread lies & fear to control women's reproductive health: not gonna happen. not now, not ever." trump did not mention the longest government shutdown in u.s. history, which even delayed his speech by a week. former georgia gubernatorial candidate stacey abrams did as she made history as the first african-american woman to give the democraticic response. just a few weeks ago, i joined volunteers to distribute meals to furloughed federal workers. they waited in line for a box of food and the sliver of hope since they hadn't received paychecks in weeks.

making livelihoods of our federal workers a pond for political gain is a disgrace. the shutdown was a stunt. engineered by the president of the united states. one that defied every tenet of fairness and abandoned not just our people, but our values. >> we're joined by another history making woman, democratic congresswoman, the first somali ofrican red -- in the house representatives. the first to job wearing congress member. she is a refugee. we welcome you and we want to start off by asking you, as you set their wearing red, white, response what was your to president trump passes state of the union address? thank you for having

me. it was a really bizarre state of the union address that kind of went along with the bizarrely scripted house of cards seen that we just recently witnessed with the longest shutdown of our of 35 days.tory i expect of their to be a presidential address. i expected there to be a knowledge that of the workers he just used as political foot all. i expected there to be some , a plan.on it really fell again pedestrian address. i was taken aback by the lack of vision, and interest bringing a went into unified message. i would also say for this particular address, or seem to

be a lot of hypocrisies. you talk about welcoming illegal immigration as much as possible. limited thehe number of refugees that could was a one of my guests statusmmigrant who has a , that he signed to the end, he talks about ending endless wars he seems toe east, be excited about showing our military might. usks about working with heting infrastructure bill talked about the democrats and

constitutionally, called fort continuingbalances, the investigation to the administration. just did not feel well thought out, that this was the people, my the sister, stacy, delivered more of a state of the union address and the occupant of the white house did. membere were obviously -- many of the democratic women wearing white in a striking visual. at one point, the president marked the progress of women in the workforce and america, all of the democratic women stood up

and cheered. it seemed to unnerve him a little. i want you to comment on the , to ourselves and members of congress. i when he made that point, don't think he was clued into the fact that he was celebrating this wave of women who have now been elected to congress. he took the opportunity to celebrate ourselves. most of us are in congress also replacing members. congress now lookoks morere representative was one we wanted to celebrate. i don't know if he actually understood that.

amy: let's go to that clip. this is president trump talking about women in congress. president trump: all americans can be proud that we have more women in the workforce than ever before. a century after congress passed the constitutional amendment .iving women the right to vote women servingore in congress than any time before. >> [chanting usa] president trump: that is great. very good anand congratulationo. that is grgreat. we also wanted your

response to what is happening in venezuela. ago, it is not a solution to the dire issues they face. it will only incite violence and further destabilize the region. we must support mexico, uruguay, and efforts to facilitate a peaceful dialogue. let's go to president trump passes comments on venezuela. -- president trump's comments on venezuela. president trump: the legitimate government of venezuela and its new president. we stand with the venezuelan request forhe freedom, and we condemn the regime,y of the maduro whose socialist policies have turned that nation from being america,hiest in south

into a state of abject poverty and despair. here in the united states, we were alarmed by the new calls to adopt socialism in our country. >> boo! president trump: america was founded on liberty and independence and not government coercion, domination, and control. we are born free and we will stay free. >> usa! usa! usa! president t trump: tonight, we renew our resolve that america will never be a socialist country.

that is president trump speaking, the camera focusing in from bernie sanders. if you could respond on boboth f those issues on venezuela and socialism? the president seems to be rid -- divorced from reality. a wave of new members of congress who are women, they don't seem to recognize that most of us got elected, resisting his disastrous country in steering our into the right direction. he also seems to be divorced from reality when we are talking inut the situation unfolding venezuela. we understand that is a crisis.

we believe in furthering democracy but it is really important that we caution involved from getting and furthering suffering in countries like venezuela hit what he tossed that the humanitarian crisis and the need for the people of venezuela to have self-determination, i think back to what is happening in ,audi arabia led war in yemen that the united states is resisting, that is the worst humanitarian crisis, over have facedple starvation. so when we see this president make remarks, it really becomes easily visible to see how divorced you truly is from reality.

us wereer that most of laughing when he made, surround socialism. for, alexandria, what we advocate for is a prosperous america that makes sure that everybody has access to jobs, everyone has access to housing, everyone has access to health care, that we don't have an america where people are dying because they cannot afford insulin. we don't have an america where people are dying because they don't have a home and they are and americaside where we deal with our homeless crises, so when i hear him is a reality that he seems to be clearly divorced.

i don't know if he knows how medicare for all is. i don't know if he understands how popular freeing students from the shackles of death is. i don't know if he understands how popular it is for us to critically address climate change. clearly, he lacks leadership and it is going to be really important for the next year. find someone who could lead our nation into prosperity and who will not be a liar in chief in the white house. amy: do you consider yourself a democratic-socialist? >> i consider myself a democrat. to ask yould like about another portion of the president pence's speech. in his address, he criticized

iran, calling the country the roads leading to sponsor telling -- of terror. president trump: my administration has acted decisively, the radical regime in iran. it is a radical regime. they do bad things. to ensure this corrupt acquireship never nuclear weapons, i went through the united states from the iran nuclear deal. [applause] trump: in last fall, we put in place the toughest sanctions ever imposed by us on a country.

we will not avert our eyes from a regime that chance death to "death to chants america." that was president trump last night. your response not only to the confrontational attitude of the united states of ministration of iran, andtrump the most of the other european countries have participated in negotiations of the records in iran, don't agree in the united states. how he is example of clearly result -- divorced from reality. he has clearly cozied up to saudi arabia. to make a statement like that with a straight face, really disillusioned he is with reality.

the kind of hypocrisy that goes with saying it can't continue to write endless wars, he stands ofre and also speaks aggressions that he wants to be a part of, in that part of the world. showed how this president is a liar in chief, how this president isn't really rooted in any reality, how this president can no longer need -- leave this country. and the work we need to do to make sure we have a leader that understands that there is a anderence between diplomacy starting or aggravating worse. let me ask you about trump's friend plotting the decision, his own, but

recognizing the capital. trump: one of the most facedx challenges we have is in the middle east. realism, not discredited theories that have failed for decades to yield progress. for this reason, my administration recognized the true capital of israel and proudly opened the american embassy. amy: i want to get your response to that and also just before the state of the union address passed a, senators bill that included the controversial anti-bds provision aimed at preventing opposition to the israeli government here in the united dates by allowing state and local governments to sanction u.s. companies who put -- who boycott israel.

also an amendment opposing an immediate withdrawal from troops in syria. if you could with -- respond to all of these things. the move of the embassy was one that was wideley criticized. it was not a move that lends to creating a peaceful environment in the region. i have for a long time spoken about the kinds of policies we need to have in that part of the region. what it means for there to be divorceow we can justice for peace. thatll be really important we have people not only in congress but in the white house and truly understands that. the bill that passed was similar

to one that i voted against in the minnesota house and is one that i was -- that was making the rounds in the country and different statehouses. it exists to really drive a wedge between democrats score political points for republicans. colleagues to not take the bait. it is important for us to focus on protection -- protecting the constitutional rights of people, making sure there is an opportunity for people in this to fully utilize the first amendment. to ask you wanted about the intercept report that a top aide to house speaker nancy posted told executives from blue cross blue skip -- blue shield the democratic leadership's had major

objections to medicare for all and continue to block health care p or policy advisor wendel said strengthening the affordable care act and lowering drug is his words -- were realities for the party. kenny responond to this? rep. omar: we have a guarantee that the bill will have a hearing. i look forward to finally having that scheduled. i know a congresswoman has been the widthry hard, as for the congressional progressive caucus, i look forward to not only having conversations with our caucus members, but with the democratic caucus, and maybe even getting some republicans on board. this is a policy supported by the majority of americans.

i know we are talking about policies like that, we cannot just talk about them as a bipartisan policy here in congress, but we have to look at it as a bipartisan issue with the american people. it is in the interests of all to legislatengress on behalf of the people who elected them. juan: i would like to ask you about the issue of immigration and the wall that the e presidet insists needs to be built, though he is changing the defifinition or concncept of the wall every day. i wanted to ask you about his continued urging that congress must pass legislation that includes money for his wall. of thear: that part

speech was very difficult to be present for. i am someone who fully understands the struggles that people go through to get here, to look for an opportunity in the united states. there is a famous palm that says, no one leaves the mouth of the shark unless the mouth of the shark is safer than home. to have a president thatat continuess to demonize immigrans and to speak of humans as aliens that to not recognize seeking -- seeking asylum isn't illegal, it is really devastating. recipient of delayed in force departure, from liberia who arrived in the country in

2000 because of the civil war liberia,happening in for me, it is someone i fully connect with. i left my home country of somalia because of the civil war. i am of the few fortunate ones who come here with a refugee has a who automatically permanent status in this country . hers was a temporary one. because of our immigration system, she is now living with the challenges of not being able to permanently starting life here. for 18 years, she has lived through the broken immigration system, trying her best to go to school to work, to become a taxpayer and contribute to society and get back in every way she can.

she left a two-year-old son she hasn't seen, and she has been applying for permanent status, because the system people don't really have a path to permanency. what we wanted to see -- to hear from the president was a plan, a peacen how we give people tomind, a permanent status be here and continue their lives. being a micucci for 20 years, 30 years, means you no longer have a home elsewhere. and this is where your friends are, members of church and a mosque and a synagogue. for the president not to humansze, that these are

behind the policies that we it is really dangerous because he continues to fan the flames of hate and continues to use the issues around as one that is divisive and one that continues to instill fear in our community. amy: congressman, we want to thank you for being with us for the response to the state of the union address. congressman omar's first emollient american elected to the u.s. house of representatives and one of the first muslim women in congress. the first hijab wearing member of the house of representatives. speak toome back, we an activist who was invited to the state of the union of thee union adaddress by new york congress member alexandria acosta -- cortez. ♪

if our president, what would i do? ♪

amy: here in the democracynow studios, you can see the whole interview with them. i am amy goodman and this is juan gonzalez. juan: we are joined now by the coexecutive director of the -- ana maria archila, co-executive director of the center for popular democracy. amy: she along with another inan confronted jeff flake an elevator after he announced his support of judge brett kavanaugh's nomination confirmation to the supreme court. surely after the confrontation, senator flake called for a delay of the vote pending a limited

fbi investigation. be in thatfeel to chamber in the house of representatives to hear president trump and there were supreme court justices, not all of them. in there and was justice thomas was in there and justice ruth bader ginsburg wasn't there, justice mayor wasn't there -- but justice kavanagh was along with chief justice roberts and gorsrsuch and elena kagan. >> good morning. it was really a night of cocontrast. incredible to cac of white, women wearing white, representing both the history of our country and history women who have struggled to win the right to vote, and to win the right to represent all of us, who are actually the ones carrying the vision of a country

that is possible where all of us can live with dignity like what representative omar just talked about. hand, there was kavanagh sitting there representing the failure of democracy, the inability of politicians, especially men in allow to really themselves to listen to the stories of the women they represent, to allow themselves to govern by listening, to imagine that their role is actually to bring the voices of the people they represent, maybe people whose life experiences but whose share aspirations they can try to understand. presence of justice kavanagh as a reminder of how much work we have to do to make sure our democracy really works for us. i was also sitting there feeling for the wavetude

of women, the boldness of the leadership of especially the new freshman class that includes representative omar, congresswoman alexandria cortez, and so many other women who are really speaking to the idea that we can be a country that includes all of us, that we can have a future that includes all of us in the future that recognizes the abundance of the and says in this abundance come we should all be able to have health care and dignified jobs and time to rest, time for families, a planet where we have clean air and moved.so i feel i was very aware of how how much it was and

the moment was pregnant in some ways with possibibility. and trump was trump. he was still scapegoating immigrants. he was still telling lies. he was still speaking from both sides of his mouth talking about unity saying we can only be unified if you don't investigate me. so i was very aware of how much we have in this moment. give a brief response to his claim once again that the country is being invaded by caravans of migrants and his call for more troops and to have more troops sent to the border. >> president trump has been using immigrants as a scapegoat from day one of his campaign. the playbook has worked for him because he knows that in the

psyche of the country, you can appeal to fear and to a sense of a lack of safety to justify the most horrible policies, whether it was slavery, jim crow, and now, his anti-immigrgrant policies. criminalhe threat of behavior and especially the women of danger to the has been central to racist policymaking. that there isg to a crisis of refugees coming to

the ports s of entry, is exactly what refugees are supposed to do and exactly the legal way. they are being turned around and sent back intoto violence.e. there is a crisis because families of being separated and thousands of children are in cages and thousands of parents are looking for them without --wing how to people with other immigration totuses that are now having country,is back to the -- news, they latest don't even know where they are. seconds we just have 20

cortez, and and seven-year-old migrant girl who died while in u.s. customs, custody in new mexico? partsh of us were wearing , we want to remind people of the danger of giving donald trump a single dollar for his wall and anti-dim -- anti-immigrant policies. that result in more deaths at the border and more families separated, and more d deportations. thank you for being with us. the foot in the elevator door jeff flake when he was going to vote for justice kavanagh, supreme court justice led to her invitation to the house of

representatives and her years of activism before. today's broadcast on the news -- it would require puerto rico to pay $42 billion of four years. critics say the deal will allow vulture funds to make huge profits buying at those debts. several of those include public employoyee pension funds and investment funds of harvard, princeton, and yell. a judge to help hearing on the proposed deal last month echoed concerns about the ability to make the payments and the likely effect of public services, but she said that the court is not free to impose its own view to what the dispute could have been. you have been following these development closely. explain the significance of this. juan: this is the first legally approved settlement of the $74

billion of debt. it only involves about $17 billion but it is a large portion of the debt. the debt backed by sales tax in puerto rico, it is a terrible decision most observers know, for the people puerto rico. acause even though it allows haircut for these bondholders of about 32%, it basically kicks road, basel bee issued for 40 years and senior bondholders, the big players, willof them hedge funds, only have a reduction of the principal of about 7%, while junior bondholders are basically investors, will have about half of their principal wiped out. the important thing to understand is who is benefiting? it is vulture funds once again. a report of the committee for

illegitimate debt. there is a group in boston, a millionnd that has $900 of this debt that has a settlement. several big investors are the and investment funds of harvard, yell, and princeton. then there is golden tree asset management, $2 billion of this debt, 400 million of which they acquired after hurricane maria, would puerto rico's debt, you could get for pennies on the dollar. it will now make a huge killing on the fact that they're getting $.93 on the dollar. can'the is the tilden park capital. managing director of goldman sachs, they have managed $50 million of debt. they will make a killing. the last two, many have

investments from my public employee pension fund in new york, illinois, retirement funds, texas, los angeles, county funds. these are pension funds providing money for funds now, reaping the benefits even , president obama's point man who developed and basically pushed through the bill, has criticized the deal. said in an artform bloomberg news a couple of months ago that it would just the question of time yet again. pension payments of more than a 25,000 workers. , unfortunately the judge felt that she legally did not have the authority to override this. is the signalhis

it is going toward. vulture funds and hedge funds. with increased austerity. amy: explain what it means? juan: the sales tax authority puerto rico created. could issue more debt, it created a separate authority and siphoned off the sales taxes of puerto rico for bondholders. perjury to has perhaps the highest sales tax in the united states, 7.5% now. amy: we will continue to follow this or this is all happening the hurricane. we'll go to the vulture funds. to see all of our coverage on puerto rico, you can go to democracynow.org. a belated happy birthday. we are currently accepting

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