04/26/19 04/26/19 [captioning made possible by democracy now!] amy: from pacifica, this is democracy now! >> this is your nuremberg moment, your chance to stand on the right side of history. juststice is not inevitable. it doesn't just happen. it does not stand a chance of people in popower, including the at this table, don't make it a priority. amy: we look at the trump administration's global attack on women after the u.s. guts a united nations security council

resolution to end rape as a weapon of war, excluding references to "sexual and reproductive health." then for the second time in a week, a judge has blocked the trump administration's gag rule that would have stripped federal funding known as title x for planned parenthood and other clinics that refer patients for abortion or even mention abortion as an option. we speak to planned parenthood president dr. leana wen. >> it is unethical. it is illegal. planned parenthood will be fighting the trump administration with everything we have. amy: than meet the journalist that philippines president duterte has jailed twice in the past few months. andou cannot harass intimidate journalists into silence. we will stand up and fight against it. as long as we are a democracy under constitution, which has a

bill of rights, we willl demand our rights be respected. amy: award-winning journalist maria ressa, the founder of independent news site rappler, joins us to talk about duterte's crackdown on preress freededom she and dr. ana wen were bot just ned amongng time 100 asterisk most influential people of 2019. all that and more, coming up. welcome to democracy now!, democracynow.org, the war and peace report. i'm amy goodman. in sri lanka, government officials have lowered the death toll from the easter sunday atattacks on churches and hotels to about 253, that's more than 100 lower than the prerevious estimate. authorities said there were so many body parts at the bombing sites, it was difficult to obtain a p precise deathth toll. more thahan 500 people were injujured.

over the past days, sri lankan top police official and defense secretary y have bototh resignen response to the government's failings to follow-up on warnings that an attack was imminent. in campaign news, former vice president joe biden's recently reached out to anita hill prior to entering the presidential race. biden has long been criticized for his handling of hill's allegations that now supreme court justice clarence thomas had sexually harassed her in the workplace. biden was chair of the all-male, all-white senate judiciary committee in 1991 when hill testified. he forced hill to discuss in graphic detail thomas's sesexual comments and he did not invite other women to testify who could have corroborated hill's allegations. in need o of -- anita hill tolod "the new york times" she was not satisfied with biden's comments during their phone conversation. hill said -- "i cannot be satisfied by simply saying, 'i'm sorry for what happened to you. i will be satisfied when i know there is real change and real

accountability and real purpose." in other campaign news, biden marked his first day on the campaign trail by attending a -- attending a $2800-a person fundraiser in philadelphia at the e home of comcast's top lolobbyist david cohen. attendees included daniel hilferty, chief executive of independence blue cross, the largest health insurer in the philadelphia area. senator bernie sanders criticized biden for holding a fundraiser in the home of a corporate lobbyist. former pennsylvania governor ed rendell, who co-hosted the biden fundraiser, appeared on cnn this morning. >> for 90% of the people who attended last night's fundraiser, contributing against their own financial interest. they will do better with a republican president because they are in the top 1%. they will do better with a republican president. it will probably cost them money of joe biden wins, because i think he will bring some sense

to the tax cut and probably raise rates on the top 1%. all of these people gave money even though it is against their own financial interest. amy: in other campaign news, biden has hired symone sanders to be a senior adviser to his campaign. sanders is a prominent african-american political strategist who served as press secretary for vermont senator bernie sanders in 2016. last month, symone sanders donated $250 to the campaign of pete buttigieg. in sudan, hundreds of thousands of protesters gathered outside sudan's defense ministry calling for civilian rule following the recent military coup that ousted omar al-bashir. about sudanese judges joined the chantingsts, "civilian, civilian, protected by the judiciary." in a concession to the protesters three prominent sudanese generals agreed on to resign from the ruling transitional military council. protesters are vowing to stay in

the streets until military rule has ended. >> all of our domains had been carefully stutudied, are well-known, and we insist on them. we will not leave this sitit-in until our demands are met, at the forefront is a civilian government. amy: north korean leader kim jong-un has wrapapped up his first-ever meeting with president vladimir putin. kim criticized the united states for acting in bad faith during his recent nuclear summit with trump and warned that the situation on the korean peninsula could return to what he described as its origiginal state. on thursday, putin said the international community, not jujust the united states, , shod be involved in n negotiations on north korea's nuclear program. french president emmanuel macron has vowed to cut taxes and increase pensions as part of a package of reforms aimed at quelling the six-month old yellow vest protests. macron outlined his proposals in an over two hour press

conference in which he also told french workersrs they must workk harderer. more than 400000 peoe e have died in venezuela since 2017 as a result of u.s. sanctions. that's the conclusion of a new report by the center for economic and policy research and the economist jeffrey sachs. the report examines how u.s. sanctions have reduced the availability of food and medicine in venezuela and increased disease and mortality. jeffrey sachs said -- "american sanctions are deliberately aiming to wreck venezuela's economy and thereby lead to regime change. it's a fruitless, heartless, illegal, and failed policy, causing grave harm to the venezuelan people." the second time this week, a federal judge has temporarily blocked a new rule that would stripped title x funds.

the u.s. district judge of washington state ruled against the changes thursday, saying that would require clinics "the face of the choice that harms patients as well as the providers." the judge's ruling holds the so-called gag rule which was announced of president trump in february and was scheduled to go into effect may 3. this came two days after an oregon judge issued a preliminary injunction to stop the gambrell from going into effect. we will have more on this later in the prorogram when we speak o the president of planned parenthood, dr. leana wen. a federal judge has temporarily blocked a texas law that bansns state contractors from boycotting israel. under the law, state contractors are e required to sign a pledge vowing not to boycott israel and not to take any action that is "intended to penalize, inflict economic harm on, or limit commercial relations with

israel." the bill was widely viewed as an attempt to criminalize support of the bds -- boycott, divestment, and sanctions movement. on thursday, federal judge robert pitman issued an injunction saying -- "the statute threatens 'to suppress unpopular ideas' and 'manipulate the public debate through coercion rather than persuaon.' this the first amendme d does not allo"" rt o of e casesetems from a lawsuit fileled by biaia ama, an aric-speakg child nguage speciast in thpflugervle indepeent scho district. shlolost h jobob onine y yrs for t t signg ththe ycottt pledge. bahiamawi aparared o democracnow! lasyear explaiaining why she c couldn'tn the pledge. >> i sent a letter sasaying, listen, i cannot sign thihis. this is s against my constitutional righthts. it is also againinst my moral ad

ethical values, c considering im a palestininian-american and i have family that live in occupied territories thatt afaffects me. it affects me as an amick and citizen and a palestinian-american, too. amy: the founder of pink floyd roger waters is at the center of a growing controversy over free speech on college campuses. waters is scheduled to speak on a panel at the university of massachusetts amherst on may 4th about the backlash against pro-palestinian voices. other speakers include palestinian-american activist linda sarsour, who has faced death threats for her outspokenness, and temple university professor marc lamont hill who was recently fired from cnn for speaking up for palestinian rights. the event has sparked protests on campus. a group of umass students fileld a lawsuit claiming they will "suffer irreparable harm" if the event takes place. the massachusetts republican party and the massachusetts jewish republican committee have condemned the event claiming it is anti-semitic.

another 80 groups have urged umass to pull its support for the panel. on thursday, the university announced the event will go ahead despite the protests saying it is committed to the principles of free speech and academic freedom. a coast guard lieutenant accused of plotting to kill high-profile liberal figures may soon be released from pretrial detention. on thuhursday a federal judgdgen maryland said he did not find christopher hasson's detention appropriate based on the charges against him. while prosecutors claim hasson was plotting a domestic terror attack, he has only been charged with gun and drug offenses, not terrorism or attempted murder. at the time of his arrest, hasson reportedly had a stockpile of 15 guns and more than 1000 rounds of ammunition. his hit list included house speaker nancy pelosi, civil rights pioneer angela davis, freshman congressmembers alexandria ocasio-cortez and ilhan omar, msnbc host chris

hayes, and democratic presidential hopefuls senators kirsten gillibrand, elizabeth warren, cory booker, and kamala harris, among others. the national security agency has quietly recommended that the trump administration abandon a surveillance program collecting metadata on the phone calls and text messages of hundreds of millions of americans. the program was launched secretly under president george w. bush after 9/11 without the approval of federal courts. the secret program's existence was revealed in 2013 by nsa whistleblower edward snowden. for years, the nsa defended the surveillance as an essential tool to fight terrorism, but the nsa now says the bulk metadata surveillance program is no longer worth the effort needed to maintain it. snowden responded on twitter by saying, "first they laugh at you, then they fight you, then, they admit you were right all along and maybe shouldn't have been violating everyone's rights in the first place?" a pentagon ethics investigation

has cleared acting defense secretary patrick shanahan following accusations that he unfairly favored the weapons contractor boeing. shanahan spent over three decades as an executive at boeing. calls are growing for the mayor of baltimore, maryland, catherine pugh to resign after the fbi and irs raided her two homes and her city hall office as part of a probe into her business dealings. part of the probe may center on the mayor making more than $700,000 by selling large quantities of her self-published children's books to businesses with government ties, including the university of maryland medical system. pugh has been on indefinite leave since april 1. following the fbi raid, maryland governor larry hogan called on her to resign. in london, climate activists with the group extinction rebellion concluded 10 days of civil disobedience on thursday by disrupting the center of

london's financial district. some activists glued themselves to the entrance to the british treasury. others targeted goldman sachs, the london stock exchange, and the banknk of england. ovover the past 10 days, mororen 1100 activists have e been arreresteds s part oththe extinconon rebellionon protests. among those arrested on thursday was phil kingston, who marked his 83rd birthday by climbing on to the roof of a train. >> i am here because i have a believe that there's something greater than earth, which tells me we don't own this earth. it is doing terrrrible damage. -- current economy is using we are being taught this is the way of life. it isnsn't. it is the way of death. that is because the more we take, the lessor is for future

generations. ---- the less there is for futue generations. he marked his 83rd birthday by climbing onto the roof of a train as part of the extinction rerebellion protest. more than 1000 people have been arrested over the last 10 days. and those are some of the headlines. this is democracacy no democrcracynow.org, the war andd peace report. i'm amy goodman. the trump administration is under fire after the united nations security council passed a resolution to end rape as a weapon of war on tuesday that excluded any mention of sexual and reproductive health. the resolution was gutted after the u.s. threatened to veto the measure altogether unless language referencing reproductive health was taken out due to the trump administration's belief that the language was code for abortion. the watered-down measure also

weakened references to the international criminal court, making it harder for women and girls to seek justice. france's u.n. ambassador blasted the move, saying -- "it is intolerable and incomprehensible that the security council is incapable of acknowledging that women and girls who suffered from sexual violence in conflict, and who obviously didn't choose to become pregnant, should have the right to terminate their pregnancy." the resolution was championed by nobel peace laureate nadia murad, a yazidi kurdish human rights activist from iraq. she was kidnapped by the self-proclaimed islamic state and held as a sex slave for almost three months. >> we come here today and ask those perpetrators of genocide be brought to justice. zidi weapons of war. they need to be tried so there would be tried for the crimes they committed, bringing elements of isil to justice

that terrorize them for crimes of sexual violence against women would send messages to others and prevent such crimes in t the future. amy: and this is human rights attorney amal clooney addressing the security council on tuesday. >> this is your nuremberg moment will stop your chance to stand on the right side of history. you owe itt to the thousands of women and girls who must watch isis members shave off their beards and go back to a normal life while they, the victims, never can. amy: the gutted resolution is just the latest in the trump administration's hard-line stances on u.n. resolutions. in recent months, they have also opposed using the word "gender" in u.n. documents in what is seen as an attack on transgender rights. we are now joined by jessica --jessica neuwirth, the director of the human rights program at roosevelt house at hunter college. she sent a letter wednesday to secretary of state mike pompeo

protestingng the u.s. stance on the security council resolution on sexual violence in conflict. jessica neuwirth has worked as a consultant to the international criminal tribunal for rwanda on issues of sexual violence in several cases, including a land mark decision recognizing rape as a form of genocide. jessica neuwirth, welcome to democracy now! so talk about what happened at the united nations this past week. >> i have to say it was really a shameful week for the united states. 10 years ago it was the united states that geithner the resolution that created an office to deal with sexual violence in conflict. the goal of the 10 year anniversary resolution was to strengthen the mechanisms and move the agenda forward. while in the end it did that, in some important respects, most of the energy, instead of reinforcing political will, was used to battle this assault by the united states and continuing threat to veto the resolution in part because of the language sexual reproductively,

references to the criminal court -- the mechanisms that do strengthen the work of the u.n. and others around the world to stop sexual violence in conflict. en route productive health, the services most needed by women and girls who have been raped in war zones. amy: can you talk about the origins of this resolution that originally germany put forward? >> germany sponsored a resolution -- as i said, it was really designed to move the agenda forward. we are used to seeing the united states and the u.n. try to move these agendas forward. this time around, what we saw was the u.s. lining up with china and russia against its closest allies like france, belgium, germany, the u.k., really blocking efforts to get the resolution passed. it was only because of the really dramatic compromises that were made the resolution in the end did pass.

as i said, there are some good things in the resolution we do not want to ignore, but it was really shameful to be an american walking around the halls of the u.n. amy: so the united states forced the u.n. security council to remove the word "sexual every productive health" which people like the french ambassador was outraged in response saying this is just unacceptable? a rare moment. the u.n. is a very diplomatic place. it following the past of the resolution, several really spoke strongly. amy: let me go to the british. >> we regret the language on services for survivors of sexual violence recognize and the accused need for those services to include conference of

reproductive and sexual health care, including safe termination of pregnancies, did not meet with all the councilmember support. however, mr. president, it is important that we maintain , are consistent efforts in this respect. and we maintain that progress that we have made on this i iss. amy: and this is the french ambassador to the united nations also speaking tuesday. >> in the face of certain threats, i am still liking to underscore how essential it iss fofor france and the name of victims to ensure these victims can have access to sexual and rupert act of health -- reproductive health. amy: that was the voice of the translator. jessica neuwirth? >> the south african ambassador i would say went further and noted the hypocrisy of adopting a survivor centered approach, which is one of the wonderful things about this resolution

that it try to put survivors at the center of all efforts to combat sexual violence and conflict. at the same time, denying them the services or right to access services that are so vitally needed. i think what he said was the message to survivors is the consensus and the u.n. is more important than their needs, despite the fact the u.n. said there needs should be central to any efforts. amy: this is nonbinding. talk about the effects of us on the ground. you have long worked on these issues of sexual violence, and what it means to address sexual and reproductive health. >> the most important thing, which is true to all of these resolutions, many of which have important and great ideas in them, is to see them get implemented. i think how it will play out on the ground is going to depend on how much political will there is to implement these mechanisms that exist, even though we were not able to create more mechanisms. i think one of the important things in the new resolution is

greater support for sanctions, for perpetrators. i think we have to see, are these perpetrators going to be sanctioned? can we use the existing tools which by large have not been effective to date, not because they can't be effective, but because they have not been used properly? i think what the survivors said -- amy: the democratic republic of congo, together with knotty up, are both this year's nobel peace prize winners. the award given in 2018. both attended this hearing. >> they both attended. they both spoke strongly on behalf of survivors and the need for justice. i think what matters the most in the end is what happens after. in ahese just into words battle over words or can we move forward with what is in the resolution on the survivors and support them in many ways, including sanctions and efforts

to bring the perpetrators to justice? another important point in the resolution that is new is the focus, for the first time, children born ofrape. many face particular problems. there is a report coming out thanks to this resolution that wiwill focus on their needs and their issues. amy: in your letter to secretary of state pompeo? >> i wrote to him in a moment of tremendous frustration because it was horrifying to watch this destructive effort -- which of various points in time, seemed like it could torpedo the entire resolution. which is only saved because of the major compromises that were made that were so disturbing to so many of us. i just pointed out the united states had an authorship role in this work and it was such a reversal. we have to remember the context. these are girls and young women who are being raped by isis

or rogue- terrorists her wrong. the first thing they need is reproductive health care. pregnant, being forced to carry that to term, has been found by the united nations as a form of torture. amy: can't help but note president trump, the world leader who is pushing this forward and taking out references to sexual reproductive health himself has been accused of sexual harassment, sexual assault by at least 16 women. >> i think the insensitivity of the administration for the e nes and general of women even here in this country, but in particular the dire circumstances of these women who are facing the most brutal mass mees, is -- it leaves speechless. amy: thank you for being with us. last question. you're sitting behind nadia mura at the u.n.n. security council.

hearing the rule that the u.k. is expected to launch the murad code? >> the u.k. has been a real leader in efforts to raise attention and awareness to the issue of sexual violence and conflict and to come up with very's codes of conduct and remedial mechanisms. behink that will forever continuing. amy: we will cover that. ,, thanks forrth joining us. director of the human rights program at roosevelt house at hunter college. also the director of the sisterhood globabal institituted sesent a letter wednesday toto secretary of state mike pompeo protesting the u.s. stance on the security council resolution on sexual violence in conflict. jessica neuwirth has worked as a consultant to the international criminal tribunal for rwanda on issues of sexual violence in several cases. thank you for being with us. when we come back, we will get response from dr. leana wen, the new president of planned parenthood. we will also talk about the title x ruling that have come

down this s week. we will talk about the gag rule in the global gag rule. stay with us. ♪ [mumusic break]

amy: this is democracy now!, democracynow.org, the war and peace report. i'm amy goodman. we turn now to look at the trump -- the new president of planned parenthood, dr. leana wen, just honor by time magazine as one of their most influential people of 2019. before we talk about title, i want to get your response, dr. wen, to what took place at the u.n. security council, resolution passed 13-0 on sexual violence against women, rape against people in war zones. but the u.s. getting that resolution, taking up any reference to sexual and reflective health. women who wereed

infected with hiv as a result of rape during the war. i have helped women who were the victims of sexual torture with clubs and bayonets and had fistulas and required lifesaving support. what we need to do for these women who are victims of war in horrific situations is to provide them with the care they need. and excluding sexual and reflective health care undermines their ability to get that care. it is time for us as the u.s. to value women's rights as human rights. and what this trump-penza administration has consistently shown globally and in the u.s., they do not value women's lives. and the policies they are championing are frankly oppressive. they counter best practctices wn it comes to public health.

frankly, they are misogynistic. amy: i want to turn to the trump administration's attack on reproductive rights here in the united states. a second federal judge has blocked a new rule that would have stripped federal funding known as title x for planned parenthood and other clinics that refer patients for abortions. the judge's ruling halts the so-called gag rule, which was announced by president trump in february and was scheduled to go into effect on may 3. washington state federal judge stanley fashion ruled against the changes to title x funding thursday, saying they would require clinics "to face a hobson's choice that harms patients as well as the providers." this came two days after an oregon judge issued a preliminary injunction to stop the gag order from going into effect, calling the rule a "ham-fisted approach to public health policy." oregegon federal judge michael mcshane said of his ruling --

"at the heart of these rules is an arrogant assumption that the government is better suited to direct women's health care than their providers." title x covers non-abortion services like e std prevention, cancer screenings and contraception, and provides over $280 million in funding for 4 million mostly low-income women every year. talk about the significance of what happened this week in two states, to federal judges saying no to the trump administration, and what the trumpet administration is trying to do with this gag order that was supposed to go into effect next week, dr. wen. >> what the trump administration is tried to do with this gag rule is to prevent doctors from fulfilling our ethical obligation. when i became a doctor, i took an oath that i would always andide honest, full, accurate information to my patients. to restrict what i can say, to

have the trump administration or any politician telling me what i can and cannot say to my patient is unethical and frankly, unthinkable. this is the reason why over 100 medical nursing public health groups, including the american medical association, american nurses association, american public health association, have stood up in strong opposition to this title x gag rule because we know it would force us to compromise the oath we took to serve our patients and also it would not happen for any other aspect of health care. how ludicrous would it be if doctors are not tell her patients who come for insulin and have diabetes, if we cannot tell them about where they can go to get insulin, the life-saving and life changnging treatment? so this ruling is important because it is a preliminary injunction that blocks this gag rule from taking effect. it also continues to allow

planned parenthood and other health centers to continue serving millions of patients around the country who depend on us for primary and preventive services. as you said, title x provides for affordable birth control, preventive screenings, hiv testing, and many parts of the country this is the only way that individuals with low income, who live in world bank areas, are able to get access to health care. and taking that away, we know the consequences, which is people are going to delay getting health care. cancers will end up getting diagnosed later. there will be increased rates of ststi's and unintended pregnancies. that is what happens when people cannot get the reproductive health care they need. amy: again, give us the scenario. a woman comes into your office and she says, what are my options? is this that rule were in effect, if she is just learned

she was pregnant, you as a doctor would not be a believer in say, forget referring her somewhere or to a planned parenthood clinic even, you could not even say your options are keeping the baby or terminating the pregnancy? you could not say "terminatating the pregnancy"? >> congress has made it very clear by passing laws about it before that physicians and nurses and providers must be able to provide the full range of options will step that is what medicine is a about. it is not up to me as a doctor to tell my patients what they should do. my obligation is to provide all the information and empower my patients to make the best decisions for themselves. under this gag rule, if a patient came to me and i work at a clinic that receives title x federal funding, i would not even be able to provide a referral to a woman even if she

specifically is asking for a referral for abortion care. it is not even clear what i it isbe allowed to do if medically necessary in order to save her health. if she has a life threatening condition, condition that threatens her health. if i'm able to make referral in that case. i want to point out not only how unethical this is, but also how discriminatory it is, too. because this is saying if you are a person who is wealthy, if you have private insurance, you can still go to your doctor and get accurate medical information and health care you need. but if you are a woman of low income, if you are a family with low income, not only can you not get health care access, but you would not even be able to get accurate information from your doctor. this is just one more exampleof administration

of a policy that would worsen health outcomes and worsen disparities for those who already face disproportionate barriers to care. the people who receive title x are those who are uninsured, those who live in out of the way rural areas, people of color, people who are already facing these barriers. it also puts providers into an impossible position becausese either you continue to serve patients or you are forced to compromise your ethics. from our standpoint in planned parenthood, we cannot accept these gagged funds. we would never force our doctors to censor themselves or provide care to our patients that is anything less than the high-quality, nonjudgmental care that we provide through our 600 health centers across the country. amy: i want to ask about the global gag rule. shortly after his inauguration in january 2017, president trump

reinstated this controversial global gag rule. the policy originating in the reagan era banning u.s. funding for any international health care group that performs abortion, advocates for the legalization portion, or even mentions it, even if those activities are funded by non-us money. then white house press secretary sean spicer commented on that decision. >> i think the president, is no secret, has made it clear he is a pro-life president. he wants to stand up for all americans, including the unborn. i think the reinstatement of this policy is not just something that echoes that value, but respects t taxpayer funding as well and ensures we're not standing up just for but also fornborn, taxpayer funds that are being spent overseas to perform an action that is contrary to the values of this president and i think continue to further illustrate not just of the folks here in this country, but around the world, what a value we place

on life. amy: that is a familiar voice to many, though no longer there, the former press spokesperson for president trump sean spicer. what this means globally, and also for the many your groupsxplain role globally. >> i i just haveve to point oute hypocrisy here. ,f we truly were to value life we would be looking to expand access to health care, not gut it. let's look at here in the u.s. as an example. we have rising maternal mortality right here in the u.s. american women are 50% more likely to die in childbirth than our mothers were. we're the only industrialized country where maternal mortality is going up. african-american women in the u.s. are three times to four times more likely to die in childbirth than white women. a what woman in georgia is 10

times more likely to die in childbirth than a woman in california. look at what is a administration is trying to do right here in the u.s., which is cutting access to health care, taking away access to birth control, taking away and sabotaging the affordablele caree act that provides care to women that also allows for women to receive care in pregnancy and gutting a dismantling medicator provides care to low-income women, families, and children when there are -- there are huge hypocrisies here in the u.s. but that hypocrisy we have seen time and time again. first, with the trump-pence administration's policies globally. one of the first thing this a administration did was to reinstate and expand the global gag rule. impact already seen the of this gag rule because they have taken away funding from clinics, health centers, organizations that even offer information about abortion care

in the full spectrum of rupert elected health care. abortion is a standard medical procedure that is part of the full spectrum of reproductive health care. people, it is life saving. it is a critical procedure. it is a critical part of modern medicine. we have seen what happens when people internationally do not have access to safe, legal abortions. 1/10 of maternal much word -- mortality globally is due to unsafe abortions. 3000 women die every year around the world because they do not have access to safe, legal abortions. and by the trump-pence administration imposing a global gag rule, not only are they worsening the mortality globally , in the u.s., but they're also taking away funding from organizations that provide care for patients with hiv/aids that and hivprevent sti's worldwide. there are health centers and clinics and organizations that had to close their doors around

the world that provide food and nutrition assistance to families, that provide care to individuals with hiv infections. what this trump-pence the administration is doing his worsening health. i find it extremely hypocritical they get to call themselves pro-life when what they are doing is worsening health outcomes and leading to more people dying in the u.s. and around the world. amy: i want to go beyond trump's gaggle, just the latest in this series of attacks on reproductive rights in the u.s. as 28 states, more than half the states consider legislation to ban or restrict abortion in various ways. among the slew of strategies are trigger events to make abortion completely illegal in the state should roe v. wade be overturned and six week abortion bans. ohioer this month, governor signed into law a six week abortion ban, was some call the fetal heart the bill which

bans abortions once the fetal heartbeat can be detected, something that typically happens to six weeks into pregnancy before many women even realize they are pregnant. the bill does not include exceptions for cases of rape or incised. a similar law is said to take effect in mississippi in july while judges have for now blocked the six week bills from going into effect in kentucky and iowa. can you talk more about this? i know you at planned parenthood do not like to refer to the six week abortion bans as fetal heartbeat bills, and if you can explain why. >> i'm a doctor and a scientist and i have to call it as it is. what it is, what these bills are are essentially a ban on all abortions. at six weeks, most women don't even know they are pregnant. we have seen this year 16 states introduce bans on abortions as early as six weeks.

we need to call out how extreme these bans are. the bill that passed in georgia is expected to be signed by the governor any day now. it allows the states to investigate women for miscarriages. in alabama, there is a bill that would impose a class a felony on doctors, sentencing doctors who perform abortions to up to 99 years in prison. there was a bill in texas that failed, but the bill would have -- would impose a death penalty, capital punishment, the death penalty for women who seek abortion care. more than 300 people came to testify in favor of this bill that would impose the death penalty on women. if there is any doubt about what is happening around the country, we just have to look at the legislation that has been introduced this year. his anti-women health politicians, what they're saying about it. they are saying boldly that what they're trying to do is overturn

roe v. wade. they want these extreme bills to make their way up to the supreme court to overturn roe. that is what is at stake. what is at stake is the right to safe, legal abortions. we know what happens when that is taken away because we have the examples around the world and we know what happened in the u.s. free-roe, which is that thousands of women died. we cannot go back to that time. that is why planned parenthood is fighting back with everything that we have. we are opposing these rules. we fought back many of these bad bills. we are also working with our champions across the country to protect and expand the right through collective health care because we know that reproductive health care and women's health care must be treated as what they are -- health care. the vast majority of the american people support women making their own health care decisions, not politicians telling women and families what

we should be doing with our healthth and our bodies. amy: dr. l leana wen, thank you for being with us, president of the planned parenthood federation of america and the planned parenthood action fund. physician to lead the first organization in nearly 50 years, and the first a asian american and immigrant ever to first hold the office. when we come back, we will speak the remainder of the hour with journalist maria ressa, founder of rappler, a vocal critic of philippine president duterte. like dr. leana wen, maria ressa was just honored by time magazine as one of the most 100 influential people in the world. this is democracy now! back in a minute. ♪ [music break]

amy: there will be playing at

the peoples form in new york on may 4. this is democracy now!, democracynow.org, the war and peace report. i'm amy goodman. we spend the remainder of the hour with h award-winnining fila journalist maria r ressa, thee founder of the indndependent nes site rappler and a vocal critic of president rodrigo duterte. ressa has been arrested twice in recent months by the philippines government as duterte cracks down on critics and the media. in february, she was detained in a cyber libel case that's widely seen as politically motivated. she was arrested again in late march for allegedly violating a ban on foreign media ownership. duterte has long attempted to shut down the rappler which has published groundbreaking work on duterte's deadly war on drugs that has killed thousands of people. duterte e has repeatedly descrcd the site as fake news. newss outlet. a fake your articlesised

are also fake. amy: duterte has also called reporters who ask him tough questions spies and warned that "just because you're a journalist you are not exempted from assassination." while duterte's government has ,ttended to silence rappler journalismasas beepraiaise around theorld. reressa s rerecely hononed as one of time magazine's s "perns of the year" in 2018 and has been named one of time's 100 most influential people of 2019. she also won the 2018 tully free speech award at the newhouse school at syracuse university. we are joined now by maria ressa. congratulations on everything you have accomplished. i'm not going as a congratulations for going to jail, though it might be a badge of honor because, clearly, what duterte is doing is attacking you for representing the press in the philippines. and talk about why he put you in jail twice in the last month. >> i was arrested twice in about five weeks and detained once.

i have to say, i think it is just to make sure i feel the power of the state. it is something -- the pace of all of this has been unprecedented. i've covered the philippines for more than 30 years. in 14 months, we have had 11 cases fall by the philippine government. i posted they'll eight times. it keeps coming. we're going to face every single one in court. i could face decades in jail if we lose. one thing that -- it just hit me a few days ago that since january 2018, we have really begun facing all of this, we have not won one sickle motion. not one, regardless of how ridiculous the cases are. amy: what is this foreign ownership issue, the tax issue? >> i think you have to look at the whole thing. it is about three years long. it is preceded by attacks on social media, astroturfing.

it is fake. they seed it and it grows of people think it is real. the first attack was by pro-duterte loggers, a random question by one of us to become a government official, had his social media for the presidential palace. her first question was, is rappler cia? it begins there. what is seeded is rappler foreign-funded. becauserous, precisely even the philippines, we are known for our independence. the thing that is most alarming for me, the fast pace of something called the cyber libel charge.. in this one, a story we published seven years ago before the actual cyber libel lawaw was againsted is being used us to say we violated a law that did not exist yet. when i know how else --

first saw it, i laughed. the national bureau of investigation, its own lawyers threw it out and yet a week later, it has resuscitated and now it is in court. amy: i want to go to what happened when you were just released from jail. >> you cannot harass andd intimidate journalists to silence. we will fight against it. as long as we are democracy undeder a constitution, which hs a bill of rights, we will demand our righthts be respected. amy: what happens to you when you are detained? and have you dealt directly with the president duterte? >> the last interview i did with him was december 2016, and interview did in october 2015 actually helped bring him to the attention, helped the critics of president duterte point out that rappler, because we covered him

fairly, helped him get elected, certainly he knew the power of rappler. our demographic. grabs that is part of the reason we're under attack. i think there's something far more insidious happening now. it is normalizing these attacks. when you say a million times that i'm a criminal, even though tois not true, people begin believe. that is what happened first on social media, the attacks became normal. then people who had never met me began to believe it. then a year and half later when president duterte comes down and says, rappler is owned by foreigners, the cases began a week later. we are sandwiched there. it is a tough place to push back. and i think it is truly important to do that because this is the time -- i think this is a pivototal moment for philippine democracy. this is a time when we have the fight for the rights that are guaranteed by the constitution.

we have elections coming up mamy 13. if we lose an independent senate, i think it is only a matter of time before the philippines get a new constitution. amy: what does that mean you lose an independent senate? >> we have had a senate that has been able to block certain things like the formation -- amy: so not the same party as duterte? >> yes. there were enough opposition votes they were able to stop a new constitution being ratified. so our house of representatives -- congress is essentially a rubberstamp now. the senate in the past was holding the line. now it looks like e we are slatd to bring in in a administration senate may 13, in a few weeks time. if that happens, it will only be a matter of time before the house passes a new constitution, parliamentary and nature.

federalism, which is something that duterte once was up not saying federalism is not democracy, but this particular draft will change our democracy. for fit -- for filipinos what you, this is our last chance. we may no longer be a democracy in the way that we know it. amy: so you have duterte saying just because your journalist you are not exempted from assassination. what gives you the courage to keep taking him on? >> i don't really look at it as taking him on. i do a job. my job is to hold power to account. rappler. we do stories that the president -- lots of people don't like our stories. but that is the task of what a reporter does, right? so his rhetoric is a noise for me. while it does in the signal to the government bureaucracy, certainly the cases were

triggered by president duterte, it should not stop us. certainly, we should not allow her arrest men, intimidation, and the fear of that stop you from doing your job. as far as i'm concerned, we keep going until the constitution is changed. we demand the rights that are guaranteed not j just by the philippine constitution, but by the bill o of rights. we have a constitution somewhat to the u.s. amy: rappler is known for exposing the so-called war on drugs, butut thousands of filipinos have been killed. >> can i correct how much echo it is not just thousands. this is michelle bachelet at the u.n. that use this number, the latest estimate since july 1, 2016, until early this year, more than 27,000 people killed. that is a u.n. estimate. the philippine people will admit that killed more than 5000 people. but there's another bucket they go off of, more than 30,000, said cases under investigation.

this parsing of the details allows life to continue. amy: explained who is being killed. president duterte himself has boasted about murdering people. >> he has. before he even became president in an interview with me, john oliver ran this, he admitted he killed people, that he killed three people and that he would continue. another phrase that was used when i'm elected, if i'm elected, the fish and manila bay will be set." he will throw dead bodies in manila bay. that was the implied statement. these are not the drug dealers being killed. these are the poor people. in the course of the poor areas -- this is also where you can see in statistical surveys, support in this demographic has wafer president duterte. the people who cannot defend themselves.

the people who are on a list, a backed.ist that is not there's no trial. roof the no p p people being killed are regulars. this is dangerous. normalizing extradition killings. we have to demanand better. president trump. his support of president duterte. how does that affect policy in the philippines? how does it affect you? >> when president trump called cnn and "the new york times" fake news, a week later, duterte called rappler fake news. i think it is a bad time for the world when the former beacon of democracy, the fighter for press freedom and human rights come is noticeably absent. and i think your feeling that all around the world. simultaneous to that, the american technology companies that have allowed chief armies

to roll back democracy, a new weapapon used against journalis. this is psychological warfare. amy: holding up your phone. >> when you are attacked -- at 1.i was getting 90 eight messages per hour. per hour. it is a whole new thing. how do we deal with that? we continue doing our jobs. we demand accountability. i think the problem is maybe -- in the united states -- in the philippines, fear is palpable. if it is not fear, it is apathy. people want to duck until this time period is over. amy: you clearly are not. i want to thank you for being with us.s. five seconds, a message to the world about the importance of freedomeedom. >> press is not just for journalists. this is a critical time for democracy around the world, both in the philippines and in the united states.

you must fight for your rights while you still can. amy: maria ressa, think you for being with us founder, ceo, and , executive editor of rappler, an acclaimed philippine news website. has been arrested twice in recent months.