i'm amy goodman. the teenage gunman is in custody after allegedly killing five members of his family in new mexico on saturday night. police say the 15-year-old killed his parents and three siblings, each suffering multiple gunshot wounds. the suspect was armed with several weapons, including an assault rifle. it was the deadliest mass shooting in the u.s. since the newtown massacre over a month ago. the shooting came on the same day opponents of gun control held rallies across the country to oppose the white house effort to reform the nation's gun laws. at demonstrations in pennsylvania and ohio, gun owners pilloried calls for stricter gun control. >> no law put on law abiding citizens h crime. they're going to take my gun so i can get shot. >> my thoughts is, tell the leftwing liberal idiots in washington to leave our guns alone. we're not hurting anything. it is the criminals. deal with the criminals, not the law abiding citizens. >> the pro-gun rallies also coincided with a series of nationwide gu

i'm amy goodman. the u.s. congress opened its 113th session thursday, swearing in a record number of women and people of color. new members include the only african-american now serving in the senate, tim scott of south carolina, the first black republican senator in more than 30 years. congress now has a record number of women in both chambers, 81 in the house and 20 in the senate. the house narrowly reelected john boehner as house speaker despite criticism from party conservatives over his handling of the so-called fiscal cliff. the new congress faces another looming showdown over the debt ceiling and possible spending cuts delayed under the fiscal cliff deal. john boehner addressed the debt thursday in his opening speech. >> as speaker, i pledge to listen and to do all i can to help all of you carry out your oath of office that we are all about to take. because in our hearts we know it is wrong to pass this debt onto our kids and grandkids, now we have to be willing, truly willing to make this prob

i'm amy goodman. democratic senators have unveiled their measure to reintroduce the assault weapons ban in the aftermath of the newtown massacre that killed 27 people, including 20 children, last month. senator dianne feinstein of california and connecticut senator chris murphy have announced the new legislation. >> weapons design originally for the military to kill large numbers of people in close combat are replicated for civilian use. they fall into the hands one way or another of grievance killers, gangs, of those who are mentally unstable or ill. >> kids would be alive today in newtown, connecticut if the law we are proposing today were in place on december 14 of last year. it is as simple as that. white we know that? the data tulsa's despite with the gun lobby will say, the first assault weapons ban even with its double- >> the measure would outlaw the manufacturing sale of 157 semiautomatic weapons and magazine clips holding more than 10 rounds. the previous assault weapons ban expired in 2004

i'm amy goodman. president obama is preparing to unveil a comprehensive plan to address gun violence that is expected to include legislation tightening background checks on potential gun buyers as well as 19 separate actions obama could take using executive power. at a news conference monday, obama confirmed he would support proposals for new assault weapons ban. he said a task force led by vice president joe biden had presented him with a list of " common sense" steps to prevent shootings like the one at sandy hook and elementary school. obama also alluded to potential resistance from opponents of gun control. >> part of the challenge we confront is even the sight -- slightest hint of some sensible responsible legislation in this area. it fans this notion that somehow, here it comes, and that everybody's guns are going to be taken away. it is unfortunate, but that is the case. if you look over the first four years of my administration, we tried to tighten up and for some of the laws already on the bo

i'm amy goodman. president obama is expected to sign the bill to deter the brunt of tax hikes and spending cuts known as the fiscal cliff that took effect at midnight yesterday. the compromise bill passed by the house late tuesday makes bush tax cuts permanent for about 99% of households. it allows tax increases of about 5% only on incomes above $400,000 for individuals or $450,000 for couples. the deal extends unemployment benefits, renews tax credits geared toward low-income families, and delays automatic cuts for military and other spending for two months. president obama compromised on the tax issue after initially backing increases on family incomes of more than $250,000. speaking tuesday at the white house, obama claimed the deal is a victory. >> the central premise of my campaign for president was to change the tax code that was too skewed toward the wealthy and the expense of working middle class americans. tonight, we have done that. thanks to the votes of democrats and republicans in congres

i'm amy goodman. new figures have confirmed 2012 was the hottest year on record for the continental united states. on tuesday, the national oceanic and atmospheric administration announced an average temperature for 2012 of 55.3 degrees, one degree above the previous record and 3.2 degrees more than the 20th century average. temperatures were above normal in every month between june 2011 and september 2012, a 16-month stretch that has not occurred since the government began keeping track in 1895. among a number of other milestones, 2012 also saw the second most extreme weather on record. the news comes as across the globe, australia is dealing with record shattering heat. we will go to australia for more on this story after the headlines. the obama administration has launched a review of offshore oil drilling in the arctic following a cascading series of blunders and mishaps by the oil giant shell. shell's recent troubles culminated when its drill rig ran aground last week off the alaskan coast, spark

i'm amy goodman.t least five people have been killed in u.s. drone strike in pakistan earlier today. the strike hit a home in north waziristan. it was at least the seventh u.s. drone strike in less than two weeks. the attack comes as the cia nominee john brennan continues to come under scrutiny for his role in the obama administration's drone warfare overseas. in his remarks at the time, brennan had said there was not a single collateral death in the previous year of drone attacks. his letter qualified his remarks by saying he had no information to the at the time. it has been revealed the u.s. a massacre at the time convict pakistani concerns directly to the highest levels of the obama white house. the concern centered around a march 2011 strike that killed 42 pakistani, most of them civilians. vice-president joe biden met with gun control advocates at the white house on wednesday as part of his task force on tackling gun violence in the united states. in a welcome message to his guests, biden vowed

i'm amy goodman. hundreds of thousands packed into the national mall on monday for president obama's second term inauguration. in an address many saw as a blueprint for a more progressive second term domestic agenda than his first, obama vowed to continue to fight to seek equality for the rights of women and of payment and lesbians. >> our journey is not complete until our wives, mothers and daughters can earn a living equal to their efforts. [applause] our journey is not complete until our gay brothers and sisters are treated like anyone else under the law. for if we are truly created equal, then surely the love we commit to one another must be equal as well. >> in making those comments, obama became the first u.s. president ever to use the word "gay" in an inaugural address. he also give a nod to voting rights, immigration reform and his recent push for gun control. >> our journey is not complete until no citizen is forced to wait for hours to exercise the right to vote. [applause] our journey is no

i'm amy goodman. a u.s. drone attack has killed eight people in the pakistani region of north waziristan. pakistani officials said the dead are suspected militants, including an al qaeda operative. three people were injured. the attack follows another strike in pakistan that killed up to 18 people on sunday. speaking reuters, the former commander of u.s. troops in afghanistan, retired general stanley mcchrystal, issued his strongest criticism to date of the drone attacks saying -- meanwhile, a former adviser to obama and security issues has forcefully come out against drone warfare saying it is encouraging arms proliferation worldwide while causing unknown civilian casualties. writing in this month's issue of international affairs, michael boyle, an advisor on the obama campaign's counter-terrorism expert group in 2007, 2008, writes -- president obama has formally unveiled his second term nominations for two key cabinet posts, a former republican senator chuck hagel for defense secretary and counterte

i'm amy goodman. at least 22 foreign hostages remain unaccounted for in algeria in what is described as one of the biggest international hostage crises in decades. on thursday, an algerian forces stormed a gas complex in the sahara desert to free hundreds of workers who have been taken hostage. militants opposed to french electorate intravention in neighboring mali had seized the facility wednesday. in a statement carried by the media, the hostage takers said -- it remains unclear how many people died in thursday's raid, the estimates of the foreign casualties ranged from 4 to 35. a number of captives were reportedly freed in the offensive. the united states, britain, and japan were not warned of the algerian attack, even though their citizens were among those captured. britain said friday the operation in algeria is still ongoing and reiterated an earlier claim by prime minister david cameron that the news may be dire. cameron made the remarks late thursday. >> we face a very bad situation at this bp

i'm amy goodman. president obama is set to propose sweeping new gun restrictions today more than a month after the newtown school massacre. obama reportedly will call for a ban on assault weapons and high- capacity ammunition magazines as well as expanded background checks for gun buyers. in washington, jay carney said obama will hold the campaign- style public even to unveil his proposals. >> the president and vice president will hold an event here is the white house to unveil a package of concrete proposals to reduce gun violence and prevent future tragedies like the one in newtown, connecticut. they will be joined by children from around the country who wrote the president letters in the wake of that tragedy expressing their concerns about gun violence and school safety along with their parents. >> we will be joined by a gun victim who will be at the event later in the broadcast. obama's gun violence initiative comes as your governor andrew cuomo has signed into law a new measure expanding the ban

i'm amy goodman.thousands of people marched in washington, dc saturday in a rally for gun control. the demonstrators included a group of residents from newtown, connecticut, cited the december shooting rampage that killed 27 people. >> i have watched the news and other tragedies and, shame on me for just sitting there and being upset an not assigning it was time to change. i have always said, "oh, it is so horrible they could not get to that individual and help them." and now it has happened in my backyard. it is time. >> my sister was killed by a bullet through her heart 20 years ago, so all of the things that have been happening have really resonated with me. it really makes me happy and no finally there is movement on gun control -- to know finally there is movement on gun control. it seems like an important time for us to stand a gathering keep moving forward on it. that is what brought me out because senate democrats formally unveiled their bid to reimpose the assault weapons ban last week. the b

i'm amy goodman. up to 18 people have been killed in the latest u.s. drone attacks on pakistan's tribal areas. the strikes hit what pakistani officials described as separate compounds belonging to the pakistani taliban in south missouri stan. the taliban commander was reportedly among the dead. the ongoing drone attacks come days after a federal judge ruled the obama administration is under no obligation to publicly disclose their legal justification. the american civil liberties union and the new york times had filed a lawsuit under the freedom of information act demanding u.s. government disclose the legal basis for launching drone strikes overseas. the suit was filed after the u.s. kill the american-born cleric anwar al awlaki in yemen despite having never charged him with a crime. in upholding the obama at the ministration's right to secrecy, u.s. district judge colleen mcmahon expressed misgivings about the drone program itself writing -- the alice-in-wonderland nature some of the first details h

i'm amy goodman. president obama has formally unveiled his proposals to reform the nation's gun laws more than a month after the shooting massacre in newtown. on wednesday, obama called for reinstating the ban on assault weapons and high-capacity ammunition magazines, expanding background checks for gun buyers, improving the delivery of mental health services, and allowing schools to hire up to 1000 school resource officers and counselors. obama presented his plan alongside vice-president joe biden, who headed the white house task force appointed after newtown. >> in the months since 20 precious children and six brave adults were violently taken from us in sandy hook elementary, more than 900 of our fellow americans have reportedly died at the end of a gun. 900. in the past month. and every day we wait, that number will keep growing. so i am putting forward a specific set of proposals based on the work of joe's task force. and in the days ahead, i intend to use whatever with this office holds to make

i'm amy goodman. u.s.drone strikes have killed 15 people in pakistan including a taliban commander, according to officials there. mavi nazir was killed along several other people in the strike in south missouri stand wednesday night. a second strike this morning in north was harassed and killed at least four people. the united nations says more than 60,000 people have died in syria over nearly two years of fighting between the government forces and rebels opposed to president bashar al-assad. a new analysis of the toll conducted for the u.n. human rights office took five months to complete using data from seven sources, including the syrian government. the number is higher than the previous estimate of 45,000 reported by the british best based syrian observatory for human rights. rupert colville, spokesperson for u.n. human rights commissioner navi pillay, discussed the syrian crisis on al jazeera wednesday. >> it became so complicated. there were so many different people reporting casualties, so many diff

i'm amy goodman. the senate took up president obama's proposal to reform the nation's gun control laws with a high-profile senate judiciary hearing on wednesday. in a surprise an unannounced appearance, gabrielle giffords, the former congressmember badly wounded in the tucson shooting rampage two years ago, urged lawmakers to back and control. >> this is an important conversation for our children, for our community, for democrats and republicans. speaking is difficult, but i need to say something important. the violence is a big problem. too many children are dying. too many children. we must do something. it will be hard, but the time is now! you must act. the bold, the courageous. americans are counting on you. thank you. >> appearing alongside the former congressmember giffords who was shot in the head was her husband, the former astronaut mark kelly. kelly said he and giffords represented millions of gun owners to support new restrictions in the aftermath of the sandy hook massacre. >> we are both

i'm amy goodman. the pentagon has confirmed plans to lift the longstanding military ban on women in combat. the move will overturn a 1994 rule that formally barred women from taking on front-line roles, although in reality, thousands of women have still fought. in being officially allowed to serve in combat roles, women will be afforded opportunities for medals of recognition as well as for advancement to positions they have been unable to pursue. defense secretary leon panetta reportedly came to the decision based on recommendations from the joint chiefs of staff, who wrote -- "the time has come to eliminate all unnecessary gender-based barriers to service." the republican controlled house has passed a measure to lift the debt ceiling until may, avoiding another new showdown with president obama for a least a few months. the move would temporarily suspend the federal government's $16.4 trillion borrowing limit until may 18 without the dollar for dollar spending cuts that republicans have demanded. in

i'm amy goodman. president obama kicked off his second term push for immigration reform on tuesday with a speech in nevada, a battleground state whose growing latino vote helped him win the november election. >> i am here today because the time has come for common sense, comprehensive immigration reform [applause] we have to deal with the 11 million individuals who are here illegally. we all agree that these men and women should have to earn their way to citizenship. but for comprehensive immigration reform to work, it must be clear from the outset that there is a pathway to citizenship. >> president obama omitted detailed proposals from his address, instead backing the bipartisan senate plan that includes a path to citizenship for a large number of the estimated 11 million undocumented people in the u.s., but also tougher border enhancement -- enforcement and a system for tracking those who overstay visas. obama took aim at anti-immigrant sentiment, saying foreign nationals are being maligned by peop

i'm amy goodman at least 120 people were killed in pakistan thursday in a series of bombing attacks mostly targeting shi'ite muslims and government soldiers. 86 deaths came in a twin bombing in the southern city of quetta, with scores dying in initial blast followed by more deaths when a car bomb struck police and rescuers who arrived at the scene. the band citigroup claimed responsibility for the attack, prompting fears of worsening sectarian violence in pakistan after more than 400 deaths in 2012. thursday's bombings came hours after at least six people were killed in the seventh publicly known u.s. drone strike inside pakistan in less than two weeks. the obama administration has begun 2013 with a flurry of drone attacks inside pakistan, raising speculation is accelerating the bombings before its capacity to carry them out is diminished with a planned withdrawal from afghanistan by the end of next year. according to a tally by the website long war journal, u.s. drones have already killed as many as 11 civilians and 30 suspected militants in the first 10 days of the year. if confirmed, th

i'm amy goodman. the obama administration has again delayed its decision on the keystone xl will pipeline, now saying it will not come before march. president obama initially sidestepped the issue in 2011 by putting it off until after the election. on tuesday, the state department confirmed the white house would not make a decision in the year's first quarter. there was an announcement of support from nebraska governor dave heineman. in a letter to the white house, he signed off on the section of the proposed keystone route from canada after it was redesigned to avoid a key october. -- aquafor. 350.org does organizing a presidents' day rally against the pipeline in washington, d.c. next month. the supreme court has refused to hear in this group challenge of the epa to set standards for air pollution. the move leaves intact a 2010 regulation limiting regulations of sulfur dioxide. president obama has tacitly endorsed a house republican plan to lift the debt ceiling for the next four months. the measure

i'm amy goodman. president of and is expected to express his support for a sweeping blueprint for immigration reform backed by a bipartisan group of senators. the senate plan includes a path to citizenship for the estimated 11 million undocumented people in the u.s., but also demands tougher border enforcement and a system for tracking those who overstay visas. some have condemned the plan's exclusion of lgbt couples from the right to sponsor a foreign- born partner so they can obtain residency. democratic senator chuck schumer of new york and arizona is republican senator john mccain announced this in a proposal on monday. >> we still have a long way to go, but this bipartisan blueprint is a major breakthrough. it is our hope that these principles can be turned into legislation by march and have a marked up by chairman leahy's committee with the goal of passage of the senate by late spring or summer. >> we have been too content for too long to allow individuals to know our lawn, serving our food, cle

i'm amy goodman. today, and a "democracy now!" special, looking back at 2012. we look at art, culture, and resistance. we begin with rattle robinson, founder and past president of transafrica, a law professor at pennsylvania state university, most recent book "makada" said at the dawn of the civil rights era following a young man coming of age in segregated richmond, virginia. through his blind grandmother and her visions, he discovers her his race and africa. he came to our studios on the eve of dr. king's birthday to talk about his new novel. he lives now in st. kitts. >> when i was a child growing up in richmond, virginia, we were called negros. no one i knew we were called that. no one knew the province of that word. it had no connection to what we might have been before we were blocked from review by that lethal, opaque space of slavery. so we did not know anything about ourselves except we had been called this, but not by ourselves. it turns out is much like the case of the sardine. there is no

i'm amy goodman. the obama administration is reportedly preparing to unveil a new push for immigration reform in the coming months. according to the new york times, president obama will ask congress to approve measures including a new path to citizenship for some of 11 million undocumented people currently in the united states, as well as a guest worker program for low-wage immigrant workers. a bipartisan group of senators is working on a comprehensive bill that could be introduced as early as march. the administration is backing eventual citizenship after deporting more than 400,000 undocumented people in the 2012 fiscal year, the largest number in u.s. hi uory. a number of civilians have been killed in an explosion that followed a u.s.-led nato raid in afghanistan. the victims reportedly died as they tried to collect the bodies of taliban fighters who have been killed in a firefight with u.s. troops around a mosque. it is not clear what caused the explosion as the fighters had already been shot dead

i'm amy goodman. as we turn now to today's interview, we have just returned from the sundance film festival in park city, utah, with a new documentary "running from crazy premier. it follows the granddaughter of the great novelist ernest hemingway, mariel hemingway, focusing on her family's history of mental illness and suicide of seven relatives including her sister margo, the super model, and her grandfather, earnest. in the film, she opens up about how she put her own depression and suicidal thoughts behind her. the film is directed by two-time oscar-winning filmmaker barbara kopple, the first film she ever made alone, to cut carbon county usa" won an oscar in 1977. i sat down with barbara kopple and last mariel hemingway to get the sundance film festival. first, let's go back to 1954, an excerpt of the late, great writer ernest hemingway's speech accepting the nobel prize for literature. >> except other which humility. there is no need to list these writers. everyone here may make its own list acc

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i am amy goodman. if you would like to get the dvd of our full conversation -- you just heard part one, pledged $100. if you want the book, pledged $150. put them together and pupa and you get them both for $200 -- but then together and you get them both for two hundred dollars if you call right now. a a 8663593 four three four. -- make the call that makes a difference. please let us know you're there and standing up for independent media. 866, 3594344. the showtime series is continuing, of which we have played excerpts. we urge you to call in right now and fill these phone lines because your phone call keeps independent media alive, keeps link tv alive. if you appreciate democracy now, every morning, monday through friday. we have a lot of people to thank. melanie from montana, betty from maryland, of robert from arizona, gail from los angeles. thank you to karen who called in from home would illinois and janet from illinois. linda from sausalito. margaret from denver. and from valley land. roberts fr