i'm amy goodman. the vatican has announced pope an addict will step down as head of the catholic church later this month. it's a surprise move makes benedict the first pontiff to resign in nearly six centuries his policy has been marked by a range of issues and a number of child molestation scandal and the catholic church including allegations he ignored at least one case of abuse while serving as a cardinal. in a statement, benedict, 85, cited ill health of some reason for his departure. the conclave to elect a new pope will be held by the end of march. president obama reportedly is preparing to announce new reductions to the country's arsenal of nuclear weapons. in his state of the union address tuesday night, obama is expected to announce plans to cut the number of deployed warheads to just over 1000. one-third reduction from the current number of around 1700. a former l.a. police officer accused of killing three people after posting a revenge and a faster online remains on the loose in california.

i'm amy goodman. united nations investigators are calling for syrian leaders suspected of murder and torture in the country's bloody crisis to face charges at the international criminal court. the latest findings by investigators probing the conflict accuse both sides of war crimes over six-month time frame ending last month. seven massacres or identified during that time -- five of them by government forces and two by rebels seeking the ouster of president bashar al-assad. u.n. investigator carla del ponte spoke at a news conference monday in geneva. >> we were able to identify high level perpetrators [indiscernible] what we need is a tribunal conducting formal investigations and be able to show an indictment against the perpetrators. >> the united nations has more than 70,000 people have been killed since the uprising against the sun began in march 2011. on monday, european leaders agreed to step up aid to the syrian rebels rejected the possibility of providing them with weapons. british foreign sec

i'm amy goodman. north korea is drawing global condemnation for a new underground nuclear test. the north korean government confirmed the test after seismic activity of 4.9 magnitude was picked up in the korean peninsula. north korea had vowed to conduct rocket launches and a u.s.-and declared test after the u.n. security council resolution tightened sanctions in response to rocket launch two months ago. in a statement, u.n. secretary general ban ki-moon condemned the test, calling it "deplorable" and "a clear and grave violation." the security council is holding an emergency session on north korea later today. two men have been charged in the shooting death of a 15-year-old girl struck by random gunfire just days after performing at president obama's inauguration. hadiya pendleton had recently returned from washington, where she performed with her school marching band during the inaugural festivities. she was laid to rest saturday at a funeral attended by first lady michelle obama. police said the su

i'm amy goodman. the united nations continues to warn of a growing humanitarian crisis as a result of syria's unrelenting civil war. on tuesday, emergency relief coordinator valerie amos said much of the rebel-held north remains cut off from darlene needed aid. >> the situation in syria is getting worse. the violence is causing a devastating impact on the lives of ordinary people. we are negotiating with armed groups on the ground to reach more people in need. we are not reaching enough of those who require our help. >> the world health organization is now reporting a typhoid outbreak in the rebel-held area in northeastern province. they say some 2500 people have caught typhoid because they've been forced to drink from a contaminated section of the euphrates river. in some of the latest violence, at least 31 civilians were killed tuesday in a syrian regime bombing of the city of aleppo. 14 children were reportedly among the dead. in israel and occupied territories, protests are continuing in support o

i'm amy goodman. john brennan, president of and is picked to head the cia, defended the administration's controversial counterterrorism policies during his senate confirmation hearing thursday. he attempted to justify the administration's use of drone strikes, and backtracked on his earlier assertion that water boarding yielded useful information. he also denied he played a central role in the agency's torture of suspected terrorists, and suggested he was misled as a cia senior official over the value of information obtained through so-called enhanced interrogation tactics. this is part of his defense of drones for the >> i think there is a misimpression on parts of the american people who believe that we take strikes to punish terrorists past transgressions. nothing could be further from the truth. we take actions as a last resort to save lives when there is no other alternative to taking an action that will mitigate that threat. >> his confirmation hearing was

i'm amy goodman.fghan president karzai has ordered his special operations forces out of the province of wardak for alleged involvement in crimes against civilians. in a statement, karzai accused u.s. special forces of "harassing, annoying, torturing and even murdering innocent people." karzai aides say the allegations pertains to afghan forces operating under u.s. command. the ban will take effect in two weeks. the move comes days after nato members wrapped up a key summit on the future of the occupation of afghanistan after 2014. defense secretary leon panetta denied claims the u.s. plans to keep 8000-12,000 troops in afghanistan after its formal withdrawal 2014. panetta said this figures would comprise the total nato force, not just u.s. contingent. >> we want to be able to have the flexibility to look at a range of options that we ought to have for our enduring presence, but i want to make very clear that the range of options we were discussing was with regards to the nato force. the nato force con

i'm amy goodman. president obama gave further details on his second term agenda tuesday night with the annual state of the union address. on the environment, obama called on lawmakers to take action against global warming with a number of victims of gun violence in attendance, obama also urged congress to vote on new gun control measures, including background checks and bans on massive ammunition magazines. >> congress will not act soon enough to protect future generations. i will. i will direct my cabinet to come up with executive actions we can take now and in the future to reduce pollution, prepare our communities or the consequences of climate change, and speed the transition to more sustainable sources of energy. it has been two months since newtown. i know this is not the first time this country has debated how to reduce them violence, but this time is different. overwhelming majorities of americans, american that believe in the second amendment, have come together around common- sense reform. >

i'm amy goodman. republican senator lindsey graham has revealed he says the death toll in u.s. drone war overseas. at a speech in south carolina wednesday night, he said -- his comments mark the first time a u.s. official has offered a figure for those killed in nearly a decade of u.s. drone strikes abroad. the 4700 figure matches the high end of an estimate by the bureau of investigative journalism, which extensively has covered the strikes. the news comes as the obama administration continues to stonewall members of congress on fully releasing the justice department memos explaining the legal rationale for targeted killings overseas. the white house agreed to a least partially disclose the memos earlier this month after a senate uproar amid the conformation hearings for cia nominee john brennan. but the new york times reports the administration has adopted a strategy of continuing to deny senators full access while simultaneously negotiating with republicans to reveal more information on the deadly u.s. consulate in benghazi, libya. the strategy appears focused on ensuring th

i'm amy goodman. senate republicans have blocked the nomination of senator chuck hagel to become the next secretary of defense in a move blasted by democrats. republicans said they want more information first from the white house about events surrounding the fatal attack on u.s. diplomatic mission in benghazi, libya last september. this is republican senator john cornyn of texas. >> the majority leader knows full well the reason why the debate -- closing off debate was denied was because a reasonable request been made on the site for additional information. i hope and trust it will be provided here in the next few days. and when we come back from the recess, we will have another vote and another opportunity for senators to express themselves. but this is not any attempt to kill this nomination. this is not a filibuster. >> democrats are vowing to revive hagel's nomination following the recess next week. despite republican denials, senate -- bitter majority leader harry reid said the block or isn't it

i'm amy goodman. in rain, a teenage boy has been killed by security forces during protests marking the second anniversary of the country's pro-democracy uprising. opposition activists said the boy died from shotgun wounds. at least 87 people have died at the hands of security forces in the gulf nation since 2011. despite the crackdown opposition protesters are flocking to the streets across the country. bahrain is home to the u.s. navy's fifth fleet and a close u.s. ally in the region. we'll have more on the protests later in the broadcast. in the united states, nearly 50 people were arrested wednesday in front of the white house calling on president obama to reject the keystone xl pipeline. the pipeline would deliver tar sands oil from canada to refineries in texas. but critics who've joined a mounting campaign of civil disobedience say it will bring climate disaster. on tuesday, a group of protesters including leading scientists, activists and celebrities sat down and refused to move. some zip-tied

i'm amy goodman. details are slowly emerging on the allegations against u.s. special operations forces that prompted afghan president karzai to order the removal from wardak province. afghan officials said they have received complaints for the past three months that u.s. forces have arrested nine people who have since disappeared. one afghan villagers said her son was taken away and later found dead. >> my son was taken in his body was dropped under a bridge in the river. one of his fingers was cut off. he was beaten very badly. his body was stolen from torture and his throat was slit. why is the government not listening to our voices? why are they not stopping americans from doing such things? while i wanted to stand to talk with the americans, they pulled me back and hit me in the chest with the but of a gun. i still feel pain here since i have been beaten. you can still see the marks on my chest. >> the afghan government is expected to form a commission of inquiry with the u.s.-led nato occupation force to investigate the allegations. on monday, a nato spok

i'm amy goodman. in breaking news from turkey, at least two people have been killed in an apparent suicide bombing at the u.s. embassy in the capital of ankara. an official says the bomber set off an explosive device at the entrance to the diplomatic mission. the state department confirmed to cbs news least one security guard is dead. no group has claimed responsibility for the attack so far. president obama spec for defense secretary chuck hagel faced a torrent of questions and criticism over his foreign policy stance thursday during his senate confirmation hearing. he has seen opposition from within his own republican party for failing to adequately back the party line on israel and iran. hegel was attacked during the hearing for earlier comments that were perceived as critical of israel. this is south carolina senator lindsey graham. >> you said the jewish lobby intimidates a lot of people. senator.itand israelis i cannot think of a more provocative thing to say about the relationship between the u

i'm amy goodman.the obama administration has agreed to show two congressional panels the stated legal rationale for assassinating u.s. citizens overseas. on thursday, the white house directed the justice department to release a controversial 2010 memo to the house and senate intelligence committees. the memo details the administration's legal justification for targeting the american-born cleric anwar al awlaki, who ultimately died in u.s. drone strike in yemen. the memo's release follows growing calls from lawmakers on both sides of the aisle for access to the administration's guidelines for drone strikes and other attacks targeting u.s. citizens overseas. a bipartisan senate letter demanding the memos earlier this week had accused the white house of "practicing secret law." it also follows this week's leaking of a white memo that allows for the killing of americans through an expansive definition of what constitutes an imminent threat. at a news conference in washington, attorney general eric holder

i'm amy goodman. the number of gun deaths that have taken place in the united states since the december shooting rampage in newtown, connecticut has topped 2100. the website slate along with the twitter feed said that documented 2141 deaths in just over two months. that is more than 79 newtown massacres. meanwhile and analysis by usa today has found more than 900 people died in mass shootings over the past seven years, most killed by people they knew. those mass killings accounted for less than 1% of all gun- related homicides. the director of mayors against illegal guns told the paper -- in the latest violence making headlines, three people died after shooting sparked a fiery crash in las vegas, nevada thursday. authorities say a maserati collided with a taxi after the sports car driver was hit by shots fired from another vehicle. among those killed was the rap artist kenneth cherry jr., known as kenny clutch. on thursday, vice president joe biden continued his push for lawmakers to take action on gu

i'm amy goodman. a new report has revealed the united states has a secret drone base inside saudi arabia. according to the new york times, the cia first used the base in 2011 to kill the muslim cleric and u.s. citizen anwar al awlaki in yemen. the revelation came two days before a senate hearing to confirm counterterrorism advisor john brennan as director of the cia. brennan is a former cia station chief in saudi arabia who reportedly worked closely with the saudis to gain approval for the remote base. the news comes a day after nbc news published a secret justice department memo outlining the obama administration's legal rationale for assassinating u.s. citizens overseas even when there is no intelligence indicating the targeted individual is engaged in an active plot to attack the u.s. on tuesday, white house press secretary jay carney was asked about the assassination program. this is part of his response. >> we have a knowledge united states that sometimes we use remotely piloted aircraft for stri

i'm amy goodman. the obama administration's legal rationale for assassinating u.s. citizens without charge has been revealed for the first time. a secret justice department document obtained by nbc news says the administration can target citizens who are "senior operational leaders of al qaeda or an associated force" even if there is no intelligence indicating they are engaged in an active plot to attack the u.s. the documents describe is a white memo, provided to members of the senate intelligence and judiciary committee last year. its release follows failed civil liberty groups fighting legal justification for the targeting of an american. we will have more after headlines. and the report has revealed a detailed look at global involvement in the cia secret program of prisons, rendition and torture in the years after 9/11. the open society justice initiative says 54 countries aided the cia until president obama halted the program in 2009. the report also reveals that at least 136 people were held by the cia during those years -- the largest tally to date. the count

i'm amy goodman. tens of thousands rallied on washington's national mall sunday for what organizers dubbed the largest climate rally in u.s. history. the "forward on climate" event urged the president to reject the keystone pipeline and commit the u.s. to binding limits on emissions of greenhouse gases. indigenous leaders chief jacqueline thomas and casey camp spoke. >> it puts at risk my neighbors to the east of me that live at the tarzans. the government does not recognize these people, and these people have been dying a mysterious cancers, their water is polluted, their animals are sick, and mother earth is sick. >> we're here to make a difference. we're here to be in solidarity with all of us to understand that we have a very slim opportunity to make human life continue to exist. that is our choice. >> groups opposing coal production, nuclear power and hydraulic fracturing for natural gas participated in the protest as did a number of interfaith organizations. several smaller parallel rallies were

i'm amy goodman. the obama administration has granted itself the right to launch a pre-emptive strike on foreign targets. cyber attacks would be carried out, should the what has been the necessary, to prevent an imminent and dangerous attack from abroad. the authorization was part of a pending set of rules for cyber warfare. it would fall under the operations of the pentagon's recently created cyber command. computer systems during the olympic games disabled systems in iran. the measure would allow church and religious groups to exclude birth control from the insurance they provide employees. a separate insurance company would then provide birth control coverage. insurance companies would pay higher fees for access to the new customers. aral said that, nra a this would make universal contraceptive a reality. the dead included 10 civilians when rockets struck their nearby home. the pakistan taliban claimed responsibility for the attack, calling it revenge for a recent u.s. drone strike. the violence co

amy goodman was there from democracy now and the reporter from "the washington post."but by and large this story was an extraordinary story. it was not covered by "the new york times" at all. zip, nothing. how. how could they not cover it? what kind of journalism is that? >> host: gary post-on our facebook page, in lieu of supporting questionable regimes in africa, chinas and its trade deals with african nations built schools and hospitals and other in the structure needs of the masses instead of massive cash payments to warlords and the like. any chance the u.s. could follow suit? >> guest: well, i am fearful of chinese motives as well. and because i am critical of apologists from our country i have a responsibility to practice that criticism and that is what constructs democracy is all about but i am not happy about china either. china has a horrible human rights policy. china is a one-party dictatorship and its treatment of its own citizens and particularly what it has done in tibet and western china to the weaker people. so i -- i am very wary about chinese motives

amy goodman was there from democracy now and the reporter from "the washington post."but by and large this story was an extraordinary story. it was not covered by "the new york times" at all. zip, nothing. how. how could they not cover it? what kind of journalism is that? >> host: gary post-on our facebook page, in lieu of supporting questionable regimes in africa, chinas and its trade deals with african nations built schools and hospitals and other in the structure needs of the masses instead of massive cash payments to warlords and the like. any chance the u.s. could follow suit? >> guest: well, i am fearful of chinese motives as well. and because i am critical of apologists from our country i have a responsibility to practice that criticism and that is what constructs democracy is all about but i am not happy about china either. china has a horrible human rights policy. china is a one-party dictatorship and its treatment of its own citizens and particularly what it has done in tibet and western china to the weaker people. so i -- i am very wary about chinese motives

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