i'm amy goodman. the united nations has estimated up to 815 migrants perished when their boat capsized on route to europe sunday. confirming its place as the worst migrant disaster in the mediterranean sea. survivors have put the death toll between 400 900 -- 400 to 900 50 people, with reports hundreds were locked in a hold by smugglers. italian authorities have arrested the captain and other crew members. on monday, at least three people died when another boat ran aground off the greek island while italian authorities said they rescued over 600. as the european union lunch to back, protesters gathered to demand urgent action. and this teacher national director called -- amnesty international director called for robust program similar to italy's discontinued ameren ostrom. >> looking the other way with hundreds of people dying in the mediterranean. we need to take action and bring about an operation of rescue. amy: the united states has to played two additional warships off the coast of yemen in what

i'm amy goodman. when we come back, today is the hundreds anniversary of the armenian genocide. [music break] amy: this is democracy now!, democracynow.org, the war and peace report. i'm amy goodman. we are on the road in denver colorado. this week marks the 100th anniversary of the armenian genocide. on april 24, 1915, the young turk government of the ottoman empire began a systematic premeditated genocide of the armenian people -- and unarmed christian minority living under turkish rule. more than one million armenians were exterminated through direct killing, starvation, torture and forced death marches. another million fled into permanent exile. an ancient civilization was expunged from its homeland of 2,500 years. today, the turkish government continues to deny this genocide. books about the genocide are banned in turkey and its government lobbies heavily in the united states as well, against congressional genital -- resolutions against genocide. i want to turn to a recording of armenian broadcaster and writer david barsamian's mother recalling her experience during the arme

i'm amy goodman. in baltimore, maryland thousands of people have continued to peacefully protest over the police custody death of freddie gray. gray died of spinal injuries a week after he was arrested for looking a police lieutenant in the eye, then running away. his family said his spine was 80% severed at the neck. overnight, thousands of police and national guard troops continued to enforce a 10:00 p.m. curfew. newly confirmed attorney general loretta lynch said the justice department would provide whatever resources are needed to control the protests. >> i have been in direct contact with officials in maryland, including the governor, and i directed this department to provide any assistance that might be helpful in restoring calm and resolving the unrest that broke out across the city. amy: after arresting more than 200 people overnight on monday baltimore was forced to release half of the protesters wednesday, amid a spate of legal challenges. some of the prisoners said they were held without fo

i'm amy goodman.he senate foreign relations committee has approved a measure that would give congress a say in the final nuclear deal with iran. the bill was passed by unanimous vote after president obama withdrew his opposition. the white house says the bill was sufficiently modified to address its concerns, but the bill's sponsors say the administration backed down rather than face bipartisan opposition. the measure calls for a senate review of a final nuclear deal and a potential congressional vote on lifting sanctions. if congress votes to reject the iran deal, the senate would need a 67 vote majority to overturn a veto from president obama. senator bob corker outlined the terms. senator corker: congress stays involved if an agreement is reached, and if one is not disapproved, congress stays involved, and every 90 days the administration has to certify that in every way iran is in compliance, and if there are violations within a 10-day period they have to give that to congress, so that we have the

i'm amy goodman. a federal jury has found dzhokhar tsarnaev guilty on all 30 charges for his role in the boston marathon bombing that killed three and injured hundreds two years ago this month. tsarnaev was also found guilty in the murder of a police officer in the ensuing days. bombing survivor karen brassard welcomed the verdict. >> as a group we wanted to come out and say thank you to everyone who has worked so hard to make this happen. we're obviously grateful for the outcome today. it is not a happy occasion, but it is something we can put one more step behind us. amy: during the trial, tsarnaev's defense attorneys admitted he joined his older brother tamerlan in setting off two explosions. the jury will now choose between the death penalty and a sentence of life without parole. massachusetts bars the death penalty, but the case is taking place at the federal level. we'll have more on the verdict after headlines. protests are underway in south carolina over a white police officers fatal shooting

i'm amy goodman. we're on the road at the hague in the netherlands. but first, to maryland. where the governor larry hogan has deployed the national guard in baltimore amid an uprising over the death of freddie gray. gray died a week after a police encounter which his family said left his spine 80% severed at the neck. police stopped him because he made eye contact with a lieutenant, then ran away. two weeks of peaceful protest over gray's death erupted into violence monday as high school students threw bricks and rocks at police, and looting and vandalism were reported across the city. overnight, cars and buildings were burned. police said 15 officers were injured, though all are expected to recover. at least 27 people were arrested. governor hogan denounced the protesters as "gangs of thugs roaming the streets." >> everybody believes we need to get to the answers and resolve the situation, the concern everyone has about what happened in the freddie gray incident. that is one whole situation. this is

i'm amy goodman. four blackwater operatives have been sentenced to lengthy prison terms for their role in the 2007 massacre of unarmed civilians at baghdad's nisoor square. a jury handed down guilty verdicts last year over the killings of 14 of the 17 iraqis who died when the defendants' blackwater unit opened fire. on monday, nicholas slatten was sentenced to life in prison for first-degree murder, while three other guards convicted of manslaughter were sentenced to 30 years each. in their first public statements on the killings, each of the operatives professed their innocence to the sentencing judge. the trial and monday's hearing, featured testimony from witnesses who survived the attack and saw loved ones gunned down. nisoor square is the highest-profile deadly incident involving blackwater or any private war contractor. the case lagged for years with prosecutors accused of dragging their feet and a lower court's dismissal of the charges in 2009. in response to the sentences jeremy scahill, autho

i'm amy goodman with juan gonzalez. an: welcome to all our listeners and viewers from around the country and around the world. amy: the news about south carolina just continues with the release of the -- cam video. you wrote your commentary today in "the new york daily news." juan: i think one of the things that i tried to stress in my column is that how many more of these heartbreaking videos are we going to be exposed to across the country before change occurs in policing in the country. i think the critical thing to understand is not only the videos of the actual encounters were african-american males are killed by police, but also what happens in the moments afterward. we've now seen several of theset. tamir rice video where the 12-year-old boy is shot by a policeman who arrives within two seconds of his getting out of the car. but then for four minutes after as the boy lying on the ground three police officers justine around, walk around, no one provides him any kind of aid until an fbi agent, who happens to be in t

i'm amy goodman.ormer military ruler muhammadu buhari has defeated incumbent goodluck jonathan in nigeria's presidential elections. jonathan conceded after results showed him losing by some 2.7 million votes. it's the first time a nigerian opposition party has risen to power through a democratic vote. a spokesperson for buhari's all progressives congress party hailed the landmark result. >> we are all happy because we are witnessing history. this is the first time in nigeria that in -- a sitting government will be voted out of power using purely democratic means. before now, when governments are not popular, they are sit tight or removed by the military. amy: buhari's democratic victory marks a return to power after 30 years. he headed nigeria for nearly two years after leading a military coup in 1983. buhari oversaw major crackdown on civil liberties that included the jailing of political opponents, among them the legendary nigerian musician fela kuti. but he campaigned against jonathan on the pledge

i'm amy goodman. saudi arabia has resumed airstrikes against shiite houthi rebels in yemen, hours after announcing an end to its nearly month-long bombing campaign. the saudi defense ministry said it would conclude the airstrikes and shift to a new strategy focused on a political solution. but after rebels gained ground in the central city of taiz, the strikes resumed. meanwhile tuesday, two airstrikes killed at least 40 people, most of them civilians. on monday, the committee to protect journalists reports a tv journalist and three staff members of the tv station yemen today were killed in an airstrike in the capital sanaa. a united nations official has called for wealthy countries to collectively accept one million syrian refugees over the next five years in order to curtail the migrant crisis in the mediterranean. u.n. special rapporteur on the human rights of migrants francois crepeau told the crepeau told the guardian the plan could also extend to eritreans and other refugees who are fleeing from

i'm amy goodman. after eight days of talks in switzerland, iran and world powers have reached a framework agreement on curbing iran's nuclear program for at least a decade. in return, the united states and europe plan to lift economic sanctions on iran. as part of the deal, iran must reduce the number of its centrifuges that can be used to enrich uranium into a bomb by more than two-thirds. it also has to redesign a power plant so it cannot produce weapons-grade plutonium and be subject to regular international nuclear inspections. the parties must now reach a final agreement by june 30. president obama said the deal is a good one. >> i've always insisted i will do what is necessary to prevent iran from acquiring a nuclear weapon, and i will. but i also know a diplomatic solution is the best way to get this done. amy: israel has condemned the deal while republican lawmakers are demanding the rights to review it. we'll have more on the deal after headlines. in kenya, officials say 147 people, mainly un

i'm amy goodman. we're broadcasting from the world form in the hague. at least 3700 people have been confirmed dead after saturday's devastating 7.8-magnitude earthquake in nepal. more than 6500 people have been injured and the death toll has continued to rise sharply with the full extent of the damage still largely unknown. dozens of people are also reported dead in neighboring china and india. the earthquake was the worst to hit nepal in more than 80 years. it opened massive rifts in roads and destroyed historic structures, including the 19th century dharahara tower in the capital kathmandu, which was packed with sightseers when it collapsed. driving rains have hit thousands who remain in the streets, afraid to go inside amid intense and repeated aftershocks. the quake triggered avalanches on mount everest, where at least 18 climbers were killed, including three americans. the aftershocks have delayed attempts by countries around the world to send aircraft, rescue personnel and other aid. in yemen,

i'm amy goodman. in baltimore, maryland, police in riot gear fired teargas and smoke grenades overnight as hundreds of protesters defied a 10:00 p.m. curfew to continue protesting the death of freddie gray. gray died of spinal injuries a week after an arrest where witnesses said he was bent like a pretzel. he was accused of makingeye contact with a police lieutenant then running away. , his family said his spine was 80% severed at the neck. overnight, at least 10 people were arrested amid relative calm, following the previous night's uprising, which led to more than 200 arrests, dozens of cars set on fire, and many buildings badly damaged. the overnight curfew was enforced by 3,000 police and national guard troops. on monday, president obama called for soul-searching over police killings but criticized the previous night's destruction. >> there is no excuse for the kind of violence we saw yesterday. it is counterproductive. when individuals get crowbars and start prying open doors to loot, they're not

i'm amy goodman. negotiations over an iran nuclear deal continue in lausanne, switzerland, in the extended period of talks following tuesday's deadline. iranian foreign minister mohammad javad has said "significant progress", has been made, but urged his counterparts to find the political will to reach an agreement. mr. javad: we hope that the political will on all parties exist in order to move forward. there are isaac, pratt -- obviously, problems, that have stopped us from reaching a solution, but i hope colleagues will recognize that way to take advantage of this opportunity. amy: if a general accord can be reached, the talks would continue for a final agreement by the end of june. speaking in washington, white house press secretary josh earnest said the u.s. is prepared to walk away if the talks stumble. and, renewing longstanding u.s. threats, earnest said military action remains an option against iran. secretary earnest: if, in the unfortunate event that diplomacy is not successful, we will con

i'm amy goodman. kenya has launched strikes inside somalia following last week's massacre by the militant group al-shabab. 148 people, mostly students, were killed when gunmen stormed the garissa university college. the attackers went through the university dorms, separating muslims from christians, and killing the christians. the kenyan military says it is bombing several al-shabab bases in retaliation. the strikes come as kenya has begun three days of mourning. on sunday, family members lined up at a morgue in nairobi to identify their loved ones. a teacher from the garissa region said the government had failed to heed calls to protect the school. >> if the government had listened to us today would have saved the lives of 147 students who perished that day. we tell the government, let us put pride away. we're not going to continue losing kenyans in such a way. if they don't listen today, then it means they're waiting for another bigger number. [indiscernible] do we have any others? they now have an

i'm amy goodman. the united nations has demanded access to a palestinian refugee camp in syria invaded by the self-proclaimed islamic state, warning of a humanitarian catastrophe. about 18,000 people have been trapped in yarmouk, just a few miles from outside the capital damascus -- the stronghold of syrian president bashar al-assad. there were reports of sporadic fighting monday between palestinian fighters and isil militants. isil is reportedly collaborating with rivals from the al-qaeda-linked nusra front to maintain its siege of the camp. before boarding a flight earlier today, christopher gunness spokesperson for the united nations relief and works agency for palestine refugees described the situation to democracy now! >> the situation is beyond inhumane. levels are unknown even in yarmouk, society which women died of childbirth for lack of medicine and children died of malnutrition. now isis has moved into the camp and people are cowering in their battered homes, too terrified to go outside. we

i'm amy goodman. hundreds of people are believed to be dead in what may be the deadliest migrant disaster ever in the mediterranean sea. as many as 700 people perished after the boat capsized after departing from libya. only 28 people were rescued. the warmer weather has increased the number of journeys by people fleeing to europe from violence and poverty in africa and the middle east. the latest tragedy comes after a spokesperson for the international organization for migration had already warned the mediterranean death toll has increased tenfold from about 90 last year to 900 this year. >> are talking about a death toll this year that is already 10 times what it was last year. and when you recall that we reported the deaths in the mediterranean last year, if this trend were to continue, we would be talking about over 30,000. it is quite alarming. amy: european officials are holding urgent talks on the margaret talks -- migrant talks today. in iraq, an estimated 90,000 people have fled the province

i'm amy goodman. president obama and cuban president raul castro have advanced their historic goal of resuming u.s.-cuba ties with the first direct meeting between leaders of the two countries in a half century. obama and castro sat down saturday at the summit of the americas, which cuba was attending for the first time. addressing the plenary, obama said his decision to change u.s. policy on cuba marks a turning point for the americas. >> this shift in u.s. policy represents a turning point for our entire region. the fact that president castro and i are both sitting her today marks a historic occasion. this is the first time in more than half a century that all the nations of the americas are meeting to address our future together. i think it is no secret president castro i'm sure would agree, that there will continue to be significant differences between our two countries. we will continue to speak out on behalf of universal values that we think are important. i'm sure president castro will continue

i'm amy goodman. warplanes from the saudi led coalition struck the yemeni cities as aden early today despite a previous claim by the odd it had ended its nearly month-long operation. saudi officials said wednesday it will limit their military role but continue to respond to houthi attacks. human rights watch says they have appellate deliberately bombed near that contains supplies to facilitate access to clean water for thousands of families. international committee of the red cross has warned the humanitarian situation in yemen is catastrophic. we will have more later in the broadcast. in the european country of malta, 24 and identified migrants who died in the worst migrant boat disaster in the mediterranean have been held in european country have been laid to rest. as many as 850 people drowned after their boat capsized while headed to europe from libya. in britain, protesters climbed into body bags and laid on a beach to protest the migrant deaths. carla mclaren of amnesty international said europe

i'm amy goodman. republican and democratic lawmakers have reached a deal to give president obama fast-track authority for the secret transpacific partnership trade pact. senate finance committee leaders republican orrin hatch and democrat ron wyden negotiated the deal with republican congressmember paul ryan. it will allow obama to negotiate the 12-nation pact, then present it to congress for a yes-or-no vote, with no amendments allowed. in a statement, lori wallach of public citizen said the bill introduced thursday would -- "delegate away congress' constitutional trade authority and give blank-check powers to whomever may be president during the next three to six years for any agreements he or she may pursue. wallach continued -- saying it is a corporate trojan horse which would serve multinational firms while undermining health and environment regulations. to see our interview with lori wallach and congressmember alan grayson on the tpp, you can go to democracynow.org. iraqi security forces battled

i'm amy goodman. low-wage workers in the united states have staged their largest action to date, with some 60,000 workers walking off the job in over 200 cities to demand a $15-an-hour minimum wage. the actions got together fast food workers, childcare providers walmart clerks , adjunct professors and airport workers to demand wage increases and the right to unionize. organizers staged the action on tax day to highlight the cost to taxpayers of supporting workers who are underpaid. a new study says low wages are forcing working families to rely on more than $150 billion in public assistance. we'll have more on the historic protests after headlines. in iraq the self-proclaimed , islamic state has gained new ground claiming several villages , near ramadi, the capital of anbar province. the takeover of at least three villages poses the greatest threat to date by isil against ramadi, which lies about 70 miles west of the capital baghdad. iraqi prime minister haider al-abadi has sharply criticized the saud

i'm amy goodman. white south carolina police officer has been charged with murder after a video showed him shooting and apparently unarmed aspen american man who was running away. this happened after north charleston police officer michael slager stopped walter scott for a broken brake light. slager is seen a shooting at scott eight times as he runs away. walter scott's brother, anthony, is grateful for the witness again forward with the video. anthony scott: from the beginning when it happened the first day, i always wondered. and i think through the process we see the truth. and we cannot get my brother back, and my family is in deep mourning for that, but through the process of justice has been served and i do not think that all police officers are bad cops. but there are some bad ones out there, and i do not want to see anyone get shot down the way that my brother was shot down. amy: the north charleston police department had initially defended officer slager after he said he had feared for his li