amy goodman: so, "burundi." saul williams: yes. amy goodman: i'd like you to perform it. saul williams: sure. amy goodman: it's on martyrloserking. and talk about why burundi. saul williams: ok. well, i'll tell you a little bit about it first, because, in fact, i started working on this song way before what has recently happened in burundi since their president, nkurunziza, has changed the constitution and is now serving what some would call an illegal third term and is, of course, you know, suppressing the voice of journalists and of protesters. there's been over 200,000 refugees that have left the country in the past six months. there have been hundreds of murders from people speaking up against the government. none of this had gone down when i started writing about it. i started writing about it primarily because my wife is from rwanda, and so, over the years, i've learned more and more about the great lakes region, of course. there's lots of-lots of interesting things that happen there. one, like 80 percent of the cobalt and coltan that our technology is depended on c

amy goodman: -has gone after more whistleblowers than- saul williams: yes. ododman: -all presidents combineded. saul williams: yeah. amy goodman: what is your overall assessment of president obama? saul williams: centrist. centrist who, you know, exercises this modern sense of diplomacy, which allows him, on one hand, to address certain issues, while taking-certain issues such as like, let's say, marriage equality, you know-now what, it's s solitary confinement, you knowow, some measures in thehe criminal justice system, slight, slslight measures in the criminl justice system-but at the same time still being seduced by security measusures that, you know, circle around overreach. i think that it's-for me, it's that sort of assessment and the reality of what's gone on-i mean, think of guantánánamo, the fact that that was something he ran against-and looking at where we are now, looking at afghanistan, looking at iraq, looking at isis, not looking at boko haram, right? what i mean by that t is the fat that we pay so much attetention there and pay so little atten

i'm amy goodman. the democratic national convention opened in the wells fargo center in philadelphia monday a midst an ongoing scandal over the released dnc e-mails and public divisions between clinton and sanders supporters. on monday morning, protesters booed and heckled dnc chairwoman debbie wasserman schultz at a florida delegation breakfast, yelling "shame, shame," and carrying signs reading "e-mails." wasserman shultz has resigned in the wake the wikileaks' release of 20,000 e-mails, which show the dnc worked to discredit and defeat bernie sanders. the fbi has launched an investigation into whether russian spy services were behind the hack. baltimore mayor stephanie rawlings-blake took over wasserman schultz's role of gaveling in the opening of the convention monday afternoon. meanwhile, bernie sanders' delegates booed sanders himself at a delegate meeting monday afternoon when he called for supporting hillary clinton. mr. sanders: we have got to defeat donald trump. and we have got to elect hil

i am amy goodman. indiana governor mike pence has accepted the republican nomination for vice president. but pence's speech on wednesday night was largely overshadowed by senator ted cruz, who refused to endorse donald trump in a stunning 21-minute primetime address. cruz mentioned his former challenger by name only once. cox i want to congratulate donald trump winning the nomination last night. amy: texas senator ted cruz would on to outline his vision for the republican party. while he never directly criticized trump, by the end of the speech, he was repeatedly interrupted by boos and delegates chanting, "we want trump." >> if you love our country and love your children as much as i know that you do, stand and speak and vote your conscience. vote for candidates up and down the ticket who you trust to defend our freedom and to be faithful to o the constitution. amy: near the end of the speech, donald trump appeared at the back of the convention hall in a move to draw attention away from cruz's speech.

i'm amy goodman. donald trump accepted the republican party's nomination for president last night at the quicken loans arena here in cleveland. his hour and 15-minute speech portrayed the u.s. as a nation humiliated abroad, and under threat at home. mr. trump: our convention occurs at a moment of crisis for our nation. the attacks on our police and the terrorism of our cities threaten our very way of life. youve a message for all of that crime and violence that today afflicts our nation will soon, and i mean very soon, come to an end. [cheers] mr. trump: beginning on january 20, 2017, safety will be restored. amy: during his speech, trump reiterated both his calls for banning immigration from countries that have had recent terrorist attacks and for building a wall on the u.s.-mexico border. mr. trump: we must immediately suspend immigration from any nation that has been compromised by terrorism until such time as proven vetting mechanisms have been put in place. we are going to build a great border wa

i'm amy goodman. it's official -- donald trump is the republican party presidential nominee. house speaker paul ryan announced his nomination, following a roll call vote on the floor of the republican national convention tuesday. thate chair announces donald j. trump, having received a majority of these votes entitled to be cast at the convention, has been selected as the republican party nominee for president of the united states. house speaker paul ryan announcing trump's official party nomination. this comes only one day after delegates from the never trump movement briefly staged a revolt against trump's nomination on monday. the rebellion threw the first day of the convention into chaos, but the effort was quashed by party leadership. some dissenting delegates booed during tuesday's roll call vote. the second day of the rnc was dubbed "make america work again." during the prime time speeches, donald trump, jr., spoke about his father's business records and negotiation skills. analysis shows donal

i'm amy goodman. the democratic national convention is opening today in philadelphia, pennsylvania, amid massive party turmoil. dnc chair debbie wasserman schultz says she is stepping down following the release of nearly 20,000 e-mails revealing how the democratic party favored hillary clinton and worked behind the scenes to discredit and defeat bernie sanders. the e-mails were released friday by wikileaks. in one e-mail, dnc chief financial officer brad marshall suggested someone ask sanders about his religion writing -- , "for ky and wva can we get someone to ask his belief. he had skated on saying he has a jewish heritage. i think i read he is an atheist. my southern baptist peeps would draw a big difference between a jew and an atheist." in other e-mail shows dnc staffers suggesting planting a news story that sanders' campaign was a mess. bernie sanders reacted to the e-mails during an interview with abc's george stephanopoulos sunday. mr. sanders: i told you a long time ago that the dnc was not o

i'm amy goodman. this is breaking with convention . in baton rouge, three police officers were killed, three wounded in a shooting rampage sunday. shooting began just before 9:00 a.m. at a gas station on airline highway, one milile from police headquarters. baton rouge officers were responding to a 911 call of shots fired when they were ambushed the gunmen. the slain officers right in a fight as montrell jackson and matthew gerald at the -- and deputy brad garafola. the gunmen was identified as gavin long of kansas city, missouri. long is african-american and served in the marines from 2005 22010, reaching sergeant. he was deployed to iraq from 2008 to 2009. he had and all my present, and he commented on the killing of five police officer in dallas, writing -- witith a brother killing the police, you get what i am saying, it is justice. sunday afternoon, i spoke w with formrmer ohio statate senator na turner here in cleveland and that with her at her former high school, john f. kennedy high school. he

i'm amy goodman. juan: i'm juan gonzalez. on tuesday, president obama spoke in dallas at a memorial service for the five dallas police officers killed by sniper. the shooter, micah xavier johnson, opened fire at the end of an anti-police brutality march, killing five officers, and wounding at least 7 more. obama urged the nation to reject despair saying the country is not as divided as it may seem. president obama: i know that americans are struggling with what we have witnessed over the past week. first, the shootings in minnesota and baton rouge, the targeting ofn the police by the shooter here. and active demented violence and racial hatred. angry us are wounded and and hurt. it is as if the defense fall lines of our democracy have suddenly been exposed, perhaps even widened. juan: for the past week protests against police violence have spread across the country. tens of thousands have taken to the streets. hundreds have been arrested. the protests began in the wake of the fatal police killings of

i'm amy goodman. president obama is speaking in dallas, texas, today at a memorial service for the five dallas police officers killed by a sniper thursday evening. former preside george w. bush is also slated to speak at . the shooter, micah xavier johnson, opened fire at the end of an anti-police brutality march, killing five officers, and wounding at least seven more. johnson was an army veteran who served in afghanistan in 2014. a female soldier accused him of sexual harassment, took out a restraining order against him, and he was sent back to the u.s. by the military. delphine johnson, micah's mother, has said military service changed him, turning him into a hermit. this comes as the shooting in dallas is making republican national convention organizers in cleveland increasingly concerned about ohio's open carry laws. during the sniper attack in dallas thursday, texas's open carry laws made it difficult to determine who were suspected shooters and who were protesters. at least 20 marchers attended

i'm amy goodman. the first a of the republican national convention was marked by discord and moments of chaos inside and outside thehe arena. hours before donald trump arrived, delegates opposed to trump attempted to stage a rebellion by calling a rollcall vote to oppose his nomination. >> rollcall vote, rollcall vote! >> i'm the cofounder of delegates unbound. dane waters, cofounder of delegates unbound, which was seeking to change nominating rules. the anti-trumpn, forces rattled the trump campaign manager republican leadership by producing signatures from a majority of delegates from 11 states. the trump campaign manager republican party leadership quashed the rebellious faction by opting for a voice vote, which quickly descended into a shouting match. whole commotion that happened on the convention floor, you can go to hour one of democracy now! in our expanded edition, we continue our headlineses. the opening night of the rnc kicked off with ace reach by the controversial "duck dynasty" star will

i'm amy goodman. first day of the democratic national convention opened in the wells fargo center in philadelphia monday, amid an ongoing scandal over the released dnc emails and public divisions between sanders and clinton supporters. on monday morning, protesters booed and heckled dnc chairwoman debbie wasserman schultz at a florida delegation breakfast, yelling "shame, shame, shame," and carrying signs reading "emails." wasserman shultz has resigned in the wake the wikileaks' release of 20,000 emails, which show the dnc worked to discredit and defeat bernie sanders. the fbi has launched an investigation into whether russian spy services were behind the hack. baltimore mayor stephanie rawlings-blake took over wasserman schultz's role of gaveling in the opening of the convention monday afternoon. meanwhile, bernie sanders' delegates booed their own candidate at a delegate meeting monday afternoon, when he called for supporting hilillary clinto. senator sanders: we have got to defeat donald trump. and

i am amy goodman. here in philadelphia, former secretary of state hillary clinton has become the first woman to accept t a major party presidential nomination in u.s.. history.y. mrs. clinton: and so some of myy friends, it is with humility, determined dacian desk determination, and confidence in america's promise, that i is set -- that i accept your nomination for president of the united states. amy: that was hillary clinton, the first woman nominated for the presidency by a major party . seattlea debate between city councilmember and a new york magazine rights are from our first hour, go to democracynow.org, and stay wiwih us for another debate in this hour. hillary clinton's address came at the end of the day, packed with speakers including hillary clinton's daughter, chelsea, retired general john allen, civil rights leader dolores huerta, and moral mondndays ororganizer reverend williamam barber. one of the most powerful speakers thursday was khizr khan whose son died in 2004 serving , in the u.s.

i am amy goodman with nermrmeen shaikh. en we come back, a father and son join us to share letters they wrote to each other after the police killings last week. stayay with us. ♪ [music break] amy: "black man in a white world" by michael kiwanuka. nermeen: dear langston, i thought of you when i saw the son of alton sterling weeping. -- the policeest had killed another black person. his cries made me think of you. amy: those are the words of princeton professor eddie glaude to his son, links and, in the wake of last week's police andings of alton sterling philando castile. eddie glaude was referencing video from the moment when alton sterling's family addressed the media. son is the mother of his cameron. he consoled his mother, but after a few minutes he broke down into the arms of supporters standing behind the two of them. mcmillan: the individuals involved in his murder took away a man with children who depended upon their daddy on a daily basis. my son is not the youngest. he is the oldest of his siblings. he is 15 years

i'm amy goodman. at least 84 people are dead in nice, france, after an attack on a crowd of people celebrating a bastille day. witnesses said a man in a truck a truck deliberately ran over dozens of people before getting out of the truck with a gun and opening fire. police then killed the man. one resident of nice described no longer feeling secure anywhere. collects it was really early. i was in bed and i wake up this morning and i had liked 100 missed calls from my friends asking what happened. then i saw the videos. it doesn't seem safe anymore and france. i came a couple of months to start working here. nice is not a big city and does not attract that much attention. anywhere can be a target. amy: witnesses described bodies strewn for as long as a mile down a seaside promenade where people had gathered to watch fireworks. no group has claimed responsibility for the attack, but the french government has described it as an act of terrorism. it is the second major attack in france since november, whe

i'm amy goodman.- we are breaking with convention -- war, peace, and the presidency. i'm amy goodman. we are broadcasting from cleveland, ohio. it's official -- donald trump is the republican party presidential nominee. house speaker paul ryan announced his nomination, following a roll call vote on the floor of the republican -- rnc. speaker ryan: the chair announces that donald j. trump, having received the majority of the votes entitled to be cast at the convention, has been selected as the republican party nominee for president of the united states. [applause] amy: that's house speaker paul ryan, announcing trump's official party nomination. this comes only one day after delegates from the "never trump" movement briefly staged a revolt against trump's nomination on -- nomination. the rebellion threw the first day of the convention into chaos, but the effort was quashed by party leadership. some dissenting g delegates bood during tuesday's roll call vote. the second day of the rnc was dubbed "make a

i'm amy goodman. here in cleveland, the first day of the republican natitional convention was marked by discocd and moments of chaos monday both inside and outside the convention arena. hours before donald trump arrived on the convention floor, delegates opposed to donald trump attempted to stage a a rebellion by calling for a roll-call vote to oppose donald trump's nomination. >> [chanting roll call vote] name is dan walters -- dane waters. it is a fight for the country. amy: that's dane waters, co-founder of delegates unbound, which was seeking to change the party's nominating rules to allow delegates to support alternative republican candidates over trump. monday afternoon, the anti-trump forces rattled the trump campaign and republican leadership by producing signatures from a majority of delegates from 11 states and territories, far more than the seven jurisdictions needed to force an up-or-down vote on the convention's rules package. but the trump campaign and republican party leadership quashed

i'm amy goodman. where are the african-american delegates? e lowest number of black delegates in a century. stay with us. ♪ [music break] amy: "i'm an alien" by rebel diaz. democracy now! interviewed the bronx-based duo protesting outside of the republican national convention earlier this week. yes, we are "breaking with convention: war, peace, and the presidency." democracy now! is in cleveland, ohio, covering the republican national convention from the inside out, from the streets to the corporate suites to the convention floor. i am amy goodman and we're broadcasting two hours a day. if you miss any heart of it, go to democracynow.org. there are fewer black delegates at this year's convention than at any point in at least a century. according to the republican party's own data, only 18 of the nearly 2500 republican delegates are african-american, less than 1%. theecent as 2004, 7% of republican delegates were black. on wednesday night, we tracked down some of the 18 black delegates. >> james evans, celtic city, utah. >> i just read in the w

i'm amy goodman. protests against police brutality erupted across the united states over the weekend, with tens of thousands of people taking to the streets and blocking roads, bridges and highways in cities including chicago, atlanta, baton rouge, st. paul, los angeles, phoenix, and rochester, new york. more than 300 people were arrested nationwide, including more than 160 in baton rouge, where two white police officers lastd alton sterling tuesday morning. an african-american father of multiple videos of the killing five. show police officers had sterling pinned to the ground before shooting him multiple times. among those arrested in baton rouge was black lives matter activist who ran for mayor in baltimore. he was held for 17 hours. in minnesota, where philando castile was killed by police, more than 100 people were arrested on saturday night on interstate 94 during a standoff with police during which , officers in riot gear threw smoke bombs and pepper spray, while some protesters threw molotov c

i'm amy goodman. president barack obama has signed into law the so-called promesa bill, which will establish a federally appointed control board with sweeping powers to run puerto rico's economy. >> in and of itself will be sufficient to solve all of the problems the puerto rico faces, but it is an important first creatinghe path of more stability, better services, and greater prosperity over the long-term. amy: whilele the legislation supporteters say it will help te island cope with its debt crisis by allowing an orderly restructuring of its $72 billion in bond debt, critics say it is a reversion to old-style colonialism that removes democratic control from the people of puerto rico. in puerto rico students, union , members, politicians and , environmentalists have launched a series of protests against the bill, including marches and an indefinite protest camp outside the u.s. federal court in hato rey,y, puerto rico. this comes as a new wall street journal analysis reveals how puerto rico has exper

i'm amy goodman. the federal bureau of investigation is not recommending charges against democratic presidential candidate hillary clinton over her use of multiple private e-mail servers while she was secretary of state. this comes despite fbi director james comey's saying clinton was extremely careless in her handling of classified information. >> although we did not find clear evidence that secretary clinton or her colleagues intended to violate laws governing the healing of classified information, there is evidence they were truly careless in their handling a very sensitive, highly classified information. amy: the fbi analyzed 30,000 e-mails, finding at least 110 that contained classified information at the time they were sent or received. fbi director comey said a handful of these were marked as classified at the time, a finding that contradicts clinton's claims. the fbi found eight e-mail chains containing top secret information. comey also said it was "possible that hostile actors gained access

i'm amy goodman. hundreds of protesters are gathered outside the governor's house in minneapolis following the fatal police shooting of african-american man philando castile during a traffic stop for a broken tail light. the immediate aftermath of the shooting was broadcast live on facebook by his girlfriend, lavish reynolds, who is speaking in the car next to her dying boyfriend as the police officer continues to point the gun into the car. a warning to our viewers, the footage is graphic. >> stay with me. we got pulled over for a busted tail light in the back and the police -- he is covered. they killed my boyfriend. he is licensed to carry. he was trying to get out his id and his wallet out his pocket and he let the officer know that he had a firearm and he was reaching for his wallet. and the officer just shot him in his arm. you told him to get his id, sir. please, do not tell me this, lord. do not tell me he is gone. please, do not tell me he is gone. please come officer, don't tell me you just