you're on with amy goodman. caller: hello. hey amy. i wanted you to know that i have been listening to you on radio free georgia. wr fg in atlanta. caller: that is a plug. been talking to friends -- i am finally on medicare. , wheree has 3% overhead these medical insurance companies have 20% overhead. if obamacare is repealed they will be able to go back as high an overhead as they want. the point i try and make with them is, when i am on social security and medicare, i have -- the government knows how much i have paid into these programs my whole life. which is a couple hundred thousand dollars at this point. where is i have paid hundreds of thousands of dollars to medical insurance companies for my family over 40, 50 years of working. there is no accounting for all of that. paid $8,000 in a year for medical insurance for a family. $500 or $600 in benefits in a year. there is no accounting for that. they want to know for -- what you done for me lately. guest: right. this is a question of whether the life and death of the citizens of a

you're on with amy goodman. caller: hello. hey amy. wanted you to know that i have been listening to you on radio free georgia. wr fg in atlanta. caller: that is a plug. been talking to friends -- i am finally on medicare. , wheree has 3% overhead these medical insurance companies have 20% overhead. if obamacare is repealed they will be able to go back as high an overhead as they want. the point i try and make with them is, when i am on social security and medicare, i have -- the government knows how much i have paid into these programs my whole life. which is a couple hundred thousand dollars at this point. where is i have paid hundreds of thousands of dollars to medical insurance companies for my family over 40, 50 years of working. there is no accounting for all of that. paid $8,000 in a year for medical insurance for a family. $500 or $600 in benefits in a year. there is no accounting for that. they want to know for -- what you done for me lately. guest: right. this is a question of whether the life and death of the citizens of a n

reiterate toted to amy goodman, about the medicare system. what you're going to have to do be givenre is going to to everybody which will take another 20 years of going back and forth anyway. is get rid of medicaid, the senior prescription drug program. so it is all rolled into one big national plan. if you keep medicaid and the separate other programs that we have right now, it will never pass. then you have to convince the political establishment in washington dc, that this is what the people want. not what they want. right now the republicans are hashing out another obama care bill. it will be just as bad. that is what they think their power is. is having health care hang over the whole population. it is going to take another political cycle like we did with trump and tell the establishment, this is what we want and get rid of the junk. it doesn't work and we know it doesn't work. guest: i think that is so interesting. you call in on the republican line. it sounds like everyone really agrees on this issue. we have to come up with something

i'm amy goodman. in yemen, a civilian is dying nearly every hour from an cholera outbreak, as the ongoing u.s.-backed saudi-led bombing campaign and naval blockade has devastated yemen's health, sanitation, and water systems. the world health organization says cholera has killed at least 859 people and that more than 100,000 are infected. this is the health ministry spokesperson abdel hakim al kahlani. announcenistry had to the state of emergency. the ministry announced it is powerless in facing this epidemic on its own and that we need international support and international organizations to aid in combating this epidemic. amy: last month, president donald trump signed a series of arms deals with saudi arabia totaling a record $110 billion during a visit to riyadh. united nations monitors have warned saudi-led attacks on yemen could constitute crimes against humanity. over 10,000 people have died since the u.s. backed saudi led bombing campaign began in we'll 2015. go to yemen for more on the cholera

i'm amy goodman. the u.s.-led coalition is now reportedly killing more civilians in syria than isis, russia, or even the government of syrian president bashar al-assad. that's according to the journalistic monitoring group airwars, which based its findings on data from the syrian network for human rights. this data says that u.s.-led coalition forces reportedly killed at least 273 civilians last month, which is slightly more than the number of cicivilians reportrtedly killedy isis. overall the data says nearly 1000 civilians were killed in syria last mononth alone. president trump's muslim travel ban has been dealt another legal blow. on monday, the united states court of appeals for the ninth circuit ununanimously y ruled tt presesident trump had d oversted his legal authority inin signing an executive order seeking to ban from enterining the united states all refugees and citizens of six majority muslim nations. the court wrote -- "the order does not offer a sufficient justification to suspend the entry of m

i'm amy goodman. former fbi director james comey will tell a senate panel today that president trump repeatedly demanded his loyalty and pressured comey to end a probe into former national security adviser michael flynn. comey, who was fired by president trump last month amid a growing fbi investigation into russia's role in the 2016 u.s. election, released his planned opening remarks to lawmakers on wednesday, ahead of today's highly anticipated appearance before the senate intelligence committee. in his statement, comey reveals he was summoned to the white house for a one-on-one dinner with the president on january 27, where trump asked whether comey wished to keep hisis job, before declaring, "i need loyalty, i expect loyalty." comey states trump later asked him to lift the cloud of the fbi's investigation into ties between russia and top trump officials. comey also states that during a valentine's day meeting in the oval office, trump asked other top officials to leave the room before asking comey

i'm amy goodman. in britain, a driver plowed into a crowd of muslims near a north london mosque today, killing one person and injuring eight others in what british officials are calling a terrorist attack. witnesses described a large white man driving a van who accelerated and swerved into a crowd of worshippers who'd left night-time prayers marking the muslim holy month of ramadan. >> basically, he drove on the pavement coming straight toward all of the muslims. as he comes to them, he hit all of them. and i think one of them died. one of them died. the rest are in bad condition. >> how many people? >> about seven or eight. >> and they were seriously injured? >> seriously injured. as the police came, they moved all of us. amy: one witness said the driver shouted, "i want to kill muslims." survivors of the attack pinned the man to the ground until police arrived on the scene and arrested him. british prime minister theresa may said police were treating the incident as a terrorist attack. it was the th

i'm amy goodman. in syria, tensions are rising after the united states shot down a syrian warplane sunday, escalating the possibility of a direct confrontation between the united states and russia. on monday, russian officials threatened to target u.s. planes flying west of the euphrates river. the pentagon said it downed the syrian government plane after it bombed u.s.-backed, anti-government rebels fighting isis. this is joint chiefs of staff chair general joseph dunford. >> in incident occurred. we have to work through the incident. it will require some diplomatic engagement in the next two hours to restore the deacon flexion with had in place. dd complexion we have had in place is in our mutual interest because it allows us to address what at least for regime forces have indicated are our common enemy, isis. amy: meanwhile, u.s.-backed coalition airstrikes continue in the syrian city of raqqa. the journalistic monitoring group airwars says coalition bombing last thursday reportedly killed a father

i'm amy goodman. president trump urged the republican congress today to repeal the affordable care act, even as senators began leaving washington, d.c., for the fourth of july recess with no plans in sight to vote on a replacement healthcare bill. in a tweet early this morning, trump wrote -- "if republican senators are unable to pass what they are working on now, they should immediately repeal, and then replace at a later date!" senate majority leader mitch mcconnell called off a planned vote on a senate healthcare bill after some members of his party balked over a congressional budget office report that found it would add 22 million americans to the ranks of the uninsured. other republicans said they'd oppose the senate bill because it doesn't go far enough. in washington, d.c., president trump sparked outrage even among members of his own republican party thursday after he attacked talk show hosts joe scarborough and mika brzezinski of msnbc's "morning joe" program. in a twitter rant, trump tweeted

i'm amy goodman. house majority whip steve scalise of louisiana remains in critical condition this morning after he and four other people were wounded wednesday when a gunman opened fire at a baseball field in alexandria, virginia. the lawmakers were practicing at the fieleld for a chararity congressional gameme that will take place tonight when scalise, the third ranking republican in the house, was shot in the hip. the gunman, who was shot dead by capitol hill police, has been identified as a 66-year-old white man named james hodgkinson from belleville, illinois. he has a history of domestic violence and has also made violent threats online. in one recent facebook post he wrote -- "trump is a traitor. trump has destroyed our democracy. it's time to destroy trump & co." reports indicate hodgkinson also once volunteered for bernie sanders' presidential campaign. hodgkinson had received a license to have a gun earlier this year, despite being arrested in 2006 foror domestic battery and dischaharge of a

i'm amy goodman. in breaking news from iran, at least 12 people have been killed and dozens more injured in two separate attacks in tehran this morning. the attacks on the parliament building in the tomb of the republic's founder of the worst attacks in tehran in decas. the attackers opened fire, took a number of hostages, but for all four attackers were killed by security f forces. at lst o onettacacker carrieied out a suicidide bombing. isis has claimed responsibility. we will have more later in the broadcast. president trump has tweeted you will be nominating christopher ray to be the next fbi director. trump tweeted this morning -- he served as assistant attorneny general from 2003-2005 under president george w. bush. since then, he has been working as a private lawyer at a law firm. tensions are mounting between president trump and attorney general jeff sessions, one day ahead of the much anticipated senate committee testimony of former fbi director james comey thursday. multiple news outlets are

i'm amy goodman. attorney general jeff sessions has denied colluding with russia ahead of the 2016 election, during a highly anticipated testimony before the senate intelligence committee on tuesday. sessions spent much of tuesday's hearing refusing to answer questions about president trump's firing of fbi director of james comey and whether trump had expressed concern to sessions about the attorney general's decision to recuse himself from the russia investigation. this is independent senator angus king of maine grilling sessions about his refusal to answer questions. >> what is the legal basis for your refusal to answer these questions? >> of protecting the right of the president to assert it if you chooses, and are maybe ever privileges -- other privileges that could apply the circumstance. >> the president can't not assert it and you have testified that only the president can assert it and yet i just don't understand the legal basis for your refusal to answer. >> it would be premature for me to de

i'm amy goodman. on capitol hill, opposition to the republican health care bill is growing as an increasing number of republican senators come out against their party's plan to repeal and replace the affordable care act. the bill is facing criticism both from republicans who say the bill includes too many cuts to medicaid, as well as from those who say it doesn't go far enough to gut the affordable care act. so far, five republicans currently say they will not support the bill as written -- nevada senator dean heller, kentucky senator rand paul, texas senator ted cruz, utah senator mike lee, and wisconsin senator ron johnson, who called for the vote on the bill to be postponed. >> there is no way we should be voting on this next week. >> are you going to work to stop a vote next week? >> i've hard time believing wisconsin constituents even myself will have enough time to properly evaluate this for me to vote for motion to proceed. i have been encouraging leadership, the white house, anybody i can talk

i'm amy goodman. in georgia, republicans have pulled off a victory in the most expensive congressional race in history. in a special election in georgia's sixth district, republican karen handel won nearly 53% of the vote, defeating her challenger democrat jon ossoff to fill the seat left vacant after tom price resigned to become secretary of health and human services. the candidates and outside groups spent more than $55 million on the race, a record shattering amount. while the seat has been held by a republican for decades, democrats were hoping to pull off an upset in the suburban atlanta district where president trump's approval rating is just 35%. this marks the fourth congressional race democrats have lost since the election of trump. this is karen handel speaking tuesday night. >> and a special thanks to the president of the united states. [applause] amy: karen handel is the former secretary of state of georgia. she made national headlines in 2012 when she led never as the breast cancer chairl

i'm amy goodman. republican majority leader mitch mcconnell is scheduled to release the senate's plan to repeal and replace the affordable care act today, pushing for a rapid vote ahead of the july 4 holiday on a bill that was crafted in secret. a drug versions are given to do yesterday, seen by "the washington post" from the resembling a house bill that passed narrowly last month. it would see draconian cuts that would slash medicaid, the federal health program covering low-income and disabled americans, even more than the house bill, thgh over a longer period of time. the bill was crafted by 13 republican men in closed-door session. on tuesday, three democratic senators visited the congressional budget office demanding to see a copy of the bill as the cbo works to score the legislation to predict its impact on health insurance coverage and the u.s. economy. meanwhile, president trump visited cedar rapids, iowa, winston for campaign-style event and it promoting the republican push on health care. the

i'm amy goodman. president donald trump announced thursday he will withdraw the united states from the landmark paris climate accord that was signed by nearly 200 nations in 2015 and heralded as a rare moment of international collaboration to avert imminent climate disaster. trump spoke in the white house rose garden, surrounded by supppporters. pres. trump: in o order to fulfl my solemn dututy to protect america and its citizens, t the iteded states will w withdraw fm , butaris c climate accord begin negotiations to reenter into the paris accord or an entirely new transaction on terms that are fair to the united states, its businesses, its workers, it's people, taxpayers. amy: president trump's decision drew swift condemnation from leaders and climate activists in every corner of the globebe. a spokesperson called it a major disappointment. france joined germany and italy and issuing a joint statement expressing regret and trump.ting us rejecting term back in the us, former secretary state john kerry

i'm amy goodman. republican congressman steve scalise remains in critical condition two days after he and four other people were wounded when a gunman opened fire on wednesday at a baseball field in alexandria, virginia. scalise was practicing for a charity congressional baseball game which took place last night. doctors say they scalise's -- dr. say scalise's condition has improved in the last 24 hours after undergoing three surgeries but he is expected to remain hospitalized for an extended period of time. meanwhile, more information has come to light about the capitol hill police officers who were credited with saving scalise's life and preventing the shooting of other lawmakers. capitol police special agent crystal griner is an african-american lesbian. she is a former college basketball star who got married to her wife tiffany dyar in 2015. special agent david bailey, who is also african-american, joined the capitol police about nine years ago. he hobbled out onto the baseball field last night to

i'm amy goodman. after weeks of secret negotiations, republican senators thursday released a health care bill that would reduce key benefits for millions of americans. the better care reconciliation act would find a large capital gains tax cut for the rich by removing millions of low income and disabled people from medicaid. according to the center on budget policy pririorities, 33 billion dollars of the tax cuts would benefit the 400 wealthiest u.s. households. the senate bill would also reduce subsidies to individuals to purchase health insurance and would allow states to eliminate protections for people with pre-existing conditions. the measure would defund planned parenthood for a year, making breast-cancer screenings and basic reproductive services more difficult for women to get. the bill was negotiated behind closed doors the between 13 republican male senators. this is senate majority leader mitch mcconnell. to freereed on the need americans from obamacare's mandates and policies contained in

i'm amy goodman. republican leaders scrambled wednesday to rescue a senate plan to repeal and replace the affordable care act after at least republican senators nine said they could not support their party's bill. senate majority leader mitch mcconnell said he hoped to finish a revised bill by friday and would submit it to the congressional budget office for review ahead of plans to take up the measure after a week-long recess for the fourth of july. mcconnell abandoned a push for a vote this week after some republicans balked over the cbo's finding that the senate bill would cause 22 million americans to lose their health insurance over the next decade. at the white house, president trump predicted the senate would still pass a repeal of obamacare. pres. trump: health care is working along very well. we could have a big surprise with a great health care package. >> any big surprises? pres. trump: it is going to be great. amy: meanwhile, on capitol hill, demonstrators flooded the offices of several re

i'm amy goodman. in the united kingdom, british prime minister theresa may suffered a major setback thursday in an election that saw her conservative party lose its majority in parliament less than two weeks before the country is scheduled to begin talks over exiting from the european union. may called the snap election three years early, expecting to win a large mandate to negotiate with european leaders over the terms of leaving the union. but thursday's election instead left the conservatives without a clear majority and a hung parliament. minutes ago, prime minister may said from 10 downing street her party would form a coalition government with the democratic unionist party of northern ireland. >> what the country needs more than ever is certainty. and having secure the largest number of votes in the greatest number of seats in the general election, it is clear that only the conservative and unionist party has the legitimacy and ability to provide that certainty by commending a majority in the ho

i'm amy goodman. in afghanistan, the death toll in wednesday's massive truck bomb attack in kabul rose to 90, with over 400 people wounded, as afghans mourned one of the worst single attacks since the u.s. invaded in 2001. no group has claimed responsibility for the bombing, which struck a busy intersection in the heart of the afghan capital during the morning rush flattening buildings, damaging hour, embassies and shattering , windows at the presidential palace. many survivors blamed the government for failing to provide security. >> we ask our leaders to ensure security in the country. if they're not able to ensure security for us, we say they must resign. there should be someone in power who serves the country. right now, thousands of our people are in mourning. why and how much longer should we suffer from this current situation? amy: on thursday, afghan president ashraf ghani issued a decree ordering the execution of 11 prisoners from the taliban and the haqqani network, which officials blamed fo

i'm amy goodman. in london, at least 12 people have been arrested after three attackers killed seven people and injured 48 more on saturday night. the attackers rammed a v van ino pedestrians on london bridge and then stabbed people in borough market. the three attackers were shot dead by police. this is a witness to the attack. fair on the streets of london. i have never experienced that before. i have been the for 12 years, basically. i have never seen that kind of fare, , especially on nights o . to be involveddc in that t kind of situatioion. amy: isis claimed responsibiliy for saturday's attack, which came less than two weeks after 22 people were killed in a bombing in manchester at an ariana grande concert. on sunday, ariana grande held a memorial concert in manchester to raise money for the bombing victims and their families. following saturday's attack, britain's conservative party and the opposition labour party temporarily suspended campaigning for the national elections this thursday. briti