was the sandinista government democratically elected? was this a grass roots movement by the people or was the sandinista government taking over the government -- the military operation? prof. rossinow: it's a good question. it's a mixed picture. they first came to power through an armed insurrection. no question. they did not overthrow a democratic government. they threw over a dictorial government. so there was not much to choose from their four someone to come to power through what we recognized as normal democratic means, if that's the acid test. the sandinista came into power through popular revolution and armed insurrection. they later on did hold democratic elections, but then delayed subsequent elections scheduled, and this gave the reagan administration the opportunity to say, look, they are not really democratic. they're going to be another cuba. the president of nicaragua is another castro. this is what the reagan administration was saying. the sandinistas were saying, look, we're under siege. we know our domestic opposition,

when he was, college student in the '80s, he helped out san today -- sandinistas, the communist regime in el salavador. he has never repudiated his leftest marxist past. to see him go give aid and comfort -- i'm not sure that is what he is doing there. trish: he will protest. >> this is further proof that, that these protesters, i get a lot of stuff on twitter, these aren't communists. these are anti-globalists. i got news for you, these guys have nothing in common with steve bannon. have nothing in common. trish: roll the tape. see what is happening over there. >> look a lot of red. trish: these folks, are not just everyday protesters? these are anti-capitalists but actually communists. >> they're communists. listen -- trish: want to see a different

many 70 sandinistas have not given us the freedom they have promised. these are young men laid their lives of one for freedom. we care about them, a lot of people care about the here. you laid out there need and your concerns about their plight. we read that for me please. you read that for me, please. if youa copy of it here would accept my recitation -- my representation. would you read it from the start to finish? date that you wrote that and to whom it went if you can decipher that as well. >> appears to be a note from tier who was for capion to admiral poindexter. the subject is special meeting in central america. please pass to don, he was at the time assistant deputy to the president for national security. trip to el salvador and honduras, there's great anxiety that the congress will not act in time to stave off a major defeat for the resistance. this sense exists in the governments of honduras and el a viable but a lack of source of resupply is now beginning to affect the political viability of the unified nicaraguan opposition leadership as wel

were launched against me in what they considered an to be a communist supportive attitude for the sandinista is in an el salvador. or the rigors of nicaragua. i can add as a spokesman for el salvador but that state lamp with that second question that i was asked but they ask and i said and then to be communist government and in the first time in my life or to commit myself to anything that is controversial. so that i went on to the next question and was plagued by guilt and that i waffled on the second question. but i wouldn't say if this is the people of el salvador to let them have it and then eventually that is true. >> but my career is still here. >> against those right wing and left net jobs and nominated for anywhere then pour president of the screen actors guild booktv c-span2. . >> publicist leave manager at john hopkins press what is coming out this fall?. >> in hand, may now try after shark week so that is good for the general public we're doing a coffee table book heavily illustrated. >> it is the story of the western frontier and then those the uncompromising activist who was the

he said, "the sandinistas haven't given us the freedom they promise." these are young men who are living their lives online for freedom. you care about them, i care about them, a lot of people care about them. in onea special interest of your notes. it is exhibit five. you laid out their needs and your concerns about their plight. would you reach for exhibit number five? would you read for me? i have a copy of it here. except it. would you read it from the start to finish? you wrotes the date and who he went if you can decipher it as well. north: this appears to be a note from myself to don fortier, with copy on to admiral poindexter, i believe. the subject is special meeting on central america. "will" -- that's wilma hall, mother of my secretary --"please pass to don." -- don fortier was at the time the principal deputy assistant to the president for national security affairs,who has since died." there's great anxiety the congress will not act in time to starve off a major defeat for the resistance. it is evident in the resistance itself. the lack of a

lieutenant colonel north: soviet bloc, yes sir. >> sandinistas, one of your goals? lieutenant colonel north: yes, sir. >> and it appears toward the and to have consumed part of the girls. that still would have been an exec for result? >> you were afraid the organ of the killed, isn't that right? in fact, the memorandum you forth that is part of the stack of documents that have indicated -- >> that was one of the reasons you are so frenetic? a lot of travel? you weren't the only one concerned either, were you? lieutenant colonel north: no, sir. >> do you believe this results in a better understanding of congress, and media that sometimes covert operations are necessary. they have to be kept secret. >> certainly would. i do think they would've achieved some success and i must admit i may be on a moonchild with them, but that these hearings might achieve some success that might result in congress recognizing they need to be given some latitude to carry out foreign policies of justice without 535 members of congress second-guessing everything. >> yes, sir. >> you leave

government. >> that was an evil bunch, the sandinistas.going to overthrow them and the heroes were the contras that were going to do it like our fathers at lexington and concord. >> we are complying with the law. we're complying with that fully. >> the boland amendment passed unanimously in the house and says the united states cannot provide funds for the purpose of overthrowing the government of nicaragua. >> when congress tried to cut american funding off to the contras, reagan believed it was his obligation, a moral obligation and obligation to american security to make sure the contras continued to get funding. >> the last of the u.s. marines left beirut today for the relative safety of the sixth fleet warships offshore, ending a 17-month peacekeeping mission which brought lebanon no closer to resolving its strife. >> lebanese factions realized their impact was very short lived. so these groups in lebanon began nabbing americans. >> in beirut, the united states was again the target of lebanon's shadowy men. they kidnapped william buckl

. >> that matter had a double they in the sense that iranian government had been to theng arms sandinistas. lt. col. north: you have been reading my tapirs, haven't you? that's right. they tried, and they also provided oil. indeed, one of the points that the president approved in whereof reference mcfarland talked to the government representatives about is that they should not give the support to the sandinistas, right? lt. col. north: that is correct. a staff member of the nsc succeeded in reversing it all, getting the money for the contras. correct? lt. col. north: we did. >> that was something that director casey must have been fired -- admired very much. lt. col. north: he did. >> and it was something that you were proud of? lt. col. north: i didn't say i was proud of it. i said it was a neat idea. ever tellector casey that this is something you must never mention to any of your colleagues at the nsc? sorry wouldth: i'm you please -- >> did you discuss with director casey that the use of the proceeds was a matter that could be a political bombshell? i think werth: probably did at a num

talked to the government representatives about is that they should not give the support to the sandinistas, right? lt. col. north: that is correct. >> a staff member of the nsc succeeded in reversing it all, getting the money for the contras. correct? lt. col. north: we did. >> that was something that director casey must have been admired very much. lt. col. north: he did. to put it mildly. >> and it was something that you were proud of? lt. col. north: i didn't say i was proud of it. i said it was a neat idea. >> did director casey ever tell you that this is something you must never mention to any of your colleagues at the nsc? lt. col. north: i'm sorry would you please -- >> did you discuss with director casey that the use of the proceeds was a matter that could be a political bombshell? lt. col. north: i think we probably did at a number of points. certainly, we discussed that very clearly toward the end of my tenure. i think it actually came down to detailed discussions of that. once he was aware that there were outside -- there was outside intelligence on it. i'm focusing specifically

there are a few like the sandinistas that are still hanging on and the cubans are still making trouble in latin america but they won't last. those regimes i think will not last. the place that i am the most worried about is venezuela. this is a perfect situation. this used to be a middle income country that now people can find food and they can't find medicine. i don't think there is a contagion factor to the rest of the region because they are pretty strong. but i do think that the organization of the american states ought to finally say enough. they need to arrange for that regime to be voted out of office. it's going to take a long time maybe the transition of a couple of years because the liberal forces have been so suppressed by the regime, but it's sort of chavez without charm. [laughter] i don't think that regime can last and we are beginning to see cracks in the regime. venezuela is the single saddest situation right now in latin america and we need to deal with it. the efforts to bring the socialist regimes in central america will come and go in places like el salvador and nic

david: our sand sandinista mayo.how much americans are spending on summer vacation this is year. ♪ . we recently had a heart attack. but we are not victims. we are survivors. we are survivors. we are survivors. and now we take brilinta. for people who've been hospitalized for a heart attack. we take brilinta with a baby aspirin. no more than one hundred milligrams... ...as it affects how well brilinta works. brilinta helps keep platelets from sticking together and forming a clot. in a clinical study brilinta worked better than plavix®. brilinta reduced the chance of another heart attack. or dying from one. don't stop taking brilinta without talking to your doctor,... ...since stopping it too soon increases your risk of clots in your stent,... ...heart attack, stroke, and even death. brilinta may cause bruising or bleeding more easily,... ...or serious, sometimes fatal bleeding. don't take brilinta if you have bleeding, like stomach ulcers,... ...a history of bleeding in the brain, or severe liver problems. slow heart

the iranian government had been providing arms to the sandinistas right. >> they provided oil on credit. also $100 million over several years. >> and one of the points that the president approved in the that mr.reference mcfarlane referred to the iranian government representatives about that they should not to the support. and a staff number of the nsc seated in reversing and all. getting money for the contras. that was something that director casey must have admired very much. it was something you said you are proud of. lt. col. north: i didn't say i was out of it. i said it was a neat idea. >> and did director casey ever , colonel north, this is something that you must never to any of your colleagues at the nsc? with directors use of proceeds was a matter that could be a political bombshell? >> certainly we discussed that a very clearly toward the end of my 10 year. to detailed down discussions of that, once he was -- thatat there were there was outside intelligence on it, i'm focusing specifically on a friend of his that approached him and told him that he'd friend never knew about t

if i say that i have described what we're going through while obama was president as we have a sandinistan gracie mansion and a stalinist in the white house. [laughter] >> well -- >> i apologize. >> that's okay. [laughter] i would say one thing on this topic which is that comparing, on the one hand, the left, the new left of the '60s was on the one hand far more serious in some ways than the left is today. that is to say that they were so serious that they embraced totalitarianism in some cases, following the logic of their thinking to its ultimate conclusion. they embraced the violence openly and apologized for it in a way that people don't do now. and on the other hand, today it's even more serious. the intellectuals of your day who were not them, but were the, were there teachers and were therefore bears -- their forebears were vastly more interested in ideas than the sort of what would pass for the intelligentsia today which is very thin. i mean, i say this as somebody who edits what i hope is a formidable intellectual magazine. i do so in an atmosphere, in a culture in which, you kno

after we got married, my husband actually had been the bureau chief in nicaragua and covered the sandinista situation in the late '80s, early '90s, covered latin america and had grown up in wichita and back to kansas city he went to law school at harvard and started a company in kansas city going back and forth and that's when i met him so when we got married i was living in washington, he was here in kansas and i said we have the least romantic so we went to italy for the honeymoon and came back [inaudible] [laughter] so for eight months after we got married, then i was pregnant and thought we should probably live together. [laughter] i loved kansas city, i was happy to move back to kansas city that i thought what can i do that i love this much as this job that was so unique and extraordinary and she said you should write a book. that is easier said than done. i have no idea how i would do that. but the one thing i learned, maybe the most important thing i learned is everything is fascinating if you look closely at anything, it's fascinating and if you knew enough of these stories of thing