democracynow--2020-01-14--GOP Debate on Impeachment Witnesses Intensifies as Pelosi Prepares to Send Articles to Senate

This is a rush transcript .
Copy may not be in its final form .
JUAN GONZÁLEZ : We begin today ’ s show looking at the upcoming impeachment trial of President Trump .
House Speaker Nancy Pelosi is expected to send the two articles of impeachment to the Senate as early as Wednesday .
The House impeached Trump in December for abuse of power and obstruction of Congress related to Trump ’ s efforts to pressure Ukraine to investigate his political rival Joe Biden .
Three Republican senators — Mitt Romney of Utah , Lisa Murkowski of Alaska and @ @ @ @ @ @ @ they want the Senate to call former national security adviser John Bolton as a witness during the Senate impeachment trial .
Senator Lamar Alexander of Tennessee has said he may also vote to hear witnesses .
He told Politico , quote , “ It ’ s important to have a vote on whether we have witnesses or not.
” AMY GOODMAN : The timing of the Senate impeachment trial could also impact the 2020 presidential race .
Three Democratic candidates — Senators Bernie Sanders , Elizabeth Warren and Amy Klobuchar — will have @ @ @ @ @ @ @ trial , which could begin this week .
On Monday , Senator Cory Booker dropped out of the race in part because of the time demands of the impeachment trial .
Meanwhile , The New York Times is reporting a security firm has uncovered evidence that Russian military hackers have attempted to attack the Ukrainian gas company where Hunter Biden once served on the board of directors .
To talk more about the upcoming impeachment trial , we ’ re joined by Dahlia Lithwick , senior editor at Slate.com , where she ’ @ @ @ @ @ @ @ reporter .
So , what are we going to see today , Dahlia ?
DAHLIA LITHWICK : I think we ’ re going to see everybody pedaling as fast as they can to own the narrative here .
I think that Nancy Pelosi is feeling at least a little bit better about the fact that there are going to be witnesses .
It looks as though there are enough Republican senators saying we at least want to vote on whether there are going to be witnesses , which is , I think , @ @ @ @ @ @ @ some kind of fair process .
At the same time , we see Mitch McConnell doing the touchdown dance yesterday , saying , “ Everything she did was pointless , I won everything , and I ’ m going to have it my way.
” So I think , as today plays out , we ’ re going to see a decision on whether to convey the articles today , tomorrow .
We ’ re hearing there ’ s going to be opening statements as soon as next Tuesday .
So this thing @ @ @ @ @ @ @ ground running , and I think very quickly we ’ re going to have to see whether there ’ s a process that allows for witness testimony .
JUAN GONZÁLEZ : And what about the issue of John Bolton ’ s potential testimony ?
How important is that ?
And do you feel — is your sense is that the votes are there to call for him to come and testify ?
DAHLIA LITHWICK : Well , we ’ re certainly hearing that Romney is interested .
I think that Murkowski and Collins @ @ @ @ @ @ @ very , very interested in at least knowing that they have made the gesture at “ We want to know what he has to say.
” And I think they ’ re really being pincered by an electorate that wants to hear from witnesses .
What Bolton has to say is unbelievably consequential .
JUAN GONZÁLEZ : But yet the president has indicated that he might invoke executive privilege .
He told Fox News that he might do that to prevent Bolton from testifying in the impeachment trial .
Fox News host Laura @ @ @ @ @ @ @ GONZÁLEZ : And speaking to reporters last Tuesday , Trump said Bolton wouldn ’ t know anything about the impeachment charges .
JUAN GONZÁLEZ : What ’ s your sense about that ?
DAHLIA LITHWICK : Well , at least with respect to the latter question , we know Bolton knows a lot , because we ’ ve already heard testimony in the House that he said , “ I want nothing to do with this drug deal that ’ s being cooked up with Giuliani.
” So we know Bolton has actually @ @ @ @ @ @ @ happening in Ukraine .
As to the question of privilege , executive privilege does not mean that Bolton can not testify .
It means he can sit there and testify as to those things that are not privileged and invoke the privilege where it applies .
It doesn ’ t mean there ’ s an all-out bar on his showing up .
AMY GOODMAN : Do you think that the assassination of Soleimani could be Trump throwing out a bone to Bolton because he ’ s so concerned about what he might testify @ @ @ @ @ @ @ the assassination , Bolton said , tweeted , you know , “ We ’ ve been working on this for a long time.
” DAHLIA LITHWICK : I think there is some signaling going on between Bolton and the president that none of us fully understands .
I think the fact that Bolton has said , “ I have material evidence , and I would like to present it , ” suggests he didn ’ t get everything he wants from this Soleimani assassination .
But I think the larger point for Bolton @ @ @ @ @ @ @ at every turn , to do — right after he has the opportunity to do the big thing , he says he ’ s going to do it , when it ’ s too late .
This looks like it ’ s of a piece with that .
He ’ s been saying , pretty consistently , “ I have things to say .
I wish I could say them.
” JUAN GONZÁLEZ : And Chief Justice John Roberts will be presiding over the trial .
What ’ s your sense of what @ @ @ @ @ @ @ : That ’ s the most interesting question to me as a John Roberts watcher , is that there ’ s two models .
There ’ s the Salmon Chase model from the Andrew Johnson impeachment , and then there ’ s the William Rehnquist model from the Clinton impeachment .
Chase was unbelievably involved , let himself be the tiebreaker , was absolutely aggressively involved in rulings in the Johnson impeachment .
Rehnquist famously , after the Clinton impeachment , said , “ I did nothing , and I did it very @ @ @ @ @ @ @ much more apt to be what we saw in the Rehnquist model , to do nothing and do it very elegantly .
AMY GOODMAN : I want to go to 2016 .
This is Trump calling Chief Justice Roberts a “ disaster.
” DAHLIA LITHWICK : So interesting that Trump never went after Anthony Kennedy , who also gave so many things that Trump purports to hate .
But he didn ’ t go after Kennedy ; he went after Roberts .
And Roberts and he have been involved in a very , @ @ @ @ @ @ @ can go after judges .
John Roberts famously said last year , “ There ’ s no such thing as 'Trump judges ' and 'Obama judges . '
All judges are the same.
” Those are fighting words from John Roberts .
Do I think it means that John Roberts is in the tank for impeachment ?
No , I don ’ t .
I think John Roberts is in the tank for the judiciary and the integrity and the dignity of the judiciary .
AMY GOODMAN : And Senate Majority Leader Mitch @ @ @ @ @ @ @ ’ t be an impartial juror .
He just went to the White House to meet with President Trump about the impeachment trial .
Could he somehow declare that the bar was not met for high crimes and misdemeanors ?
How does this work ?
DAHLIA LITHWICK : Well , I think that Donald Trump yesterday started signaling , “ We should just acquit me before anything happens .
We shouldn ’ t even have a trial.
” It ’ s clear McConnell does not have the votes to do that .
And @ @ @ @ @ @ @ .
It ’ s important to realize everything that has to happen procedurally requires 51 votes .
That seems like an easy jump when you have 53 , but it ’ s pretty clear that these processes are going to be set on the backs of people like Collins and Murkowski and other senators who are really , really worried about their re-election bids .
So , I don ’ t think it ’ s as simple as McConnell doing things by fiat and the entire party falling in line on every issue @ @ @ @ @ @ @ the Democrats are meeting today , caucusing , and Nancy Pelosi is expected to name the prosecutors .
What ’ s the importance of the prosecutors from the House in this trial ?
DAHLIA LITHWICK : The formal word is “ managers.
” They become the impeachment managers .
And they essentially become , as you say , the prosecuting attorneys .
There ’ s some conversation about whether Justin Amash might be one of them .
He ’ s the independent who broke off from the Republican Party .
And again , @ @ @ @ @ @ @ she does that .
But they will probably come from the Intelligence Committee and the committees that oversaw the House processes , and they will essentially present their best case .
Donald Trump ’ s attorneys for his part will be Jay Sekulow and Pat Cipollone .
And they are going to — AMY GOODMAN : And Giuliani is trying to get into there .
DAHLIA LITHWICK : And Giuliani , who desperately wants to be at that table , I think that ’ s not going to happen .
But that ’ @ @ @ @ @ @ @ the defense .
AMY GOODMAN : Well , we hope you will keep us posted .
And , of course , we will turn back to you .
Dahlia Lithwick is senior editor at Slate.com , where she is their senior legal correspondent and Supreme Court reporter .
She also hosts the podcast that you call… When we come back , Moms 4 Housing .
A group of mothers in Oakland are fighting homelessness by occupying a vacant house .
They are threatened with eviction .
Hundreds of people turned out last night @ @ @ @ @ @ @ .

This is a rush transcript. Copy may not be in its final form.
JUAN GONZÁLEZ: We begin today’s show looking at the upcoming impeachment trial of President Trump. House Speaker Nancy Pelosi is expected to send the two articles of impeachment to the Senate as early as Wednesday. The House impeached Trump in December for abuse of power and obstruction of Congress related to Trump’s efforts to pressure Ukraine to investigate his political rival Joe Biden.
Three Republican senators — Mitt Romney of Utah, Lisa Murkowski of Alaska and Susan Collins of Maine — have said they want the Senate to call former national security adviser John Bolton as a witness during the Senate impeachment trial. Senator Lamar Alexander of Tennessee has said he may also vote to hear witnesses. He told Politico, quote, “It’s important to have a vote on whether we have witnesses or not.”
AMY GOODMAN: The timing of the Senate impeachment trial could also impact the 2020 presidential race. Three Democratic candidates — Senators Bernie Sanders, Elizabeth Warren and Amy Klobuchar — will have to leave the campaign trail for the trial, which could begin this week. On Monday, Senator Cory Booker dropped out of the race in part because of the time demands of the impeachment trial.
Meanwhile, The New York Times is reporting a security firm has uncovered evidence that Russian military hackers have attempted to attack the Ukrainian gas company where Hunter Biden once served on the board of directors.
To talk more about the upcoming impeachment trial, we’re joined by Dahlia Lithwick, senior editor at Slate.com, where she’s senior legal correspondent and Supreme Court reporter.
So, what are we going to see today, Dahlia?
DAHLIA LITHWICK: I think we’re going to see everybody pedaling as fast as they can to own the narrative here. I think that Nancy Pelosi is feeling at least a little bit better about the fact that there are going to be witnesses. It looks as though there are enough Republican senators saying we at least want to vote on whether there are going to be witnesses, which is, I think, what her endgame was, to have some kind of fair process. At the same time, we see Mitch McConnell doing the touchdown dance yesterday, saying, “Everything she did was pointless, I won everything, and I’m going to have it my way.”
So I think, as today plays out, we’re going to see a decision on whether to convey the articles today, tomorrow. We’re hearing there’s going to be opening statements as soon as next Tuesday. So this thing is going to start and hit the ground running, and I think very quickly we’re going to have to see whether there’s a process that allows for witness testimony.
JUAN GONZÁLEZ: And what about the issue of John Bolton’s potential testimony? How important is that? And do you feel — is your sense is that the votes are there to call for him to come and testify?
DAHLIA LITHWICK: Well, we’re certainly hearing that Romney is interested. I think that Murkowski and Collins, as you all said, are very, very interested in at least knowing that they have made the gesture at “We want to know what he has to say.” And I think they’re really being pincered by an electorate that wants to hear from witnesses. What Bolton has to say is unbelievably consequential.
JUAN GONZÁLEZ: But yet the president has indicated that he might invoke executive privilege. He told Fox News that he might do that to prevent Bolton from testifying in the impeachment trial. Fox News host Laura Ingraham interviewed him on Friday.
LAURA INGRAHAM: Why not call Bolton? Why not allow him to testify? This thing is bogus. Why not allow Bolton to testify?
PRESIDENT DONALD TRUMP: I would have no problem, other than one thing. You can’t be in the White House as president — future, I’m talking about future, many future presidents — and have a security adviser, anybody having to do with security, and legal and other things, but —
LAURA INGRAHAM: Are you going to invoke executive privilege?
PRESIDENT DONALD TRUMP: — especially — well, I think you have to for the sake of the office.
JUAN GONZÁLEZ: And speaking to reporters last Tuesday, Trump said Bolton wouldn’t know anything about the impeachment charges.
PRESIDENT DONALD TRUMP: He would know nothing about what we’re talking about, because, if you know, the Ukrainian government came out with a very strong statement, no pressure, no anything, and that’s from the boss. That’s from the president of Ukraine.
JUAN GONZÁLEZ: What’s your sense about that?
DAHLIA LITHWICK: Well, at least with respect to the latter question, we know Bolton knows a lot, because we’ve already heard testimony in the House that he said, “I want nothing to do with this drug deal that’s being cooked up with Giuliani.” So we know Bolton has actually taken a strong position against what was happening in Ukraine.
As to the question of privilege, executive privilege does not mean that Bolton cannot testify. It means he can sit there and testify as to those things that are not privileged and invoke the privilege where it applies. It doesn’t mean there’s an all-out bar on his showing up.
AMY GOODMAN: Do you think that the assassination of Soleimani could be Trump throwing out a bone to Bolton because he’s so concerned about what he might testify? And as soon as he did the assassination, Bolton said, tweeted, you know, “We’ve been working on this for a long time.”
DAHLIA LITHWICK: I think there is some signaling going on between Bolton and the president that none of us fully understands. I think the fact that Bolton has said, “I have material evidence, and I would like to present it,” suggests he didn’t get everything he wants from this Soleimani assassination.
But I think the larger point for Bolton is, he’s trying, at every turn, to do — right after he has the opportunity to do the big thing, he says he’s going to do it, when it’s too late. This looks like it’s of a piece with that. He’s been saying, pretty consistently, “I have things to say. I wish I could say them.”
JUAN GONZÁLEZ: And Chief Justice John Roberts will be presiding over the trial. What’s your sense of what his role will be?
DAHLIA LITHWICK: That’s the most interesting question to me as a John Roberts watcher, is that there’s two models. There’s the Salmon Chase model from the Andrew Johnson impeachment, and then there’s the William Rehnquist model from the Clinton impeachment. Chase was unbelievably involved, let himself be the tiebreaker, was absolutely aggressively involved in rulings in the Johnson impeachment. Rehnquist famously, after the Clinton impeachment, said, “I did nothing, and I did it very well.” I think John Roberts is much more apt to be what we saw in the Rehnquist model, to do nothing and do it very elegantly.
AMY GOODMAN: I want to go to 2016. This is Trump calling Chief Justice Roberts a “disaster.”
DONALD TRUMP: Justice Roberts turned out to be an absolute disaster. He turned out to be an absolute disaster because he gave us Obamacare.
AMY GOODMAN: So, your response, Dahlia Lithwick?
DAHLIA LITHWICK: So interesting that Trump never went after Anthony Kennedy, who also gave so many things that Trump purports to hate. But he didn’t go after Kennedy; he went after Roberts. And Roberts and he have been involved in a very, very low-level slap fight about whether Trump can go after judges. John Roberts famously said last year, “There’s no such thing as 'Trump judges' and 'Obama judges.' All judges are the same.” Those are fighting words from John Roberts. Do I think it means that John Roberts is in the tank for impeachment? No, I don’t. I think John Roberts is in the tank for the judiciary and the integrity and the dignity of the judiciary.
AMY GOODMAN: And Senate Majority Leader Mitch McConnell, he has said he can’t be an impartial juror. He just went to the White House to meet with President Trump about the impeachment trial. Could he somehow declare that the bar was not met for high crimes and misdemeanors? How does this work?
DAHLIA LITHWICK: Well, I think that Donald Trump yesterday started signaling, “We should just acquit me before anything happens. We shouldn’t even have a trial.” It’s clear McConnell does not have the votes to do that. And so I think that cannot happen.
It’s important to realize everything that has to happen procedurally requires 51 votes. That seems like an easy jump when you have 53, but it’s pretty clear that these processes are going to be set on the backs of people like Collins and Murkowski and other senators who are really, really worried about their re-election bids. So, I don’t think it’s as simple as McConnell doing things by fiat and the entire party falling in line on every issue.
JUAN GONZÁLEZ: And finally, the Democrats are meeting today, caucusing, and Nancy Pelosi is expected to name the prosecutors. What’s the importance of the prosecutors from the House in this trial?
DAHLIA LITHWICK: The formal word is “managers.” They become the impeachment managers. And they essentially become, as you say, the prosecuting attorneys. There’s some conversation about whether Justin Amash might be one of them. He’s the independent who broke off from the Republican Party. And again, that’s some interesting signaling if she does that. But they will probably come from the Intelligence Committee and the committees that oversaw the House processes, and they will essentially present their best case. Donald Trump’s attorneys for his part will be Jay Sekulow and Pat Cipollone. And they are going to —
AMY GOODMAN: And Giuliani is trying to get into there.
DAHLIA LITHWICK: And Giuliani, who desperately wants to be at that table, I think that’s not going to happen. But that’s going to be the prosecutors and the defense.
AMY GOODMAN: Well, we hope you will keep us posted. And, of course, we will turn back to you. Dahlia Lithwick is senior editor at Slate.com, where she is their senior legal correspondent and Supreme Court reporter. She also hosts the podcast that you call…
DAHLIA LITHWICK: Amicus.
AMY GOODMAN: Amicus.
When we come back, Moms 4 Housing. A group of mothers in Oakland are fighting homelessness by occupying a vacant house. They are threatened with eviction. Hundreds of people turned out last night to protect them. Stay with us.


democracynow--2020-01-14--Headlines for January 14, 2020

Headlines for January 14, 2020

President Trump is now trying to claim that “ it doesn ’ t really matter ” whether Iranian General Qassem Soleimani posed an imminent threat before the United States assassinated him in a drone strike at the Baghdad International Airport on January 3 .
Trump ’ s words — from a tweet yesterday — come after President Trump spent days claiming Soleimani was planning to attack four U.S. embassies .
But Trump ’ s claims began to unravel after his own defense secretary , Mark Esper , said he had not seen specific evidence of any planned embassy attacks .
@ @ @ @ @ @ @ reporters about his changing claims .
That was Trump speaking Monday .
Meanwhile , Secretary of State Mike Pompeo is dismissing the Iraqi Parliament ’ s vote demanding the United States withdraw its troops from Iraq , which came after the U.S. assassination of Soleimani in Baghdad .
The Wall Street Journal is reporting the State Department warned Iraq that the United States could shut down Iraq ’ s access to its own bank account held at the Federal Reserve Bank of New York , if Iraq forces U.S. troops to withdraw from @ @ @ @ @ @ @ arrested several people as part of the investigation into how Iran mistakenly shot down a Ukrainian airliner taking off from Tehran , en route to Kiev , killing all 176 people on board .
The plane crash came as Iran fired missiles at Iraqi military bases housing Iraqi and U.S. troops as retaliation for Soleimani ’ s assassination .

President Trump is now trying to claim that “it doesn’t really matter” whether Iranian General Qassem Soleimani posed an imminent threat before the United States assassinated him in a drone strike at the Baghdad International Airport on January 3. Trump’s words — from a tweet yesterday — come after President Trump spent days claiming Soleimani was planning to attack four U.S. embassies.
But Trump’s claims began to unravel after his own defense secretary, Mark Esper, said he had not seen specific evidence of any planned embassy attacks. This is President Trump answering questions from reporters about his changing claims.
President Donald Trump: “First of all, I think it’s been totally consistent. But here’s what’s been consistent: We killed Soleimani, the number one terrorist in the world by every account, bad person, killed a lot of Americans, killed a lot of people.”
That was Trump speaking Monday. Meanwhile, Secretary of State Mike Pompeo is dismissing the Iraqi Parliament’s vote demanding the United States withdraw its troops from Iraq, which came after the U.S. assassination of Soleimani in Baghdad. The Wall Street Journal is reporting the State Department warned Iraq that the United States could shut down Iraq’s access to its own bank account held at the Federal Reserve Bank of New York, if Iraq forces U.S. troops to withdraw from Iraq.
And Iran says it has arrested several people as part of the investigation into how Iran mistakenly shot down a Ukrainian airliner taking off from Tehran, en route to Kiev, killing all 176 people on board. The plane crash came as Iran fired missiles at Iraqi military bases housing Iraqi and U.S. troops as retaliation for Soleimani’s assassination.


democracynow--2020-01-13--"Stop the Money Pipeline": 150 Arrested at Protests Exposing Wall Street's Link to Climate Crisis

This is a rush transcript .
Copy may not be in its final form .
AMY GOODMAN : I ’ m Amy Goodman .
This is Democracy Now !
Nearly 150 people were arrested on Capitol Hill Friday in climate protests led by Academy Award-winning actor and activist Jane Fonda .
Fonda has been leading weekly climate demonstrations in D.C. , known as “ Fire Drill Fridays , ” since October .
For Fonda ’ s last and 14th protest , actors Martin Sheen and Joaquin Phoenix , who was just today nominated for an Oscar , Ojibwe activist Tara @ @ @ @ @ @ @ more lined up to get arrested as they demanded a mass uprising and swift political action to thwart the climate crisis .
Jane Fonda then marched with supporters to a Chase Bank branch , where environmentalist Bill McKibben and more than 20 others were occupying the space to draw attention to the bank ’ s ties to the fossil fuel industry .
Ten , including McKibben , were arrested .
The day of action was the launch of the “ Stop the Money Pipeline ” campaign to halt the flow of cash from @ @ @ @ @ @ @ to the fossil fuel industry .
The day of protests began with Jane Fonda outside the Capitol .
JANE FONDA : OK , so what ’ s in store for the climate movement in 2020 ?
As you all know , we can not burn all of the coal , the gas , the oil that ’ s in the ground .
We can not burn it all and stay within the parameters of what science tells us we must do .
We have to cut our fossil fuel emissions by 50 % @ @ @ @ @ @ @ massive undertaking .
And we can ’ t do it if the fossil fuel industry keeps expanding .
And we are going to clear away all of the debris , the debris of the climate change deniers funded by fossil fuel money .
We are going to clear away the debris of the distractors telling us everything else is more important — Trump ’ s latest tweet , the royal family ’ s fashions , all of that .
Clear away that debris .
Then we ’ re going to clear away the @ @ @ @ @ @ @ who are telling us it ’ s all too late and we may as well just kind of relax and watch the world burn , because they think they ’ re going to be safe .
We ’ re going to clear away the debris of the doomers .
And most of all , we ’ re going to clear away the debris of the dividers .
And we ’ re going to build the most united and powerful movement that we have ever seen .
We will no longer stand by the @ @ @ @ @ @ @ the sole purpose of profit .
It is time now that we rise up .
Rise up , my brothers and sisters .
Rise up and stand against 1 million species ’ extinction .
Rise up and stand with the original caretakers of these lands , the indigenous people .
Rise up and stand against cultural genocide , ecocide , environmental catastrophes and illegal resource extractions .
The time is now that we transition into a new era , away from this fossil fuel addiction .
The land for which we stand on @ @ @ @ @ @ @ this addiction up pollution , profit and greed .
It is time now , my brothers and sisters , to rise up and stand with the indigenous people .
Now , we ’ ve got to be here because Chase Bank is the single biggest funder of fossil fuels on planet Earth .
They ’ ve put $ 196 billion into oil and gas over the last three years .
They are the ones — they are the ones who are paying for the carbon bomb , OK ?
They ’ re a @ @ @ @ @ @ @ or Chevron or Shell or BP are carbon majors .
So that ’ s why we ’ re here today doing civil disobedience and beginning what ’ s going to be a winter and spring of massive civil disobedience , of massive unrest about the financial system .
My message is for all of us .
We have power .
We have so much power .
They pull out their tanks when we stand unarmed in front of their machines , because they are afraid of us .
They use water cannons and @ @ @ @ @ @ @ our bodies , because they are afraid of us .
They kill land defenders in the Global South that are unarmed , protecting their forests , protecting their territories , because they are afraid of us .
We can build the world we want , and we can demand this one changes at the same time .
JOAQUIN PHOENIX : But something I think isn ’ t oftentimes talked about in the environmental movement or in the conversation about climate change is that the meat and dairy industry is the third leading cause @ @ @ @ @ @ @ sometimes we wonder what can we do in this fight against climate change , and there ’ s something that you can do today , right now , and tomorrow , by making a choice about what you consume .
I want to honor the traditional territory of the Anacostans people whose land we are atop of now .
We must recognize that the history of the United States is a history of settler colonialism , rooted in white supremacy , African slavery , and policies , supported by the church and state @ @ @ @ @ @ @ These systems attempted to demonize , devalue and extinguish indigenous peoples ’ languages , political and cultural structures , ideological perspectives and way of life .
All of this was done with the end goal of erasing us from the landscape and from human consciousness .
It ’ s time for us to abandon these patriarchal and colonial ideologies rooted in things like the doctrine of discovery and terra nullius .
We have always been here , and we were never discovered .
I come from the Athabasca Chipewyan First Nation in Treaty @ @ @ @ @ @ @ .
Dené , the very core of that word , means to flow from the earth .
The land is the very essence of who we are .
Our identity is intrinsically linked to the land .
It nurtures our bodies , our mind , our culture and our connections to our role on this planet as stewards .
As Tara said , 5 % of the global population is indigenous peoples , but we protect and steward 80 % of the world ’ s biodiversity .
We occupy between 22 % and @ @ @ @ @ @ @ are the protectors of the land .
We are called to find something in our lives worth fighting for , something that unites the will of the spirit with the work of the flesh , something that can help us lift up this nation and all its people to that place where the heart is without fear and the head is held high , where knowledge is free , where the world has not been broken up into fragments by narrow domestic walls , where words come out from the depths of truth @ @ @ @ @ @ @ perfection , where the clear stream of reason has not lost its way into the dreary desert sands of dead habit , where the mind is led forward by thee into ever-widening thought and action .
Into that heaven of freedom , dear father , let our country awake !
Thank you .
AMY GOODMAN : Actor Martin Sheen and more than 140 others arrested at the Fire Drill Fridays climate protest in Washington , D.C. Special thanks to Chris Belcher .

This is a rush transcript. Copy may not be in its final form.
AMY GOODMAN: I’m Amy Goodman. This is Democracy Now! Nearly 150 people were arrested on Capitol Hill Friday in climate protests led by Academy Award-winning actor and activist Jane Fonda. Fonda has been leading weekly climate demonstrations in D.C., known as “Fire Drill Fridays,” since October. For Fonda’s last and 14th protest, actors Martin Sheen and Joaquin Phoenix, who was just today nominated for an Oscar, Ojibwe activist Tara Houska, journalist Naomi Klein and dozens more lined up to get arrested as they demanded a mass uprising and swift political action to thwart the climate crisis. Jane Fonda then marched with supporters to a Chase Bank branch, where environmentalist Bill McKibben and more than 20 others were occupying the space to draw attention to the bank’s ties to the fossil fuel industry. Ten, including McKibben, were arrested. The day of action was the launch of the “Stop the Money Pipeline” campaign to halt the flow of cash from banks, investment firms and insurance companies to the fossil fuel industry. The day of protests began with Jane Fonda outside the Capitol.
JANE FONDA: OK, so what’s in store for the climate movement in 2020? As you all know, we cannot burn all of the coal, the gas, the oil that’s in the ground. We cannot burn it all and stay within the parameters of what science tells us we must do. We have to cut our fossil fuel emissions by 50% in 10 years. That is a massive undertaking. And we can’t do it if the fossil fuel industry keeps expanding.
So, why are fossil fuel companies continuing to expand? Why are they still drilling and fracking and mining? And why are the big Wall Street banks and other international financial institutions still helping them drill and frack and mine and process and export? It’s called suicide investing. It’s insane!
And one of the worst offenders is JPMorgan Chase. It’s one of the largest sources of capital to the fossil fuel industry in their quest to drill and frack and mine. And we cannot let Chase and other financial institutions continue this way. …
And now I want to bring the woman — I want to bring her to the stage. … Please welcome Naomi Klein.
NAOMI KLEIN: A lot of us are going to get arrested today, but let us remember that we are not the criminals. We are not the criminals. The criminals are the people who are letting this world burn for money. Those are the criminals.
And we are going to clear away all of the debris, the debris of the climate change deniers funded by fossil fuel money. We are going to clear away the debris of the distractors telling us everything else is more important — Trump’s latest tweet, the royal family’s fashions, all of that. Clear away that debris. Then we’re going to clear away the debris of the doomers, the ones who are telling us it’s all too late and we may as well just kind of relax and watch the world burn, because they think they’re going to be safe. We’re going to clear away the debris of the doomers. And most of all, we’re going to clear away the debris of the dividers. And we’re going to build the most united and powerful movement that we have ever seen.
JANE FONDA: Now I want to introduce Ta’Sina Sapa Win Smith. She is Itazipco, Mnicojou and Hunkpapa Lakota of the Cheyenne River Sioux Reservation.
TA’SINA SAPA WIN SMITH: Right now, again, my ancestral homelands are facing yet another threat: the Keystone XL pipeline, which will snake right underneath the Cheyenne River, for which my tribe is named. …
We will no longer stand by the decisions made by our world leaders for the sole purpose of profit. It is time now that we rise up. Rise up, my brothers and sisters. Rise up and stand against 1 million species’ extinction. Rise up and stand with the original caretakers of these lands, the indigenous people. Rise up and stand against cultural genocide, ecocide, environmental catastrophes and illegal resource extractions. The time is now that we transition into a new era, away from this fossil fuel addiction. The land for which we stand on has been taken by force to fuel this addiction up pollution, profit and greed. It is time now, my brothers and sisters, to rise up and stand with the indigenous people.
JANE FONDA: I’m going to give you Bill McKibben, who is not here. He is currently occupying the Chase Bank, from which he speaks.
BILL McKIBBEN: There’s about 25 of us inside the Chase, JPMorgan Chase, bank branch. And this really marks not only the escalation of Fire Drill Fridays, but it marks the real national launch of this Stop the Money Pipeline campaign.
Now, we’ve got to be here because Chase Bank is the single biggest funder of fossil fuels on planet Earth. They’ve put $196 billion into oil and gas over the last three years. They are the ones — they are the ones who are paying for the carbon bomb, OK? They’re a carbon major just the way that Exxon or Chevron or Shell or BP are carbon majors. So that’s why we’re here today doing civil disobedience and beginning what’s going to be a winter and spring of massive civil disobedience, of massive unrest about the financial system.
If banks like Chase Bank stopped funding the fossil fuel industry, they could not go on building pipelines. They could not go on making new coal mines and building new LNG terminals and doing all the other things that are making our planet, week by week, less habitable.
When we look at those pictures from Australia, yes, we see the absolute horror of people whose lives are turned upside down and animals that are killed and ecosystems that are wiped out, but we also see, fully visible in those flames, the dollar signs that led to that conflagration. That’s what is at the bottom of the crisis that we face.
AMBER VALLETTA: I’m very excited to announce our next speaker, … Tara Houska, Couchiching First Nation, Anishinaabe.
TARA HOUSKA: The last time I was here, speaking behind a rally podium similar to this one, I came from a resistance camp in Standing Rock. I came from seeing my friends tear-gassed, maced, bitten by dogs. I came from being arrested and put into a dog kennel. I came from watching cops chase Indians on horses across the plains, shooting at them — history happening again and again.
And this time around, I’m coming from a resistance camp in Minnesota, where I’ve been living 200 yards off a proposed pipeline route that wants to go through my people’s territory, through our sacred wild rice. So, Line 3 hasn’t started bulldozing yet, but they’re set to get their final permits the next couple weeks. And they’ve been busily arming themselves to the teeth in northern Minnesota, which is really crazy to see. …
My message is for all of us. We have power. We have so much power. They pull out their tanks when we stand unarmed in front of their machines, because they are afraid of us. They use water cannons and attack dogs when we say no with our bodies, because they are afraid of us. They kill land defenders in the Global South that are unarmed, protecting their forests, protecting their territories, because they are afraid of us. We can build the world we want, and we can demand this one changes at the same time.
JANE FONDA: Please welcome Joaquin Phoenix.
JOAQUIN PHOENIX: But something I think isn’t oftentimes talked about in the environmental movement or in the conversation about climate change is that the meat and dairy industry is the third leading cause of climate change. And I think sometimes we wonder what can we do in this fight against climate change, and there’s something that you can do today, right now, and tomorrow, by making a choice about what you consume.
ERIEL DERANGER: Édlánet’é. Dënesuliné, Eriel Tchekwie húshye. Deranger betsíeni hésli [phon.]. My name is Eriel Tchekwie Deranger, and my name means “thunder woman” in my language. I’m very lucky to not have a colonial name. I just have an indigenous name.
I want to honor the traditional territory of the Anacostans people whose land we are atop of now. We must recognize that the history of the United States is a history of settler colonialism, rooted in white supremacy, African slavery, and policies, supported by the church and state, of genocide and land theft. These systems attempted to demonize, devalue and extinguish indigenous peoples’ languages, political and cultural structures, ideological perspectives and way of life. All of this was done with the end goal of erasing us from the landscape and from human consciousness. It’s time for us to abandon these patriarchal and colonial ideologies rooted in things like the doctrine of discovery and terra nullius. We have always been here, and we were never discovered.
I come from the Athabasca Chipewyan First Nation in Treaty 8 territory. We are Dënesuliné people. Dené, the very core of that word, means to flow from the earth. The land is the very essence of who we are. Our identity is intrinsically linked to the land. It nurtures our bodies, our mind, our culture and our connections to our role on this planet as stewards. As Tara said, 5% of the global population is indigenous peoples, but we protect and steward 80% of the world’s biodiversity. We occupy between 22% and 65% of the landmass. We are the protectors of the land.
Today, humanity is facing a global crisis: climate change. Indigenous peoples are not only threatened by colonial policies to eradicate our civil and human rights, but our very culture, our identities, which are directly linked to our places of origin, are now threatened by man-made climate change, precipitated by colonial ideologies rooted in manifest destiny and man’s dominion over nature. We must stop this now!
JANE FONDA: And now we have Martin Sheen, my ex-husband.
MARTIN SHEEN: Thank you, Jane. This woman has been one of my heroes nearly all of my adult life. And clearly, the world will be saved by women. Thank God — thank God they outnumber us men.
You know, the Irish tell a story of a man who arrives at the gates of heaven and asks to be let in. St. Peter says, “Of course. Just show us your scars.” The man says, “I have no scars.” St. Peter says, “What a pity! Was there nothing worth fighting for?”
We are called to find something in our lives worth fighting for, something that unites the will of the spirit with the work of the flesh, something that can help us lift up this nation and all its people to that place where the heart is without fear and the head is held high, where knowledge is free, where the world has not been broken up into fragments by narrow domestic walls, where words come out from the depths of truth and tireless striving stretches its arms towards perfection, where the clear stream of reason has not lost its way into the dreary desert sands of dead habit, where the mind is led forward by thee into ever-widening thought and action. Into that heaven of freedom, dear father, let our country awake! Thank you.
AMY GOODMAN: Actor Martin Sheen and more than 140 others arrested at the Fire Drill Fridays climate protest in Washington, D.C. Special thanks to Chris Belcher.


democracynow--2020-01-13--"America Exists Today to Make War": Lawrence Wilkerson on Endless War & American Empire

This is a rush transcript .
Copy may not be in its final form .
AMY GOODMAN : This is Democracy Now !
I ’ m Amy Goodman , as we continue to look at U.S. policy in the Middle East with retired United States Army Colonel Lawrence Wilkerson , who served as chief of staff to Secretary of State Colin Powell from 2002 to 2005 .
Wilkerson witnessed and participated in the effort by President George W. Bush , Vice President Dick Cheney and others to promote lies to justify the disastrous illegal invasion of Iraq in 2003 .
@ @ @ @ @ @ @ prepare his infamous February 5th , 2003 , speech before the United Nations Security Council , where Powell falsely claimed Iraq was hiding weapons of mass destruction .
Wilkerson and Powell would later say the CIA lied to them .
I talked to Colonel Wilkerson last week and asked him about the parallels between the escalation between the U.S. and Iran today and the 2003 run-up to war with Iraq .
LAWRENCE WILKERSON : Ever since 9/11 , the beast of the national security state , the beast of endless wars , the @ @ @ @ @ @ @ of the swamp , for example , and bit Donald Trump just a few days ago , is alive and well .
America exists today to make war .
How else do we interpret 19 straight years of war and no end in sight ?
It ’ s part of who we are .
It ’ s part of what the American Empire is .
We are going to lie , cheat and steal , as Pompeo is doing right now , as Trump is doing right now , as Esper is doing @ @ @ @ @ @ @ doing right now , as Tom Cotton is doing right now , and a host of other members of my political party , the Republicans , are doing right now .
We are going to cheat and steal to do whatever it is we have to do to continue this war complex .
That ’ s the truth of it .
And that ’ s the agony of it .
What we saw President Trump do was not in President Trump ’ s character , really .
Those boys and girls who were @ @ @ @ @ @ @ to augment forces in Iraq , if you looked at their faces and , even more importantly , if you looked at the faces of the families assembled along the line that they were traversing to get onto the airplanes , you saw a lot of Donald Trump ’ s base .
That base voted for Donald Trump because he promised to end these endless wars .
He promised to drain the swamp .
Well , as I said , an alligator from that swamp jumped out and bit him .
And when @ @ @ @ @ @ @ , he was a member of the national security state in good standing .
And all that state knows how to do is make war .
LAWRENCE WILKERSON : Here you have one of the most egregious things of what we did and one of the biggest reasons that neither the two previous presidents decided to do what Donald Trump did .
We have just , as we did with torture from 2002 to 2007 , 2008 , as we substantiated for the world that torture was OK , we have now OK @ @ @ @ @ @ @ of other states ’ government .
That ’ s what Soleimani was , no matter how heinous we may paint him .
He was a member of an established state ’ s government , and we assassinated him .
That is a very dangerous precedent to have set .
You may have heard the members of the Russian Duma , Vladimir Putin himself and others in Russia talking about this dangerous precedent .
Had it been the Israelis who do this , Amy , they would have done it and sent flowers to @ @ @ @ @ @ @ covert .
There would have been no boasting , no public thumping of the chest and so forth .
That ’ s the narcissist in the White House that caused that to happen .
But even if you were doing it that way , you would have to think about this consideration that eventually it would become public that you had done it .
And you , by doing it , had sanctioned the killing of other state actors .
Now , what we ’ re looking at here , for example , @ @ @ @ @ @ @ on the other foot .
We ’ re looking at someone coming in to Washington and assassinating one of our leaders , whether it be a congressman or a member of the executive branch or someone else .
We have just sanctioned that .
We have become the law of the jungle , rather than , as we have been since 1945 , the greatest supporter of international law and the rule of law in general across the face of the globe .
With torture and with killing other state recognized individuals of @ @ @ @ @ @ @ tiger , the lion , the bear , the alligator in that jungle .
It ’ s not a very , very good precedent to have set , as the Russians indicated .
The Chinese have said similar things .
It ’ s a terrible precedent to have set .
And incidentally , we have another failure in diplomacy perpetrated by Donald Trump developing right now in the Korean Peninsula .
So , wait until you see what the strategic results are of Kim Jong-un ’ s posturing on the peninsula and Iran @ @ @ @ @ @ @ We used to have a saying in the Pentagon when we were doing war planning .
We hoped that the North Koreans and the Iraqis , at that time , now the Iranians , don ’ t decide to collude and attack at the same time .
Well , Donald Trump has set that kind of strategic situation up now with two major diplomatic failures , mostly because of the narcissism and the lack of competence that he himself has exhibited , but also because of the national security state and its desire @ @ @ @ @ @ @ I said , once President Bush had given his speech about the “ axis of evil ” and included Iran in that , their desire to help was not quite as ardent as it was before .
But they , nonetheless , realizing , as Iran almost always does — I hate these people who say they ’ re irrational .
They ’ re far more rational than we are .
Let me say that again : The leadership in Tehran is far more rational than the leadership in Washington .
So , @ @ @ @ @ @ @ us , because , after all , the enemy of my enemy — you know , all that old , good business about the enemy of my enemy is my friend .
And they did in fact continue to help us , all the way through the Bonn conference .
And Soleimani was part of that at the time .
So , to say that Soleimani , himself personally , was an imminent threat is , as I said before , laughable .
And the fact that Esper and Pompeo , who have @ @ @ @ @ @ @ , are saying these things makes them even more egregious liars than otherwise .
If John Kerry got up there and said something like that , or if Warren Christopher got up there and said something of that , Kerry even with his Vietnam experience , you could give them a little bit of leeway .
But these guys are supposed to be experts in the very fields that they ’ re talking about .
They ’ re anything but experts .
They are warmongers .
They are warmongers par excellence .
Mike @ @ @ @ @ @ @ both long for the rapture , for the end times , for Jesus coming down to the Earth and killing all the unbelievers with his flaming sword .
This is what they are all about .
This is why they allowed the embassy to move to Jerusalem .
Go back and check the remarks that were made at that time , the prayers that were given and so forth .
This is , in a word , a very different U.S. administration , but in the same hands of the military-industrial complex , @ @ @ @ @ @ @ all the people who want warfare to be the raison d ’ être of this empire at the same time .
AMY GOODMAN : Retired United States Army Colonel Lawrence Wilkerson , who served as chief of staff to Secretary of State Colin Powell during the invasion of Iraq .
To see Part 1 of the interview , go to democracynow.org .
Coming up next , about 150 people were arrested Friday at the climate protest in Washington .
We ’ ll hear from Jane Fonda , Naomi Klein , Bill McKibben , @ @ @ @ @ @ @ Phoenix .
He was arrested , too , and he was just nominated for an Oscar .
Stay with us .
AMY GOODMAN : “ Spirit of Radio ” by Rush .
Drummer and lyricist Neil Peart died last week at the age of 67 .

This is a rush transcript. Copy may not be in its final form.
AMY GOODMAN: This is Democracy Now! I’m Amy Goodman, as we continue to look at U.S. policy in the Middle East with retired United States Army Colonel Lawrence Wilkerson, who served as chief of staff to Secretary of State Colin Powell from 2002 to 2005. Wilkerson witnessed and participated in the effort by President George W. Bush, Vice President Dick Cheney and others to promote lies to justify the disastrous illegal invasion of Iraq in 2003. Colonel Wilkerson helped Secretary of State Powell prepare his infamous February 5th, 2003, speech before the United Nations Security Council, where Powell falsely claimed Iraq was hiding weapons of mass destruction. Wilkerson and Powell would later say the CIA lied to them.
I talked to Colonel Wilkerson last week and asked him about the parallels between the escalation between the U.S. and Iran today and the 2003 run-up to war with Iraq.
LAWRENCE WILKERSON: Ever since 9/11, the beast of the national security state, the beast of endless wars, the beast of the alligator that came out of the swamp, for example, and bit Donald Trump just a few days ago, is alive and well. America exists today to make war. How else do we interpret 19 straight years of war and no end in sight? It’s part of who we are. It’s part of what the American Empire is. We are going to lie, cheat and steal, as Pompeo is doing right now, as Trump is doing right now, as Esper is doing right now, as Lindsey Graham is doing right now, as Tom Cotton is doing right now, and a host of other members of my political party, the Republicans, are doing right now. We are going to cheat and steal to do whatever it is we have to do to continue this war complex. That’s the truth of it. And that’s the agony of it.
What we saw President Trump do was not in President Trump’s character, really. Those boys and girls who were getting on those planes at Fort Bragg to augment forces in Iraq, if you looked at their faces and, even more importantly, if you looked at the faces of the families assembled along the line that they were traversing to get onto the airplanes, you saw a lot of Donald Trump’s base. That base voted for Donald Trump because he promised to end these endless wars. He promised to drain the swamp. Well, as I said, an alligator from that swamp jumped out and bit him. And when he ordered the killing of Qassem Soleimani, he was a member of the national security state in good standing. And all that state knows how to do is make war.
AMY GOODMAN: I want to turn to President Trump. PRESIDENT DONALD TRUMP: We took action last night to stop a war; we did not take action to start a war.
AMY GOODMAN: George W. Bush had the opportunity to assassinate Soleimani. President Obama had the opportunity to assassinate Soleimani. They didn’t. Trump did. And you had dealings with Soleimani. You were just explaining, in Part 1 of our discussion, what he did in Afghanistan and how Vice President Pence was lying when he talked about him being involved in the 9/11 attacks.
LAWRENCE WILKERSON: Here you have one of the most egregious things of what we did and one of the biggest reasons that neither the two previous presidents decided to do what Donald Trump did. We have just, as we did with torture from 2002 to 2007, 2008, as we substantiated for the world that torture was OK, we have now OK’d the killing of recognized members of other states’ government. That’s what Soleimani was, no matter how heinous we may paint him. He was a member of an established state’s government, and we assassinated him. That is a very dangerous precedent to have set. You may have heard the members of the Russian Duma, Vladimir Putin himself and others in Russia talking about this dangerous precedent. Had it been the Israelis who do this, Amy, they would have done it and sent flowers to Tehran. It would have been completely covert. There would have been no boasting, no public thumping of the chest and so forth. That’s the narcissist in the White House that caused that to happen. But even if you were doing it that way, you would have to think about this consideration that eventually it would become public that you had done it. And you, by doing it, had sanctioned the killing of other state actors.
Now, what we’re looking at here, for example, let’s just put the shoe on the other foot. We’re looking at someone coming in to Washington and assassinating one of our leaders, whether it be a congressman or a member of the executive branch or someone else. We have just sanctioned that. We have become the law of the jungle, rather than, as we have been since 1945, the greatest supporter of international law and the rule of law in general across the face of the globe. With torture and with killing other state recognized individuals of their government, we have become the tiger, the lion, the bear, the alligator in that jungle. It’s not a very, very good precedent to have set, as the Russians indicated. The Chinese have said similar things. It’s a terrible precedent to have set.
And now we have to steel ourselves for what the reaction might be. And as I said earlier, the strategic initiative is now in Tehran’s hands. They can decide now whether or not it’s a major escalation that they perpetrate or just something that sort of fritters away over time and doesn’t cause the U.S. to execute a bombing package against the targets, for example, that Donald Trump has suggested. I don’t want to be in that world, but that’s where we are.
Al-Sistani said it best in Iraq. Al-Sistani, by the way, was a big help to us in 2003 and 2004, when the insurgency was developing, that Donald Rumsfeld, of course, said wasn’t there. Al-Sistani helped. And his statement the other day that he did not want Iraq to be the battleground of settling scores was a perfect description of what is happening. Donald Trump is trying to settle a score, and it’s everything from he doesn’t want to do what Obama did to he thinks his maximum-tension campaign is working when it’s not. That’s all it’s about.
And incidentally, we have another failure in diplomacy perpetrated by Donald Trump developing right now in the Korean Peninsula. So, wait until you see what the strategic results are of Kim Jong-un’s posturing on the peninsula and Iran’s at the same time. We used to have a saying in the Pentagon when we were doing war planning. We hoped that the North Koreans and the Iraqis, at that time, now the Iranians, don’t decide to collude and attack at the same time. Well, Donald Trump has set that kind of strategic situation up now with two major diplomatic failures, mostly because of the narcissism and the lack of competence that he himself has exhibited, but also because of the national security state and its desire to keep these wars going.
AMY GOODMAN: Can you elaborate on what Soleimani did back when you were in the Bush administration? You were working with him.
LAWRENCE WILKERSON: Well, what we had in the first days of our reaction on Afghanistan was not really a military action. It was a CIA action. Donald Rumsfeld actually got furious with the Army because it couldn’t get into Afghanistan fast enough. If you look at a map, you will see why it couldn’t get into Afghanistan fast enough. Of course, we had to go over to Pakistan, Uzbekistan, and ask them for overflight rights and for logistics rights and so forth in order to even get into Afghanistan.
But what you had was you had essentially a war between the Taliban, Mullah Omar and his group, what was left of al-Qaeda, and the Northern Alliance, which the CIA had been supporting all along. They had killed Massoud, the “Lion of Panjshir,” the guy who was really leading the Northern Alliance, too. Al-Qaeda had killed him about the same time they did the 9/11 attacks. So it was really chaotic.
When we did get some special operators in, and we got a lot of aircraft in with, of course, precision-guided munitions, then we began to turn the tide. And we began to get to a situation where — I can tell you, we were almost apoplectic at the time — we didn’t know who was going to invest Kabul. We didn’t know that we hadn’t just turned Kabul over to the Northern Alliance, and thus to a continuation of the last 30 years of warfare. So, we were very anxious to make sure everything worked the way we wanted it to after that so-called victory.
And one of the people — one of the groups that helped us the most, as you might imagine, were the Iranians, because the Iranians looked at the Taliban as their enemy, too. You may recall that the Taliban had killed some Iranian diplomats and others in the months prior. So the Iranians were all for our eliminating the Taliban as the legitimate government of Afghanistan, and so pitched in to help.
As I said, once President Bush had given his speech about the “axis of evil” and included Iran in that, their desire to help was not quite as ardent as it was before. But they, nonetheless, realizing, as Iran almost always does — I hate these people who say they’re irrational. They’re far more rational than we are. Let me say that again: The leadership in Tehran is far more rational than the leadership in Washington. So, they decided they would continue to help us, because, after all, the enemy of my enemy — you know, all that old, good business about the enemy of my enemy is my friend. And they did in fact continue to help us, all the way through the Bonn conference. And Soleimani was part of that at the time.
AMY GOODMAN: You just said Esper, Pence, Pompeo, Trump. Explain what they’re lying about right now as we hear them talk about he was just about to engage in another attack on U.S. personnel.
LAWRENCE WILKERSON: Well, the first thing they’re lying about, as a military professional, I know cold. No general, especially not one at the level that Soleimani was operating — no general reaches out and kills someone. Nor does he reach out to a team and say, “Kill someone.” Nor does he reach out to a squad or a platoon or a company and say, “Kill someone.” He gives orders at the top, sets strategic purposes and principles and general guidelines, and he boosts morale, and he travels around, and he talks to the teams and so on — exactly what Soleimani was so good at.
So, to say that Soleimani, himself personally, was an imminent threat is, as I said before, laughable. And the fact that Esper and Pompeo, who have some manner of expertise in military affairs, are saying these things makes them even more egregious liars than otherwise. If John Kerry got up there and said something like that, or if Warren Christopher got up there and said something of that, Kerry even with his Vietnam experience, you could give them a little bit of leeway. But these guys are supposed to be experts in the very fields that they’re talking about. They’re anything but experts. They are warmongers. They are warmongers par excellence.
Mike Pompeo and Vice President Pence, they both long for the rapture, for the end times, for Jesus coming down to the Earth and killing all the unbelievers with his flaming sword. This is what they are all about. This is why they allowed the embassy to move to Jerusalem. Go back and check the remarks that were made at that time, the prayers that were given and so forth. This is, in a word, a very different U.S. administration, but in the same hands of the military-industrial complex, of the national security state, of all the people who want warfare to be the raison d’être of this empire at the same time.
So, you’re looking at an incompetent leadership, coupled with a leadership that’s ruthless and brutal and knows where it wants to go. And with Iran, it’s regime change, period. And if they have to go to war, that’s what they want. And now they’ve got it to the point where it’s going to be extremely difficult — I’d put the chances at 50-50 — for us to extricate ourselves from this march to war. And this war will put Iraq to shame in terms of its consequences in blood and treasure.
AMY GOODMAN: So, I want to go to the reasons for it. And I know you have to leave, so we’ll do this quickly. 2020 presidential hopeful Elizabeth Warren was speaking on CNN’s State of the Union with Jake Tapper. SEN. ELIZABETH WARREN: Next week, the president of United States could be facing an impeachment trial in the Senate. We know he’s deeply upset about that. And I think people are reasonably asking: Why this moment? Why does he pick now to take this highly inflammatory, highly dangerous action that moves us closer to war? We’ve been at war for 20 years in the Middle East. We need to stop the war in the Middle East, not expand it. JAKE TAPPER: Senator, are you suggesting that President Trump pulled the trigger and had Qassem Suleimani killed as a distraction from impeachment? SEN. ELIZABETH WARREN: Look, I think people are reasonably asking about the timing and why it is that the administration seems to have all kinds of different answers.
AMY GOODMAN: So, that’s presidential candidate Senator Elizabeth Warren. Last week, right after the assassination, the Oscar-winning filmmaker Michael Moore tweeted The New York Times front page from December 17th, 1998. The front-page banner headline read, “Impeachment Vote in House Delayed as Clinton Launches Iraq Air Strike, Citing Military Need to Move Swiftly.” Colonel Wilkerson, can you respond?
LAWRENCE WILKERSON: For 15 years, Amy, I’ve taught this to over 400 students on two campuses. National security decision-making is what it’s called. One of the influences I emphasize is domestic politics. I would be a traitor to the academic curriculum which I teach, I would be a traitor to the truth, if I didn’t say, “Of course that had something to do with it.” And watch out, because there will be more, because there will be more impeachment.
AMY GOODMAN: Any final words, Colonel Wilkerson, as we move into this very critical period, with President Trump saying if Iran responds to the U.S. assassination of one of their leaders, that the U.S. will hit 52 sites, including cultural institutions, which is, by the way, considered a war crime — 52 for the 52 hostages Iran took more than 40 years ago?
LAWRENCE WILKERSON: If that were the case and we actually executed such a package, we would solidify 80 million people in a way that for the next 30 years would cost the lives of countless Americans, businesspeople, tourists and so forth throughout the region and perhaps throughout the world.
I know what the packages look like for bombing Iran. I worked, to work on the Soviets as they invaded Afghanistan, and we thought they were going to drive south to Chabahar or Bandar Abbas, to warm water ports in Iran. So I did some of the battle planning for fighting the Soviets in Iran. I know the territory. I know the strategic depth. I know the mountains and so forth.
I can tell you right now that the bombing packages that we have, that will call on Al Udeid and multicarrier operations in the northern Sea of Oman, and Khalid in Saudi Arabia, Incirlik, perhaps, in Turkey, and so forth, are not designed to do that. So, if they are designed to do that, in other words, modified, and if they do that, we will have started a catastrophe in the Middle East that will make, as I said, Iraq look like child’s play.
AMY GOODMAN: Retired United States Army Colonel Lawrence Wilkerson, who served as chief of staff to Secretary of State Colin Powell during the invasion of Iraq.
To see Part 1 of the interview, go to democracynow.org.
Coming up next, about 150 people were arrested Friday at the climate protest in Washington. We’ll hear from Jane Fonda, Naomi Klein, Bill McKibben, Eriel Deranger, Tara Houska and Joaquin Phoenix. He was arrested, too, and he was just nominated for an Oscar. Stay with us.
[break]
AMY GOODMAN: “Spirit of Radio” by Rush. Drummer and lyricist Neil Peart died last week at the age of 67.


democracynow--2020-01-13--"A System Failure": Iran Admits to Downing Airplane, Sparking Renewed Anti-Government Protests

This is a rush transcript .
Copy may not be in its final form .
AMY GOODMAN : Iranian protesters have taken to the streets for a third day , after the Iranian military acknowledged it had accidentally shot down a Ukrainian airliner last week , killing all 176 people on board .
The dead included 82 Iranians and 57 Canadians .
Iran initially denied downing the plane , but then Iran ’ s Revolutionary Guard took responsibility for what authorities described as a “ disastrous mistake.
” The plane was shot down just hours after Iranian forces fired 22 @ @ @ @ @ @ @ U.S. troops , in retaliation for the U.S. assassination of Iranian commander General Qassem Soleimani .
Last week , millions of Iranians took to the streets to pay tribute to Soleimani , but this week anti-government protests resumed in at least a dozen cities .
Vigils were also held in Tehran by relatives of victims of the plane crash .
AMY GOODMAN : There are reports Iranian forces have fired live ammunition and tear gas to disperse the protesters .
Last night , President Trump used Twitter to warn Iranian leaders .
He @ @ @ @ @ @ @ leaders of Iran–DO NOT KILL YOUR PROTESTERS.
” This comes as new questions are being raised about President Trump ’ s claim that Soleimani posed an imminent threat .
Last week , Trump claimed he was planning to attack four U.S. embassies at the time of his assassination , but Defense Secretary Mark Esper said Sunday he had not seen evidence supporting Trump ’ s claim .
In another development , NBC News is reporting Trump first authorized Soleimani ’ s assassination seven months ago .
Meanwhile , The Washington Post has revealed @ @ @ @ @ @ @ top Iranian commander in Yemen on the same day Soleimani was killed in a drone strike in Baghdad , suggesting Soleimani ’ s death was part of a larger U.S. campaign to target Iranian commanders .
We go now to Boston , where we ’ re joined by Ali Kadivar .
He is an assistant professor of sociology and international studies at Boston College .
He grew up in Iran during the Iran-Iraq War .
He completed his undergraduate and first graduate degree at the University of Tehran , where he was active @ @ @ @ @ @ @ , we had you on last week .
Now you have the Iranian government admitting they accidentally shot down the Ukrainian flight that was headed to Kiev , which has killed close to 200 people .
And you have , from the millions in the streets honoring Qassem Soleimani to , once again , anti-government protesters in the streets .
Describe all of these developments .
ALI KADIVAR : I think shooting the airplane by mistake was a game changer in Iran ’ s domestic politics , at least .
The statement by @ @ @ @ @ @ @ a human error , but this has been seen as beyond human error .
This is a symptom of system failure , a system that has preferred loyalty over expertise .
For 40 years , the officials of Islamic republic have said that they prefer people that are loyal to the regime , to recruit to the regime , than people that have expertise and competence .
That is , I think , one important issue that has been highlighted in this incident .
Second is the issue of accountability .
Iranian Armed @ @ @ @ @ @ @ Iran ’ s leader , Ali Khamenei .
And not only he assigns the commanders of the military and the Revolutionary Guards , but he is also very much involved in the management of both military forces in Iran .
Now protesters have kept him accountable .
There is no other institutions in Iran that supervise military forces .
Mr. Khamenei had three tweets , I think , after this incident .
He expressed condolences , but you express condolences for something that you have not been responsible for .
He has been @ @ @ @ @ @ @ has not apologized .
No Iranian officials have resigned over this issue .
And we hear among the chants from protesters that they ask for resignation of Mr. Khamenei , Iran ’ s leader .
You mentioned the millions that participated in Soleimani — I mean , those were Iranian people , but that was an event that was coordinated by the government .
The security of the protesters , they ’ re guaranteed in that event .
Protesters that came to the street in the last two days and today , this @ @ @ @ @ @ @ because they have been protesting the Iranian government , the Islamic republic .
In protests in December , the government killed hundreds of people , perhaps even more than 1,000 .
We still don ’ t know about that .
Iran is a pluralistic society .
There are different opinions .
Iranians disagree about different matters .
But what we need is a space that is safe for all Iranians to be able to express their opinions .
Islamic republic does not allow that .
So far they haven ’ t allowed protesters @ @ @ @ @ @ @ and objection to this latest incident .
AMY GOODMAN : So , if you can comment on this switch , from the millions out , across the political spectrum , after there were massive anti-government protests , and then they come out against the United States , against the death of — the assassination of Qassem Soleimani , and now in the streets , today , are you getting word that Iranian forces have opened fire with live ammunition on the protesters ?
And if you can also comment , are some shouting @ @ @ @ @ @ @ ALI KADIVAR : Yes .
As I mentioned , there are various opinions in Iran .
There are some — Iranian regime has some supporters , but I don ’ t think the majority of the Iranian population support the Iranian regime .
The easiest sign to see this is that in the last 40 years the Islamic republic has not held one fair and free election that allows the Iranian opposition to have their own candidates .
Iranians who mourned Soleimani were Iranians .
Those were actual Iranians .
There are anti-American @ @ @ @ @ @ @ .
And actually , one of the major protests in Tehran on the first day was on Amirkabir University .
The students of Amirkabir University , part of the students , released a statement that condemned oppression and autocracy in the country .
You mentioned “ Death to dictator.
” Yes , they are targeting Mr. Khamenei , Iran ’ s leader , as a dictator .
He has the biggest share of power in the Islamic republic .
He ’ s not accountable to any other institutions .
He has not held @ @ @ @ @ @ @ s not accountable to Iranians , to the press or to any institutions within Islamic republic .
So they count him accountable .
But in the same statement , they also oppose Americans ’ presence in the region .
So Iranian students are opposing both autocracy in the country and also imperialist presence in the region .
They said American presence has only brought insecurity and chaos to the region .
But the students in this statement have emphasized that .
The government can not hide behind imperialist propaganda to suppress Iranian people @ @ @ @ @ @ @ their opinion .
ALI KADIVAR : What have they called for ?
Yes .
ALI KADIVAR : They have called for a return to popular politics .
They want the government to let people to have their voice .
And they have called for a return to social democracy and to political freedom .
AMY GOODMAN : Iran ’ s Revolutionary Guard senior commander Amir Ali Hajizadeh said the plane was shot down by an Iranian soldier who believed the plane was an incoming cruise missile .
Again , this was after Iran @ @ @ @ @ @ @ , warning Iraq in advance .
No U.S. or Iraqi troops were killed .
This commander blamed the U.S. for ratcheting up tensions in the region , which led to Iran mistakenly shooting down the Ukrainian passenger jet .
This is what he said .
AMY GOODMAN : And you have , “ After hearing the news in the country ’ s west after implementing the military operation against American bases and when I made sure that this incident has happened , I wished I was dead , ” said Hajizadeh at a @ @ @ @ @ @ @ , apologizing for the jet tragedy .
How significant is this ?
ALI KADIVAR : People ask if they don ’ t need for him to wish death , but why hasn ’ t he resigned ?
Catastrophes like this have happened in Iran over and over .
We do not know one official that has resigned in the wake of any of these incidents .
If they really think — if they are really apologizing , why don ’ t we see any resignation ?
Also , Iranians have spoken about the @ @ @ @ @ @ @ not to kill one American .
But just for some reason , they made a mistake in which they killed 176 civilians .
There were also about 40 people that died in the stampede in Soleimani ’ s funeral .
So people highlight this kind of incompetence and ask , “ What is the value of Iranian life for Iranian officials ?
” Iran , for long — the Islamic republic has claimed legitimacy to be an anti-imperialist force .
Why is an anti-imperialist force not caring about Iranian lives ?
They care @ @ @ @ @ @ @ not to kill one American in their attack to the American bases in Iraq , but why do we see such a mistake to happen ?
ALI KADIVAR : This can not be just — AMY GOODMAN : The detention of the British ambassador to Iran , Rob Macaire , apparently , he was there at a vigil for the plane crash victims , which became a protest , and then Iran accused him of leading the protest .
He was soon released , after Britain got involved and put pressure on Iran @ @ @ @ @ @ @ ambassador said he was there for a vigil .
Iranian officials , again , used this as evidence that foreigners perhaps are behind protest .
But this is also an old propaganda .
Any kind of opposition to the policies of the Iranian government has been accused by the government as a plot by the foreigners .
This is nothing new .
This is just an insult on the agency of Iranians .
If this was an agitation or plot by the ambassador , does this mean that Iranians have no agency , @ @ @ @ @ @ @ of their government ?
AMY GOODMAN : And , Professor , the significance of President Trump tweeting in Farsi his support for the Iranian protesters ?
ALI KADIVAR : I don ’ t think this helped at all .
Hard-liners have again accused America to be behind any sort of opposition , to the United States .
This only emboldens the position by Iranian hard-liners .
I personally do not see any sincerity in President Trump ’ s tweets .
He has banned Iranians from entering the United States .
He has put @ @ @ @ @ @ @ and he has threatened to destroy cultural sites in Iran .
I do not think that President Trump really cares for Iranian people .
ALI KADIVAR : He has made also alliance — yeah .
AMY GOODMAN : Ali Kadivar , I want to thank you so much for being with us , assistant professor of sociology and international studies at Boston College , grew up in Iran during the Iran-Iraq War , completed his undergraduate and first graduate degree at University of Tehran , where he was active in the student movement @ @ @ @ @ @ @ go to retired Army Colonel Lawrence Wilkerson , the former chief of staff of Secretary of State Colin Powell .
He was instrumental in greenlighting the war with Iraq , says that was a mistake , and so would war with Iran be .
Stay with us .

This is a rush transcript. Copy may not be in its final form.
AMY GOODMAN: Iranian protesters have taken to the streets for a third day, after the Iranian military acknowledged it had accidentally shot down a Ukrainian airliner last week, killing all 176 people on board. The dead included 82 Iranians and 57 Canadians. Iran initially denied downing the plane, but then Iran’s Revolutionary Guard took responsibility for what authorities described as a “disastrous mistake.”
The plane was shot down just hours after Iranian forces fired 22 rockets at military bases in Iraq housing U.S. troops, in retaliation for the U.S. assassination of Iranian commander General Qassem Soleimani. Last week, millions of Iranians took to the streets to pay tribute to Soleimani, but this week anti-government protests resumed in at least a dozen cities. Vigils were also held in Tehran by relatives of victims of the plane crash.
PROTESTER: [translated] We gathered here because of some Iranian leaders’ inefficiency, because of some people’s inadequacy. … Our children were killed in the sky. That’s why we gathered together here. Where do we go?
AMY GOODMAN: There are reports Iranian forces have fired live ammunition and tear gas to disperse the protesters. Last night, President Trump used Twitter to warn Iranian leaders. He wrote, quote, “To the leaders of Iran–DO NOT KILL YOUR PROTESTERS.”
This comes as new questions are being raised about President Trump’s claim that Soleimani posed an imminent threat. Last week, Trump claimed he was planning to attack four U.S. embassies at the time of his assassination, but Defense Secretary Mark Esper said Sunday he had not seen evidence supporting Trump’s claim.
In another development, NBC News is reporting Trump first authorized Soleimani’s assassination seven months ago. Meanwhile, The Washington Post has revealed U.S. forces unsuccessfully attempted to assassinate a top Iranian commander in Yemen on the same day Soleimani was killed in a drone strike in Baghdad, suggesting Soleimani’s death was part of a larger U.S. campaign to target Iranian commanders.
We go now to Boston, where we’re joined by Ali Kadivar. He is an assistant professor of sociology and international studies at Boston College. He grew up in Iran during the Iran-Iraq War. He completed his undergraduate and first graduate degree at the University of Tehran, where he was active in the student movement.
Professor Kadivar, we had you on last week. Now you have the Iranian government admitting they accidentally shot down the Ukrainian flight that was headed to Kiev, which has killed close to 200 people. And you have, from the millions in the streets honoring Qassem Soleimani to, once again, anti-government protesters in the streets. Describe all of these developments.
ALI KADIVAR: I think shooting the airplane by mistake was a game changer in Iran’s domestic politics, at least. The statement by the leadership of military said this was a human error, but this has been seen as beyond human error. This is a symptom of system failure, a system that has preferred loyalty over expertise. For 40 years, the officials of Islamic republic have said that they prefer people that are loyal to the regime, to recruit to the regime, than people that have expertise and competence. That is, I think, one important issue that has been highlighted in this incident.
Second is the issue of accountability. Iranian Armed Forces are under the direct command of Iran’s leader, Ali Khamenei. And not only he assigns the commanders of the military and the Revolutionary Guards, but he is also very much involved in the management of both military forces in Iran. Now protesters have kept him accountable. There is no other institutions in Iran that supervise military forces. Mr. Khamenei had three tweets, I think, after this incident. He expressed condolences, but you express condolences for something that you have not been responsible for. He has been responsible for this incident, but he has not apologized. No Iranian officials have resigned over this issue. And we hear among the chants from protesters that they ask for resignation of Mr. Khamenei, Iran’s leader.
You mentioned the millions that participated in Soleimani — I mean, those were Iranian people, but that was an event that was coordinated by the government. The security of the protesters, they’re guaranteed in that event. Protesters that came to the street in the last two days and today, this has been a very risky matter, because they have been protesting the Iranian government, the Islamic republic. In protests in December, the government killed hundreds of people, perhaps even more than 1,000. We still don’t know about that. Iran is a pluralistic society. There are different opinions. Iranians disagree about different matters. But what we need is a space that is safe for all Iranians to be able to express their opinions. Islamic republic does not allow that. So far they haven’t allowed protesters to grieve and to express their opposition and objection to this latest incident.
AMY GOODMAN: So, if you can comment on this switch, from the millions out, across the political spectrum, after there were massive anti-government protests, and then they come out against the United States, against the death of — the assassination of Qassem Soleimani, and now in the streets, today, are you getting word that Iranian forces have opened fire with live ammunition on the protesters? And if you can also comment, are some shouting “Death to the dictator”?
ALI KADIVAR: Yes. As I mentioned, there are various opinions in Iran. There are some — Iranian regime has some supporters, but I don’t think the majority of the Iranian population support the Iranian regime. The easiest sign to see this is that in the last 40 years the Islamic republic has not held one fair and free election that allows the Iranian opposition to have their own candidates. Iranians who mourned Soleimani were Iranians. Those were actual Iranians. There are anti-American sentiments. These protesters are also Iranians.
And actually, one of the major protests in Tehran on the first day was on Amirkabir University. The students of Amirkabir University, part of the students, released a statement that condemned oppression and autocracy in the country. You mentioned “Death to dictator.” Yes, they are targeting Mr. Khamenei, Iran’s leader, as a dictator. He has the biggest share of power in the Islamic republic. He’s not accountable to any other institutions. He has not held a press conference ever. He’s not accountable to Iranians, to the press or to any institutions within Islamic republic. So they count him accountable.
But in the same statement, they also oppose Americans’ presence in the region. So Iranian students are opposing both autocracy in the country and also imperialist presence in the region. They said American presence has only brought insecurity and chaos to the region. But the students in this statement have emphasized that. The government cannot hide behind imperialist propaganda to suppress Iranian people and to not allow Iranians to express their opinion.
AMY GOODMAN: Uh.
ALI KADIVAR: What have they called for? Yes.
AMY GOODMAN: Keep going.
ALI KADIVAR: They have called for a return to popular politics. They want the government to let people to have their voice. And they have called for a return to social democracy and to political freedom.
AMY GOODMAN: Iran’s Revolutionary Guard senior commander Amir Ali Hajizadeh said the plane was shot down by an Iranian soldier who believed the plane was an incoming cruise missile. Again, this was after Iran had shot missiles at two Iraqi bases, warning Iraq in advance. No U.S. or Iraqi troops were killed. This commander blamed the U.S. for ratcheting up tensions in the region, which led to Iran mistakenly shooting down the Ukrainian passenger jet. This is what he said.
AMIR ALI HAJIZADEH: [translated] This is the cost from the mischief, inflammation and actions of the U.S. in the region. Really, that night, we were ready for a full-scale conflict. … Unfortunately, because of the hasty decision of one person, this great disaster happened.
AMY GOODMAN: And you have, “After hearing the news in the country’s west after implementing the military operation against American bases and when I made sure that this incident has happened, I wished I was dead,” said Hajizadeh at a news conference on the Ukrainian plane crash, apologizing for the jet tragedy. How significant is this?
ALI KADIVAR: People ask if they don’t need for him to wish death, but why hasn’t he resigned? Catastrophes like this have happened in Iran over and over. We do not know one official that has resigned in the wake of any of these incidents. If they really think — if they are really apologizing, why don’t we see any resignation?
Also, Iranians have spoken about the fact that the Revolutionary Guards made sure not to kill one American. But just for some reason, they made a mistake in which they killed 176 civilians. There were also about 40 people that died in the stampede in Soleimani’s funeral. So people highlight this kind of incompetence and ask, “What is the value of Iranian life for Iranian officials?” Iran, for long — the Islamic republic has claimed legitimacy to be an anti-imperialist force. Why is an anti-imperialist force not caring about Iranian lives? They care so much — they are so careful not to kill one American in their attack to the American bases in Iraq, but why do we see such a mistake to happen?
AMY GOODMAN: And, Professor Kadivar —
ALI KADIVAR: This cannot be just —
AMY GOODMAN: The detention of the British ambassador to Iran, Rob Macaire, apparently, he was there at a vigil for the plane crash victims, which became a protest, and then Iran accused him of leading the protest. He was soon released, after Britain got involved and put pressure on Iran.
ALI KADIVAR: Yes. The ambassador said he was there for a vigil. Iranian officials, again, used this as evidence that foreigners perhaps are behind protest. But this is also an old propaganda. Any kind of opposition to the policies of the Iranian government has been accused by the government as a plot by the foreigners. This is nothing new. This is just an insult on the agency of Iranians. If this was an agitation or plot by the ambassador, does this mean that Iranians have no agency, they cannot protest the wrong views of their government?
AMY GOODMAN: And, Professor, the significance of President Trump tweeting in Farsi his support for the Iranian protesters?
ALI KADIVAR: I don’t think this helped at all. Hard-liners have again accused America to be behind any sort of opposition, to the United States. This only emboldens the position by Iranian hard-liners. I personally do not see any sincerity in President Trump’s tweets. He has banned Iranians from entering the United States. He has put sanctions that have hurt ordinary people, and he has threatened to destroy cultural sites in Iran. I do not think that President Trump really cares for Iranian people.
AMY GOODMAN: Ali —
ALI KADIVAR: He has made also alliance — yeah.
AMY GOODMAN: Ali Kadivar, I want to thank you so much for being with us, assistant professor of sociology and international studies at Boston College, grew up in Iran during the Iran-Iraq War, completed his undergraduate and first graduate degree at University of Tehran, where he was active in the student movement.
When we come back, we go to retired Army Colonel Lawrence Wilkerson, the former chief of staff of Secretary of State Colin Powell. He was instrumental in greenlighting the war with Iraq, says that was a mistake, and so would war with Iran be. Stay with us.


democracynow--2020-01-13--Headlines for January 13, 2020

Headlines for January 13, 2020

Defense Secretary Mark Esper has acknowledged he did not see specific evidence that Iranian General Qassem Soleimani was planning attacks against U.S. embassies at the time U.S. forces assassinated him in a drone strike at the Baghdad International Airport a week ago Friday .
This is despite Trump ’ s claims that Soleimani was planning to attack embassies .
President Donald Trump : “ I can reveal that I believe it would have been four embassies .
… But Baghdad certainly would have been the lead , but I think it would have been four embassies , could have been @ @ @ @ @ @ @ lot of other things , too .
But it was imminent , and then all of a sudden he was gone.
” That was President Trump on Friday .
But this is Esper speaking with CBS “ Face the Nation ” host Margaret Brennan Sunday .
Defense Secretary Mark Esper : “ I didn ’ t see one with regard to four embassies .
What I ’ m saying is I share the president ’ s view that probably , my expectation was , they were going to go after our embassies.
” @ @ @ @ @ @ @ the killing of Qassem Soleimani seven months ago .
Meanwhile , The Washington Post has revealed U.S. forces unsuccessfully attempted to assassinate a top Iranian commander in Yemen on the same day Soleimani was killed in a drone strike in Baghdad , suggesting Soleimani ’ s death was part of a large U.S. campaign to target Iranian commanders .
Abdul Reza Shahlai , the commander of the Yemen division of Iran ’ s elite Quds Force , survived the assassination attempt that killed at least a member of the Quds Force .
This @ @ @ @ @ @ @ reports that Trump reportedly told associates after Soleimani ’ s killing that he had been facing pressure to deal with Soleimani from Republican senators that he viewed as important supporters in his upcoming impeachment trial in the Senate .

Defense Secretary Mark Esper has acknowledged he did not see specific evidence that Iranian General Qassem Soleimani was planning attacks against U.S. embassies at the time U.S. forces assassinated him in a drone strike at the Baghdad International Airport a week ago Friday. This is despite Trump’s claims that Soleimani was planning to attack embassies.
President Donald Trump: “I can reveal that I believe it would have been four embassies. … But Baghdad certainly would have been the lead, but I think it would have been four embassies, could have been military bases, could have been a lot of other things, too. But it was imminent, and then all of a sudden he was gone.”
That was President Trump on Friday. But this is Esper speaking with CBS “Face the Nation” host Margaret Brennan Sunday.
Defense Secretary Mark Esper: “He didn’t cite a specific piece of evidence. What he said is he probably, he believed, could have been.”
Margaret Brennan: “Are you saying there wasn’t one?”
Defense Secretary Mark Esper: “I didn’t see one with regard to four embassies. What I’m saying is I share the president’s view that probably, my expectation was, they were going to go after our embassies.”
NBC is reporting President Donald Trump authorized the killing of Qassem Soleimani seven months ago. Meanwhile, The Washington Post has revealed U.S. forces unsuccessfully attempted to assassinate a top Iranian commander in Yemen on the same day Soleimani was killed in a drone strike in Baghdad, suggesting Soleimani’s death was part of a large U.S. campaign to target Iranian commanders. Abdul Reza Shahlai, the commander of the Yemen division of Iran’s elite Quds Force, survived the assassination attempt that killed at least a member of the Quds Force. This all comes as The Wall Street Journal reports that Trump reportedly told associates after Soleimani’s killing that he had been facing pressure to deal with Soleimani from Republican senators that he viewed as important supporters in his upcoming impeachment trial in the Senate.