At least 42 Democrats plan to boycott Donald Trump’s presidential inauguration this Friday, after Trump used the weekend to attack civil rights icon John Lewis. On Friday, Democratic Congressmember Lewis questioned the legitimacy of Trump’s election during an interview on NBC News. Early on Saturday morning on Martin Luther King Jr. weekend, Donald Trump hit back at Lewis on Twitter, saying he was “All talk, talk, talk–no action.” Trump’s comments sparked a massive national backlash. Congressmember Lewis is a civil rights legend. In 1965, he was beaten almost to death by Alabama state troopers as he attempted to lead a voting rights march from Selma to Montgomery, Alabama. The images from what came to be known as Bloody Sunday helped galvanize support for the Voting Rights Act signed into law months later. Congressmember Lewis described what happened on Bloody Sunday during a 2012 interview on Democracy Now!
Also on today’s show:
Insane Clown President: Matt Taibbi Chronicles Election of “Billionaire Hedonist” Donald Trump
As a new study by Oxfam finds the world’s eight richest men control as much wealth as the poorest half of humanity, the group says it is concerned that wealth inequality will continue to grow following the election of Donald Trump, whose Cabinet members have a combined wealth of nearly $11 billion. Award-winning Rolling Stone journalist Matt Taibbi looks at the rise of Trump, and those joining his administration. His new book comes out today, titled “Insane Clown President: Dispatches from the 2016 Circus.”
Special Report: Obama’s Controversial Policy of Immigrant Family Detention Could Expand Under Trump
One of the most controversial policies President Obama passes on to Donald Trump is family detention. Since 2014, thousands of Central American women and children seeking asylum have been held in private jails. Despite complaints of medical neglect and poor oversight, the Obama administration resisted calls to end the practice. Now, advocates worry Trump could expand it, with even less oversight. Democracy Now! correspondent Renée Feltz reports from the Texas-Mexico border.
Democracy Now! is a national, daily, independent, award-winning news program hosted by journalists Amy Goodman and Juan Gonzalez.
In other media:
Rex Tillerson’s Exxon Mobil Frequently Sought State Department Assistance, New Documents Show | The Intercept
Lee Fang and Steve Horn examine new documents that show Exxon Mobil “frequently pressed the U.S. State Department for help in negotiating complex business deals and overcoming foreign opposition to its drilling projects.”
The hidden reason Republicans are so eager to repeal Obamacare | Vox
Put simply, it’s tax cuts for the rich.
Killing Protesters Could Become Legal | The Young Turks
A North Dakota lawmaker wants drivers to be able to murder protesters without any consequences. Cenk Uygur, Ana Kasparian and Jayde Lovell explain what the proposed law means.
Pre-order the 2017 Planet Waves Annual, The Book of Your Life, to lock in our special early pricing. Read more here or go straight to the purchase page.
