Democracy Now!

The watchdog group Common Cause is calling on President Obama to shut down the outside group Organizing for Action after revelations the group is promising high-end donors access to the White House. According to The New York Times, donors who contribute $500,000 or more will be appointed to the group’s national advisory board, which meets four times a year with the president. Organizing for Action was set up by former Obama campaign officials in order to push the president’s agenda. The group’s 501(c)(4) tax status means it can accept unlimited donations from corporations and individuals without revealing their identity. We speak to Bob Edgar, president of Common Cause. [includes rush transcript]

Former White House Press Secretary Robert Gibbs revealed over the weekend he was initially instructed to deny the existence of the Obama administration’s targeted killing program overseas. Even though the administration has since backed down from that stance, it continues to stonewall members of Congress on releasing the Justice Department memos explaining the program’s legal rationale. Unanswered questions around the program have held up the confirmation of CIA nominee John Brennan. "For a program that is so far-reaching and that has so many consequences, not just in the world, but for the rule of law, the Obama administration has an obligation to be far more transparent than they’ve been so far," says Jameel Jaffer, deputy legal director of the American Civil Liberties Union. [includes rush transcript]

In what’s being described as a Kafkaesque decision, the U.S. Supreme Court has ruled a group of human rights organizations and journalists cannot challenge the government’s warrantless domestic surveillance program because they can’t prove they are targets of it. The American Civil Liberties Union and a coalition of human rights groups and journalists filed the lawsuit in 2008 hours after President Bush signed amendments to the Foreign Intelligence Surveillance Act, which gave the National Security Agency almost unchecked power to monitor international phone calls and emails of Americans. We’re joined by the ACLU’s Jameel Jaffer, who argued the case before the Supreme Court. [includes rush transcript]

• Senate Confirms Chuck Hagel After GOP Ends Filibuster
• Obama, Boehner Spar as Sequestration Cuts Loom
• Budget Fears Prompt Release of Hundreds of Undocumented Immigrants
• Supreme Court Rejects Challenge to Sweeping Surveillance Law
• Obama Admin Continues to Withhold Drone Memos from Congress
• Afghans Protest U.S. Special Forces in Wardak Province
• NATO Withdraws Claim of Declining Taliban Attacks
• Iran Mulls EU3+3 Offer to Ease Sanctions
• Judge Rejects Claim Bradley Manning Denied Speedy Trial
• Appeals Court Strikes Down Florida, Georgia Drug Tests for Welfare Applicants
• Arkansas Gov. Vetoes 20-Week Abortion Ban; Indiana Senate Advances Ultrasound Requirement
• Federal Court Orders Release of Angola 3's Albert Woodfox for 3rd Time
• Rallies Mark 1st Anniversary of Trayvon Martin Killing

As protests grow in the West Bank over the death of a Palestinian inside an Israeli prison, we speak to a pair of Israeli and Palestinian fathers who’ve responded to personal tragedies with activism for peace. Bassam Aramin and Rami Elhanan united after the killings of their daughters — Aramin’s at the hands of an Israeli officer and Elhanan’s in a Palestinian suicide bombing. Once dedicated fighters for their respective causes, they have since renounced violence and become leading voices for peace. Their stories are told in the new documentary film, "Within the Eye of the Storm," a film by Shelley Hermon. With talk of a third intifada potentially breaking out in the occupied Palestinian territories, Aramin and Elhanan join us to discuss their shared journey and why they believe both Israelis and Palestinians should join a nonviolent uprising against the Israeli occupation. [includes rush transcript]

We look at a major new documentary that tells the story of how women have shaped the United States over the last 50 years through political and personal empowerment. It’s called "Makers: Women Who Make America," and it premieres tonight in a three-hour special on PBS. Narrated by Meryl Streep, the film explores the women’s movement from the publication of Betty Friedan’s "The Feminine Mystique" published 50 years ago this month in 1963 to the Anita Hill v. Clarence Thomas hearings in 1991. "Makers" shares the story of legendary figures such as Gloria Steinem and Oprah Winfrey, to lesser-known pioneers such as Kathrine Switzer. In 1967, Switzer became the first woman to officially enter and run the Boston Marathon. Her run made headlines when a top race official tried to forcibly remove her from the race. She finished the race. [includes rush transcript]

With $85 billion across-the-board spending cuts, known as "the sequestration," set to take effect this Friday, a new investigation reveals how billionaire investors, such as Peter Peterson, have helped reshape the national debate on the economy, the debt and social spending. Between 2007 and 2011, Peterson personally contributed nearly $500 million to his Peter G. Peterson Foundation to push Congress to cut Social Security, Medicare and Medicaid — while providing tax breaks for corporations and the wealthy. Peterson’s main platform has been the Campaign to Fix the Debt. While the campaign is portrayed as a citizen-led effort, critics say the campaign is a front for business groups. The campaign has direct ties to GE, JPMorgan Chase, Morgan Stanley and Goldman Sachs. Peterson is the former chair and CEO of Lehman Brothers and co-founder of the private equity firm, The Blackstone Group. For more, we speak to John Nichols of The Nation and Lisa Graves of the Center for Media and Democracy. [includes rush transcript]

• Afghans Claim 9 Disappearances at Hands of U.S. Forces in Wardak
• HRW: 141 Killed in Syrian Gov't Attack on Aleppo
• Paul Threatens Hold on Brennan Vote over Assassination Program
• Ex-White House Press Sec. Robert Gibbs: Admin Banned Acknowledgment of Drone Program
• Gun Control Faces Key Test Before Senate Panel
• McCain Tells Mother of Aurora Victim She Needs "Straight Talk" on Assault Weapons Ban
• Appeals Court: No Constitutional Right to Concealed Weapons
• 4-Year-Old Boy Accidentally Kills Himself with Father's Gun
• Life Sentence for Qatari Poet Reduced to 15 Years
• African Leaders Sign Framework Deal for DRC Conflict
• Energy Firm Closes 3 Coal Plants as Part of Landmark Settlement
• Feb. 26 Marks 1st Anniversary of Trayvon Martin Killing

In a Black History Month special, we air excerpts of a rarely seen Oscar-nominated documentary about Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. and the rise of the civil rights movement. Produced by Ely Landau, "King: A Filmed Record...Montgomery to Memphis" is made from original newsreel footage and other original video footage shot of marches, rallies and church services. "King" was originally screened for one night only in 1970 in more than 600 theaters across the United States, but has rarely been seen since. We air extensive footage of the film, featuring a historic look at the eight-year period that led up to the 1963 March on Washington, D.C. [includes rush transcript]

• U.S. Special Forces Ordered Out of Afghan Province
• U.S. Denies Reports of Post-2014 Afghan Deployment
• U.S. Deploys 100 Troops in Niger to Prep Drone Base
• Palestinians Accuse Israel of Torture in Prisoner's Death
• Israel Demands PA "Calm the Territory" as Protests Spread
• Tens of Thousands Protest Austerity in Madrid
• Raúl Castro to Step Down in 2018
• More Leaks Reported at Washington State Nuclear Site
• Civil Trial Begins for Environmental Damages from BP Oil Spill
• Anti-LGBT British Cardinal Resigns over Claims of Gay Advances
• Molestation Victims: L.A. Cardinal Should Miss Conclave
• Yale Suspends Plans for Pentagon-Funded "Interrogation" Program
• Blackwater Officials Reach Plea Deal on Weapons Charges
• Protests Held to Mark Bradley Manning's 1,000th Day in Prison

Wall Street Journal journalist Jess Bravin reports on the controversial military commissions at Guantánamo. Describing it as "the most important legal story in decades," Bravin uncovers how the Bush administration quickly drew up an alternative legal system to try men captured abroad after the Sept. 11 attacks. Soon evidence obtained by torture was being used to prosecute prisoners, but some military officers refused to take part. We speak to Jess Bravin, author of "The Terror Courts: Rough Justice at Guantanamo Bay," and to Lt. Col. Stuart Couch, a former Guantánamo prosecutor featured in the book. [includes rush transcript]

On Sept. 11, 2001, Marine Lt. Col. Stuart Couch’s friend died co-piloting the second plane to hit the World Trade Center. Soon after, Couch became one of the first military prosecutors assigned to the U.S. military base at Guantánamo Bay to prosecute men alleged to have carried out the terrorist plot. He ultimately would refuse to prosecute one detainee: Mohamedou Ould Slahi. "It became clear that what had been done to Slahi amounted to torture," Couch says. "Specifically, he had been subjected to a mock execution. He had sensory deprivation. He had environmental manipulation; that is, cell is too cold, or the cell is too hot. ... He was presented with a ruse that the United States had taken custody of his mother and his brother and that they were being brought to Guantánamo." Couch says he concluded Slahi’s treatment amounted to illegal torture. "I came to the conclusion we had knowingly set him up for mental suffering in order for him to provide information," Couch said. "We might very well have a significant problem with the body of evidence that we were able to present as to his guilt." [includes rush transcript]

• Report: More Than 2,100 Gun Deaths in the U.S. Since Newtown Massacre
• India: 16 Killed in Hyderabad Bomb Blasts
• Syria: More Than 80 Killed in Damascus Bombings
• U.N. Rejects Haiti Cholera Compensation Claims
• Judge: Defense Lawyers Can Visit 9/11 Prisoners in Top-Secret Gitmo Facility
• NATO Considers Maintaining Large Force of Afghan Troops
• Winter Storm Blasts Midwest, Moves Toward Northeast
• NOAA: More Than Half of U.S. Still in Drought
• Russia: Balaclava-Wearing Professors Detained in Moscow on Anniversary of Pussy Riot Protest
• Judge in Hacker Jeremy Hammond Case Opts Not to Recuse Herself Despite Alleged Conflict
• FAIR: Corporate Media Largely Ignored Historic D.C. Climate Rally
• 4 Indicted for Deadly Salmonella Outbreak Stemming from Peanut Plant
• Study: 1/3 of U.S. Seafood Samples Are Mislabeled

A David-versus-Goliath case heard by the Supreme Court this week pits a 75-year-old farmer from Indiana against Monsanto, the world’s largest seed company. The dispute began when soybean farmer Vernon Bowman bought and planted a mix of unmarked grain typically used for animal feed. The plants that grew turned out to contain the popular herbicide-resistant genetic trait known as Roundup Ready that Monsanto guards closely with patents. Monsanto accused Bowman of using their technology without paying for it. Their contracts with farmers give them the exclusive rights to supply the Roundup Ready soybeans. They sued Bowman for patent infringement. We discuss the case with Debbie Barker, program director of Save Our Seeds and international director of the Center for Food Safety. [includes rush transcript]

The word of the month in Washington is "sequestration," or the automatic $85 billion in spending cuts slated to take effect on March 1 unless Congress reaches a deal. What will those cuts mean in real life for the poor, unemployed, sick and children? Reporter Imara Jones of ColorLines.com joins us to discuss how the damage will stretch far beyond jobs, forcing a dramatic pullback in critical areas like health, education, housing and food security, especially in already vulnerable and marginalized communities. [includes rush transcript]

Students and alumni at Yale University are organizing against a proposed campus center to train special operations forces in interview techniques. The center would be funded by a $1.8 million grant from the Pentagon and could open as early as April. Dubbed an "interrogation center" by critics, the facility would be housed at the Yale School of Medicine and led by Charles Morgan, a professor of psychiatry who previously conducted research on how to tell whether Arab and Muslim men are lying. We speak to two students at Yale who co-authored an editorial titled "DoD Plans are Shortsighted, Unethical," and with Michael Siegel, professor of community health sciences at Boston University School of Public Health and a 1990 graduate of the Yale School of Medicine. "Yale has now crossed a line," Siegel says. "Using the practice of medicine and medical research to help design advanced interrogation techniques, or even just regular civilian intelligence-gathering techniques, interviewing techniques, is not an appropriate use of medicine. The practice of medicine was designed to improve people’s health. And the school of medicine should not be taking part in either training or research that is primarily designed to enhance military objectives." [includes rush transcript]

Democracy Now! correspondent Sharif Abdel Kouddous joins us to discuss his recent trip to Bahrain, where the Sunni monarchy continues its crackdown on a two-year-old uprising. Since February 2011, at least 87 people have died at the hands of U.S.-backed forces. While talks are taking place this week between the Bahraini government and opposition groups, several of Bahrain’s leading human rights defenders remain imprisoned. "Bahrain had the feeling of a country under occupation," Kouddous says of his visit. "There was helmeted riot police in full armor wielding shotguns, tear gas, sound grenades, deployed around villages outside of the capital. There was helicopters buzzing overhead conducting surveillance. ... Many people lament there, from the opposition movement, that they have been forsaken by the international community and forgotten by the world’s media for this uprising that doesn’t get a lot of attention." [includes rush transcript]

• Sen. Graham Reveals Toll of 4,700 in U.S. Drone War
• Obama Admin Withholding Drone Memos, Seeking to Appease GOP on Benghazi
• Pentagon Notifies Staffers of Sequestration Furloughs
• Kerry: Spending Cuts Under Sequestration Threaten U.S. Diplomacy
• Car Bombing Kills 31 in Syrian Capital
• U.N.: Afghan Civilian Casualties See First Decline in 6 Years
• HRW: Mexican Forces Tied to At Least 150 Disappearances in Drug War
• Report: Obama Settles on Picks for EPA, Energy Dept.
• Virginia Lawmakers Approve Strict Voter ID Bill
• FBI Probes Insider Trading in Heinz Deal
• Jesse Jackson Jr. Pleads Guilty in Corruption Case
• Pentagon Investigates Controversial Interview of Navy SEAL Who Killed bin Laden
• "5 Broken Cameras" Director Emat Burnat, Michael Moore Discuss LAX Incident

New Yorker staff writer Sarah Stillman has just been awarded a George Polk Award for her article, "The Throwaways," which investigates law enforcement’s unregulated use of young confidential informants in drug cases. Stillman details how police broker deals with young, untrained informants to perform high-risk operations with few legal protections in exchange for leniency — and sometimes fatal results. Stillman joins us to discuss her eight-month investigation, which has spurred calls for reform in several states. We’re also joined by Margie Weiss, the mother of Rachel Hoffman. After police found drugs in her apartment, Hoffman agreed to assist Florida officers in a major undercover deal involving meeting two convicted felons alone to buy two-and-a-half ounces of cocaine, 1,500 ecstasy pills, and a semi-automatic handgun. Within days, her body was found shot five times with the gun that the police had sent her to buy. We also speak with Alexandra Natapoff, professor of law at Loyola Law School and author of "Snitching: Criminal Informants and the Erosion of American Justice." [includes rush transcript]

An international scandal is growing after an Australian-Israeli man with ties to Israel’s spy agency, the Mossad, died inside a maximum security prison in Israel. For more than two years, the Israeli government imposed a strict gag order on his 2010 death, but now the secret is leaking out. Israel has called his death a suicide, but new information could emerge now that the Australian Broadcasting Corporation has revealed his name: Ben Zygier. We’re joined by Dan Yakir, chief legal counsel for the Association for Civil Rights in Israel, which has led the effort in Israel to uncover information about Prisoner X and has successfully challenged a gag order on its role. We also speak to Antony Loewenstein, an independent journalist, author and co-founder of Independent Australian Jewish Voices. [includes rush transcript]