Democracy Now!

• Massive Blast Causes Casualties at Texas Fertilizer Plant
• Authorities Spot At Least 1 Suspect in Boston Marathon Videos
• Senate Kills Gun Reform with Defeat of Every Key Measure
• Obama Decries "Shameful Day" After Senate Defeat of Gun Control
• 4 Dems Join Republicans to Defeat Gun Reforms
• GOP Bid to Override Concealed Carry Laws Fails
• Gun Violence Survivor Removed from Senate Gallery After Yelling "Shame on You"
• Giffords Denounces Senate for Blocking Gun Control
• Mississippi Resident Detained for Ricin Letters
• Supreme Court Rejects Human Rights Cases Against Foreign Corporations
• Wife of Jailed Texas Official Says Husband Killed Prosecutors
• Maduro Blasts Kerry for Rejecting Venezuelan Election Win
• Palestinians Stage Prisoners Day Rallies
• Israeli Military Court Jails Palestinian-American Teen for Throwing Rocks
• Military Appeals Court Rejects Secrecy Challenge in Manning Trial

Authorities are hunting for clues behind Monday’s bombings at the Boston Marathon that killed three people and injured 176. According to The Boston Globe, 70 victims remained in Boston hospitals Tuesday night, including 24 in critical condition. FBI officials say the two bombs were probably built in six-liter pressure cookers filled with nails and small ball bearings. The bombs were then hidden in bags left on the ground. Meanwhile, more information is coming out about the victims: eight-year-old Martin Richard, who was seen in a photo holding a sign that read, "No more hurting people. Peace."; 29-year-old Krystle Campbell, a restaurant worker; and Lu Lingzi, a Chinese national attending graduate school at Boston University. We go to Boston to speak with Steve Brown, an anchor at the public radio station WBUR. [includes rush transcript]

An independent bipartisan task force has concluded that it is "indisputable" the United States engaged in torture and the George W. Bush administration bore responsibility. The 11-member Task Force on Detainee Treatment was convened by The Constitution Project after President Obama chose not to support a national commission to investigate the counterterrorism programs. It was co-chaired by Asa Hutchinson, a former Republican congressman from Arkansas, NRA consultant and undersecretary of the Department of Homeland Security under President George W. Bush. The report concludes that never before in U.S. history had there been "the kind of considered and detailed discussions that occurred after 9/11 directly involving a president and his top advisers on the wisdom, propriety and legality of inflicting pain and torment on some detainees in our custody." While the report focused largely on the Bush administration after 9/11, it also criticizes a lack of transparency under Obama. We speak with Laura Pitter, counterterrorism adviser at Human Rights Watch. [includes rush transcript]

Venezuelan President-elect Nicolás Maduro has accused the United States and opposition of planning a coup against him after seven government supporters were killed and 60 people were injured in clashes after the election. Venezuela’s National Electoral Council has certified Maduro’s victory, but opposition candidate Henrique Capriles is refusing to accept the results. The Venezuelan opposition says it has collected more than 3,200 reports of problems and campaign violations that could have swayed the vote, but the Union of South American Nations said Sunday’s election was free and fair. Several Latin American nations have already congratulated Maduro on his victory, including Argentina, Bolivia, Brazil, Cuba and Nicaragua. We go to Caracas to speak to Alex Main of the Center for Economic and Policy Research. He served as an election monitor in Venezuela. [includes rush transcript]

• FBI: Boston Marathon Bombs Built with Pressure Cookers, Filled with Shrapnel
• Remaining Boston Marathon Fatalities Identified
• 8-Year-Old Victim Carried Sign Urging "No More Hurting People"
• Obama to Attend Memorial in Boston
• Saudi Victim Ruled Out as Suspect
• U.S. Drone Strike Kills 5 in Pakistan
• Electoral Council Rules Out Venezuelan Recount as Tensions Grow
• Authorities Intercept Ricin-Laden Letter to Senator Wicker
• Senate to Hold Votes on Gun Amendments; Background Check Measure Lacks Support
• Groups File Challenge to Arkansas Abortion Ban
• Ohio Man Sentenced to 20 Years for Mosque Fire
• Environmental Groups Challenge State Dept. on Keystone Review
• U.N.: Over 1 in 4 Children "Stunted" by Malnutrition
• New Zealand Recognizes Same-Sex Marriage

As the twin bombings hit the Boston Marathon, deadlier blasts also ripped through the densely populated Somali capital of Mogadishu. Hours after car bombs and suicide bombers killed at least 16 people outside a court complex on Sunday, another car bomb detonated and killed Turkish nationals. In Somalia, unlike Boston, there were no highly trained emergency personnel on the scene or top-notch hospitals to treat victims. Since 1991, when the Somali government collapsed, aid groups fled the country, and violence routinely interrupts everyday life. However, one Somali physician has made it her life mission to care for those worst hit by violence, poverty and sickness. Dr. Hawa Abdi is known as "the Mother Teresa of Somalia." In her new memoir, "Keeping Hope Alive: One Woman—90,000 Lives Changed," Dr. Abdi explains why she established a hospital, school and shelter for internally displaced people just outside the war-torn capital of Mogadishu. Tens of thousands of displaced Somalis still live there today. She also recounts the difficulties she has encountered as one of the few female physicians in Somalia and her harrowing experience of being kidnapped by militants. Dr. Abdi joins us along with her daughter, Dr. Deqo Mohamed. [includes rush transcript]

Sports editor Dave Zirin of The Nation magazine responds to the Boston Marathon bombings and discusses the race’s historic significance. "First, prayers for the people in Boston, Baghdad and Mogadishu who are suffering today," Zirin said. "Second, I think people have to realize that an attack on the Boston Marathon is really an attack not on Boston or the United States, but on the world." [includes rush transcript]

Doctors in Boston have reportedly carried out at least 10 amputations on bombing victims after the attack at the Boston Marathon. A trauma surgeon at Massachusetts General Hospital said many patients suffered shrapnel wounds, either from the bombs directly or from the resulting debris. We continue our coverage of the attack with two guests: Dr. Michael Gibson, a doctor at Beth Israel Deaconess Medical Center who treated bombing victims on Monday and whose son ran in the marathon, and Charles Pierce, a Boston-based reporter and lead writer for Esquire.com’s politics blog. [includes rush transcript]

Peace activist Carlos Arredondo has come to be known as "the man in the hat" and widely described as a hero for a viral image of him in a cowboy hat pinching the severed artery of a bloodied, wheelchair-bound victim in the aftermath of the Boston Marathon bombings. Arredondo is no stranger to tragedy: He became a prominent opponent of the Iraq War after his son, Lance Cpl. Alexander Arredondo, was killed in Iraq in 2004. His surviving son, Brian, committed suicide in 2011. Carlos and his wife Mélida, join us to describe witnessing the Boston Marathon bombings and the immediate response to aid the victims. [includes rush transcript]

The toll from Monday’s bombing of the Boston Marathon stands at three dead and at least 144 wounded, 17 critically. The two blasts occurred within a 13-second span and just 100 yards apart near the finish line at the historic race. Doctors have reportedly carried out at least 10 amputations on bombing victims, with many patients suffering shrapnel wounds either from the bombs directly or from the resulting debris. It was the worst bombing in the United States since the Oklahoma City attack of 1995. No arrests have been made, and no one has claimed responsibility. [includes rush transcript]

• 3 Dead, Scores Wounded as Two Bomb Blasts Hit Boston Marathon
• Dozens Dead in Wave of Bombings Across Iraq
• Somalia: At Least 30 Killed in Militant Attacks
• Judge Denies Relief Motion from Hunger-Striking Guantánamo Prisoner
• Powerful Earthquake Strikes Iran
• Landmark Report Confirms U.S. Tortured Prisoners After 9/11
• Report: Reform Bill Will Require Undocumented Immigrants to Pay Thousands in Fines
• Venezuelan Opposition Candidate Continues to Challenge Maduro Victory
• Syrian Opposition Says 30 Children Killed in Gov’t Air Strike
• Report: Human Trafficking Increases in Europe
• Obama Signs Bill Gutting Transparency Provisions in Insider Trading Law
• Mississippi’s Only Abortion Clinic to Stay Open for Now
• Students, Officials Condemn School-to-Prison Pipeline in NYC
• New York Times Wins Pulitzers for Coverage of Abuses by Apple, Wal-Mart
• Today Marks 50th Anniversary of MLK’s "Letter from a Birmingham Jail"

Today is April 15th, Tax Day, when millions of Americans scramble to file their income taxes on time. It’s also a day when people across the country are planning to protest the use of tax dollars to fund war. In dozens of communities across the country, demonstrations are planned at IRS offices, federal buildings and weapons factories to protest ongoing massive U.S. government expenditures on drones, missiles and bombs. According to a new pie chart released by the War Resisters League, 47 percent of federal taxes goes toward war in some form or the other. To protest paying for lethal weapons, some Americans are taking a stand by personally refusing to fund the military. These tax resisters are risking jail time by withholding all or a portion of their federal income taxes, and instead redirecting the money to humanitarian efforts. We speak with Ed Hedemann of the National War Tax Resistance Coordinating Committee. He has redirected the federal portion of his tax bill to nonprofits and humanitarian efforts for 40 years. [includes rush transcript]

Hugo Chávez’s former foreign minister and vice president, Nicolás Maduro, narrowly won Sunday’s election to fill out the remainder of Chávez’s term following his death from cancer last month. The National Electoral Council of Venezuela says Maduro received 50.7 percent of the vote, besting opposition leader Henrique Capriles Radonski’s 49.1 percent. The race was far closer than the contest in October when Chávez beat Capriles by 11 percentage points. We host a debate between Rory Carroll, author of "Comandante: Hugo Chávez’s Venezuela," and Mark Weisbrot, co-director of the Center for Economic and Policy Research. [includes rush transcript]

• Chávez Successor Wins Venezuelan Election, Opposition Seeks Recount
• Military Guards Fire on Guantánamo Hunger Strikers
• Guantánamo Prisoner: "All of the Detainees Are Suffering Deeply"
• Newtown Mother Delivers Obama's Weekly Address
• Kerry Suggests Eased U.S. Stance on North Korea Talks
• U.S. Pushes Japanese Involvement in TPP Talks
• Former Texas Justice of the Peace Arrested for Prosecutor Slayings
• North Dakota House Approves 20-Week Abortion Ban
• Virginia Board of Health OKs New Limits on Abortion Clinics
• EPA Delays Emissions Caps on New Power Plants
• Russia, U.S. Impose Travel Bans in Widening Row
• Florida Police Officer Fired for Using Trayvon Martin Image in Shooting Target
• Tennessee Republican Withdraws Child Welfare Bill
• GOP Lawmaker Behind North Korea Leak Seeks to Restore Missile Defense Cuts
• Progressive, Conservative Groups Stage "K Street 5K" March Against Money in Politics

As newly elected Pope Francis orders the Vatican to act more decisively on sexual abuse cases, we speak to retired Bishop Thomas Gumbleton of Detroit. A survivor of sexual abuse himself, Gumbleton was forced to resign in 2007 after he spoke out publicly in favor of an Ohio bill to extend the statute of limitations for cases of sexual abuse by clergy. Gumbleton spoke here in New York City last night at a benefit for the Survivors Network of those Abused by Priests. Bishop Gumbleton has also been a leading voice for peace, justice and civil rights for decades. He helped found Pax Christi and Bread for the World. We also speak to him about poverty in Detroit, Lori Berenson, war tax resistance, why he challenges the church’s position on gay marriage, the anti-nuke movement and liberation theology. [includes rush transcript]

• Senate Votes to Begin Debate on Gun Control
• Syria: At Least 45 Die in Daraa as British Official Blasts Lack of World Action
• Secret Documents Confirm U.S. Drone Policy Contradicts Public Claims
• U.S. Officials Cast Doubt on Intel Report About North Korea's Nuclear Prowess
• Report: Immigration Bill Could Deny Citizenship to Poor, Recent Arrivals
• Lawyers Warn Hunger-Striking Gitmo Prisoners Could Soon Die
• Chilean Students Hold Mass Rally for Free Education
• Brazilians Protest Privatization of Maracanã Stadium for World Cup, Olympics
• Venezuela: Presidential Candidates Give Final Speeches Before Election
• Uruguay Lawmakers Vote to Legalize Same-Sex Marriage
• Official: Break in Arkansas ExxonMobil Oil Pipeline Far Larger Than Believed
• Israeli Military Locks Up 14-Year-Old Palestinian American for Throwing Stones
• House Panel Approves Controversial Data-Sharing Bill
• California: 3 Teens Arrested for Sexual Battery After Suicide of 15-Year-Old Girl
• Las Vegas Cop Will Not Face Criminal Charges for Killing Unarmed Veteran
• Director of Dr. Tiller's Former Abortion Clinic Faces Death Threats

New revelations have emerged in Egypt that members of the army participated in the forced disappearance, torture and killing of protesters during the 2011 uprising that led to the ouster of President Hosni Mubarak. Despite the allegations, President Mohamed Morsi has declined to prosecute any officers since he assumed power from the Supreme Council of the Armed Forces after his election in June. The disclosures come amidst growing sectarian violence in Egypt between Muslims and Coptic Christians. We discuss the latest with Democracy Now! correspondent and Nation Institute fellow Sharif Abdel Kouddous and Lina Attalah, chief editor of Egypt Independent, a Cairo-based English-language newspaper and website. [includes rush transcript]

As tens of thousands rallied on Capitol Hill for humane reform Wednesday, more details emerged on the bipartisan immigration plan being drafted in the Senate. The deal will reportedly require greatly increased surveillance and policing near the U.S.-Mexico border. According to The Wall Street Journal, U.S. immigration officials would have to certify complete monitoring of the southern U.S. border and a 90 percent success rate in blocking unlawful entry in certain areas. Only then could the nation’s estimated 11 million undocumented immigrants apply for permanent residency. The process is expected to take at least 10 years. Juan González, Democracy Now! co-host and New York Daily News columnist, calls the looming congressional debate on immigration "a battle over what will America look like in the 21st century." [includes rush transcript]

Tens of thousands of immigrants from around the country joined allies from the labor movement and beyond to "Rally for Citizenship" Wednesday in Washington, D.C. The demonstrators urged Congress to overhaul the nation’s immigration laws and provide a path to citizenship for 11 million undocumented residents. Among those who came to push for reform were farm workers from California and house cleaners from Alabama. They were joined by youth activists brought to the country by their parents, only to struggle to attend college or find work after graduating from high school because of their undocumented status. We hear from some of the voices to address the rally: 17-year-old DREAM activist Katherine Tabares of New York; NAACP President Benjamin Jealous; and Democratic Sen. Robert Menendez of New Jersey, one of the bipartisan "Gang of Eight" senators drafting a joint immigration bill. [includes rush transcript]

• Tens of Thousands Rally for Humane Immigration Reform
• Senate Immigration Plan Sets Cumbersome Border Requirements
• Obama Budget Plan Endorses Social Security Cuts
• Petition Opposing Chained CPI Draws 2.3 Million Signatures
• Senate to Hold First Gun-Control Vote After Compromise on Background Checks
• Michelle Obama Pushes Gun-Control Vote
• Rhode Island Introduces Gun-Control Measure
• Military Court Raises Burden for Manning Prosecutors; Internet, Phone Access Curbed
• HRW: Over 4,300 Civilians Killed in Syrian Strikes
• U.N. Warns of Funding Shortfall for Syrian Refugees
• Hagel: North Korea "Skating Very Close to a Dangerous Line"
• Witness Ties Guatemalan President to Maya Killings in Montt Trial
• Colombians Stage Nationwide March for Peace
• Canadian Teen Commits Suicide over Alleged Rape, Bullying