democracynow--2020-03-26--"In a Week We Will Be Italy": NYC ER Doctor Says the U.S. Pandemic Will Only Get Worse

This is a rush transcript .
Copy may not be in its final form .
AMY GOODMAN : We ’ re going to begin right here in New York City , the epicenter of the coronavirus outbreak in the United States , hospitals seeing the same surge in coronavirus cases that overwhelmed healthcare systems in China , Italy and Spain .
Refrigerated trucks and tents have been stationed outside of some hospitals to hold the bodies of the dead as morgues fill up .
In 24 hours on Tuesday , 13 people reportedly died at Elmhurst Hospital Center , a @ @ @ @ @ @ @ Queens .
The New York Times reports , quote , “ In several hours on Tuesday , Dr. Ashley Bray performed chest compressions at Elmhurst Hospital Center on a woman in her 80s , a man in his 60s and a 38-year-old who reminded the doctor of her fiancé .
All had tested positive for the coronavirus and had gone into cardiac arrest .
All eventually died.
” Dr. Bray called the situation “ apocalyptic.
” New York City is reporting 366 deaths and more than 33,000 confirmed cases — almost half of @ @ @ @ @ @ @ , though the number is expected to be so much higher due to the lack of tests .
More than 4,000 coronavirus patients have been hospitalized in New York City .
A leaked FEMA briefing shows all the more than 1,800 intensive care beds in the city are expected to be full by Friday , and the state has called for tens of thousands more ventilators , hospital beds and intensive care beds .
This comes as workers at New York City hospitals report shortages of personal protective equipment as they work amidst @ @ @ @ @ @ @ Workers for the massive Mount Sinai Health System shared photos online of themselves wearing trash bags for protection .
A New York City nurse who was treating coronavirus patients has died after testing positive about two weeks ago .
Mount Sinai West nursing manager Kious Jordan Kelly was in his forties , and his co-workers described him as compassionate , devoted to his patients .
For more , we ’ re joined by Dr. Craig Spencer .
He is director of global health in emergency medicine at Columbia University Medical Center .
Dr. @ @ @ @ @ @ @ in Africa and survived the disease .
He ’ s now an emergency room doctor in New York City , where he ’ s treating coronavirus patients .
He ’ s also on the board of Doctors Without Borders .
And again , with us , our co-host Nermeen Shaikh .
We welcome you both to Democracy Now !
Dr. Craig Spencer , describe a day in the New York City hospitals .
We just laid out this graphic picture of shortage .
And the question is : How unnecessary was this , @ @ @ @ @ @ @ the richest in the world , doctors , people like you , and nurses and the staff of the hospitals , going to those who even clean the hospitals , do not have access to the necessary protection to treat the patients that are surging into these hospitals ?
DR. CRAIG SPENCER : Thanks for having me on , and let me share the story .
Look , it ’ s pretty dire inside New York City hospitals right now , and we ’ re all concerned about how that ’ s going @ @ @ @ @ @ @ country , or , more frankly , the rest of the world .
It ’ s no surprise that the greatest number of cases are being reported in the places with the strongest or the best healthcare systems .
We know that cases are spreading all over the world .
We ’ re just picking them up more here , and we ’ re seeing a lot more of the complications inside of our emergency departments .
As has already been reported , we have a growing number of patients coming in every @ @ @ @ @ @ @ young and old , with complications , without complications , who get put on mechanical ventilators , who get put on life support to help their breathing , who have cardiac arrest .
It ’ s a daily reality for many of my colleagues on the frontline , especially here in New York City .
NERMEEN SHAIKH : I ’ d like to ask you , Dr. Spencer — I mean , one of the things , as Amy mentioned , that ’ s very striking is that the U.S. is , of @ @ @ @ @ @ @ country in the world , but it also has — according to the Global Health Security Index , in 2019 , the U.S. was the highest-ranked country in terms of pandemic preparedness .
The U.S. was the best prepared .
So , if American hospitals are being overwhelmed in this way , what about all of the other countries that don ’ t have the resources that the U.S. does ?
DR. CRAIG SPENCER : Yeah .
I think if you asked anyone over the past couple years whether — anyone that does @ @ @ @ @ @ @ not the U.S. was prepared for a pandemic , we all would have said no .
I think all of us have written articles in the past couple years lamenting the fact that the U.S. has torn apart the preparedness architecture here in the U.S. by underfunding the CDC , by underfunding state and local departments of health .
It ’ s not surprising to anyone that ’ s been looking at this or been worrying about this over the past couple years that this pandemic is wreaking such havoc here in the @ @ @ @ @ @ @ the World Health Organization , despite the lessons we learned in West Africa in 2014 to 2016 with the Ebola crisis there .
We learned that having preparedness was much more important than a reactive response .
We learned that putting the right amount of funding into the organizations who are capable of picking up these disease threats and responding to them all over the world is the only way to protect people everywhere .
It is so much cheaper .
It is so much cheaper to invest in preparedness than it is @ @ @ @ @ @ @ re putting together trillions of dollars to try and respond to this just here in the United States .
And that amount of money would have provided for global preparedness for over a decade .
And so , we need to really think about our priorities .
And I hope when we come out on the other side of this , we think about where the smart investment is .
The smart investment is not just trying to build a wall around this country with the hope that we ’ re going to @ @ @ @ @ @ @ reality of our world right now is that wherever a disease starts — and it ’ s more likely to be in China than it is to be in Columbia , Missouri — it can be anywhere in the world within 24 to 48 hours .
And we are all at risk , unless we have strong health systems in the places where the most vulnerable patients are .
NERMEEN SHAIKH : And , Dr. Spencer , can you explain , for people who don ’ t know , the people — I @ @ @ @ @ @ @ healthcare is privatized .
So , why is it that in private hospitals there is not sufficient — there isn ’ t sufficient personal protective equipment ?
Because not funding the CDC or cutting funding to the CDC , etc.
, shouldn ’ t impact the decisions that private hospitals make about the equipment , the beds , etc.
, that they acquire .
DR. CRAIG SPENCER : Yeah .
You know , it ’ s funny , because we talk about these N95 masks .
Those are those thicker variants that filter @ @ @ @ @ @ @ , we ’ re fit-tested in the hospital every year — it ’ s a requirement — to make sure that they fit right , that nothing can get through .
We almost never use them , because in the U.S. we don ’ t have relatively many tuberculosis patients .
We don ’ t have a lot of people where we have to use this type of protection .
That ’ s not the reality in many of the places that I work — West Africa , East Africa , Southeast Asia @ @ @ @ @ @ @ just more used for a lot of the communicable diseases that we have stopped seeing as much here in the United States .
The result is that a lot of my colleagues don ’ t have the same amount of experience of working with the personal protective equipment that we need right now .
I see a lot of people who are , you know , touching the mask or putting it on or taking it off incorrectly .
Personal protective equipment like gloves and masks do not protect you if they ’ @ @ @ @ @ @ @ greatest risks when you ’ re using them is taking them off wrong , touching your face , touching the mask and infecting yourself .
So , it ’ s not surprising that we don ’ t have a huge supply of these things .
We didn ’ t prepare for this scenario .
And I think this is the most important message .
So many people knew that this was coming .
So many people knew that this was coming .
You can look back , and you can see headlines from @ @ @ @ @ @ @ .
Everything that we learned in West Africa seemed to have been torn apart in decisions that , you know , seemingly undermine our willingness and our ability to respond to pandemics , not only here in the United States , but throughout the world .
AMY GOODMAN : Dr. Spencer , if you would take us on your personal journey , what happened to you when you were dealing with Ebola in Africa , about contracting it , and then the lessons we can learn ?
And I want to particularly go @ @ @ @ @ @ @ of tests and how that is a major public healthcare measure , just for people to understand , the lack of tests , the lag in getting them , and then even now the amount of time it takes for people — it can be four , five , 10 days to find out , in fact , even if they get the test — in New York , very difficult — and what that means in terms of contagion .
But start with yourself contracting Ebola .
DR. CRAIG SPENCER : Yeah @ @ @ @ @ @ @ Africa , in Guinea , in 2014 .
I was in Guéckédou , another epicenter of an outbreak , providing direct clinical care on a daily basis , in full protective personal equipment , with Doctors Without Borders .
And I followed rigorous protocols every single day .
My organization had been doing this for decades and had really done a great job in minimizing the risk to the providers and increasing the quality of care we could provide to our patients .
That being said , personal protective equipment is not flawless @ @ @ @ @ @ @ even if used perfectly .
At one point I was infected .
When I came back to the U.S. , I was , thankfully , treated here and received incredible quality care and was lucky enough to survive , largely because I was treated in a really great health system .
I was also really young and didn ’ t have any other medical issues .
But the whole time , the only thing I could think about were my colleagues and my friends back in West Africa that didn ’ t have @ @ @ @ @ @ @ .
One thing I say is that in West Africa I took care of about 30 patients myself at any time , and here in the U.S .
I probably had 30 providers on call to take care of me at any time .
Some of the stunning similarities and differences between West Africa and coronavirus is that , yeah , they ’ re both viruses .
The coronavirus seems to infect more people and kill a relatively smaller percent versus Ebola .
But the difference in terms of the fight was that @ @ @ @ @ @ @ never really had to worry about my personal protective equipment .
A lot of my colleagues here in New York City are worried about the number of N95 respirators we have , how limited our supply chain is .
And if it ’ s bad here , what is it going to look like in the rest of the country ?
And you bring up another really important point that we haven ’ t talked about , I think , enough , and that is this issue of testing .
Right now we @ @ @ @ @ @ @ people , so only testing some healthcare workers , only testing people that are hospitalized .
It ’ s not because that ’ s the best thing to do .
It ’ s because that ’ s really the only thing we can do right now .
Testing capacity has increased dramatically in the past couple weeks , but we are months delayed .
We should have had a testing strategy like South Korea .
We need to understand where this disease is , is passing , where it ’ s transmitting .
@ @ @ @ @ @ @ is to test , test , test and test .
We haven ’ t been doing that .
We ’ ve all been limited in our hospitals and in our communities .
People are walking around now not knowing whether or not they ’ ve had coronavirus , whether they may have some type of immunity , whether they could be out in our communities helping other people , if they have antibodies , by delivering groceries to the elderly or helping in other institutions .
So , our testing strategy right now @ @ @ @ @ @ @ prepared .
There were critical missteps in the testing capacity , in the testing kits that were sent out .
There were a lot of promises about our ability to do billions of — millions of beautiful tests for anyone that wanted one .
That was never the reality on the frontline , and that ’ s completely changed in the past couple weeks .
AMY GOODMAN : So , Dr. Craig Spencer , if you could talk about the use of it as a public health measure , that you understand , @ @ @ @ @ @ @ everyone must treat themselves as if they are contagious , as if they ’ re infected , to protect others in the community , and yet you have President Trump — if you can respond to what he is saying , that by Easter — right ?
— in just a few weeks , he wants to see packed churches , while the pope at the Vatican is telling people to wash their hands but not wash the feet of the worshipers , while he is saying pray at home ?
Of course @ @ @ @ @ @ @ which is so hard hit .
And many are deeply concerned that the U.S. could go that route .
What would stop us from going that route ?
And talk about the danger of President Trump ’ s message .
DR. CRAIG SPENCER : Yeah .
I think , in a week , we will be Italy .
At least here in New York City , we ’ re already seeing that .
This is something I ’ ve been warning about for weeks .
This is something Italy has been warning us @ @ @ @ @ @ @ what can stop this , I don ’ t want to incite any panic ; I want to incite some kind of preparation , because we still have a huge country outside of New York City and the other epicenters right now , that will be impacted by this virus in the coming weeks and the coming months .
Look , to respond to that , let me just say that the first case of coronavirus was diagnosed here in New York City in early March , so just over three weeks ago @ @ @ @ @ @ @ just a couple weeks away , two to three weeks away .
The idea that we can have this dramatic spike in cases — which is still going up , by the way — and that we ’ re somehow going to level off and be at a place where , by Easter , we ’ re going to have people back together again is dangerous and magical thinking .
It defies all of the modeling that we ’ ve seen .
It defies any of the reality any of my colleagues are @ @ @ @ @ @ @ quite frankly , going into work and seeing coronavirus patients and seeing them crash and decompensating , get really sick really quickly , is scary .
But this idea of millions and millions of my fellow Americans all being in church or being in concert halls or being together in just a couple weeks gives me such pause , knowing that this is the only way the virus can infect you .
It can not infect you if it can not meet you .
And by bringing people back together , this is @ @ @ @ @ @ @ continuing and worsening this pandemic , fueling the flame across the United States .
The most important message everyone needs to know right now is the only way that you can be safe is by staying home .
The virus can not infect you if it does not meet you .
The streets may look empty , I know , but I assure you what ’ s happening within the walls of the emergency departments here in New York City , and maybe next week in Newark and a week after that in @ @ @ @ @ @ @ the quietness and the calm you see on those empty city streets .
AMY GOODMAN : Finally , Dr. Craig Spencer , what keeps you going ?
I mean , you , your colleagues , all of the health staff of all of the hospitals in this country and around the world are so incredibly brave .
You are the hardest hit .
What gets you to that hospital every day ?
DR. CRAIG SPENCER : I just think it ’ s what we do .
It ’ s our moral obligation .
@ @ @ @ @ @ @ with the right equipment .
Yeah , we want to do it with the right tools .
But I think all of us have the sense of personal drive to be able to provide care .
This is what I feel .
This is what all of my colleagues have felt , all the national staff I worked with in Guinea in 2014 and 2015 .
I remember just being so moved by their willingness and ability to come to work every single day despite their communities being destroyed by a virus .
@ @ @ @ @ @ @ from them , so much that ’ s prepared me for this outbreak , so much that I ’ ve tried to share with my colleagues now .
And I think we really need to be thinking about the fact that , yes , the U.S. is really hard hit , and it ’ s going to get worse in the next couple weeks .
But let us not forget that there is a world outside of these borders .
I have worked in a lot of places where not just the critical @ @ @ @ @ @ @ but there may be no critical care beds , there may be no ventilators , there may be no ICUs or ability to provide the higher-quality care that we ’ re talking about right here in the United States .
So , it ’ s just a good reminder that the media is focused so much on what ’ s happening in New York City , but I assure you that this is an issue and will be a greater issue everywhere else in the world .
And just make sure we all @ @ @ @ @ @ @ AMY GOODMAN : Dr. Craig Spencer , I want to thank you so much for being with us , director of global health — AMY GOODMAN : — in emergency medicine at Columbia University Medical Center , speaking to us from his home , where he also — remarkable in his work with Doctors Without Borders and many other groups , as he spends his time having been in Africa and now in New York City .
When we come back , we ’ ll hear the words of senator and presidential candidate @ @ @ @ @ @ @ trillion emergency relief bill passed by the Senate last night .
Stay with us .

This is a rush transcript. Copy may not be in its final form.
AMY GOODMAN: We’re going to begin right here in New York City, the epicenter of the coronavirus outbreak in the United States, hospitals seeing the same surge in coronavirus cases that overwhelmed healthcare systems in China, Italy and Spain. Refrigerated trucks and tents have been stationed outside of some hospitals to hold the bodies of the dead as morgues fill up. In 24 hours on Tuesday, 13 people reportedly died at Elmhurst Hospital Center, a 545-bed public hospital in the borough of Queens. The New York Times reports, quote, “In several hours on Tuesday, Dr. Ashley Bray performed chest compressions at Elmhurst Hospital Center on a woman in her 80s, a man in his 60s and a 38-year-old who reminded the doctor of her fiancé. All had tested positive for the coronavirus and had gone into cardiac arrest. All eventually died.” Dr. Bray called the situation “apocalyptic.”
New York City is reporting 366 deaths and more than 33,000 confirmed cases — almost half of all the cases in the United States, though the number is expected to be so much higher due to the lack of tests. More than 4,000 coronavirus patients have been hospitalized in New York City. A leaked FEMA briefing shows all the more than 1,800 intensive care beds in the city are expected to be full by Friday, and the state has called for tens of thousands more ventilators, hospital beds and intensive care beds.
This comes as workers at New York City hospitals report shortages of personal protective equipment as they work amidst patients with the highly contagious disease. Workers for the massive Mount Sinai Health System shared photos online of themselves wearing trash bags for protection. A New York City nurse who was treating coronavirus patients has died after testing positive about two weeks ago. Mount Sinai West nursing manager Kious Jordan Kelly was in his forties, and his co-workers described him as compassionate, devoted to his patients.
For more, we’re joined by Dr. Craig Spencer. He is director of global health in emergency medicine at Columbia University Medical Center. Dr. Spencer contracted Ebola while fighting its outbreak in Africa and survived the disease. He’s now an emergency room doctor in New York City, where he’s treating coronavirus patients. He’s also on the board of Doctors Without Borders. And again, with us, our co-host Nermeen Shaikh.
We welcome you both to Democracy Now! Dr. Craig Spencer, describe a day in the New York City hospitals. We just laid out this graphic picture of shortage. And the question is: How unnecessary was this, the idea that in this country, the richest in the world, doctors, people like you, and nurses and the staff of the hospitals, going to those who even clean the hospitals, do not have access to the necessary protection to treat the patients that are surging into these hospitals?
DR. CRAIG SPENCER: Thanks for having me on, and let me share the story. Look, it’s pretty dire inside New York City hospitals right now, and we’re all concerned about how that’s going to spread throughout the rest of the country, or, more frankly, the rest of the world. It’s no surprise that the greatest number of cases are being reported in the places with the strongest or the best healthcare systems. We know that cases are spreading all over the world. We’re just picking them up more here, and we’re seeing a lot more of the complications inside of our emergency departments. As has already been reported, we have a growing number of patients coming in every day with coronavirus. We have people young and old, with complications, without complications, who get put on mechanical ventilators, who get put on life support to help their breathing, who have cardiac arrest. It’s a daily reality for many of my colleagues on the frontline, especially here in New York City.
AMY GOODMAN: Nermeen?
NERMEEN SHAIKH: I’d like to ask you, Dr. Spencer — I mean, one of the things, as Amy mentioned, that’s very striking is that the U.S. is, of course, extremely wealthy, the wealthiest country in the world, but it also has — according to the Global Health Security Index, in 2019, the U.S. was the highest-ranked country in terms of pandemic preparedness. The U.S. was the best prepared. So, if American hospitals are being overwhelmed in this way, what about all of the other countries that don’t have the resources that the U.S. does?
DR. CRAIG SPENCER: Yeah. I think if you asked anyone over the past couple years whether — anyone that does this for a living, whether or not the U.S. was prepared for a pandemic, we all would have said no. I think all of us have written articles in the past couple years lamenting the fact that the U.S. has torn apart the preparedness architecture here in the U.S. by underfunding the CDC, by underfunding state and local departments of health. It’s not surprising to anyone that’s been looking at this or been worrying about this over the past couple years that this pandemic is wreaking such havoc here in the U.S.
We’ve also drastically underfunded the World Health Organization, despite the lessons we learned in West Africa in 2014 to 2016 with the Ebola crisis there. We learned that having preparedness was much more important than a reactive response. We learned that putting the right amount of funding into the organizations who are capable of picking up these disease threats and responding to them all over the world is the only way to protect people everywhere. It is so much cheaper. It is so much cheaper to invest in preparedness than it is to scramble for response. We’re putting together trillions of dollars to try and respond to this just here in the United States. And that amount of money would have provided for global preparedness for over a decade.
And so, we need to really think about our priorities. And I hope when we come out on the other side of this, we think about where the smart investment is. The smart investment is not just trying to build a wall around this country with the hope that we’re going to keep microbes and bacteria out. The reality of our world right now is that wherever a disease starts — and it’s more likely to be in China than it is to be in Columbia, Missouri — it can be anywhere in the world within 24 to 48 hours. And we are all at risk, unless we have strong health systems in the places where the most vulnerable patients are.
NERMEEN SHAIKH: And, Dr. Spencer, can you explain, for people who don’t know, the people — I mean, in the U.S., most healthcare is privatized. So, why is it that in private hospitals there is not sufficient — there isn’t sufficient personal protective equipment? Because not funding the CDC or cutting funding to the CDC, etc., shouldn’t impact the decisions that private hospitals make about the equipment, the beds, etc., that they acquire.
DR. CRAIG SPENCER: Yeah. You know, it’s funny, because we talk about these N95 masks. Those are those thicker variants that filter particles like the coronavirus. And generally, we’re fit-tested in the hospital every year — it’s a requirement — to make sure that they fit right, that nothing can get through. We almost never use them, because in the U.S. we don’t have relatively many tuberculosis patients. We don’t have a lot of people where we have to use this type of protection. That’s not the reality in many of the places that I work — West Africa, East Africa, Southeast Asia, etc. There, they are just more used for a lot of the communicable diseases that we have stopped seeing as much here in the United States.
The result is that a lot of my colleagues don’t have the same amount of experience of working with the personal protective equipment that we need right now. I see a lot of people who are, you know, touching the mask or putting it on or taking it off incorrectly. Personal protective equipment like gloves and masks do not protect you if they’re used incorrectly. One of the greatest risks when you’re using them is taking them off wrong, touching your face, touching the mask and infecting yourself.
So, it’s not surprising that we don’t have a huge supply of these things. We didn’t prepare for this scenario. And I think this is the most important message. So many people knew that this was coming. So many people knew that this was coming. You can look back, and you can see headlines from three month ago, three years ago. Everything that we learned in West Africa seemed to have been torn apart in decisions that, you know, seemingly undermine our willingness and our ability to respond to pandemics, not only here in the United States, but throughout the world.
AMY GOODMAN: Dr. Spencer, if you would take us on your personal journey, what happened to you when you were dealing with Ebola in Africa, about contracting it, and then the lessons we can learn? And I want to particularly go to the issue of the egregious lack of tests and how that is a major public healthcare measure, just for people to understand, the lack of tests, the lag in getting them, and then even now the amount of time it takes for people — it can be four, five, 10 days to find out, in fact, even if they get the test — in New York, very difficult — and what that means in terms of contagion. But start with yourself contracting Ebola.
DR. CRAIG SPENCER: Yeah. So, I worked in West Africa, in Guinea, in 2014. I was in Guéckédou, another epicenter of an outbreak, providing direct clinical care on a daily basis, in full protective personal equipment, with Doctors Without Borders. And I followed rigorous protocols every single day. My organization had been doing this for decades and had really done a great job in minimizing the risk to the providers and increasing the quality of care we could provide to our patients.
That being said, personal protective equipment is not flawless, it’s not perfect, even if used perfectly. At one point I was infected. When I came back to the U.S., I was, thankfully, treated here and received incredible quality care and was lucky enough to survive, largely because I was treated in a really great health system. I was also really young and didn’t have any other medical issues. But the whole time, the only thing I could think about were my colleagues and my friends back in West Africa that didn’t have access to the same quality of care. One thing I say is that in West Africa I took care of about 30 patients myself at any time, and here in the U.S. I probably had 30 providers on call to take care of me at any time.
Some of the stunning similarities and differences between West Africa and coronavirus is that, yeah, they’re both viruses. The coronavirus seems to infect more people and kill a relatively smaller percent versus Ebola. But the difference in terms of the fight was that in West Africa, I at least never really had to worry about my personal protective equipment. A lot of my colleagues here in New York City are worried about the number of N95 respirators we have, how limited our supply chain is. And if it’s bad here, what is it going to look like in the rest of the country?
And you bring up another really important point that we haven’t talked about, I think, enough, and that is this issue of testing. Right now we’re talking about only testing certain people, so only testing some healthcare workers, only testing people that are hospitalized. It’s not because that’s the best thing to do. It’s because that’s really the only thing we can do right now. Testing capacity has increased dramatically in the past couple weeks, but we are months delayed. We should have had a testing strategy like South Korea. We need to understand where this disease is, is passing, where it’s transmitting. And the only way to do that is to test, test, test and test. We haven’t been doing that. We’ve all been limited in our hospitals and in our communities. People are walking around now not knowing whether or not they’ve had coronavirus, whether they may have some type of immunity, whether they could be out in our communities helping other people, if they have antibodies, by delivering groceries to the elderly or helping in other institutions. So, our testing strategy right now is such because we failed to be prepared. There were critical missteps in the testing capacity, in the testing kits that were sent out. There were a lot of promises about our ability to do billions of — millions of beautiful tests for anyone that wanted one. That was never the reality on the frontline, and that’s completely changed in the past couple weeks.
AMY GOODMAN: So, Dr. Craig Spencer, if you could talk about the use of it as a public health measure, that you understand, and now, as a result, everyone must treat themselves as if they are contagious, as if they’re infected, to protect others in the community, and yet you have President Trump — if you can respond to what he is saying, that by Easter — right? — in just a few weeks, he wants to see packed churches, while the pope at the Vatican is telling people to wash their hands but not wash the feet of the worshipers, while he is saying pray at home? Of course, he’s in Italy, which is so hard hit. And many are deeply concerned that the U.S. could go that route. What would stop us from going that route? And talk about the danger of President Trump’s message.
DR. CRAIG SPENCER: Yeah. I think, in a week, we will be Italy. At least here in New York City, we’re already seeing that. This is something I’ve been warning about for weeks. This is something Italy has been warning us about for weeks. In terms of what can stop this, I don’t want to incite any panic; I want to incite some kind of preparation, because we still have a huge country outside of New York City and the other epicenters right now, that will be impacted by this virus in the coming weeks and the coming months.
Look, to respond to that, let me just say that the first case of coronavirus was diagnosed here in New York City in early March, so just over three weeks ago. Easter is, you know, just a couple weeks away, two to three weeks away. The idea that we can have this dramatic spike in cases — which is still going up, by the way — and that we’re somehow going to level off and be at a place where, by Easter, we’re going to have people back together again is dangerous and magical thinking. It defies all of the modeling that we’ve seen. It defies any of the reality any of my colleagues are seeing in the emergency department. And quite frankly, going into work and seeing coronavirus patients and seeing them crash and decompensating, get really sick really quickly, is scary. But this idea of millions and millions of my fellow Americans all being in church or being in concert halls or being together in just a couple weeks gives me such pause, knowing that this is the only way the virus can infect you. It cannot infect you if it cannot meet you. And by bringing people back together, this is the greatest possible risk we have to continuing and worsening this pandemic, fueling the flame across the United States.
The most important message everyone needs to know right now is the only way that you can be safe is by staying home. The virus cannot infect you if it does not meet you. The streets may look empty, I know, but I assure you what’s happening within the walls of the emergency departments here in New York City, and maybe next week in Newark and a week after that in New Mexico, it is anything but the quietness and the calm you see on those empty city streets.
AMY GOODMAN: Finally, Dr. Craig Spencer, what keeps you going? I mean, you, your colleagues, all of the health staff of all of the hospitals in this country and around the world are so incredibly brave. You are the hardest hit. What gets you to that hospital every day?
DR. CRAIG SPENCER: I just think it’s what we do. It’s our moral obligation. Yeah, we want to do it with the right equipment. Yeah, we want to do it with the right tools. But I think all of us have the sense of personal drive to be able to provide care. This is what I feel. This is what all of my colleagues have felt, all the national staff I worked with in Guinea in 2014 and 2015. I remember just being so moved by their willingness and ability to come to work every single day despite their communities being destroyed by a virus. And I’ve learned so much from them, so much that’s prepared me for this outbreak, so much that I’ve tried to share with my colleagues now.
And I think we really need to be thinking about the fact that, yes, the U.S. is really hard hit, and it’s going to get worse in the next couple weeks. But let us not forget that there is a world outside of these borders. I have worked in a lot of places where not just the critical care doctors are in short supply, but there may be no critical care beds, there may be no ventilators, there may be no ICUs or ability to provide the higher-quality care that we’re talking about right here in the United States. So, it’s just a good reminder that the media is focused so much on what’s happening in New York City, but I assure you that this is an issue and will be a greater issue everywhere else in the world. And just make sure we all keep everybody else in our thoughts.
AMY GOODMAN: Dr. Craig Spencer, I want to thank you so much for being with us, director of global health —
DR. CRAIG SPENCER: Thank you.
AMY GOODMAN: — in emergency medicine at Columbia University Medical Center, speaking to us from his home, where he also — remarkable in his work with Doctors Without Borders and many other groups, as he spends his time having been in Africa and now in New York City.
When we come back, we’ll hear the words of senator and presidential candidate Bernie Sanders on the record-shattering $2.2 trillion emergency relief bill passed by the Senate last night. Stay with us.
[break]
AMY GOODMAN: “Coronavirus Alert” by Ugandan pop star Bobi Wine and Nubian Li.


democracynow--2020-03-26--Headlines for March 26, 2020

Headlines for March 26, 2020

The United States Senate has voted unanimously to approve a record-shattering $ 2.2 trillion emergency relief package to battle the unprecedented economic shock of the coronavirus pandemic .
The House of Representatives is set to vote on the legislation on Friday , and President Trump has promised to sign it as soon as it reaches his desk .
The bailout package would massively expand unemployment benefits , providing laid-off workers up to 100 % of their salary and health insurance benefits for four months .
Freelancers and gig economy workers would be eligible for unemployment benefits for the first time @ @ @ @ @ @ @ go toward direct cash payments to most Americans , with one-time checks of $ 1,200 for adults and $ 500 per child .
States and municipalities would receive $ 150 billion in direct aid ; companies would receive $ 221 billion in tax benefits ; $ 117 billion would fund hospitals and veterans ’ healthcare ; and a half-trillion-dollar fund would provide loans and loan guarantees for corporations .
Vermont senator and presidential candidate Bernie Sanders , who successfully fought to strengthen the bill ’ s assistance to laid-off workers , voted “ @ @ @ @ @ @ @ the bill ’ s corporate bailout fund .
Sen. Bernie Sanders : “ We do not need , at this moment in history , to provide a massive amount of corporate welfare to large profitable corporations .
I think as many of you are aware , you have industries like the airlines industry , among others , that have provided for stock buybacks , billions and billions of dollars for stock buybacks .
They spent all their cash rewarding themselves and their stockholders .
And lo and behold , today they need a @ @ @ @

The United States Senate has voted unanimously to approve a record-shattering $2.2 trillion emergency relief package to battle the unprecedented economic shock of the coronavirus pandemic. The House of Representatives is set to vote on the legislation on Friday, and President Trump has promised to sign it as soon as it reaches his desk.
The bailout package would massively expand unemployment benefits, providing laid-off workers up to 100% of their salary and health insurance benefits for four months. Freelancers and gig economy workers would be eligible for unemployment benefits for the first time ever. Over $300 billion would go toward direct cash payments to most Americans, with one-time checks of $1,200 for adults and $500 per child. States and municipalities would receive $150 billion in direct aid; companies would receive $221 billion in tax benefits; $117 billion would fund hospitals and veterans’ healthcare; and a half-trillion-dollar fund would provide loans and loan guarantees for corporations.
Vermont senator and presidential candidate Bernie Sanders, who successfully fought to strengthen the bill’s assistance to laid-off workers, voted “yes” even as he warned about the bill’s corporate bailout fund.


democracynow--2020-03-31--"It Shattered My Life": Former Joe Biden Staffer Tara Reade Says He Sexually Assaulted Her in 1993

This is a rush transcript .
Copy may not be in its final form .
AMY GOODMAN : This is Democracy Now !
, democracynow.org , The War and Peace Report .
I ’ m Amy Goodman , with Juan González , as we turn now to new developments in sexual assault allegations made against presidential candidate Joe Biden .
Last week , The Intercept reported Time ’ s Up Legal Defense Fund , set up to help survivors of rape and sexual assault , refused to fund a # MeToo investigation into allegations against Biden .
The charges were @ @ @ @ @ @ @ as a staff assistant for then-Senator Biden in 1993 when she was in her mid-twenties .
Tara Reade told journalist Katie Halper in an interview published Tuesday that Biden repeatedly touched her without her consent and sexually assaulted her .
A warning to listeners and viewers , her account is graphic .
AMY GOODMAN : Tara Reade approached the Time ’ s Up Legal Defense Fund in January looking for assistance , but was reportedly told the fund couldn ’ t help her because Biden is a candidate for federal office , and @ @ @ @ @ @ @ ’ s nonprofit status .
The Intercept reports the public relations firm representing Time ’ s Up Legal Defense Fund is SKDKnickerbocker , whose managing director , Anita Dunn , is a top adviser to Biden ’ s presidential campaign .
Democracy Now !
emailed Biden ’ s press team for response to the allegations and to join us on the show , but they didn ’ t respond .
Joe Biden ’ s deputy campaign manager , Kate Bedingfield , said in a statement , quote , “ Women have a right @ @ @ @ @ @ @ have an obligation to rigorously vet those claims .
We encourage them to do so , because these accusations are false , ” she said .
Well , in this exclusive Democracy Now !
TV/radio broadcast , we ’ re joined now by Tara Reade herself , the former staffer for Joe Biden who came forward with the allegations that Biden sexually assaulted her in 1993 .
Tara , welcome to Democracy Now !
It is very difficult to go back over something like this , but if you wouldn ’ t mind @ @ @ @ @ @ @ decide at this point that it was important for you to tell your story ?
You had come forward last year , when others talked about Senator Joe Biden , the former vice president , the presidential candidate , being sexually inappropriate with them , but you didn ’ t go as far as to tell this story that happened in 1993 .
So why don ’ t you tell us what happened ?
TARA READE : I actually tried to tell the story to some extent in 1993 , in the sense @ @ @ @ @ @ @ , but I was too afraid .
My mother had encouraged me to file a police report , and I did not , and I should have .
So I filed a sexual harassment claim , where just I filled out a paper and then did not hear back .
AMY GOODMAN : Can you give us the circumstances , how you ended up — what was the day , how you ended up alone with Joe Biden ?
Explain what happened that day .
TARA READE : I was approached by my @ @ @ @ @ @ @ bag and said , “ Hurry , Joe wants this , so get it to him .
He ’ ll meet you down towards the Capitol.
” And I went down the stairs , and I don ’ t remember exactly where I was , because there ’ s connections between the Russell Building and all of that and the corridors , but we were in a semi-private location .
It wasn ’ t a room .
It wasn ’ t , you know , the Russell Office Building — I mean , @ @ @ @ @ @ @ in the corridors .
And I handed him the gym bag .
And then he — it was one , as I described , fluid moment .
He was talking to me , and he said some things that I don ’ t recall .
And I was up against the wall .
And he — I remember the coldness of the wall .
And I remember his hands underneath my blouse and underneath my skirt , and his fingers penetrating me as he was trying to kiss me and I was pulling @ @ @ @ @ @ @ and he said , “ Come on , man .
I heard you liked me.
” But he was angry .
It was like a tight voice .
And he tended to smile when he was angry .
And he isn ’ t like the Uncle Joe like everybody talks about now .
He was younger .
He was my dad ’ s age at that time and very strong .
And he looked insulted and angry .
And I remember feeling like I had done something wrong when he said that statement @ @ @ @ @ @ @ when he said — he was still near me .
He said — pointed his finger and said , “ You ’ re nothing to me .
You ’ re nothing.
” And he walked away .
And I don ’ t remember exactly where I went after .
I think I went to the restroom to clean up , but I don ’ t remember precisely .
The next memory I have is sitting on the cold stairs , on the Russell Building back stairs , where the big windows are .
@ @ @ @ @ @ @ shaking .
And I remember knowing that — knowing that I had made him angry and that my career was probably over .
And I didn ’ t comply .
And I didn ’ t comply when I was asked to serve drinks at a cocktail party for donors , because , apparently , Joe Biden said , according to a legislative staffer , that I had pretty legs , and he thought I was pretty , and I should serve the drinks .
And my supervisor had encouraged me to do so @ @ @ @ @ @ @ , sitting on those stairs , the reality hit me .
The next thing I remember was that night and talking to my mom , and she was like , “ You need to file a police report .
It ’ s a sexual assault.
” And I didn ’ t think of it as sexual assault , and I didn ’ t really understand .
And I was trying to just get over the shock of it , because I looked up to him .
He was supposed to be a champion @ @ @ @ @ @ @ thrilled to be at that office and so honored , and it shattered my life and changed the trajectory of my whole career and life .
And I lost my job after I complained , and I was fired .
AMY GOODMAN : And how exactly did you complain , Tara ?
You filed a complaint of sexual harassment against Senator Biden at the time ?
Now , let ’ s be clear , this is 1993 , two years after he led the Senate Judiciary Committee around the Anita Hill charges against @ @ @ @ @ @ @ after that .
You filed a complaint .
Did you talk about this happening ?
TARA READE : No , I didn ’ t talk about the sexual assault .
What I did was I went through office protocol , which would be to go to your supervisor .
And if you ’ re not happy , you go to the next supervisor , and then the next one would be the chief of staff .
And I did go up the chain verbally .
And there were a couple of meetings — @ @ @ @ @ @ @ And there were people taking notes .
I mean , I know they took notes .
And some were more informal in the hallway , with Marianne .
And I was basically — after I had not served the drinks , that whole , you know , episode , I was immediately told , like within a few days , by Marianne ’ s assistant that I dressed too provocatively , that I was too — that I needed to be less noticeable .
And then Marianne got me in the hallway , @ @ @ @ @ @ @ and she said , you know , “ You want to just keep your head down and do as you ’ re told , if you want to last here.
” And I went to them and told them I was uncomfortable .
So I couched it in those terms .
We didn ’ t use the term “ sexual harassment ” a lot back then .
And I remember saying I was uncomfortable and why .
But nothing happened .
And in fact , I was put in a windowless office , @ @ @ @ @ @ @ from me .
I was given a desk audit .
I was told to call one of my upper-level supervisors even if I went to the restroom .
I was not to call or talk to other staffers or go to legislative hearings .
I was told that I was given a month to find another job .
And I sent out my résumés .
And before I did that , because of this retaliation , I told my mother , who gave me the term “ retaliation ” and explained to me @ @ @ @ @ @ @ march in there and file a sexual harassment claim .
And I said — and she used the word .
And I said , “ Well , you don ’ t just march into their office .
Like , that ’ s not how this is done.
” So , I had gone through that protocol .
Then , when that didn ’ t work , I went to the outside , which was like a — they had a temporary office set up , so it was Senate personnel or something like @ @ @ @ @ @ @ clipboard .
I filled out a form and talked about just the incident of the sexual harassment , feeling uncomfortable .
And I was told at the window that somebody would call back , you know , call me back in .
And they never did .
I ended up looking for work , couldn ’ t find it .
I volunteered for the Robert F. Kennedy memorial .
I was fortunate enough to work in the VIP tent and with the family , and it was helping me emotionally , because I @ @ @ @ @ @ @ of what had happened that day .
And I didn ’ t share it with many people at all at that time .
It ’ s just not something that was easy to talk about .
It ’ s not easy to talk about now .
And when I came out in April , I started again — I had the intent to tell the whole history with Biden .
But one of the first questions out of the reporter ’ s mouth was , “ Yeah , but it wasn ’ t @ @ @ @ @ @ @ was talking about the sexual harassment .
And it shut me down .
And that ’ s not his fault .
It ’ s my responsibility , I know , to be brave and to be courageous and say the words .
But it just put me off from being able to talk .
And then , when the story was hitting , there was so much blowback and smearing on social media that I just didn ’ t feel comfortable .
So I was trying to find a way to tell my @ @ @ @ @ @ @ I didn ’ t want it sold or , you know , sensationalized or anything nonsense like that .
I wanted to have the deeper conversation of how hard it is for survivors of sexual assault and sexual harassment in the workplace to go up against powerful men , because I have not received any payment for this , I have not received any compensation , because the facts are , you know , women are not paid to talk .
They ’ re paid to stay silent .
And so I wanted @ @ @ @ @ @ @ , and that ’ s why I went to Time ’ s Up .
JUAN GONZÁLEZ : And , Tara Reade , could you talk about your experience then with Time ’ s Up , when you went to them and you were hoping that they might be able to assist you in this ?
TARA READE : Yes .
I went to Time ’ s Up .
They were very gracious .
I filled out a form , first of all , on — you know , you do it online .
@ @ @ @ @ @ @ 24th-ish , right around there , and emailed back , and then we had a phone interview .
There was about 20 emails between us , and there were several meetings on the phone .
And what they did was they prepared a paragraph describing my case , and they were going to give me attorney referrals .
And if you ’ re economically challenged or you need help with funds , they will help you with a public relations platform for one month , so access to a public relations firm , @ @ @ @ @ @ @ , and also to have an attorney , which is what I was seeking because of the social media smears .
I wanted like cease and desist for some of the things that were being said .
I wanted protection , of some sort , and not to be alone .
AMY GOODMAN : And describe then what happened , I mean , this report in The Intercept of you waiting to hear from Time ’ s Up and then what you learned afterwards about its links to the Biden campaign through the @ @ @ @ @ @ @ was absolutely stunning .
In the 20-plus emails and the multiple conversations that we had , not one time , not once , did they say that they were connected to Anita Dunn , who worked for Harvey Weinstein and advised him and helped him keep — silence some of the women that came forward .
Not one time did they talk about the payments that were made to the Joe Biden campaign .
Now , bear in mind , in their defense , they said that that ’ s second removed .
@ @ @ @ @ @ @ provide a platform , you know , a public relations platform .
I don ’ t understand , as a survivor — and I ’ m not an investigative reporter .
I ’ m not an investigator .
I ’ m just speaking as a survivor .
It violated my trust , when I read Ryan Grim ’ s article .
I found out with everyone else .
And I ’ m still processing that .
I shared my story with them again and again , with the attorneys that they sent to @ @ @ @ @ @ @ rejected by each attorney .
One attorney said , “ We ’ ve met as a firm , and we have decided there is no legal strategy to safely tell your story , because it ’ s Joe Biden.
” And what I want to say is that ’ s wrong .
That ’ s unconscionable .
Anyone who has a claim or an assertion of something that ’ s happened of misconduct should be able to speak freely without reprisal .
And as you can see in the social media , I @ @ @ @ @ @ @ ve had my family and my friends contacted .
I ’ ve had my bankruptcy posted .
I have had the fact that I had a name change , which was sealed , and a sealed Social Security change for safety , because I ’ m a domestic violence survivor .
And I ’ ve been dragged through it .
But I don ’ t care .
I don ’ t care about that .
They can try to strip away everything about me , but they won ’ t take my dignity @ @ @ @ @ @ @ my silence , because all that does is make me more determined to tell my story , and it doesn ’ t change the fact of what happened in 1993 .
JUAN GONZÁLEZ : And , Tara Reade , throughout all this time , when you were engaged in discussions with the Time ’ s Up folks , they never mentioned their relationship with Anita Dunn , or — and how did they finally notify you that they could not be involved ?
TARA READE : They started an email .
But then @ @ @ @ @ @ @ was going on .
It was taking some time , and I kept getting rejected by attorneys .
And she said , “ I was going to just email you , but I have to tell you that our 501 ( c ) ( 3 ) status would be at risk .
We can keep referring attorneys to you , but we can not provide you funding.
” So then I wanted to escalate it to the director , and so we had a meeting with the director and the program manager .
@ @ @ @ @ @ @ and I said , “ I can ’ t help who did this .
Where do I go ?
How do I get help ?
How do I get a woman ’ s organization to help me ?
” And her response was , “ Keep in communications with us .
Our attorneys have advised us our 501 ( c ) ( 3 ) could be at risk because it ’ s a presidential election , and we can ’ t appear biased.
” So , I accepted that response at that time @ @ @ @ @ @ @ seconds , Tara .
TARA READE : — even though it [ inaudible ] people .
Anyway , what I would say is , there ’ s been no access to justice for me .
And in the fall , there ’ s no democracy for me .
AMY GOODMAN : Tara Reade , I want to thank you so much for being with us , former staff assistant to then-Senator Joe Biden .
She alleges that Joe Biden sexually assaulted her in 1993 .
That does it for our broadcast .
Democracy @ @ @ @ @ @ @ of people : Mike Burke , Deena Guzder , Nermeen Shaikh , Carla Wills , Tami Woronoff , Libby Rainey .
I ’ m Amy Goodman , with Juan González .

This is a rush transcript. Copy may not be in its final form.
AMY GOODMAN: This is Democracy Now!, democracynow.org, The War and Peace Report. I’m Amy Goodman, with Juan González, as we turn now to new developments in sexual assault allegations made against presidential candidate Joe Biden. Last week, The Intercept reported Time’s Up Legal Defense Fund, set up to help survivors of rape and sexual assault, refused to fund a #MeToo investigation into allegations against Biden. The charges were brought by Tara Reade, who worked as a staff assistant for then-Senator Biden in 1993 when she was in her mid-twenties. Tara Reade told journalist Katie Halper in an interview published Tuesday that Biden repeatedly touched her without her consent and sexually assaulted her. A warning to listeners and viewers, her account is graphic.
TARA READE: And then his hands were on me and underneath my clothes. And yeah, and then he went — he went down my skirt but then up inside it, and he penetrated me with his fingers.
AMY GOODMAN: Tara Reade approached the Time’s Up Legal Defense Fund in January looking for assistance, but was reportedly told the fund couldn’t help her because Biden is a candidate for federal office, and pursuing a case could jeopardize the fund’s nonprofit status. The Intercept reports the public relations firm representing Time’s Up Legal Defense Fund is SKDKnickerbocker, whose managing director, Anita Dunn, is a top adviser to Biden’s presidential campaign.
Democracy Now! emailed Biden’s press team for response to the allegations and to join us on the show, but they didn’t respond. Joe Biden’s deputy campaign manager, Kate Bedingfield, said in a statement, quote, “Women have a right to tell their story, and reporters have an obligation to rigorously vet those claims. We encourage them to do so, because these accusations are false,” she said.
Well, in this exclusive Democracy Now! TV/radio broadcast, we’re joined now by Tara Reade herself, the former staffer for Joe Biden who came forward with the allegations that Biden sexually assaulted her in 1993.
Tara, welcome to Democracy Now! It is very difficult to go back over something like this, but if you wouldn’t mind telling us about how you came to decide at this point that it was important for you to tell your story? You had come forward last year, when others talked about Senator Joe Biden, the former vice president, the presidential candidate, being sexually inappropriate with them, but you didn’t go as far as to tell this story that happened in 1993. So why don’t you tell us what happened?
TARA READE: I actually tried to tell the story to some extent in 1993, in the sense that I wanted to talk about it, but I was too afraid. My mother had encouraged me to file a police report, and I did not, and I should have. So I filed a sexual harassment claim, where just I filled out a paper and then did not hear back.
AMY GOODMAN: Can you give us the circumstances, how you ended up — what was the day, how you ended up alone with Joe Biden? Explain what happened that day.
TARA READE: I was approached by my supervisor. She handed me a gym bag and said, “Hurry, Joe wants this, so get it to him. He’ll meet you down towards the Capitol.” And I went down the stairs, and I don’t remember exactly where I was, because there’s connections between the Russell Building and all of that and the corridors, but we were in a semi-private location. It wasn’t a room. It wasn’t, you know, the Russell Office Building — I mean, in his office. It was down in the corridors. And I handed him the gym bag.
And then he — it was one, as I described, fluid moment. He was talking to me, and he said some things that I don’t recall. And I was up against the wall. And he — I remember the coldness of the wall. And I remember his hands underneath my blouse and underneath my skirt, and his fingers penetrating me as he was trying to kiss me and I was pulling away. And he pulled back, and he said, “Come on, man. I heard you liked me.” But he was angry. It was like a tight voice. And he tended to smile when he was angry. And he isn’t like the Uncle Joe like everybody talks about now. He was younger. He was my dad’s age at that time and very strong. And he looked insulted and angry. And I remember feeling like I had done something wrong when he said that statement. And then I was standing there when he said — he was still near me. He said — pointed his finger and said, “You’re nothing to me. You’re nothing.” And he walked away.
And I don’t remember exactly where I went after. I think I went to the restroom to clean up, but I don’t remember precisely. The next memory I have is sitting on the cold stairs, on the Russell Building back stairs, where the big windows are. And I remember just my whole body shaking. And I remember knowing that — knowing that I had made him angry and that my career was probably over. And I didn’t comply. And I didn’t comply when I was asked to serve drinks at a cocktail party for donors, because, apparently, Joe Biden said, according to a legislative staffer, that I had pretty legs, and he thought I was pretty, and I should serve the drinks. And my supervisor had encouraged me to do so, and I did not. So, sitting on those stairs, the reality hit me.
The next thing I remember was that night and talking to my mom, and she was like, “You need to file a police report. It’s a sexual assault.” And I didn’t think of it as sexual assault, and I didn’t really understand. And I was trying to just get over the shock of it, because I looked up to him. He was supposed to be a champion of women. And I was so thrilled to be at that office and so honored, and it shattered my life and changed the trajectory of my whole career and life. And I lost my job after I complained, and I was fired.
AMY GOODMAN: And how exactly did you complain, Tara? You filed a complaint of sexual harassment against Senator Biden at the time? Now, let’s be clear, this is 1993, two years after he led the Senate Judiciary Committee around the Anita Hill charges against Clarence Thomas. So this is soon after that. You filed a complaint. Did you talk about this happening?
TARA READE: No, I didn’t talk about the sexual assault. What I did was I went through office protocol, which would be to go to your supervisor. And if you’re not happy, you go to the next supervisor, and then the next one would be the chief of staff. And I did go up the chain verbally. And there were a couple of meetings — more than a couple, actually. And there were people taking notes. I mean, I know they took notes. And some were more informal in the hallway, with Marianne. And I was basically — after I had not served the drinks, that whole, you know, episode, I was immediately told, like within a few days, by Marianne’s assistant that I dressed too provocatively, that I was too — that I needed to be less noticeable. And then Marianne got me in the hallway, because I was annoyed by that, and she said, you know, “You want to just keep your head down and do as you’re told, if you want to last here.”
And I went to them and told them I was uncomfortable. So I couched it in those terms. We didn’t use the term “sexual harassment” a lot back then. And I remember saying I was uncomfortable and why. But nothing happened. And in fact, I was put in a windowless office, and I had my duties taken away from me. I was given a desk audit. I was told to call one of my upper-level supervisors even if I went to the restroom. I was not to call or talk to other staffers or go to legislative hearings. I was told that I was given a month to find another job. And I sent out my résumés. And before I did that, because of this retaliation, I told my mother, who gave me the term “retaliation” and explained to me what was happening, and said to march in there and file a sexual harassment claim. And I said — and she used the word. And I said, “Well, you don’t just march into their office. Like, that’s not how this is done.”
So, I had gone through that protocol. Then, when that didn’t work, I went to the outside, which was like a — they had a temporary office set up, so it was Senate personnel or something like that, and I was given a clipboard. I filled out a form and talked about just the incident of the sexual harassment, feeling uncomfortable. And I was told at the window that somebody would call back, you know, call me back in. And they never did.
I ended up looking for work, couldn’t find it. I volunteered for the Robert F. Kennedy memorial. I was fortunate enough to work in the VIP tent and with the family, and it was helping me emotionally, because I was trying to recover from the trauma of what had happened that day. And I didn’t share it with many people at all at that time. It’s just not something that was easy to talk about. It’s not easy to talk about now.
And when I came out in April, I started again — I had the intent to tell the whole history with Biden. But one of the first questions out of the reporter’s mouth was, “Yeah, but it wasn’t sexual, right?” when he was talking about the sexual harassment. And it shut me down. And that’s not his fault. It’s my responsibility, I know, to be brave and to be courageous and say the words. But it just put me off from being able to talk. And then, when the story was hitting, there was so much blowback and smearing on social media that I just didn’t feel comfortable. So I was trying to find a way to tell my story to a legitimate news agency. I didn’t want it sold or, you know, sensationalized or anything nonsense like that. I wanted to have the deeper conversation of how hard it is for survivors of sexual assault and sexual harassment in the workplace to go up against powerful men, because I have not received any payment for this, I have not received any compensation, because the facts are, you know, women are not paid to talk. They’re paid to stay silent. And so I wanted a women’s organization around me, and that’s why I went to Time’s Up.
JUAN GONZÁLEZ: And, Tara Reade, could you talk about your experience then with Time’s Up, when you went to them and you were hoping that they might be able to assist you in this?
TARA READE: Yes. I went to Time’s Up. They were very gracious. I filled out a form, first of all, on — you know, you do it online. And then I was called about January 24th-ish, right around there, and emailed back, and then we had a phone interview. There was about 20 emails between us, and there were several meetings on the phone. And what they did was they prepared a paragraph describing my case, and they were going to give me attorney referrals. And if you’re economically challenged or you need help with funds, they will help you with a public relations platform for one month, so access to a public relations firm, to tell your story with their platform, and also to have an attorney, which is what I was seeking because of the social media smears. I wanted like cease and desist for some of the things that were being said. I wanted protection, of some sort, and not to be alone.
AMY GOODMAN: And describe then what happened, I mean, this report in The Intercept of you waiting to hear from Time’s Up and then what you learned afterwards about its links to the Biden campaign through the PR firm.
TARA READE: It was absolutely stunning. In the 20-plus emails and the multiple conversations that we had, not one time, not once, did they say that they were connected to Anita Dunn, who worked for Harvey Weinstein and advised him and helped him keep — silence some of the women that came forward. Not one time did they talk about the payments that were made to the Joe Biden campaign. Now, bear in mind, in their defense, they said that that’s second removed. But part of their services was to provide a platform, you know, a public relations platform. I don’t understand, as a survivor — and I’m not an investigative reporter. I’m not an investigator. I’m just speaking as a survivor. It violated my trust, when I read Ryan Grim’s article. I found out with everyone else. And I’m still processing that. I shared my story with them again and again, with the attorneys that they sent to me. And each time I was rejected by each attorney. One attorney said, “We’ve met as a firm, and we have decided there is no legal strategy to safely tell your story, because it’s Joe Biden.”
And what I want to say is that’s wrong. That’s unconscionable. Anyone who has a claim or an assertion of something that’s happened of misconduct should be able to speak freely without reprisal. And as you can see in the social media, I am being ripped apart. I’ve had my family and my friends contacted. I’ve had my bankruptcy posted. I have had the fact that I had a name change, which was sealed, and a sealed Social Security change for safety, because I’m a domestic violence survivor. And I’ve been dragged through it. But I don’t care. I don’t care about that. They can try to strip away everything about me, but they won’t take my dignity, and they won’t get my silence, because all that does is make me more determined to tell my story, and it doesn’t change the fact of what happened in 1993.
JUAN GONZÁLEZ: And, Tara Reade, throughout all this time, when you were engaged in discussions with the Time’s Up folks, they never mentioned their relationship with Anita Dunn, or — and how did they finally notify you that they could not be involved?
TARA READE: They started an email. But then I called Ellie, asking her what was going on. It was taking some time, and I kept getting rejected by attorneys. And she said, “I was going to just email you, but I have to tell you that our 501(c)(3) status would be at risk. We can keep referring attorneys to you, but we cannot provide you funding.” So then I wanted to escalate it to the director, and so we had a meeting with the director and the program manager. And I pushed back a little, and I said, “I can’t help who did this. Where do I go? How do I get help? How do I get a woman’s organization to help me?” And her response was, “Keep in communications with us. Our attorneys have advised us our 501(c)(3) could be at risk because it’s a presidential election, and we can’t appear biased.” So, I accepted that response at that time —
AMY GOODMAN: We have five seconds, Tara.
TARA READE: — even though it [inaudible] people. Anyway, what I would say is, there’s been no access to justice for me. And in the fall, there’s no democracy for me.
AMY GOODMAN: Tara Reade, I want to thank you so much for being with us, former staff assistant to then-Senator Joe Biden. She alleges that Joe Biden sexually assaulted her in 1993.
That does it for our broadcast. Democracy Now! produced by an amazing group of people: Mike Burke, Deena Guzder, Nermeen Shaikh, Carla Wills, Tami Woronoff, Libby Rainey. I’m Amy Goodman, with Juan González.