democracynow--2020-12-21--Biden Taps Climate Team Focused on Environmental Racism & Science to Take Over from Industry Lobbyis

Biden Taps Climate Team Focused on Environmental Racism & Science to Take Over from Industry Lobbyists

This is a rush transcript .
Copy may not be in its final form .
AMY GOODMAN : This is Democracy Now !
The Quarantine Report .
I ’ m Amy Goodman .
Under pressure from progressives and communities of color , President-elect Joe Biden vowed Saturday to make environmental justice and science top concerns as he selects his climate team .
Speaking at an event in Wilmington , Delaware , Biden introduced Michael Regan , head of North Carolina ’ s Department of Environmental Quality , as his choice to lead the Environmental Protection Agency .
Regan will be @ @ @ @ @ @ @ EPA , where he ’ s served in several roles during the Clinton and George W. Bush administrations , including as national program manager for the agency ’ s Office of Air Quality Planning and Standards .
Regan ’ s selection comes after weeks of speculation Biden would instead tap Mary Nichols , head of the California Air Resources Board , who fought the Trump administration ’ s attempt to roll back pollution protections .
But more than 70 environmental justice groups wrote to Biden earlier this month to oppose her nomination , @ @ @ @ @ @ @ “ bleak track record in addressing environmental racism.
” Nichols was instead tapped to head a new White House Office of Climate Policy .
This is Michael Regan accepting Biden ’ s nomination to lead the EPA .
AMY GOODMAN : That ’ s Michael Regan , President-elect Biden ’ s pick to head the Environmental Protection Agency .
He ’ ll get to work closely with Democratic Congresswoman Deb Haaland of New Mexico , who Biden has tapped to lead the Interior Department , if they are both confirmed .
Well , @ @ @ @ @ @ @ Cabinet secretary in history , if in fact the Senate confirms her .
She ’ s a member of the Pueblo of Laguna , co-sponsor of the Green New Deal , who participated in protests against the Dakota Access pipeline at Standing Rock in 2016 .
The congresswoman would take over the stewardship of about one-fifth of federal lands from the current Interior Secretary David Bernhardt , a former energy industry lobbyist .
This is Congressmember Haaland accepting Biden ’ s nomination for secretary of interior Saturday .
AMY GOODMAN : That ’ @ @ @ @ @ @ @ Biden ’ s pick to head the Interior Department .
She would be the first Native American Cabinet member in history , if approved .
Meanwhile , longtime environmental attorney Brenda Mallory will chair Biden ’ s Council on Environmental Quality .
This is Mallory accepting the position .
AMY GOODMAN : That ’ s longtime environmental attorney Brenda Mallory .
If confirmed , she will chair Biden ’ s Council on Environmental Quality .
This is Gina McCarthy , who served as head of the EPA under President Obama .
She ’ @ @ @ @ @ @ @ House Office of Climate Policy .
AMY GOODMAN : That ’ s Gina McCarthy , who will serve as head of a new White House Office of Climate Policy .
Her deputy national climate adviser will be Pakistani American Ali Zaidi , who ’ s currently the deputy secretary for energy and environment for the state of New York .
AMY GOODMAN : That ’ s Biden ’ s incoming deputy national climate adviser , Ali Zaidi .
In another major move announced Saturday , President-elect Biden said his climate team will include @ @ @ @ @ @ @ he ’ s nominated to be energy secretary .
If confirmed , she ’ ll play a key role in helping to fulfill Biden ’ s pledge to move the United States off fossil fuel .
AMY GOODMAN : That ’ s energy secretary nominee Jennifer Granholm , who then talked about why jobs were so important to her by talking about her family ’ s history .
AMY GOODMAN : That ’ s former Michigan Governor Jennifer Granholm , who President-elect Biden has tapped as his incoming energy secretary .
When we @ @ @ @ @ @ @ to former EPA official Mustafa Santiago Ali .
He resigned in 2017 from the EPA to protest Trump administration policies .
Stay with us .

This is a rush transcript. Copy may not be in its final form.
AMY GOODMAN: This is Democracy Now! The Quarantine Report. I’m Amy Goodman.
Under pressure from progressives and communities of color, President-elect Joe Biden vowed Saturday to make environmental justice and science top concerns as he selects his climate team. Speaking at an event in Wilmington, Delaware, Biden introduced Michael Regan, head of North Carolina’s Department of Environmental Quality, as his choice to lead the Environmental Protection Agency. Regan will be the first Black man to direct the EPA, where he’s served in several roles during the Clinton and George W. Bush administrations, including as national program manager for the agency’s Office of Air Quality Planning and Standards.
Regan’s selection comes after weeks of speculation Biden would instead tap Mary Nichols, head of the California Air Resources Board, who fought the Trump administration’s attempt to roll back pollution protections. But more than 70 environmental justice groups wrote to Biden earlier this month to oppose her nomination, saying she has a, quote, “bleak track record in addressing environmental racism.” Nichols was instead tapped to head a new White House Office of Climate Policy.
This is Michael Regan accepting Biden’s nomination to lead the EPA.
MICHAEL REGAN: Growing up as a child, hunting and fishing with my father and grandfather in eastern North Carolina, I developed a deep love and respect for the outdoors and our natural resources. But I also experienced respiratory issues that required me to use an inhaler on days when pollutants and allergens were especially bad.
I’ve always been curious about the connections between our environment and our health — how the world around us contributes to, or detracts from, our enjoyment of life. So, after completing my education in environmental science, there was one place in particular that I wanted to work: the EPA.
When I started that first summer internship, I never imagined that one day I would be nominated to lead an agency as its administrator. So, this opportunity, well, it’s a dream come true.
Since the start of my career, my goals have been the same: to safeguard our natural resources, to improve the quality of our air and our water, to protect our families and our communities, and to help them seize the opportunities of a cleaner, healthier world. Now I’m honored to pursue those goals alongside leaders who understand what’s at stake.
When President-elect Biden called out the plight of the fenceline communities during the campaign, he made it clear that we would no longer just deal with the issues up to the fenceline of these facilities, but that we would actually see the people on the other side of those fencelines. He’s already backed up that commitment by assembling a team that reflects America. And I’m proud to join the vice president-elect as a fellow HBCU graduate in this administration. Together, this team will ensure that environmental justice and human impacts are top of mind as we tackle these tough issues.
After nearly a decade at the EPA, I know firsthand the remarkable dedication and talent of those career staff. And as a state official, I understand how actions from EPA can help or hurt local efforts.
We’re going to ensure that EPA is once again a strong partner for the states, not a roadblock. We will be driven by our convictions that every person in our great country has the right to clean air, clean water and a healthier life, no matter how much money they have in their pockets, the color of their skin or the community that they live in.
AMY GOODMAN: That’s Michael Regan, President-elect Biden’s pick to head the Environmental Protection Agency. He’ll get to work closely with Democratic Congresswoman Deb Haaland of New Mexico, who Biden has tapped to lead the Interior Department, if they are both confirmed.
Well, Deb Haaland is the first Native American Cabinet secretary in history, if in fact the Senate confirms her. She’s a member of the Pueblo of Laguna, co-sponsor of the Green New Deal, who participated in protests against the Dakota Access pipeline at Standing Rock in 2016. The congresswoman would take over the stewardship of about one-fifth of federal lands from the current Interior Secretary David Bernhardt, a former energy industry lobbyist.
This is Congressmember Haaland accepting Biden’s nomination for secretary of interior Saturday.
REP. DEB HAALAND: I’m proud to stand here on the ancestral homelands of the Lenape Tribal Nation. The president-elect and vice president-elect are committed to a diverse Cabinet, and I’m honored and humbled to accept their nomination for secretary of the interior.
Growing up in my mother’s Pueblo household made me fierce. My life has not been easy. I struggled with homelessness. I relied on food stamps and raised my child as a single mom. These struggles give me perspectives, though, so that I can help people to succeed.
My grandparents, who were taken away from their families as children and sent to boarding school in an effort to destroy their traditions and identities, maintained our culture. This moment is profound when we consider the fact that a former secretary of the interior once proclaimed his goal to, quote, “civilize or exterminate” us. I’m a living testament to the failure of that horrific ideology.
I also stand on the shoulders of my ancestors and all the people who have sacrificed so that I can be here. My dad was a U.S. marine, and no matter where we were stationed, he made sure we spent time outdoors. Time with my dad in the mountains or on the beach and time with my grandparents in the cornfield at Laguna taught me to respect the Earth and to value our resources. I carry those values with me everywhere. I am a product of their resilience.
As our country faces the impacts of climate change and environmental injustice, the Interior Department has a role to address these challenges. The president-elect’s goals, driven by justice and empowering communities who have shouldered the burdens of environmental negligence. And we will ensure that the decisions at Interior will once again be driven by science. We know that climate change can only be solved with participation of every department and of every community coming together in a common purpose. This country can and will tackle this challenge.
The president-elect and vice president-elect know that issues under Interior’s jurisdiction aren’t simply about conservation. They’re woven in with justice, good jobs and closing the racial, wealth and health gaps.
This historic moment will not go by without the acknowledgment of the many people who have believed in me over the years and had the confidence in me for this position. I’ll be fierce for all of us, for our planet and all of our protected land. And I’m honored and ready to serve. Thank you again.
AMY GOODMAN: That’s New Mexico Congressmember Deb Haaland, Biden’s pick to head the Interior Department. She would be the first Native American Cabinet member in history, if approved.
Meanwhile, longtime environmental attorney Brenda Mallory will chair Biden’s Council on Environmental Quality. This is Mallory accepting the position.
BRENDA MALLORY: I am honored and humbled by the trust you’ve placed in me, and I look forward to getting to work with this incredible team. …
I know firsthand the challenges that everyday people face when one unexpected illness or expense can upend the economic stability of a family.
I grew up in the working-class community of Waterbury, Connecticut, a town not so different from Scranton, Pennsylvania. I know the faces of the marginalized, and I appreciate the challenges of urban pollution. While the words “climate change” and “environmental injustice” were not part of the vernacular back then, the evidence of their impacts was all around. In that setting, there was plenty of opportunity to work to make a difference in people’s lives.
For my parents, and particularly my father, dedication to tackling community challenges was vitally important. Service, in all its forms, was essential. They taught me to be a problem solver, to recognize that each of us is blessed with different talents, and we are all called to bring those gifts to bear in whatever — wherever we are, to work with anyone and everyone to make things better in communities that we share. This has been the driving force and the guiding principle on my journey.
I earned a high school scholarship that changed the course of my life. I became the first person in my family to go to college. I attended law school. And at each stage, I was aware of how different the world I came from was from the one I was entering.
I didn’t set out to specialize in environmental issues, but once I started, I was always mindful of the practical implications of the decisions. As a staffer at the Connecticut Commission on Human Rights, I learned that environmental protection and ensuring the health and well-being of all communities had to be reconciled. It is essential that we deploy smart and humane policy to help communities pull themselves back from the edge and improve the health, security and prosperity of all people.
The Build Back Better plan is poised to breathe new life into the Council on Environmental Quality. CEQ will work with a broad range of partners on a broad range of issues, tackle the full breadth of climate change, preserve the natural treasures of our nation, center environmental justice and help more communities overcome legacy environmental impacts.
I am grateful to the president-elect and the vice president-elect for elevating this work and lifting up the communities where it will make the most difference.
AMY GOODMAN: That’s longtime environmental attorney Brenda Mallory. If confirmed, she will chair Biden’s Council on Environmental Quality.
This is Gina McCarthy, who served as head of the EPA under President Obama. She’ll now head up a new White House Office of Climate Policy.
GINA McCARTHY: All I can think of is back when I was in grammar school and the nuns used to jump up and say, “Run! Close the windows in your classrooms,” because when the rubber factory across the street started to spew chemical stenches into the air, it would come wafting into our classroom. And that smell kept us from recess more days than I or my teacher ever cared to remember.
So I figured out early there was just an intrinsic connection between our environment and our health. And that understanding drew me into a very long career of public service, which I will never regret and always cherish. And I did it because I was trying to help families and communities just like mine and those who are facing certainly much steeper and more insidious legacies of environmental harm, so they could overcome the challenges that were holding them back.
Environmental protection is part of my moral fiber. It’s what I live for. And I’m proud of the progress that we’ve made across the United States. And I’m proud of the work that I did for many years at local and state governments, as well as at EPA, to make sure our air and water were cleaner, to make communities safer and more livable, and begin to confront the crisis of climate change.
And I’m here today because climate change is not only a threat to the planet, it is a threat to our health and our well-being. It’s a threat to people everywhere and the precious natural resources that we depend on. Defeating this threat is the fight of our lifetimes.
AMY GOODMAN: That’s Gina McCarthy, who will serve as head of a new White House Office of Climate Policy. Her deputy national climate adviser will be Pakistani American Ali Zaidi, who’s currently the deputy secretary for energy and environment for the state of New York.
ALI ZAIDI: I am deeply honored to answer your call to serve this nation that I love, especially at this moment of consequence. For our planet and for the people who live here, the peril of the climate crisis is already evident. But we can also see the promise in the jobs — casting and machining, installing and rewiring, pouring new foundations and building new industries — and in the possibility of repairing communities hurt, places where pollution has been heavy and opportunity has never quite reached.
Mr. President-elect and Madam Vice President-elect, you campaigned on delivering that promise by mounting a response equal to the existential threat that we face, not only by listening to the science, but also by invigorating the economy, revving up manufacturing and innovation, spurring good-paying union jobs and advancing justice, long overdue — leading by the example of America at its best.
When my parents moved from Pakistan to Pennsylvania, they brought two little kids and a few suitcases of dreams, dreams their kids are living today — Danish, my brother, a doctor on the frontlines of the COVID crisis, and me, moving to frontlines of the fight against climate change. To be healthy, to have purpose, to be able to give back — that is how our parents taught us to define the American dream.
AMY GOODMAN: That’s Biden’s incoming deputy national climate adviser, Ali Zaidi. In another major move announced Saturday, President-elect Biden said his climate team will include former Michigan Governor Jennifer Granholm, who he’s nominated to be energy secretary. If confirmed, she’ll play a key role in helping to fulfill Biden’s pledge to move the United States off fossil fuel.
JENNIFER GRANHOLM: My commitment to clean energy was forged in the fire.
I was the governor of Michigan, as the president-elect said, during the Great Recession, when it struck and pushed our auto industry, which is the lifeblood of Michigan, to the brink of utter collapse. Workers were losing their jobs through no fault of their own. Banks wouldn’t lend. People were losing their houses. Our unemployment rate in Michigan was 15%. In Detroit, it was 28%.
But then, thankfully, as now, help was on the way. Joe Biden and the Obama administration worked with us to rescue the auto industry and the million jobs that are attached to it. They worked with us to retool and electrify Detroit for the future, of course, and to diversify Michigan’s economy on the premise of this promising future in clean energy.
So, today, in the midst of another harrowing crisis, clean energy remains among the most promising jobs and economic growth sector in the world. Over the next two decades, countries and companies are going to invest trillions — trillions, not just billions — trillions in electric cars, in batteries, in wind turbines, in solar panels, and energy-efficient appliances and energy-efficient buildings. They’re going to upgrade their electric grids using smart technology.
Millions of good-paying jobs are going to be created. Millions. But where? Where will those jobs be? Are they going to be in China or in the other countries that are fighting tooth and nail to corner the market on this hopeful electric and clean energy future? Or are those jobs going to be here in America?
The path to building back better starts with building and manufacturing and deploying those products here, stamping them “Made in America” and exporting them around the world. We can win those jobs for American workers with the right policy. We can.
AMY GOODMAN: That’s energy secretary nominee Jennifer Granholm, who then talked about why jobs were so important to her by talking about her family’s history.
JENNIFER GRANHOLM: My dad was was born in rural Canada in a log cabin with no running water, into extreme poverty. His father, my grandfather, emigrated to Canada when — from Sweden during the Great Depression, again, seeking opportunity. But when my grandfather could not find a job to support his young family, in desperation, my grandfather shot himself, leaving my grandmother and three young children in dire poverty.
My father was 3 years old when that happened. And when he was 11, my dad found work at a sawmill. And he never stopped working. He married my mom. They came to America for work. And despite not having a college degree, my hard-working, gentle father got the fair chance that he was looking for in America. He had started out as a bank teller, and he retired as head of the bank.
And it’s because of my family’s journey and my experience in fighting for hard-working Michigan families that I have become obsessed — obsessed with creating good-paying jobs in America.
AMY GOODMAN: That’s former Michigan Governor Jennifer Granholm, who President-elect Biden has tapped as his incoming energy secretary.
When we come back, we’ll speak to former EPA official Mustafa Santiago Ali. He resigned in 2017 from the EPA to protest Trump administration policies. Stay with us.


democracynow--2020-12-21--Bernie Sanders: COVID Relief Package Is "Totally Inadequate" for "Unprecedented" Economic Crisis

This is a rush transcript .
Copy may not be in its final form .
AMY GOODMAN : The House could be voting as soon as today on a new $ 900 billion coronavirus aid package , after a deal was reached by congressional leaders Sunday .
While the legislative text has not yet been released , the package is expected to include $ 600 relief checks for qualified adults and children and a temporary $ 300 increase in weekly unemployment benefits .
The bill is expected to extend a CDC moratorium on evictions until January 31st .
Many economists @ @ @ @ @ @ @ needed to address the nation ’ s economic crisis .
Last week , 885,000 people filed new claims for unemployment benefits — the highest weekly level in three months .
Meanwhile , a new study shows at least 8 million Americans have been pushed into poverty since summer .
On Friday , Senator Bernie Sanders of Vermont spoke from the floor of the Senate and decried the aid deal as , quote , “ totally inadequate.
” He called for $ 1,200 emergency checks for every working-class adult and $ 500 per child @ @ @ @ @ @ @ over half of our workers are living paycheck to paycheck , trying to survive on a starvation wage of 10 or 12 bucks an hour .
The reality is that millions of our senior citizens are trapped in their homes , unable to see their kids or their grandchildren , unable to go to a grocery store , and many of them are trying to get by on $ 12,000 , $ 14,000 a year Social Security , and scared that they may come down with the virus and die .
In addition @ @ @ @ @ @ @ .
Further , in our country today , one out of four workers are either unemployed or make less than $ 20,000 a year .
That is , Mr. President , where we are today economically .
And if this country means anything , if democracy means anything , if the U.S. government means anything , it means that we can not turn our backs on this suffering — not in Vermont , not in Wisconsin , not in New York , not in any state in this country , where people are @ @ @ @ @ @ @ Mr. President , members of Congress should also be aware that we are far behind other major countries in terms of protecting working families during this pandemic .
Not only does every other wealthy country guarantee healthcare to all people as a human right , almost all of them are providing far more generous benefits to the unemployed and the struggling in their countries than we are doing in our country .
Mr. President , several months — Madam President , sorry — Madam President , several months ago I introduced legislation , @ @ @ @ @ @ @ our vice president-elect , and Senator Markey , that would during the course of this economic crisis provide $ 2,000 a month — $ 2,000 a month — to every working-class person in this country .
And frankly , that is exactly what we should be doing .
But , unfortunately , given the conservative nature of the Senate , I understand that is not going to happen .
The $ 600 a week in supplemental unemployment benefits that Congress passed unanimously in March expired in July — over five months ago .
@ @ @ @ @ @ @ Senate has done nothing to help working families pay their rent , feed their children , go to a doctor or pay for the life-saving prescription drugs they need .
And the Senate has not done anywhere near enough to provide help for the struggling small businesses , in Vermont and all across this country , who are desperately trying to stay afloat .
Madam President , in my view , the $ 348 billion in new money , that is included in the proposal now being discussed , is totally inadequate , @ @ @ @ @ @ @ that we face .
The American people can not wait any longer .
They need economic relief right now .
Their kids are going hungry .
They are being evicted from their homes .
They can ’ t go to the doctor .
They need help , and they need it now .
Every working-class American needs $ 1,200 , at least , $ 2,400 for couples and $ 500 for children .
And let me be clear , to emphasize a point that Senator Schumer made .
And that is , what @ @ @ @ @ @ @ that must not be taken from other important priorities , like 16 weeks of supplemental unemployment benefits , aid for small business , nutrition , housing , education and the other important provisions in this bill .
We need adequate funding to address the unprecedented crises that we face .
We should not and can not and must not take from Peter to pay Paul .
We can not cut on unemployment benefits in order to help small business .
We have got to do it all , right now .
AMY GOODMAN @ @ @ @ @ @ @ on the floor of the Senate .
He wore his mask throughout his speech .
Next up , we look at President-elect Joe Biden ’ s climate crisis team , which he announced Saturday .

This is a rush transcript. Copy may not be in its final form.
AMY GOODMAN: The House could be voting as soon as today on a new $900 billion coronavirus aid package, after a deal was reached by congressional leaders Sunday. While the legislative text has not yet been released, the package is expected to include $600 relief checks for qualified adults and children and a temporary $300 increase in weekly unemployment benefits. The bill is expected to extend a CDC moratorium on evictions until January 31st.
Many economists say a far larger stimulus package is needed to address the nation’s economic crisis. Last week, 885,000 people filed new claims for unemployment benefits — the highest weekly level in three months. Meanwhile, a new study shows at least 8 million Americans have been pushed into poverty since summer.
On Friday, Senator Bernie Sanders of Vermont spoke from the floor of the Senate and decried the aid deal as, quote, “totally inadequate.” He called for $1,200 emergency checks for every working-class adult and $500 per child.
SEN. BERNIE SANDERS: This country faces the worst set of public health and economic crises that we have faced in over a hundred years. As a result of the pandemic, more people are becoming infected than ever before, right now. Hospitalization is higher than it has ever been before, right now. And more people are dying than ever before, literally day after day.
Now, we all hope and pray that the new vaccine will be distributed as quickly as possible and that it will put an end to this nightmare. But today, the truth is that millions of low-income and middle-class families are suffering in a way that they have not suffered since the Great Depression of the ’30s.
Today, the reality is that over half of our workers are living paycheck to paycheck, trying to survive on a starvation wage of 10 or 12 bucks an hour. The reality is that millions of our senior citizens are trapped in their homes, unable to see their kids or their grandchildren, unable to go to a grocery store, and many of them are trying to get by on $12,000, $14,000 a year Social Security, and scared that they may come down with the virus and die. In addition, millions more with disabilities are suffering. Further, in our country today, one out of four workers are either unemployed or make less than $20,000 a year.
And in the midst of this pandemic, because we are the only major country on Earth not to guarantee healthcare to all people as a right, in the midst of this pandemic, worst healthcare crisis in a hundred years, over 90 million Americans are uninsured or underinsured and unable to go to a doctor when they need to.
Further, we have the worst eviction crisis in modern history, some 30 million families worried that because they cannot pay their rent, they may end up out on the street.
That is, Mr. President, where we are today economically. And if this country means anything, if democracy means anything, if the U.S. government means anything, it means that we cannot turn our backs on this suffering — not in Vermont, not in Wisconsin, not in New York, not in any state in this country, where people are hurting in an unprecedented way. …
Mr. President, members of Congress should also be aware that we are far behind other major countries in terms of protecting working families during this pandemic. Not only does every other wealthy country guarantee healthcare to all people as a human right, almost all of them are providing far more generous benefits to the unemployed and the struggling in their countries than we are doing in our country.
Mr. President, several months — Madam President, sorry — Madam President, several months ago I introduced legislation, along with Senator Kamala Harris, now our vice president-elect, and Senator Markey, that would during the course of this economic crisis provide $2,000 a month — $2,000 a month — to every working-class person in this country. And frankly, that is exactly what we should be doing. But, unfortunately, given the conservative nature of the Senate, I understand that is not going to happen.
Yet, at a time of massive wealth and income inequality, as Senator Schumer just indicated, at a time when huge corporations were making record-breaking profits, the Republican leadership here in the Senate was able to provide over a trillion dollars in tax breaks to the 1% and large corporations.
Yes, at a time when climate change — yes, climate change is real — at a time when climate change threatens the entire planet, this Congress was able to provide hundreds of billions of dollars in corporate welfare to the oil companies and the gas companies and the coal companies who are exacerbating the climate crisis.
Yes, just the other day, here in the Senate and in the House, legislation was passed which would provide $740 billion to the military, the largest military budget in history, more than the next 10 nations combined. We spend more on the military than the next 10 nations combined.
So, we could do all of those things — tax breaks for billionaires, massive corporate welfare, huge military expenditures — but in the midst of the worst economic meltdown since the Great Depression, somehow Congress is unable to respond effectively to the needs of working families. …
Madam President, as a result of the pandemic, the government told restaurants and bars, retail stores, movie theaters, schools, malls, small businesses all over this country, “Shut your doors. It is too dangerous for you to be open now.” And they did that because that is what the public health experts said was the right thing to do in order to control this horrific pandemic.
But what the government has not done, Madam President, is to provide the workers who lost their jobs and lost their incomes as a result of those shutdowns with the help that they need in order to pay their bills and to survive economically.
The $600 a week in supplemental unemployment benefits that Congress passed unanimously in March expired in July — over five months ago. And during that time, the Republican Senate has done nothing to help working families pay their rent, feed their children, go to a doctor or pay for the life-saving prescription drugs they need. And the Senate has not done anywhere near enough to provide help for the struggling small businesses, in Vermont and all across this country, who are desperately trying to stay afloat.
Further, Madam President, as bad as the economy has been in general, it has been far worse for African Americans and Latinos. During the pandemic, nearly 60% of Latino families and 55% of African American families have either experienced a job loss or a cut in pay.
Madam President, for nine months, we have asked tens of millions of working people in this country to survive on one $1,200 check — with no help for healthcare, no support for hazard pay, no assistance for rent relief. Absolutely nothing.
Meanwhile, Madam President, I should mention that over this same nine-month period, 651 billionaires in the United States became over a trillion dollars richer.
A trillion dollars in increased wealth for the very richest people in our country. One $1,200 check for tens of millions of Americans desperately trying to survive. That is unconscionable. That is immoral. And that has got to change. …
Madam President, in my view, the $348 billion in new money, that is included in the proposal now being discussed, is totally inadequate, given the nature of the unprecedented crises that we face. The American people cannot wait any longer. They need economic relief right now. Their kids are going hungry. They are being evicted from their homes. They can’t go to the doctor. They need help, and they need it now. Every working-class American needs $1,200, at least, $2,400 for couples and $500 for children.
And let me be clear, to emphasize a point that Senator Schumer made. And that is, what I am talking about now is money that must not be taken from other important priorities, like 16 weeks of supplemental unemployment benefits, aid for small business, nutrition, housing, education and the other important provisions in this bill. We need adequate funding to address the unprecedented crises that we face. We should not and cannot and must not take from Peter to pay Paul. We cannot cut on unemployment benefits in order to help small business. We have got to do it all, right now.
AMY GOODMAN: Senator Bernie Sanders, speaking Friday on the floor of the Senate. He wore his mask throughout his speech.
Next up, we look at President-elect Joe Biden’s climate crisis team, which he announced Saturday.


democracynow--2020-12-21--Headlines for December 21, 2020

Headlines for December 21, 2020

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Back in the U.S., a new watchdog report finds New York police officers used excessive force and were unprepared to respond to racial justice protests that rose up this summer following the police killing of George Floyd. Over 2,000 people were arrested at protests in May and June as a stream of reports and videos of police violence circulated online. This the New York City Department of Investigation Commissioner Margaret Garnett.
Margaret Garnett: “Tactics, which included encirclement, also known as kettling; mass arrests; baton and pepper spray use and other tactics, reflected a failure to calibrate an appropriate balance between valid public safety or officer safety interests and the rights of protesters to assemble and to express their views.”
In related news, a Boston police sergeant has been put on leave as an investigation is carried out into abuses during Black Lives Matter protests in Boston. The media outlet The Appeal last week published a report and bodycam footage showing police officers used excessive force on demonstrators, including liberal use of pepper spray, and boasted about attacking protesters.


democracynow--2020-12-22--Trump Plots to Overturn Election: An Attack on Democracy or a Scheme to Make Millions for Himself?

This is a rush transcript .
Copy may not be in its final form .
AMY GOODMAN : This is Democracy Now !
, democracynow.org , The Quarantine Report .
I ’ m Amy Goodman , with Juan González .
As President Trump continues to look for ways to overturn the 2020 election , he ’ s also continued to raise massive sums of money — over half a billion dollars since mid-October , including more than $ 250 million since Election Day alone .
Trump ’ s largest single days for online donations actually came after Election Day .
@ @ @ @ @ @ @ $ 750,000 per hour .
The New York Times reports that more than $ 60 million of the money he ’ s raised has gone to a new political action committee that Trump will control after he leaves office .
For a sense of the scale , this is about as much money as Trump spent to win the Republican presidential nomination in 2016 .
The Times report opens , quote , “ Donald J. Trump will exit the White House as a private citizen next month perched atop a pile of campaign @ @ @ @ @ @ @ and with few legal limits on how he can spend it.
” The Times also documents how Trump ’ s new PAC , called Save America , has actually been receiving nearly all of the money he gathered from supporters who donated to what was billed as a Georgia election fund to fight the two runoff Senate races there .
Neither Republican senator on the ballot will get the money .
Will Trump use the money to pay off his massive $ 420 million debt or to fund a potential 2024 run ?
@ @ @ @ @ @ @ Fischer , director of federal reform at Campaign Legal Center .
He ’ s been closely following the money Trump has been raising since the election .
Welcome to Democracy Now !
This is an astounding story .
For people who are looking at what he ’ s doing and saying , I mean , is it total madness , as he continues to allege electoral fraud , taking case after case to federal courts and the Supreme Court , as — what ?
— close to 50 cases have been thrown out @ @ @ @ @ @ @ are saying no to him .
He won ’ t accept it .
Is this madness ?
Or is it that every time he does this , he has another incentive and fundraising letter to say , “ Let ’ s fight the fraud , ” though , ultimately , that money goes into his pocket , Brendan Fischer ?
BRENDAN FISCHER : That ’ s right .
I think it ’ s fair to say that this is entirely unprecedented .
You know , typically , after a president leaves office , @ @ @ @ @ @ @ begins to focus on writing his memoirs , setting up his presidential library .
But Trump has been on a fundraising tear since Election Day , asking for donations to an election defense fund or to support the Senate races in Georgia .
But most of every donation has instead gone to his new leadership PAC , Save America .
And Save America is not financing any of Trump ’ s post-election litigation .
It is not financing the Senate races in Georgia .
Instead , it ’ s a loosely regulated political @ @ @ @ @ @ @ he leaves the White House to retain influence in the Republican Party and also to potentially benefit himself and his family financially .
JUAN GONZÁLEZ : Well , could you talk about that , the potentially benefiting himself and his family ?
Because most people are not aware that when you have campaign cash — first of all , he has not declared himself a candidate , so that if he did , he would have to then — he would then have to have more restrictions on how he could use money @ @ @ @ @ @ @ potential ways that he could directly benefit , that this could become the ultimate grift here , on his way out the door ?
BRENDAN FISCHER : Yeah .
Well , so , first of all , it might be helpful to define just what a leadership PAC is .
A leadership PAC is effectively a second pot of money , separate and apart from a candidate ’ s own campaign funds .
A leadership PAC is supposed to be used to support other candidates , but very often they are used as @ @ @ @ @ @ @ re loosely regulated .
The key distinction between Trump ’ s campaign funds and the funds held in Save America are that Trump campaign funds can not be used for personal expenses , but the Federal Election Commission has not interpreted that personal use ban to apply to a candidate ’ s leadership PAC , which opens up all sorts of different ways that Trump could potentially use his leadership PAC funds to benefit himself or his family financially .
He could pay himself a salary .
He could put Tiffany Trump on @ @ @ @ @ @ @ copies of Don Jr. ’ s book to put it on the New York Times best-seller list .
He could rent out entire floors at Trump Hotel .
There are really very few limits as far as the way that the FEC has interpreted this law .
JUAN GONZÁLEZ : And what about Trump ’ s MAGA PAC ?
BRENDAN FISCHER : So , Trump ’ s MAGA PAC is really the fundraising vehicle for Save America .
So , the flurry of fundraising appeals that have gone out since Election Day , @ @ @ @ @ @ @ defense fund or asking for donations to support the Senate races in Georgia , are actually going to Trump MAGA PAC .
And when you read the small print on the fundraising appeals , it shows that every donation to Trump MAGA PAC is then reallocated .
At this point , 75 % of every donation that you give in response to a Trump fundraising appeal is going to be allocated to Save America , and 25 % to the RNC .
But for the first week after the election , most of @ @ @ @ @ @ @ routed towards Trump ’ s 2020 debt retirement .
And then , after Trump set up Save America , now most of every donation goes to finance Save America .
AMY GOODMAN : So , this is President Trump ’ s former personal attorney and fixer Michael Cohen speaking to MSNBC after the explosive New York Times article on Trump ’ s taxes broke .
AMY GOODMAN : So , he can either find a corrupt foreign entity , as Michael Cohen says , or he can just send out these fundraising letters @ @ @ @ @ @ @ and raise the money he needs .
He leaves , when he is no longer president , also presidential immunity , leaving himself open also to lawsuits , which might explain some of these astounding meetings he ’ s having at the White House right now , back with , for example , Sidney Powell , who they just forced out because of her outrageousness and unfounded conspiracy voter claims , possibly talking about making her some kind of special counsel on electoral fraud , but also talking with people like the man @ @ @ @ @ @ @ Michael Flynn , talking — he ’ s pushing for martial law , so that Trump doesn ’ t have to leave office .
Can you explain what happens after he leaves and what kind of accountability there is for the money , and what needs to be done to change the entire system ?
Because it ’ s not only President Trump that could take advantage of this .
BRENDAN FISCHER : Yeah , you know , and the phenomenon of scam PACs are not entirely new .
There is an entire @ @ @ @ @ @ @ incredibly misleading fundraising appeals to ask people to donate money that is not actually going towards the purposes for which people donate .
But it ’ s rare to see such misleading appeals coming from a candidate , much less the incumbent president .
You know , campaign finance law really does not look at the veracity of fundraising appeals .
Where there could be some movement is with the FEC and extending the ban on the personal use of campaign funds to leadership PACs .
We have a pending rule-making petition with @ @ @ @ @ @ @ that a candidate or a politician , like Trump , can not convert leadership PAC funds to his own personal use .
JUAN GONZÁLEZ : There ’ s one Trump donor , the North Carolina businessman Fredric Eshelman , who sued the campaign to recover his $ 2.5 million donation , citing , quote , “ disappointing results ” in these lawsuits .
Do you think there might be other such lawsuits ?
And do they have any chance of winning ?
BRENDAN FISCHER : Yeah , so that lawsuit actually pertains to @ @ @ @ @ @ @ , which also took money from Eshelman — or , which took money from Eshelman with promises to try and overturn the election results , and , of course , failed .
You know , I think a distinction between where a lot of the money is coming from for Trump ’ s leadership PAC and Eshelman is that a lot of the money for Trump is coming from small donors , from people who may not have the resources to sue Trump or to really even identify that their money is being @ @ @ @ @ @ @ that ’ s part of what ’ s unique about this , because , typically , candidates have an incentive to maintain a level of trust with their supporters .
They might use inflammatory fundraising appeals , but they want to — BRENDAN FISCHER : — maintain a level of trust so people keep giving .
You know , of course , Trump is the person who said he could shoot somebody on 5th Avenue and still maintain a level of support .
And this post-election fundraising might just be the political version @ @ @ @ @ @ @ want to thank you , Brendan Fischer , director of federal reform at Campaign Legal Center .
I ’ m Amy Goodman , with Juan González .
Stay safe .
Wear a mask .

This is a rush transcript. Copy may not be in its final form.
AMY GOODMAN: This is Democracy Now!, democracynow.org, The Quarantine Report. I’m Amy Goodman, with Juan González.
As President Trump continues to look for ways to overturn the 2020 election, he’s also continued to raise massive sums of money — over half a billion dollars since mid-October, including more than $250 million since Election Day alone. Trump’s largest single days for online donations actually came after Election Day. On November 6th, he raised nearly $750,000 per hour.
The New York Times reports that more than $60 million of the money he’s raised has gone to a new political action committee that Trump will control after he leaves office. For a sense of the scale, this is about as much money as Trump spent to win the Republican presidential nomination in 2016.
The Times report opens, quote, “Donald J. Trump will exit the White House as a private citizen next month perched atop a pile of campaign cash unheard-of for an outgoing president, and with few legal limits on how he can spend it.” The Times also documents how Trump’s new PAC, called Save America, has actually been receiving nearly all of the money he gathered from supporters who donated to what was billed as a Georgia election fund to fight the two runoff Senate races there. Neither Republican senator on the ballot will get the money. Will Trump use the money to pay off his massive $420 million debt or to fund a potential 2024 run?
For more, we go to Brendan Fischer, director of federal reform at Campaign Legal Center. He’s been closely following the money Trump has been raising since the election.
Welcome to Democracy Now! This is an astounding story. For people who are looking at what he’s doing and saying, I mean, is it total madness, as he continues to allege electoral fraud, taking case after case to federal courts and the Supreme Court, as — what? — close to 50 cases have been thrown out of court? Even the Trump-allied judges are saying no to him. He won’t accept it. Is this madness? Or is it that every time he does this, he has another incentive and fundraising letter to say, “Let’s fight the fraud,” though, ultimately, that money goes into his pocket, Brendan Fischer?
BRENDAN FISCHER: That’s right. I think it’s fair to say that this is entirely unprecedented. You know, typically, after a president leaves office, he fades into the background. He begins to focus on writing his memoirs, setting up his presidential library. But Trump has been on a fundraising tear since Election Day, asking for donations to an election defense fund or to support the Senate races in Georgia.
But most of every donation has instead gone to his new leadership PAC, Save America. And Save America is not financing any of Trump’s post-election litigation. It is not financing the Senate races in Georgia. Instead, it’s a loosely regulated political vehicle that Trump can tap into after he leaves the White House to retain influence in the Republican Party and also to potentially benefit himself and his family financially.
JUAN GONZÁLEZ: Well, could you talk about that, the potentially benefiting himself and his family? Because most people are not aware that when you have campaign cash — first of all, he has not declared himself a candidate, so that if he did, he would have to then — he would then have to have more restrictions on how he could use money. But could you talk about the potential ways that he could directly benefit, that this could become the ultimate grift here, on his way out the door?
BRENDAN FISCHER: Yeah. Well, so, first of all, it might be helpful to define just what a leadership PAC is. A leadership PAC is effectively a second pot of money, separate and apart from a candidate’s own campaign funds. A leadership PAC is supposed to be used to support other candidates, but very often they are used as a slush fund, because they’re loosely regulated.
The key distinction between Trump’s campaign funds and the funds held in Save America are that Trump campaign funds cannot be used for personal expenses, but the Federal Election Commission has not interpreted that personal use ban to apply to a candidate’s leadership PAC, which opens up all sorts of different ways that Trump could potentially use his leadership PAC funds to benefit himself or his family financially. He could pay himself a salary. He could put Tiffany Trump on the payroll. He could buy enough copies of Don Jr.’s book to put it on the New York Times best-seller list. He could rent out entire floors at Trump Hotel. There are really very few limits as far as the way that the FEC has interpreted this law.
JUAN GONZÁLEZ: And what about Trump’s MAGA PAC?
BRENDAN FISCHER: So, Trump’s MAGA PAC is really the fundraising vehicle for Save America. So, the flurry of fundraising appeals that have gone out since Election Day, asking for donations to a nonexistent election defense fund or asking for donations to support the Senate races in Georgia, are actually going to Trump MAGA PAC. And when you read the small print on the fundraising appeals, it shows that every donation to Trump MAGA PAC is then reallocated. At this point, 75% of every donation that you give in response to a Trump fundraising appeal is going to be allocated to Save America, and 25% to the RNC. But for the first week after the election, most of every small donation was going to be routed towards Trump’s 2020 debt retirement. And then, after Trump set up Save America, now most of every donation goes to finance Save America.
AMY GOODMAN: So, this is President Trump’s former personal attorney and fixer Michael Cohen speaking to MSNBC after the explosive New York Times article on Trump’s taxes broke.
MICHAEL COHEN: I think what’s really bothering him the most, though, is that Trump has over $420 million in outstanding loans that are coming due. Now, in the event that there is a potential tax liability for the time period that they’re talking about, I mean, it could be hundreds and hundreds of millions of dollars. If you add those together, I mean, he’s very — I mean, very realistically facing a potential bankruptcy. … He’ll find some corrupt foreign entity to help him out of the situation.
AMY GOODMAN: So, he can either find a corrupt foreign entity, as Michael Cohen says, or he can just send out these fundraising letters, sometimes a number a day, and raise the money he needs. He leaves, when he is no longer president, also presidential immunity, leaving himself open also to lawsuits, which might explain some of these astounding meetings he’s having at the White House right now, back with, for example, Sidney Powell, who they just forced out because of her outrageousness and unfounded conspiracy voter claims, possibly talking about making her some kind of special counsel on electoral fraud, but also talking with people like the man he just pardoned, the general, Michael Flynn, talking — he’s pushing for martial law, so that Trump doesn’t have to leave office. Can you explain what happens after he leaves and what kind of accountability there is for the money, and what needs to be done to change the entire system? Because it’s not only President Trump that could take advantage of this.
BRENDAN FISCHER: Yeah, you know, and the phenomenon of scam PACs are not entirely new. There is an entire bipartisan industry of shady political operators using incredibly misleading fundraising appeals to ask people to donate money that is not actually going towards the purposes for which people donate. But it’s rare to see such misleading appeals coming from a candidate, much less the incumbent president. You know, campaign finance law really does not look at the veracity of fundraising appeals.
Where there could be some movement is with the FEC and extending the ban on the personal use of campaign funds to leadership PACs. We have a pending rule-making petition with the FEC, asking it to clarify that a candidate or a politician, like Trump, cannot convert leadership PAC funds to his own personal use.
JUAN GONZÁLEZ: There’s one Trump donor, the North Carolina businessman Fredric Eshelman, who sued the campaign to recover his $2.5 million donation, citing, quote, “disappointing results” in these lawsuits. Do you think there might be other such lawsuits? And do they have any chance of winning?
BRENDAN FISCHER: Yeah, so that lawsuit actually pertains to a separate group, True the Vote, which also took money from Eshelman — or, which took money from Eshelman with promises to try and overturn the election results, and, of course, failed.
You know, I think a distinction between where a lot of the money is coming from for Trump’s leadership PAC and Eshelman is that a lot of the money for Trump is coming from small donors, from people who may not have the resources to sue Trump or to really even identify that their money is being misused. And again, I think that’s part of what’s unique about this, because, typically, candidates have an incentive to maintain a level of trust with their supporters. They might use inflammatory fundraising appeals, but they want to —
AMY GOODMAN: Five seconds.
BRENDAN FISCHER: — maintain a level of trust so people keep giving. You know, of course, Trump is the person who said he could shoot somebody on 5th Avenue and still maintain a level of support. And this post-election fundraising might just be the political version of that.
AMY GOODMAN: We want to thank you, Brendan Fischer, director of federal reform at Campaign Legal Center. I’m Amy Goodman, with Juan González. Stay safe. Wear a mask.


democracynow--2020-12-22--Black Critical Care Dr. Taison Bell of UVA on Fighting COVID, Racism & Securing Fair Vaccine Access

This is a rush transcript .
Copy may not be in its final form .
AMY GOODMAN : This is Democracy Now !
I ’ m Amy Goodman , with Juan González .
The number of nations banning travel from the United Kingdom continues to grow in response to the new , highly infectious variant of the coronavirus British health officials announced over the weekend , throwing much of Britain into strict lockdown .
South Africa has detected a similar variant .
More than 40 countries have temporarily suspended some or all travel from the U.K. , including Canada , @ @ @ @ @ @ @ Kong .
The United States has not announced a travel ban with either England or South Africa .
On Monday , Washington state Governor Jay Inslee announced his state would require those arriving from either country to quarantine for 14 days upon arrival .
British officials claim the new variant could be 70 % more contagious but is not thought to be more deadly .
Many scientists are skeptical of the claim , which has not been peer-reviewed .
Experts also say it ’ s possible the coronavirus variant didn ’ t develop @ @ @ @ @ @ @ detected there first because of Britain ’ s extensive monitoring system and giving it to an international database , thousands of the code , so that other countries — of the genetic sequence — could analyze what they have .
The United States doesn ’ t share that kind of information as widely .
On Tuesday , BioNTech CEO Ugur Sahin said he was confident the COVID-19 vaccine would work on the new variant .
AMY GOODMAN : This comes as the United States recorded more than 200,000 new coronavirus cases Monday , @ @ @ @ @ @ @ hit another world record high , topping 115,000 , and 16 states recorded a record number of new deaths .
For more , we ’ re joined in Charlottesville , Virginia , by Dr. Taison Bell , a critical care and infectious disease physician at the University of Virginia who received the Pfizer-BioNTech COVID-19 vaccine earlier this month .
Dr. Bell , welcome to Democracy Now !
We ’ re talking global , but let ’ s go right to the molecular and just personal level .
How did it feel to get @ @ @ @ @ @ @ ?
And why did you decide to be among the first to get this ?
Dr. Bell , can you hear me ?
AMY GOODMAN : Oh , can you talk about your own experience in getting the vaccine , and how it felt ?
DR. TAISON BELL : Oh , sure .
I received the vaccine last Tuesday and just had a little bit of injection site pain initially , but then , right after that , a little bit of arm soreness , which has been commonly reported .
But the @ @ @ @ @ @ @ and have no symptoms whatsoever .
Important to point out that a lot of people who did have some of the other symptoms , like maybe low-grade temperature or fever or chills , it was after the second dose .
So , after that second dose , we ’ ll see .
But so far , so good .
JUAN GONZÁLEZ : Could you address some of the issues that have been raised about reported side effects ?
Should people be concerned about issues like Bell ’ s palsy or allergies ?
Is @ @ @ @ @ @ @ allergies in reaction to a previous vaccination ?
DR. TAISON BELL : Yeah , that ’ s a good question .
Now , to address the issue of Bell ’ s palsy , there was a numerical difference in the number of patients who had Bell ’ s palsy in the clinical trial — I believe it was four — in the Pfizer trial , in who got the vaccine , compared to zero , who did not .
Now , what confuses that is that there ’ s a baseline rate of @ @ @ @ @ @ @ just without a trial happening in the first place , and the numbers kind of match up with those numbers .
So it ’ s hard to tell whether it was due to the vaccine itself or not .
At this point , it doesn ’ t seem to be a signal there , but we ’ ll get more data as it goes on .
The issue with allergy is a little more nuanced .
So , we have seen the reports of people in the U.K. and in Alaska who had @ @ @ @ @ @ @ are severe reactions to the vaccine .
Now , the recommendation is to only not receive the vaccine if you have a history of severe allergies to one of the known components of the vaccine itself .
So , Pfizer lists their 10 components in the vaccine ; Moderna has their list , as well .
Most of these are things like salts , sugars and fats to keep the mRNA molecule stable .
There ’ s a stabilizing molecule called polyethylene glycol that allergists think could be potentially responsible for these severe @ @ @ @ @ @ @ purposes , unless you have those reactions , the recommendation is to go ahead and get the vaccine , but if you do have a history of severe allergic reactions , to just wait a little bit longer than the usual 15 minutes and wait 30 minutes after the injection to make sure that you don ’ t have these allergic symptoms .
In all these cases , the workers were in that monitoring period and were able to receive the treatment that they needed .
JUAN GONZÁLEZ : And could you talk @ @ @ @ @ @ @ and specifically the priorities recommended by the CDC in terms of who should get it ?
Because , obviously , especially after the — even within the first group of frontline healthcare providers , there ’ s a lot of leeway there .
I mean , for instance , we ’ ve all seen how Sanjay Gupta of CNN , a surgeon and a journalist , got a shot in the first week , even though he does not directly deal with COVID patients , as being a surgeon .
So , even @ @ @ @ @ @ @ people who are actually frontline and those who are in other fields or administrative .
And then , when you get to the second priorities , the first responders and people over 75 , among the first responders , there ’ s huge variety .
You could be a police captain or a deputy inspector , who never comes in much contact with the public , versus a beat cop , who might regularly come in contact , not only with people he has to arrest , but homeless people and others .
@ @ @ @ @ @ @ — how a locality determines which people within the priority group should get the vaccine first ?
DR. TAISON BELL : Well , that is a difficult question , but I think what we should focus on is an equity distribution , so equitable lens and thinking about who are our highest-risk providers , initially , who are providing frontline COVID care , and then hospital workers in those communities that are also at high risk for encountering people with COVID-19 .
Now , we have an example recently that Meharry Medical College @ @ @ @ @ @ @ , were skipped over for the initial Pfizer vaccine shipments .
Now , Meharry Medical College is the nation ’ s largest private , historically Black academic sciences center .
They have been leading on the front for combating COVID-19 , and their workers are extremely high-risk .
Now , not only that , their president and CEO , Dr. James Hildreth , is on the advisory committee to the FDA that initially reviewed and approved the vaccine .
There is no way that they should have been skipped over in initial shipment @ @ @ @ @ @ @ plan actually focused on larger institutions like Vanderbilt but left out smaller institutions like Meharry and saved them for the Moderna vaccine .
And Dr. Hildreth actually had to get doses of the Pfizer vaccine from a separate hospital system .
Now , if we think about this through an equity lens , we need to think about places like Meharry initially and change the conversation from “ Should we distribute early vaccine to places like this that are extremely high-risk , that serve a higher-risk community ?
” It ’ s not @ @ @ @ @ @ @ “ We need to distribute to places like this , and how do we overcome the hurdles if there are logistical ones there ?
” So , if places like Meharry can struggle and be left out , then any facilities that serve Black and Brown communities is at risk .
And that ’ s why we have to change our focus and think about equitable distribution .
AMY GOODMAN : If you can talk , Dr. Bell , about the reports of the mutation of this virus ?
It is not a @ @ @ @ @ @ @ .
It looks like Britain is being basically shut off from Europe right now , with this reported variant that could be up to 70 % effective , or maybe it ’ s just so well documented because they ’ re sharing these gene sequences with the world through an international database , that the U.S. has not contributed to very much , so we don ’ t know as much about what ’ s happening in this country .
But the significance of both Britain , also South Africa , and what @ @ @ @ @ @ @ BioNTech says that they have taken into consideration these various variants , and it will be covered by the vaccine , for example , that you took , Dr. Bell ?
DR. TAISON BELL : Exactly .
So , the variant that ’ s been circulating is a relatively recent discovery but was thought to have occurred beginning in September in the southern part of the U.K. And now we have seen that it has become one of the more dominant species or dominant variants of the vaccine — or , the virus @ @ @ @ @ @ @ important to remember is that mutations will naturally happen in the course of a virus that ’ s in the community and circulating .
And luckily for us , the coronavirus actually does not mutate at the same rate of viruses like influenza or HIV , which is a good thing .
So it ’ s not expected to have these changes and variants in the community .
Now , the researchers who came up with the vaccine knew this , of course , and planned for it .
So , the spike @ @ @ @ @ @ @ the protein that is training our immune system to make antibodies against the coronavirus , it ’ s actually a complex , three-dimensional structure , and our immune system generates antibodies at different parts of it .
So , for instance , if you were to go outside and see a baby , and then you come back later and see that the baby is asleep , you still recognize it as the same baby even if his eyes are closed or there ’ s a blanket over it .
There are different @ @ @ @ @ @ @ is .
And likewise , the immune system has to figure out if something is a friend or foe .
So , even if one part of that mutation is a little bit different , you have other antibodies to recognize it , and you can still recognize whether something is a friend or foe .
Now , down the road , is there that possibility that there are so many changes that the protein might change enough that we might have to update that vaccine ?
You know , sure , that @ @ @ @ @ @ @ re not sure if that ’ s going to be the case .
But if that were to happen , the scientists are already on it , and they have a plan to update it if they need to .
So I think the main thing to think about with this variant is that it does appear to be more transmissible .
And that means our public health practices are going to have to be even more important , like social distancing , wearing a mask , washing your hands , avoiding tight-packed @ @ @ @ @ @ @ the vaccine should still work at this point .
JUAN GONZÁLEZ : And , Dr. Bell , I ’ m wondering if you could talk about what the past nine months have been like for you .
You ’ ve been overseeing the COVID-19 care unit at the University of Virginia .
And personally and politically , what kind of toll has this taken on you , as you ’ ve been dealing with this day in and day out ?
DR. TAISON BELL : I think , you know , I could @ @ @ @ @ @ @ ’ s been a personal hell .
You know , there ’ s no other way to describe it .
This is a disease that has ravaged the community and has affected every part of our lives .
And no one person has been spared , whether it ’ s been you contracted COVID yourself , you ’ re taking care of COVID workers , you have family members or colleagues or friends who have contracted COVID-19 , or you ’ re being affected by the shutdowns and the turndown in the economy @ @ @ @ @ @ @ ’ re all dealing with this in some form or fashion .
And it ’ s disproportionately affecting the Black and Brown communities , so people that I know and I love , and my own family members .
It ’ s absolutely horrendous , what we ’ ve been dealing with .
And that ’ s why it was so important , that moment I received the vaccine , because I felt a little bit of a burden being lifted .
Of course we have a long way to go .
But @ @ @ @ @ @ @ we just have to get to the light at the end of the tunnel .
And there are still some dark days ahead , but we can get there , but it ’ s going to take a big effort and continued vigilance on our part .
AMY GOODMAN : Finally , Dr. Bell , I couldn ’ t help but think , as we learned about the state of Virginia taking down the statue of the Confederate General Robert E. Lee from the U.S. Capitol , from Statuary Hall , and replacing @ @ @ @ @ @ @ Barbara Johns , who organized a student walkout to protest segregated schools in Virginia , who was involved in a lawsuit that became part of the landmark Brown v. Board of Education case — thinking about those kind of statues being tumbled and the kind of work that you ’ re doing .
Your final message , not only to Black Charlottesville — you ’ ve been documenting your own journey along the way — but to people throughout this country and around the world , when it comes to dealing with COVID @ @ @ @ @ @ @ ’ t ?
DR. TAISON BELL : Well , I think that , you know , the symbolism that we put in our society matters .
And , of course , their actions matter , as well .
It ’ s not lost on me that I work at an institution that was founded by a member of society who was highly esteemed but thought that people like me were unworthy of being educated , had disagreeable body odors and were subhuman .
And I walk into an ICU , and I take @ @ @ @ @ @ @ m trying to save lives for the Commonwealth of Virginia .
So , that is not lost on me .
DR. TAISON BELL : I definitely am talking about Thomas Jefferson .
And , you know , what we have to remember is that we have to take down our symbols that are honoring legacies that do not agree with our true nature of American democracy , but we also have to take action and to make sure that our actions speak for our words .
So that means focusing on equitable distribution @ @ @ @ @ @ @ from the outset instead of making them an afterthought .
And it means making sure that we get into these communities and break down the barriers that have historically existed between academia and institutions and the community itself .
This is a chance where we can actually make true partnership with our communities that need us the most , and we have to take that chance and make that opportunity .
AMY GOODMAN : Well , we want to thank you so much , Dr. Taison Bell , critical care and infectious disease @ @ @ @ @ @ @ the Pfizer-BioNTech COVID-19 vaccine earlier this month , joining us from Charlottesville .
Next , we look at how President Trump has raised over half a billion dollars since mid-October as he tries to overturn the election .
How much of that money is going into his own pocket ?
Stay with us .

This is a rush transcript. Copy may not be in its final form.
AMY GOODMAN: This is Democracy Now! I’m Amy Goodman, with Juan González.
The number of nations banning travel from the United Kingdom continues to grow in response to the new, highly infectious variant of the coronavirus British health officials announced over the weekend, throwing much of Britain into strict lockdown. South Africa has detected a similar variant. More than 40 countries have temporarily suspended some or all travel from the U.K., including Canada, Chile, France, Ireland and Hong Kong. The United States has not announced a travel ban with either England or South Africa. On Monday, Washington state Governor Jay Inslee announced his state would require those arriving from either country to quarantine for 14 days upon arrival.
British officials claim the new variant could be 70% more contagious but is not thought to be more deadly. Many scientists are skeptical of the claim, which has not been peer-reviewed. Experts also say it’s possible the coronavirus variant didn’t develop in the United Kingdom but instead was detected there first because of Britain’s extensive monitoring system and giving it to an international database, thousands of the code, so that other countries — of the genetic sequence — could analyze what they have. The United States doesn’t share that kind of information as widely.
On Tuesday, BioNTech CEO Ugur Sahin said he was confident the COVID-19 vaccine would work on the new variant.
UGUR SAHIN: We are going to evaluate that in a test, so we will build this new mutation into our assay system, and we’ll evaluate if the immune response against our vaccine is able to inactivate also this virus variant. We are confident that this will be the case, since in the past we have tested more than 20 virus variants with different type of mutations, and the result was always that the vaccine induces immune response which is so broad and that it attacks multiple, multiple positions in this virus protein.
AMY GOODMAN: This comes as the United States recorded more than 200,000 new coronavirus cases Monday, nearly 2,000 COVID-19 deaths. U.S. hospitalizations hit another world record high, topping 115,000, and 16 states recorded a record number of new deaths.
For more, we’re joined in Charlottesville, Virginia, by Dr. Taison Bell, a critical care and infectious disease physician at the University of Virginia who received the Pfizer-BioNTech COVID-19 vaccine earlier this month.
Dr. Bell, welcome to Democracy Now! We’re talking global, but let’s go right to the molecular and just personal level. How did it feel to get this vaccine? What should people expect? And why did you decide to be among the first to get this? Dr. Bell, can you hear me?
DR. TAISON BELL: I can hear you.
AMY GOODMAN: Oh, can you talk about your own experience in getting the vaccine, and how it felt?
DR. TAISON BELL: Oh, sure. I received the vaccine last Tuesday and just had a little bit of injection site pain initially, but then, right after that, a little bit of arm soreness, which has been commonly reported. But the day following, I felt completely fine and have no symptoms whatsoever. Important to point out that a lot of people who did have some of the other symptoms, like maybe low-grade temperature or fever or chills, it was after the second dose. So, after that second dose, we’ll see. But so far, so good.
JUAN GONZÁLEZ: Could you address some of the issues that have been raised about reported side effects? Should people be concerned about issues like Bell’s palsy or allergies? Is it severe allergies, or is it allergies in reaction to a previous vaccination?
DR. TAISON BELL: Yeah, that’s a good question. Now, to address the issue of Bell’s palsy, there was a numerical difference in the number of patients who had Bell’s palsy in the clinical trial — I believe it was four — in the Pfizer trial, in who got the vaccine, compared to zero, who did not. Now, what confuses that is that there’s a baseline rate of Bell’s palsy in the community just without a trial happening in the first place, and the numbers kind of match up with those numbers. So it’s hard to tell whether it was due to the vaccine itself or not. At this point, it doesn’t seem to be a signal there, but we’ll get more data as it goes on.
The issue with allergy is a little more nuanced. So, we have seen the reports of people in the U.K. and in Alaska who had these anaphylactic or anaphylactic-like reactions, which are severe reactions to the vaccine. Now, the recommendation is to only not receive the vaccine if you have a history of severe allergies to one of the known components of the vaccine itself. So, Pfizer lists their 10 components in the vaccine; Moderna has their list, as well. Most of these are things like salts, sugars and fats to keep the mRNA molecule stable. There’s a stabilizing molecule called polyethylene glycol that allergists think could be potentially responsible for these severe reactions. And for all intents and purposes, unless you have those reactions, the recommendation is to go ahead and get the vaccine, but if you do have a history of severe allergic reactions, to just wait a little bit longer than the usual 15 minutes and wait 30 minutes after the injection to make sure that you don’t have these allergic symptoms. In all these cases, the workers were in that monitoring period and were able to receive the treatment that they needed.
JUAN GONZÁLEZ: And could you talk about the rollout of the vaccine, and specifically the priorities recommended by the CDC in terms of who should get it? Because, obviously, especially after the — even within the first group of frontline healthcare providers, there’s a lot of leeway there. I mean, for instance, we’ve all seen how Sanjay Gupta of CNN, a surgeon and a journalist, got a shot in the first week, even though he does not directly deal with COVID patients, as being a surgeon. So, even within the medical community, there are people who are actually frontline and those who are in other fields or administrative. And then, when you get to the second priorities, the first responders and people over 75, among the first responders, there’s huge variety. You could be a police captain or a deputy inspector, who never comes in much contact with the public, versus a beat cop, who might regularly come in contact, not only with people he has to arrest, but homeless people and others. Could you talk about how you determine — how a locality determines which people within the priority group should get the vaccine first?
DR. TAISON BELL: Well, that is a difficult question, but I think what we should focus on is an equity distribution, so equitable lens and thinking about who are our highest-risk providers, initially, who are providing frontline COVID care, and then hospital workers in those communities that are also at high risk for encountering people with COVID-19.
Now, we have an example recently that Meharry Medical College and their affiliate hospital, Nashville General, were skipped over for the initial Pfizer vaccine shipments. Now, Meharry Medical College is the nation’s largest private, historically Black academic sciences center. They have been leading on the front for combating COVID-19, and their workers are extremely high-risk. Now, not only that, their president and CEO, Dr. James Hildreth, is on the advisory committee to the FDA that initially reviewed and approved the vaccine. There is no way that they should have been skipped over in initial shipment of vaccine. Turns out the state plan actually focused on larger institutions like Vanderbilt but left out smaller institutions like Meharry and saved them for the Moderna vaccine. And Dr. Hildreth actually had to get doses of the Pfizer vaccine from a separate hospital system.
Now, if we think about this through an equity lens, we need to think about places like Meharry initially and change the conversation from “Should we distribute early vaccine to places like this that are extremely high-risk, that serve a higher-risk community?” It’s not “Should we distribute,” but “We need to distribute to places like this, and how do we overcome the hurdles if there are logistical ones there?” So, if places like Meharry can struggle and be left out, then any facilities that serve Black and Brown communities is at risk. And that’s why we have to change our focus and think about equitable distribution.
AMY GOODMAN: If you can talk, Dr. Bell, about the reports of the mutation of this virus? It is not a different strain; it is a variant. It looks like Britain is being basically shut off from Europe right now, with this reported variant that could be up to 70% effective, or maybe it’s just so well documented because they’re sharing these gene sequences with the world through an international database, that the U.S. has not contributed to very much, so we don’t know as much about what’s happening in this country. But the significance of both Britain, also South Africa, and what this means, though the head of BioNTech says that they have taken into consideration these various variants, and it will be covered by the vaccine, for example, that you took, Dr. Bell?
DR. TAISON BELL: Exactly. So, the variant that’s been circulating is a relatively recent discovery but was thought to have occurred beginning in September in the southern part of the U.K. And now we have seen that it has become one of the more dominant species or dominant variants of the vaccine — or, the virus itself.
Now, what’s important to remember is that mutations will naturally happen in the course of a virus that’s in the community and circulating. And luckily for us, the coronavirus actually does not mutate at the same rate of viruses like influenza or HIV, which is a good thing. So it’s not expected to have these changes and variants in the community. Now, the researchers who came up with the vaccine knew this, of course, and planned for it.
So, the spike protein, for instance, which is the protein that is training our immune system to make antibodies against the coronavirus, it’s actually a complex, three-dimensional structure, and our immune system generates antibodies at different parts of it. So, for instance, if you were to go outside and see a baby, and then you come back later and see that the baby is asleep, you still recognize it as the same baby even if his eyes are closed or there’s a blanket over it. There are different ways for you to recognize what something is. And likewise, the immune system has to figure out if something is a friend or foe. So, even if one part of that mutation is a little bit different, you have other antibodies to recognize it, and you can still recognize whether something is a friend or foe.
Now, down the road, is there that possibility that there are so many changes that the protein might change enough that we might have to update that vaccine? You know, sure, that’s a possibility. We’re not sure if that’s going to be the case. But if that were to happen, the scientists are already on it, and they have a plan to update it if they need to.
So I think the main thing to think about with this variant is that it does appear to be more transmissible. And that means our public health practices are going to have to be even more important, like social distancing, wearing a mask, washing your hands, avoiding tight-packed indoor closed spaces. And then, the vaccine should still work at this point.
JUAN GONZÁLEZ: And, Dr. Bell, I’m wondering if you could talk about what the past nine months have been like for you. You’ve been overseeing the COVID-19 care unit at the University of Virginia. And personally and politically, what kind of toll has this taken on you, as you’ve been dealing with this day in and day out?
DR. TAISON BELL: I think, you know, I could join many healthcare workers in saying it’s been a personal hell. You know, there’s no other way to describe it. This is a disease that has ravaged the community and has affected every part of our lives. And no one person has been spared, whether it’s been you contracted COVID yourself, you’re taking care of COVID workers, you have family members or colleagues or friends who have contracted COVID-19, or you’re being affected by the shutdowns and the turndown in the economy or children not in school. We’re all dealing with this in some form or fashion. And it’s disproportionately affecting the Black and Brown communities, so people that I know and I love, and my own family members. It’s absolutely horrendous, what we’ve been dealing with.
And that’s why it was so important, that moment I received the vaccine, because I felt a little bit of a burden being lifted. Of course we have a long way to go. But there’s hope now. And we just have to get to the light at the end of the tunnel. And there are still some dark days ahead, but we can get there, but it’s going to take a big effort and continued vigilance on our part.
AMY GOODMAN: Finally, Dr. Bell, I couldn’t help but think, as we learned about the state of Virginia taking down the statue of the Confederate General Robert E. Lee from the U.S. Capitol, from Statuary Hall, and replacing it by a civil rights pioneer, Barbara Johns, who organized a student walkout to protest segregated schools in Virginia, who was involved in a lawsuit that became part of the landmark Brown v. Board of Education case — thinking about those kind of statues being tumbled and the kind of work that you’re doing. Your final message, not only to Black Charlottesville — you’ve been documenting your own journey along the way — but to people throughout this country and around the world, when it comes to dealing with COVID and who gets treated, who doesn’t?
DR. TAISON BELL: Well, I think that, you know, the symbolism that we put in our society matters. And, of course, their actions matter, as well. It’s not lost on me that I work at an institution that was founded by a member of society who was highly esteemed but thought that people like me were unworthy of being educated, had disagreeable body odors and were subhuman. And I walk into an ICU, and I take care of patients, and I’m trying to save lives for the Commonwealth of Virginia. So, that is not lost on me.
AMY GOODMAN: You’re talking about Thomas Jefferson?
DR. TAISON BELL: I definitely am talking about Thomas Jefferson. And, you know, what we have to remember is that we have to take down our symbols that are honoring legacies that do not agree with our true nature of American democracy, but we also have to take action and to make sure that our actions speak for our words. So that means focusing on equitable distribution, thinking about Black and Brown communities from the outset instead of making them an afterthought. And it means making sure that we get into these communities and break down the barriers that have historically existed between academia and institutions and the community itself. This is a chance where we can actually make true partnership with our communities that need us the most, and we have to take that chance and make that opportunity.
AMY GOODMAN: Well, we want to thank you so much, Dr. Taison Bell, critical care and infectious disease physician at University of Virginia, received the Pfizer-BioNTech COVID-19 vaccine earlier this month, joining us from Charlottesville.
Next, we look at how President Trump has raised over half a billion dollars since mid-October as he tries to overturn the election. How much of that money is going into his own pocket? Stay with us.