democracynow--2020-08-27--"The Games Will Not Go On": Pro Athletes Strike for Black Lives, Bringing Leagues to Grinding Halt

This is a rush transcript .
Copy may not be in its final form .
AMY GOODMAN : This is Democracy Now !
I ’ m Amy Goodman .
In a remarkable development Wednesday , professional basketball , baseball , soccer games came to an unprecedented halt , after Milwaukee Bucks players refused to take to the court for a playoff game against the Orlando Magic in support of Black Lives Matter .
The NBA then canceled all three of Wednesday ’ s playoff games .
Then , on TNT , former basketball star , the sports commentator Kenny Smith @ @ @ @ @ @ @ NBA in solidarity with the protesters .
AMY GOODMAN : You then can ’ t hear him much because he ’ s taken off his microphone , and he walks off the TV set .
The women ’ s WNBA also canceled three games Wednesday after members of the Washington Mystics arrived wearing T-shirts , each with seven holes , symbolizing the seven bullet holes , in the back of their T-shirts , with the fronts of the T-shirts spelling out the name Jacob Blake , each woman wearing a T-shirt with one @ @ @ @ @ @ @ s name .
This is Mystics guard Ariel Atkins .
AMY GOODMAN : Three Major League Baseball games were postponed after players on the Milwaukee Brewers , Seattle Mariners and other teams joined protests .
Mets slugger Dominic Smith kneeled for the national anthem ahead of Wednesday night ’ s game against the Florida Marlins and broke down in tears at a post-game press conference .
Most of Wednesday ’ s Major League Soccer games were postponed .
And the Western & Southern Open tennis tournament suspended matches after tennis superstar Naomi Osaka @ @ @ @ @ @ @ to protest against racial injustice .
For more , we ’ re joined by Dave Zirin , sports editor for The Nation magazine , host of the Edge of Sports podcast .
Welcome to Democracy Now !
This is an amazing moment in this country ’ s history , especially as , interestingly , yesterday , though Vice President Pence — it was talked about that he would condemn athletes for taking the knee .
Forget taking the knee at this point .
Athletes are not taking to the courts .
They ’ @ @ @ @ @ @ @ .
They are boycotting , Dave .
DAVE ZIRIN : Yeah .
It ’ s great to be on with you and talk about what I think is best described as a sports strike wave for racial justice .
It ’ s more than a boycott .
It ’ s them withdrawing their labor and taking money out of the system and saying the games will not go on .
It ’ s not just an example for racial justice protesters around the country .
I think it ’ s a challenge to @ @ @ @ @ @ @ say , if this country is in fact nonfunctioning at the moment — and many believe this is not a functioning country — then labor has to assert itself in this battle and stand up .
And that ’ s exactly what the athletes are doing with this sports strike wave .
AMY GOODMAN : NBC is reporting a group of athletes led by LeBron James are rolling out a multimillion-dollar program in the next few weeks to recruit poll workers in heavily Black electoral districts for the November election , a person @ @ @ @ @ @ @ didn ’ t LeBron walk out of the bubble with others , and they ’ re going to Washington to protest ?
DAVE ZIRIN : Yeah , LeBron is a big part of this story right now , because yesterday all the NBA players had a meeting after the games were canceled inside this bubble , this hermetically sealed bubble down in Orlando , Florida , and the Los Angeles Lakers and the Los Angeles Clippers — and LeBron is on the Lakers — they broke with the rest of the players and @ @ @ @ @ @ @ want the playoffs to continue.
” Now , this could be a negotiating tactic , because they ’ re meeting with the NBA bosses today , the franchise owners .
They ’ re called the franchise governors .
And they ’ re going to be speaking with them about what NBA owners can do to put their billions of dollars towards the cause of racial justice .
And so , there still might be NBA playoffs , but right now LeBron is leading a very radical break from the players as a whole @ @ @ @ @ @ @ NBA .
AMY GOODMAN : So , Dave , as we wrap up right now , just the significance , from the WNBA to the NBA to the much whiter baseball teams — AMY GOODMAN : — all being in solidarity ?
What do you think this means , and for President Trump , who has made it a point at almost every speech to condemn anyone who takes a knee ?
DAVE ZIRIN : Yeah .
For years , the world of sports has been a site of resistance to the racism @ @ @ @ @ @ @ Kaepernick took that knee almost exactly four years ago to the date that the players made this decision .
And this is just another chapter in that story about how the world of sports has been a site of resistance , an invaluable site of resistance , against the depravities of this administration .
AMY GOODMAN : Thank you so much for being with us .
The Milwaukee Bucks read a team statement explaining their decision to boycott their playoff game against the Orlando Magic .
We ’ re going to play just @ @ @ @ @ @ @ point guard George Hill .
DAVE ZIRIN : Just a final comment is that Sterling Brown , who spoke there , has his own lawsuit against the Milwaukee Police Department from when he was tased in 2018 .
So the players are not bystanders to this process .
The players are looking at this world and saying what John Carlos said in 1968 before the Olympics , which is , “ Why should we run in Mexico City only to crawl home ?
” AMY GOODMAN : Dave Zirin , sports editor for @ @ @ @ @ @ @ of Sports podcast , thanks so much .
When we come back , we hear part of Vice President Pence ’ s acceptance address at the Republican National Convention .
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. In a remarkable development Wednesday, professional basketball, baseball, soccer games came to an unprecedented halt, after Milwaukee Bucks players refused to take to the court for a playoff game against the Orlando Magic in support of Black Lives Matter. The NBA then canceled all three of Wednesday’s playoff games. Then, on TNT, former basketball star, the sports commentator Kenny Smith walked off the set of Inside the NBA in solidarity with the protesters.
KENNY SMITH: As a Black man, as a former player, I think it’s best for me to support the players and just not be here tonight, and figure out what happens after that. I just don’t feel equipped to do that.
ERNIE JOHNSON JR.: And I respect that.
AMY GOODMAN: You then can’t hear him much because he’s taken off his microphone, and he walks off the TV set. The women’s WNBA also canceled three games Wednesday after members of the Washington Mystics arrived wearing T-shirts, each with seven holes, symbolizing the seven bullet holes, in the back of their T-shirts, with the fronts of the T-shirts spelling out the name Jacob Blake, each woman wearing a T-shirt with one of the letters of Jacob Blake’s name. This is Mystics guard Ariel Atkins.
ARIEL ATKINS: This isn’t just about basketball. We aren’t just basketball players. And just because we are basketball players doesn’t mean that’s our only platform. We need to understand that when most of us go home, we still are Black.
AMY GOODMAN: Three Major League Baseball games were postponed after players on the Milwaukee Brewers, Seattle Mariners and other teams joined protests. Mets slugger Dominic Smith kneeled for the national anthem ahead of Wednesday night’s game against the Florida Marlins and broke down in tears at a post-game press conference. Most of Wednesday’s Major League Soccer games were postponed. And the Western & Southern Open tennis tournament suspended matches after tennis superstar Naomi Osaka, whose father is Haitian, withdrew to protest against racial injustice.
For more, we’re joined by Dave Zirin, sports editor for The Nation magazine, host of the Edge of Sports podcast.
Welcome to Democracy Now! This is an amazing moment in this country’s history, especially as, interestingly, yesterday, though Vice President Pence — it was talked about that he would condemn athletes for taking the knee. Forget taking the knee at this point. Athletes are not taking to the courts. They’re not going out on the field. They are boycotting, Dave.
DAVE ZIRIN: Yeah. It’s great to be on with you and talk about what I think is best described as a sports strike wave for racial justice. It’s more than a boycott. It’s them withdrawing their labor and taking money out of the system and saying the games will not go on. It’s not just an example for racial justice protesters around the country. I think it’s a challenge to the labor movement as a whole to say, if this country is in fact nonfunctioning at the moment — and many believe this is not a functioning country — then labor has to assert itself in this battle and stand up. And that’s exactly what the athletes are doing with this sports strike wave.
AMY GOODMAN: NBC is reporting a group of athletes led by LeBron James are rolling out a multimillion-dollar program in the next few weeks to recruit poll workers in heavily Black electoral districts for the November election, a person familiar with the plan says. And didn’t LeBron walk out of the bubble with others, and they’re going to Washington to protest?
DAVE ZIRIN: Yeah, LeBron is a big part of this story right now, because yesterday all the NBA players had a meeting after the games were canceled inside this bubble, this hermetically sealed bubble down in Orlando, Florida, and the Los Angeles Lakers and the Los Angeles Clippers — and LeBron is on the Lakers — they broke with the rest of the players and said, “We don’t want the playoffs to continue.” Now, this could be a negotiating tactic, because they’re meeting with the NBA bosses today, the franchise owners. They’re called the franchise governors. And they’re going to be speaking with them about what NBA owners can do to put their billions of dollars towards the cause of racial justice. And so, there still might be NBA playoffs, but right now LeBron is leading a very radical break from the players as a whole to wrest more reforms out of the NBA.
AMY GOODMAN: So, Dave, as we wrap up right now, just the significance, from the WNBA to the NBA to the much whiter baseball teams —
DAVE ZIRIN: Yeah.
AMY GOODMAN: — all being in solidarity? What do you think this means, and for President Trump, who has made it a point at almost every speech to condemn anyone who takes a knee?
DAVE ZIRIN: Yeah. For years, the world of sports has been a site of resistance to the racism of this administration, starting when Colin Kaepernick took that knee almost exactly four years ago to the date that the players made this decision. And this is just another chapter in that story about how the world of sports has been a site of resistance, an invaluable site of resistance, against the depravities of this administration.
AMY GOODMAN: Thank you so much for being with us. The Milwaukee Bucks read a team statement explaining their decision to boycott their playoff game against the Orlando Magic. We’re going to play just a short clip of Sterling Brown and point guard George Hill.
STERLING BROWN: Despite the overwhelming plea for change, there has been no action. So, our focus today cannot be on basketball.
GEORGE HILL: When we take the court and represent Milwaukee and Wisconsin, we are expected to play at a high level, give maximum effort and hold each other accountable. We hold ourselves to that standard. And in this moment, we are demanding the same from lawmakers and law enforcement. We are calling for justice for Jacob Blake and demand the officers be held accountable.
AMY GOODMAN: And, Dave Zirin, your final comment?
DAVE ZIRIN: Just a final comment is that Sterling Brown, who spoke there, has his own lawsuit against the Milwaukee Police Department from when he was tased in 2018. So the players are not bystanders to this process. The players are looking at this world and saying what John Carlos said in 1968 before the Olympics, which is, “Why should we run in Mexico City only to crawl home?”
AMY GOODMAN: Dave Zirin, sports editor for The Nation magazine, host of Edge of Sports podcast, thanks so much.
When we come back, we hear part of Vice President Pence’s acceptance address at the Republican National Convention. Stay with us.


democracynow--2020-08-27--"On a Hunting Spree": Wisc. Rep. David Bowen Says Cops Turned Blind Eye to White Militias in Kenosha

This is a rush transcript .
Copy may not be in its final form .
AMY GOODMAN : We begin today ’ s show in Kenosha , Wisconsin .
The Justice Department says it ’ s launching an independent investigation into the police shooting of unarmed Black man Jacob Blake , whose shooter was identified Wednesday for the first time as white Kenosha police office Rusten Sheskey .
Sheskey shot Blake in the back seven times at point-blank range as he was getting into his car on Sunday — his three children , aged 3 , 5 and [ 8 @ @ @ @ @ @ @ has been left paralyzed from the waist down .
Sheskey has been placed on paid administrative leave and has not been charged with a crime .
The shooting sparked massive protests across the country and in Kenosha , where a white teenager opened fire on Black Lives Matter protesters Tuesday , killing two people .
Seventeen-year-old Kyle Rittenhouse , a self-declared militia member and avid Trump supporter who was spotted front row at one of President Trump ’ s rallies in January , was apprehended in Antioch , Illinois , Wednesday after fleeing @ @ @ @ @ @ @ charged with murder .
On social media , Kyle Rittenhouse posted frequently in support of the pro-police “ Blue Lives Matter ” movement , posed with guns , and appeared in a photo when he was just 15 years old wearing a police uniform as part of a “ Public Safety Cadet Program.
” The shooting victims have been named as 26-year-old Anthony Huber and 36-year-old Joseph Rosenbaum .
Eyewitness videos of Rittenhouse ’ s Tuesday night rampage show a shooter with a long gun falling to the ground and shooting into a @ @ @ @ @ @ @ .
Later videos show police then allowed Rittenhouse to leave the scene even as people attempted to identify him as the shooter .
This is independent videographer Brendan Gutenschwager speaking on CNN .
AMY GOODMAN : This all comes as damning video from earlier in the night show Kenosha police offering armed vigilantes water , as well as supportive words .
AMY GOODMAN : “ We appreciate you guys .
We really do , ” the police said .
At a news conference Wednesday , Kenosha Police Chief Dan Miskinis blamed protesters for @ @ @ @ @ @ @ This all comes as the Republican National Convention wrapped its third night with Vice President Mike Pence calling for law and order in the streets of American cities .
And President Trump tweeted Wednesday he was sending the National Guard to Kenosha .
Well , for more , we go to Milwaukee , Wisconsin , where we ’ re joined by state Representative David Bowen .
He was in Kenosha for the protests .
Welcome to Democracy Now !
It ’ s great to have you with us .
Can you start off @ @ @ @ @ @ @ the streets of Kenosha Tuesday night , the killings took place ?
REP. DAVID BOWEN : Sure .
Thank you for having me on .
And I literally witnessed firsthand a massive amount of organized white supremacists driving around in pickup trucks , targeting protesters .
And they were there not to try to defend businesses , as they make it seem .
They were not there to attempt to get a point across .
They were there to hurt people .
They were armed , and they were using chemical irritants .
@ @ @ @ @ @ @ from the video , it looks like they are in coordination with the Kenosha law enforcement that were there , literally .
We are at this point in this state we ’ re witnessing the unfolding and the unraveling of the point of what we are trying to do in transforming the system , of transforming the way that we institute public safety .
And this is Exhibit A and Exhibit B of why we need to transform law enforcement and public safety in Wisconsin and in this country , for sure .
@ @ @ @ @ @ @ advocating for changing the system only to be harassed and surveillanced and targeted .
They are in this position because they are tired of witnessing that we will end up with a future that is the status quo .
And law enforcement have shown that they are more tied to defending the status quo rather than accepting change .
Lawmakers that I ’ m trying to work with in the state Capitol are refusing to hear the pleas for change from people .
They would rather try to blame and point the finger @ @ @ @ @ @ @ after the fact .
People are focused on really instituting change right now .
AMY GOODMAN : I wanted to play for you Vice President Pence in his acceptance speech , being renominated as vice president by the Republican Party , speaking at Fort McHenry in Baltimore .
AMY GOODMAN : What was amazing from this clip , Vice President Pence made no mention of police brutality or the recent police shootings that have taken place or the murders in Kenosha .
What he did do is talk about a security guard , @ @ @ @ @ @ @ , of the federal security officer David Patrick Underwood , and he introduced his relative in the audience , but failed to mention that Underwood was killed by an Air Force staff sergeant with ties to the far-right “ boogaloo ” movement .
Do you see a connection , David Bowen , between not saying that , when he talked about Oakland , and then , in Kenosha , not talking about Kyle Rittenhouse , the man who ’ s been charged with first-degree murder , 17-year-old , part of the white militia @ @ @ @ @ @ @ Tuesday night ?
REP. DAVID BOWEN : And yeah , this is exactly what we are seeing here in Wisconsin .
When you are not willing to call out police state — police and state-sanctioned violence , you ’ re using your silence to cosign and give a message to these white supremacists that they can go around attacking people .
And you are not about law and order , Vice President Mike Pence .
You are welcoming that violence .
You are cosigning that violence .
Your silence is much louder than @ @ @ @ @ @ @ now , after the fact .
We are really focused right now on transforming the system .
And I know that he talked about not defunding the police , but we clearly can see : What good is law enforcement if they are not keeping track of these groups ?
This identified shooter came across for this active shooter situation — this was a mass shooting .
He came across state borders to come here .
No law enforcement were investigating , were surveillancing , were looking into the whereabouts and the plans @ @ @ @ @ @ @ that they are violent , when they know that they have a history of targeting people .
What good is law enforcement if it ’ s not doing what it ’ s supposed to do ?
AMY GOODMAN : I wanted to play for you , Representative Bowen , the right-wing Fox News TV host Tucker Carlson drawing widespread condemnation after he appeared to justify the actions of the Kenosha shooter .
AMY GOODMAN : Meanwhile , on Twitter , far-right media pundit Ann Coulter said , “ I want him as my @ @ @ @ @ @ @ the shooter .
Representative Bowen ?
REP. DAVID BOWEN : Right .
And unfortunately , it ’ s very clearly showing that Jacob Blake actually was a part of providing public safety that day ; he was then turned into the target and a problem while police showed up to try to make him a problem .
But he was focused on serving and protecting his community , and he was shot in the back seven times , and he may not walk again .
If this is the direction that the extreme @ @ @ @ @ @ @ want to move into , where they are upholding violence and targeting of citizens by these white supremacist groups , clearly , this is exactly where we are as a country .
And it is very unfortunate that talking heads on the right are defending his actions , because , literally , they are cosigning the death and the removal of people that are advocating for Black lives .
And this is where we are .
I ’ m not surprised .
But I must say that people that stand against that must @ @ @ @ @ @ @ involved .
They must be more engaged .
And we can not accept that .
We must get out and make that change , in every aspect of the spectrum of change , whether that ’ s voting , whether that ’ s being involved on the streets , whether that is fighting back .
We can not allow them to win this .
We must be able to make sure that we are transforming the system that they love , that they benefit from .
They want to ensure that things stay @ @ @ @ @ @ @ quo to continue , to be allowed to remove Black bodies from spaces where they feel like that they don ’ t belong .
And that is a system that we are tearing down and we are rebuilding with a new system that will be accountable to Black and Brown people , that will be accountable to the communities that they serve .
AMY GOODMAN : I wanted to turn to the shooter , Kyle Rittenhouse , speaking in Kenosha during the protest , right before the shooting , in a video that @ @ @ @ @ @ @ holds this long gun .
He says he and other militia members don ’ t have nonlethal weapons and are there to defend property .
He ’ s speaking to the far-right media outlet The Daily Caller .
AMY GOODMAN : Not clear actually who he was talking to in that video , but that is Kyle Rittenhouse .
Your response , Representative Bowen ?
REP. DAVID BOWEN : Well , first off , whenever you have a situation where a 17-year-old is crossing state lines , it ’ s illegal for a @ @ @ @ @ @ @ , an assault rifle .
To that degree , you know , we have a problem .
And I think the biggest thing that I can sense right now is for this false claim that there was a defense of property — you don ’ t walk around shooting people away from a property that you supposedly were there to defend , this tire shop , that has ties to this white supremacist movement .
But it ’ s very clear that they were on a hunting spree .
This was not the @ @ @ @ @ @ @ be very clear about that .
I remember , when I first got involved in social change , I went to a KKK rally right here in Milwaukee at the age of about 14 years old .
And we were a part of the opposition to the KKK , to making sure that they knew that they could not come to this rally , they could not come to this city and try to spread their hateful views and would not find the opposition there .
And I remember seeing children with folks @ @ @ @ @ @ @ thinking about how they would take their views and grow up with them .
And this is exactly what I ’ m seeing right now .
He ’ s 17 years old .
He believes in these white supremacist views , and he ’ s using it lethally .
He ’ s using it to hurt other people .
And he ’ s not even being held accountable for it .
He ’ s being handed water .
He ’ s being given the Dylann Roof treatment of — you know , you @ @ @ @ @ @ @ , after you literally take people ’ s lives .
And this is a horrible direction for our country to move into .
And the leaders and the silence by those on the right to be able to cosign this is very dangerous , and it shows that we have a — we need to hold them accountable even more to stop this fascism that we ’ re seeing in our country .
AMY GOODMAN : And , of course , Dylann Roof , the murderer of nine parishioners and their pastor at @ @ @ @ @ @ @ was picked up by police and then taken to Burger King for lunch .
If you could talk about what ’ s going to happen to the police officer ?
It has been quite astounding that day after day we heard nothing from Wisconsin authorities or the local police department talking about what had happened , identifying the white police officer , Sheskey , who shot seven times , point-blank range , into the back of Jacob Blake .
And by the way , for people to know , in reading various Instagram @ @ @ @ @ @ @ Jacob Blake ’ s grandfather is the minister , the pastor , the civil rights leader from Chicago by the same name , Jacob Blake , who led a movement there around desegregating housing at the time of Dr. King being shot in Chicago .
This , I believe , is his grandson .
But the fact that Jacob Blake now lies in a hospital , paralyzed from the waist down , undergoing one operation after another .
We first heard officer Sheskey ’ s name yesterday in the news conference that the @ @ @ @ @ @ @ And we understood that there ’ s two investigations going on .
Apparently , the Department of Justice has opened one , and the Wisconsin attorney general , because that ’ s the law now , after a previous police murder of a young man .
And it says that if in Kenosha a police officer kills someone , that it must be independently investigated .
But then the Kenosha County DA said that he will be the one to decide , once the investigation is done , if there is enough evidence @ @ @ @ @ @ @ right ?
So , the attorney general doesn ’ t — does he then prosecute the case ?
REP. DAVID BOWEN : That is correct .
And that ’ s why state law needs to be changed , so that there can be special prosecutors selected to handle this .
For the Kenosha DA to be able to then handle charges after an independent body does the investigation , there should be an independent prosecutor .
So , unfortunately , that law has not been passed yet .
It is one of the @ @ @ @ @ @ @ past , and I ’ m sure that you will see more of that in the future .
But it ’ s very clear that the Kenosha DA does get the chance to make the decision on prosecuting , the same way that we ’ ve seen other cases .
But we ’ ve seen too many times where the prosecutor does not step up to really hold law enforcement officials accountable , especially when they work closely with them .
AMY GOODMAN : Your response — we ’ re about to talk @ @ @ @ @ @ @ s taking place in professional sports all over the country .
You ’ re from Milwaukee , Representative David Bowen — the Bucks and the Brewers .
Talk about the significance of them refusing to play .
REP. DAVID BOWEN : Well , first off , activism is in the lifeblood of Milwaukee .
It comes in our history .
We have the longest youth march in U.S. history at 200 days .
And that was during the civil rights movement and fair housing fight .
You know , the fact that we @ @ @ @ @ @ @ local teams , that are willing to really stand up and fight for our community and fight for change , literally shows you the difference in where we come from , the difference in how we are all tied together .
Whether you make millions of dollars and you ’ re an athlete , or you ’ re a working-class person right here in the city of Milwaukee , we are all tied together .
And I ’ m so proud to be a Bucks fan .
I ’ m so proud to @ @ @ @ @ @ @ in the athletic and sports world that are saying , “ We need change , and we are going to use our platforms to do it , too .
We ’ re going to use our jobs , our livelihoods to fight for it , too.
” And that ’ s exactly what we need to see .
If we don ’ t get it , we will shut it down .
And that is exactly what they did , and I ’ m proud of them .
AMY GOODMAN : Democratic Wisconsin @ @ @ @ @ @ @ , we look at how professional athletes — basketball , baseball , soccer games came to an unprecedented halt Wednesday , after the Milwaukee Bucks players refused to take the court in support of Black Lives Matter and against the killing of Jacob Blake .
This is Democracy Now !
Back in a minute .
AMY GOODMAN : “ He Ain ’ t Heavy , He ’ s My Brother ” by Jimmy and David Ruffin .
And during that break , we showed the pictures of Jojo Rosenbaum and Anthony Huber , @ @ @ @ @ @ @ in the Black Lives Matter march .
And also we showed images of Jacob Blake laying paralyzed in a hospital bed .

This is a rush transcript. Copy may not be in its final form.
AMY GOODMAN: We begin today’s show in Kenosha, Wisconsin. The Justice Department says it’s launching an independent investigation into the police shooting of unarmed Black man Jacob Blake, whose shooter was identified Wednesday for the first time as white Kenosha police office Rusten Sheskey. Sheskey shot Blake in the back seven times at point-blank range as he was getting into his car on Sunday — his three children, aged 3, 5 and [ 8 ], in the car. He has been left paralyzed from the waist down. Sheskey has been placed on paid administrative leave and has not been charged with a crime.
The shooting sparked massive protests across the country and in Kenosha, where a white teenager opened fire on Black Lives Matter protesters Tuesday, killing two people. Seventeen-year-old Kyle Rittenhouse, a self-declared militia member and avid Trump supporter who was spotted front row at one of President Trump’s rallies in January, was apprehended in Antioch, Illinois, Wednesday after fleeing the state. He’s been charged with murder. On social media, Kyle Rittenhouse posted frequently in support of the pro-police “Blue Lives Matter” movement, posed with guns, and appeared in a photo when he was just 15 years old wearing a police uniform as part of a “Public Safety Cadet Program.” The shooting victims have been named as 26-year-old Anthony Huber and 36-year-old Joseph Rosenbaum.
Eyewitness videos of Rittenhouse’s Tuesday night rampage show a shooter with a long gun falling to the ground and shooting into a crowd as protesters attempt to disarm him. Later videos show police then allowed Rittenhouse to leave the scene even as people attempted to identify him as the shooter. This is independent videographer Brendan Gutenschwager speaking on CNN.
BRENDAN GUTENSCHWAGER: [The shooter just] got up and proceeded to walk towards the line of police, that were there in the BearCat and a couple vehicles. And he basically just walked right up to them, with the gun still out in front of him, and spoke with them for a few seconds. I couldn’t make out what he said. I know that after a few seconds, the cops were not happy with him standing that close. He was literally right outside of the cop car’s doors, which, prior to that, for the past two hours leading up to that, anybody that got that close was getting fired at with tear gas or peppers, bullets or, you know, something like that. And he just basically talked to them. They told him to step away from the vehicle. And he continued walking and took off, basically.
AMY GOODMAN: This all comes as damning video from earlier in the night show Kenosha police offering armed vigilantes water, as well as supportive words.
POLICE OFFICER: We got to save a couple, but we’ll give you a couple. We appreciate you guys. We really do.
ARMED VIGILANTES: Thank you! Thank you!
AMY GOODMAN: “We appreciate you guys. We really do,” the police said.
At a news conference Wednesday, Kenosha Police Chief Dan Miskinis blamed protesters for the deadly shooting.
POLICE CHIEF DANIEL MISKINIS: The curfew is in place to protect. Had persons not been out involved in — in violation of that, perhaps the situation that unfolded would not have happened. So, the last night, a 17-year-old individual from Antioch, Illinois, was involved in the use of firearms to reserve — excuse me, to resolve whatever conflict was in place. The result of it was two people are dead. This is not a police action. This is not the action, I believe, of those who set out to do protests. It is the persons who were involved after the legal time, involved in illegal activity, that brought violence to this community.
AMY GOODMAN: This all comes as the Republican National Convention wrapped its third night with Vice President Mike Pence calling for law and order in the streets of American cities. And President Trump tweeted Wednesday he was sending the National Guard to Kenosha.
Well, for more, we go to Milwaukee, Wisconsin, where we’re joined by state Representative David Bowen. He was in Kenosha for the protests.
Welcome to Democracy Now! It’s great to have you with us. Can you start off by telling us what you saw in the streets of Kenosha Tuesday night, the killings took place?
REP. DAVID BOWEN: Sure. Thank you for having me on.
And I literally witnessed firsthand a massive amount of organized white supremacists driving around in pickup trucks, targeting protesters. And they were there not to try to defend businesses, as they make it seem. They were not there to attempt to get a point across. They were there to hurt people. They were armed, and they were using chemical irritants. They were harassing protesters. And even from the video, it looks like they are in coordination with the Kenosha law enforcement that were there, literally.
We are at this point in this state we’re witnessing the unfolding and the unraveling of the point of what we are trying to do in transforming the system, of transforming the way that we institute public safety. And this is Exhibit A and Exhibit B of why we need to transform law enforcement and public safety in Wisconsin and in this country, for sure. People are not in this position of advocating for changing the system only to be harassed and surveillanced and targeted. They are in this position because they are tired of witnessing that we will end up with a future that is the status quo. And law enforcement have shown that they are more tied to defending the status quo rather than accepting change. Lawmakers that I’m trying to work with in the state Capitol are refusing to hear the pleas for change from people. They would rather try to blame and point the finger of why these things are happening, after the fact. People are focused on really instituting change right now.
AMY GOODMAN: I wanted to play for you Vice President Pence in his acceptance speech, being renominated as vice president by the Republican Party, speaking at Fort McHenry in Baltimore.
VICE PRESIDENT MIKE PENCE: Last week, Joe Biden didn’t say one word about the violence and chaos engulfing cities across this country. So let me be clear: The violence must stop, whether in Minneapolis, Portland or Kenosha. Too many heroes have died defending our freedom to see Americans strike each other down. We will have law and order on the streets of this country for every American of every race and creed and color.
AMY GOODMAN: What was amazing from this clip, Vice President Pence made no mention of police brutality or the recent police shootings that have taken place or the murders in Kenosha. What he did do is talk about a security guard, this horrific murder in Oakland, California, of the federal security officer David Patrick Underwood, and he introduced his relative in the audience, but failed to mention that Underwood was killed by an Air Force staff sergeant with ties to the far-right “boogaloo” movement. Do you see a connection, David Bowen, between not saying that, when he talked about Oakland, and then, in Kenosha, not talking about Kyle Rittenhouse, the man who’s been charged with first-degree murder, 17-year-old, part of the white militia movement, who was in the streets Tuesday night?
REP. DAVID BOWEN: And yeah, this is exactly what we are seeing here in Wisconsin. When you are not willing to call out police state — police and state-sanctioned violence, you’re using your silence to cosign and give a message to these white supremacists that they can go around attacking people. And you are not about law and order, Vice President Mike Pence. You are welcoming that violence. You are cosigning that violence. Your silence is much louder than the claims that you try to make now, after the fact.
We are really focused right now on transforming the system. And I know that he talked about not defunding the police, but we clearly can see: What good is law enforcement if they are not keeping track of these groups? This identified shooter came across for this active shooter situation — this was a mass shooting. He came across state borders to come here. No law enforcement were investigating, were surveillancing, were looking into the whereabouts and the plans of these groups, when they know that they are violent, when they know that they have a history of targeting people. What good is law enforcement if it’s not doing what it’s supposed to do?
AMY GOODMAN: I wanted to play for you, Representative Bowen, the right-wing Fox News TV host Tucker Carlson drawing widespread condemnation after he appeared to justify the actions of the Kenosha shooter.
TUCKER CARLSON: How shocked are we that 17-year-olds with rifles decided they had to maintain order, when no one else would?
AMY GOODMAN: Meanwhile, on Twitter, far-right media pundit Ann Coulter said, “I want him as my president.” She’s talking about the shooter. Representative Bowen?
REP. DAVID BOWEN: Right. And unfortunately, it’s very clearly showing that Jacob Blake actually was a part of providing public safety that day; he was then turned into the target and a problem while police showed up to try to make him a problem. But he was focused on serving and protecting his community, and he was shot in the back seven times, and he may not walk again. If this is the direction that the extreme, I would say, far right want to move into, where they are upholding violence and targeting of citizens by these white supremacist groups, clearly, this is exactly where we are as a country. And it is very unfortunate that talking heads on the right are defending his actions, because, literally, they are cosigning the death and the removal of people that are advocating for Black lives. And this is where we are. I’m not surprised.
But I must say that people that stand against that must be louder. They must be more involved. They must be more engaged. And we cannot accept that. We must get out and make that change, in every aspect of the spectrum of change, whether that’s voting, whether that’s being involved on the streets, whether that is fighting back. We cannot allow them to win this. We must be able to make sure that we are transforming the system that they love, that they benefit from. They want to ensure that things stay the same. They want the status quo to continue, to be allowed to remove Black bodies from spaces where they feel like that they don’t belong. And that is a system that we are tearing down and we are rebuilding with a new system that will be accountable to Black and Brown people, that will be accountable to the communities that they serve.
AMY GOODMAN: I wanted to turn to the shooter, Kyle Rittenhouse, speaking in Kenosha during the protest, right before the shooting, in a video that was posted on Twitter, as he holds this long gun. He says he and other militia members don’t have nonlethal weapons and are there to defend property. He’s speaking to the far-right media outlet The Daily Caller.
KYLE RITTENHOUSE: We’re protecting from the citizens, and I just got pepper-sprayed by a person in the crowd.
INTERVIEWER: So you had nonlethal, but you didn’t respond?
KYLE RITTENHOUSE: We don’t have nonlethal.
INTERVIEWER: So you guys are full-on ready to defend the property?
KYLE RITTENHOUSE: Yes, we are.
AMY GOODMAN: Not clear actually who he was talking to in that video, but that is Kyle Rittenhouse. Your response, Representative Bowen?
REP. DAVID BOWEN: Well, first off, whenever you have a situation where a 17-year-old is crossing state lines, it’s illegal for a 17-year-old to even have an assault weapon, an assault rifle. To that degree, you know, we have a problem. And I think the biggest thing that I can sense right now is for this false claim that there was a defense of property — you don’t walk around shooting people away from a property that you supposedly were there to defend, this tire shop, that has ties to this white supremacist movement. But it’s very clear that they were on a hunting spree. This was not the defense of property. And we should be very clear about that.
I remember, when I first got involved in social change, I went to a KKK rally right here in Milwaukee at the age of about 14 years old. And we were a part of the opposition to the KKK, to making sure that they knew that they could not come to this rally, they could not come to this city and try to spread their hateful views and would not find the opposition there. And I remember seeing children with folks that came with the KKK, and thinking about how they would take their views and grow up with them. And this is exactly what I’m seeing right now.
He’s 17 years old. He believes in these white supremacist views, and he’s using it lethally. He’s using it to hurt other people. And he’s not even being held accountable for it. He’s being handed water. He’s being given the Dylann Roof treatment of — you know, you get treated well, you get acclimated, after you literally take people’s lives.
And this is a horrible direction for our country to move into. And the leaders and the silence by those on the right to be able to cosign this is very dangerous, and it shows that we have a — we need to hold them accountable even more to stop this fascism that we’re seeing in our country.
AMY GOODMAN: And, of course, Dylann Roof, the murderer of nine parishioners and their pastor at the Mother Emanuel Church in Charleston, was picked up by police and then taken to Burger King for lunch.
If you could talk about what’s going to happen to the police officer? It has been quite astounding that day after day we heard nothing from Wisconsin authorities or the local police department talking about what had happened, identifying the white police officer, Sheskey, who shot seven times, point-blank range, into the back of Jacob Blake.
And by the way, for people to know, in reading various Instagram, Facebook entries, it looks like Jacob Blake’s grandfather is the minister, the pastor, the civil rights leader from Chicago by the same name, Jacob Blake, who led a movement there around desegregating housing at the time of Dr. King being shot in Chicago. This, I believe, is his grandson.
But the fact that Jacob Blake now lies in a hospital, paralyzed from the waist down, undergoing one operation after another.
We first heard officer Sheskey’s name yesterday in the news conference that the attorney general, the sheriff held. And we understood that there’s two investigations going on. Apparently, the Department of Justice has opened one, and the Wisconsin attorney general, because that’s the law now, after a previous police murder of a young man. And it says that if in Kenosha a police officer kills someone, that it must be independently investigated. But then the Kenosha County DA said that he will be the one to decide, once the investigation is done, if there is enough evidence there to bring charges. Is that right? So, the attorney general doesn’t — does he then prosecute the case?
REP. DAVID BOWEN: That is correct. And that’s why state law needs to be changed, so that there can be special prosecutors selected to handle this. For the Kenosha DA to be able to then handle charges after an independent body does the investigation, there should be an independent prosecutor. So, unfortunately, that law has not been passed yet. It is one of the laws that have been proposed in the past, and I’m sure that you will see more of that in the future. But it’s very clear that the Kenosha DA does get the chance to make the decision on prosecuting, the same way that we’ve seen other cases. But we’ve seen too many times where the prosecutor does not step up to really hold law enforcement officials accountable, especially when they work closely with them.
AMY GOODMAN: Your response — we’re about to talk about this unprecedented sports action that’s taking place in professional sports all over the country. You’re from Milwaukee, Representative David Bowen — the Bucks and the Brewers. Talk about the significance of them refusing to play.
REP. DAVID BOWEN: Well, first off, activism is in the lifeblood of Milwaukee. It comes in our history. We have the longest youth march in U.S. history at 200 days. And that was during the civil rights movement and fair housing fight.
You know, the fact that we have amazing athletes that play for our local teams, that are willing to really stand up and fight for our community and fight for change, literally shows you the difference in where we come from, the difference in how we are all tied together. Whether you make millions of dollars and you’re an athlete, or you’re a working-class person right here in the city of Milwaukee, we are all tied together.
And I’m so proud to be a Bucks fan. I’m so proud to be able to stand with individuals even in the athletic and sports world that are saying, “We need change, and we are going to use our platforms to do it, too. We’re going to use our jobs, our livelihoods to fight for it, too.” And that’s exactly what we need to see. If we don’t get it, we will shut it down. And that is exactly what they did, and I’m proud of them.
AMY GOODMAN: Democratic Wisconsin state Representative David Bowen. Next up, we look at how professional athletes — basketball, baseball, soccer games came to an unprecedented halt Wednesday, after the Milwaukee Bucks players refused to take the court in support of Black Lives Matter and against the killing of Jacob Blake. This is Democracy Now! Back in a minute.
[break]
AMY GOODMAN: “He Ain’t Heavy, He’s My Brother” by Jimmy and David Ruffin. And during that break, we showed the pictures of Jojo Rosenbaum and Anthony Huber, both murdered in Kenosha as they marched in the Black Lives Matter march. And also we showed images of Jacob Blake laying paralyzed in a hospital bed.


democracynow--2020-08-27--Headlines for August 27, 2020

Headlines for August 27, 2020

Vice President Mike Pence headlined the third night of the Republican National Convention on Wednesday , formally accepting his party ’ s nomination for a second term .
Speaking at Fort McHenry in Baltimore , Pence vowed to install law and order across the country .
Vice President Mike Pence : “ President Trump and I will always support the right of Americans to peaceful protest .
But rioting and looting is not peaceful protest .
Tearing down statues is not free speech .
And those who do so will be prosecuted to the fullest extent of the law.
” @ @ @ @ @ @ @ police brutality or the recent police shootings that have sparked protests across the country — from Jacob Blake in Kenosha , Wisconsin , to Breonna Taylor in Louisville , Kentucky , to George Floyd in Minneapolis , Minnesota .
Pence condemned the killing of federal security officer David Patrick Underwood in Oakland in May , but he failed to mention that Underwood was killed by an Air Force staff sergeant with ties to the far-right “ boogaloo ” movement .
In other news from the Republican National Convention , The Wall Street Journal @ @ @ @ @ @ @ who became U.S. citizens during an unprecedented televised naturalization ceremony during the convention did not know the ceremony would be aired as part of a political event .

Vice President Mike Pence headlined the third night of the Republican National Convention on Wednesday, formally accepting his party’s nomination for a second term. Speaking at Fort McHenry in Baltimore, Pence vowed to install law and order across the country.
Vice President Mike Pence: “President Trump and I will always support the right of Americans to peaceful protest. But rioting and looting is not peaceful protest. Tearing down statues is not free speech. And those who do so will be prosecuted to the fullest extent of the law.”
Vice President Pence made no mention of police brutality or the recent police shootings that have sparked protests across the country — from Jacob Blake in Kenosha, Wisconsin, to Breonna Taylor in Louisville, Kentucky, to George Floyd in Minneapolis, Minnesota. Pence condemned the killing of federal security officer David Patrick Underwood in Oakland in May, but he failed to mention that Underwood was killed by an Air Force staff sergeant with ties to the far-right “boogaloo” movement.
In other news from the Republican National Convention, The Wall Street Journal has revealed that two of the women who became U.S. citizens during an unprecedented televised naturalization ceremony during the convention did not know the ceremony would be aired as part of a political event.


democracynow--2020-08-26--"Hatemonger": Author Jean Guerrero on Stephen Miller, Trump's White Nationalist Immigration Henchman

This is a rush transcript .
Copy may not be in its final form .
AMY GOODMAN : This is Democracy Now !
We ’ re breaking with convention .
I ’ m Amy Goodman , with Juan González .
President Trump presided over a highly unusual — possibly illegal — naturalization ceremony at the White House during Tuesday night ’ s Republican National Convention , as tens of thousands of immigrants seeking to become citizens face massive backlogs .
Acting homeland security chief Chad Wolf , who Trump has nominated for permanent director , read the naturalization oath .
@ @ @ @ @ @ @ , Mary Ann Mendoza , the mother of a man killed by a drunk driver who was an immigrant , was removed from the lineup at the last minute last night after she retweeted an anti-Semitic QAnon conspiracy theory .
Mendoza was part of the Victims of Immigration Crime Engagement , or VOICE , office , established under Trump by Stephen Miller , one of Trump ’ s key advisers , a mastermind of his anti-immigration message and policies .
For more , we ’ re joined by Jean Guerrero , award-winning investigative @ @ @ @ @ @ @ Miller in her new book , Hatemonger : Stephen Miller , Donald Trump , and the White Nationalist Agenda .
Welcome to Democracy Now !
It ’ s great to have you with us , Jean .
JEAN GUERRERO : Great to be here .
AMY GOODMAN : If you can start off by talking about the woman who was removed from the lineup last night ?
You have met her several times .
Talk about where and her connections to the White House , to Stephen Miller , to Steve Bannon and @ @ @ @ @ @ @ I met Mendoza several times , a couple times in San Diego , one time at a border wall symposium that was organized by Steve Bannon to promote his , you know , fraudulent border wall scheme that he was recently arrested for , for allegedly defrauding donors .
And she was there .
She was one of the speakers .
She ’ s on the advisory board for that project .
And , you know , she , for a long time , has been going around talking about her son , @ @ @ @ @ @ @ a person who was here illegally .
And Stephen Miller , whom my book is about , has repeatedly given her a platform , you know , during the 2016 campaign and then in the White House during roundtables , to spew completely fabricated statistics about the alleged crimes of migrants .
You know , she talks about how thousands and thousands of people are killed every year by people in the country illegally , when , in fact , if you look at the data , it ’ s maybe a couple @ @ @ @ @ @ @ past several years .
And , you know , she stands for this demonization — AMY GOODMAN : You met her in El Paso ?
She gave a speech there right before the El Paso massacre , mainly of Latinx immigrants ?
JEAN GUERRERO : Yes , exactly .
That symposium was organized just a few days before the El Paso massacre , and it was live-streamed to tens of thousands of people who were watching these right-wing influencers , including Mendoza , you know , hatemongering about immigrants and urging citizens to @ @ @ @ @ @ @ stop the , quote-unquote , “ invasion ” of migrants .
And then , just a few days later , you saw a white terrorist come in and kill 23 people , imagining that he was saving the country from some kind of invasion .
JUAN GONZÁLEZ : Yeah , and speaking of this notion of invasion , could you talk about how Stephen Miller has built his career , really , around anti-immigration and immigration restrictionism , particularly the role , for instance , that Cordelia Scaife May , the reclusive billionaire @ @ @ @ @ @ @ restrictionist movement — I think about $ 180 million she donated to the groups , like the Center for Immigration Studies , Federation of American Immigration Reform and NumbersUSA — all groups which Miller is very close to ?
JEAN GUERRERO : Exactly .
These are eugenicists who believe in the genetic superiority of whites , who believe in population control for nonwhite people , and who funded these groups that , as I show in my book Hatemonger , Stephen Miller pulled policies directly from these groups , you know , and @ @ @ @ @ @ @ .
I mean , you mentioned the naturalization ceremony that took place at the RNC last night .
And that ’ s really meant to create this dichotomy , this false dichotomy between legal and illegal immigration , that does not exist in the Trump administration .
The Trump administration likes to say that they ’ re going after criminals and cartels , and that ’ s what the RNC was meant to convey .
But if you look at the person who is crafting immigration policy for President Trump , it ’ @ @ @ @ @ @ @ primarily has been targeting families — families from Africa , families from Latin America — and mostly people who have broken no laws — asylum seekers , refugees , restricting green card access .
And if you look at why , and if you connect the dots between what he ’ s doing and his influences , as I try to do in the book , it becomes clear that for Stephen Miller , this is not about national security , this is not about keeping out criminals .
This is about reengineering @ @ @ @ @ @ @ keep Brown and Black families out , because he was radicalized at a very young age in this belief , that you now see permeating the Republican Party and that you see Trump promoting , this belief that Brown and Black people pose some kind of existential threat to America .
You know , Stephen Miller , as I show in the book , at a very young age , when he was a teenager going through a difficult time in his life , came into contact with multiple extremists , who introduced @ @ @ @ @ @ @ to save the country from , you know , the Democratic Party , partnering with Muslims , Mexicans and other people of color , who he — because he was exposed to misleading crime statistics , like the ones that they put out systematically now , that paint Brown and Black people as somehow innately more violent than white people , he was radicalized to believe that he was somehow saving the United States .
And you now see this hatemongering , this apocalyptic demonization and scapegoating permeating the Republican Party , permeating @ @ @ @ @ @ @ know , Stephen Miller , the most powerful adviser in the White House , the top speechwriter , senior policy adviser , is the man who is behind all of this .
JUAN GONZÁLEZ : One of the folks who did speak at the RNC , unlike Mendoza , who was pulled at the last moment , was Charlie Kirk .
And when he spoke on Monday , he talked about President Trump being , quote , “ the bodyguard of Western civilization.
” And he said that the American way of life @ @ @ @ @ @ @ bitter , vengeful , deceitful activists .
Tell us about Charlie Kirk .
JEAN GUERRERO : Yeah , Charlie Kirk , he runs this organization Turning Point USA , which runs this watchlist of liberal professors that are supposedly some kind of danger to society .
And this , again , speaks to Stephen Miller ’ s influence , because Stephen Miller ’ s mentor , from the time that he was a child , who was feeding him policies , feeding him talking points for Donald Trump , throughout his life , @ @ @ @ @ @ @ for the book , David Horowitz , is the person who started this idea of watchlists in the Republican Party , where , in 2006 , he published a watchlist of liberal professors who allegedly pose some kind of apocalyptic threat to society .
And , you know , David Horowitz , he shaped Stephen Miller ’ s career .
He ’ s a man who believes that the only real racism is racism against white men .
And he teaches young conservatives , like Stephen Miller , at a very young age @ @ @ @ @ @ @ the civil rights movement against the civil rights movement , so calling people of color and liberals “ the real racists ” or “ the real oppressors ” and painting white conservative men as the oppressed minority , as victims of discrimination , as you see with people like Charlie Kirk and throughout the RNC , this idea that Republicans and white men are being canceled , that there ’ s this horrible cancel culture that is trying to eliminate freedom of speech and tear down the Constitution , when , I mean @ @ @ @ @ @ @ happening is the federal government is using these very anti-democratic , anti-constitutional measures to suppress opposition in the streets — I mean , just the presence of federal forces in Portland , which again goes to Stephen Miller ’ s influence , trying to cancel the voices of antiracist protesters , snatching them off the streets in unmarked vehicles and arresting journalists .
And it ’ s using deflection and inverting the arguments of the left .
It ’ s psychological warfare , which I delve into in the book Hatemonger , because @ @ @ @ @ @ @ how to do this at a very young age — AMY GOODMAN : And we want to — JEAN GUERRERO : — how to — he taught him how to launder white supremacist ideas through the language of heritage , through the language of economics and through the language of national security , in order to make it palatable to the mainstream , which is what you see in the RNC , you know , laundering these ideas through this idea that you ’ re protecting American jobs , protecting people from criminals @ @ @ @ @ @ @ who don ’ t consider themselves to be racist , but very much pulling these white supremacist ideas and laundering them .
AMY GOODMAN : Jean Guerrero , I wanted to get your response to the naturalization ceremony that was performed in the White House , this at a time when President Trump has signed what ?
Something like 400 executive orders against immigrants .
And the similarity you point out in your book Hatemonger between Stephen Miller , Donald Trump , their upbringing , which goes to that history that you ’ @ @ @ @ @ @ @ etc.
, and his father ?
JEAN GUERRERO : Yes , exactly .
I mean , Stephen Miller gets Donald Trump in a way that no one else in the White House does .
And this is rooted partly in his childhood , which I delve into in the book .
You know , his father was a real estate investor who was plagued by bankruptcies and legal disputes related to his real estate company .
He was described in court documents as a masterpiece of evasion and manipulation .
So , I @ @ @ @ @ @ @ you know , because he grew up in a family that was very similar to the family of Donald Trump , he gets Donald Trump .
And he ’ s able to have an outsize influence , because he consistently pushes him in the most aggressive direction , whether it ’ s on the rhetoric , whether it ’ s on the immigration policy , you know , focusing on asylum seekers and refugees instead of criminals and cartels .
And this aggressiveness is something that , you know , just innately speaks @ @ @ @ @ @ @ , Trump has talked about the importance of being a killer in society , having killer instincts .
And Stephen Miller shares his instinct for violence and has his hands on the pulse of Trump ’ s most violent voting base , because he has been reading white supremacist and white nationalist literature for a very long time , and promoting it through right-wing outlets , such as Breitbart .
And , you know , this radicalization — because he ’ s this extremist adviser who always pushes him in a more extreme @ @ @ @ @ @ @ responsible for the radicalization of Donald Trump and the radicalization of the Republican Party .
Oftentimes Trump was willing to go in a more moderate direction , you know , protecting DREAMers , but Stephen Miller would always push him , and , “ No , it doesn ’ t matter that these are migrant children .
It doesn ’ t matter that these are families who have broken no laws .
We need to go after them.
” JUAN GONZÁLEZ : And could you talk about the importance of Miller that Trump @ @ @ @ @ @ @ election , the role that Miller played in — you discuss in your book , in terms of marshaling the support of the unions of employees that deal with border control ?
JEAN GUERRERO : Well , yes .
And this speaks to the naturalization ceremony , you know , having federal government officials like Chad Wolf participating in this very political process in a questionable way .
I mean , Stephen Miller , he basically politicized the Department of Homeland Security .
From day one of his time in the White House @ @ @ @ @ @ @ a political tool for Donald Trump , as I show in the book .
And he did this by securing — during the campaign , he secured for Trump the very critical Border Patrol union endorsement .
The Border Patrol had never endorsed a presidential candidate before .
And Stephen Miller , as I show in the book , promised them a direct line to the White House , a direct role in shaping immigration policy , if they endorsed Donald Trump .
And so you saw them endorse Donald Trump .
And @ @ @ @ @ @ @ impact on families .
The Border Patrol , at the time , was very upset about the influx of families from Central America .
They no longer felt that they had the same role of warriors and vanguards at the border , you know , cracking down on criminals and cartels .
And so they wanted someone who was going to really go after — you know , keep families from coming to the United States at all .
And this is how Stephen Miller made himself a key player for the Trump @ @ @ @ @ @ @ .
And also , critically , you know , Trump ’ s only immigration proposal going in , when he first announced his candidacy , was the border wall .
And immigration restrictionists who had been following this issue for a long time know — they kind of rolled their eyes at that .
They knew that , you know , we ’ ve had — JEAN GUERRERO : — barriers for a long time and haven ’ t done much .
And he is the one who made immigration policy , you @ @ @ @ @ @ @ , white supremacist groups , to keep out families .
AMY GOODMAN : Well , we clearly have to do more on this , so we ’ re doing Part 2 , and we ’ re posting it online at democracynow.org .
Our guest is Jean Guerrero , the award-winning investigative journalist .
Her book is called Hatemonger : Stephen Miller , Donald Trump , and the White Nationalist Agenda .
That does it for our show .
Special thanks to Renée Feltz , Mike Burke , Deena Guzder , Libby Rainey .
@ @ @ @ @ @ @ Juan González .
Wear a mask .
Stay safe .

This is a rush transcript. Copy may not be in its final form.
AMY GOODMAN: This is Democracy Now! We’re breaking with convention. I’m Amy Goodman, with Juan González.
President Trump presided over a highly unusual — possibly illegal — naturalization ceremony at the White House during Tuesday night’s Republican National Convention, as tens of thousands of immigrants seeking to become citizens face massive backlogs. Acting homeland security chief Chad Wolf, who Trump has nominated for permanent director, read the naturalization oath.
One of the night’s speakers, Mary Ann Mendoza, the mother of a man killed by a drunk driver who was an immigrant, was removed from the lineup at the last minute last night after she retweeted an anti-Semitic QAnon conspiracy theory. Mendoza was part of the Victims of Immigration Crime Engagement, or VOICE, office, established under Trump by Stephen Miller, one of Trump’s key advisers, a mastermind of his anti-immigration message and policies.
For more, we’re joined by Jean Guerrero, award-winning investigative journalist who reports on immigration and profiles Miller in her new book, Hatemonger: Stephen Miller, Donald Trump, and the White Nationalist Agenda.
Welcome to Democracy Now! It’s great to have you with us, Jean.
JEAN GUERRERO: Great to be here.
AMY GOODMAN: If you can start off by talking about the woman who was removed from the lineup last night? You have met her several times. Talk about where and her connections to the White House, to Stephen Miller, to Steve Bannon and others.
JEAN GUERRERO: Yeah, I met Mendoza several times, a couple times in San Diego, one time at a border wall symposium that was organized by Steve Bannon to promote his, you know, fraudulent border wall scheme that he was recently arrested for, for allegedly defrauding donors. And she was there. She was one of the speakers. She’s on the advisory board for that project. And, you know, she, for a long time, has been going around talking about her son, who died in a car crash with a person who was here illegally.
And Stephen Miller, whom my book is about, has repeatedly given her a platform, you know, during the 2016 campaign and then in the White House during roundtables, to spew completely fabricated statistics about the alleged crimes of migrants. You know, she talks about how thousands and thousands of people are killed every year by people in the country illegally, when, in fact, if you look at the data, it’s maybe a couple or three, average, over the past several years. And, you know, she stands for this demonization —
AMY GOODMAN: You met her in El Paso? She gave a speech there right before the El Paso massacre, mainly of Latinx immigrants?
JEAN GUERRERO: Yes, exactly. That symposium was organized just a few days before the El Paso massacre, and it was live-streamed to tens of thousands of people who were watching these right-wing influencers, including Mendoza, you know, hatemongering about immigrants and urging citizens to take things into their own hands to stop the, quote-unquote, “invasion” of migrants. And then, just a few days later, you saw a white terrorist come in and kill 23 people, imagining that he was saving the country from some kind of invasion.
JUAN GONZÁLEZ: Yeah, and speaking of this notion of invasion, could you talk about how Stephen Miller has built his career, really, around anti-immigration and immigration restrictionism, particularly the role, for instance, that Cordelia Scaife May, the reclusive billionaire philanthropist who bankrolled much of the immigration restrictionist movement — I think about $180 million she donated to the groups, like the Center for Immigration Studies, Federation of American Immigration Reform and NumbersUSA — all groups which Miller is very close to?
JEAN GUERRERO: Exactly. These are eugenicists who believe in the genetic superiority of whites, who believe in population control for nonwhite people, and who funded these groups that, as I show in my book Hatemonger, Stephen Miller pulled policies directly from these groups, you know, and this is what shapes the immigration policy.
I mean, you mentioned the naturalization ceremony that took place at the RNC last night. And that’s really meant to create this dichotomy, this false dichotomy between legal and illegal immigration, that does not exist in the Trump administration. The Trump administration likes to say that they’re going after criminals and cartels, and that’s what the RNC was meant to convey.
But if you look at the person who is crafting immigration policy for President Trump, it’s Stephen Miller. And Stephen Miller primarily has been targeting families — families from Africa, families from Latin America — and mostly people who have broken no laws — asylum seekers, refugees, restricting green card access.
And if you look at why, and if you connect the dots between what he’s doing and his influences, as I try to do in the book, it becomes clear that for Stephen Miller, this is not about national security, this is not about keeping out criminals. This is about reengineering the ethnic flows into this country to keep Brown and Black families out, because he was radicalized at a very young age in this belief, that you now see permeating the Republican Party and that you see Trump promoting, this belief that Brown and Black people pose some kind of existential threat to America.
You know, Stephen Miller, as I show in the book, at a very young age, when he was a teenager going through a difficult time in his life, came into contact with multiple extremists, who introduced him to this fantasy that he had to save the country from, you know, the Democratic Party, partnering with Muslims, Mexicans and other people of color, who he — because he was exposed to misleading crime statistics, like the ones that they put out systematically now, that paint Brown and Black people as somehow innately more violent than white people, he was radicalized to believe that he was somehow saving the United States.
And you now see this hatemongering, this apocalyptic demonization and scapegoating permeating the Republican Party, permeating the RNC themes. And, you know, Stephen Miller, the most powerful adviser in the White House, the top speechwriter, senior policy adviser, is the man who is behind all of this.
JUAN GONZÁLEZ: One of the folks who did speak at the RNC, unlike Mendoza, who was pulled at the last moment, was Charlie Kirk. And when he spoke on Monday, he talked about President Trump being, quote, “the bodyguard of Western civilization.” And he said that the American way of life is being dismantled by a group of bitter, vengeful, deceitful activists. Tell us about Charlie Kirk.
JEAN GUERRERO: Yeah, Charlie Kirk, he runs this organization Turning Point USA, which runs this watchlist of liberal professors that are supposedly some kind of danger to society. And this, again, speaks to Stephen Miller’s influence, because Stephen Miller’s mentor, from the time that he was a child, who was feeding him policies, feeding him talking points for Donald Trump, throughout his life, according to private correspondence that I obtained for the book, David Horowitz, is the person who started this idea of watchlists in the Republican Party, where, in 2006, he published a watchlist of liberal professors who allegedly pose some kind of apocalyptic threat to society.
And, you know, David Horowitz, he shaped Stephen Miller’s career. He’s a man who believes that the only real racism is racism against white men. And he teaches young conservatives, like Stephen Miller, at a very young age, how to use the language of the civil rights movement against the civil rights movement, so calling people of color and liberals “the real racists” or “the real oppressors” and painting white conservative men as the oppressed minority, as victims of discrimination, as you see with people like Charlie Kirk and throughout the RNC, this idea that Republicans and white men are being canceled, that there’s this horrible cancel culture that is trying to eliminate freedom of speech and tear down the Constitution, when, I mean, in reality, what’s happening is the federal government is using these very anti-democratic, anti-constitutional measures to suppress opposition in the streets — I mean, just the presence of federal forces in Portland, which again goes to Stephen Miller’s influence, trying to cancel the voices of antiracist protesters, snatching them off the streets in unmarked vehicles and arresting journalists. And it’s using deflection and inverting the arguments of the left.
It’s psychological warfare, which I delve into in the book Hatemonger, because Stephen Miller’s mentor taught him how to do this at a very young age —
AMY GOODMAN: And we want to —
JEAN GUERRERO: — how to launder white —
AMY GOODMAN: Keep going.
JEAN GUERRERO: — how to — he taught him how to launder white supremacist ideas through the language of heritage, through the language of economics and through the language of national security, in order to make it palatable to the mainstream, which is what you see in the RNC, you know, laundering these ideas through this idea that you’re protecting American jobs, protecting people from criminals, in order to appeal to people who don’t consider themselves to be racist, but very much pulling these white supremacist ideas and laundering them.
AMY GOODMAN: Jean Guerrero, I wanted to get your response to the naturalization ceremony that was performed in the White House, this at a time when President Trump has signed what? Something like 400 executive orders against immigrants. And the similarity you point out in your book Hatemonger between Stephen Miller, Donald Trump, their upbringing, which goes to that history that you’re talking about with his mentor, etc., and his father?
JEAN GUERRERO: Yes, exactly. I mean, Stephen Miller gets Donald Trump in a way that no one else in the White House does. And this is rooted partly in his childhood, which I delve into in the book. You know, his father was a real estate investor who was plagued by bankruptcies and legal disputes related to his real estate company. He was described in court documents as a masterpiece of evasion and manipulation. So, I’m told that Stephen Miller, you know, because he grew up in a family that was very similar to the family of Donald Trump, he gets Donald Trump.
And he’s able to have an outsize influence, because he consistently pushes him in the most aggressive direction, whether it’s on the rhetoric, whether it’s on the immigration policy, you know, focusing on asylum seekers and refugees instead of criminals and cartels. And this aggressiveness is something that, you know, just innately speaks to Donald Trump. Throughout his life, Trump has talked about the importance of being a killer in society, having killer instincts. And Stephen Miller shares his instinct for violence and has his hands on the pulse of Trump’s most violent voting base, because he has been reading white supremacist and white nationalist literature for a very long time, and promoting it through right-wing outlets, such as Breitbart.
And, you know, this radicalization — because he’s this extremist adviser who always pushes him in a more extreme and aggressive direction, Stephen Miller is responsible for the radicalization of Donald Trump and the radicalization of the Republican Party. Oftentimes Trump was willing to go in a more moderate direction, you know, protecting DREAMers, but Stephen Miller would always push him, and, “No, it doesn’t matter that these are migrant children. It doesn’t matter that these are families who have broken no laws. We need to go after them.”
JUAN GONZÁLEZ: And could you talk about the importance of Miller that Trump sees, in terms of his first election, the role that Miller played in — you discuss in your book, in terms of marshaling the support of the unions of employees that deal with border control?
JEAN GUERRERO: Well, yes. And this speaks to the naturalization ceremony, you know, having federal government officials like Chad Wolf participating in this very political process in a questionable way. I mean, Stephen Miller, he basically politicized the Department of Homeland Security. From day one of his time in the White House, he narrowed the focus to become a political tool for Donald Trump, as I show in the book.
And he did this by securing — during the campaign, he secured for Trump the very critical Border Patrol union endorsement. The Border Patrol had never endorsed a presidential candidate before. And Stephen Miller, as I show in the book, promised them a direct line to the White House, a direct role in shaping immigration policy, if they endorsed Donald Trump. And so you saw them endorse Donald Trump.
And this is why you see a disproportionate impact on families. The Border Patrol, at the time, was very upset about the influx of families from Central America. They no longer felt that they had the same role of warriors and vanguards at the border, you know, cracking down on criminals and cartels. And so they wanted someone who was going to really go after — you know, keep families from coming to the United States at all. And this is how Stephen Miller made himself a key player for the Trump team, by getting him those endorsements.
And also, critically, you know, Trump’s only immigration proposal going in, when he first announced his candidacy, was the border wall. And immigration restrictionists who had been following this issue for a long time know — they kind of rolled their eyes at that. They knew that, you know, we’ve had —
AMY GOODMAN: We have 10 seconds.
JEAN GUERRERO: — barriers for a long time and haven’t done much. And he is the one who made immigration policy, you know, derived it from eugenics groups, white supremacist groups, to keep out families.
AMY GOODMAN: Well, we clearly have to do more on this, so we’re doing Part 2, and we’re posting it online at democracynow.org. Our guest is Jean Guerrero, the award-winning investigative journalist. Her book is called Hatemonger: Stephen Miller, Donald Trump, and the White Nationalist Agenda.
That does it for our show. Special thanks to Renée Feltz, Mike Burke, Deena Guzder, Libby Rainey. I’m Amy Goodman, with Juan González. Wear a mask. Stay safe.


democracynow--2020-08-26--RNC Night 2: Trump Loyalists & Family Members Ignore COVID Death Toll & Flout Election Laws

This is a rush transcript .
Copy may not be in its final form .
AMY GOODMAN : This is Democracy Now !
We ’ re breaking with convention .
I ’ m Amy Goodman , with Juan González , as we turn to day two of the Republican National Convention .
For a second night in a row , speakers largely ignored the devastating public health and economic crisis facing the country as the U.S. death toll from the coronavirus nears 180,000 and tens of millions of Americans are out of work , struggling to pay for food and @ @ @ @ @ @ @ s top economic advisers , Larry Kudlow , spoke about the crisis in the past tense , even though the U.S. recorded over 1,100 deaths just yesterday .
AMY GOODMAN : On the foreign policy front , Senator Rand Paul claimed Trump is the most antiwar president in a generation , despite Trump ’ s escalation of the air war in Afghanistan and other countries .
AMY GOODMAN : Other speakers on Tuesday night included Nick Sandmann , a Catholic high school student from Kentucky , who was filmed smirking as he and @ @ @ @ @ @ @ in Washington , D.C. , last year , after the students mocked participants in the Indigenous Peoples March .
AMY GOODMAN : Former Florida Attorney General Pam Bondi accused Joe Biden of corruption , claiming he remains in politics just to enrich his family .
AMY GOODMAN : While Bondi attacked Biden ’ s nepotism , she made no reference to how the Trump family has profited over the past four years .
This comes as the Trump administration is facing accusations it ’ s broken the law by using the powers of @ @ @ @ @ @ @ ’ s reelection campaign during the convention , part of it being held right at the White House .
Two key parts of the RNC took place inside the White House .
Trump pardoned a man who was convicted of bank robbery and went on to start a nonprofit to help formerly incarcerated people reenter society .
Trump also held a naturalization ceremony for five immigrants from Bolivia , Lebanon , India , Sudan and Ghana .
AMY GOODMAN : President Trump ’ s son Eric also spoke Tuesday night , just a @ @ @ @ @ @ @ James moved to force him to testify as part of a probe into the Trump Organization ’ s corruption , inflation of assets in order to secure loans and other benefits .
Eric Trump serves as executive vice president of the Trump Organization .
ERIC TRUMP : The Democrats want an America where your thoughts and opinions are censored when they do not align with their own .
President Reagan said , “ Freedom is never more than one generation away from extinction .
It must be fought for , and it must @ @ @ @ @ @ @ that we are in right now , and it is a fight that only my father can win .
AMY GOODMAN : Kentucky ’ s first African American attorney general , Daniel Cameron , also spoke Tuesday night .
He made only a passing reference to his most high-profile case : the police killing of Breonna Taylor , the African American 26-year-old EMT who was shot dead inside her own home in Louisville in March .
Cameron has so far not charged any of the officers involved .
AMY GOODMAN : Secretary of @ @ @ @ @ @ @ Convention from Jerusalem , where he ’ s on a work trip .
House Democrats have accused him of violating the Hatch Act which prohibits federal employees from participating in political activities .
Earlier this year , the State Department issued a memo stating , quote , “ Senate-confirmed Presidential appointees may not even attend a political party convention or convention-related event , ” unquote .
During his remarks , Pompeo praised Trump ’ s actions in the Middle East .
AMY GOODMAN : The second night of the Republican National Convention ended @ @ @ @ @ @ @ lady Melania Trump , one of the first speakers of the convention to acknowledge the soaring U.S. death toll from the coronavirus .
AMY GOODMAN : Melania Trump spoke in front of a live audience in the Rose Garden , where the vast majority of attendees , including President Trump and Vice President Mike Pence , did not wear masks .
CNN reports many attendees were not tested for coronavirus prior to the event .
When the reporters asked the White House what is the coronavirus policy at this convention at the White @ @ @ @ @ @ @ have to ask the campaign , and the campaign said they ’ re relying on a coronavirus consultant , but didn ’ t go further than that .
After the break , we ’ ll speak with reporter Jean Guerrero , author of Hatemonger : Stephen Miller , Donald Trump and the White Nationalist Agenda .

This is a rush transcript. Copy may not be in its final form.
AMY GOODMAN: This is Democracy Now! We’re breaking with convention. I’m Amy Goodman, with Juan González, as we turn to day two of the Republican National Convention. For a second night in a row, speakers largely ignored the devastating public health and economic crisis facing the country as the U.S. death toll from the coronavirus nears 180,000 and tens of millions of Americans are out of work, struggling to pay for food and housing. One of President Trump’s top economic advisers, Larry Kudlow, spoke about the crisis in the past tense, even though the U.S. recorded over 1,100 deaths just yesterday.
LARRY KUDLOW: Then came a once-in-100-year pandemic. It was awful. Health and economic impacts were tragic. Hardship and heartbreak were everywhere. But presidential leadership came swiftly and effectively, with an extraordinary rescue for health and safety, to successfully fight the COVID virus. A great bipartisan rescue also saved the economy.
AMY GOODMAN: On the foreign policy front, Senator Rand Paul claimed Trump is the most antiwar president in a generation, despite Trump’s escalation of the air war in Afghanistan and other countries.
SEN. RAND PAUL: Compare President Trump with the disastrous record of Joe Biden, who has consistently called for more war. Joe Biden voted for the Iraq War, which President Trump has long called the worst geopolitical mistake of our generation. I fear Biden will choose war again. He supported the war in Serbia, Syria, Libya. Joe Biden will continue to spill our blood and treasure. President Trump will bring our heroes home.
AMY GOODMAN: Other speakers on Tuesday night included Nick Sandmann, a Catholic high school student from Kentucky, who was filmed smirking as he and other students surrounded a Native American elder in Washington, D.C., last year, after the students mocked participants in the Indigenous Peoples March.
NICK SANDMANN: Advancing their anti-Christian, anti-conservative, anti-Donald Trump narrative was all that mattered. And if advancing their narrative ruined the reputation and future of a teenager from Covington, Kentucky, well, so be it. That would teach him not to wear a MAGA hat.
AMY GOODMAN: Former Florida Attorney General Pam Bondi accused Joe Biden of corruption, claiming he remains in politics just to enrich his family.
PAM BONDI: As a career prosecutor and former attorney general of Florida, I fought corruption, and I know what it looks like, whether it’s done by people wearing pinstripe suits or orange jumpsuits. At the Democrats’ convention, we were told to look at Joe Biden as the model of integrity. But when you look at his 47-year career in politics, the people who benefited are his family members, not the American people.
AMY GOODMAN: While Bondi attacked Biden’s nepotism, she made no reference to how the Trump family has profited over the past four years. This comes as the Trump administration is facing accusations it’s broken the law by using the powers of the federal government to aid the president’s reelection campaign during the convention, part of it being held right at the White House. Two key parts of the RNC took place inside the White House. Trump pardoned a man who was convicted of bank robbery and went on to start a nonprofit to help formerly incarcerated people reenter society. Trump also held a naturalization ceremony for five immigrants from Bolivia, Lebanon, India, Sudan and Ghana.
PRESIDENT DONALD TRUMP: You have earned the most prized, treasured, cherished and priceless possession anywhere in the world. It’s called American citizenship.
AMY GOODMAN: President Trump’s son Eric also spoke Tuesday night, just a day after New York Attorney General Letitia James moved to force him to testify as part of a probe into the Trump Organization’s corruption, inflation of assets in order to secure loans and other benefits. Eric Trump serves as executive vice president of the Trump Organization.
ERIC TRUMP: The Democrats want an America where your thoughts and opinions are censored when they do not align with their own. President Reagan said, “Freedom is never more than one generation away from extinction. It must be fought for, and it must be protected.” This is the fight that we are in right now, and it is a fight that only my father can win.
AMY GOODMAN: Kentucky’s first African American attorney general, Daniel Cameron, also spoke Tuesday night. He made only a passing reference to his most high-profile case: the police killing of Breonna Taylor, the African American 26-year-old EMT who was shot dead inside her own home in Louisville in March. Cameron has so far not charged any of the officers involved.
ATTORNEY GENERAL DANIEL CAMERON: It was General Dwight Eisenhower, a future Republican president, who said, “Democracy is a system that recognizes the equality of humans before the law.” Whether you are the family of Breonna Taylor or David Dorn, these are the ideals that will heal our nation’s wounds. Republicans will never turn a blind eye to unjust acts, but neither will we accept an all-out assault on Western civilization.
AMY GOODMAN: Secretary of State Mike Pompeo addressed the Republican National Convention from Jerusalem, where he’s on a work trip. House Democrats have accused him of violating the Hatch Act which prohibits federal employees from participating in political activities. Earlier this year, the State Department issued a memo stating, quote, “Senate-confirmed Presidential appointees may not even attend a political party convention or convention-related event,” unquote. During his remarks, Pompeo praised Trump’s actions in the Middle East.
SECRETARY OF STATE MIKE POMPEO: The president, too, moved the U.S. Embassy to this very city of God, Jerusalem, the rightful capital of the Jewish homeland. And just two weeks ago, the president brokered a historic peace deal between Israel and the United Arab Emirates. This is a deal that our grandchildren will read about in their history books.
AMY GOODMAN: The second night of the Republican National Convention ended in the White House garden with first lady Melania Trump, one of the first speakers of the convention to acknowledge the soaring U.S. death toll from the coronavirus.
MELANIA TRUMP: I want to acknowledge the fact that since March, our lives have changed drastically. The invisible enemy, COVID-19, swept across our beautiful country and impacted all of us. My deepest sympathy goes out to everyone who has lost a loved one. And my prayers are with those who are ill or suffering.
AMY GOODMAN: Melania Trump spoke in front of a live audience in the Rose Garden, where the vast majority of attendees, including President Trump and Vice President Mike Pence, did not wear masks. CNN reports many attendees were not tested for coronavirus prior to the event. When the reporters asked the White House what is the coronavirus policy at this convention at the White House, they said you’d have to ask the campaign, and the campaign said they’re relying on a coronavirus consultant, but didn’t go further than that.
After the break, we’ll speak with reporter Jean Guerrero, author of Hatemonger: Stephen Miller, Donald Trump and the White Nationalist Agenda.