democracynow--2020-11-23--In Another Country This Would Be Called a Coup: Detroit NAACP Head on Trump Trying to Overturn Vote

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 , as we take a closer look at the Republican efforts to overturn President-elect Joe Biden ’ s victory in Michigan .
Last Tuesday , election officials in Michigan ’ s largest county certified Joe Biden ’ s victory , after a dramatic reversal .
The two white Republicans on the Wayne County Board of Canvassers initially blocked certification , saying they didn ’ t @ @ @ @ @ @ @ which overwhelmingly supported Biden and has a large African American population .
President Trump then took to Twitter to praise the Republican effort , saying , “ Having courage is a beautiful thing .
The USA stands proud !
” Well , Reverend Wendell Anthony , the president of the NAACP in Detroit , criticized the Republican efforts to disenfranchise votes in Detroit that night .
AMY GOODMAN : And then I wanted to go to Ned Staebler , who is vice president at Wayne State .
AMY GOODMAN : I mean , @ @ @ @ @ @ @ And we are joined by Reverend Wendell Anthony now , president of the Detroit branch of the NAACP , the largest branch of the NAACP in the country .
He ’ s also a member of the NAACP National Board of Directors .
Still with us , New York Times writer Emily Bazelon .
So , Reverend Wendell Anthony , thanks so much for being with us .
Can you describe what is happening right now in Detroit , the amount of rage that was expressed , that actually led to the reversal @ @ @ @ @ @ @ they called — canvassers , but then they requested to take their vote certifying back ?
REV .
WENDELL ANTHONY : Well , thank you , Ms. Goodman .
Good morning to you and your guest .
If it was not so tragic , it would simply be pathetic .
This is an attempt to disenfranchise the African American vote and to give the election to Donald Trump .
We fired Donald Trump , and we hired Joe Biden and Kamala Harris , in Detroit , in Wayne County , which is the @ @ @ @ @ @ @ , 90 % almost , of Black folk who live here .
One of the canvassers indicated , as you already said , that perhaps we should just count all the votes in the other areas and not certify the votes that comes from Detroit .
This is a strategy that we see around the country : Philadelphia , Atlanta , Wisconsin , Detroit .
All of these areas are major urban centers of Black folk .
The suburban communities around Detroit , in some cases they had issues much greater than Detroit @ @ @ @ @ @ @ not certify them .
They said , “ Let ’ s not certify Detroit.
” That ’ s tantamount to “ Let ’ s not certify the Black vote.
” Black votes matter .
Black lives matter .
That ’ s why we do what we do .
And what this is , very simply , if we were in a different country , Ms. Goodman , this would be called a coup , a political coup , because what you have seen is a president that has declared that I will not @ @ @ @ @ @ @ the post office down , take out mailboxes , stop the mail from coming through ; discredit the guy who ’ s in charge of the election process , who called it the most secure election that we ’ ve had — no evidence of fraud , no evidence of voter rigging , none of that ; then to have Lindsey Graham calling the secretary of state in Georgia — he ’ s a senator from South Carolina , not Georgia — to get him not to certify and to discount some of @ @ @ @ @ @ @ the latest strategy , since the judges in the courts around America are not going with this nonsense , the move is to not certify : “ If we can not certify , we can delay the election .
We can push it back , and then perhaps we can get some new electors .
But if we can ’ t get that , maybe we can take it to the Congress and do something different and come out with a different outcome.
” No , we voted the way we voted in @ @ @ @ @ @ @ We want our votes to count .
Certify the vote .
This has never happened before .
It is a tragedy before God and man .
We are not in any moral position to tell any nation anywhere in the world that we should be having democratic processes .
How can we go monitor somebody in another nation when we can not monitor and check ourselves ?
We need the United Nations , quite frankly , to come in and monitor the United States .
Unfortunately , we find ourselves in this situation @ @ @ @ @ @ @ in terms of the presidential election , that we ’ ve had since we have had a nation .
Donald Trump was fired .
He does not want to leave office , and he ’ s fighting , by any means necessary , to remain at 1600 Pennsylvania Avenue .
AMY GOODMAN : Reverend Anthony , explain the lawsuit that some Detroiters have brought .
REV .
WENDELL ANTHONY : The lawsuit , very simply , started by the Legal Defense Fund and some of the folk in the city of Detroit , @ @ @ @ @ @ @ discredit the Black vote .
You must certify the Black vote .
You can not pick us out and at the same time let everybody else go , that we want to get in advance and in front of this process , that our votes should be certified , that you are violating the Voting Rights Act .
You ’ re violating the civil rights causes of respecting and maintaining a balance of all of the people , that we should not be subjugated .
One of the things that they ’ re @ @ @ @ @ @ @ — is that if you don ’ t certify the vote , if you don ’ t certify the election , you ’ re not certifying all the judges .
You ’ re not certifying the senators and those state representatives .
You ’ re not certifying the ballot initiatives .
You ’ re not certifying the county clerks and the board of trustees and the board of directors of universities .
That means that all of them will not be certified , in order to preserve one man who ’ s on @ @ @ @ @ @ @ be on the course of trying to stop the coronavirus disease that has now killed 255,000 Americans , more dying every day .
As you and I are talking , somebody is dying , while he ’ s playing golf .
That ’ s what this is all about .
That ’ s why we ’ re encouraging everybody to get on the phone , to get on the line , call your senators , call your congresspeople , and when the Board of Canvassers meets today at 1:00 , to make sure @ @ @ @ @ @ @ to make public comment and to let these individuals know that democracy today , democracy tomorrow and democracy should prevail .
We ’ ve come too far to be turned back now .
AMY GOODMAN : Do you see this as an attempted coup , Reverend Anthony ?
REV .
WENDELL ANTHONY : I do , Ms. Goodman .
No question .
You know as well as I do .
You may not say it , but if you were in a different country , if the leader says , “ I ’ @ @ @ @ @ @ @ ; if the leader says to all of his people , “ Don ’ t cooperate with the upcoming administration ” ; if the leader says that “ I ’ m going to fire the people that are at the top ” ; if he shifts the military around and tries to get his own minions in position ; if he has his cohorts calling other states , which they do not have anything to do with ; if he ’ s slowing down the Postal Service ; if he ’ s saying @ @ @ @ @ @ @ and take out the machines that can do accurate counting ” ; if he ’ s saying and bringing legislators into his house and having a meeting and then they ’ re up at his hotel , the Trump Towers ; if he ’ s doing all of that in another country , and if he ’ s now saying , at the very last minute , “ OK , those of you who are charged with responsibility to certify the election , why don ’ t you see if you can delay @ @ @ @ @ @ @ ?
” — if we were in another country , that would be considered as a coup .
You know it as well as I do .
And the bottom line is , we ain ’ t going for it .
This is the United States of America .
We are a democratic — supposedly — nation .
We have a Constitution .
And in case people did not get the memo , Black people , we be free now , y ’ all .
We got the Voting Rights Act .
We @ @ @ @ @ @ @ ago , Black men did .
Women got it a hundred years ago .
We got the Voting Rights Act 55 years ago .
And now we find ourselves in 2020 still trying to fight the same fight .
This is not a time for us to revisit George Wallace standing in the doorway saying , “ Segregation today , segregation tomorrow , segregation forever , ” instead of that , saying , “ No voting today , no voting tomorrow , no voting forever.
” No .
We have shed too much @ @ @ @ @ @ @ pain .
And we ’ ve shed too many tears .
Our vote must count .
Certify the vote .
Don ’ t play with it .
Deal with it .
AMY GOODMAN : And as you ’ ve pointed out , this is all happening during a pandemic , so people risked their lives to go out to vote .
And who are the hardest-hit communities when it comes to the pandemic and people dying are communities of color , African Americans one of the worst hit in this country .
And @ @ @ @ @ @ @ large African American population .
You mentioned the flying in of the state legislators , the head of the House and the Senate , the state House and the state Senate , Michigan legislators , that Trump met with on Friday .
They go to Trump Hotel there , are seen drinking an $ 800 bottle of Dom Pérignon .
Emily Bazelon , I wanted to bring in the issue of fundraising .
Do you think part of why President Trump is doing this , that if in fact he can ’ t @ @ @ @ @ @ @ fundraising to fund his so-called election fraud , his attempts to overthrow the election , which then he can personally use ?
EMILY BAZELON : Well , the fundraising appeals have made clear , in the fine print , that up to 60 % of the funds raised can be used for retiring campaign debt and other expenses , rather than this litigation .
So , I think we see right there evidence for what you ’ re talking about .
AMY GOODMAN : And do you think that this can succeed today @ @ @ @ @ @ @ ?
Because , remember , also we are talking about Wisconsin being told they have to recount their votes .
EMILY BAZELON : I don ’ t think that President Trump ’ s efforts to overturn the election will succeed .
I think that American democracy is actually withstanding his assaults pretty effectively .
That said , I completely understand Reverend Anthony ’ s distress and call to action in Michigan today , because this vote of the state Board of Canvassers could make things more complicated .
If the Board of Canvasser @ @ @ @ @ @ @ and certify the election , it ’ s going to throw into confusion what happens next .
I think the answer to what happens next is that there will be a court case filed , and presumably , when you look at the previous cases , there ’ s nothing quite like this in Michigan law , but there have been county boards that have refused to certify in the past , and the state courts have ordered them to do so .
So , when I look at those precedents and what @ @ @ @ @ @ @ looks to me like the state Board of Canvassers would be ordered by a court to certify the election , and then everyone ’ s votes will count , just the way democracy is supposed to work .
But it will be a kind of foul-up in the process , and I think it will be embarrassing to the state of Michigan .
AMY GOODMAN : And before we go , I wanted to ask you about something else you ’ ve been writing about , Emily Bazelon , and that is the @ @ @ @ @ @ @ elections .
EMILY BAZELON : The census is critical to future elections .
I think sometimes it ’ s harder for people to focus on it .
We kind of take it for granted .
But it is how we count the population .
And then those totals are used to decide apportionment and redistricting .
So , that means how many House seats each state gets .
That ’ s determined by the count in the census .
And the same is true about carving up legislative districts , according to the @ @ @ @ @ @ @ rule within states .
We also care a lot about the census because it ’ s how we allocate millions and millions of dollars of tax resources .
So , it is critical for the census to be accurate .
And what we ’ ve seen in the last couple of years is the Trump administration ’ s efforts to basically sideline people who are not citizens , who are undocumented , from the count .
And they have currently ordered the census to provide data that would allow President Trump , before @ @ @ @ @ @ @ immigrants from the apportionment totals .
That would increase the power of Republicans in the House of Representatives .
It ’ s a pretty naked power play .
And so , what we saw last week was Census Bureau officials saying , “ We need more time to do our count right .
We need more time to do our jobs.
” And we have yet to see how that plays out through the end of Trump ’ s term .
AMY GOODMAN : And , Emily , if a coup attempt fails @ @ @ @ @ @ @ attempt .
At what point will there be serious legal consequences for Trump and those who abet him ?
EMILY BAZELON : That ’ s a really good question .
I don ’ t think we ’ re going to have an answer to that until after he leaves office .
What I do want to make clear is , this was an incredibly well-conducted election under seriously adverse circumstances .
We had the pandemic .
We had a president who was assaulting , in particular , vote by mail for many months @ @ @ @ @ @ @ in states and counties , they just did their jobs , and they made sure that people could vote .
It wasn ’ t perfect .
There were still long lines .
We have lots of problems with voter suppression in America .
They ’ re not gone .
But in terms of being able to trust the integrity of these results , of the people who did this work , I did a lot of reporting on them throughout the country , and I think it ’ s really important to remember @ @ @ @ @ @ @ this attack on the election is that , actually , we were incredibly lucky , and the election went well — not just luck , I should say .
A lot of people ’ s really hard work went into making sure that was the case .
AMY GOODMAN : And finally , Reverend Wendell Anthony , you get the final word here .
You talked about 1:00 Michigan time being the time of the state Board of Canvassers — two Republicans , two Democrats — voting .
What are you calling for @ @ @ @ @ @ @ comes to the Republican leaders in your state , in the Legislature , are there people that you hold out that are speaking out ?
And what are you demanding of Democrats and Republicans right now in Michigan ?
REV .
WENDELL ANTHONY : Well , Ms. Goodman , all I really want people to do is to do their job .
That ’ s all they have to do .
Their charge is to certify the vote .
Eighty-three counties in Michigan have certified the vote .
This Constitution and their ordinance @ @ @ @ @ @ @ , doesn ’ t mean — there ’ s nothing ambiguous about that .
It ’ s no “ If I would , I should , I could.
” And you don ’ t even have to think about it .
You just go and do your job and certify .
And so , the issue now becomes whether or not they have the will to do it , has somebody tainted that or interfered with that , or someone suggested that “ Let ’ s delay this.
” That ’ s the @ @ @ @ @ @ @ re demanding , number one , that they do their job .
We ’ re simply saying that at 1:00 , when the canvassers meet , people should be on the line .
People should be monitoring the meeting .
People should state their case right now .
People should call Shirkey , they should call Chatfield , and indicate that “ We want you to make sure that you don ’ t tamper with this election .
You have said that you ’ ve seen nothing that should discord or disconnect you @ @ @ @ @ @ @ therefore , go ahead and do the right thing .
Don ’ t tamper with it .
Don ’ t delay it .
Don ’ t have unnecessary court cases.
” Because court cases means delay .
That means that we ’ ve got to go through a process .
What a process we ’ ve already undergone !
We voted .
People stood in lines .
We went to the polls .
We passed out literature .
We made phone calls .
We did robocalling .
We were on the radio .
@ @ @ @ @ @ @ on doors .
We had parades to the polls .
We had folks to come early and do what they were told : vote early , vote absentee , do your mail-in thing .
They told their people to come and vote on Election Day .
Both groups did what they were told .
Now you ’ re mad because all the votes came in early and that you ’ ve lost .
He was defeated in Michigan 15 times by the number of which he won Michigan in 2016 , Trump .
@ @ @ @ @ @ @ saying that “ Do not tamper with the millions of people in the state of Michigan who voted to fire Donald Trump and to hire Joe Biden.
” This is hypocrisy of the highest order .
History is not going to reward them well for this , but more important that history is today ’ s story , dealing with certifying the election .
We did it .
We voted .
And let now the vote be counted .
Let every vote count , and count every vote .
And let ’ s @ @ @ @ @ @ @ : Well , Reverend Wendell Anthony , I want to thank you for being with us , president of Detroit ’ s NAACP , also serves on the national board of the NAACP .
And again , in 2016 , President Trump won Michigan by just over 10,000 votes .
President-elect Joe Biden won the state in 2020 by over 150,000 votes .
I also want to thank Emily Bazelon , New York Times Magazine writer , co-host of the Slate podcast Political Gabfest .
When we come back , Pfizer and Moderna @ @ @ @ @ @ @ taxpayer-funded research .
Public Citizen says the vaccines belong to the people , not private corporations .
What does that mean ?
Coming up in a moment .

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, as we take a closer look at the Republican efforts to overturn President-elect Joe Biden’s victory in Michigan. Last Tuesday, election officials in Michigan’s largest county certified Joe Biden’s victory, after a dramatic reversal. The two white Republicans on the Wayne County Board of Canvassers initially blocked certification, saying they didn’t want to include votes from Detroit, which overwhelmingly supported Biden and has a large African American population. President Trump then took to Twitter to praise the Republican effort, saying, “Having courage is a beautiful thing. The USA stands proud!”
Well, Reverend Wendell Anthony, the president of the NAACP in Detroit, criticized the Republican efforts to disenfranchise votes in Detroit that night.
REV. WENDELL ANTHONY: You have extracted a Black city out of a county and said the only ones that are at fault or at issue is the city of Detroit, where 80% of the people who reside here are African Americans. Shame on you! Shame on you! … You are a disgrace as relates to the ability to have a free and impartial election in this nation.
AMY GOODMAN: And then I wanted to go to Ned Staebler, who is vice president at Wayne State.
NED STAEBLER: I just want to let you know that the Trump stink, the stain of racism that you, William Hartmann and Monica Palmer, have just covered yourself in, is going to follow you throughout history. Your grandchildren are going to think of you like Bull Connor or George Wallace.
AMY GOODMAN: I mean, this was an amazing virtual meeting. And we are joined by Reverend Wendell Anthony now, president of the Detroit branch of the NAACP, the largest branch of the NAACP in the country. He’s also a member of the NAACP National Board of Directors. Still with us, New York Times writer Emily Bazelon.
So, Reverend Wendell Anthony, thanks so much for being with us. Can you describe what is happening right now in Detroit, the amount of rage that was expressed, that actually led to the reversal of these Republican county — what are they called — canvassers, but then they requested to take their vote certifying back?
REV. WENDELL ANTHONY: Well, thank you, Ms. Goodman. Good morning to you and your guest.
If it was not so tragic, it would simply be pathetic. This is an attempt to disenfranchise the African American vote and to give the election to Donald Trump. We fired Donald Trump, and we hired Joe Biden and Kamala Harris, in Detroit, in Wayne County, which is the largest city in Wayne County, 80, 90% almost, of Black folk who live here. One of the canvassers indicated, as you already said, that perhaps we should just count all the votes in the other areas and not certify the votes that comes from Detroit. This is a strategy that we see around the country: Philadelphia, Atlanta, Wisconsin, Detroit. All of these areas are major urban centers of Black folk. The suburban communities around Detroit, in some cases they had issues much greater than Detroit. They did not say we should not certify them. They said, “Let’s not certify Detroit.” That’s tantamount to “Let’s not certify the Black vote.” Black votes matter. Black lives matter. That’s why we do what we do.
And what this is, very simply, if we were in a different country, Ms. Goodman, this would be called a coup, a political coup, because what you have seen is a president that has declared that I will not leave office unless I win; slow the post office down, take out mailboxes, stop the mail from coming through; discredit the guy who’s in charge of the election process, who called it the most secure election that we’ve had — no evidence of fraud, no evidence of voter rigging, none of that; then to have Lindsey Graham calling the secretary of state in Georgia — he’s a senator from South Carolina, not Georgia — to get him not to certify and to discount some of the votes. And now we see the latest strategy, since the judges in the courts around America are not going with this nonsense, the move is to not certify: “If we can not certify, we can delay the election. We can push it back, and then perhaps we can get some new electors. But if we can’t get that, maybe we can take it to the Congress and do something different and come out with a different outcome.”
No, we voted the way we voted in Wayne County and around the country. We want our votes to count. Certify the vote. This has never happened before. It is a tragedy before God and man. We are not in any moral position to tell any nation anywhere in the world that we should be having democratic processes. How can we go monitor somebody in another nation when we cannot monitor and check ourselves? We need the United Nations, quite frankly, to come in and monitor the United States. Unfortunately, we find ourselves in this situation. This is the worst situation, in terms of the presidential election, that we’ve had since we have had a nation. Donald Trump was fired. He does not want to leave office, and he’s fighting, by any means necessary, to remain at 1600 Pennsylvania Avenue.
AMY GOODMAN: Reverend Anthony, explain the lawsuit that some Detroiters have brought.
REV. WENDELL ANTHONY: The lawsuit, very simply, started by the Legal Defense Fund and some of the folk in the city of Detroit, is simply saying that you cannot discredit the Black vote. You must certify the Black vote. You cannot pick us out and at the same time let everybody else go, that we want to get in advance and in front of this process, that our votes should be certified, that you are violating the Voting Rights Act. You’re violating the civil rights causes of respecting and maintaining a balance of all of the people, that we should not be subjugated.
One of the things that they’re overlooking — I think you mentioned it — is that if you don’t certify the vote, if you don’t certify the election, you’re not certifying all the judges. You’re not certifying the senators and those state representatives. You’re not certifying the ballot initiatives. You’re not certifying the county clerks and the board of trustees and the board of directors of universities.
That means that all of them will not be certified, in order to preserve one man who’s on the golf course, when he should be on the course of trying to stop the coronavirus disease that has now killed 255,000 Americans, more dying every day. As you and I are talking, somebody is dying, while he’s playing golf. That’s what this is all about.
That’s why we’re encouraging everybody to get on the phone, to get on the line, call your senators, call your congresspeople, and when the Board of Canvassers meets today at 1:00, to make sure you’re on the line and to make public comment and to let these individuals know that democracy today, democracy tomorrow and democracy should prevail. We’ve come too far to be turned back now.
AMY GOODMAN: Do you see this as an attempted coup, Reverend Anthony?
REV. WENDELL ANTHONY: I do, Ms. Goodman. No question. You know as well as I do. You may not say it, but if you were in a different country, if the leader says, “I’m not leaving until I win”; if the leader says to all of his people, “Don’t cooperate with the upcoming administration”; if the leader says that “I’m going to fire the people that are at the top”; if he shifts the military around and tries to get his own minions in position; if he has his cohorts calling other states, which they do not have anything to do with; if he’s slowing down the Postal Service; if he’s saying, “Take out the mailboxes, and take out the machines that can do accurate counting”; if he’s saying and bringing legislators into his house and having a meeting and then they’re up at his hotel, the Trump Towers; if he’s doing all of that in another country, and if he’s now saying, at the very last minute, “OK, those of you who are charged with responsibility to certify the election, why don’t you see if you can delay and put it off until another day?” — if we were in another country, that would be considered as a coup. You know it as well as I do.
And the bottom line is, we ain’t going for it. This is the United States of America. We are a democratic — supposedly — nation. We have a Constitution. And in case people did not get the memo, Black people, we be free now, y’all. We got the Voting Rights Act. We got the right to vote 150 years ago, Black men did. Women got it a hundred years ago. We got the Voting Rights Act 55 years ago. And now we find ourselves in 2020 still trying to fight the same fight. This is not a time for us to revisit George Wallace standing in the doorway saying, “Segregation today, segregation tomorrow, segregation forever,” instead of that, saying, “No voting today, no voting tomorrow, no voting forever.” No. We have shed too much blood. We have sweated too much pain. And we’ve shed too many tears. Our vote must count. Certify the vote. Don’t play with it. Deal with it.
AMY GOODMAN: And as you’ve pointed out, this is all happening during a pandemic, so people risked their lives to go out to vote. And who are the hardest-hit communities when it comes to the pandemic and people dying are communities of color, African Americans one of the worst hit in this country. And, of course, Detroit, a large African American population. You mentioned the flying in of the state legislators, the head of the House and the Senate, the state House and the state Senate, Michigan legislators, that Trump met with on Friday. They go to Trump Hotel there, are seen drinking an $800 bottle of Dom Pérignon.
Emily Bazelon, I wanted to bring in the issue of fundraising. Do you think part of why President Trump is doing this, that if in fact he can’t accomplish this, he will accomplish endless fundraising to fund his so-called election fraud, his attempts to overthrow the election, which then he can personally use?
EMILY BAZELON: Well, the fundraising appeals have made clear, in the fine print, that up to 60% of the funds raised can be used for retiring campaign debt and other expenses, rather than this litigation. So, I think we see right there evidence for what you’re talking about.
AMY GOODMAN: And do you think that this can succeed today in Michigan, and what it means? Because, remember, also we are talking about Wisconsin being told they have to recount their votes.
EMILY BAZELON: I don’t think that President Trump’s efforts to overturn the election will succeed. I think that American democracy is actually withstanding his assaults pretty effectively.
That said, I completely understand Reverend Anthony’s distress and call to action in Michigan today, because this vote of the state Board of Canvassers could make things more complicated. If the Board of Canvasser members don’t do their job and certify the election, it’s going to throw into confusion what happens next.
I think the answer to what happens next is that there will be a court case filed, and presumably, when you look at the previous cases, there’s nothing quite like this in Michigan law, but there have been county boards that have refused to certify in the past, and the state courts have ordered them to do so. So, when I look at those precedents and what the law says in Michigan, it looks to me like the state Board of Canvassers would be ordered by a court to certify the election, and then everyone’s votes will count, just the way democracy is supposed to work. But it will be a kind of foul-up in the process, and I think it will be embarrassing to the state of Michigan.
AMY GOODMAN: And before we go, I wanted to ask you about something else you’ve been writing about, Emily Bazelon, and that is the census and how that fits into future elections.
EMILY BAZELON: The census is critical to future elections. I think sometimes it’s harder for people to focus on it. We kind of take it for granted. But it is how we count the population. And then those totals are used to decide apportionment and redistricting. So, that means how many House seats each state gets. That’s determined by the count in the census. And the same is true about carving up legislative districts, according to the “one person, one vote” rule within states. We also care a lot about the census because it’s how we allocate millions and millions of dollars of tax resources. So, it is critical for the census to be accurate.
And what we’ve seen in the last couple of years is the Trump administration’s efforts to basically sideline people who are not citizens, who are undocumented, from the count. And they have currently ordered the census to provide data that would allow President Trump, before he leaves office, to strip undocumented immigrants from the apportionment totals. That would increase the power of Republicans in the House of Representatives. It’s a pretty naked power play. And so, what we saw last week was Census Bureau officials saying, “We need more time to do our count right. We need more time to do our jobs.” And we have yet to see how that plays out through the end of Trump’s term.
AMY GOODMAN: And, Emily, if a coup attempt fails, it’s still a coup attempt. At what point will there be serious legal consequences for Trump and those who abet him?
EMILY BAZELON: That’s a really good question. I don’t think we’re going to have an answer to that until after he leaves office.
What I do want to make clear is, this was an incredibly well-conducted election under seriously adverse circumstances. We had the pandemic. We had a president who was assaulting, in particular, vote by mail for many months. And yet thousands of election officials in states and counties, they just did their jobs, and they made sure that people could vote. It wasn’t perfect. There were still long lines. We have lots of problems with voter suppression in America. They’re not gone. But in terms of being able to trust the integrity of these results, of the people who did this work, I did a lot of reporting on them throughout the country, and I think it’s really important to remember that one of the sad things about this attack on the election is that, actually, we were incredibly lucky, and the election went well — not just luck, I should say. A lot of people’s really hard work went into making sure that was the case.
AMY GOODMAN: And finally, Reverend Wendell Anthony, you get the final word here. You talked about 1:00 Michigan time being the time of the state Board of Canvassers — two Republicans, two Democrats — voting. What are you calling for at that point? And when it comes to the Republican leaders in your state, in the Legislature, are there people that you hold out that are speaking out? And what are you demanding of Democrats and Republicans right now in Michigan?
REV. WENDELL ANTHONY: Well, Ms. Goodman, all I really want people to do is to do their job. That’s all they have to do. Their charge is to certify the vote. Eighty-three counties in Michigan have certified the vote. This Constitution and their ordinance indicates that you shall certify the vote, doesn’t mean — there’s nothing ambiguous about that. It’s no “If I would, I should, I could.” And you don’t even have to think about it. You just go and do your job and certify. And so, the issue now becomes whether or not they have the will to do it, has somebody tainted that or interfered with that, or someone suggested that “Let’s delay this.” That’s the real issue.
So, we’re demanding, number one, that they do their job. We’re simply saying that at 1:00, when the canvassers meet, people should be on the line. People should be monitoring the meeting. People should state their case right now. People should call Shirkey, they should call Chatfield, and indicate that “We want you to make sure that you don’t tamper with this election. You have said that you’ve seen nothing that should discord or disconnect you from the election, and so, therefore, go ahead and do the right thing. Don’t tamper with it. Don’t delay it. Don’t have unnecessary court cases.” Because court cases means delay. That means that we’ve got to go through a process.
What a process we’ve already undergone! We voted. People stood in lines. We went to the polls. We passed out literature. We made phone calls. We did robocalling. We were on the radio. We were on TV. We knocked on doors. We had parades to the polls. We had folks to come early and do what they were told: vote early, vote absentee, do your mail-in thing. They told their people to come and vote on Election Day. Both groups did what they were told. Now you’re mad because all the votes came in early and that you’ve lost. He was defeated in Michigan 15 times by the number of which he won Michigan in 2016, Trump.
And so, we’re simply saying that “Do not tamper with the millions of people in the state of Michigan who voted to fire Donald Trump and to hire Joe Biden.” This is hypocrisy of the highest order. History is not going to reward them well for this, but more important that history is today’s story, dealing with certifying the election. We did it. We voted. And let now the vote be counted. Let every vote count, and count every vote. And let’s do that with certification.
AMY GOODMAN: Well, Reverend Wendell Anthony, I want to thank you for being with us, president of Detroit’s NAACP, also serves on the national board of the NAACP. And again, in 2016, President Trump won Michigan by just over 10,000 votes. President-elect Joe Biden won the state in 2020 by over 150,000 votes. I also want to thank Emily Bazelon, New York Times Magazine writer, co-host of the Slate podcast Political Gabfest.
When we come back, Pfizer and Moderna’s COVID-19 vaccines relied heavily on taxpayer-funded research. Public Citizen says the vaccines belong to the people, not private corporations. What does that mean? Coming up in a moment.


democracynow--2020-11-23--"Frankenstein's Monster": Judge Slams Trump Team's Efforts to Overturn Election Results

This is a rush transcript .
Copy may not be in its final form .
AMY GOODMAN : President Trump ’ s unprecedented attempt to overturn the 2020 election is continuing despite new court setbacks .
On Saturday , a conservative judge in Pennsylvania dismissed a Trump lawsuit challenging Joe Biden ’ s victory in the state .
Judge Matthew Brann accused the Trump team of trying to , quote , “ disenfranchise almost seven million voters , ” unquote , by using , quote , “ strained legal arguments without merit and speculative accusations … unsupported by evidence.
” @ @ @ @ @ @ @ , “ This claim , like Frankenstein ’ s Monster , has been haphazardly stitched together , ” unquote .
Trump is appealing the ruling .
Over two dozen lawsuits filed by Trump ’ s legal team have been dismissed or withdrawn .
The Trump team is now focusing on delaying or blocking the certification of the election in numerous states while trying to toss out votes in several cities with large Black populations , including Detroit , Philadelphia and Atlanta .
Michigan ’ s state canvassing board is scheduled to vote today @ @ @ @ @ @ @ Committee and Republicans in Michigan are seeking a delay .
At least one of the Republican members of the four-person board is expected to vote against certifying the results .
Michigan could face a constitutional crisis if both Republicans refuse to certify the vote .
On Friday , a group of Michigan Republican state lawmakers , including the Senate majority leader and the state House speaker , were flown to Washington , D.C. , to meet with President Trump at the White House in what was widely viewed as an attempt by Trump @ @ @ @ @ @ @ Biden from being awarded Michigan ’ s 16 electoral votes , even though he won the state by about 155,000 votes .
Some of the lawmakers were later photographed drinking an $ 800 bottle of Dom Pérignon Champagne at Trump International Hotel , where they were staying .
Meanwhile , the NAACP Legal Defense Fund is suing Trump on behalf of three Black Detroit residents for attempting to disenfranchise voters .
In Georgia , the Trump team has asked for a second recount even though no evidence of widespread fraud emerged during a @ @ @ @ @ @ @ won the state by over 12,000 votes .
On Friday , Georgia Governor Brian Kemp certified the state ’ s slate of 16 presidential electors , but he did not clearly endorse the results .
This all comes as Trump ’ s legal team is distancing itself from attorney Sidney Powell just days after she spread wild conspiracy theories about the election during a news conference with Trump attorney Rudy Giuliani at the headquarters of the Republican National Committee in Washington , D.C. We begin today ’ s show with Emily Bazelon , @ @ @ @ @ @ @ Magazine , lecturer and senior research fellow at Yale Law School .
She ’ s been closely monitoring Trump ’ s election lawsuits .
She ’ s also author of Charged : The New Movement to Transform American Prosecution and End Mass Incarceration , and she ’ s co-host of the Slate podcast Political Gabfest .
Emily , thanks so much for joining us .
So , President Trump ’ s team has lost or withdrawn over 30 lawsuits .
But they persist .
Explain the significance of the latest judge ’ s @ @ @ @ @ @ @ to explain what ’ s happening right now in Michigan .
EMILY BAZELON : This is an important lawsuit in Pennsylvania and an important defeat for the Trump campaign , because , obviously , Pennsylvania is a key state , and they had put a lot of effort into trying to overturn the election in Pennsylvania .
They were asking to throw out all of the votes in Pennsylvania because of unproven allegations not really even of fraud , but of the idea that because some voters were given a chance to fix @ @ @ @ @ @ @ not every county afforded that chance to voters , that that invalidated the entire election .
That ’ s a pretty odd theory of election law , and if you are going to bring a challenge like that to the procedure , you need to bring it before the election takes place , not afterward , because of the problem of disenfranchisement .
And so , that was one of the reasons , among many , that the judge in Pennsylvania dismissed that lawsuit .
AMY GOODMAN : So , talk about this @ @ @ @ @ @ @ dismissing it , the disgust he expressed .
EMILY BAZELON : Yeah , I mean , you quoted , as I think many of us are , this comparison he made to Frankenstein ’ s monster , because he was saying that the claims were kind of stitched together in a haphazard fashion .
And , you know , I think what we saw in court at this hearing , with Rudy Giuliani representing the Trump campaign , was treating court as if it ’ s cable news , with the same kind @ @ @ @ @ @ @ of the allegations you ’ re making .
And I think the judge was making it clear that that just doesn ’ t fly in court .
That ’ s not what it means to practice law in court .
You have to provide evidence .
AMY GOODMAN : And can you talk about the difference between what happens when Rudy Giuliani , the former mayor of New York and now the Trump attorney — when he goes into the court and says , actually , he ’ s not alleging fraud , @ @ @ @ @ @ @ , and in this , I mean , what will go down in history of this bizarre news conference , with a person that was described as Trump ’ s lawyer , as well , Sidney Powell , where she said the entire election should be thrown out because it ’ s a conspiracy between Hugo Chávez , who died years ago , the communists , antifa , George Soros and German voting in the country of Germany — I mean , the counting of the votes in Germany , that the entire @ @ @ @ @ @ @ out , now Giuliani distancing himself , and his makeup , you know , leaking down his face , this bizarre moment — but what he says outside and what he says inside , for laypeople who don ’ t really get the difference ?
EMILY BAZELON : Right .
So , when you ’ re inside a courtroom , you have to provide some proof , especially if you ’ re asking a judge to do something incredibly dramatic like overturn the results of an election , right ?
That ’ s @ @ @ @ @ @ @ people had voted .
And so , I think what you see here is a kind of indication of desperation on the part of Giuliani and these other lawyers .
If they had real proof of fraud , of some theory that could really make it possible that they could get their wish in court , they would be clearly stating that in court .
They did not do that .
And so , instead , you take to the airwaves , where a judge is not necessarily asking hard questions , and @ @ @ @ @ @ @ .
But the mismatch shows that you just don ’ t have the goods to win your lawsuit .
AMY GOODMAN : I want to turn to Governor Chris Christie , the former governor of New Jersey .
There have been a lot of questions about why more Republicans aren ’ t speaking out .
He denounced the lack of evidence in Trump ’ s election lawsuits as a , quote , “ national embarrassment.
” He was speaking on ABC ’ s This Week on Sunday .
AMY GOODMAN : So , @ @ @ @ @ @ @ governor of New Jersey .
Can you talk , Emily Bazelon , about the lack of Republican voices , that are astounding in the face of all of this ?
I mean , if these elections were overturned , many Republicans would also have their elections invalidated .
EMILY BAZELON : Right , although the Trump campaign conveniently does not argue that in court .
But logically speaking , of course , you ’ re correct .
I think what we are seeing here is a lot of enabling .
And we have @ @ @ @ @ @ @ unwilling to challenge President Trump when he says things that simply aren ’ t true .
And now it ’ s really going to quite an extreme , where a basic statement , like “ elections have consequences , and when you lose , you have to leave office , ” turns into a kind of dramatic act of heroism .
I think the Republicans have a problem acting collectively .
And so , when they challenge President Trump one by one , then he gets mad at them on Twitter , and @ @ @ @ @ @ @ support among their voters .
I mean , Chris Christie doesn ’ t have to worry about that , because he ’ s [ not ] still in office , but I think a lot of current politicians who care about their political futures and feel beholden to Trump ’ s base are just afraid to challenge him .
And the thing is , you ’ re not going to win unless you all get together and say , “ Your time in court is over .
The results of the election are @ @ @ @ @ @ @ to be the next president.
” And they just have not made that kind of collective statement .
AMY GOODMAN : Let ’ s turn to what ’ s happening in Michigan right now .
I mean , you have the president bringing in the heads of the state Legislature , the House and the Senate .
I want to turn to last Tuesday , election officials in the state ’ s largest county certifying Joe Biden ’ s victory after a dramatic reversal .
We ’ re going to talk with the @ @ @ @ @ @ @ this , but if you can talk about what ’ s happened right now with one of the two state board canvassers saying that they are going to vote against certifying the vote ?
There are only two Republicans and two Democrats .
Talk about the significance of this and what will happen .
EMILY BAZELON : Well , this is a very odd situation , because the state canvassing board clearly has what ’ s called a ministerial duty .
And that means that the board , once it is satisfied that @ @ @ @ @ @ @ counties have certified their results , which did happen last week in every county — once the state board sees that , they are supposed to sign off .
It ’ s not a choice .
The statute says “ shall.
” And so , when you have that kind of function set up for you , you are not supposed to be deciding that because you have your own suspicions , you ’ re supposed to call for an investigation ; maybe you just prefer President Trump to President-elect Biden .
That @ @ @ @ @ @ @ so , I think there is going to be a real tension here between the clear duty of these canvassing board members to sign off and certify the election , and this kind of partisan bias or these unbased suspicions of fraud that keep simmering even though no actual fraud has surfaced .
And I should also mention , there were more than 670,000 votes cast in Wayne County , which includes Detroit , and there were questions about counting like 350 of them — a tiny percentage .
And in most cases @ @ @ @ @ @ @ what had happened .
It ’ s a regular event in elections for the poll books to not perfectly balance , right ?
You can have someone who gets in line and gets marked as about to vote , who then changes their mind and leaves .
There are innocent explanations for why you can have very small irregularities .
And the notion that , you know , because of this , all of Detroit ’ s votes should be thrown out , as one of the country board members suggested , that @ @ @ @ @ @ @ works .
And it is telling when you decide not to count the votes of the mostly Black city in your state .
It suggests that there ’ s just something else going on here .
AMY GOODMAN : We ’ re going to go to break , and I ’ m going to ask you to stay with us .
We ’ re going to speak with the head of the NAACP in Detroit , and I want to get your comments on that , as well .
Emily Bazelon is staff @ @ @ @ @ @ @ , lecturer and senior research fellow at Yale Law School and author of Charged : The New Movement to Transform American Prosecution and End Mass Incarceration .
We ’ ll be back with her and the head of the NAACP in Detroit in a moment .

This is a rush transcript. Copy may not be in its final form.
AMY GOODMAN: President Trump’s unprecedented attempt to overturn the 2020 election is continuing despite new court setbacks. On Saturday, a conservative judge in Pennsylvania dismissed a Trump lawsuit challenging Joe Biden’s victory in the state. Judge Matthew Brann accused the Trump team of trying to, quote, “disenfranchise almost seven million voters,” unquote, by using, quote, “strained legal arguments without merit and speculative accusations … unsupported by evidence.” He went on to write, quote, “This claim, like Frankenstein’s Monster, has been haphazardly stitched together,” unquote. Trump is appealing the ruling.
Over two dozen lawsuits filed by Trump’s legal team have been dismissed or withdrawn. The Trump team is now focusing on delaying or blocking the certification of the election in numerous states while trying to toss out votes in several cities with large Black populations, including Detroit, Philadelphia and Atlanta.
Michigan’s state canvassing board is scheduled to vote today on certification, but the Republican National Committee and Republicans in Michigan are seeking a delay. At least one of the Republican members of the four-person board is expected to vote against certifying the results. Michigan could face a constitutional crisis if both Republicans refuse to certify the vote.
On Friday, a group of Michigan Republican state lawmakers, including the Senate majority leader and the state House speaker, were flown to Washington, D.C., to meet with President Trump at the White House in what was widely viewed as an attempt by Trump to personally lobby the lawmakers to block Biden from being awarded Michigan’s 16 electoral votes, even though he won the state by about 155,000 votes. Some of the lawmakers were later photographed drinking an $800 bottle of Dom Pérignon Champagne at Trump International Hotel, where they were staying.
Meanwhile, the NAACP Legal Defense Fund is suing Trump on behalf of three Black Detroit residents for attempting to disenfranchise voters.
In Georgia, the Trump team has asked for a second recount even though no evidence of widespread fraud emerged during a statewide audit of the election. Biden won the state by over 12,000 votes. On Friday, Georgia Governor Brian Kemp certified the state’s slate of 16 presidential electors, but he did not clearly endorse the results.
This all comes as Trump’s legal team is distancing itself from attorney Sidney Powell just days after she spread wild conspiracy theories about the election during a news conference with Trump attorney Rudy Giuliani at the headquarters of the Republican National Committee in Washington, D.C.
We begin today’s show with Emily Bazelon, staff writer at The New York Times Magazine, lecturer and senior research fellow at Yale Law School. She’s been closely monitoring Trump’s election lawsuits. She’s also author of Charged: The New Movement to Transform American Prosecution and End Mass Incarceration, and she’s co-host of the Slate podcast Political Gabfest.
Emily, thanks so much for joining us. So, President Trump’s team has lost or withdrawn over 30 lawsuits. But they persist. Explain the significance of the latest judge’s ruling in Pennsylvania, and then go to explain what’s happening right now in Michigan.
EMILY BAZELON: This is an important lawsuit in Pennsylvania and an important defeat for the Trump campaign, because, obviously, Pennsylvania is a key state, and they had put a lot of effort into trying to overturn the election in Pennsylvania. They were asking to throw out all of the votes in Pennsylvania because of unproven allegations not really even of fraud, but of the idea that because some voters were given a chance to fix errors on their absentee ballot, but not every county afforded that chance to voters, that that invalidated the entire election. That’s a pretty odd theory of election law, and if you are going to bring a challenge like that to the procedure, you need to bring it before the election takes place, not afterward, because of the problem of disenfranchisement. And so, that was one of the reasons, among many, that the judge in Pennsylvania dismissed that lawsuit.
AMY GOODMAN: So, talk about this judge and the language he used in dismissing it, the disgust he expressed.
EMILY BAZELON: Yeah, I mean, you quoted, as I think many of us are, this comparison he made to Frankenstein’s monster, because he was saying that the claims were kind of stitched together in a haphazard fashion. And, you know, I think what we saw in court at this hearing, with Rudy Giuliani representing the Trump campaign, was treating court as if it’s cable news, with the same kind of grandstanding and lack of specific proof of the allegations you’re making. And I think the judge was making it clear that that just doesn’t fly in court. That’s not what it means to practice law in court. You have to provide evidence.
AMY GOODMAN: And can you talk about the difference between what happens when Rudy Giuliani, the former mayor of New York and now the Trump attorney — when he goes into the court and says, actually, he’s not alleging fraud, and then walks out of the court, and in this, I mean, what will go down in history of this bizarre news conference, with a person that was described as Trump’s lawyer, as well, Sidney Powell, where she said the entire election should be thrown out because it’s a conspiracy between Hugo Chávez, who died years ago, the communists, antifa, George Soros and German voting in the country of Germany — I mean, the counting of the votes in Germany, that the entire election in this country should be thrown out, now Giuliani distancing himself, and his makeup, you know, leaking down his face, this bizarre moment — but what he says outside and what he says inside, for laypeople who don’t really get the difference?
EMILY BAZELON: Right. So, when you’re inside a courtroom, you have to provide some proof, especially if you’re asking a judge to do something incredibly dramatic like overturn the results of an election, right? That’s not lightly undertaken, because millions of people had voted. And so, I think what you see here is a kind of indication of desperation on the part of Giuliani and these other lawyers. If they had real proof of fraud, of some theory that could really make it possible that they could get their wish in court, they would be clearly stating that in court. They did not do that. And so, instead, you take to the airwaves, where a judge is not necessarily asking hard questions, and you can make whatever allegations you want. But the mismatch shows that you just don’t have the goods to win your lawsuit.
AMY GOODMAN: I want to turn to Governor Chris Christie, the former governor of New Jersey. There have been a lot of questions about why more Republicans aren’t speaking out. He denounced the lack of evidence in Trump’s election lawsuits as a, quote, “national embarrassment.” He was speaking on ABC’s This Week on Sunday.
CHRIS CHRISTIE: What’s happened here is, quite frankly, the conduct of the president’s legal team has been a national embarrassment. … They allege fraud outside the courtroom, but when they go inside the courtroom, they don’t plead fraud, and they don’t argue fraud. This is what I was concerned about at 2:30 in the morning on Wednesday night. Listen, I’ve been a supporter of the president. I voted for him twice. But elections have consequences, and we cannot continue to act as if something happened here that didn’t happen.
AMY GOODMAN: So, that is Chris Christie, the former governor of New Jersey. Can you talk, Emily Bazelon, about the lack of Republican voices, that are astounding in the face of all of this? I mean, if these elections were overturned, many Republicans would also have their elections invalidated.
EMILY BAZELON: Right, although the Trump campaign conveniently does not argue that in court. But logically speaking, of course, you’re correct. I think what we are seeing here is a lot of enabling. And we have seen now for years elected Republican politicians unwilling to challenge President Trump when he says things that simply aren’t true. And now it’s really going to quite an extreme, where a basic statement, like “elections have consequences, and when you lose, you have to leave office,” turns into a kind of dramatic act of heroism.
I think the Republicans have a problem acting collectively. And so, when they challenge President Trump one by one, then he gets mad at them on Twitter, and they worry that they’re losing support among their voters. I mean, Chris Christie doesn’t have to worry about that, because he’s [not] still in office, but I think a lot of current politicians who care about their political futures and feel beholden to Trump’s base are just afraid to challenge him. And the thing is, you’re not going to win unless you all get together and say, “Your time in court is over. The results of the election are clear: President-elect Joe Biden is going to be the next president.” And they just have not made that kind of collective statement.
AMY GOODMAN: Let’s turn to what’s happening in Michigan right now. I mean, you have the president bringing in the heads of the state Legislature, the House and the Senate. I want to turn to last Tuesday, election officials in the state’s largest county certifying Joe Biden’s victory after a dramatic reversal. We’re going to talk with the head of the NAACP in Detroit about this, but if you can talk about what’s happened right now with one of the two state board canvassers saying that they are going to vote against certifying the vote? There are only two Republicans and two Democrats. Talk about the significance of this and what will happen.
EMILY BAZELON: Well, this is a very odd situation, because the state canvassing board clearly has what’s called a ministerial duty. And that means that the board, once it is satisfied that the votes have been tabulated and the counties have certified their results, which did happen last week in every county — once the state board sees that, they are supposed to sign off. It’s not a choice. The statute says “shall.” And so, when you have that kind of function set up for you, you are not supposed to be deciding that because you have your own suspicions, you’re supposed to call for an investigation; maybe you just prefer President Trump to President-elect Biden. That’s not your job. And so, I think there is going to be a real tension here between the clear duty of these canvassing board members to sign off and certify the election, and this kind of partisan bias or these unbased suspicions of fraud that keep simmering even though no actual fraud has surfaced.
And I should also mention, there were more than 670,000 votes cast in Wayne County, which includes Detroit, and there were questions about counting like 350 of them — a tiny percentage. And in most cases, it was pretty easy to explain what had happened. It’s a regular event in elections for the poll books to not perfectly balance, right? You can have someone who gets in line and gets marked as about to vote, who then changes their mind and leaves. There are innocent explanations for why you can have very small irregularities. And the notion that, you know, because of this, all of Detroit’s votes should be thrown out, as one of the country board members suggested, that is just really not how election law works. And it is telling when you decide not to count the votes of the mostly Black city in your state. It suggests that there’s just something else going on here.
AMY GOODMAN: We’re going to go to break, and I’m going to ask you to stay with us. We’re going to speak with the head of the NAACP in Detroit, and I want to get your comments on that, as well. Emily Bazelon is staff writer with The New York Times Magazine, lecturer and senior research fellow at Yale Law School and author of Charged: The New Movement to Transform American Prosecution and End Mass Incarceration. We’ll be back with her and the head of the NAACP in Detroit in a moment.


democracynow--2020-11-23--Headlines for November 23, 2020

Headlines for November 23, 2020

President-elect Joe Biden will reportedly name longtime adviser Tony Blinken as secretary of state .
He previously served as deputy secretary of state for President Obama .
Earlier this year , Blinken spoke with the Hudson Institute about foreign policy challenges and how he views the United States ’ role in the world .
Antony Blinken : “ Simply put , the big problems that we face as a country and as a planet , whether it ’ s climate change , whether it ’ s a pandemic , whether it ’ s the spread of bad weapons , to @ @ @ @ @ @ @ have unilateral solutions.
” After he left Obama ’ s White House , Blinken co-founded WestExec Advisors , a consulting firm which helped Silicon Valley companies pitch for Pentagon contracts .
In an Intercept profile from 2018 , William Hartung , an arms control expert at the Center for International Policy , said , “ The revolving door is a longstanding feature of the military-industrial complex , and it can lead to distorted policy decisions based on the financial interests of former government employees.
” Blinken was also a top Senate aide to @ @ @ @ @ @ @ Biden was pushing for the invasion of Iraq .
Another close adviser , Jake Sullivan , will reportedly be tapped as national security adviser .
Both Sullivan and Blinken served as Biden ’ s national security advisers when he was vice president .
And media is reporting Linda Thomas-Greenfield will be named the new U.S. ambassador to the U.N. Thomas-Greenfield was an ambassador to Liberia and assistant secretary of state for African affairs under Obama .
She was fired days into the Trump administration .
Biden will formally announce his first Cabinet picks @ @ @

President-elect Joe Biden will reportedly name longtime adviser Tony Blinken as secretary of state. He previously served as deputy secretary of state for President Obama. Earlier this year, Blinken spoke with the Hudson Institute about foreign policy challenges and how he views the United States’ role in the world.
Antony Blinken: “Simply put, the big problems that we face as a country and as a planet, whether it’s climate change, whether it’s a pandemic, whether it’s the spread of bad weapons, to state the obvious, none of these have unilateral solutions.”
After he left Obama’s White House, Blinken co-founded WestExec Advisors, a consulting firm which helped Silicon Valley companies pitch for Pentagon contracts. In an Intercept profile from 2018, William Hartung, an arms control expert at the Center for International Policy, said, “The revolving door is a longstanding feature of the military-industrial complex, and it can lead to distorted policy decisions based on the financial interests of former government employees.” Blinken was also a top Senate aide to Biden in 2002 and 2003, when Biden was pushing for the invasion of Iraq.
Another close adviser, Jake Sullivan, will reportedly be tapped as national security adviser. Both Sullivan and Blinken served as Biden’s national security advisers when he was vice president.
And media is reporting Linda Thomas-Greenfield will be named the new U.S. ambassador to the U.N. Thomas-Greenfield was an ambassador to Liberia and assistant secretary of state for African affairs under Obama. She was fired days into the Trump administration.
Biden will formally announce his first Cabinet picks on Tuesday.


democracynow--2020-11-25--Indigenous Groups Vow to Keep Resisting as Construction Is Approved for Enbridge Tar Sands Pipeline

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 , as we turn to Minnesota , where a massive fight against the Enbridge Line 3 pipeline is brewing , after the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers approved a permit for the project this week .
Pipeline construction is now set to begin by the end of the month despite years of resistance and the concerns of Indigenous communities , who say it would violate tribal sovereignty and @ @ @ @ @ @ @ could also bring thousands of temporary workers to Minnesota even as COVID-19 cases are spiking in the state .
The controversial proposed pipeline would carry tar sands oil from Alberta , Canada , to a terminal in Superior , Wisconsin , cutting through Indigenous territory in Minnesota and running under more than 200 streams .
As Native and climate activists prepare to resist the pipeline ’ s construction , they say they fear militarized tactics like those seen at Standing Rock at the mass protests against the Dakota Access pipeline in 2016 .
@ @ @ @ @ @ @ Minnesota Public Utilities Commission has forbidden Enbridge from , quote , “ engaging in counterinsurgency tactics or misinformation campaigns designed to interfere with the public ’ s legal exercise of constitutional rights.
” But advocates say they ’ ve already faced counterinsurgency tactics by the police and private security .
For more , we go to Sioux City , Iowa , where we ’ re joined by Tara Houska , Indigenous lawyer and activist , founder of the Giniw Collective .
She is Ojibwe from the Couchiching First Nation .
Welcome back to @ @ @ @ @ @ @ about what ’ s happening this week , your concerns about Enbridge , and what the protests are all about .
TARA HOUSKA : Yeah , this week we saw the Trump administration do exactly what we thought they would do , which was approve the last , final major hurdle for Enbridge to begin construction of Line 3 .
It ’ s been a long , seven-year fight against this particular project in the regulatory process and the legal processes , and we thought maybe that Minnesota , with its Democratic leadership @ @ @ @ @ @ @ it turns out they are apparently not as brave as Governor Whitmer over in Michigan and are willing to put our children ’ s futures on the line to allow through a Canadian corporation to do as it wishes and to suppress the rights of our citizens , including surveillance , militarization of law enforcement , direct payments to law enforcement .
I mean , that ’ s what ’ s happening on the ground .
JUAN GONZÁLEZ : And could you talk about Enbridge , the Canadian company , for those of @ @ @ @ @ @ @ t know about it ?
TARA HOUSKA : Yeah , sure .
Enbridge is , you know , the largest pipeline infrastructure company in North America .
It is a massive company that is directly tied to the continuation and perpetuation of the tar sands industry .
Tar sands is the dirtiest fossil fuel in the world .
It ’ s pulled out of the ground up in Alberta , Canada .
It is one of three projects that I ’ m working on , the Line 3 project .
It ’ s @ @ @ @ @ @ @ Trans Mountain pipeline over in British Columbia .
Those are the last three major tar sands lines that are proposed .
All the others have been canceled due to resistance on the ground , particularly the Indigenous-led resistance .
Enbridge has a long history of spills .
You know , I mean , it ’ s responsible for the largest inland spill in U.S. history , over in the Kalamazoo River in Michigan .
So they have a long history of causing pretty serious , destructive damage to the environment .
JUAN GONZÁLEZ @ @ @ @ @ @ @ isn ’ t there also the threat of having hundreds of temporary workers from across the United States in the region in construction during the pandemic , especially given the enormous toll that the pandemic has taken on Indigenous communities ?
TARA HOUSKA : Yeah , I mean , we ’ re talking numbers in Minnesota that are now one in 10 .
That ’ s how many people are sick in this area .
Right next door to us in North Dakota , one in a thousand people have passed away from @ @ @ @ @ @ @ the worst places in the entire world that ’ s been hit by this pandemic .
And we ’ re already seeing out-of-state plates all over in rural northern Minnesota .
We can notice when people are not from the area .
It ’ s a small , remote place .
You know , that ’ s the communities that are along the line .
We ’ re talking some counties with maybe one or two or no ICU beds .
It is a situation where you ’ re just kind of throwing @ @ @ @ @ @ @ — I mean , we ’ re talking about Thanksgiving , or , you know , Trucegiving , or whatever it happens to be , depending on how your understanding of it is .
But the governor said you can ’ t gather with your family , but yet they ’ re bringing in thousands of temporary workers to build this oil pipeline .
So , where is the actual concern for public health ?
AMY GOODMAN : And what about the counterinsurgency issues that have been raised ?
TARA HOUSKA : You @ @ @ @ @ @ @ that counterinsurgency language .
I ’ m not exactly sure what the Public Utility Commission thinks counterinsurgency is , because we ’ ve already been heavily surveilled .
We are being heavily surveilled .
There has been reports now of Customs-Border Patrol drones that we ’ ve seen over our encampment and private land .
We knew that was happening .
There are people that are surveilling and targeting individual citizens , including myself , including others that have been leaders in this particular fight .
There ’ s militarization of law enforcement @ @ @ @ @ @ @ riot gear , bringing in of MRAPs and all kinds of other militarized force I can only presume has to do with the Line 3 struggle .
The sheriff of Hubbard County , where our encampment is located , about 200 yards off the line , openly accepted a bunch of equipment , like bolt cutters and chains and all that stuff , from Enbridge directly , with a truckload pulled up to the sheriff ’ s station , and admitted to that , said , “ Yeah , of course , we @ @ @ @ @ @ @ mean , that ’ s where we ’ re at .
JUAN GONZÁLEZ : And just last week , as I understand , two water protectors locked themselves to Enbridge Line 3 excavators , blocking active construction of pump stations .
Could you talk about the ongoing actions of resistance that have been occurring and that you expect will occur ?
TARA HOUSKA : Yeah .
As soon as they started building Line 3 around the state of Minnesota , there was an encampment that was formed , back in 2018 , when @ @ @ @ @ @ @ Public Utility Commission in Minnesota .
And so there ’ s been a series of ongoing actions against transmission lines , pump stations , all the “ preconstruction , ” which really is the same type of destructive damage into the wetlands and into these protected places , that ’ s now only upticking .
I mean , there ’ s hundreds of excavators all over , scattered over northern Minnesota .
And in the meantime , there ’ s been hundreds and thousands of people that have been training , preparing and @ @ @ @ @ @ @ freedom and our bodies are something that ’ s going to be needed in this long fight against the fossil fuel industry and against the destruction of our only home .
AMY GOODMAN : Tara , your final thoughts on this day before Thanksgiving that you ’ d like to share with people , and also the push for Deb Haaland , the congressmember from New Mexico , to be the first Native American secretary of the interior ?
TARA HOUSKA : You know , it ’ s a moment where I think @ @ @ @ @ @ @ to wake up to the idea those construction paper headdresses and pilgrims and Indian stories really aren ’ t all that we were taught in school , that there are actually a series of massacres and broken promises that have occurred with the onset of colonization , that it ’ s not quite so rosy as our children are led to believe .
And so I hope that we are able to come together with our families , if we are able to be with our families , or be together through virtual @ @ @ @ @ @ @ , and tell some truth about what the real story is and how we learn from that and move forward together .
That includes something like appointing Deb Haaland to the secretary of the interior position overseeing Native affairs .
Imagine having a Native person actually overseeing Native affairs for the first time in U.S. history .
That would be at least a step .
AMY GOODMAN : Tara Houska , we want to thank you so much for being with us , Indigenous lawyer and activist , founder of the Giniw Collective @ @ @ @ @ @ @ First Nation .
And tune in tomorrow for our holiday special with Jodi Archambault of Standing Rock ; Allie Young in Arizona ; Bree Newsome and Eddie Glaude ; as well as Juan González on the Latino results from the election .
And Friday , we re-air our documentary Four Days in Western Sahara : Africa ’ s Last Colony .
That does it for our show .
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! I’m Amy Goodman, with Juan González, as we turn to Minnesota, where a massive fight against the Enbridge Line 3 pipeline is brewing, after the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers approved a permit for the project this week. Pipeline construction is now set to begin by the end of the month despite years of resistance and the concerns of Indigenous communities, who say it would violate tribal sovereignty and contaminate the land and water. Construction could also bring thousands of temporary workers to Minnesota even as COVID-19 cases are spiking in the state. The controversial proposed pipeline would carry tar sands oil from Alberta, Canada, to a terminal in Superior, Wisconsin, cutting through Indigenous territory in Minnesota and running under more than 200 streams.
As Native and climate activists prepare to resist the pipeline’s construction, they say they fear militarized tactics like those seen at Standing Rock at the mass protests against the Dakota Access pipeline in 2016. In response to these concerns, the Minnesota Public Utilities Commission has forbidden Enbridge from, quote, “engaging in counterinsurgency tactics or misinformation campaigns designed to interfere with the public’s legal exercise of constitutional rights.” But advocates say they’ve already faced counterinsurgency tactics by the police and private security.
For more, we go to Sioux City, Iowa, where we’re joined by Tara Houska, Indigenous lawyer and activist, founder of the Giniw Collective. She is Ojibwe from the Couchiching First Nation.
Welcome back to Democracy Now!, Tara. Talk about what’s happening this week, your concerns about Enbridge, and what the protests are all about.
TARA HOUSKA: Yeah, this week we saw the Trump administration do exactly what we thought they would do, which was approve the last, final major hurdle for Enbridge to begin construction of Line 3. It’s been a long, seven-year fight against this particular project in the regulatory process and the legal processes, and we thought maybe that Minnesota, with its Democratic leadership, would do something different. But it turns out they are apparently not as brave as Governor Whitmer over in Michigan and are willing to put our children’s futures on the line to allow through a Canadian corporation to do as it wishes and to suppress the rights of our citizens, including surveillance, militarization of law enforcement, direct payments to law enforcement. I mean, that’s what’s happening on the ground.
JUAN GONZÁLEZ: And could you talk about Enbridge, the Canadian company, for those of our viewers and listeners who don’t know about it?
TARA HOUSKA: Yeah, sure. Enbridge is, you know, the largest pipeline infrastructure company in North America. It is a massive company that is directly tied to the continuation and perpetuation of the tar sands industry. Tar sands is the dirtiest fossil fuel in the world. It’s pulled out of the ground up in Alberta, Canada. It is one of three projects that I’m working on, the Line 3 project. It’s also tied to Keystone XL and the Trans Mountain pipeline over in British Columbia. Those are the last three major tar sands lines that are proposed. All the others have been canceled due to resistance on the ground, particularly the Indigenous-led resistance. Enbridge has a long history of spills. You know, I mean, it’s responsible for the largest inland spill in U.S. history, over in the Kalamazoo River in Michigan. So they have a long history of causing pretty serious, destructive damage to the environment.
JUAN GONZÁLEZ: And besides the environmental threat, isn’t there also the threat of having hundreds of temporary workers from across the United States in the region in construction during the pandemic, especially given the enormous toll that the pandemic has taken on Indigenous communities?
TARA HOUSKA: Yeah, I mean, we’re talking numbers in Minnesota that are now one in 10. That’s how many people are sick in this area. Right next door to us in North Dakota, one in a thousand people have passed away from COVID-19. It’s one of the worst places in the entire world that’s been hit by this pandemic. And we’re already seeing out-of-state plates all over in rural northern Minnesota. We can notice when people are not from the area. It’s a small, remote place. You know, that’s the communities that are along the line. We’re talking some counties with maybe one or two or no ICU beds. It is a situation where you’re just kind of throwing a match into an existing pandemic by — I mean, we’re talking about Thanksgiving, or, you know, Trucegiving, or whatever it happens to be, depending on how your understanding of it is. But the governor said you can’t gather with your family, but yet they’re bringing in thousands of temporary workers to build this oil pipeline. So, where is the actual concern for public health?
AMY GOODMAN: And what about the counterinsurgency issues that have been raised?
TARA HOUSKA: You know, I mean, I saw that counterinsurgency language. I’m not exactly sure what the Public Utility Commission thinks counterinsurgency is, because we’ve already been heavily surveilled. We are being heavily surveilled. There has been reports now of Customs-Border Patrol drones that we’ve seen over our encampment and private land. We knew that was happening. There are people that are surveilling and targeting individual citizens, including myself, including others that have been leaders in this particular fight. There’s militarization of law enforcement all along the line, purchases of riot gear, bringing in of MRAPs and all kinds of other militarized force I can only presume has to do with the Line 3 struggle. The sheriff of Hubbard County, where our encampment is located, about 200 yards off the line, openly accepted a bunch of equipment, like bolt cutters and chains and all that stuff, from Enbridge directly, with a truckload pulled up to the sheriff’s station, and admitted to that, said, “Yeah, of course, we did. It was free.” I mean, that’s where we’re at.
JUAN GONZÁLEZ: And just last week, as I understand, two water protectors locked themselves to Enbridge Line 3 excavators, blocking active construction of pump stations. Could you talk about the ongoing actions of resistance that have been occurring and that you expect will occur?
TARA HOUSKA: Yeah. As soon as they started building Line 3 around the state of Minnesota, there was an encampment that was formed, back in 2018, when the line was initially approved by the Public Utility Commission in Minnesota. And so there’s been a series of ongoing actions against transmission lines, pump stations, all the “preconstruction,” which really is the same type of destructive damage into the wetlands and into these protected places, that’s now only upticking. I mean, there’s hundreds of excavators all over, scattered over northern Minnesota. And in the meantime, there’s been hundreds and thousands of people that have been training, preparing and building community together, recognizing that our freedom and our bodies are something that’s going to be needed in this long fight against the fossil fuel industry and against the destruction of our only home.
AMY GOODMAN: Tara, your final thoughts on this day before Thanksgiving that you’d like to share with people, and also the push for Deb Haaland, the congressmember from New Mexico, to be the first Native American secretary of the interior?
TARA HOUSKA: You know, it’s a moment where I think a lot of folks are maybe starting to wake up to the idea those construction paper headdresses and pilgrims and Indian stories really aren’t all that we were taught in school, that there are actually a series of massacres and broken promises that have occurred with the onset of colonization, that it’s not quite so rosy as our children are led to believe. And so I hope that we are able to come together with our families, if we are able to be with our families, or be together through virtual means or whatever it happens to be, and tell some truth about what the real story is and how we learn from that and move forward together.
That includes something like appointing Deb Haaland to the secretary of the interior position overseeing Native affairs. Imagine having a Native person actually overseeing Native affairs for the first time in U.S. history. That would be at least a step.
AMY GOODMAN: Tara Houska, we want to thank you so much for being with us, Indigenous lawyer and activist, founder of the Giniw Collective. She is Ojibwe from the Couchiching First Nation.
And tune in tomorrow for our holiday special with Jodi Archambault of Standing Rock; Allie Young in Arizona; Bree Newsome and Eddie Glaude; as well as Juan González on the Latino results from the election. And Friday, we re-air our documentary Four Days in Western Sahara: Africa’s Last Colony.
That does it for our show. I’m Amy Goodman, with Juan González. Stay safe. Wear a mask.