democracynow--2020-02-11--Who Can Beat Trump? After Iowa Caucus Debacle, Stakes Increase for New Hampshire Primary

This is a rush transcript .
Copy may not be in its final form .
AMY GOODMAN : This is Democracy Now !
, democracynow.org , The War and Peace Report .
I ’ m Amy Goodman , with Juan González .
JUAN GONZÁLEZ : Well , polls have opened in New Hampshire for the first primary of the election season .
The vote comes eight days after the still-disputed Iowa caucus , where both Senator Bernie Sanders and former South Bend Mayor Pete Buttigieg claimed victory .
Both candidates have asked for a partial recanvass of the results .
@ @ @ @ @ @ @ held a massive rally and concert at the University of New Hampshire in Durham attended by over 7,000 people .
AMY GOODMAN : President Trump also held a major rally in Manchester at Southern New Hampshire University Monday .
The crowd was estimated around 11,000 people .
Meanwhile , Democratic Senator Amy Klobuchar of Minnesota campaigned in Nashua .
In recent days , she has picked up the endorsements of three significant newspapers in New Hampshire .
JUAN GONZÁLEZ : Senator Elizabeth Warren campaigned in Portsmouth , New Hampshire , on Monday .
@ @ @ @ @ @ @ ’ s primary in New Hampshire , we ’ re joined by three guests .
Arnie Arnesen is with us , longtime radio and TV host in New Hampshire .
She ’ s the host of The Attitude on WNHN-FM in Concord , New Hampshire , former New Hampshire legislator , and Democratic gubernatorial candidate in the 1992 elections , in Manchester , New Hampshire right now , as is Norm Solomon , co-founder and national coordinator of RootsAction.org , which is supporting Bernie Sanders .
And here in New York , the @ @ @ @ @ @ @ , who recently published a series of sketches from her time on the campaign trail with Bernie Sanders in Iowa and New Hampshire .
We welcome you all to Democracy Now !
Arnie Arnesen , let ’ s begin with you .
You were our first guest , 24 years ago , right leading up to the New Hampshire primary .
ARNIE ARNESEN : Shh , don ’ t tell them , Amy .
Don ’ t tell them .
AMY GOODMAN : Right leading up to the New Hampshire primary at that @ @ @ @ @ @ @ that was the re-election of President Clinton .
But right now you ’ re in the thick of it .
Why don ’ t you describe what ’ s happening in New Hampshire now ?
You ’ re in Manchester , where President Trump held a rally of some 11,000 people last night .
Right nearby , Bernie Sanders was in Durham at the University of New Hampshire , 7,500 people packed in .
Talk about what ’ s happening today in your state .
ARNIE ARNESEN : Well , obviously , what @ @ @ @ @ @ @ so well .
He ’ s the performance-artist-in-chief .
And he knew to come right into the center of this election in order to make sure that he was the attention and that we were not .
I think he was not successful , Amy .
Let me just say something .
I do think there ’ s going to be huge turnout today .
And I think , in some ways , the reason why there needs to be even a bigger turnout is because of the disappointment in Iowa .
And @ @ @ @ @ @ @ in Iowa .
It ’ s that they predicted there ’ d be a huge spike in youth turnout , there ’ d be a huge spike in turnout , bigger than even what happened with Barack Obama , and it didn ’ t even come close .
And I think , to a large number of people , that is terrifying , not only the chaos , but the fact that there wasn ’ t that level of enthusiasm , given the fact that now the opposition is Donald Trump .
It @ @ @ @ @ @ @ a Barack Obama on the stage or someone that sort of floats your boat .
It ’ s that we really do have the tyrant-in-chief .
And now , more than ever , we need to show up .
We need to exercise , unfortunately , in Iowa , not the franchise , but we need to participate .
I think you ’ re going to see a huge turnout here .
I am praying that you see a huge turnout with young people .
That has always been Bernie ’ s calling @ @ @ @ @ @ @ the base .
And I know every young person that I possibly know , and nobody is doing anything but supporting Bernie , which I think is really exciting .
I am a little bit worried , though .
And that is , is that there ’ s a lot of anxiety and fear and anger going into this campaign and this election .
People are still undecided this morning , Amy .
They ’ re undecided this morning .
I have never seen the electorate so fluid .
And here is my @ @ @ @ @ @ @ that when you are undecided and when you are frightened , what you saw happen in Dixville Notch could happen today .
And that is , we use a pencil in New Hampshire .
That ’ s our technology .
But not only do you get to fill in little circles , you can write in names .
And although Michael Bloomberg , who would be our benevolent despot leader , is not running in New Hampshire , let me remind everyone : Not only is he buying ads in all the states @ @ @ @ @ @ @ what ?
Massachusetts and Vermont .
What do we know about New Hampshire , a long , slender state ?
We are Massachusetts and Vermont .
So , all those ads have also been appearing here .
And because people are so afraid and don ’ t know where to go , he becomes the convenient punt .
If I ’ m undecided , where do I go ?
That ’ s not a solution .
That ’ s not democracy .
You ’ ve ceded your voice .
You ’ ve ceded @ @ @ @ @ @ @ the billionaire , “ Not a problem .
Take care of me.
” That ’ s not what democracy does .
But I ’ m going to tell you right now : Watch that , because he was — I suspect that what happened in Dixville Notch was in part because he ’ s so brilliant .
All you have to do is sit down with five people and talk them through it , and what do you get ?
You get free media , on top of his billions of dollars .
@ @ @ @ @ @ @ this is easy , but it ’ s not democratic , and therefore you have to make a choice .
JUAN GONZÁLEZ : And , Arnie , I wanted to ask you also about the fact that in this primary , independents and Republicans can vote , as well , right ?
The impact that that might have — JUAN GONZÁLEZ : — on the final tally for all the candidates ?
JUAN GONZÁLEZ : Oh , it ’ s not correct ?
OK. ARNIE ARNESEN : Here ’ s the deal .
@ @ @ @ @ @ @ The largest group of voters in New Hampshire are undeclareds or independents .
They represent about 42 % of the state .
The rest of it is divided up almost equally between Republicans and Democrats .
Months ago , weeks ago , you had to make a decision , if you were in a party , if you were a Republican or if you were a Democrat , and wanted to become an undeclared , you had to decide then and change your status to undeclared , because only undeclareds can pick up @ @ @ @ @ @ @ ballot .
That means Republicans can ’ t play in the Democratic primary , unless months ago or weeks ago they changed their status to undeclared .
So , but what that means is , is that whoever is running for president as a Democrat in New Hampshire has to court those undeclared voters .
And I ’ d say that about probably a third of them are probably Republicans , and reliable Republicans , but they just choose not to associate .
And then the rest of them are probably — another @ @ @ @ @ @ @ ’ s that group in the center that I think a lot of the Democratic candidates are trying to court .
So , don ’ t assume that what Donald Trump said — again , never trust the information coming out of Mr. Trump .
Republicans can not participate in a Democratic primary , only the undeclareds .
But undeclareds are pivotal , everyone .
They can significantly change the outcome .
AMY GOODMAN : And just to be clear , for people who are wondering what you mean by Dixville Notch , @ @ @ @ @ @ @ the first one in New Hampshire , that only had five votes , almost didn ’ t happen — right ?
— because a developer who didn ’ t live there full-time , they didn ’ t think he was going to come back .
AMY GOODMAN : And then there wouldn ’ t have been a quorum .
But then he came back .
AMY GOODMAN : And that there were three write-in votes for Michael Bloomberg , one for Bernie Sanders and one for Buttigieg .
ARNIE ARNESEN : No , @ @ @ @ @ @ @ but , unfortunately , it also gives you a headline .
And Bloomberg understands that , because he can buy everything , including the most sophisticated consultants on the planet .
And again , I ’ m telling you , people are still undecided .
And , Amy , let me just give you one example .
One of the most thoughtful progressives I know in my state sent me an email , and he said , “ My heart is with Elizabeth and Bernie , but my head is saying maybe Pete @ @ @ @ @ @ @ is not about which side of the aisle , moderate or progressive .
That he is even saying this should tell you something .
And then let ’ s go to the last debate .
Never have I thought that debates mattered .
But the last debate , before the New Hampshire primary , was probably the most pivotal debate I have ever seen in my life .
One , ABC News gave them time to talk , which let me celebrate that .
But what happened on that stage was that what @ @ @ @ @ @ @ , Biden , never , is a no-show .
What you saw was Elizabeth Warren didn ’ t perform as well as her expectations .
And Amy Klobuchar knocked it out of the park .
And I have proof of that .
Amy only got four questions , because she was low in the polls .
Elizabeth got seven .
Amy and Elizabeth had the same amount of time during that debate , because Amy knew how to elbow herself in , how to answer the questions , and she showed a form @ @ @ @ @ @ @ recognize .
That ’ s what happened to Elizabeth .
Bernie did what he needed to do .
No surprise .
So I ’ m just telling you right now that that ’ s part of the problem .
What Amy did in that debate helped her , when people are so unsettled about where to go .
That you would look at a Warren and an Amy tells you about what people are looking at , and it ’ s not about agenda .
It ’ s about Trump .

This is a rush transcript. Copy may not be in its final form.
AMY GOODMAN: This is Democracy Now!, democracynow.org, The War and Peace Report. I’m Amy Goodman, with Juan González.
JUAN GONZÁLEZ: Well, polls have opened in New Hampshire for the first primary of the election season. The vote comes eight days after the still-disputed Iowa caucus, where both Senator Bernie Sanders and former South Bend Mayor Pete Buttigieg claimed victory. Both candidates have asked for a partial recanvass of the results. On Monday night, Sanders of Vermont held a massive rally and concert at the University of New Hampshire in Durham attended by over 7,000 people.
SEN. BERNIE SANDERS: This turnout tells me why we’re going to win here in New Hampshire, why we’re going to win the Democratic nomination and why we are going to defeat the most dangerous president in the modern history of America, Donald Trump. … And the reason that we are going to win is the American people, no matter what their political views may be, are sick and tired of a president who is a pathological liar, who is running a corrupt administration, who is a bully and a vindictive person, who is a racist, a sexist, a xenophobe, a homophobe and a religious bigot. And those are his nice qualities.
AMY GOODMAN: President Trump also held a major rally in Manchester at Southern New Hampshire University Monday. The crowd was estimated around 11,000 people. Meanwhile, Democratic Senator Amy Klobuchar of Minnesota campaigned in Nashua. In recent days, she has picked up the endorsements of three significant newspapers in New Hampshire.
SEN. AMY KLOBUCHAR: If you are struggling to pay for that child care for your kids and choose between that and the long-term care for your parents, I know you, and I will fight for you. And if you are struggling to decide between filling your refrigerator and filling that prescription drug, I know you, and I will fight for you. That is that sacred trust in this country.
JUAN GONZÁLEZ: Senator Elizabeth Warren campaigned in Portsmouth, New Hampshire, on Monday.
SEN. ELIZABETH WARREN: Our democracy hangs in the balance. So, it comes to you, New Hampshire, to decide. When there’s this much fear, when there’s this much on the line, do we crouch down, do we cower, do we back up? Or do we fight back? Me, I’m fighting back. I’m fighting back!
AMY GOODMAN: To talk about today’s primary in New Hampshire, we’re joined by three guests. Arnie Arnesen is with us, longtime radio and TV host in New Hampshire. She’s the host of The Attitude on WNHN-FM in Concord, New Hampshire, former New Hampshire legislator, and Democratic gubernatorial candidate in the 1992 elections, in Manchester, New Hampshire right now, as is Norm Solomon, co-founder and national coordinator of RootsAction.org, which is supporting Bernie Sanders. And here in New York, the artist, writer and activist Molly Crabapple, who recently published a series of sketches from her time on the campaign trail with Bernie Sanders in Iowa and New Hampshire.
We welcome you all to Democracy Now! Arnie Arnesen, let’s begin with you. You were our first guest, 24 years ago, right leading up to the New Hampshire primary.
ARNIE ARNESEN: Shh, don’t tell them, Amy. Don’t tell them.
AMY GOODMAN: Right leading up to the New Hampshire primary at that time. Then, it was — that was the re-election of President Clinton. But right now you’re in the thick of it. Why don’t you describe what’s happening in New Hampshire now? You’re in Manchester, where President Trump held a rally of some 11,000 people last night. Right nearby, Bernie Sanders was in Durham at the University of New Hampshire, 7,500 people packed in. Talk about what’s happening today in your state.
ARNIE ARNESEN: Well, obviously, what Donald Trump does is what he does so well. He’s the performance-artist-in-chief. And he knew to come right into the center of this election in order to make sure that he was the attention and that we were not. I think he was not successful, Amy.
Let me just say something. I do think there’s going to be huge turnout today. And I think, in some ways, the reason why there needs to be even a bigger turnout is because of the disappointment in Iowa. And it’s not just the chaos in Iowa. It’s that they predicted there’d be a huge spike in youth turnout, there’d be a huge spike in turnout, bigger than even what happened with Barack Obama, and it didn’t even come close. And I think, to a large number of people, that is terrifying, not only the chaos, but the fact that there wasn’t that level of enthusiasm, given the fact that now the opposition is Donald Trump. It’s not whether there’s a Barack Obama on the stage or someone that sort of floats your boat. It’s that we really do have the tyrant-in-chief. And now, more than ever, we need to show up. We need to exercise, unfortunately, in Iowa, not the franchise, but we need to participate. I think you’re going to see a huge turnout here. I am praying that you see a huge turnout with young people. That has always been Bernie’s calling card, is that he can expand the base. And I know every young person that I possibly know, and nobody is doing anything but supporting Bernie, which I think is really exciting.
I am a little bit worried, though. And that is, is that there’s a lot of anxiety and fear and anger going into this campaign and this election. People are still undecided this morning, Amy. They’re undecided this morning. I have never seen the electorate so fluid. And here is my fear. My fear is, is that when you are undecided and when you are frightened, what you saw happen in Dixville Notch could happen today. And that is, we use a pencil in New Hampshire. That’s our technology. But not only do you get to fill in little circles, you can write in names. And although Michael Bloomberg, who would be our benevolent despot leader, is not running in New Hampshire, let me remind everyone: Not only is he buying ads in all the states, but the Super Tuesday states are what? Massachusetts and Vermont. What do we know about New Hampshire, a long, slender state? We are Massachusetts and Vermont. So, all those ads have also been appearing here. And because people are so afraid and don’t know where to go, he becomes the convenient punt. If I’m undecided, where do I go? That’s not a solution. That’s not democracy. You’ve ceded your voice. You’ve ceded your choice. And you say to the billionaire, “Not a problem. Take care of me.” That’s not what democracy does. But I’m going to tell you right now: Watch that, because he was — I suspect that what happened in Dixville Notch was in part because he’s so brilliant. All you have to do is sit down with five people and talk them through it, and what do you get? You get free media, on top of his billions of dollars. So I am just warning people that this is easy, but it’s not democratic, and therefore you have to make a choice.
JUAN GONZÁLEZ: And, Arnie, I wanted to ask you also about the fact that in this primary, independents and Republicans can vote, as well, right? The impact that that might have —
ARNIE ARNESEN: No.
JUAN GONZÁLEZ: — on the final tally for all the candidates?
ARNIE ARNESEN: That’s not correct. That’s not correct.
JUAN GONZÁLEZ: Oh, it’s not correct? OK.
ARNIE ARNESEN: Here’s the deal. We have — no, no. The largest group of voters in New Hampshire are undeclareds or independents. They represent about 42% of the state. The rest of it is divided up almost equally between Republicans and Democrats. Months ago, weeks ago, you had to make a decision, if you were in a party, if you were a Republican or if you were a Democrat, and wanted to become an undeclared, you had to decide then and change your status to undeclared, because only undeclareds can pick up either a Republican ballot or a Democratic ballot. That means Republicans can’t play in the Democratic primary, unless months ago or weeks ago they changed their status to undeclared.
So, but what that means is, is that whoever is running for president as a Democrat in New Hampshire has to court those undeclared voters. And I’d say that about probably a third of them are probably Republicans, and reliable Republicans, but they just choose not to associate. And then the rest of them are probably — another third are probably Democrat. But it’s that group in the center that I think a lot of the Democratic candidates are trying to court. So, don’t assume that what Donald Trump said — again, never trust the information coming out of Mr. Trump. Republicans cannot participate in a Democratic primary, only the undeclareds. But undeclareds are pivotal, everyone. They can significantly change the outcome.
AMY GOODMAN: And just to be clear, for people who are wondering what you mean by Dixville Notch, the community that votes at midnight, the first one in New Hampshire, that only had five votes, almost didn’t happen — right? — because a developer who didn’t live there full-time, they didn’t think he was going to come back.
ARNIE ARNESEN: Exactly.
AMY GOODMAN: And then there wouldn’t have been a quorum. But then he came back.
ARNIE ARNESEN: Exactly.
AMY GOODMAN: And that there were three write-in votes for Michael Bloomberg, one for Bernie Sanders and one for Buttigieg.
ARNIE ARNESEN: No, it’s an amazing story, but, unfortunately, it also gives you a headline. And Bloomberg understands that, because he can buy everything, including the most sophisticated consultants on the planet. And again, I’m telling you, people are still undecided.
And, Amy, let me just give you one example. One of the most thoughtful progressives I know in my state sent me an email, and he said, “My heart is with Elizabeth and Bernie, but my head is saying maybe Pete or Amy.” OK? So this is not about which side of the aisle, moderate or progressive. That he is even saying this should tell you something.
And then let’s go to the last debate. Never have I thought that debates mattered. But the last debate, before the New Hampshire primary, was probably the most pivotal debate I have ever seen in my life. One, ABC News gave them time to talk, which let me celebrate that. But what happened on that stage was that what you saw was that, you know, Biden, never, is a no-show. What you saw was Elizabeth Warren didn’t perform as well as her expectations. And Amy Klobuchar knocked it out of the park. And I have proof of that. Amy only got four questions, because she was low in the polls. Elizabeth got seven. Amy and Elizabeth had the same amount of time during that debate, because Amy knew how to elbow herself in, how to answer the questions, and she showed a form of leadership that at least some people recognize. That’s what happened to Elizabeth. Bernie did what he needed to do. No surprise. So I’m just telling you right now that that’s part of the problem. What Amy did in that debate helped her, when people are so unsettled about where to go. That you would look at a Warren and an Amy tells you about what people are looking at, and it’s not about agenda. It’s about Trump.


democracynow--2020-02-11--Trump's New Budget Funds Endless War & Nuclear Weapons While Slashing Aid to Poor & Hungry Americans

This is a rush transcript .
Copy may not be in its final form .
JUAN GONZÁLEZ : President Trump unveiled his 2021 budget request Monday , proposing massive cuts to Medicaid and food stamps while increasing spending on the military and his border wall .
The $ 4.8 trillion budget would slash Environmental Protection Agency spending by more than a quarter while allocating $ 18 billion for Trumps ’ s newly established Space Force .
Trump is also requesting billions more for nuclear weapons , including a new submarine-launched nuclear warhead .
Experts and Democratic lawmakers warn that increasing @ @ @ @ @ @ @ of nuclear war and defy international agreements .
AMY GOODMAN : Democrats are expected to reject the budget , which proposes steep cuts to global health programs and eliminating Public Service Loan Forgiveness , a program that cancels the student debts of public workers after they ’ ve made 10 years of payments .
This is the fourth time Trump has tried to end the program .
It also cuts $ 182 billion from the Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program , known as SNAP , in part by significantly increasing requirements for Americans receiving @ @ @ @ @ @ @ Monday , “ Trump ’ s immoral budget is full of reckless and cruel cuts to health care , education , housing , basic food assistance and more .
All while funneling billions to a xenophobic boarder wall .
Congress must and will reject it , ” she tweeted .
Well , for more , we go to Rochester , New York , where we ’ re joined by journalist David Cay Johnston , winner of a Pulitzer Prize for his reporting .
David , welcome back to Democracy Now !
Can you @ @ @ @ @ @ @ budget , with almost $ 50 billion or so going to nuclear weapons , more nuclear weapons , with the border wall , $ 2 billion , and these devastating cuts to Medicaid and food stamps ?
DAVID CAY JOHNSTON : Amy , if you want endless wars , dirty air , and you think that the poor and hungry in America are getting too good of a deal , this is a budget for you .
That ’ s exactly what this budget is about .
Donald Trump , in his inaugural @ @ @ @ @ @ @ champion of the forgotten man .
Everything he did would be about the forgotten man .
Well , he forgot about the forgotten man the minute he walked off the dais .
In this budget , he proposes not only all this additional money for nuclear weapons and for the border wall , but he wants to cut the Environmental Protection Agency ’ s budget by more than a fourth .
He wants to cut the budget of the Army Corps of Engineers by more than a fifth .
And that matters because @ @ @ @ @ @ @ built in the United States in the heartland of the country , and many of the dams and other facilities that the Army Corps is responsible for , is falling apart , and it ’ s proving inadequate because of climate disruption .
We ’ ve had these massive floods along these dike systems .
To cut the budget for that is just nuts , unless you want to , of course , abandon farming in large parts of the center of the United States .
But going after food assistance is absolutely @ @ @ @ @ @ @ .
Donald Trump said he was going to drain the swamp .
He has turned Washington into a paradise for the Wall Street swamp monsters that he told voters he was going to go after .
And it ’ s very clear that his idea of draining the swamp is getting rid of hard-working , serious people who are trying to make America better , and replacing them with people who want to mine the economy and extract money from those down below , because lots of billionaires feel they don ’ t @ @ @ @ @ @ @ And , David , I want to ask you about the tax cut proposal of Trump ’ s .
We ’ re seeing this movie repeatedly now over the last 50 , 60 years of American history .
The Reagan administration cut taxes and created massive deficits , that then , when Bill Clinton finally came into office , he was immediately hit : “ You ’ ve got to do something about the deficit.
” Then , when George W. Bush was in office , he cut the taxes dramatically , and @ @ @ @ @ @ @ that led to , when President Obama came in , having again to deal with this massive deficit .
And now we ’ re seeing Trump , the Trump administration and the current Republicans in Congress , doing the same thing : massive cuts .
And now he wants to extend certain tax cuts in this proposal .
Could you talk about that ?
DAVID CAY JOHNSTON : Well , what Trump is proposing to do is provide a little sop to middle-class families by increasing the child tax credit , extending it @ @ @ @ @ @ @ scheduled to expire , but continuing his fundamental policy , which is massive tax cuts for people at the very top , people with multimillion-dollar annual incomes .
The top one-in-a-thousand households have incomes of over $ 2 million a year .
And we have people in America , like Mike Bloomberg , who make multiple billions of annual income .
And he ’ s proposing that we can afford all of this because he ’ s projecting what my children refer to as “ happy-go-magicland thinking ” about the budget .
Each @ @ @ @ @ @ @ , the three years he ’ s been in office , economic growth has gone from here to here to here .
It is slowing down .
But he projects that it ’ s going to like this , which is just not going to happen .
Nobody believes that .
But by claiming it will go like this , here ’ s what he does .
He says the federal budget deficit , of roughly a trillion dollars a year now — and remember , Trump told us he would pay off @ @ @ @ @ @ @ years — by projecting this economic growth that nobody sees happening , and when it ’ s actually declining , he ’ s able to argue that the federal budget deficits are going to go down .
All the projections show they ’ re going to go like this , by everybody outside the administration .
So , as my children said when they were little , happy-go-magicland thinking .
AMY GOODMAN : Let ’ s turn to President Trump speaking Monday about increasing spending on nuclear weapons .
DAVID CAY JOHNSTON : @ @ @ @ @ @ @ .
I mean , this is like a lot of things Donald says in the 32 years almost that I ’ ve known him .
You know , he just makes stuff up .
And while there are little pieces of truth in there , this is just all nonsense .
We have more than enough nuclear capacity to kill everybody on the planet repeatedly .
We have more than enough for mutually assured destruction , which of course goes by the acronym ” MAD , ” because it ’ s meaningful .
@ @ @ @ @ @ @ the world .
The man has no real capacity to understand things .
You know , he claims to be the world ’ s greatest expert on at least 23 subjects .
But as various people in the White House have leaked out , when he ’ s confronted with being asked something , he turns out to know absolutely nothing .
By the way , he ’ s very well parodied in a new HBO show called Avenue 5 , a takeoff on Trump ’ s claim that he could shoot somebody @ @ @ @ @ @ @ to him .
AMY GOODMAN : Well , speaking of being out in space , he ’ s also promising , as he cuts food to poor children , $ 18 billion for a new Space Force .
DAVID CAY JOHNSTON : Yeah .
Do we want to militarize space ?
I mean , this is just an incredibly nutty idea .
We have a United States Air Force that is perfectly capable of dealing with our programs along with NASA .
Now , if we want to spend more money to go @ @ @ @ @ @ @ in favor of that .
I think it would lead to a lot of great scientific research .
It has a cost to it , though , and you ’ ve got to bear the cost .
And what Trump wants to do is a free lunch .
He wants to say to the richest people in America , “ We ’ re going to lower your taxes .
We ’ re going to allow big corporations to earn huge taxes — huge profits and pay no taxes .
And then we ’ @ @ @ @ @ @ @ money on these things which are discretionary : We can choose to do them or not do them.
” And at the same time , we ’ re going to say to children and families that are going to food pantries and food kitchens constantly , you know , “ You ’ ve got too much.
” I mean , it ’ s really a remarkable position .
And it ’ s very clear the Republican Party policies that Donald Trump is reflecting here boil down to this : The reason the American @ @ @ @ @ @ @ the rich don ’ t have enough , and the way to get more to the rich is to take it from the poor , the disabled , from children , from the elderly — that is , from those people who have little capacity to fight back .
JUAN GONZÁLEZ : And , David , this whole issue of , once again , the president attempting to cut this program that provides loan forgiveness for people who do public service after they graduate from college ?
I mean , the program has @ @ @ @ @ @ @ it is , even as it exists right now , for folks to qualify , but this whole idea of cutting the ability of people to reduce their student debt if they do government service is the exact opposite of what several of the Democratic candidates — Bernie Sanders , Elizabeth Warren and others — are saying about forgiving student debt and trying to find a way to get young people out from under a lifetime of servitude to their student loans .
DAVID CAY JOHNSTON : Yeah .
Juan , I know @ @ @ @ @ @ @ their hair who are still paying off their student loans .
I was lucky enough to go to college when it was free .
In today ’ s money , I paid $ 120 a year in 2020 dollars to go to college back in the '60s .
The real debate we need to be having is : What level of education do we need to have to have a stable and prosperous society ?
If it 's only eighth grade education , then let ’ s get rid of high school .
@ @ @ @ @ @ @ norm and graduate school for lots of people , then let ’ s invest in that .
Education is an investment in the future of the country .
And what Trump is really doing here is not only helping the bankers , who he told everyone he was going to rein in and has never done that , but he is also telling us , “ You know , don ’ t think about the future .
Think about right now .
What you need is more now .
Never mind what ’ @ @ @ @ @ @ @ , your grandchildren ” — if you ’ re my age .
“ Let ’ s focus on right now.
” And this is not a policy to make our democracy endure .
And , of course , I ’ ve said many times , Donald Trump doesn ’ t want our democracy to endure .
He wants to be King Donald , and he wants his daughter to become Empress Ivanka I. AMY GOODMAN : Well , David Cay Johnston , we ’ re going to leave it there for now , @ @ @ @ @ @ @ to cover this as it goes to Congress .
David Cay Johnston is the Pulitzer Prize-winning investigative reporter , previously with The New York Times , now founder and editor of DCReport.org .
His recent piece is headlined “ Trump ’ s Ho-Hum Economy in Three Graphs.
” He teaches at Syracuse University College of Law .
His most recent book , It ’ s Even Worse Than You Think : What the Trump Administration Is Doing to America .
When we come back , we go to New Hampshire , where polls @ @ @ @ @ @ @ first presidential primary .
Stay with us .

This is a rush transcript. Copy may not be in its final form.
JUAN GONZÁLEZ: President Trump unveiled his 2021 budget request Monday, proposing massive cuts to Medicaid and food stamps while increasing spending on the military and his border wall. The $4.8 trillion budget would slash Environmental Protection Agency spending by more than a quarter while allocating $18 billion for Trumps’s newly established Space Force. Trump is also requesting billions more for nuclear weapons, including a new submarine-launched nuclear warhead. Experts and Democratic lawmakers warn that increasing the nuclear stockpile will increase the likelihood of nuclear war and defy international agreements.
AMY GOODMAN: Democrats are expected to reject the budget, which proposes steep cuts to global health programs and eliminating Public Service Loan Forgiveness, a program that cancels the student debts of public workers after they’ve made 10 years of payments. This is the fourth time Trump has tried to end the program. It also cuts $182 billion from the Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program, known as SNAP, in part by significantly increasing requirements for Americans receiving food stamps. Congressmember Barbara Lee tweeted Monday, “Trump’s immoral budget is full of reckless and cruel cuts to health care, education, housing, basic food assistance and more. All while funneling billions to a xenophobic boarder wall. Congress must and will reject it,” she tweeted.
Well, for more, we go to Rochester, New York, where we’re joined by journalist David Cay Johnston, winner of a Pulitzer Prize for his reporting.
David, welcome back to Democracy Now! Can you talk about the significance of this unprecedented budget, with almost $50 billion or so going to nuclear weapons, more nuclear weapons, with the border wall, $2 billion, and these devastating cuts to Medicaid and food stamps?
DAVID CAY JOHNSTON: Amy, if you want endless wars, dirty air, and you think that the poor and hungry in America are getting too good of a deal, this is a budget for you. That’s exactly what this budget is about. Donald Trump, in his inaugural address, said he would be the champion of the forgotten man. Everything he did would be about the forgotten man. Well, he forgot about the forgotten man the minute he walked off the dais.
In this budget, he proposes not only all this additional money for nuclear weapons and for the border wall, but he wants to cut the Environmental Protection Agency’s budget by more than a fourth. He wants to cut the budget of the Army Corps of Engineers by more than a fifth. And that matters because the dike and levee system that was built in the United States in the heartland of the country, and many of the dams and other facilities that the Army Corps is responsible for, is falling apart, and it’s proving inadequate because of climate disruption. We’ve had these massive floods along these dike systems. To cut the budget for that is just nuts, unless you want to, of course, abandon farming in large parts of the center of the United States.
But going after food assistance is absolutely displaying what is really going on here. Donald Trump said he was going to drain the swamp. He has turned Washington into a paradise for the Wall Street swamp monsters that he told voters he was going to go after. And it’s very clear that his idea of draining the swamp is getting rid of hard-working, serious people who are trying to make America better, and replacing them with people who want to mine the economy and extract money from those down below, because lots of billionaires feel they don’t have enough money.
JUAN GONZÁLEZ: And, David, I want to ask you about the tax cut proposal of Trump’s. We’re seeing this movie repeatedly now over the last 50, 60 years of American history. The Reagan administration cut taxes and created massive deficits, that then, when Bill Clinton finally came into office, he was immediately hit: “You’ve got to do something about the deficit.” Then, when George W. Bush was in office, he cut the taxes dramatically, and of course we had the financial meltdown that led to, when President Obama came in, having again to deal with this massive deficit. And now we’re seeing Trump, the Trump administration and the current Republicans in Congress, doing the same thing: massive cuts. And now he wants to extend certain tax cuts in this proposal. Could you talk about that?
DAVID CAY JOHNSTON: Well, what Trump is proposing to do is provide a little sop to middle-class families by increasing the child tax credit, extending it into the future when it’s scheduled to expire, but continuing his fundamental policy, which is massive tax cuts for people at the very top, people with multimillion-dollar annual incomes. The top one-in-a-thousand households have incomes of over $2 million a year. And we have people in America, like Mike Bloomberg, who make multiple billions of annual income.
And he’s proposing that we can afford all of this because he’s projecting what my children refer to as “happy-go-magicland thinking” about the budget. Each year that Trump has been in office, the three years he’s been in office, economic growth has gone from here to here to here. It is slowing down. But he projects that it’s going to like this, which is just not going to happen. Nobody believes that. But by claiming it will go like this, here’s what he does. He says the federal budget deficit, of roughly a trillion dollars a year now — and remember, Trump told us he would pay off the federal debt if he got eight years — by projecting this economic growth that nobody sees happening, and when it’s actually declining, he’s able to argue that the federal budget deficits are going to go down. All the projections show they’re going to go like this, by everybody outside the administration. So, as my children said when they were little, happy-go-magicland thinking.
AMY GOODMAN: Let’s turn to President Trump speaking Monday about increasing spending on nuclear weapons.
PRESIDENT DONALD TRUMP: And we’re taking good care of our military. We’re increasing spending on our nuclear program, because we have no choice, because of what China is doing, what Russia is doing, in particular. And so we have a very big number in for that. Now, at the same time, Russia and China both want to negotiate with us to stop this craziness of spending billions and billions of dollars on nuclear weapons. But the only way — until we have that agreement, the only thing I can do is create by far the strongest nuclear force anywhere in the world, which, as you know, over the last three years we very much upgraded our nuclear. But we’re buying new — we have the superfast missiles, tremendous number of the superfast. We call them superfast.
AMY GOODMAN: David Cay Johnston?
DAVID CAY JOHNSTON: Trump is just out in space here. I mean, this is like a lot of things Donald says in the 32 years almost that I’ve known him. You know, he just makes stuff up. And while there are little pieces of truth in there, this is just all nonsense. We have more than enough nuclear capacity to kill everybody on the planet repeatedly. We have more than enough for mutually assured destruction, which of course goes by the acronym ”MAD,” because it’s meaningful. And this is Trump simply not understanding the world. The man has no real capacity to understand things. You know, he claims to be the world’s greatest expert on at least 23 subjects. But as various people in the White House have leaked out, when he’s confronted with being asked something, he turns out to know absolutely nothing. By the way, he’s very well parodied in a new HBO show called Avenue 5, a takeoff on Trump’s claim that he could shoot somebody on Fifth Avenue and nothing would happen to him.
AMY GOODMAN: Well, speaking of being out in space, he’s also promising, as he cuts food to poor children, $18 billion for a new Space Force.
DAVID CAY JOHNSTON: Yeah. Do we want to militarize space? I mean, this is just an incredibly nutty idea. We have a United States Air Force that is perfectly capable of dealing with our programs along with NASA. Now, if we want to spend more money to go explore the heavens, I personally am in favor of that. I think it would lead to a lot of great scientific research. It has a cost to it, though, and you’ve got to bear the cost.
And what Trump wants to do is a free lunch. He wants to say to the richest people in America, “We’re going to lower your taxes. We’re going to allow big corporations to earn huge taxes — huge profits and pay no taxes. And then we’re going to spend all this additional money on these things which are discretionary: We can choose to do them or not do them.” And at the same time, we’re going to say to children and families that are going to food pantries and food kitchens constantly, you know, “You’ve got too much.” I mean, it’s really a remarkable position. And it’s very clear the Republican Party policies that Donald Trump is reflecting here boil down to this: The reason the American economy isn’t doing better is the rich don’t have enough, and the way to get more to the rich is to take it from the poor, the disabled, from children, from the elderly — that is, from those people who have little capacity to fight back.
JUAN GONZÁLEZ: And, David, this whole issue of, once again, the president attempting to cut this program that provides loan forgiveness for people who do public service after they graduate from college? I mean, the program has had lots of criticism about how difficult it is, even as it exists right now, for folks to qualify, but this whole idea of cutting the ability of people to reduce their student debt if they do government service is the exact opposite of what several of the Democratic candidates — Bernie Sanders, Elizabeth Warren and others — are saying about forgiving student debt and trying to find a way to get young people out from under a lifetime of servitude to their student loans.
DAVID CAY JOHNSTON: Yeah. Juan, I know people who have lots of gray in their hair who are still paying off their student loans. I was lucky enough to go to college when it was free. In today’s money, I paid $120 a year in 2020 dollars to go to college back in the '60s. The real debate we need to be having is: What level of education do we need to have to have a stable and prosperous society? If it's only eighth grade education, then let’s get rid of high school. If it’s college as the norm and graduate school for lots of people, then let’s invest in that. Education is an investment in the future of the country.
And what Trump is really doing here is not only helping the bankers, who he told everyone he was going to rein in and has never done that, but he is also telling us, “You know, don’t think about the future. Think about right now. What you need is more now. Never mind what’s going to happen to your children, your grandchildren” — if you’re my age. “Let’s focus on right now.” And this is not a policy to make our democracy endure. And, of course, I’ve said many times, Donald Trump doesn’t want our democracy to endure. He wants to be King Donald, and he wants his daughter to become Empress Ivanka I.
AMY GOODMAN: Well, David Cay Johnston, we’re going to leave it there for now, but of course we’ll continue to cover this as it goes to Congress. David Cay Johnston is the Pulitzer Prize-winning investigative reporter, previously with The New York Times, now founder and editor of DCReport.org. His recent piece is headlined “Trump’s Ho-Hum Economy in Three Graphs.” He teaches at Syracuse University College of Law. His most recent book, It’s Even Worse Than You Think: What the Trump Administration Is Doing to America.
When we come back, we go to New Hampshire, where polls have opened in the nation’s first presidential primary. Stay with us.


democracynow--2020-02-11--A Victory for Vulture Funds: Puerto Rico's Unelected Financial Control Board Strikes Debt Deal

This is a rush transcript .
Copy may not be in its final form .
AMY GOODMAN : Juan , before we begin with our top story , can you talk about what ’ s happened in Puerto Rico with the issue of the debt ?
JUAN GONZÁLEZ : Yeah , Amy .
This is interesting .
I ’ m reading the articles that have come out in the last couple of days about this , and it ’ s being portrayed as a victory for Puerto Rico in lowering its debt .
But what I read of the actual @ @ @ @ @ @ @ opposite .
The island — you can not pay back debt for which you don ’ t have money to pay .
So the entire debt of $ 70 billion has been questionable .
And , in fact , the control board had offered these bondholders only about 29 to 30 % on the dollar .
Now they ’ re getting , with this deal , a much better deal from the financial control board .
This is actually a victory for some of the bondholders , especially the vulture funds , because @ @ @ @ @ @ @ it believed that at least $ 6 billion , the most recent debt of Puerto Puerto , was actually illegally issued .
And that ’ s the money that the vulture funds came in and the hedge funds grabbed in 2012 , 2014 .
Now they ’ re going to get money back .
And , in fact , Puerto Rico has to not only pay $ 11 billion over 20 years , but it ’ s got to put up $ 3.8 billion upfront .
In other words , as soon as @ @ @ @ @ @ @ ve got to give the bondholders $ 3.8 billion in cash .
So , the vulture funds are now making out with this .
AMY GOODMAN : And explain what vulture funds are .
JUAN GONZÁLEZ : The vulture funds are the ones who came in and swooped up debt at the very end , in the last few years , when Puerto Rico really was issuing debt that everyone knew it could never pay .
And the vulture funds came in , and as the value of the bonds dropped dramatically , @ @ @ @ @ @ @ low prices .
So , I think that — similarly to what they did in Argentina and Greece and other countries that went into financial collapse .
So , it seems to me that this new settlement — and again , it ’ s only a settlement for $ 35 billion of debt .
There ’ s still another $ 35 billion in bondholders and another $ 50 billion that ’ s owed to the pension funds that still has to be resolved .
This is a win , it seems to me @ @ @ @ @ @ @ but specifically for the vulture funds .
And the Legislature of Puerto Rico still has to vote on this , and we ’ ll see what happens .
But those who portray this as a victory for Puerto Rico are not really paying attention to the details of the agreement .
AMY GOODMAN : And , of course , we ’ ll continue to cover this in the days to come .

This is a rush transcript. Copy may not be in its final form.
AMY GOODMAN: Juan, before we begin with our top story, can you talk about what’s happened in Puerto Rico with the issue of the debt?
JUAN GONZÁLEZ: Yeah, Amy. This is interesting. I’m reading the articles that have come out in the last couple of days about this, and it’s being portrayed as a victory for Puerto Rico in lowering its debt. But what I read of the actual details of the plan is quite the opposite. The island — you cannot pay back debt for which you don’t have money to pay. So the entire debt of $70 billion has been questionable. And, in fact, the control board had offered these bondholders only about 29 to 30% on the dollar. Now they’re getting, with this deal, a much better deal from the financial control board. This is actually a victory for some of the bondholders, especially the vulture funds, because the control board had actually said that it believed that at least $6 billion, the most recent debt of Puerto Puerto, was actually illegally issued. And that’s the money that the vulture funds came in and the hedge funds grabbed in 2012, 2014. Now they’re going to get money back. And, in fact, Puerto Rico has to not only pay $11 billion over 20 years, but it’s got to put up $3.8 billion upfront. In other words, as soon as you sign the deal, you’ve got to give the bondholders $3.8 billion in cash. So, the vulture funds are now making out with this.
AMY GOODMAN: And explain what vulture funds are.
JUAN GONZÁLEZ: The vulture funds are the ones who came in and swooped up debt at the very end, in the last few years, when Puerto Rico really was issuing debt that everyone knew it could never pay. And the vulture funds came in, and as the value of the bonds dropped dramatically, they scooped up the debt at very low prices. So, I think that — similarly to what they did in Argentina and Greece and other countries that went into financial collapse. So, it seems to me that this new settlement — and again, it’s only a settlement for $35 billion of debt. There’s still another $35 billion in bondholders and another $50 billion that’s owed to the pension funds that still has to be resolved. This is a win, it seems to me, not only for the bondholders, but specifically for the vulture funds. And the Legislature of Puerto Rico still has to vote on this, and we’ll see what happens. But those who portray this as a victory for Puerto Rico are not really paying attention to the details of the agreement.
AMY GOODMAN: And, of course, we’ll continue to cover this in the days to come.


democracynow--2020-02-11--Headlines for February 11, 2020

Headlines for February 11, 2020

Polls have opened in New Hampshire for the first primary of the election season .
On Monday night , Vermont Senator Bernie Sanders held a massive rally and concert at the University of New Hampshire in Durham attended by over 7,500 people .
Sen. Bernie Sanders : “ The reason that we are going to win is the American people , no matter what their political views may be , are sick and tired of a president who is a pathological liar , who is running a corrupt administration , who is a bully and a vindictive person , who @ @ @ @ @ @ @ a xenophobe , a homophobe and a religious bigot.
” Meanwhile , the campaign of Senator Amy Klobuchar has picked up the endorsements of three major newspapers in New Hampshire as the Minnesota senator hopes for a stronger result after placing fifth in the Iowa caucuses .
The campaigns of Senator Sanders and former South Bend , Indiana , Mayor Pete Buttigieg have called for a partial recanvass in Iowa after results showed Sanders winning the popular vote but Buttigieg narrowly edging him out in the delegate count .
Meanwhile , audio has @ @ @ @ @ @ @ New York City Mayor Mike Bloomberg defending the use of stop-and-frisk in 2015 at the Aspen Institute .
We ’ ll have more on New Hampshire later in the broadcast .

Polls have opened in New Hampshire for the first primary of the election season. On Monday night, Vermont Senator Bernie Sanders held a massive rally and concert at the University of New Hampshire in Durham attended by over 7,500 people.
Sen. Bernie Sanders: “The reason that we are going to win is the American people, no matter what their political views may be, are sick and tired of a president who is a pathological liar, who is running a corrupt administration, who is a bully and a vindictive person, who is a racist, a sexist, a xenophobe, a homophobe and a religious bigot.”
Meanwhile, the campaign of Senator Amy Klobuchar has picked up the endorsements of three major newspapers in New Hampshire as the Minnesota senator hopes for a stronger result after placing fifth in the Iowa caucuses.
The campaigns of Senator Sanders and former South Bend, Indiana, Mayor Pete Buttigieg have called for a partial recanvass in Iowa after results showed Sanders winning the popular vote but Buttigieg narrowly edging him out in the delegate count.
Meanwhile, audio has leaked of 2020 presidential candidate and former New York City Mayor Mike Bloomberg defending the use of stop-and-frisk in 2015 at the Aspen Institute.
We’ll have more on New Hampshire later in the broadcast.


democracynow--2020-02-12--South Bend Politician: I Worked with Pete Buttigieg. He Did Not Respect Black Residents' Struggles

This is a rush transcript .
Copy may not be in its final form .
AMY GOODMAN : We turn now to look at other police policies in other parts of the country , to look at Pete Buttigieg ’ s record on policing and racial justice , following his second-place place finish in New Hampshire last night .
The former mayor of South Bend , Indiana , has surprised many with his strong showings in Iowa and New Hampshire , two of the country ’ s whitest states .
But as the race moves on now to Nevada and @ @ @ @ @ @ @ extremely low with African-American voters .
His own former constituents are condemning his treatment of the black community in South Bend during his time as mayor , calling out systemic racism in the police force .
During Buttigieg ’ s tenure as mayor from 2012 to '18 , black residents were 4.3 times more likely to be arrested for possessing marijuana than white people .
At last week 's presidential debate , ABC News moderator Linsey Davis questioned Pete Buttigieg about the rise in arrests of black people under his administration .
AMY @ @ @ @ @ @ @ we go to Chicago , where we ’ re joined by Henry Davis Jr. , a South Bend city councilmember since 2008 .
Welcome to Democracy Now !
, Henry Davis Jr. Can you talk about your experience as a city councilmember with your mayor at the time — he just recently stepped down — Pete Buttigieg , who has now just placed second in the New Hampshire primary ?
HENRY DAVIS JR. : Well , thank you for having me .
My time working with Mayor Buttigieg was — at best , @ @ @ @ @ @ @ difficult to get across to him , and also to his administration , how African Americans were living in South Bend and some of the issues that confronted him on a daily basis .
You ’ re talking about double-digit unemployment .
You ’ re talking about a very high poverty rate , over 40 % .
You ’ re talking about high crime .
You ’ re talking about schools shutting down and closing .
And even some of his policies , when it came to “ a thousand houses in a @ @ @ @ @ @ @ decided to go through the hood or , you know , in the black and brown areas , and he wanted to demolish these homes , and the homes were demolished .
But it wasn ’ t the fact that some of those homes didn ’ t need to come down ; it was the fact that there was no affordable housing program that came behind it .
And so , now we ’ re still dealing with , you know , empty lots , high weeds and a lot of varmints that @ @ @ @ @ @ @ And so , when you talk about right now even with the police force , you have the lowest numbers serving of African-American officers in the police force in South Bend .
So , you know , there are a number of issues that confronted the African-American community and that he really chose not to deal with .
And so , as a councilman and having a predominantly black district , a lot of those fights were held and had on the council floor , and I did as much as I could @ @ @ @ @ @ @ , but it was very hard going back and forth and not getting that money invested back in the community like it should have been .
And so , here we are now , you know , dealing with a presidential idea of a Pete Buttigieg , and even back in South Bend , how do we correct some of these social ills in its environment .
AMY GOODMAN : I wanted to say , the whole country learned about the murder of Eric Logan , a black South Bend resident who was @ @ @ @ @ @ @ officer , Ryan O ’ Neill , because , of course , at the time , Mayor Pete Buttigieg was running for president .
Can you talk about how he handled that , and also about the firing of the first black police chief , Darryl Boykins ?
HENRY DAVIS JR. : Well , just like I was just talking about , he didn ’ t handle it .
And if he did handle it , it was a fumble .
Eric Logan was a culmination of events that took place since he @ @ @ @ @ @ @ after he took office , there was a young man by the name of Michael Anderson that ended up dying under suspicious circumstances with the South Bend Police Department .
There was another young man named DeShawn Franklin , who happened to be asleep in his home , and he was attacked and brutally beaten up by South Bend police .
And , you know , none of those officers were even disciplined .
Then you had Eric Logan .
And a lot of things happened in between there , as well , @ @ @ @ @ @ @ who died at the end of a gun .
And so , you know , it just has not been a good ride .
South Bend needs a do-over .
And this is like , you know , the thing that has happened right now with the Democratic Party as a whole .
You know , blacks , African Americans , is the backbone of the Democratic Party .
And we desire good schools .
We desire safe neighborhoods .
We desire good jobs .
We desire the same thing that most people @ @ @ @ @ @ @ in America .
And if we are planning on beating a Donald Trump this coming November , we have to have an organized and unified attack that ’ s going to make sure that there ’ s a candidate out in front that ’ s going to be interested in making sure that we not only vote , but those things that we ’ re voting for are going to happen .
And right now you have a slew , a slate of candidates .
They ’ re everywhere .
They ’ re @ @ @ @ @ @ @ you would talk about at your kitchen table , at your local diner or even at church .
They ’ re not talking about those things .
They ’ re talking about just like a lot of different wild ideas on how this is supposed to work .
This is not a student council race .
This is for the presidency of the United States of America .
This is the ruler of the free world .
And African Americans are Americans , and we desire to have our priorities as a part @ @ @ @ @ @ @ GOODMAN : I wanted to bring Barbara Smith , the feminist scholar , back into this conversation .
And as you ’ re listening to these two examples , looking at Bloomberg , looking at Buttigieg , your thoughts ?
BARBARA SMITH : [ inaudible ] high , aren ’ t they ?
I think that they always say this is the most important election of our lifetime , but given what ’ s in the White House at this point , and given what ’ s going on in our nation , @ @ @ @ @ @ @ very alert , and we really need to look at the candidates and figure out which one of them is capable .
And obviously the things that were just discussed about two of the candidates , as far as I ’ m concerned , that makes them unelectable , because a racist — another racist in the White House , that ’ s just like a little too much to bear .
I think that we do have a candidate who deals with bread-and-butter issues , and that ’ s why I ’ @ @ @ @ @ @ @ : Henry Davis Jr. , if you could talk about — I mean , the population of South Bend is something like — it ’ s more than a quarter African-American .
In the last minute that we have , have you been surprised at the rise of your former mayor , of Pete Buttigieg , from South Bend mayor , and all the controversies that were there at the time , to now being one of the front-runners for president in the United States ?
HENRY DAVIS JR. : I ’ m @ @ @ @ @ @ @ ’ s an expectation of presidential , but there ’ s also something that needs to go behind that in substance to support him .
That means a résumé and some real-life things that have occurred .
Biden took a text out on Mayor Pete recently , this past week , and talked about his lack of experience .
And although those things probably were pretty hardcore , the truth is , is that we expect that we ’ re going to have a president that has some support from the rest of @ @ @ @ @ @ @ the rest of the U.S. Congress , but not only that , but have some real-life experience at trying to be or being a president or being something that is more than a mayor .
And so , we desire somebody there that is going to be able to , day one , take over the reins and try to correct some of the things that Donald Trump has stepped on and hurt us with .
So , yes , I — AMY GOODMAN : We ’ re going to have to leave @ @ @ @ @ @ @ thank you so much , as well as Barbara Smith .
I ’ m Amy Goodman .
Thanks so much for joining us .

This is a rush transcript. Copy may not be in its final form.
AMY GOODMAN: We turn now to look at other police policies in other parts of the country, to look at Pete Buttigieg’s record on policing and racial justice, following his second-place place finish in New Hampshire last night. The former mayor of South Bend, Indiana, has surprised many with his strong showings in Iowa and New Hampshire, two of the country’s whitest states. But as the race moves on now to Nevada and South Carolina, Buttigieg continues to poll extremely low with African-American voters. His own former constituents are condemning his treatment of the black community in South Bend during his time as mayor, calling out systemic racism in the police force. During Buttigieg’s tenure as mayor from 2012 to '18, black residents were 4.3 times more likely to be arrested for possessing marijuana than white people. At last week's presidential debate, ABC News moderator Linsey Davis questioned Pete Buttigieg about the rise in arrests of black people under his administration.
PETE BUTTIGIEG: Well, the reality is, on my watch, drug arrests in South Bend were lower than the national average. … The overall rate was lower than the national rate.
LINSEY DAVIS: No, there was an increase. The year before you were in office, it was lower. Once you became in office, in 2012, that number went up. In 2018, the last number year that we have record for, that number was still up.
PETE BUTTIGIEG: Yeah. And one of the strategies that our community adopted was to target when there were cases where there was gun violence and gang violence, which was slaughtering so many in our community.
AMY GOODMAN: Well, for more, we go to Chicago, where we’re joined by Henry Davis Jr., a South Bend city councilmember since 2008.
Welcome to Democracy Now!, Henry Davis Jr. Can you talk about your experience as a city councilmember with your mayor at the time — he just recently stepped down — Pete Buttigieg, who has now just placed second in the New Hampshire primary?
HENRY DAVIS JR.: Well, thank you for having me. My time working with Mayor Buttigieg was — at best, it was contentious. It was very difficult to get across to him, and also to his administration, how African Americans were living in South Bend and some of the issues that confronted them on a daily basis. You’re talking about double-digit unemployment. You’re talking about a very high poverty rate, over 40%. You’re talking about high crime. You’re talking about schools shutting down and closing. And even some of his policies, when it came to “a thousand houses in a thousand days” program, when he decided to go through the hood or, you know, in the black and brown areas, and he wanted to demolish these homes, and the homes were demolished. But it wasn’t the fact that some of those homes didn’t need to come down; it was the fact that there was no affordable housing program that came behind it. And so, now we’re still dealing with, you know, empty lots, high weeds and a lot of varmints that are living in those empty lots. And so, when you talk about right now even with the police force, you have the lowest numbers serving of African-American officers in the police force in South Bend.
So, you know, there are a number of issues that confronted the African-American community and that he really chose not to deal with. And so, as a councilman and having a predominantly black district, a lot of those fights were held and had on the council floor, and I did as much as I could to satisfy the residents and the constituencies, but it was very hard going back and forth and not getting that money invested back in the community like it should have been. And so, here we are now, you know, dealing with a presidential idea of a Pete Buttigieg, and even back in South Bend, how do we correct some of these social ills in its environment.
AMY GOODMAN: You know —
HENRY DAVIS JR.: African Americans — go ahead, I’m sorry.
AMY GOODMAN: I wanted to say, the whole country learned about the murder of Eric Logan, a black South Bend resident who was shot and killed by a white police officer, Ryan O’Neill, because, of course, at the time, Mayor Pete Buttigieg was running for president. Can you talk about how he handled that, and also about the firing of the first black police chief, Darryl Boykins?
HENRY DAVIS JR.: Well, just like I was just talking about, he didn’t handle it. And if he did handle it, it was a fumble. Eric Logan was a culmination of events that took place since he took office back in 2012. Right after he took office, there was a young man by the name of Michael Anderson that ended up dying under suspicious circumstances with the South Bend Police Department. There was another young man named DeShawn Franklin, who happened to be asleep in his home, and he was attacked and brutally beaten up by South Bend police. And, you know, none of those officers were even disciplined. Then you had Eric Logan. And a lot of things happened in between there, as well, but then you have Eric Logan, who died at the end of a gun. And so, you know, it just has not been a good ride. South Bend needs a do-over.
And this is like, you know, the thing that has happened right now with the Democratic Party as a whole. You know, blacks, African Americans, is the backbone of the Democratic Party. And we desire good schools. We desire safe neighborhoods. We desire good jobs. We desire the same thing that most people desire and need and want to live in America. And if we are planning on beating a Donald Trump this coming November, we have to have an organized and unified attack that’s going to make sure that there’s a candidate out in front that’s going to be interested in making sure that we not only vote, but those things that we’re voting for are going to happen. And right now you have a slew, a slate of candidates. They’re everywhere. They’re not talking about the hardcore issues that you would talk about at your kitchen table, at your local diner or even at church. They’re not talking about those things. They’re talking about just like a lot of different wild ideas on how this is supposed to work. This is not a student council race. This is for the presidency of the United States of America. This is the ruler of the free world. And African Americans are Americans, and we desire to have our priorities as a part of someone’s platform.
AMY GOODMAN: I wanted to bring Barbara Smith, the feminist scholar, back into this conversation. And as you’re listening to these two examples, looking at Bloomberg, looking at Buttigieg, your thoughts?
BARBARA SMITH: [inaudible] high, aren’t they? I think that they always say this is the most important election of our lifetime, but given what’s in the White House at this point, and given what’s going on in our nation, we really have to be very, very alert, and we really need to look at the candidates and figure out which one of them is capable. And obviously the things that were just discussed about two of the candidates, as far as I’m concerned, that makes them unelectable, because a racist — another racist in the White House, that’s just like a little too much to bear. I think that we do have a candidate who deals with bread-and-butter issues, and that’s why I’m supporting Bernie Sanders.
AMY GOODMAN: Henry Davis Jr., if you could talk about — I mean, the population of South Bend is something like — it’s more than a quarter African-American. In the last minute that we have, have you been surprised at the rise of your former mayor, of Pete Buttigieg, from South Bend mayor, and all the controversies that were there at the time, to now being one of the front-runners for president in the United States?
HENRY DAVIS JR.: I’m absolutely surprised by the rise. There’s an expectation of presidential, but there’s also something that needs to go behind that in substance to support him. That means a résumé and some real-life things that have occurred. Biden took a text out on Mayor Pete recently, this past week, and talked about his lack of experience. And although those things probably were pretty hardcore, the truth is, is that we expect that we’re going to have a president that has some support from the rest of the U.S. Senate and some support from the rest of the U.S. Congress, but not only that, but have some real-life experience at trying to be or being a president or being something that is more than a mayor. And so, we desire somebody there that is going to be able to, day one, take over the reins and try to correct some of the things that Donald Trump has stepped on and hurt us with. So, yes, I —
AMY GOODMAN: We’re going to have to leave it there. Henry Davis Jr., thank you so much, as well as Barbara Smith. I’m Amy Goodman. Thanks so much for joining us.


democracynow--2020-02-12--Meet the Journalist Who Exposed Bloomberg's Racist Defense of Targeting Black & Brown Youth

This is a rush transcript .
Copy may not be in its final form .
AMY GOODMAN : This is Democracy Now !
, democracynow.org , The War and Peace Report .
I ’ m Amy Goodman .
“ # BloombergIsRacist.
” That ’ s the hashtag that ’ s trending on Twitter since audio of remarks made by the 2020 Democratic presidential hopeful , the former New York City mayor , Michael Bloomberg , surfaced earlier this week .
In the clip from the 2015 Aspen Institute , Bloomberg is heard defending the New York City Police Department ’ @ @ @ @ @ @ @ quote , “ Ninety-five percent of murders , murdered victims fit one MO .
You can just take the description , xerox it , pass it out to all the cops.
” Listen closely .
AMY GOODMAN : That ’ s Mike Bloomberg saying , quote , “ They are male minorities , to 25 .
That ’ s true in New York .
That ’ s true in virtually every city.
” He went on to say , quote , “ And the way you get the guns out of the kids @ @ @ @ @ @ @ against the wall and frisk them.
” Bloomberg issued a statement Tuesday saying , quote , “ I inherited the police practice of stop-and-frisk , and as part of our effort to stop gun violence it was overused .
By the time I left office , I cut it back by 95 % , but I should ’ ve done it faster and sooner .
I regret that and I have apologized , ” unquote .
But Bloomberg did not just inherit stop-and-frisk .
During his tenure as mayor , the use of @ @ @ @ @ @ @ time in office , the New York police recorded over 5 million stop-and-frisks .
The vast majority of those stopped were black and Latino .
As mayor of New York , Bloomberg long defended stop-and-frisk .
This is Bloomberg speaking during a 2013 interview on WOR radio .
AMY GOODMAN : In fact , thousands of people marched against stop-and-frisk during his three terms in office .
Bloomberg defended stop-and-frisk as recently as 2019 , only apologizing for the practice publicly in November , shortly after entering the presidential race .
Well , @ @ @ @ @ @ @ to Atlanta , Georgia , where we ’ re joined by Benjamin Dixon , the host of The Benjamin Dixon Show and podcast .
He unearthed and publicized the 2015 audio of Michael Bloomberg speaking at the Aspen Institute , that we just played for you .
Dixon is the co-founder of TheNorthStar.com , the revitalized abolitionist newspaper of Frederick Douglass .
It ’ s great to have you with us .
Benjamin Dixon , talk about — I mean , it ’ s very clear that the Bloomberg campaign knew that this @ @ @ @ @ @ @ there was this recording , however muffled , of his statements at the Aspen Institute from 2015 , and they were ready with a statement .
Talk about why you released this , how you found it , and what Bloomberg has said in response .
BENJAMIN DIXON : Yes , thanks for having me , Amy .
It was online .
It was hiding in plain sight .
I read several articles about this speech .
And what drew my attention to it was the fact that they were looking — that @ @ @ @ @ @ @ the video from the Aspen Institute not be released .
The Aspen Institute acquiesced : They did not release the video .
But I was hoping to be able to find at least an audio clip .
And that ’ s exactly what I found .
It had been online for five years .
I was able to isolate it , cut it up and make it a little more audible .
And I felt that it just carried a significant impact that the words in the article did not .
I felt @ @ @ @ @ @ @ say these things .
AMY GOODMAN : ” WOW , BLOOMBERG IS A TOTAL RACIST !
” This was in response to the video — the audio you released .
” WOW , BLOOMBERG IS A TOTAL RACIST !
” Trump later deleted the post .
Interestingly , while campaigning for president in 2016 , Trump called for stop-and-frisk to be instituted nationwide .
BENJAMIN DIXON : Right , right .
Yeah , the level of hypocrisy that comes from the president isn ’ t surprising .
But that ’ s really — @ @ @ @ @ @ @ Michael Bloomberg will have against Donald Trump .
His audience has no problem with the fact that he is a racist but he will call someone else a racist .
Michael Bloomberg has put himself in a position where he has a long-standing history of problems in New York City , particularly with stop-and-frisk .
And so the president will stand on the debate stage and call him a racist , when the rest of America knows that he ’ s the white-supremacist-in-chief .
AMY GOODMAN : Now , in 2015 , Michael @ @ @ @ @ @ @ to distribute footage of his interview ?
Is that right , Ben ?
BENJAMIN DIXON : That ’ s correct , according to The Aspen Times , which was the article that put me on the search for this audio or for the video .
It was the article that showed that his team knew that there was something wrong with what he said .
They did not want that video released , because I feel like video would have been even more compelling than the audio .
And so , they understood @ @ @ @ @ @ @ 2015 , and now they ’ re doing their best to control the damage , now that it has been released .
AMY GOODMAN : Can you talk about the response to you releasing this ?
How viral has it gone ?
And what has been the response to you ?
BENJAMIN DIXON : Well , the response has been overwhelmingly shocked , because there ’ s something about hearing his words .
Like , everyone knew his record with stop-and-frisk in New York City , but it was something different when people @ @ @ @ @ @ @ because of that , the video that I put together with the transcript , or with the subtitles , it ’ s now at 7.4 million views , which has more views than his announcement , than Michael Bloomberg ’ s announcement video on Twitter .
And so , I just think a lot of people are appreciative , and I ’ m grateful to have been able to do this , because a lot of us feel like it ’ s a David-versus-Goliath situation with a person with billions of dollars to @ @ @ @ @ @ @ the internet with advertisements , television with advertisements , portraying himself in a way that a lot of people in New York City would disagree with .
AMY GOODMAN : I want to turn to CNN , the politics correspondent Cristina Alesci commenting on the 2015 audio of Bloomberg unearthed by you , Ben .
AMY GOODMAN : So , that ’ s CNN ’ s Cristina Alesci , who did not disclose that she ’ s a former Bloomberg News reporter .
Benjamin Dixon , if you can respond to what she @ @ @ @ @ @ @ you know , this is the tactic that they ’ re using to try to insulate Mayor Bloomberg from his own words .
Right ?
There are questions .
And the questions is : Does he still stand by what he said in 2015 ?
Because if you look at his apology , the apology that he gave just before running for president , it does not match the intensity of his words in 2015 .
What he said in 2015 is a deeply held conviction about black and brown young men in @ @ @ @ @ @ @ he gave us in terms of an apology is really milquetoast , and it doesn ’ t match up the thoughtfulness that he ’ s placed in his worldview .
And so , he sent out — well , I don ’ t know if he sent out Cristina , but she was part of his organization .
But apparently there ’ s other people who are going out trying to cast doubt on my motivations and my intentions and say that there are a lot of questions .
Well , really , @ @ @ @ @ @ @ this came from .
It was online , and some simple , basic journalistic research would have revealed it .
And so , the real question is : Where does he stand today ?
His apology really pointed towards Donald Trump , not towards his own — taking his own personal responsibility for what he said .
So , the real question is : Where does Michael Bloomberg stand on this today ?
Where does he stand on the words that he said and the actions that he took that harmed so many @ @ @ @ @ @ @ ?
AMY GOODMAN : And your response to those who say you ’ re just trying to take down Bloomberg because you support Bernie Sanders ?
BENJAMIN DIXON : So , I ’ m Johnny-come-lately with my support for Bernie Sanders .
I supported him in 2016 .
I took my time deciding whether or not I would support him this time , because , honestly , I liked Elizabeth Warren .
But yes , I do support Bernie Sanders , and that ’ s my right as a citizen .
That has @ @ @ @ @ @ @ , no matter who gets the nomination , I don ’ t believe it should be a billionaire oligarch who is able to buy his way into this campaign , who has a history of racism , transphobia , as well as classism .
Mike Bloomberg has a lot to answer for , and he ’ s not going to get away with it simply by asking — or , declaring that I ’ m a Bernie bro , and so my opinion doesn ’ t matter .
It doesn ’ t work @ @ @ @ @ @ @ Dixon , I want to thank you for joining us , host of The Benjamin Dixon Show and podcast , speaking to us from Atlanta , Georgia .

This is a rush transcript. Copy may not be in its final form.
AMY GOODMAN: This is Democracy Now!, democracynow.org, The War and Peace Report. I’m Amy Goodman. “#BloombergIsRacist.” That’s the hashtag that’s trending on Twitter since audio of remarks made by the 2020 Democratic presidential hopeful, the former New York City mayor, Michael Bloomberg, surfaced earlier this week. In the clip from the 2015 Aspen Institute, Bloomberg is heard defending the New York City Police Department’s controversial stop-and-frisk policies, saying, quote, “Ninety-five percent of murders, murdered victims fit one MO. You can just take the description, xerox it, pass it out to all the cops.” Listen closely.
MAYOR MICHAEL BLOOMBERG: Ninety-five percent of your murders and murderers and murder victims fit one MO. You can just take the description, xerox it and pass it out to all the cops. They are male minorities, 15 to 25. That’s true in New York. It’s true in virtually every city.
AMY GOODMAN: That’s Mike Bloomberg saying, quote, “They are male minorities, 15 to 25. That’s true in New York. That’s true in virtually every city.” He went on to say, quote, “And the way you get the guns out of the kids’ hands is to throw them up against the wall and frisk them.”
Bloomberg issued a statement Tuesday saying, quote, “I inherited the police practice of stop-and-frisk, and as part of our effort to stop gun violence it was overused. By the time I left office, I cut it back by 95%, but I should’ve done it faster and sooner. I regret that and I have apologized,” unquote.
But Bloomberg did not just inherit stop-and-frisk. During his tenure as mayor, the use of the practice increased sevenfold. During his time in office, the New York police recorded over 5 million stop-and-frisks. The vast majority of those stopped were black and Latino. As mayor of New York, Bloomberg long defended stop-and-frisk. This is Bloomberg speaking during a 2013 interview on WOR radio.
MAYOR MICHAEL BLOOMBERG: They just keep saying, “Oh, it’s a disportionate [sic] percentage of a particular ethnic group.” That may be, but it’s not a disportionate percentage of those who witnesses and victims describe as committing the murder. In that case, incidentally, I think we disportionately stop whites too much and minorities too little.
AMY GOODMAN: In fact, thousands of people marched against stop-and-frisk during his three terms in office. Bloomberg defended stop-and-frisk as recently as 2019, only apologizing for the practice publicly in November, shortly after entering the presidential race.
Well, for more, we’re going to Atlanta, Georgia, where we’re joined by Benjamin Dixon, the host of The Benjamin Dixon Show and podcast. He unearthed and publicized the 2015 audio of Michael Bloomberg speaking at the Aspen Institute, that we just played for you. Dixon is the co-founder of TheNorthStar.com, the revitalized abolitionist newspaper of Frederick Douglass.
It’s great to have you with us. Benjamin Dixon, talk about — I mean, it’s very clear that the Bloomberg campaign knew that this was going to drop. They knew there was this recording, however muffled, of his statements at the Aspen Institute from 2015, and they were ready with a statement. Talk about why you released this, how you found it, and what Bloomberg has said in response.
BENJAMIN DIXON: Yes, thanks for having me, Amy. It was online. It was hiding in plain sight. I read several articles about this speech. And what drew my attention to it was the fact that they were looking — that Bloomberg’s team actually requested that the video from the Aspen Institute not be released. The Aspen Institute acquiesced: They did not release the video. But I was hoping to be able to find at least an audio clip. And that’s exactly what I found. It had been online for five years. I was able to isolate it, cut it up and make it a little more audible. And I felt that it just carried a significant impact that the words in the article did not. I felt like people needed to hear his voice say these things.
AMY GOODMAN: And on Tuesday morning, President Trump tweeted —
BENJAMIN DIXON: Yeah.
AMY GOODMAN: ”WOW, BLOOMBERG IS A TOTAL RACIST!” This was in response to the video — the audio you released. ”WOW, BLOOMBERG IS A TOTAL RACIST!” Trump later deleted the post. Interestingly, while campaigning for president in 2016, Trump called for stop-and-frisk to be instituted nationwide.
BENJAMIN DIXON: Right, right. Yeah, the level of hypocrisy that comes from the president isn’t surprising. But that’s really — that exemplifies the weakness that candidates like Michael Bloomberg will have against Donald Trump. His audience has no problem with the fact that he is a racist but he will call someone else a racist. Michael Bloomberg has put himself in a position where he has a long-standing history of problems in New York City, particularly with stop-and-frisk. And so the president will stand on the debate stage and call him a racist, when the rest of America knows that he’s the white-supremacist-in-chief.
AMY GOODMAN: Now, in 2015, Michael Bloomberg representatives asked the Aspen Institute not to distribute footage of his interview? Is that right, Ben?
BENJAMIN DIXON: That’s correct, according to The Aspen Times, which was the article that put me on the search for this audio or for the video. It was the article that showed that his team knew that there was something wrong with what he said. They did not want that video released, because I feel like video would have been even more compelling than the audio. And so, they understood the magnitude of what he said in 2015, and now they’re doing their best to control the damage, now that it has been released.
AMY GOODMAN: Can you talk about the response to you releasing this? How viral has it gone? And what has been the response to you?
BENJAMIN DIXON: Well, the response has been overwhelmingly shocked, because there’s something about hearing his words. Like, everyone knew his record with stop-and-frisk in New York City, but it was something different when people were able to hear it. And because of that, the video that I put together with the transcript, or with the subtitles, it’s now at 7.4 million views, which has more views than his announcement, than Michael Bloomberg’s announcement video on Twitter. And so, I just think a lot of people are appreciative, and I’m grateful to have been able to do this, because a lot of us feel like it’s a David-versus-Goliath situation with a person with billions of dollars to spend in this campaign able to flood the internet with advertisements, television with advertisements, portraying himself in a way that a lot of people in New York City would disagree with.
AMY GOODMAN: I want to turn to CNN, the politics correspondent Cristina Alesci commenting on the 2015 audio of Bloomberg unearthed by you, Ben.
CRISTINA ALESCI: So, here’s the thing. Important context here. We don’t have the full tape. So, this is obviously snippets that have been released. The podcaster and the writer that released this sound is clearly a Bernie supporter. If you look at his Twitter feed, he’s very anti-Bloomberg. He is promoting a hashtag, #BloombergIsARacist. We don’t know how he got the sound, to begin with. So, lots of questions are being asked, especially on the timing of this, as you noted in your introduction. A poll yesterday shows Bloomberg rising in the polls, and particularly strong support in the African-American community.
AMY GOODMAN: So, that’s CNN’s Cristina Alesci, who did not disclose that she’s a former Bloomberg News reporter. Benjamin Dixon, if you can respond to what she said?
BENJAMIN DIXON: Yeah, you know, this is the tactic that they’re using to try to insulate Mayor Bloomberg from his own words. Right? There are questions. And the questions is: Does he still stand by what he said in 2015? Because if you look at his apology, the apology that he gave just before running for president, it does not match the intensity of his words in 2015. What he said in 2015 is a deeply held conviction about black and brown young men in the city of New York. What he gave us in terms of an apology is really milquetoast, and it doesn’t match up the thoughtfulness that he’s placed in his worldview.
And so, he sent out — well, I don’t know if he sent out Cristina, but she was part of his organization. But apparently there’s other people who are going out trying to cast doubt on my motivations and my intentions and say that there are a lot of questions. Well, really, the questions aren’t about where this came from. It was online, and some simple, basic journalistic research would have revealed it. And so, the real question is: Where does he stand today? His apology really pointed towards Donald Trump, not towards his own — taking his own personal responsibility for what he said. So, the real question is: Where does Michael Bloomberg stand on this today? Where does he stand on the words that he said and the actions that he took that harmed so many people in the city of New York?
AMY GOODMAN: And your response to those who say you’re just trying to take down Bloomberg because you support Bernie Sanders?
BENJAMIN DIXON: So, I’m Johnny-come-lately with my support for Bernie Sanders. I supported him in 2016. I took my time deciding whether or not I would support him this time, because, honestly, I liked Elizabeth Warren. But yes, I do support Bernie Sanders, and that’s my right as a citizen. That has nothing to do with the fact that, no matter who gets the nomination, I don’t believe it should be a billionaire oligarch who is able to buy his way into this campaign, who has a history of racism, transphobia, as well as classism. Mike Bloomberg has a lot to answer for, and he’s not going to get away with it simply by asking — or, declaring that I’m a Bernie bro, and so my opinion doesn’t matter. It doesn’t work like that.
AMY GOODMAN: Benjamin Dixon, I want to thank you for joining us, host of The Benjamin Dixon Show and podcast, speaking to us from Atlanta, Georgia.