democracynow--2020-12-16--Rights Groups Demand Biden Reverse Trump Immigration Changes as COVID Surges in ICE Jails

This is a rush transcript .
Copy may not be in its final form .
AMY GOODMAN : This is Democracy Now !
The Quarantine Report .
I ’ m Amy Goodman , with Juan González .
President-elect Joe Biden promised to reverse Trump ’ s most restrictive immigration policies during his 2020 campaign , but since he was elected , Biden has not included immigration among his top four priorities — the pandemic , economic recovery , racial equity and climate change .
Well , on Tuesday , hundreds of immigrant activists and their allies caravaned through Biden ’ @ @ @ @ @ @ @ , where they demanded he issue a moratorium on deportations and advance a path to citizenship for undocumented people within his first hundred days in office .
This is Yatziri Tovar with Make the Road Action .
AMY GOODMAN : President-elect Biden sent a letter to the organizers of the event , writing , quote , “ The work of realizing our shared vision is before us — the good and necessary work that will lead to an immigration system that is fair , humane , and that reflects our values as a @ @ @ @ @ @ @ .
Caravaners also stopped at Hudson County Jail in New Jersey , not far from the Bergen County Jail .
Both jails contract with ICE , Immigration and Customs Enforcement , to hold immigrants who have civil immigration cases , not criminal charges .
Over the weekend , police fired smoke grenades at a solitary rally outside the Bergen County Jail , where they arrested nine people .
AMY GOODMAN : On Tuesday , the archdiocese of Newark signed onto a statement calling for , quote , “ the immediate release of the @ @ @ @ @ @ @ people at the Bergen County Jail to protect their health and well-being.
” This comes as more than half of ICE ’ s immigration detention jails are currently reporting coronavirus outbreaks .
On Tuesday , protesters also gathered outside the Northwest Detention Center , run by GEO Group , in Tacoma , Washington , where another detainee there tested positive for the coronavirus that causes COVID-19 , bringing the number up to at least 22 .
In this recording from inside the ICE jail from December 10th , you can hear a guard @ @ @ @ @ @ @ that they ’ ll be separated into individual cells .
This is Captain Leroy Portillo .
Listen carefully .
AMY GOODMAN : The Northwest Detention Center is run by the private prison company GEO Group , which issued a statement that it ’ s , quote , “ taken extensive measures to ensure the health and safety of those in our care and our employees , who are on the front lines making daily sacrifices at the center , ” they said .
ICE also reported a contract pharmacy technician had become the @ @ @ @ @ @ @ positive .
For more , we go to Seattle , where we ’ re joined by Maru Mora-Villalpando , co-founder of La Resistencia .
She is herself undocumented .
Also with us , Manuel Abrego .
He is head of La Resistencia ’ s phone support system for people held in the Tacoma ICE Processing Center .
He was released from there in 2018 after being held in solitary confinement for eight months for going on a hunger strike .
Both Maru and Manuel are featured in a new report in The Progressive @ @ @ @ @ @ @ ” written by Democracy Now !
co-news director Renée Feltz .
Welcome , both , to Democracy Now !
Maru , let ’ s begin with you .
Explain what ’ s going on in this jail and where you are , in Tacoma , and what you ’ re demanding .
MARU MORA-VILLALPANDO : [ inaudible ] has seen a spread of the virus , of coronavirus .
We have seen , since October and November , the spreading of the virus not only for people in detention , but even employees @ @ @ @ @ @ @ We know that information , thanks to the people in detention that have reached out to us and given us this information , in this way pressuring ICE to actually release information to the public and to a judge , because there ’ s some pending litigation .
What we know right now in Tacoma is that we finally have confirmation of at least one person that , while in detention , while in quarantine , tested positive .
ICE kept arguing that the only people with COVID in detention were those that @ @ @ @ @ @ @ custody , other prisons either here in Washington or Oregon .
They were saying that they were able to contain the virus , and this proves it ’ s not true , this latest case .
Also , the fact that guards and employees of ICE are bringing in the virus .
They ’ re testing positive , and yet coming to work .
We just learned last night that some people that were working in the kitchen were asked not to come to work — because , remember , they get paid @ @ @ @ @ @ @ go back to the kitchen , because it seemed that they have been in contact with somebody else , somebody else detained , or possibly an employee that has tested positive for COVID-19 .
And , you know , since the beginning of the pandemic , we ’ ve seen this constant organizing and resistance from people in detention staging hunger strikes .
I believe this is the fifth or sixth hunger strike .
I actually lost count .
But what we know since last night is that at least five people have @ @ @ @ @ @ @ of them has now today reached 13 days of the hunger strike , and he actually messaged us last night saying that he ’ s being harassed by the medical staff , saying if he continues his hunger strike while in medical isolation , he will be losing his case ; it will have an impact on his immigration case , and he will lose and get deported .
JUAN GONZÁLEZ : And , Maru , could you talk about how ICE releases people , including there was a mandate released this past @ @ @ @ @ @ @ evening ?
Could you talk about how they deal with these cases ?
MARU MORA-VILLALPANDO : This is very unique .
We have never seen such a thing .
You know , we ’ ve been doing this for such a long time , and we know that ICE releases people .
They get them ready .
They call them to an area that is called intake , sometimes around 11:00 in the morning or so , and there spend there some hours , and around 3 to 7 p.m. , people get @ @ @ @ @ @ @ .
Yet , last Friday , somebody texted me in the middle of the night , close to midnight , but I didn ’ t see the text until Saturday morning , because we actually had to drive somebody to the airport very early to also go home .
He had also been released on Friday .
They actually were in the same pod .
So , I was able to go pick him up Saturday morning at 7:00 in the morning outside the Northwest Detention Center .
It was 34 degrees .
@ @ @ @ @ @ @ the detention center in a tent that was set up for an organization that welcomes people as they get released from detention , and they give them , you know , clothing and that sort of thing .
And because of COVID , they set up a tent , because they can not have people inside an RV they have set up there .
So he literally spent the night inside the tent .
And when I arrived to pick him up , he was extremely cold .
He was wearing only a @ @ @ @ @ @ @ mask .
This was total retaliation , because he had been organizing .
He had been supporting other people .
He had been helping other people file documents to get released .
And this is just ridiculous that ICE will release somebody so late at night , knowing there ’ s nobody out there .
The detention center is in nowhere .
You know , there ’ s no bus station .
There ’ s nothing .
It ’ s a dead end .
It ’ s an industrial zone .
This guy @ @ @ @ @ @ @ idea where he was .
He got lucky that his cellphone worked so he can reach me .
And in the morning I was able to pick him up .
JUAN GONZÁLEZ : And what ’ s the response of ICE to those who do attempt to either go on hunger strike or organize within the detention centers ?
MARU MORA-VILLALPANDO : Immediate retaliation .
Right now we ’ ve seen that a lot of people have stopped eating , not because they ’ re on hunger strike ; it ’ s just @ @ @ @ @ @ @ eat the food .
The things are getting so bad in the detention center that they are told immediately , “ So , if you ’ re not eating , then you ’ re going to go to the hole , ” which is , you know , the way people know the solitary confinement .
So , what people have told us is that they literally go and grab the tray from the food cart , and they just put the tray back , just to make sure that ICE doesn ’ @ @ @ @ @ @ @ hunger strike .
Yet they ’ re not eating .
But people are afraid , definitely afraid .
AMY GOODMAN : I want to bring Manuel Abrego into this conversation .
You have firsthand experience of being in the hole , of solitary confinement .
I mean , these are civil jails .
The crimes being charged are some kind of violation of immigration status .
And here you were put in the solitary confinement for eight months .
What is it like there ?
And what are you hearing , now that @ @ @ @ @ @ @ national outcry about how you were held , from the people you ’ re taking calls from ?
MANUEL ABREGO : So , the cells are small cells .
You know , they ’ re like 9 by 12 .
So you don ’ t have anything in there .
It ’ s just you and yourself , you know ?
They don ’ t let you use the phone any time you want to .
They don ’ t let you come out of your cell .
It ’ s like 23 @ @ @ @ @ @ @ cell , just for complaining or protesting for what you believe strong , you know ?
So , they also give you that right to protest .
You know , in ICE rules , they say , “ OK , you can protest .
You can participate in a hunger strike if you don ’ t think that — if you think that your rights are being violated.
” They give you the right to do that , but at the same time they take it away from you , because they put @ @ @ @ @ @ @ you with that , you know ?
JUAN GONZÁLEZ : And , Manuel , we have about a minute left , but could you talk about what you ’ re hearing on the hotline from people who are still in that Northwest Detention Center ?
MANUEL ABREGO : Yeah .
They ’ re all scared of being in there right now because of COVID .
And also , you know , when they get quarantined , they put you in segregation , you know ?
It ’ s like segregation .
You go @ @ @ @ @ @ @ t have no contact with anyone .
So , we are their voice outside .
And yeah , it ’ s like they ’ re getting punished for everything that ’ s going on , you know , with COVID and for the hunger strikes and everything .
So , they ’ re all worried .
They don ’ t even want to eat , because they think they ’ re going to get infected , if someone is in the kitchen infected .
You know , we just got news yesterday also @ @ @ @ @ @ @ for COVID .
So , that ’ s what ’ s going on in there right now .
JUAN GONZÁLEZ : And , Maru , in the last 30 seconds that we have , could you talk about what you hope President-elect Biden does , when he gets inaugurated , on these detention centers ?
MARU MORA-VILLALPANDO : He can not keep using us Latinx and immigrants as a political prop .
He needs to deliver .
We expect him to do , in his first hundred days , a moratorium on all @ @ @ @ @ @ @ mean keeping people sitting in detention while deportations don ’ t happen .
He needs to create a process to release absolutely everyone of detention centers ; shut down all detention centers , not only the private ones ; begin a process for abolishing ICE , so we can also go into a process of healing , which means reparations for absolutely everybody that has been in detention and has been suffering the cruelty of ICE in ICE detention .
AMY GOODMAN : We want to thank you both for joining us , @ @ @ @ @ @ @ to continue to cover this issue .
Maru Mora-Villalpando and Manuel Abrego are with the immigrant rights group La Resistencia in Seattle , Washington .
And a happy birthday to our Democracy Now !
co-news director , Renée Feltz !
Democracy Now !
is produced with Renée Feltz , Mike Burke , Deena Guzder , Libby Rainey , Nermeen Shaikh , María Taracena , Carla Wills , Tami Woronoff , Charina Nadura , Sam Alcoff , Tey-Marie Astudillo , John Hamilton , Robby Karran , Hany Massoud and Adriano Contreras .
Our general @ @ @ @ @ @ @ to Becca Staley , Miriam Barnard , Paul Powell , Mike Di Filippo , Miguel Nogueira , Hugh Gran , Denis Moynihan , David Prude and Dennis McCormick .
Stay safe .
Wear a mask .
I ’ m Amy Goodman , with Juan González .

This is a rush transcript. Copy may not be in its final form.
AMY GOODMAN: This is Democracy Now! The Quarantine Report. I’m Amy Goodman, with Juan González.
President-elect Joe Biden promised to reverse Trump’s most restrictive immigration policies during his 2020 campaign, but since he was elected, Biden has not included immigration among his top four priorities — the pandemic, economic recovery, racial equity and climate change.
Well, on Tuesday, hundreds of immigrant activists and their allies caravaned through Biden’s home city of Wilmington, Delaware, where they demanded he issue a moratorium on deportations and advance a path to citizenship for undocumented people within his first hundred days in office. This is Yatziri Tovar with Make the Road Action.
YATZIRI TOVAR: We are in Rodney Square, and this is in Wilmington, Delaware. And the reason why we chose to be here is because this is where President-elect Biden is living right now. And so, what better way to make sure that our voices are being heard than coming down to his hometown? And we’re coming down from seven different states, all from the East Coast, all the way over here to his home, to making sure that, you know, he doesn’t forget our communities, doesn’t forget the promises that he said that he was going to deliver on during his campaign trail. You know, we’re just weeks away from inauguration.
AMY GOODMAN: President-elect Biden sent a letter to the organizers of the event, writing, quote, “The work of realizing our shared vision is before us — the good and necessary work that will lead to an immigration system that is fair, humane, and that reflects our values as a nation of immigrants,” he wrote.
Caravaners also stopped at Hudson County Jail in New Jersey, not far from the Bergen County Jail. Both jails contract with ICE, Immigration and Customs Enforcement, to hold immigrants who have civil immigration cases, not criminal charges. Over the weekend, police fired smoke grenades at a solitary rally outside the Bergen County Jail, where they arrested nine people.
PROTESTERS: We don’t see no riot here! Why are you in riot gear? We don’t see no riot here! Why are you in riot gear?
AMY GOODMAN: On Tuesday, the archdiocese of Newark signed onto a statement calling for, quote, “the immediate release of the men on hunger strike and of all people at the Bergen County Jail to protect their health and well-being.”
This comes as more than half of ICE’s immigration detention jails are currently reporting coronavirus outbreaks. On Tuesday, protesters also gathered outside the Northwest Detention Center, run by GEO Group, in Tacoma, Washington, where another detainee there tested positive for the coronavirus that causes COVID-19, bringing the number up to at least 22. In this recording from inside the ICE jail from December 10th, you can hear a guard telling people detained in the same dorm that they’ll be separated into individual cells. This is Captain Leroy Portillo. Listen carefully.
CPT. LEROY PORTILLO: Everybody’s going to be quarantined at the same time. The only difference is that you’re going to be quarantined in individual cells. [translated] Each person is going to be in their own cell, only while we quarantine. You understand? It is a precaution you need to take to protect the life and health of each person. It is very important. If you don’t, you are at risk in here, because someone has tested positive, and they’re still here.
AMY GOODMAN: The Northwest Detention Center is run by the private prison company GEO Group, which issued a statement that it’s, quote, “taken extensive measures to ensure the health and safety of those in our care and our employees, who are on the front lines making daily sacrifices at the center,” they said. ICE also reported a contract pharmacy technician had become the eighth worker at the jail to test positive.
For more, we go to Seattle, where we’re joined by Maru Mora-Villalpando, co-founder of La Resistencia. She is herself undocumented. Also with us, Manuel Abrego. He is head of La Resistencia’s phone support system for people held in the Tacoma ICE Processing Center. He was released from there in 2018 after being held in solitary confinement for eight months for going on a hunger strike. Both Maru and Manuel are featured in a new report in The Progressive magazine headlined “Hunger for Justice,” written by Democracy Now! co-news director Renée Feltz.
Welcome, both, to Democracy Now! Maru, let’s begin with you. Explain what’s going on in this jail and where you are, in Tacoma, and what you’re demanding.
MARU MORA-VILLALPANDO: [inaudible] has seen a spread of the virus, of coronavirus. We have seen, since October and November, the spreading of the virus not only for people in detention, but even employees, both of GEO and ICE. We know that information, thanks to the people in detention that have reached out to us and given us this information, in this way pressuring ICE to actually release information to the public and to a judge, because there’s some pending litigation.
What we know right now in Tacoma is that we finally have confirmation of at least one person that, while in detention, while in quarantine, tested positive. ICE kept arguing that the only people with COVID in detention were those that they brought from mostly Department of Correction custody, other prisons either here in Washington or Oregon. They were saying that they were able to contain the virus, and this proves it’s not true, this latest case.
Also, the fact that guards and employees of ICE are bringing in the virus. They’re testing positive, and yet coming to work. We just learned last night that some people that were working in the kitchen were asked not to come to work — because, remember, they get paid $1 a day — to not go back to the kitchen, because it seemed that they have been in contact with somebody else, somebody else detained, or possibly an employee that has tested positive for COVID-19.
And, you know, since the beginning of the pandemic, we’ve seen this constant organizing and resistance from people in detention staging hunger strikes. I believe this is the fifth or sixth hunger strike. I actually lost count. But what we know since last night is that at least five people have now joined a hunger strike. One of them has now today reached 13 days of the hunger strike, and he actually messaged us last night saying that he’s being harassed by the medical staff, saying if he continues his hunger strike while in medical isolation, he will be losing his case; it will have an impact on his immigration case, and he will lose and get deported.
JUAN GONZÁLEZ: And, Maru, could you talk about how ICE releases people, including there was a mandate released this past Friday night at 9 p.m. in the evening? Could you talk about how they deal with these cases?
MARU MORA-VILLALPANDO: This is very unique. We have never seen such a thing. You know, we’ve been doing this for such a long time, and we know that ICE releases people. They get them ready. They call them to an area that is called intake, sometimes around 11:00 in the morning or so, and there spend there some hours, and around 3 to 7 p.m., people get released throughout the afternoon, early evening.
Yet, last Friday, somebody texted me in the middle of the night, close to midnight, but I didn’t see the text until Saturday morning, because we actually had to drive somebody to the airport very early to also go home. He had also been released on Friday. They actually were in the same pod. So, I was able to go pick him up Saturday morning at 7:00 in the morning outside the Northwest Detention Center. It was 34 degrees. He had to spend the night outside the detention center in a tent that was set up for an organization that welcomes people as they get released from detention, and they give them, you know, clothing and that sort of thing. And because of COVID, they set up a tent, because they cannot have people inside an RV they have set up there. So he literally spent the night inside the tent. And when I arrived to pick him up, he was extremely cold. He was wearing only a sweater. He was not wearing a mask.
This was total retaliation, because he had been organizing. He had been supporting other people. He had been helping other people file documents to get released. And this is just ridiculous that ICE will release somebody so late at night, knowing there’s nobody out there. The detention center is in nowhere. You know, there’s no bus station. There’s nothing. It’s a dead end. It’s an industrial zone. This guy came from Alaska. He had no idea where he was. He got lucky that his cellphone worked so he can reach me. And in the morning I was able to pick him up.
JUAN GONZÁLEZ: And what’s the response of ICE to those who do attempt to either go on hunger strike or organize within the detention centers?
MARU MORA-VILLALPANDO: Immediate retaliation. Right now we’ve seen that a lot of people have stopped eating, not because they’re on hunger strike; it’s just because they don’t want to eat the food. The things are getting so bad in the detention center that they are told immediately, “So, if you’re not eating, then you’re going to go to the hole,” which is, you know, the way people know the solitary confinement. So, what people have told us is that they literally go and grab the tray from the food cart, and they just put the tray back, just to make sure that ICE doesn’t think that they’re on hunger strike. Yet they’re not eating. But people are afraid, definitely afraid.
AMY GOODMAN: I want to bring Manuel Abrego into this conversation. You have firsthand experience of being in the hole, of solitary confinement. I mean, these are civil jails. The crimes being charged are some kind of violation of immigration status. And here you were put in the solitary confinement for eight months. What is it like there? And what are you hearing, now that you’ve been released because of national outcry about how you were held, from the people you’re taking calls from?
MANUEL ABREGO: So, the cells are small cells. You know, they’re like 9 by 12. So you don’t have anything in there. It’s just you and yourself, you know? They don’t let you use the phone any time you want to. They don’t let you come out of your cell. It’s like 23 hours a day you are in the cell, just for complaining or protesting for what you believe strong, you know?
So, they also give you that right to protest. You know, in ICE rules, they say, “OK, you can protest. You can participate in a hunger strike if you don’t think that — if you think that your rights are being violated.” They give you the right to do that, but at the same time they take it away from you, because they put you in segregation, and they scare you with that, you know?
JUAN GONZÁLEZ: And, Manuel, we have about a minute left, but could you talk about what you’re hearing on the hotline from people who are still in that Northwest Detention Center?
MANUEL ABREGO: Yeah. They’re all scared of being in there right now because of COVID. And also, you know, when they get quarantined, they put you in segregation, you know? It’s like segregation. You go in there, and they don’t have no contact with anyone.
So, we are their voice outside. And yeah, it’s like they’re getting punished for everything that’s going on, you know, with COVID and for the hunger strikes and everything. So, they’re all worried. They don’t even want to eat, because they think they’re going to get infected, if someone is in the kitchen infected. You know, we just got news yesterday also that someone in the kitchen tested positive for COVID. So, that’s what’s going on in there right now.
JUAN GONZÁLEZ: And, Maru, in the last 30 seconds that we have, could you talk about what you hope President-elect Biden does, when he gets inaugurated, on these detention centers?
MARU MORA-VILLALPANDO: He cannot keep using us Latinx and immigrants as a political prop. He needs to deliver. We expect him to do, in his first hundred days, a moratorium on all deportations. And that doesn’t mean keeping people sitting in detention while deportations don’t happen. He needs to create a process to release absolutely everyone of detention centers; shut down all detention centers, not only the private ones; begin a process for abolishing ICE, so we can also go into a process of healing, which means reparations for absolutely everybody that has been in detention and has been suffering the cruelty of ICE in ICE detention.
AMY GOODMAN: We want to thank you both for joining us, and of course we’re going to continue to cover this issue. Maru Mora-Villalpando and Manuel Abrego are with the immigrant rights group La Resistencia in Seattle, Washington.
And a happy birthday to our Democracy Now! co-news director, Renée Feltz! Democracy Now! is produced with Renée Feltz, Mike Burke, Deena Guzder, Libby Rainey, Nermeen Shaikh, María Taracena, Carla Wills, Tami Woronoff, Charina Nadura, Sam Alcoff, Tey-Marie Astudillo, John Hamilton, Robby Karran, Hany Massoud and Adriano Contreras. Our general manager is Julie Crosby. Special thanks to Becca Staley, Miriam Barnard, Paul Powell, Mike Di Filippo, Miguel Nogueira, Hugh Gran, Denis Moynihan, David Prude and Dennis McCormick. Stay safe. Wear a mask. I’m Amy Goodman, with Juan González.


democracynow--2020-12-16--Nina Turner Launches Bid for Congress, Pledging "No Honeymoon" for Biden Administration

This is a rush transcript .
Copy may not be in its final form .
AMY GOODMAN : Nina Turner is running for Congress .
The former Ohio state senator became a national figure as one of presidential candidate Bernie Sanders ’ most visible allies , in his 2020 campaign , national co-chair .
On Tuesday , she announced she ’ s now launching her own campaign .
AMY GOODMAN : Nina Turner is running to fill a seat left open by Congressmember Marcia Fudge , who was tapped by the Biden administration to be secretary of the U.S. Department @ @ @ @ @ @ @ is now the third candidate to announce their candidacy in the 11th District , following Cuyahoga councilwoman , County Democratic Party Chair Shontel Brown and former Ohio State Senator Jeff Johnson .
Bernie Sanders , California Congressmember Ro Khanna , Congresswoman-elect from Missouri Cori Bush have all lined up to endorse Nina Turner ’ s campaign .
If elected , she ’ ll join the growing progressive wing of the Democratic Party in Congress , which has been putting pressure on other lawmakers to pass a second coronavirus stimulus package amidst the largest @ @ @ @ @ @ @ of the pandemic .
The relief package currently being considered does not include direct COVID relief payments for American families , despite a surge in unemployment and evictions by the end of the month .
Nina Turner ’ s platform includes direct COVID relief payments , Medicare for All , free college and a $ 15-an-hour minimum wage .
She has also been a vocal part of the movement to hold President-elect Joe Biden accountable to the grassroots organizers and communities that helped elect him .
AMY GOODMAN : “ No Honeymoon ” @ @ @ @ @ @ @ ’ s campaign announcement comes as Biden announced more Cabinet picks Tuesday .
Former South Bend , Indiana , mayor and presidential candidate Pete Buttigieg will be nominated to be secretary of transportation .
Former Michigan Governor Jennifer Granholm has been tapped to be secretary of energy .
Politico reports Biden has quietly expanded his transition team to include veterans from Goldman Sachs , McKinsey & Company , Facebook and Google .
Well , for more on the Cabinet , coronavirus relief and her run for Congress , Nina Turner joins us now @ @ @ @ @ @ @ you to Democracy Now !
It ’ s great to have you with us , former state legislator Nina Turner .
Can you talk about why you have thrown your hat in the ring ?
NINA TURNER : Well , this moment calls for that .
I mean , this is my home .
I am a daughter of Cleveland .
I ’ ve lived in the 11th Congressional District , served in this district as a councilwoman , as a state senator , as you have laid out .
I was the @ @ @ @ @ @ @ 2014 , fighting against one of the worst secretaries of state in this country .
All that I have done heretofore has been because of my love for my community and my love for this nation , to stand up and make sure that people understand that they deserve better than what they have been getting .
I definitely congratulate Congresswoman Marcia Fudge for being tapped for the secretary of HUD position .
There has not been a Black woman , I believe , in that position in over 40 years .
And @ @ @ @ @ @ @ to be proud of .
The state of Ohio has a lot to be proud of .
But I ’ m running in service of the people .
And we need more , not just bold voices , but people who will take action and will be fearless when it comes to standing up for what is just , for what is right and for what is good .
So , in your title , Amy — and to Juan , good morning — Democracy Now !
, we need this type of @ @ @ @ @ @ @ Well , Nina Turner , do you expect much pushback from the Democratic establishment or possible even competitors on the progressive wing of the Democratic Party ?
There ’ s been some talk that Dennis Kucinich , who had been toying with a possibility of running for mayor of Cleveland again , may also consider running for this seat , as well ?
NINA TURNER : Yes , that is true .
The more , the merrier .
I mean , this is what democracy is all about .
People should be able @ @ @ @ @ @ @ don ’ t come from the school that tries to push people out of an election — JUAN GONZÁLEZ : And in terms of the key policies that you would — NINA TURNER : — within the Democratic Party all over the country , that ’ s been — AMY GOODMAN : We ’ re having a little bit of a video stutter here , so sometimes you break up , Nina .
Go ahead , Juan .
JUAN GONZÁLEZ : Yeah , I was just going to ask : In terms of @ @ @ @ @ @ @ would run as the plank of your campaign , could you talk about those ?
NINA TURNER : Yes , $ 15-an-hour minimum wage , a living wage , people deserve that .
It is immoral how the working class of this nation , from all backgrounds , have steadily not — their wages have not kept pace with inflation .
And so , we have to , especially , Juan — even before the pandemic , but especially now , how are people going to survive ?
And if you can ’ @ @ @ @ @ @ @ get to thrive .
COVID relief , absolutely .
It is immoral — and that is for both sides of the Congress and the current president — that there has not been a second stimulus package for the American people that contains direct payment .
That is a must .
It is a necessity ; it ’ s not a luxury .
And we need to follow the lead of other industrialized nations who have set in place — either folks get checks on a regular basis and/or helping the businesses that employ @ @ @ @ @ @ @ .
It is a shame that this hegemon nation has not done that heretofore .
And we all should be ashamed .
AMY GOODMAN : Democratic Congressmember Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez talked about the COVID relief package during an Instagram Live video last week .
This is what she said .
AMY GOODMAN : So , that is New York Congressmember Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez .
A bipartisan group of senators introduced a COVID relief bill Monday that does not include direct cash payments .
It does include a so-called liability shield for businesses , which Republicans @ @ @ @ @ @ @ funding for local and state governments .
Bernie Sanders says he will not support a bill that includes this corporate liability shield .
You have Congress , that has a majority of members who are millionaires , saying no to , at this point , a COVID stimulus , though McConnell now says he will move forward , though he ’ s absolutely insisting on this shield for corporations .
Talk about the significance of this , and what exactly you want to see in a stimulus package .
NINA TURNER : I @ @ @ @ @ @ @ a guaranteed basic income , not a one check .
You know , Congresswoman Ocasio-Cortez is absolutely correct : That one-time check does nothing , even if it was in there .
We need guaranteed basic income , especially for the magnitude of this particular crisis .
Amy and Juan , it shows a heartlessness .
If you want to talk about a shield for businesses , what about the shield for the American people ?
What about the shield for folks who are facing eviction ?
What about the shield for people @ @ @ @ @ @ @ ?
What about the shield for the homeless ?
This is a heartless way to do the people ’ s business , their bidding .
And the American people are going to have to stand up and say , in the words of Fannie Lou Hamer , “ I ’ m sick and tired of being sick and tired.
” How heartless do you have to be to care more about industry and corporations than you do about the everyday people of this nation , Amy ?
It can not — this can @ @ @ @ @ @ @ of it , absolutely right , we need Medicare for All right now .
We needed it before the pandemic .
We especially need it right now .
And we know that millions , almost 14 , 15 million people , have lost their “ employer-sponsored , ” air-quote , healthcare , on top of the millions of people , almost 97 million or so people , who were already uninsured or underinsured .
This is a crisis of epic proportions .
It was a crisis before the COVID , and it is @ @ @ @ @ @ @ it can not be tolerated .
It can not stand .
And we ’ ve got to fight .
JUAN GONZÁLEZ : Well , Nina Turner , the latest reports coming out of Washington last night were suggesting that the compromise effort would separate this stimulus into two bills : one that would include the federal aid to cities and states and the liability shield for corporations , and a separate one that would deal with assistance to ordinary Americans .
Admittedly , it would only have $ 300 in additional unemployment benefits @ @ @ @ @ @ @ time , but it would include some rental assistance and some food assistance .
Do you think it ’ s advisable , if you were in Congress right now , to go ahead and pass the bigger bill and then wait until the new Congress comes in , in January , to decide on the liability shield and the municipal assistance ?
NINA TURNER : Well , they shouldn ’ t be connecting that liability shield to the municipal assistance .
You know , as a state senator , I had to deal @ @ @ @ @ @ @ And to put those two things together , Juan , we know exactly why they ’ re doing it .
They ’ re playing games with the American people .
You know , this is a complicated issue .
I believe firmly that we ’ ve got to — we have to get the checks .
The $ 300 is certainly not enough at all .
As a matter of fact , we ’ re going backwards and not going forward .
And we ’ ve got to awaken the sleeping giants in @ @ @ @ @ @ @ s unacceptable .
The American people — and I know COVID is out there , and I don ’ t want anybody to get COVID , but we ’ ve got to stand up strong .
And we ’ ve got to find a way to make it known that this kind of throwing crumbs , if you will , will not be tolerated .
We need a social contract .
That is our money , Juan and Amy .
Our money .
And I want the American people to understand that you @ @ @ @ @ @ @ , in both chambers , who are playing games with our money .
That money should be given back to the American people that fund — that fund — this nation , period .
So , it just can not be accepted .
AMY GOODMAN : This is former Democratic presidential candidate Bernie Sanders speaking to MSNBC about the incoming Biden administration ’ s Cabinet .
AMY GOODMAN : So , there is Bernie Sanders — you were co-chair of his national campaign — looking for progressive representation at the Cabinet level .
@ @ @ @ @ @ @ hard for labor secretary .
Any word if that is going to happen , Nina Turner ?
And then if you can respond to Joe Biden saying — you know , pushing people to back off before the January 5th runoff election , senatorial races , in Georgia , that will determine the balance of the Senate ?
You just narrated that film that says “ no honeymoon.
” So , first , what would a Bernie Sanders as labor secretary mean ?
And are you satisfied with the Cabinet so far ?
@ @ @ @ @ @ @ labor secretary would change everything .
As we know , the senator has always been committed to the house of labor .
Even in this last presidential run , when the Walmart workers could have picked from any of the 25 or so candidates running on the Democratic side , they chose Senator Bernie Sanders to come to that meeting of stakeholders and represent them .
He has been on the streets with the house of labor .
So , not just in the House of Representatives , and now the Senate , @ @ @ @ @ @ @ on the streets with the workers .
He is the ultimate champion of the workers .
And so , his vision for labor , the $ 15-an-hour minimum wage , making sure people have a right to form a union , you name it , he ’ s been there .
He would be an extraordinary labor secretary .
In terms of the Cabinet picks so far , I mean , yes , I certainly agree with the senator : There have not been a lot of progressives put up thus far .
@ @ @ @ @ @ @ .
I mean , I would love to see stratification economist Dr. Darrick Hamilton , you know , Dr. Debra Furr-Holden , people like Michael Render , aka Killer Mike .
Oh my god , what kind of Cabinet would that be !
Certainly members of Congress , like Congresswoman Barbara Lee or Congresswoman Karen Bass .
Those are the other types of people that they should be looking at to put in that Cabinet so that he has a robust — people in there with a robust commitment , who will not @ @ @ @ @ @ @ , but to clearly be on the side of the poor , the working poor and the barely middle class in this country .
That is what we need , Amy .
And I don ’ t see that thus far .
JUAN GONZÁLEZ : I wanted to ask you about the issue of immigration .
We ’ re seeing reports now of a increasing surge of migrants coming to the Mexican border , trying to cross the Mexican border .
Obviously , there have been a few major hurricanes in Central America @ @ @ @ @ @ @ America .
What kind of advice or pressure would you put on President Biden at this point as to what he should do in terms of immigration — reversing the immigration policies of President Trump , especially given the fact that we may be facing a new surge of migrants at the border ?
NINA TURNER : Yeah , absolutely , Juan .
So , that ’ s job number one .
Whatever he could do via executive order to overturn or — yeah , overturn or reverse , rather , what President @ @ @ @ @ @ @ should be done .
And then , beyond that , we have to deal with the global — the climate crisis , that in many ways is driving this .
There ’ s a push-and-pull factor that happens when you have this kind of disruption .
So , whether it ’ s famine , whether it is the weather — you know , hurricanes , tornadoes — you ’ re going to have people all over the world who need relief .
And so , in that particular case , the president-elect needs @ @ @ @ @ @ @ we can deal with this issue .
Climate crisis and immigration , on whole , we can deal with as a world , because we , the United States , should certainly be one of the many leaders — not the only one , but one of the many leaders — that deals with these types of complex issues that impact the everyday lives of our sisters and brothers all over the world .
We should do that as a collective , as a coalition .
That is how we ’ re going @ @ @ @ @ @ @ we need , not only in our country , but in the world .
You know , the Reverend Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. once said , “ What happens to one directly happens to us all indirectly.
” And the COVID virus has certainly shown that .
The pandemic has shown that .
And the climate crisis that we have , that is driving most of this , not all of it , has shown that , as well .
And so it needs a world — a national and a worldwide @ @ @ @ @ @ @ of the COVID crisis that you mentioned , the reports in The New York Times today say that the wealthy nations of the world have basically been locking up the supplies of vaccines that are coming out right now to deal with the pandemic , says Canada has already locked five — the ability to — contracts to inoculate their people five times over their population ; the United States , three times over its population ; the European Union and the United Kingdom .
Meanwhile , the nations of Africa , Asia @ @ @ @ @ @ @ them have been able to obtain supplies of the vaccine until possibly 2022 .
Could you talk about the inequity here of who ’ s going to be getting this vaccine , or these vaccines ?
NINA TURNER : It is the height of inequity .
But it is a formula that has been carried out throughout the history of this world : You leave the Black and Brown nations in peril , vulnerable , and nations that are primarily white or European , they get to lock it up .
That can @ @ @ @ @ @ @ again , the connection — we are certainly citizens of our respective nations , but we ’ re also citizens of the world .
And another example of what affects one directly affects us all indirectly is called a pandemic for a reason .
And so , world leaders to be — that ’ s a level of selfishness that will impact everybody .
So , we can run , but we can ’ t hide .
So , those nations that have locked up the vaccine in that way may think what @ @ @ @ @ @ @ good for their citizens , but ultimately it is not , because the pandemic has shown very clearly that there is no border when it comes to something of this magnitude .
It ’ s the wrong thing to do , Juan , and it must be — we ’ ve got to stand up against that , as well .
We can ’ t accept that .
So , the nations of Canada and the United States and others , that can ’ t sit well with us .
AMY GOODMAN : @ @ @ @ @ @ @ 2014 , Cleveland police officer Timothy Loehmann shot Tamir Rice within two seconds of arriving at a park where he was playing with a pellet gun .
He was 12 years old .
When Tamir ’ s 14-year-old sister rushed to her brother ’ s side , they tackled her to the ground , handcuffed her and put her in their cruiser .
Tamir Rice died the next day .
Neither officer was indicted .
Very quietly , in October , the Trump administration ended a civil rights investigation into the police killing @ @ @ @ @ @ @ reports the Justice Department ignored pleas by career prosecutors to open a grand jury probe into Rice ’ s killing for more than two years before denying the request in 2019 .
Nina Turner , we went with you in 2016 during the Democratic National Convention in Cleveland to that park , and you showed us where Tamir Rice was shot by police .
If you could , finally , talk about the issue of defunding the police , and also the fact that Joe Biden says no to defunding the police and @ @ @ @ @ @ @ TURNER : Well , Amy , the Medicare for All is totally unacceptable in every way .
I know some folks don ’ t want to use the term “ defund the police , ” but we have a crisis in this country that is a long time in the making .
None of this stuff happened overnight .
And , Amy , you ’ re absolutely right .
I mean , I know my face can not be seen right now , but , yes , you and I were at that @ @ @ @ @ @ @ in the last term of my Senate term in 2014 when that happened .
It was in November .
And I called then-Governor John Kasich .
And I didn ’ t call him as a state senator ; I called him as a Black mother and American .
I think I shared some of this with you , Amy .
And I said , “ Governor , we ’ ve got to do something .
We can not let folks explode in this state , and they have every reason to do so @ @ @ @ @ @ @ them know that we hear their cries .
What happened to Tamir Rice could have happened to my son , to any other Black mother ’ s or Black father ’ s son .
And it can not stand at all .
I mean , we have to do something.
” And to his credit , he did .
And that is how we were able to launch the Task Force on Community-Police Relations and , for the first time in the history of our state , to have standards by which law @ @ @ @ @ @ @ have the community be able to judge them and critique whether or not they are answering to those standards .
Amy , a crisis in this nation a long time coming , generationally , the way that police and then other law enforcement agencies were set in this country , never to really protect and serve the Black community , but rather to be there to lord over the Black community , historically .
And that is embedded in the DNA of this country .
And let me say this , because my @ @ @ @ @ @ @ our son is in law enforcement right now , so I get this in a very unique way , both warning and understanding that the really very real dangers of being out there to try to protect and serve , those that have the mindset to do so , and then understanding that both of my Black men have been racially profiled throughout their life .
We have got to , as a nation , rethink policing in this country .
We have got to put the requisite resources in mental health , @ @ @ @ @ @ @ requisite resources in making sure that people have a job , the requisite resources in making sure that people can live in safe communities .
We need to overhaul the entire system .
It ’ s not just what happens in policing ; it is what happens with judges and prosecutors .
It is the entire system .
Some people may call that “ defund the police.
” The more important aspect here is that we must totally reform — and some people would say “ transform ” — and destroy and rebuild @ @ @ @ @ @ @ in this country .
AMY GOODMAN : Nina Turner , we ’ re going to have to leave it there , but we expect to be talking to you soon in the future , candidate for Ohio ’ s 11th congressional seat , announced yesterday .
She ’ s former national co-chair of the Bernie Sanders 2020 presidential campaign , former Ohio state senator .
When we come back , immigrant rights activists are pushing Biden to enact a moratorium on deportations and release people from immigrant jails .
Stay with us .

This is a rush transcript. Copy may not be in its final form.
AMY GOODMAN: Nina Turner is running for Congress. The former Ohio state senator became a national figure as one of presidential candidate Bernie Sanders’ most visible allies, in his 2020 campaign, national co-chair. On Tuesday, she announced she’s now launching her own campaign.
NINA TURNER: Today, I am announcing my candidacy for Congress for the 11th Congressional District of Ohio.
AMY GOODMAN: Nina Turner is running to fill a seat left open by Congressmember Marcia Fudge, who was tapped by the Biden administration to be secretary of the U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development. Turner is now the third candidate to announce their candidacy in the 11th District, following Cuyahoga councilwoman, County Democratic Party Chair Shontel Brown and former Ohio State Senator Jeff Johnson.
Bernie Sanders, California Congressmember Ro Khanna, Congresswoman-elect from Missouri Cori Bush have all lined up to endorse Nina Turner’s campaign. If elected, she’ll join the growing progressive wing of the Democratic Party in Congress, which has been putting pressure on other lawmakers to pass a second coronavirus stimulus package amidst the largest spike in COVID infections since the start of the pandemic. The relief package currently being considered does not include direct COVID relief payments for American families, despite a surge in unemployment and evictions by the end of the month.
Nina Turner’s platform includes direct COVID relief payments, Medicare for All, free college and a $15-an-hour minimum wage. She has also been a vocal part of the movement to hold President-elect Joe Biden accountable to the grassroots organizers and communities that helped elect him.
Nina Turner narrated a video released today titled “No Honeymoon”.
NEWS ANCHOR: CNN projects Joseph R. Biden Jr. is elected the 46th president of the United States.
NINA TURNER: “No honeymoon.” What do we mean by that? We mean that we the people hold the power, that we must continue to fight for what is just, right and good, and fight against what is not just, right and good. We mean that we must have solidarity and commitment, one to another. We who believe in freedom cannot rest. What do we mean by that? That as long as there are injustices, we will continue to fight. What do we mean by that? We know that when everyday people put a little extra on their ordinary, extraordinary things happen.
ACTIVIST: The pressure on Biden starts now! We are holding him accountable because we got him elected!
NINA TURNER: We mean we will continue to pursue those things that lift and edify, and we will reject those things that do not. We mean that we will not be seduced by smiles. We need action, and we need it right now. We will not relent. And that’s what we mean when we say “no honeymoon.”
AMY GOODMAN: “No Honeymoon” was produced by RootsAction. Nina Turner’s campaign announcement comes as Biden announced more Cabinet picks Tuesday. Former South Bend, Indiana, mayor and presidential candidate Pete Buttigieg will be nominated to be secretary of transportation. Former Michigan Governor Jennifer Granholm has been tapped to be secretary of energy. Politico reports Biden has quietly expanded his transition team to include veterans from Goldman Sachs, McKinsey & Company, Facebook and Google.
Well, for more on the Cabinet, coronavirus relief and her run for Congress, Nina Turner joins us now from Cleveland, Ohio.
We welcome you to Democracy Now! It’s great to have you with us, former state legislator Nina Turner. Can you talk about why you have thrown your hat in the ring?
NINA TURNER: Well, this moment calls for that. I mean, this is my home. I am a daughter of Cleveland. I’ve lived in the 11th Congressional District, served in this district as a councilwoman, as a state senator, as you have laid out. I was the Democratic nominee for secretary of state in 2014, fighting against one of the worst secretaries of state in this country. All that I have done heretofore has been because of my love for my community and my love for this nation, to stand up and make sure that people understand that they deserve better than what they have been getting.
I definitely congratulate Congresswoman Marcia Fudge for being tapped for the secretary of HUD position. There has not been a Black woman, I believe, in that position in over 40 years. And the greater Cleveland area has a lot to be proud of. The state of Ohio has a lot to be proud of.
But I’m running in service of the people. And we need more, not just bold voices, but people who will take action and will be fearless when it comes to standing up for what is just, for what is right and for what is good. So, in your title, Amy — and to Juan, good morning — Democracy Now!, we need this type of leadership right now.
JUAN GONZÁLEZ: Well, Nina Turner, do you expect much pushback from the Democratic establishment or possible even competitors on the progressive wing of the Democratic Party? There’s been some talk that Dennis Kucinich, who had been toying with a possibility of running for mayor of Cleveland again, may also consider running for this seat, as well?
NINA TURNER: Yes, that is true. The more, the merrier. I mean, this is what democracy is all about. People should be able to run. You know, I don’t come from the school that tries to push people out of an election —
JUAN GONZÁLEZ: And in terms of the key policies that you would —
NINA TURNER: — within the Democratic Party all over the country, that’s been —
AMY GOODMAN: We’re having a little bit of a video stutter here, so sometimes you break up, Nina. Go ahead, Juan.
JUAN GONZÁLEZ: Yeah, I was just going to ask: In terms of some of the key policies that you would run as the plank of your campaign, could you talk about those?
NINA TURNER: Yes, $15-an-hour minimum wage, a living wage, people deserve that. It is immoral how the working class of this nation, from all backgrounds, have steadily not — their wages have not kept pace with inflation. And so, we have to, especially, Juan — even before the pandemic, but especially now, how are people going to survive? And if you can’t even survive, you will never get to thrive.
COVID relief, absolutely. It is immoral — and that is for both sides of the Congress and the current president — that there has not been a second stimulus package for the American people that contains direct payment. That is a must. It is a necessity; it’s not a luxury. And we need to follow the lead of other industrialized nations who have set in place — either folks get checks on a regular basis and/or helping the businesses that employ them be able to [inaudible]. It is a shame that this hegemon nation has not done that heretofore. And we all should be ashamed.
AMY GOODMAN: Democratic Congressmember Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez talked about the COVID relief package during an Instagram Live video last week. This is what she said.
REP. ALEXANDRIA OCASIO-CORTEZ: What Mitch McConnell said is that we want to give big corporations total immunity for five years from COVID-related lawsuits. Now, if we do that, if we accept that for a one-time $1,200 check or a super short expansion of unemployment insurance, the deal is, is that you’re going to end up behind, because you may get one $1,200 check, on one hand, but you also may also get a multimillion-dollar hospital bill, with no recourse and no ability to protect yourself from a negligent corporation or employer. And so, that’s not worth it, right? Your check is not worth your life.
AMY GOODMAN: So, that is New York Congressmember Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez. A bipartisan group of senators introduced a COVID relief bill Monday that does not include direct cash payments. It does include a so-called liability shield for businesses, which Republicans secured in exchange for agreeing to approve funding for local and state governments. Bernie Sanders says he will not support a bill that includes this corporate liability shield. You have Congress, that has a majority of members who are millionaires, saying no to, at this point, a COVID stimulus, though McConnell now says he will move forward, though he’s absolutely insisting on this shield for corporations. Talk about the significance of this, and what exactly you want to see in a stimulus package.
NINA TURNER: I definitely, Amy, want to see a guaranteed basic income, not a one check. You know, Congresswoman Ocasio-Cortez is absolutely correct: That one-time check does nothing, even if it was in there. We need guaranteed basic income, especially for the magnitude of this particular crisis.
Amy and Juan, it shows a heartlessness. If you want to talk about a shield for businesses, what about the shield for the American people? What about the shield for folks who are facing eviction? What about the shield for people who go to bed hungry every night? What about the shield for the homeless? This is a heartless way to do the people’s business, their bidding. And the American people are going to have to stand up and say, in the words of Fannie Lou Hamer, “I’m sick and tired of being sick and tired.” How heartless do you have to be to care more about industry and corporations than you do about the everyday people of this nation, Amy? It cannot — this cannot continue.
And the healthcare portion of it, absolutely right, we need Medicare for All right now. We needed it before the pandemic. We especially need it right now. And we know that millions, almost 14, 15 million people, have lost their “employer-sponsored,” air-quote, healthcare, on top of the millions of people, almost 97 million or so people, who were already uninsured or underinsured. This is a crisis of epic proportions. It was a crisis before the COVID, and it is especially a crisis right now. And it cannot be tolerated. It cannot stand. And we’ve got to fight.
JUAN GONZÁLEZ: Well, Nina Turner, the latest reports coming out of Washington last night were suggesting that the compromise effort would separate this stimulus into two bills: one that would include the federal aid to cities and states and the liability shield for corporations, and a separate one that would deal with assistance to ordinary Americans. Admittedly, it would only have $300 in additional unemployment benefits instead of the $600 from last time, but it would include some rental assistance and some food assistance. Do you think it’s advisable, if you were in Congress right now, to go ahead and pass the bigger bill and then wait until the new Congress comes in, in January, to decide on the liability shield and the municipal assistance?
NINA TURNER: Well, they shouldn’t be connecting that liability shield to the municipal assistance. You know, as a state senator, I had to deal often with cuts to local government. And to put those two things together, Juan, we know exactly why they’re doing it. They’re playing games with the American people. You know, this is a complicated issue. I believe firmly that we’ve got to — we have to get the checks. The $300 is certainly not enough at all. As a matter of fact, we’re going backwards and not going forward.
And we’ve got to awaken the sleeping giants in this country, Juan. It’s unacceptable. The American people — and I know COVID is out there, and I don’t want anybody to get COVID, but we’ve got to stand up strong. And we’ve got to find a way to make it known that this kind of throwing crumbs, if you will, will not be tolerated.
We need a social contract. That is our money, Juan and Amy. Our money. And I want the American people to understand that you’ve got people in the Congress, in both chambers, who are playing games with our money. That money should be given back to the American people that fund — that fund — this nation, period. So, it just cannot be accepted.
AMY GOODMAN: This is former Democratic presidential candidate Bernie Sanders speaking to MSNBC about the incoming Biden administration’s Cabinet.
SEN. BERNIE SANDERS: I’ve seen some good appointments, people that I like, I think people who are really, really smart, experienced. But I have not seen people from the progressive movement per se in that Cabinet.
AMY GOODMAN: So, there is Bernie Sanders — you were co-chair of his national campaign — looking for progressive representation at the Cabinet level. He was pushing, apparently, very hard for labor secretary. Any word if that is going to happen, Nina Turner? And then if you can respond to Joe Biden saying — you know, pushing people to back off before the January 5th runoff election, senatorial races, in Georgia, that will determine the balance of the Senate? You just narrated that film that says “no honeymoon.” So, first, what would a Bernie Sanders as labor secretary mean? And are you satisfied with the Cabinet so far?
NINA TURNER: Having Senator Sanders as labor secretary would change everything. As we know, the senator has always been committed to the house of labor. Even in this last presidential run, when the Walmart workers could have picked from any of the 25 or so candidates running on the Democratic side, they chose Senator Bernie Sanders to come to that meeting of stakeholders and represent them. He has been on the streets with the house of labor. So, not just in the House of Representatives, and now the Senate, talking about it, he has been on the streets with the workers. He is the ultimate champion of the workers. And so, his vision for labor, the $15-an-hour minimum wage, making sure people have a right to form a union, you name it, he’s been there. He would be an extraordinary labor secretary.
In terms of the Cabinet picks so far, I mean, yes, I certainly agree with the senator: There have not been a lot of progressives put up thus far. We’ve got to do better. I mean, I would love to see stratification economist Dr. Darrick Hamilton, you know, Dr. Debra Furr-Holden, people like Michael Render, aka Killer Mike. Oh my god, what kind of Cabinet would that be! Certainly members of Congress, like Congresswoman Barbara Lee or Congresswoman Karen Bass. Those are the other types of people that they should be looking at to put in that Cabinet so that he has a robust — people in there with a robust commitment, who will not flinch, to lead and to serve, but to clearly be on the side of the poor, the working poor and the barely middle class in this country. That is what we need, Amy. And I don’t see that thus far.
JUAN GONZÁLEZ: I wanted to ask you about the issue of immigration. We’re seeing reports now of a increasing surge of migrants coming to the Mexican border, trying to cross the Mexican border. Obviously, there have been a few major hurricanes in Central America that have devastated huge portions of Central America. What kind of advice or pressure would you put on President Biden at this point as to what he should do in terms of immigration — reversing the immigration policies of President Trump, especially given the fact that we may be facing a new surge of migrants at the border?
NINA TURNER: Yeah, absolutely, Juan. So, that’s job number one. Whatever he could do via executive order to overturn or — yeah, overturn or reverse, rather, what President Trump has done in his heartless administration should be done. And then, beyond that, we have to deal with the global — the climate crisis, that in many ways is driving this. There’s a push-and-pull factor that happens when you have this kind of disruption. So, whether it’s famine, whether it is the weather — you know, hurricanes, tornadoes — you’re going to have people all over the world who need relief.
And so, in that particular case, the president-elect needs to bring together world leaders so that we can deal with this issue. Climate crisis and immigration, on whole, we can deal with as a world, because we, the United States, should certainly be one of the many leaders — not the only one, but one of the many leaders — that deals with these types of complex issues that impact the everyday lives of our sisters and brothers all over the world. We should do that as a collective, as a coalition. That is how we’re going to build the type of strength that we need, not only in our country, but in the world.
You know, the Reverend Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. once said, “What happens to one directly happens to us all indirectly.” And the COVID virus has certainly shown that. The pandemic has shown that. And the climate crisis that we have, that is driving most of this, not all of it, has shown that, as well. And so it needs a world — a national and a worldwide response.
JUAN GONZÁLEZ: And speaking of the COVID crisis that you mentioned, the reports in The New York Times today say that the wealthy nations of the world have basically been locking up the supplies of vaccines that are coming out right now to deal with the pandemic, says Canada has already locked five — the ability to — contracts to inoculate their people five times over their population; the United States, three times over its population; the European Union and the United Kingdom. Meanwhile, the nations of Africa, Asia and Latin America, very few of them have been able to obtain supplies of the vaccine until possibly 2022. Could you talk about the inequity here of who’s going to be getting this vaccine, or these vaccines?
NINA TURNER: It is the height of inequity. But it is a formula that has been carried out throughout the history of this world: You leave the Black and Brown nations in peril, vulnerable, and nations that are primarily white or European, they get to lock it up.
That cannot stand, either, because, again, the connection — we are certainly citizens of our respective nations, but we’re also citizens of the world. And another example of what affects one directly affects us all indirectly is called a pandemic for a reason. And so, world leaders to be — that’s a level of selfishness that will impact everybody. So, we can run, but we can’t hide. So, those nations that have locked up the vaccine in that way may think what they’re doing is OK and good for their citizens, but ultimately it is not, because the pandemic has shown very clearly that there is no border when it comes to something of this magnitude.
It’s the wrong thing to do, Juan, and it must be — we’ve got to stand up against that, as well. We can’t accept that. So, the nations of Canada and the United States and others, that can’t sit well with us.
AMY GOODMAN: And finally, Nina Turner, in 2014, Cleveland police officer Timothy Loehmann shot Tamir Rice within two seconds of arriving at a park where he was playing with a pellet gun. He was 12 years old. When Tamir’s 14-year-old sister rushed to her brother’s side, they tackled her to the ground, handcuffed her and put her in their cruiser. Tamir Rice died the next day. Neither officer was indicted.
Very quietly, in October, the Trump administration ended a civil rights investigation into the police killing of Rice. The New York Times reports the Justice Department ignored pleas by career prosecutors to open a grand jury probe into Rice’s killing for more than two years before denying the request in 2019.
Nina Turner, we went with you in 2016 during the Democratic National Convention in Cleveland to that park, and you showed us where Tamir Rice was shot by police. If you could, finally, talk about the issue of defunding the police, and also the fact that Joe Biden says no to defunding the police and no to Medicare for All?
NINA TURNER: Well, Amy, the Medicare for All is totally unacceptable in every way. I know some folks don’t want to use the term “defund the police,” but we have a crisis in this country that is a long time in the making. None of this stuff happened overnight.
And, Amy, you’re absolutely right. I mean, I know my face cannot be seen right now, but, yes, you and I were at that park. You know, I was in the last term of my Senate term in 2014 when that happened. It was in November. And I called then-Governor John Kasich. And I didn’t call him as a state senator; I called him as a Black mother and American. I think I shared some of this with you, Amy. And I said, “Governor, we’ve got to do something. We cannot let folks explode in this state, and they have every reason to do so. We’ve got to let them know that we hear their cries. What happened to Tamir Rice could have happened to my son, to any other Black mother’s or Black father’s son. And it cannot stand at all. I mean, we have to do something.”
And to his credit, he did. And that is how we were able to launch the Task Force on Community-Police Relations and, for the first time in the history of our state, to have standards by which law enforcement agencies have to abide by and have the community be able to judge them and critique whether or not they are answering to those standards.
Amy, a crisis in this nation a long time coming, generationally, the way that police and then other law enforcement agencies were set in this country, never to really protect and serve the Black community, but rather to be there to lord over the Black community, historically. And that is embedded in the DNA of this country.
And let me say this, because my husband is a retired police officer, our son is in law enforcement right now, so I get this in a very unique way, both warning and understanding that the really very real dangers of being out there to try to protect and serve, those that have the mindset to do so, and then understanding that both of my Black men have been racially profiled throughout their life. We have got to, as a nation, rethink policing in this country. We have got to put the requisite resources in mental health, the requisite resources in education, the requisite resources in making sure that people have a job, the requisite resources in making sure that people can live in safe communities. We need to overhaul the entire system. It’s not just what happens in policing; it is what happens with judges and prosecutors. It is the entire system. Some people may call that “defund the police.” The more important aspect here is that we must totally reform — and some people would say “transform” — and destroy and rebuild the way that the legal system works in this country.
AMY GOODMAN: Nina Turner, we’re going to have to leave it there, but we expect to be talking to you soon in the future, candidate for Ohio’s 11th congressional seat, announced yesterday. She’s former national co-chair of the Bernie Sanders 2020 presidential campaign, former Ohio state senator.
When we come back, immigrant rights activists are pushing Biden to enact a moratorium on deportations and release people from immigrant jails. Stay with us.


democracynow--2020-12-16--Headlines for December 16, 2020

Headlines for December 16, 2020

Frontline health workers continue to receive the first wave of the Pfizer-BioNTech COVID-19 vaccine as the Moderna vaccine appears poised @ @ @ @ @ days .
The hopeful news comes as the pandemic rages across the U.S. , and @ @ @ @ @ yet to come .
Over the past week , an average of more than 212,000 @ @ @ @ @ day .
Tuesday set a record for hospitalizations for the 10th day in a row @ @ @ @ @ U.S. deaths Tuesday again topped 3,000 , reaching the third-highest daily death toll since the @ @ @ @ @ , D.C. , the National Cathedral in Washington tolled its bells 300 times Tuesday evening @ @ @ @ @ in the U.S. who have died , as it did in September when the death @ @ @ @

Frontline health workers continue to receive the first wave of the Pfizer-BioNTech COVID-19 vaccine as the Moderna vaccine appears poised for authorization in the coming days. The hopeful news comes as the pandemic rages across the U.S., and officials warn the worst is yet to come. Over the past week, an average of more than 212,000 cases have been reported each day. Tuesday set a record for hospitalizations for the 10th day in a row, at nearly 113,000. U.S. deaths Tuesday again topped 3,000, reaching the third-highest daily death toll since the pandemic started.
In Washington, D.C., the National Cathedral in Washington tolled its bells 300 times Tuesday evening to commemorate the 300,000 people in the U.S. who have died, as it did in September when the death toll topped 200,000.


democracynow--2020-12-17--Congress's COVID Relief Bill Includes Direct Checks. It's Still Not Enough to Help Most Vulnerable

This is a rush transcript .
Copy may not be in its final form .
AMY GOODMAN : This is Democracy Now !
I ’ m Amy Goodman , with Nermeen Shaikh .
After months of inaction and facing record-shattering COVID-19 cases and deaths in this country , Congress may finally be close to signing a second , $ 900 billion coronavirus stimulus package .
The agreement is likely to include additional unemployment assistance of $ 300 a week and one-time direct cash payments of between $ 600 and $ 700 — a sharp reduction from the first COVID check @ @ @ @ @ @ @ checks were put back in the bill after a major push from the progressive wing of the Democratic Party .
A new study reports that 8 million Americans have been pushed into poverty since summer , in part due to a lack of federal assistance .
Congressmember-elect Cori Bush , who will be representing Missouri ’ s 1st District , tweeted , quote , “ Republicans are going to act like the difference between $ 600 and $ 1,200 is no big deal .
This is infuriating .
I ’ ve been unhoused @ @ @ @ @ @ @ The difference of $ 600 is having a hotel room or sleeping in the car .
$ 1,200 was already the compromise , ” she said .
The stimulus package will not include the Democrats ’ desired $ 160 billion for state and local aid , as a compromise for not including the financial liability protections for corporations that Republicans have been pushing for for months .
Well , to tease this all out , to explain what ’ s in the stimulus package , what isn ’ t , we ’ re @ @ @ @ @ @ @ , executive director — executive editor of The American Prospect , where he writes a daily update on the coronavirus pandemic called “ Unsanitized , ” his latest book titled Monopolized : Life in the Age of Corporate Power .
David , welcome back to Democracy Now !
Just lay out for us what is on the table right now .
DAVID DAYEN : Well , yes , as you described , the two main pieces that you just talked about were the unemployment boost and also extension of two programs that are @ @ @ @ @ @ @ one that helps gig workers get unemployment , the other that extends unemployment benefits — and then there ’ s this check , this stimulus check of $ 600 , $ 700 , something like that .
I should say that because they wanted to make room for this check , and Republicans have said they don ’ t want to go above $ 900 billion , they actually curtailed the boost to unemployment , the $ 300 a week , by four weeks : It ’ s now a 12-week program rather @ @ @ @ @ @ @ that ’ s $ 1,200 out of the pockets of the unemployed to give a $ 600 check one time to individuals beyond the unemployed .
NERMEEN SHAIKH : Aid to states and cities in this package was omitted , and what the impact of that will be ?
DAVID DAYEN : Yeah , it ’ s terrible .
I mean , the $ 160 billion was probably about a third of what was needed to fill budget shortfalls across the country .
And so , what you ’ re going to see @ @ @ @ @ @ @ is cuts to public safety , cuts to teachers , cuts to public employees , cuts to firefighters , things like that , all over the country , offsetting the benefit of economic stimulus that can be done at the federal level through state and local austerity .
And there ’ s just this mindset that you can ’ t go above a certain dollar figure , even though it ’ s Republicans coming to the table and saying , “ Hey , we ’ re going to lose our majority in the @ @ @ @ @ @ @ people before these elections in Georgia.
” Democrats might think that , “ Well , that puts us in — you know , gives us some of the upper hand here , the ability to say , 'Well , we need state and local relief .
We need more money from these one-time stimulus checks .
We need more money or an extension of these unemployment benefits . '
” But that ’ s not what ’ s happening .
There ’ s really a line being drawn at $ 900 billion , @ @ @ @ @ @ @ state and local spending , which is going to create really bad austerity throughout the country .
AMY GOODMAN : The U.S .
Postal Service — can you talk about what role it has in this bill ?
I mean , we have been seeing the rollout of the vaccine , the celebration of FedEx and UPS .
Where is the U.S .
Postal Service ?
And what ’ s happening to it ?
DAVID DAYEN : Well , in this bill , there was a $ 10 billion loan that the Treasury @ @ @ @ @ @ @ Postal Service .
And according to the bipartisan bill being used as a framework here , that would be forgiven .
So , that is a boost to the fortunes of the Postal Service , which is actually straining right now because FedEx and UPS are pushing off their less profitable packages and telling — you know , moving them over to the Postal Service , which is clogging kind of the package delivery here in the holiday season .
So , that ’ s one thing that ’ s going on there @ @ @ @ @ @ @ , could you talk about some of the concerns around the Paycheck Protection Program that have been reinstated with this package ?
What are the issues with that program ?
DAVID DAYEN : Well , yes .
So , one of the major parts of this bill is the extension of PPP and allowing individuals to get a second draw from PPP loans .
However , there ’ s a provision in here that subtly changes the tax treatment of these forgivable loans .
These are reimbursements that are given by the federal @ @ @ @ @ @ @ they ’ re tax-free .
They already were made tax-free originally .
But under this bill , they could be taken as deductions , as well , which would reduce the tax liability for a host of businesses .
And we know that not only small businesses got these PPP loans .
A lot of larger businesses did , as well .
So , this could potentially be up to $ 100 billion in benefit , tax benefits , including benefits to S corporations , which are these corporate structures set up by @ @ @ @ @ @ @ used to reduce their tax liability .
So , that seems a very egregious part of this bill .
And it ’ s not really getting as much attention as some of the other pieces .
AMY GOODMAN : I mean , the majority of Congress , the House and the Senate , they are millionaires at least .
Talk about the millionaires deciding the pittance that people who are suffering so deeply now may or may not get .
In this time of the pandemic , this is news just breaking : @ @ @ @ @ @ @ Donald Trump is still president , 83,000 Americans will die of COVID .
DAVID DAYEN : Yeah , it ’ s really staggering that it takes the threat of the loss of a Senate majority to get Republicans , for the first time in nine months , to come back and say , “ Yes , we ’ ll deliver a little bit of relief to the American people , ” who haven ’ t seen any since many of the CARES Act programs expired in July .
What we know , if @ @ @ @ @ @ @ is that unemployment for high-wage people has barely budged .
It ’ s pretty much at the same level it was before the pandemic .
All of the losses , or practically all of them , have been — DAVID DAYEN : — in the low-wage sector .
Yeah , it ’ s just staggering that , you know , Congress can ’ t come together to help people in a time of need .
AMY GOODMAN : Well , of course , we ’ ll continue to follow this .
David Dayen @ @ @ @ @ @ @ , where he writes a daily update on the coronavirus pandemic called “ Unsanitized.
” Democracy Now !
produced with Renée Feltz , Mike Burke , Deena Guzder , Libby Rainey , Nermeen Shaikh , María Taracena .
Special thanks to Julie Crosby , Miriam Barnard , Denis Moynihan .
I ’ m Amy Goodman .
Thanks for joining us .

This is a rush transcript. Copy may not be in its final form.
AMY GOODMAN: This is Democracy Now! I’m Amy Goodman, with Nermeen Shaikh.
After months of inaction and facing record-shattering COVID-19 cases and deaths in this country, Congress may finally be close to signing a second, $900 billion coronavirus stimulus package. The agreement is likely to include additional unemployment assistance of $300 a week and one-time direct cash payments of between $600 and $700 — a sharp reduction from the first COVID check of $1,200. The COVID relief checks were put back in the bill after a major push from the progressive wing of the Democratic Party.
A new study reports that 8 million Americans have been pushed into poverty since summer, in part due to a lack of federal assistance.
Congressmember-elect Cori Bush, who will be representing Missouri’s 1st District, tweeted, quote, “Republicans are going to act like the difference between $600 and $1,200 is no big deal. This is infuriating. I’ve been unhoused. I’ve lived paycheck-to-paycheck. The difference of $600 is having a hotel room or sleeping in the car. $1,200 was already the compromise,” she said.
The stimulus package will not include the Democrats’ desired $160 billion for state and local aid, as a compromise for not including the financial liability protections for corporations that Republicans have been pushing for for months.
Well, to tease this all out, to explain what’s in the stimulus package, what isn’t, we’re joined in Los Angeles by David Dayen, executive director — executive editor of The American Prospect, where he writes a daily update on the coronavirus pandemic called “Unsanitized,” his latest book titled Monopolized: Life in the Age of Corporate Power.
David, welcome back to Democracy Now! Just lay out for us what is on the table right now.
DAVID DAYEN: Well, yes, as you described, the two main pieces that you just talked about were the unemployment boost and also extension of two programs that are going to expire next week — the one that helps gig workers get unemployment, the other that extends unemployment benefits — and then there’s this check, this stimulus check of $600, $700, something like that.
I should say that because they wanted to make room for this check, and Republicans have said they don’t want to go above $900 billion, they actually curtailed the boost to unemployment, the $300 a week, by four weeks: It’s now a 12-week program rather than a 16-week extension. So, that’s $1,200 out of the pockets of the unemployed to give a $600 check one time to individuals beyond the unemployed.
NERMEEN SHAIKH: Aid to states and cities in this package was omitted, and what the impact of that will be?
DAVID DAYEN: Yeah, it’s terrible. I mean, the $160 billion was probably about a third of what was needed to fill budget shortfalls across the country. And so, what you’re going to see, if there’s nothing, is cuts to public safety, cuts to teachers, cuts to public employees, cuts to firefighters, things like that, all over the country, offsetting the benefit of economic stimulus that can be done at the federal level through state and local austerity.
And there’s just this mindset that you can’t go above a certain dollar figure, even though it’s Republicans coming to the table and saying, “Hey, we’re going to lose our majority in the Senate if we give no relief to people before these elections in Georgia.” Democrats might think that, “Well, that puts us in — you know, gives us some of the upper hand here, the ability to say, 'Well, we need state and local relief. We need more money from these one-time stimulus checks. We need more money or an extension of these unemployment benefits.'” But that’s not what’s happening. There’s really a line being drawn at $900 billion, and they’re kicking out the state and local spending, which is going to create really bad austerity throughout the country.
AMY GOODMAN: The U.S. Postal Service — can you talk about what role it has in this bill? I mean, we have been seeing the rollout of the vaccine, the celebration of FedEx and UPS. Where is the U.S. Postal Service? And what’s happening to it?
DAVID DAYEN: Well, in this bill, there was a $10 billion loan that the Treasury Department previously gave to the U.S. Postal Service. And according to the bipartisan bill being used as a framework here, that would be forgiven. So, that is a boost to the fortunes of the Postal Service, which is actually straining right now because FedEx and UPS are pushing off their less profitable packages and telling — you know, moving them over to the Postal Service, which is clogging kind of the package delivery here in the holiday season. So, that’s one thing that’s going on there.
NERMEEN SHAIKH: And, David, could you talk about some of the concerns around the Paycheck Protection Program that have been reinstated with this package? What are the issues with that program?
DAVID DAYEN: Well, yes. So, one of the major parts of this bill is the extension of PPP and allowing individuals to get a second draw from PPP loans. However, there’s a provision in here that subtly changes the tax treatment of these forgivable loans. These are reimbursements that are given by the federal government — grants, essentially — and they’re tax-free. They already were made tax-free originally. But under this bill, they could be taken as deductions, as well, which would reduce the tax liability for a host of businesses.
And we know that not only small businesses got these PPP loans. A lot of larger businesses did, as well. So, this could potentially be up to $100 billion in benefit, tax benefits, including benefits to S corporations, which are these corporate structures set up by very rich individuals, that could be used to reduce their tax liability. So, that seems a very egregious part of this bill. And it’s not really getting as much attention as some of the other pieces.
AMY GOODMAN: I mean, the majority of Congress, the House and the Senate, they are millionaires at least. Talk about the millionaires deciding the pittance that people who are suffering so deeply now may or may not get. In this time of the pandemic, this is news just breaking: In the next three weeks, while Donald Trump is still president, 83,000 Americans will die of COVID.
DAVID DAYEN: Yeah, it’s really staggering that it takes the threat of the loss of a Senate majority to get Republicans, for the first time in nine months, to come back and say, “Yes, we’ll deliver a little bit of relief to the American people,” who haven’t seen any since many of the CARES Act programs expired in July.
What we know, if you look at the economic numbers, is that unemployment for high-wage people has barely budged. It’s pretty much at the same level it was before the pandemic. All of the losses, or practically all of them, have been —
AMY GOODMAN: We’ve got five seconds.
DAVID DAYEN: — in the low-wage sector. Yeah, it’s just staggering that, you know, Congress can’t come together to help people in a time of need.
AMY GOODMAN: Well, of course, we’ll continue to follow this. David Dayen, executive editor of The American Prospect, where he writes a daily update on the coronavirus pandemic called “Unsanitized.”
Democracy Now! produced with Renée Feltz, Mike Burke, Deena Guzder, Libby Rainey, Nermeen Shaikh, María Taracena. Special thanks to Julie Crosby, Miriam Barnard, Denis Moynihan. I’m Amy Goodman. Thanks for joining us.