democracynow--2020-12-14--Greta Thunberg: 5 Years After Paris Agreement, World Is "Speeding in the Wrong Direction" on Climate

This is a rush transcript .
Copy may not be in its final form .
AMY GOODMAN : The United Nations Secretary-General António Guterres has urged world leaders to declare a state of emergency over the climate crisis .
His call came on Saturday during a virtual climate summit to mark the fifth anniversary of the 2015 Paris climate accord .
SECRETARY-GENERAL ANTÓNIO GUTERRES : Five years after Paris , we are still not going in the right direction .
Paris promised to limit temperature rise to as close as to 1.5 degrees as possible .
But the commitments made @ @ @ @ @ @ @ get there , and even those commitments are not being met .
Carbon dioxide levels are at record highs .
Today we are 1.2 degrees hotter than before the Industrial Revolution .
If we don ’ t change course , we may be headed for a catastrophic temperature rise of more than 3 degrees this century .
… Can anybody still deny that we are facing a dramatic emergency ?
That is why today I call on all leaders worldwide to declare a state of climate emergency in their countries until carbon neutrality @ @ @ @ @ @ @ already done so , recognizing the urgency and the stakes .
I urge all others to follow .
AMY GOODMAN : U.N. Secretary-General António Guterres , speaking Saturday at a virtual climate summit to mark the fifth anniversary of the 2015 Paris climate accord .
Prior to the summit , the 17-year-old Swedish climate activist Greta Thunberg released a video saying much more needs to be done to combat the climate crisis .
Five years ago , world leaders signed the Paris Agreement , and they promised to keep the global average temperature @ @ @ @ @ @ @ and to pursue 1.5 degrees to safeguard future living conditions .
Since then , a lot has happened , but the action needed is still nowhere in sight .
The gap between what we need to do and what is actually being done is widening by the minute .
We are still speeding in the wrong direction .
The five years following the Paris Agreement have been the five hottest years ever recorded .
And during that time , the world has also emitted more than 200 gigatons of CO2 .
Commitments are @ @ @ @ @ @ @ being set , and big speeches are being given .
Yet when it comes to the immediate action we need , we are still in a state of complete denial , as we waste our time creating new loopholes with empty words and creative accounting .
If you read through the current best available science , you realize that the climate and ecological crisis can not be solved without system change .
That ’ s no longer an opinion ; that ’ s a fact .
The climate crisis is only a part @ @ @ @ @ @ @ too long we have been distancing ourselves from nature , mistreating the planet , our only home , living as if there was no tomorrow .
At the current emission rate , our remaining CO2 budget for 1.5 degrees will be completely gone within seven years , long before we will even have a chance to deliver on our 2030 or 2050 targets .
But I ’ m telling you , there is hope , because the people have not yet been made aware .
We can not solve a crisis without treating @ @ @ @ @ @ @ we treat something like a crisis unless we understand the emergency .
So let ’ s make this our main priority .
Let ’ s unite and spread awareness .
Once we become aware , then we can act .
Then change will come .
This is the solution .
We are the hope .
We , the people .
AMY GOODMAN : Climate activist Greta Thunberg , speaking in a video she released ahead of Saturday ’ s virtual climate summit to mark the fifth anniversary of the 2015 Paris climate accord @ @ @ @ @ @ @ .
When we come back , who gets the vaccine ?
As the first shipments of the federally approved COVID-19 vaccine arrive today across the United States , we ’ ll speak with longtime doctor and antiracism activist Dr. Camara Phyllis Jones about why communities of color with high COVID-19 death rates should be given priority access to the vaccine .
Stay with us .

This is a rush transcript. Copy may not be in its final form.
AMY GOODMAN: The United Nations Secretary-General António Guterres has urged world leaders to declare a state of emergency over the climate crisis. His call came on Saturday during a virtual climate summit to mark the fifth anniversary of the 2015 Paris climate accord.
SECRETARY-GENERAL ANTÓNIO GUTERRES: Five years after Paris, we are still not going in the right direction. Paris promised to limit temperature rise to as close as to 1.5 degrees as possible. But the commitments made in Paris were far from enough to get there, and even those commitments are not being met. Carbon dioxide levels are at record highs. Today we are 1.2 degrees hotter than before the Industrial Revolution. If we don’t change course, we may be headed for a catastrophic temperature rise of more than 3 degrees this century. …
Can anybody still deny that we are facing a dramatic emergency? That is why today I call on all leaders worldwide to declare a state of climate emergency in their countries until carbon neutrality is reached. Some 38 countries have already done so, recognizing the urgency and the stakes. I urge all others to follow.
AMY GOODMAN: U.N. Secretary-General António Guterres, speaking Saturday at a virtual climate summit to mark the fifth anniversary of the 2015 Paris climate accord. Prior to the summit, the 17-year-old Swedish climate activist Greta Thunberg released a video saying much more needs to be done to combat the climate crisis.
GRETA THUNBERG: My name is Greta Thunberg, and I’m inviting you to be a part of the solution.
Five years ago, world leaders signed the Paris Agreement, and they promised to keep the global average temperature rise to well below 2 degrees Celsius and to pursue 1.5 degrees to safeguard future living conditions. Since then, a lot has happened, but the action needed is still nowhere in sight. The gap between what we need to do and what is actually being done is widening by the minute. We are still speeding in the wrong direction.
The five years following the Paris Agreement have been the five hottest years ever recorded. And during that time, the world has also emitted more than 200 gigatons of CO2. Commitments are being made, distant hypothetical targets are being set, and big speeches are being given. Yet when it comes to the immediate action we need, we are still in a state of complete denial, as we waste our time creating new loopholes with empty words and creative accounting.
If you read through the current best available science, you realize that the climate and ecological crisis cannot be solved without system change. That’s no longer an opinion; that’s a fact. The climate crisis is only a part of a bigger sustainability crisis. For too long we have been distancing ourselves from nature, mistreating the planet, our only home, living as if there was no tomorrow. At the current emission rate, our remaining CO2 budget for 1.5 degrees will be completely gone within seven years, long before we will even have a chance to deliver on our 2030 or 2050 targets.
But I’m telling you, there is hope, because the people have not yet been made aware. We cannot solve a crisis without treating it as a crisis, nor can we treat something like a crisis unless we understand the emergency. So let’s make this our main priority. Let’s unite and spread awareness. Once we become aware, then we can act. Then change will come. This is the solution. We are the hope. We, the people.
AMY GOODMAN: Climate activist Greta Thunberg, speaking in a video she released ahead of Saturday’s virtual climate summit to mark the fifth anniversary of the 2015 Paris climate accord. Greta turns 18 on January 3rd.
When we come back, who gets the vaccine? As the first shipments of the federally approved COVID-19 vaccine arrive today across the United States, we’ll speak with longtime doctor and antiracism activist Dr. Camara Phyllis Jones about why communities of color with high COVID-19 death rates should be given priority access to the vaccine. Stay with us.


democracynow--2020-12-14--Headlines for December 14, 2020

Headlines for December 14, 2020

The first shipments of the Pfizer-BioNTech COVID-19 vaccine are arriving in all 50 states today after the Food and Drug Administration issued an emergency use authorization late Friday .
The vaccine is being deployed as the U.S. tops 300,000 recorded deaths from COVID-19 today , with confirmed cases topping 16.2 million — by far the highest numbers in the world .
The first shipment will cover some 3 million people .
Healthcare workers will receive the first doses this week , followed by nursing home residents and staff .
FDA Commissioner Stephen Hahn said Sunday he hoped the first doses @ @ @ @ @ @ @ denied reports he was threatened by President Trump Friday to approve the vaccine quickly , saying the authorization was based on “ a thorough review of the science and data.
” Meanwhile , the coronavirus vaccine developed by Moderna is likely to be approved by the end of the week , according to Operation Warp Speed chief adviser Moncef Slaoui .
The U.S. government purchased another 100 million doses of the Moderna vaccine last week , which the Trump administration said would ensure continuous vaccine delivery through the end of June 2021 .

The first shipments of the Pfizer-BioNTech COVID-19 vaccine are arriving in all 50 states today after the Food and Drug Administration issued an emergency use authorization late Friday. The vaccine is being deployed as the U.S. tops 300,000 recorded deaths from COVID-19 today, with confirmed cases topping 16.2 million — by far the highest numbers in the world. The first shipment will cover some 3 million people. Healthcare workers will receive the first doses this week, followed by nursing home residents and staff. FDA Commissioner Stephen Hahn said Sunday he hoped the first doses would be administered today. He also denied reports he was threatened by President Trump Friday to approve the vaccine quickly, saying the authorization was based on “a thorough review of the science and data.”
Meanwhile, the coronavirus vaccine developed by Moderna is likely to be approved by the end of the week, according to Operation Warp Speed chief adviser Moncef Slaoui. The U.S. government purchased another 100 million doses of the Moderna vaccine last week, which the Trump administration said would ensure continuous vaccine delivery through the end of June 2021.


democracynow--2020-12-15--As COVID Surges Behind Bars in California, Why Is San Quentin Transferring Hundreds of Prisoners?

This is a rush transcript .
Copy may not be in its final form .
AMY GOODMAN : This is Democracy Now !
, democracynow.org , The Quarantine Report .
I ’ m Amy Goodman , with Juan González , as we turn to the COVID-19 crisis unfolding in prisons and jails .
As the U.S. death toll tops 300,000 and U.S. healthcare workers begin receiving the coronavirus vaccine this week , advocates are pushing for incarcerated people to be prioritized in the vaccine rollout .
This comes as prisons face their greatest swell in COVID cases since the beginning @ @ @ @ @ @ @ incarcerated people in the U.S. have been infected with COVID-19 , this according to the Marshall Project .
As infection numbers soar in California , all the state ’ s prisons have active coronavirus cases .
Infections were up 130 % last week .
Despite this , the California Department of Corrections is continuing to transfer incarcerated people between institutions — behavior that helped spread the virus in the prison system in the first place .
On Monday , San Quentin State Prison began the transfer of nearly 300 prisoners to other institutions @ @ @ @ @ @ @ and despite the outcry of the prisoners .
This comes after a California appeals court ordered prison authorities to cut the populations of the overcrowded prison in half in October after a first wave of the coronavirus at the prison left 28 people dead .
Democracy Now !
reached incarcerated journalist Juan Moreno Haines on the phone late last week .
Haines is one of dozens of prisoners who filed petitions for release due to the pandemic .
He said he was told he would be transferred out of San Quentin as early @ @ @ @ @ @ @ That was incarcerated journalist Juan Haines speaking from San Quentin prison last week .
He came down with COVID in the last months .
Over the weekend , Democracy Now !
reached Michael Adams , who is also incarcerated at San Quentin , by phone .
He described the scene inside the prison .
AMY GOODMAN : For more , we go to Oakland , California , where we ’ re joined by James King , state campaigner for the Ella Baker Center for Human Rights , member of the Stop San Quentin @ @ @ @ @ @ @ San Quentin from 2013 until this past December .
Welcome back to Democracy Now !
, James .
It ’ s great to have you with us .
So , for the first time in the pandemic ’ s history , the state prison system is battling COVID-19 in all of the state ’ s prisons , all 34 .
Can you talk about what is happening and what people are describing as the chaos inside San Quentin ?
What needs to be done ?
JAMES KING : Yes .
And good to @ @ @ @ @ @ @ outbreak throughout the 34 prisons is surging in a way that shows that overcrowded , unventilated prisons throughout the state are not safe to protect people from COVID-19 , something that public health officials have been saying for the past nine months .
The public health officials have called for San Quentin itself to be depopulated to 50 % .
And throughout the state , there are calls for each of our massively overcrowded prisons to be decarcerated in the same manner .
Throughout the state , there is no capacity to physically @ @ @ @ @ @ @ no proper hygiene and personal protection equipment that is passed out .
And the buildings themselves are poorly ventilated , as you heard from Juan .
Last October , there was a 1st District Court of Appeals ruling , which ruled that San Quentin should reduce its population to 1,775 people either by transfers or releases , and gave the California Department of Corrections and Rehabilitation the option to decide which to do .
They ’ re choosing transfers of over 300 of their most elderly , medically vulnerable people out of the @ @ @ @ @ @ @ cases are surging throughout the state prison system .
JUAN GONZÁLEZ : And what has been the response of state officials to possible releases , either of the most elderly or vulnerable patients or of those who have been convicted of nonviolent crimes ?
JAMES KING : You know , we haven ’ t heard from Governor Newsom on this in months .
As your reporting detailed , there was a 130 % surge in cases just last week within our state prison system .
There ’ s close to 10,000 active confirmed @ @ @ @ @ @ @ our 34 prisons .
And the governor is radio silent .
So we don ’ t know what their response will be .
We can see from the California Department of Corrections and Rehabilitation , they want to keep everyone in .
They want to transfer the most medically vulnerable to other dangerous living conditions , as opposed to just releasing the 300 people throughout the state to their homes and to transitional housing .
JUAN GONZÁLEZ : And what about the issue of vaccinations ?
We ’ re not hearing from any @ @ @ @ @ @ @ the prison systems across the country .
Could you talk about your sense of how the vaccinations should be handled , and also what the response of inmates would be to the vaccinations ?
JAMES KING : Yeah , you know , California has a very aging prison population .
And so , you see elderly people throughout our state prisons who are living in these highly dense , congregate settings .
We think the virus — we think the vaccine should be available to them as soon as possible .
At the @ @ @ @ @ @ @ public health conditions that make prison living so dangerous existed way before coronavirus came onto the scene this year .
Studies show that being in prison itself will age you 10 to 15 years older than people who are not incarcerated .
So we don ’ t see the vaccines as a substitute for releases by any stretch of the imagination , but it should be available as soon as possible to keep people safe .
AMY GOODMAN : James King , if you can talk about the movement to get the voices @ @ @ @ @ @ @ And the idea that on this issue of vaccines , as the U.S. says they ’ re going to institutionalize settings , the most vulnerable — for example , people in nursing homes — prisons have almost become these institutionalized places for many older people close together .
How do people protect themselves inside ?
JAMES KING : I mean , famously at San Quentin and throughout — at San Quentin during the height of the outbreak , where thousands of people were infected , at one point prison administrators told the people @ @ @ @ @ @ @ that way they would be six feet distant from each other .
We had reports of people who were sleeping with their masks on , sleeping double-masked , when they were fortunate enough to get a mask .
So , the living conditions inside of our state prisons have not been adequate to protect people from this virus at all .
And anything that would happen for people in congregate settings of nursing homes and other facilities should also happen for people who are incarcerated .
Just as the virus is coming into @ @ @ @ @ @ @ we know that it ’ s going to grow and come out at an even faster rate .
AMY GOODMAN : James King , we want to thank you so much for being with us , member of the Stop San Quentin Outbreak Coalition , state campaigner for the Oakland-based Ella Baker Center for Human Rights , he himself incarcerated at San Quentin from 2013 until this past year .
Democracy Now !
is produced with Renée Feltz , Mike Burke , Deena Guzder , Libby Rainey , Nermeen Shaikh , María Taracena @ @ @ @ @ @ @ Charina Nadura , Sam Alcoff .
Special thanks to Julie Crosby .
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!, democracynow.org, The Quarantine Report. I’m Amy Goodman, with Juan González, as we turn to the COVID-19 crisis unfolding in prisons and jails.
As the U.S. death toll tops 300,000 and U.S. healthcare workers begin receiving the coronavirus vaccine this week, advocates are pushing for incarcerated people to be prioritized in the vaccine rollout. This comes as prisons face their greatest swell in COVID cases since the beginning of the pandemic. Nearly a quarter-million incarcerated people in the U.S. have been infected with COVID-19, this according to the Marshall Project.
As infection numbers soar in California, all the state’s prisons have active coronavirus cases. Infections were up 130% last week. Despite this, the California Department of Corrections is continuing to transfer incarcerated people between institutions — behavior that helped spread the virus in the prison system in the first place. On Monday, San Quentin State Prison began the transfer of nearly 300 prisoners to other institutions, against the advice of health professionals and despite the outcry of the prisoners. This comes after a California appeals court ordered prison authorities to cut the populations of the overcrowded prison in half in October after a first wave of the coronavirus at the prison left 28 people dead.
Democracy Now! reached incarcerated journalist Juan Moreno Haines on the phone late last week. Haines is one of dozens of prisoners who filed petitions for release due to the pandemic. He said he was told he would be transferred out of San Quentin as early as this week.
JUAN MORENO HAINES: I had in a call from my attorney. I had to ask [inaudible] to call my attorney. And my attorney told me that the judge told him to ask me or to make me an offer: If I dismiss my petition for release out of San Quentin based on these unconstitutional conditions, he would not transfer me from San Quentin. Well, I refused to drop my petition against these cruel and unusual conditions. And so, the next thing I expect the Department of Corrections to do to me is to tell me to pack my stuff, and move me to another prison.
If the Department of Corrections wants to transfer me to another institution, I can’t say what the living conditions are going to be there, but the one thing I can probably guarantee, I’ll be living in an enclosed, unventilated housing unit. And so, you know, what’s the difference? You know, when you’re in congregated settings and enclosed buildings, the risk of contracting coronavirus is astronomical. And so, it doesn’t make any sense. The only thing that makes sense about the transfer order is that the judge will comply with the order to reduce the prison population at San Quentin by increasing it somewhere else. They’re just playing whack-a-mole.
AMY GOODMAN: That was incarcerated journalist Juan Haines speaking from San Quentin prison last week. He came down with COVID in the last months.
Over the weekend, Democracy Now! reached Michael Adams, who is also incarcerated at San Quentin, by phone. He described the scene inside the prison.
MICHAEL ADAMS: People are panicking, because outside of the fact that, you know, the people are going to particularly prisons that not only from a place of COVID outbreaks that they’re sending them to, there’s also the political aspect of that, going to places where they could be jumped on because they’re coming from San Quentin. And so, you’ve got guys walking around here not knowing what they’re — they’re high-risk medical, but they’re sending them to places that have outbreaks. And so there is a nervousness, a chaoticness, a fear, that becomes palpable here in San Quentin, because nobody knows what’s what.
AMY GOODMAN: For more, we go to Oakland, California, where we’re joined by James King, state campaigner for the Ella Baker Center for Human Rights, member of the Stop San Quentin Outbreak Coalition, he himself incarcerated at San Quentin from 2013 until this past December.
Welcome back to Democracy Now!, James. It’s great to have you with us. So, for the first time in the pandemic’s history, the state prison system is battling COVID-19 in all of the state’s prisons, all 34. Can you talk about what is happening and what people are describing as the chaos inside San Quentin? What needs to be done?
JAMES KING: Yes. And good to see you again, Amy.
The outbreak throughout the 34 prisons is surging in a way that shows that overcrowded, unventilated prisons throughout the state are not safe to protect people from COVID-19, something that public health officials have been saying for the past nine months. The public health officials have called for San Quentin itself to be depopulated to 50%. And throughout the state, there are calls for each of our massively overcrowded prisons to be decarcerated in the same manner. Throughout the state, there is no capacity to physically distance within our prisons. There are no proper hygiene and personal protection equipment that is passed out. And the buildings themselves are poorly ventilated, as you heard from Juan.
Last October, there was a 1st District Court of Appeals ruling, which ruled that San Quentin should reduce its population to 1,775 people either by transfers or releases, and gave the California Department of Corrections and Rehabilitation the option to decide which to do. They’re choosing transfers of over 300 of their most elderly, medically vulnerable people out of the prison throughout the state, even though cases are surging throughout the state prison system.
JUAN GONZÁLEZ: And what has been the response of state officials to possible releases, either of the most elderly or vulnerable patients or of those who have been convicted of nonviolent crimes?
JAMES KING: You know, we haven’t heard from Governor Newsom on this in months. As your reporting detailed, there was a 130% surge in cases just last week within our state prison system. There’s close to 10,000 active confirmed cases throughout the state right now within our 34 prisons. And the governor is radio silent. So we don’t know what their response will be.
We can see from the California Department of Corrections and Rehabilitation, they want to keep everyone in. They want to transfer the most medically vulnerable to other dangerous living conditions, as opposed to just releasing the 300 people throughout the state to their homes and to transitional housing.
JUAN GONZÁLEZ: And what about the issue of vaccinations? We’re not hearing from any major public officials of prioritizing inmates in the prison systems across the country. Could you talk about your sense of how the vaccinations should be handled, and also what the response of inmates would be to the vaccinations?
JAMES KING: Yeah, you know, California has a very aging prison population. And so, you see elderly people throughout our state prisons who are living in these highly dense, congregate settings. We think the virus — we think the vaccine should be available to them as soon as possible. At the same time, the conditions — the public health conditions that make prison living so dangerous existed way before coronavirus came onto the scene this year. Studies show that being in prison itself will age you 10 to 15 years older than people who are not incarcerated. So we don’t see the vaccines as a substitute for releases by any stretch of the imagination, but it should be available as soon as possible to keep people safe.
AMY GOODMAN: James King, if you can talk about the movement to get the voices of those inside the prison out? And the idea that on this issue of vaccines, as the U.S. says they’re going to institutionalize settings, the most vulnerable — for example, people in nursing homes — prisons have almost become these institutionalized places for many older people close together. How do people protect themselves inside?
JAMES KING: I mean, famously at San Quentin and throughout — at San Quentin during the height of the outbreak, where thousands of people were infected, at one point prison administrators told the people to sleep head to toe, and that way they would be six feet distant from each other. We had reports of people who were sleeping with their masks on, sleeping double-masked, when they were fortunate enough to get a mask.
So, the living conditions inside of our state prisons have not been adequate to protect people from this virus at all. And anything that would happen for people in congregate settings of nursing homes and other facilities should also happen for people who are incarcerated. Just as the virus is coming into the prisons at an accelerated rate, we know that it’s going to grow and come out at an even faster rate.
AMY GOODMAN: James King, we want to thank you so much for being with us, member of the Stop San Quentin Outbreak Coalition, state campaigner for the Oakland-based Ella Baker Center for Human Rights, he himself incarcerated at San Quentin from 2013 until this past year.
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. Special thanks to Julie Crosby. I’m Amy Goodman, with Juan González.


democracynow--2020-12-15--Election Chaos Adds Fuel to Campaign for a National Popular Vote to Elect U.S. President

This is a rush transcript .
Copy may not be in its final form .
AMY GOODMAN : This is Democracy Now !
, democracynow.org , The Quarantine Report .
I ’ m Amy Goodman , with Juan González .
President-elect Joe Biden and Vice President-elect Kamala Harris officially won the Electoral College Monday , as electors met in their state capitals to formalize the victory .
This step comes even as President Trump continues to claim without evidence he ’ s the victim of a massive conspiracy to rig the election .
Former Georgia gubernatorial candidate Stacey Abrams presided @ @ @ @ @ @ @ , who marked for the first time in nearly three decades Georgia elected a Democrat .
AMY GOODMAN : As Stacey Abrams spoke Monday in Georgia , Washington Post reporter Michelle Ye Hee Lee tweeted , quote , “ Meanwhile , in another part of the GA State Capitol , 16 GOP electors cast ballots for Trump , declaring that 'the contest of the election is ongoing . '
” She posted a photo taken by freelance journalist Haisten Willis of the unofficial electors .
Elsewhere , in Arizona , a group of @ @ @ @ @ @ @ documents falsely claiming Arizona ’ s 11 electoral votes went to Trump .
The 11 real electors , who were actually chosen by Arizona voters , cast their votes for Biden and Harris .
In Michigan , electors also formally cast their votes for Biden and Harris .
The vote came after the Trump administration filed lawsuits that were dismissed by state and federal judges , and despite Trump ’ s attempts to pressure Republican lawmakers to replace Democratic electors .
Republican Michigan state Representative Gary Eisen was reprimanded and stripped of his @ @ @ @ @ @ @ host Monday morning he planned to join a protest to obstruct the state ’ s Electoral College vote , that could turn violent .
This is Eisen speaking to Port Huron-area radio station WPHM-AM on Monday morning .
AMY GOODMAN : As the official electors in all 50 states met Monday despite right-wing threats of violence , senior White House adviser Stephen Miller appeared on Fox News Monday and claimed Trump and his allies plan to pursue a so-called alternate elector strategy .
AMY GOODMAN : Despite this , President-elect Joe Biden addressed @ @ @ @ @ @ @ Monday night , just hours after winning the state-by-state Electoral College vote that officially determines the U.S. presidency .
AMY GOODMAN : We turn now to look at a growing movement to have the president be popularly elected , with or without the Electoral College .
To date , 15 states have passed a law that says its electors will go to whichever candidate wins the national popular vote in the country as a whole , regardless of what candidate wins in that particular state .
This is known as the National Popular @ @ @ @ @ @ @ not take effect until enough states adopt it so that the aggregate of the electoral votes equals 270 or more , enough to guarantee the presidency to the most popular candidate .
We ’ re joined now by John Koza , chair of National Popular Vote .
Welcome back to Democracy Now !
It ’ s great to have you with us .
Explain what this — AMY GOODMAN : It ’ s great to see you .
Can you explain what this movement is ?
But first , respond to what happened @ @ @ @ @ @ @ other years , the Electoral College vote , people didn ’ t pay much attention to it .
But this year , they sure did .
JOHN KOZA : Well , people did pay attention , because the flaws of the current system have become more and more apparent to people .
Five of our 45 presidents have come into office without having won the national popular vote .
And just in the last six elections , we ’ ve had two wrong-winner elections and also two near-miss elections , including this current @ @ @ @ @ @ @ their mind in Arizona , Wisconsin and Georgia , President Trump would have received enough electoral votes to be reelected , despite the fact that Joe Biden was over 7 million votes ahead in the national popular vote .
JUAN GONZÁLEZ : But , John Koza , could you explain a little more about this compact ?
And I ’ m wondering , even if you were able to get the number , requisite number , of states to vote in favor of it , what ’ s to prevent Congress from passing @ @ @ @ @ @ @ states ?
JOHN KOZA : Well , in fact , the Constitution gives the state legislatures the exclusive and plenary power to decide how their electoral votes are awarded .
What the Constitutions says is , “ Each State shall appoint , in such Manner as the Legislature thereof may direct , a Number of [ presidential ] Electors.
” Congress has no role in deciding how electoral votes are awarded , as a matter of law .
So , it ’ s an exclusive state process .
The current system , the @ @ @ @ @ @ @ , these near-miss elections , and causes the fact that presidential candidates only campaign in a dozen battleground states , those are all state laws .
And they can be changed in the same way they were passed : by a vote of the state legislature .
AMY GOODMAN : So , John Koza , explain the states that have passed this compact , making their way to — well , they ’ re coming close to around 200 votes , need 270 , before this is just adopted all over the country @ @ @ @ @ @ @ the Electoral College .
It remains .
But it really gets rid of what the Electoral College has done in the past , because it will be guided by the popular vote .
What states have voted for this ?
How many more do you need ?
JOHN KOZA : Well , the states that have voted for it include four small states — Delaware , Hawaii , Rhode Island and Vermont — and eight medium-size states — Colorado , where , by the way , the voters just reaffirmed the action of @ @ @ @ @ @ @ National Popular Vote — Colorado , Connecticut , Maryland , Massachusetts , New Jersey , New Mexico , Oregon and Washington — and then three bigger states — California , Illinois and New York .
We need states with 74 more electoral votes to put this into effect , hopefully in time for the 2024 presidential elections .
And in terms of progress in that direction , there are nine additional states , with 88 electoral votes , where at least one house of the legislature has already passed the National Popular Vote @ @ @ @ @ @ @ that we can succeed in putting this into effect in time for the 2024 election .
JUAN GONZÁLEZ : And in those states where one house of the legislature has approved it but the other has not , when the second house , let ’ s say , approves the bill , does the — because most legislation , if it ’ s not approved by both houses in a term , has to be revoted on , doesn ’ t it ?
How would that work ?
JOHN KOZA : Well , @ @ @ @ @ @ @ example , our bill passed the Virginia House early in 2020 .
But when it comes up in 2021 , we will have to go back through the House and pass the Senate .
So you ’ re correct .
The bills in state legislature , like bills in Congress , have to be restarted when a new legislature comes into being .
AMY GOODMAN : And what are the states you think are most likely ?
JOHN KOZA : Well , we ’ re very optimistic about Virginia .
The bill also @ @ @ @ @ @ @ .
And in Michigan in 2018 , 25 of the 38 state senators sponsored the bill , including a majority of both parties .
And then it passed the Minnesota House in 2019 , and some other states .
JUAN GONZÁLEZ : Now , the Oklahoma Council on Public Affairs says that this is a Democratic blue state effort , and it opposes your proposal .
What ’ s your response ?
JOHN KOZA : Well , it ’ s a effort of bipartisan proposal .
It ’ s received bipartisan support in @ @ @ @ @ @ @ the way , the Oklahoma Senate , where we passed the Senate a few years ago with a bipartisan vote .
The Oklahoma Council on Public Relations is the leading opponent to National Popular Vote .
And they have a lot of wrong opinions .
They think the current system is just fine , that it ’ s OK to have second-place , wrong-winner elections , that it ’ s OK to have all these recounts and lawsuits and litigation , which comes from the winner-take-all law , and that it ’ s @ @ @ @ @ @ @ just a dozen battleground states and leave 38 states basically as spectators to the presidential election .
JUAN GONZÁLEZ : And could you talk to us a little bit about the history of the Electoral College ?
Why was it created in the first place ?
And why has it been such a durable institution in American politics ?
JOHN KOZA : Well , the Electoral College itself is in the Constitution , and it allocates electoral votes among the states , but it doesn ’ t actually say how the members of @ @ @ @ @ @ @ it ’ s durable because it ’ s in the Constitution .
It ’ s in the Constitution because at the time the Constitution was written , the Southern states wanted to have more representation than the number of people who were allowed to vote would justify — that ’ s a polite way of saying the slaves .
So , to form the union , this compromise was arranged where the states would receive a certain number of electoral votes based on the number of people in those states .
But then @ @ @ @ @ @ @ , could have only , say , rich white people allowed to vote .
AMY GOODMAN : So it is based in slavery .
JOHN KOZA : By the way , rich white men .
AMY GOODMAN : John Koza , I want to thank you so much for being with us .
And we ’ re going to continue to look at this , of course .
Chair of National Popular Vote , consulting professor at Stanford University in computer science and electrical engineering , he was .
He ’ s also @ @ @ @ @ @ @ up , as the U.S. COVID-19 death toll tops 300,000 , cases are spiking across the prisons of this country .
We ’ ll get an inside update from San Quentin .
Stay with us .
AMY GOODMAN : “ A Shoulder to Cry On ” by legendary singer Charlie Pride , one of the most successful Black country artists in history .
He died Saturday of complications from COVID-19 at the age of 86 , not long after performing at a largely mask-free award ceremony hosted by the Country Music Association .

This is a rush transcript. Copy may not be in its final form.
AMY GOODMAN: This is Democracy Now!, democracynow.org, The Quarantine Report. I’m Amy Goodman, with Juan González.
President-elect Joe Biden and Vice President-elect Kamala Harris officially won the Electoral College Monday, as electors met in their state capitals to formalize the victory. This step comes even as President Trump continues to claim without evidence he’s the victim of a massive conspiracy to rig the election. Former Georgia gubernatorial candidate Stacey Abrams presided over Georgia’s body of electors, who marked for the first time in nearly three decades Georgia elected a Democrat.
STACEY ABRAMS: The ballots have been reviewed and transmitted. As I call your name, please state the name of the person for whom you cast for your vote for president. I will start by stating that I cast my vote for President Joe Biden. Gloria Butler?
GLORIA BUTLER: I cast my vote for President Joe Biden.
STACEY ABRAMS: Wendy Davis?
WENDY DAVIS: I cast my vote for President Joe Biden.
STACEY ABRAMS: Bobby Fuse?
BOBBY FUSE: I cast my vote for President Joe Biden. …
STACEY ABRAMS: I am pleased to announce that Joseph R. Biden has received 16 votes for president of the United States.
AMY GOODMAN: As Stacey Abrams spoke Monday in Georgia, Washington Post reporter Michelle Ye Hee Lee tweeted, quote, “Meanwhile, in another part of the GA State Capitol, 16 GOP electors cast ballots for Trump, declaring that 'the contest of the election is ongoing.'” She posted a photo taken by freelance journalist Haisten Willis of the unofficial electors.
Elsewhere, in Arizona, a group of fake electors sent the National Archive notarized documents falsely claiming Arizona’s 11 electoral votes went to Trump. The 11 real electors, who were actually chosen by Arizona voters, cast their votes for Biden and Harris.
In Michigan, electors also formally cast their votes for Biden and Harris. The vote came after the Trump administration filed lawsuits that were dismissed by state and federal judges, and despite Trump’s attempts to pressure Republican lawmakers to replace Democratic electors. Republican Michigan state Representative Gary Eisen was reprimanded and stripped of his committee assignments after he told a radio host Monday morning he planned to join a protest to obstruct the state’s Electoral College vote, that could turn violent. This is Eisen speaking to Port Huron-area radio station WPHM-AM on Monday morning.
PAUL MILLER: What event are you referring to?
REP. GARY EISEN: It’ll be all over the news later on.
PAUL MILLER: This sounds dangerous, Gary. And I’m not kidding around.
REP. GARY EISEN: It is dangerous. And I will be there. I was the one — there’s going to be violence, going to be protests. You know, and they’re asking me if I would assist today. And I said, “You know what? How can I not?”
AMY GOODMAN: As the official electors in all 50 states met Monday despite right-wing threats of violence, senior White House adviser Stephen Miller appeared on Fox News Monday and claimed Trump and his allies plan to pursue a so-called alternate elector strategy.
STEPHEN MILLER: The only date in the Constitution is January 20th, so we have more than enough time to right the wrong of this fraudulent election result and certify Donald Trump as the winner of the election. As we speak, today, an alternate slate of electors in the contested states is going to vote, and we’re going to send those results up to Congress. This will ensure that all of our legal remedies remain open. That means that if we win these cases in the courts, that we can direct that the alternate slate of electors be certified. The state legislatures in Georgia, Wisconsin and Pennsylvania can do the same. And likewise, Congress has that opportunity, as well, to do the right thing. If you just cured three simple constitutional defects, Donald Trump is the winner of this election.
AMY GOODMAN: Despite this, President-elect Joe Biden addressed the nation in a nationally televised speech Monday night, just hours after winning the state-by-state Electoral College vote that officially determines the U.S. presidency.
PRESIDENT-ELECT JOE BIDEN: Together, Vice President-elect Harris and I earned 306 electoral votes, well exceeding the 270 electoral votes needed to secure victory. Three hundred and six electoral votes is the same number of electoral votes that Donald Trump and Vice President Pence received when they won in 2016. Excuse me. At the time, President Trump calls the Electoral College tally a landslide. By his own standards, these numbers represented a clear victory then. And I respectfully suggest they do so now.
AMY GOODMAN: We turn now to look at a growing movement to have the president be popularly elected, with or without the Electoral College. To date, 15 states have passed a law that says its electors will go to whichever candidate wins the national popular vote in the country as a whole, regardless of what candidate wins in that particular state. This is known as the National Popular Vote Interstate Compact. The compact will not take effect until enough states adopt it so that the aggregate of the electoral votes equals 270 or more, enough to guarantee the presidency to the most popular candidate.
We’re joined now by John Koza, chair of National Popular Vote.
Welcome back to Democracy Now! It’s great to have you with us. Explain what this —
JOHN KOZA: Good morning.
AMY GOODMAN: It’s great to see you. Can you explain what this movement is? But first, respond to what happened yesterday in this country. In most other years, the Electoral College vote, people didn’t pay much attention to it. But this year, they sure did.
JOHN KOZA: Well, people did pay attention, because the flaws of the current system have become more and more apparent to people. Five of our 45 presidents have come into office without having won the national popular vote. And just in the last six elections, we’ve had two wrong-winner elections and also two near-miss elections, including this current election. If 21,000 people had changed their mind in Arizona, Wisconsin and Georgia, President Trump would have received enough electoral votes to be reelected, despite the fact that Joe Biden was over 7 million votes ahead in the national popular vote.
JUAN GONZÁLEZ: But, John Koza, could you explain a little more about this compact? And I’m wondering, even if you were able to get the number, requisite number, of states to vote in favor of it, what’s to prevent Congress from passing legislation to overturn the decisions of the states?
JOHN KOZA: Well, in fact, the Constitution gives the state legislatures the exclusive and plenary power to decide how their electoral votes are awarded. What the Constitutions says is, “Each State shall appoint, in such Manner as the Legislature thereof may direct, a Number of [presidential] Electors.” Congress has no role in deciding how electoral votes are awarded, as a matter of law. So, it’s an exclusive state process.
The current system, the winner-take-all system that causes these wrong-winner elections, these near-miss elections, and causes the fact that presidential candidates only campaign in a dozen battleground states, those are all state laws. And they can be changed in the same way they were passed: by a vote of the state legislature.
AMY GOODMAN: So, John Koza, explain the states that have passed this compact, making their way to — well, they’re coming close to around 200 votes, need 270, before this is just adopted all over the country. It’s not exactly abolishing the Electoral College. It remains. But it really gets rid of what the Electoral College has done in the past, because it will be guided by the popular vote. What states have voted for this? How many more do you need?
JOHN KOZA: Well, the states that have voted for it include four small states — Delaware, Hawaii, Rhode Island and Vermont — and eight medium-size states — Colorado, where, by the way, the voters just reaffirmed the action of the Colorado Legislature and governor and approved National Popular Vote — Colorado, Connecticut, Maryland, Massachusetts, New Jersey, New Mexico, Oregon and Washington — and then three bigger states — California, Illinois and New York.
We need states with 74 more electoral votes to put this into effect, hopefully in time for the 2024 presidential elections. And in terms of progress in that direction, there are nine additional states, with 88 electoral votes, where at least one house of the legislature has already passed the National Popular Vote bill. So we’re optimistic that we can succeed in putting this into effect in time for the 2024 election.
JUAN GONZÁLEZ: And in those states where one house of the legislature has approved it but the other has not, when the second house, let’s say, approves the bill, does the — because most legislation, if it’s not approved by both houses in a term, has to be revoted on, doesn’t it? How would that work?
JOHN KOZA: Well, you’re absolutely correct. For example, our bill passed the Virginia House early in 2020. But when it comes up in 2021, we will have to go back through the House and pass the Senate. So you’re correct. The bills in state legislature, like bills in Congress, have to be restarted when a new legislature comes into being.
AMY GOODMAN: And what are the states you think are most likely?
JOHN KOZA: Well, we’re very optimistic about Virginia. The bill also passed one house in Maine in 2019. And in Michigan in 2018, 25 of the 38 state senators sponsored the bill, including a majority of both parties. And then it passed the Minnesota House in 2019, and some other states.
JUAN GONZÁLEZ: Now, the Oklahoma Council on Public Affairs says that this is a Democratic blue state effort, and it opposes your proposal. What’s your response?
JOHN KOZA: Well, it’s a effort of bipartisan proposal. It’s received bipartisan support in state after state, including, by the way, the Oklahoma Senate, where we passed the Senate a few years ago with a bipartisan vote. The Oklahoma Council on Public Relations is the leading opponent to National Popular Vote. And they have a lot of wrong opinions. They think the current system is just fine, that it’s OK to have second-place, wrong-winner elections, that it’s OK to have all these recounts and lawsuits and litigation, which comes from the winner-take-all law, and that it’s OK that presidential campaigns are focused on just a dozen battleground states and leave 38 states basically as spectators to the presidential election.
JUAN GONZÁLEZ: And could you talk to us a little bit about the history of the Electoral College? Why was it created in the first place? And why has it been such a durable institution in American politics?
JOHN KOZA: Well, the Electoral College itself is in the Constitution, and it allocates electoral votes among the states, but it doesn’t actually say how the members of the Electoral College are appointed. So it’s durable because it’s in the Constitution. It’s in the Constitution because at the time the Constitution was written, the Southern states wanted to have more representation than the number of people who were allowed to vote would justify — that’s a polite way of saying the slaves. So, to form the union, this compromise was arranged where the states would receive a certain number of electoral votes based on the number of people in those states. But then the states, notably the Southern states, could have only, say, rich white people allowed to vote.
AMY GOODMAN: So it is based in slavery.
JOHN KOZA: By the way, rich white men.
AMY GOODMAN: John Koza, I want to thank you so much for being with us. And we’re going to continue to look at this, of course. Chair of National Popular Vote, consulting professor at Stanford University in computer science and electrical engineering, he was. He’s also former CEO of Scientific Games.
Next up, as the U.S. COVID-19 death toll tops 300,000, cases are spiking across the prisons of this country. We’ll get an inside update from San Quentin. Stay with us.
[break]
AMY GOODMAN: “A Shoulder to Cry On” by legendary singer Charlie Pride, one of the most successful Black country artists in history. He died Saturday of complications from COVID-19 at the age of 86, not long after performing at a largely mask-free award ceremony hosted by the Country Music Association.


democracynow--2020-12-15--William Barr Resigns as Attorney General After Acting as Trump's "Enabler-in-Chief" at DOJ

This is a rush transcript .
Copy may not be in its final form .
AMY GOODMAN : Minutes after the Electoral College confirmed President Trump ’ s loss to President-elect Joe Biden , President Trump announced via tweet Monday that Attorney General William Barr was resigning .
He wrote , in part , quote , “ Our relationship has been a very good one , he has done an outstanding job !
As per letter , Bill will be leaving just before Christmas to spend the holidays with his family… ” Trump tweeted Deputy Attorney General Jeff Rosen will @ @ @ @ @ @ @ announced he was stepping down in a resignation letter released shortly after he briefed Trump about the Justice Department ’ s review into voter fraud claims in the 2020 election .
He wrote in the letter allegations of fraud “ continue to be pursued.
” Earlier this month , Barr told the Associated Press , quote , “ To date , we have not seen fraud on a scale that could have effected a different outcome in the election.
” News of Barr ’ s resignation comes after it was reported that he @ @ @ @ @ @ @ into the President-elect Joe Biden ’ s son , Hunter , and his tax affairs .
This prompted Trump to lash out at Barr on Twitter over the weekend , calling him “ A big disappointment !
” But Barr has been one of Donald Trump ’ s staunchest allies .
This summer , The Washington Post reported Barr personally ordered police to beat and tear gas peaceful protesters who gathered near the White House in order to clear a path for President Donald Trump to walk to the nearby St. John ’ @ @ @ @ @ @ @ posed for photos holding a Bible .
Barr denied using tear gas during an interview on CBS ’ s Face the Nation .
AMY GOODMAN : Attorney General William Barr also defended the administration ’ s actions by blaming the antifascist movement known as antifa for instigating violence during the protest instead of police .
AMY GOODMAN : In fact , The Nation magazine has reported an internal FBI document shows the agency had , quote , “ no intelligence indicating Antifa involvement/presence ” at the protests , though it did cite the @ @ @ @ @ @ @ provocateurs , ” unquote .
It was just this past July when Attorney General Barr faced questions from the House Judiciary Committee in a confrontational hearing that included this contentious exchange with Washington Congressmember Pramila Jayapal , who noted the discrepancy between Barr ’ s deployment of militarized troops in response to Black Lives Matter protesters , and armed militia members who displayed white nationalist symbols as they stormed state capitol buildings in protest of public health measures in Michigan .
AMY GOODMAN : For more on the tenure of Attorney General William @ @ @ @ @ @ @ David Cole , the national legal director of the American Civil Liberties Union , professor of law and public policy at Georgetown University Law Center ; his most recent book , Engines of Liberty : The Power of Citizen Activists to Make Constitutional Law .
Last night , the American Civil Liberties Union tweeted , quote , “ Bill Barr was one of the worst attorneys general in US history .
He deployed the Justice Department not to promote justice — but to serve Donald Trump.
” David Cole , explain .
And @ @ @ @ @ @ @ weeks before he would have had to leave anyway because , yes , Joe Biden won the election and will become the 46th president .
DAVID COLE : Right .
Well , you know , it ’ s really , in some sense , déjà vu all over again .
We saw Jeff Sessions , the first attorney general under President Trump , be kind of the right-hand man for Donald Trump on every issue except one , and that was his refusal to recuse — or , his decision to recuse himself @ @ @ @ @ @ @ the election .
And that one sin caused Trump to basically push Sessions out .
Now , then Barr comes in and , again , is entirely President Trump ’ s right-hand man , doing his bidding rather than providing an independent Justice Department , which is what our constitutional norms and traditions require .
But when he will not repeat President Trump ’ s lies about widespread voter fraud and when he did not illegally disclose the existence of an investigation into Hunter Biden before the election in an effort to undermine @ @ @ @ @ @ @ writes him off and throws him overboard .
I mean , there ’ s no — you can ’ t be too loyal to President Trump .
And Bill Barr was really , for all intents and purposes , his most loyal henchman .
And yet even he got sacrificed at the end .
JUAN GONZÁLEZ : David Cole , I wanted to ask you about probably the biggest story , other than the election , obviously , of this year — the coronavirus pandemic — and the statement by the attorney general @ @ @ @ @ @ @ the lockdowns , that these lockdowns , according to him , apart from slavery , were , quote , “ the greatest intrusion on civil liberties in American history.
” That ’ s the attorney general speaking earlier this year .
DAVID COLE : Yeah , remarkable , remarkable statement .
I mean , this Justice Department , in four years , has conducted a single Voting Rights Act enforcement action .
One single Voting Rights Act enforcement action .
And yet , Barr announced a special sort of initiative to go out @ @ @ @ @ @ @ simply trying to keep people safe , simply trying to save lives .
I mean , like the president , he let politics get in the way of saving people ’ s lives .
And by doing that , he ’ s essentially fomenting the views of the deniers , who refuse to wear masks , who refuse to engage in social distancing , and who are responsible for the 300,000 deaths that we ’ ve now seen in this country .
It ’ s really intolerable .
JUAN GONZÁLEZ : One of @ @ @ @ @ @ @ the attorney general was his order to prosecutors to dismiss charges against Trump ’ s first national security adviser , Michael Flynn , who has since been pardoned by the president — his efforts here to , in essence , interfere with his own Justice Department ’ s prosecutions .
DAVID COLE : Right .
I mean , there ’ s a long-standing tradition in the Justice Department of independence .
And it includes independence of the attorney general from the president , which Barr threw out the window .
But it also @ @ @ @ @ @ @ the attorney general himself .
It ’ s a kind of federalist system .
And we don ’ t want sort of the top political people deciding who gets prosecuted and who doesn ’ t , and so we let those decisions be made by the U.S. attorneys in the particular local districts , but not Bill Barr .
He interfered in the Michael Flynn prosecution , after Michael Flynn had pled guilty — had pled guilty — to order them to dismiss the prosecution .
He also interfered in the Roger Stone @ @ @ @ @ @ @ much more serious sentence against Roger Stone , and he again intervened to push for leniency .
So , in both instances , he violated the norms of the department .
Why ?
To aid President Trump .
Not to promote justice , not to promote independence , but to aid President Trump by doing favors for his cronies , who had violated the law .
AMY GOODMAN : So , I want to talk about the people who are on death row , asking about William Barr ’ s role in the @ @ @ @ @ @ @ death penalty .
Trump has executed nine federal prisoners during his tenure , ending a 30-year hiatus in federal executions .
He intends to kill four more people before he leaves office on January 20th .
The last will be January 12th .
These are the first executions during a president ’ s lame-duck period in over 130 years , since Grover Cleveland executed three people of color , among them a Choctaw Native American .
The latest prisoner to be put to death , in the last two prisoners , was Brandon @ @ @ @ @ @ @ killed on International Human Rights Day , December 10th , even after five of the nine surviving jurors changed their minds and said Brandon should not be executed .
The federal government ’ s only death chamber , at the U.S. penitentiary in Terre Haute , Indiana , is only equipped to kill by lethal injection .
In order to expedite this killing spree , the Trump administration quietly issued a rule change authorizing federal executions to take place , as well , by firing squad , poison gas or electrocution .
It @ @ @ @ @ @ @ Eve , but then they pushed it to December 28th .
But can you talk about , well , this killing spree ?
DAVID COLE : Well , you know , the rest of the world is moving in the direction of recognizing that the death penalty is abhorrent , a violation of basic human rights .
There ’ s been a moratorium on federal executions for a very long time .
And as they ’ re going out the door , the Trump administration is seeking to do as much damage as @ @ @ @ @ @ @ in no area is it more cruel and unusual than with respect to these individuals .
There ’ s no need to rush to judgment .
The rush here is simply that they recognize that Joe Biden is opposed to these executions ; they would not go through if Joe Biden were in office .
And so they want to kill these individuals before they leave office .
Again , it ’ s sort of beyond belief .
JUAN GONZÁLEZ : And , David Cole , I wanted to ask you about one @ @ @ @ @ @ @ .
Earlier this month , he appointed Connecticut U.S. Attorney John Durham to act as a special counsel investigating the 2016 election .
That essentially ensures that Durham will keep his investigation and double down on one of Trump ’ s obsessive claims , that the national security and criminal concerns about his campaign and Russia in 2016 sullied the legitimacy of his election and presidency .
What about this extension , basically , of Durham ’ s mandate into the coming years , the early years of the Biden administration ?
DAVID @ @ @ @ @ @ @ it ’ s a bookend of what Bill Barr did when the Mueller report came out .
You know , the Mueller report comes out — well , doesn ’ t come out ; it is delivered to the attorney general .
The rest of us can ’ t see it .
And Barr holds a press conference in which he blatantly mischaracterizes its findings to make it sound like it ’ s an absolution , when in fact it was an indictment in everything but name .
The only reason it wasn @ @ @ @ @ @ @ concluded that they didn ’ t have the power to indict , but the facts were devastating .
And Barr , rather than seek to tell the American people the truth , you know , told a tainted story — a cover-up , essentially — and sought to present the Mueller investigation as if it was saying nothing wrong happened .
And , you know , now he ’ s continuing to abet , aid and abet , Trump ’ s effort to sort of call into question a very legitimate investigation into @ @ @ @ @ @ @ .
So , very , very disturbing .
I have no reason to doubt the bona fides of John Durham .
You know , I suspect that nothing will come of this in the end .
But it is disturbing that Barr , rather than tell the American people the truth , sought to shade that truth in ways that would help his boss and mislead the American people .
AMY GOODMAN : Finally , David Cole , a question , overall , about pardons .
I think Trump has done fewer than @ @ @ @ @ @ @ least , except for his friends .
But what it means when the attorney general steps down in these last few weeks , and , just overall , the legacy of the Trump and Barr Justice Department ?
DAVID COLE : Well , you know , I mean , again , I think when Barr was first named , people thought maybe this guy is going to come in and restore the integrity of the Justice Department , which Jeff Sessions had pretty much eviscerated , because Barr was clearly at the end @ @ @ @ @ @ @ t need to go anywhere .
This was sort of his last career move .
People thought of him as a straight-up guy under George H.W .
Bush .
But , no , he came in and essentially sought to aid and abet whatever President Trump sought , up to this last moment where he was unwilling — and you do have to give him credit for that .
He was unwilling to repeat the lies .
Many other Republicans have repeated the lies that Trump has spouted about the election ever since @ @ @ @ @ @ @ Barr did not .
So I think you do have to give him credit for that .
You do have to give him credit for not disclosing — illegally disclosing — an investigation in the run-up to an election , unlike James Comey .
But beyond those two actions , for which he essentially lost his job , he was the enabler-in-chief .
AMY GOODMAN : David Cole , national legal director of the American Civil Liberties Union , professor of law and public policy at Georgetown University Law Center ; his most @ @ @ @ @ @ @ The Power of Citizen Activists to Make Constitutional Law .
When we come back , the Electoral College formally votes to make Joe Biden president .
We ’ ll look at the growing movement to challenge the Electoral College .
Stay with us .
AMY GOODMAN : “ A Blaze of Orange ” by Steve Skinner and John Franklin .
And a shoutout to all of the listeners and community in KFFR community radio in Winter Park , Colorado .

This is a rush transcript. Copy may not be in its final form.
AMY GOODMAN: Minutes after the Electoral College confirmed President Trump’s loss to President-elect Joe Biden, President Trump announced via tweet Monday that Attorney General William Barr was resigning. He wrote, in part, quote, “Our relationship has been a very good one, he has done an outstanding job! As per letter, Bill will be leaving just before Christmas to spend the holidays with his family…” Trump tweeted Deputy Attorney General Jeff Rosen will take Barr’s place.
Barr announced he was stepping down in a resignation letter released shortly after he briefed Trump about the Justice Department’s review into voter fraud claims in the 2020 election. He wrote in the letter allegations of fraud “continue to be pursued.” Earlier this month, Barr told the Associated Press, quote, “To date, we have not seen fraud on a scale that could have effected a different outcome in the election.”
News of Barr’s resignation comes after it was reported that he knew earlier this year about an investigation into the President-elect Joe Biden’s son, Hunter, and his tax affairs. This prompted Trump to lash out at Barr on Twitter over the weekend, calling him “A big disappointment!”
But Barr has been one of Donald Trump’s staunchest allies. This summer, The Washington Post reported Barr personally ordered police to beat and tear gas peaceful protesters who gathered near the White House in order to clear a path for President Donald Trump to walk to the nearby St. John’s Episcopal Church, where the president posed for photos holding a Bible. Barr denied using tear gas during an interview on CBS’s Face the Nation.
MARGARET BRENNAN: And the methods they used, you think, were appropriate? Is that what you’re saying?
ATTORNEY GENERAL WILLIAM BARR: When they met resistance, yes. They announced three times. They didn’t move. By the way, there was no tear gas used. The tear gas was used Sunday when they had to clear H Street to allow the fire department to come in to save St. John’s Church. That’s when tear gas was used.
MARGARET BRENNAN: There were chemical irritants, the park police have said.
ATTORNEY GENERAL WILLIAM BARR: No, there were not chemical irritants. Pepper spray is not a chemical irritant. It’s not chemical.
MARGARET BRENNAN: Pepper spray, you’re saying, is what was used.
ATTORNEY GENERAL WILLIAM BARR: Pepper balls. Pepper balls.
AMY GOODMAN: Attorney General William Barr also defended the administration’s actions by blaming the antifascist movement known as antifa for instigating violence during the protest instead of police.
ATTORNEY GENERAL WILLIAM BARR: We have evidence that antifa and other similar extremist groups, as well as actors of a variety of different political persuasions, have been involved in instigating and participating in the violent activity.
AMY GOODMAN: In fact, The Nation magazine has reported an internal FBI document shows the agency had, quote, “no intelligence indicating Antifa involvement/presence” at the protests, though it did cite the presence of, quote, “far-right provocateurs,” unquote.
It was just this past July when Attorney General Barr faced questions from the House Judiciary Committee in a confrontational hearing that included this contentious exchange with Washington Congressmember Pramila Jayapal, who noted the discrepancy between Barr’s deployment of militarized troops in response to Black Lives Matter protesters, and armed militia members who displayed white nationalist symbols as they stormed state capitol buildings in protest of public health measures in Michigan.
REP. PRAMILA JAYAPAL: On two separate occasions, after President Trump tweeted, “Liberate Michigan,” to subvert stay-home orders to protect the public health of people in Michigan, protesters swarmed the Michigan Capitol carrying guns, some with swastikas, Confederate flags, and one even with a dark-haired doll with a noose around its neck. Are you aware that these protesters called for the governor to be lynched, shot and beheaded?
ATTORNEY GENERAL WILLIAM BARR: No.
REP. PRAMILA JAYAPAL: There is a real discrepancy in how you react as the attorney general, the top cop in this country. When white men with swastikas storm a government building with guns, there is no need for the president to, quote, “activate” you, because they’re getting the president’s personal agenda done. But when Black people and people of color protest police brutality, systemic racism and the president’s very own lack of response to those critical issues, then you forcibly remove them with armed federal officers, pepper bombs, because they are considered terrorists by the president.
AMY GOODMAN: For more on the tenure of Attorney General William Barr, we’re joined by David Cole, the national legal director of the American Civil Liberties Union, professor of law and public policy at Georgetown University Law Center; his most recent book, Engines of Liberty: The Power of Citizen Activists to Make Constitutional Law. Last night, the American Civil Liberties Union tweeted, quote, “Bill Barr was one of the worst attorneys general in US history. He deployed the Justice Department not to promote justice — but to serve Donald Trump.”
David Cole, explain. And respond to his resignation, a few weeks before he would have had to leave anyway because, yes, Joe Biden won the election and will become the 46th president.
DAVID COLE: Right. Well, you know, it’s really, in some sense, déjà vu all over again. We saw Jeff Sessions, the first attorney general under President Trump, be kind of the right-hand man for Donald Trump on every issue except one, and that was his refusal to recuse — or, his decision to recuse himself from the investigation into Russian interference in the election. And that one sin caused Trump to basically push Sessions out.
Now, then Barr comes in and, again, is entirely President Trump’s right-hand man, doing his bidding rather than providing an independent Justice Department, which is what our constitutional norms and traditions require. But when he will not repeat President Trump’s lies about widespread voter fraud and when he did not illegally disclose the existence of an investigation into Hunter Biden before the election in an effort to undermine the election, Trump again sort of writes him off and throws him overboard. I mean, there’s no — you can’t be too loyal to President Trump. And Bill Barr was really, for all intents and purposes, his most loyal henchman. And yet even he got sacrificed at the end.
JUAN GONZÁLEZ: David Cole, I wanted to ask you about probably the biggest story, other than the election, obviously, of this year — the coronavirus pandemic — and the statement by the attorney general echoing the anger of President Trump against the lockdowns, that these lockdowns, according to him, apart from slavery, were, quote, “the greatest intrusion on civil liberties in American history.” That’s the attorney general speaking earlier this year.
DAVID COLE: Yeah, remarkable, remarkable statement. I mean, this Justice Department, in four years, has conducted a single Voting Rights Act enforcement action. One single Voting Rights Act enforcement action. And yet, Barr announced a special sort of initiative to go out and sue cities and states that were simply trying to keep people safe, simply trying to save lives. I mean, like the president, he let politics get in the way of saving people’s lives. And by doing that, he’s essentially fomenting the views of the deniers, who refuse to wear masks, who refuse to engage in social distancing, and who are responsible for the 300,000 deaths that we’ve now seen in this country. It’s really intolerable.
JUAN GONZÁLEZ: One of the other areas of much controversy with the attorney general was his order to prosecutors to dismiss charges against Trump’s first national security adviser, Michael Flynn, who has since been pardoned by the president — his efforts here to, in essence, interfere with his own Justice Department’s prosecutions.
DAVID COLE: Right. I mean, there’s a long-standing tradition in the Justice Department of independence. And it includes independence of the attorney general from the president, which Barr threw out the window. But it also includes independence of the line prosecutors from the attorney general himself. It’s a kind of federalist system. And we don’t want sort of the top political people deciding who gets prosecuted and who doesn’t, and so we let those decisions be made by the U.S. attorneys in the particular local districts, but not Bill Barr.
He interfered in the Michael Flynn prosecution, after Michael Flynn had pled guilty — had pled guilty — to order them to dismiss the prosecution. He also interfered in the Roger Stone case, where his prosecutors sought a much more serious sentence against Roger Stone, and he again intervened to push for leniency. So, in both instances, he violated the norms of the department. Why? To aid President Trump. Not to promote justice, not to promote independence, but to aid President Trump by doing favors for his cronies, who had violated the law.
AMY GOODMAN: So, I want to talk about the people who are on death row, asking about William Barr’s role in the Trump administration’s revival of the death penalty. Trump has executed nine federal prisoners during his tenure, ending a 30-year hiatus in federal executions. He intends to kill four more people before he leaves office on January 20th. The last will be January 12th. These are the first executions during a president’s lame-duck period in over 130 years, since Grover Cleveland executed three people of color, among them a Choctaw Native American.
The latest prisoner to be put to death, in the last two prisoners, was Brandon Bernard, a 40-year-old Black man, killed on International Human Rights Day, December 10th, even after five of the nine surviving jurors changed their minds and said Brandon should not be executed.
The federal government’s only death chamber, at the U.S. penitentiary in Terre Haute, Indiana, is only equipped to kill by lethal injection. In order to expedite this killing spree, the Trump administration quietly issued a rule change authorizing federal executions to take place, as well, by firing squad, poison gas or electrocution. It was going to be starting on Christmas Eve, but then they pushed it to December 28th. But can you talk about, well, this killing spree?
DAVID COLE: Well, you know, the rest of the world is moving in the direction of recognizing that the death penalty is abhorrent, a violation of basic human rights. There’s been a moratorium on federal executions for a very long time.
And as they’re going out the door, the Trump administration is seeking to do as much damage as it can on all fronts. But in no area is it more cruel and unusual than with respect to these individuals. There’s no need to rush to judgment. The rush here is simply that they recognize that Joe Biden is opposed to these executions; they would not go through if Joe Biden were in office. And so they want to kill these individuals before they leave office. Again, it’s sort of beyond belief.
JUAN GONZÁLEZ: And, David Cole, I wanted to ask you about one of Barr’s more recent actions. Earlier this month, he appointed Connecticut U.S. Attorney John Durham to act as a special counsel investigating the 2016 election. That essentially ensures that Durham will keep his investigation and double down on one of Trump’s obsessive claims, that the national security and criminal concerns about his campaign and Russia in 2016 sullied the legitimacy of his election and presidency. What about this extension, basically, of Durham’s mandate into the coming years, the early years of the Biden administration?
DAVID COLE: Well, to me, it’s a bookend of what Bill Barr did when the Mueller report came out. You know, the Mueller report comes out — well, doesn’t come out; it is delivered to the attorney general. The rest of us can’t see it. And Barr holds a press conference in which he blatantly mischaracterizes its findings to make it sound like it’s an absolution, when in fact it was an indictment in everything but name. The only reason it wasn’t an indictment was because they concluded that they didn’t have the power to indict, but the facts were devastating.
And Barr, rather than seek to tell the American people the truth, you know, told a tainted story — a cover-up, essentially — and sought to present the Mueller investigation as if it was saying nothing wrong happened. And, you know, now he’s continuing to abet, aid and abet, Trump’s effort to sort of call into question a very legitimate investigation into significant Russian intervention into our presidential election. So, very, very disturbing. I have no reason to doubt the bona fides of John Durham. You know, I suspect that nothing will come of this in the end. But it is disturbing that Barr, rather than tell the American people the truth, sought to shade that truth in ways that would help his boss and mislead the American people.
AMY GOODMAN: Finally, David Cole, a question, overall, about pardons. I think Trump has done fewer than any other president, to say the least, except for his friends. But what it means when the attorney general steps down in these last few weeks, and, just overall, the legacy of the Trump and Barr Justice Department?
DAVID COLE: Well, you know, I mean, again, I think when Barr was first named, people thought maybe this guy is going to come in and restore the integrity of the Justice Department, which Jeff Sessions had pretty much eviscerated, because Barr was clearly at the end of his career. He didn’t need to go anywhere. This was sort of his last career move. People thought of him as a straight-up guy under George H.W. Bush.
But, no, he came in and essentially sought to aid and abet whatever President Trump sought, up to this last moment where he was unwilling — and you do have to give him credit for that. He was unwilling to repeat the lies. Many other Republicans have repeated the lies that Trump has spouted about the election ever since he lost on November 3rd, but Barr did not. So I think you do have to give him credit for that. You do have to give him credit for not disclosing — illegally disclosing — an investigation in the run-up to an election, unlike James Comey. But beyond those two actions, for which he essentially lost his job, he was the enabler-in-chief.
AMY GOODMAN: David Cole, national legal director of the American Civil Liberties Union, professor of law and public policy at Georgetown University Law Center; his most recent book, Engines of Liberty: The Power of Citizen Activists to Make Constitutional Law.
When we come back, the Electoral College formally votes to make Joe Biden president. We’ll look at the growing movement to challenge the Electoral College. Stay with us.
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AMY GOODMAN: “A Blaze of Orange” by Steve Skinner and John Franklin. And a shoutout to all of the listeners and community in KFFR community radio in Winter Park, Colorado.


democracynow--2020-12-15--Headlines for December 15, 2020

Headlines for December 15, 2020

The U.S. death toll from COVID-19 topped 300,000 Monday , as the first Americans were vaccinated outside of a clinical setting .
In Queens , New York , the former epicenter of the pandemic , intensive care unit director and critical care nurse Sandra Lindsay was first in line for an injection of Pfizer-BioNTech ’ s coronavirus vaccine .
Dr. Michelle Chester administered the inoculation .
Both women are African American .
Lindsay said afterward she hoped to set an example for other African Americans who might be skeptical of the vaccine , based on the U.S. ’ s sordid @ @ @ @ @ @ @ .
Sandra Lindsay : “ It was an emotional experience .
Working on the frontlines alongside my team , I saw a lot of pain , hurt , suffering , death , and so I felt a huge sense of relief after I got the vaccine .
I was not nervous , because , as I ’ ve mentioned before , I trust the science .
So I had no hesitation when I was asked if I would take the vaccine.
” The first injections came as the U.S. recorded over 200,000 new @ @ @ @ @ @ @ In California , intensive care units across the state are at — or near — capacity , with no ICU beds available across much of the San Joaquin Valley .
Los Angeles has shattered records for new COVID-19 cases in recent days .
Public health experts warn the worst could be yet to come , with models predicting an average of more than 3,000 daily deaths across the U.S. in the coming weeks .

The U.S. death toll from COVID-19 topped 300,000 Monday, as the first Americans were vaccinated outside of a clinical setting. In Queens, New York, the former epicenter of the pandemic, intensive care unit director and critical care nurse Sandra Lindsay was first in line for an injection of Pfizer-BioNTech’s coronavirus vaccine. Dr. Michelle Chester administered the inoculation. Both women are African American. Lindsay said afterward she hoped to set an example for other African Americans who might be skeptical of the vaccine, based on the U.S.’s sordid history of medical experimentation on Black people.
Sandra Lindsay: “It was an emotional experience. Working on the frontlines alongside my team, I saw a lot of pain, hurt, suffering, death, and so I felt a huge sense of relief after I got the vaccine. I was not nervous, because, as I’ve mentioned before, I trust the science. So I had no hesitation when I was asked if I would take the vaccine.”
The first injections came as the U.S. recorded over 200,000 new cases and nearly 1,700 deaths Monday. In California, intensive care units across the state are at — or near — capacity, with no ICU beds available across much of the San Joaquin Valley. Los Angeles has shattered records for new COVID-19 cases in recent days. Public health experts warn the worst could be yet to come, with models predicting an average of more than 3,000 daily deaths across the U.S. in the coming weeks.