05/14/19 05/14/19 [captioning made possible by democracy now!] a amy: from pacifica, this is demomocracy now! pres. . trump: we willll see wht happens. it will be a bad problem for iran if something happens. they're not going to be happy people. you can fifigure it outt yourse. they knonow whahat i mean by it. amy: the pentagon reportedly has drawn up a plan to send as many as 120,000 troops to the middle east. if president trump decideses to

takeke military acaction against iran. meanwhile, t the european n unis ururging the u.s.s. to show mamm restraint as fefears grow of f w u.s.s. war in e e middle east. we will l speak to formemer iran amambassador seyed hossein mousavia. then we spspeak to the acclaimid playwright, author, and activist eve ensler. , from thewas a child time i was five until the time i left home, first my father sexually abused me and then he violently abused me always to the e point of murder a cocouplf times. he died 31 years ago but before he died, and ever since he died, i've been waiting for an apology. and i finally decided i needed to write the apology and write the words and say the words and hear the words that i needed in order to get free. amy: eve ensler will talk about her new book "the apology." all that and more, coming up. welcome to democracy now!, democracynow.org, the war and peace report. i'm amy goodman.

as tensions continue to mount between the united states and iran, "the new york times" reports thpepentagon has drawn up a plan toto send as manany as 12120,000 troopsps to the middde eaeast if presidident trump deds to take militatary actioagaiaint iran. the u.s. recently deployed a carrier strike group and a bomber task force to the region clclaiming therere was a credide threat by iriranian regimeme fo. meanwhile, the european n unions urgiging the trumpmp administran to show maximumum restraint following a meeting monday between u.s. secretary of state mike pompeo and eu diplomats in brussels. iran has announced it willll stp complying with parts o of the landmark 2015 nuclear deal if others signatories of the deal do not take action to shield iran's oil and banking sectors from u.s. sanctions. we will have more on iran after headlines. president trump welcomed hungarian prime minister victor orban to the white house monday.

the far-right nationalist leader is known for his hard-line antiti-immigrant policies and rolling back democratic institutions and checks on his power. this is orban and trump speaking from the oval office. >> we have some similar approaches and i would like to express we are proud to stand together with united states in fighting against illegal migration, on terrorism, and to krista community's all around the world. pres. trump: i know he is a tough man, but he is a respected man on immigration. you look at some of the problems they have in europe that are tremendous because they have done it it different way than the prime minister. amy: trump's predecessors, prpresidents obama and george w. bush, declined to host orban over concerns about his leadership. orban has closed down hungary's southern border, building a razor wire fence to keep out refugees, many of them from syria, and deported refugees already in thehe country. china announced monday plans to

raise tariffs on $60 billion worth of u.s. goods starting june 1. the announcement came after the two nations failed to reach a deal as trade negotiations closed last friday and as trump followed through on his s threat to hike tatariffs on $200 billin of chinese imports. trump also says he plans to raise tariffs on a $325 billion worth of remaining chinese imports. the stock market tumbled following the news, with the dow dropping over 600 points monday. trump told reporters he would use some of the expected revenue to subsidize farmers saying they can sell for less and make as much money until it is t trained up. our farmers will be happy, trump said. economists in his own economic advisor have refuted trump's thems that china will bear brunt saying consumers will bear it in the united states. in the philippines, early results from monday's midterm elections indicate strong-arm

president rodrigo duterte has further consolidated his power as his allies lead in races across the country. the results could tilt the government's makeup in his favor, removing popolitical barriers to some of his more draconian proposals. the president's oldest daughter, sara duterte, was handily reelected as mayor of davao city, while most of the senatorial candidates she supported have also won their races. she is seen by many as next in line to head the country. according to independent filipino news site rappler, an election watchdog reported incidents of violence, machine malfunctions, and voter disenfranchisement throughout the day. in related news, maria ressa, the award-winning editor and founder of rattler, was arraigned today on one count of cyber libel. ressa, who has been a vocal critic of president duterte and his drug war, has been systematically targeted for her reporting. her lawyers say the case may head to the supreme court.

to see her interviews on democracy now!, go to democracynow.org. in sudan, six protesters and a member of security forces were killed when securirity and paramilitary forces opened gunfire on crowds in khartoum on monday. dozens more were injured in the shooting. earlier that day, the transitiononal military council said they reached an agreement with protest leaders on a transitional power structure. demonstrators have been demanding a transfer from military to civilian rule. this is protester rasha ali. >> we will not accept being treated like we have been treated by the previous anchor regimes, whether bashir or others. we've been treated in ways that are unacceptable by anyone. this an area will not be repeated. amy: also on monday, deposed president t omar al-bashir was charged in the killing of protesters during the popular uprising, which led to his overthrow last month.. one of the deaths bebeing investigigated is that of a a dr who was shot dead while assisting injured protesters. in sri lanka, a muslim man was killed monday in north western provinince as ongoing viviolencd attacks agagainst muslim targets

has led authorities to impose an indefinite curfew in the region. a nationwide curfew inin the ret of s sri lanka has been n relax. a number of mumuslim-owned businenesses, homes and places f worship have b been vandalized after two o days of f rioting ie northern provivince, as muslslis celebrate the holyly month off ramadan. inin response,e, sri lanka also agagain blocked populalar social media networks a and apps they y were responsible for the violent acts, including facebook and whatsapp. tensions in sri lanka have been on the rise since last month's easter suicide bomb massacre, which killed at least 257 people in churches and hotels. back in the united states, the supreme court ruled consumers monday can sue apple for exercising a monopoly over the apps market. the court, however, did not determine whether or notot apple does in fact have a monopoly on the market and a class action lawsuit will likely now move ahead in lower courts. apple charges a 30% sales commission to app developers while excluding them from making sales outside their app store. meanwhile, apple has its own set

of competing services like apple news+ and an upcoming streaming service. justice brett kavanaugh joined the liberal justices in their 5-4 ruliling. in more technology news, whatsapp urged its 1.5 billion users to update their apps after it was revealed hackers found a way to remotely install surveillance software on smartphones and other personal devices via the popular messaging app. the attack was reportedly orchestrated by israeli security firm nso group. nso has been implicated in surveillance efforts on behalf of the saudi and mexican governments. the committee to protect journalists warned that journalists, lawyers, activists and human rights defenders were the most likely targets of the attack. whatsapp is owowned by facebook. "the new york times" is reporting attorney general william barr has assigned federal prosecutor john durham in connecticut to look into the origins of the fbi's investigation into possible ties between the trump campaign and russian interference in the 2016 election.

barr has referred to the fbi's court-authorized activities as spying during congressional testimony, raising alarm among democrats who have accused barr of acting as trump's personal attorney in the wake of his handling of the mueller report. two other investigations into the russia probe are ongoing. in oakland, californrnia, monsao has been ordered to papay its highghest damageyet inhe lawsuiuit over the popopular wed third killerer roundup. a juryry has order m monsant which h is owned by gegerman phpharmaceuticalal giant bayereo pay morere than $2 billion in punitive d damages to o alva and alberta pilliod -- a couple whoo were both h diagnosed wiwith nonon-hodgkin's lymphoma cancer after using roundup on their properties for over 30 years. the main ingredient in the heherbicide is glyphosate and ds said to cacause the cancer. attorneys for the plaintiffs estimate that there are tens of thousands of similar cases against roundup pending in courts around the country. this is attorney brent whizner speaking after the verdict was announced.

>> monsanto keeps denying that it causes c cancer. and these two fine people here are casualties of the deception. untils going g to continue monsanto, and now bayer, takes responsibility for its product. people are dying. people are getting sick. and they have no idea it is been caused by roundup. amy: earlier this month, the epa not glass of it is carcinogenic. hohowever, other scientific studies and the world health organization have found that human exposure can in fact lead to cancer. in more environmental news, carbon levels in the atmosphere registered 415 parts per million over the weekend, a level that has not in over 3 million years. the reading wawas observed at an observatory in hawaii and is the latest indicator of the fast-growing threat of atmospheric carbon concentration driving climate change.

meteorologist eric holthaus tweeted, "not just in recorded history, not just since the invention of agriculture 10,000 years ago, since before modern humans existed millions of years ago. we don't know a planet like this." in new york city, a disciplinany hearing is under way for a white police officer who killed unarmed african-american eric garner in 2014 by putting him in a chokehold and refusing to let go, even as garner repeatedly "i can't breathe" 11 times. officer daniel pantaleo never faced criminal prosecution after a grand jury decided not to indict him. he has remained on the police force but could lose his job if found guilty of violating nypd procedures, which bans the u use of chokeholds. montana governor steteve bullock is t the latest demomocrat to or the crowded field for the 2020 presidential nomination. bullock is hoping his electoral success in a red state can help boost his appeal among primary voters who now have nearly two dozen candidates to consider.

he previously served as montana's attorney general. in his aououncemt vivide llock vowed to fhtht rruptionn d.c. a put an d to bigoney in litica campais. alough morof a cenist than ny of hifellow ctenders, llock hapushed pgressive policiesike exnding mecaid d protecng publilands in montan governor bullock came unr fire earlier thiseaear afr itit w reveed he faeded to sclolose that aormer r ployee was fired fosexual harassmenafteter e employ was hir by new rk cityayor bl de blao. d in wasngton, d., four activists remain in the venezuelan embassy after police raided the building monday night. activists with codepink, answer coalition, and other groups had been occupying the building since late april at the invitation of venezuela's government in order to prevent it being taken over by venezuela's u.s.-backed opposition, led by juan guaido. last week, authorities cut off water and electricity to the embassy. as they were on the verge of being raided, activists released a big of statement vowing to continue the fight.

>> we're not going to leave voluntarily. we are here to protecect the embabassy. we have been here for 34 days. we will stay longer if necessary. we hope this results in agreement between venezuela and the united states to protect the embassy. we are here. amy: and those are some of the headlines. this is democracy now!, democracynow.org, the war and peace report. i'm amy goodman. juan: and i'm juan gonzalez. welcome to all of our listeners and viewers from around the country and around the world. the pentagon has reportedly drawn up a plan to send as many as 120,000 troops to the middle east if president trump decides to take military action against iran. "the new york timemes" reports e pentntag presenteded the proposl on thuhursday after r national securirity advisor j john bolton requested a revisionon to an earlier plan. bolton has long advocated for atattacking iran. according to the pentagon, far more than 120,000 troops would

bebe needed if a a ground invavn was ordedered. thisis comes as tetension contis to e escalate betwtween the unid states a and iran. the united states recently deployeded the abrahamam lincoln carrier strike group a a a bomb tasask foe to t theegion claiming there was a cdidible ththreaty iranian regimeororces. meanwhile, iran has announced it will stop complying with parts of the landmark 2015 nuclear deal and resume high-level enrichment of uranium in 60 days if other signatories of the deal do not take action to shield iran's oil and banking sectors from u.s. sanctions. the u.s. has attempted to cut iran off from the global economy even though iran has remained in compliance w with the nuclear dl amy: oil tankers -- inclcling fourur two saudidi tankers- wewe damaged d off the coast of the united arab b emirates on saudui sundnday. arabia descrcribed it as a a sasabotage attack. unnamed u.s. officialsls have bn

quoted in the memedia blaming in but no evividence has been presenteted. iran has desescribed t the incit as a conspiracy orchestrated by ill-wishers. on monday, president trump was asked about what happened. >> mr. president, are you concerned about the attack on oil tankers in the middle east? pres. trump: we will see what happens. it will be a bad problem for iran if something happens. they're not going to be happy. they're not going to be hapappy people. >> [indiscernible] you can figure it out. they know what i mean by that. amy: meanwhile, saudi arabia is claiming that drones carried out attacks on a saudi oil pipeline earlier today. a tv station r reportedly saidie houthis and carried out an attack inside saudi arabia. on monday, the european union urged the trump administration to show maximum restraint following a meeting between u.s. secretary of state mike pompeo and european union diplomats in brussels. today, pompeo is meeting with russian president vladimir putin to discuss iran and other

issues. meanwhile, iran's forereign minister javad zarif is in india today. up until recently, india was the second largest importer of iran's oil behind china but india cut off sales after the trump p administration witithdrw waivers allowing them to import iranian oil. we are joined now by a former iranian ambassador, seyed hossein mousavian. he is middle east security and nuclear policy specialist at princeton university's woodrow wilson school of public and international affairs. from 2003 to 2005, he served as spokesperson for iran in its nuclear negotiations with the european union. he is the author of "the iranian nuclear crisis: a memoir" and most recently, "iran and the united states: an insider's view on the failed past and the road to peace." welcome back to democracy now! it is great to have you with us. very serious times.

"the new york times" reports the u.s. is preparining to send 120,0000 troops to the region, o the area around iran, reportedly drawing up plans? can you talk about the significance of this? >> yes, good morning. actually, i expected such a situation after john bolton was named national security advisor. i have are many articles in the last year -- i have wriritten my articles in the last year it was going to happen. even this morning, if you look at usa today, two high-ranking american congress members senator murphy and representative fines, they have an op-ed saying john bolton and pompeo are leaving the u.s. into a war with iran. some days before another two very high-ranking congress members, senator durbin, had the

same op-ed saying john bolton is taking the u.s. to a war with iran. therefore, it is clear john bolton wrote an op-ed in "the new york times": for attacking iran, bombing iran as the only option, as he said. he was allied with the terrorist mek. he gave a lecture. he invited them to rule iran. he called for regime change. therefore, everyone knows what is the strategy and the mindset of john bolton. this is not confidential. the israelifact is prime minister netanyahu for many years has been pushing for the us to attack iran. he has a huge influence at the white house.

you remember when the president strong withdrew. some days later, netanyahu said, i asked him to leave the nuclear deal. it was me who made him to depart from the deal. after president trump designated the iranian army as a terrorist group, again, netanyahu probably said it was me who asked president trump to designate iranian army as a terrorist group. therefore, this is very obvious, well-known. the third issue is been someone -- some in and the emirate come have been pushing u.s. for many years to attack iran. security of state john kerry, three times revealed that in any meeting he saiaid, we had -- thy

israelis, the's, marauders, they were asking only to attack iran, attack ran, attack iran. b's, nowe, the four they have excellent position at the white house to push the u.s. , the during that had for years and years and years, to drag the u.s. into a war with iran. what thehy i would say american congress members have rigali warned, iranians have arned, is happening, unfortunately. that would be extremely dangerous for the u.s., for the for thefor iran, international community because look at the situation in the middle east today. what happened after he was attacked iraq, who were

encouraging the u.s. to attack iraq, it was john bolton, netanyahu whwho came to u.s. cocongress members and publicly, in front of hundreds of members of the congress, said we have evidence that saddam hussein has weapons of mass destruction and supporting -- they pushed president bush to attack iraq. after that, everyone understood there was neieither weapons of mass destructionon, nor evidence of any support of saddam hussein. understandsveryone the iraq scenario is on the i mean, itly -- should say, personally, i believe presesident trump really does not want war. even he is not after regime change in iran. but they're taking him gradually, inching him to a war with iran.

look at the situation -- i i me, the consequences of u.s. attack on afghanistan. , over 50% ofs afghanistan now is in the hands isthe taliban and the u.s. crying to negotiate with the for-ban -- taliban face-saving after tens of thousands of people have been killed. 6000 americans killed in iraq. look at the yemen situation. juan: ambassador, given the scenario that laid out, the context of everything that has happened in the past, how do you see this latest news of these for commercial ships that were sabotaged and iran claiming they believe a third country is behind these attacks, how do you see this as a buildup of a pretext to attacking iran? >> this is exactly what i have said. hohow they would drag presidentt

trump to a war. this would be such an incident in the region. it is not new. i've said for many articles and interviews, malicious attempts by conspiracy attempts in order to blame either to attack the u.s. facilities in the region or to kill american soldidiers in e region or toto attack american allies, facilities in the region . you read last week that article by israeli papers saying they haveve information that iran is going to attack oil infrastructure of american allies in the region. this i is the scenarario. this is the e conspiracy p plan which they want to leave no option for president trump unless to attack iran.

amy: ambassador, we're going to go to break and then come back to this discussion and also figure out how this all started to spiral with president trump pulling out of the deal that you helped t to negotiate, t the ary nuclear deal. we're speaking with ambassador seyed hossein mousavian. we will be back with him in a moment. ♪ [music break]

amy: "existence: life" by the rumi symphony project. this is democracy now!, democracynow.org, the war and peace report. i'm amy goodman with juan gonzalez. we want to turn to president trump last thursday who was speaking at an impromptu news conference. he said iran's leadership should sit down and talk w with him abt giving up tehran's nuclear

program. trump declined to answer a reporter's questions about why he deployed the uss abraham lincoln carrier group to iran over what was described as unspecified threats. >> what did iran due to prompt you just in america carrier to the region? pres. trump: they were threatening. we of information that you don't know what -- we have information that you don't want to know about. they were threatening. we have to have great security for this country and for a lot of other places. >> risk of military confrontation, sir? trump to i guess you could say that always, right? but hopefully no, that won't happen. we are one of the most powerful ships in the world and it is loaded up and we don't want to have the duty thing. what i would like to see with iran, i would like to see them call me. we just don't want them toto hae nuclear weapons. we would help to put them back into great shape. amy:y: we're still at princeton university professor ambassador seyed hossein mousavian, middle

east security and nuclear policy specialist at princeton university's woodrow wilson school of public and international affairs. can you respond to what trump said? and also, let's talk about the stranglehold of the sanctions that the u.s. is continuing to tighten against iran, the effects that is having on the ground, ambassador. >> yes, i think president trump made a big mistake to depart from the nuclear deal. practically it was president trump who left the negotiation table because iran and the big powers, they were negotiating the level of foreign ministers for years. even during president obama, you remember john kerry and the iranian for ministers a reef, if not every day, they were

emailing, meeting. when president trump left the deal, practically he left the negotiation table. therefore, you should be blamed for leaving the negotiation, not the iranian side. again -- welcomed fact back again to the form to return to the nuclear deal, to open dialogue and negotiation with iran and with the other war powers if there is any other issue beyond the nuclear to negotiate. this is number one. well-known there is that many nuclear scientists worldwide, even international atomic energy agency, saying the iranian nuclear deal was and is the most comprehensive agreement during the history of nonproliferation. and iran has accepted commitment

for transparency measures and limitations on the nuclear member, which no other of the treaty has ever accepted. therefore, iran has accepted the maximum level of transparency based on the reports of the iaea and the united nations. , which is thea sole agency to judge about the nuclear program of the members, for two years and 14 reports, have confirmed iran has fully complied with the nuclear deal, therefore, has been zero failure on the iraranian side. the deal was approved by the united nations..

the u.s. violated. it was the u.s. who violated the wars,departed, and now which is an unprecedented phenomenal during the history of international relations and united nations is the fact that the e united states is punishing the other member of the united nations for complying with the resolution 2231 two supporting them implementing the iran nuclear deal. securityer had a u.n. council member to punish the other members just because they're implementing the deal. therefore, the u.s. is discrediting the international -- the highest level of international body on security and political, which is the united nations security -- ambassador, on that point

specifically, president trump did not only coal out, as you say, he is now trying to punish anyone who stays in the deal. iran has waited patiently for a year for the other signatories to demonstrate they're going to continue implementing it. so how do you place the announcement that they may begin enrichment again in the context of this year-long wait to see what the europeans and the other signatories we do about the plan? >> exactly. see, it is -- it is action for two years. from day one, president trump has started to impose new sanctions based on jcpoa, the u.s. and eu, they're committed not only to reach reduce the nuclear-related sanctions, but not to reimpose new sanctions. therefore, the u.s. has violated

and is punishing the other members for implementing the deal. iran has been patient for two years, implementing the deal with zero benefit. has decided on two measures, which is not a breakup the nuclear deal, because the preventedt sanctions the export of excessive amount of enriched uranium based on the nuclear deal, iran has accepted always to keep 300 kilograms and export the excessive amount to russia of enriched uranium, and 130 pounds of heavy water into export excessive amount to oman. now it is the u.s. has put exportns on iran, not to

the heavy water, the excessive amounts to oman, and not to export excessive amount of enrichment to russia. therefore, iran has no other option. iran cannot practically export, therefore iran would be forced to have excessive amount, therefore it is not a violation by the iranian side. iran has been forced by the u.s. not to export. however, iran hahas warned the that i5 plus 1 members have been waiting for two years for you and you have done zero. if you cannot implement the deal, i'm not going to implement the deal forever unilaterally. this is an international agreement. this is multilateral agreement. if the u.s. cannot comply, you should comply. if none of your going to comply, i'm going to gradually depart

from the deal. that is why now europe, russia, china, india -- every country is blaming the u.s., not iran. official rizzoli criticicized u.s. f for imposing these unilateral sanctions on iran, cuba, venezuela that could lead to mass starvation, he said. the un's special rapporteur said "real concerns and serious political differences between governments must never be resolved by precipitating economic and humanitarian disasters, making ordinary people pawns and hostages thereof." as we wrap up, the reality on the ground for the iranian people right now and what this could mean also for the government when the people are suffering as much as has been described? >> you're completely right. iranians are suffering from u.s.

sanctions. and practically the strategy of john bolton is a sanctioned war, iranian nation on in order to push them to bring a iran. change inside therefore, practically they are punishing the iranian nation. this is really a big humanitarian disaster because even iranians cannot import medicine. they cannot import food. and when foreign minister zarif was here a few weeks ago, he just wanted to test the humanitarian rumor of the u.s. side. he proposed for exchange of prisoners, regardless of whether the prisoners in the arena prison or r in the u.s. are guiy or not, or the u.s. presidents in iran are guilty or not, he proposed an exchange of

prisoners as a humanitarian gesture. and immediately, the white house declined. a mandatory inh exchange -- humanitarian exchange with obama, but not with trump. is really economic arena nation.the amy: we want to thank you for being with us, ambassador seyed hossein mousavian, middle east security and nuclear policy specialist at princeton university's woodrow wilson school of public and international affairs. he served as spokesperson for iran in its nuclear negotiations with the european union. author of "the iranian nuclear crisis: a memoir" and most recently, "iran and the united states: an insider's view on the failed past and the road to peace." speaking to us from princeton university. this is democracy now! when we come back, the

award-winning playwright eve ensler. she has a new book out called "the apology." stay with us. ♪ [music break]

amy: thihis is democracy now!,!, democracynow.org, the war and peace report. i'm amy goodman with juan gonzalez. "the apology." a new book name of by even slew that imagines what would being for a survivor of abuse to hear the words she's been waitingng f for her entire life, , "i'm sorry." amy: her father sexually abused her throughout her childhood of beginning when she was just five years old. his abuse caused immeasurable physicic and emotitional damage

but he never apologized for his behavior. so decades after the abuse and his death, eve ensler decided to write an apology for him. the result is a stunning new book in which eu rights to herself from her father's perspective. in the book's introduction, she writes " "i am done waiting. my father is long dead. he will never say the words to me. he will not make the apology. so it must be imagined. for it is in our imagination that we can dream across boundaries, deepen the narrative, and design alternative outcomes." eve ensler is the well-known author of "the vagina monologues." she lauaunched v-day. she has dedicated her new book to every woman still waiting for an apology. welcome back to democracy now! >> very happy to be here on the

publication date. amy: it is an honor to be here as you launch this book. talk about what prompted you to unusual book,ely act -- i mean, what you must have gone through to write this. >> i think there were several factors that kind of inspired me to do this. one was having worked in the movement and violence against women for 21 years and looking at the recent iteration of #metoo, how many women have broken the silence, how many women have told her stories, called men out. we see a few men losing their jobs, wightman a particular getting them back fairly quickly. we see a couple of people may be going to prison, some losing status. i was thinking in all of this time, particularly in this recent, when have we heard a man who is been accused come forward and make a thorough, deep,

authentic accounting and apology for his deeds? not only could i not think of one example, but i can think back thousands of years of patriarchy and think, whenever ever read that happening? i mean, and apology where you detail an account of the harms you have done in the actions you have taken, were you go inside the feelings, the heart, the body of your victim to try to experience what she felt? were you take full accountability for your actions process ofdence, self interrogation, which means you could possibly do that act again? we have seen a few men come forward who have spoken out about being called out, but they seem to be more self piteous rant about the loss of jobs come the loss of face. then i thought to myself, i have been waiting 60 years for an apology from my father who died 31 years ago.

apologycould write the i need to hear, to write the words i need in order to get free, possibly that could be a blueprint for what we could begin in our movement as the next age of reckoning will stop we can only call out men -- punishment is such a weird thing. behaviorls momentarily, but it doesn't necessarily educate or transform people so they will not repeat the behavior again. we have to move to the next level where we create a pathway and we create and if it is an men are -- and but is an men are catalyzed to make deep and thorough accountings. and look at themselves and say, what about my childhood brought me here? patriarchy resist brought me here? what in my own history do i have to go back and re-examine and look at and how do i make amends

so that my victim or the person i have harmed can be released from this story and move on? that was the basic premise. juan: it is a really powerful book. what you have to do in order to achieve that goal is to actually am in essence, do an autobiography of your own father, go into his own development,t, his own history, what he was feeling. it must've been emotionally draining data right is. -- draining to write this. >> this is an offering, not a prescription. i think there are many people who do not want to hear an apology and i was silly that way for many years in my life. it is not a have-to. i will say something, for so many years my father was this monolithic monster to me. and yet i was in a kind of paradigm life with him. i was still victim to his perpetrator. my whole life has been framed by the paradigm.

all of my work, my writing has been framed. so my refusal to really know my father kept the in that heard him because he remains a monolithic monster to my victim. the process of entering my father or shall i say letting my father intermediate because i do feel too large degree he was very present for the writing of this book. i feel like i went into it with totrange space where i fell his present with me and talking to me. i don't even know some of the language he wrote in this book. it is not my words. it is not my voice. learning about my father story, where he came from, the steps in his own childhood, his own abusive upbringing that led him it wasme the person -- profoundly healing for me. i think most survivors are caught in the why. whether you have survived racial abuse or gender abuse or -- you

are caught in why would someone beat me up because of the color of my skin? my own father. why would my own father try to kill his daughter? why? and doing this book, i began to unpack the why. happenedke, oh, this in my father. that is not a justification, it is an explanation. there is a big difference. i think when you deepen -- and a golden one said we cannot forgive people and to understand people. i think that gave me a pathway to begin to say, oh. that did not mean it wasn't incredible abuse, painful to go into my father and learn about my fatather and feelel his pain because first of all, i did not want to. amy: talk about what happened to you will stop talking about your father as shadow man. explain what happened. >> i think for my father, he was brought up in the era, a child born long after the last shot in

the family, like 15 years. he was going to be the golden boy who is going to take the family to a whole new direction and race or economic status. and he was adored. but adoration is a very damaging thing. it does not value to be a human being. you cannot be messed up. you cannot make mistakes. you can't cry. you cannot be lost. feelings, all of those he had he kept pushing underground and pushing underground. then he kind of created this very charming veneer which he adapted from the movies and cary grant and all those kind of contemporary movie stars at that time. disturbing,at dark, you know, the stuff he was not allowing himself to accept, got pushed under. at my birth, the kind of birth of his tender babye,voked so mud my father and so much more mobility that he had no -- vulnerablity yet another

capacity to do that because he is the mother of his own heart. he did not have a way to go, oh, my god. what he did was with the shadow man would do. he went for it. he had it. he raped it. he grabbed it. he took it. he diminished it. he conquered it. he had dominion over it, rather than just letting himself be at the mercy of it. i was listening to arundhati roy talk about leaving bauxite in the mountains. i was thinking, it is no different than women's bodies or little girls body. can you just honor the tenderness? can you just look at the tenderness and appreciate the tenderness? the answer is, if you do not have the capacity to be vulnerable, to stand in your own tenderness, no, you have just sees it and dominated and exploited and take it. is the wayy and rape to avoid that tenderness. i think that begin the journey.

amy: this started when you were like five years old? and how did you recall these memories? >> it was like i said. i have known pieces of my story. i have never allowed myself to really put it all down, to just go, here is what happened. i think in writing the book, because i was writing it from my father's point of view, i suddenly had memories that i had never had before. he was the carrier of the memories. do you know what i mean? something interesting i learned, and i want to say this to other survivors, we carry our perpetrator inside us. we carry them. if someone enters your body, b-2, harasses you, rapes you, they enter you. particularly, family members, because we live with them. we know their movements, their footsteps, what the sound of a cocktail sounds like after four, what they can do to us if they're going to beat us or harm

us. i have been in dialogue with my father for many years weather was conscious or not. i relaxed in the course of writing this book, we can ask the trend perpetrator inside us in another direction. i actually could change my father inside me from a monster to an apologist, from a monolithic creature to a broken, real human tender human being. amy: and the impact on the rest of your family and the failure of others around you, specially in terms of your mother to protect you? >> that is an interesting question. last that summit was asking at the why even, talking about white women who voted for trump and other parallels. amy: you are talking with the 92nd street y where you are interviewed by glenn close. thinking, my mother was a woman who had grown up very poor. she did not have money.

she met my father, who is this charming exterior new yorker. it was her road out, her economic road out. by the time my father began doing what he was doing, she already had two children. she had no money. she and no formal education. amy: your brother and sister? >> my mother had no formal education. so where was she going with her children? i also think at that time, whether my mother knew it consciously, unconsciously -- no one talked about any of this at that moment. i don't think my mother felt agency enough in her life to protect her children. at one point she actually said to me, "i sacrificed." you." amy: did she say this when you're a child or a woman? >> as an adult when i confronted her. several months after i talk to her she said, "i sacrificed you. you are what i had to get up to

keep up the way of life that we had." i think sometimes fear, you know terror -- my father was terrifying. i think in some ways my mother was the fourth child. do you know what i mean? ofwere all under thetyranny his bullying, his anger, his violent outbreaks, sort of like the state of america today. amy: you are the speaker at your graduation. what was your dad's response? >> that was a horrible moment. i gave the keynote speech on feminism and racial justice. i was 22 years old. i walked outside to light a cigarette because i was completely -- my father was there and he lit my cigarette. this was after i spoke to thousands of people. and he had a cigarette and stood there silently. never mentioned this speech. never said a word about the speech. time passed.

eventually said, reached in his pocket and handed me a check for $1000, shook my hand and said, "have a good life." it was as if someone had taken a fist and punched it into the center of my being and knocked me out. after tape, is send me on a very bad path for many years. drugs, our all. it was like the final crushing moment. i've even of a person abuses you and beats you, it is still your father will step you still want their approval. you still want their love. for me it was like here i had done this and it was like boom. amy: he raped you and physically assaultedd you constantly throughout your childhood and teen years. when did he stop? i came homed -- from college i think that was in my -- first or second year and i said i wanted to be a writer and he said, no, you're going to be a lawyer or accountant. i said, no, i'm not. .e picked up a chair

[no audio] it was very threatening to his sobriety. he mixed majoring. we had occasional times when they were be these strange attempts to connect. before he contact me died. he did not contact me at all. as a matter fact, a week before

you die, he came out of his stupor -- he died of lung cancer. he said to my mother, "i don't want eve in my will and i want you to know if she ever tells you anything, she is a liar." wasother said to me, it that that made her know i was telling the truth because why would here said that out of his super? amy: what is the anatomy of the ingredient for an effective apology? thank you for asking that. humbling,ll, it is a making yourself vulnerable, it is an equalizer. it is going into the detail accounting of what you have done. the liberation is in the details. it cannot be brought. broad.annot be pickedeeling what you're a must have felt like. it is doing self-evaluation and

self interrogation were you look at what brought you to do that, what in your childhood, what in the culture, in your religion, and your family, any part of your life drove you to do that behavior. and then one of the things that are really learned is we live in a culture of diabolical amnesia. we deny what happens in our families. we deny what happens in our history from the beginning of digital's peoples to slavery. -- indigenous peoples to slavery. it is a remembering. what occurred did occur. we're reattaching the pieces of our own histories into a healing kind of cloth. i think when you make an authentic apology, there is an alchemy that occurs. when you hear someone who is gone through the steps i just outlined, something in your body, and psychology, in your spirit releases because that person is gone thoroughly and

deeply and authentically into themselves to become vulnerable to you, to become equal to you, to become connected to you again. i think in a way, we need to now move in our movement, as tony porter brilliantly said, we called men out, no need to call them in. juan: talking about halfhearted apologies, we have all heard the reports of joe biden attempting to semi-apologize to anita hill about the way he treated her during the clarence thomas hearings. isr reaction to that and that a perfect example of how not to apologize? >> that is a perfect example. i'm really plowed -- proud i have anita hill's quote in my book. i think what anita hill was saying, and is so critical, is there is accountability.

what has your harm done, not just to anita hill -- she was saying, what has your harm done to millions of women who were impacted by that decision? the humiliation of anita hill? the putting clarence thomas on the supreme court, what kind d f decisions hahas he made over the years that has impacted? i ththink whahat she was saying, we want accountntability. we want thoroughness. we want you to look at what are the impacts of the your, to some degree, collusion of clarence thomas of the time. in an article, she talked about how she was talking him -- he was talking to them throughout the process. that is an excellent example. my father says in the book, this ryan zinke, he says -- i was shocked because i feel like he spoke to me. he said to be an apologist is to be a traitor to men.

because there is a male code. we don't apologize, which i think is what we have not heard one in 16,000 years of patriarchy. once a man owns he knows what he was doing was wrong, the whole story begins to crumble. women, assage to message to anyone still waiting for an apology? the time iso men, now. find a clergy, counselor, start to work in your apology. it is a process, a journey, a practice. it takes time. to women who cannot get an apology, write yourself one from your perpetrator. work with someone to support it. do a thorough, thorough letter from the person who harmed due to your cell. profound. on me was i feel free and away i've never felt a my life. i think -- we just do this process in the congo with the

survivors who wrote letters from the perpetrators, and the outcome was astounding. amy: eve ensler, we will do part two and posted online at democracynow.org. eve ensler, award-winning playwright and author of "the vagina monologues." her new book is titled "the apology." very