04/01/20 04/01/20 [captioning made possible by democracy now!] amy: from new york, the u.s. epicenter of the pandemic, this is democracy now! 100,000 to 250,000. that is the u.s. death toll white house is now predicting. >> i am doing this because of my health and my fellow coworkers health as well. it should be cleaned properly.

amy: after amazon warehouse worker chris smalls helped organize a strike to protest unsafe working conditions, he was fired. we'll speak get his response. entry workrkers at t a large ups fafacility near r ston havee t d positiveve, two dozen or quarantine. details s about the infections were only shared by the workers union. we will speak with a 20 year ups worker and an organizer with teamsters for a democratic union. then today is april 1.1. millions across s the countntryo not haveve the money to pay ntn. reduce my r rent by m minimum f 50% begeginning aprilil 1, so ts wedndnesday, with h the possisii of up to 100% rent reduction or forgiveness for those who want to bable to pay. amy: finally, we speak with a woman who says "i'm nine months pregnant and i'm bringing my baby into world i no longer understand."

plansfailed to factor in for global pandemic threatening to shut down the health care system just a few weeks before my due date. amy: all that and more, coming up. welcome to democracy now!, democracynow.org, the war and peace reportrt. i'm amy goodman. the white house coronavirus task force projected tuesday between 100,000 and 240,000 people will die of covid-19 in the united states, but only if the strictest quarantine measures are kept in place. president donald trump, who this week extended social distancing guidelines through the end of april, said the worst is yet to come. pres. trump: we are going to go through a very tough two weeks, and then hopefully, as the experts are predicting, as i think a lot of us are predicting having studied it so hard, we will start seeing some real

light at the end of the tunnel. at this is going to be a really painful, very, very painful two weeks. amy: president trump said without efforts to mitigate the spread of coronavirus, up to 2.2 million americans could die of covid-19. the grim assessment stood in stark contrast to trump's repeated claims in recent weeks that the virus was under control and that it would miraculously go away by april. as of today, april 1, the united states has the highest number of covid-19 cases in the world, with over 188,000 people infected -- the numbers are expected to be far higher because that the lack of access to test -- and over 4000 dead. and the true rate of infection is not known. here in new york city, the epicenter of the u.s. crisis, the death toll from covid is nearly 1100 and continuing to climb. fema, the federal emergency

management agency, is dispatching more than 250 ambulances and 85 refrigerated trucks to new york to serve as temporary morgues. the intercept reports that prisoners at the rikers island jail are being offered $6 an hour and personal protective equipment if they agree to dig mass graves at a public cemetery on hart isisland. the coronavirus continues to spread rapidly at rikers, where at least 167 prisoners and 137 staff members have tested positive. in central park, an emergency field hospital began operations tuesday treating spillover patients from nearby mount sinai hospital. the effort is led by the christian fundamentalist group samaritan's purse, whose leader franklin graham is a virulently islamophobic, anti-toys, and -- anti-choice and anti-lgbtq preacher. he has kept his university open.

new york mayor bill de blasio has promised to send aides to monitor the group to prevent discrimination against patients. nationwidede, the united states has confirmed over 188,000 cases of covid-19 and over 4000 deaths. california hospitalizations have doubled over the past four days, with intensive care cases tripling in that time. california health officials predict the state's peak of covid-19 cases will be lower than new york's because stringent social distancing policies were adopted sooner. in las vegas, 500 unhoused people were displaced from a catholic charities' homeless shelter after a resident tested positive for covid-19. city and county officials have set up an open-air encampment painting lines on the pavement of the cashman center parking lot to keep people six feet apart. meanwhile, thousands of las vegas hotel rooms remain empty during the lockdown. in chicago, a covid-19 unit

nurse said she resigned monday after hospital administrators barred her from weararing an n95 protectiveve mask she brought wh her to work. the nurse, imaris vera, posted this video on social media account. >> i had my own in 95 mask. i told my manager i understand we are short on supplies, but let me protect myself. let me feel safe. i've a family have to come home to end the way things are looking, this isn't going to get any better. america is not prepared. nurses are not being protected. amy: in austin, texas, 28 young adults tested positive after a spring break trip to southern baja, california, in mexico, with dozens more under public health investigation. meanwhile, russia has promised to deliver a planeload of personal protective equipment and other medical supplies today

after president trump placed a call to vladimir putin monday. federal reserve economists are warning the coronavirus pandemic could push the u.s. unemployment rate above 32% by the end of june, higher than the peak jobless rate of 25% during the great depression. the news comes as thousasands of tenants around the country are calling for immediatate rent cancellationon. lalater in the broadca, wewe'lll hear from m organizizer of today's april 1 rent strike. and we'll hear from ups drivers and amazon employees organizing for safer working conditions amid the pandemic. the congressional hispanic caucus has joined thousands of medical professionals and immigration rights groroups in demanding immigration and customs enforcement, ice, release all prisoners from immigration jails. at least four asylum seekers and five ice agents have tested popositive for covid-19, raisisg fears s for the e more than 37,0

immigrants jailed in croeded facilities across the e united states. in louisiana, the intercept reports women jailed at the privately-ownened south louisiaa ice prococessing center are terrified that they have been exposed to a person ill with the coronavirus. the women flashed hand-made signs to a video visitation camera describing an ecuadoran woman who worked in the kitchen who was given oxygen and carried away on a gurney after presenting symptoms consistent with covid-19. meanwhile, more than 80 immigrant t prisoners at the nortrthwest detention center in tacoma, washington, continued their hunger strike to protest conditions inside the privately owned jail, demanding their immediate release, reunification with their families and temporary humanitarian visas. on tuesday, supporters surrounded the immigration jail in a caravan, honking car horns in support of the hunger strikers. buzzfeed reports california plans to release 3500 nonviolent prisoners on parole inin the net 60 days to try to reduce prison

crowding. although california's total prison populatioion is about 122,000, this would still be the largest mass release of u.s. prisoners since the pandemic began. in guam, the captain of the uss theodore roosevelt pleaded with u.s. navy officials to allow thousands of sailors to disembark to prevent the spread of the coronavirus aboard the nuclear-powered aircraft carrrrier where more than 100 sailors have tested positive for covid-19. captain brett crozier warned in a letter to the navy's pacific fleet -- "we are not at war. sailors do not need to die. if we do not act now, we are failing to properly take care of our most trusted asset -- our sailors." cnn reports sailors aboard a second u.s. aircraft carrier, ththe uss ronald reagan, have ao tested positive. meanwhile, in florida, republican governor ron desantis has warned the operators of a

pair of stricken cruise ships not to seek refuge in his state, telling fox news he doesn't want to "see people dumped in southern florida right now." four people have died on board one of the cruruise ship'p's -- cruise ships and dozens more have reported flu-like symptoms. this comes as governor desantis has defied calls to order a remain at home order, even though florida is home to one of the nation's largest populations of people 65 and older. in italy, cities nationwide observed a minute of silence at noon tuesday to remember victims of the coronavirus pandemic. italy has reported the world's highest death toll from the disease with 837 more deaths in 24 hours alone, bringing the total to over 12,000. with italy's hospitals completely overwhelmed, germany has continued to receive coronavirus patients. spain has reported its highest daily coronavirus toll with 849 new deaths over 24 hours.

what nurse in madrid posting on social media said the official number of confirmed covid-19 cases,s, now o over 100,000, isr lower than the trurue number. overflowed.mpletely health w wkers are exhausted physically and emotionally because this s is awful. this is an inferno. the numbers i'm seeing on television are false. why are they false? because they are not testing people. amy: in greece, an asylum seeker tested positive for covid-19 after a stay in a crowded refugee camp north of athens that's home to 2500 people. in russia, a doctor who gave president vladimir putin a tour of moscow's coronavirus hospital unit last week has himself tested positive. putin says he'll begin holding government meetings by video conference. in brazil, authorities have set up field hospitals for covid-19 patients in some of the world's

most storied soccer stadiums. cities like sao paulo and rio de janeiro hold nightly protests from their windows and balconies, banging pots and pans and calling for the resignation of far-right president jair bolsonaro. he has repeatedly dismissed covid-19 as a little flu and urged brazilians to get back to work. in nigeria, africa's largest city, lagos -- home to 21 million people -- fell quiet tuesday as a stay-at-home order went into effect. many residentsts say they're moe worried about starving than they are of contracting covid-19. >> we have three kids. all --ot easy at amy: in uganda, police arrested at least three catholics priests

after they celebrated mass on sunday in violation of a ban on religious gatherings during the pandemic. on the outskirts of the capital kampala, police raided a shelter for homeless lgbtq youths, arresting 20 people for allegedly violating quarantine. those arrested were reportedly beaten and forced to take a "walk of shame" through the village. uganda lgbtq campaigners say they were targeted because of their sexual orientation. authorities in indonesia's second largest city, surabaya, have deployed drones to spray clouds of disinfectant in residential neighborhoods, even though health officials warn the chemicals are likely to cause irritation and respiratory problems. in media news, v vanity fair reports that executives at fox news are worried they y could fe lawsuits from viewers over the far-right cable network's misleading coverage of the coronavirus pandemic. for weeks as the virus spread, fox news hosts portrayed the pandemic as a hoax designed to

damage president trump's reelection prospecects. meanwhile, cnn''s prime-timeme t chris cuomo has tested positive for covid-19. on tuesday, cuomo brbroadcast fm his home basasement, where he ss he'll remain inin isolation untl he recovers.s. his brother, the new york governor andrew cuomo, which him well. -- w wishes him well. texas will be allowed to enforce its abortion ban during the coronavirus outbreak after an appeals court judge overturned the ruling of a federal judge who had put a temporary hold on the abortion ban just hours before. texas's abortion ban was put in place last week as part of the state's plan to stem the spread of the coronavirus, claiming abortions are "non-essential" procedures. in environmental news, the trump administration has finalized its rollback of obama-era fuel efficiency standards for new u.s. vehicles in a massive blow against efforts to mitigate the worst effects of climamate chan. the rollbackcks will allow u.s.. vehicles to emit some 1 billion more tons of carbon dioxide than

previously allowed -- equivalent to at leleast a fifth of annual u.s. emissssions. and secretary of state mike pompeo on tuesday proposed a gradual lifting of u.s. economic sanctions on venezuela if opposition leaders and some members of president nicolas maduro's political party form an interim government. >> thinking g it w would put t e electedd numbers but the natioil assembly, rerepresenting both sides, would create anan acceptable council of state to serve until elections could be held, within six to 12 months. amy: the proposal would require both president maduro and venezuelan opposition leader juan guaido to step aside. a similar strategy was used in 1989 ahead of the u.s. invasion of panama. venezuela's foreign ministry called the proposal "an effort to win geopolitical advantage in the midst of a frightening global pandemic." the move comes less than a a wek afteter the trump admininistratn

indicted maduro on charges of narco-terrorism and international cocaine trafficking. and those are some of the headlines. this is democracy now!, democracynow.org, the war and peace report. i am amy goodman. we are broadcasting from the epicenter of the pandemic here in the united states, right here in new york city, joined by my co-host juan gonzalez from his home in new brunswick, new jersey -- the state with the second most documented infections in the united states. it is so good to see you, although, i wish you are right here next to me in these times of the pandemic. it is soso critical that we stay ourt to protect ourselvlves, community, and the community at large. juan: yes, amy, good daday to yu anand welcome to all o of our listeneners and viewewers acrose coununtry and araround the worl. amy: the white house is now estimating that between 100000 and 250,000 people could die

from the coronavirus pandemic. some of those most concerned about exposure to the highly infectious virus are workers on the frontlines of grocery stores and delivery services. this is in addition to all of the attention to the doctors and nurses and staff of hospitals across the country. fulfilled workers who orders for insnstacart staged a protest to demand d betterer wog protections and d hazard pay. also monday,y, amazon warehouse workers on staten island walked off the job. amazon fired one of them in response. we will get his response later in the broadcast. amazon says they fired him because he was not doing social distancing. he tells a different story. on tuesday, whole foods workers organized a national sick out protest demanding double normal wages for employees as hazard pay for working on the frontlines during a pandemic. this comes as three workers at a large ups facility near boston

have tested positive and two dozen more have been quarantined. for more, we're joined by richard hooker, secretary-treasurer of the philadelphia teamsters local 623, the africican-americacan to first evever lead the 101-year-d union after being elected secretary treasurer in november. richard hooker has worked at ups for 20 years. we welcome you, richard, to democracy now! can you describe what was happening where you work? what kind of access do you have to protective gearar, to washing your hands? describe the scenario. >> welell, in the beginning of t all, there was no access toto being c clean -- no soaoap in te babathrooms. some bathrooms had no r running water, no hot wateter. amy: where do you work? > at the e airportt facilityn philadelphia. d describingng in

what was happepening. >> what was happening was, like i said, the bathrooooms were not clean. no running water. dirt everywhere. the facilities were a mess. trash everywhere, dirt everywhere. we took pictures and sent them to the company to let them know, hey, these are the issues we are having here and we need some help. anand all l the we would get wae essential deemed ups and we were to keep working. so we kept going. we filed grievances. under our contract sanitation and safety are big isissues. we filed breaches against the company with that. still, no response. no communication. we sent letters to our governor here in pennsylvania to get some help. since we are deemed essential, we need to make sure our people are protetecteduring thisis pandemic. that w wasn't happening. that is why we sent letters to

the governor. still, no response from the company. same old, same old. business as usual. we did an interview on a national news network. it got a little traction. but s still, the company refused to commumunica whahat they weree doining. the members were verery, very upset,t, anxious andnd concerned because if we are so essential,, wewe need toto make sure our p e andndot feel like we are disposable. so we did another natational nes brbroadcast and w we laid it oun the liline. wewe told them, hey, this i is t wawas going on. the bathrooms,s, pictures,s, vio of the water not even being a ae to be turned on, tra everywhere, facilities not being clean. we k kept doing that and talked about it on live tv everywhere. then all of a suddeden, the company wanted to sit down and

talk and c come up w with some s and plalans. so this past monday we had a sit down meeting witith the presidet of ourur district mrs. kim and e gave u us her commitmtment and e company's commitmement tt they would counicicatwith us, everytngng we e doing -- cleaninghehe bathrooms would be a priority, making sure there was going toe e soci diancingngmaking sure the water was rurunning, making sure it w multiple cleani c crews cocomin to clean the facilities constantly. unfortunely, even though there has enen somprogressit i is not t ough. there is s still so -- the is still no social distancing. sosome oour r meers ararnot getting the suppeses theneeded. the communication has gogotten tter, so i will brelaying some more iormation to the powe that beo keep th thiningoing. but agai there's stila big

disconnect between what ey are saying and what is reaeally goig on in operatations. our members s are at risk. richard hooooker, given thehe fafact that so manyy millions of amamericans are being forced to stay home, i would assssume thee has been a hugee increase e in e wowork that ups and o other dely compmpanies have. did d you notice a any change fm the time most t americans were toldld to stay in place and stay atat home and how the comompanyt with the w workers before and afaftethe pandemic exploded? there has bebeen an increase in the residentiall deliveries. not so much in t the businesess because a lolot of businesses, u know, are close. but when people are sitting at home, they do a lot more ordering. so the residential part has really skyrocketed. there hasn't been a big

differencece on at the company has done b before the panandemir during it. itit is still businessss as usu. it i is not a lot o of lete's to get our members the supplies they need. there has not beenn -- there h s not been a cononcern on thr part. even though they come out and say y it and they try to downply what is s really going on, from our standpoint, it hasn't beenen enough. and to our memembers, it is definitely not enough. like you m mentioned, , there hs been three cononfirmed cases u n bostston but we have two confird caseses here in phphiladelphia. again, we had to fight to get that infnformation. before they were not telllling s anything. we had to keep fighting and fighting and fighting, pushing and pushing and pushing just too get t the information s so we cd let t our members know what is

going on. so i it has still been -- they'e going to keepep doing what ththy are doing. it seems, and it always has been, profit over peoeople. profit over peoplele. nots a union, we a are profit-based. we are membership-based. we care about our members. thisis is about protecting ourur members. amamy: richahard hooker, thankou for r beg with usus. wewe're going to continue this discusussion on the other side f the break as well with david levin. richard hooker's secretary treasurer at teamsters local 623 and has worked at ups for 20 years. when we come back, david levin, the organizer with teamsters for a democratic union and the coordinator of the ups teamsters united campaign. stay with us and stay safe, richard. ♪ [music break]

amy: "alone together." he was 59 years old. this is democracy now!, i'm amy goodman. i am amy goodman and new york and juan gonzalez's in new jersey. as we reported, at least three workers at the large ups facility airbus and have tested positive, more than two dozen have been quarantine.

details worship of the workers union. teamsters local 25 union president sean o'brien said in a statement "refusing to provide critical information to its workers regarding positive and presumptive positive covid-19 cases in the facility. for more, we continue to look at organizing workers on ththe frontlines. from his home in philadelphia, we're joined by david levin, lead organizer with teamsters for a democratic union and the coordinator of the ups teamsters united campaign. david, we just have a few minutes and we would like you to link what is going on with ups and the union negotiations w wih united postal service -- rather, with ups with what is going on at amazon and instatacart, the people who are p protesting outside demanding they have to have a safe e workplace, too. >> well, thank you for having me so much.

amazazonorkers arere raising the exacact same issueues that ricid was j just tatalking about anant ups workers across the country are r raising -- a lack off personal protection unsanitary equipment, not being informed when a coworker tests positive, the workplace not being sanitized properly. and osha all cdc guidelines. they are not being followed and we need to hold these corporations accountable. ups and amazon are competitors. ups workers and amazon workers are not.. we shahare the same e concerns. we have the same corporations that we have to hold accountable. so one of the things we did ass teamststers for a democratic unt and teamsters united campaign, we reached out to teamsters across the country to call for

the reinstatement of chris, by guess you have coming up on the show later who was fired for organizing a prorotest around these issues at amazon. wewe are all i in this s togeth. we are demanding for the health and safety issues to be addressed both at ups and at amazon and for all workers. amy: david, what do say -- i mean, what you say -- amazon wrote to us and said, he wasn't fired for organizing, but for not maintaining social distance and not going home and quarantining sisince he w was nr someone e who tested posositive. >> the next time thahat corpororation admit that someone was fireded organizing will be e nextxt time that democracy now! it's a one million-dollar donation from amazon. it is not going to happen. everyone whoho knows what happed -- the difference in the situation is that if you are a union worker, have more

protections to be e organizing d taking action. a lot of t teamsters are doing ththat. when their local union is dodone helping, teamsters for a democratic union and ups teamsters united.org, we are here. people can reach outut to be a resource. this is a time when union workers, teamsters, and amazon workers need to be making connections because over the long haul, not just in this crisis, we need to be working together to hold these corprporations accouountable. juan: davivid levin, i w want tk abouout over the long g haul. really, this pandemimic is creatiting a major shift in the way that goods are distrtributed in our society as increasinglyly peoplele are being forced d to o online, therefore, to have packages delivered by companiess like u ups and amazon and other. i am w wondering, dodo you since labobor movement is prepared -- organizezed labor is prepared fr what is essentially a radical

shift, for ininstance, macycy'st announced d their furloughing 100,0,000 workers at the brick-anand-mortar stores and ty are at an enormous disadvantage right now. these delivery companies now are going t to have a much greater share ofof the market in americ. i am wondering how you feel atat the e labor movement is preparad for thishift inin distribution of goods in society? >> one thing i want to say about ups, this company makes six billion n dollars year andnd can track a package at anyny moment, anywhehere around the globe.e. they tractoror workers movements everywhere they arere at all tis and that can't seem to trackk down or won't trackk d down personal protetective equipment, masks, gloveves, and sanitizeres that workers need. the teamsters union is a logistics works union transportion uni, package ion, for deliver union.

we're t logogic hub to be organizing a utingng a brinng wororrs tether. we're doing that at the asassroo level. you see some aggressive local unioleleaders pusushi for that anwewe need a transformation, believe, in the teamerers unn and top leadership -- whic has largely be m missi in n acon rough this crisis -- if we're going toe e the kinds of challeng y you were just laying t. amy: did levinthank yo so ch for bng with , lead organizewith teaters for demoatic uni and the coordinar of theps teamsrs ited camign. thiss democry now!, democrynow.org, the wapeace report, am amy gdman in w yo with cost juan nzalez eaking tusus fro his home in w brunswk, new jsey. d now were goingo talk about a fferentind of livery. "'m ni months preant an

i'm inging mbaby inta rld i noonger unrstand. i haveo remainopeful anyway." at is am littlield and a new pie for thinsider. her babys dueunday. amy littfield rently joid usrom her me in boon, ssachuses. i spo to her beforgovernor andrew cmo here new yor reased an executiv order saturd sing hospils could not forcpregnant pple to give bir without chon suort pers. thorder cong in resnse to a ve by both new york esbyterind the mnt sinai hospital systems to bar partners from labor and delivery rooms, causing widespread outrage even in this pandemic. a petition opposing the ban gathered over 600,000 signatures. so this was the context in which we spoke. amy littlefield is a part of the democracy now! family, former democracy now! producer. again, her baby is due on sunday.

i asked d her about the reality she isis confrontiting now at th end of her pregnanancy. >> first of f all, giving birthn the ununited states, let's say, can be a terrifying experience in the best of times. we have e the highest maternall mortalality rate among w wealthy nations. and wewe -- you know, even with insurance, p people often,n, o average, end up payiying more tn $4500 out of pococket for their delivery. these were predictable failures ththat my papartner and i haveve thought about before we decided to have our first child. and because i'm a journalist who reports on reproductive healthcare, i i have thohought t about ththese issues. but, of course, we failed to factor in, you know, plans for a global pandemic threatening to shut down the healthcare system justst a few weeks before my due date. amy: so, about all your plans, take us through jujust -- i mea,

you planned this so carefully, and all your hopes, your dreams, your birth plan, what you were going to do, and how you've been forced to cope a at this point. >> i m mean, we had -- you kno i had controlled my anxiety around the ununpredictabilility that's buililt into birth by planning every singngle aspect ofof it ti could. we were touring hospspitals befe i was even p pregnant. i was interrogating the tour guideses about whether they had nitrous s oxide machines and how many birth tubs didid they have. and the e people who were actuay pregnant werere just like, "whee do i i park my car?" and so, we r read all l the boo. wewe hired a doula, because we know that the evidence shows having a doula really increases people's -- you know, decrereass chances of having g interventits like c-sections and creates a more positive experience for people giving birth. soso we were so

amy: and explalain what a doula is, , amy. >> a dououla is somebody who isn emotional support persrson who's an expert t in things like helpg you find comfortable positions, in massagege, in advdvocating fr pepeople among heaealthcare prproviders, helpingng people me informeded decisions. theyey're really there to provie the emotional support, as well as the expertise, you u know, during labor.. and there's just a huge body of evevidence swingng that ththey increase positive outcomes and decrease the neeeed for birth intervrventions.s. and so, we felt that was a crucial papart of our care, ande were privileged to be able to afford that. asas little as two weeks ago, or midwife was still asassuring us that our dououla couldld be wits during our birth. and d a few days later, that had changeged. and like so many people in my situation around the country right now, we were t told that r doula couldn't t be with us..

ththe hospital was restrtricting visitors to only one, which meant only my partner woululd be there.e. my family wowouldn't be able to visit. and nonow seeing what's hahappeg with new york-presbyterian, of course, we're afraid that my partner r might not even be allowed d into the delivery roo, and we're having to think about what that could lookok like. amy: even before, talking about how you stayed fit and healthy going to yoga. how did thosose yoga classeses change with pregnant people? >> well, i mean, i think, like so many people, there's, you knowow, so many of us overer the last few weeeeks -- thingsgs are changingng so quickly, andnd t's a moment when yoyorealizize the world is different.. and for me, that came just under twtwo weeks ago, i g guess, whei went to my regegular prenatal ya class that i relied on to deal

with those, you knknow, crazy aches and pains that can come withth pregnancy. and usualllly it is packed.. anand i walked in and therereas one e other person thehere and n one otheher person joined usus. and as trivial as it migight se, that w was sort of the moment tt i knew that the world was changing and that something that had feltlt like so o of this distant ththreat was now about o disrupt our lives in a big way. anand prettyty soon after that,y partner anand i made the decisin to stotop leaving the house, exexcept to walk our d dog, bece we really didn't want either of us to get sick before delivery. amy: but you did have some friends s in about a week ago. >> we did. we had on,n, not -- ththe fridae 13th, so not this most recent friday, but the e one before, we had friends over to bring us some groceries. and, you knonow, i let them into ththe house.

i felto o buoyed b by their vist and happy to see them. we kept several feet a away. anand several l hours later,r, f the friends texted me to say they were running a fever and body aches. and we just panicked. i mean, rubbed down eveverything we thoughtht they had d touchedh bleach and jumped in the shower, dragged our dog in with us, washed her from head to toe, which she wawas pretty bafflede. and i jujust remember stananding there e thinking, "please e give more t time. i'm not ready toto give birth in this moment. i don't even understand what's happening." amy: and you then talk about losing your doula because she won't be able to be in the delivery room. and d now the questition of wher your partner will be able to join you. you're about a week or two behind new york. in new york, the new

yorkrk-presbyterian has appareny made this decision, announcing on sunday it would no longer allolow visitors foror patients giving birth, including allowing partners to be present during birth h even though the world health organization has said that all pregnant people, including those with confirmed or suspected covid-19 infections, should have the right to have a chosen companion present during labor. so what does this bring up for you? what are you thinking now in these e last weeks before you ge birth? or it could be hours, of course, because you're at 38. >> could b be. could hahappen rightht now. i mean, it's -- the idea of giving b birth without my partrr there to comfort me, to advocate for r me, to share in at s shoud be the happiest moment of our lilives, is kind of unfathomable toto me. and my heartrt breaks for the people who are goioing through thatat right n now at new

york-presbyterian who are having to give birth without a partner, any family memember, any support person there with them, just totally alolone. i mean, what can be a terrifying experience if it feels like it's out of youour control. it has p prompted us to think abouout switching to a a home bh atat the last minunute, whichh legions s of people are doing right nonow. i mean, apparently the home birth midwives a are just gettig inundateted with r requests, last-minute e requests, frfrom peopople likike me who are t tws awayay from their dudue date and afraid to contemplate going into a hospital, afraid that all their autonomymy will be taken away, or thahat the hohospitalwl just be so inundated that it won't beafafe to give birthh there. and, you know, i spoke with my doula yesterday ababout the possibilility of a home birth, d she sa, , "look, t this is realy something that you shouldndn't o out of fear because you'll open the door t to trauma. you should do it out o o confidence that it's something that you wt t and it''s the rirt

decision for youou." and i just -- whwhen i got off e phone with her, i just burst into t tears because how -- i mean, how w can any of us who ae facingng this decision thinknk t making it out of anything but fear in n this moment? i mean, the e fear of being separated from our partners in that moment is absolutely what's driving this. and so amy:y: and what does i it mean,a home birth? what would that involve? i mean, it's a whole different trajajectory, of coursrse. and you are doing this, and people plan n for this for a log time. you're doing thihis in a few da, if you were to do it. >> right, right. i memean, fifirst of all, it cos thousands anand thousands of dollars. it's justst not an optition fory peopople because it is generally not coverered by insurance.. so that't's not something we had planned or budgeted d for. secondly, you knknow, you have o think about turning your home into an imprpromptu devevery ro. you hahave to think out t meetig a care provider that you've never met before, , that you wod have to build trust with very ququickly.

and i don't think that with so lilittle time to plan it, it's actually -- i don't know whether it's less scary or momorecaryryt do that than to think about going into a h hospital, whichcs a complete unknown at this point. we just don't knowow what t the medical system in boston will look like two weeks from now. amy: you talk about how your grgrandmother is in failing heah but was so excited, 1010 y years old, to be able to hold her littttle g grandchild. >> that is what t has been keepg her going. she has told me that. her nursing home is basically shut down to visitors, which is right. they should do that.t. and i would not contemplate visiting her r right nowow. but i dodon't knowow how long it will be and whether she has that muchch time, you know,w, to be e toto meet her great-grandchildr. and so m many people i k know en

my positition and facing t these very same choices, painful choices. amy: you write in your piece about your parents and what you have -- since everything was so perfectly planned, your thoughts about them coming into the hospital and what you would reveal to them. >> yes. we've been keeping the naname ad the baby's presumed sex secret through the whole pregnancy. we've worked veryard d to guardd that. and i had just really looked forward to that moment in the hospital room when they would get t to meet t their grgrandchd when we would reveal that infoformation to them. and it's s not gogoing to h hapn ththat way. i don't know when it will happen. amy: so they can't come into the hospital, you know. you don't know if yoyour partner will be able to join you. bubut then afterwards, given all of the issues of social distance. >> mm-hmm, mm-hmhmm.

and d it's s -- i mean, it's heartbreaking. i'm hearing in online commmmunities and i've heard frm so many other people who are pregnanant about the very painfl decision-makaking of, you know,, pushing fafamily away for safety in a moment where you expected to hold themem close and to be withth them and to just treare,, yoyou know, the e moments u nevr get baback -- the moments of a first chchild's life. it is s really tough.. anand we're trying not to -- we haven'n't made any final decisis about that yet because everything is changing dayay to day and we just don't know what the world will look like in a few weeks. amy: as you always do in the most difficult circumstances, you always manage to f find rays of h hope. i'm wondering what is sustaining you right now and what you're seeing outside and inside since you are self-isolating. what is giving you the most hope right now? >> i mean, it t takes a tremends amountnt of enenergy to give bi, right? or so i've been told.

anand i'm trying to susummon tht energy and not sink ininto dedespair, which is difficult, becaususe how do you c contemple the fact that t we are facing ga situatation where as m many as 7 million people could die in this country, and it could have -- many of those e deaths couldld e been prevented i if our governnt d d acted fafast enough? hohow do you contetemplate wha's about to happen in the p prison, in the immigrant detentition centers, and a among the homeles population as thisis virus spreads? how do you -- i mean, for me, it's how do i think about having to explain this to a child? and i think itit's very easy to sinknk into despair and feel lie the world is a terrifying place. and what's been pulling me back from that is just seeing a all f these beautiful examples of mutual support. amy: that is amy littlefield, independent journalist, former democracy now! producer, now

documenting her own journey giving birth. article "i'mto her nine months pregnant, and i'm bringing my baby into a world i no longer understand. i have to remain hopeful anyway." shortly after amy s spoke to us, she got a call from her health provider saying her partner could not attend her prenatal visit at 38 weeks. he joined the appointment by phone. and this news today, her little sister is in the hospital in the very beginning of labor. they are parents about to have the first two grandchildren, though they won't be able to go to the hospital for each to meet them. when we come back, it is april 1 and tenants are calling for rent to be canceled. stay with us. ♪ [music break]

amy: jamaican singer and songwriter bob and he died of cancer last week at the age of 75. this is democracy now!, i'm amy goodman. i am in new york and juan gonzalez is a new brunswicick, w jersey. today is april 1 and millions across the country don't have the money to pay rent. but despite eviction moratoriums and relief on mortgage payments in hard-hit states like california, washington, and new york, no rent freeze hasas been ordered. in response, tenants around the

country are calling for immediate rent cancellation. some are planning to rent strike. this is crystal stella bercerril, a tenant in brooklyn, speaking to pix news. >> asksking thehem to reduce our rent by a a of 50% beginning a l 1, soo t this wednesday, with te possibilility of up to 100% rate reductioion or forgiveness for those tenant to have completely lost all forms of income and won't be able to o pay. we are standing in solilidarity with thohose who can't because e know i if three people in a building of 36 can't t pay rent, those people will be taken too court and be affected. but if we stand in solidarity with them, the chances of that happening are reduced. amy:y: that is crystal stella bercerril, a tenant in brooklyn, speaking to pix news. according to one estimate, up to 40% of renters in new york city may not be able to make rent this month. and while a record 3 million people in the u.s. applied for unemployment last week, many workers who lost their livelihoods still haven't even

been able to file for unemployment. nearly 8 million people called the new york state labor department hotline last week, compared to an average 50,000 weekly calls. for more, we're joined by cea weaver, campaign coordinator for housing justice for all, which is organizing to cancel rent during the c coronavirus. she is here in new york as juan gonzalez is in new jersey. what you'reout calling for on this first day of the month. no one is talking about april fools in the midst of this pandemic, but clearly, no one is canceling rent right now at a mass level. you're absolutely right, it is april 1 andnd millions of f new yorkers aree going to be unable to o pay the rent today. step in the is a right direction, but it does nothing to prepare for when we emerge. we are calalling for universalal

cacancellation of all right that is accrued d ding thee crisisis. ththat means you cannot pay -- f you can't papay now, don't haveo pay and you will be taken to court rent for this rent later. juan: how do you respond to folks lilike governor cuomo who has said he is all for a mortgage and rent moratorium, but not for cancellations per se? for rent not called moratorium. he is called for a mortgage moratorium. for property owners. i think governor cuomo is ignoring the fact t that more tn half of -- he h has repeatedly said the closure of h housing, e eviction moratorium is taking care of the rent issue. i think h he has gogot to be kig himself if he thinks thahat is true. i know he can't truly ththink tt is accurate. although that is is just the very definition of kicking the can down thehe road.

amy: i want to turn to governor cuomo speaking about the eviction moratorium at his press conference tuesday. he is then asked about what renters should do when that moratorium ends. >> you cannot be evicted for nonpayment of rent,, residential nor commercial, for three months. say this is you can somewhat random, but when is it going to end? nobody knows. pick an interval, so we set three months. you cannot be evicted, residential or commercial, for nonpayment of rent for 90 days. on that basis, my daughters have stopped paying me rent. i'm not even sure their finances have dropped significantly, but i think they''re just takingng advavantage ofof the nonfiction .rder that i myself posted and i resent it. >> governor -- what you think renters should do t theyhe moratoriumends

likely owe several months of rent? >> we will deal with that when we get to it. cuomo'sthat is governor daily news conference from yesterday. cea weaver, if you could respond to what he said? governor cuomo, who is now being talked about in all sorts of circles as a possible it'sdential candidate, richar ettore, what has been hisis history? ofhe has a long histotory standing with the real estate indudustry and not with the tenants. he got historyry in standing wih real estate e and public housin. he has worked d in housing his whole career and the entire time hehe has beeeen on the s side oe real eststate industry. it is nonot surprising t to heae is not really y taking seriousuy ththe rights of renters during this time e and that the f feart renters may feelel about being unable to pay the renent on a al 1, first, june 1, and not really having a plan to move forwarard.

is unsurprising but it is terrififying and we need to governor to take urgent action here. do you have any sense whetheher across the countntry t movement is s spreading o people sasaying they justst won't pay t to their landlords? > absolutely. there are more people who are waking up to the housing crisis today than ever before. and that is the thing that iss giving me hope and making me feel like we are going to win this thing. the housing justicee movemenents maintained for a lonong time tht everyone is just one major life away from an eviction. we say that a lot. youry if you are -- if mother g get sick or youou losea job or if you have to -- if you have a medical ememergency yourself, that you may be just, one paycheck away from eviction.

what is s happening righght nows that iss happening to hundreds f ththousands of peoplee coming mimillions of people, all at one in our society. so all of ththose people arare turning to the movement and saying, wow, i was living there precarioiously. it is a moment where everybodyy isis realizing j just how the housing market is not working for renters and coming together to take political action. amy: can i iet your comment to mayor dede blasio calling fofora rent freeze fofor the 2.3 millin tenants and nearly one million right stabilize units across new york, the city sang they will work with the state to suspend rent guidelinenes for the upcomg year. de blasio singh we arere in thee midst of a c crisis, thehe comparable to o the grereat depression. the people of our city are struggling in a written freeze is a lifeline 70 will need this yeyear to stay above water, cea? the buckid it yourself

stops with the governor and it is great that he is taking the step that we need cuomo to take action. that is just the scenario we are enteriring now.. i think it is incredibly important to not forget the millions of other renters s who are not rent-stabilized, who are living precariously without the right to relief and an unregulateted apartment who also have a loss of income who also need i immediate relief nowow. you for weaver, thank being with us, camping port nader for housing for justice for all, organizing to cancel rent during the pandemic. as we wrap up the show, juan, this latest news that has just comeme out o of the congressionl withnic caucus joining many others -- 3000 medical professionals as well as an immigration rights groups, for ice to immediately release all

37,000 detainees in ice custody. juan: amy, it is clear that given the huge number of people in detention, immigration detention, overwhelmingly, most of them have not been -- they have notot been coconvicted ofoy crime. they are beieing detained d whie their status is adjudicated.d. anand it seemsms p positively mimind-boggling thehe federal government doesn't realize it, especially in the crowded conditions that many of the detainees are in, it would be the proper humanitarian policy to releasese them. release them now to prevent the spread of covid-19. and their ststatus can be adjudicated after this crisis is over. amy: we hahave to come to the ed of the show.w. we tried to reach chris smalls,

who organize the amazon protest and was fired. amazon said he was fired because he was not not keepiping social distancing rules or quarantining . chris smalls alleges because he organize the protest in amazon to keep workers safe. we will certainly continue to follow this issue. and a little correction earlier in the headlines, i talked about franklin graham, the president of the c christianan relief ororganizatition samaritan's pu, was helped organize a hospital outside of mount sinai here in new york in the middle of central park. i mentioned he was university president. he is in. -- he isn't. that is jerry falwell, who kept the university open despite the concern of many staff, teachers, and students. that does it for our show. by the way, whether or not we have access to medical masks, using a scarf is a great idea when you go outside. we must all protect ourselves to

protect the community. all juan safety to everyone. juan, thank you for joining us. democracy now! is looking for feedback from people who appreciate the closed captioning. e-mail your comments to outreach@democracynow.org or mail them to democracy now! p.o. box 693 new york, new york 10013. [captioning made possible by democracy now!]