01/21/21 01/21/21 [captioning made possible by democracy now!] amy: from new york, this is democracy now! pres. biden: we have learned again democracy is precious. democracy is fragile. at this hour, my friends, democracy haprevailed. amy: joe biden has been sworn in as the 46th president of the united states. kamala harris has made history as the first woman

african-american, and first , first asian american to become vice president. vice pres. harris: i kamala harris do solemnly swear. amy: we will get reaction to the inauguration and biden's executive actions from harvard professor cornel west and the pioneering journalist maria hinojosa. plus, we will hear the inaugural poem by 22-year-old amanda gorman, the youngest inaugural poet in u.s. history. >> step out of the shade of flames and unafraid, the new dawn blooms as we free it. for there is always light. if only we're brave enough to see it. if only we're brave enough to be it. amy: all that and more, coming up. welcome to democracy now!, democracynow.org, the quarantine report. i'm amy goodman.

joe biden was sworn in as 46th president of the united states wednesday, ending the trump era with a call for national unity. speaking on the steps of a capitol building that just two weeks prior was mobbed by a group of right wing extremists trying to overturn the election, president biden said the u.s. faces an unprecedented combination of challenges posed by the covid-19 pandem, mass unemployment, racial injustice, white supremacist violence, and the existential threat of climate change. and he warned against the spread of lies in a thinly veiled reference to the trump administration's constant stream of falsehoods over the past four years. pres. biden: recent weeks and months have taught us a painful lesson. there is truth and there are lies. lies told for power and for

profit. and each of us has a duty and responsibility as citizens, as americans, especially as leaders , leaders who have pledged to honor our constitution, protect our nation. to defend th truth and defeat the lies. amy: biden was administered the oath of office by chief justice john roberts. the supreme court's first latina justice, sonia sotomayor, administered the oath of office to vice president kamala harris. harris is the first woman, first african-american, first asian american, first indian american, first caribbean american to hold the office. we'll have excerpts from the inauguration after headlines. president biden signed 17 executive orders wednesday in his first official act from the oval office. among other things, the orders strike down trump's ban on travelers from majority-muslim nations, end construction of

trump's border wall, strengthen daca -- the deferred action for childhood arrivals program for young immigrants. biden rejoined the paris climate accord and canceled the keystone xl pipeline, put a moratorium on oil and gas permits in the arctic national wildlife refuge, and ordered a review of trump's actions undermining public health and the environment. biden extended a federal moratorium on evictions and a pause on student loan payments and interest. president biden also ordered the u.s. to reengage with the world health organization, and ordered a mask mandate for interstate travelers and visitors to federal buildings during the pandemic. biden's mask mandate came as the united states recorded one of the deadliest days of the pandemic, with nearly 4400 deaths. the cdc forecasts the u.s. death toll will pass a half-million in february, with 100,000 more deaths predicted in just the

next month. biden is set to sign 10 new executive orders on the pandemic today and will release a new national strategy to combat covid-19 after the white house said the trump administration left no national strategy on vaccinations. the biden plan calls for funding states' testing and vaccination programs, improvements in data collection, research into new therapies for covid-19, and the establishment of a pandemic testing board. president biden will also order the occupational safety and health administration to develop workplace protections against coronavirus. democrats took narrow control of the senate wednesday after vice president harris swore in three new democratic senators -- raphael warnock and jon ossoff of georgia, and alex padilla, who will replace harris in the

senate representing california. republicans control 50 seats, as does the democratic caucus, with vice president harris serving as a tie-breaker. new york democrat chuck schumer has become senate majority leader, replacing republican mitch mcconnell of kentucky. the new senators represent a number of firsts. alex padilla becomes the first latino senator from california. rev. warnock becomes the first african-american senator from the south. jon ossoff will become the youngest senator as well as the first jewish-american senator from georgia. the senate on wednesday approved avril haines as director of national intelligence. 84 senators voted to confirm haines, 10 voted against -- all of them republicans. haines was president obama's top lawyer on the national security council from 2010 to 2013 and

cia deputy director from 2013 to 2015, where she authorized using drone strikes to carry out extrajudicial assassinations. meanwhile, the house of representatives is set to vote today on whether to grant a waiver to allow retired army general lloyd austin to become pentagon chief. general austin is on the board of the weapons contractor raytheon and is a partner in the venture capital fund pine island capital. critics say his nomination contravenes the principle of civilian control of the military. joe biden is the first president in recent history to come into office before any of his key advisors are installed. as president biden's other cabinet nominees await their hearings and confirmations, he has appointed nearly two dozen acting officials to temporarily lead agencies. meanwhile, biden has fired peter robb, the general counsel of the national labor relations board,

after he refused to resign. robb was a trump appointee, a former management lawyer and fierce union foe who infamously helped president reagan break the air traffic controllers' union in 1981. donald and melania trump boarded air force one for one final flight on the presidential aircraft wedneay morning. before departing d.c. for his mar-a-lago residence in florida, trump addressed the crowd of seral hundred gathed at joint base andrews. pres. trump: suggest a goodbye, we love you, we will be back in some form -- [cheers] pres. trump: so have a good light. we will see you soon. thank you very much. amy: trump walked off the stage to that "ymca," and frank

sinatra's "my way" played from the loudspeakers as air force one rolled down the runway and lifted off. massachusetts senator ed markey, tweeted -- "goodbye and good riddance donald trump. see you at your trial." this comes as politico reports lawmakers have privately discussed the possibility of a three-day impeachment trial for trump, which would be the fastest of any such procedure for a president. proud boys leader joe biggs was arrested in florida wednesday and charged with helping to lead the attack on the u.s. capitol on january 6. the fbi says biggs and other members of his far-right group used radios with earpieces to coordinate real-time communication as they smashed their way into the building. in international news, the united kingdom now has the highest covid-19 death rate in the world. on wednesday, a record 1820 people died across the u.k. as hospitals report being

overwhelmed with patients -- and the worst may still be to come. this is kelly clarke, an icu nurse in england's derby hospital. >> we have staff that are absolutely exhausted, traumatized. working extremely hard. amy: in other international news, zimbabwe's foreign minister sibusiso moyo has died of covid-19. the former army general played a key role in the 2017 coup that toppled robert mugabe. meanwhile, in brazil, deaths are rising in the amazonian city of manaus after hospitals ran out of oxygen. the bolsonaro government is facing criticism for not helping avert the crisis despite warnings of looming oxygen shortages. in news from iraq, at least 28 people died and 73 were injured when two suicide bombers attacked a busy market in baghdad earlier today.

no one has taken responsibility for what is the first suicide attack in the city in nearly two years. earlier this week, iraq's cabinet voted to delay the upcoming general election by four months until october. tony blinken, biden's nominee for secretary of state, said tuesday the new administration will continue to recognize juan guaido as the president of venezuela, rather than the democratically elected president nicolas maduro. blinken also said the u.s. would continue to impose harsh sanctions, which have crippled the venezuelan economy. in january 2020, venezuelan opposition leader juan guaido stormed parliament with a group of lawmakers in an effort to forcefully swear himself in as venezuela's leader. guaido and his supporters were eventually pushed back by police with tear gas outside government buildings. he has failed to consolidate power since 2019's unsuccessful coup attempt.

ongoing u.s. sanctions have crippled the venezuelan economy. research estimates as many as 40,000 venezuelans have died due to sanctions. at least 43 refugees were killed in a shipwreck off libya's coast tuesday. the deaths mark the first known tragedy of 2021 in the mediterranean sea, where over 20,000 people have drowned since 2014 according to the u.n. 10 survivors were brought back to land, including migrants from ivory coast, nigeria, ghana and gambia. the u.n. says the journey by sea from libya to europe is the most dangerous migration route in the world and one in six people who attempt it has died. back in the united states, the justice department has dropped an insider trading probe against republican senator richard burr of north carolina who sold hundreds of thousands of dollars

of stocks early last year after receiving privileged briefings about the threat of the coronavirus. the justice department informed burr of its decision on tuesday, the last full day of the trump administration. president biden has signed an executive order to impose stricter ethic rules on government workers. biden has banned so-called golden parachutes when companies give bonuses to workers who leave to enter the government. the order will also bar biden appointees from lobbying the administration if they leave office before his term ends. government watchdogs are demanding transparency over donations to joe biden's and kamala harris' inaugural committee, after it accepted gifts of up to $1 million from corporations and wealthy individuals. among major donors to the not role -- -- to the inaugural

are amazon, boeing, capital group, comcast, fidelity financial, google, microsoft, qualcomm, ups, united airlines, and verizon. in 2019, house democrats proposed an ethics bill that would cap inaugural donations at $50,000 while requiring the online disclosure of major dors. and the family of reality winner is urging president biden to free the nsa whistleblower, who habeen behd bars f over 5 years r leakindocument to "thinterct" abo russian meddng in th2016 eleions. the going campgn to fr ality winn has gained renewed urgency as "the intercept" reported this week winner recently faced threats from a guard after she made a report of abuse against him last march. this is reality winner's mother, billie winner-davis. >> mr.reside, my dauter sailed,enied bl, andas beenn prison for over 3.5 years. she s suffer tremendsly. e has be beate injured, assaulted by her jailer, and

denied compassionate release. please, mr. president, bring my daughter home. amy: and those are some of the headlines. this is democracy now!, democracynow.org, the quarantine report. when we come back, we get reaction to the inauguration and biden's sweeping executive actions from harvard professor cornell west in the pioneering latinx journalist maria hinojosa . stay with us. ♪♪ [music break]

amy: gospel singer yolanda adams singin"hallelujah." she sang it first on tuesday night at the coven memorial with president biden -- covid memorial with president biden and ice president harris. this is democracy now!, democracynow.org, the quarantine report. i'm amy goodman in new york, along with nermeen sikh. hi, nermeen. nermeen: good morning, amy. welcome to all of our listeners and viewers from around the country and around the world. amy: joe biden was sworn in as 46th president of the united states wednesday, ending the trump era with a call for national unity and urging americans to come together during a period of turbulence. biden spoke on the capital steps connect buildinghat just to ask ago prior was mobbed by a

group of right-wing extremists try to overthrow the election. pres. biden: this is america's day. this is democracy's day. a day of history and hope. of renewal and resolve. through a crucible for the ages america has been tested anew and america has risen to the challenge. today, we celebrate the triumph not of a candidate, but of a cause, the cause of democracy. the will of the people has been heard and the will of the people has been heeded. we have learned again that democracy is precious. democracy is fragile. and at this hour, my friends, democracy has prevailed. so now, on this hallowed ground

where just days ago violence sought to shake this capitol's very foundation, we come together as one nation, under god, indivisible, to carry out the peaceful transfer of power as we have for more than two centuries. this is a great nation. we are good people. over the centuries through storm and strife, peace and war, we have come so far. but we still have far to go. we will press forward with speed and urgency, for we have much to do in this winter of peril and significant possibilities. much to repair. much to restore. much to heal. much to build. and much to gain. few people in our nation's history have been more challenged are found a time more challenging or difficult than

the time we are in now. a once-in-a-century virus silently stalks the country. it's taken as many lives in one year as america lost in all of world war ii. millions of jobs have been lost. hundreds of thousands of businesses closed. a cry for racial justice some 400 years in the making moves us. the dream of justice for all will be deferred no longer. a cry for survival comes from the planet itself. a cry that can't be any more desperate or any more clear. and now, a rise in political extremism, white supremacy, domestic terrorism that we mt confront and we will defeat. to overcome these challenges -- to restore the soul and to

secure the future of america -- requires so much more than words. it requires that most elusive of things in a democracy, unity. unity. amy: that was president joe biden in his first address to the nation. shortly before his speech, supreme court justice sonia soda mayor, first latinx supreme court justice, swore in kamala harris as the first ever woman, south asian and black vice president. >> please raise your right hand and repeat after me. vice pres. harris: i kamala harris do solemnly swear that all support and defend the constitution of the united

states against all enemies foreign and domestic. amy: later on wednesday afternoon, vice president harris swore in three barrier breaking new democratic u.s. senators, giving democrats narrow control of the senate. reverend raphael warnock is the first african-american senator from georgia and the first african-american democratic senator from the south. jon ossoff is the first jewish senator from georgia. he is also the youngest member of the senate. alex padilla, who replaces harris in the senate representing california, is the first latinx senator to represent california. vice pres. harris: two certificates of election, for the state of georgia and appointment to fill the vacancy created by the resignation of former senator kamala harris of

california. [laughter] amy: president biden signed 17 executive orders in his first official act from the oval office on wednesday, striking down trump's ban on travelers from majority-muslim nations, ending construction of trump's border wall, and strengthening daca -- the deferred action for childhood arrivals program for young immigrants. biden rejoined the paris climate accord and canceled the keystone xl pipeline, put a moratorium on permits in the arctic national wildlife refuge, and ordered a review of trump's actions undermining public health and the environment. president biden extended a federal moratorium on evictions and a pause on student loan payments and interest. biden also ordered the u.s. to reengage with the world health organization and ordered a mask mandate for interstate travelers and visitors to federal buildings during the pandemic.

for more on these actions of the biden administration come on the overall inauguration day, and what comes next -- not to mention what came before -- we are joined by two guests. dr. cornel west is professor of the practice of public philosophy at harvard university, author of many books, including "race matters" and "black prophetic fire." his new podcast is called "the tight rope." and maria hinojosa is an award-winning journalist and author of the new memoir "once i was you." she is founder of futuro media, host of latino usa, and co-host of the podcast "in the thick." we welcome you both back to democracy now! maria hinojosa, let's begin with you. if you can talk about what we watched yesterday from later in

the day, the executive orders, number of them dealing with immigration, not to mention -- not exactly perfectly formed immigration plan or defined, but some outlines of it, but also the swearing in of the first woman vice president, first caribbean american come indian american, african-american vice president, daughter of oakland, by sonia sotomayor, the first latinx supreme court justice. >> it was pretty mind blowing to see that moment, amy. it is great to be here with you and cornel on a new day when we are saying it really is a new day and i'm so thrilled to be with you and your audience and dr. west to talk about all of this. now, like you, there were a lot of things -- mixed emotions. i was getting very emotional, which i was catching myself

because i have that level of motion, we, when barack obama waelected and brought into office and we all had these extraordinary expectations and then things did not turn out that way. so everything was kind of like, oh, my god, this is so beautiful,, my god, we areack. then it was like, what just happened? i husband cap saying to me, it was by a hair. he looked at me and said, he would like this. by this much we did not lose this democracy. that is real. they were coming to murder people this was an attempted coup d'état in the unid states and the entire world saw it. on the other hand, we are breathing more freely as journalists. we knew what we could be facing was an even more targeted assault on us. as a journalist to is a mexican, immigrant, not born in this country, i did not know what was going to come next for me. like that. at the same time, kamala is vice

president. it was here in my house, my daughter who i was like, are you emotional? she was very much active in politics for the first time in her life at 22. she just kept on saying, "i don't want people to just walk away now and think it is all good." the work continues. nermeen: dr. cornel west, if you could respond to what happened yesterday at the inauguration and your sense of what this new administration might hold? >> i am blessed any me to be th you, my dear sisters. i was just thinking about this fundamental part of american history where 200,000 like soldiers had to join the union army, slavery, black freedom

movement in the 1960's, apartheid must appear again have black folk coming to keep us going off the neofascist cliff with the gangster trump. at the same time, black folk and up re-crucified, especially the black poor. the point maria was making about the disappointment. there is a right in the system. the rot is corporate greed and pentagon militarism. no matter how many people of color you sprinkle around even in high places, if they can't reship that trajectory of the empire, then in fact you it up with a deep, deep disappointment. it is a new day. i'm so glad we stopped the neofascist threat. stacey abrams with verified,

refused -- with fair fight, refused fascism. it is not just mixed emotions but i'm just now suspicious of the capitulation of the neoliberal lies and hatred now that we have pushed back the neofascist form of greed and lies and hatred. so the issue of poor people, the issue of working people, that is going to be a crucial thing for me. when you look abide new sikkim ok, the old biden, crimes against humanity. mass incarceration, especially for young black and brown brothers and sisters, then you have the wall street greed unleashed. all of those, the old biden fundamentally tied to use to brag about each of one of them. we will see the new biden. i want to be -- i am open to hope.

i was not born at night. well, i was born at night but not last that. we will see. nermeen: i would ask about comments he made in recent interviews saying effectively there is no democracy left in america because of the analysis and in the country, the various forms of nihilism. you talk about the fact the 74 million people who voted for trump of which is the majority were both women and men, white women d men, but also one out of every three asians, one out of three jews, more tn one out of three latinos, even one out of five black men. so could you say a little more about that, the range of people who voted for trump and there are 74 million of them, what should happen at him? what will happen to them under

this new administration? how should they be dealt with or engaged? >> i think part of the problem, my dear sister, with the corporate duopoly of the two parties, at the republican party come the democratic party, both tied to corporate greed, both tied to pentagon militarism and all of the criminality that goes with it, drones and so forth and so on, the deep desperation, along with the deep suffering of people, forces them to have to choose between the two. we neoliberal policies come along and you get the vocalization and rationalizers, don't say a mumbling word about mass incarceration and so forth, they say, ok, let's try the democrats boom, 1% with most of the well. let's trackopulism. when bernie tried luckily, the neoliberals crushed us in fairly

-- unfairly and many ways. what happens, they still get crushed. how do port working people ever get their voices heard? yet those that say the voices of ordinary people are not heard. 76% of americans want medicare for all. biden, and with the and common manity and compassion. he says, he will veto that nato middle of a pandemic. that does not look like too much empathy to me at all. what are we talking about here? as long as you have a system with rot, we can be right back where we were before because of the neoliberal policies of the old biden won't work. i am giving the new biden chance. he might be the new fdr. i'm not holding my breath, but we shall see.

amy: former president donald trump did not attend the biden/harris inauguration, but three of his other predecessors did. presiden bill clinton, george w. bush, and barack obama. they filmed a video message to president biden wednesday while standing in the memorial amphitheater at the arlington national cemetery. pres. obama: isley, there was a personal element to see my former vice president become the 46th president, to see kamala harris as our first woman vice president. but more broadly, i think inaugurations signal a tradition of a peaceful transfer of power that is over two centuries old. clinton co. i think the fact that truth -- pres. bush: i think the three of us standing here speaks to the institutional integrity of our country. pres. clinton: we're trying to

come back to normalcy, doing abnormal challenges, and do what we do best, whichs try to make a moreerfect union. it is an exciting time. amy: i went to put to put this question each of you. that was president clinton, george w. bush, and starting with president obama. on the one hand, the sense that the country is returning to normal state, to a bipartisan consensus. you look at the men, look at george w. bush, responsible for how many deaths come invading afghanistan and then iraqi. you look at president clinton, the welfare so-called reform bill that led to the impoverishment of so many and mass incarceration -- which, of course, joe biden was very much a part of. and in president obama, called by his closest immigrant rights allies, the deporter-in-chief.

on the other hand, you have this slew of executive orders on the first day as they were recording this, you had president biden signing off and the executive orders in the executive orders, including fortifying daca, at least for now halting border wall construction, approved reversing the travel ban muslim majority countries, and undoing trump's expansion of immigration enforcement within the u.s. if you can talk about this, what a return to so-called normalcy means, and if at this point this kind of breaking point in american history, does there need to be a break? i would like to put that question to both of you, starting with professor cornel west. >> i see those three brothers, their tied to crimes against humanity. no doubt about that. innocent people from wall street greed that crushes poor people

and actually kills them concretely and symbolically. you look at the role of the occupation innovations have played not just abroad -- and in patients have played not just abroad, but here at home. military occupation in our city. anytime your head of it empire, no matter what color, no matter -- democrat or republican, you have new park, tied to crimes against humanity. i refuse to normalize that, refuse to look at bill clinton and say nothing about a vicious, vicious crime bill withdrawal of resources for people who are hungry. morally and spiritually, that is wrong. obama dropping these drones and bailing out wall street instead of american people, assassinating and or can citizens without no due process at all. walking around like yes i'm

grand progressive. please, get off the crack pipe. if you tell the truth. the truth is bigger than all of us. in terms of the iraq war and lies and so forth. thank god for what you will do because we can't normalize this kind of mistreatment of our fellow human beings. we will check with sister harrison see if she falls in step. if she does, then we have to be critical. amy: and maria hinojosa? >> look, yes, to all of that. for me, everying -- we just start with the three presidents. i am with you. i think that is what america is. america is that country that forgets willingly. we covered what happened with gore vs bush.

in my book, their minds are blown because it turns out, yes, yes, it was bill clinton in fact stard building the wall. it was bill clinton who in fact signed all of those laws that led where we are now where people can be put into detention, born in this country. george w. bush, the largest liar . colin powell, we lived through the lies. but on the other hand, i actually disagree with my brother professor cornel west and i don't believe democracy is

dead yet. i think this is the tricky part. for example, more latinos came out to vote and we have ever seen before. this was extraordinarily important because they are the second largest voting bloc in the united states of america. the fact that i am here talking about this is important because the other side of the latino coin for the last what, 50 years is our invisibility. which ties into what dr. west was talking about, and this is where i completely agree with him. the empire which means the militarization that was built on mass incarceration, which is slowly being deconstructed -- slowly, ok, slowly -- but what will it be replaced with? immigration industrial mass complex, that is what it is being. the immigration plan that joe biden said, it is amazing he is going to cut off remain in mexico policy for refugees but he said, "but if you are there, after remain there now." what does this mean? we will have immigration reform, but it will take eight years. in eight years, good be a new administration. everybody knows that.

-- it could be a new administration. everybody knows that. eight years? what i want to see is more people understanding democracy is not just about a boat, it is not everything. it is about democracynow, cornel west, the work i do, the books we write, the conversations we have. i am a little into territory here in connecticut and i am having to find my way to having conversations with my neighbors. i do that because that is my job and because it is my civic duty because i chose to become an american citizen. so all of this, for someone who chose to become an american citizen,, hell, yes, but also around when nixon was impeached. we're not going away and this fire we have from this dynamic, this capacity to not call me on the same page, that is what democracy looks like. we need more of it. nermeen: i would like to ask each of you, maria, if you could

begin, what you think now that the democrats are in control of the house and of the senate, what do you think the priorities should be and also, how can more progressives, democrats, push the biden-harris administration to pursue policies that will differentiate the democrat administration from the obama one? maria, if you could begin? >> if you ask me, i suppo i'm a little of a radical on this, but i would do because we are much stronger than we think tha we have been able to live through this pandemic and a stayg home and not seeing anyone, not hugging people, not seeing our families, but i want it to stop. i would do a full shutdown. i would pay people. i would pay people. i would have checks going out so people can be home, that we're protecting the most essential woers, really?

so people can chill out and relax and not be freaking out at this point. that takes care of covid and the economy, i think, inspiring the economy. immigration reform -- people see it as kind of an issue. do you understand if you were to do massive immigration rorm right now -- i'm talking about in three years -- what that would do to boost the american economy across the board? i kinda feel like the neoliberalism stops this administrationrom being what they think is going to be called radical and what i say, and i know it both of you say, too, this is not radical. what is radical is taking the uterus from a woman simply because she was now born under this country. what is radical is putting children in cages. what is radical as a police officer murdeng a black man for doing nothing while bng captured on camera. that is radical. the solution -- the question here for the biden

administration, can you change the narrative? can you take accountability, apologize in a very big way, the th of them, so that we can begin to trust there will be a deeper commient to this real new day we want to get to? nermeen: and dr. west? >> i am with my sister, maria. i would go further and embracing what she is think and you tell me what you think, my sister, i would say as long as this person is like all of us, as long as there are artists and poets, that democracy is alive in the hearts and minds of people come and as long as we are willing to fight, willing to tell the truth, willing to hold on to integrity as opposed to popularity, democracy is alive in the hearts and minds of

people. but it is our structures that are profound anti-democrat. it is the big money come the lobbyists, the wall street greed, big tech rate. that stands in the way -- the white supremacy and so forth. the hatred of gays and lesbians and trans and non-binary and so forth. in that way, there is always a struggle going on. if our ask of what the biden administration ought to do, they ought to look at the 14 points of the poor people's campan, major brothers and sisters. lay it out. massive cuts in military. fundamental investment in schools and housing and jobs, living wage, power of trade union, the defensef right to liberty. this is very imptant. the bidens talk about white supremacy -- never had a president talk about white

supremacy like that. we talk about domestic terrorist of the next thing i am at domestic terrorist because i'm critical of any form of zionism. that makes me an enemy of the state. we have to be very clear we're nofor massive repression and censship in the defense of rights and liberty even as we are again white supremacy and male supremacy. this is going to be a very important challengeut we must raise our voices no matter what. nazi, fashionable, neoliberals who trot around as if they are progressives but in fact are in the hip pocket of wall street and corporate greedy elite and big tech elite and military militaristic elites. that is the legacy of our dear

brothers, martin thinking juor, that is what is so powerful in the poetry of sister gorman and the music of yolanda adams if we list very closely and let it touch our souls. amy: speaking of martin luther king and others, the new oval office, the court has blesseds a martin luther and cesar chavez and hello no roosevelt and rosa parks -- eleanor roosevelt and rosa parks, along with a portrait of fdr. we will get final comments from maria hinojosa and dr. cornel west after the break and after we play this remarkable five minutes during the inauguration. the youngest inaugural poet in u.s. history. stay with us. ♪♪ [music break]

amy: black pumas singing "colors." celebrating america and our role this is democracy now!, democracynow.org, the quarantine report. i'm amy goodman with nermeen shaikh. one of the most remarkable moments of wednesday's inaugural ceremony came from the inaugural poet amanda gorman los angeles. she is the youngest poet in u.s. history to address a presidential inauguration. she became the youth poet laureate of los angeles at the age of 16 and the first national youth poet laureate. the 22-year-old poet read her poem "the hill we climb." she finished it right after the riot at the capitol earlier this

month. her words captured the nation. this is amanda gorman. >> mr. president, dr. biden, madam vice president, mr. emhoff, americans and the world -- when day comes we ask ourselves, where can we find light in this never-ending shade? the loss we carry, a sea we must wade. we've braved the belly of the beast. we've learned that quiet isn't always peace. in the norms and notions of what just is isn't always justice. and yet, the dawn is ours before we knew it. somehow, we do it. somehow, we've weathered and witnessed a nation that isn't broken, but simply unfinished. we, the successors of a country

and a time where a skinny black girl descended from slaves and raised by a single mother can dream of becoming president, only to find herself reciting for one. and ye we are far from polished, far from pristine, but that doesn't mean we are striving to form a union that is perfect. we are striving to forge our union with purpose, to compose a country committed to all cultures, colors, characters and conditions of man. and so, we lift our gazes not to what stands between us, but what stands before us. we close the divide because we know, to put our future first, we must first put our differences aside. we lay down our arms so we can reach out our arms to one another. we seek harm to none and harmony for all.

let the globe, if nothing else, say this is true. that even as we grieved, we grew. that even as we hurt, we hoped; that even as we tired, we tried; that even as we tired, we tried; that we'll forever be tied together, victorious. not because we will never again know defeat, but because we will never again sow division. scripture tells us to envision that everyone shall sit under their own vine and fig tree, and no one shall make them afraid. if we're to live up to our own time, then victory won't lie in the blade, but in all the bridges we've made. that is the promise to glade, the hill we climb if only we dare it. because being american is more than a pride we inherit; it's the past we step into and how repair it.

we've seen a forest that would shatter our nation rather than share it, would destroy our country if it meant delaying democracy. and this effort very nearly succeeded. but while democracy can be periodically delayed, it can never be permanently defeated. in this truth, in this faith we trust, for while we have our eyes on the future, history has its eyes on us. this is the era of just redemption. we feared it at its inception. we did not feel prepared to be the heirs of such a terrifying hour, but within it, we found the power to author a new chapter, to offer hope and laughter to ourselves. so while once we asked, "how could we possibly prevail over catastrophe?" now we assert, "how could catastrophe possibly prevail over us?"

we will not march back to what was, but move to what shall be -- a country that is bruised, but whole benevolent, but bold fierce and free. we will not be turned around or interrupted by intimidation, because we know our inaction and inertia will be the inheritance of the next generation. our blunders become their burdens. but one thing is certain, if we merge mercy with might, and might with right, then love becomes our legacy, and change our children's birthright. so let us leave behind a country better than one we were left. with every breath from my bronze-pounded chest, we will raise this wounded world into a wondrous one. we will rise from the gold-limned hills of the west. we will rise from the wind-swept northeast where our forefathers first realized revolution.

we will rise from the lake-rimmed cities of the midwestern states. we will riserom the sun-baked south. we will rebuild, reconcile and recover in every known nook of our nation, in every corner called our country our people diverse and beautiful will emerge battered and beautiful. when day comes, we step out of the shade aflame and unafraid. the new dawn blooms as we free it. for there is always light.

if only we're brave enough to be it. [applause] amy: 22-year-old amanda gorman come the youngest inaugural poet in u.s. history. this is democracy now! as we and our conversation with dr. cornel west, professor of the practice of public philosophy at harvard university, and award-winning journalist maria hinojosa. in the last few minutes we have, professor west, you were in charlottesvie, virginia, when the klan marched, the white supremacists march. amanda was writing her poem through the riot, the white supremacist attack on the capitol. your final thoughts? >> biden stood on the floor the senate -- said these on black folk are the predators to be taken out of society. if you're going to talk about empathy, extended empathy to the cousin of the brilliant poet amanda. extend your sympathy to the immigrants trying to make their

way, often coming into a country that used to be there's a mexican brothers. extend your sympathy to poor, no matter what color, working-class no matter what color. yes, jewish folk hated in france, palestinians hated on the west bank. where sure concrete empathy and compassion and common humanity? that's the kind of pressure he's going have to expect from love voyeurs, freedom fighters like both myself and the amanda gorman wh her truth and harriet tubman and toni morrison , john culturing slips of rain. nermeen: maria, your final thoughts? >> frederick douglass and ida b wells, my founding fathers and mothers. that is why we do this. the only thing -- i am trying to stay inspired. i really am.

otherwise, what happens? we just ve to realize that those of us who have this understanding of what democracy looks like got to deepen it. sometimes you can chill, take -- relax, whatever. i understand. but we deepen it. that is why i love being on with you, amy, who i've known for years, and brother west. there is such a humanity here. if joe and kamala can do something, industry try to humanize the brothers and sisters of our dear poet, of amanda, so

those who were not born here like myself. this is our challenge. as i try to tell my students -- i will tell them, there are some days when you cannot be that unifier. don't try it on those days. on the days when you can't have dialogue, yes. at the same time, maybe this isn'a timeor that righnow. give ourselves a little bit of a break al to take critical positive for what we are seeing and to understand finally we are much stronger than we think. we never thought we could make it this far. also, we did not all make it. we did not all make it. for that, very sorry. i am looking at the sun and m credibly hopeful. this review, such a pleasure to be with you. amy: we thank you for being here on ts post inauguration broadcast. maria hinojosa, award-winning journalist, author and professor. and dr. cornel west, professor of the practice of public philosophy at harvard university. 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!]

announcer: on this episode of "earth focus"... we visit oil-rich communities in california's san joaquin valley and along alask's arctic slope, where residents are asking tough questions about the consequences of fossil fuel extraction. it's been the bedrock of their economic livelihoods for decades but is now fracturing communities and threatening the planet. [camera's shutter advancing]