01/27/21 01/27/21 [captioning made possible by democracy now!] amy: from new york, this is democracy now! pres. biden: we need to open a promise to america to every american, and that means we need to make the issue of racial equity not just an issue for any one department of government, it has to be the business of the whole of government. amy: president biden issues four executive orders to promote racial equity from phasing out private federal prisons to combating housg

discrimination we will speak to ash-lee wooda henderson of the highlander center in tennessee. then we go to varshini prakash of the sunrise movement on biden's plans to combat the climate crisis. should he declare a national climate emergency? plus, where have all the vaccines gone? of the 41 million doses handed out in the united states, ly about half have been administered. this comes as states report running out of covid vaccines. >> the confusion around this issue is -- speaks for larger problem, which is what we are inheriting from the prior administration, which is much worse than we could have imagined. amy: all that and more, coming up. welcome to democracy now!, democracynow.org, the quarantine report. i'm amy goodman. the world has recorded over 100

million cases of covid-19. global deaths now top 2.1 million. in the u.s., january is already the deadliest month since the start of the pandemic, with at least 80,000 lives lost. president biden took new steps tuesday to ramp up the rollout of vaccines, including the purchase of 200 million more doses. half will come from moderna, the other half from pfizer-biontech. weekly vaccine supplies to states and tribes will also be increased. officials from the biden administration walked back the president's statement earlier this week that any american who wanted the shot could get it by the spring, instead saying end of summer was a more likely timeline. this is biden speaking tuesday. pres. biden: the brutal truth is, it is going to take months before we get the majority of americans vaccinated. months. in the next few months, masks, not vaccines, are the best

defense against covid-19. amy: the centers for disease control and prevention says schools can safely reopen with precautions in place such as mask-wearing and social distancing, and -- and the cdc says more stringent restrictions we need to be imposed elsewhere in the community, including indoor dining to keep overall infection rates down. in international news, britain has topped 100,000 coronavirus deaths, the world's fifth highest death toll. prime minister boris johnson addressed the nation to mark the grim milestone. >> i am deeply sorry for every life that has been lost. as prime minister, i take full responsibility for everything the government has done. amy: several european countries, including germany, are making medical-grade masks mandatory in some indoor public spaces. france is also recommending medil masks over fabric ones. in the netherlands, nightly riots have shaken towns and cities across the country

following a curfew imposed saturday to st a new wave of infections. police arrested nearly 200 people monday night. local authorities have expanded police authority to counter the riots. canadian officials fined a casino mogul and his wife after they flew to a remote community in the yukon territory in order to cut the line for vaccines. rodney and ekaterina baker received coronavirus vaccines intended for indigenous residents in beaver creek, including elders of the white river first nation after the couple claimed to be staffers at a local motel. back in washington, d.c., all but five senate republicans backed an effort to dismiss donald trump's impeachment trial tuesday, voting in favor of an objection raised by kentucky senator rand paul who argued the trial is unconstitutional since the goal of impeachment is to remove someone from office. senate minority leader mitch

mcconnell also backed rand paul's mood despite accusing trump on the senate floor of provoking the insurrection. although the trial will still go ahead, tuesday's vote could indicate it will end in trump's acquittal. meanwhile, vermont senator patrick leahy was briefly hospitalized after feeling unwell tuesday, hours after he was sworn in to preside over trump's impeachment trial. president biden signed four executive orders tuesday aimed at addressing racial inequities. one order directs the justice department to end its use of private prisons. as a senator, biden authored the 1994 crime bill which intensified mass incarceration, disproportionately targeting black and brown communities, but he expressed regret for his past policies on the campaign trail after intense scrutiny and pressure. immigrant rights advocates are calling on biden to also end the use of private immigration jails.

another executive order directs the department of housing d urban development to "redress racially discriminatory federal housing policies." two other orders commit to respecting and reinforcing tribalovereignty and combating xenoobia against asian americans. we'll have more on biden's orders after headlines with ash-lee woodard henderson, of the highlander research and education center. president biden is also placing racial justice at the center of his plan to combat the climate crisis. he is announcing major actions today including a moratorium on new oil and gas leasing on public lands, moves to cut carbon emissions, and move the country away from dependence on fossil fuels, and investing federal funds in communities of color and other groups most vulnerable to pollution and the effects of the changing climate. we'll have more on biden's climate plan later in the show

with sunrise movement's varshini prakash. in immigration news, a federal judge in texas has temporarily blocked the biden administration's 100-day moratorium on most deportations. u.s. district judge drew tipton ruled to suspend the policy for at least two weeks while a challenge by republican texas attorney general ken paxton is reviewed. paxton's suit argues the moratorium violates immigration law and a legal agreement between texas and the trump administration. judge tipton was appointed by trump last year. the justice department has so far charged over 150 people and identified another 400 as suspects in the january 6 insurrection at the u.s. capitol. at least 19 suspected rioters have been tied to far-right groups, including the proud boys, oath keepers, three percenters, texas freedom force, and the conspiracy group qanon. on tuesday, top u.s. capitol security officials issued an

apology for failings before and during the deadly trump-incited assault, as they appeared before house lawmakers who are investigating the attack. acting u.s. capitol police chief yogananda pittman said -- "by january 4, the department knew that the january 6 event would not be like any of the previous protests held in 2020. we knew that militia groups and white supremacists organizations would be attending. we also knew that some of these participants were intending to bring firearms and other weapons to the event. we knew that there was a strong potential for violence and that congress was the target." pittman became the acting chief of the capitol police her predecessor steven sund resigned following the riot. she's the first african-american and first woman to assume the role. this comes as the commander of the d.c. national guard says the pentagon restricted his

authority before the riot, delaying the deployment of troops after the capitol police chief called asking for help. cnn reports georgia republican congressmember marjorie taylor greene, an open supporter of qanon, repeatedly indicated support for violence against democrats and intelligence agents on facebook in 2018 and 2019 before she ran for congress. in 2019, she liked a comment that said "a bullet to the head would be quicker" to remove house speaker nancy pelosi. in related news, calls are mounting from gun violence prevention groups for greene to resign over posts from 2018 where she promoted harmful conspiracy theories that the school shootings in sandy hook, connecticut, and parkland, florida, were staged. meanwhile, republican senator josh hawley, who backed trump's efforts to overturn the election, defended militia members in an article he wrote as a 15-year old in the wake of the oklahoma city bombing in 1995.

u.n. secretary-general antonio guterres is urging global action against the spread of neo-nazism and white supremacy, which he says has proliferated during the covid-19 pandemic. guterres spoke at the u.n. holocaust remembrance service. today marks the 76th anniversary of the liberation of auschwitz-birkenau. >> anti-semitism continues to blight our world. it is sad but not surprising that the covid-19 pandemic as treated yet ather eption of this poisonous ideology. we can never let down our guard. amy: the u.s. senate confirmed tony blinken as secretary of state tuesday in a 78-22 vote. blinken has said he will prioritize multilateralism and suggested during his confirmation hearing the u.s. is open to re-entering the iran nuclear deal. he has also promised a tougher stance against russia and the continuation of a hardline approach on china and venezuela. in other news from the state department, a spokesperson said it is reviewing the designation

of yemen's houthi rebels by the trump administration as a terrorist group. on monday, the treasury department said it was authorizing financial transactions with the houthis for the next month after aid groups and the u.n. warned the move would cut off yemenis from much needed aid and essential transactions. richard mills, the acting u.s. ambassador to the united nations, said the biden administration will restore diplomatic relations with the palestinian authority and resume aid to palestinians that was cut off during the trump presidency. mills also said the u.s. would continue to support a two-state solution, though many progressive regional experts oppose the strategy, saying it is no longer viable. in related news, palestinian president mahmoud abbas announced earlier this month parliamentary and presidential elections will be held this year -- the first elections in the occupied territories in 15 years. analysts say the move is an overture to the new biden administration. in other news from the region, israeli forces shot dead another

palestinian teenager, 17-year-old atallah rayyan, at a military post near a jewish settlement in the occupied west bank. israelis accuse the teen of trying to attack the soldiers. a political crisis in italy is deepening after prime minister giuseppe conte resigned tuesday, following weeks of government turmoil. the resignation followed a dispute among the governing coalition over conte's handling of the pandemic and over eu coronavirus recovery funds. conte is expected to try to remain as leader by forming a new coalition. but if those efforts fail, italy could be headed towards snap elections amid a devastating second wave the pandemic. and mexican authorities have launched an investigation after 19 bodies were found shot and burned over the weekend in a town near the u.s.-mexico border. relatives of asylum seekers from guatemala say they believe 13 of

the dead could be their loved ones and includes teenagers who were trying to reach the united states. and those are some of the headlines. this is democracy now!, democracynow.org, the quarantine report. i'm amy goodman in new york joined by my co-host juan gonzález in new brunswick, new jersey. hi, juan. juan: hi, amy. welcome to all of our listeners and viewers from around the country and around the world. amy: after winning office with massive support from people of color, president joe biden moved tuesday to advance what the white house calls his racial equity agenda. pres. biden: open the promise of america to every american, and that means we need to make the issue of racial equity not just an issue for anyone department of government, it has to be the business of the whole of government. amy: biden opened his speech by invoking the legacy of george floyd, the african-american man whose death under the knee of a

white minneapolis police officer prompted nationwide protests against racism. he announced four executive actions. pres. biden: today i'm directing the department of housing and urban affairs and development to redress the stroke arrest is a and housing policies. today i'm directing the federal agency to reinvigorate the consultation process with indian tribes. respect the trouble sovereignty would be a cornerstone in engaging with native american committees. today i'm directing the federal agency to combat resurgence of xenophobia, particularly against asian americans and pacific islanders that we have seen skyrocket during this pandemic. i have also asked the department of health and human services to put out best practice for preventing city phobia in our national response to covid. -- xenophobia in our national

response to covid. abolish the 1776 unity and healing must begin with understanding and truth, not ignorance and lies. amy: many civil rights groups welcomed biden's executive orders. alicia garza of black to the future action fund called the orders "a floor to set and not the ceiling." biden expressed regret for his past policies on the campaign trail after intense scrutiny and pressure. on tuesday, biden also ordered the justice department to halt its use of private prisons. pres. biden: the executive order directs the attorney general to root -- declined to renew contracts, step we started to take at the end of the obama

administration and was reversed under the previous administration. this is the first step to stop corporations from profiting from incarceration that is less humane and less safe as the studies show. it is the beginning to address this in the kernel justice system. amy: the order will impact about 9% of the federal prison population. president biden made no mention of ending contacts with privately-run immigrant prisons that jail the majority of people for immigration and customs enforcement. some criminal justice activists argue private prisons have contributed to an increase in incarceration rates, while leading prison abolition scholar ruth wilson gilmore writes that focusing on private prisons is how "the new 'new realists' achieve their dominance by defining the problem as narrowly as possible in order to produce solutions that on closer examination will change little." biden's push to advance a racial equity agenda comes as covid has

devastated communities of color. it will be led by domestic policy council director susan rice, former u.n. ambassador and obama-era national security advisor. she also spoke tuesday. >> americans of color are being infected by an dying from covid-19 at higher rates. one in 10 black americans and one in 11 latino workers are currently unemployed. by some estimates, 40% of black owned businesses have been forced to close for good during the covid crisis. black and latino families with children are twice as likely to be experiencing food insecurity during the pandemic as white families. and black and latino americans are 2.8 times more likely to die of covid-19. amy: all of this comes as the biden administration has vowed to treat white supremacist violence as a national security threat.

for more, we are joined by ash-lee woodard henderson, co-executive director of the highlander research and education center, which has long pursued a racial equity agenda. it was founded in 1932 to provide education and support to poor and working people fighting economic injustice, poverty, prejudice, and environmental destruction. many civil rights activists passed through highlander's grounds, including rosa parks, martin luther king, jr., and stokely carmichael. in 2019, one of the highlander center's buildings was destroyed in a fire that was investigated as a possible arson and hate crime after a white power symbol was found spray painted in the center's parking lot. the symbol is frequently used by white power groups and was painted on one of the guns used by the mosque shooter in christchurch, new zealand, a month earlier. ash-lee woodard henderson is an organizer for that movement of

black lives in the front line. welcome back to democracy now! if you can start off by @@responding to these racial equity agenda that president biden has put forth in the midst of this investigation into the worst white supremacist violence at the capitol now? >> absolutely. thank you for welcoming me back most of good to see you all. i think as my sister said, this is a step forward, a progressive ep and we are grateful. but i want to start before the executive order to talk a little about how we got here. although joe biden is using his executive power to make this next shift, to take the step toward racial equity, he is not just doing it because he is a good person. he is doing it because everyday people like many of the folks watching this show got -- making

demands for generations around racial equity since even being in the position of president of the united states is due to the fact that those of us who are part of the largest social movement in u.s. history not only put our feet to the payment, but also put our feet to the pavement to make sure that we can win the presidential election and get rid of trump up and down the ballot. so this is not because of his good graces, this is because the movement made it possible that racial equity is something that is prioritized in the executive branch of our government. these executive orders, that is a step in the right direction but they absolutely do not meet the demands of our movement. it is just a step forward, not a ceiling. the brutality and racism of prisons in this country are clearly recorded. just getting rid of this one piece of the prison industrial complex is not going to stop the brutality and the militarization

of our community. it is time to stop this punishment bureaucracy that has been encouraged by our government. it is tearing our families and community support. this is a step forward but as our comrades and folks fighting against police and militarism, we know this is just a step in that direction. the housing executive order, critical, right? an important step but this country is experiencing unprecedented housing crisis. where black women in particular are most likely to lose their homes during stay-at-home orders across the nation. we know according to the data, black women are twice as likely to be behind the rate because of white people because of the economic conditions they have inherited in this country and historically have faced eviction at twice the rate of white people in at least 17 states in

our country. a nationwide eviction moratorium was necessary. this executive order is necessary. but we need to see cancellation of range across this country. we need to see the cancellation of student debt. we need to see defunding a policing whether that is federal police, capitol police, whether that is ice and border patrol. we are talking about all of it. we are demanding what we deserve , not just what we concede to. we are excited to see these first steps is something to celebrate because movement made a possible, it is a people's victory. but we need to continue to put pressure, political pressure, on the powers both in the executive branch but also in the new congress, the legislative branch, to say we deserve even more. we need even more from them. we expect them to be trade-ins of our demands because they're so much more to do. we need to pass the agenda.

we did the past the green new deal and see a real transformed country -- we need to pass the green nedeal and see a real transformed country. one coat in an aspect of the executive orders of the president, this requirement that every federal agency produced within 100 days a report on what their particular agency can do to advance equity, racial equity across the country. i am thinking this especially in terms of systemic change, if that is possible under a biden administration -- and people question that -- in terms of systemic change, and thinking of agencies like the agricultural department, energy department, small business administration, even the securities and exchange commission -- agencies that normally don't get much attention in terms of racial equity, now they're going to

have to examine and produce a report within 100 days of what could be done to advance it. do you see the potential for the movement to begin putting pressure on these agencies in terms of the kinds of reports they are going to produce? >> absolutely. i think we also need to be real report does not immediately promise equity. equity is a doing thing. just creating space for more access, for more conversation does not necessarily mean we will get the kind of equity we have been demanding. who is representing our people in the conversation, what are they demanding of those departments come and how is that translating from reports into direct policy changes? that is the hesitancy that a lot of people across this country and across the world have is that we don't just want to investigate and ask questions, we also want to see actionable

policy change. not only that, we want to see people in elected and appointed positions be held accountable to implementation of the recommendations that come from those bodies and those reports. if we don't see a level of accountability -- actual implementation of policy change, then we will have more information about the disproportionate impact of discrimination and systemic oppression in this country through different departments and aas in our communities, but we won't be the transformation of those conditions. i think that is the great hesitancy, which is why i get it is critically important are movements are laid back and assume we can take a break and accept this new administration is in and they will save us. we're not voting to elect saviors, or voting to control conditions and elect our next target to push for the most transformational change we can

get. i think that will be our responsibility to pay attention to what comes out of these reports to take the next step of actualizing what transformative policy can be in practice. juan: the issue of the president saying the justice department should cease using private facilities for criminal detainees but not necessarily for civil detainees -- which would include most of those on immigration charges. your sense of what can be done to increase the pssure on the president to end the private use of detention facilities for immigration purposes? >> i think it is why we need a multiracial, multisector working-class-rooted united front that really came together to fight to get the 4h president of the united states out of office and usher in a new administration even more

important to continue to put pressure across our issue areas around this. people think about immigration reform as a single sector, single silo issue would actually it is connected to the fight for racial justice, the pfeiffer -- connected to the fight for all of our people have liberation. we need to be following the leadership of united we dream and so many other credible immigrant rights organizations. we think about these incredible immigrant justice organizations that are at the forefront of this frontline for immigration justice, recognize we are talking about the crisis of the new jim crow and mass incarceration, talking about policing and militarization, talking about immigrant justice that these fights are intimately

connected. and we will all be in this fight demanding all of these things together, right? we are a movement big enough and until all of us are free, none of us are free. we will be fighting to make sure -- the movement for black last talks about defunding police, we're talking about all police, including ice and customs and border patrol. when we talk about abolishing prisons, we're talking about all of them, including detention centers. we talk about black lives matter, all black lives, including those of our people that are in this country without papers. amy: we're talking to you in chattanooga, tennessee. in 2019, 1 of the buildings was destroyed in a fire. authorities investigated the incident as a possible arson and hate crime after a white power symbol was found spray painted in the parking lot. the symbol is frequently used by white power groups painted on one of the guns used by the mosque shooter in christchurch, new zealand, a month earlier.

i was wondering if you could talk about how that was dealt with and what you're seeing right now in washington, d.c., with republicans who decried the black lives matter protests with the hundreds of black lives matter activists that were arrested -- nowhere new that number has been arrested the january 6 attack on the capitol, the confederate flag brought into the capitol, the ransacking of offices. if you can talk about both? >> this is an important critical question, amy, so thank you. this is the first thought i had on january 6 was, well, i wish folks i listened to us. again, this arson at the highlander center happened in 2019 before we were in the

throes of the electoral cycle. this was at a time where black churches all across the south were being set on fire by white supremacists. this was not an attack in isolation. mosques and synagogues were being attacked by white supremacists. this is not an isolated issue. we had been screaming to the rafters we were the canary in the coal mine, that white supremacist violence was increasing, that we were seeing organizations building power related to white supremacy and white nationalism. not just in the south. i think of our colleagues and political research associates in the midwest and the pacific northwest who have been saying that white people -- folks that were proponents of right-wing populism were looking for places of belonging and they were

creating them or joining organizations like the proud boys, three percenters. we have been saying this for a very long time. so when charlottesville happened and then the attack on highlander happened and then the bombing in nashville on christmas day, it felt like an escalation was happening. that we could see on social media clear as day folks were planning to go to this protest in d.c. on the sixth, that we could be -- the federal government and folks literally paid to pay attention to the harm were not at the helm to ensure it did not happen was quite frustrating. to compare what happened in january 6 to what happened to us in march 2019, we have not heard anything about the investigation or got any more questions about what happened to us from the investigative body since august

2019. so my expectation for a thorough investigation of this are only optimistic because of the power of our movement to demand it. if we leave it to the powers that be to do the right thing, i fear similarly to the highlander investigation, this will just carry on and on with no conclusion. i think it is critical the demands of the frontline be executed, that donald trump actually see his day in front of the senate and they the impeachment process. we demand the expulsion of each member of congress who fan the flames of white and massive premises violence and voted against the certification of the election results. and that we transform this

country by investing in our community, healthy and sustainable equitable community as opposed institutions and pocies that harm people on our planet. amy: ash-lee woodard henderson, thank you for being with us, coexecutive director of the highlander research and education center. organizer with the movement for black lives and the frontline, speaking to us from chattanooga, tennessee. next up, today is climate day at the white house. a number of executive orders are being signed. we will speak to varshini prakash of the sunrise movement. stay with us. ♪♪ [music break]

amy: this is democracy now!, democracynow.org, the quarantine report. i'm amy goodman with juan gonzalez. today is climate day at the white house. president biden is signing new executive orders to suspend new oil and gas leasing on federal property, reestablish a white house counsel assigns advisors,

and set a goal to protect 30% of federal land and water by 2030. biden is also expected to announce a number of initiatives prioritizing environmental justice and directing federal agencies to invest more in communities of color heavily impacted by pollution and the climate crisis. this all comes a week after biden used his inaugural address to declare the climate crisis to be one of the core issues facing the nation. mr. biden: this is a time of testing. we face an attack on democracy entry, a raging virus, growing in equity, the sting of systemic racism, a climate in crisis. america's -- anyone of these would be enough to challenge us in profound ways, but the fact is, we face them all at once, presenting this nation with one of the gravest responsibilities we have had. now we are going to be tested.

are we going to step up? amy: on his first day in office, biden signed executive orders to have the united states rejoin the paris climate agreement. he also 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's new climate envoy john kerry says every agency in the government will be tasked with addressing the climate crisis. >> it is our firm conviction throughout all of our administration come every agency is now part of our clima team and only together are we going to be able to build resign let's just resilience to climate change that can meet our moral obligation for future generations into those currently living in very difficult circumstances. amy: on tuesday, newly sworn in treasury secretary janet yellen wrote a letter to employees at the agency, saying -- "i believe economic policy can be a potent tool to improve society.

we can -- and should -- use it to address inequality, racism, and climate change." to talk more about the biden agenda and the response to the climate crisis, we are joined by varshini prakash, co-founder and executive director of the sunrise movement, co-author of the new anthology "the new possible: visions of our world beyond crisis." you have already led the movement, pressuring the biden-harris administration from the first day, from a 4 -- i mean, hundreds of sunrise movement members were arrested two years ago, more have been arrested at the capital for the insurrection, demanding a green new deal. do you think these executive orders meet that threshold? >> well, it is going to be here. thank you for having me on again. i say i think i know joe biden is off to good start. what he put into motion and

he is been -- the narrative he is been sharing the last because been in line with w campaign promises. stopping the keystone xl pipeline. i believe you should go further and stop the dakota access pipeline in the line three pipeline in minnesota which has -- where sites of great indigenous resistance. the plan of creating a civilian climate core whi would essentially employ young people and people in disadvantaged communities to do the critical work of stopping the climate crisis. this something that sunrise and many other organizations champion for an push for. i think this is a great sta. what i would say is the issue of the climate crisis is such that in large part, most of what science has do is set into motion the policies and programs that were needed to reverse the

damage that has been done over the last four years of trump being in office. but the truth is, we created sunrise in the aftermath of the obama administration when we perceived a climate in crisis and we were hurtling toward catastrophe. this is just the beginning. we're going to need to see a lot more from joe biden at the executive level and directing every branch of the federal government to action, but we're also going to need to see him working actively to organize his congressional colleagues to pass what we need to be the greatest sort of green jobs and infrastructure recovery plan that this country has seen to reboot this country to invest in environmental and climate justice to bring racial equity to this untry. unless he's able to deliver on his build back better plan that myself and others contributedo

and he ran on in large part because the movement pressured him to, i don't think we're going to be nearly as close to combating the climate crisis as we need to be. juan: what is the significance of the president elevating the climate crisis to a national secured priority? what about the issue of him declaring outright a climate emergency, as many other countries around t world have done and even set majority leader chuck schumer recentl urged him to explore? >> well, we are in an emergency. we are under teat. we are at a life-changing civilization altering moment in humanity's history. we have faced great existential threat before as a nation, whether it was combating the great depression, world war ii,

whatever it was, we have risen to those moments but it has takenoth organized people and organized politicians and power working in concert to make it happen. so i think for the president to convey to the nation that this is a serious threat, even though we are seeing rising disasters and even though we are seeing a rising movement, number of americans still do not perceive the climate crisis to be a top threat in the united states. and to have the president declare that we are in a climate emergency i think would say a lot and also open some of to being able to use greater executive authority with the risk does cannot pass the level of policy that we ultimately need. i don't think that negates the need to pressure congress and in

particular, i think we have to focus on a couple of things. one, i think joe biden is to champion this issue, the issue of chronic crisis and is build back better plant in the american public and not behind closed door conversations with republican obstructionist like mitch mcconnell or democratic ones like joe mansion. i think it is a time for him to bring the vision of his bill back better plan of a green new deal, of a recovery agenda that promotes racial and economic justice to the american people. build popular support around it and challenge these obstructionists who stand in the way of tens of millions of good, high-paying, unionized jobs come of guaranteeing every american in this country the right to clean air and clean water. i think that is step one. step two is ensuring he is also

championing the ability to get rid of some of these things like the filibuster, which essentially allowed for minority rule under this country and completely impeded america's capacity to govern and legislate and pass the policies that a majority of americans that a majority of senators have also supported. we need democracy reform. we need to ensure the americans who support a pro climate agenda have the ability to elect representatives that represent their views and positions on these issues. those are all part and parcel, not separate from the issue of addressing the climate crisis. in essence, we will need to pass dozens of pieces of policy over the next decades to come to combat this huge issue. juan: what is your concern in

terms of the current makeup of congress? i am thinking specifically of senator joe manchin of west virginia who clearly has was repeatedly his opposition to lots of attempts to go away from fossil fuels and he obviously must evenly divided senate as extraordinary power now? what you think of the hopes for the movement to be able to pressure the senate on these issues? >> we have to go for broke in this moment. i think now ishe time to pressure democrats and republicans alike. also senators who are up for reelection in 2022. i think we need to be in the streets to the extent that is safe and possible. we need to be making calls to these congresspeople, writing up and letters to the editors. the only reason joe biden and

chuck schumer are prioritizing climate in this moment is because the movement made them do so. two or three years ago, the climate crisis and climate justice was thought of as a political loser. nobody wanted to touch it with in 100 foot pole. it was like a shameful secret. that is not true anymore. it is becae we agitated d organized and seeing a lot of people in this moment -- attempting to make the same mistake that we made when obama got into office send we have in, now we can sit back. that is a huge danger. we have to keep up the pressure on people like joe manchin and a number of others.

in addition to that, i think it is time for joe biden to show -- to cash in on the relationships he finds to have made over the last decades in office. enter bring the caucus fully along because ultimately, we can abolish the filibuster, we can pass a lot of policy. amy: so the comparisons between how you will have dealt with these peaceful protests you've had at the capitol, what, hundreds of you were arrested in 2018, to what happened at the capitol -- interestingly, the first african-american chief of capitol police did admit she is now -- he is now the head of it because the one during the insurrection had to resign -- that they knew these does is protest on january 6 will be nothing like dancing in the

past. that people had guns, they were white supremacists, understood they would be violt. and yet peaceful protesters like you who are the ones who have gotten arrested in the capital. >> absolutely. it was incredible to be reminded of the uprisings from last summer and the images -- frankly, traumatic images i saw of women being beaten or being arrested are members of my own movement and organization who are trapped abridges in new york , hundreds of people trapped on bridges and teargassed. i'm not saying people deserve that kind of treatment. i think what i am saying is there was clearly a double standard in the seriousness. i think what we have got to be prepared for as a movement is to

understand that white, that nationalism, that hate and division existed long, long before donald trump and will continue to exist after donald trump. we cannot make the mistake of believing that white supremacy was from the trump administration. i'm sick a lot of people with we have just come off martin's working day. the on thing that can contest with rising escalated violence is rising escalated peaceful loving nonviolence and community action. we have to join with our movement come the movement for black lives, movements against gun violence, etc., alongside the climate movement. amy: bite has issued an executive order against the

keystone xl pipeline but not against the dakota access pipeline, one of those epic struggles the took place to shut it down led by the standing rock sioux. they are demanding that it be shut down now. your thoughts? >> he has to. there is precede for doing so. obama stopped it. it was an unparalleled global indigenous persistence -- resistance. the water protectors, one of the most incredible, inspiring things i've seen in my life. pipelines like the langtry pipeline, which is been facing enormous indigenous and rural resistance in minnesota. amy: varshini prakash, thank you for being with us co-founder and , executive director of the sunrise movement. when we come back, where have all the vaccines gone? stay with us. ♪♪ [music break]

amy: this is democracy now! i'm amy goodman with juan gonzalez. january has become the deadliest month of the pandemic so far with at least 80,000 deaths in the united states and the month is not over. the united states has about 1/5 of the deaths and infections in the world. on tuesday, president biden announced plans to acquire

another 200 million doses of covid-19 vaccines with a goal of vaccinating most people in the country by summer. but the biden white house is facing a crisis after the trump administration left no plan for distributing vaccines. in addition, millions of vaccine dosages have apparently gone missing? "the daily beast" reports 41 million doses have been handed out to states, but less than 22 million have been administered. this is based on data from the centers for disease control. meanwhile, many states report running out of vaccines. white house press secretary jen psaki addressed the issue on tuesday. >> our team is working right now. we have been here for five days to evaluate the supply so we can release the maximum amount while also ensuring everyone can get the second dose on the recommended schedule. the confusion around the issue, which we acknowledge there is confusion, speaks to a larger problem -- which is what we are inheriting from the prior

administration, which is much worse than we could've imagined. we are assessing now what we have access to and ensuring we have more of the rapid engagement with stes so they have more of a heads-up on what to expect in the weeks ahead. amy: we are joined now by "daily beast" report erin banco. her latest piece is titled "millions of vaccine doses are m.i.a. -- and feds aren't sure why." this is an astounding story. it is not that the u.s. does not have enough vaccines, we're talking about 20 million vaccines you have in new york city, canceling of appointments by various hospitals and other places because they just don't have the vaccines -- that is just one city in this country. where have all the vaccines gone? >> take you for having me. this is an incredible moment we are in right now. the biden team has been working overtime the last several days to try to figure out why states are reporting shortages while

also reporting vaccination rates are quite low. the cdc's federal tracker, vaccine tracker, says about 40 million doses of the covid-19 vaccine have been distributed to states, but as you pointed out, only about 20 million of those doses have been administered. that is a huge gap. some may be attributed to states holding second dose reserves, doses that are being allocated were earmarked for the federal long-term care facilities vaccination program. but apart from those anecdotes of reserve holding and long-term care facility program, states are telling federal officials they believe millions of doses are sort of lost in the distribution system. whether they be in warehouses or refrigerators and big distribution hubs.

what the biden team is trying to do now is due an accounting exercise to figure out where these vaccine doses are located, whether they are still good, expired, or they can be put in people's arms, and how to get them to where they need to be going. now, states are saying we have shortages. a couple of state officials and it a past few days have said the demand for the vaccine spiked in recent weeks. they scheduled tens of thousands of appointments, and they physically do not have enough supply to fill the demand. the federal government's problem is, well, you still have vaccine doses out there according to our data so where are these doses? juan: erin, what about the potential for an already existing black-market? i becoming increasingly convinced this will become one of the biggest scandals of this

entire pandemic is the distribution of these vaccine because, clearly, there is a market for these vaccines out there and people were wealthy enough or have the connections can potentially feed a black-mark. are there any indications that has already happened? there are clearly indications with those who have received vaccines -- i know personal examples of people who have exaggerated their underlying conditions in order to get to the front of the line, situations of abusing the essential worker designation in order to get to the front of the line. but of the missing vaccines, do you see any indications of siphoning off supplies and legally? >> i do not have any anecdotal or concrete evidence that these vaccines are being "stolen" or there is a black-market that exists, but i think you're

right. i personally have been hearing a lot of stories about residence in new york who are calling into jersey city vaccination centers saying -- inflating the comorbidity statusnd getting across state lines to get vaccines. other instances out west were wealthy hospital donors are jumping the line to get the vaccine. but i think what this all tells us is a couple of ago, the trump administration in line with the biden team, transition team, decided to widen the pool of who could qualify to get this vaccine. part of the fear the trump administration was that the vaccine rates were superlow and they were afraid of slow uptake. as a way to remedy that, they decided to widen the will of who could sign up and get the vaccine. that almost work too well because we are at a point now where demand is superhigh in a

lot of states. states simply don't have the infrastructure and the staff or the ability to administer those doses quickly. they're also sang we have ortages. so i think the black-market issue is less apparent right now . i think what is really happening on a state level is basic accounting problems for where these vaccines have gone. the question is, why can't we get these into people's arms quickly? you know, it is a supply chain issue. there are different problems at every step of the supply chain. those problems look different from state to state. so for the federal government, the question is, how to get our hands around this problem and how we come up with the national plan that encapsulateall these different anecdotal issues that we are hearing about across the country? juan: what about this tracking

system that the federal government has? in a world where google knows exactly where every individual is based on their smartphone and their gps, what is the tracking system the federal government is using? is it relying on the stateonce the doses are delivered to let them know what has happened, or is it continuing to track the vaccine shipments? >> i think this is one of the biggest stories right now, sort of an underreported issue, the lack of concrete reliable, comprehensive data at the federal government level. so the way the federal government tracks vaccine distribution, they rely on a slew of different streams of data, including -- amy: we have 22nd. >> data from the pentagon tracking system. their lack of reporting and the data that they're looking at is

just not reliable enough to understand what the issue is. that is what they're working on now, how do we get better data so we can diagnose the issue. amy: erin banco, thank you for being with us. we will link to your piece "millions of v■÷???■í7ñs■3có■

♪ thank you for joining us. from our studio in tokyo, this is nhk "newsline." japan's prime minister suga yoshihide and u.s. president joe biden have agreed to work closely together to further strengthen their country's alliance and realize a free and open endo-pacific. suga and biden spoke on the phone for about half an hour on thursday