[captioning made possible by democracy now!] ♪ amy: from new york, this is democracy now! >> when i heard about the decision, i was very happy about it. we hope the decision is true. bring justice for the children who were killed in the wars. amy: the international criminal

court has ruled it has the authority to investigate alleged israeli war crimes in the palestinian territories. israel and the united states have criticized the decision. we will go to gaza to speak with leading human rights attorney raji sourani. then democrats are pushing forward on a $1.9 trillion covid stimulus package as the united states faces a staggering economic crisis. president biden: 4 million people have been out of work for six months or longer and 2.5 million women have been driven from the workforce. amy: we will speak to c. nicole mason of the institute for women's policy research on what she has dubbed the she-cession due to the pandemic's devastating impact on women. setting them back decades. all that and more coming up. welcome to democracy now!, democracynow.org, the quarantine report. i'm amy goodn.

democrats are moving forward with legislation for president biden's $1.9 trillion coronavirus relief package after both the house and senate advanced a budget resolution friday allowing them to bypass republican approval. over 50 house democrats signed a letter friday urging biden to reject a push by conservative and centrist democrats to lower the income elibility from $75,000 to $50,000 -- or double those amounts for couples -- in order to receive a direct payment of $1,400. meanwhile, democrats are unveiling a bill to provide payments of $3,000 to $3,600 per child as part of the stimulus package. the amount of assistance would decrease for people with higher incomes. this comes as the white house says the pentagon will deploy over 1,000 active duty troops to assist in the vaccination rollout with the possibility of more troops eventually joining the effort. the biden administration is also

invoking the defense production act to increase supplies of vaccines, tests, and protective equipment. on sunday, as the u.s. death toll from covid-19 neared 463,000, millions of americans gathered for super bowl watch parties, raising fears of a fresh surge in cases. more than 25,000 fans attended the super bowl in-person in tampa, florida. after the hometown buccaneers won, thousands of revelers flouted public health measures and packed the streets in celebration. south africa has halted plans to roll out the oxford-astrazeneca vaccine after it showed minimal efficacy in preventing mild and moderate covid-19 in people infected by the dominant coronavirus variant, which has been overwhelming south africa's health system. meanwhile, the british

government moved to reassure the public that the oxford-astrazeneca vaccine prevents death and severe illness and is effective against the variant that has come to dominate cases in the u.k. the u.s. center for disease control has identified nearly 700 u.s. infections from varian first reported the u.k., south africa, and brazil that may have evolved to infect people more rapidly or re-infect people with covid-19. the wyoming republican party voted to censure congressmember liz cheney, the third highest-ranking republican in the house, over her vote to impeach former president trump for inciting the january 6th insurrection at the u.s. capitol. it follows a similar move by arizona republicans, who passed resolutions in january censuring governor doug ducey, former senator jeff flake, and cindy mccain, john mccain's widow, for opposing or defying trump. meanwhile, oregon republicans

passed a resolution in january condemning the 10 republican congressmembers who voted to impeach trump, calling the insurrection a "false flag" operation. trump's second impeachment trial begins tomorrow. in new york, a judge ruled friday republican trump ally claudia tenney won her house race against democrat anthony brindisi, claiming the last open house seat. tenney regained the seat, which she lost in 2018, with a margin of just 109 votes. the brindisi campaign signaled they may challenge the results. democrats have 221 seats while republicans have 112 seats now with tenney's win. in burma, police fired water cannons on peaceful protesters in yangon as mass demonstrations continued today for the third straight day, opposing the military coup that deposed de facto leader aung san suu kyi

one week ago. >> we cannot just let the military win. citizens have shown up on the streets to show that we are against military dictatorship. amy: authorities shut down the internet for part of the weekend as fears mount of a harsh military crackdown on protesters. in india, farmworkers blockaded roads across the country as they continue a historic mass protest against prime minister narendra modi's reforms that seek to deregulate agricultural markets. tractors, trucks, and tents blocked traffic for several hours saturday as the u.n. urged authorities to respect the right to peaceful assembly. in northern india, at least 14 people were confirmed dead, and over missing and feared dead, 150 after part of a glacier broke off in the himalayas, triggering a flood of water, rock, and mud that collapsed a hydroelectric dam. himalayan glaciers are rapidly melting due to global heating. environmental groups have warned against building power projects in the area, which is vulnerable

to landslides and flooding. in ecuador, leftist economist andres arauz won the first round of the country's presidential election sunday, marking a possible return to a socialist government. >> we have received an overwhelming vote from different parts of our country. as i said earlier, it is a victory representative of the entire national territory. amy: 36-year-old arauz is a protege of former president rafael correa and vowed to end years of austerity and pro-open market policies of president lenin moreno. votes are still being tallied to determine whether arauz will run-off against conservative banker guillermo lasso or indigenous environmental activist yaku perez. warning to our audience, this next headline contains disturbing images of police violence. in chile, hundreds of protesters took to the streets friday in response to the police killing of a street juggler in the

southern city of panguipulli. demonstrators set 10 public offices on fire, including the municipal government building. the street performer, francisco martinez, had reportedly refused to comply with police orders to show his i.d. before they fatally shot him. martinez was unarmed and was carrying only his juggling props. his loved ones paid tribute to martinez and called for an end to police brutality at a gathering saturday. >> i don't want any more madness. i don't want any more murder. i don't want young people to continue to be killed and to go without justice. many young people have been murdered and raped, and there is no justice. amy: protests over the killing also broke out in the capital santiago as nationwide demands for police reform continue. in haiti, protests against the

u.s.-backed regime have been ongoing for months. fears mount of a worsening political crisis in haiti if he refuses to step down. opponents of his government safe his presidential term ended sunday, but he has already said he will not step down, arguing his term does not end until next year. president biden said the u.s. will not remove sanctions on iran until it complies with the terms of the 2015 nuclear deal. the u.s. under trump unilaterally withdrew from the deal in 2018 despite widespread international opposition. iran has since resumed enriching uranium, but maintains its nuclear program is for peaceful purposes. iran's supreme leader ayatollah ali khamenei says the u.s. must first return to the agreement and has lost its right to set any conditions on the deal's parties. egyptian authorities have released al jazeera journalist mahmoud hussein, who spent over four years in prison without

trial on charges o"publishing false information and belonging to a banned group." after his arrest, egypt banned al jazeera's website and other news outlets critical of authoritarian president abdel fattah al-sisi. reporters without borders describes egypt as one of the world's biggest jailers of journalists, with widespread arbitrary detentions, mass trials, and even life imprisonment for some reporters. israeli prime minister benjamin netanyahu pleaded not guilty to charges of bribery and fraud before abruptly walking out of the courtroom where hearings for his corruption trial are taking place. this comes just weeks ahead of new elections in israel, thes. fourth in two years, and amid ongoing protests against netanyahu in israel. meanwhile, the international criminal court ruled friday it has jurisdiction over the occupied palestinian territories, clearing the way for investigations into israeli crimes in gaza and the west bank. we'll have more on this after headlines.

we will speak with the world-renowned attorney raji. the biden administration said friday it will remove yemen's houthi rebels from the government's list of terror groups, reversing a last-minute move by the trump administration, which yemenis and international aid groups warned would only worsen the world's worst humanitarian catastrophe. the news came one day after president biden pledd to end u.s. sport for the saudi-led war in yemen. in immigration news, the biden administration suspended so-called safe third country agreements with guatemala, el salvador, and honduras. the widely condemned trump-era policies allowed the government to expel asylum seekers from the u.s.-mexico border to first seek asylum in one of the central american nations. in other immigration news, the intercept reports immigration and customs enforcement agents at the pine prairie i.c.e. processing center in louisiana threatened to expose a group of cameroonian asylum seekers to

covid-19 if they did not submit to deportation. the asylum seekers were scheduled to be deported last week, but their flight was canceled at the last minute amid new allegations of i.c.e. torturing people into signing deportation orders. [no audio]

[no audio] amy: contact the national suicide prevention lifeline by calling 1-800-273-8255. that's 1-800-273-talk. in labor news, some 6,000 amazon workers in alabama begin voting today on whether to unionize in what could become the first successful union drive at a u.s.

amazon warehouse. workers are demanding stronger covid safety measures and relief from impossibly high productivity standards that leave many unable to take bathroom breaks. organizers report employees were required to attend anti-union captive audience meetings and have been bombarded with text messages promoting amazon's anti-union website. workers will be able to cast ballots by mail through the end of march, when votes will be counted. philadelphia teachers worried about catching covid-19 in the classroom won a victory the city sunday. had previously threatened to discipline teachers who did not comply with orders to return to classrooms today to prep for in-person classes which are set to resume later this month. the philadelphia federation of teachers president jerry jordan said, "other than sheer cruelty and a callous disregard for the lives of educators and school staff, i can't think of another reason to push forward with a reckless plan to reopen unsafe buildings."

meanwhile, the chicago teachers union -- supposed to return to in person learning. striking over coronavirus safety concerns. similar tentative agreement over the weekend. school closures, a national emergency. and virginia is poised to abolish the death penalty after lawmakers voted last week to ban executions. governor ralph northam has vowed to sign the bill, which would make virginia the 23rd state and the first southern state to do away with capital punishment. separately, virginia's legislature also voted friday to

legalize marijuana, again the first southern state to do so, with retail sales expected to start in 2024. and those are some of the headlines. this is democracy now!, democracynow.org, the quarantine report. when we come back, the international criminal court has ruled it has the authority to investigate alleged israeli war crimes in the palestinian territories. we will go to gaza. stay with us.

amy: this is democracy now!, democracynow.org, the quarantine report. i'm amy goodman. the international criminal court has ruled it has the authority to investigate alleged israeli war crimes in the palestinian territories. israel and the united states criticized the decision. israel is not a member of the icc, but the palestinians joined the court in 2015. israel has argued that the court has no jurisdiction over the occupied territories because palestine is not an independent state, but the icc judges have rejected that argument. the ruling comes two years after the icc's chief prosecutor found that "war crimes have been or are being committed in the west bank, including east jerusalem, and the gaza strip." on saturday, palestinian foreign minister riyad al-maliki

welcomed the icc's decision. >> israel has always been treated above the law. there is no responsibility when it comes to israel. now, no one, including the u.s., can provide protection to israel. usually when we go to the security council, the united states of america is usually the one who shields israel and prevents us from getting whatever sanctions are needed against israel. today, the united states of america cannot do anything, and as a result israel has to be treated as a war criminal. amy: israeli prime minister benjamin netanyahu blasted the international criminal court, accusing it of engaging in quote "pure anti-semitism." meanwhile the biden administration said it had "serious concerns" with the icc's ruling. the court's decision could also

result in war crimes probes targeting hamas and other palestinian factions. part of the icc's probe is expected to look at israel's 2014 assault on gaza which 2,100 pellet to signs -- palestinians died. gaza resident tawfiq abu jama lost 24 members of his extended family in the assault. >> when i heard about the decision, i was very happy about it. we will be able to take the occupation to trial. we hope the decision is true and hope for justice for the children who were killed. amy: we go n to gaza city where we are joined by raji sourani, award-winning human rights lawyer and director of the palestinian center for human rights in gaza. past winner of the robert f. kennedy human rights award and the right livelihood award. welcome to democracy now!

it is great to have you with us. can you start by responding to the international criminal court's decision? raji: it is a decision that made history. for victims across the globe. with this decision, we can ensure -- the icc restored. due to trump executive order, so now icc can function independently and working to the investigation a task. amy: what will this mean for israel, the idf, and palestinians?

raji: for the first time ever in history, it will be in the most important court on earth, charged th war crimes, crimes against humanity. it will be held accountable. in five cases, one the blockade on the gaza strip, and the second on the settlement policies. three on the offensive on the gaza strip 2014. israel will face charges, and it should be held accountable. amy: on saturday, prime minister benjamin netanyahu denounced the international criminal court's decision. >> when the icc investigates

israel for fake war crimes, the court established to prevent atrocities like the nazi holocaust against jerusalem is now targeting the one state of the jewish people. amy: he walked out of his own corruption trial. your response. raji: it is not political. what we wanted as the representative of palestinian victims, the rule of law. we do not want political courts. that's what icc shows. the icc was written by trump, pompeo, and the israeli prime

minister himself. the second point, why is israel afraid of a court of law? this is the chrome telegram of the human experience. all it wants to do is bring accountability to those who are suspected of war crimes. israel has the creme de la cremef judges, lawyers. this is not people's opinion court. this is an international court with international judges, and most imptant, it is independent and professional. we are in need to bring justice

and dignity for the people. we need the icc for that. at the same time, the icc needs to restore its credibility and independence. that is what we want, the rule of law. amy: i wanted to get your response to state department spokesperson ned price. this is the biden administration issuing a statement friday expressing "serious concerns" about the icc's ruling. he said, we made clear in 2015 we do not believe the palestinians qualify as a sovereign state and therefore are not qualified to participate as a state in international communities, including the icc. this is the biden

administration. raji: between the court and the american administration, the american administration is not the court. the judges are icc judges. we have had a clear-cut position since day one of the icc. refuse to be part of the icc. they cannot join it. israel did not join the icc from day one. that is why it is very hard to b ring a case from the american administration argument. trump's administration made an executive order.

those who are functioning in the icc and the american lawyers who can help in bringing any accountability by imprisoning them and by finding them. what i want to say in this regard that the biden administration, if they do not cancel the executive order of trump, they will make a great mistake. we understand why this american position like this committed crimes in afghanistan, iraq, syria, and different parts of the world. for the same reasons, israel will be held accountable for. amy: we are speaking to raji sourani.

we are joined by catherine gallagher, legal representative for palestinian victims in front of the international criminal court. if you could respond to the icc decision and divided administration response that it has grave concerns and who it is you represent before the icc. katherine: good morning. it really is a privilege to be on this morning with raji sou rani. this is a landmark decision. i think no one should be defeated in recognizing the icc has moved to end immunity for crimes committed on the territory of palestine becau of the hard work, decades long hard work and professionalization of people like rajiourani, like his

pchr, defense for children international palestine, all these organization that have worked for decades documenting abuses and assuring that the international community knows about them and ultimately give some measure of accountability. in terms of what this decision means, it means the prosecutor can proceed to open investigations on the state territory of palestine. that includes east jerusalem and the gaza strip. i have the privilege to represent palestinians from the west bank, including east jerusalem and some of the diaspora. urging the court to recognize its jurisdiction over palestine, and i have urged that the prosecutor open an investigation into the crime against humanity of persecution.

this is one of many crimes israeli officials, and it is important that the icc look at individual criminal response billy, not state criminal responsibility. they have been denied their rights to life, submitted to torture, access to health care, freedom of movement, livelihood. there is an array of violations that have been going on for years. now the international criminal court is on the threshold of opening an investigation into crimes that go back to 2014. i was disappointed on friday evening when the u.s. state department spokesperson under the biden-harris administration came out against this historic ruling. it is notable that the day before, the state department put

out another release in the case of the announcement of the verdict. this is a case the u.s. gave some technical support to during the obama-biden administration. what we are seeing is it is not the icc playing politics. it is those outside the icc. they put tremendous political pressure on the court, on member states of the court, and we have seen today israel saying it is going to turn to allies in the european union and others to give some kind of political protection. this is an independent court, and it should be able to operate independently. the fact is that the biden administration is continuing this trump line of keeping the

icc prosecutor on a sanctions list and keeping in place an executive order that not only could lead to further sanctions of those who support investigations of israeli officials or americans or others for crimes committed in afghanistan, but it could also provide civil and criminal penalties against anyone who supports those investigations by the prosecutor. that could include u.s. citizens and palestinian citizens. this work is not without risk. it is critically important that it proceed. we call upon the biden administration to lift the executive order. i would like it to be supportive of the investigation. it does not need to do that. at a minimum, it needs to stop obstructing justice. amy: what do you want to see

investigated by the international criminal court? if the chief prosecutor is replaced, can another chief prosecutor overturn this? raji: i hope that they make this decision soon th week work faster and decide to open an investigation. this is something. we are victims. these were crimes and atrocities have been committed against our pele. we look to their eyes. we know them by names. we know the suffering. personally, i have dedicated 43 years of my life to wait for

this day, to see the icc opening an investigation against the israeli suspected war criminals. we are full of optimism that this will proceed. we hope to bring justice and dignity to the palestinian victims. i hope a new prosecutor will be elected soon. last december, it did not work. it was delayed. i hope soon they will be able to select a new prosecutor when she

leaves office. i am full of hope that the coming prosecutorill act as the prosecutor who was a great example, the leader of conscience for the world with their responsibility and independence to bring justice for victims across the globe. amy: we have to leave in a minute. i want to ask you about the situation of covid in gaza. according to the world health organization, there have been over 51,000 confirmed cases, 522 deaths from covid since july 2020, in gaza alone.

the u.n. relief and works agency has warned gaza's health system could collapse if the number of cases continues to rise. we have just covered what is happening in the west. not being able to get vaccines. what is the situation in gaza? raji: we are unlike any other part of the world having this pandemic. we have it. there is quite a lot of people who are victims of this pandemic. what gaza is unique is at, gaza is subject to criminal, illegal, inhuman blockades. we are having completely destroyed health infrastructure.

our hospitals are in very bad conditions. unable to deal with the situation. the israelis are not allowing the proper equipment and medicine to come to gaza. this is what makes gaza unique. that is why the occupation should be held responsible on the pandemic, especially in the gaza strip. they should allow, without any conditions, the equipment and medicine to come through. they are responsible for the vaccine distribution to the people of the gaza strip and west bank. they are responsible on the pandemic situation.

the israeli prisoners took vaccines, the palestinians not. the israeli people took vaccines. palestinians not. israel will be the first country in the world pandemic free. if netanyahu talks about the anti-semitic act, this is 100% racist behavior, unprecedented behavior. israel occupies palestinian territory, and they are totally responsible according to international law, the geneva conventions, on the well-being of the palestinian people. amy: i want to thank you for

being with us. all health to you. human rights lawyer, director of the palestinian center for human rights in gaza. also to catherine gallagher, center for constitutional rights and legal representative for palestinian victims in front of the icc. when we come back, we are going to turn to the $1.9 trillion covid-19 package in the u.s. and look at the effect of the economic crisis on women. we will talk to the woman who coined the term the s he-cession. stay with us.

amy: "9 to 5" by dolly parton. democrats are moving forward on president biden's $1.9 trillion stimulus package to the senate, as the u.s. faces a staggering economic crisis. they plan to use the budget reconciliation package to pass

the bill despite republican opposition, allowing the legislation to take effect before march 14th, when key unemployment programs expire. there are still some hurdles to be workeout. biden has said he is open to negotiating eligibility for receiving $1,400 direct payments included in the bill. but on saturday, senator bernie sanders, the new chair of the senate budget committee, tweeted his opposition to cutting the income threshold, writing, "unbelievable. there are some dems who want to lower the income eligibility for direct payments from $75,000 to $50,000 for individuals, and $150,000 to $100,000 for couples. in other words, working class people who got checks from trump would not get them from biden. brilliant!" senator sanders elaborated sunday on cnn's "state of the union." sen. sanders: what we have done in the past and promised the american people in the last

month, we said we are going to get you $2000, and what we are going to do is say that a single person, $75,000 or lower, and a couple $150,000 or lower will be eligible for that full $2000, $600 plus $1400. when people said we don't want rich people to get that benefit. i understand. i agree. we want to have a strong cliff so it does not spill over to people making $300,000. amy: this comes as billionaire'' wealth in the united states grew by almost 40% during the pandemic, increasing by more than $1.1 trillion. biden's stimulus bill is also set to include a $400 per week jobless benefit through september and $30 billion for rent and utility assistance. this comes as data shows women lost about 5.5 million jobs over

the course of the first 10 months of the pandemic, nearly 1 million more job losses than men. treasury secretary janet yellen spoke about the staggering numb of women who have left the workforce since the pandemic began when she appeared sunday on cbs's "face the nation." ms. yellen: the american rescue package places huge emphasis on getting our schools open safely, getting children back into school, providing paid family and medical leave during this crisis so that women do not have to leave their jobs when they are faced with health issues or family issues that they have to address. there is emphasis on providing

more childcare and payments, tax credits expanded for children to help families address these needs. i think this is necsary to get women back to work. they faced a disproportionate burden because of this crisis, especially low-wage women and women of color. amy: women of color are especially hard hit by job losses during the pandemic, with black, latinx, and asian women accounting for all of women's job sses in december. combined with women's increased responsibility for caregiving at home, it's a trend that prompted our next guest to call this the first ever "she-cession." c. nicole mason is the president and chief executive officer of the institute for women's policy research, a leading voice on pay equity, economic policies, and research impacting women.

she is quoted in a section of the new york times that came out on sunday, america's mothers are in crisis, is anyone listening to them? thank you for being with us. can you talk about what this economic crisis means for women what it is? nicole: this is a historic moment. we have not witnessed a moment like this ever in u.s. history. this is about making sure we understand women have been impacted disproportionately during this economic downturn. the reason for it is women are overrepresented in the hardest hit sectors, service, education, and health care services that have been hit hardest.

th is disproportionately impacting low-wage workers and women of color. amy: talk about why women are so hard hit right now and how this is really being overlooked, certainly not by the women themselves who are losing their jobs, and to care for parents, children, what this means setting women back decades. nicole: what this means is the reason why women are disproportionately impacted is because they are overrepresented in the hardest hit sectors. when stay-at-home orders where it lamented, businesses closed down, and that impacted women. schools and daycare's closed down. women had this dual burden of providing for their families and earning a living and caretaking responsibilities.

in the beginning, i do not believe we took it seriously in terms of the impact of school closures on working women. in august, 865,000 women fell out of the workforce. people asked why that is. it is a no-brainer. schools that were supposed open in august and september, and they did not. women had to make tough choices. amy: you wrote in a recent piece , "at the first of the year, we celebrated women's economic gains when they made up a little more than 50% of the workforce. the pandemic has all but wiped out those gains and made it more difficult for women to reenter the workforce and sustain employment." explain. nicole: at the beginning of the year in 2020, january, we were celebrating this milestone.

the pandemic hit, in more than 2 million women fell out of the workforce at four times the rate of men. when the economic recession of 2008 hit, it mainly impacted manufacturing and construction commit mainly infecting men. this time around, not only were women losing jobs, but they were impacted by virtual learning with their children. women were told you will figure it out. that is not that big of a deal. we put a lot of focus on small businesses, but there was little attention paid to getting schools open. that has had a disproportionate impact on women because without schools and daycare's and the pandemic under control, they will continue to fall out of the workforce. amy: as this debate on the $1.9 trillion covid crisis package

takes place, what is missing? what do you think needs to happen to protect women? nicole: there are a lot of good things in that package. you heard janet yellen talking about all the smart things in there for women. expanded unemployment insurance, housing and food assistance money is in their, paid family and sick leave. this will go a long way to reinsure women that cannot find a job that they have a lifeline. the second part of this stimulus package we will see is job creation. there will be a concerted effort on job creation. in 2008, there was concerted

effort around infrastructure, production, manufacturing, getting people back to work. this time around, we will need to focus on those hardest hit sectors where women have been impacted and also dedicate some funds to education and training. some of those jobs we lost will not be able to come back until women entered new sectors altogether. amy: what about the $15 minimum wage increase? some say it cannot be included if democrats want to use the reconciliation process to pass it because that rule can only be used for bills concerning spending, taxes and debt. senator bernie sanders, chair of the budget committee, argued that it does comply with the budget reconciliation process. can you comment? nicole: the $15 minimum wage is long overdue.

i don't want to choose political expediency over the right thing to do, but raising the minimum wage to $15 is only a small part of this deal. we need to make sure these jobs are quality jobs. the most devastating thing during the pandemic, when women lost their jobs, they did not have paid sick leave and other benefits. in addition to the $15 an hour, we need to make sure they have paid and family sick leave an better job security and flexibility. these are critical issues during the pandemic for working women. amy: i want to thank you so much for being with us. president and chief executive officer of the institute for women's policy research. give your dog kibble for me. this is democracy now!,

democracynow.org, the quarantine report. president trump's impeachment starts tuesday for inciting the deadly january 6 instruction in the capital. house lawmakers took to the floor. this is congresswoman cori bush. >> i rise to reflect on how our office experienced the white supremacist attack on our nation's capitol on january 6. everybody is experiences is different, and everybody's experiences must be validated. i remember sitting in the gallery, listening to floor speeches, knowing there was

supposed to be a protest happening outside, seeing people outside and thinking that this was just part of the day until something happened, and i just felt the need to stand up and walk out. i walked out, and i went to the steps. i went down the flight. i want to look to see what is happening outside. i saw the tops of flags. then i saw more of the flags. then i could read words. then after i could read words, i could see people. then i realized that people were approaching. so i hopped on the nearest elevator and made it back to my office safely, and we came back into our office. we walked in, and we started to see on our televisions people breaching doors. i remember thinking is this actually what is happening?

the more i watched and people calling this a protest, let me say this. that was not a protest. i have been to hundreds of protests in my life. i have co-organized, co-led protests, not only in ferguson, missouri. most people don't even acknowledge, they don't even know their names, don't even acknowledge the amazing people who put their lives and livelihoods on the line for our safety, believing that black because they actually do, and we should not have to -- believing that black lives matter because they actually do, and we should not have to say it. we continue to say my life matters, and then they hit us with things like this.

i remember sitting in my office with my team and thinking to myself, i feel like i am back. i feel like i am back. i feel like this was one of the days out there on the streets when the white supremacists would show up and start shooting at us. this is one of the days when the police would ambush us from behind trees and buildings, and we are on the ground being brutalized. i remember taking a second and thinking if they hit these doors the way they hit that door, if they come anywhere near my staff, and i am just going to be real honest about it, my thought process was, we banging 'til the end. i am not letting you take out my people. we have come too far. i rise with a message for our

republican colleagues. on january 6, i thought about january 3 and how we all raised our right hands up and took an oath. we swore we would support and defend the constitution of the united states against all enemies, foreign and domestic, even though the constitution was not written for people who look like me, even though it was not written by people who look like me, and even though that constitution cemented and unjust nation for people that look like me. we unveiled legislation to investigate those responsible for inciting this attack so we can defend it because we have a duty to fight for a more perfect union because we cannot stand up to white supremacy -- because if we cannot stand up to white supremacy in this moment as representatives, why did you run

for office in the first place? no matter what district you represent, no matter where you live, you represent a district that is on average 700,000 people, meaning you have those who love you, despise you, voted for you, who swear they will never vote for you. building better communities, building better lives, it is not a democratic or republican issue. we cannot build a better society if members are to scared to stand up and reject the white supremacist attack that happened before our eyes. how can we trust that you will address the suffering that white supremacy causes on a day-to-day basis in the shadows if you cannot even address the white supremacy that happens right in front of you in your house? does your silence speak to your agreement is the question?

in st. louis, the covid-19 pandemic is disproportionately hospitalizing and killing black and brown people. we have decades of economic disinvestment from an overreliance on policing that this very chamber has voted to endorse. you don't know what that is like. take a moment to think what it is like to live what we live through. if you cannot do what is right in the face of blatant white supremacist attacks like we saw, how will you do right by the black and brown people you represent who just want to know that our children will have safety, life, and shelter because you represent us too? we swore toen defend the constitution against all enemies , foreign and domestic. it was attacked by a domestic enemy called white supremacy.

we must stand together now today to uphold that oath. thank you. amy: missouri congress member cori bush. we will run the impeachment live at democracynow.org. ■