10/19/22 10/19/22 [captioning made possible by democracy now!] amy: from new york, this is democracy now! >> no to the king. go to the americans who are monsters and don't have solution. you are behind the chaos. you're giving arms to our brothers. amy: protests are continuing in haiti determining the resignation of the u.s.-backed nation prime minister ariel

henry and the deployment of troops to haiti. we will speak to guerline jozef about the crisis in haiti and look at how the u.s. is treating asylum-seekers from haiti and venezuela. then, president biden promises to enshrine abortion rights into federal law if democrats win -- keep control of congress with the midterm elections less than three weeks away. pres. biden: here's a promise, to you and the american people, the first bill i will send to congress will be to codify roe v. wade. we will speak with congressmember cori bush. she faces reelection in november, just wrapped up a "roe the vote: reproductive freedom tour" across missouri, where abortion was banned after the supreme court overturned roe v wade. we'll talk in-depth about her new memoir "the forerunner: a story of pain and perseverance in america." all that and more, coming up.

welcome to democracy now!, democracynow.org, the war and peace report. i'm amy goodman. aid groups are sounding the alarm over the worsening humanitarian disaster in somalia, which is facing famine on a scale not seen in half a century. one child is hospitalized for malnutrition every minute, according to unicef. e u.n. says over $2 billion in aid is needed to help fight the catastrophic effects of the ongoing drought as the region looks to be headed into its fifth-consecutive failed rainy season the situation has spurred a mass displacement crisis. thiss falhad hussein, a displaced somali mother and street vendor. >> i had fled from drought. i have five children. i had seven children. two died while they were babies becausof thirsand hungerf

the drought. now are in these camps and still need support. amy: in ukraine, russia is warning the battle for kherson is imminent and says it will evacuate some 60,000 people in the coming days. ukrainian forces havrecently driven back russian fighters in the occupied city. elsewhere, russian strikes have cut power to over 1000 towns and villages across ukraine as redents face the prospect of a winter without heat. the u.n. security council is set to discuss today the issue of iranian drones being used in moscow's assault on ukraine. iran has recently agreed to provide russia with more drones and surface to surface missiles. meanwhile, lockheed martin says it will up its production of himars lonrange rocket artillery systems, which the u.s. has been providing to ukraine. on wednesday, officials in denmark confirmed powerful explosions caused the nord

stream 1 and 2 gas pipelines to leak in the baltic seaast month, though did not specify the origin of the blasts. here in the united states, president biden is announcing the release of another 15 million barrels of fuel from the strategic petroleum reserve. the move seeks to ease prices at the gas pump amid the ongoing war and three weeks ahead of the midterm election. on tuesday, president biden vowed to enshrine access to abortion into law if democrats can expand their narrow majorities in congress in the upcoming midterms. pres. biden: here's the promise, to you and the american people. the first bill i will send a congress will be to codify roe v. wade. when congress passes it, i will sign it in january 50 years after roe was decided law of the land. amy: biden made the remarks yesterday at a democratic national committee event in

washington, d.c. as many democratic candidates hope to harness public outrage over the supreme court's overturning roe v wade, senator bern sandersas warned democrats against focusing solely on abortion rights, while neglecting to address the economy, healthcare, and inequality. in florida, republican senator marco rubio and democratic challenger congressmember val demings faced off in their only debate ahead of november's election. the candidates sparred over abortion, voting rights, foreign policy, and guns, with demings going after rubio for his inaction on gun control. >> how long will you watch people being gunned down in first grade, fourth grade, high school, college, church, set to, grocery store, movie theater, mall, and a nightclub and do nothing? amy: in florida, "the tampa bay times" has obtained video showing police officers arresting people for voting. in 2018, florida overwhelmingly ted in for of a ballot measure allowing formerly incarcerated people with past

felony convictions to cast ballots. but e law excludes residents who were convicted of murder or felony sex offenses. the arrested individuals say they were encouraged to vote by florida officials and were not made aware of this exclusion, which is not stated on voter registration forms. this is tampa resident tony patterson and his arresting officer as captured on a police bodycam. >> apparently, i guess you have a warrant? >> for what? >> not sure. >> for voter. >> i think they talked to last week about voter fraud, voter stuff. >> this is crazy, man post they're putting me in jail i didn't even know nothing about. why would you let me vote if i wasn't able to vote? amy: the arrests in the body cam footage are from august 18 and come under the auspices of republican governor ron desantis' recently formed office of election crimes and security.

of the 19 people arrested that day, 12 were registered democrats and at least 13 are black. in the united kingdom, the family of jailed egyptian writer and activist alaa abd el-fattah has begun a sit-in in front of the british foreign affairs office. sanaa and mona seif are demanding the release of their brother, who has been on hunger strike in egypt for 200 days. the u.s. has agreed to take in el-fattah. shadow british feign secretary david lammy joined the protest yesterday. supporters of el-fattah are ramping up pressure to release the human rights activist ahead of next month's p27 summit in sharm el sheikh. th african commission on human and people's rights in gambia has voted to adopt the egyptian civic space titian, which looks

cop 27 to human rights and demands an end to human rights abuses. in saudi arabia, u.s. citizen has received a 16-year jail sentence for writing tweets critical of the saudi government. 72-year-old saad ibrahim almadi is a dual citizen with and was arrested in november after traveling from florida to riyadh to visit family. one of the tweets referenced slain "washington post" columnist jamal khashoggi. saad's son says his father is being held in conditions that amount to torture and has criticized the u.s. government for not doing more to free his father. "the washington post" reports at least 15 retired u.s. generals and admirals have worked as paid consultants for saudi arabia's ministry of defense since 2016. the sweeping investigation reveals hundreds of former military personnel have taken highly lucrative jobs with foreign governments accused of human rights abuses, with the approval of the u.s. military. the u.s. has long sought to keep these ties hidden, but

"washington post" reporters brought the matter to court, eventually obtaining 4000 pages of documents through the freedom of information act. over 100 haitian migrants, including pregnant people and children, were found stranded on an uninhabited island west of puerto rico tuesday. mona island, located midway between the dominican republic and puerto rico, has become a popular drop off point for boats of migrants departing from the dominican republic. smugglers often abandon migrants there, falsely telling them they've reached the main island of puerto rico. haiti is facing one of its worse crises of instability and violence as gangs continue to control a major port in port-au-prince triggering critical shortages of food, water, fuel, and other resources. harsh u.s. immigration policies blocking migrants from seeking asylum have forced many to rely on smugglers and embark on extremely dangerous routes to enter the u.s. in california, the los angeles city council has voted for paul

krekorian to become the new council president following the resignation last week of disgraced former president nury martinez, who was heard making racist remarks on a leaked audiotape. meanwhile, protests continue demanding the resignation of the two other councilmembers who were caught on the recording, gil cedillo and kevin de león. this is melina abdullah from black lives matter los angeles speaking in front of city hall. >> we don't have any room for anti-black racists on an l.a. city council. they have got to go. every other city councilmember that is meeting with them is co-conspiring with them and lacking community out, they are just as guilty. amy: to see our interview, go to democracynow.org. in upstate new york, amazon workers in albany overwhelmingly voted against forming a union with the recently established

amazon labor union. the defeat comes after months of union-busting from amazon, including intimidating workers, and firing union organizers and supporters. new jersey is suing five oil and gas companies and a lobbying group for lying about the harm caused by fossil fuels and its link to catastrophic climate change. a lawsuit filed tuesday names exxon mobil, shell, chevron, bp, conocophillips, and the american petroleum institute. this is new jersey attorney general matthew platkin. >> they let a decade-long disinformation campaign confuse the public about fossil fuels and climate change, even though the scientific assessment was secure. they did this to avoid specifically a cleaner, lower carbon future and to preserve their market for their commodities at the expense of the global environment, frankly, at all of our expense. they also did this to stave up

public opinion or government action that could have cut into their profits. amy: new jersey officials say the state is ground zero for climate change. the suit comes just days ahead of the 10th anniversary of superstorm sandy, which killed 38 people in new jersey and cost an estimated $65 billion in damage. the interior department announced it will hold the first ever lease sale for wind energy off the coast of california in december. the development of wind energy in the area could eventually power over 1.5 million homes. retail stores have begun selling hearing aids over the counter as the food and drug administration starts rolling out a new policy allowing the sale of hearing aids without the need for a doctor's visit or a prescription. the move is aimed at making the hearing aids more accessible and affordable, though prices for over the counter hearing aids still range from $200 to over $1000. and the biden administration has started accepting applications

to cancel up to $20,000 in student debt per person. borrowers earning up to $125,000 per person and $250,000 per household are eligible for the relief. advocates continue to demand biden cancel all student debt. and those are some of the headlines. this is democracy now!, democracynow.org, the war and peace report. when we come back, protesters in haiti continue to demand the resignation of the prime minister and against the deployment of international troops to haiti. we will speak to guerline jozef, not only about the crisis in haiti, but how the u.s. is treating asylum-seekers from haiti and venezuela. stay with us. ♪♪ [music break]

amy: "ou paka fe sa" by platinum-d. this is democracy now!, democracynow.org, the war and peace report. i'm amy goodman in new york, joined by democracy now! 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: we begin today's show looking at the crisis in haiti where protesters continue demanding the resignation of the u.s.-backed prime minister ariel henry and against the deployment of international troops to haiti amidst a growing humanitarian crisis. a blockade of a key port in port-au-prince by gangs has led to a critical shortage of fuel, food, and water for millions of people. meanwhile, haiti is fighting a new outbreak of cholera. ononday, u. secrety genel antónio gutees calle for "armed action" to reopen the port. >> it is an absolutely nightmarish situation for the population, especially port-au-prince. i believe we need not only to strengthen the police with training, equipment, a number of other measures, but that in the present circumstances, we need

action to lease support and allow for humanitarian corridor to be established. amy: on monday, the u.s. ambassador to the united nations linda thomas-greenfield pushed for the u.n. security council to authorize a non-u.n. international security mission to go to haiti. >> the second resolution we are working on would authorize a non-u.n. international mission to help improve the security situation and enable the flow of desperately needed humanitarian aid. amy: but in the streets of haiti, many protesters have condemned the united states for pushing to intervene again in haiti. protesters are committing the resignation of ariel henry who has ruled since the assassination of moïse in july 2021. this is jean-charles moïse.

>> freedom. we're not in the state of the united states. we are not pvinces of the united states. we are a country, a republic. they cannot give us orders. we do not need them. ariel henry does not resign and bank officials don't change their mind, we will revolution in the country. amy: we're joined now by guerline jozef, co-founder and executive director of haitian bridge alliance. it's an immigrant-advocacy organization that provides humanitarian assistance to haitians and other black immigrant from the caribbean and africa. she is joining us from mexico city where she is looking into the impacts of title 42, the trump-era policy that's been used to block at least 2 million migrants including tens of thousands of haitians from applying for asylum at the u.s.-mexico border. the biden administration recently expanded title 42 to begin expelling venezuelan nationals. guerline jozef, welcome back to democracy now!

before we move to what is happening at the border, let's talk about what is happening in haiti right now. you have to reports that chaos is engulfing the country, that it has become -- the social fabric of so torn, the country is on verge of collapse. and then you have the u.n. secretary-general calling for military action. can you respond to the protests and the response? >> good morning, amy. thank you so much for having us. what we are seeing in haiti right now is extremely painful as a haitian woman, haitian, american woman to see how the country has been dipped into this abyss. we have been in communications with citizens and haiti to understand what is needed on the ground. and they are telling us they need a haitian solution for the

country to get out of where we are right now. as you mentioned, amy, rampant violence, gang violence, political turmoil. we are seeing people protesting on the street for the rights for sovereign solution to the issues that are happening. they are saying no to innovation, no to the international community because every time there is the so-called help invasion the people go to haiti, results in chaos. you mentioned the cholera pandemic that is on the rise right now. that itself is the result of the u.n. being in iti afterhe eartuake. so we a seeing d hearinand tang the time to understand what haiti needs right now and how to move forward. juan: guerle jozef, i wanted

to ask you, we keep hearing about this game violence that is rampant throughout haiti, but there are some haitians in the u.s. as well as other radicals and socialists here in this country that say all of these gains are not alike, that, for instance, the frg9 are much more political and they're the ones that are dealing with this blockade of the port, whereas other gangs like the gpep are part of -- work with the ariel henry government and the police and united states needs to be more foced on f9. can you talk about whether there are differences between these gangs and what your sense of how the narrative is being shaped here in the u.s.? >> absolutely. one thing i want to clarify is the fact that gang pandemic is

not native to haiti. it is imported to haiti. we are not used to this type of violence when it comes to gangs. this is a new system that is being put in place or has been put in place to destabilize the country. i do not know who is supporting which gang. i do not know which activities are being supported in by outside sources or people within the government, but what we are seeing right now is people are fearful. we are seeing entire neighborhoods being displaced where we never had any violence before. we are seeing all places of the country dealing with gang violence. it is imperative we understand the narrative that is being shared is that haiti has never

had to deal with this level of gang violence. this is new. this is backed by many different other outside forces, and we must understand that we have to come to a resolve where we rid the country of violence so people don't have to flee. right now we are seeing people fleeing by vote, either going to puerto rico, to the bahamas, to miami. and they are dying on the way here. we are seeing people fleeing from haiti making there were two the border in mexico because they cannot be at home. we are seeing the political turmoil, they gang violence that are being supported by whomever that are creating a space where people cannot survive most that is why when we speak to civil society and haiti, we understand an order for us to move forward, there must be sustainability, there must be proper school,

proper hospitals, agriculture needs to be revived in order for people to be able to be safe at home and not have to flee. juan: can you talk about the montana accords, what they are and the group that developed them following the assassination of haiti's in 2021? >> i am not an expert of the montana accords, but what we understand is over 500 groups, civil societies, political groups, have come together to come up with a solution that is led by haitians to be able to find a way moving forward. what we understand from the montana accords, it is the only option we have right now to really get ourselves out of the political turmoil, possibly having a safe transition where then we can move to a better

space in haiti. again, i am not an expert in the montana accord, but from understanding and speaking with many different groups and people who are involved, it seems to be a good alternative in order to move forward. but what we are seeing as there is no real engagement between the montana accords parties, international communities, people who want to support haiti and what is to be able to get a way out of the issues we are to live with right now. so we are calling on the international community, on the u.s. and canada, to not side with the political people in power but to make sure they are including the civil societies, the people of haiti who are able to take the future in hand and see how we can work together. at this point, we believe that haiti needs support, haiti needs

to be civilized, needs to have sustainable ecosystem so people can prosper not just survive, but thrive. amy: you are in mexico city looking at migrants. i want to turn to the issue of haitian migrants and also the biden administration's new policy on venezuelan asylum seekers. all venezuelans who arrive at the u.s.-mexico border will now be turned away under title 42, a trump your pandemic policy that is been used to block at least 2 million migrants from applying for settlement the u.s.-mexico border. the biden administration announced it will allow 24,000 venezuelan stage of the country by air if they have a financial sponsor the u.s., which many don't. applicants must first apply online. the program select one set up for ukrainis. this is secretary of homeland security alejandro mayorkas

speaking last week in d.c. >> to reduce the number of people arriving irregularly, creates a more orderly and safe and humane process people fleeing the humanitarian and economic crisis in venezuela. those who attempt to cross the southern border of the united states illegally will be returned. those who follow the lawful process we announced yesterday will have the opportunity to travel safely to the united states and become eligible to work here. amy: meanwhile, tony blinken said last week the biden administration has no plans to reduce sanctions on venezuela. some cities estimate the sanctions have killed tens of thousands of people in venezuela . a few years ago it was mike pompeo under trump who offered a pathway to lift the sections predicated on regime change in venezuela and replacing the president with juan quite over.

how much of the situation can you attribute to u.s. policy against venezuela? what is happening with this massive deportation venezuelans and also talk about haitians being turned back. >> thank you so much, amy. again, i'm not been for an venezuelan politics but what i can tell you is that the 24,000 venezuelans who have been -- is a piecemeal. we are seeing thousands fling venezuela. we are seeing expulsion, deportation of at least 1000 venezuelans a day from the united states back to mexico. we are seeing that the piecemeal that is being offered to the venezuelan population is also being used as a terror factor

for people who have already been seeking protection, people who are still traversing, people who are here in mexico who do not have the ability or the privilege to fly from venezuela to the united states. when we are looking into how we are welcoming people, we must have compassion, not just use tear to deter people but really provide wholesome protection for folks. i'm here in mexico city looking into how it is affecting and impacting the migrant population. people in mobility, people and displacement, people searching for asylum and protection whether they are from venezuela, ukraine, or from haiti, they must be welcomed with dignity. what we are seeing happening to

the venezuelan community is unacceptable. we welcome the idea of providing the protection for the 24,000, but what will happen with the hundreds of others who are already at the u.s.-mexico border? what will happen to the haitians who are still stuck at the u.s.-mexico border because of title 42? it is unacceptable today for the government to try to extend title 42, and forcing people to continue to die. amy, as i am speaking to you right now, we are in the middle of doing three funerals in tijuana. three haitians have died in tijuana this past week alone, including a two-year-old girl, a man who was killed, and another one who died due to lack of medical care.

what we are seeing is the use of title 42 continues to destroy lives, and there is no reason that the u.s. government under president biden should continue to use title 42 as a way to deter and being able to see that at the u.s.-mexico border. we must continue to push, continue to hold everyone accountable as we move forward to understand that support protection must be provided for the venezuelans, support and protection must be provided for the haitians, the same way we are welcoming and continue to support the ukrainians. the reality is -- juan: if i can ask you, we just have a few more minutes, i wanted to ask about the role of the mexican government in cooperating with the biden administration in terms of people being sent back to mexico

and also what do you say to these local leaders around the unit states, even places like new york city, that are now being inundated with the asylum-seekers that are being shipped by bus from texas and florida to northern cities, northern states, the sheer number of people there suddenly having to deal with? >> i don't think we are being inundated by asylum-seekers. i believe we did not prepare, intentionally or unintentionally, to actually receive people in mobility, people in need of protection. as a country, the same way we did for the ukrainians, we did not have anyone complaining about ukrainians coming to new york or to other cities. they were received and welcomed and placed into scholarship programs and supported full on. i don't believe we are being inundated. i believe we need to better just

be better prepared to receive people and not the false narrative that we are in the middle of a crisis in order to deter cities such as chicago, new york, or states like massachusetts to receive people. we applaud the states in the cities who are receiving people, but we know the federal government can provide the support needed to welcome those people just as we have done for the ukrainians. we still have yet to see any welcoming program for the haitians. we have yet to see any meaningful change within the immigration system to be able to address those issues. we are seeing a response to false narratives. we are seeing a system that is being built to deter people. we are seeing a narrative that has been creating against immigrants.

that is what we're seeing right now. and we're calling on accountability for all people who were a part of this misleading information. and we are in communication with many organizations in new york, in chicago, in d.c. who are willing and able to support people arriving. amy: guerline jozef --go ahead. juan: and mexico's role? >> yes, the thing is, we understand the u.s.-mexico summit happened last week in san diego. we were not privy of the decisions or how the communications went. but as a result, we see mexico is receiving folks. so we are here and pleading and asking the mexican government to do the right thing by the migrants. displaced people and guerline

jozef immobility. amy: guerline jozef, thank you for being with us, co-founder and executive director of haitian bridge alliance. next have, we speak with congressmember cori bush about her new memoir, "the forerunner: a story of pain and perseverance in america." stay with us. ♪♪ [music break]

amy: this is democracy now!, democracynow.org, the war and peace report. i'm amy goodman with juan gonzalez. on tuesday, president biden vowed to enshrine access to abortion into law if democrats can expand their narrow majorities in congress in the upcoming midterms, now less than three weeks away. pres. biden: here's the promise, to you and the american people. the first bill i will send to the congress will be to codify roe v. wade. and when congress passes it, i

will sign it in january, 50 years after roe was first decided as law of the land. amy: president biden spoke at a democratic national committee event as many democratic candidates hope to harness voter outrage over the supreme court's ruling in dobbs v jackson last that struck down the rights of constitutional abortion and left it up to the states. abortion rights were a key issue during at tuesday night's debate in florida between republican senator marco rubio and his democratic challenger congressmember val demings. >> i am 100 percent pro-life. that said, every bill i have ever sponsored on abortion has exceptions. >> how gullible do you think florida voters are? number one, you have been clear that you support no exceptions, even including rape and incest. amy: for more, we spend the rest of the hour with congressmember cori bush. she herself faces re-election this november as a first-term democrat in missouri where

abortion was banned after the supreme court overturned roe v wade in june. she just wrapped up a "roe the vote: reproductive freedom tour" across her state and was one of 17 congressmembers arrested in an pro-abortion rights protest outside the sueme court in july. she first publicly discussed her own abortion as a witness at a congressional hearing last year and has featured her abortion -- first written campaign is like this one. >> as 17 i was raped and became pregnant. thatas the srt of my abortiontory miions me have tir own. let mbe cle, fced pregnay is a cme again hunity. whenhe supme courtictates what w cou do with our boes, thats violen. gether wwill rlaimur righ. weill not lp until abortion is legal everywhere and everyone has reproductive freedom. amy: congressmember cori bush

has just published her memoir called "the forerunner: a story of pain and perseverance in and erica" and joins us today to discuss it. she was a registered nurse and ordained pastor, was unhoused and so much more. welcome back to democracy now! your book is riveting. why don't we start by you talking about abortion. you openly talk about it in congress but you're not just talking about one, you're talking about having had several abortions. you take on a very sensitive issue. it is the issue of choice. when you have a choice to have an abortion or not. and you can talk about what happened in your life. >> the decision should belong to the person who has to walk out

that journey. it should not be our government making that decision for anyone. i look at it the same as you choose whether to go to a provider if you are diabetic, like the choice, john want to go to this particular doctor or that one? for those who are insured or underinsured or uninsured. there is a different choice that they have to make a step when we are talking about our physical body, talking about our mental health, that should be the sole decision of the person that walks that out. i have been upfront and very public about the two abortions i have had. the first one being very difficult. i did not even understand what was happening at the time. i did not understand how i got pregnant. even -- the whole thing, i just was not prepared for. but being able at 17 to go to

this book at that time still had the big fat yellow pages, i remember i went to the yellow pages and went to the name of a clinic that i had heard my friends talk about. i opened the yellow pages and there was the phone number. i called, made an appointment, and it was just that simple to be able to be on the road to receiving services. it was just like calling my dentist to say i had a to think. -- tooth ache. think about what happens when the services that we need for our bodies. if you take those services away -- right now we are fighting. we've been fighting for such a long time to make sure each and every person has access to actual health care. we've been fighting for a long time to make sure there was reproductive justice, not just reproductive freedom. now that has been rolled back to

where our rights are being stripped away. if you don't want an abortion, don't have one. but to say no one in this country should have this type of access, that to me, to strip away those rights should not be the job of the government. you know, prior to roe v. wade being law, we know the major causes of death for black women in this country was sepsis that went along with unsafe -- came from unsafe abortions. why do we want to go back there when we know there are so many disparities in black maternal health, disparities across the board? we have to fix those problems. we can't go backwards. juan: you begin your book with an ode to your beloved hometown stateless, missouri. you write "despite the richness of culture, the truth is we live

in a legal environment and is st. louis and we are dying. the legacies of slavery, segregation, affect every aspect of society here. could you elaborate? >> sure. st. louis we are known for leading and homicides across the country per capita year after year. we are known even leading in the murder of children. we are known for leading in police murder. year after year. so we live in this lethal environment but also environmental justice -- we have not achieved environmental justice. right now we have this issue in our community. we have been fighting this battle for years to clean up coldwater creek and the landfill. we have a school that has been in the news over the past couple

of days, elementary school, where a study just came out saying there is radioactive waste within. the school just yesterday, the school board had to make the decision -- the school board made the decision to close the school and go virtual. we are talking about an environment where people should be up to live and thrive and grow but we are fighting just to survive. as much as i love my community, i love st. louis, we have to talk about those things and address them. we have to address poverty had on. i think about how we drive up and down the streets of st. louis and there are certain areas where the auction blocks used to be when you brought up slavery, a lot of people don't know missouri was a slave state even though we are not the south, but the midwest, we were a slave state. i think about the case have

scots. how we are under that cloud of the segregation, that cloud of slavery that abided the state long ago. we have not gotten to the point where there is true equity and equality in the state or in the country. juan: your book also talks about your family history, your paternal great-grandparents came to st. louis from mississippi as part of the great migration stuff you talk a lot about your father who was aiant in your life. could you talk about him and what he taught you? >> so my dad, very much so involved in making sure we understand our family history, that we know who we are. he started that when we were kids. he made sure i knew that, you know, i am enough, that my black is beautiful. we went through a lot.

colorism is a real thing but my father major- colorism and racism are real things in my father major we understood the safety have inside this home is different once you walk outside of these doors. he built us up to no you can go as far as you want to go, can have all of the things you want to have, it is up to you if you allow other people to stop you. so he made sure we understood responsibility and leadership accountability. that was his mantra every single morning before we walk out the doors to go to school. my dad has been in politics for most of my life. more than 30 years. but i remember as a child when he first got into politics, he started with the pta and moved on to like the city council and and became mayor. i remember i worked on every part of my dad's campaign year after year. he would have to run every two

years. we did it all. i just did it all. i did not know what i was doing but i was there to support my dad. looking back, those were seeds being sown i would need later on in life. it is funny because i was at all my dad's functions, holding the sides, wearing the shirts, doing all the stuff. now my dad is doing the exact same thing for me. you cannot stop my dad from wearing his cori bush for congress t-shirt and making sure everybody knows vote for my daughter. amy: can you talk about your protest to stop evictions? you yourself were unhoused with your two beloved children. you are a registered nurse. you came out of the black lives matter movement. dealing with the terrible police killing of michael brown and ferguson. -- in ferguson. talk about how that history informs your strategies and how you decided though your father

was in lecture or politics, you're going to go from the movement into electoral politics and you see a difference? >> that was not a decision -- first, it did not come easy. i never had a desire to be of politician, never wanted to be an elected official. it was not at all a dream of mine. i wanted to be a nurse. that is what i wanted to be. especially because i work so closely with my dad and i would watch how my dad would say something and then in the media or a newspaper article, they would print something that was not what my dad said or people would attack him for things he didn't do most of i remember -- i would ask him, why do you do this? why do you continue to help people and do all of these things and give all of your time ? you get all of these attacks and criticisms back and i did not understand it then.

it was through the protests during the ferguson uprising ,us being on the streets demanding what we thought was justice, now i consider justice being alive, not just a police officer or anyone else going to jail. that is more kind ability. that is not justice to be in my eyes. but we were out there doing what we could to not only bring accountability, but also to be able to save other lives. so when someone approached me -- i write about it in the book. another activist approached me and said, we need you to run for u.s. senate, will you? i'm like, no, why would i do that? i do remember being out there looking for our elected officials, looking for more of them, i will say, to be on the ground, to stand with us. we were not there to just piss

people off and block traffic and be seen, that is not why we were out there. we were out there because for me, i did not what my son to be the next hashtag or my daughter and i didn't do everything in my power to stop it. if lending my voice, my hands, my feet to the moment was something i could do, i needed to do everything i could. but when someone asked me to run come in the beginning i said, no, why would i do that. but the more i thought about it and i thought about all of the times i felt i was shouting at the wind, when i felt like i was throwing pebbles at the ocean and no one was there, i thought, hey, if you put someone in the space to be able to hit the ball -- think about the st. louis cardinals. you have a picture throwing these walls, who is there to hit the homerun? and so i said yes.

it was not easy because the other part of that was, oh, you're just a nurse. oh, you don't come from money. you're not an attorney. do you realize you are an activist from ferguson? people would call me a terrorist. that is what people saw. oh, your skin is too dark. you realize, black women can't run for this seat. your hips are too big. your lips are too big. i went through all of those things trying to run for office in this state. juan: congressmember, in your book you talk about your early experiences with the police as a teenager and you write, "my friends and our being initiated into the fact they kim to shape our teenage years and beyond" talking about things actually harassed by a police officer. can you talk about that? >> >> not knowing, like waking

up in your body looks different. you put on the same clothes they don't fit you the same way. they got to the point, you know, how do i dress? am i doing something wrong because now all of this sudden i have all of these men, these grown men making these catcalls at me? this one particular day, this police officer, you know, i am walking down the street. i walked a lot because that was just how i got around. i am walking down the street and this police officer pulls up in the car next to me and i kept walking, did not think there would be a problem because i knew most of the police officers -- or at least they knew who we were. we were taught those police officers were say. i just assumed this person was

safe. he was riding alongside me and i kept walking. i just remember i see kept talking to me and when i finally looked in the car, i noticed he had his hand gesture going. when i finally looked because i had never experienced that before, had never seen -- i'd only changed his diaper so had never seen a grown man's penis before. i had never seen someone ma sturbating in front of me. i was a kid. i did not even tell my dad because i felt like i was wrong. i was able to get away from that person, but i felt like i did that come it was something i did wrong, maybe it was the way i was walking, you know, maybe i shirt was too tight or my skirt should have been looser. i felt like i was the problem so i did not want to tell my dad

because the police officer, he could not have been wrong. and if he was, how do i tell my dad that i someone who really supports them? at least locally, anyway. amy: you also talk about the horrifying moment where a faith leader rapes you. you have chosen to go public with the stories. you describe them in graphic detail as a lesson. can you talk about what happened next? you were a nurse. you are right in your nurse's uniform. >> yes, yes. in the book, i write about some prior sexual assaults and for 20 years, i held onto those thinking it was because my shirt was too short or because my shorts were too short or i was at this club or was something i did to make this person think that is what i wanted. and fast-forward 20 years later,

i am 40 years old, just lost my very first primary running for u.s. senate and was grieving that loss. i was just going -- we got the news or friend of ours, my protest brother, had been killed that morning. our protest family, they were at the site where his body was found burned, shot in a car. i was grieving that all day long and went to go see this home because i knew i needed to move. i was having so many problems where i live. i do not feel safe. i did not feel safe having my children in this home because of all of the surveillance, the attacks, just all that was happening. i went to see this home of someone who i thought that i knew. they said, hey, -- they put it out on social media, facebook, calm out if you want to see the home that i have for rent.

i went and thought i was going to see this house that he had for rent. i went straight from work. i had on my white uniform. it was a uniform, white scrubs -- i'm sorry, scribepants and nike boots. i was not there but minutes when he grabbed me and led me to the bedroom. i just remember him pulling my clothes down. it wasn't -- i wasn't understanding what was happening because i'm like, i know this isn't what is happening. the violence started because i wasn't acting right, wasn't complying. that is when the violence started and he had to just keep pushing me down. he was pulling at my clothes. at that moment, i'm thinking, what did i do this time?

like, i'm not exposed. what did i do? that hit me really hard. it knocked me down for several months. i wasas hypervigilant. i was suffering through moments of disassociation. i was having trouble even taking care of myself, taking care of my children. i had to have family and friends to help me because i could not even walk outside my home. part of my therapy was to step outside of my home for five minutes, and then 10 minutes. i was not ok after that. the other thing, because this person was a pastor in this community. people not believing. oh, why would a pastor do this to you? i was laying in the hospital right after this happened, laying in a hospital bed with people looking over me right after my rape kit, right after they did this horrific rape kit.

it is not an easy thing to go through. right after that, i'm laying there and i people looking over me looking for my bruises, looking over like, well, he's a pastor, why would he do that? ask him. amy: and yet -- go aad. juan: i wanted to ask you come if you could talk about the michael brown killing and your involvement in the ferguson protests. you write your time is part of a mobile response team expanded your understanding of the public health impacts of policing and violence. >> yeah. so when michael brown was killed , a couple days later, i was back at work that monday -- it happened on a saturday. i was back at work that monday and i was telling my supervisor, hey, we should be on the ground.

like, people out there need help, maybe you could send some folks to be out on the ground. i do not think they would send a mobile response team, but that is what they ended up doing. we organized everything out on the ground. set up tents. we collaborated with other groups. amy: 30 seconds. >> it was a time when i was able to see what happens when people don't have access to true care and what also happens when we -- when everybody doesn't feel safe in their community. amy: your story is a truly remarkable one. you became the first african-american woman to represent missouri in congress. you have written about it in this incredibly brave book "the , forerunner: a story of pain and perseverance in america."

cori bush, our guest. thank you so much for being with us. that does it for our show. democracy now! is currently accepting applications for a video news production fellowship and a people and culture manager. learn more and apply at democracynow.org. democracy now! is looking for feedback from people who appreciate the closed captioning. e-mail you

hello, and welcome back to nhk newsline. russian president vladimir putin has seen his troops struggled to fend off ukrainian advances. he has already annexed four regions in the east, but he has failed to bring them under his control. so he has declared martial law. putin told members of his