04/28/23 04/28/23 [captioning made possible by democracy now!] amy: from new york, this is democracy now! >> when the speaker asked me to apologize on behalf of decorum, what he is really asking me to do is be silent when my community is facing bills that get as killed. he is asking me to be complicit in this legislature's eradication of our community, and i refuse to do so and i will

always refuse to do so. amy: republican lawmakers in montana have voted to punish the state's first and only openly transgender lawmaker zooey zephyr by banning her from the house floor after she spoke out against an anti-trans bill. she will join us today from montana, along with another democratic lawmaker targeted by republicans, tennessee state representative justin jones who was expelled for protesting inaction on gun violence after last month's mass shooting at a nashville school. jones has been temporarily reinstated and that was president biden at the white house this week. >> we represent a new south that is rising. if we can transform the south, we can transform this nation. amy: and then we look at president biden's plan to send u.s. nuclear armed submarines to south korea. >> president biden and president yoon of south korea made a very

provocative announcement, that the u.s. would be sending nuclear armed summaries to the korean peninsula, the first time the u.s. has had nuclear weapons in south korea in 40 years. this comes at a very dangerous time. it is like throwing fuel into the fire and will provoke not only north korea, but also china. amy: all that and more, coming up. welcome to democracy now!, democracynow.org, the war and peace report. i'm amy goodman. the biden administration has announced plans to open processing centers across latin america where asylum-seekers would have to request permission to come to the united states, blocking tens of thousands from seeking relief at the u.s.-mexico border. the first processing centers will be located in guatemala and colombia. migrants from latin america and the caribbean will be forced to journey to one of the nearest centers to start an asylum application or ask for refugee status to then be resettled to

either the united states, canada, or spain. the u.s. has agreed to take in 20,000 refugees over the next two fiscal years, while doubling or tripling the rapid deportations of migrants who are deemed not eligible to enter the united states. homeland security secretary alejandro mayorkas and secretary of state antony blinken laid out the sweeping measures thursday, threatening migrants at the southern u.s. border with harsher consequences, including possible criminal charges. this is mayorkas. >> beginning may 12, we will place eligible individuals who arrive at our southern border in expedited removal proceedings. those who arrived at our border and do not have a legal basis to stay will have made the journey, often having suffered horrific trauma and having paid their life savings to the smugglers, only to be quickly removed. they will be removed most often in a matter of days and just a

few weeks. amy: this comes as the united states is preparing to lift the trump-era title 42 pandemic policy in may, which for the past three years has been used to expel some 2.7 million migrants at the u.s.-mexico border without due process. immigrant justice advocates have denounced the biden administration for violating international law and enforcing policies similar to those pushed by donald trump. the new measures exclude migrants from africa. eleanor acer of human rights first said in a statement -- "the biden administration should focus on measures like increasing refugee resettlement and regular pathways and abandon its plan to impose an asylum ban that would be a legal, moral, and political mistake." in sudan, heavy explosions and gunfire continue to ring out across the capital khartoum, even after sudan's army agreed to a 72-hour extension of a humanitarian ceasefire with the rival rapid support forces paramilitary group. there are reports of fighting near sudan's army headquarters,

the presidential palace, and khartoum's main airport. residents report severe shortages of flour and other staple foods. >> people are not thinking about anything except worrying about themselves, their families, and extended families. the situation now is supplies are dwindling. amy: even before fighting erupted between rival factions of sudan's military government on april 15, a third of sudan's 46 million people were dependent on humanitarian aid. back in the united states, attacks on transgender rights continued thursday as republican lawmakers in kansas overrode a veto by democratic governor laura kelly, enacting the most sweeping bathroom law in the nation. the legislation bars trans people from using bathrooms that align with their gender identity in schools, locker rooms, prisons, domestic violence shelters, and rape crisis centers.

in nebraska, democratic state senator megan hunt is facing a conflict of interest investigation after a right-wing lawmaker complained she did not officially disclose that she had a transgender child before voting against a bill banning gender-affirming care for minors. senator hunt blasted the probe as harassment. meanwhile, in montana, republican governor greg gianforte's own son david, who is nonbinary, lobbied his dad to reject a series of bills attacking the trans community, including restrictions on healthcare and banning drag shows. after headlines, we'll be joined by montana's first and only openly transgender lawmaker zoey zephyr, whom republicans have barred from the house floor for speaking up for transgender rights. in reproductive rights news, near-total abortion bans failed to advance in two conservative-led states thursday. south carolina and nebraska both narrowly defeated draconian anti-choice measures, allowing the procedure to remain legal until 22 weeks of pregnancy.

meanwhile, lawmakers in vermont passed a bill thursday further protecting access to abortions, including medication abortion, as well as gender-affirming healthcare, by shielding providers from liability. on capitol hill, senate republicans filibustered to block ratification of the equal rights amendment, which would codify gender equality in the constitution. the measure was first introduced a century ago and passed 50 years ago but has never been ratified as conservative opponents have argued the deadline for ratification has expired. ahead of thursday's vote, women house democrats marched to the senate to demand their colleagues pass the era. legal experts believe its ratification would have helped prevent mounting attacks on lgbtq communities and reproductive rights. the senate has voted to roll back emissions standards for heavy-duty trucks set by the white house. conservative west virginia democrat joe manchin joined republicans in wednesday's

50-to-49 vote, setting up a veto by president biden if the republican-led house also passes the measure. this comes after environmental groups and some democrats condemned energy secretary jennifer granholm's endorsement of the mountain valley fracked gas pipeline earlier this week. arizona congressmember raúl grijalva said in a statement -- "fully greenlighting the pipeline will condemn appalachian communities to generations of pollution and related health and safety issues, while also doing nothing for our ambitious climate goals." protests demanding urgent action on the climate crisis have ramped up across the united states. on thursday, a pair of protesters smeared red and black paint on a glass case housing an art work at the national gallery of art in washington, d.c., demanding that president biden declare a climate emergency. this follows demonstrations earlier this week outside the offices of banking giants citibank in new york and wells fargo in san francisco.

a new study titled "banking on climate chaos" finds the world's largest private banks loaned $5.5 trillion to fossil fuel projects since nations signed e paris clime agreemt. on tuesd, climate acvists terrupted a talk by john podesta, who heads the white house office of clean energy innovation and implementation. they were manding thbiden administtion reverse its approval of conocophillips's willow project in northern alaska and act swily to end the usof fossil els. >> we never needefossil fls. you need to stop supporting them. you will become place it the destruction of mother ear. i apprecie you are passionate and you are trying to do creative transition -- >>t is too le! that is too late!

amy: the prost was orgized by clite defianc a new organizationhat has wed to disrupt the annual white house correspondents dinner in washington, d.c., this weekend. former vice president mike pence has appeared before the federal grand jury investigating donald trump's efforts to overturn the results of the 2020 presidential election. his testimony on thursday came a day after a federal appeals court rejected an emergency request to quash special counsel jack smith's subpoena of pence, citing claims of executive privilege. vice media is canceling its award-winning show vice news tonight as part of the company's mass layoff of over 100 workers, including most of its audio team. vice is the latest media outlet to cut jobs after buzzfeed last week announced it is shutting down buzzfeed news. vice union said on twitter -- "these workers are suffering the consequences of years of poor decisions they played no part in." and the white woman who has

discredited accusations legible lynching that the black teenager emmett till in mississippi seven decades ago has died of cancer at the age of 88. it was 1955 when carolyn bryant dunham accused emmett till of whistling at her and her store that prompted the adduction of till and his murder. in 2007, she confessed she had fabricated her claim, leading the fbi to reopen till's case but the justice department ended its investigation in 2021 without filing charges. last year, a team searching for evidence in emmett till's case found an unserved warrant charging dunham in his kidnapping. and those are some of the headlines. this is democracy now!, democracynow.org, the war and peace report. i'm amy goodman. we begin today's show in montana, where the republican-controlled state house of representatives voted

wednesday to censure the state's first and only openly transgender lawmaker zooey zephyr, banning her from the house floor and forbidding her from speaking during floor sessions. zephyr will only be able to cast votes remotely for the remainder of the legislative session. the move comes a week after representative zephyr delivered a searing condemnation of a bill that would ban gender-affirming healthcare for youth. >> if you disallow the use of medical care that is accepted by every major medical association, if you disallow that care and don't allow people to have access to that, the only therapy left is either meaningless or conversion therapy, which is torture. you are forcing a train child to go through puberty when they are trans, thais tantamot to torte. this body should be ashamed. if you vote yes on this

amendment and yes on this bill, if you vote yes on this biland yes on ese and mites, i hop the nextime there is an invocation, when you bow your heads in prayer, you see the blood on your hands. amy: after this speech, republican lawmakers in montana moved to censure zooey zephyr, ahead of a vote to ban her from the house floor, she addressed her fellow lawmakers again on wednesday. >> high-rise in defense of those in my community and democracy itself. last week, i spoke on the governor's minister senate bill 99, which banned gender affirming care. this was a bill that was one of many targeting the lgbtq community in montana. this legislature has systematically attacked that community. we have seen bills targeting our art forms, our books, our history, and our health care.

i rose up in defense of my community that day, speaking to harms that these bills bring and that i have first-hand experience knowing about. i have had friends who have taken their lives because of these bills. i have received calls from families in montana. including one family whose trans teenager attempted to take her life while watching a hearing on one of the anti-trans bills. so when i rose up and said there is blood on your hands, i was not being hyperbolic. i was speaking to these real consequences of the vote that we as legislators take in this body. when the speaker asks me to apologize on behalf of decorum, what he is really asking me to do is be silent when my community is facing bills that get us killed. he is asking me to be complicit

in this legislature's eradication of our community, and i refuse to do so and i will always refuse to do so. i may cut state representative -- amy: that was state representative zooey zephyr, montana's first and only openly transgender lawmaker. the republican-led montana legislature voted to ban her from the house floor and forbid her from speaking. well, zooey zephyr is refusing to stay silent and joins us now from helena, montana. welcome to democracy now! you represent mazzulla, place very close to my heart, my first college roommate was from missoula most of her dad was the bandleader at hell gate high. talk about what happened on the house floor and your response to the censure, sa -- the censure saying, you cannot speak on the house floor.

>> the vote to censure me was in here early and democratic. the speaker had been refusing to hear my commas. he was taking with the voice of the montanans who elected me to speak on their behalf. windows community members showed up in protest and said, letherspeak and he gaveled them down, he was continuing that process of silencing the people who sent me there to represent them. amy: talk about what this anti-trans bill is, why you so fiercely objected to it. >> the bill we were looking at bans gender affirming care for trans youth in the state of montana. that begins with something as simple as social transitioning, the earliest form of gender affirming care which is letting someone grow their hair out, cut it, go by different name, etc.

as you get older, it looks like going on puberty blockers. this health care is done slowly, carefully, and in conjunction with the child, the parent, endocrinologist, health practitioners following best practices by every major medical association. when you're looking at bills that take that necessary care away, what you're looking at are things that make the conditions for trans people impossible in our state. nermeen: amy: the motion to censure you was led by sue vinton, a republican from billing, montana. this is what she said about you wednesday ahead of the vote. >> every member of a legislature is presumed to be the equal of each member and has rights that must be respected. the rights of the minority and the majority both must be

protected. freedom in this body involves obedience to all the rules of this body, including the rules of decorum. monday, this body witnessed one of its members participating in conduct that disrupted and disturbed the orderly proceedings of this body. this member did not come to order and finally to clear the floor and instead, encouraged the continuation of the disruption of this body. amy: your response to her comments? >> when we talk about every member being equal to one another, it is important note when they are applying the rules of decorum unequally. we have had legislators -- those who insinuated my very existence is somehow sexualizing children. we objected and the movement and moved on. there are hearings where we fed

the republican sure not to allow harmful, discriminatory language and they said a lot of people have a lot of opinions, carry on. what you are seeing is a republican-controlled legislature using the tool like to coram as a way to silence those who are holding them accountable for the very real harm there bills brain. amy: just to understand what is happening to you right now, were sitting in a hallway tried to work -- you have been banned from the house floor. they tried you out from the hallway as well? can you talk about the montana freedom caucus that called for your immediate denture who also missed gendered you in a statement they wrote? >> much like the unequal and hypocritical weight decorum has been, i'm not surprised the freedom caucus would miss

generate in the same moment they call for civility and -- it is a caucus that calls for limited government while simultaneously using government to take away necessary and lifesaving health care for people in my community. i sat down thursday and i walked in and said, i want to be as close to the people's house as i can be so i can speak to legislators so that even despite the fact that my voice and the voice of my constituents isn't allowed on the floor, i can do everything in my power to make sure their voice is heard. amy: tell us about your decision, state representative zephyr, to run for office and the significance with you being the only -- first transgender lawmaker in montana. >> so i testified last session in 2021, and as i was testifying on trans sports ban, i saw the

people listening on the panel did not seem to want to hear. then i watched votes on anti-trans legislation passed by a single vote. i thought, i need to be in that room. you need representation in that room if you're ever going to be able to move the needle. i was happy to run, go to my community where i have lived and walked through and spend all of my time. they were gracious enough to elect me and i'm happy to serve alongside howell, the state's first nonbinary representative. amy: tell us about the other anti-trans and bills targeting the lgbtq community that are going through the montana legislature, and then talk about where the governor stands. >> we are seeing an array of bills targeting the lgbtq community, in particular the trans community's. we have seen bills that are

trying to ban our books under the guise of obscenity laws. bills trying to ban our art forms under the anti-drug law. we have seen bills that tell students they are allowed to miss gender people, bills that say trans people don't get health care and even if they have access to health care, edible practitioners don't want to provide it can just ignore you for any reason. these bills, as i mentioned, began with the sports bans. we are seeing the moment people got a foot in the door saying trans equality has limitations, they put an asterisk on that, as soon as i got in, they started escalating the attacks, which is what we sick in montana and across the country as well -- we are saying in montana and across the country as well. amy: and greg gianforte to come whose own site is nonbinary? >> i have not had direct contact with the governor's office on

these bills. i have spoke to folks and staff about these bills and how their harmful policy, how they hurt our community and how quite frankly, committees in montana do not want this. one of the things that is important to remember is trans people, we live ives full of joy, we are rt of our communities. whether you're working a day job in any office or the governor of the state of montana, you are never far from someone who is trans or nonbinary, worthy of love. amy: let me ask you about what happened in nebraska. megan hunt facing a so-called conflict of interest investigation after a right-wing lawmaker complained she did not officially disclose that she had a transgender child before voting against a bill banning gender affirming care for minors. she is saying that the probe is

harassment. >> i think, much like tennessee, much like here,, oklahoma, what you're seeing is far right legislators are passing policy, bringing policies forward that are incredibly harmful. hurt people and kill people. those who care about the are beginning to rise up and sing this is not acceptable, this is not something we can stand for and we are them accountable to the real harm these bills do. obviously, the attack by senator hunt are harassment. you would not expect every time a bill on public education came up someone to disclose their child went to a public school. this is targeting, much like was used against me, they're looking for processes and procedures in the rulebooks they can use to justify silencing and targeting someone for standing up for

vulnerable community. amy: state representative zooey zephyr, we're going to go to break and then come back. you're going to invite justin jones into this conversation. i am wondering if they decided to simply ban you from the floor. -- not hardly simply -- and not expel you entirely precisely what happened to the justins in tennessee, justin jones and justin pearson of memphis and nashville, because they were reinstated by their communities. we will be back with democratic montana state representative zooey zephyr in moment and will be joined by tennessee state representative justin. stay with us. ♪♪ [music break]

amy: "try to remember" by harry belafonte. he died at his home tuesday here in new york at the age of 96. to see all of our interviews with him over the years, go to democracynow.org. this is democracy now! i'm amy goodman. from montana to tennessee, we are speaking to lawmakers who have been expelled or silenced

by their republican colleagues. joining us now in washington, d.c., is justin jones. earlier this month, the largely white tennessee house of representatives,ith its heavily gerrymandered republican supermajority, expelled two members, justin jones and justin pearson, the two youngest black representatives in the tennessee house. they stood accused of breaching house decorum for non-violently protesting the chamber's inaction on gun violence in the wake of the march 27 mass school shooting at the covenant school in nashville where three nine-year-olds and three adults were killed. days after being expelled, both jones and pearson were temporarily reinstated to their seats by local authorities. earlier this week, the two justins, along with gloria johnson, a white lawmaker who narrowly escaped being expelled, met with president biden at the white house. pres. biden: with republican

legislature did was undemocratic and it was without any precedent , to turn it around very quickly. look, we pass them a significant gun laws that have been passed in 30 years and we have more to do. you understand exactly what it is like with the tragic happening in your state and city in particular, but also across the country. nothing is guaranteed about democracy. every generation has to fight. amy: after the meeting with the president, state representative justin jones spoke outside the white house. >> we lifted this issue about -- this is not left or right. we talk about how this is an issue of conscious come in issue in this outerwear try to build up multiracial democracy and challenge these extreme forces that other than passing an assault weapons ban, they assault our democracy as we saw. we talked to the president and vice president about why is so

critical for us to continue to lift up these movements in the south, ductus multiracial movement of reconstruction. we represent a new south. a new south that is rising. if we can transform the south, we can transform the station. if we can get, since gun laws passed in the south, we can pass them in the nation. our people are pushing forward a new vision. i think it is going to be a point where we are on the right side of history. amy: well, tennessee lawmaker justin jones is still in washington, d.c., and is joining us from their now. we last spoke to you from nashville, can you talk, justin jones -- it is so great to have you back with us -- about what it meant to be reinstated and then what it meant to meet with president biden, with bernie sanders, with the black caucus and others and what you're calling for now?

>> so good to be here again, amy. what it means is the movement continues. as we saw in tennessee, tennessee has set a very dangerous precedent for the nation. what happened to my friend here representative zooey zephyr, and in nebraska, we see this rising tide of authoritarianism that has taken a hold of our nation. we see this weaponization of decorum, to silent dissent come to silent voices that make people uncomfortable. there silencing any voice of divergence from their dominant narrative. to be here in d.c., we continue to lift up the struggle, to nationalize what is going on because it is not going to just impact as in tennessee and montana, but it will impact our nation. an attack on one of us is an attack on all of us. we continue to push the white house. i've been grateful to meet with many members here in the capitol

to let them know from our statehouses to the u.s. capitol, we are facing some very dangerous trends in our democracy. connecting what happened to us to january 6, which was an attempt to stop an election, stopped democracy. we have to stand together and show we're not going to be divided. we are united in our struggle. lifting voices that have often been pushed to the margins. amy: justin jones, were elected to be state representative in november but before that you are known in nashville, black lives matter activist. you had taken on the house speaker before. you're now calling for cameron sexton's resignation. but you had pushed and successfully push for the removal of the blast of nathan bedford forrest from the state capitol rotunda. he was the first grand dragon of

the ku klux klan, the ku klux klan born in tennessee. you ultimately won your battle but cameron sexton voted against removing the founding grand wizard of the ku klux klan's bust from the state capital? were you able to hear that question? >> i just missed the last part. amy: you won the removal of the bust of the founding grand wizard of the ku klux klan nathan bedford forrest from the state capitol rotunda. the house speaker, whose resignation you continue to call for, voted against removing his bust, ku klux klan born in tennessee. is that right? >> that is correct. what we are sick in tennessee is this battle of us representing a

new south, us south that does not worship symbols to white supremacy and the confederacy. we were trying to represent a south that represents multiracial democracy and human rights that affirms the dignity across race, across sexuality, cross immigration status. we want to say the southern surrogates she is had a saying the south will rise again and we say the south will rise a new and the south is the frontline of this battle for democracy in this battle against white supremacy and transphobia and homophobia and misogyny and economic exploitation. we represent a new voice. that is what they're trying to expel, not just individual lawmakers but what we represent and his future that they are so fearful of in which all of our voices are heard and our people are treated with respect and protected and not just the voices of a small white power structure, of meant of a

particular religion and economic status who dominated our politics for so long. amy: can you talk about the state legislature trying to give the unity to the gun manufacturers? this vote, right after the mass shooting in nashville -- the city represent -- that killed three nine-year-olds and three adults? >> it is a moral the only gun law we passed that she was not the first mass shooting. with the shooting five years ago last week at the waffle house in nashville. they decided to say, let's not protect kids as we have been asking but protect firearms manufacturers from lawsuits. this is how immoral it is, we're dealing with those who care more about the profits of the gun industry than the safety of our community and the lives of our children. it is immoral and it shows the correction of money in our

political system. that is the first action they take a lot of a mass shooting was to pass that law? this is the way they are moving. it is not democracy. it is mob-ocracy. it is insulting to the victims of this mass and in the family said that is the step forward there taking was not and also arming teachers. that was the other proposal. it is so hurtful for our people who are grieving and demand we pass, since gun laws across the political spectrum. that is what we should be passing. amy: before we bring representative zephyr back in the conversation, i would ask what is happening with you and justin pearson. you're back in estate representatives, define the republican supermajority. but you now have to go through an election, both in national and in memphis, the two of you,

to -- because you were expelled? how much does this cost? when is it going to happen? >> we have two elections, a primary in a month and a general in august. it is at the expense of the taxpayer. i know republicans announce their running against me. we will be running an active campaign because we know this is not just about us but a referendum on democracy. that is what we are fighting for and pushing for. their attempt to expel us was an attempt to make a spectacle of authoritarianism, that if you dare challenge the dominant power structure, this is what will happen to you. i also want to say, the represented pearson and myself are back, we are still not allowed to speak on the house floor. we still have not been given committees again. they are doing everything they can to make us feel like second-class members, though our community sent us back there after being expelled to represent them unanimously.

it is extreme what is going on. we are still unwelcome in the people's house. we're not there to make friends with them. these are our colleagues. we are there to represent the voices of our constituents, some of the most diverse districts in tennessee. every time they silence us, they silent our constituents. that is why we must fight hard against those who have taken hold of our state government. amy: that brings as to bring in democratic montana state representative zooey zephyr of missoula, montana, the first transgender woman ever elected to the montana legislature, republican-led state legislature has now banned her from the house floor and forbid her from speaking. is this the first time the two of you have publicly spoken together? >> i believe we spoke together a

couple of days ago? this will be the second time. america i want to know, first, justin jones, if you could address state legislator zooey zephyr to talk about what this has meant for you and your reaction to what happened to her and is there any move for state legislators around the country to band together? >> representative zephyr, we talked on the phone the dead the decision to censure her -- the day of the decision to censure her to let her know we stand with her. an attack on one of us is an attack on all of us. we are united from tennessee to montana to nebraska to florida against this trend toward authoritarianism, silencing voices that need to be heard.

if you look at what we represent, we represent the future of our politics. people were proximate to these issues should have a voice in challenging them when it comes to the well-being of our community's come the safety, what democracy should be in our state. representative zephyr knows i am standing with you. whatever i can do to stand up in solidarity to push back and let them know we're not going to be divided, we see this as united struggle, a struggle in which solidarity beats solidarity matters in which resisting together against these forces of authoritarianism is going to be something we continue to do nationwide. thank you for your courage. i'm so grateful -- when you walked out, had that same feeling of dignity. you walked out with your head held high. because we know we're on the right set of history. it is beautiful to see those photos that were pushing forward and did not let them shane you, you saw the community stands with you, the people of the

nation stand with you. we will continue to push forward unafraid and on about against these forces. amy: state representative zooey zephyr, if you could respond and talk about the effect it had on you -- this is right before you were censured, saying justin pearson and justin jones being expelled from the state legislature -- did you at any point have an id this would happen to you? >> i did not. why people keep saying his courage is contagious. when you watch people stand up for what is right, to defend a community when marginalized groups come together as representative jones said, an attack on one of us is an attack on all of us -- when you see people stand u it drives you to stand up similarly. that is also why one of the first groups to come out and support me was on american indian caucus who said, this is

inappropriate, undemocratic attack on representative zephyr and they know that firsthand because they have experienced it. the attack across our state and our country goes way back before the attacks on trans people we are seeing today. amy: zooey zephyr, what is than the response of the people who elected you? as i was saying around tennessee, it is not as if you're fired from a store you're working at, you were elected. you have these other representatives who are saying, the city of missoula cannot have their elected representative speak. what does it mean for them and when does this banishment end? >> that has been -- i have seen pride for my community. thank you for standing up. thank you for saying the things we elected you to say. to hold the powerful a palatable

to the harm they do -- accountable to the harm they do. i've seen them express frustration when they speak to me saying, you are taking our boys. they're sending that message in emails, showing up at the capitol to send that message and say, you're taking away our representation and that is not democratic. going forward -- i showed up yesterday ready to do the work the best i can and i'm going to do everything i can in my power to make sure that the people who elted me, the 11,000 montanans who elected me, have representation in the people's house. amy: let me ask you, justin jones, about the anti-trans laws being passed in the tennessee legislature. the biden administration has filed suit against tennessee's ban on lifesaving care for transgender youth. can you talk about that and the position you took? >> all session we have been challenging the slate of hate.

tennessee has had 27 anti-lgbtq laws the session, more than any other state. laws to ban drag shows, challenge equality in marriage. it has been this very hateful agenda. we have resisted it at every step before we were expelled. we were some of the most vocal voices challenging this anti-lgbtq agenda. we are glad the federal government is intervening and challenging that law that will harm our youth. we shared on the house floor this is harmful to the youth of tennessee and a very dangerous policy for these lawmakers to try and be doctors, as they so often try to do. we have challenged it. we know this challenge of attacking the lgbtq community, attacking people of color, attacking immigrants is really an attack on democracy, an attack on our future and the future we represent.

we are once again fighting together, united in the struggle against those who would try and scapegoat members of our community, use the nest punching bags to distract from their failures, the fact in states like ours, one in five total live in poverty. the majority people are struggling to get by because they are waging a culture work instead of a war to protect our communities against this wave of environment and justice that is plaguing our community and of a corporate attack that is denigrating our people. the struggle between getting groceries or paying for the prescriptions. this is what we're dealing with. it is an attempt to divide and conquer. we will not cooperate with that. we will not accept that because we know what are the real issues in our community and that is not an issue they are making -- making manufacturing is not what we should be focused on. amy: representative jones, in

tennessee, lizzo recently invited dozens of drag performers on stage during knoxville concert, protesting republicans efforts to ban public drag performances in the state. your governor, tennessee republican governor bill lee, signed the measure into law last february but it was blocked by federal judge the following month who argued it was too vaguely written. were you there? >> i was down at the concert but i was on the house floor fighting that bill. three weeks before the mass shooting happened at covenant on the house floor said, why are we focusing on drag shows? the real danger to our youth, the number one cause of death we should be focused on our mass shootings, gun violence. i said this before the shooting even occurred. we knew what the threat to our youth was. we know what it is. they tried to make drag shows an issue which it has never been an

issue. lawmakers were simply trying to instigate hate against a community, the lgbtq community. we are grateful for artists ike lizzo who come to our state but we live in a state that we passed more lawsuits than laws. we knew this was unconstitutional. we set it in committee and on the house floor. a lot of the laws are going to continue to be challenged, hopefully, to overturn this arrogance of a super majority that passes laws targeting vulnerable and marginalized community's. amy: representative zooey zephyr , i remembered 10 years, maybe a little more or less, where every state was passing putting our referenda or measures on election day or before against same-sex marriage. the point of that was they could not get people out, enough people to vote for conservative candidates that would rev people have to go to the polls and then

they would vote for the conservative candidates. that was a movement at the time, and it completely failed. conservatives as well as progressives and liberals, that is not their issue anymore. now you have this issue of drag shows, trans laws. i am wondering if you can end by talking about what this means in your community to be used in this way? >> i think you hit that perfectly. when we see attacks on lgbtq people, whether back in the 1990's or today, this try to drum up fear of -- trans people, we live in our communities, we are known in our communities, we are left broadly in our community's which is why this effort ultimately is going to fail. when they are attacking trans people, they're not just attacking us, they are attacking

our loved ones who care about us, our coworkers, our community members who care about us. in the same way other marginalized groups are rising up and saying this is not acceptable, that is what we are sing with our communities. saying, no, you can't do this to trans people, we love them and care about them. it is ultimately even though we're seeing these attacks in the legislatures, they have already lost in our community's because we are loved. amy: democratic montana state representative zooey zephyr come the first transgender woman ever elected to the montana legislature. she has been banned by the republican-led legislature from the house floor, for bidding her from speaking. i want to thank you for being with us from helena, represent mazzulla, and justin jones i'm a democratic tennessee state representative of nashville, recently reinstated after the republican supermajority, heavily gerrymandered house of representatives, voted to expel

him and his colleague justin pearson. they were reinstated by their own communities until there is a special election. thank you both for being with us. coming up, we look at president biden's plan to send u.s. nuclear armed submarines to south korea. stay with us. ♪♪ [music break]

amy: "island in the sun" by harry belafonte. this is democracy now!, democracynow.org, the war and peace report. i'm amy goodman. we end today's show looking at the crisis on the korean peninsula. on thursday, south korean president yoon suk-yeol addressed a joint session of the u.s. congress and warned nuclear threat posed by north korea. on wednesday, joe biden pledged to deploy nuclear-armed submarines to south korea for the first time in 40 years and to establish a new bilateral nuclear consultative group where the united states would involve officials from south korea in nuclear planning operations targeting north korea. on wednesday, president biden issued a stark warning to north korea.

pres. biden: a nuclear attack by north korea against the united states or its allies and partisans or partners is unacceptable and will result in the end of whatever regime would take such an action. amy: president biden was speaking in the rose garden at a news conference with the south korean president. to talk more about his visit to washington and intention on the korean peninsula, we are joined now by christine ahn, founder and executive director of women cross dmz, a global movement of women mobilizing to end the korean war. christine is also the coordinator of the campaign korea peace now. speaking to us from hawaii. we thank you for being up in the middle of the night for this conversation, christine. talk about the significance of the meeting at the white house between the u.s. and south korean presidents and what president biden has promised. >> thank you for having me on. the announcements that the u.s.

would send nuclear armed submarines to south korea is a very provocative and dangerous move. it is the first time that u.s. nuclear weapons have been on or around the korean peninsula in 40 years. most americans have no idea the nuclear crisis actually began with the u.s. bringing new car weapons in south korea from 1956, 3 years after the signing of the cease-fire, and had them there up until george bush senior. that is not only a provocative act directed at north korea, but also at china. this is actually throwing fuel into a fire that has been increasingly dangerous. there have been massive military exercises between u.s. and south

korea. last year i think north korea conducted 90 missile test. the situation is just getting even more dangerous. there's a three-star general who says of all the conflicts currently in taking place right now, whether it is between u.s. and china over taiwan or the russia-ukraine war, the korean peninsula is perhaps the one that may be the closest to a nuclear war. it is a very dangerous moment. and the fact the u.s. will be sending u.s. nuclear submarines to the korean peninsula and for biden to make such a statement that is akin to trump's theory were he threatened to destroy north korea, this is a wake-up call i think for the american people and, obviously, for south koreans who feel yoon suk-yeol

is basically drawing the korean peninsula on the front line of the u.s. war against china. amy: christine ahn, this is being billed as a compromise. as part of the agreement, president yoon renewed a pledge not to pursue the development of a south korean nuclear arsenal. your response? >> well, it is in the since there is growing concern in south korea for his own domestic nuclear weapons program in light of the tactical nuclear weapons coming from north korea or the program in north korea. but i think the problem is it is not addressing the underlying issue, which is the korean peninsula is continuing really at a state of war. this is the 70th anniversary of the cease-fire that july 27 marks 70 years that the u.s.

commander, the north korean commander, and the chinese representative from the voluntary people's army signed the armistice agreement where they committed to halting the war, but they never actually followed up with their commitment which was to return within 90 days to negotiate a peace but on it. what we are facing is this continual militarization -- south korea now is the sixth largest military spender in the world. the u.s. we know is the world's largest. our but it just budget approaching $1 trillion. more than nine countries combined. it is in a sustainable crisis. i think the way the narrative of deterrence is as if there isn't violence, as if they're preparing to prevent violence in the future when in fact we know

violence is taking place right now. whether it is the division of families, whether it is the suffering of the north korean people, whether it is the ongoing investment in militarization that should be otherwise invested in things that make us secure. i think about i am here in hawaii and we are facing the red hill crisis where this militarization means we are polluting oahu's aquifer. this is the jet fuel that would basically fuel the ships for the bombers that will go and wage wars in asia. so we have to break down this mythology that this is actually what is making us secure when in fact what we need to do is negotiate a peace agreement. that is gaining traction among people from the military to nuclear scientists to people like president carter.

we have to normalize relations with north korea to achieve the things we want. amy: can you talk about this mobilization to end the korean war scheduled for the end of july? also talked about china's response to all of this. >> well, first, just since we are short on time, i want to make sure that we are mobilizing hundreds to come to washington, d.c. i hope, amy, you will be there, or somebody from democracy now! july 27 marks the seventh anniversary of the armistice. we are saying it is time to end this war. this war that inaugurated the military-industrial complex for the united states and set forth the u.s. to become the world's police, and it has been the war that has maintained this constant threat on the korean peninsula. we are gathering multiple organizations, faith-based,

events for peace, create american coalition -- we are gathering -- the website is koreapeaceaction.org. we will have a congressional briefing. we want to also raise awareness that there is the first ever peace on the korean peninsula act. we had nearly 50 cosponsors of that bill. amy: 10 seconds. >> what i'm saying, there is momentum now to transform the state of war into a permanent peace. that is where we need americans to recognize, this is america's oldest war. it is on our responsibility to bring closure to this war. amy: christine ahn, founder and executive director of women cross dmz, a global movement of women mobilizing to end the korean war. also the coordinator of the campaign korea peace now. that does it for our show.

on saturday, juan gonzalez will be speaking at 10:00 a.m. at a mac in university in washington on an all-day conference titled "in search of a new u.s. policy for a america, airing 200 years of the monroe doctrine." [captioning made possi