06/07/23 06/07/23 [captioning made possible by democracy now!] amy: from new york, this is democracy now! >> the reason i am here -- [indiscernible] these are the same people trying to kick our kids out of sports. these are the same people

rejecting hiv funding for the state. amy: to clearing national state of emergency in the united states due to an unprecedented wave of anti-lgbtq+ adulation. we will speak to the president of human rights campaign kelley robinson. into cornell west who has just announced he's running for president to challenge both the decratic a republin paies. >> in tse ble times, have cided toun for tth and juste which kes the rm of running r presidtf the ited stas as a cdidate f the ople's pty. enter in a questor tru. i ter io a quesforustice . and the esidencys just o vehicl to pursue that truth and justice, what i have been trying to do all my life.

amy: all that and more, coming up. welcome to democracy now!, democracynow.org, the war and peace report. i'm amy goodman. air quality alerts were issued across all people u.s. states and cities tuesday as well as today as thick, dark smoke from canada's hundreds of blazing wildfires blanketed the skies of the northeast, midwest, the ohio valley, and the mid-atlantic. the haze has triggered dangerous air pollution warnings, impacting tens of millions of people, with new york reporting the worst air quality in any major city worldwide tuesday. there are over 400 blazes burning across nearly all of canada's 10 provinces and territories, forcing tens of thousands of people to evacuate. the province of quebec is facing some of the worst fires due to

lightning, covering neighboring ottawa and toronto with an orange haze. u.s. and canadian officials are urging people with heart and lung issues and other health vulnerabilities to remained indoors as much as possible. record-breaking heatwaves continue to plague much of the planet. the heat index in puerto rico reached 125 degrees fahrenheit this week as the island is hit by the combined effects of a heat dome, el niño, and climate change. meanwhile, many asian countries are sweltering under a prolonged heatwave, including bangladesh where elementary schools were shuttered this week and residents are dealing with frequent power cut outages as temperatures topped 105 degrees. many workers are still forced to spend hours outdoors with no relief. >> the water shortage and the heat are suffocating us. there is no shade.

it is becoming cap to pull a rickshaw. amy: this comes as a new study published this week by nature communications finds the arctic is expected be ice-free during the summer months starting as early as the 2030s. even in a best-case emissions reduction scenario, which the world is not currently on track to achieve, scientists say the loss of arctic sea ice in the summer is now inevitable in the next few decades. activists from the direct action group climate defiance stormed a talk hosted by the news site semafor in washington, d.c., tuesday, shutting down senator joe manchin's keynote address. >> he has received over $1 million in the last year alone from the fossil fuel industry. >> we did everything we are

supposed to. i knocked on thousands of doors. i did everything i was supposed to. amy: manchin was promoting so-called permitting reform, which allows for the fast-tracking of fossil fuel projects. the recently passed debt limit deal gave the greenlight to expedite the 300-plus-mile-long fracked gas mountain valley pipeline through west virginia and virginia. evacuations continue in southern ukraine as some 42,000 people are at risk of flooding along the dnipro river after the nova kakhovka dam collapsed on tuesday. russia and ukraine have traded blame for its destruction. the u.n. has warned of grave and far-reaching consequences -- far-reaching humanitarian consequences. this is a resident affected by the flooding. >> the situation is literally critical. if the water rises another meter, we will lose our house. we are moving our stuff to

neighbors now to move to higher ground. the russians want to destroy the ukrainian nation and ukraine itself and they don't care by what means because nothing is sacred to them. amy: mexican president andrés manuel lópez obrador's ruling political party has won the gubernatorial election in the state of mexico, dealing a major blow to the institutional revolutionary party, pri, which had held the state's governorship for nearly a century without interruption. morena candidate delfina gómez won sunday with over half the vote. her victory continues to mark the pri's decline in mexican politics since amlo's election to the presidency. the state of mexico is the most populous in mexico, surrounding much of mexico city. in related news, mexico's foreign minister marcelo ebrard announced he is stepping down to run for president in next year's election. in france, protesters took to the streets around the country and transport workers staged

strikes tuesday as opponents of president emmanuel macron pension overhaul seek to revive public momentum against the reform nearly two months after it was signed into law. a long-shot amendment is being brought to the national assembly by leftist lawmakers though it's not expected to go anywhere. many demonstrators just say they want their voices heard. this is a student from nantes. >> the reform passed without our democracy so it is important to make the government understand we never wanted this reform and it is time for the people to speak because it shows the government cares less and less about people's will so it is important we take that power back on that level. amy: secretary of state antony blinken is in saudi arabia where he met with crown prince and de facto head of state mohammed bin salman in jeddah. blinken said the pair "discussed deepening economic cooperation" as the u.s. vies to increase its sway in the region, including over gas prices, amid competing bids for influence from china

and russia and to push for the normalization of saudi-israeli relations. as a presidential candidate, biden vowed to make saudi arabia a pariah over its human rights record and the assassination of journalist "washington post" columnist jamal khashoggi. in related news, iran has reopened its embassy in saudi arabia after it recently restored diplomatic ties in a beijing-brokered deal. in sports news, the pga, professional golfers association of america, announced a merger of their pga tour with the saudi liv golf tour. it came as a shock to much of the sports world as the pga spent months trying to undermine li by banning golfers from participating in pga events. critics say itv by a country accused of massive human rights

violations. the u.n. relief and works agency has only received about a third of the $300 million in funding it needs from international donors to continue its humanitarian work in the occupied territories and palestinian refugee camps in surrounding countries. u.n. secretary-general antónio guterres warned unrwa is "on the verge of financial collapse." meanwhile, a group of gazan children tuesday demonstrated in front of the local offices of the u.n. food programme after the agency recently stopped disbursing financial and food aid to families in need due to funding shortages. the ongoing occupation and blockade of palestinian land by israel has put the unemployment rate in gaza at above 45% as two thirds of the population struggles to afford food. democratic senator chris van hollen is calling on the state department to declassify its report on the killing last year

of palestinian-american journalist shireen abu akleh by israeli forces. van hollen said the report offers some valuable information though noted access to key witnesses was denied and the findings cannot be considered a true independent investigation. shireen abu akleh, a longtime reporter at al jazeera, was shot dead by israeli gunfire last may while covering an israeli raid in the occupied west bank. in virginia, a gunman shot two people dead and injured another five tuesday after a high school graduation ceremony at a park in richmond. police arrested a 19-year-old suspect who was found in possession of four handguns. according to the gun violence archive, it was the 279th mass shooting in the u.s. this year. this is richmond mayor levar stoney. >> this should not be happening

anywhere. whether it is in richmond, virginia, united states -- this should not be happening anywhere. a child should be able to go to their graduation and enjoy the accomplishment with their friends and family. amy: in florida, the family of ajike "aj" owens is seeking accountability after the black mother of four was shot dead through her neighbor's front door last week. according to lawyer ben crump, the neighbor yelled at ms. owens' children for playing in a field next to their apartment complex and used racist slurs. when the children returned to retrieve a forgotten ipad, she threw it at them and hit a child. ms. owens went to confront the neighbor and, through the closed-door, the neighbor inside, owens outside, she shot

and killed her. the neighbor has been identified as a white woman, though her name has not been released. the human rights campaign has issued its first-ever state of emergency for lgbtq+ people in the u.s. amid an onslaught of hateful legislation. more than 525 anti-lgbtq state bills have been introduced in the 2023 legislative session, over 70 of those have become law. the group released a guide listing state-by-state anti-lgbtq laws and a "know your rights" guide for lgbtq+ travelers. we'll speak with hrc president kelley robinson after headlines. in related news, a federal judge blocked parts of a florida law banning gender-affirming care for transgender youth. judge robert hinkle asserted gender identity is real, as he ruled in favor of families of transgender children who will be

three allowed to obtain prescription puberty blockers. other parts of the wide-ranging ban remain in place. meanwhile, louisiana's republican-dominated legislature passed its own ban on gender-affirming care for most minors tuesday, sending the bill to the democratic governor john bel edwards. though the governor has opposed the bill, a gop supermajority could override his veto. in texas, the bear county sheriff's office is recommending criminal charges over the migrant flights, arranged by florida governor ron desantis, that carried 49 asylum seekers from texas to martha's vineyard last year. the case is being reviewed by the district attorney's office. this comes as california governor gavin newsom is threatening possible kidnapping charges after florida arranged for two planes carrying around three dozen migrants to be flown from the u.s.-mexico border to sacramento in recent days. pharmaceutical company merck is

suing the biden administration over its law empowering medicare to negotiate for lower prices on some drugs, passed as part of last year's inflation reduction act. among others, merck's highly anticipated cancer medication could be affected by the change. the white house responded to the suit tuesday. >> there is nothing the cost -- in the constitution that prevents medicare from negotiating lower drug prices. any time profits of a pharmaceutical industry are challenged, they make claims about it hindering their ability to innovate. not only are these arguments untrue, but the american people do not buy them. amy: attorneys representing former president donald trump met with special counsel jack smith at the justice department on monday and a last-minute plea to avoid an indictment of the former president. it is believed the conversation focused on grand jury investigations around trump's efforts to overturn the 2020

presidential election, his role in the january 6 insurrection, and his mishandling of classified documents. mark meadows reportedly has testified to the grand jury and jack smith's probe. and members of hollywood's largest union sag-aftra overwhelmingly voted to authorize a strike as the entertainment industry fights back against pay issues, the impact of streaming services on residuals, and the threat of ai to workers' livelihoods. union members hope the nearly 98% vote backing a strike will help move talks with studios and streaming companies forward. this comes as hollywood writers are in the sixth week of their strike. many actors have joined wga members in solidarity on the picket line since the start of that strike. >> without the writers and the actors, there is no story and no one to bring the story to life. we are very much a collaborative

effort out here. amy: and those are some of the headlines. this is democracy now!, democracynow.org, the war and peace report. coming, the nation's largest lesbian, gay, queer civil rights group has declared a national state of ami urgency in united's -- of emergency in the united states. stay with us. ♪♪ [music break]

amy: this is democracy now!, democracynow.org, the war and peace report. i'm amy goodman. the largest lesbian, gay, bisexual, transgender, crucible rights organization in the united states has declared its first-ever state of emergency due to an unprecedented wave of anti-lgbtq+ legislation. the human rights campaign says more than 525 anti-lgbtq state bills have been introduced in the 2023 legislative session,

over 70 have become law. louisiana's republican dominated legislature passed a war on gender affirming care for most minors, sending the bill to the democratic governor who has a posted but a gop supermajority in the legislature could override his veto. most major medical groups including the american medical association and the inner can academy of pediatrics support gender affirming health care for transgender minors and adults. also tuesday, a federal judge temporarily blocked the largest war transition care for three transgender children mixed ongoing legal challenges. their families while the lawsuit arguing the bands are unconstitutional and the judge agreed they represent " purposeful discrimination against transgender." in the los angeles suburb, police declared unlawful assembly tuesday night after 500 people protested outside a school board meeting or about

was scheduled on recognizing june as pride month. a physical fight broke out between anti-lgbtq protesters and lgbtq supporters and it was so big it was picked up by local news traffic cam. this comes as 2024 republican presidential contender nikki haley tried to connect teen girls suicidal ideation to transgender rights during a cnn town hall sunday. >> the idea we have biological boys playing in girl sports, it is the women's issue of our time. my daughter ran track in high school. i don't know how i would even have that conversation with her. how are we supposed to get our girls used to the fact that biological boys are in their locker room and then we wonder why a third of our teenage girls sears the contemplated suicide last year? amy carr recent report by the trevor project found roughly

half of transgender and non-binary young people said they had fiercely considered suicide over the last year. 30% said laws and policies that target lgbtq people had worsened their mental health. this is nebraska state senator megan hunt whose son is transgender responding to republican governor jim pillen after he signed a bill last month that bans gender affirming treatment for transgender youth. >> this person said they had attempted suicide during the session in nebraska. a trans person. i said, do not let one of these trash people who i work with be the reason you are not here. they don't matter. the potential you have for the rest of your life is so much bigger and the damage any of these trash people can do in their year, eight year term. senator stood up and said trans

are violently depressed because they are trans. it is because bullies like her who are trying to legislate their existence and take away the right to be viewed as fully human in our society. amy: for more we are joined by kelley robinson president of the , human rights campaign, the nation's largest lgbtq+ civil rights organization. this is the first time in the 40 year history of your group that you have decided to issue this emergency declaration. talk about why you did this, kelley robinson. >> we felt like we had a responsibility to do so. you laid it out. we have seen unprecedented attacks at the legislative level. we are seeing real-life islands impacting our community from california to the one in five of every hate crime being motivated by lgbtq bias. when people are traveling across the country, when they are deciding to move or what schools to go to, we had a responsibility to let people know there is an eminent crisis

facing our community and patchwork the protections for us and our family depending on the state you're in. this report lays it out and gives resources on what your rights are and what you can do if you find yourself in one of these hostile states. amy: can you talk about what is behind this wave and wave does not really stated accurately, we are talking about, as you have documented, hundreds and hundreds and hundreds of bills that have been put forward across the country. >> this is political theater. they are doing this to pander to a maga republican base. 70% of americans support the lgbtq community and believe legislature should be standing with our values. one in five generation z identifies as one of these -- as

a member of one of these community's. what we're seeing play out is a vocal minority that is sowing hate in our community because they're not willing to solve the real problem. if they cared about the safety of our kids, they would be moving forward legislation to prevent gun violence, the number one killer of our children. not taking why the rights of parents to support our kids and growing into their fullest selves. amy: over the weekend, judge thomas parker ruled a new tennessee law restricting drag performances in public was unconstitutional. this is drag performer cya inhale at a pride event in franklin, tennessee. >> having the answer finally delivered and that breath of fresh air and that weight off our shoulders that it is finally gone is lovely. we can breathe easy for the rest of the year. there still a fight and we still have to continue fighting. there is other change -- drag is

still being criminalized but this is a step in the right direction. amy: a federal judge blocked parts of a florida law banning gender affirming care transgender youth. judge robert hinkle asserted gender identity is real and he ruled in favor of three families with three trains -- transgender children who be allowed to obtain prescription puberty blockers. so there is very bad news but also good news and some of these rulings are by trump-appointed judges. >> that is very true. that is showing the extent to which -- how unconstitutional laws are they are passing in the states. the thing i want to pull forward is the impact is real. the fact over 500 anti-bills have been introduced, even if they don't pass into law, it is having a devastating impact on the safety and well-being of our

community. when you match that with easy access of firearms, with an extreme rhetoric of hate, we're getting these real-life outcomes of violence from kids having increased incidence of mental health crises to real assault at drag queen story hours or bomb threats on hospitals. that is why they're such a crisis right now. it has a legislative impact, human impact, creating a culture of fear for our community. they are trying to push us back into the closet. we're doing all we can to show up in joyful resistance and resilience to make that not the case not only for ourselves today but for every young person that is watching this play out. amy: talk about doing this as presidential candidates are coming forward and taking very strong stands against the gay community. the republican field come everyone from governor desantis of florida to the former south carolina governor nikki haley.

can you talk about what you hope declaring this national state of emergency, how it will affect presidential campaign? >> i have to say what i see playing out in the republican primary is devastating, sickening, and horrifying. they are pandering to extremist state and sowing fear against our kids, against our trans children only for political gain. they know this isn't where the majority of the country is. they know we have identified 62 million voters in the country that prioritized lgbtq issues when deciding who to vote for. of course lgbtq+ people, that is also our allies, our family. we cannot allow them to continue this line of attack. even more so, we have got to bolster up our champions and make sure everyone that is a supporter and ally of this community turns into a champion in 2024 to hold the strongest

line possible. we can't give into these bullies. at the end of the day, we have to recognize this is an intersectional attack most the same people coming after gender affirming care also attacking our access to abortion. the same people try to outlaw to teach clear theories are trying outlaw -- excuse me, ban books and outlaw teaching about black history. it is truly a crisis to our democracy. amy: i want to ask you about what is happening in the united states going global. in may, the ugandan president signed a sweeping anti-lgbtq measure into law that makes same-sex relationship punishable by life in prison, even the death penalty in some cases. it is one of the most draconian anti-lgbtq laws in the world.

in april, we spoke to the ugandan activist about the role of u.s. evangelicals and pushing this law forward in uganda. >> the homophobia and transphobia we are seeing toward queer and trans persons in uganda is from the west. it is mostly from extreme american evangelicals. just last week, we had an american evangelicals in uganda attending a conference that was titled -- but the agenda for this conference was anti-gay and anti-gender. in fact, some of the african members of parliament who attended this conference are trying to introduce similar legislation in other countries.

for example, can you post of a member of parliament who attended this conference in uganda that was heavily supported by american evangelicals is now trying to introduce similar legislation in kenya. we are seeing these anti-gay propaganda and anti-gay legislations moving around africa. donna already has one. we are worried about other countries that could introduce similar legislations. amy: said that is frank, the lgbtq activist in uganda. so many lgbtq people are fleeing uganda right now with the passage in signing of this law, kelley robinson. in that conversation, particularly focused on the american evangelical scott lively who talked about

homosexuality as a western agenda. can you talk about how what is happening in the united states is having such a massive effect globally? >> it is heartbreaking. it truly is. it is devastating to see how impactful that piece of legislation is in uganda. we know it is true what he is saying, that the same people that are pushing these anti-lgbtq laws in the united states are exporting this hate. they're using places like uganda and the whole african region as a testing ground for what they hope to do in the united states of america. these are groups that are designated hate groups, like the alliance of freedom. this is a true crisis. it is also heartbreaking because america used to be a beacon of hope. we used to be going to countries talking about what it means to expand rights to people and now this is the legacy we are moving forward. all of us need to see this for exactly what it is, a precursor

to what they also want to make true in the united states of america. america finally, if you can talk about what you feel people need to do in this time as your organization has designated a national emergency? >> i think we need to recognize first there are children looking to us to see what we're going to do and say in this moment come to see if we will stand up for their lives and validate your humanity and dignity. all of us have a responsibility to do that vocally and proudly. we have to stand up and tell our story every way we can about being a member of the community or being an ally to the community. yet to take political action. contact your legislators and tell them not to mess with our trans kids, not to mess with the lgbtq+ community. ultimately, we have to change the political dynamics in this country so it is no longer advantageous to attack the

lgbtq+ community. we have got to do this together. amy: kelley robinson, thank you for bring with us, president of the human rights campaign, the nation's largest lgbtq+ civil rights organization. for the first time in its 40 year history, it has declared a national emergency for the lgbtq+ community. coming up, cornel west. he has just announced he is running for president to challenge both the democratic and republican parties. stay with us. ♪♪ [music break]

amy: this is democracy now!, democracynow.org, the war and peace report. i'm amy goodman. the 2024 presidential race is becoming more crowded. former new jersey governor chris christie and former vice president mike pence have both joined the republican race.

meanwhile, the philosophy professor and civil rights activist cornel west has announced he's running for president as a candidate with the people's party. in a short video released monday, dr. west criticized both the mocraticnd repubcan parts. >> i'm notalking aut hatin anody, we e talkinabout loving. we arealking about airming. we are tking abo empering the w have en pusd to e margins. cause neher polical part nts to tell the tru about wall street,bout ukraine come about the pentagon, about big tech. amy: the announcement surprise many political observers. in 2008, he endorsed barack obama but later became a vocal critic of the obama-biden administration. in 2016 and 2020 come he backed bernie sanders in

the democratic primaries. cornel west is running as a member of the people's party, which was founded by a former staffer of sanders after the 2016 election. it is an alternative to the two party system. this would be the first time the party has fielded a candidate for president. according to the new republic, the people's party has ballot access and barely a handful of states. dr. west is one of the nation's most recognized public intellectuals. he is a professor of philosophy and krishan practice at union theological seminary. he formally taught at princeton and harvard university. he is joining us now from irvine, california. cornel west, welcome back to democracy now! can you talk about why you have decided to run for president of the united states? >> first, sister amy, i want to salute you. you are an exemplar of longevity of integrity and consistency.

we go back many, many decades. i want to always begin on that note. you put a smile on your precious parents face. my announcement of running for president of united states to be head of the empire to help this mental and such a way that poor and working people would be at the very center, at the very core of our vision of what a good society actually is. it has to do, as you can imagine, with these very bleak times, very desperate times. it is a kind of act of desperation. i am 70 years old. i have been at this for 55 years. i have had a calling that flows out of the legacy of martin luther king junior and dorothy day and grace lee boggs -- all

of those are the best of america. i think we are at such a low point that america needs to be reintroduced to its best. and it's best has always been a movement for justice. the struggle for freedom. the solidarity based on a fundamental commitment to the dignity of those sly stone calls everyday people. it is no doubt in my mind the two party system is a major impediment for the power of working people. i am convinced neofascist republican party has already made it very clear they are tied to big business, did military, big tech, and so forth. the milquetoast neoliberal democratic party is incapable of taking seriously the fundamental needs of poor and working people

, not just here but around the world. the militarism abroad. $7 billion frozen for afghans -- brothers and sisters in afghanistan will stop africom in africa. what is been going on in the middle east. all the hell they've been catching. every day i think god that you do, why? because palestinian people deserve to have visibility in terms of their suffering and ways in which they can attempt to get out from under. say would be true for our jewish brothers and sisters in russia or in france where their rights are being violated. we are wrestling with organized greed and institutionalized hatred. we saw that with our precious gay brothers and lesbian sisters and clear siblings in the earlier report.

it is also a matter of regionalized -- rootenized indifference. mormor more it is becoming not just a fad and fashioned, it is becoming a normalized way of life. that is what leads toward wholesale fascism. not just here, but other parts of the world. we have seen it in hungary and brazil. i could go on and on. for me, it is a matter of trying to be consistent of what i've been about the last 55 years. amy: you talk about militarism. i want to ask about russia's invasion of ukraine. in march of last year, you told the new yorker -- "we must try to stop the work, recognizing the american empire has little or no moral authority when it comes to violation of international law and the overthrow of national sovereignty is latin america,

the middle east, and asia." you've also called putin -- you have been severely critical of president putin for the invasion. talk about your views on what happened, what is happening, and how the ban needs to -- war needs to end. yet the clash of two empires, the russian empire, the deeply wounded empire has had its territory cut back. then you have the american empire, which is the most powerful empire in the history of the world. on the one hand, you have the promise of the american empire to the elites in the russian empire. we will not move an inch. and within decades, 14 of the satellite countries of the soviet union -- former soviet

union are part of nato. the dismissal is right on the border and boundaries of the russian empire. -- the missiles right on the border and boundaries have russian empire. we saw in cuba in 1962. so the empires behave like empires. they are greedy. they're are driven by predatory capitalist dispositions. they are obsessed with hierarchy. there concerned with domination and conquests. the alexander the great associated with a great empire. so in that regard, there is doubt in my mind the expansion of nato has played a crucial role in the wounded russian empire with all of its repression, all of its regimentation. let us not forget about the

thousands of russian brothers and sisters who are going to jail in opposition to gangster putin's criminal invasion. but he is pushed against a wall and he responds. that is how heads of empire respond. so we have got to be in solidarity with the suffering of ukrainian brothers and sisters, but we have to recognize nato is an instrument of american imperial foreign policy. we have seen it over and over again. so we are witnessing a proxy war . there must be a cease-fire. there must be a stopping of that war while we are on the road to nuclear war. that's the last thing we want. amy: as president, what exactly would you do to stop that war? >> oh, one is i would pull back on the u.s. military support.

i would sit down with the elites from the chinese empire, given all of their forms of regimentation and repression in their own context and think about our precious muslim brothers and sisters in china, the uighurs. i would sit down with the chinese. i would sit down with their ukrainians and russians. we are going to stop this war and, with a plan, process with a variety of voices heard to make sure that the suffering stops and we understand and we are honest about the larger context of the war. unfortunately, we just don't get this kind of perspective and corporate media. thank god for democracy now! i thank god for a few other venues that try to tell the truth about this. because, you know my dear sister amy, i am a jazzman in american politics. jazz is about blues and blues is

about catastrophe. catastrophes have to be wrestled with. it could be ecological ones, economical ones. protest inequality. it could be social, political ones, and then there is swing -- which is a different conception of time. so we have ways of authorizing a better future given what seemed to be all of that close roots, the foreclosures, the alternatives trump. yet to make sure the vitality and energy you have swings in such a way that you never lose hope and having solidarity with oppressed people around the world and the third element is improvisation. improvisation is about what? not just in artistic skill. it is also a form of practical wisdom.

as freedom fighters, we have to be improvisational. we have to be flexible, fluid, learn how to listen. we can't be dogmatic i'm a petrified in how we look at -- dogmatic, petrified in how we look at the world. we have to have presidential debates and politics with people who look at the world, look at the world through the lens of what the great -- they call the wretched of the earth. poor people and working people. no matter what color, gender, sexual rotation -- orientation. amy: you were a surrogate for bernie sanders. in 2016 come he chose you as one of the people to write the democratic party platform. have you talk to him about your campaign? you deciding to go outside the two-party system? he ran, although he is an independent and socialist come he ran inside the democratic party. has he given you advice? >> no, i have not talked to

bernie recently. we just did a wonderful event based on his wonderful book with brother john nichols at the brooklyn academy of music. we had a wonderful time. bernie will always be my brother. i have a for other love -- i have a forever love. a lot of people try to view jill stein and ralph nader as spoilers. they're are not spoilers at all. they could not galvanize the public. you don't blame it on the weaker party. you will never -- we will never actually be able to deal with the escalating fascism in america with milk toke -- with milquetoast neoliberalism.

you and up postponing the collapse of democracy. we have to get at the roots of fascism which mean i am going to trump country, sister amy, i'm going to talk to those why brothers and those white sisters and say quit scapegoating the most vulnerable and let us confront the most powerful. i don't have a minute -- at the same time i know you're catching hell and many of you have been losers in corporate globalization, given push against a wall by big monopolies. you have difficulty with any kind of unionization. you have to transpose and filter your fears through different means rather than following the neofascist pied piper. we have to be able to speak to these folk directly and as fellow citizens. i plan to do that. i come out of the black

tradition and so i've got to wrestle with my own life politicians who reinforce the neoliberal hegemony in the black community and i to do it lovingly but i have to do it in a very direct way. in many ways that you have given up on the legacy of martin's working jr.. they have become intoxicated too often with the felicity's of which were existence, intoxicated with the wine of the world as a great neg nationalro. is a major architect of mass incarceration, joe biden. invasion occupation of iraq? how many iraqis have been killed? at least half-a-million. our lives have the same value --

their lives have the same value. amy: professor west, i wanted to go to one of your first campaign videos which features a clip of an interview you did with joe rogan. last year spotify faced a wave of calls to remove joe rogan from its platform for promoting misinformation about covid-19 but also after this video resurfaced showing joe rogan using the n word on his show two dozen times. >> [bleep] [bleep] amy: you had people like india re: and others actually pull their music from spotify. she would later put it back on and said she felt like she had accomplished a lot in pointing out what he was doing, especially in using the n word.

any talk about why he featured him in your campaign add? >> one is it is an attempt to show we have to have a realignment which means we had to be able to speak to people you have deep disagreements with. brother joe rogan, he said a number of things. i don't think censorship, for the most part, is the proper or appropriate way. i really don't. i think people must be free to express themselves. but you would hope they would have respect for others, especially black folk, indigenous people, gay brothers, lesbian sisters, jews, arabs, those who have traditionally been degraded. i think it is important we have conversations across the lines

and therefore they're going to say some things that we have to call into question. we keep them accountable. i am glad india arie how to make out of it, but i'm suspicious of the censorship. usually the censorship in the in zeros in on freedom fighters, love warriors, the wounded healers. with a cup claudia jones, luisa moreno who have mentioned, one of the greatest latina freedom fighters of the last 150 years was deported to guatemala because she supposedly had communist associations and so forth. that kind of censorship is something i am very suspicious of. i have deep libertarian

sensibilities. amy: and yeah aire -- india arie also said she is against cancer culture. at democracy now! we ask difficult questions. i also want to read from an article in the new republic -- "while the party began in 2017 with noble roots to form a new political party independent from corporate money and influence, it has been mired in troubling allegations, as well as broader organizational dysfunction. numerous sources have corroborated sexual harassment allegations against party founder nick brana. last year, former party member paula jean swearengin told journalists eoin higgins and jordan chariton that she had witnessed brana try to force himself onto former party executive director zana day, who confirmed the allegations herself. numerous party board members were apparently forced out for encouraging investigations into the allegations and questioning whether brana was still fit to lead the party." brana is also praised robert

kennedy junior who is also running for president that as a democrat. he described kennedy as "courageous leader whose environmental and vaccine advocacy has illuminated issues that few dare to confront." he is the founder of the party that you are running with, the people's party. talk about why you chose the people's party and if you would like to respond to those allegations and also the bigger point of why you did not choose, for example, if you wanted to be outside the race, the green party which has more ballot access? that is a lot. >> i appreciate that question, my dear sister. i have worked twice with my green party brothers and sisters against -- it would be nice to have a coming together but that is something that is for a different show.

in terms of the history of the people's party, i was there at the founding. there's no doubt about that. i've been a kind of honorary member even though i have not participated. i've not followed all of the insides and outsides of what has happened. it strikes me there has been some very bad and ugly moments, no doubt about that, but i don't want to adjudicate as to who actually is guilty or innocent because i just don't know. and there has to be accountability, especially when it comes to sexual harassment. those are very, very important issues to wrestle with and very serious charges in that regard. as i said, for me, i wanted to be able to bring a serious critique to bear on the corporate duopoly. the people's party in its inception and its vision is a

populist one, see have a number of different voices. it is very loose. a lot of people said, isn't an organization at all. does anything hold it together? well, we shall see. those are very important questions. i don't want to add as if they aren't serious challenges but i think if we can deliver in such a way that we are treating each and every working person and poor people of any color with great respect in this campaign, if we can raise voices to shape the discourse and dialogue in this campaign, if we cannot just bring pressure to bear but began to point out that the choice between neofascist brother trump

-- criminal in so many ways -- and the milquetoast biden who is tied to the corporate wealth and still allow military expansion, that we might be able to go much further than a lot of people think. but that history has to be wrestled with. i don't want to downplay that at all. i just hope that we really do keep the focus on what could be done at this particular moment -- not to raise the history, but to make sure as we make history in this moment, that we are doing all and everything we can. amy: cornel west, what would you do about immigration rights right now in this country, about reproductive rights right now in

this country, and about this incredible threat to the country -- the greatest domestic violence threat, which is white supremacy? you are at the unite the right rally in virginia, not participating in it, but there when you saw the neo-nazis march, threatening you. >> absolutely. brother martin used to say the bombs we drop abroad landed at hopefuls of the militarism comes back to haunt us. we have police department that are militarized. the culture of silence of the police departments, they think they can get away with brutalizing, sometimes murdering citizens. it is disproportionately black and brown but it includes all colors. the newspapers keep track of it.

as a president, you've got to use whatever charisma, whatever language, whatever eloquence you can to try to ensure that you set an atmosphere such that mechanisms of accountability -- not just in police department's but at the workplace. we need workers control. not just in the workplace, but in our cultural life. come modify everything. everything for sale. every body for sale. that must be radically called into question. as a leader, you call for spiritual awakening, moral reckoning, and tried to exemplify that not just in your policies but in your tone. amy: 10 seconds. >> in your vision. amy: i want to thank you so much -- >> immigration, get to

treat each immigrant with dignity. i know we have a longer discussion on that. amy: dr. cornel west has just announced he's running for president with the people's party. philosopher author, critic, , actor, civil rights activist and philosophy and christian practice at union theological

hello and welcome to nhk "newsline," i'm catherine kobayashi in new york. ukrainian and russian leaders were already trading blame over the destruction of a dam that forced tens of thousands of people to evacuate. they're doing that again over another potential environmental disaster. they're accusing each other of blowing up a pipeline used to carry fertilizer. the governor of kharkiv says