Transcripts For KCSM Democracy Now 20171122

Torrent of sexual abuse allegations by women against powerful men in the workplace with jennifer drobac, a legal expert on Sexual Harassment law. And well speak with writer, rebecca solnit, whose most recent piece is headlined, let this flood of womens stories never cease on fighting foundational misogyny one story at a time. Then, fcc chairman ajit pai announces plans to end Net Neutrality. Essentially to repeal the heavyhanded regulation adopted years ago on a partyline vote that regulated the internet. What im proposing to do is get rid of those regulations. Amy we will look at how supporters of Net Neutrality are mobilizing ahead of the december 14 fcc vote on the plan. Revokes anent trump Immigration Program for nearly 60,000 haitians, including many who came to the United States after the devastating 2010 earthquake in haiti. We will get response from little haiti in miami. Is in the National Interest of the u. S. For the 58,000 plus haitians to remain here, contribute socially and financially and keep it flowing some people will not risk their lives to come here as a result of deportation. Amy all that and more, coming up. Welcome to democracy now , democracynow. Org, the war and peace report. Im amy goodman. Cbs news has fired tv icon charlie rose, host of cbs this morning and 60 minutes correspondent. Pbs and bloomberg said they are canceling his programs as more women stepped for to accuse him of Sexual Harassment, bringing the total number of his accusers to at least 11. Rose is accused of groping women, making lewd phone calls, Walking Around naked or in an open bathrobe. The latest charges come from three female employees at cbs, one of whom says rose whispered sexual innuendo in her ear while touching her inappropriately at a work event. President donald trump rushed to the defense of Alabama Republican Senate candidate roy moore tuesday, saying that multiple accusations of child Sexual Assault and harassment against teenagers. Trump also said the voters should reject his democratic opponent doug jones. Pres. Trump we dont need a liberal person in there, a democrat, jones. I have looked at his record. It is terrible on crime come on the borders come on the military. I can tell you for a fact, we do not need somebody that is going to be bad on crime, bad on borders, bad with the military, bad for the Second Amendment wil. Is an accused child molester better than a democrat . Pres. Trump he denies it. Amy at least nine women have stepped forward to say they were sexually harassed or assaulted by roy moore as children or genitals. The new yorker reports moore was banned from a local mall and a ymca in alabama because he repeatedly badgered teenage girls. Trump himself has been accused of Sexual Harassment and assault by at least 16 women. A leaked access Hollywood Video from 2005 recorded trump boasting about sexuall assaulting women, saying, when youre a star, they let you do it grab em by the pussy. Walt disney animation executive John Lasseter said tuesday hes taking a sixmonth leave of absence, saying hed made missteps in the workplace that included forcing unwanted hugs on female employees. The hollywood newspaper variety reports a number of lasseters female colleagues at disneys pixar studio say he behaved inappropriately and described a toxic and sexist Workplace Culture toward women. Elsewhere, olympic Gold Medalist Gabby Douglas said tuesday she was sexually abused by her teams doctor, larry nassar, becoming the third member of the u. S. Womens Gymnastics Team to step forward with charges. Nassar is in jail awaiting sentencing after he pleaded guilty to federal child pornography charges. On capitol hill, Congressmember Jackie Speier says her democratic colleague john conyers of michigan was not one of two sitting members of congress who she knows to have engaged in Sexual Harassment. Conyers reportedly settled a Sexual Harassment complaint in 2015 with a former staffer who alleged she was fired because she rejected his sexual advances. Congressmember speier said tuesday she knows of at least two other lawmakers whove engaged in Sexual Harassment one democrat and one republican. Earlier this month, speier accused an unnamed colleague of exposing their genitals and said victims had their private parts grabbed on the house floor. Commerce member Congressmember Speier has introduced the me too Congress Bill to reform Sexual Harassment policies on capitol hill. The bill would end a mandatory coolingoff period before accusers could file Sexual Harassment claims. D. C. ,ere in washington, fcc chair ajit pai unveiled a plan tuesday to roll back Net Neutrality, reversing obamaera rules barring Corporate Service providers from blocking access to websites, slowing down content, or providing paid fast lanes for internet service. The plan is slated to face a vote in an fcc meeting on december 14, where all three republicanappointed commissioners on the fivemember fcc support ending Net Neutrality. Reaction to the announcement was swift. Former fcc commissioner Michael Copps tweeted this is an fcc chair gone rogue. How can one person be so zealous in dismantling the entire Communications Ecosystem and endangering our democracy . Net neutrality activists have launched a campaign to pressure lawmakers to intervene, and are planning protests in cities across the country on december 7, when theyll march from Verizon Stores to the offices of members of congress. Well have more on Net Neutrality later in the broadcast. In zimbabwe, longtime leader Robert Mugabe reportedly resigned tuesday, prompting massive celebrations in the streets of the capital harare and other cities. Mugabe had ruled for the last 37 years since zimbabwes independence, until he was placed under house arrest last week in an apparent military coup. In parliament, cheers erupted tuesday after the speaker of the National Assembly read from a Resignation Letter said to be written by mugabe. Zimbabwes military says it has installed mugabes former Vice President and longtime political ally Emmerson Mnangagwa as interim president. At the International Criminal court in the hauge, former bosnian serb military general ratko mladic has been found guilty of genocide and other crimes over his role in the 1995 srebrenica massacre and the siege of sarajevo. The 74yearold mladic stood as judge alphons orie read the charges against him. The indictment charged, two counts of genocide and five counts of crimes against prosecution,ely murder, extermination, deportation, and the any main active forcible transfer. Amy just before the verdict was read, mladic shouted and became combative, prompting the judge to clear the courtroom before rendering a guilty verdict, sentencing him to life in prison. As a military general, ratko mladic oversaw the massacre of 8000 muslim men and boys by Bosnian Serbs in srebrenica in 1995. Its recognized as europes single worst atrocity since the end of world war ii. In lebanon, the Prime Minister said he is suspending resign from office to accept or he stunned lebanon by announcing from saudi arabia that he was stepping aside due to unspecified concerns over his personal security. He made the announcement after returning to lebanon for the first time in weeks. Today i presented my resignation to his excellency. He asked major temporarily suspend submitting it and to put it on hold ahead of further consultations on the reasons for it. Will form a serious basis for serious dialogue. Hariri denies saudi officials forced him to resign. E turned to lebanon alone his wife and two children are reportedly still inside saudi arabia. In iraq, at least 23 people were killed, scores more injured after a suicide bomber in a truck set off a massive explosion in a crowded marketplace in the northn town of tuz khurmatu. Theres been no claim of responsibility for the attack, which occurred as iraqi Prime Minister Haider Alabadi said on state television that his military had ended isis presence in iraq. The Trump Administration is cautioning americans against traveling to saudi arabia not over the countrys abysmal human rights record, but because of the threat posed by Ballistic Missiles fired into the kingdom by rebels in neighboring yemen. Tuesdays travel warning by the state department came just over two weeks after houthi fighters launched a missile at the main airport in riyadh. It was shot down and crashed in the desert. The warning came as britis Labour Party Leader Jeremy Corbyn condemned british support for the u. S. And u. K. Backed, saudiled Bombing Campaign in yemen, which has killed over 10,000 people, spawned a massive cholera epidemic, and put 7 Million People on the brink of famine. In a public letter, corbyn urged Prime Minister theresa may to lift the saudi blockade in order to stop this already catastrophic humanitarian crisis becoming one of the worst combinations of famine and disease since the 1980s, with millions of innocent people, especially children, at risk of death. Back in the United States, haitian immigrants and their supporters are protesting the Trump Administrations move to end temporary protected status, or tps, for nearly 60,000 haitians, including many who came to the United States after the devastating 2010 earthquake in haiti. The decision will end a program that allows some haitians to live and work in the u. S. , and could see them face deportation by next july. In palm beach, florida, hundreds of protesters gathered near president trumps maralago golf club on tuesday. And here in new york, haitian americans and elected officials gathered outside a u. S. Immigration office. This is new york sta assemblymember yuhline niou. I think it is inhumane and unconscionable for the president this, United States to do to folks who sat beside have helped us make our country better and stronger. I hope he will show more compassion and i hope our congress will show thoughtfulness and humanity when it comes to issues like this one. Amy in tennessee, campaigners are calling for the release of 25yearold cyntoia brown, who was sold into sexual slavery as a child and sentenced to life in prison after she killed a man who purchased her for sex. Brown was just 16 years old in 2004 when she forced into prostitution by a pimp nicknamed cutthroat, who beat and raped her on a regular basis. In 2004, brown was tried as an adult and convicted on murder charges after she killed 43yearold johnny allen, who took her to his home for sex. Brown says allen was behaving erratically, owned a number of guns, and that she feared for her life when she shot him in the head and made her escape. The case has drawn widespread attention on sial media under the hashtag freecyntoiabrown. Pop superstar rihanna wrote something is horribly wrong when the system enables these rapists and the victim is thrown away for life and a second federal judge has blocked Donald Trumps move to bar transgender people from serving in the u. S. Military, ruling the presides action is likely unconstitutional and is already causing harm. The ruling by u. S. District judge Marvin Garbis goes further than an earlier injunction against trumps policy by barring the Trump Administration from denying funds for gender affirming surgeries. And those are some of the headlines. This is democracy now , democracynow. Org, the war and peace report. Im amy goodman. Juan and im juan gonzalez. Welcome to all of our listeners and viewers from around the country and around the world. We turn now to the ongoing torrent of sexual abuse allegations by women against powerful men. On tuesday, President Donald Trump rushed to the defense of Alabama Republican Senate candidate roy moore, pointing to the multiple accusations of child Sexual Assault and harassment against teenagers. Donald trump also said voters should reject his democratic opponent, doug jones. Pres. Trump we dont need a liberal person in their, democrat, jones. His record is terrible on crime, terrible on the border, terrible and the military. I can tell you for a fact, we do not need somebody that is going to be that on crime, bad on borders, bad with the military, bad for the Second Amendment. President , is an accused child molester better than a democrat . Pres. Trump well, he denies it. Juan while speaking with reporters, trump was asked if he had a message for women. Mr. President , what is your message to women . This is a Pivotal Moment in our nations history. Pres tru womre very special. I think it is a very special time because i lot of things are coming out and i think that is good for our society and i think it is very, very good for women. And im very happy a lot of these things are coming out. I am veryappy it iseing expose juan at least nine women have stepped forward to say they were sexually harassed or assaulted by roy moore as children, and the new yorker reports moore was banned from a local mall and a ymca in alabama because he repeatedly badgered teenage girls. His lawyer denies the ban existed. Trump himself has been accused of Sexual Harassment and assault by at least 16 women. A leaked access Hollywood Video from 2005 recorded trump boasting about sexually assaulting women, saying, when youre a star, they let you do it grab em by the pussy. Amy meanwhile, cbs news and pbs and bloomberg said they are firing charlie rose and canceling distribution of his programs. Three more women who worked at cbs have stepped forward to accuse rose of Sexual Harassment, bringing the total number of his accusers to at least nine. Rose is accused of groping women, making lewd phone calls and Walking Around naked or in an untethered bathrobe. The latest charges come from three female employees at cbs, one of whom says rose whispered a sexual innuendo while touching her inappropriately at a work event. On tuesday, cbs this morning cohosts gayle king and Norah Odonnell addressed Sexual Misconduct allegations against charlie rose. This is a moment that demands a frank and honest assessment about where we stand and the safety of women. Let me be very clear. There is no excuse for this alleged behavior. It is systematic and pervasive lost up i have been doing a lot of listening and im going to continue to do that. This i know is true. Women cannot achieve equality in the workplace or in society until there is a reckoning and a taking of responsibility. I am really struggling because what do you say when someone that you deeply care about has done something that is so horrible . How do you wrap your brain around it . I am really grappling with it. That said, charlie does not get a pass here. You does not get a pass from anyone in this room. We are all deeply affected. Amy that was gayle king and Norah Odonnell. In news from capitol hill, Congressmember Jackie Speier says her democratic colleague, john conyers of michigan, was not one of two sitting members of congress who she knows to have engaged in Sexual Harassment. Congressman conyers reportedly settled a Sexual Harassment complaint in 2015 with a former staffer who alleged she was fired because she rejected his sexual advances. Speier said tuesday she knows of at least two other lawmakers whove engaged in Sexual Harassment one democrat and one republican. Earlier this month, speier accused an unnamed colleague of exposing their genitals and said victims had their private parts grabbed on the house floor. Speier has introduced the me too Congress Bill to reform Sexual Harassment policies on capitol hill. Among other reforms, it would and a mandatory coolingoff period before accusers can file Sexual Harassment claims. When they go to a littleknown office. First, there told a have to get therapy for 30 days and then they have to start a mediation process where the lawyer represents the member of congress will stop the overall process takes about 180 days. Ll, for more, we are joined in indianapolis by jennifer drobac, a professor and expert in Sexual Harassment law at indiana universitys robert h. Mckinney school of law. The author of, Sexual Harassment law history, cases and theory and most recently, Sexual Exploitation of teenagers adolescent development, discrimination, and consent law. Professor, thank you so much for joining us. Lets begin with roy moore. President trumps comments yesterday rocked the country. He had refrained from saying whether he would support roy moore, but clearly, an implicit endorsement yesterday when he said judge moore had denied the charges against him that were brought now by at least nine women, one of them as young as 14. Can you talk about both what roy moore is accused of, what Sexual Harassment law means in this case, and president trumps implicit endorsement saying the democrat cannot get in to that senate seat in alabama, should not win . So lets start with roy moore. The problem with roy moore is these allegations dont fall under typical antidiscrimination law. These women, young girls, really, or not his employees. He was not their teacher. And so Sexual Harassment law does not technically cover it. It is really more personal injury law. But that law does not capture the systemic nature of discrimination against women. So what he did at the time was illegal, possibly criminal, but it really did not fit under what we understand today as Sexual Harassment law. The president s comments yesterday are appalling, shocking, and yet, sadly, not very surprising given his history. Ande can be disappointed shocked, but i think this only goes to the idea that we all need to step up and take responsibility where our leaders are not. Ton jennifer drobac, i want ask you, your reaction to this delusion of Sexual Harassment complaints that have service now in the last few weeks, given the fact that any companies and corporations over the last two years have really stepped up what they call Sexual Harassment training to their employees, and yet were still continuing to see more and more of these cases come to light now. Right. Well, the problem is, you can say that we take these things very seriously, but if companies dont really do anything other thata superficial training Key Executives may not dissipate in and other executives are rolling their eyes over, this really does not address the problem. Key executives need to demonstrate with their action that they wont tolerate this behavior and that they are committed to creating a safe workplace that promotes productivity and values the dignity of all workers. Were seeingt here, i think it is a confluence of events starting with the behavior that has been clearly engaged in for a long time by these men. And occasionally, it is women, but mostly it is overwhelmingly by men. You see roger ailes, bill cosby, harvey weinstein, on and on. Then you also have the president during the campaign. He admits in a recorded conversation that he is a grabbe r. And that is at least illegal behavior, possibly criminal. Then what happens . He then proceeds to confirm the that women have. First, women came forward and said, yes, he did this to me. What does he do then . He calls them liars. Theyre by confirming the first fear, that women wont be believed. Second, he then threatened to sue them all. That confirms the second fear women have, they will be retaliated against. So when you have the president of the United States, now the most powerful man in the world, engaging in this kind of it byor and then excusing a man running for the senate, a man who is formerly of the alabama supreme crt twice then it sends a message that women arent believed, will be retaliated against, held in their place. Too you have the me campaign where we learn how pervasive this behavior is and how really no woman can avoid it. And the consequences are real. Is that confluence of events now changing our consciousness. And while the circumstances themselves are very sad, the consciousness is a good one. And i think we all need to take this to the next level and look forward as to how we are going to specifically address these issues in the workplace, in schools, and out on the street. Amy jennifer drobac, i want to turn a charlie rose, and this latest news. Now we have cbs news has fired charlie rose, the host of cbs this morning and correspondent with 60 minutes. Pbs and bloomberg dropping his programs, as more women stepped 40 using him a Sexual Harassment bringing the total number of accusers between the Washington Post citing eight and now three women coming forward from cbs. Rose is accused of groping women, making lewd phone calls, Walking Around naked in an open bathrobe. One of the women, the cbs staffer, said rose whispered sexual innuendo in her year while touching her inappropriately at a work event. The Washington Post sites one former intern for charlie rose saying rose repeatedly walked around naked in front of her, repeatedly groped her, cleaning want company grabbed me by my hair, holding a fist at the base of my scout. Another time she says they were traveling on a small private plane when he got out of his seat and lay on top of her, pressing his body onto hers. Other women accuse rose of forcefully touching or try to touch them without their consent. One woman describes being in the mist of a job hiring process with rose having a ready been told salary and job title when he took her out to his long Island Estate after sitting by the pull edit not, he returned naked in an open bathrobe and pursuit did to forces hands down proceeded to forces hands down her pants. A number of people reportedly knew about the alleged Sexual Harassment, putting the long time producer yvette vega. At least a dozen more people have come forward to the post is the article was published yesterday. Yesterday, a tmz photojournalist briefly spoke to charlie rose outside of his apartment in new york city. Mr. Rose . Do you want to say anything to the accusers . The people accusing you of these wrongdoings . This is not wrongdoings. Amy he said it is not wrongdoings although he did issue a statement where he did apologize. , if you can talk about Sexual Harassment law here in the workplace and also now talk about the liability of these networks. s offices, his studio at bloomberg, cbs apparently more people are coming out. And pbs as well. How far does the liability go . The liability extends to the company. Unfortunately, under current title vii law, you typically cannot sue the perpetrator. Under some state Sexual Harassment laws, you can. For example, in california, you can sue the alleged perpetrator. But i think the most important thing to understand is that there are, i think, three types of perpetrators. The first are the clueless. Nature, it is hard to imagine there are still these people around, but there are some people who honestly dont appreciate their behavior and it is usually fairly mild behavior and that his behavior that constitutes really sexual jokes, banter, offensive remarks that should not be set in the work place. Those people are clueless. And if you tell them that their behavior is offensive, inappropriate, they typically feel remorse and want to make amends. Careecond type are the less. They really dont care. They know their behavior is inappropriate. And as soon as they are caught or reprimanded, they understand that they need to change their behavior if they want to keep their jobs. So they will. They dont change their minds, but they change their behavior. Finally, there are what i call corrupt predators. And those are most of the people were talking about now. They either know that they are engaging in seriously, often violent or illegal and criminal oror, and they simply they cant help themselves. Their egos have now gotten so big that they think they can do anything. Again, this is describing some of the people were talking about here. Employers, if the person engaged in this behavior is a supervisor , employers are strictly liable unless the complainants have taken action for Company Rules to let them know that this behavior is going on. In other words, the company is liable for what the supervisor is doing in most cases. Coworkervely, if it is harassment or if the company if the perpetrator is not in a position of authority and it is a coworker, companies are liable if they knew or should have known. Really, in the circumstances, these men were operating. People knew they were operating. Companies are going to be liable. So while they may have policies and procedures if Key Executives are letting rainmakers and powerful man in gauge in this behavior so they can keep them at the company, that is going to be a problem for these companies. It is a problem for all of us because it decreases productivity. It makes women unsafe. It creates an environment that simply cannot continue for some amy jennifer drobac, thank you for being with us professor and , expert in Sexual Harassment law at indiana universitys robert h. Mckinney school of law. Author of Sexual Harassment law history, cases and theory and most recently, Sexual Exploitation of teenagers adolescent development, discrimination, and consent law. This is democracy now \ we turn now to rebecca solnit. I am amy goodman here with one gonzalez. Is a writer,t historian, and activist. Were going to continue to look at the torrent of womens complaints around the issue of sexual abuse. Called itten ap is written a piece called let this flood of womens stories never cease on fighting foundational misogyny one story at a time. She is the author of over a dozen books including most recently, the mother of all questions, and she is also a contributing editor at harpers magazine. Rebecca, thank you for joining us again. Can you respond to this last clearly been a sea change in the United States and the significance of the number of women, scores of women who are joining this kind campaign, stepping up and talking about their abuse . Women, and some men. There are so many ways to go at what is happening, which is, as you note, tremendous. I think one of the first things to note is people who havent been paying attention are now forced to recognize how absolutely pervasive this is and how systemic it is. And you look at weinstein and charlie rose and some of these other people and you see the entire systems around them were theired to accommodate denigration, harassment, intimidation, silencing, devaluing, and sometimes assault you can saythat oh, it is this bad guy. It reminds a little bit of the aftermath of abu ghraib where the bush ministration kept wanting us to believe it was a few bad apples. And people like you on democracy it isere saying, no, systemic. It is systemic, which means what we need to talk about isnt just going after specific high profile perpetrators, but how do we change the system . How to undermine the misogyny, the lack of empathy, the colter that makes men feel powerful and awesome when they do this stuff . Rebecca, i would like to ask you also, we have the situation here, as you are mentioning, the enablers, those who were complicit, who had knowledge of the abuse that was a while of the abuse but said nothing, to what degree to have a responsibility as well. And also a system where many of these companies when women stepped forward and have the courage to step forward and file complaints, they get settlements and then always a nondisclosure agreement, that you can never disclose the result of the litigation in which you were involved. The nondisclosure agreements have always horrify me because rape and Sexual Assault is an , saying youring human rights, your jurisdiction over your body, your right to consent or not consent are meaningless to me, you have no value as a human being to me. It is an act of silencing. Then followed by other acts of silencing, whether it is shimming the victim, refusing to believe her, or sometimes him, or saying, oh, we recognize what happened and were going to give you money to cop and date. Theseen it comes with nondisclosure agreements, it is just another round of silencing. Thewhole process is part of systemic silencing. It is an interesting seeing a number of women saying i dont care what i sign, im going to violate the agreement because it is so important for me to talk about what happened, to speak up for other women, to speak up for justice, just become for change. Amy can you talk about this moment, this movement, this outpouring, what you call for this flood to continue . It doesnt, i hope continue. Of course, this is my editors title as a so often is, because i hope at some point Sexual Harassment, the denigration, the exclusion and silencing of women, become something exceptional rather than pervasive. But i was a diagnosis is the beginning of addressing an illness. And this is really getting people to diagnose that we have something that is broad and deep and impacts womens lives. Have been feminists saying this for decades, but were getting a record sized. And recognize is a crisis. But doesnt continue. I hope we look at it systemically. One of the things some of these women are saying and that i am feeling so strongly is, how many voices have we lost . How many women left their positions, did not advance in their careers, or to traumatized to go on, or devalued lysed were deeply wiser front of their employees to do their job the way they should have been . You look from big at actresses to farm workers, and you see in most every field, in academia and media, women faced this stuff and it is part of the deep , pervasive stuff that prevents us from being equal, equal freedom, equal access. Im horrified by what were seeing him although, not surprised because i have been writing about it for decades looking at it for 30 years. Im excited that maybe were sort of going to change it, although this is not our first eruption. We had Something Like this around and need a hills revelations about fans thomas in 1991 Clarence Thomas in 1991. We had this after the andbenville Sexual Assault 2012 and the mass murder in 2014. It feels like another aftershock in the sort of earthquake of feminism reshaping topography of our lives. And what the consequences are, i think it depends partly on stuff like the legislation being introduced into congress and a lot of other stuff. There was an interesting moment when it was just weinstein when the academy of Motion Picture said they were going to have zerotolerance. Kicke not seen them. Ut woody allen and mel gibson i was joking with hollywood like, what would zerotolerance look like . It would be an industry run by women, which i think would be awesome. As you look at people like charlie rose, you look at some of the male harassers who recently have been mark halperin, who recently have been int of exposed, and you see the hollywood stories, in our music, our news is shaped by misogynists who hate women and denigrate them routinely as one of their rights. The change we need to look at and think about is not just a few bad apples, it is not getting rid of the guys in the news. I think ultimately, it is about changing masculinity itself so that men no longer even desire to do this, so that doing this doesnt make them feel more. Wesome somebody who feels powerful for being a creep, being summoned to masturbate in front of their fellow comedians, being an assailant. Amy rebecca solnit, thank you so much for being with us, writer, historian, and activist. Her latest story is let this flood of womens stories never cease. We will link to it at democracynow. Org. When we come back, as the Trump Administration attempting to get rid of Net Neutrality . Is a vote actually about to take place . And we will get 60,000 haitians and what they face as the Trump Administration announcing the end of tps, temporary protected status, for haitians in the United States. Stay with us. [music break] amy walk unafraid by first aid kit. The groups members are among more than 2000 women who have signed a metoo letter. This is democracy now , democracynow. Org, the war and peace report. Im amy goodman with juan gonzalez. Federal Communications Commission chairman ajit pai issued a major order tuesday titled restoring internet freedom, in which he outlined his plan to dismantle landmark regulations that ensure equal access to the internet. Pai described his plan to overturn rules put in place by the Obama Administration during an interview with the heritage foundation. Toessentially, my proposal repeal the Obama Administrations heavyhanded regulations adopted two years ago on a partyline vote that regulated the internet. What im proposing to do is get rid of those regulations. Juan pais proposal would repeal Net Neutrality rules that bar internet Service Providers from stopping or slowing down the delivery of websites, and stop companies from charging extra fees for highquality streaming. A formal vote on the plan is set for december 14. Amy ajit pai said his plants have broad support. Eric schneiderman said he is investigating significant numbers of fake, its filed with the federal Communications Commission in its review of Net Neutrality rules. In the past six months, he said. He fcc for more, were joined by tim karr, senior director of strategy for free press. Talk about this, how significant is what ajit pai is talking about . This is one of the most extreme proposals we have seen by the fcc, which is saying a lot. There been extreme proposals including rolling back broadband subsidies for working families, efforts to knock away media ownership rules that would allow a company like sinclair to control local television. This goes even further. It takes away the essential protections that Internet Users onlyto ensure that their connections arent blocked, arent throttled, or communications arent censored in any way. What this is about is the future of communication. The internet is remarkable because it puts that control, the control over media in the hands of Internet Users. What ajit pai is proposing to do is take that away from Internet Users and handed to a handful of Companies Like at t, comcast, and verizon, who have designs on the internet that are not in the best interest of people like you and me. It took the Obama Administration about six useful for they cannot in favor of Net Neutrality. The fcc controlled by president obama largely over democratically controlled fcc. How critical is this issue as whether the internet is seen as a public utility, a common carrier, or whether it is privatized to allow all of these companies to continue to operate . The internet was created as this network where there were no gatekeepers. Essentially, anyone who goes online can connect with everyone else online. That is given rise to all sorts of innovation, political organizers, Racial Justice advocates can use this tool to contact people, to organize, to get the message out. Is proposing is to take that principle, Net Neutrality, out of the network and allow these very powerful companies to insert themselves as gatekeepers. When you look at a company like comcast which owns nbc universal, there will be this great incentive for them to favor their own content and to degrade content from websites and Services Like democracy now or other services. Fundamentally upsets the level Playing Field of the internet. The good news is, there has been a massive outcry and it took millions of people to get the Obama Administration to put these 2015 rules in place. And trumpthe pai administration started the process earlier this year, tens of millions of people have commented at the fcc. Yes, there are some fake comments, but we took those out and counted the original comments and more than 98 of those commenting said they want to keep these Net Neutrality rules. Ajit pai is ignoring the public that these rules have been challenged in court and withstood those challenges. He is ignoring the facts. He says this is government regulation of the internet. It is not. Amy explain the neutrality. Is a Pretty Simple idea. Anybody who has been on the internet is familiar with the notion you can go to whatever website and service you choose. That power. It allows us to connect everyone else online to prevent prevents Service Providers from blocking, throttling, or ,egrading access to sites favoring one website over the other. Making itseople by streaming abilities much better. Juan and other news, the Trump Administration has moved to block at ts attempt to buy time warner for 85 billion. On monday, the department of justice sued at t, arguing that it would use time warners content to force rival paytv companies to pay hundreds of millions of dollars more per year for time warners networks. President trump was asked about the case tuesday. Pres. Trump personally, ive always felt that was a deal that is not good for the country. I think your pricing is going to go up. But im not going to get involved. Trump has frequently attacked time warnerowned cnn as fake news and once tweeted a video of in which he is portrayed as wrestling and punching a figure whose head was replaced by the cnn logo. Meanwhile, massachusetts senator Elizabeth Warren has also opposed the proposed at t and time warner merger, saying it would place even more power in the hands of giant corporations while harming small businesses, entrepreneurs, and working families and thats why ive argued that it should be blocked. The president s antidemocratic attacks on our free press have cast a cloud of suspicion over the justice departments decision to try to stop this merger, but at a time when power is more and more concentrated in a handful of giant companies, the courts and the public must approach this case as they would any other based on the law and the facts, and not president trumps repeated efforts to punish his enemies. So that was those are the words of Elizabeth Warren. Clearly, people see this as punitive. Trump hates cnn and he is getting them. But here is a Elizabeth Warren saying, she says shes against this further consolidation. The department of justice is making the right move in challenging this massive merger. They might be doing it for the wrong reasons because trump has such a powerful bias against cnn, it is highly likely that this was done in order to punish cnn. Thewe need to look at antitrust concerns. This is what is called vertical consolidation, which is a growing concern. Comcast nbc was a commendation of a Distribution Company with a company that produces content. At t and time warner would present those same issues where you have the company that delivers content prioritizing over the internet the type of content that, in this case, time warner produces. Deregulationt big wave came in the bush of administration, but that took several years to play out. Have you been shocked by the rapidity with which the federal Communications Commission has moved to deregulate media and pushed major consolidation all over again of Media Companies . Is hard to say we are shocked by much of anything anymore. At this fcc has been extremely active in trying to favor the interest of very powerful Media Companies. They have unleashed through a media of changes consolidation that includes Companies Like sinclair, which monsters stations, local television stations can access more than 70 of the nation. There are rules in place. Congress has put rules in place that prohibit this type of media consolidation. It is the fccs mandate to promote localism, competition, and diversity over the airwaves. This fcc is failing to fulfill that mandate. Amy tim karr, take it for being with us, senior director of strategy for free press. The date of the fcc vote is december 14. Is, period open until then . Yes. In the last 24 hours, more than 100,000 people have called their members of congress on the Net Neutrality issue. Theyre also contacting the fcc and taking these issues to the street. December 7, there will be a protest outside the verizon offices. December 14, were planning protest outside the fcc offices. Amy thank you for joining us. When we come back, 60,000 haitians threatened with deportation from the United States. Stay with us. [music break] amy this is democracy now , democracynow. Org, the war and peace report. Im amy goodman with juan gonzalez. Juan we end the show with a revoking the program for nearly 60,000 haitians, including many who came to the United States after the devastating 2010 earthquake in haiti. Their temporary protected status or tps will now end in july 2019. Amy for more, we go to little haiti in miami, or were joined marleine bastien, executive director of famn, haitian women of miami. Can you talk about what this decision means . I could really hear you. Amy could you talk about what the tps, the revoking of tps for 60,000 haitians, what does it . Ean to that means thousands of haitians families who have been living here for an average of eight to 29 years will have to pack their bags in a few months to be deported to a nation in turmoil. So of course, this news is thrown the haitian families and a high level of anxiety and confusion. Have u. S. Citizen children. It is a very hard choice that they will have to make. What about the argument of the Trump Administrations was supposed to be a temporary status, not a permanent one and the crisis in haiti has abated . He is stillw that in turmoil haiti is still in turmoil, still recovering from an earthquake that killed over 200,000 and left for structure in disarray. To add insult to injury, and imported cholera epidemic where over 8000 have been killed and 1. 2 million are contaminated. A year ago, Hurricane Matthew destroy the entire south peninsula in haiti, killing thousands and destroying all of the crops and livestock, which resulted in severe food crisis that still exists today. Most recently, Hurricane Irma and maria also wreaked havoc in the north and. Haiti has not had a break for years, even in the u. S. , it took heres to recover from an earthquake. Fema is still helping families as the result of katrina, so how can you expect a small nation like haiti to recover after such a grave disaster in less than eight years . Haiti has not recovered. I was there in august. That haiti does need time to recover and it is not in the best interest of the u. S. Nor haiti to deport 58,000 families who are gainfully employed, welcome to reading to sosa security, and to reading to there them to where lives to be in danger. Amy this is candidate trump speaking last or when he visited little haiti in miami and vowed to be a champion for the haitianamerican community. You vote forether me or dont vote for me, i really want to be your greatest champion and i will be your champion. Amy marleine bastien, donald trump is back in florida. He is at maralago for the holiday. There was a protest in front of his house yesterday. Can you talk about what you are demanding now . Did this latest decision come as a shock to you . They had extended tps before. What are the plans . If you pour deported, it was start in the year and a half from now in 2019 . The trumpdemanding administration reconsider helpse we are trying to these families stay here on a permit basis. There are bills in place en thatced by congressman could help these families gain permanent residency, but they do need the time for these bills to go through congress. We are asking for the administration to reconsider because this arbitrary decision to terminate tps at a time when haiti is still in turmoil is throwing all of these families in complete disarray. It is in the best interest of the u. S. And haiti for these families to remain. President trump did promise to be the haitians rest chain can, and this is not the way to show that he is our champion, to keep his promise. Y families will spend instead of spending happy time with their families, being grateful, they have to think about deportation. Yesterday about how depressed they are, how one of them was admitted to the emergency room with anxiety disorder. We hope the Trump Administration will reconsider, will continue temporary protective status. When you look at the conditions of haiti today, haiti is a textbook case for tps. Every indicator proves that haiti qualifies for continuation. Amy marleine bastien, thank you for much for being with us executive director of famn, haitian women of miami. That does it for our show. Tune into our special thursday and friday. On thursday, we remember blacklist and lyricist. 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