Refugees trash the reputations of refugees, and we trash our own history. Amy the political crisis of our time. Then, on this First Anniversary of President Trumps inauguration, well speak to a princeton professor who faced Death Threats after calling President Trump a racist. Donald trump is really the first president to embrace White Supremacy sin the administration of woodrow wilson. And i think that the implications of that can really be measured in the weight of the bodies of people who have been killed by open white supremacist and open racist over the last year. Amy Keeanga Yamahtta taylor on race and class in the era of trump, from black lives matter to the white power presidency. All that and more, coming up. Welcome to democracy now , democracynow. Org, the war and peace report. Im amy goodman. The house of representatives passed a shortterm spending bill thursday setting up a highstakes debate in the senate ahead of a midnight deadline tonight to reach a deal or face a government shutdown. Voted 230197rs in favor of republican led continuing resolution to fund the government through february 16. In the senate, Many Democrats have said they will vote against a bill that fails to protect recipients, undocumented young immigrants brought to the United States as children. This is paul ryan. Not shut schumer, do down the federal government. Senate democrats, do not oppose anything that is in this ill. Theyre just holding this critical funding hostage for a deal the completely unrelated immigration issue. Yes, we need to address the daca program and we are engaged in good faith negotiations as we speak. But that deadline is weeks away. Amy it is not clear whether Senate Democrats will support another stopgap spending bill. Speaking from the senate floor thursday, democratic minority leader Chuck Schumer noted this is the fourth continuing resolution before the senate in recent months. There is no promise and no likelihood that another kicking of the can down the road will get something done. We have to sit down together and solve this with the president or without. Ofil that happens, no amount crs will get this done. Amy protesters continued to flood lawmakers offices to demand passage of a socalled clean dream act, that would grant legal status to Daca Recipients without concessions for funding for the border wall or enhanced border security. On thursday, members of the group united we dream many of them Daca Recipients chanted undocumented and unafraid outside the office of virginia democratic senator mark warner. 100 Daca Recipients lose their status each day. As the deadline looms tonight, President Trump heads to maralago to play golf and celebrate the First Anniversary of his inauguration. In northern california, immigrant communities are bracing for a crackdown by u. S. Immigration and customs enforcement, following reports that ice agents are planning raids with a goal of arresting over 1500 people. The San Francisco chronicle reports the crackdown will be centered in the bay area, and that the ice raids will be the largest yet under President Trump. News of the looming crackdown comes days after the agencys acting director thomas homan said he would target california after it formally declared itself a sanctuary state for immigrants at the start of the new year. Homan has also said he wants to arrest politicians who resist the Trump Administrations immigration policies. On tuesday, Homeland Security secretary Kirstjen Nielsen told a Senate Committee she was looking into charges. The department of justice is reviewing what avenues might be available. The context of this is not only putting my ice officers at risk of a finding an efficient and effective way to enforce our immigration laws. In carbondale, colorado, immigrant rights activists joining nationwide womens marches on saturday will rally to the defense of sandra lopez, an undocumented immigrant and mother of three whos taken sanctuary with a local church to avoid being deported to mexico. Lopez is a leader with the colorado immigrant rights coalition. She has fought removal proceedings since she was arrested in 2010 after she says one of her children mistakenly dialed 911. Charges in the case were dropped, but shes faced the prospect of deportation ever since. This is sandra lopez speaking recently with democracy now from inside the unitarian parsonage where shes taken sanctuary with her 2yearold daughter. We need to be organized. We need to leave behind the fear and the shadows and continue raising our voices. There is a quote that divided we fall but were going to continue defending our dignity and continue defending sanctuary. Amy the Trump Administration has removed haitians from eligibility under a pair of u. S. Visa programs that offer immigrants a chance to work in lowwage jobs. In a regulatory filing, the department of Homeland Security said this week haitians will no longer be allowed to obtain h2a agricultural and h2b nonagricultural temporary work permits. In explaining its move, the dhs cited what it called high levels of fraud and abuse committed by haitians. In november, President Trump ended temporary protected status, or tps, for nearly 60,000 haitians, many of whom came to the United States after the devastating 2010 earthquake in haiti. In haitis capital portauprince, demonstrators gathered thursday outside the u. S. Embassy to protest trumps policies and to condemn his recent remarks in which he called haiti, el salvador, and african nations shole countries. This is David Oxygene of the movement for liberty and equality of haitians. We are saying that donald trump is a racist, criminal president. He cant set foot on this land. He should not come to any country in the caribbean, nor any in africa because he treats those countries like [beep] amy the u. S. Supreme court has frozen a Lower Court Ruling striking down north carolinas Congressional District map as unconstitutional. The high courts 72 ruling was submitted without explanation, with justices sotomayor and Ruth Bader Ginsburg dissenting. Last weeks Lower Court Ruling marked the first time a federal court has struck down a congressional map because of political gerrymandering. Thursdays freeze by the Supreme Court is likely to keep in place north carolinas long, winding, and oddlyshaped Congressional Districts through novembers midterm elections, in a delay that will likely benefit republicans. New data from nasa and the United Nations show 2017 was the among the hottest years in recorded history, second only to 2016, as Global Carbon dioxide levels soared to a new record level and global surface temperatures rose by 2 degrees fahrenheit above preindustrial levels. This is omar baddour, Senior Scientist with the World Meteorological organization. Today we can announce that [indiscernible] we can say it is part of the record. Rmest records on 2015, 2016, and 2017. Amy 2017s nearrecord heat came without el nino weather patterns that historically drive Global Temperatures higher, suggesting that human activity has dwarfed natural variability as the largest driver of the climate. Secretary of state Rex Tillerson has announced u. S. Troops will remain indefinitely in syria. But let us be clear, the United States will maintain a military presence in syria, focused on ensuring isis cannot reemerge. Amy tillerson said the troops are need to counter the government of syrian president Bashar Alassad and iranian influence. This comes as the Monitoring Group airwars has revealed as many 6100 civilians were killed in u. S. Backed airstrikes in syria and iraq last year, more than double the previous year. Three times higher than the previous year. Meanwhile, tension is rising on the northern border of syria as turkey is preparing for what looks like an assault in the kurdish enclave of afrin. The Trump Administration acknowledged thursday it is withholding 45 million in emergency food aid pledged to palestinians living under israeli occupation. This is state Department SpokespersonHeather Nauert speaking on thursday. That was something that we contributiono make in early 2018 for that 40 finally nellis for the west bank and gaza emergency appeal, noah simply for food aid. We routinely provide them with that cap of forecasting. At the time when we provided , we information to unrwa made clear was a pledge, not a guarantee, and it would need to be confirmed later. Amy the move to withhold food aid came as the Trump Administration cut off a further 65 million in annual u. S. Funding for unrwa, the United Nations agency for Palestinian Refugees. Meanwhile, the Trump Administration said thursday it would relocate its embassy from tel aviv to jerusalem by the end of the year a move condemned by palestinians, who say negotiations over the final status of the city are critical to any future peace agreement. In egypt, media activists have launched a new archive Holding Hundreds of hours of footage shot and collected around the 2011 revolution that toppled longtime dictator hosni mubarak. The archive, named 858 an archive of resistance, was compiled by the egyptian media collective mosireen and is 858. Ma. Le online at President Trumps appointee to the federal agency that runs americorps and other Service Programs has resigned after cnn aired a series of comments he made disparaging women, muslims, blacks, immigrants, gays, lesbians, and trans people. Carl higbie resignation as chief of external affairs in the corporation for national and Community Service came after cnn rebroadcast higbies remarks to radio shows, as recently as 2016, in which higbie says black people suffer from lax morality and that they think that breeding is a form of employment. Higbie led the protrump Great America pac and served as a surrogate for thencandidate donald trump in 2016, when he defended trumps proposed registry of muslims by citing world war ii japaneseamerican internment camps. The Trump Administration clear the way thursday for Health Care Workers to refuse to provide services, including abortions, gender affirming surgery, and contraception that run counter to their stated moral or religious convictions. This is the head of the newlyformed office of civil rights inside the health and Human Services department. We are seeing with the launch of this division, you do not need to shed your religious identity, shed your moral convictions to be part of the public square. Everyone is entitled to an equal seat. Amy naral prochoice america blasted the move, tweeting despite the name, this division isnt actually here to enforce religious freedom its designed to protect providers who discriminate against women lgbtq people. The new department is supposedly called the conscience and religious freedom division. That is of the hhs. Women employees of the United Nations say the organization is rife with Sexual Harassment and assault, with accusers largely ignored and perpetrators free to act with impunity. The guardian interviewed dozens of current and former United Nations employees, who described a worldwide culture of silence across the u. N. , and a grievance system that is stacked against victims. Meanwhile, former colleagues of Los Angeles Times ceo Ross Levinsohn have accused the papers executive of creating a frat house environment rife with Sexual Harassment. Npr reports levinsohn has been a defendant in two Sexual Harassment lawsuits, and is known for publicly ranking the socalled hotness of female coworkers. The report comes as the l. A. Times focuses much of its coverage on the growing Metoo Movement and the times up campaign against sexual abuse in hollywood. And paul booth, longtime labor leader and antiwar activist, has died at the age of 74. In 1965, booth helped lead the first major march against the vietnam war in washington, d. C. Through much of the 1960s, paul booth was a spokesperson for students for a democratic society, the campusbased civil rights and antiwar group. Booth went on to organize on behalf of working people for more than four decades with afscme, the countrys largest publicemployees union. Paul booth died wednesday of complications from leukemia in washington, d. C. And those are some of the headlines. This is democracy now , democracynow. Org, the war and peace report. Im amy goodman. The house of representatives passed a shortterm spending bill late thursday, setting up a highstakes showdown in the senate today ahead of a midnight deadline to reach a deal or face government shutdown. 230197 members voted in favor of republicanled continuing resolution to fund the government through february 16. In the senate, Many Democrats have said they will vote against a bill that fails to protect young dreamers. , undocumented immigrants who are brought to the u. S. As children. This is mitch mcconnell. They want a sensible compromise on immigration. But they cannot, madam president , for the life of them understand why, why some senators would hold the entire arrive hostage until we problem that to a does not fully materialize until march. Military families, veterans, and thedren benefiting from schip program dont need to be shoved aside. They dont need to be shoved aside while we continue goodfaith negotiations. Amy 100 Daca Recipients lose their status every day. Well, the debate over immigration could not only force a u. S. Government shutdown. Our next guest argues that migrants and refugees are a key political crisis worldwide. The United Nations refugee agencys most recent annual report says the number of displaced people worldwide has hit a record high, with more than 65 Million People forcibly displaced from their homes across the globe that is 20 people forced to flee their homes every single minute. These refugees often face deadly journeys to reach safety. Last week, humanitarian groups said dozens of refugees drowned when their boat sank off the coast of libya en route to europe. This week, the arizona humanitarian group no more deaths accused u. S. Border , patrol agents of routinely sabotaging or confiscating humanitarian aid left by activists near the border with mexico, condemning some mexican and Central American refugees to die of exposure or dehydration in the sonora desert. As the humanitarian crisis grows, many nations, particularly the United States, are limiting immigration and closing their borders. During his first year in office, President Trump has sought to ban all refugees and citizens of mainly majoritymuslim nations. And when federal judges struck down multiple versions of the socalled muslim travel bans, trump then slashed the number of refugees who could be resettled in the United States this year, capping the number at 45,000 the lowest level in three decades. Meanwhile, the Trump Administration has also cut 65 million in annual contributions to the u. N. Palestinian refugee agency, known as unrwa. On thursday, pope francis made an urgent appeal on behalf of refugees and migrants, while speaking on the last day of his visit to chile. We know well there is no Christian Joy when doors are closed. There is no Christian Joy when others are made to feel unwanted, when theres no room for them in our. We must be alert that work is becoming more precarious, which destroys lives and homes. We must alert to those that take advantage of the irregularly of immigrants because they dont understand the language or dont have their papers. We must be alert to the lack of housing, land, and work of so many families. Amy well, for more, were joined now by david miliband, president and ceo of the International Rescue committee. Former British Labor mp, and the brother of labor leader ed miliband. His new book is titled, rescue refugees and the political crisis of our time. Welcome to democracy now good to be with you. Have heard, david, all of the headlines half of them involve immigrants, involve refugees, involve people taking sanctuary across the country. California declaring itself a sanctuary state and the Trump Administration officials threatening to arrest not only refugees, but politicians who defy Trump Administration policy. This is the anniversary of President Trumps inauguration. What is your assessment of his approach to immigrants in this country . It has always been a matter of politics as well as policy. Theres a lot of confusion. One of the points of my book is a refugee is someone who fleeced their home as the result of conflict or persecution. An economic mi life. I think the way i would summarize the approach of the Trump Administration is a of americanthe best history. It is not that throughout the ages america has always made itself open refugees and immigrants from around the world. There have been dark periods of American History. But the best, both in respect to immigration and refugee and we should talk about the difference between them. But the best of American History has established this country as a haven for those who are seeking not just a place of safety from persecution, but a chance to start a new live and contribute to society they are arriving in. President has done, for one example, the fact the president has happened a number of refugees who should be allowed to come to the u. S. From 90,000 years that have been allowed since the 1980 since Ronald Reagans time to just 45,000. The truth is, the administration that is putting that is not delivering 45,000 refugees, at about 20,000. Because of the actions of the department of Homeland Security, youre seeing a quartering of americas historic refugees at the time there are record numbers of refugees around the world. This is significant for individual cases and for the last minute said elsewhere in the world. A country like america has 1 of the worlds refugees. Countries like ethiopia, lebanon, jordan, that the most refugees in the world. I think theres an issue of substance, but also symbolism at stake. Amy i want to step back for a minute. Why you care so much about the issue of migrants come of refugees, vim a great. Talk about your own family background. I was born in safety in the u. K. In 1965, but both of my parents were refugees from my dad from belgium in 1940 and my mom survived the war in poland, came to the u. K. As a refugee in 1946. I dont want to exaggerate the sense in which todays crisis is a parallel of previous crises, but there are similar issues. The most fundamental issue is whether those who are not persecuted have a duty to those who are. I call it the duties of strangers. It seems the best lessons of Human History are when the duties of strangers is exhibited, it builds not just a moral planet, but a safer planet. What were seeing today ironically in a world more connected than ever before, is it is a world the danger is defined by walls, not connections. I think that goes to the heart of the political crisis as follows the policy crisis. Amy how would you characterize President Trumps policies . Youre born in britain, but you work in new york. The Refugee Committee was founded by albert i done, one of thisuslim is refugees in country one of the most famous refugees in this country. I have lived and worked in the u. S. Over the last four years. I think Global Leadership has an abandoned or abdicated, the sense that america established itself not with high moral tone, but with a set of principles and values that would be enshrined not just constitutionally and legally, but also in policies. That has been abandoned. I think the question facing the country is whether or not that is going to be consolidated in the next three years or whether he can be reversed. The truth is, if you carry on reducing the number of refugees here, if plansed to reduce International Aid budget are followed through, then there will be a double whammy on the worlds most vulnerable people. Amy on capitol hill, a slew of want to have joined members of the black congressional caucus in backing a resolution to censure President Trump over his racist comments in which the president reportedly called african nations, el salvador, and haiti shole countries. But he said the curse. Several democratic lawmakers have announced they will also skip the state of the Union Address on january 30 over trumps racist remarks. Can you talk about what he said . It is not only calling people whats countries one as for classification, they want to know if they are in the thate category, but using word. But also saying, we want more immigrants from norway . , the way i would put it, the presidency has been dragged into the gutter not just by the language, but the thinking behind it. Everyy, botswana african country is asking if that includes them. If that is true, the countries that produce the most refugees are wartorn. They are conflictridden. As some of them are courting conflict as a result of a resource curse, not a policy chris. Think about the democratic republic of congo. The conflict there is because of the resources that exist in that country, not because of the policy. I think it is really important that the people were condemned as well as the country. That is the most pernicious aspect of what was said. My point would be that this has a domino effect around the world. When the jordanian government is hosting 650,000 refugees come on the lebanese government is hosting 1 million and the canyons of one million, the worst forces in those countries will be fighting President Trump in their defense. There is a profound question both about how the country governs itself internally, but also wasnt of role he wants to play externally. Theinteresting thing about troubled administration, domestic and International Agenda come together on this issue. Amy one of the things we topntly played at the of the show, the clips of the defining of refugees as terrorists, and your point that in fact, it is the opposite. These are people that are fleeing terror. You cited syria in her introduction. People should know, the war in the area is not over. It is being prosecuted not primarily by the american government, but by the syrian government. 200,000 syrians in the northwest of the country have injured been from their homes by Bombing Campaign in the last six or seven weeks. People who are the victims of terror. Some of them get good press coverage, some of them the appalling stories of the women being chased from their homes by ices, they get a sympathetic ear. They become the most patriotic and productive citizens when they find refugees. I think theres one other point as well. Americas make a small commitment. The largest book stay in the countrys closest to war. One of the most pernicious parts of the trump narrative is that somehow america is airing an undue burden of the worlds problems. That isnt the case when it comes to humanitarian and refugee issues. Amy can you talk about President Trump shutting off funding, Something Like 65 million, to unrwa, to the u. N. Palestinian refugee agency, and the significance of what this means for palestinians . The palestinian population is the longest standing refugee population. It was only after the Second World War that the refugees were given any right for international law, the state of israel, Palestinian Refugees, lebanon, jordan, elsewhere in the middle east. Provides a bubble for children. It is a bubble providing support to education for kids. 65 million, you are right, being granted, is the first part of a threepart delivery of american aid to support this organization. It seems to me very important that we dont lose sight of the people on the receiving end of this. You have 1. 8 Million People in gaza, half are children. He a Palestinian Refugees elsewhere in the region. The message that is being sent is a rejection to them and their condition. It seems to me goes to the heart of what the country should be standing for at a time when the u. N. Is needed more than ever before, the last thing the u. N. Needs is one of its us effective programs to have the rug pulled from under it. A gazawant to go to resident. They are saying soon they could starve unless International Donors step up to fill the funding gap left by President Trump. Will be lost. It will be a catastrophe. People will be stealing from each other. We will live in a catastrophe. We will suffer to provide food. People will kill each other. What should i do . Should i sell one of my kids or my kidney . Should i go and steal or work as a spy . I need cooking oil, eggs, bread. Met tuesdayb league for a twoday conference where y the crisis in gaza is a crisis ofthe wider what is called the peace, but there is in a Peace Process among the palestinian issue. When i was in gaza in 2012, i thatto visit, and the fact half the population is under the age of 18 is ignored in so much of the coverage. This is a very tightly confined area. Mechanisms inare place to make sure people dont starve, but that doesnt mean there is in grave need there. Frankly, grave danger of radicalization. For the first time, their reports of isis organizing in gaza and the equation between extremism is well documented. Th moral and strategic reasons, i think this is a misbegotten policy. Amy talk about what youhink is aolution to the rugee crisis. It is easy to spend the time thinking, 65 Million People displaced, dispys for an average of years, half are in urban areas. One could always think there is endless suffering. In my book, i point out in addition to the Refugee Resettlement issue, for the most vulnerable cases, three things are absolutely key. First, since half our kids, Education Needs to come center stage. Traditionally in the humanitarian sector, education is seen as a luxury. Only 2 of global humanitarian funding. Aucation is a lifetime, not luxury. Second, refugees need to be allowed to work. 60 are in urban areas adults need the ability to contribute to the societies theyre living in. The countries hosting them, low, though, they need economic support. Thirdly, the traditional image of a refugee is someone given a tent or fleece. The thing that refugees day more than anything else is cash. They need to be ab to participate in the local market in the area theyre living in. It shows if you empower refugees, you bring wealth to the host community. But the local population is under enormous stress. There are towns whose population doubles as a result of a refugee influx post of uganda, a country with only 1000 income per head per person is receiving one million refugees and low last year. They are not building the wall, but they need support to help encourage those people to be able to contribute to the ugandan economy. It seems to me if you take seriously the education, the employment, the cache support, you can redesign the communitarian aid system so instead of simply helping people survive from one year to a next, is giving the chance to lead a dignified life. Amy you talked earlier about so many refugees come from wartorn countries. By definition, almost all of them do. The vast bulk of the refugee flow amy what about those who vote for war. For example, you were a politician before you were head of the International Rescue committee, labor parliamentarian m a m p, in britain. Didnt you vote authorize the war in iraq . I did. The story of iraq is a terrible tale. Therese, the war were no weapons of mass destruction. I speak openly about this in the book that any resident without reservation. I think it is important to understand that the crisis of diplomacy that exist at the moment israel. We know the Trump Administration cut 30 from the state department. As foreign minister, i spent my time preventing a war in the balkans. I spent my time trying to stop the slaughter and sure longer were residents were taught in the north theres a crisis of peacemaking that stands at the root of the refugee crisis today. It seems to me it is that that we need to speak to in a very thoroughgoing way. Amy if you could cast a vote again of course, i would not cast it in the same way. Amy so talk about that. Talk about what led you to do it and what was the new information you have, what you realize now, and what advice you have to politicians today who are making decisions these are hard decisions. In 2003, the main issue for the u. K. Parliament was there were significant levels of undocumented weapons of mass destruction. There was documentation the way in which Saddam Hussein regime had failed to dispose of the weapons of mass destruction from 1991. Everyone thought they were there. It turns out they were not. The heart of the mistake was in respect to that rick perry of. I think there is a wider point which is that the war in in 2003tan was not over and is still not over today. It seems to me there has been a real political failure both in afghanistan and iraq in developing institutions that are credible and legitimate institutions for the sharing of political power. The biggest lesson ive drawn from the last 20 years as a countrys established legitimate and credible systems for sharing political power, even in the fragile context of dust lebanon is a good example they have a stake in the government. It is a fragile country but every community has a stake in power. The country has not been a civil war since 1990. Those who dont, afghanistan, iraq, those are the ones that fall into failed states. Amy would you say the greatest driver of the refugee crisis, these wars, the longest war in u. S. History, afghanistan and iraq, are really what broke the middle east . Therehink you would say are two things, one, the war in iraq is part of that. But the drive of middle eastern populations of airbnb arab relations,i have revealed their views onto the street, not just in the arab spring, and not just arab youth. Theres always been a civil war in syria since 2001. It started with avoiding torture by his own government. In 2005, 250 syrian intellectuals were dementing Accountable Government. I think there is a danger in thinking all of this comes from western policy. Dont ignore the people on the receiving end. The truth about significant parts of the arab world is the absence of Accountable Government cant the absence of opportunities for women, the absence of opportunities for young people. Remember, 60 of the arab world is under 30. It is the lack of those opportunities that is driving the challenge to Government Authority in the region. He of seen that remarkably in a ran most recently. Amy would you describe President Trump as racist . Racist statements having clear. The most important thing now is the voice of america is not simply the voice of President Trump. It is the voice of nine to people who listen to your show. Around the world, americas reputation has never been lower. There is a side of america being lost, and that site is when a refugee comes when theymunity, arrive in dallas or houston or san diego, the american reaction them, not torn build a wall, it is to knock on the door and say, where you from . How can i help you . Do you know the way the local schools work . We want to help you. I think that side of America Needs to be heard. At the moment, the world is seeing another side. Amy david miliband, thank you for being with us, president and ceo of the International Rescue committee. Former British Labor mp, former British Foreign secretary. His new book is rescue refugees and the political crisis of our time. This is democracy now , democracynow. Org, the war and peace report. Im amy goodman. When we come back, Keeanga Yamahtta taylor will be talking to us about what she describes as the white power presidency. When she first call President Trump a racist months ago in a gotch at mount holyoke, she Death Threats. She continues her charges. Stay with us. [music break] amy this is democracy now , democracynow. Org, the war and peace report. Im amy goodman. As President Trump completes his first year in office, activists in cities across the country will hold mass protests saturday on the First Anniversary of the historic womens march. This comes as a slew of lawmakers have joined members of the black congressional caucus in backing a resolution to censure President Trump over his racist comments in which the president reportedly used an expletive to refer to african nations, el salvador, and haiti. Several democratic lawmakers say they will also skip the state of the Union Address on january 30 over trumps racist remarks. Calling countries like haiti, el salvador, and the continent of africa sholes. Meanwhile, trump himself denies being a racist, claiming on sunday that he is the least racist person. Pres. Trump no. No, im not a racist. Im the least racist person you have ever interviewed. That i can tell you. Amy that was President Trump speaking to reporters on sunday. Yet, over the last year, trump has repeatedly faced national and International Condemnation over his comments and actions. Trump has tried several times to ban citizens of some majoritymuslim nations from entering the u. S. , executive orders that many called muslim bans. The president refused to condemn the deadly white supremacist violence in charlottesville, virginia in august in which ku klux klan members and other farright extremists attacked antiracist counter protesters, killing 32yearold heather heyer. Instead, trump blamed both sides for the attacks and claimed there were very fine people among the white nationalists. Trump has repeatedly attacked African American nfl players who take the knee during the National Anthem before games in order to protest Racial Injustice and police brutality. And trump has endorsed and campaigned for the racist, xenophobic, homophobic Alabama Republican Senate candidate roy moore, who was defeated in large part by black women voters. Trump pardoned the notorious racist former arizona sheriff joe arpaio, who has now declared hes running for u. S. Senate in arizona. Hes repeatedly retweeted white nationalists. And trump has also repeatedly insulted native americans, including attempting to use pocahontas as a racial slur to insult massachusetts senator elizabeth warren, who says her family is part cherokee. Among the times trump tried to use pocahontas name as a racial slur was during a white house ceremony honoring navajo code talkers, native americans who served in the marines during world war ii and used the navajo language in order to transmit encoded information. Trump and his justice department, led by attorney general jeff sessions, have also pushed policies that seek to roll back years of civil rights gains, including limiting federal oversight of Police Departments with a history of civil rights violations, and ramping up the war on drugs. The list goes on and on. Discuss trumps first year in two office, and where Racial Justice movements go from here, we are joined by keeangayamahtta taylor, assistant professor of African American studies at princeton university. Author of from blacklivesmatter to black liberation and editor of a new collection of essays titled how we get free black feminism and the Combahee River collective. Welcome to democracy now very glad to be here. Amy we had you on one year ago almost exactly. We were in washington, d. C. , broadcasting from public ofevision whut studios howard university. A few months later, he would speak at hamsher college. Tell us what you said and what happened next. Well, i gave a commencement speech in which, you know, a 19 minute speech, to kind of set the context for where the students were and what the world they were going into. I talked about trump for probably all of 30 seconds. But i said what i thought to be true, that the world that they were graduating into was very dangerous and one of the main factors in that was because the president of the United States donald trump was a racist, sexist, megalomaniac. Today, especially given the list of examples that you just went thatgh, it seems ludicrous i would be attacked by fox news, received hate mail, Death Threats for making what is so clear and to me such an obvious statement. And i think that the fallout from that with the right was kind of a prelude to an attack on academics, an attack on radicals, for really saying the truth about the nature of this administration. Aboutou have talked President Trump, White Supremacy, and the precedents set by this president going back to woodrow wilson. You teach at princeton. Can you talk more about that . Mean, therear i is a parsing of trumps words in the Mainstream Media to determine if trump is a racist or does he just make racist statements . Amy he makes racial statements. Yes. It shows how the discussion around what is racism in the United States is deteriorated so that unless someone is declaring i am a racist or burning a cross, that everyone is loathed or reluctant to identify what is painfully obvious. And so i think that the Trump Administrations embrace of naked andemacy is obvious. But i also think we have to understand what the impetus for that is. Because rarely in American History, especially when we are talking about elected officials and the political establishment, is the racism purely for the sake of racism . That it is just driven solely by vitriol. I think we have to understand the racism of donald trump and be sort of altright racism of the Republican Party in general in combination with their naked money grab, with the smash and grab operation of the tax cuts, of the effort to really radically redistribute wealth from the bottom to the top that they have set out on a course to basically explain away the conditions and what i think is legitimate economic anxiety of ordinary white people, and say that it is the muslims, the mexicans, and the blacks. And now we can add to that, it is the, you know, the countries of africa, haiti, el salvador who want to send their supposed refuse to our country, that is the reason why you are in the insecure condition that you are. So i think we have to see those two things as linked. Which is not to diminish the impact that racism has in this country. Because as i said earlier, the weight the impact of the open embrace of White Supremacy in this administration can be literally weighed and measured in the weight of the bodies of the people who have been killed by White Supremacists in this country. I think it was a report earlier this week that said why supremacists, deaths by White Supremacists account for the largest number of deaths of socalled extreme groups in this country. Impact that is an is being made by that that has to be accounted for. Amy you talk about in the how weg of your book thefree black feminism and , he River Collective, about the election of black women voters had cast their ballot for Hillary Clinton with circulated prove that black woman had done their part to keep trump out of the white house. Take it from there. I think that was part of the narrative. Bear nock women responsibility for the Trump Administration. Which is true, but i think there was a larger story in there that really has been missed by a lot blame efforts to assign of trump. Ectoralizing for me, the more interesting part of the election was that 100 Million People did not vote. That there are almost 240 eligible voters 240 million eligible voters in the United States, and all must 100 Million People did not participate in an election that was discussed is the most consequential of our lifetime. Me, the question was, what does that say about our political system . And so i think that that discussion got missed in talking about the level of electoral support for Hillary Clinton by black women by also not looking at how the numbers of black women who participated in the elections was actually down from 2012, the obama election, which brought out historic numbers of people. Understandingt that 100 Million People did not participate in the election is really critical to this ongoing debate about the state of the democratic already and whether or not the party is actually in a position to pose an alternative, a credible alternative, to the republicans 202018, and the looming election. We cannot have a serious discussion about that without talking about the 100 Million People who did not vote in the last election. Quinnipiacbout this poll that has just come out . Talking about the overwhelming percentage of africanamericans supporting Bernie Sanders . Beginsink, hopefully, it to shift the very narrow discussion that the sanders phenomenon has driven solely by thebernie bros africanamericans are not interested in socialism, africanamericans are not interested in Bernie Sanders. In fact, the polls showed sanders had the highest favorability rating among africanamericans by country mile compared to white people. I think was 43 of white had a favorable view of Bernie Sanders compared to 70 of africanamericans and 55 of latinos. I dont think this is a complicated question. Why is that . Because i think most people understand, black people understand it is things that Bernie Sanders argued for, the redistribution of wealth from the top to the bottom, universal health care, a living wage, so on and so forth, the redistribution of resources from the criminal Justice System to public machine to services and public institutions, that that would have an Immediate Impact in the lives of black people and black communities. Immediate positive impact. And people know that. So i think that these are the kind of facts and information whetted into the debate about what direction for the Democratic Party. Because we also know from a democratic already establishment that there is a war against the sanders influence within the party. There was a purge of sanders supporters within the Democratic National committee. So there is going to be a reckoning in that party about actual direction is. I think for progressives, for the left, and certainly for radicals, that the ease with which people cave in to the decisions to back various Democratic Party leaders, take off or Democratic Party candidates, remove the pressure to force thatary party to actually see attention to the agenda of ordinary people from below. And that is a calculus that has to shift in the coming elections. Amy were going to go to break and come back to this discussion. Keeangayamahtta taylor from princeton university, author of from blacklivesmatter to black liberation. Editor of a new collection of essays titled how we get free black feminism and the Combahee River collective. Back with her in a moment. [music break] amy the africanamerican author, activist communitys is an died this week at the age of 79. For many years, lester hosted Uncle Toms Cabin on pacific radio stationwbai in new york. In 1964, he risked his life to join civil rights activists in the south. Julius lester went on to Service Photographer for the student nonviolent or dating committee. Corn ending committee. This is democracy now , democracynow. Org, the war and peace report. Im amy goodman. We continue our conversation with our guests keeangayamahtta , assistant professor of African American studies at princeton university. Our with a new book how we get free. Im sorry, you just heard that Julius Lester died. Insert a break that to you. Terrible news. Amy how we get free, your book. Theou could talk about who River Collective is, and we will do a post show after this because we have to go longer than we have time for, but the whole issue of this when radical womens collective really quitting the term identity politics, taking on the issue of intersection analogy and this was 40 years ago. The, he River Collective was a group of black radical 1974ist that formed in that consider themselves to be a an Organization Called the National Black feminist organization, which i think they would characterize as certainly to the left of mainstream white feminism, feminist organizations, but still not far enough to the left in terms of the combahees focus on linking womens oppression to capitalism and linking them black women oppression to capitalism, but more importantly, i think of equal importance, is seeing the liberation of black women was connected to a radical reconstruction of american society. In 1974he group formed and really was active around issues of abortion rights, rupert of the freedom including campaigning against sterilization, taking up the struggle against domestic violence. And against violence against women. They were based in boston. During this time, there was really a spate of Violent Attacks against black women. Black women were being killed in cases that were going unresolved. This really shaped the political world they were active in. In 1977, they produced a document that is really foundational in the politics of radical black feminism called the combahee collective river statement that both theorized aspects of black womens oppression, but also connected that to strategies that they believed would be central to ending it. Both in terms of how to link the struggles black women face to the struggles of other oppressed people, which they called coalition building, but also the need to have transformative revolutionary radical politics. And so i think, you know, this is the 40th anniversary were lester, 2017 was the 40th anniversary of the publication of the statement. Part of my innovation for doing this book, which is a republication of the statement itself, interviews with the three authors of the statement, digit isally try that politics and the practice and the lives and experiences of these women to a new generation of activism. Amy what would you say their messages to them today . I think their message for them today is that it is not enough just to identify the ways that black women are oppressed, but that it is important to synthesize the analysis with a plan of action. It is important to act because that is the only way that black women will get free. Amy i want to thank you so much for being with us. We will do part two of this discussion and post it online at democracynow. Org. We will be broadcasting from the Sundance Film Festival all week next week. Keeangayamahtta taylor assistant professor of African American studies at princeton university. Her new book how we get free. Her new book how we get free. 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