Transcripts For KCSM Democracy Now 20180122

Anniversary of trumps inauguration and the historic womens march. We will hear from the pioneering womens rights attorney gloria allred, who represents survivors of Sexual Assault and is a survivor herself. Plus, actresses jane fonda and Tessa Thompson. All three spoke here at a rally in park city. Then we look at the new documentary rbg about the life of Supreme Court Justice Ruth Bader ginsburg. , we urge the court abolitionist and advocate of the global rights for men and women who said i ask no favor for my sex. Ask amy we will speak to the julie cohen and betsy west, and democracy now speaks with Ruth Bader Ginsburg. All of that and more, coming up. Welcome to democracy now , democracynow. Org, the war and peace report. Im amy goodman. Lawmakers are on capitol hill today amid the third day of a partial government shutdown. Hundreds of thousands of socalled nonessential government workers are furloughed, meaning they are barred from working and wont be paid during the shutdown. The two agencies hardest hit by the shutdown are hud, the department of housing and urban development, and the epa, the Environmental Protection agency. The government shut down at midnight on friday night after lawmakers failed to reach a budget deal. At the heart of the showdown is President Trump and the republicans failure to compromise on a plan for the 800,000 young undocumented immigrants known as dreamers. Trump rescinded the deferred action for Childhood Arrivals Program daca, last year, which , democrats have refused so far to agree to a budget deal that doesnt include a resolution on daca. The senate is slated to vote today at noon on a resolution that would fund the government for the next three weeks. Hundreds of thousands of women took to the streets across the United States on saturday to mark the First Anniversary of last years historic womens march protesting President Trumps inauguration. In new york city, 200,000 people took to the streets. Among them was desiree jordan, who was protesting violence against queer women of color. Were here to say the black women from the black lesbians that were murdered here recently and there has been no media coverage. Particularly women that are silenced. It is horrific not to hear these womens names mentioned. We all know trayvon martin. We all know all of the men, eric garner, who was murdered. We need to know the names of the blackin the lesbians, lesbians, particularly, who are murdered in this country. There is nothing in our media. It is horrific to think about a woman being killed just for being who they are. Amy saturdays march comes amid the nationwide metoo and times up movements, in which women across industries and class and racial lines have joined their voices to announce pervasive genderbased violence and to demand an and to Sexual Harassment and abuse. In los angeles, tens of thousands of women gathered to protest, including viola davis. Listen. I am always introduced as an awardwinning actor. But my testimony is one of poverty. My testimony is one of being sexually assaulted, and very much seeing a childhood that was robbed from me. And i know that every single day when i think of that, i know that the trauma of those events are still with me today. To that is what drives me the voting booth. That is what allows me to listen to the women who are still in silence. Amy thats Academy Awardwinning actress viola davis. At a womens march in morristown, new jersey, on saturday, the new first lady of new jersey tammy murphy said she was a survivor of an attempted Sexual Assault while she was a sophomore in college. In total, there were protests in hundreds of cities across the United States and around the world, including in frankfurt, germany, kampala, uganda, and osaka, japan. Well hear more voices from the womens march at park city, utah, after headlines. In michigan, female gymnasts who survived Sexual Assault and abuse by former usa Gymnastics Team doctor larry nassar continue to testify against the doctor in court. Nassar has already admitted to sexually abusing the athletes when they were children and adolescents, and then covering up the abuse by pretending it was part of a medical treatment. This is olympic Gold Medalist aly raisman testifying friday. Im here to face you, larry, so you can see i have regained my strength, that im no longer a victim, im a survivor. Now is the time to acknowledge the very person who sits before us now who perpetrated the Worst Epidemic of sexual abuse and history of sports, who is going to be locked up for a long, long, long time. This monster was also the architect of policies and procedures that are supposed to protect athletes from sexual abuse. Abusers, your time is up. The survivors are here standing tall and we are not going anywhere. Amy during her testimony, olympic Gold Medalist aly raisman also attacked the usa gymnastics and the u. S. Olympic committee for allowing the sexual abuse to continue for decades. Started 30 years ago, but that is just the first reported incident we know of. If over these many years just one adult listened and have the courage and character to act, this tragedy could have been avoided. Neither usa gymnastics nor the u. S. Have reached out to express of the or even offer support. Not even to ask how did this happen . What do you think we could do to help . Why have i and others here probably not heard anything from the leadership of the u. S. . Why has the United States Olympic Committee been silent . Amy at least one woman has also testified that she reported the sexual abuse to officials at Michigan State university, where dr. Larry nassar also practiced sports medicine. A growing number of the Sexual Assault survivors, current students, and even one Michigan State University Trustee are calling on University President Lou Anna Simon to resign over questions about what she and the university knew about nassars systematic Sexual Assault of female athletes on campus. Palestinian leaders are boycotting Vice President mike pences visit to israel, refusing to meet with him in protest of the trump administrations recognition of jerusalem as israels capital and its plans to move the u. S. Embassy from tel aviv to jerusalem. Pence has already met with israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu and is slated to speak to the Israeli Parliament today. Erb members of Israels Parliament are planning planning to boycott pences address. He says the embassy will move in in afghanistan, at least 18 2019. People were killed in a 14hour siege of the Intercontinental Hotel in kabul. The taliban has claimed responsibility for the attack. Among the dead was peace activist ahmad farzan, who was in kabul teaching classes and working at afghanistans high peace council. Turkey has launched a Bombing Campaign and ground offensive against the Syrian Kurdish city in northern syria. The u. S. Backed Kurdish Militia controlling the area says at least 10 people were killed, seven civilians, including one baby. The bombing comes after the United States announced plans to provide military backing for thousands of syriankurdish fighters to form a Border Security force along the border with turkey. Turkey has accused the syrian kurds of being terrorists. In honduras, protesters staged another round of nationwide demonstrations saturday to against widespread voter fraud in the reelection of incumbent, u. S. Backed president juan orlando hernandez. Demonstrators blockaded dozens of roads and highways nationwide. The honduran military has killed at least a dozen protesters since the demonstrations erupted after the november 26th election, including 160yearold man, who was killed at a blockade on saturday. This is opposition candidate salvador nasralla. Were going to continue protesting throughout this entire week. The logic tells us it will be difficult because people dont have enough to eat and then you add in the regime is killing people, like the man they killed yesterday. And all of the people they have beaten up. All of that is in the hands of the United Nations and human rights organizations. Im not convinced these organizations have the capacity needed to resolve this. I am getting the impression, i hope i am wrong, that these arernational organizations primarily decoration and that they are scared because they are funded by the United States. Amy in africa, protesters staged nationwide demonstrations on sunday in the democratic republic of the congo, demanding the resignation of president joseph kabila, whose term officially ended in december 2016. At least six people were killed during a military crackdown against protesters. Dozens more were wounded. It is the second mass demonstration in recent weeks over the continuation of kabilas presidency and the delay of new elections. In india, at least 17 workers died after a blaze broke out at a firecracker factory on the outskirts of the capital, new delhi. Officials say workers were trapped inside the building when the fire broke out because grills had been illegally installed on exits, ostensibly in order to prevent theft. Police have arrested the owner of the factory. A new report by oxfam says Global Economic inequality widened last year, with 82 of all wealth created going to the richest 1 . In contrast, the poorer half of the entire worlds population received none of the new wealth at all. The report also says 2017 saw the biggest increase in billionaires in world history. 90 of all billionaires are men. Are women. The department of justice has dismissed charges against 129 protesters who were facing the possibility of decades in prison for protesting at President Trumps Inauguration Day disrupt j20 protests one year ago. However, 59 protesters are still facing multiple felony charges. The group defend j20 resistance says the 59 defendants are facing up to 60 years in prison. To see our full coverage of the j20 trials, go to democracynow. Org. And journalists at the Los Angeles Times have voted overwhelmingly to unionize. Journalists are demanding equal pay for women and people of color, lower health premiums, and better salaries. Shortly after the votes results were announced friday, the newspapers Parent Company announced the l. A. Times publisher, ross levinsohn, is taking a leave of absence amid an investigation into reports he was a defendant in two Sexual Harassment lawsuits while working at previous companies, the Search Engine company alta vista and Rupert Murdochs news corp. And a correction to an earlier headline, the taliban has claimed responsibility for the attack on the Intercontinental Hotel in kabul, which killed at least 18 people. And 90 of all billionaires arm in. Our men. And those are some of the headlines. This is democracy now , democracynow. Org, the war and peace report. Im amy goodman. Hundreds of thousands of women took to the streets saturday to protest President Trumps first year in office and to the First Anniversary of the historic womens marches. In new york city, authorities estimated over 200,000 people marched. Protests were also held in washington, chicago, los angeles, and hundreds of other cities and towns. Here in park city, utah, protesters braved freezing temperatures and a snow storm to to take part in the respect rally on saturday. Speakers included the longtime womens rights attorney gloria allred. Snow, freezing rain to stand up and why have we come here today . We have come here for respect for women, for equal rights, for all of our daughters, our mothers, our sisters, and our aunts. This entire year has been the winter of our discontent. But it has also been the year of our awakening, and awake we are to the lack of respect and the for women. Ur rights do you agree . [cheers] of fear being end used as a weapon to silence women and to deny our rights. Do you agree . [cheers] this is the year that womens voices have been heard, the year when women broke her silence about the injustices we have suffered. And they year where we said to rich, powerful, famous men, you can break our hearts, but you cannot break our spirit. [cheers] we will not be silenced. We have reached a breaking point. We have reached the tipping point. We demand respect for our daughters, our granddaughters, our mothers, our sisters, our lesbian sisters, gay men, transgenders, and all minorities. We demand our rights. Right to be free of Sexual Assault r,ape, and abuse. Say after me, resist, insist, persist, collect. Resist. Persist. Insist. Elect. We demand the right to control our bodies and our lives. Resist. Insist. Persist. Elect. We demand the right to choose legal, safe, and affordable abortion and not have our lives placed at risk by illegal, unsafe abortions which cause iny of us to be mutilated and like ill must died when roe v. Wade was not yet the law and abortions were illegal. Resist. Insist. Persist. Elect. We demand the right to have contraceptives when men are getting viagra. Resist. Insist. Persist. Elect. Of sexualthe end harassment and all violence against women and girls most of resist. Persist. Insist. Elect. We demand the enforcement of Child Support laws so mothers can support their children and not be forced onto welfare and lives of poverty. Resist. Insist. Persist. Elect. Of pregnancy end discrimination in the workplace. Resist. Insist. Persist. A liked. And we demand the passage of rights amendment that inequality of rights shall not be denied or abridged by the United States or by any state on the counts of sex. Resist. Persist. Elect. And dont forget, insist. Let me tell you, utah, we have 36 states who have ratified the equal rights amendment, most recently, nevada, and now it is time for utah. Resist. Insist. Persist. Elect. And give a hearing to the yard a in era in utah. Yes, lets hear it. Toit is a huge honor introduce jane fonda. Here in you for being the cold and in the snow. We are still marching. We are still protesting, but now we have to also organize. Last september, 50 women took a bus from los angeles to san diego to join hundreds of grassroots organizers who have been canvassing there to flip the 49th congressional district. They went toward a door and talked to people. Some of her more avid trump fans. So women did not talk about a candidate, they never mentioned a democratic or republican party. They focused on issues. The issues that people at the door cared about. And by listening and giving people information that they have not heard before because, you know, fox news, they were able to change minds. And just a few days ago, the republican from that district, trends good how darrell issa, retired. Yes. Away by ourd organizing. Listen to this. The tea party with the Koch Brothers learned what works. They learned from the successes of the labor movement, the civil rights movement, the womens and the lgbtq movements. And they have an organizing under the radar for years. And that is how they have taken over state legislators and county supervisors and governorships. And this is really important because governors to determine redistricting. So if we want to protect our Voting Rights, we have to take back governorships. Our democracy survival and the earths survival depends on our ability to get people the facts, help them understand who is really on their side and they are not alone and then get them registered and motivated to vote. Amy jane fonda speaking at the respect rally in park city, utah, on to mark the first saturday anniversary of the historic 2017 womens march. Before that, the womens rights attorney gloria allred. During the rally, i also interviewed the actress Tessa Thompson, who you may know from her roles as the superhero in the film thor or playing Samantha Sam White in dear white people, or performing as diane nash in selma. I spoke to her soon after she addressed the respect rally. I am amy goodman. I know who you are. Amy your thoughts othisirst anniversary of t and are duraon of President Trump, but also the First Anniversary of the cntry it is incredible to be here. A lot of movements have happened since then and in many ways, not enough. I think until we can really create systemic change in legislation and policy, we will continue to march and that was something that was echoed by jane fonda and gloria allred. I think that is where we are. I was really spirited to hear particularly the words of jane housing is understand the way in which is it is important to organize. Because i feel like were in such a cultural moment sometimes that particularly in this media space we live in where you can feel like retreating or hashtagging is enough, and i think we need to get a place of understanding and open a real way with our friends and family, what we can do, how we can really create change. Tessa thompson amy Tessa Thompson, you played diane nash in selma. Talk about what this kind of activism from have assange rigo, if were seeing at express today. We are seeing at express. The thing we saw so incredible about diane and every leader i spoke to they could tell me about diane of course, i got to meet her as well, is how radical she was. Important felt component of creating real change, that she wasnt afraid of it. The people sheth collaborated with. And that kind of bravery and real dedication to getting to the core of an idea, i think is so fantastic. Particularly in a political statement. Byas continuously struck that. And she is that way still. I mean, she is such fierce integrity and really believes in america so much that she can be quite critical. But i think that is what we need. Amy and now you are a black woman superstar in thor. Talk about your message to young women. What is an incredible about that, the character historically is not been a woman of color, although, she is in the context sometimesics, she is a bisexual, so she is a queer woman, but it has been incredible to see young woman come up to me and say it means so much to them because they can see themselves reflected in a film like that. For me, when i first got the part, i could not believe it. I think a part of that is because i had not seen it before. I think that is where representation immediate is really important. It is important people are ingesting the popcorn come also things that make them feel hopeful about possibility. Amy that is actress Tessa Thompson at the respect rally on saturday here in park city. When we come back from break, we will look at rbg, a new documentary about the life of Supreme Court Justice Ruth Bader ginsburg, who is here in park city as well. Stay with us. [music break] amy ann reed singing Ruth Bader Ginsburg. This is democracy now , democracynow. Org, the war and peace report. Im amy goodman. This is our first day of our weeklong broadcast from the Sundance Film Festival here in park city, utah. One of the most talked about documentaries here at the Sundance Film Festival looks at the groundbreaking life of the nearly 85yearold Supreme Court Justice Ruth Bader ginsburg. 2011 marks her 25th year on the court, and she has no plans to retire. Justice ginsburg first gained fame in the 1970s when she cofounded the womens rights project at the American Civil Liberties union where she argued six gender discrimination cases before the Supreme Court. When president bill clinton nominated her in 1993, he compared her to another pioneering attorney and judge who went on to become a Supreme Court justice. Many admirers of her work say that she is to the Womens Movement what former Supreme Court Justice Thurgood marshall was to the movement of the rights of africanamericans. Amy in recent years, Justice Ginsburgs public profile has soared as the court has swerved to the right. Ginsburg often now finds herself on the dissenting side of opinions. In 2013, she wrote a scathing dissent in shelby v. Holder, a landmark case that eradicated a key part of the Voting Rights act. She wrote throwing out preclearance when it has worked and is continuing to work to stop discriminatory changes is like throwing away your umbrella in a rainstorm because you are not getting wet. Dissents like that helped ginsburg cement her role as a feminist icon. She gained the nickname notorious rbg, which became the name of a bestselling book. She has been portrayed on saturday night live. Details of her exercise workout routine have gone viral. And now she is the subject of a featurelength documentary here at Sundance Film Festival simply called rbg. The film premiered on sunday night and none other than Ruth Bader Ginsburg was in the audience to see the film for the first time. Afterwards, she joined the directors betsy west and julie cohen on stage, and was there at a chance to ask her a question. As you flew into sundance on saturday, thousands of women around the country were marching, rallying saying metoo and times up im wondering your thoughts on this movement and whether that demand you made so many decades ago you feel still stands for take the boots off our neck . I would like to see that the first march i wondered if it would stop at that or whether the movement would continue. Yesterday was proof that it would continue. Women that are out there doing things, the better off all of us will be for it. The responsibility of women is get out there and to make a good show. The more people are out there doing things, the more younger feel they have the courage to go on. Im heartened by the number of women who will be in races for our congress and state legislative positions. The expression of martin , the moral of the universe is long, but it bends toward justice. And i headed to that. If there are people who will strive with all their might. Any code that is Supreme Court Justice Ruth Bader ginsburg speaking on sunday night at the premiere of the new documentary rbg. 2018 marked Ruth Bader Ginsburgs 25th year on the Supreme Court. Were joined now by the directors of the film, julie cohen and betsey wright. Julie is a longtime film maker who has made a documentaries and was the creator of court tvs Supreme Court watch. Betsy west is a 21time emmy winner for her work as an abc news producer who now teaches at the Columbia School of journalism. Julie cohen and betsy wright, it is so great to see you both. Tobetsy west, it is so great see. Start out why you decided to take on Ruth Bader Ginsburg as the subject of your film. Why did you decide to follow her . How could you not as honest the question with rbg. Betsy and i had each individual for separate projects had done projects with her. Tohad followed her and begin idolize her as the notorious rbg. We just felt like someone ought to do a full dress serious documentary covering this extraordinary womans life, and why not have it be as . Info betsy west, you covered many different issues and one of the things you have done most recently is the makers she series. You interviewed her separately. What most strikes you about her . If you can begin by sort of giving us a nutshell description of Ruth Bader Ginsburg, the Supreme Court justice. Well, when you meet her in person, she is a very tiny person. And yet she has a kind of commanding presence. I think it is the contrast about her that really strikes you. Serious person, the kind of person if you say, hey, how are you . She doesnt immediately jumped in tell you how she is, she thinks about it will step she is very deliberate and everything she says. As she said to us in the interview, i tend to be rather sober. On the other hand, she has a fabulous sense of humor. As we discovered in the film, she loves to laugh. So she is a multidimensional person. Lifean extraordinary story. Amy i want to talk about that life story. I want to first go to a clip from your documentary rbg where Justice Ginsberg talks about the first time she argued before the Supreme Court in the case frontiero v. Richardson in 1972. The case centered on a female air force lieutenant who was denied the same housing and medical benefits as her male colleagues. Justice ginsburg, then the lawyer ginsburg, argue the air forces statute for housing allowances treated women as inferior is Supreme Court ruled in her favor eight to one. Without a single question, i just went on speaking and, at the time, i wondered, are they just indulging me and not listening, or am i telling them something they have not heard before . And are they paying attention . Glued tostices were her. I dont think they were expecting that to do with something as powerful as a shear force of her argument that was just allencompassing. And they were there to talk about a little statute in the government code. I mean, we seize the moment to change american society. Court toking the urge the position stated in 1837, by a noted abolitionist and advocate for eagle rights for men and women. She said i ask no favor for my sex. All i ask of our brother and is that they take their feet off our necks. Anechoic sucked from rbg, the documentary that just aired as an is Film Festival to much acclaim. In that clip, we also heard from the codirector with Ruth Bader Ginsburg of the aclus womens rights project. Julie cohen, lets talk about her life before she was the wasrious rbg, before she the Supreme Court justice. Sure. That was one of the big factors making us want to make this film. A lot of the people that love her and think she is cool and dontout her dissents know the full story and dont appreciate how much she achieved for womens equal rights under law in her career as a lawyer particularly during those times, the womens rights projects in the 1970s. There, she took on were six, including that one you just played that she argued before the Supreme Court, winning five of them, making the case at a time when that case was not understood or even sort of hard for society and the amount justices at the time to register the idea that, oh, wait, the constitution should provide equal rights for men and women . She was following up on what Thurgood Marshall had done sort of a decade earlier, basically a slow legal march for civil rights for people of all races, and she was applying that idea to gender and had extraordinary success with it. Amy i want to go to another clip. Ruth Bader Ginsburg nominated by president clinton in 1993. This is during her Senate Confirmation hearing when she openly defended, and this was highly unusual, openly defended a womens right to have an abortion. Central tosomething a womans life, to her dignity. It is a decision which she must. Ake for herself and when government controls that decision for her, she is being treated as less than a fully adult human responsible for her own choices. Her 1993 Supreme Court confirmation hearing, republican senator orrin hatch of utah questioned her stance on abortion. The socalled constitutional right to abortion, a right which many, quitting myself, think was created out of thin air by the court but you asked me the question in relation to the Supreme Courts precedents. Ask me another question in relation to the Supreme Courts precedents, the Supreme Courts president is that access to abortion as part of the liberty guaranteed i that was just amy that 1993 confirmation hearing, betsy west, how unusual, especially in light of now in 2018, imagine your Supreme Court justice being so open about her support for freedom to choose for women, about her support for abortion. Talk about the significance of this. She was extremely forthright about this. Shes a very principled person. She was not going to pull her punches on this. The amazing thing is, after that, she was confirmed 963. 963. And you heard, i mean, orrin hatch basically saying, look, we disagree but i think you are wellqualified to serve on the Supreme Court and you have been nominated by our president , who happens to be a democrat, that is the way this system works. It is kind of poignant and extraordinary to hear that today. Amy you both interviewed orrin hatch. You interviewed him for the film. Did he say he would support her today . He was very lot a jury of her. He was. First of all he said, i love Ruth Bader Ginsburg. He said that. What . Really, he admires her so much. He admires her brain and he admires her character. What she stands for. He said, look, i think it is a good thing for the court to have in our to gillett, smart, liberal on the court articulate, smart, liberal on the court. I think it elevates the entire conversation, the debate. I was surprised by how forceful and strong he was in his ongoing support for her. Amy and talking about relationships that might surprise some, her relationship, julie cohen, with Justice Scalia and the significance of this, the history of this before scalia died. Justice scalia and Justice Ginsburg were quite close going back to their days together on the u. S. Court of appeals for the d c circuit in the 1980s, admired each other as kind of intellectual sparring partners. And really liked and loved each other as friends. They both loved opera. They both had a lot of other intellectual interests in theater and literature. And the fact that they disagreed so vehemently on the law sure nearly seemed to have made them closer to one another. Ity did not deny that sometimes wasnt exactly pleasant. One example that the justice had talked about is, you know, after bush the gore when they were could not have been more opposed to each others point of view when the stakes could not have been higher, at one point at the end of the evening, he gave her a call and said ruth, go home and take a hot bath and we will see each other again in the morning. Gore, they might have become familiar with the results . The Supreme Court decision that ended the recount in florida and led to george w. Bush becoming president of the United States. Amy being chosen as president by the u. S. Supreme court. And she dissented. Justice scalia was one of the architects of the majority decision saying, having george bush become the president and Ruth Ginsburg wrote one of several i think our number in that case, but one of the dissenters in the case. Amy and this issue of Ruth Bader Ginsburg being the the center. Young people who are following her now, that is all they would think about. But that actually wasnt always the case. You are really interesting sort of image that you have in the you show her right in the center there, much closer to the conservatives, and then how she moves to the left. Betsy west . As one of our interviewees said, she was never meant to be a great dissenter. Consensus. Won a and she still wants consensus. She has a very practical view of the law. She is always trying to bring people over to her side. It is a very it is very important to her that she had collegial relationships with her fellow justices, and that she makes reasoned arguments. She is not a bomb thrower. However, when push comes to shove and she feels the constitution is not being followed, she is not afraid to d as sheery scathing saysissent. From look, i would rather be in the majority. But when im not, i will amy and she has the doily collars. That is what i call them. The different ones. Bows. Amy oh, excuse me. She and Sandra Day Oconnor came up with this. Amy and she is the different once when she is in the majority or expressing dissent. She is a great fashion sense and she brings her fashion sense to her clothing on the Supreme Court. And when they come after reagan, it is that publicly known yet what the decision is going to be. If youre in the courtroom, you get a preview few minutes earlier because from Justice Ginsburg collar, she going to read an opinion and she is wearing that lovely sort of dlacked, sparkly fanshape collar, you know shes about to deliver a dissent. Amy were going to go to break and then come back in here really interesting, from ruth yesterday. Urg just she spoke of the film makers lodge. She was interviewed by him to Nina Totenberg. She talks about this seminal foundational work of Catharine Mackinnon and how it changed her view also of womens rights and what the whole issue of gender harassment is all about. We are talking about a film that just premiered at the Sundance Film Festival called rbg about the Supreme Court Justice Ruth Bader ginsburg. Stay with us. [music break] amy this is democracy now , democracynow. Org, the war and peace report. Im amy goodman. We are broadcasting from the Sundance Film Festival in park city, utah, and we will be here for the week. From the Sundance Film Festival, where a film about Supreme Court Justice Ruth Bader ginsburg called rbg has just premiered. Before the film on sunday, Justice Ginsburg, who flew into park city, utah this weekend, was interviewed by nprs Nina Totenberg. A dear friend of Ruth Bader Ginsburg. Nina asked ginsburg if she had ever been sexually harassed before she became a judge. This was the Supreme Court justices answer. The answer is, yes, every woman of my vintage knows what Sexual Harassment is although, we did not have a name for it. The attitude to sexual to getnt was simply past it. Boys will be boys. Well, i will give you just one example. I am taking a chemistry course at cornell, and my instructor uncertaincause i was of my ability in that field he said, i will give you a practice exam. So he gave me a practice exam. The next day on the test, the test is the practice exam. And i know exactly what he wanted in return. And that isust one of many examples. This was not considered anything you could do something about, that the locket help you do something about that the law could help you do something about, until a book was written by a then young woman named kitty mackinnon, Catherine Mackinnon. It was called Sexual Harassment in the workplace. I was asked to read it by a publisher and give my opinion on whether it was worth publishing. Revelation. The first part described incidents like the one i just mentioned. Thethe next was how internet is from a nation law title vii antidiscrimination law, title vii, which ribbons discrimination on the base of race, national origin, religion, and sex how that could be used as a tool to stop Sexual Harassment. It was eyeopening. And it was the beginning of a field that did not exist until then. So just to close the loop here for a minute, what did you do about the professor . Did you just a clear of him . What did you do . I went to his office in a this ow dare you do [applause] end of that. The [laughter] i assume you did quite well in that exam. [laughter] twoell, i deliberately made mistakes. [laughter] an aggressive record Justice Ruth Bader ginsburg amy Supreme Court Justice Ruth Bader ginsburg speaking with Nina Totenberg. They have known each other for 40 years. She is one of the people interviewed in the new documentary about Ruth Bader Ginsburg that will go throughout the week called rbg. Our guests are the films the films directors and producers. Her talknever heard about this, but it is absolutely true that there really was no whenfor Sexual Harassment Ruth Bader Ginsburg was being discriminated against as a young later all of the women who flooded into the workplace in the 1970s, the sort of felt like, hey, this was the price of entry, something we have to put up with in order to have these fantastic jobs. And it was Catherine Mackinnon who was really just a young just out of law school she may still have been a law school when she started working on this concept and wrote this paper that was absolutely seminal, in fact, was quoted by the Supreme Court in the mid1980s. Some of the exact language that she used. Said, itader ginsburg was a revelation. Hey, this is wrong, and it is actually unconstitutional. That is something that i think a lot of people dont understand. Amy we can talk about we cant talk about your film rbg without talking about her family, her relationships, in particular her husband was also well known lawyer. Julie cohen, if you can talk about this love story that lasted for over half a century. Yeah, im in, the love and marriage between ruth and Marty Ginsburg is sort of like it is not just romantic, but i think it is an inspirational part of a feminist story. Would say,ginsburg often like a super successful man talks about his wife, she will say she would not have gotten where she got without him pushing. It is absolutely true. They met at cornell where they were both students. They fell madly in love. Ruth Bader Ginsburg said he was the first guy who even seemed to notice that she had a brain. That is because she was so beautiful, by the way. Yes. Come althoughly he was an incredibly successful tax attorney in his own right, he really devoted a lot of his life both to the family, he was the primary cook, and you certainly shared childcare responsibilities with her, and then he devoted a fair amount of his time and energy to pushing her career fourth. She is datatype to go around selfpromoting. About promoting. Amy talk about that. We just played the clip of president clinton nominating her, but how did that happen . How did Ruth Bader Ginsburg come to clintons attention . She wasnt the old one he was looking at. Clinton himself had says he wanted to nominate governor cuomo. Cuomo did not want to do it. Then he started looking around wood, yes,t definitely, because of the Marty Ginsburg campaign and others of her supporters who just felt she was a legal giant, her name came to his attention. But as he says, Marty Ginsburg wasnt the only person lobbying for somebody. Person, he met her in he told us within 15 minutes of their conversation, he knew he was going to nominate her. Kind of a meeting of the minds about the law, the best way to make law. So he was really taken by her. She was 60 years old when she was dominated. That was actually kind of on the old side. But he decided that she deserved it. i want to turn to the 20 2007 Lilly Ledbetter fair pay ledbetter v. Goodyear tire rubber co. Pay discrimination case. The Supreme Court rejected lilly ledetters claim of pay discrimination at a Goodyear Tire plant in alabama where she worked as an overnight supervisor for 19 years. The decision moved Justice Ruth Bader ginsburg to read her dissent from the bench, a relatively rare move reserved to criticize the majority opinion. This is part of ginsburgs dissent. In our view, the court does not comprehend or is the insidious way in which women can be victims of a dissemination. Title vii was meant to govern realworld Employment Practices and that is what the court ignores today. As ansparity often occur ledbetters case in small increments, only over time is there shrum cause to suspect the discriminaon is at work. Amy so the Lilly Ledbetter fair pay act was later passed in response to the 2007 Supreme Court. The significance, julie . Well, the Lilly Ledbetter fair pay act was a very important piece of legislation. And the significance in the rbg story is reminding you that, yes, of course, key role of the Supreme Court justice and what you think of is never the greatest potential for coliseum change is in a majority opinion they write, but Justice Ginsburg really made a hug difference in our laws by the dissent she wrote emily ledbetter. Not only where she explained the unfairness of the statute of limitations that have been placed on how long a woman could wait to make a claim about being paid unequally, but her dissent, she just came right out and said, like the ball is now in congresss court. You know what . Maybe we are a little stuck here on the judicial side, commerce takes some action. Congress, take some action. The law was passed and signed into law. The first piece of legislation president obama signed when he was inaugurated january 2009. Amy as in his interview that Nina Totenberg did with Justice Ginsburg, she pointed out that Justice Ginsburg had hired clerks through 2020 tm and asked her about how long she will stay on the court. My current answer is the answer that will continue to be my answer, as long as i can do the job full steam, i will be here. [applause] justice ruthis Bader Ginsburg. Betsy west, she has chosen her clerks through the 2020 term. Think she is sending a signal . Yes. She seems very determined to continue doing the job that she loves. Amy survivor of pancreatic cancer and colorectal cancer. Of the most amazing scenes for us was filming her in hergym with her trainer where she works out twice a week. She does a grueling onehour workout without fail. Planks,workout involves pushups, medicine ball, the whole amy is the new jane fonda workout video. 85 is the new 45. Who knows . She is determined to keep herself in shape. Amy we have 10 seconds. What most surprised you in meeting Justice Ginsburg and doing the secondary . There are a lot of legends that have arisen about Justice Ginsberg over the last couple of years as she has become miniature risk rbg, including the workout, including her long work hours. I think the surprise was that most of those legends are true. Amy i want to thank julie cohen and betsy west, losers and directors of rbg, which just had its world premier here at today on americas test kitchen, julia and bridget reveal a classic recipe for paella on the grill. Adam reviews paella pans with bridget. And dan makes julia an authentic spanish version of patatas bravas. Its all coming up right here on americas test kitchen. Is brought to you by the following. Fisher paykel. Since 1934, fisher paykel