What A Day - Leftward Joe with Rep. Ilhan Omar

Episode Date: April 14, 2020

We interview Congresswoman Ilhan Omar about what progressives want from presumptive Democratic presidential nominee Joe Biden and what steps Congress should take next to address the pandemic. Neighboring states are forming coalitions to make plans to lift restrictions. Coronavirus will delay the result of the census by an estimated four months. And in headlines: Amazon to resume normal sales of non-essential items, the Supreme Court plans to argue on the phone, and Yosemite is for the bears.

it's tuesday april 14th i'm akilah hughes and i'm gideon resnick and this is what a day coming to you on a day that we formally surrender our cities to the animals honestly they've earned it they haven't littered ever they eat the trash i'm proud of them A monkey is going to have my job now. It's just how it works. On today's show, a conversation with Congresswoman Ilhan Omar on the election and next steps from Congress. Then some headlines. But first, the latest. Stay the fuck at home. I mean it. When you stay at home, you're quarantining.

Six feet in every direction. Because that's the radius. That's the radius of love. Interesting. That was the best. It was the radius of love from composers Eli Bolin and Mike Petri and a lot of famous Broadway actors. John Mulaney's at the end. He wanted to be in it. They wouldn't let him sing because he can't sing, I guess. But check it out if you have time. It's definitely in the running

for the best new lockdown anthem. All right, but let's get to the news. So since Donald Trump refuses to be a leader and instead of spending his time in the press room going on defensive tirades against the press when they question him on his delayed and limited federal response to the pandemic, state governors are stepping up once again to fill the void. They're banding together to propose regional reopening plans in conjunction with neighboring states. Yeah. So what do we actually know about what they're planning to do so far? So we've got an East Coast group with governors from New York, New Jersey, Connecticut, Massachusetts, Pennsylvania, Delaware, and Rhode Island. They're all saying that they're going to create a working group of public health, economic, and government officials to develop a gradual regional plan to safely lift restrictions. Over here on the West Coast, we've got the governors of California, Oregon, and Washington. They just announced the Western States Pact, agreeing that they would jointly reopen their economies based on specific health outcomes.

They also laid out four goals that they would focus on, including the development of a system for testing, tracking, and isolating the virus. California Governor Gavin Newsom is going to be outlining more of those details later on today. So neither of the regional groups have released a date for any of their reopening plans, and we're still waiting on more information on what this will look like. But the big news here is that they are coordinating. Gideon, what else is happening around the country? Yeah, so in the meantime, before any reopening can actually get started, administration officials announced that they are seeking a four-month delay in delivering the population data that they gather via the census due to difficulties with the pandemic. Some Democrats in the House who oversee the census operations voiced concern

that the director of the census reportedly didn't participate in the call where the news was actually delivered to them. They want more information from the administration, which previously unsuccessfully tried to add a citizenship question to the census questionnaire, which was seen as an effort to lower participation. Yeah, by the way, if you haven't already, fill out the census. It takes literally three minutes. It's going to get your community that good, good funding. I actually finally did it. I'm proud of myself. Yay, good. In other news, one of the biggest pork processing facilities in the country is closing indefinitely. The Smithfield Foods plant in South Dakota had 293 workers test positive for COVID-19, and it's a microcosm of an issue that the country is seeing

in many of these plants. According to Smithfield, the plant produces 4% to 5% of the country's pork, so pretty significant to the country's overall meat supply. Per the New York Times, there are meat processing corporations that are trying to force their workers to keep coming in with cash bonuses as an incentive, another pressure point for workers in the country and the corporations that make them choose between their personal health and a paycheck. Then on the testing front, there's reporting that the backlog in states like New Jersey, which has the second highest amount of cases in the country, is getting worse as time goes on. Another thing that has to be monitored and drastically improved upon before anything can get close to safely reopened.

Yeah. And then how about internationally? Are there any big updates abroad? Yeah. So France is extending its lockdown until May 11th, and the UK is expected to extend theirs as well. Russian President Vladimir Putin is now discussing the COVID-19 situation in his country in bleaker terms as the total number of cases there doubled over the course of the last five days. And in related news to that, China is seeing new cases as some of its citizens return from Russia. Then over in Brazil, a small study of chloroquine was stopped after COVID-19 patients that were taking a higher dose for treatment developed irregular heartbeats. Though 11 patients died, researchers said that the study did not have enough participants taking the lower doses to conclude whether it was effective for severe cases. Now, chloroquine is close to the hydroxychloroquine drug President Trump has

promoted to treat COVID-19, despite concerns from health officials. That's some of what's going on in the world, and that is the latest for now. Senator Bernie Sanders formally endorsed presumptive Democratic presidential nominee, former Vice President Joe Biden, on Monday via a split-screen live stream and joked about the possibility of a chess beatdown. It's a really important endorsement, and the two candidates pledged to work together to craft policy that would help convince Sanders supporters to back Biden in November. Yeah, and there's still a lot of work to be done on that front.

In a New York Times interview published earlier in the day, Congresswoman Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez, possibly Sanders' most prominent supporter in Congress, said that a recent proposal from Biden to lower the Medicare age to 60 was, quote, almost insulting, citing the fact that Hillary Clinton was talking about lowering to 50 in 2016. She said she's looking for more meaningful concessions to really get behind Biden, though she'd, of course, support him over Trump. Yesterday, I spoke with Congresswoman Ilhan Omar, another Sanders backer and progressive in the House,

about what more Biden needs to do to earn her support. When it comes to our nominee, I of course will support, but I also know that it is going to be important for Vice President Biden to really understand that poll after poll, people wanted Medicare for All as a policy platform implemented in this country. There was a society that they envisioned, and that society includes one that is doing everything that it can in fighting the climate crisis that is before us, in fighting for student debt cancellation and freeing 45 million Americans from the shackles of student debt. And so what I am looking for is a gesture from Vice President that he understands that these are the issues that are important to people. Although they voted for him, every single

exit poll said these were the issues that were important to them, overwhelmingly. And if people had the opportunity to really, really vote on those policies, that is what they would choose. So I think there is an opportunity for him. As I say, every setback is an opportunity for progress. And we look forward to the kind of progress that he provides in the reshaping of his platform in being inclusive of so many Americans who really want a positive change in their lives. Omar also mentioned that picking a progressive running mate would be a step in the right direction. I know we have lots at stake in this election cycle,

and it's going to be really important for there to be an honest conversation on what it will take to energize people across this country so that they are overwhelmingly turning out and turning out their families and their friends and people who are associated with them in those key states, because Michigan is going to be important. Pennsylvania is going to be important. Florida is going to be important. These are states that have an overwhelming numbers of Muslim and immigrant voters. Most of us are interested in seeing what the policy agenda that speaks to us is when it comes to Vice President Biden.

During our conversation, we also talked about next steps in Congress to address the ongoing public health and economic crises. Omar has many proposals herself and is set to release one this week that would cancel rent and some mortgage payments. Looking forward, she has a long list of priorities in any economic relief package, from ensuring that non-citizens get economic assistance to hazard pay for workers to cancellation of student debt. In the last two weeks, over 10 million more people have filed for unemployment since the last relief bill passed in Congress. I asked Omar if this new reality is making her fellow lawmakers more aggressive about meeting the needs of the American people.

Unfortunately, there is still so much talk about the last package. And I think that so many members of Congress are still getting the message out to their constituents about what was included in the last package, and not enough people are really spending a lot of energy in talking about what the needs are going forward. And so I really am aggressively pushing for the recognition that we still need to do more, and building the consensus with my colleagues in an effort

to make sure that the next package that we do really doesn't have as many loopholes. The problem that we're running into is, as you know, you know, we have control of the House. The Republicans have control of the Senate. And we want any kind of package that we put forth to have the consensus of both parties so that the president can sign it and the American people are able to get the relief that they need. And that in itself is very challenging. And so what we're going to need is for the public to really call their members of Congress to make

them understand the urgency in moving a package that is inclusive, a package that really speaks to the needs that people have, and a package that doesn't leave anyone behind. And so I know that as people deal with utility shutoffs, as rent, as small businesses look at the possibility of their businesses collapsing, as so many young people look at their future passing them by. We want to make sure that as leaders, as members of Congress, as the federal government, that we are doing everything that we can in sustaining people at the moment, but also putting forth an agenda that will help bounce our country back. And there are a lot of priorities that we've

discussed in just, you know, a short amount of time here, but two other kind of quick ones that are things that people are talking about as well. How does the conversation around the funding of the Postal Service and vote by mail fit into the frame of what you're thinking right now and how you sort of wedge those things in as well in the kind of context that we're talking about. I mean, it's quite dangerous and alarming to hear some of the rhetoric around support and funding for our postal offices when it comes to this administration, the president and the Republicans. Privatizing and creating a for-profit system with our postal office really is quite dangerous for all of us. And as our nation really grapples with the reality that we might not be safe enough to go to the polls come election day. It's important that we recognize

how valuable it's going to be to have a federalized, nonpartisan postal system that allows for the mail-in ballots to get into the hands of our citizens and for that process to be without disturbance so that people can have assurance in our democracy, can believe in the integrity of our democratic process, and really understand that there is going to be accountability and transparency. We've been sounding the alarm in Congress, and my hope is that leadership understands the importance of putting the funding for our post offices as a priority and as an issue that needs to be addressed before we are able to negotiate any kind of package.

You know, my father used to work at the post office. I myself worked at the post office at one point in my life. And we lack the understanding truly of how valuable that they are and how hard those people work day in and day out. And I think it is really paramount that we do everything that we can in providing the resources that they need. And furthermore, creating the protections that they need. And furthermore, creating the protections that they need to be able to continue to deliver our mail every single day without really putting themselves at risk of contracting and spreading this virus. That was Congresswoman Ilhan Omar. We talked about a lot of stuff. So definitely check out

the full interview at youtube.com slash Crooked Media. Yeah. And also on the topic of vote by mail. If we want to make sure Election Day is safe and accessible for every voter in every state, we need to do something now. One thing you can do is call Congress and tell them to include safe election money in the next relief bill. This will go towards vote by mail, early voting and making in-person polling locations safer for everyone. To get more information on how to call and what to say, check out votesaveamerica.com slash call. And please, if this is important to you, make those calls. The future of our democracy could depend on it. Happy Tuesday, WOD Squad.

It's a good day for spandex, cooking, reluctantly cleaning, and organizing. But before you do that, we want to check in. So, Giddy, have you ordered anything online since we've been locked down? Oh yeah. Today I got the, I think I mentioned this before, but I got five books that I ordered from this like independent bookseller. So that was cool. They came in the mail. They came in the mail. God bless the mail, save the mail. And it's funny because I have yet to finish another book that I started before quarantine even happened. So maybe this will get me off my ass a little bit.

That's fair. That's fair. What about you? Any frivolous purchases? I made a few frivolous purchases. I think the most obvious would be the googly eyes. I bought some giant googly eyes to put on my inanimate objects in my house so I could talk to them. I wanted to make some eye contact with the fridge if I was going to be looking at it so

often. How big are we talking? Like magnet size for a fridge? No, like they're at least a foot. Oh. Like they're big eyes. Look, I'll get them and I'll take a picture and I'll post it to my Instagram at some point. But yeah, just majorly into the idea of making my home

like my friend group. I think that's good and healthy. The only thing that I would be concerned about is if I left it and then forgot that I'd put it up and I just like walk into a room one day and something is looking at me. That would be slightly concerning. That's fair. It is. It's all concerning, you know.

We're living a concerning time. This is true. And that was our daily temperature check. We're not going to shame you for that weird thing you bought online, you know, thinking that we'd be out of here by now. But we will encourage you to check in on your favorite people. And we're going to be checking in with you all tomorrow. And now for some ads. Let's wrap up with some headlines.

Headlines. Major storms across the South, from Texas to South Carolina, damaged hundreds of homes and left at least 32 people dead. The severe weather caused flooding, mudslides, tornadoes, and a loss of power to over 700,000 people across 10 states. Several states are suspending social distancing rules in order to allow people to move to storm shelters. The storms are continuing a path upwards along the East Coast, where 12 million people are under a tornado watch. Online retail giant Amazon will once again allow third-party sellers to ship non-essential items this week after prioritizing medical supplies and household staples over the last few weeks. The novelty t-shirts I ordered back in February that say 2020 is our year.

They should be arriving soon. Amazon's announcement comes as they've added nearly 200,000 employees to its workforce to meet increased demand. Employees of Amazon have called on the company to shut down warehouses because they say conditions put them at risk of getting coronavirus. I'm excited to see those tees. The Supreme Court announced that it will be hearing arguments over the phone in May. The justices finally have an excuse to wear their work-from-home sweat robes. The arguments include half the cases that were postponed in March and April because of the pandemic, including the one about subpoenas

for President Trump's tax returns. Another is a case questioning whether members of the Electoral College can cast their votes for presidential candidates that they did not pledge to support. For the first time in history, the court plans to live broadcast audio of the arguments to the public. Before, you had to wait in line to be one of the 500 people able to hear the justice's thought process live. Now they'll be the ones competing against another hit legal drama, Chrissy's Court on Quibi. I love Chrissy Teigen. I have not seen her show. Well, wildlife in Yosemite National Park are making the most of California's statewide lockdown. They're coming out in greater numbers than ever. And according to one park ranger,

the bear population has quadrupled since the park closed on March 20th. Naturalists, eat your heart out, unless, you know, your heart is eaten out by a wild bear. Big animals like bears, bobcats, and coyotes usually stay on the fringes of the park, but faced with a skeleton crew of just a couple hundred employees, they're emboldened. The employees are taking advantage of Yosemite's empty hiking trails as well. Enjoy quarantining in the most beautiful place on earth. My favorite hikes right now are from my small screen to my larger screens. All the screens are good now. What can I say? The results of Wisconsin's primary election came in last night, and the big surprise is the election of Liberal Justice Jill Karofsky to Wisconsin's Supreme Court, ousting conservative incumbent Dan Kelly. It's the first time in a dozen years that a challenger

has ousted an incumbent, and it narrows the conservative majority on the court from 5-2 to 4-3. It was Wisconsin's Republican Party that forced the election to go forward, endangering countless citizens during the pandemic in what sure seemed like an attempt at voter suppression in order to keep Kelly's seat. Looks like that didn't work out. It sure didn't. And those are the headlines. That's all for today. If you like the show, make sure you subscribe, leave a review, send us a clap or thumbs up reaction on Zoom, and tell your friends to listen. And if you're into reading and not Gideon's fair trade books like me, what a day is also a nightly

newsletter. Check it out and subscribe at cricket.com slash subscribe. I'm Akilah Hughes. I'm Gideon Resnick. And please look out for wild bears. They're on the loose. Take a pic of one on the Hollywood star for me. If one of them asks you for a picnic basket, say no.

Just say no. What a Day is a product of Crooked Media. It's recorded and mixed by Charlotte Landis. Sonia Tunn is our assistant producer. Our head writer is John Milstein, and our senior producer is Katie Long. Our theme music is by Colin Gilliard and Kashaka.