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- [00:15]
Amy Goodman
From New York, this is Democracy Now.
- [00:19]
Justin Pearson
Elon Musk, the newest trillionaire, thinks he can kill our people and damage our land. He thinks his money and his power can make us quit. And y', all, he thought wrong.
- [00:34]
Amy Goodman
As the backlash against AI data centers grows across the country, we'll speak with Tennessee state Rep. Justin Pearson. He just won the Democratic primary in Memphis for a House seat after helping lead the resistance against Elon Musk's massive Colossus data centers there. He's running in a district recently redrawn by Republicans after the Supreme Court significantly weakened the Voting Rights Act. Then to Detroit, Michigan, where democratic socialist Donovan McKinney defeated an incumbent Democratic congressman in a major victory for progressives on a platform to get money out of politics and in favor of Medicare for all. And finally, American Doctor, a new documentary about three American doctors who risk their lives to volunteer in Gaza.
- [01:33]
Dr. Mark Perlmutter
As a Jewish physician, I knew nothing about Gaza. Like most Americans, I thought everybody out here were nothing but terrorists, because that's what I was told.
- [01:41]
Dr. Firoz Sidwa
I'm not Israeli. I'm not Palestinian. I'm not Christian, I'm not Muslim. I'm not Jewish. I don't really have any connection to it. But as an American, I just don't want my government involved in crimes.
- [01:50]
Dr. Thur Ahmed
I'm a Palestinian. I'm not a spokesperson. I'm a human being. I'm a US Doctor who wants to see babies like my babies not be killed anymore.
- [01:57]
Amy Goodman
We'll speak to Dr. Thur Ahmed and Dr. Firoz Sidwa, plus Posi Tang, the director of American Doctor. All that and more coming up. Welcome to Democracy now, democracynow.org, the War and Peace Report. I'm Amy Goodman. The U.S. strikes on several fishing boats near Ecuador's Galapagos Islands earlier this year were part of a secret operation conducted by the Central Intelligence Agency, the CIA. That's according to the Washington Post, which spoke to a source anonymously. One of the boats disappeared January 20th along with eight of its crew members who are presumed dead. According to the United nations, survivors of two other vessels that came under attack in March said they were abducted by US Forces, hooded, cuffed and tortured aboard a ship before being taken to el Salvador. No U.S. government agencies claim responsibility for those strikes, which the Washington Post reports are separate from the Trump administration's publicly acknowledged strikes on boats off the Caribbean and Pacific. The Pentagon has provided no evidence for its claims the boats were carrying drugs. More than 200 people have been killed in the US strike since September. Meanwhile, US Southern Command and Panama have concluded Panamax 2026, a series of war games involving at least 17 other countries from across the Americas. It was the first time joint US military military exercises took place in Panama since 2012. In Gaza, Israeli attacks killed two Palestinians and injured several others Thursday with reports of airstrikes, mortar attacks and live fire. The strikes came as human rights groups warned Israel is conducting a massive effort to clear tens of thousands of tons of rubble from the Gaza Strip. The debris resulted from Israel's near daily attacks on Gaza since October 2023, which have killed at 73,000 Palestinians. Some of the rubble is from cemeteries and other locations where human remains are known to exist, leading human rights groups to accuse Israel of attempting to erase evidence of war crimes. In the occupied West Bank, Israeli settlers are continuing to besiege the Palestinian village of Khusra, with Israeli soldiers stopping activists from bringing in aid. Among those who've come under attack is a Palestinian American. That prompted rare criticism from US Ambassador to Israel Mike Huckabee, who called the siege a horrific act of terror, a top humanitarian official at the UN said this week conditions in the west bank have reached a breaking point. In southern Lebanon, Israeli Defense Minister Israel Katz vowed Wednesday his forces would maintain their occupation indefinitely.
- [05:05]
Donovan McKinney
We will clear this area and ensure
- [05:06]
Dr. Firoz Sidwa
the security of the residents of the north and under no circumstances will we withdraw from security zones. Not in Lebanon, not in Syria and not in Gaza.
- [05:16]
Amy Goodman
Katz's remarks came after Lebanese Prime Minister Nawaf Salaam said Israel's demolition of homes in southern Lebanon represented a serious violation of international law. Iran's military has rejected the Trump administration's claims that ships are freely passing through the Strait of Hormuz, saying no one can pass without Iran's permission. This comes as the Pentagon's announced it will send a new aircraft carrier to the Middle east to replace the USS Abraham Lincoln amidst reports of deteriorating conditions aboard the vessel. The USS George Washington is set to relieve the Lincoln, which has been deployed for over eight months. On Thursday, Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth dismissed reports in Storm and Stripes and the Military Times about a growing mental health crisis aboard the Lincoln, where sailors faced moldy showers, backed up plumbing, shortages of nutritious food, toiletries and other supplies. Despite Hegseth's denials, a U.S. official confirmed a sailor jumped overboard from the Lincoln in early August, saying the person was quickly rescued. The sailor had missed the birth of his daughter five months ago and reportedly complained to higher ups about ment health challenges before attempting suicide. On Thursday, the Senate Veterans Affairs Committee's top Democrat Senator Richard Blumenthal demanded answers and called for a federal investigation into the problems aboard the Lincoln, which hasn't docked in close to seven months, the New York Times reports the Trump administration carried out an expansive surveillance program targeting left leaning groups in Minnesota, infiltrating group chats, spying on meetings at libraries and churches, and secretly obtaining financial records of organizations that were never accused of crimes. Among groups targeted were labor unions, including the Communications Workers of America, the SEIU and the AFL cio, and climate activists with Sunrise Movement. The massive spying operation began last winter as hundreds of thousands of Minnesotans joined protests demanding an end to a violent mass deportation campaign by ICE and other federal agencies, government documents reveal DHS characterized the protesters as violent opportunists and agitators, unquote, alleging they were involved in a widespread conspiracy. The surveillance operation arose from a White House directive known as national security presidential memo NSPM7, which identifies a potential domestic terrorist as someone expressing anti Christian, anti capitalism or anti American views. The civil liberties advocacy group Defending Rights and Dissent called the surveillance a, quote, disturbing, invasive and utterly unjustifiable attack on freedom of expression and political dissent. Democratic Senator Chris von Hyland responded, saying, quote, these are the actions of an authoritarian state. In New Jersey, ISIS confirmed the death of a third immigrant in Newark that was first disclosed by Democratic Congressmember Rob Menendez. Jose Chacon Raxon, from Guatemala reportedly suffered what appeared to be seizures and later died at the hospital. According to DHS, Chahon Raxon was detained at the privately run ICE jail known as Delaney hall after being arrested July 18th. ICE claimed he was released from custody four days later, but provided no further details. ICE previously failed to notify of his death due to a new policy that no longer requires the agency to report on deaths that occur within 30 days after an immigrant is released from custody, even if he is released into a hospital. This is the third reported death connected to Delaney hall since December, as prisoners and advocates have widely condemned chronic medical neglect inside the jail. Nationwide, more than 50 immigrants have died in ICE custody since Trump returned to office. In related news, in Washington state, over 140 immigrants are entering the third day of a hunger strike at the notorious Northwest Detention center in Tacoma, Washington. That's according to the advocacy group La Resistancia, which confirmed the action began Aug. 11. Among their demands is proper medical care as several prisoners with broken or dislocated bones reportedly have not received treatment. Northwest and Delaney hall are both operated by the for profit private prison company Geo Group. In Texas, bulldozers have rolled into Big Bend national Park to tear down portions of the environmental landmark as part of The Trump administration's $46.5 billion effort to expand a massive border wall and other security infrastructure along the border with Mexico. Protesters gathered Thursday at Big Bend seeking to block const of the wall after the Department of Homeland Security waived requirements that federal contractors comply with a broad slate of environmental laws, including the Endangered Species Act. Meanwhile, in southern Arizona, a protest camp predominantly led by queer and femme activists continues in the small border town of Lo Chail to prevent the destruction of a grove of ancient cottonwood trees that federal contractors plan to destroy as they race to another portion of Trump's border barrier with Mexico at a cost of about a half a billion dollars. Ukraine's proposed a deal with Russia that would see both sides halt attacks on civilian ships in the Black Sea, Reuters reports. The offer came as part of an effort to reopen a crucial grain corridor amidst warnings that the attacks are driving up global food prices, which are already at their highest levels since early 2023. The United nations reports more civilians were killed or injured in Ukraine in July than in any month since Russia's full scale invasion, with at 137 deaths and over 2,600 injuries in Ukraine in July. Poland's prime minister says authorities have arrested a Russian national who is preparing to assassinate a Ukrainian American citizen in Warsaw. Donald Tusk called it Russia's first attempted attack on a U.S. citizen in a NATO country. In Tokyo, the Japanese prime minister Thursday blasted Vladimir Putin over the Russian president's first ever visit to the disputed Kuril island islands. It's one of four islands claimed by both Russia and Japan.
- [12:16]
Po See Tang
This latest visit to Eturo by the incumbent president of Russia runs contrary to Japan's consistent position regarding the northern territories. Furthermore, it hurts the feelings of the Japanese people and is absolutely unacceptable.
- [12:29]
Amy Goodman
Meanwhile, President Trump shared a video on Instagram Thursday showing former U.S. marine Robert Gilman aboard a plane with Trump's special envoy Steve Witkoff, following Gilman's release from Russian custody. He'd been jailed by Russia for over four years. Here in the U.S. indiana's governor has declared a statewide disaster emergency and deployed the National Guard following severe storms that brought what officials called a once in a millennium, once in a thousand year flooding event. More rain is expected this week in Indiana and neighboring Illinois, which also suffered flooding. Some 36 million people across the Midwest were under flood alerts Thursday. A federal judge has dismissed the Trump admin lawsuit, accusing Harvard University of failing to combat antisemitism on campus. The government had argued the university failed to protect Jewish community members during campus protests over Harvard's ties to Israel's assault on Gaza and Israel's occupation of Palestinian territories. A US District judge in Massachusetts called incidents of antisemitism isolated and episodic. The Congressional Black Caucus is calling on the Department of Justice to investigate the mysterious death of Nolan Wells, an 18 year old black college athlete whose body was found in July on a barrier island in Mississippi. Wells vanished after taking a boat to the island with a group of white friends over the July 4th holiday. His body was recovered several days later. Authorities say Wells may have accidentally drowned, but his family has questioned the official story, in part because Wells cell phone was found not with his body but in the possession of one of his who returned home. This is Georgia Democratic Congressmember Lucy McBath.
- [14:15]
Lucy McBath
This brings back so many vivid memories for me and my own family, having lost Jordan to unnecessary gun violence in November 2012 Black Friday simply because he was black and playing loud music in his car. And so here we are again today, here for the loss of another black young man in our community, and we find ourselves asking the same questions.
- [14:49]
Amy Goodman
And in Washington, D.C. the Board of directors for the Kennedy center for the Performing Arts has voted to once again inscribe Donald Trump's name on the building and to shutter it for two years, allegedly to make renovations to the performing arts institution. Thursday's vote by Trump pick board comes despite a federal judge's order barring closure of the Kennedy center and ordering the Trump administration to remove Trump's name from the building. Meanwhile, Senate Democrats are seeking an audit of spending on the White House East Wing and ballroom after the Washington Post reported the Trump administration plans to spend at least $900 million on new construction. When Trump announced his plans to build a ballroom last year, he repeatedly promised the project would be funded entirely by private donors. And those are some of the headlines. This is democracy now, democracynow.org, the war and Peace Report. I'm Amy Goodman. We begin today's show looking at the Democratic primary win of State Representative Justin Pierson, who's running to represent part of Memphis in The recently redrawn 9th congressional district of Tennessee. Pierson won the Democratic House primary after running a campaign focused in part on opposing the unchecked growth of AI infrastructure, particularly Elon Musk's massive supercomputer data centers known as Colossus 1 and Colossus 2. In the Memphis area, Justin Pierson is known for his work as an environmental justice organizer and advocate. He gained national prominence three years ago when he was expelled from the Tennessee House for protesting Republicans inaction on gun control. He was then voted back in. For decades, Memphis, the most populous city in Shelby county, formed the base of its own congressional district. Now the county is split among three districts that extend outward from the city. The majority black city was so called, cracked by Republican officials following a Supreme Court ruling that weakened the Voting Rights Act. Pearson's victory happened to fall on the 61st anniversary of the signing of the Voting Rights act on August 6, 1965. Justin Pierson's district is currently represented by a Democrat, Steve Cohen, who's retiring, but the district now leans Republican. Pierson's opponent in November is Republican State Senator Brent Taylor, who's endorsed by President Trump. Justin Pierson will join us in a minute, but first, let's turn to his recent remarks at the Democratic Convention in Texas.
- [17:33]
Justin Pearson
So if the Republican Party is going to be the party licking the boot of the billionaires who are taking our land, polluting our water, and taking our jobs, then let us be the party of the working class in rural, suburban and urban America alike. If the Republican Party is going to be the party of AI taking away our jobs, the party of corporate handouts and blank checks for foreign wars, let us be the party to deliver an increase to the minimum wage. Let us be the party to deliver universal health care. Let us be the party to deliver a federal jobs guarantee so Americans can put food on their table and a roof over their head. And let us be the party that demands a moratorium on data centers be passed by the United States Congress. If Republicans are going to be the party of Big Tech, Big Oil, Big Pharma and Big Tobacco giving tax breaks to the billionaires, let us be the party of the farmer and the factory worker, the nurse and the nail tech, the innovator and the immigrant. Let us be the party of the people, the people who still believe, the people who still hope, the people who still seek to make the American dream real in our lifetime.
- [19:11]
Amy Goodman
That was Tennessee state Rep and Democratic congressional candidate now Justin Pierson joining us today from Raleigh, North Carolina. Justin, welcome back to Democracy now. Thank you so much for joining us. Congratulations on your victory, but this district is clearly changed. You won in a historically black majority district and the only Democratic district in Tennessee until it was redrawn in May. Can you talk about how you believe you won and this struggle across the country, across the political spectrum against data centers?
- [19:53]
Justin Pearson
Yes, I believe that we won the Democratic nomination and the reason we're going to win the general election is because we're focusing on the issues that people care about here in the state of Tennessee. And honestly, all across the country costs are too high, gas is too expensive, groceries are too high, people need access to health care and people don't want toxic data centers polluting the air that they breathe. And so those are the issues that we're focusing on. Pass Medicare for all, increase the minimum wage, tax the billionaires and make sure that we stop toxic data centers from popping up in our communities, whether they be in Memphis, Tennessee or in Lawrenceburg, Tennessee. And we're finding Democrats, Republicans and Independents are all supporting that message because we believe that the best days for Tennessee are still ahead of us.
- [20:32]
Amy Goodman
So tell us about Colossus 1 and Colossus 2, owned by Elon Musk. Explain how they were established there and what you're trying to do.
- [20:43]
Justin Pearson
Yeah, Elon Musk and his company's pollution are killing our community. These data centers are intended to replace our jobs. There's no benefit to everyday working class people. It's only to the benefit of the billionaire class. Three miles away from my wife and I's home is his first data center. He has built two more data centers in Memphis and Shelby county. And one he just announced that he built without even telling the public that he was doing so. So our community was again taken advantage of. And currently he's operating 59 gas turbines out of North Mississippi that are illegally polluting our air in violation of the Clean Air Act. And the Department of Justice recently has enjoined into a lawsuit asking that they be allowed to continue to violate the Clean Air act, pollute our air because Grok and Xai Elon Musk Co. Is being used as a part of the Iran war, a war which they said they'd already won a year ago. And so this company and this man don't care about our people, don't care about Tennesseans. And across the country what we are seeing is folks rising up against the billionaire class. And these are Republicans, Democrats and Independents, all a part of our coalition who are saying, I understand now, it's not a fight of right versus left. It's a fight of those who are at the top and the rest of us.
- [21:55]
Amy Goodman
How did these Colossus 1 and 2 data centers, how did they get approved?
- [22:01]
Justin Pearson
Yeah, the first thing. The Shelby County Health Department refused to follow their mandate from the Environmental Protection Agency to protect our air quality and they allowed them to illegally pollute for an entire year without a permit. And then the Environmental Protection Agency went back and said, you know what? They should have gotten a permit for that. Despite that being the case, they went to Mississippi and the Mississippi Department of Environmental Quality again has allowed them to violate the Clean Air act and not follow the EPA's own rulings. We also had local folks, the mayor of Memphis, the mayor of South Haven, Mississippi, both have capitulated to Elon Musk and these companies, allowing them to really kill and to hurt our communities. We have research from Harvard professors that dozens of people are going to prematurely die. But it's the failure of democratic institutions, lowercase d of elected officials, of regulatory agencies, allowing these billionaires and these billion dollar corporations to exploit us, the more vulnerable commun communities because historically Valero Energy Corporation, Nucor Steel Corporation, the Tennessee Valley Authority have been able to do that in these communities, which are working class black communities in Memphis, working class white communities in South Haven. But that's what I think people are responding to a need for our democratic institutions to actually stand up and to fight for our people. And before it was popular two years ago, that's what I was fortunate to be able to do in Westwood, in Boxtown, and that's what I'm going to do in the United States Congress to protect all of our community, is to fight for all of us to have the human right to clean air and clean water.
- [23:24]
Amy Goodman
So in a moment we're going to speak with Donovan McKinney, a DSA candidate who won in Michigan. One of his issues was gun control. As you are well known for as a state representative, you were expelled from the state House of Representatives for leading a fight against the gun lobby and raising questions about gun violence. Though you werementhis voted you back in. Can you talk about what your calling for now in that area?
- [23:58]
Justin Pearson
Absolutely. We need to mandate that everyone who has a firearm actually has a permit in the state of Tennessee. It's a permitless carry state and there are several states that are like that. And most reasonable gun owners believe that you need to have a permit to carry a firearm. And in our state, 70% of people agree with that. The reality is the number one cause of death for a child under the age of 18 in the United States of America, whether they're in Detroit with Congressman McKinney or they're in May, Memphis and Shelby county is that gun injuries are the most significant cause of death. And it doesn't have to be that way. And I'm willing to stand up to the National Rifle Association. I've done it once, I'll do it in the United States Congress, because all of our community deserve to be safe. All of our schools and our teachers deserve to be safe. And reasonable people want common sense laws that are going to protect and save our lives. And that's what we need in Tennessee. And that's what we need across this country.
- [24:46]
Amy Goodman
Justin Pearson, you previously helped lead a fight against 2 billion oil companies that wanted to build a pipeline through southwest Memphis that threatened groundwater and would seize land owned by some residents since the abolition of slavery in 1865. A film about the fight was called this is Not a Drill. This is the trailer. You're in it.
- [25:11]
Justin Pearson
Pipeline companies usually win.
- [25:13]
Amy Goodman
I was threatened. People ran me off the road.
- [25:18]
Justin Pearson
They think they're going to be to able to come here and do whatever it is they wish without us fighting back.
- [25:23]
These companies, they've got their narrative.
- [25:26]
Amy Goodman
We've got a different narrative.
- [25:28]
Justin Pearson
A narrative powered by the voices of ancestors.
- [25:31]
Dr. Firoz Sidwa
We have to stop the continued expansion of fossil fuel infrastructure.
- [25:36]
Justin Pearson
We learned the risk cancer was 4.1 times greater in southwest Memphis.
- [25:41]
Amy Goodman
We have to save Louisiana in order to save this planet.
- [25:47]
Justin Pearson
We find them guilty of environmental racism.
- [25:50]
Amy Goodman
She is never gonna stop.
- [25:52]
Justin Pearson
Shackles can be broken together.
- [25:55]
This has been the fight of my life.
- [25:57]
Donovan McKinney
So you feel like the safety of the world is in my hands?
- [26:01]
Dr. Mark Perlmutter
Kinda.
- [26:04]
Justin Pearson
We will fight. We will win.
- [26:08]
Amy Goodman
The trailer for this is Not a Dream Drill that focuses on three activists. One of them, Justin Pierson. Now he has just won the Democratic primary for Congress. You won that Justin Pierson, on August 6th, on the 61st anniversary of the Voting Rights act, at a time when your district was redistricted, condemned by the NAACP and other groups around the country. We play that clip because we wanted to talk about this history you have of activism and now how you plan in this, what's believed now to be a red district, though it was a majority black district before redistricting. What's your strategy going into the general election against a Trump supported Republican candidate?
- [27:03]
Justin Pearson
Our strategy is the same as it was when we were fighting those $2 billion corporations. People power is believing that people who volunteer, people who donate, those who are given $31, those 55 who are individual contributors, those who are knocking doors and making phone calls, is more powerful than the President of the United States and an entrenched status quo that is bent on making sure that our life is harder. Things don't have to be this way. And what I have seen over the last six years since that pipeline fight happened in the first place to now, is that when we organize, we can win. And by building solidarity across race, across class, across rural and urban areas is how we see transformation. Because I've been to Giles County, Pulaski, where the Ku Klux Klan was founded, and 150 people met us there saying, how can we knock doors? How can we make phone calls? That's the type of change and transformation that's possible in this country if we continue to believe in it and tap into the spirit that I know we all have of building a more perfect union. And our campaign is just one of the modes that's doing that in the South. But we need everybody's help because it is a historic time, a historic moment. And if we're going to live up to the values and the ideals of those who made the Voting Rights Act a possibility, this is the time to fight for the country that we deserve.
- [28:12]
Amy Goodman
Tennessee State Representative Justin J. Pierson from Memphis and Shelby county won the Democratic primary for congress in Tennessee's 9th congressional district. Certainly a race we will continue to follow. Coming up, we go to Detroit to speak with Michigan state Rep. Donavan McKinney. He won the Democratic primary for Congress on a campaign to get money out of politics and for Medicare for all. Stay with us.
- [28:46]
Zeeshan V
I hear somebody crying. They're crying in the street yeah I see somebody crying. They're crying the street yeah now I think that morning cry yeah go to your window oh and have a look down yeah. Now go to your window I'm telling you now and have a look down.
- [30:06]
Amy Goodman
I see somebody crying in the streets Rendition of Zeeshan V in our Democracy now studio. This is democracy now. Democracynow.org Michigan made national headlines last week with the winds of progressive Democrats up and down the ballot in this battleground state. Dr. Abdul El Sayed won the Democratic primary for Senate. He joined us on Democracy now last week. Check it out@DemocracyNow.org Our next guest is demi Democratic Socialist State Representative Donovan McKinney. He defeated two term Democratic Congressmember Sri Thanadar in the House primary to represent parts of Detroit and Wayne County. McKinney won on a platform to get corporate money out of politics, support for Medicare for all and ending military aid to Israel, among other issues. In the general election, Donovan McKinney will face Republican Republican nominee TP Nikoriak. In a press release after his victory, McKinney said, quote, Today we showed why being always with the people is more than a slogan. It's a roadmap for the Democratic Party on how to move forward to defeat the fascism and divisiveness harming our country. And to deliver the leadership the mighty 13th deserves, he said. McKinney took no corporate package money. His campaign was supported by the Justice Democrats, working Families Party, DSA and labor unions, including SEIU and National Nurses United. This is Donovan McKinney speaking alongside Senator Bernie Sanders and Senate candidate Abdul Al said on the Fighting Oligarchy tour in Detroit in May about what it will take to win Medicare for All.
- [31:52]
Donovan McKinney
We can't get any of this things that our communities, the people we love absolutely deserve unless we do something great, which is to get all big corporate money out of our politics. And when you guys send us to D.C. and Congress as a nice congressman, I promise you this, on day one, I will sign on to the effort that Bernie Sanders, Congresswoman Summer Lee, they're leading the fight to overturn Citizens United. We can do that.
- [32:32]
Amy Goodman
That's Michigan State Representative Donovan McKinney, who won the Democratic Congressional primary, joining us now. Welcome to Democracy Now. Congratulations on your victory. What do you attribute it to, Donovan, you're 34 years old.
- [32:48]
Donovan McKinney
Yes, thank you, Amy. And just the whole show for having me. You know, we, we built the biggest and baddest coalition in, I've been quoting on saying that, but it's so true. From our labor unions shout out to uaw, seiu, the National Nurses United, our building trades. For those folks who don't know, we were the only non incumbent candidate that was running for federal office in Michigan. They got endorsed by the whole AFL cio. So that's pretty much all the unions. And then, you know, our congressional members, from Bernie Sanders to Summer Lee, Rashida Tlaib, some of our CBC members to, you know, the local like folks, our mayors, our city council folks, to even our most progressive organizations endorsed us. Our faith leaders and people have come together and realized that our district deserves better. And that's why we attributed our win. It was God first and foremost, but it was the people on the ground that helped us get across the finish line.
- [33:48]
Amy Goodman
So talk about number one. We were just talking with Justin Pearson who's fighting the data centers. You've joined politicians across the country calling for a moratorium on data centers. What's happening in Michigan?
- [34:03]
Donovan McKinney
Yeah. So, you know, for those folks who don't know about the data center fight, Data centers have been around for decades now, actually, but this is the first time that they're building at mass scale like these big mega sites. And so, you know, as a state rep myself, we put some guardrails in the legislation even though it was watered down because, you know, groups like Meta And Google that came in flooded dollars to our elected officials to water down our legislation. But in Michigan, we put some protections in there. Doesn't necessarily go far enough, but at least we have some guardrails on there saying that if you take taxpayer dollars or if you've taken our tax credits here in our state, then you have to create a closed loop system and protecting people's water and their electrical grid. But it doesn't go far enough. And so we're joining folks, Pearson down there in Tennessee and other folks across the nation on a moratorium because in reality there are states that either don't have any laws on the books, have weak laws on the books. And in reality, what's happening is these big corporations are coming in bullying our local communities. I mean, I've seen it. They come in and say, hey, we're gonna do this. You can't tell us what to do. And they just ravage our communities. I know folks that are living in neighborhoods right now, Amy, that they turn on the folks faucet and nothing comes out of it. Not necessarily in Michigan, but in other parts of the country. And so we do need a moratorium, but in reality we need to make sure that these are union jobs and that like at the end of the day, people's environmental justice is protected.
- [35:46]
Amy Goodman
And can you talk about Mop Up Michigan, which Go ahead. And what it stands for and the major utility there.
- [35:54]
Donovan McKinney
Yeah. So Mop Up Michigan is money out of politics. It stemmed from the legislation that myself and state Rep. Dylan with GALA created last term and we reintroduced it earlier this term, which is called Taking Back Our Power. Essentially what it does is it bars a lot of our utility companies and our insurance companies are corporate monopolies from giving money to our elected officials in any capacity, whether it's a straight up campaign contribution or to shell organizations like C4S and C3S that are associated with the politician. And so what happens is we couldn't get a hearing in a democratic trial effect the last term that we had, or earlier this term with split government. So what happened is, Amy, people on the ground, organizations on the ground, got fed up and so they took our legislation and created a ballot initiative. Those folks collected over 600,000 signatures statewide. And by the grace of God, literally about two weeks ago or so, the state board of canvassers here in Michigan agreed to greenlight it on this year's November ballot. And once it gets on, this year's November ballot is going to pass with probably 80% of vote. Because no matter if you're a Democrat, independent, Republican, doesn't matter what your political affiliation is, we can all agree that corporate influence in our politics is just too much.
- [37:23]
Amy Goodman
What does it mean to you to be a Democratic socialist? And do you see yourself, I mean, something like five Democratic socialists have won their primaries. Now the significance of this, and not only are you taking on a Republican candidate your district, but do you see yourself taking on the Democratic establishment?
- [37:43]
Donovan McKinney
Yeah. So listen, I'm currently running to represent the fifth poorest congressional district in the country. Fifth poorest. And I have a diverse district, you know, but Detroit is the blackest and poorest major city in all of America. And what I hear that's top of mind from my residents is that at the end of the day, no matter if they live in inner city Detroit, Detroit or they live in a suburb down river in my district, that they're having tough times to make ends meet. And so Democratic socialism to me is, and how I define politics is the redistribution of resources. That's it. And so I'm a big believer you should be able to work one full time job to not only make ends of me, but have disposable income, benefits to take care of your family and retirement look forward to. I think that's the American dream. That's what most people, folks want to be able to do. But right now, folks are working two, three jobs, not even making ends meet, not even scraping by. I got seniors on fixed income. All they get from Social Security is $900 a month and their rent is going up, their utility bills are skyrocketing, they're out of pocket costs because of the Republican shenanigans with Trump and HR1. The one big ugly bill that they passed, implementation of that is taking people's resources, whether it's food assistance or health care. So they got to spend a lot of money to the doctor's visits to pay for life saving medicine. And they have to make those decisions every single day, those tough decisions on how to live. And so for me, Democratic socialism is about just that, working people, putting them first instead of spending money overseas for bombs and weapons and wars that we have no business being in, like Iran. We're spending a billion dollars a day on average in Iran, Amy. And you're telling me people in my district can't get the resources they need? I don't think that's an America anybody wants to live in.
- [39:34]
Amy Goodman
Finally, medic for all you have, Abdul Al Said, a doctor who wrote the book Medicare for All and you made that a major component of your campaign.
- [39:47]
Donovan McKinney
Yeah, yeah. So listen, Dr. Abdul Al said me and him, he endorsed me, I endorsed him. We got the endorsements of, you know, uaw, Bernie Sanders, you name it. Summerlee, a lot of folks. And in reality, this is a coalition. You can't do it by yourself. So you need people in the legislature, in the House, but you need some folks in the Senate. And I'll tell you this, Amy, it's a couple times that I've been disappointed in my short life on this planet, 34 years and I have a beautiful wife, three amazing children, ages 4 and younger, and what type of word are we going to leave them? And so that is my consciousness was top of mind and forefront for me every single day. And I know Abdul and I, we're working for Medicare for all because whether you have a preexistic condition or not, you deserve to get the care you need as well as getting all this money out of our politics. Because in reality, the reason why we can't get what we all deserve and what we all need and what we all want is because we're spending dollars to do these corporate subsidies with no end in sight. And so we have to provide that relief. And we gotta help our working people because in reality, they are struggling. I can't stress enough how many times I've had folks cry in my arms arms who are telling me, donovan, please do something, please do something. And this is our opportunity to do it and we're going to do it. And I'm so excited about it.
- [41:12]
Amy Goodman
Donovan McKinney, I want to thank you for being with us now. A Michigan state representative has won the Democratic House primary in Detroit. We will continue to follow that race. Coming up, American Doctor, a new document documentary about three US Doctors who risk their lives to volunteer in Gaza. Back in 30 seconds. Abaq by the Palestinian yud musician Huda. As for in our Democracy now studio, this is Democracy now, democracynow.org, i'm Amy Goodman. We end today's show looking at the new documentary American Doctor. It tells the story of three US Doctors who volunteered in the besieged hospitals of Gaza along with local medical staff who risked their lives on a daily basis to care for the sick and wounded. According to Palestinian officials, Israeli attacks have killed about 1,700 healthcare workers in Gaza since October 2023. American Doctor follows the orthopedic surgeon, Dr. Mark Perlmutter, the trauma surgeon, Dr. Firoz Sidwa from California, and the emergency physician from Chicago, Dr. Thayer Ahmed, who is Palestinian American. This is the film's Trailer. It begins with our Dr. Ahmed.
- [43:44]
Dr. Thur Ahmed
I want to take you through what Gaza looks like when the hospital is totally overwhelmed. You're getting waves of patients. Who do you prioritize? What do you have to treat them? Got no pain medicine to give the people whose legs have been blown off.
- [43:58]
Dr. Firoz Sidwa
Three surgeons all working on one little girl for what, two and a half hours? And she's probably going to lose her right leg, left leg and her left arm.
- [44:04]
Dr. Mark Perlmutter
And she's starting to wake up. Let's get her warm. As a Jewish physician, I knew nothing about Gaza. Like most Americans, I thought everybody out here were nothing but terrorists because that's what I was told.
- [44:16]
Dr. Firoz Sidwa
I'm not Israeli, I'm not Palestinian, I'm not Christian, I'm not Muslim, I'm not Jewish. I don't really have any connection to it. But as an American, I just don't want my government involved in crimes.
- [44:24]
Dr. Thur Ahmed
I'm a Palestinian, I'm not a spokesperson. I'm a human being. I'm a US doctor who wants to see babies like my babies not be killed anymore.
- [44:33]
Dr. Mark Perlmutter
What surprised me most was how the carnage was focused on journalists, healthcare workers and children.
- [44:42]
Lucy McBath
Fist bump.
- [44:44]
Amy Goodman
Where was that?
- [44:45]
Dr. Firoz Sidwa
That bomb hit the building.
- [44:46]
Dr. Mark Perlmutter
There was a 15 year old kid ready for discharge that was incinerated.
- [44:50]
Dr. Firoz Sidwa
And if I had gone down and been changing that kid's dressing, there would have been three bodies and I would have been one of them.
- [44:54]
Dr. Thur Ahmed
When they hit a hospital, that's a deep tragedy that people will feel in the community for the foreseeable future. We're just asking that hospitals not be targeted. Why that conversation is derailed in the United States is beyond me.
- [45:06]
Dr. Firoz Sidwa
We do not have to accept that as Americans, the United States could stop sending jet fuel bombs, all sorts of weapons. This is a political problem. We need a political solution.
- [45:18]
Dr. Mark Perlmutter
We're a good pair. If you talk intelligently and I talk
- [45:21]
Dr. Thur Ahmed
emotionally, it's on us to make sure that their stories are told. I couldn't go to full of scheme. I got rejected. And then I come back to the United States and get detained by the Department of Homeland Security.
- [45:34]
Dr. Mark Perlmutter
This is what my tax dollars did. What your tax dollars did? What my neighbor's tax dollars did. They have the right to know the truth.
- [45:48]
Amy Goodman
The trailer of the new film American Doctor and this is a clip from the film featuring Dr. Thomas Ahmed.
- [45:55]
Dr. Thur Ahmed
And I want to just take you through what it looks like when a hospital gets targeted and attacked because this has become a pattern when it comes to the Israeli military. This has become a behavior that they Started in October of 2023 when they struck Al Muhammadani Ahli Baptist Hospital. And when that happened and that there was no accountability, we saw that this became a series of events that attacked every hospital.
- [46:31]
Amy Goodman
That was Dr. Thar Ahmed in the new documentary American Doctor that's opening around the country, starting here in New York. Dr. Ahmed is joining us now from Chicago along with Dr. Firoz Sidwa from Stockton, California, also featured in the film and the film's director, Po See Tang. We welcome you all. An astounding film. And this is your directorial debut, isn't it, Poet?
- [46:58]
Po See Tang
Yes, it is. And I think I picked an easy subject.
- [47:02]
Amy Goodman
Let's start with Dr. Thayer, who we just heard. I was just looking at the headlines this morning. Thousands of Palestinians in Gaza cannot get out right. Right now. Thousands of cancer patients and chronically ill people. What is the number? Who has defined that and who is stopping them?
- [47:25]
Dr. Thur Ahmed
Yeah, the WHO tells us that there are 18,000 people that need urgent evacuation out of Gaza because of what we've seen portrayed in this film. The deliberate attack by the Israeli military on the hospital and healthcare infrastructure, the killing of over 1,700 healthcare workers, and the abduction of senior medical physicians. And, you know, Amy, one of the things that we're trying to push for here is a corridor that used to exist before October 7th. Palestinians in Gaza could go to Jerusalem and get treated by Palestinian doctors in the hospitals there or the West Bank. And the Israelis have refused to allow that corridor to work. And so instead, we are watching people on this list every day that we get messages about, get their name scratched off because they have died. People with treatable cancers, kids who should be surviving their parents are having to bury them in Gaza.
- [48:12]
Amy Goodman
Po, talk about how you ended up making this film and focusing on these three men and, of course, through them, focusing on what is happening in Gaza.
- [48:23]
Po See Tang
Amy, I was a journalist for a long time before I became a documentary filmmaker and producer. And it really wasit really cut really deep as a former journalist to see my former colleagues at Al Jazeera English being targeted and executed, and then sitting and being situated in New York and hearing the deafening silence. I just. I guess I didn't know what else to do. It was like a lot of deep despair. And then it came for the search on, like, okay, what can my contribution be? You know, as somebody who was a journalist, who was a documentary commissioner, who was an executive for a studio. So one thing as a former studio executive, it wasn't lawful on me that Americans like to watch medical dramas every year you're gonna see two or three, you know, And I'm a big fan of medical dramas from the Pit. Going back to er, going back to Grey's Anatomy. I love scrubs. So there was something about doctors, hospitals, and human mortality. And I thought to myself, you know what? Maybe this is the way. Maybe we could make the pit. The difference is it's real and it's a in Gaza. And this is how we're going to bring Palestine back to the United States.
- [49:35]
Amy Goodman
So, Po, in the opening scene, we see you with Dr. Mark, with Dr. Palmiter, and you are struggling with the question of whether or not to show the images of Palestinian children killed in Israeli airstrikes in Gaza. And Dr. Mark tells you Israel took away their dignity. Their bodies tell the story of this trauma, of this genocide. You're not doing them a service by not showing them.
- [50:03]
Po See Tang
You know, on that scene, it was
- [50:04]
Amy Goodman
one where you were at his home in North Carolina.
- [50:07]
Po See Tang
I was at his home in North Carolina. It's the second day of filming and Mark is furious with me. And so that moment I was really confronted with by Mark. So what are you doing here? So why. What is the point of this film if you don't want to show this? And in all my years as a documentary commissioner and also as a journalist, you know, it's like as filmmakers, as journalists, we always grapple with how much do we show? We show too much. It's gratuitous. People are going to turn away. They're not going to want to watch. They already don't want to see what's on the social media feeds. They don't want to follow. You show too little. It's a big disrespect because it's not real.
- [50:49]
Amy Goodman
Let's go to Dr. Mark Perlmutter in a clip from American Doctor. Do a thumbs up. One at a time. Do a thumbs up, each finger at a time. Do a thumbs up.
- [51:06]
Dr. Mark Perlmutter
I think augmenting his EPO and giving him some wrist extension. Because if I hold his wrist in extension, he has meaningful digital extension. So he would be a wonderful candidate for a tendon transfer. Yeah, we can do it.
- [51:21]
Justin Pearson
This machine, he will reconnect the tendons so he can lift his wrist and thumb.
- [51:26]
Amy Goodman
And this is Dr. Feroz Sidwa sitting here in New York in our studio. But from the clip from American Doctor preparing to leave Gaza.
- [51:39]
Dr. Firoz Sidwa
I'll see you soon. Thanks for everything. Send me a picture of your wedding.
- [51:43]
Donovan McKinney
Yeah, of course.
- [51:46]
Po See Tang
Thanks.
- [51:47]
Lucy McBath
To.
- [51:47]
Po See Tang
To come here.
- [51:48]
Dr. Firoz Sidwa
No, no, I'll. I hope I'll See you soon.
- [51:50]
Po See Tang
Thank you.
- [51:50]
Dr. Thur Ahmed
Thank you.
- [51:51]
Dr. Firoz Sidwa
No, thank you for everything, my friend. That's nice to meet you, my friend. Thanks for everything.
- [51:56]
Dr. Thur Ahmed
See you soon.
- [51:57]
Dr. Mark Perlmutter
Inshallah.
- [51:57]
Dr. Firoz Sidwa
Inshallah.
- [52:00]
Amy Goodman
Was not prepared for this.
- [52:04]
Dr. Firoz Sidwa
It's this weird thing that happens when you leave Gaza and you really feel like you have no right to leave.
- [52:12]
Amy Goodman
So, Dr. Firoz Sidwa, that's you leaving Gaza. Talk about how you went to Gaza, the number of times you were there.
- [52:21]
Dr. Firoz Sidwa
Yeah, so I went in March and April of 2024, and then again in March and April of 2025. That's that you were watching there. I tried to go again in November of 2025, but the Israeli military blocked me from entering. You know, between the two times, Gaza changed a lot. It actually got a lot very significantly worse. The overcrowding was worse. The damage to the healthcare system was much worse. But, yeah, the second time is when you see me in that clip and
- [52:52]
Amy Goodman
talk about why you chose to go to Gaza.
- [52:54]
Dr. Firoz Sidwa
Well, you know, I don't have any ethnic or religious connection to the Middle East. My family's from a small minority in India and Pakistan. But I grew up in the United States. I was born here. I'm an American. And the United States is intimately involved in what's going on. We provide almost all of the weapons, all of the funding, the diplomatic support at the un Stopping other countries from solving this issue, which is pretty easily solved. And I don't think Americans want to be doing that. I think that's why most of this is hidden from them. So I knew that by going there, I could, number one, provide medical care because I'm a. I'm a trauma surgeon, so that's what I'm good at doing. But I could also bear witness. And then I could come back and try to tell people what was going on and try to change things.
- [53:44]
Amy Goodman
And you say, I don't feel I have the right to leave.
- [53:49]
Dr. Firoz Sidwa
It's a very strange thing when you leave Gaza. You know, you almost. It seems like a moral or ethical obscenity that I just get to walk out of this place. And these children otherwise have to live in this Hobbesian place where their parents legs can be blown off or they can be kidnapped and tortured, or they can be starved or they can, you
- [54:12]
Amy Goodman
know, how many kids have died?
- [54:14]
Dr. Firoz Sidwa
How many children have died in Gaza? The count from the Ministry of health is 20,000. It's. By my estimate, it's probably closer to 70,000. But that's.
- [54:21]
Zeeshan V
Amy.
- [54:22]
Amy Goodman
So you get in twice. You're denied once. Dr. Thur Ahmed, you're Palestinian American. With the Palestinian American Medical association as well. You weren't able to get in as much.
- [54:33]
Dr. Thur Ahmed
Yeah, I've been denied five consecutive times, most recently July 29, because my parents and my grandparents are Palestinian, because I am Palestinian. That is the reason that we are being rejected. There's a deliberate effort, Amy, to separate the west bank from Jerusalem, from Gaza. And the idea is to make sure that there can be no path Palestine. And the way to do that is to make sure that this one people, this one land cannot access each other. And that's something that we're seeing. And I obviously push back on that because what we saw in Gaza was a genocide unfold in ethnic cleansing. And what we're seeing in the west bank right now is that same institution, that same military wreaking havoc on the people of Palestine. I mean, just last month when I was in the west bank working on a medical mission there, there was a seven month old Sam Abu Haycal driving with his parents in the car going from Bethlehem to Hebron, a 10, 15 minute drive. And an Israeli soldier shoots at the car, hitting Sam in the head. You know, his mom recently said that she's not even wiping his fingerprints from the oven. She can't bring herself to do that for her baby boy.
- [55:36]
Po See Tang
Who died?
- [55:37]
Dr. Thur Ahmed
Yeah, who died? He was killed. They had to bury him.
- [55:39]
Amy Goodman
The final scene of the film is of Israel's double tack strike on Nasser Hospital. This was exactly a year ago in August that killed at least 20 people in, including five Palestinian journalists. Susama Masri, a photojournalist with Reuters. Mohammed Salama, a photojournalist with Al Jazeera. Maryam Abu Dhaka, a freelancer who worked with the Associated Press. Moaz Abu Toha, Abu Taha, a photographer and Middle East Eye freelancer. Ahmed Abu Aziz. Talk about the significance of this moment. Were any of you that there and what it meant to hit the hospital? And then when people went to try to save these people who'd set up a camera, the journalists, they were hit.
- [56:27]
Dr. Thur Ahmed
Yeah, I mean this is not something that is unique to Nasser specifically. That's the third or fourth time it's been attacked by the Israeli military. I was there one of the first times in February, January and February 2024 when the Israeli military surrounded, raided and actually abducted Dr. Khaled Abouser, who's been on this program and as well as multiple times afterwards when Firoz and Mark were actually there and it was hit,
- [56:51]
Amy Goodman
you were at Nasser, just not then,
- [56:53]
Dr. Firoz Sidwa
not during that attack. That you mentioned, but on March 23rd. Yeah.
- [56:58]
Po See Tang
And speaking of, you know, like all the journalists who were killed on that stairwell, like that is where our team would transmit footage to us. So it's not like they're just attacking willy nilly. You know, it's very clear, concerted effort in targeting anywhere where journalists are trying to transmit information and footage out to the rest of the world.
- [57:19]
Amy Goodman
And you use much footage from Palestinians, right?
- [57:22]
Po See Tang
Absolutely.
- [57:23]
Amy Goodman
On their iPhones, on their phones?
- [57:25]
Po See Tang
Yeah, no, actually, not actually. We were reliant on a cinematographer, a director of photography by the name of Ibrahim Al Otla. They were two of our colleagues, Ibrahim and our co producer, Mohammad Sawaf. So so much of what you see in the the film, it's a credit to them and also because of their sacrifice of how much they want it out in the world.
- [57:44]
Amy Goodman
And before we go, both of you doctors have a pin on free Dr. Hussam Abu Safiya in this last 30 seconds, talk about, you know, the former head of Khmel Adwan, the pediatric hospital, Dr. Thayer. You knew him?
- [58:00]
Dr. Thur Ahmed
Yeah. I mean, this is somebody who has been abducted, is in prison with without charge, is being tortured. His lawyer thinks that he is on the brink of death and his family continues to ask the world to stand up. He's one of 14 senior Palestinian medical doctors who should be in Gaza leading the recovery and reconstruction and instead they're being beaten to death by Israeli soldiers. He's in an underground prison in Israel, one that was shut down previously and reopened for this specific purpose.
- [58:27]
Amy Goodman
We're going to leave it there, but people can see this film all over the place, country P.O.
- [58:32]
Po See Tang
where, you know, we're kicking off in New York and then we go to LA, San Francisco, and then it's going to be in 77 theaters across US and Canada. And I will say, like before we began, we did not ever think that, you know, a film like this could go mainstream. But now we have and so we hope people will be able to watch it.
- [58:49]
Amy Goodman
Po Se Tang, first time director of this incredible documentary, American Doctor and Dr. Firouz Sidwa and Dr. Thur Ahmed. Thank you so much. I'm Amy Goodman. Thanks for joining us.