DSA's Melat Kiros on Corruption, Medicare for All & Israel

[0:00] This is Democracy Now!, democracynow.org, The War and Peace Report. [0:04] I'm Amy Goodman with Nermeen Shaikh. [0:06] During our election night broadcast on Tuesday, [0:10] Democracy Now!'s Juan Gonzalez, Nermeen Shaikh and I, [0:13] had a chance to speak with Melat Kiros, [0:16] a member of the Democratic Socialists of America, [0:20] who won a House seat to represent Denver, Colorado. [0:24] She's a 29-year-old Ethiopian immigrant and lawyer. [0:28] In June, she won a major upset in the Democratic primary [0:33] against longtime incumbent Congressmember Diana DeJet. [0:38] Kiros will be the first Gen Z woman to serve in Congress. [0:43] I began by asking Melat Kiros about the significance of her victory. [0:49] What this victory means is that the working people of Denver, [0:53] the working people of this district, and as we're seeing tonight, [0:56] the working people across this entire country [0:58] are no longer accepting the status quo as it is. [1:02] They're fed up with this administration, [1:04] and they're also not going to tolerate Democrats [1:05] trying to go back to business as usual. [1:08] They're demanding a change, [1:09] the kind of change that leads to material improvements [1:12] in the lives of working families all across the country. [1:17] And, Melat, what do you think would be the key things [1:21] that you would be looking for, [1:22] especially progressives in Congress, [1:24] to do once they get into the House for this next session? [1:28] I think our number one responsibility has to make sure [1:32] that we get Medicare for all ready as legislation, [1:35] so that in 29, when we have the House, the Senate, and the White House, [1:40] we can sign it into law on day one. [1:42] It is absolutely unacceptable that we are still the only country [1:46] in the developed world that does not have universal health care. [1:49] We have the money. [1:50] We have the resources. [1:51] We have the plan to get it done. [1:53] And it's now that we have to end this cycle [1:56] of over 100,000 Americans dying every single year [2:00] because they don't have access to health care. [2:02] We need to pass Medicare for all. [2:03] We need to start getting the work done now to get it ready in 29. [2:07] So, Melat, in addition to Medicare for all, [2:10] what was it that you heard most frequently from voters there? [2:16] The number one issue that I heard from voters was corruption. [2:18] It was that they no longer trust our government. [2:20] They no longer trust any party to meaningfully actually fight [2:24] for working families, no matter what district [2:26] or part of the country they belong to. [2:28] I traveled to Michigan. [2:29] I traveled to Missouri as well. [2:32] I spoke with voters all across this country that are saying, [2:36] we don't trust the government anymore. [2:38] The only way we earn back that trust [2:40] is by delivering material changes. [2:43] That's why I fought or ran a campaign on Medicare for all, [2:46] on housing first, on universal child care and elder care, [2:49] and making sure that we're holding our government-elected officials [2:52] accountable to make sure that we are not allowing corruption [2:55] to continue to be the corrosive force in our politics that it is today. [2:59] But on this issue of corruption, [3:02] the enormous, almost obscene amounts of money [3:06] that are being poured into political campaigns [3:09] and into maintaining people of both parties, [3:12] Democrats and Republicans, in office makes you wonder, [3:16] are you also going to see about trying to launch a campaign [3:19] against corruption among Democrats as well? [3:23] I mean, that's what my entire primary campaign was about. [3:26] It was about people calling themselves progressives, [3:29] people saying the right things, [3:31] but not actually meaningfully doing anything [3:32] to move the agenda along. [3:34] Because corruption in our country [3:36] isn't as simple as, you know, some quid pro quo, [3:38] I'll give you some cash for a vote. [3:40] Oftentimes what these corporations and these special interests [3:43] are buying in exchange for now is, you know, stagnation. [3:47] What they're paying for is making sure that Medicare for All, [3:50] despite having all these co-sponsors, [3:52] despite having all this popular support [3:53] among the American public, [3:55] will have no path to actual passage in Congress. [3:58] And in order for us to actually meaningfully address corruption, [4:02] we have to clean up House on our own side of the aisle. [4:05] And that means making sure that Democrats, [4:08] we want to win again. [4:09] If we want to lead on the issue of corruption, [4:11] that we lead by example. [4:12] I want to ask you about what happened [4:15] when you wrote a letter, posted a letter around Palestine. [4:22] You were fired as a lawyer, then went to work as a barista. [4:26] Explain your position. [4:30] I was a law student myself a few years prior, [4:34] protesting the genocide that had happened [4:36] in the northern region of Ethiopia, [4:38] which is where my family is from. [4:39] When I was protesting as a law student, [4:42] no one was threatening to expel me or to suspend me [4:45] or trying to dox me or my job offer getting revoked. [4:49] But that's what I saw happening with the students [4:51] that were protesting for Palestine, [4:53] students that were calling out the genocide [4:55] that was rapidly developing in Palestine. [4:57] And I decided to write an article defending their right [4:59] to not only protest and our responsibility as lawyers [5:02] and law firms to protect that right, [5:03] but also to defend the legitimacy behind their position, [5:07] the legitimacy of calling this a genocide, [5:09] the legitimacy of holding Israel, a state, [5:12] a government accountable for their actions [5:15] and holding our country, our elected officials [5:18] accountable for their own complicity [5:19] and allowing this genocide to unfold [5:21] in the way that it has. [5:23] And my firm didn't like that. [5:25] They asked me to take it down. [5:26] I said no, and I was fired within a day. [5:29] And I would do it all over again [5:31] because we need more people standing up, [5:33] calling out genocide [5:33] and more people calling out the people in power [5:36] to hold them accountable for their actions [5:38] and their complicity in this genocide as well. [5:40] So how do you take that to Congress? [5:42] And I also want to ask what you make [5:45] of President Trump saying today [5:47] that by the end of the year, [5:50] they will stop giving $4 billion to Israel, [5:56] clearly in reference to Dr. Abdul El-Sayed, [6:01] hoping it looks like to affect that race [6:05] to prevent him from winning in Michigan [6:07] if he, the Republican president, [6:09] said he would be doing this. [6:11] What do you make of this? [6:12] And how do you take this [6:13] to both the Democrats and Republicans in Congress? [6:16] I think this is more evidence [6:19] of the importance of organizing, [6:21] the importance of demonstrating [6:22] to the people in power [6:24] that the American people [6:25] are not going to accept this genocide [6:28] continuing with our tax dollars, [6:29] with our complicity any longer. [6:31] That being said, [6:33] I have no faith whatsoever [6:35] in Donald Trump [6:35] and whatever he has to say about this matter. [6:38] If I'm not mistaken, [6:39] what he's actually just going to do [6:41] is end the aid, [6:42] but move it into funding [6:43] through the Pentagon, [6:44] where there's going to be [6:45] far less accountability [6:47] for those tax dollars [6:48] that are still going to be complicit [6:50] in this genocide. [6:52] And the American people are demanding [6:53] not just that we withdraw our aid, [6:55] but that we end this genocide [6:57] with whatever leverage we have. [6:59] So, Milat, what are the issues [7:01] that you will pursue in Congress, [7:05] in particular on Israel-Palestine, of course, [7:08] but foreign policy more broadly [7:09] and American foreign policy? [7:13] I think our responsibility, [7:15] if we are going to call ourselves [7:16] leaders of the free world, [7:19] is to actually hold anybody [7:21] who takes our tax dollars [7:22] to the same level of accountability. [7:24] And to me, that means [7:26] not sending our tax dollars [7:28] to any country [7:28] that is violating basic human rights. [7:31] That's not just Israel. [7:33] That includes Egypt. [7:34] That includes Saudi Arabia. [7:35] That includes the UAE. [7:36] Any country that is actively [7:37] violating human rights right now [7:39] should not be having [7:41] our tax dollars as aid. [7:43] We should not be trading in weapons [7:44] with any of these countries either. [7:46] That's the kind of foreign policy [7:47] that's actually in line [7:48] with the values of the American people [7:50] and would actually lead [7:51] to true peace building [7:53] and true cooperation [7:54] on the global stage [7:56] that we are desperately in need of, [7:58] especially in this moment [7:59] as we're facing the crises [8:00] of things like AI and climate change. [8:02] We have to start working together [8:03] and we have to start leading [8:05] and making sure that peace building [8:06] and diplomacy [8:07] is what we are building out right now, [8:09] not the wants and the needs [8:11] of the military-industrial complex [8:12] that has for too long [8:14] been at the helm of our foreign policy. [8:18] Milat, I'm wondering, [8:19] there have been several news reports now [8:21] that both in Israel [8:23] and here in the United States [8:26] that Trump and Netanyahu [8:28] have been considering [8:29] that as soon as these elections are over, [8:32] that there will be renewed attacks [8:34] on Iran and ramping up [8:37] of the war in the Middle East. [8:40] I'm wondering your sense [8:42] of what is the role of progressives now [8:45] if Trump then decides [8:47] to embark on that course? [8:51] I think our responsibility [8:52] is going to be to hold him to account. [8:55] This is a madman. [8:56] This is a deranged person [8:58] who does not take seriously human life. [9:01] He will throw it away at his whim [9:03] if he feels slighted. [9:05] And if that leads to more loss of life, [9:08] innocent loss of life in Iran [9:10] and in places where those strikes [9:12] might occur, [9:13] we cannot allow that to happen. [9:16] We cannot accept that as normal [9:18] and we're going to have to demand [9:19] some accountability. [9:20] That was Milat Kiros, [9:22] the Congress member-elect [9:24] for Denver, Colorado, [9:26] 29-years-old Ethiopian immigrant, [9:29] attorney and member [9:30] of the Democratic Socialists of America. [9:33] According to NPR, [9:34] she'll be the first Gen Z woman [9:36] in Congress. [9:38] In June's primary, [9:39] she defeated [9:40] the longtime Democratic incumbent [9:42] Diana DeGette. [9:44] Juan Gonzalez, [9:45] Nermeen Shaikh and I [9:46] spoke to her [9:47] on Tuesday night [9:48] during our election broadcast special, [9:51] which you can check out [9:52] at democracynow.org [9:54] or on our Democracynow channel [9:56] on YouTube. [9:57] Thanks for watching [9:59] Democracy Now on YouTube. [10:00] Subscribe to the channel [10:02] and turn on notifications [10:03] to make sure you never miss a video. [10:05] And for more of our audience-supported journalism, [10:08] go to democracynow.org [10:10] where you can download our news app, [10:12] sign up for our newsletter, [10:13] subscribe to The Daily Podcast [10:15] and so much more.