Transcript:
The Inside Story: USA Votes 2024
Episode 135 – March 14, 2024
Show Open:
Unidentified Narrator:
This week on The Inside Story:
A rematch nearly four years in the making, as U.S. President Joe Biden and Former President Donald Trump capture their parties' nominations for the country's highest elected office.
Plus, we honor international women's month, and bring you our continuing coverage of the crisis in GAZA.
Now... on The Inside Story... USA VOTES 2024.
The Inside Story:
CAROLYN PRESUTTI, VOA Correspondent:
Welcome to The Inside Story. I’m Carolyn Presutti.
This week: two big political events: Super Tuesday and the annual State of the Union Speech by President Biden. They mark the official kickoff of the race for the U.S. Presidency.
A look at the continuing crisis in Gaza... NATO conducts military exercises in the Arctic, and we mark International Women’s Day…all this, today, on The Inside Story.
In what could be the most consequential speech in his bid for re-election, U.S. President Joe Biden this week gave a feisty State of the Union speech. The speech laid out his vision for a second term. In it, he called for more humanitarian aid into Gaza and continued funding of Ukraine’s war efforts. The 81-year old also directly addressed concerns over his age. VOA's White House Bureau Chief Patsy Widakuswara has more.
Unidentified speaker:
Mister Speaker, the president of the United States.
PATSY WIDAKUSWARA, VOA White House Bureau Chief:
Like many American presidents in the last year of their first term, President Joe Biden delivered his State of the Union address with a key goal in mind: to convince the American people he deserves four more years.
President Joe Biden:
Tonight, we can proudly say the state of our union is strong and getting stronger!
PATSY WIDAKUSWARA:
He addressed voters’ concerns about his age and mental acuity, turning it into an attack against former President Donald Trump, the presumptive Republican nominee he’s likely to face in the November election.
President Joe Biden:
The issue facing our nation isn't how old we are. It's how old our ideas [are]. Hate, anger, revenge and retribution are the oldest of ideas. But you can't lead America with ancient ideas.
PATSY WIDAKUSWARA:
While it’s not technically a campaign speech, Biden had a clear message to voters: Trump is a dire threat to democracy.
The president invoked the January 6, 2021, storming of the U.S. Capitol by Trump supporters seeking to overturn Biden’s victory in the 2020 election.
President Joe Biden:
My predecessor and some of you here seek to bury the truth about January 6. I will not do that.
PATSY WIDAKUSWARA:
As Israel’s military campaign raged in Gaza, Biden announced a dramatic measure to deliver much-needed aid for Palestinians.
President Joe Biden:
Tonight, I'm directing the U.S. military to lead and merge the mission to establish a temporary pier in the Mediterranean off the coast of Gaza that can receive large shipments carrying food, water, medicine and temporary shelters. No U.S. boots will be on the ground.
PATSY WIDAKUSWARA:
It’s unclear whether the plan will be enough to appease progressive Democrats, Arab and Muslim Americans outraged by Biden’s unyielding support of Israel. Hundreds protested outside while he spoke.
Biden underscored Israel’s right to self-defense against Hamas while calling for a temporary cease-fire and the release of hostages held by the militant group.
And in a rare rebuke to Israel, he expressed frustration over the lack of aid and the 30,000 death toll in Gaza.
President Joe Biden:
To the leadership of Israel, I say this: Humanitarian assistance cannot be a secondary consideration or a bargaining chip. Protecting and saving innocent lives has to be a priority. As we look to the future, the only real solution to the situation is a two-state solution over time.
PATSY WIDAKUSWARA:
Biden’s foreign policy goals have been overshadowed by House Republicans’ obstruction of a Senate-approved $95 billion foreign aid package to help Ukraine in its fight against Russia. Biden urged them to pass the bill.
President Joe Biden:
My message to President Putin who I've known for a long time is simple. We will not walk away.
PATSY WIDAKUSWARA:
Biden urged Congress to pass a bill on immigration and border security – a key issue for American voters.
He laid the blame for the deadlock on Republicans and Trump, accusing them of exploiting the border as a political issue.
President Joe Biden:
We can fight about fixing the border or we can fix it. I'm ready to fix it.
PATSY WIDAKUSWARA:
He vowed to protect the right to abortion and in vitro fertility treatment – a top concern for Democrats amid conservative states restricting access.
President Joe Biden:
Many of you in this chamber and my predecessor are promising to pass a national ban on reproductive freedom. My God, what freedom else would you take away.
PATSY WIDAKUSWARA:
Biden also touted his policies, calling the American economy “the envy of the world.”
He laid out a progressive economic agenda, targeting corporate America and the wealthy.
President Joe Biden:
No billionaire should pay a lower federal tax rate than a teacher, a sanitation worker or nurse.
PATSY WIDAKUSWARA:
Alabama Senator Katie Britt delivered the Republican response.
Katie Britt, Republican Senator:
President Biden just doesn’t get it. He’s out of touch. Under his administration, families are worse off. Our communities are less safe, and our country is less secure.
PATSY WIDAKUSWARA:
The data shows the economy has exceeded expectations. But inflation remains a major concern of voters creating a potential weakness for Biden ahead of the election.
Patsy Widakuswara, VOA News, Washington.
CAROLYN PRESUTTI:
Following the State of the Union, President Biden hit the campaign trail. First stops? Speeches in Georgia and Pennsylvania -- two battleground states that will likely be must-win states for the next President. For his part, Biden focused on the message that Donald Trump is a danger to American Democracy.
President Joe Biden:
It's a contest between competing forces in the battle for the soul of this nation, between those who want to pull America backwards and those who want to move America to the future.
PATSY WIDAKUSWARA:
Presumptive Republican Nominee Donald Trump was also in Georgia, asking disillusioned Democrats to give him a second term in the White House.
Donald Trump, Republican Presidential Candidate:
I ask you to join us on the noble quest of saving our country, saving our country. Together, we will turn the page forever on the miserable nightmare of the Biden presidency.
CAROLYN PRESUTTI:
Before a Congress bitterly divided, President Biden urged passage of a 95-billion-dollar Senate foreign aid bill that would send support to Ukraine, Indo-Pacific countries, and Israel, along with humanitarian relief to Gaza. But the bill faces stiff opposition in the Republican-controlled House. Watch as VOA’s Congressional Correspondent Katherine Gypson asks many lawmakers if the president changed their mind.
KATHERINE GYPSON, VOA Congressional Correspondent:
U.S. aid to Ukraine, front and center at this year’s State of the Union.
President Joe Biden:
Ukraine can stop Putin if we stand with Ukraine and provide the weapons it needs to defend itself.
KATHERINE GYPSON:
Speaker of the House Mike Johnson has refused to bring the $95 billion foreign aid bill passed by the U.S. Senate up for a vote, frustrating House Democrats.
Rep. Don Beyer, Democrat:
If we put the Ukraine funding on the floor of the House, it will pass overwhelmingly.
KATHERINE GYPSON:
Aid to Ukraine also has the support of many House Republicans.
Rep. Jake Ellzey, Republican:
I think there is a moral purpose to it. I think there is a strategic reason to doing it. We have a world that looks very much like 1938, with little, small dictators with absolute power interested in genocide starting World War Two.
KATHERINE GYPSON:
But other Republicans say they will send a new round of aid to Ukraine only if U.S. security at the Mexico border receives more funding.
Rep. Doug LaMalfa, Republican:
We’re talking about the borders of Ukraine – what about our borders? I could say – one dollar for our southern border for every dollar we do in Ukraine.
KATHERINE GYPSON:
Senate Republicans rejected a bipartisan agreement for more than $20 billion in border security funding earlier this year. House Republicans say they will send a new round of aid to Ukraine only if U.S. security at the Mexico border receives more funding.
Biden on Thursday also announced a new effort to deliver aid to civilians in Gaza.
President Joe Biden:
A temporary pier will enable a massive increase in the amount of humanitarian assistance getting into Gaza every day.
KATHERINE GYPSON:
But some Republican lawmakers told VOA that aid to Palestinian civilians will not be enough to solve the underlying conflict.
Rep. Buddy Carter, Republican:
Hamas is evil – do I want a cease-fire? Yes, I want a cease-fire as soon as Hamas is wiped off the face of the earth.
KATHERINE GYPSON:
Democrats praised the president’s efforts to support Israel while addressing the humanitarian crisis in Gaza.
Rep. Joaquin Castro, Democrat:
I’m glad that the president in the last week has ordered both air drops of food and humanitarian assistance and is also going to build that port.
KATHERINE GYPSON:
A procedural effort to force a vote on the foreign aid bill in the U.S. House could come as early as next week.
Katherine Gypson, VOA News, Capitol Hill.
CAROLYN PRESUTTI:
Now, let's turn our attention to Arab-Americans who are closely watching President Biden as he navigates a delicate balance between supporting Israel and providing aid to Gaza. In key battleground states, thousands of Arab-Americans voted "uncommitted" in protest against the current administration. VOA's Dora Mekouar is on the ground in Michigan, where the Arab-American population is the largest in the country.
DORA MEKOUAR, VOA Corresapondent:
The presence of Arab Americans and Muslims is evident almost everywhere in Dearborn, Michigan. And now, infuriated by President Joe Biden’s handling of the situation in Gaza, this community is determined to be both seen and heard at the ballot box.
Samraa Luqman heads a local group opposed to the president.
Samraa Luqman, Abandon Biden Co-chair:
The anger that I feel towards him is just, it's, it's immeasurable. It's nothing compared to even the way I felt about Trump.
The betrayal, the assumption that the Democratic party stood for the moral high ground, for human rights and the protection of minorities, that's all gone.
DORA MEKOUAR:
Luqman helped lead the charge to vote “uncommitted” in last month’s Michigan primary. It’s an effort to signal President Biden that he risks losing the Arab American vote in the key battleground state.
Amny Shuraydi, who teaches at the University of Michigan-Dearborn campus, said Arab Americans are not knee-jerk Democratic Party supporters.
Amny Shuraydi, University of Michigan-Dearborn:
Most Arab Americans are registered as Democrats, about two to one Democrat to Republican, but how they vote varies depending on the year. Middle East politics definitely play a role in the majority of Arab and Muslim Arab American and Muslim voters, and how they make their final decisions when it comes to voting.
DORA MEKOUAR:
Donald Trump won Michigan in 2016 by under 11,000 votes. Four years ago, Biden won the state by about 120-thousand votes.
But that margin of victory could disappear if the estimated 200,000 to 300,000 Arab Americans in Michigan turn against the president, says Jeffrey Grynaviski, an assistant political science professor at Wayne State University.
Jeffrey Grynaviski, Wayne State University:
We're focused on the Arab Americans in Michigan because, it's kind of, they have almost exactly the number of votes to change the election result.
DORA MEKOUAR:
Gaza’s Health Ministry says more than 30-thousand Palestinians have been killed in Israel’s offensive – and as Grynaviski notes, many young voters are unhappy with the Biden administration providing Israel with weapons and strong political support.
Jeffrey Grynaviski, Wayne State University:
It's not just the Arab American population that I would be concerned about if I was a Biden advisor, it would be the young people because, almost overwhelmingly, the young people are disgusted by what they see, from my interactions with them.
DORA MEKOUAR:
After the Michigan primary, a Biden campaign spokesperson said the president hears the voters participating in the uncommitted campaigns. And that he shares their goal for a just, lasting peace.
Dora Mekouar, VOA News. Dearborn, Michigan.
CAROLYN PRESUTTI:
Now to that conflict in Gaza. Israeli forces have been pummeling Palestinian territories since Hamas and its allies launched a surprise attack in Israel that killed 12-hundred. That shadow of war is on the minds of all Muslims as they begin the holy month of Ramadan. Emotions run hot, especially in East Jerusalem at the al-Aqsa mosque, Islam’s third holiest site. That’s where we find VOA’s Linda Gradstein.
LINDA GRADSTEIN, VOA Correspondent:
Usually during Ramadan, Palestinian Muslims celebrate with festive communal meals at night after a day of fasting. But there is little feeling of celebration about this year’s holiday, set to begin on March 10 amid the Israel-Hamas war in Gaza.
More than 30,000 Palestinians have been killed by Israeli troops in Gaza, according to the Hamas-affiliated Health Ministry.
Sheikh Mohammed Hussein, Grand Mufti of Jerusalem:
There is general unrest here and all over the world about what is happening now while the war is going on in Gaza. You have seen how demonstrations are waged all over the world demanding a cease-fire. We have seen how a young man in America has burnt himself protesting what is going on in the Gaza Strip. What we hope is that a cease-fire will be established and especially before Ramadan.
LINDA GRADSTEIN:
Jerusalem’s al-Aqsa Mosque is considered the third holiest site in Islam, after Mecca and Medina. Hundreds of thousands of Palestinians pray at the mosque on Ramadan. Sheikh Hussein says prayer at al-Aqsa is important for all Muslims during Ramadan.
Sheikh Mohammed Hussein, Grand Mufti of Jerusalem & Palestine:
The Aqsa Mosque is connected to Islamic belief. People pray at the Aqsa Mosque because prayers there are considered more than any other prayers. You are viewed in the eyes of God as extremely devout, and the rewards are viewed as so much more than any other place.
LINDA GRADSTEIN:
The al-Aqsa compound is also holy to Jews, who know it as the Temple Mount and the site where the first two Jewish Temples were built and later destroyed. It is situated just above the Western Wall, Judaism’s holiest site.
Al-Aqsa has often been the site of violent clashes between Palestinians and Israeli security forces, and Palestinian attacks against Jewish worshippers at the Western Wall below. In fact, Hamas named its October 7 attack against Israel which sparked the current war in Gaza -- “The Al-Aqsa Flood.”
Israeli hardline National Security Minister Itamar Ben Gvir has called for a restriction on the number of Palestinians allowed to enter al-Aqsa during Ramadan. But so far, he has been overruled by the heads of the Israeli security forces who say such restrictions will provoke violence.
Palestinian analysts agree.
Rasem Obeidat, Al Quds Newspaper:
In 2021, we saw how the restrictions and how the impediments placed on worshippers by the Israelis led to clashes. If Netanyahu continues with his policies of following the policies of Ben Gvir, we will see the same process.
LINDA GRADSTEIN:
Near al-Aqsa, people say they look forward to Ramadan despite security concerns.
Nadia Natche, Palestinian Resident:
We don’t want any problems. To die anyone, to injure anyone. Just want to have peace on Ramadan.
Saed Eddin Al-Kazaz, Palestinian Resident:
I pray at al-Aqsa for two reasons. First for the reward from God. Every prayer in al-Aqsa is rewarded with 500 prayers in the eyes of God. Number two – our presence in Al-Aqsa is very important. If I don’t go and others don’t go, then we will leave Al-Aqsa empty, and they will come and take it.
LINDA GRADSTEIN:
Israel does not allow young Muslim men to pray at al-Aqsa even during Ramadan, citing concerns they will clash with Israeli security. The police also say they will probably restrict the number of all West Bank Palestinians allowed into Jerusalem during this tense period.
Linda Gradstein, VOA News, Jerusalem.
CAROLYN PRESUTTI:
Immigration and the U.S. Southern Border will be major issues in this year's election. But that’s not where the story begins for many migrants. The dangerous Darien Gap is a narrow strip of land – basically a jungle --- connecting Columbia and Panama in Central America. Panamanian officials say more than 100-thousand children passed through there last year to reach the U.S. That’s three times as many as the year before. For VOA, Austin Landis takes us to the start of the journey to hear their stories.
Jean Carlos Molina, Venezuelan migrant:
This is the room.
AUSTIN LANDIS, Reporting for VOA:
Jean Carlos Molina, his wife Rose Mary, and their ten-year-old twins sleep on this beach in Necocli, Colombia.
The twins caught chickenpox here. The marks are still on their face and arms.
While sick, the children begged their parents to leave this place.
“Why aren’t we going to the jungle?” Mom asks. “Because we don’t have money,” she answers.
After a month living like this, they began to sell coffee to other migrants.
They save little by little, with cups that cost 25 cents each, plus cigarettes and candy.
Food is often an afterthought.
Jean Carlos Molina, Venezuelan Migrant:
Sometimes to save, because eating here is expensive, we try to eat very little. The kids eat well, but we try to cut down. Not to mention, (there is) the worry, the stress, work.
AUSTIN LANDIS:
They don’t have enough cash to continue on through the Darien Gap, a dense stretch of jungle that migrants must pay 350 dollars to cross in order to reach Panama and continue north toward the United States border.
The Molina family left Venezuela six years ago and lived in Colombia until their costs became untenable.
Panamanian authorities estimate more than 113-thousand children crossed the Darien Gap last year.
Children are more vulnerable to the health risks of migration and living outdoors with limited access to hygiene and clean water.
On Necocli’s beaches, it’s in plain view: Skin rashes, sunburn, infections.
Diarrhea and respiratory viruses are also common.
VOA went with Red Cross staff as they evaluated the cases of children living on the sand.
Ruth San Martín, Red Cross:
Try to give him the medicine as it indicates there on the medical formula, ok? If you see there’s no improvement, take him in again.
AUSTIN LANDIS:
The Red Cross estimates its workers attended to nearly 6,000 children here in 2023.
And that’s before the jungle, where organizations have no reach.
Andrey Pineda, MercyCorps:
The risks are enormous. In the jungle, these people find highly dangerous animals, also people who seek trafficking, or are perhaps outside the law, or recruitment of boys and girls. So, the risks are always going to be high.
At least 13 children died or went missing in the gap in 2022, according to the International Organization on Migration.
AUSTIN LANDIS:
Elsewhere on the beach, David Diaz and Flor Rodriguez accept a ticket for their three kids to eat lunch that day at a small kitchen run by a charity in town. They’re 11, five, and one year old.
An organization called “Compartir” - which in Spanish means “to Share” - works with local Catholic nuns to offer meals twice a week.
Children go first, as other hungry people wait eagerly in line.
They can only serve about 150 people because funding is limited.
For this family, it’s a blessing.
David Díaz, Venezuelan Migrant:
We feel as if we’re at home, among family. My children aren’t lacking a plate of food.
AUSTIN LANDIS:
Díaz and Rodríguez left Venezuela just five months ago. He worked as a radio broadcaster for various stations but earned about $10 a month - not enough to buy food.
They know this trip in the jungle could be risky with young children.
David Diaz, Venezuelan migrant:
But we’re already mentally prepared. We’ll talk and speak about the parts where we shouldn’t go, let’s not go.
AUSTIN LANDIS:
At night, the family sets up their tent, one for all five of them.
They also don’t have money to continue and say they might go back to the big city in Medellín to work, then try again.
In the morning, hundreds of others pack up their tents, their belongings and cell phones in plastic.
They board boats to cross over to the jungle.
Their passage is already paid to smugglers who will guide them through the Darien Gap, and onward to the United States.
Austin Landis, VOA News, Necocli, Colombia.
CAROLYN PRESUTTI:
It’s March, which means we’re celebrating International Women’s Month having just observed International Women’s Day on the eighth. All over the world, women are doing great things. Many were honored by the White House for defending human rights. VOA correspondent Veronica Balderas has the highlights from the 2024 International Women of Courage Awards.
VERONICA BALDERAS IGLESIAS, VOA Correspondent:
With first lady Jill Biden and U.S. Secretary of State Antony Blinken as the hosts, a ceremony Monday at the White House honored the winners of the 2024 International Women of Courage Awards.
Antony Blinken, Secretary of State:
They're advocating for domestic workers in Bangladesh and people with disabilities in Afghanistan. They're exposing corruption in Uganda, combating sexual harassment in Japan. Standing up for the children of war torn, of wartime rape in Bosnia and Herzegovina, fighting for democracy in Belarus.
VERONICA BALDERAS IGLESIAS:
Lifting the voices of courageous women, like those of this year’s honorees, is of special importance, said the first lady.
Jill Biden, First Lady:
Your great acts of courage can inspire others to perform their own, big and small. // It’s a song of the future reverberating through us so we, too, can be the seekers of justice, the defenders of freedom.
VERONICA BALDERAS IGLESIAS:
Among the honorees was Iranian activist Fariba Balouch.
A member of the marginalized Baluchi ethnic group, as featured in a VOA documentary, she shed light on the human rights crisis in Iran's Sistan and Baluchistan province despite facing intimidation.
Gambian honoree Fatou Baldeh spoke about her own fight to end female genital mutilation.
Fatou Baldeh, IWOC Award Winner:
Eliminating FGM [female genital mutilation] in 2030 is a specific target of the global United Nations Sustainable Development Goal five, yet in 2024 alone, there are 4.4 million girls at risk of female genital mutilation globally.
VERONICA BALDERAS IGLESIAS:
While eleven women were honored in person, the Cuban government prevented dissident Martha Beatriz Roque Cabello from leaving the island to receive her award.
The work of nine women from Nicaragua, who were part of a group of political prisoners released there last year, was also recognized in absentia by White House Director of Political Strategy and Outreach, Emmy Ruiz.
Emmy Ruiz, White House Director of Political Strategy and Outreach:
All fighting tirelessly in a great personal risk against corruption, repression, discrimination, harassment, and [for] dignity.
VERONICA BALDERAS IGLESIAS:
During their stay in the United States, the award winners will not only participate in high-level policy meetings and public speaking events, but also travel to Los Angeles to meet and work with American counterparts.
Veronica Balderas Iglesias, VOA News, Washington.
CAROLYN PRESUTTI:
Thanks being with us on The Inside Story.
Stay up to date with all the latest news at VOANews.com.
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For all of those behind the scenes who brought you today’s show, I’m Carolyn Presutti.
We’ll see you next week for The Inside Story.