#RolandMartinUnfiltered - 10.27 #RMU: Biden rallies in Georgia; GOP celebrates Supreme Court pick; $$$ targeting Black voters

Episode Date: October 27, 2020

10.27.20 #RolandMartinUnfiltered: Joe Biden rallies in Georgia; GOP celebrates Supreme Court pick; $$$ targeting Black voters Learn more about your ad-choices at https://www.iheartpodcastnetwork.comSee omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

This is an iHeart Podcast. self. Self-love made me a better dad because I realized my worth. Never stop being a dad. That's dedication. Find out more at fatherhood.gov. Brought to you by the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services and the Ad Council. I know a lot of cops. They get asked all the time, have you ever had to shoot your gun? Sometimes the answer is yes. But there's a company dedicated to a future where the answer will always be no. This is Absolute Season 1, Taser Incorporated. I get right back there and it's bad. Listen to Absolute Season 1, Taser Incorporated on the iHeartRadio app, Apple Podcasts, or wherever you get your podcasts. I'm Clayton English.

I'm Greg Lott. And this is Season 2 of the War on Drugs podcast. Last year, a lot of the problems of the drug war. This year, a lot of the biggest names in music and sports. This kind of starts that a little bit, man. We met them at their homes. We met them at their recording studios. Stories matter, and it brings a face to them.

It makes it real. It really does. It makes it real. It really does. It makes it real. Listen to new episodes of the War on Drugs podcast season two on the iHeartRadio app, Apple Podcasts, or wherever you get your podcasts. Over 60 million Americans have already voted and millions more by the end of this week. I believe when you use your power, the power to vote will change the course of this country.

Right here in Georgia with all of you, these are the final days. So keep that sense of empowerment with you, that sense of optimism, what we can do, what we will do, what we can overcome, what we will overcome. Look, folks, I've been around a while, but I've never been more optimistic about America or the American people than I am right today. But I know it's hard. Over the past few months, there's been so much pain, so much suffering, so much loss in America. More than 225,000 dead Americans because of COVID-19. 7,800 right here in Georgia. Millions of people are out of work, on the edge. They can't see the light at the end of the tunnel, and Donald Trump

has given up. Over the weekend, his chief of staff of the White House said, I quote, we're not going to control the pandemic. At the debate last week, Donald Trump looked at me and said, we're rounding the corner. As my grandfather would say, he's rounding the bend. He said it's gonna go away. We're learning to live with it. I told him we're not learning to live with it, you're asking people to learn to die with it and it's wrong. Donald Trump Donald Trump has waved the white flag, abandoned our families and surrendered to this virus but the American people don't give up. They don't give in and surely they don't cower and neither will I. I will put in place the plan to deal with this pandemic responsibly,

bringing this country together with testing, tracing, and masking. It's estimated that if we wore masks the next few months by his own experts in the CDC and other agencies, if we wore this mask the next few months, we'd save 100,000 lives. 100,000. It's estimated we lost over 135,000 lives so far needlessly because he's done virtually nothing. But still, Donald Trump refuses to listen to science. We shouldn't be politicizing this race for vaccine. We should be planning for its safe and equitable and free distribution when it comes and it will.

Providing for funding for PPE, masks, gloves, all the things we need to set national standards for our schools and our businesses to open safely because they can. The House of Representatives already voted the money to provide for safe opening of these schools, but Trump was either locked in a sand trap on his golf course or in the bunker in the White House. He's not brought anybody together. Think about this, all of you who are old enough. Can you think of any president where there's been a national crisis who didn't bring all the parties together in the White House to try to solve something. He's done nothing, nothing. But I'm going to bring Democrats and Republicans together to deliver the economic relief for families, schools and businesses. I said before, I'm not going to shut down the economy. I'm going

to shut down the not going to shut down the country. I'm going to shut down the economy. I'm not going to shut down the country. I'm going to shut down the virus. Look, Donald Trump crashed the economy that Barack and I left him. Like everything else he's left and inherited, he squandered it. We can build back better with an economy that rewards work, not wealth. We can do it without raising taxes on the middle class, I guarantee you, no matter what you hear this president lying about. No one making less than $700,000 a year, or it should be $400,000 a year, will have one penny in taxes raised.

Not one penny, it's a guarantee. But we're going to ask, we're going to ask the wealthiest and the biggest corporations. 91 of the top corporate companies in America paid zero federal income tax. We're going to ask them to begin to pay their fair share. No one will pay at a higher rate than they paid at the beginning of the Bush administration. That's what we'll deliver tax relief for, working families, the middle class, to help them buy their first home, help them pay for their health care premiums, or child care, or caring for an aged loved one. Trump got his Supreme Court justice, and you know why he did it? He cleared everybody now to destroy the Affordable

Care Act, to take away the health care for 20 million Americans who have it, and over 100,000, 100,000 who are covered because they have pre-existing conditions for the first time, including 340,000 Georgians. 100 million Americans would lose their protections for pre-existing conditions, including more than 4 million here in the state of Georgia. Complications from COVID-19 are going to become the next preexisting condition because of heart scarring, lung scarring, allowing insurers to jack up your premiums, deny coverage, and women will once again be able to be charged more for their health care just because they're women. Donald Trump thinks health care is a privilege. I think it's an American right. Look, and if we all get out and vote, you'll not only store Obamacare, but we'll strengthen it and build on it.

So you can keep your private insurance or choose a Medicare-like public option. We'll increase subsidies and lower your premiums and deductions, out-of-pocket spending, reduce prescription costs by 60%. That's what the experts are telling me. And they'll tell you. We're going to make sure we keep the protections for people with pre-existing conditions. And by the way, I'll protect Social Security and Medicare. Meanwhile, Donald Trump says if he's reelected, he's going to change how we fund it. Ladies and gentlemen, the actuary at Social Security said if he does what he's proposing, if he's reelected, Social Security will be bankrupt by 2023. Go home and tell your parents who work like hell for that what that's coming up.

Donald Trump fails to contend white supremacy. He doesn't believe there's systemic racism as a problem. And he won't say black lives matter because they do. We know they matter. That's why a season of protest has broken out all across the nation. Protesting, though, is not burning and looting. Violence can never be a tactic or tolerated, and it won't. But much of it is a cry for justice, for the community has long had the knees of injustice on their necks. The names of George Floyd, Breonna Taylor, Jacob Blake will not soon be forgotten.

Not by me, not by us, not by this country. Folks, they're going to inspire a new wave of justice in America. But true justice is also about jobs, good-paying jobs, at least, as the mayor got done here, a $15 minimum wage and financial stability. We're going to pass a national $15 an hour minimum wage. Nobody, nobody should have to work two jobs to be above the poverty level. It's wrong. We're going to change it.

And by the way, when we do it, what all the experts will tell you, even the Wall Street types, we're going to raise the economy, raise the standard of living for everybody. When folks at the bottom do better, everybody does better all the way up the ladder. We're going to give black and minority families

a real shot to own a home, start a small business, send a child to college debt-free so they can build wealth and pass on opportunity through the generations like everybody else who's moved to the middle class

has been able to do. We're going to invest $70 billion in our HBCUs and minority-serving institutions so students like Maya studying at Howard or students at Morehouse, Spelman, Clark Atlanta University, the future generations of proud students continue to get the very best education.

And by the way, in the White House, I've committed there is going to be in the outreach community, a section of the divine nine will be included. That's a promise. You know, I've been told that I kind of grew up a little bit of chip on my shoulder. Being an Irish Catholic kid in a town to kind of look down on it, I tell you what, you know, I didn't realize I do, but I realize I do have a chip on my shoulder. What I read from serious, serious people about eight months ago, something about how if I were elected president, I'd be the first president who didn't go to an Ivy League school in a long time. Like somehow, it meant I didn't belong.

I know Senator Harris would be the first HBCU graduate to serve as vice president. And I say it's about time a graduate from a state university and HBCU graduate are in the White House. Don't tell me we can't do it. Because if we're sitting there, you will be there, too, I promise you. Folks, I'm optimistic because I know that we can meet the challenges of the climate crisis by unleashing American ingenuity and manufacturing to create millions of new,

high-paying jobs, investing in technology and research. Folks, this is all in our capacity. We can do this. You know, there aren't a lot of pundits who would have guessed four years ago that a Democratic candidate for president in 2020 would be campaigning in Georgia on the final week of the election. Or that we'd have such competitive Senate races in Georgia, but we do because something's happening here in Georgia and across America. People of different races, backgrounds, Democrats, Republicans,

Independents, they're coming together to transcend the old divides and show what's possible. And this is the most important election in any of your lifetimes. It's a battle, as I said at the outset, for the soul of America. And we're showing who we are. You and I, Reverend Warnock, John Ossoff, all of us. This country can't afford four more years of Donald Trump and Mitch McConnell. They can't afford four more years of leaders who think they're the only responsible for people who vote for them. Folks, I don't see America that way. This has to change. It will change with me.

Every American, including the guys on the other side of the fence, will be seen and heard and respected by me. If elected president, there will be no red states or blue states. There will only be the United States of America. I was reminded of that earlier this month when I went to the sacred grounds of Gettysburg. Abraham Lincoln taught us about the need to unite a nation. I was reminded of that earlier today when I was up in Warm Springs, reflecting on Franklin Roosevelt taught us about the need to heal our nation. Folks, I'm running as a proud Democrat, but I'll govern as an American president to unite and to heal. And I promise you, look at my whole crowd, work as hard for those who don't support me as those who do. That's the job of a president, a duty to care for everyone. So in these final days, stay empowered,

stay optimistic, stay united, because you too have a sacred duty. The duty to vote, it matters. Georgia, it matters. So please vote. Help get out the vote. Early in-person voting in Georgia goes through October 30th. If you're voting by mail, return your ballot as soon as possible. And make sure everyone you know does the same. Don't just take yourself to the polls. Bring your brother, your sister, your mom, your dad, your neighbor, your friends. Drop your ballot off at a ballot box. brother, your sister, your mom, your dad, your neighbor, your friends. Drop your ballot off at a ballot box.

Visit IWillVote.com slash GDA to find the location in your community. And remember, remember the final words left to us by your late congressman, my personal friend and American hero, John Lewis, he said, quote, the vote is the most powerful nonviolent change agent you have in a democratic society. He went on to say, you must use it. It's not guaranteed. You can't lose it. Use it.

You have the power to win this election. There's nothing beyond our capacity. There's no limit on America's future. The only thing that can tear America apart is America itself. No other nation can do it. Only America can tear America apart. Everybody knows who Donald Trump is. Let's show them who we are.

We choose hope over fear, unity over division. We are live here in Atlanta, Georgia, where just a moment ago, Joe Biden just finished speaking on the stage there. This is a drive-in rally. This is actually Aaron's amphitheater here in Atlanta. And so what you're seeing here, you're seeing all of these cars here, of course, at this drive-in rally. Yesterday, of course, we were in South Columbia, South Carolina on yesterday, where David Harrison had his rally at Benedict College outside of the stadium.

And so what is happening here, same thing is happening. A little bit earlier, Common, he performed along with Pastor William Murphy, their version of Glory that took place on yesterday. A number of people are here right now, folks. We got Mayor Keisha Lance Bottoms, Congressman Cedric Richmond, so many other congressmen, Hank Johnson, and so many others who are here. They are here, of course, supporting Joe Biden. Here we are, seven days out, seven days before the election, and to see a Democrat campaigning in Georgia is a very big deal. It's a very big deal.

And so earlier we talked with, first of all, not just Joe Biden in a tight race. John Ossoff, Democratic senator, running against Senator David Perdue, very tight race there. Reverend Raphael Warnock, he's running against Senator Kelly Loeffler, Congressman Collins, also a very tight race. All the work that has been done in the past six, ten years to register people, especially people of color, is paying off as Georgia is a competitive state in this 2020 election. We got a jam-packed show for you here, and so we're going to bring it all to you coming live from Atlanta.

This is Roland Martin Unfiltered. It's time to bring the funk. Let's go. He's got it. Whatever the miss, he's on it. Whatever it is, he's got the scoop, the fact, the fine. And when it breaks, he's right on time. And it's rolling. Best believe he's knowing.

Putting it down from sports to news to politics. With entertainment just for kicks. He's rolling. It's on for a roll, y'all. It's rolling, Martin. Yeah. Rolling with Roland now. Yeah, yeah, yeah, yeah.

He's funky, he's fresh, he's real the best. You know he's Roland Martin now. Martin. All right, folks, Roland Martin here. We are here in Atlanta, Aaron's Empathy Theater here, where Vice President Joe Biden just finished speaking at this drive-in rally right here in Atlanta. Folks, he, of course, is here. Democrats are performing extremely well.

Republicans are very concerned about losing Georgia, not just the presidential race, but also the U.S. Senate race. And so all the dictators were out here. John Ossoff is running for U.S. Senate. Raphael Warnock, who is running. Mayor Keisha Lance Bottoms. Congressman Hank Johnson. Congresswoman Lucy McBath. So many others out here again showing their support for Joe Biden.

Seven days until Election Day, November 3rd. And, folks, it has been absolutely jam-packed. We've got a great show for you, folks. Reverend William Barber is going to be here. Also, we'll be talking about the importance of the black vote. A survey released by the Black Collective PAC. A lot of different things going on. I want to do this here.

I want to bring in my panel, Mustafa Santiago Ali, a former senior advisor, environmental justice EPA, Rena Shaw, the Lincoln Project Women's Coalition, Kelly Bethel, communication strategist. Mustafa, I want to start with you here in Atlanta to look at the fact that Joe Biden is here, to look at what is happening in this race. Again, as I said, Republicans are very, very concerned. They could be on the verge of losing a southern state that has been in their column for more than two decades. Yeah, without a doubt.

You know, Georgia's been moving. Georgia has been moving toward blue for a while. We all know that Stacey Abrams only lost by a small amount of votes. I think it was about 55,000 votes. And they know that folks are motivated and folks are mobilized and folks are voting and folks are ready for change to happen. And Georgia is one of those places that traditionally Republicans would have thought that they would have had it locked up. But because Donald Trump's failed policies, because of his lack of focus, you know, on COVID-19, and we know how devastating COVID-19 has been, both in the inner cities in Georgia,

but also in the rural areas as well, he's completely lost ground. And now Joe Biden is moving toward victory in that state if they can keep moving in the right direction. Rena Shaw, again, Republicans have always counted on the southern states like Georgia. That is not the case now. We saw how Stacey Abrams performed here. They are very concerned.

COVID has been a serious issue. Donald Trump is bleeding white voters. But the key here has been a massive, massive turnout of African-Americans and other people of color. That has made a huge difference when it comes to this race. Yeah, Roland, it's about mobilizing the African-American voter to understand what's at stake here. And they get it. Look, this is so funny how all this has turned out, because Kelly Loeffler and Doug Collins, they really thought that the turnout wouldn't be what we're seeing already, the forecasts to be. And I think what we are really seeing is the suburban women really energized

against Loeffler, against Collins, for example. I mean, you've got two really bad choices. Doug Collins has been somebody that has been a complete Trump loyalist. Kelly Loeffler comes rife with her own issues. I mean, the insider trading tipping. She is exactly who will deliver this for Biden and Harris. So it makes, you know, it makes complete sense to me why they're there today, why Joe Biden is there saying the words he's saying. And he's bringing that tie to John Lewis. Brilliant. I really think this will be really good. Kelly, hold tight one second. We're about to interview Anthony. We're about to interview the mayor of Atlanta. And so Keisha Lance Bottoms. So we're going to talk, chat with her right now.

So Anthony, go ahead and just give the microphone. We should have her stand right there on the white line right there. There we go. There we go. All right. So that's what happens, y'all, when we're live. Of course, scenes just change. And so he's going to bring the microphone over in just a second here. Mayor Bottoms, glad to see you here. Glad to be here. Roland, thank you. There you go there. All right. All right then. So first and foremost, I've been saying from the outset to see Joe Biden, Democrat, in this state seven days out. That's that's kind of it. It is. And I literally am excelling as I am joining you. But I don't know the last time this has happened.

The last time Georgia was won by Democrat was early 90s, I believe. So the fact that he's here and that this state is in play really speaks to the power of our vote. Not only that, you have two huge Senate races, John Ossoff, Raphael Warnock, that also is contributing to this. What have you been seeing? And it really wasn't. What is it? Has it been the intensity to register people over the last six to 10 years and get people to understand, get Democrats to understand that if you actually

go out and cast the net, you actually might get a return. Well, and you know, it's a combination of things. Voter registration efforts. Georgia is a motor voter registration state. So when you get your license, it's easy to register to vote. Our problem continues to be people showing up to actually cast that vote and reminding people. You know, I mentioned it when I was on the stage. My race was 832 votes.

So it matters. Every vote matters. That whole issue of turnout, obviously, is huge. And I was just talking to someone over there, and I said, look, this is not right now about trying to convince somebody. Now it's a matter of literally turnout, turnout, turnout, and they're trying to push as many folks as possible to the polls. It absolutely is about turnout, and it's about reminding people that Wisconsin and Michigan and Pennsylvania, those states were lost by less than 15,000 votes.

Excuse me, it's allergy season in Georgia, as always. That's why I packed Zyrtec in the bag. Yes, it's about really people embracing the power that's ours. People, you know, and it sounds like a cliche, but it's so true. People died for our right to vote. And for us to sit this out, none of us are perfect. You don't want perfect candidates. You find perfect candidates in compromising situations usually when they appear too pristine. You want people with some scrapes and some bruises and who can understand and relate to the issues that you're having in your family. Who have those issues in their families. People who can sit around the table with you like I've done with Joe Biden, look you in the eye and he can tell his story and I can tell

his story. And I know we're speaking the same language because he knows our communities. So I want a president who cares about our communities, who knows our communities, who will work with our communities, who has an ear and a heart for our communities. And that's Joe Biden. That's why I'm supporting Joe Biden and Kamala Harris. Last point here. We have seen a tremendous response from people of color all across this country, especially African-Americans on HBCU campuses as well. Again, seven days left. I've asked this to several different people. Looking at camera there and make the case to somebody who's watching us right now

who's saying, look, I'm sorry, I don't like Joe Biden and the 94 crime bill. I don't like what he said in the past. I don't like Trump as well. So the easiest thing for me is to say I ain't vote for anybody because, frankly, nobody's speaking to my interest. What do you tell that person? What I would say to people who think that it's okay to sit this one out, imagine had Dr. King set out the civil rights movement or had any number of other people said,

no, I'm not going to be bothered. If Barack Obama had said, no, I'm just, I'm not going to bother with being president. Think about where this country could be. Think about where it can be. Think about the sacrifices that other generations made for us to be here. It's not perfect, but it's our responsibility to make those same sacrifices for our children and our children's children. Our voice is in our vote. And if we don't vote, we are failing ourselves and we are failing generations yet unborn. All right then. Mayor Keisha Lance Bonds, we appreciate it. Now get back in the car to air conditioning so the allergies can wear you out. You need a ride? No, I don't need a ride this time. We got the ride right here. We were in Columbia, South Carolina

last night with Jamie Harrison. It was cheaper for us to drive to Atlanta than fly. So we hopped in the car and drove here. That's an inside joke. Last time Roland was in Atlanta, I had to take him home. Right. That's how the studio debates. So I'm like, since the car going that way, might as well.

Save my brother some Uber money. Thank you for everything you're doing. I appreciate it. Thanks very much. Love you. Thank you. I appreciate it. Thanks very much. Love you. Thank you. I appreciate it. All right, folks.

That is Mayor Keisha Lance Bottoms, of course, here in Atlanta. Folks, as you see, again, the rally is over. Joe Biden is out there, of course, waving at folks, things along those lines. Before I went to Brokeaway, let me go back to Kelly Bethea. Kelly, again, I want you to weigh in on this race and how, again, how things have changed dramatically this year to see Georgia in play. The fact that Georgia is in play at all is absolutely remarkable. Like you said, for basically the entirety of my life, Georgia was a red state. And I understand that Biden has just said, you know, there are no red states or blue states.

It's just the United States. That may be true. But Georgia was a red state. Let's be honest. And the fact that enough people have voiced their concern about that state, voiced their concern about the trajectory of that state in comparison to how the country is going. It tells me that the state is ready for change and that the people who are running also reflect the new mindset of Georgians in that they want change to happen. So I am pleasantly surprised. I am excited. It is absolutely remarkable. But my excitement is only going so far right now because we are only still seven days away. Election has not happened yet, but votes are coming in. Just pray that it actually goes in our favor so that we can have a president in the White House who actually cares about the

United States like Joe Biden. Well, again, I think at the end of the day, first of all, nothing is guaranteed. We make that point all the time. But I do think it's important to understand, again, competitive, we're seeing this race and so many others. We're going to be talking to a number of people here from Atlanta. We'll be hearing later from John Ossoff, from Reverend Raphael Warnock, both of them who are running for the United States Senate. We do want to talk about a big story that happened out of Philadelphia. Massive protests had been going there after a black man, again, mentally disturbed,

holding a knife, shot and killed by police. Folks, it is shocking and stunning. 30 officers were injured. They shot 27-year-old Walter Wallace Jr. They were responding to a call, a man armed with a knife. The officers ordered Wallace to drop the knife several times, but he continued to advance towards them. Folks, the video is shocking.

It could be triggering, so we're going to warn you right now in advance. Watch this. Yo, this shit going to end. Yo, watch the well. Don't shoot the well. Yo, this shit crazy. You're going to smoke. Yo!

Yo! Yo, watch shit crazy. Yo! Yo, watch my will. Yo, this shit get crazy on me. Oh! Oh! Oh, shit! Oh my god. Oh my god. Bro, they just killed them in front of me. Yo. Yo.

Y'all ain't had to give him that many fucking shots. Y'all ain't had to give him that many shots. Now, folks, his mother was trying to de-escalate the situation. The officers fired the weapons. They hit him ten times, y'all, ten times. He was pronounced dead at the hospital. Wallace's father, Wallace Sr., stated that his son struggled with mental health issues and was on medication. Joining us right now is Reggie Schufer, executive director, Philadelphia ACLU. Reggie,

welcome to Roller Mart Unfiltered. Hey, Roland. Thanks for having me, sir. Good to be here. This is a perfect example of what people have been saying when it comes to defund the police, that officers have to be able to figure out how to deal with people who are mentally disturbed as opposed to going for the gun and shooting and killing them. The police really shouldn't have been there in the first place. They had visited his house three times that day, and on this third time, they knew, right, having been there twice already, that he was experiencing a mental health crisis. They were not prepared to de-escalate that.

If they're going to show up, they need to de-escalate. But honestly, should they have been there in the first place? I think first responders with this background and de-escalating mental health crises and dealing with mental health crises should have been the ones there in the first place. I don't think the police were called for this situation, which is precisely why we say defunding, not defunding, but divesting from the police is an essential thing to do in these situations. When they made a change in San Francisco, the mayor, they would send mental health professionals to the scene first. Then, if need be, they would call police. We've covered this story too many times. Kojima Powell, black man, St. Louis, shortly after Michael Brown was shot and killed, same situation, had a knife. It was 16 seconds from the moment the cops pulled up to the shot being

first fired. The young man in Dallas, same thing. Mom calls the cops. He was playing with a screwdriver. Cops said, put it down, put it down, put it down. He didn't even charge them, shot and killed him. He's dead. And so, I mean, this is the problem. Many cases where people who are mentally disturbed with these police officers, they immediately resort to killing someone. That's absolutely right. And as you said before, other people are better trained at de-escalating these situations and they should be the first responders, not the police. And this is in Pennsylvania alone. This is the third time a person of color with a mental health issue has been killed just since Labor Day. And it has to be better. I think using violent, deadly force should be the last resort. It should not be the first resort. We just the police are just not trained and they shouldn't be expected to handle every situation. There are other social issues that other people have the experience and

the expertise and the presence of mind to handle in a better fashion, which I'm certain would lead in fewer deaths. First and foremost, what has been the response of the mayor and the police commissioner to the action of these cops? They promised to do a thorough and transparent investigation, and we'll see. I think transparency for the department has been an issue in the past. I'm just going to be completely honest. But I think now more than ever, people are taking to the streets and they're demanding that transparency. And we won't settle for anything less. All right, then. We certainly appreciate you joining us. Thank you so very much.

Thank you for having me. Mustafa, this is the issue that we continue to deal with. Police officers, again, who they are, they are trained to shoot to kill. They are protected by the law. At some point, folks have got to stop thinking that calling the cops is always the first thing to do. Yeah, without a doubt. As was said, you know, it makes sense. One of the problems is where we invest. So when folks are talking about defunding the police and talking about investing, you know, investing in those mental health professionals who should be a part of it. There's 45 million people in our country who suffer from some form of mental illness,

all the way beginning with depression, you know, all the way up to some of the more serious aspects of mental health disorders. So if we know that, then you need to invest because you know these types of situations are going to come up. The other part of it that we have to call out is the fact that folks, when de-escalating a situation, should have tasers. So if someone is utilizing a taser, then hopefully that won't kill somebody. There are those rare cases where that happens. And these officers evidently did not have that. So I don't know how you have

a pair of officers, and at least one of them doesn't have a taser, to be able to utilize in those types of situations if it comes to that. The third part of this is that, you know, I was on the gun range since I was about nine or ten years old. If you can't shoot somebody in the leg, you know, as a last resort, then you got a problem actually being out there with a deadly weapon. So there are so many different things, along with the district attorney, along with the police chief,

and all these folks who are now running for offices saying that, you know, they believe in criminal justice reform. So we'll actually see if that really plays out in this situation. And not only that, shot 10 times, Rena. 10 times, Rena. 10 times?

Not one time? You should have got one time. That's going to stop the forward progress. 10 times? We've seen it time and time again, Roland. I tell you, I still have goosebumps watching that. I don't know if and ever any of us should ever become accustomed to seeing a human being die like that. I mean, I just can't take any more of these videos as a mother to see that mother wailing,

begging those officers to stop, to de-escalate. Are our mother's words not enough? I mean, who can we trust when we can't call the cops to help with a situation like the one her son was experiencing? My very first thought is, why are these two officers ganging up on him like that I'm not anywhere near the law enforcement community I don't I don't have anybody who works in law enforcement I've never been a part of it and I even would think wouldn't you want one officer behind this guy one in front and shooting at the leg or at the foot something that doesn't mean that he has such a fatal blow given to him. And like the guy on the video said, why'd you guys have to shoot him so many times?

Why'd you have to give him so many shots? It doesn't make sense. So the rioting that follows, yeah, that actually makes sense to me now. I'm not saying violence is ever the answer. I'm not saying shooting up businesses and looting them or arson or any of that is the answer. But how much more can these communities take

when you see that? And I've never even lived in a community that looks like that. My skin color is not black and I'm over here feeling, feeling this so mad. So let me tell you, when our lawmakers don't do their part, people can take to the streets nonviolently

and talk about what we need to do. And I'm so glad Daniel Outlaw's in this role. She's the Philly police commissioner, the first black woman to be at this post. She says that the investigation is going to happen. It's going to be done thoroughly. I trust her. I mean, she's got to know what this feels like. And look, I mean, I trust her because she did things like, you know, saying they're going to stop using tear gas back in May. So I think we'll see some reforms, but this shouldn't have had to happen. That young man did not need this.

And so we need to continue to talk and get out there and nonviolently demonstrate how we feel when law enforcement does this in communities like that one. Kelly, again, we've seen countless examples of stories like this where someone mentally disturbed ends up dead because cops first instinct to shoot and kill. Not only is their first instinct to shoot and kill, their first perception of black skin is a threat. Their first vision of a black person is a sense of evil or something that needs to be eradicated from this earth. And that's not an exaggeration because this is the end result each and every time. And it makes absolutely no sense to me. And it shouldn't make sense to anybody

why that young man is dead right now. Why that mother literally ran out and tried to de-escalate the situation, like, do not kill my baby. And she watched police officers, people who are supposed to protect and serve her and her son, she watched them take his life. That is beyond traumatic for her. That is beyond traumatic for this community. And it shouldn't be happening. And to piggyback off of Mustafa's sentiment about defunding the police, in all fairness, these communities don't even know what resources are available to them except the police. So that also needs to change. The resources that are out there now as is to de-escalate situations, the phone numbers

that are able to be used to call somebody and de-escalate the situation before the cops show up, that's not something that is in our everyday lexicon and our everyday routine. So we need to change that too first before we do anything because those resources are already available to us and they need to be more accessible to us as well. But we do need to defund the police, too. But I just want to say that we do have resources available and that should be the first call. And that needs to be shared to the community so that tragedies like this don't happen anymore. Well, that is certainly the issue there. And also, this is one of the issues that is a part of this campaign as well.

You see Donald Trump, full embrace of law enforcement, but you see Joe Biden talking about the kind of work that we need to see happen when it comes to reforming police departments, but these things don't happen. And so here we are seven days out, and this is certainly a flashpoint there in Philadelphia. And so we'll certainly be covering more of this. Got to go to a break, folks, when we come back more from Atlanta, where Joe Biden just finished having his rally here. It's all about Georgia. It's about one of the battleground states. We'll talk more about that. We'll also talk to Reverend Dr. William J. Barber, who is on a caravan across the country galvanizing poor people to vote as well. We'll hear from John Ossoff, Raphael Warnock, both who are running for the U.S. Senate. All of that and more.

Roland Martin, Unfiltered, broadcasting live from Atlanta. Back in a moment. You know, in financial services, my committee, for example, I know that we are not covered adequately. I know that there are a few newspapers, for example, that focus on financial services issues who may write something about it, but the average media does not get it. And our newspapers at home don't get it because we're talking about everything from derivatives,

you know, to the Volcker Rule, and that's not sexy. And people don't get it because we're talking about everything from derivatives, you know, to the Volcker Rule, and that's not sexy, and people don't get that. But, you know, when you have something like the Volcker Rule, what you're talking about is keeping these banks from taking the money that's deposited in them by the average worker and going out and gambling with it and trading, you know, as these big banks do. You are working oftentimes on issues

that deal with, you know, Wells Fargo, for example, to stop them from taking out accounts in individuals' names that don't even know that they're creating these accounts where they're trying to make their bank look as if it's growing so that they'll get a lot more investments in it. So whether we're talking about dealing with the fraud that's perpetrated on the average person

by some of the biggest banks and financial institutions in this country, or we're talking about the fiduciary rule that will stop investment advisors from taking advantage of the average person who wants to get some advice on their investments. And instead of them directing them what's in their best interest, they're only looking for what's in their best interest and how much money they're going to make if they get you to invest in a certain product. That's not written about. And it's not going to be written about. But we just have to do the work that needs to be done to protect people that need to be protected. Our people faced, right, when they, their lives were actually threatened by the state,

state sanctioned violence you know being hung and being murdered and burned and bitten by dogs and and sprayed with fire hoses that our people went through that we had people die on the battlefield so we can vote black man music the air's desperate long nights and hard week We got the grace of the Lord, I can finally fly. Just like your soul, leave your body when you're deep in your sleep. And we are God's people, but we real unique. And the pressure that you feel when you fight to get strong, I feel it too. And my brothers, we got the whole lawn and all my sisters. I'm sorry for the pain we cause, but you know the flesh is weak, so we got made to flow. From the streets to the town, to the prison, to the hood, 1.4 million of us. We got the streets to the jail to the prison To the hood, 1.4 million of us We got the keys to the kingdom I'm talking about freedom

And the L for the leaders that be teaching our people Won't you stop that lie, cause the game ain't equal And the I, this ice cream, sweet but it melts Just like your mother on that crack, but she really want help And the F for the father who ain't never been there. Cause he been in and out the joint, but he really do care. Got caught up in the system that was built for us. Treated like an animal, so was mine.

With rotten rust, too many years gone. You out, but you sad cause you broke. And your kids full grown, so you sell some dope. But yeah, you stayed out, and you back in the fix. You get a visit from your daughter, and she say you ain't fit. So you cry under the pillow, and your a visit from your daughter and she said you ain't fit. So you cry under the pillow and your body's real cold. Cause you know you're facing life without parole. Looking at the man in the mirror, you a heartless G.

Only us can save us. Yeah, I'm talking to we. And I'm so low, they don't hear it. You don't just get my vote for free. We got the power, so now they gotta feel it. You have to get my vote for free. I got the power, so now they gotta feel it. You have to earn my vote. Even we ain't stopping. God is my witness.

Too many people have died for me to have the right to vote. My ancestors fought for me to have that spirit. Bringing the spirit of my ancestors. One voice, one mind. Let's go. Let's vote. From the streets to the jail to the prison, to the hood, 1.4 million. We got the keys to the kingdom.

I'm talking about freedom. From the streets to the jail to the prison, to the hood, 1.4 million. We got the keys to the kingdom. I'm talking about freedom. You don't just get my vote for free. You don't get my vote because I'm black. One voice, one mind.

Let's go. Let's vote. Let's vote. Let's vote. Let's vote. Let's vote. Let's vote. Let's vote. Let's vote.

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Let's vote. Let's vote. Let's vote. Let's vote. Let's vote. Let's vote. Let's vote. Let's vote.

Let's vote. Let's vote. Let's vote. Let's vote. Let's vote. Let's vote. Let's vote. Let's vote.

Let's vote. Let's vote. Let's vote. Let's vote. Let's vote. Let's vote. Let's vote. Let's vote. Let's vote. Let's vote. Let's vote. Let's vote. Let's vote. Let's vote. Let's vote. Let's vote. Let's vote. Let's vote. Let's vote. Let's Joe Biden had his rally here at this drive-in rally at the Outdoor Theater. We've talked about the importance of people of color, poor people, how it's important to organize them in the South.

That's what Reverend Dr. William J. Barber and the Poor People's Campaign have long talked about, and they have been doing, putting in the work over the last several years, picking up the mantle where Dr. King left off in 1968 when he was assassinated in Memphis, Tennessee. Dr. Barber joins us right now. Doc, how are you doing? I'm well, man.

I'm actually right in the middle of a caravan with teachers and the A. Philip Randolph Institute. And we're riding through the hood, if you will, and pushing people out to vote and helping them understand that, you know, there's a time that you cry and you mourn and you say what other folk have done to you. But then you look at your own power and recognize you can fight back and then you fight back. And so that's what we're doing now, trying to say to folk, you know, it's time to do that. Yeah. What city are you in? We're in Raleigh. We're in Raleigh. What we did, you know, we have 17 days of early voting in North Carolina. And so we're right here in Raleigh. We're in Raleigh. What we did, you know, we have 17 days of early voting in North Carolina.

And so we're right here in Raleigh. We've been going through the city. Randy Weingarten with AFT and their 1.9 million members, she brought a bus in and we put union folk together and working folk together and poor people's campaign people together. And what we're doing is driving through with microphones and saying to folk, you know, vote and telling them what they need to do, because the uniqueness here in North Carolina is you can register and vote the same day. You don't even have to be registered right now. You can go and register and, you know, register and vote at the same day, same place, same precinct. And so that's an incredible opportunity that we fought for. You know, we won that roller. You helped us win it, matter of fact. We had to go to war in the courts to turn back what this General Assembly was trying to do here when it was led by Tom Tillis.

Now, I'm glad to hear that Biden is in Georgia and talking about poverty and talking about organizing people, because that's what expansion is, brother. I mean, we've done the numbers. You and I have talked about them. The numbers are clear from North Carolina to Georgia to South Carolina to Florida to Texas. The base that holds the key is black folk and poor and low-income white people. But even with African-Americans and poor and low-income African-Americans, if you look at the numbers that did not vote, most places over 30%. If just 5% of those folks vote this time and didn't vote last time and vote properly and vote strong and vote their agenda, it changes everything all over the South. Again, that particular point there, we've been saying it for the longest, but again, you got to actually put the work in. And you know what? It may not pay off in one

election cycle or two election cycles or three election cycles, but it will actually pay off in one election cycle or two election cycles or three election cycles, but it will actually pay off. Y'all experienced that in North Carolina after 2008, Obama winning by 14,100 votes, Republicans then turning the tide. Y'all had to deal with this in 2010 in the midterms, in 2012, 2014 midterms, 2016, 2018. And now for people who don't understand democrats uh again progressive voices six to one on the state supreme court uh beat back republicans with racial gerrymandering declaring that unconstitutional when it came to redrawing those districts but that was putting the work in and this is where i think for our people our people reverend barber and uh and i'm going to hear from rafael warnock as well on this You can't depend on parties to do this because they only think in terms of the candidate in the next cycle.

Exactly. You can't depend on the party. You actually have to help the party and push the party because the party only depends on that. And sometimes the party will look at even races in the South, and if they don't see a win up front, they won't even invest in it. So you have to invest in your own destiny. You have to fight. You know, even in 2016, Roland, we beat Trump everything down ticket in 2016. And then we furthered the victory by winning, as you said, against the racist voter suppression laws.

And now we're back at this again. But you can't let up. And the numbers, this is what I want to keep saying to folk and to the party, you and I are saying it makes absolutely no sense, as I've said over and over again, that in most of these states, you're talking about 1 to 20 percent at the most of organizing poor and low wealth people and black people and brown people and white people, one to 20 percent, not even 25 percent. All you have to do is work, go where people are, talk to them, lay out the issues, speak to their issues, talk about how your policies

are going to impact their lives, because people now understand more than ever that we are voting not just for candidates, we are voting for our very life. Last night we watched something. This is where it came to me today, Roland. We watched the United States Senate and a president, a Republican senator from the president, choose to put one woman on the court but refuse to pass a stimulus to keep thousands out of a casket. I mean, that's the state of our politics right now. but refuse to pass a stimulus to keep thousands out of a casket.

I mean, that's the state of our politics right now. And that's why we have to put in the work and why we have to engage this vote and why you can't even listen to certain news. You talk about it, but some news commentators, they talk as though nothing can change. Everything is going can change. Everything is on change. This vote turns out you could end up with three African-American senators in the United States Senate. That is not some far-reaching, crazy thought. It's right here, y'all. It is right here. But you've got to put in the work. You've got to turn out the vote. It's a perfect example.

We were together in Mississippi. 2018, runoff there with Mike Espy. He loses by 68,000 votes. If you're a Democrat, you should look at that and say, wait a minute. He lost by 68,000 votes. How many black people were eligible but were not registered? How many were registered but did not vote? How many poor whites were eligible but did not, how many people were eligible but were not registered? How many were registered but did not vote? How many poor whites were eligible but did not register? How many were registered

but did not vote? And let's go find them. You can pull the precinct numbers. You can literally pull the numbers to go in this precinct, there are 689 voters, only 200 voted in the election. That's 400, and you do the work, but that's the real deal.

And this is where, again, we've got to have groups that are nonpartisan, like the Poor People's Campaign, who are putting in the work, doing what SNCC did in the 60s, doing what CORE did in the 60s. That is the only way, because, and then,

this is where these Democratic billionaires, that's where your money should be going, because Republicans are doing it. Republican billionaires are funding conservative media. They're funding these things. They funded the Federalist Society. This Supreme Court and the federal bench, that was funded by dark money from conservatives

because they want to control the courts. Progressives better wake the hell up. They better. In the early 1980s, the Koch brothers had a secret meeting. They said, we will no longer endorse Messiah candidates. What we're going to do is build think tanks. We're going to build legal groups. We're going to invest in nonprofit organizations that are working in the community. And they said, we're going to build a movement. And then we can make, and they said, we're going to build a movement.

And then we can make our own messiahs, because we're going to build a movement that can reward our friends and punish our enemies. And progressives and others better recognize that. And over these next seven days, people are going to do everything they can. I told somebody today, they were saying, oh, 67 million people have voted. I said, let me tell you something. First of all, the last election was 127 million people total. And the person who won three million more votes didn't win the presidency because of the electoral college. We have a long ways to go.

We've got a lot more people to get out. We just have massive turnout. But I'm telling you, after this election, let's do this. But after, we've got to rethink a whole lot of things, because what we have learned in this election is that a battleground state is where you battle. A battleground state is not just, well, this is a battleground state. This is not a battleground. No, a battleground state is where you battle, where you put in the work, go after the voters, speak to their issues, register them, and get them to the polls. That's what makes it a battleground state. Well, absolutely. That is critically important for folks to understand and accept. Last question for you, Reverend Barber. You're on this caravan. Y'all have been going different places. Just give our folks a sense what it has been like to go,

not just where black people are, but when you've gone to Idaho, when y'all have gone to Kansas, when y'all have gone to some of the whitest parts of America, and people are speaking about the same issues as poor black people and poor Latino people across this country. It has been incredible. In fact, we go to those places and we take people in the communities who have never seen each other and talk to each other. It's amazing how they began to say, wait a minute, wait a minute. We've been kept from each other, particularly, and we don't back

up from race. You know what? We deal with race and poverty. And people start seeing it. I'm telling you, when we move across, I had a sister on from Mississippi the other night, white sister from Mississippi, and she talked about all of her family members that just had not been voted, now in the Poor People's Campaign, now engaged. And she was saying that people were saying that that particular community was Trump. She said, no, the people that voted, which was 2,000 or 3,000 vote for a Trump-voted republic. But she said there were thousands of us that weren't voting for anybody. And one of the things our campaign went in is said, OK, maybe you didn't vote because the Democrats nor the Republicans called your name,

but now it's time for you to call your own name. And so they are engaged in the campaign. They are engaged with black folk and brown folk. They even are able to talk about this race issue in a very clear and profound way. And so going across this country has shown me that there's a possibility out there. Now, I get naysayers, and they'll say, well, they're not going to do this. This is not. I said, but you haven't been in the community. You haven't been among the people. You aren't willing to put in the work. I'm not saying it's going to do this. This is not. I said, but you haven't been in the community. You haven't been among the people you are willing to put into work. I'm not saying it's going to happen overnight, but I'm telling you, I know for a matter of fact, anecdotally and empirical

that if you that there's this remnant out there in America and if we take the move and keep moving and going and lifting, they have the power to transform the electorate in this country. Sixty-four million poor and low-wealth people in this country, 29 million voted last time, 34 million did not vote. But here's the thing. The data tells us if we can get poor and low-wealth people to just vote at the same level of those that make $50,000 and above and vote in an agenda, they can change the Senate, change the presidency, and even change what we call, quote-unquote, battleground states. It is right here. And we're going to see a lot of that in this election, which is why we have to get through it, and then we got to keep working.

Absolutely. And that is the key. We keep saying you got to put in the work after the election. Reverend Dr. William Barber, we appreciate it. Thanks a lot. God bless. Mustafa, the same thing we talk about again, mobilizing people in this country. Organizations have to do that. You mobilize them around issues. You do not mobilize them around candidates. You don't mobilize them around parties. It is about issues. That is, to me, I think the thing that we're seeing, which is one of the reasons why I think we're seeing at the Parkland and so many other shootings, how students are being

mobilized as well. Same thing. Those voters who are Gen Z, they could also be difference makers if they use their power. We're already seeing in some of the early numbers that have come in that young people are voting in higher numbers than we've seen before. And they're very focused. The young people that I work with across the country, they know what they're voting for. They know what their expectations are, and they're also going to hold people accountable. So when you see this huge amount of young people who are now voting to address the issues of climate change and environmental racism, you know, they know who are the candidates. They know what their platforms are, but they also know that once they cast their ballot, they still have a job to do to push folks. You know, folks across the country, I was talking with some folks back home in Appalachia, and the things that they care about are jobs, and I was surprised justice was also a part of it,

healthcare was another part, and of course, COVID-19, because COVID-19 is eating folks up in the rural areas as well as in the inner cities. So folks are very focused, and you're right, when you get folks around these issues and help them to understand, and that's why I appreciate the work that Rev is doing, because he's really anchoring folks in the things that have to change and how they can change and how your vote can be transformative

and helping to actually move not only our own communities, but our entire country forward. Rena, 2004, Howard Dean gave a speech, and I think he was in Georgia, I think he said, God, gays, and guns. It's how Republicans have always targeted white, poor voters in the South, especially in rural America. This is where, with the Poor People's Campaign, they are dealing with them on their issues. This should be something that people are learning from in terms of how they are operating. Well, look, Roland, I mean, I grew up in Appalachia as well, and I really believe that this is the way that Republicans did things, and it's not going to work for that much longer

because this president has proven that he knows nothing about anything. During his town hall, the way he spoke about health care was completely illogical. I mean, a normal person would look at that and say, does the leader of the free world know what he's talking about when it comes to health care was completely illogical. I mean, a normal person would look at that and say, does the leader of the free world know what he's talking about when it comes to health care? And he kept referring to it as the health care. And it was just very confusing. Because when you look in places like my native West Virginia, you see people who are very happy with the Affordable Care Act because at least they have some form of a plan. They are covered somehow. And that makes a difference. That makes a difference in their lives. And what the president doesn't realize

is when he says, OK, we Republicans are going to take back control of the U.S. House of Representatives. We're going to take that back from Nancy Pelosi. Well, that requires a net pickup of 16 seats. I don't think the president understands math. If he thinks the Republicans are going to pick up 16 seats to take control of the House, I mean, he is just messed up because he's talking about passing a stimulus plan after that. He doesn't realize how badly people are suffering right now because he's not suffering. He's not going through any of this. So what I really think he ought to wake up to are the facts. And I tell you, Roland, when I look at this, some research that Pew Research Center did, talking about some key facts about black eligible voters in 2020 battleground states,

the nine states that are battleground states, you hear some really interesting facts. And I'm so glad that Rev is out there doing that. And speaking of Georgia, where you are today, the state's 2.4 million black eligible voters make up 32 percent of the electorate. That's the highest share among nine battleground states. That tells you everything, because in places like Arizona and Iowa, you've got a lower share. Like in Iowa, for example, black eligible voters account for just 3 percent of the state's

overall electorate. So again, not that important, but good to see that this roadshow, this sort of caravan wants to go to places. Because a point you made earlier also about these billionaires wanting to invest somewhere, they need to invest everywhere. Because these roadshows, these caravans are what's going to change the minds of people and get people waking up to the stats because when you know your power, you're more likely to go out and own that power. When we talk about mobilizing people, Kelly, that's really what it's about, but you got to go out there. I think back again, Ella Baker, Ella Baker was one of the greatest workers. Ella Baker said to SNCC students, go out, take your college clothes off, put your overalls on, go listen to these people. They are smart.

They may not have college education. They may not have degrees, but they know exactly what they want. But that's the hard, granular work that pays off down the road. And I think we're seeing that. And I think when we start examining these numbers in this election, I think that's what's going to show up. We're seeing it in Texas, in North Carolina, in South Carolina, in Georgia. We're seeing it in Arizona.

You have to put the work in so folks that better really pay attention. No, I absolutely agree with you on that. People need to disabuse themselves of the notion that if you go to college and you graduate from college or any form of higher education, that you are somehow smarter than your counterpart who did not. That's not the case at all. There are plenty of people out there who have never been to college, who maybe never even graduated high school, who are some of the smartest people that I know. They are very invested in this election because their interests are our interests as well. As someone who has a higher education and a couple of degrees, my interests match theirs and vice versa. There's no difference

in that between the two of us. And when I hear about Reverend Barber taking this caravan and going into these places, I don't think that they're less than. And Reverend Barber knows that. He knows and his team knows that these are smart people, that they have the same interests as somebody in a metropolitan city because we're all human. So the best communication strategy for anybody, especially in this election, is to meet people where they are, which is at humanity, not from a viewpoint of elitism or narcissism or any type of hierarchy. Because at the end of the day, Trump has ruined everybody's life in the past four years. Everybody has been affected by him in the most negative way, especially this year,

because we are approaching a quarter of a million lives lost because this man doesn't know what he's doing. And he technically does have a college education. He technically does have advanced degrees, but he doesn't use them. Clearly, he is an elitist, and that's the difference. So I applaud those who are reaching out to others who aren't in that situation, who aren't millionaires, who aren't necessarily, you know, again, in higher education or among the elite, quote unquote, they know what's going on just as much as we do. And we need to treat them as such. And that's why their vote matters as well, because we're all Americans. A little bit earlier today, folks, out here at the amphitheater in Atlanta, we had a chance to talk with John Ossoff. He is one of the candidates running on the Democratic side. He is running against

Senator David Perdue. And what he, of course, what he talked about was the impact in terms of this election and then how the turnout is going. So here's my conversation with U.S. Senate candidate John Ossoff. off hence this idea this very idea that policing was to control a certain population even if it meant death of that population. First of all the state becomes younger and more diverse literally by the hour and that's changing the politics of the state. There's been a huge voter registration effort.

Since Stacey Abrams lost that governor's race by 50,000 votes, we've added more than 800,000 new voters to the rolls here. The second thing is that we're in the middle of a pandemic where it is clear that our leaders have failed us and lied to us. Nearly a quarter of a million Americans dead from a disease that our president and my opponent, Senator David Perdue, both said would be no worse than the flu. People are up in arms about the sorry state of governance in this country, demanding competent leaders who will put our health first. This is also that Democrats have finally decided to take the South seriously. Reverend Dr. William Barber and I talked about

this all the time, that you can't win if you don't compete. You can't compete if you don't do what's necessary, which is register people, put the resources in. I remember eight years ago, 2012, I'm waiting to go on CNN. Then Congressman Chris Van Hollen is there. He was running the DCCC. I talked about Georgia. He basically said not going to be purple at all. I'm like, yeah, that's the case if you don't do the work. Right. And so the same thing we see was happening in North Carolina as well.

Are Democrats finally getting real about the South and recognizing the possibilities exist if you run strong candidates, raise money and you put boots on the ground? I think what happened is that Democrats started getting real about that six years ago. We've had leaders with vision here like Stacey Abrams who has built institutions and resourced and staffed them to do things like long-term voter registration, to change the shape of the electorate here in Georgia. So that work has been done and building political power takes time. Right.

But the investment has been made and now we have two Senate races in a single state. We have the opportunity to make good on all of that work. Speaking of that, obviously your opponent, David Perdue, he has been, of course, was joking about Senator Kamala Harris, her name, then says, oh, he was simply mistaken. You see what's happening also with the ardent support of Donald Trump as well. Do you think that this massive turnout that we're seeing is because people say, you know what, we are absolutely sick of the last four years and too many Republican senators have allowed Trump to be unchecked? People are sick of the circus, just the constant daily outrage, the way that the country has been deliberately divided, citizens turned

against citizens. What we're seeing happening in Georgia right now is the final failure of the GOP's Southern strategy, which began under Richard Nixon, to divide Southerners along racial and cultural lines so that we fail to grasp our shared economic and health interests. And what has emerged in Georgia is a multiracial, multigenerational coalition committed to expanding health care access and economic opportunity to civil rights, to criminal justice reform. And that new coalition has made the old way of dividing people along racial lines ineffective. So when my opponent decides that the best he can do is to

belittle the Democratic vice presidential nominee for her heritage. He's playing an old game. It is not going to work in the South anymore. We just saw Republicans elect, excuse me, pick Amy Coney Barrett. We saw how they attacked, frankly, President Barack Obama with his appointees. Are Democrats also, are they also seeing why you can't ignore the courts? Because you can elect all the folks that you want to Congress, to the Senate, but if the laws are unconstitutional, you really are having the courts really run the country. Well, I think that there is a heightened understanding of the role that the Senate plays, not just in legislating, but in confirming judicial appointees. And I

think that this Supreme Court fight right now has elevated the issue of health care, which was already top of mind in the middle of this pandemic, because the Supreme Court will be hearing oral arguments in the challenge to the ACA just days after the election. So the fact that they have spent their time rushing this justice through, totally hypocritically, from where they were four years ago,

instead of, for example, passing more economic relief for working families and small businesses in the middle of a pandemic speaks to where their values are and their priorities are. And also has made people realize, hey, our health insurance is at risk right now. And what I keep reminding people is that, of course, Democrats keep talking about the Affordable Care Act, that Supreme Court case. They're also going to hear a voting rights case next month as well out of Arizona that could very well gut Section 2. Advertise Section 4 was gutted with the Shelby v. Holder decision. That's right. Shelby v. Holder 2013, they took out Section 4B,

Voting Rights Act. The rest of it's on the line. The Civil Rights Act is on the line. Roe v. Wade is on the line. The Affordable Care Act is on the line. And the Senate is the last bulwark against the courts, the federal court system becoming this partisan ideological forum where our health care and our voting rights and our civil rights and the privacy of women's health care will be under sustained attack. That's another reason we have to win these Senate races. And folks need to get out and vote. All right. John Olsop, we certainly appreciate it. Thanks a lot. Great to speak with you. All right, John Olsop, we certainly appreciate it. Thanks a lot. Great to speak with you.

Flip the beep. All right, folks, going to commercial break. When we come back, we will talk about a new batch of ads. The Biden campaign have launched targeting black voters also. We'll hear from Pastor Raphael Warnock, who's running for the other U.S. Senate seat here in Georgia. Folks, it's a jam-packed show. Lots more to talk about.

We're broadcasting live from Atlanta, where Joe Biden was here with a drive-in rally. You're watching Roland Martin Unfiltered. We'll be right back. And this is not a millennial accident. It's done on purpose that they made the gadgets God, or they made the gadgets seem like God, to tell us everything about everything,

and make you really search hard to find yourself. So people all, this is the worldwide religion, regardless of what anybody thinks, the electronic religion is the worldwide religion through the phone, so everybody's got their heads angled into that. So how do you do to make that instead of it breaking you? You have to be able to have the millennial audience

and crowd at least make education not shameful. Right. And also make it so, all right, you know all this, so why are you just keeping it to yourself? Because you're afraid to be the smartest one. If somebody comes out and got their best gear on and all this, somebody might say, damn, they coming tight, you know,

they kind of like, you know, coming right and real. But if you show off your mind, it's like, why are you showing off? You trying to make us seem stupid? And it was never like that. It's like, you letting us get these jewels now because you got our back. Because you can't give us no money. So the best way I got your back

is letting you know the deal, and then I dip off. You come to get it when you want it, but I'm here for that. The guy in the White House is a mortal, not a god. The members of the Congress, they are mortals, not God. Bowing down is not enough. We will stand up again. We will march again. We will preach again. We will organize again. We are black. We are white.

We are Latino. We are Native American. We are Democrat. We are Republican. We are independent. We are people of faith. We are people not of faith. We are natives and immigrants. We are business leaders and workers and unemployed. We are doctors and the uninsured. We are gay. We are straight. We are students. We are parents. We are retirees. We are America. And we're here and we ain't going nowhere. All right, folks, welcome back to Atlanta right here.

Roland Martin unfiltered. The Joe Biden campaign has unveiled a new batch of ads targeting black voters. Check it out. This is Joe Biden. Black lives matter, period. I'm not afraid to say it. Inequities have to be met head on. African-Americans need a fair shake when it comes to economic opportunity, health care, criminal justice, education and housing. That's why if I'm elected, we'll get COVID under control by listening to the science. We'll raise the minimum wage to a living wage of $15 an hour. We'll protect the Affordable Care

Act, provide $100 billion in capital for minority-owned small businesses, offer a real plan to tackle the student debt crisis. We'll root out systemic racism in our criminal justice system. End cash bail to criminalize marijuana and automatically expunge prior convictions. Together we can fix this. Let's build back better. But I can't do it without you. Hey, it's...

So I'm asking for your vote. I'm Joe Biden. We need a real plan to get COVID under control. As president, my commitment to you is to listen to the science so we can stay safe and get back to work. I approve this message and I'm asking for your vote because I can't do it without you. As president, I'll work to reform the criminal justice system, improve community policing, decriminalize marijuana, and automatically expunge prior marijuana convictions. I'm Joe Biden, and that's my commitment to you, and I approve this message. I'm Joe Biden.

We have to tackle police misconduct. It's long overdue. As president, I'll make a plan to hold officers accountable when they abuse their power. That's my commitment to you. And that's why I approve this message. I'm Joe Biden. It's time we had a $15 an hour minimum wage so families can earn a living and get ahead. As president, I'll make sure we get it done.

I approve this message. And I can't do without you. So join me. This election will decide the rights of Americans for years to come. So it's up to us, each and every one of us, to use every tool we have to fight for ourselves and our families. When we vote, things change. When we vote, things get better. And we can have an economy that works for working families.

So I'm Kamala Harris, and I'm asking you to vote for Joe Biden and me so we can move our country forward. We will reform the criminal justice system and automatically expunge prior marijuana convictions. Your vote is your voice In spite of the egg The American dream belongs to all of us. We have to choose between change and more of the same. This is your campaign. All right, Mustafa. Good closing series of ads.

Are they effective? Should they be saying more? Your thoughts? I think they're powerful. They hit on many of the issues that folks care about. I think you also got to continue to kind of go a little bit deeper on some of the specifics, especially for black men and some of the questions that they still have trying to make a decision on who they're going to vote for. Because we know recently, and I don't mind calling it out,

that we've had some folks who have been trying to convince black men to vote for Trump. So I think you also got to just make sure that you are addressing all the issues that the folks who you need to vote care about. Raina, Lincoln Project has been putting out some great ads. Your thoughts on those ads there? Are they an effective closing argument to move people to vote in these final seven days? You know, those ads were definitely Joe Biden style, and Joe Biden style is very gentle. It's not going to be aggressive over video, for example. You know, he's somebody that definitely takes a different tone when he meets you in person, and he's far more adaptable that way. But maybe given his age, it is a little tough for him to come across the way he comes across in

person over video. So effective, I think the jury is certainly out on that one. But what you heard was the man in his own words. And if you didn't hear genuine empathy there, if you didn't hear genuine passion for public service, then you weren't listening to this ad. Because when you hear Joe Biden speak, you hear somebody just very clearly say that this is what makes me who I am. This is the leader I want to be. What I maybe would have liked to have heard was something a little bit different, talking about Trump's failures, rather, in black America. Because all you hear from the Trump reelection campaign is how much he's done for black America, most of which is a lie. And look, he's done a couple things here and there, HBCUs, what have you. That's all good stuff.

I personally think any president would have done that because we were trending in that direction as a country, understanding the value, for example, of HBCUs. But really, back to punching Trump where it hurts, I think Joe's really able to do that well in person. These ads are more just to remind you who he is. Kelly? I agree with that. I also agree that these ads are not only effective, but they're reflective of Biden's growth as a candidate and a politician. One of the major critiques of Biden right now, as it has been for this entire election cycle, is the fact that he was one of the authors of the 9th Corp crime bill and things of that nature regarding criminal reform.

And the fact that he can go from that to saying on the record that Black Lives Matter, when there are people who were there in 1994 who endorsed that 1994 bill as well, who will not say those words on the record still, I think that it is reflective of what a good president does. He grows, he listens, he learns, he adapts, and he leans into the change most positive for this country.

And not only do the ads reflect that, his platform reflects that, his choice in vice president reflects that. And I feel like should he win, all the choices that he makes from here on out will reflect that as well. All right, then. So we showed those ads there. Here are the latest anti-Trump viral ads. Hey, honey. Hey, honey. Hey, honey. Hey, honey. Hi, Marie. You asked me to wake you and tell you what happened in the election.

Who won? Trump. Trump won. But I thought you could only be president two times. Not anymore. The Lincoln Project is responsible for the content of this advertising. How would Trump have handled the Nazis taking over Europe? He's the head of a country, and I mean, he is the strong head.

He speaks and his people sit up at attention. I want my people to do the same. Very fine people on both sides. Or the attack on Pearl Harbor. No, I don't take responsibility at all. It is what it is. How would Trump have responded to the Cuban Missile Crisis? One day it's like a miracle, it will disappear.

He just said it's not Russia. I don't see any reason why it would be. How would Trump have reacted to 9-11? Blue states had tremendous death rates. If you take the blue states out, we're really at a very low level. Saudi Arabia, and I get along great with all of them. They buy apartments from me, they spend 40 million, 50 million. Am I supposed to dislike them? I like them very much.

When COVID hit, Trump panicked. His failure has resulted in more than 225,000 American deaths. And he continues to deny reality. COVID, COVID, COVID, COVID, COVID, COVID. We're rounding the corner. It's going away. We need a president who can handle crisis. Because with Trump, this crisis or the next one may be our last. Vote Joe. Save America.

Midas Touch is responsible for the content of this advertising. I'm going to bring jobs back. We would have jobs, jobs, jobs all over the place. I will bring back jobs. Donald Trump has lost 1,800 factories, and that's pre-pandemic. 26 million Americans have lost their jobs. A Trump administration will stop the jobs from leaving America. We will bring back jobs and factories from China.

185,000 American jobs have been shipped overseas under his watch. Ivanka Trump exclusively outsources the manufacturing of her clothing and accessory lines to overseas factories. We are going to put the miners and the factory workers back to work. We're putting our great coal miners back to work. We've lost more coal jobs under Donald Trump than ever before. We're talking about 740,000 manufacturing jobs lost under his leadership. Trump decided he was going to protect the steel industry, the coal miners, the auto, and it just never appeared. A new study says that the president's strategy of placing tariffs on imports ultimately led to

job losses. A trade war sparked by President Trump's tariffs. Carly Davidson announcing today it's shifting some of its production overseas to avoid the retaliatory tariffs. I felt like he was going to protect our job. I felt like, wow, he used us. You always complain that politicians lie. You have lied to us the entire time you've been in office. You were my choice.

You won't be again. So we have a nice feel good ads of Joe Biden arena. We had the hard hitting ads right there that shows you the contrast. You need both in your closing argument. Oh, yeah, no doubt. I mean, it's important. You have to have the whole kitchen sink strategy. I love to call it that because this is so important, Roland, that we really show who Donald Trump is. I mean, he has done such a disservice to the office of the presidency. But what he's really done is economically hit us so hard. I was reading just, gosh, earlier today from CNBC, you know, what people are experiencing right now, you and I both know, many of our viewers know, there are people right now sitting with zero dollars in their bank account, people who,

you know, love their work and just have no way of making it past a month, you know, with nothing left because nobody has chosen to act at the federal level. And what Donald Trump has done, he's held hostage any kind of things that could, any movement that could happen with Nancy Pelosi. He has an ugly effect on everything that's happening at the federal level. And the greatest effect is when I read in this article from CNBC, from an economics professor at Western Michigan University. Her name is Jean Kimball. She says, I want to read this verbatim.

The lack of a coherent and sustained federal response to this crisis will leave scars that will last a generation at least. And that's what I'm talking about when I say what Trump has done to us is so awful. And I've said this before, you know, over 800,000 of my fellow American women left the job force just last month. That was four times the number of American men that left. And these aren't just married women with children like me. These are single women as well. How much more destruction are we going to allow him to do? How much more destruction are we going to allow this Senate majority of Republicans to do? We must not allow it. They've shown us who they really are, and now it's time we kick them to the curb and start a new day here in America.

Because what we deserve is real, principled leadership and leadership for all Americans, regardless of the color of their skin. Some people disagree, Kelly, but the reality is fear does indeed work. That one particular ad with the mother talking to the kids said, I thought he could only president for two terms. And she said, not anymore. Look, that was a hell of a hat. That that was exactly what I was going to comment on, because that sent chills down my spine, no exaggeration, because he already said that he basically will not leave if it is found that Joe Biden wins this election. It'll be like pulling multiple teeth simultaneously when, you know, positive thinking when Joe Biden wins this election. So I don't know what's going to happen if that is not the case. And that is scary. So if I were not already decided, that definitely would have, you know,

straightened me up a bit and be like, let me let me take off this box and put my ballot in. Because that is a legitimate fear, given what this president has done. Look at what the Senate just did in terms of confirming the justice in Comey Barrett. That was not a legitimate confirmation. And yet and still it's happened. So that's just the pace. That is just the pace of what can happen, what will happen if Trump is reelected, if these Republicans in the Senate and the House are reelected, if any, if this stays the same, we cannot afford another four years of this president or his administration or his crony. They all have to be voted out. So these commercials for me definitely work. And I definitely hope they work for the American people as well. Mustafa, I don't think people really

understand the damage that is being done to our democracy, not only by Donald Trump, by Republicans simply allowing this man to do whatever he wants to do. This is real. There is real fear. Look, he's already made it perfectly clear he is going to fire the FBI director. He is going to fire the head of the CIA. He may very well even fire the attorney general because they refuse to do what he wants to do, which, frankly, is immoral and illegal. Yeah, we've got the disintegration of democracy. Folks really need to pay attention to what this man has done. Recently, he passed an executive order where he can literally get rid of tens of thousands of federal employees,

career employees, who no matter what administration, continue to do the best that they can to do their job to protect the American public. And he's also trying to then make it easier for folks who have been supportive of him to then embed into the federal government, thereby hoping that his legacy will continue to live on of deregulation and a number of other actions that he has done. Folks also need to realize. But let me just back up and say thank you to the Lincoln Project. And thank you to Midas for actually creating, you know, not just commercials, but truth-telling about what's really been going on in this country and what to expect if you don't cast your vote for somebody who's willing to actually try and make our country better.

Here's the reality of the situation that's going on. You know, they have this false fallacy around Trump and his economy. Folks, actually look at the real numbers. As of before the pandemic, the average salary for an American in our country was $1,002. If you're African American, it's $840. If you're Latinx, it's $128. So I don't know in what world that is this great economy that they often tout.

So folks need to really unpack these numbers. And that's why I appreciate these types of infomercials that give you within 120 seconds, the information, the facts, and then allowing you to make a decision for yourself if you want to continue down the road of our country dismantling itself, or if you're looking for a brighter tomorrow. All right, folks, got to go to commercial break. When we come back, we'll talk with Pastor Raphael Warnock, who is running for the United States Senate. That is next right here on Roland Martin Unfiltered. Hey, it's Kerry Washington. Listen, I know that there's a lot that has got to change in our

communities, and sometimes it's hard to imagine things getting better. And no, voting will not solve everything, but it is a step forward. So remember, in Ohio, you can vote early in person between October 6th and November 2nd. Plus, if you need a free ride to vote, use the code VOTETOLIVEOH in your Lyft app. Visit VOTETOLIVE.org for more info. Paid for by Collective Future.

Hey, South Carolina, it's Magic Johnson. In 2016, almost 7 million black men didn't vote in the election. And I get it. It's tough to believe in a system that keeps letting us down. But we can't push for progress if we don't vote. Bros, please vote early, before November 2nd. If you need a free ride to vote, use promo code VOTETOLIVESC in your Lyft app. Visit VOTETOLIVE.org for more information.

Paid for by Collective Future. Hey, it's Alfre Woodard. Listen, I know there's a lot that must change in our communities. And sometimes it's hard to imagine things getting better. And no, voting won't solve everything. But it is a step forward. So remember, in Texas, you can vote early in person between October 13th and October 30th. Plus, if you need a free ride to vote, use the code VOTETOLIVETX in your

Lyft app. Visit VOTETOLIVE.org for information. Paid for by Collective Future. Hey, Florida, this is Rashida Jones, and I have three quick things to tell you. One, you can vote early in person between October 19th and November 1st. Two, if you need a free ride to the polls, use the promo code VOTETOLIVEFL in your Lyft app. And yes, voting is easy and secure. So please visit VOTETOLIVE.org for more information and to make a plan to vote today. Paid for by Collective Future. All right, folks, welcome back to Roller Martin Unfiltered. Raphael Wardnock is the pastor of Ebenezer Baptist Church. He is running for the United

States Senate in the same race, featuring Senator Kelly Loeffler and Republican Congressman Doug Collins. I had a chance to talk with him out here at the Joe Biden rally that took place earlier today here in Atlanta. Raphael Warnock, you are the latest poll to show you have both the past Senator Kelly Loeffler as well as Congressman Collins. This race, you got to get 50 plus 1% to win it outright. And so it looks like it will go to a runoff. How are you making the case in these final seven days, and do you see Democrats finally coalescing around you with so many other candidates in this race?

Well, thank you so much. It's great to be here with you again. There is no question that my race is gaining momentum, a lot of steam. I don't want to be on the polar coaster, but all of the numbers are clearly moving in the right direction. I think that in the early months of this campaign, as a first-time candidate, I was putting together a coalition and strengthening our resources.

Once we started communicating and people started hearing my message and my biography, a kid who grew up in public housing, first college graduate in my very large family, and my message around health care, the dignity of work, voting rights, the work I've been doing. The folks have responded. And I think we are seeing the consolidation that we need. We, of course, have seen earlier talk with John Ossoff. We're seeing what has happened in this state, how much has changed. And the reality is Democrats have finally decided to compete.

And, look, folks have said for a long time you can't win if you don't compete. You can't compete if you don't put the resources into a state. And also look at the people who are disaffected, disenfranchised, who are not registered. And you've got to work that. That's really what has happened in the last six years, ten years in this state. There's no question. We saw the potential here a few years ago. And so we've been investing in our own situation here on the ground.

When Stacey Abrams started the New Georgia Project a few years ago, I was the spokesperson and then chair of the board. We've registered 400,000 new voters in this state, just that one organization. My church regularly registers voters, other churches do. Voters don't vote for politicians. They vote for themselves. And if they can hear themselves in the narrative and in the agenda, then they show up. We've been intentional about that, and we've seen the results. You said we did it ourselves. And the reality is a lot of national Democrats have completely written off the South. We see it right now.

Mike Espy is still trying to get support in Mississippi. Adrian Perkins in Louisiana as well. But they are showing when you actually put yourself out there, when you communicate to the voters, you can give yourself a chance. Do you believe that national Democrats now will get the message after 2020 to realize, wait a minute, we can actually compete and win. You see what's happening here, North Carolina, Jamie Harrison in South Carolina, what's happening again, SP Mississippi, Perkins in Louisiana.

I mean, that is a perfect example of coalition building, but also boots on the ground, knocking on doors, getting people registered to vote, not trying to flip somebody who voted for you last time. Yeah, as goes the South, so goes the rest of the nation. We've seen that throughout the history of our country, if you think about it, whether you're talking about the Civil War or the Civil Rights Movement.

And now this new defining moment in America where we're pushing against the new Jim Crow, mass incarceration, pushing against police brutality, talking about the ways in which civil rights and human rights must be the lens through which we engage all of these issues. We're seeing the results of that. Stacey Abrams came within 55,000 votes of winning in 2018. And that, while running against a man who was both the player on the field with her and the umpire calling balls and strikes, he still barely squeaked by. Since then, we've registered 800,000 new voters in the state. 49% of them are people of color. 45% of them are under 30. We have the coalition. It is multiracial. It is multigenerational. And I believe that coalition is standing up as we speak.

What do you say to the person, looking to that camera right there, what do you say to the person who says, you know what, I'm sorry, I haven't seen change in my community. I haven't seen anything take place. I think voting is a waste of time. I'd rather just go protest. What do you say to that particular person? I would say to that person that America is a complicated story of people building a more perfect union. And if you don't think there's been any change, you should sit down with Andrew Young. You should sit down from some of the folks in that generation who know the distance we've come. And as we continue to push hard, change comes. The other side knows your power. The other side knows your voice.

That's why they're engaged in voter suppression. If you weren't so powerful, they wouldn't be trying so hard to stop you from voting. And so you ought to stand up in this defining moment in American history and win the future for all of our children. All right. That's the one. We appreciate it. Thanks a lot.

Good to be with you. My frat brother. Yes, sir. Indeed. Take care. All right, good to see you. My frat brother. Yes, sir, indeed. Take care. 06, baby. All right. Let's talk about the U.S. Senate races. Rena, I want to start with you.

We look at the map. Republicans are trying to defend lots of seats. You, of course, have got the race in Arizona, Colorado, Maine, Iowa, Kansas, two in Georgia, North Carolina, Texas, also Montana. Of course, Democrats, now things have tightened in Minnesota. I'll be in Michigan tomorrow in the Gary Peters race. But Democrats are feeling very good about their chances of retaking the United States Senate. Yeah, I mean, this is serious because, look, what Lincoln Project has done really well and I think continues to do just as Midas Touch and really American are doing, too.

Not just these bombastic ads, but really tying Trump's enablers in the Senate to his actions. I mean, these are people that have just they've just recessed. They're gone now today. They have left without passing any kind of bill for the American people. So obviously these races, you know, you see these Republican opponents, they can't light a fire to some of their dumb opponents. But the reality is, is that these Republicans are going to have to pay the price for what they've done to the American people by bowing at the altar of Trump. There is just no good way to put it. And the battlegrounds, look, I mean, this has been such a mystifying, I think, past few weeks for folks like myself, because this is math that we've never done as operatives. This is not only are the final weeks of a presidential race just fraught with tension,

but the narrow leads Biden is holding in places like Florida, Arizona. I'm just going to come out and say it, Roland. I really believe in my heart of hearts. There's some math that I've seen. And mind you, I'm somebody that wakes up every day and looks at 538. And they're polling. Incredible place to learn more about these just numbers that are so unusual. We've never seen this. At least I've not seen it. I'm a young operative, but modern presidential politics. This is unusual. I'm going to make my prediction here. And I know this is a little tough, but I believe tougher for some people to accept. But this is what I feel. I believe if Michigan and Florida are called, it's it. That's it for Biden. It's going to be

his. Michigan and Florida. That's where I'm looking. Those two together called together for Biden. It's his Republicans did nothing except move Amy Coney Barrett forth as the next Supreme Court justice. Are they going to pay a price? Do you think they're going to lose the United States Senate? I definitely do. The majority of the majority in the Senate isn't by much, and we only need a couple seats to make a majority for the Democrats to make a majority in the Senate. And the key states, in order to do so, have been directly impacted by COVID, like the rest of America, but have been severely impacted by COVID, have been severely impacted by the downfall of this economy as a result of COVID, and all the ramifications that Trump has implicated onto these states just throughout his presidency in general.

So, yes, I absolutely believe that it will impact the Senate. And again, it doesn't take much. I believe Reverend Barber said earlier, they were focused on one person getting into the go-dispatch, but almost a quarter million people were disregarded by the Senate in order for that to happen. And that is registering with the American people. The fact that the Senate, the Republicans in the Senate had so little disregard for their

own constituents is appalling to not just me, but to everyone who really paid attention to this entire process. So I definitely think it's going to have an impact on those races. And I am excited in advance for it to flip over back to the Democratic side. All right, then, Kelly, Mustafa, and Reena, we certainly appreciate both of you, all three of you being on today's show. Thank you so very much. Thank you. Take care. Folks, we're here broadcasting, of course, from Atlanta, Battleground State, where Joe Biden earlier today had a rally out here. Common was out here performing as well with Pastor William Murphy. But while that was happening, President Barack Obama, he was speaking, of course, today in Florida. He has really been hitting it hard.

He's been traveling around the country. He's in Florida. He's been in Michigan, Pennsylvania as well. And so in a moment, we're going to play that speech of President Barack Obama. But we want to encourage you folks to support what we do here at Roland Martin Unfiltered by joining our Bring the Funk fan club. Your dollars will make it possible for us to be able to travel on the road, for us to be able to cover events along these lines here.

Look, we were in South Carolina last night with Jamie Harrison. We were in North Carolina last week in Raleigh, North Carolina. That's it for us. If you want to support what we do here at Raleigh Martin Unfiltered, you can, of course, join our Bring the Funk fan club. Dollar sign, dollar sign, cash at dollar sign, RM Unfiltered, paypal.me forward slash rmartinunfiltered, venmo.com is forward slash rmunfiltered.

You also can send the money over to New Vision Media, Inc., 1625 K Street, Northwest, Suite 400, Washington, D.C., 2006. As I said, tomorrow I'll be interviewing Michigan Senator Gary Peters live tomorrow there in Detroit. I'll be in Detroit tomorrow broadcasting Roland Martin unfiltered. So look forward to being there. As I said, President Barack Obama was on the campaign trail today supporting Joe Biden, laid into Jared Kushner for his comments about African-Americans needing to be successful or wanting to need to be successful. In an interview on Fox News, here is President Barack Obama on the campaign trail. Hello, Orlando. Oh, there's a good-looking crowd here.

Thank you so much. Can everybody please give Lorden a big round of applause for that great introduction. What an outstanding young man. Now, it is good to be back here in Florida. I don't know if we've got any Tampa Bay Rays fans here in Orlando. Big game tonight. It's do or die time. Now, the last time the Rays were in the World Series in 2008, Florida sent me to the White House.

And the Rays fell just a bit short then, but here in Florida, Democrats fell a little bit short in 2016 also. Over the next couple of weeks, Florida, you've got the chance to fix two mistakes. You've got the chance to set two things right. You can bring a World Series championship to the Sunshine State, and you can send Joe Biden and Kamala Harris to the White House. We got one week, Orlando. One week. One week until the most important election of our lifetimes. And you don't have to wait until next Tuesday to cast your ballot. You've got two ways to vote right now. Number one, you can vote early in person right now. Number two, you can vote from home with a mail-in ballot. Don't wait. Put it in the mail or drop it off at a Dropbox location today. Don't take any chances. Just get it done.

Just go to Iwillvote.com to find out where you can early vote in person or drop off your ballot. If you've already voted, how many of you have already voted? If you've already voted, then your job is to go help your friends and family make a plan to vote, because this election requires every single one of us. And what we do this week will matter for decades to come. Now, I've sat in the Oval Office with both of the men who are running for president. And just in case you couldn't tell, they're very different people. I didn't think that Donald Trump would embrace my vision or my policies,

but I did hope for the country's sake that he might show some interest in taking the job seriously. But he didn't. He hasn't shown any interest in doing the work or helping anybody but himself and his friends or treating the presidency as anything more than a reality show that can give him the attention that he craves. And he does crave attention. This week, with everything that's happening, you know what he brought up?

He was fussing about the crowd size at the inauguration again, saying his was bigger. Hey, who is thinking about that right now? Nobody except him. But the rest of us have had to live with the consequences. More than 225,000 people in this country are dead. More than 100,000 small businesses have closed. Half a million jobs are gone in Florida alone.

Think about that. And what's his closing argument? That people are too focused on COVID. He said this at one of his rallies. COVID, COVID, COVID, he's complaining. He's jealous of COVID's media coverage. If he had been focused on COVID from the beginning, cases wouldn't be reaching new record highs across the country this week.

If we were focused on COVID now, the White House wouldn't be having its second outbreak in a month. The White House. Let me say this. I lived in the White House wouldn't be having its second outbreak in a month. The White House. Let me say this. I lived in the White House for a while. You know, it's a controlled environment. You can take some preventive measures in the White House to avoid getting sick. Except this guy can't seem to do it. He's turned the White House into a hot zone. Some of the places he holds rallies have seen new spikes right after he leaves town. And over the weekend, his chief of staff said, and I'm quoting here, I'm not making this up.

His chief of staff on a news program says we're not going to control the pandemic. He just said this. Yes, he did. And yes, we noticed you're not going to control the pandemic. Listen, winter is coming. They're waving the white flag of surrender. Florida, we can't afford four more years of this. That's why we've got to send Joe Biden to the White House. Because we cannot afford this kind of incompetence and disinterest. Twelve years ago, when I chose vice president, I didn't know Joe all that well. We served in the Senate together. I noticed, by the way, one of my great friends, Ben Nelson, Bill Nelson. I haven't seen Bill in a while, so that's why.

Plus he's wearing a mask. But one of the great senators from Florida. And Joe and I served together with him. And, you know, I had a lot of friends in the Senate, but Joe and I wasn't the closest person. But he and I came from different places. We came from different generations. But I quickly came to admire Joe as a man who learned early to treat everybody he meets

with dignity and respect. And Bill will testify this. Joe's somebody who lives by the words his parents taught him. No one's better than you, Joe, but you're better than nobody. He believes everybody counts. He believes everybody's important. And that empathy, that decency, that belief in other people, that's who Joe is. And that's who he'll be.

I can tell you, the presidency doesn't change who you are. It reveals who you are. And Joe, time and time again, has shown himself to be a man of principle and character, and he's going to be a great president. For eight years, Joe was the last one in the room whenever I faced a big decision. He made me a better president, and he's got the character and the experience to make us a better country. And he and Kamala are going to be in the fight not for themselves, but for every single one of us. Listen, you've got a president right now. He wants full credit for an economy that he inherited.

He wants zero blame for the pandemic he ignored. But you know what? The job doesn't work that way. You've got to be responsible 24-7. You've got to pay attention 24-7. Tweeting at the TV doesn't fix things. Watching TV all day doesn't fix things. Making stuff up doesn't fix things. You've got to have a plan if you want to make people's lives better. You've got to put in the work if you want to make people's lives better. And along with the experience to get things done,

Joe Biden has concrete plans and he's got concrete policies that will turn our vision of a better, fairer, stronger country into a reality. Look, here's the truth. The pandemic would have been challenging for any president. But this idea that somehow this White House has done anything but completely screw this thing up is nonsense. South Korea had its first case of covid at the same time, the same week as the United States. Do you know that their per capita death rate is just 1.3% of what ours is? Think about that statistic. I've given this statistic a couple of times and people haven't really focused on it. The number of people in Korea who have died of COVID per capita is less than 1.5% what our death rate is. That's thousands and thousands of people, if we had been as effective and responsible responsible whose lives would have been saved in this country. Just across the border in Canada, the death rate per capita is 39 percent what

ours here is in the United States. We are the largest, the wealthiest, most powerful country on earth, and we cannot somehow get a grip on this because our government hasn't been doing its job last week when our and last week when Trump was asked if he'd do anything differently you know what he said he said not much not much really not much you can't think of anything that you might be doing differently? Like maybe you shouldn't have gotten on TV and suggested we might inject bleach to cure COVID? That's not something you said, you know, maybe I shouldn't have said that? Not much? Think about how hard the tourism industry has been hit right here in Orlando, right here in Florida. He lost one spring training season already, and he can't think of doing anything differently?

Joe takes this seriously. He knows the emotional toll on grandparents when they can't see and hug their grandkids. He's not going to screw up testing. He's not going to call scientists idiots. He's not going to host super spreader events at the White House and then take it on a tour all across the country. Joe will get this pandemic under control with a plan to make testing free and widely available.

He's going to get a vaccine to every American cost free. And he's going to make sure our frontline heroes never have to ask other countries for the equipment that they need to keep themselves safe. His plan will guarantee paid sick leave for workers and parents affected by the pandemic. He's going to make sure that small businesses that hold our communities together and employ millions of Americans can reopen safely. And he understands that we're not going to rebuild the economy and put people back to work until we get this pandemic under control. It's not that complicated. Donald Trump likes to claim he built this economy, but I just want to remind you that America created 1.5 million more jobs

in the last three years of the Obama-Biden administration than in the first three years of the Trump-Pence administration. That's a fact. Look it up. And that was before Trump could blame the pandemic. He, in fact, inherited the longest streak of job growth in American history. But just like everything else he inherited, he screwed it up. And the economic damage that he inflicted by botching the pandemic response means he will be the first president since Herbert Hoover to actually lose jobs. First president since Herbert Hoover to actually lose jobs. First president since Herbert Hoover back in the 30s. That's a long time, people. That's almost 100 years ago.

He loves to talk about black unemployment. Look how low black unemployment. Well, you know what? Unemployment was really high when I came in and we brought that unemployment low and it kept on going low. And he wants to take credit for it, says he's the best president for black folks since Abe Lincoln. Man, now his advisors are out there saying, including his son-in-law, his son-in-law says black folks have to want to be successful. That's the problem. Who are these folks? What history books do they read? Who do they talk to?

Don't read? Is that what is going on? Black unemployment hit almost 17% during the Great Recession 10 years ago. And through a lot of hard work, Joe Biden and I helped get it down. And it kept on going down. Not because Trump did anything. And then this year, because they screwed up the pandemic response, it soared back up to above 17% here in florida but it doesn't have to be that

way florida if you go out and vote yes we can listen the only people truly better off than they were four years ago are the billionaires that got Trump's tax cuts. In the meantime, he has not been able to manage extending relief to millions of families who can't pay the rent right now, can't put food on the table right now. Got no plan to reopen schools that need reopening or protecting teachers in the process. You know, I don't understand how it is that he cannot organize Republicans in Congress to do the right thing. And it's not like it's his money that we're asking to pay because he doesn't pay taxes

barely pays income taxes we know he's got a secret chinese bank account so he's he may be paying taxes to the chinese but he's not paying taxes here. First year in the White House, only paid $750 in taxes, in federal income taxes. $750. Can you imagine that? I mean, teachers pay more than that. You know, social workers pay more than that in taxes. Huh?

Soldiers, folks in uniform pay more in taxes than that. So how are you living large and you're not willing to do the right thing to make sure that we're able to pay for quality schools for our kids, to provide veterans benefits for those who've earned them. Joe Biden has a plan to create 10 million good, clean energy jobs right here in America. It's part of his plan to protect Florida from climate change and secure environmental justice. And he's going to pay for it by rolling back those tax cuts to billionaires. And the thing is, Joe doesn't just want to get back to where we were.

He finally wants to make some long overdue changes so that our economy actually makes life a little easier for everybody. The waitress trying to raise a kid on her own. The student trying to figure out how to pay for next semester's classes. The shift worker who's worried about maybe being laid off. The cancer survivor who's worried that her pre-existing conditions might prevent her from being able to get coverage. And speaking of health care, by the way, you may have noticed Republicans love saying right before an election how they're going to protect people who have pre-existing conditions. Have you noticed that? Well, you know what? Joe and I actually protected them

10 years ago with the Affordable Care Act. And, you know, those same Republicans who say they're going to protect them, somehow they have tried to repeal or undermine the Affordable Care Act more than 60 times. And each time they try to repeal it, they say, oh, we've got a great replacement. It's coming. Everybody's a little young here, but you guys remember Popeye? Remember that guy who always needed to borrow some money for a hamburger? He said, don't worry, I'm going to be paying you back sometime soon.

That's like Republicans with health care. They always say it's coming soon. That's like Republicans with health care. They always say it's coming soon. We're going to be paying you back with a great replacement plan. But that two weeks has been 10 years coming now. For the last 10 years, every two weeks, they say we're going to have a great health care plan. You know where it is? Because I don't. The reason they don't have a plan is because a plan doesn't exist. They've never had one. They've instead attacked the Affordable Care Act at every turn, driving up costs, driving up the uninsured. Now they're trying to get the Supreme Court to take away your health care right now as quickly as they can in the middle of a pandemic with nothing but empty promises to take its

place. Think about what that would do to families right here in Florida. Florida has the highest enrollment under the Affordable Care Act of any state in America. Last week, Trump flat out said he hopes the Supreme Court takes your health insurance away. Said it out loud. Don't boo. Vote. And last night, he installed the Supreme Court justice who he hopes will help him do it.

Don't boo. Vote. Florida, this is serious. And Joe and Kamala will protect your health care. They will expand Medicare. They'll make insurance more affordable for everybody. Because Joe knows that a president's first job is to keep us safe from all threats, foreign, domestic and microscopic. When the daily intelligence briefings flash warning lights about a virus, the president can't ignore it, can't be too lazy to read the briefing. When Russia puts bounties on the heads of our soldiers in Afghanistan, the commander-in-chief can't be MIA, missing

in action. Joe Biden would never call the men and women of our military suckers or losers because they're willing to sacrifice their lives on behalf of the American people. Joe Biden understands those troops are somebody's kids, somebody's dad, somebody's mom, somebody's husband, somebody's wife, somebody's father or mother. And Joe Biden understands that there is glory and goodness in being willing to sacrifice on behalf of others, something that apparently this administration just doesn't comprehend. Our current president, he whines that 60 minutes is too tough. You think he's going to stand up to dictators? He thinks Leslie Stahl's a bully. Just yesterday, just yesterday, he said that Putin of Russia, Xi of China, and Kim Jong-un

of North Korea want him to win we know we know because you've been giving them whatever you want for the last four years of course they want you to win that's not a good thing you shouldn't brag about the fact that some of our greatest adversaries think they'd be better off with you in office? Of course they do. What does that say about you? Think about that. Why are you bragging about that?

Come on. And that doesn't make any sense. Joe Biden wouldn't coddle dictators. He'll promote human rights around the world, including in Cuba. Joe will restore our battered standing around the world because he knows our true strength comes from setting an example that the world wants to follow. A nation that stands with democracy, not dictators.

A nation that can inspire and mobilize others to overcome threats like climate change and terrorism and poverty and disease. And here's one other thing. Joe and Kamala, when they are in office, they're not going to have, you're not going to have to think about them every single day. You're not going to have to worry about what crazy things they're going to say, what they're going to tweet. They're just going to be too busy doing the work. It just won't be so exhausting. You'll be able to go about your lives knowing that the president's not going to retweet

conspiracy theories about secret cabals running the world or suggest... I mean, listen, our president of the United States retweeted a post that claimed that the Navy SEALs didn't actually kill bin Laden. Think about that. And we act like, well, okay. It's not okay. We're not going to have a president when Joe Biden's in office that goes out of his way to insult people just because they don't support him.

He'll be a president for all people, including people who didn't vote for him. Because he knows that's the job of being president. I mean, we've gotten so numb to what is bizarre behavior. We have a president right now who lies multiple times a day. And this is not my claim. Even Fox News sometimes says, well, what he says isn't really true. He didn't mean it. It's not normal behavior.

We wouldn't tolerate it from a co-worker. We wouldn't tolerate it from a co-worker we wouldn't tolerate it from a football coach we wouldn't tolerate it from a high school principal we will we i mean we might have to put up with it if it was a family member but we talk about him afterwards. Even Florida man wouldn't be doing some of this stuff. Why would we accept it from President of the United States? And you know what? I mean, sometimes it's almost too easy to make fun of it, but it's serious. There are consequences to his actions. If he was just on Jerry Springer or something, you know, you'd say, well, but this is the most powerful office on earth. And when people see the president doing things like that, it emboldens other people to be mean and cruel and divisive and racist.

And it frays the fabric of our lives. It affects the way our children see things. When we tell our children to tell the truth, and then we have the person in the highest office in the land who doesn't seem capable of doing so, that undermines our society. It affects the way our families get along. It affects the way the world looks at America. And it distracts from the truly destructive actions that his cronies are doing all across the government as we speak actions that affect your lives.

You've got the Environmental Protection Agency that's supposed to protect our air and our water. It's run by an energy lobbyist that gives polluters free reign to dump unlimited poison into our air and our water. It's not right. It ain't right. The Labor Department, that's supposed to protect workers. It's run by a corporate lobbyist who's declared war on workers, trying to gut protections to keep essential folks safe during a pandemic, making it easier for big corporations to steal their wages. The Interior Department that's supposed to protect our public lands, our wilderness,

the Everglades, it's run by an oil lobbyist who's just fine with selling them to the highest bidder. You've got an education department run by a billionaire who has gutted rules designed to protect students from getting ripped off by for-profit colleges. And it is stiff-arming students looking for loan relief in the middle of an economic collapse. You've got the person who runs Medicaid trying not to get more people on the Medicaid so they've got better health care, but to kick more people off of Medicaid. Come on. It ain't right. So what are you going to do about it? You got to vote. You've got to vote. You've got to vote. When Joe and Kamala are in charge, they're not going to surround themselves with hacks and lobbyists. They're going to surround themselves with qualified public servants

who actually are serious about doing their job, who are looking out for you, for your job, your family, your health, your communities, your planet. And that more than anything is what separates them from their opponents. They actually care about you. They actually care about every American. And they're going to be fighting on your behalf every single day. They're not going to get everything right every time. They're not going to solve every problem right away, but they're going to be working on it every single day to see how can I make sure this

little brand new baby right here is inheriting a better world. That's what they care about. I will say that I miss kissing babies during the pandemic. I can't do it, but look at that little bundle right there. Brand new. It's got the new baby smell. Congratulations. But Joe and Kamala, they care deeply about people and they care about our democracy. They believe that in a democracy, the right to vote is sacred. We shouldn't be making people wait in line for hours. We should be making it easier for everybody to vote, not harder.

They believe that no one, especially the president, is above the law. They understand the protest isn't un-American. We're not proud of our political opponents. We're not proud of our political opponents. We're not proud of our political opponents. We're not proud of our political opponents. We're not proud of our political opponents. We're not proud of our political opponents. We're not proud of our political opponents. We're not proud of our political opponents.

We're not proud of our political opponents. We're not proud of our political opponents. We're not proud of our political opponents. We're not proud of our political opponents. We're not proud of our political opponents. Joe and Kamala understand that our ability to work together to solve big problems like the pandemic depends on more than just photo ops. It depends on applying facts and logic and science and not making things up, not flooding the Internet with misinformation. These should not be Republican or Democratic values. They're what we grew up learning from our parents

and our grandparents. They're not white or black or Hispanic or Asian or Native American values. They're supposed to be American values. And we have to reclaim them right now. And how are we going to do that? By voting. We've got to turn out like never before, Orlando. We have to leave no doubt. We can't be complacent. We were

complacent last time. Folks got a little lazy. Folks took things for granted, and look what happened. Not this time. Not in this election. I understand there are some Americans who get frustrated by government. They feel like, oh, it doesn't make enough difference. My vote won't make a difference. Listen, the government's not perfect. It's not going to solve every problem. But a good government can make things better.

Things were better when I left office than when I started. They weren't perfect, but they were better. A president shouldn't make things worse. A president by himself can't solve every challenge facing our economy, but if we elect a president who cares and we elect a House and a Senate and a State House and a State Senate that are focused on working people and getting you the help you need, it can make a difference. A president by himself can't eliminate all racial bias in our criminal justice system, but if we elect district attorneys and state's attorneys and sheriffs and police chiefs focused on equality and justice, it can make things better. And that's what voting is about. Not making things perfect, but making them better.

It's about putting us on track so that a generation from now we can look back and say, hey, things started getting better. It's about using the power we have and pulling it together to make sure that we have a government that's more concerned, more responsive, more focused on you. And you know what? When I hear people say, well, I don't know, I voted last time. Things didn't change as much as I thought. Listen, we've never come close to seeing what it would be like if everybody voted. In 2008, that was the highest voting rate in modern presidential history.

You know what? We only got to 61%. That means 39% of the folks didn't vote who were eligible to vote. What would happen if suddenly we started getting 70% voting rates? What would happen if we got 60, 70% of the people voting instead of 55% of people voting? The country would be transformed. Imagine, imagine January 20th, and we swear on the president and the vice president who have a plan to deal with this pandemic effectively, who believe in science, who have a plan to protect this planet for our children,

who care about working Americans, who have a plan to help you start getting ahead, who believe in racial equality, who are willing to do the work to bring us closer to the ideal that no matter what you look like, where you come from, who you love, how much money you got, you can make it here in America. You'll be treated with respect and dignity and justice here in America. Imagine a president when Puerto Rico gets hit by a hurricane doesn't respond just by throwing paper towels but says those are Americans and we've got to make sure that we get in

the help they need as quickly as possible that's what you should expect from a president and if you're not getting that then you have to go out there and vote to make it happen all of that is possible all of that is within our reach for all the times these past four years when we've seen our worst impulses revealed the good news is we've also seen our best impulses revealed we've seen folks of every age and background packed city centers and town squares so that families wouldn't be separated I've got a friend Jose Andres

great restaurant tour took it upon himself went down to Puerto Rico after the hurricane organized thousands of meals just on his own because he was saying that the response wasn't quick enough just did it on his own that is America we saw we saw people out on the streets saying we're not gonna have our classrooms shut up anymore. We've seen people activated to make sure our kids don't grow up on an uninhabitable planet. We've seen health care workers, so many of them all across the country, risk their lives every single day just to save somebody else's loved ones. We've seen people contribute and volunteer to neighbors that have been hit hard.

We've seen Americans of all races joining together to declare in the face of injustice and brutality at the hands of the state that black lives matter no more but no less So that no child in this country should feel the continuing sting of racism That's true in Orlando, it's true in Florida, it's true all across this country America is a good and decent place. But we've just seen so much noise and nonsense and distortion. And sometimes it's hard for us to remember. But Orlando, I'm asking you to remember what this country can be, what it should be, what it must be.

I'm asking you to believe in joe's ability to lead this country out of these dark times to help us build it back better don't abandon those who are hurting right now we can't abandon the kids who aren't getting the education they need right now we can't abandon all those young people who are out on the streets who inspired us we got to channel their activism into action we can't abandon all those young people who are out on the streets who inspired us. We've got to channel their activism into action. We can't just dream for a better future. We've got to fight for a better future. We've got to out-hustle the other side.

We've got to vote like never before and lead no doubt. So make a plan. Vote as early as you can. Grab your friends and your family. Get them to vote all the way up and down the ticket. And if we pour all our efforts into this final week, if we vote like never before, then we will elect Joe Biden, president of the United States. We'll elect Kamala Harris, vice president of the United States. We'll elect Kamala Harris vice president of the United States. We will establish once again what this country stands for, what our values are, who we are as a people. Let's get to work, Florida. Let's bring it home.

I love you, Orlando. I love you, Florida. Honk if you're fired up. Honk if you're ready to go. Are you fired up? Are you ready to go? I'm fired up. Let's go do this thing. Let's bring it home. Thank you. Sometimes as dads, I think we're too hard on ourselves.

We get down on ourselves on not being able to, you know, we're the providers, but we also have to learn to take care of ourselves. A wrap-away, you got to pray for yourself as well as for everybody else, but never forget yourself. Self-love made me a better dad because I realized my worth. Never stop being a dad. That's dedication. Find out more at fatherhood.gov. Brought to you by the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services and the Ad Council.

I know a lot of cops. They get asked all the time, have you ever had to shoot your gun? Sometimes the answer is yes. But there's a company dedicated to a future where the answer will always be no. This is Absolute Season 1, Taser Incorporated. I get right back there and it's bad. Listen to Absolute Season 1, Taser Incorporated on the iHeartRadio app, Apple Podcasts, or wherever you get your podcasts. I'm Clayton English.

I'm Greg Glott. And this is Season 2 of the War on Drugs podcast. Last year, a lot of the problems of the drug war. This year, a lot of the problems of the drug war. This year, a lot of the biggest names in music and sports. This kind of star-studded a little bit, man. We met them at their homes. We met them at their recording studios.

Stories matter and it brings a face to them. It makes it real. It really does. It makes it real. Listen to new episodes of the War on Drugs podcast season two on the iHeartRadio app, Apple Podcasts, or wherever you get your podcasts. This is an iHeart Podcast.