#RolandMartinUnfiltered - DNC 2024: For the People, For Our Future

Episode Date: August 20, 2024

8.19.2024 #RolandMartinUnfiltered: DNC 2024: For the People, For Our Future Roland Martin's live from Chicago at the Democratic National Convention Download the #BlackStarNetwork app on iOS, AppleTV, Android, Android TV, Roku, FireTV, SamsungTV and XBox  http://www.blackstarnetwork.com The #BlackStarNetwork is a news reporting platforms covered under Copyright Disclaimer Under Section 107 of the Copyright Act 1976, allowance is made for "fair use" for purposes such as criticism, comment, news reporting, teaching, scholarship, and research.See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

This is an iHeart Podcast. One, two, one, two. country a simple but profound question is this america she didn't get the outcome she was hoping for in atlantic city but you can bet that when the official Mississippi delegation was seated at the convention, four years later, Fannie Lou Hamer was sitting there with them. Now here we are, here we are, 60 years later at another Democratic convention with Kamala Harris. Kamala Harris as our party's nominee. Oh, so I know there is no better leader to marshal us into the future. Kamala has been a courtroom prosecutor, a district attorney, an attorney general, a United States senator, vice president of the United States. And when the dust settles in November and Americans of

all stripes have elected her their president, I know she'll be thinking about Fannie Lou, who I happen to know is one of Kamala's heroes. In that moment, all of us, all of us, from New York to Pennsylvania to Arizona to California, we can ask ourselves, is this America? And we will be able to say loudly and proudly, you're damn right it is. Please welcome President and CEO of the NAACP, Derek Johnson, and President and CEO of the National Coalition on Black Civic Participation, Melanie Campbell. Good evening. I'm Derek Johnson, President and CEO of the NAACP, and I'm here to do my black job.

Since the founding of our nation, we have been on an unending march to protect this imperfect union. Tonight we celebrate the power of the collective, of what is possible when we are all in for all people. But as we do, let us not forget the history that preceded this moment or the history makers who prepared us for it. As we just heard, in 1964, the Mississippi Freedom Democratic Party, led by Fannie Lou Hamer and Mississippi NAACP State President Aaron Henry, who stood tall and challenged a process that excluded them to ensure that we will all be recognized here tonight. In 1973, the historic elections of Atlanta's Mayor Maynard Jackson, Detroit's Mayor Comey Young and LA's Mayor Tom Bradley paved the way for another historic election just 10 years later right here in Chicago with the election of Harold Washington as the first black mayor of the city of Chicago. And in 1988, the Reverend Jesse Jackson, in his second quest for the White House, inspired us all to keep hope alive.

Now this is important because we must all understand, black history is American history. And in this historic moment, we will write the next chapter together. Good evening. I'm Melanie Campbell, president and CEO of the National Coalition on Black Civic Participation and national convener of the Black Women's Roundtable. We have come this far by faith. And for black women, this moment has been a long time coming. Vice President Kamala Harris's path to becoming the Democratic nominee for President of the United States has been paved by the leadership, sacrifice, faith, and patriotism of generations of black women. Black women like Dr. Dorothy Irene Hite, Diane Nash, Ella Baker, Amelia Boynton Robinson, Barbara Jordan, Shirley Chisholm and Reverend Willie Barrow. Women whose optimism about what America could be and their fight to make that vision real redefined the leadership role that black women could play in moving our nation forward. As president, Kamala Harris will lead with power, brilliance and strength from the highest office in the land.

Brothers and sisters, I don't know what this world is coming to. We resist those attacks collectively and we will stand together. Do we believe in freedom? Support human rights. We believe in that. Support self-determination. We're built on that. Stronger together is not just a lesson from our history. The institutions of this country belong to all of the people who inhabit it. Jesse Jackson took to the stage at the Democratic National Convention in Chicago, knowing the uphill battle he would face in composing the score of a harmonious nation.

Reverend Jackson started out very young. He opened the door and he continues to do that even now, that all of us have a responsibility for other generations to come behind us. Jesse Jackson's candidacy in 1984 helped to pave the way for Barack Obama's presidency in 2008. His 1988 candidacy helped to reshape the Democratic National Committee. His candidacy was before its time. Fueled by passion and determination and marching to their own beat, our civil rights leaders laid the groundwork for lasting change, dreaming of a country where equality and justice inspired the next generation.

We need the energy of our young people. We need the wisdom of our elders. We all can be proud to say that we are truly a leading democracy and we respect people's ability to exist. America is not like a blanket, one piece of unbroken cloth, the same color, the same texture, the same size. America is more like a quilt, many patches, many pieces, many colors, many sizes. Standing on the shoulders of giants, Kamala Harris is the candidate who encompasses the brilliance, determination, analysis, and the action to carry the torch lit by the founders of the movement.

There's only one choice to represent our collective voice. What kind of country do we want to live in? The value system of the modern Democratic Party has been shaped by the civil rights movement of the 1960s. There's a direct line from 64, the National Democratic Convention, where Fannie Lou Hamer asked to be seated in 2012, where Black Woman is the Democratic nominee. It's been a long struggle and a long journey, but Fannie's going to be vindicated and Shirley Chisholm's going to be vindicated in the 24th Democratic Convention. I wonder if I could sit in a room with Shirley Chisholm, with Rosa Parks, with Coretta Scott King. What would they

say about what's happening today? The civil rights movement has been a key part of organizing the agenda, not just of the Democratic Party, but of democracy. This is the hope that runs through Kamala Harris's leadership, one where hope, change and freedom are the drumline of our democracy. I stand before you today as a candidate for the Democratic nomination for the presidency of the United States of America. I stand before you today to proudly announce I am now officially the Democratic nominee for president of the United States. We must never surrender. America will get better.

Keep hope alive. Keep hope alive. Please welcome founder and president of the Rainbow Push Coalition, Reverend Jesse Jackson. Thank you. I know a lot of cops, and 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. Across the country, cops called this taser the revolution. But not everyone was convinced it was that simple. Cops believed everything that taser told them.

From Lava for Good and the team that brought you Bone Valley comes a story about what happened when a multibillion-dollar company dedicated itself to one visionary mission. This is Absolute Season 1, Taser Incorporated. I get right back there and it's bad. It's really, really, really bad. Listen to new episodes of Absolute Season 1, Taser Incorporated, on the iHeartRadio app, Apple Podcasts, or wherever you get your podcasts.

Binge episodes 1, 2, and 3 on May 21st and episodes 4, 5, and 6 on June 4th. Add free at Lava for Good Plus on Apple Podcasts. I'm Clayton English. I'm Greg Lott. And this is season 2 of the War on Drugs podcast. Yes, sir. We are back. In a big way. In a very big way. Real people, real perspectives.

This is kind of star-studded a little bit, man. We got Ricky Williams, NFL player, Heisman Trophy winner. It's just a compassionate choice to allow players all reasonable means to care for themselves. Music stars Marcus King, John Osborne from Brothers Osborne. We have this misunderstanding of what this quote-unquote drug thing is. Benny the butcher. Brent Smith from Shinedown. Got B-Real from Cypress Hill.

NHL enforcer Riley Cote. Marine Corvette. MMA fighter Liz Karamush. What we're doing now isn't working and we need to change things. 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. And to hear episodes one week early and ad-free with exclusive content, subscribe to Lava for Good Plus on Apple Podcasts. We'll be right back. Thank you. Democrats, our first order of business is adopting an up-to-date convention agenda. When the Convention Rules Committee met, everyone was working on updating plans based on the significant changes that had just occurred. When the committee approved an agenda, it was a work in progress that members knew would need to be revised accordingly. We now have an agenda for the next four days.

The agenda is included in the Standing-to-date convention agenda, hearing the credentials committee report, hearing the rules committee report, and considering a resolution as recommended by the committee, hearing the platform committee report, and considering our national platform as recommended by the platform committee and holding a confirmatory and ceremonial vote for our vice presidential nominee. Tuesday includes a ceremonial roll call for the presidential nominee. Wednesday, we'll hear ceremonial nominating speeches for our vice presidential nominee, and Governor Walz will make his acceptance speech.

And on Thursday, my friends, we'll hear a ceremonial nominating speech for our presidential nominee, and Vice President Harris will make her acceptance speech. So now, delegates, the chair will entertain a motion to approve the up-to-date agenda. Is there a second? All in favor of approving the convention agenda, please say aye. All opposed say nay. The ayes have it. Are we going to the next one?

Please welcome Credentials Committee co-chairs, Secretary Marsha Fudge and James Roosevelt, Jr. Greetings, my friends. It is an honor to have served as co-chair along my friend Jim Roosevelt. Pursuant to the call, the Credentials Committee met and adopted a resolution to credential the delegates and alternates to the 2024 National Convention. I am pleased to report that there were no credentials issues to be decided by the committee. Their work allowed us to nominate two champions for democracy and freedom, Vice President Harris and Governor Walz. Our delegate selection process is designed to ensure every voice is heard and every vision is heard, and our delegates accurately represent their electorates. Diversity is our party's strength, and I am so proud to see the wonderful representation of our party and democracy here today.

I am pleased to share that the Credentials Committee report was adopted and all delegates have been fully credentialed. In memory of Marvin Turner, we are going to have a great convention and we are going to win. Thank you. Please welcome Rules Committee Co-Chair, Bishop Leah Daughtry.

Hello, Democrats. It was my honor to serve as co-chair of the Convention Rules Committee alongside my friend, Governor Tim Walz. Governor Walz is a little occupied this evening, but it's good to know that serving as co-chair of the Rules Committee is a ladder for promotion. The Rules Committee adopted the procedural rules of the Convention on July 24. They are based on long-standing processes governing our Convention and ensured that we met all ballot access deadlines. The rules established the virtual nominating process for the party's nominees and set the stage for in-person votes at the convention to adopt our platform and resolutions recommended by the Rules Committee, as well as to cast celebratory votes on our nominees and hear their acceptance speeches. Under the Rules Committee authority, the Rules Committee is recommending for your approval one resolution.

Contained in the committee's report, the resolution supports the current practice regarding automatic delegates as well as other reforms to make our party stronger. The co-chairs are pleased to move the adoption of this resolution on behalf of the Rules Committee. Thank you, Bishop Daugherty. The Rules Committee has moved the approval of the resolution. Is there a second? We have a second. I will now call for a voice vote on approving the resolution as recommended by the Rules Committee. All those in favor of the committee's recommendation to approve the unity resolution say aye.

All opposed say nay. I'm pleased to report for the record that with the majority of delegates having voted in the affirmative, the resolution has been approved. My thanks to our Rules Committee co-chairs and members for your efforts to build a transparent and inclusive party. Thank you, Madam Chair. Please welcome Platform Committee Co-Chairs Mayor Mitch Landrieu and Mayor Regina Romero. Hello, delegates. It is my pleasure to join Co-Chair Romero to present the national platform as recommended for approval by the committee.

Our platform is grounded in our democratic values of hope, of progress, and love of our country. It makes a strong statement about the historic work that President Biden and Vice President Harris have accomplished hand in hand, and it presents a bold vision for our future. Kamala Harris will protect reproductive freedoms. Donald Trump will rip them away. Kamala Harris will lower costs for Americans, expand access to affordable health care, protect and strengthen Social Security and Medicare. Donald Trump will cut taxes for billionaires and big corporations, and he will pay for it by putting health care and Social Security on the chopping block. Kamala Harris is going to defend our democracy.

Donald Trump is going to undermine it. The choice before us is clear, and the stakes could not be higher. Buenas noches, demócratas! Mayor Landrieu, it was a pleasure to serve as your co-chair. I also want to recognize Louisa Terrell and the drafting subcommittee for their work. This platform was passed by the platform committee on July 16th prior to the president passing the torch in an act of love and patriotism. And it's the product of a comprehensive process to engage with leaders from all corners of our winning coalition.

Hundreds of submissions, hours upon hours of hearing and testimonies, countless conversations with community leaders and grassroots Democrats. All were essential to producing a forward-looking vision for our party that echoes the voices of all. Vice President Harris is now carrying the torch. And she and Governor Walz are committed to delivering results for the American people. Then you have Donald Trump. His extreme agenda is working against everyday Americans. He is fighting for big oil, big pharma, big banks. But most of all, most of all, my fellow Democrats. He is fighting for himself. This November, we need to keep Democrats in office and elect Kamala Harris and Tim Walz

so we can implement an agenda that works for everyone. Cuando luchamos, ganamos. And with that, on behalf of the platform committee, we are pleased to move the adoption of the 2024 Democratic National Platform. Thank you. The co-chairs have moved the approval of the National Platform. Is there a second? We have a second. I will now call for a voice vote to approve the platform as recommended by the Platform Committee.

All those in favor of approving the platform, please say aye. All opposed say no. Co-chairs, I am pleased to report for the record that with the majority of the delegates having voted in the affirmative, the platform has been adopted. Folks, we are here at the Democratic National Convention in Chicago. That there, of course, is Speaker Jamie Harrison. So what you just heard there was the adoption of democratic national communities platform

where they lay out the most critical issues. This is the first day of course, of the convention. Big speaker tonight, President Joe Biden will be addressing this crowd. They are all assembled there. We are here of course in the media section here. Jam packed about to come to the stage right now is the convention chair, Min-Yan Moore. I know a lot of cops, and 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. Across the country, cops called this taser the revolution. But not everyone was convinced it was that simple. Cops believed everything that taser told them. From Lava for Good and the team that brought you Bone Valley comes a story about what happened when a multibillion-dollar company dedicated itself to one visionary mission. This is Absolute Season 1, Taser Incorporated.

I get right back there and it's bad. It's really, really, really bad. Listen to new episodes of Absolute Season 1, Taser Incorporated on the iHeartRadio app, Apple Podcasts, or wherever you get your podcasts. Binge episodes 1, 2, and 3 on May 21st, and episodes 4, 5, and 6 on June 4th. Ad-free at Lava for Good Plus on Apple Podcasts. I'm Clayton English.

I'm Greg Lott. And this is Season 2 of the War on Drugs podcast. Yes, sir. We are back. In a big way. In a very big way. Real'm Greg Glod. And this is season two of the War on Drugs podcast. We are back. In a big way. In a very big way. Real people, real perspectives. This is kind of star-studded a little bit, man. We got Ricky Williams, NFL player, Heisman Trophy winner.

It's just a compassionate choice to allow players all reasonable means to care for themselves. Music stars Marcus King, John Osborne from Brothers Osborne. We have this misunderstanding of what this quote-unquote drug thing is. Benny the Butcher. Brent Smith from Shinedown. We got B-Real from Cypress Hill. NHL enforcer Riley Cote. Marine Corvette.

MMA fighter Liz Karamush. What we're doing now isn't working and we need to change things. 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. And to hear episodes one week early and ad free with exclusive content, subscribe to Lava for Good Plus on Apple Podcasts. She is speaking. Coming up behind us, of course, is an alpha man right here, Senator Raphael Warnock. So he just walked past us there. This is where we locate the VIP entrance right here. Well, let's do this here. Let's go back to the podium to hear Mignon Moore, the convention chair, the 2024 Democratic National Convention.

American people and has an endless supply of hope for our future. She found that in Vice President Tim Walz. Come on, give it up. Give it up. On August 6th, the Democratic Party officially nominated Governor Walz as our vice presidential candidate. While Governor Walz's nomination

has already been certified, we couldn't miss the opportunities to celebrate this future Vice President's integrity, commitment, decency, and service to our nation. The Chair will entertain a motion to ceremonially confirm Governor Wal's election as the Democratic Party's vice presidential nominee. We have a motion. Is there a second? We have a second. We will now have a voice vote on the motion to ceremonially confirm our vice presidential

nominee. All in favor of the motion please proudly say aye. All opposed? The ayes have it. I'm thrilled. I'm thrilled to proudly reaffirm Tim Walz as a Democratic nominee for vice president. Yes. Yes. Yes. USA. Pursuant to our convention rules, Governor Walz has been invited to make an acceptance speech, which he will deliver on Wednesday, August 21st. Thank you, my friends.

Delegates, please welcome to the stage co-chair Peggy Flanagan to resume chairing our convention. Thank you. Thank you. Thank you. Thank you. Thank you. Well, good evening. And welcome to the first night of the Democratic National Convention.

Folks, of course, again, we're here at the Democratic National Convention. Again, VIP row here, and then, of course, he decides to walk in here. Illinois Attorney General Kwame Rowe, we're in your state. Are we safe? We're good. We're good. Anybody act a fool, roll up on a brother, I need to make a phone call. Just call me, man.

You're all good. You're all good. Me and Superintendent Snellen got you. Okay, all right. Glad to hear that. Glad to hear that. Just don't have any black and gold on when you call. Well, I always got black and gold on, because the ring will always be on,

so that's going to be a problem. Your thoughts, again, about this convention being back in this city in quite a long time. SEN. This is awesome. Chicago, you know me, I'm a descendant of Haitian immigrants. Chicago is a dream of a Haitian man who married a Potawatomi woman, embraced diversity. Diversity is being made a bad word by Republicans these days. Chicago is a city that embraces 77 diverse communities. We're uplifting diversity while they're trying to take it down.

There's a lot more color at this convention than it was. Where did Republicans meet? What were they, Milwaukee? I can't remember because we weren't there. Yeah, they're not a party of inclusivity at all, you know. You know, there were a couple of sprinkles. There was a sprinkle of pepper there, but not much. There wasn't no Tony Chastere's Creole seasoning at all.

We're a big tent. We're a big tent. And we're a big tent of diverse ideas as well. And it's okay. It's okay to have disagreement on some issues, but we bring everybody in. And Kamala Harris is a perfect candidate

to bring us all together. Well, good to see you. Looking forward to a great week. Alright, bro. Always good to see you. Folks, joining me here, of course, two regulars on our show, Julianne Malveaux, President and Mayor of the Bennett College. Author joins us right here. Of course, Dr. Avis Jones, the Weaver, also

here as well. Folks, a few moments ago, we saw Mignon Moore speaking. We also saw Leah Daughtry speaking. You've got a black woman at the top, Vice President Kamala Harris. You've got a sister who's running the convention. You've got the role of Leah playing. You've got black women and black men

in all sorts of roles here. Yeah, this ain't the GOP, Avis. Not by a long stretch, okay? You're exactly right. You have black people, powerful black people, in positions of power and authority all up and through this convention, all the way up to the very top of the ticket when we actually installed the very first black woman to lead a major presidential party in terms of the presidential election. This is a historic convention, but generally speaking, the power that black people are showing throughout this party, to me, is unprecedented.

You know, Julianne, I made the point about Mignon and Leah, of course, with the convention, but the reality is it was, and I made this point last night at the Apostolic Church of God, it was black women, it was black men who understood the rules of the party. They all learned from Reverend Jackson, and they understood the folks who were trying to skip over Vice President Kamala Harris,

and they thwarted a lot of those folks from being able to do so. And that's why we're here in Chicago where she'll be on Thursday night accepting the nomination for President of the United States for the Democrats on Thursday night. That's the result of black people using leverage, influence, and power internally to make that happen. You know, Roland, I'm thinking about this from a historical context, looking at Shirley Chisholm, who was a major party candidate, not a winner, but a major party candidate. Who set the stage for black women?

And when I look at Shirley Chisholm, I look at Reverend Jackson, I look at President Obama, and I look at Kamala, what they have in common is audacity. People told them they couldn't do it, and they did it anyway. It's like, oh, well, and they just kept it moving, kept on going. People said, oh, we can't elect a black woman. Guess what? You will if you want to have good sense in this country.

I mean, there are other options. And so, you know, the rules piece I think is especially important. Leah Doughtry was the chair of the Rules Committee. And had it not been for the change in 1984, when you didn't have winner-take-all anymore, you have, at that time, if you won 52 percent of the state, you got all the delegates of the state. Now they proportionize them, and that's very important. So that's part of the reason why we have a convention like this one looks like with the diversity that we see.

But you can't, I have not walked on, well, maybe two, but any all-white tables, you know, in the food court or even in here. Well, think about it. Of course, we're here in Chicago, remember, in 1968, after what took place in Atlantic City in 1964, where the Mississippi Freedom Democratic Party demanded integrated delegations. And that was a deal brokered, and Dr. King said, we've got to accept this deal, because come 1968, there will be integrated delegations at the Democratic National Convention,

and that was the case being back in this city. You mentioned Shirley Chisholm in 1972 but let's not forget charlotta bass who ran well the first black woman run for vice president 1952 so when you talk about history and i and i love all these people who talk all the time they always are talking about well uh democrats and black folks do understand the this that black people have played in this party, forcing the changes in this party, and even when they were unsuccessful running, still changing the rules. That's what set the stage for President Barack Obama.

That is what has set the stage for a potential president, Kamala Harris. That's black people. Absolutely. And it's high-level political strategy. I think it's very important that we Harris. That's black people. Absolutely. And it's high-level political strategy. I think it's very important that we understand. Hold that one second. Let me explain something to y'all how we do it here. We cover all the black people who are speaking.

So let's go back to the stage right now. Illinois Congresswoman Lauren Underwood. Medicare. Donald Trump tried to cut them year after year after year. He took the COVID crisis and turned it into a catastrophe. We can never let him be our president again. As a registered nurse, I care deeply about making health care more affordable. As someone with a pre-existing condition, I am determined to protect the black women, especially pregnant women and new moms, were more likely to die from COVID.

I wrote the momnibus to protect those women and to address the maternal health crisis. And that bill was introduced and championed by Senator Kamala Harris. Because she protects the people who are most vulnerable. She's done it for her whole career. As Vice President, she and President Biden passed my legislation to make health care more affordable. And now four out of five Americans can get covered through the Affordable Care Act for $10 or less per month. And under the Biden-Harris administration, the number of uninsured Americans hit an all-time low.

Four years ago, it was not safe to hold a convention like this. But tonight, thousands have gathered in this arena in my home state of Illinois to make sure Kamala Harris is the next president of the United States. We have come so far these past four years, and we're not going back. Thank you. My name is Rich Logis. I live in Florida. And until two years ago, I was a full-fledged member of MAGA. I believe Trump. I was a MAGA pundit. I had my own podcast. I was in a state of panic, terrified that Democrats were destroying our country. When a pandemic hit, we needed leadership, but we were given almost

nothing. It was a major betrayal to the country. So I finally stepped outside the MAGA echo chamber, stopped listening to what Trump said, and looked around with my own eyes. And I realized he had been lying about pretty much everything. Lying is Trump's toxic superpower. He's ripped apart families, communities, our whole country. So this is my message to all the Republicans and independents who are watching. People like me who voted for and believed in Trump. I made a grave mistake, but it's never too late to change your mind. You don't need to agree with everything you hear tonight to do what is right. You need to be able to trust our leaders. That's why I'm all in for Kamala Harris.

Please welcome California Representative Robert Garcia. Thank you. Thank you. Thank you. We all, we all remember. We all remember the world in 2020. Where we were, and for some of us, who we lost. Now I was in my second term as mayor of Long Beach, California. And my mom was a healthcare worker. Like many of you, I watched in terror and horror as the COVID pandemic consumed our lives. As mayor, I fought from her hospital beds for more tests and to make masks more accessible. What we needed at that moment was national leadership. But instead, we got Donald Trump. While schools closed and dead bodies filled morgues, Donald Trump downplayed the virus. He told us to inject bleach into our bodies.

He peddled conspiracy theories across the country. We lost hundreds of thousands of Americans and our economy collapsed. Now that summer of 2020, my mom and my stepfather both died of of the COVID pandemic. And I miss them every single day. So when Donald Trump and his MAGA extremists, like Marjorie Taylor Greene, downplay the horror of the pandemic, it should make us all furious. I know a lot of cops, and 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. Across the country, cops called this taser the revolution. But not everyone was convinced it was that simple. Cops believed everything that Taser told them. From Lava for Good and the team that brought you Bone Valley comes a story about what happened when a multi-billion dollar company

dedicated itself to one visionary mission. This is Absolute Season 1. Taser Incorporated. I get right back there and it's bad. It's really, really, really bad. Listen to new episodes of Absolute Season 1, Taser Incorporated, on the iHeartRadio app, Apple Podcasts, or wherever you get your podcasts. Binge episodes 1, 2, and 3 on May 21st and episodes 4, 5, and 6 on June 4th.

Add free at Lava for Good Plus on Apple Podcasts. I'm Clayton English. I'm Greg Glod. And this is season two of the War on Drugs podcast. We are back. In a big way. In a very big way. Real people, real perspectives.

This is kind of star-studded a little bit, man. We got Ricky Williams, NFL player, Heisman Trophy winner. It's just a compassionate choice to allow players all reasonable means to care for themselves. Music stars Marcus King, John Osborne from Brothers Osborne. We have this misunderstanding of what this quote-unquote drug thing is. Benny the Butcher. Brent Smith from Shinedown. We got B-Real from Cypress Hill. NHL enforcer

Riley Cote. Marine Corvette. MMA fighter Liz Karamush. What we're doing now isn't working and we need to change things. 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. And to hear episodes one week early and ad-free with exclusive content, subscribe to Lava for Good Plus on Apple Podcasts. Now, I will never forget when Kamala Harris called me after my parents died. She told me about her own story, about losing her own mother, and that she was praying for me at that very moment. Now, we all know that later that year, Joe Biden and Kamala Harris were elected president and vice president. And what a difference. All right, folks, we are back. So, again, we're going to be going back and forth to the stage, taking the speakers on the stage as we hear from them. Again, Avis Jones, Julianne Malveaux, Avis, we were talking,

and we were talking again about how it's important for us to understand black power. There are a lot of black people who spend their time saying Democrats ain't this, Democrats ain't that. Let's just be real. We have binary choices. Okay? You have Republicans, you got Democrats. Okay?

And the reality is if you want to talk about how do you influence something, you have to be on the inside to be able to have any influence whatsoever. But you also need external pressure. But you can't be all external and no internal. Absolutely. Absolutely. And that's the thing. Definitely we understand and we have a long history of movement making, of putting outside pressure and bringing voice to issues that concern us. But as you mentioned, that is not enough to combine to create the ultimate change.

The whole point of that is to put pressure on those on the inside. And unless we have proper representation on the inside, it's going to be that much more difficult to have the change that we want. And so the fact that we have people that are on the inside. And unless we have proper representation on the inside, it's going to be that much more difficult to have the change that we want. And so the fact that we have people that are on the inside that not only understand the rules but are making the rules and are following through on those rules is really critical when we talk about political strategy and actually sophistication with regards to the use of power.

And that's what we're seeing here in the demonstration of the diversity that we see at the very top tiers of the Democratic Party. Julianne, we're talking about inside. We have to understand. We're talking about agenda setting. We're talking about the platform. We're talking about rules. We're talking about who the speakers are. We're talking about what money is spent.

We're going to be talking later this week with all of the— again, for everybody who's watching, you need to understand, for all of the people who are watching, all of the makeup that's being done at the convention, for everybody that's on stage, is done by a black-owned company. That doesn't happen. That doesn't happen, and we're going to be interviewing the CEO of that company later this week, but that doesn't happen if you don't have somebody at the table

saying, wait a minute, we're hiring people, we're spending money, and so let's make sure we know who those contracts go to. That's what we're talking about, how you use power. You know, if we look at the economic impact of this convention, we have 30,000 people here who are spending money. No, 50,000. 50,000 people in here. So you're talking, yeah, hotels, restaurants, but vendors, audiovisual, stage, makeup, all that stuff.

They have this small business thing out there, a pop-up. It's DNC Palooza. And they've got about 200 small businesses. And it seemed to me, just from my eyeballs, that most of them were African American. They had sisters with soaps and with candles and all that. And this one sister said to me, usually I don't make my bottom line until December. I'm going to make it this month.

So who made that decision? Well, we know that we've been to conventions where there were no black vendors, or maybe there were one or two. Leah Doughtry, knowing that, Mignon Moore knowing that, put something together to make them come. So the city of Chicago is enjoying a great boost, which is good for that brother mayor, enjoying a great boost, but many individual black folks and others and business people are enjoying a great boost. So decision makers create alleys for people to walk into, whereas other people just don't. This is really exciting. If you get a chance to go over there,

just I know they would love to see you and just talk some of these entrepreneurs who are out there. You know, it's exciting to me when I think about what we're trying to do with minority business that really isn't happening as much as it should be. So these folks who are making decisions are making decisions that look like they're political, but they're also very economic. Oh, absolutely. And so this type of thing is a massive undertaking. When you talk about taking over the city, and the reason this is all so different, I was here for NBA All-Star Game, maybe it was like three or four years ago.

What people don't realize is you have 50 states. Each state delegation has a hotel. So you've got security at every hotel. You've got road closures. So people say, well, oh, you know, you've got 400,000 who go to New Orleans for Essence.

You might have, you know, 250,000 who might come to a city in the All-Star game. This is a little different because right now, this is the second most secure city in the country behind Washington, D.C. Absolutely, because think about all of the power that is here and that will be here. How many presidents are going to be speaking over the course of the next several days? You've got President Joe Biden tonight. You've got President Barack Obama tomorrow. You've got President Barack Obama tomorrow. You've got President Bill Clinton on Wednesday.

And then, of course, you have Vice President Kamala Harris speaking on Thursday. So, yeah, massive amount of security here in Chicago. Absolutely. But they've done it so seamlessly. You know, I was really impressed with how well the security went. You know, we went through security pretty quickly, pretty smoothly. And so, yeah, and they did obviously have the challenges, you could say, if you want to say it's challenges, you have freedom of speech in terms of the protest, but they handle it well

in terms of having the protesters have a specific area so they could exercise their freedom of speech, but it still provided plenty of space for them to have those who wanted to come to the convention to come through, go through security, get here safely, and in the midst of all that, making sure that it's a safe space for the President of the United States, who's going to be speaking tonight, as well as the former First Lady, I believe. Isn't Hillary Clinton speaking tonight as well? Hillary Clinton is speaking tonight, and Michelle Obama speaks tomorrow. And you know, the other thing that's interesting, when you look at, of course Homeland Security is dealing with much of the security, but you look at the local police officers, local security, black folks.

First of all, because they have Chicago Police Department, you've got security firms, you've got Illinois State Troopers, plus Secret Service, U.S. Marshals, FBI. Oh, it's crazy. No. And, you know, I was at the food court yesterday over at the McCormick place. I think I saw one white person. You know, there were sisters that, you know, serving the food, sisters behind the counter. It was like, yes, this is what we can do when we make decisions.

We make conscious and mindful economic decisions. Who gets a contract? You know, who's doing the catering? And so I'm hoping that when this is all over with, that we will get some kind of accounting of what kind of difference it's made in our community. But I'm certain just from appearances that it did. So as I said, we're sitting here and you've got the VIP row out here.

Jasmine! I'm live. First of all, y'all, she got her little new outfit on. Okay. She got her. She got. Y'all ought to see it. Look at her.

Look at her. Got her Cab Calloway outfit on. She got the tuxedos, the side stripe. You might as well walk over here. You might as well walk over here. You might as well walk over here. I'm going to turn that camera on you. You standing right there. But you talking.

What you mean? You got makeup on right now. Your hair combed right now. Hey. Hey. Guess what? The camera already on you. The camera on you right now the camp i see them shoes though uh-huh i told y'all this is the blackest show out there okay this is the blackest

show out there can't take you anywhere rolling what no hey we got to be us look look that's why so many people listen i done told all y'all. I told everybody. But listen, if y'all want to watch that boring, stale stuff, y'all can go to CNN, MSNBC. In fact, I saw Bakari Sellers. He going to tell me, he goes, hey, do you need me to come over to your show to bring some ratings? I said, no. Y'all ask that CNN need me to come on the air to bring y'all some damn ratings.

I said, because y'all ratings are trash. I said, matter of fact, I literally said, hell, y'all have had no ratings at CNN since I left. McCartney's my boy, but I don't believe that he would have the clarity. He actually said, I said, boy, I said, now you know, I said, now you know

damn well, more people watch public access TV than watch CNN. That cold, man, that cold. But again, I tried to warn everybody. I said, listen, we're going to be as black as we need to be. And I told y'all how we're going to do this. So everybody black who speak, we cover it on the stage. So, and again, if this was the Republican National Convention,

we'd be talking the whole night because they probably average one black person a night. I ain't lying. No, you're not. No, I mean, I'll never forget, was it the 92 when they brought Tim Scott out and they actually didn't have any more black people, so they brought him out twice. Damn. Really? I watched none of it, so they brought him out twice. Damn. Really? I didn't watch none of it, so. I was covering it, so.

I had this TV show. Damn, they brought him out twice? They brought him out twice. I told the white girl that I was on, she's a friend, but I told her, I said, they had to bring him back because they didn't have any more black people. She said, Julian, that's cold. I said, let's see if he sees the mo. As we say, facts are facts.

I'm just saying. I'm just saying. So, y'all, we're here. So you got the media row here. They got some conservative media behind us. We don't care about them. And then, of course, we've got Our Heart Radio. They behind us. So, Native

Land Podcast. It's Angela Rye, Tiffany Cross, Andrew Gillum. We saving their ass right now because their switcher wasn't working. And they're like, we can't see the camera. They said, y'all got a backup switcher? I'm like, normally folk don't carry a backup switcher.

But we have two. So, yes, we have the backup. So, Roller, that's your picture. This is why you need support, Roller Martin Unfiltered and the Black Star Network, because we need the money. That's what I'm trying to say. I mean, I don't understand how iHeartRadio got all that damn money and they can't get their switcher working.

Well, you know, some of the other people that are here, the NNPA, National Newspaper Publicist Association, I ran into somebody. I think you said Tavis Smiley is back there somewhere. Tavis is back there somewhere. My old home town station, WPOO, is here. Mark Thompson is here. Also, let me explain. The reason Jasmine couldn't come over.

So Jasmine Crockett is going to be one of the primetime speakers. And so she didn't want to be seen until she's seen. We show the ass anyway, so. Well, I don't think they got the scoop. They got the scoop. Right. So y'all saw her outfit. Y'all saw her outfit, her tuxedo look.

And you know what? I call her Sister 5B. You call her what? Sister 5B. Sister 5B? Yeah, remember she? Sister 5B. Sister 5B? Yeah, remember she called Mary Taylor Greene? Oh, yeah. Bleach Blonde.

Bad Built. Bad Built. Much Body. Y'all need to pull that video. And we know the last B left off, but we all know what else was supposed to be there. Much Body. That woman is so pitiful. That was a jam from Keith.

Keith Lelonius. Yeah, that was a bad AI jam. And to come up with that spontaneously. Yeah. Because I'm sure she didn't have a three by five. To come up with spontaneously is just brilliant. It was. And put that person in their place.

Hey, I'm just saying. I'm just saying. So, again, y'all, we're here at the Democratic National Convention in media row here. Speaking right now is Illinois Senator Dick Durbin. And so what I'm also – so if y'all are watching me, so the reason I'm looking this way, y'all, because we literally are – this is literally the VIP entrance. A little bit earlier, Golden State Warriors head coach Steve Kerr was here. I was trying to grab him to say something.

So I'm looking this way. I'm looking past Avis. I'm trying to see all the folk who are coming in. And y'all know how I'm doing. I'm just spotting all the black people. But because, you know, because here's the deal. Other networks ain't going to show this many black people. They're not going to show.

If you're watching MSNBC, CNN, Fox News, ABC, NBC, CBS, I done told y'all, y'all have already seen more black people than we've been on for an hour and a half than you're going to see on all those networks combined for the week, which is why if y'all got to watch what we do, and y'all know what they're covering is boring, y'all know it's not interesting, y'all know it's unseasoned chicken,

and so that's just not how we do it. Well, this is a dull night, usually, the convention. Opening night is slower than usual. We have the added attraction of Brother Biden, but usually this night is molasses yeah actually right it normally is nothing no most conventions is really tuesday wednesday thursday but the reason i and let's talk about that biden speaking tonight the reason i think and again this is where i got to give him credit this is a man who is the sitting president of the United States. And he is

he chose to speak tonight. Normally you're the sitting president and you're not the nominee. You're speaking Wednesday. He chose to speak tonight. After he speaks he's going to California. He's literally getting out of Vice President Kamala Harris'

way. I don't know if people really understand. That is selfless. Exactly. It's so graceful. That's huge. It's really so graceful because remember when Bill Clinton walked through the hallways of the convention,

they had all that Rocky music. I mean, usually presidents make a big deal out of themselves. He's getting out of her way so that he doesn't instill her thunder, because what's going to happen is the mainstream media is going to make contrasts. And you know he talks slow, so they're going to talk about how slow he talks or how fast he talks. And it's just graceful for him to say, let me just get out the way. You know, I also think his feelings might be hurt.

Yeah, that is true. But he, true. But we do have to give credit where credit is due. He has really been historic in terms of the appointments that he has made with black people and with black women specifically. First of all, choosing Vice President Harris as his vice president, having a black woman elevated to the Supreme Court, having the most number of black women put in federal court system of any other president before him. I mean, he has really been historic in terms of his presidency and how he has handled this transition with not only, you know, it was I believe it was very strategic that he made his announcement on a Saturday, came right out Sunday, made that sort of let up, maybe sit out there for a couple of hours and then say, OK, it needs to be Vice President Harris. He understood that the win with black women calls are on Sunday night. OK, but I know a lot of cops and 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. Across the country, cops called this taser the revolution. But not everyone was convinced it was that simple. Cops believed everything that taser told them. From Lava for Good and the team that brought you Bone Valley comes a story about what happened when a multi-billion dollar company

dedicated itself to one visionary mission. This is Absolute Season 1. Taser Incorporated. I get right back there and it's bad. It's really, really, really bad. Listen to new episodes of Absolute Season 1. Taser Incorporated on the iHeartRadio app, It's really, really, really bad. Plus on Apple Podcasts. I'm Clayton English. I'm Greg Glott.

And this is season two of the War on Drugs podcast. We are back. In a big way. In a very big way. Real people, real perspectives. This is kind of star-studded a little bit, man. We got Ricky Williams, NFL player, Heisman Trophy winner. It's just a compassionate choice to allow players all reasonable means to care for themselves. Music stars Marcus

King, John Osborne from Brothers Osborne. We have this misunderstanding of what this quote-unquote drug thing is. Benny the Butcher. Brent Smith from Shinedown. We got B-Real from Cypress Hill. NHL enforcer Riley Cote. Marine Corvette.

MMA fighter Liz Karamush. What we're doing now isn't working, and we need to change things. 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.

And to hear episodes one week early and ad-free with exclusive content, subscribe to Lava for Good Plus on Apple Podcasts or wherever you get your podcasts. And to hear episodes one week early and ad-free with exclusive content, subscribe to Lava for Good Plus on Apple Podcasts. It was perfectly timed. But here's the deal that a lot of people have not been talking about. On that Sunday afternoon, everyone's talking about all the calls she made he made a number of calls yeah so one of the reasons why so many of those endorsements came

through was because he made the call as well let's go back to the stage folks uh now speaking from ohio congresswoman joyce baby nothing that us American workers can't build. Please welcome Ohio Representative Joyce Beatty, and I'm proud to represent Ohio in Congress. I was born in the Buckeye State, and I've never left. Now, J.D. Vance likes to talk about how he's from Ohio. But as soon as he could, he ran away to Yale and Silicon Valley, cozying up with billionaires while trashing our communities. J.D. has been our senator for 18 months. And what has he done for hard-working Americans? Nothing. He's been busy writing the foreword to the book from the Project 2025 guide. While J.D. and Donald Trump have been sharing conspiracy theories from the darkest corners of our Internet,

Kamala Harris and Joe Biden have been busy expanding access to the Internet. While the other guys have been criticizing women without children, Joe and Kamala have been expanding the child tax credit. And let me just tell you, cutting the poverty rate for our children. Kamala and Joe Biden have been also at the same time reducing the price of health care for our seniors and yes, securing a cap of $35 on insulin. And as J.D. and Trump, they want to take us back to the past. Kamala and Joe have been bringing the jobs of the future to America today.

With the CHIPS Act, a $280 billion investment. And that's not just a big number. It means new semiconductor plants and thousands of good-paying jobs. You see, I worked with Kamala to pass it. And I saw her leadership style up close. A rare combination of brilliance, legal expertise, and patience. You see, it's simple. J.D. and Trump like to talk about states like Ohio, but Kamala and Joe actually get stuff done for us.

And so does our next vice president and my good friend, Governor Tim Walz. America, are you ready to build on our progress? Are you ready to turn out for leaders who know that action speaks louder than words? Are you ready to vote for Kamala Harris? Are you ready to put people over politics once and for all? Well, the air of joy and freedom is up on us. And now it is on us to go seize it. Thank you.

God bless you. Please welcome AFSCME President Lee Saunders, SEIU President April Barrett. All right, folks, that was Ohio Congresswoman Joyce Beatty. Coming out right now, folks, are the top labor leaders in the country. And what you're seeing, of course, you're seeing on the far right, Lee Saunders, AFSCME. You have, of course, you have the president of SEIU. And so three of the top, three of the six top labor unions in America have black leaders.

And so they are all on the stage together. Let me again read their names. They're going to have joint remarks. As I said, Lee Saunders, president, American Federation of State County Municipal Employees. April Verrett, president of the Service Employees International Union. Brent Booker, General President of the Laborers International Union of North America. Let's go back to the stage. My alpha brother, Lee Saunders, is now speaking.

Union, yes! Union, yes! Union, yes! Union, yes! Union, yes! Union, yes! Union, yes! Union, yes! All right. I'm Lee Saunders, president of AFSCME, a union of 1.4 million public service brokers and health care, corrections, sanitation and more. But four years ago, we faced a pandemic and a recession with a president who didn't care one bit what working people were going through. Enter Joe Biden and Kamala Harris. Within weeks, they passed the American Rescue Plan, pulling the economy back from the brink and putting us back to work. They're guided by a basic principle, more freedom for working people, including the freedom to join a union. So this November, this November, we're moving forward with Kamala Harris as our president. I am April Barrett, and I am the president of SEIU, representing 2 million service and care workers. We're all in for Kamala Harris because Kamala Harris has always been all in for us. Vice President Harris joined fast food workers on the picket line, and she walked a day in the shoes of a home care worker.

She shares our vision for a modern-day labor movement, a movement that meets the needs of workers in the 21st century and an economy that is ready for the future. It is going to be together that we write new rules to make it easier for all workers to join a union. And we, y'all, we are going to build a younger, darker, hipper, fresher, sneaker-wearing labor movement. A movement that is going to be more inclusive and built for the middle class. And we are going to end poverty, wage, work for once and for all. So let's do the work. Let's elect Kamala Harris so that together we will usher in a new era of worker power.

And together we will win the future. Let's go get it. I'm Brent Booker. And I'm proud to represent LIUNA, the Laborers International Union of North America. We're construction workers, public employees, and postal mail handlers. For decades, we've fought for more investment in our infrastructure. While Trump made empty promises, the Biden-Harris administration delivered. Now we're rebuilding highways, bridges, and tunnels, and powering a clean energy and manufacturing boom.

Thanks to them, our members can buy a home, put their kids through school, retire with dignity. As president, Kamala Harris will keep fighting for workers who are building America. Hello, hello. I'm Kenny Cooper representing 840,000 IBW members, the International Weatherhood of Electrical Workers. The IBW powers America from fire alarms to solar farms, nuclear plants to battery plants, storm restoration to power lines, and we've been doing it for over 130 years. Today we're building a new energy future while providing great-paying jobs and a stable retirement for all working families. Every step of the way, Kamala Harris has been there for us. She's bringing back American manufacturing to forgotten places throughout our country.

She cast the deciding vote to save our pension plan. She's lifted our apprentices up all over the nation. And guess what? She's not afraid to use the word union. She has came through for all of us, and it's our turn to come through for her. Thank you. Hi, I'm Claude Cummings, Jr., president of CWA, the Communication Workers of America. We all saw the digital divide during the pandemic. Millions of American families didn't have access to high-speed Internet at home. Too many kids were forced to go online class in McDonald's parking lots.

But as Vice President, Kamala Harris helped pass the largest investment in broadband ever! Ever! She gave CWA members a seat at the table so we could work to connect every household to the internet while creating good union jobs. Listen, we don't play at CWA and we're fired up. Are you fired up tonight? Are you fired up? Are you fired up? We're fired up to work with our next president, Kamala Harris. I'm Liz Shuler, president of the AFL-CIO, representing nearly 13 million American workers. This election is about two economic visions. One where families live paycheck to paycheck, where people have no right to join a union, a CEO's dream, but a worker's nightmare. Or an opportunity economy, where we lower the costs of groceries, prescriptions,

and housing. Where we go after big pharma, corporate landlords, and price gougers. Where there's no such thing as a man's job or a woman's job or like Donald Trump would say, a black job. Just a good union job. That's the future our President Joe Biden has fought for. And that's the future Kamala Harris and Tim Walz will keep fighting for. Let's build it together. Please welcome Los Angeles Mayor Karen Bass. Folks, that, of course, are the labor leaders who were speaking there. Coming to the stage right now is former Congresswoman Karen Bass. She is now the mayor of Los Angeles.

And so let's go back to the United Center Convention Hall. Hello, Democrats! Hello, Democrats. Are you as excited as I am? I've known Kamala Harris for almost 20 years. Our bond was forged years ago by a shared commitment to children, a belief that it is everyone's responsibility to care for every child, no matter where they come from and no matter who their parents are. Kamala knows that each generation has an obligation to the next. That's why when I was Speaker of the State Assembly and she was a prosecutor, we fought to address youth homelessness and reform the child welfare system. We wanted to make sure that California's foster youth aren't cut off and left on their own

the day they turn 18. As Attorney General, Kamala created our state's Bureau of Children's Justice and worked to give children in the juvenile justice system the support they needed. And when I asked her to swear me in, the first woman vice president, swearing in the first woman mayor of Los Angeles. We knew we were sending a message to young girls everywhere that they too can lead. Now I know Kamala and she feels the importance of this work in her bones.

When Kamala meets a young person, you can feel her passion. You can feel her heart, and you can feel her fearlessness. That is what defines a commitment to children, being willing to fight fiercely for every child. And trust me, Kamala has done that her entire life. So this November, we're going to fight to elect Kamala Harris as the next president of these United States. Please welcome Grammy-nominated country music star, Mickey Guyton. How y'all doing? I know a lot of cops, and 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. Across the country, cops called this taser the revolution. But not everyone was convinced it was that simple. Cops believed everything that taser told them. From Lava for Good and the team that brought you Bone Valley comes a story about what happened when a multi-billion dollar company

dedicated itself to one visionary mission. This is Absolute Season 1. Taser Incorporated. I get right back there and it's bad. It's really, really, really bad. Listen to new episodes of Absolute Season 1, Taser Incorporated, on the iHeartRadio app, Apple Podcasts, or wherever you get your podcasts. Binge episodes 1, 2, and 3 on May 21st, and episodes 4, 5, and 6 on June 4th.

Add free at Lava for Good Plus on Apple Podcasts. I'm Clayton English. I'm Greg Glod. And this is season two of the War on Drugs podcast. Yes, sir. We are back. In a big way. In a very big way. Real people, real perspectives.

This is kind of star-studded a little bit, man. We got Ricky Williams, NFL player, Heisman Trophy winner. It's just a compassionate choice to allow players all reasonable means to care for themselves. Music stars Marcus King, John Osborne from Brothers Osborne. We have this misunderstanding of what this quote-unquote drug thing is. Benny the Butcher. Brent Smith from Shinedown.

Got B-Real from Cypress Hill. NHL enforcer Riley Cote. Marine Corvette. MMA fighter. Liz Karamush. What we're doing now isn't working and we need to change things. 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. And to hear episodes one week early and ad-free with exclusive content, subscribe to Lava for Good Plus on Apple Podcasts. The lines on the interstate

The dust on the black road We're a Friday night snowball game The lighters at a rock show Where the light sheds Folk break, high school heartbreak Driving with the windows down Where the dance floors Church views

Suit and ties Tattoos One big small town Ain't we all Ain't we all Ain't we all American Ain't we all American We are all

We are all American With a scarf and a Texas sky And a jukebox vinyl How y'all doing? With a New York City life And a hotel Bible With a hand-me-down Taylor Lane City lights and a hotel Bible. Hand me down Taylor Lane, Daisy Duke, Doogie Bridge, James Brown, James Dean.

We're cold beer, Champlain, millionaires, best in change, everything in between. Ain't we all, ain't we all all American? Ain't we all, ain't we all all American? We got the same story, the same story Just wanna live that good life Ain't we all, ain't we all all American? Good night. At the end of the day We're different in a billion ways At the end of the day Ain't we all Ain't we all home American

Ain't we all Ain't we all home ain't we all American? We got the same stripes, the same stripes. Just want to live that good life. Ain't we all, ain't we all American? Hey! No matter your race, your creed, or your color, we're all Americans and always live it up.

Whoo! Whoo! Whoo! Whoo! Whoo! All American. Thank you so much! All right, folks. That was, of course, country singer Mickey Guyton.

So glad to see she got some time on the stage. You know, Beyonce, you know, dropped her country album and have folks talking. Somebody right now, you know, she got lots of rhythms. So she got country, R&B, jazz, all this. She rocking her green. You see, you looking all good. Kindswoman Maxine Walters, how you doing? Oh, Roland, I'm doing so well.

I'm feeling so happy. Like Tim Waltz said, I'm feeling joy. Okay? And, you know, I have this optimism. And someone asked me, can you give us a 100% guarantee? I said, well, I was taught not to brag, but we're going to win. Okay? I want to say this here, and I was moderating an event last night

at the Apostolic Church of God here in Chicago. There are multiple reasons why Vice President Kamala Harris is now the nominee. But if the Congressional Black Caucus did not hold that line, only one Black Caucus member, Mark Veazey of Texas, only one broke, but it was the CBC because they were trying to break y'all too. They tried so hard, and you know,

I love and I respect Biden. Remember what he did? He said, you all had my back and I'm going to have yours, and he's done that. And so I certainly was not about to be one to push him out of the little organizing behind his back that was going on. And so I worked with him and stayed with him until he decided. And when he decided, he did a historical thing, a wonderful thing. He said,

and I endorse Kamala Harris. Now that's historical, and that's what a human being like him would do, something good, despite the fact something not so good is happening to you, but you're willing to put something out there that someone else could, you know, be valued for. And so, the Black Caucus stayed strong, and I want you to know one of the reasons we're strong is Hakeem Jeffries is a fabulous man. He is a wonderful human being. I love him. And I haven't said this about any speaker. I don't care who it's been. I don't say this about presidents, but he's a wonderful human being who really does care. And he sees everybody.

And he works with the different members to make sure they realize their potential as public policymakers. You and I talked a few times. And let's be clear. There was a lot of black folks who said, oh, y'all ain't going to play that skip over game. And I kept telling people that was going to trigger a lot of black folks who've been skipped over for jobs. And we were like, y'all go that route. It's going to be some hell to pay. Well, I think that somebody must have heard it. And I want you to know that we're going to see some of the same people who have been denied opportunity in the C-suites of America. We have a role to play there. We've got to be about closing

this wealth gap. It is not only about the civil rights. We're going to work that. We're going to get John Lewis's bill passed on voter registration, et cetera. We're going to do all of that, but we're going to open up these processes that have closed us out for so long and not allowed us to get well because the systems worked against us. We're going to do that now. I believe that. And if I get the gavel back, I'm going to take it and I know how to use it. Thank you. Your daughter's giving me this. She gave me the look like she liked the Sandman at the Apollo trying to do the hook. So we appreciate you stopping by. And I'm looking for you in Los Angeles.

I've had a gentleman who's begging me, can you get Roland Martin to Los Angeles? I said, I'll try. All right. And he's willing to pay your way and do everything, get you out there. Yeah, we'll do it then. Absolutely. Absolutely. Have a check.

We'll fly. All right. All right. You got it. I appreciate it. Have a check. We'll fly. All right. All right. You got it. I appreciate it. Good to see you, Congresswoman. Y'all, that was Congresswoman Maxine Waters. And I made that point earlier.

Again, Blackhawks is held in line. Hold on one second. We got Senator Cory Booker over here. Watch this. Hey, Corey. Corey, you got some black shoes with a blue suit. What the hell? Oh.

And the dozens at the Democratic National Commission. I told y'all it's the blackest show. What? You cannot take him anywhere. What? I'm just saying. You don't wear no black shoes or no damn blue suit. Amos, if you don't take him, he going to crash.

You don't wear no damn black shoes or no blue suit. Now, if he had some white socks on, it would be over. OMG. So I didn't know we turned into fashion police all of a sudden. Hey, listen. Hey, you get everything on the Black Star Network. You get politics. You get economics. You get politics. You get economics.

You get sports. You get fashion. We're going to hit you with everything on this show. Oh, my God. That's how we go. Clearly. And I'm always messing him because, you know, I told him he needed a pocket square. I said, listen, man, you need some color.

I'm like, come on now. You keep wearing them boring-ass blue suits. I'm like, come on. Throw some color in that pocket square. So, you color. I'm like, come on now. You keep wearing them boring-ass blue suits. I'm like, come on. Throw some color in that pocket square. So, you know, I'm just saying. You don't want them with color. You want them pocket squares with the feathers coming out of them. Hey, don't hate because I'm smooth with it.

I'm not hating. I'm just saying. I think that feathers are a little excessive. No, hell no. Why be regular? Well, I'm not saying irregular. I'm just saying. No, why no. Why be regular? Well, I'm not saying irregular. I'm just saying. No, why be regular? I ain't trying to be regular.

All right, Roland. Just do you, boo. You damn skip it. I'm going to do me. All doggone day. Folks, we're here at the Democrat National Convention. On the stage right now is Louise Hidalgo. She is the county judge in my hometown, town harris county

texas and so i'm glad to see her there uh this is of course uh secretary of vilsack roland martin how you doing how's it going i'm well glad glad to see uh the work is going with black farmers all right i told you all right i appreciate it all right man all right good to see you all right y'all that secretary of Secretary of Agriculture Tom Vilsack. That point I was just making there, again, there was a lawsuit that was filed that stopped that early money. They continued up. President Biden made it clear they were going to make sure.

And recently, some $2 billion plus was released for those black farmers. And they've been waiting a very long time, Julianne. It was a great move on President Biden's part. It was impactful. But it wasn't enough. It just wasn't enough, given all the research they've done and the money they've been denied consistently. And what did we lose?

Roland, we have 1%. I get agitated about this. 1%, so don't tell me to calm down. Calm the hell down. Go ahead. 1% of the land that we had in like 1880. I mean, they have been taking our land, taking our land, taking our land. Now, that was a very inappropriate and token move, but it won't make us whole. Like Maxine just said, we've got to deal with the issue of the wealth gap.

Right. Systematic theft from black people. Yeah. And recently, John Boyle of the National Black Farmers criticized Republican VP nominee J.D. Vance because he trashed the settlement for the black farmers. And Boyle said, oh, absolutely, there's no way we're going to endorse this man. Absolutely not. And, you know, here's one, just another example. Because every time we have an election like this, you always have those people that are coming out of the woodwork. What did he do for black people? I mean, this is a very specific, very specific targeted delivery to black farmers that have been waiting for this justice for years upon years upon years.

So to see this happen under this administration, as you mentioned, billions finally trickled down to those hardworking families who have been owed it for years now. It's a beautiful thing to do. And it definitely is something we need to say. This is one of many different examples of how this administration delivered for the black community. One of the things that I keep saying to folks, and I expressed this last night at Apple Store. I said, listen, folks, we cannot continue to spend a ton of energy mobilizing and organizing people around elections, and then once the election is over, it all just disappears. I said, it has to stay together,

because now you've got to put pressure on the folk to deliver what they said they were supposed to do. You know, Roland, my saying, my motto is always voting is not the most you can do, it's the least you can do. Voting is important and we do have to mobilize, but then we've got to get to the town halls. We've got to hold people's feet to the fire. We have to make sure that we're writing op-eds that we're saying this didn't happen. And we have to pressure those who are below the senators, the congresspeople. And the J.D. Vance's of the world need to be pressured too, but pressured in a different kind of way. Let's just run him out of the country.

I mean, can we run him out of the country? We probably could if we made his life miserable enough. And I'm not advocating anything untoward. Just make the man miserable. I mean, he thinks he's sitting on top of the world. He's going to be sitting on top of some junk in a minute. But no, we have to use our pressure every way we can because they use theirs. And they use theirs in a way that we sometimes never know about. We find that a decision is made and you're like, what happened? You'll never know. So we have to be ever vigilant.

And I know a lot of black people are tired of being vigilant. You can't be tired. You cannot be tired. And this election ought to really energize many of us. You know, the system is not perfect. I just gave a brother an interview and I talked to him. He was saying, well, you know, the young people don't want to vote. I said, do they want a future?

Because I'm not prepared, well, I don't care about bali autonomy. That train has left the station. But for our young sisters and our young brothers, they need to care about these things. Stay at home is unacceptable. Yeah, but here's the deal, though, and this is what people don't understand. In Ohio, when they had the ballot initiative, black men voted at a higher rate than any group in Ohio. Wow. Black men were voting on that ballot initiative in Ohio. And so those things have been happening. And so that is such a beautiful thing to sort of point out, because that's the type of information that you rarely get. I mean, all of the sort of

news and coverage around voting, first of all, it rarely focuses on black men. But when it does, it never really talks about the examples in which black men overperform. So I think it's important to say that when you have things on the ballot that people really care about and when people really understand what's at stake, they will come out and they will come out strong and make their voices heard. Oh, absolutely. And those things are happening. All right, folks, on the stage, we just had a group of speakers who just finished. So they're running an ad right now, let's roll it

give him unchecked power and i will wield that power very aggressively and it begins his first day back in office in an exclusive undercover video a co-author of project 2025 saying that donald trump quote blessed the work he's doing now he's been at our organization he's raised money for our organization he's blessed it so he's very now. He's been at our organization. He's raised money for our organization. He's blessed it. So he's very supportive of what we do. He doesn't want freedom. He only wants control. I know Donald Trump's type.

These are the skanks. Project 2025 wants to take our country backwards. This is our fight. We are not going back. Please welcome Michigan State Senator Mallory McMorrow. Hello! I'm Michigan State Senator Mallory McMorrow. The video we just saw playing was a Project 2025. That was one of the speakers up there right now.

I think that is Mallory McMorrow, Michigan State Senator. Yeah, so this segment of the, so she's talking about Project 2025. And again, black people. It was actually Taraji Henson on the BET. I remember when she was there. She talked about Project 2025. That's what led to it just blowing up. People were talking about it.

It was bubbling. But that thing just really blew up when she raised that issue. And it's a 900-plus page document, and that is an absolutely anti-black manifesto that I dare say is the most dangerous document since the Southern Manifesto that those racist white Dixiecrats released in 1948. You're absolutely right, Roland. I haven't read the whole thing. I've read about 500 pages of it.

It is such an assault on our humanity, on our being. The work part, you know, I'm a labor economist, so I went to the work part first. So the first question, we are a Judeo-Christian nation. First of all, wrong. We are not a Judeo-Christian nation. And we believe in the value of work. So their proposal is to uncouple any social benefits from work. If you don't work, you don't get any money. And they're especially going after Medicaid. And so you know where that is in terms of our people. They go on to talk about getting rid of

labor regulations. They would get rid of OSHA, the Office of Health Safety and Health Administration. They would get rid of, of course, the Department of Education. They would fire, they would restructure the way that federal employment works. Now, we know that a disproportionate number of us work for the federal government. When we look at federal employment, you get a disproportionate number especially of black women in those jobs. And I'm not talking about professionals or cabinet secretaries. I'm talking about my sisters who are typing, who are cleaning. And they would get rid of all of it and contract that stuff out, which means what? They would give their friends the contract so they could get wealthy. So you go through the thing and it is an assault.

But that man, the former president, he says he had nothing to do with it. I don't know anything about it. Well, there are two things to say about that. Number one, many of his own aides and cabinet secretaries have contributed. Ben Carson as an example, Stephen Miller as another example, have contributed to it. But the other piece is this. He has Project 20. He has another project.

Some 47, something, I don't know. It's all the same. It's 47 because his putrid imagination thinks he's going to be the 47th president. But that piece is not very different from Project 2025. Right. So he just doesn't, he wouldn't know the truth of it laid down with him. So the thing that, that, that is interesting. And so I, you know, when I see these folks in his videos and you see these brothers and sisters talking about going to support Donald Trump, it is absolutely anti-black. One of the things that is in that document is this whole notion of anti-white racism and how they want to go after any and every program that has been beneficial

to black folks and other minorities. You've already seen the Supreme Court gut affirmative action in colleges and universities and admissions. They want to do that in every program. And so for the people out there who say the couch is an option, I'm sitting there going, you're going to catch hell if Trump gets back in because these folks, listen, if Democrats, Democrats are going to lose West Virginia and the United States Senate. If Tester loses in Montana, they lose control of the Senate. That means they now control the federal judges.

So folk got to understand they control the House right now. They control the House, Senate, and the White House. They can implement every single one of those items in Project 2025. Absolutely. And this is why people really need to be very vigilant and understand what is at stake here. And, you know, what really annoys me is I feel like sometimes people act like this is a game. And it's just about who can say the cutest and funniest thing on social media that shows that they are fighting the power. Every type of power and the power that they are fighting the power, every type of power, and the power that they see right now is ours. Well, actually, to tell you the truth, it's not

even every type. Every election cycle, we are seeing people that are very specifically targeting, oftentimes, and holding the Democratic Party to standards that I don't see them holding the Republican Party to. So they will say things like, you know what is the black agenda but they don't actually say anything about what's going on what's already in black and white with project 2025 and what the implications again joining us to go to the stage right now uh is united states senator from california lafonza butler butler Butler. Hello, Democrats.

California delegates, make some noise. It's great to see so many familiar faces. And I can't forget the state that I was born and raised in. Mississippi Democrats, let everybody hear you. Democrats, before I joined the Senate, I was a leader in the labor movement. So I know a champion for the people when I see one. I met Kamala Harris when she was district attorney, and I was president of a large care workers union. We hit it off right away. What really impressed me was how well she got to know my family. My wife, Nanicki, but especially our daughter, Nyla. And as

soon as Nyla heard that Ms. Kamala was running for president, she asked if she could be vice president. So no disrespect to Governor Walz, but Nylah put her name in first. Vice President Harris and I share a lot in common. We both graduated from historically black colleges. Me from Jackson State University. The vice president from Howard University. We were both raised by mothers who worked fiercely to provide for us. And we both believe that every single one of us has the power to change the world when we choose to do it together. You see, Kamala Harris has always understood the assignment.

No matter if she were the underdog, no matter the bullying or the name-calling, she never doubted that our best was still ahead. She knew a better future, a better future was possible if we stood side by side with our neighbors and we fought for it. No matter what language they spoke, no matter what country they came from, no matter the size of their bank account. And that's what she did. As a prosecutor, together with law enforcement, she prioritized holding criminals accountable and protecting public safety. As state attorney general, together with students, she their homes, she took on the biggest

banks in the world and won a settlement five times what was initially offered. Every time she walked into a courtroom, she would simply say, Kamala Harris for the people. For her, it wasn't just a professional oath. It was a battle cry. And let's be clear to her opponents, this way of seeing the world, the idea of fighting for someone other than yourself is unthinkable. But let me tell you, Democrats, what's really unthinkable. Conning young people who simply want a good education is unthinkable. Stiffing hardworking laborers like Donald Trump did in Atlantic City is unthinkable. Bragging about having ripped away a woman's freedom to choose what she does with her own body is unthinkable. And Democrats, Americans, we deserve better.

We deserve, we deserve a president who is tough, not just tough talking. One who shatters the boundaries of what's possible, not the boundaries of what's legal. And one who wipes the floor with cheats and fraudsters because, well, Democrats, she knows the type. Democrats, that president, the president that we deserve, that president is my friend Kamala Harris. Thank you all so much. Hi, everyone. I'm Deja Fox, and I'm so excited to be here today from Arizona. That's right. That's where I was born and raised by a single mom. I was a free lunch kid raised in public housing, and I got my health care at Planned Parenthood.

Because of policies that lift people up, I walked through the gates of my dream school as a first-generation college student. People my age are making big decisions about our lives, and we deserve a president who has our back, not some power hungry millionaire reality TV personality who only cares about himself. We need Kamala Harris. She'll deliver a future where we can decide if and when to start a family, a future where we can decide if and when to start a family. A future where we can afford rent and groceries.

A future where we're not crushed under student debt. A future where any free lunch kid can walk through the gates of their dream college. For young people, this is a fight for our future. We have a responsibility to do this. And we have a responsibility to do it right, and that's why we're going to show up for Kamala Harris and Tim Walsh. And here now, with a musical performance, is Jason Isbell. Thank you. Let's go! I get home from work I'll call up all my friends

And we'll go bust up something beautiful We'll have to build again I get home from work I'll wrestle off my clothes And leave them right inside the front door Nobody's home to know You see the hammer finds the nail And the bridge rings the ring

I guess I'm doing what I'm only served to do I don't think I'm here where it hurts. I'm just lucky to have the word. Something more than I'm too tired to go to church. But I thank God for the word. I thank God for the world. I thank God for the world. When I get my reward, my work will all be done. And I will sit back in my chair beside my father and my son With no more holes to fill and no more rocks to break

No more loading boxes on the truck for someone else to save You see the hammer finds the nail and the poor man's up to save I guess I'm doing what I'm only supposed to do I don't I'm just lucky to have Every night And every night I dream I'm drowning in the dirt But I thank God for the world And the day will come I'll find reason

Somebody proud To love a man like me My back is young, my hands are freezing But what I'm working for is something more than free I don't say more when I'm here where it hurts I'm just lucky to have the word Sunday morning I'm too tired to go to church But I thank God for the word

I thank God for the word I know a lot of cops, and 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. Across the country, cops call this taser the revolution. But not everyone was convinced it was that simple. Cops believed everything that taser told them. From Lava for Good and the team that brought you Bone Valley comes a story about what happened when a multi-billion dollar company dedicated itself to one visionary mission.

This is Absolute Season 1. Taser Incorporated. I get right back there and it's bad. It's really, really, really bad. Listen to new episodes of Absolute Season 1. it's bad. It's really, really, really bad. Listen to new episodes of Absolute Season 1, Taser Incorporated, on the iHeartRadio app, Apple Podcasts, or wherever

you get your podcasts. Binge episodes 1, 2, and 3 on May 21st and episodes 4, 5, and 6 on June 4th. Ad-free at Lava for Good Plus on Apple Podcasts. I'm Clayton English. I'm Greg Glod. And this is season two of the War on Drugs podcast.

Yes, sir. We are back. In a big way. In a very big way. Real people, real perspectives. This is kind of star-studded a little bit, man. We got Ricky Williams, NFL player, Heisman Trophy winner. It's just a compassionate choice

to allow players all reasonable means to care for themselves. Music stars Marcus King, John Osborne from Brothers Osborne. We have this misunderstanding of what this quote-unquote drug ban. Benny the Butcher. Brent Smith from Shinedown. We got B-Real from Cypress Hill. NHL enforcer Riley Cote. Marine Corvette.

MMA fighter Liz Karamush. What we're doing now isn't working and we need to change things. 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.

And to hear episodes one week early and ad-free with exclusive content, subscribe to Lava for Good Plus on Apple Podcasts. Thank you. Thank you. Shout out to my Alabama delegation over there. I love y'all. Kamala Harris worked hard to achieve her goals. Raised by a working mother, I had a summer job at McDonald's.

Donald Trump worked hard to spend his daddy's fortune. She believes in working hard for the American people. When the middle class is strong, America is strong. Donald Trump believes in working hard for his billionaire friends. I don't care about you. I just want your vote. I don't care. Please welcome former Rhode Island Governor Gina Raimondo. Good evening.

Hello, Democrats. Hello, Democrats. Hello, Chicago. It's a great honor for me to be here this evening. You know, long before I was the governor of Rhode Island, I was a little girl growing up there in a middle-class family. My dad found his American dream in a watch factory in Providence. That job gave him a way to provide for our family, a community for him to belong to, and so much pride. But like so many Americans in the 80s, after 25 years of his hard work, his job and the job of all of his friends was shipped overseas. You know, years later, my dad said to me, Gina, this happened because our leaders let us down. And my father was right.

The Republicans in power who pushed failed economic strategy. Let's just cut taxes for the wealthy and leave everybody else behind. Well, not only did my father lose his job, but frankly, manufacturing left my state. Manufacturing withered in Rhode Island and all across this nation. In communities all across America, factories shuttered, communities got hollowed out, and people were left without their job, without hope, without the dignity that comes with a decent job. And you know, Republican economic policy failed Rhode Island. How do I know that? Because when I took office, first Democrat, elected governor in a couple of decades, I

inherited one of the worst economies in the country. It was a mess. But we got to work and we turned it around. We turned it around with a pro-business, pro-worker agenda. Kamala Harris has that same agenda. She knows we need an economy where the costs are low and opportunities abound, an economy where people can show up to their jobs with dignity and pride. She has a new economic vision for America. You know how she knows that?

She knows it because just like me, Kamala Harris grew up in a middle-class home. Her mom worked to cure breast cancer by day and feed her family at night. And as an adult, Kamala worked to lock up sex offenders and violent criminals by day. And she took care of her sick mother at night. Kamala Harris gets it. She gets that so, so many Americans work so hard every day, and they're barely getting by. And that is not right. It is a fundamental economic principle. Hard work ought to pay off. We believe in that. And that's why the

vice president is committed to building the Opportunity Economy, an economy that rewards ambition, an economy that rewards hard work. She believes in an America where everyone, regardless of who you are, what you have, where you started. You got a chance to get ahead in this country. Kamala Harris will give more than 100 middle-class Americans a tax cut. She'll build 3 million new homes for the middle class. And she's going to forge an economy with fair competition, free from monopolies. Monopolies that crush workers and small businesses and startups. Harris will make building up the middle class a defining goal of her presidency. Meanwhile, meanwhile, Donald Trump, he's going to double down on his worst economic ideas.

The same ideas that ship my dad's job overseas. Ideas that don't work. We know they don't work because they never have. He wants another huge tax cut for the wealthy. He wants to put his corrupt buddies in charge of the economy. And he wants a sales tax that's going to supercharge inflation. We cannot afford Donald Trump's failed economic ideas. But here's the thing, the most important thing. Kamala Harris works for the people. Kamala Harris works for you. And Donald Trump is in it for himself.

As our president, Kamala Harris will build an economy where everyone, and she means everyone, can find and live their American dream. So let's put her in the Oval Office. Thank you. Don't know why, but I feel like me. I am a lifelong Republican, a former Trump voter, and I will not be voting for Trump in 2024. My name is Norma. I'm from Carson, Washington, and I am a two-time Trump voter. I will not be voting for Trump this time around. I'm actually embarrassed to say that I did vote for Trump in 2016. Donald Trump has nothing but contempt for the American people. And ironically, for those who claim to be his fates. He's only interested in fitting himself personally.

Everything he said he would do, he did not do. I do not trust that he can do the right thing anymore. We've seen what Donald Trump really is, and it disgusts me to my core. I don't think the man can be trusted. He talks out of both sides of his mouth. He's a very dishonest person. I hate the way he disrespects women. Voting against Trump and for Kamalais is the right thing to do.

Please welcome New York Governor Kathy Hochul. Hello, Democrats. Are you ready to elect Kamala Harris, the first president of the United States? Yes, you are. Yes, you are. Yes you are. Friends, like so many of us, my grandparents came from Ireland as teenagers, with nothing but hope in their hearts and fire in their bellies. They built their lives in the promised land of Buffalo, New York. A union card meant good work at the steel plant, the steel plant that lifted my parents from living in a trailer to the middle class. Like other families in my blue-collar community,

they believed that with hard work, they could build a better future, not just for themselves, but for those with less hope and less opportunity. I'm proud of my roots and the values I learned. Grit, determination, compassion. Kamala Harris and Tim Walz grew up with those same values. And those values have always defined the people of my state. Well, most of us anyway. Donald Trump was born a New Yorker, but ended up a fraud, a philanderer, and a felon. He wasn't raised with the New York values that I know. He never had to worry about child care costs or groceries or rent. He never had to worry about anything or anyone but himself. Trust me, America, if you think you're tired of Donald Trump, talk to a New Yorker.

We've had to deal with him for 78 long years. The fraud, the tax dodging, the sham university, the shady charities. And we are back with Roland Martin unfiltered live at the Democratic National Convention. We are joined by right now with the incredible Joy Cheney from Joy Strategies. And as you know, we are continuing to have on the panel here the amazing Dr. Julianne Malveaux. We have another guest who will be coming in in a second to interview. But while we're waiting for that guest to step up into place, I just want to ask the ladies one quick question. What do you think about history today as compared to a few years ago when

we tried it with Hillary? What's going to make this campaign successful where Hillary Clinton's campaign was not? What do you think, Joy? I'm going to say that we have learned our lesson. And look, we won't know until,'t know until it's all said and done. But we're not going to make the same mistakes. We're not going to let Donald Trump do whatever he wants to do and not respond. We're going to fight back. We're going to get in his head. And, frankly, what this campaign has been doing is like CIA-level intellectual ops on this man.

They are completely trolling him. And the thing that makes me most hopeful is just how crazy they're getting. And you only get crazy like that when you know you're on the road. You're unraveling. I mean, he's unraveling in front of our face. When you're an old, decrepit white man, and you're comparing your looks to that of a vibrant, beautiful-

Beautiful. Black woman, you're like, dude, have you been sniffing glue before you- But I look better. But I look better. No, but it's like, have you started sniffing glue before you look in a mirror? Because obviously there's some delusions going on here. Oh my God. So we're watching the unravelling

of someone who in 2016, we didn't like his ideas, but he seemed at least somewhat rational. We didn't like his direction, but it was a direction. I mean, what you have now is just inanity. Well, I don't think that's history. I think that that's observation. I think the history part is, of course, is who our nominee will be. But also, as she constructs a cabinet, and I happen to think that she will gain allies by sharing some of her cabinet possibilities early. Because we want to make sure that the Latino community feels that they're included. We want to make sure that the GBLTQIA community feels included. Even if she says, I'm going to reappoint Pete Buttigieg, he may or may not want it. But I mean, to send the signal that, you know.

And maybe the disability community too. Yeah. We can have a whole America that reflects all of us. I think she's going to be so intentional about it. Biden had already started that trend. And I think it worked. And people have embraced it. And I think we're going to lean in. I agree with you. I do too. And here's the thing that I love about this campaign though. They are doing it differently. Yes. You know, I never thought I would live to see a moment when the Democrats really understood messaging. I'm just going to put it out there. I never thought I would.

You're not wrong. I never thought I would. Frankly, Avis, I'm not sure. I'm not sure about that. No, this campaign has done it like I've not seen other presidential candidacies do it. And their rapid response team is on freaking point. Joy, can you talk to me a little bit about the different flavor and i'm using that word very intentionally because even their language their use of language is very

hip it's very timely it resonates and it's fun yes it is like it is just so witty like can you talk a little about it is so how they're doing it differently? They're on Truth Social. They take it to, I mean, why hide? He did that weird, you know, New Jersey press conference at one of his mansions. And they did a press release about it and said, watch. They're like, we're not going to hide from this man. We want you to see him absolutely and then the the headline for the response to it was whatever that was whatever that was like the

attitude i'm just so here for the shade i'm so here for i'm here for the shade because it also reflects the truth and i know some people like oh they're name calling no there's they're making an observation that resonates because there's truth in it. They are weird. They've been weird. They've been weird. Well, no question. I mean, no question. I happen to disagree with you about the messaging because I think that while they've been very effective in some ways, they haven't been effective in other ways. What I love about the messaging is youthful, is joyful, people are having a good time. What I don't love is the lack of content.

I think that we need more specifics. And I think for younger people who are reluctant voters, I mean, joy in a quarter will get you a paper. And then I think that it won't get you a quarter in some cities. Plus 50 cents now. But I think the other piece of it is, if and when they can get to what I think is tighter messaging. Now, Karen Finney and Rachel Nordlinger

would disagree with me, but I think tighter messenger, we can begin to talk issues that are really important in the long run, like economic structure. Let me finish, please, because, you know, well, I guess we're just on a different I know a lot of cops and 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. Across the country, cops called this taser the revolution.

But not everyone was convinced it was that simple. Cops believed everything that taser told them. From Lava for Good and the team that brought you Bone Valley comes a story about what happened when a multi-billion dollar company dedicated itself to one visionary mission. Bone Valley comes a story about what happened when a multi-billion dollar company dedicated itself to one visionary mission. This is Absolute Season One, Taser Incorporated. I get right back there and it's bad. It's really, really, really bad. Listen to new episodes of Absolute Season One, Taser Incorporated, on the iHeartRadio app, Apple Podcasts, or wherever you get your podcasts.

Binge episodes 1, 2, and 3 on May 21st and episodes 4, 5, and 6 on June 4th. Add free at Lava for Good Plus on Apple Podcasts. I'm Clayton English. I'm Greg Lott. And this is Season 2 of the War on Drugs podcast. We are back. In a big way. In a very big way.

Real people, real perspectives. This is kind of star-studded a little bit, man. We got Ricky Williams, NFL player, Heisman Trophy winner. It's just a compassionate choice to allow players all reasonable means to care for themselves. Music stars Marcus King, John Osborne from Brothers Osborne. We have this misunderstanding of what this quote-unquote drug man.

Benny the Butcher. Brent Smith from Shinedown. We got B-Real from Cypress Hill. NHL enforcer Riley Cote. Marine Corvette. MMA fighter Liz Karamush. What we're doing now isn't working and we need to change things.

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. And to hear episodes one week early and ad-free with exclusive content, subscribe to Lava for Good Plus on Apple Podcasts. magic dust, that nothing is going to change overnight. So we have to talk about the deeper issues in terms of economic structure.

Young people know when she says, I'm going to stop inflation, presidents don't stop inflation. You know, and so I just want something that's just a bit deeper. Well, I think we're talking about two different things here because messaging is messaging. It doesn't need, there's a difference between a message and messaging. Oh, I'm sorry. We're going to go right to the floor. We'll be right back.

All right. Good evening, everyone. Good evening, good evening. It is so good to be with everyone this evening in this hall and everyone at home. This is going to be a great week. And I want to kick us off by celebrating our incredible president, Joe Biden, who will be speaking later tonight. Joe, thank you for your historic leadership,

for your lifetime of service to our nation, and for all you will continue to do. We are forever grateful to you. Thank you, Joe. And looking out, looking out at everyone tonight, I see the beauty of our great nation. People from every corner of our country and every walk of life are here, united by our shared vision for the future of our country. And this November, we will come together and declare with one voice, as one faith, so guided by our love of country, knowing we all have so much more in common than what separates us. Let us fight for the ideals we hold dear, and let us always

remember, when we fight, we win. God bless you. God bless the United States of America. Good night, everyone. Please welcome actor and director Tony Goldwyn. Hello, Chicago. And hello to everyone tuning in from all across America. Welcome to the first night of the Democratic National Convention. Now, how is that for an opening act? I'm just saying. Now, as our Vice President just said, over the next four days,

we will be bringing folks together from all around the country, people from every walk of life, to talk about this nation we love and about a candidate who has devoted her life to public service, who never shies away from a righteous fight, and who always stands up for the people. We are going to talk about the choice America faces in this election. It's a choice not just between two very different candidates, but between two very different futures.

We will hear from everyday Americans about what is truly at stake in this campaign. The future of our middle class, the future of reproductive rights, the future of our climate, our security, our schools, the future of our freedom, the future of our very democracy. We will see the vision. Committee. Welcome, welcome, welcome. I'm excited to be here. This is home right here. Awesome. Well, we're so happy to have you here.

And I think you're the perfect person to speak right now because we just heard from the presidential candidate-to-be. And I think one of the most amazing things that she's done is to energize the youth electorate. Can you talk a little bit about that and what Generation X and, not X, no, no, no. Z will will mean in terms of this next presidential campaign. Madam Madam President, we're glad that she graced the stage. And I think she is energizing young people across the country in a way that that hasn't been in the last couple of years.

And I think we see a new wave of energy of someone who understands our story, who understands our values, who is a proven leader on the issues that matter to us, whether it's from you know the environment or whether it's from you know protecting a woman's right to choose or whether it's from funding our HBCUs to so many issues of community safety, free from gun violence you know and opening the office of gun violence, you know, and opening the office of gun violence prevention in her office. And so she has been a proven leader. And we're excited.

We're thrilled behind Kamala. And we are 10 toes down, as the young people say, behind a presidential candidate who understands our values and understands the importance of including the youth voice in this conversation. Absolutely. And what I think is really amazing is how you as young people have really, really just blown up with this campaign, how you've really embraced a lot of those qualities that the other side tried to use against her. Can you talk about your use of social media and how you've used that to really elevate her message and actually take those things that the other side used as attack angles and use those as to her benefit in terms of your social media usage. Yeah, definitely. I think a bunch of political education has to be

taking place in this cycle and understanding the power that the vice president has and the power and the amazing accomplishments that she has done in the Senate, breaking the most ties that we have seen in modern history. And so we are using our power on social media to educate the masses and our peers on the truths, on the successes of this administration and the successes of Vice President Harris. I think even as we look now at the DNC, of the content creators that we have brought to this convention, meeting young people where they are is important. And I think, you know, whether it's through traditional media, young people, they get their sources from content creators and influencers

on TikTok, on Instagram, on other social platforms. And so I think, you know, Democrats understand how to meet the moment. And I think we see it here displayed today through our content creators portal. But like I said, we are using the energy of social media to get the word out of the true message of who our vice president is, who our soon-to-be president is, and how we're going to send Donald Trump packing home by a black woman. I want to ask you, young man, because youth are getting a bad rap. Now, you're doing a great job with the NAACP.

You've worked with youth and other organizations as well. But I haven't been in a conversation in the past couple months, even with the excitement that's come from Kamala, of that, well, you know, the young people aren't going to vote, or the young people are apathetic. I don't necessarily see that, you know, with the young people that I work with. But many people do. So tell me why you think youth are getting a bad rap, A, and B, what should happen about

it? What do elders not know or what do elders not know that you'd like us to know? Absolutely. I don't think, you know, I'm a son of the civil rights movement. I was mentioned in the space as the National Youth Director for Reverend Al Sharpton and Nan. And I got into this work at 13 years old. And I remember he always used to tell me it's not about a generation that knows it all

or a generation that has all the energy, but it's our synergy that really matters in this moment. And I think history shows us through every generation and every movement that young people have always had a different mindset towards things, have always had a different progressive mindset towards what we believe in, whether that's through voting rights, whether that's through policing, whether that's through how we felt about the environment, how we even felt about student debt cancellation. We have always led the way and had a different way of thinking of how we view politics. And I think this is no different.

This generation is no different. And I think they have a... It is that progressive mindset that helped push us to that next dimension. And so I think we are the trailblazers, we are the good troublemakers, as John Lewis would say. And I'm reminded of words like Elijah Cummings, democracy is depending on young people to continue to shake the table, to not allow folks to stay in the comfortability or complacency, but to push people outside of their comfort zones, to make them think outside the box, to really achieve the things and to really achieve the equity and the equality that

we're fighting for. Let me ask you a question. So you just talked about thinking outside of the box. What's the one thing you're hearing from youthful voters, right? However you define that. What's the one policy issue that they care about most? You listed a lot, but I want to know what's the thing that really bubbles to the top? Well, I think especially the economy. We talk about the cost of living. We talk about, we talk about, you talk about rent. I know young folks care about, you know, keeping money in their pocket as everybody else does. We care about putting food on our table and being able to enjoy life and see the world. And so I always hear conversations about around housing. Housing security is a big issue, especially amongst young voters, the economy.

But of course, we still care about the issues, whether it's protecting the right to vote. As we talk about passing the John Lewis Voting Rights Advancement Act, as you know, working with family like the George Floyd family, we care about our public safety and how we feel safe in our communities. And we see a president who was talking about giving police total immunity. What that implicates to black and brown communities of how we felt and how we feel safe in our communities is important, but also the importance of, as we talk about public safety and community, it also goes back to how we are pouring in resources, whether that's through mental health services, whether that's through the investment in education. Like all these wraparound services are part of this holistic view that we are seeing.

And a lot of people like to say, like, young people are one issue voters. I think young people are holistic voters because we understand that it's all interconnected if we're going to be able to achieve these things we want. Are you getting positive responses on the vice president's economic platform that was just put out this week? Last week? Absolutely. And I think, as I said, going around and educating the fact, you know, the Vice President went on a whole economic tour. Starting with negotiating prescription drugs. Absolutely.

Absolutely. Absolutely. Whether when she went on tour and visited our HBCUs, actually to talk about, you know, capping insulin at $30 or whether it was expanding mental health services and providing, you know, counselors in our schools. And so I think she has done so much that has gone unheard. And I think, you know, we are on the map to show the great work that our next president of the United States has done and what she will continue to do to put young folks and all of us on what America looks like at the forefront of her agenda. You know, you are... I don't even know what that is and I'm not sure I want to.

But what I wanted to say to you, because, I mean, you have such optimism. But, you know, there's a class divide in our community. And none of us are working class or poor sitting on this panel. There are brothers and sisters of your age group who don't go to college, don't have opportunities, are unemployed. Do you interact with them and what do you say to them? How do you get them motivated? Absolutely. So when I took on this role of being the youth coalition director at the Democratic

National Committee, as I said, as far as I'm a grassroots organizer, and I think a lot of times when we're in this space, we connect with folks within the ecosystem. So whether that's through our, you know, college Democrats or whether that's through our high school or young Democrats, but I think it's a dual importance of connecting with folks who are in community. Not everybody goes to college. Not everybody goes, you know, you know, or wants to be involved in this or, you know, whether it's through local community, community organizations. But it's important that we meet people where they are. And so if it turns that we got to have and meet them at the brunch, then we got to meet them at the brunch. If it turns that we got to meet them at the basketball court, the blacktop, we

meet them at those places. If it turns that we've got to meet them in their friend circles or other organizations that are plugged into the community, that's what I'm saying. If we've got to meet them on Twitch, if we've got to meet them on TikTok, this is how we get this real engagement. And I think that's how we really understand the pulse of what young people are feeling when we are in those personal spaces and not just in general spaces that we assume that they would be in. So let's talk about making that switch from

the personal engagement to actually voting at the election polls, because what I found very exciting was the literal spike in voter registrations once this candidate was announced. And we know that disproportionate that seemed to be among young people. So I'm excited to hear about that. But we also know historically young people tend to turn out a little bit less than their older counterparts. What is the Democratic Party doing this year to make sure that this is the year that we have record turnout among the youth population? Yeah, like I said, definitely investing in organizations who are already in community doing the work.

I don't believe in reinventing the wheel when there's already set organizations who are doing tons as we get into GOTV time, whether that's meeting folks where they are at our music festivals that we just had, whether that's meeting folks where we're at, where we're talking about our concerts, and we're talking about we've got a lot of artists that are on tour right now. We're going about, you know, we got a lot of artists that are on tour right now. We're going back to school. You know, right after this is over, even now as we're speaking, freshmen are moving into their college dorms. And so whether that's welcome weeks, whether that's HBCU homecomings

and meeting them on the yard, we are rolling out a plan to really engage young people this cycle as we get closer. And that includes young people that are in rural communities. That includes young folks that are across different coalitions. And so we are meeting them where they are, and we're starting, whether it's, like I said, we're back to school and different social events that we know young people are at. Let's switch up for just a sec to move away from education to talk about the environment. This is an issue that affects us all.

And what do we know now? The five largest cities can't have another, or the five cities that can't have another Olympics because the planets have gotten so hot. Paris, you know, went to 120 degrees at some point. Here in the United States, we have not passed legislation to protect workers from overheating. And this is a huge issue. We just had a man in Baltimore who died because he was working garbage in the heat and he couldn't get a break, a 15-minute break to get some water. Young people have been a bit more vocal about the environment, but I haven't seen a swelter from young African Americans in particular. But I'd like to see

more of that. Correct me if I'm wrong. Yeah, definitely. And I also want to see more of that. Correct me if I'm wrong. Yeah, definitely. And I also want to point out that the vice president has been the president, has been the candidate for the working class. And I think even as we look at this administration, Joe Biden has been the president for the working class. And I think, you know, she continues to echo those words that, of ensuring that folks feel safe on the job and also that they are represented by labor.

She has been on the trail saying that every person that works a job should be able to have labor representation. And I think that speaks to who she is as a soon-to-be president, as we speak into existence. But I think, as you said before, climate is on top of the top of the line for young folks. And I think we can also see that the investment that was that was made through the Inflation Reduction Act, which was one of the largest, you know, investment into climate, as we saw a lot of the money of the monies that was within that bill was directly was directly towards, you know, racial equity, racial equity work in communities of color. And so I think the proof is in the pudding.

And I think it echoes to the work that the vice president and the president have been doing. Okay, so the next question is going to be the most important one. When are you running for office? When I'm running for office, you know, whenever the good... Oh, man, you are impressive. Whenever the good Lord put it on my heart to do it. I'm walking. Great answer, great answer.

We don't know what his ambitions are. We don't know. Like I said, I'm just walking, walking and, you know, taking it a day at a time, you know, walking in humility and the blessing that God has given me. And I say I'm so grateful to be able to wake up and do this work that I love to do. And I'm excited. I'm excited. I'm excited for people like John Lewis to move from demonstration to legislation. You know, that's one of my goals. He is kicking off his campaign today.

Right now. That's it. The news is broken right here. When the link drops, just make sure that you donate and bring all the money. It is the small dollars and the small monies. There you go. That's how we win that campaign.

The recurring donation. That's it. Yes. Put it on auto-pay, people. Auto-pay. I'm loving it. Thank you so much for joining us. I appreciate being here. I admire each one of you. You all are

black excellence. It is black women who will lead the way. We clearly see it at the top of the ticket. Thank you for joining us. I appreciate it. Absolutely. I mean, listen, you all, the future is bright. The future is bright. Is he not absolutely amazing?

Amazing. And you know what? Not only was he with Nan, he also won an award with the National Urban League for his youth work. Wow. Oh, really? I remember because I was there then. That's right. You know, this is a very impressive young man.

And the thing is, there are lots of young men and young women out there. And there's so much optimism. And they see themselves in this campaign. So don't let anyone tell you, oh, black men aren't going to support Kamala. That's wrong. That's not true. It's not reflected in reality. Ask them who they know.

And when people say the youth are still disaffected, we know we have work to do. We know we have work to do. But there are young men like that, young women like that who are doing that work. So he makes me hopeful. No, he really does. I enjoyed him so much. Such an interesting and additional perspective. Yeah. And what I appreciated most about him was his class awareness. Most young people do not have class awareness. So they, like he said, they organize in their silos.

The college-educated, you know, the HBCU community hangs with the HBCU community. You know, college-educated, you know, college educated, you know. And so I think that one of the things that this young man reminds me of is how much we have to do as elders to ensure that they have the tools they need to do what they want to do and what they are called to do, as he said, that are called to do. It's an interesting time to look at these young people and really just expand horizons, you know, with them. Absolutely. You know, to me, it's just another sign of how deep, how deep the Democratic bench is. I mean, just compare this convention

to what we saw a few weeks ago. I mean, come on now. The level of talent and the depth of the talent here is out of the world. But they were angry. Hold on a quick second, y'all. Avis is in charge, but we have to have our star and our show on. We're doing Roland, and Roland went someplace, and so the three of us are doing it. We're taking over. We've got to lift you up whenever we can.

The future senator is in the house right here. Wonderful to see you. So tell us a little bit about how everything is going in Maryland and your campaign. And are you going to have a speaking opportunity at this convention? Oh, I am. I'm speaking tomorrow night. Ooh. This excites me so much.

You know, Marylanders are very savvy voters. They understand the power of the majority and maintaining the majority in the Senate. Nobody knows that better than Kamala Harris, who's a former senator, who understands that whoever's in the majority controls the agenda. So we are really working hard to make sure that we maintain that majority, and people are excited. You know, we can feel the euphoria has taken over Maryland, just like it has the rest of the country, thanks to Kamala Harris and Tim Walz.

And not just Maryland. We have the opportunity to have not just one black woman senator. That's right. But two. That's right. Two. Yes. So we're really excited also about her.

I'll be seeing her here at this convention. But it really is an exciting time. So now how's it going? I'm excited also about her. I'll be seeing her here at this convention. But it really is an exciting time. So now how's it going? Because the polls, you don't have a huge advantage over Hogan. And I'm very concerned about his cross-party support. It's not a lot, but there's some. And you know Maryland politics and Prince George's politics better than I do.

I try to stay away from that stuff. But I do. I'm a little offended. You know what? Just do you, boo. We are supporting you, too, in Montgomery County. I think the public understands the difference between a governor and a senator. Many of them do say, as you mentioned, that they liked him very much as a governor,

that he remains popular in Maryland. But many of them have said that they will not vote to hand over majority to a Republican party that is led by Donald Trump. And we can't forget. Because Mitch McConnell wants him. Mitch McConnell is the person who recruited Larry Hogan to be in the race. But, you know, when you talk about, I've been thinking about the ads during your primary that, as you know, ticked me the oomph off. With these incognito Negroes who were basically down on you for various and sundry reasons.

Have they come around? You know, we are unified. I can tell you that. I've been very around? You know, we are unified. I can tell you that. I've been very pleased that as Democrats, we are unified. You know, we had a really tough primary race. But what we recognize, even in the primary, Governor Moore, Congressman Jamie Raskin, Congressman Fumey. So we had Congressman Hoyer. We had so much support. And what we've seen happen in this general election is that the party unified very quickly. I was able to be endorsed right away by my opponent from the primary election, David Trone. And we've seen many of the people who did not support in the primary actually have come around very quickly. And so I'm very pleased that we are unified as a party.

And I think that's the reason we're going to be successful in November in Maryland and across the country is that people are, I think our younger voters are excited. They're coming out to vote. And we're now going to rely on Lottie Dottie and everybody to come out on Election Day to make sure that we're successful. Now, has Trump given you a significant contribution? He has endorsed me. And we are, you know, hopeful that he will also support.

Given all the money he poured into his campaign, I was like, but we're not going back. We're going forward. Last quick question for you, Senator. I'm just going to go ahead and say it. How important is it, though? We focus so much at the top of the ticket. You know, the president needs the Senate to be able to get her agenda through. Tell people why they need to make sure that you and others like you are voting into office. And again, Vice President Kamala Harris knows better than anybody that having the majority in the Senate, the first vote is who will be the Senate majority leader. And we know that, again, whoever has the majority controls the agenda. When we think about Supreme Court justices, for example, we know that the Senate will confirm those justices.

We know that when we think about many of the rights that have been rolled back, that they happen primarily, we're seeing it in the Senate. So having the majority in the Senate, the chairs of the judiciary, for example, we're hearing that Lindsey Graham is a person who's eligible to be a chair of judiciary. We don't want that. We're not just thinking about the Supreme Court. That's scary. We're thinking about appellate court level as well, where we've seen many of these decisions that have rolled back our rights. When we think about choice,

we know that choice will never even come up for a vote unless we have a majority returning vote. So it is going to be really important. I'm excited and I'm optimistic. We're going to win on November 5th. We're going to win not only the Senate race because people are coming out to vote, but we're also going to win the presidency. So I'm excited to be here supporting Vice President Kamala Harris,

who I believe will be our next president. I love it. Thank you so much for joining us today. So good to see you. Our senator. Thank you so much. All right. Sister Senator, great to see you. Thank you. Good to see you all. Thank. Thank you so much. All right. Sister Senator, great to see you.

Thank you. Good to see you all. Thank you. Oh, my goodness. This is the perfect place to be. I know everyone is coming by. Everyone's coming by. We just saw some of the leadership of the National Action Network and the National Urban League who snuck by.

I mean, it is exciting. And, you know, we always talk about the people at the top of these organizations, but they are being run by incredible young people. And they are all out here tonight. This is amazing. Absolutely. Well, this is interesting. We have Andrea. OK, let's take a look at AOC. She is. All right. Let's see what she is. Please welcome New York representative Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez. Thank you, Chicago. Thank you, Chicago! Thank you, Chicago, for your energy.

Thank you, Kamala Harris and Tim Walz, for your vision. AOC! AOC! AOC! Thank you. Thank you. Thank you. Thank you, Chicago, for your energy. Thank you, Kamala Harris and Tim Walz, for your vision. And thank you, Joe Biden, for your leadership. You know, six years ago, I was taking omelet orders as a waitress in New York City. I didn't have health insurance. My family was fighting off foreclosure. And we were struggling with bills after my dad passed away unexpectedly from cancer. Like millions of Americans, we were just looking for an honest shake. And we were tired of a cynical politics

that seemed blind to the realities of working people. It was then, only through the miracles of democracy and community, that the good people of the Bronx and Queens chose someone like me to elect them in Congress. And America, in my heart, I know from that same cloth of hope and aspiration we will also elect Kamala Harris and Tim Walz as presidents and vice presidents of the United States of America. I am here tonight because America has before us a rare and precious opportunity. In Kamala Harris, we have a chance to elect a president who is for the middle class because she is from the middle class.

She understands the urgency of rent checks and groceries and prescriptions. She is as committed to our reproductive and civil rights as she is to taking on corporate greed. And she is working tirelessly to secure a ceasefire in Gaza and bringing hostages home. In Kamala Harris, I see a leader who understands. I see a leader with a real commitment to a better future for working families. And Chicago, we have to help her win. Because we know that Donald Trump would sell this country for a dollar if it meant lining his own pockets and greasing the palms of his Wall Street friends. And I, for one, am tired of hearing about how a two-bit union buster thinks of himself as more of a patriot

than the woman who fights every single day to lift working people out from under the boots of greed, trampling on our way of life. The truth is, John, you cannot love this country if you only fight for the wealthy and big business. To love this country is to fight for its people, all people, working people, everyday Americans like bartenders and factory workers and fast food cashiers who punch a clock and are on their feet all day in some of the toughest jobs out there. You know, ever since I got elected, Republicans have attacked me by saying that I should go back to bartending. But let me tell you, I'm happy to any day of the week because there is nothing wrong with working for a living.

Imagine having leaders in the White House who understand that. Leaders like Kamala and Tim. But Chicago, just because the choice is clear to us does not mean that the path will be easy. Over the next 78 days, we will have to pour every ounce, every minute, every moment into making history on November 5th. But we cannot send Kamala and Tim to the White House alone. Together, we must also elect strong Democratic majorities in the House and in the Senate so that we can deliver on an ambitious agenda for the people. Because if you are a working parent trying to afford rent and child care,

Kamala is for you. If you are a senior who had to go back to work because your retirement didn't stretch far enough, Kamala is for you. If you're an immigrant family just starting your American story, Kamala is for you. America, when we knock on our neighbor's door, organize our communities, and elect Kamala Harris to the presidency on November 5th, we will send a loud message that the people of this nation will not go back. We choose a new path and open the door to a new day, one that is for the people and by the people. Thank you. Thank you.

Thank you very much. God bless. God bless you all. Wow. How about that AOC? Good Lord. All right. And so we are back with the baddest and the blackest and now the black womanist panel on the internet webs, shall we say.

We are joined right now with the incredible Melanie Campbell of the National Coalition on Black Civic Participation and the convener of the Black Women's Roundtable. Thanks for joining us. It's just awesome to be here. It's awesome to see this bad sister's here. I'm like, I know something told me to get up out of my seat. Come on down

here to the road. Come on down. Yes. Well, I know something told me to get up out of my seat. Come on down here to the road. Come on down. Yes. Well, it's so good to see you. We're so happy that you're here. And congratulations this evening. Thank you. Having a podium opportunity, of course, you know, is an opportunity.

But, you know, the sisters were going to hook you up. So Mignon and the team are making sure. And black women are really pushing through so many things right now. How are you feeling? I remember when you put the Black Women's Roundtable together so many years ago. I spent about five minutes on your board. It was about 15 minutes. It might have been.

But I remember when you convened it, and the momentum was not really there. But the momentum has built up. So how do you feel tonight? Well, you know, I had several emotions. One, you know, part of what we were doing was we were celebrating Reverend Jackson. Yes. So for me, it was like back to the future. Why?

Because I was a student when Reverend Jackson ran. Just coming out when Reverend Jackson ran in 1984. So to be able to be here for that. The other thing was that coming into that room, understanding that the shoulders, the Reverend Willie Barrows of the world, when I first moved to Washington, D.C., Of course, to Dr. Dorothy Irene Haidt and those who came before them. And that here we are having a Black woman who is... I know a lot of cops, and they get asked all the time,

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and episodes 4, 5, and 6 on June 4th. Ad-free at Lava for Good Plus on Apple Podcasts. I'm Clayton English. I'm Greg Lott. And this is season two of the War on Drugs podcast. Yes, sir. We are back. In a big way. In a very big way. Real people, real perspectives. This is kind of star-studded a little bit, man.

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And to hear episodes one week early and ad-free with exclusive content, subscribe to Lava for Good Plus on Apple Podcasts. The chair of all of this, Mignon Moore. Yes. And to see a black woman become the nominee, a black South Asian, yes, woman become the president. And so all of that emotion and all of that nervousness, can I be honest, right, of understanding that I wasn't speaking for me. I was speaking to make sure that I carried the voices of sisters with me on that stage.

That is so true. But I have to say, though, let's just say the work that you have done and all of the organizing and the coalition building and just the steadfastness of your devotion to making sure that black women are able to realize their power. What does this moment mean to you? Because this did not happen in a vacuum. No, This did not happen by happenstance. This came because of years of strategizing, of organizing, of coalition building, of getting people out there and getting them involved. And you are at the root of a lot

of that, my sister. So what does this mean to you to be here on this day? Oh, so sweet. Keep it real. Oh, so sweet. You're going to keep it real. Keep it real. Oh, so sweet, right? This is Roland Martin unfiltered, so you can say anything you want. Yeah, I said, oh, so sweet.

And I meant that because you're right. A lot of times when you're in movement, you feel like you're not supposed to celebrate because we know that movement is constant. Struggle is constant. But we did some things. I played my part because somebody taught me the word we. Nothing I do is not a we behind it. So for me, it's like that's what I said.

How I feel is that when I think about their sisters who are a part of our Black Women's Roundtable who are putting it down. I'm going to call the row who I know is here. They're delegates here. They're not wearing the Black Women's Roundtable hat. We sure can keep my tax status. But they are here as themselves in their own leadership. From Ohio, P. Talley's here.

Sheila Tyson's here. Felicia Davis is here. And know, and many others are here. They're doing the work. Deborah Scott, Helen Butler, and go on and on. And so part of it is knowing I was carrying that to that stage. And my mom. Yeah. And your sister.

Yeah, and my sister here. Reverend Lockwood Moore here from Pittsburgh. And so many. And then Cora Mastersberry sister here. Reverend Lockwood Moore here from Pittsburgh. And so many movement folks from every walk of every campaign I've ever seen. I said, they want to take us out and take out the movement. They should have showed up last night. But it's movement because you have folks who are showing up from so many different, who have put their boots up and said they weren't doing no more campaigns, who are showing up.

And so it's a movement taking place, and it's cross-generations, and that's a powerful thing. And you can't stop that from whatever that man is, Orange Man. But we have to stay organized. And I'm going to tell people, stop worrying about inauguration. That's right. Worry about winning. It's about the election about inauguration that's right worry about winning it's about the election this election is not over with all the excitement

with all of this happening it takes organizing, organizing, organizing don't let your foot off the gas because you got people in some of these states who are serious about trying to set it up just like they tried to in 2020 and even in 2016 if you

get go back to what the rhetoric was about oh if they lost and they must be stolen so be and then in some of these states our people Georgia being an example but a rolling back right voting rights even now they had a big meeting today down in Georgia trying to change the rules this late in the game while we're here change change help us out give us details i was listening in to a public meeting that was virtual 800 people on the call um where they're trying to change the rules even now and how you deal with counties how they can count and where you can challenge and not call the race. Is it about to go on?

We're going to have to go back to the former First Lady Hillary Clinton. Thank you so much. Thanks, ladies. Appreciate you. Clinton. Thank you. Thank you so much. Thank you. Thank you.

Thank you all so much. Thank you, my fellow Democrats. Thank you, my fellow Americans. Thank you so much. No. Thank you all. Thank you. Thank you. Thank you.

Thank you. Thank you so much. Wow. There's a lot of energy in this room, just like there is across the country. Something, something is happening in America. You can feel it. Something we've worked for and dreamed of for a long time. First, though, let's salute President Biden. He has been democracy's champion at home and abroad. He brought dignity, decency, and confidence back to the White House. And he showed what it means to be a true patriot. Thank you, Joe Biden, for your lifetime of service and leadership. And now we are writing a new chapter in America's story.

You know, my mother Dorothy was born right here in Chicago before women had the right to vote. That changed 104 years ago yesterday. Think about it. Tennessee became the final state to ratify the 19th Amendment to the Constitution. The state legislature was deadlocked until one lawmaker's mother, a widow who read three newspapers a day, sent a letter. A letter to her son. No more delays, she wrote. Give us the vote. And since that day, every generation has carried the torch forward. In 1972, a She ran for president.

And her determination let me and millions of others dream bigger, not just because of who she was, but because of who she fought for. Working parents, poor children, the last, the least, and the lost. In 1984, I brought my daughter to see Geraldine Ferraro, the first woman nominated for Vice President. If we can do this, Jerry said, we can do anything. And then there was 2016, when it was the honor of my life to accept our party's nomination for president. And nearly 66 million Americans voted for a future where there are no ceilings on our dreams. And afterwards, we refused to give up on America.

Millions marched. Many ran for office. We kept our eyes on the future. Well, my friends, the future is here. I wish my mother and Kamala's mother could see us. They would say, keep going. Shirley and Jerry would saying, keep going. Families building better lives, parents stretching to afford child care, Young people struggling to pay the rent. They're all asking us to keep going.

So, with faith in each other and joy in our hearts, let's send Kamala Harris and Tim Walz to the White House. You know, the story of my life and the history of our country is that progress is possible but not guaranteed. We have to fight for it and never, ever give up. There is always a choice. Do we push forward or pull back? Come together as we the people or split into us versus them. That's the choice we face in this election. Kamala has the character, experience, and vision to lead us forward.

I know her heart and her integrity. We both got our start as young lawyers, helping children who were abused and neglected. That kind of work changes a person. Those kids stay with you. Kamala carries with her the hopes of every child she protected, every family she helped, every community she served. So as president, she will always have our backs.

And she will be a fighter for us. She will fight to lower costs for hardworking families, open the doors wide for good-paying jobs, and yes, she will restore abortion rights nationwide. Thank you. As a prosecutor, Kamala locked up murderers and drug traffickers. She will never rest in defense of our freedom and safety. Donald Trump fell asleep at his own trial. And when he woke up, he made his own kind of history. The first person to run for president with 34 felony convictions. As Vice President Kamala sat in the Situation Room and stood for America's values.

I know what it takes, and I can tell you, as Commander-in-Chief, Kamala won't disrespect our Medal of Honor recipients. She won't be sending love letters to dictators. She will defend democracy and our Constitution and will protect America from enemies, foreign and domestic. Think about it. The Constitution says the president's job is to take care that the laws be faithfully executed. Those are the words of our founders. Take care. Just look at the candidates. Kamala cares. Cares about kids and families.

Cares about America. Donald only cares about himself. On her first day in court, Kamala said five words that still guide her. Kamala Harris for the people. That is something that Donald Trump will never understand. So it is no surprise, is it, that he is lying about Kamala's record? He's mocking her name and her laugh. Sounds familiar. But we have him on the run now. So, so no matter what the polls say, we can't let up.

We can't get driven down crazy conspiracy rabbit holes. We have to fight for the truth. We have to fight for Kamala as she will fight for us. Because you know what? It still takes a village to raise a family, heal a country, and win a campaign. And America needs every one of us. Our energy, our talents, our dreams. We're not just electing a president, we're uplifting our nation. We're opening the promise of America wide enough for everyone. we put a lot of cracks in the highest, hardest glass ceiling.

And tonight, so close to breaking through once and for all, I want to tell you what I see through all those cracks and why it matters for each and every one of us. What do I see? I see freedom. I see the freedom to make our own decisions about our health, our lives, our loves, our families. The freedom to work with dignity and prosper, to worship as we choose or not, to speak our minds freely and honestly. I see freedom from fear and intimidation, from violence and injustice, from chaos and corruption. I see the freedom to look our children in the eye and say,

in America you can go as far as your hard work and talent will take you and mean it. And you know what? On the other side of that glass ceiling is Kamala Harris raising her hand and taking the oath of office as our 47th President of the United States. Because, my friend, when a barrier falls for one of us, it falls. It falls and clears the way for all of us. So for the next 78 days, we need to work harder than we ever have. We need to beat back the dangers that Trump and his allies pose to the rule of law and our way of life. Don't get distracted

or complacent. Talk to your friends and neighbors. Volunteer. Be proud champions for the truth and for the country that we all love. I want my grandchildren and their grandchildren to know I was here at this moment, that we were here and that we were with Kamala Harris every step of the way. This is our time, America. This is when we stand up. This is when we break through. The future is here. It's in our grasp. Let's go. I think it's fair to say that we all stand on the shoulders of Hillary Clinton. So, I'm just checking. Are you ready to join this fight yet? Okay.

That's the answer I was looking for. So, I want you to text JOIN to 30330 and get involved. Now, what does fighting for the people exactly look like? Let's go back to 2011 when Kamala Harris was Attorney General of California. The housing crisis had devastated American families and the big banks had forced Californians out of their homes. Well, Kamala Harris stood up to those banks, and she secured a $20 billion settlement for California families. That is fighting for the people. And that is something that our next speaker knows all about. Please welcome the fearless fighter from South Carolina, Congressman Jim Clyburn. Thank you. Thank you. Thank you. Thank you. Thank you. Thank you. Thank you. Thank you.

Thank you. And good evening. Thank you, South Carolina. Thank you and good evening. Thank you, South Carolina. Thank you. Four years ago, Americans were experiencing high anxieties and great uncertainties. A deadly virus ranged, schools closed, businesses shuttered. Donald Trump mismanaged the crisis from day one, looking out for himself instead of the country. The American people responded to the crisis in leadership by electing new leaders. Thanks to Joe Biden and Kamala Harris, we reopened our schools, brought back our businesses, and restored our faith in the American can-do spirit.

Thanks to Joe and Kamala, we reduced the price of prescription drugs, repaired roads and bridges, and replaced lead pipes. Thanks to Joe and Kamala, we are honoring our heroes in uniform and expanded benefits to over a million veterans. Thanks to Joe and Kamala, Make It In America is no longer just a slogan, but a movement that is bringing millions of manufacturing jobs back to America. For President Biden's lifetime of achievement in service of his country, we owe him a for one of the best decisions he made, selecting Kamala Harris as his vice president and endorsing her to succeed him. I often say that we are but the sum of our experiences. In the introduction to my memoir, I wrote, all my experiences have not been pleasant,

but I consider all of them to be blessings. So has been the case with Kamala. Her experiences have prepared her for this moment. Kamala Harris is a true battle-tested leader, a district attorney, attorney general, senator, and vice president who gets things done. While Donald Trump has been bragging about how he overturned Roe, Kamala has been fiercely advocating for the respite of reproduction freedoms. While Trump has been looking out for himself and his billionaire brothers, Kamala has been fighting to lower costs for all Americans. And while Trump falsely pleads ignorance of Project 2025, which in my opinion is Jim Crow 2.0. Kamala has been offering the American people enlightening proposals and visionary leadership.

Having grown up in the posthumous, I often look to the good book for understanding and guidance. As 2 Corinthians informs, we are troubled on every side, yet not distressed. We are perplexed, but not in despair. Persecuted, but not forsaken. Cast down, but not in despair, persecuted but not forsaken, cast down but not destroyed. Our great democracy has been tested, and so has the basic goodness of the American people. But our resolve to remain a great country and Tim Walsh as the next president and vice president of these United States of America. Thank you and Godspeed. In the criminal justice system, the people are represented by two separate yet equally important groups. The police who investigate crime and the district attorneys who prosecute the offenders.

This is the story of Donald Trump. His entire life, Trump has believed he's above the law, that no one would ever dare hold him accountable. He lies. He rips off workers. He sexually abuses women. Hey, when you're a star, they let you do it. You can do anything. He cheats in business. He cheated on his wife with a porn star and paid her off so the American people wouldn't find out during an election. But in the criminal justice system, ordinary Americans have had the courage to find him accountable time and time again. Guilty. Guilty.

Guilty. Donald Trump guilty on all 34 felony counts. For the first time in history, we have a convicted felon running for president. And to take on this case, we need a president who has spent her life prosecuting perpetrators like Donald Trump. He tried overturning Georgia's free and fair election. I just want to find 11,780 votes. He's tried to escape any responsibility for instigating the January 6th attack on our Capitol. We're going to walk down to the Capitol and I'll be there with you. And if elected, Trump has promised to overturn laws that would keep him accountable

and exact retribution on anyone he considers an enemy. Even warning of a bloodbath if he doesn't get his way. So we, the people have a chance to render our own verdict on Donald Trump. We are the jury he most fears. When we vote this November, we vote for justice, accountability, and the rule of law that keeps America free. Do we believe in freedom? Please welcome Maryland Representative Jamie Raskin. I know a lot of cops, and 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. Across the country, cops called this taser the revolution. But not everyone was convinced it was that simple. Cops believed everything that taser told them. From Lava for Good and the team that brought you Bone Valley comes a story about what happened when a multi-billion dollar company dedicated itself to one visionary mission. This is Absolute Season One, Taser Incorporated. I get right back there and it's bad. It's really, really, really bad.

Listen to new episodes of Absolute Season 1. Taser Incorporated. On the iHeartRadio app, Apple Podcasts, or wherever you get your podcasts. Binge episodes 1, 2, and 3 on May 21st. And episodes 4, 5, and 6 on June 4th. Ad-free at Lava for Good Plus on Apple Podcasts. Big way. Real people, real perspectives. This is kind of star-studded a little bit, man. We got Ricky Williams, NFL player, Heisman Trophy winner. It's just a compassionate choice to allow players all reasonable means to care for themselves.

Music stars Marcus King, John Osborne from Brothers Osborne. We have this misunderstanding of what this quote-unquote drug thing is. Benny the Butcher. Brent Smith from Shinedown. We got B-Real from Cypress Hill. NHL enforcer Riley Cote. Marine Corvette. MMA fighter Liz Karamush. What we're doing now isn't working, and we need to change things.

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. And to hear episodes one week early and ad free with exclusive content, subscribe to Lava for Good Plus on Apple Podcasts. Hello, America. And welcome to the Democracy Convention. Welcome to the Freedom Convention.

And thank you for the beautiful weather, Chicago. It's been a little rough on Capitol Hill where it Lincoln was nominated in 1860 to save the union from fanatical insurrectionists. And where Franklin D. Roosevelt was re-nominated by Democrats in 1940 to defeat fascist dictators. Now we fight in our time to defend our freedom and our democracy against the banana Republicans who have converted Lincoln's party into a dangerous cult of personality. You know, I'll never forget the pounding on the doors of the House chamber on January 6th, where the screams to follow. Hundreds of our police officers taunted and attacked,

140 of them wounded by extremists wielding baseball bats, steel pipes, even American flags. Five people died that day, and four more of our officers took their own lives in the days and weeks to come. All of this after Trump was defeated by more than 7 million votes by the great Joe Biden. It was after 80 judges rejected every ridiculous claim raised by this sore loser who does not know how to take no for an answer from American voters, American courts, or American women. Remember what the mob chanted as they stormed the Capitol and injured our officers? Hang Mike Pence. Someone should have told Donald Trump that the president's job under Article II of the Constitution is to take care that the laws are faithfully executed,

not that the vice president is executed. Pence has now joined more than two dozen officials from Donald Trump's own administration in denouncing him, an historical record. And Pence is the first vice president in more than two centuries not to support the president he served with in a general election. And by the way, J.D. Vance, do you understand why there was a sudden job opening for running mate on the GOP ticket? They tried to kill your predecessor. They tried to kill him because he would not follow Trump's plan to destroy and nullify the votes of millions of Americans. Your votes, Pennsylvania. Your votes, Georgia, Nevada, Arizona. Are we going to go back to the days of election suppression and violent insurrection? We're not going back. Well, look, one week after that beautiful day, as Trump calls it, the Republicans, 10 Republicans, joined all of the Democrats to impeach Trump

for the worst high crime and misdemeanor ever committed by a president, inciting insurrection against our own Constitution. Make no mistake, a man who uses fraud, theft, and violence to take power will commit any crime to keep it. And now Trump's promising to pardon hundreds of his fellow criminal convicts and insurrectionists. He calls for, quote, the termination of all rules, regulations and articles, even those in the Constitution. My friends, are we the people going to let Donald Trump terminate our Constitution and obliterate the blessings of liberty for our posterity. That's right. We're going to elect Kamala Harris. We're going to elect the career prosecutor and inspiring public servant and coach Walls. And we're going to defeat Donald Trump, the career criminal and incorrigible recidivist con man and his pet chameleon, J.D. Vance. And America, let's make it a landslide so big that Donald Trump and his kangaroo Supreme Court justices cannot even try to steal in. Let's make every vote count. Let's make every vote count

Let's make sure every vote is counted Let's let freedom ring And let's let democracy work in America Please welcome Texas Representative Jasmine Crockett. Well, good, good evening, America! America! On November 5th, our nation will hire a president, a commander-in-chief, and leader of the free world. So let's compare their resumes, shall we? One candidate worked at McDonald's while she was in college at an HBCU. H-U.

The other was born with a silver spoon in his mouth and helped his daddy in the family business. Housing discrimination, that is. She became a career prosecutor while he became a career criminal. With 34 felonies, two impeachments, and one porn star to prove it. Her entire career as an elected district attorney, attorney general and senator, she's always worked for one client, the people. Meanwhile, he's a 78-year-old, lifelong predator, fraudster, and cheat known for inciting violent mobs. Listen, y'all. He's only looked out for one person, himself.

As women are dying, he is bragging about overturning Rome. And y'all know I come from Texas. And right now in Texas, come on, Texas. But right now in Texas, they want to institute the death penalty. That is a problem. While Kamala Harris is fighting for our reproductive rights to be restored. She is also the leader we need on the global stage. She helped secure the release of Americans wrongfully detained in Russia. At the same time, he cozies up to his role model, Vladimir Putin, and MAGA holds legislation hostage here at home, critical resources to secure the border, military aid to Ukraine, and even the farm bill. She's lived the American dream while he's been America's nightmare.

America, looking at the two choices before you, who would you hire? Donald Trump? Or Kamala Harris? Kamala Harris has a resume. Donald Trump has a rap sheet. She presides over the Senate while he keeps our national secrets next to his thinking chair. Y'all know what I said that other time. In real logo. Well, Donald Trump wants to put our 1787 Constitution through his Project 2025 paper shredder and make every day January 6th Kamala Harris is fighting to fulfill the promise of America.

In the real world, this wouldn't even be close. But this election is. Don't make a mistake. We are the underdogs in this fight. Even though there is only one person qualified, only one person who's done the work and who has delivered the results. And she needs you. She needs your one vote this November.

Can we count on you? Some of you know a little bit of my history. Some of you don't, so let me tell you. I was a public defender. I did criminal defense as well as practice civil rights law. For almost two decades. I know a good prosecutor when I see one. Kamala Harris is the kind of prosecutor we long for in the cases like those of Breonna Taylor. She was the first attorney general in the nation to order that her officers wear body cams. And she started the back on track program to reduce recidivism.

Listen, y'all, she did all these things because she genuinely cares about people. She sees each person as just that, a person, not a statistic. She's proven that since the first day she stepped into a courtroom and said, which y'all already heard Hillary say, I did not copy off of her speech. I just want y'all to know. She walked into that courtroom and said, Kamala Harris for the people. And she meant that. Many of you know her credentials.

But what I love about Kamala Harris goes beyond her resume. It's that she sees the humanity in everyone. She's the only candidate in this race who is capable of empathy. When I first got to Congress, I wasn't sure I made the right decision. The chaos caucus couldn't elect the speaker, and the oversight committee was unhinged. I was going through all of this when I visited the vice president's residence for the first time. As I approached Vice President Harris for our official photo, she turned to me and asked, what's wrong? Mind you, we'd never met, but she saw right through me. She saw the distress.

I immediately began crying. And the most powerful woman in the world, wipe my tears and listen. It's so hard for me to tell this story. She then said, among other things, you are exactly where God wants you. Your district chose you because they believe in you, and so do I. Thank you. The next month, I went viral for the first of many times to come. For hitting Republicans with a dose of their own medicine. That brief but impactful interaction gave me my legislative legs and I've been running ever since. The question before us is, will a vindictive, vile villain violate voters' vision? For a better America or not, I hear alliterations are back in style.

We deserve better. We deserve a president who can be a bright light in a sea of darkness. One who will pull us forward because we won't go back. Amanda Gorman said it best. There's always light if only we are brave enough to see it. If only we are brave enough to be it. Kamala Harris showed me that light. And America, when she is our president, together we will shine as that beacon of hope and freedom around the world once more. God bless y'all.

This is one of our willow boxes. This is the out. That was Congresswoman Jasmine Crockett, who, of course, represents the congressional district in the Dallas area. That's my congresswoman. I am still registered, so I'm one of her constituents. That's it. Absolutely. Of course, she replaced the late Congresswoman Eddie Bernice Johnson, who also

endorsed her when she ran. When you talk about one of the... First of all, I hate the phrase rising star. I hate that. But the reality is, she's an elected member. She's definitely one of the stars. Because, one,

you were talking off-air air and you actually said it. The reason people have embraced her is because she's not afraid to get in the face, call these Republicans out, and give them, as she said in her speech, a taste of their own medicine. Right. And all too often, Democrats have played nice. They don't want to sit here and hit somebody hard. That's always been the thing. It's like, no, no, no, no.

We ain't doing that. We about to swing. That's right. And I think also what that came off to voters, it wasn't about respectability in politics. It was like we were too good to fight for votes. We were too good to fight for the policies that we believed in. We acted as if we didn't have to sell. We do.

All right. I told y'all we real black. So, Jotaka Eady, of course, with We In With Black Women, she was running by. She was running by. First and foremost, your thoughts, Congresswoman Jasmine Crockett. She just finished speaking, got a little emotional there. The audience absolutely went crazy when she came out. As they should always because Congresswoman Jasmine Crockett represents.

She's a fighter. She's a true representative coming out of Texas in a great legacy, actually, out of Texas. And I think Congresswoman Jasmine Crockett, like others that we saw tonight, represent the future of the Democratic Party. And I think it's important to show that energy, to show the future. She is someone who is a fighter, but she is someone who connects with voters where they're at, particularly young voters. And I think we need more Jasmine Crockett. You have Republicans who, they love to call her ghetto. They love all this stuff along those lines. And, you know, the usual pejoratives they have for black women. But to your point, it is true.

Every time we post a video of her, it goes viral. It blows up two, three, four, five hundred thousand views on our YouTube channel every time. Absolutely. Because what are they always going to do when they are afraid of something? They're going to mock it. They're going to try to drag it down. They're going to use racism and sexism because that's what they do. That's all they know. But what I know is that leaders like Jasmine Crockett is always going to speak to the people, energize the base, and they don't want us to do that. So they're always going to try to keep us from doing the thing that we know we must do.

But you know what? Black women, we don't fall for those tricks. We just keep going. I know you about to go to a reception to a party. I know you going to somebody's concert. You're not inviting me. I knew she would. So y'all going to be looking at Joe Biden's speech at the concert.

I saw it. Yes. Rolling. Rolling. You know your cause. Waiting on you out there right now. That don't even work with me. This is my sister right here.

We're not going to let you do this. But I'll see you at the reception later. Just send me it. Just send me it. Don't be trying to do that sorrow stuff. You just send me a text. Tell me which party you headed to after tonight over. You know, tonight uh once the uh

the the podium and the gavel breaks i am going to be celebrating with uh latasha brown and the the the the amazing folks that are really fighting around uh increasing the wage um yeah and looking at how do we actually create more equity for workers in this country. I think that is a noble cause. I'm sitting here in the presence of the great economist, the Dr. Julianne Malveaux, and with this amazing Joy Chaney here, who did so much when she was at the National Urban League on economics. And I think it's important that we continue to focus on the economic equity, particularly when black women are still earning 63 percent on the dollar in this country. Jadiel, you hear her say, I'm going to celebrate, which means y'all are going to somebody's party.

So y'all going to be talking about all the economic stuff as somebody. I got you. I mean, I don't read. Listen, listen, y'all know, y'all know I'm good. I don't read through all that stuff. Y'all saw how she tried to buy 63 cents, you know, economic. And I'm sitting there going like, uh-huh, okay. We have to talk, Roland.

We have to talk for economic equity 24-7, even if we have to party. And right. So go ahead, go get in your car, go to that party. Go ahead, go ahead. All right, everybody. Thank you. You know what, Roland, I do want to say this. Thank you so much because people have been talking about the call that Went With Black Women did. Go ahead. Go ahead. right there with us, had our backs. People try to say that, oh, we're divided in this moment. We're more united than we have.

I feel like that we have been in a very long time. But I have to say thank you to you, to Khalil, to Quentin, to Michael Blake, and to all 55,000 of those brothers that was on that Zoom and the rest of the brothers who was all watching and the other people and the sisters that were watching too. But I just have to give youall props because people often try to say that black men and black women are divided and we're not because we would not have that momentum if the brothers weren't right there on the very next day to create that momentum and i think came after everyone else came afterwards but it was black men that stood with us first and i think that story has to be told over and over and

over again because we win with black women when we win with black men and i think that story has to be told over and over and over again because we win with black women when we win with black men and we win with black people that's how america wins they win with us more so than they ever will do without us everybody it was like a domino after that it was amazing appreciate it all right thank you see me that see me that text all right you know roland when she made that point about, you know, people like to run that trope. And it's usually white people who like to run a trope about divisions in the African-American community. Now, there are issues. And in my career, I've written much about patriarchy and its effect on black women and many other things about the division.

But also talk about we have more in common. When you look at black men and black women, we have more in common. And one of those things we have in common is a common enemy. I mean, white supremacy is a common enemy of black people. And so we have to look at it that way. There will be differences. But unlike the reaction that many gave to Stacey Abrams, Kamala is not getting that same reaction, not by a long shot.

There are still some brothers who need to be educated, but with the likes of Roland and Freddie Haynes and Michael Blake, they are being educated. And I think one thing we can't forget is that right after black women in terms of loyalty to the Democratic Party are black men. So, you know, I think sometimes there's such a focus and there should be on black women and we are magic. But black men have stood behind this party in this progressive platform for a very long time. And to the extent any black man chooses to vote otherwise, the question is, how does the party seek to get them back? And I think what Kamala Harris has been talking about with their economic policy,

I mean, just not having a tax on tipped wages, all of those things is about making sure we're focused on working class men and women. I think I'm going to reframe that slide. And it's not, and people need to women are loyal to the Democratic Party. It is that we are making, and this is my problem for a lot of people, black men and black women are making strategic, conscientious decisions as to what matters, what are the issues that they care about, and they are voting accordingly. Because here's what never happens. Let's take West Virginia. You have one of the brokest, most illiterate states in the country.

They have elected Republicans to everything. LBJ launched his poverty initiative, war on poverty, in Appalachia, in West Virginia. Those white folks have been voting Republican, voting against their interests, against their economic interests, their education interests. And you know what happened?

What's up, baby? Look what we interest. And you know what happened? What's up, baby? Look who we got. And you know what happened? No one ever says, oh, they giving them their vote. So the decisions that black women and black men and black women are making, they're saying, I have a binary choice. There are two choices I have. So if I am trying to drive an agenda,

if I have to make a decision, which of these two are likely going to take my call? Which of these two are likely going to set a meeting up with me? Which of these two do I have a shot at being able to move them and push them to to advance my issue. The realities are clear. The Republican Party, they are not going to advance civil rights for black people. They are not going to truly advance economic rights for black people.

They're not going to. I mean, we can just start going down the line what they're not going to do. And so, so many people, so for me, because people ask me this question, they say, well, you're a Democrat. I've never self-identified.

I've never called myself a Democrat. Never called myself a Republican. I said, I am a voter. I am a black voter. I vote based upon interest and how it relates to black people. And when that choice, and so you put it that way, I then look at,

I put it on the table and go, okay, if I have concerns with Africa, which of these two parties are likely going to be speaking to what's happening on the continent of Africa? Which of these two parties are going to be dealing with black maternal health? That's right. See, and I think that's the problem for so many people and they get mad by saying, oh, y'all ain't left the plantation. Okay, well then show me all these poor white people who are stuck on the white Republican plantation.

They never use that language with them. They only want to use that with us. See, it's easy. I mean, we have to understand white supremacy in white America. Hold my cup a little bit. Right there. They make a habit of sport out of demeaning us.

So, we have good sense. We have discernment. Like you said, we know how to make a choice between point A and point B. And we have seen over history from time to time. One example, for example, would be when Michael Steele ran for lieutenant governor of Maryland. He pulled, and it was him, it wasn't that

other one, he pulled nearly 20% of the black male vote. But that's the highest the black male vote has ever gotten in Maryland. And you can correlate that to what? His position on minority business expansion, the fact that he also was an African-American man, and you can correlate that to what? His position on minority business expansion, the fact that he also was an African-American man, and the fact that he worked for those folks. But also he talked to them. He met with them. Listen, George Volinovich was a Republican in Cleveland.

He got a significant percent of the black vote when he ran for mayor, when he ran for governor, when he ran for U.S. senator. And so the reality is we've seen it. When Republicans actually meet with, appeal to, talk to. And respect. Respect, but also advance issues to that community, they are going to be rewarded. But the bottom line is this here,

I just get tired of these people throwing this crap out, this plantation nonsense oh you a shill uh all this sort of stuff as opposed to going all right put down your 10 issues and then put a check mark correct next to trump or harris which one agrees with you i guarantee you six or seven out of ten will be for Harris compared to Trump. And so if it's seven to three, that's called 70 percent. You agree with Harris. So why in the hell would you not vote for him?

And it's gotten worse. I mean, the Republican Party used to say that they wanted to try to seek out black voters. The Republican Party used to vote to reauthorize the Voting Rights Act. Now they are dead set against it. They're dead set against it. I ran public policy for a national civil rights organization, and I can tell you we could not get Republicans to come speak to us, and we couldn't get Republicans to meet with us.

That was not always the case. This is something new. It's an idea that even meeting with people, people that are their constituents, that is somehow something that would be frowned upon, frankly, by the orange man. They are going down the wrong path if they wanted black votes. They could get more of them if they focused on policy. But as it is, we're practical people. You're absolutely right.

And, Julianne, when I sit here and I look at these folks and I hear the stuff they're talking about with Vice President Kamala Harris, okay, again, this is the question I would ask. Who do you think, Vice President Kamala Harris or Donald Trump, who do you think is going to have an administration that looks more like us? It's not going to be them. Hold your thought. Write it down.

Because right now we've got to go to the stage. My alpha brother, Georgia Senator Raphael Warnock, is about to take the stage. Please welcome Georgia Senator Raphael Warnock. Well, hello, America. Thank you so very much. On January 5th, 2021, the people of Georgia did an amazing thing. They sent a black kid who grew up in public housing and the Jewish son of an immigrant to the United States Senate in one fell swoop. And among those Georgians was my then 82-year-old mother. She grew up in Waycross, Georgia.

Do you know where that is? It's Waycross, Georgia. Do you know where that is? It's Waycross, Georgia. She grew up in Waycross, Georgia, where she picked other people's cotton. And other people's tobacco. But because this is America, the 82-year-old hands that used to pick somebody else's cotton and somebody else's tobacco picked her youngest son to be a United States This is my America. Thank you, Mom. Thank you, Georgia. Thank you, America, for raising your voice and using your vote. A vote is a kind of prayer for the world we desire for ourselves and for our children, and our

prayers are stronger when we pray together. So together, together we flipped the Senate, held the House, and we sent Joe Biden and Kamala Harris to the White House. Together. Together we vaccinated our citizens, we fortified our cities and our towns, and we stood by our small businesses. Together we set out to heal the land. A nation besieged by a deadly pandemic and beset by the awful and divisive rhetoric of a man too small for

the office entrusted him or the task set before him. The day after my January 5th election, he instigated an insurrection, a violent assault on our nation's capital and the peaceful transfer of power. All driven by the big lie. But behind the big lie was an even bigger lie. It is the lie that this increasingly diverse American electorate does not get to determine the future of the country. The lie and the logic of January 6th is a sickness. It is a kind of cancer that then metastasized into dozens of voter suppression laws all across our country.

And we must be vigilant tonight because these anti-democratic forces are at work right now in Georgia and all across our country. And the question is, who will heal the land? And so here we are, America, are you ready? Are you ready to stand up in this moral moment? Stand up for the best in the American covenant? Elections are about the character of a country. And we must decide, again, we are the latest generation of Americans who get to decide what kind of country we want to be. And we must choose between the promise of January 5th and the peril of January 6th.

A nation that embraces all of us or just some of us. Donald Trump's America is the America of January 6th. People who have no vision traffic in division. He does not know how to lead us, and so he wants to divide us. America, make no mistake, Donald Trump is a plague and present threat to the precious covenant we share with one another. saw him holding the Bible and endorsing a Bible as if it needed his endorsement, he should try reading it. It says, do justice, love kindness, and walk humbly with your God. He should try reading it. It says, love your neighbor as yourself.

It says, inasmuch as you've done it unto the least of these, you have done it also unto me. I choose the American covenant. E pluribus unum, out of many, one. I choose January 5th. I choose a nation that provides a path for ordinary people and gives every child a chance. And that's Joe Biden's America. And he's been fighting for it for more than a half century. President Biden, America is so much better because of you, a true patriot who has always put the people first. Thank you, Joe. Thank you, Joe.

But I'll tell you something else. Not only is that Joe Biden's America, that's Kamala Harris's America. She was leading with Joe Biden when we expanded the child tax credit, cutting child poverty in America nearly in half. We ought to renew it. She cast a tie-breaking vote for my bill capping the cost of insulin to no more than $35 per month for seniors. We ought to extend it to everybody. Together we passed an infrastructure bill, bolstered American manufacturing and clean energy and investment in the house that we all share together. And I've got news for you.

We are just getting started. Are you ready to win this election? Kamala Harris and Tim Walz represent the new way forward. We're not going back because we are the United States of America. We always dream about the future. And so forward on women's reproductive rights because we believe that a patient's room is too small and cramped a space for a woman, her doctor, and the United States government. That's too many people in the room. Forward.

Forward on worker rights. Because most people do not mind working. They just want to share in the prosperity that they are creating for others. Forward on voting rights. Forward on affordable housing and access to health care. We are moving forward. And so I'm inspired tonight. I'm inspired by all of you. I'm inspired by the resilience of an American spirit that has rebounded from the pandemic and is holding at bay the forces that are trying to divide us.

And I'm inspired tonight by the memory of my late father, a preacher and a junk man. Monday through Friday, he lifted old broken cars and put them on the back of an old rig. But on Sunday morning, the man who lifted broken cars lifted broken people whom other people had discarded

and told them that they were God's somebody. My dad discovered strength in the broken places, a power made perfect in weakness. And so I'm convinced tonight that we can lift the broken even as we climb. I'm convinced tonight that we can heal sick bodies. We can heal the wounds that divide us. We can heal a planet in peril. We can heal the land.

And in a strange way, in a strange way, the pandemic taught us how. A contagious airborne disease means that I have a personal stake in the health of my neighbor. If she's sick, I may get sick also. Her health care is good for my health. I'm just trying to tell you that we are as close in our humanity as a cough. I need my neighbor's children to be okay so that my children will be okay. I need all of my neighbor's children to be okay. Poor inner city children in Atlanta

and poor children of Appalachia. I need the poor children of Israel and the poor children of Gaza. I need Israelis and Palestinians. I need those in the Congo, those in Haiti, those in Ukraine. I need American children on both sides of the track to be okay. Because we are all God's children. And so let's stand together. Let's work together. Let's organize together. Let's pray together. Let's stand together. Let's heal the land. God bless you. Keep the faith. And keep looking up.

Can y'all tell that's a preacher? U.S. Senator Raphael Warnock, a senior pastor. Ebenezer Baptist Church, Atlanta, Georgia. Of course, that is the church home of Daddy King and Reverend Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr. He just finished speaking. Coming out now is Delaware Senator Chris Coons. When you look at Julian tonight, and we joked about it earlier but the reality is when you look at i if i try right

now to name every black person who spoke i can't so i can start i mean jamie harrison the dnc chair and jan moore leah daughtry i remember uh congresswoman uh joyce beatty congresswoman I remember Congresswoman Joyce Beatty, Congresswoman Maxine Waters. You had three black labor leaders who were up there, including Lee Saunders, Claude Cummings. You had Congresswoman Jasmine Crockett, Senator Raphael Warnock. And I know I'm missing some folks. That is Senator Butler. Senator LaFonza Butler. Melanie Campbell.

That is the difference between... Because Melanie was up there with Derek Johnson, that is the difference between a Republican Party National Convention and a Democratic National Convention. Well, it's also a difference between an inclusive party

and one that is exclusive. I mean, that's... The Democratic Party, since the changes. I know a lot of cops and 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. Across the country, cops called

this taser the revolution. But not everyone was convinced it was that simple. Cops believed everything that taser told them. From Lava for Good and the team that brought you Bone Valley comes a story about what happened when a multi-billion dollar company dedicated itself to one visionary mission. This is Absolute Season 1, Taser Incorporated. I get right back there and it's bad. It's really, really, really bad. Listen to new episodes of Absolute Season 1, Taser Incorporated on the iHeartRadio app, Apple Podcasts, or wherever you get your podcasts. Binge episodes 1, 2, and 3 on May 21st and episodes 4, 5, and 6 on June 4th.

Ad-free at Lava for Good Plus on Apple Podcasts. I'm Clayton English. I'm Greg Glod. And this is season two of the War on Drugs podcast. Yes, sir. We are back. In a big way. In a very big way. Real people, real perspectives.

This is kind of star-studded a little bit, man. We got Ricky Williams, NFL player, Heisman Trophy winner. It's just a compassionate choice to allow players all reasonable means to care for themselves. Music stars Marcus King, John Osborne from Brothers Osborne. We have this misunderstanding of what this quote-unquote drug man. Benny the Butcher. Brent Smith from Shinedown. We got B-Real from Cypress Hill.

NHL enforcer Riley Cote. Marine Corvette. MMA fighter Liz Karamush. What we're doing now isn't working, and we need to change things. Stories matter, and it brings a face to them. It makes it real. It really 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. And to hear episodes one week early and ad-free with exclusive content, subscribe to Lava for Good Plus on Apple Podcasts. was not just about black people. It was about everybody, including women. I mean, I remember... Sorry about that.

Now, come on, come on. We keep it fluid. We keep it fluid. I don't know what these first names are, but I figured I'd get your attention. Hey, Gavin. How you doing? Y'all good? How are you, Gavin? We're doing a show here.

My brother. How you doing? I'm good. It's nice to see you guys. This is how far back we go. We ran for the Board of Supervisors at the same time. Oh, my. How are you, Governor? My brother. How you doing? I'm good. It's nice to see you guys. Just how far back we go. We ran for the Board of Supervisors at the same time. I got my hind parts beat, and he became the governor. The hell happened to me? It all went awry after that. It's really good to see you. No, no, no.

You got to keep it fresh at the DNC convention. I don't play there. Yes. Well, look at this. Speaking of labor. Who's rolling up behind you? Speaking of labor. Yes.

How you doing, darling? You all good? Yes. How are you? Hey, Phillip Randolph Institute. Yes. I haven't seen you in a long time sitting in this chair. No, no.

I got up. I got up. I've been moving around. I've been moving around. Yes. All right. See you, darling. Yeah. No, no, I got up. I got up. I've been moving around. I've been moving around. Yes. See you, darling. Yeah, so we don't play that. See, I yell at somebody, and we'll shout them down.

Come by and speak. Go ahead. Back to the Democrats inclusive. Republicans are exclusive. And Democrats, again, Reverend Jackson opened the door for a floodgate. So I'm so happy this evening that he got some recognition for that which he did. But again, we are not the party. We have our squabbles.

We have our fights. But at the end of the day, we are for the people. Economic justice, those things. And you would never have an all-white anything in the Democratic Party. It just would never happen. You just look at the rundown. Who was on the Rules Committee? Who was on the Credentials Committee?

And I was... And now look in here. Another wonderful leader. Hello. How are you? Well, actually, you're going to walk into the blackest show from the Democratic National Convention. So we've been doing it.

What's going on? Divine Nine Show. Don't worry about it. What's going on? A Divine Nine show. Don't worry about it. No, we're cool. It's been an incredible, just joyful representation. I was not expecting the Vice President to show up tonight. Yeah. I'm surprised everybody in the room.

Everybody in the room. And just the authenticity, the storytelling, the incredible, powerful stories, both from the reproductive freedom side, from the economic side, from labor. It just felt like all of the issues that really animate what it means to live a life, right? What it means to have a lived experience. We're coming out very, very strong. What it means to be free.

What it means to be free. Free. Free. Actually, before you walked out, we were talking about how I was literally trying to name, by memory, all of the black folks who spoke tonight. Yeah. And I couldn't, which tells you that's a lot of folks who are speaking. Because, listen, if it's a Republican convention, two names, we done.

No, you are absolutely right. This was actually the convention with the most black jobs. The most black jobs. And the black jobs, they had the black resumes. But they also had the lived experience that comes with understanding what it means to live at the intersection of marginalization, right? Whether we have been marginalized by our health care, we've been marginalized by our transportation, we've been marginalized by the jobs. I mean, all of it, it just felt like it came together in a way that was quite seamless. I was really proud. Alexis McGill-Johnson, Planned Parenthood. Thank you for letting me stop by. My soul

war. My soul war. Oh, Lord. Oh, Lord. What sorority might this be? Yes, we are. This is my show. Yeah. I'm an alpha. On this show, we talk about that. What sorority might this be? Yes, we are. This is my show. Yeah. I'm an alpha. On this show, we talk about that. We talk about that. What sorority might this be? Oh, you know the one. Okay. No, we're the biggest and the baddest, and you're the first and the worst.

Hold on. Hold on. Let me real clear. First and final. Let me real clear. Alpha's all. We're all sisters. That's right.

Alpha's all y'all daddy, so it don't matter. Oh, my goodness. It don't matter. Oh, my goodness. It don't matter. Oh, my goodness. No, it's Alpha and Divine Eight. Here's what I'm saying. We're going from Shirley Chisholm.

That's right. To Kamala Harris. We're in good company. So we made the first to run, the first to pledge, the first to run. That's right. None of us are going to be the last. Hold up a little bit. But anytime y'all talking first.

Oh, my. Y'all. Roland is tripping. I'm not tripping i ain't hating i'm stating you and we are not relating the black the black and old gold that was great we were talking okay first of all I see y'all comment on the YouTube channel. I need everybody to calm down, okay? Y'all, listen. Because they're like, oh, how long is it going to last?

Y'all, Jill Biden is next, then President Joe Biden. But all of y'all who are watching understand it's 11-11 on East Coast, 10-11 on Central. The reason you do this is because you're trying to maximize viewership. So I know a lot of y'all are saying, man, I want to turn this off. So that's the whole point here. You're trying to maximize your numbers. You're trying to get as many eyeballs watching this as possible. So that's why you ain't seeing Biden speak at 7 or 8 o'clock. Okay, that's why they're doing this here.

So that's what's going on. And it's 8 o'clock on the West Coast, right? I mean, this is all... You got to factor that in as well. There you go. So he spoke at 8 o'clock. It's 5 o'clock on the West Coast. And the concept, whoever wants you

a prime time, the concept of prime time escape them, I'm just asking. Yeah. So yeah, first wants you, prime time, does the concept of prime time escape them? I'm just asking. Yeah. I'm just asking. So, yeah, first of all, that's totally changed. There are folks that are streaming, all those different sort of things like that. And so that's what's going on.

So to all y'all who are wondering, this is going to be all week. So maybe what you need to do is, you know, you need to, you know, stretch, get up, do whatever you want to. But right now, folks, we're going to go back to the convention hall, and now it's time to hear from the first lady of the United States, Dr. Jill Biden. Thank you. Thank you. Thank you so much. Love you too. Joe and I have been together for almost 50 years. And still, there are moments when I fall in love with him all over again. Like when I handed him our baby Ashley for the first time and saw the smile that lit up his face.

Or on nights after an exhausting day working in the Senate, when he would read one more line because he sees someone grieving who needs to know that everything is going to be all right one day or to encourage that child with a stutter to find the confidence she needs. Those moments when I'm reminded of all he's accomplished in the name of something bigger than himself, receiving the Medal of Freedom with humility, placing his hand on our family Bible to take his oath of office. And weeks ago, when I saw him dig deep into his soul and decide to no longer seek re-election and endorse Kamala Harris. With faith and conviction, Joe knows that our nation's strength doesn't come from intimidation or cruelty.

It comes from the small acts of kindness that heal deep wounds, from service to the communities that make us who we are, from love of a country that shines with promise and renewal. Kamala Harris knows that too. Our son Beau first worked with Kamala when he was Attorney General of Delaware. He told me at the dinner table one night, Mom, she's special, someone to keep your eye on. And he was right. Joe and I know Kamala. We have seen her courage, her determination, and her leadership up close. Kamala and Tim, you will win. And you are inspiring a new generation.

We are all a part of something bigger than ourselves. And we are stronger than we know. The future of our country is in the hands of those in this room and all of you watching at home. It's going to take all of us, and we can't afford to lose. With faith in each other, hope for a brighter future, and love for our country, we will fight and we will win together. Thank you. Thank you. Please welcome first daughter, Ashley Biden.

Good evening. I have this memory. It's the eve of my eighth birthday. Dad is still in D.C. tending to urgent matters in the Senate. That night, as a surprise, Mom told me, Bo, and Hunter to get in the car. I remember pulling up to the Wilmington Amtrak station, riding up the escalator to the platform. The train stops, doors open, and Dad steps out.

As soon as I saw him, I run down that platform and jump into his arms. Like magic, Mom brought out a cake, they sang happy birthday, and I blew out the candles. Dad hugged me, and he said that he had to get back to work. He crossed to the southbound train, and off he went to D.C. That was a snapshot of one moment of one day on this extraordinary journey of being Joe Biden is the OG girl dad. He told me I could be anything and I could do anything. As a child, I would sit on the leather chair in his office doing my homework. And he would sit next to me doing his work, drafting the Violence

Against Women Act. And he wasn't just a girl dad. I could see, and he wasn't just a girl dad, I could see that he valued and trusted women how he listened to his mother how he believed in his sister and most of all how he respected my mother's career dad was always there doing everything he could to be a true partner to her.

Dad, you always tell us, but we don't tell you enough, that you are the love of our lives and the life of our love. I had my wedding reception in my parents' backyard. At the time, my dad was vice president. But he was also that dad, who literally set up the entire reception. He was riding around in his John Deere four-wheeler, fixing the place settings, arranging the plants, and by the way, he was very emotional. I thought that I would be a mess, but he was the one crying, and I was the one who had to comfort him.

Before he walked me down the aisle, he turned to me and said that he would always be my best friend. All these years later, Dad, you are still my best friend. Example in service inspired my career. I'm a social worker in Philadelphia. I support formerly incarcerated women as they heal from past trauma and they reclaim their lives. Dad always told me that I was no better than anybody else and nobody was better than me. He taught me that everyone deserves a fair shot and that we shouldn't leave anyone behind. That's what you learn from a fighter who has been underestimated his entire life. When I look at dad, I see grace, strength, and humility. I see one of the most consequential leaders ever in history. And I also know that he never stops thinking about you, about your dreams, about your dignity, about your opportunities, about your family. Dad knows that family is everything. When Hunter and I lost our brother Beau to cancer in 2015, the grief and the pain

felt like it might never end. Dad had the capacity to step out of his own pain and absorb ours. And I know that Beau is here with us tonight, as he is always with us. After Beau passed, I got this tattoo on my wrist. It says, Courage, Dear Heart. A reminder to myself to keep going, to get back up, like my dad has always done. He has taught me that a courageous heart is a miraculous thing. A courageous heart can heal a family. A courageous heart can heal a nation, and maybe even the world. And now this election requires the courageous hearts of

all of us. In 2020, my dad selected Kamala Harris to beat Donald Trump, and he knows in 2024 she will beat Donald Trump again. So tonight, I am asking you, if you stood with us in 2020, call upon your courageous heart. Stand with us today. Work harder than you have ever worked before in your life. This is the fight of our lifetime, our freedom, our democracy, our reproductive rights. All of this, all of it is on the ballot. And I know together we can do this because my dad helped show us the way. And now I would like to introduce my father, your 46th president of the United States, Joe Biden. Lifted me higher Than I've ever been lifted before

So keep it up Reach my desire And I'll be at your side Forevermore You know your love Keep on lifting Higher Higher and higher

I'll spread your love And sing on Higher and higher I'll run I'll run down the street And I'll bring My clothes to wear I was down this morning With some friends Of my close friends What they do

They're already soon departed And you know he's never Shown his face again That's why good love Is always the end I I I I said good love Thank you. Thank you.

Thank you. Thank you. Thank you. Thank you, thank you, thank you. Thank you, thank you, thank you. Thank you. Thank you. Thank you. I love you. I love you. Thank you.

Thank you, thank you, thank you. That was my daughter. Thank you, thank you, thank you. Thank you. Thank you for... I'll tell you what. To my dearest daughter, Ashley, God love you. You're incredible. Thank you for the introduction and for being my courageous heart, along with Hunter and our entire family, and especially our rock, Jill. For those of you who know us, she still leaves me both breathless and speechless.

Everybody knows her. I love her more than she loves me. She walks down the stairs and I still get that going boom, boom, boom. You all will know me. No, I'm kidding. Let's give a special round of applause to our first lady, Jill Biden. My dad used to have an expression, for real. He'd say, Joey, family is the beginning, the middle, and the end. And I love you all, folks.

And America, I love you. Folks, let me ask you. Let me ask you, are you ready to vote for freedom? Are you ready to vote for democracy and for America? Let me ask you, are you ready to elect Kamala Harris and Tim Walz, President and Vice President of the Capitol on a cold January day, I raised my right hand and I swore an oath to you and to God to preserve, protect, and defend the Constitution and to faithfully execute the office of the President of the United States. In front of me was the city surrounded by the National Guard. Behind me, a Capitol that's two weeks before had been overrun by a violent mob. What I knew then, from the bottom of my heart that I knew now,

there is no place in America for political violence. None. You cannot say you love your country only when you win. In that moment, I wasn't looking to the past. I was looking to the future. I spoke to the work at hand. The moment we had to meet, it was, as I told you then, a winter of peril and possibility. Of peril and possibility. We're in the grip of a once in a century pandemic, historic joblessness, a call for racial justice long overdue, clear and present threats to our very democracy. Thank you. The President of the United States, Donald Trump, is the only person who has ever been a member of the United States.

He is the only person who has ever been a member of the United States. And yet, I believe then, and I believe now, that progress was and is possible. Justice is achievable. And our best days are not behind us. They're before us. Now, it's summer. The winter has passed. And with a grateful heart, I stand before you now on this August night to report that democracy has prevailed.

Democracy. Democracy has delivered. And now democracy must be preserved. You've heard me say it before. We're facing an inflection point, one of those rare moments in history, when the decisions we make now will determine the fate of our nation and the world for decades to come. That's not hyperbole. I mean it literally. We're in a battle for the very soul of America. I ran for president in 2020 because of what I saw in Charlottesville in August of 2017. Extremists coming out of the woods,

carrying torches, their veins bulging from their necks, carrying Nazi swastikas, and changing the same exact anti-Semitic bile that was heard in Germany in the early 30s. Neo-Nazis, white supremacists, the Ku Klux Klan, so emboldened by a president then in the White House that they saw as an ally. They didn't even bother to wear their hoods. Hate was on the march in America. Old ghosts in new garments. Stirring up the oldest divisions.

Stoking the oldest fears. Giving oxygen to the oldest forces that they long sought to tear apart America. In the process, a young woman was killed. When I contacted her mother, I asked about what happened. She told me. When the president was asked what he thought had happened, Donald Trump said, and I quote, there are very fine people on both sides. My God, that's what he said.

That is what he said and what he meant. That's what I realized. Because I had no intention of running again. I just lost part of my soul. But I ran with a deep conviction. In America, I know and believe in an America where honesty, dignity, decency still matter. An America where everyone has a fair shot and hate has no safe harbor. An America where the fundamental creed of this nation, that all of us are created equal, is still very much alive. And a broad coalition of Americans joined with me. Eighty-one million voters voted for us. More than any time in all of history. Because of all of you in this

room and others, we came together in 2020 to save democracy. As your president, I've been determined to keep America moving forward, not going back, to stand against hate and violence in all its forms, to be a nation where we not only live with but thrive on diversity, demonizing no one, leaving no one behind, and becoming the nation that we profess to be. I also ran to rebuild the backbone of America, the middle class. I made a commitment to you that I'd be a president for all Americans, whether you voted for me or not. We have done that. Studies show the major bills we have passed actually delivered more to red states than blue. Because the job of the president is delivered to all of America.

Because of you, and I'm not exaggerating, because of you, we've had one of the most extraordinary four years of progress ever, period. When I say we, I mean Kamala and me. Just think about it. COVID no longer controls our lives. We've gone from economic crisis to the strongest economy in the entire world. Record 60 million new jobs, record small business growth, record high stock market, record high 401 s, wages up and inflation down, way down, and continuing to go down. The smallest racial wealth gap in 20 years. And yes, we both know we have more to do,

but we're moving in the right direction. More Americans have peace of mind that comes from having health insurance. More Americans have peace of mind that comes from having health insurance. More Americans have health insurance today than ever before in American history. And after, as a young senator beginning to fight, beginning to fight for 50 years to give Medicare the power to negotiate lower prescription drug prices, we finally beat Big Pharma. And guess who cast the tie-breaking vote? Vice President, soon-to be President, Kamala Harris.

And now it's the law of the land. Instead of paying $400 a month for insulin, seniors with diabetes will pay $35 a month. The law we passed already includes starting in January, every senior's total prescription costs can be capped at $2,000 no matter how expensive the drugs they have. And what we don't focus on and our Republican friends don't seem to understand, our reforms don't just save seniors money. They save the American taxpayers money. You know, we just passed saves. They saved one hundred and sixty billion dollars over the next decade. That's not hyperbole. It's because Medicare no longer has to pay those exorbitant prices to the big pharma. But look, thank you, Kamala, too. Look, folks, how can we have the strongest economy in the world

without the best infrastructure in the world? Donald Trump promised infrastructure week every week for four years. And he never built a damn thing. But now, because of the Kamala I've done, remember we were told we couldn't get it done. Remember when we came into office, we couldn't get anything passed? But right now, we're giving America an infrastructure decade, not week. We're modernizing our roads, our bridges, our ports, our airports, our trains, our buses. We're removing every lead pipe from schools and homes so every child can drink clean water. We're providing affordable high-speed Internet for every American, no matter where they live,

unlike, not unlike,osevelt did with electricity and so much more we are uniting the country we're growing our economy we're improving our quality of life and we're building a better america Because that's who we are. How can we be the strongest nation in the world without leading the world in science and technology? After years of importing 90% of our semiconductor chips from abroad, which America invented those chips. Our Chips and Science Act meant that private companies from around the world are now investing literally

tens of billions of jobs. And many of those jobs in the so-called fabs, the building that make the chips, are being constructed now. And guess what? The average salary in those fabs, size of a football field, will be over $100,000 a year. And you don't need a college degree. Because of you and so many electeds out there, American manufacturing is back. Where the hell does it say we wouldn't lead the world in manufacturing?

800,000 new manufacturing jobs. Our Republican friends and others made sure they'd go abroad to get the cheapest labor. We used to import products and export jobs. Now we export American products and create American jobs right here in America, where jobs belong. With every new job, with every new factory, pride and hope is being brought back to communities throughout the country that were left behind. You know you're from it, many of you. You know what it's like when that factory closed,

where your mother, your father, your grandmother, grandfather worked. And now you're back, providing once again, proving that Wall Street didn't build America, the middle class built America, and unions built the middle class built America and unions, unions built the middle class. It's been my view since I came to the Senate. That's why I'm proud to have been the first president to walk a picket line and be labeled the most pro-union president in history. And I accept it. It's a fact. Because when unions do well, we all do well. You got it, man. You got it. I agree. I'm proud. Look, remember we told we couldn't get anything done because we couldn't get anything done in the Congress? With your support, we passed the most significant climate law in the history of mankind.

For $370 billion. Cutting carbon emissions in half by 2030. Launching a climate corps similar to AmeriCorps and Peace Corps, creating tens of thousands of jobs for young people of the future. We're going to make sure this continues. Creating hundreds of thousands of jobs in clean energy for American workers, including the IBEW, installing 500,000, 500,000 charging stations all across America. And in the process, reducing carbon emissions. And we're seeing it. We're seeing to it that the first beneficiaries of environmental initiatives are those fenceline communities that have been smothered by the legacy of pollution. Louisiana and Delaware. Route 9. All the factors, all those chemical factors are right next to the poorest neighborhoods.

They're the ones we're going to bring back. And how? How can we be the greatest nation in the world without the best education system in the world? If I don't trouble the Republican friends, they not only can't think, they can't read very well. Seriously, think about it. Look at their Project 2025.

They want to do away with the Department of Education. During the pandemic, Kamala and I helped states and cities get their schools back open. And we gave public school teachers a raise. We created apprenticeships in business and communities, putting students on a path to a good, plain job, whether or not they go to college. And by the way, we're making college a hell of a lot more affordable.

Increasing Pell Grants by $900. Over $15 billion for HBCUs. dollars over 15 billion dollars hbcus minority service agencies including hispanic institutions and tribal colleges we kept our commitment to provide more student relief than ever by lifting the burden of helping millions of families so they can get married, start a family, buy a home, and begin to build family wealth and contribute to the community and grow our economy. It's not costing us, it's creating more wealth. We've fundamentally transformed how our economy grows. From the middle out and the bottom up instead of the top down. You know, my dad used to say there wasn't a whole hell of a lot to drop down on my kitchen table

at the end of the month. I come from a basic middle-class family, three-bedroom house, four kids, a grandpop living with us, decent neighborhood, but never a penny to spare. And look, that top down notion never worked. A lot of Democrats didn't think it worked, but thought it worked, but it doesn't. And when we did all that, what we've done, everybody can do well. Everybody. Donald Trump calls America a failing nation. But think about this. Think about this.

He publicly says to the whole world, I'm going to say something outrageous. I know more foreign leaders by their first names and know them well than anybody alive. Just because I'm so damn old. But I'm not joking. Think of the message he sends around the world when he talks about America being a failing nation. He says we're losing. He's the loser. He's the loser. He's dead wrong.

Many of you are very successful people who travel the world. Name me a country in the world that doesn't think we're the leading nation in the world. Without America, not a joke, think about it. I'm being literal. Who could lead the world other than the United States of America?

But guess what? America's winning, and the world's better off for it. America's more prosperous, and America's safer today than it was under Donald Trump. Trump continues to lie about crime in America, like everything else. Guess what? On his watch, the murder rate went up 30 percent, the biggest increase in history. Meanwhile, we made the largest investment, Kamala and I, in public safety ever.

Now the murder rate is falling faster than any time in history. Violent crime has dropped to the lowest level of more than 50 years. And crime will keep coming down when we put a prosecutor in the Oval Office instead of a convicted felon. And folks, the distinguished senator from the C-Senator from California and I passed the first ban on assault weapons. And guess what? It worked. If we care about public safety,

we need to prevent gun violence. And it makes me ashamed when I travel the world, which I do. More children in America are killed by a gunshot than any other cause in the United States. More die from a bullet than cancer, accidents, or anything else in the United States of America. My God. That's why Kamala and I are proud. We beat the NRA when we passed the first major bipartisan gun safety law in 30 years. I'm serious. That comes from here.

And now it's time to ban assault weapons again. And demand universal background checks. It's hard. I never thought I'd stand before a crowd of Democrats and refer to a president as a liar so many times. I'm not trying to be funny. It's sad. Trump continues to lie about the border. Here's what he won't tell you.

Trump killed the strongest bipartisan border deal in the history of the United States. That we negotiated with the Senate Republican took four months, four weeks. Once it passed and then we acknowledged those expansive border change in American history. He called senators to say, don't support the bipartisan bill. He said it would help me politically and hurt him politically. My God. No, I'm serious. Think about it. Not a joke. Ask even the press who doesn't like me. They'll tell you that's true. Typically, Trump, once again, putting himself first and America last. Then I had to take executive action.

The result of the executive action I took, border encounters have dropped over 50 percent. In fact, there are fewer border crossings today than when Donald Trump left office. And unlike Trump, we will not demonize immigrants, saying they're the poison of blood of America, poison of blood of our country. Kahn and I are committed to strengthening protecting dreamers and more. And here's what else I believe in. Protecting your freedom. Your freedom to vote. Your freedom to love who you love.

And your freedom to choose. In his decision over Attorney Roe v. Wade, as you heard earlier tonight, the United States Supreme Court majority wrote the following, quote, women are not without electrical, not allowed, not without electoral or political power. No kidding. Magna Republicans found out the power of women in 2022. And Donald Trump is going to find out the power of women in 2024. And we're Trump and his mega RepublicanRepublican right-wingers seek to erase history, we Democrats continue

to write history and make more history. I'm proud. I'm proud to have kept my commitment to appoint the first black woman in the United States Supreme Court. Ketanji Brown Jackson. The symbol for every young woman in America that you can do anything. I'm proud that I've kept my commitment to have an administration that looks like America

and that taps in to the full talent of our nation. The most diverse cabinet in history, including the first black woman of South Asian descent to serve as vice president. And will soon serve as the 47th President of the United States. She is good. Look. Thank you, Kamala. Folks, I've long said we have many obligations as a nation. But I got in trouble years ago for saying I'd make no apologies.

We have only one truly sacred obligation. To prepare and equip those we send to war and care for them and their families when they come home and when they don't. That's why I'm so proud to have written and signed the PACT Act, one of the most significant laws ever, helping veterans and their families exposed to toxic materials like burn pits in Agent Orange. I was around during the Vietnam War. It's hard.

Nobody was able to prove that their illness was a consequence of Agent Orange. And no one was able to prove initially that because they lived in burn pits like my son lived next to in Iraq for a year, that is the cause of their illness. But because of the PACT Act, a surviving spouse to two children is now eligible for a benefits to go to college and to get job training. It's already helping over one million veterans and their families just so far. Well, I love them and I'm so proud of my son's service. We get it. But guess who doesn't get it and doesn't respect our veterans? We know from his own chief of staff, the four-star General John Kelly,

that Trump, when in Europe, would not go to the grave sites in France, the brave service members who gave their lives to this country, he called them suckers and losers. Who in the hell does he think he is? Who does he think he is? There's no words for a person. There are not the words of a person not worthy of being commander in chief. Period.

Not then, not now, and not ever. I mean that. I mean that from the bottom of my heart. Just as no commander-in-chief should ever bow down to a dictator the way Trump bows down to Putin. I never have, and I promise you, Kamala Harris will never do it. Will never bow down.

When Trump left office, Europe and NATO was in tatters. Not a joke. America First doctrine changed our whole image in the world. Well, I spent, they gave the hours, about 190 hours, some total, to my counterparts who had just stayed in Europe to strengthen NATO. We did. We united Europe like it hadn't been united for years, adding Finland and Sweden to NATO. Ten days before he died, Henry Kissinger called and said, not since Napoleon has Europe not looked over the shoulder that Russia would dread until now. Until now.

Well, guess what? Putin thought he'd take Kyiv in three days. Three years later, Ukraine is still free. When I came to office, the conventional wisdom was that China would inevitably surpass the United States. They haven't noticed. No one's saying that now. And we'll keep working to bring hostages home and end the war in Gaza and bring peace and security to the Middle East.

As you know, I wrote a peace treaty for Gaza. A few days ago, I put forward a proposal that brought us closer to doing that than we've done since October 7th. We're working around the clock, my Secretary of State, to prevent a wider war and reunite hostages of their families and surge humanitarian health and food assistance into Gaza now. To end the civilian suffering of the Palestinian people and finally, finally, finally deliver a cease-firing, End the civilian suffering of the Palestinian people.

And finally, finally, finally deliver a ceasefire and end this war. Those protesters out in the street, they have a point. A lot of innocent people are being killed on both sides. Jesse, we worked around the clock to bring home wrongfully detained Americans and others from Russia. And one of the most complicated swaps in history. But they're home. Kamala and I are going to keep working to make all Americans wrongfully defamed around the world home. I mean it. Folks, I've got five months left in my presidency. I've got a lot to do. I intend to get it done.

It's been the honor of my lifetime to serve as your president. I love the job, but I love my country more. I love my country more. And all this talk about how I'm angry at all those people who said I should step down, that's not true. We need to stop the drug. We need to stop the drug. We need to stop the drug.

We need to stop the drug. We need to stop the drug. We need to stop the drug. We need to stop the drug. We need to stop the drug. We need to stop the drug. we need to preserve our democracy. In 2024, we need you to vote. We need you to keep the Senate. We need you to win back the House of America. Look, they'll continue to lead America forward, creating more jobs, standing up for workers, growing the economy, lower the cost to American families so they just have a little more breathing

room. We've made incredible progress. We have more work to do. And Kamala and Tim will continue to take on corporate greed and bring down cost of food. They'll keep taking on Big Pharma, making insulin $35 a month, not just for seniors, but for everyone in America.

And capping prescription drug costs a total of $2,000, not just for seniors, but for everyone. And folks, that's going to save America again tens of billions of dollars. Folks, they'll make housing more affordable, building 3 million new homes, providing $25,000 down payment assistance for the first-time homebuyer. More than the 10 we approved. Donald Trump wants new tax on imported goods. Food, gas, clothing and more. You know what that would cost the average family, according to the experts? $3,900 a year in a tax.

No, that's a fact. Kamala and Tim will make the child care tax credit permanent. Lifting millions of children out of poverty and helping millions of families get ahead. But you know what Trump has? He created the largest debt any president had in four years with his $2 trillion tax cut for the wealthy. Well, Trump has a new plan. He wants to provide a $5 billion tax cut for corporations that are very wealthy. Read it.

Put us further in debt and folks you know we have a thousand trillion we have a thousand billionaires in america you know what their average tax rate they pay 8.2 percent if we just increase their taxes we proposed to, which isn't the highest tax rate even. It would raise 500 billion new dollars over 10 years. They'd still be very wealthy. Look, Kamala and Tim are going to make them pay their fair share. They'll protect Social Security and Medicare. Trump wants to cut Social Security and Medicare. Kamala and Tim will protect your freedom. They'll protect your vote to write your right to vote,

to protect your civil rights. And you know, Trump will do everything to ban abortion nationwide. Oh, he will. You know, Kamala and Tim will do everything they possibly can. That's why you have to elect a senator in the House to restore Roe v. Wade. The ancient Greeks taught us that character is destiny. Character is destiny. Character is destiny. For me and Jill, we know Kamala and Doug are people of character. It's been our honor to serve alongside them. And we know that Tim and Gwen Waltz are also people of great character. Selecting Kamala was the very first decision I made before I became, when I became our nominee. And it was the best decision I made my whole career. We've not only gotten to know each other, we've become close friends. She's tough.

She's experienced. And she has enormous integrity. Enormous integrity. Her story represents the best American story. And like many of our best presidents, she was also vice president. That's a joke. But she'll be a president our children could look up to. She'll be a president respected by world leaders because she already is. She'll be a president we can all be proud of.

And she will be a historic president who puts her stamp on America's future. This will be the first presidential election since January 6th. On that day, we almost lost everything about who we are as a country. And that threat, this is not hyperbole, that threat is still very much alive. Donald Trump says he will refuse to accept the election result if he loses again. Think about that. He means it. Think about that. He's promising a bloodbath

if he loses in his words and that he'll be a dictator on day one in his own words. By the way, this sucker means it. No, I'm not joking. Think about it. Anybody else said that in the past? You think he was crazy? He is crazy, but you think it was an exaggeration, but he means it. We can't let that happen. Folks, all of us carry a special obligation. Independents, Republicans, Democrats, we saved democracy in 2020, and now we must save it again in 2024. The vote of each of us cast this year will determine whether democracy and freedom will prevail. It's that simple. It's that serious. And the power is literally in your hands.

History is in your hands. Not hyperbole. It's in your hands. America's future is in your hands. Let me close with this. Nowhere else in the world could a kid with a stutter and modest beginnings in Scranton, Pennsylvania and Claymont, Delaware, grow up to sit behind the resolute desk in the Oval Office. That's because America is and always has been a nation of possibilities. Possibilities. We must never lose that. Never. Kamala and Tim understand that this nation must continue to be a place of possibilities, not just for the few of us, but for all of us.

But join me in promising your whole heart to this effort. And where my heart will be, I promise I'll be the best of who we are as a nation. The song is called American Anthem. There's one verse that stands out, and I can't sing worth a damn, so I'm not going to try. I'll just quote it. The work and prayers of centuries have brought us to this day. What shall our legacy be? What will our children say? Let me know in my heart when my days are through. America, America, I gave my best to you. For 50 years, like many of you, I've given my heart and soul to our nation, and I've been blessed a million times in return for the

support of the American people. I've really been too young to be in the Senate because I wasn't 30 yet and too old to stay as president. But I hope you know how grateful I am to all of you. I can honestly say, and I mean this in the bottom, give me my word as a Biden. I can honestly say I'm more optimistic about the future than I was when I was elected as a 29-year-old United States senator. I mean it. Folks, you just have to remember who we are. We're the United States of America. And there's nothing we cannot do when we do it together.

God bless you all, and may God protect our troops. Thank you. That was President Joe Biden laying out a list of accomplishments during his tenure. You see a lot of the folks not letting him go, if you will. We're joined right now by Congressman Emanuel Cleaver from Kansas City. That room wouldn't let him speak for a while there. Let's go ahead and stay with the podium while I talk to the congressman. It was magical.

Joe Biden probably delivered the most powerful speech of his career. He launched that speech with tears in his eyes because of the introduction that his daughter gave. Frankly, as I looked around at the crowd, they were not the only two dealing with tears. It was

a powerful, powerful moment. And I was talking to a pollster on the way out who said that we are winning, and not only that, but he thinks that we're going to get a pretty big bump, you know, when the polling is done after the convention. So I think things are going well. Enthusiasm is the mother's milk of political success, and that is enthusiasm. Congressman, I appreciate this. Congressman Jasmine Crockett, real quick, you had a lot of tissue up there.

You had folks out there crying and everything. You're the worst. Why? It's terrible having Roland as your constituent. You're the worst. No, but folks were emotional. You got emotional. It was tough for me.

I mean, you know, I think everything that I do, people see my authenticity come through. But a lot of times it's just fight, fight, fight. I'm always in fight mode because that's what it is to be in conflict. I know a lot of cops, and 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.

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And this is Season 2 of the War on Drugs podcast. Yes, sir. We are back. In a big way. In a very big way. Real people, real perspectives. This is kind of star-studded a little bit, man. We got Ricky Williams, NFL player, Heisman Trophy winner. It's just a compassionate choice to allow players

all reasonable means to care for themselves. Music stars Marcus King, John Osborne from Brothers Osborne. We have this misunderstanding of what this quote-unquote drug man. Benny the butcher, Brent Smith from shine down.

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And it brings a face to it. It makes it real. It really does. It makes it real. Listen to new episodes of the war on drugs podcast podcast season two on the iHeartRadio app, Apple Podcasts, or wherever you get your podcasts. And to hear episodes one week early and ad-free with exclusive content, subscribe to Lava for Good Plus on Apple Podcasts. But I need people to understand why it is that I stand so strongly behind this amazing woman.

It's beyond her qualifications. It's beyond all the things that you can research and find out about her. It's a lot deeper than that. And for me, as a black woman, and even being platformed on tonight, we cannot find where a black woman freshman has ever had this opportunity. So even as she is constantly making history, it seems like she is constantly pulling up other black women and making history as well. So I don't want to hear nothing about how she's not one of us

because essentially she has felt like my auntie for a minute. But let me tell you why people love you. We talked about it earlier when you were speaking. Right after you were speaking, you're a fighter. You are a fighter. Can you tell me what motivates you to fight for your constituencies and by and large the American people? I don't get paid enough to just show up. You definitely don't.

I'm not there for a title. And so I really hate wasting my time but knowing that people for a long time i felt like they've not had a voice feeling like they're not represented feeling like they're not seen as an attorney that is what i always was doing is i was always standing up and making sure that i represented for people so this allows me to represent on a lot larger scale and i believe that everybody has a purpose on this planet, and it just so happens that this seemingly is what God wants me to do in this moment. All right.

I like your tuxedo, though. I like that. You fly, y'all fly. Look at you. Good job. And brilliant. Folks, it is, again, so as you see, folks are fouling out. Senator Warnock.

Senator. Folks are, again, fouling out. What's goingock. Senator. Folks are again, filing out what's going on, what's happening. Meredith Lilly coming over here. Go on. Go get in the car. Of course, as you, like I said, this is the VIP interest here, folks. And so

as you see, Senator Chuck Schumer right there. One second. Senator Schumer. How you doing? Talk about that for the president's speech. I got to go. What a speech. He knocked it out of the park.

We are excited. We're going to victory in November, and then you're going to see what we're going to do. I appreciate it. Thanks a lot. That's Senate Majority Leader Chuck Schumer, who's there again. More folks streaming out this way, as I say, headed to their cars. And we're going to be grabbing them as they come out. Julianne, your thoughts about the president's speech?

Turn that way. Turn that way. Got you. Right there. As he said, he knocked it out of the park. That poem that he shared was just really great. American Anthem, I think that's what it was, American Anthem. A song, the song American Anthem. It was so very powerful.

See, first of all, these are the individuals who worked for Congressman James Clyburn. You can tell the loud staffers who worked for Omegas. You can tell the loud staffers who worked for Omega's. You can tell the loud staffers who work for Omega's. Oh, stop. Always tell who they are. Yeah, that's how we do it. That's how alphas do it. Not only that, he did a very effective summary of his achievements.

The housing, the education, all of that. It was just masterful. Done. I don't cry for stuff like that. As John Podesta? I can see why people were crying. It was very moving. Also, he had such enormous grace.

Just such enormous grace. And authenticity. Yes. None of that would have rang true if people didn't believe it. He has done his best for America. And frankly, many of us feel he did that best thing when he handed over the torch to Kamala Harris. Well, it was so interesting. I saw one tweet from Howard Kurtz.

He was complaining that Biden was talking about himself. And I was like, well, who the hell else is he going to talk about? This was his swan song. This was his last opportunity to be in front of the American people. And I think he maximized it. I mean, honestly, maybe he went a little long, but he had that right. He's the president of the United States. He was the sixth president. He was 81 years old. Yeah, go ahead and do what you do. And he's a president for the rest of the year, and he's already committed to doing good stuff. And, you know, beyond

that, in addition to his commitment, what he's actually really done is shown us how to do it. Yeah. Really show us how to do it. So, you know, the speech, it was a great speech. It was a great speech. And he also showed how. Y'all keep talking while I'm trying to grab guests. Yes.

He also showed those how to pass the torch. Yes. Which so many people are so reluctant to do. That's right. I mean, we see these old, I mean, not just I'm not talking ugly about old people, I'm old. But, you know, you have people in the Senate who, you know,

whatever your leadership role is, and holding on to the very last minute. I think there's no one else. I got to work right now. No succession plan. Hey, man, we're keeping it fresh here tonight. No succession plan. No. Hey. Hey, man, we're keeping it fresh here tonight.

That's right. No, but you're right. And what he said is sometimes there's a reason we want age and experience and longevity. And other times we want fresh new ideas. And he said that in his speech previously. Tonight he echoed that. So, yeah, I'm so glad he talked about his accomplishments. So little is that's who you're supposed to talk about that's right and so the speech wasn't about i mean he

included her a lot in it oh yeah and in fact at one point when he kept saying thank you joe thank you joe he said and come on too yeah no he like i said we got to get levon bracy here from florida she's the florida, a rising star. I know we don't like that word, but she just is. Hey. Yeah, we're live. We have a representative from the Florida delegation, but also from the Florida legislature, LaVon Bracey, who is a rising star.

And I'm my and my story. Your thoughts on this first night? Oh, absolutely amazing. Absolutely amazing. I'm so thankful that we paid such great honor to Joe Biden. It was just a wonderful, wonderful experience. I was electric. I was so excited to be in the room.

Jasmine Crockett shut it down. Just wonderful. And I mean, Joe Biden, he had me so emotional. And here's what patriotism looks like. I'm thankful for the decision he made. I'm thankful for the endorsement. I'm thankful for his contribution to our country. It was just a beautiful day.

Beautiful day. His comments were spot on. Julian, go ahead. You're from Florida. Florida is a battleground state. We are in play. We are in play. How are you going to turn it blue? We're working hard. We've knocked on a million doors. We are in play. So I don't believe the pundits to say that we aren't. We are absolutely 100% in play, and we are working

to flip the state, period, point blank, into the state. Well, that's also what happens when you have real leadership. Yeah. Yes. Frankly, the last three or four cycles it's been a little jacked when it comes to the statewide leadership in Florida. I agree, but we've shifted. We have Nikki Freed at the helm of the Florida Democratic Party.

Really grateful for her. She's working. And we're going to be surprised in November. We're absolutely going to be surprised. People are energized. Our Gen Z's are energized. And Nora. Our Gen Z's are energized. Okay.

I didn't know. I didn't know. No, you keep talking. I can multitask. I know how to see people. Are you still talking? Go ahead. Yes.

Got it. But, yeah, so, I mean, you're going to see a different Florida in November. We love it. We'll see that. And let me tell you, a reminder so, I mean, you're going to see a different Florida in November. We love it. We'll see that. And let me tell you a reminder that we need people, you know, the top of the ballot, people at the House and Senate, and then at the local level. So when you vote, you're voting for all of this. All of this. I'm so excited.

I'm so thankful to be joined at Howard University. Our Alpha Chapter Civil War is going to be the next president of the United States of America. Absolutely. Absolutely. So proud. So proud. Love you, Bison. Thank you so much. Thank you for your work. Your wonderful reporting. I follow you. You're wonderful. All right. I appreciate it. So again, folks, as I said, we like literally, where we are stationed, this is literally the VIP entrance and exit. So all of these folks are racing out to their cars and their vehicles that are sitting outside. And so that's why. And then also what you cannot see is literally where we are right here.

That is the elevator that goes where the VIP seating is. And so when Hillary Clinton came in, she came to the elevator. It was Steve Kerr went up. And so this is like the intersection. So this is perfect for most people coming through here, again, to get out to their cars. We started our coverage shortly after 6 p.m. local time, 7 p.m. Eastern. We told y'all we were going to stay on until the conclusion of the day. This has just been day one.

Again, an incredible first day. Tomorrow, you've got your next lineup of speakers. So I'm trying to see who's now coming through. And so, first of all, what's also interesting is so many folks here, and there's so many, you got cabinet secretaries you got members of Congress you got others, and so you've got folks who are, you got state leaders, but I'm talking about

but you got all the folks with their Secret Service protection and so when Governor Josh Shapiro came in, it was at least 10, 15 people, when him, I'm like dang, how big is your entourage right there? You know, Roland, this was a first day. How's it going?

Huh? Say it again. Well, that's a good one. We try. We try. You know, Roland, this was a first day. Usually the first day is something of a dud. Huh?

Usually the first day is something of a dud. It's very pro-formo. In fact, when we were playing, I was telling people, I was like, okay, Monday, but normally it's Tuesday, Wednesday, Thursday. Exactly. But they made a conscious decision to put President Joe Biden on the first night. Tomorrow night, President Barack Obama. You've got Michelle Obama speaking tomorrow. Then, of course, on Wednesday, you've got Bill Clinton. What's up, Vince?

Powerful people. Well, you know, we try. What's up, Vince? Well, you know, we try. What's up, bro? So you've got, of course, Bill Clinton, Tim Walz. Governor Tim Walz will be speaking on Wednesday. And then, of course, on Thursday, I see my frat brother, Congressman Gregory Meeks of McGrath for a second. Come over here, frat.

How you doing? The Congressman Gregory Meese of New York. Your thoughts on this first night of the Democratic Convention 2024? I thought it was a great night. It was a tribute to Joe Biden and a look at the future with Vice President Kamala Harris. It was exciting. The individuals in the room, you know, some of it, you felt like you were here back when Jordan was on the court. But you got inspiration about what the future will bring.

So this was a very great beginning of what's going to be a very productive week and moving forward and making this nation live up to its true meaning of its creed and becoming a more perfect union. What do you expect to come out of the week with? This is a first, great first day. What are you going to leave with on Thursday night? Well, with the fire to make sure that we go into the streets, knock on doors, and make sure that Kamala is the 47th president of the United States of America. I think that the energy that we see, the excitement that we see,

and we know what's at stake. This is not only the most important election of our lifetime, it is the most consequential election of our lifetime. And we need to make sure that that message gets out there because this is still a very close election. And we've got to let people know what's at stake and why we need to get out with record numbers and elect Vice President Harris to become the 47th president. But that's presidential.

You also have to deal with the reality of the House. And then, look, New York State lost a significant number of seats in 2024. And so what is that looking like, the potential of Democrats regaining control of the House? Well, we're going to regain control of the House. I mean, we've got to make Hakeem Jeffries. That's the other consequence of this election, the first African-American speaker of the House of Representatives. And I can tell you, with the spirit that I've been seeing in New York, I've been crossing from Long Island, where we're going to win. We've won back already, New York three with Tom Suozzi. We're going to win New York four with Laura Gillard where we're going to win. We've won back already, New York three with Tom Suozzi. We're going to win New York four with Laura Gillard. We're going to even win New York one,

that's Long Island. Then we're going up to Mid-Hudson. We're going to win New York 17. We're going to win New York 22 in Syracuse. And we're going to win number 19. So we're going to win four to five seats. That in and of itself returns the House to Democrats, makes Hakeem Jeffries the next speaker, and it makes five members of the Congressional Black Caucus chairs of four committees in the House and 31 co-chairs of major subcommittees. So it's going to be a monumental and consequential election all the way around, giving the president, the next president,

Vice President Kamala Harris, when she's the president, the team that she needs to pass the bills and the legislation that we will be passing in the House to have her sign it on the desk. Congressman Gregory Minks, always good to see you, Frat. I appreciate it. Thanks a bunch. Have always good to see you, frat. I appreciate it. Thank you, brother.

All right. Thanks a bunch. Have a good evening. Again, folks, this is night one, the Democratic National Convention here in Chicago. It has been quite a busy night. A lot of folks who have been speaking. I actually took some time to go out on the floor.

There was a lot of German. Senator Durbin? Senator Durbin German Senator Durbin Senator Durbin how you doing so we saw when he spoke earlier let's see here we're looking to see who's in this group of folks who are coming out

mass number of folks as they are streaming out of the convention hall. You know, you got, first of all, it was packed to the rafters. And so you had folks, I'm talking about all the way up to the ceiling. That didn't always happen on the first night. No, no. So it was, like I said, you had enough folks who were in there. And so they're streaming out of here. And you did have some really great moments.

I thought it was amazing to be on the floor when Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez came out and spoke. I mean, she really got a rousing applause. And, again, you see younger members like her like a congressman gasman crockett who really are energizing this party that's right that's right and earlier tonight when you were on the floor roland we had um telling mc um who is the national youth vote director for the dnc come they really talked about the concentrated effort that this group is looking to get young voters excited social media media, TikTok, all the things. And also highlighting the issues that young people care about,

which are disproportionately the economy, which is great. Oh, well, that, but also climate change is one of those. Yes, absolutely. Those two, too. I asked you about climate change. Yeah, you did. You responded in terms of how they plan to deal with it. One of the issues, though, you know, I keep saying this to people. Presidents do not manage inflation.

The public policy manages inflation. People have been expecting. Donald Trump says, I'm going to get rid of inflation. No, you ain't. But neither, frankly, is Kamala. She can make policy that diminishes inflation. One second, one second. Who is this coming through?

I got you. I got you. He has that effect on us, right? Yeah. We got you. Don't come here with no red and white, though. I know. We're red and white. Of course. Don't do it course don't do it don't

do it of course that's uh democratic uh minority leader house minority leader uh hakeem jefferson caperman so we'll talk about that but he's all gonna be joining us later this week so we'll grab him then just like congressman jim clyburn um and so uh no we work we work here right now uh so yeah so um so again folks as come out, we're just trying to grab them, just getting a quick reaction as they step out. You can hear the energy. You can hear the energy in the air as they're coming out of here. Often at this late time, it's, I don't know what time it is.

It is 11.30 Eastern, 11.38 Central. So they're coming out buzzing. They're coming out happy. They're coming out happy. Don't people seem happy? They seem happy. All of that talk about retribution. None of that here. We're talking about freedom.

Well, I think that is I think the big difference between when you look at the campaigns. Yeah. The reality is you have Republican candidates. It is doom and gloom. Everything is awful. Everything is bad. Everything is pathetic. They is bad. Everything is pathetic. They're talking about crime.

It is literally, I never forget when, and I didn't watch it. I've never seen it. But when Trump gave his inauguration speech, President George W. Bush was quoted by somebody. When he came up, he said, that was some strange shit. I believe it. That's what President George W. He said, that was some strange shit. I believe it. That's what President George W. Bush said. Another word for weird.

Said about his speech. Now, it's interesting, during President Biden's speech, he talked about the sore losers comment that Donald Trump made about the soldiers that General John Kelly actually confirmed. Well, today, General Kelly did an interview, I think it was CNN, where he blasted, where he literally blasted Donald Trump's comments saying that the presidential medal of freedom is somehow a better award than the medal of honor.

I mean, that's the kind of person you're dealing with, a man who has literally no respect for the military. No respect, no morals. But no respect for anybody, Roland. I mean, he doesn't respect himself. What grown man, you're almost 70, you're almost 80 years old, and you're talking about your looks on television. That's not it.

Yeah, no, he's definitely not who we need. I think that is made manifest and clear tonight. It's just the beginning of a really excited night. I mean, look at here. It's late. And if you can see, there are so many people flooding out. Happy, thrilled. We got Melanie Campbell again. Yes, we're still here. I mean, we are. I mean, there's just so much excitement. People are tired. But there's a lot of excitement here for Kamala Harris, for Tim Walz, and also for Joe Biden. How you doing?

Trying to. Got to. Got to. Got to. Got to. Got to. So let's see here. I was just seeing, I think Governor Wes Moore of Maryland is making his way out here as well.

So we're going to try to grab him quickly. And to see you. So we're going to try to grab him quickly and to see you. So my producer, Carol, is over there talking to him, what's going on. And so I keep telling him, so black folks do not care if you're working. They will try to roll up and take a selfie while you're trying to work. Well, that's just how famous you are. We need one of them club ropes, the velvet rope right here. You love it. He loves it.

He loves it. Guys, don't believe it. No one believes it. He loves it. Alpha Man's in the house here. What's up, my friend, brother? How you doing, 06? All good?

06, how you doing? Looking good. 0 oh eight the rest of just too late i like that of course you got deltoid julian albano that's right that's right this is a leader circle right yes that's a leader circle that's right but this first night but also president biden's closing speech oh man i mean it was a great night because you a you see what kind of energy that we have right now and just the measure of unity that the party has. And I mean, to listen to Joe Biden talk about, you know, 50 years of public service. I mean, this is a man who when he says that he has given his life towards the betterment of this country,

he means that. And, you know, one thing I was, you know, believe is I don't care where you're on the political spectrum. I don't care whether you're a Republican, Democrat, Independent, it does not matter. Someone who is willing to give their entire professional career to work to make this country better and who stands up there and says, and I would do it over and over again if I had more lives to give, there's a beauty in that kind of sacrifice. There's also selfless for a sitting president to speak on the first night and basically say, clear the runway for his vice president for the rest of the week.

That's right. And to say, you know, telling the American people, and let me explain why I selected her in the first place, because she is outstanding because she is thoughtful. She's a, she's a bridge builder.

She's collaborative and she is tough, she's a bridge builder, she's collaborative, and she is tough, and she's ready to lead. That's why he selected her four years ago, and that's why he's supporting her right now, and I think that's why you saw that whole room is in step to make sure that we're going to support her as well. You know, a measure of his character as well is that when the people were chanting, thank you, Joe, thank you, Joe, he said, and Kamala. And Kamala, that's right. He did not forget it.

Because one of the beautiful things that we've seen, and I know I can tell you, as I've had the pleasure of working with them closely now for the past 19 months as a governor, they have been a true partnership. Everything that we have gotten done in the state of Maryland for these past 19 months, going from 43rd in unemployment to now having the lowest unemployment rates in the entire country in our state. Having the steepest drops of homicides and non-fatal shootings in the entire country is taking place right now in the state of Maryland. Being able to move people into the workforce, the largest mass pardon in the history of the United States, 175,000 cannabis convictions were pardoned about six weeks ago.

I did that in partnership with the Biden-Harris administration. They have been partners the entire way through. And for him to use his time and his spotlight and to share that spotlight and say, let's be clear about who my partner was in the work, says a whole lot about who he is as well. Governor, I know you have to go. We appreciate it. Thanks a lot, Joy. Real quick, what's your final question? Real quick. Kamala Harris is not the only amazing black woman on the ballot, at least not from the state of Maryland. Tell me what's going on in the Senate, Dale. Let everyone know. Who are you supporting? Oh, I'm supporting Angela Altsabrooks. All right. And I got to tell you, so Angela Altsabrooks is the county executive of Prince George's County.

She's running for Senate in the state of Maryland, and she is outstanding. I endorsed her early inside this race, and I endorsed her because, one, I believe in the moment, and two, I believe in the candidate. She will be the next senator for the state of Maryland, but she's only going to do that if we are willing to put in the work. But when we do, I'm telling you, not just Maryland, but America, you're about to have an outstanding senator joining the ranks. Wonderful. Governor, I appreciate it. All right, bro.

Appreciate it. Enjoy. Be well. You know it. That's it. That's it. Y'all, that's Maryland Governor Wes Moore. My governor.

I'm from Maryland. Okay. Yes. All right. Certainly appreciate him stopping. One of us. All right. Montgomery County.

Appreciate him stopping to chat with us on this final night. Democrat Nash Kovic, you see right here. First night. Former Atlanta Mayor Keisha Lance Bottoms, who is one of the senior advisors for the Biden campaign. So we see her here as well. And so we got a log jam. We got a log jam over here. We got a log jam over here.

They're trying to all get out to the VIP cars. Again, great night. Tomorrow we're going to be back at it. So, everybody, again, we're going to be live at 7 Eastern, 6 Central local time. The platform starts around 530. And so we'll be back live. We've got lots more interviews to get with folks. We're going to end this.

I can save my voice. I can have something for the rest of the week. And so final thoughts, Julianne, 60 seconds, go. Amazing. Cloud line. However, marching orders. People we heard from Governor Moore of marching orders. We can enjoy this. We can enjoy this.

We can enjoy this for the week. But then 26th of August, roll our sleeves up, get our checkbooks out. There's a lot of work to do. Joy? That's right. I mean, this was an exciting night. Republicans offered retribution, anger. We offered freedom, hope, joy.

No pun intended. I'm excited about that. But nothing matters unless we go and anger. We offered freedom, hope, joy, no pun intended. I'm excited about that, but nothing matters unless we go and vote. Whoever you're voting for, but I know who I want you to vote for. And if you go and vote, that's what will make this a really memorable occasion. We're just getting started.

Folks, tomorrow, don't forget, prior to tomorrow, the convention coverage, Vice President Kamala Harris and Minnesota Governor Tim Walz will be in Milwaukee, about 80 miles away, holding a rally there. We'll be live streaming that rally on the Black Star Network. And then again, we'll see you right here at 7 p.m. Eastern, 6 p.m. Central.

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