The Breakfast Club - A Charlamagne Tha God Conversation with Former VP Kamala Harris Pt1

Episode Date: October 20, 2025

During the Birmingham stop of her nationwide book tour, Vice President Kamala Harris sits down with Charlamagne tha God to discuss her new memoir, leadership journey, and life in public service. In this intimate conversation, Harris opens up about the emotional and demanding process of writing her memoir and reflects on how her book tour mirrors the intensity of the 2020 presidential campaign trail. She shares behind-the-scenes insights into the 107 days leading up to the 2020 election, her transition into the Vice Presidency, and her perspective on key policy achievements like the Infrastructure Investment and Jobs Act and the CHIPS and Science Act. The discussion also delves into timely topics such as misinformation, the upcoming election, and navigating today’s complex political climate. Harris emphasizes optimism, resilience, and the power of collective action in shaping a hopeful future for America.YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/@BreakfastClubPower1051FMSee omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

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Listen to Hungry for History on the IHeart Radio app, Apple Podcasts, or wherever you get your podcasts. What's up, everybody, it's snacks from the trap nerds and all October long. We're bringing you the horror. We're kicking off this month with some of my best horror games to keep you terrified. Then we'll be talking about our favorite horror in Halloween movies and figuring out why black people always die further. And it's the return of Tony's horror show, SideQuest written and narrated by yours truly. We'll also be doing a full episode reading with commentary.

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I came in telling the truth. Every day, I'm bringing you the latest in entertainment. breaking down the headlines you can't stop talking about and giving you my very unfiltered tape on the biggest stories in the industry. From exclusive news, and y'all know I got it, to us breaking down the interviews because y'all are my co-hosts now.

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What's up, Burmie Howell? Good evening, good afternoon, good evening. Thank you all. Thank you all for taking the time to be with us this afternoon. And Charlemagne, thank you. Yes, it's happy hour. We should be drinking or something. We should have more than water in these cups. How are you feeling?

I am well. Thank you for asking. It's good to be back in Birmingham. It really is. It really is. It was important to me to come back here and I love you back. Thank you. Thank you. It's being on the book tour. I don't know. We can't understand what you just said Does being on the book tour feel like being back out on the campaign trail? It's different. It's different. But it's good to be out and talking with folks and most of all listening to folks.

It's similar in terms of it's a pretty intense schedule, but not nearly as intense as 107 days. And it's a different time. We've got a lot to talk about. A lot to talk about it. Well, you know, I loved 107 days. And the reason I loved 107 days is because I just love honesty, you know. And it felt like, you know, you got a lot. off of your chest, a lot of things that you've been wanting to say,

but I guess couldn't say, you decided to say in the book. Was that a hard process? So, writing the book was a process of reflection for me. And I tend to be very task-oriented, and especially in those 107 days. My prayer every night was, God, please let me have done everything I could have done in that day.

And thank you. And then, of course, the election happened, and then after that, I certified the election, January 6th. I know that was tough. That was a very difficult day. I write about that. And then the inauguration. And before the inauguration, actually,

Doug and I, my husband and I were packing up D.C. to go back home to California, and the wildfires erupted in California. And we were literally Charlemagne packing boxes watching the TV when the Chiron said

fire approaching Kamala Harris's house. We were actually under a mandatory evacuation from our house in L.A. We were in D.C., but we could not go back to our house and the evacuation wasn't lifted until January 19th. And the election was on the, I mean, the inauguration was on the 20th.

So not until the day before the inauguration that we needed to leave, did we know if we'd even have a home to go back to? All of that to say, there really was not much time for reflection for me. And then when I got back, it was about literally and figuratively unpacking. And there was a lot to unpack. And I decided to write about the 107 days and to reflect in a way I had not allowed myself before. And the reflection is about the joys. It's about the ups, the downs, the reflection around how it would have done some things differently.

But also, I write the book with the hopes that we all will remember the optimism and the feeling of the possibilities for. for our country, dare I say, the joy, that we will remember that in a way that reminds us. It's in us. It's in each of us. And we cannot let the outcome of one election or one individual or circumstance dim or extinguish

that light that is in each of us. And especially, in moments of darkness. That is in particular when we need to see that light in ourselves and each other to shine a light on this path

and to take us to the next step where we do not lose our fight and we understand that it is worth it because we love our country and it is our country. It is our country. Have you been shocked by the reaction to the book?

I've heard people say, oh, it's just a book full of excuses. But I'm like, well, did you read it? Because the person that she holds the most accountable is herself. And I think you took, take a little too much blame, if you asked me. Well, I, listen, I believe in speaking truth. And I do talk about, for example, certain interviews I would have done differently. Certain decisions or things that I would have said are done differently.

But, you know, look, I didn't write the book for the pundits. And frankly, just to be very candid, because why not just continue to be candid, I do believe that God will judge us not based on what other people say about us, but based on what we do. And so that's how I feel about that. You write about finding your own voice during those 107 days. What parts of you felt silenced while you were serving as vice president? I did not find my voice. I always had my voice. It wasn't lost. But I was vice president. I was not president. And it's the first time in my elected career that I was not the number one. I was the number two. And that took some adjustment. There's no question. But the reality of it is during the campaign, those 107 days, I was able to do a lot.

lot of what I do believe is important about talking about the needs of the American people in a way that was reflective of my priorities. One of the things I've reflected on, for example, is that we did a lot of good work in our administration, but I would have done some things differently. For example, we did the infrastructure bill, which was very important and very good, good work. We did the Chips Act, which was about technology and what we need to do in terms of creating and manufacturing it here in the United States. But if I had to do it again and do it differently, I would have first done the family piece that was about extension of the child tax credit, paid family leave, affordable child care. I would have done that first.

Putting money in people's pocket. Well, and to deal with the immediate needs and that's why in the 107 days I prioritize just exactly that so my priority in the 107 days included what we needed to do based on my own experience taking care of my mother when she was sick which is getting Medicare to cover home health care for those of us who are taking care of our family members and in particular the sandwich generation. as we call, those folks who are raising young children and taking care of your elder parents and relatives. My priority was around getting homeowners

or potential homeowners down payment assistance so they could afford a home. Things of that nature were the priorities that I had in the 107 days that I was able to effectuate because I was the top of the ticket. Yeah, I never understood. And we talked about this before, like, you know,

the economy does better when there are Democrats in the White House. Yeah, that's right. Statistical. cool fact. That's right. But Democrats are never able to message that to the American people. Why? Well, that's a broad

statement, Charlene. I mean, I think that but to your point, I will say this, I do believe that when we reflect on where we are and reflect on where we are in the context of the election in 24,

you know, one third of the voters voted for the current president. One third voted for us and one third did not vote. Okay. So part of it is the first takeaway for me. We have a lot of work to do on that one third that did not vote about figuring out what we need to do to connect and allow people to know their voice is important and a priority. The other piece of it is to remember two thirds did not vote for this man. And also, when we are then thinking about, you know, and everyone has a relative, a neighbor, a coworker who voted differently than them,

and when we're trying to reconcile it all, I would suggest that part of what we should agree is on is that I do believe there are a fair number of people who voted for the current president on one issue, which is they believed him when he said he would bring down the costs and prices. They believed him because that was their number one issue. Now, he did not tell the truth. There are young children here, so I'll say it that way. He did not tell the truth.

There's a lot of kids in here? Yes. It's kind of the matinee. Eight o'clock show we're going to be cursing. You should have came to the 8 o'clock show. We're going to current at 8 o'clock show. And as evident with the fact that price of groceries is up, inflation is up, unemployment is up as of today.

He did not tell the truth. But when we try to reconcile the differences around how people voted in the election, I think there's some work that we have to do to, one, recognize who did not vote, also to ask for a certain subsection of who. who did vote differently than we did, why? And the other piece that I would ask us to reflect on is let's also not make assumptions that the people who voted differently than us

are working with the same set of information. And this goes to your point. And I didn't say a different set of facts because two plus two is four every day. all the time. That's a fact. But a different set of information. And I do believe, again, part of why I wrote the book is what did we learn that helps us figure out today and the future. Part of one of the biggest challenges to our democracy is mis and disinformation, which is rampant and is everywhere. And how do we focus on that as part of what is ailing us,

as a society and a democracy. And how do we then each of us think of our own power and our collective power to do what we can to make sure we are working with the same information in terms of facts? That's part of the work we need to do. Yeah, I wonder if people just don't know what to believe, because there's so much information.

Yeah, I think that's part of it. And how do you direct people to say, hey, no, this is actually the truth, because everybody, even when they're telling their lies, thinks that they're telling the truth. I think some people are telling lies, and they know they're telling lies. They do. And they're doing it to distract from what they're really up to.

You know, part of this, you know what I'm saying, right? Well, damn, what are they doing in the dark? Because I swear everything they're doing in the light seems trace. Well, you know that? But you know, but you're right. So, okay, here's why we need to understand. We're not the crazy ones, okay?

It's the matinee. So, here's the thing, is that part of it is that they are basically trying to give and throw out information that is inaccurate, to distract from what they are up to, which is that this is one of the most corrupt, callous, and incompetent presidents of the United States we've ever

have. And part of what they're attempting to do is to suggest, which is about gaslighting and scapegoating, that it is those who are relatively powerless that are the cause for our predicament to distract from us looking at the powerful. They're basically saying to people, you have less because of people who have even less than you, to distract from what they are doing to. line their pockets with corrupt and dare I say it's certainly unconstitutional behaviors that are about with a few people amassing and centralizing power to the

exclusion of the whole they are working against the best interest of working people in America. This shutdown, by the way, they're trying to, again, scapegoat on this. Let's be clear. Who owns, who runs the House? Who runs the Senate? Who's in the White House? Who's to blame for the shutdown? Thank you. Yeah. Come on. You're right, but then there's polls that say, there's polls that say, there's polls that came out yesterday that I say most of America is

starting to blame Democrats for the shutdown. Like, how do you combat that? Well, we have to keep reminding folks of who's in power. And again, this is my point, that they are trying to deflect from the people who are in power

to absolve them from any responsibility for what's happening in our country right now. And we can't let them. And that's where I always will say that ultimately, part of my optimism about, you know, and it's waned a bit since the election, I give you that, but it's still here. And part of my optimism is always going to be because there are those

who are powerful in those places, but the greatest power is with the people. The greatest power is with the people and our ability to then talk with each other and remind each other of what is actually happening and deconstruct it in a way that we can see where the dots line up in terms of where this leads to who is actually responsible. And, you know, look, I think that part of what we have to also understand is so much of what we are experiencing now, I know it feels overwhelming.

I know that it is a source of everything from great sadness, depression to anger, it results in people rightly feeling like, you know, put my covers over my head, wake me up when it's over. It's exhausting. It is all of that. And it feels chaotic. But here's what I would all. But no, no, no, no, no, because here's the thing.

Let's not conflate what feels chaotic with what is actually a high velocity event that is about the swift implementation of a plan that has been decades in the making. That's what we are witnessing. Project 2025 did not just fall out of the sky. The Federalist Society, the Heritage Foundation. This stuff has been decades in the making. Part of what I write about is

you look at, the person who's in the White House right now is an interesting combination of a pattern that was taking place where it's almost you can attribute it to Ronald Reagan's celebrity, Newt Gingrich's base level of discourse, and Pat Buchanan's nativism, all piled into one. What we are... Yes.

That's not a drink you want. But think about it. Think about how this path has been building over a period of time. This thing about what they're doing to try and destroy the Department of Education, school lunch programs, head start. This is not new. This has been part of a long-standing agenda to attack public education. What they're doing with the FCC?

And I will tell you, yes, I predicted just about all of it. I've been wanting her to say that for so long I wanted you to tweet it in all caps I was right about every effing thing but the one thing I did not predict I did not predict the capitulation I did not you know I among many things am a lifelong

and therefore devout public servant. I've worked with the private sector over the years doing good work, and I have always believed that if push came to shove, the titans of industry, would at some point be the guardrails around our democracy. And instead, what we have seen is titans of industry, bend the knee at a foot of a tyrant. One has to ask why, and I think the answer is obvious, either it's because they heard what I said on the debate stage that the man yields to favor and flattery, so say he should get a Nobel Peace Prize, or because they want a merger approved, or they want to avoid an

investigation, or they just think that, I don't know, they're going to lose their house in the Hamptons and their yacht. They'll be okay. But the level of fear, and the thing that I have to say is whether it be members of Congress, including members of the president's own party, or those CEOs or titans of industry, this is the thing that's so, is sure, troubling and disappointing doesn't begin to explain it, they know it's not right. They know it's not right. It's not like we have to evangelize about a good number of these people who are doing nothing or are yielding. They know it's not right, but they're feckless. They are not willing to stand up.

And right, baby, that's right. I know you said why, but why? Like, seriously, has America always been a house of cards? Have these people just been, you know, waiting for their opportunity to show who they really are? Like, what is it? But I do believe that it is about power. It is about power.

and this is not new to America it is probably the most blatant example in recent history but it is and this is why I again say but the greatest power is with the people and we will continue to know that and exert that but we got some work to do

that is about us kind of like getting some rest after that last election and then getting back out there Tomorrow is a big day. No Kings rally. Right? Right? Let's look at it in terms of, I mean, most recently, that when this, again, the person in the White House who has just got this fragile little ego, so sensitive.

and could not take the jokes of a political satirist so uses the FCC, a federal agency, which is the people's agency, to threaten retribution. And they take the man off the air, a political satirist. But what happened? The people spoke with your pocketbooks. That's right

That's right And Kimmel is back on the stage Right By the way I love this Kamala Harris I mean this is the one Thank you What's up everybody

This is Snacks from the Trabner's podcast And we're bringing you the horror Every week all October long Kicking off this month I'll be bringing you all my greatest Fear-inducing horror games From Resident Evil to Silent Hill, me and Tony bringing back fire team on Left for Dead too, and we're just going to be going over some of the greats.

Also in October, we'll be talking about our favorite horror and Halloween movie and figure out why black people always got to die further. The Umbro Reliquary invites any and all fooling, brave enough, to peruse its many curiosities. But take heed, all sales are final. Weekly horror side quest written and narrated by yours truly With a full episode read and a commentary special And we will cap it off with horror movie battle royale Jason versus Freddie

Michael Myers versus the 80th thing with the little tongue muster October we're doing it Halloween style Listen to the Trave Nerds podcast from the Black Effect Podcast Network On the IHard Radio app, Apple Podcasts Or wherever you get your podcast I'm Iba Longoria And I'm Maitego, Mr. Juan And on our podcast Hungry for History

We mix two of our favorite things food and history. Ancient Athenians used to scratch names onto oyster shells, and they called these Ostercon to vote politicians into exile. So our word ostracize is related to the word oyster. No way. Bring back the Ostercon. And because we've got a very Mikaasa esucasa kind of vibe on our show,

friends always stop by. Pretty much every entry into this side of the planet was through the The Gulf of Mexico, not of America. No, of America. The Gulf of Mexico, continue to be forever and ever. It blows me away how progressive Mexico was in this moment. They had land reform, they had labor rights,

they had education rights. Mustard seeds were so valuable to the ancient Egyptians that they used to place them in their tombs for the afterlife. Listen to Hungry for History as part of the My Cultura podcast network, available on the IHeart Radio app, Apple Podcasts or wherever you get your podcasts. I'm Hunter, host of Hunting for Answers on the Black Effect Podcast Network. Join me every weekday as I share bite-sized stories of missing and murdered black women and

girls in America. There are several ways we can all do better at protecting black women. My contribution is shining a light on our missing sisters and amplifying their disregarded stories. Stories like Tamika Anderson. As she drove toward Galvez, she was in context. with several people, talking on the phone as she made her way to what should have been a routine transaction.

But Tamika never bought the car, and she never returned home that day. One podcast, one mission, save our girls. Join the searches we explore the chilling cases of missing and murdered black women and girls. Listen to hunting for answers every weekday on the Black Effect Podcast Network, IHeart Radio app, Apple Podcasts, or wherever you get your podcast. Think back to the early 2000s. You're flipping through TV channels, and then you hear this. I was rooting for you.

We were all rooting for you. How dare you! Learn something from this! But looking back 20 years later, that iconic show so many of us loved, is horrified. Robin, first of all, is too old to be starting the model. She's huge. I talked to cast, crew, and producers who were there for some of the show's most shocking moments. If you were so rooting for her, what did you help her?

With never-before-heard interviews, the curse of America's Next Top Model examines why this show was so popular and where it all went wrong. We basically sold our souls, and they got rich. Listen to the Curse of America's Next Top Model on the IHeart Radio app, Apple Podcasts, or wherever you get your podcast. When you were writing the book, did you think about the critics who say you're too overly cautious and you play it too safe? I didn't write it for them.

Period. Period. Why is it so hard for a lot of politicians to just, like, defy the political script and just say what they really fair? Especially in the position you were in. You know, first of all, I think that it's really important that people know where they stand. And especially at this moment in time. And if you understand where you are grounded in terms of your morals and your values and your very, values and your principles, this is not a time to splice and dice words. It's a time to speak

truth. And that's what people need to do. And by the way, and let's not put all the responsibility only on Democrats, though, because everybody needs to speak truth. And that gets back to my point about what's happening in the Republican Party. I served in the Senate for four years. I served. I served in Congress as the United States Senator and I know I know how some of these folks think and I know they know what's happening is wrong

but they're I guess into self-preservation as their first priority over the oath they took to the Constitution of the United States and that's a shame and then and then they're also to make the point they're also the ones

who have decided not to run for re-election because they can can't stand to be in that environment where they are suppressed, talk about being silenced, from going against the herd. Because one of the things that the Republican Party does very well is discipline and, you know, fall in line. They do that very well. And, you know, one could argue that that's part of the genius of their success, but I don't know if that's part of what we think of as being the spirit of Americans and who we are as Americans, which is to stand up for what we believe is right

and for the principles of our Constitution around equality and freedom and fairness and justice. I guess that's what's scary when you talk about, you know, these people are thinking about self-preservation because they're moving, like there's not an election next year. There's not an election in 2008. Like they're moving like, you know what, this is going to be, he's going to be here for a while.

I don't know if that's right. I think that there are, first of all, I'd say that part of the punditry, the political pundits that I think I would like them to think differently. I'm getting kind of bored with the whole chatter, especially on cable news, that is this whole, like, savior complex? Who is the savior? Who is the one? where's the Messiah

we have a lot of stars in the party we have a lot of stars and instead of everyone spending full time just getting themselves all twisted up about who is the one what is the one

see that we have so many and let's see where our riches are and go out with a sense of the fight that is ground in what we know to be right. And instead of all these circular conversations, I find it actually at this point quite boring.

These pundits might be really calling for Jesus at a time like this, though. Well, I'm just talking about the people who are on Earth right now. How much of Kamala Harris in this book is the politician and how much is the woman who's just woman who just don't give her F no more. I'm the same person that I've always been.

And so that's just it. Do you feel, we cannot hear you. You don't know what you say? Do you feel like the Democratic Party truly supported your leadership? I would have just relieved you could steady the ship after Biden's step to side. But that's a big thing to say the Democratic Party.

There was... Well, the Biden administration. Well, I write about it in the book. I write about how I felt about people in the administration. The answer is no. She don't feel like... But here's the thing. If we think about where we are

now and moving forward, we've got to have the fight in us. And we have to understand that this is not a time for sitting around complaining about, oh, they're cheating. They're just not fair. They're not playing by the rules. We need to fight fire with fire. There we go. We need to fight fire with fire. So when I look at where the Democratic Party is today, that's what I applaud. Those who are understanding that this is not a time

to try and be the ones who are holding up the standard when they are stealing our lunch. We will not compromise our values or principles. These things can coexist where we have our principles and our values but we know how to roll up our sleeves

and throw a punch instead of just taking a punch. Thank you. Thank you. I wish we had some Johnny Walker or something, because this is good. Anybody got some brown liquor? That's literally the only thing that, like, for me it's like, this is, like, this is the Kamala Harris, we all know and we love, and this is why we like seeing you.

Just be honest at a time like this. Now, another thing I want to talk about, like we've all seen the clips of people interrupting you at these books. book events, right? Please, nobody do that tonight. All right. And it always makes me wonder if they've read the book, like the people who are in support of Palestine, have they actually read the book? Because in the book, you call Biden's comments on Gaza inadequate and forced. What word would you use to describe the administration's role in that moment? I firmly believe we could have done more. We had a certain level of leverage that we did not exercise, whether it was about what we did in terms of supplying support at what level. about speaking publicly about what we knew to be wrong.

I think we could have done more and should have. Did you ever feel complicit in decisions? That's right. Did you ever feel complicit in decisions that went against your conscience? I, the people in the administration were very clear about how I felt. Yeah. You wrote that Netanyahu wanted Trump in the seat across from him, not you, not Joe. So what do you think that says about how foreign leaders really view, you know,

the current administration and the Biden administration? I think, and I, again, for the sake of repetition, I predicted it. And it's exactly what we're saying. I sit on the debate stage. They, one, are laughing at us. If you look at it in the context of, again, a disgraceful speech that the president gave before the United Nations. He did it when he was president the first time, and again, it was disgraceful.

You look at it in terms of, the whole flattery or favor he accepted a plane the president of the United States from a foreign government remember we all learned back in the day what is a Trojan horse some people might call it a jet plane I'd call it a Trojan horse

And let me tell you something, I spent four years flying around the world on Air Force 2 and taking very important, highly classified meetings with the Secretary of Defense, Secretary of State, generals, and others in an environment on that plane that was highly protected for those classified conversations. because you can only imagine how much foreign governments want to have access to our classified information, which we possess in the best interest of our national security. And this man wants a big plane so bad because, you know, his plane is not that big, that Trump plane. And he wants it so he can have it when he's out of office. They talk about giving it to the library.

You know who's going to be flying around on that plane. And this is on top of, remember early on, they were using signal, Charlemagne, to plan out war plans. We would get ourselves out of bed in the middle of the night, all of us, wherever we were to go to what is called a skiff, which is a secure facility or go to the situation room to have those conversations.

These people are so lazy that they're sitting back texting each other about war plans and then so dumb to not know a reporter is in the tax chain. With our national security interest at stake.

And if it weren't so incredible, harmful, it would be the thing of a great comedy sketch. Oh, it will be in a future. But it's, and this is the thing about having people who don't fully appreciate the strength and power and therefore solemn responsibility that comes with these positions. that it is not about them, it is about you. It is about us.

It is about we, the people. And that is what is so tragic. Put aside personalities, put aside egos or lack thereof. The matters that we are discussing are of such a grave and important nature that to have people who do not understand that they possess the power in the public

trust and to instead be convinced of their personal entitlement is so incredibly dangerous to who we are as a country. Well, let's save each other. We're here to save each other.

We are doing this together. We have midterms coming up. And we have local state and federal elections and this is a time for us we cannot afford to let's never let anybody take

our power from us let's never let anybody or situation take our power from us it is ours and whether it is just re or amping up the engagement with our friends, our neighbors,

our cousins and play cousins whether it be what we do to, you know, be more active in our church or where we pray, whether it be to get more involved in non-profit organizations which are so thinly spread right now and being attacked by this administration. And then being a part of whether it be peaceful protest or are getting involved in the next election cycle, let's not cede our power. Let's not seed our power. then they win.

We cannot let our spirit be defeated. Then they win. So that's the charge for us all. We will get through this, but I cannot guarantee it won't get worse before it gets better, right? So let's be clear-eyed. How much worse do you think it could get?

I mean, God only knows every day something is happening. Every single day. and so I don't know how much worse it can get but we should assume it's going to get worse and maybe much worse and so let's be braced to some extent but the other thing that is so critically important for us and for the young people in our lives

is to not allow them to have us normalize this there is nothing normal about what is happening right now nothing normal That is a great point but I mean a lot of these young people don't have anything else to compare it to so that's the scary part right like this is their normal

they may just accept it as such That's right And that's where we have a collective responsibility to help them know otherwise I just met with a young group of brilliant young people here in Birmingham this afternoon

And, you know, they were talking with me, for example, about the fact that their main source of information is online. They're not really read, they're not reading legacy media at all. They're not reading, you know, the paper, whether it be online or otherwise. Most of what they are also receiving is video. And, but good for them. And they were between about age 18 and 22. And they are, this was something that, I, again, my optimism.

They know that they are being fed information that is for a large part inaccurate. They know it. And so, what they're asking is where can they go for accurate information?

And that's the charge that each of us has, right? And then it is whether it be what we're reading, whether it be Associated Press, New York Times, other, what we have, you know, those of us of a of an older generation, who are not, let's say, Gen Z, that's where we have an added responsibility,

as we always will have to those who are coming up, to share with them our knowledge, not only about fact, but also history, especially when there are full-on attacks to rewrite history and revise history according to their perspective on what we should be teaching. I want to go back to Palestine for one second because you said something in the book and I've been wanting to ask you this. How did you emotionally reconcile working in an administration that, in your words, didn't fully express empathy for Palestinians?

It was very difficult. I mean, I, so I was in conversations where, for example, you know, that, you know, that, Five months into the war, I gave a speech at the foot of the Edmund Pettus Bridge on the commemoration of Bloody Sunday. And I write about this. I gave a speech, and I was the first at the highest level of our administration to talk about the fact that Palestinians were starving. and it was not received well within the White House that I did that. I spoke of ceasefire. This was a year and a half ago, at least.

And I couldn't not speak about it as much as I could, but I was not president. I would be in conversations where, for example, about the starvation issue, you know, early on it became very clear that there was no running water or clean water. And then people would start, and this was when Israel was allowing,

the government of Israel, let me say, the government of Israel was allowing humanitarian aid. And I would say, look, so they would talk about this many tons of flour, and I literally said in one of the meetings, look, I cook. So let me tell you, you can't do a thing with flour if you don't have water.

So what are we talking about in terms of what are they actually eating? To be very specific about it, I asked, like, what are women doing around their monthly needs? And usually it was a roomful of men who don't have never, experience monthly needs in that way.

I would hope not. That would be different. Well, but you understand my point. So it was, it was very challenging. Is that one of the most challenging things when, you know, you have all of these people out here who believe in you and want to support you and they don't know what it is you're doing behind the scenes? Like, behind the scenes, you're having these fights.

Behind the scenes, you're having these, you know, discussions. But the people don't know that. Right, and that is sadly the nature of the work that I do and have done. That not everything I know can I speak, especially if it's obviously of a classified nature. Plus, as I write, it is very important. I believe that in the relationship between the president and vice president, that there be a safe zone of having conversations that are not going to be shared. and I maintain that that is very important.

What about when you know the president is dead wrong? What about what? What about when you know the president is just dead wrong? Well, if there is a disagreement, then there has to be candor in that. And that's what I engage in. What's up everybody? This is Snacks from the TrapMurge podcast. And we're bringing you the horror every week all October long.

Kicking off this month, I'll be bringing you all my greatest fear-inducing horror games from Resident Evil to Silent Hill, me and Tony bringing back fire team on Left for Dead 2. And we're just going to be going over some of the greats. Also in October, we'll be talking about our favorite horror and Halloween movie and figuring out why black people always got to die first. The umbral reliquary invites any and all fooling, brave enough, to peruse its many. curiosities. But take heed, all sales are final. Weekly horror side quest written and narrated by yours truly. With a full episode read and a commentary special.

And we will cap it off with horror movie battle royale. Jason versus Freddie. Michael Myers versus the 80th thing with the little tongue muster. October, we're doing it Halloween style. Listen to the trap nurse podcast from the Black Effect podcast network on the IHard Radio app, Apple podcast, or wherever you get your podcast. I'm I'm Yvalongoria. And I'm Mike Tegom And on our podcast, Hungry for History, we mix two of our favorite things, food and history. Ancient Athenians used to scratch names onto oyster shells, and they called these Ostercon, to vote politicians into exile. So our word ostracize is related to the word oyster. No way. Bring back the Ostercon.

And because we've got a very Mikaasa esucasa kind of vibe on our show, friends always stop by. Pretty much every entry into this side of the planet was through the Gulf of Mexico. No, the America. No, the Gulf of Mexico. Continuano are being so forever and ever, it blows me away how progressive Mexico was in this moment. They had land reform, they had labor rights, they had education rights. Mustard seeds were so valuable to the ancient Egyptians that they used to place them in their tombs for the afterlife.

Listen to Hungry for History as part of the My Cultura Podcast Network, available on the IHeart Radio app, Apple Podcasts, or wherever you get your podcasts. I'm Hunter, host of Hunting for Answers on the Black Effect Podcast Network. Join me every weekday as I share bite-sized stories of missing and murdered black women and girls in America. There are several ways we can all do better at protecting black women. My contribution is shining a light on our missing sisters and amplifying their disregarded stories. stories like Tamika Anderson. As she drove toward Galvez, she was in contact with several people,

talking on the phone as she made her way to what should have been a routine transaction. But Tamika never bought the car, and she never returned home that day. One podcast, one mission, save our girls. Join the searches we explore the chilling cases of missing and murdered black women and girls. Listen to Hunting for Answers every weekday on the Black Effect Podcast Network, iHeartRadio app, Apple Podcasts, or wherever you get your podcast. Think back to the early 2000s. You're flipping through TV channels, and then you hear this.

I was rooting for you. We were all rooting for you. How dare you! Learn something from this! But looking back 20 years later, that iconic show, so many of us love. It's horrified. Robin, first of all, is too old to be starting the model. She's huge. I talked to cast, crew, and producers who were there for some of the show's most shocking

moments. If you were so rooting for her, what did you help her? With never before heard interviews, the curse of America's next top model examines why this show was so popular and where it all went wrong. We basically sold our souls and they got rich. Listen to the curse of America's Next Top Model on the IHeart Radio app, Apple Podcasts, or wherever you get your podcast. You know, Governor Josh Shapiro, you talk about him in the book

and you said that he might be overly ambitious. Am I using the right words? That's not what I said. That's your characteristic. But he might have, what was the word? Well, read, open the book. I think it was, oh, I thought it was overly ambitious. Oh, yes, yep, yes.

Too ambitious, maybe? Refer to the words I actually use and then get to your point. The point is really more so about you, though. Like, you know, that's some of the things that the criticism they had about you, that you might be too ambitious, and, you know, the president always had to watch his back. So there is a saying in the White House, lore has it. Whether it's true or not, it's, it is repeated over many administrations in the years, which is that the outgoing chief of staff of the president of the United States

will say to the incoming chief of staff, to the incoming president of the United States, regardless of party, rule number one, watch the vice president. And as I write in the book, part of the dynamic that I was aware of coming into the White House as vice president was I had obviously run against the president

and that there may still be, not on his behalf, but others. some hard feelings about that. But here's how I feel about the subject that you are raising, which is ambition. I applaud ambition in people. And I think that part of the challenge that we face is to look at someone, especially our young people,

and say their ambition is a bad thing as though it is a fault of character instead of a strength of character. To suggest that somehow if someone has ambition we've conflated ambition with blind ambition. Somehow it's bad. I encourage people to have ambition. I think it is a good thing.

I think it's part of the American spirit. To believe in what is possible, to go for it, to roll up your sleeves. You know, I have lived my career and tried to live my career where I don't hear no. I hear no maybe the 10th time. I like to joke I eat no for breakfast. I've mentored a lot of people over the years, including now,

and I tell them you don't, and you know, somebody actually has the sweatshirt with one of the sayings from my mother on it, which is you don't ever let anybody tell you who you are. You tell them who you are, right? I think that is a good thing. So there you go. And I mean, you should scare people when you walk in room. Do I scare you?

Yes, you know that. What you're talking about? I'm not trying to scare people. I'm not trying to scare people at all. Have you spoken to President Biden? Have you read the book? I have talked to him. I mean, he's most recently,

and we should all say a prayer for his strong and full recovery. He's battling cancer right now. And he is a fight. He is a fighter. How did he feel about you telling your truth? I think he has, I think he's been actually very supportive of me telling my truth. Joe Biden is a good man. He's a very good man. He really is. He really is. And he was a good president. And he was a good president.

How did, how did you reconcile? protecting President Biden as your friend, but also protecting, you know, the country as a leader. Meaning that, you know, when you saw things starting to slip, you know. I didn't, what's, I don't know what you're talking about, Charleston. Well, President Biden, him, as a human. I did not see him start to slip in what way? That's not what I, what I talk about is about, let's, again, at that moment where everyone was just piling. on him, I was not about to participate in piling on, number one, number two, that don't,

let's not mistake whether someone has the ability to govern versus the vigor that one might want in a candidate for election, because those are two different things. And I never questioned, nor do I, on reflection, his capacity to. to have been president. But you did say in the book that you didn't think his decision to run again should have just been his and his alone. That's a different point, yes.

Uh-huh, I did. So with that said, how do you reconcile being his friend but also knowing what's best for the country? What's best for the country in the context of an election is what you mean? I think that he, I said what I meant, which is on reflection, I think that it was, we should have, and I'm going to speak for myself, that I perhaps should have said something to him about, that suggesting he reconsider running.

And there are a number of reasons I did not, including that I did believe that to do that would come off as being very, very self-serving and therefore not effective but it was a conversation that should have been had yeah you said you thought it would be self-serving

yes I'm vice president United States at the time but you actually would be looking out for the needs of the country I'm talking about how it would be interpreted oh got you got you got you got you got you got you and therefore would it have been an effective conversation I don't believe that you have a conversation just because you want to get something off of your chest.

You also have to, I think, be engaged in, is it going to be productive? And that was my point. Another thing I got from the book, especially early on, do you feel like you are loyal to a default, at least in this situation? I am a loyal person, and I don't apologize for that. But it can be, I suppose, a weakness, but it's my nature. All right. I got a couple audience questions. Okay.

Shirel Garrell, she says the Voting Rights Act has long symbolized. Did I pronounce your name right, Sherell? There you are. Hi. It's Shirel? Shirel. The Voting Rights Act has long symbolized the promise of equal access to democracy. As those protections are being rolled back, how do we ensure that our judges,

that our generation doesn't just defend that promise with scrimfins it. So I think everyone saw, and if not, I'd invite everyone over the weekend if you have some time to take a look at those arguments before the Supreme Court this week. They're trying to wholesale get rid of the Voting Rights Act. And I have to say to you as a young leader

that part of your legacy being here in Birmingham is that it is young leaders who imagined and dreamed that you would be here right now that are from this region and from this place that are the reason

that we got the Voting Rights Act in the first place and it is part of your legacy to fight to maintain as best as we can those protections but right now we are witnessing a reversal

of those hard-fought rights that the American people should have to have access to the polls as a way to express their voice through their vote about the future of their country and their government. The arguments that happened in the United States Supreme Court this week, I've just started to review them,

I'm going to try and spend some time this week in reading it in Hull, but it's outrageous. And it's basically around a case out of Louisiana where I believe there are six congressional seats in Louisiana and I believe that the local, they decided in Louisiana that they only had one that had a black representative to Congress and they would expand it to two.

And now there are a bunch of plaintiffs saying no that the Voting Rights Act Section 2 should not apply and get rid of that, which will affect it is estimated of, I'm going to get the number approximately right, but just under about 10 Democratic seats will be wiped out where we think the ruling is headed actually goes to that place. And that's where it's going to be about you and all of us as leaders, regardless of our age, to stand up in particular around what we do around local elections, congressional elections, to fight for these protections because they are very much under attack right now.

And it's a crying shame. It's a crying shame when, again, to your point, Charlemagne, they're so blatantly and unapologetically trying to roll back the advances we've made in civil rights. And again, this suggestion that civil rights are just for some. They're for all of us. Everybody benefits when each other's civil rights are protected. Everyone benefits.

And that's part of the scapegoating and gaslighting that's happening right now. So we're counting on you. And I know you're, I've just put a heavy burden on you. Welcome to the club. And I'm glad you're here. Thank you. You know, you mentioned the Supreme Court. Why do we still act like they're a legitimate institution?

because we want them to be because we want them to be but you're right I mean this is about back to the point about this has been decades in the making we are where we are because of an agenda that has been about long-standing gerrymandering taking over state houses

manipulating the who is receives judicial appointments. This is all, we are seeing, like I said, the implementation of a plan that has been a long time in the making. And we have to see where it is heading to know where we have to head.

And that includes, for example, I think part of the mistake, at least in hindsight, is we drop the ball on what was happening at a local and state level. And that's part of the price we're paying.

And that relates to everything from who you elect as your local sheriff to mayor, to governor, to your state house representatives. And what we all need to do. And I think we have allowed, and I'm not, it's all of us, is I'm not pointing a finger at anyone in particular.

But the future of our democracy is not only going to be determined by who sits in the White House. It is all of these positions, and therefore we do have power at a local level. We do have school board elections, for goodness sakes. So important when we think about the future of where we're putting resources in the education of our children, and are we actually teaching them about the history of the Voting Rights Act, And are we teaching them about the history of who we are, not to mention, civics, around three co-equal branches of government, to your point?

And the need for the safeguards and the backstops. I'm going to go back to the audience questions because we run it out of time. But if Democrats knew what Republicans were planning all of these years, where was the defense? If you knew what their office was going to be, where was the defense? I think that we have to see what happened. and know what we need to do in the future. I think you're right. I mean, one could argue, how could this just, how could this happen?

Yes, I think it's a fair question. I think it's a fair question. Because y'all talking about Project 225. What if January 1st coming, we get a 2026 and then the Project 2027 and the Project 2028, they might have this whole thing playing with that. You are absolutely correct. And that's why the moment, the present moment, requires us to be active and see what's right in front of us and deal with that.

with an eye toward where we need to go. For example, part of what I have been thinking a lot about in terms of where we are now and the future, I think a lot about Gen Z. And I'll tell you why. First of all, they are, Gen Z as a population of people demographically are larger in number than boomers. So boomers handle that.

They are more of them. they are between about age 13 and 2728 and then think about them as a generation they've only known the climate crisis incredibly important phases of their education because of the pandemic were taken from them brown education socialization if you think about the pandemic in terms of the statistics which I believe it's still true. One in four black Americans lost a family member to COVID, and what that meant in terms of trauma, experienced in a family. You look at it in terms of the fact that it is estimated Gen Z, when they graduate,

be at high school or college, will probably have up to 10 to 12 jobs in their lifetime. Previous generations, we could expect if we, when we came out of high school, came out of college, we'd have one job, and that's where we would retire. So many of our students, if they're in college, for example, they're not sure if what they're studying now, by the day they graduate, be that next year or in three or four years,

will actually lead to an employable job and work. And so I say all that to say that they are having a very specific experience. They are also, as I have come to know them and have members of that generation in my family, incredibly impatient. They are not sitting around waiting for us to figure it out. And they have a stake in what's happening right now. Part of what I think about the future of the Democratic Party as it relates to Gen Z, I actually am here to say, I believe that part of of what we need to do to fix things is lower the voting age to 16. I think we should sit with that for a minute.

I see some people need to. I think we should lower the national voting age to 16. Because if we are talking with our young people about what is important, they will tell us everything that is about tomorrow and the next five and ten. in 20 years, they'll lay it all out for us. They are not invested in the way things have been. They are not benefiting from tradition or status quo as it has existed for decades.

They're right now present and very clear-eyed about how we need to address the future. And if we give them the power to make decisions about who is an elected office and allow them to help inform the priorities, I think our future is brighter. Wow. I think our future is brighter.

I had another audience question. Her name is Lindsay Hall. She's 17, but I feel like you already answered it because her question was, I have always been afraid of speaking up first, so what advice would you give young women like myself who want to lead but feel afraid of being labeled too ambitious? Where are you?

Where are you at, Lindsay? Where? Wait, let's see. Where is... Wait, Turn around? You up there? there's oh there you are oh she all the way up there wow what's up there what's up up lindsay okay first of all can we all applaud lindsay please for being here so think first thing first i want you to hear and remember what you just heard and hold on to it which is you may be

the first to do many things. You may be alone in many rooms where you're the only one like you and everybody else around the table is different than you in terms of their life experience or how they look and I want you to never feel alone and always know and hear in your heart and soul the applause you just heard to know that there are a whole lot of people that are encouraging your ambition and encouraging you to have the energy and the excitement about doing things that are about making this world better. See? So don't ever allow yourself to be limited

in terms of what you think you are capable of based on other people's limited ability to see what's possible. Don't let their limitations be yours. Don't ever let their limitations be yours. Okay, lecture over. I'm glad you're here. Listen, this has been a great conversation.

We're over time, but I want to make sure we close by continuing to talk about the fight ahead, right? Like during the campaign, you would, in your speech, you're saying, when we fight, we win. Yeah. And in your Howard speech, you acknowledge that sometimes the fight takes a while. That's right. What does that fight look like now? What weapon should we be using? We should be using the weapon, the power.

of our voice of our vote of our pocketbook we should be using the strength I think of it as strength right the strength of our ability to create

community you know so many people right now there's so much fear so much fear and so many people are feeling attacked and are being attacked literally yes

people are on edge Charlemagne and I think one of the counteractions to that is us doing everything we can to create and reinforce community like I'd ask you if you don't know the person

sitting next to you just look at them and say how you doing right you know you just we're in church but right

just let's yeah you know what we can be doing is to remind each other we're not alone we are all in this together and that's our power and that's our weapon

among these people that are trying to divide our country and turn American against each other because part of what I'd add Charlemagne is I think part of what we have to fight against right now is there is an incredible amount of mist and distrust in our world right now. And there's an incredible amount of distrust

between the American people of each other. And that distrust is not only about what people are worried about and about, you know, can I lock my front door, but a concern about whether, can I trust that you are not a threat to my very existence. That's part of what's happening in our country right now. And the great antidote

and counteraction to that I believe is to keep working in community with a sense of the collective. And so that's our power and that's the power that we have that we should use every day.

Yeah. Make some noise for offer ever vice president. I like what that young lady calls you. She called you Big Sister General. I like that. So listen. Make some noise again for Kamala Harris, y'all.

I'm Hunter, host of Hunting for Answers on the Black Effect Podcast Network. Join me every weekday as I share bite-sized stories of missing and murdered black women and girls in America. Stories like Erica Hunt. A young mother vanished without a trace after a family gathering on 4th of July weekend, 2016. No goodbyes, no clues, just gone. Listen to hunting for answers every weekday on the Black Effect Podcast Network, IHeartRadio app, Apple Podcasts, or wherever you get your podcast. What's up, everybody? It's snacks from the trap nerds and all October long. We're bringing you the horror.

Boogity, boogiety, boogie. We're kicking off this month. some of my best horror games to keep you terrified. Then we'll be talking about our favorite horror in Halloween movies and figuring out why black people always die further. And it's the return of Tony's horror show, SideQuest written and narrated by yours truly. We'll also be doing a full episode reading with commentary. And we'll cap it off with a horror movie Battle Royale.

Open your free AHA Radio app and Search Trapp Nurt's podcast and listen now. I'm I Belongoria and I'm Maita and this week on our podcast, Hungry for History, Plus, the Miambe chief stops by. If you're not an oyster lover, don't even talk to me. Ancient Athenians used to scratch names onto oyster shells to vote politicians into exile. So our word ostracize is related to the word oyster. No way.

Bring back the OsterCon. Listen to Hungry for History on the IHeart Radio app, Apple Podcasts, or wherever you get your podcasts. I'm the homeguard that knows a little bit about everything in everybody. Let me know, Lauren La Rosa. Did you hear that exclusive? Lauren came in high. I came in telling the truth. Every day, I'm bringing you the latest in entertainment,

breaking down the headlines you can't stop talking about, and giving you my very unfiltered take on the biggest stories in the industry. From exclusive news, and y'all know I got it, to us breaking down the interviews, because y'all are my co-hosts now. I'm giving you the deep dives on some of the biggest moments in pop culture. Oh, my God. Listen to the latest with Lauren La Rosa weekdays on the IHeart Radio app. Apple Podcasts or wherever you get your podcast.

This is an IHeart podcast.