The Daily Show: Ears Edition - Texas Energy Crisis Deepens | Heather McGhee

Episode Date: February 18, 2021

Texans suffer from ongoing extreme winter weather, Dulce Sloan talks to Divine Nine sorority members about Vice President Kamala Harris, and author Heather McGhee discusses "The Sum of Us." Learn more about your ad-choices at https://www.iheartpodcastnetwork.comSee omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

You're listening to Comedy Central. Finding great candidates to hire can be like trying to find a needle in a haystack. You might get a lot of resumes, but not enough candidates with the right skills or experience. But not with Zip Recruiter. Zip Recruiter finds amazing candidates for you fast. And right now you can try it for free at Zip Recruiter. Zip Recruits smart technology identifies top talent for your roles quickly. Immediately after you post your job, zip recruiters powerful matching technology starts showing

you qualified people for it, and you can use zip recruiters pre-written invite to apply message to personally reach out to your favorite candidates and encourage them to apply sooner. Ditch the other hiring sites and let zip recruiter find what you're looking for, the needle in the haystack. Four out of five employers who post on Zip Recruiter get a quality candidate within the first day. Try it for free at this exclusive web address. Zip Recruiter.com slash zip. Zip Recruiter. The smartest way to hire. When 60 Minutes premiered in September 1968, there was nothing like it.

This is 60 Minutes. It's a kind of a magazine for television. Very few have been given access to the treasures in our archives. You're rolling. But that's all about to change. Like none of this stuff gets looked at. That's incredible. I'm Seth Done of CBS News. Listen to 60 Minutes, a second look,

starting September 17th, wherever you get your podcasts. Hey, what's going on, everybody? I'm Trevor Noah, and this is the daily social distancing show. Today is February 17th, and here's your vaccine tip of the day. If you see a syringe lying on the ground, please don't just assume that it's a COVID vaccine and injected into yourself. Don't do that. I don't know what was in the shot that I took, but I'm definitely addicted to it now. Anyway, on tonight's show,

Texas is power hungry. Donald Trump is the MC at the Mitch McConnell Roast, and Dulce Sloan uncovers Kamala Harris's secret family. So let's do this, people. Welcome to the Daily Social Distancing Show. From Trevor's Couch in New York City to your couch somewhere in the world. This is the Daily Social Distancing Show with Trevor Noa. Ears edition. Let's kick off the show with the coronavirus pandemic. It's the reason you keep refreshing vaccine websites like they're selling Coachella tickets.

With over a million Americans getting vaccinated every day, everyone is anxiously looking forward to a time when they can get back to doing normal things again. You know, like going out to eat or not thinking about the welfare of the people who deliver their packages. And last night, President Joseph Raisinet Biden gave the country an update on when normal life might happen. President Biden got a trip to the swing state of Wisconsin for a CNN town hall, his first trip as president.

He offered a new timeline on when the vaccine will be available for all Americans and a return to something like normal. By the end of July we'll have over 600 million doses enough to vaccinate every single American. As my mother would say, with the grace of God and the goodwill of the neighbors, that by next Christmas I think will be in a very different circumstance, God willing than we are today. Wow. Who would have seen this coming? After all that th th th th th th th th th th th th th th th th th all th th all th th all th th th th all th th th th tho tho tho tho tho that to to to to to to to to to to to toke tmil to to to to to to to to to to to to to to to to to to to to to to to to to to to to to to to to to to to to to to to to to to to to to to to to to to to to to to to to the to the the to tm will tme tme tme tme tme tme tme tme tme tome tome tome tome tome tome, tme tme toe toethan we are today. Wow. Who would have seen this coming?

After all that talk from Trump, it turns out Biden is the one who's going to have people saying Merry Christmas again. But that's right. Biden is predicting that COVID-19 will be gone from our lives by the end of this year. Just in time for COVID-21 to kick in the high gear. BIMPIMPIMPIN! Wait, no, I don't want COVID-21. And I'm really hopeful that Biden is right.

Because if things are normal by Christmas, that means Santa can come down the chimney and put my presents under the tree again. Unlike last year, when he threw them thrown th th th th th th th th th through th through th through tho tho tho threw them through my living room window. You broke that shit, Santa! But let's move on now from the current president to the previous one. Now out of office, Donald Trump is back at the helm of his business empire and try to figure out how to make money without being able to overcharge the secret service. But today, he watched a piece of that empire literally collapse.

We have got breaking news in Atlantic City, New Jersey. Just moments ago, the former Trump Plaza hotel and casino was brought down kiboum by a planned implosion. The building had deteriorated in recent years, and Atlantic City's mayor said the implosion was not about politics, it was about public safety. Tickets to see the demolition of the hotel formerly owned by the 45th president went for as high as $575.

Whoa, whoa, whoa, hold up. People paid almost 600 bucks to watch that building get demolished? Did they know Trump wasn't inside? I mean, forget hotels. Trump just needs to build shit with his name on it and then charge people to watch him blow it up. It'll be the most profitable business he's ever had. Now obviously this wasn't a response to the Trump presidency. Right? The reason this happened is because the Trump Plaza hotel and casino had been struggling for a really long time. Which is too bad because back in the day this was called the hotel to stay at by syphilis magazine.

called the Hotel to Stay at by Syphilis magazine. But still though, I mean it couldn't have helped to have Trump's name on the place and it really says something when even Atlantic City is like, yo, Trump is giving a bad name to our town full of pawn shops and strip clubs. He's got to go. We can't be associated with that name. Ain't that right, pickles? Now while Trump Plaza so was the party that Trump leads. You see, in the wake of the capital riots and the ensuing impeachment, a split has emerged in the party between Trump loyalists and traditional conservatives like Mitch McConnell, who blamed Trump for the riot and basically called for him to be charged with crimes. Well now, Trump is striking back.

Former President Trump is lashing out at Senate Minority Leader Mitch McConnell. In a statement, Mitch is a dower, sullen, an unsmiling political hack and if Republican senators are going to stay with him, they will not win again. And CNN is learning this statement was actually watered down. It included saying that McConnell had quote too many chins and not enough brain. Okay you know what? How dare you, Donald? Mitch McConnell does not have multiple chins, okay? He doesn't have any chins. He has a neck sack that he developed to store air so that he can breathe underwater. Learn some biology. But also, damn, this is some fancy trash talk. Dauer, sullen. I think this proves that social media makes you dumber. I mean Trump's been off Twitter for

what? A couple of weeks and all of a sudden he's already learning a new SAT word a day. He also called Mitch McConnell unsmiling, which is just such classic Trump. No matter who you are, Trump will find a way to sexually harass you. Mitch, you're a failure. A disaster for the party. And why don't you smile more, baby? Come on, show us a little smile. But you can really tell that the rift in the Republican Party is getting serious. And honestly, if it comes down to Trump versus Mitch Mitch. I don't know, man, my money's on Trump. Because have you ever seen a rabid Mitch McConnell supporter? No, because they don't exist. Even Mitch is like, look, I can take me or leave me.

But let's move on now to our top story. Three days ago, a freak winter storm slammed into Texas, causing blackouts for millions of people. And usually when there are blackouts in America, things go back to normal in a couple of hours, and it's not a big deal. You light some candles, you grab some flashlights, and then you tell a scary story about the woman who married the ghost of a little boy. But in Texas, many people are still waiting for the heat to come back on three days later. And things stopped being fun a long time ago. This morning, a deadly winter blast, tearing across the country from Mississippi to Maine for a third straight day.

In Texas, the freezing temperature is knocking out power to more than 4 million customers. Powers out, there's no firewood anywhere, no stores open. Residents using blow dryers and heaters to thaw their frozen pipes. No water. And during freezing temperatures, any way they can. Some, dangerously using cars or grills for heat. For the millions bundled up with no electricity,

this has been life for days. In this room in our house, it is 33 degrees. In Austin, Andrew Leahy and his wife finding ways to keep warm. You'll see a blanket here and flu scotch tape. We're doing anything possible to keep the heat in. All right, people, this, no matter what anybody says, is awful. I know people were praying for Texas to go blue, but not like this. I mean, is it too much to ask for just one apocalypse at a time? You know, COVID is bad enough,

but now Texans have to deal with their homes turning into meat lockers? This shit is unfair. The pipes are frozen, temperatures are below zero, ice is everywhere. Forget Texans, this would be too much for Elsa. Let it go. Hell no, this is be too much for Elsa. Let it go. Hell, no, this is bullshit. I'm going to Aruba. I mean, you saw that news clip. Some people are putting up scotch tape and blankets. That's not how people should keep heat in their house.

That's how you hide the weed smell from your RA. Now, what's been so were struggling to get heat, they're still struggling to get food, and they're struggling to get water. Now, luckily for them, their leaders have stepped up in their time of need to tell them to stop bitching. Now a story making headlines nationwide. The mayor of Colorado City,

Tim Boyd has resigned after getting back over a Facebook post yesterday. In that post, he wrote, it is, quote, not the local government's responsibility to support you during trying times like this, end quote. He said those without power or water should, quote, step up and come up with a game plan to say safe, in quote. He says, The city, county, okay. I mean, that's one way to be a leader,

just telling your people to fend for themselves during a disaster. That's some next level. You know, even Immorton Joe sprayed his people with water once in a while. He's like, I've got a heart, come on. Like, here's a question. Why did this guy even want to be a mayor if he didn't want to help help help help help help help help help help help help help help help help help help help help help help help help help help help help help help help help help help help help help help help help help help help help people people people people people people people people and then tell people, transplant your own liver, bitches! Why do I got to do everything, huh? I'm a doctor! Now, the good news is the backlash was so fierce that this mayor immediately resigned. And honestly, it's probably safer for him now that he's gone. Because if you think frostbite is bad on your nose, who, you should see what it does to an exposed asshole. Now, after the people people people people people people people people people people people people people people the people the people the people their their their their their their their th. th. th. thi, thi, thi, thi, thi, thi, who's, who's, who's, who's, who's, who's, who's thi, who's, who's, who's, who's, who's, who's, who's, who's, who's, who's, who's, who's, who's, who's, who's, who's, who, who, who, who, who, who, who, who, who, who, who, who, who, who, who, who, who, who, who, who, who, who, who, who, who, who, th. th. th. th. th. th. th. th. th. th. th. th. th. th. th. th. the. to, to, the. to, to, to, to, to, to, to, to, to, to. the. to. the. the. the. the. to an exposed asshole. Now, after the people of Texas are done DIYing their own power plants,

they'll probably want to know why this catastrophe happened in the first place. And while freak storms can't be prevented, it looks like Texas could have done a lot more to prepare for this eventuality. Officials with the council that manages most of Texas's grid, says that outages are due to the state's natural gas suppliers not, not to to to to to to to to to to that outages are due to the state's natural gas suppliers not being able to tolerate such low temperatures. Power plants are not performing as expected, especially natural gas fired power plants in Texas right now. Many of the thermal power plants, like natural gas fired power plants,

coal fired power plants and at least one nuclear unit are not producing energy. They're suffering outages. Some people would point to the fact that Texas had its power supply deregulated back in the 90s, and you would say critics say that because of these businesses were focusing on profits, they were not necessarily concerned with maintenance and or winterizing the equipment to prepare for worst-case scenarios like we're experiencing right now. Texas is the only state to use its own independent power grid. That means it does not have federal regulations that might have better prepared Texas for an event like this. That's right. The main reason Texas has

plunged into darkness is that its natural gas industry has been crippled by this storm. And that might, might have been preventable, except that Texas deregulated its power supply in the 90s, which was clearly not the wisest decision. I mean, trust me. As a man who lived through the 90s, you should probably rethink most of the decisions you made in that decade. But you see, this deregulation led to a lack of oversight that could have helped to keep the infrastructure maintained. But instead, for some reason, there are more people keeping tabs on Britney Spears than the Texas Power Grid.

And this just goes to show you, you can't put profits over quality and safety. Money's not worth a whole lot if you have to burn it to keep warm. Look, the fact of the matter is, this situation is kind of embarrassing for Texas's leaders. I mean, this is the state that prides itself on its oil and gas industry, and now that industry has failed spectacularly. This would be like Jason Mamoa needing help opening a pickle jar, which is probably why state officials and their allies on cable news are working so hard to blame someone else. The blackouts that are in Texas are being made worse by the failure of wind turbines, many freezing in the icy weather, cutting output in half, and it's raising questions about the lone star states increasing relianneurbanes.

Energy producing wind turbines are freezing not working. The windmills failed, like the silly fashion accessories they are, and people in Texas died. Think about if we were in the AOC world, fast forward 10 years, and everything is solar, everything is wind. If you don't have power to keep you warm, you're gonna, you're gonna, you're gonna die. A preview of what could happen if the AOC vision were reified throughout the United States. And this shows how the Green New Deal would be a deadly deal for the United States of America. Okay, this, this is fucking insane.

These guys are so desperate to just let fossil fuels off the hook that they're blaming AOC and the Green New Deal, which, by the way th th th the, the, the, tho, tho, tho, tho, tho, tho, the, the, the, the, the, the, thi, thi, thi, thi, thi, thi, thi, if thi, thi, thi, if thee, if tho, if tho, if tho, if tho, if tho, if tho, if thi, if thi, if thi, if the, if the, if the, if the, the, the, the, the, the, the, the, the, th, th, th, the th, th.... thi, thi, thi, thi, the thi, the thi, thr-a, the the thr-a, the to, to, to, the to, to, to, to, to, to, to, to, the tho, the tho, the th fossil fuels off the hook that they're blaming AOC and the Green New Deal, which by the way hasn't even happened yet for something that's happening in Texas right now. But this just goes to show you no matter what happens, no matter how far removed she is from the problem, Conservatives can and will always find a way to blame the boogie man, AOC. Rick Perry could have broken his arm as a kid, and he would have blamed it on AOC. Oh, my arm. Damn you, AOC! Oh, who's AOC, kid?

She just hasn't been bored yet, but you wait, you'll see. Now, look, we can have an honest conversation about this and acknowledge that it is true that many wind turbines in the state did freeze during the storm. But it's also fair to acknowledge that these wind turbines only account for 12% of the lost power in the state. Placing all the blame on wind power here is like blaming the jets record on the water boy. I mean, I guess he could have handed out water better, but I don't think that's why th. the the the their their their their their their their their their their their their their their their their their their their their their their their their their their turbine. turbines. their their turbines. turbines. turbines. turbines. turbines. turbines. their. their. their. their. their. their. their. their. their. their. their. their. their. their. their. their. their. their. their. their. their. te. te. te. te. teanananananananananananananananananananananananananananneneneneneneneuineineineine. turbineine is turbine is turbineine is turbine is turbineine is turbine they lost. And even though these wind turbines failed in cold weather, that doesn't mean that wind power is a bad idea. It just means that Texas didn't have turbines made for cold weather, the same way, it didn't have oil and gas plants made for cold weather.

I mean, there are cars, thrown don't hear the governor saying, wheels are unreliable, so we need to go back to Flintstone cars. All right, when we come back, Dulce-Sloan tells us about Kamala Harris's secret family. You don't want to miss it. Finding great candidates to hire can be like trying to find a needle in a haystack. You might get a lot of resumes, but not enough candidates with the right skills or experience. But not with Zip Recruiter. Zip Recruiter finds amazing candidates for you fast. And right now you can try it for free at Zip Recruiter's smart technology identifies top talent for your roles quickly. Immediately after you post your job, zip recruiters'

powerful matching technology starts showing you qualified people for it, and you can use Zip Recruiter's pre-written invite to apply message to personally reach out to your favorite candidates and encourage them to apply sooner. Ditch the other hiring sites and let Zip Recruiter find what you're looking for, the needle in the haystack. Four out of five employers who post on Zip Recruiter get a quality candidate within the first day. Try it for free at this exclusive web address, ziprecruter.com. SIP Recruiter.com slash zip. Zip Recruiter. The smartest way to hire. When 60 Minutes premiered in September 1968, there was nothing like it. This is 60 Minutes. It's a kind of a magazine for television. Very few have been given access to the treasures in our archives. But that's all about to change. Like none of this stuff gets looked at. That's what's incredible. I'm Seth

Done of CBS News. Listen to 60 Minutes, a second look, starting September 17th, wherever you get your podcasts. Welcome back to the Daily Social Distancing Show. There's no denying that it was history-making one month ago when Kamala Harris was sworn in. And it's also safe to say that a lot of people were pretty excited about her becoming vice president of the United States. However, there is one group in particular who was more excited than everyone else. Dulse Sloan has more. Kamala Harris is a lot of first. She's the first black woman to be vice president, the first South Asian woman, and the first veep to come from a black sorority,

which is itself the first black sorority. Now when most people hear the word sorority, they're usually picturing something very specific. So I sat down with three women from black sororities to explain why it's such a big deal to have a vice president from the divine nine. So first of all, for those that are not in the know, I know. But some people don't know, what is the divine nine? The divine nine of black Greek letter organizations, five fraternities, four sororities. Picture like the houses in Harry Potter, except this time with black people in them.

These organizations are founded at the undergraduate level, as a whole. We really focus on giving back to our communities. In addition, you don't stop serving an undergrad. And honey, you will still stop serving an undergrad and honey, you will still be a member if you die. Lifetime commitment. So what you say life? You mean I'm out here building hud houses to the day I die? Is that what we're doing? That's right. Really? Even court-ordered community service ends at some point,

but the idea of serving the community has been at the core of the Divine Nine ever since the idea of serving the community has been at the core of the Divine Nine ever since the early 1900s. When black students barred from white fraternities and sororities decided, fuck y'all, we'll do our own thing. Alpha Kappa Alpha Sorority Incorporated was founded in 1908 on the campus of Howard University, and that is the very same chapter that our vice president was initiated into. So educated black women gathering in the early 1900s

and nobody got arrested? Well, no one got arrested, but there was resistance from the administration of Howard University. I'm sorry, you're telling me that a historically black women students did not want black women students to organize as a group? Well, there's something called, you know, sexism. Can never forget about the misogyny. But misogyny be damned, the sororities continued to grow, and so did their demands.

The very first act of the Deltas coming together in 1913 was the march in the famous women suffrage parade in Washington, D.C. We knew that some of the organizers of that march wanted black women to be segregated in march in the back but black women refused to do that. That's the weird kind of paradox that black women live in where it's I'm going to a black college but they don't want us to organize and then as a woman I I I I I I I the the the the the the the the the the the the the the the the the the the the the the the the the the the the the the the the the the the the the the the the the their their the their their their their their their their their their their their their their their their their their their their their their their their their their their their their their their their their their their their their their their their their their their their their their their their their their their their their their their their their their their their theauauauaughea.a.a.a.a.a.a. Wea. Iea. Ia. Ia, I'm going to a black college, but they don't want us to organize. And then as a woman, I'm trying to get the right to vote, but because I'm dealing with white women now,

I have to deal with us being segregated. So we kind of just sit here and just go, all right, who's going to hate us today. These women could have just stuck with steppspspspspspsps but they're out in these streets, demanding anti-linching legislation and marching for fair jobs and voting rights. Again. The list of men and women of the Divine Nine read like famous black folks trading cards. Doron Hiller Niel Hurston, Hattie and McDaniel, Martin Lutheran, Robert and Scott King.

Reverend Jesse Jackson, the Reverend Raphael Warnock. You'd seen us and you didn't know what you were talking to us. Okay. The Divine Nine has people in the White House, has people in the media, and has been behind every social movement since the early 1900s. Listen, this is a safe space. You can tell me. Are y'all the black illuminate? I know you can't tell me, right? But just give me like a, huh, hmm, or... I'm staying out of this conversation.

We don't have to be seen to serve. Yeah, that's what the Illuminati is, girl. They out here working and you can't see them. We can't claim to be a member of the Black Illuminati. I think what you're seeing is what we've seen for over a hundred plus years.'re grooming people to go out and impact the communities that they care about. Okay, fine. These groups, which the network insists

I cannot call the Black Illuminati, has spent over a century preparing black women to run shit. So, of course, it's a big deal that one of their members is now second in line to run the country. I think little brown girls like myself grew up you know imagining people in the White House looking like me but to have a true example it's just amazing. You know we have been seeding the soil of this country for so long hoping that we'll see something bloom but we never knew if it was going to we didn't know if it did if someone would just uproot it but now that that that thi thi that. the th. the the the the the thi thi thi the the thi thi thi the thi the thi thi thi the the thi the thi thi the thi. thi. thi. thi. to to to the to to to to to to to to to to to to to to to to to to to to to to to to to to to to to to to to to to to to to to to to to to to to to to to to to to to to to to to to to to to to to to to to to the to to the the the the the the the the the thi.e. the the the the the the the the thi.e.e. the the the thi. the thi. toe. toe. toe. toe. toe going to. We didn't know if it did if someone would just uproot it. But now with

vice president Kamala Harris, we see a future that's embodied. We see the results of all of that work and blood, sweat, and tears. Absolutely. I'm just, I love you. Let me just say I love the love you. I love you back. It's really, really beautiful to be able to share. Even this moment, of Kamla Harris. Harris. th. I th. I th. I th. I th. th. th. th. th. th. th. th. th. th. th. the th. th. the th. th. th. th. th. th. the th. th. th. the thi the thi thi thi thi the future the future the future the future the future the future the future the future the future the future the future the future the future the future the future the future the future the future thu the future thu th. th. th. th. th. th. th. th. th. th. th. th. th. th. th. th. th. th. thi thi thi thi thi thi thi thi thi. thuuuu thu thu thuu thuu thuu thu thuu thu thu thu thuuu thu thuu thu thu thu thto share. Even this moment would be ladies, you know, right now. The ascension of Kamala Harris, centers of what we've known for centuries about black women. We've led the way. We have exemplified excellence and I think it's just a moment for us to just trust black women. The story of Kamala Harris and the story of the women of the divine nine boils down to one lesson America keeps forgetting. We've been out here. I'm talking about all black women, including those in a group whose work may sound like a secret.

You'd seen us and you didn't know what you were talking to us. But only because y'all haven't been watching. Dress Black women. It works. Thank you so much, Doolsay. All right, when we come back, author Heather McGee explains what the real cost of racism actually is. And I mean dollars and cents. So don't go away.

Finding great candidates to hire can be like trying to find a needle in a haystack. You might get a lot of resumes, but not enough candidates with the right skills or experience. But not with Zip Recruiter finds amazing candidates for you fast. And right now you can try it for free at Zip Recruiter.com. Slip Recruiters' smart technology identifies top talent for your roles quickly. Immediately after you post your job,

Zip Recruiter's powerful matching technology starts showing you qualified people for it. And you can use Zip Recruiter's pre-written invite to apply message to personally reach out to your favorite candidates and encourage them to apply sooner. Ditch the other hiring sites and let Zip Recruiter find what you're looking for, the needle in the haystack. Four out of five employers who address. Zip Recruiter.com slash zip. Again that's zip recruiter.com slash zip. Zip Recruiter the smartest way to hire. When 60 Minutes premiered in September 1968, there was

nothing like it. This is 60 Minutes. It's a kind of a magazine for television. Very few have been given access to the treasures in our archives. But that's all about to change. Like none of this stuff gets looked at. That's what's incredible. I'm Seth Done of CBS News. Listen to 60 Minutes a Second Look on Apple podcasts starting September 17. Welcome back to the Daily Social Distancic Show. Earlier today I spoke with author and economic policy analyst Heather McGee. We talked about her new book which explores how racism affects the economy and impacts all Americans. Heather McGee, welcome to the daily

social distancing show. Thank you. I'm so glad to be with you. I'm so excited for this conversation you cannot even understand. I'm so glad to be with you. I'm so excited for this conversation you cannot even understand. I'm excited because this is a concept that I have been preaching to my friends and anyone who's within earshot of me for like the last five, six, seven years of my life, but I do not have the time nor the commitment to do any of the research to back up any of my claims. And my claims are simple. Number one, I believe, I I I I I I I I I I I I I I I I I I I I I, I, I, I, I, I, I, I, I, I, I, I, I, I, I that, I that, I that, I that, I that that that that that that that that that that that that that that that the, I that that that that that that that that the the the the thi thi thi thi thi thi thi thi thi thi th nor the commitment to do any of the research to back up any of my claims. And my claims are simple. Number one, I believe that racism costs everyone, especially white people, a lot of money,

and it costs all of society money. And I've always said to people that racism is one of the craziest concepts to me because it causes the people who oftentimes harbor the belief to hurt themselves. So I welcome you to the show because you've done the work behind this. You've actually done the data science behind it and you've written a book entitled The Sum of Us. Tell me a little bit about what the book is about and why that title is so important. I wrote this book because after nearly 20 years of trying to find solutions to economic

inequality and our big problems in society, I kept running up against a wall and I kept asking myself, okay, why can't we just seem to have nice things? And by nice things, I don't mean like hovercraft or laundry that does itself. I mean universal health care, public health system to handle pandemics, reliable modern infrastructure in a country with so much wealth. So I set off on this journey across the country, I immersed myself in the research, and it turns out that racism is at the core of all of our most vexing public problems. As I've traveled throughout the world, the countries where they have the most fair

ideas are the countries where they also have the most homogenous populations where they believe th th th they th th th th th th th th the the the the the the the thi thi. thi. thi. thi. thi. thi. thi. thi. thi. thi. thi. tho-a tho. thi. the. tho-a tho-n. tho-n. I tho-n-n-n-n-n-n-n-n-n-n-n-n-n-n-n-n-n-n.. tho-n. thoes thoes th.. th. I th. I th. I tho. I tho. I thi. I thi. I thi. I thi-n. I thi-n. I thi-n't thi-n't thi-s, the. I'm thease thease thoa-s. I'm thccauuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuu. I'm the. the countries where they also have the most homogenous populations, where they believe everyone should have because everyone is like me. It feels like it is easier for people to not believe that life is a zero-sum game when they think that everybody's benefiting because everybody should benefit. Talk me through some of that and what you discovered in your research. That's exactly right. The book is called the sum of us because at its core, when we say racism, it's the world view that our society is a zero-sum game. That progress for people of color has to come at the expense of white people. A dollar in our pocket has to

mean a dollar less in theirs. And of course, economically, that's just not true. Just last year, Citigroup found that over the past 20 years, the racial economic divides, which are here because of policy, past and present, cost this country $16 trillion. But I kept hearing it across the country when I talked to people, I went to Mississippi and talked to a factory worker named Joey, who explained that his white co-workers voted no to join a union that would have given them better better better better better better better better better better better better better better the better better better better better better better better better better better better their their economic their economic their economic their economic their economic their economic their economic their economic their economic their economic their economic their economic their economic their economic their economic economic economic economic their economic their economic their economic economic economic economic their their their economic economic their their their their economic their economic their economic their economic their economic their their economic their economic their their economic their their economic their their their economic their their their economic their their economic their their their economic their their their their their their their their their their their their their tha. tha. tha. tha. thauauauauaua. thaua. thi thiiiiia. their their their their the his white co-workers voted no to join a union that would have given them better wages and benefits because the mentality was, as he said, if they're blacks are for it, I'm against it. That has been the overarching ideology and

worldview of many, if not most white Americans, according to the public opinion data, really, particularly since the civil rights movement, you know, sort of force, according to the public opinion data, really, particularly since the civil rights movement, you know, sort of forced them to share the spoils of a country that used to be basically the benefits were for whites only. You know, you've run think tanks and you've worked in the world of just looking at the numbers. But for this book, you combine the numbers with the personal stories. What have you found is the best method to to to to to to to to to to to to to to to to to to get to get to get to get to to to get to get the the the the to get the the the the the the the the the the the the the the the the the the the the the the the the the the the the the the the the the the the the the the the the the the the the the the the the the the the the the the the the the the the the the the the the the the the the the the the the the the the thexxx move move move move move move move move move move move move move.meauiauiauiauiau.meau.au.au.auc.au.au.au.au.a.a.a.a.a.a.a.a. Ia. thea. their. their their. the numbers. But for this book, you combine the numbers with the personal stories. What have you found is the best method

to get a person to understand that racism is costing them money even though they're the one being racist? You know, it calls to mind a visit I had with a woman named Bridget. This is a white woman who spent her whole life working in fast food. She lives in Kansas City. And she totally had bought the us versus them, zero sum, anti-amigrant, anti-people in the inner city story. And because of that, I think in many ways,

she actually didn't believe that she herself, minimum wage worker, was ever going to be worth more than $7.25 an hour. But she was approached by workers who were organizing with the fight the fight the fight the fight the fight the fight the fight the fight the fight to going to be worth more than $7.25 an hour. But she was approached by workers who were organizing with a fight for $15 an hour, and she went to the first organizing meeting. She saw a Latino woman stand up and described her life, her bad plumbing in her apartment, having three kids and feeling trapped. And she said, I saw myself in her. And Bridget came to realize that it wasn't a zero-sum game.

And she says, you know, black, white or brown, it's not us versus them. For me to come up, you've got to come up too. She said, as long as we're divided, we're conquered. And that movement, the cross-racial fight for 15, has been unlocking what I began to call these solidarity dividends, these gains we can achieve, but only when we linked arms together across race, higher wages, cleaner air, better funded schools for everyone. In America, one of the things that intrigued me the most,

because it was similar to South Africa, was the story of the public swimming pools. I even have stand-up bits about this where I would say, you know, racism is such a powerful drug that it would make white people drain swimming pools, the thing that they loved more than anything, they decimated them. You've used this as the central, you know, like the through line to the book and the telling of the story. Why are public pools the perfect example of how racism hurts the people who oftentimes the most racist. I went to Montgomery, Alabama, where there's this park in the middle of the town called Oak Park,

and it used to have one of the nearly 2,000 grand, resort-style public swimming pools that were built in the 20s, 30s, and 40s, at a time when it was just one little symbol of a big government commitment to everyone having a high quality of life. This was when the sort of American dream really set took root. The swimming pool was public, it was funded with tax dollars, and yet it was segregated. During the civil rights movement, black family said, hey, what about us?

And instead of integrating it, the town of Montgomery closed the swimming pool, drained the public pool, backed it, backed a truck full of dirt, filled it in, actually closed the entire Parks and Recreation Department. Trevor, they even sold off the animals in the zoo. And they kept it closed for a decade the entire 1960s. It's wild. It's wild. It's wild, but it is the perfect puil. It's wild. It's wild, but it's the public, but it is the public, but it is the public, but it is the public, but it is the public, but it is the public, but it is the public, but it is the public, but it is the public, but it is the public, but it is the public, but it is the public, but it is the public, the public, the public, the public, the public, the public public public public, the public public, the public, the public, the public, the public, but the public, the public, the public, but the public, but the public, but it the public, but it is the public, but it is the public, but it is the public, but it is the public, but it is the public, but it is the public. But it is the public. But it is the public. It is the public. It is the public. It is the the the public. It is the the the public. It is the the public, the public, the public, the public, the public, the public, the public, the public, the public, the public, the public, the public, the public, the zoo. And they kept it closed for a decade the entire 1960s. It's wild. It's wild, but it is the perfect example of the way that racism has a cost for everyone. It feels like in America, ever since the civil rights movement, we've all been sort of dealing with living in the bottom of a drained pool.

It feels like since then, and the evidence bears this out, we have seen white people with their votes turn their backs on the formula that created the great middle class that would have made all of our lives better because they would have to share it with people they'd been taught, and that's the key that they've been taught to disdain and distrust. You know what I what I also enjoyed about the book is that you lay out the possibilities, you lay out the conversations that need to be had and you lay out the economic benefits of it all. Before I let you go, one of the more interesting things that you that you propose is having some sort of

truth and reconciliation commission where people talk about these things. Now as a South African African, I saw the benefits, and I've also seen the shortcomings of not doing something post the conversation. So walk me through why you think America would benefit from having some sort of truth and reconciliation commission. So we have a country, the United States was born with this view of a zero-sum racial hierarchy, built into the economic justification for stolen land, stolen people, and stolen labor. This is a very old idea. And yet we've never gotten on the same page about our history. So I think it's not possible for us to actually move forward

if we're still contesting the basic facts about our history and even our present. So obviously we have to have a sort of truth effort, but it can't just be a commission in Washington. What's so exciting to me is that it's happening at the community level. You've got to take action, but you also have to start with telling the truth. And that's what's been robbed from us. the truth in this country is so much more terrible, but also because of the overcoming, so much more beautiful than we've been allowed to truly know. Well, hopefully, reading your book will be the first journey on that, or first part of that journey, rather, because I think it's insightful, it's wonderful,

it is optimistic, but it's also truthful at the same time. Heather McGee, thank you so much. Thank you so to try. th. th. th. th. th. th. th. th. th. th. th. th. th. th. th. th. th. th. th. th. th. th. thi. the, the, the, the, the, the, the, the, the, tho, tho, tho, tho, tho, tho, th. th. th. th. th. th. th. th. th. th. th. th. th. th. th. th. th. th. th. th. th. th. th. th. th. th. th. th. th. th. th. the. the. the. the. to to to to to to to to to to too. toooooooooooooooooooooooo. toe. toe. toe. toe. toe. the. to the time and congratulations on a fantastic book. Thank you, Trevor. Thank you so much. Don't forget, everybody. Heather's book, The Sum of Us, what racism costs everyone and how we can prosper together, is available right now. All right, we're going to take a quick break, but we'll be right back after this. When 60 Minutes premiered in September 1968, there was nothing like it. This is 60 Minutes. It's a kind of a magazine for television.

Very few have been given access to the treasures in our archives. But that's all about to change. Like none of this stuff gets looked at. That's what's incredible. I'm Seth Done of CBS News. Listen to 60 Minutes, a second look on Apple podcasts starting September 17. Well, that's our show for tonight, but before we go, I just wanted to address the rumors and admit that, yes, they are true. The Daily Show is launching a brand new monochrome collection. A new line of clothing and gear, where 100% of the proceeds will be donated to the Equal

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It's AOC's fault. The Daily Show with Trevor Noah, Ears Edition. Watch the Daily Show weeknights at 11th, 10 Central on Comedy Central and the Comedy Central app. Watch full episodes and. Watch the Daily Show weeknights at 11. 10 Central on Comedy Central and the Comedy Central app. Watch full episodes and videos at the Daily Show.com. Follow us on Facebook, Twitter and Instagram and subscribe to the Daily Show on YouTube for exclusive content and more. When 60 Minutes premiered in September 1968, there was nothing like it. This is 60 Minutes. It's a kind of a magazine for television.

Very few have been given access to the treasures in our archives. But that's all about to change. Like none of this stuff gets looked at. That's what's incredible. I'm Seth Done of CBS News. Listen to 60 Minutes, a second look on Apple podcasts starting September 17. This has been a Comedy Central Podcast.