The Daily Signal - What Mia Love Has To Say About Race, Riots, and Black Lives Matter

Episode Date: September 18, 2020

Mia Love, the first black Republican woman in Congress, represented the state of Utah from 2015 to 2019. She joins The Daily Signal podcast to discuss her perspective on the riots and violence this summer, how it has impacted America, and her views of the Black Lives Matter organization. We also cover these stories: FBI Director Christopher Wray said Thursday during a hearing that Antifa is no joke.  Last week, 790,000 Americans applied for unemployment for the first time according to the Department of Labor. President Donald Trump’s chief of staff, Mark Meadows, is taking issue with the timeline of Robert Redfield, the director of the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, for the coronavirus vaccine.  Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

This is the Daily Signal podcast for Friday, September 18th. I'm Virginia Allen. And I'm Rachel Deltudis. As everyone is well aware, throughout the country this summer has seen violence and unrest from Chicago to Minneapolis after the death of George Floyd, which further spread to Kenosha. Mia Love, the first African-American Republican woman in Congress who represented the state of Utah from 2015 to 2019, joins me on the Daily Signal podcast to discuss. And don't forget, if you're enjoying this podcast, please be sure to leave a review or a five-star rating on Apple Podcasts and encourage others to subscribe. Now, under our top news. FBI director Christopher Ray said Thursday during a hearing for the House Homeland Security Committee that Antifa is no joke. Here's what Ray had to say about the organization via ABC News. When we hear officials say Antifa is that being.

biggest threat on the left, are they being correct? Well, we don't really think of threats in terms of left and right at the FBI. We're focused on the violence, not the ideology. Our domestic violent extremists include everything from racially motivated violent extremists, which we've talked about here in this committee before, I think when I testified last year, for example, all the way to anti-greens. government anti-authority violent extremists, and that includes people ranging from anarchist violent extremists, people who subscribe to Antifa or other ideologies, as well as militia types

and those kinds of... Right. Well, I think what I'm trying to reflect on is we hear from time to time that this organization by name we need to investigate. The Secretary, uh, designee, if he was here, uh, he would get asked this question, but he's not. Uh, he asked for an investigation of Antifa because they were the, the greatest threat to the homeland. And if I'm hearing you correctly, you're saying that it's really not organizations so much as it is ideology. And I don't want to put words in your mouth, but I think that's what I heard. I appreciate that. We, uh, we look at Antifa.

as more of an ideology or a movement than an organization. To be clear, we do have quite a number of properly predicated domestic terrorism investigations into violent anarchist extremists, any number of whom self-identify with the Antifa movement. And that's part of this broader group of domestic violent extremists that I'm talking about, but it's just one part of it.

We also have the racially motivated violent extremists, the militia types, and others. and others. 790,000 Americans applied for unemployment for the first time last week, according to the Department of Labor. Last week's claims are down by about 75,000, one compared with the previous week. Initial claims have been roughly flat since early August, suggesting that the pace of improvement in layoffs is slowing,

said Gus Fawcher, the chief economist at PNC Financial Services, and Daniel Silver of J.P. Morgan Research said per USA Today, we think that the recent declines in continuing claims likely reflect improvement in the labor market, but also could have resulted from people exhausting eligibility for regular state programs. President Donald Trump's chief of staff, Mark Meadows, is taking issue with the timeline of Robert Redfield, the director of the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention for the coronavirus vaccine. Here's what Meadows had to say Thursday during an interview with Fox and Friends via Fox News. I can tell you, the president is pushing very hard to make sure that we're delivering a vaccine before the end of the year.

So I'm not sure where Dr. Redfield got his particular timetable, but it's not based on those that are closest to the process. Former model Amy Doris has accused President Trump of sexually assaulting her at a U.S. Open tennis tournament in 1997 when she was only 24 years old. In an exclusive interview with The Guardian, Doris explained that she was seated in a VIP box with Trump at the tournament, and he assaulted her just outside the bathrooms. He just shoved his tongue down my throat and I was pushing him off. And then that's when his grip became tighter and his hands were very gropey and all over my butt, my breasts, my back, everything. I was in his grip and I couldn't get out of it. Both Doris's mother and a friend have cooperated Doris's story to the Guardian, saying she called them shortly after the encounter with Trump and explained what happened in detail. President Trump has denied the allegations and the president's lawyers have pointed out that the timing of

Doris's allegations imply their accusations may be politically motivated. Coronavirus cases are on the rise in Europe. The World Health Organization said COVID cases are spiking in Europe, calling it a very serious situation, CNN reported. On Thursday at a news conference, the World Health Organization regional director Hans Kloge warned, weekly cases have now exceeded those reported when the pandemic first peaked in Europe in March. Last week, the region's weekly tally exceeded.

seated 300,000 patients. Attorney General William Barr said Wednesday during a Hillsdale College event that the pandemic lockdown is one of the greatest intrusions on American civil liberty. Putting a national lockdown, stay-at-home orders is like house arrest. It's not, it's, you know, other than slavery, which was a different kind of restraint. This is the greatest intrusion on civil liberties in American history. Barr added that governors need to stop treating free citizens as babies that can't take responsibility for themselves and others. We have to give business people an opportunity, tell them what the rules are, and then let them try to adapt their business to that.

And you'll have ingenuity and people will at least have the freedom to try to earn a living. Now stay tuned for my conversation with former representative Neil Love on the violence and unrest of the past months. This is Virginia Allen, host of the Daily Signal podcast. I don't know about you, but YouTube is certainly one of my guilty pleasures. I really enjoy watching short videos on a variety of topics, so I'm always looking for videos that are actually educational and beneficial to me in some way. And the Daily Signal YouTube channel never disappoints. There is so much binge-worthy content from policy and news explainers to documentaries.

If you're not driving, go ahead and pull out your phone and subscribe. to the Daily Signal YouTube channel so you can be in the know on the issues you care about most. You can also search for the channel by going to YouTube.com slash Daily Signal. I'm joined today on the Daily Signal podcast by Mia Love, the first African-American Republican woman in Congress who represented the state of Utah from 2015 to 2019. Representative Love, it's great to have you with us on the Daily Signal podcast. Thank you, Rachel. I'm happy to be here. Well, as everyone is well aware, the past few,

months in this country have been full of unrest. There have been ongoing riots in Portland and riots in Chicago and Minneapolis after the death of George Floyd. Representative Love, what is your perspective on the riots and the violence we've seen this summer? Well, first of all, the death of George Floyd and so many others, by the way, who have died the way they have without being afforded their inalienable rights. It's just been, it's heartbreaking. It's heartbreaking. and it's a wake-up sign for all Americans to stand up and pay attention and not just ignore what's happening, but say, what can I do? What can I do to be better to my neighbor? What can I do to make a change?

What can I do to instill, again, in this country, civility and respect for one another and at least let people know that we are the citizens of the United States of America, and there are other people out there. that want to see us harm. So we need to do whatever we can to ban together, especially on issues of violence. Unfortunately, it hasn't been answered with, I would say, a collective unity, a collective thought of making things better. It's been answered with more violence, and I just can't help but to think about Martin Luther King

that says, you cannot answer darkness with darkness. you cannot answer hate with hate. And unfortunately, that is what's happening right now. And it's certainly not something that I wish to have my children look at as examples of what we should be doing in this country to heal one another. Well, the violence is, you know, many are all no spread to Kenosha, Wisconsin after Jacob Blake, who was a 29-year-old man, was shot multiple times by police on August 23rd. And there's also the additional situation of Kyle were in-house, a 17-year-old child. with the death of two men, he shot during the riots. And his lawyers say that was done in self-defense.

And as more context comes out on these two incidents, can you give us your perspective on all that's been happening there? I think every situation is going to be different. Police officers are not perfect and people are not perfect. And you have to understand that police officers are enforcers. They are enforcing a law. And sometimes they don't behave in the best interest of. of the community, of their job, or even the person that they are pursuing.

And I think that there are things we have to ask each other. One is, I think police officers should ask themselves, how would I want another police officer to behave if it were my daughter, if it were my wife, if it were my son, if it were my neighbor, and approach someone that way? And on the other hand, I have to say that Americans, most Americans, black Americans that I know of, at least they don't want to defund police. They, you know, they need police in their neighborhoods. And a lot of them, I know this as a mayor because I actually implemented community policing.

We were policed by a county. And I felt like I needed a police department that was from my city, lives in my city, and among the neighbors in my city. because of issues like this. And we need to, I think that the solution to all of this is implementing neighborhood policing, community policing. If your police officers are growing up in the same place and they're becoming role model to the people that they are enforcing the law with, there's going to be a completely different environment. I think that that's one of the solutions that we're missing here. These young black men that are growing up into these neighborhoods, it would be so nice if they could become police officers. themselves so that they can look after their own neighborhoods and look and say, I can be a great

influence in the place that I live. I can make a difference that way. Well, Representative, that was actually one of my next questions about your perspective on the defundable police movement. So thank you for that added perspective there. As a mother, what would you say to parents and families, especially those with small businesses who have had their livelihoods impacted as a result of the rioting we've seen? Well, I would say, one, don't answer the violence of violence. It's absolutely inappropriate. Anyone who claims that a life matters to them, whether it's a black life or a white life or

Hispanic life or an American life, I would say, stand up, continue to be a positive influence, rebuild your business. There are people that are with you. There are more people that are with you than are against you. And I would also say to anybody out there, if you're going to be able to. fix something if you're going to make a difference. Violence isn't the way to do it. You don't build something by destroying another. Destruction just breeds destruction. And if you really care about the issue, if you really care about these lives, these lives that were lost,

is very important lives, then the best thing that you can do is stand up, help support another neighbor, build somebody up, and maybe even sponsor a kid in your neighborhood, do something productive. Well, as racial tensions have been really high this summer, we've talked a little bit about that. How would you say America can heal and are there changes? And if so, what would they be? Well, I would say, you know, you can't heal by driving a wedge to do other Americans.

You can't do that. A good friend of mine, Senator Tim Scott, had some great ideas on police reform. And if you really care about the issue, if you really care, then you have to be able to do that. You have to be able to reach across the aisle, even if it's a person, even if it happens to be, you know, a Republican or Democrat, reach across the aisle and say, okay, there are some things that we can change here. But I also believe that it's important for us to make sure that we reach out to the neighborhoods because every single neighbor. is going to be completely different in how they implement policing policies. People like Senator Tim Scott have been doing such great work who have been grown up in these neighborhoods like this that have seen these types of situations unfold that are taking

away people's rights and them not having a voice. People like Tim Scott, he's a wonderful member of Congress, a good friend of mine, and don't allow the issue to overshadow the solution. I think it's really important that people like him actually get a good platform and provide some solutions to this very important issue. Well, as we look at the broader conversation in the country, what is your perspective on the Black Lives Matter organization as an organization? Well, that's difficult because on its forefront, Black Lives Matter,

Yeah, of course, Black Lives Matter. I'm married to a white man. My children are biracial. They have different mixes in them. They have a little bit of Hispanic. Their lives matter. American lives matter. And so the organization, if you read platform,

the reason why I have a really hard time getting behind this organization is because it's more than just about protecting communities. There are some issues when it comes to like nuclear families and saying that the community can raise parents, it can raise children better than individuals. If you just read the platform, it goes beyond what's happening in black communities. And so I would actually suggest that everyone goes in and read the platform. And if that's something that you agree to, then great.

But I certainly, I am a pro-life mom. I am a mother that believes that parents, no matter what that looks like to you, parents have the best interest in raising their children and know how to raise their children better than any government entity can. And so those are my beliefs or my core beliefs. And so that's what I'm going to stick with. We've talked a little bit about policing the defund the police movement. And on that note, there's a new point.

from Monmouth University that found that nearly two-thirds, which is 65% of Americans, say that maintaining law and order is a major problem right now. Do you think this issue is a growing trend? I think it will continue to be a growing trend, only because the way we're going about it as a community is not working and is not good. I mean, again, no police officer. You're not going to find departments that are absolutely perfect. and should there be reforms in some areas,

should there be reforms in places where George Floyd, how he lost his life, absolutely. And we can all stand behind that, and we should, because what happened to him was horrendous. And others. I don't want to miss out on so many other young men and women that have lost their lives. But if we're going to continue to solve the problem

with violence, it's going to continue to grow. And it's going to, we're going to see a divide, not just between races, but between Americans, police officers, you name it. And it's going to destroy this country. And if you look at it, there are enemies that are outside of this country that are looking at us and they're happy. This is exactly what they want. And we cannot allow them to do this.

We must remember that just like the neighbors next. store just like our friends down the street, we all live in the same country and we have to be able to protect our interests in our country so that we don't become weaker and become vulnerable to these other countries that want to see us harmed. This is exactly what a Putin wants. It's exactly what a Kim Jong-un-un-un-want. This is exactly what a terrorist regime in Iran wants. The way that we keep each other found in our country strong is by real.

that we're all Americans and we need to do what's in the best interest of all of our citizens. Well, as you look at everything that has happened over the past couple months, as we've discussed, what would you say Americans have lost sight of most during this time? We're debating right now when it comes to presidential elections. When it comes to any election, whether it's Senate candidates or House candidates, we're debating personalities. And again, like my friend Tim Scott said, some people prefer the issue than they do the solution. And we have to look at that and ask ourselves, is this best person to represent my views?

So what we've lost sight of is we lost sight of debating the policies that instill freedom in this country, that maintains freedom. We've forgotten about the Constitution of the United States of America that document, that keeps us safe, keeps us from rulers being kings over us. And if we just remember the Constitution and just remember that we're citizens of the United States and that we are one nation under God, then I think that we would change, but we've lost sight of that. I hear too many people say, well, other countries do this better. Other countries are better than us. I think we live in the greatest country on earth, and we've got a lot of work to do, of course. But this is still, I believe, the best country to live in. And I am so proud to be an American. And I'm going to be a patriot

that fights for freedom and fights to maintain the Constitution for as long as I draw breath. Well, as we wrap up, Representative Love, you've been speaking out recently on a new mural in Utah, which says, which you talk about overlooking some important women. Why do you think conservative women sometimes struggle to be recognized for their contributions? Well, I think it's several reasons. One is the conservative women I know, they're more concerned about getting things done than they are about taking credit. It's no different than taking care of something in your household. When the dishes need to be done, we just do it.

When somebody needs to get to work, we just go. When the kids need to get to school or homework is left or they need to get to the doctor's office, we don't sit there and say, hey, this is what I did today. Praise me. No, we just get it done. So I think that that's one of the things that some great women who have broken through the glass ceiling and have gotten cut on the way there have gotten scarred. You know, it's not something that you sit there and you parade around and say, look what I've done. And again, I also think, especially in the state of Utah, so many great women have broken through the glass ceiling. And if we forget about them, then other people put a ceiling gets covered over again.

My friend, Deidre Henderson, who is going to be the next lieutenant governor, talks about, says that it's a brick wall. And she's like, it's difficult to break through the brick wall just to watch people build it up again by burying our history. And so that's the other thing I'm going to do. I'm going to make sure that conservative women, Republican women get recognized for the good work that they've done because there are people that would like to bury our history. And I want my children to know of these great women so that they know that the world doesn't revolve around that. they have gifts and talents to contribute to society also, that they too can be a great conservative member of their community and of their country and provide something that give a little bit of themselves for this country.

Well, Representative Love, thank you so much for joining us on the Daily Signal podcast. It's been great having you. Thank you so much, Rachel. I appreciate you. And that will do it for today's episode. Thanks for listening to the Daily Signal podcast. You can find the Daily Signal podcast on Google Play, Apple Podcasts, Spotify, and now, Iheart Radio. Please be sure to leave us a review and a five-star rating on Apple Podcasts and encourage others to subscribe.

Thanks again for listening, and we'll be back with you all on Monday. The Daily Signal podcast is brought to you by more than half a million members of the Heritage Foundation. It is executive produced by Kate Trinko and Rachel Del Judas, sound design by Lauren Evans, Mark Geine and John Pop. For more information, visit DailySignal.com.