The NPR Politics Podcast - Talking Politics At Thanksgiving, And A History Of The Turkey Pardon

Episode Date: November 22, 2017

With Thanksgiving approaching, 58 percent of Americans are dreading the prospect of talking politics over dinner, according to a poll that also looks at civility in politics. With new allegations of sexual harassment in the news, including against Congressman John Conyers, that may well come up, too. And President Donald Trump kept with tradition and pardoned a turkey today. This episode, host/White House correspondent Tamara Keith, congressional correspondent Susan Davis and political editor Domenico Montanaro. Email the show at [e-mail]. Find and support your local public radio station at npr.org/stations.Learn more about sponsor message choices: podcastchoices.com/adchoicesNPR Privacy Policy

Hey, it's Guy Raz here, host of How I Built This, with a quick recommendation. Every holiday weekend comes with a lot of waiting, traffic, airport security lines. And so while you're waiting, why don't you just binge on How I Built This? Each episode, I speak with a founder of a company who has an incredible story of how it all began. You can find How I Built This on the NPR One app or wherever you get your podcasts. Thanks for listening to the NPR Thanksgiving podcast. Happy Thanksgiving. This podcast was recorded at... 2.13 p.m. on Tuesday, the 21st of November.

Things might have changed by the time you hear this. Okay, here's the show you hear this. Okay, here to shout at my mommy. Aw, buddy. All right. That was my little guy. Your son was also in the intro. That's right. My son Jack was in there too. So very proud of both of them. Yeah, they got the words out. They did a great job. Hey there, it's the NPR Politics Podcast here with an early special Thanksgiving episode. After months of speculation, President Trump issued a pardon today to a turkey named Drumstick.

But seriously, are you looking forward to talking about politics at the holiday table? If so, you are totally in the minority. We've got a new poll to prove it. And another uncomfortable topic likely to come up at many tables is sexual harassment. Shoes are dropping in the political world in a big way. I'm Tamara Keith. I cover the White House for NPR. I'm Susan Davis. I cover Congress. And I'm Domenico Montanaro, political editor. Happy Thanksgiving, guys. Happy Thanksgiving.

Same to you. Are you guys going somewhere? I'm going to Maine. New Jersey. Where are my brothers at? I'm going to Northern Virginia to my house. Are you hosting? Are you hosting?

Yeah, and it's already full of people. Are you cooking? Mm-hmm. You have your recipe down? Oh, yeah. Noelle and my brother, I asked my brother for like a little assistance this time, and he created a spreadsheet and a flow chart and a checklist with an excessive number of items. I'm actually a little sad that I'm not cooking this year.

I usually, even when I travel, I'm usually the one who gets to cook. But my brother kind of sees himself as something of a master chef. So he likes to do it himself. And maybe I'll make a side or something like that. Is it a dairy-free Thanksgiving, Tam? There are some dairy-free dishes. Listeners of the dairy free Thanksgiving, Tam? There are some dairy free dishes. Listeners of the podcast will know that Tam eschews dairy in her life. Yeah, I'm being difficult, which is why I'm cooking.

It's the way to do it, right? OK, so to completely change course, let's go to the news of the day. There are new allegations of sexual harassment and a new story about the settlement of sexual harassment claims on Capitol Hill. All of this comes in a much larger context. There were the Harvey Weinstein stories and then an ever increasing number of high profile men in Hollywood, tech, media and politics have been suspended or fired over these allegations, including here at NPR. And Sue, you've been reporting on this a lot. Can we start with this BuzzFeed article that posted last night about Representative John Conyers? He is a Democrat from Michigan, senior member of the House of Representatives.

So BuzzFeed obtained documents that appear to be from a 2015 settlement reached with a female staffer of John Conyers, who alleges that it was an environment of sort of pervasive sexual harassment in that she had to have unwanted sexual advances by the congressman. And what is so interesting about this is that it is shining a bit of a light on this very opaque process in which Capitol Hill settles any kind of harassment or discrimination claims. John Conyers was initially reached at his home in Detroit by the Associated Press, in which he at first told them he was not aware of any settlement. His office later clarified that they were, and they said in a statement that they did not dispute that the claim had been paid out. But one of the critical details in a lot of these agreements is that the accused does not admit guilt.

The settlement reached is for a financial sum. She was paid $27,000. The office does not admit guilt. And it's supposed to be a sealed settlement, a non-disclosed, where the parties involved can't talk about it anymore. And somehow BuzzFeed obtained, well, we know how BuzzFeed obtained these documents. Right. This is really an interesting aspect of this. In the story, they acknowledge that they received the documents from Mike Cernovich,

who is sort of a right wing provocateur. And he said that he turned the documents over to BuzzFeed to report out the story, because if he would have reported on it, it would have given Democrats ammunition to discredit the source. And BuzzFeed vetted it, went through all of the reporting processes. They have the documents. They say three of the documents they have are notarized and that they confirmed the validity of the documents with four staffers. And this story came out last night, not long after, Congresswoman Diana DeGette, a Democrat from Colorado,

went on MSNBC and said this. I was in an elevator and then Congressman Bob Filner tried to pin me to the door of the elevator and kiss me and I pushed him away. Now, Bob Filner is a former member of Congress. He no longer serves. He left Congress to run for mayor of San Diego and was forced out of that office in 2013 over sexual harassment allegations. A bunch of them. A bunch of them. And we should say also yesterday there was a second allegation of groping without consent against Minnesota Senator Al Franken when he was a first term senator. A woman said at the

2010 Minnesota State Fair she posed for a photograph with him and during photo, he grabbed her butt. So this is beginning to feel like a snowball, I guess. And I think that the question that I have and I think the question a lot of us have is, how big is the snowball right now? Is this the beginning of the snowball or is this the end of the snowball? I think it's only the beginning. And what's interesting about this is that this is a conversation that was already starting on Capitol Hill, even before the Al Franken allegations, even before the John Conyers allegations. After the following the other series, Harvey Weinstein, all these other high profile investigations had already prompted a conversation that Congress needs to do more to send a message that it's a healthy workplace. And that it's not above the law. And it's not above the law. So particularly female lawmakers in the House and Senate have already introduced legislation

to that end. The Senate has already approved a rules change to now make sexual harassment training mandatory. House Speaker Paul Ryan said the House will do the same soon. He has already ordered prior to these revelations a full review of congressional policies regarding harassment. I think that there was a self-awareness that Capitol Hill has, by reputation and by reality, been a place in which harassing and discriminatory behaviors of all varieties, not just sexual harassment, that it's been a permissive atmosphere and that that needs to change. So, you know, on Capitol Hill, a lot changed in the 90s, obviously, with Bill Clinton, but also Bob Packwood and other people where some of this started to come to light. Yeah. Let me just describe who Bob Packwood is, because it's it's sort of the recent precedent

we have for this. So he is a Republican senator, former senator from Oregon, served in the Senate for a long time, was a head of a powerful committee. And then in 1992, allegations surfaced of sexual harassment, very forceful harassment. The Senate Ethics Committee ended up taking this up, and he ultimately, in late 1995, resigned after the Senate Ethics Committee voted to expel him from the Senate. Before there could be a full Senate vote, Packwood stepped down. what propelled Congress in 1995 to pass the Congressional Accountability Act, which was a law that essentially said Congress is subjected to all the same federal regulations as every other employer in the country. And it was that law that created something that's known as the Office of Compliance. And that is the office that oversees these complaints for every employee of the

legislative branch. And those complaints and that process, in my understanding of it, and I think you understand it a lot better than I do, Sue, is arcane, confusing, complicated, takes forever, and definitely does not favor the people making the complaints. It doesn't make it easy. It doesn't make it easy. And I think people are trying to change that. Under current law, if you are an employee of a legislative branch, you have only 180 days from the time of the offense to trigger the complaint process. So if it happened two years ago, three years ago, you can no longer do it. Once you file a complaint, there is a mandatory 30-day, they call it a counseling period, although it's just in terms in which they kind of take initial intake period.

It can be shorter than that, but it can be up to 30 days. At that point, you can decide if you want to go into mediation with the accused. If you agree to that, at that point, you also have to sign a nondisclosure agreement that says you will not discuss the terms of the mediation, nor will the other party. It's amazing that they have to sign an NDA. It's required to go into mediation in the mediation period, which has to be at least 30 days but can be extended, most of the complaints, according to testimony from House lawyers, are settled in this phase. At the end of mediation, if it has not resolved the issue, you then have an option to go to the Office of Compliance and have a private hearing before an officer who will make a determination about your complaint. Or at that stage, you can take it to the U.S. District Court in the District of Columbia and file a criminal complaint. But you only have 90 days after the

end of the mediation period to file a criminal complaint. But again, in most workplaces, a lot of these clashes are something that people prefer to resolve internally through an HR process, through a mediation process. But it's done in a way that lawmakers who want to change the system say it discourages people from filing complaints, that it doesn't give victims the kind of rights that you get in other circumstances. And that when these settlements are paid out, there's no public disclosure to the terms of them, to the amount. And yes, they're paid for by taxpayers. So last night, I called up Barbara Boxer, who is a recently retired Democratic senator from California, who was very vocal on the Bob Packwood case. She was elected in 1992 following the Anita Hill hearings and believes that she was elected because of Anita Hill. And I asked her, is now different? Do you

think this is different? It's stunning to me that we would be in this situation today after Anita Hill, after Bob Packard, after John Ensign, after Bill Clinton. It just is stunning to me. And she says that she regrets not paying more attention to sort of the process by which complaints could be filed. And now John Conyers is facing calls for an ethics investigation. Minority leader Nancy Pelosi, in a statement, said she supports the ethics committee looking into this. Two Democrats who are senior on the Judiciary Committee, in which John Connors is the top Democrat, have also called for an ethics investigation. It seems very likely that that will have to happen considering the climate we're in. And I do think it gives even more momentum behind this legislation that is now stands before the House and Senate, which would change the system. It's sponsored by Jackie Speier, who's a California Democrat,

who's been sort of the front end of this conversation, and Senator Kirsten Gellibrand, who's a Democrat from New York in the Senate. And it would essentially do things like when you file those complaints, it would require having a victim's advocate in these sessions, so you would have some representative in there. It would be also someone who, if there is a criminal component to these allegations, can give you legal advice on what you should do. And it would make signing these nondisclosure agreements that says you can't talk about this, it would make that optional. It would expedite a lot of these timelines. And it would also say that every year the Office of Compliance would have to disclose which employing offices have paid out settled

claims and for how much. Jackie Speier, a couple of weeks ago, said that there were two members of Congress, a Democrat and a Republican, who are accused of sexual harassment, of committing sexual harassment. And she didn't say who they were. And I guess we still don't know. We don't know if these allegations against John J. Trump, candidate for president. More than a dozen women came forward and he was on tape saying that he can grab people and kiss people. He said it was locker room talk. It's this very weird thing that's happening right now where the conversation is now about Al Franken and it's about Roy Moore and it's about John Conyers and all of these other people. I think that there is a very compelling argument to make that this cultural moment we are living in would not have happened without the Access Hollywood tapes and without the election of Donald Trump. I am not convinced that this would be the moment we're living in if Hillary Clinton

had won the election, in part because I think a lot of women in this country saw that happen and saw Donald Trump win and felt like there had been silenced and that if Hillary Clinton had won, it's the things that people tell themselves that like progress is being made. Women are being advanced, right? Like the conversation is shifting. But part of what has driven all these stories into the spotlight, Harvey Weinstein is a great example in that the open secret thing that people knew this about them and people had tried to report it. And the smoking gun in all these cases that they could never get was women to go on the record. And I think that the election of Trump and the conversation that that started about the Access Hollywood tapes was a breaking point culturally for a lot of women and in powerful industries, in Hollywood, in media, in other places to say things aren't changing.

Things may not be getting better. And the thing you and have and have provoked a lot of women to be willing to say, I'm willing to put my name and reputation on the line. Yeah. And the default used to be doubt the women. And the default now is believe the women. Yeah. There's been a shift. There has been a distinct shift. And we have some polling numbers to back that up, actually.

Speaking of. Speaking of. All right. So, Domenico, you helped plan this poll. This is the NPR, the PBS NewsHour, and Marist. It is out today. It covers a lot of things, including Thanksgiving, which we will get to. Yeah.

But before the break, sexual harassment. Yeah. So what it shows is that just over a third of women, 35 percent, say that they've personally experienced sexual harassment in the workplace. What one of our pollsters said, though, was that it's not out of the realm of possibility that there are also women who still don't want to have to come forward and tell a pollster that, yes, I experienced sexual harassment or abuse personally. Maybe they just would rather not say so. So that's a possibility within the numbers. The other thing to look at here that was a really striking number was 87% of people, including 85% of women, said that they thought that their workplace

handles sexual harassment well. And speaking about the women and who would be believed, two-thirds say that the accuser would be more believed than the accused. All of these numbers are somewhat surprising to me, but hey, there you go. Also, 9% of men say that they have been the target of unwanted sexual advances at work. There's also a big age divide here. Those over 45 versus those under 45, a lot more women who are over 45 reported having been personally faced with sexual harassment in the workplace. That is really interesting. All right. Well, we are going to take a quick break. And when we come back, so many Americans dread the prospect of talking politics at Thanksgiving. We will get into just how many. CLR Bath & Kitchen for the toughest cleaning jobs. Take on everything from grimy porcelain tubs to old spills on the refrigerator shelves. Spray on and wipe clean on granite countertops, stainless steel appliances, and ceramic tile.

CLR Bath & Kitchen has been given the EPA's Safer Choice Seal. Woman-owned, American-made, and backed by a 100% money-back guarantee. CLR Bath & Kitchen. Support also comes from SimpliSafe. Getting a good night's sleep is easier said than done, especially if you hear a noise downstairs. You could turn on all the lights and keep watch, or you can rest easy,

knowing that your home and family are protected with SimpliSafe. Each SimpliSafe system is a complete security arsenal. There are no contracts and no hidden fees. Get a special 10% discount when you order today at SimpliSafeNPR.com. This is Terry Gross, the host of Fresh Air, cutting in for a moment to tell you we've got some great new interviews in our feed, like with the two reporters who broke the Harvey Weinstein story in the New York Times and Obama White House official photographer Pete Souza. You can find Fresh Air on the NPR One app and wherever you get your podcasts. We're back. And in addition to those sexual harassment numbers in the new NPR PBS NewsHour Marist poll, there were also a lot of

questions about politics and how people are feeling about civility in politics and in the country these days. And the big number that jumps out at me is that 58% of Americans say they dread the idea of talking politics at Thanksgiving. I'm glad that jumped out at you because I saw this poll last year that was conducted by a different network that had this question. And you were like, and I was like, I'm gonna steal that. Like, that looks pretty good. And like, let's see what if there's an uptick. And there actually was a slight uptick from last year. Last year, CNN had asked this question. And it was 53% who said that they dreaded going home for Thanksgiving. That was right after the election, which you would think in most years in

a presidential year, most people are much more fired up about politics and want to talk a lot less about it. And then like a year removed, most of the time people are like they settle down a little bit and they're not quite as hopped up. Right. I mean, you see this with favorability numbers as well. This time there was an uptick from 53 to 58 percent, even more people this year saying they don't want to have to talk about politics around the dinner table. Although I'm looking at this number that says about a third, 31 percent are eager to talk about politics with their family and friends, which makes me think those are the relatives that the 58 percent don't want to be at the dining room table.

Your uncle who has lots of ideas is the one you don't want to be sitting next to at the table. No memes allowed at the table. Yeah. Well, you know, I do think that there's this other number in here that was really interesting. And to that point, you know, something like half of Republicans said that they're dreading it and two thirds of Democrats say they're dreading it. Right. So if you're thinking about that, why is that? Obviously, Donald Trump is president and that's the out party for Democrats. So it makes it more difficult for Democrats to have to win the argument if there is one. And to that point, Democrats are saying that they find conversations with people who have a different opinion about Donald Trump, quote, stressful and frustrating.

Compare that to Republicans. More than half of Republicans say that they find those conversations interesting and frustrating. Compare that to Republicans. More than half of Republicans say that they find those conversations interesting and informative. Well, there's a certain core of the Trump base who loves the idea of poking people in the eye. And that is what they love most about President Trump. Yeah. Well, there's also just, you know, you kind of feel a little bit more satisfied with yourself on politics when your team is in power. But see, I'm disappointed that you guys didn't pull how many people are dreading Thanksgiving

completely unrelated to the topics. And why you need really good food to be the glue that gets you all to the table. And video games. And football. Let's be honest. Well, maybe not football this year, right? Oh, God. Who's taking a knee?

Okay, we're going to take a quick break. And when we come back, the annual presidential turkey pardon, this time with a new president. And can't let it go. Support for this podcast and the following message come from SimpliSafe. Getting a good night's sleep is easier said than done, especially if you hear a noise downstairs. You could turn on all the lights and keep watch, or you can rest easy, knowing that your home and family are protected with simply safe each simply safe system is a complete security arsenal there are no contracts and no hidden fees

get a special 10 discount when you order today at simply safe npr.com support also comes from doctors without bordersorders, an independent, rapid-response medical humanitarian organization with teams in more than 70 countries. Doctors Without Borders teams provide medical care to those who need it most, such as Rohingya refugees fleeing violence in Myanmar, Syrian civilians maimed in the ongoing civil war, and those afflicted by the cholera outbreak in Nigeria. Learn more at doctorswithoutborders.org forward slash NPR politics. All right, we are back and we want to take you to the White House for a minute. We are here today to continue a wonderful American tradition. Today, in the spirit of Thanksgiving, I will grant a presidential

pardon to a turkey. I feel like there was sort of a long pause there. Drumstick, you are hereby pardoned. And the president told a joke. So these turkeys, Drumstick and Wishbone, will join the turkeys who were pardoned last year by President Obama. As many of you know, I have been very active in overt House counsel's office that Tater and Tots pardons cannot under any circumstances be revoked. So we're not going to revoke them. So Tater and Tot, you can rest easy. Don't they eventually just get slaughtered and eaten? No, no, no, no. They just eventually die because they're not meant to be like happy, long-living turkeys.

They're meant... Right. They're bred to be eaten. Yeah. They die under the weight of their own breasts, basically. Oh, my God. And you were guys worried about me being the dark one. And also, I saw that they stayed at the Willard Hotel last night.

I have never been able to stay at the Willard Hotel in my life. Here's a fact check on the Willard Hotel last night. I have never been able to stay at the Willard Hotel in my life. Here's a fact check on the Willard thing. The National Turkey Federation pays for the birds to be there. So there's no government money being funded to this. This is all turkey lobby, all big turkey money. I care less about the taxpayer funds as much as are we putting turkeys in like five star hotels the night before the turkey pardon. And are they tipping the maid? And are they in a room? Or are they just like in a turkey cage? No, no, no. Well, they might be in a cage. There was a photo op of them like jumping on the beds.

They stage them on the bed, but they don't stay on. Come on. They're in a cage. This seems like one of those traditions that if someone outside of this country, because Thanksgiving is also uniquely American, is probably like what is happening? Well, I'm glad you've come around to my point of view on this because two hours ago. I find it quirky and charming.

What do you think about it, Domenico? Well, you know, so I would I just want to say that on the turkey pardon, I started researching this about nine years ago, eight years ago. You're a pardon truther? No. about nine years ago, eight years ago. You're a pardon truther? Well, I'm a person in search of the truth when it comes to pardons because there was a lot of fake news, frankly, that was being peddled about what was going on.

And when I would search for answers, I found things just didn't add up. For example, there were a lot of stories that would say that Harry Truman was the first president to pardon a turkey. And a lot of that confusion was sowed by Bill Clinton, who in 1997 announced in the Rose Garden on the 50th anniversary of the National Turkey Federation, bringing turkeys to the White House, said that this is the 50th anniversary and Harry Truman was the first to pardon a turkey.

I called up the Truman Library and I said, are there any photos or any kind of evidence that he pardoned a turkey? Like I was trying to actually do a story on the first one and just like have it in a post that I was working on. And they said, you know, let's get back to you on that. And they got back to me a couple hours later with a statement that said that there's no evidence of Harry Truman ever having pardoned a turkey. Did he eat them? Yes. He would often say to reporters that those birds were destined for the family dinner table. So then I started to say, OK, so when what when did this thing start? Right. So I employed the help of the head librarian at NBC News when I worked there. And this is a longstanding thing to have.

Oh, yeah, yeah, yeah. You went full. This is full Domenico Montanaro. This is like deep cuts, right? I just – that wasn't meant to be a turkey pun. So we found when we did our library search that the furthest back photo we could find of this was a turkey that John F. Kennedy had pardoned in 1963. Now, he didn't call it a pardon, but the bird was presented to him by the Turkey Federation, and it had a big sign hanging around its neck that said, good eating, Mr. President. So we know what the intention was

there. Okay. And Kennedy kind of looked at it kind of funky, like he didn't want to be part of this whole thing, kind of petted it on the head and said, maybe we'll just let this one grow. And then like sporadically over the years, Nixon, for example, we found evidence that he'd sent his to the petting zoo. Reagan also kind of did this little thing with them, but I think was supposed to keep them. And sometimes he sent them to the petting zoo also. And then in 1987, we finally get the word pardon introduced. And what happened was Sam Donaldson, who was the veteran ABC correspondent back then, shouted out a question and said, are you going to pardon Oliver North and John Poindexter, who were two of the people caught

up in the Iran-Contra scandal in the 1980s about taking weapons from Iran and giving them to Nicaragua, all that. And Reagan deflects and says, well, you know, maybe I'll pardon this Turkey. And that is literally how the word first came into the lexicon about doing this. And two years later, George H.W. Bush formalized it. And that's how we have this tradition. Can I tell you, like, full disclosure? I thought the turkey pardon started with Lincoln. OK, so there's actually an asterisk here.

Lincoln is the first on record to pardon a turkey. But it was a Christmas turkey that his son had taken a liking to. And they basically kept as a pet for a little while. So that's not quite the same as a Thanksgiving turkey. And the tradition of turkeys being given to presidents goes all the way back to 1873. And there was this guy named Horace Vose, who was known as the Poultry King. And he was from Rhode Island. And they sent these turkeys across the country dressed in like weird, like kind of Amelia Bedelia kind of stuff, you know, hey, you dress the turkey, and she thought you put clothes on it, right? Like they literally sent it across the country.

A costumed bird. A costumed bird, goggles on like Amelia Earhart or whatever, and sent it across the country. And this happened, he owned this thing from 1873 to 1913 when he died. And then it was like a free for all. All right, Domenico, you clearly can't let this go. However, we're going to let you have another can't let it go in a few minutes. All right, Domenico, you clearly can't let this go. However, we're going to let you have another can't let it go in a few minutes. All right. And that means it is time for can't let it go. That thing we do every week where we talk about stuff we can't stop thinking about politics

or otherwise. Sue, do you want to go? I will go first. My can't let it go this week is my new television obsession, which happened just days ago in that over the weekend, I had dinner with a bunch of friends and we were talking about the news and all the sexual harassment stories and all these things. And the conversation shifted into like, what do you watch on TV to escape from all the news? And a friend of mine was like, I have not seen the show. Should I watch it? And she was like, it's my guilty pleasure. You have to watch it. So on Saturday, I started watching the show. And it's do you liking those cartoons and comics, but it was always very like kid friendly and cartoonish and comical. It's sort of reimagined as like mystery noir. And it's a dark town and it surrounds a murder mystery. A murder mystery. Yeah. But it's these like beloved, you know, I think Archie comics have been around for decades. Is it animated?

No. Oh, it's human. It's on the CW. It is a teen drama, but it's got like it's a much edgier, darker, noir version of the Betty Veronica Archie Jughead story. I always did feel that there was a little bit of a dark side to the Archie comics because I always felt like I mean, there always is like the Betty Veronica thing. Yeah. Right. And in this they're friends. Oh. And Archie's still sort of the main protagonist. But I love the Archie comics as a kid. And I just love the concept of like totally reimagining these characters that we all know so well. And it's just kind of like a frothy teen show. And I have managed to watch the show on Saturday. I would let the record note that it's Tuesday, and I've made my way through the first season of the show. But it has come at a time in my life that I have found television escapism

to be particularly enjoying these last few days. And I have two 15-year-old nieces, and in the course of watching this, I texted both of them. I was like, hey, have you guys heard of the show Riverdale? And they both got right back to me and were like, oh, my God, it's my favorite show. So I'm totally on the same wavelength as my teen nieces right now in terms of what kind of entertainment I need. So can I ask you about that? So when you

text with them, have you asked them if they even know what the Archie comics are? No. I do wonder, right? You don't want to know. Us old people. The olds don't want to know. Okay, so I'm going to go next. I was in the midst of reading several depressing stories last night and then this thing came through my Twitter feed and I found myself laughing out loud uncontrollably all alone

with my phone. So what happened is they were imploding the Georgia Dome. Yes. Yes. Yeah. So the Weather Channel, I don't know why the Weather Channel needed a great shot of the implosion of the Georgia Dome, but whatever.

Because why not? Because why not? So they set up this beautiful shot across the street. They're going to get a beautiful shot. Three, two, and then like a city bus pulls up. And just like completely blocks their shot. Three, two, and then like a city bus pulls up. And just like completely blocks their shot. And blocks the shot for the entirety of the implosion and then drives off after it had finally imploded. Gets the passengers, drives away, and there's just like a cloud of dust.

And the guys, the producers on the tape were just like, well, there are a lot of bleepsity, bleep, bleep, bleeps. And they're just like, oh, no. Perfect timing for all the wrong reasons. And two sides to this, right? Like, I feel so bad for that producer and for the cameraman. Yeah. Because you spend all day trying to set up the best shot. You look for the vantage point.

You find it finally. It's all there perfectly the entire time. What are the chances? Right? And what are the chances that the bus rolls by right then? On the other hand, this clip has gone so viral. I'm not sure anybody would have paid attention to the Weather Channel's live shot if not for the fact that it got so messed up so badly. This is true.

All right, Domenico, what can't you let go of? Well, I can't let go of this White House press briefing we had the other day in which the press secretary, Sarah Huckabee Sanders, asked all reporters to say what they were grateful for before asking a question. And this will be our last press briefing before the Thanksgiving holiday in this room. So I want to share a few things that I'm thankful for. And I think it would be nice for you guys to do so as well before asking your questions. Obviously, you probably know, and it's no secret that I'm clearly very thankful for all of you here in the room. That was sarcasm. Which is also not the spirit of Thanksgiving at all. So here's my thing. But she was serious about it. Absolutely.

And here's the thing. I believe gratefulness is close to happiness. Like I think those who – Is that a word? Gratefulness? Gratitude? Gratitude? Well, I don't know.

But gratitude – I feel that being grateful is – and it is linked very closely to being happy. Because I think that, you know, many of us can strive lots of times in our lives for something else without realizing how good things are that we have at the present. And I think when you have that level of understanding and satisfaction, that's when you can really truly feel happy. So I just wanna get that out of the way

because this is a core thing that I believe. Domenico is not ungrateful. No, I'm very grateful. I am grateful for a lot of things. But what I don't like in this situation, I want to go on the record saying that I don't think reporters should have to jump through hoops to be able to ask a press secretary questions. I just think that as a free press and a free democracy goes, then a free press needs to be unabated. Did every reporter say something they were grateful for, or I didn't see the briefing?

A lot of reporters did. It started this way. So anybody want to be first on what they're thankful for? April, you've been so eager, so I'm going to go with you to start us off on what you're most thankful for. I'm thankful for life. I'm thankful for my children. I'm thankful for 20 years in this job. I'm thankful to be able to talk to you and question you every single day.

I feel the gratefulness there. Was anybody, like, funny about it? Well. Yeah, in fact, the last grateful reporter was pretty hilarious. Here's John Gizzi. I'm thankful for the position I have and the colleagues who are my friends. I'm thankful for my father, 96 years old and growing strong, and to my wife, my heroine. Thankful to her for saying yes on the fourth request.

My question is about Zimbabwe. And in other news. In other news. All right, guys. So what are you grateful for? You know, Tam. We can't end this podcast until you tell us and our audience what you're grateful for. Well, I'll go first.

So I am, like I said, gratefulness is really important. And I think that that's an important thing. And I'm grateful for a lot of things. I'm grateful for my kids, for the job that I have here at NPR. And, you know, just having an overall place in life where I feel pretty good about things. And I think that that's important. It's important to have family around who you can be close to and who you can lean on for things who you really respect and need in times that are tough. So, you know, I think all of that is pretty good and looking forward to the future.

I'm grateful for good family and good co-workers and bad TV. Yeah. And I guess I am grateful to my family. I am grateful to my friends who did not abandon me in 2016 or 2017 when I was mostly unavailable. And I'm really grateful to our NPR Politics podcast audience. I love our listeners. I love our audience. I love this conversation that we get to have with each other and with them a couple times a week. And we're grateful for our iTunes reviews. Yes. So please, leave us iTunes reviews. That helps people find the show. So we are not going to be back in your feed on Thursday for our usual roundup

because that is Thanksgiving and I will be buried under turkey. But we'll be back next week. In the meantime, keep up with our coverage on Npr.org on your local public radio station and on the npr one app one of us is always on up first every weekday morning and if you're in the dc area we have a live show coming up in january at the warner theater in partnership with our member station wam WAMU. You can find more info and get tickets online at nprpresents.org.

That's nprpresents, all one word, dot org. I'm Tamara Keith. I cover the White House for NPR. I'm Susan Davis. I cover Congress. I'm Domenico Montanaro, political editor. And thanks for listening to the NPR Politics Podcast. Happy Thanksgiving. This podcast was recorded at... The podcast was recorded at... Okay, try it one more time.

This podcast... I forgot. Thanks for listening to the MPI pod-text. Pod-text. Pod-cast. Do wetext. Pod-cast. Do we have to redo that one? No. No.

Happy Thanksgiving, Turkey.