WEBVTT - I’m About to SNAP! | Angela Rye SoloPod 0:00:00.200 --> 0:00:03.640 Native Land Pod is a production of iHeartRadio in partnership 0:00:03.680 --> 0:00:05.080 with Reason Choice Media. 0:00:05.559 --> 0:00:08.760 Welcome, Welcome, Welcome, Welcome, Welcome, Welcome, Welcome. 0:00:10.720 --> 0:00:16.280 Are you aware of USDA's Snap Contingency Fund? Yes or no? 0:00:17.040 --> 0:00:17.400 Yes or no? 0:00:17.480 --> 0:00:20.000 Are you aware of it? Sir? I'm aware of that. 0:00:20.280 --> 0:00:24.560 Are you aware that USDA, despite bipartisan demands from Congress, 0:00:24.640 --> 0:00:27.960 is refusing to use that fund to help keep food 0:00:27.960 --> 0:00:30.360 assistance going to families after Saturday? 0:00:31.480 --> 0:00:32.440 Yes or NOA. 0:00:32.440 --> 0:00:37.480 I my understand that is now in litigation, and it's. 0:00:37.400 --> 0:00:41.600 In litigation because the administration is refusing to use the funds. 0:00:41.600 --> 0:00:42.680 Correct. 0:00:43.120 --> 0:00:45.600 It wouldn't be in litigation if the administration would just 0:00:45.840 --> 0:00:51.000 use the five billion dollars that's available to use, correct, 0:00:51.040 --> 0:00:53.440 on top of the other funds that my colleague just 0:00:53.479 --> 0:00:54.000 referred to. 0:00:55.880 --> 0:00:59.600 So that's that's the claim in litigation because it's in 0:01:00.360 --> 0:01:01.480 It's not something. 0:01:01.560 --> 0:01:07.640 So it's in litigation because these are decisions that the 0:01:07.640 --> 0:01:11.119 Trump administration that the USDA is making in real time. 0:01:11.920 --> 0:01:16.480 They're deciding to pit hungry people against sick people, and 0:01:16.640 --> 0:01:19.720 I think that's im moral. There's nothing legally stopping the 0:01:19.760 --> 0:01:24.480 administration from making emergency food assistance funds that they're just 0:01:24.560 --> 0:01:27.759 sitting on available for Georgia kids and families in November. 0:01:27.840 --> 0:01:31.160 But even as we debate what to do about these 0:01:31.319 --> 0:01:39.039 ACA subsidies, it is it is indisputable that the USDA 0:01:39.160 --> 0:01:43.160 under the Trump administration is choosing to pull hungry children 0:01:43.200 --> 0:01:46.840 into this fight. They're not just in this fight, They're 0:01:46.880 --> 0:01:51.240 being pulled into this fight used as ponds for short 0:01:51.360 --> 0:01:55.840 term political gain. I thinks deeply immoral, and I think 0:01:55.880 --> 0:01:57.200 we can certainly do better than that. 0:01:58.800 --> 0:02:01.880 Welcome home, y'all. This is Angela Raie with Native lampod 0:02:02.400 --> 0:02:05.840 just hearing from Senator Raphael Warnock and hearing this week 0:02:06.240 --> 0:02:10.920 about what is happening with Donald Trump's impoundments as it 0:02:10.960 --> 0:02:16.440 relates specifically with the SNAP program. But today not one, 0:02:16.680 --> 0:02:20.239 but two federal courts have ruled that Donald J. Trump's 0:02:20.240 --> 0:02:26.360 administration must resume SNAP benefits. Terror illegal. These are just 0:02:26.400 --> 0:02:30.440 two words used today to describe the irreparable harm caused 0:02:30.440 --> 0:02:34.680 by the Trump Administration's failure to fund the Supplemental Nutrition 0:02:34.840 --> 0:02:37.680 Assistance Program. Of course, that is what most of us 0:02:37.720 --> 0:02:41.320 call food stamps. In Rhode Island, the court says, the 0:02:41.360 --> 0:02:45.280 court is orally at this time ordering that USDA that is, 0:02:45.320 --> 0:02:49.760 the Department of Agriculture must distribute the contingency money timely 0:02:50.280 --> 0:02:53.920 for as soon as possible for the November first payments 0:02:53.960 --> 0:02:58.720 to be made. That's from United States District Judge John J. McConnell, Jr. 0:02:58.960 --> 0:03:02.320 And after an hour were long emergency hearing just today, 0:03:02.800 --> 0:03:07.280 Judge McConnell ruled that the suspension of SNAP funding is 0:03:07.320 --> 0:03:11.200 not only arbitrary, it is likely to cause irreparable harm. 0:03:11.520 --> 0:03:14.800 He said that the terror felt by Americans who are 0:03:14.840 --> 0:03:18.359 scrambling to meet their basic needs to ensure that their 0:03:18.440 --> 0:03:21.720 needs are being met, are going to be left in 0:03:21.760 --> 0:03:26.520 harm's way. Judge McConnell ordered the Trump administration to continue 0:03:26.800 --> 0:03:30.120 paying for the program using emergency funds we call it 0:03:30.160 --> 0:03:33.560 a contingency fund, and that they have to come back 0:03:33.600 --> 0:03:37.240 to court on Monday and say how SNAP will be funded. 0:03:37.320 --> 0:03:42.800 In Boston, Massachusetts, the federal Judge Indira Tolwane said that 0:03:43.080 --> 0:03:47.120 she was going to reserve judgment on whether to issue 0:03:47.160 --> 0:03:50.520 a tro which is a temporary restraining order, and asked 0:03:51.000 --> 0:03:54.600 for the Trump administration to advise the court on whether 0:03:55.160 --> 0:03:59.840 they would authorize reduced SNAP benefits for November. Right now, 0:04:00.000 --> 0:04:03.320 there is a Contingency Fund in the United States Department 0:04:03.360 --> 0:04:07.640 of Agriculture, that is to the tune of six billion dollars. 0:04:08.080 --> 0:04:13.120 That does not cover the full amount at risk monthly. Monthly, 0:04:13.440 --> 0:04:16.960 the SNAP program costs eight point two billion dollars and 0:04:17.120 --> 0:04:20.080 feeds more than four hundred, I'm sorry, more than forty 0:04:20.120 --> 0:04:24.240 two million Americans. So, of course, these two rulings are 0:04:24.320 --> 0:04:28.960 in response to filings on Tuesday by twenty five plaintiffs 0:04:29.000 --> 0:04:33.200 that is, twenty two attorneys general across the country, as 0:04:33.240 --> 0:04:36.760 well as governors in Kansas, in Kentucky and Pennsylvania, and 0:04:36.760 --> 0:04:39.440 of course the District of Columbia. They all came together 0:04:39.520 --> 0:04:44.719 to sue the United States Department of Agriculture, and they 0:04:44.760 --> 0:04:47.680 have been successful so far. What we need to understand, 0:04:47.720 --> 0:04:49.200 and I want to make sure that we take a 0:04:49.240 --> 0:04:52.880 moment just to commend the people across the country who 0:04:52.920 --> 0:04:57.520 have come together to fund and provide donations to food banks. 0:04:58.120 --> 0:05:01.039 From churches like New Birds shout out to my good 0:05:01.040 --> 0:05:06.279 brother an extended pastor, Jamal Bryant, into folks like Leonard 0:05:06.440 --> 0:05:09.840 Charlotte Mae McKelvey, who's one of the founders of Reason Choice, 0:05:09.920 --> 0:05:14.000 who's given multiple donations across various states, including South Carolina 0:05:14.560 --> 0:05:18.440 and New York to ensure that Americans don't go hungry. 0:05:18.480 --> 0:05:21.160 When we look at that Masows hierarchy of needs, one 0:05:21.200 --> 0:05:24.320 of our most basic needs, one of our most basic 0:05:24.480 --> 0:05:28.320 needs is to be able to eat. And that is 0:05:28.360 --> 0:05:32.159 something that this administration is denying the American people. And 0:05:32.200 --> 0:05:34.400 here's what I want you to know. Let's say that 0:05:34.400 --> 0:05:36.920 the Trump administration when they go back to court on Monday, 0:05:37.200 --> 0:05:40.120 doesn't have a plan. They don't know how they're going 0:05:40.160 --> 0:05:42.600 to fund this, how they're going to make sure that 0:05:42.640 --> 0:05:46.000 the American people who provide the funding for this thing 0:05:46.839 --> 0:05:49.320 through their taxpayer dollars. If they come back and they 0:05:49.320 --> 0:05:50.760 don't have a plan, and they say, you know what, 0:05:50.920 --> 0:05:53.839 Judge actually, which they've done before, we're going to defy 0:05:53.880 --> 0:05:57.560 this court order. If they do that and they deny 0:05:57.800 --> 0:06:01.200 food to forty two million people, they deny the funding 0:06:01.279 --> 0:06:05.960 to forty two million Americans, this is tantamount to theft. 0:06:06.960 --> 0:06:10.279 This is theft from the American people. This is theft 0:06:11.200 --> 0:06:15.279 from taxpayers, and your taxpayer dollars they are stealing from you. 0:06:16.279 --> 0:06:19.680 And that amounts to something we call an impownment. So 0:06:19.800 --> 0:06:22.159 let's just talk briefly about impowerments because I think we 0:06:22.200 --> 0:06:25.160 need to understand this, And for those who are watching 0:06:25.440 --> 0:06:27.479 on Instagram Live, I urge you to tune into our 0:06:27.520 --> 0:06:30.600 youtubecause I'm gonna cut this live off right now. What 0:06:30.720 --> 0:06:34.640 I want to say is that an impowerment is it 0:06:34.680 --> 0:06:38.520 refers to the delay or withholding by the President of 0:06:38.640 --> 0:06:44.800 funds previously approved by Congress for certain fiscal or policy aims. Now, 0:06:44.839 --> 0:06:46.760 I want to be clear about this, just for a moment. 0:06:48.320 --> 0:06:56.200 An empowerment is unlawful. An empowerment is unconstitutional. The Constitution 0:06:56.440 --> 0:07:00.200 of the United States of American Article one, section nine 0:07:00.600 --> 0:07:04.880 claws seven says, impertinent part, no money shall be drawn 0:07:05.240 --> 0:07:09.880 from the Treasury, but in consequence of appropriations. Appropriations can 0:07:09.920 --> 0:07:13.320 only be made by Congress, y'all, made by law, and 0:07:13.440 --> 0:07:17.160 a regular statement and account of the receipts and expenditures 0:07:17.160 --> 0:07:20.520 of all public money shall be published from time to time. 0:07:21.320 --> 0:07:25.600 The power of the purse belongs to Congress, not to 0:07:25.680 --> 0:07:27.600 Donald Trump. Now, y'all know, he's been still in a 0:07:27.640 --> 0:07:29.800 long time. That's what the court case is say, been 0:07:29.840 --> 0:07:31.880 still in a long time. The reason why he's mad 0:07:31.920 --> 0:07:34.680 at tis James. Right now, the Attorney General of New York. 0:07:34.960 --> 0:07:37.360 The reason why he has found a way to indict 0:07:37.400 --> 0:07:40.160 her off of nonsense is because she had the nerve, 0:07:40.240 --> 0:07:45.080 the audacity, the unmitigated gaal to sue this man for 0:07:45.360 --> 0:07:50.760 fraud in New York still ows millions of dollars in fines. 0:07:51.520 --> 0:07:53.360 And we thought he was gonna do this country different 0:07:53.520 --> 0:07:56.720 wake up call. He is not. And so also what 0:07:56.760 --> 0:08:00.520 you should know is in the Supreme Court, even precedent, case, 0:08:00.600 --> 0:08:03.080 precedent is on the side of the American people because 0:08:03.080 --> 0:08:07.760 in a case Train versus City of New York, the 0:08:07.760 --> 0:08:11.560 Supreme Wart unanimously held, not six to three, not five 0:08:11.600 --> 0:08:15.880 to four, not seven to two, unanimously held the President 0:08:15.960 --> 0:08:22.120 does not have unilateral authority to impound funds. Again, Congress 0:08:22.120 --> 0:08:23.600 has the power of the person. So what we've been 0:08:23.600 --> 0:08:26.880 saying our week, y'all, is that it's time to stop 0:08:26.920 --> 0:08:29.800 the real still, stop the real still. There was no 0:08:29.880 --> 0:08:34.360 stolen election. The stealing is happening to taxpayers. The stealing 0:08:34.559 --> 0:08:37.160 is happening to the American people, some of whom have 0:08:37.320 --> 0:08:41.040 already gone hungry because funds had already run out. And 0:08:41.080 --> 0:08:42.840 I want to shout out again, not just the people 0:08:42.880 --> 0:08:46.400 who have contributed to food banks contributed to funds, made 0:08:46.440 --> 0:08:50.080 extra food for their neighbors, but also for the good 0:08:50.080 --> 0:08:52.079 actors in states who have said, you know what, we're 0:08:52.120 --> 0:08:55.800 going to bridge this gap, whatever gap that Donald Trump 0:08:55.840 --> 0:08:59.040 is creating by not coming to the table to negotiate 0:08:59.120 --> 0:09:01.520 with people of good will. We are going to make 0:09:01.520 --> 0:09:04.360 sure that folks who look like me and you, folks 0:09:04.360 --> 0:09:06.520 in our states, our citizens can eat. So I want 0:09:06.559 --> 0:09:10.800 to just shout them out. There's a whole CRS report. 0:09:10.920 --> 0:09:14.080 CRS is the Congressional Research Service that talks about the 0:09:14.120 --> 0:09:17.640 Impoundment Control Act of nineteen seventy four. That is, the 0:09:17.640 --> 0:09:21.280 President relied upon in Train versus City of New York, 0:09:21.280 --> 0:09:24.640 that Supreme Court case that I just reference. What I 0:09:24.679 --> 0:09:27.720 want you to know is that stopping the real still 0:09:27.840 --> 0:09:31.480 means that the Supreme Court has to follow President. Stopping 0:09:31.480 --> 0:09:37.359 the real still means that House Republicans, that Senate Republicans 0:09:37.559 --> 0:09:39.560 have to come to the table in earnest and talk 0:09:39.559 --> 0:09:42.559 about what this really is about. They want to deny 0:09:43.280 --> 0:09:48.600 the American people of health care subsidies that were covered 0:09:49.679 --> 0:09:52.040 in the Affordable Care Act, or if some of y'all 0:09:52.040 --> 0:09:57.560 like to call Obamacare. This is about ensuring that healthcare 0:09:57.679 --> 0:10:04.040 remains affordable to people. I want to take from those subsidies, right. 0:10:04.360 --> 0:10:07.280 They want to take from those subsidies and every other 0:10:07.360 --> 0:10:10.840 little place they can pull from to fund these tax 0:10:10.920 --> 0:10:14.120 breaks for people who are making a whole lot more 0:10:14.120 --> 0:10:17.000 money than you and me. I don't want to pay 0:10:17.000 --> 0:10:18.880 for that. I don't know about y'all, but I don't 0:10:18.880 --> 0:10:20.440 want to pay for that. If I get to say, 0:10:20.440 --> 0:10:23.000 and where my taxpayer dollars are going, I don't want 0:10:23.040 --> 0:10:25.480 to pay for that. I'd rather pay for health care 0:10:25.520 --> 0:10:28.920 being affordable to y'all. Right. I want to make sure 0:10:28.920 --> 0:10:32.240 that we are giving people breaks who actually need relief, 0:10:32.480 --> 0:10:35.400 not just Donald Trump's golf buddies. That's not what I 0:10:35.440 --> 0:10:37.880 want to do. That's not what I'm here for. So 0:10:37.960 --> 0:10:39.839 I think that we need to be very clear about that. 0:10:39.880 --> 0:10:44.240 What is unfortunate is that the Republican Party writ large 0:10:44.920 --> 0:10:50.559 are using snap benefits and the lack thereof, to starve 0:10:50.760 --> 0:10:54.680 our children, to starve our seniors, to starve our people, 0:10:55.240 --> 0:10:59.520 to starve our babies, to say we're gonna leverage this 0:11:00.160 --> 0:11:04.319 them as a political football to delay and deny health 0:11:04.320 --> 0:11:07.440 care subsidies. Both are wrong, Both are foul, and that 0:11:07.600 --> 0:11:14.040 is what Senator Warnock was saying in his conversation in 0:11:14.080 --> 0:11:17.800 his is back and forth in that Senate hearing. And 0:11:17.880 --> 0:11:20.360 so now I want to switch gears, because we need 0:11:20.400 --> 0:11:23.319 to talk about how we protect our power, how we 0:11:23.440 --> 0:11:26.840 find our power, how we leverage our power in an 0:11:26.960 --> 0:11:30.280 environment that feels so politically toxic. We are grasping at 0:11:30.320 --> 0:11:34.160 straws every day trying to figure out how we keep 0:11:34.160 --> 0:11:37.400 the lights on, how we feed our families, how we 0:11:37.600 --> 0:11:41.920 educate our children, and how we preserve a democracy that 0:11:42.080 --> 0:11:45.160 was not only just fragile, y'all, but in so many 0:11:45.160 --> 0:11:49.280 ways broken. And so there are people of goodwill, as 0:11:49.320 --> 0:11:51.720 my good brother Vince would say, who are fighting the 0:11:51.760 --> 0:11:54.760 power every single day in the state of California. As 0:11:54.760 --> 0:11:56.600 you all know, we have an election coming up. I 0:11:56.679 --> 0:11:59.120 voted yesterday with my mom and dad. Where's my sticker. Oh, 0:11:59.120 --> 0:12:00.880 it's on the back of my lapt Let me show, y'all. 0:12:01.000 --> 0:12:04.120 I voted yesterday. That's my sticker right there, if you'all 0:12:04.120 --> 0:12:08.600 can see it. And shout out to everybody running in 0:12:08.679 --> 0:12:12.640 King County and in Seattle running for office, and also 0:12:12.720 --> 0:12:16.120 the ballot initiatives that we supported. In speaking of ballot initiatives, 0:12:16.480 --> 0:12:18.400 We have folks that are fighting in power in California 0:12:18.480 --> 0:12:21.480 right now, trying to meet folks where they are. There 0:12:21.520 --> 0:12:25.200 was a racist jerry manderin process that took place in Texas, 0:12:25.600 --> 0:12:28.600 and there were folks in the California legislature that said 0:12:28.679 --> 0:12:31.760 not on our watch, bang the table, like Ian lavanzet y'all, 0:12:32.080 --> 0:12:34.880 and one of them is joining us today to talk 0:12:34.920 --> 0:12:39.120 about Proposition fifty. It's a very important ballot measure that 0:12:39.320 --> 0:12:44.640 is on the ballot in California. This ballot measure was 0:12:44.760 --> 0:12:48.240 introduced to many of you by Governor Newsom, but Governor 0:12:48.280 --> 0:12:51.040 Newsom would not have been able to ensure that this 0:12:51.120 --> 0:12:54.000 ballot INITIAI made it onto the ballots of the folks 0:12:54.040 --> 0:12:57.680 throughout the state without the acting of the legislature. Proposition 0:12:57.760 --> 0:13:02.440 fifty authorizes temporary changes is to congressional district maps in 0:13:02.520 --> 0:13:06.480 response to what Texas has done. In joining us today 0:13:06.640 --> 0:13:11.000 to talk about this very very critical ballot initiative. Right 0:13:11.040 --> 0:13:12.480 on the other side of this clip, I want you 0:13:12.520 --> 0:13:16.199 all to see this ad is Assembly Member Tina mckinner. 0:13:16.400 --> 0:13:17.480 The first you're going to watch this. 0:13:17.520 --> 0:13:37.640 Say, California, with Prop fifty, you have the power. You 0:13:37.720 --> 0:13:40.000 have the power to stand up to Donald Trump. 0:13:40.600 --> 0:13:41.280 You have the. 0:13:41.280 --> 0:13:43.840 Power to protect reproductive freedom. 0:13:44.080 --> 0:13:46.280 You have the power to stop election rigging. 0:13:46.880 --> 0:13:50.520 You have the power to give America a fair midterm. 0:13:50.760 --> 0:13:53.719 You have the power to restore checks and balances. 0:13:54.200 --> 0:13:56.800 You have the power to stand up for everyone being 0:13:56.800 --> 0:14:00.160 a rased by this president, for all of us in 0:14:00.320 --> 0:14:01.400 all fifty states. 0:14:01.679 --> 0:14:03.960 Yes on fifty. 0:14:04.200 --> 0:14:06.120 So shout out to the black women who made it 0:14:06.160 --> 0:14:08.520 into the ad Assembly member. I was looking for you too, 0:14:08.559 --> 0:14:10.920 and I also was looking for my big sister Kamala Harris. 0:14:11.080 --> 0:14:12.760 But we gonna make sure we run a different ad, 0:14:12.800 --> 0:14:13.280 all right. 0:14:14.040 --> 0:14:14.840 We have one. 0:14:14.920 --> 0:14:16.560 By the way, how you doing, Angela? 0:14:16.600 --> 0:14:18.840 How you know good? Well, if you can't send it 0:14:18.880 --> 0:14:21.960 to us before we in the program, sorry, big, big, big, 0:14:21.960 --> 0:14:22.440 big fan. 0:14:22.520 --> 0:14:24.760 I just want to shout out to you before we 0:14:24.800 --> 0:14:27.520 even get started, to lift you up for giving us 0:14:27.560 --> 0:14:30.400 real news and not all that fake stuff that's out there. 0:14:30.680 --> 0:14:34.440 So I commend you for your social activism. Thank you 0:14:34.480 --> 0:14:35.120 for what you do. 0:14:35.560 --> 0:14:39.600 Thank you, my sister. I'm also mutually supportive. Thank you 0:14:39.640 --> 0:14:42.240 for fighting the good fight. We always talk about the 0:14:42.280 --> 0:14:47.080 Congressional Black Caucus as being the conscience of the Congress. Well, 0:14:47.120 --> 0:14:52.520 there are some bold tremendous, beautiful black legislators in the 0:14:52.640 --> 0:14:55.760 California State Assembly who are fighting the good fight every day, 0:14:55.880 --> 0:14:58.240 both helping to ensure that we feel and see our 0:14:58.320 --> 0:15:01.480 power at the ballot box with Prop fifty, but also 0:15:02.000 --> 0:15:04.560 even the packages that some of them, some of the 0:15:04.600 --> 0:15:07.360 bills were passed, but some of them weren't. Most recently. 0:15:07.440 --> 0:15:09.320 We'll talk about it a lot more. I'll listen all 0:15:09.320 --> 0:15:10.920 we talk about on the other side of this election. 0:15:11.200 --> 0:15:12.640 But I know you got thoughts. You were one of 0:15:12.680 --> 0:15:15.520 those authors of the bill, and I really really respected 0:15:15.800 --> 0:15:17.880 the bill that you introduced. So if there's anything I 0:15:17.880 --> 0:15:19.320 can do on the other side of this to make 0:15:19.360 --> 0:15:22.000 sure that that gets the uplifted needs for next session, 0:15:22.040 --> 0:15:24.520 you can count me and my sister thank you. 0:15:24.560 --> 0:15:28.120 Thank you, because it's extremely important and we're starting with reparations, 0:15:28.120 --> 0:15:31.200 which I'd love to do that we have to make 0:15:31.240 --> 0:15:33.800 sure that we separate reparations from Prop. 0:15:33.840 --> 0:15:35.320 Fifty's just there. 0:15:35.360 --> 0:15:36.760 I want to make it they're not even the same, 0:15:36.840 --> 0:15:38.840 it's not even the same people who had to consider it. 0:15:39.480 --> 0:15:42.320 No, we want to make sure that we don't mix 0:15:42.360 --> 0:15:42.680 it up. 0:15:42.960 --> 0:15:45.360 Even though you guys see Gavin Usim out there talking, 0:15:45.440 --> 0:15:46.120 he's the governor. 0:15:46.160 --> 0:15:48.640 That's what he's supposed to do. He's doing his job. 0:15:48.680 --> 0:15:52.200 He's supposed to defend California. This is what the democratic 0:15:52.200 --> 0:15:55.880 governor should be doing. They should be protecting democracy, talking 0:15:55.920 --> 0:15:56.720 shit to Trump. 0:15:56.800 --> 0:16:00.360 I can say shit, you can say whatever you want Trump. 0:16:00.360 --> 0:16:00.920 I love the way he. 0:16:00.920 --> 0:16:04.600 Talked shit to Trump, talking shit to Trump, protecting democracy. 0:16:04.640 --> 0:16:07.080 But this Prop fifty doesn't belong to him. It belongs 0:16:07.120 --> 0:16:13.240 to us. Yes, the Prop fifty does not belong to 0:16:13.240 --> 0:16:14.400 Gavin Newsom, y'all. 0:16:14.720 --> 0:16:15.640 It belongs to us. 0:16:15.720 --> 0:16:18.640 He's the spokeperson because he's the governor and he's doing 0:16:18.680 --> 0:16:22.360 his job. His job is to protect democracy, protect California. 0:16:22.400 --> 0:16:24.640 And I love the way he's talking shit to Donald Trump. 0:16:25.240 --> 0:16:26.960 And I want to just fly for you really quick. 0:16:27.040 --> 0:16:28.800 Just a technical matter. I want to make sure we 0:16:29.000 --> 0:16:31.560 are emotive people, so black people use our hands when 0:16:31.560 --> 0:16:34.000 we talk. Your screen is moving a little bit. I 0:16:34.040 --> 0:16:36.160 wanted to stay as stationare as possible so they can 0:16:36.200 --> 0:16:38.680 hear you and see you, my sister. But this is great. 0:16:38.920 --> 0:16:40.640 Now here's the next thing that I want that I 0:16:40.640 --> 0:16:45.560 want to talk about. I think that people probably are 0:16:45.760 --> 0:16:49.400 resenting a little bit how much we are having to 0:16:49.520 --> 0:16:52.280 output in this moment. There are those of you, those 0:16:52.320 --> 0:16:53.840 of us like me and you I know, we went 0:16:53.880 --> 0:16:56.720 to the ballot box. We exercise our franchise. We did 0:16:56.760 --> 0:16:59.720 the right thing. We told everybody. So we told everybody 0:16:59.720 --> 0:17:02.880 what was coming in Project twenty twenty five. We told 0:17:02.920 --> 0:17:07.120 people that there was no competition in qualification, style, substance, 0:17:07.160 --> 0:17:10.280 or anything else between Connall Harris and Donald Trump. And 0:17:10.359 --> 0:17:13.760 yet people still got it wrong. Those same people got 0:17:13.760 --> 0:17:15.960 the nerve to be tired talking about they don't want 0:17:15.960 --> 0:17:17.680 to go back. Well, some of y'all didn't go back, 0:17:17.680 --> 0:17:20.280 and if you did go you voted wrong. Not that 0:17:20.320 --> 0:17:22.399 many in our community, but we do have some folks 0:17:22.560 --> 0:17:26.840 talk about why it is so important for people to 0:17:26.960 --> 0:17:30.280 pay attention to this particular election. Again, for those of 0:17:30.280 --> 0:17:33.480 you who don't understand what the assembly member was saying, 0:17:33.920 --> 0:17:37.399 Gavin Newsom is not on the ballot. This is not 0:17:37.560 --> 0:17:42.360 a midterm election. This is an election related to Proposition 0:17:42.480 --> 0:17:47.360 fifty to solve four harms that were caused in other states, 0:17:47.520 --> 0:17:50.040 namely Texas. There are some other harms that are coming, 0:17:50.280 --> 0:17:52.280 so this is to prevent some of those harms. So 0:17:52.320 --> 0:17:56.399 we have representation and throughout the country even if it 0:17:56.400 --> 0:17:59.359 comes from other parts of the world, like, for example, 0:17:59.359 --> 0:18:03.920 Assembly member, you'll appreciate this. Washington State just got our 0:18:04.080 --> 0:18:08.080 first black member of Congress a few sessions ago, right, 0:18:08.520 --> 0:18:11.240 just a few sessions ago. So who I went to 0:18:12.200 --> 0:18:15.560 were people outside of our state, particularly on issues that 0:18:15.600 --> 0:18:18.320 matter to the black community. So this is one of 0:18:18.359 --> 0:18:20.840 those things where it's saying we're gonna have to maybe 0:18:20.920 --> 0:18:24.560 go outside of Texas, maybe go outside of Ohio, maybe 0:18:24.600 --> 0:18:27.000 go outside of Missouri or Indiana. And I don't wish 0:18:27.040 --> 0:18:29.439 for any of our members to lose their seats, but 0:18:29.520 --> 0:18:32.520 if that's what they do, then we need some backup 0:18:32.560 --> 0:18:35.199 in other parts of the country. That's not uncanny to 0:18:35.200 --> 0:18:37.760 black people. I think that's really strange for white people 0:18:37.760 --> 0:18:39.880 to have to process that they may have to get 0:18:39.920 --> 0:18:43.800 support from other parts of the country. You all do 0:18:43.880 --> 0:18:46.920 that too, because you're representing the needs of black constituents 0:18:46.920 --> 0:18:49.280 throughout the state of California. So can you talk a 0:18:49.320 --> 0:18:51.440 little bit about that role that you play that isn't 0:18:51.520 --> 0:18:54.040 just unique to your district, but really is representing our 0:18:54.040 --> 0:18:54.960 interests throughout the state. 0:18:55.520 --> 0:18:57.840 Absolutely, we have one hundred and twenty members in the 0:18:57.880 --> 0:19:04.640 state Assembly and Senate, twelve African American people represent black 0:19:04.680 --> 0:19:07.240 people across the state. So it's twelve of us, so 0:19:07.280 --> 0:19:10.280 we have ten percent. So of course we represent all 0:19:10.320 --> 0:19:12.600 the black folks across the state. We make sure that 0:19:12.640 --> 0:19:15.240 we do that well too. By the way, we're pretty 0:19:15.240 --> 0:19:19.479 feisty group. Look what happened in this was you all know, 0:19:19.600 --> 0:19:22.640 Donald Trump called Texas and say give me five give 0:19:22.640 --> 0:19:23.399 me five seats. 0:19:23.440 --> 0:19:24.119 I deserve it. 0:19:24.440 --> 0:19:28.000 In California, we heard it and our governor jumped right 0:19:28.040 --> 0:19:30.720 on it and he said, you bring the fight to California. 0:19:30.760 --> 0:19:33.000 We bring it back to you. And so we went 0:19:33.040 --> 0:19:36.399 in and we passed three bills. The first bill is 0:19:36.400 --> 0:19:40.880 a constitutional bill to allow us the legislature to draw maps, 0:19:41.000 --> 0:19:44.600 to redraw the maps because we have an independent a 0:19:44.720 --> 0:19:48.080 redistrict and Commission that comes in every ten years and 0:19:48.200 --> 0:19:50.840 draw the maps. So we take that and the legislature 0:19:50.880 --> 0:19:52.879 are going to draw them. That was the first bill. 0:19:53.160 --> 0:19:56.640 The second bill actually accepts the maps that we drew. 0:19:57.119 --> 0:20:00.159 And the third bill paid for this special election. The 0:20:00.200 --> 0:20:03.600 special election is gonna cost us about fifty million, I'm sorry, 0:20:03.600 --> 0:20:04.920 five hundred million dollars. 0:20:05.240 --> 0:20:06.480 I always forget that zero. 0:20:07.000 --> 0:20:09.119 I would want to forget it to that's expensive. 0:20:09.880 --> 0:20:10.600 It's expensive. 0:20:10.600 --> 0:20:12.760 But we were more afraid not to spend the money 0:20:13.600 --> 0:20:16.080 than to give up the money because Trump is so 0:20:16.240 --> 0:20:19.639 damn dangerous. You just talked about he's making he's putting 0:20:19.720 --> 0:20:21.000 hunger against health care. 0:20:21.320 --> 0:20:22.080 Who does that? 0:20:22.160 --> 0:20:23.000 Who does that? 0:20:23.800 --> 0:20:26.639 A crazy man? And so we voted on it. 0:20:26.680 --> 0:20:30.600 And unlike Texas, Texas just we drew the maps. Unlike Texas, 0:20:30.600 --> 0:20:32.720 we believe in a democracy. So we're taking it back 0:20:32.760 --> 0:20:35.560 to the voters and we're asking the voters permission to 0:20:35.640 --> 0:20:38.400 draw the maps. But what this does is when Texas 0:20:38.400 --> 0:20:42.080 put in those five Republican seats, California is going to 0:20:42.160 --> 0:20:46.480 put in five Democratic seats. We're gonna we drew those lines. Well, 0:20:46.520 --> 0:20:51.359 we drew in Democrats. There are only nine Republican seats 0:20:51.400 --> 0:20:55.080 in California. I love living in republic In California, five 0:20:55.160 --> 0:21:01.040 Republican congressional seats, and because they found a pace with us. 0:21:01.119 --> 0:21:02.720 We're gonna only leave them with four. 0:21:03.240 --> 0:21:05.639 And so this is about making sure that we have 0:21:05.720 --> 0:21:09.600 an even playing field for the midterms. Like Angela said, 0:21:09.640 --> 0:21:14.560 the midterms. Congress runs every two years. The midterms is 0:21:14.600 --> 0:21:18.440 where all the financial stuff comes through. Got to come 0:21:18.480 --> 0:21:21.879 through Congress, It's not through the president. Plus our American, 0:21:22.280 --> 0:21:27.880 this US American experiment is failing. Donald Trump as the presidency, 0:21:28.400 --> 0:21:31.240 the Supreme Court most of the time, and the US 0:21:31.280 --> 0:21:34.400 House and the US Senate. We have to ensure that 0:21:34.480 --> 0:21:38.160 we get these mid terms back, that we get Congress back, 0:21:38.280 --> 0:21:40.640 so we could stop some of these nonsense. 0:21:40.960 --> 0:21:41.600 And when you think. 0:21:41.520 --> 0:21:43.760 About nonsense, I'm gonna stop because I could go on 0:21:43.800 --> 0:21:43.960 and no. 0:21:44.119 --> 0:21:46.439 No, I have two questions for you. The first is 0:21:46.440 --> 0:21:51.119 where you kind of ended, and it's around you're gonna 0:21:51.119 --> 0:21:55.359 only leave the Republican Party with four in California. My 0:21:55.520 --> 0:21:59.200 question is given the fact that Texas is the beginning, 0:21:59.400 --> 0:22:01.600 that's not the in And I'm not great at math. 0:22:01.640 --> 0:22:03.600 I went to law school to avoid it at all costs, 0:22:03.600 --> 0:22:07.000 but I can do basic arithmetic. Why leave them with any? 0:22:07.200 --> 0:22:09.800 If you know that there are other states coming and 0:22:10.160 --> 0:22:14.800 they control most of the legislatures throughout the country, why 0:22:14.920 --> 0:22:18.280 leave them with any? What's the rationale for that? 0:22:18.840 --> 0:22:21.520