WEBVTT - Disinformation and Division 0:00:11.840 --> 0:00:14.720 Good morning, peeps, and welcome to okay F Daily with 0:00:14.760 --> 0:00:18.280 Meet your Girl Danielle Moody, recording live from our podstream 0:00:18.360 --> 0:00:21.840 studios here in Times Square. You know, folks, I want 0:00:21.840 --> 0:00:26.720 to start out because usually I am always beating at 0:00:26.960 --> 0:00:30.520 cable news and their lack of transparency, their lack of 0:00:31.080 --> 0:00:34.640 connecting the dots for audience members, and just you know, 0:00:35.040 --> 0:00:37.720 continuing to go on with the same old, same old, 0:00:37.800 --> 0:00:41.599 even though we are living in what I will continue 0:00:41.600 --> 0:00:44.280 to say the craziest times that I have ever seen 0:00:44.320 --> 0:00:47.160 in my life. You know, this week it was really 0:00:47.200 --> 0:00:51.400 interesting for the first time during hurricane coverage. Now we 0:00:51.440 --> 0:00:57.480 know that Hurricane Ida hit Louisiana in the worst possible way. 0:00:57.720 --> 0:01:01.600 Over a million people have lost power in New Orleans 0:01:01.680 --> 0:01:05.440 and surrounding areas as the storm continues to move in 0:01:05.440 --> 0:01:08.080 and around the south. That is, in Mississippi, as we 0:01:08.120 --> 0:01:10.959 know right now, it hit landfall as a category four. 0:01:11.240 --> 0:01:14.400 What we know right when we're talking about all of 0:01:14.440 --> 0:01:17.440 these natural disasters, all of these storms, every time we 0:01:17.480 --> 0:01:21.200 get to hurricane season, fire season, tornado season, and what 0:01:21.319 --> 0:01:24.440 have you, is that when it is being covered right, 0:01:24.760 --> 0:01:27.199 we will talk about wind gusts and we will talk 0:01:27.240 --> 0:01:30.679 about damage, and we will talk about how much money 0:01:30.720 --> 0:01:32.959 it is going to take, and we will talk about FEMA. 0:01:33.040 --> 0:01:34.480 But do you know the one thing that we never 0:01:34.560 --> 0:01:38.560 talk about, fucking climate change. We never talk about how 0:01:38.880 --> 0:01:43.160 the increase in damage and the increase that these storms 0:01:43.200 --> 0:01:46.200 are packing, right, the winds that they are packing, how 0:01:46.240 --> 0:01:49.880 they hover over warm water for long periods of time, 0:01:49.960 --> 0:01:53.880 how they are building enormous strength. We never talk about 0:01:53.880 --> 0:01:56.920 climate change. And it's almost as if I feel like 0:01:56.960 --> 0:02:01.040 there has to be some unspoken or maybe spoken right 0:02:01.160 --> 0:02:05.920 commandment with meteorologists and whether people that we just are 0:02:05.960 --> 0:02:08.000 not allowed to mention it because it will be seemed 0:02:08.040 --> 0:02:11.440 too political, because the media has allowed us to have 0:02:11.639 --> 0:02:14.280 a two sides of both sides is um to literally 0:02:14.320 --> 0:02:19.000 every fucking issue, including one that is an existential threat 0:02:19.400 --> 0:02:24.040 to our planet, which is climate change. There is nothing, folks, 0:02:24.160 --> 0:02:27.519 There is no other major issue other than, oh, I 0:02:27.560 --> 0:02:29.799 don't know, the collapse of our democracy, which I'll get 0:02:29.800 --> 0:02:32.560 to in a moment, that is more pressing right now 0:02:32.680 --> 0:02:35.960 than climate change. But for the first time, at least 0:02:35.960 --> 0:02:38.960 since I have been paying attention and kind of waiting 0:02:39.200 --> 0:02:41.679 for those two words to be mentioned when we are 0:02:41.680 --> 0:02:47.040 covering storms al Roker on MSNBC when he was reporting 0:02:47.040 --> 0:02:51.400 on Andrea Mitchell this week, said Andrea, and I cannot 0:02:51.440 --> 0:02:56.200 stress this enough. This is climate change in action. This 0:02:56.400 --> 0:03:01.760 is a major climate change event. I damn near stop 0:03:01.880 --> 0:03:04.400 dead in my tracks as he said this, because I 0:03:04.480 --> 0:03:06.919 know and I've been watching Al Roker since I was 0:03:06.960 --> 0:03:09.480 a kid, and I believe him. I believe his reporting, 0:03:09.480 --> 0:03:12.920 I believe his passion, and I believe in his ability 0:03:13.040 --> 0:03:17.880 to bring events into people's homes. When he said this 0:03:18.040 --> 0:03:20.799 is a climate event, I'm like, this is the kind 0:03:20.800 --> 0:03:24.320 of coverage that we need, right. These are not just 0:03:24.680 --> 0:03:28.920 regular hurricanes anymore. They are packing punches that we have 0:03:29.080 --> 0:03:32.720 never seen. And it showing us, right, a couple of things. 0:03:32.760 --> 0:03:37.520 It's showing us how fucking inept our infrastructure is to 0:03:37.720 --> 0:03:40.760 deal with these kinds of damaging storms which are becoming 0:03:40.800 --> 0:03:44.320 the norm. It is showing us the fact that, again, 0:03:44.640 --> 0:03:47.800 what was very interesting in this coverage as well is 0:03:47.880 --> 0:03:51.000 another reporter, and forgive me because I can't remember their name, 0:03:51.040 --> 0:03:56.840 but also on NBC said this, the wealthy, those with 0:03:57.040 --> 0:04:01.320 resources were able to get out of harm's way before 0:04:01.440 --> 0:04:05.240 anyone else. Everyone else that did not have the ability 0:04:05.280 --> 0:04:07.920 to pack up their cars to fly out, to pack 0:04:08.000 --> 0:04:10.600 up their homes, maybe to go to family, or go 0:04:10.680 --> 0:04:13.200 to their second homes or what have you. Everyone else 0:04:13.320 --> 0:04:16.760 was left in harm's way. They were left in you 0:04:17.000 --> 0:04:22.120 evacuation centers in stadiums like they were during Hurricane Katrina. 0:04:22.160 --> 0:04:26.279 But we are also looking at a catastrophe that is 0:04:26.360 --> 0:04:29.880 of capitalism, right, is of the way in which our 0:04:30.000 --> 0:04:33.880 racial wealth gap, our wealth gap in general in this country, 0:04:34.160 --> 0:04:38.600 will have those right that are left behind when we 0:04:38.680 --> 0:04:41.200 have these major events, those that can pack up their 0:04:41.200 --> 0:04:44.159 homes and can go elsewhere because they have the means 0:04:44.200 --> 0:04:46.760 to do so, and then everyone else that will be 0:04:46.839 --> 0:04:52.320 left behind. Climate change is also illuminating those grave disparities 0:04:52.360 --> 0:04:55.400 that we have in income in this country. And I 0:04:55.480 --> 0:05:00.000 appreciated the honesty in the reporting of why these things 0:05:00.000 --> 0:05:03.960 things are happening. And again, this is the media's responsibility 0:05:04.120 --> 0:05:07.360 not to be neutral, right, but to offer people the 0:05:07.360 --> 0:05:11.120 truth and then context of that truth, right, because we 0:05:11.200 --> 0:05:13.880 always ask ourselves, well, why didn't so and so leave 0:05:14.000 --> 0:05:16.640 or why do you live in this area? Well, why 0:05:16.680 --> 0:05:19.480 do they live in areas that are prone to flooding 0:05:19.600 --> 0:05:22.640 or prone to tornadoes or what have you? Because it's 0:05:22.640 --> 0:05:26.200 fucking cheap, and it's what they can afford, right, But 0:05:26.320 --> 0:05:29.919 then you have insurance companies that come in, they gouge 0:05:29.960 --> 0:05:32.760 these people, and then when they need to rebuild, insurance 0:05:32.760 --> 0:05:35.160 companies turn around and say, well, I think that that 0:05:35.240 --> 0:05:38.040 water damage in your home isn't due to the flooding, 0:05:38.120 --> 0:05:40.159 but is due to something else, And then they turn 0:05:40.200 --> 0:05:42.800 around and don't provide people with the resources that they 0:05:42.839 --> 0:05:46.520 need in order to rebuild. What we also know is 0:05:46.600 --> 0:05:51.240 that these storms are increasing the amount of money that 0:05:51.279 --> 0:05:55.760 we have to pay, right our tax dollars to rebuild. 0:05:56.120 --> 0:06:01.160 So the ignoring of climate chains isn't just like just 0:06:01.320 --> 0:06:05.120 feeding into this threat, but it is also coming out 0:06:05.160 --> 0:06:08.880 of our fucking pockets, folks, because we can't prepare for 0:06:08.960 --> 0:06:12.760 things that we pretend don't fucking exist. And this is 0:06:12.760 --> 0:06:16.720 what drives me insane. If at the end of the day, right, 0:06:16.800 --> 0:06:19.400 you're the Jim Crow Republican Party, and all you give 0:06:19.440 --> 0:06:22.560 a fuck about is money and cruelty, right or the 0:06:22.760 --> 0:06:25.400 not spending of money, or who gets more money so 0:06:25.480 --> 0:06:28.480 that you can ensure that those that are poor remain 0:06:28.560 --> 0:06:32.200 on the bottom. If money is your end all be all, 0:06:32.680 --> 0:06:36.000 then why wouldn't it make sense for us to look 0:06:36.080 --> 0:06:40.240 at climate change as an economic threat as well as 0:06:40.279 --> 0:06:43.680 an existential one, right, and say that we do not 0:06:43.880 --> 0:06:47.440 have the resources each and every fucking season as these 0:06:47.480 --> 0:06:51.120 seasons get extended because our climate is getting warmer, which 0:06:51.160 --> 0:06:54.520 means that hurricane seasons and fire seasons are going to 0:06:54.680 --> 0:06:57.920 last longer than they have in the past, which means 0:06:57.920 --> 0:07:01.760 that they're going to cost more money, billions upon billions 0:07:01.839 --> 0:07:05.640 upon billions of fucking dollars that our government does not have. 0:07:06.080 --> 0:07:09.359 And when I say that it doesn't have, right, it's because, well, 0:07:09.640 --> 0:07:12.360 we like to spend money and give tax breaks and 0:07:12.400 --> 0:07:15.160 spend money on military and things like that that don't 0:07:15.200 --> 0:07:18.400 actually benefit the rest of us on a regular basis. Right, 0:07:18.680 --> 0:07:21.120 So we know that maybe there is money, but we 0:07:21.160 --> 0:07:22.880 know that it's never going to be spent in the 0:07:22.960 --> 0:07:25.800 right place. And what I'm saying is that every time 0:07:26.520 --> 0:07:29.920 these storms come around, we have got to pay attention 0:07:30.320 --> 0:07:33.760 to the rhetoric that is being used to describe them 0:07:33.960 --> 0:07:37.040 and what is happening to these people after the fact. 0:07:37.080 --> 0:07:39.000 And I got to tell you for the first time, 0:07:39.040 --> 0:07:44.400 I will say, right, Bravo Andrea Mitchell Show, Bravo MSNBC 0:07:44.840 --> 0:07:47.560 for actually calling a spade a fucking spade, and I 0:07:47.600 --> 0:07:50.640 hope that this is what we will see moving forward. 0:07:51.360 --> 0:07:55.360 Coming up next is my conversation with the CEO of 0:07:55.680 --> 0:07:58.960 vote dot Org, Andrea Haley, who will talk to us 0:07:59.000 --> 0:08:02.240 about how the organisation is trying to push back against 0:08:02.320 --> 0:08:06.040 all of the misinformation and mis education about voting and 0:08:06.080 --> 0:08:08.760 where you can get the information that you need to 0:08:08.800 --> 0:08:11.880 make sure that you remain on the roles right and 0:08:11.920 --> 0:08:15.120 that you are able to vote in the upcoming midterm elections. 0:08:15.440 --> 0:08:21.920 That conversation is coming to you next, folks. I am 0:08:22.040 --> 0:08:25.600 very excited to be joined by Andrea Haley, who is 0:08:25.640 --> 0:08:30.880 the CEO of vote dot org, the leading nonpartisan online 0:08:31.040 --> 0:08:36.760 voter information organization. Andrea, you know, this past weekend was 0:08:36.800 --> 0:08:41.280 the fifty eighth anniversary of the March on Washington, and 0:08:41.600 --> 0:08:44.720 you know eight years ago when it was the fiftieth anniversary, 0:08:44.840 --> 0:08:47.880 I had the wonderful pleasure of being on the mall 0:08:49.080 --> 0:08:53.120 for that, you know, that historic number marker. You know, 0:08:53.440 --> 0:08:58.200 this past weekend we see voting rights marches happening. You 0:08:58.240 --> 0:09:01.440 know across the country. What part did vote dot org 0:09:01.559 --> 0:09:05.160 play in this historic moment? And also what are you 0:09:05.200 --> 0:09:12.320 reminded about with your work with this notable anniversary. You know, 0:09:12.480 --> 0:09:15.200 this year, vote dot org partnered with all of the 0:09:15.320 --> 0:09:19.480 voting marches across the nation. We were really you know, 0:09:19.640 --> 0:09:23.280 excited to be able to celebrate the anniversary and celebrate 0:09:24.040 --> 0:09:26.920 how far would come. But of course we know how 0:09:27.000 --> 0:09:30.800 much work there's left to do, so we're out there 0:09:30.880 --> 0:09:35.000 registering people to vote. We pushed over one hundred thousand 0:09:35.040 --> 0:09:38.360 people and emails to learn about the marches to either 0:09:38.440 --> 0:09:41.800 attend or to um be able to you know, go 0:09:41.880 --> 0:09:44.360 online and watch if it couldn't attend in person one 0:09:44.360 --> 0:09:46.880 of the marches UM And so that is a lot 0:09:46.880 --> 0:09:49.440 of the way that we've partnered in. We also provide 0:09:49.800 --> 0:09:52.680 QR codes and other things so that people at the 0:09:52.720 --> 0:09:54.760 marches can make sure that they're registered to vote, check 0:09:54.800 --> 0:09:58.040 their registration, UM, do all that and go to vote 0:09:58.040 --> 0:10:01.520 dot org. I think one of the the opportunities that 0:10:01.600 --> 0:10:06.000 we have now, building on this momentum, is to make 0:10:06.040 --> 0:10:08.800 sure that people know that there's something they can actively 0:10:08.880 --> 0:10:12.480 do right here, right now about the moment we find 0:10:12.480 --> 0:10:16.240 ourselves in. The moment we find ourselves in is really challenging, 0:10:16.280 --> 0:10:19.959 it's very dire. But we have two pieces of federal legislation. 0:10:20.040 --> 0:10:22.440 The John Lewis Voting Rights Act and the For the 0:10:22.480 --> 0:10:26.199 People Act that will help address some of the inequities 0:10:26.200 --> 0:10:30.160 in our voting processes. And so what people can do 0:10:30.200 --> 0:10:31.839 is they can call their senator. They can go to 0:10:31.920 --> 0:10:35.760 vote dot org backslash action where we've set up a 0:10:35.760 --> 0:10:37.640 page where it makes it really easy to call your 0:10:37.640 --> 0:10:40.200 senator and say that your support voting rights and support 0:10:40.440 --> 0:10:42.360 the John Lewis Voting Rights Act and the Four the 0:10:42.400 --> 0:10:46.800 People Act. You know, we are headed obviously into midterm 0:10:46.880 --> 0:10:50.920 elections in twenty twenty two. And for folks who believed, 0:10:51.120 --> 0:10:54.880 you know, they've cast their ballot in twenty twenty, what 0:10:54.960 --> 0:10:57.320 are the steps that you are telling them with vote 0:10:57.320 --> 0:10:59.280 dot org that they need to do in order to 0:10:59.320 --> 0:11:03.440 make sure that they are still registered right that they 0:11:03.520 --> 0:11:05.880 weren't vote a booted off the role, Like, can you 0:11:05.920 --> 0:11:08.920 walk us through that process? I voted in twenty twenty. 0:11:08.960 --> 0:11:10.960 I hit up vote dot org because I know that 0:11:11.000 --> 0:11:14.679 there are new changes being made. I want to make 0:11:14.720 --> 0:11:17.920 sure that I am secure when I want to go 0:11:18.160 --> 0:11:20.880 cast my mid term ballot. What are the steps that 0:11:20.960 --> 0:11:24.520 folks are taking and need to take, you know, Kurtiscott 0:11:24.559 --> 0:11:27.400 King said that freedom was never really never won. Every 0:11:27.440 --> 0:11:30.760 generation has to fight for it on their own, and 0:11:31.440 --> 0:11:34.600 I think that that's the moment we find ourselves in. 0:11:34.679 --> 0:11:37.600 So what people can do is they can make sure 0:11:37.600 --> 0:11:40.000 to fight for their vote, fight to make sure that 0:11:41.080 --> 0:11:44.079 they're on the voter rolls, that they're paying attention to 0:11:44.160 --> 0:11:47.040 what's happening in their state, and that they are able 0:11:47.080 --> 0:11:50.160 to participate in this upcoming election. Luckily, you know for 0:11:50.200 --> 0:11:54.360 our generation that we have new technologies accessible to us. 0:11:54.720 --> 0:11:57.320 So right there on your phone, it takes two seconds. 0:11:57.360 --> 0:11:58.920 You can go to vote dot org and you can 0:11:59.040 --> 0:12:01.400 verify that you're still on voter roles. I personally do 0:12:01.440 --> 0:12:03.760 that every couple of months, just to make sure we 0:12:04.240 --> 0:12:07.319 have systems that are purging people. And you don't want 0:12:07.320 --> 0:12:09.120 to get surprised on election day. You want to know 0:12:09.520 --> 0:12:11.520 that you're on the roles and keep confirming it and 0:12:11.559 --> 0:12:13.440 fight to make sure that your voice is heard. So 0:12:13.720 --> 0:12:15.920 just go to your phone and do that. It really 0:12:15.920 --> 0:12:19.160 takes a couple of seconds. If you are not registered 0:12:19.200 --> 0:12:21.920 or you've been purged from the voter rolls, votorg will 0:12:21.960 --> 0:12:23.760 tell you and then you can go ahead and go 0:12:23.800 --> 0:12:26.200 through the registration process. Right there on the site. We 0:12:26.280 --> 0:12:28.360 know that it's better to do all these things early 0:12:28.360 --> 0:12:31.679 and make your plans early to vote, and that that 0:12:31.720 --> 0:12:34.720 will mean that you will have increased participation. And so 0:12:35.559 --> 0:12:37.760 register on the site and then if you're you know, 0:12:37.960 --> 0:12:40.800 make a plan, think about how you want to participate. 0:12:40.960 --> 0:12:43.960 Follow the laws in your state. You can just press 0:12:44.080 --> 0:12:47.720 you know, whatever state you're on, you're in vote org 0:12:47.800 --> 0:12:50.600 and we give you you know, the laws, what you 0:12:50.640 --> 0:12:53.480 need to know anything that's changing, make sure to just 0:12:53.600 --> 0:12:57.760 periodically check it. And especially as we you know, start 0:12:57.800 --> 0:13:01.079 to near these midterm elections. A lot of people out there, 0:13:01.120 --> 0:13:04.600 I think now our country is really divided into two groups. 0:13:04.600 --> 0:13:07.400 It's people who believe we should have a healthy and 0:13:07.600 --> 0:13:12.240 thriving democracy, people who believe everyone should have their voice heard, 0:13:12.320 --> 0:13:15.559 people who you believe that people in communities should be 0:13:15.559 --> 0:13:17.280 able to have a say and who their leaders are. 0:13:17.480 --> 0:13:18.920 And then we have a group of people out there 0:13:19.200 --> 0:13:21.720 who don't believe in that, who believe in some more 0:13:21.920 --> 0:13:25.720 you know, authoritarian kind of style of government. So it's 0:13:25.760 --> 0:13:28.880 really important that people right now fight to make sure 0:13:28.880 --> 0:13:31.080 that they can preserve their right to vote, because that's 0:13:31.160 --> 0:13:33.960 that's truly where we are. So you know, make sure 0:13:34.240 --> 0:13:38.839 verify or registration, make a plan, keep checking vote dot org, 0:13:39.320 --> 0:13:41.040 know what's happening in your state. And once you do 0:13:41.080 --> 0:13:43.760 all of that, make sure that you're the vote captain 0:13:43.800 --> 0:13:47.600 of your friends or family. I love that is that 0:13:47.760 --> 0:13:50.240 is the most I call all my friends and family. 0:13:50.320 --> 0:13:52.520 I let them know what the rules are, what they 0:13:52.559 --> 0:13:56.600 need to do, you know, self, appoint yourself vote captain, 0:13:56.640 --> 0:13:59.480 and make sure that those in your community know how 0:13:59.480 --> 0:14:01.840 to participate, pay and know how to have their voice heard. 0:14:02.040 --> 0:14:03.800 What do you say to folks? And I'm sure you 0:14:03.840 --> 0:14:06.080 talk to people all the time, but what do you 0:14:06.120 --> 0:14:09.960 say to people who are losing faith in the system, 0:14:10.480 --> 0:14:13.560 who are like, well, what difference does it make? Andrea? 0:14:13.720 --> 0:14:17.480 Why should I, you know, bother voting? Like, look a 0:14:17.640 --> 0:14:20.080 look at what they're doing, you know, to this country. 0:14:20.120 --> 0:14:23.200 Look at what they're doing to the polls. What do 0:14:23.240 --> 0:14:26.480 you say to those people that are seemingly losing some hope? 0:14:27.040 --> 0:14:30.560 I say, get mad, exhaustion and all of that. That's 0:14:30.600 --> 0:14:32.400 the point. The point of all of this is to 0:14:32.440 --> 0:14:34.560 wear you down to the point where you think, what 0:14:34.640 --> 0:14:36.600 does it matter? What does my vote? How does my 0:14:36.720 --> 0:14:39.400 vote count? And get you to give up. That's what 0:14:39.640 --> 0:14:42.440 these bills are designed to do. That's what creating extra 0:14:42.520 --> 0:14:45.680 hoops for voters is designed to do. And you know, 0:14:45.840 --> 0:14:48.840 I say, like, there's a reason for that. The reason 0:14:48.960 --> 0:14:51.440 is that people want to take away your ability to 0:14:51.560 --> 0:14:57.320 choose what's happening in your own neighborhood, town, community, city, state, 0:14:57.400 --> 0:15:01.200 and nation. You know it. Giving up your own power 0:15:01.720 --> 0:15:03.720 is something that you never really want to do. And 0:15:04.200 --> 0:15:10.160 not voting doesn't mean that, you know, you just aren't 0:15:10.160 --> 0:15:13.400 participating in the process. It means somebody else gets to 0:15:13.520 --> 0:15:17.480 actively dictate what happens to you, your friends, your family, 0:15:17.480 --> 0:15:21.120 and your community. And so I say, I would say, 0:15:21.160 --> 0:15:24.120 don't give up that power, get upset, make sure you're 0:15:24.120 --> 0:15:26.160 protecting the right to vote. And this is something that's 0:15:26.280 --> 0:15:29.640 really important. If it wasn't important, we know that people 0:15:29.680 --> 0:15:33.600 wouldn't be working so so hard to exhaust you out 0:15:33.640 --> 0:15:36.000 of the process. There wouldn't be four hundred bills across 0:15:36.040 --> 0:15:39.800 this nation, you know, trying to separate people from their 0:15:39.880 --> 0:15:43.720 vote and from their voice. We know this is absolutely important. 0:15:43.720 --> 0:15:46.000 This is where true you know, power lies. And so 0:15:46.560 --> 0:15:49.480 we have to have the ability to fight back and 0:15:49.520 --> 0:15:51.480 to show up anyway and to show people that we 0:15:52.120 --> 0:15:55.120 are not tired, we are not going to stop. We're 0:15:55.160 --> 0:15:57.240 going to show up every single election cycle, and we're 0:15:57.280 --> 0:16:02.640 going to protect our right and our freedom to vote. 0:16:06.080 --> 0:16:08.760 That is it for Today's Woke, a f daily podcast. 0:16:08.800 --> 0:16:11.840 To hear more from today's show, including my full interview 0:16:11.920 --> 0:16:15.920 with Andrea Haley, support me on Patreon at patreon dot 0:16:15.920 --> 0:16:18.800 com slash woke AF Power to the people and to 0:16:18.880 --> 0:16:22.000 all the people power, get woke, and stay woke as fuck.