alley. many primary names have also followed joe biden's lead in endorsing her presidential bid. target democrats including chuck schumer, hakeem jeffries and nancy pelosi have thrown their support behind harris. most recently, she received a high-profile endorsement from two of the most popular democrats in the country, barack and michelle obama who pledged to quote, do everything we can to make sure she wins in november. the vast majority of democratic delegates have already endorsed harris as well, which makes her the party's de facto nominee going into the convention. like most races, this will come down to a handful of swing states in the industrial midwest, which encompass parts of several states in the midwest and northeast. i decline for biden in georgia and nevada in the recent months, the midwest has offered democrats the best path to victory. until last month's consequential debate, biden remained competitive in pennsylvania, wisconsin, and

notably michigan, a state that had been of significant to biden's reelection bid. in 2020, particularly in the detroit metro area. also where he made history last september after the united auto workers went on strike, he joined them on the picket line, the first time a sitting president had already done that. as a result, he earned the uaw's endorsement in january, which bolstered his aspirations to be quote, the most prounion president in american history. while many unions like the american federation of teachers, and the service employees international union workweek to back harris this week, the uaw has held off doing so, at least so far. michigan exposes some of biden's weaknesses. the president aced fierce opposition from the large arab population over his stance toward the war in gaza, which land to the abandoned biden movement that called for primary voters to challenge the reelection bid. it was particularly effective in

michigan, even though biden still easily won the primary in february. more than 100,000 people cast a protest vote for uncommitted, a sign of trouble for his campaign. michigan may have ultimately been the state to convince biden to drop out of the race last weekend. sunday morning, hours before the president announced he was abandoning his reelection efforts, the detroit free press published its latest poll and show support for biden in michigan had collapsed since the first presidential debate. trump extended his lead to a seven point margin, up from the four point lead he had one what prior. as senator gary peters noted in a social media post this week, the road to the white house runs straight through michigan. look, this is a small snapshot of the state of the race as harris launches her campaign, little over three months to before voters cast their ballots . after a vehicle of uncertainty, democrats have got some momentum again, but they clearly still have a lot of work to do.

joining me now is the affirmation democratic senator from the great state of michigan, gary peters. chairman of the democratic senatorial campaign committee, as well as in its homeland and government affairs committee. senator peters, thanks for being with us. >> it is great to be with you. once again, thanks for having me on. >> talk about how i just lay that out with respect to michigan. it is a complicated place and i don't want to test a brush. there are reasons people both in michigan, not all about israel and gaza. it is a complicated state and kamala harris has not inherited it. she has got to do some work in order to win. >> michigan is a very complicated state, a classic battleground state. as you know, the definition of a battleground state means, it will be a close election. that is what we will have here in michigan once again. as you mentioned in the opening, i think it is safe to say, it is

almost impossible to be president of the united states now if you don't win michigan. all eyes will be on my state. the message i just gave to a group of volunteers that are going out convincing. i will say, they had a tremendous enthusiasm, but i also told them that basically, the entire country is watching us, watching them and it is important for us to turn out the vote. >> let's talk the infrastructure you have in michigan. people like you, your statewide elected people, your governor, lieutenant governor, secretary of state, attorney general, they have won in trying circumstances. it is a machine. the democratic party in michigan has proved to be a very effective machine. some of that is your statewide elected folks were running against some nutty people. some of it was abortion. tell me how this manifested in this upcoming election. >> certainly, in the last election, you are right. really talented folks running statewide that have not won. in

the last cycle, we had prof three, which enshrined abortion rights into the state cost of tuition. that was the top go-getter in the last election overwhelmingly , particularly with young voters . in michigan, the highest number of 18 to 30-year-olds both in the entire country and they were coming out on that issue. reproductive freedoms plays very big. it is a very powerful issue here in the state. there is a powerful contrast between where kamala harris is as a champion for reproductive freedom for women, versus trump, who is responsible for the overturn of roe v. wade, and j.d. vance, who is absolutely extreme on the issue with no exceptions for rape and incest . once a national abortion ban. that will continue to play, particularly motivating young voters in michigan and we have to continue to drive that issue. if i talk about j.d. vance for a second. he was asked about his support for no exceptions, including if a woman is raped, and when

asked why that was his position, he said, well, you know , rape is inconvenient . well, i have got a message for j.d. vance, rape is not inconvenient, it is absolutely catastrophic . to me, it is disqualifying for j.d. vance. we talked to michigan voters about the vice president who thinks that, we will show up in big numbers and vote against him and trump. >> one of the things, joe biden lost ground in michigan, probably due to his stance on war between israel and gaza. kamala harris took that issue on directly during the first couple of weeks of her campaign. she met with prime minister benjamin netanyahu and here is what she said earlier. >> what has happened in gaza over the past nine months is devastating. the images of dead children, and desperate, hungry people fleeing for safety, sometimes displaced for the second, third, or fourth time. we

cannot look away in the face of these tragedies. we cannot allow ourselves to become numb to the suffering. and i will not be silent. to everyone who has been calling for a cease- fire, and to everyone who yearns for peace, i see you and i hear you. let's get the deal done so we can get a cease-fire to end the war. >> that is one of the most direct criticisms of israel's war in gaza from one of the highest officials in american politics. you remember there were many months where people said something about a cease-fire, you were accused of all sorts of horrible things. how do you think this message will be received by michiganders who are concerned about this war? >> there is no question we have a large and vibrant arab american, muslim american community here in muslim-- michigan. it is a part of our very

vibrant and diverse state that we have. her words about making sure that she understands what is going on to innocent civilians that are being caught in the crossfire is very important. for her to continue to speak in those terms is good and will make a difference in that community. ultimately, we have got to bring peace. we have got to stop the fighting and understand that hamas is a horrible terrorist organization , but we also have to understand that there are innocent people caught in that crossfire that we care about and i think kamala harris will be able to strike that balance and have talked about doing that and i believe she can. >> among the people on the short list to possibly become kamala harris's running mate is governor gretchen whitmer. she has said forwardly, she is not interested in becoming vice president. her words, i am not leaving michigan. the team is betting her, regardless.

what do you know about this that you can tell us? >> i will take the words the governor has expressed at face value. she has been pretty public about her position. i always have known the governor and i admire her and respect her. she is very straightforward and will speak her mind and tell you what she is thinking. >> last night, former president donald trump gave a speech at the turning point action believers summit. he had something curious to say about the future of voting in this country. let's listen together. >> and again, christians get out and vote! just this time. you will not have to do it anymore. four more years, you know what, it will be fixed, it will be fine. you will not have to vote anymore, my beautiful christians. i love you christians, i am a christian. i love you. get out and vote, in four years you will not have to vote again. we will have it fixed so good, you will not have to vote.

>> we will set aside the 32 ounces of weird that was in there about i love you christians and all of that stuff. what is this about you will not have to come out and vote again , it will all be fixed? i am not coming i am sure you are not in the business of figuring out what donald trump means, that is weird. >> yeah, i don't want to get into donald trump's head, i think there is a lot going on in a very small space there. but i will say, to have him say that you are not going to vote again, this election really is about democracy. we want to both . we want to continue to make sure our voices are heard, not just in this election, but every election for as long as this country exists, we want to vote. to say you don't want to vote, those of us who love democracy, democracy is the best form of government and believe the power always resides with the people, we want to both. in fact, donald trump is going to see how much we want to vote,

because we will make sure he is not reelected and he will lose in michigan, kamala harris will win in michigan, pennsylvania, wisconsin, and all the states she needs to be our next president. i will do everything i can to make that happen. all of those folks at that rally today, get out and work the volunteer rally for michigan are fired up. we will make this happen, because we believe in voting and we will keep voting. >> senator, good to see you. senator gary peters of michigan. tomorrow marks 100 days until election day. my msnbc colleagues and i will break down what comes up next in this historic election and what surprises may be in store. i get the feeling that senator peters will be on tomorrow as well. during "velshi" tomorrow, we will bring a full hour on project 2025 tomorrow. the 922 page conservative playbook or a potential trump administration. we will break down the chapter so you have got them all here. the autocratic processes inside and the dangers this proposes

to democracy. we will bring you a preview after this. we will turn to chapter 8 and how the right wants to overhaul one of the most important institutions in america, a free press. later, i will call the meeting of the "velshi" band book club with emily dan ford. announcer what if you could whiten your teeth by simply brushing your teeth? now you can with smileactives, the teeth whitening breakthrough that safely gets your teeth white and keeps them white every day just by brushing your teeth. christine i never thought that whitening my teeth

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turning out to the tragic story of sonia massey, the black woman shot and killed by police earlier this month in her illinois home. we learned that day called the massey family yesterday to offer heartfelt condolences. according to matthew's father, harris let them know that she supports the 100% and emphasize that this senseless police violence must stop. to catch you up, sonya massey was killed july 6th after she called on 911 on a possible home intruder. body camera's capture the moment that the deputies responded.

shots were fired after massey picked up from the stove would appear to be a part of boiling water. the family says that massey was unarmed. an autopsy report was released and it concludes the 32-year- old mother of two died from a gunshot wound to the head. the deputy who shot massey was fired and arrested and charged. he is pleading not guilty to charges including first degree murder. for more, i am joined by mara barrett in springfield, illinois . what more do we know about this? >> it has been three weeks since sonya massey was shot and killed in her own home . we are more details from that autopsy report released yesterday. in the autopsy report, there is imagery an illustration that shows the bullet's trajectory through massey's head. take a look here. you can see the bullet entered just below her left eye and exited jeff at the base of her neck, which suggest incongruence with the body camera video we have seen, which is disturbing to watch, i

should note, that massey appears to be in a crouching mode or caroling down by the kitchen counter and suggests that grayson was firing from an elevated level, pointing down toward her. we are getting more details about the nature of that shooting and details about the conversation with vice president harris when she called the family. massey's father elaborating team that harris took issue with the fact that police are able to jump from department to department and wanted to make sure in her statement about the senseless killing meeting to stop, this is something that also stops as well. this is something we have learned, given that grayson has worked at six different departments in the last four years. the family's attorney been crop thing that-- taking issue saying, there should have been concerned over issues prior. >> where they are red flags missed and should he have been hired in the first place by the sheriff department? those questions only get louder.

>> reporter: now, in terms of some of those red flags, we have obtained audio recordings from one of grayson's previous department he worked at in logan county here in illinois. in a series of interviews, about three hours of recording i was listening to this morning, the deputy sheriff is questioning grayson for a series of misconduct, criticizing him in these recordings for lying on words, lack of integrity, he says, and warned official misconduct like this could get him fired or into serious trouble as a police officer. we are continuing to dig into grayson's has come a lot of officials called into question why he was able to jump from department to department, especially when he has things on his professional record like a you are. that is what we continue to dig into here in springfield. >> as always, we appreciate your reporting. we will stay on top of that story. a quick programming note,

this evening, the father of sonya massey, along with ed crump, who is representing the family will join me later today at 5:00 p.m. eastern. i will take you inside project 2025, the right's playbook to revamp the american public as we know it. we will turn to a section that macy diminutive compared to other areas. it poses a danger to democracy as any other. hear

our local news keeps us infd when others won't, but it's under siege from big out-of-state media companies and hedge funds. now, california legislators are considering a bill that could make things even worse by subsidizing national and global media corporations while reducing the web traffic local papers rely on. so tell lawmakers, support local journalism, not well connected media companies. oppose ab 886. paid for by ccia. here's to getting better with age. here's to beating these two every thursday. help fuel today with boost high protein, complete nutrition you need...

...without the stuff you don't. so, here's to now. boost. i thought i was sleeping ok... but i was waking up so tired. then i tried new zzzquil sleep nasal strips. their four—point lift design opens my nose for maximum air flow. so, i breathe better. and we both sleep better. and stay married. if you had to wager a guess about the most dangerous chapter in the project 2025, this is the 922 page conservative playbook for a new trump administration, what would it be? chapter 17 on the department of justice? that is pretty bad. chapter 2 on the presidency, chapter 6 on the state department? we are digging into a chapter that might not seem so obvious in the grand scheme of things. it is chapter 8. it is titled, "

media agencies." let me explain why this is a great of a dangerous any other chapter in this tall book. a large portion of the chapters dedicated to eliminating the independence of the voice of america, a publicly funded international broadcaster that uses journalism in 48 languages for a global audience. some of the larger voa audiences are in china and iraq this the free press in two places that tend to lack journalistic freedom. the voa receives government funding, while also remaining independent thanks to a so- called firewall between the executive branch and the agency of global media, u.s. agm for short, which manages the voa. a part of that firewall reads quote, u.s. agm networks and their employees including the heads of each network are fully insulated from any political or other external pressures or processes that would be inconsistent with the highest standards of professional

journalism. end quote as we all know, donald trump has big issues with professional journalists. he considers journalists an enemy of the people and dismisses reporting on his actions, or statements, or crimes as fake news. he has long sought to control his own media apparatus in order to view his nonsense unfettered, which is why his social media form, truth social, exists. it should come as no surprise when trump was resident, his pick to run the u.s. agency of global media michael try to exert his political influence over voa reporting and revoke that protective firewall. he was ultimately stopped by a judge. inside project 2025 is a detailed plan for dismantling the voice of america's independence more successfully. page 200 33 of project 2025 reads quote, as an executive branch agency the usagm ostensibly should report to the

president and coordinate activities with the national security council. the document also suggest placing it under the state department. that would transform the voice of america from a reliable journalistic publication for global audiences to a personal propaganda machine for the president. it continues, ensuring the taxpayer funded tv radio and messaging tells america's story isn't prior to. currently, voa's foreign language program is unreliable in telling america's story, given its amorphous interpretation of independence firewall. end quote. there is nothing amorphous about journalistic independence. let's imagine for a moment with americans' story might look like an administrative ideology. what is america's story to a political movement that bans books and restrict school curricula of black, latino, and queer american history.

this is how authoritarianism takes root, by controlling first the of information. trump's disdain for the repress will not be satiation unless he is able to control his own state tv and it will go far beyond the voa and government funded media. trump has said, he wants to look at revoking news network broadcast licenses last winter, casper tells, could potentially play a role in the second administration suggested they use the courts to go after media, to after independent journalists. chapter 8 of this book is dangerous because it is emblematic of the overarching goals of project 2025, the end of lyrical independence from the president anywhere in the u.s. government. joining me now is jack, author of the book "the reactionary spirit, how america swept the world. zach there are a number of evil that act me about this pacifically. they understand the control of

the state department, department of justice what is the about media? all i remember is in the old days when they were playing traditional clues, the one thing that always happen with the government took over the radio station, because that is all they could do. >> it is kind of funny, in a coup, that is the one number one thing you need to do first is that over the radio station and create a sense of inevitability. you can be resistant because you control the inevitability. they don't take over the media quickly, then the coup fails. this is not like an old military coup, where you protect your message and win. the weight authoritarianism works,émike ruzzi you know i have talked about this in the book you just showed, that they slowly over the course of time and through temperamental measures diminish the ability of various different segments of society to act as checks on the government's power. the media is among the most important. one example, in hungry, which i think is the

clearest case of one strong democracy collapse functionally under the weight of an authoritarian elected government . about 90% at least of the media in that country is controlled either directly by the state or allies of the government in the sector. that control was given to them through the manipulation of government money and government powers. when project 2025 spends a lot of time talking a bout weight in which he publicly funded media should be changed for political control, which it does, by the way, not only with the voice of america, but the corporation for public broadcasting, known as vs and npr. there is a lot of really, really worrying things for me as somebody who writes about this stuff. >> i am glad you brought up on gary, on page 237 a project 2025, it speaks of another government funded agency, radio free europe and radio liberty. it has its own section in which it does, the recent addition of

radio free europe, radial liberties, hungarian language service falls outside the intended scope of radio free europe and radio liberties charger by targeting a democratically elected, pro- american, european and nato ally . that is interesting. hungary it self has limited its free media. radio free europe and radio liberty broadcast in hungarian language into hungary and specifically project 2025 says, that nonsense should stop. >> yeah. i mean, to me, this is emblematic of the way in which the american conservative movement has become deeply entangled with the hungarian authoritarian project. they really believe that victor or bond should be a model for the united states, and has that is explicitly multiple times. ron desantis has modeled his policies, at least one, the

don't say gay bill on a similar bill that was passed in hungry. hungry has become to conservatives a lot like what scandinavian countries are to the american left, a perfect encapsulation of what society should be like me or what it would be like if they had their way. in saying but out of hungarian affairs radio free europe, what they are saying is, stop interfering with a project, a political project whose goals and methods we basically have heard of. >> how far has gone? it is an interesting chapter and covers a lot of things we know about. but it does not cover taking over msnbc, for instance. donald trump has said, we would like the head of our company, would like to get our license is revoked. we don't have licenses. and would like to see the head of our company faced capital punishment. he does not have reach and theory, no matter what project 2025 does. they can't yet go after privately funded media in america. >> yeah. i mean the way this

would work, and it is a lot harder in america that countries like hungary, where agencies were brought quickly under control, is that you would punish and target the parents companies of various different media outlets. trump actually did try to do this in his first term. he attempted to block a merger because he was angry about the indian's coverage and wanted to punish jeff bezos, amazon because he was angry about the washington post or the. neither of those efforts work. but, and this is crucial when talking about project 2025, trump was disorganized and there were checks on his authority elsewhere in the government. what project 2025 does and other documents like it is give from the blueprint on how to wield power more effectively in the right place. that means, these tactics, which are very familiar, currently by israeli prime minister benjamin netanyahu is on trial corruption. the biggest charge against him

is he abuse regulatory powers to course or control a major media outlet another country, in fact tried it with another country too. he is more comfortable in the mold, he has just been checked more effectively. trump really is acting like one the most concerning authoritarian leaders elected in democracies in recent memory. >> you really helped us understand one of the more complex sectors here. a senior correspondent, author of "the reactionaries. ." tomorrow we will go further inside project 2025, the blueprint for the republican presidency. we will take you through the blueprint of the plant one who is behind it and how it is tied to donald trump's campaign. coming up, kamala harris's campaign has the internet on its side. over the next few months, you will hear a lot about coconut trees, brett sommer and the k-. i have seen

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targeted and long-lasting. i recommend salonpas. it's good medicine. ♪ hisamitsu ♪ in this election, we each face a question, what kind of country do we want to live in? there are some people who think we should be a country of chaos, of fear, of hate, but us, we choose something different. [ crowd chanting ] we choose freedom. >> ♪ freedom, freedom i can't lose. freedom, freedom where are you ♪ because i need freedom too. what you were just watching there was the first campaign ad of kamala harris's presidential bid, featuring the song by none

other than beyonci. queen b herself reportedly gave harris the green light to use her song as an anthem for her campaign. this is a big deal, a bfd sl might say, because beyonci does not just give clearance to anybody. in fact, she is known for having strict guidelines around permissions to use her music. the superstar has not yet formally endorsed harris for president, but it seems the beehive is sweet on the k-hive. you will hear a lot of buzzwords like k-hive in this stretch of the 2024 campaign, especially if you find yourselves in the company of young people. you are probably asked if you fell out of a coconut tree. brat summer, you're in the heat of it . if all of this sounds familiar to you, congratulations, you are chronically online. if it doesn't sound familiar to you, don't worry, i am here to

try to do my best to explain it all to you. we will start easy with the khive. the khive is essentially kamala harris's longtime, unofficial fandom , a play on the beehive, which is beyonci's devoted fan base, or think what swifties are to taylor swift. the term, khive can be traced as far back to 2017, when harris was a first term senator in california. here is a tweet from our very own joy reed referencing it in 2017. she responded to someone who said, they were a devoted fan of kamala harris's beehive. she replied, we had a meeting and decided it is called the khive. the khive is pugnacious, fiercely loyal fan base . some politicians and harris critics come to dread the sting of the khive, similar to devoted fans of beyonci and taylor swift, the khive will sting fast and deep. they thrived during 2013 when

harris had an unsuccessful run for democratic nomination to president. the movement has taken on a whole new life thanks to the tiktok generation. harris and her most memorable lines have gotten full viral treatments, anointing the vice president as an internet darling . this clip i am about to show you was originally pushed out by our republican detractors. >> you think you just fell out of a coconut tree? [ laughter ] you exist in the context of all in which you live and what came before you.>> the rnc posted that clip in an attempt to throw shade at whatever they deem to be a pattern of wacky word salads by kamala harris, but it had the opposite effect. harris's younger fans reclaimed the clip, adding quick editing, hit songs and trendy choreography. you think you just fell out of a coconut tree became a digital

cultural moment. ♪ ♪ ♪ ♪ >> you think you just fell out of a coconut tree? you exist in the context. of all in which you live and what came before you. >> now, notice the grainy, green filter and the song by the pop artist charlie scx, which brings us to brat summer. charlie's new album debuted on the billboard charts, here's the album cover in the existing limegreen. you might associate brat with teenage angst to me but i am told by the younger people that brat is a way of life. brat is about empowerment, excepting her imperfections while embracing the chaos and brat has transcended tiktok to be associated with vice president kamala harris, with

charlie herself tweeting, kamala is brat. now, the harris campaign has gone green, fully embracing this opportunity. make hq, the official page on x , changed its backdrop to the signature brat grain . hold on, the new "velshi" logo is kind of brat. here is what happens when pop culture collides with politics . as kamala harris would say, what can be unburdened by what has been. has been. only shingrix is proven over 90% effective. shingrix is a vaccine used to prevent shingles in adults 50 years and older. shingrix does not protect everyone and is not for those with severe allergic reactions to its ingredients or to a previous dose. an increased risk of guillain-barré syndrome was observed after getting shingrix. fainting can also happen. the most common side effects are pain, redness, and swelling at the injection site, muscle pain, tiredness, headache, shivering, fever, and upset stomach. ask your doctor or pharmacist about shingrix today. have you ever considered getting a walk-in tub?

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when a 12-year-old cam ranh post here's the devastating news that both of her parents died in a car accident, she knows that it is her fault. quote, i felt like it could be that god had made this happen, had killed my parents because i was living life so wrong that i had to be punished, end quote.

. in the days leading up to her parents death, cameron and her best friend, i ran have spent the afternoon kissing in irene's family barn. and so begins the emily danforth award-winning novel in today's "velshi" banned book feature, "the miseducation of cameron post." written in language with love like descriptions of montana and moments of restriction refreshing humor. "the miseducation of cameron post" explores family dynamics, the impact of religion, friendship, and love. the back of the novel takes place in a so-called gay conversion therapy center called god's promise complete with the slogan, the opposite of is not homosexuality, it is holiness. it is there through the emotional devastation and abuse that cameron eventually comes to turn with the realities of her grief and sexual identity. at its core, "the miseducation of cameron post" is an american coming of age story set in the late 90s . cameron navigates

the perils of first love, first heartbreak, the push and pull of family obligation and fight for self-acceptance and the same familiar cadence every other teenager in america does. like her ., cameron exists in that gray area between adult and child between knowing who you are and still deciding . quote, everything was heightened the way it always is when summer is slipping away to fall and you are younger than 18, and all you can do is suck your cherry icy and let the chlorine stay in your nose all the way up to the pockets behind your eyes and snap your towel at the pretty girl with the sunburn and hope to do it all again come june. the simple fact that cameron is experiencing these universal moments with teenage girls, and not teenage boys is a part of the plot. it is tragically remarkable that danforth is able to make those moments unremarkable. we have featured many works of literature that explore the lgbtq plus experience in america on the "velshi" banned book club . not a single one of

those books has a lesbian protagonist. not one. the "the miseducation of cameron post" exists in a small, but growing canon of sapphic american literature, a kind of literature worth noting, that is much smaller than the number of americans it represents. that is precisely why this novel is based such in passion, calls of removal and band since its initial publication in 2012 . this book had a salient exploration of women's sexual agency and sexuality represents americans that many would rather be kept silent. a country that systematically silences its citizens based on their identities is not a democracy. that is why it is so crucial that books like these remain on the shelves and remain accessible. right after the break, i will be joined by the author of today's "velshi" banned book club, "the miseducation of cameron post" emily danforth.

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in today's meeting of the "velshi" banned book club is officially underway. i am joined by emily danforth, author of "the miseducation of cameron post." emily, welcome to the show and thank you for being with us. >> ali, thank you for having me a thank you for that introduction, incredible. also, thank you for highlighting this topic so regularly on your show.

>> i would say, it is our pleasure. i would love for this never to have to happen again. i will tell you what, if we did not have a banned book club me we would still invite you want to talk about this. i had not realized in any of these episodes we have done, we haven't had one in which the protagonist is a lesbian character, not deliberately. and i would like to understand that a little bit more. is it because there is not enough of it, or we should have been digging deeper? >> i'm not going to put it back on you, we've just met. there have been traditionally fewer view with sapphic main characters, particularly for young readers, or lesbian main characters published. that has changed a lot in the last few years. cameron post was published in 2012. as you said, it takes place in the early 90s, these different layers of history when talking about it and there has been an explosion of books from young adults. not just about lgbtq characters in general, certainly with more

sapphic, specifically lesbian, or bisexual young adult women characters. i have to mention melinda loew's incredible last night at the tillamook telephone club that was published in the last several years and features a lesbian protagonist, and has been targeted by a number of these bans. >> we will do better on that front. i want to go back to something i referenced in the introduction, "the miseducation of cameron post" is a coming of age story . let's talk a little bit more about that. putting aside the characters around who it is at the center, it is fundamentally a coming of age story. >> those are the kinds of books i was inspired by as a young reader growing up in montana, which has such an incredible and rich literary landscape. i love a story like norman mclean's "a river runs through it." i was not a fly fisher, i certainly don't have that background, but felt inspired by these often american narratives of a young character

finding their footing in a challenging world. those were the books i look to and i read as a young reader and i never read one about a character that resembled my own life like cameron, like so many of the authors you have had on the program before, sort of set out to write my weight into that narrative landscape and write cameron's story to speak to young people like me. >> let's dig into the book a little bit. i want to talk about the dollhouse symbolism in it. when cameron's ruth moves in, she suggest donating the dollhouse and cameron insist on keeping it because her dad made it for her. to me, the dollhouse seemed to be a depiction of adolescence on one hand cameron discovering her sexuality, yet, emotionally tied to this childhood toy. tell me about your thinking on that. >> absolutely. this is a character caught between these two. she is a character who has gotten into this ms. immense trauma. she is a recent orphan. she has got different religious

values that her parents have and she is thrown in chaos in terms of these universal themes of being a young person in the middle of adolescence and puberty. the dollhouse represents this old life and her as a younger person when things made a little more sense. also, the things she starts gluing to the dollhouse, which are things that she takes from the experiences she is having now. that represents i think both her trying to control things a little bit, also just the chaos that she is living in in those moments. >> let's talk about the geography, mild city in rural montana. they are almost characters themselves throughout the book. i want to read from it. it was one of those august afternoons that montana does just right, with heavy great thunderheads crowding out the movie-blue sky and the feeling of a guaranty downpour just beginning to change the touch of the air come of the color of sunlight. you grew up in mild study. talk about the way-- the

importance of the way depict this part of america. >> i think this is one of those places where it is a queer book, a lesbian book, but i think the james joyce quotes, in the particulars contained the universal. when i hear from readers who say, i really related to cameron post, i think it is those kinds of moments and those kinds of descriptions they are relating to. it is not maybe the more sensational kinds of aspects of the novel the things that would show up on the banning list. it is the feeling of lace, the sense of being a person in a particular community that you know well, and having that community reject you. i think it is also the complication and cameron feels this, i certainly feel this, having loved so much the place she is from, having a sense of wonder about its natural beauty , really feeling a part of the community, whilst simultaneously feeling rejected by the community, because of her sexuality and was she is understanding about her sense of self. that is attention throughout the novel. what i hear from readers, i

think it is often those quiet moments of place or a sense of being in a small town that they are relating to. >> that is the reason we don't ban books, right, it is the whole book. it is not the queer protagonist, or the thing that bothers you, the bad word or the sexuality, it is the whole book. the descriptions, the entire story. thank you so much, emily for doing this, for being with us today and for joining the "velshi" banned book low. emily danforth the author of "the miseducation of cameron post." it is a fantastic book. before we go, a quick note for those of you in houston. i will be there on august 6th to discuss my current book. it will be held at the asia society texas. for tickets, head to the asia society.org/texas/events. i hope we get a chance to meet while i am there. that does it for me. thank you for watching. come back tomorrow morning from

10:00 a.m. to noon eastern. do not forget, "velshi" is available on podcast and you can listen for free wherever you get your podcast. you can catch the "velshi" content on youtube. stay right where you are because the katie filling show begins right now. right now. telemundo studios in miami, florida, and here is the week that was. >> kimberly chytil is a 29 year veteran of the secret service is out. >> july 15 we failed. as a director of the united to states secret service i take full responsibility for any security lapse of our agency. >> our enemies are your enemies. our fight is your fight and our victory will be your victory. >> our prime minister, and there is no pleasure in me saying this, has come here for political fear. >> there is outrage in illinois tonight after a woman was fatally shot in her own home by