to do exactly what the maga crowd them to do, which by the way, at least for the last eight years, they have been happy to do without project 2025. >> what happens to the disinformation central operation of twitter, with or without the administration that we have currently got, under the harris/walz administration, or a trump/vance administration? >> to me, the really corporate issue around twitter is that elon musk has become a national security risk. he has satellites that are essential to our national security. he does spaceships that are central to our national security, and at the same time, he is actively trying to interfere in the federal election system, and doing some things that are not only questionable, but potentially violations to the election law. in that context, there does need to be law enforcement from the department of justice to at least investigate all of this. congress should be

investigating all of this. that is not currently happening. y happening. presidential race and changing

electoral matt. we explore the potential new plans victory for kamala harris and why it was no coincidence that vice president harris chose to relet her economic vision for the country in north carolina. i called the meeting of them banned book club. the award-winning young adult novel far from the tree by robin benway. another of our of velshi beginsn right now. is august 17th at just 80 days to go until election day. democrats are not just re- energized, they are seeing an opportunity to expand the electoral map. in the four weeks since kemal harris took over the top of the democratic ticket she's upended a presidential race that's been looking quite grim for democrats. on the second anniversary of the inflation reduction act one of the signature achievements

harris traveled to raleigh, north carolina to make the argument she will be able to handle the economy far better than her republican opponent. >> there's a choice in this election. donald trump's plans to devastate the middle-class, punish working people and make the cost of living go up for millions of americans and on the other hand, when i'm elected president, what we will do -- what we will do to bring down cost, increase the security and stability financially of your family and expand opportunity for working and middle-class americans. >> it's notable that harris campaign chose north carolina to talk about the economy. it's a sign of how democrats have grown more bullish about their chances this november. going into this year, these six swing states were the ones insiders believed were most

likely to determine the winner of the presidential race. nevada, georgia, wisconsin, pennsylvania. in 2016 donald trump 15 of the six states. in 2020, joe biden managed to turn all of them blue. the late performance in june led to a collapse in support for his campaign in three of those swing states. nevada, arizona and georgia. many believed that left him with just one precarious path to victory winning all three of the other swing states. there's even some concerns the gop could flip other vulnerable states. for months donald trump's campaign signaled they think they've got a chance of flipping new hampshire and virginia. republicans in those states have been skeptical of those claims but biden's week this as a candidate dave trump a reason to make a play for them. harris entrance into the race might've had a significant effect in one state the democrats have long had hopes of turning blue. north carolina. north carolina is sometimes

included in the swing state conversation. it's the most vulnerable red state. democrats have only one there twice in 50 years. jimmy carter in 1976 and barack obama in 2008. in 2020 trump on the state by 1.3% of the vote. democrats think it is in play this year. a poll released this week showed harris with a one point lead over trump. that's no backed up by a brand- new new york times and siena college poll released this morning which shows harris with a two point lead over trump in north carolina. it finds harris opening up a five-point lead in arizona and gaining ground in nevada and georgia. these results are all well within the margin of error but the trend is a positive sign. harris has a more robust ground game in north carolina that got more than 20 offices across the state set to open five more. harris team also says more than

12,000 north carolinians signed up to volunteer for her campaign since july. the democratic governor roy cooper briefly in the conversation to be harris's running mate put it this way. we were 12 points behind and now we made a fast strong run and tied the score. harris momentum is turning up the pressure on republicans. north carolina is not a must win state for donald trump. if he loses there it opens multiple paths to victory for kamala harris. the prospect of this happening has put trump on the defensive. the republican nominee also traveled to north carolina where he also gave a speech about the economy, an issue largely considered one of his strong points among voters this cycle. even a second event at his private club and resort in new jersey that was also supposed to be focused on economic issues but devolved again into a bizarre and incoherent spectacle as he deviated from his central message.

>> why aren't we creating great energy plans, great sources of energy instead of playing this game with wind that is ruining everything, killing your birds, destroying the fields. you have windmills all over the place, you want to see a bird cemetery, you'll see thousands of birds dead. >> yeah. joining me is katie porter of california. a member of the house oversight and reform joint economic and natural resource committees. he went on from that, i don't know if you heard the rest but he didn't stop there. he talked about bird cemeteries, eagles. i don't know if he can talk about policy which is what we want to do because you live in the world of policy and detail. good policy makes good politics but somebody hasn't told donald trump that. >> absolutely not. his policies don't make a lot of sense. i think even non-experts listening to this who are

facing utility bills this summer are looking forward to things like being able to go to the store, get a tax credit thanks to kamala harris and joe biden to reduce their energy cost and donald trump is talking about birds. when most people see that wind energy in their communities what they are seeing is stability for the electrical grid, a better availability to compete for manufacturing and green energy and they are seen jobs being created in their community. >> let's talk about economic policies. there was a lot of detail kamala harris announced including expanding the child tax credit. here's a little part of what she said. >> we will provide $6000 in tax relief to families during the first year of a child's life. think what that means. think what that means. that is a vital, vital year of critical development of a child.

the cost can really add up, especially for young parents who need to buy diapers and clothes and a car seat and so much else. >> investment in early childhood is the greatest return you can ever put into the life of a human being. when harris ran for the democratic nomination in 2020 she said then that this would be her first priority as president. you introduced a bill this month to strengthen the child tax credit provisions. tell me your thoughts on this plan and what impact it'll actually have? >> vice president harris did a great job explaining why this matters to families in terms of being able to afford childcare in most states cost more than college tuition and you don't have very long to get ready for it. nine months. this is going to be a huge help to families but i think the bigger point i want to make is even if your children are long gone or you never want to have children, you're a grandparent,

this policy still helps you. why? it grows our economy. we can't keep seeing economic growth if we don't have a steady and growing birthrate. we know a lot of families are choosing not to have children even though they want to because of these costs. the other thing about the child tax credit as you know is it is an incredibly effective way to reduce child poverty. it doesn't just hurt kids who go without. it hurts all of us because those kids who go hungry maybe because they don't have the food, they don't have the resources, that is our next generation workforce that needs to be able and ready to compete around the world. >> one thing your tax credit bill seeks to eliminate are penalties against single parents. it's interesting to bring that up with jd vance running as a vice presidential candidate. forget his childless cat ladies

but he's got these weird beliefs about traditional nuclear families. project 2025 is specific. a family is a man and unrelated women and their natural born children. it's not just a misunderstanding of the realities of marriage and parenthood in 2024 but it is economically infeasible. >> absolutely. jd vance and his family, as a single mother, i just want to say phooey on you to jd vance. there's families that come in different ways, different structures and they succeed and flourish whether it is to parents of the same or raising kids together, whether it's grandparents who might be living and helping with childcare. i think the larger issue here is that what kamala harris has is a deep understanding of what families need and i really liked in her speech where she talked about think about what this would be like, think about how much easier your life would be. this i think is the same signal

we have heard from the harris team in the past which is look what the cost of insulin going down is doing for you. think of what it'll mean for you when drug costs are capped at $2000. i think she is spelling out very concrete terms how this would improve all americans lives. >> katie porter, thank you. i have so much i want to talk about because i love you do actually get involved in these policies but let's have you on again and talk more about some things we can do to improve the status and position of workers in this country. katie porter of california. still ahead, the unapologetic progressive form as the squad has been fighting for seats in congress through some of the most expensive primaries in history. i will speak with congresswoman summer lee of pennsylvania about the party and more. a new front in the war on ukraine. i explained what the surprise advance inside of russia means for the brutal war over 900 days and.

today's meeting of the banned book club. far from the tree by robin benway is a question i'm sure many of us have considered, what makes your family your family? far from the tree explores this idea through pre-teenage siblings separated through adoption. this book award winner grapples with identity, legacy and the realities of the adoption and foster care systems in this country and family dynamics. relf the only migraine medication that helps treat and prevent, all in one. to those with migraine, i see you. for the acute treatment of migraine with or without aura and the preventive treatment of episodic migraine in adults. don't take if allergic to nurtec odt. allergic reactions can occur, even days after using. most common side effects were nausea, indigestion, and stomach pain. it's time we all shine. talk to a healthcare provider about nurtec odt from pfizer.

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turning now to the war in ukraine that's now cross the border into russia ukraine continues to make slow but steady advances inside russia's cursed region. 12 days after that surprise incursion began. both ukraine and russia have confirmed that ukraine destroyed an important bridge. video released by the commander of the ukrainian air force affecting russia's logistical supply lines are you russia's response to the ukrainian attack.

10 miles away from that destroyed bridge ukraine seized and is in control of the russian town. lottery zelensky says they've set up a command center. they control russian territory and where than 80 russian settlements in the cursed region and fierce fighting has now been supported in the direction. russia declared a federal level state of emergency for the area. roughly 200,000 russian residents have been evacuated and russia has reportedly rushed conscripts and some horses from ukraine and also troops to this new front in the war. on the original front inside ukraine russia is nearly in control of the town which russia trying to achieve for months. turning me now from ukraine is nbc news international correspondent aaron mclachlan. good to see you.

we saw each other in this building and i asked if there were any plans to go to ukraine and you said no because none of us were expecting this to happen. what's going on? >> that's right. we have been speaking to ukrainian soldiers on the front lines in pokrovsk which is seen this desperate situation you were just describing their. talking to one soldier described the last 10 months as complete . they have seen just attack after attack from the russian military. the ukrainian military on its own soil outgunned and outmanned. we were speaking to one drone operator in the region and he compared it to how russia approached the war in world war ii just sending waves of russian soldiers to their debts. a tactic that is proving effective with ukrainian soldiers there in the process of potentially being encircled

by russian forces. that picture in stark contrast with what we see played out right now on russian territory with that surprise incursion. we saw video released by the ukrainian military just yesterday footage showing the moment forces crossed the border into russia basically unchallenged taking any number of russian p.o.w. seizing russian territory and they are not reporting these incremental gains on russian territory. i was speaking to a senior adviser to president zelensky about sort of the overall strategy and he says step-by- step they are confident that russian soldiers will be diverted from the region to the kursk region to backup russian forces. that is a key goal of the incursion that ukraine has no intention of occupying russian soil permanently.

that being said i asked when we can expect ukrainian forces to leave russian territory and he said he was not going to disclose that information for operational security purposes. speaking to that drone operator on the front lines there and he said they have not seen any signs so far of that diversion of russian forces back to russia to reinforce the front lines there. >> what a remarkable story. thank you. in april 2022 a month after the start of russia's full- fledged invasion of ukraine i was in ukraine covering the war when i spoke to my friend the russian opposition politician. i spoke to him right here on this program. he had been outspoken on this show and elsewhere about vladimir putin and his invasion and that is illegal in russia. nonetheless he was insistent he traveled back telling me he had no choice but to be there.

he was a russian politician and russia is his country and home. the very next day he was arrested on charges including treason and speaking out against putin. he was sentenced to 25 years in a siberian prison. despite being held in conditions hard to fathom vladimir kara-murza remained defiant and published numerous articles in the post while in prison and even won a pulitzer prize for his work. earlier this month kara-murza was released in a surprise and historic prisoner swap. last night i had the privilege of honor speaking to my friend. our conversation will air tomorrow on velshi. i want to reach through the camera and give you a hug. i didn't think we would have this conversation ever. welcome back. >> neither did i. up until three weeks ago i was certain i was going to die in a siberian prison and everything still feels like a miracle. it felt as if i've been watching a movie.

it's a good one but it still feels very surreal. i want to thank you for having me back on the show. it's good to be back on your program. the clip you just aired was my last television interview before my arrest. it has special meaning to me back here on msnbc. i can't believe this is the world we live in, where we're losing the freedom to control our own bodies. we need your support now more than ever. go online, call, or scan this code, with your $19 monthly gift. and we'll send you this "care. no matter what" t-shirt. it is your right to have safe health care. that's it. go online, call, or scan right now.

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shingles strikes as a painful, blistering rash that can last for weeks. and it could wake at any time. think you're not at risk for shingles? it's time to wake up. because shingles could wake up in you. if you're over 50, talk to your doctor or pharmacist about shingles prevention. on october 16th of last are the first members of congress called for a cease-fire in israel's war against hamas. 13 democrats cosponsored the resolution including every member of the so-called squad, a group of progressive democrats in the house of representatives. the squad is an informal group for purposes right now that consist of seven members jamaal bowman, corey busch, summer lee, ilhan omar and rashida to lead.

as criticism of israel's war in gaza built up in november of last year slate reported the american israel public affairs committee better known as aipac was set to spend $100 million in the 2024 election cycle to ensure the success of pro- israel candidates and one of the most rain moments in the u.s. israeli relations in years. the united democracy project which is a super pack affiliated with aipac would undergo this massive spending with a focus specifically against progressive candidates. slate put it bluntly, the squad was about to fight for its political life. fight it did. this past week ilhan omar one her primary against the democrat don samuels. alexandria ocasio-cortez won her primary in june. next year when the 119th congress is sworn in the squad membership will be two people smaller. the mall bowman and corey busch both lost their primary races this summer. the united democracy progress

spent $14.6 million against bowman making it the most expensive house primary in u.s. history according to the nonprofit open secrets which tracks campaign-finance data and the super pack spent 8.5 million against cori bush making that the third most expensive primary in american history. while that made the races tougher both bowman and bush already had unique scandals working against them. earlier this year representative bush revealed she's under multiple investigations for campaign finances and representative bowman pleaded guilty to a misdemeanor charge of pulling a fire alarm in the capital building last year. the spending means to fewer progressives are in congress. what lessons can progressives take from the race which squad members did win? both aoc and ilhan omar credited engagement and turnout for their healthy primary wins and our next guest, squad member

and congresswoman summer lee show that perhaps the easiest path to success is also the simplest, delivering big for your constituents. earlier lee brought in over $1 billion in federal funding for western pennsylvania. in 2022 that affiliated super pack spent $4 million trying to prevent lee from winning. this year the group set the race out entirely. joining me now is the democratic congresswoman summer lee who represents pennsylvania. enough of my pontificating on how people win or lose elections. nobody knows better than people like you. what is different? why are you here talking to me as a candidate who's going to run again for your seat and others are not? >> every district is different. every circumstance is different but the reality is with when that much money comes into district you can tell anything about any candidate. we've heard a lot talk about what are the differences

between me or jamaal and corey? there was more money to push behind a narrative. that narrative was already helped by so many other media narratives about progressives, black and brown people in congress, folks who don't necessarily go with the status quo. when you are spending 10 million, $15 million any message can stick. when we can't counter that we get these types of results. >> let's talk about the place of progressives and progressive lawmakers today in 2024 in this very changed election. better, worse, more precarious? does the squad get bigger? talk to me about where you are. >> let's start by being clear. when we are talking about this assault it isn't on the squatter progressives it's on democracy. the democratic party. when we are talking about

elections being the most expensive in history for primaries we are talking about outside groups with outsized influence who are using that to keep nurses and teachers out of congress. the people who are harmed the most. every day voters, working-class people who found themselves with a voice. some for the first time or felt they never had that voice. we are weakened as a system because of this. right now as we are trying to be back against trump and republicans and project 2025 we are coming in with unprecedented spending in our primaries. all of us are weaker, but i think progressives are not weaker at all. i think what we see through polling, what we see through just the energy levels across the country are that people resonate deeply with progressive messages. they want politicians that speak their language, they want authenticity, they want to know there is someone fighting to

make sure the environment is cleaner and that we get medicare for all and that all of our kids get a quality education. we are not in a worse position but democracy is. >> the super pac that went against you in the past and didn't this time but did go up against some colleagues it's interesting because it's not entirely consistent. they have supported candidates who did not certify the 2020 election. there are also recipients of the money that took down jamaal bowman and cori bush. >> you know it is consistent? there's a lot of attention right now on the way that aipac is spending but it isn't just a pack. money and politics is a pervasive issue period. what aipac is doing is they are creating an arms race. if you peel back one layer you will see whether it is aipac or the supreme court or pharma or the gun lobby it is a handful

of ultra-wealthy billionaires who are using their dollars to change the results and change the course of districts. what they are wanting and how they want to be represented. that is to say it's the same handful of folks who are now able to outgun the multitudes, 10, 20 billionaire donors who are now able to spend more and outspend thousands upon thousands of individual grassroot donors in a district. that is actually consistent. we need to be very clear this isn't, again, just a squad issue. if you take away israel and palestine issue we don't take away the spending against progressives and progressive people in particular. you transfer it to another paxil if it's not aipac maybe it's moderate pack. it's a crypto pack. the reality is the underlying

issue is we go against the status quo. we don't do politics the way that these folks who are accustomed to having more influence do it. we are shipping the power balance from them to corporations to working-class people and they are using democratic primaries to exercise and send a message but it is three for one. they aren't just hitting us. when they hit us with 20 million spent in a primary they also had the people who come after us. the young progressives thinking of representing their communities and they are also colleagues, people deeply uncomfortable right now with the status quo who really are wondering is this the way we should be doing things? they are now more or less likely to speak out, less likely to change course, less likely to talk about the issues their districts care about than they were before. >> the effect of silencing some progressive voices is there even

just by doing it somewhere else. good to see you as always. the democratic congresswoman from pennsylvania. a national book award winner far from the tree by author robin benway. it tells the story of siblings grace, my and walking as they connect for the first time as teenagers after being separated by adoption. it explores realities of identity, forgiveness and what makes family truly family. why use 10 buckets of water when you can use 1 fire extinguisher.

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if you've ever watched the top of the cho when i chitchat with my friends and wonder if that's how we actually interact in real life or if you've ever thought what the show or conversations would be like if you saw them in person you're in luck. if you scan the qr code on your screen which i can admit i've never done in my life is going to tell you more about a special upcoming msnbc event on saturday september 7th. you can join me and several colleagues in person for our very first fan event in brooklyn new york. democracy 2024 is the first of its kind in person, interactive and will offer insight perspectives from your favorite msnbc hosts and experts as we approach this historic election and a pivotal moment. it's in brooklyn. buy a ticket, go to msnbc.com/democracy 2024. i'll be there chatting away with my work of estes.

i hope to see you there. so i'm not coming up we examine one of the best young adult novels i've read in a long time. far from the tree by robin benway told by three narratives. it explores family dynamics, trust, legacy and identity. recipes that are more than their ingredients. ♪ [smoke alarm] recipes written by hand and lost to time... can now be analyzed and restored using the power of dell ai. preserving memories and helping to write new ones. ♪ progressive makes it easy to save with a quick commercial auto quote online. so you can get back to your monster to-do list. -really? -get a quote

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instead of being crowned homecoming queen grace spends the night giving birth to a baby girl. she calls her peach but that isn't the name her adopted parents choose. in the weeks after giving birth to peach or giving peach to her adopted parents grace realizes she needs to discover her own biological family and in turn her own identity. grace has always known she was adopted but never asked questions. she learns she is the middle child of three. she meets maia first, a bold and outspoken brunette in a family of redheads who isn't ashamed she's . while the

family may look pretty perfect from the outside she's forced to contend with her mother's severe alcoholism and the end of her adopted parents marriage. today maya and grace go and bury -- greet their brother joaquin. the product of 18 different foster care families over the course of his young life and protective and creative. joaquin is with a couple who wants to adopt him and loves him. joaquin must contend with his past so he can let his sisters and hopeful adoptive parents in and when they all meet something intangible falls into place. the three of them stood looking at one another for a long minute. joaquin was definitely not white like his sisters, that much was obvious that he had maya's brown eyes and curly dark hair and graces tight set jaw. maya felt something in her cage catch and pull tight like a muscle that had never been used before. her feeling was green like grass like a seed coming up

through dirt sprouting and growing toward the sun. that is the premise of today's velshi banned book club feature the new york times best seller and national book award winner for young adult fiction, far from the tree. in each chapter told us from a point of view that ships grace, maya and joaquin we are allowed access to each of their lives. we become privy to the secrets, hopes and fears that make them individuals and the relationship that eventually makes them family. the more the three siblings let each other in the more there i identity. this is a story about family dynamics and how love and support does not look a certain way. the topic explored in far from the tree the way alcoholism devastates a family, the emotional complexities of adoption, inescapable racism, lgbtq love, the realities of teen pregnancy. they could easily come across as so be in a different lesser novel. instead the author robin benway uses these themes to her advantage grounding us in a

story we think we know but then telling it to us in a way we really don't. benway's accessible dialogue straight from the halls of the local high school, nuance characters, masterful use of humor it gives these topics the fresh perspective and gravity they deserve. yet far from the tree have been removed from libraries in both tennessee and indiana. in tennessee far from the tree was included in a swath of books removed from hamilton county schools for the use of curse words in reference to . it's a shame students will miss out on a book that has so much to teach them about love, family and identity. it solidified for me that young adult novels are critical, valuable. i reminder life as a teenager is as fraught and complicated and just as serious as any adult life. it's impossible to finish this book and not what clearly understand what it means to be a young person searching for community, acceptance and love. we have all been there one way

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ryan t. writes, "moving is stressful. can you help me take one thing off of my to do list?” ugh, moving's the worst. with xfinity, you can transfer your internet in just a few taps. just a few easy moves. did somebody say “easy moves”? ♪ ♪ oh no. no, i was talking about moving your internet. this will move the internet. ♪ ♪ ooh, ooh. -let's keep it professional. professional dancers! -ok! stay connected during your move with the best in home wifi. easily transfer your services in the xfinity app. bring on the good stuff. today's session of the banned book club is underway. joining me now is robin benway, the author of far from the tree, national book award winner and today's book club feature. welcome to the velshi banned

book club. >> thank you so much for having me. what a beautiful intro. i was touched. >> it's tough to do these great books justice but i'm glad when an author appreciates it we represented them as well as we could. let's talk about the ideas in the book. the idea of home being a place that is emotional less than physical is explored throughout the entire book and we see it for the first time that maya and her then girlfriend in a conversation. she had been dating claire for five months and her arms were in a place safer and better than all the backyard hideouts in the world. claire was security. claire, maya sometimes thought, felt like home. tell me about this concept. >> i feel like just for myself when i look at the people in my life that i love, when i look at where they are in the world i am not with them. i'm home, i feel the safety and security and i think especially when we talk about young

adults, young adult literature what i love about that is that through these characters they are on the cusp of growing up. they are on the cusp of leaving home, becoming adults, learning who they are separate from their parents. even through that growth there is always sort of a longing to think where do i belong? in that search that's how you find your family. it may not be biological but that's how you find the people that love and support you. to me, that's what home is. a safe place to land. >> alice in wonderland comes up for both maya and grace. they share some themes. identity, loss of innocence, coming-of-age. talk to me about that reference and why you chose it. >> i personally loved that movie as a kid. my father who passed away 20 years ago, he and i would laugh at some of those parts. it made me think of my family. i think it's also that feeling

so much is out of your control and sometimes as a teenager things feel so wacky. you feel so big one minute and so small the next. there's so many things going on that are outside of your control and i think that is, in a way, childhood and what it's like to be a teenager. you're expected to react correctly every single time when you can't always decide what's happening or having control over what's happening around you. >> the book opens with graces pregnancy as a teenager and gives birth on homecoming night. peach was born at 9:03 p.m. on homecoming night, right when max was being crowned homecoming king because grace thought bitterly boys who get girls pregnant our heroes and girls who get pregnant our slats. the emotional toll of not only getting pregnant that young but a baby for adoption you explore this. how did you decide to incorporate this and what is the significance of it? >> this book was very magical

in many ways. mostly because this book landed fully formed in my head and i can tell you i wish it happened every time. i just had this idea of three siblings. i just knew who they were. i knew their story and i knew that grace was pregnant. what i really wanted to look at especially was this idea of a lot of times instead of abortion people say you can place your baby for adoption, make a couple happy. that is so true and so valid and a beautiful thing to be able to do. i fully endorse it so to speak. what i really wanted to look at is what is that postpartum experience for such a young girl? we talk about pregnancy, what it looks like to have a baby for women but there aren't really a lot of resources out there for young girls. i wanted to do was start the book grace is giving birth on page one of the book literally. i wanted to look at what that

looks like and what she has to go through in that experience and the shame that she feels in a way, the way people shame her about it, the feeling that she has about who am i now? the idea that she will go back to her normal life kind of a done and dusted thing. that's just not the case, she's not the same person she was. you combine that with a meeting to siblings, to have siblings for the first time where she has to put her best foot forward. that's not family. they see it all. >> you talk about the meeting. my and grace are white and adopted and their half-brother is latino and remain in the foster care system hopefully to be adopted. after he meets my and gracie tells his therapist they are white tearing the paper off his straw as the waitress brought their drinks. she knew their orders by heart now. anna and joaquin hadn't seen a menu in three months.

what about them? were they nice? it's just he started to say and reach for his coke. it's just? she prodded. joaquin ran his thumb down the glass leaving a dry striped on the center of conversation. they were both adopted you know, their parents paid a lot of money to get them. anna nodded. probably so yes. when joaquin didn't respond she added does that bother you? it doesn't bother me for them he said. he made another stripe on the glass. it's just people got paid to keep me and that still wasn't enough. that is a powerful statement and the pressure that puts on the juxtaposition between joaquin and his sisters. >> it is. when i first started writing this book one of the things i started researching was private adoption versus foster care versus adopting out of foster care. there are so many ways to adopt a child. the thing i really wanted to look at was how race is

involved. why people will spend $50,000 to adopt a white baby girl when there's so many children of color in the foster care system. i don't say that with judgment or with any sort of repercussion, i just wanted to look at it and think about that. that is how the characters identity started to form. you know, walking is a young man of color who is becoming a man of color. he's still in the system that is not very friendly to children of color at times, to kids who are put in foster care at a higher rate than white children, they have their children taken away at a higher rate. those are facts at least they were when i was researching and writing this book. i just wanted to, you know, i will say this is fiction. it's not a manual, it's a story of three made up people from my brain. i really just want to look at

what does that look like? this doesn't have any answers, it doesn't have explanation, it is why is it this way? >> robin benway, thank you for being with us. robin benway is the author of today's velshi band book club feature "far from the tree". that does it for me. thank you for watching. catch me 10:00 a.m. to noon eastern. velshi is available as a podcast and you can listen for free. you can always find velshi content on youtube. go to msnbc.com/ali . stay right where you are. the katie phang show begins right now. i'm katie phang live from msnbc headquarters in new york city. here is the week that was. >> drug overdose death of actor matthew perry. five people now charge, a including perry's assistant.