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tv   CNN Special Report  CNN  May 4, 2018 8:00pm-9:00pm PDT

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good evening and welcome. i'm van jones. it's "the van jones show" show. we have another amazing show tonight. a couple of highlights. she's a fierce advocate for women. she's a daughter of the iconic diana ross. tracy ellis ross is with us tonight. that's going to be amazing to hear from her.
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plus we have two real life heroes. a hero of that tragic waffle house shooting, he's going to be here tonight. and i don't want to play favorites because all schoolteachers are amazing including my mama. hi, mama, you're amazing. but tonight we have america's teacher of the year. she got invited to the white house but i don't think president trump expected what he got from her. she slipped him a powerful story from her students. i now know why the press was not allowed to cover her speech. but she's here anyway. it's going to be a great show. that is a fact the disputable. and speaking of facts let's talk because powerful people have been spewing lies at a record rate this week. we are seeing an epidemic of several serving dishonesty in
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the highest places and none more egregious than from the white house. now, remember that preelection doctor's note that proclaimed that trump would be the healthiest individual ever elected president, well this week we learned it was a fake note that trump himself just made up. and, you know, now we're just seeing all the zigzag crazy contradictions over the hush money that the trump team gave to a porn star. i can't even keep up with the story anymore and i don't know what rudy giuliani is doing. so we've got day after day, lie after lie from this administration on big topics, little topics and it's wrong. "the washington post" wrote this week that donald trump has told more than 3,000 lies since he took office. we should all care about this not adjust because it's a crisis of credibility at the top of our government but because you've got so much stuff on the line. policies, how we're going to
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vote and we've got to have honesty. when regular people lie they face consequences. what if your husband or wife sent thousands of dollars to somebody and then kept changing their explanations? yeah, that wouldn't work out too well. americans we know what's wrong and what's right in the real world. while the folks at the top keep throwing their integrity in the garbage can every day people keep doing the right thing anyway. you want some proof, two men were wrongfully arrested at starbucks. this week they chose to settle the case with the city of philadelphia. but for themselves they only took $1 each. they insisted though, that hundreds of thousands of dollars go to setup a training program for young entrepreneurs. they put others first and turned a bad things for themselves into
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a good thing for other people. i love that kind of sort. that's what it's all about. he put his life on the line to grab an ar-15 out of the hands of a crazy gunman who had opened fire at a waffle house in tennessee, killed four people. but that carnage would have been much worse without my next guest. please welcome a man of integrity james shah, jr. [ applause ] >> my brother. >> good to see you, man. i tell you what, first of all you're making us tennessee boys look good. i appreciate that. i appreciate that. the question that i think most people have when they think about you, the gunman was killing people. he stopped firing and trying to reload, trying to do something
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else. you were hitting. he didn't know you were there. why didn't you run? why didn't you hide? why would you confront somebody with a weapon like that? >> so at the time i was behind a door in the bathroom. the door actually didn't lock or anything like that. behind me there was nothing but a brick wall. so i felt like he might find me. so i was just looking for my opportunity and i took it and i'm glad it worked out for me. >> i'm glad it worked out for you, too. it's beautiful to see you here. your heroism, i know you don't like that word, but your heroism helped that night. you setup a gofundme for all the people that were there. how did you come out thinking about everybody but yourself? >> i wanted to help out and i know that the money is not going
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to do anything for the actual loss of life, but it can be something like a gesture just to help that family to try to get through this tough time. >> you know, you touched the whole world. i mean all you have to say it waffle house hero. everybody knows who you are. have you heard yet from president trump? >> at this time i haven't heard anything, but that's not to say he didn't try to contact me or not. >> so he hasn't successfully contacted you, but he gave a shout out to, you know, gave a shout out to kanye today. no shout out to you. how do feel when the president of the united states misses an opportunity, you know, to hold up somebody prwho's trying to d good stuff like you? >> i know he's a busy schedule. maybe he hasn't gotten around to me and my time is coming. it's not for me to judge.
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>> a lot of people who are survivors of these attacks like the parkland kids they're very, very strong on gun control. what's your view about gun control? >> the underlying problem of it before you even get to the gun problem is the mental illness or it's some kind of public health problem. and if you can try to focus on that person and you can try to make that person mentally better then you won't get to that. it won't be that kind of violence. >> now, we had a conversation of intimacy and you were talking about cars, how different cars are appropriate in different circumstances and maybe race cars are appropriate on a racetrack but not in a neighborhood. would you apply that to different types of weapons? >> i don't have any type of problem with any kind of handgun or anything like that. shotgun or, you know, your hunting rifle, but a formula one
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race car is for a racer. an ar-15, .223s, are those special specific guns are meant for people that have specific training. it's your god given right to shoot that gun. let them go to a target range. but for you to simply own that and you don't have any kind of training and you're reliable for that, that's just a lot to be reliable for and it's possible that, you know, deaths could happen. >> in that moment i just think about that. do you wish that you had a gun? i mean you're in a situation that somebody has a gun and crur unarmed. i'm always curious, in that moment don't you wish you had a bazooka or flamethrower or something. >> you know, it's going to sound weird. no, because when people see me
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even though they call me a hero i want you to emulate that fire i have inside of myself, and if i had a gun it would be just good guy took bad guy down with a gun. but since i didn't have a gun it seems like it's more touching the people. so i'm really happy how i can touch people throughout the world. >> and you are touching people throughout the world. we were together and people were coming up to us and they wanted me to take your picture with them. that's a big change. you're on these big tv shows, stars trying to give you money. i mean that's -- could start getting your head big. >> it's definitely a whirl wind and something i'm not used to. i was an engineer before this, and now i can't walk down the
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street or especially in the airport, i can take a few pictures with you, and the that doesn't bother me. the problem is when people look at me and look at me and like come on over and break the ice. >> you have a daughter. >> my 4-year-old daughter she's good. her classmates all call me hero. now, for little kids i don't call if they call me hero. because that's a really big thing for them, heroes. but for a adults i just want you to see if you're in a situation that a regular guy did it, you can do it too. >> that's beautiful. so i'm glad you didn't run away from the gunman. but i would be even more glad if you were to run for higher office. you know, nashville could use a good mayor, tennessee could use
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a good governor. we could use some good senators. you got any interest in that, people's hero? >> maybe president. [ applause ] >> what about mayor? >> honestly, i haven't thought about it. it's just been joked about with my colleagues and close friends. >> we need people with integrity in high office. and you're right. they always say it takes a good guy with a gun to stop a bad guy with a gun. but sometimes it takes a good man with a good heart to stop a bad guy with a gun. and that's what you are. thank you. [ applause ] now, coming up everybody's been talking about kanye west all week. whether you love him or hate him
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he's just sparking a ton of debate about free speech. and whether black voters should give him a chance, we're going to talk about two black opinions. >> for him to say slavery was a choice, i don't think that was right. because if slavery was a choice martin luther king, jr. would not have happened at all because of all the discrimination. >> they could just easily talk around this. >> in this current state, however, the republican party is not a viable choice for the black community.
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okay, so like it or not
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everybody is still talking about kanye west this week. president trump even gave kanye a shout out and claimed he'd veven doubled his african-american poll numbers. he did tap into something here. now, what he said about the slavery stuff is just like flat out wrong and crazy, period. but problems do persist within many black communities after decades of voting for democrats. there is some frustrations, some des appreciation, even some resignation that too little has change. now, some people are wondering if it's time to give the other party a chance. so let's just talk about it, have a real conversation. so we've got lawrence jones, beautiful last time who's a conservative activist and political commentator. and we've got brittany an educator and advocate for police reform.
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so listen, some common ground. was slavery a choice? >> no. >> absolutely not. >> so round of applause. we agree. [ applause ] >> sister harriet said no. >> people are mad at kanye for his comment about slavery and they were mad at him the day before too when he was expressing love for president trump. is it not compulseary to be a black person and hate donald trump? is that where we are now? >> there are facts here about how he won this office that have been detrimental not just to black people but to marginalized people all over this country and this world calling to the african-american countries and haiti a-holes.
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who has continued to up hold this violence that's pervasive around the country. >> so trump has done a lot of that stuff. the republican party has had a lot of negative history in some ways, but do you think kanye has a point when he says maybe we should be spreading our best. a lot of people are saying if we only are voting for one party, the other party can write us off. you think malcolm was right? >> of course malcolm was right. the republican party has failed black families by not going to the community and focusing on issues that matter to them. black republicans have failed the black community because there are some of them that have the genuine interest to help the community and some who don't. they see it as a benefit. >> like a personal benefit.
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>> a personal benefit. but there are some of us who are fighting for our community, and we have done a poor job letting our community know we are fighting for them. >> that's very well except you've got people in your party. no longer is it a party of lincoln. it's a party of steve bannon. >> i'm not a part of the party. i believe in my principles. i'm not a republican member. i'm a conservative. i'm a libertarian. i can disagree with my party, and i let grown men defend themselves. but whatever i can do to have a seat at the table to talk about the issues that matter to them. although we criticize the republican party the democrats ain't done that well for black folks either. but they continue to get our vote but they don't deliver. and i think we have to have a honest conversation -- van, when i was a young democrat i remember you showing up to the differences before i switched
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over to the right. and we have the same complaints about the democratic party. >> here's where we can agree, there are a whole lot of people -- what we have seen is the democratic party has been willing to move forward on the issues that we bring to bear than the republican party has. but at the end of the day i actually think we need to talk about how we are doing this work from the ground up, how we are making sure it's not just who we're voting for but who are actually running in those seats. like janet said, what have you done for me lately? that is what black communities are asking every single day. it's about their future, their children. it's about their liveliood. [ applause ] >> let me ask you a political question. there is a gap now between african-american men and african-american women on this
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question. 96% of black women voted for hillary clinton. 88% of black men voted for hillary clinton. that's almost a 150-point spread. why are more black men open to this message than black women? >> well, i think weave to rogue the intersection in which black women exist. we deal not only with racism but sexism every single day and the unique struggles that comes with being a black woman. the accusations always being the angry black woman, being strong, and we never hurt and we never cry. so there are issues that make us see things a bit differently. but i think if we think about the fact that black women are often right -- we can look at the victory of doug jones it was owed a great deal to black women. >> but to me let's be clear black men are choosing their families. i would choose wealth over
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poverty any day. hip hop is the way. the republican party told that hip hop is the destruction of the republican party. but i saw they'd been rapping about this a long time. and now that's what the black men are saying. >> what i will say, though, is we have to recognize all the answers we've been talking about like education actually don't move racism out of the way. so what we know to be true is that a white high school drop out still has more wealth than a black college graduate. so we can't remove it if we can't deal with this problem.
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>> there's always going to be racists and if we can only control our destiny. >> that's a hard thing to argue with. but then in controlling your own destiny how do you defend being a trump supporter now? >> i don't defend grown men. i told you from the very beginning. i didn't vote for the president. i support the president because we need black folks at the table to talk about issues that are going to impact us. and so the president and his administration has been willing to talk now. people who even disagree with the president have a seat at the table to talk about those issues. >> but you know and i know that a lot of things they go are very hurtsful and offensive not only to people who are strong but people who were hurt to this. how can you align yourself as
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people who support this? >> i'll tell you what. i support my values. that's it. i can't people who have these negative comments. these are grown men. and i'm not going to go on national tv and ask some black conservative and defend every single thing the president new. i was hurt about charlottesville as well, but i still will choose wealth any day over poverty. and i think the democratic party has to answer to that. what's the republican's solution on -- >> i hate when you say republicans. >> well, the libertarians. >> look, as a libertarian i don't think we should be giving the government that much power. my first job was working in juvenile court. >> i'll give you the last word. what do democrats need to do to keep black support?
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because he's coming? >> invest in the grass roots. you just talked about the fact that black republicans and republicans in general haven't done all that well -- >> what do you mean grass roots because they show up. they just don't deliver. >> the grass roots have been delivering in baltimore and cleveland. they've been delivering every single day not just at the high levels of policy. we know people know how to get out the votes. that's what the democrats need to do. they need to invest those dollars in the black communities. after they invest their money in us, they need to listen to us. >> they need to invest their money into the community, not in the campaign.
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>> beautiful job. a round of applause. i can tell a lot of love. when we come back blackish star tracy ellis ross. how she's standing up for young women and what it's like to grow up as a daughter of the iconic diana ross. don't juggle your home life and work life without it. ♪ ♪ don't skip that office meeting for a board meeting without it. don't keep it real... keep it going... or simply keep it in the family without it. and don't turn that business trip, into an overdue family trip without it. ♪ ♪ the more you live between life and business, the more you need someone at your back. the powerful backing of american express. don't live life without it.
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as i have said many times before it feels like there's just a black renaissance happening right now on television and film. and i'm not just talking about the "black panther" crushing the records. but also on television. atlanta, empire, blackish, which leads me to my next guest.
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tracy ellis ross is not just the daughter of an american icon diana ross, she is a golden globe winning actress, an author and star in her own right. and she somehow makes us laugh while talking about tough stuff like policing, even marital problems. take a look. >> all right, let me be clear. your mother and i are not getting a divorce. we're just taking some space. >> we're just taking some space. totally temporary, totally cool and just nothing to worry about. >> nothing to worry about. there's no need to tell your friends or your teachers because they don't need to know. >> because it's totally temporary. and it's nothing to worry about. >> nothing to worry about. >> tracy ellis ross, great to have you on this show. >> i'm a big fan of yours.
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>> i'm a big fan of yours now, too. we are supposed to expect the beautiful family is supposed to get busted up. you've got to unpack hard things. this is supposed to be a sitcom. >> and it's hard enough right now. stuff is hard right now. it feels volatile right now. why are you am making volatility when there's supposed be humor? >> the family you guys now represent is now kind of the iconic african-american family. >> and also the iconic american family. >> that used to be the cosbys, the huksitables and that is no longer a viable project. >> that was a wonderful article written "the new york times" about cosby, and there's this sense of cleaving, like this separation that has to occur. do the cosbys have to exist
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without that, the cuzby show -- >> listen, you are in that role now, for a whole generation of people your family is the iconic black family. when the cosby thing came down, how did it hit you? that's something i've been curious about, how do you process this thing. >> in all honestly i am still processing it, and i don't know i have a desire to process it publicly. >> yeah. >> i'll leave it at that. >> leave it at that. look, some other issues you've taken on with humor and grace are important issues. you've taken on policing. >> on the show and not me. so not me. we have taken on a lot of heavy issues, very important topics along with separation and divorce. but postpartum, police brutality, the election. even our parent's generation going to the doctor. so many different -- the sex
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talk. like all these different things if you were to line them up, you would not think our show were a comedy. >> but it works. >> i think there's a daringness and courageousness in which they lead in. and i think it's a character driven comedy. the way i describe it is like this is show about a family and a show about a family first and foremost. and then we take these things that are the wallpaper of our lives and drop them in the middle of the floor, in the kitchen and see how this family is going to walk around, trip over and make sense all of us are dealing with. >> i've never seen anyone deal with the postpartum depression thing. >> i thought it was really important because i haven't seen it taken on, because it's not a experience i know a lot about it, and i also think it is a stigmatized thing.
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mental illness within the black community, which we touched on and in general but in the black community is not something there's a lot of language for, a lot of support and resource for. and so it was really important to pull that apart in a way. and what i loved in the way they handled it there was no eye rolling, you're making too much of this from the husband. there was this loving couple sort of trying to understand something they didn't understand, trying to make sense of something that they didn't understand together. and it is the reason that it's so hard that this couple is going through trouble. >> the show somehow manages to be hysterically funny in dealing the stuff and it's brilliant. your mom, she is an icon. >> i like to call her an international treasure. >> yeah. it's amazing. for a lot of time you were her
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little girl, you were her daughter. >> i don't think that will ever change. >> you are now a star in her own right. and there are some younger people who may not know about your mom. what advice did your mom give you when you first came into this business? >> she told me a lot of things. i think the most incredible stuff that i learned from my mother was through the experience of watching her. the there's a way my mom navigates her way through her own life and being that as a reflection empowering and gives me the courage to make my own choices and live my life. >> i can have my fantasies about what that would be, but what did you observe her do? >> well, my mother is a businesswoman. she is, for example, always on time which means ten minutes
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early. she's prepared. my mom has always handled like herklian tasks. my mom, we would leave the house every morning and she would say things like make a friend every day. and i'm like serious, mom, i know everybody in the school. my mom would say things before having an opinion herself because i know she would have an opinion she would say things like do your best. which tell me something, as a child you know when you didn't -- >> that truth is burning your eyes. >> when you are your own worst critic and that is the worst.
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this is big lesson she taught us. my sister and i would fight all the time. she would sit us down on the couch together. she would never allow us to stay in the argument. and she would make us sit there together until we could apologize authentically and say i love you. and then we would have to go into her room and show her us saying we were sorry and we loved each other. and if she didn't believe it or fila thentic we'd have to go right back. >> so that's not black girl magic. that's like black girl sorcery. that's some major stuff. >> so as i like to say it's the reality, the way we are that makes black magic possible. >> i've got so much i want to talk about especially why you are speaking up for women. more when we get back. minor fender bender tonight in an unreasonably narrow fast food drive thru lane. but what a powerful life lesson. and don't worry i have everything handled.
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call or go on line today. i am back with actress and activist tracee ellis ross. so glad you're here. everybody wants to talk with you about your mom. you know, your mom in the '60s wasn't as politically outspoken. she wasn't walking around with the fists in the air. >> well, the experience of being in what she was living and being who she was being, boldly being who she was being lovingly and compassionately being who she was being in and of itself was
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an activism if you think of the time she was in and the experience. >> you are an outspoken person. on me too, you've spoken up on so many issues. >> times up and me too. >> yeah, times up. what is your mom's view of you being such an outspoken actress. >> i am tell you that my mother was -- my mommy was so proud after my tedtalk. she's been my mom for 40 years. i think i was probably hammering on her belly, but i think she was incredibly proud. i think she was proud because i found a sense of self and selfhood and happiness and joy.
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that is what you hope for for your children. >> was there ever a moment when you were a student activism -- >> no my activism is very recent. i think my activism really sort of -- >> why now? >> which is part of the fertility of this moment is that the tendency with how volatile and scary and appalling and understandably and justifiably terrifying it is but the opportunity and invitation truly is to lean into the compassion and grace and the activism. you know, that's my -- >> in this tedtalk, and it's an extraordinary tedtalk. and if people haven't seen it, they should go out of their way to do so.
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you're also talking about the fact women have a right to be furious and to own the fury. now, that is a very tricky tightrope for a black woman to walk. >> of course. >> because it's always all women are too emotional and black women are too angry. >> well, the paradigm in patriarchy is that women are dumb and women are crazy. i don't think women are dumb. and i think there's a much more complex nuanced pool we're all swimming in. the fury is justified. and i think you could replace women or race into that same conversation, which i discuss. but what i do in the talk, which is really what i have been chomping on is connecting the innocuous to the horrific and that there is a spectrum there that we live within.
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and one makes space for the other. and on top of that the invitation at the end is really what is the important part, which is the invitation for men, calling men into this conversation, to this dialogue and to this movement, this large scale womens movement that is going onto say there is a way for you to be in support of women and to be of service to the change that is occurring as we all together create what we are envisioning, that we don't know what that is, we haven't lived in it. and for fury, i think the invitation is not to push it away because we're trained to smile and be appropriate and gracious all the time but instead to look at it, to learn safe ways and in some places to express it. and to actually listen to it. >> we're always trying to push it done and it comes -- >> it comes out in very weird
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side ways. through your neck. we're human beings. as people of color, as black and brown people, your fury if it comes out in a real way, there are real consequences. >> there's one person i think we are both in competition to be president of our fan club is michelle obama. >> oh, yeah. she's amazing. for me it felt like she started a dialogue that had not been opened to have a black woman, to have her name be preceded by lady and first in and of itself. i heard angela davis say that and it just reverberated through me. in and of that, that held
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something and made me -- you know, the two of them made be stand up a little taller. but there is a way she is extraordinary in her o ordinariness. and you've met her. she literally makes you want to bow. you literally want to be like yes, ma'am. like a little curtsy. there's some sort of regalness to her that is not only because of her stature and her height. but she also -- i think of the speech that she made after that moment during the election, that trump moment. >> the grabbing of the -- >> mm-hmm. and there was a way that she -- from the position that she was in, put the responsibility back on the right person. and that was just very powerful. >> you are very powerful. and listen we talked about your
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mom was an icon, michelle obama as an icon. you're well on your way of becoming an icon because you are true. >> if i can just stay teachable and be of service i will be pleased. >> i have no doubt about that. it means so much. thank you so much for being here on this show. i want you to watch blackish tuesday at 9:00 p.m. on abc. coming up we started this show with a hero. we're going to end the show with one, too. i'm going to introduce you to the 2018 teacher of the year when we get back.
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[ cheers and applause ] now, we all remember at least one awesome teacher. maybe she stayed late and helped you with your math or maybe went to her pocket, got some money for you and got you some classroom supplies you needed. but let me tell you how amazing our next guest is. she's a teacher who learned sign language just so she could help to teach two of her students. these kids were born deaf. they're from syria. they had no language at all. now because of her they're both preparing to go to college. that teacher, mandy manning, was just awarded the 2018 teacher of the year award, and she joins us
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now. welcome to the "van jones show." [ cheers and applause ] man. you've gone above and beyond above and beyond for kid after kid after kid. you took some kids who only had a fourth grade education from overseas and you got them college ready in four years. why do you go that far for kids? they're not your kids. you don't know these kids. they're not from america. why do you do it? >> they are my kids. i love them. because there's potential in every single classroom i've ever worked in. and i haven't always taught immigrant and refugee students. i've taught them for the last seven years. 19 years, though, in regular classrooms. and so whenever i look at a kid i see immense potential. and it's my privilege to get to help them achieve that potential. >> well, you got invited to the house because of your great
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work, and you brought a stack of letters from these refugee children to president trump. i'm sure he was surprised. so what happened? >> i had a photograph with the president and my family, and i took advantage of the opportunity and i presented him with the letters. and i just asked him. i said, these are letters from my students and a few community members from spokane. and they -- it's really important to them that you read them. and he did -- like he took them so graciously and he thanked me and he said he looked forward to it and had them put on his desk. so. >> what do you think president trump can learn from these children, these young people? >> that they are thankful that they are here. very thankful. every single letter said thank you. that they have dreams and hopes to be productive members of our society, our community here in the united states, and that coming to the united states
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represented hope. and that they could achieve their dreams because so many of them went through tremendous trauma in order to get here. >> why do you have all these pins on? you have pins talking about trans equality, women's march pin. why did you wear those pins to the white house? >> so i just have to mention that the women's march pin, i didn't make that connection. yes, it's a women's march pin. but for me this is the dreamers. this represents my immigrant students. i wore all these pins because i teach all students and this was my message to my students, that i was there representing them and ready to tell their stories. >> beautiful. well, for the white house pool was banned from your speech. which is shocking to a lot of people. i want you to have a chance to read your speech, at least part of it, on "the van jones show." would that be all right with everybody? [ applause ]
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do you have it? whip it out. it is unbelievable that they were so concerned about what you had to say. but we're not concerned. we're inspired by it. what did you have to say? >> so where should i look? at you still? >> you can read away. you don't have to look at me. >> over the next year i will be sharing my students' stories and profound insights into our country throughout the nation. like sultans, a refugee from syria who escaped war in his country and understands the importance of the united states to be peacemakers. i am here for refugee and immigrant students, for the kids in the gay/straight alliance and for all the girls i've coached every over the years to send them the message that they are wanted, they are loved, they are enough, and they matter. go out today, seek an experience you have never had before. get uncomfortable. challenge your own perceptions to find clarity. be fearless. be kind.
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meet someone new. >> that's beautiful. wonderful, wonderful. [ applause ] i am so thankful that you could be here. i really, really am. keep up the great work. something else i'm thankful for is my home town of jackson, tennessee where both of my parents were school teachers. and i got to go home last weekend, and i got to speak at the same church i attended as a child. i gave a commencement address at lane college, the small historically black school where my grandfather was once president. and i got the key to the city. and the whole thing just reminded me that some of the biggest hearts in the world beat in some of the smallest towns in america. there's no place like home. thank you all. i'm van jones. this is "the van jones show." peace and love for one another. beautiful, beautiful. sfx: muffled whistle text alert. i'm your phone, stuck down here between your seat and your console, playing a little hide-n-seek. cold... warmer... warmer... ah boiling.
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i'd of said... i'd of said you're dreaming. dreaming! definitely dreaming. then again, dreaming is how i got this far. now more businesses in more places can afford to dream gig. comcast, building america's largest gig-speed network. good evening. we begin tonight keeping them honest with president trump's claim that someone else doesn't have his facts straight and that people should really think before they speak. pot, meet kettle. it's all part of the damage control from the damage control over the president's payments to repay the payment for stormy daniels' silence. as confusing as that might sound it is a model of clarity compared to where all today's damage control leaves our understanding of actually what happened. so it all became necessary as you know when rudy giuliani who, remember, was brought in to help clean up the president's legal mess made a bigger and m

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