why didn't they hear what these residents were saying sooner, and i think the same question goes for a lot of us, it goes for journalists like myself, environmental groups, like universities, there's a lot of us that have learned to tune out what makes us uncomfortable. until we really reckon with this stuff we learn this in the 60s and we are learning it now. until we reckon wheat creates the irvin crisis, we're not going to goat through the other side. that's why we are wrestling with -- you can watch this and other programs online at book tv.org. >> good evening everyone. i'm heidi daniels, president and ceo

of free library, i'm to thank you you all for being here for this special edition of press-writer live. what a great turnout. i'm so glad to see all of these seats filled. i want to give a special welcome of our society here tonight. your support makes programs like this one possible. thank you also to our host at the church of the redeemer, they've been so kind to host so many of our programs here since our central library is undergoing its historic renovation. and also welcome to c-span joining us here tonight. fall is a big season for us at the enock library. you can look at the newspaper, the compts, and sear how much we have going on. i also encourage everyone to come out at the end of this month to the inner harbor for the baltimore book festival. the pratt will once again be

running the children's stage and has an all-star author lineup. it's a great time for the entire family. our fall writer's live season is also packed kicking off with tonight's special presentation. how many of you here attended last year's book lover's brefs? if you did, raise your hand? great. good. it was a sell-out crowd if you didn't attend and we even had to move it to a bigger ballroom because so many people wanted to see the woman who i'm about to introduce. she filled that room for us. april ryan is a veteran white house reporter who has i covered four presidencies. you're probably used to seeing her on television for an analyst on cnn or asking the tough questions in the white house briefing room. she's been a correspondent on the radio since the clinton administration. and 2017 the black journalist of the year was

named to ryan. she's also a best selling author. when we found out she was releasing a new book we know we had to have her back at the pratt stage. in "under fire" ryan gives her unique look inside the white house. the book is released this month and is being called a must-read. yes. and if you haven't gotten your copy yes yet mahogany books is selling "under fire" in the lobby so you'll have an opportunity to get your book signed after the program. now, please join me in welcoming april ryan. [applause] >> thank you. thank you so

much. it is so good to be home. it is so good to be home. this is home, seriously. baltimore. i'm that kid who grew up in baltimore city, and i can't leave. i don't know what it is, traveled the world, go to the white house every day, but something, there's some special juice here in baltimore. [applause] >> i want to thank you guys for coming out tonight. it touches my heart, it touches my heart. it touched my heart. tonight is not about politics, it's not about party. it's not about party, but it's about freedom and humanity. freedom and humanity. for such a time as

this. i know you're watching the news today, and everybody's talking about a certain book. [laughter] hello. my name is bob woodward congrats to him. but you know first before i even go into this conversation, and we're going to center q and a, we're going to talk a little bit, and i'm going to talk to you a little bit about what i've been through. what you see in the briefing room is nothing compared to what i've been through. i want to acknowledge a couple of people who are here tonight. i have a lot of friends here tonight. i want to acknowledge first the former mayor of baltimore, kurt elshmoke. he's been a mentor and friend and someone's who's

helped me navigate these murky waters for real. i also want to recognize -- i'm seeing people i haven't seen in a while. carla, jim, my doctor's here. [laughter] i'm like, wow. my dr.'s here. and someone who surprised me backstage who you have seen on television but he's from that other neck, but i'm going to give him a shout out anyway. his name is john harwood. he's toiled with me in the white house and on that other neck. and wait a minute, am i seeing? i think i see the principal of my children's school, is that correct? oh, my gosh. lord have mercy, everybody's here tonight. thank you for coming. but why did my meeting go straight to you? i'm not going to call your name, but it's one of those nice schools in the community. i

want to say this. tonight is extra special for me because i get a chance to tell my story to my community, baltimore. washington is just down the street. 30 miles for some, 50 miles for others. but the mentality is totally different. i covered four presidents. for 21 dreers, i know i look like i'm 17. for 21 years called my name by each president. well at least three i know the thames they called me. this one -- but i've studied for this at morgan state university just down the road. i studied for this. this is my voivation not knowing that

i would be "under fire" for asking questions. i have asked questions of each president. the same question except for one. of each president over the last 21 years. but asking question now has me fearing for my life. which is real and i'm not going to get into that. but it's real. i think about the vision of those founding fathers, hundreds of years ago who talked about who we were as a people. they came up with something and i think about school house rock. if you don't know this, google it, or youtube it, because it was in school house rock. we the people, in order to form -- what? a more perfect union. i'm

scared to go further than that. some of us need to go back to school house rock, but it's all right. we are still forming a more perfect union. we are still going through growing pains. it's tough. it's growing pains. think about that, we the people. i'm one of those people who were crazy to believe that i'm part of we the people. i believe what you tell me. your honor, am i telling the truth? thank you. i'm one of those people who believe that, and then there's something called the amendments. it's not a mistake or coincidence that included in the first, not second, not third, not fourth, not fifth, not sith, the first amendment is something called freedom of the press. i'm going to say it again. it's not a coincidence that the first

amendment includes freedom of the press. so our wonderful founding fathers who i'm sure had slaves, never envisioned a girl from baltimore getting her car driven all the way down the street going to this beautiful place 1600 pennsylvania ave., raising her hand, asking questions. i'm sure they never envisioned a donald trump. ston i'm going to get you all straight. i'm already in trouble. and i'm sure they never envisioned social media and the twitter. or the grarnlings or the facebook. but in the midst of all that was their vision, what they wrote, what they decided upon? covers all of us. and before i start into my book, april ryan

"under fire" reporting from the front lines of the trump white house. let me tell you this. every day i walk into that building thanking god that i am free. thanking god i have the freedom to ask mr. president what's going on with russia? and spicer says stop shaking your head. where is he with his book? that's another story. [laughter] that was sad, i'm sorry. and also before i go any further i want to thank the pratt library you are not an author unless you go through the pratt library in baltimore, maryland. i want to thank eddy and sylva eveabrown for supporting me, and i want to say judy cooper, she retired, where is she? she's in the back. she believed

in me from day one. she's in retirement, and she's back in the back. so there's an old negro spiritual, when i think of spiritual, oh, freedom, oh, freedom. oh, freedom over me. and before i be a slave, i'll be buried in my grave, and go home to my lord and be free. this is accessory serious for me. this is so serious for me. because if i am not allowed to ask questions, you're not going to get the information that you need. if there's suppressing me, they're going to suppress john and everyone else in the room. the late senator john mccain was so right, i thank god for the

words he said before he passed away. he talked about oppressing and suppressing the press. if you begin down that line you begin a dictatorship. who are we in 2018? what are we? for a time such as this, i think about -- and the books that are out right now -- it's not a coincidence about the books talking about the dysfunction. bob woodward, god bless him. he's gone into the stratosphere, because he's painted the picture that we already knew, but he's putting something to it. he's giving you texture and context, and even omarosa with her tapes god bless her. i wish her well and then you have me, we are all talking about the dysfunction.

there is some kind of cominality that's true, and bob woodward, how are you going to call o bob woodward an idiot? bob woodward was part of that reporting team that uncovered what? watergate. uncovered what? watergate. and for many of you who were around at that time you remember what it smelt like, tasted like and what it felt like. president ninety nixon to do what? discredit the reporters. and look at what happened. and in 2018 what's happening again, there's a threat, and a reason

>> i want you guys to read it. [laughter] i didn't mean the way it came out but yeah it's a good idea. >> i'll never forget a cold night in washington, d.c. i was leaving the white house invited to the republican national

committee building, and reince prix priebus head of the rnc and ryan was a consultant and they asked some of the cream of the crop to come to rnc because they were looking for the black vote. yes. they were talking about oh they were on the dry erase board talking about this is what we're going to do an how it will happen and these or were numbers before and we're going to clinch it because this is what we're going to do and me and myself i'm always raising my hand -- [laughter] i said well wait a minute there's a candidate out there and this field of 25,000. i said -- that's talking to vision and it is not about a coming together a unifying to win. and i'll never forget how reince and shawn up against that like they were king makers like they

news what was going to happen they were like yeah it is going to happen this way and it has to happen this way. and i said but, but -- you got to candidate who is dividing the nation on race. and i said, how are you going to get him to conform to what you want? we were talking about donald trump and they said well he's going to need our data. donald trump not only proved them wrong but he proved that you can be president without the minority vote. and they were left with egg on their face. the rebuke of the party wound up being rebuke of donald trump against the party thumbing his nose at them at the very beginning. but what we found from donald trump cold words, ats and private rallies. a thrust against the press.

and i think about how he galvanized people. how he brought people together. see we're like minded people in this church listening to something tonight. but there's another side that does -- these are same formula but in a different manner. you got to think critically when you're watching the news and watching these events. because some times things just ain't right. so -- chapter one page 16 -- another tactic trump used to galvanize core supporters ka time me in an aha moment in summer of 2017 i took my kids to new york city. to see wicked broadway musical for the third time. i know we love broadway. [laughter] yet more importantly to see ac ac trees who played madam head mistress of the school. my friend made the theater history by being the first black

woman to play madam on broadway. it was art imitating life when one of the characters began to reveal the plot of the play making the the green witch the enemy of oz -- the character said, the best way to unify people is to create a common enemy. yeah picked published in 1995 and play was a broadway musical in 2003. this thought pat rn laid well before donald trump decided to create a common enemy. but he understood what to do. how do you bring people together buying time and enemy? we saw that was -- we saw that with a lot of other stuff. and we see it now with the press. the press is a threat. when the enemy of the people, why -- because we're asking questions. that make sense --

we're asking questions that help america. and this is not coincidence either. there are -- it is lining up today. i don't know what it is the krip tonight must have come out john. i don't know but poll numbers have you seen polls? and then one of those polls -- well one of the pieces of the polls cnn poll i'll call cnn i don't use four letter words anymore -- i love other network, but -- [laughter] but the cnn poll talked about one -- question in that poll talking about the press. the american public doesn't like the treatment of the press. people understand that once you quiet them down, you don't get the information. what's the problem? [laughter] we've got a lot overhead. got russia. sean spicer says if we go to a restaurant and have russian salads or salad russian salads

resting and we have russia. but when it comes to me -- i'm going to tell you are story about how i became the enemy. and it still hurts to this day -- it started when the president was running for office. he had someone very close to him who was loyal to him. what he thought was loyal to him. thought was loyal to him. that person was on the apprentice with him and everything. [laughter] oh -- i knew that was going to get you riled up. come on y'all. but this person has been my friend. i met her during the clinton years. when al gore wanted to talk to me she called me it's okay yes let's do this. an interview wow. it is and about what's

happening. but then she left she had sharp elbows and -- they pushed her out she failed up until she finally failed out. you know, walking around this town and other towns you run into each other. we hung out a lot around country when we would do different events got close and got closer. but when president trump decided to run for president -- donald j. trump did not like the the press it was clear. he saw before he became president he was chastising him by poor jim acosta, yeah. now -- you know, tell jim to get out. they won't collins and sarah won't answer my questionses at all if she's looking me straight in the eye and pointing to

somebody else. but that's okay. like shawn she's trying it have an el again the exit as welt. so it was time for her to prove her meddle that yes she was at one point she was a democrat, loving -- barack obama supporting bill clinton supporting hillary clinton but now i'm a conservative i want to show yaw that i'm in your camp. what can i do to make you believe me while all were with looking at her -- so the closest thing is that she could find was me. a friend -- she wanted to cut my head off and put it on platter and serve it up to president trump to show that she was loyal to garner there --

support and trust. one of the worst things you can do in washington is rely on someone without taking money. she tried to kill my career by saying i was taking money from hillary clinton. oh, yeah -- now here i am a kid from baltimore not west baltimore or east but northwest baltimore but county i stand on shoulders was too many people in this room on harriet of my great, great grandfather who was a last known slave in my family i came from -- a blue collar in the white collar both of my parents are gone to glory. they worked too hard, they worked too hard in this city for me to get to where i am -- to let someone who wants to prove something to somebody -- for me to lose any standing what

do i do to deserve this? a friend -- so she was bad mouthing me saying all of this and blah blah -- so i pulled e away and then couple of months later how dare she -- are you still going to be in my wedding -- [laughter] i did not get a -- swatch for the gown and i never answered her. but you heard the rumors about that fight between the oval office and -- sean spicer it happened because like why are you telling people that i'm talking money from hillary clinton it happened you heard had it be. yeah. right, good. , though, it was like the big -- it was did you hear april ryan and they were fighting -- i was like i'm baltimore you from cleveland you better back

up. [applause] i'm a little scrappy i may be 51 but i wouldn't going to do a and nick but you crazy until they leave you alone. you know my aunt said sometimes you have to hit a bully one good time and then they'll leave you alone. you have to figure out and i know, i know the principal and teachers and my kids school here i'm sorry. i don't teach what -- i do tell them this. yes, okay it's all right. it's okay -- so if my children act i know where she got it from that momma -- [laughter] say -- they know me i'm not worried about it. but no, sometimes you have to know when to fight and you know what to fallback. now here i am in a black by myself i'm not an abc, nbc, cnn,

cbs but american radio network giving me 21 years -- no black woman by herself. i didn't have a producer behind me to hold my back or my purse. i didn't have that. and then when we got into this, this argument -- she started coming out of a neck with all of these crazy things i'm like what are you talking about? and she screamed loud enough to the closed door of the oval office i'm like oh, god the president is going to come out i was like okay it's going to go on. [laughter] that's how bad it was. but a week and a half later, a week and a half later, the saga continues. and it's all in the book. i got receipts i don't need a video video tape or audio tape. week and a half later you saw it on tv. remember that run only press conference solo press

conference, the president had in eastern with the white house remember that? oh, come on you remember that. it made news. it made news. it went viral. my child was in school, my oldest child was in school. and this is where -- i love social media but where i hate social yeetd. i'm still in the room. and she's in a current events class. and she text messages me -- mamma are you okay? i'm like my heart is in any stomach. what am i to do? baby i'm great. i had to let her know i'm okay. collateral damage to this. president of the united states called on me -- and blood rushed to my ears because he started like this is a bad question i said no it's not sir. god oi like watching you on tv one time he said something nice to me pep and i still grab on to

it. and i still want to interview with him. as he said to me -- can you get the the cbc together are they your friends? [laughter] you laugh -- it was a serious question. he talked about urban fix we are urban area baltimore is urban i don't care you are urban. how do you fix? the african-american community still has highest numbers of negatives in almost every category. that is not not conjecture that is fact. and unfortunately i'm most for the most part was only one asking the question until they shut me down. so the president said, can you get them together are they your friends official that wasjob and

i don't dare say that. i was lord that would have been a mess. but the blood is going to my ears i'm like -- this is for the world to see it, you're embarrassing me an i said -- this is not about race. this is about -- alma are rosa are they your fris can can you get meeting together and just the the week and a half before, i was told i was taking money from hillary clinton publicly in that fight, right? so do you see the connection? i'm already labeled as the bad person and it continued. shawn and i had a decent relationship prior to all of this stuff happening. but as soon as that happened, boom. i was now the enemy. stop shaking your head. it's absurd. and oh, my goodness here comes sarah.

she picked up right where she left off and worse. i'm ridiculous. a whole bunch of stuff what she's said so much stuff we just -- she gave up but we tried -- to do a reset. after that pie -- [laughter] sometimes when some families you're born into families this is all in my book under fire written by bob woodward. [laughter] look i'm not mad at 7 come on by. work this out. so -- [laughter] so it was so bad between sarah and i for a moment she asked me to office because i stopped going up there. because it was so thick and so tense. and met smack dab in the middle

and you cannot miss me at all she be looking at me pointing somewhere else thinking she's going to get me i'm like no that's not a i got you moment i too will survive this because i've been through worse. but she, she felt something was wrong. she said i know right -- she said let's get together. let's talk. i said okay let's dinner but that was after that pie thing and i didn't realize my influence on social media. how many of you go to thanksgiving and take pictures of your thanksgiving table -- you don't? okay i'm l sorry. but -- [laughter] i'm going to tell you something and the friends that i have we take pictures. we are thankful for that bounty of plenty. we are thankful for harvest that feast us on table and take pictures next to pie we made or turkey. we do that. i'm serious even that year i

didn't bake because i was so business took a picture of the food that i had in the tin in the back of the car just showing this is my bounty for this -- for the table. well -- that fir picture came out. [laughter] that picture came out. and that picture wit a minute, i said sarah -- i said girl you need to show us a picture of that pie on the table. and she didn't say anything. but lord knows fox news went off on me was it burlap and rot soup whatever they names are -- [laughter] i don't like talking about people but things they said about me -- i mean, the world came down on me over a pie. and even her daddy pastor reverend governor huckabee went -- went on fox news talking about

you don't talk about a southern woman and their culinary skills because you'll get gutted like a deer is that a vail threat? i sat down. i said she can fight for herself she's a grown woman she's 35 i'm 51, i mean, she needs to know how to stand up for herself instead of daddy coming to her defense all of the time but it was okay. we had a moment. we, she said where did we go wrong? and i said sarah i would love to talk to you so we went to dinner. trying to find commonality. we talked about our religion. we talk about our children she's a mother i'm a mother. we talked about our death threats. yeah -- we talked about life. we talked about her boss. stop -- really because as a reporter i want to learn about who he is. and what she really thinks of

him. and i said you know sarah this wasn't about -- getting an interview but i would like an interview she said well this is a good step. but not long after that had began again. why? because her boss doesn't like me, why? why? because i'm not perceived as their base. why? why? because i'm asking questions. if they don't want to answer -- isn't that just all about race -- i've asked about russia, i've asked about about north korea. i've asked about china. and i did ask a question that they didn't like. let's put me on the blacklist. if you don't know about it, google it. it's in my book. [laughter]

it gets to be upset, no one, no reporter should ever have to ask a sitting united states president, mr. president, are you a racist? no one should ever have to ask sitting united states president and then on the day that i asked that question -- that day meant a lot to me. it was the the time where we were celebrating the march of who is now a martyr. dr. martin luther king, jr. the president was announcing the fact that dr. king, his sensor was going to be expanded by national park service. an that was only time i was in a pool that day. and pool is when a certain number of people representing

each medium and going to the small rooms are travel with the president in the vans to -- the course trump golf course or to trump international hotel with something trump. that's true and might be -- i'm serious or you know when we travel or we go to and everyone all of the press cannot sit into those rooms. so that day it happened to fall on me i was a representative for radio. and i kept questioning myself leading into that question. i knew i was going to ask it but i had not decided if i was beginning to ask it. because that was the question that was so heavy. the weight of that question is still around the my neck and no

one should have to ask a sitting president in 2018 are you a race cyst but things about it prior to that -- we had frederick wilson -- yeah. and the sergeant ledavid johnson issue -- the young man, the soldier -- the one of the soldiers who -- was killed in niger by ambush by boko haram and charlottesville. yeah. had to figure out if there was a teleprompter okay. but if he spoke oh, my god the world came to an end. i mean we were like did you hear that? what did he say? i was people were -- i don't know. i said -- i can't help you. i got to work this out myself as a reporter i have to ask question withs. people were coming to me like i had to answer so i'm watching just like you are. maybe with a different vantage point but i'm still watching.

and then -- in that meeting hard to deal with issues of immigration -- yeah. they kept saying the word heart. saying those who come from nigeria come to here don't want to go back to their huts and then -- just days before this -- there was a question as if, as if the president did or did not say those words about brown nations. i'm going to respect this church and won't go there because you know what the words were. were alleged to have been said. i heard so many people oh, she's a race racist oh you have to be careful how you label someone. you have to be careful what you

say about someone. because words married and they can hurt someone. so all of these leaders and not just black leaders. were saying he was a racist i said what is the definition of a racist? so i called my friends over at the naacp. the head of the naacp, i said look they didn't know what i was going to do, but i wanted to get it light because when i go and ask is the question, it's researched. i talked to people involved. i find out other story about it and knowledgeable about a subject i can be to present it to you and ask question withs so it won't ever be a got you moment. so -- what i talked to ahead of the aacp he said it is simple. the definition of a racist which

i have been called and it is not true -- call it a race bear not saying i am. but definition of a race is so simple -- if the intersection or meeting of power and prejudice. that simple. so the next day, the next day -- [laughter] in the roosevelt room -- ben carson is in there, stop. [laughter] secretary ben carson great surgeon, remember that -- all right now guys. look he came out and he supported me i got to say this. he supported me when -- when lynn called me ms. pig piggy yeah because i asked mr.

president are you a racist but i want to say this when i was at the morgan state, i loved ms. piggy i thought she was fabulous. i used to call myself ms. piggy so she doesn't know that. but anyway moving on. i digress. but in that room -- lynn patton was there. ben carson was there. the niece and nephew of dr. king were there no the the children not bernice or ml3. and they going to talk about the great dr. king and see i'm -- i understand what it means to be black in america. i understand what it means to be a human being in america. i understand what dr. king did for america. you know if he and robert kennedy had lived it wouldn't have been just about race. it would have been about poverty and fighting against poverty for all people.

were killed the dream is still alive but dreamers were killed i understand. i come from a home not too far from here. not too far from here. i lived in -- [inaudible conversations] not too far from here as a kid my mother had the picture of dr. kennedy and king up there. president kennedy and king, and i'll tell you this is not about my politics this is about what they did. if -- if my mother and father and my mother alive whether barack obama was president we would have the picture of the whole family barack obama and michelle -- sasha, melania and bobbleheads so -- [laughter] and so i come from that family. i come from that family. and my mother was the woman who gave me my heart, my father gave me the courage. my late father, he passed away august 8th. my mother always taught me i'm telling you whenever i would be

sitting at a kitchen table, and if i had a peanut do you know how many uses of a peanut there are? i'm going to george washington cover okay ma -- oh. i've got to stop eating peanuts i look at a jar like get away from me. [laughter] we go to a stoplight, do you know a black man -- oh, momma -- i came from that household. i understood who i was as a person many this nation and understand that i don't hold my head down. i walk boldly because we come from a beautiful, overcoming community of people. but i'm part of the broader community. i understood so the weight of that question was on me. threw that question out. he didn't respond. mr. president, will you any of these questions? and his little friend pastor

darell scott, no. i said so you know who darrell kot is yeah, uh-huh. he's in the book too not for a nice reason. you know how president trump met darell scott through michael cohen -- uh-huh -- it's true. uhh -- so i ask again as he's hugging president trump is hugging paris, mr. president are are you a racist he walks out the room -- the question laid in the air for days. am i telling the truth, john? it took the president about three or four days to answer. no i'm not a racist i am -- i'm nowhere near whatever he says. but because i asked that question, i could feel the anger in the room. darell scott was playing with a bottle of water as if he wanted to throw it on me.

and people. i've been labeled racist, everything but a child of god. because i dare to ask a question -- it's on other's minds. my life has been threatened. from people who don't know me -- i've had to take measures against people who don't know me. if i don't ask the question some of the questions then who will? in 2018, if we don't have helen thomas anymore. in 2018 we don't have sam donaldson anymore in 2018 we don't have dan rather anymore. i'm talking about people in that room. i grew up watching helen thomas go after questions -- from ronald reagan sam donson i get my big mouth from him because he knew how to throw questions.

i watched him. i worked with these people. and today i'm somewhat ashamed of what i see. sometimes in that room some people want to be friends. with the administration -- we are now conservative reporters. liberal reporters. but i pray that i stand right here as that person who used to watch walter cronkite and said that's the way it was. try aring to be fair -- these are questions that are are on people's minds. if sarah would have called on me today what do you think about the poll number sarah and she come up with something smart. it's not a coincidence that all of these poll numbers saying the same thing. [laughter] when it comes to freedom of the

press -- i am biased -- i worked hard for this. and i continue to work hard for this. some of the worst days of my career have been in this administration. they wanted me gone. they wanted me fired. they wanted me to give up. why? because i choose to continue to ask questions. i think about what my aunt says sometimes you have to -- hit a bully one good time. i'm by myself but i'm not by myself. i stand on the shoulders of those wonderful founding fathers who had the foresight to understand that information is power. this is not a new game. just a delivery system is new. you know back in the day they used to town to talk about things, you know, on the -- in the town square are they right on paper well today we're

writing -- we're videoing. we're on twitter. the facebook -- but we're still moving. information is power. what makes us different? than russia and china? the free press -- and independent press -- i'm not going to give up. but i think about something couple kamala harris said to me and i put it in the book. we were at lunch and both honored and there was a person between us and she leaned over and smiled at the me, you still there, i said so are you -- [laughter] there's not a coins dense but implore you to use critical thinking at a time like this but you haven't seen rest it have.

it is coming. we haven't seen the the mueller report. it's coming. i'll telling you the president creating his own story and we were with there to cover it it is coming but in midst of it all i ask you to stand with us for free press because it's not about us. i'm not supposed to be the story it's the the no about me. i happened to be telling my story because if i didn't they shouldn't wouldn't it would be a different way. but i ask you to stand with with us. we need you because if they did to me they'll do to john and everybody else and leave you with this one. charlottesville weekend we remember where we were. it was the uglyist -- moment in this era. i was in new orleans that weekend with my children.

and saturday night i received the journalist of the year award for national association of black journalist, and next morning a dear friend of mine arranged for a long time elizabeth she was blowing my phone up like april, april, april, i'm like what i'm sleep -- i was -- i had a great night. she said have you seen the ad what ad? she said look at the ad she sent me this text -- i was the only white house correspondent the weekend of shaar charlottesville saying trying to thwart trump's agenda. black women reporter doing charlottesville, andth president approved of this message. yes, other people in ad were like don lemmon wolf blitzer, rachel, chris matthews all friends, i was in good company.

but i'm trying to thwart an agenda. the agenda has been against me if they can do it to me they'll do it to others but i implore you once again stand with us. it's about freedom. oh, with freedom, oh freedom -- oh freedom over me, and before i be slaved i'll be bury in my grief and go home to my lord and be free. thank you. [applause]

thank you now you see why i don't to leave bament mother we'll take questions now. if you have a question no comments questions please come to microphone don't be afraid c-span is just watching don't worry it be. [laughter] public television everyone friends of mine come to the mic yes, sir. i know who you are a college classmate. i have friends here tonight. hey. hey, rags -- college classmate -- [laughter] 30 years ago we were on that campus together. i know. [laughter] morgan state university -- >> welcome home, with april. >> thank you. >> as a member of the academic community who focuses mostly on history, i have a question about politics in the the cross section of history particularly as it relates to this time. richard nixon in 1968 the strategy to the gop, they known

that, you know, democrats did use this tool -- you know, as necessary. but there was a split in the republican party as a, you know, as to how dangerous a tool, how dangerous an instrument this could be. and so you know, george bush was not a fan 237. but willy horton, we had -- others use this tool. now kind of come arranged like a chain saw. how is the gop now looking at this strategy and -- as it useful tool for motivating their base? it's not behaving in the same way that it used to. it's out of control. let me say this. there are -- did you hear his question? >> no. okay. the question was how -- he was talking about southern strategy, and different time

periods in most recent times people have used a race to divide and what is the -- republican party thinking about this racial attack to up the base. there are people of good will in both parties. people see what i will say is early on that the -- that the republican party was watching the numbers they say we're going to watch numbers but number take and walk away from him and try to save everything for the the midterms. well this kind of late now. because numbers are just starting to tame. and the midterms around corner but i'll say this to you. there is something going on. president trump was -- was born out of the discontent look let me say this. you remember when barack obama was elected president right you can smell it and taste it and feel it remember where with you were. you were what donald trump moves with president his name president barack obama was named

at 11 p.m. president trump. three and 4:00 in the morning but you remember where you were right many of you were awake, right? okay. whatever. so anyway -- [laughter] i'm ghoing to say this there's a common thread between both of those historic presidencies you know what that thread is, the word change. there are people on all sides of the spectrum feel they're not up touched by government so therefore, when they heard barack obama -- i'm going with him -- i'm going with him. and then when others heard donald trump rise up i'm going with him. i'm going with him for better or for worse donald trump was born out of okay he played on race. it was a direct reaction to the election of barack obama. now, it is not even waiting eight years. now, let's see what's happening. people are not, people are not feeling this. i think about selma, alabama. what happened in alabama against

roy moore. the black belt -- i'm talking black belt is about rich soil. not about black people but it is about black people. black women said they remember some bloody sunday. i never forget, selma i was there with president obama. when we went there to commemorate the 50*9 anniversary of bloody sunday. it looks like a town that tom forgot to economics are still bad. all you have to do is a pitcher it looks like the same place just in 2018. but those people said no more. we're not doing this again. they did not vote for roy moore. now, what do we see today? i have never seen this in my life. what happened in massachusetts? all right presley now in 018 three southern states -- i don't care what you think about yanked it might be all this and that you're still a southern state, maryland -- we're not new york. maryland, georgia --

and florida -- three african-americans are poised to be potentially be governor of those states. i have never seen this. there is a reaction to this. so people are not and it is not just black people. people are are seeing what's happening and they're upset. so it can be a southern strategy all at once. for every action there's a reaction and i'm the met, i'm met andrew gillum last week is some -- he reare minds me of first and second term barack obama. but he has this -- this theme of everyone. universality i met stacey abrams we connect, we communicate. same thing. theme of universality. i want to see what happens. i don't know what's happening in each state. but i want to see because -- it anything can change. because you've got this quiet

move of african-americans voting. but then you've got this other move that could come up and say we're not going to let it happen. that happened with trump. and that's what really happened with andrew because they didn't expect it. it is just came out of nowhere. and one thing he did say to me when i talked to andrew last week -- he said the reason why i keam out of nowhere he said because just is like you and that press room he said -- so the florida press is mainstream mainstream america. they weren't paying attention to me. thanks rags, yes, ma'am. >> okay so also elections are decided by the people who don't bother to vote. and what do you think the press can do to encourage anti-trump voters to come out and vote even if it's not for a perfect candidate for the governorship, the senators, office, the, you know, so that, in fact, people

will vote? >> so let me say this i'm not an advocate journalist or telling you go out there to vote for andrew gillum or ben, i'm telling you as a human being, vote, exercise your freedom and your privilege to volt. i don't care who you volt for. go vote. you go into that poll and before you go in there use -- a critical thinking -- and research the candidate. politics is personal. politics is so personal. but it is all played out in public now. what i would say is -- for time such as this -- go vote. but what i do is i let you hear the aacp and black caucus vote against hate and i let you hear people from other walks of life to talk about how critical because i try to give you all sides of spectrum. but -- people see me as a black woman yes i'm a black woman.

and do i feel hatey but i'm telling you to go vote but not to vote for and one thing i will tell you this, my children and this is honest to god truth i told they don't know my political persuasion because if they did know they would tell everybody they've got big mouths so -- so my daughters were so angry with with me because they don't like the fact that president and sarah, and shawn have done what they've done to me. my children came up to me and said you are republicans -- you voted for donald trump because you wanted interview with him i said what are you talking about i'm a reporter i want to -- i still want to interview donald trump let them think what they want to think they don't know which way you fall that's a good thing. but i implore people to vote go to that poll be informed voter go vote please too many people die -- we're beaten over head with billy club sprayed with hoses dogs biting through their skin.

vote. please, thank you. thank you. hi you say things up close more than rest of us did and this is a unique administration. so my question is, are you still surprised by things -- [laughter] you know, what some days i'm like they can't top this like what? what? how do they explain that at the podium today? you know, it is so funny to watch the president say something and then next say -- well what the president meant to say -- [laughter] in we're like that's not what he said. but no. he said -- no. oh, my gosh they insult our intelligence quite a bit they think they're insulting our intelligence but you can see it. because at one point when thigh

first came in -- am i crazy you questioning yourself. but now once you embrace this is different and you know what you know and you know how they handle it. you know you are all right and go from there and report it is like it is not moral. it is not normal. i'm going to say this is not normal. if you believe it is normal you need to go back to come go take a vacation and breathe, and then come back, this is not normal. so i am now at the point where, you know -- i'm going to call it out and ask around. you know sarah told me she's like it's not what you report it is what you say on tv that's why i speak the truth what's the problem? i'm not into lying or fudging anything. i'm fortunately what comes up with me comes out, and -- i just tell it like i see it in they're around 21 years see a couple of things. you know you can't put nothing e over me now but you know what, it's all right but i hope i answered your question. thank you. >> thank you.

this is not normal. not at all i think this is the last question. >> special. good evening. >> you. >> during the primaries and during presidential election i asked same question over and over again. how is he doing this? how is trump winning? and i got lots of -- stuff on tv and other places. but never direct answer it a simple question. how is he doing to, now what i like to your response to this all of this about only one thing. and that is the real or perceived threat to white male privilege worldwide. >> it is called a forgotten male. that's what the republican party called it when they were doing their strategies the forgotten male. forgotten white man who -- felt like they weren't touched by government he played upon it and he made people who felt like they were -- not a part, be a part. and this is a thing that trips me out about president trump and

people who support him. he's like us. no he's not. i'm like this man has buildings in his name. you probably wouldn't -- he has a -- he has a discerning clientele that comes to his hotels and i said you probably qowld not be welcome there. this is -- i'm like he's not ewe. even though he's got this crazy combover and speaks kind of weird, people think that they feel like he's real and he is real in a lot of ways but this is -- not normal. but i'll say this. how is he doing this? taking the knee. he created narrative about that. because they're talking about it is -- about the anthem, it's about the soldiers and it's about our nation. well let me say this when i raise my hand because it was that day -- that the philadelphia eagle say i'm not going, and i said sarah does the president realize what

taking the knee is, like it was this -- like you know everybody got qient. quiet because that the is not and now it is exposed you know. you patriot -- who is not more patriotic? the vast majority of us in here have someone who is in the military protestant catholic someone who is in the police department right? all right i almost married two of them in the police department. so we are patriotic. but this -- this stuff up and then immigration thing -- i have e never seen -- i grew up -- hearing about lady liberty and welcomed many from different nations and now it is a sin and ashame for us to open our land up to other people. and the thing that gets me is -- nill pfeifer forget that night,

aaron stop -- [laughter] i hear grumbles grumbles and grt there say we don't want immigrants coming to this nation talking about black and brown because drain on welfare system. i said wait a minute. and i remember during obama you see this is when you're dangerous when you know stuff from before you can call it up. you can google it. and you can call people -- i said wait a minute, we went to commercial break i said wait a minute. i said -- according to the center for american progress, african immigrants or black immigrants are most educated that come to the -- that to the shores it was like oh, my god things changed people trying to change history, and that's what is happening that's why i said we have to use critical thinking and we have to be on top of it. this game of -- of creating your own new facts -- it is we are checking.

it is -- i'm telling you it is like if you -- if certain people were here tonight you would not believe you were believe you were in dance hall not in a church and sky is orange. you know people are changing -- it i'm serious. that is how bad it is. they will tell you things that are not true and know it is not true in your face and you have to go back understanding that this is what it is and put it out there. that is the the job of a reporter. a reporter that is worth their pin and pad and microphone. and video call are a will sit there and sift through what you're saying an find the fact without say your lie, lie, lie but no this is the truth. versus what you put that what they say out there and this up there. but that is how -- this president is securing its face by playing on fear the race fears -- the culture fears. there is a divide here that was created playing on the fears of others just so they could be loyal to him. >> absolutely. >> that's the way i see it.

that's the way it was. >> the way it is. for september 11th. [laughter] 2018 -- [applause] thank you john. [applause] thank you baltimore. i love you, i appreciate you. thank you so much. we're going to go sign books see fans. thank you, thank you everyone. thank you. thank you -- thank you, thank you all. thank you all, thank you, thank you. thank you so many of everyone for spending your evening with us. books reason sale in hallway to right from mahogany bookses thank you and good night. booktv is on twitter, facebook, and instagram. follow us at booktv for behind scenes videos, an pictures from book festivals and events all over the country. as we celebrate 20 years of

nonfiction authors and books, we might be hearing from you post your favorite booktv mommies from last 20 years using hashtag booktv 20. good morning y'all. you almost made the me cry. i don't know why. maybe i'm not a morning person. so -- first i would like thong everyone who made this possible. because i know that a ton of work must have gone into making this happen and -- i'm so very grateful to be a part of it so thank you to mississippi and mississippi art commission, toes mississippi humanities counsel. so everyone in the state government who -- allowed this and helped make this possible. and i hate to do this, but my little prepared remarks are on my phone so i apologize for

being rude. but here we go. everywhere i go, journalists ask me why i chose to return home to mississippi. i recently wrote ab essay about it where i wrestled with mississippi's often vinyl history of racial ine qut and came to conclusion that it is the beauty of the place and fierce fight inherent good of so many here who do everything to make a better future for mississippi that make me feel better about my -- decision to return. and even though i felt fairly satisfied with that answer, and my essay upon finishing it, later when i looked again i did it. like many writers, i aseis my work and i found it unfinished incomplete. why? in part i realized my decision to return home is not final. not resolved. that my return home is not a question answered by essay. but is instead a lived question

with a lived answer. that every day i'm here i'm reckoning and writing about this place that every day when i set pen to paper or drop kids off at school or visit local park i'm asking if it is right to be here in mississippi speak to me and reply. she speaks when this fight lilly blom and reach like dark hands from the bayou and burning oak leaves permeating air in the fall when the the moon is like a soft egg on the shell of the clouds. she speaks in the the glint of the sun on gulf before sunset which turns the water gray and telling of the night -- she speak when is i jump into the wolf river and current closes over muting world to amber swell when i was a child, mississippi me many thing when is it was to grow up for food and comfort that a long list of history that wraps up a

discomforting hug that taught me that many who call this place home speak to me my family an community and all people of african decent are less, less -- but this place also taught me when it was to grow up safety aided by love of family of community. it taught me to love a language to love story telling, and the connection it engendered. it taught me that it never only spoke the language of oppression of hate that conclude speak love to, it can speak tengderly with gentle hands lifting language. mississippi speak when is my grandmother hugs me to her and i lean into her and close my eyes inhaling her jasmine perfume she speak when is my nephew drives he mommy and plays sole judges for me that he want me to hear and watch for approval a quick smile when i yes, yes i like

this. and my son pats her leg and then holds out his hangtd and my mother takes my son's palm in hers and walks with him. both of them tengder and sure in their grip on each other. mississippi speaks and i listen. i put pen to paper and i answer. every word and echo every word and affirmation yes, this is home. every day, i return. thank you for speaking with me for teaching me to love language love stories. love that which binds us all to one another and reading with me for inspiring me for being the place i can return to when i never cold. where i sell feel myself more than anywhere and i know i'm loved. thank you to my family for nurturing me thank you to my community for protecting me. thank you for the honor of writing about you. it is a great responsibility and i hope to bear it well to make you proud flushed with joy.

tengder, little whysful to make you feel to make you remember, to make our walking together a little easier. while we have this time under this deep sky under these reaching trees. these hidden stars, thank you, thank you, thank you. [applause] ... washington journal continues. host: ken starr that with his new book, about his work as the independent counsel to the whitewater and lewinsky investigations