go. >> yeah, yeah. if you become the first female vice president in the history of this country, what specifically can we expect you to fight for for the women of this country? >> everything. everything. i mean, listen, i said this back on that cold day in january, in 2017, at the women's march, which is every issue is a women's issue. and women's issues should be everyone's issues. so when i think about women's issues i think about -- in fact, errin, i've been the first woman to be elected to most of the positions i've had. they asked, tell us what's like to be the first woman, you know, fill in the blank? i'd look at them and say, you know, i'm so glad you asked that

question. because certainly, you know, i don't know what to tell you, i've always been a woman, but i'm sure a man could do the job just as well, right, or people would say, well, talk to us about women's issues, i'd say, you know, i'm so glad you want to talk about the economy or sometimes, i'm sod so glad you want to talk about health care, or national security, i'm so glad you want to talk about the climate crisis, i'm so glad you want to talk about immigration, right, and so i will say this -- that in a biden/harris administration, women are going to be a priority, understanding that women have many priorities. and all of them must be acknowledged. but it will certainly start with being very clear-eyed about the

disproportionate weight that women carry on certain issues. we talked about equity, but the weight women clear, the responsibility, women are primary care givers to children and their parents, seniors, that's why we need to have paid family leave. that's a priority of the biden/harris administration. to have affordable child care that's a priority. going back to what i said about what we need to do to have assistance for seniors who want to live in their homes. these are the kinds of priorities that have been part of the first policy initiatives that have been offered in this campaign and those will continue understanding, again, women carry a disproportionate burden for at lot of those responsibilities so we need to recognize that and fix the problem. >> we at the 19th couldn't agree more that all issues are women's issues and so thank you for

underscoring and reminding people about that. i also wonder, you know, now that you've been and ttapped fos role, i wonder if it changes your own ambitions? >> oh, i mean, listen, i told you before, my mother raised me with many sayings and one said, kamala you may be the first to do many things make sure you're not the last. i take that -- that's my duty. i feel a great sense 06 personal responsibility to make sure when we walk through those doors, we widen those doors and then help, you know, each one pull one. not just widen the door and keep walking. each one pull one. so that we can, again, make it the case that no longer are we

just making these first -- celebrating these firsts. these are celebrations worth having. but in 2020 i think we all would agree we'd like that we're no longer having the first woman in any position but many women in those positions. >> yes, to your point about not being the last black woman to represent the state of california, out of the u.s. senate, should you become the next vice president of the united states, your senate seat will be open, are there black women who would you like to see possibly succeeding you in that seat should you elevate to the number two position in the country? >> listen, i think that, again, there are hundred united states senators, this shouldn't be about california, this is national issue, if i'm -- we should all seat back and say, how is it when you look at the role of black women in the history of building our country,

much less than in the history of most recent politics, much less you know historically, it's inexcusable that we would not have full representation in the united states congress and so this should just not be about one any one state, we should be saying about this across the nation. women who are on that path and they should be encouraged -- i want to say that we should encourage and always support women who are running for office and support them knowing that -- that even if they are the first that they the are the one who's necessary to continue to break these barriers. i haven't achieved anything that i have without the support of many who believed in the possibility of someone who has

never been there before being there. that's what we have to do across the nation. >> i want to also talk about this election, we're obviously seeing concerns over voter suppression, voter depression possibly, the need for, you know, turnout, the kind of turnout that you all are going to need to win in november in the pandemic. certainly i'm seeing a lot of black women in particular who are galvanized by the announcement of your joining this ticket, what do you think black women in particular are going to do in november in terms of turning out in the midst of this pandemic, what do you think that your addition to this ticket does to excite and energize the base of the democratic party? >> well, i think it's -- listen, there's that piece of it that's a point of pride but listen, black women pay attention to the

iss issues, black women are motivated to vote for the people who represent their priorities and their needs. and so when you look at everything that relates to what we've discussed in terms of childcare, when you look at what we're talking about in terms of jobs, health care, when you look at what we need to do to address racial and not only disparities in terms of the healthcare system and in terms of the economy and education system, we need to speak about systemic racism and when you have one ticket that can say the phrase black lives matter and another who has full-time sowing hate and division in our country, those are the things that are going to motivate black women to vote. a point in pride about a black woman being on the ticket, it takes more than just that to

motivate black women to vote. >> yeah, you know, you certainly have been somebody who's been out in protests during the black lives matter movement return this summer with the deaths of george floyd, breonna taylor and ahmaud arbery, but yet a climate that's racialized and a president that has already kind of returned to a racial playbook heading into november, we said in, you know, during this past year that racism is on the ballot for a lot of americans and joe biden said this is the battle for the soul of america, what does that mean to you and how concerned are you about, you know, this national reckoning and how it may play out in our election for voters? >> yeah, i mean, like you said, joe says and has been saying,

this is a battle for the soul of our country. and when we look at someone like the current occupant of the white house, again, he has not been lifting folks up. joe and what we are about, we're about lifting people up, understanding the strength of a leader is based on not who you beat down but you lift up and these are the things that are at stake right now and when we talk about the election in november, this is probably one of the most important elections of our lifetime, literally this is probably one of the most important elections of our lifetime. this is about every issue we discussed and whether we'll have a president of the united states who actually works to lift folks up and give you a sense of pride in your country or somebody who's just full time just beating people down and i fear

that if we don't correct course the damage will be irrevirsable. everything is on the line in this election. here's what i will say about voting, there are states and there are states legislators after the supreme court gutted the voting rights law put in laws designed to suppress the vote, the black vote, students from voting. here's the thing, everybody has to remember this -- and ask this question of yourself, why don't they want us to vote? why don't they want us to vote? why are they creating obstacles to us voting? the answer is, because when we vote things change. when we vote things get better. when we vote we address the

disparities we've been talking about. we address the need of all people to be treated with dignity and respect. these are the things that are on the line in this election. so we know how to jump over or get around the obstacles that for many of us have been in place from the day we were born that's the job ahead of us in the next 80-something days. to jump over those obstacles to make sure our voices are heard and counted in this election. >> i can't think of a better note to end on the 19th the conversation about the importance of voting, thank you so much, senator harris, for this conversation. we covered a lot of ground. i appreciate you chatting with us about this historic moment for you, thank you so much. good luck out there. >> thank you. it's great to be with you.

all right, thank you, 19th. and with that, good day, brian williams here with you on a busy friday noon. friday afternoon. it's coming up on 3:12 p.m. here on east coast. 12:12 west coast. we have been watching the first one-on-one interview with senator kamala harris since she was named to join the biden presidential ticket. among the topics senator harris discussed what it means to be the nation's first woman of color to run on a presidential ticket of a major political party. >> joe biden had the awe daisty to choose a black woman to be his running mate. how incredible is that? what a statement about joe biden, that he decided that he was going to do that thing that was about breaking one of the

most substantial barriers that has existed in our country. and that he made that decision with whatever risk that brings. >> we're pleased to welcome to our broadcast the journalist who conducted that interview with senator harris, erinhaynes. focused on issues relating to gender and politics and for the first time, we would like to welcome errin as the newest member of the nbc news family officially msnbc contributor, it's a big day in. begin with what stood out to you in our own conversation. >> thanks so much for that warm welcome. it was a wide-ranging interview. senator harris and i spoke about for 30 minutes and she was focused, she was forceful and she was moving forward.

i think i was struck by, you know, just how direct she was about her characterization of her pick as audacious by joe biden and saying there was a risk in him doing that and he did it anyway. he talked about the stakes of this election. she talked about the need for voters, particularly minority voters to jump over whatever obstacles they saw in november in the midst of a november. she frequently contrasted their ticket to the trump/pence ticket, bringing the general election showdown into sharpe focus, i think, for voters as we move into the convention next week and the home stretch in what has been a very long 2020 campaign season. >> i hope as you kept talking and people kept watching they took note of the first, some of

which got lost in the news coverage. if they call a meeting of the black women's caucus in the u.s. senate, kamala harris would arrive and be chairman the only person in the woman, this her naming to this ticket means there's an hbcu graduate on a presidential ticket, happens to be a proud howard bison, happens to be a proud aka sister, this is a lot. >> yes. i mean, and someone who's been a trail blazer for most of her political career. so this is somebody who is used to being a trail blazer, used to be a pioneer and regardless of what happens in november she's already made history as the first woman of color to be nominated for vice president on

a major party ticket. that's happened twice before in our country's history, a woman being on the ballot thbut never woman of color. it's symbolic not only for her but a lot of black women who were cheering this decision by joe biden this week, because it's representative of the women who have been the vanguard of the democratic party and she ties her historic coverage to the essenticentennial suffrage getting ready to cover as a nation. black women had to fight twice as hard to access to the ballot who didn't get it until the passage of the civil rights act in 1965. she echoed the unfinished business of our democracy, with the diversity that's represented there. >> errin, i'm extra proud to be

able to announce you're part of our family in part you and i go back on our 11th hour broadcast to when you were toiling with the associated press, take a minute and brag on the 19th so we can get people to do as i have done and scroll through it and read it, it's about a lot of things including but not limited to health and aging and child care and life. >> that's exactly right, brian, and that's because at the 19th we assert that all issues are women's issues, right, women are the minority of -- other political journalism frequently cast women as a special interest women, we're the majority of the u.s. population, majority of this workforce. right now, majority of people being disproportionately affected by this pandemic, whether it's from an economic

standpoint or in terms of child care, care giving, those issues, and so really centering women is to center voters in this election in so many ways. i'm certainly somebody who has covered past presidential cycles, has seen, you know, issues of race and gender covered incorrectly in our politics. race and gender weren't just going to be the story of the 2020 election. with that realization this i joined the 19th and we're building the kind of newsroom that's going to tell the truth about who and where are as a country. >> give it a look and make it a habit. errin, i want to expand our coverage to bring in other members of our family. former editor of "time" magazine

which resided on 6th avenue in manhattan, we're happy to say both are political analysts. anita, as the president flies north he's going to visit his brother in the hospital today, he's going to spend the weekend apparently in new jersey, he had a brief event at the white house, and is doing what, offering what he could do in a pandemic if he had congressional partners. >> for a minute there, it sounded like he was going to go with executive action some more, he claims that he's wanting a deal with democrats, he talked about how he wants to offer more aid to americans. he's now saying he wants to have the deal with democrats, news for the democrats because they've been working on this for a couple of weeks and they couldn't agree, they couldn't

agree on the amount of money but they couldn't agree philosophically. >> rick, as i reference in my question every reason to be looking at the world urgently right now. >> yes, brian, i would have to agree with that and i wish we could all take it easy this august but i think with what donald trump has been saying day in and day out about defunding the post office, about voter suppression, these are issues that are 11th hour issues, that the election would feel like next week, the alarm that i have about what's going on, i think

the democratic party the biden/harris campaign, they have to be working $247 on this. the lawyers suing for expanding voting rights, for expanding the amount of time that ballots can be posted and counted for the ability of people to vote. i saw dodgers stadium announced today they're going to be open for five days to vote. i think people have to work until the 11th hour because somebody out there namely the president of the united states is trying to sup press voters and change the election in real time. >> we're pleased to expand our conversation further and welcome back to this broadcast south carolina democratic congressman james clyburn, the majority whip in the u.s. house, served as the chair of the house select committee on coronavirus, currently serving that committee. congressman, lot to go through, first of all, as i like to say,

you know a thing or two because you've seen a thing or two, did you ever think that you would see an attack on the postoffice so quick and so determined and so severe, americans are going to have find workarounds in order to cast their vote? >> thank you very much for having me. you're right. i never thought i would see this. i was just telling one of my daughters last evening that this issue is a constitutional issue. the fact that the post office itself is in the constitution and to see this president dealing with it the way it is, he has absolutely no regard for the constitution of the united states of the america, but he's been demonstrating that ever since he's been in office. two years ago i said on another

station, network i should say, that this president is not planning to leave the white house. this president has done things time and time again to indicate to me that he's only testing the waters, what he did before in lafayette park, when he had those generals, unwittingly joined with him, he was testing the waters. he's doing that with this post office issue, he's done that time and time again. and rick is correct, we better spend this august and september getting people positioned to cast their votes early, beginning october 5th. i think that october 3rd is a saturday, so october 5th is when people should start voting.

we should not rely on the post office. almost every state got provisions for voting early, it may be absentee which you can do it in person and you can do it while recognizing what i call social distancing voting. we can do that. but we have to organize and we're going to have to get people engaged like they've never been engaged before and once we get beyond this, it's time for us to sit down and have serious discussions with how we're going to deal with presidential candidates going forward because we saw things happening in the campaign in 2016 that's all coming to fruition. we should never allow another election to take place to allow this kind of candidate to break through with such total disregard of this constitutional government that we're trying to conduct ourselves under. i never thought i would see

this. i spent a share of my time getting out of james back in the '60s. even my wife was in jail. i know about challenging the system. but i never thought that i would ever see a political party allow the head of its party to do to the constitution of the united states what this guy is doing and he better wake up and do it soon. forget about political parties, think about preserving this democracy. like other big government, good government, all the way back to rome, this too can fall. >> congressman, i know we could fill the hour without breaking a sweat. we reached the end of our time. thank you so much. i wish you a good and safe

weekend as we approach this august weekend. errin, back up to you. birtherism is back as of yesterday. >> it is back. you know, you saw the president, you know, kind of musing about senator harris', you know, origins which, you know, we know, she's daughter of immigrants but her credentials in that arena are really, i mean that's not an open question, although he was trying to make it one and raise that spectrum as he did with barack obama. and, you know, really, this is something that i think you're seeing the media really reje rejecting and not really wanting to give oxygen to, i saw a headline at my old employer frankly calling this type of

narrative racist. which it certainly is. i would agree with that. you know, kamala harris is an american. she, you know, should not have to respond to, you know, the specter of birtherism and it's certa certainly something that i didn't ask about in our extended conversation. >> rick stengel, kamala harris was born in oakland, california, in fact the president's son-in-law had a chance to end it, said something to declarative, he said it's something that's out there. >> yeah, this is so person -- people talked about this when john mccain running for president, he was born in pa name ma.

she was born in these united states. and our definition, the supreme court's definition of birth rights citizenship has become if you're born in the united states and she was. i think it's a non-issue, i think it has the counter intuitive and alienating even more people to see the bitrump campaign itself is corrupt to its core and i think we don't even do -- we do it a disselves even talking about it. >> aneat yashgs final question on that front, i suppose joe biden could say, nothing progresses in this campaign, not another word should be spoken unless and until he hears donald trump says he's wrong, affirm that kamala harris was born in

oakland, california, and is in every way eligible to be president. >> i don't know if president trump is going to say that as you said, not only the president's son-in-law but others to from the white house and in of them put it out there that she's born here and she's eligible to run. i saw senator lindsey graham saying today, putting out on twitter, she's a citizen, eligible to run. i think that senator harris and vice president biden have seen -- they saw the 2016 election, they've seen the last 3 1/2 years, they're ready for these attacks, you know, attacks on her and i think the most important thing to think about is really and senator harris mentioned it in her interview earlier, she's not going to get votes just because she's woman of color, it's going to be about what she talks about. lot of republicans think that she's going to get those votes.

they're worried about that. they think people of color and women are going to go to the biden ticket. they're worried about that. they're going to be telling the president this isn't going to help him. if he's trying to get those people over there more than his base he'll need to speak in other ways. >> two longtime members of our extended family. thank you all for kicking off our live coverage on friday afternoon. when we return -- alarming new numbers out of texas, where 1 in 5 people who are tested for coronavirus now testing positive, 1 in 5. another presidential norm on the verge of being shattered.