Skip to main content

tv   Velshi  MSNBC  May 13, 2023 8:00am-9:00am PDT

8:00 am
they say they passed this bill because they care about mothers. then why not invest more in quality childcare? [applause] so their children can learn and they can go to work. [applause] why not invest more to reduce the number of women who die in childbirth? [applause] why not equal pay for equal work? [applause] and by the way, happy mother's
8:01 am
day weekend to all of the moms who are here. [applause] and especially our amazing first lady, christian cooper, who is here with us today. [applause] along with one of my amazing daughters, hillary, who is here today. [applause] and i know my mom, the best public school teacher in the history of north carolina mom is looking down on us and smiling today. i know that she is. [applause] let's be clear, this bill has nothing to do with making women safer, and everything to do with banning abortion. [applause] there is a reason why the north
8:02 am
carolina medical society, the ob/gyn society, the north carolina academy of family physicians all oppose this bill. [applause] how about leave the medicine to the doctors? and the decisions to the women? [applause] now we've heard republican legislators claiming this bill is a mainstream compromise. [crowd chanting] let me tell you what, mainstream bills don't get rid in secret.
8:03 am
kept under lock and key, introduced in the dark of night, kept from public input from, protected from any amendments, and then get ran through in less than 48 hours. which is by the way shorter than the mandatory 72 hours they make women wait for health care after the first appointment. [applause] there is nothing, nothing mainstream about this bell. they head the dirty details of it. you know why? because they didn't want you to show up. they know north carolina doesn't want an abortion ban. so they dressed this up, and they tried to disguise it.
8:04 am
but together, we have showed up, and we have exposed it. [applause] we have to stop this ban, so today, right there, [applause] i'm gonna veto it. [applause] >> veto! veto! veto! veto! veto! [crowd chanting] >> but we are gonna have to kick it into an even higher gear when that veto stamp comes down. if just one republican in either the house, or the senate
8:05 am
keeps the campaign promise to protect women's reproductive health, we can't stop this ban. but that's going to take every single one of you to make cause, to send emails, to write letters, tell them to sustain this veto. tell them to ask the republican leadership to stop it. now there are four legislators who made these promises. but i think there may be more who know in their hearts and minds that this is bad. most of them, and these legislators can tell you that, most of them didn't get to see the bill until we saw it. some may not have realized how
8:06 am
horrible this actually is. tell them, tell them, tell them that we need to stop going back to the last century, and move forward. [applause] tell them, that politicians should push their way into the exam room into their way into the exam room with women other doctors. tell them that women's lives depend on stopping this ban. [applause] now we need people all over this state to learn how bad this bill is. and maybe it will be a friend, a family member, a minister, or
8:07 am
even a doctor of one of these republican legislators who convinces them to step up and do the right thing. [applause] if just one republican follows his or her conscience, if it just one republican finds the courage, if just one republican listens to doctors, if just one republican isn't afraid to stand up to the political bosses. if just one republican keeps that promise made to the people. then we can stop this ban. [applause]
8:08 am
but first, this that bill needs a return to sunder. [applause] this bad bill needs a veto. [applause] are you ready to do it? [applause] >> veto! veto? veto? veto! [crowd chanting] >> there are three things that i need to do. first, i need a veto message, and officials v so message that i must sign. and i'm going to read it to
8:09 am
you. this bill will create dangers interference with a doctor patients relationship, leading to harm for pregnant women and their families. with this medically unnecessary obstacle and restrictions, it will make abortion available too many women, particularly those with lower income, those who live in rural areas, and those who already have limited access to health care. they are for, i veto this bill. [applause] that part is signed. [applause]
8:10 am
the second thing i need to do is give it a veto stamp. [applause] are you ready? >> veto! veto! veto! the toe! [applause] >> the retail staff has been applied. now it's time for me to sign under the veto stamp. [applause] we now have a vetoed a bill. [applause]
8:11 am
all right, let's get to work, everybody. thank you very much. >> and that is the governor, the democratic governor of north carolina, roy cooper, who has done the three things require to veto that states 12-week abortion ban. he signed it, he stamped it, and he signed the stamp, that bill now goes back to the north carolina legislature. as he points out, they need one republican from the house or the state senate to not have that happen. representative barbara lee, i am sorry that we've kept you waiting, but you are about the most relevant guest to have had here. i know it's been a long time since you've talked about this, you had an abortion, before abortions were legal in a back ali in mexico. >> yes, let me first say i was
8:12 am
really happy to watch this with you. the governor is very courageous, he issued a cop action, he knows the people are on his side, our side, because the public wants to be sure that a person has their own decision to be made without the interference of elected officials, or judges. it was a very courageous thing for him to, do he is engaging the public at his call to action. and, yes before roe v. wade, i was a teenager, i went to -- and had a an abortion, an abortion, mind, you were illegal in moscow, they were illegal all around the country. i was born and raised in el paso, texas. that was living in california, southern california, inside blueback -- i flew back to el paso other decision, this is a day before mother's day, i'm thinking about my mother, my mother and myself made that decision that
8:13 am
that was the best thing for me to do, nobody else has, business just like, now it's a personal decision, no one else should be able to interfere in that decision. i flew back, and the friend first took me across the border, i was terrified, because number one, i few that i knew that abortion was the primary cause of death of black women and girls, and second, i knew it was a crime, it could be criminalized. i could be arrested. thirdly, i could have died. i was fortunate. and so coming back across the border, it was terrifying because i was waiting for someone to arrest me. flying back to california, i could have been arrested, just like now, people are being criminalized for exercising their own reproductive rights. their own personal decisions. here we are again, in 2023, still fighting the same fights, we will continue with the, pro-choice you will fight like you will not believe.
8:14 am
they get signed into law, and the senate has to pass it, we have issues to deal with, but the president has said, he will sign it, we have to put this into federal law. otherwise, we will be fighting the same battle in another 50 years. >> you are the best person to have with me as we cover this, thank you for being with us, the democratic representative barbara lee in california, we do not plan to, have i'm glad you're here, thank you so much. >> thank you so, much this being with. you >> joining me is michael steele, the former chairman of the national committee, the former governor of maryland, the host of the michael steele podcast, the msnbc analyst, he was in for me last week and when i was not, here i'm grateful for them, also zach beecher, senior correspondent for vox. and whittling populism. gentlemen, good to see you. and also, not exactly the conversation i was planning to have a few, but michael, you are irrelevant guest to have on the topic, i spoke to state senator sandy southam of south
8:15 am
carolina, she is a republican woman, she does not favor about abortion, she wishes women never had abortions, which is taken the view that republicans of the country has overstepped in their control. and cooper, a democrat who wins, democrat wins date office in north carolina, they don't overcome a veto in the legislature, saying leave this to women and their doctors. it's not really a question of whether you like abortion or not, it's whether you throw women and their doctors in jail for it. >> i agree with that, i agree with the senator, we hold the same views and position relative to abortion, to the congresswoman, barbara louise last point, this is a personal decision, it ultimately a decision between a woman and her doctor. and her family. those choices that are made, one of the things i've always found somewhat disingenuous,
8:16 am
some elements in the pro-life community is that they make this decision like a slapdash decision by a woman. for their own selfish convenience, they want to have an abortion. with all disregard for the life they carry. that is just absolutely not true. that is the hardest decision individual has to make. and the government, particularly from a party that has been around for 150 years, their last ten years notwithstanding in terms of how we have taken this to a whole different level, that nothing should have bridged that right, nothing should stay between a doctor and their doctor. and one between the family and how they raise the child, never heard of business owner or how the government runs their business. there is no difference here, those rates transfer across all
8:17 am
the principles that we supposedly agree to. in the instance, this idea, ali, that we somehow won the war on abortion, right? now we want to penalize on the other side of it. we want to criminalize the behavior on the other side of it, to make sure we don't ever do that again. sending with gop would pay a price for, they politically decided to pursue this course. >> as many republicans and conservatives are set, zak, it's relevant to have you here as well, back when roe v. wade became a thing, in fact, this was not a preoccupation of the right, it's not a preoccupation of the church's, right? in 1973, 90 70, somebody figured out would be a remarkable wedge issue. we just seem to be rolling with this, whether it's abortion today or anti-trans rights, there seems to be something that says how do we motivate people to come out and fight? how do we motivate them to vote? and how do we make them feel threatened about their life?
8:18 am
it does seem to be a rising tide. there were a lot of people out there curtailing peoples rights and encouraging their elected officials to do so who faced north readfield any of these rights. >> zak, i think you may be muted. you are saying something that i'm sure is remarkably interesting, but i can't hear any of this. >> yes! sorry. >> start again. >> okay, it's very interesting to compare the issues in the way you are suggesting, it's true, historically, abortion has not been a major concern of the american mainland promised in community, or even radical protestant community, right? it was a catholic issue primarily until the religious right mobilize around it as the various different political ways of turning christianity into part of a partisan appeal in a new conservative movement that was mobilizing, putting itself together in the 1970s.
8:19 am
and 80s. abortion has come to occupy this incredibly powerful, internal, logical space. in the right ring movement. that means it's transcendent, its original political significance original role as a mobilizing issue, now it's tremendously unpopular. it's losing, is it taking a north carolina, we have a 12-week ban, a six-week ban look at florida. the party has lost control, at least the strategic part of the party lost control over the basin, over what people want, is now being dragged to the right front issue that is devastating to them. the anti-trans stuff, it's almost like the earlier stage of abortion, right? certain elements it is peaceful. in certain ways, it is not. the question is, how do they maintain that balance? how do you do this thing where you equalize people that were
8:20 am
concerned in a sense that the traditional social order adina lost? these rights are being guaranteed to people who are traditionally excluded outside, or are not recognized. that is threatening of how america operates. how do you tell those people that we are going to fight for your interest, while simultaneously not turning off the majority of americans that have the radicalism that is a threat to division of america they want? it's a very delicate balance. >> you crystallized, michael, that's a problem, a mar-a-lago, just reenergizing america the, it is about centering the america way slip around the church, michael flynn was highlighting, if the foam pelosi was news there, sydney powell was there. it's weird, there is that kind of stuff going on, there's tommy type reveal talking about how we should not criticize white nationalists because they're just americans. what zach's is right. what has to happen here?
8:21 am
is this battle lost? the republican party will go down this road on the rest of us have to figure out the way without them? >> the last part of that i think is actually the part we are in right now, ali? there is a lot of us, myself included that are trying to figure out a way for how does that happen? how do we do that what remnants of this current iteration of parties are salvageable. 90% of it isn't? because of what you described kept at mar-a-lago. when you've got the united states senate, a congressman, a governor standing up and embracing white nationalism. totalitarian tactics towards quid decriminalizing women. et cetera. would you come back from that? how do you come back from that? when you do, and this is important, you don't want
8:22 am
pieces of that to come back with you. , you know? we don't want to say eight just to keep remnants of the bad stuff in it. so, it is, to zach's point, it critically delegate dance that is more and more difficult to do, put it that way. that is why you are seeing the numbers of self republicans across the country reduce because people are leaving. the problem is, where do they go? how does that change, ali? the political landscape because they are not necessarily translating to the democratic party. so you are watching this growth of individuals who say they're independents and politically motivated to act that way but there is no structure for them to engage except for the two party system. and that's going to make it challenging politically going forward.
8:23 am
>> guys, thank you so much for your patience while we cover what was going on in north carolina. always good to see you both. michael steele, the former chairman -- the host of the michael steele podcast bananas and political analyst, zach paton is a senior port correspondent at vox. as things go badly for biden a putin's forces fight in ukraine, putin's crackdown on those fighting for freedom inside russia intensifies. coming up next, i will talk to somebody who knows exactly what vladimir putin is capable of. the head of the justice campaign, bill brower onset with me. the accident. rower onse with me. the accident the accident so, we switched to verizon business internet. they have business grade internet, nationwide. (vo) make the switch. it's your business. it's your verizon. ♪♪ choosing miracle-ear was a great decision. like when i decided to host family movie nights. miracle-ear made it easy. i just booked an appointment and a certified hearing care professional evaluated my hearing loss and helped me find the right device
8:24 am
calibrated to my unique hearing needs. now i enjoy every moment. the quiet ones and the loud ones. make a sound decision. call 1-800 miracle now, and book your free hearing evaluation. when it comes to your hair, ingredients matter. that's why herbal essences is packed with naturally derived plant ingredients you love, and none of the stuff you don't. our sulfate-free collections smell incredible... ♪ and leave your hair touchably soft and smooth. ♪ herbal essences
8:25 am
(psst psst) ahhhh... with flonase, allergies don't have to be scary. spray flonase sensimist daily for non-drowsy, long lasting relief in a scent-free, gentle mist. (psst psst) flonase. all good. need relief for tired, achy feet? or the energy to keep working? there's a dr. scholl's for that. dr. scholl's massaging gel insoles have patented gel waves that absorb shock to hard-working muscles and joints, for all-day energy. the real secret to success? better sleep. purple is different. soft and firm, in all your right places. the gelflex grid keeps you cool, while sleep does it's scientifically proven thing. rise sharper, happier, an overnight success.
8:26 am
8:27 am
age is just a number, and mine's unlisted. try boost® high protein with 20 grams of protein for muscle health versus 16 grams in ensure® high protein. boost® high protein. now available in cinnabon® bakery-inspired flavor. learn more at boost.com/tv trying vapes to quit smoking now available in cinnabon® bakery-inspired flavor. might feel like progress, but with 3x more nicotine than a pack of cigarettes - vapes increase cravings - trapping you in an endless craving loop. nicorette reduces cravings until they're gone for good. >> there's a lot going on this morning, a western now to the war in ukraine, we are following months of intense fighting that had yielded no significant gains, but significant death and destruction, it appears ukraine is gaining ground in the battle for bakhmut. the russian aligned mercenary for is a line o'clock claim
8:28 am
that ukraine broke through some russian positions and russian forces pulled back slightly. these are some positions that are inside a ruined city as you can see, now ukraine is confirming the report. bakhmut, as we said many times on this -- new symbolic significance to both sides this kind of the continued public feuding among the leaders of the forces were fighting for russia, joining me now is bill browder. the head of the justice campaign, co homage management and the author of the important book freezing order, a true story of my russian money laundering, murder, and surviving vladimir putin's wrath, thank you for being with us you have i talked about this for, years before there was a ukraine invasion, about the problems inside of russia and there has been a long ongoing effort inside russia, you have been part of it but amongst others to fight back on the tape pressuring suppressing regime, not just for the benefit of the russian people, but the world, people saw this
8:29 am
coming, if you let putin and his ilk go, think of this wreck russia, the wreck other places, including ukraine and who knows what next. >> we can, we have known for a long time, he is a cold blooded killer. if he is a crook, he invade foreign countries, he shoots down passenger planes, the poison dissidents in opposition people, and for 22 years, we found every reason not to hold him accountable. that is the thing that, and i've been screaming from the rooftops ever since the murder of my lawyer sergei magnitsky who uncovered and that massive putin corruption scheme in jail. uncovered it, was arrested, put in jail, tortured, and killed, ever since then i was on a mission for 13 years grooming from the rooftops, being on your, show many other shows, talking to politicians saying this guy, putin, it's not a normal head of state, he's a mafia boss, nobody wanted to deal with him, everybody wanted to push it into the corner. >> you demonstrated in your two books. the story is there, but people
8:30 am
don't want to touch it, there was too much money involved. the german wanted their gas. italians wanted gas, everybody wanted to just push it under the carpet. because of that, putin thought, okay, and by the way, for putin, invading ukraine in theory was a good idea because if he can do it and win, his approval ratings would shoot through the roof. he said i can get a big win and the west will do nothing because they have never done anything. he went in there, and of course, ukrainians fought back like nobody's business and we supply them with weapons. we started sanctioning them. we are sitting there sort of saying how badly we could've prevented this. we could've had a good shot at the touring him by creating consequences. >> surname magnitsky, your lawyer, he thought he could try to get this fixed inside the system, you were not sure that was going to happen. our friend vladimir carbon so when back to russia to fight
8:31 am
this within the system, you've written a remarkable our article in time magazine about the days leading up to that in which you, as an enemy of russia who vladimir putin has named, argued with him that vladimir, you might die in prison. >> first of all, they try to kill him in 2015 by poison with a nerve agent, he almost died. he literally came within this close of dying. he miraculously came out of that, they tried to poison him again in 2017. he survived. three days before he went back to russia, which was a march, after the war had started, i was having dinner with him in london and i said please, please, please don't go back to russia, they will either kill you or put you in prison. he said, i'm asking the russian people to stand up against vladimir putin, to stand up against his murderous war in ukraine, how can i ask them to do that if i can't go back, and too afraid to go back? i used every argument i could to try to dissuade him.
8:32 am
i begged him, he refused, he went back to russia, he came on your show from russia called putin, a war criminal and a murder. he was shortly thereafter arrested, charged with treason, and sends 25 years in prison. >> he always taught me to have respect for the russian people. putin is not the russian people. the russian people don't want this. he believes that this can change. do you believe this can change? vladimir kara-murza does not believe he is going to dry diageo. he believes there will be some sort of justice and victory. >> glass half full and glass half and the kinds of people. i'm more pessimistic than he is. he might be the visionary that is right in this whole thing that the putin regime may, what we are watching right now it may crumble and fall apart. and certainly the 25 years that they have sentenced him to probably will not be served. either the putin regime falls and he becomes the president,
8:33 am
prime minister, or an important job or, much more hauntingly, they kill him. and that's what i'm afraid of. >> which is sadly what happened to your lawyer. you know that is not conjectural hyperbole. >> that's what they do, they slowly torture these people to death in prison. it's not just vladimir kara-murza, it's alexei navalny. all bunch of these people. >> you point out this in your article. thank you for being here, thank you for continuing to raise the alarm on the story. ahead of the group -- the author of freezing order, the really important book, it's a true story of russian money laundering, murder, and surviving vladimir putin's wrath. you may know him as commander zulu from the star trek franchise, and maybe one of the million polio twitter followers that i am. did you know george capay is a bestselling author of a graphic novel memoir. you know i'm not breaking it up, if i bring it up, it means someone try to ban this book. that's, right this week's velshi banned book club theater is nothing more than they call this enemy. it's about the imprisonment of what america's accounts for
8:34 am
people of japanese descent. had a recent conversation that went beyond the pages of this incredibly moving book. i will have this discussion with you right after this quick break. after this quic break. break. downy will soften your clothes without dyes or perfumes. the towel washed with downy is softer, and gentler on your skin. try downy free & gentle. (christina) with verizon business unlimited, i get 5g, truly unlimited data, and unlimited hotspot data. so, no matter what, i'm running this kitchen. (vo) make the switch. it's your business. it's your verizon. do you struggle with occasional nerve aches in your hands or feet? try nervive nerve relief from the world's number one nerve care company. nervive contains ala to relieve nerve aches, and b-complex vitamins to fortify healthy nerves. try nervive. and, try nervive pain relieving roll-on. (vo) sail through the heart of historic cities and unforgettable scenery with viking. unpack once, and get closer to iconic landmarks, local life,
8:35 am
and cultural treasures. because when you experience europe on a viking longship, you'll spend less time getting there and more time being there. viking. exploring the world in comfort. trelegy for copd. ♪ birds flyin' high, you know how i feel. ♪ ♪ breeze driftin' on... ♪ [coughing] ♪ ...by, you know how i feel. ♪ if you're tired of staring down your copd,... ♪ it's a new dawn, ♪ ♪ it's a new day... ♪ ...stop settling. ♪ ...and i'm feelin' good. ♪ start a new day with trelegy. no once-daily copd medicine has the power to treat copd in as many ways as trelegy. with three medicines in one inhaler, trelegy makes breathing easier for a full 24 hours, improves lung function, and helps prevent future flare-ups. trelegy won't replace a rescue inhaler for sudden breathing problems. tell your doctor if you have a heart condition
8:36 am
or high blood pressure before taking it. do not take trelegy more than prescribed. trelegy may increase your risk of thrush, pneumonia, and osteoporosis. call your doctor if worsened breathing, chest pain, mouth or tongue swelling, problems urinating, vision changes, or eye pain occur. take a stand, and start a new day with trelegy. ask your doctor about once-daily trelegy, and save at trelegy.com one prilosec otc each morning blocks heartburn all day and all night. prilosec otc reduces excess acid for 24 hours, blocking heartburn before it starts. one pill a day. 24 hours. zero heartburn. how to grow delicious herbs: step one: use miracle-gro potting mix. that's it. miracle-gro. all you need to know to grow. (tap, tap) listen, your deodorant just has to work. i use secret aluminum free. just swipe and it lasts all day. secret helps eliminate odor,
8:37 am
instead of just masking it. and hours later i still smell fresh. secret works. ohhh yesss. >> the book and they called us and mistook abruptly, the readers used to young japanese american children sleeping soundly in matching twin a beds. their toy trucks, a small stack of books laying on the bedside table, then there is a bang on the door that changes everything. the year is 1942, pearl harbor had just been attacked by imperial japan. in response to the deadly strike, president franklin d. roosevelt signed executive order 9066, systematically stripping japanese americans of their civil rights, their homes, the property, and the dignity, 120,000 japanese americans are then forced into barbwire like concentration camps across the nation for doing nothing wrong,
8:38 am
but having japanese heritage. two thirds of those forced into eternally camps or american citizens with passport, jobs, and families just like you, the depravity is unimaginable, but it's entirely real. amongst the imprison and alienated is the to k family, a father, a longtime u.s. resident, a mother born in sacramento, three young children george, henry, and nancy, you know george to pay from historic role in star trek as command salute his tireless effort as an lgbtq activist, or perhaps like me, one of those 3 million-plus twitter followers. they called us anomie is a story in today's velshi banned book club. they called this enemy is a graphic novel. it's powerfully crafted using a clear language and expressive comic book style drawings of children book to tell a very adult story. the book moved effortlessly be on the experiences of young decay and the camps, and the
8:39 am
reflection of older to k today. the reader is privy to both the naivete of ink say the young boy and the more complex and darker understanding of an adult. the result, it's a complete picture that is, at times, hard to look. at quote, each family was assigned a horse stole, still pungent with the stink of manure, we get to sleep with the horses slept! fun as a kid, i could not grasp the undresses of the situation, but from a parent it was a devastating blow. they worked so hard to buy a two bedroom home and raise a family in los angeles. now we were crammed into a single smelly horse stole. it was a degrading, humiliating, painful experience, and quote. while they called as enemies is a poignant memoir and a -- of this brutal time in america is not so distant past, they also honors heritage, community, and family. the book's greatest triumph is how hopeful it is, they call this enemy is a story about finding love and the privity,
8:40 am
beauty and ugliness, and strength and pain. yet, they called this enemy was amongst the doesn't title challenged for removal by the central york school district in pennsylvania stating broadly critical race theory. i can use this time to point out just how wrong it is to remove a man more depicting a very real historical event and reiterate how the label of critical race theory has been used as a damaging and inaccurate and relative any nonwhite censured literature. i could see how we could not, as a nation, a four to forget events like this, but instead, and choosing a message of hope, just like him they called us an emmy, the last few pages of the book, old daughter george took, recalls a demonstration he intended with his father when he was a boy, quote, it dawned on me in that moment. i have been boxes taking in democracy far back as i can remember, that is the strength of our system, good people organized, speaking loudly and clearly, engaged in the
8:41 am
democratic process, and quote. he's right. it was the students that fought the expensive book ban at the central new york pennsylvania school district, the students helped overturn, they did exactly what to k said, organized and gladly engage in the democratic process to ensure books like they call this enemy state on school shelves for all students to find. reading as resistance. reading as hope. right after the break, i will be joined by the actor george to k, after, activist, author of the velshi banned book club teacher, and the graphic memoir they called as enemy. the called as enemy the called as enemy th was not letting me run the show. so, we switched to verizon business internet. they have business grade internet, nationwide. (vo) make the switch. it's your business. it's your verizon. how to grow delicious organic veggies. step one: use miracle-gro performance organics container mix. it's full of nutrient-charged raw materials so it's guaranteed to produce twice as much harvest.
8:42 am
and that's it. miracle-gro performance organics. all you need to know to gro...organically. what are folks 60 and older up to these days? getting inspired! volunteering! playing pickleba...!
8:43 am
the subway series is elevating your favorite subs. why mess with the sweet onion teriyaki, chuck? man, this aint messin', it's perfectin'! with marinated chicken and double cheese. sweet and savory... ...kinda like you and me, chuck. bye, peyton. try the refreshed favorites at subway today. (tap, tap) listen, your deodorant just has to work. i use secret aluminum free. just swipe and it lasts all day. secret helps eliminate odor, instead of just masking it. and hours later i still smell fresh. secret works. ohhh yesss.
8:44 am
want luxury hair repair that doesn't cost $50? pantene's pro-vitamin formula repairs hair. as well as the leading luxury bonding treatment. for softness and resilience, without the price tag. if you know... you know it's pantene. up at 2:00am again? tonight, try pure zzzs all night. for softness and resilience, without the price tag. unlike other sleep aids, our extended release melatonin helps you sleep longer.
8:45 am
and longer. zzzquil pure zzzs all night. fall asleep. stay asleep. >> i am joined by the incomparable george takei. actor, activist, author of this graphic memoir they called us enemy, george, great to see you, i followed everything you do for a long time.
8:46 am
i spent some time celebrating the young activists who seem to be taking the lead in our politics today. i celebrate you as well. but you are not a young activist. i'm very curious about what part of your life triggered your activism? >> i think i was shaped by the internet. i was too young to really understand that most of it was terrorizing and confusing. but when i became a teenager out of the camps and asking questions about our imprisonment, i had many after dinner conversations with my father. and i realize now will an exceptional japanese american father of that generation he was. he did discuss the internet with me. he was the manager in a booth camps that we were in. he spoke english and japanese fluently. he was able to communicate with the immigrant generation as
8:47 am
well as the american and foreign english speaking generation. so he knew all of the background and the details. he shared with me his personal anguish and rage, and his sense of impotence, and how painful that was for him. but he said to me, and he wanted his children to know the larger picture, he said, we are living in a democracy. the ideals of democracy and noble ideals equal justice, due process, when you are arrested, you have the right to know why you are arrested, the charges, and then we have the right to challenge those charges in a court of law. where the accuser has to produce evidence to back them up. and if he does have evidence, then there is punishment, if he does not have the evidence, the no arrest. in our case, there was no
8:48 am
charge. therefore, neutral. simply because we looked like this, we were imprisoned. and my father said, that is both the strength and weakness of our democracy. people are fallible human beings, we make mistakes, even the great president, franklin roosevelt, he was an admirer when the country was in the depth of a crushing economic depression, unemployed, homeless, penniless, hungry. and lining up winds that go up for miles for -- the spirit of the people with broken. he said to them, there is nothing to fear but fear itself. when pearl harbor was bombed, he realized that he had the entire west coast, equally, as
8:49 am
pearl harbor, opened and vulnerable to attack. he became fearful. he signed executive order 9066, which ordered the traditional numbers, 120, 000, but now through the research, the number is over 125,000. i quote 125,000. >> what they used to be, you corrected something i said, i'm talking with the japanese camps, it's important that is what we have these discussions, to say they are american, they were americans intern, by the american government, guarded by american soldiers, order there by the american president. >> exactly. with the japanese american and german camp, the operative word is american, right? we have been saying it for 80
8:50 am
years now. japanese camp, that it has been come excepted. i always correct people on their grammar. they were run by the government of japan, we are americans in an american camp, right here in the united states. we were in the swamps of arkansas, and we moved there to a segregation camp. that was determined by one of the clumsiest loyalty questionnaire, which had two key questions. >> let me read them to you, with the two key questions were are you willing to served in the armed forces in the united states on combat duty, wherever ordered, and will you swear unqualified leads to the united states of america and faithfully defend the u.s. from any at all attacks by ford or domestic forces and force, or any form of allegiance and obedience to the japanese
8:51 am
emperor, or any foreign government power organization. those are the two questions. >> that was put together by incompetence. and the chaos and confusion of war, incompetence got lodged in the bureaucracy. it was clearly those incompetence that were assigned. for example, cushion 27, it's simply astounding. there are many complexities to it. my parents have three very young children, i was fine, -- five, my brother was, for my baby sister was in an infant cradle. they were being asked to abandon their children with no other provisions for them, in a barbed wire prison camp. and their arms to defend the nation that is holding their children prisoner. that is preposterous, and nonsensical, they answered that question honestly, truthfully, with no -- the other question is one
8:52 am
sentence with two conflicting ideas. you swear your loyalty to the united states of america and for swearing the loyalty for the emperor of japan. the word forswear assumes that we had a born, racial, blood loyalty to the emperor. we are americans, we are born here. >> this is the place to which you are here. >> for the government to assume that we have some loyalty to the emperor was insulting. so if you answered no to that loyalty, that no applied to the first part of a very same sentence. there was no period separating two ideas. that meant it will not swear loyalty to the united states. some people strongly felt, despite the nonsense, that they wanted to answer that yes.
8:53 am
if they answered yes to the first part, -- >> then you are assumed to be guilty of the second part? >> you are confessing. to the japanese emperor? one of the interesting things about your book is that there is a moment in the book it would you say as a teenager, i became curious about the -- i searched all my civics books but there's nothing about the interment of japanese americans. this is what nicole antigen was talking about when, in the 16 19 project. you are trying to learn and and about the corpus of our knowledge of the american history, american democracy and its failings to make us better. and now you are part of the problem, according to the central york pennsylvania school district. you are crt, you are indoctrinating our youth with crazy things. >> and that is when 2021, when all of this book degrees started. this is like having politicians
8:54 am
decide, without doctors, or medical people, banning abortion, it's politicians, to riding over librarians and teachers for the people who are dealing with the issue. the library books have all been vetted by a review board made up of teachers and librarians antitrust. and yet, now politicians want to get in on that. in 2021, that is when that surge began. he used the york pennsylvania, as a matter of fact, two weeks ago, i did speak at penn state in york, pennsylvania. and i spoke in a 1500 seat
8:55 am
theater. it was crammed, full. a good number were star trek fans. >> of course. >> they told me about the opposition that they took to their legislature trying to than they call us enemy. the book came out in 2019. many people already read the book. they were shamed into revising. >> george, we can talk for a long time, it's a real privilege to meet you in real life. thank you for your activism, we didn't get the start talking about your lgbtq+ activism, we will do that again, and the fact that after you spoke, the indianapolis -- the school got is going to the government for. signature >> and the morning that was published, the governor signed it. >> we have much more to do on this front, thank you for being with us today. >> great to be here. >> the author and activist of the active member they call this enemy, george takei.
8:56 am
and of course, the star trek star. many thanks to george for that conversation. it took no before i hand my stuff over to alex witt. earlier this hour, roy cooper, which is wait a happy bothers the as he vetoed a 12-week abortion ban passed by the republican legislature in the united states. president biden was making the amid comments to howard university as we speak, and he opens it up to a shout out to all the moms out there. >> graduates, before i begin, as i mentioned many times, tomorrow is mother's day. stand for your mothers and grandmothers. stand and thank them. [applause] where i come from, moms rule. >> that does it for me, thank you for watching, catching back your tomorrow morning from 10 am to noon eastern. don't forget, velshi is available for us as podcast,
8:57 am
scrap and listen to free wherever you get your podcast, stay where you are, alex witt reports after a quick break. ex wit reports after a quick break. reports after a quick break. i use secret aluminum free. just swipe and it lasts all day. secret helps eliminate odor, instead of just masking it. and hours later i still smell fresh. secret works. ohhh yesss. we're travelling all across america, talking to people about their hearts. wh-who wants to talk about their heart! how's the heart? how's your heart? how's your heart?
8:58 am
-it's good. -is it? -aah, i don't know. -it's okay. -it's okay! -yeah. -good. -you sure? -i think so. -how do you know? it doesn't come with a manual, and you like ooh, i got the 20,000-day checkup, right? let me show you something. put two fingers right on those pads. look at that! that's your heart! that is pretty awesome. with kardiamobile, you can take a medical-grade ekg in just 30 seconds, from anywhere. kardiamobile is proven to detect atrial fibrillation, one of the leading causes of stroke. and it's the only personal ekg that's fda-cleared to detect normal heart rhythm, bradycardia and tachycardia. you know, mother's day is coming up. right? yeah. give that as a gift to your mom. -great idea. -i like it. this year, give mom peace of mind for mother's day with kardiamobile, for just $79. check out our mother's day sale at kardia.com or amazon. ♪ wake up, achievers. you're making the most of every hour of your life. at kardia.com or amazon. except the hours that you're sleeping. so why do we leave so much untapped potential on the table?
8:59 am
this is a next level bed, for a next level you. my circadian rhythm is kicking your circadian rhythm's butt! it's not a competition. i know, but i'm still winning! so, it is a competition. of course. save 50% on the sleep number limited edition smart bed. plus, free home delivery when you add an adjustable base. only at sleep number. i'm the sizzle in this promposal. and while romeo over here is trying to look cool, things are about to heat up. darn it, kyle! and if you don't have the right home insurance coverage, you could end up paying for this yourself. so get allstate. a very good day to all of you
9:00 am
from msnbc world headquarters here in new york. welcome, everyone to alex witt reports. we begin with breaking news. a new era of immigration is underway this weekend after the lifting of titl

150 Views

info Stream Only

Uploaded by TV Archive on