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Hey bam, You're about to hear a replay of one of our interviews from our live stream at the Democratic National Convention. Now. If you want to listen to or watch the full stream, be sure to check out links in the episode description. You can also find a full list of all the guests we've interviewed. Welcome home, y'all.
Our dear friend Ted, Ted James has joined us. Ted James has been a State Rep in Louisiana. He has worked for the Small Business Administration in this administration. He is running for mayor and Baton Rouge, and he is he's a dear friend of ours. My favorite thing to say about Ted is when the people need something, they're done. They do one thing and.
It's two words, paull Ted.
That is why your brother just left the set.
Well, I love it.
They didn't have to do it out for the kappas.
They don't need anything.
No introduction given too much.
VE been talking about the D nine and the comments are all shouting you out, So let.
Me tell you something. It was such an honor to walk up and see my three dear friends and thank you all for always elevating our voices. And I'm honored to be here. But to see the next peak of the house, Yeah, a good Kapa man was also heartwarming.
Yeah, I bet I bet I bet tad you you you've been at the legislative level making moves. Your reputation is far outside of the state of Louisiana, outside of Baton Rouge, but we know that that community has shaped the person that you are, the wonderful public servant, and I know we've got listeners and viewers down there, y'all show ted some great love.
You're going from the legislature now back to the local.
Now, I'm welcoming you because I'm I'm a man of the tell us. Tell us what has animated your desire to make your way from the state level of governing on behalf of your community to now big mayor.
You know, Andrew, I'll tell you it's the opportunity in their administration to travel across the country. And I watched other mayors do what I watched you do, raise the quality of life through investing in small businesses there Baton Rouge is very similar to talent has and that the
two major universities, one Southern University. How to amplify that HBCU culture through making sure that those young people have entrepreneurship opportunities where they decide to stay in Baton Rouge and I leave for opportunities other places.
I love that.
I love that, And so tell us what's the shape for those who don't know, give us the lay of the land. What when's the primary? When's the general? What's the what's the Louisiana? We have open primers. We call them jungle primiers.
So we are all running on November fifth, and the top two vote getters will go December seventh, and less one of us received fifty percent of the vot plus one. I'm working to receive fifty percent plus one, but if not, we go to a runoff in December.
So I didn't realize, y'all. So y'all go beyond the November.
That's right, Okay, okay, you all saw Angela Leaf said she went and grabbed us. Another member of Congress. We are joined now by Congressman Gregory Meeks out of New York. He serves on the Foreign Relations Committee and Angela in her capacity as a former executive director of the Congressional Black Caucus, work very closely with Congressman Gregory Meeks, so it's wonderful to be doing by you.
He's also the chair of the Congressional Black Caucus Pack.
He walked by yesterday.
I was like, today, we're snatching him. I'm probably gonna get in trouble to staff, but I was like, I need it. For three minutes. I just wanted mister Meeks in the middle of Ted talking about the importance of electoral politics running for overs himself. Mister Meeks, you fight every day to ensure that our numbers increase. We are a strong sixty Now, CBC members, I want you to talk about why it's so important to invest in entities
like the Congressional Blas Corcus Pack. Shameless plug. I sit on the board.
No.
Look, what we're talking about is having real power in America. What we're talking about is making a game change. And this is why this is a historic moment. You talk about sixty, Now, what happens with that sixty. We're going to have at least five members when we take back to the majority in the House. We're going to have five members of the CBC that will be chairs of full committees. You look at people like Bennie Thompson from
Mississippi being Chair of Homeland Security. We talk about education and we want to make sure that we got real history. Bobby Scott from Virginia will be Chair of Education and Labor. We talk about how black farmers have been robbed and no justice.
David Scott from.
Georgia will be Chair of the Agriculture Committee. We talk about financial services, which is really important.
You talk about all the finances of the world.
Sister Maxine, Now Maxine will be chair of the Financial Services Committee, and your little brother here I will be Chair of the House Foreign Fans Committee. And over thirty one members of the CBC will be chairs of major subcommittees. So we are talking about investing in the CBC. We are talking about setting the policies for the United States
of America and getting justice for many people across. You know, we're talking about if we're talking about voting rights, if we're talking about criminal justice reform, if we're talking about creating wealth and reducing the wealth gap.
That's what this is all about.
And making this, you know, a statement that then turns into reality.
But to me, this is doctor King's dream. It's a good time.
To be alive today, right now when you look at the fact, you know, I can tell you at me and my age, many individuals did not think that we would see another person of color being president. So one thing that I will say that Don Da Khan was right about. You know when we look at when I see Barack Obama and now let's see Kamala Harris.
I know where black job is this president black job. It's about real power and making a difference.
Black jobs do not have it without blackpecks. So I just wanted to get you on here first shout out. So thanks. Maybe he has to run right now.
I want to ask one quick wife.
Sorry, Congress want to hear another member from Ben Rouge and Clo Field.
Him and quite easy. You know they bring a lot of history.
Congressman, I want to ask one quick question. We had your colleague, Congressman Bennie Thompson on yesterday, the ranking member on Homeland Security, and he spoke about how oftentimes foreign policy issues are not the top of the list of priorities for people, especially in our community, who are juggling so much from how to pay the mortgage to keeping their kids safe to you know, sending kids to school.
And I'm just curious because you serve on the Foreign waces to make it is crucial, a crucial committee because what happens overseas very much impact what happens here from a budget standpoint to policy. What would you say going into this new cycle, this election cycle is the chief issue when it comes to foreign policy.
Well, there's a number of them. First and foremost.
You know, when you talk about the situation that's happening, whether it's the Middle East, it is really important that we deal with that to deal with what we're.
Talking about with the challenges with China.
But I'll tell you what we don't talk about enough that should be on the front burner.
What's happening in Sadan.
Yes, you know where you have more people dying every day and it's not anyone's talking about it. And so when I become the chair again, that becomes on the
front burner to talk about what's happening in Haiti? Is you know something that's really important that look like us, that makes a difference when you look even at brisk going on where there's more black people than any place else in the world other than the continent of Africa is Brazil and how they are affected with reference to dealing with the issues in Venezuela, and then you talk that deals with this migrant crisis that you're talking about,
so we've got to deal with those. It's those issues are on the on the front burder and it's all interconnected because when you have the war like in Ukraine, a lot of people don't understand what happens there is when you talk about uh food and food.
Shortages with the Black Sea because of that war.
Is blocking some of the passage, which brings up the price of food and thereby causes inflation. It's all interconnected because the world now is much smaller than it used to be, and we are living with a global economy. We're talking about the fact that each you know, when you talk about food chains which gets in if they're shut down, it affects us. You talk about energy, that's a global issue of which we got to deal.
In traffic in the cost of gain.
That is you know, some people look at it as just something that's far away, but it is domestic because it affects us domestically.
Each in every day.
And that's why you got to consider looking at foreign policy and it's even and it's harder to talk about diplomacy as opposed to going to war. And what we try to do is to try to make sure that we're talking about doing things in a diplomatic way because then it is cheaper than having to go to war that costs American people.
And that's what that's why you are in form relations. That's why you've about to be the chair again, because that was one of the most accessible explanations I've heard as to why when folks say, all I see is all our money going overseas someplace else, and that's what they summarize foreign policy to be. But when you talk about gas prices and you talk about the prices serial
because we can't be ex that's right. Or you talk about blockades that then raise the costs because of the shortages, low supply, high demand, high your prime.
In place what it is.
So these are the I hope that we continue to talk about it in that way because folks large in our community, when you when you have need yourself, it's very hard to then see what are your tax dollars being used to fill another need when in fact what what looks obvious may not be so obvious.
Absolutely, and what we learned from the pandemic, if somebody is sick someplace else in the.
World, that come here.
So it's important to make sure that we are working with others so that it keeps us safe and healthy because they are safe and healthy. So all of that is interconnected, and that's why we've got to make sure that we stay involved and understand what's taking place in a final fan situation and what you're doing on.
We wish you well, but I just want to shout how Alpha by Alpha for third.
Shouted them out the rest of the week.
We are so grateful to your chair for being here.
Thank you.
Hey, y'all, thanks for listening. Remember to rate, review, subscribe, and tune into our regular episode that drops every single Thursday, Welcome Home, y'all.
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