Dream into Reality

radio is still important. The breakfast club for my name, come up respected, Good morning Usa yo yo yo yo yo yo yo yo yo yo yo yo yo yo yo yo yo yo yo yo yo yo yo yo yo yo yo yo yo yo yo yo yo yo yo yo yo yo yo yo yo yo. Angeline is out out because we out. But she's out out. We ain't really here. This is um a recording. You know. It's Martin Luther King JUNR. Then he had a dream that we stay our ass homes this morning on his day.

That is right, So I know, y'all macka y'all Like damn, y'all just took three weeks off for the holiday, but now y'all on a vacation again. I'm just doing what the Good Lord says we should do and corporate America using our holiday day banks are closed, so we close. That's right. But today, so if you missed it, Barack Obama, if you didn't see that interview or little hear that interview, we're gonna get that back on for you this morning. Barack Obama actually is the epitome of what Martin Luther

King Junior's dream would have been. Correct. Martin Luther King Junior wanted us to live in a society where people would judged by the content of their character, not the color of their skin. We're still not there yet, but in fact, we have a black president, you know by racial president who definitely presents his black We had that. That's the epitome in Martin VI. King Junior's dream, correct, And now we got a black Oh my god, we

gotta play Kamala Harris this morning too. Oh yeah. We've interviewed Kamala Harris three times, right, interviewed or way before she even ran for president. And now she is the Madam Vice president, She's the MVP. So wild. Those are two people who are the epitome of what doctor Martin lat Street Jor was talking about in his dream. So that's right. So this morning, we're gonna get on our

interview with Kamala Harris. Which one, Now we had three, I'm gonna tell you what my honestly, my favorite one was not the second one was the one that went super viral with you know, she talked about, you know, the two pocket everybody trying to take it out of contact. My favorite one was the first one when she came when she wasn't even running for president, when she was just sendative of California. That was my favorite one. Okay, So we'll get that one on. And what's your favorite

Barack Obama interview? The one we did in November or whatever do whatever month that was of last year, the one and the only one we did. So we'll get both those on this morning. So stay with us this morning. The Happy morning, Look the King day is the breakfast club com wake up, wake up, your time to get it off your chest? Was her man Or Blass. We want to hear from you on a breakfast club. Hello this Jeremy, Hey, Jeremy, get it off his chess? Hey?

What's going on? Eddy? Charlomne Yo? This is crazy because I never get through um. I just want to shout out, you know, I'm Biden and Kamalason winning. I want to shout out my roommate Eddie, and I just want to tell everyone to have a nice day. Um And I got your book, Charlomaine. I got the audio version of Black Privilege, and then I have than copying the other one man, um and I hope you guys all have a nice step. You shout after your roommate Eddie too.

Man Oh, he's gonna love that. Yall in college together? Nah we um were I'm twenty eight, he's twenty nine. I'm an accountant. He's an anti salesman. Okay, okay, got his roommates. Roommate rocket place, not feel love, bro, I'm just asking questions. That's all he was trying to. He would trying to buck us. That's the reason why you shot scenario and I was asking questions. I was just asking question Spicy, I got shot out to Eddie. Damn Sam, I say, what was happening? All right? Bro? He never

wants to get through again. I know right. This guy got fantasies over there, y'all love Hello? Who's this chell? Hey? Rochelle, get it off your chest. I just want to shut up my amazing. Boy. His name is his name, Rochelle, name Toddy Todd. Good morning. That was nice to you, Rochelle. What did he do that? What did he do yesterday that made you feel that way? I'm gonna shot him out in the morning on the reader. He had to

do something well. Every day. He always makes sure that I have breakfast and you make sure I have lunch. We worked together, see a long way. I'm telling you, man, either Ruth all my brothers give you a woman some pop tarts in the morning, some lunch of boots for lunch and it'll go a long way. What are you gonna What are you gonna do for him? To show how thankful you are? On pocket? Every morning? Coffee, yeah, amazing. Every morning he gets a fresh cup of coffee. Amazing.

See it's the little things, man, Shut up. I mean that's it. Yeah. She appreciates it. He appreciates it. They love each other. Oh, yes, of course, all right, well you have a good morning. Hello. Who's this? You know? What's way? South Carolina staff crew? To get it off your chest. I just came around to take whatever dollar, man I want to blesh. I I wanted going to quit my freestyle repeat the best time with y'all. Oh, that's where your brother from South Carolina always shut this down.

But go ahead, the head brother, go ahead. I liked it the same way. Sometimes I feel like I would go up to the same day trying to make a giving man. I'm trying to make it out. I'm trying to make sure that my favorite brew so we stitch and that. So every day I whustle, y'all, I play the guard Daly watching me in the streets, and somebody would try to play man watch everybody. So I keep

you gotta down. You gotta slow that down, my South Carolina bredren, you're going too fast, like what you're gonna? What's up? Wrapping like your life depends on it. Him, drum, that's disrespectful. Dry I was, drum, drum, that's disrespectful. Don't hang up on my South Carolina back. It is all him now, no Envies back and it's all him. Wow damn he was like Envies back and it's all him. Wow. Goodn't damn Jesus Christ, Hello, who's this? Hey? How's it going? Then?

Though the warring? Yes, sir, I was going. I got a quick question for Charlot Man man, Yes, sir, I ask you a question. I don't know if somebody ever asked you this, but who's your top three donkeys of all the time? And when you're considered consider giving donkey a donkey holiday? Oh yeah, I mean at the end of the year we do a top five donkeys of the year. I don't I'm gonna be honest with you. Top donkeys of all time? Donald Trump is definitely in the top three. I mean I've given it to him

more than anybody. And I'm gonna always put myself in the top three because I always say, you know, when you give people the credit, you gotta give everybody to credit they deserve for being stupid, including yourself. I don't know who the third one would be, though, sounds first. Sound y'all want to clue Brown from the Breakfast Club. All right, we'll go get it off your chests eight hundred five eight five one on five one. If you need to vent, hit us up now. It's the Breakfast Club.

Good morning, the Breakfast Club. It is your time to get it off your chests, whether you're mad or blast. So you better have the same in We want to hear from you on the Breakfast club. Hello, who's this? What's up? Broke? Get it off your chests? Yeah? What I had to get out on my chests. Man. I feel like a lot of people like see, I'm back waiting for the government to do things in stet up.

Realize what we can do ourselves, Like I ain't had nothing a couple of years ago, provot the pandemic doingandic it won't really an issue with me. You know, I started driving trucks for a company. They bought a truck off of Facebook. I'm own an operator. I'm did fourteen dollars in a week. It's so much so people can do out here, you know better they stelf because I'm trying to break a generational curse. Wealth families are growing up in and apartments that are owned and homes because

the phone broke up. But I agree with him, you know what I mean. I mean, we definitely should push our government and push our you know, national and local government to do things for us. But we definitely got to do for ourselves too. Word to the Honorable Alijah Muhammad, what he said. What he said is also right. I know a lot of people want to be rappers. They want to be uh DJs. They want to be producers, they want to be athletes, they want to get only fans.

There's a lot of other businesses that people can do, and driving trucks is a major business. They make a lot of money. So really really look into it, because you think about it, one thing that didn't stop on that road was those trucks. Whether they were delivering food, whether they were delivering toilet paper and paper towels. Those roads stay full with those trucks. So people still had

those jobs with them trucks. Yeah, and that's why I always tell brothers, man, you go out there and learn a trade, you know what I mean, Because there's certain things that just never ever ever gonna stop. You're gonna always need an electrician, You're gonna always need a plumber, you know what I mean. And those people, those brothers make good money. Let's since just make good money. Absolutely. Hello, what was this? You know? What's up? Envious? Mellow? How

y'all feelings? Mellow was popping? What's going on? Y'all? Mellow? Your phone is travel phone. It's gabbage. Your phone has been garbage for at least seven of the ten years that we've been here on the breakfast club. Hello, Gabbage, good morning, good morning, just happening, king. It was good, It was good. I was going to take a gratulations to you guys. Ten years Sean came here. Thank you brother. One of my favorite moments was the Ray J call Classic.

That was a classic call. Yeah, before our Heart Radio, you get to get an app on our phall just be able to hear you. Gott You're a liar. You're a liar. You've always been a liar. You've always been iHeart Radio, sir. I guess he means that app. Day one we had the IR radio app. First day on the air, Yes, first day on the air, we had the iHeart Radio app. You're a liar, you always be a liar. Wasn't a free Yes it was. I's always been free. It's always been three three Now tell you

it was a phone. Only a black person will tell you what's going on in your house. I'm telling you I know what goes on in your house. From day one. The iHeartRadio app has been free from day one. When we started December six, twenty ten, we had the iHeartRadio app. Hello, who's this Mike Mike Man? What up getting Mike Man? I was, Uh, you don't really many many you waited five years to tell us that. No, I waited five years to y'all. Man, I've been calling about five years.

Great man, So what are you gonna say? Nine man to shut out the boys of our bus pool? Freedom? Man, we on our weird words ever better ain't even matter. And I'm happy to be alive. There you go, King, I'm happy to be here. I appreciate it. Man, get it off your chest. Eight undren five eight five one oh five one. If you need to vent hit us up now. It's the Breakfast Club. Good morning, the Breakfast Club back. You're checking out the world's most as morning

show Morning. Everybody's DJ Envy and julu Ye Charlemagne the guy. We are the Breakfast Club. We got a special guest on the line. He was frozen for a little bit, so he said, let me go buy the indoor pool where he has better service. Ladies and gentlemen. Jo the Lucas my guy, what's up? I feel like you late this year? Man, You're don't dropped ADHD and evolution and you just popping up on us. Oh man, I'm I'm I'm late. I stopped doing interviews and stuff a long

time ago. I don't like. I didn't like the way they twist the narrative and twist the words and try to, you know what I mean, like manipulate the situation and then put clickbait and all that weird stuff. Man, it was just weird Rodgers. I didn't like it. And I just I felt like, Uh, the last interviews I had, I was actually with Atlantic and it's and it started feeling like they were more favors than than people actually

really wanted to interview me. Because once I sat down with them, you know, it's like they didn't really do their research and then you know what I'm saying, like they were just asking super questions and it was just like bro, like come on. And then and then actually Hot nine seven who had told me in the interview that Atlantic or whoever reached out to them to do to give me the interview, and I didn't like that.

It was like, you're making you making you feel like, you know what I mean, you don't want me here, but yo, chasing for interview? Yeah, I feel like that. Like that, I didn't like that. So I was just like, I'm straight, I'm straight with interviews bro, I don't want to feel like I'm here because me to call so like I didn't like that put. You put so much into your music and your videos and the whole concepts, So I can see why you would feel that way.

You should actually do something where you interview yourself. Maybe you could be the journalist and then you can show people how it's done in the song. Is that why you left Atlantic? Is that the reason why you decided to lead a major? Nah? I left Atlantic because it just didn't feel I didn't feel like I was on pausible.

I didn't feel like they knew what to do with a Joining Lucas, I don't think your ideas are easily explainable to like these culturally coolest people at these record labels, though, Like you're the type of person that you just gotta show them. You gotta trust you gotta trust him what he does. Absolutely just joining Lucas feel like he's underrated. You drop two projects this year, two great projects, Evolution and ADHD, And I don't feel like your name is

in the conversation the way it should be. So I feel like I'm underrated. Um, yes, no, I if I am underrated, and it's my fault. Why why do you say that? It just means I'm my working hard and I need to work. I gotta figure out another plan on how to be more visible. That's all it is. I don't blame anybody for that by myself, you know. I don't think somebody decides like this guy is gonna be underrated, and then now everybody's like he's underrated. I just think that that has to do with the artist.

I don't think so, because I think the art at you as an artist is there, the art that you put out, whether it's your videos and the songs and the music and the album. So I think it's there. So I don't necessarily believe it's you though. Nah. But again, like it's it's it's all about what's working, you see.

My I have like a certain type of lane, you know, with my storytelling stuff like whatever whatever, Like the highest streaming artist right now or a young a young artist, and you know, their records aren't really storytelling, you know what I'm saying. It just it's all swagged out, it's all, you know, for whatever the case is. So the visibility on them is a little bit different because of it,

because they they attract like the young kids. You know what I'm saying, the fifteen sixty and seventeen year old that's not really my thing, you know what I mean? Like I haven't really even tapped into that market yet, So you know, I just have to figure out what it is that I have to be doing better, you know what I'm saying. Also at the same time, like everybody's all in cahos with each other, like these records these can't they all do records with each other? I don't.

I haven't done records with anybody really like that, except for like the ghost Man. You got will Man, Nobody Eminem, I got Rick Ross on the album on Legend, on on Evolution. Let's talk about it with the game. The game, the game did the record? You man them kids join them, That's what I'm saying. The visibility, Like I don't have records with NBA. I don't even got records with Kodak. I don't do you need them? Know? I would like to see you with like Grisel, do you know what

I mean? Roy? That's the That's what I'm saying, is no. But that's what I'm saying, Like I feel like maybe I keep putting myself in this box where like you just expect that and I don't like that. Like Griselda, I love Griselda, but I love Roy's. Those are my family. But I'm just just relating a lyrical box like nah, bro, Like that's not where I want to be. Like I feel like I have the kids. I could absolutely make mainstream records. I could do and still be Joiner. I can.

I can jump on MBA Young Boys and be Joining Lucas and kill it and still fit in with the news. I haven't tapped into that yet. That's something I haven't done yet, Right, I've just been kind of doing me, and I've been very successful at doing me, So I'm not really tripping about the overrated thing. I'm rich. I've done. I've done everything that I got out of the hood. You know, I'm retired, my mom. You know what I'm saying.

I don't ballhouses like I'm good, like I'm That's what we wanted, right, That's that's what all we got more with joining Lucas. When we come back, it's the breakfast club, Bore, the breakfast Club jointing. Everybody's DJ Envy Angela Ye, Charlomagne, the guy. We all to Breakfast Club was still kicking it. Woul join the Lucas Ye, yes joining. And I did want to ask you about the song like a River, that's the last song on the album. It's about your father.

How therapeutic wasn't for you and what was your state of mind while you were writing that song. Yeah, it was very It was very therapeutic because I held a lot of this energy and you know, for such a long time that situation specifically, it is just a really really volatile, you know, situation that I can't I can't figure it out. I can't talk about it in depth of what actually happened. But if I told you what happened, it would be quiet. Everybody would be quiet, and you

would just be like, damn, it's a really situation. But it's something that it lives with me because because to this day, I still see things that make that it's still you know, it's still it just doesn't make any sense. It's like why would right? But I think that me creating this record it really helped. It helps me heal because now that I know I'm like keeping you know,

everything away, you know, from the world. I like to expressed myself for my music, you know, So if the fame, amongst a lot of other things really cost me that relationship and as some relationship that would never be repaired

ever again, no matter what, can never be repaired. And not only did I lose that, but I also lost everybody else on that side, your whole father's side of the family, everybody that knew about what the situation was, and everybody that continued that had to continue to have a relationship with him Dad to go wow, and it's it's it's it's it's honestly what it feels like you put your family, an entire family, on one plane and

the whole plane just crashed. Everybody, everybody. So I reached out to you when this kind of but but not really and they have and I've attempted to try to and it's just it's one of those things where it's like for me, it's like once when when when we're talking about certain right, like there's some things that are forgivable.

There's some things that you can like Okay, this is just another but then there's like certain things that's just like nah, like bro, there's a line like when it comes to this, it's you got to pick a side. I can't with you knowing that you feel with him, that's just what it is. And if you feel with him, I'm gonna care you. Mom. You're his brother, your sister, you're his daughters. If you feel with him, knowing this, that's it, period. And it costs me again, and you know,

due to that, and I understand it. I get it, you know, and the she's son, that she's brother and whatever, cool have that relationship. It is what it is. Get lead me to alone. But that's that's definitely a part of my life. That is a very dark place for me because again, it's that crash. It's that plane crash.

You know, body died, and it's just like now, it's just I had to create my own world, you know what I mean, and completely leave that side behind and completely pick up the pieces and just and continue to go. But it is difficult. It is very difficult thing to do because you still don't understand it, you know what I mean. But it's like you got to do it, and it definitely had my mental health up for a little bit. Have you spoke to your therapist about it?

I don't have one. You gotta get one. Brother. I don't know a million percent. I agree with you, I a billion percent. I agree with you, and I want to and I and I will and I am I just have it yet, and I definitely I definitely need one. I'll tell you that. Add that to your rupper too. Are going into twenty twenty one, and again everything everything happened so fast for me, bro everything changed completely quick.

So I definitely need like therapy to deal with a lot of this sh that I've dealt with and you know, a lot of my new responsibilities and like my new life that I have now, it's definitely and complete, ob Yeah, Because you know, therapy helped me to deal with a lot of issues I was having with my pops, you know what I mean, A lot of things that I hadn't had conversations with him about, a lot of things I hadn't dealt with, you know, from from when I was when I was younger, and I was holding a

lot of resentment and a lot of of of anger towards him, you know, but therapy helped me to really process it. Because one thing you realize about your parents, especially your father, is he was a human being just doing the best that he could, you know what I mean? But he had his own demons and his own flaws and his own things that he was dealing with. So it makes you have more empathy for him, for at least for me join us. You know, damn, we appreciate

you for joining in us. You've been up here for an hour. Man, we appreciate you sharing all your stories with interviews. Hopefully you come back and he's done, and he's like, all right, we appreciate. We could stay all day. I ain't got to do it. It's colder, I ain't got no bags to chase. We could stay here all day. But guys, sorry that this whole COVID thing prohibited us from the actually meeting in person again. And you know what, I'm sitting down and chopping it up. I brought you guys.

You look rich. I haven't gonna lie to you. I'm proud of you. Bro, you look rich. Say yeah, man, I appreciate I appreciate it. I fully do. I really appreciate guys, man for everything, y'all, Thank you, peace King. Alright, just join the Lucas. It's the Breakfast Club. Good morning morning. Everybody is DJ Envy Angela Yee, Charlomagne, the guy we are the Breakfast Club that when we come back, we're gonna get on our interview with Barack Obama. President Barack Obama.

So we're gonna get that on in a second. To don't move happy, Martin Luther King Day. It's the Breakfast Local Morning, the Breakfast Club, Envy, Angela Ye and Charlomagne the God Morning. Everybody is DJ Envy and Jela Ye, Charlemagne the Guy. We are to Breakfast Club. And that is what we do every line. You were talking nice and love. This is how we talk every day, and it wasn't coming in high and now you are well,

now we are. We have a special guest. He served eight years as the forty fourth president of the United States. Ladies and gentlemen, President Barack Obama. Never heard of him, never heard of him. You know what I heard of, y'all. And I appreciate you guys having me. It's wonderful to see you again. Thank you for being in. Thank you. And we don't have much time, so let's get right into us A Promised Land. Why is that the title

for your book? When I think about America, I think about both where we've been, where we might be going. I'm reminded of Doctor King's speech, the famous speech he gave shortly before he got shot about I might not get there with you, but I've been at the mountain top and I see the promised land, and I think that that idea that we're not where we need to be, but we still act the faith and the belief that we can get there. That's how I think about America.

That's how I think about my own political journey. That's not one where it's ever gonna be finished. It's not one where racism is gone or inequality is gone, but what we can continually try to do better. That was the spirit that I wanted to communicate. You see in the preface that America's ideals have always been secondary to conquest and subjugation, a racial cast system, and that to pretend otherwise is to be complicit in a game that

was rigged from the start. So my question is, if the game is rigged, and we know the fight is fixed, how could black people ever believe in this idea of America being a promised to land. That's one argument, and that's how some people feel, and obviously there's evidence of that. Slavery.

Jim Crow, Native Americans being driven from their lands. On the other hand, what we also have stories of is abolition and civil rights movement and folks fighting for their freedom and generation passing on a legacy of struggle that results in something a little bit better. What I try to do book as a whole is painting an honest picture about how there's a gap between the myth of

America and the reality of America. Will never completely close that gap, but if we put in the effort, if we stay focused, reach out, then we can get closer to the ideal. You know, one of the lessons I try to teach in the book about politics is it's never going to be perfect. We live in a big country with a lot of different points of view. We've got hundreds of years of oppression and discrimination that have

to be overcome. We've got, you know, the natural human impulses that you see around the world, greed, power, you know, folks trying to get over on others. But you also see kindness, courage, folks looking out for each other, and a lot of goodness along with the bad and and in politics, the job is not to think that you're

ever going to eliminate all the bad. Its can can you empower the good to make more kids get a better education, to make sure that some folks have better healthcare, to make sure that you know, there's less discrimination, and that the police are more accountable. And if you if you do that and you stick with it. Yeah, the distance that we've traveled, let's say, just in my lifetime, we were talking before we got on the air, I'm

fifty nine. I don't feel old. And in you know, human history, fifty nine years is a blink of the eye. None of us would have been sitting here fifty nine years ago. We couldn't imagine, you know, you guys having your own show that you control and that you produce. And I couldn't imagine being a former president and having a best selling book that just wasn't in the cards.

And that was just you know, in my life. And so we can imagine if we keep working that maybe our kids, certainly our grandkids, if we do it right, they're going to be that much more ahead of the game now. But you know, one thing that we always have to remember is history doesn't just go forward, it can go backwards too, and if we're not vigilant, things can get worse. President Obama. I wanted to ask you something about Rev. And Jeremiah Right from in your book,

because you've addressed it, Michelle Obama has addressed it. Do you think that in today's climate, the comments and the speeches that Jeremiah Right Gabe would still be looked at the same way where you would have had to distance it yourself him today. Yeah, you know, it's Look, it's an interesting thing. As I write about in the book. You know, Reverend Wright as an example of somebody who supremely gifted Preacher Trinity United Church of Christ on Sasas

Chicago had amazing ministry still does. I was very close to a lot of people in that congregation as well as Reverend Right. In national politics, if you can take out a bunch of sound bites that say goddamn America, even if the context of it is prophetic and biblical, and he's trying to describe, you know, how somebody might feel. You know, he wasn't promoting the notion that God was

damning America. He was making the point that if you looked at slavery and discrimination, you could see the conclusion of people feeling that there was not an alignment with Christian values and America. But if you'd see a two minute SoundBite trying to explain that is too complicated. In my campaign, I had to constantly manage the fact that truths that black folks experience on a day to day basis are not going to be the same as the

truths that the country as a whole experience. But if you want to operate at the highest level of politics, you have to be able to communicate and translate for the country as a whole. And there were times where I was surprised by the reaction of folks, generally white voters, to certain things that to me didn't seem like it was something they should be surprised or upset about. And I suspect attitudes would probably be a little bit different now.

And I give to give one example that I use in the book, when Professor Skip Gates gets arrested in his own house. I write about the fact that in a press conference, I'm asked about it and I said, well, you know, I think the police probably acted stupidly and arresting you know, sixty year old professor who's got a lame leg in his own house after he's shown them ideas.

Even if he cussed out the police. All they have to do is just leave right, And that was treated with all kinds of controversy, and my polling with white voters dropped drastically because the notion is somehow I was

insulting the police. I think today, in light of everything that's happened and part of what happened this summer terms of raising awareness of potential bias in the criminal justice system, I suspect that that would not have seemed as much of a controversial statement as it was viewed at the time, even though at the time I didn't think it was particularly controversial. You talk about that in a Good Fight chapter.

Henry Lewis gets the Gate situation, but you also say that wouldn't have happened to a white person in the same situation. But at the same time you say, you wish you had have said that then, but you didn't. So we bite our tongue in situations like that. Who we trying to protect. One of the things that you that I try to communicate in this book is what's the best way to expand folks understanding? Right there? Where

do you see teachable moments? And there have been times where, for example, the tragedy in Charleston when Pickney and others who are praying and invited a young white man into pray with them. He then shoots them. He's obviously his head's been filled up with racist ideology. That was a teachable moment where I could say some things that I

might not have said in another context. You know. And part of what I also try to describe in the book is the fact that the prophetic voice that you have if you are a civil rights leader, if you're a Malcolm, if you're a Martin, is not going to be the same voice as if you're a politician, Because politicians.

The whole thing is, I've got to figure out how do I get this white senator from this conservative state to maybe support this built That's different from me teaching as a civil rights leader or a movement leader, and each show us have different roles to play in that process. Now we have more with Barack Obama, President Barack Obama. When we come back, it's the Breakfast Club, Good morning morning. Everybody is DJ Envy, Angela Yee, Charlomagne the guy. We

are the Breakfast Club. We're celebrating Luther King Day. We're not here but we're getting on our interview with Barack Obama. It's the Breakfast Club. Good Morning. One thing I love about the book, President Obama is you talk about your relationship with your wife, and you talk about how your wife is the boss and you're scared of them. You also talk about how every decision has to be approved

by your wife. You Know. One thing that I love about the book is everybody talks about relationships and sometimes things seem perfect, but in your book you show that things aren't perfect. You know, I've been married nineteen years. So when you talk about your wife and you talk about how hard it was and how she didn't want you to run, how bad did it get in the household? Did it ever get to the point where it was like, you know what, maybe this is not going to work

for us? Or is that never an option when it came to a relationship. So I think I think there were times where certainly she thought this wasn't gonna work. Michelle is somebody who has a different temperament than me, and I think she'd admit that she has more of a temper than I does than I do. I think she can get more pessimistic sometimes about things than I can. I tend to be pretty even keeled. Yeah, we'll figure

this out kind of approach. But as I write about in the book, sometimes that's that itself is frustrating to your partner. Right If you're all like, hey, honey, you know, relax, why are you getting so excited about stuff? You know, then she'll be like, Oh, you're just not listening to me at all, Right, And I know I listened to you. I'm I'm just saying, you know, it's not so bad. Well, what do you think I'm overreacting? Is that what you're saying? Right?

And then you you're in that pattern. So there's no doubt that there were periods. There were episodes where she was questioning whether the life that I had charted for us was compatible with what she wanted out of life. You know, she, you know, Michelle once told me something that I think summed it up pretty well. She said, I have organized my life not to have a lot of mess in my life, and politics, by definition, brings

mess into our household. You've got people that I would never associate with otherwise who now suddenly are talking about us or you know, have impact on our well being. And I don't. That's not what I want and I understood that. And the sacrifice she made is one that you know, I've had to work off, you know, the like I I've been. My debt has been it's almost like a payday loan, you know, it just keeps on. The interest was high. How did y'all get over it?

Was it therapy? Was it friends? Was it reverence? Was it church? Was it prayer? When the terms were over? Well? I think all of the above. Yeah. Michelle talked to right writes about the fact that you know, we went to counseling pre presidency, and that was when the kids were small, and I think anybody who's had small kids, you know, that's always a strain. You know, as much joy as they bring, there is that tension, especially if both uh spouses are working right, um and during the

White House. Look, I give a lot of credit to my mother in law because, uh, miss Marian, you know, she would Michelle be hot, you know, she'd grow upstairs. My mother in law was living on the in the sweep and on the third floor, and Michelle to go up there, and I'm pretty sure she talked Michelle down a couple of times. Friends, one thing we Michelle and I both tell younger couples who are going through rough patches.

I think we were pretty good about the fact that even when things were tough, we never lost basic respect for the other person. We never thought that that person was a bad person. We never said things that would make it seem as if, oh, you just completely disrespect me. It was more, look, I love you, bark, but you know this is driving me crazy or un you know how much I respect you. But so I think that is part of what kept us able to sort this out,

because we never doubted each other's intentions. And the basic fact that you know, my view of Michelle is she is a remarkable woman, even you know, if she drive me crazy sometimes, I never thought that there was anybody who I would rather be with, you know, being that you're so even killed, right, did you ever take your frustrations from work home? And did you ever do anything like punch a wall or what did you do when

you got mad? You know? I had there were times where I would have a potty mouth in the oval office. But I heard some of his book, which I appreciate because well, I mean, I think it's I think it's important to be honest, because part of what I try to describe in the book is the White House, you know, and the presidency. Look, you're the leader of the free world, is the most powerful office on her but it's also

a job. And the West Wing is also an office, and you're going to have some of the same frustrations and mistakes and doubts and mishaps as in any office, in any job, which also means sometimes you're gonna cuss a little bit because because stuff's frustrating. Um, working out was important, you know, we get those workouts in sometimes. Uh you know, dear friend of ours who who was also a trainer, Cornell mccleollen, we uh uh, you would get the boxing gloves out and it didn't seem too funness.

A lot of older people in the White House that you can't just say, let's play a pickup game. Those guys pass out, you know. Now. I had my weekend game though with Reggie love right who you know on Reggie at that time was you know, probably he just turned thirty. He wasn't posting up Joe Biden, and so no, we could we couldn't play. We couldn't play in the White House. We had a we had a regular game. Reggie had his crew, and so we we had regular

bad fsketball games. You know a lot of times though, you know, you would just try to take the long view in dealing with frustrations. If Mitch McConnell and the Republicans were blocking something for no reason, if they were playing games that actually had real consequences in terms of people being able to get healthcare or be able to

get some relief from unemployment or what have you. You know, you just had to remind yourself that you were in a long term contest and there were going to be up and downs at any given time, but that if you kept your eye on the ball, that you know, sooner or later you can prepare, you know, and yes we can chapter them. You discuss how you were frustrated with the constant need to soften for white folks benefit

the blunt truths about raising this country. You still feel the need to do that after the last four years, we wouldn't. Well, I think we're all a little bit more open and aware. And one of the things that I was really inspired by in the wake of tragedy was the response after George Floyd's murder, because what you saw was not only people of all walks of life

out there protesting. It wasn't just black folks. But when you looked at the polling, you actually saw that by a significant number, many more white Americans were willing to acknowledge problems in the criminal justice system based on race. Why do we have to wait on them though, well, to speak our truth to power? You know, what this comes down to is how do you build coalitions to

actually get stuff done? Because the truth of the matter is is that in very few places are African Americans a majority of the vote that you know, it's just simple math, right so and right where we're sitting right now in Washington, DC, that would be the case. But there are not a lot of states, and they're a handful of cities where just the black vote delivers the

power then to actually bring about concrete change. Now we have more with Barack Obama, President Barack Obama, when we come back, it's the Breakfast Club wanting everybody's DJ Envy Angela Yee, Charlomagne the guy we are the Breakfast Club and getting on that interview with Barack Obama on his mortin Luther King Day, it's the breakfast Lugal morning. I think I think people want to know, like, what did

you do specifically for black people? Not the rising tide lifts all boats types of rhetoric, because we all know black people's boat got to hold in it. So the systemic things that we're done to black people to put us in these positions, we need specific systemic things to get us out. So well, but what I'm doing, what I'm saying, tarvel Mane, is black property drop faster than everybody else. Black incomes went up more than a lot

of other folks. So you know, the issue is sometimes we just didn't go around advertising that because once again, the goal here is to build coalitions where everybody is getting something so that they all feel like they've got a stake in it. But a lot of my policies were targeted towards people most in need. Those folks are

disproportionately African American. Now, there are some things that for example, US having a Civil Rights division in the Justice Department that actually took seriously civil rights and imposed consent decrees on places like Ferguson, and you know, change sentencing guidelines so that we didn't max out on sentencing for all non violent drug offenses, but change the incentives of the prosecutors were judged not by how long of a sense you got, but did you get a proportional sentence? Was

it a fair sentence? Those kinds of changes that we made. That's why I say there's a reason why the federal prison population dropped, by the way, at the same time the crime also dropped, right, So we were able to show that you can have a smart strategy in terms of reducing crime without expanding incarceration. But the truth of the matter is she at the end of the day, there is no way in eight years to make up

for two hundred years. Absolutely, And the question is constantly, how are you going to you know, the way I've been describing it because because it's very much how I understand the presidency. Now. You're like a relay runner. You know, you you're getting the baton from somebody else, and all you can do is run your stage or the race, and then you pass it on the next person. And on either side, both who you got to hit from and who you're passing it too, they may not have

the same priorities that you do. You know, you're you know that you're not going to get everything done that you need to get done. But what you got to do is do your best to get as much done

as possible, and I think that's what we did. Would you say that your intention with this book was to explain to people also how difficult it was for you to get things passed and for people to see what you did do, because, like you said in the book, a lot of times, it's not your policies and what you do, it's more what you say and the feeling that people have, and that's what they pay attention to. So absolutely, Look, let's take something like, you know, the

the Recovery Act. So I walk in the day I walk in, we're losing eight hundred thousand jobs a month. The economy is actually contracting faster than it did during the Great Depression. And six months later the economy was growing again and we had kind of stopped the free fall. But if you're somebody who had lost your job at that point or lost your house, you're not feeling good.

And we couldn't go around saying look what a pattering ourselves on the back, saying look at what a great job we did, because people are still hurting out there. I hope if somebody reads this, they come to recognize if we want to bring about systemic change, there are a whole bunch of different pressure points that we have to apply. It's not just the presidency. So I write extensively about the fact that I have a lot of power as president. I'm the most powerful person as president,

but I still need a Congress. I still need to make make sure that we have a majority in the House of Representatives, because if I don't, I can't get any a single law passed if I want to change something. On criminal justice reform, it turns out that the federal government isn't actually in charge of most criminal law. Most criminal laws made at the state level and determined by

state prosecutors. Most police departments the federal government has done to do with that's determined by the mayor in that city. Whether they're prosecuted when they do something wrong, that's up to the states attorney or attorney in that area. So when we think about politics, it is a mistake for us to say, Okay, once i'm I voted for president, I'm done. And I hope people don't repeat that mistake with Biden and Kamala Harris, right, Now we've got two

seats in Georgia coming up. If the Republicans win those two seats, then Joe Biden and Kamala Harris will not be able to get any law pass. Asked that Mitch McConnell and the Republicans aren't willing to go along with Well, you got to do a better job of letting people know. Hey, I wanted to do a lot more for people, especially black people, but I couldn't because Miss McConnell was blocking me every chance you got. Well, that's why I wrote

the book that's everybody. Everybody gonna read. That's all I'm saying. Well, all these interviews that I hear some people listen to. You said, you're telling about Georgia where Warnock, I see they're giving him issues about his alliance with Jeremiah Rights the same kind of stuff. Did you tell him he should step back and denounce him at this point? No. Look, first of all, it is a losing game at this

stage to just go chasing crazy commentary. Uh, there's some things you have to answer aggressively, but you can't obsess over it. Warnock is doing a great job. If I'm him, I'm going to be emphasizing what am I positively going to do on behalf of the people of Georgia that as opposed to just trying to play defense against a bunch of crazy stuff that's coming out there. But but listen, it's hard winning in Georgia, just like it's hard winning in Iowa. It's like it's hard in a lot of

the country. And one thing I think that I hope the book also reminds us of, you know, those of us who live in DC or New York or LA. You know, sometimes we do not have a a good enough sense of how big this country is and how a lot of folks do not accept at all things that we who are living in urban metropolitan areas just

take for granted. From South Carolina, I don't know. Yeah, I mean it's you know, you go, there are a big chance in the country, even in our own communities, right, I mean so so I deeply believe that people should be treated equally under the law, regardless of sexual orientation. I was shocked you talked about that in the book, But we all, you know, I mean, I think they're big chunks of our community where that's still controversial. People were surprised about a lot of Hispanic folks who voted

for Trump. But there's a lot of evangelical Hispanics who, you know, the fact that Trump says racist things about Mexicans or puts detainees, you know, undocumented workers in cages, they think that's less important than the fact that, you know, he supports their views on you know, gay marriage or abortion. Right. It's hard to believe when you say this, but then

you look at the way the government is ran. Right, it's about, for instance, you look at these big businesses and you look at their taxes, and they don't pay taxes at all. And then you look at somebody who is just getting by paying as much tax as possible. And you look at, for instance, the pandemic task Force that you created, and then you see Trump coming office

and he shuts that down. And then you think to yourself, damn, if that task force was still around, with so many people have been dead, it's been killed, would we be able to save lives? We would have saved some lives. Here's one simple statistic. Canada, right right next door. Their death rate is forty percent of what oursists per capita.

I don't you know, so for every help you know, one hundred Americans that have died, only forty Canadians have died, and that's just a matter of their government making better decisions. So the question, though, is is that you still had seventy billion people voting for a government that I would say objectively as failed miserably and handling this basic looking after the American people and keeping them safe. Why is that? Well, part of it is because you know, it turns out

politics is not just about policy. It's not just about numbers. It's about the stories that are that are being told. And the story that they're hearing from Fox News and Rush Limbaugh and you know, in some cases inside their churches is that Democrats don't believe in Christmas, and you know, you only care about minorities and black folks and are trying to take your stuff and trying to take your guns away, and right there's a whole story that's being told to them, and people end up feeling as if

you know, what we are under attack. That you know, what's always interesting to me is the degree of which we've created, you've seen created in Republican politics, the sense that white males are victims, like they're the ones who are like under attack, which obviously doesn't jibe with both history and data and economics. But that's a sincere belief, you know, that's been internalized. That's a story that's being told. And how you unwind that is going to be not

something that is done right away. It's gonna take some time. Now we have more with Barack Obama. President Barack Obama. When we come back, it's the Breakfast Club Goal Morning. It's DJ Envy, Angela Yee, Charlemagne the guy. We are the Breakfast Club. Let's get into our interview with President Barack Obama. It's the Breakfast Club Goal Morning. But we heard some rulers in this book, how different because you know, when I hear that, I'm like and it feels like

we're catering to white racists all the time. So I wonder how different would the DIM strategy be if we lived in a one man, one vote society. Would know electe oh, I think that would help. Must take a simple example like the Senate. So Wyoming, which has about half a million people, has the same number of senators

as California with thirty three million people. Right, So what that means is is that the US Senate is hugely skewed towards some of these lower population, you know, more rural, much wider states than the big coastal states, and that's a that's a big difference in terms of getting stuff done. So so the bottom line is is that our democracy is imperfect. Changing that is going to take a lot of effort, because you've got to get over the hump,

even even just to secure our voting rights. One of the things that you know is still at stake at Georgia is if we controlled the Senate, then it is at least theoretically possible to pass a voting rights bill that stops some of this voter suppression and intimidation that you're still seeing around the country, and that Republicans have been pretty blatant about just saying, look, we just we're

trying to prevent them for voting. But getting to the electoral college, getting to the way that the US Senate is skewed, that would require us also potentially admitting Washington, DC and Puerto Rico in as states so that you know, which has its own politics. You know, it would mean having states change how they do their electoral count. Um. I think the Constitution is outdated, they got to get

rid of that language. The way that that diverse the country is those people weren't at the table when they wrote the constitution. You're a constitutional lawyer, you gotta we gotta get well, there is a way to change it. It's called amending the constitution. The problem is that in order to do that, we have to have such an increase in awareness and activism. So there's a mechanism to amend the constitution, but you just have to get everybody involved and focused in it. And this is part of

the reason. You know, folks have been teaching me about how you know, man, that's a long book, and you know, Michelle's was so much shorter. And you know, there were times where I was tempted to, you know, let me just leave out this explanation and that explanation because folks, you know, they're not gonna necessarily want to read all that. But part of what I wanted to do was just say, man, this is the stuff that we've got to know if we really want to change stuff, Like you have to

know about the filibuster in the Senate. Right, So this is a rule that wasn't even in the Constitution. This is just a rule that the Senate adopted that says you have to have sixty votes to pass legislation, you have to have a supermajority. That even more empowers those little states, right because now they don't even need they don't even need fifty Senate votes. They just need forty one to basically block anything from getting through the Senate.

That's what happened to me in my first two years was I was having to get to sixty votes on everything, which meant that the number of Senators that were basically representing twenty five percent of the country had a veto power over anything we want to try to get done. But most people don't know that. You know, if if you try to explain to the average brother in the barbershop man that filibuster, I just I just thought it

when people talked for a long time. Yeah, well but I learned about But that thing is which, by the way, had its roots. You know, the thing that it was most used for was to block civil rights legislation and and anti lynching legislation, and that thing is still operating. We have to know how that stuff works in order for us if we really want the kind of changes you're talking about, where taking away some of these barriers to everybody having their voice heard in the government. President

Obama has to go, guys, so and listen. Congratulations. One hundred ninety thousand sold in the first day, which is breaking all kinds of records. So it just shows the power that you still have. You got a little name out here. First of all, I think it's because it was packaged with Michelle's book, so you know, and uh, but I appreciate you guys. You know, you talked about black folks and how they talked about or thought about

my presidency. I will say, even at our lowest point, the amount of loyalty and folks having our back, knowing you know that we were going through some you know, challenges, UM. The prayer that we got, the you know, the blessings we received from our own um that that is as much as anything, what helped sustain us. It is something we never took for granted and we were always grateful.

So So what one of last question, what through Democrats old black people specifically do you think, especially afterward we just did in this past election. Well, I look, I think that Democrats and Republicans and America old black folks the same thing that all people are o which is justice and fairness. The differences is that for Black folks that justice has been deferred and denied for too long,

or it's been half baked and insufficient. We've never done a full reckoning of what was part of the essential history and building of this country. And I think in concrete terms, you know, I don't want to overstate what Joe and Kamala are going to be able to accomplish in this congressional environment with that much resistance, because they're going to be in a position that was even that's probably even tougher than the one that I came in.

But what I can say is, I think at the very minimum, everything they put forward, from jobs programs to small business loans to education to college debt issues, that they have to be mindful that the African American community put faith in them, to hear them and to understand what ordinary folks are going through every day, working hard, trying to make it and that and that they shouldn't be making a decision without knowing, all right, this is going to have an impact on some of those struggles

to make make people and their families a little more secure, a little bit better. It's not going to make things perfect. But if if at the end of Joe Biden's presidency and Commons presidency, he too can say what I was able to say, which is people's lives are better. You know, at the end of the day, that's what you expect out of politicians. They're a morally correct way to do what Trump did, which is as far as like you know, catering to his base, you know, doing what he felt

was best for his folks. They are morally correct way to do that get more votes. I mean, the truth of the batter has actually Trump hasn't gotten a lot. He's torn some stuff down, he hasn't There's no law that he's passed that is transformative in this country. He passed the task cut to give away some more money to rich folks, which publican has been doing that for years. But you can't name a piece of legislation that he's done that has actually changed the country, even for his

own constituencies. So it's always easier to tear down than build up. Building up that requires votes, And that's why I do not I will come on this show every time if I hear folks say voting doesn't matter. Yeah, vote will not. It's not like winning the lottery. You don't you don't vote, and then suddenly everything is great. Voting is more like you know, washing your car or

iron in your clothes. It's part of the thing you do to make stuff work and and it's part of your responsibility and as part of all of our responsibility, just to make sure that we don't see chaos of the sort that we've just seen over the last four years. All right, guess well, we appreciate you for joining us. President Barack Obama, thank you, thank you so much, Thank you so much. You know, I feel pretty good. All right.

Make sure you're telling to watch out for Florida order she creates people in America come from the Bronx in all of Florida. Yes, you are a donkey, a Florida man, a chap and at n for a very strange reason. It gave him too much money. A man is arrested. I can definitely say he's rigged the door to his home and an attempt to electricate his puject's wife. Police arrested in Orlando man for talking a fa to practice

club bar haying the guy. I don't know why y'all keep letting get y'all elected well off because your state is crazy, all right, don't get today goes to a Florida woman named Vanessa Marie Huckaba. Now, what did your uncle Charla always say about the great state of Florida. The craziest people in America come from the Bronx in all of Florida. There is no disputing that. And um, I think God that I came up in an era

before dating websites. Not knocking anyone who does it, but I couldn't see myself on Elitch, singles, e Harmony, black People, meet match dot Com. Our guy drown Moss Puerto Rican and runs all boards up here. He's on Latin Fields under the user name called Quito Poppy. Look him up. Okay, but none of that stuff is for me. The way my anxiety is set up, I couldn't just meet a complete scranger online, a person who can tell me anything they want about themselves and none of it be true,

and then you show up get robbed, killed, catfished. I'm not judging anybody who does the dating singles thing. I'm just simply saying it's not for me. It's like skydiving. It's like bungee jumping. It's like being uncircumcised. Not knocking any of y'all that dude, I got those things, Just telling you that's not my thing. Now. Vanessa Marie Huckaba has the dating profile set up under the name island Babe one two three four. Does that name not look

in sound fake? Okay? See what I'm saying, Island Babe one two three four. How could you take a profile page on a dating website? Serious? That says Island Babe one two three four. It sounds and looks like a Russian bot when you see it now. According to the Miami Herald, she included a name, photo, cell phone number, and address. But here's the Catchwell, actually it is no catch. This dating profile is exactly what it sounds like. Fake. But I tell you what, this one is fake for

a great humorous but sit costs. Okay, see Vanessa, she should actually be the new hosts of Punks. I don't condone what I'm about to tell you she did. But man isn't entertaining to watch, Steve. Vanessa is a classic case of the X oh. A lot of y'all out there got a crazy x that's stalking your ass right now. That is upset that you have moved on to another relationship. Vanessa is one of the olds. Okay, see this dating profile she set up that included a name, photo, cell

phone number, and address. It wasn't hers. In fact, it was the woman her ex boyfriend is currently dating. But the story gets much much better because it wasn't her milkshake that brought all the boys to the yard. New not in Florida and Florida you need something a little stronger than milkshakes to bring boys to the yard. Let's

go to the Miami Herald for the report police. A Florida keys woman was jail on a cyberstock in charge after a police said she posted a fake profile on a dating site that sent strangers to another woman's home looking for sex. Freshman tonight. All right, stop stop right there for a second. Stop right there for a second, because there are conflicting reports. The Miami Herald is saying

Vanessa posted the headline free meth tonight. But in the news report what we just heard, they say fresh meth tonight. Either way island Bay one two three four, got meth? That's right, Speed cookies, cotton candy whatever you call it. But Nessa had cranking cheeks and in Florida, it doesn't matter if you advertise, and fresh, cranking free cheeks are free cranking fresh cheeks. Folks is pulling up even though I don't know you know how fresh we expect the

cheeks to be from a meth head in Florida. I mean it's hot down then that pooky. Have you not washing for day? But forget all that. Continue with the news report. Vanessa Marie Hukaba twenty nine, was arrested November twenty first on misdemeanor charges of cyberstocking and harassing. Hukaba in October and November sent threatening messages and made harassing phone calls to a thirty six year old Key West

woman who was dating her ex. The victim told police she has never met Hukkaba and began getting the threats after she started dating a man Hukaba had dated for six months. Hukaba told the victim she would need to get a restraining order. Hukaba's next move was to put up a profile under the name Island Babe twelve thirty four on Seeking Arrangement, which advertises it helps pair women with sugar daddies along with a victim's photo, cell phone number,

and address. The profile invited men to come to the victim's home for sex. Multiple strangers began arriving at the victims thereafter. I'm giving this woman donkey to day. But that's say you're getting donkey today because you absolutely deserve it. Okay. A person's home is their sanctuary, it's their castle. It

should be their place of peace. To have a bunch of Floridians pulling up during a devil damn pandemic, when Folks is supposed to be social distancing, you got all these meth heads showing up to this young woman's house looking for cranking cheeks. You're lucky that woman didn't stay in her ground and let her goddamn gun blam. Okay, so you are earning every bit of this he hall but ron of applause, Vanessa, amazing, amazing idea. Right, this is an amazing idea. You gotta beef with another human.

You're mad at this lady because she's your ex boyfriend, so you advertise free meth and sex at her house in Florida. There is nothing that can bring holiday joy to a white Florida man's heart like the thought of tweets getting tricking. Okay, only a human with a Florida brain could concoct and execute something like this. And Vanessa, even though I am highly entertained, it will not stop me from giving you the sweet sound of the hammertones. Oh no, you are dogee the day, dogee, oh the day.

Guess sweezy? All right? I mean, would you like to just for pieces and let's do it? Let's do it? Okay? Uh, well, let's play a game up Johns. What racing? All right, guys? Vanessa Marie Huckaba Huckaba, Okay, she's from Florida, Florida. She set up a fake profile for a woman, Okay, a woman I was dating her ex boyfriend and she was advertising free meth in sex. Guess what race you go first? I would have to say Caucasian, just because of the

crystal meth. I was thinking Latino, because no, you weren't. Now I was thinking white. Oh, I gotta say what it is? White? I know it all right, White with yellow teeth set Okay, white with the yellowest teeth you've ever seen in your goddamn life. All right, you see, smile and you slow down, okay, driving Charlagne, thank you for that Donkey to day. Yes, indeed, goddamn it. We're

playing some of the best best stuffs. And one of them was when Kamala Harris stopped through the first interview that she actually came before she was running for president, and writers was, um, this was twenty eighteen, maybe in twenty and seventeen, I don't remember twenty seventeen or twenty eighteen, and like just she was just sending to California, right, you know what I mean. And we actually talked about her running for president and you know, she ran. It

didn't work out. We she ended up being the Madame Vife president. So yeah, okay, so we're gonna get that back in a few so don't move. It's the Breakfast Club. Good Morning, Breakfast Club. Your mornings will never be the same. Hiring is challenging, but you're checking out the world's most dangerous morning show. Morning Everybody is DJ Envy, Angela Yee, Sharlowgnea guy. We are the Breakfast Club. Now it's Martin Luther King Day. We're gonna get back out interview with

Kamala Harris. This was the first time that she actually stopped through. So we're gonna get that on. It's to breakfast and and by the way, having been back since, I mean she's been here three times, right, Kamala came here in twenty eighteen, she came here um again when she was running for president, and another time when she was running for president. She hasn't been here since she's been Madam vice president. Right to get pissed off about that, okay,

but so we just sending the Kamala Harris. Hopefully we'll talk to you soon. All right, don't move. It's to breakfast club. Good morning. We have a special guest in the building. Yes, she went to the other h you, but we got a slide this morning. Kamala Harris, US, Senator of California field the next president of the United States of America. The run, Miss Kamala. Good boy, I am so happy and honored to be here. You're gonna listen. Let him just Howard like absolutely not so who beat

you an ALV Hampton or Howard? It was Howard? Thank you? Who has the best homecoming in the world every year? Hampton? Howard Hampton, who produced third Goood Marshall. Howard, Howard, You got a couple of out who produced the Black Panther. We did, you know, we did the costume. You know, you know we did the coso for black pot with you, I'm gonna share the little I didn't go to college, but if I was, you out to say, well, who was stealing from the financial department? All got bad food

over that slide? Were welcome? Yes here, not for those who may not know. Let us know a little about yourself. You're from the big area, right. I was born in Oakland, okay Um, and I went to Howard. I went out of Howard to law school in California. I started my career in the DA's office in Oakland, California, and then I was elected the first black woman to be elected a district attorney in the state of California in San Francisco.

I was there for two terms, and then I was elected Attorney General of California, making me the first woman and the first African American ever elected as an attorney channel. So did you grow up an a black Panthers. Yes, the influence on you are oh absolutely. I mean my parents, look my sister and I joke. We grew up surrounded by a bunch of adults. We spent full time marching and shouting Wow, justice right. So they my parents actually met when they were active in the civil rights movement.

My godmother, my aunt Mary, was one of the founders of the Black Studies department at San Francisco State, which was the first black studies department in the country. So they were active and they were vocal and aking and civil rights activists. I'm surprised you got inside boys. Yeah, Howard trains you to do things like that, But what got you into politics? Because you did go to Howard that's a party school, So we figured you, really, what got you into politics? What made you want to say

this is the route I want to go? You know, I grew up in a community of folks, like I said, who are marching and shouting? And I said, you know, yes, there is an important role to play on the outside, banging down the door, on bend to knee, trying to change the systems. But we also have to be inside the room where the decisions are being made. And I ran for district attorney because I wanted to be the one who was making decisions about what we were going

to do with criminal justice policy. And in fact, I wrote a book back in two thousand and eight based on my belief about what we need to do to reform the criminal justice system. In here and here's how I think about it. Criminal justice policy. We have been offered a false choice, the choice suggesting that you're either soft on crime or you're tough on crime, instead of

asking are we smart on crime? Right? And by that I mean recognizing that, you know, the public health model tells us if you want to deal with a health epidemic, smartest, most effective, and cheapest way to deal with it is prevention first. If you're dealing with it in the emergency room or the prison system, it's too late and it's

too expensive. So let's be smart on crime. And that means let's be smart in knowing that if we really want to have public safety, let's prevent crime from happening in the first place, which means focusing on communities that we know need more economics, need more pathways to economic health and success, doing what we need to do to recognize that there is a direct connection between public education

and public safety. So let's prioritize public education. And instead of just being only concerned about public safety because there's a real connection, and it's actually cheaper to focus on educating young people than it is on incarcerating whole communities of people. Yeah, that's one of the first things I saw you do that I was extremely impressed with. If it was the Back on Track program, that's right, what's that all about? So Back on Track is a program

that I started years ago. I focused on the eighteenth through twenty four year old young you know, drug sales offender. And the reason I focused on that population is because they're just a lot of them. And I also focused on that population because whether we were at Hampton or Howard when we were in college, we were eighteen through

twenty four and we were called college kids. But when you turn eighteen and you're in the system, you're considered an adult, period, regardless of the fact that we know that's the very phase of life in which we have invested billions of dollars in this world, in these places called colleges and universities, knowing that that's the prime phase of life where you can mold somebody to be a productive,

an accomplished adult. And so I focused on that population also understanding that when they pick up that first offense they will be designated a felon for life. And so what we did is essentially I created a program focused on them and basically getting them job counseling. A lot of the young men are fathers, getting them support for what they naturally want to do, which is parent their children,

but may not have the skills or the resources. We focused on what to do around housing and a just wrap around, and we ended up as a result of doing that and then when they would graduate the program, dismiss their charges. But what we also ended up doing is reducing their likelihood of reoffending by a huge percentage. And that was a model of what ended up later by the Justice Department being designated as a model of

innovation and law enforcement in the country. What do we do with so many with drugs being legalized, I should say, marijuana being legalized in so many different states, and a lot of these kids, like you said, are in jail for that same legalized crime. Now we need to decriminalize marijuana. We have a problem with the mass incarceration in our country. And let's be clear, the War on drugs was a

failed war. It was misdirected in essence, and you know, we're now now more people are understanding when we talk about the opioid epidemic that when you're talking about substancies, that's a public health matter that should not be thought of as a criminal justice matter. And so what we need to do is recognize that we have to get people into treatment where that is appropriate. But as it relates to incarcerating people from marijuana, I think it is

long overdue that we recognize we need to change the system. Absolutely. I want to go back to the Oakland days for a minute, because you said the Black Panthers had an influence on you, and it's this whole conversation we've been having about how do we improve relations between police and the communities, and Black Panthers were an organization that actually policed the police. Do you think that an organization like

that could exist now in twenty eighteen. I think that one of the greatest advances in the fight for civil rights has been the smartphone. Oh okay. People would come up to me coma, what all of a sudden is going on with all these cases of police misconduct? What's going on? And I'd look at people and say, you know, you sound like a colonist. You know, are you calling him a right, right, right, right, fair enough, But the

point being, you know what colonists do. They go to a place that's been existing that way for thousands of years, and because they're seeing it for the first time, they think they've discovered. So the great thing about the smartphone has been that now it is undeniable. When it happens, there is evidence sometimes playing for us in real time

as we know. It is audio, it is visual, and it is highlighting a need to reform the criminal justice system about around recognizing that we need to do a better job of training police officers, around bias, around use of force, around the necessity to de escalate a situation instead of using force as the first option as though it is the only option. And more people are now involved in this discussion than ever before because it is

not just us who is experiencing it. Now everyone is experiencing it, at least in terms of seeing it happen. And I think this is part of what has led to the reforms that are starting to take place. But there's still a lot more to do. On the Panthers, Remember, one of the biggest contributions that the Panthers made was their breakfast program. Absolutely, they were feeding the community and

protecting the community in that way. We have more. We send it a come Harris, when we come back, don't move. It's to Breakfast Club. Good morning voting. Everybody is DJ Envy, Angela Yee, Charlomagne the guy. We are the breakfast Club. We have Kamala Harris in the building. But let's talk about these schools and these shootings. I mean it's scary. Well, first of all, you know, we have many, many communities where our six and seven year olds are going to

sleep at night here in gunfire. Absolutely, they are experiencing such trauma that is undiagnosed and untreated. Babies of our community who have regularly attended funerals of somebody who was killed as a result of gun violence, having family members, it may have even happened in front of them. So we have enough trauma in our community that we need

to deal with. Without expecting that our second grader is going to now go to school and look up in the front of the class that their teacher and she's strapping a gun. That doesn't make any sense. We're talking about school safety. There are things that we need to address that include thinking about why is this an issue? And part of it is that we have not passed meaningful smart gun safety laws in this country. Let's talk

about that. Let's talk about how the NRA has grabbed people by that they're the body and and has has has caused people to have a lack of courage to address the fact. Again, another false choice. I'm in favor of the Second Amendment, and I also want I want smart gun safety laws. Assault weapons shouldn't be walking the streets of a civilized country. We should have universal background checks.

It makes sense. It's just practical that you might want to know before someone can buy a gun that they've been found by a court to be mentally unstable. You just might want to know that that's smart, aren't absolutely The missing ingredient to get something done is for Congress to have the courage to act, bottom line. And that's where I would say, Okay, so then what can we as people who want to encourage Congress to act do? What can we do? Let's focus on the twenty eighteen elections.

Let's focus on electing people who will have the courage and getting rid of people who don't. Well, you know, even with that said, you know when everybody saw the police shootings happening. Barack Obama was in office, Why didn't he have the courage to act to implement something to where police weren't so gun hole. Well, I think that it's one of his big regrets that he was not

able to get smart gun safety laws passed. In terms of the reforms, listen, Eric Holder, who was appointed by Barack Obama to be the US Attorney General and the United States Department of Justice under Barack Obama did some really good work. They started opening pattern and practice investigations, investigating various police departments around the country who had a pattern and practice of racial discrimination and excessive force. And you know what's going on now under this guy, Jeff Sessions.

You've been on his ass, by the way, Yeah yeah, And under him, they're closing those pattern and practice investigations. Under the previous administration, there were consent decrees where there had been a finding of misconduct. The court kicked in and said, you have to act a certain way, and we're gonna watch that. They're shutting down all of those.

They're reviving the war on drugs, they're reviving mandatory minimum sentences, and you know, again that's why we have got to be vigilant at this moment in time because we are looking at an administration that is rolling back the clock in a profound, profound way. Why is Jeff Sessions doing that? Though? Like is it really just Donald Trump trying to erase everything Barack Obama did that? What they really really want?

Like they want to take take us backwards? So to speak. Listen, I think this has been on Jeff sessions agenda for a very long time. Don't forget Kreta. Scott King spoke out against Jeff Sessions when he was up years and years and years ago for an appointment. This is part of who he is. This is his history, this is his mission. He is silently and maybe not so silently, carrying it out right before us. Why aren't you afraid

to speak out against him? I do speak free because we have to speak truth, Charlemagne, we have to speak truth. You know what, This is a moment in time that's actually requiring all of us to check ourselves about whether we're gonna have the courage to speak and to speak truth, no matter how uncomfortable it makes some people feel, no matter how much it may visit upon us, criticism or

expose us to attacks. We've got to speak truth. We've got to speak truth about what is happening with this administration. Also because as leaders, the people know, they know, they know in their hearts, they know intuitively, instinctively that things are wrong, and we need to put the label on it when we see what it's actually happening from the inside. And so that's part of why I do it, because I believe that people have a right to know what

their government is doing for them and to them. And you know, come what may, in terms of any response, how do we get our country back in order? Though it just seems like ever since Trump came in office, it just seems like it's just been an outspurt of racism going on, and it seems like it's hurting our kids more than anything else out there. So I travel around the country and I will tell you that I'm not buying the suggestion that we are divided as a country.

And here's why I say that. You know, when you wake up in the middle of the night with that thought that's been weighing on you, maybe it's some people call it the witching hour at three o'clock in the morning, when you wake up in a cold sleet with that thing that's been worrying you. It is never through the lens of the party with which you're registered to vote,

or you know, the demographic upholster put you in. And for the vast majority of us, that thought has to do with one of just a very few things our personal health, the health of our children or our parents. Can I get a job, keep a job, pay the bills by the end of the month. For so many of our students, can I pay off their students? Can they pay off their student loans? The vast majority of us have so much more uncommon than what separates us.

And we've got to hold on to that in this fight right now, and then look to twenty eighteen, frankly, and the elections that are coming up in almost two hundred days as an opportunity to act. What I love about this moment with this administration and power is people

are acting. Look back to the Women's March, look it to the March for Our Lives, the March for science, because also doesn'tinistration is putting forward policies that basically say science should not be the basis of public policy, which is ridiculous, but people are taken to the streets in a way they never have and in that way, our democracy is working. Now. We just got to take to the streets and then walk those streets to the polling place and vote. Because they used to say we couldn't

vote legally, we weren't allowed to vote. Now they say we won't. We need to get out and vote because voting, US voting is connected to every one of the other issues. US voting is connected to who's going to be in office and how they think about criminal justice policy. Who's going to be office and pay attention to something like

the rate of black babies and infant mortality. Who's going to pay attention to the fact that young black men are still at the bottom of the economic ladder in terms of opportunity, much less success in economic Who's in office is going to make a difference. All right, we have more with Senator Kamala Harris. When we come back, don't move. It's the Breakfast Club. Good morning, the Breakfast Club. You're checking out the world's most dangerous morning show. Morning.

Everybody is DJ Envy, Angela Yee, Charlomagne the guy. We are the Breakfast Club. Now it's Martin Luther King Day, We're gonna get back out interview with Kamala Harris. This was the first time that she actually stopped through. All right, don't move, it's a breakfast club. Good morning. We have Senator Kamala Harris still in the building. Charlomagne And I know, of course you just mentioned me too in times of your big supporters to that, but you're also a too

short fan. Yes, I am too short. Yes, my favorite Senator Harris was my favorite words. Not doing that. I'm not doing that. I'm not doing that. Two short straight from Oakland. But you can, you can, you can? You can like both? Right, yeah, yeah, yeah, of course I love music. Now they call you the female Barack Obama. That's what I've seen when I get Now, now, are you are you considering and or do you see yourself possibly running for president? Is that right now? I'm just

focused on what's in front of me. You know, I've seen too many people focus on that thing out there and they trip over the thing right in front of them in front. I was just in Detroit last weekend campaigning and talking to folks about the need to get out and vote. Um, I'll be all over this all over many states. I'm gonna be in Chicago, I'm gonna be in Wisconsin, I'll be in Florida, probably go to Philly. We really have to turn out of Look what happened

in Alabama. Everybody should really see and remember what happened just in a recent election where Doug Jones, a white Democrat. The math is that a white Democrat won in the South because of black women. So our vote really matters when we get out. It was over ninety percent of black men who we came out of this. Yeah, and that's right, And that's right. That's that's exactly right, that's exactly right. You was on the debate team in college. How does that help you in your line of work?

First of all, it taught you how to um, to come back from an argument, you know. It teaches you how to stand in front of a room of people and express your point and then and then when your point is being attacked, to come back and respond um. It teaches you how to think quickly, and it gives you confidence in the fact that you can stand in front of a room of people in state of position and defend it. Because sometimes for so many of us, we're the only one who is like us in a room.

And when you're the only one like you in a room, there is a natural tendency to want to just kind of blend in. But what you learn during debate, or what you learn at an HBCU, or if you have the blessing of having a family or a community that teaches you, um, you learn instead that when you're in that room, you got to speak up, and you've got to acquire the skills to know how to do that

and to have the confidence to do it. You know, I mentor a lot of people and I always tell them your entire life, you will have many experiences where you're the only one like you in that room, the only one looks like you, the only one who's had the experiences you've had. And when you sit in that room, you have to remember we are all in that room with you. There was the Minangelo quote, I'm not alone

because I stand ten. Yeah. Yeah, it's funny because I put my kids in debate class because of that, to be able to use their words to fight back and not have to use their hands. And it's still hurt just the same. And you got to objectively see both

sides right. And also and to your point, also, the great thing about learning debate is that you learn their rules of debate, right, you know, because also to your point, when you argue, some people would suggest that's pure emotion and that if you're getting in an argument with somebody, you're just emotional and unreasonable. What debate teaches you is no, it's actually quite civilized to stand up and disagree with someone, and there are rules about how you do it, because

that is what is done among thinking people. You do debate. I mean, you can go back to history in different forms of debate. The dozens. Yes, that was until you didn't like what they said and you and you just keep it right. But that's that was debate. That's your question, you know. You mentioned, of course we went to HBCUs. How important is the HBCU because we got away from it a couple of years ago and I'm looking at a lot of the colleges in attendance and enrollment is low.

So how important is HBCU to you and especially black families? Let me tell you. I am who I am today for two reasons because of my mother and the family I was raising, and Howard University and HBCU. What you and I know when we walked onto that campus for the first time, we were surrounded by people that look like us all everywhere. Everybody you walk onto and I'll just speak about Howard, but I know Hampton is the same.

You walk onto that campus, you can look over on one area and you will see a bunch of young African Americans who are students who are in the business school walking around with briefcases. You look over at another area and they're walking around in leotards because they're in

the School of Fine Arts. The football captain and star, and the homecoming queen and the debate team, and there are sororities and fraternity and what you learn at an HBCU is you do not have to fit into somebody's limited prospective on what it means to be young, gifted, in black. You can be all those things. When I was at Howard, I pledged a sorority, I was on the debate team, I was the chair of the Economic Society, and I went to my share of parties too. And

you didn't have to choose. You could be fully actualized. And there was such beauty to that, because this country still has such a limited you of what it means for a person to be young and smart and black. And so at those years when you're learning your identity to be in that environment where basically everybody just says to you can be whatever you want to be, and by the way, and if you don't, it's because you need to work harder, right, Because that's the other thing

that happens. You can't walk away and say, oh, it's because of my skin color that I didn't get that. Nope, Nope, that's not it. So it's a wonderful um, it's a wonderful place to learn who you are and to be proud of who you are and to leave them with the confidence of walking into the world also knowing one other thing. You know, people from time and time will come up to you and they'll say, oh, you're special,

You're unique. And I tell people, don't let it, don't let anybody tell you that, because there is there is something about being told that that also suggests you're the only one like you, which means you're alone. And what an HBCU SEU reminds us of. No, we come with people, We got people. There are a lot of us. We're not alone, right, well made you want to go to HBCU with a different world. No, I have family members that went to Howard. Wanted to go to Howard. Yeah,

got you, wells she has to go. So one last one, brother, Well, I saw you talking about corporate donations. Yeah, and you said you would depend It depends whether you would take them or not. I think that money has had such an outside influence on politics, and especially with the Supreme Court determining Citizens United, which basically means that big corporations

can spend unlimited amounts of money influencing a campaign. Right, We're all supposed to have an equal vote, but money has now really tipped the balance between an individual having equal power in an election to a corporation. So I've actually made a decision since I had that conversation that I'm not going to accept corporate pack checks. Wow, um, I just I'm not. You're gonna raise money for campaigns

and stuff? Well, you know, I've raised so far this year three million dollars for my colleagues for the twenty eighteen election cycle, and most of that money has been like an eighteen dollars twenty dollars increments. People are turning out what's the website yet? How can people um go to Kamala Harris dot org and you will find it. Okay, a m LA Harris. If you decided to run for president in twenty twenty, we'll do a fund raise before you're right here on the radio now, we definitely will.

We did one last year for Harry belafontas organization Change for Change, so we can get you a million of two. Okay, if you decide, have ever been a dream of yours? Have you ever thought about it? I had so many dreams, I had so many. I do though, I really do. I do see the beauty of you, know, everything that you raised in terms of the reaction and the other side of the tragedy of what's happening, and that gives me a great sense of optimism about our future and

in the history of our people. We march, we shout, we sing, we dance. Right, Look at who just got the pulletzerprise mister right, you had him on you, but look at that. Look at Beyonce and what she did at Chawa. Right. It has always been as part of our history that our artists, everybody is part of the movement. Everyone understands that It's about the expression of feeling, and we can do that with joy and with with conviction

and with purpose. Great. I think God is setting us up for a woman of color president in twenty I think that Senator Kamala Harris. I think she's our future president. And I hope she hope God puts his hands on her and says, you know what, I want you to do. This as God playing put that on your playlist. Two by drid But we thank you joining us. Thank you guys, it's honor to be with you. Thank you for coming. All right, It's the Breakfast Cloud. Good morning, the Breakfast Club.

Your mornings will never be the same. Piece of the planning. I go by the name of Charlomagne, the God and Look. Audible delivers all kinds of audio entertainment all in one app. You get an undebeatable selection of best sellers and new releases, plus thousands of included titles. They enjoy all you want from select Audible originals, the audio books, to podcasts, including

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Junior Man. The positive note is darkness cannot drive out darkness, only light can do that. Hate cannot drive out hate, only love can do that. And Nasal King Breakfast Club is you don't finish it. Y'all done, gonna tolerate the same stuff. You don't eff with people the same. You're closer to your inner self, You're focused on your goals, and you take better care of you. Time to break out of your old shell and become the best version of yourself. Breakfast Club, you'll finish or y'all dumb