Anger is an Energy

the week. But one particular segment is getting a lot of attention, and it was a segment that I did with reverenel on his show Politics Nation, and it was with regard to Elon Musk and the fact that he wanted to buy or at least rumors state that he wanted to buy Twitter for you know something forty something billion dollars because he wanted to create a town hall town square that where he believes that freedom of speech would reign supreme, that anyone could say anything at any point.

And that is completely and totally fine, because, as I said yesterday, he doesn't want to follow anybody's rules. He's a rich, famous white man in America in the world, right, and he doesn't feel like he needs to subscribe to anybody's norms or values or morals. He can create his own, He can buy his own, He can buy fucking people if he so chooses right. And you know, I have said before I fucking hate Elon Musk, and I'll say it again. I think that he is a transphobe. I

think that he is a bigot. I think he's a fame who are I think that there are a list of things that I can say about Elon Musk that makes him a detestable human being. And I don't really care how wealthy he is. I don't really care how famous he is and how he gets to tap dance into every room, because you know, by virtue of fame and wealth, you're labeled a genius. And it doesn't matter if you're actually a bastard, if your character doesn't match

up right to the inventions that you have done. People can be both, and you know, we're layered complex people. And just by virtue of being a quote unquote genius or whoever labels you as such, doesn't mean that you're a good person. It doesn't mean that, frankly, millions of people should fucking follow you But what I realize about this dust up and people wanting to come for me on social media and tell me that I'm stupid, that I don't know what I'm talking about, that I'm uneducated,

and how dare I come for their fucking deity? I think to myself, you know what the addiction to fame and to wealth, that what it has done to our society, right, Like we have Donald Trump because of reality TV, Right, because of the fact that people love the idea of this famous man being on television telling people that you're hired or you're fired after I put them through a million obstacles and tests that he's never had to go through. Right. So this is the thing too that pisses me off.

And somebody had written about this recently where they were just like, why is it that we look on the cover of Forbes magazines and the Wall Street journals and these places, and we interview celebrities who and wealthy people who were born into said celebrity and said wealth, and then we're able to capitalize on already having a name, already having money, already having a brand, right and then be able to do want to, you know, extraordinary things

with it. Well, if you were born with a fucking silver spoon in your mouth, if you were born with unlimited access, where do you think that you would be? I would much rather see the front pages of these business magazines and innovation and all of these things with people that actually came from nothing, right, or people who came from a working middle class family, right, who were then able to turn into something extraordinary. Those are stories that I care about, And what I realize is that

America loves any story. Right? Did we put Kylie Jenner on the cover as the youngest self made billionaire? Is Kylie Jenner really a self made billionaire? She's not self made? She was born into one of the most if not now when she was born, it was a famous family, right, The Kardashian Jenner clan were a famous family. You're one of your arns was the most famous Olympian of their time. Right. The other one was married to a famed you know,

Beverly Hills, la lawyer. Right. So I get the fact that you were able to take the wealth and the notoriety that you had to be able to come up with an idea where doors open for you because of your name, because of your reality TV show, and you were able to manufacture these things and then figure out, through virtue of your brand and your social media reach to become a billionaire. But can we tell the fucking

truth about these people, like the entire truth. I'm not taking away your business acumen, but to say that somebody is self made to say that, to equate genius, right, to say that Elon Musk is a genius and somehow that makes him worthy of being able to say whatever he wants, whenever he wants, to whomever he wants, regardless of the harm that it causes. Right. Because here's the

thing too, This is the thing. If I were to do a then diagram between those who want no encroachment whatsoever on guns and then those people who want no encroachment whatsoever on free speech, I guarantee you that what would be in the middle would be a Trump supporter. Right. I want to be able to say as much vile and hateful shit as I can because that is my liberty and my freedom. The rest of you be damned.

And then on the other hand, I want to be able to carry my AAR fifteen into a fucking Starbucks because that long rifle makes me feel like a man. Right, So you know, I think that it is important for us to interrogate the reactions that people have when you go after their self made deities. Right when you have the audacity to challenge the billionaires and the famous people in the world for wanting them to do better with

the platforms that they have. Right, Like you know, Elon Musk, by way of skirting around rules and regulations, his life is fucking monopoly. He can just buy up whatever he wants and people don't care about the consequences of that. They just get to fill their pockets right and walk away. They don't think to themselves, Hum, what would it be

like if an Elon Musk were to run Twitter? Right, somebody with no morals and a clear hatred in your heart for trans people in the LGBTQ community and black people and other marginalized people that you love to make fun of because you can, right, Because nobody's ever gonna you know, blacklist you or turn you away. Right, you're the one that gets to go to the UN and say, you know, I could give you money for X, Y and Z, but you need to come up with a

report for me to prove why you're worthy. This is the world that we are living in where you can commodify any fucking thing, and I just you know, I want us to have ask more fucking questions. Frankly, have more consideration. One of my favorite lines, which can really go through pretty much anything. I think you can apply it to anything, was in the original Jurassic Park. And in the original Jurassic Park you have what is his name? I need to look it up because I want to

get his name right. My God, did you know that that film was from nineteen ninety three? Jesus anyway, Jeff Goldbloom's character, he's one of the scientists that is brought to this island where they have decided that they can

bring back these dinosaurs to life. And what an amazing attraction it will be not taking into consideration right, as his character would say, Ian Malcolm, the scientist, you know, you never stopped in the midst of realizing that you could do something to ask yourself whether you should right. Just because you can right have the ability to bring back a dinosaur, you know, man's biggest predator does not

mean you should do it right. And so by virtue, when I think about social media, I'm thinking about just because Elon Musk has the ability to buy Twitter, to buy the space right where initially it was thinking about ways in which we could democratize people's voices, people's impact. Right, Like the whole point of social media if we all remember, way way way back when was about connecting other people.

What does it mean if we're able to connect right and you know, you think about the good side, the way that we're able to right now follow the war in Ukraine and follow it in real time, not just on television but across all social media platforms. The ability to be able to donate to people, to be able to help to raise awareness, all of these things. But then, of course you don't think about the downside. What is it done to our youth and their opinions of themselves,

their self esteem, their emotional and mental well being. We are always in such a rush to do the next great thing that we don't stop to say, should we should we be doing these things? Should Mark Zuckerberg be allowed to fucking buy up social media companies and create one big giant conglomerate. How does that measure up against our anti trust laws that we haven't updated, you know,

since the invention of the fucking telephone. So you know, I had spent you know, a little time going back and forth with these clowns on Twitter, and then I realize I don't actually give a fuck, right, y'all are not going to take my energy? Right, my joy, my nothing. You don't like what I say, don't fucking listen. That's the that's the beauty, right. You don't like what I tweet? You don't like that people have me on TV? Don't watch?

You know, they are a myriad of Joe Rogan wannabes and Tucker Carlson wannabes that you can go and connect with and love up on right and have nobody ever question the why behind things. But I do. That is my job, That is my passion and what I believe my purpose to be. So if you have not seen the clip of me on MSNBC talking about Elon muss By, all means go through my Twitter feed because it's filled with hay to raid at this At this moment, folks, I want to switch gear as I get ready to

introduce today's interview. We are living in extraordinary times. In a couple of months, Rovie Wade will be overturned after close to fifty years of existence. So fifty year olds right now, do not ever remember a time when you weren't able to get an abortion in this land of the free, home of the brave. There was also a time when you know, women couldn't apply for credit cards

without their husband's approval or their fathers. I'm pretty sure Republicans would like to take us back to that place as well, where women and people with uteruses know their place right, and their place is not in control of their own bodies, not in control of their own futures. Because that's really what this is about, right. The ability to have an abortion, to have one safely, is the ability to take your life, your future into your own hands, to be able to make the decision about how, when

and if you want to be a parent. Because here's the thing, it's not as if the Republican Party is offering up for you all of the wraparound services and

the aid that you would need. Right if you are saying a person that is in a low wage job, who already has multiple mouths to feed and now realizes that they are pregnant right and cannot afford it, it's not as if Republicans are coming out and saying we believe in families so strongly that we are going to make pre K universal right, that we are going to subsidize your child's daycare, that we are going to ensure that they have the most robust public education possible, and

that our schools are going to be community hubs because we're going to provide you know, breakfast, lunch, and dinner. Right, that you're going to have free healthcare for your children. No, No, it's Democrats that offer all of those things that Republicans try and short change and block right, because government can't be the answer to everything, but it can be the

answer to whether or not you can be apparent. Because now we are a country that believes enforced labor right now, we are a country that believes that government shouldn't have responsibility over anything but be able to dictate how, when, and if you have a family. We just this week had a federal judge Trump appointed judge who the American Bar Association says was unqualified stripe down mask mandates on public transportation. Republicans don't give a fuck about your health.

They don't give a fuck about your wellness, right, but they want to talk about liberty and safety. They want to know. They don't talk about safety, let me let me not misspeak. They want to talk about liberty and freedom because to them they are bumper stickers. They have no real meaning behind it, just for their ability, their liberty and their freedom to oppress, to dictate the outcomes

of everyone else's lives. That's what they want. But do you see we never challenge them in the town square, right. We want to fight them with facts and statistics as opposed to the emotion which leads most of our policy. So coming up next is a conversation that really did get a bit emotional for myself and my guest, Emily Wales, who is the interim CEO of Planned Parenthood in Great Plains, and she will talk about what they are up against.

She will provide real life stories right of the fact that while the rest of the country is bracing for the end of Rob Wade, she will illuminate from me and hopefully all of you that Rob Wade has long been overturned in many red states that have one abortion clinic in an entire state. Right. So we will talk about Oklahoma, we will talk about the Supreme corp. But most importantly, we will talk about the real lived, the real lived and real life implications for the decisions that

will be coming down in June. That conversation, dear friends is coming up next, Folks. I am very happy to welcome to Okay f Daily for the very first time Emily Wales, who is the interim president and CEO of Planned Parenthood in Great Plains. Emily, you know, thank you so much for making the time, because I can imagine that your calendar is quite full these days. Can you give us some perspective, just how are you feeling right now with the the onslaught of anti abortion legislation, of

anti abortion sentiment. Give us give us your feeling on where you are right now. Yeah, thanks so much for having me. Um. It's a hard question to answer. I think how I'm feeling. It does feel a little bit like we have been in this crazy sprint since September when our Oklahoma centers started getting overwhelmed with Texans and we modified our operations were the number of patient slots

and visits and flying physicians. And now in the middle of this race, the legislature and the governor have thrown up this giant barrier and potentially blocked us from providing care. So I don't know. I think our team is really struggling to figure out how we serve patients the best we can and try to prepare them right now that they may schedule an appointment and not actually get care with us and have to go somewhere else. So it's

a it's a pretty overwhelming moment. You know. One of the things I had seen recently and spoke about on the show was a report that came out. I guess a report had started on women in Texas, and you know, the report had said that basically forty five of people in Texas that are trying to get abortions were going across state lines into Oklahoma, and if half more, almost

half of those people were headed to Oklahoma. And now what we are seeing from the governor is that they're not only doing an outright ban, they are also criminalizing. So can you speak to how we have seen because I feel like this is beyond what happened pre Roe V. Way like this is beyond nineteen seventy three. The opposition is moving into a place of criminalization of care. So

can you speak to that? Yeah, you're absolutely right. I think the goal is not to be as restrictive or as secretive as a post roal world, but to be worse. And there are things about the bills signing this week, the governor actually joked about arresting Texans on the state line and said, oh no, this will take this law will take care of that. We won't even need to arrest them now because they can't get care of here.

There is a level of I think glee on the Republicans side at seeing this crisis that they are creating, and they're tripping over themselves to do it. You know, we have one band that's been signed and three or four other bands that are moving, and we anticipate potentially he'll sign all of them and we'll end up with a total band, a thirty day ban, a six week band.

It is hard to understand what the end game is except for I think scaring patients on our side and getting all kinds of political points and you know, a rally among their anti choice supporters. That's what this is,

you know. And the word glee, I'm really happy that you that you brought that up, because I think that the viciousness and the cruelty that is attached to these bills doesn't speak to the excitement right that we are seeing from their rallies, that we're seeing from these governor signings. And what are you hearing from patients, whether they're you know, is still coming into office or via email or phone.

What is the sentiment that they that they are expressing. Yeah, I think the really heartbreaking thing about this for us is that we had patients pretty early on in this crisis say to us, I got pulled over on my way from Texas and I lied to the officer about where I was going. You know, I'm not drunk, I was going too fast whatever the issue was, but I felt if I told him I was getting an abortion,

maybe I would be arrested. And the Texas law does not have criminal effects, but people are scared and they don't understand it, and so then to have the governor make jokes about that, it just shows how far removed to you is from the experienced people are having on

the ground. They do feel like they can't tell their family and friends where they're going, even though some of us will say, oh, my partner would be supportive or my mom would be supportive, But I don't want to put them at risk by telling them that I'm seeking abortion care, so I didn't say anything, and I came by myself and I'm trying to figure out how I'm to get home, Emily, What are the emotional repercussions of that? Because this, you know, I talk to abortion activists all

the time. I try and actually make it a regular part of topics that I cover on the show, because I think that it is so incredibly important to like initially with about reducing stigma. Now it is it's it's so much bigger than just reducing the stigma. What do you think that the emotional effects are? What are you seeing?

You know, with regard to this deep fear. We have patients who are I think, barely making it to us because of the strain of getting care, the emotional anxiety of not telling anyone feeling like what they're doing is criminal, even for those who need it for medical reasons. Right. We have patients who come to us and say, my doctor advised that I get to Oklahoma. I shouldn't have to hide this, and you shouldn't know, patients, you have

to hide it. But we are worried about what's happening with our patients, and we have changed, you know, before September. Most patients could get to us, even with the restrictions in place in our states. They could figure out how to navigate themselves there. And now what we're seeing is really the opposite. Most patients cannot without a significant amount of support. Where we are helping make their hotel rooms, we're helping figure out gas cards, we're helping explain state restrictions.

Because I think that even the emotional toll of adding on the logistical elements in their in their journey to get care is too much. And so we're trying to live where we can alleviate all of those additional barriers. We're trying to do that. So all you have to do is focus on getting an appointment, getting in your car, getting on the road, and then we will take care of everything we can for you once you get here,

because it is too much for people to handle. And I think about you know, like you just said that that people are not even sharing with their loved ones, with their families, with their friends. I mean part of that being, if you're coming from Texas, the vigilante aspect of it, right, If you let me tell you something, and this was one of the things that I first thing that I thought about when Abbott rolled out this bill.

I said, if people are in a place of economic desperation, right, which more Americans than not these days find themselves, right, and you're looking and you're saying, ten thousand dollars, ten thousand dollars can be fairly life changing, right, And so if if so and so won't find out that it was me that made the call, right, then you know it's a collection day, and I and so it's in

thinking about that. It's said it like, do you believe that part of this is part of this operation that Republicans are doing across the country, is about turning neighbor against neighbor, is about like seating this distrust. Absolutely. I think at first there's a part of me that thought this was just the most creative approach. Right. There has been a race to the bottom. What is the most restrictive, outrageous, attention grabbing version of the law we can create, And

there is an element of that here. But I also think it does capture this sort of individualistic, sovereign citizen perception people have on the conservative side in this moment, Right, we are not a collective community. We're not thinking about what other people in our world want. We're just thinking about what we can get and what we think they

should do. And that's exactly what this bill does. It just says it empowers me to decide what care you should get or you shouldn't get, and I get to turn you in and maybe make some money off of it. You're so right it. You know, we have moved and this is a thing that again I feel like a messaging and in speaking with Democrats that the messaging is not there. Republicans are not about the collective. They've never

been about the collective. They've never been about community. It is about individualistic desires, greed right at the basis of it, that this this idea that I am better, Right when when Donald Trump came out and said I alone can fix this, it is that it is that kind of mentality. You know, I know that you're this planned parenthood, Your planned parenthood is in Great Plains. What is happening with the collection of plant parenthoods oh around the country. What

is the communication like? And I guess the strategy if if if there if there is, if there is one or can be one. For a long time, patients have seen plan parenthood I think with one lens, right, whether you go to college, you go to Plant Parenthood, you go back home, you go to Planned Parenthood, but you have been going to different affiliates. Right, We're a fed rated structure where there are distinctions between the organizations at

the local level. But right now we are working across the federation to eliminate those distinctions because it doesn't work to go home to Texas after having gotten an abortion of Oklahoma and not be part of the same network. So we are trying to do as much as possible warm handoffs because for a lot of folks, going to a Planned Parenthood or an independent abortion provider is the only place that feels safe to talk about what you've experienced,

and that's just going to increase. I think as we worry about Oklahoma losing access, we think about our Oklahoma patients who will now go to Kansas or Colorado or New Mexico to get care. And the last thing we want is to them to come home and never speak a word of this, and never say what happened, and feel like they can't tell they're obed im This was

part of my medical history. So I do think the Federation is taking that really seriously and trying to create a network of safe spaces, because people deserve dignity when they get the care, but they are dignity when they get home, and even if they can't get care at home, we want to be the place that they can come for education, information and just a level of support that

you can speak about your experience here. You just said something that I did not think about, which is going to see your obgyn and not giving a full picture of your history. Can you speak more on that? So, for instance, we just saw the case in Texas of Lizzelle Herrera, Right, Lizzelle Herrera twenty six years old, goes

to the hospital after administering and at home abortion. I don't know, and I still am not clear and maybe you know if much in the same way, if you're if you go to a hospital and you've been shot, it is the hospital must report to the police department that we have gunshot victim, right, so that then there can be this tracing that happens, right, we is it criminal activity? You know all of these things. The hospital that miss Herrera went to report it, she was arrested.

She was being charged with murder. Right um The DA ends up dropping that case, thankfully, but that is because of that DA right. So if women in people and women in Oklahoma then go someplace else for care Kansas, like you brought up, they go to an obgyn check up in a month or two months or what have you, they disclose this does the does it obgyn? Are they legally responsible for reporting this? Like? What what does that

look like? So it does every by state law, and we have an O states a version of that that does exist already. There are complications reporting requirements where you do have to say, a patient disclosed to me that they are having you bleeding or some other issue that's the results of an abortion complication. Now, sometimes we disagree on the medical side what's actually a complication versus an

adverse outcome that's anticipated? Right? The state of course thinks that if you get a headache after your abortion, that had to be related to the care. It's this broad example of all everything and anything that you might have, including maybe feeling criminalized by your state. I think a lot of patients based trauma because of state restrictions that have nothing to do with the actual care they receive.

But we do see that you have hospital requirements or physician requirements where you have to report those complications to the state and they can look into them. That's not a shock. The shocking thing, of course, is the criminal charges that occurred there, and the idea that anyone would be punished for the outcome of their pregnancy is horrifying.

What I think doesn't It doesn't really matter though. What's we goal is what we're seeing because in our states, you can legally get an abortion in Oklahoma, and the Texas law doesn't have that extra territoriality issue. It doesn't try to reach into Oklahoma and say that's illegal. I think we're coming to that. I think we've seen previews of that in other states. But right now, you can legally get an abortion Oklahoma. But patients are scared to

say anything. Patients are not going to disclose this because they do feel they're asking us, why are my rights different here than they were seven or eight months ago? Why are they different Oklahoma than they were in Texas? And so we as medical providers are trying to give some answer that is totally unsatisfying, I think to us and to them, and we can see in their eyes they will not disclose this when they go home. Because

they don't think that they can. Yeah, let me ask you this too, just in thinking about what are some of the normal not complications, but the normal after effects of an abortion. And if and if you don't disclose to an obgyn at of fear, does that can it threaten your your life and your and your health. Yeah, there absolutely can be complications that you need to get

follow up care somewhere locally. Right. We often we always follow up with our patients your phone calls, We do tracking and lab work to make sure that their abortion completed successfully and that they are healthy. But there are

times when you may have ongoing bleeding or cramps. There are times too where an adverts dot com can be that a medication abortion particular is not successful and a pregnancy can be ongoing, and you need to know that so that you can get subsequent care or repeat a process and have you go through the abortion process again.

If you're doing medication abortion, and if you're not telling anyone and if you feel like you can't talk about those things, you could have complications that could be very concerning. The Rates of complications are low, but it's like any medical procedure where you need to have follow up in a conversation with a medical provider if you can, Emily, what happens to planned parenthood in Great Plains um following the institution of this law. Plant. I mean, abortion is

not the only care that you will provide. But I can remember in you know, in college, going to planned parenthood. I went to school in Virginia, so it was in Washington, DC. And you know, I remember the picketers, right, Like, I remember those people. And I'm just like, I'm going in here for like a regular check up, Like I'm just you know, I'm not home by my regular doctor, right, So this is this is where I'm going for care. What happens? What do you what? What do you envision?

We have been in Oklahoma in particular for decades, right and the majority of our services even now, even with the increase in need and abortion care, the majority of our services our contraception and STI testing and treatment, cancer screening.

So we'll still provide all of those services, but for abortion patients in particular, we will have to become the place where you've come to find out if you're pregnant, talk to someone safe about the options you have with a pregnancy, and then we will help navigate you out of state and will also be there to provide support services when you get home and follow up there. It will look very different for abortion patients, but we're still going to be here. You know, We've lived through this

in other parts of our territory. In Missouri, when I joined Planned Parenthoodway Plans, we had two abortion facility licenses and both of them were lost due to state restrictions where the web of requirements became totally untenable and we couldn't meet everything. And we still have protesters every single day at some of those centers, even though they haven't

provided abortion care in a number of years. And the protesters know that they know what's on our schedule, they know what's services we offer, and it is not a deterrent. I think for many of them, My parenthood is going to be the you know, the bad guy, no matter what it is. It's a part of their of their work, So they show up every single day and harass patients who are coming in for birth control. Are you worried,

Emily about this shit? You know, because at the beginning we're talking about the gleefulness, and I am stuck on the gleefulness and the sinister nature of the Republican strategy and plan and the escalation that we are seeing. Are you worried? Are the people that work you know with you concerned? Yeah, I'm really worried. I'm worried about our patients and the folks who won't become our patients because

they can't take care or feel like they can. I'm worried about I think the level of vitriol that's directed at people who could get pregnant in this country and the fact that their medical choices are not their own. There is something just so deeply disturbing about the desire I think of politicians, particularly light conservative male politicians, who feel very comfortable reaching in and trying to control other people's lives. So, yeah, I'm deeply worried about them, and

I'm worried about our team members too. In this moment of crisis. You know, we have been it feels a little bit like we had this tidal wave of Texans come to Oklahoma and we scrambled and made care happen for more patients than we ever have for abortion services in the past. And then the legislature just you know,

had the wave go right over us. And all it means is that patients who can gather the resources and figure out logistics, they will go to neighboring states, they will go farther, they will sleep in their car another night. But a whole bunch of patients are not going to be able to do that, and that is a reality that absolutely keeps me and I think our team up

and night. Last question for you, Emily. For people who are listening to this and they want to do something, they want to be of help, they what can they do a few different things. One thing is support local abortion funds. It has been so critical to our work in providing travel supports for patients. We went from doing six seven thousand dollars a month primarily for Missourians to get to Kansas because Missouri has been living in a reality of far too few abortion providers for a long time,

so that was happening before. But now we're doing sixty five seventy five thousand dollars a month in travel supports, and that is largely made possible by local abortion funds who are helping people get hotel costs covered, who are helping with gas. So find out what those are visit our website pp great planes. We are trying to offset

the cost of care as much as possible. And then I think, you know, an interesting thing to consider too, is that in our four states, we have three states with trigger laws where abortion will become outlawed if ros overturn or maybe even before then considering the Texas style bands we have moving. But Kansas stands in this really unique position in that it has a state constitutional protection

for abortion. It will continue providing care. It will be the next, I think, at the front line location for us. But Kansons are going to vote on August second on whether or not they keep the state constitutional protection or remove it, and I think really go against the course of history and take out protections in their own constitution for people who are pregnant to make decisions about their pregnancies.

So we have this battle on multiple fronts. We're trying to provide care, we're trying to get as many patients seen as possible, but we are totally focused on communicating to Kansens what the crisis looks like, because we know it is happening just south in Oklahoma and people are going to be in crisis soon in Kansas. And so we are doing all we can to educate and communicate that bands are coming to Kansas if we don't get

together and respond and protect access here. Emily, I can't thank you enough one for the work that you're doing, to you, to your staff, to the volunteers, all of the people in Great Plains that are assisting people at a really terrifying moment in our country. And I hope that you will come back and join us on will Gap and keep us posted on all that's happening and how people can continue to get involved. I appreciate you, Thank you. I appreciate you, and thank you for talking

about this. I think it's been a thing that not enough of us have wanted to say publicly, what care looks like, how close we were to a crisis. Texas is a huge state, but as you add even smaller states like Oklahoma, the system it's about to break and we are seeing that now. So I appreciate you talking about it. Thank you. That is it for me to day on woke f as always, Power to the people and to all the people. Power, get woke and stay woke as fuck.