Transcripts For CNNW Anderson 20240703

Sentences for modified crimes, including two separate bombings, and the torture and murder of an 11yearold boy who testified against the mob. Captured, dies in less than a year. Year. Ac 360 starts now. Captions by vitac www. Vitac. Com tonight on 360, six days until a Government Shutdown, the man who could prevent it, House Speaker Kevin Mccarthy cant or wont if it means risking his job. And senator bob menendez, and whether anyone buys his explanation. Two more fellow democrats in the senate want him gone. And the words of a young poet, amanda gorman, and her warning about silencing writers and banning books. Good evening. Thanks for joining us. We begin tonight with Kevin Mccarthy, who by title, at least, is the most powerful republican in washington, not to mention as Speaker Of The House, second in line after Vice President harris to the presidency. It is a lofty role and lofty title. And today when asked about what it takes about working with democrats to prevent a Government Shutdown, Speaker Mccarthy had a lofty answer. My whole focus, whats in my mind, what drives me, is the American People. My whole focus, he said to cnns manu raju, is the American People. According to the census bureau, there are upwards of 335 Million People in the country. If Speaker Mccarthy were truly doing the peoples business, it would be an achievement. Tonight the evidence suggests hes mostly concerned with just five or so people, as in the five or so House Republicans who have so far blocked any legislation to keep the government operating after the end of the month, something President Biden underscored today. Just a few months ago, the Speaker Of The House and i agreed to spending levels for the government. Now, a small group of extreme House Republicans, they dont want to live up to that deal, and everyone in america could be faced with paying the price for that. Paying the price will be people who rely on Government Services and federal employees, including those who have to stay on the job with no money coming in, air traffic controllers, tsa, border agents. A shutdown means no paychecks for people in uniform. It could mean trouble for investors and the economy. The Political Party responsible pays the price on election day. Speaker mccarthy can avoid that by getting those five or so members of his own party on board, which has been tough enough, but just got tougher. In it he says republicans will not be blamed for the shutdown, quote, shut it down unless they get, quote, everything that theyre demanding. That reduces any clout Speaker Mccarthy might have had because its from the defacto leader in the Republican Party. And on top of not being able to gain the support of those five, he faces the prospect of losing his speakership by reaching across the aisle. Well see what is the priority for Speaker Mccarthy, whats best for the American People, as he says, or preserving his own position in power. Joining us now, james clyburn. Congressman clyburn, youve said that a Government Shutdown is not a foregone conclusion. Are you still relatively optimistic, even as the clock ticks . Yes, i am. Im just an optimist, i guess. I think that cooler heads will prevail in the final analysis. If we have a shutdown, i dont think we will recover from it any time soon. We are talking about us shutting down the government on the heels of a comeback from the Worst Health Care crisis weve had in this country in over 100 years. And we know what that did to the economy. Kids are getting back in school now, settling back into a normal routine, businesses are back up and running again. We now have a lot of unhappy workers, and we see strikes taking place because everybody is trying to get back on even keel, back to where we were before the pandemic. And for us to shut the government down now, that will destroy everything that needs to be done in order to get our country back just functioning but flourishing again. You said cooler heads will prevail. Who are the cooler heads . Speaker do you think mccarthy will attempt to work with democrats on a shortterm Stopgap Spending Bill . That would almost certainly endanger his speakership. Yeah, it may endanger his speakership. But ill tell you this. I do believe he has 150, 160, solid republicans in his conference who will stay with him no matter what. I do believe that he can find the other votes beyond the 150, 60, he needs on the democratic side if he were to settle down, sit down with Hakeem Jeffries and negotiate a way forward. I do believe thats possible. Do you think he would lose his speakership if he did that . Well, i said, if he got solid 160 people, why would he lose the speakership . You come out of your conference, the majority of the conference. So, he has around 221, 222 people, 150 or 60 certainly who would be reporting him in the conference. Then he gets to the floor, and thats when he sits down with Hakeem Jeffreys and see what he needs to do to get the other votes he needs on the democratic side. If theyre going to put people above politics, then Something Like this would be the way to go. What do you make of the social media post from the former president . How much influence do you think he has on this process . Unfortunately, he seems to have quite a bit of influence. And i dont understand, for the life of me. Ive been around this earth for a long, long time. Ive been in politics all but 12 or 15 of those years. And ive just never seen anything like this. I dont know anybody who would want this man, who seems to be controlling the Republican Party it seems to me that we ought to be looking at the leader of this country in such a way that we can say to our children, that is somebody you can look up to. With the record that he has, four indictments floating around, the kind of language that he use, threatening people, the kind of bullying that we all teach our children not to do, he does it all. And they seem to be listening to him. Let me ask you well, let me ask you because the former president campaigned in your home state, south carolina, today. He got endorsements from the State Attorney General and the secretary of state. Those are the folks responsible for election integrity. What does it tell you that they would choose the former president over a nikki haley or tim scott, also from your state . Yeah, he was in summerville, south carolina, today. My dad was passionate growing up. Im very familiar with that community. Theyre godfearing people. Theyre good people, who live by the Judaea Christian principles that we all were raised by. I dont quite understand why they feel it is necessary for them to kowtow to a guy like this. Hes not going to be elected president of the United States. Even if he were to get their nomination. And i dont think getting the nomi nomination, for him, is a foregone conclusion. Congressman clyburn, appreciate your time tonight. Thank you. Thank you very much for having me. Now senator bob menendez, member of the finance and banking committees, is under federal indictment accused of taking bribes. Today shortly before a Second Democratic senator called for his resignation, he offered an explanation, of sorts, for the cash found in his home. And tonight a third democrat has joined the other two. So, kara, talk more about What Menendez is saying about why he had all this cash in his home and gold bars . This was the first Public Statement he made addressing this indictment. And according to the indictment, he received hundreds of thousands of dollars in bribes in exexchange for his effort to aid three new jersey businessmen and the government of egypt. Today he said he thinks hes going to be completely exonerated when all the facts are in. He offered an explanation for why the fbi, when they searched his home last year, found envelopes of cash stuffed in the pockets of a jacket with his name hon it. Heres what he said. For 30 years, i have withdrawn thousands of dollars in cash from my personal Savings Account, which i have kept for emergencies and because of the history of my family Facing Confiscation in cuba. This may seem old fashioned, but these were moneys drawn from my personal Savings Account based on the income that i have lawfully derived over those 30 years. Now, he also said that he wasnt aiding egypt. He pointed to his record on the hill as a lawmaker, saying he has taken a stance against egypt in human rights abuses. But these are some of the defenses hes starting to show, but he doesnt answer every question. In terms of the legal case against him, how strong is it . Oh, its strong. To point out, hes been accused of corruption before, and that didnt har he didntt found guilty. This is a stronger case. The prior case he was being bribed by someone he was friends with, trips they took together, rides on the private jet. So, i think jurors got a little confused. Was there a quid pro quo. Was this stuff they were doing because they were friends. This is not that. He doesnt have a relationship with these people. His wife brought them to him. This is transactional. And they have a Treasure Trove of evidence in the form of Text Messages and emails, where its really all written out. The wife is saying, well, you know, my husband can do these things for you. What do you want him to do . Okay. He can do that. He has done that. Wheres the money . Of course all the documentation of the money coming in. She had a noshow job. They bought a car for her. So, theres all this stuff that wasnt there before, making it a much, much stronger case. When i heard menendezs excuse about, you know, being from cuba and government confiscating stuff, he was on the finance committee. So, the guy who was on the finance committee, who clearly has access to a lot of smart people in finance, is keeping cash over a 30year period in his pockets of jackets around his house . I mean, thats what his explanation is . Not only in the jackets but in closets in his house, too, according to the indictment. Well, that makes sense. Yeah, i mean, it raises just some questions here about why he would do that. I mean, according to the indictment, there was dna on some of these envelopes from one of the coconspirators, one of the new jersey businessmen, which is them putting what they knew on the table about the strength of this evidence and to say, this wasnt just any money. This is money that came from one of the people that is a coconspirator in this case. And it ended up in your Jacket Pocket at home. Jennifer, what do you make of the senators comments today, as well as a statement he put out friday, in which he basically implied he was being prosecuted, at least in part, because hes latino. I dont know where hes coming up with that. I think hes testing the waters maybe with some of these defenses a little bit. If you want to claim selective prosecution, youve got to prove that. And i dont see how in the world he could prove that the Department Of Justice went after him because hes latino. Just look at the evidence here. They went after them because of the incredibly strong evidence. About this notion of the stuffing of the money and all that stuff, hes just begging prosecutors to bring unexplained wealth evidence. Look at what he makes. Look at what he has. How does he have all this money . The text maes sajs and the like. Thank you so much. Next, former white house aide, Cassidy Hutchinson, her new book and her new allegations since testifying before the house january 6th committee. And a live report from the border, as thousand of migrants make their way north. Cassidy hutchinsons testimony before the House Select Committee put millions of Television Viewers around the country and the world inside the white house, as mark meadows watched president trumps actions leading up to january 6th. She is out with a new book complete with more revelations about that day and fresh allegations about some of the players. More from randi kaye. I ended up moving down to atlanta for several months. They didnt think it was safe for you to stay in d. C. Reporter after months in hiding, Cassidy Hutchinson is talking again and she has plenty more to say since appearing before the january 6th committee. She told Cbs Sunday Morning she nearly testifying. I turned around and looked at my attorneys and said, i cant do this. And i started to walk and he gently pushed my shoulders. You can do this. And we walked out. Hutchinson details that and much more in her new memoir, enough. She describes how her first attorney was paid by a trump pac and advised her, the less she remembered, the better. The first transcript was riddled with i dont knows and i dont recalls. Hutchinson got herself a new attorney and gained confidence about moving forward after studying the testimony of Alexander Butterfield from the watergate hearings. Butterfield was the former aide to richard nixon, who exposed the Recording System that toppled nixons presidency. He really was the source of strength for me and gave me the perspective not only that i could do this but that there was liven to other side of it. Reporter hutchinson is also defending some of her most explosive testimony. She shared with the january 6th committee an incident that she said then White House Deputy Chief Of Staff Anthony Orr Nadeau relayed to her describing how Donald Trump On January 6th insisted on being taken to the capitol to join his supporters. When secret Service Agent bobby engel refused, hutchinson described how trump allegedly lunged toward the secret Service Agent. He motioned towards his clavicles. Orr nadeau and agent engel have said they dont recall the conversation. I stand by what i testified to in that incidence and any other incident that had been disputed. Reporter hutchinson also stands by a disturbing new allegation from her regarding Donald Trumps personal lawyer rudy giuliani. Hutchinson describes how giuliani allegedly groped her backstage during a rally that preceded the attack on the capitol. His hand slips under my blazer, then my skirt. Giulianis team calls the allegation a disgusting lie. Absolutely false, totally absurd. Still, hutchinson stands by her story, and so does her publisher, simon and schuster. Through it all, hutchinson says shes still a republican, but dont expect her to vote for trump. He is dangerous for the country. He is willing and has showed time and time again willingness to proliferate lies and to vulnerable American People so he could stay in power. To me, that is the most unamerican thing that you can do. Reporter randi kaye, cnn. Perspective from two of Cassidy Hutchinsons former white house colleagues. Also cnn contributor, john dean, who had his own historic testimony before congress during watergate. The New York Times is reporting, she writes about Mark Meadows Burning so many documents in the waning days of the administration that meadows wife complained to hutchinson about how expensive it had become to dry clean the, quote, bonfire smell from the suits. So the Chief Of Staffs office has a lovely fireplace in it. My understanding is that in those final days by the way, publicly mark meadows and others were saying theres not going to be a transition, donald trump won the election they seemed to be getting ready knowing a transition was coming. He was burning paperwork. Im not an attorney but i was subject to the federal records act, which required any president ial documents, even if not classified, youre required to archive. Even at minimum, thats a basic violation of that. Who knows the actual contents of them. Just the fact he was doing this, while at the same time they were the president had actually won. They werent leaving office, kind of, shows he knew he didnt. Its like out of a mob movie, if true, the feds are coming in and theyre trying to destroy evidence. Thats exactly what it sounds like. You have to wonder, was this going on throughout the white house. What documents may we never have . Theres more i know from talking to cassidy that i dont want to get ahead of in the book, but it paints a puicture of a white house trying to cover any tracks they can and trying of any wrong doing there was but also prepare themselves for an outside i outside onslaught. Hutchinson describes fearing for her safety and not being able to return to her apartment in washington, d. C. For months. Did you feel youve had that experience of testifying. Did you have those kind of concerns . I think due to the Bombshell Nature of her testimony, she faced a heightened level of Security Threats. They obviously warned me that this was going to be something that i might face, by coming forward and publicly testifying. But it was something i knew i wanted to do because i thought i owed it to the American People for them to hear the truth. Were you scared to . I think i was. Its definitely a scary position to be put in to know youre going to face an onslaught of harassment from random trolls online but also the former president , our former boss. He attacked me and cassidy for coming forward and testifying. That is a really scary position to be put in. And then to know that you might have Security Threats. I had Capitol Police offer to put a guard outside my office where i was working at in the weeks leading up to the testimony and following the testimony. And they were patrolling outside my apartment. I didnt face the same kind of Security Threat that cassidy did, where she needed to actually relocate. But i think that that should be something that people think about when they attack her and say that shes a liar or shes doing this for fame or whatever excuse theyre trying to lob at her because i dont know why anyone would put themselves through that if they werent telling the truth. John, as we mentioned, hutchinson said she was inspired by former white house aide Alexander Butterfields testimony during the watergate hearings. He played a crucial role when he revealed the existence of nixons oval office taping. Do you see parallels between the two . I was inspired by alex as well who corroborated by testimony that i thought i had been recorded. And of course he was correct. That changed the whole dynamics of the investigation. So, i think that is a good inspiration. And i was delighted to see that they and the weekend clip that they had met each other and alex, indeed, who im in contact with regularly, admired her gumption in getting up and testifying. Alyssa, it is extraordinary when you think about sarah and cassidy coming forward, and all these other people not. And all these other people who had, you know, careers behind them and were already, sort of, well known or had a sarah, cassidy, these are people that are starting their careers. They had a lot to lose. Theyre in their 20s by the way. I think thats one of the most remarkable parts of this story is how many people in positions of power who had much bigger salaries, bigger titles, past and futures ahead, did not stand up and tell what everyone saw on january 6th, and what i think everyone knew in that west wing. It was younger staffers who put it all on the line. Cassidy is talking about the fact she had to relocate. She didnt have money. She lost jobs because of her doing the right thing and speaking out against the former president. But listen, thats what you need. You need people who are going to put whats right in the country ahead of their own ambition. Thank you. Great to have you here. John dean as well. One programming note, Cassidy Hutchinson is going to sit down with jake tapper tomorrow for an interview on his show, the lead. A surge at the borders, shelters fear they may soon be overwhelmed. And theres new video showing the size of the crowds going north. Next. Some new video we want to show out of migrants hoping to meet the United States. These are venezuelans gathered in a migrant camp, ready to embark on the most treacherous part of their trek north. Someone prompted them to sing the Venezuelan National anthem before they leave. [ singing in a nonenglish language ] that was about 4 00 in the morning. You then see them leaving the camp heading to the darien gap between colombia and panama. A u. S. Border official david culver is near mexicos Southern Border with guatemala tonight. What can you tell us about the video, the sheer number of people making this journey . Reporter whats most concerning, anderson, is youre seeing these massive crowds, which sure youve seen in the past. But theyre incredibly organized now, and they seem to go in cycles. Youll see in the first video, those are the crowds you mentioned. Were seeing now this year alone and here we are in september more than 100,000 than what we saw crossing all of last year. So, the numbers are rapidly increasing. Its increasingly concerning and alarming for officials, not only in colombia, where some of this video is starting and you can then see them continuing through the jungle, which is very dangerous. But also officials in the u. S. Who are watching this and knowing that those individuals are headed north. Ultimately, the vast majority want to get into the u. S. Now, the Jungle Portion in and of itself is incredibly dangerous. Not only are the Terrain Elements of themselves treacherous, but people are getting robbed. Theyre getting assaulted. And some of them have even described seeing others lose their lives right in front of them. I caught up with some folks who are just a few days on the other side of having crossed through that have made their way where we are in southern mexico. Heres how they describe it. [ speaking in a nonenglish language ] translator very dangerous, very dangerous. Reporter shes saying [ speaking in a nonenglish language ] reporter she said when they went to the darien gap, she said at least seven people that they saw had died, including a child around eight years old. A couple hours ago, anderson, i was talking to a group of kids. They ranged in age between 6 and 12. Their parents were listening the in. What was most describing is those kids were describing in detail the bodies they saw along the way, very matter of fact and casual. It shows you the trauma thats going to be sitting with them, as theyre continuing what is still a long journey ahead. So, last week, there are reports the mexican officials had agreed to, quote, Depressure Rise their northern border cities by deporting migrants back to their home countries, but trying to prevent migrants from using the railway system. Are you seeing that . What are you see sng. Reporter mexico is dealing with a mess right now. The crowds are building. This explains what we saw from the darien gap, which continues. This is part of the Migrant Trail up. This is just over the border from guatemala. You can see here what are hundreds of folks. Weve got another camera too to give you a better sense of the crowd, hundreds of folks that have been lined up throughout the past hours, days, some of them even weeks. If we continue over here, you can see it goes much farther back, a couple of blocks back. Theyre settling in for the night because theyve lined up here the offices processing some of their asylum claims for mexico. Thats part of the rules for mexico. They have to claim asylum in a third country, so theyre choosing mexico. Railroad some are trying to get transit documents. Theyre waiting until they get their appointments to meet with mexican officials. They hope to get these documents. Anderson, once they get them, it essentially buys them time to make their way through mexico. And every single one has the same destination in mind, the u. S. David culver, appreciate it. Coming up, amanda gorman, who gained worldwide attention when she read her poem at president obamas in the past week, two reports have underscored just how widespread the threat of book bans has become. One by pen america says book bans in Public Schools were up 33 . More than 40 of all book bans, according to the pen report, occurred in Florida School districts. Ron desantis, as you know, championed a law in florida that requires approval of books in school libraries. A separate report by the American Library Association Says that almost half of Book Challenges occurring through august have occurred in public libraries. Last week more than 175 writers and actors and entertainers and others signed a Letter Warning how these bans are antithetical to free speech and expression and how theyll have a Chilling Effect on the broader creative field. My next guest signed that letter, amanda gorman, shes a poet, author, author of a new Childrens Book out tomorrow, something someday. I want to talk to you about your new book, your Childrens Book. But i want to talk about book banning, which you and i have talked about before. Pen america, the Literary Group which you partnered with in the past, they say theres a 33 increase in book bans during the last school year. You experienced this with your book the hill we climb. Where does this go . I think the book bans will continue to rise unless they meet some type of impediment. As you mentioned, i think its really important to put it in numbers as well. These are thousands of book bans. Weve seen over 3,000 this year. But you also have to look at it from the point of view, last year, 60 of those thousands were pretty much filed by 11 people. So, this is an incredibly small but vocal and coordinated minority. The book that was restricted, the hill we climb, was app offshoot of your poem which you read at the inauguration of President Biden. I want to play an excerpt for that. For so many people, its the first time they ever saw you. Lets just watch it. We are striving to forge a union with purpose, to compose a country committed to all cultures, colors, characters, and conditions of man. It gave so much sense of hope and optimism. Do you still feel that sense of optimism . 100 . For me, hope isnt a gift we possess. Its a gift that we practice. Its something that we have to fight for and learn and grow and lean into. So, i wake up every day fighting not just for justice but for my own hope and keeping that flame alive. Writing a Childrens Book, what is the process . How do you go about it . Yeah. Im sure youve noticed this reading Childrens Books to your kids, but theyre actually really complicated and sophisticated. They really are. They really are. You have to write it an age thats accessible for the young reader but also an enjoyable experience for the parent, the family, the guardians. I always try to start with the heart of the book. I was thinking, whats the experience of being a caregiver, caretaker, of a young child at this time, who has Big Questions about the world. Thats the other thing about Childrens Books, which i hadnt known uch many about until i did this. Its talk k about whats on the page with your child thats so interesting. And the meaning of the words and what they see in the images and things that they didnt see that they suddenly see. Absolutely. And i think thats why poetic thought lends itself so well to story telling, especially with Young Children, because youre looking at the unit of language as the most powerful measurement of sound and literature. So, for me, writing a few words on a page isnt a prison. Its a privilege. So, getting to think very finite about whats the word thats going to have the most impact on this beautiful, Gorgeous Soul Th thats reading my words. Do the sounds of the words matter to you . Absolutely. I think it comes from my background having a Speech Impediment. Being able to read poetry out loud was a huge form of my own speech. Therapy and pathology. I look at it on the page and i thought, how does this feel moving through a Young Persons body and mouth, and is this something i could imagine someone saying aloud is a huge component. Is that something you still struggle with . I had a Reading Issue when i was a child with a mild form of dyslexia. I stuttered and still do occasionally. Is it something you still struggle with. 100 . I think a lot of people use the word overcome the Speech Impediment. No, the Speech Impediment is coming with me wherever im going. Im just carrying it a different way. After around 20 years of speech therapy, i can have this conversation with you. Even now i was saying the word prison and saying that r was hard for me, because thats what i struggle the most p. You push through and i focus more on the content of what im saying or how it sounds and appears. And thats what will gives me the bravery to continue what i do. What is the idea behind this book, something, someday. What did you the message to be for a young child . I meet so many Young Children and they are incredibly emotionally intelligent. They know theres disruption, transformation is happening in the world. And they really want to understand what their place is within it, even from a very young age. And i wanted to write a book that safeguarded and preserved their hope and their power and their spirit and their vibrancy. And doing that kind of in the legacy of the sounds i love of just this idea of change is going to come. I dont know when its going to happen. I cant tell you if its tomorrow or the next day or what its going to look like, but i know its arriving soon, someday, because of the young people we have in the world right now. Would you read something . Absolutely. So, im going to read just a small excerpt from the middle. Okay. You make a promise to each other. You say, there is a problem, but its our problem together. So we can fix it together. This problem is big, but together we are bigger. Thats lovely. Thank you. Something someday. Yes. Thank you so much. Thank you. Thanks for having me. Amanda gormans new book, something someday comes out tomorrow. A lot more ahead. Taylor swift goes to a Football Game and the internet explodes. Harry enten explains why. More ahead. Loving this pay bump on our allowance. Wonder where mom and dad got the extra money . Maybe they won the lottery . Maybe they inherited a fortune . Maybe buried treasure . Maybe it fell off a truck . Or maybe they switched to Xfinity Mobile the fastest mobile service. Save hundreds a year over tmobile, at t and verizon. Now i can buy that electric scooter. Im starting a Private Equity Fund that specializes in midcap. You do you. Switch to Xfinity Mobile today. Is it possible my network could take my business to the next level . It is with comcast business. Powering all your devices with gigspeed wifi. And you get fast downloads and uploads. Pick it up pick it up oh we got this because its powered by The Next Generation 10g network. More speed for your business . Its not just possible. Its happening. Get started for 59. 99 a month for 12 months. Plus, ask how to get an 800 prepaid card with a qualifying internet bundle. Comcast business, powering possibilities. Yesterday, the Kansas City Chiefs destroyed the Chicago Bears, which is not something id usual mention. But its interesting because if you look at social media, it seems all anyone is talking about is taylor swift at the game cheering on the chiefs travis kelce. After the game, the singer and Football Player were spotted apparently leaving the stadium together. How you doing . Hey. Hows it going . So, for weeks now, i guess its been rumored that swift and kelce are dating. Social media Usualers Cannot get enough of this. Theyve given the two a moniker, swellce, travis, or trailer. Harry enten, whos giggling, our senior data reporter, is here to weigh in. What is the impact of taylor swifts presence on merchandise, on all of that . Let me just say im a big believer in love and i hope they are together. People say a lot of things about you harry enten, and usually the first things is, harry is a big believer in love. I appreciate that, and love will keep us together, as my uncle once wrote. Heres the situation. You look at travis kelce, his memorabilia, his merchandise, its now in the top five of all nfl players. Its up over 400 . Yes. Theres numbers on everything, right . Up over 400 in the last day since of course the chiefs destroyed the Chicago Bears compared to where it was in the day prior. The fact is, as we have a beautiful picture of a lovely hopeful couple on the screen right there, the fact is youre seeing the effect that taylor swift can have on the merchandise market. And i hope its something that continues on. So, the nfl is the biggest Revenue Generator in u. S. Sports. How does it compare to revenue generated by taylor swift . I love this. The average nfl team, the average revenue is a little bit less than 600 million per year. How much has taylor swifts eras tour generated in North America . Ticket sales alone, north of 4 billion. Four times, four times as big. The nfl may be the king of the sports kingdom, but taylor swift defeats the nfl. How does the popularity of the Kansas City Chiefs, which im told Won The Super Bowl last time. They did, they did. I didnt know that. Were learning together. But now that taylor swift is interested, i might pay attention. Hey, hey. How does their popularity stack up with taylor swifts popularity . If you look at google searches, you see a green wave. Taylor swift is represented in green. You can see in 41 states, more people searched for taylor swift than searched for the Kansas City Chiefs. Thats not surprising. As an nfl fan, it is surprising to me, especially given they Won The Super Bowl last year. Well watch a game together one of these days, i swear. Have you been to a taylor swift concert . Well do that too. Well do a double. I dont know about that. Next we focus on another once world famous name, aster. The asters were one of the richest American Families were generations. What happened . Thats the focus of a new book ive written. Well show you some of what made the asters all that money next. Two years ago, i wrote a book called vanderbilt The Rise And Fall of the american about my moms great, great grandfather and what happened to it over the generations. Now we have a sequel. The book is called astor The Rise And Fall of the american fortune. The name astor became synonymous with elgt with and elegance and glamor, but as we write in the book, the story is a complex tail of ruthlessness, ambition, and greed. When you hear the name, astor, you might think of elegant balls and high society and guilded age palaces like this. But the story of how the astors made their fortune and held onto it for so long is not a glamorous one at all. John jacob astor, a young immigrant from germany, became americas first multimillionaire by Monopolizing The Trade Of Beaver and other animal furs. He started buying all the furs he could and started voyaging into the wilderness, where he picked up indigitis you languages and very quickly started to amass his fortune. Astor amassed that fortune ruthlessly, using alcohol with Indigenous People to get the better of them in trades. He plowed all his profits into Buying Parcels of land in the rapidly growing new york. He and his descendants would own much of what new york was build on, greenwich village, and the land where the Empire State Building now stands. The only regret he expresses is he didnt buy more land in manhattan. His son acquires the nick name the land board of new york because he builds on the empire that john jacob amassed and really refines it to a science. The astors profited from the building of slums and tenements on their land, buildings with little ventilation, packed with multiple families in each room, living in deplorable conditions. The rents paid to the astors would fund their high living for generations. Caroline astor reinvented the traders into scions of new york society. Caroline saw that after the civil war, the United States was searching for a definition of itself. And she took it upon herself to define what would make american high culture. Carols son, jack astor, was one of the creators of the Waldorf Hiss Tore i cant hotel. Thats john jacob astor, trichest man on the ship. He was depicted in James Camerons film, titanic. Hey astor well, hello, molly. Nice to see you. Jack astor died on the titanic, along with more than 1,500 other passengers. His pregnant wife survived. His son, vincent, from a previous marriage, inherited much of the Astor Fortune and did something no other astor did. Vincent astor put much of the astor wealth into a foundation, and he was the first astor who, rather than trying to build on the astor money that they had, decided that he was going to do good things with it and give it away. When Vincent Astor discovered the condition of some of the slums the astor Family Office controlled, he was appalled. Vincent was married three times. His last wife took over the familys foundation and helped rehabilitate the family name by giving away some 200 million to charities in new york. Brook astor became a beloved figure in new york for her philanthropy. Now the presentation of the citizens medal. Oh. Look, oh, how thank you, mr. President. Im overcome. But her end was an unhappy one. Her only son was convicted of swind lg her out of millions of dollars, getting her to make changes to her will, when she had alzheimers. He was sent to prison for his crimes. Brooke astor died in 2007 at the age of 105. And with her passing game the end of an american fortune. On the one hand, the astor family leaves a legacy of civil involvement and philanthropy. But on the other hand the astor family leaves a shocking legacy of repatience, capitalist, advantage taking of people in dire straits. Like most great fortunes, if you scratch the surface a little bit, there are a lot of unfortunate lessons about human nature you can come to. The Astor Money May be gone in america, but you can still see the astor name all over new york city, especially in astor place in greenwich village, where on the walls of the subway stop, if you look closely, youll find ceramic tiles depicting beavers, the source of the fortune john jacob astor