Am's lead forecaster at the Storm Prediction Center Sunday morning to Sunday afternoon is only expects sort of the peak in the wind speeds increasing to about 35 to 50 miles an hour with gusts to about 70 miles an hour those massive winds can make a combustible combination with dried out vegetation that acts as fuel a bit of good news the Santa Ana winds that helped spread a fire outside Los Angeles are subsiding but Graeme's cautions that by Monday that northern wind event could begin impacting the south Amy Held n.p.r. News Chicago's Teachers Union and the public schools are continuing negotiations today trying to end a teacher strike that's been going on for more than a week now 300000 children in the city of now missed 7 days of school Sarah Karp of member station. Has more school district and union officials say they only have a few sticking points to resolve to land a deal the problem is that they're big ones they center on working conditions and include class size caps and staffing increases salary demands also remain an issue Jesse Sharkey is head of the teachers union and says this is a crucial time for negotiators argue that point between exercise and trying to manage your emotions stay cool and work hard both the union and school district officials have said they want to get students back to school soon perhaps by Monday they're negotiating through the weekend for n.p.r. News I'm Sarah Karp in Chicago and you're listening to n.p.r. News from Washington. After meeting for 3 weeks in Rome an assembly of Roman Catholic bishops from the Amazon region has called for the Ordination of married men as priests in that area N.P.R.'s Sylvia Poggioli reports the bishops also called on the Vatican to reopen a debate on ordaining women as deacons the proposals contained in the final document were approved by a 2 thirds majority of the bishops on the most controversial issue 128 voting in favor and $41.00 against or deigning to the priesthood married men who are proven leaders and already deacons in the church the move is meant to tackle the shortage of priests in the Amazon region but could also have major repr questions on the Catholic Church's centuries old celibacy rule for priests the other hot issue was the need to give more decision making power in church affairs to women who are often the leaders of their communities in the Amazon the final document said it's urgent for the church in the Amazon to promote and confer ministries for men and women in an equitable manner Sylvia Poggioli n.p.r. News Rome in Iraq the government is sending counterterrorism forces to the southern part of the country after violent protests left more than $22.00 security forces and protesters dead those protests continued today as thousands tried to reach the heavily fortified Green Zone which is home to embassies and government agencies at least $48.00 people have been killed since the protests resumed this week after $149.00 were killed in a wave of demonstrations that took place earlier this month I'm Janine Herbst And you're listening to n.p.r. News from Washington support for n.p.r. Comes from Frederick and Howard Stevenson supporting a college which is working to help the next generation of engineers that develop the entrepreneurial skills experience and mindset to bring technological innovations to market. And the foundation. When you donate this weekend at $15.00 a month you'll get a pair of tickets to see David Sedaris of the Fox Theater on November 20th this is with your online donation only at. Work quantities for these tickets are limited so please make your donation now. And remember to select these tickets during the checkout process your donation of $15.00 a month will get you a pair of tickets to see David Sedaris of the Fox Theater donate now. Thanks. This is All Things Considered from n.p.r. News I'm Michel Martin we're going to begin this hour by discussing the news that the Justice Department is pursuing a criminal inquiry into the Russia investigation Attorney General William Barr was pursuing administrative review reportedly to understand what investigators did when the Russia investigation began but the switch to a criminal investigation changes the nature of the inquiry it's unclear why the d.o.j. Is pursuing a criminal investigation but Democrats are now expressing alarm that Mr Barr has aligned himself with the president's own view of the d.o.j. As a political weapon for this president for more on this we've called on Harriet Lipman he is a former u.s. Attorney and a former deputy assistant attorney general who worked with Mr Barr Mr Lippman thank you so much for joining us nice to have you back on the program thanks very much for having me so 1st of all did you just tell us how is a criminal inquiry different than an administrative review the difference is that someone has determined that there is a term of art a reasonable indication that someone has committed a crime that's a pretty modest threshold nevertheless it's really puzzling here because everything about the beginning of this probe has been gone over with a fight to that repeatedly right the Republicans have been exhaustively sifting through it for years adage Bill bars to making a new administrative review already seen odd and noteworthy so ferde now to ripen into a criminal investigation notwithstanding that the threshold for doing so is modest it's really head scratching where you just said that the standard for opening in a criminal investigation is actually is actually fairly low but is there some protocol that had to have been followed here or is this solely in the. Any general's discretion Well there typically is a protocol of that something you make with the determination and collaboration of investigators but the attorney general is the attorney general he runs the department so as surely it is true that were he to have said. I'm Bill Barr and I see a reasonable indication that would in fact trump everything else so to speak at a reasonable indication would be considered to have happened so the typical protocol as with anything else can be finally countermanded or simply taken over by the attorney general well that was going to be my question I mean you work with William Barr in the 90 s. When he was attorney general or president George h.w. Bush around the time he was nominated you wrote in The Washington Post quote as attorney general Barr did not politicize the Justice Department he had no problem working with people of different political affiliations he viewed the department's work as a political and the views of nearly all department employees as irrelevant you said you know at the time he's an institutionalist he understands the important values of the Department of Justice he has integrity he has stature he's nobody's toady do you feel the same way now I did write all that and it was all true Dad and the short answer is No it's not just a disappointment but almost a heartbreak to have seen what happened to him the sort of single instance is when he stood up there and basically mischaracterized the mall or report he really has been a different attorney general mattered a great deal I thought about it and ruminated about it and of course taken justifiable criticism for the things I wrote that at the time but I find myself in stances like this not being able to eliminate the possibility which I would confidently have done before that there's you know something political What is it possible that there is some behavior that warrants a criminal review I mean I thought you said you find it unlikely because this just as a matter of course given the sensitivity of the matter you say that this every step of the way of this investigation was gone over with a fine tooth comb before. People have criticized for example Jim Comey for example a former f.b.i. Director his sort of judgment calls and felt that he violated certain sort of protocols and decisions and actions that he'd made so is it beyond the realm of possibility that some conduct here warrants a criminal review not at all I mean you're absolutely right but of course to date we have been talking about judgment calls and possible departures from protocol and there certainly is room to think that maybe there is something to that effect but it's really a gulf between that and actual criminal conduct normally involving you know some kind of malevolent intent so our I'm not saying that's beyond the realm of possibility I'm saying it's deeply positive laying but certainly that's possible you thought you knew Bill bar you worked for Bill Parr you'd certainly followed his career given that this behavior doesn't comport to what you thought you knew of him what accounts for it in your view. Boy is this a question I've thought about a lot and I do just want to underscore what I'm saying is it's a suspicion that we now have to entertain and even that is trouble I have not you know pulling the trigger on saying this is what he's done but if he has done it why I think he has spent his life as a defender of executive power he has a sense that we're trying to go down plains the executive branch would be over all week and this happened in the wake of Watergate and he'd like to prevent it another hypothesis simply that he's partisan Republican you know and this is now sort of dawning on arms for the fight the political fight between Trump and the Democrats before I let you go I do want to ask about the impeachment inquiry yesterday a federal judge ruled that the Justice Department must turn over materials from the Miller investigation to House Democrats some analysts are saying that this means that the. View the impeachment inquiry as legitimate What is your take on this there's no doubt that that's precisely what judge how Will said but I think it general there's a really interesting dynamic now the administration stonewalled and went to the courts thinking they would buy enough time to get past the dollar crisis and they did but now the decisions are hitting home just when the new crisis is here and there were marshals are copping not simply on result but with rhetoric that the courts are weighing in to really express their outrage at what have all on their list positions from the executive so of course it will now go up on appeal we'll see if it holds but generally the courts have been weighing in strongly in favor of the rule of law and against the White House that is Harry Lipman He's a former u.s. Attorney he's a former deputy assistant attorney general he's now teaching constitutional law and national security law of the University of California at Los Angeles School of Law and he's the host of the talking feds pod cast Harry Letterman thank you so much for talking with us thanks for having me Michel under any circumstances mounting a primary challenge to a sitting president from within your own party is no easy task and President Trump However we can he may be by the ongoing impeachment inquiry has a huge campaign fund and the power of incumbency but a handful of Republicans are running against him sounding alarms about the damage they say he is causing to the country and to their party today 3 g.o.p. Challengers met for a forum in Nashville n.p.r. Sarah McCammon was there and she has this report. In the lobby of a Nashville hotel this morning a Donald Trump impersonator ran into one of President Trump's Republican challengers at least my hairpiece looks better than. Former Massachusetts Governor Bill Weld is among a handful of Republicans waging long shot primary campaigns against Trump he was here in Nashville for Politico on a convention for obviously hardcore political nerds. The 3 of us or you could crash if you want drama Oh I would love to meet you when weld and 2 other g.o.p. Presidential hopefuls took the stage for a forum hosted by Politico on there was no trump impersonator but much discussion of the sitting president and they did not sound like most Republican officeholders these days I think the only way the the country's going to be able to breathe easy again in the foreseeable future is if the president is removed by the Senate go through the process and I believe you've got to go through the process but he does need to be impeached if Donald Trump stop impeached and then nobody should be impeached what I want I think what all 3 of us want and well I think a lot of Americans want is him out of office that was weld followed by former Illinois Congressman Joe Walsh and former South Carolina congressman and governor Mark Sanford Sanford worries about the politics of impeachment if the House impeaches Trump but the Republican controlled Senate does not remove him he's calling on Congress to censure Trump instead and let American voters decide next November whether he should stay in office at that point you'd have a clear message from the House and Senate you wouldn't have a conflicting report coming out of the Senate that would allow the president say See I told you I did nothing wrong the Senate didn't didn't come up with a conviction here I did nothing wrong along with the criticism of Trump There were also attacks on fellow Republicans for failing the candidate said to stand up to him all of these congressional Republicans who despise Donald Trump and understand the threat he is like Mark Bill and I do well said too many Republicans are hiding out as he put it hoping things will just go back to normal after Trump leaves office. Yes It's too bad they've sold their soul to this president for Sanford the reasons for Republicans to go into hiding are loud and clear the name of the game is staying in the game for a lot of folks in politics and it's an exercise in self preservation Sanford who'd been critical of both President Trump's policies and tone while in Congress would know in 2018 Trump attacked Sanford on Twitter alluding to Sanford's well publicized extramarital affair while he was governor and throwing his weight behind Sanford's Republican challenger she won the primary only to lose to a Democrat last November sort of ran my mouth a bit against the president when I was in Congress and there was a consequence to doing that in the electoral sense in recent days Trump has again used Twitter to attack Republicans who speak out against him tweeting this week that never trump Republicans are quote in certain ways worse and more dangerous for our country than the do nothing Democrats he added watch out for them they are human scum but drug may have little need to watch out according to the Federal Election Commission his campaign raised more than $40000000.00 in the last quarter that's compared to less than a $1000000.00 for all 3 of his Republican challengers combined there McCammon n.p.r. News Nashville. You're listening to All Things Considered from n.p.r. News. This is. All things considered and we'll have live from here exclusively at 6 o'clock. Is there anyone in your family who isn't driving anymore consider donating their vehicle to. Pick up from anywhere in the country. 66901 are online and. The next it is celebrity. Chef and quick trama talk about the joys to working with families in their restaurants. And Herbst with these headlines House impeachment investigators held a rare Saturday meeting questioning senior State Department official Philip Reeker in the impeachment inquiry they're looking into the trumpet ministrations ouster of former ambassador to Ukraine. Chicago's Teachers Union and the public schools are continuing negotiations trying to end a teacher strike that's been going on now for more than a week 300000 children in the city of Nama 7 days of school classes could be canceled again on Monday and the Pentagon has granted a $10000000000.00 contract to Microsoft to modernize the u.s. Military's cloud computing infrastructure dubbed Microsoft beat out Amazon Herbst n.p.r. News in Washington. Support for n.p.r. Comes from this station and from the financial services firm of Raymond James offering personalized wealth management advice and banking and capital markets expertise along with a legacy of putting clients' financial wellbeing 1st learn more at Raymond James dot com and from Western hotels and resorts offering a range of wellness options for guests including their Eat well menu on demand fitness gear lending program and signature having Lee bed learn more at Weston dot com a member of Marriott bon voyage. This is All Things Considered from n.p.r. News I'm Michel Martin this was an eventful week for Facebook c.e.o. Mark Zuckerberg he was grilled by members of Congress about Facebook's proposed cryptocurrency Libra as well as the company's decision to not fact check political advertisements here he is being questioned by Congresswoman Alexandria Ocasio Cortez a Democrat from New York would I be able to run advertisements on Facebook targeting Republicans in primaries saying that they voted for the Green New Deal I mean if you're not fact checking political advertisements I'm just trying to understand the balance here what's fair and. I don't know the answer to that off the top my head I think so you don't know if I'll be able to do that I think. Do you see a potential problem here with a complete lack of fact checking on political advertisements Well Congresswoman I think a lying is bad and I think if you were to run an ad that a law that would be bad that's different from it being. From work and our position the right thing to do to prevent your constituents or people in election from seeing that you had lawyers so we can. So you won't take down lies or you will take down my savings just a pretty simple yes or no then 2 days later the company announced a new test feature on its mobile app called Facebook news it pulls content from roughly $200.00 publishers and the companies paying some of those outlets for their content including n.p.r. We want to talk more about this so we've called Ken Dr he is a news industry analyst and consultant as well as a regular contributor to Neiman lab that's a Harvard affiliate that studies the future of journalism in the age of the Internet can Dr Welcome thanks so much for joining us quite welcome and regular listeners know this but we want to mention again that Facebook is among N.P.R.'s recent financial supporters and as we said it's one of the news outlets that will be featured in Facebook's news tab so could you just start by describing what the news tab looks like what will users be seeing. Sure people got to be pretty familiar with our phones and this is for phones only right now and on the Web It's basically the News of the day they call it top stories their health science and tech sports news business categories the brand of the news where there's n.p.r. Bloomberg is pretty clear and then you have some settings in the settings are interesting if you want to hide a publisher you can do that and if you have subscriptions to any of these publications there's a way to know that within the Do we know which outlets are being highlighted and do we know how the news is being curated we don't it's a centrally black box of how the decisions are being made in remarks like Robert talked on stage yesterday and said basically you know we'll have humans involved but it's the normal dance we've seen of humans and algorithms and I think this could open Facebook up once again to essentially walking into political quicksand because decisions have to be made of what's going to fit on that little screen it's gotten them trouble before well and to that point though it has been reported that one of the outlets that they are allowing on the site is Breitbart which is a far right site described by its founder Steve Bannon as a platform for the white nationalist right to be one of the featured news outlets on the platform and it's no secret that Breitbart traffics in the kind of hyped up racially inflammatory storytelling that ethical news organizations have been trying to avoid for decades now like making for example making a point of highlighting crimes by immigrants or people of color while ignoring right downplaying you know crimes by white people so the question is how do they swear that I mean Campbell Brown in her statement she's the former c.n.n. Journalist a vice president for global news partnerships and she says in her statement that when news is deeply reported and well sourced it gives people information they could rely on. And how do they square those standards publicly they don't in fact secretary was asked that question on stage and basically said I'm not going to talk about how we decide on an individual or or not clearly and they're not going to say this is a political accommodation they know that if they don't include some sites that will satisfy people who have been political enemies of Facebook it's going to get them in deeper trouble and what about the news organizations that other news organizations that are featured on the you know on the site do you have a sense of why this is important to them is very simple it's money and it is traffic so if you look at this in broad strokes the American newspaper industry the daily industry is making $30000000000.00 a year less now than it did 1214 years ago that's largely wast advertising and largely that advertising has gone to Facebook and Google and now Amazon so they need the money Facebook for the 1st time is paying a significant but not substantial significant money to publishers The question now isn't whether Facebook will pave them the question is how much they will pay them so they see this is an opening to get even more as we get into the $20.00 twentieth's So just again to sort of put these 2 ideas together earlier this month trumps reelection campaign ran an ad on Facebook with false information accusing Vice President Biden of blackmailing Ukrainian officials to end an investigation of his son Hunter there is no evidence that this ever occurred but Facebook refused to remove the ad citing their policy not a fact check politicians speech so taking these 2 stories together Facebook is basically asking users to trust them to cure rate their news but they won't monitor political actors who are known. And to be spreading false hoods How do they square that well they tend to avoid the question because it's a very hard question. Journalism companies have rules in place about how they monitor advertising and what's within the lines and what's outside the line a company like Facebook really doesn't have that d.n.a. Doesn't know how to do that and of course they want as much advertising money as they can get there is still a deer in the headlights kind of look to Facebook when it's as we're where news company we have a news tab when in fact it doesn't know how to operate as the companies that have operated for decades have figured this out in terms of trying to separate truth from falsehood in ways that the public says yeah that makes sense to me that's Can Dr he's a regular contributor to Neiman lab that's an arm of the Neiman foundation for journalism at Harvard University conductor thanks so much for joining us once again quite welcome good to be a social media and artificial intelligence post serious threats to open democratic societies particularly when used by authoritarian governments to manipulate the public that's just one of the takeaways from a new book just out by billionaire and philanthropist George Soros the book is called In Defense of open society Soros sat down to talk with us about the book and more at his home in Manhattan a few days ago when I go to Jean. Sound for teens who. Opens a Xyzzy Yeah yeah well the. Who. Are opening up and now. The fans who've and. Are under. Soros is now 89 years old the billions he spent around the world to. Support what he calls civil society in the broadest sense have made him a favorite target of conservatives worldwide Soros made it clear he considers President Trump a threat to democracy and our conversation Soros said while it would be preferable for the voters rather than lawmakers to remove him from office he felt Democrats in Congress had no choice but to proceed with the impeachment inquiry but Soros said even if the House does vote to impeach he's not optimistic about the Senate voting to convict I don't think that it will be actually successful because he has come to dominate the Republican Party and that even though the increasing numbers of Republican senators who are very disturbed by the results of his actions. I don't think that would be a true majority in the Senate the to convict him apart from that do you see yourself as having any role right now I mean you like Nancy Pelosi agree that impeachment is is divisive it it you know you you feel that perhaps they had the Democrats had no choice but but do you feel like you have any other role in the current Right Foundation and very very much ng gauged and fighting voter should pressure trying to get a profit sensors and things like that that will lead to a fair at auction because those conditions are also endangered by the. President but this makes me wonder though I mean this year marks 4 decades since you began what you call your political philanthropies you poured billions of dollars into causes that you support around the world you know and certainly in this country many people understand your work in criminal justice reform and also trying to build. Civil society elsewhere and it does make me wonder whether you feel that you have failed given the trends that we now see. I have to knit that the tide has turned again for me. But I don't think that I have failed because as stand for the principles that I believed then and I continue to believe now which Vio for the society and. Was very happy to get involved when things are good but if you really have principles that you believe in then you have to fight for them with no rules. That should be different if I do I made my money in the stock market financial markets and there. I was investing. In that in order to make money but when I set up my foundation I invested in it in order to promote my principles. When no rules that's a big difference between. Making money and having principles. To that and you've identified the. You know part of the source of these populist movements some of them far right populist movements in part to the 2008 worldwide economic decline you know in response to that I mean the whole long term trend of wealth inequality in this country predates that but in response to that a number of the more prominent Democratic candidates like Bernie Sanders and Elizabeth Warren are arguing for much more extensive taxation of very wealthy individuals. Do you agree I should put in that. Even though a load of people who would be celebrated. Because the in the quality that had been produced actually mainly by the I d Pratt Troma and those who own those trolls Kerridge in that corridor through 2 drills early on like Sheffer of levels and valves that this is a very who have. To reduce it do you have any final thoughts as you hear nearly 90 years old you've been at this. This just work both of trying to advance open society for some for decades now do you have any final thoughts about what you would wish us to think about or how you would like us to think about you and your work. I can't really explain. My views in my book and I think the world is very complicated it's more complicated than our a bit is to fully understand it so there is no fine no Sure. I would say fortunately for show because Dish world would become like like. Heaven and it would be very boring. George Soros your latest book is In Defense of Open Society thank you so much for speaking with us today my pleasure. You're listening to n.p.r. News. The Piedmont region in northwest Italy produces renowned wine such as Barolo and Baba Resco but weather extremes due to climate change are affecting the region's grapes and that is forcing producers to find new ways to maintain their best vintages N.P.R.'s Sylvia Poggioli has this report the rolling hills of the longue are home to me below the red grape takes its name from Libya the early morning fog that envelops these gentle slopes the 4th generation owner of a local winery is on General guy we all know that he was going to use the. Start of a lot of these guys get funded by my favorite product and make if you like some of it in tears are reluctant to talk about climate change they fear that if they talk about its impact on what the French called the vines particular geography environment and how the soiling climate contribute to the grapes flavor it could lessen the value of their wine not so. As Summers got warmer and devastating rains more common this winery focused on making its vines more resilient to a changing climate the. Slope faces south ideal for the slow right did not need to be all of great. But with prolonged heat waves the grapes need more shade so leaves are no longer stripped from the vine before harvest says on gentle daughter Gallia a 5th generation wine producer and on these steep slopes she stresses it's important to prevent soil erosion from increasingly violent rainstorms that wash away vital nutrients one of the 1st reaction was to be much more a respectful of the soil and especially what bet that we've got a few years ago the guy is took the bold step of planting various varieties of grasses along the paths separating the rows of volumes. Is the vineyard master I sat there not able to see on it but in fact the hair. Don't know me. It was a revolution because our past tradition hello or the grass was the enemy of the because it was. So far says the results are positive less soil erosion when it rains and. During prolonged heat waves up to the seventy's and eighty's was harvested in early November by the early 2000 and hotter summers meant grapes right in faster and were picked on average 2 months earlier this year after a perfect May a heat wave struck in June with record temperatures at 107 degrees followed fortunately by soothing rains in July that made a late October harvest possible with the prospect the winery the leaves of an excellent vintage guy a guy says this proves her family's vines are now more able to resist attacks from climate change you don't grow. If you're Viney. Product that it's a fantastic vine of that to have a dozen. And. The biggest challenge she says is higher temperatures produce more sugar in the grapes leading to higher alcohol levels that can alter the nature of the wine what he's reading danger. You need a vine that made the grapes. Ripe and you need the grapes that they stay on the plant for a very long time to really get a full complexity like many wine producers in other parts of Europe the guy a winery has started planting different grape varieties at higher cooler altitudes another sign that along with the climate pigments wine growing town is gradually changing Sylvia Poggioli n.p.r. News in the long hills of Piedmont Italy this is n.p.r. News. Support for comes from Fernbank presenting traveling the Silk Road the new exhibit features cultural objects and dramatic chain re including a trademark at cargo ships. Caravan tickets at Fernbank Museum dot org And from the University of Georgia online master of social work program providing flexibility for adult professional seeking to advance their career in the field of social work more information found at Online dot edu slash. When you donate this weekend at $15.00 a month you can get a pair of tickets to see David Sedaris at the Fox Theater on Nov 20th this is with your online donation only at. Work quantities for these tickets are limited so make your donation now. And remember to select these tickets during the checkout process your donation at $15.00 a month can get you a pair of tickets to see David Sedaris at the Fox So donate now. Thanks. I'm Janine Hurst with these headlines in California the state's biggest utility Pacific Gas and Electric plans to cut power to nearly 1000000 people as thousands of Californians flee wildfires authorities have ordered 50000 people in wine country to evacuate worried that higher winds tonight will make the Kinkaid fire in Sonoma County more dangerous police in the u.k. Say a 25 year old man from Northern Ireland has been charged with manslaughter among other charges after the bodies of $39.00 people were found in the back of his truck and the Pentagon is awarded a $10000000000.00 contract for cloud computing services to Microsoft over Amazon the huge project known as Jet I put it leading tech companies Microsoft Amazon Oracle and i.b.m. Against each other I'm Janine Herbst n.p.r. News in Washington. Support for n.p.r. Comes from this station and from mind body where wellness and people meet with thousands of fitness classes to find and book in one place studios can join the network at Mind Body Online dot com slash n.p.r. From American Jewish World Service working together for more than 30 years to build a more just and equitable world learn more at a.j. Ws Dato r.j. And from the John d. And Catherine team MacArthur Foundation at mac found dot org. This is All Things Considered from n.p.r. News I'm Michel Martin in Washington d.c. Which is the kind of place where you really can walk into a bar and find yourself in the middle of a watch party for a presidential debate where you really do have to know someone's politics before sending him or her up on a date where your child's school and where you go to worship can all be seen as political choices but right now things are a little different there is unity and love in the air for a local baseball team the Washington Nationals who brought the 1st World Series play to d.c. Since 1933 certainly since the franchise moved to d.c. In 2005 the Nats currently lead the Houston Astros in the best of 7 series 2 games to one we were wondering why the people are so hyped about this so we've called somebody who has his finger on the pulse of the d.m.v. That's for d.c. Maryland Virginia that's what locals call the place we're talking about longtime d.c. Resident activist artist and businessman and he's the founder and c.e.o. Of Busboys and Poets that's a chain of restaurants and book stores across the d.m.v. That hosts a lot of those watch parties and 1st dates that we mentioned earlier he's with us now in the studios in Washington d.c. And welcome wearing your Washington Nationals hat I see yes yes I've been wearing it since I started so here I am so you know the pulse of the city what is d.c. Like usually Well you know it's a it's a it's a very political city and as you mentioned you know watch parties are big especially for debates I watch parties where we call our Super Bowl for the politics it's the debates the debates become our Super Bowl so so why is it that you think people are so excited about this and people really are excited about this well 1st of all it's so unique I it hasn't happened but 80 some years so it's obviously a 1st. It's funny a friend of mine says What country are we playing the World Series you know so you know it's big it's huge right so I said I said the Republican. Texas. Ok so so it's also I think baseball is a game that tends to be slower so I think there's a sort of anti Washington d.c. East coast run run run kind of feeling all the time where you can like kick back an excuse to go like to work to you know call a hand or whatever but let's unscientific this area has had some sports success lately I mean the Capitals won hockey Stanley Cup in 2018 a lot of people came out for that the Washington Mystics just won their 1st n.b.a. Title in September you know Washington's gone over 3 decades without a professional baseball team they haven't to World Series since the 1948 homestead grays of the Negro League I just wonder is it you know is this is just kind of the icing on the cake for many people after they've had finally getting some sports success in this area or do you think there's something about baseball itself it just feels more hype than in previous experiences where people have gotten close to success I mean when you think of what is quintessentially American I think baseball comes to mind and I think it does tend to unite people you know as as American as baseball and apple pie you hear that all the time right it's also much less aggressive kind of game and I think for a lot of people people that may not be into football for instance I think baseball is much more accessible and easier to follow frankly does it last. I mean it always has a residual of course I think we need it I think people are exhausted with the politics here in d.c. Specially of late it's exhausting it's exact thing people are just tired and having this very positive thing happening here in the city is giving people a refocus you know what I mean like it's not just about the politics is also fun things to do there's also a joy in life to have and I think I think most brought that that was the founder and c.e.o. Of Busboys and Poets it's a chain of bookstores. Restaurants and gathering spaces across the d.c. Metro area and to Shaw thank you so much for joining us thank you finally today you remember Anthony Ramos from the original cast of Hamilton he played both John Lorenz and the lead Pamela. Since from 0 stepped away from those roles in 2016 he has been on a tear he starred in Spike Lee's Netflix series she's got a habit based on least 1906 film of the same name he played Lady Gaga best friend in a star is born and if that wasn't enough he's just released an album it's called the good and the bad was. Really new. And he is with us now in our studios in New York to tell us more about the good in the back Anthony relish thank you so much for joining us welcome thank you so much for having me on so I got to get off this Chris said it let's go right congratulations on everything all right it's so hard not to say it I'm trying not to say it but. You're definitely not missing your 1000 at 1st to try to make money not I don't know years I never had I tried not to write I'm probably like the 1000th person who started it as it isn't you know about as good as I get off as a big huge part of my life well I mean the last couple of years I mean working with Lynn Manuel working with Spike Lee working with Bradley Cooper working with Lady Gaga you know when you were growing up here in New York. Did you ever think that this is where you'd be. No Off the top of the top of my head No I think there was a little part of me inside deep down inside that dreamt about it and and felt like it could happen but in reality it felt so far away there were a lot of things that a lot of things I could have kept me from being here you know I was grow poor and grew up in the hood and in the projects and it's easy to see those things as things that are in our way or or setbacks or kind of barriers but I felt like those things gave me superpowers then those places and those circumstances actually helped me get here and. Gave me the opportunity to sit here with you now one of the things I'm curious about those growing up in New York as I did is New York is New York's go in the house it's just you know New York is so close right I mean you can see it if you're standing in the right place is it still feel far away like the the the New York that you now have a foot in now did it still feel far way back then it felt really far away as a kid I did we didn't you take trips into the city you know it was going to the park or going to you know say like it was it was everything was local for me it was cheaper it was easier and we could still do something adventurous and Paris could take us somewhere local and they would have to take us into the city and still be it still suffice you know but it was interesting that people outside of New York maybe don't realize that people who don't live in Manhattan still call it the city right you know and anyone who's from New York knows oh you live in New York's you live in Manhattan you know it because if you don't live in the city all of us then I live in Queens I live in Long Island I live you know somewhere there's not the city right being from New York right like if you talk to your family and they're like hey so where do you live now and I'm like oh I live on you know 45th the 9th they're like oh did you get automatic you get like a 0. Like all while you are you doing big things this and then they follow it up by you doing big things you know so it's a big deal to even come into the city and. And then let alone lived I don't live in the city now but you know I work in the city which is all the more reason why I say it's interesting for your 1st album you really talk a lot about where you came from as opposed to where you are now I'll just start with Dear Diary Yeah let's just start with. Mom. And be back again soon so now. When across the country to chase to things I don't need into grow. My head to get away from you and everything I haven't known. Diaries is really my love letter to home you know is really like these are all the things on my mind and I'm going to let them out and basically like for his verses for Mom 2nd verse for my father was in my life for most of my life but thank God he's around now. They're talking. To. My stuff from the takes you see. From mom. She told me how. Did you just cry every day it was hard it was hard yeah I was trying really hard right there look at each other let's let's try not to cry yeah some super personal you know it don't matter where life is if you call or say that you need the upcoming. Super personal having to get emotional talking about. This is this real life is albums real life for me. To you. Rather. Mom or. Dad is feeling do you feel after. Hamilton I mean 1st of all Hamilton should I mean please it's like one of the biggest musicals in recent history I mean it is going to go down in history so couple questions about it when you were 1st working on it did it seem like it was going to be big that wait or did it just feel like hey this is great I got a gig definitely felt more than hey this is great I got a day I was like you know this is different you know we knew it was special we didn't know it was a blow up like the way it did but we for sure like tickets at a mortgage payment I mean I take it it's all about you forever forever until infinity and beyond but when did you realize it was that huge experience it wasn't just the plane it was like an event that when did that become real for you when the president went to Brock Obama showed up we were like all the I guess this I guess we got something here that nervous I said the president got a busy schedule and he came in to c s I think that was the most electrifying show I had besides On the flipside when Mike Pence came to the show was crazy like that was also electrifying for me because I felt like this was a story that this person needs to hear and I'm about to give this do the best thing crazy a shot of a given because I feel like this guy needs to hear this story about immigrants and about these people and about is told in this way with all these black and brown people on this stage you know telling this story in this way and interesting book and so you kind of have this book and experience completely 100 percent a book an experience you know and but that's the beauty of the show right I feel like the show for everything. Else. When did you make the decision to become an artist I understand I read that and Originally you wanted to be a ballplayer I did like in high school. Because who doesn't right I mean it does a lifeless good Irene does so when did you decide to embrace art and it's not the easiest thing to do I mean even in New York where you're surrounded by artists right right in the city Yeah how did that happen for you it just felt more tangible we tend to follow the patterns of our families are right my dad played baseball My brother played baseball and then house was to be the next one in line that's what the I mean the good the bad the 1st verses they used to call me the franchise in the backyard was a dude named lookee lived to apartment buildings over you know for a job you call the franchise from the window always always and everyone in the yard knew that that was I was supposed to be the next in line until I was at times meaning franchise player franchise player like player brother played now you know next in line and until I was and I got injured at 16 there go my big dreams back and start talking to God for me he had big things right that was that's where those nearest came from but then the good the bad really sums up how I even got in acting you know it's like you know I almost went to the Navy thank God for Jason he saved me my best friend from high school you know he called our high school director on the phone audition for what I thought was a talent show in school I don't know was a musical audition for this thing I thought was a talent show teacher goes Ok great reviews lines and I was like Mom is sounded. Like like what do you know you know what this is I'm like yes it's Alice which is like no as a musical she's like oh can I just ask forgive me should you know what a musical was at that knew what a musical was but I wasn't a fan I didn't really grow up watching I didn't love musicals growing up like my high school girlfriend tried to play read for me and I was like I don't get it now I love Right right it takes time for a lady who was not your thing right but not love these the old the new love love I'm now and so you got the part I got the part I got on stage and now in that moment you know I was where my cardboard crown playing Zeus and when I get out there where and way too much makeup and I started singing this song and in that moment I was like you ever just been comfortably comfortable you like I am so uncomfortable because I feel so comfortable in this place that is. This is so unfamiliar to me yet I feel like I belong here this is where I'm supposed to be the whole time why and Bill you know I was just and that moment it was like the light bulb just went off well congratulations on everything I mean you have so many things going on you're working with women well Miranda again yeah the creator of Hamilton you starring in the film adaptation of his play in the heights Yeah for listeners who aren't familiar with it what's it about well the it's about a community of production and community in a neighborhood called Washington Heights it's above Harlem there's a main character who narrates the story we see the story through his eyes was Navi the character play and it's about all these people just grinding it out in this neighborhood and living day to day and what that's like in that community and those Navi owns a bodega then there's the car service owner and his daughter who goes to Stanford but feels like she doesn't belong necessarily because she's one of the only Latina you know students in the school and what that's life are in this movie is really about culture and love and family and it's almost like it was written for you know I mean is made of is wild I mean when I saw the show I was watching these characters on stage and I'm taking the stand and I was like you know and I thought about like quit acting because I was like I don't know if there's a space for me here like nobody's rushing around or we're all for the freckled Puerto Rican kid barely 59 you know saying like no one is like in a rush I can't wait to write the next lead role for him but I sat there and I was like I can't quit I have to have to keep going and it was just beautiful to be aspired by that story and now I can't wait for this to to be in the world the saddest sadness pop music and there's all these bankers in this in this musical music that feels like the music I grew up listening to and I think many people in the world have grown up listening to but just haven't heard it in this way so I'm so excited for this to be in the world. That Anthony Ramos his album of the good and the bad is out now and there I was thank you so much for talking to us thanks so much for having me. Mad love. You my good. Fellow do it all. Around away. From us in the valley if. There is a you can see. For Saturday that's All Things Considered from n.p.r. News I'm Michel Martin We're back tomorrow we thank you for listening we hope you have a great evening. Support for n.p.r. Comes from this station and from Capital One committed to reimagining banking offering savings and checking accounts that can be opened from anywhere Capital One what's in your wallet Capital One and a. From Subaru featuring the 3 row ascent with seating for up to 8 and a choice of 2nd row captains chairs love it's what makes Subaru Subaru learn more at Subaru dot com and from the listeners who support this n.p.r. Station. This is 90 point one. Choice for n.p.r. 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