It is the strawberry capital and it is important to me to write a book to explore my roots but how i see the election through the prism that i grew up not the confines of washington or cnn but through a small town girl and i recognized early when i endorsed President Trump and three months after along with a few others to recognize that movement as well. Talk about van jones. A few people make appearances and surprising him with that in a other conservatives at one point thought of a boogie man. What was your experience . I was included. With the radical left wings are with opponents on the other end of the camera a lot of us are partisan and it is easy to sum up the counterpart when i came to know van jones as a person and i remember the first night before i took the stage of the cnn Election Panel i had gotten the criticism from some type because you get trolls one of them said take off my cross i wasnt deserving to wear that and van jones didnt know about the comment i did not even know him as i rounded the corner before my first panel i heard a voice come out from the crowd that said i love your cross. That was the first word he said to me. And through those many nights that we spent together as a person and as a friend and as a mentor no matter the bernie or hillary or trump voter. Others have been kind and mentor due also the late alan combs what did he mean to you . My guy was joke if liberals really helped me throughout my career although i am very right wing strong conservative individual but they were wonderful to me that alan kept up with me during my time on cnn and and then to send me a message that you watched me. But i didnt learn that it was on his radio show. And then say remember joe fight fire with fire fight fire with water. And allow to see your point of view intellectually why your anger. What is the broad theme of the book . A great question i use the word populace conservatively that i am not populace one populist but that sums up what the book is about i wanted to honestly profile the people on the left and on the right. So to me it capture the sentiment that drove the electorate to one of those most astonishing electoral world of feeds i have seen in my lifetime or modern history even from poisoned water to flint michiga michigan. If you live inside the beltway with what was happening across america to the people to have this revolution but this book with a lot of different problems to understand. But i think outside of my own book where we can point to in the moment in this election. To profile that group of voters and those swing voters so to take a broader look and i sat down at my desk writing down the issues. But then i traveled the country for the mom who lost her son and husband then to profile a widow and i really tried to and to make them what they were. I would imagine the process is simultaneously timeconsuming and emotionally draining. And to persevere they went through really hard times. Talk about the time in the process. With a speaking gig or a panel or a deadline and to be caught up in them and not any mom monotony of these political discussions to leave the confines and talk to the people i didnt know what i would find. You have to go do another interview but when i went to their homes and i saw their daughter running around the house with a little puppy in the little picture who said thank you. But that i wrote this story i realize she would come to know her father so it became deeply personal and emotionally and then to overcome their darkest hour. Even as a tv commentator so when you write something in a book there was a legacy to that so there was a moment in time with the responsibility writing about people. That is how i saw it. Women to tell the legacy of these individuals with the families that lost loved ones. It is a personally sacred duty who these individuals were. And then the gunmen but what about the victims and then push their son the 11yearold outoftheway when a truck was barreling towards them . Because we all know those terrorist attacks they crowded people in east france but those people rose to the occasion with amazing acts of heroism. That was my goal to share their story. Another theme is police with a Police Officer who was killed not even in the line of duty but protecting others it seems like there are several examples of law enforcement. Of those trends that led to Donald Trumps election . One of the biggest reasons for his election were the men in blue. Absolutely a driving force. Largely receive them as a domestic hero and dont get the credit they deserve. Then to be behind a little daughter but my time at harvard law school. And with racial injustice. And with those grievances of black lives matter that is a heavy conversation that they are good people who rise to the occasion. And also on the other side and to become aware of those issues at harvard law school. Also to discover liberal bias in academia and also Donald Trumps election with that virginia scandal so i really do think if you read this book allegedly said she didnt know anybody in that camp with donald trump this would help you understand. What makes you angry around america to be insulated if you have a fairly prosperous life it has personally touched you . I open up a little bit with my story. I will read some for a little bit. I planned those words carefully it is hard to tell your own story. But i am positive with an 84 chance to develop Breast Cancer in my lifetime. When i was just 22 years old so talk about a loss of use when i should have been worried about boys or finding a job i was worried about Breast Cancer. This dovetails a larger story about someone no who is struggling with navigating obamacare. A Small Business owner going through major Health Problems and spending hours trying to get it straightened out then you tell your story. An unexpected waterfall of tears poured down my face 84 chance to chance to get Breast Cancer in my lifetime. So with my genetic mutation test not expecting to hear a positive result days later or those emotions to accompany that. To face a permanent step in the journey of a double mastectomy. It is difficult to write about this so can you help others . So when we talk about it in the political context there are so many competing factors to be looked at so i told my story to create awareness that you can find out that you have this gene and it will be tough. But it is a decision we need to make. One of the things obamacare did do was to wreak havoc to provide protections is important to tell the story but republicans do care. To care about the population of people. He met because conservatives said with those preexisting conditions to repeal and replace. And to keep that clause in there. And then the opponent said back to him and to be so taken aback. Into site those brave women like your mom who had the courage to do the double mastectomy before it was even popularized like a strong woman like angeli Angelina Jolie. Right. She did not have Breast Cancer but she did have a tumor removed and she did this before Angelina Jolie came out. She said look at a copy of the new york times. And then for women across the country Breast Cancer is one of the top killers of women who have this gene it was an empowering moment. So she made it mainstream and i am impressed with her courage to do that. One of the common themes is donald trump. Not everybody voted for donald trump reading this book would give insight into the rise of the populist movement. So even a more common theme is faith whether the terrorist attack to have every person to comfort them to give them meaning was there faith. To be clear despite being christian i didnt set out to find men and women of faith but those who embody the issues of our time but it is god not government. Maybe temporary hope and a leader but ultimate hope in the savior. And to profile this community that i found unwittingly but i stumbled upon men and women it was god that got me through. At the time they felt their lowest. Interestingly a couple of other themes that was mystical or spiritual, one is premonitions so before a major life event with a sense of foreboding. What is really interesting was the 11yearold boy who lost his life in the terrorist attack. About an hour and a half before that happened. She noticed armed guards walking down the street and in the bathroom there was a guard standing there he said i will go in by myself. He was 11 years old and said what does isis look like . The next hour and a half he kept asking. Because he had seen somebody in the mens bathroom with a backpack open looking suspiciou suspicious. Rights. Digging through his belongings and sent a picture to his brother from the festivities and whether he was there before the attack we dont know that that was the attacker but you have a premonition something was coming and then he died when the illegal immigrant took the illegal lefthand turn deported previously. And said her body collapsed in a parking lot in Atlanta Georgia at the very time her son lost his life. My body knew but my mind didnt. So there were those that knew something was coming or approaching. This is about the story of the veteran. An amazing american who became the face of the scandal when cnn broke the scandal with a great investigative reporting of the veterans across the country who could not get access to care but he testified before congress and a colonoscopy for more than a year and was not able to get one and had egregious symptoms like stool coming out with signs of colon cancer still could not get a colonoscopy. But during his hardest times approaching death he took it upon himself to share his faith with others he had an incredible way to approach that. One month before bed ridden he would wake up each morning to find him roaming around the backyard praying the words lord if this burden is meant for me to carry the let me carry it you set my feet on the path and dont let me stray from the path. It was reminiscent of the prayer of jesus christ in the garden the night before crucifixion. If it is possible to be taken from me not as i will but as you will. Exactly. That is what inspired me. And then she describes the final moments to be a person of faith when most people were cursing god or to be upset to be handed a death sentence he had a faith that said this is the path that god gave me. So it doesnt matter who the leader is we have amazing individuals in their darkest hour. Be king of the bubble i keep thinking i think i would go to an outside doctor but one of the other stories about healthcare one of those are forced to go outside of the system and pay a lot of money. I believe he was advise you have to pay to go see a doctor but of course they served our country and may not have the ability financially this is the system they are in. It could cost them their lives. Exactly talk long he taught me about struggle when he died. They didnt have a lot of cash. We are just good country people without those resources. Then to provide for her daughter and some people dont have the resources not to say everybody has those resources it was eyeopening to see. To imagine your wife or child needing treatment or surgery to say make an appointment for a year from now would be so infuriating. It is understandable why were infuriated and those that fight overseas and the one responsibility is to protect these men and women when they come home and that angst was the factor that she had an opportunity to confront president obama while he held her husband folded flag many dont get that opportunity. If you look at the book that this explains the phenomenon that led to donald trump, then very clearly these heart wrenching examples this is why he won. There was an immigrant in this country for 30 years upstanding citizen, kids, married, you could have written a book about that to draw different implications. How would you answer for people who say you are cherry picking to buttress your political point . Now to be disenchanted with all government i did not vote trump because i lost faith entirely in our leaders and that emblematic chapter that was my chapter where one carrier worker who is a Bernie Sanders supporter of course the factory that trump brought those jobs back from mexico. But that was so emblematic that van jones talked about that onset. So for both parties on the left and on the right so a common problem is the forgotten man and woman. That is emblematic of that with those factory workers who had Different Solutions and to play cards with one another. And i would answer the charge there are examples with my political viewpoint the factory chapter in particular gets to the heart. I remember reading that chapter that people say i know people who voted for Bernie Sanders but a Single Person in this factory that is a hillary clinton, maybe the union bosses but the actual workers i dont know a Single Person. In the primary. Exactly meant of course that leadership so those factory workers showed up to cast the ballot so that was as big of a motivating factor those disenchanted democrats who stayed home as much as those trump supporters. So to talk about the spiritual premonition people had before the terrorist attack before a loved one died also the theme of divine outreach after somebody lost a loved one, something miraculous would come to them to bring them comfort. That is the most important theme in the book Pat Robertsons daughter sent me the book with literal tears on the pages but i would drive into the situations thinking about their loved ones one of the stories of copeland when her son with that refrigerator truck coming his broken body was picked up and they were running back to the hotel at that point did not know if they had lived or died was transported to the hospital and apparently the whole way there he asked is brody okay unaware he saved his sons life or if he had passed. His last words were brody is dead because in that last moment he said come be with me daddy so he said i would have done the same. The son and father were both injured during the terrorist attack. But they were separate the father didnt know if the son was okay but he actually had died. But the father had no way to know that but yet he kept saying is he okay but right before he died he said brody is dead he is a mile and a half away he had no way to know. He said he convinced his son in heaven and that gave me chills because i read of accounts and those who had survived that i saw my loved ones and that matched other nonfiction accounts. So that is one of many stories of the divine outreach. That was written by a doctor . Not just joe blow. To make an actual medical doctors. I find it is super interesting with a Police Officer who basically died and was off duty that he left behind a daughter who is about to turn eight years old and said her brother justin always promised to take her and he passed and set about to go on a retreat and looked out on the back porch she took a beautiful butterfly and said that is awesome. It is the color of lease officers a few weeks later she was in missouri several states away about two shoot her first gun somebody said look at your foot. The same one from ohio it stayed on her foot then after she shot the gun it sat on her finger she has pictures of the butterfly in all of these different locations he found his way to stay with m me. And her father saw that also had a police retreat several states away. I have never seen that but they see it often. [laughter] c recount the story. Do you dedicate the book to her . Yes the first victim in the columbine shooting who said she believed in god and lost her life those who were diagnosed with cancer at a very young age and her mom said the day she passed he was in the bathroom and set a prayer let me know my daughter will be okay then the feather floated down from the ceiling in the whole community has spent years collecting feathers we dont know where it came from in the hospital but to tell you quickly the girl who saw the butterfly said to me to know what is crazy whenever i tell people that story i hear stories about going and feathers. I said did you get my book yet . And all the men and women were spoken to through feathers and coins. I think it is divine outreach not coincidence. God is the divine outreach. Is in this a few times . That the story about the feather like the wife who collapsed in the parking lot when her son was killed she said i cannot believe you just said that because i went to the bathroom and on the plane there was a little hello she will a pillow i was feeling upset i came back and sitting on top of the pillow was little further. With that outrage one outreach was astonishing so to bring up the theological question the one time and that is the question whether or not god causes sickness or death tragedies and then to have that more abundantly because some people believe that he is not the author but other people comfort themselves to say this is all part of gods plan we dont understand but it happens for a reason. Talk how People Struggle with that. Where do you come down on that . It is tough to grapple with. They stated they were angry at god as you can imagine losing a son and your wife it is a common question or how she got over her anger because a pastor said god did not will this for your life he did not want this to happen this to you that was a comfort to her but does god allow this to happen . The conclusion that i come to he didnt want him to lose her son but yes he allow that to happen as part of free will he allow that to happen but not what he wanted for these individuals. That we would never have the discussion with political commentary. I love getting to explore these issues putting a heart on the page spending hours with them. And open up that every human being grapples with. And that is a special opportunity. So from the stories that you tell people i think there are four examples but those that are happening that people are fed up with but still very serious one is religious liberty which is the first freedom and a lot of americans who feel they are losing their ability to talk about their faith with the military aspect as well. To hear about the communities are not allowed to keep the bible in my desk. But what you dont think about is losing your religious freedom so they say if you could map out that religious persecution that is like this. Increasingly you see them under attack one was a