The longer it takes to finish, the longer we will be here, but we are going to get the job done. Plus, with infrastructure, the January 6th riot, Voting Rights all right there to focus on, republicans are spending their energy instead on masks, throwing a monumental Temper Tantrum over covering their faces for a few days before vacation. All of that and the story that has gone beyond sports to national conversation about Mental Health and when it is okay to say enough is enough. Simone biles and her decision to pull out of competition at the olympics and the backlash that shes faced from some brave keyboard commandos. I want to start first with the former president s taxes. With that, i want to bring in democratic Congressman Bill Pascrell of new jersey, chairman of the house ways and means subcommittee on oversight, and david farenthold, reporter for the Washington Post and msnbc contributor. Welcome to you guys. Thanks for joining me on a saturday afternoon. Congressman, i want to start with you on this one and ask you to expand on your initial reaction, which is which i read was it is about time. Thats what i think. I think we waited fourandahalf years long enough, yasmin. I started this on february 2017, a month after the president was sworn into office, and i started then and theyve managed to defeat when we were the minority 18 of the resolutions i put forth in order that there be a thorough, reasonable examination of the Tax Returns of the president of the United States like every president since nixon. So i thought it was a reasonable ask. In fact, i went to the republicans, mr. Brady who was the chairman of the ways and means at that time, and asked him if he would like to do it with me so it was nonpartisan, get a lot of the nonsense out of way and he laughed at me. Thats exactly what he did. But the fact of the matter is we knew this is where it was going. We studied it very carefully. The part of the code is 63. 01. When the ways and means Committee Or Senate Finance Committee on finance or the joint committee asks, it doesnt say may or can or will, shall give those Tax Returns to the appropriate committee. So, finally, the Justice Department, and it is a different Justice Department, thank god. The Justice Department said that there is reason, we have given good reason in order to do that. Were not snooping. This is part of our oversight responsibilities. No person is above the law, not any congressman, any senator or the president of the United States. The oath is very clear. It was created after the famous Tea Pot Dome scandal in wyoming where in 1921 democrats some democrats were involved in this scandal, although it was primarily republican. It was a joint fraud. They tried to get hold of public lands in order to get hold of the public oils and enable the spoils. So look, weve done our part. I want to thank norm for helping me. Thats my good friend who has worked so hard on this, and mr. Yen who did this study that really crystallized it. Congressman. And for fourandahalf years congressman, this is obviously still very much in the works, in the process, and i think a lot of folks out there are wondering, what are you going to do with them . What are you going to do with these taxes . The president has three days to decide what hes going to do now that the Justice Department has acted and told the Treasury Department to release those Tax Returns. Now, what will the president do . Will he appeal it again . Well, the judge here as a really i think exposed himself, mcfadden. He is a trumpy who was nominated by the president to be that judge. He has said that we got to watch Secrecy And Privacy here. He hasnt obviously read the law or else he wouldnt make that kind of a decision. Were not snooping. Weve given good reason. This could this could involve national security and this could involve a lot of things dealing with the president s actions before and after he became the president of the United States. So i want to open it up. We want to have openness in government, dont we . I thought thats what we were supposed to be all about, or do we just mouth it and not say it . No one is above the law. No one is better than anybody else. The president has gone through his president ial protections under the law, which hes entitled to, but the president still cant get away with stuff that you and i cant get away with and we dont want to. David farenthold, i want to bring you into the conversation here. I think the question to you is what is the congressman likely to see in these taxes . Well, i hate to give credit to a rival but the new york times, they did some really good reporting last year based on some of Trumps Taxes. Thats really all we know about what theyre likely to find. They said you would find that trump reported losing hoog amounts of money on his properties, reported paying little taxes, i think it was 750 a year in 2017 and 2018 and reporting little charitable donations. The times i think only saw a fraction of Trumps Tax returns. I think the congressman and his committee are likely to see a lot more. We know the broad outline of what they might see, but obviously theres a lot of details. There might be interesting details in there. They probably will see a lot of Things Nobody outside of trumps accountants and the irs have seen. Hey, david, when we talk about the dojs reporting on this, right not reporting, excuse me. When we talk about the Dojs Opinion on this when it comes to president ial privacy and privilege, it is not binding necessarily when it comes to the court. So what real weight does this Doj Opinion actually hold . I think it It Holds obviously ill let the congressman answer. Go ahead, david. You go ahead. So i think It Holds a huge amount of weight, but theres already a legal proceeding here and trump certainly will you know, if he follows the precedence he has followed for the last five years, he will challenge in court. I think trump will manage to delay this a little bit, but the law, as the congressman said, is pretty clear. If the republicans dont like it, they can change the law. The irs is supposed to release Anybodys Tax returns to the ways and means. As the congressman said, it doesnt mean ways and means can just give it out the second they get it, but theyre supposed to be able to get Anybodys Tax return. So theres no test you have to pass, no legitimacy standard, it is Anybodys Tax return. I think it will be a hard case for trump to win. Congressman, final word to you . I could say that this is a great day for the law and this is a great day for the congress. Theres something else involved here, yasmin. I want to bring it up. That is the power and the authority of the first branch of government mentioned in the constitution, and that is the legislature. I as a congressman go to the congress, and when i was elected, to undermine the Authority And Power of the legislative branch of government. Read the constitution. I think that this has a lot to do with it. The past 20 years, regardless of whether it was democrat or republican, the executive has assumed a lot of the power, and now it is time for the legislature to step up. We have oversight capabilities written into the law and we intend to follow it. I want to thank the people, my own staff who helped us do this all. Richie neal, the chairman of the ways and means committee, deserves a lot of credit. He did it methodically and reasonably and without animus. He did not do it to undermine the president of the United States. The facts are the facts. The new york times laid much of it out, and as i predicted in february 2017, the states would get some information before we get it. New York State has this information, much of it. So i dont care which appeal he makes or how he appeals or how many lawyers he has, those that are not going to be disbarred, how many lawyers he has, he is going to lose in the final analysis. It may take a long time, but, as i said when we lost the resolutions, were not going away. The american people arent going away. This is what it is all about. Were going to be Talk Bing in in days and weeks to come, thats for sure. Congressman, david, thank you both. Very much appreciate it. I want to turn to the senates rare saturday session, Majority Leader Chuck schumer knowing time is of the essence as they await the massive Infrastructure Bill being put together by a bipartisan group of senators. I understand that writing the text of a bill of this size is a difficult project. I have been part of much such efforts in the past, but i urge the bipartisan group to finish their work so we can begin the amendment process. So, regardless, schumer says they will be moving forward with both physical and Human Infrastructure Plans before the august recess, making it more and more likely that the recess will be delayed. Joining me democratic congressman of new york, whip of the progressive caucus. Thank you for joining us on this. I appreciate it. Thank you. Are you at all concerned about the delay so far and the final wording in the text of this bill, the receipt of the text of this bill . Well, theres always a concern with any delay because, frankly, it gives the opportunity for the whole agreement to blow up. So im concerned about that aspect of it. But i am confident in Leader Schumer and his ability to pull this together so we can get a good Infrastructure Bill before us in the house of representatives. Do you believe the text that will come out, we are hearing approximately 2,500 pages of text here, will, in fact, be the type of text that progressives can support . Well, theres always room for improvement. Im sure that there will be many members in congress, perhaps even myself, that will be concerned that one thing or the other was not included but it is a bipartisan effort. As such there will be limitations on it. I would have liked for it to be more. For example, i think that the public Transit Aspect of it perhaps should be more, but we will wait and see what the senate provides for us. We are also looking forward to dealing with the Reconciliation Aspect of it, the 3. 5 trillion package that will have in it very significant pieces of initiatives that are good for the american people. We have heard obviously from Nancy Pelosi Who At Times said this thing is not going to get through the house without parts of the larger Reconciliation Package on the table from the democrats. Is that still the word you are hearing at this moment . Because if that happens, then this thing could be stalled more. We have to do both. I think we have to do both. It is not just about infrastructure, it is about the needs of the american people coming out of a major pandemic. It is about daycare, for example. It is about immigration. That will be done through this reconciliation. It is about a host of issues that are critical to the wellbeing of our nation and were just still really in the middle of a pandemic with this new Delta Variant and the recent report We Saw from the cdc shows us that we still got to Take Care of ourselves, that we are still not out of the woods, and that the american people still need help. So we are the party that wants to help the american people and get our economy back running. In order for us to do that we have to have, yes, an Infrastructure Bill and, yes, 3. 25 trillion to help our families across. Congressman, thank you so much. I appreciate it. Thank you. Up next, congress within Cori Bush joins us from the capitol where she has been sleeping because of the house adjourning without extending the Eviction Moratorium. Thats next. Someone once told me, that i should get used to people staring. So i did. Its okay, you can stare. When youre a twotime gold medalist, it comes with the territory. Your mission stand up to moderate to severe rheumatoid arthritis. And take. It. On. With rinvoq. Rinvoq a oncedaily pill can dramatically improve symptoms. Rinvoq helps tame pain, stiffness, swelling. And for some, rinvoq can even significantly reduce ra fatigue. Thats rinvoq relief. With ra, your overactive Immune System attacks your joints. Rinvoq regulates it to help stop the attack. Rinvoq can lower your ability to fight infections, including tuberculosis. Serious infections and blood clots, sometimes fatal, have occurred as have certain cancers, including lymphoma, and tears in the stomach or intestines, and changes in lab results. 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Joining me from Capitol Hill is congresswoman bush. Congresswoman, thanks for joining us on this. Appreciate it. Really incredible what you are doing to make sure that youre heard, that your efforts are heard, to make sure do away with this lifting of the Eviction Moratorium. You have not stopped. It sounds like you are not going to stop. Tell us how you are still advocating today. You know, so we slept out here last night and we have stayed here, you know, we have not left. We continue to call other Congress Members, we continue to call other advocacy groups. We are trying to mobilize people, get them here, but to get the word out that we need this to happen in just the next few hours, and it is helping. As a matter of fact, right now we have chairman Jim Mcgovern here from the house Rules Committee, who just gave an announcement to the crowd and said that he will convene the Rules Committee in a nanosecond if we get if we can get the votes, if we can get to 218. So he is asking, and im going to reiterate it that call your Congress Members and ask them to support ending this because thats another way we can get this done. He said if he can get to 218, that he will convene the Rules Committee. Also, President Biden, were looking for President Biden and the cdc to come together and say, hey, lets just extend this moratorium and lets just do it now. We have to do something. So thats why were still here. We cant go home. Were talking about millions of people forced out of their homes, some of whom will be out tomorrow. Have you heard from Speaker Pelosi on this so far . I know earlier you said you had not. Any update on that . No, i still have not heard from the speaker directly, but i know that there has been communications, but i have not had a chance to talk with her, no. Theres a lot of folks that are scared right now, right, folks that are calling in, texting leaders in their community, asking for help, knowing that they could actually lose their homes, folks that have children that could be living out of their cars. I was just speaking to some people down in mississippi who kind of painted that picture for me. I know you are personally dedicated to this because you yourself faced homelessness in the past. What is it like to not have a roof over your head . Explain to folks what that does to you. You know, it is a horrible, sinking feeling because every single moment you know the next Moment Nothing has changed. Every single moment you know that you are shouldnt to the weather. You know that you are subject to any type of violence thats happening around you. You know that you yourself, you need to care for yourself and you are unable to do it the way that you know you need to do it, to Take Care of your children. You know, this is just it totally turns your life upside down and there is this anxiety, there is this worry that consumes you. And im not someone that likes to walk into that likes to speak on worry, but there is a place that you go to in your mind and in your heart because you know that tomorrow is the same. It is one thing to not have food for today. It is another thing to know you dont have food next week, and i know what that feels like. It is one thing to not have a place to lay your Head Tonight and to know im in the car tonight, but to know im in the car with my kids Tomorrow Night. It got to about 50 degrees tonight. What if it gets to 32, what if it gets to 17 Tomorrow Night . How do we stay warm . Every single day this is something you have to deal with. Not only that, how do i survive today and have something to save to be able to get into a Place Tomorrow or in a month . How do you do that . The thing is these are Policy Decisions that can be fixed, that could have been fixed a long time ago so we wouldnt even be in this position with the Housing Crisis we have. So we cannot allow people to end up forced out of their homes today. Let me say this, if we dont care about the people in our communities who are suffering in this manner, the country is judged by how we Take Care of the people that need us the most. America has to do better. We have to do better. Take care of the people who are calling on you. Take care of the people you say you are supposed to represent because otherwise you are just propping yourself up and we dont need that. We will make sure we do the work to vote you out, and you know that i will look, how did i get here . We can mobilize. We can galvanize you out. Take care of the people. Forget worrying about where the money is coming from. We got over 40 Billion sitting, waiting. Lets work on that. Cori bush, so incredible. I feel like im in church just listening to you preach in a way about what so many americans could face in the next 24. I feel like you have spent some time in church in missouri with the way in which you speak about your experiences. It is hard. How long will you fight . How long will you stay on those steps . I Cant Leave. I Cant Leave because, you know what . Someone left or didnt act, thats how i ended up on the street. I remember being on the Street And Thinking who speaks about my issues besides my dad . Who speaks . What politicians are speaking directly to my issue, enough to effectively change it . How do i move from this situation . I cant go to a shelter because i have a car, i dont want to take a space from somebody else that doesnt even at least have a car. So me and two babies slept and my partner slept in a car with our stuff in trash bags. You know, no, we will not move until the Administration Or Congress acts because peoples lives are at risk, and then we havent even discussed this deadly global pandemic that is surging right now all over the country. We cannot send our people out to the streets knowing that we couldnt even contain covid19 with the Housing Crisis we have right now and with what is going on in our country. How do we contain how do we help with 7 Million more people on the streets . We cannot do that, and we cant do it with the Gun Violence that people are saying, oh, it is rising, it is rising. Take care of the people. Fix what causes these issues of Gun Violence. Fix what causes the issue. How did we get here, you know, with the lack of Health Care and all of those . How did we get here with this Housing Crisis . We have to do the work. Congress, do the work. Join me. Im asking every one of my colleagues to come out here to this ground. We know where it is because we work here. Come out here and be with us. Call and let the administration know, let the leadership know you are going to be one of the 218 or come here and show up. We need you and we need you now. This is urgent. Thats right. I hear it in the background, thats right. Getting a lot of support there at the capitol, and emotional as well. Congresswoman Cori Bush, i thank you so much for Share Ironing your voice and your experiences. I know people out there hear you and know that you always have a voice and a space on this show to talk about what is happening in the communities around this country. So long as you are on the steps, i commit to you i will have you on to talk about it, to make sure that you are heard. Congresswoman Cori Bush. Stay safe tonight, stay warm. Thank you. We will talk to you soon. We will keep following what you are doing there. Appreciate it. All right. Our neighbors to the north are soaring past us in Vaccination Rates, and the main reason may be they dont have a lot of this going on. Here on the Peoples House we got to go around and see, okay, we cant come to the floor, i cant execute my constitutional duty unless i wear a mask. Which is it, vaccines or masks . Either the vaccines work or they dont work. Instead of focusing on the rising cases some House Republicans are Bashing Mask wearing following the change in cdc guidance. Thats next. [swords clashing] had enough . No. Arthritis. Here. New aspercreme arthritis. Full prescriptionstrength . Reduces inflammation . Thank the gods. Dont thank them too soon. Kick pain in the aspercreme. Super emma just about sleeps in her cape. But when we realized she was battling sensitive skin, dont thank them too soon. We switched to Tide Hygienic clean free. Its gentle on her skin, and out cleans our old free detergent. Tide hygienic clean free. Hypoallergenic and safe for sensitive skin. 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As the Development Ravages parts of the country, unsurprisingly among the most vocal pushing back, House Minority Leader kevin mccarthy, there he is, who traded barbs with nancy over what he called a lack of science backing up the efficacy of science. The Mask Mandate, Speaker Pelosi, any response to the backlash . Any response . Thats the purview of the capitol fission, the official capacity, mandate from him. I have nothing to say about that except to honor it. I have my mask. Leader mccarthy says it is against the science. Hes such a moron. She wants to inflict punishment on the floor, fine people who are vaccinated who wear a mask, but it is not based on science. If you question and point the science out, that it is a study not printed, based upon india on a vaccine thats not in america that hasnt been Peer Rue reviewed, she calls you a moron. Thats a speaker only interested in her own wealth, direction and control. Okay. I want toably in brendan buck, former chief Communications Adviser for former House Speaker Paul Ryan And Partner at seven Letter And Basil smikle from columbia university. Before we get into the conversation which will be an incredibly frustrating one, basil, i want your reaction to the conversation i just had with Cori Bush on the steps of the capitol, trying to be heard about extending the Eviction Moratorium. Why would the House Recess without extending the Eviction Moratorium knowing millions of americans could find themselves homeless over the next couple of weeks . Well, it is actually unconscionable. It is affecting at least 15 Million americans, 6. 5 million households that are dealing with over 20 Billion in late rent. When you think about the fact that these all of these families are in danger of being evicted, it didnt happen spontaneously. That means that they are food insecure, they are and now facing home insecurity. So when you put all of those things together, i cant really understand why you would leave or you would decide not to come back and merely take this up to make sure that the very cornerstone of sort of who we are as a society, is making sure that folks are able to stay in their homes through a pandemic. I just dont understand. You had Congress Member Espaillat on earlier, who is actually my member of congress. Right. I have seen him in the streets pushing for and supporting, you know, renters, which new York City is a big city of renters. So it is something that affects so many americans. I just dont understand why this would happen. It is really troubling. But with that i do want to transition to why it is we brought yall here to talk, and that is kind of this Temper Tantrum, i should say, from the republican party when it comes to the Mask Mandate in the house, in congress i should say. Brendan, what is this about . You know, you hear mccarthy saying it isnt based on science. In fact, these decisions are based on science, theyre based on cdc guidance. Listen, leading up to it over the last couple of weeks we had been doing more stories that you had more republicans, even folks on Fox News speaking out saying, listen, go and get the vaccine. Yet when you are asked to wear a mask knowing that the Delta Variant is beginning to ravage parts of the country, more and more folks testing positive, they throw a Temper Tantrum. What is going on here . The way i look at it, it is an issue of credibility. I think there are good faith reasons to question what the cdc said. People throughout the scientific community are questioning actually the basis for this particular study and a lot of people i think rightly are angry that theyve done the right thing, theyve gotten Vaccinate Ed and now theyre told to take a step backwards frankly. But then there are bad faith and those are those that stormed to the senate site. Theyre not promoting vaccination, which is the solution out of it. It is a timehonored tradition do abc stunt. Theres a little bit of credibility i guess to going over to the senate where the attending physician of the capitol has decided you dont need to wear masks on the senate side, which is a bit emblematic of the arbitrary and inconsistent rules going on in the capitol. I think thats what theyre angry about. No question, the way out of this is vaccines. I would love nothing more if conservatives in congress would come together and start promoting vaccines rather than taking cheap shots at fauci or whoever it is. There are reasons to question what cdc said. I think a lot of people are doing it. But the answer here is focusing on vaccines, not masks. That being said though, in the meantime, basil, right, there is this sense that we need an extra layer of protection. I was just speaking with dr. Kavita patel a couple of minutes ago, talking about if fact she chooses to still wear a mask when she goes out, knowing she is high risk when it comes to the job she is doing every single day. She is a Physician Weve had on the air for the last year plus during this Pandemic And Advice we dont necessarily take lightly when she says something, and yet you have this political divide in congress when it comes to the Mask Mandates. Why not follow what you are being told, right, for the Safety And Health and wellbeing of others around you . Well, a lot of it also depends on who is telling you, right . So if you are look, i have Family Members in england, both of them are doctors and theyre dealing with some of this over there, too. Part of it is, to the earlier point, some of the conversations with, you know, that the cdc has had around what we should do, what we shouldnt do, is confusing for a lot of people. I dont take that away from them. In fact, there are more and more africanamericans that i talk to in both southern and northern states that are concerned about what the cdc is saying and does that conflict with what their governor is saying or what their mayor is saying. Theyre just not sure what to do. So a lot of this is broad sort of distrust of government leaders. You see biden trying to assuage some of the concern by saying, hey, this thing got developed during a republican administration and now as a democrat im continuing the rollout. That doesnt necessarily hasnt necessarily worked, but theres a long history of othering in our country, whether it is race and class, and it seems to me that republicans are Hell Bent on othering people who actually decide to go with the science, decide to sort of listen to their leaders who say better safe than sorry even if theres no scientific reason to do something, maybe theres a psychological need to do it. Republicans are Hell Bent on drawing those lines. Gosh, you know, you bring up a good point and i think kind of, you know, the question to ask out of this is how do you begin to try to reestablish trust when it comes to leadership, right . When it comes to the science surrounding what is happening with the covid pandemic, and i think thats a conversation we need to have another time. Thank you to you both, brendan buck, basil smikle. I appreciate it. Several athletes are speaking out about their own Mental Health after Simone Biles decided not to compete in several events. Up next, joining me to talk about the pressure on black women and why, as she writes, greatness is never enough. Er en. Ugh, these balls are moist. Or is that the damp weight of selfawareness you now hold in your hands . Yeah laugh keep your downstairs dry with Gold Bond Body powder. Keep your downstairs dry we did it again. Verizon has been named americas most reliable network by rootmetrics. And our customers rated us 1 for Network Quality in america according to j. D. Power. Number one in reliability, 16 times in a row. Proving once again that nobody builds networks like verizon. Thats why were building 5g right, thats why theres only one best network. Did you know Prilosec Otc can stop frequent heartburn before it begins . Prilosec otc uses a unique Delayedrelease Formula that works to turn down acid production, blocking heartburn at the source. With just one pill a day, you get 24hour heartburn protection. Take the Prilosec Otc twoweek challenge. And see the difference for yourself. Prilosec otc, 1 pill a day, 24 hours, zero heartburn. Piano Playing here we go. [john legends i can see clearly now] make your reunion happen with vrbo. Your together awaits. Vrbo im still wowed by whats next. Even with higher Stroke Risk due to afib not caused by a Heart Valve problem. So if theres a better treatment than warfarin,. I want that. Eliquis. Eliquis reduces Stroke Risk better than warfarin. And has less major bleeding than warfarin. Eliquis has both. Dont Stop Taking Eliquis without talking to your doctor as this may increase your risk of stroke. Eliquis can cause serious and in rare cases fatal bleeding. Dont take eliquis if you have an artificial Heart Valve or abnormal bleeding. While taking, you may bruise more easily. Or take longer for bleeding to stop. Get help right away for unexpected bleeding, or unusual bruising. It may increase your Bleeding Risk if you take certain medicines. Tell your doctor about all planned medical or dental procedures. The Number One cardiologistprescribed blood thinner. Ask your doctor about eliquis. Welcome back. Now to a story thats been dominating the Olympic Games in tokyo and has a lot of people talking. Gymnast Simone Biems Will Sit Out at least two more individual competitions. She has withdrawn from Event Finals for vault and uneven bars. Team usa says she will, in fact, continue to be evaluated to determine whether to compete in the remaining two finals for floor and beam. News of The Star Athletes Withdrawal from Competition Shock the entire athletic world and even drew criticism for some. We are joined now by candace buckner, a sports and Lifestyle Enterprise Writer nor the Washington Post. Candace, thanks for joining us on this. I really appreciate it. I want to read some of what you wrote about what is happening with Simone Biles. You wrote it so incredibly. Whenever biles pulls on her leotard it is as though she is tightening a cape around her neck. She is the hero tasked with Saving A Sullied sport, embodying some trite belief in american dominance and also carrying a gender and an entire race. That is a Heavy Cape and it chokes, but it is one that exceptional black women and women of color are told to wear. This goes, candace, well beyond the sport of gymnastics. We will get into that in a moment, but this is also about the fact that Simone Biles is a woman and a black woman. For sure. I will never dare to speak for all black women, but i do believe there is a shared experience among black women who reach a certain status and women of color who reach a certain status, that when they are one of a few or they are the one, they take on this responsibility of representing their gender, their race. At that point they become more than just an individual. They become an image, and not just an image for the people who come behind them, who may follow their footsteps and say, yeah, this can be done, now i can see it, but also an image to their peers in that space, to show them that i deserve this, i did this on my own, please give me respect, please give the people who look like me respect. Thats a heavy responsibility, as im sure it is a lot of internal strive we put on ourselves, exceptional like women put on themselves, but it is a lot for one person to take on. We Cant Talk about Simone Biles without hearing from her about herself. I want to play for you simone at a News Conference on tuesday after her first withdrawal. I say put Mental Health first because if you dont, then you are not going to enjoy your sport and youre not going to succeed as much as you want to. So it is okay sometimes to even sit out the big competitions, to focus on yourself. How incredible is it to hear something like that from someone who has achieved so much . The type of strength that it really even took for her to be so up front and honest about where she is at. Exactly. The weak thing would have been to hide behind a fake injury, to say, oh, i hurt my toes or i hurt my back and thats why i sat out. The strong thing would be transparent and be honest and put yourself out there and say, this is what is happening and this is what i have to deal with, and i hope other people also put their Mental Health before everything else. It is interesting, recently we are starting to see this a lot from black women in athletics. Simone manuel, the first africanamerican to win an individual swimming gold medal, before the olympics she said that she struggled with something called overtraining syndrome and she struggled with depression. Naomi osaka in tennis, she withdrew from the French Open because she said that the postmedia or the mostmatch Media Obligations were harmful to her Mental Health. So were seeing these young, superior athletes who just happen to be black women really be transparent about their Mental Health struggles. And i think we forget as well that, yes, Simone Biles is a black woman, she is a superstar, mega talent. Shes also a victim of Sexual Assault by Larry Nasser along with so many women from usa gymnastics. She has talked about the fact that she felt abandoned by usa gymnastics, that this was the one thing they should have done, was in fact protect her and the other girls and thats not what they did. She had those feelings leading into these olympics. Candace buckner, some incredible writing on this. Really appreciate it, you sharing it with us and joining us this afternoon. Thank you. All right. Coming up, everybody, the mystery of the donald trumps missing president ial salary. Plus, a celebration of inclusivity in my Head Scratcher and high five of the week. Im alysia menendez. The great Mask Debate heats up with the cdc saying the Delta Variant is as transmissible at chicken pox. Plus, getting an Infrastructure Bill to the president s desk as the Washington State democrat reups her call for a national bill of rights. That when we see you at 6 00 p. M. 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Thousands in france and italy are taking to the streets to protest Covid Vaccine passes that will be required to access most public places like restaurants. In Paris Protesters clashed with police in the third consecutive weekend of demonstrations there. The city even going so far as to dispatch around 3,000 Security Forces in rome, protesters marched against socalled Green Passes there, Toppling Police Barriers to continue their march. These protests come despite surging Covid Numbers in both countries. So as the Delta Variant continues to spread, and Vaccination Rates have slowed here in the United States, the biden administration announced this week that federal employees must, in fact, either be vaccinated or face new testing, masking, and distancing rules. Other countries have gone further. Fully mandating the vaccine in places like indonesia. One country that has not implemented widespread Vaccine Mandates is canada where they have now surpassed the u. S. In vaccinating its citizens. Joining us now is journalist shan tell desilva. You actually wrote about this for nbc. So when you looked at the Vaccination Data between canada and here in the United States, what stood out to you the most . Thanks for having me. So, you know, i suppose the most striking thing is just seeing how the u. S. s Vaccination Program appears to have slowed down, while canadas just inches forward and forward. Weeks ago it was a bit tighter between the two countries, but you know, as of the past Week Weve seen canada see just under 56 of the total population fully vaccinated, 70. 4 receiving at least one dose. Meanwhile, in the u. S. , weve seen 49. 5 of the population fully jabbed and just under 57. 5 getting one dose. Whats interesting to me is the disparity between the percentage of people who have received at least one dose. Dr. Faucis been clear that this Disparity Isnt due to a lack of trying to administer and promote jabs in the u. S. So you know, were seeing a lot of it attributed now to the politicization of the u. S. Vaccination Program And Hesitancy in getting the jab compared to in canada. I want to talk a little bit more about that because the number that really stood out to me is the 8 that folks are seeing on their screens now of canadians that say they wont get vaccinated versus 45 here in the United States. That is a huge difference. Why is that . Well, you know, i think in canada, you know, one big thing is that there hasnt been so much politicization of the Vaccination Program. You know, theres been more of a unified voice telling the population from the top that vaccination is critical. You dont really see the divisions that were seeing playing out in the u. S. You know, between leaders of the State Level and at the very top, you know, obviously theres been quite a difference between the last administration and the current one in terms of the messaging around coronavirus generally and the Vaccination Program. You know, so i think the political divisions have really played a role whereas in canada, you know, the messaging has always been quite unified and quite consistent in stressing the importance of getting the jab. I mean, obviously there are other aspects as well. The role that misinformation plays. Just quickly here chantal, how did canada catch up . Because there was a point where canada was well behind the United States when it came to vaccinations. For sure, i think theres a few things at play. You know, this is partly thanks to Canadas Approach just sort of falling into place quite well. In the beginning there was a lot of confusion and a lot of scrutiny around when canada exactly was going to get the jabs. It wasnt producing domestically, so you know, it was very reliant on producers outside of the country. So there was a lot of Questions Kind of around whether or not canada had the right approach. Canada didnt put all their eggs into one basket. They had contracts with at least seven Vaccine Makeers and what ended up happening is the contract came through and the products came through quite quickly, faster than expected. But you know, again, it is just also about vaccine hesitancy, and more people, i think, wanting to come forward now. You know, everyone in the u. S. Whos wanted to get a jab is getting a jab, but will they will that number go up as, you know, we reach the people who are less inclined. Chantal desilva, thank you so much. Appreciate it. That wraps up the hour for me, everybody, im yasmin vossoughian. Ill be back in the chair tomorrow. Reverend al sharpton, Politics Nation starts right now. Good evening, and welcome to Politics Nation. Tonights lead, race to the finish. 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