again. and good evening, welcome to politicsnation. tonight's lead, up close and personal. ♪ ♪ ♪ >> right now, i'm reflecting on my exclusive interview this week with vice president kamala harris who i joined at the white house this week ahead of two events. the 60th anniversary of the march on washington, which i will be leading with ronald came the third and his beautiful active wife that on august 26th i will be meeting with them as head of national action network. and andrea waters, came head of the drum major institute. and then of course, the other event is the 2024 election. just 15 months away. and the heart of both matters are the dueling challenges that democrats face to both retain a black vote that appears to some jeopardy and to protect black voters against republican-led voter suppression efforts. and the growing dangers posed by the presidential candidacy of donald trump. so tonight appears to be on the cusp of a fourth indictment. possibly as early as next week, this one coming from fulton county, georgia, prosecutor fani willis. who has signaled that she is near ready to bring charges in her investigation of trump's attempt to manipulate the 2020 election results in georgia. california congresswoman and u.s. senate candidate barbara lee joins me shortly with her reaction to what you will hear from the vice president. and to the tightening web of prosecutions targeting the former president. plus, a new project aims to help 10 million black americans recapture something precious. the names and the stories of their ancestors that have been lost to slavery until now. the researchers leading the team that he names -- joins me later in the show to help me better understand my whole family. all of that tonight on politicsnation. but we begin tonight with my exclusive interview with vice president harris, as we prepare to commemorate and continue the fight of one of the most pivotal moments in black freedom and the black freedom struggle. the 60th anniversary of the march on washington for jobs and freedom. i met the first woman and first black woman vice president at the white house. and started by asking her about what worries her over the state of the country. >> are you concerned about turnout, he specially among blacks in the election? you hear these false, are you concerned about that? >> i am always concerned about turnout, whatever election we are talking about. because like us, in a moment where we think everybody for what they did turnout in 2020. appreciate that it takes an effort to turn out to vote. people of things to, do their obligations. if they're working two or three jobs, if they have got, you know, a bunch of children and they need to worry about who is gonna take care of the kids when they go vote, people have obligations every day. and the people who, especially the people that most at stake in the election are often the people who least have the luxury of taking time out of their day to do something that is not an immediate obligation. so i recognize that and i recognize that when people make the effort to register to vote, to fill up that ballot, to go to the polls and vote. it is an effort that we should appreciate and be thankful for when they make it. i am worried about it because i also know there has been a lot of effort and laws that have been passed to try to make it more difficult for people to vote. i mean, can you imagine, rev? in the united states of america we went through all of these fights, the march in washington, john lewis, all of that. and these so-called leaders who are so bold as to unapologetically proposed laws and make it more difficult for the american people vote. the goal! so i do worry that we have to do everything we can to remind people of why it is important, and also fight against those people who are trying to make it difficult. >> one of the things we are doing with the march is that we have -- anti-defamation league. >> yes, that's great. >> and you need those. >> yeah. >> because i think that as you have always had through your career, it's about bringing everyone together. >> a coalition. >> and if there is no coalition, there is no victory. >> that's right. >> and is that, what you hoped that this, despite all of the acrimony we got some circles, despite you being targeted at least politically, is that what you open this hour that we can do? get beyond whatever travel differences and fight for all -- when we look again, as commemorating 60 years ago, and the movement as it was and fueled and inspired in those days. there was a strong commitment bender the coalition. and again, talk about the essential ingredients that are about progress, the coalition is one of the most essential. which is grounded in the understanding of believes that the vast majority of us have so much more in common and what separates us. >> and also, some level of faith to just understand and be guided by knowing that we all have a common purpose and a common destiny. and so let's do this together. right? >> when you think about bidenomics -- what you and the president have done. and getting through to people. you are the vice president of the united states, the vice president. and you are at the official residence. when you wake up in the morning, what do you think about? all americans based on where they have got a variety of, things but share with, me what is it that you have on your mind when you wake up in very morning? >> and democracy. >> rev, i think everything is at stake right now. when i think about democracy, i think of it as it's nature is that there is a duality, two pieces to it. there is one aspect of a democracy that is about strength. what are democracy is intact, it strengthens the people, it protects it and fights for fundamental freedom, individual rights, it's fake frost chaos. it strengthens. on the other hand, democracy is incredibly fragile. it will only be as strong as your willingness to fight for it. right now, there are many forces that are attempting to purposely i believe we can our democracy, purposely attempting to erode a sense of pride -- held oes out and have been considered to be one of the strongest democracies in the world. undress, now in the context of the world people are watching, wondering, what is the future of democracy in america! i mention that, because i have been traveling the world. i have met with over 100 -- presidents, prime ministers, chancellors and kings. here's the thing about being the united states of america. we walked in those rooms, walk in those rooms, chin up, shoulders back. with the self appointed and earned authority to talk about her importance of rule of law. human rights, democracy. think about being a role model, people watch what you do to see if it lines up with what you say. so one of the things that is one of the things i wake up thinking about is not only what narration of democracy will mean for the american people, what it will mean invariably for people around the world. can you imagine? the young women who are fighting in a country ruled by a dictator or an autocrat and they're fighting for just basic rates [inaudible] wealth, you want to hold of the united states -- -- understand what this means. this is very much on my mind. >> and you have said frequently not on your watch. >> yes. >> we fought many women, blacks, others to become partners in democracy. >> yes, that's right. >> on your watch, you want to let it go back to a pre-1950 day? >> i love my country too much. and i am not giving up on my country. i'm not. >> do you feel that the whole question of where we are in history, of one day some young lady is going to look at your picture the way you look at their -- john lewis picture. what do you hope they look at and say? >> i hope they say that they should, but they will say, i can do anything. even if it hasn't been done before. i will not be burdened by what has been, i will believe in what can be. that is what i hope. >> what do you hope that people will finally be able to say of this gesture? that you are most proud of, that you have been able to do with the president. i know we have bidenomics. >> yeah. >> what are the things you are most proud of? >> there's a lot. i have to tell, you rather, there's a lot. i mean, i am proud of, for example, an initiative i've worked on for a long time. the issue of maternal health. putting that on the stage of the white house. where we are talking about the fact that in one of the wealthiest countries in the world we have the highest rates of maternal mortality. where black women are three times more likely to die in connection with childbirth, native women, one and a half, two times more likely, we will warm, and one and a half more likely. and we are putting in place a requirement but to be taken seriously. for example, when i came in i, first basically to challenge the states, extend postpartum care for women through medicaid for two months to 12 months. only three states were doing. and now over, 35 are doing it. right? i am proud of that. what that will mean. every day. where the health and well-being of families and communities. i am proud of what we have done in terms of expanding access to capital for small businesses, i love small businesses. so back to who i am, my mother worked very hard, my sister maya and i sometimes she would have to work later on weekends and we had a second mother who lived two doors down, mrs. hilton who ran the -- we would go to miss shelton's to have dinner or whatever. miss shelton ran nursery school. and we lived on the apartment on top of the nursery school. mrs. shelton was a small business owner. >> wow. >> she was the matriarch of the community, she would hire locally, she mentored, i love our small businesses. and the work we are doing expanding access to capital for small businesses? i could go on and on and on. there are many things that i am proud of that we have done they've been, i think, in many ways, and i say this humbly, that have been transformational for our country. >> well, 60 years later, a story that i heard -- how they didn't let women speak at the march. well they will be speaking this march. more importantly, as a woman of color in the white house, this speaks for democracy every day. come a long way in 50 years. >> thank you. >> thank you. >> thank you, we have. >> my special thanks to vice president kamala harris. and you can see the second half of the interview in two weeks time on saturday, august 26th, right after the march at martinsville king -- drum major institute and eye action network. a broad coalition will be convening at lincoln memorial, we will show the second part of the interview. including vice president about me in an inner office that she works out of. she has never allowed them there before. but joining me now is representative barbara lee, democrat of california and candidate for the united states senate out of california. congresswoman, i want to first to give you get your reaction to the part of the interview that you have seen myself and vice president harris. and the significance of having her in office 60 years after the march of 63. and as we prepare for a continuation march now. >> reverend al, that was such a wonderful interview, thank you for doing it. it was in-depth, it really showed and she showed and your interview showed who she really was and this as our vice president. as dr. king said, the arc of the memorial universe is long, but it bends towards justice. and she is our vice president, and bring that arm of justice on so many fronts. and thank you for this interview, because it really had a chance you really gave her a chance to show who she is and how she is fighting each and every day to protect our democracy, to protect our constitution. and really to demonstrate that black women lead. >> vice president harris has established yourself as the administration's leading voice of promoting abortion rights, especially since the supreme court overturned roe v. wade. this week, ohio voters overwhelmingly rejected a republican-led proposal that would have made it harder to pass a constitutional amendment to protect abortion rights. what do you make of the. results congresswoman? >> liking the results, reverend al, show where the majority of the american people are. the right to make decisions about your own body, the right to make decisions about whether or not one wants or does not need or wants an abortion is a personal decision. it should not be in the hands of any elected officials. and, fact what happened in ohio demonstrates what we have said all along, that the american people are on the side of the constitutional right to protect abortion access and it just shows how extreme the republicans have become. and so we have to understand that this, the dobbs decision was the first time that the constitutional right has been taken away. and what we have learned, not only through ohio but other states, is that we have got to fight to make sure that one, the republicans do not feel empowered in the white house so that they can move forward to the institution, a national abortion ban. but, also work too -- federal, all the right to live in abortion. >> let's turn to the loss of you and your colleagues filed against -- you are said to become a league person in this case after congressman benny thompson had a drop out of it when he was named chair of the select panel. tasked with investigating the attack according to a court filing. now, trump has since been indicted by a federal grand jury on charges pertaining to his efforts to stay in power after he lost the 2020 presidential election. and another indictment could be on the way in georgia. how does this latest federal indictment help your case, if at all. and one other next steps on your lawsuit? >> reverend, all first, we are in this court of appeals, the district court of appeals. and ours is a civil suit. so this has nothing to do with the indictments and criminal lawsuits that are moving forward. we have done, this was in february, the naacp filed a lawsuit on behalf of myself and about nine other plaintiffs who are members of congress. who were affected by january 6th. and what took place, and the basic premise of the lawsuit is that no one is above the law and that donald trump is not immune for what took place on january 6th. and so we are now of course, donald trump and the oath keepers and the proud boys who we are -- they followed people, and we are now in the district court of appeals and we are waiting for the decision out of the district court. >> let me go to this issue, right now there is a growing number of your democratic colleagues and in congress, calling for supreme court justice clarence thomas to resign, after new reporting by propublica, revealing that billionaires gifted thomas with dozens of destination vacations. private jets, red stripe-y passes to sporting events. and stays at luxury resorts. democratic congressman ted lieu you said, and i am quoting him, justice thomas alleged actions are not just shocking, they are illegal, and quote. and he called for him to resign immediately. he is part of a group of leading house democrats who on friday called for the justice department to open an investigation into justice thomas. do you agree, congresswoman? >> reverend al, i called for a justice thomas to resign a couple of months ago. the public, first of all, has lost all faith and confidence in the supreme court. secondly, it is driven by corporate corruption. and we see this once again with justice thomas. third, we have to have a code of ethics, which i support, and we have legislation that is moving forward to an act that. but also, we have to have a quarter from. i support term limits for supreme court justice, i don't for elected officials. -- no way. and we need to expand the supreme court. the world has changed, the constitution does not give us any certain amount of judges that could be appointed. and so we have to really see this in the context of the supreme court reform general. but also, the corporate corruption right now is rampant with the supreme court, as i said a couple of months ago, should resign, we've got to put past this could've fixed rate. quickly >> i -- calling for him to resign, thank you for being with us this evening. congresswoman, are really -- out of california. still to come, all eyes on iowa this weekend as desantis and trump fight for favor among the voters. my political panel joins me next to discuss who they see coming out on top. but first, i want to extend my condolences to the people of maui, where it least 80 people have been killed due to wildfires. the mayor of miami county says they are expecting the death toll to go up. as of this afternoon, the pacific disaster center and fema says it will cost five and a half billion dollars just to rebuild the maui community, miley county. so we know it will be a long road to recovery, as the island works to find the missing and battled fires that continue to burn. i want to send the people there my best wishes and my prayers. we'll be right back. k. so i choose neuriva plus. unlike some others, neuriva plus is a multitasker supporting 6 key indicators of brain health. to help keep me sharp. neuriva: think bigger. ♪♪ open talenti and raise the jar to gelato made from scratch. raise the jar to flavors from the world's finest ingredients. and now, from jars to bars. new talenti gelato and sorbetto mini bars. ♪♪ mlb chooses t-mobile for business for 5g solutions... ...to not only enhance the fan experience, but to advance how the game is played. now's the time to see what america's largest 5g network can do for your business. age is just a number, and mine's unlisted. try boost® high protein with 20 grams of protein for muscle health versus 16 grams in ensure® high protein. boost® high protein. now available in cinnabon® bakery-inspired flavor. learn more at boost.com/tv just between us, you know what's better than mopping? 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>> probably not for this republican vote as you just mentioned, rev, but definitely for independent voters who are on the fence. because we have to give in mind that this fulton county investigation is markedly different from the others because there is audio recordings of trump himself explicitly asking for votes to be found miraculously. and i think that is something that is gonna be on full display when district attorney willis proceeds with her grand jury investigations next week. and we know that she is spinning a number of people close to trump as well. some of his former allies, including the former lieutenant governor of georgia, as well as some of those fake electors who managed to flip on each other and receive some type of immunity from the district attorney's office. and so i think trump is lashing out because he feels the wall closing in. and i think that that is definitely going to turn off some independent voters and continue to -- democratic voters against him. >> susan, turning now to another story we are following, president biden's son, under, is now the subject of a special counsel investigation. attorney general merrick garland announced friday that david weiss, the current u.s. attorney for delaware was will serve as a special counsel in the ongoing biden probe. wise who was appointed by trump is looking into allegations that hunter biden failed to pay taxes, and that he unlawfully owned a gun. while using illicit drugs. which is a felony. the scandals and problems with president biden -- so far have not seen the top of mind for voters. with that change in your opinion? >> i don't think it will, no matter how hard the congressional republicans try. let's not forget what the republicans are trying to do is -- and joe biden. they are trying to go after joe biden and say that there is some connection between he and his son in the business ongoing hunter biden. except that no one can find, even donald trump's appointed counsel, now special counsel. you know, the appointment of the special counsel, we have, it did something pretty unique. it made both sides unhappy, hunter biden's attorneys are not happy, because they really wanted to get to a plea deal. and the republicans aren't happy because now special counsel weighs will most likely not have to testify in front of congress, because it is still an ongoing investigation. -- >> susan, sticking with, you today i winds got to hear from many of the presidential candidates at the annual state fair. the iowa caucuses just five months away. the two top polling candidates, donald trump, ron desantis, they both appeared at the fair today. also, iowa governor kim reynolds hosted from -- attendance for a pair side chat. a had a thunderstorm turning -- the banner saying, quote, be likable, ron. what was your assessment on what candidate the status leading more towards? >> what we know from polling that it is basically donald trump's to lose, the iowa caucus. but donald trump is just rallying against desantis, so is the fact that sondland. interestingly enough, donald trump came in with several members of congress and legislators from florida, show that they are supporting donald trump. this right now is really, truly, donald trump still loose. but what is more important is that for desantis, after this debate coming up, the first republican primary debate, you think it is going to be time for him to get out. because he is never going to be, if there was a reason to have an alternative to donald trump, it won't be ron desantis. he is done, as a matter of fact, i think that his bad policies and what is going on in his home state right now is enough to maybe cause a problem that for florida in 2024. >> nbc reports that democratic senator joe manchin is skipping a major bid at the white house next week to mark the one year anniversary of the inflation reduction act. as he mulls a possible 2024 run against president biden. this comes after he announced thursday during a radio interview that he is seriously considering changing his party affiliation from democrat to independent. what is your thoughts on what whether manchin would be a spoiler for biden, or four republicans if you chose to run as an independent? >> let's be real, if he runs as an independent, he will absolutely be a spoiler for democrats. ultimately likely handing any presidency options to donald trump and the republicans. and that will be extremely harmful to our country. so as he is considering this with no label, i really hope that you understand the impacts that it will have on our democracy. the impact that it will have on our countries and institutions. if he does that, because he has no shot at winning, rev, and when it comes to him changing his police coloration, we have heard it all before. great? anytime he faces any type of friction with his colleagues in the senate, he starts throwing this out. and so i am hoping that it is just another one of those moments where he is just feeling a little frustrated. with the end of the day has some rational and understanding and confidence that he knows to just have a seat. >> susan del presque isle and juanita kellerman, thank you both for being with us. after the break, while we are looking at what is going on with donald trump, trump's nickname game has fallen off. i have still got mine. trump's journey from school yard bully too scary cat is coming up next, in this week's gotcha. ed up again? 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>> thank you so much. it's a pleasure to be with you today i have been following your journey and i'm it's so grateful that you share that with your viewers. the video of walking to the slave quarters in edgefield. from my own family history and research i know how important that area was to the history of the african diaspora in this country. how important it was to the institution of slavery. i really just know how powerful that experience can be i trace my own father's family history. his great grandparents in mississippi and oklahoma 20 years ago i wrote a book rick about that experience and i know how empowering it can be especially for young people to have that kind of access. it's a part of what we're trying to do with 10 million. trying to make the experience more possible for more descendants today with the project aiming to build a database on a scale like never before of the names of the 10 million people who were enslaved in the land of the united states. . it's personal to me when austin fan or a new york daily news writer 16 years ago that's where i brought my daughter. the irony was my family was enslaved by the family of a leading segregationist at that time. senator strong thurman's distant relative married the owner of my great-grandfather, senator thurman was a leading segregationist in south carolina. anna thurman sharpton was actually who handled my great-grandfather. i made it a point to revisit now at a time when florida policy makers continue their campaign against the education of black history. each day when i write my own name i think about al-shabaab down, the white slave owner alexandra sharpton sent my family to strong thurman relatives to work off their debt. i am certainly not alone in this personal history. shared by millions of black americans who descend from enslaved black people. can you speak to why it is so relevant and important today for black americans to have accuracy recording black history? especially as republicans such as those in florida and other states seek to adopt a warped view of slavery. >> yeah, i was following that. just when i began my career as a historian and recording my grandmother stories i remember when that hit the news. since seeing the footage of you visiting edgefield's past, week i went and looked back at some of the census. records i fanned an antebellum record for almost all the names on the one page were either sharpton thurman or strom. i assume that became a first name i remember that when that story first broke. thank you for returning to that land i grew up really not liking history. you might say hated history the way i was initially introduced to it but i love my grandmother stories. it was incredibly powerful, the teacher that made me realize that my grandmother story, our family stories were history that's why became a historian. i can't say if next we'll hear that children are being prohibited from sending their own great grandfather size. i can say in my classroom i teach students how to research and write about their and sisters, some of them slaveowners, some of them slaves, some of them both. one family history. had a study the places right out our side are doors. the documents and stories that are right in our attics that make us who we are. august wilson used to say you have to know where you come from and then you can have a purposeful presence in the world and that's something that i think is true now as it ever was even though there are records better spires before 1870 because of the federal sentence and first time we see inside people's names in large quantities. for me and slight peoples names on a federal census. in spite of, that perhaps because of the absence or the obscuring records before that point, there are places, there are sources hidden in plain sight, there are legends, there's military records, the stories that people told behind closed doors. many historians like myself come across these every day. i didn't quite imagine there be one place where all the information could live to take the 10 million and trace it down to the 44 million that live today. that is this project and we need the public's health to go to the website and upload but they have. two weeks ago there was a family reunion. everyone left of the pack, it a booklet that had these family trees in it. you can upload that it's part of what we're doing here aggregating the information. . so many of us have this at the end of each summer. >> the project is 10 million names project it aims to name all enslaved back americans through history you should search it and find out no matter what your background is. it's the true american story. doctor candor field thank you so much. up next my final thoughts. stay with us. h us by this football pro. and proferred by this football pro who actually uses her feet. and if we profer it, we know you'll prefer it too. i use my feet. have you seen me scramble? 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