Tomorrow. And while trump was on the Campaign Trail this weekend claiming that he is being lauded by the justice system. I just preached to funerals just one day apart. Both of them, Black Americans who died violently, needlessly, and senselessly at the barrel of a gun. Our nations Mental Health crisis playing a role in one of those killings, our numbness to Anti Black Violence Playing A Role in the dissipating Media Coverage of the other. I will explain my frustration with both, in tonights rise up. And with the eyes of the nation here on Fulton County, georgia. I will talk to the chair of its Reparations Task force. A few days after its first public meeting. She will unpacked the history. The push forward and the push back against preparative justice in the peach states blacks county. As the topic of Reparation Rears nationally ahead of the 2024 season. Joining me now though, is congressman roy connor, he is a democrat of california. Congressman, thank you for joining us tonight. Congressman, to work this week after a Summer Recess amid several harrowing challenges facing the nation right now. Probably paying the looming fight over Government Funding and the threat of a shutdown at the end of the month, if both chambers cannot agree. A course in the house, that conversation is with a push from some hard right house republicans. Not to reach an accord without a formal vote to impeach President Biden. And that same, On Trump Conservative Ring is calling for additional spending cuts. That centrist Republicans Ward may impede a deal to avert a shut out. And on top of all of that, we are about to enter the election here. How do democrats, returning to capitol hill, cut through all of the growing noise and actually legislate during these crucial, september weeks. Congressman . Reverend, it is very frustrating. Because President Biden had a deal with Speaker Mccarthy to avoid this kind of shut down. Some of us warned that mccarthy would not keep his deal. What is at stake, it is funding for childcare, 70,007 are for childcare. Funding for Social Security, if youre calling for your Social Security check in on hold for 30 minutes. That funding is at stake. Funding for food stamps, and what mccarthys folks are saying is unless you impeach the president. Unless you cut funding from ukraine we are not going to keep the word we made with joe biden just a few months ago and that is just not how Washington Heights ever operated, but there is an extremism in the Republican Party that makes this all unpredictable. So, what do you think the millions of americans, literally millions that are impacted by these cuts that you just named. The various things that would be impacted and affected by this. Do you think that they understand that they are put on a block to be sacrificed in terms of some of the services, and resources that they need to play politics with a few of the far right wing members of the house that want to have Impeachment Process for President Biden that most people, republican and democratic, wont go anywhere . Reverend, i think we have to make that clear. They understand what is at stake. This is food stamps for prices that have gone up. This is rental assistance, this is maintaining your Social Security check. But what they need to understand is this is not an order or negotiation where democrats compromise, republicans compromise, that negotiation already took place. It was with joe biden and kevin mccarthy. There were progressives like me who were upset at the cuts that the president agreed to but that took place. There was a deal and now the republican extreme is saying that we dont want to honor that deal unless kevin mccarthy, you vote to impeach joe biden and start an inquiry. Unless you agreed to cut ukraine funding. They are holding hostage kevin mccarthy, from living up to the deal that he made with joe biden. The deal that was already made. Let me go to this, former Speaker Nancy Pelosi announced last week that she will seek reelection and the San Francisco district. The Spelling Talks of retirement at her age of 83. At the same time, Senate Minority leader Mitch Mcconnell all is facing calls from hard right members of the gop caucus to step down after freezing up in a pair of recent press conferences. And of course republicans and even some democrats have been hounding President Biden over his age. Some democrats fretful that it is a liability with voters ahead of 2024. As a party tries to went back the house while holding on to the senate, and the white house, with that in mind, is there any validity or good faith to the concern that our top Legal Leaders are too old to be with the best parts of the stewards of the nation right now . I think you have to look at everything on a case by case basis. I can tell you what speaker pelosi, it is hard to keep up with her. I have traveled with her overseas. She keeps as schedule starting at seven in the morning, and then at 11 pm. And anyone who knows nancy pelosi, even her critics, acknowledge her energy and her passion. And she is mentoring a lot of young lawmakers in the house while staying away from getting in the hair of leadership. I am glad we are going to continue to have her voice. And President Biden is energetic to. You go to events. He is on top of the issues, he is conversing. Now i do think it is important that we get young people in real positions of leadership. Not to say just that they are the future. But have people in their twenties and 30s a point. It may be the president ial put someone in their twenties and 30s and a Cabinet Position on issues of importance to youth. So i think it is important that we bring up young people as we go into 2024. As last weekend we had republican president ial candidate, vivek ramaswamy, here on the show. He is one of the prayers in that gop Primary Field who said that they would at least consider pardoning donald trump if convicted over his many standing indictments. A case he made here on the show last week and last week on the heels of former proud boys leader, when rico, Enrique Torino of being criminally cents to 22 years for his role in the insurrection. Ramaswamy called sedation convictions, that some of their insurrections are receiving recently, quote, rob. Suggested that they were being treated more harshly than members of the antifa, or black lives matter engaged in civil disobedience. But i want to stress that ramaswamy is not the only gop candidate expressing these sympathy for insurrectionists. Your thoughts on this Matter Congressman . Because i do not know how you compare the two but, your thoughts . Reverend what makes what vivek is doing so dangerous, is his ignorance. He is not the only candidate that is saying that we should have sympathy for the proud boys who were there on january 6th. But he is the only candidate calling it peaceful, of nonviolent protests and in doing that he is invoking the legacy of god being k and carrying a moral stain on that. I just wish he would read what we [inaudible] wrote about [inaudible] which is not violent protests. He coined the term meaning first and adherence to truth, and it here is the moral principle. These people have no adherence the truth. Secondly, if you read gandhi and ken, they believe you have to live up to the laws. And had a duty to follow the laws before you could have an engagement, or say the law was unjust. These people have had criminal background. Have had no reverence for our laws. So it is such a stay into the history. What he is doing, and it is really frustrating and someone who is unamerican and has grown up honoring gandhi. And putting him in the same sentence of people who are going to commit violence at the capitol. And to conflate the two. It is outrageous. As a young activist, jordan king moving in the north as a Teenager We Study [inaudible] by gandhi, and of course dr. King. And we were all ursula told if you do violate the law that you think is an unjust law, and weve done, that ive done as much as three months in jail for nonviolent protests. I did not ask anybody to distort. That we didnt know that we were doing. But we for vivek ramaswamy, before you go. I want to ask you this congressman. After the first republican primary debate last month in which the candidate crib the line from former president barack obama about being quote, a skinny guy with a funny name. You took to acts, formerly known as twitter, writing quote, somewhere barack obama must be smiling, that a 38yearold son of immigrants running to the right of trumps craving from him. Obamas mansion for multigenerational democracy is seeping into our politics, despite the intense backlash. A slow, but satisfying vindication. Can you tell us briefly, in an amount of time, but i have to bring that up. What was it about ramaswamy land that you took such issue with . First of all, hes copying the great brock obama. Imitating him, an invitation is a sincerest form of flattery. Secondly, as a Hindu American Running and a republican primary. And that fact i think is only possible because of what barack obama did in opening the imagination of people to different parts of leadership. I reject what vivek is doing with his platform. In just distorting gandhi and kings legacy and giving voice to the proud boys, and defending them, and calling Climate Change a hoax. I think i wish he would acknowledge the death of people like obama, king, gandhi, and others who make it possible for him. And the civil rights movement, without which, his parents wouldnt have been arrived in the country. Like mine where. So his an acknowledgment to get to the civil rights movement, and use this platform, which hes gotten on the shoulders of so many others to push him. Its just disappointing. Thank you for being with us congressman. Switching coverage now to the issue of reparations. Joining me now is because chic saying alvarado. Chair of the georgia county task force. Doctor, first of all, thank you for joining us tonight. Fulton county has picked up the baton of reparations that several cities have run with in the last four years. Your task force is holding its first inperson meeting last week. In the interview that you gave to local news in atlanta, you said that among the factors that have impacted Fulton Countys black residents. The task force would be looking at slavery, it minetto nadine, and also convict labor. And at the center of the Task Force Work is an empirical study on how black descendants of slaves have suffered from those inequities and others overtime. Along with a Feasibility Study that will take public input, and recommendations into account, ahead of your final report in october of next year. Now you are an Assistant Professor at Africana Studies at Morehouse College there. And atlanta. You hold a ph. D. In history from Georgia State university, with that background, what is unique about Fulton County about atlanta, that drove you and the task force to take up this work . Thank you for having made shedding light on the work that task force has been doing. It was actually formed last year in april 2021, in response to l. A. County, the supervisors of the county investigating the return of land to the family and its errors. It was taken away in the 1920s. So in response to that the faulty County Commissioners particularly the commissioner marvin errington jr. He sponsored a revolution and it was actually coal offered or corps sponsored by Nathalie Hall to create the very first county led, the first, let me get this right because it is important. The first county led Reparation Task force in the former confederacy. And so that is so important. When we begin to look at the history of slavery, urban grenoble, and the united states. And considering our History Of Atlanta being the epicenter of the civil rights movement, it is only fitting for Fulton County to actually begin this initiative. So i am glad that the commission was actually, took it upon himself to form and. It was actually supported by four commissioners out of seven. And it began initially with only four Task Force Members being added on to this initiative. And gradually we post for the County Commissioners to add to representatives pro district. And that we have our numbers up to nine. So it is been. Let me pause right there. Because i dont have to tell you that as recently as a decade ago, the idea of reparations for Black Americans was considered a political nonstarter. Yet in the last four years, starting with the chicago starter. Evidence to several cities and most conspicuously the state of california, have at least considered comparative judge says for black residents. But californias legislature currently looking for proposals from the states Reparations Task force. Which we feature here on the show. Several times in fact. Did your task force take anything from the work that has been done in california or evanston, in other cities that have moved in this direction . Almost definitely. They were definitely inspired by its. And i am glad that you mentioned that before. Reparations, you know, he would say it under your breath. And people use other words to describe reparations. Even in the 1960s for dr. King he use the word guaranteed income. But it still means reparations. And so it has gained traction. And what were hoping to do with our task force is actually creating a blueprint for another County Commissioners to actually create a task force so one can actually go online to actually look at the reports that we recreated. It leaves out a blueprint of how to establish a task force. Talking about the task force, the task force has already begun with pushback over the summer. A County Commissioner allege that you had her appointed to the task force, from speaking to media. An allegation you and the democratic chair of the board of commissioners has clarified is untrue. But that same board chair, is the one being against reparations himself. What is your response . Right, there was a little bit of and tension about who should have priority in speaking. As you understand with any civil rights organization, that you must have structure. So it was clearly understood that the chair and the vice chair, myself in my coleman. With actually service the natural leaders and responding to the press. We have actually been the longest members of the task force, and those who spoke out of turn is, that individual wasnt familiar with the history of the task force what. We simply wanted to do was for all our Task Force Members, when they are presented to speak before the president they have the proper knowledge that is needed to respond to questions. As you, know individuals are going to be tripped up and the words can be taken out of contests. We but they want to make sure that all our taken out of context can trip up the whole goal of what youre trying to do. One way or another. Now without asking too much on your political views on Fulton County with commissioner fondly luiss racketeering with donald trump. I wonder what its like doing this work in the midst of the nations i being on Fulton County. And i would be remiss if i knew the Ratio Aspects of play. The threats to fanni willis and her staff. They attempt by trump and her alleged coconspirators in validate the will of black voters in georgia. And specifically his most populous, and population wise, his blackest county. Is any of that on your mind as you conduct this task force . One of the things that we are actually looking at, with the task force we can only look at those areas that fall under the purview of the county. And one of those things actually consists of voting. So this voting, health care, property taxes, libraries, of course that falls under the purview of the county. But we know that Fulton County residents have been disenfranchised during the years of jim crow. And in fact in our studies we may actually find that more individuals had a greater chance of voting during the years of reconstruction and, then up to the case of smith versus altright, or king Versus Georgia in the primary election. So the history of voter fraud is nothing new. So we are familiar with all of this so. We are prepared to dea