When did movies become,
like, a daylong event?
Can anybody tell me this? Why are movies...
Like, the new Batman is three hours l...
Guys, three hours.
Now it's like I'm in book territory now.
Do you know what I mean?
The whole reason I went to the movies
was 'cause I didn't have time for the book.
Now I'm in the movie. Now I'm just like,
"Yeah, okay, I-I guess this is the book."
But now I'm stuck at the pace that the movie goes.
Why-why are we making movies this long?
What is it for? You know what I mean?
Now it's like a... like a documentary series.
Now I'm just gonna watch the parts of Batman
that I don't find interesting.
"And this is Batman doing his taxes."
"Bruce, the company's struggling."
Why is this in the movie?
ANNOUNCER: Coming to you from the heart of Times Square
in New York City, the only city in America,
it's The Daily Show.
Tonight, the State of the Union,
the state of Ukraine,
and Stacey Abrams.
This is The Daily Show with Trevor Noah.
Hey! What's going on, everybody?
Welcome to The Daily Show. I'm Trevor Noah.
And joining me for today's headlines
is our very own Ronny Chieng!
What's going on, Ronny Chieng? I've missed you, man.
Hey, Trevor. Good to see you.
I, too, have been dismayed by recent events,
namely Russia invading Ukraine,
and I've been doing my part on social media.
Now, I'm not trying to say I'm a hero,
but I've been asking this stupid bot
on my Instagram comments to (bleep) off,
and I think I may have singlehandedly
turned the tide of this war.
So, look, we're all in this together.
It's not about me. But if you see me comment
on an Instagram post, please like my comment.
Powerful stuff, Ronny.
I'm glad that you didn't make it about you
-like most people would. But really powerful. -Thank you.
All right, let's jump into today's headlines.
♪ ♪
We kick things off with the latest from Ukraine,
where, despite fierce resistance from the Ukrainian people,
Russian troops are now moving into major cities
and advancing on the capitol of Kyiv.
And, folks,
there is really no hiding from this war.
Russians have reportedly attacked hospitals, schools,
and yesterday,
Russian bombs even hit a Holocaust memorial.
Which, I'm sorry. That, like, is the final straw.
That goes to show how evil Putin is.
Like, the guy's bombing Holocaust memorials?
I don't even feel comfortable using a bathroom
at a Holocaust memorial. It's too disrespectful.
Just, like, yeah, I'll find a Starbucks. It's fine.
And the fallout from the rest of the world continued today
as the United Nations approved a resolution
demanding that Russia stop this war.
But, I mean, if we're honest,
U.N. resolutions don't really mean shit to Russia.
You know? The United Nations may as well have come out
and made one of those "Imagine" videos, where everyone sings.
Still wouldn't have done anything,
but at least we would have laughed.
And so if you're looking for-for more bad news,
you're clearly a sick person,
but, uh, here it is.
There's now a hint that this invasion
may only be the first in a series.
As the world wonders what Vladimir Putin's next move
might be, his ally, the president of Belarus,
Alexander Lukashenko, may have given away the game Tuesday
when he was pictured in front of a battle map
that may have indicated plans for Moldova,
which lies to the west of Ukraine.
NEWSMAN: Lukashenko stood in front of a Ukrainian map
detailing Russia's battle plan,
which suggests moving troops from Odessa
into neighboring Moldova.
Okay, this is just crazy, man.
Th-There's a chance that Russia is planning to invade Moldova
after Ukraine?
And what's even crazier
is that we know this because this guy,
the leader of Belarus
and, clearly, the stepdad in every '80s porno,
filmed himself giving away the plan, just standing there.
"This is the plan. This is the plan."
Like, I almost go, like, "This can't be real life."
You know? 'Cause this-this is what happens in the movies.
You know how there's always, like, a-a henchman who's like,
"This is the master plan.
"We're going to-- Oh, no!
"Mr. Bond took a picture with his camera penis!
Get him!"
I also feel bad for the intern who had to get that map.
Yeah. They probably killed everyone in that Kinko's
to keep it a secret,
and then his boss just puts it on TV.
"Here's where we're going. Here's how it's gonna go."
Well, actually, Trevor, I mean,
right now, we live in the age of misinformation.
So we don't know what that is.
We don't know if that's real.
We don't know if that photo's edited.
We don't even know if Belarus is a real country.
I mean, all we do know is that--
I mean, that guy could be pointing to anything.
Maybe that's his marketing strategy
for bringing Paramount+ to Ukraine.
You know? And the arrows are, like, the marketing forces.
And, uh... Or maybe...
I don't know, maybe that's a map of Middle-earth,
and he's pointing-- he's telling Frodo where the volcano is
so he can end everything. You know?
We don't know. Maybe it's an NFT.
I'm just saying,
even if we-- even if we think that that is a map of Ukraine
and that is his battle plans,
maybe he's the greatest double agent ever.
Maybe this is his way of leaking intel to the West
without anyone figuring it out.
So before we call this guy a dumb boomer,
let's just figure out the facts first.
You might be the most optimistic person I've ever met, Ronny.
That's my middle name.
Ronny Chieng, positive and optimistic.
All right, let's move on.
Spring is on its way in America, and you know what that means.
Sunny days, flowers blooming, eating your weight in Claritin.
But there's one spring tradition
that is, unfortunately, getting cancelled.
NEWSMAN: For the first time in more than a quarter century,
Major League Baseball is canceling games
over a labor dispute.
The calendar dictates that we're not going to be able
to play the first two series of the regular season,
and those games are officially canceled.
NEWSMAN: That's 91 games so far.
Economics are at the heart of it.
Major League Baseball saw revenues go
from around $8 billion to nearly $11 billion
right before the pandemic.
Yet, players' salaries went down slightly
for four straight years.
And of the four major American sports,
baseball has the lowest minimum salary
at around $570,000.
No! (crying) No!
Don't cancel the baseball games.
How else will I get to spend $45 on a hot dog
that's a little too dry?
(crying)
(crying loudly)
The MLB is cancelling games because the players
and the league cannot agree on who gets to share the money.
Yes. And I will be honest with you.
I was shocked that baseball players' minimum pay is less
than all the other leagues, especially considering
that this sport brings in $11 billion.
And, yes, I know, $570,000 is a lot of money.
It is a lot of money.
But when you think about it from the players' point of view,
think about how long a baseball game is.
What does that $500,000 break down to?
It's, like, what? Four dollars an hour?
And by the way, please remember this.
I know a lot of people go like, "I hate the sport."
But just remember that when this happens,
a lockout doesn't just affect the players.
It affects everyone who works in and around the game,
like the people who work at the stadium,
the people who work just outside the stadium, right?
It affects the umpires, the guys selling beer,
the security guard who tackles the naked guys
who run out on to the field. Yeah.
In fact, just to pay the bills,
Mr. Met has already had to start an OnlyFans account.
-It's sad. It's not sexy. -CHIENG: Trevor,
everyone's being very alarmist about this, all right?
Dude, this is America.
As though they're gonna stop baseball.
It's gonna come back.
Of course they're going to find an agreement.
Or what's the alternative?
They're just never gonna play baseball again?
Of course it's gonna happen. This is like a...
It's like an encore at a Billy Joel concert.
You know he's going to play "Piano Man."
Just calm the (bleep) down. Just wait.
There's no patience here in America.
We love baseball, but we don't like patience,
which is ironic 'cause it's the game
you need the most patience for 'cause it's long.
(crew laughing)
All right, finally, let's talk about the movies.
The only way to legally stare at Chris Evans
for two and a half hours.
During the COVID pandemic, millions of people decided
that going to movie theaters wasn't worth the risk.
I mean, going to the movies was already a risk before COVID.
You know? Best-case scenario,
that sticky patch you were sitting in was soda.
So, with movie theaters losing ticket revenues
during the pandemic, one major chain
has come up with a really slick idea.
They're gonna charge more for the movies
that people actually want to see.
NEWSWOMAN: You may soon have to pay a little bit more
to go to the movies. AMC has started testing
a new pricing model, starting with higher prices
for tickets to The Batman.
AMC is trying out a variable pricing system,
which means new movies will cost you more than
older releases playing at the very same location.
Whoa, whoa, whoa, whoa, whoa, whoa, hold up, hold up, hold up.
AMC is gonna make us pay more
to see new movies?
That's not fair. Yo, that's-that's not fair, people.
Because what are-what are we gonna do?
We're gonna have to pay to see The Batman.
Like, we can't not pay. Otherwise, how are we ever
gonna know where he came from, huh?
You, like, there's no other way to know.
Like, is one of his parents a bat and the other a man?
This is the first opportunity we have to find out.
And, look, to be honest,
I don't know if this is the worst model, you know?
I've always found it weird that you pay the same amount
for old movies as you do for the latest releases.
You know? So, this is-this is actually gonna make sense.
It's like, uh, it's like going back
to the-the Blockbuster rules, yeah.
And that business did well. You know what I mean?
But I will say this:
I'm worried that this is a slippery slope, man.
It's gonna be just like the airlines, yeah.
First they say they're just charging us extra
for the new movies, then they're gonna say certain seats
in the cinema are gonna cost extra.
Next thing you know, AMC won't let me
bring in a big bowl of my favorite soup from home.
What is happening to America, man?!
You seeing this, Joe Byron?
In fact, here's my counteroffer to AMC.
If you want to charge us more for new movies, fine.
But, as moviegoers, we're gonna start
paying you in increments throughout the movie.
Yeah, we can't just give you all the money up front.
We don't know if it's gonna be shit. Every 15 minutes,
we're just gonna be like,
"All right, here's five dollars. Show me the beginning.
"All right, here's another five. I want to see
what happens to that guy."
Now, after, I'll be like, "No, I'm done, I'm done."
Yeah, you gotta, you got to entertain me the whole time.
I'm sick of these movies that take 90 minutes to get going.
And then they have, like, one scene that's dope--
-And yes, I'm talking to you, Power of the Dog. -RONNY: Wait.
Trevor, you know how this dynamic pricing's gonna work.
Like, they're gonna-- It's an algorithm base,
and you're gonna have to track your data
-to determine what you like and charge you more for it. -What?
So, easy solution, okay?
Just keep-- The movies you want to watch,
just keep talking about how much they suck.
Then your phone will pick up on that,
it'll get in the algorithm,
and then your movies will be cheaper!
Like, right now. Like, let's just start it right now.
Robert Pattinson as Batman?
That's gross.
Bring back Ben Affleck!
Also, everybody knows they don't
get you on the ticket price, okay?
-The movie theatres get you on the snacks. -They do.
That's why I always keep some popcorn right in my taint,
just in case I ever need to go watch a movie.
(crew laughter)
They'll never get me on this.
I even like to keep some Snickers melted in there,
just so it's sweet and salty, you know what I'm saying?
-(laughter) -You want some?
You know, that is one of the most disgusting things
I have ever seen. You can't mix Snickers with popcorn.
You can't mix-- It's like a different type--
Don't knock it until you try it. Come on.
-I'll, I'll try it. -Yeah. Just a little.
There's more where that came from.
(laughter)
Oh! That's tainty.
That's nice.
-That's actually really good. -Mmm.
Oh, man, I need to go to the movies with you more often.
-Any time, man. -Yeah.
All right, we're gonna take a quick break so me and Ronny can
eat some popcorn. When we come back, we'll recap
Joe Biden's first-ever State of the Union address,
and Stacey Abrams-- Yes, the Stacey Abrams,
is joining me right here on the show. You don't want to miss it.
-Don't eat it all by yourself, Ronny. come on. -No, I found
-some more, I found some more. -Yeah, don't eat it all
by yourself. Come on.
Welcome back to The Daily Show.
Let's talk about the State of the Union address,
the one night a year
Joe Biden stays up past 6:00 p.m.
It's also the one night a year
where the president gives the country a status update
about how things are going.
Which, if we're honest, has always been
a little bit weird to me, you know?
It's like, why does it only happen once a year?
You know? You get more updates
from your doggy day care in one afternoon
than you get from the president in an entire year?
That's a little weird. But whatever.
The point is it's an important night,
which is why everyone,
everyone from senators to Supreme Court justices
to military generals all show up.
Although this year was interesting,
because there were fewer people in attendance than normal
because some lawmakers
didn't want to follow the COVID protocols.
Yes. Like Marco Rubio, who said,
"he didn't have time to take a COVID test."
And honestly, "I don't have time to take a COVID test"
is a brave stance
for someone who's tweeted, like, 50 times
in the last 24 hours.
To be honest, it's actually kind of relatable.
You know? This is like when I say,
"I don't have time to make dinner."
'Cause I'm watching TikTok.
You seen those otters? Oh, they're so cute.
They'll kill you, but they're cute.
But once everyone who had 40 seconds
to take the test was seated,
it was time for Joe Biden himself
to enter the chamber and greet his guests.
And I'm proud, ladies and gentlemen,
to say that we at The Daily Show have exclusive footage
of what he said to these people
as he walked to the podium.
Madam Speaker, the president of the United States.
(cheering and applause)
BIDEN: Hey. Oh, shit.
I can't find my speech.
Hey. Hey, quick. You, what's the state of the union?
Hey, how you doing? Is the union strong?
Is it weak?
Is it emo?
Or is there a vibe shift?
Oh, shit, I'm running out of time.
Uh, I'll just wing it!
(inhales) I know. Rough start.
But Biden recovered, people. Oh, he recovered.
You see, Joe Biden launched into this speech
that touched on everything.
Russia. COVID. Inflation.
Whew! And so much more.
NEWSMAN: Entering a chamber filled with yellow and blue,
the colors of the Ukrainian flag,
President Biden forcefully condemning Vladimir Putin.
He thought he could roll into Ukraine
and the world would roll over.
Instead, he met with a mall... a wall of strength
he never anticipated or imagined.
He met the Ukrainian people.
NEWSMAN: Ukraine's ambassador to the U.S.
receiving a standing ovation
and an embrace from First Lady Jill Biden.
The president also suggesting America is finally emerging
from the pandemic.
Stop looking at COVID as a partisan dividing line.
See it for what it is--
a godawful disease.
NEWSMAN: And despite a fast-growing economy,
President Biden acknowledging too many people
are still feeling the pain of rising prices.
Inflation is robbing them of gains
they thought otherwise they would be able to feel.
I get it.
NEWSMAN: In one surprising moment of unity,
the president tried to move his party to the middle,
with a message on crime
that even got some Republicans on their feet.
The answer is not to defund the police.
-WOMAN: That's right! -It's to fund the police.
(cheering and applause)
Fund them.
Yeah, you heard that right.
Joe Biden said, "Fund the police."
(gasps) "But I thought that was a Republican thing.
"I thought Democrats wanted to bulldoze police stations
and replace them with community poetry centers."
Yeah, maybe, but not Joe Biden.
People forget-- I don't know why people forget this--
for years, Joe Biden has been saying
that he wants to invest more resources
and training into the police.
For years, he's been saying this.
The reason you probably might have missed it
is because of how he speaks.
"We've got to police the funding
"and fund the funders, you know?
Come on, Jack. He's a fine Negro."
Putting multiple speeches in one.
I see what he's doing. He's saving time.
So, look, this was not a surprise from Joe Biden.
And, honestly, I-I'm just glad
he didn't get too swept up in that applause
and go even further.
"Fund the police!
"All lives matter!
"Let's go, Brandon!
Wait, that was about me?"
But it is kind of crazy that nothing has really changed
when it comes to the police, right?
Just think about it for a moment.
Like, whether you want to defund the police
or-or, like Biden, spend even more money on reforming them,
you've got to admit that neither of those things
have actually happened.
And fatal police shootings actually went up last year.
Yeah. So, really, when you think about it,
after all the marches and the protests
and the national conversation, all we really got
was Nancy Pelosi's kente clothing line.
But aside from policing and COVID and Ukraine,
Biden also brought up a lot of policies last night
that he wanted Congress to pass this year,
like letting Medicare negotiate the price of drugs,
and doubling clean energy production,
and raising taxes on corporations,
and strengthening voting rights,
which are all great ideas that I can't wait for him
to bring up again at next year's State of the Union.
'Cause, I mean, if we're honest,
none of that shit is going to pass through this Congress.
But Biden himself was doing his thing, man.
He was giving a speech. He was in his element.
And Biden being Biden, there were a bunch of moments
in the speech that were just a little bit weirder
than they had to be, you know?
Um, like when he said this.
If you get COVID-19, the Pfizer pill reduces your chances
of ending up in the hospital by 90%.
I've ordered more pills than anyone in the world has.
Okay, okay.
I guess the party's at Joe Biden's house tonight!
It would be funny if he meant
that he ordered all of those pills, but just for himself.
If I get corona, I'm all set.
Good luck to the rest of you bitches.
Oh, and then, there was also this moment
where Joe Biden was praising the people of... Ukraine?
Putin may circle Kyiv with tanks,
but he'll never gain the hearts and souls
of the Iranian people.
(laughter)
Technically true.
It is technically true.
Putin can do whatever he wants in Ukraine.
Nothing will make the Iranians back down.
You know, at times, this speech was like a birthday card
from a four-year-old.
A lot of words didn't make sense,
but you got what it was trying to say.
And a pound of Ukrainian people--
proud, proud people-- pound for pound,
ready to fight with every inch of energy they have.
Proud-- Pound, pound, proud pound-pound, proud.
Wasn't a bad save, you have to admit.
It wasn't the worst save in the world.
Here's a question I have-- honest question, America.
How come no politician in this country can ever just go,
"Excuse me," and then correct themselves.
Like, why do they just carry on as if it wasn't--
Trump did this all the time, too, you know?
They always got to twist the words and then
make it sound like they didn't mess up.
"This country was built on fandom--
"freedom-- a fandom, an idea of freedom.
"And who's not a fan of freedom?
"Anyway, this country was built on freedom
by a guy named Fandom. I love Fandom."
And then, of course, there was the thing that Biden said
right at the end of his speech,
which wasn't a mistake,
but left everybody confused.
God bless you all!
And may God protect our troops.
Thank you.
Go get him.
(crew laughing)
I'm sorry-- "God protect our troops.
Go get him"-- go get who?
Go get God?
Or the troops should get Putin? Who-- Go get him who?
What-what is that?
What, does Biden just randomly shout, "go get him" sometimes?
I mean, it would explain why his dog kept attacking people,
but honestly, the weirdest moments
were-were, like, Biden just, like, doing his thing.
He's like, "Go get him."
Go get 'em? Go get him? Was it one, singular, plural?
I don't know.
I-I-- Actually, I-I stand corrected.
Those weren't the weirdest moments, actually.
The weirdest moments didn't come from Biden.
No, they came from the people who couldn't figure out
when to clap for Biden.
Like this moment from Chuck Schumer.
The American Rescue Plan...
-(applause) -(booing)
The American Rescue Plan helped working people
-and left no one behind. -(cheering, applause)
That was hilarious. You see that?
It's like he-it's like he was trying to rehearse
his standing ovation.
"Okay, first the legs, and then you put the hands...
Okay, I think I got it guys, I'm ready, I'm ready."
Look, man, there's a simple rule in life:
if you stand up in a speech at the wrong time,
you've just got to commit.
All right? You stand up, you clap, and then you
walk out that building and straight into the ocean.
And you die like a man.
And if you thought that was really bad, then please,
tell me what the hell Nancy Pelosi was doing here:
And our troops in Iraq have faced-- and in Afghanistan,
have faced many dangers. One, being stationed at bases
breathing in toxic smoke from burn pits.
[applause, cheers]
Many of you have been there.
I've been in and out of Iraq and Afghanistan over 40 times.
[laughter]
Wha-What is that?
What is that? Huh?
Looks like someone found all those pills Joe Biden ordered.
"Ooh, shit!"
Like, her face, her hands, her body.
Such a weird, like, giddiness.
You know what it looks like? It almost makes her look like
a cartoon character that's floating towards an apple pie.
"Ooh, tasty!"
And I-I can't get over the hands.
Like, just l-let it go.
It-it looked like she was playing rock, paper, scissors
with herself and then somehow just ended in a makeout sesh.
"Oh, yeah, you like that rocks, don't you?"
So, that was basically the State of the Union.
That was it in a nutshell, to be honest.
I mean, according to Joe Biden,
inflation is bad, but he will try to make it better.
Drug prices are bad, but he will try to make it better.
And I don't know who "him" is, but someone's coming to get him.
And you know what? That makes me...
[laughter]
Just me? Okay.
All right, when we come back,
Stacey Abrams will be joining me right here on the show.
So don't go away.
♪ ♪
Welcome back to The Daily Show.
My guest tonight is voting rights activist
and entrepreneur Stacey Abrams.
She's here to talk about her latest book
and about running again for governor of Georgia.
Stacey Abrams, welcome back to the show.
Thanks for having me again.
I don't even know where to start,
because every time I see you,
I feel like you are doing more and more things.
-So, let's start with the book. -Okay.
Level Up. Um, very few people can say
that they have run for governor and are also...
Is it a three-times New York Times best seller?
-Four. Well... -Four. Forgive...
-I mean... Who's counting? -It-It's...
-Four times. (laughs) -Yeah.
-Four-times New York Times best seller. -I-I have an abacus
-in my... in my living room. -I love that. I love that.
Um... You-you, like...
Here's-here's my first question, maybe, is that, it's like...
You do so well writing.
-Why-why stress yourself with politics? -(laughs)
I love writing, but I also love people,
and people do better when they have good leadership.
People do really well when they have leaders that like them.
And, so, I want to be one of those people
who actually likes people and wants to help them
from the office of governor.
-Ah, okay. People feel that. -Yeah.
NOAH: Level Up, a book about, essentially, small businesses
and-and how to grow them and the challenges that you face.
-You share the fact that you had businesses that failed. -Yes.
Most politicians will always just be like,
"No, that didn't fail. I pivoted."
-It's the pivot. People love the pivot. -Yeah.
One of the big things you-you learn about
when reading the book is-is just how many small businesses fail.
-Mm-hmm. -Now, I-I don't know if I'm in the minority here,
but I sometimes wonder if there's too much of an obsession
with starting your own business in America.
Like, it-it feels like there's this thing.
I don't know if it's attached to the American dream,
but it feels like everyone is told,
"You have to start your own business."
Is there a reason you chose to start your own business
and not to just work in a field that was already...
you know, a business that already exists?
Oh, I like paychecks. They made me very happy.
-(laughs) -I was... Paychecks were...
Stacey Abrams: "I like paychecks."
I like paychecks. I was a tax attorney.
And that was a nice paycheck,
and then I began what my mother has called
my trajectory of downward economic mobility
when I left there
and became deputy city attorney for Atlanta.
When I decided to run for office, though, I couldn't...
I didn't feel right staying in my job
as a lawyer for the city
when I was running for political office.
And so I left. And I became what I call a reluctant entrepreneur.
I had to find a way to pay for my mortgage
since I was gonna leave my job.
-Right. -And that's when I started my business.
And for a lot of people, starting a small business
isn't this Horatio Alger story.
It's not because they all want to be mini moguls.
It's often circumstance.
A mom who needs to take care of her kids
but also needs to make a living.
And so she starts a-a business in her--
in her, you know, front-- in her, you know, kitchen.
-Right. Yeah. -It's people who need opportunities.
And so my mission is to say,
"Regardless of why you start your small business,
"here's what you need to know about it.
"Because these are the things no one's gonna tell you.
-Mm-hmm. -"Shark Tank is not going to happen for most of us,
-so here's what we need to do." -(laughs)
And that it's gonna be difficult.
Uh, in Georgia right now,
99% of the businesses in Georgia are small businesses.
-Wow. -49% of the employees
are employed by small businesses.
And so if we don't understand small businesses,
we're in a lot of trouble.
And if we don't do our work to prop them up
and to help them, support them as they grow
-and, more importantly, help them scale... -Yeah.
...then we're actually hurting the very people
we say we want to help in our economy.
If you were to become the, uh, governor of Georgia--
people are screaming as I say that and cheering right now...
-Well, thank you. -If-if you were to become
the governor of Georgia, wh-what are some of the first steps
you think you would take to help small businesses?
If you're saying 99% of them are small businesses in Georgia,
what-what do you think could change?
Where can government step in?
And-and where should that, um,
you know, sort of, that marriage end
between the government helping a small business
whilst also making a business a business?
First thing we need to do is to expand Medicaid in Georgia.
Which sounds like a completely counterintuitive answer
-to the question you asked. -It does.
But Geor-Georgia spends
billions of dollars in what's called uncompensated care.
We pay for people who can't afford health care.
Part of that is the fact that we have failed
to take money that belongs to Georgians
and reinvest it in health care.
But Medicaid expansion in Georgia will create 66--
or 60,000 new jobs.
When you expand Medicaid,
you create small businesses.
And it's an infusion of capital that comes from commerce,
not from loans.
Number two, we should sh--
we should teach young people how to start businesses.
Even if they don't ever want to start one of their own,
-they should know what it looks like. -Yeah.
And then-- It makes them better employees.
If you understand how business works,
then you understand why your boss, who has two employees,
-cannot pay you what your friend at Coca-Cola makes. -Right.
-Right, right. -And so it's-it's creating that-that lexicon
and that understanding.
And the third is encouraging financial systems
to actually loan money when you have to do that
in communities that don't have it.
-Mm-hmm. -After the great recession,
Black communities in particular lost banks,
and they never came back.
An so, when the PPP loans came out--
a good intention of government--
the money went to places that were not willing to lend
-to the very communities that needed it. -Right.
And as governor, I would pay attention to that.
I would say, "We need to use these small...
"these Black-owned banks or these Latino-owned banks,
these community banks."
We need to use those as depositories
so when money comes the next time,
there's someone in the community who's ready to loan it.
-Let's talk about politics... -Yes.
...which is everything in America all the time.
Um, you are running for a seat that...
in a state that has become, I mean,
one of the lightning rods of American politics-- Georgia.
What's interesting about this race is the fact that
Governor Kemp has put into place multiple restrictions
on how people can vote, when people can vote.
He's reduced the availability of voting for people.
Republicans will argue the same thing.
They will say, "No, all we're trying to do
"is shore up the vote, even though we agree
there has been no widespread voter fraud."
How do you begin tackling an issue like this,
where, A: you are running, so you want to make it better
for yourself, slash, fair for everybody?
But how do you... how do you find that balance
of saying to people, "Listen, I'm trying to do this
for everybody, and I know that I hope I will benefit"?
-But you get what I'm saying? -Absolutely.
There's that paradox
of the messaging that you're trying to get out.
I reject the paradox. Voting...
The process of voting is non-partisan.
Everyone should have access to the ability to vote.
It should be easy to vote.
It should be accessible.
-There should be a freedom to vote. -Mm-hmm.
Any impediment to that is wrong.
That's full stop.
I don't care who you vote for.
When I'm focusing on the voting system,
my focus should never be on who you cast your ballot for.
Voting itself, the process is non-partisan.
Now, when you get in there, I'm going to do everything
-in my power to convince you I'm the person to pick. -Right.
But the fight for the right to vote is something
that should cut across every demographic,
every ideology, every community.
We are a stronger nation when we allow people to participate.
And if we ever doubted that,
the war that Putin is waging against Ukraine...
President Zelensky said it.
I'm going to paraphrase him probably poorly.
He said, "This isn't a war on Ukraine.
This is a war on democracy in Ukraine."
When we allow democracy to be overtaken
-by those who want to choose who can be heard... -Mm-hmm.
...and those choices are not based on anything
other than animus or inconvenience,
then that is wrong.
My mission is to make certain that everyone can cast a ballot,
even people who don't like me-- especially those folks--
they should be able to go and cast their ballots.
My job is to make sure that more people
who like me show up, but that's campaigning.
-That's not voting rights. -Yeah.
Um, before I let you go, I have to talk to you about the mask.
-Yes. -'Cause, I mean, I was-was on social media,
and then I see the picture with your mask,
then the picture gets deleted.
Y... I... This is what I found interesting.
And maybe you-you'll correct me if I'm wrong.
It's like, it feels like, with politicians,
you have a team around you.
Everyone's trying to figure out how to solve a crisis
or fix a problem.
People say ridiculous things like, Garcetti was like,
"I hold my breath when I take the picture." -I didn't.
Y... And-and it creates this weird, um, uh...
it-it creates a situation where people feel like
leaders aren't following the rules
or people, you know, are punished differently
from leaders, et cetera, et cetera.
Why did you say, "Yeah, I messed up, and that's that."
And going forward, do you think you'll be able
to maintain that without at the same time
letting your enemies use that as your,
you know, like, "Don't vote for Stacey Abrams. She messes up."
My responsibility, in that instance,
if I created any appearance that
I did not take children's lives seriously, that's a mistake.
But your job, fundamentally, is to acknowledge
when you make a mistake and try to make it right.
We have this nar-this narrative that we have invincible leaders.
That's just not true.
What we have are humans who want to do a job,
and we have to hold them accountable for the job they do
-Mm-hmm. -but have to have grace when they make mistakes
and trust that their intentions were right.
But you can't trust someone's intentions
if they never tell you what they were.
Saying, "I'm sorry," saying, "I made a mistake,"
is about being honest about your intentions.
I intended to do something. I did not quite do it.
So let me tell you about the gap and let me tell you
how I'm gonna make it better the next time.
I need to remember that for the next time I mess up.
I have a lot of practice. I wrote a book about it.
Yeah, I just-I'm just gonna pivot. That's what I'm gonna do.
All I think of when I read this is "Level Up."
It's the first, like, book I can dance to
-when I just read the title. -Yes.
♪ Level up, level up, level up. ♪
Stacey Abrams, thank you for taking the time.
-Thank you for joining us on the show. -Thank you for having me.
Stacey Abrams and Lara Hodgson's book "Level Up"
is available right now. We're gonna take a quick break,
but we'll be right back after this.
Well, that's our show for tonight,
but before we go: families in Ukraine are fleeing
violence and urgently need emergency aid.
CARE'S immediate crisis response aims to reach
four million people, prioritizing women and girls,
families, and the elderly.
So, if you can, please donate at the link below
to rush urgently needed water, food, hygiene kits,
and ongoing support in Ukraine.
Until tomorrow, stay safe out there, get your vaccine,
and remember: if you miss baseball,
don't forget all the Little League games in your community
that you can go to and get drunk there.
Now, here it is, Your Moment of Zen.
What do you think the President meant at the end of his speech
when he said, "Go get him"?
CALLER: I believe that he was
speaking to the Ukrainian people.
We're not quite sure what he means. I think he's talking
about Vladimir Putin and the bad guys over there.
He emphasized the "H," But if I was a betting woman,
I would say he meant to say, "Go get 'em!"
MAN: "Go get 'em. It's a Rust Belt Irish Catholic kind of
way of saying, 'Give 'em hell!'"
Does he want Congress to "Go get him?"
Does he want the people watching to go get him?
Who was he talking about? I still don't know.
MAN: Well, I-I don't know what he means by, "Go get him."
-We didn't either. Nobody knew -Yeah, we didn't know.
-what he meant. -NEWSMAN: Who is "him?" That's right.
P-Peter, get to the bottom of that, will ya?
I'm just going to start shouting and see who, see who answers.
-(laughter) -Okay, well, you're-- You're famous for that.