07.21.2021

July 21, 2021

John Kerry; Katharine Wilkinson; Larry Madowo; Rep. James Talarico

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> HELLO, EVERYONE.

WELCOME TO 'AMANPOUR & COMPANY.'

HERE'S WHAT'S COMING UP.

WE NEED TO PROVIDE ACTION AND WE NEED TO DO IT NOW.

BECAUSE TIME IS RUNNING OUT.

TORRENTIAL RAIN IN CHINA.

RAGING WILDFIRES IN NORTH AMERICA AND RUSSIA.

CATACLYSMIC FLOODS IN EUROPE.

I ASKED JOHN KERRY WHAT NEEDS TO HAPPEN RIGHT NOW TO REVERSE CLIMATE CHANGE AND ENVIRONMENTALIST KATHERINE WILKINSON ABOUT HOW TO CHANGE RELUCTANT HEARTS AND MINDS.

> VICTIMS OF VACCINE INEQUITY.

BEING BORN IN THE WRONG PLACE.

> MARTIN SPEAKING TO A TEXAS DEMOCRAT FIGHTING TO PROTECT VOTING RIGHTS.

'AMANPOUR & COMPANY' IS MADE POSSIBLE BY SUE AND EDGAR WACHENHEIM III.

THE ANDERSON FAMILY FUND.

THE STRAUSS FAMILY FOUNDATION.

JIM ATWOOD AND LESLIE WILLIAMS.

BERNARD AND DENISE SCHWARTZ.

PATRICIA YUAN.

COMMITTED TO BRIDGING CULTURAL DIFFERENCES IN OUR COMMUNITIES.

ADDITIONAL SUPPORT PROVIDED BY THESE FUNDERS AND BY CONTRIBUTIONS TO YOUR PBS STATION FROM VIEWERS LIKE YOU.

THANK YOU.

WELCOME TO THE PROGRAM, EVERYONE.

I'M CHRISTIANE AMANPOUR IN LONDON.

FAILING IN OUR CLIMATE CRISIS.

THAT'S THE MESSAGE FROM ENVOY JOHN KERRY AS THE WORLD IS POUNDED BY BRUTAL HEAT AND CATACLYSMIC STORM.

A YEAR'S WORTH OF RAINFALL IN THREE DAYS.

TERRIFIED SUBWAY PASSENGERS TO THE CEILING IN FLOODED CARS TRAPPED UP TO THEIR NECKS IN RISING WATER AS RECORD-BREAKING RAINS.

IN OREGON, BRITISH COLUMBIA AND SIBERIA, THROUGH THE FOREST.

KERRY, LOOKING AHEAD TO THE UPCOMING CLIMATE SUMMIT IN GLASGOW SAID IN ABOUT 100 DAYS, WE CAN ACTUALLY SAVE THE NEXT 100 YEARS.

BUT HOW MANY MORE MEETINGS WILL IT TAKE BEFORE MEASURABLE MEANINGFUL CHANGE ACTUALLY HAPPENS?IN A MOMENT, I'LL TALK N KERRY ABOUT THE FIERCE URGENCYOT BILL WARE WITH INTENSE WEATHER DEVASTATION ACROSS OUR OVERHEATED WORLD.

Reporter: IT IS BECOMING MORE OBVIOUS BY THE YEAR AS HUMANITY OVERHEATS EARTH AT A TERRIFYING RATE, OUR PLANET'S ATMOSPHERE NOW HOLDS WAY TOO MUCH WATER IN SOME PLACES, NOT NEARLY ENOUGH IN OTHERS.

FROM THE U.S. TO EUROPE, CORNERS OF THE SO-CALLED FIRST WORLD ARE GETTING THEIR FIRST TASTE OF WHAT FOSSIL FUELED WEALTH COULD ULTIMATELY COST.

THERE ARE SO MANY FIRES BURNING OUT WEST AND FUEL SHORTAGE FOREN PART BECAUSE OF THE MEGA DROUGHT NOW COVERING OVER 90% OF THE AMERICAN WEST.

SCIENTISTS ESTIMATE IT WILL TAKE TEN RAINY YEARS TO REFILL

REALLY A BAD TIME TO BE A FARMER, PROBABLY THE WORST YEAR WE'VE EVER HAD.

Reporter: WHILE PEOPLE FROM SAN DIEGO TO SIBERIA PRAYING FOR RAIN, WESTERN EUROPE PRAYING FOR IT TO STOP.

BELGIUM, AUSTRIA AND GERMANY REELING UNDER STANDING WATER AND MUD, AFTER SOME OF THE WORST FLASH FLOODS IN MEMORY.

IT IS HORRENDOUS, ANGELA MERKEL SAID, AFTER TOURING TOWNS AND LIVES CRUSHED BY WALLS OF WATER.

THE GERMAN LANGUAGE DOESN'T REALLY HAVE WORDS FOR THIS DEVASTATION.HEN THE EU RELEASEDS AMBITIOUS CLIMATE PLAN LAST WEEK, MANY SAW GERMANY'S ENTRENCHED MANUFACTURING BASE AS A BLOCK TO PROGRESS BUT NOW AS ELECTIONS NEAR, POLITICIANS FROM THE CHANCELLOR ON DOWN ARE CALLING FOR CLIMATE ACTION.

BUT WHAT WILL IT TAKE TO MOVE AMERICAN POLITICIANS IN WAYS THAT CLIMATE MARCHES AND STRIKES HAVE NOT?

SADLY, THE DATA TELLS US WE ARE ABOUT TO FIND OUT.

THE LAST SEVEN YEARS ARE THE WARMEST ON RECORD AND STAND OUT FROM THE RECORD THAT PRECEDED THE RATE OF WARMING WE'RE SEEING.IS IT SAFE TO SAY THEN IE ALARMING WAY?

THESE WERE THE COLDEST SEVEN YEARS FOR THE REST OF OUR LIVES.

THAT'S AN INTERESTING QUESTION.T SO MUCH MAKING PREDI.

WE TEND TO LOOK BACK, BUT HAVING SAID THAT, I DON'T EXPECT TEN YEARS FROM NOW WE'LL BE COOLER THAN WE ARE TODAY.

PROBABLY A SAFE BET TO ASSUME WE'LL BE WARMER IN THE FUTURE.

BARRING, SAY, SOME MAJOR VOLCANIC ERUPTION.

Reporter: WHICH MEANS IN ADDITION TO STOPPING THE SOURCE OF THE PROBLEM TO AVOID CASCADING PAIN, WE MUST BRACE FOR THE PAIN THAT IS ALREADY ON THE WAY.

BILL WEIR LAYING OUT THE HIGH FIGURES AND STAKES THAT PUT OUT TO JOHN KERRY FROM ROME HEADING TO NAPLES TO MEET WITH G-20 ENVIRONMENT THERE.

SECRETARY KERRY, THANK YOU FOR JOINING US ON THE PROGRAM.

YOU KNOW, WE'VE JUST SEEN THESE AWFUL PICTURES FROM CHINA.

THE SUBWAYS FLOODED IN SOME AREAS AND PEOPLE UP TO THEIR NECKS LITERALLY IN WATER, IT'S TERRIFYING. REACTION TO THAT INT OF WHAT YOU'RE TRYING TO ACHIEVE AND WHAT YOU HOPE CHINA, AS THE BIGGEST POLLUTER, MIGHT BE WILLING TO DO.

MY REACTION IS HORROR, NOT JUST THERE IN GERMANY, BELGIUM, IN THE UNITED STATES AND CALIFORNIA AND FIRES.

PEOPLE ALL AROUND PLANET, PREDICTED YEARS AGO BY THE THERE'S NO SURPRISE IN THIS, BUT RIGHT NOW, HOPEFULLY, IT WILL CREATE AN URGENCY, A LEVEL OF ENGAGEMENT THAT NATIONS NEED TO PROVIDE TO GET THE JOB DONE.

WE HAVE TO RAISE AMBITION IN TERMS OF OUR REDUCTION OF EMISSIONS, IN OUR EFFORTS TO TRY TO HOLD THE TEMPERATURE INCREASE OF THE EARTH TO THE A LOW ENOUGH LEVEL WHICH IS 1.5 OR AS CLOSE AS WE CAN GET TO THAT, AND CHINA IS DOING A LOT, ACTUALLY.

CHINA HAS ALREADY, IT'S ONE OF THE, THE LARGEST PRODUCER OF SOLAR PANELS, ONE OF THE LARGEST DEPLOYERS OF ALTERNATIVE OR RENEWABLE ENERGY, BUT, AND THERE IS A BUT, CHINA IS STILL USING COAL-FIRED POWER PLANTS AND PLANNING TO BRING MORE ONLINE AND ITS INCREASES IN EMISSIONS THREATEN THE SUCCESS AND PROGRESS OF A LOT OF OTHER COUNTRIES THAT ARE CURRENTLY TRYING TO HOLD THE TEMPERATURE DOWN.

SO WE HOPE CHINA WILL JOIN US IN THIS EFFORT.

CHINA IS A PARTNER.

CHINA WAS A PARTNER IN PARIS.

WE REALLY ARE LOOKING FORWARD TO WORKING WITH CHINA TO HAVE A PARTNERSHIP THAT DOES WHAT WE NEED TO DO AS WE GO TO GLASGOW.

LET ME ASK YOU THEN BECAUSE YOU MENTIONED THE OTHER COUNTRIES AND ACTUALLY, I KNOW YOU SAY IT'S PREDICTED AND NOT A SURPRISE BUT A LOT OF PEOPLE WERE SURPRISED.

PEOPLE DON'T LOOK AT OREGON, WHICH IS, YOU KNOW, HAS RAIN AND COOL TEMPERATURES AS AN INFERNO AND THE OTHERS YOU MENTIONED.

LOOK AT GERMANY.

MORE THAN 100 PEOPLE DIED IN EUROPE IN THESE TERRIBLE CATASTROPHIC FLOODS.

THE FACT THAT THIS IS NOW MANIFEST ON A DAILY LIFE AFFECTING WAY IN RICH COUNTRIES, DO YOU THINK THAT THAT WILL CHANGE THE IMPETUS FOR THE POLICIES REQUIRED?

BECAUSE IT'S POLICIES, IT'S NOT JUST RECYCLING PLASTIC BAGS.

IT'S POLICIES BY GOVERNMENT THAT ARE REQUIRED.

WILL IT ADD IMPETUS, DO YOU THINK, OR NOT?

YES, I BELIEVE IT WILL.

NO QUESTION ABOUT IT.

BUT MOST OF THOSE COUNTRIES HAVE ALREADY ADOPTED PRETTY AGGRESSIVE PLANS FOR REDUCING EMISSIONS.

BUT HOPEFULLY, IT WILL CREATE THE EXTRA URGENCY TO EMBRACE EVEN HIGHER AMBITION AS WE HEAD TOWARDS THIS U.N. CONFERENCE IN GLASGOW.

BECAUSE WE'RE NOT GETTING THE JOB DONE, OBVIOUSLY, AND WE NEED TO SIGNIFICANTLY ACCELERATE THE NEXT DECADE, CHRISTIANE, NEXT TEN YEARS IS THE DECISIVE DECADE FOR OUR IMPLEMENTING DECISIONS THAT AVOID THE WORST CONSEQUENCES OF THE CLIMATE CRISIS AND I HOPE, NOBODY WISHES FOR WHAT IS HAPPENING NOW, THE HEAT DOME THAT OREGON AND OTHER STATES EXPERIENCE IS A ONCE IN A THOUSAND YEARS ALLEGEDLY, BUT SCIENTISTS WILL TELL YOU IT HAPPENED BECAUSE OF THE CLIMATE CHANGE AND CRISIS.

SO WE CLEARLY NEED TO GET AHEAD OF THIS AND WE HAVE AN OPPORTUNITY TO DO SO IN THESE NEXT MONTHS.

SO YOU'VE SAID A DECADE, LESS THAN A DECADE, NINE YEARS OR LEFT TO FIX THIS.

HERE IN THE UK FOR THE FIRST TIME EVER, INSTITUTED AN EXTREME HEAT SORT OF EMERGENCY, HEAT WARNING HERE.

AND AGAIN, COUNTRIES THAT YOU SAY ARE DOING WELL AND ARE TRYING AND ARE PUTTING CLIMATE AT THE HEART OF ALL BUILD BACK BETTER AFTER THE PANDEMIC, EVEN EUROPE WHICH IS TALKING ABOUT NO GAS OR DIESEL CARS BY, I THINK IT'S BY 2035, STOPPING THE SALE OF THEM, YOU KNOW, IT REQUIRES INDUSTRIES TO PAY FOR THOSE EMISSIONS AND THAT MIGHT GET ALL BOGGED DOWN INSIDE OR OUTSIDE.

THE UNITED STATES OF AMERICA HAS PROBLEMS IN THESE MASSIVE TURN THE SHIP OF STATE METHODS THAT ARE REQUIRED.

WHERE DO YOU SEE THE HOPE TO FINALLY GET THAT ACTUALLY TURNED?

WELL, NOBODY WILL DENT IT'S DIFFICULT AND IT'S HARD TO TURN THAT, BUT IT'S DOABLE.

AND IT IS IMPERATIVE THAT WE DO IT BECAUSE THE CRISIS IS LEGITIMATELY EXISTENTIAL AS PEOPLE HAVE BEEN SAYING AND YOU CAN'T TALK ABOUT IT BEING EXISTENTIAL AND THEN BELIEVE IT IS AND NOT DO THE THINGS NECESSARY TO RESPOND TO THAT REALITY.

AND SO I BELIEVE THAT THIS IS A HUGE OPPORTUNITY, ACTUALLY, FOR ALL OF US ECONOMICALLY.

IN THE NEW TECHNOLOGIES THAT WE NEED TO DISCOVER, NOT JUST DISCOVER, BUT BRING TO SCALE AND TO COMMERCIAL SCALE TO GET OUT THERE IN THE MARKETPLACE.

THERE ARE A HUGE NUMBER OF JOBS BEING CREATED.

THE PRIVATE SECTOR IS ALREADY REALIZING THIS AND THERE ARE NEW TRILLIONS OF DOLLARS THAT ARE DEDICATED OVER THE NEXT TEN YEARS TO BEGIN TO MOVE INTO THAT INVESTMENT.

I THINK ECONOMIES AROUND THE WORLD RECOGNIZE THIS IS THE FUTURE AND AS THE PRIVATE SECTOR MOVES BECAUSE IT IS BOTH IMPERATIVE IN TERMS OF SUSTAINING THEIR BUSINESSES AND THEIR PRODUCTS, SO FORTH, BUT ALSO BECAUSE THE FUTURE IS DETERMINED BY THAT.

SO WE HAVE A BIG TASK AHEAD OF US BUT IT IS DOABLE.

YESTERDAY WHEN I SPOKE IN LONDON, I TALKED ABOUT THE SORT OF EFFORTS OF WORLD WAR II.

AN EXAMPLE OF WHAT HAPPENS WHEN COUNTRIES CAN COME TOGETHER WHEN IT IS TRULY TREATED AS EXISTENTIAL AND PEOPLE PULL TOGETHER.

WE HAVE TO DO THAT ON A GLOBAL BASIS NOW.

WE NEED CHINA, RUSSIA, INDIA, THE UNITED STATES AND EUROPE AND ALL OF THESE ENTITIES COME TOGETHER AND LEVERAGE EVEN FASTER INITIATIVES THAT CAN ADDRESS THIS BECAUSE WE'RE NOT ON A TRACK.

THAT'S CATASTROPHIC.

SO WE OBVIOUSLY HAVE TO ACCELERATE AND THE PARIS AGREEMENT CONTEMPLATED THAT COUNTRIES WOULD COME TOGETHER SEVERAL YEARS DOWN THE ROAD AND MAKE A JUDGMENT ABOUT WHERE WE ARE AND RAISE AMBITION.

SO GLASGOW IS DEFINITIVELY ABOUT RAISING AMBITION AND IF WE DO THAT, WE CAN HAVE UNBELIEVABLY POSITIVE OUTCOMES THAT HELP PEOPLE HAVE A BETTER QUALITY OF LESS PARTICULATES IN THE AIR, LESS CANCER, LESS DISEASE.

LESS COMPLICATIONS OF COVID, MORE CLEANER AIR IN OUR CITIES, LESS IMPACT ON THE OCEANS, NEGATIVE WITH THE RISING ACIDITY AND THE WARMING OF THE OCEAN.

WE'RE REALLY PLAYING WITH FIRE, NO PUN INTENDED OBVIOUSLY.

WE DIG AFTERWARDS WHY THIS MESSAGE ISN'T GETTING THROUGH TO PEOPLE.

CLEARLY WHAT YOU'RE SAYING IS ABSOLUTELY WHAT WE'RE WITNESSING AND YET HUMAN BEINGS ARE NOT QUITE DOING THE ADAPTATION THEY NEED TO BUT FINALLY, I WANT TO ASK YOU THIS.

YESTERDAY, JEFF BEZOS BECAME THE SECOND BILLIONAIRE TO HEAD OUT TO THE FRONTIERS OF SPACE AND WHEN HE CAME BACK LIKE MANY WHO HAD BEEN TO SPACE, DESCRIBED HOW BEAUTIFUL OUR PLANET IS, HOW WE MUST ALL TAKE CARE OF IT.

BUT ALSO SAID SOMETHING KIND OF INTERESTING OR ALARMING.

HE THOUGHT WE SHOULD OUTSOURCE OUR GARBAGE AND POLLUTION PERHAPS INTO SPACE.

LET ME JUST PLAY FOR YOU WHAT HE SAID TO ANDERSON COOPER AFTER HE TOUCHED DOWN YESTERDAY.

ROAD TO SPACE SO FUTURE GENERATIONS CAN TAKE ALL HEAVY INDUSTRY AND POLLUTING INDUSTRY ON EARTH AND MOVE IT UP INTO SPACE SO THAT WE CAN KEEP THIS GEM OF A PLANET AS IT IS INSTEAD OF RUINING IT WHICH UNFORTUNATELY, WE MIGHT DO.

SECRETARY KERRY, YOUR REACTION TO THAT?

WE DO OUTSOURCE TO CHINA AND PLACES LIKE THAT BUT IS SPACE THE SOLUTION?

CHINA DOESN'T TAKE OUR WASTE ANYMORE.

PEOPLE ARE NOW TALKING ABOUT MUCHERERER MORE MANAGEABLE WAYS WITH OUR LIVES.

WE'RE FINDING BETTER WAYS TO MANAGE THAT HERE ON EARTH.

WE'RE USING PRODUCTS THAT HAVEE ALREADY HAD ONE KIND OF USE AND THEN WE PUT THEM TO A DIFFERENT KIND OF USE AND RECYCLE AND I THINK THAT'S WHERE MOST PEOPLE IN MOVING, LOOK, WE HAVE ALL KINDS OF RULES AGAINST LAWS AND I THINK WE NEED TO CREATE THIS CIRCULAR ECONOMY AND I THINK JEFF BEZOS NEEDS TO BE THANKED FOR HAVING EMBRACED A VERY AND CREATED A VERY SIGNIFICANT FUND THAT IS GOING TO BE DEDICATED IN HELPING TO DO THAT HERE.

THAT IS SOMETHING PRETTY FAR FROM OUR GRASP RIGHT NOW BUT A HELL OF A GOOD PRINCIPLE TO ORGANIZE OUR ECONOMIES AND OUR LIVES.

SECRETARY KERRY, AMERICA'S CLIMATE ENVOY.

THANK YOU SO MUCH FOR JOINING US.

THANK YOU VERY MUCH.

WHY IS IT SO HARD TO TALK ABOUT CLIMATE IN A WAY THAT ACTUALLY DRIVES REAL CHANGE?

KATHERINE WILKINSON, AN EDUCATOR WITH ONE OF 15 WOMEN TO SAVE THE WORLD FROM 'TIME' MAGAZINE AND CO-EDITOR OF ALL WE CAN SAVE, ANTHOLOGY OF WOMEN'S WRITING ON THE CLIMATE CRISIS.

JOINING ME NOW FROM NEW YORK.

WELCOME TO THE PROGRAM.

YOU KNOW, YOU HEARD ME ASK SECRETARY KERRY HOW TO GET THE STORIES ACROSS.

YOU HEARD ALL THE POLICIES AND FACTS AND FIGURES THAT MAKE EMINENT SENSE BUT YOU SAY WE HAVE TO REACH PEOPLE'S HEARTS AND CONNECT THE DOTS FOR THEM.

TELL ME WHAT THAT MEANS.

ABSOLUTELY.

SO I THINK THE FIRST THING TO NOTE, CHRISTIANE, IS THAT MOST OF THE TIME, THE CLIMATE SILENCE IS DEAFENING.

WE KNOW THIS IS TRUE IN DAY-TO-DAY CONVERSATION.

PEOPLE ARE NOT TALKING ABOUT THIS WITH THEIR FRIENDS AND WAY TOO MUCH SILENCE FROM THE MEDIA AND OFTEN, AS YOU'RE SUGGESTING WHEN CLIMATE HAS BEEN COMMUNICATED, IT'S COMING THROUGH LANGUAGE OF SCIENCE AND POLICY AND WE'RE NOT SPEAKING TO PEOPLE'S VALUES AND BELIEFS, RIGHT?WE UNDERSTAND THIS WITH SY OTHER TOPICS.

WE HAVE TO TELL HUMAN STORIES THAT REACH NOT JUST OUR HEADS BUT OUR HEARTS AND QUITE LITERALLY, BRING IT HOME FOR PEOPLE.WHEN WE START WITH THE TS THAT PEOPLE ALREADY CARE ABOUT AND CONNECT THE DOTS TO THOSE THINGS, WE ARE WELCOMING PEOPLE IN RATHER THAN EXPECTING THEM TO HAVE A Ph.D. IN CLIMATE SCIENCE BEFORE THEY CAN JOIN THE CONVERSATION.

CAN YOU GIVE ME, KATHERINE, A BIT OF AN EXAMPLE BECAUSE SECRETARY KERRY AND MANY ECONOMISTS RIGHTLY POINT OUT THIS IS THE FUTURE ECONOMY OF THE WORLD.

THIS IS WHAT'S GOING TO REALLY DRIVE THE WORLD, THIS TECHNOLOGY THAT WILL HELP IN OUR CLIMATE CRISIS, AND YET, PEOPLE SEEM NOT TO STILL WANT TO TAKE NOTICE OF THAT.AS WE'VE SEEN IN THE HOSTI, NOT JUST HESITANCY, OVER VACCINES, THE ONGOING HOSTILITY ABOUT THE IDEA OF SCIENCE AND GIVE ME A FEW EXAMPLES OF REACHING THE HEART AND HOW YOU HAVE SEEN THAT IT MIGHT HAVE MADE A DIFFERENCE, EVEN ON A SMALL LEVEL.

ABSOLUTELY.

WELL, I THINK WHEN WE'RE TALKING ABOUT REACHING PEOPLE'S HEARTS, IT'S WORTH REMEMBERING THAT THE MESSENGER IS JUST AS IMPORTANT AS THE MESSAGE.

AND WHEN WE TAKE A STEP BACK AND LOOK AT WHOSE VOICES ARE WE HEARING ON THE CLIMATE CRISIS, THE DATA TELLS US THAT WE ARE MOSTLY, WE, MEANING THE PUBLIC, HEARING FROM WHITE MEN AND WE ABSOLUTELY NEED THEM ON THE TEAM, BUT WHEN WE LOOK AT POLLING DATA, IT'S ACTUALLY PEOPLE OF COLOR AND WOMEN WHO ARE THE MOST CONCERNED ABOUT CLIMATE CHANGE AND READY TO ENGAGE.

THEY'RE ALSO DISPROPORTIONATELY AFFECTED BY CLIMATE IMPACTS.

SO WE'VE GOT A MISMATCH AND I THINK WHEN WE LOOK AT SOMETHING LIKE THE ANTHOLOGY THAT I CO-EDITED WITH DR. JOHNSON, WE DELIBERATELY CREATED A COLLIDE KALEIDOSCOPIC AND ART AND POETRY TO REACH PEOPLE THROUGH DIFFERENT MEDIUMS.

WE'RE ALSO SEEING THIS INCREASINGLY THROUGH CLIMATE PODCASTS, TELLING NARRATIVE ARTICULATIONS OF WHERE WE ARE ON CLIMATE, WHY WE'RE IN THE MESS WE'RE IN, AND WHAT WE CAN DO GOING FORWARD, HOW TO SAVE A PLANET IS A GREAT EXAMPLE.

THE PODCAST I CO-HOST WITH DR.

LEAH STOKES ABOUT DEGREES.

THESE ARE ALL EFFORTS TO NOT LEAVE THE SCIENCE AND POLICY BEHIND, BUT GRAFT THEM IN A WAY THAT PEOPLE CAN GET THEIR HEADS AROUND AND ULTIMATELY FEEL MOVED TO ACTION.

SO WE HAVE SEEN AND CERTAINLY, WE'VE COVERED ON THIS PROGRAM HOW WOMEN ARE TRANSFORMATIVE IN MANY, MANY CONFLICT RESOLUTION SITUATIONS.

JUST WAR AND PEACE, FOR INSTANCE, AND THIS IS A CONFLICT RESOLUTION SITUATION THAT WE'RE TALKING ABOUT.

I WANT TO DIG DOWN A LITTLE BIT ABOUT THIS BECAUSE YOU'RE RIGHT.

MOST OF THE VOICES WE HEAR ARE A PARTICULAR KIND OF VOICE AND A PARTICULAR KIND OF POLITIC SOMETIMES, BUT YOU'VE WRITTEN A LOT, AS YOU'VE SAID.

WE KNOW THAT FOR INSTANCE, IN GERMANY, THE LEADING CANDIDATE TO REPLACE ANGELA MERKEL, ONE IS THE LEADER OF THE GREEN PARTY.

WE'VE KNOWN ABOUT GRETA THUNBERG.

EUNICE, NOT SURE IF AMERICANS KNOW, SHE WAS THE FIRST TO RECOGNIZE CARBON DIOXIDE'S HEATING EFFECT IN 1856 AND A HIDDEN FIGURE, SHE'S BECOME THAT.

HOW DO YOU TELL THOSE STORIES AND WHAT DO YOU NOTICE WHEN WOMEN GET INVOLVED ON THIS ISSUE?

YEAH.

IT'S NOT JUST SORT OF A SOUNDS NICE, RIGHT?

THAT WOMEN SHOULD BE AT THE TABLE AND LEADING.

WHAT WE ACTUALLY SEE IS ASEARCHT TELLS US, THIS IS A REALLY CRITICAL STRATEGY FOR HOW WE WIN BECAUSE WE SEE THAT AT A NATIONAL LEVEL WHEN WOMEN HAVE HIGHER POLITICAL/SOCIAL ECONOMIC STATUS, THAT CORRELATES WITH LOWER EMISSIONS.

WHEN WOMEN ARE PRESENT IN SHAPING ENVIRONMENTAL POLICY, THE OUTCOMES ARE MORE EFFECTIVE.

COUNTRIES, EXCUSE ME, PARLIAMENTS ARE MORE LIKELY TO RATIFY ENVIRONMENTAL TREATIES.

THIS IS REALLY A STRATEGY.

WOMEN'S LEADERSHIP TO GET TO THE OUTCOMES THAT WE NEED AND THE SAME THING IS TRUE WHEN WE THINK ABOUT THE LEADERSHIP OF COLOR.

JEFF BEZOS SAID LET'S JUST MAKE ALL OF SPACE A SACRIFICE ZONE.

WE KNOW MAKING CERTAIN PLACES SACRIFICE ZONES MEANS COMMUNITIES OF COLOR SUFFERED DISPROPORTIONATELY FROM THE FOSSIL FUEL ECONOMY.

WE CANNOT KEEP GOING FORWARD LIKE THAT SO WE NEED TO THINK ABOUT WHO ARE WE HEARING FROM, WHEN WE THINK ABOUT WHAT IS AND ISN'T A SOLUTION AND WHO DOES AND DOESN'T BENEFIT FROM THAT SOLUTION AND THIS IS REALLY CRITICAL.OPLE MAY NOT HAVE HEARF EUNICE UDENFOOT, DID REALLY GROUND BREAKING RESEARCH IN THE MIDDLE OF THE 1800s.

WE DON'T EVEN HAVE A PHOTOGRAPH OF HER BUT WE CELEBRATE OTHER MEN DOING SIMILAR RESEARCH IN THAT ERA AS FOUNDERS OF CLIMATE SCIENCE AND WE CAN'T CONTINUE TO MAKE THOSE MISTAKES.

SHE WAS TRYING TO TELL US WHAT WAS POSSIBLE.

AND THEN TO OUR AND MY COLLEAGUE AS AINLY MINE JOURNALIST, MANY JOURNALISTS, OF COURSE, IN THIS, YOU HAVE TO SORT OF DO THE PLAUSIBLE DENIABILITY, THAT'S WHAT THEY THOUGHT.

NOW MANY TAKING IT SUPER SERIOUSLY, CALLING IT WHAT IT IS.

JUST GOING WITH THE SCIENCE AND NOT ENTERTAINING THE DENIAL.

BUT JUST THIS WEEK, TERRIBLE WEATHER TO EUROPE AND INSTEAD OF REPORTERS SAYING AFTER SOME CATACLYSMIC CLIMATE EVENT, LINKING ANY ONE EVENT IS COMPLICATED.

THIS SAYS, WE SHOULD KNOW CLIMATE CHANGE IS INCREASING THE FREQUENCY OF EXTREME WEATHER EVENTS AND SINGLE EVENTS ARE MADE WORSE BY GLOBAL WARMING.

HOW MUCH DO YOU THINK THE WAY WE SPEAK ON OUR PLATFORMS COULD MAKE A DIFFERENCE AND SHIFT THE DIAL?

I THINK WE COULD MAKE AN INCREDIBLE DIFFERENCE AND WE ACTUALLY KNOW THIS FROM RESEARCH THAT WAS COMPARING A DECADE, TWO DECADES AGO, THE DIFFERENCE BETWEEN U.S. AND UK MEDIA COVERAGE.

RESEARCH DONE BY MAX.

WE HAVE TO BE DRAWING THE CONNECTION BETWEEN EXTREME WEATHER EVENTS AND THE CLIMATE CRISIS, BUT WE ALSO NEED TO TAKE THAT ONE STEP FURTHER AND DRAW THE CONNECTION TO WHAT IS CAUSING THE CLIMATE CRISIS AND SPECIFICALLY, THE FOSSIL FUEL ECONOMY BECAUSE SO OFTEN, WHAT PEOPLE ARE HEARING IS, WELL, CLIMATE CHANGE IS SOMETHING THAT IS HAPPENING.

WELL, CLIMATE CHANGE, THERE'S ACCOUNTABILITY AND RESPONSIBILITY IN THE MESS THAT WE'RE IN.

THE FOSSIL FUEL INDUSTRY HAS HAD AGENCY IN CAUSING THE CRISIS AND IN PREVENTING INCREDIBLE SOLUTIONS ALREADY IN OUR TOOL BOX FROM MOVING FORWARD AT THE SCALE AND THE SPEED THAT IS SO WE NEED TO BE CONNECTING EXTREME WEATHER TO THE CLIMATE CRISIS AND TO THE CAUSES OF THAT CRISIS AS WELL AS POINTING TO SOLUTIONS.

OUR ECONOMY HAS TO TRANSFORM, SO WE NEED TO BE LIFTING UP THINGS LIKE FEDERAL CLEAN ELECTRICITY STANDARD FOR THE UNITED STATES, A CIVILIAN CLIMATE CORPS, REALLY INCREDIBLE POLICY SOLUTIONS THAT ARE ON THE TABLE TODAY THAT COULD HELP US MAKE INVESTMENTS AT THE SCALE OF THE PRICE AND TAKE BOLD ACTION THIS DECADE.

SO THAT, YOU KNOW, ABSOLUTELR SIDE WILL SAY, WELL, LOOK, BUSINESS PEOPLE ARE BUSINESS PEOPLE.E BOTTOM LINE IS THE BOTM LINE AND AS YOU SAY, SO MUCH INVESTMENT IS HAPPENING RIGHT NOW, STILL INTO FOSSIL FUELS.

SO HOW ABOUT THE POLITICAL ASPECT OF THIS?

PEW RESEARCH SAID 80% OF DEMOCRATS SAID REDUCING EFFECTS OF CLIMATE CHANGE NEEDS TO BE PRIORITIZED BUT AMONG REPUBLICANS, THAT NUMBER IS JUST 36%. OF COURSE, WE KNOW THE REPUBLICANS WEREN'T ALL LIKE THAT ALL THE TIME.

GO BACK TO NIXON, GO BACK TO TEDDY ROOSEVELT, THESE WERE PEOPLE WHO CARED ABOUT OUR ENVIRONMENT. WHAT'S SHIFTED, KIT ARE THINGS SHIFTING BACK?

DO YOU NOTICE ANY CHANGE EVEN IN THE CONSERVATIVE COMMUNITY WHO YOU'VE WRITTEN ABOUT?

THAT'S RIGHT.

I LOOKED AT THIS FOR MY Ph.D.

RESEARCH AND PUBLISHED A BOOK CALLED 'BETWEEN GOD AND GREEN' SPECIFICALLY LOOKING AT HOW THEN COULD BE A POTENTIALLY HELPFUL I THINK ONE THING TO REMEMBER IS THAT WE DIDN'T JUST END UP IN THIS SORT OF PARTISAN DIVIDE AROUND CLIMATE IN THE UNITED STATES.

THERE WAS A DECADE'S LONG STILL GOING, VERY SAVVY WELL FUNDED MISINFORMATION CAMPAIGN THAT SPECIFICALLY TARGETED CONSERVATIVE WHITE MEN.

NONETHELESS, I DO THINK WE ARE STARTING TO SEE CLIMATE TRUTH BEGIN TO WIN THE BATTLE OF WE'RE NOT THERE YET BUT THE LATEST POLLING FROM YALE SAYS SEVEN IN TEN AMERICANS THINK GLOBAL WARMING IS HAPPENING.

THE MAJORITY UNDERSTAND THAT IT'S HUMAN-CAUSED.

THE FOLKS WHO ARE SURE THAT GLOBAL WARMING IS NOT HAPPENING ARE NOW IN THE SINGLE DIGITS AND GETTING SMALLER BY THE DAY.

SO I THINK IT'S REALLY IMPORTANT TO COMMUNICATE TO THE PUBLIC THAT THE CLIMATE MAJORITY IS REAL, IT IS GROWING.

THAT'S A STORY THAT WE NEED TO HEAR, BUT I ALSO THINK THAT MEDIA COMPANIES HAVE SOME RESPONSIBILITY IN BREAKING UP THE BRAINWASHING AND PROPAGANDA FROM THE FOSSIL FUEL INDUSTRY.

WE GET TOO MUCH AIRED ON NEWS CHANNELS THAT ARE CONFUSING THE PUBLIC AND SORT OF MEDDLING THE VERY TRUTH THAT MEDIA AND NEWSROOMS ARE TRYING TO CONVEY TO THE PUBLIC.

SO IF WE STOP GIVING OXYGEN.

SORRY, I HEAR YOU.

STOP GIVING OXYGEN TO THAT KIND OF STUFF BUT I WANT TO FOLLOW UP BECAUSE AS YOU PROBABLY READ, THE MURDOCK OPERATION WANTS TO START A WEATHER CHANNEL.

THAT'S OBVIOUSLY BOTTOM LINE.

THEY SEE THE WEATHER IS VERY NEWS IS SOMEWHAT GOING DOWN.

WHAT DO YOU THINK?

ARE YOU WORRIED THAT MURDOCK MIGHT DO TO CLIMATE AND THE CONFUSION AND THE DENIAL, THE ELECTION AND ALL THE OTHER STUFF OR, OR COULD IT BE A VEHICLE TO ACTUALLY SHIFT THIS DEBATE RIGHT WHERE IT'S NEEDED?

WELL, I AM CONCERNED ABOUT IT.

I THINK THAT IT IS POTENTIALLY A HAIL MARY.

KNOWING THAT THEY ARE LOSING THE BATTLE OF PUBLIC OPINION ON THIS TOPIC.

BUT IT'S A DANGEROUS HAIL MARY BECAUSE PEOPLE DO REALLY TRUST METEOROLOGISTS.

THEY REALLY TRUST THE PEOPLE WHO COMMUNICATE THE WEATHER.

IT WAS ACTUALLY SPEAKING IN OUTLETS LIKE THE WEATHER CHANNEL, GOOD COMMUNICATOR OF CLIMATE SCIENCE.

I THINK THERE'S REAL CONCERN ABOUT FURTHERING MISINFORMATION AND CONFUSING FOLKS.

MAYBE I'LL BE PROVEN WRONG.

BUT I'M NOT HOPEFUL ABOUT THIS NEWS.

WE'LL KEEP WATCHING.

KATHERINE WILKINSON, THANK YOU SO MUCH INDEED FOR JOINING US.

JUST AS WE MENTIONED, DENIAL AND PROFIT MOTIVE CAN STALL CLIMATE ACTION AND ALSO BE A MATTER OF LIFE AND DEATH.

THE TRAGEDY OF VACCINE INEQUITY AND REPORTER LARRY WITH SHOCKING PERSONAL EXPERIENCE ABOUT HIS HOME COUNTRY, KENYA.

1.1% OF THE POPULATION FULLY VACCINATED COMPARED TO ALMOST 50% IN THE UNITED STATES WHERE HE WAS WORKING AND WHERE HE GOT VACCINATED.

LARRY IS JOINING US NOW FROM NAIROBI.WELCOME TO THE PROGRAM.

YOU KNOW, YOU HAVE SUCH A SAD AND DRAMATIC STORY BUT IT'S ONE THAT'S AFFECTING SO MUCH OF THE WORLD.

TELL ME WHAT HAPPENED TO YOUR GRANDFATHER IN KENYA WHERE YOU ARE NOW.

CHRISTIANE, THIS IS NOT SOMETHING UNIQUE TO ME SINCE I WROTE THIS SPEECH ON CNN.COM, I HAD SO MANY OTHER PEOPLE IN AFRICA.

MY UNCLE DIDN'T HAVE A CHANCE TO GET VACCINATED, AND SO WITHIN A FEW DAYS, LOSING OXYGEN AND THEN HE WAS GONE.

I THINK THREE OR FOUR DAYS AND THE SAME WEEK THAT HE DIED, MY GRANDMOTHER WHO'S ABOUT 96 WAS PUT ON A VENTILATOR.

WE ARE GIVING HER ARTIFICIAL OXYGEN SO SHE CAN KEEP BREATHING BECAUSE SHE CAN'T BREATHE ON HER OWN AND THE DIFFERENCE IS THAT FOR ME, I WAS LIVING IN THE UNITED STATES.

ALL I NEEDED TO DO WAS GO TO A CVS DRUGSTORE AND GET A VACCINE.

SO MANY MORE APPOINTMENTS AVAILABLE AT WALGREENS AND THE DEPARTMENT TO SAY, YOU CAN BOOK AN APPOINTMENT.

ANYBODY OVER THE AGE OF 12 IN THE U.S. CAN GET VACCINATED.

MY GRANDMOTHER WAS 96.

NO ACCESS TO VACCINE.

IN KENYA, ONLY 1.1% ARE VACCINATED AND THE REALITY OF THAT IS PEOPLE LIKE MY GRANDMOTHER MIGHT DIE BECAUSE OF THIS UNEQUAL WORLD WHERE KIDS IN THE WEST MIGHT GET VACCINATED AND OLDER VULNERABLE PEOPLE HAVE NO ACCESS TO THIS PROTECTION.

I'M SORRY.

YOUR UNCLE AND NOW YOUR GRANDMOTHER IN GREAT DANGER.

W.H.O. BASICALLY CALLED THIS A MORAL CATASTROPHE AND CATASTROPHIC FAILURE.

YOU TALKED ABOUT AND WROTE IN THIS POWERFUL PIECE, WHEN YOU MEET PEOPLE IN AFRICA, THEY ARE BAFFLED BY WHAT WE KEEP REPORTING ABOUT.

THE VACCINE HOSTILITY, THE RESISTANCE TO GOING TO GET THE VACCINES AND YOU SAID SOME AMERICANS EVEN GET BRIBED WITH BEER, DONUTS OR CASH WHILE MANY AFRICANS WOULD HAPPILY TAKE THEM FOR FREE IF AVAILABLE AND THE WORLD'S WEALTHIEST APPEARING WITH A POST-PANDEMIC LIFE AND THE REST OF US IN THE GLOBAL SOUTH IN THE THROES OF A DEVASTATING CRISIS WITH NO WAY OUT FOR THE FORESEEABLE FUTURE.

HOW DO YOU SEE IT AS A REPORTER, WHAT YOU'RE WITNESSING PLAYING OUT, HOW DO YOU SEE THE SITUATION COMING TO A HEAD IN AFRICA AND ELSEWHERE AND THE POORER PART OF THE WORLD?

THE UNCOMFORTABLE SITUATION IF ME IS THAT I'M A REPORTER.

I REPORT BACK HERE ON CNN.

I DON'T GIVE OPINION, THE TRUTH YOU SAY IT'S ABOUT FACTS AND NOT NEUTRALITY.

THERE'S AN EQUAL WORLD WHERE POORER COUNTRIES LIKE MANY OF THE COUNTRIES IN AFRICA JUST DON'T HAVE ACCESS TO VACCINES AND EVEN WHEN THEY FOLLOW THE WORLD HEALTH ORGANIZATION GUIDELINES ABOUT SOCIAL DISTANCING AND MASKING LIKE RWANDA HAS DONE, ONE OF THE MOST STRICT BY SOCIAL DISTANCING AND FROM GATHERINGS, THEY ARE STILL RIGHT NOW IN A NEW LOCKDOWN BECAUSE THEY WERE OVERRUN BY CASES, DELTA VARIANT IS 60% OF THE CASES THERE AND HAD TO DO SOME NEW LOCKDOWNS AND SO MANY PEOPLE THAT HAVE REPORTED KNOW THIS FIRSTHAND, NOT JUST MY FAMILY BUT THE PEOPLE I'VE BEEN HEARING FROM, ACROSS THE CONTINENT.

THE WORLD'S SHUT DOWN THE PROGRAM BECAUSE THEY DON'T KNOW WHEN THEY GET NEW VACCINES.

IN UGANDA, THE BACK END OF ANOTHER LOCKDOWN.

TUNISIA AND COLLAPSED ENTIRELY.

JUST TO SAY ALSO THAT LAST WEEK THE WORLD HEALTH ORGANIZATION SAID THAT THE CASES HAVE INCREASED BY 43% IN A MATTER OF JUST WEEKS.

HERE'S A CLIP OF THE PIECE FROM UGANDA.

SOME OF WHOM HAD TO DO 24 HOUR SHIFTS BECAUSE THE NEED IS GREATER THAN THE MEDICAL PROFESSIONALS AVAILABLE.

THE AVERAGE PATIENT AGE IS 40 AND YOUNGEST ONLY 18.

ONE FOR SURE, MORE AGGRESSIVE STRAIN.

BUT AFTER THEY PASS AWAY.

SUCH A STARK EXAMPLE OF WHAT WE ALL KNOW.

THE WHOLE WORLD IS FACING THIS BUT THE TRUTH IS WE'RE NOT ALL IN THIS TOGETHER IN THE SAME WAY.

NO, WE'RE NOT BUT THAT'S QUITE CLEAR.

OF THE 3.5 BILLION VACCINES SO FAR ISSUED AROUND THE WORLD, 1.6% ARE AFRICANS.

THAT'S HOW STARK IT IS.

WHEN YOU HEAR WE'RE ALL IN THIS TOGETHER, YOU CAN SEE THE WHOLENESS OF IT BECAUSE NOT EVERY PART HAD EQUAL ACCESS TO THE VACCINE AND EVEN SOME CAN'T AFFORD TO BUY VACCINES, JUST NOT AVAILABLE WHEN COUNTRIES LIKE THE UK AND U.S. AND CANADA HAVE VACCINES AND ENOUGH TO VACCINATE THEIR POPULATIONS SEVERAL TIMES OVER AND YET PEOPLE HERE ARE DYING.

OFTEN, OLDER PEOPLE WHO ALREADY HAVE UNDERLYING CONDITIONS THAT CANNOT AFFORD THIS EXTRA ATTACK FROM THIS VICIOUS VIRUS.

AND THAT'S WHAT WE'RE SEEING HERE.

LIVING IN NEW YORK AT THE BEGINNING OF THE PANDEMIC LAST SPRING SO I SAW WHAT IT DOES TO DEVASTATE PEOPLE.

THE CORRESPONDENT REPORTING ON THE PANDEMIC, AND YET HERE IT IS FOR ME.

AND THEN WATCHING YESTERDAY, CHRISTIANE, AND I AGREE WITH HER ABOUT THE PERFORMATIVE PUBLIC EXPRESSION OF GRIEF WE HAVE.

VERY SIMILAR WAYS TO SEE OFF THE DEAD AND I HAVEN'T HAD THE BENEFIT OF DOING THAT FOR SO MANY MEMBERS OF MY FAMILY AND REALLY ACCENTUATES THE PAIN.

IT'S REALLY IMPORTANT THAT YOU'RE THERE.

IT'S REALLY POWERFUL.

GROUND ZERO, REALLY, REPORTING.

SO THANK YOU FOR KEEPING THE WORLD HONEST THERE, LARRY.

THANKS.

> TURNING NOW TO THE UNITED STATES WHERE A GROUP OF TEXAS STATE DEMOCRATS HAVE COME TO WASHINGTON, DC TO BATTLE A RESTRICTIVE NEW VOTING LAW.

THE REPUBLICAN-BACKED BILLS DISPROPORTIONATELY AFFECT AMONG ETHNIC MINORITIES.

ONE IS JAMES TALARICO AND JOINING TO EXPLAIN WHAT NEEDS TO BE DONE TO PROTECT NATIONAL VOTING RIGHTS.

THANKS, CHRISTIANE.

REPRESENTATIVE TALARICO.

THANK YOU SO MUCH FOR SPEAKING WITH US.

THANK YOU FOR HAVING ME.

FIRST THING I WANT TO KNOW, WHAT DO YOU CONSIDER THE MOST EGREGIOUS ASPECTS OF THE BILL THAT TEXAS IS TRYING TO PASS?

THERE'S SO MANY TROUBLING PARTS TO THE VOTER SUPPRESSION BILL.

EARLY VOTING HOWS, MAKING IT HARDER TO DISTRIBUTE MAIL-IN APPLICATIONS, GETTING RID OF DRIVE-THROUGH VOTING, REALLY HELPFUL FOR WORKING FAMILIES.

WHAT YOU HAVE A LOT OF KIDS, IT'S HARD TO THE POLLING LOCATION QUIETLY.

IT'S EASIER TO JUST KEEP IN THE BACK OF THE MINI VAN AND DRIVE THROUGH AND VOTE THAT WAY BUTBLO ME IS THE PART OF THE BILL THAT EMPOWERS PARTISAN WATCHERS UNTRAINED PARTISAN WATCHERS TO ANTICIPATE THE POLLING PLACE.

I REPRESENT DISTRICT WHERE SOME OF MY CONSTITUENTS ARE MY FAMILY MEMBERS INCLUDING MY MAMA AND I CAN'T IMAGINE HER GOING TO VOTE AT HER POLLING PLACE, EXERCISING CONSTITUTIONAL RIGHTS AND HAVING A PROUD BOY BREATHING DOWN HER NECK AS SHE DOES SO.

THIS IS OBVIOUSLY POLITICAL BUT ALSO VERY PERSONAL AND I THINK WE ALL WANT OUR GRANDPARENTS, OUR PARENTS, KIDS TO HAVE THE FREEDOM TO VOTE IN THE STATE OF TEXAS AND BE ABLE TO VOTE WITHOUT FEAR OF INTIMIDATION.

WHY DO YOU SAY THAT THOUGH?

WHY COULDN'T IT GO THE OTHER WAY?

THERE WAS A FAMOUS CASE YEARS AGO IN PHILADELPHIA THAT WAS A BIT OF A CAUSE WITH THE RIGHT-WING MEDIA WHERE MEMBERS OF THE NEW BLACK PANTHER PARTY TOO WITH THEIR HATS AND SOME OUTFITS WERE AT A MAJORITY BLACK POLL IN PHILADELPHIA AND SAID THAT THEY WERE WITH SECURITY AND WHITE PEOPLE OUTSIDE WERE DRIVING AROUND, NOT SURE WHY, AND FOUND THE PRESENCE OF THESE PEOPLE INTIMIDATING EVEN THOUGH THAT WASN'T THEIR POLLING PLACE AND OF COURSE, IT BECAME A BIG CASE AND SUED AND THESE TWO PROSECUTED AND THERE WE GO.

WHY COULDN'T IT BE THE OTHER WAY THAT PEOPLE, THE NEW BLACK PANTHER PARTY COULD SORT OF DECIDE THEY'RE GOING TO DESCEND ON WHEREVER AND DO THE SAME THING?

HOW DO YOU KNOW IT'S DIRECTED TOWARDS PEOPLE OF COLOR?

THIS BILL WOULD OPEN IT UP TO ANY PARTISAN ACTOR TO COME IN AND DISRUPT THE OPERATIONS OF THE POLLING PLACE WHICH SHOULD BE DISTURBING TO EVERYONE.

DEMOCRATS AND REPUBLICANS.

THE ONLY REASON I BRING UP FEAR ABOUT THE PROUD BOYS IS BECAUSE I HAVEN'T SEEN THE BLACK PANTHERS STORM THE U.S. CAPITAL AND I HAVEN'T SEEN THEM QUESTION THE LEGITIMACY OF THE LAST ELECTION, SO WHAT I WORRY ABOUT IS GIVEN THE CURRENT CLIMATE WHAT TYPE OF PEOPLE ARE GOING TO BE ATTRACTED TO THIS ROLE OF BEING POLL WATCHER.

BE HONEST THAT THERE IS NO, WE DON'T WANT TO PAINT A FALSE EQUIVALENCY.ONE SIDE QUESTIONEDE LEGITIMACY OF THE AMERICAN ELECTIONS AND SO WE'VE GOT TO BE HONEST AND CLEAR EYED ABOUT THAT FACT.

ONE OF THE REASONS I'M CURIOUS ABOUT THIS IS I'M JUST CURIOUS WHY YOU SEE IT SO DIFFERENTLY FROM YOUR REPUBLICAN COLLEAGUES.RE GOING TO CHANGE TE RULES, WHY DO THEY ASSUME THESE GO DOWN TO THEIR BENEFIT.

SOME BELIEVE IT'S UN-AMERICAN.

ONE OF MY COLLEAGUES JOINED US IN VOTING AGAINST THIS BILL FIRST TIME AROUND BACK IN THE SPRING AND HIS ARGUMENT WAS REALLY INTERESTING.

THE 2020 ELECTION, WE SAW HISTORIC VOTER TURNOUT IN THE STATE OF TEXAS AND REPUBLICANS DID QUITE WELL.

THEY WON AT ALL LEVELS UP AND DOWN THE BALLOT.

WE HAVE TO THEN START TO GET THEM TO BELIEVE IN DEMOCRACY AGAIN.

UNFORTUNATELY, THE MODERN REPUBLICAN PARTY BECOMING A MINORITY PARTY AND DON'T FEEL THEY CAN OR NEED TO CREATE A MAJORITY GOVERNING COALITION AND THEY'VE LOST THE LAST SEVEN, SEVEN OF THE LAST EIGHT POPULAR VOTES IN THIS COUNTRY WHICH IS A TROUBLING STATISTIC FOR THEM.

SO WE'VE GOT TO HAVE BOTH POLITICAL PARTIES INVESTED IN THE DEMOCRATIC SYSTEM.

THIS IS GOING TO SURVIVE FOR FUTURE GENERATIONS.

GOVERNOR GREG ABBOTT IF YOU RETURN TO TEXAS, HE WILL ARREST ALL OF YOU.

ALSO IMPLIES THIS IS KIND OF A JUNK IT WITH PRIVATE PLANES AND HANG OUT IN WASHINGTON HOTELS AND ESSENTIALLY SHIRKING YOUR DUTIES.WHAT WOULD YOU SAY TO TH?

THIS IS ANYTHING BUT FUN.

WE HAVE LEFT BEHIND EVERYTHING BACK IN TEXAS AND MANY OF MY COLLEAGUES, ESPECIALLY THOSE WHE THAT HAVE PREEXISTING CONDITIONS ARE RISKING THEIR HEALTH BY TRAVELING IN THE MIDDLE OF THIS ACTIVE PANDEMIC.

I HAVE COLLEAGUES OF MINE QUARANTINING IN THEIR HOTEL ROOMS RIGHT NOW BECAUSE THEY'VE BEEN EXPOSED TO THE VIRUS BUT ALL OF THAT IS WORTH IT BECAUSE THIS IS BIGGER THAN ANY INDIVIDUAL LEGISLATOR OR ANY INDIVIDUAL AMERICAN.

THIS IS ABOUT WHETHER OR NOT OUR PRECIOUS DEMOCRACY WILL SURVIVE.

WE CELEBRATED AMERICA'S BIRTHDAY AND IF WE EXPECT THIS AMERICAN EXPERIMENT TO SURVIVE ANOTHER5 P NOW.

DEMOCRACIES AROUND THE WORLD ARE GOING TO DIE SLOWLY.

IT'S NOT SOMETHING THAT HAPPENS OVERNIGHT.U CAN'T POINT TO A PAR DATE IN TIME WHEN THE DEMOCRACY DOES BUT IT JUST HAPPENS OVER TIME WHEN JOURNALISTS REFUSES TO STAND UP FOR DEMOCRATIC VALUES AND I REFUSE TO LET THAT HAPPEN IN MY BELOVED HOME STATE OF TEXAS OR THE COUNTRY WE ALL

INITIALLY, I THINK THE MOVE THAT THE TEXAS DEMOCRATS MAKE TO COME TO MAKE THE COMMITMENT TO WAIT IT OUT, EVEN FACING ARREST AND SORT OF RIDICULE IN THE STATE.

GOT A LOT OF ATTENTION BUT NOW A LOT OF THE POLITICAL WRITERS ARE SAYING, WELL, WHAT ELSE YOU GOT?

ALL YOU HAVE AND WHAT DO YOU SAY TO THAT, BUT THERE IS NO STRATEGIC WAY FORWARD HERE AND WHEN YOU LOOK AT THE NUMBERS, YOU CAN KIND OF SEE THE POINT.

THE REALITY OF IT IS IN TEXAS, REPUBLICANS CONTROL 18 SEATS IN THE STATE SENATE.

DEMOCRATS ONLY 13.

THEY PATROL 83 SEATS IN THE HOUSE.

DEMOCRATS ONLY 67 BUT REPUBLICANS CONTROL FAR MORE STATE LEGISLATORS THAN DEMOCRATS DO AND THAT'S BEEN A LONG-TERM PROJECT OF THEIRS.

SO WHAT DO YOU SAY TO PEOPLE WHO SAY, YOU KNOW WHAT, YOU'VE LOST THAT WAR LONG AGO?

A COUPLE OF THINGS.

YOU HAVE A STATE REP IN TEXAS ON YOUR SHOW TALKING ABOUT VOTING RIGHTS SO IN SOME WAYS, WE'VE ALREADY WON BY FOCUSING THE NATIONAL ATTENTION AND THE NATIONAL CONVERSATION ON THE ISSUE OF DEMOCRACY AND THE ISSUE OF VOTING RIGHTS.

SO THAT'S ONE.

BUT THE REASON WE'RE IN WASHINGTON, DC RIGHT NOW AND NOT IN TEXAS, THE REASON WE'RE A NATIONAL CAPITAL IS BECAUSE WE'RE BEGGING, PLEADING, IMPLORING OUR FEDERAL COUNTERPARTS TO TAKE FEDERAL ACTION TO PROTECT VOTING RIGHTS.

THAT'S THE ONLY WAY WE CAN STOP REPUBLICAN-HELD LEGISLATURES WITH THE RIGHT TO VOTE AND LAST, WE HEARD THIS WEEK FROM THE DAUGHTER OF MARTIN LUTHER KING JR. AND BOTH REMINDS US THAT ALTHOUGH JOURNALISTS FOCUS ON WHO'S WINNING THE DAY OR THE WEEK, THIS STRUGGLE WAS A LOT LONGER THAN ANY INDIVIDUAL NEWS CYCLE.

SO WE MAY NOT WIN EACH INDIVIDUAL DAY.

WE MAY NOT WIN EACH INDIVIDUAL WEEK BUT THE HOPE IS THAT WE'RE BENDING THAT ARC OF THE MORAL THAT'S BIGGER THAN ANY ONE OF US AND BIGGER THAN ANYONE'S CAREER.

IT'S ABOUT THIS AMERICAN EXPERIMENT AND WHETHER IT WILL SURVIVE IN GENERATIONS TO COME.

THOSE WHO DO HAVE AN OUTSIDE OR BIGGER THAN USUAL VOICE IN THAT.

OF WEST VIRGINIA AND CINEMA OF ARIZONA.

THE STRUCTURAL PROBLEM THAT WE SPOKE TO THEM ONLY IF THE DEMOCRATS ARE WILLING TO FORGO THE FILIBUSTER, SENATE RULE THAT MAKES IT EASIER FOR THE MINORITY OR EVEN THE EQUIVALENT AT THIS POINT TO BLOCK LEGISLATION.

THEY COULD DO THAT.

BUT THESE TWO DEMOCRATS ARE SAYING THAT THEY WON'T DO THAT AND I'M WONDERING WHAT KINDS OF CONVERSATIONS YOU'VE HAD WITH THEM.

I KNOW YOUR GROUP MET WITH SENATOR MANSON LAST WEEK OR DON'T KNOW IF YOU MET WITH SENATOR CINEMA BUT HOW ARE THOSE PROCEEDING?E LEFT WITH SENATOR N VERY OPTIMISTIC THAT VOTING RIGHTS BILL WAS POSSIBLE IN THE U.S. CONGRESS AND SENATOR MANSION IS A FORMER SECRETARY OF STATE.

HE KNOWS ALL ABOUT ELECTION LAW.

HE CARES A LOT ABOUT VOTING RIGHTS.

REITERATED THAT MULTIPLE TIMES IN THE MEETING WITH OUR SO I'M CONFIDENT THAT WE HAVE AN ALLY IN SENATOR MANSION.

WE MAY DISAGREE ABOUT WHAT TACTICS MAY GET US THERE BUT MANY SUPPORT THE FULL VERSION BECAUSE THE ATTACK ON DEMOCRACY IS MULTI-COMPREHENSIVE AND SAVE OUR DEMOCRATIC SYSTEM BUT MY CONSTITUENTS IN TEXAS ARE OUT OF TIME AND THEY'RE HAVING THEIR RIGHT TO VOTE UNDERMINED, AS WE SPEAK, AS I'M TALKING TO YOU RIGHT NOW.

AND SO WE NEED AT LEAST SOME FEDERAL VOTING RIGHTS ACTION TO PROTECT THE RIGHTS OF MY FAMILY MEMBERS BACK IN TEXAS AND I AM VERY HOPEFUL THAT SOME TYPE OF ACTION ON VOTING RIGHTS WILL PASS THROUGH THE U.S. CONGRESS AND SIGNED BY PRESIDENT BIDEN.

I WANTED TO TALK WITH YOU WHILE I HAVE YOU.

YOU'VE GOTTEN A LOT OF ATTENTION FOR A COUPLE OF EXCHANGES YOU'VE HAD WITH PEOPLE WITH SOME DIFFERENT POLITICAL VIEWS.

ONE OF THEM THAT KIND OF STOOD OUT WAS AN EXCHANGE YOU HAD WITH A FELLOW LAWMAKER AROUND CRITICAL RACE THEORY OR AROUND A BILL THAT WOULD REGULATE HOW HISTORY CAN BE TAUGHT IN TEXAS SCHOOLS.

WHEN YOU LOOK AT THE SIDE BY SIDE COMPARISON THROUGHOUT THE BILL, IT READS LIKE A HOW TO GUIDE IN HISTORICAL WHITEWASHING.U AWARE THE NEW VEF THE BILL FROM THE SENATE REMOVES THE WRITINGS OF FREDERICK DOUGLASS?

I AM.

ARE YOU AWARE IT REMOVES THE WRITINGS OF DR. MARTIN LUTHERR.?

YES.

ARE YOU AWARE THIS NEW VERSION OF THE BILL FROM THE SENATE REMOVES THE HISTORY OF NATIVE AMERICANS?

.

THE WAY THE BILL IS LAID OUT.

THAT'S A YES.

NEW VERSION OF THE BILL.

REMOVES THE HISTORY OF NATIVE

I'M GOING TO GIVE YOU AN ANSWER.THIS ISN'T A TRIAL.

WHY WOULD IT REMOVE THE WRITINGS?AT'S THE STATED REASONR TAKING THOSE OUT?

IF YOU CAN ANSWER THAT QUESTION, I'D BE APPRECIATIVE BUT I THINK WHAT YOU'RE SEEING IS THE FARTHEST FRINGES OF THE REPUBLICAN BASE WANT TO SEE A CERTAIN TYPE OF WHITE POWER PRESERVED.

CULTURAL, POLITICAL AND SOCIAL.

THAT'S HOW THEY'RE ATTEMPTING TO DO THIS.

I DON'T THINK IT'S ALL REPUBLICANS OR ALL OF MY REPUBLICAN COLLEAGUES BUT WE'VE GOT TO SEE A LITTLE BIT MORE POLITICAL COURAGE FROM MEMBERS OF THE REPUBLICAN PARTY TO STAND UP TO THEIR OWN COALITION.

ONE OF THE THINGS ABOUT THE TEXAS BILL IS IT WOULD RYE THINGS TO BE REMOVED FROM THE CURRICULUM IF THEY CAUSED DISTRESS OR MADE SOMEBODY FEEL UNCOMFORTABLE AT HEARING IT AND AS A TEACH E, I'M CURIOUS ABOUT HOW THAT STRIKES YO WOULD YOU SAY YOU CAN'T FOR CALCULUS OR GEOMETRY OR TRIG, THAT MAKES ME UNCOMFORTABLE, WOULD YOU NOT TEACH THAT OR AS AN EDUCATOR?

ONE RULE AS A TEACHER IS TO BE HONEST WITH MY STUDENTS.

KIDS HAVE SOME OF THE BEST BS DETECTERS AROUND, RIGHT?

THEY CAN TELL WHEN YOU'RE NOT SHOOTING STRAIGHT WITH THEM AND IF TRUE LEARNING IS GOING TO HAPPEN FROM THE CLASSROOM, IF YOU'RE GOING TO CULTIVATE A RELATIONSHIP BETWEEN TEACHER AND STUDENT, IT HAS TO BE BUILT ON TRUST AND HONESTY.

I THINK SOME OF MY COLLEAGUES AUTHENTICALLY FEEL IF WE'RE HONEST WITH OUR KIDS ABOUT OUR HISTORY, THE GOOD, THE BAD AND THE UGLY OF OUR PAST, THAT STUDENTS WILL STOP LOVING AMERICA.AT HAS NOT BEEN MY EXPE.

RONALD REAGAN TALKED ABOUT INFORMED PATRIOTISM.

I THINK THAT'S WHAT WE TRY TO ACHIEVE IN OUR CLASSROOMS.

WE WANT OUR STUDENTS TO DEVELOP A TRUE LOVE OF COUNTRY AND LIKE ANY RELATIONSHIP, RECOGNIZE WHO THEY ARE AND EVERYTHING ABOUT THEM, GOOD PARTS AND THE BAD PARTS AND CHOOSE TO LOVE THEM THAT'S DIFFERENT THAN PUPPY LOVE WHEN YOU WERE YOUNGER, WHEN YOU DIDN'T REALLY KNOW ANYTHING ABOUT THE PERSON.

JUST THOUGHT THEY WERE CUTE.

LIKED THAT THEY WERE FUNNY AND THAT'S ABOUT IT.

SUPERFICIAL.HE REPUBLICANS ARE G TO DO WITH THIS BILL IS INSTILL A PUPPY LOVE OF COUNTRY AND I THINK WHAT WE HAVE TO DO, ESPECIALLY WITH THIS MOMENT IN OUR HISTORY IS INSTILL A TRUE LOVE OF COUNTRY.

FROM WITHIN OUR STUDENTS.

WHAT DO YOU THINK HAPPENED IN YOUR STATE?

FORMER GOVERNOR, GEORGE W.

BUSH, LATER BECAME, OF COURSE, PRESIDENT BUSH, 43rd PRESIDENT KNOWN FOR HIS BIPARTISAN.

HE HAD CABINET OF PEOPLE WHO HE REGULARLY CONSULTED WITH PEOPLE WHO ARE DEMOCRATS AND KNOWN FOR HAVING GOOD WORKING REPUBLICANS WITH DEMOCRATS AND KNOWN AS PRESIDENT.

HAD A DIVERSE CABINET.

NOMINATING CONVENTION ONE OF THE MOST DIVERSE IN HISTORY.

WHAT HAPPENED HERE?

WHAT DO YOU THINK HAPPENED?

SOMETHING I'VE LEARNED IN POLITICS IS TO FOCUS LESS ON PERSONALITIES AND FOCUS MORE ON SYSTEMS.

IF FORMER PRESIDENT BUSH OR GOVERNOR BUSH AS THE CASE HERE IN TEXAS, IF HE WERE IN THE REPUBLICAN PARTY TODAY, I THINK YOU'D SEE HIM ACT A LOT MORE LIKE FORMER PRESIDENT TRUMP AND OTHERS BECAUSE POLITICIANS ARE RATIONAL ACTORS.

WE PURSUE WHAT INCENTIVES ARE PUT IN FRONT OF US BY THE SYSTEMS IN WHICH WE WORK.

SO WHAT YOU'RE SEEING IN THIS CURRENT SYSTEM IS THE DEMOCRATIC PARTY BECAUSE OF OUR GEOGRAPHIC DISTRIBUTION, THE SENATE AND ELECTORAL COLLEGE WITH SPECIAL PREFERENCE TO WHITE RURAL STATES AS WE ALL KNOW, TEND TO BE IN THE REPUBLICAN CATEGORY.

BECAUSE OF THAT BASIC STRUCTURAL FACT, TRY TO APPEAL TO AS MANY AS POSSIBLE TO THE MAJORITY COALITION.W ALL THAT IN PRESIDEN AND HARRIS IN THEIR CAMPAIGN FOR THE WHITE HOUSE.

NOT JUST TRYING TO APPEAL TO THE DEMOCRATIC BASE BUT THE COALITION OF PROGRESSIVES AND MODERATES AND SUBURBAN VOTERS IN ORDER TO WIN BECAUSE THE SYSTEM FORCED TO DO SO.

BECAUSE OF THESE STRUCTURAL FACTORS, THE REPUBLICAN PARTY CAN WIN AN ELECTION THROUGH THE ELECTORAL COLLEGE AND THE POWER MAINTAINED THROUGH THE SENATE BY A MINORITY OF WHITE RURAL VOTERS, PRIMARILY MEN AND THAT'S BAD FOR DEMOCRACY BECAUSE THAT MEANS ONE PARTY NEEDS TO GOVERN FOR THE ENTIRE COUNTRY.

THEY ONLY FEEL THE NEED TO GOVERN THEIR TRUE MINORITY.

BUT THAT MEANS THAT POLICY OUTCOME WITH VOTER SUPPRESSION BILL AND THE LEGISLATURE.

THERE'S A CHANCE YOU COULD LOSE YOUR SEAT AS A CONSEQUENCE OF THE DECISIONS YOU MAKE BUT LET'S SAY YOU DO LOSE YOUR SEAT, WOULD IT HAVE BEEN WORTH IT?

ABSOLUTELY.

I'LL BE ABLE TO LOOK AT MYSELF IN THE MIRROR BEFORE I GO TO BED AND THAT'S WORTH MORE THAN ANY POLITICAL SEAT THAT COULD EVER HAPPEN AND I KNOW MY COMMUNITY MEMBERS, MY FAMILY MEMBERS, FORMER STUDENTS WILL BE PROUD OF ME AND THAT'S ALL YOU CAN REALLY ASK FOR IN THIS LIFE.

BEING AN ELECTED OFFICIAL IS A WONDERFUL HONOR.

WONDERFUL PRIVILEGE BUT IF IT COMES WITH THE COST OF SACK FAK SACRIFICING YOUR OWN PRINCIPLES, IT'S NOT WORTH HAVING.

I KNOW WHAT WE'RE DOING HERE IS RIGHT AND NORMAN TO SELMA WHO HAVE SPILLED BLOOD TO SACRIFICE AND STAND UP WITH THE RIGHT TO VOTE AND THAT'S ALL YOU CAN ASK FOR.

REPRESENTATIVE JAMES TALARICO, THANK YOU SO MUCH FOR TALKING WITH US TODAY.

THANK YOU FOR HAVING CONSCIENCE.

> LET THE GAMES BEGIN.

OLYMPICS KICKED OFF AHEAD OF THE FORMAL OPENING CEREMONY ON FRIDAY.

EVERYBODY'S MIND THOUGH IS WHAT IMPACT COVID WILL HAVE ON THE COMPETITION BUT NOT THE ONLY SPORTS NEWS MAKING WAVE.

NORWAY'S WOMEN'S BEACH HANDBALL TEAM FINED BY THE EUROPEAN HANDBALL FEDERATION FOR WEARING SHORTS INSTEAD OF BIKINI BOTTOMS.

THE GUIDELINES SAY FEMALE ATHLETES MUST WEAR BIKINI BOTTOMS WITH A CLOSE FIT AND CUT ON AN UPWARD ANGLE TOWARDS THE TOP OF THE LEG.

SERIOUSLY?

MEN ON THE OTHER HAND MUST WEAR SHORTS NOT TOO BAGGY AND 10 CENTIMETERS ABOVE THE KNEECAP.

THE DOUBLE PARALYMPICS SPRINT SAID SHE WAS SPEECHLESS WHEN AN OFFICIAL AT THE ENGLISH CHAMPIONSHIPS TOLD HER SPRINTING BRIEFS WERE TOO SHORT AND THEREFORE INAPPROPRIATE.

SO SOME BOTTOMS ARE TOO LONG, OTHERS ARE TOO SHORT.

MAYBE IT'S TIME TO LET WOMEN ATHLETES DECIDE WHAT IS JUST RIGHT FOR THEM.

AND THAT'S IT FOR OUR PROGRAM TONIGHT.

REMEMBER, YOU CAN FOLLOW ME AND THE SHOW ON TWITTER.

THANK YOU FOR WATCHING 'AMANPOUR & COMPANY' ON PBS.

THE REST OF THE WEEK AND I'LL BE BACK ON MONDAY.