October 2, 2024

>>> HELLO, EVERYONE, AND WELCOME TO "AMANPOUR AND COMPANY."

HERE'S WHAT'S COMING UP.

THE WIDER MIDDLE EAST WAR IS OFFICIALLY UNDER WAY, AND WE GET EVERY ANGLE.

FIRST, HOW WILL THE NETANYAHU GOVERNMENT RESPOND TO ISRAEL'S SALVO?

FORMER ISRAELI PRIME MINISTER EHUD BARAK JOINS US.

THEN -- >> MILITARY PRESSURE AT TIMES CAN ENABLE DIPLOMACY.

MILITARY PRESSURE CAN LEAD TO MISCALCULATION.

>> HOW WILL THE U.S.

TRY TO CALM THIS CONFLICT?

CAN IT?

I ASK ANDREW P. MILLER, FORMER STATE DEPARTMENT OFFICIAL, AND BIDEN POLICY CRITIC.

AND, DID IRAN GET CHECKMATED?

I ASK IRAN EXPERT AND SENIOR FELLOW FOR THE CARNEGIE ENDOWMENT KARIM SADJADPOUR.

AND -- >> THEY'RE TRYING TO KEEP US FROM VOTING, YOU KNOW?

>> AS DEMOCRATS AND REPUBLICANS WOO A CRUCIAL VOTING BLOC, THE ACTOR JOHN LEGUIZAMO TALKS TO HARI SREENIVASAN ABOUT THE UNTOLD HISTORY OF LATINOS, AND THEIR CONTRIBUTIONS TO AMERICA.

♪♪ >>> "AMANPOUR AND COMPANY" IS MADE POSSIBLE BY -- THE ANDERSON FAMILY ENDOWMENT.

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AND BY CONTRIBUTIONS TO YOUR PBS STATION FROM VIEWERS LIKE YOU.

THANK YOU.

>>> WELCOME TO THE PROGRAM, EVERYONE, I'M CHRISTIANE AMANPOUR IN LONDON.

THE ISRAELI PRIME MINISTER BENJAMIN NETANYAHU IS WARNING THAT IRAN, QUOTE, WILL PAY, AFTER FIRING AROUND 200 BALLISTIC MISSILES AT MILITARY TARGETS LAST NIGHT.

IRAN SAID IT WAS IN RESPONSE TO A RAFT OF ASSASSINATIONS BY ISRAEL AGAINST ITS PROXIES AND MEMBERS OF ITS OWN ARMED FORCES.

ISRAEL SAYS ALONG WITH ITS ALLIES, IT INTERCEPTED ALMOST ALL THE INCOMING, AND THREE MILITARY BASES THAT WERE STRUCK ARE ALREADY UP AND RUNNING AGAIN.

WHEN IT COMES TO RETALIATION, THE U.S. PRESIDENT JOE BIDEN SAYS HE DOES NOT SUPPORT AN ATTACK ON IRAN'S NUCLEAR SITES.

MEANTIME, ON ITS NORTHERN FRONT, ISRAEL IS SENDING IN MORE FORCES TO FIGHT AGAINST HEZBOLLAH IN LEBANON.

THE IDF SAYS AT LEAST EIGHT OF ITS TROOPS HAVE BEEN KILLED SINCE THEIR GROUND OFFENSIVE BEGAN.

WHILE LEBANON SAYS 1,000 PEOPLE HAVE BEEN KILLED IN THE PAST TWO WEEKS WITH A MILLION DISPLACED.

NOW, ALMOST SWEPT FROM THE HEADLINES IS GAZA, VERY LITTLE MENTION OF THE REMAINING ISRAELI HOSTAGES THERE, OR THE NEARLY 90 PALESTINIANS KILLED IN THE ENCLAVE JUST LAST NIGHT ALONE.

WE'LL GET CRUCIAL PERSPECTIVE FROM THIS THROUGHOUT THE REGION, BUT FIRST, LET'S FOCUS ON ISRAEL, AND WE ARE JOINED BY FORMER ISRAELI PRIME MINISTER AND FORMER ARMY CHIEF EHUD BARAK.

WELCOME BACK TO OUR PROGRAM, PRIME MINISTER.

SO, I WANT TO ASK YOU, WHAT ARE ISRAEL'S OPTIONS NOW?

WHAT WOULD YOU BE THINKING ABOUT, WERE YOU STILL IN POSITION?

>> I -- I PREFER TO TRY TO EXPLAIN WHAT THE OPTIONS, NOT WHAT I WOULD HAVE BEEN DOING IF I WERE PRIME MINISTER NOW.

I THINK THAT ISRAEL HAS A COMPELLING NEED TO RESPOND, IN APRIL AND RIGHT NOW, A SALVO OF 200 BALLISTIC MISSILES INTO THE TERRITORY.

SO, THERE WILL BE AN ISRAEL RESPONSE, IT WILL PROBABLY TAKE SEVERAL DAYS, PROBABLY THERE IS A NEED FOR COORDINATION WITH NEIGHBORING COUNTRIES, WE CANNOT REACH IRAN WITHOUT CROSSING INTO NEIGHBORING COUNTRIES, AND WITH THE UNITED STATES, WHO IS HEAVILY DEPLOYED IN ORDER TO BACK US DEFENSIVELY, SO -- BUT I THINK IF YOU WANT TO HAVE AN IDEA WHAT MIGHT COME, LOOK AT THE HOUTHIHOUTHIS, THEY ARE ABOUT THE SAME DISTANCE FROM TEHRAN TO ISRAEL.

AND THE STRIKES IN THE RECENT MONTHS OR SO, AND ALWAYS KIND OF THE IMAGE OF PORT, OIL, REFINERY OR PROBABLY POWER PLANTS, AND THAT'S THE MOST PROBABLE TARGETS IN IRAN.

IRAN IS SENSITIVE, IT'S ECONOMIC, IT'S HURT THEM PAINFULLY, AND WE CAN DO IT.

WE CAN DO IT MORE THAN ONCE, BUT THAT'S MAINLY.

I THINK THE RESERVATION THAT BIDEN RAISED ABOUT HITTING THE -- THE NUCLEAR MILITARY PLANT WILL BE TAKEN INTO ACCOUNT, BUT I CANNOT TELL YOU THAT ISRAEL WILL NOT TRY TO -- TO HIT OR TO TOUCH THIS SUBJECT, AS WELL.

AND BASICALLY, I THINK THAT THE IRANIANS WILL KEEP DOING IT, BUT THEY CHOSE A STRATEGY DEVELOPED FOR 15 YEARS, FIRING AROUND ISRAEL TO COVER THE DISTANCE FROM ISRAEL, SO, THEY HAVE THE HAMAS IN THE SOUTH, HEZBOLLAH IN THE NORTH, PROBABLY SOME OTHER KIND OF MILITIA, THE HOUTHIS, AND EVEN CERTAIN CELLS IN THE WEST BANK.

SO, ALL THIS WILL BE ACTIVATED, PROBABLY MORE FORCEFULLY.

>> SO, LET ME JUST TAKE TWO THINGS.

DO YOU THINK THAT -- YOU NEED TO ESCALATE -- TO DE-ESCALATE.

EVERYBODY'S SAYING, WE NEED TO DE-ESCALATE, BUT FROM THE ISRAELI SIDE, NO IDEA OF DE-ESCALATION, IT'S ACTUALLY ESCALATE.

IS THAT WHAT YOU THINK IS ON THE TABLE?

NOBODY'S LOOKING IN YOUR COUNTRY TO DE-ESCALATE.

>> I THINK THAT THE -- I THINK IF 200 MISSILES FROM A NEIGHBOR, 1,300 MILES FROM YOU WOULD BE FALLING ON THE BRITISH CAPITAL, OR ON THE UK, THE BRITISH GOVERNMENT WOULD IMMEDIATELY RESPOND VERY FORCEFULLY AND ANY OTHER GOVERNMENT WOULD DO THE SAME, SO, WE ARE NOT ESCALATING.

WE'RE RESPONDING TO SOMETHING THAT YOU CANNOT AVOID RESPONDING TO, AND I DON'T THINK THAT WE CAN AFFORD SPENDING 200 MISSILES ON IRAN, WE WILL HAVE TO SEND OUR AIR FORCE, WHICH IS SUPERIOR TO THEIRS, AND IT CAN DO THE JOB, AS PROVEN IN SOMEWHAT DIFFERENT CONDITIONS IN YEMEN.

SO, THERE WILL BE -- >> ARE YOU SURPRISED, HOW DO YOU ASSESS, AS A FORMER MILITARY CHIEF, ESSENTIALLY THE FAILURE OF IRAN'S MISSILES TO DO THE DAMAGE THAT, I DON'T KNOW, IT WANTED TO DO OR NOT, OR HOW DO YOU ASSESS IT?

IS THE WEAPONRY USELESS?

ARE THEY INCOMPETENT, IS IT JUST BECAUSE ISRAEL HAD SUCH A SOPHISTICATED, YOU KNOW, AIR DEFENSE SYSTEM, PLUS SOPHISTICATED ALLIES HELPING?

HOW DO YOU ASSESS THAT?

>> WE WERE -- WE ARE WORKING FOR MORE THAN 30 YEARS NOW, ESPECIALLY IN THE LAST 20 YEARS ON WHAT WE CALL MULTILAYER ANTI-MISSILE SYSTEM, OF ALL TYPES.

FROM IRON DOME FOR THE LOWER RANGE, DAVID'S RING FOR THE MIDDLE RANGE, AND THE BRANCH FOR THE -- OUT OF SPACE KIND OF INTERCEPTIONS, AND WE ARE SUPPORTED IN IDENTIFICATION, THE THREATS BY THE AMERICANS, AND WE ARE EVEN SUPPORTING BY THE UNITED STATES GOVERNMENT, THE UK GOVERNMENT, AND NEIGHBORS IN IDENTIFYING WHAT'S HAPPENING IN -- IN INTERCEPTING.

MOST OF THEM FELL THIS TIME ON THE ISRAELI AIR DEFENSE, AND WE DID IT VERY, VERY SUCCESSFULLY.

>> ANOTHER QUESTION -- >> IT'S NOT -- IT'S VERY COSTLY, EVEN FOR IRAN.

>> RIGHT.

YOU HAVE HEARD YOUR OWN PRIME MINISTER TALK IN TERMS OF REGIME CHANGE, YOU'VE HEARD A FORMER PRIME MINISTER, BENNETT, VERY CLEARLY LAST NIGHT, SAY TO CNN, BASICALLY, ISRAEL HAS ITS GREATEST OPPORTUNITY IN 50 YEARS TO CHANGE THE FACE OF THE MIDDLE EAST.

WE MUST ACT NOW TO DESTROY IRAN'S NUCLEAR PROGRAM, ITS CENTRAL ENERGY FACILITIES, AND TO FATALLY CRIPPLE THIS TERRORIST REGIME.

WE HAVE THE JUSTIFICATION, WE HAVE THE TOOLS, THERE ARE TIMES WHEN HISTORY KNOCKS AT OUR DOOR AND WE MUST OPEN IT.

THIS OPPORTUNITY MUST NOT BE MISSED.

DO YOU SUPPORT REGIME CHANGE?

IS THAT WHAT YOU THINK THE GOVERNMENT SHOULD ATTEMPT NOW?

YOUR GOVERNMENT?

>> LOOK, I WOULD LOVE TO SEE REGIME CHANGE.

THE IRANIAN PEOPLE IS A GREAT PEOPLE, THEY ARE SUFFERING VERY BAD FROM THE TOP, BUT I'M PROBABLY OLDER AND PROBABLY MORE REALISTIC, A LITTLE BIT, AND BENNETT, I'D SAY, HE'S A GREAT GUY, AND I HOPE -- I WISH HIM ALL SUCCESS IN ISRAELI POLITICS IN THE COMING ROUND, BUT I THINK THAT IF YOU HAVE SEEN NETANYAHU IN THE U.N. WITH THE ALLIANCE OF THE BLESSING, I BELIEVE THAT IN ORDER TO ONE, A FULL-SCALE ATTEMPT TO -- TO CHANGE THE MIDDLE EAST, WE NEED ALL THESE ALLIANCES OF A BLESSING, LED BY THE UNITED STATES, HAVING THE OTHERS AROUND US, ISRAEL AND BACKING BY -- BY WESTERN EUROPE AND/OR THE EU, AND LIKEMINDED COUNTRIES IN NORTH AMERICA, IN THE FAR EAST.

WE NEED THIS WIDE ALLIANCE, REPEATEDLY RAISED SOMETHING THAT OUR MILITARY AND DEFENSE ESTABLISHMENT PROPOSED TO NETANYAHU ALL ALONG THE WAY AND STRONGLY FOUGHT FOR REASONS THAT IS KEPT BY NETANYAHU, KIND OF ON -- NOT FULLY EXPLAINED, HE REJECTED IT ALL THE TIME, EXCEPT FOR IN THESE -- IN HIS SPEECH IN THE U.N.

THIS IS THE WAY.

ISRAEL IS VERY STRONG, ISRAEL CANNOT REARRANGE THE MIDDLE EAST ON ITS OWN.

WE NEED THE -- THIS ALLIANCE TO BE WITH US, AND IT NEEDS TRUST, IT NEEDS BUILDING TRUST.

IT NEEDS COORDINATION, COOPERATION, EVEN THE REJECTION, OR, EVEN THE FAILING MISSILE ATTACK WILL HELP BY THIS DE FACTO UNDER THE SURFACE ALLIANCE.

WE NEED THEM IN THE OPEN.

>> AND A QUESTION ABOUT BENJAMIN NETANYAHU, WHO, AS YOU ALL KNOW, AND YOU ALL TALKED ABOUT, ESSENTIALLY ON OCTOBER 7th, IT WAS THE, YOU KNOW, THE -- THE -- THE ZERO POINT, I GUESS, OF HIS CAREER, PRESIDING OVER WHAT TERRIBLE, TERRIBLE ATTACK HAPPENED INSIDE ISRAEL.

AND A LOT OF PEOPLE WERE TALKING ABOUT, YOU KNOW, WRITING HIS POLITICAL OBITUARY, EXCEPT NOW IS THAT THE TALK IS, HE IS WINNING, AND YOU EVEN HAVE YOUR AMBASSADOR HERE IN LONDON SAYING, WE HAVE DEFEATED HAMAS, WE HAVE DEFEATED HEZBOLLAH, AND WE WILL DEFEAT IRAN'S CAPABILITIES AGAINST US.

ASSESS FOR ME, ONE YEAR LATER -- OKAY, TELL ME ABOUT WHERE YOU ARE WITH HAMAS AND HEZBOLLAH.

>> LOOK, THE LAST TWO WEEKS WERE VERY, VERY GOOD FOR EVERY ISRAELI, IT RESUMED THE SENSE OF SELF-CONFIDENT, THE TRUST IN THE CAPABILITIES OF BOTH OUR INTELLIGENCE AND -- AND OPERATIONAL KIND OF FORCES, AND ESPECIALLY THE AIR FORCE.

THE SERIES OF THE LAST TWO WEEKS FROM THE PAGERS EVENT, THROUGH THE ELIMINATION OF NASRALLAH AND MAJOR PART OF THE LEADERSHIP OF HEZBOLLAH, COMBINED WITH THE SUCCESSFUL AIR FORCE ATTACKS, BOTH IN LEBANON AND IN -- IN YEMEN, AND EVEN IN MEMORY OF HANIYEH KIND OF DISAPPEARED SOMEWHERE, INSIDE THE GUEST HOUSE IN TEHRAN, THAT RESUMED THE TRUST AND EVEN RAISED A LOT OF RESPECT, PROBABLY STRENGTHENED THE DETERRENCE OF ISRAEL, BUT HAVING SAID THAT, I THINK THAT, YOU KNOW, I -- I HAPPEN TO BE IN WARS FOR MOST OF MY LIFE.

AFTER ANY KIND OF PAINFUL MOMENTS, WE PROBABLY HAVE NOW IN THE LAST 24 HOURS, OUR RELATIVELY SMALL FORCES WHO ENTERED INTO LEBANON, JUST TO THE FIRST TWO MILES OR THREE MILES BEHIND THE BORDER, IN ORDER TO DISMANTLE INFRASTRUCTURE THAT WAS SIMILAR TO WHAT THE HAMAS HAD IN -- IN THE SOUTH, BY THE -- HEZBOLLAH, EVEN THIS LITTLE OPERATION, ALREADY GOT ITS OWN PRICE.

>> RIGHT.

RIGHT.

THEY SAY EIGHT SOLDIERS SO FAR.

>> I WOULD NOT BE DRAGGED INTO EUPHORIA.

YOU SHOULD BE REALISTIC AND CLEAR-HEADED, ALL ALONG A WAR.

>> YEAH.

>> THE PUBLIC COULDN'T AFFORD THIS YO-YO OF EMOTIONS, NOT THE LEADERS.

>> YEAH, SO, YOU KNOW, HANIYEH MYSTERIOUSLY DISAPPEARED, MOST PEOPLE BELIEVE ISRAEL HAD HIM ASSASSINATED, WHICH THE IRANIANS SAID WAS ONE OF THE REASONS FOR THE RETALIATION.

YOU TALK ABOUT -- YOU KNOW THE GAZA WAR SEEMS TO HAVE FALLEN OFF THE MAP.

90 PEOPLE WERE KILLED THERE OVERNIGHT, ACCORDING TO AUTHORITIES THERE.

THE HOSTAGES ARE NOT EVEN BEING MENTIONED, WHICH IS A TRAGEDY.

AND MANY OF YOUR FRIENDS, INCLUDING AMERICAN FRIENDS LIKE DENNIS ROSS AND THE OTHERS ARE SAYING, THIS MILITARY ACHIEVEMENT, WHATEVER IT LOOKS LIKE, MUST ALSO BE IN THE SERVICE OF SOME KIND OF POLITICAL ACHIEVEMENT.

SO, I SEE YOU NODDING, AND SO, I WANT TO PLAY A SOUND BITE FROM THE FOREIGN MINISTER OF JORDAN, ONE OF THE NATIONS WITH A PEACE TREATY YOU.

>> CAN YOU ASK ISRAELIS WHAT'S THE NARRATIVE, OTHER THAN, I'M GOING TO CONTINUE TO GO TO WAR, I'M GOING TO KILL THIS AND KILL THAT.

30 YEAR OF EFFORTS TO CONVINCE PEOPLE THAT PEACE IS POSSIBLE, THIS ISRAELI GOVERNMENT KILLED IT.

>> DO YOU AGREE THAT THERE IS -- THAT THE IDEA OF A PEACE PROCESS, THAT YOU CHAMPIONED YOURSELF SO HARD, HAS BEEN NOW KILLED OFF?

>> I DON'T BELIEVE IT'S KILLED, IT CANNOT BE KILLED, BUT I LISTENED TO THE WHOLE SPEECH, I THINK IT DESERVES BEING HEARD CAREFULLY BY ISRAELIS, IT WILL HELP TO UNDERSTAND THE REGION, IN SPITE OF THE FACT THAT -- ALSO, HIS SPEECH IS ONLY HALF OF THE TOOLS, IT'S NOT THE WHOLE PICTURE.

BUT I CAN TELL YOU THE FOLLOWING.

THE FOUNDING FATHER OF ISRAEL SAID, ALWAYS HAVE A SUPERPOW SUPERPOWER ON YOUR SIDE, MAKE THE WAR VERY SHORT, AGGRESSIVE, ASSERTIVE ON THE ENEMIES, IN ORDER TO END IT QUICKLY, SO YOU CAN STILL HAVE LEGITIMACY AND HARVEST THE ACHIEVEMENTS IN THE -- IN THE BATTLEFIELD.

AND NUMBER THREE, ALWAYS HOLD FIRM YOUR GRIP ON THE MORAL HIGH GROUND.

ISRAEL IS NOT ALONE IN THE WORLD.

WE ARE STRONG, BUT NOT ONLY PERSON.

WE NEED THE WORLD, WE NEED NORTH AMERICA, WE NEED WESTERN EUROPE, WE NEED THE LIKE-MINDED COUNTRIES, ALTOGETHER, SOME 40 COUNTRIES ON EARTH, AND NEVER -- NEVER FORGET IT.

SO NETANYAHU BEHAVES AS IF HE REJECTS AGGRESSIVELY ALL THESE THREE THINGS, ONE-BY-ONE, IN THE RUNNING OF THE WAR.

THAT'S WHY DESPITE OF HIS STRENGTHS, AND HE WILL TAKE SOME OF THE CREDIT OF THE ACHIEVEMENTS OF THE LAST TWO WEEKS, BUT HE ALSO WILL ALWAYS BE RESPONSIBLE FOR THE TRAGEDY ON 7th OCTOBER, FOR WANTING THE MOST FAILING WAR SINCE THEN.

WE ARE STILL IN GAZA, THE HOSTAGES ARE STILL THERE, AS YOU HAVE MENTIONED, AND THE RIGHT WAY HAS BEEN AND IS STILL THE SAME, TO THE WHOLE STORY IN THE SOUTH, TO RESCUE THE HOSTAGES, TO COME INTO THIS ALLIANCE, TO BRING INTO A FORCE INTO THE GAZA STRIP.

THE REAL VICTORY OVER SINWAR IS -- IS NOT TO KILL ALL HIS TERRORISTS OR TO KILL MORE GAZANS, INNOCENT GAZANS.

IT IS ONLY IF HE'S REPLACED BY SOMEONE ELSE, AND THAT WAS NEGLECTED BY NETANYAHU FROM DAY ONE.

THE SAMAPPIES IN THE NORTH.

WE CAN ENTER, WE CAN DO SOMETHING.

WE CANNOT PRETEND TO CONQUER LEBANON TO HAVE A TOTAL VICTORY IN LEBANON AGAINST HEZBOLLAH.

IT SHOULD BE, IT WILL END WITH CERTAIN INTERNATIONALLY ARRANGED POLITICAL, DIPLOMATIC ARRANGEMENT.

AND THERE IS A WHOLE THING, IF YOU DON'T KNOW WHICH PORT YOU WANT TO REACH, NO WIND WILL TAKE YOU THERE.

THAT'S THE TRAGEDY.

>> WELL, YOU KNOW, I'M GOING TO RAISE THOSE QUESTIONS WITH MY NEXT GUEST, FORMER STATE DEPARTMENT OFFICIAL.

EHUDBARAK, THANK YOU FOR BEING WITH US.

>>> LET'S GET THE VIEW FROM THE UNITED STATES, ANDREW P. MILLER.

IN A NEW ARTICLE FOR "FOREIGN AFFAIRS" MAGAZINE, HE ARGUES THAT, QUOTE, AMERICA NEEDS A NEW STRATEGY TO AVERT EVEN GREATER CATASTROPHE IN THE MIDDLE EAST.

AND HE'S JOINING ME NOW FROM WASHINGTON, D.C. ANDREW MILLER, WELCOME TO THE PROGRAM.

YOU PROBABLY HEARD PRIME MINISTER BARAK SORT OF LAY OUT THE THREE PILLARS, AS LAID OUT ALL THOSE YEARS AGO, AND HOW ISRAEL NEEDS ACTUALLY TO PAY ATTENTION TO ITS PLACE IN THE WORLD AND TO ITS ALLIES AND TO ITS SURROUNDING NATIONS.

AND HE'S SAYING THAT NETANYAHU IS DOING NONE OF THOSE, DESPITE WHAT IS DEEMED AS CURRENT MILITARY SUCCESSES BY ISRAEL.

WHAT DO YOU THINK, JUST BEFORE I GET TO THE U.S.

POSITION ON THIS, WHAT DO YOU THINK ABOUT ISRAEL'S PLACE IN THE WORLD, IN THIS LAST YEAR?

>> WELL, THANKS FOR HAVING ME, CHRISTIANE.

I TEND TO AGREE WITH FORMER PRIME MINISTER BARAK'S ASSESSMENT THAT NONE OF THOSE CRITERIA HAVE BEEN MET.

THE ONE THAT HAS BEEN MET HAS BEEN SUPERPOWER SUPPORT IN THE FORM OF U.S. SUPPORT, BUT IT'S IMPORTANT NOT ONLY IN THE SHORT-TERM, BUT MAINTAINING THAT SUPPORT OVER THE LONG-TERM, AND AS WE'VE SEEN WITHIN THE UNITED STATES DOMESTICALLY, THERE IS GROWING RESISTANCE, GROWING DISCOMFORT WITH U.S. SUPPORT FOR ISRAEL, OR U.S. SUPPORT FOR CERTAIN TYPES OF ISRAELI POLICIES.

ISRAEL'S GLOBAL REPUTATION HAS CLEARLY DETERIORATED OVER THE PAST YEAR.

THAT'S UNFAIR, AT A CERTAIN LEVEL, GIVEN THAT HAMAS WAS RESPONSIBLE FOR STARTING THIS WAR IN THE FIRST PLACE, AND WE NEED TO REMEMBER A YEAR LATER JUST WHAT AN ATROCITY OCTOBER 7th WAS, BUT THE REALITY IS, MUCH OF THE WORLD, IN PARTICULAR, IN THE GLOBAL SOUTH, HAS AN INCREASINGLY DIM VIEW OF ISRAEL.

AND IN TERMS OF THE ACTUAL CONDUCT OF THE WAR, THIS HAS NOT BEEN SHORT, THIS HAS NOT BEEN PRECISE, WE ARE NOW ALMOST 12 MONTHS INTO THE WAR, IT IS EXPANDING, AND THERE ISN'T A CLEARLY ARTICULATED END STATE, EITHER MILITARILY, OR POLITICALLY, FOR WHAT ISRAEL'S TRYING TO ACHIEVE.

>> SO THAT -- I THOUGHT THAT EHUD BARAK LAID OUT VERY COGENTLY.

HE'S BEEN THERE, HE'S BEEN A MILITARY COMMANDER, HE'S BEEN A PRIME MINISTER.

HE OFFERED A VERY, VERY FAR REACHING PEACE AGREEMENT TO THE PALESTINIANS, WHICH THEY DID NOT TAKE UP IN 2000 IN CAMP DAVID.

BUT I WANT TO KNOW, IN YOUR PERIOD, AS THE KEY OFFICIAL ON THIS ISSUE AT THE STATE DEPARTMENT, DID YOU EVER WAR GAME THIS KIND OF MULTIFRONT BATTLE THAT IS HAPPENING RIGHT NOW?

AND DID YOU, AND DO YOU BELIEVE, THAT THE UNITED STATES WOULD BE THE INDISPENSABLE WINGMAN, SO TO SPEAK, IF, FOR INSTANCE, THE UNITED STATES WAS -- ISRAEL WAS GOING TO ATTACK IRAN.

>> RIGHT, THAT'S -- THAT'S CERTAINLY A CRITICAL QUESTION.

ISRAEL DOES NOT NEED OUR ACTIVE MILITARY SUPPORT FOR A RETALIATORY RESPONSE TO THE -- TO THE FUSELAGE LAUNCHED AGAINST ISRAEL BY IRAN YESTERDAY.

DEPENDING ON WHAT TARGET IT CHOOSES.

IF ISRAEL DOES WANT TO GO AFTER NUCLEAR INFRASTRUCTURE, THAT WOULD REQUIRE SOME ADDITIONAL HELP FROM THE UNITED STATES, AND PRESIDENT BIDEN, AS YOU MENTIONED EARLIER, HAS SAID THAT HE DOES NOT SUPPORT IS UP ACTION.

BUT IN THE LONG-TERM, IF THIS IS A REGIONAL WAR, IF IT DOES EXPAND, ISRAEL COULD PREVAIL IN THAT CONFLICT WITHOUT ACTIVE U.S.

PARTICIPATION, BUT IT COULD NOT PREVAIL AT AN ACCEPTABLE COST.

AND WHAT I MEAN BY THAT IS, THE NUMBER OF CASUALTIES THAT ISRAEL WOULD SUSTAIN -- ISRAELI CIVILIANS, AS WELL AS ISRAELI SOLDIERS, WOULD BE PROHIBITIVE.

AND ISRAEL'S POWER PROJECTION CAPABILITY IS QUITE IMPRESSIVE, VIA THE AIR, BUT THEY DON'T HAVE THE SAME EXPEDITIONARY CAPACITY WITH THE IDF GROUND FORCES.

THE IDEA OF THE IDF DEPLOYING IN LARGE NUMBERS TO IRAN OR TO YEMEN IS SOMETHING THAT IS WELL BEYOND ANYTHING ISRAEL HAS EVER CONTEMPLATED.

WE HAVE THOUGHT ABOUT THESE SEAL THEIR OWES, AND FROM THE VERY START OF THE WAR, ONE OF OUR PRIMARY OBJECTIVES WAS PREVENTING THE WAR IN GAZA FROM METASTASIZING INTO A REGIONAL WAR, BECAUSE OF THE IMMENSE LEVEL OF RISK THAT'S INVOLVED.

UNFORTUNATELY, AND DESPITE EFFORTS TO PREVENT IT FROM SPREADING, WE SEEM TO BE CLOSER TO THAT POINT, IF NOT AT THAT POINT THAN EVER BEFORE.

AND MANAGING THAT ESCALATION RISK, WHILE ENSURING THAT WE'RE NOT CREATING INCENTIVES FOR IRAN OR OTHER ACTORS TO JOIN IN THE FRAY, IS GOING TO BE A VERY DIFFICULT BALANCING ACT.

>> AND YOU HAVE ESSENTIALLY WRITTEN ABOUT THE U.S.

NEEDS ANOTHER STRATEGY.

I THINK YOU SORT OF DESCRIBE THE U.S.

BEING ESSENTIALLY IN THE PASSENGER SEAT RIGHT NOW, EVEN THOUGH IT'S ISRAEL'S BIGGEST ALLY AND PROVIDES IT WITH THE WHERE WITH ALL TO CONDUCT THESE MILITARY OPERATIONS.

WHAT SHOULD AND WHAT COULD THE U.S. -- I MEAN, WE'VE SEEN ENDLESS SHUTTLE DIPLOMACY, WE'VE SEEN EFFORTS TO RESOLVE, AT LEAST, SOMEHOW THE SITUATION BETWEEN HAMAS AND ISRAEL, GET THE HOSTAGES BACK, DO THE SWAPS, GET A CEASE-FIRE, ET CETERA, IT HASN'T HAPPENED, AND IT'S BEEN A YEAR.

WHAT SHOULD THE U.S. DO?

WHAT MORE LEVERAGE DOES IT HAVE?

>> WELL, I THINK TWO CAVEATS ARE IMPORTANT.

ONE, THE ADMINISTRATION HAS MADE EFFORTS TO TRY TO SHAPE AND TO INFLUENCE ISRAELI MILITARY OPERATIONS OVER THE PAST YEAR.

IT HAS NOT BEEN EXTRAORDINARILY SUCCESSFUL.

THERE HAVE BEEN SOME INSTANCES IN WHICH WE'VE HAD AN IMPACT, I THINK THE RAFAH CAMPAIGN, WHILE DESTRUCTIVE, WAS ULTIMATELY LESS DESTRUCTIVE THAN IT WOULD HAVE BEEN, HAD ISRAEL EXECUTED ITS ORIGINAL PLANS.

THERE WERE SOME CHANGES TO HUMANITARIAN AID AT DIFFERENT POINTS IN TIME, BUT THAT'S RELATIVELY -- THAT'S RELATIVELY LIMITED, COMPARED TO HAVING A REAL IMPACT ON THE COURSE OF THE WAR.

THE SECOND CAVEAT IS, IT IS GOING TO BE MORE DIFFICULT TO INFLUENCE ISRAEL NOW THAN IT WAS AT ANY POINT PRIOR TO THIS, IN PART BECAUSE OF WHAT YOU RAISED WITH THE FORMER PRIME MINISTER, WHICH IS, PRIME MINISTER NETANYAHU IS IN A STRONGER POSITION POLITICALLY NOW THAN AT ANY TIME SINCE THIS WAR BEGAN.

THE POLLING INDICATES THAT, HE'S UP TO 40% APPROVAL, WHICH ISN'T GREAT ON AN ABSOLUTE SCALE, BUT IS MUCH BETTER THAN WHERE HE WAS.

AND EVEN MORE IMPORTANTLY, HE'S BEEN ABLE TO EXPAND HIS COALITION IN THE KNESSET, TO BRING IN ADDITIONAL -- ADDITIONAL RIGHT OF CENTER MEMBERS, NOW IT'S AT 68, WHICH MAKES IT MUCH MORE DIFFICULT TO ENGINEER A VOTE OF NO CONFIDENCE.

IN TERMS OF WHAT THE UNITED STATES SHOULD DO, I THINK IT'S -- THERE ARE TWO THINGS.

ONE IS, THE UNITED STATES NEEDS TO DEFINE WHAT ITS OBJECTIVES ARE FOR THESE WARS.

ONE OF THOSE OBJECTIVES IS ISRAEL'S SECURITY.

INCLUDING THE RELEASE OF THE HOSTAGES, WHICH, AS YOU MENTIONED, HAS FALLEN OFF THE RADAR SINCE THE RECENT ESCALATION HAS TAKEN PLACE, BUT WHAT IS IN THE U.S. INTEREST, WHAT DO WE WANT TO SEE COME OUT OF THIS?

WE'VE OF COURSE TALKED ABOUT THE TWO-STATE SOLUTION, WE WOULD LIKE TO SEE A FUNCTIONING STABLE GOVERNMENT IN LEBANON, WHERE THE MONOPOLY OF FORCE IS POSSESSED BY THE GOVERNMENT, AND NOT BY MILITANT GROUP.

WE WOULD LIKE TO SEE STABILITY AMONGST OUR PARTNERS THROUGHOUT THE REGION, WE CERTAINLY WANT TO ENSURE THAT INTERNATIONAL COMMERCE IS CONTINUING, NOT JUST OIL AND GAS, BUT A LOT OF OTHER GOODS.

ALL OF THOSE ARE PART OF WHAT WE NEED TO ACHIEVE, AND WE NEED TO ASSESS WHAT'S HAPPENING AGAINST THOSE, RATHER THAN SIMPLY EVALUATING WHAT'S HAPPENING AGAINST ISRAEL'S OWN STANDARDS, WHICH ARE NOT EXACTLY THE SAME AS OURS, AND WE MAY HAVE DIFFERENCES OF OPINION AS TO WHAT IS IN ISRAEL'S INTEREST OR NOT.

HOW YOU DO THAT, I THINK, IS -- YOU NEED TO REACH AN UNDERSTANDING WITH ISRAEL REGARDING WHAT THE PARAMETERS OF THESE CAMPAIGNS ARE GOING TO BE.

AND I ALWAYS THINK BACK TO THE ATLANTIC CHARTER, WHEN THE UNITED STATES SUPPORTED BRITAIN DURING WORLD WAR II, AND ULTIMATELY JOINED THE WAR, PRESIDENT ROOSEVELT WAS ABLE TO GET PRIME MINISTER CHURCHILL TO SIGN A CHARTER SAYING, THIS IS WHAT WE'RE TRYING TO ACHIEVE IN THIS WAR, AND IT INCLUDES THE LIBERATION OF COLONIES, WHICH, OBVIOUSLY, CHURCHILL WAS NOT KEEN ABOUT.

IT IS REASONABLE, GIVEN U.S.

INFLUENCE, TO SHAPE THAT.

IN TERMS OF TACTICS, I THINK WE NEED TO APPLY MORE POLITICAL PRESSURE ON PRIME MINISTER NETANYAHU, IN PARTICULAR, AND HIS COALITION.

>> THANK YOU SO MUCH, ANDREW MILLER, FOR JOINING US.

>>> NOW, IRAN ANALYST AND ISRAELI OFFICIALS ALIKE HAVE USED TERMS LIKE CHECKMATED TO DESCRIBE THE POSITION IRAN FINDS ITSELF IN TODAY.

HOW DID A REGIME THAT DOESN'T WANT A FULL-SCALE WAR WITH ISRAEL AND CONSIDERING REGIME SURVIVAL ITS HIGHEST PROEYE OR THE GET INTO THIS PLACE?

JOINING ME NOW IS KARIM SADJADPOUR, AN EXPERT ON THE RULER AYATOLLAH KHAMANEI.

KARIM, WELCOME BACK TO THE PROGRAM.

>> THANK YOU, CHRISTIANE.

>> DO YOU AGREE, FIRST AND FOREMOST, WITH THAT TERMINOLOGY, THAT IRAN IS RIGHT NOW CHECKMATED?

>> IT'S TOO SOON TO SAY, CHRISTIANE.

CERTAINLY IRAN IS PROBABLY IN ONE OF THE MOST DIFFICULT POSITIONS IT'S BEEN SINCE THE 1979 REVOLUTION.

THIS IS A REGIME WHICH IS DEEPLY COMMITTED TO ITS IDEOLOGY, BUT AS YOU MENTION, ALSO DEEPLY COMMITTED TO ITS SURVIVAL, AND I DON'T THINK RIGHT NOW YOU COULD ARGUE THAT IT'S ON THE VERGE OF COLLAPSE, BUT THIS ISRAELI RETALIATION, WHICH WE'RE ALL ANTICIPATING, COULD BE THE MOST SERIOUS EXTERNAL ATTACK ON IRAN SINCE 1979, ESPECIALLY IF IT GOES AFTER IRAN'S OIL FACILITIES, ITS NUCLEAR FACILITIES, MILITARY INSTALLATIONS, AND CRITICAL INFRASTRUCTURE.

THE REGIME WILL DEFINITELY BE IN CRISIS MODE.

>> SO, WHAT DO YOU THINK WHEN YOU LOOK AT IT?

YOU MUST BE TALKING TO SOURCES AND THINGS.

WHAT IS THE MOST LIKELY?

BECAUSE, YOU KNOW, PEOPLE HAVE TALKED ABOUT PROPOSITIONAL RETALIATION, BUT THAT SEEMS TO BE OFF THE -- OFF THE CARDS, IF YOU LISTEN TO THE ISRAELIS, THAT IT HAS TO BE A LOT MORE THAN THAT, IN ORDER TO FORCE -- FORCE A DE-ESCALATION, SO TO SPEAK.

DO YOU THINK THAT IT WOULD BE OIL INFRASTRUCTURE, NUCLEAR INFRASTRUCTURE?

AND, YES, IT WOULD BE THE HARDEST STRIKES.

HOW DO YOU THINK THAT WOULD PLAY OUT IN IRAN?

>> I THINK THOSE THINGS ARE ALL IN THE CONVERSATION RIGHT NOW.

NOW, WHEN ISRAEL HAS TAKEN MAJOR ACTION IN THE LAST WEEKS AND MONTHS AGAINST EITHER IRAN OR ITS AXIS OF RESISTANCE, MEANING WHEN ISRAEL HAS ASSASSINATED NASRALLAH, HANIYEH, THERE'S NO INDICATION THEY CHECKED IN ADVANCE, THEY GOT THE BLESSING IN ADVANCE FROM THE UNITED STATES ON THAT, BUT SOMETHING OF THIS MAGNITUDE, BLOWING UP IRANIAN OIL INSTALLATIONS, NUCLEAR FACILITIES, THAT HAS PROFOUND IMPLICATIONS FOR THE GLOBAL ECONOMY, FOR U.S. NATIONAL SECURITY, AND I -- I THINK IT'S UNLIKELY THAT ISRAEL WILL TAKE THOSE TYPES OF DRASTIC MEASURES, ABSENT SOME TYPE OF A COORDINATION OR A GREEN OR YELLOW LIGHT FROM -- FROM THE U.S. ADMINISTRATION.

NOW, WE CAN ONLY SPECULATE HOW THE IRANIANS WOULD REACT TO THAT.

I THINK THAT AYATOLLAH KHAMANEI AND THE REVOLUTIONARY GUARDS HAVE BEEN IN THIS DILEMMA, BECAUSE NOT REACTING TO THINGS LIKE THE ASSASSINATION OF HANIYEH, THEY PROJECTED WEAKNESS, AND THEY FEEL LIKE IN HINDSIGHT, THEY ACTUALLY ENCOURAGED GREATER ISRAELI PROVOCATIONS.

AT THE SAME TIME, CHRISTIANE, THIS IS AN 85-YEAR-OLD SUPREME LEADER.

THE LONGEST SERVING DICTATOR IN THE WORLD.

HE HASN'T LEFT IRAN SINCE 1989.

HE'S NOT WELL-EQUIPPED TO BE A WARTIME LEADER AND A VERY HIGH TECH MILITARY AND FINANCIAL WAR AGAINST ISRAEL AND POTENTIALLY THE UNITED STATES.

>> SO, WHY DO YOU THINK, THEN, BECAUSE HE CLEARLY HAD TO GIVE HIS APPROVAL, AFTER A HUGE AMOUNT OF DEBATE, INCLUDING THE NEW PRESIDENT OF IRAN, AND I SPOKE TO THE VICE PRESIDENT OF IRAN, THEY MADE IT VERY CLEAR, AND THEY USED THESE WORDS, WE DO NOT WANT TO BE QUOTE UNQUOTE ENTRAPPED INTO A WAR WITH ISRAEL.

SO, WHAT HAPPENED?

>> FOR ME, CHRISTIANE, THE PRESIDENT, FORMER FOREIGN MINISTER ZARIF, THESE ARE ESSENTIALLY NONENTITIES.

THEY HAVE NO DECISION-MAKING AUTHORITY, AND THE REAL BALANCE OF POWER, WHICH IS NOT TOTALLY CLEAR FROM AFAR, IS THE RELATIONSHIP BETWEEN THE SUPREME LEADER AND HIS TOP REVOLUTIONARY GUARD COMMANDERS.

TO WHAT EXTENT IS HE ORDERING THEM, OR ARE THEY DICTATING NOW TO HIM?

BECAUSE, AGAIN, ON ONE HAND, THERE IS A KHAMANEI DOCTRINE, WHICH IS, WHEN YOU'RE UNDER PRESSURE, EITHER DOMESTICALLY OR EXTERNALLY, DON'T GIVE INTO PRESSURE.

DON'T RETREATMENT, BECAUSE THAT'S GOING TO ENCOURAGE THE PRETTY.

BUT ALSO, EVEN THE MOST RADICAL REVOLUTIONARY COMES CONSERVATIVE THE DAY AFTER THE REVOLUTION, BECAUSE THEY HAVE A LOT TO LOSE.

AND I THINK THEIR CALCULATION IS THAT BY NOT ACTING, IN THE LAST MONTH OR TWO, THE ISRAELIS JUST GREW EMBOLDENED, BUT I DON'T THINK WHAT THEY DID YESTERDAY PUTS THIS TO REST.

THEY'RE GOING TO FACE A MAJOR RETALIATION NOW FROM ISRAEL.

>> YES.

>> THE LIKES OF WHICH THEY HAVEN'T EXPERIENCED.

>> YES.

THAT SEEMS TO BE CLEAR, AND SEEMS TO BEING TELEGRAPHED ALL OVER, AND IT SEEMS TO HAVE BEEN RESPONDED TO BY IRAN.

LET ME JUST PLAY THIS LITTLE BIT OF A CLIP FROM THE IRGC COMMANDER.

>> Translator: IF THE ZIONIST RESUME THAT HAS GONE CRAZY IS NOT CONTROLLED BY AMERICA AND EUROPE AND WANTS TO CONTINUE THESE CRIMES, OR WANTS TO DO ANYTHING AGAINST OUR SOVEREIGNTY AND TERRITORIAL INTEGRITY, TONIGHT'S OPERATION WILL BE REPEATED SEVERAL TIMES STRONGER, AND ALL THEIR INFRASTRUCTURE WILL BE TARGETED.

>> SO, ACTUALLY, THAT WAS THE ARMY CHIEF OF STAFF, NOT THE IRGC.

ARE THEY WORKING IN TANDEM?

AND WHAT COULD IRAN DO, IF SOMETHING ELSE HAPPENS?

BECAUSE NOW TWICE YOU'VE HAD BARRAGE OF SEVERAL HUNDRED MISSILES, DRONES, ET CETERA, AND ALMOST ALL OF THEM HAVE BEEN INTERCEPTED AND IT DIDN'T CREATE THE DAMAGE BY A LONG SHOT THAT IRAN, I ASSUME, INTENDED.

WHAT DO YOU THINK THEY HAVE?

>> CHRISTIANE, THIS IS VERY UNCOMFORTABLE TERRAIN NOW FOR IRAN, BECAUSE IRAN AND ITS SO-CALLED AXIS OF RESISTANCE, THEY'RE VERY GOOD WHEN THERE'S THE ELEMENT OF SURPRISE.

OCTOBER 7th, THE ISRAELIS WERE SLEEPING, NO ONE WAS PAYING ATTENTION.

THEY'RE GOOD AT CARRYING OUT ASSASSINATIONS IN PLACES WHERE NO ONE IS PAYING ATTENTION.

BUT WHEN THE WORLD AND THE ISRAELIS ARE ON VERY, VERY HIGH ALERT, THEIR CAPABILITIES ARE MUCH MORE LIMITED, AS WE SAW YESTERDAY, THE ONLY INDIVIDUAL WHOM THEY KILLED WAS, UNFORTUNATELY, A PALESTINIAN INDIVIDUAL, IN THE WEST BANK.

VERY FEW OF IRAN'S BARRAGE WENT THROUGH.

AND SO, THIS IS NOT THE TYPE OF WAR THAT THEY'RE COMFORTABLE FIGHTING, AND I THINK -- I ALWAYS SAY THAT THE PARAMETERS FOR THE IRANIAN REGIME ON ONE HAND, IF THEY DON'T RESPOND AT ALL, THEY LOSE FACE, WHICH IS NOT A GOOD LOOK FOR A DICTATORSHIP, BUT IF THEY RESPOND EXCESSIVELY, THEY COULD LOSE THEIR HEADS.

AND I THINK THEY DID RESPOND EXCESSIVELY, AND WE'LL WAIT TO SEE HOW THE ISRAELIS RETALIATE.

>> AND FINALLY, THE FORMER ISRAELI PRIME MINISTER BENNETT, YOU'VE HEARD, AND IT'S BEEN WRITTEN ABOUT, HE SAID THE LEADERSHIP OF IRAN, WHICH USED TO BE GOOD AT CHESS, MADE A TERRIBLE MISTAKE THIS EVENING.

HE WAS TALKING YESTERDAY.

WE MUST ACT NOW TO DESTROY IRAN'S NUCLEAR PROGRAM, ITS CENTRAL ENERGY FACILITIES, AND TO FATALITY CRIPPLE THIS TREGS TERRORIST REGIME.

HOW DO YOU EXPLAIN THIS -- I MEAN, YOU KNOW, THEY WERE ALWAYS THOUGHT OF AS THE, YOU KNOW, THE NEGOTIATORS, THE -- ET CETERA, I WAS GOING TO SAY -- YOU KNOW WHAT I MEAN.

AND CAPABLE OF PLAYING CHESS IN THE NATION WHICH INVENTED CHESS, BUT AS YOU SAY, THIS HAS GONE OFF THE RAILS, OR POTENTIALLY COULD GO OFF THE RAILS.

>> YOU KNOW, THE ISLAMIC REPUBLIC IS LIKE A LATE STAGE SOVIET UNION.

WHEN YOU CONSTANTLY PRIORITIZE IDEOLOGY OVER COMPETENCE, YOU'RE LEFT WITH A SYSTEM WHICH IS IDEOLOGICALLY BANKRUPT, INCREASINGLY ECONOMICALLY BANKRUPT, AND IT'S TOTALLY INFILTRATED.

THERE'S SUCH -- NOT ONLY POPULAR DISCONTENT IN IRAN, BUT REGIME DISCONTENT THAT I THINK THERE MUST BE JUST TREMENDOUS PARANOIA AND MISTRUST ABOUT, YOU KNOW, WHO LEAKED THIS INFORMATION THAT GOT NASRALLAH KILLED, HOW DID TOM FRIEDMAN KNOW WHEN IRAN WAS GOING TO ATTACK, PROBABLY BEFORE IRAN'S OWN PRESIDENT DID?

AND SO, THIS IS A REAL DILEMMA THAT THE REGIME IS IN, AND THERE'S NO GOOD ANSWERS, BECAUSE IT'S A REGIME WHICH HAS SHOWN ITSELF INCAPABLE OF REALLY REFORMING AND IMPROVING.

>> AND JUST 30 SECONDS, DO YOU THINK THE PEOPLE OF IRAN WILL BE MOBILIZED AGAINST THE REGIME IF ISRAEL ATTACKS?

>> THAT'S VERY DIFFICULT QUESTION TO ANSWER, MY SENSE IS THAT IT WILL POLARIZE SOCIETY ALONG THE LINES WHICH IS POLARIZED NOW.

MEANING THOSE WHO ARE SUPPORTIVE OF THE REGIME, PERHAPS 15%, 20% OF SOCIETY, THEY'RE GOING TO BE ANGERED AGAINST ISRAEL AND DOUBLE DOWN AND SUPPORT THE REGIME, AND THOSE WHO ARE OPPOSED TO THE REGIME WILL BE EVEN MORE ANGRY WITH THEM, BUT UNFORTUNATELY, THOSE PEOPLE ARE UNORGANIZED AND UNARMED, SO, I DON'T ANTICIPATE THEY CAN SUDDENLY TAKE POWER AWAY FROM THE REVOLUTIONARY GUARDS WHO ARE HIGHLY ARMED AND ORGANIZED.

>> ALL RIGHT, KARIM, I'M HEARING IN MY EAR THAT SOME PEOPLE THINK CHESS WAS INVENTED IN INDIA.

WE'LL CHECK THAT.

THANK YOU SO MUCH, INDEED, FOR JOINING US.

>>> NEXT, TO THE UNITED STATES, WHERE LATINO COMMUNITIES HAVE LONG BEEN OVERLOOKED WHEN IT COMES TO THEIR CONTRIBUTIONS TO THE NATION, YET THEIR VOTES WILL BE SOME OF THE MOST IMPORTANT IN DECIDING THE OUTCOME OF THE UPCOMING ELECTION NEXT MONTH.

EMMY-WINNING ACTOR AND ACTIVIST JOHN LEGUIZAMO EXPLORES THIS IN HIS NEW SERIES, "THE UNTOLD HISTORY OF LATINOS," AND HE JOINS HARI SREENIVASAN TO DISCUSS WHAT'S AT STAKE.

>> CHRISTIANE, THANK YOU.

JOHN, THANK YOU SO MUCH FOR JOINING US.

FIRST, BEFORE WE GET STARTED, A LOT OF PEOPLE WATCHED THE EMMYS, AND YOU HAD A FANTASTIC SPEECH THERE, AND I JUST WANT A LITTLE BACK STORY.

HOW DO WE GET FROM A KID THAT'S GROWING UP IN QUEENS, TO NOW A MAN THAT IS DOING DOCUMENTARIES ABOUT THE HISTORY, THE UNTOLD HISTORY, REALLY, IN A LOT OF WAYS, OF LATINOS IN AMERICA?

>> AH, IT'S PRETTY INCREDIBLE, I MEAN, WHO WOULD HAVE THUNK, I WOULD HAVE NEVER, THAT I WAS GOING TO BE AN ACTIVIST, A SPOKESPERSON, AN ARTIST, ALL THAT JUST NEVER SEEMED POSSIBLE, BEING A YOUNG MAN IN AMERICA IN QUEENS, BECAUSE YOU NEVER SAW YOURSELF, YOU NEVER SAW YOURSELF ANYWHERE, REFLECTED ANYWHERE POSITIVELY.

ALL YOU SAW WAS YOUR FAMILY, YOUR NEIGHBORHOOD.

SO, WHEN I HAD A CHANCE AT THE EMMYS, THEY GAVE ME AN INCREDIBLE PLATFORM, AND THE BIGGEST MOMENT, CENTERPIECE OF THE NIGHT, TO TALK ABOUT THE LACK OF LATIN REPRESENTATION IN FILM, AND HOW ABYSMAL IT IS, BECAUSE WHEN THE FOUNDING FATHERS OF HOLLYWOOD GOT TO L.A., HOLLYWOOD HAD JUST BEEN MEXICO 60 YEARS PRIOR, AND THEY WALKED INTO A PREDOMINANTLY LATINO CULTURE, AND YET, WE WERE NOT PUT ON SCREEN EVER, EXCEPT IN "BIRDS OF A NATION," WHERE WE WERE THE VILLAINS, THANK YOU D.W. GRIFFITH.

>> YOU MENTIONED SOME ANECDOTES ON STAGE ABOUT, THE ONLY THING YOU WERE WATCHING WHEN YOU WERE GROWING UP WAS RICKY RICARDO, SPEEDY GONZALEZ, IF YOU WERE LUCKY ENOUGH TO SEE LATIN REPRESENTATION.

THERE WAS STUDIES THAT SAID 87% OF LATINO HISTORY IS REALLY GIVEN FIVE SENTENCES OF LESS, IF IT'S EVEN IN THE HISTORY BOOKS THAT KIDS STUDY TODAY, BECAUSE, YOU KNOW, SIMILAR TO AFRICAN AMERICAN HISTORY BEING AMERICAN HISTORY, WE DON'T NECESSARILY SEE HOW LATINO HISTORY HAS REALLY JUST WEAVED INTO THE HISTORY OF THIS COUNTRY.

>> IT'S INCREDIBLE HOW WE ARE KIND OF LIVING SOMETIMES IN A PARALLEL SHADOW WORLD, WHICH IS CRAZY, BECAUSE WE'VE ALWAYS BEEN THE LARGEST ETHNIC GROUP IN AMERICA, WE'RE THE OLDEST ETHNIC GROUP AFTER INDIGENOUS PEOPLING AND YET WE'RE INVISIBLE.

THE GENESIS OF THIS SHOW WAS, MY SON WAS DOING A HISTORY PROJECT IN EIGHTH GRADE, I WANTED TO HELP HIM, GET SOME BROWNIE POINTS WITH MY WIFE, AND I SAW THERE WERE NO LATINO CONTRIBUTIONS IN HIS HISTORY TEXTBOOK.

SO, I BOUGHT ALL THE BOOKS ON AMAZON ON LATINO HISTORY, WENT ON THE SITES, AND WHAT I LEARNED WAS SO MIND-BOGGLING THAT IT CHANGED MY DNA, ANY CHROMOSOMES IMMEDIATELY.

WHEN I LEARNED THAT LATINOS FOUGHT IN EVERY WAR AMERICA HAS EVER HAD, I'M TALKING ABOUT THE AMERICAN REVOLUTION, CIVIL WAR, WORLD WAR I, WORLD WAR II, 10,000 UNKNOWN LATINO PATRIOTS FOUGHT IN THE AMERICAN REVOLUTION, OUT OF 80,000 TOTAL TROOPS, WE WERE 1 IN 8.

WE FUNDED THE AMERICAN REVOLUTION, CUBA, MEXICO, AND SPAIN GAVE $2 MILLION TO GEORGE WASHINGTON.

GEORGE WASHINGTON WAS RUNNING LOW ON CASH TO PAY HIS ARMY, HE TURNED TO HIS LATINO AMIGOS FOR HELP.

THE CUBAN, SPANISH, AND MEXICAN PEOPLE DELIVERED THE NEEDED MONEY, MAKING IT POSSIBLE FOR WASHINGTON'S TROOPS TO KEEP FIGHTING.

>> A LOT OF PEOPLE DONATED WEDDING RINGS, GOLD AND SILVER CHURCHES WITH CHALICES, AND DELIVERED IT SO THEY PAID THE MILITIAS.

THEY GOT RAISES, THE MULTICULTURAL NAVY, AS WELL AS ARMY.

WHAT WE NOW CONSIDER CUBANOS, MEXICANOS.

>> WE HELPED BUILD THE RAILROADS, ALL THE WAY TO THE PACIFIC, THEN WE BUILT THE WHOLE INFRASTRUCTURE FOR THE WEST AND THE SOUTHWEST.

AND THEN, I LEARNED THE SAD PARTS, FROM 1830 TO 1930, 6,000 LATINOS WERE LYNCHED, BURNED ALIVE AND SHOT.

WE WERE MASSACRED, REDLINED, EXPERIMENTED ON.

OUR WOMEN WERE STERILIZED IN THE EARLY 1900s UNBEKNOWNST TO THEM.

AND YET, WE WERE THE FIRST TO FIGHT AGAINST SEGREGATION IN 1911, THE FAMILY IN DENVER, COLORADO, AND THEY WON.

MENDES FOUGHT AGAINST SEGREGATION IN 1940 AND WON, PAVED THE WAY FOR BROWN VERSUS BOARD OF ED.

AFTER ALL THAT OPPRESSION AND TRAGEDY, WE CONTRIBUTE $3.6 TRILLION TO THE GDP YEARLY.

IF WE WERE OUR OWN ECONOMIC NATION, WE'D BE THE FIFTH LARGEST NATION IN THE WORLD, BIGGER THAN INDIA, BIGGER THAN ENGLAND, BIGGER THAN FRANCE, BIGGER THAN BRAZIL.

>> WHY DO YOU THINK IT IS, GIVEN THIS LONG HISTORY OF CONTRIBUTION TO THIS COUNTRY, THAT THERE IS STILL A TENDENCY TO OTHERIZE ORMARGINALIZE THE CONTRIBUTIONS, BUT ALSO, JUST THE HUMAN BEINGS THAT ARE AMERICAN, BASED ON A WHOLE HOST OF DIFFERENT FACTORS?

>> I MEAN, I THINK IT'S PRETTY OBVIOUS.

IT'S A POWER GRAB.

TEXAS, WE WERE THE MAJORITY IN TEXAS, THE MAJORITY IN CALIFORNIA, WHEN IT WAS INVADED BY THE U.S., AND WE WERE PROMISED TO KEEP OUR POLITICAL POWER AND LAND WEALTH, AND YET, WHEN WE HELPED FLIP ALL THOSE TERRITORIES TO AMERICA, THEY TURNED AGAINST US.

SO, WE BECAME THE ENEMY VERY EARLY ON.

BECAUSE WE ALSO SPOKE A DIFFERENT LANGUAGE, THAT WE WEREN'T GIVING UP, YOU KNOW?

AND YET, WE STILL CONTINUE -- WHO IS THE ESSENTIAL WORKERS IN AMERICA?

LATINOS.

WHO IS DOING ALL THE FARMING AND GROWING ALL THE PRODUCE?

LATINOS.

I MEAN, WE HAVE BEEN ESSENTIAL LABORERS AND WORKERS FOR AMERICA SINCE THE BEGINNING, BESIDE OUR BLACK BROTHERS AND SISTERS IN SLAVERY.

>> YOU SEE THESE SORT OF FAMILIAR PATTERNS REPEATED.

IT'S LIKE WE DON'T NECESSARILY LEARN FROM HISTORY, WE JUST SORT OF END UP REPEATING SOME OF ITS MISTAKES.

YOU POINT OUT PRESIDENT HOOVER WAS TALKING ABOUT REAL JOBS FOR REAL AMERICANS, AND YOU SEE SOMETHING VERY, VERY CLOSE NOW.

>> THE FIRST TIME THAT WE WERE DEPORTED IN LARGE NUMBERS, IT WAS CALLED A REPATRIATION ACT, AND IT WAS BLAMING US BECAUSE THE DEPRESSION HAD JUST HAPPENED, THAT WE WERE TAKING JOBS THAT AMERICANS WANTED, SO, THEY DEPORTED 2 MILLION AMERICAN CITIZENS, 60% OF THEM WERE AMERICAN CITIZENS, AND SENT THEM BACK TO MEXICO, WHEN MOST OF THEM HAD NEVER BEEN, HAD BEEN HERE FOR GENERATIONS.

AND THEN THEY DID IT AGAIN WITH THE WETBACK ACT, WHICH IS A HORRIBLE NAME, IN THE '50s, '60s, AND '70s, AND DEPORTED A MILLION LATINOS, A MAJORITY WERE AMERICAN CITIZENS.

AND NOW, AGAIN, A THIRD SORT OF HORRIBLE DEPORTATION OF AMERICAN CITIZENS, WE'RE THE ONLY ONES THAT THIS HORRIFIC CRIME KEEPS HAPPENING TO.

>> YOU HAVE -- HAD AN OPPORTUNITY IN THIS DOCUMENTARY TO GO TO SOME PRETTY AMAZING PLACES, AND WHAT, YOU KNOW, THERE'S A SCENE THAT I WANT TO GET TO, YOU'RE IN A TUNNEL OF A TEMPLE THAT MOST PEOPLE ARE NEVER GOING TO GET A CHANCE TO SEE.

WHAT WAS THAT LIKE?

WHAT DID YOU LEARN THERE?

>> OH, MY GOD, DON'T TRY TO PRONOUNCE IT, YOU KNOW, YOU'LL GET HURT.

WE DIDN'T DIG THE SUBWAY TUNNELS OF NEW YORK UNTIL ABOUT A HUNDRED YEARS AGO.

2,000 YEARS EARLIER, THE ORIGINAL SCIENTISTS AND RULERS BUILT A SERIES OF TUNNELS, DOZENS OF FEET BENEATH THE GROUND, WITHOUT THE USE OF MACHINERY OR POWER TOOLS.

THESE TUNNELS CONNECTED CHAMBERS HOLDING TREASURES LONG FORGOTTEN, UNTIL THEY WERE UNEARTHED IN 2003.

WE WENT UNDERGROUND WHERE THEY HAD THESE TOMBS THAT WERE BEAUTIFUL.

THEY WERE COVERED IN RED MERCURY, IT'S POISONOUS, YOU COULDN'T TOUCH THE WALLS.

THEY PUT GOLD AND POOLS OF SILVER MERCURY.

IT WAS LIKE DISNEY LAND BEFORE DISNEY LAND.

SO, IT WAS INCREDIBLE THAT I WAS ABLE TO BE THERE.

>> THESE ARE INCREDIBLY ADVANCED CIVILIZATIONS, THE TYPE OF MATH, THE TYPE OF ASTRONOMY, THE TYPE OF SOCIETY, LAWS, ALL OF THESE DIFFERENT THINGS THAT THEY HAD ALREADY ESTABLISHED, AND YET NOW, HUNDREDS OF YEARS LATER, WHEN WE LOOK AT THEM, WE HAVE THIS SORT OF REDUCTIONIST VIEW THAT THEY NEEDED TO BE CIVILIZED, EVEN THOUGH THEY WERE ALREADY THAT, IN FACT, THEY WERE FAR MORE SO, AS YOU POINT OUT, COMPARED TO THE EUROPEAN COLONIZERS THAT CAME.

>> YEAH, WELL, I MEAN, YOU CAN'T ROB A WHOLE PEOPLE AND ALL THESE EMPIRES UNTIL YOU DESTROY THEIR CULTURE, THEIR RELIGION, AND THEIR LANGUAGE.

AND THEN YOU CAN HAVE A READY SLAVE POPULATION.

OTHERWISE, YOU'LL HAVE REBELS, AND REBELLIONS, AND YOU DON'T WANT THAT, AND WE HAD ALL THIS WEALTH.

SPAIN IN THE CONQUEST TOOK 5 500,000 TONS OF GOLD FROM US, AND BASICALLY FUELED THE ENLIGHTENMENT, ALL THE GOLD THAT YOU SEE IN ALL THE GREAT CHURCHES IN EUROPE, THAT'S OUR GOLD.

AND THEN TWICE AS MUCH SILVER, WHICH FUNDED THE CHINESE EMPIRES AND THE BYZANTINE EMPIRE.

SO, ALL THIS WEALTH THAT WAS TAKEN FROM US, YOU HAVE TO DESTROY THE PEOPLE.

THEY MELTED INCREDIBLE MUSEUM ARTIFACTS THAT WE HAD, 12-FOOT STATUES OF SOLID GOLD, BEAUTIFULLY SCULPTED.

WE HAD THE FIRST RUNNING TOILETS, THE AZTECS HAD RUNNING TOILETS IN THE PALACES.

THE INCAS HAD BRAIN SURGERY THAT WAS MUCH MORE SUCCESSFUL THAN ANYTHING EVEN UP TO THE CIVIL WAR.

WE HAD ANESTHESIA, OUR MEDICINES, THE SPANIARDS SAID THEY WOULD RATHER BE TREATED BY AN AZTEC DOCTOR THAN BY A EUROPEAN DOCTOR.

THAT'S HOW CIVILIZED AD AHEAD OF EVERYTHING THEY WERE.

THE INCAS HAD BINARY CODE.

THAT'S HOW THEY KEPT TRACK OF THE POPULATION.

THESE WERE INCREDIBLE CULTURES THAT WERE COMPLETELY DECIMATED.

>> ONE OF THE KIND OF CHAPTERS THAT'S INTRIGUING TO ME WAS JUST, I GUESS HOW WE LOOK AT CHRISTOPHER COLUMBUS, FOR EXAMPLE.

YOU POINT OUT THAT WHEN HE ARRIVED IN 1492, THERE WERE 1 MILLION INDIGENOUS PEOPLE, 16 YEARS LATER, 94% OF THEM WERE GONE.

>> COLUMBUS BASICALLY IS THE HITLER TO US LATINO INDIGENOUS PEOPLE.

BECAUSE HE STARTED THE CARIBBEAN HOLOCAUST, WHERE 95% OF ALL THE PEOPLE IN PUERTO RICO, CUBA, AND DOMINICAN REPUBLIC AND HAITI VANISHED OFF THE FACE OF THE EARTH FROM VERY CRUEL TREATMENT.

I MEAN, HE -- HE -- IF YOU TRIED TO RUN AWAY, HE WOULD CHOP YOUR FEET.

HE BURNT PEOPLE ALIVE.

IF YOU DIDN'T PRODUCE ENOUGH GOLD, HE WOULD CHOP YOUR HANDS OFF AND TIE THEM TO YOUR NECK, HE WOULD SET DOGS ONTO BABIES.

AND THEN HE HAD A PROSTITUTION RING OF 9-YEAR-OLD GIRLS THAT HE BRAGGED ABOUT IN HIS JOURNALS.

HE WAS FINALLY ARRESTED IN THE CARIBBEAN, AND THEN FINALLY TAKEN TO SPAIN AND TRIED.

THAT'S HOW BAD HE WAS, THAT HIS OWN PEOPLE TRIED HIM.

WE NEED TO TAKE DOWN COLUMBUS, BECAUSE -- HE'S THE BEGINNING OF THE END OF WHAT COULD HAVE BEEN AN INCREDIBLE CIVILIZATION THAT WOULD BE TODAY, THAT WOULD BE MASSIVE POWERHOUSES.

>> JUST THE VERY FACTS THAT YOU'RE SHARING NOW ABOUT COLUMBUS ARE LIKELY TO SORT OF TRIGGER SOME PEOPLE IN OUR AUDIENCE WATCHING, BECAUSE WE'VE ALSO LIVED THROUGH JUST IN THE PAST COUPLE OF YEARS, THIS INCREDIBLE CULTURAL FIRESTORM ABOUT WHAT TYPE OF FACTS ARE SHARED IN HISTORY BOOKS, IN CLASSROOMS, AND KIND OF HOW WE DETERMINE THE -- THE ROOTS OF AMERICA.

>> IT'S MY EUROPEAN -- EURO-AMERICANS ARE HAVING A PROBLEM.

I THINK A LOT OF WHITE PEOPLE IN AMERICA UNDERSTAND THAT AMERICA WAS MADE BY A LOT OF DIFFERENT GROUPS, AND NOT JUST WHITE PEOPLE.

OBVIOUSLY, WHO IS EVER IN POWER GETS TO CONTROL THE NARRATIVE.

HE WHO CONTROLS THE STORIES CONTROLS SOCIETY.

THAT'S UNDERSTOOD BY EVERYONE.

BUT IT'S TIME TO CHANGE, YOU KNOW, IT IS REALLY TIME TO CHANGE THE TEXTBOOKS.

OTHERWISE, THE AMERICAN TEXTBOOKS ARE FICTION.

IT'S A FICTION.

YOU ARE NOT LEARNING THE PROPER HISTORY UNTIL YOU LEARN WHAT BLACK PEOPLE, LATINO PEOPLE, ASIAN PEOPLE, DID IN THIS COUNTRY TO BUILD IT.

AND THE NARRATIVE THAT IS CONSTRUCTED IS TO MAINTAIN ONE GROUP IN POWER.

>> YOU ARE ABLE TO HIGHLIGHT PEOPLE THAT I THINK A LOT OF AMERICANS HAVE MAYBE FORGOTTEN, I MEAN, WE MIGHT HAVE HEARD ABOUT CESAR CHAVEZ, BUT MORE LIKELY THAN NOT, DOLORES HUERTA, WHO YOU SAT DOWN WITH, THE CONTRIBUTIONS SHE MADE TO THE FARM WORKERS' MOVEMENT, ARE LARGELY HIDDEN FROM THE BULK OF AMERICANS TODAY.

>> BY THE TIME I GRADUATED FROM HIGH SCHOOL, MOST OF MY BLACK AND BROWN FRIENDS AND FILIPINOS, THEY HAD DROPPED OUT, NOT FINISHING HIGH SCHOOL.

WE CALL IT PUSH-OUT.

BECAUSE THEY HAVE AN UNWELCOME CLIMATE, THE WAY THEY'RE TREATED IN SCHOOLS.

KIDS DON'T FEEL WELCOME.

AND I HAD THIS ANGER INSIDE OF ME THAT I NEVER KNEW WHAT TO DO WITH IT, UNTIL I LEARNED HOW TO ORGANIZE.

>> LATINO WOMEN ARE A STRONG FORCE OF NATURE, AND THEY'VE BEEN ACTIVISTS, AND REVOLUTIONARIES ALONGSIDE OF US, IF NOT LEADING US.

AN INCREDIBLE MEXICAN WOMAN IN THE LATE 1800s, EARLY 1900s, WAS A JOURNALIST, RAN HER OWN NEWSPAPER IN THE SOUTHWEST AND SAVED LATINO CHILDREN FROM BEING LYNCHED IN THE SOUTHWEST.

IN THE 1930s, A UNION ORGANIZER.

SO, LATINOS WERE PART OF THIS UNION ORGANIZING EARLY ON, AND THEY WERE WOMEN.

SUCH POWERHOUSES.

>> RIGHT NOW, WE'RE IN THE MIDDLE OF A HEATED CAMPAIGN, WHERE THE OUTCOME OF THE PRESIDENCY COULD BE DECIDED BY AN INCREDIBLY SMALL GROUP OF HUMAN BEINGS.

WHEREVER THOSE PEOPLE ARE IN THESE BATTLEGROUND STATES, RIGHT?

WHAT IS IT THAT YOU THINK HAS TO HAPPEN TO TRY TO JUST MAKE SURE THAT LATINO AMERICANS TODAY ARE MOTIVATED ENOUGH TO GO TO THE POLLS AND TO BE PART OF THIS DECISION PROCESS?

ESPECIALLY IN A VERY CLOSE RACE?

>> I MEAN, WE'RE 40% OF THE POPULATION IN TEXAS, 30% OF THE POPULATION IN ARIZONA, SO, WE'RE MASSIVE.

BUT THEY'RE TRYING TO KEEP FRUS VOTING, YOU KNOW, COMING UP WITH ALL THESE REASONS TO HAVE, LIKE, BIRTH CERTIFICATES WITH YOU.

I DON'T EVEN KNOW WHERE MINE IS.

TO SHOW UP TO -- TO VOTE.

THIS IS CRAZY.

CRAZINESS, TAKING AWAY MAILING BOXES, IT'S NUTS.

BUT THE MAIN THING IS, I SAID FOR TWO PRESIDENCIES ALREADY, YOU NEED TO GET LATINO EXPERTS, LATINO CONSULTANTS, TO HELP YOU FIGURE OUT HOW TO TALK TO US.

YOU HAVE TO GO TO OUR RADIO STATIONS, YOU HAVE TO KNOCK ON OUR DOORS, YOU HAVE TO COME TO OUR NEIGHBORHOODS, YOU HAVE TO TALK TO US.

WE'RE WINNABLE.

BUT YOU HAVE TO COURT US.

OBVIOUSLY THE THING THAT LA TEE KNOWS REALLY CARE ABOUT IS THE XHEEK, BECAUSE WE'RE AT THE BOTTOM OF THE ECONOMIC FOOD CHAIN.

FOOD PRICES, GASOLINE PRICES, HOUSING, THAT'S THEIR MAIN PREOCCUPATION.

>> WE RECENTLY HAD A CONVERSATION ON PROGRAM ABOUT A NEW BOOK, THE RISE OF THE LATINO RIGHT IN AMERICA, AND WHY IN WAYS THE TRUMP CAMPAIGN IS ACTUALLY MORE SUCCESSFUL THAN DEMOCRATS THOUGHT THEY WOULD BE.

WHAT DO YOU THINK IT IS ABOUT THE MESSAGES THAT DONALD TRUMP IS SENDING THAT RESONATE WITH LA TEE KNOWS WHO ARE IN SUPPORT OF HIM?

>> I MEAN, BECAUSE HE LIES.

HE LIES, I'M GOING TO GIVE YOU HUGE TAX BREAKS, I'M GOING TO, YOU KNOW, CHANGE THE TAX -- HE'S NOT GOING TO CHANGE ANY OF THAT.

HE CAN'T.

BUT IT WORKS, IT WORKS FOR LATINOS, YOU KNOW, AND FOR BLACK GROUPS, UNFORTUNATELY.

YOU KNOW, WHEN PRESIDENT TRUMP SIGNED THOSE CHECKS WITH HIS NAME, THAT NO OTHER PRESIDENT HAS EVER DONE, LATINOS BOUGHT IT AND BELIEVED IT.

AND THEY THINK IF HE'S PRESIDENT, THAT HE'S GOING TO BE SIGNING MORE CHECKS FOR THEM.

AND OBVIOUSLY THERE'S A HUGE, VERY CHRISTIAN LATINO GROUP THAT CAN LEAN RIGHT, BECAUSE THEY'RE VERY CONSERVATIVE, SO, YOU HAVE THAT GROUP.

YOU KNOW, YOU GOT TO DO A LOT OF WORK.

YOU HAVE TO GO OUT THERE AND WORK.

AOC DID IT IN AN AREA THAT WAS PREDOMINANTLY LATINO, BUT ALWAYS RUN BY WHITE CONGRESSMEN, AND SENATORS, AND SHE CAME IN, KNOCKED ON DOORS, MY MOM JOINED IN AND HER FRIENDS, AND THEY WENT DOOR-TO-DOOR, SHE STOPPED IN EVERY NEIGHBORHOOD, AND SHE WON, AND SHE WILL WIN AGAIN THAT WAY.

>> WHAT DO YOU HOPE THAT YOUNG PEOPLE TAKE AWAY FROM THIS?

BECAUSE WHETHER THEY ARE YOUNG PEOPLE OF LATIN ROOTS OR NOT, WHAT DO YOU WANT THEM TO REMEMBER FROM THIS?

>> WELL, MY DNA CHANGED IMMEDIATELY.

FROM FEELING SO SMALL IN CLASS IN SCHOOL, WHEN ALL THE LITERATURE WAS WHITE PEOPLE, ALL THE GENIUSES IN THE WORLD WERE WHITE, EVERYTHING WAS WHITE-IFIED, AND TO LEARN WE HAD THESE INCREDIBLE EMPIRES AND CULTURE AND CONTRIBUTIONS TO THE MAKING OF AMERICA, AND THEY'RE NOT IN HISTORY TEXTBOOKS.

YOUNG PEOPLE SEE THIS AND WILL BE CHANGED FOREVER AND WILL FEEL THAT THEY CAN BE GREAT, THAT THEY CAN ACHIEVE GREATNESS, BECAUSE THEY COME FROM GREATNESS.

>> JOHN LEGUIZAMO, THANK YOU SO MUCH FOR YOUR TIME.

YOU ARE THE HOST OF "THE UNTOLD HISTORY OF LATINOS," THANK YOU.

>> THANK YOU SO MUCH, THANK YOU.

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