>>> HELLO EVERYONE AND WELCOME TO "AMANPOUR & COMPANY", HERE'S WHAT'S COMING UP.

>> TRUMP TOUCHES DOWN IN TOKYO, WITH TRADE AND SECURITY TOP OF THE AGENDA.

WE WILL HAVE THE DETAILS ON WHAT TO EXPECT FROM THE SECOND LEG OF THE PRESIDENT ASIA TOUR.

>>> I'VE ALWAYS HAD A GREAT RELATIONSHIP WITH VLADIMIR PUTIN BUT THIS HAS BEEN DISAPPOINTING.

>> USN RUSSIA RELATIONS GET ICY AS MOSCOW TEST IT'S NOT -- NUCLEAR MISSILES I ASKED JULIAN SMITH, HOW THE WEST SHOULD REACT AND WE DISCUSSED UKRAINE'S ONGOING FIGHT FOR SURVIVAL.

>>> PUBLIC SCHOOLS, WHICH ARE THE FOUNDATION OF OUR DEMOCRACY ARE IN ROUGH SHAPE.

>> A PORTRAIT OF POVERTY IN AMERICA.

JOURNALIST BETH MacY SPEAKS TO WALTER ISAACSON ABOUT "PAPER GIRL", HER NEW MEMOIR DOCUMENTING THE DECLINE OF HER OHIO HOMETOWN.

>>> "AMANPOUR & COMPANY" IS MADE POSSIBLE BY THE ANDERSON FAMILY ENDOWMENT, JIM ATWOOD AND LESLIE WILLIAMS, CANDACE KING WE ARE, THE SYLVIA A AND SIMON B PROGRAMMING ENDOWMENT TO FIGHT ANTI-SEMITISM.

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>> WELCOME TO THE PROGRAM EVERYONE.

PRESIDENT TRUMP IS HALFWAY THROUGH A WHIRLWIND WEEK OF DIPLOMACY IN ASIA THAT HAS SO FAR SEEN HIM STRIKE DEALS WITH FOUR SOUTHEAST ASIAN COME -- COUNTRIES DURING HIS VISIT.

HE'S ON HIS SECOND STOP, WASHINGTON'S CRUCIAL REGIONAL ALLY, JAPAN.

FOLLOWING A WARM ROYAL WELCOME FROM THE EMPEROR, TRUMP WILL NEED --MEET WITH THE NEWLY REELECTED PRIME MINISTER WHO WILL LOOK TO SET A POSITIVE TONE FOR FUTURE RELATIONS AND HER FIRST BIG TEST AS LEADER.

BUT SHE MUST CONTEND WITH A CHALLENGING BACKDROP, THE U.S.

HAS ALREADY WON A BIG INVESTMENT PLACE FROM HER DEBT FILLED IT NATION IN EXCHANGE FOR RESPITE OVER CRIPPLING TARIFFS.

THIS AHEAD OF TRUMP'S EXPECTED MEETING WITH XI JINPING ON THURSDAY IN SOUTH KOREA.

JOINING ME TO DIG INTO ALL THIS IS DAVID SANGER, CORRESPONDENT FOR THE NEW YORK TIMES.

SO, THE ECONOMIST HAVE CALLED THIS ONE OF THE MOST IMPORTANT WEEKS FOR TRUMP, HE'S GOING FROM MALAYSIA TO JAPAN AND CULMINATING IN SOUTH KOREA WITH PRESIDENT XI, DO YOU AGREE WITH THAT ASSESSMENT, WHAT REALLY IS AT STAKE?

>> I THINK IT'S HIGH-STAKES, BUT I DON'T THINK IT'S HIGH- STAKES NECESSARILY FOR THE REASONS THAT THEY WILL BE TALKING ABOUT THE MOST THE PRESIDENT IS FOCUSED ON TRADE AND TARIFFS, AND OBVIOUSLY, THOSE ARE IMPORTANT TO THEM, YOU MENTIONED AT THE OPENING, THAT THE JAPANESE PASSED TO DO YOU --DO A DEAL WHERE THEY AGREED TO SPEND $550 BILLION TARIFFS, AND NOW THEY ARE IN THE SITUATION WHERE THE PRESIDENT HIMSELF MAY BE DECIDING WHERE THE MONEY GOES INSTEAD OF THE JAPANESE POLITICIANS.

THAT'S A HARD THING TO EXPLAIN IN JAPAN.

BUT THE CENTRAL ISSUE THROUGHOUT THE REGION IS TRYING TO CONTAIN CHINA'S GROWING POWER, THE SOUTH CHINA SEA, ITS CLAIM ON LANDS IN THE PHILIPPINES, OBVIOUSLY, TAIWAN, AND THE PRESIDENT HAS VERY LITTLE OF THAT ON THE AGENDA.

HE HAS SPOKEN BARELY AT ALL ABOUT IT, BECAUSE HE IS SO FOCUSED ON THE TRADE DEAL, WHICH IS FINE, BUT ONLY ONE ELEMENT OF THE BROAD MILITARY AND TECHNICAL AND FINANCIAL COMPETITIVENESS WITH CHINA.

>> BEFORE WE GET TO CHINA, I WANT TO STAY IN JAPAN FOR JUST A MOMENT, AS WE HAVE THE MEETING TOMORROW BETWEEN PRESIDENT TRUMP AND THE FIRST FEMALE TRIMESTER IN THE COUNTRY, IN THEIR HISTORY, AND THESE TWO HAVE NOT MET IN THE PAST, THIS WILL BE THE FIRST MEETING, THEY DON'T HAVE A SHARED HISTORY, EXCEPT THAT THIS IS A CONSERVATIVE PRIME MINISTER AND SHE WAS CLOSELY ALIGNED WITH THE FORMER PRIME MINISTER, WHO WAS ASSASSINATED IN ARGUABLY THE CLOSEST CONTACT TO FOR LEADER OF PRESIDENT TRUMP DURING HIS FIRST TERM AND YOUR NEWSPAPER, SHE'S SEEN AS JAPAN'S BEST SHOT AT BUILDING CHEMISTRY WITH MR.

TRUMP AND WARDING OFF HIS PUNISHING INSTINCTS.

SHE ALREADY WALKED IN WITH A LAUNDRY LIST OF TO DO ITEMS, $550 BILLION FUND, WHICH, I WOULD IMAGINE, SHE IS TRYING TO AT LEAST PUT IN HER VOICE AS TO HOW THE FUND WILL BE ALLOCATED HERE IN THE UNITED STATES.

AS WELL AS TRYING TO NEGOTIATE SOME SORT OF TARIFF DEAL, THAT WOULD NOT BE AS CRIPPLING AND PUNISHING AS THOSE INITIAL FIGURES WERE.

>> SO, SHE'S GOT SOME THINGS GOING FOR HER.

OBVIOUSLY, SHE WAS A MENTEE OF PRIME MINISTER SHINZO ABE, AND THAT ALREADY PUT HER IN GOOD STEAD WITH THE PRESIDENT.

I THINK THERE'S A CHANCE THAT SHE COULD DEVELOP A KIND OF RELATIONSHIP THAT SAY PRIME MINISTER MALONEY HAS OF ITALY, WITH THE PRESIDENT WHICH IS TO SAY THAT THEY SHARE A VIEW OF THE WORLD THAT PRESIDENT TRUMP CAN EMBRACE.

I THINK WHAT SHE'S GOT GOING AGAINST HER IS THAT FROM HIS DAYS AS A REAL ESTATE DEVELOPER, THE PRESIDENT HAS HAD ISSUES WITH JAPAN THAT BASICALLY ARE A BIT OUTDATED, BASED ON AN ERROR, IN THE LATE 80s AND EARLY 90s, WHEN THE FEAR WAS THAT JAPAN WAS GOING TO OVERTAKE THE UNITED STATES KNEW THE AREA WELL, I WAS THE BUREAU CHIEF FOR THE TIMES IN TOKYO IN THE EARLY 90s, AND I COVERED THAT PERIOD OF TIME.

I THINK THE PRESIDENT HAS BEEN SLOW IN MAKING THE SHIFT TO UNDERSTANDING JAPAN AS SORT OF AN AIRCRAFT CARRIER IN THE MIDDLE OF THE PACIFIC.

IT'S REFERRED TO, THEY CAN BE CENTRAL TO THE CHINA STRATEGY, AND YOU KNOW, THE PRESIDENT DOESN'T DO ALLIANCES REALLY WELL.

AND I THINK THAT'S PROBABLY THE AREA WHERE HE COULD MAKE THE MOST PROGRESS.

>> RIGHT, WE SHOULD NOTE THAT JAPAN IS BOOSTING ITS DEFENSE SPENDING OF 2% OF GDP.

TRYING TO CATER TO PRESIDENT TRUMP AS WELL AND ESTABLISH CLOSER RELATIONS BETWEEN THE TWO.

LET'S MOVE ON NOW TO CHINA, AND THIS ANTICIPATED MEETING BETWEEN PRESIDENT XI AND PRESIDENT TRUMP, OVER THE WEEKEND, THE TREASURY SECRETARY FRAMEWORK DEAL THAT WOULD DEFER AN ANNOUNCEMENT THAT REALLY NOT ONLY SHOCK THE UNITED STATES, I WOULD SAY SHOCKED THE WORLD, WHEN CHINA THREATENED TO INSTITUTE AN EXPORT CONTROL ON ALL OF THEIR RARE EARTH MINERALS.

NOW, THAT APPEARS TO BE DELAYED, AT LEAST FOR ANOTHER YEAR.

THEY MAY BE RENEWING U.S.

SOYBEAN PURCHASES, U.S.

TARIFFS WITH THEN GO DOWN.

WHAT KIND OF A DEAL IS THIS?

IS THIS SOMETHING SIGNIFICANT THAT YOU THINK THE UNITED STATES CAN WORK WITH, GOING FORWARD, OR IS THIS JUST A STOPGAP?

>> THIS IS A DEAL TO BUY TIME.

SO, ON THE SOYBEAN ELEMENT OF IT, I MEAN THE PRESIDENT IS RESOLVING A CRISIS THAT THE PRESIDENT HELPED CREATE WITH HIS OWN TARIFFS, AND HE DID THE TARIFFS, THE CHINESE TURNED AROUND AND CUT OFF THE SOYBEAN PRODUCTION.

SOYBEAN FARMERS WENT TO THE WHITE HOUSE AND SAID THEY'RE THE WORLD, IF THEY ARE NOT BUYING OUR STUFF, THE U.S.

GOVERNMENT WILL HAVE TO STEP IN AND SAVE THE SOYBEAN FARMERS AT A COST OF BILLIONS OF DOLLARS, SO OF COURSE, THE PRESIDENT HAS TO RESOLVE THIS AND THE CHINESE KNOW IT.

ON THE RARE EARTHS, WHO STARTED THIS KIND OF TECHNIQUE?

IT WAS THE UNITED STATES, WHEN, FOR MANY GOOD REASONS, IT CUT OFF THE CHINESE FROM OUR MOST ADVANCED SEMICONDUCTORS AND FROM THE EQUIPMENT PRODUCED LARGELY IN EUROPE TO PRODUCE THOSE SEMI CONDUCTORS.

SO THE CHINESE LOOKED AROUND AND SAID WHAT ARE THE AMERICANS NEEDING THAT WE HAVE, AND THE ANSWER WAS, THESE RARE EARTHS, NEEDED IN AUTOMOBILES, BATTERIES, NEEDED IN DEFENSE PRODUCTS, THEY CUT IT OFF AND THE PRESIDENT THEN, OF COURSE, YOU KNOW, WENT AND DECLARED NEW TARIFFS AND SO FORTH, SO, WHAT HE'S DOING IS UNDOING THE BLOWUPS THAT HE HAD EARLIER IN HIS, THE PAST FEW MONTHS.

NOW THE QUESTION IS, DOES ANY OF THAT AMOUNT TO A REAL RESOLUTION?

I THINK THE PRESIDENT HAS RECOGNIZE THAT WHEN YOU GET INTO A WAR OF CUTTING OFF VITAL SUPPLIES WITH THE CHINESE, THE CHINESE USUALLY CAN WIN THAT ONE.

>> IT'S NOT JUST THE U.S.

THAT WOULD BE IMPACTED FROM AN EXPORT CONTROL FROM CHINA, CUTTING OFF ACCESS TO RARE EARTH MINERALS, AND WE SAW THE SHOCK FROM AROUND THE WORLD, AND I'M WONDERING, SOME ANALYSTS HAVE SAID THAT XI JINPING MAY HAVE OVERPLAYED HIS HAND, IF HE WAS TRYING TO BUILD CHINA UP ESPECIALLY IN TRUMPET 2.0, AS THE MORE STABLE, RELIABLE TRADE PARTNER AS OPPOSED TO WHAT MANY HAVE DESCRIBED AS MORE ERRATIC PRESIDENT TRUMP AND A RELATIONSHIP WITH THE UNITED STATES, DID HE, UNINTENTIONALLY PERHAPS, HURT HIMSELF AND THE POSITION HE WAS PUTTING HIS COUNTRY IN?

>> WELL, HE CERTAINLY WAS SHOWING THAT HE COULD CUT OFF IT BEFORE, HE DID IT TO JAPAN ABOUT A DECADE AGO WHEN THEY GOT INTO A DISPUTE OVER TERRITORY AND THE ARREST OF SOME CHINESE FISHERMEN AND SO FORTH, AND HE CUT JAPAN OFF FOR A LITTLE WHILE AND ENDED UP GETTING THE JAPANESE TO BACK DOWN.

SO HE RECOGNIZES THIS IS ENORMOUSLY POWERFUL, CHINA CONTROLS ABOUT 80 TO 85% OF THESE RARE EARTHS, NOT ONLY BECAUSE THEY'VE GOT THE MATERIAL, BUT BECAUSE THEY HAVE THE REFINING CAPABILITY THERE.

AND WE DON'T.

SO, PRESIDENT TRUMP HAS A LONG WAY TO GO BEFORE HE CAN COMBAT THAT ISSUE.

THE BEST THING THE CHINESE HAVE GOING FOR THEM RIGHT NOW, IS THE PRESIDENT PICKING FIGHTS WITH CANADA AND THE EUROPEAN UNION, AND OTHERS, WHO, PREVIOUSLY HAD A LINE WITH THE UNITED STATES ON A CONTAINED CHINA STRATEGY AND YOU ARE NOW RETHINKING THAT BECAUSE THEY RECOGNIZE IF THEY CAN'T TRUST THE U.S., THEN, TRUSTING THE CHINESE WHILE NOT IDEAL, IS AT LEAST -- >> WE ARE TRYING TO --STARTING TO SEE TRENDS WHERE U.S.

ALLIES ARE TRYING TO CIRCUMVENT THE UNITED STATES AND DEAL WITH THEIR OWN RELATIONSHIPS AND ALLIANCES BECAUSE OF THE QUESTION OF U.S.

COMMITMENT.

I WANT TO ASK ABOUT SOMETHING ELSE DONALD TRUMP SAID OVER THE WEEKEND BECAUSE HE TOLD REPORTERS HE EXPECTS A DEAL ON EVERYTHING FROM SOYBEANS, MAYBE EVEN NUCLEAR, MAYBE EVEN HE SAID, DE-ESCALATION WITH VLADIMIR PUTIN.

HERE'S WHAT HE SAID.

>> WE WILL MAKE A DEAL ON EVERYTHING, I THINK WE ARE GOING TO MAKE A DEAL ON SOYBEANS AND THE FARMERS, I THINK WE ARE GOING TO MAKE A DEAL ON MAYBE EVEN NUCLEAR, YOU KNOW, PRESIDENT PUTIN AND HIS CALL MENTIONED TO ME ABOUT NUCLEAR, WHERE WE DO A DE- ESCALATION, AND I'M FINE WITH THAT.

I THINK IT'S GOOD.

I THINK IT'S AN APPROPRIATE >> AND JUST TODAY, RUSSIA TESTED A NUCLEAR POWER MISSILE.

ON THE ISSUE OF CHINA, AND ITS ROLE IN SUPPORTING RUSSIA IN ITS WAR IN UKRAINE, PRESIDENT TRUMP ALSO SAID THAT PERHAPS THIS IS AN ISSUE THAT HE CAN RAISE WITH XI JINPING, DO YOU THINK HE WILL AND YOU THINK IT WILL BE PERHAPS AN EFFECTIVE CONVERSATION, AND NOW 3 1/2 YEARS INTO THIS WAR, FINALLY PUTTING ON PRESSURE AND NOT JUST INDIA OR OTHER COUNTRIES THAT WE'VE INTRODUCED SANCTIONS FOR BUYING RUSSIAN OIL?

>> SO, BIANNA, THE MOST INTERESTING GEOPOLITICAL DEVELOPMENT IN THE PAST FOUR OR FIVE YEARS, TO MY MIND, HAS BEEN THE COMING TOGETHER OF RUSSIA AND CHINA AND TO A LESSER DEGREE, IRAN, AND NORTH KOREA, AND NOT IN AN ALLIANCE BUT A PRETTY EFFECTIVE PARTNERSHIP.

AND YOU SAW THAT IN THE CELEBRATIONS FOR THE END OF WORLD WAR II, THAT WERE HELD IN BEIJING, WHERE YOU SAW BEIJING, YOU SAW THE IRANIANS, AND NORTH KOREANS THERE, AS WELL.

AND THE QUESTION IS, CAN THE PRESIDENT FIND A WAY TO INSERT HIMSELF TO SEPARATE CHINA FROM RUSSIA AND THESE OTHER AUTHORITARIAN STATES, AND SO FAR, I HAVEN'T SEEN A CONCERTED STRATEGY TO GO AND DO THAT.

THE CHINESE DO NOT WANT RUSSIA TO LOSE THE UKRAINE WAR.

AND THEY ARE PROVIDING THEM WITH TECHNOLOGY, AND I THINK THEY WILL PROBABLY CONTINUE TO PROVIDE THEM WITH THAT.

THEY LIKE BUYING THE OIL THAT THEY ARE GETTING FROM AN GAS THEY ARE GETTING BUT MOSTLY OIL, FROM THE RUSSIANS, AT LOW COST.

AND WHILE I THINK THEY MAY CUT BACK FOR A BIT, I DON'T THINK THEY'RE GOING TO COMPLETELY CUT THEM OFF, SO, THE ISSUE THAT THE PRESIDENT FACES IS IN SOME WAYS THE ISSUE THAT KISSINGER AND NIXON FACED IN THE LATE 60s AND EARLY 70s, WHICH IS, HOW DO AND CHINA FROM COMING TOGETHER TO EXPLOIT THEIR OWN DIFFERENCES, AND WE HAVE NOT HEARD THE PRESIDENT EXPRESS THAT STRATEGY YET.

MAYBE, HE CAN BEGIN TO NEGOTIATE ON NUCLEAR WEAPONS ISSUES, THE CHINESE HAVE THE FASTEST GROWING NUCLEAR ARSENAL ON EARTH RIGHT NOW, BUT I'M NOT SURE IF I WAS THE CHINESE, THAT I WOULD TAKE MY FOOT OFF THE PEDAL UNTIL THEY HAVE MATCHED WITH THE U.S.

AND RUSSIA HAVE.

>> DO YOU THINK, THOUGH, THAT IF HE WANTED TO, PRESIDENT TRUMP COULD EFFECTIVELY PRESSURE CHINA WITH PERHAPS ADDITIONAL TARIFFS, I DON'T KNOW WHAT OTHER MEASURES THAT WOULD MAKE IT CLEAR TO HIM THAT IT'S NOT IN HIS INTEREST TO CONTINUE TO SUPPORT RUSSIA, THE WAY THEY HAVE BEEN, THUS FAR?

>> I'M NOT SURE THAT PRESIDENT SHE CAN BE PRESSURED, PARTICULARLY ON THIS ISSUE.

I THINK HE MAY BACK OFF TACTICALLY FOR A BIT.

BUT LET'S FACE IT, THE REASON THAT PRESIDENT SHE AND PRESIDENT PUTIN HAVE DEVELOPED THIS RELATIONSHIP, THEY HAVE MET MORE THAN 70 TIMES, SINCE THE TWO OF THEM WERE, YOU KNOW, IN LEADERSHIP POSITIONS.

XI CAME IN, NOW 15 YEARS AGO NOW, AND THE REASON THEY HAVE COME TOGETHER IS, THEY WANT TO DESIGN AN ALTERNATIVE SYSTEM TO THE AMERICAN DOMINATION OF THE WESTERN TRADING SYSTEMS AND THAT WESTERN ALLIANCES.

AND THEY KNOW THEY ARE MORE POWERFUL DOING THAT TOGETHER.

DOES THAT MEAN THEY COMPLETELY TRUST EACH OTHER?

NO.

ARE THERE DIVISIONS WE CAN EXPLOIT?

CERTAINLY, THERE ARE.

BUT, YOU KNOW, THE PRESIDENT, PRESIDENT TRUMP'S LIVES IN A WORLD WHERE HE THINKS EVERYBODY WILL ACT ONLY IN THEIR ECONOMIC INTEREST, THAT IF YOU THREATEN SANCTIONS, THREATEN CUT OFF OF MARKETS, THAT'S GOING TO CHANGE BEHAVIOR.

WELL, IT DIDN'T STOP VLADIMIR PUTIN FROM TAKING UKRAINE, EVEN THERE WOULD BE SANCTIONS.

IT HASN'T STOPPED THE CHINESE FROM EXPANDING THEIR CLAIMS IN THE SOUTH CHINA SEA AND THE PHILIPPINES, IN THREATENING TAIWAN.

SOMETIMES, THERE ARE NATIONAL INTERESTS THAT OUTWEIGH YOUR ECONOMIC GAINS.

>> SO PERHAPS THIS FRIENDSHIP FOR LIFE BETWEEN RUSSIA AND CHINA, WILL LIVE TO SEE ANOTHER DAY -- >> AT LEAST FOR NOW.

>> AT LEAST FOR NOW.

DAVID, GOOD TO SEE YOU, THANK YOU.

>> WONDERFUL TO SEE YOU, THANKS FOR HAVING ME.

>>> NEXT TO RUSSIA, WHICH HAS TESTED ITS FIRST NUCLEAR POWERED MISSILE AND IS PREPARING TO DEPLOY IT, SO SAYS PRESIDENT PUTIN IN A SHOW OF STRENGTH AGAINST PRESIDENT TRUMP WHO SCRAPPED A SUMMIT WITH HIM AND OPPOSED DIRECT SANCTIONS ON HIM FOR THE FIRST TIME IN HIS SECOND TERM.

THE KREMLIN IS ACCELERATING ITS OFFENSIVE IN UKRAINE IN A BID TO MAXIMIZE LEVERAGE AHEAD OF ANY NEGOTIATIONS AND KYIV IS STRIKING BACK, INCLUDING A WIDE REACHING DRONE ATTACK OVERNIGHT.

STRUGGLING TO BROKER A PEACE DEAL, TRUMP IS HOPING THAT HIS VISIT TO ASIA COULD PROVIDE AN OPENING, TAKE A LISTEN.

>> I WOULD LOVE CHINA TO HELP US OUT WITH RUSSIA, VERY BIG SANCTIONS ON RUSSIA, I THINK THE SANCTIONS WILL BE, THEY ARE VERY BITING, VERY STRONG BUT I WOULD LIKE TO SEE CHINA HELP US OUT.

I HAVE A GOOD RELATIONSHIP WITH AS YOU KNOW, PRESIDENT XI, WE WILL BE MEETING, WE WILL HAVE A GOOD MEETING, I'M SURE WE WILL HAVE A GREAT MEETING, MAYBE A GREAT MEETING.

>> OUR NEXT GUEST HAS HER OWN IDEAS ABOUT HOW WE SHOULD RESPOND.

JULIANNE SMITH SERVED AS PRESIDENT BIDEN'S AMBASSADOR, YOUR PIECE GOES ON TO SAY AMERICA MUST LINK ITS ATLANTIC AND PACIFIC STRATEGIES.

I WANT TO FIRST GET YOU TO RESPOND TO THE NEWS THAT I JUST DISCUSSED WITH DAVID SANGER, THE WEEKEND, SAID THEY COULD POSSIBLY TALK ABOUT NUCLEAR WEAPONS BETWEEN HE AND PRESIDENT XI AND EVEN PRESIDENT PUTIN AT SOME UPCOMING MEETING AND HOW WE KNOW RUSSIA HAS TESTED THE MISSILE, PRESENTING IT AS A DIRECT THREAT TO BOTH THE U.S., UKRAINE AND THE WEST.

HOW SERIOUSLY FIRST OF ALL SHOULD NATO BE VIEWING THIS ANNOUNCEMENT?

>> WELL, NO DOUBT, THIS WAS THE BIG HEADLINE OF THE DAY, OVER AT THE NATO ALLIANCE, THIS ALLIANCE, MONITORS VERY CLOSELY ALL OF THE ACTIVITIES IN RUSSIA, AS IT RELATES TO THEIR STRATEGIC FORCES.

THIS ALLIANCE WAS DESIGNED 75 YEARS AGO TO DEFEND NATO TERRITORY AGAINST SOVIET AND NOW RUSSIAN AGGRESSION.

SO I SUSPECT THEY PROBABLY WERE IN AN EMERGENCY SESSION, IF THEY DIDN'T ALREADY HAVE A NORTH ATLANTIC COUNCIL MEETING SCHEDULED, AND THIS WILL BE A TOPIC FOR THE ALLIANCE, NO DOUBT, IN THE WEEKS AHEAD, TO THINK THROUGH ANY ADDITIONAL IMPLICATIONS FOR NATO DETERRENTS, WHETHER OR NOT POSTURE NEEDS TO BE MOVED FURTHER INTO EASTERN EUROPE, WHAT MORE THE UNITED STATES AND THE OTHER NUCLEAR POWERS IN THE ALLIANCE CAN DO TOGETHER.

>> WE'VE SEEN ALMOST DAILY, INCURSIONS BY RUSSIA SORT OF TESTING THE STRENGTH AND UNITY OF THAT NATO ALLIANCE, WE SPENT QUITE A FEW WEEKS COVERING IT RECENTLY, CLEARLY, NO ACCIDENT, FROM RUSSIA REALLY TRYING TO TEST HOW FAR IT COULD STRIKE INTO NATO TERRITORY.

I'M JUST WONDERING, FROM YOUR ASSESSMENT NOW, YOU ARE NO LONGER IN THAT ROLE, HOW IS THE ALLIANCE HOLDING UP?

>> THE ALLIANCE IS IN GREAT SHAPE, CONSIDERING THAT IT'S 75 YEARS OLD.

OF COURSE, WE HAVE THE NEW COMMITMENT BY ALL ALLIES, TO SPEND 5% OF THEIR GDP ON DEFENSE, THAT IS A MAJOR STEP THE ALLIES.

NATO CONTINUES TO ENHANCE ITS DETERRENCE, IT CONTINUES TO SUPPORT OUR FRIENDS IN UKRAINE, BUT I WILL TELL YOU THIS, WHEN IT COMES TO THOSE GRAY ZONES OR HYBRID CHALLENGES, LIKE THE DRONES FLYING INTO POLISH AIRSPACE, OR AN UNDERSEA CABLE BEING CUT, OR, EVEN THOSE RUSSIAN JETS THAT FLEW INTO ESTONIA A COUPLE OF WEEKS AGO, THOSE DO OCCASIONALLY PRESENT DILEMMAS FOR THE ALLIANCE, BECAUSE IT'S LESS CLEAR WHICH TOOLS THE ALLIES SHOULD BE USING AND WHETHER OR NOT NATO'S ARTICLE 5 COMMITMENT, AN ATTACK ON ONE IS AN ATTACK ON ALL, ACTUALLY APPLIES TO SOME OF THE SITUATIONS, SO, THE ALLIANCE IS BUILDING OUT A TOOLKIT TO COPE WITH THESE TYPES OF RAY'S OWN CHALLENGES.

IT'S GETTING STRONGER TO DEFEND ITSELF FOR EXAMPLE, AGAINST CYBER SECURITY ATTACKS, BUT RUSSIA LIKES TO USE THESE TYPES OF TACTICS.

TACTICS.

IT'S A LITTLE CLOUDIER, AND THEY BELIEVE THAT THEY CAN DRIVE A WEDGE RIGHT THROUGH THE ALLIANCE.

TO DATE, NATO UNITY IS STILL STRONG, IT'S RESOLVE IS STRONG, I KNOW THAT, I TALK REGULARLY TO OUR ALLIES, BUT THE GRAY ZONE TACTICS, I'M AFRAID, ARE GOING TO KEEP COMING FROM MOSCOW.

>> AND THAT HAS LED PRESIDENT TRUMP FOR THE FIRST TIME SINCE HE'S RETURNED TO OFFICE TO SANCTION RUSSIA'S OIL INDUSTRY AND UNLIKE THE SANCTIONS WE SAW ON OIL COMPANIES IN THE BIDEN ADMINISTRATION, WHICH I THINK SANCTION THE THIRD AND FOURTH LARGEST COMPANY'S, PRESIDENT TRUMP WENT AFTER THE TWO LARGEST AND THAT LED THE ECONOMIC ENVOY FROM RUSSIA TO TRAVEL HERE TO WASHINGTON, D.C.

FOR TALKS.

HOW MEANINGFUL WAS THAT SANCTION FROM PRESIDENT TRUMP, IN YOUR VIEW?

AND HOW DO YOU THINK RUSSIA HAS RESPONDED, INTERNALLY TO THE NEW THREAT?

>> I THINK ABSOLUTELY CRITICAL TO GETTING PUTIN'S ATTENTION.

I DO NOT BELIEVE THAT THE SUMMIT IN ALASKA REALLY TRIGGERED ANY CONCRETE ACTIONS ON THE PART OF THE RUSSIANS.

I THINK PRESIDENT PUTIN BELIEVED THAT HE COULD PLAY FOR TIME, AND AVOID MOVING TOWARD SOME SORT OF CEASE-FIRE, AS IT RELATES TO THE WAR IN UKRAINE, BUT THIS STEP, THE STEPS THAT THE TRUMP ADMINISTRATION HAS TAKEN, TO GO AFTER THOSE TWO VERY LARGE OIL AND GAS COMPANIES IN RUSSIA, WILL, I THINK SHOW THE RUSSIANS THAT NOW, THE UNITED STATES IS TAKING A DIFFERENT POSITION.

I WISH WE WOULD'VE HAD THIS POSITION MONTHS AGO BUT I'M GLAD TO SEE THE PRESIDENT APPLYING PRESSURE.

WE SHOULD HAVE APPLIED PRESSURE AT THE BEGINNING OF THE TRUMP ADMINISTRATION BUT HERE WE ARE, AND I THINK THE RUSSIA SENT SOMEONE IMMEDIATELY OVER TO START ENGAGING IN A CONVERSATION, THAT SIGNALS TO ME THAT PUTIN NOW KNOW --NOW KNOWS THAT HE DOES NOT HAVE THE UPPER HAND AND HE CAN'T PLAY AROUND ANYMORE AND TRY AND HAVE THESE SUMMITS, WITHOUT COMMITTING TO A TANGIBLE AND CONCRETE RESULT.

>> LET'S HEAR FROM THE ENVOY HIMSELF, AND WHAT HE SAID.

I BELIEVE THIS WAS AN INTERVIEW WITH CNN.

>> RUSSIA REALLY WANTS NOT JUST TO CEASE-FIRE BUT THE FINAL SOLUTION TO THE CONFLICT AND PRESIDENT TRUMP MADE THE TRUTH POST ABOUT THIS BECAUSE CEASE- FIRE CAN ALWAYS BE BROKEN, IT'S A TEMPORARY SOLUTION.

MANY PEOPLE CAN USE IT TO DO ALL SORTS OF REARMAMENT AND I BELIEVE RUSSIA AND THE US AND UKRAINE ACTUALLY ARE CLOSE TO A DIPLOMATIC SOLUTION.

IT'S A BIG MOVE BY PRESIDENT ZELENSKYY TO ACKNOWLEDGE THAT IT'S ABOUT BATTLE LINES, YOU KNOW HIS PREVIOUS POSITION WAS COMPLETELY, SO I THINK WE ARE REASONABLY CLOSE TO A DIPLOMATIC SOLUTION THAT CAN BE WORKED OUT.

>> ARE THESE JUST NICE WORDS MEANT TO CATER TO A RECEPTIVE WHITE HOUSE LOOKING TO HEAR THIS THAT RUSSIA IS EAGER NOW TO TALK AND ALSO SPEAKING TO CNN, AN AMERICAN AUDIENCE OR DO YOU THINK THERE IS SOMETHING MORE SUBSTANTIAL THIS TIME AROUND?

>> I WILL BELIEVE THEY ARE SERIOUS ABOUT AN END TO THE WAR IN UKRAINE WHEN WE HEAR IT DIRECTLY FROM PRESIDENT PUTIN.

IT'S GREAT THAT THEY SENT SOMEONE OVER, AND I THINK THAT DOES SIGNAL THAT WE HAVE CAPTURE THEIR ATTENTION AND THEIR UNDERSTANDING THAT THE WHITE HOUSE IS SHIFTING ITS POSITION ON THIS ENTIRE WAR, BUT WE REALLY NEED TO HEAR DIRECTLY FROM PRESIDENT PUTIN THAT HE IS READY TO TALK IN CONCRETE TERMS ABOUT A CEASE- FIRE IN UKRAINE.

THIS IS A WAR THAT RUSSIA STARTED, THEY COULD STOP IT TODAY IF THEY SO DESIRED, SO, I WILL TAKE IT SERIOUSLY WHEN WE HEAR DIRECTLY FROM PUTIN, ABOUT WHAT HE IS ACTUALLY WILLING TO DO TO END THE WAR.

>> WE SHOULD NOTE, PRESIDENT ZELENSKYY WELCOMED THESE NEW SANCTIONS FROM THE TRUMP ADMINISTRATION, BUT ALSO WENT ON TO SAY THAT UKRAINE CONTINUES TO NEED LONG-RANGE WEAPONS AND MISSILES, ESPECIALLY AS THE WINTER MONTHS ARE QUICKLY APPROACHING.

IT'S INTERESTING, INNER PEACE, YOU BRING UP EXACTLY A YEAR AGO, WHERE A GROUP OF SOUTH KOREAN INTELLIGENCE OFFICIALS WARNED NATO OFFICIALS OF SOMETHING THEY WERE SHOCKED TO SEE, AND THAT WAS NORTH KOREA, ENTERING THE WAR, AND ITS SUPPORT FOR RUSSIA, BY SENDING IN ITS OWN TROOPS TO THE BATTLE.

THIS HAS BEEN NOW A YEAR THAT WE'VE BEEN REPORTING ON THIS NEW ALLIANCE BETWEEN NORTH KOREA AND RUSSIA, WE SPENT A LOT OF TIME TALKING ABOUT CHINA AS WELL, AND IRAN, A YEAR OUT, DO YOU THINK THE UNITED STATES HAS, I WOULD SAY, RESPONDED AGGRESSIVELY ENOUGH TO THIS NEW DYNAMIC ON THE PLAYING FIELD?

>> NO, I DON'T BELIEVE SO.

I DO BELIEVE, AS YOU HEARD PRIOR, YOUR PRIOR GUEST, DAVID SANGER, TALK ABOUT THIS, THAT THE EVOLVING RELATIONSHIP BETWEEN CHINA AND RUSSIA AND INCREASINGLY, NORTH KOREA AND IRAN AS WELL, IS SOMETHING THAT SHOULD CONCERN ALL OF US, AND SHOULD CERTAINLY CONCERN THE CURRENT U.S.

ADMINISTRATION.

THIS IS A RELATIONSHIP THAT IS TAKING SHAPE ACROSS MULTIPLE VECTORS.

WE SEE THESE FOUR COUNTRIES COOPERATING, NOT JUST IN UKRAINE, BUT THEY OFTEN PAIR -- PARENT EACH OTHER'S MESSAGES, THEY SEND OUT THE SAME DISINFORMATION.

THEY USE THE SAME HYBRID OR GRAY ZONE TACTICS.

THEY ARE LOOKING AT CYBER ATTACKS AGAINST THE WEST, AGAINST COUNTRIES IN NORTH AMERICA, EUROPE, AND FRIENDS IN THE INDO PACIFIC.

SO AS THOSE FOUR COUNTRIES ARE ASSEMBLING THEIR TEAM ON THE FIELD, WE NEED TO ASSEMBLE OUR OWN TEAM OF DEMOCRATIC ALLIES.

WE NEED TO WORK CLOSER WITH OUR FRIENDS IN EUROPE AND THE ENDO PACIFIC.

THIS IS SOMETHING THE BIDEN ADMINISTRATION SPENT QUITE A BIT OF TIME ON AS NATO AMBASSADOR, I WORKED QUITE A BIT TO BRING OUR PARTNERS INTO THE ALLIANCE TO WORK HAND IN GLOVE WITH US ON A VARIETY OF CHALLENGES.

AND THE RELATIONSHIP WAS REALLY IN THE PROCESS OF DEEPENING IN SOME VERY CONSTRUCTIVE WAYS.

AS YOU NOTED, IT WAS SOUTH KOREA THAT CAME INTO THE ALLIANCE AND BRIEFED US ON THE NORTH KOREAN SOLDIERS THAT WERE SHOWING UP IN RUSSIA, TO FIGHT IN UKRAINE, BUT I GET THE SENSE THAT THIS ADMINISTRATION WOULD RATHER HAVE OUR ALLIES FOCUS ON THEIR OWN REGIONS, EUROPE DOES EUROPE, ENDO PACIFIC FOCUSES ON THEIR CHALLENGES IN THEIR THE UNITED STATES LOOKS AT THE WESTERN HEMISPHERE.

I THINK THIS IS SHORTSIGHTED.

I WOULD LIKE TO SEE THE ADMINISTRATION DO MORE TO BRING DEMOCRATIC ALLIES TOGETHER, SO THAT WE CAN FORTIFY OUR DEFENSES AGAINST SOME OF WHAT THESE FOUR COUNTRIES ARE THROWING AT US.

THAT'S THE BEST WAY TO PROCEED AND THAT IS THE WAY THAT WE CAN DEFEND ANYTHING THAT THOSE FOUR COUNTRIES WILL DO IN MULTIPLE THEATERS AT ONCE, USING MULTIPLE DOMAINS.

>> YOUR PIECE SAYS THE U.S.

IS FOCUSED ON MAINTAINING ORDER, DEFENDING THE HOMELAND AND LIMITING COMMITMENTS ABROAD AND YOU GO ON TO ARGUE THAT THE U.S.

MUST LINK ITS ATLANTIC AND PACIFIC STRATEGIES BECAUSE ASIA AND EUROPE ARE NO LONGER SEPARATE THEATERS RIGHT NOW.

SO GIVEN THAT, HOW PREPARED ARE THE U.S.

ALLIES AND THE ALLIANCES RIGHT NOW, FOR A MULTI-THEATER WAR?

>> IT WAS INTERESTING, INITIALLY, DURING THE LAST COUPLE OF YEARS, WE WERE THE ONES, WE, THE UNITED STATES, WE WERE ENCOURAGING OUR FRIENDS IN EUROPE TO SIT DOWN WITH OUR ALLIES IN THE INDO-PACIFIC AND LOOK FOR WAYS TO WORK TOGETHER.

I DO THINK AT THIS POINT, THOUGH, WE SEE A SITUATION WHERE EUROPEANS AND OUR FRIENDS IN THE INDO-PACIFIC ACTUALLY NO LONGER NEED A NUDGE FROM THE UNITED STATES.

WE ARE SEEING SOME REALLY INTERESTING DEVELOPMENTS, WHERE COUNTRIES IN EUROPE AND ASIA ARE REACHING OUT AND WORKING IN SOME WAYS, AROUND THE UNITED STATES.

I'LL GIVE YOU ONE EXAMPLE.

THERE IS NOW A PUSH, BY ITALY AND THE UNITED KINGDOM AND JAPAN, TO WORK ON CREATING A SIX GENERATION FIGHTER WITHOUT THE UNITED STATES, WITHOUT OUR TECHNOLOGY, OUR INNOVATION, AND NO DOUBT, IF THEY WERE TO CREATE SUCH A FIGHTER, THAT WOULD BE IN COMPETITION WITH SOME OF THE FIGHTER JETS THAT WE PRODUCE HERE IN THE UNITED STATES.

SO, ASSUMING THAT MANY OF THESE PRIVATE SECTOR, OR ACROSS GOVERNMENT RELATIONSHIPS, CONTINUE, I THINK IT'S IN THE BEST INTEREST TO HELP SHAPE THESE RELATIONSHIPS, GUIDE THEM AND ENSURE THAT AMERICAN INNOVATION CAN BE BROUGHT INTO THE PICTURE BUT ALSO TO THE EXTENT THAT THEY ARE SETTING NORMS OR FIRST PRINCIPLES, ABOUT AI OR EMERGING TECH, WE CAN BE AT THE TABLE AS WELL.

I DON'T ALWAYS LOVE THE IMAGE OF OUR FRIENDS AROUND THE WORLD CREATING NEW WEBS OF PARTNERSHIPS WITHOUT THE UNITED STATES AT THE TABLE.

I THINK IT'S IMPORTANT THAT WE ARE PRESENT AND WE HELP GUIDE THOSE EFFORTS.

>> YOU HAVE WARNED THAT ALLIED MUNITION SHORTFALLS COULD LEAVE US VULNERABLE IN ANY SORT OF SIMULTANEOUS CONFLICT.

I'M WONDERING FROM THE ALLIES PERSPECTIVE HERE, MAYBE EVEN FROM WHAT YOU'RE HEARING FROM SOURCES IN RUSSIA AND CHINA, HOW THEY ARE VIEWING THE U.S.

NEW POLICY AND SHIFT TO THE CARIBBEAN AND NARCO CARTELS AND VOLATILE THERE, PERHAPS, SENDING MORE FIGHTER JETS AND CARRIERS TO THE REGION, AS THERE ARE CONCERNS OF PERHAPS EVEN RESIST -- REGIME CHANGES, POSSIBLY, WHAT HAS THE REACTION BEEN IN EUROPE AND ASIA?

>> A COUPLE OF THINGS, FIRST AND FOREMOST, OUR FRIENDS AROUND THE WORLD WHETHER YOU ARE TALKING ABOUT JAPAN OR GERMANY, MANY OF OUR ALLIES AROUND THE WORLD ARE INCREASING THEIR DEFENSE BUDGETS AND THAT'S GREAT, BECAUSE THEY DO NEED TO TAKE MORE RESPONSIBILITY FOR THEIR OWN SECURITY, BUT, THEY ALL APPRECIATE THE SECURITY AND DEFENSE RELATIONSHIPS THAT THEY HAVE WITH THE UNITED STATES, WHETHER THEY ARE HOSTING U.S.

TROOPS ON THEIR SOIL, OR THEY JUST HAVE A GREAT RELATIONSHIP WITH US, THROUGH THE NATO ALLIANCE OR BILATERALLY, WITH THE UNITED STATES.

THEY WANT THOSE DEFENSE THEY BELIEVE IT'S IN THEIR INTEREST AND OUR INTEREST TO KEEP LOCKING ARMS AND WORK IN THE AREA OF SECURITY AND DEFENSE, BUT WHEN THEY SEE THIS HEIGHTENED FOCUS IN THE UNITED STATES ON THE WESTERN HEMISPHERE, CERTAINLY, THEY DON'T FEEL LIKE THEY ARE IN A POSITION TO DICTATE WHERE WE APPLY OUR RESOURCES AND OUR TROOPS BUT THEY WANT TO MAKE SURE THAT THOSE EFFORTS IN THE WESTERN HEMISPHERE DON'T COME AT THE EXPENSE OF OUR IMPORTANT RELATIONSHIPS AROUND THE WORLD, PARTICULARLY, AS CHINA AND RUSSIA DEEPEN THEIR MILITARY RELATIONSHIPS AND ARE SOMETIMES FOUND NOW OPERATING IN TANDEM.

>> I WANT TO ASK ABOUT A DEBATE THAT'S AS OLD AS THE WAR IN UKRAINE AND THAT IS, WHAT TO DO WITH THE 300+ BILLION DOLLARS IN FROZEN RUSSIAN ASSETS, THERE HAVE BEEN MORE OF A PUSH TO USE THAT MONEY TO HELP FUND THE WAR IN UKRAINE RIGHT NOW, AND IT APPEARS THAT AT LEAST, FOR BELGIUM, WHICH IS HOLDING THIS MONEY, THAT THERE'S LEGAL PREVENTING THEM FROM GREEN LIGHTING THIS.

IF THIS WERE TO HAPPEN, HOW BIG OF A GAME CHANGER DO YOU THINK THIS WOULD BE, AND WHAT WOULD IT TAKE FOR THIS MONEY TO BE UNFROZEN?

>> THIS WOULD BE A HUGE SHIFT, AND GIVE UKRAINE A TREMENDOUS AMOUNT OF RESOURCES THAT THEY DESPERATELY NEED, UNFORTUNATELY, THE U.S.

IS NOT PROVIDING THE BULK OF ASSISTANCE TO UKRAINE RIGHT NOW, WHETHER YOU ARE TALKING ABOUT ECONOMIC, HUMANITARIAN, OR SECURITY ASSISTANCE, AND THAT PUTS ENORMOUS PRESSURE ON THE 50 OR SO COUNTRIES THAT CONTINUE TO DO SO.

UKRAINE IS GOING INTO A TOUGH WINTER.

IT HAS SOME CHALLENGES ON THE BATTLEFIELD, IT HAS SOME MOBILIZATION CHALLENGES, BUT IT ALSO NEEDS MORE EQUIPMENT, MOST IMPORTANTLY, AND IT NEEDS RESOURCES TO KEEP THE GOVERNMENT RUNNING AND KEEP THE DOUBT BE A VERY, VERY TOUGH WINTER, WHERE THE RUSSIANS WILL TRY TO PLUNGE UKRAINE AS THEY ALWAYS DO, INTO DARKNESS AND INTO THE COLD.

SO I WAS HOPEFUL THAT WHEN THE EUROPEAN LEADERS MET IN RECENT DAYS THAT THEY WOULD FINALLY TAKE THE DECISION TO MOVE FORWARD WITH SOME SORT OF ADDITIONAL LOAN OR UNFREEZE THE ASSETS TO GET THOSE TO THE UKRAINIANS AND UNFORTUNATELY, THAT'S NOT THE CASE.

IT'S DELICATE FOR THE PRIME MINISTER BELGIUM, HE'S IN THE MIDDLE OF TOUGH NEGOTIATIONS AT HOME ON THEIR OWN BUDGET, SO, I DO HOPE THE NEXT TIME LEADERS MEET, THAT THEY CAN GET THIS DONE, IT'S CRITICAL.

>> WE WILL BE FOLLOWING ANY DEVELOPMENTS ON THAT FRONT AS WELL.

REALLY PROVOCATIVE PIECE, I ENCOURAGE EVERYONE TO READ IT.

THANK YOU SO MUCH FOR JOINING THE SHOW.

>>> WE TURN NOW TO POLARIZATION IN AMERICA, WHICH IS EXPLORED IN A NEW MEMOIR BY AUTHOR AND JOURNALIST BETH MacY, AND HEARD COUNT OF HER BONO, OHIO, SHE INVESTIGATES RADICALIZATION AND THE STRUGGLING EDUCATION SYSTEM IN RURAL AMERICA, SHE JOINS THE DIVISIONS HAVE BEEN STOKED OVER THE LAST DECADE.

>> THANK YOU.

BETH MacY, WELCOME BACK TO THE SHOW.

>> THANKS, WALTER.

>> YOUR NEW BOOK IS CALLED "PAPER GIRL", LET'S START WITH THE OBVIOUS QUESTION, WHAT DID YOU LEARN FROM BEING A PAPER GIRL BACK IN URBANA.

>> WELL YOU CAN'T CALL IN SICK BECAUSE THEY GET REALLY MAD WHEN THEIR PAPER DOESN'T SHOW UP, SO WORK ETHIC, AND ALSO, I SAY IT WAS GREAT TRAINING GROUND FOR BEING A REPORTER BECAUSE YOU HAD TO DEAL WITH ALL KINDS OF PEOPLE AND YOU HAD TO NEGOTIATE WHEN PEOPLE DIDN'T WANT TO PAY YOU, ON COLLECTION DAY, AND, JUST GREAT SKILLS ALL THE WAY AROUND.

>> YOU TALK ABOUT THE SKILLS AND THAT'S IN THE BOOK, YOU TALK A LOT ABOUT EDUCATION BUT YOU SAY EDUCATION ISN'T JUST ABOUT LEARNING KNOWLEDGE, IT'S ABOUT LEARNING THE SOCIAL SKILLS.

IS THAT WHAT WE ARE FAILING TO LIKE YOU WRITE ABOUT?

>> MY FIRST CALL TO A SCHOOL COUNSELOR 40 YEARS AFTER I LEFT THE SCHOOL, WHEN I SAID, WHAT IS THE BIGGEST CHALLENGE TODAY WITH GETTING KIDS COLLEGE READY OR WORKFORCE READY, SHE TELLS ME, IT'S THEY DON'T KNOW HOW TO HUMAN, I SAID, WHAT DO YOU MEAN?

THEY DON'T HAVE THE SOCIAL SKILLS, THEY DON'T KNOW THE BASIC SKILLS THAT I LEARNED FROM DELIVERING THE PAPER EVERY AFTERNOON, SO, I THOUGHT I WAS GOING TO WRITE A STORY ABOUT, AND I DID, ABOUT HOW WE DON'T HAVE THE STRUCTURE IN PLACE TO ALLOW POOR KIDS TO GO TO COLLEGE WHICH ESSENTIALLY SAVED MY LIFE, BUT AFTER SPENDING TWO YEARS IN URBANA, IT'S MORE A STORY ABOUT HOW OUR K-12 SCHOOLS ARE DECLINING SUCH THAT PEOPLE ARE DROPPING OUT, NOT SHOWING UP, THERE'S A HUGE ATTENDANCE PROBLEM, PARTICULARLY AFTER COVID, AND OUR PUBLIC SCHOOLS, WHICH ARE THE FOUNDATION OF OUR DEMOCRACY, ARE IN REALLY ROUGH SHAPE.

REPORTER AND THE BOOK CHRONICLES THE FACT THAT LOCAL JOURNALISM HAS DECLINED.

IS THAT RELATED TO THE FACT THAT PEOPLE IN YOUR FAMILY, PEOPLE IN YOUR TOWN, THEY DON'T HAVE THEIR HAIR ON FIRE ABOUT ISSUES INTERNATIONAL -- >> I TELL THE STORY ABOUT MY BROTHER-IN-LAW, JOHN, WHO BECAME VERY POLITICIZED STARTING OFF WITH RUSH LIMBAUGH AND FOX, AND IN THE MID TEENS SAID HEY JOHN, HOW ARE YOU DOING KAS I ONLY VISITED ONCE OR TWICE AND HE SAID, DEPLORABLE!

AND HE WANTS TO IMMEDIATELY START, YOU KNOW, DEBATING ME AND MY SISTER WOULD HAVE TO INTERVENE AND SAY WE DISCUSSED THIS, JOHN, NO POLITICS, AND YET, WHEN I'M STARTING TO WORK ON DOPE SICK, IT COMES OUT IN 2018, IT'S POSSIBLE FOR JOHN TO GO TO THE LIBRARY AND HAVE SOMEBODY OVERDOSE IN THE STALL NEXT TO HIM AND HE HAS NO IDEA THAT THERE'S A HEROIN EPIDEMIC, BECAUSE THE STORIES AREN'T EVEN BEING COVERED IN HIS LOCAL NEWS AND THE FACT-BASED INSTITUTIONS THAT MANY OF US RELY ON ARE NOW BEHIND A PAY WALL.

HE IS GETTING WHAT HE GETS FREE WITH HIS CABLE PACKAGE AND IS NOT READING THE LOCAL NEWS BECAUSE IT'S JUST A TINY, THIN, SHADOW OF ITS FORMER SELF AND HE IS HEARING EVERYTHING FROM BASICALLY OPINION WRITERS AND SPEAKERS WHO ARE SHOUTING AT HIM AND STIRRING UP HIS CENTRAL NERVOUS SYSTEM AND MAKING HIM ADDICTED TO VARIOUS ALGORITHMS.

>> BUT YOU SAY IN SOME WAYS HE'S OUT OF TOUCH BUT IS IT ALL SO THAT ALL LOT OF THE MEDIA GOT TOTALLY OUT OF TOUCH, TOO?

>> ABSOLUTELY, THANK YOU FOR POINTING THAT OUT.

YOU KNOW, WHEN'S THE LAST TIME YOU SAW A NATIONAL REPORTER REALLY EMBED IN A TOWN LIKE URBANA, OHIO, IT DOESN'T EXIST.

MOST OF OUR NEWS IS MANUFACTURED IN CITIES, LIKE WASHINGTON, NEW YORK CITY YOU KNOW, IT TOOK ME YEARS TO CONVINCE MY PUBLISHERS TO LET ME WRITE "DOPESICK" BECAUSE THEY DIDN'T SEE IT AS AN ISSUE THAT WAS HAPPENING IN NEW YORK CITY, I'M LIKE NO, WE'VE GOT A TERRIBLE HEROIN PROBLEM, IT'S BREAKING OUT IN OUR SUBURBS, IN OUR WEALTHY COMMUNITIES, AND THEY THOUGHT, ROANOKE, VIRGINIA, WAS JUST LATE GETTING IT.

SO, IF YOU DON'T TRAVEL IN THESE PLACES WHICH MANY PEOPLE DON'T, THEY ALL LIVE IN SILOS, YOU MIGHT NOT KNOW, AND GOING BACK TO MY FIRST BOOK WHICH CAME OUT IN 2014 WHICH WAS A STORY ABOUT THE AFTERMATH OF GLOBALIZATION, I MEAN, I REALLY THINK OF THOSE THREE BOOKS AS A KIND OF TRILOGY AND I WAS SEEING ALL OF THESE THINGS, YOU KNOW, AS EARLY AS 2012, BUT IT WAS HARD TO GET THE GATEKEEPERS TO PAY ATTENTION TO THEM.

>> ONE OF THE THINGS THAT STRUCK ME WHEN YOU TALK ABOUT EDUCATION IS THAT PEOPLE, KIDS ARE NOT GOING TO SCHOOL IN GREAT NUMBERS, AND THEY ARE NOT SHOWING UP, WHEN DID THAT START AND WHY?

>> IT STARTS BEFORE COVID BUT REALLY GETS EXACERBATED IN 2020, WITH COVID.

AND ONE OF THE MAIN PEOPLE I FOLLOW IS A WOMAN NAMED RICK PERRY WHO IS THE SCHOOL ATTENDANCE OFFICER AND SHE PUTS SOMETHING LIKE 150,000 MILES ON HER CAR EVERY YEAR TRAVERSING THE COUNTY, PICKING UP KIDS WHOSE PARENTS WON'T SEND THEM TO SCHOOL AND ONE OF THE GREAT SHOTS WAS HOW MANY FAMILIES WERE QUOTE, HOMESCHOOLING, NOT SAYING THEY ARE ALL NOT LEGITIMATE HOMESCHOOLING BUT BECAUSE HOMESCHOOLING IN THE STATE OF OHIO HAS BEEN DEREGULATED AND YOU NO LONGER HAVE TO HAVE TEACHERS SIGN OFF ON LESSON PLANS, THIS WAS A NEW LAW ENACTED BY THE STATE LEGISLATURE A COUPLE OF YEARS AGO, IT'S POSSIBLE NOW FOR A PARENT WHO JUST DOESN'T WANT TO GET UP IN THE MORNING, PERHAPS DOESN'T HAVE THE CAPACITY TO GET UP, SEND THEIR KIDS TO SCHOOL TO PULL THEIR KIDS OUT FROM SCHOOL, TO AVOID TRUANCY CHARGES AND SAY THEY ARE HOMESCHOOLED.

SO THAT WAS AN UNINTENDED CONSEQUENCE OF THAT LAW, I WOULD SAY, AND IT WAS REALLY SHOCKING TO SHADOW BROOKE PERRY AND TO JUST SEE THE LEVEL OF TRAUMA THAT SHE SEES ON A DAILY BASIS.

PEOPLE SEEKING DOGS AT HER, ASSAULTING HER, TEENAGERS, ASSAULTING HER.

IT REALLY BROUGHT THE MENTAL HEALTH CRISIS INTERVIEW.

>> ANOTHER ASPECT OF THE EDUCATION CRISIS, IS, PEOPLE NOT BEING ABLE TO SEAMLESSLY GO TO COLLEGE OR COMMUNITY COLLEGE, USING PELL GRANTS, AND OTHER THINGS.

IS THAT SOMETHING THAT WE COULD >> YES!

IF WE INVEST IN PEOPLE AND NOT CORPORATIONS AND BILLIONAIRES.

SO, WHEN I WENT TO COLLEGE IN 1982, I WENT TO A STATE COLLEGE, IT COST ABOUT 2+ GRAND A YEAR, THE PELL GRANT COVERED MY TUITION, ROOM AND BOARD, MY BOOKS, GAVE ME WORK-STUDY JOBS SO I COULD HAVE PIZZA AND BEER LIKE EVERYBODY ELSE.

TODAY THAT SAME STUDENT, I FOLLOW A YOUNG MAN NAMED CYRUS, HE COULD GO TO A FOUR-YEAR COLLEGE BECAUSE IT WOULD ONLY COVER 30%.

SO HIS MENTOR, HIS BAND DIRECTOR, HIS TEACHER, TALKS HIM INTO DOING A WELDING PROGRAM AT A COMMUNITY COLLEGE.

HE GETS FULL SCHOLARSHIPS FOR IT, AND HE DOESN'T REALLY UNDERSTAND THE MONEY, IT'S RURAL AMERICA, SO IF YOU LIVE IN A CITY YOU MAY NOT KNOW WE DON'T HAVE A BUS THAT GOES FROM URBANA TO MARYSVILLE TO SPRINGFIELD TO GET CYRUS TO HIS CLASSES AT THE COMMUNITY COLLEGE AND THE KID GOES THROUGH FIVE CLUNKER CARS IN THE COURSE OF A 10 MONTH PROGRAM.

FOUR FULL-TIME JOBS, I DIDN'T HAVE TO WORK FULL-TIME, AND THE FAMILY WITH SO MUCH TRAUMA AND DRAG ON HIS PSYCHE.

AND BY GOLLY, THE KID MAKES IT, AND IT'S A GREAT STORY, IT'S A STORY OF RESILIENCE, AND WHEN I SHARED THE STAGE WITH HIM JUST ABOUT 10 DAYS AGO, FOR THE LAUNCH OF THE BOOK I SAID CYRUS, WHAT MAKES YOU SO RESILIENT?

AND HE SAID I DIDN'T HAVE A FAMILY I COULD RELY ON SO I CREATED MY OWN COME OUT OF TEACHERS, COUNSELORS, IT'S THE SCHOOL.

HE'S GOING TO BE A GREAT SUCCESS ONE DAY, BUT WITHOUT A HARDIER EDUCATION SYSTEM, HE'S A UNICORN.

>> LET'S TALK ABOUT THIS KID, CYRUS, WAS ONE OF THE MAIN CHARACTERS IN THE BOOK AND IN SOME WAYS YOU SAID HE WAS THE COUNTERPART TO YOU, YOU WERE BOTH IN THE BAND, THAT SORT OF THING, TELL ME ABOUT HIS STORY, HOW YOU FOUND HIM AND WHY YOU MADE HIM THE CENTRAL CHARACTER.

>> WHEN I FIRST STARTED GOING HOME, I WOULD TALK TO TEACHERS AND COUNSELORS AND THE PRESENT BAND DIRECTOR BECAUSE I WAS LOOKING FOR A YOUNG ME, THAT WOULD HELP ME ILLUSTRATE THIS DATA THAT I WAS FINDING.

AND, THEY ALL SUGGESTED CYRUS JAMES, IS A SMALL TOWN, THEY ALL KNOW IN AND THEY ALL HELPED HIM.

THE MARCHING BAND, I WAS PRESIDENT OF THE BAND MY SENIOR YEAR, IS REALLY WHAT KEPT ME OUT OF JAIL, KEPT ME OUT OF TROUBLE, AND A GREAT AFFINITY FROM A BAND DIRECTOR WHO HAS LONG SINCE PASSED AWAY AND I SAW CYRUS HAD THAT WITH MR.

STAFF, WHO HE HAS HIM ENTERED IN HIS PHONE AS, DAD, I HAD ONE STABLE PARENT, CYRUS HAD ZERO, FOR A TIME HE LIVED WITH A CAREGIVER WHO MOLESTED HIM IN HIS EARLY TEENS WHILE HIS MOM WAS IN PRISON FOR DRUG RELATED CHARGES AND HIS DAD WAS ON HIS WAY TO AN OVERDOSE DEATH.

SO, HE REALLY NEEDED THE SUPPORT OF THESE FOLKS.

AND, YOU KNOW, WHEN I MET HIM, STORY REALLY ILLUSTRATES ALL THE DATA THEM FINDING ON THE GROUND.

>> THERE'S A SENTENCE IN YOUR BOOK THAT HIT ME AS I THINK YOU WOULD HAVE EXPECTED, IT'S, MY FAMILY HAD ONCE BEEN PROUD OF ME, SO WALK ME THROUGH THE FAMILY SAGA AND WHY YOU WOULD WRITE THAT SENTENCE?

>> WELL, I WAS THE FIRST PERSON IN THE FAMILY TO GO TO COLLEGE, I WAS THE MIDLIFE ACCIDENT.

AND THE ONLY ONE TO REALLY MOVE OUT OF STATE, AND WE ARE PRETTY DIFFERENT AND WHEN I STARTED ACHIEVING SOME SUCCESSES IN JOURNALISM, THEY WERE VERY PROUD OF ME BUT IN THE TEENS, DURING TRUMP'S FIRST TERM, YOU KNOW, MY BROTHER, WHO WAS MY CLOSEST IN AGE AND WE HAVE BEEN PRETTY CLOSE WITH, HE WOULD COME SEE MY KID WHEN THEY WERE IN PLAYS, UNFRIENDED ME ON FACEBOOK BECAUSE OF QUOTE, ALL THE LIBERAL CRAP YOU POST, AND I'M PRETTY CAREFUL ABOUT WHAT I POST, I POST FACT CHECKED ARTICLES TYPICALLY FROM THE NEW YORK TIMES OR THE WASHINGTON POST, INCLUDING SOME OF MY OWN ARTICLES, AND TO SORT OF HAVE MY BROTHER YOU KNOW, MALIGN MY PROFESSION, HAVE MY FRIENDS MALIGNED MY PROFESSION AND SAY THEY HATE THE MEDIA I SAID WELL YOU STILL LOVE ME, RIGHT?

YEAH, OF COURSE I LOVE YOU, WELL I'M THE MEDIA, TO AND WHEN I WRITE A PIECE FOR THE NEW YORK TIMES, THEY WILL ASSIGN SOME IVY LEAGUE GRADUATE WHO WILL SPEND THREE DAYS ON IT, MAKING SURE THAT MY OPINIONS ARE BASED ON REAL DATA, AND YOU KNOW, SHE CAME BACK TO ME WITH, WELL WHO FACT CHECKS THE FACT CHECKERS?

IT REALLY, ANGRY IN A WAY THAT I HADN'T SEEN BEFORE BUT SHE LATER APOLOGIZED, BUT AT SOME POINT, WE HAVE TO BE WE BELIEVE, AND, YOU KNOW, I WAS JUST AGAIN, REALLY SHOCKED AT THE LEVEL OF CONSPIRACY THEORIES, JUST RUNNING ROUGHSHOD OVER MY COMMUNITY.

>> THAT NOTION OF CONSPIRACY THEORIES, DONE IN THE RECESSES OF THE INTERNET, ALSO PLAYS AN TO YOUR EX-BOYFRIEND, BILL, WHO YOU DECIDED TO CALL OUT OF THE BLUE, I GUESS, FOR THE SAKE OF THE BOOK.

TELL ME ABOUT THAT STORY.

>> IT WAS DEFINITELY FOR THE BOOK, WALTER, I WASN'T TRYING TO GET BACK WITH MY EX- BOYFRIEND, NO, HE WAS ONCE THE MOST LIBERAL PERSON I KNEW, AND WE DATED LIKE FOR A YEAR IN 1985 OR SO, AND HE WAS A JOURNALIST, AND AS HE DESCRIBED IT, AND NPR TOTEBAG, PBS TOTEBAG CARRYING LIBERAL AND A MY EVENTS WHEN I WOULD TALK ABOUT MY OTHER BOOKS IN OHIO SAID, WOW, YOU WOULDN'T BELIEVE BILL, HE'S GONE FROM BERNIE, TO JILL STEIN, TO TRUMP, TOO, HE'S EVEN GONE FROM TRUMP.

I TEXTED HIM OUT OF THE BLUE, I SAID I WRITE BOOKS NOW I'M DOING THIS BOOK ON POLARIZATION AND I WOULD LOVE TO TALK TO YOU ABOUT YOUR SHIFT IN ATTITUDE SO WE SET UP, I MUST HAVE 10 HOURS OF RECORDINGS AND OVER THE COURSE OF A YEAR AND A HALF, I SAW HIM GET ANGRIER AND ANGRIER, AND UNTIL FINALLY, HE EMERGES AS THE SPOKESPERSON FOR THE ANTI-HAITIAN CONTINGENCY IN SPRINGFIELD, OHIO, IN THE LEAD UP TO THE 24 ELECTION WHERE VANCE AND TRUMP SAYS THEY ARE EATING THE PETS, THEY ARE EATING THE DOGS AND THERE HE IS ON PBS NEWS HOUR AND THERE HE IS, ALL OVER THE NEWS, THE FRONT PAGE OF THE SPRINGFIELD PAPER, AND HE IS LEADING RALLIES, AND HE'S HOSTING THINGS ON TWITTER OR X, ABOUT, THE GREAT REPLACEMENT THEORY, AND IN FEBRUARY, I HAD FINISHED THE BOOK, BUT I HAD TO REWRITE SOME OF THE END BECAUSE HE DIDN'T BELIEVE IN OBAMACARE, HE WAS 61 WHEN I FIRST MET HIM AGAIN, HE DIDN'T HAVE HEALTH INSURANCE BECAUSE HE THOUGHT IT WAS A RACKET ON THE MIDDLE CLASS, AND IN FEBRUARY, HE GETS PNEUMONIA, AND HE WAITS TOO LONG TO GO TO THE HOSPITAL, AND HE DIES, AND WHEN I TALKED TO HIS DAUGHTER, SOME WEEKS LATER, SHE BASICALLY DESCRIBED THE SAME THING THAT BILL HAD DESCRIBED ABOUT HOW HE FELT THE DEMOCRATS HAD TURNED ON HIM AND HIS COMMUNITY TURNED ON HIM, WHEN HE WOULDN'T VOTE FOR HILLARY CLINTON, AND HE FOUND HIS COMMUNITY ON THE INTERNET INSTEAD.

HE WOULD WATCH AT THE HEIGHT OF THIS WHEN I FIRST MET HIM, HE WAS WATCHING HIS NEWS FROM WELL- KNOWN RUSSIAN PROPAGANDA SO ANGRY, AND HIS DAUGHTER SAYS THE INTERNET KILLED MY DAD.

>> YOUR BROTHER, TIM, IS AMONG THOSE WHO UNFRIENDED YOU ON FACEBOOK, BUT ONE OF THE NICE THINGS ABOUT THIS BOOK IS THAT YOU FINALLY HAVE A RECONCILIATION WITH HIM, AND SOMEWAYS THAT'S A METAPHOR WITH HOW WE CAN SOLVE SOME OF THESE GRANDER PROBLEMS, TELL ME ABOUT THAT.

>> THANKS FOR UNDERSTANDING THAT.

WE HAVEN'T SPOKEN IN A COUPLE OF YEARS, BECAUSE I WAS GOING BACK REGULARLY, I WOULD SPEND, FOR TWO YEARS I WOULD SPEND ABOUT A WEEK TO A MONTH IN URBANA AND I WOULD VISIT WITH MY FAMILY AND INTERVIEW MY FRIENDS AND ALL THESE OTHER PEOPLE AND HIM AND I STARTED SPENDING TIME TOGETHER, AND EVERY BOOK EVENT I DO, PEOPLE SAY HOW ARE YOU GOING TO GET THROUGH THANKSGIVING AND I SAY YOU'VE GOT TO SPEND TIME PEOPLE AGAIN.

AND ONE OF THE THINGS IN YOUR FAMILY, YOU MIGHT DISAGREE ON POLITICS BUT WHAT ARE THE THINGS IN YOUR FAMILY THAT YOU REMEMBER FONDLY, THAT YOU ARE PROUD OF, AND WITH MY FAMILY, WE LOVE TO FISH, WE DIDN'T HAVE MONEY BUT WE COULD AFFORD TO LIKE GET OUR OWN NIGHTCRAWLERS AND GO OUT TO MUZZY'S LAKE AND GO FISHING AND THAT WAS SOMETHING WE DID.

SO A COUPLE OF YEARS AGO MY HUSBAND AND I BOUGHT THIS MODEST CABIN IN THE MOUNTAINS AND TIM LOVES TO FISH SO WE STARTED SPENDING TIME TOGETHER AND STARTED HAVING THESE REALLY MOVING CONVERSATIONS, POLITICS RARELY FACTORS IN.

AT ONE POINT I HAVE A NONVETERAN I --NON-BINARY CHILD NAMED SASHA AND SASHA IS A PROFESSIONAL MUSEUM -- MUSICIAN AND TIM HEARD THE MUSIC AND REALLY LIKES IT, AND HE STARTS COMING TO SHOWS, AND HE SAYS, IN A VERY TENDER VOICE HE SAYS, TELL ME ABOUT SASHA, DO THEY STILL DATE GIRLS QUESTION MARK BECAUSE THEY ASK SUCH CURIOSITY, I INSTINCTIVELY SAID, YES, THEY ARE DATING A YOUNG WOMAN NOW AND I MESS UP THE PRONOUNS, TOO, SO MEETING RELATIVES WHO MAY NOT HAVE THE SAME EXPERIENCE WITH DIVERSITY THAT WE HAVE, MEETING THEM WITH GRACE, NOT JUST JUDGING THEM OR BLOWING UP, GOING 0 TO 60 LIKE I DID WITH SOME OF MY OTHER RELATIVES, YOU KNOW, THAT TAUGHT ME A LOT, AND TIM REALLY HELPS ME DO THAT AND AT ONE POINT HE BRINGS UP THE FACT THAT HE'S GOING TO VOTE FOR RFK, THIS IS BEFORE TRUMP WAS THE MAIN CANDIDATE, AND I JUST HELD MY TONGUE, I SAID IN MY HEAD, NOT MY CUP OF WORMS BUT I'M NOT GOING TO SAY ANYTHING BECAUSE I'M LOVING THIS MOMENT WITH MY BROTHER, AND WE GOT EACH OTHER BACK.

>> THANK YOU SO MUCH FOR JOINING US.

>> THANK YOU, WALTER.

>>> FINALLY, FRIES, LEGENDARY BALLERINA MISTY COPELAND WAS SHOWERED WITH APPLAUSE AND FLOWERS, THIS, AND SHE TOOK HER BALLET THEATRE.

COPELAND IS KNOWN AS A TRAILBLAZER IN THE INDUSTRY AFTER MAKING HISTORY AT 2015 AS THE FIRST BLACK FEMALE PRINCIPAL DANCER, SHE USED HER PLATFORM TO RAISE AWARENESS ABOUT THE LACK OF DIVERSITY IN THE BALLET COMMUNITY AND HIGHLIGHTS THE CHALLENGES FACED BY BLACK DANCES.

TAKE A LISTEN TO WHAT SHE TOLD MICHELLE MARTIN IN 2022 EMPHASIZING THE IMPORTANCE OF SPOTLIGHTING BLACK ARTISTS, PAST AND PRESENT.

>> SO MUCH A PART OF WHAT DREW ME TO BALLET, WAS, BEING A PART OF SOMETHING BIGGER THAN ME, BEING A PART OF AN INCREDIBLE HISTORY AND LINEAGE AND TRADITION, AND THEN, FINDING OUT THAT BLACK PEOPLE HAVE HAD A HUGE IMPACT ON THE BALLET COMMUNITY AND CULTURE FOR SO LONG, IT'S SO IMPORTANT FOR US TO KNOW OUR HISTORY AS BLACK PEOPLE, YOU KNOW, WE ARE SO OFTEN TURNED AWAY OR TOLD THAT WE DON'T BELONG IN CERTAIN SPACES, OR THAT IT'S NOT FOR US BECAUSE YOU DON'T KNOW YOUR HISTORY OR YOU DON'T SEE YOURSELF REFLECTED, AND OUR STORIES WERE OFTEN ERASED AND/OR NOT DOCUMENTED, AND THAT HAS BEEN THE CASE WITH SO MANY BLACK DANCERS AND BLACK WOMEN IN PARTICULAR, SO I FEEL THAT IT'S MY RESPONSIBILITY WITH THE REACH I HAVE, WITH THE PLATFORMS I HAVE, FOR PEOPLE TO HEAR ME AND TO SEE ME, FOR THEM TO KNOW THAT YES, I'M THE FIRST BLACK PRINCIPAL BALLERINA AT ABP BUT I'M BY NO MEANS THE FIRST LACK BALLERINA IN THE FIRST BLACK DANCER AND I WOULDN'T BE HERE WITHOUT ALL OF THE WORK OF SO MANY BLACK DANCERS THAT HAVE COME BEFORE ME.

>> THAT'S IT FOR THE PROGRAM, IF YOU WANT TO FIND OUT WHAT'S COMING ON THE SHOW EACH NIGHT, SIGN UP FOR OUR NEWSLETTER.

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

JOIN US AGAIN TOMORROW NIGHT.

>>> "AMANPOUR & COMPANY" IS MADE POSSIBLE BY THE ANDERSON FAMILY AND LESLIE WILLIAMS, CANDACE KING LEAR, SYLVIA A AND SIMON B POYTA PROGRAMMING ENDOWMENT, THE FAMILY FOUNDATION OF LAYLA AND MICKEY STRAUSS, THE FILAMENT D'AGOSTINO FOUNDATION,, CHARLES ROSENBLUM, MONIQUE WARSHAW, COMMITTED TO BRINGING --BRIDGING CULTURAL DIVERSITIES.

AND MY CONTRIBUTIONS TO OUR PBS STATION FROM VIEWERS LIKE YOU, THANK YOU.

>>> YOU ARE