PRESS CONFERENCE CONCERNING CONTROVERSY OVER BLACK ENGLISH OR EBONICS AS A LANGUAGE. 05:51:21 CU BLACK FOUNDER AND PRESIDENT OF THE BROTHERHOOD ORGANIZATION OF A NEW DESTINY JESSE PETERSON SPEAKING TO REPORTERS AND STATING THE PURPOSE OF THEIR ORGANIZATION AS REBUILDING A FAMILY BY REBUILDING A MAN. 05:51:49 PETERSON SAYS THIS IS A DARK DAY IN HISTORY, A DISGRACE TO BLACK AMERICANS ACROSS THE COUNTRY TO CALL EBONICS A LANGUAGE. IT IS IMPROPER SPEAKING. 05:52:21 PETERSON SAYS THAT ENGLISH MUST BE TAUGHT TO THE CHILDREN. SOCIAL PROGRAMS SHOULD BE TAKEN OUT OF THE SCHOOLS AND FOCUS SHOULD BE ON ACADEMICS. 05:52:50 PETERSON SPEAKS ABOUT BLACK LIBERAL POLITICIANS SUCH AS BARBARA BOUDREAUX AS BRAINWASHERS FOR THEIR OWN PERSONAL GAIN. 05:54:09 CU EZOLA FOSTER, AUTHOR, PUBLIC SCHOOL TEACHER, AND PRESIDENT OF AMERICAN FOR FAMILY VALUES TALKING AS AN EDUCATOR ABOUT EBONICS AND BILINGUALISM. 05:55:12 FOSTER SAYS THERE IS NO SUCH THING AS BLACK ENGLISH AND THAT IT IS INSULTING. 05:55:59 FOSTER COMMENTS THAT DIALECTS ARE REGIONAL NOT RACIAL, SO BLACK ENGLISH OR EBONICS IS NOT A DIALECT. 05:56:36 FOSTER SPEAKS ABOUT THE REAL REASON BEHIND THE PRO EBONICS AS A LANGUAGE PEOPLE, THAT OF MONEY. 05:57:39 FOSTER BELIEVES IN PROMOTING AN AMERICAN CULTURE AND THE CESSATION OF TALKING ABOUT THE AFRICAN CULTURE OF THESE BLACK AMERICAN STUDENTS. 05:57:52 FOSTER STATES THAT WE MUST GET OUT OF THIS SOCIAL ENGINEERING AND JUST TEACH ALL AMERICAN STUDENTS AS ONE. 05:58:14 CU ROXANNE PETTEWAY, DIRECTOR OF EDUCATION POLICY FOR THE COALITION ON URBAN AFFAIRS AND MEMBER OF PROJECT 21, EMPHASIZING THAT SHE IS AN AMERICAN, NOT AN AFRICAN AMERICAN. 05:59:32 PETTEWAY SPEAKS ABOUT THE FUNDING OF EBONICS TEACHING PROGRAMS. 06:03:09 Q&A SESSION. 06:08:08 BREAK. 06:08:23 VS OFFICIALS AT LOS ANGELES SCHOOL DISTRICT BOARD MEETING. 06:08:35 CU PRESIDENT JEFF HORTON. 06:08:54 CU SUPERINTENDENT SIDNEY A THOMPSON. 06:09:08 CU EMPTY SEAT FOR BOARD MEMBER BARBARA BOUDREAUX. 06:09:49 SLATE.

<p><b>***FULL INTERVIEW CAN BE DOWNLOADED HERE:***</b></p>\n<p></p>\n<p>https://f.io/5xmMKyaY</p>\n<p></p>\n<p><b>--SUPERS</b>--</p>\n<p>:40 </p>\n<p>Joumana Haddad</p>\n<p>Lebanese Author and Human Rights Activist </p>\n<p></p>\n<p>1:42</p>\n<p>Christiane Amanpour</p>\n<p>London </p>\n<p></p>\n<p><b>--LEAD IN</b>--</p>\n<p>THERE ARE SOME RARE GREEN SHOOTS of HOPE IN THE MIDDLE EAST TODAY (THURSDAY). </p>\n<p>AMERICAN ENVOYS, LIKE CIA DIRECTOR BILL BURNS IS IN THE REGION, MAKING ANOTHER PUSH FOR CEASEFIRES BETWEEN ISRAEL AND GAZA, WITH A DEAL TO END THE WAR IN LEBANON POTENTIALLY IMMINENT. </p>\n<p>IT COULDN'T COME SOON ENOUGH FOR CIVILIANS IN THE COUNTRY. </p>\n<p>THOUSANDS OF LEBANESE PEOPLE HAVE BEEN KILLED SINCE HEZBOLLAH AND ISRAEL BEGAN TRADING FIRE LAST YEAR, AND MORE THAN A MILLION HAVE BEEN DISPLACED. </p>\n<p>IN A RECENT PIECE FOR THE NEW YORK TIMES, THE LEBANESE JOURNALIST AND AUTHOR JOUMANA HADDAD SAYS, THIS SUFFERING IS NOTHING NEW, IN FACT THEY'VE BEEN FORCED TO ENDURE IT FOR DECADES. </p>\n<p>SHE JOINED CHRISTIANE AMANPOUR FROM BEIRUT. </p>\n<p></p>\n<p><b>**ATTENTION AFFILIATES: BELOW IS A ROUGH TRANSCRIPTION PROVIDED BY AN AUTOMATED SERVICE. THIS MAY NOT BE EXACT. PLEASE CHECK FOR ACCURACY BEFORE TAKING TO AIR.**</b></p>\n<p>Welcome to the program, Joumana. Thank you Christiane. Many thanks for having me. Well, we were so interested because you wrote this piece. I'm just gonna, you know, the title was, we took pride in our resilience, not anymore. And Lebanon has always been known as sort of the plucky nation that, that managed constantly to rise like a phoenix from all the. But you say I've witnessed so many wars and tragedies here that I sometimes feel 100 years old. So just let's start by you explaining why this one seemed so different and so much heavier than the last that you remember. Well, as you know, uh Christiane, the last five years in Lebanon have been hellish enough. We had a popular uprising that did not amount to the real change. We were hoping for, we had an economic collapse that led people to lose their life savings to banks. We had a port explosion that literally shattered most of our capital and a political stalemate that's been suffocating the country for years and in which I have to say Hezbollah was playing a huge role and this is only our recent history starting in 1975. We had a horrific civil war, a series of assassinations and explosions, several confrontations between Israel and Hezbollah. And I can tell you many of us Lebanese are thinking now, you've got to be kidding me. We thought we had reached the bottom of the pit already, but the pit seems to be bottomless. I mean, why can't we just live instead of surviving? I'm sure. I mean, Sisyphus at this point would, would say enough is enough. I'm not climbing up that mountain with the rock on my, on my shoulders again. Do you think? I mean, that sounds like you've all given up hope. You know, I just said, and the Americans and even the acting Prime Minister in Lebanon that potentially for your country, there is an imminent ceasefire in the works. Well, I mean, despite all the talk about a cease fire and a potential agreement, like you said, the bombing isn't stopping and there's a great deal of uncertainty about what's coming next. We already know the heavy price of war, but who knows what the price of a ceasefire will be? Who knows which deals are now being struck under the table at our expenses as Lebanese, certainly not us. And also I would like to say this, this is not a fight between good and evil, like both parties try to make it sound. This is a fight over power and influence in the Middle East. This is a fight meant to teach a lesson to put the opposite party in its place. A fight meant to prove who's got the strongest muscles. And, and instead of this fight happening fully on the lands of the two parties concerned. And I mean, Israel and Iran, it is mainly happening yet again on our land here in Lebanon. I mean, Israel and Iran are hitting each other so gently and precisely that you think they are lovers having an argument and most probably this is what they are. Uh Meanwhile, we are being arbitrarily destroyed, thousands of innocent people are slaughtered and millions displaced, forced to live in terror and insecurity. They are causing each other minor bruises while they are causing us full devastation. And I so want to tell them and many people as well, we are done being your sandbox or your playground, Jomana that is very impassioned and very colorful in terms of painting a picture of what you're feeling and what Lebanese civilians are feeling. Um, tell me a little bit about, you know, obviously the Israelis say that they're going after Hezbollah. But we know that areas, uh you know, hospitals are in some of the kill zone areas and they have been damaged and a lot of people have been killed, journalists have been killed. What are you seeing, I guess different maybe than the last time Israel was, was at war in your country. I mean, I believe that uh this time they are not uh, to, um, uh, uh, to stop, I mean, I, I really, I mean, we cannot afford the luxury of optimism and maybe this is where, uh, what I'm saying is coming from. But at the same time, I refuse to believe that there was no political alternative to this disaster that, that we are going through. I mean, Netanyahu keeps saying he wants to get rid of Iran's tentacles in the region, whether it's Hamas or Hezbollah or the Houthis. But why doesn't he cut the head of the octopus directly? Instead, I'm sure he knows that if he only cuts the tentacles, new tentacles will grow again later. So why does he spend days and weeks consulting on how to hit Iran? But when it comes to hit Lebanon, he's hitting savagely and without hesitation as for Khamenei, he has the nerve and the insolence to keep telling the Lebanese to resist, to go on, on fighting the big uh you know Satan that is Israel and the US. So basically he, he's telling us to keep dying for him and for Iran, why doesn't he fight them directly? Instead these are the questions that I'm hearing around me. Why doesn't he fight them for real? Instead of doing his laughable state? Its just to save face. Why doesn't he send his men to die? Why doesn't he tell his women and Children that it's OK to lose everything for the sake of the great cause I think they're all liars, hypocrites and criminals. Pardon my language. You, you, you're talking specifically about uh Ayatollah Ali Khamenei, who's the head of the Iranian regime. Um So I want to pick up on that because, you know, you don't often hear that what you're saying from, from civilians in, in, in that part of the world and you just expressed real frustration with Hezbollah just in a couple of answers before and you implicated them heavily in the disaster that's befallen your country. So you let me hear what it is, particularly that you're angry at Hezbollah about. Well, I mean, uh not to mention, first of all, they have held the state hostage for more than two decades now, this is, this is for one and uh they have dragged us into a war uh that is costing us too many innocent lives, too much destruction. Uh And I want to also responsibilies the Lebanese politicians because they also are responsible, they are completely ineffective. They have been ineffective and they have been caught in the quagmire of self interest for so many years now. Uh uh instead of prioritizing welfare and relief. Now, debates are often about power plays and political gains. I mean, Christiane, I'm so sad for my fellow countrymen and women, sad for those who are against Hezbollah because they are getting their supposedly break out from Hezbollah's violent grip uh through an even more violent entity and who knows what will be coming after Hezbollah anyway, if the Lebanese people and leaders don't get their shit together ASAP and unite to build a strong democratic state that wouldn't allow for similar militias to form and grow anymore. You know, monsters tend to procreate quite fast and their offspring turns out to be worse than they ever were. And on the other hand, I'm also sad for the Lebanese who have always been hard Hezbollah supporters because it doesn't seem like they have learned their lesson. They are still in full denial mode and they have also paid too high price for their allegiance to Iran via its proxy, Hezbollah. They have been brainwashed generation after generation with the use of religion. You know, the most efficient brainwash that ever existed to believe that life amounts to death and that they should just close their eyes and surrender blindly to whatever they were being told. They truly believe that they are waging a righteous and victorious fight. But if victory is, is more uh is, is just a million displaced, whole towns destroyed, thousands dead and injured, then honestly, I would choose defeat. This is not the price of war, this is the price of arrogance of the arrogance of Hezbollah, of the ideological extremism of Hezbollah, of the indifference towards the lives of innocents and considering human being mere wood for the fire. Not to mention the uh uh a criminal uh uh Zionist government that is waging an absolutely inhumane war on the Lebanese without any differentiation between those who are mere pawns in the game. Let me say just mere civilians who are innocent and those who are truly responsible for what we are going through. You. You're obviously referring to the Israeli government. I, I just wanna ask you something because, you know, you're so angry about the various different, as you said, factions in your country that have held you hostage and, and, and, and prevented you from, from real stability. You know, the Israeli government talks about reshaping the Middle East and what they're doing in Lebanon and, and all over is can only be to the benefit of the whole region. What would you say to that? I doubt that. I doubt that. Um I mean, uh if the war ends and I'm not sure about that, I'm really worried about what's going to happen on the inside in Lebanon because we will be left with a huge problem, how to deal with Hezbollah, how to really rebuild with a, I mean, let me say it a political corrupt elite that is actually doing nothing and has done nothing to build a really strong state. We are now paying the price of what this corrupt political elite has been doing for years. So uh this all this talk about reshaping the Middle East and uh and making Netanyahu sound like uh the Liberator of the Lebanese. Uh It makes me even more angry and frustrated. He is not a Liberator. He is a criminal. I repeat there should have been, there could have been a political solution to this problem to the problem in the region. But nobody wanted this. And let's not forget that war is also a lucrative business. It's very cynical. Politics are very cynical and many people are making money out of this. They are getting a financial gains, power gains and we have to admit it. We're not naive anymore. We know what's happening. I want to ask you because you personally, your family comes from a village in uh in southern Lebanon, it's called Yaroun and it has been incredibly hard hit and I think southern Lebanon, lots of parts of it are believed to be Hezbollah strongholds. Um We've got pictures of, you know, it's been reduced to clusters of gray craters according to, to Reuters and your father is buried there. Um According to his wishes, how do you know anything about what's happening to that village where you come from? Your family comes from? It almost doesn't exist anymore. It doesn't exist anymore and many other villages and towns are the same. Um Obviously, um I mean, there are, I'm not denying the fact that there are tunnels under those towns and that there are weapons hidden under civilians. I'm not saying that, but is this really the solution? I mean, Israel keeps saying that it's the only democracy in the Middle East. Is this how democracy works is this justice with this genocide, genocide after genocide? I mean, let me tell you something, uh something that I'm hearing a lot from people around me. Uh How many times can a person uh build uh and stand up ever after being knocked down again and again, it's, it's, I, I have to say it's unbelievable. It's un intolerable the times that we have like yo has been destroyed so many times before my father's village and people are always expected to rebuild. But how, how many times can you rebuild your home and your life and your dream and your ability to dream? Uh uh I know we have the reputation of being resilient. You mentioned that uh because I talked, spoke about it in my article. Uh And that's like a cat. Our country has many lives, but we are tired, tired to get up and get knocked down again and again, I can feel this exhaust all around me. Many people have already left the country, entire families, beloved sons and daughters, beloved grandsons and granddaughters. How many more it's like, again, we have to realize how much our geography in Lebanon is a curse to us. Jomana Haddad. Thank you so much for that visceral eyewitness experience and testimony. Thank you very much for joining us, Joumana.</p>\n<p><b>-----END-----CNN.SCRIPT-----</b></p>\n<p></p>\n<p><b>--KEYWORD TAGS--</b></p>\n<p>IN- INTERVIEW LEBANON ISRAEL WAR GAZA PALESTINE </p>\n<p></p>\n<p><b>--MUSIC INFO---</b></p>\n<p></p>

Make Mine Freedom

In a 1967 interview with Detroit broadcaster, Lou Gordon, Romney states that he "had gotten the greatest brainwashing" after meeting with generals to discuss the Vietnam War.

NAME: UN IRAQ 20061219I TAPE: EF06/1236 IN_TIME: 11:08:35:19 DURATION: 00:03:33:09 SOURCES: UNTV/Pool DATELINE: New York, 19 Dec 2006 RESTRICTIONS: SHOTLIST UNTV 1. Wide exterior United Nations building 2. Tracking shot, Tariq al-Hashemi, Vice President of Iraq, coming out of room and towards microphone (after meeting with Kofi Annan) 3. SOUNDBITE (English) Tariq al-Hashemi, Vice President of Iraq: "I reconfirmed to him (referring to Kofi Annan) that Iraq will be very much interested to see the United Nations play an increasing role in the Iraqi file. Many things are so far left pending or without significant contribution from the international community that we have to focus on from now on." 4. Medium shot security personnel 5. SOUNDBITE (English) Tariq al-Hashemi, Vice President of Iraq: "There are many things in fact that they (United Nations) could contribute in Iraq. First of all they should be a partner in our reconciliation project. They have experience in South Africa, they have experience in Ireland. I think they are the party who should be on the front in helping Iraqis, in fact, to get things together, especially the Shia and the Sunni. This is part. The second part is in fact, this is very important: the security. Security, what we need is time, in fact, to reshuffle, retrain our armed forces and again the United Nations could play a major role." 6. Medium shot al-Hashemi and aides approaching doorway 7. Medium shot al-Hashemi greeing Kofi Annan, Secretary-General of the United Nations, and shaking hands 8. Wide shot al-Hashemi and Annan and aides sitting at table, zooms into al-Hashemi, and then pulls out to reveal Annan shaking hands with al-Hashemi aides Pool 9. Wide exterior Council on Foreign Relations 10. SOUNDBITE (English) Tariq al-Hashemi, Vice President of Iraq: "The president, your president, made some sort of brainwashing of Mr. Blair, in fact. Mr. Blair in fact is back to 'square one,' He's just back to his adamancy that 'It's difficult, in fact, Mr. Hashemi, we can't announce that we are afraid that we will pass a false message to terrorism, that we give up because of the threats.' I understand that, so OK, I said, 'Let us make some sort of amendment to the theme. Say it in this way: Timetable conditional.' Conditional withdrawal means that you rebuild the Iraqi Armed Forces on a professional basis. The time comes that this project is concluded. There should be no excuse, in fact, for you to stay in Iraq." 11. Medium shot al-Hashemi and moderator 12. SOUNDBITE (English) Tariq al-Hashemi, Vice President of Iraq: "And I personally, and my party, is going to struggle and to fight until we get the Shia with the Sunni, joining forces to rebuild Iraq. There is no other way. I shoulder my responsibilities. I am not going to talk on behalf of the Sunnis. I am going to talk on behalf of all Iraqis. This is the only language. The only project that could put an end of the Iraqi dilemma is to go back to the national common interest of Iraq. That's it." 13. Medium shot al-Hashemi and moderator STORYLINE US President George Bush had "brainwashed" UK Prime Minister Tony Blair over Iraq troop withdrawals, the country's vice president said on Tuesday. Speaking in New York, Tariq al-Hashemi said Blair had promised Iraqi officials he would convince Bush to set a date for troops to begin pulling out. "The president, your president, made some sort of brainwashing of Mr. Blair," Hashemi told his audience at the Council on Foreign Relations. "Mr. Blair in fact is back to square one. He's just back to his adamancy that 'It's difficult, in fact, Mr. Hashemi. We can't announce that we are afraid that we will pass a false message to terrorism, that we give up because of the threats'." Hashemi said he understood that, and suggested an "ammendment to the theme." "Say it in this way: 'timetable conditional'," Hashemi said. "Conditional withdrawal means that you rebuild the Iraqi Armed Forces on a professional basis. The time comes that this project is concluded. There should be no excuse, in fact, for you to stay in Iraq." Earlier, after meeting United Nations Secretary General Kofi Annan, Hashemi said Iraq needed the UN to help resolve the crisis. "I reconfirmed to him (Annan) that Iraq will be very much interested to see United Nations play an increasing role in the Iraqi file. Many things so far left pending or without significant contribution from the international community that we have to focus on from now on," he said. Al-Hashemi, Iraq's most senior politician from the Sunni Arab minority, said the UN could help by training the army and also with reconciliation. "There are many things in fact that they could contribute in Iraq. First of all they should be a partner in our reconciliation project. They have experience in South Africa, they have experience in Ireland. I think they are the party who should be on the front in helping Iraqis, in fact, to get things together, especially the Shia and the Sunni," he said. He added the UN could play a major role in security while Iraqi forces were trained. Hashemi warned that without reconciliation, his country is doomed. "And I personally, and my party, is going to struggle and to fight until we get the Shia with the Sunni, joining forces to rebuild Iraq," he said. "There is no other way. I shoulder my responsibilities. I am not going to talk on behalf of the Sunnis. I am going to talk on behalf of all Iraqis. This is the only language. The only project that could put an end of the Iraqi dilemma is to go back to the national common interest of Iraq. That's it." Both al-Hashemi's brother and sister, the former head of the Iraqi Islamic Party women's affairs unit, were gunned down last April.

In a notable interview on WKBD, Michigan governor George Romney relates that he no longer supports U.S. involvement in Vietnam and uses the term "brainwashing" to refer to his previous support of the war. Transferred from film to HD, 24 FPS, uncompressed ProRes 422 HQ, available in all forms of HD SD.

<p><pi><b>**This package/segment contains third party material. Unless otherwise noted, this material may only be used within this package/segment.**</b></pi></p>\n<p><pi /></p>\n<p><b>--SUPERS</b>--</p>\n<p>00:36-00:47 </p>\n<p>Hanako Montgomery </p>\n<p>CNN Correspondent </p>\n<p></p>\n<p>02:01-02:06 </p>\n<p>Yu </p>\n<p>Host Club Victim </p>\n<p></p>\n<p>02:19 - 02:29 </p>\n<p>Yu </p>\n<p>Host Club Victim </p>\n<p></p>\n<p>02:50 - 02:57 </p>\n<p>Hidemori Gen </p>\n<p>Chairman of Victims' support group "Seiboren"</p>\n<p></p>\n<p>02:59 - 03:09 </p>\n<p>Japan House of Councilors</p>\n<p></p>\n<p>03:09 - 03:21 </p>\n<p>Ayaka Shiomura </p>\n<p>Lawmaker</p>\n<p></p>\n<p>03:38 - 03:43 </p>\n<p>Rui Mikami </p>\n<p>Club Leo Host </p>\n<p></p>\n<p>03:55 - 03:58 </p>\n<p>Rui Mikami </p>\n<p>Club Leo Host </p>\n<p></p>\n<p>04:16 - 04:21 </p>\n<p>Yu </p>\n<p>Host Club Victim </p>\n<p></p>\n<p><b>--LEAD IN</b>--</p>\n<p>AT JAPAN'S HOST CLUBS,?YOUNG, ATTRACTIVE MEN ARE PAID TO FLIRT AND ENTERTAIN?WOMEN – MANY OF WHOM SPEND THOUSANDS OF DOLLARS FOR THEIR COMPANY. </p>\n<p>HOSTS ENCOURAGE THIS SPENDING, AWARE THAT MANY WOMEN ARE UNABLE TO PAY IT BACK – THEN DEMAND THEIR DEBTS BE RETURNED BY PUSHING WOMEN INTO SEX WORK.</p>\n<p>SOME,?DELIBERATELY CHOOSE YOUNGER WOMEN TO PREY ON BECAUSE THEY’D BE IN GREATER DEMAND. CNN SPEAKS TO ONE SUCH VICTIM WHO WAS PUSHED INTO PROSTITUTION AND IS STILL STRUGGLING TO BREAK OUT.</p>\n<p>HANAKO MONTGOMERY REPORTS FROM TOKYO.?</p>\n<p></p>\n<p><b>--REPORTER PKG-AS FOLLOWS</b>--</p>\n<p>Yu - Host Club Victim (ENGLISH TRANSLATION): “I've hit rock bottoms. I don't know if I can start over again. I want to go back to my normal life, my ordinary job and play with my pets. I don't know why I ever went to host clubs.”</p>\n<p></p>\n<p>YU IS ONE OF HUNDREDS OF JAPANESE WOMEN FORCED TO SELL THEIR BODIES AFTER THEY'VE BEEN COERCED TO SPEND EVERY PENNY TO THEIR NAME ON A CERTAIN TYPE OF JAPANESE ENTERTAINMENT CALLED HOST CLUBS. </p>\n<p>RIGHT NOW, I AM IN THE MECCA FOR HOST CLUBS, KABUKICHO. </p>\n<p>IN THIS PART OF TOWN ALONE, THERE ARE OVER 300 OF THESE TYPES OF ESTABLISHMENTS AND IT'S IN PLACES LIKE THESE WHERE THE PROBLEM STARTS.</p>\n<p>HOST CLUBS, PART OF JAPAN'S EXPANSIVE NIGHT ENTERTAINMENT INDUSTRY ARE BARS WHERE FEMALE PATRONS PAY FOR THE COMPANIONSHIP AND ATTENTION OF MALE HOSTS.</p>\n<p>TYPICALLY, WELL-GROOMED AND SKILLED IN FLATTERY, THESE HOSTS SERVE UP COMPLIMENTS AND DRINKS OFFERING A FANTASY LIKE ESCAPE.</p>\n<p>BUT SOME OF THEM ARE OUTRIGHT ROMANCE, SCAMS AND CRIMINAL ENTERPRISES PREYING ON YOUNG LONELY WOMEN. </p>\n<p>YU A DIVORCED MOTHER OF TWO FELT HER HEART FLUTTER WHEN SHE FIRST MET HER HOST.</p>\n<p>SHE ASKS TO USE A PSEUDONYM BECAUSE HER FAMILY DOESN'T KNOW ABOUT HER DEBTS. </p>\n<p>YU MET HER HOST IN JANUARY 2023 AND QUICKLY FELL IN LOVE. </p>\n<p>SHE A CLINICIAN WHO WORKED LONG LONELY HOURS, SPENT EVERY SPARE MINUTE AT HIS CLUB. </p>\n<p>IN RETURN, HE SHOWERED HER WITH PRESENT ATTENTION PROMISES. UNTIL HER MONEY RAN OUT. </p>\n<p>SHE SPENT IT ALL ON EXTREMELY MARKED UP ALCOHOL WHERE THE BILL COULD RUN INTO THE THOUSANDS OF DOLLARS. </p>\n<p></p>\n<p>Yu - Host Club Victim (ENGLISH TRANSLATION): “He asked me, how are you going to pay me back? And when I said I didn't know he said go abroad for sex work. I didn't want to.”</p>\n<p></p>\n<p>YU SAID HE PUSHED HER INTO PROSTITUTION AT HOME AND ABROAD IN MACAU AND HONG KONG, SHE NEVER SAW THE MONEY SHE EARNED…</p>\n<p>ALL OF IT WIRED BACK TO A PIMP IN TOKYO.</p>\n<p></p>\n<p>Yu - Host Club Victim (ENGLISH TRANSLATION): “When my body was exhausted or I felt weak, I thought it would be easier to die. I thought about that a lot.”</p>\n<p></p>\n<p>HIDEMORI GEN IS AN AID WORKER IN TOKYO'S BIGGEST RED-LIGHT DISTRICT WHO'S PROVIDED A DROP-IN CONSULTATION SERVICE FOR VICTIMS OF SEXUAL ABUSE AND GANG VIOLENCE FOR OVER TWO DECADES. </p>\n<p>BUT IN THIS PAST YEAR, WOMEN WITH CASES LIKE YU’S, HE SAYS, HAVE INCREASED FIVEFOLD.</p>\n<p></p>\n<p>Hidemori Gen - Chairman of Victims' support group "Seiboren"Last spring when we came out of the pandemic and the masks came off. That's when consultations about host clubs increased dramatically.”</p>\n<p></p>\n<p>POLITICIANS LIKE AYAKA SHIOMURA HAVE TRIED UNSUCCESSFULLY TO PASS LAWS TO STRENGTHEN SAFEGUARDS AGAINST EXPLOITATIVE HOST CLUBS. </p>\n<p></p>\n<p>Ayaka Shiomura, Lawmaker (ENGLISH TRANSLATION): “Basically, it's a romance scam. Some of these women are brainwashed into thinking they're dating these hosts. It's a vicious cycle.”</p>\n<p></p>\n<p>INSTEAD FROM APRIL 1 HOST CLUBS SAY THEY WILL SELF-MANAGE AND BAN CUSTOMERS UNDER 20…</p>\n<p>AND PREVENT WOMEN FROM INCURRING MASSIVE DEBTS. </p>\n<p>A MEASURE WELCOMED BY MIKAMI, A HOST OF 10 YEARS. </p>\n<p></p>\n<p>Rui Mikami, Club Leo Host (ENGLISH TRANSLATION): “These guys know they'll make more money prostituting young women, so they target girls.”</p>\n<p></p>\n<p>THOUGH, HE SWEARS HE'S NEVER FORCED A CUSTOMER INTO SEX WORK, MIKAMI ADMITS IN THE PAST HE'S COERCED WOMEN TO SPEND WAY BEYOND THEIR MEANS. </p>\n<p></p>\n<p>Rui Mikami, Club Leo Host (ENGLISH TRANSLATION): “But now I entertain women without pressuring them for money. I stick to what they can afford. Now, my clients go home every night and say thank you.”</p>\n<p></p>\n<p>BUT FOR VICTIMS LIKE YU, THANK YOU ARE THE LAST WORDS OUT OF HER MOUTH AS SHE WONDERS IF SHE'LL EVER GET HER LIFE BACK. </p>\n<p></p>\n<p>Yu - Host Club Victim (ENGLISH TRANSLATION): “I'm still doing sex work because I can't afford to leave. I don't want to do this work. I feel like I'm going to fall apart.”</p>\n<p></p>\n<p>HANAKO MONTGOMERY, CNN TOKYO.</p>\n<p><b>-----END-----CNN.SCRIPT-----</b></p>\n<p></p>\n<p><b>--KEYWORD TAGS--</b></p>\n<p>JAPAN HOST CLUB SEX TRADE </p>\n<p></p>

AP-APTN-0830: US Shooting 6 Sunday, 9 January 2011 STORY:US Shooting 6- WRAP +4:3 Vigils for shot politician, victims, Obama reax, suspect still LENGTH: 04:18 FIRST RUN: 0830 RESTRICTIONS: See Script TYPE: English/Nat SOURCE: VARIOUS STORY NUMBER: 671182 DATELINE: Various - 8 Jan 2011 LENGTH: 04:18 CLIENTS NOTE: IGNORE EDIT SENT EARLIER AND REPLACE WITH THIS ONE WHICH HAS CORRECTED VIDEO AP TELEVISION - AP CLIENTS ONLY ABC - NO ACCESS NORTH AMERICA/INTERNET POOL - AP CLIENTS ONLY AP PHOTOS - NO ACCESS CANADA/FOR BROADCAST USE ONLY/STRICTLY NO ACCESS ONLINE OR MOBILE AP PHOTOS/ARIZONA DAILY STAR - NO ACCESS CANADA/FOR BROADCAST USE ONLY - STRICTLY NO ACCESS ONLINE OR MOBILE HANDOUT MOUNTAIN VIEW HIGH SCHOOL - AP CLIENTS ONLY SHOTLIST (FIRST RUN 0630 ASIA PRIME NEWS - 09 JANUARY 2011) ++16:9++ AP TELEVISION - AP CLIENTS ONLY Tucson, Arizona - 08 January 2011 ++NIGHT SHOTS++ 1. Various of residents holding candlelight vigil across from the office of US Representative Gabrielle Giffords, singing "Amazing Grace" 2. Giffords' sign outside her office 3. Wide of police officers outside office 4. Wide of vigil across the street from office 5. Various of candles 6. Mid shot of candles, flowers and notes at makeshift memorial (FIRST RUN 0430 NEWS UPDATE - 09 JANUARY 2011) ++16:9++ AP TELEVISION - AP CLIENTS ONLY Phoenix, Arizona - 08 January 2011 ++NIGHT SHOTS++ 7. Wide of exterior of Phoenix statehouse 8. Mid of people gathered outside of statehouse for vigil 9. Mid of children holding candles 10. Tight shot of table lit with candles and a photo of one of the victims of the shooting, US federal judge John Roll 11. SOUNDBITE (English) Man at vigil, name unknown, Vox Pop: "I think there will be a lot of caution but I think the spirit of democracy and the public demand that our politicians be accessible will mend that and we'll go back to having our politicians appearing very openly and very publicly." (FIRST RUN 0430 NEWS UPDATE - 09 JANUARY 2011) ++16:9++ AP TELEVISION - AP CLIENTS ONLY Tucson, Arizona - 08 January 2011 ++NIGHT SHOTS++ 12. Mid shot of crime scene at night 13. Wide shot crime scene at night, with sign reading name of shopping centre 'La Toscana Village' (FIRST RUN 0430 NEWS UPDATE - 09 JANUARY 2011) ++4:3++ AP PHOTOS - NO ACCESS CANADA/FOR BROADCAST USE ONLY - STRICTLY NO ACCESS ONLINE OR MOBILE Date and location unknown 14. STILL: undated photo of US representative Gabrielle Giffords, Arizona Democrat (FIRST RUN 0030 NEWS UPDATE - 09 JANUARY 2011) ++16:9++ POOL - AP Clients Only FILE - Washington DC - 6 January 2011 15. Congresswoman Gabriel Giffords reading the first amendment from the US constitution on the House floor UPSOUND (English) "The First Amendment: Congress shall make no law respecting an establishment of religion, or prohibiting the free exercise thereof; or abridging the freedom of speech, or of the press; or the right of the people peaceably to assemble, and to petition the government for a redress of grievances." (FIRST RUN 2230 AMERICAS PRIME NEWS - 08 JANUARY 2011) ++16:9++ POOL - AP CLIENTS ONLY Washington DC - 08 January 2011 16. US President Barack Obama walking to podium to make a statement 17. SOUNDBITE (English) Barack Obama, President of the United Sates: "It's not surprising that today Gabby (Giffords) was doing what she always does - listening to the hopes and concerns of her neighbours. That is the essence of what our democracy is all about. That is why this is more than a tragedy for those involved. It is a tragedy for Arizona and a tragedy for our entire country." (FIRST RUN 0230 NEWS UPDATE - 09 JANUARY 2011) ++4:3++ HANDOUT PHOTO FROM MOUNTAIN VIEW HIGH SCHOOL - AP CLIENTS ONLY Tucson, Arizona, Date Unknown 18. STILL: School photo of shooting suspect Jared Loughner (FIRST RUN 0230 NEWS UPDATE - 09 JANUARY 2011) ++4:3++ ABC - NO ACCESS NORTH AMERICA/INTERNET Tucson, Arizona - 08 January 2011 19. SOUNDBITE (English) Clarence Dupnik, Pima County Sheriff: "He has kind of a troubled past, I can tell you that, and we're not convinced that he acted alone." (FIRST RUN 0230 NEWS UPDATE - 09 JANUARY 2011) ++16:9++ AP TELEVISION - AP CLIENTS ONLY Internet - date unknown 20. Video showing a message from shooting suspect's Jared Loughner's YouTube page reading (English) "Secondly, my hope-is for you to be literate! If you're literate in English grammar, then you comprehend English grammar. The majority of people, who reside in District-B, are illiterate-hilarious. I don't control your English grammar structure, but you control your English grammar structure." (FIRST RUN 0230 NEWS UPDATE - 09 JANUARY 2011) ++4:3++ ABC - NO ACCESS NORTH AMERICA/INTERNET Tucson, Arizona - 08 January 2011 21. SOUNDBITE (English) Clarence Dupnik, Pima County Sheriff: "All I can tell you is that there is reason to believe that this individual may have a mental issue. And I think that people who are unbalanced are especially susceptible to vitriol." (FIRST RUN 0230 NEWS UPDATE - 09 JANUARY 2011) ++16:9++ AP TELEVISION - AP CLIENTS ONLY Internet - date unknown 22. Video showing a message from shooting suspect's Jared Loughner's YouTube page reading (English) "Thirdly, I know who is listening: Government officials, and the People. Nearly all the people, who don't know this accurate information of a new currency, aren't aware of mind control and brainwash methods. If I have my civil rights, then this message wouldn't have happen." (FIRST RUN 0230 NEWS UPDATE - 09 JANUARY 2011) ++4:3++ ABC - NO ACCESS NORTH AMERICA/INTERNET Tucson, Arizona - 08 January 2011 23. SOUNDBITE (English): Clarence Dupnik, Pima County Sheriff: "Let me just say one thing, because people tend to poo poo this business about all the vitriol that we hear inflaming the American public by people who make a living off of doing that. That may be free speech, but it's not without consequences." (FIRST RUN 0030 NEWS UPDATE - 09 JANUARY 2011) AP PHOTOS/ARIZONA DAILY STAR - NO ACCESS CANADA/FOR BROADCAST USE ONLY - STRICTLY NO ACCESS ONLINE OR MOBILE Tucson, Arizona - March, 2010 ++4:3++ 24. STILL Jared L. Loughner at the 2010 Tucson Festival of Books (FIRST RUN 0230 NEWS UPDATE - 09 JANUARY 2011) ++16:9++ ABC - NO ACCESS NORTH AMERICA/INTERNET Tucson, Arizona - 08 January 2011 25. Audio of eyewitness to the crime overlaid with video of crime scene SOUNDBITE (English): Dr. Steven Rayle, Eyewitness to shooting: "Well, I had passed by the table, the Congresswoman was standing there talking to several people, I went to the side of the table, on the side of a concrete post and I looked up and I saw a man shoot her in the head and then he began just spraying gunfire everywhere. At that point I ducked behind the concrete post and as he came around it, the whole thing unfolded maybe 12 or 15 seconds as he came around it, I laid on the ground and acted as if I were shot." (FIRST RUN 0230 NEWS UPDATE - 09 JANUARY 2011) ++16:9++ ABC - NO ACCESS NORTH AMERICA/INTERNET Tucson, Arizona - 08 January 2011 26. Audio of eyewitness to the crime overlaid with video of crime scene SOUNDBITE (English) Dr. Steven Rayle, Eyewitness to shooting: "It seemed like at least 15-20 he was, there was, the crowd was actually quite small, it was probably 20 to 25 people there very loosely gathered, half of them were shot." (FIRST RUN 0430 NEWS UPDATE - 09 JANUARY 2011) ++16:9++ AP TELEVISION - AP CLIENTS ONLY Tucson, Arizona - 08 January 2011 ++NIGHT SHOTS++ 27. Mid shot of crime scene at night 28. Mid shot of store front 29. Tight shot of sign on store front reading (English) "Due to today's sad events we will be closed the rest of the day. We will be open on Sunday from noon (1900 GMT) to 6pm (0100 GMT)." STORYLINE Vigils were held in Arizona late on Saturday, hours after a gunman targeted Democratic representative Gabrielle Giffords as she met constituents outside a busy supermarket, wounding her and killing six others. The assassination attempt left the three-term congresswoman in critical condition after a bullet passed through her head. Among the dead were Arizona's chief federal judge, John Roll, a nine-year-old girl and one of Giffords' aides. US President Barack Obama called the attack "a tragedy for our entire country". More than 100 people attended a candlelight vigil outside the headquarters of Giffords in Tuscon, where authorities investigated a suspicious package that turned out to be non-explosive. A bomb squad worked for a couple of hours, using X-ray equipment, to try to figure out what the package was before a loud noise was heard. The noise was caused by authorities' efforts to destroy the package and render it safe. Also on Saturday, mourners in Phoenix attended a candlelight vigil outside the State House. Saturday's shooting targeted Giffords during a public gathering and the attempted assassination of a political figure left Americans questioning whether divisive politics had pushed the suspect over the edge. The 40-year-old politician is a moderate Democrat who narrowly won re-election in November against a conservative tea party-aligned candidate who sought to throw her from office over her support of the historic health care reform law. Anger over her position became violent at times, with her Tucson office vandalised after the House of Representatives passed the overhaul last March and someone showing up at a recent gathering with a weapon. Gifford, affectionately known as "Gabby", had tweeted shortly before the shooting, describing her "Congress on Your Corner" event: "My 1st Congress on Your Corner starts now. Please stop by to let me know what is on your mind or tweet me later." "It's not surprising that today Gabby was doing what she always does, listening to the hopes and concerns of her neighbours," Obama said as he commented on the shooting, adding: "That is the essence of what our democracy is about." Saturday's suspected shooter was in custody and was identified by people familiar with the investigation as 22-year-old Jared Loughner. US officials who provided his name to the AP spoke on condition of anonymity because they were not authorised to release it publicly. The reason for the assassination attempt was not immediately known, but Pima County Sheriff Clarence Dupnik described the suspect as mentally unstable and possibly acting with an accomplice. The sheriff blamed the vitriolic political rhetoric that has consumed the country, much of it occurring in Arizona. A former classmate described Loughner as a marijuana smoking loner and the army said he tried to enlist in December 2008 but was rejected for reasons not disclosed. Federal law enforcement officials were poring over versions of a MySpace page that belonged to him and over a YouTube video published weeks ago under an account "Classitup10" and linked to him. The MySpace page, which was removed within minutes of the gunman being identified by officials, included a mysterious "Goodbye friends" message published hours before the shooting and exhorted his friends to "Please don't be mad at me". In one of several Youtube videos, which featured text against a dark background, Loughner described inventing a new US currency and complained about the illiteracy rate among people living in Giffords' congressional district in Arizona. "I know who's listening: Government Officials, and the People," Loughner wrote. "Nearly all the people, who don't know this accurate information of a new currency, aren't aware of mind control and brainwash methods. If I have my civil rights, then this message wouldn't have happen (sic)." The shooting cast a pall over Washington as politicians of all stripes denounced the attack as horrific. Capitol police asked members of Congress to be more vigilant about security in the wake of the shooting and Obama dispatched the chief of the Federal Bureau of Investigation to Arizona. The shooting comes amid a highly charged political environment that has seen several dangerous threats against lawmakers but nothing that reached the point of actual violence. Law enforcement officials said members of Congress reported 42 cases of threats or violence in the first three months of 2010, nearly three times the 15 cases reported during the same period a year earlier. Nearly all dealt with the health care bill and Giffords was among the targets. Clients are reminded: (i) to check the terms of their licence agreements for use of content outside news programming and that further advice and assistance can be obtained from the AP Archive on: Tel +44 (0) 20 7482 7482 Email: infoaparchive.com (ii) they should check with the applicable collecting society in their Territory regarding the clearance of any sound recording or performance included within the AP Television News service (iii) they have editorial responsibility for the use of all and any content included within the AP Television News service and for libel, privacy, compliance and third party rights applicable to their Territory. APTN APEX 01-09-11 0444EST

Led by Henry Cabot Lodge, a team of U.S. observers speak about the election in South Vietnam, including Governor Richard Hughes and Senator Edmund Muskie. Lodge responds to George Romney's controversial "brainwashing" remark regarding Vietnam. Transferred from film to HD, 24 FPS, uncompressed ProRes 422 HQ, available in all forms of HD SD.

AP-APTN-0830: +US Shooting 6 Sunday, 9 January 2011 STORY:+US Shooting 6- WRAP +4:3 Vigils for shot politician, victims, Obama reax, suspect still LENGTH: 04:18 FIRST RUN: 0830 RESTRICTIONS: See Script TYPE: English/Nat SOURCE: VARIOUS STORY NUMBER: 671182 DATELINE: Various - 8 Jan 2011 LENGTH: 04:18 CLIENTS NOTE: IGNORE EDIT SENT EARLIER AND REPLACE WITH THIS ONE WHICH HAS CORRECTED VIDEO AP TELEVISION - AP CLIENTS ONLY ABC - NO ACCESS NORTH AMERICA/INTERNET POOL - AP CLIENTS ONLY AP PHOTOS - NO ACCESS CANADA/FOR BROADCAST USE ONLY/STRICTLY NO ACCESS ONLINE OR MOBILE AP PHOTOS/ARIZONA DAILY STAR - NO ACCESS CANADA/FOR BROADCAST USE ONLY - STRICTLY NO ACCESS ONLINE OR MOBILE HANDOUT MOUNTAIN VIEW HIGH SCHOOL - AP CLIENTS ONLY SHOTLIST (FIRST RUN 0630 ASIA PRIME NEWS - 09 JANUARY 2011) ++16:9++ AP TELEVISION - AP CLIENTS ONLY Tucson, Arizona - 08 January 2011 ++NIGHT SHOTS++ 1. Various of residents holding candlelight vigil across from the office of US Representative Gabrielle Giffords, singing "Amazing Grace" 2. Giffords' sign outside her office 3. Wide of police officers outside office 4. Wide of vigil across the street from office 5. Various of candles 6. Mid shot of candles, flowers and notes at makeshift memorial (FIRST RUN 0430 NEWS UPDATE - 09 JANUARY 2011) ++16:9++ AP TELEVISION - AP CLIENTS ONLY Phoenix, Arizona - 08 January 2011 ++NIGHT SHOTS++ 7. Wide of exterior of Phoenix statehouse 8. Mid of people gathered outside of statehouse for vigil 9. Mid of children holding candles 10. Tight shot of table lit with candles and a photo of one of the victims of the shooting, US federal judge John Roll 11. SOUNDBITE (English) Man at vigil, name unknown, Vox Pop: "I think there will be a lot of caution but I think the spirit of democracy and the public demand that our politicians be accessible will mend that and we'll go back to having our politicians appearing very openly and very publicly." (FIRST RUN 0430 NEWS UPDATE - 09 JANUARY 2011) ++16:9++ AP TELEVISION - AP CLIENTS ONLY Tucson, Arizona - 08 January 2011 ++NIGHT SHOTS++ 12. Mid shot of crime scene at night 13. Wide shot crime scene at night, with sign reading name of shopping centre 'La Toscana Village' (FIRST RUN 0430 NEWS UPDATE - 09 JANUARY 2011) ++4:3++ AP PHOTOS - NO ACCESS CANADA/FOR BROADCAST USE ONLY - STRICTLY NO ACCESS ONLINE OR MOBILE Date and location unknown 14. STILL: undated photo of US representative Gabrielle Giffords, Arizona Democrat (FIRST RUN 0030 NEWS UPDATE - 09 JANUARY 2011) ++16:9++ POOL - AP Clients Only FILE - Washington DC - 6 January 2011 15. Congresswoman Gabriel Giffords reading the first amendment from the US constitution on the House floor UPSOUND (English) "The First Amendment: Congress shall make no law respecting an establishment of religion, or prohibiting the free exercise thereof; or abridging the freedom of speech, or of the press; or the right of the people peaceably to assemble, and to petition the government for a redress of grievances." (FIRST RUN 2230 AMERICAS PRIME NEWS - 08 JANUARY 2011) ++16:9++ POOL - AP CLIENTS ONLY Washington DC - 08 January 2011 16. US President Barack Obama walking to podium to make a statement 17. SOUNDBITE (English) Barack Obama, President of the United Sates: "It's not surprising that today Gabby (Giffords) was doing what she always does - listening to the hopes and concerns of her neighbours. That is the essence of what our democracy is all about. That is why this is more than a tragedy for those involved. It is a tragedy for Arizona and a tragedy for our entire country." (FIRST RUN 0230 NEWS UPDATE - 09 JANUARY 2011) ++4:3++ HANDOUT PHOTO FROM MOUNTAIN VIEW HIGH SCHOOL - AP CLIENTS ONLY Tucson, Arizona, Date Unknown 18. STILL: School photo of shooting suspect Jared Loughner (FIRST RUN 0230 NEWS UPDATE - 09 JANUARY 2011) ++4:3++ ABC - NO ACCESS NORTH AMERICA/INTERNET Tucson, Arizona - 08 January 2011 19. SOUNDBITE (English) Clarence Dupnik, Pima County Sheriff: "He has kind of a troubled past, I can tell you that, and we're not convinced that he acted alone." (FIRST RUN 0230 NEWS UPDATE - 09 JANUARY 2011) ++16:9++ AP TELEVISION - AP CLIENTS ONLY Internet - date unknown 20. Video showing a message from shooting suspect's Jared Loughner's YouTube page reading (English) "Secondly, my hope-is for you to be literate! If you're literate in English grammar, then you comprehend English grammar. The majority of people, who reside in District-B, are illiterate-hilarious. I don't control your English grammar structure, but you control your English grammar structure." (FIRST RUN 0230 NEWS UPDATE - 09 JANUARY 2011) ++4:3++ ABC - NO ACCESS NORTH AMERICA/INTERNET Tucson, Arizona - 08 January 2011 21. SOUNDBITE (English) Clarence Dupnik, Pima County Sheriff: "All I can tell you is that there is reason to believe that this individual may have a mental issue. And I think that people who are unbalanced are especially susceptible to vitriol." (FIRST RUN 0230 NEWS UPDATE - 09 JANUARY 2011) ++16:9++ AP TELEVISION - AP CLIENTS ONLY Internet - date unknown 22. Video showing a message from shooting suspect's Jared Loughner's YouTube page reading (English) "Thirdly, I know who is listening: Government officials, and the People. Nearly all the people, who don't know this accurate information of a new currency, aren't aware of mind control and brainwash methods. If I have my civil rights, then this message wouldn't have happen." (FIRST RUN 0230 NEWS UPDATE - 09 JANUARY 2011) ++4:3++ ABC - NO ACCESS NORTH AMERICA/INTERNET Tucson, Arizona - 08 January 2011 23. SOUNDBITE (English): Clarence Dupnik, Pima County Sheriff: "Let me just say one thing, because people tend to poo poo this business about all the vitriol that we hear inflaming the American public by people who make a living off of doing that. That may be free speech, but it's not without consequences." (FIRST RUN 0030 NEWS UPDATE - 09 JANUARY 2011) AP PHOTOS/ARIZONA DAILY STAR - NO ACCESS CANADA/FOR BROADCAST USE ONLY - STRICTLY NO ACCESS ONLINE OR MOBILE Tucson, Arizona - March, 2010 ++4:3++ 24. STILL Jared L. Loughner at the 2010 Tucson Festival of Books (FIRST RUN 0230 NEWS UPDATE - 09 JANUARY 2011) ++16:9++ ABC - NO ACCESS NORTH AMERICA/INTERNET Tucson, Arizona - 08 January 2011 25. Audio of eyewitness to the crime overlaid with video of crime scene SOUNDBITE (English): Dr. Steven Rayle, Eyewitness to shooting: "Well, I had passed by the table, the Congresswoman was standing there talking to several people, I went to the side of the table, on the side of a concrete post and I looked up and I saw a man shoot her in the head and then he began just spraying gunfire everywhere. At that point I ducked behind the concrete post and as he came around it, the whole thing unfolded maybe 12 or 15 seconds as he came around it, I laid on the ground and acted as if I were shot." (FIRST RUN 0230 NEWS UPDATE - 09 JANUARY 2011) ++16:9++ ABC - NO ACCESS NORTH AMERICA/INTERNET Tucson, Arizona - 08 January 2011 26. Audio of eyewitness to the crime overlaid with video of crime scene SOUNDBITE (English) Dr. Steven Rayle, Eyewitness to shooting: "It seemed like at least 15-20 he was, there was, the crowd was actually quite small, it was probably 20 to 25 people there very loosely gathered, half of them were shot." (FIRST RUN 0430 NEWS UPDATE - 09 JANUARY 2011) ++16:9++ AP TELEVISION - AP CLIENTS ONLY Tucson, Arizona - 08 January 2011 ++NIGHT SHOTS++ 27. Mid shot of crime scene at night 28. Mid shot of store front 29. Tight shot of sign on store front reading (English) "Due to today's sad events we will be closed the rest of the day. We will be open on Sunday from noon (1900 GMT) to 6pm (0100 GMT)." STORYLINE Vigils were held in Arizona late on Saturday, hours after a gunman targeted Democratic representative Gabrielle Giffords as she met constituents outside a busy supermarket, wounding her and killing six others. The assassination attempt left the three-term congresswoman in critical condition after a bullet passed through her head. Among the dead were Arizona's chief federal judge, John Roll, a nine-year-old girl and one of Giffords' aides. US President Barack Obama called the attack "a tragedy for our entire country". More than 100 people attended a candlelight vigil outside the headquarters of Giffords in Tuscon, where authorities investigated a suspicious package that turned out to be non-explosive. A bomb squad worked for a couple of hours, using X-ray equipment, to try to figure out what the package was before a loud noise was heard. The noise was caused by authorities' efforts to destroy the package and render it safe. Also on Saturday, mourners in Phoenix attended a candlelight vigil outside the State House. Saturday's shooting targeted Giffords during a public gathering and the attempted assassination of a political figure left Americans questioning whether divisive politics had pushed the suspect over the edge. The 40-year-old politician is a moderate Democrat who narrowly won re-election in November against a conservative tea party-aligned candidate who sought to throw her from office over her support of the historic health care reform law. Anger over her position became violent at times, with her Tucson office vandalised after the House of Representatives passed the overhaul last March and someone showing up at a recent gathering with a weapon. Gifford, affectionately known as "Gabby", had tweeted shortly before the shooting, describing her "Congress on Your Corner" event: "My 1st Congress on Your Corner starts now. Please stop by to let me know what is on your mind or tweet me later." "It's not surprising that today Gabby was doing what she always does, listening to the hopes and concerns of her neighbours," Obama said as he commented on the shooting, adding: "That is the essence of what our democracy is about." Saturday's suspected shooter was in custody and was identified by people familiar with the investigation as 22-year-old Jared Loughner. US officials who provided his name to the AP spoke on condition of anonymity because they were not authorised to release it publicly. The reason for the assassination attempt was not immediately known, but Pima County Sheriff Clarence Dupnik described the suspect as mentally unstable and possibly acting with an accomplice. The sheriff blamed the vitriolic political rhetoric that has consumed the country, much of it occurring in Arizona. A former classmate described Loughner as a marijuana smoking loner and the army said he tried to enlist in December 2008 but was rejected for reasons not disclosed. Federal law enforcement officials were poring over versions of a MySpace page that belonged to him and over a YouTube video published weeks ago under an account "Classitup10" and linked to him. The MySpace page, which was removed within minutes of the gunman being identified by officials, included a mysterious "Goodbye friends" message published hours before the shooting and exhorted his friends to "Please don't be mad at me". In one of several Youtube videos, which featured text against a dark background, Loughner described inventing a new US currency and complained about the illiteracy rate among people living in Giffords' congressional district in Arizona. "I know who's listening: Government Officials, and the People," Loughner wrote. "Nearly all the people, who don't know this accurate information of a new currency, aren't aware of mind control and brainwash methods. If I have my civil rights, then this message wouldn't have happen (sic)." The shooting cast a pall over Washington as politicians of all stripes denounced the attack as horrific. Capitol police asked members of Congress to be more vigilant about security in the wake of the shooting and Obama dispatched the chief of the Federal Bureau of Investigation to Arizona. The shooting comes amid a highly charged political environment that has seen several dangerous threats against lawmakers but nothing that reached the point of actual violence. Law enforcement officials said members of Congress reported 42 cases of threats or violence in the first three months of 2010, nearly three times the 15 cases reported during the same period a year earlier. Nearly all dealt with the health care bill and Giffords was among the targets. Clients are reminded: (i) to check the terms of their licence agreements for use of content outside news programming and that further advice and assistance can be obtained from the AP Archive on: Tel +44 (0) 20 7482 7482 Email: infoaparchive.com (ii) they should check with the applicable collecting society in their Territory regarding the clearance of any sound recording or performance included within the AP Television News service (iii) they have editorial responsibility for the use of all and any content included within the AP Television News service and for libel, privacy, compliance and third party rights applicable to their Territory. APTN APEX 01-09-11 0436EST

AP-APTN-0830: US Shooting 6 Sunday, 9 January 2011 STORY:US Shooting 6- WRAP +4:3 Vigils for shot politician, victims, Obama reax, suspect still LENGTH: 04:18 FIRST RUN: 0830 RESTRICTIONS: See Script TYPE: English/Nat SOURCE: VARIOUS STORY NUMBER: 671182 DATELINE: Various - 8 Jan 2011 LENGTH: 04:18 CLIENTS NOTE: IGNORE EDIT SENT EARLIER AND REPLACE WITH THIS ONE WHICH HAS CORRECTED VIDEO AP TELEVISION - AP CLIENTS ONLY ABC - NO ACCESS NORTH AMERICA/INTERNET POOL - AP CLIENTS ONLY AP PHOTOS - NO ACCESS CANADA/FOR BROADCAST USE ONLY/STRICTLY NO ACCESS ONLINE OR MOBILE AP PHOTOS/ARIZONA DAILY STAR - NO ACCESS CANADA/FOR BROADCAST USE ONLY - STRICTLY NO ACCESS ONLINE OR MOBILE HANDOUT MOUNTAIN VIEW HIGH SCHOOL - AP CLIENTS ONLY SHOTLIST (FIRST RUN 0630 ASIA PRIME NEWS - 09 JANUARY 2011) ++16:9++ AP TELEVISION - AP CLIENTS ONLY Tucson, Arizona - 08 January 2011 ++NIGHT SHOTS++ 1. Various of residents holding candlelight vigil across from the office of US Representative Gabrielle Giffords, singing "Amazing Grace" 2. Giffords' sign outside her office 3. Wide of police officers outside office 4. Wide of vigil across the street from office 5. Various of candles 6. Mid shot of candles, flowers and notes at makeshift memorial (FIRST RUN 0430 NEWS UPDATE - 09 JANUARY 2011) ++16:9++ AP TELEVISION - AP CLIENTS ONLY Phoenix, Arizona - 08 January 2011 ++NIGHT SHOTS++ 7. Wide of exterior of Phoenix statehouse 8. Mid of people gathered outside of statehouse for vigil 9. Mid of children holding candles 10. Tight shot of table lit with candles and a photo of one of the victims of the shooting, US federal judge John Roll 11. SOUNDBITE (English) Man at vigil, name unknown, Vox Pop: "I think there will be a lot of caution but I think the spirit of democracy and the public demand that our politicians be accessible will mend that and we'll go back to having our politicians appearing very openly and very publicly." (FIRST RUN 0430 NEWS UPDATE - 09 JANUARY 2011) ++16:9++ AP TELEVISION - AP CLIENTS ONLY Tucson, Arizona - 08 January 2011 ++NIGHT SHOTS++ 12. Mid shot of crime scene at night 13. Wide shot crime scene at night, with sign reading name of shopping centre 'La Toscana Village' (FIRST RUN 0430 NEWS UPDATE - 09 JANUARY 2011) ++4:3++ AP PHOTOS - NO ACCESS CANADA/FOR BROADCAST USE ONLY - STRICTLY NO ACCESS ONLINE OR MOBILE Date and location unknown 14. STILL: undated photo of US representative Gabrielle Giffords, Arizona Democrat (FIRST RUN 0030 NEWS UPDATE - 09 JANUARY 2011) ++16:9++ POOL - AP Clients Only FILE - Washington DC - 6 January 2011 15. Congresswoman Gabriel Giffords reading the first amendment from the US constitution on the House floor UPSOUND (English) "The First Amendment: Congress shall make no law respecting an establishment of religion, or prohibiting the free exercise thereof; or abridging the freedom of speech, or of the press; or the right of the people peaceably to assemble, and to petition the government for a redress of grievances." (FIRST RUN 2230 AMERICAS PRIME NEWS - 08 JANUARY 2011) ++16:9++ POOL - AP CLIENTS ONLY Washington DC - 08 January 2011 16. US President Barack Obama walking to podium to make a statement 17. SOUNDBITE (English) Barack Obama, President of the United Sates: "It's not surprising that today Gabby (Giffords) was doing what she always does - listening to the hopes and concerns of her neighbours. That is the essence of what our democracy is all about. That is why this is more than a tragedy for those involved. It is a tragedy for Arizona and a tragedy for our entire country." (FIRST RUN 0230 NEWS UPDATE - 09 JANUARY 2011) ++4:3++ HANDOUT PHOTO FROM MOUNTAIN VIEW HIGH SCHOOL - AP CLIENTS ONLY Tucson, Arizona, Date Unknown 18. STILL: School photo of shooting suspect Jared Loughner (FIRST RUN 0230 NEWS UPDATE - 09 JANUARY 2011) ++4:3++ ABC - NO ACCESS NORTH AMERICA/INTERNET Tucson, Arizona - 08 January 2011 19. SOUNDBITE (English) Clarence Dupnik, Pima County Sheriff: "He has kind of a troubled past, I can tell you that, and we're not convinced that he acted alone." (FIRST RUN 0230 NEWS UPDATE - 09 JANUARY 2011) ++16:9++ AP TELEVISION - AP CLIENTS ONLY Internet - date unknown 20. Video showing a message from shooting suspect's Jared Loughner's YouTube page reading (English) "Secondly, my hope-is for you to be literate! If you're literate in English grammar, then you comprehend English grammar. The majority of people, who reside in District-B, are illiterate-hilarious. I don't control your English grammar structure, but you control your English grammar structure." (FIRST RUN 0230 NEWS UPDATE - 09 JANUARY 2011) ++4:3++ ABC - NO ACCESS NORTH AMERICA/INTERNET Tucson, Arizona - 08 January 2011 21. SOUNDBITE (English) Clarence Dupnik, Pima County Sheriff: "All I can tell you is that there is reason to believe that this individual may have a mental issue. And I think that people who are unbalanced are especially susceptible to vitriol." (FIRST RUN 0230 NEWS UPDATE - 09 JANUARY 2011) ++16:9++ AP TELEVISION - AP CLIENTS ONLY Internet - date unknown 22. Video showing a message from shooting suspect's Jared Loughner's YouTube page reading (English) "Thirdly, I know who is listening: Government officials, and the People. Nearly all the people, who don't know this accurate information of a new currency, aren't aware of mind control and brainwash methods. If I have my civil rights, then this message wouldn't have happen." (FIRST RUN 0230 NEWS UPDATE - 09 JANUARY 2011) ++4:3++ ABC - NO ACCESS NORTH AMERICA/INTERNET Tucson, Arizona - 08 January 2011 23. SOUNDBITE (English): Clarence Dupnik, Pima County Sheriff: "Let me just say one thing, because people tend to poo poo this business about all the vitriol that we hear inflaming the American public by people who make a living off of doing that. That may be free speech, but it's not without consequences." (FIRST RUN 0030 NEWS UPDATE - 09 JANUARY 2011) AP PHOTOS/ARIZONA DAILY STAR - NO ACCESS CANADA/FOR BROADCAST USE ONLY - STRICTLY NO ACCESS ONLINE OR MOBILE Tucson, Arizona - March, 2010 ++4:3++ 24. STILL Jared L. Loughner at the 2010 Tucson Festival of Books (FIRST RUN 0230 NEWS UPDATE - 09 JANUARY 2011) ++16:9++ ABC - NO ACCESS NORTH AMERICA/INTERNET Tucson, Arizona - 08 January 2011 25. Audio of eyewitness to the crime overlaid with video of crime scene SOUNDBITE (English): Dr. Steven Rayle, Eyewitness to shooting: "Well, I had passed by the table, the Congresswoman was standing there talking to several people, I went to the side of the table, on the side of a concrete post and I looked up and I saw a man shoot her in the head and then he began just spraying gunfire everywhere. At that point I ducked behind the concrete post and as he came around it, the whole thing unfolded maybe 12 or 15 seconds as he came around it, I laid on the ground and acted as if I were shot." (FIRST RUN 0230 NEWS UPDATE - 09 JANUARY 2011) ++16:9++ ABC - NO ACCESS NORTH AMERICA/INTERNET Tucson, Arizona - 08 January 2011 26. Audio of eyewitness to the crime overlaid with video of crime scene SOUNDBITE (English) Dr. Steven Rayle, Eyewitness to shooting: "It seemed like at least 15-20 he was, there was, the crowd was actually quite small, it was probably 20 to 25 people there very loosely gathered, half of them were shot." (FIRST RUN 0430 NEWS UPDATE - 09 JANUARY 2011) ++16:9++ AP TELEVISION - AP CLIENTS ONLY Tucson, Arizona - 08 January 2011 ++NIGHT SHOTS++ 27. Mid shot of crime scene at night 28. Mid shot of store front 29. Tight shot of sign on store front reading (English) "Due to today's sad events we will be closed the rest of the day. We will be open on Sunday from noon (1900 GMT) to 6pm (0100 GMT)." STORYLINE Vigils were held in Arizona late on Saturday, hours after a gunman targeted Democratic representative Gabrielle Giffords as she met constituents outside a busy supermarket, wounding her and killing six others. The assassination attempt left the three-term congresswoman in critical condition after a bullet passed through her head. Among the dead were Arizona's chief federal judge, John Roll, a nine-year-old girl and one of Giffords' aides. US President Barack Obama called the attack "a tragedy for our entire country". More than 100 people attended a candlelight vigil outside the headquarters of Giffords in Tuscon, where authorities investigated a suspicious package that turned out to be non-explosive. A bomb squad worked for a couple of hours, using X-ray equipment, to try to figure out what the package was before a loud noise was heard. The noise was caused by authorities' efforts to destroy the package and render it safe. Also on Saturday, mourners in Phoenix attended a candlelight vigil outside the State House. Saturday's shooting targeted Giffords during a public gathering and the attempted assassination of a political figure left Americans questioning whether divisive politics had pushed the suspect over the edge. The 40-year-old politician is a moderate Democrat who narrowly won re-election in November against a conservative tea party-aligned candidate who sought to throw her from office over her support of the historic health care reform law. Anger over her position became violent at times, with her Tucson office vandalised after the House of Representatives passed the overhaul last March and someone showing up at a recent gathering with a weapon. Gifford, affectionately known as "Gabby", had tweeted shortly before the shooting, describing her "Congress on Your Corner" event: "My 1st Congress on Your Corner starts now. Please stop by to let me know what is on your mind or tweet me later." "It's not surprising that today Gabby was doing what she always does, listening to the hopes and concerns of her neighbours," Obama said as he commented on the shooting, adding: "That is the essence of what our democracy is about." Saturday's suspected shooter was in custody and was identified by people familiar with the investigation as 22-year-old Jared Loughner. US officials who provided his name to the AP spoke on condition of anonymity because they were not authorised to release it publicly. The reason for the assassination attempt was not immediately known, but Pima County Sheriff Clarence Dupnik described the suspect as mentally unstable and possibly acting with an accomplice. The sheriff blamed the vitriolic political rhetoric that has consumed the country, much of it occurring in Arizona. A former classmate described Loughner as a marijuana smoking loner and the army said he tried to enlist in December 2008 but was rejected for reasons not disclosed. Federal law enforcement officials were poring over versions of a MySpace page that belonged to him and over a YouTube video published weeks ago under an account "Classitup10" and linked to him. The MySpace page, which was removed within minutes of the gunman being identified by officials, included a mysterious "Goodbye friends" message published hours before the shooting and exhorted his friends to "Please don't be mad at me". In one of several Youtube videos, which featured text against a dark background, Loughner described inventing a new US currency and complained about the illiteracy rate among people living in Giffords' congressional district in Arizona. "I know who's listening: Government Officials, and the People," Loughner wrote. "Nearly all the people, who don't know this accurate information of a new currency, aren't aware of mind control and brainwash methods. If I have my civil rights, then this message wouldn't have happen (sic)." The shooting cast a pall over Washington as politicians of all stripes denounced the attack as horrific. Capitol police asked members of Congress to be more vigilant about security in the wake of the shooting and Obama dispatched the chief of the Federal Bureau of Investigation to Arizona. The shooting comes amid a highly charged political environment that has seen several dangerous threats against lawmakers but nothing that reached the point of actual violence. Law enforcement officials said members of Congress reported 42 cases of threats or violence in the first three months of 2010, nearly three times the 15 cases reported during the same period a year earlier. Nearly all dealt with the health care bill and Giffords was among the targets. Clients are reminded: (i) to check the terms of their licence agreements for use of content outside news programming and that further advice and assistance can be obtained from the AP Archive on: Tel +44 (0) 20 7482 7482 Email: infoaparchive.com (ii) they should check with the applicable collecting society in their Territory regarding the clearance of any sound recording or performance included within the AP Television News service (iii) they have editorial responsibility for the use of all and any content included within the AP Television News service and for libel, privacy, compliance and third party rights applicable to their Territory. APTN APEX 01-09-11 0444EST

AP-APTN-0830: US Shooting 6 Sunday, 9 January 2011 STORY:US Shooting 6- WRAP +4:3 Vigils for shot politician, victims, Obama reax, suspect still LENGTH: 04:18 FIRST RUN: 0830 RESTRICTIONS: See Script TYPE: English/Nat SOURCE: VARIOUS STORY NUMBER: 671182 DATELINE: Various - 8 Jan 2011 LENGTH: 04:18 CLIENTS NOTE: IGNORE EDIT SENT EARLIER AND REPLACE WITH THIS ONE WHICH HAS CORRECTED VIDEO AP TELEVISION - AP CLIENTS ONLY ABC - NO ACCESS NORTH AMERICA/INTERNET POOL - AP CLIENTS ONLY AP PHOTOS - NO ACCESS CANADA/FOR BROADCAST USE ONLY/STRICTLY NO ACCESS ONLINE OR MOBILE AP PHOTOS/ARIZONA DAILY STAR - NO ACCESS CANADA/FOR BROADCAST USE ONLY - STRICTLY NO ACCESS ONLINE OR MOBILE HANDOUT MOUNTAIN VIEW HIGH SCHOOL - AP CLIENTS ONLY SHOTLIST (FIRST RUN 0630 ASIA PRIME NEWS - 09 JANUARY 2011) ++16:9++ AP TELEVISION - AP CLIENTS ONLY Tucson, Arizona - 08 January 2011 ++NIGHT SHOTS++ 1. Various of residents holding candlelight vigil across from the office of US Representative Gabrielle Giffords, singing "Amazing Grace" 2. Giffords' sign outside her office 3. Wide of police officers outside office 4. Wide of vigil across the street from office 5. Various of candles 6. Mid shot of candles, flowers and notes at makeshift memorial (FIRST RUN 0430 NEWS UPDATE - 09 JANUARY 2011) ++16:9++ AP TELEVISION - AP CLIENTS ONLY Phoenix, Arizona - 08 January 2011 ++NIGHT SHOTS++ 7. Wide of exterior of Phoenix statehouse 8. Mid of people gathered outside of statehouse for vigil 9. Mid of children holding candles 10. Tight shot of table lit with candles and a photo of one of the victims of the shooting, US federal judge John Roll 11. SOUNDBITE (English) Man at vigil, name unknown, Vox Pop: "I think there will be a lot of caution but I think the spirit of democracy and the public demand that our politicians be accessible will mend that and we'll go back to having our politicians appearing very openly and very publicly." (FIRST RUN 0430 NEWS UPDATE - 09 JANUARY 2011) ++16:9++ AP TELEVISION - AP CLIENTS ONLY Tucson, Arizona - 08 January 2011 ++NIGHT SHOTS++ 12. Mid shot of crime scene at night 13. Wide shot crime scene at night, with sign reading name of shopping centre 'La Toscana Village' (FIRST RUN 0430 NEWS UPDATE - 09 JANUARY 2011) ++4:3++ AP PHOTOS - NO ACCESS CANADA/FOR BROADCAST USE ONLY - STRICTLY NO ACCESS ONLINE OR MOBILE Date and location unknown 14. STILL: undated photo of US representative Gabrielle Giffords, Arizona Democrat (FIRST RUN 0030 NEWS UPDATE - 09 JANUARY 2011) ++16:9++ POOL - AP Clients Only FILE - Washington DC - 6 January 2011 15. Congresswoman Gabriel Giffords reading the first amendment from the US constitution on the House floor UPSOUND (English) "The First Amendment: Congress shall make no law respecting an establishment of religion, or prohibiting the free exercise thereof; or abridging the freedom of speech, or of the press; or the right of the people peaceably to assemble, and to petition the government for a redress of grievances." (FIRST RUN 2230 AMERICAS PRIME NEWS - 08 JANUARY 2011) ++16:9++ POOL - AP CLIENTS ONLY Washington DC - 08 January 2011 16. US President Barack Obama walking to podium to make a statement 17. SOUNDBITE (English) Barack Obama, President of the United Sates: "It's not surprising that today Gabby (Giffords) was doing what she always does - listening to the hopes and concerns of her neighbours. That is the essence of what our democracy is all about. That is why this is more than a tragedy for those involved. It is a tragedy for Arizona and a tragedy for our entire country." (FIRST RUN 0230 NEWS UPDATE - 09 JANUARY 2011) ++4:3++ HANDOUT PHOTO FROM MOUNTAIN VIEW HIGH SCHOOL - AP CLIENTS ONLY Tucson, Arizona, Date Unknown 18. STILL: School photo of shooting suspect Jared Loughner (FIRST RUN 0230 NEWS UPDATE - 09 JANUARY 2011) ++4:3++ ABC - NO ACCESS NORTH AMERICA/INTERNET Tucson, Arizona - 08 January 2011 19. SOUNDBITE (English) Clarence Dupnik, Pima County Sheriff: "He has kind of a troubled past, I can tell you that, and we're not convinced that he acted alone." (FIRST RUN 0230 NEWS UPDATE - 09 JANUARY 2011) ++16:9++ AP TELEVISION - AP CLIENTS ONLY Internet - date unknown 20. Video showing a message from shooting suspect's Jared Loughner's YouTube page reading (English) "Secondly, my hope-is for you to be literate! If you're literate in English grammar, then you comprehend English grammar. The majority of people, who reside in District-B, are illiterate-hilarious. I don't control your English grammar structure, but you control your English grammar structure." (FIRST RUN 0230 NEWS UPDATE - 09 JANUARY 2011) ++4:3++ ABC - NO ACCESS NORTH AMERICA/INTERNET Tucson, Arizona - 08 January 2011 21. SOUNDBITE (English) Clarence Dupnik, Pima County Sheriff: "All I can tell you is that there is reason to believe that this individual may have a mental issue. And I think that people who are unbalanced are especially susceptible to vitriol." (FIRST RUN 0230 NEWS UPDATE - 09 JANUARY 2011) ++16:9++ AP TELEVISION - AP CLIENTS ONLY Internet - date unknown 22. Video showing a message from shooting suspect's Jared Loughner's YouTube page reading (English) "Thirdly, I know who is listening: Government officials, and the People. Nearly all the people, who don't know this accurate information of a new currency, aren't aware of mind control and brainwash methods. If I have my civil rights, then this message wouldn't have happen." (FIRST RUN 0230 NEWS UPDATE - 09 JANUARY 2011) ++4:3++ ABC - NO ACCESS NORTH AMERICA/INTERNET Tucson, Arizona - 08 January 2011 23. SOUNDBITE (English): Clarence Dupnik, Pima County Sheriff: "Let me just say one thing, because people tend to poo poo this business about all the vitriol that we hear inflaming the American public by people who make a living off of doing that. That may be free speech, but it's not without consequences." (FIRST RUN 0030 NEWS UPDATE - 09 JANUARY 2011) AP PHOTOS/ARIZONA DAILY STAR - NO ACCESS CANADA/FOR BROADCAST USE ONLY - STRICTLY NO ACCESS ONLINE OR MOBILE Tucson, Arizona - March, 2010 ++4:3++ 24. STILL Jared L. Loughner at the 2010 Tucson Festival of Books (FIRST RUN 0230 NEWS UPDATE - 09 JANUARY 2011) ++16:9++ ABC - NO ACCESS NORTH AMERICA/INTERNET Tucson, Arizona - 08 January 2011 25. Audio of eyewitness to the crime overlaid with video of crime scene SOUNDBITE (English): Dr. Steven Rayle, Eyewitness to shooting: "Well, I had passed by the table, the Congresswoman was standing there talking to several people, I went to the side of the table, on the side of a concrete post and I looked up and I saw a man shoot her in the head and then he began just spraying gunfire everywhere. At that point I ducked behind the concrete post and as he came around it, the whole thing unfolded maybe 12 or 15 seconds as he came around it, I laid on the ground and acted as if I were shot." (FIRST RUN 0230 NEWS UPDATE - 09 JANUARY 2011) ++16:9++ ABC - NO ACCESS NORTH AMERICA/INTERNET Tucson, Arizona - 08 January 2011 26. Audio of eyewitness to the crime overlaid with video of crime scene SOUNDBITE (English) Dr. Steven Rayle, Eyewitness to shooting: "It seemed like at least 15-20 he was, there was, the crowd was actually quite small, it was probably 20 to 25 people there very loosely gathered, half of them were shot." (FIRST RUN 0430 NEWS UPDATE - 09 JANUARY 2011) ++16:9++ AP TELEVISION - AP CLIENTS ONLY Tucson, Arizona - 08 January 2011 ++NIGHT SHOTS++ 27. Mid shot of crime scene at night 28. Mid shot of store front 29. Tight shot of sign on store front reading (English) "Due to today's sad events we will be closed the rest of the day. We will be open on Sunday from noon (1900 GMT) to 6pm (0100 GMT)." STORYLINE Vigils were held in Arizona late on Saturday, hours after a gunman targeted Democratic representative Gabrielle Giffords as she met constituents outside a busy supermarket, wounding her and killing six others. The assassination attempt left the three-term congresswoman in critical condition after a bullet passed through her head. Among the dead were Arizona's chief federal judge, John Roll, a nine-year-old girl and one of Giffords' aides. US President Barack Obama called the attack "a tragedy for our entire country". More than 100 people attended a candlelight vigil outside the headquarters of Giffords in Tuscon, where authorities investigated a suspicious package that turned out to be non-explosive. A bomb squad worked for a couple of hours, using X-ray equipment, to try to figure out what the package was before a loud noise was heard. The noise was caused by authorities' efforts to destroy the package and render it safe. Also on Saturday, mourners in Phoenix attended a candlelight vigil outside the State House. Saturday's shooting targeted Giffords during a public gathering and the attempted assassination of a political figure left Americans questioning whether divisive politics had pushed the suspect over the edge. The 40-year-old politician is a moderate Democrat who narrowly won re-election in November against a conservative tea party-aligned candidate who sought to throw her from office over her support of the historic health care reform law. Anger over her position became violent at times, with her Tucson office vandalised after the House of Representatives passed the overhaul last March and someone showing up at a recent gathering with a weapon. Gifford, affectionately known as "Gabby", had tweeted shortly before the shooting, describing her "Congress on Your Corner" event: "My 1st Congress on Your Corner starts now. Please stop by to let me know what is on your mind or tweet me later." "It's not surprising that today Gabby was doing what she always does, listening to the hopes and concerns of her neighbours," Obama said as he commented on the shooting, adding: "That is the essence of what our democracy is about." Saturday's suspected shooter was in custody and was identified by people familiar with the investigation as 22-year-old Jared Loughner. US officials who provided his name to the AP spoke on condition of anonymity because they were not authorised to release it publicly. The reason for the assassination attempt was not immediately known, but Pima County Sheriff Clarence Dupnik described the suspect as mentally unstable and possibly acting with an accomplice. The sheriff blamed the vitriolic political rhetoric that has consumed the country, much of it occurring in Arizona. A former classmate described Loughner as a marijuana smoking loner and the army said he tried to enlist in December 2008 but was rejected for reasons not disclosed. Federal law enforcement officials were poring over versions of a MySpace page that belonged to him and over a YouTube video published weeks ago under an account "Classitup10" and linked to him. The MySpace page, which was removed within minutes of the gunman being identified by officials, included a mysterious "Goodbye friends" message published hours before the shooting and exhorted his friends to "Please don't be mad at me". In one of several Youtube videos, which featured text against a dark background, Loughner described inventing a new US currency and complained about the illiteracy rate among people living in Giffords' congressional district in Arizona. "I know who's listening: Government Officials, and the People," Loughner wrote. "Nearly all the people, who don't know this accurate information of a new currency, aren't aware of mind control and brainwash methods. If I have my civil rights, then this message wouldn't have happen (sic)." The shooting cast a pall over Washington as politicians of all stripes denounced the attack as horrific. Capitol police asked members of Congress to be more vigilant about security in the wake of the shooting and Obama dispatched the chief of the Federal Bureau of Investigation to Arizona. The shooting comes amid a highly charged political environment that has seen several dangerous threats against lawmakers but nothing that reached the point of actual violence. Law enforcement officials said members of Congress reported 42 cases of threats or violence in the first three months of 2010, nearly three times the 15 cases reported during the same period a year earlier. Nearly all dealt with the health care bill and Giffords was among the targets. Clients are reminded: (i) to check the terms of their licence agreements for use of content outside news programming and that further advice and assistance can be obtained from the AP Archive on: Tel +44 (0) 20 7482 7482 Email: infoaparchive.com (ii) they should check with the applicable collecting society in their Territory regarding the clearance of any sound recording or performance included within the AP Television News service (iii) they have editorial responsibility for the use of all and any content included within the AP Television News service and for libel, privacy, compliance and third party rights applicable to their Territory. APTN APEX 01-09-11 0444EST

AP-APTN-0830: US Shooting 6 Sunday, 9 January 2011 STORY:US Shooting 6- WRAP +4:3 Vigils for shot politician, victims, Obama reax, suspect still LENGTH: 04:18 FIRST RUN: 0830 RESTRICTIONS: See Script TYPE: English/Nat SOURCE: VARIOUS STORY NUMBER: 671182 DATELINE: Various - 8 Jan 2011 LENGTH: 04:18 CLIENTS NOTE: IGNORE EDIT SENT EARLIER AND REPLACE WITH THIS ONE WHICH HAS CORRECTED VIDEO AP TELEVISION - AP CLIENTS ONLY ABC - NO ACCESS NORTH AMERICA/INTERNET POOL - AP CLIENTS ONLY AP PHOTOS - NO ACCESS CANADA/FOR BROADCAST USE ONLY/STRICTLY NO ACCESS ONLINE OR MOBILE AP PHOTOS/ARIZONA DAILY STAR - NO ACCESS CANADA/FOR BROADCAST USE ONLY - STRICTLY NO ACCESS ONLINE OR MOBILE HANDOUT MOUNTAIN VIEW HIGH SCHOOL - AP CLIENTS ONLY SHOTLIST (FIRST RUN 0630 ASIA PRIME NEWS - 09 JANUARY 2011) ++16:9++ AP TELEVISION - AP CLIENTS ONLY Tucson, Arizona - 08 January 2011 ++NIGHT SHOTS++ 1. Various of residents holding candlelight vigil across from the office of US Representative Gabrielle Giffords, singing "Amazing Grace" 2. Giffords' sign outside her office 3. Wide of police officers outside office 4. Wide of vigil across the street from office 5. Various of candles 6. Mid shot of candles, flowers and notes at makeshift memorial (FIRST RUN 0430 NEWS UPDATE - 09 JANUARY 2011) ++16:9++ AP TELEVISION - AP CLIENTS ONLY Phoenix, Arizona - 08 January 2011 ++NIGHT SHOTS++ 7. Wide of exterior of Phoenix statehouse 8. Mid of people gathered outside of statehouse for vigil 9. Mid of children holding candles 10. Tight shot of table lit with candles and a photo of one of the victims of the shooting, US federal judge John Roll 11. SOUNDBITE (English) Man at vigil, name unknown, Vox Pop: "I think there will be a lot of caution but I think the spirit of democracy and the public demand that our politicians be accessible will mend that and we'll go back to having our politicians appearing very openly and very publicly." (FIRST RUN 0430 NEWS UPDATE - 09 JANUARY 2011) ++16:9++ AP TELEVISION - AP CLIENTS ONLY Tucson, Arizona - 08 January 2011 ++NIGHT SHOTS++ 12. Mid shot of crime scene at night 13. Wide shot crime scene at night, with sign reading name of shopping centre 'La Toscana Village' (FIRST RUN 0430 NEWS UPDATE - 09 JANUARY 2011) ++4:3++ AP PHOTOS - NO ACCESS CANADA/FOR BROADCAST USE ONLY - STRICTLY NO ACCESS ONLINE OR MOBILE Date and location unknown 14. STILL: undated photo of US representative Gabrielle Giffords, Arizona Democrat (FIRST RUN 0030 NEWS UPDATE - 09 JANUARY 2011) ++16:9++ POOL - AP Clients Only FILE - Washington DC - 6 January 2011 15. Congresswoman Gabriel Giffords reading the first amendment from the US constitution on the House floor UPSOUND (English) "The First Amendment: Congress shall make no law respecting an establishment of religion, or prohibiting the free exercise thereof; or abridging the freedom of speech, or of the press; or the right of the people peaceably to assemble, and to petition the government for a redress of grievances." (FIRST RUN 2230 AMERICAS PRIME NEWS - 08 JANUARY 2011) ++16:9++ POOL - AP CLIENTS ONLY Washington DC - 08 January 2011 16. US President Barack Obama walking to podium to make a statement 17. SOUNDBITE (English) Barack Obama, President of the United Sates: "It's not surprising that today Gabby (Giffords) was doing what she always does - listening to the hopes and concerns of her neighbours. That is the essence of what our democracy is all about. That is why this is more than a tragedy for those involved. It is a tragedy for Arizona and a tragedy for our entire country." (FIRST RUN 0230 NEWS UPDATE - 09 JANUARY 2011) ++4:3++ HANDOUT PHOTO FROM MOUNTAIN VIEW HIGH SCHOOL - AP CLIENTS ONLY Tucson, Arizona, Date Unknown 18. STILL: School photo of shooting suspect Jared Loughner (FIRST RUN 0230 NEWS UPDATE - 09 JANUARY 2011) ++4:3++ ABC - NO ACCESS NORTH AMERICA/INTERNET Tucson, Arizona - 08 January 2011 19. SOUNDBITE (English) Clarence Dupnik, Pima County Sheriff: "He has kind of a troubled past, I can tell you that, and we're not convinced that he acted alone." (FIRST RUN 0230 NEWS UPDATE - 09 JANUARY 2011) ++16:9++ AP TELEVISION - AP CLIENTS ONLY Internet - date unknown 20. Video showing a message from shooting suspect's Jared Loughner's YouTube page reading (English) "Secondly, my hope-is for you to be literate! If you're literate in English grammar, then you comprehend English grammar. The majority of people, who reside in District-B, are illiterate-hilarious. I don't control your English grammar structure, but you control your English grammar structure." (FIRST RUN 0230 NEWS UPDATE - 09 JANUARY 2011) ++4:3++ ABC - NO ACCESS NORTH AMERICA/INTERNET Tucson, Arizona - 08 January 2011 21. SOUNDBITE (English) Clarence Dupnik, Pima County Sheriff: "All I can tell you is that there is reason to believe that this individual may have a mental issue. And I think that people who are unbalanced are especially susceptible to vitriol." (FIRST RUN 0230 NEWS UPDATE - 09 JANUARY 2011) ++16:9++ AP TELEVISION - AP CLIENTS ONLY Internet - date unknown 22. Video showing a message from shooting suspect's Jared Loughner's YouTube page reading (English) "Thirdly, I know who is listening: Government officials, and the People. Nearly all the people, who don't know this accurate information of a new currency, aren't aware of mind control and brainwash methods. If I have my civil rights, then this message wouldn't have happen." (FIRST RUN 0230 NEWS UPDATE - 09 JANUARY 2011) ++4:3++ ABC - NO ACCESS NORTH AMERICA/INTERNET Tucson, Arizona - 08 January 2011 23. SOUNDBITE (English): Clarence Dupnik, Pima County Sheriff: "Let me just say one thing, because people tend to poo poo this business about all the vitriol that we hear inflaming the American public by people who make a living off of doing that. That may be free speech, but it's not without consequences." (FIRST RUN 0030 NEWS UPDATE - 09 JANUARY 2011) AP PHOTOS/ARIZONA DAILY STAR - NO ACCESS CANADA/FOR BROADCAST USE ONLY - STRICTLY NO ACCESS ONLINE OR MOBILE Tucson, Arizona - March, 2010 ++4:3++ 24. STILL Jared L. Loughner at the 2010 Tucson Festival of Books (FIRST RUN 0230 NEWS UPDATE - 09 JANUARY 2011) ++16:9++ ABC - NO ACCESS NORTH AMERICA/INTERNET Tucson, Arizona - 08 January 2011 25. Audio of eyewitness to the crime overlaid with video of crime scene SOUNDBITE (English): Dr. Steven Rayle, Eyewitness to shooting: "Well, I had passed by the table, the Congresswoman was standing there talking to several people, I went to the side of the table, on the side of a concrete post and I looked up and I saw a man shoot her in the head and then he began just spraying gunfire everywhere. At that point I ducked behind the concrete post and as he came around it, the whole thing unfolded maybe 12 or 15 seconds as he came around it, I laid on the ground and acted as if I were shot." (FIRST RUN 0230 NEWS UPDATE - 09 JANUARY 2011) ++16:9++ ABC - NO ACCESS NORTH AMERICA/INTERNET Tucson, Arizona - 08 January 2011 26. Audio of eyewitness to the crime overlaid with video of crime scene SOUNDBITE (English) Dr. Steven Rayle, Eyewitness to shooting: "It seemed like at least 15-20 he was, there was, the crowd was actually quite small, it was probably 20 to 25 people there very loosely gathered, half of them were shot." (FIRST RUN 0430 NEWS UPDATE - 09 JANUARY 2011) ++16:9++ AP TELEVISION - AP CLIENTS ONLY Tucson, Arizona - 08 January 2011 ++NIGHT SHOTS++ 27. Mid shot of crime scene at night 28. Mid shot of store front 29. Tight shot of sign on store front reading (English) "Due to today's sad events we will be closed the rest of the day. We will be open on Sunday from noon (1900 GMT) to 6pm (0100 GMT)." STORYLINE Vigils were held in Arizona late on Saturday, hours after a gunman targeted Democratic representative Gabrielle Giffords as she met constituents outside a busy supermarket, wounding her and killing six others. The assassination attempt left the three-term congresswoman in critical condition after a bullet passed through her head. Among the dead were Arizona's chief federal judge, John Roll, a nine-year-old girl and one of Giffords' aides. US President Barack Obama called the attack "a tragedy for our entire country". More than 100 people attended a candlelight vigil outside the headquarters of Giffords in Tuscon, where authorities investigated a suspicious package that turned out to be non-explosive. A bomb squad worked for a couple of hours, using X-ray equipment, to try to figure out what the package was before a loud noise was heard. The noise was caused by authorities' efforts to destroy the package and render it safe. Also on Saturday, mourners in Phoenix attended a candlelight vigil outside the State House. Saturday's shooting targeted Giffords during a public gathering and the attempted assassination of a political figure left Americans questioning whether divisive politics had pushed the suspect over the edge. The 40-year-old politician is a moderate Democrat who narrowly won re-election in November against a conservative tea party-aligned candidate who sought to throw her from office over her support of the historic health care reform law. Anger over her position became violent at times, with her Tucson office vandalised after the House of Representatives passed the overhaul last March and someone showing up at a recent gathering with a weapon. Gifford, affectionately known as "Gabby", had tweeted shortly before the shooting, describing her "Congress on Your Corner" event: "My 1st Congress on Your Corner starts now. Please stop by to let me know what is on your mind or tweet me later." "It's not surprising that today Gabby was doing what she always does, listening to the hopes and concerns of her neighbours," Obama said as he commented on the shooting, adding: "That is the essence of what our democracy is about." Saturday's suspected shooter was in custody and was identified by people familiar with the investigation as 22-year-old Jared Loughner. US officials who provided his name to the AP spoke on condition of anonymity because they were not authorised to release it publicly. The reason for the assassination attempt was not immediately known, but Pima County Sheriff Clarence Dupnik described the suspect as mentally unstable and possibly acting with an accomplice. The sheriff blamed the vitriolic political rhetoric that has consumed the country, much of it occurring in Arizona. A former classmate described Loughner as a marijuana smoking loner and the army said he tried to enlist in December 2008 but was rejected for reasons not disclosed. Federal law enforcement officials were poring over versions of a MySpace page that belonged to him and over a YouTube video published weeks ago under an account "Classitup10" and linked to him. The MySpace page, which was removed within minutes of the gunman being identified by officials, included a mysterious "Goodbye friends" message published hours before the shooting and exhorted his friends to "Please don't be mad at me". In one of several Youtube videos, which featured text against a dark background, Loughner described inventing a new US currency and complained about the illiteracy rate among people living in Giffords' congressional district in Arizona. "I know who's listening: Government Officials, and the People," Loughner wrote. "Nearly all the people, who don't know this accurate information of a new currency, aren't aware of mind control and brainwash methods. If I have my civil rights, then this message wouldn't have happen (sic)." The shooting cast a pall over Washington as politicians of all stripes denounced the attack as horrific. Capitol police asked members of Congress to be more vigilant about security in the wake of the shooting and Obama dispatched the chief of the Federal Bureau of Investigation to Arizona. The shooting comes amid a highly charged political environment that has seen several dangerous threats against lawmakers but nothing that reached the point of actual violence. Law enforcement officials said members of Congress reported 42 cases of threats or violence in the first three months of 2010, nearly three times the 15 cases reported during the same period a year earlier. Nearly all dealt with the health care bill and Giffords was among the targets. Clients are reminded: (i) to check the terms of their licence agreements for use of content outside news programming and that further advice and assistance can be obtained from the AP Archive on: Tel +44 (0) 20 7482 7482 Email: infoaparchive.com (ii) they should check with the applicable collecting society in their Territory regarding the clearance of any sound recording or performance included within the AP Television News service (iii) they have editorial responsibility for the use of all and any content included within the AP Television News service and for libel, privacy, compliance and third party rights applicable to their Territory. APTN APEX 01-09-11 0444EST

TAPE: EF02/0851 IN_TIME: 23:08:56 DURATION: 3:58 SOURCES: VATICAN TV RESTRICTIONS: DATELINE: Vatican - 6 Oct 2002 SHOTLIST: 1. Vatican with huge crowd assembled outside 2. Pope John Paul II arriving on Pope-mobile 3. Aerial of massive crowd in area surrounding Vatican 4. Saint Peter's Square with portrait of Opus Dei founder Josemaria Escriva de Balaguer 5. Wide side view of Pope John Paul II seated 6. Wide rear view of crowd 7. SOUNDBITE (English) Pope John Paul II: "I advise the members of the various delegations and all of you who have come from English-speaking countries to take to heart the lesson of the new Saint: that Jesus Christ should be the inspiration and goal of every aspect of your daily life." 8. Mid shot of crowd 9. Members of choir walking toward camera singing 10. Close of Pope leading a prayer and holding a wafer aloft 11. Aerial view of crowd 12. Tighter aerial shot of crowd 13. Midshot pilgrims kneeling before Pope 14. Mid shot portrait of Josemaria Escriva de Balaguer zooms in to close up 15. Various of Pope leaving in Pope-mobile 16. Wide aerial shot of crowd-lined street 17. Various of Pope in Pope-mobile 18. Close of woman wiping tear from her eye 19. Aerial of Pope-mobile 20. Mid shot of Pope blessing baby held in front of him in Pope-mobile 21. Aerial view of Tiber river pans down to Pope-mobile passing below STORYLINE: Drawing one of the Vatican's largest-ever crowds, Pope John Paul II on Sunday bestowed the honour of sainthood on the controversial founder of Opus Dei. Police said more than 300-thousand people turned out for Josemaria Escriva de Balaguer's canonisation, overflowing from St. Peter's Square and filling several city blocks down toward the Tiber. The church's highest honour for the Spanish priest who founded the group in 1928 came just 27 years after his death - one of the shortest waiting times in the Vatican's history. Swiftly arriving sainthood could serve to mute criticism among some Catholics, including some former Opus Dei members, that Escriva was unworthy of the honour because he was allegedly ill-tempered and arrogant. Escriva's conservative Catholic organisation has more than 80-thousand members worldwide and many of them hold top jobs in professions such as law, medicine, media and banking. Opus Dei has rejected accusations that it is elitist and that its practices - including self-flagellation and wearing hair-shirts by some members to achieve physical mortification - are secretive. Opus Dei's reputation for elitism started during the 1939-75 Spanish dictatorship of General Francisco Franco. Many of the technocrats in his later governments belonged to the organisation. In Spain, home to about a third of Opus Dei's membership, some detractors accuse the group of brainwashing followers into thoughtless devotion. Some Spaniards suspect Opus Dei is illegally acquiring wealth and plotting to influence both Church and state. Criticism swirled around Escriva's figure in the years leading up to his 1992 beatification, the last formal step before sainthood. Saying they were unsure, two of the nine Vatian officials who ruled on Escriva's merits did not vote in favour of beatification. The pontiff, dismayed by the flagging faith of many rank-and-file Catholics, has been intrigued by Opus Dei for decades. And in apparent reference to the criticism, he rallied to Escriva's defence in his homily, read from the steps of St. Peter's Basilica, calling Escriva's teaching "current and urgent". Escriva held that sainthood need not require extraordinary deeds but could also be achieved by carrying out everyday tasks extraordinary well - from homemaker to lawyer to student. John Paul said that the new saint "liked to reiterate with vigour that Christian faith opposes conformism and inner inertia". Many of those at the canonisation came from Latin America, where Opus Dei has a strong foothold and where the Vatican is concerned about Catholics defecting to evangelical sects. Many Vatican observers on Sunday remarked upon the extreme composure and orderliness of the huge crowd. Their behaviour was a sharp contrast to the deafening shouts of joy and jockeying for good views at the last previous big sainthood ceremony in St. Peter's Square, that of Italian monk Padre Pio in June. Among the VIPs on Sunday was the coach of Italy's national football team, Giovanni Trapattoni, who called Escriva "an excellent spiritual coach". Other guests were a leading leftist politician, Massimo D'Alema, a former Italian Communist, and Gianfranco Fini, a former neo-fascist who is now Italian deputy premier. In addition to honouring Escriva and Padre Pio, the ailing, 82-year-old John Paul is seen by many as determined to raise to sainthood another one of his favourite figures, Mother Teresa. Beatification for the nun who worked with India's poorest is widely expected to come soon, possibly next spring.

TVU 21 ANDREW YANG MT PLEASANT IA MEET AND GREET ABC UNI 010420 2020 [16:45:58] 50 plus policy. Then you know that he fully intends to do this work for the freedom dividend is a critical first step in the right direction. It will pave the road ahead to the millions of Americans, can lift their heads up and looked forward and just plan and save for a rainy day. Hope for a brighter future. That's why I so embrace this campaign and my work putting humanity first, what humanity first means to me is super charging our people, super charging our family, super charging our community. It's not just about giving people money. It's about what people can do when they're in power with more freedom and more choice. [16:46:47] That's more than any science group. We all want not just to help ourselves, but to help each other. It's what makes us human. And so building a better society starts with us. People invest in us and we will invest in each other. So many people are just scraping by. And that is terrible for humanity because that's when we're isolated in stress, in fear and doubt, and that's when we can't even agree on it. [16:47:17] That's what this campaign offers is a new way forward. It's a movement that suggests that people have value no matter their race, your gender or your paycheck. It's a path that will show all of us that our country cares about us and our country is willing to step up to secure us a better future. That is the future that Andrew is fighting for, for us and for all of our children. So now please join me in welcoming my husband, the next president of the United. [16:48:17] There also is talk in your thinking, everyone. 2020. [16:48:24] I am the luckiest guy I know at any time. Anyone thanks me for running. [16:48:29] I say with all sincerity, thank my wife because she won't let me run. It, too, is making much bigger sacrifices than anyone. While I've been on the trails. Thank you, baby. I love you. [16:48:45] And I joke about the fact that she never imagined that I would run for president because I'm really bad at lying. I think a terrible politician. As a result, I'm not a career politician at all. I'm an entrepreneur and problem solver. I spent the last seven years helping to create thousands of jobs in Michigan, Ohio, Missouri, Alabama. And while I was doing that work, I saw firsthand why Donald Trump won Iowa by eight points, why he won in 2016. He won because we blasted away four million manufacturing jobs that were primarily based in Ohio, Michigan, Pennsylvania, Wisconsin, Missouri, and forty thousand right here in Iowa. [16:49:36] I looked into those towns and we all know what happens when a factory or plant closes. The shopping district closes. People start to leave, the school breaks and that community never recovers. I have seen these communities in the places where Trump won and I know what happened to those communities is now shifting to other parts of our economy. How many of you have noticed stores closing where you work and live here in Mount Pleasant? [16:50:05] Henry County. And why are those stores closing? [16:50:11] Amazon? That's right. Amazon is soaking up 20 billion dollars of business every single year, closing 30 percent of our stores and malls. How much of that was on paying federal taxes last year? Zero. That is your math. Iowa, 20 million out, 30 percent of your stores closed. You get zero back. The most common job in the country and in your communities is retail work. The average retail clerks at 39 year old woman making between eight and ten dollars an hour. What is her next move? When the store closes? [16:50:46] Yeah, I know it is somewhat rhetorical. Who knows what the next move is? Oh, how many you've seen the self-service kiosk at a fast food restaurant or CBS at a grocery store? McDonald's says every location the U.S. will have these kiosks by next year. And they're now looking at automating the back of the house, the robot burger flippers, the price cookers. It's not just the things that we can see. When you call the customer service line of a big company and you get the bot or software, you do the same thing I do, which is 2 pounds, 0 0 0 is a human being, human representative. [16:51:23] And to get someone in the library, raise your hand if that's what you do. [16:51:26] Our software is miserable, but in two or three short years, the software is going to sound like this. Hello, Andrew. What can I do for you? It'll be seamless, efficient, delightful. You might not even know its software. What is this going to mean for the two and a half million Americans who work at call centers right now making fourteen dollars an hour? [16:51:46] Where are the unemployment? How many of you all know a truck driver here in Iowa? [16:51:54] My friends in California are working on trucks. I can drive themselves. They say they're in 98 percent of the way there. There was a robot truck that took 20 tons of butter from California to Pennsylvania just two weeks ago with no human intervention. Why butter? [16:52:10] I have no idea what a global robot butter truck you'll see. [16:52:19] These trucks are already hitting the highways. What will that mean for the three and a half million Americans who drive a truck for a living right now? Or the 7 million Americans who work at truck stops, motels and diners that rely upon the truckers getting out and eating and sleeping every day. I've been to Iowa and out for company for the highway. Right, because they've got an excellent buffet for the valley. It's like, wow, really good riding for that price. They say that 5000 people out there every single day. How many people will out there when the trucks don't need to sell for a meal anymore? This is the greatest economic transformation in our country's history when experts are calling the fourth industrial revolution. When's the last time you heard a politician say the words fourth industrial revolution? [16:53:13] Seconds ago. I'm barely a politician. [16:53:19] So when Donald Trump won in 2016, I took that as a giant red flag that tens of millions of our fellow Americans decided to take a bet on the narcissist reality TV star as our president. That was not business as usual. And though some of you reacted very, very well, at first I was like groomed like like just believe Naja. It was a shock. But even though it was a shock to me, we all have family members and friends and neighbors who celebrated his victory, particularly here in Iowa. And so to me, we have to solve the problems that got him elected in the first place. [16:54:08] And we have to identify with this problem. We really are. We're in the midst of this historic economic transformation that is leaving more and more of us behind in the feedback mechanism between us. The people of this country and Washington, DC has broken down. People do not believe that DC is actually responding to our problems anymore. This is one reason why it's a thrill to be here in Iowa with you all. You all are among the most powerful people in our country today. [16:54:35] I know it does not feel like it because you're just living your lives. Well, I've done the math. You know how many Californians? [16:54:42] Each of you is worth 1000 Californians each. So if you look around this room, how many of us are here today? I'm going to give a trophy, an estimate. [16:55:05] There were a hundred of us here today that would still be two and a half football stadiums full of Californians. [16:55:11] That is the power that you all have. That is why presidential candidates come to you and present our vision for the future because unlike anyone else in the country, you can actually flush the pipes that are clogged with the lobbyist cash. Other Americans look up and they say there is nothing they can do to dislodge the corporate interests that have overrun our government. They are generally correct. There is nothing they can do. [16:55:38] It is only you and their country that can actually recapture our government for our people. The question is, how do you use that power? What is the vision that we will present to the rest of the country in 30 short days? [16:55:54] Can you believe that terrorism and now you are here today? At some point you heard that there someone running for president who wants to give everyone in the country 1000 dollars a month. And the first time you heard that. You said that's a gimmick. That will never happen. That's too good to be true. But this is not my idea. It's not a new idea. [16:56:14] Thomas Paine was for this at the founding of the country. He called it the citizen's dividend for all Americans. Martin Luther King fought for this in the 1960s, and it is what he was fighting for when he was killed in 1968. I know this in part because I had the privilege of sitting with Dr. King's son in Atlanta, and he said that this is what his dad was fighting for. I have to say, it was fascinating to hear someone refer to Martin Luther King as dad. [16:56:42] He said this is what dad was fighting for. And I was like, Martin Luther King is your dad. Yes. [16:56:57] Those who did. It was so mainstream that a thousand economists endorsed this in the 1960s and it passed the U.S. House of Representatives in 1971 under Richard Nixon. It was called the Family Assistance Plan, set an income floor for all Americans. And then eleven years later, one state passed a dividend where now everyone in that state gets between one and two thousand dollars a year. No questions asked. And what state is that? And how is Alaska pay for it? Why and what is the oil of the 21st century technology that data technology, A.I., self-driving cars and trucks? [16:57:37] A study just came out that said that our data is now worth more than oil. How many of you saw that study? How many of you got your data checked in the mail last month? If our data is now worth billions, tens of billions of dollars, where's all that money going emanates from Facebook, Amazon, Google and the trillion dollar tech companies that are paying zero or near zero in taxes. That is one reason why it feels like our communities are getting sucked dry because they are being sucked dry by these companies that are paying zero into the system. This is what you all must change. This is how we rewrite the rules of the 21st century economy to work for. Awesome. [16:58:20] To work for you. To work for our families. If it's not working for you, it's not working and you have the power to change it. [16:58:30] So this dividend, if you take our tiny fair share of every Amazon sale and we Google search, every Facebook ad, eventually every robot truck, while we can easily afford a thousand dollar dividend for every American, which incidentally would stack on top of Social Security would be the biggest boost for people to be able to retire with dignity in all these circumstances that's been proposed in generations. [16:58:58] But we can easily afford it if we have a mechanism or we're getting our fair share of this, literally trillions of dollars of value that's being generated and spirited out of our communities, particularly because when this money is in your hands, where will it go? How will you actually spend it in real life? How much of it would stay right here in Iowa? [16:59:21] Not most. All of it. A little bit of it would float up to the cloud. You might buy that blender. You had your high on an Amazon, but most of it would go to daycare expenses and car repairs you are putting off and little league sign ups and local nonprofits and religious organizations. [16:59:40] This is the trickle up economy from our people, families and communities up. This is the vision that you can take to the rest of the country in 30 short days and make real. It would make our people stronger, healthier, less stressed out, mentally healthier, improved relationships. This is how we turn around the mindset of scarcity that is overrunning our communities and keeping everyone's heads down, turning us against each other, making it harder and harder for us to solve the real problems of this time. We're all being beat over the head with these economic measurements that are saying everything is great. Yet we're looking around our community saying it does not feel great. [17:00:21] And it turns out that, as usual, we're right and the numbers are wrong. You have a record high corporate profits and GDP in this country right now. Also, a record highs, stress, anxiety, mental illness, student loan debt, even suicides and drug overdoses. It has gotten so bad that America's life expectancy has declined for the last three years in a row. You know, the last time America's life expectancy declined like that three years in a row. The Spanish flu of 1918, a global pandemic that killed millions. You have to go back that far to find a time like this in American history. It is highly unusual for life expectancy to ever decline in a developed country is ordinarily just keeps going upwards because we're richer, stronger, healthier, but not in the United States. It has gone down and down and then down again. [17:01:19] Going to ask a very simple question. Which do you listen to? Corporate profits or people dying earlier? Right now, we're going off a cliff because we have the wrong measurements. Even the adventure of GDP said this one hundred years ago. He said this is a terrible measurement for national well-being and we should never use it as that. And here we are a hundred years later, following it off a cliff. Self-driving trucks will be tremendous for GDP and corporate profits. They're gonna be terrible for many, many Americans. [17:01:50] As your president, I will modernize our economic measures to tell us how we're actually doing. Instead of GDP and corporate profits, I will be using our wellness and life expectancy, our ability to retire in quality circumstances, mental health and freedom from substance abuse, childhood success rates, clean air and clean water. These are the real measurements of our health and progress as a society. And if we had these measurements, we would see we're in a mental health crisis. We're in a wellness depression. [17:02:23] If you don't know what the problems are, it's very hard to solve them. And for the clearest sign of how messed up our economic measurements are, you need look no further than anyone in my family. Everyone has been home with our boys for the last number of years and our older son has autism. How much is her work valued out in our economic measurements every day? 1 0. And we know that's nonsense. We know that the work she's doing is among the most important and challenging work that anyone will ever do. [17:02:55] It's not just Apple in its stay at home parents and caregivers around the country. It's nurturers, volunteers, mentors, coaches, artists. Very often now journalists. And very often now, because we put two thousand local papers out of business and turn thousands of communities at the local news desert. These are the things that we claim to value most dearly. But the market is nearing them out more and more. And it was evident that said to me, she said, how is this so mainstream in the nineteen 60s and 70s? [17:03:32] Now when you say we should all be stakeholders in our own country, that it seems dramatic and future is utopian in what I said to everyone. Then is what I'm saying to you all now. It's because we've somehow been brainwashed over the last 50 years to think that economic value and human value are the same things in Iowa. I'm here to tell you that they are not that we and our children have intrinsic value as human beings, as Americans and as citizens of this country. And it's time we make that case to the rest of the country right now and 2020. [17:04:19] So this is though, is it? This is why we need you to caucus in 30 short days to take this case to the rest of the country. Evelyn said we raise 16 and a half million dollars in the last quarter in increments of only thirty five dollars each. So my feelings are almost as cheap as Bernie's, but they're an awful lot of supporters behind this campaign. [17:04:40] Zero corporate PAC money. This is purely people powered grassroots campaign to flush the pipes and retake our government and get it working for us a real fine. [17:04:52] Go ahead. Did you ever. Oh, I don't. [17:05:02] We have to rewrite the ways to work for our kids. [17:05:05] And if you are a parent, you raise your hand if you're a parent in this room. If you were born in the 1940s in the United States of America, there was a ninety three percent chance you're going to be better off than your kids. That's the American dream that brought my family here, that brought everyone's family here. If you're born in the 1990s, you're down to a 50/50 shot. And that number is declining very quickly. That is what got Donald Trump into the White House. That is why we have this sense of uncertainty around what our kids are going to inherit. [17:05:35] It's because we're smart. We get it. Our kids are smart, too. We are stressed about their future because their future is less stable and less secure than it has ever been here in America. And it is up to us to change it. I'm not running for president because I dreamt about being president. I'm running for president because like so many of you here today, I'm a parent and a patriot. I have seen the future that lies ahead for our kids. And it is not something I'm willing to accept. I want to fight for something better. You want to join me? [17:06:15] We are in a position to rewrite the rules and make history, but we need your help to do so. We need your help to make the case to the rest of the country that this is still art. It's not that we all work for the machine. The machine has to work for us. Donald Trump became our president because he had a very simple message. He said he was going to make America great again. What did Hillary Clinton say in response? [17:06:39] America's already great. [17:06:41] Remember that? I know it's been a long three years and counting is about to end. That was not the right response because we have to acknowledge the depth and reality and severity of the problems in our communities. The suffering is real, but we need solutions that will actually help provide a new way forward for all of us. What would Donald Trump's solutions build a wall, turn the clock back, bring the old jobs back? [17:07:11] Iowa, you know, we have to do the opposite of these things. We have to turn the clock forward. We have to accelerate our economy and society to rise to the real challenges of this time. We need to evolve in the way we think about ourselves and our work and our values. And I am the ideal candidate for this job, because the opposite of Donald Trump is an Asian man who likes math. [17:07:47] That is an acronym. What does it stand for? You can call it America. Think harder. That's right. A job I was. It is your job to take. This country's not left the right, but over the decades. [17:08:12] Questions, it makes me very happy. So go ahead and raise your hands. It looks like he's got a question right here in the front. Hi. [17:08:22] Thanks for coming to this. If I'm just watching the debates and I'd like it. All right. Americans apparently paying attention to politics. I don't want to talk too much about it. I'm going to watch the debates for. It's hot in here. Clear what your value proposition is. So I don't know. Is there a way for you, like throw a thousand dollars up on the big stage? Like everyone's like, oh, this guy's offering a thousand dollars a month. After everyone quibbles about all the issues be I know with that, a thousand dollars a month in your bank account. There's just something to make your value proposition a little bit. [17:09:03] That's really good. Funny. What's your name? You go around? Yeah, I thought so. Peter here is a student at Brown University where I graduated from a number of years ago. So, you know, I saw that there must be a very bright young man. The debates have been a real process, an adaptation for me. Imagine an ordinary American joining the politicians on the debate stage. And for the first time, look around me like what is going on? [17:09:33] I feel like I didn't get the memo over this. [17:09:37] And what it reminded me of more than anything else was a high school play because I was walking around backstage and literally people they're like mouthing their lines to themselves. I remember like what they're going to say. I was like, oh, my gosh. Like, this is really the process. That's really how we do things. So it took me a minute to adapt. But then I realized that it was not truly a debate. It was like a distributed media appearance across candidates. And then with that as my framing, I then became more comfortable. Now, what's your question, Peter? [17:10:09] Hey, the average person watching and they realize that the guy wants to give them without thousand a month. There was one debate where we literally said we're gonna give a thousand bucks a month to anyone who goes to the website with his people. We have give it a thousand dollars a month to approximately 13 families around the country with this campaign so far, including two in Iowa. And one of the reasons why we've been doing this is because there is an abstraction and then there's the reality of human abstraction. You think, hey, like, how would that work? But then when you see the family in Iowa, all they got a thousand dollars a month. They like it a lot. [17:10:47] And you see what it means in their hands. [17:10:49] It means better mental health, better relationships, better outlook. Kyle Christensen, we've got the freedom dividend in Iowa Falls as caring for his mom who who's recovering from cancer. And after he was he paid the bills, he went out and bought a guitar and then started playing shows for the first time in years because it turns out he's a very talented guitarist who sold his guitar to care for his mom. Now. Yeah, I know that he was going to buy a guitar. No. Do I think it's great that he seemed like a new man and transformed the fact that he was out there pursuing his passion and performing again? [17:11:26] Because when I first met Kyle and his mom, he seemed very down. Honestly, you seem very depressed. And then when I saw him two or three months later, he seemed like a new person. So, Peter, the question is how to translate that kind of value within the context of the debate. And I agree with you. It's not easy. I do think that if I were just going around throwing dollar bills up in the air, I would probably be confusing as many Americans as I would like. But I'm excited to make the case to America again as the debate stage constricts and the number of candidates dwindles. People are paying more and more attention to me and my message. So thanks for the question. One question here. [17:12:12] Andrew. Oh, thank you. Yeah. Please turn out. So I'm wondering. [17:12:32] First, thank you for your service. As you may recall. [17:12:40] And to me, you are the essence of our military. That is our people. We're spending 700 billion dollars on our military every single year. And the most important aspect of the military are the young men and women who join every year and then served briefly abroad and then come home. So our investment in you can't stop when you do enlist. It has to come back home with you. I've spoken to hundreds, even thousands of veterans around the country who are struggling because employers don't want to take a chance on them. Many of them are struggling with medical conditions. [17:13:18] The V.A. doesn't have the right resources to be able to help them. The suicide rate among veterans is sky high. It's many times that of the civilian population. So number one is we have to invest in you. We have to invest in our soldiers and our troops. And that's well after you return. The second thing is we have to be much more judicious about actually deploying you. We've been in a constant state of armed conflict for 19 years and counting. And that is not the will of the American people. Seventy eight percent of Americans want nothing to do with a war. [17:13:55] Well. [17:14:03] And what does our Constitution say, our constitution says there will be an act of Congress to declare war. Unfortunately, Congress has ceded that authority to the executive branch for the last 19 years. And that is not appropriate. I would repeal the EU IMF and return the power and declare war to Congress where it belongs in the Constitution. I would reinvest in our partnerships and alliances so that when you are serving, you know that we're only putting you in harm's way. If there is a clear national interest at stake, we can bring you home in a reasonable time frame and we will have the resources to care about you and your fellow veterans when you return. [17:14:43] Thank you for your service. [17:14:51] Thank you all so much. Ellen, I will stick around for pictures and selfies. It sounds like I might have to do some press right now. I'll be back momentarily. Thank you all. Let's make history together. GAGGLE I don't think I can meet a lot different than. That's right. Just know the Ohio secretary of state of Ohio, Colin. Steve, I know Iris, the younger you say yourself that I know you're a female first command of the issues that exploits that. And they said, I seriously, sincerely sympathize with myself to support his candidacy. The Ohio presidential primary. It's really important that the to keep letting him down. I mean, how if you are not going to be on your primary, what do you make of. [17:20:06] Gets you to make sure that he will be able the vote for you and you have any comments in response. The eyes open. We have thousands of signatures in the state of Ohio, which is a sign of just how much support we have in this state. So we're looking forward to making our case in Ohio. And there have been writing campaigns that have won in Ohio. We're very confident that we'll be able to compete in Ohio the whole way again. Thousands of signatures and the secretary of state should be trying to listen to the voice of the people who clearly want to see more of this campaign at the highest levels. [17:20:42] This is one of the things that we have to overcome is that at this point, we hope your accuracy being prioritized over the will of the people in the true democracy. Do you think we're going to be sufficient to allow yourself to be back on the ballot? Yeah, we're we're working through the options right now. And, you know, we're exploring every path. We have many very smart people looking at it in Ohio. Thank you all. Thank you. Appreciate it. That's it. Yeah. No, no, no, no. We've got just me. Right. All right. I'm sorry. Go ahead. [17:21:14] I wouldn't say about making aside the fact that, you know, for whatever reason, you're with the Democratic Party. 172114 GARCIA>> What about people who say "How are you going to put a cabinet together if you weren't able to put the application, proper paperwork in to get your name on the ballot?" 172122 YANG>> I think Americans are very smart and Americans get it. That we built a grassroots campaign with the energy to contend for the White House at the highest possible levels and that we're gonna bring that energy through the primaries and on to victory in DC. And that we have the clearest vision and the clearest set of solution to actually improve American's lives. Americans understand that. Joe's money went out for nothing. In reality, the percent of Americans were. Slowing down a verbal agreement can provide funding to develop more in line with a happy ending. Trying to use it financially would be like trying to use a point like. Most Americans don't have the desire. Down. [17:22:40] She'll be receiving fire in the army to actually create opportunities. It is not even a priority, as I have said, a very narrow idea of what the market prioritizes. All right, just very quickly, if you ask people on the campaign trail would go and spend money. They had a thousand dollars on what would you say now? Well, I have two kids, so we're going to take start. Books, toys, games like activity here. Normal when you buy them something and you think they'll like it, and then it turns out that they don't like it and you end up having to buy something else because you love them anyway. So that's where I'm going. And you any parent want to talk about your kids? You know, the dividend is going to get enough pretty quickly. Literally. I figured if they go, let's go. Why to you go out on a man like a photo.

5543 ANDREW YANG TOWN HALL CBS BABY POOL 010520 2020 Yang: school shooter drills should not be mandatory During a Q & A session at his Washington, IA town hall, Yang was asked by a high schooler what he would do to protect students from school shootings. Yang laid out his multi-pronged approach to this calling for a perpetual gun buyback, "breaking the stranglehold of the NRA," and investing more in schools and communities in part to turn boys into "strong, healthy young men" 154156 But he also repeated his opinion that it shouldn't be required for schools and communities to have shooter drills unless the parents elect to do so. 5543 ANDREW YANG TOWN HALL CBS BABY POOL 010520 2020 153930 I then looked for data to see whether active shooter drills caused stress, anxiety, confusion and problems for kids and families. And then I found a giant stack. So to me, it should not be required for schools and communities to have these drills unless the communities and the parents elect to do so. So that's number one, as a parent. We do have a gun violence epidemic in this country and we have to attack it at every level. 154001 So the obvious place to start is breaking the stranglehold of the NRA and break the back of the gun lobby and try and pass common sense gun safety laws that the vast majority of Americans agree with. Right now, when there's a mass shooting in this country, gun makers make more money because gun owners run out and buy more firearms because they're afraid that we might get our acts together and pass gun safety laws. 5543 ANDREW YANG TOWN HALL CBS BABY POOL 010520 2020 GAGGLE [15:44:57] We have to do all we can to reduce carbon emissions over time. I proposed putting a price on emissions so that producers wouldn't be able to get rewarded for reducing emissions and becoming more efficient in that way. Certainly there are many agricultural businesses that have an impact on the environment and I would like to work with them to make their operations more sustainable though to me. [15:45:26] There are many other, more prominent, more direct causes of climate change that we should be focusing on, primarily the fact that we're subsidizing the fossil fuel industry to the tune of tens of billions of dollars. And we need to take those resources and put them towards wind, solar and other sustainable energy sources. Environmental. Why? Would you recommend to me? It's not the case that my climate change plan focuses on relocating people. It focuses on making our communities more resilient and more prepared for climate change. [15:46:17] So job number one is to make those investments that would help make our people in our towns safer and more secure, like seawalls, levees, in some cases, elevating structures, having the resources in place ahead of time can actually save us money because it's much more efficient to prevent a disaster than clean up after it, after the fact. In some rare and extreme cases, we should look to move people. But that's not the first move. The first move is to make our communities more prepared for climate change. [15:46:53] That is fantastic. Well, that's exactly why he's saying migration is the first move is not the right approach. What do you have to do is put resources to place protecting our communities. And when a disaster does strike, helping rebuild so that towns and families aren't left on their own to fend for themselves after the flood or the storm or the wildfire. Two more guys could be country together. [15:47:31] One poll showed that I was attracting 10 percent of Trump voters higher than just about any other Democratic candidate. Another survey said that 18 percent of college Republicans would choose me over Donald Trump. I'm already attracting thousands of disaffected Trump voters as well as independents and libertarians. In addition to Democrats and progressives, I believe I am the strongest candidate to beat Donald Trump in the general election for that reason. [15:48:00] People can sense that I'm not ideological. I just want to implement solutions that will improve our way of life. And I think Americans are very hungry for a new approach to both governance and politics. Guys, I'm not calling you today to the CBS poll found that you were registering at 3 percent or below. Is there anything that you can do to change your standing in the race? [15:48:23] We're really excited for more polls to come out in the early states. We don't think that poll is indicative of the crowds we're seeing on the energy that's rising all the time in the early states. We're excited for some more data points to come out because we believe they'll show that we're growing very quickly. What's your feeling on the soul of mind going? [15:48:49] The attack that killed solar money was a grievous mistake on the part of the president. We should not have been in that position and we certainly should not have taken such a disproportionate action that has elevated tensions and may even lead to armed conflict with Iran. Seventy eight percent of Americans want nothing to do with a war with Iran. Our Constitution says it's in the hands of Congress to declare war. [15:49:16] That's where the power should rest. We need to repeal the EU IMF that has ceded Congress's historic authority to the executive branch over the last 19 years and end the forever wars. Thank you, guys. REMARKS 5543 ANDREW YANG TOWN HALL CBS BABY POOL 010520 2.Sub.03.wav [15:11:03] On Amazon soaking up 20 billion dollars in business every single year, causing 30 percent of our stores and malls to close. Most common job in our communities is retail point average retail clerks, the 39 year old woman making between eight and ten dollars an hour. What is her next move going to be when the store closes? [15:11:24] How much should Amazon pay in taxes last year? Zero less than everyone here today. So that's the math. I owe 20 billion out 30 percent of stories close. You get zero back. [15:11:35] It's not just the changes we can see in our retail stores or the self-service kiosks at the CBS and the grocery stores and the fast food restaurants. When you all call the customer service line of a big company and you get the software or bot, I'm sure you do the same thing I do, which is you pounds 0 0 0. [15:11:53] He will kill you and then you get some on the line. [15:12:00] Hand if that's what you do. Yeah. Yeah, me too. We all do it because that software is terrible. [15:12:05] But in two or three short years, the software is going to sound like this. Hey Andrew, how's it going? What can I do for you? [15:12:12] It'll be fast, seamless, delightful. Little bit sexy, perhaps. [15:12:18] What is that going to mean for the two and a half million Americans who work at call centers right now making 14 hours an hour and the rubber really hits the road when the robot highways are working in earnest? How many of you all know a truck driver here in Iowa? The most common job in twenty nine states. Three and a half million truckers. My friends in California are working on trucks that can drive themselves. They say they're 90 percent of the way there. [15:12:44] A robot truck just transported 20 tons of butter from California to Pennsylvania two weeks ago with no human intervention. Why butter? I have no idea. [15:12:56] You Googled robot butter truck. [15:12:59] Hands up. What is this going to mean for the three and a half million truckers or the 7 million Americans who work at truck stops, motels and diners that rely upon the truckers getting out and having a meal? I've been to Iowa, EDI and Davenport. They say five thousand people stop there every day. What is that number going to be when the trucks don't have drivers? We're in the midst of the greatest economic transformation in our country's history. What experts are calling the fourth industrial revolution. When's the last time you heard a politician say a fourth industrial revolution? [15:13:32] It's a case the first three seconds ago, barely a politician. [15:13:39] So these were the facts and figures I was unpacking after Trump won. I said, oh, my gosh, here I am, Mr. Entrepreneur, honored by the Obama administration multiple times. So I got to bring everything to meet the president. Her parents were very excited about me that week. Could. So imagine being that person who's getting accolades and awards for helping create jobs around the country and realizing your work is like pouring water into a bathtub that has a giant hole ripped in the bottom. The water is rushing out faster and faster. [15:14:12] That's why Trump won Iowa by eight points. This is a purple state. You look around being like, what the heck is going on? And unfortunately, the hole is getting bigger and bigger and the water is going to rush out faster and faster. So I went to our leaders in D.C. and I said, what are we going to do to help our people manage this transition? Immigrants are being scapegoated for something immigrants have next to nothing to do with. And people are turning against each other. What are we going to do to help our people? [15:14:42] And what do you think the folks in these said to me when I asked, what are we going to do about it? All right. Number one, we cannot talk about this, Andrew. Number two, we should study this further. Number three, we must educate and retrain all Americans for the jobs of the future. How many of you heard a politician say something that I said? Look, I checked out the studies. You want to all want to guess how effective the government funded retraining programs. Back it up. [15:15:13] It's like we laugh because we know they don't work. The studies say zero to 15 percent effectiveness. Half of those workers never work again. And of that group have filed for disability. You then saw surges in suicides and drug overdoses to the point where America's life expectancy has now declined for the last three years in a row. You know the last time that happened in America? Yes, that's right. The Spanish flu of 1918. [15:15:42] A global pandemic that killed millions around the world. That's how far you have to go back to find a time when American life expectancy declined for three years in a row. It's highly unusual for life expectancy to ever decline in a developed country. We get stronger, richer, healthier, ordinarily just creeps up, but not in the US. It's gone down and down and then down again. So what I said to the folks in D.C., they said, well, I guess we'll get better at retraining them. And then they went back to their lunch. [15:16:10] One person in D.C. said something that brought me here to you all today. He said, Andrew, you're in the wrong town. No one here is going to do anything about this, because fundamentally, this is the town of followers, not leaders. And the only way we would do anything about it is if you were to create a wave in other parts of the country and bring that wave crashing down on our heads. [15:16:32] And I'm so glad I had someone with me, because you think I was making that up, right? It sounds like a movie supervillain speech. Turns out it was a D.C. lobbyist speech, brothers. But I've heard this and I said challenge accepted. I will be back in two years with the wave. And that was two years ago. [15:16:52] Washington was campaigning here and Iowa because you are among the most powerful people in our country today. I know it doesn't feel like it. You're just living your lives. But I've done the math. Do you know how many Californians each of you is worth? 1000 each. What's the fire code here, Larry? [15:17:28] I'm going to give you an estimate. There are 500 people here in this. [15:17:43] So let's say the fire codes. [15:17:45] Seventy five. All right, look, there is seventy five people here today that would still be two football stadiums like Californians. That is the power you all have to shape the future of this country. It's a power that the rest of the country can only admire from afar. Most of our fellow Americans look up and they see the government as a series of pipes that are clogged, full of money, clogged fellow lobbyist cash. [15:18:10] And they say there is nothing they can do to change it. They are right. There is nothing they can do to change it. That is your power and your power alone to flush the pipes clean. That is the power you have in the next 29 days to help rewrite the rules of the 21st century economy. To work for us, to work for you, to work for our families, to work for our people. Now, I know that's a lot of responsibility. Jeff Bezos is worth one hundred fifteen billion dollars today. Post divorce. [15:18:44] Now that Joseph and his sons to decide, do we think it's appropriate that his trillion dollar tech company pays zero in taxes less than everyone here today? Oh, I'm going to say it's against you all that's on the Amazon's fault. It's their job to pay as little in taxes as possible. It is our fault that we let it happen, and it is your power to keep it from happening after I am president. [15:19:10] So what is rewriting the rules look like in real life? If you are here today, you heard at some point that there's a man running for president who wants to give everyone 1000 dollars a month for the first time. You've heard that the first time you heard that you were like, that's a gimmick. That will never happen. That's too good to be true. I was just as Kyle here. I was just with with one of the recipients of the freedom dividend. You get this. [15:19:37] We've been giving a thousand dollars a month to families around the country for the last number of months. This is not a new idea and it's not my idea. Thomas Paine was formed at the founding of the country. He called it the citizen's dividend for all Americans. Martin Luther King, whose son I had the privilege of meeting with in Atlanta, said that this is what he was fighting for when his father was killed in 1968, guaranteed minimum income for all Americans. We celebrate Dr. King's birthday every year. [15:20:08] And what what comes up on our TV screen? I have a dream speech, right? You know, it doesn't say every American should have a guaranteed minimum income, but that is what he was fighting for when he was killed. A thousand economists endorse this in the 1960s, including Milton Friedman, the patron saint of much of modern day economics. It was so mainstream that it passed the U.S. House of Representatives twice in 1971 under Nixon for the family assistance plan would have guaranteed every family a certain income level. And then eleven years later, one state passed a dividend. Now everyone in that state gets between one and two thousand dollars a year. No questions asked. [15:20:48] And what state is that and how does Alaska pay for it? And what is the oil of the 21st century? [15:20:57] Data technology, A.I. software, self-driving cars and trucks. A study just came out that said that our data is now worth more than oil. How many of you saw that study? How many of you got your data check in the mail? [15:21:13] So if our data is now worth tens of billions of dollars, where's all the money going? [15:21:20] It's going to Amazon, Facebook, Google, Apple and the mega tech company. They're paying zero or near zero in taxes. You see the game, Iowa, our communities are getting sucked dry, particularly rural areas. And then the biggest winners of the modern day economy are paying nothing back into the system. Nothing back into our society. [15:21:40] So this freedom dividend is incredibly easy to afford and pay for. As long as we get our tiny fair share of every Amazon sale, every Google search, every Facebook and eventually every robot truck model. And I work on it. We put that money into your hands. We build a trickle up economy from our people, our families and our communities up, particularly because the money doesn't disappear when it's in your hands. How will you spend it in real life when you have it? [15:22:11] Medical groceries, groceries, student loans, a night out. [15:22:22] Oh, my. [15:22:24] My one complaint. And I hear the food is delicious. I was told I need to. Yeah. And of course, I don't have to partake. I totally would. How much of the money would stay right here in your. Here in Iowa. Most of it, not all of it. [15:22:40] You might get your own Netflix password, but most of it would stay right here, would go to car repairs, you would putting off and little league sign ups and daycare expenses and local nonprofits and religious organizations. It would supercharge your local economy in ways that actually reflect your values and our needs as people right now in this country. We have record high corporate profits also at record highs, stress, financial insecurity, mental illness, even suicides and drug overdoses. [15:23:18] If your corporate profits are going up and your life expectancy is going down, which do you care about? We know which one do you see cares about. And it's time to change that. It's time to line it up instead of measuring ourselves by GDP, which even the adventure one hundred years ago said, this is a terrible measurement for national well-being and we should never use it as that. And here we are a hundred years later, falling it off a cliff. Robot trucks will be great for GDP and corporate profits. They'll be terrible for many Americans. [15:23:50] So what we have to do is stop measuring our economy through this capital efficiency and instead measure it by our health and wellness. Mental health and the freedom from substance abuse. Proportion of Americans who can retire in quality circumstances. Childhood success rates. Clean air and clean water. As our president. It will be my privilege to say to the Bureau of Economic Analysis, Hey, GDP, a hundred years old, really out of date, kind of useless. And we're not going to use this scorecard that tells us how we are doing. And I'll report to you what the real numbers are. Every year at the State of the Union. [15:24:34] Every president has a PowerPoint deck at the State of the Union. [15:24:41] I know firsthand how messed up our economic measurements are because how much is the work that everyone does every day with our two boys, one of whom is autistic? [15:24:52] Included in our economic measurements at the end of every day, every month, every year, zero. And we know that's nonsense. We know the work she's doing is among the most challenging and important work that anyone will ever do. And it's not just evolution and stay at home parents around the country. It's caregivers who are taking care of aging loved ones. It's nurturers, it's volunteers, it's coaches, it's mentors. [15:25:20] It's artists. Increasingly, because you can see that art is getting zeroed out in various ways. It's local journalism. Over 2000 local newspapers have gone out of business in the last number of years because all the advertising revenue went up to the Internet. And now we have thousands of communities that are local news deserts. You know, it doesn't function as well when you don't have local news. Democracy is how the heck are you? Can you make informed decisions about what's going on in your community if there's no local paper? [15:25:50] These are the things that we claim to value most highly in our lives. And yet the market is hearing them out one by one. That is what you all have to change in twenty nine days. And when I talked to Avalon about this campaign two years ago, she asked how the heck could an idea that was so mainstream 50 years ago seem so far out and require the futurist Asian man to champion now in 2020? And I said to her that somewhere over the last 50 years, our country has been collectively brainwashed to confuse economic value and human value. That what the market says we are worth is what we are worth. [15:26:37] If the market says your value less than you have no value, that's how you have otherwise very good people saying that hundreds of thousands of coal miners should learn how to code, even though that makes no sense at all. The only reason why you would say that is if you thought that market value and human value were the same things, and you said, well, if the market thinks you have no value anymore, then we have to turn you into something that does. And if we can't do that, then you're out of luck. [15:27:10] That is what we have to change together. Washington because if we keep up on this race, we are all going to lose in an in a catastrophic way. And it's going to be even worse for our kids right now. If you were born. Well, not right now, but if you were born in the 1940s in the United States of America. [15:27:32] First, congratulations. That's pretty good already. It's like, yeah, it's already a pretty good run. But if you were born in the 1940s, there was a ninety three percent chance you're gonna be better off than your parents were. That's the American dream that brought my family here and Evelyn's family here. If you were born in the 1990s or down to a 50/50 shot, that is and it's declining quick. That's why. [15:27:56] How many of you all are parents like me and everyone? That's why we have this sinking feeling that our kids are going to inherit a much less stable, secure future than the lives we have left. It's because we are right. They are inheriting a much less stable and secure future. This is what we have to change. We have to say the market does not know how much we are worth. We have intrinsic value as Americans and as human beings. [15:28:25] That is the vision that you can take to the rest of the country and make real in twenty nine short days. We can assert our own. Power to retake our own government, and I hate to say it like that because it sounds it sounds a little bit reminiscent of some other figures who run her office over the last number of years. But the truth is that the United States capital, Washington, D.C., is somehow now the richest city in our country. [15:28:58] What do they produce? Whatever they produce, business is good. That's a little too good. Iowa. We have to get a hold of the government and let them know it's still ours. It's still our country. We need you to caucus for this vision in 29 days. Donald Trump is our president today because he had a very, very simple message. You said he was gonna make America great again. What did Hillary Clinton say in response? [15:29:33] America already is great. I know it's been a long three years, but it is about to end. [15:29:42] That response did not work because the problems are real. We have to acknowledge the depth and reality and severity of the problems in our communities. But then we need real solutions that will help move the country forward. What were Donald Trump's solutions up? Build a wall, turn the clock backwards, bring the old jobs back. [15:30:07] You all know we have to do the opposite of these things. We have to turn the clock forward. We have to accelerate our economy and society to rise to the real challenges of the 21st century. We have to evolve in the way we think about ourselves and our work and our values. I am the ideal candidate for this job because the opposite of Donald Trump is an Asian man who likes math. [15:30:38] But math is an acronym and what does it stand for America? [15:30:43] Think harder. That's right. That is your job in twenty nine days. It is up to you to take this country not left, not right, but Ford. And I know that's exactly what you're going to do. Thank you all so much. We don't know for certain that people feel that come. Q and A [15:31:09] Now, I actually get some time for some questions, which makes you very happy. So, miss. Yeah. Please do all you possibly. [15:31:22] I drive. And I know you like math and science and engineering. I was a teacher for 20 years. One of my children studied math in college one day engineering. [15:31:35] But I'm also an atheist voter and I think secular humanists will really respond to this slogan here. I'm happy about that. My question for today is, as president, what specifically will you do to strengthen science education, including evolution in our public schools? [15:31:57] Well, first, let's give a round of applause for all. [15:32:05] Know eighth grade through college. Wow. A lot of grade level. [15:32:17] My parents met as graduate students at UC Berkeley in the 60s. My father got his Ph.D. in physics and generated sixty nine U.S. patents over his career for G.E. and IBM. When I was a kid growing up, I thought everyone's dad had a Ph.D. so I'd be like, what's your dad's big deal? [15:32:34] I learned the hard way. That wasn't true. But here's what. [15:32:40] So I learned that one pretty quickly, and then when I got old enough to learn what a patent was, I was like, my dad makes patents. That sounds incredible. So then I went to him and I said, Hey, Dad, how much do you get paid when you generate a pen? And I was like to be a lot because parents aren't really important. And then he said, maybe two hundred dollars. And then I said, that doesn't seem like very much. And then he said, well, I also get a salary so I can feed, housing, clothe you and your brother. And I was like, oh, is that how this works? So I say this because have a very deep love of math. [15:33:10] Science. My family is all academics. My father, uncle, grandfather and brother are all professors. I'm the kind of educational black sheep of the family. Honestly, they were like, well, you know, like, where's your. So. So we have to do everything we can to strengthen math, science and education across the board. So I'm going to speak at first a K through 12 education. Number one, we need to pay teachers more. No more. And I think of all the things that's in the data. [15:33:46] A good teacher is worth his or her weight in gold in terms of improved educational outcomes over the course of the kids lives. Number two, we need to get more teachers into schools and not have it so that you have this this 25 or 30 student teacher ratio. Number three, we need to lighten up on the standardized tests. You know that we invented the S.A.T. during World War 2 as a means to identify which kids we did not want to send to the front line. How dark is that? And now we treat our kids like every year more time. [15:34:18] It's distorting teacher behavior. We need to pay teachers more than teachers do what they think is right for our kids. Specifically in STEM fields, we should be investing much more in trying to help kids learn science, technology, engineering, math, and I would throw an A in there, which is arts, right? And I'm friendly with a guy named Dean came in. You might have heard of. Who invented the Segway, which is easy. A lot of other stuff that is say. But he also sponsored these national robotics competitions. [15:34:55] That's where the high school level and his thought process was that we should have the same attitude towards roboticists and inventors that we do towards pro athletes. So he gets them together and then he hasn't compete against each other and he films the whole thing. And so that kind of elevation of STEM field is what I would love to make happen. [15:35:16] As president, I have to say, having a guy with a math lapel pin who becomes president, I believe that I can help elevate rational thinking and solutions and data orientation in the public sphere at a very high level. Yes. [15:35:35] Yes. Yes. The question is how to address the HIV epidemic. [15:35:46] We have to do more, particularly because there are certain populations that are much more adversely affected by the HIV epidemic. And the HIV epidemic, as we all know, has been hand in hand with the substance abuse epidemic in many of our communities. Eight Americans are dying of drug overdoses every hour and in our country. [15:36:08] And that's not an accident or unfortunately, it's a disease of hyper capitalism run amok because certain drug companies profited to the tune of tens of billions of dollars and turn hundreds of thousands of our family members, friends and relatives into people who were struggling with substance abuse because the government was so negligent and delinquent in terms of the spreading of the substance abuse problem. Then we should own it and say, look, we're going to put the resources to work in our communities to help people get strong and healthy. [15:36:39] And that even includes decriminalizing the use of certain drugs if it's because you're an addict. If you're selling, you go to jail. But if you get caught with drugs on a personal level, then we refer you to counseling and treatment instead of a prison cell. And I believe that in part because of a high school senior here in Iowa who said to me that his classmates have fentanyl patches on their arms because they're already struggling with addiction. And what can we do to help them? And he said they would never go for help because that's no legal. [15:37:10] And so I said, well, we have to make sure those kids get the help that they need. So, number one, we have to invest in counseling and treatment for people who are struggling with drug drug abuse. And then for the HIV population, we should be subsidizing at the highest levels medication that would help keep the keep it under control, because the advances in those medications have actually been very, very significant in the last number of years. This is one reason why we need a universal health care system and we can get people at the drugs and treatments they need. [15:37:42] One of the biggest frustrations I have with the conversation around health care is that people talk about like, how are we going to pay for it? How are we going to pay for it? You will know we are already paying for it. We're paying for it in so many ways. We're paying for it by the fact that it's the number one cause of bankruptcy. We're paying for it because people are having to make terrible choices between whether they can afford prescription drugs or heating oil or food. [15:38:10] We're paying for it because it keeps us all from being able to switch jobs or much less start a business. So hard to start a business in part because of the health care system. The health care system is not designed to make us stronger and healthier. It's designed to make drug companies, insurance companies and device companies tons of money. So that's all we have to change. And if we change that, then we can get proper treatment to people who are struggling with HIV in a way that actually ensures a better result and better public health outcomes as opposed to right now leaving everyone on their own. [15:38:49] What are your thoughts? Well well, I'm sure you've been through many first time as a high school student. SCHOOL SHOOTINGS 153900 Q>> What are you going to do protect us from school shootings? YANG>> Evelyn and I got a letter from our son Damien's school saying that they're going to have an active shooter drill, a number of weeks ago. Damien is four years old. So I've looked at the studies. I tried to find any data that showed that active shooter drills saved lives. I could find nothing. 153930 I then looked for data to see whether active shooter drills caused stress, anxiety, confusion and problems for kids and families. And then I found a giant stack. So to me, it should not be required for schools and communities to have these drills unless the communities and the parents elect to do so. So that's number one, as a parent. We do have a gun violence epidemic in this country and we have to attack it at every level. 154001 So the obvious place to start is breaking the stranglehold of the NRA and break the back of the gun lobby and try and pass common sense gun safety laws that the vast majority of Americans agree with. Right now, when there's a mass shooting in this country, gun makers make more money because gun owners run out and buy more firearms because they're afraid that we might get our acts together and pass gun safety laws. 154034 That's a very messed up set of incentives. Because if your gun manufacturer, you're actually suppressing things that might make your gun safer. I would fine gun manufacturers every time their product is used in a crime that kills an American. And then you would change incentives for these gun manufacturers very quickly. That's a very big move. But we have to try and attack this at every level. 154059 I would have a perpetual gun buyback in effect so that anyone who wanted to sell their gun could sell it to the government, try and decrease the supply over time. I would also offer a complimentary upgrade to a signature gun that only the owner can fire because of the size of their hand and the palm print -- like a James Bond gun, essentially. And many gun owners are parents, so they would like it and it would be safer. So if their kid gets a hold of it, then it's not lethal anymore. 154128 The guns are the place to start, but if you look at the chain of events that leads to gun violence, almost two thirds of gun deaths are suicides. We all know if we had a self-destruct button on our, on our bodies, we would have pressed it at some point because of a moment of guilt or shame or humiliation. And then the moment passes and we're like, "oh, you know, this -- sure glad I don't have a self-destruct button." 154156 Gun owners, unfortunately, sometimes make a tragic, irrevocable choice that they would have regretted a moment later. And it changes their families and changes their lives, ends their life and changes their family's lives forever. So it's not just the guns themselves. We should be looking at making our families stronger, our schools stronger. And we have a special needs son. If you look at the numbers, over 96 percent of the shooters are boys and young men. And there is a problem in this country turning boys into strong, healthy young men. 154233 And that's one of the main causes of gun violence. It's one reason why we need to invest much more in our schools and in our communities. We have to attack the gun violence epidemic at every stage, starting with the guns, but also digging deep into our communities to see how we can make our people stronger. ##

LU 2 ANDREW YANG LAS VEGAS NV TOWN HALL CBS POOL 100219 2020 STARTS AND ENDS WITH PARTS OF KAMALA'S GAGGLE. INBETWEEN IS YANG'S TOWN HALL. TVU 15 ANDREW YANG LAS VEGAS RALLY ABC UNI [22:21:09] This. Is tremendous. [22:21:11] Trouble. What a day. First I just want to take a moment to acknowledge Bernie Sanders because I know he's on all of our minds. [22:21:27] Well we know Bernie he'll be back soon. I have to say that when you're campaigning for president you end up hanging onto the candidates like moments big and small. And so you can imagine campaigning around the country and then seeing someone week after week and then hearing minute that they get hospitalized because of a health problem. But you were like this on a personal. Note. He was fine. Alan Hardy and so I did what I did to all of you to do which is call your parents call your loved one just tell them that you love them and just know that you know we have to make the most of the time you have. [22:22:02] And that's what we're doing tonight here in Las Vegas. We're going to come together and talk about the future and what we can do to make it one that we're actually excited about. Now I'm sorry I missed my intro. [22:22:14] No what about that. It was the Russians though is how many. Mess with. Opportunity. [22:22:21] Yes. But I love being among union workers and leaders how many of you all working in a union shop. [22:22:37] So the unions are like a fortress against the storm. There's been a storm brewing for decades and the storm of course news is gaining strength. It's this inhuman punishing economy that now is seeing us less and less as human beings and more and more as inputs into a giant machine. And unions have been fighting this tide for years decades. And unfortunately unions have been fighting a losing battle. I met some of the leaders of the UAW and they had me look into the history of the UAW and know Holy cow. Was that enlightening. Well you look into the history of the UAW and Walter Reuther and his brother. [22:23:21] And what they had to do to fight for worker's rights. This man was literally shot in his own home and then came back and said You can't keep me down. His brother gets shot I can't keep him down and they fight and fight and unions are the reason why we have so many of the rights we enjoy today. But union membership peaked at 33 percent earlier. Well said gets 1940s and then today it's down to 10 percent. Only 7 percent of private sector workers are in unions today. [22:23:56] And so what happened was there was like a literal life or death fight for workers rights that went on and then slowly they just chipped away at it over time like you didn't really notice it but it is like undermine unions undermine labor at every turn. And the biggest thing that they managed to do is they managed to turn us all. They made us to brainwash us all into thinking that economic value in human value the same things. [22:24:24] They managed to make us think that if you can't add value in today's punitive economy that somehow your fault and unions have been such a force in letting us know that does not right. Now we have to fight for a justice system that actually. Serves us well and serves our kids well. It's one to acknowledge the history of the union movement in our place. Where we are today. [22:24:51] So I'm running on a campaign you've all heard at some point that there's an Asian man running for president who wants to give everyone 1000 dollars a month. And now we're hearing that. And. [22:25:03] The first time you've heard it you were like Ha ha that's a good. That's good. It's OK. I get it. Nothing like the first time was Vegas. [22:25:13] But when you dig into it this is not an intriguing idea. This is a Martin Luther King idea. This is a Thomas Paine idea. This is a view on most idea visionaries from all over the map have said what you all are feeling right now which is that we're in an era of economic change and we need to think differently we need to think of ourselves as the owners and shareholders of the economy. And I know that you all feel this because Nevada is the number one state out of the entire country for the proportion of jobs that are going to be lost due to automation. [22:25:48] How many of you knew that number one of the whole country. [22:25:54] And do you think about it. What are the main economic drivers here in Las Vegas which I know. What are the big industries here. Gambling. Tourism gambling sex tourism size hospitality other. How many of you saw that MGM recently fired hundreds of bartenders and replaced them with robot bar. Soda to other parts of the country. [22:26:16] They're like oh that's an interesting tidbit. That's an interesting little story. But you all know that those hundreds of bartenders have families they rely upon those jobs to be able to feed and clothe their kids. And you also know that if MGM did it how long was it going to take before some of the other casino companies. Follow suit. Not long happening that. You're seeing that and then you're seeing it creep into other parts of the hospitality and gaming industry. You're seeing the video blackjack replace the human dealer. [22:26:48] You're seeing the self-service kiosk pop up more and more. I you seen the seltzer just pop out of a better McDonald's or some sort of. Food service and food preparation. The third most common job in the United States. And you know they're trying to shred that many people here in Nevada work in call centers. When you. Call a customer service line of a big company you get the bar or software you probably do the same thing I do when just you go 0 0 0 a year and do it right haven't you. I'll do that in two or three short years the software is going to sound like this. Hey Andrew how's it going. [22:27:28] What can I do for you. It'll be efficient. Delightful. A little bit sexy apparently. What what is this going to mean for the tens of thousands of Nevadans to answer a phone right now for 14 hours now. I was just in New York City and I asked 70 CEOs point blank I said how many of you are looking at replacing your back office calls center workers and other workers with technology and software. [22:27:56] Yes only hands on about a 70. All in all 70 went up. The truth is you can fire that CEO. You didn't do that deal. Because of our capital incentives they optimize only one thing and that's the bottom line. That's the profitability that CEO almost has no choice but to get rid of those office workers and replace them with machines and software. How many of you noticed stores closing around where you live here in Nevada. And why are those stores closing. [22:28:25] Amazon. One word answer. Amazon soaking up 20 billion dollars in business every single year. How much today was I pay in taxes last year. Well that is your math. [22:28:35] About 20 million out. Zero back. Being a retail clerk is the most common job in much of the country. The average retail cashier or worker is a 39 year old woman making between nine and 11 dollars. Now when her store or mall closes What is her next move going to be. We're in the midst of the greatest economic transformation in the history of our country. What experts are calling the fourth industrial revolution. When is the last time you heard a politician say the words fourth industrial revolution just now just now. [22:29:08] And you know I'm barely a politician about. [22:29:17] My intention was not to become president. [22:29:20] I'm the high school photos to it. [22:29:26] I'm an entrepreneur and I started a nonprofit to help create jobs around the country and cities. I spent some time in Las Vegas and capacity to. [22:29:38] Help create thousands of jobs. Got medals and awards and accolades. I've got to bring my wife to meet President Obama in the White House. My in-laws lied to me for about a week. [22:29:49] Ago. I guess you did all right. [22:29:56] And then Donald Trump won the election in 2016. Now. Many of you. Proved that result to his side. You're watching TV you're like oh what happened. Some of you I'm sure celebrating we're happy about it. At a minimum everyone here knows people. Friends and family who are happy about it. To me this was a giant red flag. Imagine being the entrepreneur that was getting celebrated getting medals and awards for creating thousands of jobs and then feeling like your work is like pouring water into a bathtub that's a giant hole in the bottom. [22:30:30] That's what I felt. With Donald Trump when I was like oh my gosh the stuff I'm doing needs to be much much bigger to actually stem the tide. Particularly because I saw firsthand the aftermath of the loss of manufacturing jobs in these communities where if you turn on cable news today why would you think that Donald Trump won the election. [22:30:50] Racism Racism Russia not a stock market that no other guy named Hillary can get glass based. FBI and the economy. [22:31:05] But the real scandal is that the number is not a numbers guy was that we automated away four million manufacturing jobs in Michigan Ohio Pennsylvania Wisconsin Iowa and Dallas those state sounds familiar. Those are the states that Donald Trump needed to win and did win. You want every single one of them. And if you dig into the voter district data you find there's a straight line up between the adoption of industrial robots. And the movement towards Donald Trump. So I went to Washington D.C. with the facts and figures saying look it's not immigrants that are causing these problems. [22:31:39] Am I right. Las Vegas. It's. [22:31:46] Not immigrants. It's the fact that technology is now evolving and advancing to a point where we're pushing more Americans to the side. And what do you think the folks in Washington D.C. said to me when I said What are we going to do about the fourth industrial revolution. [22:32:00] Have you. The guy was like God. We're number one. [22:32:06] We cannot talk about that. Number two we should study that further. And number three the most common was we have to educate and retrain all Americans for the jobs of the future. That sounds very responsible. Well Las Vegas. You all know how effective the government funded retraining programs were for the manufacturing workers in the Midwest. [22:32:30] A 15 percent. That's right. They're a total dud. [22:32:34] When I said that to the folks in these numbers that we're in education we treat everyone else like hey we suck at that. Here's. Their response to that was I guess we'll get a better idea then. And then one person said something that brought me here to you all tonight in Las Vegas he said Andrew none of us here in these here knew anything about this set of problems. Because this is not a town of leaders it's the type of followers. And the only way we would do anything about it is if you create a wave in other parts of the country and bring them wave crashing down on our heads here in the east. [22:33:06] And I said challenge fucking accepted. [22:33:27] So you all are the wave. We're all here because we need your help here in Nevada. You will set the direction for the future of the country. I'm so glad a colleague with me when this guy gave me this little speech music thing I was beating the shit out. [22:33:42] Of you. Get him on the phone. You were there. [22:33:47] Because that sounds like a movie supervillains. Turns out it was a DC lobbyist. They're very civil. [22:33:57] So I said Okay I get it. I have a mission we're going to that wave started running for president. It's a little while ago but I stand before you today. I was born in the country in a recent poll for. Come. [22:34:28] Not. And if you dig into the numbers it gets even better. [22:34:32] Ninety nine percent of that money was from small donors people like you. 0. 4 5 0 0 masters the answer to it's all about the people. This is a campaign this is an uprising of the people. We're a very cheap gang to join. [22:34:56] They're mostly going to. [22:35:01] So the question is what do we do with the way we bring it crashing down their heads and we say look we need a different vision for the economy and that's where the freedom dividend of a thousand dollars a month gets us started. Now I want you all to imagine after our President thank you about. I'm president of the checks started going out. Where would you actually spend the money in real life. It's all. Over me. I was. On. Student loan and someone said. Free time. [22:35:34] To buy time and safeguard their savings. And how much I would say right here. It's also. All right. I want to legalize weed to. [22:35:54] We all know it is unbelievable. We all know that and I'm going to go a step further. I'm going to mass pardon everyone who was in jail for. Of. Geared. In 2014. Twenty. [22:36:09] 21. High five them on the way out of jail. I feel like things have changed since I went to. I. [22:36:20] Really got to ask why are we always pardoning these rich weirdos. I want to pardon people. No one has ever heard of. The anonymous American who just had not been jailed in the first place. That's the kind of person I was. [22:36:42] So how much of the money coming into your hands would stay right here and about a lot most of it. And a little bit of it would float up to Amazon and Netflix you'd like upgrade your your Netflix subscription. [22:36:58] Buy some extra appliances on Amazon. But most of it would stay right here in Nevada. It would go to car repairs you've been putting off at daycare expenses and Little League sign ups and local organizations. It would end up creating tens of thousands of jobs right where you live and work. This is the trickle up economy from our people our families our communities all. Together. I talk a lot about my wife who's at home with our boys right now one of whom is autistic. [22:37:33] And right now there are so many women around the country who are doing work that the market recognizes that zero. And I think that's wrong. Well we can change that. We have to we have to change that. We don't. Give it if you go further. For people in the market right now is leaving out and unfortunate that that tends to be women and underrepresented minorities in our society. But it doesn't stop just by putting economic buying power into our hands. We have to actually change the measuring sticks for our economy. How many of you are excited about GDP when you woke up this morning. [22:38:15] I hope I make a big contribution today. I feel it. [22:38:19] And how much does my wife's work count out in GDP. Zero zero zero. And you know that's perverse. I mean she's doing such hard work. And I was off the trail for a couple of days taking care of my kids. You know I said it after a couple of days getting back to doing something easy like running for president. And if you're a parent you don't talk about it so challenging. But it's the best thing we do. So if GDP does not excite you all or any of us really. And you know how messed up it is that GDP is at record highs in this country right now. [22:38:49] Also record highs. Suicide drug overdose drug overdoses stress levels financial anxiety and insecurity. Divorce rates divorce rates student loan indebtedness all also are record highs. It has gotten so bad that American life expectancy has declined for the last three years in a row for the first time. Well when was the last time that happened. With the Spanish Flu of 1918 100 years ago. A global pandemic that killed millions. We are now back in Spanish blue territory because of suicides and drug overdoses overtaking vehicle deaths for the first time in American history. You don't see that on the news right. [22:39:32] It's all like oh it must have been Russia. I mean the fact is you have this rot in our society that's been eating us up for years and it's not a Republican or Democrat thing. We've just been unfortunately subject to a government that does not care about us. That is not responsive to us. It does not care of our way of life gets better or worse. No it's. [22:39:54] And I've been in D.C. and that town. The worst part about running for president is that after I win I have to move to that fucking town. [22:40:10] Oh sorry. So D.C. right now is not my formally connected to our well-being. And part of it is that it is push these measurements on to us. It said how are we going to measure the health of our society GDP stock market prices headline unemployment rate and we all know on some level that these measurements are bogus. Even Donald Trump as a candidate. What did you say. Big news these numbers are. Remember that when. He gets into office and all the sudden he is like. The numbers are real. He was right the first time. The numbers are not real. So GDP as our record highs even as our social ills are piling up. [22:40:53] Stock market prices the top 20 percent of Americans own ninety two percent of stock market. Bottom 80 percent own 80 percent bottom 50 percent owns zero. Why on earth would you cheerlead for an economic indicator that only corresponds to the top 20 percent of your population. I make no sense at all. And then headline unemployment. They beat us like a with the headline unemployment stat all the time. Oh it's great it's great. 4 percent at 2.0 percent thinks it does not measure labor force participation rate. [22:41:25] Like if you drop out of the workforce all of a sudden you count. Right now our labor force participation rate is the same level as Costa Rica El Salvador. You see that on the news. Also does not measure underemployment. If you're doing a job that is not what you're supposed to be doing based upon your excuse treaty doesn't matter. Temp gig or contract work that don't have benefits. Also those men there they're all of these problems that are economic measurements are not actually telling us about. [22:41:58] And then they're beating us in with them saying hey these are great things are great things are great even though we know they're not great. Donald Trump's our president in part because Americans knew things were not great. He said we're going to make America great again. And then what did Hillary say in response. America's already great. No. And then it did not work out well. That was not the right answer. [22:42:23] So if you have these economic measurements that are driving us off a cliff even the adventure of GDP said this he said there's a terrible measurement for national well-being which never use it is that a hundred years ago we said no. Here we are following it off the cliff. So what measurements have they got better for you here in Nevada. You would actually get excited about it if I said hey this went up. On. National. Health. [22:42:49] Helped in life expectancy. Someone's an air quality raising of that air quality. How about. [22:42:56] Mental health and from substance abuse. Other. Countries this century. [22:43:06] Things got better. You'd actually be very very excited and you're very happy as you were president. I will make these the new measurements of our economic progress. It's actually not that hard as our president when to go down the street to the Bureau of Economic Analysis and say hey GDP one hundred years old and useless. We're going to modernize it to include our health and life expectancy our clean air and clean water mental health the freedom substance abuse criminality recidivism we can actually like make in the measurements that we care about. And then I'll report how we're doing by these measurements to you all every year in the state of the Union. [22:43:41] I'll be the first president to use a PowerPoint deck in the state of the Union. You know the haredi campaign where people actually cheering. [22:43:57] PowerPoint. So these are the things that would actually get us on track to solve our problems. [22:44:08] You don't have the right measurements you can never make progress. How many of you run a business or starting a business or run an apartment or like a massive you have the wrong measurements. How that business going to do over time. Importantly that's where we are as a society today. So here. So those are a couple of the big ideas that we can actually make happen very very quickly. And this is the secret. [22:44:31] A lot of times in politics we talk about things that we cannot actually change. But there is nothing stopping the majority of citizens of a democracy from getting together and voting ourselves to do nothing at all. Companies do it all the time. If you look at the companies that have defined a dividend horizon Microsoft Coca-Cola. Oh they get together and say you know what. Our we should get some of our profits and earnings. Everyone says such a great idea. It's time for the United States to do the same thing. Republicans. [22:45:07] Did this in one state in what state is that. I was Alaska pay for it. And what is the oil of the 21st century technology. [22:45:19] I saw where someone's in marijuana right. [22:45:23] Throw that in there why not. A study just came out that said that big data on our data is now worth more than oil. How many of you saw that study. Yeah. All right raise your hand if you remember getting your data check in the mail. What happened to the data chip did it get lost. No it went to Amazon Facebook Google Microsoft. [22:45:48] Those companies are now profiting the tune of tens of billions of dollars although our data. And then I was looking around saying like oh where's the money going. Where's the money going. The money is going up into the cloud into the hands of these trillion dollar tech companies that are literally paying zero in taxes. And I want to ask you all a question if you have a trillion dollar tech company paying zero in taxes. Whose fault is that. That's our fault. That is not their fault. Their job is to pay as little in taxes as possible. And you can imagine the scene at Amazon headquarters. Their accounts come in and say hey Jeff great news. Zero in taxes again. And then what does Jeff do. [22:46:30] Yeah Jeff goes to his ball takes out bags of gold coins into the car and drive home. They then do like a gold coin Don like St.. [22:46:42] That is their job. [22:46:44] It is our job to make sure they can't do that. And I write about it. So this is the vision of a modern humans centered economy that actually works for us. And I come to you today again I wouldn't ask you all. Is it harder to go from anonymous fourth in the polls or fourth to first. What do you think about it. [22:47:09] I think it's harder to go monogamist boring. I think you've already done the hard part. [22:47:24] The hard right now is going to be the easy part. The fun part and you will play a crucial role in this. Presidential candidates are going to come to Nevada. Over and over again because you are some of the most powerful people in our country today. You may not be like you're just living your lives. I can go to this thing. So most powerful people in our society today how many of you consider yourselves really into politics demands. Raise your hand it is like the first political thing you can do right. [22:47:52] That's a really good sense of remorse. So I got break down for you all. [22:48:00] What we need to do to win and it's very very doable. So here's the path for those of you who are new to politics now what's the first state that votes in the Democratic primary. I don't know. That's right. I was never a third. What's the second state you have Hampshire. It's right. It's like 10 or so. And it was the third state. That's right First Person. [22:48:27] First in the West. The odds of this race being resolved by the time it gets to you are essentially zero. And by the time it comes to you it's still going to be up in the air. It's going to be a dogfight. Who you vote for it ends up with a huge leg up like a giant turbo boost. New Hampshire forwards wait before you guys and the young and you're going to do three in New Hampshire. What does the third part. What if a third party in the state of New Hampshire people libertarians. [22:49:08] And libertarians love the freedom dividend. Like. You. [22:49:12] Think about the way the state motto in New Hampshire your die. That's right. And New Hampshire has an open primary. [22:49:21] If you're on registered Republican or independent you can vote in the Democratic primary. So I'm going to give you this thought. If you're a Republican in New Hampshire and your choice was either participating in Donald Trump stomping on William Weld or voting in a much more interesting Democratic primary for the crossover candidate I think you're going to choose the latter. [22:49:44] And anytime you see polls of people in New Hampshire who are really polling Democrats led by registered Democrats so they're going to undercut our support at every turn. Because we're going to get the libertarians the independents the Republicans are crossing over. One of the reasons why our campaign is growing by leaps and bounds what's the number one criteria. We're all Democratic primary voters as to who should be the nominee. Who can beat Donald Trump. [22:50:13] Well I. [22:50:26] That's right. That is the man. So here is that man. [22:50:30] I'm one of only two candidates in the field that 10 percent of Donald Trump voters say they will support in the general election. [22:50:37] Which means that for the nominee we win the whole thing in 2020. [22:50:46] Democrats are waking up to this reality. They're looking around and saying who's Usher is meant to be Donald Trump. It's one reason why Joe Biden's number one in the polls because people think he's the most sure bet but they're going to figure out they have another shoe event in this race. You're looking at a. Why. [22:51:10] Are we going to be so successful. [22:51:11] Because this is the campaign now I can draw in disaffected Trump voters some of your ideas. I know. [22:51:20] Whatever you think of you balance on someone somewhat. They're the black. Trump. Voters. [22:51:34] Libertarians. Independence. Not for. [22:51:45] Newcomers to politics. [22:51:49] Democrats and progressives. We can build a much broader coalition to take on and defeat Donald Trump in 2020 than any other candidate in the field. Because it's not lift. It's not right. [22:52:00] It's going to be. Will. Be. People from. From and that's exactly what we're going to do with my life. Donald Trump. [22:52:20] Is our president today because he got some of the problems right. [22:52:24] We have to acknowledge that but his solutions were not what we need. They were the opposite of where we need to go. What were his solutions. Now all. Build a wall. A job we're going to turn the clock back. [22:52:36] We're gonna bring the old jobs back America half the. [22:52:40] We have to do the opposite of these things and we have to turn the clock forward. We have to accelerate our economy and society to rise to the challenge of the 21st century. [22:52:52] We have to evolve in the way we think about work and value. [22:52:55] And I have the ideal candidate for that job because the opposite of Donald Trump is it a. [22:53:39] Also I think now we're going to take some questions as I write. There's a question. Is. Why. It's what I always do it's like I sought out to someone who is supposed to like you to take a life that doesn't make sense. [22:53:55] Hello. Well it's kind of amazing. I actually started back in April and I really haven't seen it yet. But anyway. Yes. All right. So this is actually something that really matters to me and it's something that I think really need some more recognition. So. I'm 19 years old I'm turning 20 in just a few days. But my brother is 18 and he has type 1 diabetes and it is something that affects so many people in the United States diabetes. [22:54:25] And what people while a lot of people are seeing is that people with diabetes are dying because insulin prices in this country are insanely high and they're dying because they're rationing out their insulin. They're dying because. There's a huge problem in this country where people can't get their insulin. It's not happening in Canada or Mexico or Britain or any other developed country in the world. And when he turns 26 when he's off of his own plan when he's off the payment plan. What's gonna happen is that he's not going to have access to this health care plan or he's going to be on his own. [22:55:04] I don't know what's going to happen. By the time it's 20 26 I don't know if you know what's going to change if he's going to have access to this location and there's so many people who already have diabetes or diabetes or rationing out there and so on. And I want someone as president who can deal with that and that has the capability to do it. Thank you. Thank you. Let's get more. And. [22:55:32] Of what's gone wrong in our country and what we need to fix. I mean you have a teenager who needs life saving drugs and he's already stressed out about his ability to afford it. You notice that drug prices only go in one direction in this country. Why is that. I mean they literally have a business model where it's like hey let's just take the prices up a notch and then we collect more money. So we have to do is we have to get prescription drug prices under control. We have to get our entire health care industrial complex under control because the wrong part is that our health care system right now was designed not to make us healthy. It's designed to maximize revenue. Orthodox. [22:56:08] Again it's an incentive problem. So I got a four part but the short answer is as president I will make sure your brother does not need to worry about this ever again.

TVU 22 ANDREW YANG FAIRFIELD IA TOWN HALL ABC UNI 010520 2020 PRESIDENTIAL CANDIDATE ANDREW YANG GIVES A TOWN HALL IN FAIRFIELD IOWA TVU 22 ANDREW YANG FAIRFIELD IA TOWN HALL ABC UNI 010520 2020 HIGHLIGHTS THERAPY 134356 Q>> I know that you're a big proponent of counseling and therapy, you want to have a therapist in the White House. And you also you also want to have free marriage counseling. And I'm curious, what is a personal transformation that you've experienced from getting support from therapists and counselors? 134421 YANG>> Thanks for the question. I've never gotten this but I love it. When I was a sophomore in high school, I was very angsty. I had like, you know, some bangs that like covered my eyes. And it was like very -- like I listened to the cure and the Smiths and was like very. so. (crowd laughs) So my high school, in ninth or 10th grade said, "Hey, Andrew, like, we think you should see this counselor." 134453 And then I said, Sure. And so I saw this counselor and spent that period, talking to them about whatever was on my mind. And I enjoyed it. I liked it. Now, she concluded after I think a semester of this, it's like, "Hey, I'm enjoying these conversations, but like, I don't think you really need to see me anymore." And then I was like, "that's too bad because I sort of, you know, enjoyed this." And so from an early age, I thought everyone should have someone that they can talk to. And then as I got a bit older, my brother became a clinical psychology professor. 134526 And so he has been imparting to me and my family, sometimes, it's really annoying, honestly. (Laughs) But but but but other times, he'll be like, "you know why you do this, like this or that?" And I'd be like, Oh, yeah, you're right. And so from those experiences, I've felt my entire life that everyone would benefit from counseling, therapy, some kind of help. So I do believe that we should have a psychologist in the White House. I thought that before this administration. But we need to de-stigmatize these issues at every level. 134558 We have to have more resources in schools in particular, because we're seeing a mental health crisis among kids. And I, and it's hand in hand with the use of technology. I hate to say it, because when I was this awkward, 12, 13 year old, when I went home and shut the door, I felt like I could shut the door on the world. Whereas today, if you're 12 or 13, you shut the door and it feels like your classmates are right there with you, because you have a smartphone, where you can see what they're doing and thinking and saying. 134627 And that's really tough on our kids, and their sense of well being. So we need to do all we can to make our people stronger in terms of our mental health at a very early age. Teach them social and emotional learning in schools, and also stop overmedicating every problem under the sun. ## IRAN 134658 Q>> Hey, Andrew, I'm Burt janeski. Hey, there's a -- news flash came across my Apple watch a minute ago about Iran. I don't know if you're aware of what's going on there. But yeah, well, they just announced they're withdrawing from the 2015 nuclear agreement that they still have with the rest of the world besides America. My bigger concern is with the $800 trillion or $800 billion that we spend on the military industrial Complex that Dwight Eisenhower warned us about and Richard Nixon warned us about. 134738 And you know, recently we read about the Afghanistan papers. We know about reasons for going into Iraq, so on and so forth. What are we going to do to divert some of that money to pay for a dividend for the rest of America? 134756 YANG>> Thank you for the question. We spent over a trillion dollars in Iraq, over $6 trillion dollars in the Middle East, and even worse, lost thousands of lives and destroyed 10s, even hundreds of thousands of lives. I've spoken to hundreds of veterans who have never really recovered from their time in the war. And we need to spend that money on things that would actually make us stronger, healthier, more whole more productive at home. 134827 What I've suggested -- because here's what's happened, we're spending, let's say 8 hundred billion, no one really knows, but the official number is somewhere 7 to 800 billion. And of course, the military industrial complex spread those $800 billion dollars out to every congressional district. So there is not a single Congress person who feels like they can vote to reduce the budget without losing jobs in their district. So what we need to do is we need to make this trade and claim and say, "Look, we get it, you need the jobs in your district. But we're spending $800 billion dollars on things that are not making us safer." 134901 What are the great threats of this time? Climate change, cyber security, loose nuclear material. So what I'm proposing is that we take a big chunk of that $800 billion dollars and invest it in infrastructure in our communities, because then if you are a congressperson, you can say, "Well, I'm getting the same amount of dollars, the same number of jobs in my district, but the infrastructure spending would be much, much more economically productive than what we're spending on the military. 134932 In terms of foreign policy in Iran, I'm one of the few candidates that's just came out and said this was a terrible mistake. Some Democrats, I feel, feel this impulse to make it seem like they're not soft, or they're not dovish. 134947 I will just come out and say I signed a pledge to end the forever wars. We've been in a constant state of armed conflict for 19 years and counting. That is not the will of the American people. 78% of Americans want nothing to do with a war in Iran. We need to be investing in our historic alliances and partnerships, and spending less on the military industrial complex, that unfortunately at this point, is dragging us into conflicts and not making us any safer. SURVEILLANCE STATE 135032 Q>> Okay. Hi, I'm David Goodman, thank you for coming here. Really appreciate your coming here.It's - you hinted on this, but I'd like you to unpack this a little bit about this surveillance state that is possibly going to be watching us all the time. I know I was I was in China a month, a year ago. And I know had my picture taken at least four times a day. And I know it's coming here. Five G(?) is part of that props. What are your thoughts? Thank you. 135101 YANG>> It's a fundamental question, David. I did touch on that a little bit, but I'll go further now, I believe that our data should be ours. I believe that if we loan it to a tech company, it's still ours. So there's should be a set of rules in terms of our data. Number one, we should know what you're doing with it commercially. So if you're selling and reselling it, we have to know. 135129 Number two: we have to share in the value. If you're making money from it, we should make some money too. Number three, we should be able to turn it off at will. Now that's our data in terms of the way the tech companies interact with us. And this is more than just an inconvenience, like when they tell you they, they got hacked, and you might have to change your password. Right now the tech companies know us better than many of our friends and family do. 135155 And you can be making a decision, let's call it "who to vote for" that you think is yours, but you could be led there through a whole series of digital breadcrumbs, because they know what 10,000 people who have these similar traits to you did when they had the same trail of breadcrumbs, and they can end up changing our behavior in particular ways. So this becomes a human agency problem as much as anything else very, very quickly. Now, your questions about government surveillance, and certainly right now the Chinese are, let's call them the world leaders in surveillance. 135228 They have virtually no privacy protections at all. And they're investing in AI that now is set to leapfrog the US. There was a joke in technology, "How far behind is China, behind the US and AI?" And the answer was 12 hours, because they would wake up and see what we did the previous day. But now unfortunately, they're in position to leapfrog us because they have more access to more data than we do. 135259 And their government is putting up 10s of billions of dollars for computing infrastructure that even our richest companies cannot match. So they're going to develop very, very powerful surveillance technology that they're already starting to use in a place like Hong Kong. And they're going to try and export it to other parts of the world. And then there's our government, whose you know, we all know, has the capacity to follow in the same path if we're not careful. 135327 So we should be pulling back on a lot of the, the legislation that authorizes -- first you have to repeal the AUMF, which is giving the executive branch power to declare military conflict. And then you have to repeal the post 9/11 rules about servailing your population. The guidelines I would have on surveillance of us -- on the population is that there should be a few areas where we all accept that they're going to be cameras on us. Let's call it malls. Or like public areas. 135358 Where if you're going to monitor employees, then you should expect that you're going to be monitored. But if you're in another environment, you should expect to have privacy. And that should be the guidelines that we have as a country. And one addendum to that: every police officer should have a body cam on them all of the time. Because they have the capacity to use force on behalf of the the government, of the state, and so that should be a very, very high standard. 135426 But other than that, we should not feel like we're in fear of being monitored by our government. ## FULL TRINT [13:16:06] Thank you, Ed, again for that introduction. It's on. I can never tell if it's on. Is it on? OK, thank you so much for that warm welcome. I was so excited to join Andrew on the trail this weekend and get to meet so many more Iowans who will really help determine the fate of this election. You guys all know how much power you have. And I have to say, it's really wonderful to see how this state has been responding to Andrew's humanity. First message. Here's what humanity first means to me. It means super charging people, super charging our families, super charging our community is it's not just about giving people money. [13:16:46] It's about what people can do. And they're empowered with more choice and more freedom. Our humanity shines through. We all want the ability not just to help ourselves, but to help others. It's what's part of being human. So building a better society starts with us, the people. It's so basic but so powerful. Invest in us and we will invest in each other. So many people are just scraping by and that is terrible for humanity. [13:17:18] Because that's how we become isolated in fear and stress and in doubt. With this campaign offers is a new way forward. It's a movement that suggests that people have value no matter their race, their gender or their paycheck. It is reframing everything and turning politics as usual on its head. And people are paying attention because we know the real value in this world is when we put humanity first. So thank you all for coming out here and supporting this movement. I thank you from the bottom of my heart. And now I'd like to introduce the next president of the United States, my husband, Andrew Yang. [13:18:12] Allo, hi. [13:18:16] Yes, hello, everyone. Hello, bear build out. Yeah. [13:18:25] Hello, everyone. Thank you so much. Let's give my wife, everyone another round of applause. It's incredible to be back here in Fairfield. This is my 24th trip to the state. Who's counting and only the second or third with Devlin, and I have to say. Campaigning with her is such a joy because I've felt like the world is now finding out just how lucky a man I am. And when people about thanked me for running, I say with all sincerity, thank my wife because she let me run in the first place. [13:19:03] But number two, she has been sacrificing more on the homefront than anyone. I've been running for president now for a couple of years and now a couple of years is no exaggeration. I really did start two years ago. But now the energy is higher. The crowds are obviously bigger. This is not the size of my first crowd in this state and we are only twenty nine days away from being able to make history together. [13:19:29] Most of the country looks at Iowa with envy in terms of the power you have over the future of the country. Most of our fellow Americans look up and they see the pipes clogged full of lobbyist cash and they think there is nothing they can do about it. They are generally correct. You are the only people in the country who can do something about it. I did the math. You know how many Californians each of you is worth? 1000 Californians each. [13:20:02] Susan? [13:20:04] So if you look around this cider house, what is the fire code in this building? It's on. Make sure. I'm going to give it Trump an estimate. There are 900 people in this room. If there are 160 of us in this room today, that would be four football stadiums worth of Californians. That's the power we have together right now. And the question is, how are you going to use his power in twenty nine days? What is the vision that you want to take to the rest of the country? I talked to Ed on the way in here and I was briefed on how Fairfield is not the norm in Iowa where you are. [13:20:51] As you all know that. [13:20:53] But Fairfield seems like an oasis or emblem of growth and development and progress and progressivism relative much, much of the rest of the state. It seems like my friend Marianne Williamson, for example, has a lot of friends here in town. [13:21:15] I just spoke to Marianne two days ago. One day I'll let you in on a bit of a secret about some of the candidates are friends with each other, like we send each other text messages and calls and let you know we have. We consult with each other sometimes. So I understand that Fairfield is not the norm. You're in Iowa. [13:21:34] Iowa traditionally has been a very purple swing state. And yet Iowa went to Donald Trump by more than eight points in 2016. [13:21:47] And it sounds like you reacted the same way I reacted when Donald Trump won, which was shock, dismay, despair. But here in Iowa, you have many friends and even family members that celebrated his victory. That has to be the case because again, he won the state by eight points. And so you would have to know people that supported. Trump's win. If you turn on cable news, why would you think that Trump won in 2016? [13:22:23] Media Russia. [13:22:27] Turn out money. Hillary Clinton emails FBI Electoral College. Bernie. DNC. All mixed. I mean, the DNC is trying to help Hillary's. I mean, you know, I don't know that. [13:22:42] So. So that's the. [13:22:46] A set of reasons presented to us all on the news networks, but Fairfield. I'm a numbers guy and I went through the numbers and found a very clear and direct explanation as to why Donald Trump won Iowa by eight points, why he won Michigan, Ohio, Pennsylvania, Wisconsin, Missouri. The reason is that we blasted away four million manufacturing jobs that were based in those states, including 40000 right here in Iowa. And when you head to one of the towns that has lost its manufacturing jobs, not just as the plant closed, but the shopping district is closed. People left, the school shrank, and that community has never recovered. [13:23:26] Kind of the opposite of a Fairfield, if you will, because I know you all are actually growing your you have innovative firms here doing great work. The opposite dynamics playing out in many towns here in Iowa and around the country. And unfortunately what happened in those towns is now. Migrating to other parts of the economy. How many of you have noticed stores closing around around Iowa? Generally, maybe not in this town, but generally Main Street's closing. Oh, why are so many stores and malls closing? It used to be Wal-Mart, but now it's Amazon. [13:24:04] Amazon soaking up 20 billion dollars in business every single year and paying zero in taxes while doing it, shutting 30 percent of your stores in malls. Most common job in most of the country is retail clerk, average retail clerks, a 39 year old woman making between eight and ten dollars an hour. What is her next move? When the store closes. When you all call the customer service line of a big company and you get the software bot, I'm sure you do the same thing I do, which is you pound 0 0 0 as a representative, representative, human, human until you get someone on the line. [13:24:35] Right. Raise your hand if that's what you do. Yeah, we all do that because the software is terrible and dehumanizing. But in two or three short years, the software is going to sound like this. Hey Andrew, how's it going? What can I do for you? It'll be fast, seamless, a little bit seductive, perhaps. What is that going to mean for the two and a half million Americans who work at call centers right now making 14 dollars an hour? [13:25:00] How many of you all know a truck driver here in Iowa? My friends in California are working on trucks that can drive themselves. A robot truck just transported 20 tons of butter from California to Pennsylvania with no human intervention. What is this going to mean for the three and a half million truckers or the 7 million Americans who work at truck stops, motels and diners that rely upon the truckers getting out, having a meal every day like Iowa, 80 in Davenport? [13:25:28] This is the greatest economic transformation in the history of our country, what experts are calling the fourth industrial revolution. When's the last time you heard a politician say the world's fourth industrial revolution? Three seconds ago. [13:25:44] And I'm barely a politician. I spent the last seven years again with everyone's blessing. [13:25:54] Running a nonprofit that helped create thousands of jobs in Missouri, Ohio, Michigan, Alabama, Louisiana, cities around the country. And I saw the tide going out in many, many communities. Donald Trump won. And to me, that was a giant red flag. That was this is not business as usual. Tens of millions of our fellow Americans decided to vote for a narcissist, reality TV star and install him in the White House. [13:26:19] So then I saw OK in the numbers where in the midst of this historic transformation that's about to take off. It's about to speed up. And our country does not understand what's happening to it. We are scapegoating immigrants for problems. Immigrants have next to nothing to do it. So this is why I decided to run for president. And even then, my first move was to go to Washington, D.C. and ask our leaders, what are we going to do to help our people manage this historic transformation? And what do you think the folks in D.C. said to me when I said, what are we going to do? [13:26:55] Now that three main responses I got were, number one, we cannot talk about this, Andrew. Number two, we should study this further. And number three, we must educate and retrain all Americans for the jobs of the future. And that last one sounds kind of reasonable. But then I said, look, I checked out the studies. You all want to guess how effective the government funded retraining programs were for the manufacturing workers who lost their jobs here in Iowa or Michigan or Ohio. [13:27:27] Zero to 50 Yang Yang knows it's like he literally has a shirt on saying knock, but I knock with Yang Yang. So he would he would know that zero to 15 percent. Those retraining programs don't work. And when I said this to the folks in DC, they said, well, I guess we'll get better at it than. But when those programs don't work, it's not just a oh no, that's too bad. [13:27:49] Half of those manufacturing workers never worked again. And of that group have filed for disability. And you then saw surges in suicides and drug overdoses in those communities to the point where America's life expectancy has now declined for the last three years in a row. Know the last time that happened in America? [13:28:09] This house ought to have the answers. I like it. The Spanish flu of 1918. A global pandemic that killed millions. [13:28:24] You have to go back 100 years to find another time in American history where our life expectancy declined like this. It's actually highly unusual for life expectancy to ever decline in a developed country. Ordinarily, this goes up because we're getting richer, stronger and healthier. But in this country, as suicides and drug overdoses have each overtaken vehicle deaths for the first time in history, and it's bringing our life expectancy in the wrong direction. [13:28:48] So when I said this to the folks in D.C.. One of them actually said something that brought me here to you all today. He said, Andrew, you're in the wrong town. No one here is going to do anything about this because fundamentally this is a town of followers and not leaders. And the only way we will do anything about it is if you were to create a wave in other parts of the country and bring that wave crashing down on our heads. And I looked at him. I said, challenge accepted. I'll be back in two years with the wave. [13:29:25] And you may not feel it yet, but you all are that wave. It is going to be for you to help rewrite the rules of the 21st century economy, to work for us, to work for our families, to work for our people, because the rules are turning against us more and more. Our most common jobs are starting to get zeroed out. And I look at the work that England does every single day. How much does our economic measurement system right now value her work staying at home with our two boys, one of whom is autistic? Zero, and it's not just her. It's stay at home parents around the country. It's caregivers like Kyle, let's call him. [13:30:11] Where do I go? Oh, there ya go. How you doing, man? Purple Rain. Now you have good taste in music. [13:30:19] It's caregiver is like Kyle, who's at home with his ailing mom who's recovering from cancer. It's volunteers. [13:30:26] It's artists, very often journalists. [13:30:30] Now we've zeroed out over 2000 local newspapers that have gone out of business, leaving much of the country, local news desert. [13:30:37] Volunteering, mentorship, coaching, the things that we claim to value most dearly, the market is minimizing more and more. We have record high corporate profits. We also have record high levels of stress, anxiety, financial insecurity, mental illness, depression, even suicides and drug overdoses. [13:30:57] If your corporate profits are going up and your people are dying sooner, which do you listen to? We know which one D.C. is listening to you right now. That's what we have to change. That's what you all have to change. Now, when you first heard about me and my campaign, I know you heard something like this. There is a man running for president who wants to give everyone in the country 1000 dollars a month. [13:31:23] And I know even in Fairfield, that seemed like a reach. It seemed like a gimmick, too good to be true. Fanciful would never happen. But this is not my idea and it's not a new idea. Thomas Paine was forward at the founding of the country. He called it the citizen's dividend for all Americans. Martin Luther King fought for this in the 1960s, and it is what he was fighting for when he was killed in 1968. A guaranteed minimum income for all Americans. I sat with his son in Atlanta and he said this is what his dad was fighting for. [13:31:57] It was so mainstream in the 60s that a thousand economists, including Milton Friedman, endorsed it and it passed the US House of Representatives twice in 1971 under Richard Nixon. It was called the Family Assistance Plan and would have set an income floor for all Americans. Then eleven years later, one state passed a dividend where now everyone in that state gets between one and two thousand dollars a year. No questions asked. And what state is that? Fairfield. [13:32:21] And how does Alaska pay for it? [13:32:24] And what is the oil of the 21st century technology? Data, A.I. software, self-driving cars and trucks. A study just came out that said that our data is now worth more than oil. How many of you saw that study? How many of you got your data check in the mail last month? We laugh, but who's getting these data checks if our data is now worth tens of billions of dollars a year. [13:32:50] Those are all correct. [13:32:53] Facebook, Amazon, Google, Apple. The trillion dollar tech companies that are paying zero or next to zero in taxes. That's the game. Your communities, not this one. But Iowa, more globally, rural communities generally are getting depleted and sucked dry. It's turning people against each other. They're looking around saying this isn't working. It's making them subject to bad ideas and bad leadership. [13:33:20] There is one study that showed that if you had trouble paying your bills, it has a functional equivalent of reducing your IQ by 13 points or one standard deviation. So if you have the feeling that many of our fellow Americans are getting less reasonable, less rational, less optimistic, less oriented toward problem solving. [13:33:40] They are. Because that is what you would expect if you were to introduce pervasive financial insecurity into a population. Right now, 78 percent of Americans are living paycheck to paycheck. Almost half can afford an unexpected five hundred dollar bill. So then if you go to them and say, hey, these people are to blame. They look up and say. [13:34:00] Say perhaps they are or if you go to them and say we need to fight climate change. They look up and say, I can't pay next month's rent. I can't worry about a problem that might be years away. [13:34:11] And then their next thought is, well, maybe it's not so bad anyway. We have to get the boot off of people's throat in order to solve the problems of this time. [13:34:22] I talked to Evelyn when I first started to launch this campaign, and she was blown away by the fact that we were this close to passing the freedom dividend or universal basic income in the 1960s. And she said, what the heck happened to us over the last 50 years where now it takes the futurist Asian man. To advance an idea that was so common sense. Not that long ago. And what she and I agreed was that somewhere in the last 50 years we have been collectively brainwashed to think that economic value and human value are the same things. [13:34:57] And it is your job to dispel that confusion for the American people and let them know that we and our children have intrinsic value as Americans, as citizens and as human beings. [13:35:23] That's what this campaign is all about. It's about redefining our country and our economy to actually worked for us to be able to look our kids in the eyes and say we fought to leave a country we're still proud of for them. I'm not running for president because I dreamt about being president. I'm running for president because like so many of you here today, I'm a parent and a patriot. I have seen the future. We are leaving for our kids. [13:35:49] And it is not something I'm willing to accept. We can do much better and we must do much better. If you want to take this vision to the rest of the country, we need you to caucus for this campaign in 29 days. If we make this case, it's going to catch on like wildfire around the country and you've already seen it. My campaign raised 16 and a half million dollars in the last quarter in increments of only thirty five dollars each. So my fans are almost as cheap as Bernie's. But there is zero corporate PAC money. [13:36:30] All grass roots, all money from the people because the people see that we need to reclaim control of our own government and remake this economy so that it will work for us. If you were born in the 1940s in this country first, congratulations, because that's already a pretty good run. But if you were born in the 1940s in this country, there was a ninety three percent chance you were going to be better off than your parents were. That's the American dream that brought my family, brought everyone's family to this country. [13:37:03] If you were born in the 1990s, you're down to a 50 50 shot and it's declining fast. That is how Donald Trump won. That is why we feel like our kids are inheriting a future that is less stable and less secure than the lives that we have let as their parents, because that is the truth of it. And that is what you all we all must change in twenty nine days. Donald Trump's our president today because he had a very simple story. He said he was going to make America great again. What did Hillary Clinton say in response? America's already great. You all remember that. It's been a long several years, I know Fairfield. [13:37:41] But it is about to end. [13:37:50] Hillary's response did not work because it failed to acknowledge the depth and reality and severity of the problems in our communities. The suffering is real, the problems are real. But what were Trump's solutions? He said, we're going to build a wall. We're gonna turn the clock back. We're gonna bring the old jobs back. Fairfield, you know, we have to do the opposite of these things. [13:38:11] We have to turn the clock forward. We have to accelerate our economy and society to rise to the real challenges of this era. We have to evolve in the way we think about ourselves and our work and our value. I'm the ideal candidate for this job because the opposite of Donald Trump is an Asian man who likes math. Thank you all very much. [13:38:35] Thank you, sir, I appreciate it. Thank you. Barrett beheld your beautiful. You may not know this, but math is an acronym and what does it stand for? Make America think harder. That's right. That is your job. It is your job to move us. Not left, not right, but forward in 2020. And I know you'll do just that. Thank you. Let's make history together. And now, happily, I think we have some time for some questions. [13:39:14] I think that's right. Am I right about that? All right. [13:39:25] My name is Margaret, and I'm wondering how will you end corporate control of our government? [13:39:34] Margot, this is the question of our time. So step one, you put someone into the Oval Office that doesn't owe anyone anything except trying to fix the problems for the American people. [13:39:46] And I'm getting. Please don't hold us against me. But I'm getting 10 percent of Trump voters coming our way because many of them really distrust D.C. politicians and feel like I'm an honest leader. [13:40:02] And that's I'm going to suggest what we need to beat Trump in the general election because the Democrats and progressives will line up, obviously against Trump, but we need to peel off 10 percent or more of his supporters. Another survey said that 18 percent of college Republicans would choose me over Trump in the general. So, number one, you get someone in who's not corrupt, frankly, and. [13:40:25] Honestly, basic. [13:40:27] And then number two, you try and break the stranglehold of the lobbyists in DC. So you try and overturn Citizens United, which requires a supermajority of Congress. And like all Democrats, I am for that. But I would take it a step further and say we have to line up the money and the people because right now politicians respond to the corporate interest because they have more money, they can pay them better, etc. etc.. So. First, you give every voter one hundred democracy dollars that you can only give to any candidate or campaign. This would flood out the lobbyist cash. By a factor of five or six to one. [13:41:03] I said on the debate stage the other day that fewer than 5 percent of Americans donate to political campaigns right now. Which is true. What percentage would it be if everyone had 100 free democracy dollars that you could give to any candidate or campaign that you liked? [13:41:21] Maybe 50 or 60 percent people are lazy. [13:41:25] They'd still be 30 percent of Americans. Like, I can't be bothered to give my hundred dollars to someone, but you could if you got it up to 50 or 60 percent, you would still wash out the lobbyist cash by a factor of four or five to one. The third thing you do is you shut the revolving door between government and industry because as soon as a regulator shows up, the companies are there being like, hey, you know what? You could use a job with us after you're done here in DC. So how about we talk in two years? [13:41:52] We'll pay you five times what you're getting paid now and maybe you want to take it easy on us. And then what does a regulator do? They're like, yeah, I probably should take it easy on you. And I hate to say it, but that dynamic starts at the top. You have to prohibit the president from giving paid speeches where a quarter million a pop after they leave office. Because even the president will look at someone and be like, hey, you're the head of a big company. [13:42:15] Like maybe you'll pay me a quarter million to come show up and schmooze your clients for an hour. And so you have to shut that door and you shut the door for all the regulators, too. And this is not something that. Regulators themselves unaware of a woman named Sheila Bair who ran the FDIC, said, look, as soon as I got here, all my incentives are to go easy on industry. [13:42:36] So what you should do is pay us more and then say you're not allowed to work for industry afterwards, which strikes me as a very, very reasonable trade. So those are the three big moves you have to make to try and. Break the stranglehold of corporations on our government. There are other moves to bigger picture. Trump said he wanted to drain the swamp. I want to distribute the swamp. So what I mean by that is why are we hiring people and building these agencies in one of the most expensive places in our country? Washington, D.C., that's now the richest city in our country. [13:43:11] We should be taking that level of resources and moving it to Iowa, Ohio, Michigan, Florida, like places that, frankly, would be thrilled to have the jobs and spending. It would save us billions and billions of dollars because everything would be cheaper. And I would suggest they would make better decisions because they'd actually live in a normal place and not Washington, D.C.. So there are a lot of problems in terms of corporate corruption. [13:43:39] But it starts by getting someone into the White House. That's an honest actor that does not owe anyone anything except the American people. [13:43:55] Andrew, huge fan. Um, I'm. I know that you're a big proponent of counseling and therapy. You want to have a therapist in the White House and you also you also want to have free marriage counseling. And I'm curious, what is a personal transformation that you've experienced from getting support from therapists and counselors? [13:44:24] Thanks for the question. I never got this, but I love it. [13:44:29] When I was a sophomore in high school, I was very angsty. I had like a you know, of some bangs that I covered by my eyes and it was like very like I listened to The Cure and the Smiths and was like, very. [13:44:43] So. [13:44:45] So my high school in neither 10th grade said, hey, Andrew, like we think you should see this counselor. And then I said, sure. And so I saw this counselor and spent that period talking them about whatever was on my mind. [13:45:01] And I enjoyed it. I liked it. Now, she concluded after, I think, a semester of this. It's okay. I'm enjoying these conversations. But like, I don't think you really need to see me anymore. And then I was like, that's too bad. So I sort of, you know, I enjoyed this. And so from an early age, I thought everyone should have someone that they can talk to. And then as I got a bit older, my brother became a clinical psychology professor. [13:45:26] And so he has been imparting to me and my family sometimes it's really annoying, honestly. But but, but but other times he'll be like, you know what? You do this. Like, you know this or that. And I'll be like, oh, yeah, you're right. And so from those experiences, I felt my entire life that everyone would benefit from counseling, therapy, some kind of help. So I do believe that we should have a psychologist in the White House. I thought that before this administration. [13:45:55] But we need to destigmatize these issues at every level. We have to have more resources in schools in particular because we're seeing a mental health crisis among kids. And it's hand in hand with the use of technology. I hate to say it because when I was this awkward 12, 13 year old, when I went home and shut the door, I felt like I could shut the door on the world. [13:46:18] Whereas today, if you're 12 or 13, you shut the door and it feels like your classmates are right there with you because you have a smartphone where you can see what they're doing and thinking and saying. And that's really tough on our kids and their sense of well-being. So we need to do all we can to make our people stronger in terms of our mental health at a very early age, teach them social and emotional learning in schools, and also stop overmedicating every problem under the sun. [13:46:57] Hey, Andrew, I'm Birch Nowitzki. Hey, there's a news flash came across my Apple Watch a minute ago about Iran. I don't know if you wear what's going on there, but. Yeah, well, they just announced they're withdrawing from the 2015. Nuclear agreement that they still have with the rest of the world, with both sides, America. My bigger concern is with the eight hundred trillion dollars or eight hundred billion dollars that we spend on the military industrial complex that Dwight Eisenhower. [13:47:34] Eisenhower warned us about. And Richard Nixon warned us about. And, you know, recently we read about the F Afghanistan papers. We know about the reasons for going into Iraq. So on and so forth. What are we going to do to divert some of that money to pay for a dividend for the rest of America? [13:47:58] Thank you for the question. We spent over a trillion dollars in Iraq, over six trillion dollars in the Middle East and even worse, lost thousands of lives and destroyed tens, even hundreds of thousands of lives. I've spoken to hundreds of veterans who have never really recovered from their time in the war. And we need to spend that money on things that would actually make us stronger, healthier, more whole, more productive at home. What I've suggested, because here's what's happened. [13:48:29] We're spending, let's say, 800 billion. No one really knows. But the official number is somewhere some 800 billion. And of course, the military industrial complex spread those 800 billion dollars out to every congressional district. So there is not a single Congress person who feels like they can vote to reduce the budget without losing jobs in their district. So what we need to do is we need to make this trade and claim and say, look, we get it. You need the jobs in your district. But we're spending 800 billion dollars on things that are not making us safer. What are the great threats of this time? Climate change? [13:49:05] Cybersecurity glues nuclear material. So what I'm proposing is that we take a big chunk of that 800 billion dollars and invested in infrastructure in our communities, because then if you're a Congress person, you can say, well, I'm getting the same amount of dollars, the same number of jobs in my district. But the infrastructure spending would be much, much more economically productive than what we're spending on the military in terms of foreign policy and Iran. I'm one of the few candidates as this came out and said this was a terrible mistake. [13:49:39] Some Democrats, I feel feel this impulse to to make it seem like they're not softer than dovish. I will just come out and say I signed a pledge to end the forever wars. We've been in a constant state of armed conflict for 19 years and counting. That is not the will of the American people. Seventy eight percent of Americans want nothing to do with a war in Iran. We need to be investing in our historic alliances and partnerships and spending less on the military industrial complex that unfortunately at this point is dragging us into conflicts and not making us any safer. [13:50:24] Thanks, Nancy. You got it. [13:50:28] We have one more than we've got to move to our selfie line. OK. Hi, I'm David Goodman. Thank you for coming here. Really appreciate your coming here. It's you hinted on this, but I'd like you to unpack this a little bit about this surveillance state that is possibly going to be watching us all the time. I know I was I was in China month a year ago, and I know I had my picture taken at least four times a day. And I know it's coming here. 5G is part of that, perhaps. What are your thoughts? Thank you. [13:51:02] It's a fundamental question, David. [13:51:10] I did touch on it a little bit, but I'll go further now. I believe that our data should be ours. I believe that if we loan it to a tech company, it's still ours. So there should be a set of rules in terms of our data. Number one, we should know what you're doing with it commercially. So if you're selling and reselling it, we have to know. Number two, we have to share in the value. If you're making money from it, we should make some money, too. Number three, we should be able to turn it off at will. Now, that's our data in terms of the way that tech companies interact with us. And this is more than just an inconvenience, like when they tell you they they got hacked and you won't have to change your password. [13:51:50] Right now, the tech companies know us better than many of our friends and family do. And you can be making a decision, let's call it who to vote for that you think is yours. But you could be led there through a whole series of digital breadcrumbs because they know what 10000 people who have these similar traits to you did when they had the same trail of breadcrumbs. And they can end up changing our behavior in particular ways. So this becomes a human agency problem as much as anything else. Very, very quickly now, your questions about government surveillance and certainly right now the Chinese are, let's call them the world leaders in surveillance. [13:52:29] They have virtually no privacy protections at all. And they're investing in a guy that now is set to leapfrog the U.S.. There was a joke in technology. How far behind is China behind the US in A.I.? And the answer was 12 hours because they would wake up and see what we did the previous day. But now, unfortunately, they're in position to leapfrog us because they have more access to more data than we do, and their government is putting up tens of billions of dollars for computing infrastructure that even our richest companies cannot match. [13:53:07] So they're going to develop very, very powerful surveillance technology that they're already starting to use in a place like Hong Kong, and they're going to try and export it to other parts of the world. And then there is our government who's, you know, we all know has the capacity to follow in the same path. If we're not careful. So we should be pulling back on a lot of the. The legislation that authorizes first you have to repeal the IMF, which is giving the executive branch power to declare military conflict. And then you have to repeal the post 9/11 rules about surveilling your population. [13:53:45] The guidelines I would have on surveillance of us on the population is that there should be a few areas where we all accept that there are gonna be cameras on us. Let's call it malls or like public areas where if you're going to monitor employees, then you should expect that you're going to be monitored. But if you're in another environment, you should expect to have privacy and that should be the guidelines that we have as a country. [13:54:11] And one addendum to that, every police officer should have a body cam on them all of the time because they have the capacity to use force on behalf of the of the government, the state. And so that should be a very, very high standard. But other than that, we should not feel like we're in fear of being monitored by our government. [13:54:39] Wow, these are such good questions, I could answer them all day, but it looks like I'm supposed to convert to Salafis, is that right? [13:54:45] It's a selfie lifetime. Thank you, Burpee. Let's make history together in twenty nine days. [13:54:55] As the selfie line can begin right here. Make sure you have your phones out and your camera up so we can get this for you. [13:55:03] Yeah, right here, guys. [13:55:10] Again, thank you all for being here. If you'd like to volunteer, please talk to our folks over at the table. You guys have a great rest your Sunday. Thank you. [13:55:20] People thought, oh, my God. I'll see you at the next one. Yeah.

TVU 22 BERNIE SANDERS BERNIE BEATS TRUMP DECORAH IA ABC UNI 092319 2020 Northwood/Decorah ON CAM - TVU 22; Dubuque/Clinton available via tape) CLINTON, Iowa -- Among the fascinations of political observers during the 2016 presidential election was the phenomenon of Obama-Trump voters -- those who voted once, or twice, for President Barack Obama, but then crossed party lines to cast a ballot for Donald Trump -- and the towns and districts that similarly swung to the right. Though numerous explanations have been offered for the shifts, including Hillary Clinton's weaknesses as a candidate, a desire to elect an outsider, and economic uncertainty in electorally important pockets of the country, among others, a common thread among the 2020 Democratic presidential field is the confidence that they can be won back. In this vein, Sen. Bernie Sanders' campaign stops Monday (each labelled "Bernie beats Trump" events) targeted four Iowa towns whose votes flipped from left to right in 2016, but where he and his campaign believe his progressive bonafides and appeal to blue-collar voters -- traits that combine pieces of the 45th and 44th presidents, in a way -- represent a winning formula. In Northwood, Decorah, Dubuque and, expected at a forthcoming event in Clinton, where, given their support for Donald Trump in 2016, it would seem Sanders' Democratic-socialist platform could be a liability, Sanders did not shy away from his greatest hits, telling an audience of high schoolers in Northwood that he'd ensure their college or trade school educations would be free, college students in Decorah that he'd protect the environment through the Green New Deal while creating 20 million jobs at the same time, and a diverse group in Dubuque that he'd hold Wall Street accountable for its misdeeds while redirecting government assistance to the nations' needy citizens. But perhaps the focus of all four stops was the issue that has already proved to be successful for Trump-era Democrats (at least in the 2018 midterms), health care. Sanders leaned-in to Medicare For All throughout the day, taking ownership of the "middle class tax increase" needed to pay for the program that rival Elizabeth Warren has gone to great lengths to avoid discussing. But Sanders voiced issue with the way the potential hike was being portrayed by the media, sharpening his, at times this summer, sloppy explanation of the net-savings the majority of the country would receive through the plan. "This is what you're going to hear all over the campaign from Republicans, from the industry, and from some Democrats. 'Bernie Sanders wants to raise your taxes. Oh my god, how bad and terrible is this guy from Vermont?'" (15:16:24) Sanders started his discussion of the topic in Decorah, before providing an example to one woman in the crowd. "If said to you... when you were on private insurance, that instead of spending $20,000 a year to the insurance companies for premiums, I was going to end that completely, no out of pocket expenses. You're gonna spend no more than $200 a year for prescription drugs. And maybe, this is hypothetical, your taxes would go up $10,000. Is that a good deal?" (15:17:25) "Yes. Why can't people get it? They just don't get it." (15:18:00) the woman responded to applause before Sanders put an exclamation point on it, giving insurance premiums a new descriptor. "That's what it's about. So you're seeing the lies, the 30 second ads---and the media deals with this all of the time as well. 'Bernie is gonna.' 'are you gonna raise taxes? are you gonna raise taxes?' And that becomes the 12 second clip. Not are we gonna eliminate Danielle's $1700 a month premium---now you can call it 'premium,' whatever you want. I would call it a tax to the insurance companies. That's gone." (15:18:15) With polls, both nationally and here in Iowa, continuing to show a Warren rise, and one increasingly coming via the Vermont senators' 2016 supporters and at his 2020 expense, Sanders continues to avoid making any direct comparisons between the two's campaigns, but his willingness to engage on the tax implications of their dually supported health care proposal represents one of the starkest contrasts between their respective strategies in recent weeks. Separately... Flagging a fun moment to reward you for reading down this far. In Decorah, during a Q&A portion of Sanders' event, one man stood with more of a comment than a question, focusing in on other politicians, including President Trump, who he said he sees wearing expensive clothing while the American people struggle, sending the wrong message. AUDIENCE MEMBER: "Clothing is a symbol of racial and classist divides in people. I'm sorry but an Armani suit is about $2,000, and you look like you're wearing about $250 worth of JC Penney. That's what the difference is between the classes." SANDERS: "Actually, it is Kohl's, not JC Penney." (15:02:00) Watch the exchange, which Sanders supporters are getting a kick out of on social media, HERE <https://nam04.safelinks.protection.outlook.com/?url=https%3A%2F%2Ftwitter.com%2Fevanmcmurry%2Fstatus%2F1176220478739890176&data=02%7C01%7CMegan.X.Farrell.-ND%40abc.com%7C992490283d0445726fda08d740815074%7C56b731a8a2ac4c32bf6b616810e913c6%7C1%7C0%7C637048796483277020&sdata=NFnAILVL9UF0J7f8zMieVKKUOgePhDkEf%2FU0tj4BTMU%3D&reserved=0>. (h/t McMurry for cutting) TVU 22 BERNIE SANDERS BERNIE BEATS TRUMP DECORAH IA ABC UNI 092319 2020 142342 Woah. We were driving here and it's such a beautiful day. I was wondering how many people would come out Well you did, and I appreciate it very much. And I want to thank the many people who didn't get in, who are in the overflow. So thank you all very much for coming out. 142411 We are, today, we're keeping busy today, we're doing 4 town meetings. And we're doing them in Norwood, in Decorah, in Buke, and in Clinton. And why are we doing them, town meetings, in those 4 towns. Well, there's a particular reason for that. And those are towns that Barack Obama won, but Donald Trump also won. 142439 So we are here today to tell the folks who at one point had voted for a progressive candidate for president, President Barack Obama but then for whatever reason, ended up voting for Donald Trump. We're here to tell you I understand that in 2016 Trump ran a very smart campaign. 142506 I gotta give him that. And what he told the people of Iowa and what he told people all over this country. He said, I stand with the working class of this country. I'm gonna take on the establishment. I'm a different type of Republican. So I'm here to tell the people of Decorah and all over Iowa that Donald Trump lied to them. As he does all of the time. 142536 Donald Trump said that he would provide healthcare to everybody, remember that? Well, he ended up trying to throw 32 million Americans off of the healthcare that they have. That's not providing healthcare to everybody. Donald Trump said that he would bring forth a tax reform proposal that wouldn't benefit billionaires like himself. 142620 It's gonna benefit working people. He lied. He's worse than a joker, he's a liar. His tax proposal gave 83% of the beenift over a 10 year period to the top 1%. The people who need it the least. And then you end up with a situation where companies like AMazon that made 10 billion dollars in profits last year -- 142654 Anybody know how much Amazon paid in taxes? (Crod: Zero!) Smart people. That's smart people. Zero in taxes. Alright? He lied about his tax reform proposal. Donald Trump said during when he ran for office he says, I'm gonna be a different type of Republican. I'm not gonna cut social security, Medicare, and Medicaid.Trump's budget, the ranking member of the budget committee, Trump's budget over a 10 year period, proposed 1.5 trillion dollar cuts on Medicaid. 142731 So if you are a lower income person, or if you are a person who has a relative in a nursing home, and nursing home care is paid for very often by Medicaid, understand what that would mean to your family. Trump proposed that 840 billion dollar cut in Medicare. A 20 billion dollar cut to social security. So when he said he would not cut medicare, medicaid and social security, he lied to the working families of this country as well. 142805 Now, Trump said, Trump tells corporate america, he says, you nkow what, you should not be hiring undocumented people, we should be throw them out of this country, bring your factories back to America, but what everybody here should know is that Donald Trump manufactured his tie line(?) in China. 142834 Donald Trump, who is telling corporations to hire American workers, does his clothing line in Mexico. Donald Trump who loves American workers makes his furniture line in Turkey, he makes his picture frames in India, and he makes shirts -- you ever buy a Donald Trump shirt, in Bangladesh, where workers all paid just 30 cents an hour. 142904 So I say to Trump, before you tell corporations all over the world to come back to America, why don't you lead by example. 142918 And all of you, all of you have heard every day Trump demonizing undocumented people in this country. About 11 million undocumented people in this country. And he demonizes -- wants to throw millions of them out. They're terrible, etcetera, etcetera. And yet if you check the record, it turns out that Donald Trump had no problem hiring undocumented immigrants to help to build the Trump hotel, in Washington, DC and the Trump tower in New York City. 143005 And he had undocumented people working in his resorts, in various locations arounf the country. So what is the point. Donald Trump is not just a pathological liar. Donald Trump is not just a racist. He is not just a sexist.He is not just a homophobe. He is not just a religious bigot. And he's not just a xenophobe. Donald Trump is a fraud. And we don't need a fraud in the White House. 143047 What we need right now, and it would give me immense satisfaction to be the president to do that, is we need a candidate not only who can defeat Trump, and I happen to think I am the strongest candidate to defeat tTrump for a number of reasons. What we need a president who in this unprecedented moment in American history is prepared to take on the greed and corruption of the corporate elite in this country. 143133 Now this is not an issue that we hear a lot of discussion about. And we don't hear a lot of discussion about it because in Congress,m any of the members of Congress, receive their contributions and get elected, because of the support they received from the very wealthy. 143202 And We don't hear a lot about this on the media, because the media is owned by a large, by the very wealthy. But this issue of the greed and the corruption and the power of the 1% is an issue, we have got to talk about. And that means taking on -- and this is hard stuff, it is hard stuff and I know people, I honestly do know 143241 People are uncomfortable about thinking about it, or doing something about it. It means taking on Wall Street, where 6 financial institutions have assets of over 10 trillion dollars. 6 financial institutions. 143306 It means taking on the pharmaceutical industry which is charing you the highest prices in the world for the prescription drugs you need. I went to Canada last month with people who have diabetes, we bought insulin for one tenth of the price. Because of the greed and power of the pharma industry in this country. 143332 It means taking on the insurance industry because they make billions of dollars every year charging us the highest prices in the world, for the healthcare that we need. It means taking on and this is a huge one: it means taking on the fossil fuel industry. [claps] Because the fossil fuel industry is producing a product today that is destroying our planet and that has got to stop and I'm very proud [claps] and I'm very proud to tell you: that I have introduced the most aggressive and comprehensive climate change legislation every introduced 143441 Not only by any presidential candidate, but I think any candidate for federal laws. What this campaign is about, what the Bernie sanders administration is about, is dealing with an extremely broken criminal justice system which is racist as well. It means ending the so called war on drugs. [claps] 143531 It means expunging the record of those who have a criminal record because of the possession of marijuana. [claps] It means ending private prisons in the US. It means investing in our young people jobs and education not more jails and incarceration. 143620 In terms of education, it means rethinking education all across the board from child care to graduate school. And what that means, for a start, do we got any psychology majors or psychologists in the room? Alright, right here. Alright, correct me if I'm wrong, psychologists. Ready? Here's the question: 0 through 4, is the most important years of human intellectual and emotional development. Am I right? 143650 Alright. This psychologist tells me I'm right, therefore (laughs) I got an A. Alright. And I want you to think about this, and this is so true of so many aspects of our society. If we all agree that 0 through 4 are the most important years of human development, why do we continue to have a dysfunctional child care system which is unfair to the children and is unfair to their parents? Alright? 143728 And is unfair to the workers who work with those kids. So if we consider 0 through 4 to be the most important years of human development, why don't we treat those little children with the respect and the dignity and the love to which they are entitled? And that's why, that is why we are going to create a universal affordable childcare program in this country. 143810 And that is why we are going to rethink, not only rethink, but rethink -- yeah, rethink is a good word, I'm gonna think of it, let's rethink it -- our value system with regard to education. 143831 We live in a nation in which baseball player and football players and basketball players 144034 For Title I, those are the lowest income schools. Put money into those schools, into all over America where teachers are dealing with kids with a variety of disabilities, and in terms of higher education, let me tell you something which I'm proud of, very proud of, and by the way, here in iowa I want to thank you for this, I came here to Iowa 4 years ago and nobody knew who I was. 144353 Okay, what I want to do now---probably gone on too long already---what I want to do now is give the mic over to our panelists and then I want to open it up to your comments, your questions. Maybe I'll ask you some questions, you ask me some questions. Let me begin by bringing up Ellen Rockne. Ellen is a small business owner and a lifelong Democrat, Ellen? 144420 [PANEL BEGINS INCLUDING ELEN ROCKNE, SEAN MCKENZIE & SAMANTHA DOUGLAS] 145427 SAND>> Let me thank Ellen, Sean, and Samantha for their remarks. I think, without exception, you hit the nail on the head. That's exactly what this campaign is about. And I thank you very much for being here. What I want to do now is open it up and I'd like to ask you some questions and you guys can ask me some questions. I think we probably have a few mics running around the room here. 145457 I want to start off---I was just at a high school earlier today. And I ask kids, mostly kids, about income and wealth inequality. And there was a real reluctance for people to talk about it. It was like I was saying something that was vulgar, that was dirty, that we're not allowed to talk about. You know? It's like I asked someone to talk about pornagraphy. And all I was asking is income and wealth inequality---I wanna question out there, I want you to think about it. Why is there so little discussion in America about the grotesque level of income and wealth inequality? 145540 And I think it was Ellen that made the point, that you really have corporate control of our government and our economy, but we don't talk about it too much. So my---let me start it off by asking you a question. Anyone have any thoughts about that? Why is that the case? Okay, I see a hand right there. 145558 Q: My name is Shah. And the reason why we never never talked about it was because my mother and father said, "we don't talk about that." We were raised not to talk about that. You will be fired if you talk about how much money you make at work. We want to get somewhere, we have to open our mouths. We have to stand up. 145630 SAND>> Good. Alright. What about if I were to---if down the street, some big bully beat up someone who is gay, for example. Everybody would be outraged, appropriately so. We'd say, "bullying is terrible." You got three people owning more wealth than the bottom half of the people in America, while a half a million people sleep out on the streets tonight. Do you know that? Half a million people. 145701 Should we be outraged? Are we allowed? Who defines what outrage is? [Audience member says, "we do"] Do you really? Should we be outraged? [Audience shouts "yes"] Alright. Well, this is an issue that we have got to talk about. And what our campaign is about is telling the billionaire class, telling people like Jedff Bezos who's worth 155 billion dollars give or take a few billion, that that is not acceptable when half of the country is working paycheck to paycheck. 145738 Alright? Are people comfortable? Talk about it to me. I know that this is a hard issue. It's a hard issue, we don't talk about it. Are we comfortable about dealing with this issue? Moving forward to end that kind of income and wealth inequality? Alright, raise your hand. Tell me about it. Yes, sir. Right here. Stand up. Get him a mic. 145803 Q: Thanks for coming. I think that the messages that we get from the mainstream media and the mainstream media is a bunch of corporations. You are the enemy of those corporations. And they hang out---with media folks hanging out with other fairly wealthy establishment people so they really don't have a chance to give us the actual truth or to give an opportunity or a forum to really discuss it. 145843 SAND>> Okay. Other thoughts on the issue. Ma'am? Misty, right there. Stand up. Give us your name please. 145849 Q: Hi and I think that the kind of brainwashing or the idea I grew up with, is that our definition of success is like the American dream in capitalism, you're rewarded for getting everything and just keeping it to yourself and not worrying about everybody else, and that's sort of like a psychology that we've all been taught. That it's the American way, so I think that has something to do with it. 145925 SAND>> I think Lizzie is exactly right. That's a profound---it's a profound point. We have---and I have met actually here in Iowa and I will not forget this---Misty was there with me. Ny the ay, Misty, say hello. Misty is our campaign director here in Iowa [cheers] 145954 And we were at a meeting we held on healthcare---you remember that Misty? I think it was in DEs Moines. I don't know. Couple months ago. And I'll never forget. There was a Latina woman who was a home health care worker, a beautiful woman, and she went every day to help elderly people make their beds and cook them a meal, and she said that sometimes the things that she saw in the people's homes---she, who was making 13 bucks an hour, took money out of her own pocket to help these people. 150024 You see, I think that is what a human being is about. Alright. But your point is we have been educated to believe that people like Trump who lie, cheat, and steal---Trump was sued in his private business life over 2000 times, was involved in legal issues over 2000 times because he broke contract. He lied all of the time. 150053 But he made billions---presumably, we don't know if thats true. But he said he made billions. He's a hero, but that woman who makes 13 dollars an hour keeping other human beings alive, taking money out of her own pocket or the teachers who take money out of their pocket to buy school supplies for their kids. Hey, they're failures! They're failures. [applause] So what this campaign is about, the more I think about it, I think about how revolutionary it is because we're challenging values. 150131 Teachers who educate our kids are the heroes and the heroines of our society, not billionaires who lie, cheat, and steal [applause] Any other thoughts on the issue of income and wealth inequality? I see a hand right here. 150155 Q: Clothing as a symbol of racial and classist divides in people. I'm sorry but an Armani suit is about $2,000, and you look like you're wearing about 250 worth of JC Penny. That's what the difference is between the classes. SAND>> Actually, it is Kohl's, not JC Penny's [laughter/applause] Q: Trump's spending is ridiculous and like nobody we surround ourselves with. Thank you for the movement. 150310 Q: I was raised in the middle class, there were 6 children and my mom and dad, and my dad was the one who worked for us and the six of us. We were taught that there're only two things in life you couldn't avoid, death and taxes. My dad makes taxes every single year. Right. So it wasn't until I heard you the first time that I knew anything about corporations like Amazon, who don't pay one penny in taxes. So part of it is just total ignorance, and we needed you to educate us. Thank you. [applause] 150408 SAND>> Alright, we have a couple of mics here if people have questions or comments for me. please raise your hand and how we're going to do this, Misty? Q&A 150425 Q: Hi, my name is Maya. Since I've started college, I have had to call seven of my friends because there were shooters on their campuses, scattered across the US. I know this is a huge topic, and its mostly in public schools, and specifically with youths who are being appealed to this, because it is students, what steps might you take? 150502 SAND>> Good, thank you Maya. Everybody hear Maya's question? It's a very important question. I was eventually going to get to it, but thanks for asking it. But I would just disagree with you on one thing, it is not just young people. When demented human beings in El Paso walk into a shopping mall---it's not just young people and so forth. We are looking at a horrific crisis, in terms of gun violence in this country. That's what you're talking about. 150534 And, as I often say, it's such a painful and ugly issue to be thinking about some demented person walking in and just shooting down people. I really find it difficult to talk about. But obviously, we need to. And I'll tell you something else, I was here in Iowa and I don't remember what town I was in. And some guy, in a meeting like this, a guy about 6 foot 2. He looked like a football player. And he stood up and he said, "I gotta tell you, Senator, that in my school, we are afraid." 150607 And that's from a high school student who was 6"2'. So you think about the kids in the fourth grade and the third grade. What a terrible thing it is, we used to believe that schools were a place of safety, where kids went to learn and to have fun and to feel comfortable. The idea that kids are in the drills, today, hiding under desks, doing whatever they're doing, is a terrible, terrible thing. 150634 So to answer your question. Number one, I will do what the American people want us to do which is the past gun safety legislation. [applause] Alright. Now what does that mean? what does that mean? It means moving toward expanding background checks so that people who have a history of violence behind them do not own guns---significant expansion of background checks. People who should not own guns, under my administration, will not own guns. 150723 Number two: ending the gun show loophole which allows people to avoid background checks and buy guns. Number three ending the Strong man Provision, which allows people to legally buy guns and then sell them to criminals. Number four, and there has been, in recent months, a significant movement of the American people in this direction. Something I've advocated for decades and that is the banning and sale of assault weapons in this country. 150807 And there are other things that we should do as well, that's just some but it is an issue that must be tackled, and the overwhelming majority of American people want us to tackle this issue. Why aren't we tackling this issue? in Congress? You know what? That's right. One word---it's the NRA. And the NRA has sufficiently intimidated Trump and the Republican leadership. I will not be intimidated by the NRA. We will do what the American people want. [applause] 150849 Okay, that's a great question. Thank you. Let me ask you a question. Some discussion on this. Is healthcare a human right or a privilege? Raise your hand if you think it's a human right. [hands go up] Okay. Why is the United States the only major country on Earth, not to guarantee health care to all people as a right and why do we spend twice as much per capita on healthcare, as do the people in Canada or other European countries? [audience member shouts "We're essentially stupid"] No. 150927 Hold it, raise your hand. Raise your hand. Let me get the new people, what's the answer then? Why are we spending twice as much and have 87 million people uninsured or underinsured? I want to get to new people. Nobody knows the answer then? Yes, sir. [audience member says "corporations"] Good. Stand up, take the mic and amplify that a little bit. 150941 Q: I'm from Australia. And, you know, we already have free healthcare. SAND>> Good. Tell people---Thank you for being here. So if you end up, you get sick, you have serious operation, you go to the hospital. Do you go bankrupt? Q : No. Doesn't cost me a thing. SAND>> Doesn't cost you a thing?? Q: We've had four kids and hasn't cost us any money to have those kids to be in hospital treatments. 151026 SAND>> But, obviously, your wife must have had to wait two years before she could give birth, right? Q: No [laughter] SAND>> Because the system must be so broken and terrible, right? Q: Wrong. 151039 SAND>> Okay. That's Australia. [applause] And look, every country has a different system. The Australians have their, the Canadians have theirs. United Kingdom has theirs, Germany has theirs. Scandinavia have theirs. All systems are different. But they all have in common what the gentleman from Australia just said. Health care is a human right. [cheers] You don't have to go bankrupt because you have a baby, for god sakes. 151120 Or run some incredible debt. Now what we are taking on, all over the world people think we are crazy. The Australian is nodding his head. And that we pay outrageous prices. You have a baby---anybody tell me what it costs to have a baby? What's the latest? Anyone know? Anyone have any babies lately? You had a baby lately. 151150 Q: We had pretty good insurance, thankfully, but I know my sister opted to have her child at home which was less medical involvement, less office visits, because that's a charge SAND>> Was one of the reasons to say money? Q: No, actually it cost way more. And she had to get prior authorization which took months--- SAND>> This is to have a baby at home. Q: She just had her second child at home, despite all the costs. She still went ahead because it was a less stressful process for her. 151243 SAND>> Good. That's a whole other issue. Q: But not everybody has that option, because it's way too expensive. SAND>> Alright, other---on healthcare, give me some examples of healthcare. Alright. Yes ma'am. 151302 Q: Hi I'm a senior nursing student. I've had patients have to walk about hospitals against medical advice because they can't afford dialysis or cancer treatment and it's absolutely horrifying. 151332 SAND>>This is the reality of american health care. It's a reality that we do not discuss. It is---to say the word least---it is obscene. It is disgusting that in the wealthiest country in the history of the world, people walk out of a hospital because they cannot afford the care that they need. And our friend from Australia was shaking his head, and he should shake his head. This is not what the United States of America is about. Let me just conclude this discussion. 151401 I want to tell you briefly what our legislation is about. It's called "Medicare for All." And what it does is it takes Medicare, which is a good program right now. It expands Medicare to cover dental care, hearing aids, and eyeglasses, covers all basic healthcare needs, including home health care. How's that? [applause] And right, Medicare starts at 65 or older. It goes down 55 in year one, 45-year two, 35-year three, and then it covers everybody by year four. 151447 There are no premiums. And I want to deal with this issue. There's a lot of dishonesty that's going on. And I got to deal with it every day. It's not enough, you know, we're taking on the entire health care industry, which is already advertising here in Iowa. They'll be advertising, spending hundreds of millions of dollars all over the country, trying to defeat what I have proposed. So let me be very clear about how we pay for this. Okay? 151516 There are no premiums. All right. I want to ask---anybody here want to jump up and tell me what they're paying a month in premium. Who wants to tell me that?Stand up. Stand up, man. Hold it. One at a time. Give the lady a mic. How much you paying in premiums? 151535 Q: Actually, I am on Medicare now and it's great. I just got on it, but I was paying last year $1750 a month for insurance. SAND>> 17 hundred dollars a month. Yes? Is that what I'm hearing? [she nods] Q: Yes, one thousand seven hundred fifty dollars. SAND>> A month. Okay. For how many people in the family? Q: Just me! My husband left me. 151558 SAND>> Alright. Come on up here ma'am. Come on up here. Q: Because I supported you. SAND>> Come here, come here, come here, come here. Come on. Would you mind coming up here? 151624 For this, getting you up here, I'll sign your book twice. How's that? Alright. I'm sorry, your first name? Q: Danielle. SAND>> Danielle. Alright, Danielle has just made the point. This is what you're going to hear all over the campaign from Republicans, from the industry, and from some Democrats. "Bernie Sanders wants to raise your taxes. Oh my god, how bad and terrible is this guy from Vermont?" Alright? Your name again? Danielle. It's still Danielle, you haven't changed it [laughter]. 151700 Danielle just told us she was paying 1700 dollars a month? Yes? That is like $20,000 a year for healthcare, yeah? DANIELLE: Yeah, it's ridiculous. [laughter] SAND>> Now, if I said to you, Danielle---you're on Medicare now, which is a lot better, right? DANIELLE: Yeah, I have a little bit of money in my pocket now. 151725 SAND>> Now, if I said to you, Danielle, when you were on private insurance, that instead of spending $20,000 a year to the insurance companies for premiums, I was going to end that completely, no out of pocket expenses. You're gonna spend no more than $200 a year for prescription drugs. And maybe, this is hypothetical, your taxes would go up $10,000. Is that a good deal? DANIELLE: Yes. Why can't people get it? They just don't get it.[applause] 151804 SAND>> That's what it's about. So you're seeing the lies, the 30 second ads---and the media deals with this all of the time as well. "Bernie is gonna." "are you gonna raise taxes? are you gonna raise taxes?" And that becomes the 12 second clip. Not are we gonna eliminate Danielle's $1700 a month premium---now you can call it "premium," whatever you want. I would call it a tax to the insurance companies. That's gone. 151836 And the nursing student a moment ago just talked about people having to pay out of pocket expenses, they don't have the money. That's gone! Co-payments are gone. So one of the things that we have to deal with is the dishonest of people trying to say, "oh, my program is going to cost people more." My program will cost the overwhelming majority of Americans, except the very rich, less in health care costs. Yes. If you are below 29,000. You're not gonna pay anything, as a fact of fact. 151916 But other people will pay more in taxes, but in every case, it will be less than what you pay for premiums, out of pocket expenses and co payments. It's a good deal. [applause] Alright, a question. Let me get a question from the audience. We got a question? Okay, I see a woman right here. Alright Ma'am. Stand up. Get her a mic. Where's the mic? Misty, where's the mic? Right there. Watch the baby. Watch the baby. [laughter] or they'll have more healthcare costs here. Okay. 152009 Q: My name is Jennifer. I followed Gillibrand's campaign for a time. I really liked her ideas about public service for college. She talked about extending the ROTC program, you put in two years as a nurse, you get a year of college free. This was her idea of how to make college accessible for everyone. What do you post a college for all happen in a way that can happen with the existing infrastructure? 152042 SAND>> Well, I think what we're proposing can happen in States---you know, as I mentioned earlier, when I was here in Iowa four years ago and proposed making public colleges and universities tuition free, it was thought to be a crazy idea. Since then, 12 states have moved in that direction. New Mexico just announced it's making public colleges and universities tuition free, but I do like the idea. I would approach it a little different than Kirsten does. 152109 And that is one of the things that we are doing, and I have played an active role, is expanding something called the National Health Service Corp. I don't know if you know what this. And expanding it beyond healthcare--in other words, if you want to go to medical school, okay, and you are prepared to serve. And we need to serve in underserved area, we will forgive all of your debt. Alright? You're a nurse and you're prepared to serve in an underserved area, we will forgive all of your debt from nursing school. 152139 But it needn't be just health care, it could be teachers. It could be people working for the public good. And that's one way that we can approach it but at the middle of what we're trying to do, the heart if it is, in fact, for everybody---making public colleges and universities tuition free as a right. Okay, let me ask---alright, I'll take another question. Okay, way in the back. And I see you're wearing---is that Wellstone shirt? [cheers] 152211 Paul Wellstone---I had the privilege of knowing Paul, and Paul was a wonderful human being, and obviously, we miss him and his wife Sheila. Okay, yes. 152222 Q: Charlie, from Minneapolis. And when you turn 18, obviously, a whole bunch of stuff happens. You can vote, it also happens is you're eligible for the draft. And on September 14, I read, the Defense Department believes Iran attacked Saudi Arabia oil production facilities. I just want to know how president Bernie Sanders would respond to increased Iranianian hostilities in the region and the protection of our Middle Eastern allies? 152302 SAND>> Well, I think I disagree---if I may, if I got the thrust of your question. I don't see Saudi Arabia as a middle east ally [applause] I see Saudi Arabia as an incredibly brutal, undemocratic regime which treats women as third class citizens, which torches people who stand up for Democracy. And I think, in many ways, we have to rethink our relationships with countries in the Middle East. 152345 So I think that Saudi Arabia is a brutal dictatorship. Iran is nothing to write home about either. The are anti-democratic and I have real concerns about Iranian policies. But I think we have got to end the US approach which supports Saudi Arabia and just attacks verbally, and otherwise, Iran. I think what a president Bernie Sanders would do is bring Saudi Arabia, bringing Iran around the table and say, "You know what, we are not going to spend trillions of dollars sorting out your laundry." 152427 "Get it together. Stop your damn wars. Alright? And we'll work out with you some kind of peaceful arrangement." But right now, Saudi Arabia has initiated a terrible, terrible war, as you know, in Yemen which is currently the worst humanitarian disaster on Earth [applause] and I'm proud, proud to tell you that along with a conservative republican, a guy named Mike Lee from Utah, for the first time since the War Powers Act was established 45 years ago, in the House and the Senate we passed the resolution demanding that the US get out of intervening in the war in Yemen. 152517 Major breakthrough [applause] Alright, let me conclude. I think we have to get going soon, but I wanted to say---we've gone over a lot of issues and thank you, this is just a tremendous turnout. And the folks that are still outside, thank you very much for being there. This is what I want to say to you: is that, what our campaign is about and which, quite honestly, makes it a unique campaign is, I am not here telling you "vote for Bernie Sanders, and I can do it all. Just vote for me and I'll take care of all the problems." 152558 I don't say that because I don't believe it. And I don't believe it, because it's not true. No president of the United States alone can take on Wall Street and the drug companies and the fossil fuel companies, and the military industrial complex, and the prison industrial complex. The only way that real change ever takes place, and you all know history, whether it's the Labor movement or the women's movement, or the civil rights movement or the gay movement or the environmental movement. 152633 The only way that real change ever takes place is when millions of people stand up and demand justice. It's the only way change takes place. [applause] 152657 So, I'm here to ask for your help here in Iowa, and I believe that we have the kind of grassroots volunteer basis that will enable us to win here in Iowa. I am asking your help to become to democratic nominee and I'm asking your help to help me defeat the most dangerous President in American history [applause] 152726 But I'm asking more of you in a way that no other candidate has ever done. We're trying to do something unprecedented, unprecedented in American history. Every candidate wants to win an election, and every candidate will tell you all the great things he or she is going to do. But I'm saying, I cannot do it alone. We need an unprecedented grassroots movement, not just to defeat Trump, but to transform this country. 152801 Can I count on you to be there with me in that struggle? [cheers] Alright. This is a big deal. We're fighting for the future of America and for the planet. So, with that...I think we are---do we have time for? We do not have time. Do we have time for selfies? What? I was hoping to do selfies, but we don't have the time to do it all. So I'm going to come out and say hello to you, but I wanted to thank all of you very much for being here this afternoon. Thank you. ####

TVU 21 ANDREW YANG CEDAR FALLS IA MOMS FOR ANDREW YANG EVENT ABC UNI 121319 2020 EVELYN [13:38:36] Thank you so much, Kelly, for that. Do I need this? Can anyone hear me? Yes. Thank you so much for that introduction, Kelly. And thank you so much, Moms for Yang for having me here. Today is such a pleasure to be here and such an honor to be speaking with a group of people who have given so much of your energy and support to my husband, Andrew, and to our family. As many of you know, I'm a stay at home mom. Now to our two boys, Christopher and Damian. They are the light of our lives. [13:39:10] And I am involved in every aspect of their lives and educate and education and even the PTA president. So shout out to all the PTA. [13:39:23] I've also had a professional career in marketing over the years. I graduated from Columbia University with a B.A. in economics and I spent several years working at L'Oreal, launching and managing various brands like Andrew. Forcing companies large and small. I even went on to get my masters in professional studies. But do you know what they don't tell you when you are getting your degrees or working at a Fortune 500 company or helping to launch a startup? [13:39:54] And being a mom is a job and no one is a champion for stay at home mom. Even though it's irrefutable that what we do has value. When I was working outside the home, there was never any question that the work I did deserve compensation. Now that I'm working the hardest, most intense job of my career and I used to have five thirty a.m. shift in high school. [13:40:23] Now every day is in my 30s and a 1 p.m. shift and a 6 p.m. shift and an 8 10 p.m. shift, sometimes a 3 a.m. shift and just for fun. [13:40:36] But you know, my job now is not even close to being feels that way. [13:40:43] I appreciate that Andrew actually talks about this. [13:40:47] Having a politician say that the work women do in our society is the most unrecognized and uncompensated work. It's amazing. [13:40:56] What's even more amazing is that I never said to Andrew, go run for president. The work I do at home can be valued. [13:41:02] Finally, a thousand dollars a month would be a really nice start. And you can call it the freedom dividend. [13:41:09] That wasn't me. That was all Andrew. He has always recognized the importance of the work that means to you. And he believes that parents need a choice. When we had Christopher, I was shocked. I was shocked by the overwhelming joy that he brought to our family. But I was shocked by the amount of work and the expense. Before Christopher was diagnosed with autism, we already knew he was different. It was clear to us that he really needed me to stay with him. And I had the fortune I had the fortune to be able to make that choice and stay at home with him full time. [13:41:53] Now, so many Americans in our society do not have that choice. And it's a shame because our society does not value that kind of work. So what I want to hear it say here today is that I believe we've earned that choice. And I think that what we need as women and caregivers is access to quality child care when we want it. But also a mechanism that recognizes the work we are already doing every day. In many cases, moms are making great sacrifices to be at home, taking care of our families. Sometimes it's not just children. Sometimes it's aging elderly parents. So caretaking doesn't just apply to children. [13:42:54] And let's not forget all of the single moms out there and single dads who are heroes making enormous sacrifices every day to make sure that their family has what they need. It is absolutely critical that we, the mothers and caretakers of society, have a voice and a choice between his paid family leave plan and the freedom dividend. Andrew is the only one speaking to that boy's. I and what I love so much about the freedom dividend is that it actually gives a lifeline to our children so that if they ever fall in hard times, that they won't face extreme poverty and homelessness and hunger. [13:43:49] It ensures that the country will have their back the same way that we have their back now. So I'm so proud of the work that Andrew is doing to try to strengthen our families and our communities. And I'm so honored to introduce to you today the next president of the United States, my husband, Andrew. YANG [13:44:30] Thank you all so much. Let's give. But I will end my. [13:44:39] Occasionally, people thank me for running for president, and I say thank my wife because once she allowed me to run and number two, she was the one who is sacrificing the most by taking care of our kids. While I was on the road three, four, five days a week, I would not be running for president if not for everyone and the boys in the most fundamental of ways you are. Most of you know that Christopher is special needs. He was our older son. [13:45:09] And when he was born, we're first time parents and so we weren't sure whether what he was experiencing was normal because you don't remember or several kids. You're like maybe two year olds react like that. Maybe three year olds react like that. But there was this real sense of stress and anxiety. And everyone champion. Christopher at every turn. She was like, Batman is what you do. It was like where she was like a pre-teen, like super detective. They didn't do it. And then eventually she brought him to see a doctor within a week. [13:45:41] And it was determined that he was autistic. We found out when he was about to turn 4. And it was a massive relief for the family. Massive relief for me. I know parents react differently when they find out that their kids are autistic. For me, it was actually this giant weight lifted because I felt like we understood it. But it also made me so profoundly grateful to everyone, because if you'd left it to me like I was playing badminton, you know, mean like I wasn't allowed to know a bad thing, but I was like, Dad, I was fine and everything would be like that. [13:46:18] So come on. A lot of hard. [13:46:23] So they went and when I got them, well, we got this diagnosis. I was like, oh, my gosh, that explains so much. [13:46:32] And now we know that we can start trying to put resources in place to help Christopher develop. But at that time, there was three and a half years were so stressful. And I saw how that period of time could tear our family apart. It's one reason why I'm championing free marriage counseling, because if a couple wants to stay together, we should help them do so. And then there are very, very tough times when you look at someone and you feel like that your love is being tested. [13:47:02] And then if you get through that period, then you can look back at them together hand in hand and say, wow, that was a very tough period. But many families aren't able to get through that time. We need to make sure that new moms can spend time with their kids. And I said in the last debate, there are only two countries in the world that don't have this a true story. And my gosh, sixth, like so I didn't write a president for about two years. [13:47:27] And so there was a period about a year ago when I tried to figure out which countries did not have mandatory V for new moms. And there were five countries on that list. It was Liberia, Lesotho, Swaziland and Papua New Guinea and the United States of America. That was the list. Now, here's the kicker. Lesotho, Swansea land in Liberia actually passed it in the last year. [13:48:00] And so now the list is just US and Papua New Guinea. [13:48:05] And so literally the list changed for the president to leave America alone with a lot of New Guinea. [13:48:12] And that's how ridiculous we are. That's how brainwashed we are into thinking that somehow we are all subject to this capital efficiency machine and that it's somehow a, quote unquote, bad for business. They marched and spent time with their kids. I'm a business guy, and I know it doesn't seem like what the practical impact of not having paid family leave for new moms is that you push moms out of the workforce, which is terrible for any organization like you have a woman. [13:48:52] That's that's key to the organization and that she feels like she has to choose between family and work and that she chooses family and then you lose it. [13:49:00] Like that's a disaster for business. It's a disaster for business. If you have kids who are growing up and not getting every possible resource that they can so they can grow and mature into strong adults. That's very bad for business. So as a parent and a human being, it's obvious that we all know that we should have paid family leave decades ago. So I'm saying six months for new parents that you can divvy up between the parents. I'm also saying we should have a thousand dollars a month for every adult to take that weight off. [13:49:36] Many, many parents. And I'm saying we should have child care and pre pre-K starting at age 3. If you decide that you want to either drop the kid off or put them into the school system. And studies have shown that the sooner you get the child into some kind of nurturing environment in that way, if it's home. Great. But if you want to return to the workforce or you're already in the workforce, do you want to drop? The kid also plays. We should be paying for that. I understand what tradeoffs families are making all the time. [13:50:09] Well, you look up and say, how much does a care cost? Look at you like one day care cost. Guess what? [13:50:14] And then you're like, OK, so if you go to work, all of the money that you'll be making will go to daycare. [13:50:21] So why are you working again? Is the daycare going to be better for the child at that time with you? [13:50:30] No, no, no. Like that. That's it. And then some enterprising moms out there say, you know what? I'm starting daycare that I had. That does happen somewhat because we look at the prices and you're like, I have to be able to do better than that. [13:50:45] How many of you can relate to this? Some of this stuff. I'm not a fan as I am. All right. So so we have to put resources into our hands and our communities where our families can start to address our needs and also pool resources so that if you do want a daycare, it's not going to break the bank. It's not going to be more than your paycheck. It's not really something that is cost prohibitive for families. And this isn't an instance where an investment on the part of our community actually pays for itself many, many times over. [13:51:14] This country's become. Pennywise and pound foolish, as I'm you know, and all our measurements are driving us away from things that would actually make our communities and families stronger, healthier, like we worship the stock market and GDP while our stress levels are through the roof. Anxiety, depression. Our communities are in a deep depression. By any measurement that we use. That's not the stock market. That's essentially it as your president. I'm going to help us evolve to the real measurements that would tell us how our families have been. So, Ellen, I just want to say I love you so much. I'm so grateful to you. Just talking to some of the banks. [13:52:00] And thank you for allowing me to run for president. [13:52:03] And thank you for making our family strong role. I do not believe any of this without you. Thank you so much. [13:52:17] So today is a bad day. Yes. So we'd love to take some questions from you. It should all and I don't think you need the money. I want to give it to you anyway. [13:52:28] Thanks. My name is Jim Young and I am a physician and I am a big fan of single payer and Medicare for all. My question is this how do we convince Americans that this system is better than their private insurance? And in the long run is going to be better for all of us. [13:52:49] What kind of position that a physician. Well, hats off to you. You must have been a lot of. I agree that we need a Medicare for all system that provides health care to everyone in the country. How do you persuade Americans? To me, it's something that we have to demonstrate over time. I don't think you can legislate away all the private insurers without causing millions of Americans to be very upset, particularly because at least some groups of workers and unions actually negotiated away wages for robust health care plans. [13:53:28] And if you say, hey, now I've got this public plan, they'll say, well, where were you 10 years ago? And we're negotiating this contract. So we need to put coverage in place and then sweep the private insurers out of the market over time. But you don't legislate that. What you do is you've demonstrated through saying, look, this is actually more efficient and more affordable, lower stress and higher quality. I'm confident we can do that because just like you, I've looked at the inside of the health care system and I've seen just how much money is getting spent on things that have nothing to do with our health. [13:54:02] That's the kind of thing that I know is the same thing I said about how our economy is not designed for us. Our health care systems are really designed for us either at this point. It's designed to make the drug companies or device companies and the private insurance maximum profit and revenue. So then the big confusion in politics right now is how do you pay for health care? What you know, what Americans know is we're already paying through the nose for health care on so many levels. And that if you rationalize the costs and start directing the resources towards us, we can reform the system in a way that makes us stronger and healthier very quickly. [13:54:38] But we have to do that and ensure that it's working. And as someone who's running a company, I spent a lot of time on health insurance. Even though health insurance had nothing to do with my business, you know, it's like you have plans. You go to employees, you say, hey, you're the premiums. Here's what we'll pay for. You pay for this. Couple of things. Number one, prices only ever went up like the health insurance company never contacted a business. It was like great news. It's going down. It's never happened in American history. [13:55:09] Number two. If someone had come to me, you let's call it the government and said, hey, guess what is the public option? And you can get health insurance off of the back of your business and you pay into the system. I would have jumped for joy because it wasn't just money. It was the fact that I had to become an expert in health insurance, even though I had nothing to do with my business. I didn't have difficult conversations with my employees about their health insurance, which they also I wanted to be. [13:55:35] None of my business. So even if the economics were exactly the same, I would have been thrilled with some sort of public option. So if we provide the public option and provide employers that kind of choice, then the employers are going to do our work for us to get a leg up and say, hey, guess what? There is this public plan. It's gonna be great for you. And that's how we convince the American people over time. [13:56:05] I'm Christine Carpenter and I'm a member of the Beyond Team, which is the only comprehensive breast cancer organization in the area, and I represent a team on the board of the National Breast Cancer Resources and the National Breast Cancer Coalition has a public policy platform, which I want to thank you for signing the public platform. The first. [13:56:31] No one is guaranteed access to quality, evidence based, patient centered health care for all. And so we thank you for that. Number two is making sure that there is adequate and sufficient research that is that has advocates at the tables and in all decision making. Plus, it's transparent and and is really looking at the issues we need to look at. And the third is making sure that educated patient advocates are at all decision making tables for health care, research, public policy. And I thank you very much for signing me. Did it? Sure. And I was like, thank you. I don't know all those night. Thank you very much. [13:57:11] That's a great question. I mean. [13:57:17] I was proud to sign that pledge. I mean, there are fundamental concerns from. Where do we go? I'm not sure. [13:57:26] I have a question, but I don't come Minneapolis to be here today. My father writes books and I do not to help her. The doctors, nobody visits. So I. I don't really have a question, but I want you to know that as her daughter and my brother. So we should be able to help our mom Oh, maybe I can do is pay her rent, pay for her food and just not function well. But nobody listens. And so I just want you to think when you make it, when you're president. I wanted you to like. Think us. I came here. Which side around her? Oh, no. And she hasn't met my brother's daughter. Just because she's just that. So I just I just wanted a story out there. [13:58:28] When the president said something comes across, he does not come across my desk a plate for this because we have a mental health crisis in this country as. As a result, we need to do my brother's like clinical psychology professor. A sense as to how deeply I believe in the fact that we need to destigmatize these conditions at every level. So I'll have a psychologist in the White House. I thought it was a good idea before the current administration sources. But that poor boy, Omar, we need to have that resource in place so that you and your brother can bring her to a professional. [13:59:17] You can see what might be able to help her and whether it's therapy or the right set of drugs. And the fact is, these drugs, if you can have a non pharmaceutical response, that's better. But it sounds like your mother is someone who would probably be a candidate for some of the entire schizophrenia, drugs and the intense schizophrenia. Drugs are very, very hit or miss in the sense that if you're sitting with a doctor, you know what they'll say. They'll say try these drugs. It has worked for some of my patients. And then there's like a multi month period where the person tries to do drugs and see whether they improve their condition. [14:00:03] And then oftentimes it'll have some effect, but some side effects. And you come back X months later and then try another drug. So we need to put those mental resources in your family's hands so that we can get your mom to a point where you and your brother will be fine with bringing her grandkids to visit her and spend some time with her. I'd love to help make that happen. Surprised President. Thank you, a. [14:00:39] Wow. Thank you. Thank you. [14:00:44] Welcome back. OK. No doubt. [14:00:53] I'd just like to say you're not alone. My mother also has paranoid schizophrenia. She was diagnosed when I was 13 years old. Over twenty five years ago, I brought in more than 10 years for them to get her medication right so she could just function. And still, a lot of times she lives in this groggy state, whether she really has no emotions. But her her problem is now that she's living on disability and. I have two daughters in college. [14:01:25] I don't have that money and also support my mother. With the current system where she can't work at all. She could probably do a few things, there really is something that you it would probably benefit her life and give her a social outlet. But with the current income based welfare programs we have, she's not able to make any money otherwise. The docs what she hasn't seen. Yeah, so you talked about the importance of the universality of freedom dividend and how that's important for people who are receiving social programs. [14:02:02] Thank you. Thank you for sharing. [14:02:08] I mean, I get her story, their story. It's in so many of our families. I have an aunt who was a schizophrenic, so. Most of us know. And one of the reason why I'm so parched by the freedom dividend is that it applies and dependent on whether you work and generate some additional income. I've heard heartbreaking stories of people who are off disability who would like to work or even volunteer, but they're afraid to do so because if they do, then they'll lose their benefits. And that's a very negative. Aspect of our current disability programs and welfare programs work, you do better, you get less. [14:02:49] With a universal basic income, you do better, you do better. And we all have a foundation on the floor. Now, the foundation of Florida's universal basic income, that's not enough to solve all of our problems. We have to continue doing more. One of the things I say is that it's like a foundation that you keep on trying to build a structure on top of. But it's an excellent foundation. That's a much better foundation than anything else that we have right now. That for you and your family, it sounds like your daughter, your college age, times, I guess. [14:03:15] So if you could imagine you getting a thousand bucks a month in each of your daughters, you a thousand bucks a month, then that would probably help with their school loans and some of the financial pressures you feel day to day. And then if you wanted to try and help your mom, you might have a better able to do so even independently. One of the things I love about this, this foundation, is it gives us all economic resources to be able to enact our own values, whether that's taking care of ourselves or family members doing something positive in the community. [14:03:47] But I agree with you that our current programs are very, very poorly designed. I have met thousands of Americans who essentially just live in fear of losing their income and that their behavior is guided by that. [14:03:59] And that should not be what government is for. Government should not be for scaring our citizens into saying like, hey, if you do this, all of a sudden your lifetime is going to get cut. This country should work for us. We are the owners and shareholders of this country. We can rewrite the rules so that it benefits us and our families. One thing I'll say to you in Iowa, there's a magical place because each of you is worth like a thousand Californians in terms of numbers. [14:04:25] You look around this room. This is like a football stadium. Californians fly. Really? So you come to Iowa. Does it matter how many people are there? [14:04:33] So I was there. I read. [14:04:38] They were persistent. So what I say to folks in Iowa is if it's not working for you, it's not working. [14:04:47] And you have the power to change it. We have to make it work for you all. You're not a voter. Oh, slick. [14:04:54] You sell. The freedom to the bill will be a huge game. [14:05:03] Thank you so much for sharing your story with me. And I agree the. Absolutely. And the mental health crisis in our country. But it's also an economic resource issue. [14:05:13] And I would love the freedom dividend so much. It is literally the reason why I let Andrew write for president. Like it when he told me about it. I seriously like how we are such a rich country. How is this not a thing yet? And I said, OK, go out there, spread the message, but everyone will jump on this bandwagon before long. And then you can come up to say what she said was, Andrew. [14:05:43] Every candidate is going to be champion in universities. And then who doesn't? [14:05:51] It did not crazy that they all haven't picked up universal basic income, as, you know, part of their healthy. [14:05:58] It's crazy to me. But what I love about the freedom dividend is that it's super charges, families, communities. And it's not just you as an individual getting a thousand dollars a month. It's your husband or wife or sibling. [14:06:13] And then you as a family are in a better position to help your, you know, your your mother or your dad or anyone in your family that needs help. All of a sudden, we collectively, as a family, as a community, are better enabled to have them to lend them some money, to bring them to services, have access to services that aren't covered by insurance. So this is so cash. We get it. And I'm I'm so glad to be able to be standing here. [14:06:44] I just wasn't expecting to be standing up here with you. I hope you don't mind. [14:06:55] I feel like what you for, Madeleine, is worth like a thousand words, because at this point on the trail I must have said like many thousands of words or so that I could just find anything I say, please, please help me. So I began to say you on me up. So some of those photos were being taken and then someone, like, ordered me to move. And then they then they apologized. And I was like, hey, I'm married. I think I get over it right all the time. [14:07:26] Sir, you don't know that that's important to me. [14:07:31] Don't say mental. [14:07:35] I have a question here. [14:07:38] So my son is almost 16 now, but when he was born, I was in the military and I was far from home. And what I knew was just me and my husband and my son was a very high needs baby colic. Just the two of us. [14:07:56] It was very hard. [14:07:59] The hardest thing of my life was having more and no one around. [14:08:04] And my son doesn't have special needs. So I would. [14:08:08] I heard Andrew say a few things about having a baby and then realizing that, you know, what am I, a bad parent? What's what's going on? I'd love to hear how you felt as a new mom with. And you didn't know he was against whom? [14:08:25] Especially so that I did something that everyone picked up on the fact way. We the kids crying. [14:08:35] Well, how how that I absolutely relate to you. And even though, you know, our kids in college, I went to one of those parent support meetings early on, new moms. Anyway, the subject was sleep. And I remember listening to the other moms talking. And I said to myself, I would die to be any one of you because, you know, they would feel like my child's waking up every three hours, every four hours, sleep. And and Edith, there's no end. [14:09:12] It's hard to go on your day. You go about your day. When you don't when you're not getting sleep, it affects everything you do. So I think that is something that, you know, a lot of people are very lucky. [14:09:24] They have really when I say it like, you know, high functioning babies, you know, there are only a couple of things that you need to do, right. Eat well and sleep well and well. [14:09:37] That's like 90 percent of their existence. So, you know, our child, he had a hard. He had a hard time eating and sleeping. And I was like, that is 80 percent of your job. [14:09:49] You know what it was? [14:09:54] So what I hear you. That's a really tough time. [14:09:57] And people don't tell you these things. You know, when you're at the hospital, they send you home. There's no manual. And you're expected to kind of just wing it. [14:10:06] And I think one of the things that I love so much about Andrew's platform is that, you know, paid family leave policy and so, so critical that we have that time and the money to be able to focus on our family early on and get the support from our family and other community. [14:10:28] And that was just a better built up system than those things will come, because you have to put the resources in place and have the expectation that moms are going to be with their babies when they're born. And then those you know, those support groups will build around them, because right now there's no expectation that women will have the opportunity to be with their kids. You know, the expectation is that you have the baby and you're at work the next day, which is. [14:10:57] I mean, I had a very, very tough because Christopher just seemed upset. To be awake or anything. [14:11:06] Every time. Like when we were a second son. He woke up, he didn't scream his head off. It was like, wow. [14:11:15] Woke up, was like looked around like leaves like there. [14:11:20] But, you know, the difference between like staying up and being up and then waking up and going back to sleep is so much worse for you. [14:11:30] But, you know, it's so worth it. Right. So are. [14:11:34] Yeah. You guys have time for one more. [14:11:41] I'm so I'm the lactation profession. But the pilot. [14:11:45] Let's her. Yeah, but that's I I really am. [14:11:52] What I like about your platform is about the AARP and its threat to our economy. And I can't believe that you're the only candidate that's even mentioning that and how important that is for everybody. Because I feel like the the a lot of the I has taken over jobs of the people that voted Trump in. That's what I think. But anyway, I just would like you to talk more about that, because I really I read your book and I've been rooting for you since May. [14:12:31] So I probably will. Thank you. Yeah. I mean, let's remember, was a helping for. [14:12:43] Was that in such stress or in that if there are people that tell you that it doesn't being your trouble without it, like nothing else matters for the long? Like I I'm told that folks feel like, you know, very efficient because you're like, hey, why shouldn't I be able to do this thing that seems so core to it? But many, many people struggle. Yeah. Anyone. So thank you for that. Artificial intelligence that. I, too, am shocked that this is not front and center in American life. And sometimes I think about a reality where I did not vote for president. Do you think anyone would be talking about this? [14:13:25] The president debate stage next week, like, you know, none of the men would be talking about the fundamental economic issues that got Donald Trump into office that are not going to take off. If you're generous, you could say it's because they don't understand those issues, because if you have been in a bubble, it's called Washington, D.C. for a couple of decades. And frankly, you were born in an era where technology was not developing as quickly as it is now. Maybe you've never even read your own e-mails. Maybe you people will read them to you like it. So then in the end, it's not as natural for you to be concerned about it. I wouldn't put this at the feet of our politicians to be sure. [14:14:09] I would put this at the feet of our media organizations and the news organizations that are not covering the nature of our economic transformation in a real way. Where do you turn on cable news? Why? Why did they say Donald Trump won Russia races? Facebook, e-mails, FBI? They don't talk about the fact that we lost our way. It's four million manufacturing jobs. Forty thousand right here in Iowa. That's what you said in my mind. Trump won the state by 18 points, that when you get rid of the jobs, then people started becoming angrier. [14:14:46] They don't talk about the fact that if I don't get to a point where it's driving our trucks and cars for us, then that will reduce the most common job in twenty nine states. There are three and a half million truck drivers. United States, 94 percent of men averaging forty nine. One thing that most of us do not understand is that A.I. and this technological revolution are about to impact women more than men. Because what happened was it started out manufacturing, which is a two thirds male field. And I just talked about trucking, which is 94 percent male. So you think it's getting rid of jobs for many, many high school educated men, which it hasn't. [14:15:26] But it's about to start ripping through administrative and office environments to a very, very high degree. And 60 percent of those environment, those workers are women. It's about to close 30 percent of America's stores and malls. And while retail jobs are not quality, it's the most common job in the country. And 60 percent of retail workers are women. So this is not an awesome them. This is not a man woman thing. This is an everyone thing. And I've now been running for president for a couple of years. And I'm convinced that D.C. would never have actually risen to this challenge because it's not in their interest to do so. [14:16:06] There is no one in D.C. who gets paid more based upon highlighting artificial intelligence is a threat to our economy and way of life. There are actually people who get paid more if we don't talk about it. Puzzling. One of the things I've said is that at this point, the feedback mechanism between D.C. and us is broken. They succeed whether we succeed or fail. That is the brutal truth. That is one reason why Donald Trump won. That people are waking up to that reality. We have to change that. And we have to change that as quickly as possible before the air leaves the lab and starts tearing apart. Jobs and earnest. [14:16:46] I'm friendly with some of the most. Advanced technologies in our country. The more you know, the more they know, the more concerned they are. I have never had this conversation. I've been in the lab. I've been to the cutting edge. I know we're developing and everything's going to be fine. [14:17:07] That's not the end of that goal. [14:17:12] So we have to come together and say this is not a red, blue problem. This is a human problem and we need human solutions. And those human solutions are going to come right here at. [14:17:34] Andrew, thanks for being here with us today. My question as a financial adviser is how are we going to pay for this? That's a great question. I am the math guy. [14:17:51] Amazon is closing 30 percent of our stores in malls and absorbing 20 billion dollars of business a year. How much did Amazon pay federal taxes last year? Euro Zero. They have a trillion dollar market cap. Jeff Bezos is worth one hundred nine billion dollars. Boards and they're paying zero in federal taxes. So the first thing you do when you say how are going to pay for this is you're saying, wait. How does it make sense that Amazon is paying your taxes? I would say it does not make sense. And it's going to be up to the folks here in Iowa to say it does not make sense. [14:18:22] We want to change that. And then if we get us our tiny fair share of every Amazon sale and we Google search, every Facebook and eventually every robot turned violent, a work unit, you get a sliver of that, you generate hundreds of billions in new revenue very, very quickly. And because you're a financial adviser, you're probably familiar with this value of tax that other countries have adopted to make sure that the Amazons of the world don't pay zero taxes. So you look around Sweden, Denmark, France, Germany, all have this because they figured out it's escape proof mechanism to get us those resources. [14:18:59] So then you get that mechanism in place. We can put a thousand bucks in our hands very quickly because that, you know, this is a financial advisor to you put a thousand dollars in the hands of everyone, the community, the money that's going to go right back into the community. But the trickle up economy create more economic activity, more jobs, more businesses. We actually get back a chunk of that value, then we get it back another chunk because we're gonna spend less on things like incarceration and homelessness services and emergency room health care that we spend a trillion bucks out. And then the last part that's really joyous. One study said that if you were to alleviate gross poverty in this country, we would increase our GDP by 700 million a year just on the basis of better health and education outcomes. [14:19:41] Think about that. [14:19:42] None of this takes into account the fact that you'd have increased levels of enterprise and creativity and risk taking because people would feel like if they went out there and took a risk. I was with a literal rock star and he said that you have another Beatles every year in a society where you had freedom dividend because there may be many more people trying to be creative. And so you can imagine outsized business success coming up that you can't project yet and none of that's baked into the numbers. So anyway, that's how you pay for. The first thing is you get our fair share from the Amazons of the world so that we can all participate in the games of the 21st century. [14:20:18] Economy loses that ability. Isn't the fact that we're making that camera people's dollars? [14:20:29] Now we have one more question the other way, because I think. [14:20:39] Right. [14:20:39] So we've spoken about health care a little bit, and it's quite serendipitous that you use the word Amazons in the world is somewhat. [14:20:51] A veteran natural environment has been out for five years already, and first few years would be the most rough experience of my life. And you're talking about some psychotic schizophrenic drugs and the V.A. solution. [14:21:08] And their wise wisdom was to put me on two different antidepressants animates at the same time. [14:21:14] Now, instead of it actually getting better in me, understanding the root of the anger and the reactivity and. It just made me numb to everything. It didn't allow me to be angry, but it didn't allow me to be happy. [14:21:28] And so I'm came to the Amazon. I decided after a week, which they told me to take it for a month before you see any real results, which is beyond absurd, beyond absurd to anybody educated. I feel that that's absurd. But it's also a lesson about chemistry that a lot about. But getting it to us, I stopped taking those drugs and continued to do research because I don't need to do something because I wanted to stay here and to be able to to experience the family life. And I would not be here right now if it wasn't for psilocybin Cubans as mushrooms and ayahuasca. And that's 100 percent. T. [14:22:02] Hanks. No, I would not be here. I would not. I would. I didn't cry for four years straight before I took psilocybin machines for the first time. I cried for four hours straight. And then while this gentleman sharing the story, I could probably choke up because of studies. I understand. I feel that. And so. My question is, you know, in indigenous cultures, they have shamans and it seems like a natural proclivity towards the human experience to to have these people. The closest we have a psychiatrist to mechanical and when they're warriors or people that experience, if you're trying to get back to the tribes, they they experience at least six months shy of his re reintegrating into society and teaching them how to be humans. [14:22:45] And so what? You know, how how do we get these clinical studies to. Obviously, they're going at their own pace. They're doing the due diligence. It's been around for so long and so many people like the Beatles that we know that we know of it. Is it back to them in tremendous ways? [14:23:04] First, thank you for saying things through a circus. Not. [14:23:09] Applause. [14:23:16] You are not the first person who has told me about the fact that someone's life in mushrooms have enhanced their way of life and their well-being. Yesterday, I heard very passionately from someone who argued that CBD oil never met military men said that saved his life. I'm for the total legalization of marijuana and cannabis. It shouldn't be the. Federal controlled substance list and I'm very open to legalizing psilocybin mushrooms as well. The fact is right now it's the most lethal drug in America. Opiates like it's all of these prescription opiates that are killing Americans and our end and that was quote unquote legal because Purdue Pharma profited to the tune of 30 billion dollars on the backs of our communities and our families. [14:24:11] And we find them. Six hundred thirty five million dollars. Sounds like a lot to realize that only 2 percent of 30 billion. And that family is one of the richest families in the country today. So in the context of that and you look at drugs like marijuana and mushrooms and we say, wait a minute, what do you think? These drugs are not anywhere near as lethal? Are they not as crucially addictive? So why are we criminalizing one thing and profiteering and essentially destroying lives on the other? So I'm I love the reason why a smile was. I love the fact that. Native population tenants spend six months without a shot when they did make me reflect like, who is the shadow in American life today? [14:25:00] Like in American life today, you describe psychiatrist as being overly mechanical. And I couldn't agree more. I think that our medical industrial complex is too mechanical. I think unfortunately it's going to be our educators. I think our educational system is becoming unduly mechanical. I would lighten up on the as a tease and the timbres test and the rest of it. You know, we devised the S.A.T. during World War 2 as a way to identify which kids not to send to the front lines. And then now we just decided to bludgeon our kids with it every year, like every year more time. So we need to try to humanize our economy to the extent possible and humanize solutions that work for people when they come home. [14:25:42] If you were to show up to the V.A. and you have this whole range of things, instead of saying, hey, take these two depressants and antipsychotic and then wait for four months for it to numb you or, you know, I would love it if they said, hey, how about that? Or we could send you to this six month reverse boot camp with our modern day equivalent of a shaman who's been in in service and came back and now makes a living helping make veterans stronger. And guess what? [14:26:08] You can take mushrooms as part of let's say it's not like that would be the kind of thing I would love to sponsor. Had the V.A. as a pilot, I say because popular and the efficacy rate would be higher. [14:26:23] And then you feel like it's data driven. [14:26:25] Turns out the modern day shaman is more effective than I psychotics and that the drug companies would be like, but wait a minute, we get paid less. And I'd be like, that is the point. Get lost. [14:26:37] So thank you for sharing. Thank you for your service. And I believe this is your opinion. There is a right. Yes. A beautiful family. Alex. [14:26:52] I think we have some time to take selfies and will people individually. I just want to thank you all for being here today night for the incredible questions. This is a much more enjoyable event than any of the other ones. [14:27:03] What's more human? So thank you. Thank you for driving for hours to be here. And don't let the V.A. get a round of applause. My wife. [14:27:19] Right now, everyone, and we're going to do a selfie one on this wall. If you line up single file on this wall, that would be awesome.

TVU 10 ANDREW YANG NH DAY ONE EVENTS ABC UNI 123019 2020 NASHUA, N.H. - Democratic presidential candidate Andrew Yang, fresh off his successful "New Way Forward" Iowa bus tour and following his outstanding performance in the sixth Democratic debate, returns to the Granite State for what will be his 24th visit. During his visit from Dec. 30 - Jan. 2, he will hold events throughout the state, including a New Year's Eve bash in Nashua at Martha's Exchange to ring in 2020. He will also hold town hall meetings in Nashua, Salem, Exeter and Rochester. In addition, Andrew Yang will visit Concord High School, where he will champion a lower voting age and shoot hoops with students. See below for a full list of events. DECEMBER 30, 2019 Nashua Town Hall Nashua Public Library (Main Auditorium) 2 Court St. Nashua, NH 03060 2 p.m. - 3 p.m. Salem Town Hall: A New Way Forward for People with Disabilities Coffee Coffee 326 S Broadway Salem, NH 03079 4:30 p.m. - 6 p.m. Exeter Town Hall The Exeter Inn 90 Front St. Exeter, NH 03833 6:30 p.m. - 8:30 p.m. Halfway through Andrew Yang's third and last New Hampshire town hall Monday, his campaign manager Zach inserted a little drama into the night, slipping him a note mid-speech. Yang excitedly read the the message out loud, informing several hundred supporters packed at the Exeter Inn that his campaign had just reached its one millionth campaign donation. Donations have been a strength for him in this race. Polls have not. The donation milestone comes the same day the Yang campaign admitted it's having an issue with polling, and made a plea to Tom Perez to add more polls before the January debate (the DNC says it will not) But while the surprise announcement was notable, what wasn't said out loud appeared intentional and important too. After being grilled by reporters and even a town hall supporter on what appears to be a blatant misusage of the phrase "Medicare for All," Andrew Yang stopped using it at the second and third events. (FYI - no news from that second event today - it was at a Salem coffee shop, roughly 50 people packed the shop, and Andrew's policy aide led the discussion, incorporating his own personal story of being gay and paralyzed to make a case for why he supported Yang's policies) No other hard news, but a couple new hit lines from the third event: When asked why he thought he'd be the best person to go up against Trump, Yang explained that many former Trump voters are for him - over other candidates. He also added this new spicy line: "He's messed with every candidate except me. Because I'm better at the internet than he is" [8:09] He said his usual "I'm barely a politician" line and somehow added this story about his wife: [check to tape!] My wife would have run the other direction is she ever thought I was going to run for office....she jokes even now that I'd be the worst politician ever, because I'm really bad at lying. Got a terrible poker face. Even when I proposed to her. I was so nervous, I had this ring that was burning a hole in my pocket. I was like 'omigosh, she knows, she knows' [Everyone laughs] Someone yells "What happened" He continues, "What did happen. Well, I proposed and I EVENTUALLY got a yes in the same general afternoon period. I'm not sure if I've told people this story. I hope she's not embarrassed by it. I think what she exactly told me was, "WHY ARE YOU DOING THIS?" [room bursts into laughter] Not exactly what you want to hear on one knee. [7:38] LOGS BELOW FROM ORIGINAL FEEDS NASHUA TOWN HALL HIGHLIGHTS AND LOG: Two powerful moments during Andrew Yang's first town hall during his New Hampshire trip. First, a 16-year-old supporter stood in line to ask a question, but instead of asking a question, made a plea to Tom Perez to add more polling (see Armando's DL from earlier today for more on how Yang sent Perez a letter). After, Yang embraced him and said he would change things for 16 year old's to vote. Seemed like an authentic moment. 145702 Q: Mr. Yang, there has not been a poll in an early state released in 47 days. Tom Perez, the Chairman of the DNC, just rejected your request for the DNC to conduct and release more early state polls, essentially cutting off a vital pathway to the January debate. 145736 On Perez's twitter biography, he writes and I quote, "Likes the Buffalo Bills, the Democrats, and fighting for the little guy. Though, not in that order." Well, apparently, he doesn't like fighting for the little guy who has over 400,000 donors including some [inaudible] right in New Hampshire which -- would you look at that -- is an early state. So, to the people in the room, we have a chance to outraise Elizabeth Warren in the 4th quarter [audience member howls] 145803 And I'm gonna look towards kinda the biggest camera in the room but, if there is someone from the DNC watching -- oh, shoot, where am I? [laughter] -- if there's someone from the DNC watching, look at the crowd. We've crammed over 100 people into a room built for 30. There are people watching from out the door. Poll the people, is my point. I cannot even vote in the 2020 general election, but I am the most passionate about this than I have -- than anything I have been in a long time. 145837 YANG>> Give me a high five, man. [laughter / applause] [they hug] Q: So, Tom Perez, fight for the little guy. Fight for all the little guys in this room. Fight for the american people. Poll the people. [audience members shout "poll the people"] It seems like we're not gonna get much help in this process. So, to the people over 18 years old, keep phone banking, keep canvassing, keep Yanging people, keep making America think harder. 145907 Because we all know it's not left, it's not right, it's forward. And I'm apart of the Yang gang because I'm scared of the future in America. And in my age group, I am not alone. So, Mr. Yang, do you have any thoughts on the issue [laughter/applause] 145924 YANG>> My thoughts are you're making me feel better about the future, Ellis, just by being so passionate and articulate and spot-on (?). [applause] You know, that's awesome leadership on your part. I believe we're going to get the polls we need in the right time frame and I'll be on that debate stage in January. Yang also goes on here to say he thinks 16 year old's should be able to vote. Another supporter also asked Yang on calling his healthcare plan M4A,saying, "To what extent are you anchored specifically and explicitly to Medicare for All as it's written as a phrase? And what extent would universal healthcare be a more useful phrase?" (background, Yang keeps calling his plan M4A even though there's no public option!) Yang's admission here was good: 145324 YANG>> I like where your head's at, Kurt. To me, Medicare for all is universal healthcare for all Americans. It's not the name of a bill, it's a name for trying to get every American healthcare independent of their work status or whether or not they can like afford certain levels of premiums. Now, I'm not someone who thinks you can uproot private insurance plans quickly, because you're talking about millions of Americans on these plans. In some cases, they actually negotiated away higher salaries for the plans, so somehow legislating those out of existence very quickly, seems to me to be unduly impractical slash disruptive. 145402 So the plan to me should be for the government to provide a public coverage option that then outcompetes the private insurers and squeezes them out over time. Now, to your point, Kurt, it is true Medicare for All means certain things to certain people,and you're probably right that universal healthcare would be a better way to frame it. Gaggle starts here, but it's far less interesting than above. ABC asked Yang if he was contradicting himself with his plea to Tom Perez stating that he believes polls should consistently be raised, when just earlier this month, he signed a letter for Cory Booker supporting the DNC to revert to earlier qualification standards. 150636 [cutting unimportant first few lines here] I would be thrilled if they decided to go back on the announce standard but I thought that was unlikely after they announced it. We're trying to influence what they were going to announce, before the fact if you remember...so I would be thrilled if they ran polls, I would be thrilled if they reverted to earlier standards...we're just being nice by saying their standards were good. [laughs] (check tape here) He spoke a bit more about how there's nothing preventing the DNC from reaching out to any of the poll organizations, but nothing major here, until he says their actions seem disingenuous: 150741The DNC saying we can do nothing about it seems disingenuous because they can clearly reach out to any of the approved poling organizations that asked for a poll to be conducted in any given timeline. He was also pressed on M4A being the name of Sander's bill, but his website still lists M4A as a platform of the campaign. He was asked if it is confusing to use that term when his bill is not what the actual bill or policies that Warren and Sanders' are? His answer to the person who asked it during the town hall was much stronger though: 150913 YANG>> To me, Medicare for All means universal healthcare for all Americans, and that's where we should be driving as quickly as possible. We need to get healthcare access up and the costs down to a level where Americans can get the healthcare that they want and deserve. Healthcare should be a human right here in this country, instead of a means for companies to make money off of us. [was pressed further by reporter but didn't give a stronger answer] 16 Year Old 145702 Q: Mr. Yang, I was at your Hanover Town Hall event about a month ago and, just a quick disclaimer, this could be a little bit long, but I'll get this as short as possible because this is the best way I can get my message out to people, but -- and I think this would encapsulate, kind of, what we're all thinking. So, Mr. Yang, there has not been a poll in an early state released in 47 days. Tom Perez, the Chairman of the DNC, just rejected your request for the DNC to conduct and release more early state polls, essentially cutting off a vital pathway to the January debate. 145736 On Perez's twitter biography, he writes and I quote, "Likes the Buffalo Bills, the Democrats, and fighting for the little guy. Though, not in that order." Well, apparently, he doesn't like fighting for the little guy who has over 400,000 donors including some [inaudible] right in New Hampshire which -- would you look at that -- is an early state. So, to the people in the room, we have a chance to outraise Elizabeth Warren in the 4th quarter [audience member howls] 145803 And I'm gonna look towards kinda the biggest camera in the room but, if there is someone from the DNC watching -- oh, shoot, where am I? [laughter] -- if there's someone from the DNC watching, look at the crowd. We've crammed over 100 people into a room built for 30. There are people watching from out the door. Poll the people, is my point. I cannot even vote in the 2020 general election, but I am the most passionate about this than I have -- than anything I have been in a long time. 145837 YANG>> Give me a high five, man. [laughter / applause] [they hug] Q: So, Tom Perez, fight for the little guy. Fight for all the little guys in this room. Fight for the american people. Poll the people. [audience members shout "poll the people"] It seems like we're not gonna get much help in this process. So, to the people over 18 years old, keep phone banking, keep canvassing, keep Yanging people, keep making America think harder. 145907 Because we all know it's not left, it's not right, it's forward. And I'm apart of the Yang gang because I'm scared of the future in America. And in my age group, I am not alone. So, Mr. Yang, do you have any thoughts on the issue [laughter/applause] 145924 YANG>> My thoughts are you're making me feel better about the future, Ellis, just by being so passionate and articulate and spot-on (?). [applause] You know, that's awesome leadership on your part. I believe we're going to get the polls we need in the right time frame and I'll be on that debate stage in January. MEDICARE FOR ALL 145250 Q>> This phrase "Medicare for All" has become almost a branded phrase at this point. To what extent are you anchored specifically and explicitly to Medicare for All as it's written as a phrase? And what extent would universal healthcare be a more useful phrase? 145324 YANG>> I like where your head's at, Kurt. To me, Medicare for all is universal healthcare for all Americans. It's not the name of a bill, it's a name for trying to get every American healthcare independent of their work status or whether or not they can like afford certain levels of premiums. Now, I'm not someone who thinks you can uproot private insurance plans quickly, because you're talking about millions of Americans on these plans. In some cases, they actually negotiated away higher salaries for the plans, so somehow legislating those out of existence very quickly, seems to me to be unduly impractical slash disruptive. 145402 So the plan to me should be for the government to provide a public coverage option that then outcompetes the private insurers and squeezes them out over time. Now, to your point, Kurt, it is true Medicare for All means certain things to certain people,and you're probably right that universal healthcare would be a better way to frame it. ## TRINT TVU 10 ANDREW YANG NASHUA NH TOWN HALL ABC UNI 12.Sub.01.wav [14:15:34] There's one like, oh, yes. Voice amplification, it's great to be back here in New Hampshire. Tracey, you missed the most important thing. I graduated from Phillips Exeter Academy in 1992. [14:15:49] That's a pretty tepid applause. [14:15:52] But here in the U.S., it's OK. I was invited back to speak at a number of months ago. [14:15:59] And when I spoke, I said this my first time back since I graduated because I didn't enjoy myself here. And the student body erupted in applause. [14:16:10] I felt really bad. [14:16:11] That wasn't the reaction I was going for. And as Tracy said, after I graduated from Exeter, I went to Brown and then Columbia. And then I became an unhappy lawyer in New York City for five months. [14:16:23] And somehow she gets a along. [14:16:26] And I left the firm to try and start a business. How many of you? Because it's the Chamber of Commerce. How many of you've started a business or organization or club or list. So if you have your hand up, you know, two things. Number one, it's much harder than anyone lets on in. Number two, when someone asks you how it's going, what do you say? It's going great. Everything's always going great. My business went great until it failed. My parents told people I was still a lawyer because there was a much easier story, but I'd been bitten by the bug. [14:17:00] I worked at another small company and then another, and then I became the head of an education company that grew to become number one in the United States and was bought by a bigger company. Now, 2009 is like it's a decade ago. I can't believe it's already been 10 years. That was a very tough time in much of the country. How many of you were here in New Hampshire ten years ago? And how was that time for you in Nashua in 2009? [14:17:24] College. [14:17:26] You're laughing. Were you the Marilyn? [14:17:31] I just want to come in on all of the elected officials and former elected officials, because here in New Hampshire particular, it's a labor of love. You're certainly not doing it for the money or the glory. And I tell people who run for local office, I believe it's harder than running for president because people know where you live. [14:17:52] So the financial crisis 10 years ago racked many of our communities. And I saw this unfold. And I thought I had some insight as to why the economy had collapsed. It was because so many of the wannabe whiz kids, I'd go into Exeter and running Columbia with it gone to Wall Street and helped create derivatives and mortgage backed securities and these exotic financial instruments. And so I thought, well, that's a disaster and that's a train wreck and that's where our energies are going. [14:18:19] So I imagined what I would want our energies to go towards instead. And the vision I came up with was to head to a city like Detroit or Cleveland or Birmingham or Providence and help grow a company to create jobs. So I started a nonprofit called Venture for America, started calling wealthy friends, asking them this question, Do you love America? The smart among them said, What does it mean if I say, Yes? Andrew? And then I said, at least ten thousand dollars. So raised a couple hundred thousand dollars, which grew to the millions, helped create thousands of jobs in 15 cities around the country. [14:18:56] And as Tracy said, I was honored by the Obama administration multiple times. I got to bring my wife to meet the president. So my in-laws are very excited about me that week. [14:19:06] But unfortunately, during my travels, I started having this sinking feeling where for any job that my organization was helping to create. Many of these communities were losing dozens, even hundreds of jobs. I started to feel like my work was pouring water into a bathtub that had a giant hole ripped in the bottom. But I was still surprised when Donald Trump became our president in 2016. How did you all react when he won? [14:19:32] Tears, devastated disbelief. To me, it was a giant red flag that tens of millions of our fellow Americans decided to take a bet on the narcissist reality TV star as president. And even if you were devastated or cried, we all have family members or friends or neighbors who were very excited about his victory. I started to dig into why I thought he won. If you turned on cable news today, why would you think that Donald Trump's our president? [14:20:04] Facebook, Facebook, racism. Russia cared about gods and perhaps emails, but someone shouted out the economy. [14:20:15] That's closer to the truth. When I dug into the numbers, we've automated away 4 million manufacturing jobs over the past number of years. And where were those jobs? [14:20:27] Ohio, Michigan, Pennsylvania, Wisconsin, Iowa, all the swing states that Donald Trump needed to win and did win. And if you doubt this, if you go through the Motor District data, you see that there's a straight line up between the adoption of industrial automation and in a voting district and the movement towards Trump. This happened in New Hampshire, but it happened earlier. You all lost over 12000 manufacturing jobs in the northern part of the state. And when you go to those towns, you see that many of those towns have never recovered. [14:20:59] That after the factory of the plant closed in, the shopping district closed and the population shrank. When I was in Detroit and Cleveland and St. Louis, as you saw, a lot of the same things were in the midst of the greatest economic transformation in the history of our country. Because what happened to the manufacturing jobs is not stopping there. It's now heading to retail call centers, fast food, truck driving and on and on through the economy. [14:21:25] How many of you have noticed stores closing right where you live here in New Hampshire? And why are those stores closing? Amazon? That's right. One word answer. Amazon soaking up 20 billion dollars in business every single year. How much of the Amazon pay in taxes last year? Zero. That's your math. New Hampshire. Twenty billion out. Zero back. Thirty percent of your stores in malls close. Most common job in the economy is retail clerk, average retail clerks, the 39 year old woman making between nine and ten dollars an hour. So if her store closes, what is her next opportunity going to be? [14:21:57] How many of you have seen a self serve kiosk in a fast food restaurant like a McDonald's? Every location in the country in the next two years, starting at the front of the house, they're going to move to the back of the house. When you call the customer service line of a big company and you get the bot or a software, I'm sure you do the exact same thing I do, which is you pound 0 0 0 as a human human and you get someone on the line. How many of you do that? [14:22:19] Yeah, that's always terrible. [14:22:21] But in two or three short years, the software is going to sound like this. Hello, Andrew. How's it going? What can I do for you? It'll be. Seamless, delightful, you might not even realize it software. What does that going to mean for the two and a half billion Americans who work at call centers right now making fourteen dollars an hour? [14:22:41] How many of, you know, a truck driver here in New Hampshire? [14:22:44] It's the most common job in twenty nine states, though. Three and a half million truckers and my friends in California are working on trucks that can drive themselves. [14:22:51] They say they're 98 percent of the way there. A self-driving truck just took 20 tons of butter from California to Pennsylvania about two weeks ago. Totally autonomous. Why butter? I have no idea. But you can actually look IWM can robot butter truck and then it will pop up. What does this mean for the three and a half million Americans who drive a truck for a living? Or the 7 million Americans who work in truck stops, motels and diners that rely upon the truckers getting out and having a meal every day of despair? [14:23:23] These are the forces that are tearing our country apart. Many Americans feel themselves getting left behind and pushed to the sidelines. Corporate profits are at record highs today, also at record highs. United States of America, stress, financial insecurity. How many other college students? I sense many of you. Student loan debt, record highs, not normal. Even suicides and drug overdoses and unfortunately, New Hampshire is one of the epicenters of the opiate epidemic in the country. But eight Americans are dying of drugs every hour in this country right now. So these are the things that people are experiencing on the ground. And it's only going to accelerate as artificial intelligence leaves the lab and starts hitting the economy in earnest. This is not just a blue collar problem. [14:24:11] Artificial intelligence will be able to do the work of bookkeepers, accountants, radiologists, even attorneys. Right now, software can edit a contract more quickly and error free and certainly inexpensively than the most experienced human lawyer. We're in the midst of this economic transformation and for whatever reason, we're scope scapegoating immigrants within the things that immigrants have next to nothing to do with. [14:24:35] So my first move was still not to run for president because I'm not a crazy person. I went to Washington, D.C. and I sat down with our leaders and I said, what are we going to do to help our people manage this transition? What do you think the folks in D.C. said to me when I said, what are we going to do? [14:24:51] They're going to pitch Trump. We don't know nothing. [14:24:55] The three answers I got most frequently were number one. Andrew, we cannot talk about this. Someone suggested Americans wouldn't understand it anyway. Number two, we should study this further. Number three, we must educate and retrain all Americans for the jobs of the future. Which sounds very responsible. Haven't you heard a politician say something like that at some point? Now we all have. Well, then I said, look, I checked the studies. [14:25:21] Do you all want to guess how effective the government funded retraining programs were for the manufacturing workers who lost their jobs 15 percent on anchoring you lower? Because it is low. Zero to 15 percent success rates. Total dud. And when I said this to the folks in D.C., one of them said, well, I guess we'll get better at it. The truth is that the folks in D.C. will do well, whether we do well or not. The feedback mechanism is broken. It's one reason why Donald Trump is our president today. [14:25:50] And one person in DC leveled with me and said something that brought me here to you all. He said, Andrew. During the wrong town. No one here will do anything about this, because Washington, D.C. is fundamentally a town of followers, not leaders. And the only way we will do something about this is if you were to create a wave in other parts of the country and bring that wave crashing down in our heads. That was over two years ago. [14:26:13] I said I will be back with the waves. I accept that challenge. And I stand before you today. I'm fifth in the polls to be the nominee of the Democratic Party. We bring ten million dollars last quarter in increments of only 30 dollars each. So my fans are almost as she does birdies and that 10 million, zero corporate PAC money, all people powered all the grass roots. We just announced today that we're going to do better than that in this coming quarter. We are growing while other campaigns are shrinking because we are solving the actual problems. [14:26:49] I got Donald Trump elected and we have real solutions that would help move the country forward. So what are the solutions? If you're here today and I appreciate you braving the elements and saying I'm going to go see Andrew Yang, even though it's yucky, is it's pretty gross out even. You know, I mean, I grew up in New Hampshire, too. So if you were here today, at some point you heard that this guy wants to give every American a thousand dollars a month. Remember the first time you heard that? [14:27:16] The first time you heard that you were like, ha, ha, that's a gimmick. That's too good to be true. That will never happen. But this is not my idea. It's not a new idea. Thomas Paine was born at the founding of the country. He called it the citizen's dividend. Martin Luther King fought for it in the 1960s, called it the guaranteed minimum income for all Americans. And it is what he was fighting for when he was assassinated in 1968. I had the privilege of sitting with Dr. King's son in Atlanta, Martin Luther King, the third who said, this is what my father was fighting for when he was killed. A thousand economists endorsed it in the 60s. It passed the U.S. House of Representatives twice in 71 under Richard Nixon. [14:27:57] It's called the Family Assistance Plan, which has an income floor for all Americans. And then eleven years later, one state passed a dividend where now everyone in that state gets between one and two thousand dollars a year. No questions asked. And what state is that? New Hampshire. How does Alaska pay for it? And what is the oil of the 21st century technology? A software of self-driving cars and trucks. A study just came out that said that our data is now worth more than oil. How many of you saw that study? How many of you got your data check in the mail? We laugh, but where did the data checks go? Facebook, Amazon, Google, the mega tech companies that are paying zero or near-zero in taxes. That is the game. New Hampshire. Our communities are getting sucked dry and depleted. [14:28:45] We're looking around wondering where the value went. And the biggest winners in the 21st century economy are paying zero in taxes. Well, we have to do is we have to get our fair share. Your fair share. Make sure Amazon is trillion dollar tech company actually is paying taxes. And equally important, we have to put that value into our hands. Into your hands, the hands of the American people. Build a trickle up economy from our people, our families and our communities up. [14:29:12] Because if we put this thousand dollars a month into your hands, where will the money go in real life? I'm going to guess a lot of it's going to stay right here in Nashua, New Hampshire. Right. It's good for the Chamber of Commerce when a business here and be like, well, I think people might be patronizing my business a little more often, but the money would go into car repairs you been putting off and daycare expenses and little league sign ups and local nonprofits and religious organizations. It would create a sustainable path for rural parts of the state that right now are struggling to find it. [14:29:46] It would make our people stronger, healthier, mentally healthier, less stressed out for the students who are laboring under tens of thousands of dollars in student loan debt. It would help to clear that debt. I want to do more to clear that debt independent. I'm giving you a thousand bucks a month because at one point, six trillion is out of control and it's immoral the way it was generated. This thousand dollars a month would help us manage the greatest economic transformation in our country's history. I am friendly with some of the leading technologists in the country. [14:30:15] They tell me, Hey, Andrew, I've seen what's in the lab. And when it comes out, it's going to be. A bigger problem than anyone realizes. You know how that conversation never goes. Andrew, I've seen what's in the lab and everything will be fine. That's not the end of that thought. The more someone known as, the more concerned they are. The folks in DC are decades behind the curve on technology in particular. They got rid of the Office of Technology Assessment in 1995. Congress has literally had zero input on technology issues for 24 years. [14:30:50] Aside from the tech companies themselves, and you can guess what the tech companies have been telling them. So these are the changes that we have to make to rewrite the rules of the 21st century economy. To work for us. To work for you. If you are a young person, you feel like it's not working for you. You're right. It is not working for you. If you were born in the 1940s, the United States of America, there was a ninety three percent chance you're going to do better than your parents. That's the American dream. [14:31:15] That's the American dream that drew my parents here. If you were born in the 1990s, which is some of you, you're down into a 50 50 shot and the numbers declining quick. That's why young people in particular feel like we've left you an economy that doesn't work for you. A mess in addition to climate change. And we have. If you were a young person and you feel distressed or angry about it, I get it. We owe you better. We have to do better for you. We have to start measuring how our economy is doing based upon how you all are doing to see how it's working again. Corporate profits at record highs while our life expectancy is declining, which is more important. Yes, I agree. [14:32:00] And if you think about how we're measuring the value that we're producing, my wife is at home with our two young boys, one of whom is autistic. What is her work included out in our economic measures? Zero. And we know that's nonsense. We know the work she's doing is among the most challenging and important work that anyone does. It's not just her work. The things that we value most are progressively getting zeroed out in American life. It's parenting. Yes, nurturing, caregiving, volunteering, mentoring, coaching, increasingly arts, increasingly journalism. [14:32:38] And our market is going to systematically undervalue the work done by women and underrepresented minorities in particular. We all knew that. We know that women do more of the unrecognized, uncompensated work in our society every single day. So by properly measuring our progress, we can actually see the depth of the problems and then start working to improve on them. So if GDP is this bad to measurement that has less and less relationship with how we're doing and even its inventors had one hundred years ago, this is a terrible measurement of national well-being. We should never use it as that. What would a measurement that actually measure is how you and your family are doing look like? Like what would that measurement be? [14:33:24] Quality of life. Yeah, you could. You can do something about civic engagement. How about mental health and freedom from substance abuse? [14:33:35] How about health? The life expectancy? Ability to retire with dignity, clean air and clean water. We can actually make these the measurements of our society. And as your president. That's exactly what I'll do. I'll say GDP is one hundred years old. It's time for an upgrade. It's past overdue. And here's how we will measure our progress now. [14:33:58] And then we would see we're in a mental health crisis. We would see we're in a wellness recession. We would see that our environment is getting worse and worse and is not included in our current numbers. How many of you all have run a business organization or department or division? Imagine if you had the wrong measurements for that organization. How to do over? [14:34:21] That is where we are right now as a country. [14:34:23] We're getting beaten over the head with GDP headline unemployment and stock market prices and none of those things has much of a relationship with how we're actually doing GDP. I talked about a little bit. Stock market prices. The bottom 80 percent of Americans own 8 percent of stock market wealth. [14:34:38] The bottom 50 percent own essentially zero. Stock market prices correspond to the top 20 percent of society. [14:34:44] If you're generous and headline unemployment doesn't include the fact that millions are dropping out of the workforce, that people are doing two or three jobs to get by, and that 40 percent of recent college grads are doing a job that doesn't require a college degree. So we get the measurements right. We can actually make progress. Donald Trump said in 2016 he was going to make America great again. And what did Hillary Clinton say in response? [14:35:11] America's already great. Remember that? New Hampshire. It has been a long several years. [14:35:16] I know we have to acknowledge that the problems are real and that they are deep in our communities. But we need solutions that would actually help people and move us forward. What we're Donald Trump's solutions going to build a wall to turn the clock back and bring the old jobs back. New Hampshire, we have to do the opposite of these things. We have to turn the clock forward. We have to accelerate our economy and society as quickly as possible to rise the real challenges of this era. We have to evolve in the way we think about ourselves and our work and our value. And I am the ideal candidate for this job, because the opposite of Donald Trump is an Asian man who likes math very much national. [14:36:06] Make America think harder. That's right. That is your job and you're going to help us move the country. Not left, not right, but forward. Thank you very, very much. We're going to be celebrating New Year's Day. I can't wait. [14:36:23] Oh, thank you. So I had this letter and this was still on tonight. But you you hear me? I'll try to project. I'll use my own voice and everyone will write. So let's get a couple of questions. I want to start off and then we'll look to the audience, though, just as a prep for that. If you do have a question and you can use one like that's right there that Samantha is pointing to. And as you get up to ask your question, if you please state your name and if you are with an organization or business, that as well, do you ask a question? [14:36:55] So let me start. So you talk to me about jobs going away because of article and artificial intelligence and different kinds of automation and things like that. But here in New Hampshire, we're actually seeing the opposite of that. We have thousands of jobs left unfilled right now because employers can't find sufficient skilled workers to fill those jobs. How does your economic plan education or taxes for those? How do those policies help business owners right now can't be as successful as they could be because they don't have the people jobs. [14:37:33] Yeah, a lot of it does revolve around education, and many of the employers that are looking for workers are trying to find skilled technical workers, tradespeople. We have a massive national shortage of tower climbers and each fact repair people and people that actually work on the guts of our infrastructure. There are other types of needs and gaps, too. But I'm going to talk about these technical jobs because I think it's just such a massive opportunity. [14:38:00] Only 6 percent of American high school students are in technical or trade. Or apprenticeship programs right now in Germany. [14:38:07] That's fifty nine percent. [14:38:08] Think about that goal. [14:38:10] And we are lagging behind because many employers are looking around saying, I need someone with this sort of training. So we have to get that six person up as quickly as possible. And this has the added benefit of being able to say to our young people, a college is not the end all be all for everyone. Only 33 percent of Americans will graduate from college. And again, we made it more and more expensive. Well, we have to do is create paths forward for different students in different areas and lead them to the opportunities that need to be filled in many, many communities. [14:38:40] I'll also suggest that a lot of the people that are looking to hire, too, would like the headline unemployment rate. It really does obscure a lot of weakness that I see when I talk to folks here in New Hampshire, because if you're doing multiple jobs to make ends meet, you count as employed. If you're underemployed, you count as employed. And if you leave the workforce and stop looking because of a health problem where you're taking care of a relative, you don't get included in that number. So there's a lot of weakness that's being obscured in our communities because we're using a measurement that's way out of date and misleading. [14:39:15] Thank you. I wanted to follow up also on your freedom dividend plan. So last month, do it. That's pretty good to a lot of people. So I did a little bit of simple math. I will admit upfront political science, major math is not necessarily my starting point. Different math with that math. But there are a little over two hundred nine million Americans who would qualify for that at twelve thousand dollars a year, meaning over 2.5 trillion dollars a year to fund that. How does the math actually work that you can tax whatever corporations you want to test come up with that additional revenue every year? [14:39:58] All right. I'm so glad you asked. I love it so much. [14:40:04] So first you have to look at who the biggest winners are going to be if you have Amazon, Google, Facebook systematically paying zero or near-zero in taxes. Then, of course, you going to have problems affording things. But if you put a mechanism in place where we all get even the tiniest slice, our fair share of every Amazon sale, every Google search, every Facebook ad, eventually every robot truck mile and a I work unit generates eight hundred billion dollars a year with a giant up arrow attached to it. So that number is going to shoot up now. A hundred billions, not two point four trillion. As you suggest. [14:40:38] But after you put that no amount of money into our hands, the money doesn't disappear. It circulates through our community and our businesses over and over again, ends up increasing tax revenue by conservatively, let's call it, 600 billion or so. Then here's where the magic comes in. You see an additional hundreds of billions on things like incarceration, homelessness services, emergency room, health care that we spend almost a trillion on now. And it was right here in New Hampshire where our corrections officers had said this to me. He said we should pay people to stay out of jail because he sees how expensive it is when they're in jail. This is what happens in our society. [14:41:18] We don't invest in people that we end up paying in much more expensive and punitive ways when they hit our institutions, because we know our institutions are incredibly expensive. And the last piece, the best piece is that one study showed that if you were to alleviate poverty in this way, you would increase our GDP by 700 billion dollars a year just on the basis of better health and educational outcomes of our people. This is a massive investment in human capital. And this doesn't even take into account the catalyst for entrepreneurship and creativity and value creation that would ensue when having a population that can actually afford to take some risks and not feeling like if they fail, then it's going to mean the difference between having a home and the. [14:42:05] One more. I'm not going to tell you guys. You've had a chance to ask, but, you know, in essence, right now you're with the American people for a very important job. [14:42:15] The leadership position, the CEO feels that someone who was hired many and perhaps fired unless you have advice to the American people as they compare and consider all of the candidates. So what should they do as they check off your qualifications and those of others to make sure they make the right choices? [14:42:38] I love this question so much. I've never gonna do. I love it. [14:42:41] That's true. The chamber. [14:42:50] To me, the most important thing about who we choose as our president is whether they understand the real problems on the ground as we're experiencing them. And that can actually bring solutions to bear to solve them and improve our way of life. I'm going to suggest to you all that technology is the driving force behind many changes in our economy and society. And then most of the other figures in this race, whom I like it, admire a great deal. [14:43:13] And I consider many of the friends, but many of them do not understand technology very well. And they also do not understand technology's intersection with the labor force. Very well at all that if we have the wrong person in that seat, we're going to have another four years of your mall's closing of A.I., getting smarter of the robot trucks starting to multiply in the highways. And that as this continues, it's going to get harder and harder for us to actually put in place a path that lets Americans know that we are not going to be left behind, that we're actually the owners and shareholders of this country and not inputs into a giant capital efficiency machine. [14:43:58] If you don't understand the real problems, you're not going to be able solve them. I believe I have a much clearer understanding of what lies ahead for this country. [14:44:06] Shipped to all of you now. So I feel like yelling questions so we can get your feelings with the business or let us know that as well. [14:44:22] Little branching out with me to the president education co-op. I should go on to the. They're guaranteed in numerous cases and from some of the techniques that the rationale for that obviously is to do with the dislocation that will come from increase in the eye and robotics and automation. But there is an equally strong justification for it. In my view, I wonder if you have time or you just definitely suffered the almighty scientist. [14:45:03] She's come up with a scary statistic because of the exponential rise in the autism. And she's just claims that within 10 years, every other family will be dealing with a child in the optic. This will take a terrific amount of resources to apply for homeowners who typically caretakers in the home that are should and looks spoken to some limitations. But if you come in on this, is it possible other justification and rationale for. [14:45:36] Freedom Dividend, which I like to call detective. Thank you for this question. These are the best questions I received in quite some time. I have a son on the autism spectrum and what I say to families around the country is that special needs is the new normal. Certainly I have not seen a study that suggests it's going to get up to 50 percent, but it's already normal and many millions of families all around the country. And the big problem here is that you have a special needs child like my son who shows up at school and the school says, I don't have the resources available to actually do what this child needs and requires because I have one teacher for my kids and I'll have a budget for this. [14:46:17] And so that child ends up falling through the cracks. The family has to scramble their massive problems. But it's in large part because, again, we're confusing economic value and human value. We're saying that this kid needs more and thus is a burden on the community. Instead of seeing it the way we should be, which is that our kids well-being is the point of the economy, we should use that as a measuring stick, which incidentally means you pay teachers more. You hire more teachers. You lighten up on the standardized tests that we devised during World War Two as a means to identify which kids not to send to the front lines. Now we're just bludgeoning our kids with them, then distorting teacher behavior. [14:46:56] You stop treating your schools like assembly lines and start actually trying to put the resource in place to give our kids what they need. If you change it from this cost model to this investment model, then you see that this is the future of the 21st century economy making ourselves stronger, healthier and more hold. And if we don't evolve in that direction as quickly as possible, then you are correct that many communities will feel themselves to be overwhelmed by the cost of supporting many special needs children who, quite frankly, are going to grow to become special needs adults. And if we don't start changing the measuring stick, then we're going to see these people as again, cost centers and burdens instead of being owners and parts of our families. [14:47:41] So thank you for the question. Thank you. [14:47:50] Hello. Guy fun except with you. Tell him to review round up in Massachusetts, speaking about make it back in Carragher. It is a national science driver program. Do the population economically and inspire the population? But we have a couple of major problems to solve first. Number one, you were talking about your fence went down to Wall Street where the derivatives and stuff. Since 2000. The big, big banks are much bigger and about to blow out. The Federal Reserve has been giving them a hundred million dollars a day since September, which means we're close to a very big global blowout again. [14:48:40] Can we have each. 2 1 7 6 in the house? Everyone should be calling their reps and demand and becomes law. And last one is we have to get back to economic sovereignty. In other words, we don't need a independant private entity controlling our economy, growing over 20 trillion dollars in debt. So we have to come back and do away with dreadful reserve and fixed currency and get back to the banking system. [14:49:12] And this was a very profound question to some people when they come to an event. [14:49:20] One of the thoughts is what Tracy originally asked is like, where do we get the money to do what we need to do? [14:49:26] How many of you here remember voting for the four trillion dollar bailout of Wall Street? How many of you remember anyone saying where we're going to get the money? That's what he's talking about, his printing of hundreds of millions of dollars a day to shore up the balance sheets of our banks. No one voted for that. No one you know, no one said, yeah, let's do that instead of bailing out homeowners. I mean, to me, you're the obvious choice was to bail out homeowners and keep people in their homes, keep communities whole. [14:49:53] But instead, we chose to recapitalize the banks. And that is an emblem of the choices we're making in this country. Everything revolves around the almighty dollar of our institutions, and we don't trust our people in the least. We have to choose our people. And to your point about what we've done in terms of recapping Wall Street and privileging them, you're right. The banks are now bigger than ever. They're absorbing more and more of the financial activity. Community banks and places like New Hampshire are a thing of the past. If you're old enough, you remember being here. [14:50:20] You remember there were community banks here that like the gobbled up by Bank of America and the giving. So this is what we have to again counteract. We have to choose our people instead of the banks. And we do have to stop bailing out Wall Street and letting them run and own our economy in this way. So thank you for the question. We'll just you one sentence, Pastor. [14:50:44] If you look at what to Mr.. [14:50:53] Thanks for coming, my name is Joe, I'm a college student from Worcester, Mass. My question today is, is that based on the dividend that you're talking about now. Of course, anywhere you want to do it. Putting taxes on companies such as Amazon, Facebook and the like. But my question is, how can you prevent these companies from outsourcing themselves and to other countries to avoid such tax removal of such tax breaks? [14:51:17] Sure. So this is based upon a system that's in effect in just about every other developed country. And it occurs on the point of sale. We're the number one market in the country. So it or the world. So even if Amazon were to shift some of its offices to other places, they're paying another the point of sales so they pay it no matter what. [14:51:33] This is what other countries have figured out. Other countries have said that having the Amazons of the world Pizarro taxes is untenable and it's worked everywhere. Also would work here, too, because you're right. Companies will do anything necessary to try and save money. But this is because it's a point of sale. It's very, very hard to escape. It's impossible to escape, actually. The comparable comparison I use is that Jeff Bezos right now is worth about one hundred nine billion dollars. [14:51:56] Post divorce. If you were to ratchet up the tax rate, let's say, to 75 percent, 80 percent. How much of this hundred nine billion dollars do you get next to nothing because you're not dumb enough to pay itself by a billion a year? No. He pays himself something modest and then most of his wealth is tied up in Amazon stock. So what you do is like Willie Sutton, the bank robber, why did he robbed the banks? Because that's where the money is. The money is flowing at Amazon. So you take it out. [14:52:21] The point of sale there, then you get billions from his business. And then when Jeff takes a billion dollars out of his stock every year to buy rocket ships to Mars, which is what he does with his money, then you take a toll there to you make it so that you get it coming and going and then it ends up in our hands to make our families communities stronger. But because it's at the point of sale, it doesn't matter where they base their operations. [14:52:44] Thank you. Thanks, man. [14:52:48] Like when it is, Kurt. I'm a campaign supporter from Massachusetts. [14:52:51] I can tell by the story. Thank you, Kurt. I'm going to head to Iowa also for. [14:52:55] Yes. Oh, you can stay here in New Hampshire. Either way, I mean, no. You know, Iowa then. Come on over. [14:53:01] So it might be time to put some minds at ease about healthcare. This is Medicare for all. It's become this sort of political football. It's a almost a branded phrase at this point. To what extent are you anchored specifically and explicitly to Medicare for all as it's written as a phrase? And to what extent would universal health care be a more useful phrase? [14:53:24] Where has that occurred? I mean, Medicare for all is universal health care for all Americans. It's on the name of a bill. It's a name for trying to get every American healthcare independent of their works, that is, or whether or not they can go forward and certain levels of premiums. [14:53:40] Now, I'm not someone who thinks you can uproot private insurance plans quickly because you're talking about millions of Americans on these plans. In some cases, they actually negotiated a way higher salaries for the plans. So somehow legislating those out of existence very quickly seems to me to be unduly impractical, as large, disruptive. [14:54:03] So the plan to me should be for the government to provide a public coverage option that then out competes the private insurers and squeezing them out over time. Now, to your point, Kurt, it is true of Medicare for all means certain things to certain people. And you're probably right that universal healthcare would be a better way to frame it. [14:54:27] I make Americans think harder. I would challenge you to think harder to look for chess moves that may reduce the size of government and make it a free country. Such as if a state legislature says no more zoning restrictions in every city and town immediately, there will be an abundance of new jobs and demolition and construction. [14:54:50] And with the glut of housing of the meeting, the modern code, that would immediately be landlords scrambling to find tenants. But half the rents that they're paying now, more people waiting at each less stop. They would be the bus companies that extend their employees and their goods. And people wouldn't have to pay for a parking lot when they don't even have a car. [14:55:12] This man strikes me as so. And it was you know, it wasn't him to wait for. [14:55:15] My name is Tom Ellis here. I used to be a state rep here briefly many years. I know you from here in New Hampshire. [14:55:20] I live in Hudson, New Hampshire now because I was going to comment that you sounded and felt so New Hampshire to me in their response like this, you know, libertarian element to this idea. And I'm sympathetic toward many aspects of it. We do have to lighten up on some of the restrictions on development. A lot of the restrictions are NIMBYism. We're just saying, like, not my backyard. Affordable housing is good in the abstract, but not here, because, you know, I don't want it to depress my. [14:55:47] My home is values and big picture in terms of the federal government. Donald Trump said he wants to drain the swamp. In many ways, he was not wrong again as the richest city in our country. And what are they producing? Unclear. So he said he wanted to drain the swamp. I want to distribute the swamp. Why would you have tens of thousands of employees and buildings in the most expensive city in the country? [14:56:15] You should be moving those agencies to Ohio or Michigan or New Hampshire or Florida or a place that would actually love to have that economic activity. The cost would be much lower because everything is cheaper in these places. And I would argue the decisions would be better because they would actually be tied to our communities and make decisions not from the bubble of D.C., but from an actual place where other people are working and living relatively normal lives. So I'm sympathetic to much of what you're describing. And I do think that zoning regs are standing in the way of a lot of the affordable housing development that you're seeking. [14:56:54] I like his sweater to wear that. No, I'm sure, though. WW WW Dodge job. [14:56:59] Yang joins me now. Mr. Yang, I was at your Hannover Town Hall event about a month ago. [14:57:06] And just a quick disclaimer, this gives you a little bit long, but I'll get this as short as possible because this is the best way that I can get my message out to people. But and I think this would encapsulate what we're kind of all thinking. So, Mr. Yang, there has not been a poll in an early state released in 47 days. Tom Perez, the chairman of the DNC, just rejected your request for the DNC to conduct and released more early state polls, essentially cutting off a vital pathway to the January debate. [14:57:36] On Perez's Twitter biography, he writes and I quote, likes the Buffalo Bills, the Democrats in fighting for the little guy, though not in that order. Well, apparently he doesn't like fighting for the little guy who is over 400000 donors, including some here right now in New Hampshire. Which would you look at? That is an early state. [14:57:55] So to the people in the room, we have a chance to raise Elizabeth Warren for the fourth quarter, and I'm going to look towards kind of the biggest camera in the room. Plus, if there is someone from the DNC watching. [14:58:12] Oh, shoot. [14:58:14] If there's someone from the DNC watching, look at the crowd. We've crammed over one hundred people into a room built for 30. There are people watching from out the door. [14:58:25] The people is my points. I cannot even vote in the 2020 general election. But I'm the most passionate of this and I have let anything happen in a long time. Hold on a minute. Hi, I'm in. [14:58:48] So, Tom Perez, fight for the little guy, play for all the little guys in this room, fight for the American people, all the people, all the people. It seems like we're not going to get much help in this process. So to the people over 18 years old, keep phone banking, keep canvasing, keep young people, keep making America think harder because we all know it's not left. It's not right. It's forward. And I'm a part of the gang gang because I'm scared of the future in America and in my age group. I'm not alone. [14:59:16] So, Mr. Gang, do you have any thoughts on the issue of. [14:59:25] Are you're making me feel better about the future? Al is just by being so passionate and I think. [14:59:34] Leadership on your part? I believe we're going to get the polls we need in the right time frame and I'll be on that debate stage in January. What is the number one criteria for Democratic voters for the nominee beating Donald Trump? That's right. [14:59:50] And a poll right here in New Hampshire said that 10 percent of Donald Trump voters would support me over Donald Trump in the general election. Another poll said that 18 percent of college Republicans would choose me over Trump, unlike any of the other candidates in the field. [15:00:05] I am drawing in disaffected Trump voters, libertarians and independents, as well as Democrats and progressives. I am the best candidate to take Donald Trump on and beat him. That's why as soon as they poll New Hampshire and Iowa, we'll see that we're well above the DNC threshold. And I will say, I'm very confident we're going to make the debate stage. We've actually offered to the DNC to pay for the polls because they were complaining of our cost and those like we'll pay for it. [15:00:33] So we'll make that debate stage in January. But more importantly, this campaign is going to keep growing and growing because we are talking about the issues that Americans care about and the problems that we see around us every day. Really, this man, you really are an inspiration to me. Like, thank you so much. And he's also a poster child for the reason why I believe we should lower the voting age to 16. Yes. [15:00:59] You heard me out there, some of you were like, that seems aggressive, but 16 year olds can pay taxes. If you had 16 year olds being able to vote, it would transform every high school in the country into a political hotbed instead of with us, you know, instead of something like, oh, we don't talk about it, no one, you can actually vote. [15:01:17] Studies have shown that the earlier your first vote is the more likely you are to vote throughout your life. And frankly, you're going to be here longer. You should have a say in what's going up. The main counterargument to this is that 16 year olds are too immature and ill informed to vote. And I think Alice does prove that to be nonsense. Am I right? [15:01:37] Everyone is waiting for you. Less than one million dollars to the three million dollar career for fundraising goals, so people keep donating. We've got to make it like the playoffs as a passionate young person here in New Hampshire. SALEM TOWN HALL - LU3 ORIGINALLY [16:44:34] We thank you all for being here. And what an inspirational story. Let's give a person another round of applause. [16:44:46] It's so beautiful. [16:44:47] So proud to have you as part of the campaign. I've been running for president now for two years plus. But my story actually started right here in New Hampshire. I don't know how many of you know, I went to high school here in the state. Raise your hand. You knew that you set your head like. No. I graduated from Phillips Exeter Academy in 1992. [16:45:07] Then I went to college in Rhode Island. Nearby was an unhappy lawyer for five whole months, left to start an ill fated company that crashed and burned. But I do it bitten by the bug. I worked in small businesses and growth companies for another 10 years and I'd say shout out to Lane and coffee coffee for hosting us here in. [16:45:31] As I love small businesses so much, oil is the lifeblood of any community. When I went back and I spoke at Exeter, I actually unpacked some of what brought me to run for president today. So if you know anything about Phillips Exeter Academy, it's a very, very competitive school, like a bit of a pressure cooker, you would call it. And out of Exeter, you are very likely to head to a place like Wall Street and work at an investment bank and create financial instruments that ended up crashing the economy in 2009, about 10 years ago. [16:46:06] That was the recipe for success for literally some of my friends from PTA. And so in 2009, when the financial crisis was in full bloom, I thought, what a train wreck. If we have our talent heading to a place like Wall Street to cook up mortgage backed securities that ended up crashing our economy. So I thought, well, what would I rather our energies be devoted to? And the vision I had was to head to places like Detroit, Cleveland, Birmingham, New Orleans, Pittsburgh and start businesses and create jobs. [16:46:38] So I spent seven years running a nonprofit that I started. How do you all work in nonprofits? How do you volunteer in nonprofits? Just raise your hand just for the heck of it on that one, just to make yourself look good for your neighbors. [16:46:51] Of course I volunteer. [16:46:54] So you start a nonprofit. The way I started this nonprofit was I put up some seed money and I started calling rich people with the question, Do you love America? [16:47:03] And then the smart among them said, What does it mean if I say yes? And then I said 10000 dollars. And then one of them said, I love America for that much. It's like I thought you did. So we raised a couple hundred thousand and then it grew to the millions, helped create several thousand jobs around the country in 15 cities. So I spent seven years doing was honored by the Obama administration. But unfortunately, what I saw when I traveled the country was that things were getting worse, not better in many, many places. [16:47:30] And for any job that I was helping to create, we were losing dozens or even hundreds of jobs because of plants closing and now stores and malls closing. How many of you noticed stores and malls closing around where you live in this part of New Hampshire? And why are those stores closing? Amazon, right. Amazon soaking up 20 billion dollars in business every year, closing 30 percent of America's stores in malls. How much should Amazon pay in federal taxes last year? [16:47:55] Zero. That's your math. New Hampshire, 20 billion out 0 back 3 percent of stores and malls close most common job. The economy is retail clerk. Which retail clerks? A 39 year old woman. So I started seeing the pace and rate of the economic changes. And what it led me to was that this rugged individualism, this meritocracy that is package to us is not actually real. At this point that it's rugged individualism for individuals. But if you are a Wall Street bank and you are on the brink of collapse, what happens? [16:48:27] The government comes to rescue you with four trillion dollars and drops it in your lap. But if you're a homeowner and your home's under water or the tide is going out or your factory closes or main street closes, that's on you, that's your fault or problem. And right now, this American dream that my family came here to find and have benefited from is dying by the numbers. I'm a numbers guy. If you were born in the 1940s, the United States, there's a 93 percent chance that you're gonna be better off than your parents if you were born in the 1990s or down to a 50 50 shot in declining fast. [16:49:04] These are the things I got Donald Trump elected and this thought that if you're smart and hardworking, you make it. And if you aren't making it, that it's somehow on you. That's a farce. It's not true anymore in American life. And what led me to run for president on top of the fact that we're going through this fundamental economic transformation was the personal growth and lessons I encountered when my older son was discovered to be autistic when he was 3. So we were a first time parents and Christopher had struggles. But as a first time parent, you don't know if that's the norm. Maybe two year olds act like this, maybe three year olds act like this. [16:49:51] And when we got the diagnosis, it was actually a relief for me and my wife because we're like, OK, this is something that we now understand and we can bring resources to bear. But most families are not in position to be able to bring resources to bear when they have special needs children. [16:50:12] How many of you know someone with special needs or autism or neuro logically topicality? Yeah, it's all a look around the room. There's literally every single person. It could be that that was one of the themes of the event and that would be what brought you here. But I would suggest that in any group of Americans, most hands would go up. That this is the new normal. So what Carstens experienced and what we're describing. [16:50:38] This is my mission with the campaign and it's what New Hampshire has to transform about our country as quickly as possible. And it is this that economic value and human value are different, that right now we've collectively been brainwashed to think that our value is determined by what the market says we are worth. And if the market says we are worth nothing, then we are worth nothing. That is how you wind up with these conclusions, like when a coal mine closes. [16:51:05] We should turn the coal miners into coders, even though that makes zero sense. The only way I would make sense is one, if those people literally have no value if the market doesn't attribute them value. So we have to turn them into something that does have value. That logic is going to ruin us. It's ruining us already and it's ruining families who are struggling with special needs children and their communities don't have the resources to support them. It's ruining us because more and more Americans look up and do not see a clear path for themselves and their family. [16:51:41] And because we don't understand it, it's turning us against each other. There is this mindset of scarcity that is now dominating most of our society, because in this country, 78 percent of us are struggling paycheck to paycheck. Almost half of us can't afford an unexpected five hundred dollar dollar bill. And in that environment, it's very easy to have your heads down and blame each other for things not going well. [16:52:05] I have been to the mountaintop and I have seen the unimaginable wealth that exists in this country. It is staggering. It is unbelievable. I have been to some of the poorest parts of this country. And if anyone tells you that we do not have the resources to improve our own lives, just tell them. Do you remember voting for the four trillion dollar bailout of Wall Street? And they will look at it being like, I do not remember voting for that. [16:52:30] And then do you remember anyone complaining about where we're going gonna get the money? Remember that? They named it quantitative easing. So they hoped that we wouldn't notice. But you all are smart enough to know what is going on in the rest of the country. The big challenge now is to rewrite the rules of our economy and society, to work for my son, to work for your children, to work for Carson. [16:52:53] And this is independent of what the market thinks about us. You know what I mean? Because this is the age of artificial intelligence. And A.I. is going to come out and make trucks that drive themselves in the robot truck. Doesn't care if you are the hardworking, conscientious trucker or the less hardworking truck driver. The robot truck can drive 24/7. The A.I. can read the radiology film better than the most experienced doctor because it can see shades of gray that the human eye cannot and it can reference millions of data points. [16:53:29] Whereas the smartest doctor can only reference hundreds or thousands. It has nothing to do with that doctors work ethic or character. So we have to say to the rest of the country that we have intrinsic value as people that regardless of what the market is doing, as the market is sucking up more and more value, as Amazon's depleting our communities, as Facebook literally is selling and reselling our data for billions of dollars and we're not seeing a dime. It is up to you really here in New Hampshire to reclaim. [16:54:03] Our government and rewrite the rules to work for us. There is no one else to do it. That's why I love campaigning here in New Hampshire so much. I did the math. You know how many Californians each of you is worth? [16:54:18] Approximately 1000 Californians each. So look around this room. How many people do we have? What's that? What's the fire code here? [16:54:27] It's going to be that minus one. [16:54:31] So let's say there are a hundred people here today in this group. That's like two and a half football stadiums full of Californians. That is the power in this room to change the future of this country, to let our fellow Americans know that we are worth everything. It's not that we work for the economy. The economy needs to work for us. It's not that we're inputs into the giant machine. The machine has to be made to work for us. Now, part of this is it's universal. It's not about. Party for sure. [16:55:08] That's one reason why I say it's not left, it's right, it's forward. But the difference between someone who is able bodied and not in the 21st century will diminish quite rapidly. No, like if you look at someone and you say, hey, like you're on your own. It's not going to work. We have to bring people together and see that these are the issues that we're all facing. So I'm thrilled to be releasing today a policy that supports families who are dealing with the same issues that my wife and I have as parents because right now. [16:55:46] The federal government said that they would fund 40 percent of their resources necessary to educate kids with special needs around the country. D.C. being D.C., they actually funded about 15 percent. I'm saying it should be 100 percent and that's what I will make happen as your president. [16:56:05] As. [16:56:10] Of my fundamental message to you all is that if the rules of the 21st century economy are not working for you and your family, then they're not working, period. And it is in your power and your power alone to change that. So I hope you'll join with me and Carson and the rest of the team to do just that. And I'm looking forward to taking questions from you all. Thank you all so much. [16:56:39] Perfect. Thank you so much. We are going to now open up the floor for questions, and I think we're going to start with the questions around disability first a little bit and then from there we can kind of open up as we go on. So questions about policy or disability or anything in that realm. Oh, yes. We have a micro hearing, me and Andrew going to show to make sure all parts of. Killing this gentleman. [16:57:11] Hello, my name is Alex Bennett, and my question around disability is Andrew. I know that you take a lot of policy positions or information from what Germany does. And I know that's true from mechanical education. But my mom, she married a German guy. And so my three little sisters are German and one of them has a mental disability. [16:57:31] And the way that they integrate her into the classroom is far more advanced than what they do in the United States. And I was wondering what kind of different places they to take your policy positions and what you want to implement for people with mental disability, for them to be more of a productive part of the community. [16:57:50] Thank you, Alex. [16:57:54] One of the German role modeling examples that Alex is referring to, because you see me in another context, is that only 6 percent of American high school students are in technical or vocational programs. And in Germany, that's 59 percent. Think about that golf. So we need to bridge that golf here in the United States because we're overly emphasizing college, college, college. And the reality is only about a third of Americans graduate from college. [16:58:19] A lot of people are attending college that it's not a good fit for. And many should be heading to these vocational and apprenticeship programs. If we actually. Stopped in a lab and equipment and a local employer and the training necessary to put them on a more sustainable path. As you know, I'm concerned with the fact that we're automating away a lot of the lot of the most common jobs in our country, which we are 40 percent in the next 10 to 20 years. Trucking being one of the most common. [16:58:57] But it's very, very hard to automate away a tower climber or an h vac repair person or a plumber. Can you imagine what it would take to make a robot plumber? It's a joke. It's like impossible. It's gonna be a human being for a long time. So we need to invest significantly in in trade and apprenticeship programs the way Germany has. And the fact that Germany is ahead of us in integrating people with different no logical profiles in the classroom is not surprising to me. [16:59:22] One of the things we do too often in America is we silo kids off. We say, hey, you go there and then these kids go here. And that's actually not the way human beings learn and develop naturally. If you think about the course of human history, kids learn from other kids very often. And so you need people with different profiles were in a classroom. The other thing I would do in the classroom, we have to lighten up on standardized tests in this country as this would help people different profiles to you know, we invented the S.A.T. during World War Two as a means to identify which kids not to send to the frontlines. [17:00:01] Think about how dark that is. And then we took that test and now we're bludgeoning our kids with it every single year. It's distorting teacher behavior. It's it's making it so that our kids feel like they're. Not worth as much as they are. And so that's another move we can make that would ease the integration of people with different profiles of the classroom. Well, while we're waiting on a question, I just want to comment about one of the main themes of the campaign, and this will help change a lot of things right now. [17:00:38] The government and the media, don't forget the media are presenting a few measurements to us as to how we are doing. All right. Number one is GDP. Number two in stock market prices. And number three is headline unemployment. And so they run around saying things are great, things are great, things are great. And then we're looking at being like, why do I not feel like things are great? So you have record high corporate profits and GDP in this country right now. Also at record highs. [17:01:04] Stress. Anxiety. Student loan debt. Financial insecurity. Drug overdoses and suicides. And New Hampshire, unfortunately, is one of the epicenters of the opiate epidemic. But nationwide, eight Americans are dying every hour from drugs. It is so bad that our life expectancy has declined for three years in a row. First time in 100 years that's happened. Last time it happened was the Spanish flu of 1918, a global pandemic that killed millions. [17:01:30] It is not normal in a developed country for our life expectancy to be climbing. So when the media and the government run around saying things are great, things are great and you feel like things are not great. You are right and they are wrong by the numbers that if you had the real numbers, you would see where the midst of a mental health crisis, you would see where our life expectancy is declining civic engagement. A lot of the things that you would use as indicators of health of a society or community are all in the red. And this extends to what we need to do for people of different capacities who are disabled or on different parts of the spectrum. [17:02:08] So if you shift our measurements from saying GDP, corporate profits to our health, our mental health, clean air and clean water, then all of a sudden anything that makes our kids and our people stronger is an investment. That means paying teachers more. That means having more teachers in the classroom. That means actually putting resources in place to make ourselves stronger. Instead of seeing these things as costs like, it's very hard to argue when you go to the school district and say, hey, my kid needs help. And they're like, we don't have the money because they're in an environment of scarcity. [17:02:47] And they're like, I've got a budget and I can only move so many things around. But if you actually change the measuring stick of the economy to how that kid is doing. We all know if you were the parent of a special needs child, you know, if you invest enough in that child's development early on, it can be a game changer for the rest of their life. What is the economic and human return of changing that kid's life for 70 years? And so then you go to the school district and say, I need this. They say, yes, you do, because we need to put that investment in place. And that's actually how we measure success. That's what we need to change. [17:03:26] As you know, G.G., just enough from me, I'm sure I was a teacher in the classroom for 17 years. Fifth grade for 15 years. Yeah. And upon thinking about what you just said, how do you get that done? You know, I came from a place where one teacher. Twenty five. Twenty seven kids, many special needs kids, no help. And I have young relatives now who have special needs. And one of them isn't going to school being. He's autistic, being homeschooled because of behavior. Parents don't have any faith in the systems. How do you get that done? [17:04:11] That is what we have to address. And I've been that parent. Christopher has behavioral and social problems and would not thrive in many, many environments. In our case, we have him in a special needs school and he gets a lot of individualized attention right now. If you go to that public school, they don't have any individual to actually be able to help manage that child. So that's the change. And that's where the federal government comes in. So the federal government has magical powers that towns do not. [17:04:46] No, I mean like that. That's where the 4 trillion came from. That's where the one point five trillion that went to corporations came from just the other year. If you were a school district and you say, look, I can't afford an individual teacher to help manage your child. That is what this bill that would put 50 billion dollars right towards schools to be able to pay for that special needs teacher in that classroom. So you can't put communities in position where they feel like they have to rob Peter to pay Paul. [17:05:16] No, you have to say, look, this is a society wide problem and here are the resources to deal with it, particularly because what you are seeing in your family is, again, the new normal. Every indicator is that the number of autistic and special needs children is rising and rising and rising. So we need to invest right now and we have to do this at the national level so that your is that your relatives? So that your relatives actually feel like they can send their son to school and be able to trust the system. Because I understand why they don't right now. Let's give her a round of applause for teaching fifth graders at the. [17:05:54] I have to say, I as a parent, too. [17:05:56] I'm so grateful when there is an awesome teacher because you can tell the teacher is investing in your kids every single day. You drop your child off and you're like, oh, you know, you know it. You know, when when they're in the presence of a good teacher, you remind me of my fifth grade teacher, actually. [17:06:13] What it's worth, I mean, I just I'm like, oh, great. That seems like a great teacher. [17:06:19] I'm sorry. [17:06:24] They don't. I'm Andrew Chavez. I'm actually from Massachusetts down in Andover. I'm just curious, with mental health, mental health and mental illness being so prominent in today's society. How do you plan on helping people who are either uninsured or don't have the means to go to a psychiatrist, psychologist, therapist or or even just too embarrassed to go to a counselor at school? [17:06:46] Thanks, Andrew. It's a great question. [17:06:49] The first thing we have to do is destigmatize mental illness and struggles. And so I think I'm 100 percent sure that my family is not the first political family to have autism and the family special needs child. I think we may be one of the first families to talk openly about it, which to me is messed up. You know, it's like I think politicians historically been like, oh, let's like, you know, have this facade that we're presenting to the world. [17:07:14] Whereas for us, we love our son. You know, he's our son. Like, we think that society loves him, too. And with mental illness, we have to let people know it's like everyone's struggles. It's almost universal to the human condition. And if you need help, we should be there to to get you that help. I'm for universal health care so that people will be able to see the professionals they need when they need them. I want to integrate our mental health system and our hospitals because a lot of the time the physical ailments we go into hospitals with have a mental health component. You're talking about addiction, obesity, like a lot of it like diabetes. [17:07:57] There are a lot of things that are tied together with a body in the mind. And when communities have integrated their medical system in their mental health system, they've seen incredible results. So we need to try and do that society wide. But it starts with covering all Americans so that we can get access to the health care we need and making sure there's no stigma attached to it. [17:08:26] This also means training more professionals because many communities are mental health deserts in terms of having practitioners and counselors. So I want you all to reflect on some news doctors as an example. Why do we not have enough doctors in United States of America? Is it because not enough young people wanted to be doctors? [17:08:43] No, it's because. [17:08:49] We've constrained the supply of doctors because the doctors want to make more money. Honestly, if you think about it, we had a physician shortage for decades. Why wouldn't you expand supply? It's because the AMA was like we kind of like the number where it is. And we've made training as a doctor so expensive that after you get your degree, you don't want to head towards particular parts of the country doing particular types of work because you'll never repay the debt. [17:09:16] And we've made it so that if you want to go into this entire process, what do you have to do? Be great at these standardized tests. We've set up as this gate to have you go through and then load you up with that. So what you have to do over time is you have to broad in the nature of the training, make it lighter cost or if it is still super expensive. You pay back the debt. If someone goes to an underserved area, because right now in this country, everything revolves around the almighty dollar and it's depleting many, many towns and communities around the country. [17:09:49] And the subtext is that, well, that's the town's fault. Or maybe those people should all moved to Seattle or some other nonsense, you know, like we have to make it work for people where they are. And so if people aren't getting the care that they need because the market's not delivering it, then we have to create the incentives so that someone can get the training needed to help that community and then actually go to that community. [17:10:21] Hi, Larry. Somehow. Thanks for being here along the lines of insurance. We were at the FDA FDR Library this weekend toward the library in New York, and they had an exhibit about Social Security. And one of the things they said was, you know, we put in place Social Security to let the old people retire so their jobs would free up for the next generation. And why aren't we talking about that with insurance? [17:10:56] Because I'm at a point where every two years my company does an early buyout and I've reached that age where, you know, I could consider taking it, but I can't because I'm still paying. You know, I'd be paying two thousand dollars a month for health insurance. That's keeping me in place and not freeing my job up for the next generation. And I think that's a really good argument that I don't hear anyone talking about. [17:11:24] I love this argument. [17:11:27] I love this argument because as someone who's run a business, I know that our current health insurance system is terrible for the labor market. It's terrible on so many levels. [17:11:37] It makes it harder to hire someone. It makes it harder for all of us to change jobs because you're afraid of losing your health insurance. It makes it a thousand times harder to start a business because what do you do about health insurance then? And it makes it so that if you do hire people, what do you do? You turn them all into temps and contractors and gig workers because you don't want to pay for the health care. If we were to get health care off the backs of businesses and families, it would be the greatest catalyst to dynamism and entrepreneurship and creativity and. [17:12:14] People taking risks in a way that right now they don't feel they can because they have families, they have health insurance and the rest of it. So I could not agree with you more that we're in the worst of all worlds right now. And this is an accident like. There was no grand design to tie insurance to your employment, but now we're here. And at this point, half of Americans are getting insurance from their jobs. So the plan has to be for us to provide universal coverage and then over time, squeeze out the private insurance plans and let people know that the public plan works as well or better. [17:12:53] I'm not someone who thinks we can legislate away private insurance because many people literally negotiated away wages for that insurance and many Americans enjoy their coverage. But we have to outcompete and demonstrate that we can do a better job. And if the government actually negotiates properly, it should be able to do a better job because of the clout and the bargaining power that it would be able to bring to the market. Well, I love this argument so much. I made actually a similar argument in one of the first debates where I talked about how our current health insurance model is keeping us in place. [17:13:29] And if we let it if we let it get covered by the state in a different way, then we'd be much freer to do the kind of work we want to do. It sounds like you consider taking this buyout. So that sounds like it would be a win on a couple levels because then someone could take your job, which I'm sure is a job they want. And you could do something else like run for president 20 24. [17:13:52] What's your name? Let's put it should happen to me. [17:14:01] Hello. [17:14:03] Hi. I'm Maryland. I live in Salem. I am a teacher as president. How are you going to bring Congress along with your wonderful progressive policies, at least to moderate Republicans? We know some you'll never reach. But how could you make them look like you were asking these questions to? [17:14:23] My flagship proposal is putting a thousand bucks a month in everyone's hands. How many of you knew about that? Was that right? [17:14:28] Oh, yeah, that's right. Andrew Yang is the give everyone money guy. [17:14:35] Now, after I become your president, thanks to you all. Thank you, Hampshire. Twenty, twenty. The Democrats will be so pumped to beat Donald Trump that like, yeah, we did it. We've got the White House, we've got some in Congress. And let's get something done that's going to put more money in the hands of children and families, make a stronger, healthier, mentally healthier. But here's the kicker. What are Republicans going to say about the dividend? There's one state that's had a dividend for almost 40 years now, and that state is Alaska. It's a deep red conservative state. It was passed by a Republican governor and he said this. He said to the Alaskan people, a lot of oil money. [17:15:10] Who'd rather get it? The government. Who is going to screw it up somehow or you, the Alaskan people and the Alaskan said us, please. And he said, I thought so. And now Alaska has been lobbying this dividend for almost 40 years. Alaskans are a little bit like New Hampshire residents where they really detest taxes. But even Alaskans said they would accept higher levels of taxes if it meant keeping or growing the dividend because it's the beat, their favorite thing that the government ever does. [17:15:36] And like the dividend they all agree on. And I don't need every Republican to get on board with the dividend, I just need a critical mass. And if you think about the impact of the dividend, who does it help it? It helps people in rural areas. It helps red states on the interior that have lost a lot of their economic drivers. So can you imagine the office of a Congress person who's like, I don't like this dividend. The money's gonna hurt you. [17:16:01] People in his district would be like, are you out of your mind? Yang wants to give everyone the dividend. I kind of like it. [17:16:11] And there was a poll that ran here in New Hampshire that said that 10 percent of Trump voters would pick me over Trump in the general election. Another survey said that 18 percent of college Republicans would choose me over Trump in the general. So I have built an appeal to that side of the aisle because I'm nonpartisan and I'm not ideological. I'm just solutions oriented. My flagship proposal is something that Milton Friedman and Martin Luther King and Thomas Paine were all for. It kind of defies party boundaries. [17:16:42] And I have friends who are moderate Republicans and libertarians and independents, and they feel like we can see eye to eye to get things done. I believe I'm actually uniquely situated among the candidates for president to get into Washington and get things done for this reason. And I will have people in my administration who are from different. Political backgrounds, because to me, it's just about people who want to help improve our way of life. And I believe you can find people like that on both sides of the aisle. [17:17:19] OK, we have time. Just a couple more questions before you wrap up. I believe I have someone right here. [17:17:26] Hi, my name is Louise. I live in Massachusetts, but I work in Salem, New Hampshire, and I asked my boss if I could leave early so I could come here and he said that he wouldn't come here because he wants to ask you a question. So he saw your ad today and he says, how could a regular blue collar average person pay more in taxes than a billion dollar corporation like you mentioned, Amazon? How does that happen? [17:17:50] That's the question. [17:17:51] How does a trillion dollar tech company like I was on pay zero taxes? How is that possible? It's not just Amazon. Other. There was another. There are other very, very big companies like Netflix. No taxes. Yeah, Starbucks, too. It's true. It's funny. I mean, we all probably feel more positively towards Starbucks. [17:18:14] So so the coffee coffee pays taxes. When I ran. [17:18:20] That's one reason we should patronize them. Oh, what's this? [17:18:24] The presidential blood for Andrew Yang. [17:18:33] Do they have a set of adjectives associated with it? It'll be like. Like smart, forward thinking. So the way Amazon doesn't pay any taxes is they play a few games. Number one, the most common game, if you are a large multinational firm, is you park the revenue overseas. You say it all went through Ireland because is this crazy tax haven and you never bring it back to the U.S.. So right now, the biggest tech companies have tens of billions of dollars in overseas earnings parked in banks in Ireland and other parts of the world. [17:19:11] And as soon as it touches down here in American soil, it gets taxed. So it never touches back here on American soil. So that's big game number one. Big game. Number two is a company like Amazon can be valued at a trillion dollars and not even make profits in a given quarter. And this is ironic, but a Wal-Mart executive complained to me. How can you compete against a company that does not need to make money? [17:19:35] And I laughed at him. I was like Wal Mart, you guys put so many people out of business. Oh, but but he had a fair point because Amazon has that valuation, despite in some quarters turning 0 profit. So what they do is they spend money very, very aggressively. They gobble up other businesses. They compensate their executives with these big stock option pools that they can then expense in various ways. [17:20:04] And anytime they think they might pay taxes, they spend money in a way to try to keep the taxes close to zero. But the main game they'll play is they'll park it overseas. There are a few different things that they do to avoid paying meaningful taxes. And as someone who ran a private business myself for years. What I mean, there's a personal question sorta. But Lynn, what are you paying here? Coffee. Coffee. [17:20:29] But like order of magnitude. [17:20:33] Well, because when I ran a private company, I was paying 40 to 50 percent in taxes. All in and I would look at my account and be like, what are you doing something wrong? Am I doing something wrong? Like, why am I getting it stuck to me this badly? And he's like, no, that is the tax rate. That is what if you were a private business, you pay. And then when you see that Amazon is paying zero taxes, you're like, what is going on where our tax code is geared towards these behemoth corporations that right now are. [17:21:05] Depleting our communities. And if you're a private business like coffee, coffee, you're paying 30, 40. I'm not. I don't. New Hampshire might not be as high as this business. I it was in New York State, which is a high tax place. So you don't get up to 50 percent. But so I'll stop it at 40. Like a small business here, I might be paying 20 to 40 percent in taxes. You can tell your boss that. Yes. Thank you for asking. So what I did is I look around the world and I look for what has worked in other places. [17:21:41] So if you were another developed country, you look up and say, hey, Amazon can't be paying zero taxes. What we're going to do is they're going to set up essentially a tiny toll booth at every point of sale. So imagine this country, which is going to be the United States of America. After I'm president. Where we the people of this country, you get a tiny smidgen of every Amazon sale, every Google search, every Facebook ad, eventually every robot truck mile and every day I work unit. Right now, if you had this tool in place, it would generate about 800 billion in new revenue and rising. [17:22:12] And it's unavoidable because it's at the point of sale. This is what other developed countries have already figured out. You can't game your way out of it. One of the jokes I tell, but it's true, Jeff Bezos is now worth 109 billion dollars post divorce. If we were to ratchet up the income tax rate to, let's call it 75 percent, how much of his hundred nine billion dollars would we get? None, because he's not dumb enough to pay himself 2 billion dollars or 10 billion dollars a year. He pays himself like a relatively modest salary and then his money is all parked in this Amazon stock. [17:22:47] So if you wanted to get that value, you set the toll up, then you end up getting hundreds of millions, even billions from just at the point of sale of his business. And then when he takes a billion dollars out of Amazon stock every year, which he does do to buy rocket ships to Mars, he does that. It's called Blue Origin. You look it up. You take a toll on that, too. So you get his money coming and going into the business. And this is something that other countries have figured out that we need to catch up on. [17:23:18] So that is the plan. Math, I love it. Yes. [17:23:25] OK, great. Thank you so, so much, everyone. We actually because we are running out on time. We need to go ahead and move into our selfie line moment, which Andrew always loves getting having a chance with everyone. So because we are short on time, everyone will have a chance to either. Or if you come into line, will for either an autograph or a photo, there won't be time for both. So be thinking now. But which one you would like? Andrew is going to be here and we're going to line up starting along here and wrap right around. So thank you so much, everyone. We were talking about. EXETER TOWN HALL - LU 3 ORIGINALLY [19:27:24] Well, hello to him, sir. [19:27:30] Oh, it is great to be back. I went to high school here, I stayed in this in just a few months ago. [19:27:35] How many you actually saw me speak at P.A.? A few of you. I thought, wow, are you student? So fun. I graduated from Phillips Exeter in nineteen ninety two. I'm going to be new that. Yes. [19:27:50] Well, and I get 100 percent affirm that I would never be running for president if I had not attended Exeter because I grew up the son of immigrants. And the conversations around the young household were not going to run for president someday. [19:28:03] And in Exeter, those are also not the conversations. But after X-ray, I went to a brown university. Anyone here do that? Really awesome. And then I went to New York City and went to law school and became a lawyer. I was an unhappy lawyer for five whole months and then left to start an ill fated dot.com. How many of you started a business organization? All right. So if you had your hand up, you know, two things. Number one, it's much, much harder than anyone ever lets on. And number two, when someone asks you how it's going, what do you say? [19:28:41] Great. Only one answer that question. [19:28:45] So my business went great until it failed. My parents told people I was still a lawyer and is doing great. And I've been bitten by the bug and I said I need to try and get better at this. Building something. So I worked at another startup and then another. And then I became the head of an education company that grew to become number one in the U.S. Then it was bought by a bigger company in 2009. 2009 was a very tough time in much of the country. [19:29:14] Can you believe the financial crisis was 10 years ago now and this community was better insulated than many others, but it was a devastating time for much of the country. And I thought I had some insight as to why the financial crisis had unfolded is because so many of the, frankly, very smart kids I've gone to Exeter and Brown and Columbia with had headed to Wall Street and come up with mortgage backed securities and derivatives and exotic financial instruments. And that had crashed the economy. [19:29:46] And I thought, what a train wreck. That does not seem like what you would want your talent and energy dedicated to. So then I thought, well, what would you want to dedicate your talent and energy to? And the idea I had was that our young people should head to Detroit, Cleveland, Birmingham, St. Lewis, Pittsburgh and help create businesses. But that thought that thought seemed out of reach because I tried to start a business myself in my 20s and it failed. [19:30:17] So it would be impossible to ask people to take on that same mission in cities that were new to them. But I thought, well, what would be realistic is for them to learn the same way I learned because I apprenticed to more experienced entrepreneurs and leaders for a number of years to develop. So I thought, well, you could have enterprising young people go work at existing growth companies in Detroit, Cleveland, St. Lewis, Baltimore, and then help those businesses grow. [19:30:42] So that was the vision. I started a nonprofit called Venture for America to make that vision real. How did you all work at non-profits? You volunteer at nonprofits. You should all have your hand up or these pretend on that one. [19:30:57] I feel like I'm a good person. Look around you. Anyone's fact checking you on that. [19:31:04] So the way I started a nonprofit is I put some money in and I started calling rich friends with this question, Do you love America? Many smart among them said, What does it mean if I say yes to this question? And then I said, at least ten thousand dollars and a number of them, including friends from Exeter, said, I love America for 10000. So we raised a couple hundred thousand. I grew to the millions, helped create several thousand jobs in 15 cities around the country. I was honored by the Obama administration multiple times. I got to bring my wife to meet the president. So my in-laws were very excited about me that week. [19:31:40] I look at this picture of our daughter with the president. [19:31:46] How many of you? Grew up here in New Hampshire. Many of you northeast like me, I grew up in upstate New York. Midwest couple s. West Coast or Pistons or Mountain West? Anyone? So I grew up in upstate New York and then came here for high school and then Rhode Island for college. I had never been to Ohio, Michigan, Alabama, Louisiana, all these places that measure for America operated. [19:32:17] And I was staggered by the Gulf between regions where if you fly between Michigan and Manhattan or St. Lewis and San Francisco, you feel like you're spanning dimensions or decades or ways of life and not just going a few timezones. How many of you had the same sort of experience you travel to other parts of the country? So I was trying to absorb what that felt like, where I was getting clapped on the back and brought to the White House, and I was I had this sinking feeling where the work I was doing was like pouring water into a bathtub that had a giant hole ripped in the bottom, that things were getting better, not worse in many, many communities in Ohio and Michigan and Missouri. [19:32:54] And then Donald Trump won the election of 2016. How did you all react when that happened? Tears, shock. Well, I've never heard regurgitation. But there are many people who I'm sure had that that impulse. I thought his victory was a massive red flag where tens of millions of our fellow Americans decided that taking a bet on the narcissist reality TV star was the way to go. And though you might have reacted with shock or dismay or disbelief, we all have family members or friends or neighbors who celebrated. [19:33:36] That's particularly true right here in New Hampshire. Now, if you were to turn on cable news and try and figure out why Donald Trump's our president today, what answers would you get if you just turn on one of the big networks, Russia? Well, this is at that time. So you could say economy, immigrants, Russia, Facebook, racism. Hillary Clinton, Wiener, and heard that one, but maybe Electoral College. Yeah. That's that. That might have been a big explanation. Many people didn't vote. Lack of turnout. Hillary Clinton emails. [19:34:16] . So I'm a numbers guy and I looked at the numbers for a clearer explanation as to why he won. And I found it. We automated away 4 million manufacturing jobs that were primarily based in Ohio, Michigan, Pennsylvania, Wisconsin, Missouri, Iowa, all the swing states and that he needed to win if that list sounds familiar. This happened in New Hampshire, too, but it happened earlier in the northern part of the state. I've been to that part of the state. This state lost 12000 manufacturing jobs over a number of years. [19:34:51] And if you go to one of those towns, those towns have never come back. Where the plant closed, the shopping center closed. They lost population. When I was up in the northern part. Of New Hampshire, the town supervisor said, we measure our progress by how many people leave. Like if the rate of departure slows down, that's actually progress for us. That's what happens in many manufacturing communities that are hard hit. Again, four million manufacturing jobs lost in the swing states primarily. [19:35:21] And if you doubt this explanation, there's a straight line up between the adoption of industrial automation in a boating area and the movement towards Trump in that area. The strongest correlation you can find. And unfortunately, what we did to those jobs, we are now going to do two retail jobs. Call center jobs, fast food jobs, eventually truck driving jobs and on and on through the economy. How many of you noticed stores closing in? Your area of New Hampshire. And why are those stores closing? [19:35:52] One word answer Amazon or Amazon soaking up 20 billion dollars in value every single year. Closing 30 percent of our stores in malls. Most common job in the United States. Retail clerk, average retail clerks, a 39 year old woman making between nine and ten dollars an hour. What is her next move going to be when the store closes? How much did Amazon pay in federal taxes last year? Zero. That's the math. New Hampshire. Twenty billion out. Thirty percent of stores in malls closed. Zero back. Most common job starts to disappear. When you all call the customer service line of a big company and you get the software robot, you do the same thing I do. [19:36:28] Why did you pound 0 0 0 as a human human representative and to get some of that having to be. I'll do that. Oh, yeah, we all do that. That's always miserable. As soon as you hear the voice, you're like, oh, no, it's not funny. [19:36:42] But in two or three short years, the software is going to sound like this. Hey, Andrew, how can I help you? It'll be seamless ambition. Delightful. You might not even realize that software unless you know. What does that going to mean for the two and a half million Americans who work at call centers right now making 14 bucks an hour? How many have you seen self-service kiosks in a fast food restaurant like McDonald's? Every location in the country in the next two years, they say itself, sir, kiosk. [19:37:08] And now they're looking at the back of the house like the robot burger flippers and fry cookers. The rubber is really going to hit the road with truck driving or freight. How many of, you know, a truck driver here in New Hampshire? There are three and a half million truckers in the United States. Most common job in 29 states. My friends in California and I want you to imagine Asian guy goes to Exeter, goes to fancy schools. I literally have friends who are working on the self-driving trucks in Silicon Valley. They tell me they're 98 percent of the way there. A self-driving truck just took 20 tons of butter from California to Pennsylvania two weeks ago. Why butter? I've no idea. [19:37:54] But if you Google robot butter truck. [19:37:59] You'll see it comes up. And the reason why my friends in Silicon Valley are working on the robot trucks is because the cost savings are estimated to be one hundred sixty eight billion dollars a year. If they automate truck time and think about that number as the price I can. That's such a staggering sum that if you're an investor and someone comes to you and says, I've got software equipment that can help automate truck driving, I just need 500 million to develop it and hire hundreds of engineers. [19:38:28] You write that check because you see the hundred sixty eight billion dollar a year pot of gold. And if this team can make any meaningful progress, you're gonna get your money back. Multiplied many, many times over. My friends tell me that self-driving trucks are five to ten years away from hitting our highways in earnest. What will that mean for the three and a half million Americans who drive a truck for a living? [19:38:52] Or the 7 million plus Americans who work at truck stops, motels and diners that rely upon the truckers getting out and having a meal every day? Something like 10 percent of the jobs in the state of Nebraska support trucking. What will those towns look like when the truck doesn't need to stop? This is the greatest economic transformation in our country's history, what experts are calling the fourth industrial revolution. When is the last time you heard a politician say the words fourth industrial revolution? Two seconds ago. [19:39:25] And I'm barely a politician. [19:39:28] My wife would have run the other direction if she ever thought I was going to run for office again. Now the conversation around the AG now. So she jokes even now. It's like you make the worst politician ever because I'm really bad at lying. Got a terrible poker face. Even when I proposed to her, I was like so nervous. I think this ring of like burning a hole in my pocket, I was like, Oh my God, she knows. She knows. [19:39:56] Anyway, what did happen? [19:40:01] So I proposed and I eventually got a yes and the same general after noon period. [19:40:13] I know. I'm not sure I've ever told people this. [19:40:15] Sorry. I mean, I hope it doesn't. She's not embarrassed by this. But I think her exact reaction to me was, why are you doing this? Which is not exactly what you want to hear when you're on one knee. It's not exactly the desired response, but we got the. Yes, two kids later and happily married anyway. So my first reaction was not to run for president, even after I went through all these numbers that, oh, my gosh, we're scapegoating immigrants for problems immigrants have nothing to do with. [19:40:50] We're going through this historic transformation. How are we going to help our people transition? My first move was to head to Washington, D.C., to sit down with our leaders and say, what are we going to do to help our people through this time? And what do you think the folks in D.C. said to me when I said, what are we going to do? Who are you? Nothing. The three major responses I got were these. Number one, we cannot talk about this, Andrew. Like, we cannot communicate this, the American people. [19:41:23] Number two, we should study this further. Andrew. Number three, we must educate and retrain all Americans for the jobs of the future. Which sounds pretty good. How have you ever heard a politician say something effectively like that? No. But then I said, look, I looked at the studies. Do you all want to guess how effective the government funded retraining programs were for the manufacturing workers who lost their jobs? [19:41:49] I'm anchoring you low because it's very low. Zero to 15 percent success rates. They're a total dud of the former manufacturing workers. Half left the workforce and never worked again. And of that group have filed for disability. You then saw surges in suicides and drug overdoses in those communities to the point where now America's life expectancy has declined for the last three years because suicides and drug overdoses have each overtaken vehicle deaths. That's cause of death in United States America. [19:42:17] You know, the last time America's life expectancy declined for three years in a row. The Spanish flu of 1918, global pandemic that killed millions. You have to go back that far. It is highly unusual for life expectancy to ever to decline in a developed country. It only just goes in one direction, right? It is getting richer, stronger, healthier, just keeps creeping up. Highly unusual for it to go down once and then a second time. A third time. Almost unprecedented. You have to go back 100 years. So when I said this to the folks in D.C., one of them actually said to me, well, I guess we'll get better at it. [19:42:53] And one person in D.C. said something that brought me here to you all tonight here in New Hampshire, he said, Andrew, you're the wrong town. No one here is going to do anything about this because fundamentally this is a town of followers, not leaders. And the only way we will do something about it is if you were to create a wave in other parts of the country and bring that wave crashing down in our heads. And I said challenge accepted. I'll be back in two and a half years. And that was two years ago, New Hampshire. [19:43:20] And I stand before you tonight. [19:43:28] I stand before you tonight, I'm fifth in the polls to become the Democratic nominee. We raised 10 million dollars last quarter in increments of only 30 dollars each. So my fans are almost as cheap as Bernie's. [19:43:46] And we are growing because we are laser focused on the real problems, like I got Donald Trump elected and where advancing real solutions, we need to rewrite the rules of the 21st century economy to work for us and our people. Now, if you're here tonight and I really appreciate you braving the elements and coming here, I have to say I'm a briefing document anytime I do one of these events. [19:44:07] And it said expected audience, 80 people. And I look around, I'm like, ha, this seems more like, what's the fire code in this room? So what I get again, anyone any trouble? But one of the reasons why I love campaigning here in New Hampshire so much is that you all have the future of the country in your hands. And I'll give you one data point. How many like raise your hands and show me how many presidential candidates you've seen in the cycle so far. So this is before this would be eight. Go ahead. And was ready to hands. So 7 1. I appreciate that. [19:44:41] 5 7. More than five. So the reason why we all come here and stump for your vote is because you will have outsized power and influence in our democracy. I did the math. Do you know how many Californians each of you is worth? [19:45:01] A thousand Californians each. [19:45:10] So you look around this room there, about 160 of you here. That's like four football stadiums full of California. That is the power of this room. The power to change the course of history does like God. One reason it's such a joy to campaign here, because other Americans look up and they see the pipes as clogged full of money. And they think there's nothing they can do about it. They're generally right. [19:45:34] There is very little they can do about it. But you all can you can flush the pipes clean just like that. You can take a vision of the rest of the country and have it sweep the nation like wildfire. And what are we talking about? Seven weeks, six and a half weeks. Something along those lines. That's the power in this room. So it's a joy to be here. This is the real thing. Unlike all of the other window dressing and certainly a lot of the chatter from the cable news networks is completely irrelevant. [19:46:01] Property of what is going to happen here in seven weeks. So the question is, how do you use that power? What do you do with it? If you were here tonight, you know that my flagship proposal is that every American gets a thousand dollars a month starting at age 18. How well do you know about the freedom dividend? If you're here, probably everyone. And the first time you heard it, I know what you thought. You thought. That's a gimmick. That's too good to be true. That will never happen. [19:46:29] But this is not my idea. It's not a new idea. Thomas Paine was forward at the founding of the country. Call it the citizen's dividend. Martin Luther King fought for it in the 1960s. It is what he was fighting for when he was assassinated in 1968. It's called the Guaranteed Minimum Income. In his 1967 book Cancer Community, he said this is what we need to bring the country together. I had the privilege of sitting with Martin Luther King's son in Atlanta. And he told me that this is what dad was fighting for when he was killed. And my first reaction was, I can't believe you was called Martin Luther King dad. [19:47:04] But then you realize he is your dad. He's your Martin Luther King, the third. That was like, wow. It's incredible. [19:47:13] A thousand economists endorsed in the 60s. It passed the U.S. House of Representatives twice in 1971 under Richard Nixon. Family assistance plan came this close to being law. And then eleven years later, one state passed a dividend, or now everyone in that state gets between one and two thousand dollars a year. No questions asked. [19:47:30] And what state is that and how do they pay for it? [19:47:35] And what is the oil of the 21st century technology? A software, self-driving cars and trucks. A study just came out that said that our data is now worth more than oil. How many of you saw that study? How many of you have access to a Netflix password? There's a documentary called The Great Hack and it includes that study. How many of you got your data check in the mail last month? We laugh, but where did the data checks go? There's so much value being generated. Facebook, Amazon, Google, the mega tech companies that are paying zero or near-zero in taxes. [19:48:12] Do you see how it's happening in Exeter? This is your job to change it, to make sure that the Amazons of the world pay their fair share. Trillion dollar tech company paid zero in taxes. How is that possible? How do they pay less in taxes than everyone here tonight? So what we have to do is we have to get our fair share of every Amazon sale, every Google search, every Facebook ad, every robot truck mile, and then put it into your hands in the form of this dividend of a thousand dollars a month. We generate this value. [19:48:42] Your data is generating tens of billions of dollars with a value. You're not seeing a dime. What are you mean I'm making is that our data is still ours, even if we loan it to the tech companies. Am I right? So if anyone's profiting from it, should we not participate in this? Especially because after this thousand dollars a month comes into your hands, where would the money go? In real life? How much of it would be spent right here in New Hampshire? Most of it, not all of it. You might get your own Netflix password,. [19:49:19] But most of it would go to car repairs you've been putting off and daycare expenses and little league sign ups and local nonprofits and cultural and religious organizations. This is the trickle up economy from our people, our families and our communities up. This is how we make it so that everyone is included in the 21st century gains that are being generated at almost unimaginable levels underneath our feet. And I see it. I've been there. [19:49:47] I've been to the Googles and Amazons. I'm friends with some of the leading technologists in the world. And they tell me that they see what is coming out of the labs in artificial intelligence and they are deeply concerned about the impact it's going to have on the rest of the country. Well, they say, you know how the sentence never goes. It's like I see what's coming out of the lab and it's gonna be fine. But at the end of that thought, I spoke to a group of 70 CEOs in New York City, and I asked how many of you are looking at replacing back office clerical workers with A.I. and software? [19:50:21] Guess how many hands? What about a 70? All 70. The fact is, you could fire any CEO who didn't have their hand up because we know that all of their incentives are around maximizing the bottom line and their workers aren't part of that bottom line. That is the system that we have built and it is up to you all to change it. There is no one else. If you don't change it, it doesn't change. That's the power of New Hampshire, but that's also the responsibility you all have. And one of the reasons I love being here is that you take that responsibility and own it, take it very, very seriously. [19:50:55] So this thousand dollars a month goes from being dramatic to necessary and inevitable as soon as you recognize the enormity of the situation we're in. And here in New Hampshire, I've been all over the state. There are many, many rural areas that feel like they're being sucked dry truly. And you see the negative spiral that ensues when the main street starts closing. People start leaving property taxes. What happens to them? They go nothing. They're going up because then you have to support the school and they're looking around being like, well, not as many people around. [19:51:24] So then you get trapped in this tough cycle because your property taxes are creeping up and your housing. Is that your housing stock? It's actually harder to sell. So so this is the negative spiral that many communities here in New Hampshire are experiencing and their kids feel like they have to leave the community or even state in order to access the opportunities that they want. That is what we have to change. We have to make it so that the economy works for us and then we're not we're not all inputs into the machine. [19:51:54] And I know this on a personal level, in part because my wife is at home with our two boys every day, one of whom is autistic. What does her work get included at in our economic measurements every day? Zero. I get zero. Staying home with our autistic son gets a zero caregiving, nurturing, volunteering all zeros. Arts very often zero. Journalism increasingly zero or near zero. We're zeroing out many of the most important things in our lives. And this disproportionately impacts women and underrepresented minorities that the marketplace will systematically undervalue or exclude. [19:52:34] Right now in this country, I talked to my wife about this and we talked about universal basic income, which is the historic name for the Freedom Dividend, which is just everyone gets a share of the value that society is generating. And Evelyn asked me. She's like, how did it go from being mainstream? A thousand economists endorse endorsing Milton Friedman to now it takes the futurist presidential candidate does not have drag it into the mainstream like what happened in the last 50 years. [19:53:01] And what I said to her is that we got brainwashed over the last 50 years to think that economic value and human value are the same things that what the market says we are worth is what we are worth. That's how you wind up with otherwise reasonable people suggesting that we should turn a town of coal miners into coders when the mine closes. Because if the person or the town doesn't have any economic value anymore, then we stretch ourselves to ridiculous lengths to try and find some new economic purpose for them. [19:53:31] And that's going to be a losing battle over time for us all. It's a losing battle for my autistic son. It's a losing battle for the truckers who, no matter how hard they work, cannot outcompete the robot truck that's going to hit the highway. It's even a losing battle for the accountants and lawyers who are going to be competing against software that can do that job more cheaply and efficiently and more accurately than even the hardest working human professional. This is the truth of the era we're in. [19:54:06] Right now, we're measuring our economic success through three big measurements and what are they if you turn on cable news? Like what does it say about like, hey. Things are going great. Stock markets won. GDP to headline. Unemployment's the third. So stock market prices, the bottom 80 percent of Americans own 8 percent of stock market wealth, the bottom 50 percent own essentially zero. If you trumpet the stock market, you do it. You're tracking the fortunes of essentially the top 20 percent of Americans if you're generous. It's actually more accurately like the top 5 percent of Americans. [19:54:41] GDP is at record highs, while we're also setting record highs and stress, financial insecurity, overdose is student loan debt and rising again. Our life expectancy is going down while our GDP is going up. So which do you listen to? I would suggest life expectancy because if you're dying sooner, I guess not a sign of health. Yesterday, I was the me and the headline unemployment rate obscures the fact that millions are dropping out of the workforce, that people are working two or three jobs to get by. [19:55:19] That the majority of new jobs that are created are temp gig or contract jobs that don't have benefits. The fact that if you are a young person who's fortunate enough to graduate from college, you have tens of thousands of dollars in debt and there's a 40 to 44 percent chance that you do a job that does not require a degree. So if you're a parent of a college age person, they're coming out and you feel that uncertainty, you're not alone. [19:55:43] If you are a young person, we have set you up with massive indebtedness and a very insecure economy. In terms of your ability to climb the corporate ladder, that may or may not exist if you're a young person, I apologize to you because we have left you a mess. We need your help to clean it up. The first thing to do is to acknowledge the crisis state we're in. So if GDP, corporate profits in the headline unemployment rate aren't the right measurements. What would actually get you excited if I said it got better here in Exeter? [19:56:16] Health, right? Healthy life expectancy. That's pretty core. It's like I might say, hey, you got healthier, you're living longer. Clean air and clean water. I said we've got more sustainable, our emissions went down. You would be happy about that. Mental health and freedom from substance abuse. Say, I got happier in New Hampshire, unfortunately, is one of the epicenters of the opiate epidemic. [19:56:38] Eight Americans are dying of drugs every hour, which is unconscionable. And that was a disease of capitalism run amok. We let some of the drug companies profit to the tune of tens of billions of dollars and kill tens of thousands, even hundreds of thousands of Americans. So these are the measurements that would tell us how we're actually doing. How about childhood success rates? How about proportion of elderly Americans who can retire in quality circumstances, income and affordability? [19:57:05] So these are the things that actually will tell us how we're doing. And as your president, I will update GDP to these measurements. And that sounds like magic, but it's really not. We made up GDP almost 100 years ago and even the adventure of GDP, so this is a terrible measurement of national well-being and we should never use it as that. And that was a hundred years ago. Think about that. So now we're following the century, the old measurement off a cliff and being like, hey, guys, things are going great. [19:57:33] Look at GDP while our people are struggling and suffering. Self-driving trucks will be great for GDP. They're going to be terrible for many American communities. So you have to line up the measurements to tell us how we are doing. Donald Trump in twenty sixteen said he was going to make America great again. And then what did Hillary Clinton say in response? America's already great. Remember that? [19:58:00] I know it's been a long three years like there. Oh, it's about to end, though. We're gonna end it, am I right? Applause So Hillary's response did not resonate with many Americans when she said America's already great. The problems are real. The suffering is real. We have to acknowledge the depth and severity of the problems, but then we need solutions that will actually help us all move forward. What we're Donald Trump's solutions. [19:58:34] He said we're gonna build a wall. We're gonna turn the clock back. We're gonna bring the old jobs back here. Hold those things to eggs that are you know, we have to do the opposite of these things. We have to turn the clock forward. We have to accelerate our economy and society as quickly as possible to rise to the real challenges of this era. We have to evolve in the way we think about ourselves and our work and our value. And I am the ideal candidate for that job, because the opposite of Donald Trump is an Asian man who likes math. [19:59:11] Now, most of you may not know this math is an acronym. What does it stand for? [19:59:17] Make America think harder. That's right. We have to identify the real problems and adopt real solutions. I feel like this is the right place for that. I feel like Exxon is a very smart town. Maybe in part because most the time I was here has had my nose in a book. [19:59:33] Is just trying to smarten up myself. [19:59:39] The problems are real, and unfortunately, the Democratic Party has been acting as if Donald Trump is the source of all of our problems. He is actually a symptom. He's a manifestation of a deeper set of problems that we have to cure as a country. The Democratic Party, in my mind, should have had a real period of soul searching when Donald Trump won. It's like, how the heck did we lose to this guy? How the heck did tens of millions of Americans decide to head this direction? [20:00:07] And a lot of it is that the feedback mechanism between the people in DC has broken down. Many people throughout the country don't feel like government is working for them. For us. And that's not a crazy feeling. Some of you might have that feeling, too. The feedback mechanism is breaking down. The fact is that Washington, D.C. today is the richest city in our country. What do they produce? Gridlock. Unclear. [20:00:34] Produce a lot of wealth, though, somehow. Our politicians in D.C. succeed whether we succeed or fail. And that is the the feeling that is driving many people towards Donald Trump. We have to restore that feedback mechanism by saying, look, the government is going to activate resources and put them in our hands when to trust our people. We're gonna build the trickle up economy. [20:00:59] I'm a parent. Like many of you, raise your hand if you're a parent. [20:01:04] So if you're a parent like me, you had this sense of unease. Maybe you've even been afraid to express it. If you were born in the United States of America in the 1940s, would something you might have been. You look great. [20:01:15] I mean, I wrote this for you about the 40s. Do the math. 30S. Oh, you look fantastic, sir. [20:01:26] 1938. [20:01:28] If you were born in the 1940s, the United States of America, there's a ninety three percent chance that you were gonna do better than your parents. That's the American dream. That's pretty strong. That's the dream that brought my parents here as immigrants. If you were born in the 1990s, which is some of you, I'm guessing. You're down to a 50/50 shot and it's heading heading downward very, very quickly. That is what we have to address New Hampshire. If you don't address that, it's going to be very, very hard to bring this country together. [20:02:01] I am running for president not because I fantasized about being president. I'm running for president because like many of you in this room, I'm a parent and a patriot. I have seen the future that lies ahead for our kids. And it is not something I'm willing to accept. And you should not accept it either. We have to do better for them. If we do come together in this way, we can be able to look our kids in the eyes and say to them, your country loves you, your country values you and you will be all right. And that is the message I want us to send to the rest of the country. In February of this year. Thank you all very much. So we're going to make it together. [20:02:49] We're going to rewrite the movie economy away for you because the rules are not working for you. They are not working. Am I right? I love it. I love being here so much. [20:03:02] What's the number one criteria for Democrats in terms of the nominee be Donald Trump? That's right. That's actually number one. How many for you that doesn't know. One good deal is right that it was a poll right here in New Hampshire that said that 10 percent of Trump voters would choose me over Donald Trump. Which is all we need to win. [20:03:27] You get all the Dems and progressives together and then you peel off independents and libertarians and 10 percent of Trump voters, we win this thing in a landslide. [20:03:35] Now, most Democrats have not realized yet that I am the candidate to take on and beat Donald Trump in 2020. But more people are realizing it every single day. It's a beautiful feeling. One survey came out that said that 18 percent of college Republicans would choose me over Trump. Think about that. It's us plus tend to 18 percent of Trump voters. And we're going to knock him out so bad. It's gonna be a landslide. And it has to start right here in New Hampshire and the next number of weeks. I love you guys. We'd love to take some questions. Thank you all so much. So so this handsome gentleman here is Zach Grossman is my campaign manager and he has passed me a note said that we just had our one millionth donation to the campaign. [20:04:24] As I said. What was it, someone in this room where you on the phone while I saw you? [20:04:37] Yeah. So I would love to take a in, sir. You had. Yeah. Yeah. Let's get this man on my career, I'll do it. [20:04:46] I'm coming your way, sir. I got this. [20:04:50] Thank you. [20:04:52] I'm attorney David Mirsky from Exeter. And my question is, I know that you have. The brilliant ideas for the future, but. Um, I just want to know, how are you going to defeat the evil that Donald Trump really is? [20:05:13] Thank you, David. [20:05:18] In many ways on the ideal foil for Donald Trump. And if you look at the candidates, he has messed with every single candidate in the field except for me, because I'm better at the Internet than he is. [20:05:34] And a lot of his strongest attacks don't work on me at all, because what does he do? [20:05:38] He caricatures his opponents as D.C. insiders and creatures. [20:05:42] I'm another outsider, but unlike him, I want to solve the problems of the American people and improve our way of life so I can draw in again 10 percent plus of Donald Trump voters who don't like D.C. very much. And as the Democratic nominee, all the Democrats are going to be obviously super excited. A survey just came out that said I am among the least disappointing nominees for the Democratic field. [20:06:08] Oh, really? [20:06:08] But this is an incredibly important stat because they survey thousands of dams and lakes, line all the Dems up and said, who would you be disappointed in and the least disappointed in? [20:06:19] And I was among the least disappointing. [20:06:22] Which means that the turnout is going to be high because people will get behind me and then I'll get again the 10 to 18 percent of Trump voters. And can you imagine me debating him? One of the things I can do more effectively than the other candidates is I can make him seem completely ridiculous. [20:06:47] Let's go, man, woman. [20:06:50] Thank you, Lacey. [20:06:59] How would the freedom dividend affect those on Social Security? [20:07:04] It's tax on top of Social Security. So I would increase the income of every Social Security recipient right now by a thousand dollars a month. And that seems again, too good to be true. But I've talked to hundreds, thousands of Americans who are receiving Social Security, and a couple of things became very clear. Number one, it's impossible to retire on Social Security alone. Number two, Social Security benefits are different depending upon whether you have to take time off from work often to parent to child. [20:07:30] So in many families, the mom is getting less and Social Security benefits. Number three, millions of Americans are facing essentially never retiring because they have to work until the day they die because they can't afford to stop. And if you look at the demographics, you see that we have to reformat our economy around caring for our aging relatives, but we don't have the economic resources in place to do so. So that's what this thousand dollars a month can do for our society. [20:08:00] It can enable Americans to retire with dignity because you a thousand dollars plus Social Security, then you're talking and then we can put actual resources and work to take care of people as they age gracefully instead of right now. I have no desire to go into a convenience store and see a senior citizen working until the day they die. That should be a teenager working for beer money, am I right? Yeah, I'm proposing the greatest expansion in Social Security benefits in history, and what I'm talking about now was mainstream wisdom in the 60s when we passed over security. It's just we've got a very, very extreme distant sense that. [20:08:42] Your. You have a lot of good ideas about campaign finance reform, and it's one of the most important things to me. We have a broken system. Thank you. So what would you do to fix our broken campaign finance reform and what hurdles do you think you will face when you try to do that? [20:09:03] I love this question so much because this is one reason why Americans have lost complete faith in government. Again, millions of dollars of lobbyist cash is clogging the pipes and you feel like your vote doesn't matter. There was a joke headline that said Americans should hire our own lobbyist because that's the only way we would actually get anything done. It's like I represent the American people. So most every Democrat will say we need to overturn Citizens United, which is correct. [20:09:30] We do need to do that. But the fact is corporate money had overtaken our government before Citizens United. Citizens United has made it more extreme. So what we have to do is we have to unify the people and the money. And I said this on the debate stage in L.A., fewer than 5 percent of Americans donate to political candidates or campaigns right now. So my proposal is to give every American one hundred democracy dollars used or lose it that you can give to any candidate or campaign that you want that would get the donate rate from 5 percent to what? What do you think? [20:10:04] 60 or 70 Americans are pretty lazy. So we've got a hundred free dollars, the lobby will be like, ah, I can't be bothered, but you could get it up to 60 percent. And if you had it to 60 percent, you would wash out the lobbyist cash by a factor of four or five to one. And then if a person was running for office and got ten thousand people behind them, that's a million dollars in financing. And then the lobbyist comes along and says, I've got twenty five thousand dollars for you could be like pass because I'm getting a million dollars and the people I'm going to represent them. So that is something that is bipartisan because many Republicans don't love. [20:10:40] While I stretch, I mean a lot of Republicans are in the pocket of these companies. I mean, a lot of Dems do, of course. I mean, I have a friend I went to Exeter with who worked in Capitol Hill for years for the right reasons, and he hated lobbyists when he showed up on Capitol Hill. What does he today, 15 years later, lobbyist? Yeah. You know, the you know the drill. So. Democracy dollars would free up legislators from having to pass the hat all the time. I'm for term limits of 12 years. We should send people to D.C. to do work and then come home. [20:11:17] Problem is that they're trying to make like a multi decade long career out of being in D.C. and that should not be the orientation. So the first big move is to pass some sort of public financing democracy dollars. But I'm going to suggest to you all that one of the ideal ways to get money out of politics is to send someone into the White House that doesn't owe anyone a dime in terms of corporate PAC money. And that's me. [20:11:43] Tens of millions of dollars raised in increments of only 30 dollars each. Purely people powered, purely grassroots funded. And I joke sometimes that, of course, the companies would never have sent me because I'm like the anonymous Asian man. Like, that's the dumbest. You know, you're like the corporate being like, oh, this is gonna work. Let's send that guy. [20:12:02] No. [20:12:02] Like, I'm just another citizen who represents our own interests and we need to break the stranglehold on the money. So I agree with Tom Stier. I agree with a lot of other, you know, times I went to Exeter as well. And, you know, we need to break the stranglehold of corporate money and flood the system with people powered money. I want to overturn Citizens United. But the fact is the corporate money is going to find a way to creep back in unless we flush it out. [20:12:27] I would also try and shut the revolving door between government and lobbyists in various ways, and I would have a ban on ever lobbying. But if you're gonna do the ban on ever lobbying or ten years, which is an eternity in DC because everyone ages out and then your relationships don't matter anymore. [20:12:44] Then you will need to ramp up compensation at the government level, say, look, no going to industry, but we'll pay you more. And that is a very, very fair trade. So, my friend. Well, I guess I went to there with like maybe he would not have been a lobbyist if there been a ban on being a lobbyist and he'd young paid a little bit more on Capitol Hill. He was a good guy. I mean, I'm still president. [20:13:08] Hi. When I was you. So I'm a student at Bill's Exeter. And my question for you is, what would you do to stop gerrymandering and give more people access to the ballot? [20:13:19] It's an excellent question. There's a lot of voter suppression going on around the country. Gerrymandering is a huge problem. It should be that voters choose our leaders, not leaders, choosing their voters. So that the leaders in terms of reform and activism on this are Eric Holder and President Obama who have this anti-terrorism pandering initiative that I endorse wholeheartedly. There are a lot of things I think we should do to try and elevate the ability to vote. [20:13:42] I would have automatic voter registration. Anytime you get like your driver's license or something like that. We should be registering you automatically. We should be giving people the day off on Election Day so that more people are able to vote. So there are a lot of things we can do to try and encourage voting participation rates. We almost deliberately make it hard to vote in this country. And that includes, unfortunately, the way we're drawing up the voting areas because that's being drawn up to favor one party or another. [20:14:10] And in terms of democracy, reform, and this is related to this, I'm for ranked choice voting because you need to be able to have people express their preference. You need a more dynamic party system in this country. Right now you have this duopoly and I'm a Democrat. But right now, independents outnumber Democrats and Republicans in terms of self identification. And if you're an independent, you look up and say, I'm not sure either of these parties are getting it. All right. [20:14:36] And your voice is getting drowned out because we have this winner takes all voting system. If you had ranked choice voting. You could express your true preferences. It would make our democracy much more vibrant and dynamic. So the Electoral College has problems, but I think that advocating for its abolition is frankly a stupid waste of time because you would require a super majority of states to get on board with it and literally like many of them would be like giving up their own power and shooting themselves in the foot. [20:15:16] The other thing is, if you were Democrats and you lose by rules that are literally engraved in the Constitution, and then you say, hey, we should change the rules. What does that say? You're saying like, I can't win by the rules, so I'm going to try and change them. If you're going to advocate for changes in the Electoral College, you have to win an election by the rules you have first and then go and say, hey, let's change these rules. If I'm for anything, I'm for proportional allocation of electors. Because and you will benefit from this and it's cool. I love you for it. But there are only a handful of states that people campaigning because their swing states. If you had proportional allocation of electors. [20:15:54] , then you would have candidates going to any state just to try and rack up some support and votes. And it would even it out in a much more truly Democratic way. Another side effect of abolishing the Electoral College that most people don't reflect on, it would privilege people in major cities in urban areas because every candidate would just go where they could get a lot of bang for their buck in terms of media exposure because the vote's a vote. So would I ever go to a rural area to campaign? [20:16:25] I probably wouldn't. I would just go to every major media market because anytime I show up New York or Los Angeles TV, I reach many more people. So there are problems with trying to abolish the Electoral College, starting with the fact that it's completely impractical unless you had dozens of states that are willing to vote against their own interests, which we all know is not going to happen. [20:16:49] I'll let you choose because I see so many hands and they all seem so smart. [20:16:58] I was interested in what you would do in your first year to address climate change if you were elected. [20:17:03] How many of you all are concerned about climate change? Yes, me too. It is bearing down on us. I was in Portsmouth and there were buildings that are literally flooding more regularly now than they were years ago. There is a multi-million dollar shrimping business that went to zero because the water got too warm and the shrimp died. If you saw me several debates ago, I outlined the new third position in American politics on climate change. Remember this position? Number one, we need to fight climate change. [20:17:28] Position number two. Climate change is a hoax. And then my position number three is it's worse than you think and it's already here. You all remember this. And then people were like, oh, Andrew is being negative. And then all of a sudden they adopted my position like the next debate. He's right. We need to invest hundreds of billions of dollars in protecting ourselves right now. You can't have towns in New Hampshire that are flooding and then having to fend for themselves on it. [20:17:55] So no one put a price on carbon. Day one, if you're polluting, you have to have that cause built into your bottom line, the business. And that would give us tons of resources to try and move towards wind and solar. And it would make the companies that are polluting have to become much more efficient or pay big bucks into the system. Climate change action and financial insecurity in my mind are tied together because right now 70 percent of Americans are living paycheck to paycheck. [20:18:27] Almost half can afford an unexpected five dollar bill. So if you go to them and say we need to fight climate change, what is their reaction? Can't afford it. I'm worried about next month. You know, like a year from now, it has to wait. And then what's the next natural reaction? It's probably not going to be so bad anyway. Or like maybe they're just hyping it up. We have to get the boot off people's throats so that they actually can focus on the bigger problems instead of just putting one foot in front of the other. [20:18:56] If you put a resource in the people's pockets, then instead of hearing we have to fight climate change in thinking, oh, my costs are going to go up, it's gonna be more inconvenient. We're going to lose jobs, which is what many Americans here they'll think. Yeah, you're right. We have to fight climate change because we're going to be here while my future secure. My kids future is secure. [20:19:15] The big move I would make is to build environmental sustainability into our actual economic measurements, because right now that tug of war is something that we're losing on with many Americans where you say we need to fight climate change and lead us here higher costs. The argument I'd make is what is the going to be the cost of climate change if we do nothing? Trillions of dollars easily. What we have to do is internalize that cost into our current measurements and say, look, when you pollute, that has a cost. [20:19:42] If we inaction has a massive cost, we have to act, invest hundreds of billions of dollars and make our infrastructure more resilient before the fact. And if this seems dramatic, we've already moved a town in Louisiana because the water levels rose. Do we think that's the only town that likely will have to be relocated? Of course not. There are gonna be dozens, maybe hundreds of towns around the country. [20:20:07] So we have to start making bigger moves now. And that's what I would champion as president from day one. I'm also the only candidate who's proposing a constitutional amendment to address climate change in our generationally because we can't let this be something that flip flops from one administration to the next. [20:20:27] All right. I'm going to be the bad guy. Thank you guys for your patience. We're going to take one more question and then this is very important, the selfie line. If you decided to plant yourself here earlier this evening, you won the lottery because there were going to have the line go this way will be very smooth and efficient. Get the pictures, get the selfies and appreciate how long you've waited here tonight. So one more question. You going to do this? All right. [20:20:58] Shout out. I need give me an even number between one and three of you. [20:21:07] That's how we roll, baby. Thank you. [20:21:15] Hi, Mr. Yang. My name is John and I'm with the Partnership to Protect Our Retirement Future. And my question is about the what the financial transaction tax. We'd like to call it the retirement tax, because it would really hurt a lot of it. Well, it sounds good on paper. It would hurt a lot of the middle class people. It would really it would hit all for one case, for three B's. It wouldn't hit anybody with a 529. And it really hit pensions. Any pension funds. So I was just wondering, do you have a position on it? [20:21:48] That's. [20:21:55] I want to strengthen the middle class and put everyone in a position to be able to eventually retire with dignity. I want to rewrite the rules of the economy to work for us and our people across the board. I do think a financial transactions tax is a good idea. And the fact is, if you're a retiree who has your accounts and like for one K, many of those investors are through ETF exchange traded funds and they're not like turning over their assets all the time. [20:22:22] And if you had a financial transactions tax, you could easily, if you were a firm, say, hey, maybe we're not going to incur more financial transactions and have our transaction costs go up. If you have before when K or 529, you're probably allergic to any kind of transaction fees or taxes, you'd want the money to be there and then grow steadily. So I'm for a financial transactions tax. [20:22:43] The bigger picture, I'm for putting money into the hands of every American and making this economy work for us instead of trying to see ourselves as inputs into the giant capital efficiency machine. Because right now we're in a race that frankly more and more of us are not going to be able to win. We have to evolve from thinking of this as like some kind of rugged individualism, meritocracy, where everyone's worth is determined by a combination of their like hard work and virtue and character and start evolving to say we all have intrinsic value. [20:23:15] Whether your able bodied, disabled software engineer or a stay at home mom, we have to make this economy work for everyone and let the rest of the country know it's not left. It's not right. It's forward. And that is where you all are gonna take us in 2020. Thank you all so much for a handshake. Thank you.

TVU 10 ANDREW YANG EXETER NH TOWN HALL ABC UNI 123019 2020 LOG FROM FOX POOL FEED ON LU 3; FEED PAUSES AROUND 200000 [19:27:24] Well, hello to him, sir. [19:27:30] Oh, it is great to be back. I went to high school here, I stayed in this in just a few months ago. [19:27:35] How many you actually saw me speak at P.A.? A few of you. I thought, wow, are you student? So fun. I graduated from Phillips Exeter in nineteen ninety two. I'm going to be new that. Yes. [19:27:50] Well, and I get 100 percent affirm that I would never be running for president if I had not attended Exeter because I grew up the son of immigrants. And the conversations around the young household were not going to run for president someday. [19:28:03] And in Exeter, those are also not the conversations. But after X-ray, I went to a brown university. Anyone here do that? Really awesome. And then I went to New York City and went to law school and became a lawyer. I was an unhappy lawyer for five whole months and then left to start an ill fated dot.com. How many of you started a business organization? All right. So if you had your hand up, you know, two things. Number one, it's much, much harder than anyone ever lets on. And number two, when someone asks you how it's going, what do you say? [19:28:41] Great. Only one answer that question. [19:28:45] So my business went great until it failed. My parents told people I was still a lawyer and is doing great. And I've been bitten by the bug and I said I need to try and get better at this. Building something. So I worked at another startup and then another. And then I became the head of an education company that grew to become number one in the U.S. Then it was bought by a bigger company in 2009. 2009 was a very tough time in much of the country. [19:29:14] Can you believe the financial crisis was 10 years ago now and this community was better insulated than many others, but it was a devastating time for much of the country. And I thought I had some insight as to why the financial crisis had unfolded is because so many of the, frankly, very smart kids I've gone to Exeter and Brown and Columbia with had headed to Wall Street and come up with mortgage backed securities and derivatives and exotic financial instruments. And that had crashed the economy. [19:29:46] And I thought, what a train wreck. That does not seem like what you would want your talent and energy dedicated to. So then I thought, well, what would you want to dedicate your talent and energy to? And the idea I had was that our young people should head to Detroit, Cleveland, Birmingham, St. Lewis, Pittsburgh and help create businesses. But that thought that thought seemed out of reach because I tried to start a business myself in my 20s and it failed. [19:30:17] So it would be impossible to ask people to take on that same mission in cities that were new to them. But I thought, well, what would be realistic is for them to learn the same way I learned because I apprenticed to more experienced entrepreneurs and leaders for a number of years to develop. So I thought, well, you could have enterprising young people go work at existing growth companies in Detroit, Cleveland, St. Lewis, Baltimore, and then help those businesses grow. [19:30:42] So that was the vision. I started a nonprofit called Venture for America to make that vision real. How did you all work at non-profits? You volunteer at nonprofits. You should all have your hand up or these pretend on that one. [19:30:57] I feel like I'm a good person. Look around you. Anyone's fact checking you on that. [19:31:04] So the way I started a nonprofit is I put some money in and I started calling rich friends with this question, Do you love America? Many smart among them said, What does it mean if I say yes to this question? And then I said, at least ten thousand dollars and a number of them, including friends from Exeter, said, I love America for 10000. So we raised a couple hundred thousand. I grew to the millions, helped create several thousand jobs in 15 cities around the country. I was honored by the Obama administration multiple times. I got to bring my wife to meet the president. So my in-laws were very excited about me that week. [19:31:40] I look at this picture of our daughter with the president. [19:31:46] How many of you? Grew up here in New Hampshire. Many of you northeast like me, I grew up in upstate New York. Midwest couple s. West Coast or Pistons or Mountain West? Anyone? So I grew up in upstate New York and then came here for high school and then Rhode Island for college. I had never been to Ohio, Michigan, Alabama, Louisiana, all these places that measure for America operated. [19:32:17] And I was staggered by the Gulf between regions where if you fly between Michigan and Manhattan or St. Lewis and San Francisco, you feel like you're spanning dimensions or decades or ways of life and not just going a few timezones. How many of you had the same sort of experience you travel to other parts of the country? So I was trying to absorb what that felt like, where I was getting clapped on the back and brought to the White House, and I was I had this sinking feeling where the work I was doing was like pouring water into a bathtub that had a giant hole ripped in the bottom, that things were getting better, not worse in many, many communities in Ohio and Michigan and Missouri. [19:32:54] And then Donald Trump won the election of 2016. How did you all react when that happened? Tears, shock. Well, I've never heard regurgitation. But there are many people who I'm sure had that that impulse. I thought his victory was a massive red flag where tens of millions of our fellow Americans decided that taking a bet on the narcissist reality TV star was the way to go. And though you might have reacted with shock or dismay or disbelief, we all have family members or friends or neighbors who celebrated. [19:33:36] That's particularly true right here in New Hampshire. Now, if you were to turn on cable news and try and figure out why Donald Trump's our president today, what answers would you get if you just turn on one of the big networks, Russia? Well, this is at that time. So you could say economy, immigrants, Russia, Facebook, racism. Hillary Clinton, Wiener, and heard that one, but maybe Electoral College. Yeah. That's that. That might have been a big explanation. Many people didn't vote. Lack of turnout. Hillary Clinton emails. [19:34:16] . So I'm a numbers guy and I looked at the numbers for a clearer explanation as to why he won. And I found it. We automated away 4 million manufacturing jobs that were primarily based in Ohio, Michigan, Pennsylvania, Wisconsin, Missouri, Iowa, all the swing states and that he needed to win if that list sounds familiar. This happened in New Hampshire, too, but it happened earlier in the northern part of the state. I've been to that part of the state. This state lost 12000 manufacturing jobs over a number of years. [19:34:51] And if you go to one of those towns, those towns have never come back. Where the plant closed, the shopping center closed. They lost population. When I was up in the northern part. Of New Hampshire, the town supervisor said, we measure our progress by how many people leave. Like if the rate of departure slows down, that's actually progress for us. That's what happens in many manufacturing communities that are hard hit. Again, four million manufacturing jobs lost in the swing states primarily. [19:35:21] And if you doubt this explanation, there's a straight line up between the adoption of industrial automation in a boating area and the movement towards Trump in that area. The strongest correlation you can find. And unfortunately, what we did to those jobs, we are now going to do two retail jobs. Call center jobs, fast food jobs, eventually truck driving jobs and on and on through the economy. How many of you noticed stores closing in? Your area of New Hampshire. And why are those stores closing? [19:35:52] One word answer Amazon or Amazon soaking up 20 billion dollars in value every single year. Closing 30 percent of our stores in malls. Most common job in the United States. Retail clerk, average retail clerks, a 39 year old woman making between nine and ten dollars an hour. What is her next move going to be when the store closes? How much did Amazon pay in federal taxes last year? Zero. That's the math. New Hampshire. Twenty billion out. Thirty percent of stores in malls closed. Zero back. Most common job starts to disappear. When you all call the customer service line of a big company and you get the software robot, you do the same thing I do. [19:36:28] Why did you pound 0 0 0 as a human human representative and to get some of that having to be. I'll do that. Oh, yeah, we all do that. That's always miserable. As soon as you hear the voice, you're like, oh, no, it's not funny. [19:36:42] But in two or three short years, the software is going to sound like this. Hey, Andrew, how can I help you? It'll be seamless ambition. Delightful. You might not even realize that software unless you know. What does that going to mean for the two and a half million Americans who work at call centers right now making 14 bucks an hour? How many have you seen self-service kiosks in a fast food restaurant like McDonald's? Every location in the country in the next two years, they say itself, sir, kiosk. [19:37:08] And now they're looking at the back of the house like the robot burger flippers and fry cookers. The rubber is really going to hit the road with truck driving or freight. How many of, you know, a truck driver here in New Hampshire? There are three and a half million truckers in the United States. Most common job in 29 states. My friends in California and I want you to imagine Asian guy goes to Exeter, goes to fancy schools. I literally have friends who are working on the self-driving trucks in Silicon Valley. They tell me they're 98 percent of the way there. A self-driving truck just took 20 tons of butter from California to Pennsylvania two weeks ago. Why butter? I've no idea. [19:37:54] But if you Google robot butter truck. [19:37:59] You'll see it comes up. And the reason why my friends in Silicon Valley are working on the robot trucks is because the cost savings are estimated to be one hundred sixty eight billion dollars a year. If they automate truck time and think about that number as the price I can. That's such a staggering sum that if you're an investor and someone comes to you and says, I've got software equipment that can help automate truck driving, I just need 500 million to develop it and hire hundreds of engineers. [19:38:28] You write that check because you see the hundred sixty eight billion dollar a year pot of gold. And if this team can make any meaningful progress, you're gonna get your money back. Multiplied many, many times over. My friends tell me that self-driving trucks are five to ten years away from hitting our highways in earnest. What will that mean for the three and a half million Americans who drive a truck for a living? [19:38:52] Or the 7 million plus Americans who work at truck stops, motels and diners that rely upon the truckers getting out and having a meal every day? Something like 10 percent of the jobs in the state of Nebraska support trucking. What will those towns look like when the truck doesn't need to stop? This is the greatest economic transformation in our country's history, what experts are calling the fourth industrial revolution. When is the last time you heard a politician say the words fourth industrial revolution? Two seconds ago. [19:39:25] And I'm barely a politician. [19:39:28] My wife would have run the other direction if she ever thought I was going to run for office again. Now the conversation around the AG now. So she jokes even now. It's like you make the worst politician ever because I'm really bad at lying. Got a terrible poker face. Even when I proposed to her, I was like so nervous. I think this ring of like burning a hole in my pocket, I was like, Oh my God, she knows. She knows. [19:39:56] Anyway, what did happen? [19:40:01] So I proposed and I eventually got a yes and the same general after noon period. [19:40:13] I know. I'm not sure I've ever told people this. [19:40:15] Sorry. I mean, I hope it doesn't. She's not embarrassed by this. But I think her exact reaction to me was, why are you doing this? Which is not exactly what you want to hear when you're on one knee. It's not exactly the desired response, but we got the. Yes, two kids later and happily married anyway. So my first reaction was not to run for president, even after I went through all these numbers that, oh, my gosh, we're scapegoating immigrants for problems immigrants have nothing to do with. [19:40:50] We're going through this historic transformation. How are we going to help our people transition? My first move was to head to Washington, D.C., to sit down with our leaders and say, what are we going to do to help our people through this time? And what do you think the folks in D.C. said to me when I said, what are we going to do? Who are you? Nothing. The three major responses I got were these. Number one, we cannot talk about this, Andrew. Like, we cannot communicate this, the American people. [19:41:23] Number two, we should study this further. Andrew. Number three, we must educate and retrain all Americans for the jobs of the future. Which sounds pretty good. How have you ever heard a politician say something effectively like that? No. But then I said, look, I looked at the studies. Do you all want to guess how effective the government funded retraining programs were for the manufacturing workers who lost their jobs? [19:41:49] I'm anchoring you low because it's very low. Zero to 15 percent success rates. They're a total dud of the former manufacturing workers. Half left the workforce and never worked again. And of that group have filed for disability. You then saw surges in suicides and drug overdoses in those communities to the point where now America's life expectancy has declined for the last three years because suicides and drug overdoses have each overtaken vehicle deaths. That's cause of death in United States America. [19:42:17] You know, the last time America's life expectancy declined for three years in a row. The Spanish flu of 1918, global pandemic that killed millions. You have to go back that far. It is highly unusual for life expectancy to ever to decline in a developed country. It only just goes in one direction, right? It is getting richer, stronger, healthier, just keeps creeping up. Highly unusual for it to go down once and then a second time. A third time. Almost unprecedented. You have to go back 100 years. So when I said this to the folks in D.C., one of them actually said to me, well, I guess we'll get better at it. [19:42:53] And one person in D.C. said something that brought me here to you all tonight here in New Hampshire, he said, Andrew, you're the wrong town. No one here is going to do anything about this because fundamentally this is a town of followers, not leaders. And the only way we will do something about it is if you were to create a wave in other parts of the country and bring that wave crashing down in our heads. And I said challenge accepted. I'll be back in two and a half years. And that was two years ago, New Hampshire. [19:43:20] And I stand before you tonight. [19:43:28] I stand before you tonight, I'm fifth in the polls to become the Democratic nominee. We raised 10 million dollars last quarter in increments of only 30 dollars each. So my fans are almost as cheap as Bernie's. [19:43:46] And we are growing because we are laser focused on the real problems, like I got Donald Trump elected and where advancing real solutions, we need to rewrite the rules of the 21st century economy to work for us and our people. Now, if you're here tonight and I really appreciate you braving the elements and coming here, I have to say I'm a briefing document anytime I do one of these events. [19:44:07] And it said expected audience, 80 people. And I look around, I'm like, ha, this seems more like, what's the fire code in this room? So what I get again, anyone any trouble? But one of the reasons why I love campaigning here in New Hampshire so much is that you all have the future of the country in your hands. And I'll give you one data point. How many like raise your hands and show me how many presidential candidates you've seen in the cycle so far. So this is before this would be eight. Go ahead. And was ready to hands. So 7 1. I appreciate that. [19:44:41] 5 7. More than five. So the reason why we all come here and stump for your vote is because you will have outsized power and influence in our democracy. I did the math. Do you know how many Californians each of you is worth? [19:45:01] A thousand Californians each. [19:45:10] So you look around this room there, about 160 of you here. That's like four football stadiums full of California. That is the power of this room. The power to change the course of history does like God. One reason it's such a joy to campaign here, because other Americans look up and they see the pipes as clogged full of money. And they think there's nothing they can do about it. They're generally right. [19:45:34] There is very little they can do about it. But you all can you can flush the pipes clean just like that. You can take a vision of the rest of the country and have it sweep the nation like wildfire. And what are we talking about? Seven weeks, six and a half weeks. Something along those lines. That's the power in this room. So it's a joy to be here. This is the real thing. Unlike all of the other window dressing and certainly a lot of the chatter from the cable news networks is completely irrelevant. [19:46:01] Property of what is going to happen here in seven weeks. So the question is, how do you use that power? What do you do with it? If you were here tonight, you know that my flagship proposal is that every American gets a thousand dollars a month starting at age 18. How well do you know about the freedom dividend? If you're here, probably everyone. And the first time you heard it, I know what you thought. You thought. That's a gimmick. That's too good to be true. That will never happen. [19:46:29] But this is not my idea. It's not a new idea. Thomas Paine was forward at the founding of the country. Call it the citizen's dividend. Martin Luther King fought for it in the 1960s. It is what he was fighting for when he was assassinated in 1968. It's called the Guaranteed Minimum Income. In his 1967 book Cancer Community, he said this is what we need to bring the country together. I had the privilege of sitting with Martin Luther King's son in Atlanta. And he told me that this is what dad was fighting for when he was killed. And my first reaction was, I can't believe you was called Martin Luther King dad. [19:47:04] But then you realize he is your dad. He's your Martin Luther King, the third. That was like, wow. It's incredible. [19:47:13] A thousand economists endorsed in the 60s. It passed the U.S. House of Representatives twice in 1971 under Richard Nixon. Family assistance plan came this close to being law. And then eleven years later, one state passed a dividend, or now everyone in that state gets between one and two thousand dollars a year. No questions asked. [19:47:30] And what state is that and how do they pay for it? [19:47:35] And what is the oil of the 21st century technology? A software, self-driving cars and trucks. A study just came out that said that our data is now worth more than oil. How many of you saw that study? How many of you have access to a Netflix password? There's a documentary called The Great Hack and it includes that study. How many of you got your data check in the mail last month? We laugh, but where did the data checks go? There's so much value being generated. Facebook, Amazon, Google, the mega tech companies that are paying zero or near-zero in taxes. [19:48:12] Do you see how it's happening in Exeter? This is your job to change it, to make sure that the Amazons of the world pay their fair share. Trillion dollar tech company paid zero in taxes. How is that possible? How do they pay less in taxes than everyone here tonight? So what we have to do is we have to get our fair share of every Amazon sale, every Google search, every Facebook ad, every robot truck mile, and then put it into your hands in the form of this dividend of a thousand dollars a month. We generate this value. [19:48:42] Your data is generating tens of billions of dollars with a value. You're not seeing a dime. What are you mean I'm making is that our data is still ours, even if we loan it to the tech companies. Am I right? So if anyone's profiting from it, should we not participate in this? Especially because after this thousand dollars a month comes into your hands, where would the money go? In real life? How much of it would be spent right here in New Hampshire? Most of it, not all of it. You might get your own Netflix password,. [19:49:19] But most of it would go to car repairs you've been putting off and daycare expenses and little league sign ups and local nonprofits and cultural and religious organizations. This is the trickle up economy from our people, our families and our communities up. This is how we make it so that everyone is included in the 21st century gains that are being generated at almost unimaginable levels underneath our feet. And I see it. I've been there. [19:49:47] I've been to the Googles and Amazons. I'm friends with some of the leading technologists in the world. And they tell me that they see what is coming out of the labs in artificial intelligence and they are deeply concerned about the impact it's going to have on the rest of the country. Well, they say, you know how the sentence never goes. It's like I see what's coming out of the lab and it's gonna be fine. But at the end of that thought, I spoke to a group of 70 CEOs in New York City, and I asked how many of you are looking at replacing back office clerical workers with A.I. and software? [19:50:21] Guess how many hands? What about a 70? All 70. The fact is, you could fire any CEO who didn't have their hand up because we know that all of their incentives are around maximizing the bottom line and their workers aren't part of that bottom line. That is the system that we have built and it is up to you all to change it. There is no one else. If you don't change it, it doesn't change. That's the power of New Hampshire, but that's also the responsibility you all have. And one of the reasons I love being here is that you take that responsibility and own it, take it very, very seriously. [19:50:55] So this thousand dollars a month goes from being dramatic to necessary and inevitable as soon as you recognize the enormity of the situation we're in. And here in New Hampshire, I've been all over the state. There are many, many rural areas that feel like they're being sucked dry truly. And you see the negative spiral that ensues when the main street starts closing. People start leaving property taxes. What happens to them? They go nothing. They're going up because then you have to support the school and they're looking around being like, well, not as many people around. [19:51:24] So then you get trapped in this tough cycle because your property taxes are creeping up and your housing. Is that your housing stock? It's actually harder to sell. So so this is the negative spiral that many communities here in New Hampshire are experiencing and their kids feel like they have to leave the community or even state in order to access the opportunities that they want. That is what we have to change. We have to make it so that the economy works for us and then we're not we're not all inputs into the machine. [19:51:54] And I know this on a personal level, in part because my wife is at home with our two boys every day, one of whom is autistic. What does her work get included at in our economic measurements every day? Zero. I get zero. Staying home with our autistic son gets a zero caregiving, nurturing, volunteering all zeros. Arts very often zero. Journalism increasingly zero or near zero. We're zeroing out many of the most important things in our lives. And this disproportionately impacts women and underrepresented minorities that the marketplace will systematically undervalue or exclude. [19:52:34] Right now in this country, I talked to my wife about this and we talked about universal basic income, which is the historic name for the Freedom Dividend, which is just everyone gets a share of the value that society is generating. And Evelyn asked me. She's like, how did it go from being mainstream? A thousand economists endorse endorsing Milton Friedman to now it takes the futurist presidential candidate does not have drag it into the mainstream like what happened in the last 50 years. [19:53:01] And what I said to her is that we got brainwashed over the last 50 years to think that economic value and human value are the same things that what the market says we are worth is what we are worth. That's how you wind up with otherwise reasonable people suggesting that we should turn a town of coal miners into coders when the mine closes. Because if the person or the town doesn't have any economic value anymore, then we stretch ourselves to ridiculous lengths to try and find some new economic purpose for them. [19:53:31] And that's going to be a losing battle over time for us all. It's a losing battle for my autistic son. It's a losing battle for the truckers who, no matter how hard they work, cannot outcompete the robot truck that's going to hit the highway. It's even a losing battle for the accountants and lawyers who are going to be competing against software that can do that job more cheaply and efficiently and more accurately than even the hardest working human professional. This is the truth of the era we're in. [19:54:06] Right now, we're measuring our economic success through three big measurements and what are they if you turn on cable news? Like what does it say about like, hey. Things are going great. Stock markets won. GDP to headline. Unemployment's the third. So stock market prices, the bottom 80 percent of Americans own 8 percent of stock market wealth, the bottom 50 percent own essentially zero. If you trumpet the stock market, you do it. You're tracking the fortunes of essentially the top 20 percent of Americans if you're generous. It's actually more accurately like the top 5 percent of Americans. [19:54:41] GDP is at record highs, while we're also setting record highs and stress, financial insecurity, overdose is student loan debt and rising again. Our life expectancy is going down while our GDP is going up. So which do you listen to? I would suggest life expectancy because if you're dying sooner, I guess not a sign of health. Yesterday, I was the me and the headline unemployment rate obscures the fact that millions are dropping out of the workforce, that people are working two or three jobs to get by. [19:55:19] That the majority of new jobs that are created are temp gig or contract jobs that don't have benefits. The fact that if you are a young person who's fortunate enough to graduate from college, you have tens of thousands of dollars in debt and there's a 40 to 44 percent chance that you do a job that does not require a degree. So if you're a parent of a college age person, they're coming out and you feel that uncertainty, you're not alone. [19:55:43] If you are a young person, we have set you up with massive indebtedness and a very insecure economy. In terms of your ability to climb the corporate ladder, that may or may not exist if you're a young person, I apologize to you because we have left you a mess. We need your help to clean it up. The first thing to do is to acknowledge the crisis state we're in. So if GDP, corporate profits in the headline unemployment rate aren't the right measurements. What would actually get you excited if I said it got better here in Exeter? [19:56:16] Health, right? Healthy life expectancy. That's pretty core. It's like I might say, hey, you got healthier, you're living longer. Clean air and clean water. I said we've got more sustainable, our emissions went down. You would be happy about that. Mental health and freedom from substance abuse. Say, I got happier in New Hampshire, unfortunately, is one of the epicenters of the opiate epidemic. [19:56:38] Eight Americans are dying of drugs every hour, which is unconscionable. And that was a disease of capitalism run amok. We let some of the drug companies profit to the tune of tens of billions of dollars and kill tens of thousands, even hundreds of thousands of Americans. So these are the measurements that would tell us how we're actually doing. How about childhood success rates? How about proportion of elderly Americans who can retire in quality circumstances, income and affordability? [19:57:05] So these are the things that actually will tell us how we're doing. And as your president, I will update GDP to these measurements. And that sounds like magic, but it's really not. We made up GDP almost 100 years ago and even the adventure of GDP, so this is a terrible measurement of national well-being and we should never use it as that. And that was a hundred years ago. Think about that. So now we're following the century, the old measurement off a cliff and being like, hey, guys, things are going great. [19:57:33] Look at GDP while our people are struggling and suffering. Self-driving trucks will be great for GDP. They're going to be terrible for many American communities. So you have to line up the measurements to tell us how we are doing. Donald Trump in twenty sixteen said he was going to make America great again. And then what did Hillary Clinton say in response? America's already great. Remember that? [19:58:00] I know it's been a long three years like there. Oh, it's about to end, though. We're gonna end it, am I right? Applause So Hillary's response did not resonate with many Americans when she said America's already great. The problems are real. The suffering is real. We have to acknowledge the depth and severity of the problems, but then we need solutions that will actually help us all move forward. What we're Donald Trump's solutions. [19:58:34] He said we're gonna build a wall. We're gonna turn the clock back. We're gonna bring the old jobs back here. Hold those things to eggs that are you know, we have to do the opposite of these things. We have to turn the clock forward. We have to accelerate our economy and society as quickly as possible to rise to the real challenges of this era. We have to evolve in the way we think about ourselves and our work and our value. And I am the ideal candidate for that job, because the opposite of Donald Trump is an Asian man who likes math. [19:59:11] Now, most of you may not know this math is an acronym. What does it stand for? [19:59:17] Make America think harder. That's right. We have to identify the real problems and adopt real solutions. I feel like this is the right place for that. I feel like Exxon is a very smart town. Maybe in part because most the time I was here has had my nose in a book. [19:59:33] Is just trying to smarten up myself. [19:59:39] The problems are real, and unfortunately, the Democratic Party has been acting as if Donald Trump is the source of all of our problems. He is actually a symptom. He's a manifestation of a deeper set of problems that we have to cure as a country. The Democratic Party, in my mind, should have had a real period of soul searching when Donald Trump won. It's like, how the heck did we lose to this guy? How the heck did tens of millions of Americans decide to head this direction? [20:00:07] And a lot of it is that the feedback mechanism between the people in DC has broken down. Many people throughout the country don't feel like government is working for them. For us. And that's not a crazy feeling. Some of you might have that feeling, too. The feedback mechanism is breaking down. The fact is that Washington, D.C. today is the richest city in our country. What do they produce? Gridlock. Unclear. [20:00:34] Produce a lot of wealth, though, somehow. Our politicians in D.C. succeed whether we succeed or fail. And that is the the feeling that is driving many people towards Donald Trump. We have to restore that feedback mechanism by saying, look, the government is going to activate resources and put them in our hands when to trust our people. We're gonna build the trickle up economy. [20:00:59] I'm a parent. Like many of you, raise your hand if you're a parent. [20:01:04] So if you're a parent like me, you had this sense of unease. Maybe you've even been afraid to express it. If you were born in the United States of America in the 1940s, would something you might have been. You look great. [20:01:15] I mean, I wrote this for you about the 40s. Do the math. 30S. Oh, you look fantastic, sir. [20:01:26] 1938. [20:01:28] If you were born in the 1940s, the United States of America, there's a ninety three percent chance that you were gonna do better than your parents. That's the American dream. That's pretty strong. That's the dream that brought my parents here as immigrants. If you were born in the 1990s, which is some of you, I'm guessing. You're down to a 50/50 shot and it's heading heading downward very, very quickly. That is what we have to address New Hampshire. If you don't address that, it's going to be very, very hard to bring this country together. [20:02:01] I am running for president not because I fantasized about being president. I'm running for president because like many of you in this room, I'm a parent and a patriot. I have seen the future that lies ahead for our kids. And it is not something I'm willing to accept. And you should not accept it either. We have to do better for them. If we do come together in this way, we can be able to look our kids in the eyes and say to them, your country loves you, your country values you and you will be all right. And that is the message I want us to send to the rest of the country. In February of this year. Thank you all very much. So we're going to make it together. [20:02:49] We're going to rewrite the movie economy away for you because the rules are not working for you. They are not working. Am I right? I love it. I love being here so much. [20:03:02] What's the number one criteria for Democrats in terms of the nominee be Donald Trump? That's right. That's actually number one. How many for you that doesn't know. One good deal is right that it was a poll right here in New Hampshire that said that 10 percent of Trump voters would choose me over Donald Trump. Which is all we need to win. [20:03:27] You get all the Dems and progressives together and then you peel off independents and libertarians and 10 percent of Trump voters, we win this thing in a landslide. [20:03:35] Now, most Democrats have not realized yet that I am the candidate to take on and beat Donald Trump in 2020. But more people are realizing it every single day. It's a beautiful feeling. One survey came out that said that 18 percent of college Republicans would choose me over Trump. Think about that. It's us plus tend to 18 percent of Trump voters. And we're going to knock him out so bad. It's gonna be a landslide. And it has to start right here in New Hampshire and the next number of weeks. I love you guys. We'd love to take some questions. Thank you all so much. So so this handsome gentleman here is Zach Grossman is my campaign manager and he has passed me a note said that we just had our one millionth donation to the campaign. [20:04:24] As I said. What was it, someone in this room where you on the phone while I saw you? [20:04:37] Yeah. So I would love to take a in, sir. You had. Yeah. Yeah. Let's get this man on my career, I'll do it. [20:04:46] I'm coming your way, sir. I got this. [20:04:50] Thank you. [20:04:52] I'm attorney David Mirsky from Exeter. And my question is, I know that you have. The brilliant ideas for the future, but. Um, I just want to know, how are you going to defeat the evil that Donald Trump really is? [20:05:13] Thank you, David. [20:05:18] In many ways on the ideal foil for Donald Trump. And if you look at the candidates, he has messed with every single candidate in the field except for me, because I'm better at the Internet than he is. [20:05:34] And a lot of his strongest attacks don't work on me at all, because what does he do? [20:05:38] He caricatures his opponents as D.C. insiders and creatures. [20:05:42] I'm another outsider, but unlike him, I want to solve the problems of the American people and improve our way of life so I can draw in again 10 percent plus of Donald Trump voters who don't like D.C. very much. And as the Democratic nominee, all the Democrats are going to be obviously super excited. A survey just came out that said I am among the least disappointing nominees for the Democratic field. [20:06:08] Oh, really? [20:06:08] But this is an incredibly important stat because they survey thousands of dams and lakes, line all the Dems up and said, who would you be disappointed in and the least disappointed in? [20:06:19] And I was among the least disappointing. [20:06:22] Which means that the turnout is going to be high because people will get behind me and then I'll get again the 10 to 18 percent of Trump voters. And can you imagine me debating him? One of the things I can do more effectively than the other candidates is I can make him seem completely ridiculous. [20:06:47] Let's go, man, woman. [20:06:50] Thank you, Lacey. [20:06:59] How would the freedom dividend affect those on Social Security? [20:07:04] It's tax on top of Social Security. So I would increase the income of every Social Security recipient right now by a thousand dollars a month. And that seems again, too good to be true. But I've talked to hundreds, thousands of Americans who are receiving Social Security, and a couple of things became very clear. Number one, it's impossible to retire on Social Security alone. Number two, Social Security benefits are different depending upon whether you have to take time off from work often to parent to child. [20:07:30] So in many families, the mom is getting less and Social Security benefits. Number three, millions of Americans are facing essentially never retiring because they have to work until the day they die because they can't afford to stop. And if you look at the demographics, you see that we have to reformat our economy around caring for our aging relatives, but we don't have the economic resources in place to do so. So that's what this thousand dollars a month can do for our society. [20:08:00] It can enable Americans to retire with dignity because you a thousand dollars plus Social Security, then you're talking and then we can put actual resources and work to take care of people as they age gracefully instead of right now. I have no desire to go into a convenience store and see a senior citizen working until the day they die. That should be a teenager working for beer money, am I right? Yeah, I'm proposing the greatest expansion in Social Security benefits in history, and what I'm talking about now was mainstream wisdom in the 60s when we passed over security. It's just we've got a very, very extreme distant sense that. [20:08:42] Your. You have a lot of good ideas about campaign finance reform, and it's one of the most important things to me. We have a broken system. Thank you. So what would you do to fix our broken campaign finance reform and what hurdles do you think you will face when you try to do that? [20:09:03] I love this question so much because this is one reason why Americans have lost complete faith in government. Again, millions of dollars of lobbyist cash is clogging the pipes and you feel like your vote doesn't matter. There was a joke headline that said Americans should hire our own lobbyist because that's the only way we would actually get anything done. It's like I represent the American people. So most every Democrat will say we need to overturn Citizens United, which is correct. [20:09:30] We do need to do that. But the fact is corporate money had overtaken our government before Citizens United. Citizens United has made it more extreme. So what we have to do is we have to unify the people and the money. And I said this on the debate stage in L.A., fewer than 5 percent of Americans donate to political candidates or campaigns right now. So my proposal is to give every American one hundred democracy dollars used or lose it that you can give to any candidate or campaign that you want that would get the donate rate from 5 percent to what? What do you think? [20:10:04] 60 or 70 Americans are pretty lazy. So we've got a hundred free dollars, the lobby will be like, ah, I can't be bothered, but you could get it up to 60 percent. And if you had it to 60 percent, you would wash out the lobbyist cash by a factor of four or five to one. And then if a person was running for office and got ten thousand people behind them, that's a million dollars in financing. And then the lobbyist comes along and says, I've got twenty five thousand dollars for you could be like pass because I'm getting a million dollars and the people I'm going to represent them. So that is something that is bipartisan because many Republicans don't love. [20:10:40] While I stretch, I mean a lot of Republicans are in the pocket of these companies. I mean, a lot of Dems do, of course. I mean, I have a friend I went to Exeter with who worked in Capitol Hill for years for the right reasons, and he hated lobbyists when he showed up on Capitol Hill. What does he today, 15 years later, lobbyist? Yeah. You know, the you know the drill. So. Democracy dollars would free up legislators from having to pass the hat all the time. I'm for term limits of 12 years. We should send people to D.C. to do work and then come home. [20:11:17] Problem is that they're trying to make like a multi decade long career out of being in D.C. and that should not be the orientation. So the first big move is to pass some sort of public financing democracy dollars. But I'm going to suggest to you all that one of the ideal ways to get money out of politics is to send someone into the White House that doesn't owe anyone a dime in terms of corporate PAC money. And that's me. [20:11:43] Tens of millions of dollars raised in increments of only 30 dollars each. Purely people powered, purely grassroots funded. And I joke sometimes that, of course, the companies would never have sent me because I'm like the anonymous Asian man. Like, that's the dumbest. You know, you're like the corporate being like, oh, this is gonna work. Let's send that guy. [20:12:02] No. [20:12:02] Like, I'm just another citizen who represents our own interests and we need to break the stranglehold on the money. So I agree with Tom Stier. I agree with a lot of other, you know, times I went to Exeter as well. And, you know, we need to break the stranglehold of corporate money and flood the system with people powered money. I want to overturn Citizens United. But the fact is the corporate money is going to find a way to creep back in unless we flush it out. [20:12:27] I would also try and shut the revolving door between government and lobbyists in various ways, and I would have a ban on ever lobbying. But if you're gonna do the ban on ever lobbying or ten years, which is an eternity in DC because everyone ages out and then your relationships don't matter anymore. [20:12:44] Then you will need to ramp up compensation at the government level, say, look, no going to industry, but we'll pay you more. And that is a very, very fair trade. So, my friend. Well, I guess I went to there with like maybe he would not have been a lobbyist if there been a ban on being a lobbyist and he'd young paid a little bit more on Capitol Hill. He was a good guy. I mean, I'm still president. [20:13:08] Hi. When I was you. So I'm a student at Bill's Exeter. And my question for you is, what would you do to stop gerrymandering and give more people access to the ballot? [20:13:19] It's an excellent question. There's a lot of voter suppression going on around the country. Gerrymandering is a huge problem. It should be that voters choose our leaders, not leaders, choosing their voters. So that the leaders in terms of reform and activism on this are Eric Holder and President Obama who have this anti-terrorism pandering initiative that I endorse wholeheartedly. There are a lot of things I think we should do to try and elevate the ability to vote. [20:13:42] I would have automatic voter registration. Anytime you get like your driver's license or something like that. We should be registering you automatically. We should be giving people the day off on Election Day so that more people are able to vote. So there are a lot of things we can do to try and encourage voting participation rates. We almost deliberately make it hard to vote in this country. And that includes, unfortunately, the way we're drawing up the voting areas because that's being drawn up to favor one party or another. [20:14:10] And in terms of democracy, reform, and this is related to this, I'm for ranked choice voting because you need to be able to have people express their preference. You need a more dynamic party system in this country. Right now you have this duopoly and I'm a Democrat. But right now, independents outnumber Democrats and Republicans in terms of self identification. And if you're an independent, you look up and say, I'm not sure either of these parties are getting it. All right. [20:14:36] And your voice is getting drowned out because we have this winner takes all voting system. If you had ranked choice voting. You could express your true preferences. It would make our democracy much more vibrant and dynamic. So the Electoral College has problems, but I think that advocating for its abolition is frankly a stupid waste of time because you would require a super majority of states to get on board with it and literally like many of them would be like giving up their own power and shooting themselves in the foot. [20:15:16] The other thing is, if you were Democrats and you lose by rules that are literally engraved in the Constitution, and then you say, hey, we should change the rules. What does that say? You're saying like, I can't win by the rules, so I'm going to try and change them. If you're going to advocate for changes in the Electoral College, you have to win an election by the rules you have first and then go and say, hey, let's change these rules. If I'm for anything, I'm for proportional allocation of electors. Because and you will benefit from this and it's cool. I love you for it. But there are only a handful of states that people campaigning because their swing states. If you had proportional allocation of electors. [20:15:54] , then you would have candidates going to any state just to try and rack up some support and votes. And it would even it out in a much more truly Democratic way. Another side effect of abolishing the Electoral College that most people don't reflect on, it would privilege people in major cities in urban areas because every candidate would just go where they could get a lot of bang for their buck in terms of media exposure because the vote's a vote. So would I ever go to a rural area to campaign? [20:16:25] I probably wouldn't. I would just go to every major media market because anytime I show up New York or Los Angeles TV, I reach many more people. So there are problems with trying to abolish the Electoral College, starting with the fact that it's completely impractical unless you had dozens of states that are willing to vote against their own interests, which we all know is not going to happen. [20:16:49] I'll let you choose because I see so many hands and they all seem so smart. [20:16:58] I was interested in what you would do in your first year to address climate change if you were elected. [20:17:03] How many of you all are concerned about climate change? Yes, me too. It is bearing down on us. I was in Portsmouth and there were buildings that are literally flooding more regularly now than they were years ago. There is a multi-million dollar shrimping business that went to zero because the water got too warm and the shrimp died. If you saw me several debates ago, I outlined the new third position in American politics on climate change. Remember this position? Number one, we need to fight climate change. [20:17:28] Position number two. Climate change is a hoax. And then my position number three is it's worse than you think and it's already here. You all remember this. And then people were like, oh, Andrew is being negative. And then all of a sudden they adopted my position like the next debate. He's right. We need to invest hundreds of billions of dollars in protecting ourselves right now. You can't have towns in New Hampshire that are flooding and then having to fend for themselves on it. [20:17:55] So no one put a price on carbon. Day one, if you're polluting, you have to have that cause built into your bottom line, the business. And that would give us tons of resources to try and move towards wind and solar. And it would make the companies that are polluting have to become much more efficient or pay big bucks into the system. Climate change action and financial insecurity in my mind are tied together because right now 70 percent of Americans are living paycheck to paycheck. [20:18:27] Almost half can afford an unexpected five dollar bill. So if you go to them and say we need to fight climate change, what is their reaction? Can't afford it. I'm worried about next month. You know, like a year from now, it has to wait. And then what's the next natural reaction? It's probably not going to be so bad anyway. Or like maybe they're just hyping it up. We have to get the boot off people's throats so that they actually can focus on the bigger problems instead of just putting one foot in front of the other. [20:18:56] If you put a resource in the people's pockets, then instead of hearing we have to fight climate change in thinking, oh, my costs are going to go up, it's gonna be more inconvenient. We're going to lose jobs, which is what many Americans here they'll think. Yeah, you're right. We have to fight climate change because we're going to be here while my future secure. My kids future is secure. [20:19:15] The big move I would make is to build environmental sustainability into our actual economic measurements, because right now that tug of war is something that we're losing on with many Americans where you say we need to fight climate change and lead us here higher costs. The argument I'd make is what is the going to be the cost of climate change if we do nothing? Trillions of dollars easily. What we have to do is internalize that cost into our current measurements and say, look, when you pollute, that has a cost. [20:19:42] If we inaction has a massive cost, we have to act, invest hundreds of billions of dollars and make our infrastructure more resilient before the fact. And if this seems dramatic, we've already moved a town in Louisiana because the water levels rose. Do we think that's the only town that likely will have to be relocated? Of course not. There are gonna be dozens, maybe hundreds of towns around the country. [20:20:07] So we have to start making bigger moves now. And that's what I would champion as president from day one. I'm also the only candidate who's proposing a constitutional amendment to address climate change in our generationally because we can't let this be something that flip flops from one administration to the next. [20:20:27] All right. I'm going to be the bad guy. Thank you guys for your patience. We're going to take one more question and then this is very important, the selfie line. If you decided to plant yourself here earlier this evening, you won the lottery because there were going to have the line go this way will be very smooth and efficient. Get the pictures, get the selfies and appreciate how long you've waited here tonight. So one more question. You going to do this? All right. [20:20:58] Shout out. I need give me an even number between one and three of you. [20:21:07] That's how we roll, baby. Thank you. [20:21:15] Hi, Mr. Yang. My name is John and I'm with the Partnership to Protect Our Retirement Future. And my question is about the what the financial transaction tax. We'd like to call it the retirement tax, because it would really hurt a lot of it. Well, it sounds good on paper. It would hurt a lot of the middle class people. It would really it would hit all for one case, for three B's. It wouldn't hit anybody with a 529. And it really hit pensions. Any pension funds. So I was just wondering, do you have a position on it? [20:21:48] That's. [20:21:55] I want to strengthen the middle class and put everyone in a position to be able to eventually retire with dignity. I want to rewrite the rules of the economy to work for us and our people across the board. I do think a financial transactions tax is a good idea. And the fact is, if you're a retiree who has your accounts and like for one K, many of those investors are through ETF exchange traded funds and they're not like turning over their assets all the time. [20:22:22] And if you had a financial transactions tax, you could easily, if you were a firm, say, hey, maybe we're not going to incur more financial transactions and have our transaction costs go up. If you have before when K or 529, you're probably allergic to any kind of transaction fees or taxes, you'd want the money to be there and then grow steadily. So I'm for a financial transactions tax. [20:22:43] The bigger picture, I'm for putting money into the hands of every American and making this economy work for us instead of trying to see ourselves as inputs into the giant capital efficiency machine. Because right now we're in a race that frankly more and more of us are not going to be able to win. We have to evolve from thinking of this as like some kind of rugged individualism, meritocracy, where everyone's worth is determined by a combination of their like hard work and virtue and character and start evolving to say we all have intrinsic value. [20:23:15] Whether your able bodied, disabled software engineer or a stay at home mom, we have to make this economy work for everyone and let the rest of the country know it's not left. It's not right. It's forward. And that is where you all are gonna take us in 2020. Thank you all so much for a handshake. Thank you.

LU 3 ANDREW YANG EXETER NH TOWN HALL FOX POOL 123019 2020 [19:27:24] Well, hello to him, sir. [19:27:30] Oh, it is great to be back. I went to high school here, I stayed in this in just a few months ago. [19:27:35] How many you actually saw me speak at P.A.? A few of you. I thought, wow, are you student? So fun. I graduated from Phillips Exeter in nineteen ninety two. I'm going to be new that. Yes. [19:27:50] Well, and I get 100 percent affirm that I would never be running for president if I had not attended Exeter because I grew up the son of immigrants. And the conversations around the young household were not going to run for president someday. [19:28:03] And in Exeter, those are also not the conversations. But after X-ray, I went to a brown university. Anyone here do that? Really awesome. And then I went to New York City and went to law school and became a lawyer. I was an unhappy lawyer for five whole months and then left to start an ill fated dot.com. How many of you started a business organization? All right. So if you had your hand up, you know, two things. Number one, it's much, much harder than anyone ever lets on. And number two, when someone asks you how it's going, what do you say? [19:28:41] Great. Only one answer that question. [19:28:45] So my business went great until it failed. My parents told people I was still a lawyer and is doing great. And I've been bitten by the bug and I said I need to try and get better at this. Building something. So I worked at another startup and then another. And then I became the head of an education company that grew to become number one in the U.S. Then it was bought by a bigger company in 2009. 2009 was a very tough time in much of the country. [19:29:14] Can you believe the financial crisis was 10 years ago now and this community was better insulated than many others, but it was a devastating time for much of the country. And I thought I had some insight as to why the financial crisis had unfolded is because so many of the, frankly, very smart kids I've gone to Exeter and Brown and Columbia with had headed to Wall Street and come up with mortgage backed securities and derivatives and exotic financial instruments. And that had crashed the economy. [19:29:46] And I thought, what a train wreck. That does not seem like what you would want your talent and energy dedicated to. So then I thought, well, what would you want to dedicate your talent and energy to? And the idea I had was that our young people should head to Detroit, Cleveland, Birmingham, St. Lewis, Pittsburgh and help create businesses. But that thought that thought seemed out of reach because I tried to start a business myself in my 20s and it failed. [19:30:17] So it would be impossible to ask people to take on that same mission in cities that were new to them. But I thought, well, what would be realistic is for them to learn the same way I learned because I apprenticed to more experienced entrepreneurs and leaders for a number of years to develop. So I thought, well, you could have enterprising young people go work at existing growth companies in Detroit, Cleveland, St. Lewis, Baltimore, and then help those businesses grow. [19:30:42] So that was the vision. I started a nonprofit called Venture for America to make that vision real. How did you all work at non-profits? You volunteer at nonprofits. You should all have your hand up or these pretend on that one. [19:30:57] I feel like I'm a good person. Look around you. Anyone's fact checking you on that. [19:31:04] So the way I started a nonprofit is I put some money in and I started calling rich friends with this question, Do you love America? Many smart among them said, What does it mean if I say yes to this question? And then I said, at least ten thousand dollars and a number of them, including friends from Exeter, said, I love America for 10000. So we raised a couple hundred thousand. I grew to the millions, helped create several thousand jobs in 15 cities around the country. I was honored by the Obama administration multiple times. I got to bring my wife to meet the president. So my in-laws were very excited about me that week. [19:31:40] I look at this picture of our daughter with the president. [19:31:46] How many of you? Grew up here in New Hampshire. Many of you northeast like me, I grew up in upstate New York. Midwest couple s. West Coast or Pistons or Mountain West? Anyone? So I grew up in upstate New York and then came here for high school and then Rhode Island for college. I had never been to Ohio, Michigan, Alabama, Louisiana, all these places that measure for America operated. [19:32:17] And I was staggered by the Gulf between regions where if you fly between Michigan and Manhattan or St. Lewis and San Francisco, you feel like you're spanning dimensions or decades or ways of life and not just going a few timezones. How many of you had the same sort of experience you travel to other parts of the country? So I was trying to absorb what that felt like, where I was getting clapped on the back and brought to the White House, and I was I had this sinking feeling where the work I was doing was like pouring water into a bathtub that had a giant hole ripped in the bottom, that things were getting better, not worse in many, many communities in Ohio and Michigan and Missouri. [19:32:54] And then Donald Trump won the election of 2016. How did you all react when that happened? Tears, shock. Well, I've never heard regurgitation. But there are many people who I'm sure had that that impulse. I thought his victory was a massive red flag where tens of millions of our fellow Americans decided that taking a bet on the narcissist reality TV star was the way to go. And though you might have reacted with shock or dismay or disbelief, we all have family members or friends or neighbors who celebrated. [19:33:36] That's particularly true right here in New Hampshire. Now, if you were to turn on cable news and try and figure out why Donald Trump's our president today, what answers would you get if you just turn on one of the big networks, Russia? Well, this is at that time. So you could say economy, immigrants, Russia, Facebook, racism. Hillary Clinton, Wiener, and heard that one, but maybe Electoral College. Yeah. That's that. That might have been a big explanation. Many people didn't vote. Lack of turnout. Hillary Clinton emails. [19:34:16] . So I'm a numbers guy and I looked at the numbers for a clearer explanation as to why he won. And I found it. We automated away 4 million manufacturing jobs that were primarily based in Ohio, Michigan, Pennsylvania, Wisconsin, Missouri, Iowa, all the swing states and that he needed to win if that list sounds familiar. This happened in New Hampshire, too, but it happened earlier in the northern part of the state. I've been to that part of the state. This state lost 12000 manufacturing jobs over a number of years. [19:34:51] And if you go to one of those towns, those towns have never come back. Where the plant closed, the shopping center closed. They lost population. When I was up in the northern part. Of New Hampshire, the town supervisor said, we measure our progress by how many people leave. Like if the rate of departure slows down, that's actually progress for us. That's what happens in many manufacturing communities that are hard hit. Again, four million manufacturing jobs lost in the swing states primarily. [19:35:21] And if you doubt this explanation, there's a straight line up between the adoption of industrial automation in a boating area and the movement towards Trump in that area. The strongest correlation you can find. And unfortunately, what we did to those jobs, we are now going to do two retail jobs. Call center jobs, fast food jobs, eventually truck driving jobs and on and on through the economy. How many of you noticed stores closing in? Your area of New Hampshire. And why are those stores closing? [19:35:52] One word answer Amazon or Amazon soaking up 20 billion dollars in value every single year. Closing 30 percent of our stores in malls. Most common job in the United States. Retail clerk, average retail clerks, a 39 year old woman making between nine and ten dollars an hour. What is her next move going to be when the store closes? How much did Amazon pay in federal taxes last year? Zero. That's the math. New Hampshire. Twenty billion out. Thirty percent of stores in malls closed. Zero back. Most common job starts to disappear. When you all call the customer service line of a big company and you get the software robot, you do the same thing I do. [19:36:28] Why did you pound 0 0 0 as a human human representative and to get some of that having to be. I'll do that. Oh, yeah, we all do that. That's always miserable. As soon as you hear the voice, you're like, oh, no, it's not funny. [19:36:42] But in two or three short years, the software is going to sound like this. Hey, Andrew, how can I help you? It'll be seamless ambition. Delightful. You might not even realize that software unless you know. What does that going to mean for the two and a half million Americans who work at call centers right now making 14 bucks an hour? How many have you seen self-service kiosks in a fast food restaurant like McDonald's? Every location in the country in the next two years, they say itself, sir, kiosk. [19:37:08] And now they're looking at the back of the house like the robot burger flippers and fry cookers. The rubber is really going to hit the road with truck driving or freight. How many of, you know, a truck driver here in New Hampshire? There are three and a half million truckers in the United States. Most common job in 29 states. My friends in California and I want you to imagine Asian guy goes to Exeter, goes to fancy schools. I literally have friends who are working on the self-driving trucks in Silicon Valley. They tell me they're 98 percent of the way there. A self-driving truck just took 20 tons of butter from California to Pennsylvania two weeks ago. Why butter? I've no idea. [19:37:54] But if you Google robot butter truck. [19:37:59] You'll see it comes up. And the reason why my friends in Silicon Valley are working on the robot trucks is because the cost savings are estimated to be one hundred sixty eight billion dollars a year. If they automate truck time and think about that number as the price I can. That's such a staggering sum that if you're an investor and someone comes to you and says, I've got software equipment that can help automate truck driving, I just need 500 million to develop it and hire hundreds of engineers. [19:38:28] You write that check because you see the hundred sixty eight billion dollar a year pot of gold. And if this team can make any meaningful progress, you're gonna get your money back. Multiplied many, many times over. My friends tell me that self-driving trucks are five to ten years away from hitting our highways in earnest. What will that mean for the three and a half million Americans who drive a truck for a living? [19:38:52] Or the 7 million plus Americans who work at truck stops, motels and diners that rely upon the truckers getting out and having a meal every day? Something like 10 percent of the jobs in the state of Nebraska support trucking. What will those towns look like when the truck doesn't need to stop? This is the greatest economic transformation in our country's history, what experts are calling the fourth industrial revolution. When is the last time you heard a politician say the words fourth industrial revolution? Two seconds ago. [19:39:25] And I'm barely a politician. [19:39:28] My wife would have run the other direction if she ever thought I was going to run for office again. Now the conversation around the AG now. So she jokes even now. It's like you make the worst politician ever because I'm really bad at lying. Got a terrible poker face. Even when I proposed to her, I was like so nervous. I think this ring of like burning a hole in my pocket, I was like, Oh my God, she knows. She knows. [19:39:56] Anyway, what did happen? [19:40:01] So I proposed and I eventually got a yes and the same general after noon period. [19:40:13] I know. I'm not sure I've ever told people this. [19:40:15] Sorry. I mean, I hope it doesn't. She's not embarrassed by this. But I think her exact reaction to me was, why are you doing this? Which is not exactly what you want to hear when you're on one knee. It's not exactly the desired response, but we got the. Yes, two kids later and happily married anyway. So my first reaction was not to run for president, even after I went through all these numbers that, oh, my gosh, we're scapegoating immigrants for problems immigrants have nothing to do with. [19:40:50] We're going through this historic transformation. How are we going to help our people transition? My first move was to head to Washington, D.C., to sit down with our leaders and say, what are we going to do to help our people through this time? And what do you think the folks in D.C. said to me when I said, what are we going to do? Who are you? Nothing. The three major responses I got were these. Number one, we cannot talk about this, Andrew. Like, we cannot communicate this, the American people. [19:41:23] Number two, we should study this further. Andrew. Number three, we must educate and retrain all Americans for the jobs of the future. Which sounds pretty good. How have you ever heard a politician say something effectively like that? No. But then I said, look, I looked at the studies. Do you all want to guess how effective the government funded retraining programs were for the manufacturing workers who lost their jobs? [19:41:49] I'm anchoring you low because it's very low. Zero to 15 percent success rates. They're a total dud of the former manufacturing workers. Half left the workforce and never worked again. And of that group have filed for disability. You then saw surges in suicides and drug overdoses in those communities to the point where now America's life expectancy has declined for the last three years because suicides and drug overdoses have each overtaken vehicle deaths. That's cause of death in United States America. [19:42:17] You know, the last time America's life expectancy declined for three years in a row. The Spanish flu of 1918, global pandemic that killed millions. You have to go back that far. It is highly unusual for life expectancy to ever to decline in a developed country. It only just goes in one direction, right? It is getting richer, stronger, healthier, just keeps creeping up. Highly unusual for it to go down once and then a second time. A third time. Almost unprecedented. You have to go back 100 years. So when I said this to the folks in D.C., one of them actually said to me, well, I guess we'll get better at it. [19:42:53] And one person in D.C. said something that brought me here to you all tonight here in New Hampshire, he said, Andrew, you're the wrong town. No one here is going to do anything about this because fundamentally this is a town of followers, not leaders. And the only way we will do something about it is if you were to create a wave in other parts of the country and bring that wave crashing down in our heads. And I said challenge accepted. I'll be back in two and a half years. And that was two years ago, New Hampshire. [19:43:20] And I stand before you tonight. [19:43:28] I stand before you tonight, I'm fifth in the polls to become the Democratic nominee. We raised 10 million dollars last quarter in increments of only 30 dollars each. So my fans are almost as cheap as Bernie's. [19:43:46] And we are growing because we are laser focused on the real problems, like I got Donald Trump elected and where advancing real solutions, we need to rewrite the rules of the 21st century economy to work for us and our people. Now, if you're here tonight and I really appreciate you braving the elements and coming here, I have to say I'm a briefing document anytime I do one of these events. [19:44:07] And it said expected audience, 80 people. And I look around, I'm like, ha, this seems more like, what's the fire code in this room? So what I get again, anyone any trouble? But one of the reasons why I love campaigning here in New Hampshire so much is that you all have the future of the country in your hands. And I'll give you one data point. How many like raise your hands and show me how many presidential candidates you've seen in the cycle so far. So this is before this would be eight. Go ahead. And was ready to hands. So 7 1. I appreciate that. [19:44:41] 5 7. More than five. So the reason why we all come here and stump for your vote is because you will have outsized power and influence in our democracy. I did the math. Do you know how many Californians each of you is worth? [19:45:01] A thousand Californians each. [19:45:10] So you look around this room there, about 160 of you here. That's like four football stadiums full of California. That is the power of this room. The power to change the course of history does like God. One reason it's such a joy to campaign here, because other Americans look up and they see the pipes as clogged full of money. And they think there's nothing they can do about it. They're generally right. [19:45:34] There is very little they can do about it. But you all can you can flush the pipes clean just like that. You can take a vision of the rest of the country and have it sweep the nation like wildfire. And what are we talking about? Seven weeks, six and a half weeks. Something along those lines. That's the power in this room. So it's a joy to be here. This is the real thing. Unlike all of the other window dressing and certainly a lot of the chatter from the cable news networks is completely irrelevant. [19:46:01] Property of what is going to happen here in seven weeks. So the question is, how do you use that power? What do you do with it? If you were here tonight, you know that my flagship proposal is that every American gets a thousand dollars a month starting at age 18. How well do you know about the freedom dividend? If you're here, probably everyone. And the first time you heard it, I know what you thought. You thought. That's a gimmick. That's too good to be true. That will never happen. [19:46:29] But this is not my idea. It's not a new idea. Thomas Paine was forward at the founding of the country. Call it the citizen's dividend. Martin Luther King fought for it in the 1960s. It is what he was fighting for when he was assassinated in 1968. It's called the Guaranteed Minimum Income. In his 1967 book Cancer Community, he said this is what we need to bring the country together. I had the privilege of sitting with Martin Luther King's son in Atlanta. And he told me that this is what dad was fighting for when he was killed. And my first reaction was, I can't believe you was called Martin Luther King dad. [19:47:04] But then you realize he is your dad. He's your Martin Luther King, the third. That was like, wow. It's incredible. [19:47:13] A thousand economists endorsed in the 60s. It passed the U.S. House of Representatives twice in 1971 under Richard Nixon. Family assistance plan came this close to being law. And then eleven years later, one state passed a dividend, or now everyone in that state gets between one and two thousand dollars a year. No questions asked. [19:47:30] And what state is that and how do they pay for it? [19:47:35] And what is the oil of the 21st century technology? A software, self-driving cars and trucks. A study just came out that said that our data is now worth more than oil. How many of you saw that study? How many of you have access to a Netflix password? There's a documentary called The Great Hack and it includes that study. How many of you got your data check in the mail last month? We laugh, but where did the data checks go? There's so much value being generated. Facebook, Amazon, Google, the mega tech companies that are paying zero or near-zero in taxes. [19:48:12] Do you see how it's happening in Exeter? This is your job to change it, to make sure that the Amazons of the world pay their fair share. Trillion dollar tech company paid zero in taxes. How is that possible? How do they pay less in taxes than everyone here tonight? So what we have to do is we have to get our fair share of every Amazon sale, every Google search, every Facebook ad, every robot truck mile, and then put it into your hands in the form of this dividend of a thousand dollars a month. We generate this value. [19:48:42] Your data is generating tens of billions of dollars with a value. You're not seeing a dime. What are you mean I'm making is that our data is still ours, even if we loan it to the tech companies. Am I right? So if anyone's profiting from it, should we not participate in this? Especially because after this thousand dollars a month comes into your hands, where would the money go? In real life? How much of it would be spent right here in New Hampshire? Most of it, not all of it. You might get your own Netflix password,. [19:49:19] But most of it would go to car repairs you've been putting off and daycare expenses and little league sign ups and local nonprofits and cultural and religious organizations. This is the trickle up economy from our people, our families and our communities up. This is how we make it so that everyone is included in the 21st century gains that are being generated at almost unimaginable levels underneath our feet. And I see it. I've been there. [19:49:47] I've been to the Googles and Amazons. I'm friends with some of the leading technologists in the world. And they tell me that they see what is coming out of the labs in artificial intelligence and they are deeply concerned about the impact it's going to have on the rest of the country. Well, they say, you know how the sentence never goes. It's like I see what's coming out of the lab and it's gonna be fine. But at the end of that thought, I spoke to a group of 70 CEOs in New York City, and I asked how many of you are looking at replacing back office clerical workers with A.I. and software? [19:50:21] Guess how many hands? What about a 70? All 70. The fact is, you could fire any CEO who didn't have their hand up because we know that all of their incentives are around maximizing the bottom line and their workers aren't part of that bottom line. That is the system that we have built and it is up to you all to change it. There is no one else. If you don't change it, it doesn't change. That's the power of New Hampshire, but that's also the responsibility you all have. And one of the reasons I love being here is that you take that responsibility and own it, take it very, very seriously. [19:50:55] So this thousand dollars a month goes from being dramatic to necessary and inevitable as soon as you recognize the enormity of the situation we're in. And here in New Hampshire, I've been all over the state. There are many, many rural areas that feel like they're being sucked dry truly. And you see the negative spiral that ensues when the main street starts closing. People start leaving property taxes. What happens to them? They go nothing. They're going up because then you have to support the school and they're looking around being like, well, not as many people around. [19:51:24] So then you get trapped in this tough cycle because your property taxes are creeping up and your housing. Is that your housing stock? It's actually harder to sell. So so this is the negative spiral that many communities here in New Hampshire are experiencing and their kids feel like they have to leave the community or even state in order to access the opportunities that they want. That is what we have to change. We have to make it so that the economy works for us and then we're not we're not all inputs into the machine. [19:51:54] And I know this on a personal level, in part because my wife is at home with our two boys every day, one of whom is autistic. What does her work get included at in our economic measurements every day? Zero. I get zero. Staying home with our autistic son gets a zero caregiving, nurturing, volunteering all zeros. Arts very often zero. Journalism increasingly zero or near zero. We're zeroing out many of the most important things in our lives. And this disproportionately impacts women and underrepresented minorities that the marketplace will systematically undervalue or exclude. [19:52:34] Right now in this country, I talked to my wife about this and we talked about universal basic income, which is the historic name for the Freedom Dividend, which is just everyone gets a share of the value that society is generating. And Evelyn asked me. She's like, how did it go from being mainstream? A thousand economists endorse endorsing Milton Friedman to now it takes the futurist presidential candidate does not have drag it into the mainstream like what happened in the last 50 years. [19:53:01] And what I said to her is that we got brainwashed over the last 50 years to think that economic value and human value are the same things that what the market says we are worth is what we are worth. That's how you wind up with otherwise reasonable people suggesting that we should turn a town of coal miners into coders when the mine closes. Because if the person or the town doesn't have any economic value anymore, then we stretch ourselves to ridiculous lengths to try and find some new economic purpose for them. [19:53:31] And that's going to be a losing battle over time for us all. It's a losing battle for my autistic son. It's a losing battle for the truckers who, no matter how hard they work, cannot outcompete the robot truck that's going to hit the highway. It's even a losing battle for the accountants and lawyers who are going to be competing against software that can do that job more cheaply and efficiently and more accurately than even the hardest working human professional. This is the truth of the era we're in. [19:54:06] Right now, we're measuring our economic success through three big measurements and what are they if you turn on cable news? Like what does it say about like, hey. Things are going great. Stock markets won. GDP to headline. Unemployment's the third. So stock market prices, the bottom 80 percent of Americans own 8 percent of stock market wealth, the bottom 50 percent own essentially zero. If you trumpet the stock market, you do it. You're tracking the fortunes of essentially the top 20 percent of Americans if you're generous. It's actually more accurately like the top 5 percent of Americans. [19:54:41] GDP is at record highs, while we're also setting record highs and stress, financial insecurity, overdose is student loan debt and rising again. Our life expectancy is going down while our GDP is going up. So which do you listen to? I would suggest life expectancy because if you're dying sooner, I guess not a sign of health. Yesterday, I was the me and the headline unemployment rate obscures the fact that millions are dropping out of the workforce, that people are working two or three jobs to get by. [19:55:19] That the majority of new jobs that are created are temp gig or contract jobs that don't have benefits. The fact that if you are a young person who's fortunate enough to graduate from college, you have tens of thousands of dollars in debt and there's a 40 to 44 percent chance that you do a job that does not require a degree. So if you're a parent of a college age person, they're coming out and you feel that uncertainty, you're not alone. [19:55:43] If you are a young person, we have set you up with massive indebtedness and a very insecure economy. In terms of your ability to climb the corporate ladder, that may or may not exist if you're a young person, I apologize to you because we have left you a mess. We need your help to clean it up. The first thing to do is to acknowledge the crisis state we're in. So if GDP, corporate profits in the headline unemployment rate aren't the right measurements. What would actually get you excited if I said it got better here in Exeter? [19:56:16] Health, right? Healthy life expectancy. That's pretty core. It's like I might say, hey, you got healthier, you're living longer. Clean air and clean water. I said we've got more sustainable, our emissions went down. You would be happy about that. Mental health and freedom from substance abuse. Say, I got happier in New Hampshire, unfortunately, is one of the epicenters of the opiate epidemic. [19:56:38] Eight Americans are dying of drugs every hour, which is unconscionable. And that was a disease of capitalism run amok. We let some of the drug companies profit to the tune of tens of billions of dollars and kill tens of thousands, even hundreds of thousands of Americans. So these are the measurements that would tell us how we're actually doing. How about childhood success rates? How about proportion of elderly Americans who can retire in quality circumstances, income and affordability? [19:57:05] So these are the things that actually will tell us how we're doing. And as your president, I will update GDP to these measurements. And that sounds like magic, but it's really not. We made up GDP almost 100 years ago and even the adventure of GDP, so this is a terrible measurement of national well-being and we should never use it as that. And that was a hundred years ago. Think about that. So now we're following the century, the old measurement off a cliff and being like, hey, guys, things are going great. [19:57:33] Look at GDP while our people are struggling and suffering. Self-driving trucks will be great for GDP. They're going to be terrible for many American communities. So you have to line up the measurements to tell us how we are doing. Donald Trump in twenty sixteen said he was going to make America great again. And then what did Hillary Clinton say in response? America's already great. Remember that? [19:58:00] I know it's been a long three years like there. Oh, it's about to end, though. We're gonna end it, am I right? Applause So Hillary's response did not resonate with many Americans when she said America's already great. The problems are real. The suffering is real. We have to acknowledge the depth and severity of the problems, but then we need solutions that will actually help us all move forward. What we're Donald Trump's solutions. [19:58:34] He said we're gonna build a wall. We're gonna turn the clock back. We're gonna bring the old jobs back here. Hold those things to eggs that are you know, we have to do the opposite of these things. We have to turn the clock forward. We have to accelerate our economy and society as quickly as possible to rise to the real challenges of this era. We have to evolve in the way we think about ourselves and our work and our value. And I am the ideal candidate for that job, because the opposite of Donald Trump is an Asian man who likes math. [19:59:11] Now, most of you may not know this math is an acronym. What does it stand for? [19:59:17] Make America think harder. That's right. We have to identify the real problems and adopt real solutions. I feel like this is the right place for that. I feel like Exxon is a very smart town. Maybe in part because most the time I was here has had my nose in a book. [19:59:33] Is just trying to smarten up myself. [19:59:39] The problems are real, and unfortunately, the Democratic Party has been acting as if Donald Trump is the source of all of our problems. He is actually a symptom. He's a manifestation of a deeper set of problems that we have to cure as a country. The Democratic Party, in my mind, should have had a real period of soul searching when Donald Trump won. It's like, how the heck did we lose to this guy? How the heck did tens of millions of Americans decide to head this direction? [20:00:07] And a lot of it is that the feedback mechanism between the people in DC has broken down. Many people throughout the country don't feel like government is working for them. For us. And that's not a crazy feeling. Some of you might have that feeling, too. The feedback mechanism is breaking down. The fact is that Washington, D.C. today is the richest city in our country. What do they produce? Gridlock. Unclear. [20:00:34] Produce a lot of wealth, though, somehow. Our politicians in D.C. succeed whether we succeed or fail. And that is the the feeling that is driving many people towards Donald Trump. We have to restore that feedback mechanism by saying, look, the government is going to activate resources and put them in our hands when to trust our people. We're gonna build the trickle up economy. [20:00:59] I'm a parent. Like many of you, raise your hand if you're a parent. [20:01:04] So if you're a parent like me, you had this sense of unease. Maybe you've even been afraid to express it. If you were born in the United States of America in the 1940s, would something you might have been. You look great. [20:01:15] I mean, I wrote this for you about the 40s. Do the math. 30S. Oh, you look fantastic, sir. [20:01:26] 1938. [20:01:28] If you were born in the 1940s, the United States of America, there's a ninety three percent chance that you were gonna do better than your parents. That's the American dream. That's pretty strong. That's the dream that brought my parents here as immigrants. If you were born in the 1990s, which is some of you, I'm guessing. You're down to a 50/50 shot and it's heading heading downward very, very quickly. That is what we have to address New Hampshire. If you don't address that, it's going to be very, very hard to bring this country together. [20:02:01] I am running for president not because I fantasized about being president. I'm running for president because like many of you in this room, I'm a parent and a patriot. I have seen the future that lies ahead for our kids. And it is not something I'm willing to accept. And you should not accept it either. We have to do better for them. If we do come together in this way, we can be able to look our kids in the eyes and say to them, your country loves you, your country values you and you will be all right. And that is the message I want us to send to the rest of the country. In February of this year. Thank you all very much. So we're going to make it together. [20:02:49] We're going to rewrite the movie economy away for you because the rules are not working for you. They are not working. Am I right? I love it. I love being here so much. [20:03:02] What's the number one criteria for Democrats in terms of the nominee be Donald Trump? That's right. That's actually number one. How many for you that doesn't know. One good deal is right that it was a poll right here in New Hampshire that said that 10 percent of Trump voters would choose me over Donald Trump. Which is all we need to win. [20:03:27] You get all the Dems and progressives together and then you peel off independents and libertarians and 10 percent of Trump voters, we win this thing in a landslide. [20:03:35] Now, most Democrats have not realized yet that I am the candidate to take on and beat Donald Trump in 2020. But more people are realizing it every single day. It's a beautiful feeling. One survey came out that said that 18 percent of college Republicans would choose me over Trump. Think about that. It's us plus tend to 18 percent of Trump voters. And we're going to knock him out so bad. It's gonna be a landslide. And it has to start right here in New Hampshire and the next number of weeks. I love you guys. We'd love to take some questions. Thank you all so much. So so this handsome gentleman here is Zach Grossman is my campaign manager and he has passed me a note said that we just had our one millionth donation to the campaign. [20:04:24] As I said. What was it, someone in this room where you on the phone while I saw you? [20:04:37] Yeah. So I would love to take a in, sir. You had. Yeah. Yeah. Let's get this man on my career, I'll do it. [20:04:46] I'm coming your way, sir. I got this. [20:04:50] Thank you. [20:04:52] I'm attorney David Mirsky from Exeter. And my question is, I know that you have. The brilliant ideas for the future, but. Um, I just want to know, how are you going to defeat the evil that Donald Trump really is? [20:05:13] Thank you, David. [20:05:18] In many ways on the ideal foil for Donald Trump. And if you look at the candidates, he has messed with every single candidate in the field except for me, because I'm better at the Internet than he is. [20:05:34] And a lot of his strongest attacks don't work on me at all, because what does he do? [20:05:38] He caricatures his opponents as D.C. insiders and creatures. [20:05:42] I'm another outsider, but unlike him, I want to solve the problems of the American people and improve our way of life so I can draw in again 10 percent plus of Donald Trump voters who don't like D.C. very much. And as the Democratic nominee, all the Democrats are going to be obviously super excited. A survey just came out that said I am among the least disappointing nominees for the Democratic field. [20:06:08] Oh, really? [20:06:08] But this is an incredibly important stat because they survey thousands of dams and lakes, line all the Dems up and said, who would you be disappointed in and the least disappointed in? [20:06:19] And I was among the least disappointing. [20:06:22] Which means that the turnout is going to be high because people will get behind me and then I'll get again the 10 to 18 percent of Trump voters. And can you imagine me debating him? One of the things I can do more effectively than the other candidates is I can make him seem completely ridiculous. [20:06:47] Let's go, man, woman. [20:06:50] Thank you, Lacey. [20:06:59] How would the freedom dividend affect those on Social Security? [20:07:04] It's tax on top of Social Security. So I would increase the income of every Social Security recipient right now by a thousand dollars a month. And that seems again, too good to be true. But I've talked to hundreds, thousands of Americans who are receiving Social Security, and a couple of things became very clear. Number one, it's impossible to retire on Social Security alone. Number two, Social Security benefits are different depending upon whether you have to take time off from work often to parent to child. [20:07:30] So in many families, the mom is getting less and Social Security benefits. Number three, millions of Americans are facing essentially never retiring because they have to work until the day they die because they can't afford to stop. And if you look at the demographics, you see that we have to reformat our economy around caring for our aging relatives, but we don't have the economic resources in place to do so. So that's what this thousand dollars a month can do for our society. [20:08:00] It can enable Americans to retire with dignity because you a thousand dollars plus Social Security, then you're talking and then we can put actual resources and work to take care of people as they age gracefully instead of right now. I have no desire to go into a convenience store and see a senior citizen working until the day they die. That should be a teenager working for beer money, am I right? Yeah, I'm proposing the greatest expansion in Social Security benefits in history, and what I'm talking about now was mainstream wisdom in the 60s when we passed over security. It's just we've got a very, very extreme distant sense that. [20:08:42] Your. You have a lot of good ideas about campaign finance reform, and it's one of the most important things to me. We have a broken system. Thank you. So what would you do to fix our broken campaign finance reform and what hurdles do you think you will face when you try to do that? [20:09:03] I love this question so much because this is one reason why Americans have lost complete faith in government. Again, millions of dollars of lobbyist cash is clogging the pipes and you feel like your vote doesn't matter. There was a joke headline that said Americans should hire our own lobbyist because that's the only way we would actually get anything done. It's like I represent the American people. So most every Democrat will say we need to overturn Citizens United, which is correct. [20:09:30] We do need to do that. But the fact is corporate money had overtaken our government before Citizens United. Citizens United has made it more extreme. So what we have to do is we have to unify the people and the money. And I said this on the debate stage in L.A., fewer than 5 percent of Americans donate to political candidates or campaigns right now. So my proposal is to give every American one hundred democracy dollars used or lose it that you can give to any candidate or campaign that you want that would get the donate rate from 5 percent to what? What do you think? [20:10:04] 60 or 70 Americans are pretty lazy. So we've got a hundred free dollars, the lobby will be like, ah, I can't be bothered, but you could get it up to 60 percent. And if you had it to 60 percent, you would wash out the lobbyist cash by a factor of four or five to one. And then if a person was running for office and got ten thousand people behind them, that's a million dollars in financing. And then the lobbyist comes along and says, I've got twenty five thousand dollars for you could be like pass because I'm getting a million dollars and the people I'm going to represent them. So that is something that is bipartisan because many Republicans don't love. [20:10:40] While I stretch, I mean a lot of Republicans are in the pocket of these companies. I mean, a lot of Dems do, of course. I mean, I have a friend I went to Exeter with who worked in Capitol Hill for years for the right reasons, and he hated lobbyists when he showed up on Capitol Hill. What does he today, 15 years later, lobbyist? Yeah. You know, the you know the drill. So. Democracy dollars would free up legislators from having to pass the hat all the time. I'm for term limits of 12 years. We should send people to D.C. to do work and then come home. [20:11:17] Problem is that they're trying to make like a multi decade long career out of being in D.C. and that should not be the orientation. So the first big move is to pass some sort of public financing democracy dollars. But I'm going to suggest to you all that one of the ideal ways to get money out of politics is to send someone into the White House that doesn't owe anyone a dime in terms of corporate PAC money. And that's me. [20:11:43] Tens of millions of dollars raised in increments of only 30 dollars each. Purely people powered, purely grassroots funded. And I joke sometimes that, of course, the companies would never have sent me because I'm like the anonymous Asian man. Like, that's the dumbest. You know, you're like the corporate being like, oh, this is gonna work. Let's send that guy. [20:12:02] No. [20:12:02] Like, I'm just another citizen who represents our own interests and we need to break the stranglehold on the money. So I agree with Tom Stier. I agree with a lot of other, you know, times I went to Exeter as well. And, you know, we need to break the stranglehold of corporate money and flood the system with people powered money. I want to overturn Citizens United. But the fact is the corporate money is going to find a way to creep back in unless we flush it out. [20:12:27] I would also try and shut the revolving door between government and lobbyists in various ways, and I would have a ban on ever lobbying. But if you're gonna do the ban on ever lobbying or ten years, which is an eternity in DC because everyone ages out and then your relationships don't matter anymore. [20:12:44] Then you will need to ramp up compensation at the government level, say, look, no going to industry, but we'll pay you more. And that is a very, very fair trade. So, my friend. Well, I guess I went to there with like maybe he would not have been a lobbyist if there been a ban on being a lobbyist and he'd young paid a little bit more on Capitol Hill. He was a good guy. I mean, I'm still president. [20:13:08] Hi. When I was you. So I'm a student at Bill's Exeter. And my question for you is, what would you do to stop gerrymandering and give more people access to the ballot? [20:13:19] It's an excellent question. There's a lot of voter suppression going on around the country. Gerrymandering is a huge problem. It should be that voters choose our leaders, not leaders, choosing their voters. So that the leaders in terms of reform and activism on this are Eric Holder and President Obama who have this anti-terrorism pandering initiative that I endorse wholeheartedly. There are a lot of things I think we should do to try and elevate the ability to vote. [20:13:42] I would have automatic voter registration. Anytime you get like your driver's license or something like that. We should be registering you automatically. We should be giving people the day off on Election Day so that more people are able to vote. So there are a lot of things we can do to try and encourage voting participation rates. We almost deliberately make it hard to vote in this country. And that includes, unfortunately, the way we're drawing up the voting areas because that's being drawn up to favor one party or another. [20:14:10] And in terms of democracy, reform, and this is related to this, I'm for ranked choice voting because you need to be able to have people express their preference. You need a more dynamic party system in this country. Right now you have this duopoly and I'm a Democrat. But right now, independents outnumber Democrats and Republicans in terms of self identification. And if you're an independent, you look up and say, I'm not sure either of these parties are getting it. All right. [20:14:36] And your voice is getting drowned out because we have this winner takes all voting system. If you had ranked choice voting. You could express your true preferences. It would make our democracy much more vibrant and dynamic. So the Electoral College has problems, but I think that advocating for its abolition is frankly a stupid waste of time because you would require a super majority of states to get on board with it and literally like many of them would be like giving up their own power and shooting themselves in the foot. [20:15:16] The other thing is, if you were Democrats and you lose by rules that are literally engraved in the Constitution, and then you say, hey, we should change the rules. What does that say? You're saying like, I can't win by the rules, so I'm going to try and change them. If you're going to advocate for changes in the Electoral College, you have to win an election by the rules you have first and then go and say, hey, let's change these rules. If I'm for anything, I'm for proportional allocation of electors. Because and you will benefit from this and it's cool. I love you for it. But there are only a handful of states that people campaigning because their swing states. If you had proportional allocation of electors. [20:15:54] , then you would have candidates going to any state just to try and rack up some support and votes. And it would even it out in a much more truly Democratic way. Another side effect of abolishing the Electoral College that most people don't reflect on, it would privilege people in major cities in urban areas because every candidate would just go where they could get a lot of bang for their buck in terms of media exposure because the vote's a vote. So would I ever go to a rural area to campaign? [20:16:25] I probably wouldn't. I would just go to every major media market because anytime I show up New York or Los Angeles TV, I reach many more people. So there are problems with trying to abolish the Electoral College, starting with the fact that it's completely impractical unless you had dozens of states that are willing to vote against their own interests, which we all know is not going to happen. [20:16:49] I'll let you choose because I see so many hands and they all seem so smart. [20:16:58] I was interested in what you would do in your first year to address climate change if you were elected. [20:17:03] How many of you all are concerned about climate change? Yes, me too. It is bearing down on us. I was in Portsmouth and there were buildings that are literally flooding more regularly now than they were years ago. There is a multi-million dollar shrimping business that went to zero because the water got too warm and the shrimp died. If you saw me several debates ago, I outlined the new third position in American politics on climate change. Remember this position? Number one, we need to fight climate change. [20:17:28] Position number two. Climate change is a hoax. And then my position number three is it's worse than you think and it's already here. You all remember this. And then people were like, oh, Andrew is being negative. And then all of a sudden they adopted my position like the next debate. He's right. We need to invest hundreds of billions of dollars in protecting ourselves right now. You can't have towns in New Hampshire that are flooding and then having to fend for themselves on it. [20:17:55] So no one put a price on carbon. Day one, if you're polluting, you have to have that cause built into your bottom line, the business. And that would give us tons of resources to try and move towards wind and solar. And it would make the companies that are polluting have to become much more efficient or pay big bucks into the system. Climate change action and financial insecurity in my mind are tied together because right now 70 percent of Americans are living paycheck to paycheck. [20:18:27] Almost half can afford an unexpected five dollar bill. So if you go to them and say we need to fight climate change, what is their reaction? Can't afford it. I'm worried about next month. You know, like a year from now, it has to wait. And then what's the next natural reaction? It's probably not going to be so bad anyway. Or like maybe they're just hyping it up. We have to get the boot off people's throats so that they actually can focus on the bigger problems instead of just putting one foot in front of the other. [20:18:56] If you put a resource in the people's pockets, then instead of hearing we have to fight climate change in thinking, oh, my costs are going to go up, it's gonna be more inconvenient. We're going to lose jobs, which is what many Americans here they'll think. Yeah, you're right. We have to fight climate change because we're going to be here while my future secure. My kids future is secure. [20:19:15] The big move I would make is to build environmental sustainability into our actual economic measurements, because right now that tug of war is something that we're losing on with many Americans where you say we need to fight climate change and lead us here higher costs. The argument I'd make is what is the going to be the cost of climate change if we do nothing? Trillions of dollars easily. What we have to do is internalize that cost into our current measurements and say, look, when you pollute, that has a cost. [20:19:42] If we inaction has a massive cost, we have to act, invest hundreds of billions of dollars and make our infrastructure more resilient before the fact. And if this seems dramatic, we've already moved a town in Louisiana because the water levels rose. Do we think that's the only town that likely will have to be relocated? Of course not. There are gonna be dozens, maybe hundreds of towns around the country. [20:20:07] So we have to start making bigger moves now. And that's what I would champion as president from day one. I'm also the only candidate who's proposing a constitutional amendment to address climate change in our generationally because we can't let this be something that flip flops from one administration to the next. [20:20:27] All right. I'm going to be the bad guy. Thank you guys for your patience. We're going to take one more question and then this is very important, the selfie line. If you decided to plant yourself here earlier this evening, you won the lottery because there were going to have the line go this way will be very smooth and efficient. Get the pictures, get the selfies and appreciate how long you've waited here tonight. So one more question. You going to do this? All right. [20:20:58] Shout out. I need give me an even number between one and three of you. [20:21:07] That's how we roll, baby. Thank you. [20:21:15] Hi, Mr. Yang. My name is John and I'm with the Partnership to Protect Our Retirement Future. And my question is about the what the financial transaction tax. We'd like to call it the retirement tax, because it would really hurt a lot of it. Well, it sounds good on paper. It would hurt a lot of the middle class people. It would really it would hit all for one case, for three B's. It wouldn't hit anybody with a 529. And it really hit pensions. Any pension funds. So I was just wondering, do you have a position on it? [20:21:48] That's. [20:21:55] I want to strengthen the middle class and put everyone in a position to be able to eventually retire with dignity. I want to rewrite the rules of the economy to work for us and our people across the board. I do think a financial transactions tax is a good idea. And the fact is, if you're a retiree who has your accounts and like for one K, many of those investors are through ETF exchange traded funds and they're not like turning over their assets all the time. [20:22:22] And if you had a financial transactions tax, you could easily, if you were a firm, say, hey, maybe we're not going to incur more financial transactions and have our transaction costs go up. If you have before when K or 529, you're probably allergic to any kind of transaction fees or taxes, you'd want the money to be there and then grow steadily. So I'm for a financial transactions tax. [20:22:43] The bigger picture, I'm for putting money into the hands of every American and making this economy work for us instead of trying to see ourselves as inputs into the giant capital efficiency machine. Because right now we're in a race that frankly more and more of us are not going to be able to win. We have to evolve from thinking of this as like some kind of rugged individualism, meritocracy, where everyone's worth is determined by a combination of their like hard work and virtue and character and start evolving to say we all have intrinsic value. [20:23:15] Whether your able bodied, disabled software engineer or a stay at home mom, we have to make this economy work for everyone and let the rest of the country know it's not left. It's not right. It's forward. And that is where you all are gonna take us in 2020. Thank you all so much for a handshake. Thank you.

TVU 10 ANDREW YANG NH DAY ONE EVENTS ABC UNI 123019 2020 CONTINUATION OF REFEED OF ABC UNI CAM OF 12/30 EVENTS LOG FROM LU 3 ORIGINAL FEED [19:27:24] Well, hello to him, sir. [19:27:30] Oh, it is great to be back. I went to high school here, I stayed in this in just a few months ago. [19:27:35] How many you actually saw me speak at P.A.? A few of you. I thought, wow, are you student? So fun. I graduated from Phillips Exeter in nineteen ninety two. I'm going to be new that. Yes. [19:27:50] Well, and I get 100 percent affirm that I would never be running for president if I had not attended Exeter because I grew up the son of immigrants. And the conversations around the young household were not going to run for president someday. [19:28:03] And in Exeter, those are also not the conversations. But after X-ray, I went to a brown university. Anyone here do that? Really awesome. And then I went to New York City and went to law school and became a lawyer. I was an unhappy lawyer for five whole months and then left to start an ill fated dot.com. How many of you started a business organization? All right. So if you had your hand up, you know, two things. Number one, it's much, much harder than anyone ever lets on. And number two, when someone asks you how it's going, what do you say? [19:28:41] Great. Only one answer that question. [19:28:45] So my business went great until it failed. My parents told people I was still a lawyer and is doing great. And I've been bitten by the bug and I said I need to try and get better at this. Building something. So I worked at another startup and then another. And then I became the head of an education company that grew to become number one in the U.S. Then it was bought by a bigger company in 2009. 2009 was a very tough time in much of the country. [19:29:14] Can you believe the financial crisis was 10 years ago now and this community was better insulated than many others, but it was a devastating time for much of the country. And I thought I had some insight as to why the financial crisis had unfolded is because so many of the, frankly, very smart kids I've gone to Exeter and Brown and Columbia with had headed to Wall Street and come up with mortgage backed securities and derivatives and exotic financial instruments. And that had crashed the economy. [19:29:46] And I thought, what a train wreck. That does not seem like what you would want your talent and energy dedicated to. So then I thought, well, what would you want to dedicate your talent and energy to? And the idea I had was that our young people should head to Detroit, Cleveland, Birmingham, St. Lewis, Pittsburgh and help create businesses. But that thought that thought seemed out of reach because I tried to start a business myself in my 20s and it failed. [19:30:17] So it would be impossible to ask people to take on that same mission in cities that were new to them. But I thought, well, what would be realistic is for them to learn the same way I learned because I apprenticed to more experienced entrepreneurs and leaders for a number of years to develop. So I thought, well, you could have enterprising young people go work at existing growth companies in Detroit, Cleveland, St. Lewis, Baltimore, and then help those businesses grow. [19:30:42] So that was the vision. I started a nonprofit called Venture for America to make that vision real. How did you all work at non-profits? You volunteer at nonprofits. You should all have your hand up or these pretend on that one. [19:30:57] I feel like I'm a good person. Look around you. Anyone's fact checking you on that. [19:31:04] So the way I started a nonprofit is I put some money in and I started calling rich friends with this question, Do you love America? Many smart among them said, What does it mean if I say yes to this question? And then I said, at least ten thousand dollars and a number of them, including friends from Exeter, said, I love America for 10000. So we raised a couple hundred thousand. I grew to the millions, helped create several thousand jobs in 15 cities around the country. I was honored by the Obama administration multiple times. I got to bring my wife to meet the president. So my in-laws were very excited about me that week. [19:31:40] I look at this picture of our daughter with the president. [19:31:46] How many of you? Grew up here in New Hampshire. Many of you northeast like me, I grew up in upstate New York. Midwest couple s. West Coast or Pistons or Mountain West? Anyone? So I grew up in upstate New York and then came here for high school and then Rhode Island for college. I had never been to Ohio, Michigan, Alabama, Louisiana, all these places that measure for America operated. [19:32:17] And I was staggered by the Gulf between regions where if you fly between Michigan and Manhattan or St. Lewis and San Francisco, you feel like you're spanning dimensions or decades or ways of life and not just going a few timezones. How many of you had the same sort of experience you travel to other parts of the country? So I was trying to absorb what that felt like, where I was getting clapped on the back and brought to the White House, and I was I had this sinking feeling where the work I was doing was like pouring water into a bathtub that had a giant hole ripped in the bottom, that things were getting better, not worse in many, many communities in Ohio and Michigan and Missouri. [19:32:54] And then Donald Trump won the election of 2016. How did you all react when that happened? Tears, shock. Well, I've never heard regurgitation. But there are many people who I'm sure had that that impulse. I thought his victory was a massive red flag where tens of millions of our fellow Americans decided that taking a bet on the narcissist reality TV star was the way to go. And though you might have reacted with shock or dismay or disbelief, we all have family members or friends or neighbors who celebrated. [19:33:36] That's particularly true right here in New Hampshire. Now, if you were to turn on cable news and try and figure out why Donald Trump's our president today, what answers would you get if you just turn on one of the big networks, Russia? Well, this is at that time. So you could say economy, immigrants, Russia, Facebook, racism. Hillary Clinton, Wiener, and heard that one, but maybe Electoral College. Yeah. That's that. That might have been a big explanation. Many people didn't vote. Lack of turnout. Hillary Clinton emails. [19:34:16] . So I'm a numbers guy and I looked at the numbers for a clearer explanation as to why he won. And I found it. We automated away 4 million manufacturing jobs that were primarily based in Ohio, Michigan, Pennsylvania, Wisconsin, Missouri, Iowa, all the swing states and that he needed to win if that list sounds familiar. This happened in New Hampshire, too, but it happened earlier in the northern part of the state. I've been to that part of the state. This state lost 12000 manufacturing jobs over a number of years. [19:34:51] And if you go to one of those towns, those towns have never come back. Where the plant closed, the shopping center closed. They lost population. When I was up in the northern part. Of New Hampshire, the town supervisor said, we measure our progress by how many people leave. Like if the rate of departure slows down, that's actually progress for us. That's what happens in many manufacturing communities that are hard hit. Again, four million manufacturing jobs lost in the swing states primarily. [19:35:21] And if you doubt this explanation, there's a straight line up between the adoption of industrial automation in a boating area and the movement towards Trump in that area. The strongest correlation you can find. And unfortunately, what we did to those jobs, we are now going to do two retail jobs. Call center jobs, fast food jobs, eventually truck driving jobs and on and on through the economy. How many of you noticed stores closing in? Your area of New Hampshire. And why are those stores closing? [19:35:52] One word answer Amazon or Amazon soaking up 20 billion dollars in value every single year. Closing 30 percent of our stores in malls. Most common job in the United States. Retail clerk, average retail clerks, a 39 year old woman making between nine and ten dollars an hour. What is her next move going to be when the store closes? How much did Amazon pay in federal taxes last year? Zero. That's the math. New Hampshire. Twenty billion out. Thirty percent of stores in malls closed. Zero back. Most common job starts to disappear. When you all call the customer service line of a big company and you get the software robot, you do the same thing I do. [19:36:28] Why did you pound 0 0 0 as a human human representative and to get some of that having to be. I'll do that. Oh, yeah, we all do that. That's always miserable. As soon as you hear the voice, you're like, oh, no, it's not funny. [19:36:42] But in two or three short years, the software is going to sound like this. Hey, Andrew, how can I help you? It'll be seamless ambition. Delightful. You might not even realize that software unless you know. What does that going to mean for the two and a half million Americans who work at call centers right now making 14 bucks an hour? How many have you seen self-service kiosks in a fast food restaurant like McDonald's? Every location in the country in the next two years, they say itself, sir, kiosk. [19:37:08] And now they're looking at the back of the house like the robot burger flippers and fry cookers. The rubber is really going to hit the road with truck driving or freight. How many of, you know, a truck driver here in New Hampshire? There are three and a half million truckers in the United States. Most common job in 29 states. My friends in California and I want you to imagine Asian guy goes to Exeter, goes to fancy schools. I literally have friends who are working on the self-driving trucks in Silicon Valley. They tell me they're 98 percent of the way there. A self-driving truck just took 20 tons of butter from California to Pennsylvania two weeks ago. Why butter? I've no idea. [19:37:54] But if you Google robot butter truck. [19:37:59] You'll see it comes up. And the reason why my friends in Silicon Valley are working on the robot trucks is because the cost savings are estimated to be one hundred sixty eight billion dollars a year. If they automate truck time and think about that number as the price I can. That's such a staggering sum that if you're an investor and someone comes to you and says, I've got software equipment that can help automate truck driving, I just need 500 million to develop it and hire hundreds of engineers. [19:38:28] You write that check because you see the hundred sixty eight billion dollar a year pot of gold. And if this team can make any meaningful progress, you're gonna get your money back. Multiplied many, many times over. My friends tell me that self-driving trucks are five to ten years away from hitting our highways in earnest. What will that mean for the three and a half million Americans who drive a truck for a living? [19:38:52] Or the 7 million plus Americans who work at truck stops, motels and diners that rely upon the truckers getting out and having a meal every day? Something like 10 percent of the jobs in the state of Nebraska support trucking. What will those towns look like when the truck doesn't need to stop? This is the greatest economic transformation in our country's history, what experts are calling the fourth industrial revolution. When is the last time you heard a politician say the words fourth industrial revolution? Two seconds ago. [19:39:25] And I'm barely a politician. [19:39:28] My wife would have run the other direction if she ever thought I was going to run for office again. Now the conversation around the AG now. So she jokes even now. It's like you make the worst politician ever because I'm really bad at lying. Got a terrible poker face. Even when I proposed to her, I was like so nervous. I think this ring of like burning a hole in my pocket, I was like, Oh my God, she knows. She knows. [19:39:56] Anyway, what did happen? [19:40:01] So I proposed and I eventually got a yes and the same general after noon period. [19:40:13] I know. I'm not sure I've ever told people this. [19:40:15] Sorry. I mean, I hope it doesn't. She's not embarrassed by this. But I think her exact reaction to me was, why are you doing this? Which is not exactly what you want to hear when you're on one knee. It's not exactly the desired response, but we got the. Yes, two kids later and happily married anyway. So my first reaction was not to run for president, even after I went through all these numbers that, oh, my gosh, we're scapegoating immigrants for problems immigrants have nothing to do with. [19:40:50] We're going through this historic transformation. How are we going to help our people transition? My first move was to head to Washington, D.C., to sit down with our leaders and say, what are we going to do to help our people through this time? And what do you think the folks in D.C. said to me when I said, what are we going to do? Who are you? Nothing. The three major responses I got were these. Number one, we cannot talk about this, Andrew. Like, we cannot communicate this, the American people. [19:41:23] Number two, we should study this further. Andrew. Number three, we must educate and retrain all Americans for the jobs of the future. Which sounds pretty good. How have you ever heard a politician say something effectively like that? No. But then I said, look, I looked at the studies. Do you all want to guess how effective the government funded retraining programs were for the manufacturing workers who lost their jobs? [19:41:49] I'm anchoring you low because it's very low. Zero to 15 percent success rates. They're a total dud of the former manufacturing workers. Half left the workforce and never worked again. And of that group have filed for disability. You then saw surges in suicides and drug overdoses in those communities to the point where now America's life expectancy has declined for the last three years because suicides and drug overdoses have each overtaken vehicle deaths. That's cause of death in United States America. [19:42:17] You know, the last time America's life expectancy declined for three years in a row. The Spanish flu of 1918, global pandemic that killed millions. You have to go back that far. It is highly unusual for life expectancy to ever to decline in a developed country. It only just goes in one direction, right? It is getting richer, stronger, healthier, just keeps creeping up. Highly unusual for it to go down once and then a second time. A third time. Almost unprecedented. You have to go back 100 years. So when I said this to the folks in D.C., one of them actually said to me, well, I guess we'll get better at it. [19:42:53] And one person in D.C. said something that brought me here to you all tonight here in New Hampshire, he said, Andrew, you're the wrong town. No one here is going to do anything about this because fundamentally this is a town of followers, not leaders. And the only way we will do something about it is if you were to create a wave in other parts of the country and bring that wave crashing down in our heads. And I said challenge accepted. I'll be back in two and a half years. And that was two years ago, New Hampshire. [19:43:20] And I stand before you tonight. [19:43:28] I stand before you tonight, I'm fifth in the polls to become the Democratic nominee. We raised 10 million dollars last quarter in increments of only 30 dollars each. So my fans are almost as cheap as Bernie's. [19:43:46] And we are growing because we are laser focused on the real problems, like I got Donald Trump elected and where advancing real solutions, we need to rewrite the rules of the 21st century economy to work for us and our people. Now, if you're here tonight and I really appreciate you braving the elements and coming here, I have to say I'm a briefing document anytime I do one of these events. [19:44:07] And it said expected audience, 80 people. And I look around, I'm like, ha, this seems more like, what's the fire code in this room? So what I get again, anyone any trouble? But one of the reasons why I love campaigning here in New Hampshire so much is that you all have the future of the country in your hands. And I'll give you one data point. How many like raise your hands and show me how many presidential candidates you've seen in the cycle so far. So this is before this would be eight. Go ahead. And was ready to hands. So 7 1. I appreciate that. [19:44:41] 5 7. More than five. So the reason why we all come here and stump for your vote is because you will have outsized power and influence in our democracy. I did the math. Do you know how many Californians each of you is worth? [19:45:01] A thousand Californians each. [19:45:10] So you look around this room there, about 160 of you here. That's like four football stadiums full of California. That is the power of this room. The power to change the course of history does like God. One reason it's such a joy to campaign here, because other Americans look up and they see the pipes as clogged full of money. And they think there's nothing they can do about it. They're generally right. [19:45:34] There is very little they can do about it. But you all can you can flush the pipes clean just like that. You can take a vision of the rest of the country and have it sweep the nation like wildfire. And what are we talking about? Seven weeks, six and a half weeks. Something along those lines. That's the power in this room. So it's a joy to be here. This is the real thing. Unlike all of the other window dressing and certainly a lot of the chatter from the cable news networks is completely irrelevant. [19:46:01] Property of what is going to happen here in seven weeks. So the question is, how do you use that power? What do you do with it? If you were here tonight, you know that my flagship proposal is that every American gets a thousand dollars a month starting at age 18. How well do you know about the freedom dividend? If you're here, probably everyone. And the first time you heard it, I know what you thought. You thought. That's a gimmick. That's too good to be true. That will never happen. [19:46:29] But this is not my idea. It's not a new idea. Thomas Paine was forward at the founding of the country. Call it the citizen's dividend. Martin Luther King fought for it in the 1960s. It is what he was fighting for when he was assassinated in 1968. It's called the Guaranteed Minimum Income. In his 1967 book Cancer Community, he said this is what we need to bring the country together. I had the privilege of sitting with Martin Luther King's son in Atlanta. And he told me that this is what dad was fighting for when he was killed. And my first reaction was, I can't believe you was called Martin Luther King dad. [19:47:04] But then you realize he is your dad. He's your Martin Luther King, the third. That was like, wow. It's incredible. [19:47:13] A thousand economists endorsed in the 60s. It passed the U.S. House of Representatives twice in 1971 under Richard Nixon. Family assistance plan came this close to being law. And then eleven years later, one state passed a dividend, or now everyone in that state gets between one and two thousand dollars a year. No questions asked. [19:47:30] And what state is that and how do they pay for it? [19:47:35] And what is the oil of the 21st century technology? A software, self-driving cars and trucks. A study just came out that said that our data is now worth more than oil. How many of you saw that study? How many of you have access to a Netflix password? There's a documentary called The Great Hack and it includes that study. How many of you got your data check in the mail last month? We laugh, but where did the data checks go? There's so much value being generated. Facebook, Amazon, Google, the mega tech companies that are paying zero or near-zero in taxes. [19:48:12] Do you see how it's happening in Exeter? This is your job to change it, to make sure that the Amazons of the world pay their fair share. Trillion dollar tech company paid zero in taxes. How is that possible? How do they pay less in taxes than everyone here tonight? So what we have to do is we have to get our fair share of every Amazon sale, every Google search, every Facebook ad, every robot truck mile, and then put it into your hands in the form of this dividend of a thousand dollars a month. We generate this value. [19:48:42] Your data is generating tens of billions of dollars with a value. You're not seeing a dime. What are you mean I'm making is that our data is still ours, even if we loan it to the tech companies. Am I right? So if anyone's profiting from it, should we not participate in this? Especially because after this thousand dollars a month comes into your hands, where would the money go? In real life? How much of it would be spent right here in New Hampshire? Most of it, not all of it. You might get your own Netflix password,. [19:49:19] But most of it would go to car repairs you've been putting off and daycare expenses and little league sign ups and local nonprofits and cultural and religious organizations. This is the trickle up economy from our people, our families and our communities up. This is how we make it so that everyone is included in the 21st century gains that are being generated at almost unimaginable levels underneath our feet. And I see it. I've been there. [19:49:47] I've been to the Googles and Amazons. I'm friends with some of the leading technologists in the world. And they tell me that they see what is coming out of the labs in artificial intelligence and they are deeply concerned about the impact it's going to have on the rest of the country. Well, they say, you know how the sentence never goes. It's like I see what's coming out of the lab and it's gonna be fine. But at the end of that thought, I spoke to a group of 70 CEOs in New York City, and I asked how many of you are looking at replacing back office clerical workers with A.I. and software? [19:50:21] Guess how many hands? What about a 70? All 70. The fact is, you could fire any CEO who didn't have their hand up because we know that all of their incentives are around maximizing the bottom line and their workers aren't part of that bottom line. That is the system that we have built and it is up to you all to change it. There is no one else. If you don't change it, it doesn't change. That's the power of New Hampshire, but that's also the responsibility you all have. And one of the reasons I love being here is that you take that responsibility and own it, take it very, very seriously. [19:50:55] So this thousand dollars a month goes from being dramatic to necessary and inevitable as soon as you recognize the enormity of the situation we're in. And here in New Hampshire, I've been all over the state. There are many, many rural areas that feel like they're being sucked dry truly. And you see the negative spiral that ensues when the main street starts closing. People start leaving property taxes. What happens to them? They go nothing. They're going up because then you have to support the school and they're looking around being like, well, not as many people around. [19:51:24] So then you get trapped in this tough cycle because your property taxes are creeping up and your housing. Is that your housing stock? It's actually harder to sell. So so this is the negative spiral that many communities here in New Hampshire are experiencing and their kids feel like they have to leave the community or even state in order to access the opportunities that they want. That is what we have to change. We have to make it so that the economy works for us and then we're not we're not all inputs into the machine. [19:51:54] And I know this on a personal level, in part because my wife is at home with our two boys every day, one of whom is autistic. What does her work get included at in our economic measurements every day? Zero. I get zero. Staying home with our autistic son gets a zero caregiving, nurturing, volunteering all zeros. Arts very often zero. Journalism increasingly zero or near zero. We're zeroing out many of the most important things in our lives. And this disproportionately impacts women and underrepresented minorities that the marketplace will systematically undervalue or exclude. [19:52:34] Right now in this country, I talked to my wife about this and we talked about universal basic income, which is the historic name for the Freedom Dividend, which is just everyone gets a share of the value that society is generating. And Evelyn asked me. She's like, how did it go from being mainstream? A thousand economists endorse endorsing Milton Friedman to now it takes the futurist presidential candidate does not have drag it into the mainstream like what happened in the last 50 years. [19:53:01] And what I said to her is that we got brainwashed over the last 50 years to think that economic value and human value are the same things that what the market says we are worth is what we are worth. That's how you wind up with otherwise reasonable people suggesting that we should turn a town of coal miners into coders when the mine closes. Because if the person or the town doesn't have any economic value anymore, then we stretch ourselves to ridiculous lengths to try and find some new economic purpose for them. [19:53:31] And that's going to be a losing battle over time for us all. It's a losing battle for my autistic son. It's a losing battle for the truckers who, no matter how hard they work, cannot outcompete the robot truck that's going to hit the highway. It's even a losing battle for the accountants and lawyers who are going to be competing against software that can do that job more cheaply and efficiently and more accurately than even the hardest working human professional. This is the truth of the era we're in. [19:54:06] Right now, we're measuring our economic success through three big measurements and what are they if you turn on cable news? Like what does it say about like, hey. Things are going great. Stock markets won. GDP to headline. Unemployment's the third. So stock market prices, the bottom 80 percent of Americans own 8 percent of stock market wealth, the bottom 50 percent own essentially zero. If you trumpet the stock market, you do it. You're tracking the fortunes of essentially the top 20 percent of Americans if you're generous. It's actually more accurately like the top 5 percent of Americans. [19:54:41] GDP is at record highs, while we're also setting record highs and stress, financial insecurity, overdose is student loan debt and rising again. Our life expectancy is going down while our GDP is going up. So which do you listen to? I would suggest life expectancy because if you're dying sooner, I guess not a sign of health. Yesterday, I was the me and the headline unemployment rate obscures the fact that millions are dropping out of the workforce, that people are working two or three jobs to get by. [19:55:19] That the majority of new jobs that are created are temp gig or contract jobs that don't have benefits. The fact that if you are a young person who's fortunate enough to graduate from college, you have tens of thousands of dollars in debt and there's a 40 to 44 percent chance that you do a job that does not require a degree. So if you're a parent of a college age person, they're coming out and you feel that uncertainty, you're not alone. [19:55:43] If you are a young person, we have set you up with massive indebtedness and a very insecure economy. In terms of your ability to climb the corporate ladder, that may or may not exist if you're a young person, I apologize to you because we have left you a mess. We need your help to clean it up. The first thing to do is to acknowledge the crisis state we're in. So if GDP, corporate profits in the headline unemployment rate aren't the right measurements. What would actually get you excited if I said it got better here in Exeter? [19:56:16] Health, right? Healthy life expectancy. That's pretty core. It's like I might say, hey, you got healthier, you're living longer. Clean air and clean water. I said we've got more sustainable, our emissions went down. You would be happy about that. Mental health and freedom from substance abuse. Say, I got happier in New Hampshire, unfortunately, is one of the epicenters of the opiate epidemic. [19:56:38] Eight Americans are dying of drugs every hour, which is unconscionable. And that was a disease of capitalism run amok. We let some of the drug companies profit to the tune of tens of billions of dollars and kill tens of thousands, even hundreds of thousands of Americans. So these are the measurements that would tell us how we're actually doing. How about childhood success rates? How about proportion of elderly Americans who can retire in quality circumstances, income and affordability? [19:57:05] So these are the things that actually will tell us how we're doing. And as your president, I will update GDP to these measurements. And that sounds like magic, but it's really not. We made up GDP almost 100 years ago and even the adventure of GDP, so this is a terrible measurement of national well-being and we should never use it as that. And that was a hundred years ago. Think about that. So now we're following the century, the old measurement off a cliff and being like, hey, guys, things are going great. [19:57:33] Look at GDP while our people are struggling and suffering. Self-driving trucks will be great for GDP. They're going to be terrible for many American communities. So you have to line up the measurements to tell us how we are doing. Donald Trump in twenty sixteen said he was going to make America great again. And then what did Hillary Clinton say in response? America's already great. Remember that? [19:58:00] I know it's been a long three years like there. Oh, it's about to end, though. We're gonna end it, am I right? Applause So Hillary's response did not resonate with many Americans when she said America's already great. The problems are real. The suffering is real. We have to acknowledge the depth and severity of the problems, but then we need solutions that will actually help us all move forward. What we're Donald Trump's solutions. [19:58:34] He said we're gonna build a wall. We're gonna turn the clock back. We're gonna bring the old jobs back here. Hold those things to eggs that are you know, we have to do the opposite of these things. We have to turn the clock forward. We have to accelerate our economy and society as quickly as possible to rise to the real challenges of this era. We have to evolve in the way we think about ourselves and our work and our value. And I am the ideal candidate for that job, because the opposite of Donald Trump is an Asian man who likes math. [19:59:11] Now, most of you may not know this math is an acronym. What does it stand for? [19:59:17] Make America think harder. That's right. We have to identify the real problems and adopt real solutions. I feel like this is the right place for that. I feel like Exxon is a very smart town. Maybe in part because most the time I was here has had my nose in a book. [19:59:33] Is just trying to smarten up myself. [19:59:39] The problems are real, and unfortunately, the Democratic Party has been acting as if Donald Trump is the source of all of our problems. He is actually a symptom. He's a manifestation of a deeper set of problems that we have to cure as a country. The Democratic Party, in my mind, should have had a real period of soul searching when Donald Trump won. It's like, how the heck did we lose to this guy? How the heck did tens of millions of Americans decide to head this direction? [20:00:07] And a lot of it is that the feedback mechanism between the people in DC has broken down. Many people throughout the country don't feel like government is working for them. For us. And that's not a crazy feeling. Some of you might have that feeling, too. The feedback mechanism is breaking down. The fact is that Washington, D.C. today is the richest city in our country. What do they produce? Gridlock. Unclear. [20:00:34] Produce a lot of wealth, though, somehow. Our politicians in D.C. succeed whether we succeed or fail. And that is the the feeling that is driving many people towards Donald Trump. We have to restore that feedback mechanism by saying, look, the government is going to activate resources and put them in our hands when to trust our people. We're gonna build the trickle up economy. [20:00:59] I'm a parent. Like many of you, raise your hand if you're a parent. [20:01:04] So if you're a parent like me, you had this sense of unease. Maybe you've even been afraid to express it. If you were born in the United States of America in the 1940s, would something you might have been. You look great. [20:01:15] I mean, I wrote this for you about the 40s. Do the math. 30S. Oh, you look fantastic, sir. [20:01:26] 1938. [20:01:28] If you were born in the 1940s, the United States of America, there's a ninety three percent chance that you were gonna do better than your parents. That's the American dream. That's pretty strong. That's the dream that brought my parents here as immigrants. If you were born in the 1990s, which is some of you, I'm guessing. You're down to a 50/50 shot and it's heading heading downward very, very quickly. That is what we have to address New Hampshire. If you don't address that, it's going to be very, very hard to bring this country together. [20:02:01] I am running for president not because I fantasized about being president. I'm running for president because like many of you in this room, I'm a parent and a patriot. I have seen the future that lies ahead for our kids. And it is not something I'm willing to accept. And you should not accept it either. We have to do better for them. If we do come together in this way, we can be able to look our kids in the eyes and say to them, your country loves you, your country values you and you will be all right. And that is the message I want us to send to the rest of the country. In February of this year. Thank you all very much. So we're going to make it together. [20:02:49] We're going to rewrite the movie economy away for you because the rules are not working for you. They are not working. Am I right? I love it. I love being here so much. [20:03:02] What's the number one criteria for Democrats in terms of the nominee be Donald Trump? That's right. That's actually number one. How many for you that doesn't know. One good deal is right that it was a poll right here in New Hampshire that said that 10 percent of Trump voters would choose me over Donald Trump. Which is all we need to win. [20:03:27] You get all the Dems and progressives together and then you peel off independents and libertarians and 10 percent of Trump voters, we win this thing in a landslide. [20:03:35] Now, most Democrats have not realized yet that I am the candidate to take on and beat Donald Trump in 2020. But more people are realizing it every single day. It's a beautiful feeling. One survey came out that said that 18 percent of college Republicans would choose me over Trump. Think about that. It's us plus tend to 18 percent of Trump voters. And we're going to knock him out so bad. It's gonna be a landslide. And it has to start right here in New Hampshire and the next number of weeks. I love you guys. We'd love to take some questions. Thank you all so much. So so this handsome gentleman here is Zach Grossman is my campaign manager and he has passed me a note said that we just had our one millionth donation to the campaign. [20:04:24] As I said. What was it, someone in this room where you on the phone while I saw you? [20:04:37] Yeah. So I would love to take a in, sir. You had. Yeah. Yeah. Let's get this man on my career, I'll do it. [20:04:46] I'm coming your way, sir. I got this. [20:04:50] Thank you. [20:04:52] I'm attorney David Mirsky from Exeter. And my question is, I know that you have. The brilliant ideas for the future, but. Um, I just want to know, how are you going to defeat the evil that Donald Trump really is? [20:05:13] Thank you, David. [20:05:18] In many ways on the ideal foil for Donald Trump. And if you look at the candidates, he has messed with every single candidate in the field except for me, because I'm better at the Internet than he is. [20:05:34] And a lot of his strongest attacks don't work on me at all, because what does he do? [20:05:38] He caricatures his opponents as D.C. insiders and creatures. [20:05:42] I'm another outsider, but unlike him, I want to solve the problems of the American people and improve our way of life so I can draw in again 10 percent plus of Donald Trump voters who don't like D.C. very much. And as the Democratic nominee, all the Democrats are going to be obviously super excited. A survey just came out that said I am among the least disappointing nominees for the Democratic field. [20:06:08] Oh, really? [20:06:08] But this is an incredibly important stat because they survey thousands of dams and lakes, line all the Dems up and said, who would you be disappointed in and the least disappointed in? [20:06:19] And I was among the least disappointing. [20:06:22] Which means that the turnout is going to be high because people will get behind me and then I'll get again the 10 to 18 percent of Trump voters. And can you imagine me debating him? One of the things I can do more effectively than the other candidates is I can make him seem completely ridiculous. [20:06:47] Let's go, man, woman. [20:06:50] Thank you, Lacey. [20:06:59] How would the freedom dividend affect those on Social Security? [20:07:04] It's tax on top of Social Security. So I would increase the income of every Social Security recipient right now by a thousand dollars a month. And that seems again, too good to be true. But I've talked to hundreds, thousands of Americans who are receiving Social Security, and a couple of things became very clear. Number one, it's impossible to retire on Social Security alone. Number two, Social Security benefits are different depending upon whether you have to take time off from work often to parent to child. [20:07:30] So in many families, the mom is getting less and Social Security benefits. Number three, millions of Americans are facing essentially never retiring because they have to work until the day they die because they can't afford to stop. And if you look at the demographics, you see that we have to reformat our economy around caring for our aging relatives, but we don't have the economic resources in place to do so. So that's what this thousand dollars a month can do for our society. [20:08:00] It can enable Americans to retire with dignity because you a thousand dollars plus Social Security, then you're talking and then we can put actual resources and work to take care of people as they age gracefully instead of right now. I have no desire to go into a convenience store and see a senior citizen working until the day they die. That should be a teenager working for beer money, am I right? Yeah, I'm proposing the greatest expansion in Social Security benefits in history, and what I'm talking about now was mainstream wisdom in the 60s when we passed over security. It's just we've got a very, very extreme distant sense that. [20:08:42] Your. You have a lot of good ideas about campaign finance reform, and it's one of the most important things to me. We have a broken system. Thank you. So what would you do to fix our broken campaign finance reform and what hurdles do you think you will face when you try to do that? [20:09:03] I love this question so much because this is one reason why Americans have lost complete faith in government. Again, millions of dollars of lobbyist cash is clogging the pipes and you feel like your vote doesn't matter. There was a joke headline that said Americans should hire our own lobbyist because that's the only way we would actually get anything done. It's like I represent the American people. So most every Democrat will say we need to overturn Citizens United, which is correct. [20:09:30] We do need to do that. But the fact is corporate money had overtaken our government before Citizens United. Citizens United has made it more extreme. So what we have to do is we have to unify the people and the money. And I said this on the debate stage in L.A., fewer than 5 percent of Americans donate to political candidates or campaigns right now. So my proposal is to give every American one hundred democracy dollars used or lose it that you can give to any candidate or campaign that you want that would get the donate rate from 5 percent to what? What do you think? [20:10:04] 60 or 70 Americans are pretty lazy. So we've got a hundred free dollars, the lobby will be like, ah, I can't be bothered, but you could get it up to 60 percent. And if you had it to 60 percent, you would wash out the lobbyist cash by a factor of four or five to one. And then if a person was running for office and got ten thousand people behind them, that's a million dollars in financing. And then the lobbyist comes along and says, I've got twenty five thousand dollars for you could be like pass because I'm getting a million dollars and the people I'm going to represent them. So that is something that is bipartisan because many Republicans don't love. [20:10:40] While I stretch, I mean a lot of Republicans are in the pocket of these companies. I mean, a lot of Dems do, of course. I mean, I have a friend I went to Exeter with who worked in Capitol Hill for years for the right reasons, and he hated lobbyists when he showed up on Capitol Hill. What does he today, 15 years later, lobbyist? Yeah. You know, the you know the drill. So. Democracy dollars would free up legislators from having to pass the hat all the time. I'm for term limits of 12 years. We should send people to D.C. to do work and then come home. [20:11:17] Problem is that they're trying to make like a multi decade long career out of being in D.C. and that should not be the orientation. So the first big move is to pass some sort of public financing democracy dollars. But I'm going to suggest to you all that one of the ideal ways to get money out of politics is to send someone into the White House that doesn't owe anyone a dime in terms of corporate PAC money. And that's me. [20:11:43] Tens of millions of dollars raised in increments of only 30 dollars each. Purely people powered, purely grassroots funded. And I joke sometimes that, of course, the companies would never have sent me because I'm like the anonymous Asian man. Like, that's the dumbest. You know, you're like the corporate being like, oh, this is gonna work. Let's send that guy. [20:12:02] No. [20:12:02] Like, I'm just another citizen who represents our own interests and we need to break the stranglehold on the money. So I agree with Tom Stier. I agree with a lot of other, you know, times I went to Exeter as well. And, you know, we need to break the stranglehold of corporate money and flood the system with people powered money. I want to overturn Citizens United. But the fact is the corporate money is going to find a way to creep back in unless we flush it out. [20:12:27] I would also try and shut the revolving door between government and lobbyists in various ways, and I would have a ban on ever lobbying. But if you're gonna do the ban on ever lobbying or ten years, which is an eternity in DC because everyone ages out and then your relationships don't matter anymore. [20:12:44] Then you will need to ramp up compensation at the government level, say, look, no going to industry, but we'll pay you more. And that is a very, very fair trade. So, my friend. Well, I guess I went to there with like maybe he would not have been a lobbyist if there been a ban on being a lobbyist and he'd young paid a little bit more on Capitol Hill. He was a good guy. I mean, I'm still president. [20:13:08] Hi. When I was you. So I'm a student at Bill's Exeter. And my question for you is, what would you do to stop gerrymandering and give more people access to the ballot? [20:13:19] It's an excellent question. There's a lot of voter suppression going on around the country. Gerrymandering is a huge problem. It should be that voters choose our leaders, not leaders, choosing their voters. So that the leaders in terms of reform and activism on this are Eric Holder and President Obama who have this anti-terrorism pandering initiative that I endorse wholeheartedly. There are a lot of things I think we should do to try and elevate the ability to vote. [20:13:42] I would have automatic voter registration. Anytime you get like your driver's license or something like that. We should be registering you automatically. We should be giving people the day off on Election Day so that more people are able to vote. So there are a lot of things we can do to try and encourage voting participation rates. We almost deliberately make it hard to vote in this country. And that includes, unfortunately, the way we're drawing up the voting areas because that's being drawn up to favor one party or another. [20:14:10] And in terms of democracy, reform, and this is related to this, I'm for ranked choice voting because you need to be able to have people express their preference. You need a more dynamic party system in this country. Right now you have this duopoly and I'm a Democrat. But right now, independents outnumber Democrats and Republicans in terms of self identification. And if you're an independent, you look up and say, I'm not sure either of these parties are getting it. All right. [20:14:36] And your voice is getting drowned out because we have this winner takes all voting system. If you had ranked choice voting. You could express your true preferences. It would make our democracy much more vibrant and dynamic. So the Electoral College has problems, but I think that advocating for its abolition is frankly a stupid waste of time because you would require a super majority of states to get on board with it and literally like many of them would be like giving up their own power and shooting themselves in the foot. [20:15:16] The other thing is, if you were Democrats and you lose by rules that are literally engraved in the Constitution, and then you say, hey, we should change the rules. What does that say? You're saying like, I can't win by the rules, so I'm going to try and change them. If you're going to advocate for changes in the Electoral College, you have to win an election by the rules you have first and then go and say, hey, let's change these rules. If I'm for anything, I'm for proportional allocation of electors. Because and you will benefit from this and it's cool. I love you for it. But there are only a handful of states that people campaigning because their swing states. If you had proportional allocation of electors. [20:15:54] , then you would have candidates going to any state just to try and rack up some support and votes. And it would even it out in a much more truly Democratic way. Another side effect of abolishing the Electoral College that most people don't reflect on, it would privilege people in major cities in urban areas because every candidate would just go where they could get a lot of bang for their buck in terms of media exposure because the vote's a vote. So would I ever go to a rural area to campaign? [20:16:25] I probably wouldn't. I would just go to every major media market because anytime I show up New York or Los Angeles TV, I reach many more people. So there are problems with trying to abolish the Electoral College, starting with the fact that it's completely impractical unless you had dozens of states that are willing to vote against their own interests, which we all know is not going to happen. [20:16:49] I'll let you choose because I see so many hands and they all seem so smart. [20:16:58] I was interested in what you would do in your first year to address climate change if you were elected. [20:17:03] How many of you all are concerned about climate change? Yes, me too. It is bearing down on us. I was in Portsmouth and there were buildings that are literally flooding more regularly now than they were years ago. There is a multi-million dollar shrimping business that went to zero because the water got too warm and the shrimp died. If you saw me several debates ago, I outlined the new third position in American politics on climate change. Remember this position? Number one, we need to fight climate change. [20:17:28] Position number two. Climate change is a hoax. And then my position number three is it's worse than you think and it's already here. You all remember this. And then people were like, oh, Andrew is being negative. And then all of a sudden they adopted my position like the next debate. He's right. We need to invest hundreds of billions of dollars in protecting ourselves right now. You can't have towns in New Hampshire that are flooding and then having to fend for themselves on it. [20:17:55] So no one put a price on carbon. Day one, if you're polluting, you have to have that cause built into your bottom line, the business. And that would give us tons of resources to try and move towards wind and solar. And it would make the companies that are polluting have to become much more efficient or pay big bucks into the system. Climate change action and financial insecurity in my mind are tied together because right now 70 percent of Americans are living paycheck to paycheck. [20:18:27] Almost half can afford an unexpected five dollar bill. So if you go to them and say we need to fight climate change, what is their reaction? Can't afford it. I'm worried about next month. You know, like a year from now, it has to wait. And then what's the next natural reaction? It's probably not going to be so bad anyway. Or like maybe they're just hyping it up. We have to get the boot off people's throats so that they actually can focus on the bigger problems instead of just putting one foot in front of the other. [20:18:56] If you put a resource in the people's pockets, then instead of hearing we have to fight climate change in thinking, oh, my costs are going to go up, it's gonna be more inconvenient. We're going to lose jobs, which is what many Americans here they'll think. Yeah, you're right. We have to fight climate change because we're going to be here while my future secure. My kids future is secure. [20:19:15] The big move I would make is to build environmental sustainability into our actual economic measurements, because right now that tug of war is something that we're losing on with many Americans where you say we need to fight climate change and lead us here higher costs. The argument I'd make is what is the going to be the cost of climate change if we do nothing? Trillions of dollars easily. What we have to do is internalize that cost into our current measurements and say, look, when you pollute, that has a cost. [20:19:42] If we inaction has a massive cost, we have to act, invest hundreds of billions of dollars and make our infrastructure more resilient before the fact. And if this seems dramatic, we've already moved a town in Louisiana because the water levels rose. Do we think that's the only town that likely will have to be relocated? Of course not. There are gonna be dozens, maybe hundreds of towns around the country. [20:20:07] So we have to start making bigger moves now. And that's what I would champion as president from day one. I'm also the only candidate who's proposing a constitutional amendment to address climate change in our generationally because we can't let this be something that flip flops from one administration to the next. [20:20:27] All right. I'm going to be the bad guy. Thank you guys for your patience. We're going to take one more question and then this is very important, the selfie line. If you decided to plant yourself here earlier this evening, you won the lottery because there were going to have the line go this way will be very smooth and efficient. Get the pictures, get the selfies and appreciate how long you've waited here tonight. So one more question. You going to do this? All right. [20:20:58] Shout out. I need give me an even number between one and three of you. [20:21:07] That's how we roll, baby. Thank you. [20:21:15] Hi, Mr. Yang. My name is John and I'm with the Partnership to Protect Our Retirement Future. And my question is about the what the financial transaction tax. We'd like to call it the retirement tax, because it would really hurt a lot of it. Well, it sounds good on paper. It would hurt a lot of the middle class people. It would really it would hit all for one case, for three B's. It wouldn't hit anybody with a 529. And it really hit pensions. Any pension funds. So I was just wondering, do you have a position on it? [20:21:48] That's. [20:21:55] I want to strengthen the middle class and put everyone in a position to be able to eventually retire with dignity. I want to rewrite the rules of the economy to work for us and our people across the board. I do think a financial transactions tax is a good idea. And the fact is, if you're a retiree who has your accounts and like for one K, many of those investors are through ETF exchange traded funds and they're not like turning over their assets all the time. [20:22:22] And if you had a financial transactions tax, you could easily, if you were a firm, say, hey, maybe we're not going to incur more financial transactions and have our transaction costs go up. If you have before when K or 529, you're probably allergic to any kind of transaction fees or taxes, you'd want the money to be there and then grow steadily. So I'm for a financial transactions tax. [20:22:43] The bigger picture, I'm for putting money into the hands of every American and making this economy work for us instead of trying to see ourselves as inputs into the giant capital efficiency machine. Because right now we're in a race that frankly more and more of us are not going to be able to win. We have to evolve from thinking of this as like some kind of rugged individualism, meritocracy, where everyone's worth is determined by a combination of their like hard work and virtue and character and start evolving to say we all have intrinsic value. [20:23:15] Whether your able bodied, disabled software engineer or a stay at home mom, we have to make this economy work for everyone and let the rest of the country know it's not left. It's not right. It's forward. And that is where you all are gonna take us in 2020. Thank you all so much for a handshake. Thank you.