>> To delve further into the
latest and former president
trump's legal woes, the debate
over parents influence in
schools in the future of tiktok
in the U.S., we turn to the
analysis of New York Times
columnist David brooks and
Jonathan Capehart, associate
editor for the Washington post.
I want to start with you and
pick up releases report left
off.
This whole issue of parental
rights has come to mean so much.
I want to start with some
definitions.
Let's talk about this debate and
where it is right now and what
that phrase parental rights
means to you.
How do you look at this issue.
>> When I hear parental rights,
I think what happened to the
pta?
Why all of a sudden is this an
issue?
I think it's an issue given who
they are targeting because they
need a foil.
The far right needs a foil.
That's not to say parents don't
have concerns about what their
kids are learning in classrooms.
It just seems like from governor
Ron Desantis in Florida to
governor Huckabee in Arkansas to
the republican-led house of
representatives, it seems like
they have a problem specifically
with trans kids.
What I have a problem with is
that the party of life, the
party of respect for family and
individual freedom has no
problem putting a target on the
backs of trans kids and their
families.
When I hear parental rights, I
think parental rights for whom?
>> What do you think?
>> There's a lot of crazy stuff
going on in schools, book
banning, not teaching black
history.
I want to bracket that aside and
say that is outrageous.
There is a core problem here.
During covid, a lot of parents
got a look at what their kids
were doing because the classroom
turned into the living room and
they didn't like a lot of what
they saw.
A public school enrollment is
down by $1.4 million.
60 percent of parents say they
want more control over the kids
learning.
It used to be Democrats had a
solid advantage in who do you
trust in schools.
That advantage is gone.
Most parents are fine with
school, most hate it when
politics gets put in the school,
but there is a sense there is
something they want more control
over.
That's the legit part of this.
The core problem here in
reference to this bill is
parents and teachers have to be
in cooperation and there has to
be trust.
I understand the cost, but if a
school is keeping important
things about kids secret from
the parents, that's going to
destroy trust.
>> Can I get to the other issues
you want to bracket out?
They are bracketed in.
They are under the umbrella of
this issue.
>> You have to go case-by-case.
There is a lot of clearly wedge
issue stuff going on here, but
also a lot of parents who
legitimately think the values of
my school are different from my
values, I just want some
representation here.
And they don't feel they are
getting that.
It's a bunch of issues all at
once.
>> This is all happening against
the backdrop of a number of
Republican state legislatures
nationwide proposing and pushing
through bills that do center on
transgender youth.
This is a map from the human
rights campaign.
They now estimate of all the
transgender kids across the
country, more than half of them
now live in a state where they
have either already lost access
to or could lose access to
gender affirming care.
It's over 50% now.
That's a striking number first
of all when you think of the
sheer volume of children who are
impacted by that.
I'm wondering why you think this
particular issue resonates so
deeply right now.
>> Because it makes people feel
uncomfortable.
Let's just be perfectly frank
about it.
It makes people uncomfortable.
But just because you are
uncomfortable doesn't mean that
you then target what makes you
uncomfortable.
And by target, you are targeting
kids, the families of those kids
, making it impossible for them
to get health care in their own
home state, making it almost
impossible for them to go out of
state.
Criminalizing in some cases
going out of state to get care.
All these kids and their
families want our for these
trans kids to be able to go to
school like everyone else, learn
like everyone else and be left
alone like everyone else.
If possible.
And to be able to learn in a
classroom environment where
there is neither a target on
their back or they are not being
denied the full curriculum that
they are supposed to be taught.
The problem I have with what's
been happening in the states is
that the language is so vague.
And that report the person said
it doesn't specify names of
books and things.
It leaves it up to the
discretion of whoever the person
is complaining.
So I think what needs to happen
is that people need to, those
are really concerned parents not
only do they need to keep rising
up, they need allies to rise up
with them to add to their
numbers because there are more
people who care about those
children and care about their
education than the rabble
rousing parents who are putting
the targets on their backs.
>> It's insane that we are
having the education debate we
are having right now.
41 percent of kids in New York
City schools were chronically
truant.
Over the last few years, we
spent 20 years trying to lift
scores.
All of those gains were erased
in the last year or two.
It's going to alter the lives,
the gdp of this country for
decades.
We are in the middle of an
education -- I don't want to say
catastrophe, but a real set back
in the way our kids are doing.
We are talking about this
transgender stuff.
Like, what?
>> That's what Republicans are
choosing to talk about.
>> Exactly.
I sometimes think this issue
didn't surprise Republicans.
When Youngkin ran for governor,
so many parents were coming to
him he ended up winning on
schools.
It is still insane that this is
what we are talking about if we
are going to be talking about
schools.
>> Just today, the New York
district attorney has been
probing the hush money payment
made to a woman who said she was
having an affair with former
president trump just today.
He received a death threat in
the mail to his office that
contained a white powder.
The das office had a statement
issued that it was not
dangerous.
It does come on the heels of Mr.
Trump and Republicans ramping up
attacks on Alvin Bragg.
We do not know if this letter
and those attacks in any way are
connected, but it is a really
disturbing development.
>> It is a disturbing
development.
We don't know that there is a
direct connection.
But let's face it.
At 1:08 this morning, the former
president of the United States
sent out a raging social media
post filled with threats of
violence and invective against
the Manhattan D.A..
One of many that he has done all
week.
We can't draw a direct line
between them, but you can't
separate them.
What the former president is
doing is outrageous.
The fact that Republicans want
to roundly criticize him for
doing so and condemning what
he's doing and standing up for
the rule of law is outrageous.
And I think we all need to take
Donald's statements about the
Manhattan D.A. And other da's
who are investigating him
seriously.
He called for action on January
6 and we saw what happened.
We cannot afford to let that
happen again.
>> That truth social post had
Mr. Trump saying there could be
potential death and destruction
if he was indicted on these
charges.
Today house minority leader
hakeem Jeffries says he is
worried that Mr. Trump is going
to get someone killed.
Are you worried about that?
>> Absolutely.
I thought I was beyond the
ability to be shocked by Donald
Trump, but the only word that
led to mind was barbaric.
It just is shocking.
It should also be said that
there is reason he's doing it.
Two or three weeks ago he had a
10 point advantage on Ron
Desantis and now if you look at
the average of the polls, it's
up to 25 points.
Some of that is going down, but
trump is going up.
This whole indictment talk is
helping trump politically.
>> I want to ask you as well
about the tiktok hearing on
capitol hill.
There were a number of hearings
on the house side.
That same day focused on China.
How did you look at those?
>> We are in the middle of a
cold war with China.
It has started.
It has happened over two
administrations.
Official U.S. Policy to ban the
chips and the technology used to
make the chips that could go
into a phone, a car, a toaster
or a missile or a drone or ai
technology.
We are now really trying to
crack down on not the Chinese
military but the Chinese economy
because there is really no
difference between these things.
That is a very stark thing.
So if you are wondering where we
in a cold war?
We are now behaving like we are
against China and I think we are
with the Chinese and it tends to
hit technology most.
Green energy, that's the
battlefield in this cold war.
Who controls the technology.
>> Do you see it the same way?
>> When David puts it like that,
yes.
How could I argue.
Also because of what we have
seen, what China has done on the
diplomatic front.
The deal that China brokered
with Saudi Arabia and Iran, huge
deal.
I'm old enough to remember when
the United States use to seek
deals like that.
Now it's the Chinese.
>> Always good to see you both.