-The Supreme Court
decided yesterday
that Wisconsin had to go ahead
with their primary, as scheduled...today.
So, now you have a situation that, during a pandemic,
people are going in public.
We've already seen photos of long lines
where, you know, people are exercising their right to vote,
but also wearing masks and trying to stay
six feet away from other voters.
You know, I think there's both a core fear
about what that means about today,
but also what it means
about our election in November.
Can you talk about the Supreme Court's ruling, first?
And then I have a follow-up I wanna ask about November.
-Yeah, well, let's talk about the Supreme Court's ruling
in 2013, in Shelby v. Holder,
when they gutted the Voting Rights Act.
Let's talk about the fallout of that,
which is that two dozen states, almost,
passed laws immediately through their state legislatures
that were designed to prohibit or to interfere
with people's right to exercise the right to vote.
In North Carolina, a court of appeal,
when reviewing that state legislature's law,
said that the law was designed with,
"Surgical precision to prevent black voters from voting."
And so, what we saw in Wisconsin,
in terms of the Supreme Court ruling,
is just more of the same, which is a failure
to appreciate the importance
of every person having equal access to the polls
and exercising their right in the Constitution,
their constitutional right, to vote.
And so, what's happened in Wisconsin,
God love those people who are standing in those lines.
They are committed.
But we should not make it so difficult for people to vote
that only the most committed should vote.
For a democracy to work,
it means that everyone's voice counts
-Now, obviously -- -and that's not what
-Sorry. -we're doing.
You know, there are a couple states
that do have vote from home.
It seems to work pretty well. -Right.
-You know, there is this chance
we don't know where we're gonna be in November.
We don't know
how social distancing rules will be in play then.
Is it important, if there's any other stimulus voted on,
to start putting in language that protects the right
for people to vote, come November?
Because there's certainly nothing we've seen
from this administration that would lead you to believe
that they will not try to make it harder for people to vote.
-Yeah, well, you're exactly right.
I have a bill, along with many other senators,
a bipartisan bill,
to improve the elections infrastructure of the states,
to strengthen them against foreign interference.
Bipartisan support in the United States Senate.
McConnell will not put it on the floor for a vote
and we believe it's 'cause the White House doesn't want it.
So, we need to protect the right for folks to vote
and make it as easy as possible.
I believe that voting by mail is one part of the solution.
We do have to deal with the fact, though,
that, when you, again, talk about race,
you will find that there are certain populations,
in particular African American voters,
that do not participate as much
when we're talking about vote by mail.
So, we have to put resources into encouraging that to happen.
But we have got to make sure
that this election in November has integrity
and that everyone, with so much at stake, participates
because the outcome of this election
is gonna have generational impact.
-I wanna now move on to lighter fare.
-Okay. -I heard tell that you have used
your time at night to watch "Tiger King."
-[ Laughing ] -This is serious.
-Yeah, we got sucked into it.
[ Laughing ]
What a mess!
-Yeah, I know. It is nice,
every now and then, to realize
some things were hot messes before corona hit.
-Right, or at least by contrast, yeah.
-Yes. As a former prosecutor, how did you feel
the investigation of Carole Baskin was handled?
-You know, often, what prosecutors will say is that
there's a big difference between knowing what happened
and proving what happened. -[ Chuckle ]
-I would suggest that we probably need more evidence
to prove what happened to her husband.
[ Laughter ]
You know, where is he? Hasn't he seen it?
-Yeah. -Oh, and why isn't he coming
forward, at this point?
Yeah. -Did it, at any point,
make you think to yourself,
"We should get a big game cat for the house"?
Have you thought that?
-I...no.
-[ Laughs ] -I mean, I'm just trying
[ Laughing ] to feed my husband every day.
-How is the cooking going?
'Cause, of course, that is -- -It's coming along real well.
You know, it's coming along well.
-You guys share the duties?
I know he took a cooking class. -Oh, you know,
I had a conversation with my mother-in-law
about why didn't she actually
make her son clean his room more often.
[ Laughing ]
-That happened here, too. -So, yeah.
We are splitting up --
Saturdays have become chores day.
-Yeah. -And so, now,
we have divided up cooking
and he cooks Wednesday and Saturday.
-I think this is a time --
I don't know about you, but I actually have --
one of few silver linings is reconnecting with people,
-Yeah. -both like this and via phone.
And you think it's important, right?
Like now, especially, when you think
about our older population, now, more than ever,
is a really good time to reach out,
wouldn't you say? -It really is.
And, Seth, you know, nothing can replace the sound of laughter.
Like reading "lol" just --
It doesn't work, -Not the same.
It is not the same. -these days.
-I find myself picking up the phone
and calling people much more often.
Let's remember our single friends
and our friends and relatives and neighbors
who are seniors, because this --
You know, what I've been saying is that
there's a requirement of social isolation,
but let's make sure we're not engaging in emotional isolation.
People are literally alone right now
and it's so important that people don't feel alone
and that's why connecting with each other
and just sharing a laugh, just, you know,
even a five-minute call,
it really does make a difference.
And we're gonna get through this.
We're gonna get through this, but,
unlike some of the other tragedies we've experienced,
the isolation part of this is something that is gonna have,
I think, a real effect if we don't work
at making sure no one feels alone.
-Well, I certainly appreciate you making me feel
a little bit less isolated today.
Thank you for your time, as always, Senator.
I really appreciate it. -Take care. Thank you.