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>> Stephen: WELCOME BACK, EVERYBODY.
JOINING ME NOW IS A LIFE-LONG PUBLIC SERVANT FROM HAWAII WHO
IS THE ONLY IMMIGRANT CURRENTLY SERVING IN THE U.S. SENATE.
HER NEW MEMOIR, "HEART OF FIRE," COMES OUT TOMORROW.
PLEASE WELCOME TO "A LATE SHOW," SENATOR MAZIE HIRONO.
SENATOR HIRONO H THANK YOU FOR BEING HERE.
>> ALOHA, STEPHEN.
GREAT TO BE WITH YOU.
>> Stephen: ALOHA TO YOU, TOO.
NOW, YOU HAVE BEEN SERVING THE PEOPLE OF HAWAII 40 YEARS, STATE
REP, LIEUTENANT GOVERNOR, CONGRESSWOMAN, SENATOR.
AS I SAID, YOU'RE CURRENTLY THE ONLY IMMIGRANT SENATOR.
I HAVE A PICTURE OF YOU.
THIS IS YOU AND YOUR MOM CIRCA 1955.
YOU WERE 7 WHEN YOU MOVED TO THE U.S. FROM JAPAN.
HOUSE OF YOUR IMMIGRATION STORY AFFECTED HOW YOU DO YOUR JOB AS
U.S. SENATOR?
>> COUPLE OF WAYS.
FIRST OF ALL, THE I DID NOT HAVE AN UNUSUAL BACKGROUND AS AN
IMMIGRANT, WAS A SINGLE MOTHER WHO BUSTED HER AS WE SAY IN
HAWAII AKOLAY TO TAKE CARE OF US, I PROBABLY WOULDN'T HAVE
GIVEN BACK TO A COUNTRY THAT GAVE US SO MUCH.
MY BACKGROUND AS AN IMMIGRANT FRAMES MY UNDERSTANDING OF WHAT
WE STRUGGLE TO DO AND WHY THIS COUNTRY CALLS TO US AS TRULY A
PLACE OF HOPE.
IT'S NOT JUST WORDS TO ME.
>> Stephen: IT'S NOT JUST WORDS TO THE PEOPLE WHO STILL
WANT TO COME HERE IN LARGE NUMBERS.
>> YES.
>> Stephen: WHAT DID YOU MAKE OF PRESIDENT BIDEN'S DECISION TO
KEEP THE TRUMP CAP ON THE NUMBER OF REFUGEES WHO COULD COME HERE,
AND THEN THE REVERSAL ON THAT A DAY LATER?
>> I DIDN'T SUPPORT HIM GOING ALONG WITH THAT CAP BECAUSE
REFUGEES ARE NOT LIKE PEOPLE WHO ARE SEEKING ASYLUM.
REFUGEES HAVE ALREADY BEEN VETTED, AND, SO, I WAS MORE THAN
DISAPPOINTED, AND HE HEARD FROM A LOT OF US, AND I'M GLAD THAT
HE CHANGED HIS MIND, WHICH IS WHAT HE SAID HE WAS GOING TO DO,
WHEN HE WAS RUNNING FOR OFFICE.
SO WE NEED A PRESIDENT WHO'S GOING TO KEEP HIS WORD, AND
THAT'S WHAT I THINK JOE BIDEN WANTS TO DO.
>> Stephen: AFTER DECADES OF PUBLIC SERVICE, YOU'VE WRITTEN A
NEW BOOK CALLED "HEART OF FIRE."
WHAT DOES THAT TITLE MEAN?
>> IT DESCRIBES MY MOTHER BECAUSE SHE HAD TREMENDOUS
COURGE AND RISK TAKING TO CHANGE MY LIFE BY BRINGING ME TO
A COUNTRIES OR A STATE I KNEW NOTHING ABOUT TO GET AWAY FROM
AN ABUSIVE MARRIAGE TO MY FATHER, WHO I NEVER GOT TO KNOW.
AND, SO, SHE HAD A "HEART OF FIRE" IN ORDER TO BELIEVE IN
HERSELF AND TO DO WHAT SHE DID, TREMENDOUS COURAGE.
>> Stephen: AND YOU CAME HERE IN 1955.
THAT WAS RIGHT BEFORE HAWAII BECAME THE 50th STATE.
WERE THERE CEREMONIES?
WHAT ACTUALLY HAPPENED IN HAWAII?
>> THE BIGGEST CEREMONY I REMEMBER, I'M IN SIXTH GRADE,
WAS ONE WHERE WE HAD A SCHOOL ASSEMBLY AND I GOT SELECTED TO
PIN THE 50th STATE STAR ON OUR SCHOOL FLAG.
THAT, I REMEMBER.
AND MAKING A LITTLE -- A LITTLE PAPER STAR AND PINNING IT.
I JUST WISHED SOMEBODY HAD A CAMERA, FOR GOSH SAKES, SOMEBODY
HAD A CAMERA BACK IN THOSE DAYS.
>> Stephen: WHAT DO YOU THINK ABOUT THE CHANCES OF ADDING
ANOTHER STAR TO THE FLAG?
IT SEEMS RIDICULOUS THAT D.C. IS NOT A STATE AND PUERTO RICO.
THEY'RE MORE POPULOUS THAN SOME OF THE STATES THAT ARE ACTUALLY
PART OF THE UNION NOW.
>> I AGREE WITH YOU, DEFINITELY D.C. SHOULD BECOME A STATE, AND
PUERTO RICO, I HOPE THAT THE PEOPLE OF PUERTO RICO HAVE
DECIDED THAT THEY WANT TO BECOME A STATE.
I DON'T KNOW THAT THEY HAVE WEIGHED IN TO THAT EXTENT, BUT
DEFINITELY THE PEOPLE OF D.C.
WANT TO BECOME A STATE.
SO TALK ABOUT, YOU KNOW, NO REPRESENTATION.
D.C. PEOPLE PAY A LOT OF TAXES, ALREADY.
>> Stephen: WE HAVE TO TAKE A QUICK BREAK, WE'LL BE BACK MORE
WITH SENATOR MAZIE HIRONO.
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