If you go after me, im coming for you. Those are the words donald trump posted in all caps on truth social yesterday, just one day after his latest arraignment for election interference. Saturday, august 5th, im ali velshi. We begin today with the very latest its criminal indictment of donald trump. In a court firing late last night, we have proof that the Justice Department is taking this language from defendant trump very seriously. The special counsels team cited trumps truth social post in request for the judge to impose a protective order to prevent the former Vice President from making public any Sensitive Information turned over by the prosecutors. Quote, such a restriction is particularly important in this case, because the defendant has previously issued public statements on social media regarding witnesses, judges, attorneys, and others associated with legal matters pending against him. In response, trump spokesperson put out a statement claiming that the post is quote, the definition of political speech. The protector for the government is seeking is in regards to trumps scheme to interfere with the 2020 election in a desperate attempt to cling to power during the final weeks of his presidency. Its the case that perhaps the most, it is the most resident to many americans, because we watched the events of january six unfold in realtime. We understood that the violence that day was a consequence of trumps reckless lies. And this indictment validates that and goes even further, laying out evidence that the efforts behind the scenes by trump and his coconspirators were worse than we thought. Despite the foolish public spectacles put on by trumps socalled elite Strikeforce Team in the weeks after the election, theres nothing funny about how seriously they were discussing ways to keep donald trump in places precedent, and the indictment makes a strong and clear case that trump knew the effort was bogus, and illegal. He lost dozens of lawsuits challenging the legitimacy of the Election Results in multiple states. His own Senior Advisers, white house counsel, governor, secretary, state and other Election Administration officials disputed his claims, including his own Cyber Security expert, who trump fired days after that expert proclaimed the 2020 election was quote, the most secure in american history. In the words of one Senior Advisor quote, it is all just conspiracy stuff beamed down from the mothership, end quote. But the quds attempt went far beyond trumps disregard for facts. When one trump advisor warned the steam would lead to riots, quote, Coconspirator Two confirmed, who was now confirmed to be lawyer john eastman, responded that there had previously been points in this nations history where violence was necessary to protect the republic end quote when similar concerns were raised with coconspirators for, now believed to be former Department Of Justice official, Jeffrey Clark, he responded, quote well, thats why there is an insurrection act. Which is a nod to the idea of the president could mobilize the military against the American People in order to quash riots. The indictment even lays out how trump was prepared to oust the Attorney General and install clark, this guy, Jeffrey Clark, who was willing and ready to carry out trumps bidding, and use the office and the powers of the Attorney General to advance the fake electors scheme. I mean, some cassette of actually succeeded elsewhere in the world were not this will plans or sophisticated while trumps scheme ultimately failed back in january of 2021, he remains to this minute, unapologetic, under pending. He continues to undermine democracy, having now launched a campaign of retribution. Trump regularly claims his Campaign Rallies that the federal government has been weaponized against him claiming, quote, they want to take away my freedom but i will never let them take away your freedom. They are not after me, there after you. Im just standing in their way, or in more blunt terms, as he wrote yesterday, if you go after me, im coming after you. Joining me now, john nichols, staff writer for the atlantic and author of the atlanta daily newsletter. Hes also the author of our own worst enemy, the assault from within on modern democracy. Also with us is john freeman, professor of History In American Studies at yale university. She is the president of the society for historians of the early american republic. She is the author of the book, the field of blood, violence in congress and the road to the civil war. Good morning to both of you. Thank you for being with me. Professor freeman, you and i spoke right after the insurrection. We knew just from the information we had about the role that violence had played that they, and you, of course brought Historical Context to that. I read that indictment and i shuddered in those moments, where Jeffrey Clark talked about the fact that its okay. We may need violence to get this done. Its okay, we may need to invoke the military to get this done. Despite the fact that they allegedly knew that what they were trying to do with fraudulent and the legal. Rights. Well, two things i want to say in response to that. Number one is, obviously, you have already used the word several times. Im going to say it, because people have been shy about saying this was an attempted coup, and obviously, it was an attempted coup. The thing to bear in mind about these threats and ideas about using violence to put down the American People is in parts, this is chilling because it is, in and of itself, horrible to consider. But its also worth noting that this is a threat that is meant to be threatening, to intimidate people, to keep them from responding in a way that might be inconvenient to those who continue to want to have power in analysts its kind of a way. So, its easy, i think to dismiss some threats as just speech. But if its a threat that is intended to intimidate and intended to get people to back down or remain silent, then it is, its speech, but its also more than speech. Its threat inherent in a threats matters. Tom, i read something you wrote a couple of days ago, which really stood with me. And that is, for better or for worse, we are still a democracy. For better or for worse, we still have the vote, despite all those efforts to undermine the importance of the right to vote and to have that vote counted. In the, end justice and the preservation of democracy, in your opinion, its going to come in the election of 2024. Perhaps more so than in this case. Right. In the end, the voters are the people who have to take charge of the destiny of this country, and decide that whatever our other disagreements about policies, that donald trump is a threat to the republic and he cant be allowed near power again. I think its absolutely crucial that trump is having to go to court and stand before a judge and answer for the things that he did. And i think its important to find out that he did these things. The only question is whether they are actually criminal in the judgment of the court of law. But the fact that he did them at all should tell the rest of us that this man should never be allowed anywhere near the leverage of power. And so, if we cant do that as a country, as voters, then we are in a lot bigger trouble than anything donald trump can do. James madison, when talking of the constitution, said talking about checks and balances, he said is there no virtue among us . If there is not, we are at a terrible situation. Because checks and balances and even courts cant substitute for the virtue of the public. And theyve got to make this decision and keep donald trump out of our public life. And i see you nodding. I have to agree with tom back as much as Everyone Wants to see this trial goes through and wants to see how it all unfolds, and jack smith seems to have a pretty strong indictment here, in the end, this is a candidate who is threatening people, promising retribution, talking that way dictators and authoritarians talk. This election is impossibly about policy. You know me. Im an economics guy. I like to talk about inflation. Id like to talk about all these kinds of things, but thats not what this is. That is not the moment were at. So, if you like lower taxes, you like less regulation, this isnt the moment to have that debate. This is a difference debate. This is an election along the lines of what was just said, this is an election thats going to be about democracy, about preserving democracy, about bolstering democracy, about appreciating what it is and keeping power away from people who are blatantly asserting that they dont respect it. Right . And what is at the heart of democracy . Among other things, accountability, if you are in power and you are given power, you are accountable for how you use or misuse that power. And the rule of law. So, anyone who is trouncing those things, accountability and the rule of law, does not deserve to be given power. So, i totally agree and even express it even more aggressively. This coming election is going to be about what americans think about democracy. Are they willing to vote to preserve it . I think it is tempting for people to stand back and say, well, this is a trial. Theres something happen on an abstract level, and they personally arent involved, they are. What matters now, from now on, its going to be how the American People understand the process and deal with what theyre witnessing. So tom, as a conservative, how do you have that conversation with other conservatives and independent minded people who give you the whole litany about what they dont love about joe biden and whatever . Theres been an impeachment, theres been a january six committee, how do you have that conversation . Even this week in the wall street journal, which i enjoyed reading, their Opinion Pages out of sync with actual democratic reality this week. But Wall Street Journal Opinion Page being out of sync, you know, that is a tuesday. But i think one of the ways you do it is you refused to accept the terms of debate that other people are offering you. They say well, you know, i dont like what joe bidens done. Look, im just not having that conversation this is an existential crisis, and it has been for the past several years it has been ever since donald trump tried to execute, and i absolutely agree with professor freeman, since donald trump tried to execute a key coup against the United States of america to overthrow the constitution and support our political system. And when someone says yeah, but i, my answer is that im out of patience for those discussions. There is no yeah, but. There is no which policy you prefer, and why you cant get it by going this way or that way. Donald trump is not about policy. Donald trump is about raw power, and particularly the small, venal, and vicious men and women who surround donald trump. You know, that mediocrity like john eastman or Jeffrey Clark would even think about encouraging the president of the United States to call off the u. S. Military against american citizens. Its sickening. And these are the people that will go back to washington with trump. People just you know, issue a blizzard of pardons, and that will become our government for us long as that ten minutes of democracy that will last from the time hes sworn into the time he does all of these things. And thats the only discussion we should be having. Everything else is a distraction. But for a few people with a backbone, Jeffrey Clark would have been their Attorney General, influencing the idea that the military went out in the street. Thats how close we were. Thank you to both of you. Its an honor to have you both here. Tom nichols, staff writer at the atlantic, the author of our own worst enemy, the assault from within on modern democracy. Professor jon freeman, professor of history and american studies at yale university, author of the field of blood, violence in congress and the road to the civil war. Still ahead, the latest Federal Nyman against donald trump introduces fresh and specific allegations against former president. Sourced directly from mike pences notes. Plus todays Velshi Banned Book Club feature, persepolis, by marjane satrapi, tells the story of what happens when a nation crosses an ideological political and cultural threshold, set in the midst of the Iranian Revolution. It as marshall and her family, as a ten year old child, just beginning to understand the chaos around here. And then, as a young adult who returns to be wrong with the understanding that freedom has a price. Plus, i need your help, all of you. Ill explain, after this. Ll explain, after this pros like me profer the grand slam ham. And this rookie prefers fresh sliced turkey. Perfect for when youre subbed out of the game. And if we profer it, we know youll prefer it too. Nothing better than a sub, sub. There are currently more than 750,000 unfilled Cybersecurity Jobs in the u. S. 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Came to head with the indictment, i read the whole thing out loud for a podcast so that those who didnt have the time to do it could hear what is in. It it is damning, assuming the allegations bear out in a fair trial, it should end any doubt that reasonable people should have about reelecting donald trump. And it should convince those same, people wherever they sit on the political spectrum, that the next election is not about writer. Left it is about not policy at, all but liberty, equality and democracy. For those who think what is unfolding is just about january, sixth its, not its about everything that we should hold dear and free and caring as people. It is about the rights we stand to lose as a country. A woman with a complex or dangerous pregnancy, which is more likely to happen in america than almost any other developed country, faces potential death after seeking medical care because of the fear that doctors in hospitals have about breaking the, law getting arrested, losing their license and possibly going to jail. In texas, Amanda Zurawski was denied a lifesaving abortion because of the states abortion laws went into septic shock. She almost died. This is awfully close to what she left at the end possibility of fiction. Imagine a, woman a, couple who did not intend to become pregnant. Because, yes that still happens in america where an explicit Sex Education is increasingly frowned upon in republican led states. Some republicans are making contraception harder to get. Imagine wanting an abortion, for your, wife your daughter, or maybe they want one. They dont have the money to raise that child in one major developed nation without universal health care and with the soaring cost of education. The cost of raising a child until the age of 18 is more than a quarter of 1 million dollars, according to statistics from the brookings institution. Media american wage is 60,000. Yet, 2020, four republican candidate, donald trump, mike pence, Asa Hutchison in tim scott, have endorsed the idea of Nationwide Abortion restrictions. Imagination captured imported people against their will and kept them enslaved for 157 years before becoming an independent country, and then fought a civil war, 85 years after independence, in which 620,000 people died to end slavery, and then kept black people from enjoying their full civil and Voting Rights for another hundred years. Imagine all those years in which most black people could not begin to achieve a quality and education and employment, and certainly not in politics. Now, imagine a country that has tried to write those wrongs with things as basic as affirmative action. Now, imagine a Supreme Court, perverted by a Republican Party, bent on making sure that the deeply rooted racial wrongs of americas past cohen corrected. Actually, im wrong about. That it is not a party that once the wrongs corrected, it is a party that wants the wrongs unlearned. It is a party that sometimes tacitly and explicitly supports the banning of books. 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. They say. They, being the constitution of the United States of america. Tell me how the banning of books fits into this first we amendment. Imagine your gay son or daughter, im imagining mine, not having the right to marry whom they love because at least one conservative Supreme Court justice who sits in the majority on our nations highest court has thwarted that possibility. Imagine a child who does not identify with the gender to which they were born, dont agree with, it dont worry about what bathrooms they get to use or what teams they get a play, on just imagine it. Imagine all the anxiety and confusion and stress that comes with being a kid today. All the questions about fundamental identity, at that, the stress of wondering if your own body is betraying you. Those children are being persecuted today. It will only get worse. Already, if you are trans in america you are like we have being bullied, and, murdered our statistically higher to that of an average american. Trans people are over four times more likely to be the victims of Violent Crime and cisgender people. Thats according to a study by ucla. What about your vote . Your belief that your vote matters . Your faith that your vote will be counted . That is the basis upon which our republic is grounded. The leading contender for the Republican Party actively worked to undermine that core belief, despite knowledge that there was no outcome determined in the 2020 election. An election his own expert said was the safest in american history. An expert who was subsequently fired for saying that. Its not just a leading contender, only four of his republican opponents have supported his prosecution to undermine this right. Nikki haley said, quote, we have to move forward. Which is a popular sentiment i hear often. Except we cant. We cannot move forward from consideration for the rights of our people. All of this is on the, Line Democracy is on the line. I have heard all the criticisms of joe biden and the democrats, that joe biden at 80 is a whopping three years older than donald trump. He seems confused, unless of, course picking up the humptydumpty that was nato and putting it back on the wall to help ukraine fight off an attack from adversary 28 times in size is confused. Ive heard that he is focused on being woke but not on the economy, despite 31 straight months of job gains, all of the jobs lost in the pandemic recovered Plus 5 Million more. Inflation down to a level that most global economists believe its sustainable. A stock market up tyus level in history. Unemployment at its lowest levels in history. As is his predecessor used to say, more americans are working now than ever before. You know what else we have more of than ever before . Heat. Another cable station, i wont call it a new, Station Which has been airing segments about the socalled climate scam. Critical thinking humans are desperate to find solutions to global boiling, and they are still discussing whether or not it is a thing. Donald trump famously said in office, quote we should be focused on magnificently clean and healthy air and not distracted by the expense hoax that is global warming, end quote. Magnificently clean air, how does that work out for you . All of this is fact. I invite all the rightwing shows and trolls that like to monitor this show for accuracy to take every word of what i am just said and put it into chatgpt, or whatever counts as reaches for them these days, and check me for accuracy. But thats not my ask of you. My ask of you as, how do i discuss this with people who wont listen . With people who dont watch the show or this network . Who read the nonsense about both sides and think it is biden, not the gop. Who are weaponizing government. How do i convince them that they are in fact inextricably linked to the rights of all of us . How do i convince them not to vote their democracy away . Not about the rights of the history, the futures of women, they, people, transatlantic the kids who just want to read books not to vote there right away. Just because they want less regulation . Lower taxes . Help me with this. Help me with this. Im a retired school librarian. Im also a Library Board trustee, a mother of two, and a grandmother of two. Basically, i thought that my memory wasnt as good as it had been. I needed all the help i could get. I saw the commercials for prevagen. I started taking it. And it helped i noticed my memory was better. There was definite improvement. Ive been taking prevagen for a little over five years. Prevagen. At stores everywhere without a prescription. Okay everyone, our mission is complete balanced nutrition. Together we provide nutrients to support immune, muscle, bone, and heart health. Yaaay woo hoo ensure with 25 vitamins and minerals and ensure complete with 30 grams of protein. Im saving with liberty mutual, mom. 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Ahhhhhh meet the future. A chef. A designer. And, ooh, an engineer. All learning to save and spend their money with chase. The chefs cooking up firsts with her new debit card. Hungry . Uhuh. The designers eyeing sequins. Uh no plaid. While mom is eyeing his spending. Nice. And the engineer . Shes taking control with her own account for college. Three futures, all with chase. Freedom for kids. Control for parents. One bank for both. Chase. Make more of whats yours. You are too honest, the only u. S. President to ever be accused of orchestrating an attempted coup. Three words that encapsulates the Relentless Campaign of pressure mounted against the Vice President , urging him to forsake his oath and undermined the very foundations of american democracy. Three words that the most special insight into the mindset of a man maniacal to run by power as he desperately sought to enlist yet another subordinate to carry out his antidemocratic agenda. You are too honest, that was the response, that according to the historic indictment unveiled this week, former president , donald, trump on third to mike pence after he refused to bend to trumps will. Pence stood steadfastly by trumps threat for use of, service emerges as a prominent figure in the federal indictment announced on tuesday. Its complete with references to pence who is mentioned 100 times. Not as a coconspirator, rather as Someone Trump tried to convince to reject the Election Results. Special counsel, jack, smith introduces flesh, of fresh specific allegation against trump, sourced from pences own notes. December 29th, when the Justice Department was finding major voting infraction. Six days later, on january 4th, 2021, pence posted a direct question to Coconspirator Too, who believed to be trumps lawyer, john eastman, inquiring about trumpss authority to reject the Election Results. Quote, Coconspirator To suggested that it was uncharted territory, pence tells trump even your own counsel is not saying that you have that authority. Also, a phone call on christmas day, pence calls trump to wish him a merry christmas. Trump allegedly shifted quickly to talking about january 6th. Pressing pence to reject electoral votes. Pence pushes back again, the morning of january 5th, pences legal team met with eastman who, again, proposed that pence unilaterally reject electors from specific states. When they told easement that this proposal would result in disastrous situation where the election might, quote, have to be decided in the streets. Trumps pressure on pence and on january 6th. During his speech at the ellipses [interpreter] quote, do the right thing, and quote. Following the indictment, heres what pence had to say. On that, day President Trump asked me to choose him over my oath to the constitution. I chose the constitution of the United States and i always will. Its worth noting that pence and attorney by trade, found it necessary to document these encounters through notes. A legal term referring to a type of evidence used to corroborate a witness has to money. Im joined now by olivia troye, former Senior Adviser to mike pence and counterterror advisor. Olivia, good to see you. Ive been thinking all week, im wondering what you were feeling as you read through this document which your old boss was mentioned 100 times. On the right side, things he comes up at the guy who stood up for democracy. What was going through your head . You, know honestly, it was chilling, it brought back so many memories of january six. It actually made me nauseous at times, and i could very visually visualize some of these moments they were describing because ive seen these moments firsthand in the past in various situations. Ive never doubted that mike pence would do the right thing, i know who he is as a human being. I know he upholds the constitution and he takes his oath seriously. He certainly showed it that day. And i think, hopefully, this is more of a cover for pence, there is an official indictment he can speak more freely about the reality of what this was. I heard you talking about the two honest thing. It just made me think of so many times inside the white house when mike pence was perhaps too honest when it came to the codependents earlier on. Or doctor fauci was to. Honest these are the statements that remain, or the National Security person that told trump the reality about russian interference in our elections and what was happening, they were also to honest. When your too honest, you, know im also a bit too honest at times, he certainly shows his true colors when you do. That on who this man, as i think this indictment this week was a combination of a man who was basically running his entire life on lies. Finally, they cut off i hope this kind ability will actually be seeing you and i talked many times about, this and which you have often expressed a wish that mike pence was more forthcoming on things that he sometimes has been. In, slate when pence writes at no point was he an ally he refused to testify in the house panel. His great act of defiance was as much an act of self preservation, he preferred not to. He wrote it all down, when history, asked what did you do when the recording came . The former Vice President will hold his head, not very high, to say he took dictation to let someone else figure it out. What do you think of that evaluation . You, know ive been very frustrated with my former boss. Ive defended him at times. Ive also been critical of him, and when you work for someone for over two and a half years, as i, did as a career National Security person, its hard to do that. Its hard to be critical of someone publicly because thats just not what were trying to do, were trying to her mouth shut. Ive chosen a different path, i think pence should reevaluate how he wants to be seen in history. I believe he should have been more vocal. Ali, i believe right now, donald trump would not be the front runner of the gop nomination if mike pence had stood up very quickly after january 6th and taken a stand and been more forceful. I think mike pence would be the front runner for the nomination if he had because i think people, conservatives, who saw him took a stand, they wouldve followed. But instead, he has let over two years of disinformation and these lies continue. He has not been Strong Enough pushing, back hes undermined the Department Of Justice. Hes paired the lines about the two tier to dishes system, which is really damaging to our democracy. And i think that those are the moments that matter because you let so much time passed that the divide and disinformation, the alternate reality that were seeing in some of these people look who strongly believe the election was stolen is still out there. He is a powerful voice. He lived it and he saw it firsthand. How do conservatives talk about this . Who got somewhat abouts going on about the upcoming election. At this, point there are four people running, who have been critical for everyone else is in lockstep. A lot of moderates and conservatives and independents in this country have said they had issues with joe, biden maybe theyll consider whether republicans have on off. Or how do you have that conversation with them . That this isnt about wages or inflation, or whatever. Is its actually about democracy. Well look, im all for less regulation and lower taxes. Thats what makes me a conservative. But ill tell you what else im for, democracy. Right now its democracy versus authoritarianism, hate, division, antisemitism, which is on the rise, racial hate, all this stuff. All this violence, also. Because all of these things, all of these narratives that also lead to violence which we saw on january 6th. I see that because a lot of these things are the hispanic invasion. Its been four years since the oh paso shooting, they parodied some of these Talking Points and we know where they come from. For people running for, office i think you need to take a step back and really examine your true conservatism and what it stands for because when youre having these conversations with your neighbors, you can sit down and say, is this what you want . Do you want your neighbor to be threatened . Do you want the Law Enforcement person whos just doing their job . Do you want them to live their life in fear based threats because of statements made by people who want to be Populist Leaders . Is that what you really . Want already want someone im our traditional conservative. Is it better to go with someone who, yeah, he may not be everyones cup of tea when it comes to policy decisions, but i will tell you what, you need to get away from attacking each other. We need to get away from attacking someone just because they are transgender, or their race. We need to stand up to these people. I believe that is what true conservatism is. What happened to compassionate conservatives . What happened to that era . Is it really that thats who this party is . Right now that today. Are there other people, hes out there telling the truth and i hope that more voices will at least rally around someone like him. And some of these other candidates that are unwilling to go along with this just because its about power in the grift. Its about remaining there is a greater base out. There i believe theres a greater base out there, the American People dont want. This and they look at this and they say, thats not who we are as a country. We are better than that. And we do have the, vote we actually can make decisions about these things. We are not fighting an invader, the enemies, olivia, always good to talk to you. Former Senior Adviser to Vice President , mike pence. Todays meeting of the Velshi Banned Book Club, and a graphic memoir, perceptible us. The amidst of the Iranian Revolution. Its defending Cultural Heritage and growing. Up masterfully combining historical accuracy nmr with powerful and straight illustrations. The latest in Velshi Banned Book Club, the power of graphic memoir. We those powerful an awardwinning film of the same name. [speaking in a nonenglish language] vo sail through the heart of historic cities and unforgettable scenery with viking. Unpack once, and get closer to iconic landmarks, local life, and cultural treasures. Because when you experience europe on a viking longship, youll spend less time getting there and more time being there. Viking. Exploring the world in comfort. dad we got our Subaru Forester wilderness to discover all of the places that make us feel something more. vo subaru is the National Park foundations largest corporate donor, helping expand access for all. At typical insurance, youre just another senior. Thats the third Health Insurance commercial with seniors at a farmers market. Right . Dont get me wrong i love a fresh heirloom, but its like those Companies Think were all the same. Thats why i chose humana. Before i signed up, i spoke to someone who actually listened to what i needed. She told me about benefits that were right for me, like vision and dental. All in my budget. I finally feel in control. What are you doing . Taking control. Humana. A more human way to healthcare. Businesses need 5g solutions today. Thats why they choose tmobile for business. Mlb partners with tmobile to not only enhance the fan experience, but to advance how the game is played. Aaa relies on tmobiles network to stay connected nationwide, so they can help get their members back on the road. And were helping pano ai innovate, to stop the spread of wildfires. Nows the time to see what americas largest 5g network can do for your business. My frequent heartburn had me taking antacid after antacid all day long but with prilosec otc just one pill a day blocks heartburn for a full 24 hours. For one and done heartburn relief, prilosec otc. One pill a day, 24 hours, zero heartburn. Marjane satrapi Award Winning novel, persepolis, opens with a class photo. Its a row of young girls wearing identical black head scarves. Quote, this is me when i was ten years old. This was in 1980, there is a class, photo im sitting on the far left, so you dont see me. This is our introduction to our hair went through the Iranian Revolution. Its a, funny, outspoken and spirited Young Marjane satrapi born in 1960. Nine she was raised as the only child in a progressive upper class household in tehran. Her eiley educated parents marched in the protests that contributed to the demise of the shaws monarchy, and then watched as the fundamentalist theocracy that follows followed claimed the lives of the revolutionary friends and radically change their way of life. Eventually, an argument between subtropical and her conservative with over a piece of jewelry, they sent her to high school in austria. This is the story and variation for somebody very families living in iran in the midst of the revolution. Its the story of persepolis, todays Velshi Banned Book Club feature. Like other graphic now falls featured, including now,s white bird, and they called us, enemy perceptiveless masterfully combines matt moore with illustration. Its the story they tell, mostly in and keep black and, white and persian styles. Satrapi friends are white circles peering out from white veils. Battlefields are graffiti is curled Farsi Lettering on blocked brick. Four satrapi and the reader, nothing but the illustrations are Black And White in this book. Perhaps most notably, it is satrapi ability to write from the perspective of a child without losing the depth that characterizes this book. It is powerful to learn the cultural and political implications of the Iranian Revolution through the eyes of a young girl. Satrapi laughs, plays creates trouble in the universe in a way that all ten year olds. Do these bits of Childhood Naivete and silliness are not just necessary breaks from a really heavy story, they contribute to an accurate and wellrounded portrayal of what growing up looks like in the midst of unrest bombings and relentless we grow up with satrapi learning and understanding the Iranian Regime and making sense of the chaos that she does. Named for the ancient capital of the Persian Empire and a nod to the nations long and wrist history, We Persepolis, is a celebration of Iranian Culture. And an exploration of what patriotism means in a nations darkest moments. We satrapi rebellious refusal to embrace fundamentalism reads like a love letter to tehran in the modern women who raised. Her theres a moment in the Second Satrapi many will learn about the horrors of the, holocaust the Lasting Impact of colonial lays asian and the pain of the Iranian Revolution by numbers only. Without arts or shakespeare, is the tempest, or satrapis We Persepolis. It will be hindered, lacking an empathy at best, understanding at worst. It is like trying to learn to draw a human body under layers and layers of black fabric. The students know. It We Persepolis faced sweeping restrictions across chicagos public, schools in 2013. Citing sensitivity to the books disaffection of torture. Two students condemned the removal. They were older than satrapi was when she witnessed the death and torture that the School District deemed inappropriate for them to read about. Heres what they said. The book actually tells us what happened during the Iranian Revolution, and, the truth of the book is not much different than what kids see in their neighborhoods every day, and quote. We are at an ideological political and cultural crossroads, not dissimilar to the one that iran faced in the pages of this book. Perhaps reading perceptive us today and other books like it will bring the clarity that, we as a nation, need. Right after the break im joined by marjane satrapi, artist, director and awardwinning author of todays Velshi Banned Book Club feature, We Persepolis. We persepolis. Waaaay longer than detergent alone. If you want laundry to smell fresh for weeks, make sure you have Downy Unstopables inwash scent boosters. From big cities, to small towns, and on main streets across the us, youll find pnc bank. Helping businesses both large and small, communities and the people who live and work there grow and thrive. Were proud to call these places home too. Theyre where we put down roots, and where together, we work to help move everyones financial goals forward. Pnc bank. Your bug spray should take out bugs, not keep out people. Unlike other sprays that stick around, zevo goes from kill to clean in just seconds, plus its safe for use around people and pets. Zevo. Peoplefriendly. Bugdeadly. Joined now by marjane satrapi, artist director and awardwinning author of Velshi Banned Book Club feature. We thank you for being. Here i can tell you how many tweets and messages are received from people who are so happy that we have got you here as a featured member of the Velshi Banned Book Club. Thank you very much, thank you for having me. And what an introduction. Lets talk, about it its wary of that introduction, this coffee of persepolis that im holding up, now this is the 20th anniversary addition. He wrote a new forward in this book that addresses the book spanning, and that womenled protest in iran today. It is the first Feminist Revolution in which women and men are fighting together handinhand for their freedom, freedom i am certain we will succeed. And quote. Talk to me about your hopefulness and how it compares to what is actually going on in iran . The situation has not changed, which is the part of the story. Iranian regime acts to people has not changed since i wrote perceptive lists. But is the reaction of the people that has changed. We were so scared, we after the revolution, after the war, or this new generation who understands who the regime is and wants a massive change. Once a change of the regime. Theyre not scared anymore. The democracy is actually the culture, its not one person. This new generation, they so this is why i call it the first feminist movement. Its actually supported by man. We are not going to see if we are you could see the men are we behind the girls. The big difference is how the people react When I Grow Up the thing that makes change in society, the culture of the society, the Iranian Culture especially among youth is extremely democratic. When you have achieved, that its 90 of the. Work the rest is politics, 10 . And it will succeed. Im sure. Its amazing you say that because i dont want to draw illusions to your book that arent there, but those phrases, its not the leaders, its the reactions of the people, they could be incredibly relevant to whats going on in america today. Or france today. Or italy today. Actually, all of these countries i just, named people have the vote. They actually have more power than they even do in iran. We cant change our destinies if we react properly. Absolutely, absolutely. In democracy, its more relevant. In a country like, iran it is like, a choice between me and my shadow. Should i choose between me and myself . It doesnt give lots of choices. In iran, they really want change, profound change. They want change of the regime, the whole system. Each time they say that, either they are killed or arrested. They are executed, 20 years, 25 years. People risk their lives for freedom. You never fight for freedom as much as when you dont have it. You have to know that you have it and then you [inaudible] achieve either democracy. They think democracy is not for granted. You see it in america what happened a couple of years ago. You just need some crazy person to become the chief of the country, and then he has other crazy people to do crazy stuff. [inaudible] in a very deep democracy, like america, democracy is taken for granted. Imagine in iran actually, we know youre not free. So in a way it makes it easier because youre fighting for thats a distinction, right now we dont know. That this is the, problem have this country thinks we are losing our democracy, the other half thinks there is no big problem going on. Well, exactly. A fascist to seem is bad. But nothing is worse than a fractious democracy because it gives you the agent that it is chosen and its freedom, but people are brainwashed. So when you know what is going on, at least you know what youre fighting against. You have the solution that you are actually living we know we dont live in up lets explore the concept of freedom. The last few words of your book, you write freedom had a price. What do you mean by that . Well, freedom always has a. Price my freedom at the time that i was there, it decided the regime. It was also [inaudible] was very patriarchal. It has changed tremendously over the past couple of years. The price was to leave the country, to go away from where i loved. I dont know if i had the right to [inaudible] Beautiful Life living in paris. If i complain about people in ron [inaudible] freedom has a price, you have to pay. I wrote persepolis, and i knew that i could never travel back to my country. I would never see my parents again, et cetera, et cetera. Its a decision you take and you have to [inaudible]. It doesnt give me the right to complain anymore. Some of the most effective moments in the book take place in the classroom, it is there that irans rapidly shifting culture at the time becomes most apparent to the Young Marjane satrapi. Talk to me about what education looks like. You saw it, change what it looked like in the face of fundamentalism . You, know they tried to brainwash us originally. If you dont want to be brainwashed then youre not brainwashed. This is why culture is so important. From the moment that you learn to think for yourself and actually make an opinion by yourself, not because somebody repeatedly told you something that you believe them. We had education at school that taught us some, stuff then our parents would make a correction of what was said to us. What they really tell, you dont believe, it you have to think by yourself. Persepolis was, like as a human, being all the reasons become bigger than your personal reason. The political reason, the social, reason whatever reason becomes bigger than you, yourself. Your personhood. How we grow up, how are you persepolis [inaudible] how do you discover rock music . How does it taste to smoke your first secret . How is it to sneak out of the house. All of these things, its not because its forbidden that you this is one of the band book is such a stupid idea. Because if you want people to read a book, Nothing Better than being the focus of a banned book club. It shows up in bookstores, everybody wants to read. It when we tweet out the segment, im going to tweet out what you just. Said if you dont want to be, brainwashed he wont be brainwashed. Being brainwashed is a choice. Of, course it is a choice that is stupid because thinking if you dont want to make the effort, you want to be stupid, then too bad for you. But not being brainwashed asks some effort, thinking has effort. This is why its so easy and thinking its uncomfortable because it has effort. But something differs us from animals, we have the capacity of thinking and predicting imagining. If we dont use it the more monkeys. Its a choice if you want to be a monkey, you can be. One marjane satrapi, i will get, there i wish we could talk more about this but i think this resulted in a lot of people reading this book from different eyes and wondering how it affects us here in america. Marjane satrapi is the author of todays Velshi Banned Book Club, feature persepolis. Stay right where you, are alex witt reports with a rhino horn begins right after the break. 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