How he balanced governing with being a husband and a dad in his recently published book a promised land. We dropped in on the former president in chicago, in high school where he was visiting with a group of young men who have been part of my brothers keeper to talk about their lives and the challenges they face. Are you going back to Community Organizing . Well, you know, probably im a little too grayhaired and old to be going door to door like i used to be. Plus secret Service Still follows me around, so im pretty disruptive. But i am going back to what inspired me to get into public life. One of the things that inspired former president barack obama these days are meetings like this one. Hey, people. Hey, hey. Its called a bam circle. Bam stands for becoming a man. A program that started in chicago in 2001 to mentor and support boys and young men. How is everybody doin . The idea is to create a place for them to safely and honestly share their struggles and successes, issues at home, in school or on the streets. President obama first joined a Bam Circle Back in 2013. Thats when he met High School Students james adams, Lazarus Daniels and christian champagne. Today in the same classroom they sat in eight years ago at the Hyde Park Academy, a high school on the south side of chicago, mr. Obama is catching up with them. James and lazarus are now 26. Christian is 25. He says talking with the president back then was lifechanging. It was so crazy. That first period that i went to the class, it was like, im going to meet the president. That was the most inconceivable thing that you could possibly think of. Then my heart was like racing, like when we were just sitting down and he just walked in. It was just like im forever grateful, and it changed the trajectory of my life dramatically. [ applause ] that meeting had a big impact on President Obama as well. One of the things that led him to launch an initiative called my brothers keeper, which he announced at the white house in 2014. Christian, lazarus, and james were there. James, when you went to d. C. , that was your first time out of chicago, is that right . Yeah. So that was my first plane ride, and that was really my first time being out of my neighborhood. Good afternoon. Good afternoon. Christian champagne was 18 years old at the time. He sat down with us and shared his story, and to my surprise, he was just like me, growing up without a father and sometimes not too concerned with school. [ laughter ] it was like, okay. Thats pretty nice that this is a black president , grew up without a father. Some of the guys grew up without a father is relatable. Its not just, oh, he had it made from jump and hes the president. Its i can relate to him. Mr. Obama has been candid about the struggles of his youth. He hopes sharing his story will inspire other kids to believe they too can accomplish great things. I made bad choices. I got high without always thinking about the harm that it could do. You say you were a lackadaisical student, a passionate Basketball Player of limited talent. No Student Government for me, no eagle scouts or interning at the clol co local congressmans office. I have to be careful not to overstate. I was not going around, you know, beating kids up. I get it. And, you know, setting things on fire. But i understood what it meant to not have a father in the house. I understood what it meant to be in an environment in which you were an outsider. One difference between me and these young men is there werent a lot of black people generally at the time. You also were growing up before that in indonesia as an outsider. And im also an outsider in indonesia. And so there was, mixed in with the teenage hormones and just, you know, the usual stuff that teens go through, that sense of whats my place . And how do i raise myself to be a man . And what does that entail . What responsibilities are there . What obligations do i have . You know, what i try to record in the book is the sense in which, in part, the values that my mother and grandparents had instilled in me, even if i wasnt always following them when i was a teenager, led me to the realization around 20, a little later than some of these guys, that to be a fullgrown man meant not acting out, not being cynical, but taking on some responsibilities, not just for yourself but also for the world around you. Helping boys and young men become fullgrown men is what bam is all about, and the Obama Foundation supports bam programs in several cities through the my brothers keeper alliance. Do you think you would have benefited from having this as a teenager . Im sure i could have. You know, when we came here, three of the guys here, you know, were still in school at the time, and we had a chance to have a conversation. Part of what i shared with them was and i think this surprised some of the guys was my life wasnt that different than yours. I wasnt that different from you. The main difference was i was growing up in a gentler environment. In hawaii. Right, in hawaii. So, you know, the violence and drugs and some of the issues that the guys were dealing with day to day were different. But the mistakes i made, the struggles i was going through, were similar. And i think that it would have been useful for me at that time to have just a circle in which you can talk. And i think that, you know, one of the things we all learned from the pandemic was that Human Connection matters, that were not all by ourselves, and we dont accomplish most of the things we accomplish by ourselves. You know, it requires a community. And i think particularly for boys and young men of color, many of whom grow up without fathers but many of whom also live in relative isolation where the communities, because of safety issues or economic issues, folks dont have as many resources around them. It becomes that much more critical to be able to have someplace where you can come and just say, listen, im struggling with this or, you know, im confused about that or, you know, these are the kinds of pressures im dealing with and have somebody who either is their peer or somebody older, who can say, yeah, man. Thats something that i went through also. Im struggling with this too. You know, this is something im confused about. And them being able to talk it through. President obama says he found his purpose and ambition in life through Community Service and eventually a career in politics, becoming a father to daughters sasha and malia gave him the chance to be the kind of father he never had. James and lazarus are now fathers as well. We were talking before. The three of you guys were in the program. You were in the school. Now you guys have moved on. Two of you are now fathers. Yes, sir. And both of you have daughters. Anderson here, hes a new father. How old is wyatt . Just turned 1. So hes still in diaperchanging mode. Other than changing diapers, how has that changed your perspective, and how do you think about it because, look, meeting the president , you know, its cool. But its not lifechanging in the same way that being a parent is. Before having a daughter, like i was able to make stupid decisions. But now that i have a daughter, i have to think about her. I have to think about her mother, her sister because now im the man of the house. And everything that i do is pretty much revolved around her. So i want to be that father thats always there. I want to be the one that you come home from school to, that brightens up your day. Anything that you need, you can always come to me. I didnt have that growing up. I didnt have a father. Like it was one point in time i didnt see my father for like ten years. Right. So i want to be there for her, for everything. Fantastic. How about you, lazarus . Being a father, its amazing to me. My baby girl got a great big smile, full of energy, full of life, full of joy. Bam counselors often act not only as mentors but also father figures to the young men in their group. They check in on their grades, their health, their safety. Christian champagne says President Obama has checked in with him over the years since they met more than his own father has. Whats going on, man . Things going all right . I know excellence is possible, and i need to strive for that. Although sports are important to me, i focus on my gpa, and i will get it back to a 3. 8. [ applause ] whats your life been like since that meeting . You went to morehouse. Yeah, i went to morehouse, well, for like a semester. Then i realized i couldnt pay for it, so i had to come back home. But before i wasnt really thinking about going to college to be honest because i was always worried about could i pay for it . Would i be accepted, you know. I think after the first visit you made here, i worked a little harder on my grades, you know. I stopped playing around. It was like maybe maybe i could do something else. Maybe i could go to college. When you sit in a circle like that, you know, the obstacles these kids are facing and able to overcome is really extraordinary. Yeah. You know, the first time i sat down with these guys, the most important thing for me to communicate at that time and i was the president of the United States was you guys in many ways are ahead of me, of where i was at your age. I just had certain advantages you guys dont. I could make a mistake and land on my feet. But even, i mean, you know, christian, whos 25, his single mom i think he had five or six brothers and sisters, family of six. Right. He got into morehouse, had to drop out because of money, went to another school, had to drop out because he got ill. Now hes working, hoping to go back to school. I mean its not a question of not working hard enough or, you know, being motivated enough. And that is where sort of for me, my personal Journey Intersected with i think this broader question of how are we setting up a society so that young men like that can succeed or not succeed . And thats what led me to the south side of chicago. Thats what led me to be a Community Organizer was that sense that, look, when i walk down the street of the south side of chicago, i see young people, and they look and remind me of me or michelle. And a combination of circumstance allowed us to succeed. But these kids are just as talented. Theyre just as smart. They could achieve just as much if weve got an education system, a social safety net, Job Opportunities that expose them and give them a chance. You know, i think that the single most important thing i learned as an organizer when i was here in chicago was that, you know, the line between success or failure in this society so often is dictated not by anybodys inherent merits. It has to do with the circumstances in which theyre in. That doesnt mean they dont have individual responsibility. I think all these young men you heard them. They recognize, no, ive got to work hard. Ive got to do my part. But it also means that we as a society continue to fail them. But how stacked the deck is against so many people in our society from even before they are born. Yes. I heard i was reading in a speech you gave a while back a figure i had never heard before, that by the age of 3, if you grow up in a lowincome family, youve heard 30 million fewer words than a 3yearold child in a welloff family. Which means by the time you show up in first grade, you are already significantly behind. Now, the good news is it turns out, as youre learning as a parent, kids are amazingly resilient, and they can catch up. But it also means that we have to make investments to ensure that they catch up. Well, the other thing, i mean i leave that Room Thinking how many other kids are there who arent even in that room. No. Well, one of the things we really liked about this program, becoming a man, was they didnt focus on the superstars, right . They deliberately target not the kids who are either in the most trouble or are either most successful in defying the odds. But the kids who are right there, sort of in the middle, that can tip in either direction, that if they get an encouraging adult, if they are able to, as lazarus was expressing there, if they can find words to tell their story and express themselves and talk out what theyre feeling, they can succeed. And thats part of what i think made this conversation wonderful is, yeah, these kids arent like sort of one in a million. This is what you just heard was young black men all across this country. Thats who they are. Its not the stereotype. These were not prodigies or savants, but they are brimming with potential. So if we have a society that is afraid of them, we need to listen and hear them because theyre no different than you or i in so many ways except for the opportunities that they have or dont have. Mr. Obama will be writing another book about his final years in the white house and what happened after. But in a promised land, the president writes about the beginnings of the changes he witnessed firsthand in the Republican Party when john mccain selected sarah palin to be his running mate. You talk about dark spirits that had long been lurking on the edges of the Republican Party coming center stage. Did you ever think it would get this dark . Its been more than four years since the obamas left the white house. It was a moment the former president describes as bittersweet in his book. Hello, everybody. Partly because they were leaving and partly because of what he thought might happen to the country. You write about sarah palin, about her brief ascendancy, and you talked about dark spirits that had long been lurking on the edges of the Republican Party coming center stage. Did you ever think it would get this dark . No. I thought that there were enough guardrails institutionally, that even after trump was elected, that you would have sthe socalled republican establishment who would say, okay. You know, its a problem if the white house isnt doesnt seem to be concerned about russian meddling, or its a problem if we have a president whos saying that, you know, neonazis marching in charlottesville, there are good people on both sides, you know, that thats a little bit beyond the pale. And the degree to which we did not see that republican establishment say, hold on, timeout, thats not acceptable, thats not who we are, but, rather, be cowed into accepting it and then finally culminating in january 6th where what originally was, oh, dont worry. This isnt going anywhere. Were just letting trump and others vent, and then suddenly you now have large portions of an elected Congress Going along with the falsehood that there were problems with the election. And the leadership of the gop briefly for, you know, one night when they still had the sort of scent of fear in them yeah. You know, going against the president. Then poof. Suddenly everybody was back in line. Now, the reason for that is because the base believed it. The base believed it because this had been told to them not just by the president , but by the media that they watch, and nobody stood up and said, stop. This is enough. This is not true. I wont say nobody. Let me correct it. There were some very brave people who did their jobs, like the Secretary Of State in georgia, who was then viciously attacked for it. And all those congressmen started looking around and they said, you know what . Ill lose my job. Ill get voted out of office. Another way of saying this is, i didnt expect that there would be so few people who would say, well, i dont mind losing my office because this is too important. Americas too important. Some things are more important our democracy is too important. We didnt see that. Now, you know, im still the Hope And Change guy, and so my hope is is that the tides will turn. But that does require each of us to understand that this experiment in democracy is not selfexecuting. It doesnt happen just automatically. It happens because each successive generation says these values, these truths we hold selfevident. This is important. Were going to invest in it and sacrifice for it, and well stand up for it even when its not politically convenient. One of the things you write, we need to explain to each other who we are and where we are going. I mean, as somebody who has dedicated myself to storytelling, that really resonates with me. But i wonder are we as a country still willing to listen to each others stories . I think this is the biggest challenge we have, is that we dont have the kinds of shared stories that we used to. Theres always been a division along lines of race, right . You know, we have 400 years of whites and blacks not being able to have shared experiences because of slavery and segregation and so forth. But even within, lets say, the white community, right, the stories of kids who are growing up in manhattan and the stories of kids who are growing up in abilene, texas, and the stories of kids growing up in montana those stories no longer meet, partly because of the segment you know, the siloing of the media, the internet entertainment. We occupy different worlds, and it becomes that much more difficult for us to hear each other, see each other. The thing i learned first as an organizer and then as an elected official, as a politician, was when you start hearing peoples stories, you always find a thread of your own story in somebody else. And the minute that recognition happens, that becomes the basis for a community. But it does seem like something has changed so that its become so extreme that were not even allowing ourselves to get into a position where we can see that commonality. Ive heard in the past you talk about when you were starting out in politics. You would go down to Southern Illinois to very conservative districts. Yeah. Theyd give me a hearing. No, and i think thats changed. Part of it is the nationalization of media, the nationalization of politics. You know, the fact is that, you know, you used to have a bunch of local newspapers, local tv stat stations. People werent having these highly ideological debates, but they were kind of focused more on whats happening day to day. And part of it is also the structure of our economy and our communities. Look, it used to be that a high school the average high school in america, the average public high school, you would have the bankers kid and the janitors kid in the same school, and theyd interact, and their parents would be both going to the same Football Game and would have to know each other. And if it turned out that there was a talented kid of a janitor who also happened to be on the football team, the banker president might say, hey, why dont you come work at the bank here because he knew that person. Now we have more economic stratification and segregation. You combine that with racial stratification and the siloing of the media so you dont have just Walter Cronkite delivering the news, but you have 1,000 different venues. All that has contributed to that sense that we dont have anything in common. And so, so much of our work is going to have to involve not just policy, but its also how do we create institutions and occasions in which we can come together and have a conversation . In promised land, you write, our democracy seems to be teetering on the brink of a crisis. Since you wrote that, there was the attack on the capitol. Youve got the big lie being pushed continually by not only the former president but republicans in congress. Right. Are we still just teetering on the brink, or are we in crisis . Well, i think we have to worry when one of our Major Political parties is willing to embrace a way of thinking about our democracy that would be unrecognizable and unacceptable even five years ago or a decade ago. When you look at some of the laws that are being passed at the state legislative level, where legislators are basically saying, were going to take away the certification of election processes from civil servants, you know, secretaries of state, people who are just counting ballots, and were going to put it in the hands of partisan legislatures, who may or may not decide that a states electoral votes should go to one person or another. And when thats all done against the backdrop of large numbers of republicans having been convinced, wrongly, that there was something fishy about the last election, weve got a problem. And, you know, this is part of the reason why i think the conversation around Voting Rights at a National Level is important. This is why i think conversations about some of the institutional and structural barriers to our democracy working better, like the elimination of the filibuster or the end to partisan gerrymandering is important. But this is why it is also important for us to figure out how do we start once again being able to tell a common story about where this country goes. And that is not just the job of politicians although i think elected officials have an important role. Thats where the media is going to have to play an important role. That is where companies have to play an important role. You know, all of us as citizens have to recognize that the path to towards an undemocratic america is not going to happen in just one bag. It happens in a series of steps. And when you look at whats happened in places like hungary and in poland that obviously did not have the same traditions, democratic traditions that we did, they werent as deeply rooted, and yet as recently as ten years ago, were functioning democracies and now essentially have become authoritarian. Democracy doesnt always die in a military coup. Democracy dies at the ballot box. Thats exactly right. And Vladimir Putin gets elected with a majority of russian voters. But none of us would claim that thats the kind of democracy that we want. You wrote about the importance of getting exposed to other peoples truths. Yeah. And that is how attitudes change. What happens when the only truth that people are willing to expose themselves to is their own . Yeah. Well, look, this is part of the challenge. Its part of the challenge with social media. I think theres been a lot of conversation about how we are able now to just filter out anything that contradicts our own biases, prejudices, and predispositions. Its not symmetrical. I have to say this. You know, the truth is, is that on what at least the right would consider liberal media like cnn, you know, you guys will still take democrats to task for things. I think democrats, lord knows when i was president , i was getting a lot of incoming from my own base. And so, you know, its not symmetrical, but what is true is for all of us. There is a great danger that we just shut out anything that contradicts our own sense of righteousness in these big debates. Not only that, but then we otherize and we demonize the other side. So that is going to require steady effort. It probably is not going to be done at the federal level. Its probably going to involve communities finding ways to rebuild that sense of neighborliness, working together, conversations. You know, one of the things that having been out of office for a while, ive gone back to thinking about is how can we do more bottomup work to rebuild communities, to rebuild local media, to rebuild local conversations, because thats where i think theres still the most hope. Hands up, dont shoot look out it was during President Obamas eight years in the white house the American Public began learning and saying the names Trayvon Martin, eric garner, and michael brown. Young black men killed by police or, in Trayvon Martins case, by a Neighborhood Watch volunteer when martin was 17 years old. When Trayvon Martin was first shot, i said that this could have been my son. Another way of saying that is that Trayvon Martin could have been me 35 years ago. President obama was both praised and criticized for that statement, one of several reminders for The First Black American president that how and when he discussed race was something he and his advisers had to think carefully about. In his book, he writes that early on in his president ial campaign, his advisers warned him about being boxed in as, quote, the black candidate. Looking back, as president , did you tell the story of race in america enough, do you think . Well, look, i tried. I think a told a lot of stories. You take a look at the speeches i gave in selma and the speech i gave during the campaign about robin wright and that whole episode. Each and every time i tried to describe why it is that we are still not fully reconciled with our history. But the fact is that it is a hard thing to hear. Its hard for the majority in this country, white americans, to recognize that, look, you can be proud of this country and its traditions and its history and our forefathers, and yet it is also true that this terrible stuff happened and that, you know, the vestiges of that linger and continue. And the truth is, is that when i tried to tell that story, oftentimes my political opponents would deliberately not only block out that story but try to exploit it for their own political gain. You know, i tell the story in the book about the situation where skip gates, a harvard professor who is trying to get into his own house, gets arrested, and im asked about it. I dont know, not having been there and not seeing all the facts, what role race played in that. But i think its fair to say, number one, any of us would be pretty angry. Number two, that the Cambridge Police acted stupidly in arresting somebody when there was already proof that they were in their own home. And not only did that cause a firestorm, as you will recall you were already in the press at that time but subsequent polling showed that my support among white voters dropped more precipitously after what should have been a minor, Trivial Incident than anything else during my presidency. Thats extraordinary. Well, and it gives a sense of the degree to which these things are still you know, theyre deep in us. And, you know, sometimes unconscious. But i also think that there are certain rightwing media venues, for example, that monetize and capitalize on stoking the fear and resentment of a white population that is witnessing a changing america and seeing demographic changes and do everything they can to give people a sense that their way of life is threatened and that people are trying to take advantage of them. And were seeing it right now, right, where you would think with all the Public Policy debates that are taking place right now, that, you know, the Republican Party would be engaged in a significant debate about how are we going to deal with the economy, and what are we going to do about climate change, and what are we going to do about lo and behold, the single most important issue to them apparently right now is critical race theory. Who knew that was the threat to our republic . But those debates are powerful because they get at what story do we tell about ourselves . Are you prepared to take the oath, senator . I am. The president , who campaigned on Hope And Change, sees the continued potential for that change in the next generation, which includes his own daughters. They came to the white house as children, but sasha obama is 19 years old now and a student at the university of michigan. Malia is 22 and is at harvard. And while his daughters still keep a low public profile, mr. Obama says they took part in the black lives matter protests after george floyd was killed in minneapolis. Im wondering if just as a parent, you were worried about them doing so, and as somebody who has had daughters who were taking part in that, what do you make of those who are now saying the black lives matter protesters are equating them with the people who attacked the capitol . Well, my daughters are so much wiser and more sophisticated and gifted than i was at their age that, you know, i always worry about their physical safety. Thats just the nature of fatherhood. You will discover when wyatt stops just being immobilized in your house and can start wandering around im not going to allow that. And start driving cars and flying on planes, youre terrified all the time. But in terms of them having a good sense of whats right and wrong and their part and role to play in making the country better, i dont worry about that. They have both a clear sense that i see in this generation that what you and i might have tolerated as, yeah, thats sort of how things are, their attitude is why . Lets change it. And thats among not just my daughters, but its among their white friends, right . Theres this sense of, well, of course its not acceptable for a criminal Justice System to be tainted by racism. Of course you cant discriminate against somebody because of their sexual orientation, right . Theyre things they take for granted that i want them to take for granted. But what i find interesting is theyre also starting to be very strategic about how to engage the system and change it. Theyre not just interested in making noise. Theyre interested in what works, and at least in conversations with my daughter, i think that a lot of the dangers of cancel culture and, you know, were just going to be condemning people all the time, at least among my daughters, theyll acknowledge that sometimes among their peer group or on college campuses, youll see folks going overboard. But they have a pretty good sense of, look, we dont want we dont expect everybody to be perfect. We dont expect everybody to be politically correct all the time. But we are going to call out institutions or individuals if they are being cruel, if they are, you know, discriminating against people. We do want to raise awareness. A great source of my optimism, you know, when people talk about what kind of how do i think about my legacy, part of it is the kids who were raised during the eight years that i was president , there are a bunch of basic assumptions they make about what the country can and should be that i think are still sticking. They still believe it, and theyre willing to work for it. Hands up, dont shoot. No justice, no peace. While the black lives Matter Movement has brought National Attention to the issue of police reform, these young men in the bam program say they feel a dual threat every time they go outside. Theres fear and distrust of the police and fear of gun violence on the streets. Here in chicago this year, lets face it, has been an increase in violence. You know, when we met last time, obviously on the south side, west sides of chicago, some of the surrounding suburbs, there had been gun violence for a while, Gang Activity for a while. Weve seen an uptick in it, and then weve also had to process the fact that the relationship between the police and community is not what we want it to be. And so often young black men, you know, experience police not as a positive force to protect but as somebody who is going to see you as a suspect or somebody to be feared. How has that played out for you guys both while youre still in school but also now that youre working . Police in chicago, for a while i was driving a liyft, an i was getting pulled over like crazy. Almost every night i was getting pulled over. But the first question they asked, and i asked, how are you doing, officer . How is it going . They asked, is there any drugs or weapons in the car . Granted, im a big black guy with locks. The first thing they see, im just suspicious. But as i was telling the guys, i got to make it home to my family. I cant be another case where some officer have his knee on my neck, choking me out. So my biggest thing is making it back home regardless. Anything thats going on outside, you know, i love my family. I love my baby more, and thats a feeling that youre going to feel, mr. Cooper, like get home. Even when your eyes feel like theyre about to pop out, you get home to your baby, and that joy and that feeling that you get from that baby, its amazing. They give you a little spark of energy. I just love that baby smell. I just want to like bury my face in his neck. For sure. Before a diaper change, right . How about you, guys . Two of the participants in this bam circle are still in their teens. Armand mormon is 14. He wants to become a visual artist when he grows up. Kingsley mccarthy is 15 and dreams of being an actor or a dancer. They both say they feel like they risk their lives every time they leave their homes. When you think about being in school, is this something you have to worry about . Not necessarily the police but just shootings, violence, you know. Generally is that something that you think about, or is it something that is not your primary distraction . Well, me personally, i love, like, going outside. I love, like, interactions with people. But its like in the neighborhood i live in, its very hard to do that. Every night its like before i go to bed, is it a gunshot that im hearing . It is a fireworks . Also i love to wear i like wearing hoodies. So its like when i walk down the street, like is somebody going to come and target me because im wearing a hoodie . Do i think im up to no good . So thats how i see it. Right. James, you worried about this a lot when you were in high school. What about now . So, yeah. High school, i actually used to have to map out my bus route, and i actually used to have to wear a bulletproof vest. So i would wear the vest to school. Once i get here, ill hand the vest over to principal ross. And after school, put the vest back on, navigate through all the ganginfested areas back home to where i felt safe. What have you been saying are you guys are you still on so im no longer in englewood. Im in park. I know thats not a big difference, but now i dont go to certain gas stations. I dont go to certain restaurants. And i also bought another vest. So its still the same thing. Its not over with just because im out of school. Right. And obviously as a father, it makes you that much more stressed. Yes. Yes. But as far as shootings, like the vest may protect me from that. But encounters with the police, whats going to protect me from that . Whats going to stop me from going to jail even if i didnt do anything . Mmhmm. Right. So you feel like youre getting it from both sides . Yeah. Youre fighting two gangs. You have the street gangs, and you have the chicago police. I dont want to be another hashtag essentially. Like i want to live my life out until im like at least 80 or something, you know . Not unreasonable. While christian says he wants to live until hes 80 years old, james never thought hed make it to be 26 because of all the violence in the neighborhood where he grew up. All three young men have had their struggles over the years, and theyre now building lives for themselves and their families. You have a sense of whats going on in the neighborhoods. How do you think we can be most helpful to you guys . Narrator how prepared is your family. If a hurricane shows up at your doorstep . Or a flood . Or a blizzard . You cant just turn away a natural disaster. Thats why its important to go to ready. Gov plan now. It has the tools and tips you need to make an Emergency Plan with your family. Narrator so if disaster comes knocking. Mom lets go. Narrator . Youll be ready to help keep your family safe. Mom oh, its just the pizza daughter yes narrator make a plan today. [typing sounds] i definitely want to have kids at some point in my life and it would be heartbreaking to find out that, you know, there were something in the vaccine that, you know, made it difficult to get pregnant. Hi penelope. I want to reassure you that no Fertility Loss was reported in the Clinical Trials or in the millions of women who have since received the vaccines. Across the street from the Hyde Park Academy on the south side of chicago where we met with the former president is jackson park. This is the future site for the obama president ial center, which will break ground later this year. Theres hope that the sprawling campus will revitalize this neighborhood where Michelle Obama was raised and where barack obama started his career. Right across the street, you know, were going to be building the president ial center. A lot of our focus is going to be programming for the young people in the community, boys and girls, young men and young women. And given that you guys have all gone through this program, bam, youre in the middle of going through it, youve seen some things. You have a sense of whats going on in the neighborhoods. How do you think we can be most helpful to you guys . What are the things that you think would be most helpful in young people being able to navigate their own lives, be successful in school, have a positive future, be confident that they can get to 80 . Give me some sense of what are some gaps that we could fill or some things that are working that we need to build back up. For me, i feel like having someone to communicate with or to run to without having to worry about getting injured or shot. I believe it should be like more opportunities, like more internships, more variety of things to do in our communities because not everybody want to hoop or play ball, play football. To trail onto that, i do agree. I feel like there should be more sponsorships and more things within the school such as an Afterschool Program to keep the kids from off the streets or, like, things that they want to do. Like not everybody wants to fight all the time. Like people want to express their selves with their art. We need people to come into the community. Like its people thats my age that never tied a tie in their life. But you go into more gifted communities, they learn how to tie a tie. They know the difference for forks for salad. I didnt know until i got to the white house. Thats where i learned it, with you. And we ate sandwiches. I gave you the tip. You do this. Thats the bread and thats the drink. The b and the d. Thats how i remembered so i wasnt eating somebody elses bread and drinking somebody elses drink. So just being able to see things positive in front of them. Its a great idea. Great thinking. Hearing each others stories, seeing each other as we are may not be a simple thing. But for President Obama, it is a crucial step to bring this country back from the brink. Proud of you guys. Great to see you, man. Proud of you, all right . I like what you were saying about your daughter. I think its right. Good luck, man. Good to see you guys. Thank you. If we are meeting face to face and hearing each others stories, we can bridge our divides. And the question now becomes how do we create those venues, those meeting places for people to do that . Because right now we dont have them, and were seeing the consequences of that. Heartburn happens when Stomach Acid Refluxes into the esophagus. Prilosec otc uses a unique delayedrelease formula that helps it pass through the tough stomach acid. It then works to turn down acid production, blocking heartburn at the source. With just one pill a day, you get 24hour heartburn protection. Prilosec otc. One pill a day, 24 hours, zero heartburn. G7 leaders plan to spend this day working to protect the world from another pandemic and rebuilding from devastation caused by the current one. Hello. Welcome to all our viewers from around the world, im cyril vanier. And im Kim Brunhuber from cnn headquarters in atlanta. Lawmakers want to put william barr under oath plus we need to get the message out that this is not acceptable. The