This we do not get your exact question, we apologize. I the feeling of lots of questions today. Stomach it is my pleasure to introduce todays speaker, first my aunt cummings is a former chair of the Maryland Democratic to party and wipe public congressman congressman cummings details the formative moments with life that prepares them to hold President Donald Trump accountable for his actions remain rooted in the politics of optimism moderating tonights conversation is Political Bureau tree for American Urban Radio Network and author of under fir fire. So please welcome maya in april 2 pmp live. Hello ladies thank you for joining and we encourage you to come in with questions. This book is powerful. This moment is powerful. Going to speak to a man who dresses this moment and moments before and beyond. This book for me, is a tough read. As you know, i wrote to be a woman in baltimore i knew him before he was a congressman you i read this book theres a tab its a tough read because it was him. And we lost him almost a year ago we need to understand. What this book does is takes the bail off of washington. It takes a veil off of baltimore, takes the veil off the hearings of oversight and government reform. In with us today is doctor maya rocky more cummings the widow of the late congressman Elijah Cummings. And i can tell you, hello high april its a pleasure to be on with you today. Its a pleasure to be out with you lets just put on the table, transparencies a lot. We know each other. We know each other very well. I know this couple so well that i know they had been working for years on a book. And finally with got this book. And i know congressman cummings was talking to his wife and they were working on his life. And his life is here. Its the white house and donald trump. It is what the future could look like. It is activism. It is power that means service. I want to talk about the man before the books. We are better than this. The fight for our democracy Elijah Cummings with james dale. The speaker of the house. Maya, before we even get into the meat of the book, we are at a moment in time that is unprecedented. We could never have imagined they are dealing with a pandemic, a Global Pandemic with confirmed numbers that are unprecedented. Of deaths and those who are contracting and affecting communities that look like us. We also your husband was not only a politician, he was powerful he was an activist. What would my friend, your late husband and the friends who all American Global citizens say about this moment in time the title of the book that we are better than this we got to be better. He surprised by Mitch Mcconnell move. With almost the immediate replacement or the attempt to replace justice ginsburg. I want it would surprised about the hypocrisy. Because that has become part and parcel of the republican playbook. Basically make the rules as you go along i would said work better than this, he wouldve been urging the people of america that youve got to be the heroes here. Donald trump is a corrupt leade leader, and he has to be defeated. And that is why allies are, part of the reason elijah wrote this book in the final years. He wants to give his last warning to the American People what sitting in the white house. And what we need to do to defeat him in this fall election. As ground zero and the battle for the future of our democracy. Going to jump forward in the book. I want to understand i want people to understand how much hes working through his very last breath. Lets talk about his Health Concerns because around impeachment that is many things were getting worst. Us talk about before we go into the book. We speak very candidly. To be candid in the book about what his maladies were part it wasnt like all of the sudden happened. And so elijah first of all you know is diagnosis of cancer was over 25 years ago. Thats amazing when you think about everything that is done with his time. He would say to me, april you just dont know this. He said i could have died years ago. Thats where a lot of spirituality came in. He was a man of faith. He was so strongwilled man, he was determined, deep determined to use his time here on earth and its ineffective efficient manner. Hunted everything in his power to create change, positive change pieces say this is my watch. I have a responsibility he was a man of deep responsibility. He took his job seriously. About two and half years before his death, he actually had congestive heart failure, his leg started swelling, notes the doctor and said basically he had a malfunctioning aortic heart valve. We went to a physician over here at john hopkins university. Turns out that he is the worlds leading expert. They scheduled elisha for surgery, a larger in and unfortunately what ended up happening was instead of the three days, four day hospital visit, turn into a three month hospital stay where elijah had complications of the surgery. The surgery was successful but complications related to the other health conditions. In that period of time, ended up taking his ability to walk. At that time he was in the hospital, is getting rehabilitation, and he was determined to regain his mobility. And so he did regain his mobility. He was able to walk out of that hospital and get stronger. However, by december of 2018, january of 2019. He was susceptible because of the earlier surgery. And the infection went to his knee, interestingly enough. So the doctors performed to surgery on his kneecaps. Theyre trying to flush out the infection unfortunately that took his mobility. He was never able to walk again after those procedures. And so, you could see that and it depressed him. Had to walk with the assistance of a walker when he could. And certainly he got a little motorscooter for the u. S. Capital. But then, we continued on that vein for a while. He got pneumonia, he got a National Press club appearance. He left the hospital for a four hour pass in the mccain back. On then his kidneys failed. The cancer started spreading. We try to get them established on a dialysis routine and is only a short amount of time before they said they he could not do it in a regular way because they could not establish a fistula for him which wouldve made dialysis easier. So they admitted him to the hospital and he never came out again. So that is the time everyone thanks of is the moment of decline. But it had been a series of events that happened. When he went into that hospital for the final i dont know month and half, two months, it was just heart wrenching. Yet he kept doing work. But you could tell, i think he felt like his time was coming to an end. And you know, he would say that i am tired, i am tired. And so with that, with the fighting spirit, the man was so strong. He would have cancer for 25 years. That internal spirit was dimming at the end. So it was rough and it was hard for everyone. But elijah was just a beautiful spirit. I am fortunate for the time we had on this earth. Most definitely had a fighting spirit. Wherever talking to congressional leaders, he was on a democratic call with many of the congressional issues they say his spirit was dimming but he was still on a congressional quality riley before he passed. He was on a conference call, he spoke to nancy pelosi on several occasions discussed impeachment, is working. That was despite the pain and he was medicated. It was despite the despite the pain. Understanding democracy was at stake. The head of government oversight and reform understanding the weight of the duty that he carried. He put the country in front of his own health and dimming spirit. And once again this is the book, we are better than this. I want to go to chapter one. This book reads like moments we remember. And moments in the news that we remember. And his voice was so clear. I met with donald trump in good faith, then he lied to me. It was one of hundreds and thousands of lies donald trump hotel, not only to me but to the country in the world. But i did not know the scale of it yet. None of us did. And if anyone had told us, we would have said that is possible, he is the president of the United States. That is powerful. I remember that, i remember that moment. This moments, this is a first page of the book. I remember that moment this is january 20, Inauguration Day for donald trump are you and Elijah Cummings were at the inauguration of i believe the president of the United States for it he it to the luncheon here. A luncheon after the swearingi swearingin, taking oath of office. And congressman cummings said he had to get approval from then congressman john lewis. Before he said he was going to the inauguration. What happens is, many congressional leaders may may not go, the democrats did not want to go to this one. He did not want to step on his friend toes. So i want you to take us to that day in this book about President Trump and congressman Elijah Cummings having this meeting or this conversation while the president was at the head table talking about issues of what medicine, Prescription Drugs, affordable drugs, take us there. First of all, elijah respected john lewis. He considered him a friend and mentor. So when john lewis was leading the boycott, elisha did not went to do anything to offend him. Weve been talk about whether or not we would attend for weeks, but out of respect, deep respect for john lewis he actually made the decision and he went to john lewis and he asked for his permission. And john lewis said yes, certainly. He understood. So we attended. That is how we happen to be sitting back behind donald john and trent before he made his infamous carnage speech. After words we went into the capital for the luncheon. We were seated with i think it was his cousins, his First Cousins at a table with him. It was weird, because they look like they were weirded out. [laughter] or the mary trump . They were perfectly pleasant. And one of them knew elijah wanted to take a picture i believe. And so we watched everything taking place. Ivanka was Walking Around the room holding courts, the first lady was sitting down, not mixing and mingling certainly welcoming everyone who came up to the head table that would greater we made it through the speeches we had a portion of our luncheon he said its time to g go. So we pushed back our chairs, and we head to the head table. Vice president pence by his sid side. And elijah introduces us. And then, they make little small talk. And then elijah says, i would love to meet with you mr. President. I would love to meet with you because the Drug Companies are gouging the American People. And people are dying because they cannot afford the cost of Prescription Drugs. I think that we can Work Together to help the American People by lowering Prescription Drug costs. And i want to talk to you about that. And donald was gracious. He was like absolutely. He told Vice President pence, get on it. Well Vice President pence got on it. And set up the meeting. The first minute, you can fill in your april, did happen the second time. What have with the first meeting . Now youre asking me a question. [laughter] s so after that your husband was giddy about it. He was giddy about helping people, not giddy about the necessarily meeting because congressman cummings ill let you know he was very eager to lets goats fastforward is generate 20, lets go to the White House Press conference with the president famous or infamous if you will. I got up and asked the president about the question of what is he going to do for urban america with his agenda. His urban agenda he brings up congressman Elijah Cummings nam name. There was a time in that moment and the press conference and you guys can google it. You can see everything. And instead of just dealing with issues off with congressmans yes he doesnt want to talk to me he wants to reach out to me. Wasnt congressman Elijah Cummings not wanting the meeting its the fact that his staff was so new, they did not how to put the meeting together. There is a scheduling conflict. Thats at the white house said. What i was told as they did not how to put the meeting together. Theyre still trying to work it out. So because i asked that questio question, it started the ball rolling, presented to me. And they finally met. On the congressman text me so after the meeting, the president said hell be the best president ever, go ahead doctor is his recounting of the meeting ill tell because i can. Gives you everything. Or filling in a lot of the lives today but go ahead but we talk to him was the president john hopkins hospital hes an expert on how the high cost of Prescription Drugs was perfecting hospital costs. Hes in elijahs district or wasnt a luscious district. He also had the colleague. But before they could get into the room, they met them at the door. [laughter] she tried to hustle her way into the meeting. Thats okay, we understand you have more important things to do. So we will be okay with going into this meeting alone. She was a black miner she was in charge of anything blackford this was not just a black issue. Happen to be a black congressperson. Will be okay. When into that meeting, and in that meeting, he thought it went incredibly well. Donald j trump was receptive, they talked about the issue, they talk frankly about who they were as people or at least elisha did, and then after words he left thinking that it went pretty well. That is until he saw the News Coverage after words. Smacking in the News Coverage after words he found out that donald trump probably went to the media and lied about what he said. And he lied and said something to the effect of elisha coming said i will go down as history is the best president ever, which is not what elisha said. Miss it if you serve all of the people, if you serve all the people you may go down as the best president. And that is of course donald trump went out and twisted his words anyway of course that stroked his ego. And then elijah never heard from him again on the issue. And then all the investigation started rolling in, everything from security clearances to email to, you name it, the stuff started rolling in like a tidal wave of probes. It was just amazing. And elisha had gone and calm he taken the measure of the man. And he determined that this man was a not just wrong for the jo job, he was a threat to the American People in our system of government. National Security Threat to democracy to our very existence. And that is whats been reported by many democrats. Thats what your late husband fought against, the threats from this administration, that is what he held a hearing for. Just add a little bit to the story, when that happened they were great in the meeting. But once he left the meeting, and i heard its not Elijah Cummings that is not the Elijah Cummings i know. So i picked up the phone, checked the caller and he gave me a statement saying exactly what she said. So that right there started the friction between president donald jump trump and elisha coming you cannot go against the president s word talk about some of these hearings and investigations that are in this book to Michael Cohen. See thats page 93. And we watched all of this unfold on television. Page 93, raise your right hand, do you swear or promise to tell the whole truth and nothing but the truth . I do. Take it from there but into his deep belief and told the truth and nothing but the truth, before this confirmation or this hearing was not the best. We always view him as a liar. Someone is a fixer, he tells about the truth that your husband believed that Michael Cohen and operates back Michael Cohen is a liar hes a racist hes this hes back, he cheats on his taxes, he does this comment is that. Stormy daniels, would you call it being the gobetween the financial weight he basically told us, he told it mickey told us all. Including giving the Oversight Committee some breadcrumbs in terms of how to go about further investigating donald trump comments taxes, certainly the trump organization. In aoc, elijah mentions in the book because it is just that impressed with the question she asked in that hearing where she basically followed up on the breadcrumbs. Exactly what kind of subpoenas and requests. Naya rivera members the end of that hearing where elijah shows great empathy for this ma man. This man whos about to go to prison. But who is a father and a husband. Who acknowledged it admitted he done the wrong thing. But said that he was ready to actually pay for his crime and his part in the corruption. And so with that, elisha comes out of the hearing and makes his infamous statement about when we are all dancing with the angels, the question will be asked what did you do to preserve and protect our democracy . That is a question that we all have to look in the mirror with this fall election upon us an answer and hope that in 100 years, that we have done the right thing. You are his best friend, what did he do to save the democracy in your opinion . To me elijah was like the dutch boy with his finger in the dike. He was holding his finger in the dike for as long as he could, to prevent the water from overtaking the city. And in this case, the water is the corruption from overtaking our country. Every investigation, he pursued that man relentlessly on everything from the child separations at the border. Having treated those families at the border. Is the only issue unresolved.