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