← Bleep! with Ana Navarro
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- [00:00]
Cheekies
Hey, what's up? It's Chikis from Cheekies and Chill. Okay, today's vibe upgrade season because why do we level up in life but keep the same ride? If you're stepping into a new chapter, your car should match Your energy and cars.com is the perfect place to find it. With over 2 million new and used cars to choose from, I love the tools and filters. They make it easy to narrow it down by price, features, style. Do they see this? Hello. No endless scrolling. You can check out real reviews from real people with real experiences. So tap into that new car energy and search cars.comcars.com, where to next?
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You know what's always on my list? Me time.
- [00:39]
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Angela Yee
2025 this is Angela Yee from Angela Yee's Lip Service. Every day Planned Parenthood health centers across the country open their doors and provide high qual expert health care. That's no simple task when lawmakers are trying to block access to life saving care like birth control, cancer screenings, STI testing, abortion and more. At Planned Parenthood, Care continues because they believe your body is your business and being able to control your own body. That's the most basic freedom there is. So Planned Parenthood won't back down. Visit am fourpp.org to learn more and get involved.
- [02:00]
Cheekies
Imagine never having to buy gas again. Sounds like a dream. Except it's real. That's everyday life with an electric vehicle. No long lines at the pump. Just plug in at home and go. EVs are as easy to charge as your phone and built for real life. Most Americans drive about 40 miles a day and most EVs go 200 to 400 miles on a single charge and with fewer moving parts, you've got fewer repairs and style. There are hundreds of new and used EV models to choose from. An EV to fit every lifestyle and every budget. Learn more at electric4alldawg.
- [02:36]
Redfin Representative
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- [03:16]
Anna Navarro
Hey everyone. Welcome to bleep. I'm Anna Navarro. Thanks for being here. We've got a great show planned for you today. Senator Cory Booker is here and we are going to talk to him about a lot of things, including his new book. I loved this new book. I call it Chicken Soup for the Soul. It is called Stand. We're also going to talk to him about the things that are in the news, Iran, the Save Act, Cuba and more. But first, I want to start with some good news. So last week, Democrats won two seats flipped, two seats that were held by Republicans. These are seats that are in Florida. They were special elections. One of the seats is in Palm beach, actually the district where Donald Trump claims residency, where Mar A Lago is. And this was a seat won by Emily Gregory. She was running for the first time. She has got a healthcare and fitness background. She grew up in Stuart. And this woman ran in what is a solid Republican seat. The person holding the seat, the Republican holding the seat before her had won this race by 19 points. Donald Trump won this district by 11 points. And this woman was able to flip it and put it in Democrat hands last week. That is something that needs to be celebrated. But it's not the only seat in Florida that went for Democrats and flipped. There's also a seat in West Tampa that was won by Brian Nathan and and he won the seat by 400 plus votes. Just 400 plus votes. I think it's important for us to realize that. I know a lot of times we feel a little hopeless and think that one vote doesn't matter. Well, this race just showed that one vote does matter. He is winning by a little bit over half a percentage point, which means it takes it out of the recount margin and he's won. And this is a big deal. And I think something we need to think about and reflect about. A lot of times I feel like that when we talk about places like Texas or Florida, we just give up on them. Oh, those are red states. Those are Republican states. Those are solid red states. That's not how things work. It's not how they've always been. And things change. Look, I've been in Florida for 47 years. When I got to Florida as a kid in 1980, Florida was solid blue. Every state level position was held by Democrats from the governor on down. It then became purple and now it is red. That doesn't mean that if you put in the work. That doesn't mean that if you show up and vote, if you get great candidates, if the candidates campaign their hearts out, you can change things. Things can flip. We do the same thing about Texas, right? People always say, oh, why spend any money or any time talking about Texas? Texas is solid red. I am old enough to remember when the governor of Texas was Ann Richards, a Democrat. So my point to you is don't just shrug your shoulders. Don't just give up because you think something's always going to be Republican or something's always going to be Democrat. That's not the case. There's demographic changes, there's candidates with problems and great candidates. And you know what? There's precedents who lift all the candidates. And there's presidents who are an albatross around candidates. Next. Donald Trump is an albatross around Republicans. Next. And I hope this serves as a wake up call, particularly for the Republicans in Washington, D.C. that instead of serving their constituents, instead of caring about the priorities of their constituents, instead of caring about the price of gas, about peace in the Middle east, about the price of groceries, about access to health care. They care about one thing and one thing only, serving their leader, Donald Trump. So this should serve as a red flag for all of those Republicans, all of those lap dogs. Sorry, Cha cha, not talking about you. Those lapdogs in Washington that have no other purpose than showing up to do whatever the hell Donald Trump asked them to do and wants them to do, they are going to lose their seats. A lot of them are going to lose. And it may mean that Democrats regain the House and Democrats regain the Senate and there will finally be some oversight and some pushback against the Trump administration and his abuses of power. And in the same way, this should serve as a wake up call for Republicans in Congress. It should also serve as motivation for those who want to see change, change at the local level, at the state level and at the federal level that your vote, your engagement, your showing up matters and can make a difference. So speak up, show up and more than anything, register to vote and get ready to get yourself and everybody in your circle voting this November. Talking about motivation. I am so pleased to have Cory Booker on with us this week. His book is called Stand. I listened actually to it on Audible and I was so happy to have listened to it because it's a love letter to America, to American values. It helps to motivate us at a time time when so many are feeling hopeless and helpless. So with that, Cory Booker is joining us right after this break.
- [09:06]
Cheekies
Hi, it's Cheekies from Cheekies and Chill. Okay, today's vibe, new chapters and why is it when we level up in our lives, our ride stays the same? Make it make sense if you're stepping into a new season with new goals, new possibilities, shouldn't your car match your energy? And cars.com is the perfect place to find your next ride. They've got over 2 million new and used cars to choose from with 50,000 added daily. And I love that they make it easy. Their filters help you narrow it down fast by price, features, style tudecides so you're not scrolling forever, Jose. Who's got time for that? Check the real reviews from real people with real experiences and pick the keys to what's next. Are you in your upgrade season? Let's go tap into that new car energy and search cars.com people talk about
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- [10:49]
Angela Yee
Planned Parenthood health centers save lives. But the Trump administration and its backers in Congress are blocking patients from using Medicaid at Planned Parenthood Health Centers for one simple they want to shut Planned Parenthood down. Yet across the country, Planned Parenthood health centers are still opening their doors to care for their communities. That's because Planned Parenthood believes controlling your own body is the most basic freedom, and they'll never stop fighting for it. One in four people in the US have been to a Planned Parenthood Health center for high quality healthcare like birth control, cancer screenings, STI testing and treatment, abortion and more. Planned Parenthood is still the country's largest sex educator and a trusted source of unbiased sexual and reproductive health information for millions of people. Planned Parenthood will never stop working to get people the information they need, and they will never stop fighting so that every person is free to make their own decisions about their bodies and futures. At Planned Parenthood, Care continues. To learn more, visit am4pp.org Imagine never
- [11:57]
Cheekies
having to buy gas again. Sounds like a dream. Except it's real. That's everyday life with an electric vehicle. No long lines at the pump. Just plug in at home and go. EVs are as easy to charge as your phone and built for real life. Most Americans drive about 40 miles a day, and most EVs go 200 to 400 miles on a single charge. And with fewer moving parts, you've got fewer repairs and style. There are hundreds of new and used EV models to choose from an EV to fit every lifestyle and every budget. Learn more@electricforall.org have you heard about Klarna?
- [12:33]
Klarna Representative
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- [13:35]
Anna Navarro
I want to welcome Senator Cory Booker. He's now the Senior Senator from the State of New Jersey. He is a public servant and we're going to talk about hope and values and integrity. And we're also going to talk about current events. So welcome Senator Cory Booker.
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Senator Cory Booker
Long time no see.
- [13:55]
Anna Navarro
You know, Cory, I love alliteration as much as you do. And you are fucking fantastic, fabulous and fierce. So let's get to work. There's issues I wanna talk to you about that are in the news. And then I wanna talk to you about this amazing book that I finished reading last night. I have loved every page of it. But first, let's talk about the stuff that's going on. Obviously. Listen, we've now been at war with Iran because. Let's call it a war. This is not an excursion, this is a war. We've now been at war with Iran for over a month. Tell me, how in the hell are we at war with Iran and how in the hell are we getting out of war with Iran? What is this? How do you make sense of this?
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Senator Cory Booker
Well, we're at war because we have a president who promised over and over again he would not get us into wars. He was competing for the Nobel Peace Prize, for crying out loud. And suddenly he's decided that he's going to be an adventurous, warmongering president that has no justifiable provocation. He lied to us. He said, oh, it's to deal with the nuclear material. Well, the fissile material is still there. You're not going to get it through the bombing campaign. He's done. He said, oh, it's because they're slaughtering their citizens. Well, that is something that is now more likely to happen because they have a more radical regime. Even though he said there was going to be regime change, but he's changed it for his worse. So, again, no reason we got into this and then getting out of it, he has no off ramp. What he's caused is more global chaos, more high rising costs for Americans, and has no real plan for getting out of this without leaving things worse for Americans and worse for that region and our allies. This is a disastrous folly. But it is who Donald Trump is. He brings chaos, confusion, corruption and cruelty in the United States now abroad as well.
- [15:47]
Anna Navarro
But I think something that frustrates a lot of Americans, a lot of voters, is that there's something called the War Powers Act. And it seems that it's pretty moot that it's, you know, that it has no value. You might as well use it to line bird cages, because practically every president in my adult lifetime has gone into some country, done military action without coming to Congress and asking for permission. So what's the point of even having a War Powers Act?
- [16:15]
Senator Cory Booker
Yeah, I feel the same way. We've allowed the power that was given to the Article 1 branch of government, Congress, to declare war to start to really shift away as each president has run more bombing campaigns and things like that. Those were wrong, but that is like lighting matches. What Donald Trump is doing is throwing grenades. He has entered us into the biggest military conflict since the war in Afghanistan. That's cost us literally 13 lives. Already 200 plus soldiers have been injured. This has cost us already over $25 billion. You could have gotten millions of Americans in affordable housing for that cost. Not to mention millions of Americans could have gotten health care. But on top of all of that, that he's done without approvals is he's set off the biggest oil shock, the biggest oil crisis since the 1970s. In fact, it's more than both oil crises in the early 70s combined. And so this is something so much bigger on scale than anything any previous president has done. And he's already telling us, and you've heard this, that I did Venezuela, now Iran now. Next I'm going to take Cuba. Well, what does that mean, that you're going to commit American troops to invading that country as well? This is reckless, out of control, and it has to stop.
- [17:35]
Anna Navarro
So, you know, Trump supporters always call anybody that dares criticize Trump and call out his abuses of power. They say that we suffer from Trump derangement syndrome. I think Trump has Venezuela derangement syndrome, I think because he went into Venezuela, extricated Maduro and then found somebody within that regime because that regime was intact. But for Maduro, he found the vice president to work with. He thinks he can replicate that model everywhere. And I think it's emboldened him. And he thinks he's Tarzan of the jungle and is, you know, head of the biggest, baddest military force in the world. And so he's going around trying to replicate the model. It's obviously not working in Iran. And as you make reference to, he's talking about taking Cuba, doing whatever he wants with Cuba. We know that there is a blockade right now and that the Cuban people living in Cuba are going through dire, dire straits. They're really in a critical situation. I know New Jersey, I live in Florida. That's where the most Cuban Americans live. You represent New Jersey. That's where the second biggest community of Cuban Americans in the United States lives. And so I'm wondering what your constituents are telling you. Cause, Cory, I have mixed feelings about this. I desperately want desperate Cuba to be free. I desperately want Venezuela to be free. I want democratic elections. I want people not to be put in jail for speaking freely. I want there to be a freedom of the press more than anything. I want all the political prisoners released. I feel the same way about Venezuela. I feel the same way about Iran. I feel the same way about Cuba. But it's the way that we're going about this. Right? So I'm wondering what your constituents, your Cuban American constituents are telling you and.
- [19:28]
Senator Cory Booker
And what you're telling them more than you know. I appreciate it, and I think you're spot on. Let's not make any apologies. These were bad regimes. The Venezuelan regime was doing horrific things to the rights and freedoms, the human rights and freedoms of the Venezuelan people. But that regime is still there. And I hear Venezuelans in my community saying that he has not brought about any substantive change or relief from the human rights abuses of that regime. Number two is Iran's the same thing. It's more of an extreme regime. You need to have a plan. Now, it is absurd right now that this president has literally, by lifting sanctions on Iran, given them $14 billion more in money. Remember, they were criticizing Democrats for the jcpoa, the Iran deal, and giving them millions of dollars. So this is a president who has shown no capacity to alleviate suffering if that was what he wanted to do, and he's now giving billions of dollars more to the very regime he says he's attacking. I don't know if we've ever had a moment where an American president was attacking an enemy and then funded that enemy to the tune of $14 billion. And so does that give you any confidence that Donald Trump can deal with the human rights crisis in Cuba? Everybody that I talk to is lost faith in this president and his ability to actually solve global problems, to be a global leader. I know the situation in Cuba well. You and I have mutual friends who have taught me for years about how repressive, brutal this regime is in Cuba. We should not in any way candy coat what people are living with in that regime and how the communities are struggling there even to meet basic needs right now. But to trust Donald Trump that his reckless, chaotic havoc that he's been creating around the globe is gonna resolve that regime, to me, would be again repeating the same mistake over and over and over again. And I think people want real leadership to end the crisis we have with Cuba.
- [21:32]
Anna Navarro
Yeah. And there's all these reports that they have been talking to the grandson of Raul Castro. Are you kidding me? After almost 70 years of Castro dictatorship, you're going to start negotiating with Castro's grandson. I mean, those are things that are just galling to me as somebody who has fought that regime and the same way that I fought it in Nicaragua, my home country, practically my entire life. But I want to talk to you also about Donald Trump's number one priority right now, right? So you know what his number one priority is right now? We are at war. People can't afford groceries, people can't afford gas, people can't afford health care. Everything's gone to shit. But his 1 priority, his number one priority that he's saying, you've got to pass this or else is the SAVE Act. So why, first of all, why is it his number one priority? What is going on in that little head of his?
- [22:38]
Senator Cory Booker
The only thing I can suspect is he is looking at a massive electoral loss in the midterms. And remember when he was looking at that loss, the first thing he tried to do unprecedented, is midterm redistricting, pushing states to gerrymander their maps so that they could pick up more House seats. Well, we know it seems like he can't win in a fair fight, so he's trying to change the system. I love what Lisa Murkowski, a Republican senator from Alaska, showed to give the speech on the floor where she put a map of Alaska there and showed what the SAVE act would do. The hardships it would put on people to try to get registered to vote under the new rules, it would cost them hundreds, if not thousands of dollars. Because in Alaska, you would have to fly someplace in order to present the documentation that Donald Trump now demands. It would be easier to buy an AR15 than it would for many Americans to vote. This is a voter suppression bill and he's saying it's to save voting. When we all know the evidence of in person voter fraud is scant, if at all. Even conservative think tanks have said there is no in person voter fraud going on in any kind of way. That even blips significance less than.00,001%. You're more likely to be struck by lightning than to find one case of voter fraud in America. So he is trying to instead create a scheme which he knows would suppress the vote. It's the only way he thinks he can win in the midterms.
- [24:10]
Anna Navarro
And it's also serving as a distraction. Right? He's giving his base something to get all riled up about. At the same time that he's not releasing the Epstein files, at the same time that he's lied to them about not getting into endless wars. So, you know, I think it's voter suppression, and I think it's a distraction tactic. For me, practically everything that Donald Trump does has a distraction aspect to it.
- [24:36]
Senator Cory Booker
Yes.
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Anna Navarro
But, okay, let's get to this wonderful book of yours. Cause I, I enjoyed it so much and I, you know, I find it as it's. To me, it was like a love letter to those of us that are feeling helpless and hopeless. It served as a motivation and just to charge our engines up and remind us why we need to fight for American values and American democracy. So it's called Stand, and there's so many aspects of it that touch me deeply. But I want to start with a conversation that you had with a man that was a hero to me and a friend of mine, and that was Senator John McCain. And in that conversation, John McCain, you went to visit him in his Office and John McCain explained to you the difference between being a statesman or a politician. And, you know, I think that conversation affected you enormously because I think you have done everything in your power, including criticizing your own party when you have to, to be a statesman, not a politician. So can you tell me about that conversation and the effect of it on you?
- [25:48]
Senator Cory Booker
Yeah, I feel really blessed that one of my early mentors in the senate was John McCain, and he was such an honest man. And that conversation, Bill Bradley had given me the advice, when I get down to Washington, try to go out to dinner, have lunch, or meet with every one of your Republican colleagues. New Jersey doesn't need you to be a great Democratic senator. They need you to be a great New Jersey senator. And to get things done, you've got to work across the aisle. And so it was a great odyssey, but no meeting was like the one with John McCain. His staff told us we only had 10 minutes, but he sat me down and we had an over hour conversation that literally brought tears to my eyes. As he opened up about his own life journey, his own sacrifices, his own failings and faults. He was very candid with me that he hadn't always lived up to that standard. But in the end, he implored me, don't be a politician. Be a statesperson in Washington. Be somebody that's bigger than our left, right divide, that finds ways to bring people together to heal and actually stand up for America and not just a short term political win. And he didn't end there. I mean, he took me on my first codel, my first trip around the world, going to an important military conference, took the time for a guy who, before this, I was a mayor. No foreign policy needs there, except for maybe parking at the International House of Pancakes. And so he really took time to help bring me up to speed. And that's the kind of model of patriotism that I think we need again. And if I can, one of my favorite stories in that book is the one that he told about Mike Christensen and that when he was a pow, the men had pooled stitches of fabric in different colors to create an American flag. That every night, they would salute the flag, they'd say the Pledge of Allegiance. Imagine this in a prison camp in Vietnam. Guys with a bamboo needle stitch a flag and show their allegiance. And he made this point to me that there are times like that that everything is seared away from you except for what you love. And for me, it was clear he loved this country. But the Vietnamese guards found the flag and beat Mike Christensen, who did it, beat him savagely. And John McCain tells that story that they dragged him back in, dropped him, and that night when he was sleeping, he rolled over to see a beaten, bruised, eyes almost swollen shut, Mike Christensen stitching together another American flag. And he said that Mike was stitching that flag not for himself, but for his fellow POWs.
- [28:34]
Anna Navarro
I think that's such a metaphor for what so many of us are living. I mean, it's an extreme case, but a metaphor nonetheless. And I told you I was amazed that John had shared that with you and had shown you pictures and spent time talking about Vietnam. He was my close friend, and he hated talking about that stuff. It was just too much for him. He would never. He never complained. He never complained about the pain he felt on a daily basis. So it was amazing to me that he had opened up that way with you so quickly. I also. You know, you're incredibly vulnerable in this book, and I think you show us by example that you can be a man and you can be vulnerable. You can have feelings, you can have emotions. One of the things you do is talk about masculinity. Can you discuss that a little?
- [29:26]
Senator Cory Booker
Yeah. I think we're in a crisis right now in our country where men are feeling more disconnected. Gallup reports. We have less friendships, meaningful friendships and meaningful spaces where you can exhibit that manhood, have manhood modeled for you. It's one of the reasons why I love sports, is I got to see strong leaders on my football team when I was a freshman, guys that led with grit and guts, but also showed hurt and weakness. But I would have followed them up a hill under fire. They were such extraordinary leaders, but now with less connection, less community, more loneliness. We see a lot of people trying to prey upon that. And we have these sort of eddies of counterfeit community on the Internet that tries to whip the hurting of men, men who often feel that they're being blamed and shamed for their masculinity, more than celebrated as an integral part of the community. And in those corners, they're being seduced into this kind of darkness that often brings out, not masculinity, but what I think is cancerous, a deep negativity, and even a dangerous, destructive kind of hate towards others. People that try to whip up and scapegoat women or minority groups as the problem, what is the cause of their hurt? And so I speak very bluntly towards that, that we need to celebrate men. We don't need to shame men. We need to elevate what is the best of masculine virtues. In the same way that I was taught as a young man to celebrate the virtues of womanhood and femininity. We need everyone in our community. And the more we don't confront this crisis for men in this country, the more we're gonna see a peril. And I wanted to speak to that and also give some instruction in the book about what we can do about it.
- [31:23]
Anna Navarro
And, you know, you also talk about some spectacular women in the group. In the book, you talk about your mom, the effect she's had on you. And you talk about being on the floor and voting for Supreme Court Justice Ketanji Brown and what it meant to you to see her be confirmed her hearings, and to see Kamala Harris, then vice president presiding, be the presiding officer. And you talked about something that. That just gave me all the feels, because there's at least two times in the book where you talk about your future children. And look, Corey, it took you a damn long time. You are now an incredible. You went from being an eligible bachelor in the Senate to being now very happily married. We got to meet Alexis last week when you were on the View, and. And I heard you talk about how much you want to have children and how that's gonna complete your life. And in the book, there's a part where you're talking with your grandfather, who was not doing well and who, you know, this was probably. You went to say goodbye to your grandfather, basically. And as you were leaving for that last time, your grandfather says to you, I love you, and I love your children and your grand. And I love your children and your grandchildren. And, of course, you didn't have any. Well, you still don't have any. And you didn't know what he meant. Do you know what he meant now?
- [33:01]
Senator Cory Booker
Yeah, I do. I basically wrote the moment I realized it. I didn't know that would be the last goodbye. And we all have these last moments we don't realize they'll be our last moments. Last time we hugged a loved one, last time we say goodbye or get to spend time with, especially our elders, who are these giants in all of our lives, Our parents and our grandparents. And so I didn't know that was going to be our last time. He says that weird thing to me that I don't get. I think he's confused. And then I get a phone call that he's died. And I pull over to the side of the road and I weep. But something like warm spread within me where I suddenly realized that my grandfather loved with such ferocity and strength and power that he loved me and he loved generations not yet born, my future children. Now you're making me choke up. My future children will never meet him, but they will know him, and they will know his love because it lives on through me, and that's immortality. And in that same chapter, I talk about the astrophysicist Neil Degrasse Tyson, who is not a spiritual guy. He's not a person of faith, he's a person of science. He's agnostic. And I started telling him this story about my grandfather's immortality. And he says, corey, when you look up at the stars at night, you're seeing stars that are millions and millions of light years away. The same stars that dinosaurs saw, but now those stars, some of them you're seeing as if they're there, but they burned out a long time ago. But the light they gave off goes on forever. So you're seeing the light as if they're still living. And he goes, that is what we all are. We're all stardust. And the energy we give off while we're alive goes on forever. So we go on forever. And you and I, especially, as all Americans, frankly, we are living in the light and the love of our ancestors. We are here today because they loved so hard, so fiercely, sacrificed so much, that we are the living embodiment of their love today, the love that they gave yesterday.
- [35:12]
Anna Navarro
And also, you know, the reason that I brought up the confirmation of the Supreme Court justice is because Kamala Harris gave you a piece of stationary. She gave you and Senator Warnock a piece of stationery of the vice president's stationery. And told you to write a letter to someone. And Senator Warnock wrote a letter to his little girl, his daughter. And you've saved that piece of stationery and are hoping to one day write the letter to a future daughter. That's so fucking beautiful, Cory.
- [35:45]
Senator Cory Booker
Oh, yeah, it was an amazing moment. Like, we were waiting for the last vote. It was actually Lindsey Graham, of all people, who hadn't voted yet. 99 people had voted on the Supreme Court Justice. We were waiting for the last vote. And Kamala Harris, in that moment, calls Warnock and I over. And it was funny because the presiding officer sits on high in the Senate, and you're not really supposed to stand up above them. So the two of us kneel like we're about to take communion in front of Kamala Harris. And she gives us that assignment. She pulls out these beautiful pieces of stationery with her stationary with the embossed seal of our nation and her name, Vice President Kamala Harris. She goes write a letter to a little girl somewhere about this moment. And Warnock, disciplined and dutiful, goes back to his desk and whips off the most elegant and beautiful letter. And I have writer's block. Who do I write this letter to? Do I write it to my cousin? My niece and I. Just then the vote was called. Lindsay came in and voted, and that letter weighed on me. And, yes, I still have that piece of paper. And I used the book as an opportunity to write what I would have written if I had seized that exact moment. But I will tell you this.
- [36:55]
Anna Navarro
Yeah. And at that moment, you weren't thinking of. You hadn't met Alexis. You weren't thinking of getting married. So, you know, maybe you were meant to save that piece of stationary. And I can't wait to read the letter that you write one day. I want to.
- [37:12]
Senator Cory Booker
Yeah. But I will say this to you or somebody that lives life this way. Most of us don't have artifacts from our ancestors.
- [37:19]
Anna Navarro
Right?
- [37:19]
Senator Cory Booker
We don't even have. I don't have love letters from my parents or things like that. But every day we write a letter, whether we know it or not, we write a letter to future generations. We write it not using ink, but sweat and tears and blood. Sometimes what we do with our actions is our love letter to future generations. And they may not read a physical document, but they will benefit from. From the messages we send forward in time by what we do and how we live today.
- [37:46]
Anna Navarro
Also in the book, you talk about something that is so gut wrenching. You talk about Judge Salas, the New Jersey Judge whose son was shot and killed, assassinated, basically part of violence against federal judges. And you talk about healing hate.
- [38:11]
Senator Cory Booker
Yeah.
- [38:13]
Anna Navarro
How do we heal hate?
- [38:15]
Senator Cory Booker
So I want to be honest with you. There's parts of this book that I wept as I wrote because my interviews with her were stunning. In her courage and her love and her strength. To have somebody murder her child, shoot her husband, and to still find it within her the power of forgiveness, not as a gift to him, but as a liberation of herself to not let that horrible incident darken her spirit. She says she lives to honor her son, her slain son. She cannot let that murderer take away from her her capacity to love. If anything, if she's going to show that that darkness, to have a redemption in this awful, awful thing that happened to her and her family, she needs to somehow find her way back to love. And it was this chapter telling her story, interwoven with a few others, that I felt like I went on a journey with Judge Salas. She is one of the more amazing federal judges in the United States of America who is still fighting in Daniel's name. I was able to pass a piece of legislation that she inspired called Daniel's Law to protect federal judges. Because, as you know, in this time where we see the trash on Twitter threatening from the highest office in the land, threatening judges who decide against this president, the hate crimes and the threats on judges has gone up to 300%. So I just. She is a hero to me. But it also shows, which I hope this book does, is how you ordinary Americans in your everyday life can make tough choices to live by virtues and radiate as a result, a kind of leadership that actually heals us all.
- [40:16]
Anna Navarro
I want to. If your schedule allows, I want to ask you two more things. The first, and this is not part of the book, but it's a conversation you and I had, and I've been thinking back about it in the last several days. It's a conversation that we had about your former colleague, Bob Menendez, who is right now sitting in a federal prison for having been convicted of bribery. Basically, as you know, I loved Bob Menendez. He was a friend of mine, somebody I admired. This hurt me deeply. And you and I had a conversation about it where you told me that I needed to separate the man and his flaws from the things he had done to represent and help the community. And I found myself thinking about that conversation we had last week after the revelations about Cesar Chavez, where I think a lot of people, particularly in the Latino community for whom he was such an Icon and a legend are really strong, struggling with mixed emotions and what to do about this. So can you just talk a little bit about that?
- [41:25]
Senator Cory Booker
Yeah. I remember when you reached out to me for some thoughts about Bob, and I didn't respond right away. I had to really gather myself and really think to myself, what is the best of me to offer to this moment? When a friend reaches out to you and, you know, I'm really Grounded by Matthew 25, where, you know, it says very simply, when I was hungry, you fed me. When I was sick, you visited me in the hospital. When I was in prison, you visited. To me, it's this kind of unconditional love. You love the. You can hate the sin, but should we stop loving each other? And it's hard, especially when a crime could be awful, as in the case of Cesar Chavez. How do you deal with that? And I always tell people, we're all mountain ranges. We all have peaks, we all have valleys. Some of us have Grand Canyons. But how do you love someone unconditionally? And perhaps it's the hardest of all virtues to live up to, which is, how do you love through pain and shame and hurt and injury? And I think that that's something we should struggle with. I tell you, I sat next to Alex Padilla in a hearing, which he and I sit together in Judiciary, and turned to him and asked him about Cesar Chavez. And I will tell you, you could see the hurt. Yeah, this was a guy that. He grew up. He's my age. Like, you could see the pain. So I just want us to know that, like the chapter where Esther Salas, she's. If you want to look for ways to live in the midst of people who've done horribly tragic things, turn to a woman like her and let her be light in the darkness about how to forgive and how to move on.
- [43:21]
Anna Navarro
Okay, I'm going to ask you one last question, and then I know I got to let you go. So you were, what, over 50 by the time you got married? What is it about Alexis that made her the one? Because, listen, I know women who've dated you. You've dated women. You've dated some women. A lot of women. Okay. And finally, this woman came and stole your heart. So what is it, and how do you feel now that you're married?
- [43:48]
Senator Cory Booker
Let me tell you the two truths that fit. Very. Like a puzzle piece pieced together. The first confession to you is it wasn't simply waiting for the right person. It was becoming the right person as well. You and I, you know perhaps more of my dating life than most people who interview me. I was blessed. I dated some extraordinary people in the past, but I was, I didn't prioritize that part of my life. I was selfish when it came to so focused on my professional mission and so unrelenting in my work hours and my, my, my giving short shift to my personal life. And so I think a lot of it had to come my maturing and realizing, wait a minute, I am incomplete. I am, I am not at my best. In a sense, I'm playing at the low stakes table. It is much higher risk to get married, but much higher rewards. So when the right woman came around and I'm the right person now, we have fit together in a way that has helped me discover a deeper, richer, more textured life than I ever knew. And here's the trick that the universe has finally revealed to me is all those years I was so focused on my mission and my work, having her ground me, round me out, give me an incredible home life, nurture me. I am so much better of a servant and leader than I was before I knew her. She has made my life complete in so many ways and helped me discover a whole new world within myself that I just didn't know existed. And I'm away from those low stake tables now and I feel like I'm at a whole other level of life.
- [45:40]
Anna Navarro
Listen, I want to thank you for your time today. But more than that, I want to thank you for being such a positive light, for working so hard not to fall into the political traps and being a statesman for trying to unify us and heal us and for reminding us on a daily basis by the way you live your life and by the way you serve, serve your constituents that America is worth fighting for and that our values can't be taken away by one man. So thank you, Mil Gracias. Cory Booker. I loved having you and I can't wait to spend more time with you.
- [46:19]
Senator Cory Booker
I wanted to say thank you for one simple thing. In public life, it is a blessing when you have a real friend and you've been a friend to me. So thank you very much.
- [46:30]
Anna Navarro
Thank you.
- [46:36]
Cheekies
Hi, it's Cheekies from Cheekies and Chill. Okay, today's vibe, new chapters. And why is it when we level up in our lives, our ride stays the same? Make it make sense. If you're stepping into a new season with new goals, new possibilities, shouldn't your car match your energy? And cars.com is the perfect place to find your next ride. They've got over 2 million new and used cars to choose from with 50,000 added daily and I love that they make it easy. Their filters help you narrow it down fast by price, features, style tudecides so you're not scrolling forever Josiah. Who's got time for that? Check the real reviews from real people with real experiences and pick the keys to what's next. Are you in your upgrade season? Let's go tap into that new car energy and search cars.com hey it's honey
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Angela Yee
Planned Parenthood Health Centers Save Lives but the Trump administration and its backers in Congress are blocking patients from using Medicaid at Planned Parenthood health centers for one simple reason. They want to shut Planned Parenthood down. Yet across the country, Planned Parenthood health centers are still there, opening their doors to care for their communities. That's because Planned Parenthood believes controlling your own body is the most basic freedom and they'll never stop fighting for it. One in four people in the US have been to a Planned Parenthood health center for high quality health care like birth control, cancer screenings, STI testing and treatment, abortion and more. Planned Parenthood is still the country's largest sex educator and a trusted source of unbiased sexual and reproductive health information for millions of people. Planned Parenthood will never stop working to get people the information they need, and they will never stop fighting so that every person is free to make their own decisions about their bodies and futures. At Planned Parenthood, Care continues to learn
- [49:25]
Cheekies
more, visit I'm4pp.org Imagine never having to buy gas again. Sounds like a dream. Except it's real. That's everyday life with an electric vehicle. No long lines at the pump, just plug in at home and go. EVs are as easy to charge as your phone and built for real life. Most Americans drive about 40 miles a day and most EVs go 200 to 400 miles on a single charge. And with fewer moving parts, you've got fewer repairs and style. There are hundreds of new and used EV models to choose from. An EV to fit every lifestyle and every budget. Learn more@electricforall.org have you heard about Klarna?
- [50:06]
Klarna Representative
Klarna is an app designed designed to make everyday spending simpler and more transparent. It gives you flexibility to decide how you want to pay, whether that's paying right away, paying later, or spreading payments over time, depending on what works best for you. Everything is managed in the Klarna app so you can keep track of purchases and stay organized. You can also discover deals and even earn cash back back when you shop through the Klarna app with participating brands. It's all about flexibility and staying in control of how and when you pay. Download the Klarna app today or visit klarna.com to learn more. Terms Apply California Resident Loans made or arranged pursuant to a California Finance Law License NMLS Number 1353190 Klarna Balance Account Request to be eligible for cashback Points Limitations Terms and conditions apply.
- [51:08]
Anna Navarro
Every week I like to highlight my Hero of the Week and my Coward of the Week this week. Let's start with the Coward. So the coward is Donald Trump. And listen, Donald Trump is going to be the Coward of the Week in this podcast. A lot. And I'll tell you why. Because I refuse to to accept Donald Trump's behavior as normal. I refuse to stop calling it out. I'm going to call it out every single time. Because it's not only unprecedented, unseemly, it is undignified and it is unacceptable. And we cannot not look the other way, just shrug our shoulders and say, oh, that's just Trump being Trump. I don't accept that. So let's talk about what he did last week. Robert Mueller died. Special Counsel Robert Mueller, who had investigated the 2016 elections and the ties to Russia. And Donald Trump tweeted out because of course, he can't help himself. As we all know, the man suffers an acute case of verbal diarrhea. And he tweeted out, robert Mueller just died. Good. I'm glad he's dead. He can no longer hurt innocent people. And he signed it President Donald J. Trump Okay, I have a few things to say on this. First of all, he keeps doing this shit, right? He keeps doing this shit. He did it about Rob Reiner and his wife Michelle, who died so tragically a few months ago. He did it about John McCain. John McCain was dead and he kept attacking the guy for months and months and months. Listen, the dead can't hear him. They don't care what he's saying and they don't care about his little fits and tantrums. But this does hurt the families. It puts a bullseye on their back at a time when they are grieving. This is unjust toward those families. But let's just also do a little comparison here between Bob Mueller and Donald Trump. Robert Mueller was a decorated veteran. He served in Vietnam, the same war that Donald Trump dodged. The same war when he was pretending he had bone spurs. He doesn't remember which foot he had them on. I assure you, bone spurs hurt. If you had bone spurs, you'd know what foot was hurting. While at the same time that Donald Trump was faking bone spurs, Robert Mueller was serving honorably. This is a guy who won a Purple Heart and a Bronze Star for his service. And the other thing I wanna say about this, cuz it's just so disgusting is. Look, it's the hypocrisy of it, right? I can't tell you how many Republicans and Trump supporters, Trump defenders I sat with on TV at CNN who would tell me over and over again how gross it was that some fringe Democrats, some fringe liberal and anonymous people online were celebrating the death of, of Charlie Kirk. Okay, that was anonymous people online. That was people of very little if any relevance here. We're talking about the President of the United States. And the same Trumpers who condemned any celebration of the death of Charlie Kirk have been silent in condemning this egregious behavior by Donald Trump. And so I just want to tell those people that there will come a time when, like every other human, Donald Trump will die. And I am sure that that day there will be people who tweet out celebratory statements. There will be people dancing in the streets and happy about it. And when that happens, I don't want to hear any of these cowards who are staying silent and not condemning Donald Trump coming out and saying that those people should be fired and those people should be canceled because your hypocrisy is leading the way. I also want to talk about this thing that happened last week, which we should just discuss for a brief minute. So there was this Woman, she's being labeled as racist granny online. There was this older woman at a San Antonio spurs basketball game and she was caught on camera, the Jumbotron, texting on her phone. And in her phone she was saying she was talking about all the crazy Hispanic fans that were there that night. And then she said, they're all Hispanics. How can they afford it? Lady, I hate to break it to you, but there are some rich Hispanics. You're looking at one of those bitches, okay? There's a lot of Hispanics that have suites at basketball stadiums. There's a lot of Hispanics that sit front row in basketball games. I hope that lady never comes to Miami because she's going to see that most of the arena is full of Hispanic fans. And yes, Hispanics tend to go crazy when it comes to sports. It's called fandom. It's called being enthusiastic about rooting for your team. And I appreciate that the San Antonio spurs came out and not only condemned this racism, but also talked about how much inclusivity and having those crazy Hispanic fans means to them. So good for the spurs and this lady. A lot of times on this podcast I like to talk about things that inspire me and bring me joy. This last week was World Down Syndrome Day and I went with my best friend to this coffee shop in Miami. It's called the no Limits Coffee Shop and it's no limits coffee shop.com if you want to look up this this story. This coffee shop is staffed and run by adults with special needs with disabilities. A lot of them have down syndrome and they are joyful, they are wonderful, they are spreading happiness, they are happy to have this job. I'm so glad for this type of, of of business that gives people with special needs with down syndrome a dignified place to work, that treats them with respect, that lets them exercise and show off their talents. And at a time when we are seeing more and more benefits and services be cut for people with special needs, it was so heartwarming to be able to see them doing this for themselves. I encourage you to look up any business in your community that may be run or employees, people with special needs, and support those businesses. That's it for this week's episode of Bleep with Anna Navarro. Thank you for joining us. Thank you to Senator Booker for having been our guest and I hope you will leave me your comments and your thoughts. I'm reading all of them and spread the word about this podcast and hopefully you'll tune in next week. See you then. Bleep with Ana Navarro is a Hyphenate Media Group production in partnership with iHeart's Michael Tura podcast Network. For more of your favorite shows, visit the iHeartRadio app, Apple Podcasts, or wherever you get your podcasts.
- [58:40]
Cheekies
Imagine never having to buy gas again. Sounds like a dream. Except it's real. That's everyday life with an electric vehicle. No long lines at the pump, just plug in at home and go. EVs are as easy to charge as your phone and built for real life. Most Americans drive about 40 miles a day, and most EVs go 200 to 400 miles on a single charge. And with fewer moving parts, you've got fewer repairs and style. There are hundreds of new and used EV models to choose from. An EV to fit every lifestyle and every budget. Learn more@electricforall.org this is Angela Yee from
- [59:18]
Angela Yee
Angela Yee's Lip Service Every day, Planned Parenthood health centers across the country open their doors and provide high quality, expert health care. That's no simple task when lawmakers are trying to block access to life saving care like birth control, cancer screenings, STI testing, abortion and more. At Planned Parenthood, care continues because they believe your body is your business and being able to control your own body. The that's the most basic freedom there is so Planned Parenthood won't back down. Visit I'mforpp.org to learn more and get involved.
- [59:51]
Klarna Representative
If you're looking for more flexibility in how you pay for everyday purchases, meet Klarna. Klarna lets you decide whether to pay now, pay later, or spread payments over time. All managed right in the Klarna app. Download the Klarna app today or visit klarna.com. to learn more. Terms apply California Resident Loans made or arranged pursuant to a California Finance law license NMLS number 1353190 Klarna balance account required to be eligible for cashback points. Limitations, terms and conditions apply.
- [60:21]
Redfin Representative
There's a difference between liking a house and actually getting it. Redfin is built to make up that difference and close the gap between finding and owning the home for you. Redfin agents close twice as many deals as other agents, so when you find a home you love, you're not a step behind when it comes to making an offer. That means less watching great homes disappear and more focus on the one you'll call home. Redfin helps turn saved listings into real addresses. Get started@redfin.com own the dream this is
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Martha Stewart
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- [61:33]
Cheekies
This is an iHeart podcast. Guaranteed Human.