DONKEY: Ashley Allison Talks 'Watering Hole Media,' Trump's Presidency Concerns, Federal Aid Freeze +More

Summary

Podcast Summary: The Breakfast Club - "DONKEY: Ashley Allison Talks 'Watering Hole Media,' Trump's Presidency Concerns, Federal Aid Freeze +More"

Release Date: January 29, 2025

Hosts: DJ Envy, Charlamagne Tha God
Guest: Ashley Allison, CEO of Watering Hole Media and Political Strategist

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1. Introduction to Ashley Allison

Timestamp: 02:16 - 04:15

The episode kicks off with DJ Envy and Charlamagne Tha God welcoming Ashley Allison to "The Breakfast Club." They delve into Ashley's motivations for entering the political arena, highlighting her long-standing passion for activism.

Notable Quote:

Ashley Allison [02:16]: "The new year is here and I'm... trying to keep things simple this year."

2. Ashley's Early Activism and Political Journey

Timestamp: 04:15 - 06:24

Ashley shares her early experiences with activism, recounting how she led her first protest in second grade over lactose intolerance issues in her Catholic school. She emphasizes her upbringing in Youngstown, Ohio, where her parents instilled in her the importance of advocating for change.

Notable Quote:

Ashley Allison [04:15]: "When something doesn't make sense, do something about it, change it, fix it."

3. Concerns Over Donald Trump's Presidency

Timestamp: 06:25 - 12:52

The discussion shifts to the repercussions of Donald Trump's presidency. Ashley expresses her apprehensions regarding Trump's actions, such as pardoning individuals involved in the January 6th events and firing inspector generals, which she believes erode democratic institutions.

Notable Quote:

Ashley Allison [06:37]: "Democracy doesn't die by one fatal blow. It dies by a thousand little cuts."

4. Executive Orders and Constitutional Threats

Timestamp: 12:52 - 18:51

Ashley delves into the implications of Trump's executive orders, particularly focusing on the potential repeal of birthright citizenship through the 14th Amendment. She cautions against the gradual erosion of constitutional protections and stresses the need for vigilance.

Notable Quote:

Ashley Allison [10:58]: "This is not about birthright citizenship. This is about being able to discriminate against all of us because of equal protection."

5. Federal Aid Freeze and Its Impact

Timestamp: 18:51 - 25:46

The conversation turns to Trump's decision to halt federal funding for various programs, including SNAP benefits. Ashley explains the immediate and long-term consequences of these freezes on vulnerable populations, highlighting personal anecdotes from her family members.

Notable Quote:

Ashley Allison [14:22]: "Stop. Now. Today's federal funding freeze impacts cancer nonprofits, veteran services, and more. It's real for people like my cousin who just had a baby."

6. Legislative Processes and the Filibuster

Timestamp: 18:59 - 23:17

Ashley discusses the importance of the filibuster in the Senate as a check against unilateral executive actions. She expresses concern over the potential removal of the filibuster by Republicans, which would allow a simple majority to override significant policies.

Notable Quote:

Ashley Allison [22:15]: "If they get rid of the filibuster, we already in trouble."

7. Strategies for Activism and Community Engagement

Timestamp: 23:17 - 39:36

Ashley emphasizes the necessity of community solidarity and educational initiatives to combat governmental overreach. She advocates for strategic boycotts, economic collective power, and fostering open dialogues to activate and engage the populace effectively.

Notable Quote:

Ashley Allison [24:11]: "One of the best things you can do right now is to educate yourself on how to sustain oppression."

8. Reflections on Political Discourse and Leadership

Timestamp: 39:36 - 47:39

The hosts and Ashley reflect on the state of political discourse, highlighting the lack of meaningful conversations between opposing viewpoints. Ashley underscores the need for authentic dialogue and the cultivation of leaders who prioritize community well-being over personal fame.

Notable Quote:

Ashley Allison [36:13]: "We are at a place where if you say something that I disagree with, we just walk away. We don't know how to have conversations."

9. The Role of Watering Hole Media

Timestamp: 50:46 - 52:25

Ashley introduces her company, Watering Hole Media, which aims to democratize the narrative by empowering creators to share authentic stories. She shares an example of how her team effectively managed the narrative during a sensitive incident, turning potential unrest into a platform for joy and strong political analysis.

Notable Quote:

Ashley Allison [52:15]: "We want to empower people who know how to connect with real people and tell real stories."

10. Closing Remarks and Call to Action

Timestamp: 53:05 - 47:39 (Conclusion)

Ashley reiterates the importance of collective action and continuous engagement to safeguard democracy. She calls on listeners to remain informed, engage with their communities, and hold elected officials accountable to prevent the erosion of constitutional rights.

Notable Quote:

Ashley Allison [46:23]: "The Constitution can have power as long as the people demand it."

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Conclusion

In this compelling episode, Ashley Allison provides an in-depth analysis of the threats posed by Trump's presidency to American democracy. She offers actionable strategies for listeners to engage in meaningful activism and emphasizes the importance of community solidarity and education in combating systemic challenges. Through her insights and experiences, Ashley underscores the critical role of accurate storytelling and media in shaping public discourse and maintaining democratic integrity.

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This summary captures the key discussions and insights from the episode, structured into clear sections with notable quotes and corresponding timestamps for easy reference.

Transcript

[Ashley Allison]

The new year is here and I'm.

[Charlamagne tha God]

Trying to keep things simple this year. One thing to help me keep things.

[Ashley Allison]

Simple is Amazon Prime. It's the cheat code to stay in.

[Charlamagne tha God]

Locked in on whatever you need.

[Ashley Allison]

It's not just fast delivery. Prime's a whole experience. From Prime Video and Amazon Music to.

[Charlamagne tha God]

Prime Free one day delivery.

[Ashley Allison]

It's got everything to keep my year stress free. Watching Thursday Night Football.

[Charlamagne tha God]

Prime's got you with the same day snack delivery.

[Ashley Allison]

Want to chill after the game? Find a movie on Prime Video and kick back with some Amazon music. Whatever you're into, it's on Prime. Visit Amazon.com prime now.

[Jon Stewart]

Jon Stewart is back at the Daily show and he's bringing his signature wit and insight straight to your ears with the Daily Show Ears Edition podcast. Dive into John's unique take on the biggest topics in politics, entertainment, sports and more. Joined by the sharp voices of the show's correspondence and contributors. And with extended interviews and exclusive weekly headline roundups, this podcast gives you content you won't find anywhere else. Ready to laugh and stay informed? Listen on the iHeartRadio app, Apple Podcasts or wherever you get your podcasts.

[Arturo Castro]

Hi, I'm Arturo Castro and I've been lucky enough to do stuff like Broad City and Narcos and Roadhouse. And now I'm starting a podcast because honestly guys, I don't feel the space is crowded enough. Get ready for Greatest Escapes, a new comedy podcast about the wildest true escape stories in history. Each week I'll be sitting down with some of the most hilarious actors and writers and comedians. People like Ed Helms, Diane Guerrero, and Joseph Gordon Levitt.

[Ashley Allison]

I love storytelling and I love you. So I can't wait.

[Arturo Castro]

Listen and subscribe to Greatest escapes on the iHeartRadio app, Apple Podcasts or wherever you get your podcasts.

[Paola Pedrosa]

Welcome. My name is Paola Pedrosa, a medium and the host of the Ghost Therapy podcast where it's not just about connect connecting with deceased loved ones. It's about learning through them and their new perspective. I think God sent me this gift so I can show it to the world. And most of all, I help people every single day. Listen to the Ghost Therapy podcast on the iHeartRadio app, Apple Podcasts or wherever you get your podcasts.

[DJ Envy]

Wake that ass up early in the morning. The Breakfast Club.

[Charlamagne tha God]

Morning everybody. It's DJ Envy. Just hilarious. Charlemagne the guy. We are the Breakfast Club. We got a special guest in the building.

[DJ Envy]

Yes, indeed we have.

[Charlamagne tha God]

Ashley Allison. Welcome.

[Ashley Allison]

Yes, hi.

[Charlamagne tha God]

How you feeling this morning?

[Ashley Allison]

Well, that's A hard question. Eight days, nine days into Donald Trump's America.

[DJ Envy]

But don't let it stress you out. You can't think about it every day. You got to remember your serenity prayer.

[Ashley Allison]

Okay.

[Just hilarious]

That's a word.

[Ashley Allison]

No. You know, yeah, I'm good. But it's a lot on my mind right now.

[DJ Envy]

But it's your job, too. And I feel like I know you because I watch CNN all of the time, and. And it is. It's your job, and you always have to talk about these things, but I feel like they always put you in the position against the white conservative male and cause conflict on purpose just to stress you out.

[Ashley Allison]

No, telling the truth doesn't stress me out. And I feel like that's all I do on CNN is I'm going to be a truth teller. I'm going to hold you accountable, and I'm gonna call you out. And I literally like people. Like, I don't know how you do it. I don't either. But it's like my grandmother's spirit comes in me, and I'm calm, cool, collected. Now sometimes, like, every once in a while, but most of the time, I'm just like, no, I'm not gonna. I'm from Youngstown, Ohio. So we just call the thing a thing. Yeah.

[DJ Envy]

Cause it feels like they, like the conflict. Makes for good television.

[Ashley Allison]

Yeah. I mean. Well, I think the important thing that they try and do is obviously a lot of people think what the conservatives think because they just voted for Donald Trump. Right. And they're trying to get that viewpoint out. But I'm also, like, a lot of people still voted for Kamala Harris, too. And so I'm gonna try and get that viewpoint out.

[DJ Envy]

And it's gotta be a lot of argument.

[Ashley Allison]

Right. A lot of people didn't vote at all. So we gotta get that argument out, too. Like, what happened there? Why did people stay home? And I think there's still a lot of questions to be answered about what happened this November.

[DJ Envy]

Can we go.

[Charlamagne tha God]

Can we go back a little bit and find out who Ashley Allison is and how you jumped into politics? So let's start off from what got you into politics?

[Ashley Allison]

I led my first protest when I was in the second grade.

[Charlamagne tha God]

Second grade.

[Just hilarious]

Wow.

[DJ Envy]

What was it over?

[Just hilarious]

Damn.

[Ashley Allison]

So I'm lactose intolerant.

[DJ Envy]

Me, too.

[Ashley Allison]

And most of us are. Most people in the world are lactose intolerant, so we should change that name. And the nuns at my school used to make us drink the milk.

[Charlamagne tha God]

You went Catholic school?

[Ashley Allison]

Yes. I'm not Catholic. But went to Catholic school.

[Charlamagne tha God]

Most of us did.

[Ashley Allison]

Yes. And I used to get sick every day after lunch.

[DJ Envy]

Wow.

[Ashley Allison]

Every day. And they used to say it's because I didn't like math. Now I don't like math and I'm not good at math.

[Charlamagne tha God]

Right.

[Ashley Allison]

But I didn't make myself sick. And so the first was like, let me drink juice at lunch and not. And so it was just like, when something doesn't make sense, do something about it, change it, fix it. And then my parents raised me, like, knocking on doors when I was a little kid canvassing for candidates for city council. And then I just am someone. Like, when I see something that is not right, it just agitates my spirit. That's why you, like, don't let it stress you out. It's like, part of who I am. I cannot see something that is wrong and not say something. And I feel like Obama came through, and I was like, oh, how do you. How do you work on a campaign? How do you. I was teaching at Boys and Girls High School, actually, at the time when Obama ran for president, and my students were, like, engaged by him in a way I had never seen. And I was like, I want to work on his campaign. And it was kind of like all she wrote.

[DJ Envy]

Do you think we'll ever see that again? Do you ever think we'll see? Because he's a once in a lifetime.

[Ashley Allison]

Generation, lifetime generation leader. And so is Donald Trump.

[DJ Envy]

Yes, that's a fact. I've only seen three in my lifetime like that. Clinton, Obama, and Trump.

[Ashley Allison]

Yeah, I don't know. I don't. I honestly, I don't know if we need a once in a lifetime generational leader. I just think we need good leaders. I think that the celebrity of it all is part of the problem, is, like, people, I want somebody who cares about the quality of everybody's life and wants everybody's life to be better. I don't need you to be a reality show star. I don't need you to be super famous. I don't even need to really want to have dinner with you, quite honestly. I just need you to know what you're doing and want to help people and get this country in a better place. So probably not.

[DJ Envy]

Yeah.

[Charlamagne tha God]

Now, you said something stressed you out. So what stresses you out the most? Because he said what he was going to do. It's not like it's a surprise. He said what exactly what he's going to do.

[DJ Envy]

He's taking a breath right now.

[Charlamagne tha God]

Let's take a breath right now.

[Ashley Allison]

Did my eyes get real big? You know, that's my tail normally what stresses me out. I think that we. You know, I was one of those people, Charlamagne, who called Trump a fascist. And I still think that. And I think that it is not. Democracy doesn't die by one fatal blow. It dies by a thousand little cuts. And I think the first day, when he pardoned January six, folks, that was 1500 little cuts to democracy. I think when Friday night, when he fires inspector generals, that's another 18 cuts to democracy. And for folks who don't know what an inspector general is, it's literally the people who are supposed to do the auditing of federal agencies to make sure there isn't waste and fraud. Like, they think they need Doge for it. And I think that. No. Is talking about inspector general sexy and exciting. No. But is it the thing that is a backstop? Yes. And I worry people are not paying attention, and people are just kind of not complacent, but are so frustrated with everything that they're throwing their hands up and saying, like, I don't have anything to do. I can't engage. And apathy is how dictators thrive. Despair is how. And I worry that people are becoming apathetic and finding this despair and feeling hopeless. And that makes. That stresses me out because, like, if we have the numbers, I think he did say what he was gonna do some now surprised that he kept his word. We tried to tell him, but it's the despair that makes me most nervous.

[DJ Envy]

I agree with everything. I'm sorry. Good.

[Just hilarious]

I was. I know you said that stress is a big part of your job. And. And you don't mind, you don't care. You're gonna keep telling the truth, you know, because that's your job to do that. But at what point is the stress to the point? Like, have you ever had a tipping point? Like, all right, I'm not about to be doing this.

[DJ Envy]

No.

[Just hilarious]

More like, throw in a towel type.

[Ashley Allison]

Yeah. So, okay, I'm a big yogi. I've been doing yoga for 25 years. So I'm always breathing. I'm always staying grounded, connected, like, feet on the ground, making sure you're not going to catch me off my balance. The thing about why this moment I'm okay with it, is because eight years ago, the first time he got elected, it almost took me out. Like, I was leaving the White House, the relationship I was in, and I felt like my whole identity. I closed the White House down, right? I had no job, my money was real. Funny, you know, we don't make a lot of money in the government. And I was like, what do I do? And for six months, I was just kind of like, I was in a depression. I was in a. I almost hit rock bottom. And every day since then, I was in therapy. You know, I did a lot of the self work. I got my practices back together. And every day since then, I've been building for this moment. So it's not gonna. I'm not gonna get to the point where I, like, I can't do this anymore because I'm never gonna let somebody else take that much power away from me, you know?

[DJ Envy]

Did your ex vote for Trump?

[Ashley Allison]

I don't know. My mom is listening, so I can't say what I was about to say.

[DJ Envy]

I'm talking. Exactly. You said something that's very interesting about democracy.

[Ashley Allison]

Right.

[DJ Envy]

And I agree with everything you said. But I was watching John Stewart last night, and he put. He presented a good point. He said that, you know, the thing that we need to remember about Trump is this is democracy. Because he was voted in.

[Ashley Allison]

Yeah.

[DJ Envy]

And he has. He has control of all branches of government now.

[Ashley Allison]

Yeah.

[DJ Envy]

So the things he's doing, we may not like it, but under the Constitution, he has the right to do it.

[Ashley Allison]

Well, not all things. The Constitution still exists for a reason. Right. So you can sign an executive order, but democracy, we still have three branches of our government. Right. So you can sign an executive order. And the courts are actually supposed to be a checks and balances. Right. So if it goes all the way up to the Supreme Court and the court says, no, Donald Trump can't then just override it. Right.

[DJ Envy]

That's his tool.

[Ashley Allison]

Well, that's the problem. Right. That's the problem with. Is that we were supposed to have all these checks and balances. I think the thing that's on the front of my mind is this 14th amendment around birthright citizenship. And I'm like, y'all better wake up, because this is not about birthright citizenship. This is about being able to discriminate against all of us because of equal protection.

[DJ Envy]

Break that now.

[Ashley Allison]

Okay, So I think almost every legal scholar, except for, like, the five that Donald Trump is going to find to bring this case have said that birthright to the sinners, citizenship is in the Constitution and is not a thing. But he still, on day one, signed an executive order. He even said in his interview behind the Resolute desk that, I don't know if this is going to work, but we're going to try it out. So he's trying to, like, press the levers of democracy to see. But the 14th amendment also is the amendment that prevents from you to be able to be discriminated. It gives all rights to Americans in this country. So black, brown, women, straight, gay. And it's bigger than just birthright citizenship. And so because immigration is such a big topic right now, they are introducing the fight through that lens as a foil, almost as a distraction so that you focus on that and not on really what they're doing. And if you take one piece of the Constitution away, then it start again. A thousand little cuts. It's a cut. And so they're trying to. They're trying to knock it down. So that's why I'm like, don't get distracted, y'all. Don't be in despair. Pay attention. You know, like eight years ago was Wednesday woke. We made it, like, the thing that people said again, and then they turned it on us. It's like, no, like, wake up. You know, it's like Spike Lee when it's like, wake up. You know, it's like, this is happening in front of our face. And now is not the time to sit on the couch and be like, not my fight.

[DJ Envy]

School me on this, too. Because they say, they're saying that his plan to end birthright citizenship is like Dred Scott too, right? Do you think so?

[Ashley Allison]

Well, I think. I. I don't know. I haven't heard them people articulate that argument. So I want to hear a little bit more. Again, I don't like to just say something because just sound like the smartest person in the room, but there's an.

[DJ Envy]

Article in the New York Times.

[Ashley Allison]

Okay. I think that the question is, is that a lot of people. Birthright citizenship, they said it was brought through to give black people black and save people the right of citizenship, but it doesn't. It's. It's not just about black people. It's about all people. Again, I think that, again, every legal salt scholar, Republican, conservative, even Scalia, most of his clerks, most of people who are Scaliaites are like, who in Scalia is one of the most conservative Supreme Court justices we've ever had, say that it shouldn't be able to pass a legal muster. I don't even know if the Supreme Court will hear the case, but we will find out. But again, that's the distraction over there because today he just stopped federal funding on programs like snap.

[Charlamagne tha God]

So I was gonna ask. So what is your thoughts on the parting? Right.

[DJ Envy]

Come on.

[Just hilarious]

Nah, for real. Wic and all of that.

[Ashley Allison]

So the way. I mean, yeah, last night he rolled out, starting today at 5pm that federal funding and grants need to be halted. Now that means monies that go to cancer nonprofits, all nonprofits, veteran services. And so again, it happens in the middle of the night, you know, stop now, today. Watch. You're going to do some wild stuff to distract everybody. Distract everybody?

[DJ Envy]

Yeah, yeah, yeah. Hmm.

[Ashley Allison]

Don't focus on the distraction. Focus on the trick they've trying to play on you. So we're right now, people are looking at it, looking at lawsuits, looking at litigation that they can file to halt this. You know, I woke up this morning to a text from my cousin. It was like, who literally just had a baby yesterday. And she was like, Section 8, my SNAP benefits. She's. She runs a real estate thing and she's like, my tenants are section 8. Are they going to be able to pay? Am I going to be able to. Like, this is real light, you know what I mean? Like, I'm on cnn. But this is. That's my first cousin that I'm talking about here. That is like, what is what's happening. And to truth be told, a lot of people who voted for Donald Trump are going to now face that consequence as well. Which is why when it's like there is in every crisis, there's opportunity. If we actually could start having conversations with people about the economics that are happening in this country and the real working. Them, working class people.

[DJ Envy]

That's right.

[Charlamagne tha God]

But that's what I was gonna ask. Do you think the pardons and things that he's doing that is making the press. He does that so you don't see the other stuff that he's doing. People are talking more about the pardons and the January 6th rise and they're talking about all these other things. But like you said, the main things that he doing that he's doing that is affecting us the most, we don't see because we're more distracted with the pardons. We're more distracted with this. So do you think that's his way of doing this? Let me write this here so the press can go this way and I can fly under the radar and do this because, like, something I've seen yesterday, which was all over the place was Donald Trump is gonna get rid of taxes.

[Ashley Allison]

Right, right. The irs.

[Charlamagne tha God]

Yes, the irs.

[Ashley Allison]

Right.

[Charlamagne tha God]

But people were like, really?

[Ashley Allison]

Really?

[Charlamagne tha God]

That was a talking point. But then he did all these other things under the radar that people are not talking about.

[Ashley Allison]

Yeah, the day, the first day he got inaugurated. You know, he was sharpieing it up with all his executive orders and all these different locations, and everybody was talking about the pardons. Now, let me be clear. The pardons were messed up, and I'm not trying to undermine them. Simultaneously, he rescinded 78 executive orders that Joe Biden did. Do you know what some of those executive orders are? Capping the cost on prescription drugs, making the Affordable Care act weaker, making Medicaid weaker, protecting workers safety and health. But nobody was talking about that. So I was like, wait a minute. I was saying it's, wait a minute, I got it. But I can do two things at once. So, yeah, I do think that a lot of the things that he does, I mean, he is a master performer and executor of a show, and he is putting on a show right now. But I want to. I want to see the credits.

[DJ Envy]

I was reading this clause. It was a clause in one of the DEI initiatives that he said he signed the executive order that not only stops the federal government supplier diversity program and remove the requirements for federal contractors to be addressing DEI issues, it includes a clause that federal contractors must certify they are not running DEI programs to be eligible for government contracts. So any store that offers WIC is considered a federal contractor. Any company that supplies products for Whip Snap, et cetera, is a federal contractor. Is that true?

[Ashley Allison]

Again, I will want to do some research on that. But here's the thing. This is not their first time at the rodeo, right? And so they, as someone who worked at the White House, like, I remember my first day and I was kind of like, what is happening? Like, what is up from down? It is a massive institution. And that at that point, Obama had been in office for five years, so people knew how it was going. It does take a lot of time. So when they are writing these executive orders, they're writing it so that the tentacles go in all spaces, all. All nooks and crannies. So when they say if you. If you change a title now, tell on somebody that. And if you don't, then, like, then you can lose your job. It reminds me honestly of what they did in Texas with the abortion laws, where it was like, a woman can't have an abortion, and if you help her have an abortion, that can be against the law. If you are the Uber driver, it's all to invoke fear. It's all to ask people to comply without needing to comply. That's another dangerous thing is like if. If you don't tell me I have to do this because it's not the law. Then I maybe shouldn't do it. Like so to hear that, I wouldn't be surprised because they want to get you tripped up and they just want you to be afraid. So then you're like, I'm not going to do it. It's too hard. I'm just going to step away.

[DJ Envy]

And what are the guardrails? Right? Because how, what can be done to keep these executive orders from becoming actual legislation?

[Ashley Allison]

Well, right now the Republicans have the House and the Senate, but in the Senate they do not have a fill up a Philip who So they can't, they don't have 60 votes, which you need in almost everything for something to become law. I hate to say it but like there is an election into. There are elections every year actually, but there is an election to take back the house in 2026. One way to make sure that those things don't become law is to make sure that there are people who will not vote for them. But you still are represented, whether you're a Republican or Democrat. You should still talk to your elected officials. Now I think that a lot of times people just wait until the election is like, no, if you don't want that to become law, call your elected official now. Have a conversation with it. Call your. A lot of, a lot of states are going to have to make decisions now about accepting federal funding. You know, people didn't vote for the infrastructure bill, but they sure are getting bridges built in their cities and towns from that infrastructure money. So call your, your mayor, call your state legislature, call your governor and say, we do want these federal funds that go to our school to make our roads improve better. I mean that is how they don't become law is to make sure that the elected officials don't vote for them.

[DJ Envy]

Could Republicans get rid of the filibuster? Yeah, they will.

[Ashley Allison]

I mean, well, they will.

[DJ Envy]

I mean, I think they will.

[Ashley Allison]

I, they say they won't, they will.

[DJ Envy]

Everything I wanted Democrats to do in order to properly govern, Republicans are going to do.

[Ashley Allison]

I, Yes, I am waiting for the day where I said, I told you I would, you know, because something will happen and it might actually happen this year because right now, you know, the Republicans went down to Florida yesterday to have this conversation with Trump about what is his legislative package going to look like, right? Is he going to split up? Is he going to do this one big thing? And it's hard to make laws right in this country and Congress has the lowest approval rating because they don't make a lot of laws, but. And there's gridlock right now in D.C. and it has been for most of our lives. Right. But the Republicans went down to have this conversation with Donald Trump, and whether or not they're gonna roll out this big package that includes immigration, tax reform, the budget, or they're gonna separate it. And I think you could see an opportunity where this is where he's like, get rid of it. I want it done. And if you don't, I'm gonna primary you, Ashley.

[DJ Envy]

You know, he is. And they are.

[Ashley Allison]

I'm not saying, where's the lie? You know, it's like, I hear you.

[Charlamagne tha God]

What's your biggest fear? What should our biggest fear be? You named 19,000 things that we should be fearful of, but what is the big. That you're saying this is going to be fucked up.

[Ashley Allison]

I don't. I don't. I. The reason why I'm not answering that question is because I don't think we can only look at one thing. I think. I think we have to have the discipline to look at multitask. Right. I think we cannot just be like, I'm only going to activate when this happens because it might be too late.

[Just hilarious]

So what, do we at least have, like, a top three?

[Ashley Allison]

Yeah. I mean, I think if. I think if they get rid of the filibuster, we already in trouble.

[Charlamagne tha God]

Right.

[Ashley Allison]

That's not. That's good. That's. So if that conversation really gets activated, we should be mindful of that. And for folks who don't know, the filibuster requires 60 votes to get something through the Senate, the House, you only need a majority. And right now there's only 53 Republican senators. And if there's a tie, the vice president, which is J.D. vance, now, would break the tie. So the filibuster is one. It's a backstop to make sure that, like, actually the will of the people is becoming law. I do think that if that birthright citizenship case is taken up and actually goes to the Supreme Court and was the third. The. The secret in the night. We don't know.

[DJ Envy]

Yeah, yeah, yeah.

[Ashley Allison]

Because, like, yeah, like, let's just be honest, they wrote it all down. Like, my biggest. My biggest fear is 2025, just boom, like, all 900 pages come to reality. But they already told us that. It's like, some stuff I know. We don't know.

[Charlamagne tha God]

You know, we always talk about the problems. Right. What are the solutions? What can people do to, you know, to try to stop this or to try to Curve it. Like, what can people do? Because a lot of people are listening and like, we know the problems.

[Ashley Allison]

Yeah.

[Charlamagne tha God]

We know we gotta deal with the next four years. We see it happen in the last eight, nine days. But what can we do to stop it? What's the solution?

[Ashley Allison]

Yeah, I think being in community is the most important thing. Right. Like sitting by yourself and spiraling and doom scrolling. One of the things that. The coolest thing that is happening right now. Y'all. Y'all following Hillman talk. Okay, so this is why I love black women. Like, we did 92, supposed to be sitting down, chilling, and we done created a whole HBCU online on Tick Tock.

[Just hilarious]

In the last seven days. Yeah.

[Ashley Allison]

So a black professor, she put a video out about African American studies class for her 36 students. It is now a place where 20, 20 plus PhDs, all black folks, teaching African American studies, teaching the art of resistance, teaching economic power. That's self organizing. Right. I think right now one of the things we have, our. Our people have been through, many, many things. And one of the best things you can do right now is to educate yourself on how to sustain oppression.

[Charlamagne tha God]

You're saying, Dr. Barlow.

[Ashley Allison]

Dr. Barlow. Yes, yes. And so they're educating us on forms of resistance on. So you don't just sit and say like, well, how did, how did you know, the Civil rights movement survive? How did we get the. The Civil Rights Act? Like, that did not happen overnight. We tell that a lot of times. Our country tells that black during Black History Month, if they even tell that story. That was like a 15 year struggle just to get that one piece of legislation. So find yourself in community and educate yourself. You know, I'm not going to take a stance on the boycotts right now, but I do think our economic collective buying power is very important. There's a lot of conversation about boycotting company, boycotting companies who are getting rid of dei. I think boycotts are hard, but boycotts can be used strategically. And if we as a community really put some strategy behind it, it could be effective while we're still helping black businesses and entrepreneurs thrive. And then I think we, we gotta have some tough conversations, y'all.

[DJ Envy]

Yeah.

[Just hilarious]

And the hardest part about it is like, getting people motivated to do it and activating people to do it. You know what I'm saying? Like. Cause like, I'm 32 and a lot of people in my generation, they don't care. You know what I'm saying? They care, but they don't care enough to, like, if it don't affect them directly. Like right now, they not doing nothing. You know, they just, I do know and I know a whole bunch of people that say, oh, Trump had money in the hood, so, you know, we good. And then you sitting here telling me snap is gone. You know, it's, you know, all the stuff in the night that's happening, you only know half of them pregnant. That's hitting me up like my cousins and homegirls in Baltimore. Trump gave us that check. He ain't even get it to you, you know what I mean? His name is on it, but it ain't even because of him.

[Ashley Allison]

You got it?

[Just hilarious]

You know, and it's just how do you properly educate, properly activate people to listen and really care about peace to.

[DJ Envy]

The planet Charlamagne tha God here. And I just want you to know, if you're not on Amazon prime, you're seriously missing out. It's not just about the fast free delivery. Although, let's be real, that's a game changer. It especially was for me this holiday season. Prime is like your personal guide to everything you're into or want to get into. Whether it's binge watching the latest hit on prime video, you know, listening to your favorite playlist on Amazon music, or getting those last minute gifts which same day free delivery. Prime's got you covered. And here's the kicker. Prime isn't just about getting you closer to your passions. It's about helping you discover new ones too. Got a hobby you're obsessed with? Prime fuels it. Trying something new. Prime helps you dive deep into whatever's next. It's like me being passionate about mental health. You can order all kinds of books on mental health on Prime. My favorite is the Unapologetic Guide to Black mental health by Dr. Rita Walker. Prime gets you closer to what really matters, making all times of the year that much more special. Whether it's screaming your favorite movie or getting that perfect gift delivered the same day, prime makes everything easy and stress free. Whatever you're into, it's on Prime. Visit Amazon.comprime now the world is constantly changing.

[Charlamagne tha God]

It's up to you to decide how to respond. Choose to be bold. To try something new. Choose to reinvent yourself. That's what Nissan did with the all new, totally reimagined kicks. The dynamic new exterior styling immediately announces that Nissan isn't messing around. The interior, a completely redesigned cabin with premium features like wireless Apple Carplay and a panoramic moonroof make driving a kicks immersive and exciting. And with new performance and safety features like Intelligent All Wheel Drive, the Kicks is both fun and safer to drive than ever before. It is the dawning of a brand new era for the Nissan Kicks. Only one question remains. Is it a new era for you as well? Drive the all new reimagined Nissan Kicks.

[DJ Envy]

Today Available Features Compatible Device Service and consumer activation of Nissan Connect Services package Required use only when safe and legal. Subject to third party service availability. For more information, see nissanusa.com connect legal Apple CarPlay is a trademark of Apple Inc. Intelligent All Wheel Drive cannot prevent collisions or provide enhanced traction in all conditions. Always monitor traffic and weather conditions.

[Charlamagne tha God]

Sup y'all? This is Questlove and I'm here to tell you about a new podcast I've been working on with the story Pirates and John Glickman called Historical Records. It's a family friendly podcast. Yeah, you heard that right. A podcast for all ages.

[Ashley Allison]

One you can listen to and enjoy with your kids.

[Charlamagne tha God]

Starting on September 27th, I'm going to toss it over to the host of Historical Records Nemeni to tell you all about it. Make sure you check it out.

[Ashley Allison]

Hey y'all, Nimini here. I'm the host of a brand new history podcast for kids and families called Historical Records. Historical Records brings history to life through.

[DJ Envy]

Hip Hop, Smash, Slam, Another one gone. Bash Bam. Another one gone. The cracker, the Bat and another one gone. A tip of the cap cause another one gone.

[Ashley Allison]

Each episode is about a different inspiring figure from history, like this one about Claudette Colvin, a 15 year old girl in Alabama who refused to give up her seat on the city bus nine whole months before Rosa Parks did the same thing. Check it. Get the kids in your life excited about history by tuning in to Historical Records because in order to make history, you have to make some noise. Listen to Historical records on the iHeartRadio app, Apple Podcasts or wherever you get your podcasts.

[DJ Envy]

Hey y'all. This is Reed from the God's Country Podcast. We had the one and only Bobby Bones in the studio this week and we cover everything from his upbringing to his outdoor experiences with his stepdad, AR Keith, to the state of country music. We may even end the episode with a little jam session led by Bobby himself. Y'all be sure and listen to this episode of God's country with Bobby bones on the iHeartRadio app, Apple podcast or.

[Ashley Allison]

Wherever you get your podcast. Don't go shopping at Target with khaki.

[Charlamagne tha God]

Pants and a red shirt on.

[Ashley Allison]

Don't go shopping at Target with khaki pants and a red Polo shirt on, switch up song.

[Charlamagne tha God]

An old lady came up to me, she said, how much for this Cream of Wheat?

[Just hilarious]

Their lives. Why, why would you wait till something happened to you when you know you can do something, like you said, stand with a community to like, to help prevent it in any type of way.

[Ashley Allison]

Yeah, I mean, I, I hear you.

[Just hilarious]

And you activate people.

[Ashley Allison]

It's hard. If, if, if it was easy, like, we wouldn't be here.

[Just hilarious]

Yeah.

[Ashley Allison]

Honest to goodness, like, if it was. And I think that people honestly deserve to have a sense of, like, it don't matter. Right. I love Obama, but I know a lot of people whose lives haven't changed over the last 20 years under Democrat or Republican, so I get it. I think it's the responsibility. I don't actually think it's their responsibility to activate. I do think, like, elected officials need to activate, but I always say, you know, start with not me saying this is what you should care about. What do you actually care about? Like, if you can tell me any topic, just about, and I could find a way to bring it back to, like, something you should care about.

[Charlamagne tha God]

I think a lot of times, like what Jess said, you don't realize it until it affects you.

[DJ Envy]

Right?

[Ashley Allison]

That's right.

[Charlamagne tha God]

Like you have birthright citizenship. Right. And let's say, like every Dominican. I'm not Dominican. I'm fully black. I'm fully black. Stop it. But like, if you, if you don't have a family member that's from out of this country, it doesn't affect you.

[Ashley Allison]

Right.

[Charlamagne tha God]

You know, same thing with the, with the medicine and pills. If you don't need medicine right now, it's not affecting you that way, so you're not even thinking about those things. So it's hard to activate until something really affects you and you see it really hit close to home, you know.

[Just hilarious]

And then it does affect you.

[Charlamagne tha God]

But that point is.

[Ashley Allison]

Right, but it's two steps removed. Right. Like, half of the. There are workforces right now in California that are not showing up to harvest crops because they're afraid they're going to get deported. You think that's going to make eggs and groceries go down?

[DJ Envy]

No.

[Ashley Allison]

When they, when they lose a whole crop and now they're out of their business for the, the season and they got to hike it up next. That's not going.

[DJ Envy]

No. I've been hearing about it. I know truck. I know Mexican truck drivers scared to drive because they're gonna get pulled over.

[Ashley Allison]

Yeah. How you gonna get your Amazon?

[Charlamagne tha God]

Yo, they playing with you, Jesse. He playing with you, Jess.

[Ashley Allison]

He Mexican. Don't put me in the middle of this.

[Charlamagne tha God]

You playing with me too, Cuz you believe he thought I was Dominican for real. She looked at me like, okay, I.

[DJ Envy]

Didn'T know I'm black, but I did.

[Ashley Allison]

Hear that you are Dominican.

[Charlamagne tha God]

Not black though. It's okay. Shout out to Dominicans. You lie, but I'm black.

[DJ Envy]

You said something when you was answering. Justin, I totally agree with. It's not people's job to activate. It's elected officials jobs to activate the people. And that's where I feel like Democrats have failed.

[Ashley Allison]

Yeah.

[DJ Envy]

And you work for the Biden. You work for Obama, Biden administration and Biden Harrison.

[Ashley Allison]

We were so we activated. But you know, I think that yes, it is the responsibility of elected officials. It is the responsibility to do that all the time. I'm not stupid. If somebody came to me, like, if you hear I won the lottery and then you want to be my friend, catch me later. Right. That's sometimes how people run political campaigns. So we are not stupid. We know when people are being sometimey. We know when people are playing in our face and coming and just get a vote. I'm not saying that's what the vice president did. I do not actually think that's what Vice President Harris did at all. I think she has probably been one of the most consistent folks who have showed up in our community. But like, you should be in communities now knocking on people's doors saying, what did, what did we not? What? What do you want from me?

[DJ Envy]

I agree.

[Ashley Allison]

I am your serve, I am your public official. I am your public servant. What do you want from me? And then listen, don't do it as like a fake. Listen to what them and then go sit and think about how you can do something.

[DJ Envy]

Gavin Newsom did that and I thought that was dope. He, you know, he went and spoke to the counties that flipped red for Trump. And I just thought that was smart. Like, just go listen to people. Because if you literally, if Democrats had just been listening to people the last four years, none of this stuff would have surprised them. The way people felt about the border wouldn't have surprised them. The way people felt about the economy wouldn't surprise them. None of this stuff would have surprised them.

[Ashley Allison]

I agree. I agree. And I think, like I always say, I was allowed to have hope and believe that the vice president can win. Like I'm allowed to dream of something better than what we currently have. But we also have to live in reality. And people, you know, I'm one of those people where I do think racism and sexism played a huge role in this election cycle, particularly when she became the nominee. But I also think, like, some people really are struggling in this country and really are just looking for an alternative.

[Charlamagne tha God]

A lot of people.

[Ashley Allison]

And a lot of people. And I used to be one of those people who never talk to Republicans. Like, it was. It was a part of my, like, hi, I'm Ashley. Are you Republican? Because I will walk away. And once Donald Trump went, I was like, I gotta change this. How do I call myself a political strategist? And I don't even know what my opponent is doing. Like, if you. If you play sports, you study tape, you watch them, you go watch them play, you scout them out. So I'm not gonna have an interaction with you.

[Just hilarious]

I'm gonna be.

[Ashley Allison]

You are so much my enemy that I can't even have a conversation. And then I started having conversations. I was like, oh, we. We actually agree on some things. Let me see if I can actually talk to you about why you're voting. And I don't think we do that. I'm not just saying Democrats, Republicans don't do it either. We are at a place in our lives where if you say something that I disagree with, we just walk away. We don't know how to have conversations. We don't know how to engage with somebody. We don't know how to talk to one another. We don't know how to, you know, coexist. And that's a real problem.

[DJ Envy]

I. I agree with that. And I actually believe Republicans did study Democrats, and they realized how coward. Cowardice Democrats are, and they realize that there's a lot. They realize they can just run over them, and they realize they wouldn't do anything about it. And I think that's where that's. Democrats have not learned how to treat Republicans the way Republicans, you know, treat them. Because when you look at it just on the surface, sometimes it looks like Republicans. And I don't want to say good guy, bad guy. It's just politics. But sometimes it looks like Republicans are the ones that are doing the right thing and Democrats are the ones that are, you know, fighting for the wrong things.

[Ashley Allison]

Give me an example.

[DJ Envy]

Oh, man, I'll give you an example. The example to me is the border issue, right? Because I remember, you know, back in January, just having conversations with who I believe became the new hypothetical swing voter, right? Which was just us black people and brown people, and there was black people in Chicago, activists in Chicago, telling me about the issues that were going on at the border. They weren't anti immigrant. They were more pro resources. Like, they felt like, yo, these people are getting way more resources than us. Then you have people here in New York telling me about crime that was going on in the communities. These weren't white people. These were black people, Spanish people telling me about Ms. 13 and everybody running, you know, rampant through their neighborhoods. And so when I would come on the air and just have those conversations on that day, when Mayor Adams shut the school down to let the migrants stay in for the day, and everybody was calling in mad as hell. So when I would get on the radio and have these conversations and just tell people what black and brown people were saying about the border, MSNBC ran a headline, Charlamagne tha God is spreading MAGA messaging. I'm like, how the hell is this MAGA messaging? And it's coming from our community.

[Ashley Allison]

Yeah. I think everything has to be put in context. I agree. I think that there are things that happen this election cycle that we missed. And I'm never gonna say, like, on the border issue, I don't really see how the Republicans are doing the right thing because they also, like, they're just.

[DJ Envy]

Speaking what people are feeling. That's it.

[Ashley Allison]

Yes.

[DJ Envy]

Meanwhile, Democrats are like, it's not a problem.

[Ashley Allison]

They are hitting the emotion that people are feeling. And fear and anger can be the best activator for people. And that was tapped into this election cycle in various different ways. I do think Republicans studied people. I don't know if they study Republicans, but they studied the potential or Democrats, but they studied their voters. And they were like, there's an emotional reaction once you get triggered. You know how hard once you get triggered to come back down? And they, they seized on it and they captivate it. And one of my friends, he always says, democrats are making a documentary and Republicans are making a blockbuster movie. Because we're like, facts, facts, facts, facts. And they're like, I can't put food on my table. And if, like, if I can't put food on my table, I don't care about your facts because it's not equating. And we did. We missed the mark on it.

[DJ Envy]

And sometimes just being seen is enough.

[Ashley Allison]

It's right.

[DJ Envy]

Like, like, we know that.

[Ashley Allison]

We' Just listen to me.

[DJ Envy]

That's it. Just see me.

[Ashley Allison]

Just, just see me. Just like, sit down. Have a conversation with me. That is so validating. But I do want. I want to be. To be more than a conversation. I want you to hear. I want you to listen. Then I Want you to take some action if you've been put in office to do something.

[Charlamagne tha God]

Now you work for the Harris campaign?

[Ashley Allison]

No, no, no. I worked for Biden Harris.

[Charlamagne tha God]

Biden Harris. Yeah, yeah.

[Ashley Allison]

Not this go around.

[Charlamagne tha God]

Do you think that Harris should run again?

[Ashley Allison]

I think that black woman should do whatever she want to do. And if she never wants to give one more day of public service to this country, she has already done enough. And I think she should be given the time to think about what she wants to do and the time to dream about what she wants to do, and then the time to actually do it.

[Charlamagne tha God]

You talked about sexism and racism. Do you think this world and this country is ready for that? Because we've seen what happened here.

[Ashley Allison]

Well, if they were, we would already have a female president.

[Charlamagne tha God]

Facts.

[DJ Envy]

I mean, they are. And the reason I say that is because we do have to factor things like the electoral college in 2016. There's no electoral College. Hillary Clinton is the President of the United States of America. And we also have to factor. Vice President Kamala Harris did get the second most votes of any Democratic nominee ever. 72 million votes. That's a big deal. And going up against a superstar like Donald Trump, that's a big deal. I think that America is more than ready. I really do.

[Ashley Allison]

Well, you are more. I mean, I said what I said. If they was ready, we would maybe even had a Republican female president. We just haven't. I think that there are still so many biases, conscious and unconscious biases, that we don't even know exist in this country. And until we have some real tough conversations, I think we're going to be stuck.

[Charlamagne tha God]

Can Trump go for a third term? And how could he make that happen?

[Ashley Allison]

No. And he is saying no so far. He is termed out. I'm gonna. Everything has context. Everything has context there. The 22nd Amendment of the Constitution. There's currently a piece of legislation that has been introduced that would allow any president to run for a third term. Now, you said, how do we make sure these things don't become law?

[Charlamagne tha God]

Well, you know what I was like for New York with Bloomberg? Bloomberg was only supposed to run two. He ran like four.

[Ashley Allison]

Yes, yes.

[Charlamagne tha God]

Changed it up.

[Ashley Allison]

So you can.

[Charlamagne tha God]

And nobody said nothing.

[Ashley Allison]

You can amend the Constitution. It is extremely hard to amend Constitution. I think when you Trump.

[DJ Envy]

Not when you got that political white supremacist will.

[Ashley Allison]

Right. So when you talk about how do you make sure these things don't become law, that's what I'm like you. That should never even see the light of day. Now, truth be told, if Trump can run for a third term, so can Obama, so can Clinton, so can all the other presidents that are alive, that they will. But currently, now in the Constitution, there Trump could not run for.

[DJ Envy]

But the problem, the problem with that is they're not going to use that power when they get it. That's what pisses me off about Democrats. That's why I stay on Democrats neck. They're not going to use the power even if they get it. They want to do everything. They want all these political norms when things have not been politically normal since 2016.

[Ashley Allison]

I agree, I agree. We are in a new normal and we have to recalibrate to that new normal. Like we are not operating. That's why when, you know, my famous line is when they go low, I match energy. Like, I'm not. That's, that's my thing. Like, I don't, I don't stay high.

[DJ Envy]

Are you mad? Michelle hasn't said anything yet. Because the reason I say that is because Michelle kind of set the tone right when she said, when they go low, we go high. But then she decided to not even go at all. Not to the funeral, not to the inauguration.

[Ashley Allison]

I think she's. Sometimes actions speak louder than words.

[DJ Envy]

That's true.

[Just hilarious]

I felt like Obama shouldn't, should have sat out of the inauguration or at least not have been cracking jokes behind comedy.

[Ashley Allison]

I was like, what is happening? You know, I understand why he went. I don't, I know you don't.

[Charlamagne tha God]

To the inauguration.

[DJ Envy]

I don't.

[Ashley Allison]

But I will say I don't think I would have been there. How about that? I mean, but that's why I'll probably never run for office, because I match energy. You know what I'm saying? Like, that's not how I rock. So I understand why Democrats felt like it was important to go. Here's what I will say. I think that because they went, you can't just then disappear. You have to provide context to people who you were ringing the 5 alarm fire to about why you went. Because I think, you know, you know, you have a massive platform, right. And so you do stay on Democrats. I think you also stay on Republicans. And I think, though, sometimes people, you know how social media works. People take a clip and flip it and put it out there.

[Charlamagne tha God]

Oh, we've seen it. A bunch of Trump commercials.

[Just hilarious]

Yeah, yeah, right, them too.

[Charlamagne tha God]

Right, them too.

[Ashley Allison]

And so you always just want to make sure people can't use your words against you. People can't use your actions against you. Particularly when you're the first, like a President Obama. So I think that you probably will hear more from him about why he felt it was important for him to show up and be the bigger person. But I think you also then have to still stay, hold Trump accountable. Like, I would not be up there, Kiki. And with Donald Trump, though, even if.

[Just hilarious]

I was just sitting there, I don't.

[Ashley Allison]

Know what they were saying, but I got questions, sir.

[DJ Envy]

Yeah, I think you can concede the election, but you shouldn't concede the Constitution. And when you call somebody, when you liken somebody to Hitler, when you call somebody a fascist, when you say they're in threat to democracy, you just simply got to act like it. Trump acted like it. When Trump said the election was stolen. I'm no peaceful transfer power. I'm not going to no inauguration.

[Ashley Allison]

He still thinks it was stolen.

[Jon Stewart]

That's right.

[DJ Envy]

That's right. So it's just like, I don't know, it just makes. I always say Republicans are more sincere about their lives than Democrats are about their truth. When Republicans lie, it sounds like they're telling the truth. When Democrats are standing the truth or even trying to stand on integrity, it just looks like they're full of. That's just my personal opinion.

[Ashley Allison]

Yeah. I mean, we are in a new normal. And I guess my question I always have is like, do we want to go back to what we used to have?

[DJ Envy]

I think it's over.

[Ashley Allison]

It's over. Yeah, I think it is. 2. But I wonder if when Donald Trump, if and when Donald Trump goes away, what that means, Because I do think a lot of this is wrapped around him. And to your point, like, will there ever be another Obama? Part of the challenge is, I think that, like, if you try and be replicate Trump, you can't, because you're not Trump. If you try and replicate Obama, you can't because you're not Obama. So who is gonna, who's gonna step up on both sides, right? If he can't run again, who's going to be in the field? Is it J.D. vance or somebody else? J.D. vance is not going to be able to hold. Hold it like Trump. Hold it.

[DJ Envy]

But if Trump changes all this legislation, if he does things like you're ready to filibuster, it's going to be a. It's going to come a time.

[Ashley Allison]

It's going to come a time.

[DJ Envy]

Remember I said the Constitution is going to be about. Worth as much as this paper in my hand. I see all of that happening. So when he does that, it don't matter who's at the top of the.

[Ashley Allison]

I think it could happen. I think we have to. To figure out how to activate people so it doesn't happen. The only thing that will stop this is the will of the people. And I think people are misreading Donald Trump's election and that people don't want a democracy because he won. No, I don't think that's what people are saying. People are saying, I had to prioritize issues, and democracy wasn't the first one on my. On my list. Right. So we cannot let them forget that. We cannot let this new normal just become. It still has to feel like we're in a different age. Everything still needs to feel disoriented, agitated. Like, we can't just be like, oh, yeah, like, that's Donald Trump. No, we can never allow that to happen. That's why whenever I'm on television, I'm not just gonna sit back and just let a lie be told to him and just not check it. We can't. And. And all of us have to. I can't do it by myself. You can't do it by yourself. We have to keep telling the truth. We have to tell the whole story. We have to have some tough conversations. But I can. We cannot allow. The Constitution can have power as long as the people demand it. Have power.

[DJ Envy]

You said something else that made me think, too, because, you know, yeah, people can't do Trump, but, yeah, people can't do Obama either.

[Ashley Allison]

Right.

[DJ Envy]

And I think that's the problem with the Democratic Party. I look at Barack.

[Ashley Allison]

Are you.

[DJ Envy]

Exactly. I look at Barack Obama like Steph Curry, meaning that he changed the game.

[Ashley Allison]

I would have said LeBron, but.

[DJ Envy]

Okay, but, but. But Steph changed the way people actually play.

[Ashley Allison]

Yeah.

[DJ Envy]

And everybody thinks they can play like that, but they cannot play like that. And I think you got a bunch of Democrats who have been trying to do Obama, and it does not work.

[Ashley Allison]

I agree. I think you have this in a lot of industries. People. People try and emulate something that they are not, and instead of finding out who they really are. And the thing about it is finding out who you really are is a lot of work. It's a lot of work because you got to look at the good, bad, and the ugly. Right? And you got to do the work to heal and be able to say, like, what have I done wrong? How can I grow? How can I? You got to, like, evaluate all the traumas in your life so you can ascend to a higher level. That is not easy work. That is scary work for a lot of people. But I think if more people did it, we would have a lot more options out there for leaders in general, political leaders in this world right now, and people who are sitting on the sideline that probably have the potential to change the trajectory of this country and they don't even know it yet.

[DJ Envy]

Is it tough working in news media right now with Trump in office? Because I'm, I mean, I don't know, but I feel like there might be mandates coming down to people saying, hey, man, watch what you say here, watch what you say there. Because you see, ABC settled, CBS is talking about settling. This guy is. He's a Sue hungry guy. Is there any fear about that?

[Ashley Allison]

I've never, you know, I've been at CNN now almost four years. I've never been told what to say, what not to say. I think we've only been in Donald Trump's America for eight years or eight days, and it feels like eight years. Yeah, he's really been Trump's America. Yeah. And it's not about people telling you what to say. It is about the fear of being sued, the fear of the hate mail, the fear of the attacks. Like the Internet is like awful. People are mean, you know, but again, if you don't know who you are, then you listen it, unless it lets you rock, you know. So, yeah, I think that, you know, I actually have the beginning of the year, did a lot of prayer meditation about, like, how can you show up and stand on truth and not become afraid, not become a shrinking violet? Like, I. The seat I have, I hold with great honor and privilege. I don't own the seat, but I'm. I'm sitting in it right now. And I feel like I have a responsibility to people to speak the truth. And so the moment I used to say this when I worked at the White House, the moment I walk through those doors and I don't feel like it's an honor and privilege to serve this country, I need to stop coming through those doors. And the day I go to CNN or sit here or anything and I can't tell the truth, I need to stop going because I need to pass the torch to somebody who can. Because I can't. It doesn't mean I failed. It doesn't mean I just. It's not my timing.

[Charlamagne tha God]

Time is up.

[DJ Envy]

Wow. What stories do you want to tell with Watering hole Media that you're the CEO of?

[Ashley Allison]

Oh, yeah. You know, I actually started in 2009 during Obama because I saw this wave of social Media. I want to tell the story. I want to give people and democracy democratized microphones. You know, there are a lot of creators out there who do amazing things. I start. I react. Started watering hole after the infamous Montgomery uprising with the folding chair. Right. And I'll tell this story in 24 hours. I saw the trajectory of that story change in the morning. I saw news media outlets starting to cover it with a hint of vigilantism and whatnot. And I saw black Twitter activate. The creators activate. And we turned a moment that could have been very dangerous for black people and a really sad outcome. We brought joy to it. We bought a strong political analysis to it. And by the end of that night, the story was being told. So I'm saying, how do I take. How do I find those talented people and give them a platform, give them money to do that? That, I think, is how we make sure some things like that don't become laws, because we have good messengers, we have good storytellers. I want to go at politics not through like, well, your SNAP benefits. And it's like, no, let's talk about how it really is impacting you and get you to be more engaged. So I think there's a lot of opportunity. I think Republicans did it really, really well. Everyone's like, we need our own Joe Rogan. No, we don't.

[DJ Envy]

No, we don't.

[Ashley Allison]

We actually don't. We need. We need to empower people who know how to connect with real people and tell real stories and empower them just to do it. That's what we're doing there.

[DJ Envy]

And Joe Rogan exists. Just go on Joe Rogan.

[Ashley Allison]

Right, Right.

[DJ Envy]

Not like Joe Rogan doesn't want people from.

[Ashley Allison]

Don't try and copy. Don't be a copycat. Be. Be an original. Like, yeah, just. Just find out who you are and. And we got you.

[Just hilarious]

Please.

[Ashley Allison]

No, I know.

[DJ Envy]

We got the Black Mothership. That's what we call the Breakfast Club. The Black Mothership. Come to the Black Mothership. Thank you for coming.

[Charlamagne tha God]

Ashley Allison, ladies and gentlemen. Thank you so much for joining us. We appreciate you. Let me check her on CNN. What time?

[Ashley Allison]

I am. 10:00pm she breathes so hard every time.

[Charlamagne tha God]

She goes.

[Ashley Allison]

Who'S on tonight? Okay, but it's gonna answer tomorrow. Tonight.

[DJ Envy]

Yeah. Yeah.

[Charlamagne tha God]

This ends tomorrow.

[DJ Envy]

This ends tomorrow.

[Ashley Allison]

Oh, yeah. He still ain't gonna caught up.

[Charlamagne tha God]

I ain't trust y'all hangers.

[Ashley Allison]

I don't know. It'll be some Republican, I'm sure. Yeah, and me standing 10 toes down.

[Charlamagne tha God]

All right, well, there you have it. It's the Breakfast Club. It's Ashley Allison.

[DJ Envy]

Wake that ass up early in the morning. The Breakfast Club.

[Jon Stewart]

Catch Jon Stewart back in action on the Daily show and in your ears with the Daily Show Ears Edition podcast. From his hilarious satirical takes on today's politics and entertainment to the unique voices of correspondents and contributors, it's your perfect companion to stay on top of what's happening now. Plus, you'll get special content just for podcast listeners, like in depth interviews and a roundup of the week's top headlines. Listen on the iHeartRadio app, Apple Podcasts, or wherever you get your podcasts.

[Arturo Castro]

Hi, I'm Arturo Castro and I've been lucky enough to do stuff like Broad City and Narcos and Roadhouse. And now I'm starting a podcast because honestly guys, I don't feel the space is crowded enough. Get ready for Greatest Escapes, a new comedy podcast about the wildest true escape stories in history. Each week I'll be sitting down with some of the most hilarious actors and writers and comedians. People like Ed Helms, Diane Guerrero, and Joseph Gordon Levitt.

[Ashley Allison]

I love storytelling and I love you, so I can't wait.

[Arturo Castro]

Listen and subscribe to Greatest escapes on the iHeartRadio app, Apple Podcasts, or wherever you get your podcasts.

[Paola Pedrosa]

Welcome. My name is Paola Pedrosa, a medium and the host of the Ghost Therapy podcast, where it's not just about connecting with deceased loved ones, it's about learning through them and their new perspective. I think God sent me this gift so I can show it to the world. And most of all, I help people every single day. Listen to the Ghost Therapy podcast on the iHeartRadio app, Apple Podcasts, or wherever you get your podcasts.

[Ashley Allison]

What if you ask two different people.

[DJ Envy]

The same set of questions?

[Ashley Allison]

Even if the questions are the same, our experiences can lead us to drastically different answers. I'm Minnie Driver and I set out to explore this idea in my podcast, and now Mini Questions is returning for another season. We've asked an entirely new set of guests our seven questions, including Jane Lynch, Delaney Rowe, and Cord Jefferson. Listen to Mini questions on the iHeartRadio app, Apple Podcasts, or wherever you get your podcasts. Seven questions limitless answers.