Watch Kenny Burns speak on the swing states and the importance of voting.
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00:00Every week we've been providing information for you
00:03about the races, about the issues, and about the candidates.
00:07And tonight is no different.
00:08Tonight, we are welcoming our first guest,
00:11returning guest, Kenny Burns himself,
00:14who is a multimedia entertainer, investor, and producer.
00:20Hey, how you doing?
00:22How's everybody this evening?
00:24I'm gonna put my CNN commentator essence voice
00:30on for y'all real quick.
00:32No cursing, no cursing.
00:35No cursing, no AI.
00:36How you doing?
00:37I'm good, brother.
00:38How are you?
00:39Good, good.
00:40So Kenny, we showed the folks the chart a few minutes ago.
00:44Yes.
00:45Showing them the battleground states again,
00:47just in case anyone forgot.
00:49Also showing them where the race is
00:52of the seven states.
00:53Former President Trump is leading in four of the seven,
00:56and Vice President Harris is leading in three.
00:59What do you say to people at this point
01:01after you saw that chart?
01:04The first thing that came to mind
01:05is that today is the last day to register voters
01:09in Arizona, in Georgia.
01:11So whoever that you know is not registered
01:14needs to go to vote.org right now and register to vote.
01:19You also need to check your voting status.
01:22Plus five, plus four is very, very upsetting.
01:25Georgia, I'm ashamed.
01:27I live here in Atlanta, Georgia.
01:29There's no way in my heart that I feel like
01:31I see more Donald Trump and Vance support
01:35than I see Harris and Wall support.
01:37I think we need to focus.
01:39I don't think people are moving as fast as we need them to.
01:42And I'm so glad you brought up the group chat.
01:44Y'all talk about the most outlandish stuff.
01:47See, I couldn't even say outlandish, right?
01:50Because I wanted to say the other S word after that.
01:51You could talk about the most outlandish stuff,
01:55but you can't send a message to your nieces and nephews
01:59that in 2022 wasn't 18 yet.
02:01You know, we have 8 million new 18 year olds in 2024.
02:05I'm 2022.
02:06I mean, these statistics are readily available
02:09and we're not taking advantage of the information.
02:11It's not hard.
02:12They want them birthday presents for them Scorpio.
02:15No gifts without you registering.
02:19It's that easy.
02:20Christmas is fastly approaching.
02:22Hanukkah, what's the other one?
02:25The black one.
02:26Come on, come on.
02:28Kwanzaa.
02:29Kwanzaa's coming.
02:30Threaten gifts.
02:32Threaten the lack of the gifts for registration.
02:35Listen, 8 million new voters could take us
02:37everywhere we need to go in these swing states.
02:39I'm telling you.
02:41Yeah.
02:43No.
02:45Go ahead, Ebony.
02:47No, I was saying you're so right.
02:49Even though we were talking,
02:50we were talking about linking it to like,
02:52you know, punishing your kids,
02:53but it is something that you really need to talk about.
02:55Right?
02:56It's not a separate conversation.
02:57If we talk about everything else,
02:58if you talk about rewards and what they want,
03:00then that conversation has to also come together.
03:02Absolutely.
03:03Absolutely.
03:05And you mentioned again that you are from Georgia.
03:10Do you think that there are any specific strategies
03:14that folks are using, that you're using,
03:17that your colleagues are using
03:18to get people to register to vote?
03:20And again, I think there's a perception
03:22in the minds of many people
03:23that Vice President Harris is really leading this race.
03:26And in many places she is,
03:28but as you saw in the battleground states,
03:30unfortunately she's not.
03:32What are you doing specifically
03:34as you communicate with folks in Georgia?
03:37You know, it's the Jewish space lasers for me.
03:41This is what representation in Georgia talks about.
03:44The conspiracy theories are running wild.
03:46And that's what we talk about here.
03:47Like, could you really support somebody
03:49that believes that there are Jewish space lasers?
03:52That an actual device can cause the devastation
03:58in North Carolina?
04:00That, you know, that Zionist supremacists
04:03are secretly masterminding Muslim immigration to Europe?
04:07Like this lady, Marjorie Taylor Greene
04:08is who I'm talking about.
04:09She says the most outlandish stuff.
04:11I'm sorry, you don't want me to be partisan,
04:12but I'm partisan, because it's just ridiculous.
04:15I mean, when you think of like the narratives
04:16that come out of these people's mouths,
04:18I'm talking about not even the president-elect
04:22on the Republican side, or whatever he's called
04:23at this portion of the race,
04:24but the running, and his running mate.
04:27It's unbelievable the level of lying that's going on.
04:31And that's all we talk about.
04:32But it's scary because it doesn't seem to be enough
04:37with all the lies and rhetoric and the falsities.
04:39And I mean, if this man sells a $100,000 watch,
04:42I'm moving to Switzerland.
04:44I don't even understand how someone,
04:46an elected official, is allowed to sell $399 tennis shoes,
04:51$69 Bibles, as if, hello, I'm confused.
04:56And for people to still be voting and supporting,
04:59when you show me plus five and plus four percentage,
05:03like that disturbs me,
05:04because it's just, who are we as a nation?
05:07We are clearly seeing that lies are becoming the truth,
05:10if enough people say them.
05:12It is clear that we are seeing the internet
05:17and the way that social media and the algorithm works,
05:20can trump good information and needed information
05:23for the BS, I almost cursed again.
05:25See, look at me, Essence, I'm on fire.
05:27But it's just, I can't fathom, guys,
05:30I'm going to rant with that,
05:31but I can't fathom that people are letting lies lead them.
05:36And then I can't also see why people aren't using
05:39those same lies against the liars.
05:41We need to use all these things against them.
05:43We need to fact check, we need to present,
05:45for every lie that's posted, we need to post the truth.
05:48And we gotta get on our job.
05:50We're under 30 days away.
05:52It's unbelievable what's at stake.
05:53You won't have a democracy, you won't have a presidency,
05:56you won't have nothing.
05:56In Georgia, Georgia, you should be ashamed of yourself.
05:59Today, the federal judge tried to overturn the abortion laws
06:04here in Georgia so that you could have freedoms
06:06and rights to your bodies, women.
06:09And I want to say that every race,
06:11I was about to say something crazy,
06:12but I know y'all getting on me
06:13because I was going toothless next and rule next.
06:16But y'all have everything to lose
06:18because the Supreme Court came in today and said no.
06:21And that's exactly why Donald Dump, I'm sorry,
06:25Trump put these people on this court.
06:28It's unbelievable.
06:29Y'all are accepting this.
06:31And you have to really, ladies and gentlemen,
06:33I don't know if you saw the insurrection on January 6th,
06:36but they bought that life.
06:38You need to be about that life too.
06:43I do want to say this though.
06:44When we talk about the lies,
06:47I don't think it's that people don't know that he's lying.
06:51I think it goes deeper than that because it's,
06:54and many have said they don't believe everything
06:57that he says, but it is what he represents to them.
07:00So I will take your lies and just whatever,
07:03but why is it, why so badly do some really want
07:06to see certain candidates in office?
07:08What is it that they're offering them?
07:10Is it the white supremacy tropes that they like?
07:13Is it for others that may be blackness?
07:16What is it?
07:16Because people will take a lie if it moves them closer
07:20to what needle that they want to get to.
07:22And for some, they think it may be moving them
07:25to whatever rationale that they have,
07:28he's going to bring to them.
07:30Yeah, can I tell the truth?
07:31Can I be truthful, Ebony?
07:33Can I just say?
07:34Don't be, don't lie.
07:35I mean, yeah, yeah, yeah.
07:36I would never lie and nor would I misrepresent you
07:40or my brother while, I mean, at any time.
07:42I will say this.
07:43I don't think, you know, some black men respect black women
07:48or women in general, or even like them.
07:50And that's the way that they're acting
07:52because even in the defense mode
07:54that we're supposed to have for our black women,
07:57I didn't see any of that.
07:58And to your point, people that are supporting the rhetoric
08:02are also supporting things indirectly or directly
08:05that he's saying about her.
08:07I mean, this is one of the most educated people,
08:10woman or man, that's in this race.
08:13The most educated, has the most public service,
08:17has done the most for her in that service
08:20for her state or for her country, you know?
08:23And it just disturbs me, man,
08:25that we can't honor our black women
08:28just even being thoughtful, saying her name correctly.
08:31You know, I'm gonna say it right here on Essence.
08:34Big shout to, what was it, All the Smoke, Tiffany?
08:36Big shout to All the Smoke.
08:38I had posted a clip after the DNC,
08:42just saying, listen, be respectful.
08:45Her name is comma, la.
08:47Them little babies said it.
08:48They were so eloquent.
08:50I put it on social media.
08:51I had Steven Jackson say, well, KB, what has she done for us?
08:55And I'm looking at this interview
08:57that All the Smoke did.
08:59I don't see none of that energy.
09:01And it's okay, because I get it.
09:03Black men want to be heard.
09:05But can you just say you want to be heard?
09:08Can you show up 365 days a year
09:11and not just doing the elections to voice your demands,
09:14voice your concerns?
09:15You want to have all this power, right,
09:18to make something move.
09:20But even when you interview,
09:21and Matt Barnes did an exceptional job
09:24and led that conversation,
09:25and treated her exactly how I think
09:27all black men should treat black women.
09:28And so did Steven in that moment.
09:30But that's the imbalance we have as black men,
09:34showing up for these women.
09:36This is not a joke.
09:37This is not a rehearsal.
09:39Yeah, it was late.
09:40Yeah, she didn't have a whole year to run.
09:42Yeah, there's a lot of inconsistencies
09:44on why Biden didn't tap out early enough,
09:46but that's what we have.
09:48And it's not, to your point, opening the show,
09:49it's not about parties, it's about humanity.
09:52We are in a place right now
09:54where you would want some good humans in place
09:56before humanity becomes at risk.
10:01Speaking about, you know,
10:03staying on the topic of black men,
10:04there was a New York Times article just yesterday
10:06that highlighted Georgia and black men,
10:09saying that black men have stated repeatedly
10:12that their conditions have remained unchanged
10:15under Democratic and Republican
10:16presidential administrations.
10:18Has this been raised with you?
10:21What are people saying in the circle
10:23and the folks that you are talking to every day?
10:26Say that one more time.
10:27You went out on my end.
10:28I'm sorry.
10:29There was a New York Times article
10:31that came out yesterday
10:32and it was highlighting Georgia,
10:35black men there saying that repeatedly
10:37that their conditions have remained unchanged,
10:40whether it's Democratic
10:41or Republican presidential administrations.
10:44So I'm wondering,
10:45what are you hearing from black men?
10:47We've had this conversation on what do they think?
10:49How are they gonna vote?
10:50Why do we see polls different for Kamala Harris?
10:57Yeah, the majority of men that are saying that are high
10:59because all the black men I speak to,
11:01and I speak, y'all know,
11:02this is why y'all have me on here.
11:03I just did something with the former mayor Kasim Reed.
11:06I just did something, you know,
11:08I do stuff all the time.
11:10I talk to black men and every black man I speak to
11:12is on the right side of history.
11:13The ones that are the problem
11:15are the one to sell death and misogyny
11:18and have a repeated history of doing ignorant stuff.
11:22I was about to curse again.
11:23You see how good I'm doing?
11:24But the point I'm trying to make is those are the,
11:25that's the problem, but that's always our problem
11:28because we're also questioning everything
11:29because we feel like we can.
11:31Atlanta's the one of the most blackest,
11:33most beautiful, ran by black.
11:35You got a black police chief.
11:36You got a black mayor.
11:37You got black, black, black and black everywhere,
11:40but you don't see what the purpose of voting is.
11:45Raphael Warnock, black Senator.
11:47John Ossoff, Jewish brother,
11:49but on the right side of history.
11:50Learned under John Lewis.
11:52Like these people are mildly, I can't say the R word,
11:56no more, right?
11:57All of my cousins, no?
11:58Okay, these people are special.
12:00They special because they want attention,
12:03but yet they want attention when they know they could get it.
12:05They don't want to work every week.
12:06They don't want to go and hold people like,
12:08yes, I have not received a dollar from Kamala
12:12or the campaign, but I know where I need to be
12:15on the right side of history,
12:16because after that, I'm going to go see everybody.
12:17They're going to invite me to the house again.
12:19I'm going to come and I'm going to ask whoever to support
12:21because at the end of the day, y'all, we got to,
12:24you have to know it's bigger than the money right now.
12:27This is, and I don't, listen, politicians across the board,
12:30everybody has an angle, agenda,
12:32or some type of thing they're trying to put in place.
12:35This is a fact, but at the end of the day,
12:37what do you want in the White House?
12:41Do you know right now, let me give you these statistics
12:43and while y'all thinking it's just about the presidency,
12:45it's not.
12:46On the ballot in 2024,
12:48President of the United States, Vice President,
12:50there are 34 of a hundred seats in Senate.
12:53Do you know what decisions the Senate makes?
12:55I suggest you non-voters that are watching this read
12:59before it's over for you in Arizona and Georgia.
13:01Then there's also 435 seats in the House of Representatives.
13:06Do you know how many local and state laws
13:09go through the House of Representatives?
13:11We also have 11 governor seats, 11 governor seats
13:16in legislation in 86 of the country's
13:1899 state legislative chambers.
13:20And we have a wide range of local and special elections.
13:23These are all reasons you should run to the polls.
13:26These are, to their point,
13:27reasons you should go to the group chat right now.
13:30Because if you're seeing change,
13:31because Raphael Warnock and John Ossoff were elected,
13:34you saw Biden and Harris get elected
13:37because of what happened in Georgia,
13:39you should know how voting works.
13:41But you sit up here and want to be ignorant.
13:43That's the problem, drugs.
13:44We need to really talk about the drugs
13:46because we need to have episodes because y'all high.
13:49And I don't even think y'all realizing
13:50that y'all playing with your own livelihoods.
13:53I'm serious.
13:54Where am I?
13:55Give me my buttons.
13:55Ebony want me to push a button.
13:57Push a button.
13:58Does anybody have a button?
14:00I need a button.
14:01Bam, bam, bam, bam.
14:02I'm sorry.
14:03Bam, bam, bam, bam.
14:04Yeah, I mean, Kenny,
14:06because these numbers are disturbing
14:08when we're looking at the battleground states,
14:10we're looking at seven of them.
14:12And as you correctly pointed out,
14:15those numbers are bigger than some people
14:19thought they were going to be.
14:20And with a few weeks before the election
14:22is something that we all need to pay attention to.
14:25Yes.
14:25Now in Georgia, I travel all over the country
14:28and I know when I land in one of the battleground states
14:31that you turn on the television ad anywhere in the country,
14:33but specifically in the battleground states,
14:36it's almost as if every other ad
14:38is a television ad on the election.
14:40Jesus Christ.
14:41You've seen election ads from both parties.
14:44And sometimes you see ads from third parties
14:47that are talking about the issues
14:49or talking about one of the candidates.
14:52In your opinion, sitting in Georgia right now,
14:54because we're trying to decipher what's happening in Georgia
14:56and other parts of the country
14:58that are classified as swing states,
15:00what are you finding is the most persuasive
15:02or the most impactful ad in Georgia right now?
15:06I think the most impactful ads
15:08that you can see by the percentage points
15:10is the negative rhetoric.
15:12I mean, it's looking at these ads from the Republicans,
15:16it's like looking at TikTok or Instagram
15:20and there's no filter.
15:21And the problem with that is,
15:22and that's why episode 104 of the Kenny Burns Show
15:24coming out tomorrow is called, What's Real?
15:26What is real?
15:27You can't even decipher what is real
15:31because the lie is becoming the truth.
15:33They double down on it so much
15:35and big shout to David Muir
15:37and everybody who's did a debate today.
15:40They try to hold them accountable, but it doesn't work.
15:44They keep lying.
15:46And y'all, the problem is,
15:48is that the lie will become the truth.
15:50And you will be adhering to the things
15:53that these people are saying
15:54because they're not saying it.
15:56This is my thing.
15:57Back in the day, they could hide racism.
15:59They can hide classism.
16:01They would be in the back room.
16:02This is my personal opinion.
16:03This is not the opinion of Essence Magazine,
16:06but they'd be in the back room.
16:07And in the back room, they plottin'.
16:09Okay, these black folk,
16:10all we got to do is show colorful pictures.
16:14And all we got to do is give them some stimulus
16:15every once in a while.
16:16They gonna dance a jig.
16:18And then they go 50 years later
16:21and they tell you exactly what they gonna do to you.
16:26They not, I mean, not even just tell you, they show you.
16:29Oh, you're not going,
16:31okay, we not going to honor the election.
16:33We gonna cause an insurrection.
16:35We gonna say that this, that, and the third.
16:37We gonna sign the checks that the government wrote
16:41just so you think it's from,
16:41they gonna pull all types of tricks
16:43because y'all like tricks is for kids.
16:46You remember the commercial?
16:46Tricks is for kids.
16:47Ain't y'all tired?
16:49The truth is the truth.
16:51You cannot run from the truth.
16:53And so if you're gonna see these, you know,
16:55ads that are running and you're gonna take heed to them
16:58and you're gonna believe,
16:59I got in a car coming back from OKC the other day.
17:01My big shout to my driver slash friend, Joshua.
17:04He said to me, he said,
17:05did you hear the meat meal in Puff Daddy's?
17:07I said, wait, hold on, hold on.
17:10Are you just listening and believing
17:13everything you're seeing on the internet?
17:15But that's how, I'm equating,
17:17I said that because I'm equating that
17:18to this political sphere.
17:20I've never seen so much childlike behavior in my life.
17:24And I'm trying to be grown.
17:25I'm an ex-felon.
17:27They turned my life around, been married 25 years.
17:29I got two great functioning humans as kids.
17:32I have employees.
17:33I pay my taxes.
17:35I might've been late once or twice,
17:36but I'm a good human.
17:39And I want to be, but I can't be
17:41when I see my brothers and sisters
17:43not showing up to the party.
17:46It's disturbing.
17:48I do want to say this just on the conversation of fake ads,
17:53just to let everybody know this would just recently happen,
17:56that there was a TV ad that was released on Monday
18:00in Indiana where US Senator Mike Braun released the ad.
18:04And it was a fake ad.
18:06They literally changed the wording that was on a poster
18:10from the candidate.
18:11I mean, like real deep, fake ads.
18:14And when we talk about people just saying things,
18:16they're literally creating ads with fictitious things.
18:19That's why it's so important for us to be engaged for this.
18:23I'm glad you brought up that point,
18:26but I do want people to know that tonight,
18:29you know, Kenny, you know,
18:30we have a little competition tonight
18:32with all of our speakers and we're asking each speaker,
18:36each speaker to text one of their group chats
18:39within one minute.
18:42Yes.
18:43And then we will see how many people
18:44that you can get to register to vote
18:47and check their registration status.
18:50Are you ready for the challenge?
18:52I'm ready for the challenge.
18:53I just want to say one comment about,
18:54there's an ad running right now in Georgia
18:56where they remixed all the things that Kamala was saying
19:00in this particular interview
19:01as it adheres to transgender surgeries.
19:07And they are, that is the most run ad in Georgia.
19:12She does it like she, we want you,
19:14she wants them to be something and we just want you to,
19:16I mean, it's almost genius
19:19because it's very disturbing to watch, right?
19:21And from the context of like,
19:22this is what you are spending your campaign ads on.
19:26But anyway, I'm sorry.
19:27The question is, can I, but I want y'all to be woke.
19:29Stay woke.
19:30Don't go to sleep.
19:31We're under 30 days.
19:33But you want me to DM, what you want me to do?
19:35You want to send them to my group chat?
19:36What you want me to do?
19:37You want me to give you an ad?
19:38We want you to send a message to your group chat
19:41and you decide what that group chat is.
19:43You decide how many people, and within a minute,
19:47we want to know how many people you can get
19:49to register to vote.
19:51I'm saying that.
19:52The clock has started.
19:55Okay, I'm being threatened by my brother and sister
19:59on this beautiful discussion we're having,
20:03paint the polls black TKBS nation.
20:05I need you to go crazy for me.
20:06I know y'all in these comments,
20:08I need y'all to register, threaten your children.
20:11I need y'all to register some people right now.
20:12Threaten your children there will be no birthdays.
20:14This is the drastic measures we got to go through
20:15and I'm leaving this message.
20:17I need you to threaten your children with no gifts,
20:19no oodles and noodles.
20:21Don't send my babies no oodles and noodles no more.
20:22They're not good for you,
20:23but whatever they want in college, get on their head.
20:25I want y'all to register these people
20:26and where they got to send the information to y'all?
20:29What do we have to do?
20:29They will send it to you, Kenny,
20:30and we will trust that you will give us the numbers.
20:33Send it to Tiffany right now.
20:35Get it in.
20:35We got to win.
20:36We cannot let these beautiful ladies
20:38coming after me win this.
20:39I'm all the black women will say the planet.
20:41Y'all know how I feel about y'all.
20:42I love you in real life,
20:43but I want to win this.
20:44TKB has mentioned go.
20:45Go now, do it, please.
20:47If you're in the comment,
20:48please comment too and let them know all show long,
20:50even when I'm not here,
20:52that y'all are making things happen.
20:53We need to get these people registered.
20:55Georgia, hold on, let me give y'all this too.
20:57Georgia, that's sent by the way.
20:59Hold on, just so y'all know it's real.
21:00I'm being threatened by my brother and sister.
21:04So just so y'all know,
21:05I ain't playing no games with y'all.
21:07But listen, ladies and gentlemen,
21:09voting in these particular states are over tonight.
21:13I need Arizona, Arkansas, Florida, Georgia,
21:17Indiana, Kentucky, Louisiana, Ohio,
21:20Tennessee, Texas, Montana.
21:22I know that they are not the most important in that list.
21:25I just read Arizona, Georgia,
21:27you are up and the clock is on,
21:29but all the states are important.
21:31All the votes are important.
21:33Your voice is necessary.
21:34Let's paint the polls black.
21:36Ba, ba, ba, ba, ba, ba, ba, ba.
21:40Kenny Burns.
21:41What were you, I mean, what's in that cup, Kenny?
21:43What's in that cup?
21:45All I wanna know.
21:47Hold on, they're a sponsor of the Kenny Burns Show.
21:48Smart water, whenever I'm thirsty,
21:51I like to drink some water.
21:52All right, smart water in your local, everywhere, get it.
21:55Thank you, Jesus.
21:57You know what, I've done.
21:59I love it.
22:00Kenny Burns, thank you.
22:02I love y'all, man.
22:02Love the work you're doing.
22:03Anytime you call, I'll be here.
22:05Thank you, thank you.
22:06Thank you so much for joining us tonight, Kenny Burns.
22:08Thank you for all of the work that you continue to do.