May 8, 2025 • 50 mins
On this episode of Levels to This, hosts Sheryl Swoopes and Terrika Foster-Brasby sit down with Congresswoman Jasmine Crockett. They kick things off with some fun rapid-fire questions covering everything from pizza toppings to favorite music, before shifting to more serious ground — like the current state of our government and how proposed education cuts could impact lower-income families. Jasmine opens up about her bold approach to politics, the journey that led her to Congress, and why staying true to her constituents remains at the heart of her mission.
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Speaker 1 (00:00):
Levels to This is an iHeart women's sports production in
partnership with Deep Blue Sports and Entertainment. You can find
us on the iHeartRadio app, Apple Podcasts, or wherever you
get your podcasts.
Speaker 2 (00:15):
What's Up? Everybody is your Girl? Trerika Foster Brassby.
Speaker 3 (00:18):
And I'm your girl, Cheryl Swoops. What's good y'all? A?
Speaker 2 (00:22):
This is the Levels to this podcast. This is the
show where we share that it is levels to the
ship that women go through. And honey, do we have
a show today? Because today I can't even hold I
can't even play with people's feelings emotions. Today, I just
gotta tell you, OKATAINB we have none other than the
(00:44):
Jasmine Crockett joining the show today. And Jasmine is that
girl like give you guys like our surface level conversation
where we just kind of like shoot the shit a
little bit about whatever. But I gotta take this surface
to just talk about how excited I am to check
with Jazzmine. What I think is so funny, because I
(01:06):
think this is just real, is that we have to
tell y'all how we were even able to get Jasmine
Crockett on the show. Tell them what you did?
Speaker 1 (01:15):
Okay, okay, so let me before I tell them. Before
I tell them, they need to know. They need to know.
Like I don't fan out or fangirl over a lot
of people, not very many at all.
Speaker 3 (01:25):
Jasmine Crockett is one.
Speaker 1 (01:27):
Like she is a sister, she's her, she's that girl,
she's she's all of the things.
Speaker 3 (01:34):
So I did what people normally do to me.
Speaker 1 (01:39):
And it's so crazy because lots of times I don't
check my DMS.
Speaker 3 (01:42):
I'm like no, and then what I do when I do.
Speaker 1 (01:46):
And if people are like asking me for an appearance
of things like that, I'm like, no, this ain't real
or whatever.
Speaker 3 (01:52):
I gotta tak Well, I was that person.
Speaker 4 (01:53):
I went to her.
Speaker 1 (01:56):
Instagram dms and sent her this really cool sweet messag
and was like, we would love to have you on
our podcast now. It took her probably about four or
five days to respond, but granted she's pretty busy. When
I got the response, t I read it like three
times because I was like, I know she didn't respond
to me, but she really did respond. I was so
(02:20):
I was so excited at y'all. Listen, you know our
surface level, we usually get into a whole lot of
shit that you and I have done, and the weekend,
all the things, but uh, this one's all about Jasmine Crockett.
Let me tell you this te This is for you
or for the people you know, you know what. I
hope I can get her to say for me?
Speaker 2 (02:35):
What's that bleach blonde, bad built, butch body.
Speaker 1 (02:40):
Yeah, a bad line, right there was epic And I
ain't said it like.
Speaker 3 (02:52):
I adin't say it like her. I just need to
hear her say it for me.
Speaker 2 (02:54):
That is that is probably the line. Like if you
weren't all in politics, and you weren't already somebody who
followed all of the congressmen and women or all this,
like you know, maybe you were just a casual hearing
Now turn I'm saying, end you knew exactly who Jasmin
Crockett was after that line went viral because that was crazy,
(03:16):
but it was so accurate. It was so accurate.
Speaker 1 (03:21):
Every one of the bees, every one of the bees,
every one of them, every one of them.
Speaker 2 (03:26):
She continues to defy why people are saying all black
women are mad and aggressive. No, black women are not
mad and aggressive. Black women are very eloquent in how
they speak. And if you come for us and we
didn't send for you. We're gonna send your ass back,
and that's exactly what That's what Jasmine does every single time.
But no. She serves the thirtieth Congressional District in Texas,
(03:50):
which consists of like Dallas and toront Counties. She is
a member of Delta Sigma Theta Sorority Incorporated. So I'm
gonna always give some love to my d nine folks
out there. And there is just so many things about
her career that I'm excited to talk about, just getting
to know her a little bit, because sometimes I think
we get caught up in what people do and how
they have become such public figures that we forget, as
(04:13):
we spoke about on last week's show, that they are,
you know, celebrities are human, Politicians are human, and there
are moments where they just want to be you know,
just want to be themselves without some of the things
that come with it. So I am super excited to
talk to her. I feel like I see a new
Jasmine Crockett video on Twitter or Tiksik at least every
(04:34):
other day because she She's always on, like somebody always
got their name in her mouth. And I mean, I
don't understand why they keep her name and their mouth
like that because she's going to tell it like it is,
and that is the beauty of it.
Speaker 1 (04:47):
So well, you know what they say when when you're
doing something right, people are always going to talk about you.
Speaker 2 (04:53):
My mom used to say when I was a kid, girl,
if they talked about Jesus, that part they.
Speaker 3 (04:58):
Talk about Jesus, you know they're gonna talk about you
right about you.
Speaker 2 (05:01):
That's it.
Speaker 3 (05:02):
And that's what I just think with Jasmine.
Speaker 1 (05:04):
I love how she's just unapologetically herself and everything she does,
how she represents for her people. I just I can't
say enough words about how I like, I genuinely love
this woman. I love everything about who she is, what
she represents, where she comes from, how she carries herself.
(05:27):
And we need more Jasmine Crockets out there.
Speaker 2 (05:30):
We do, and so we will not continue to be
labor the conversation because we know that it's going to
be one that is going to be incredible. So without
further ado, let's just go ahead and get into the
next level and bring on our girl, Jasmine Crocket. Cheryl.
I think that today is probably the day that you
(05:54):
and I like you are usually the person that people
get to come on and fangirl. But I think today
is day that, like we actually get to fangirl someone else.
Because facts, our guest today is none other than the
phenomenal and amazing US representative for Texas's thirtieth Congressional District,
Our girl and the love of everyone who has any
(06:17):
common sense, Madame Congresswoman Jasmine Crockett. Welcome to the show.
Speaker 3 (06:28):
We're giving you all the Baals and West.
Speaker 2 (06:30):
That is exactly what we're here for and what we
want to do. And we know that there's a lot
of serious stuff in the world going on and we
are absolutely going to get to that. But before we do,
we just want to have a little icebreaker because we
want to know more about Jasmine, the girl from Saint Louis,
the daughter of a pasta, Like, we want to get
to know her. So really rapid fire questions for you.
(06:54):
What kind of music is on the playlist? Oh?
Speaker 5 (06:56):
Listen, it goes anywhere from gospel to trap, right, But
I feel like it's like the real black girl experience though, right, Like,
I mean, when you need to get pumped up, it
may be a little bit of Jesus, but it may
be gz Like you just don't know how about that. Yeap,
that is my soundtrack.
Speaker 4 (07:16):
It's all the.
Speaker 2 (07:17):
I'm either praying wish you or praying for you because
something's finna go down. I'm with you something finna go down.
Speaker 1 (07:23):
Yeah, yeah, that's good.
Speaker 3 (07:26):
I like that one. Okay. Pineapple on pizza.
Speaker 4 (07:29):
No, absolutely not. I have like putting sweet stuff on
the songs.
Speaker 2 (07:35):
I love Hawaiian pizza and it's fruit.
Speaker 4 (07:38):
It's fruit.
Speaker 5 (07:38):
It's like, take you separate, like dessert. Maybe so you
don't go to like the peach cobbler. But it definitely
is not supposed.
Speaker 4 (07:47):
To be on a pizza. Not on a pizza.
Speaker 2 (07:49):
No.
Speaker 3 (07:49):
Yeah, they don't go together. They don't go together.
Speaker 2 (07:52):
You're on your own. I love I love a good
pineapple pizza. Sorry, okay, speaking of food, what is your
guilty pleasure for food? Like you know you ain't got
no business eating it, but you do it anyway because
you can't help yourself.
Speaker 5 (08:04):
I just mentioned it because you see, it was in
my mind. It's the peach cobbler. It's the peach cobbler.
Speaker 4 (08:10):
And let me tell y'all something.
Speaker 5 (08:12):
I go in and talk about how bad the food
is in DC all the time, and it's crazy that
it's so many black people in DC and like the.
Speaker 4 (08:21):
Soup will be lacking. I'm like, what is happening?
Speaker 2 (08:23):
What is going on?
Speaker 5 (08:25):
But literally I got onto the train here at work
one day, right and because we got these little trains,
and so I get on the train and the woman
operating the train, I was like, what's your name? And
she was like Peaches. And I was like Peaches. I
was like, now, miss Peaches, do you make peach cobbler?
And she said actually I knew. I was like, oh,
(08:48):
he said, we got to be best these girl and listen.
So Miss Peaches, I was like, now, can you really
make a peach cobbla because like these people around here
can't cook.
Speaker 4 (08:57):
And so she was like no, for real.
Speaker 5 (08:59):
And so literally, like my birthday just passed. Miss Peaches
had to make my peach cobblem because Miss Peaches knows
how to put her foot in that cobble. So I mean,
every once in a while, you get somebody and I
literally and she'd be making me so much. I'm like,
Miss Peaches, I can't like okay because I.
Speaker 4 (09:18):
Already gained weight.
Speaker 5 (09:20):
You know, it's a struggle, and every time I want
to cut somebody out.
Speaker 4 (09:24):
It's probably better that I just have a piece of
peach cob. But when it comes to.
Speaker 5 (09:28):
Like my hips and my thighs and my waist, it's
really worse. It would be better that I just cuts
them out.
Speaker 2 (09:34):
You know what. Don't have me come to DC looking
for miss Peaches. Now I have to say, Johnson, Now, y'all.
Speaker 5 (09:41):
Like, if y'all are about, if y'all are on y'all's way,
I'm gonna make sure miss Peach's got some peach cobbler.
Speaker 4 (09:47):
She it is. It is phenomenal.
Speaker 2 (09:50):
I believe it. I believe it.
Speaker 1 (09:51):
Listen, Sis, don't don't don't be talking about no thighs
and hips and all that, cuz we all got the
thighs and hips if you be working so but you
you're saying that about the soul food because you're in Texas, right,
Like DC ain't gonna have the type of soul food
that Texas.
Speaker 5 (10:10):
Has, right, DC don't have nothing that Texas has. Like
I mean, it's it's really a Southern divide. Like you know,
you can roll into New Orleans, which I'll be there shortly,
and you can go anywhere. You can go into the
neighborhood hole in the wall, and you're gonna be ready
to slap your mama right like here, they'd be like, oh,
we're gonna charge you fifty dollars for something that ain't
(10:32):
even good. I'm like, y'all, I need y'all to get
the tacos right.
Speaker 4 (10:35):
I need y'all to get the Chinese right.
Speaker 5 (10:37):
I need y'all to get something right, Like, give me something.
Speaker 2 (10:40):
Only thing you gonna get right and DC is chicken
and mumbo sauce and brunch. That's it. You ain't getting
none else in DC. You gonna get the mumbo sauce.
Speaker 5 (10:50):
Listen, I am. I am absolutely yeah, that's right.
Speaker 4 (10:54):
That's it. Don't try nothing else.
Speaker 2 (10:56):
Yep, nothing else, nothing else. I love it.
Speaker 1 (10:59):
So I got one more food one and I don't know.
Some people say it's.
Speaker 4 (11:03):
A sugar or salt on grits. Oh I'm a sugar
grit girl.
Speaker 3 (11:08):
Me to sugar and butter.
Speaker 2 (11:11):
Yes, I quit.
Speaker 4 (11:14):
Sugar girl.
Speaker 5 (11:17):
If I'm just literally having like grits, and that's it.
Speaker 4 (11:21):
It is sugar.
Speaker 5 (11:22):
It's like oat meal, like it's the same. It's it's
a grain, you know, it's like hungario like this.
Speaker 4 (11:28):
I mean so it's sugar. It is sugar, sugar ship wheat.
Speaker 3 (11:32):
Yeah, I used to have creama wheat. Sugar sugar goes
in creama wheat too.
Speaker 2 (11:36):
That's that's what you should just eat if you're gonna
put sugar grit.
Speaker 5 (11:39):
Now, I will tell you now, if I speaking of
New Orleans. Now, if I'm down there and we haven't
shimpering grits, now, that's a whole other situation. Then the
grits is like the rice. Okay, but even still, if
I'm eating rice for breakfast, it's really just in like sugar.
Speaker 4 (11:55):
Oh, I know a lot about that exactly. Then you
put sugar.
Speaker 5 (11:59):
But other wise it is salt like if it's something
on top of it, if there's a gravy associated with.
Speaker 2 (12:05):
It, salt. See, I'm just gonna put salt and pepper
in the grants with some butter. And then if you
you know, my family from Georgia, so we might cut
up some link sausages and rip the sausages up in
the in the in the grits. But y'all see, we're
gonna move on because y'all out here about to make
me lead an interview talking about putting sugar and grits.
Speaker 4 (12:24):
Before Paples on a pizza girl.
Speaker 1 (12:27):
That part, that part that's nasty, and then the pineapples
make the bread all mushy.
Speaker 3 (12:33):
No, not good.
Speaker 1 (12:34):
All right, here's the last one for me before we
get a little serious. So I don't I don't really
stalk you, but but I follow you.
Speaker 3 (12:42):
I do. I keep up with you. And so I
saw the prank from nephew Tommy.
Speaker 6 (12:49):
Oh, yes, are you're still salty about that?
Speaker 4 (12:54):
No, I'm not. I'm not, but I'm hilarious. In the moment,
I was like, I don't have time for it. Is
right now, Tommy, I don't have time for this. You're
playing with me. It was a rough week dealing with
these people.
Speaker 5 (13:07):
But honestly, in my real life, if somebody gets my
actual direct number, yeah, these are the kind of calls.
Speaker 2 (13:14):
Uh.
Speaker 5 (13:15):
You know, Usually my constituents are not as abrasive towards me,
though I will say that they're usually not, but they
are usually like stressed. And I told him I saw
him in person at a fundraiser at Ben Crump's house,
where Ben Crump had to lay it down and make
it clear and be like, listen, I did not give
(13:36):
Tommy the congresswoman's number. I promise y'all right, like he
has it, like he had, he said he had. He
woke up to over one hundred text messages where they
were like why did y'all why did you give Tommy
the congresswoman's number? Right, So he's like, I just want
to go back on the record.
Speaker 4 (13:51):
I did not do that.
Speaker 5 (13:52):
It was me, No, But I did tell a story
of a constituent who had been old over a million.
Speaker 4 (14:00):
Dollars for approximately two years.
Speaker 5 (14:03):
And so she is friends with one of my friends,
and so he was like, well she got this.
Speaker 4 (14:10):
He she was like, bro, my staff got this. Like,
don't call me. I'm not going iris.
Speaker 5 (14:15):
I mean seriously, like I mean, people feel better if
they talk to me, but like this is our staff,
is what makes us actually great, right right, And so
literally I was like, she just need to call the staff.
So literally I get the call and it's like, you know,
she's frantic and it's been two years, and listen, I
don't know what it is for somebody else to have
my million dollars. I ain't got no millions for them
(14:36):
to have, So I know nothing, right, But like the
way that I feel about somebody holding my hunted makes
me feel a way, so like, I get it, I
get it, I get it stressful right when somebody like
is playing with your money. But my staff, once we
got her to them, they were able to get our
money back in three weeks, and I knew that it
was yeah, yeah.
Speaker 2 (14:56):
Don't play with my coins. You owe me five dollars
and we got a problem. Don't blame with my.
Speaker 4 (15:00):
Car curier, it's on site or.
Speaker 2 (15:05):
Coins. So yes, we wanted to make sure we had
an opportunity to kind of just get to know you
a little bit and kick it with you a little bit.
But you know, over the last several years and even
before then, like you have really been one of the
leading voices in Congress and mainly, you know, outside of
the things that you're doing. It's because I think people
(15:25):
respect the fact that you don't have to play respectability politics,
that you say what needs to be said to the
people that need to hear them with no fear. Where
does that moxie come from? Like, is that something that
you were raised to have or was that something that
developed over time just through your experiences.
Speaker 5 (15:43):
I think that I've always been kind of outspoken and
never really felt that much restraint. But I will say
that it is something that, in my opinion, has probably
been fine tuned over the years.
Speaker 4 (15:54):
As a litigator, when.
Speaker 5 (15:56):
I walk into that courtroom, regardless of what anybody believes
of my case, I have to have confidence and I
have to be willing to say it loud and say
it proud, and be able to convince a jury whether
it's saving somebody's life to agree with me, even when
it's sometimes hard because you've got a client who has
a spicy past and you may run into a jeury
(16:18):
that really just wants to be like yo, like Okay,
well he didn already been convicted of dope, he didn't
already been convicted of assault, but like you want me
to believe that this time, you know what I mean?
Like it's tough, like you know, so I have to
walk in and walk in with a rapport and confidence
and the same thing when I've had to kind of
deal with more so negotiations on some of the civil
(16:40):
rights cases and things like that. And so I think
that part of it comes from that. The other part
comes from this idea that you know, as I'm sitting
here talking to two black women and definitely.
Speaker 4 (16:53):
Who are accomplished on your own right.
Speaker 5 (16:56):
You know, it is never lost on me that any
table that I am sitting at it ain't because I
didn't work my butt off to get there, right, Like,
we know that anytime we end up in the space,
we've had to work ten twenty times.
Speaker 4 (17:12):
It's hard to get there.
Speaker 5 (17:13):
And so when I sit around and I look at
some of the leading people within their cockies, so I'm like, bro,
like you, we're not on the same level. I mean,
I know we own the same level, but not really right,
And so like, why am I going to be intimidated
when I know that, Like you got here because oh
(17:36):
you had a rich daddy who would fund your campaign,
who had rich friends or whatever.
Speaker 4 (17:41):
Like that's not my story.
Speaker 5 (17:43):
Like my parents couldn't just call on their friends and
be like, oh, give max donations, or you know, just
run this independent expenditure on behalf of my daughter because
she deserves to be in Congress, or oh, yeah, I
served in Congress, so I'm gonna call up all the
other people we didn't have that That's not how I
got here.
Speaker 4 (18:00):
I got here as the girl.
Speaker 5 (18:02):
That really is a very unlikely story, even though I
had a resume it's not enough when it comes to politics.
I mean, look at Kamala Harrison, look at Donald Trump.
Not enough to have a resume when it comes to politics.
So for me, I'm like, listen, I know who I am,
and I know that, like my life is gonna be
(18:23):
just fine. On the other side, like I'm not afraid
of like being kicked out of Congress. I'm like sometimes
I actually I think i'd be kind of daring out
of Congress, right, I wish you would, yeah, seriously, because
it's kind of like when I think about what it
is to represent if I'm going to get out here,
and I got to be on edge every time i
(18:44):
say something, wondering whether or not I'm a hold my seat, man,
This ain't my seat in the first place. To see,
belongs to the people, and I truly believe in democracy.
And so at the point in time that people feel
like I am not the person that is really representing
in the way that they feel like I should, I
think that they have every right to kick me out,
and I'll be like, Okay, I'm gonna go get my
coins and stop some of my death threats. I'm good,
(19:07):
like I'm good, right, Like I am okay with that,
And I think that there's a lot of people that
aren't okay with not having the title. The title is
just kind of my job, right, Like It's like I
never was really that caught up on the fact that
I had gone to law school. It was like I
had to go to law school to become a lawyer.
Speaker 4 (19:25):
Like that's just what it was, right.
Speaker 5 (19:27):
Like I've never been that person and said, oh, you
got to go get twenty degrees before you can be
of value. I'm like, listen, if you can get your
money and do what you want to, go ahead and
go get your trade. Okay, save yourself the soud loan debt.
Like I have never been that person to push that.
It just so happened that, like my job required it, right,
And so I look at it and say that like
(19:48):
the work that I want to do, the good that
I want to do, the legislation that I feel capable
of creating and writing and advocating for, that's just the
work that I want to do. And this is just
the title that kind of comes with it. But I'm
not so caught up on the title. Like I can
tell you most people don't even know my title. I
go home, they call me senator, they call me State Rep.
(20:08):
They call me everything like they I mean, you know,
and it's fine.
Speaker 4 (20:11):
I'm like, okay, whatever, you know. You know, I'm your person.
That's what matters.
Speaker 2 (20:15):
That's what it is.
Speaker 3 (20:16):
But it's out of respect.
Speaker 1 (20:19):
So my question for you is just going off of
continuing off of what you just said. It's such a
double standard though, right when so I look at your
situation when you made the funny comment to me about
Greg Abbott, right, and then people want to talk about
your education where you went to school, and then they
want to cent your representative Al Green, Right, So I
(20:42):
look at that, and then I'm like, but on the
other side, when when they do it, there's nothing to
be said. There's not a problem with it. I don't
know what my question is, but it's more so of
a comment though, right, like like how is it or
why is it that that's okay for.
Speaker 3 (21:00):
Them to do, but when we do it, it's a problem.
Speaker 5 (21:03):
It's kind of like what we see with this lawless administration. Yeah,
it's a matter of yeah, we want everybody else to
follow the law, but me, I'm an exception, right, And
that's what it is. It's all the rules, like they
want to be able to break all the rules.
Speaker 4 (21:17):
And frankly, you know, we as.
Speaker 5 (21:20):
Democrats were very compassionate people, were very loving people, yes,
and honestly people have been mistaking that for being very
weak people as well. And my deal is, if you're
gonna throw a punch, Babee, just be ready because I'm
punching back, like I don't know like who y'all think
I am. But like you know, I mean, you bring
(21:43):
up some of the things, and you know, the hot
Willls thing was like so ridiculous in the sense that
anybody can look and see the number one. It's been
going on for a long time. I didn't come up
with a nickname. And you know, Democrats ain't even that
creative to come up with nicknames for people.
Speaker 4 (21:59):
I just want to be.
Speaker 5 (22:00):
Clear, and ain't even the Democrats was like, I mean,
that's not even thing. And if there was really a
conversation to be had, the conversation should have been had
around the fact that this is not a champion for
those within the uniquely abled community, like he is really
their worst enemy. The whole way that he was able
(22:21):
to become a multi millionaire because of what happened to him,
he is also the same person that signed a piece
of legislation that would prevent anybody else from being able
to do that very same thing if they then had
a tree fall on them.
Speaker 4 (22:34):
I just want to be clear about that. I also
want to be clear that he is one of the
leading governors.
Speaker 5 (22:39):
That is ANTIDEI right with Stansford Diversity, Equity and inclusion,
even though they have tried to use DEI as a
slur for black people.
Speaker 4 (22:49):
At this point in time.
Speaker 5 (22:51):
There is an A in that title right for the
accessibility community, and I like to say that the AA
is silent, okay, and frankly, if we go through it,
there's a V for veterans. There's a lot of other
letters that are included, but this has been one of
the leading people that has gone against everything as it
(23:13):
relates to DEI, including those accessibility things. This is somebody
who recently signed a piece of legislation into law that
would make it more difficult for those within the uniquely
abled community to be able to access the.
Speaker 4 (23:26):
Ballot box via mail ballot.
Speaker 5 (23:30):
So I mean, if you want to have a conversation
about who has been on the right side of history
for the community and who has not been. Let me
tell you, my record speaks for itself, not just on
the state level, but also on the federal level. And
I'm gonna just need y'all to go and check it
out and see that I got receipts and then go
check his out. So I do not have an issue.
(23:51):
I've never had an issue. I have never gone after
someone innocently or whatever and try to go after an
entire community.
Speaker 4 (23:58):
And it was a whole game for them to be.
Speaker 5 (24:00):
Like, oh, we're the victims and may God and all
this other kind of stuff, and they're like.
Speaker 4 (24:03):
Oh, poor Greg Abby.
Speaker 5 (24:04):
I'm like, but wait a minute, y'all said Democrats is weak.
Speaker 4 (24:08):
Oh so I'm not allowed.
Speaker 5 (24:09):
To say anything about him because he's in a wheelchair.
Is it okay for somebody to be in a wheelchair?
Are we not allowed to mention that people are in wheelchairs?
But even still, I made it clear, and this was
what was so frustrating to me, is that you know,
whether it was trains, planes, or automobiles, that he was
literally like fast tracking, literally speeding in a speedily way,
(24:35):
getting immigrants out of our state and seeing them immediately
to black mayors all around the country and that is
what I said I was talking about.
Speaker 4 (24:47):
And the very next thing.
Speaker 5 (24:48):
That I said is that he is a hot ass
mess talking about his policies because he literally he spent
so much money on planes, private planes to sit up
there and fly people out as soon as they got in.
Speaker 4 (25:01):
So like, don't come at me and.
Speaker 5 (25:03):
Say, oh, it's about his disability, Like I told you
what it was about. Yeah, but even if y'all want
to have a disability conversation, we can, we can, we
can have that conversation. And I tried to tell democrats.
I said, now, y'all have seen Trump make fun of
everybody under the sun, give everybody a dag on nickname,
go after any and everybody just because they exist. Literally,
(25:25):
where was the outrage when he was saying that the
Haitians was eating the cats and dogs? Where was the
outrage when he decided to mock a journalist who was
trying to do their job. Where was the outrage when
they were sitting up there calling a sitting senator Pocahontas
trying to literally be racist and play in your face.
Like I can go through the whole list of things
that he has done. But like, if you didn't have
(25:45):
that energy for him. Even if you thought that I
was like doing something that was out there, then don't
have the energy for me.
Speaker 4 (25:52):
That is all I got to say.
Speaker 5 (25:54):
And don't sit up there and talk about how we
are bullies. I'm sorry. Even if I was being a bully,
I learned from the best. Obviously, y'all like to elevate,
so listen, don't try to put me down. Lift me
up the same way you lift it your con artists
of a.
Speaker 2 (26:12):
President every single time. That's what makes it so interesting.
And what's crazy is like Sherl and I are in
the sports sector, and people don't really like to bring
sports into politics. But I was a poly sad major
polysid pre law, and literally there are so many similarities,
and there are so many things, for example, like politics
and sports both basically have a good old boys club.
(26:33):
And I look at women like you, like former Congresswoman
Barbara Lee, like who's now the newly elected mayor of Oakland.
I look at women like congresswomen Maxim Waters in California,
like Robin Kelly out of Illinois, and I see these
black women continuing to rise to the occasion, continually seeking
to set the records straight. Continually to rally the troops,
(26:53):
and at some point it gets tiring, I know in
the sports realm, between Cheryl and I and other black
women who are in continuinely trying to have to be
tired of proving ourselves of having to go beyond just
for the basic power of respect when our resumes speak
for itself as far as what we've done, what we
continue to do, and how many people try to do
what we do but can't do what we do effectively.
(27:15):
But there has to be something that continues to motivate
you to want to do the work that you're doing
despite the vitriol and the heat that comes along with that.
What is that motivation for you, especially as a black
woman in this space.
Speaker 5 (27:29):
Yeah, it is tough, No, it is tough. But I
tell you what, and I say it all the time.
I'm a terrible politician for a lot of different reasons,
but one of them is that here recently when we
had our two week recess. When you're in Congress, you
always have to raise money, like money over everything, right like,
(27:50):
and that's another measure of proving really your worth, and
it's really how you get power, or how you're supposed
to get power. So you know, I spend a lot
of time really trying to raise aggressively so that even
within the ranks, they are limited in how much they
can mute me. Right, But like I went home, and
(28:11):
I was only home this first week for one day,
and I told my staff, I say, yo, I got
to go to one of my schools. I don't care
which one. I just want to go to one of
my schools. Now we won't even going to high school.
We're talking about people that can't vote, okay, but they
motivate me. I mean the work that I do. I
(28:32):
tell people all the time. They look at me, they
think I'm so young, especially since Congress is so old.
So I guess I am young in congressional years. But
but I'm like half of my life has already passed
me by. Like the fights that I'm waging are for
those future generations. And I don't have my own kids,
but just know that that doesn't mean that I don't
(28:52):
care about the kids that are coming behind me and
the opportunities that they will or won't ever have. And
so for me, they got me to to one of
my schools. I got to go in and talk to
my kiddos, and it gave me an opportunity to also
see how is this current environment impacting them? Are they
being impacted? Like do they understand what's going on? Like
what is happening? Like I wanted to get a pulse
(29:14):
on what was happening with the kids. You know, it
is always so emotional for me to see their smiling faces.
And you know, when I was growing up, there was
never a black congresswoman from my area. Corey Bush became
the first black woman to be elected to Congress from Missouri,
so I never saw that. I could not imagine it
because I never saw it.
Speaker 4 (29:35):
That wasn't my experience.
Speaker 5 (29:37):
And so knowing that I represent these kids and knowing
the fights that I'm waiting on their behalf, so I
wanted to go into their schools. But like it is
still also very weird and different because like they know me,
Like I would not have been able to tell you
very much about what was going on in politics when
I was their age, But they know me, like they
follow me on TikTok. They tell me what's happening like
(30:00):
they know me, and it only gives them so much
hope to know that I see them, that I don't
just go and talk about these people, but like, I
want to go back, and that's who I want to
be with, even when I am only home for twenty
four hours.
Speaker 4 (30:15):
But that is what refills my cup is.
Speaker 5 (30:17):
Seeing them, hearing them, knowing how smart they are, knowing
how ambitious they are, and knowing that there are people
and forces that are pushing against them to make them
feel as if they are lesser than being able to
pour into them and tell them, don't ever let anybody
tell you what you can't do. Tell them everything that
you are going to do. And so that is what
fuels me is young people.
Speaker 4 (30:39):
It is always young people.
Speaker 5 (30:40):
I gotta do two college graduations over this weekend and
next weekend, and it is so inspiring to me because
I was like, do they want me or somebody else?
Speaker 4 (30:51):
Because let me call because I know a couple of celebrities.
Speaker 3 (30:54):
No, no, no, they want you. They got the right person,
They got the right person.
Speaker 4 (30:58):
And they were like, no, they really do want you.
And I was like, oh, yeah, you know what they
want you because you are you.
Speaker 1 (31:05):
I love how you're just so unapologetically yourself and listen
the clapbacks.
Speaker 2 (31:11):
David, could you be coming with the clapbacks.
Speaker 3 (31:23):
Question for you speaking of.
Speaker 1 (31:25):
Schools and education, and there's so much stuff going on
today that I mean, we could sit here and talk
to you forever about it, but I do want to
get your thoughts and opinions on what you think it
means for lower income families with the dismantling of the
Board of Education, the.
Speaker 5 (31:45):
Department of Education being defunded so that they can boot
leggedly illegally shut it down because to be clear, it
was created by Congress and authorized by Congress. Then Congress
is the other ones they can get. But when you
have a bootleg dictator slash tyrant, I mean, this is
what we end up enduring, especially when you have like
(32:08):
weasels that are in elected seats and redus to honor
their oath to the Constitution and instead are trying to
make sure that their Orange idol knows that they are
falling in line. I will tell you that it is
going to disproportionately negatively impact all communities that are not
individually wealthy. When I went through school, and I'm still
(32:32):
paying student loans, so y'all know, I was applying to
go to school, I had to fill out my FAFSA
and your parents probably had to fill out their fass
A too, And it is the Department of Education that
actually takes those applications. Those fafs are applications, and this
is how they begin to facilitate the moneies that will
(32:54):
then go to students so that they can get an education.
The fact that they are minimizing workforce number one, I
mean I spoke to someone who actually worked in the
financial aid kind of space of this, who does some
of the fastest stuff. I mean, this is going to
number one, slow things down, if not make it come
to a complete halt. And everything that this administration is
(33:16):
about doing, whether we're talking about the FAA and who
is going to oversee the safety of our flights, or
whether we're talking about Department of Defense or whether we're
talking about Department of Education, everything is about privatization. So
putting people into a scenario where if you want to
go to college and you don't already have the money,
(33:38):
then maybe you can go and get a loan that
you can take out. But when you think about the
rates that are on a personal loan to do something
like that, the rates are so much higher. They are
not kind of going to be regulated in the same
way because they are alone that is backed by the
federal government. It is completely different. I Mean, one of
the reasons I ain't paying my through loans offic because
(33:59):
I'm like.
Speaker 4 (33:59):
This is deep is dead.
Speaker 5 (34:00):
I got everything else is hey, I mean I'm gonna
pay off everything for the student homes because I pay
less than two percent.
Speaker 4 (34:06):
I can't get that for a house.
Speaker 5 (34:08):
So I mean, listen, I pay off my house before
I pay off my student loans. If we're gonna put
some extra money on something, right, like, I mean, just
because of how cheap the debt is. Right, and we
will see people that are you know, dealing with and
even people you know, listening to some of the stories
of people right now that they want to go and
(34:28):
start to do collections.
Speaker 4 (34:30):
Some people have already.
Speaker 5 (34:31):
Been victimized, even with us having the Department of Education, right,
and we're hearing people that say, hey, I only borrowed,
you know, thirty thousand, and it's ten years later and
I now owe sixty thousand, Like how is it ballooning?
Speaker 4 (34:45):
Right?
Speaker 5 (34:45):
These are things that the last administration was working on
that for the most part, this radical Supreme Court was
pushing back on the things that really would affect the
middle class. One of the things that I talked about
all the time was the amount of students loan debt
that actually had been forgiven under the Biden Harris administration.
I was talking about the billions of dollars that had
(35:06):
been forgiven, right. And I remember being at Essence last
year and I was doing a podcast live, and I
was telling them the story about traveling the country and
being in various places. And I had gone to Florida
and how I had spoken at the public opening for
Omegasi five. So I had spoken at their conclave, and
(35:27):
I tend to do this. I had done this at
a regional conference for Delta as well. And I know
that in this room, everybody has at least attended college.
Maybe you didn't graduate, but you attended, right, You attended
at some point. And so I knew like having black
folk who had attended college, I know the numbers. I
knew that black people are disproportionately weighed down in student
(35:49):
loan debt, right. So I knew if I walked into
one of those rooms, that the chances were that someone
had actually benefited from the student loan debt relief that
the Biden Harris administration done. So I would tell people
to raise their hands and I was doing good. I
would have hands all of it. I was like, now,
these are the testimonies y'all need to give. But Black
people don't like to talk about money, especially y'all with
(36:10):
y'all fancy educations. You don't want to go out there
and tell the good news.
Speaker 4 (36:13):
Right. You got other people.
Speaker 5 (36:15):
That's going out and telling everything about this twelve hundred
dollars that he did not give, But y'all won't go
talk about one hundred thousand dollars that y'all got, And
let me tell you, that's shouting money, okay. And I
would tell them that, like, think about what difference getting
six figures off your back can make. This means that
that home that you wanted to buy so that you
(36:35):
could build this generational wealth, now you can do it
because now your debt to income ratio is in a
way that would allow you to get a home and
allow you to pass something down for the generations. So
I was like, I don't want to hear people telling
me that Democrats weren't looking out for the middle class,
because I got receipts that maybe people didn't talk about
it exactly, but I got receipts, and so these hands
(36:57):
started to go up slowly, right because people, you know
again and black people just getting that kind of an ena.
They so they started to raise their hands, and then
she decided she wanted to ask how much. I'm like, girl, ahh,
now you cause it's not you, right, because I'm like,
if it's fine dollars, people gonna be like dead.
Speaker 4 (37:12):
See, they ain't even do nothing. It was you.
Speaker 5 (37:15):
And literally, I mean she was sitting there like, Oprah,
how much was yours?
Speaker 4 (37:20):
How much was yours? How much? Majors?
Speaker 5 (37:22):
And the most that I heard because I had never
asked anybody how much because that that really is like
tricky territory. The most that we got was two hundred
and fifty thousand dollars a quarter of a million dollars.
Speaker 4 (37:35):
That is wild, right, wow.
Speaker 5 (37:38):
And so I was like the fact that more people
don't know this, or the fact that like we're pitting
middle class against working class against working poor against like
the fact that we're we all in the same boat,
the one that they right now are trying to sing,
ain't none of us are on the sixty million dollar
wedding boat.
Speaker 4 (37:57):
Okay, like, we we not there with you, Jeff, We're
not there. What you missed? The bezos Okay.
Speaker 5 (38:03):
They pitted us against each other, and people were like, well,
that's unfair.
Speaker 4 (38:08):
They went to college and had the stud loan that relieved.
Speaker 5 (38:11):
I didn't go to college and I ain't get Okay, listen, fine,
but let me tell you. We didn't try to take
housing benefits. In fact, we want to expand it. We
didn't try to take food off your table and get
rid of snap benefits, and instead we wanted to expand that.
We were the ones that understood how important the child
tax credit would be and how much money that could
put into people's pockets. People were getting hundreds of dollars
(38:33):
a month because of that. I think it was three
hundred dollars per child.
Speaker 4 (38:37):
A month because of that.
Speaker 5 (38:39):
So, no, we were looking out for everybody that wasn't
part of the one percenters. Yeah, and y'all decided to
install the people looking out for the one percenter.
Speaker 2 (38:48):
I know that you have to go, madam Congressman, because
we don't want to make you.
Speaker 4 (38:51):
Not go vote. Yeah, I know. I got to keep
my black job and if I don't bo Yes.
Speaker 2 (38:57):
I'm wondering if you can answer this one question estion
for me very quickly, because I'm curious and I'm gonna
put you on the spot because we know that Jerry Connelly,
who is the ranking member of the Oversight and Government
Reform Committee, is stepping down. I do hope that he
gets better due to his medical situation, and you have
spoke so highly of him, but he's not seeking reelection
(39:17):
in twenty twenty six. I know there was a battle
back in January between him and AOC for that spot,
but you, as the vice ranking member, I'm wondering, are
the rumors true? Are you considering running for that seat?
Speaker 4 (39:32):
Yeah, the rumors are true. So first of all, I
don't go.
Speaker 5 (39:36):
You know it is it is hard for me to
put into words what it is to give thirty years
of service. Lord knows, I don't think I got thirty
in me.
Speaker 4 (39:44):
I just want to let y'all know. I just want
to let y'all know.
Speaker 5 (39:47):
But I did come behind a giant and when I
text Jerry once I received the news that he wasn't
gonna seek reelection and that his illness had resurfaced and
he was going to focus on getting better, I talked
about what it means to do thirty years, because I
know because my predecessor did thirty years. And I said,
(40:08):
and one of the most difficult things it was for
my district was to transition because for some people their
entire life, the only congress person they knew was Eddiebernise Johnson,
and for them, she wasn't just an elected she had
become family for so many people. And so I wanted
Jerry to understand that, like his constituents, most of them
probably look at him as family at this point, because
(40:31):
when you've been in the community and serving for that long,
that is what it is.
Speaker 4 (40:35):
And I told him, you know, one.
Speaker 5 (40:38):
Of the people that I hate that I didn't get
to serve with, but I got to meet was John Lewis.
And I sit in awe every chance that I get,
and I go snuggle up. She ain't really a snugly
type person next to Maxine every chance I get, because
I know that I am so privileged to serve with
serving giants, and so to be able to to serve
(41:00):
with Jerry, to be able to serve as his vice ranker,
is huge to me. Yeah, At the same time, when
I signed up as vice ranker. I signed up always
knowing that there may be a point in time when
I may have to step in and I may need
to run that committee in number one, I signed up
with full confidence that I could. I also ran and
(41:23):
was elected unanimously to the post. And this is a
way that I can see myself in service not only
to the Caucus, but to the country. Because most people
are talking about Doge. Doge is right under the purview
of oversight. This is about doing for me, offering myself
on the next level of service to make sure that
(41:45):
we can go out, we can educate everybody. That was
just in Vegas last week a couple of days ago,
and I'm sending in line for a taxi and this
man turns around and says Jasmine Crockett and I was like, yeah,
And it was he and his wife, and I introduced
them to my colleague that was standing with me.
Speaker 4 (42:04):
You know.
Speaker 5 (42:04):
They were just talking to me, and I was like, oh,
you know where y'all from? They say, at Georgia. I said, oh,
y'all don't live in her district? Do you y'all know
who Herry is?
Speaker 2 (42:11):
Right?
Speaker 5 (42:13):
So, and so they were like, they said no, but
we are Republicans, and we love you. I want to
be clear that I get messages from Republicans, from Independence,
from Democrats, from all over this spectrum, because when I speak,
I always do my best to make sure I am
backing it up with facts and I am always speaking
(42:35):
from the heart, because again, I'm not that worried about
the seat.
Speaker 4 (42:39):
I am more worried about service.
Speaker 5 (42:41):
And so for me, I think that I am ready,
especially since you know the president loves to have my
name and his mouth.
Speaker 4 (42:49):
Honey, we can talk about some things. Then we can.
Speaker 5 (42:52):
Talk about some things because I got some oversight that
I want to do. Honey, there is not currently a
vacant now, that's but once there is a vacancy, and
knowing that he's not seeking reelection, so for all I know,
there may not be a vacancy until next term. Theoretically,
I am listening to the calls of the people right now,
as the people is all of the internets, and so
(43:15):
I appreciate that the people have the confidence to know
that I would be ready to rumble that you can
do it.
Speaker 1 (43:22):
Yeah, listen, I know you got to go, but I
need you to be the first black female president.
Speaker 3 (43:31):
I'm putting that out. I know she said she ain't
had thirty years in her but uh yeah, I'm putting
that out yeah, putting.
Speaker 2 (43:36):
That out there for you. Now. I love that. I
love that. Well. Thank you so so much for your time.
We truly appreciate just being able to chat with you
and chop it up with you in wish you the
best of luck with everything that you're doing for the
remainder of your career for this term. But we ain't eed. Listen,
we already know you are called, you are blessed. We
(43:57):
ain't even got to worry about you getting it done.
We know you will. But thank thank you so much
for your time.
Speaker 4 (44:01):
Thank you.
Speaker 5 (44:01):
I just wanted to say, I just wanted to say
this was so much fun and I'm so happy whoever
dropped jumped in the DMS to make it happen. Okay,
because it does go down in the DMS. If y'all
didn't know, yes, I didn't know if somebody from Cheryl's
team did it, so but.
Speaker 4 (44:18):
It was, but it was it was legitimately me.
Speaker 5 (44:21):
It was legitimately me for sure, because on my campaign account,
I'm the one that checks it. So I appreciate the
invitation it's truly a high honor, and I am so
proud of everything that you each have done to really
pave the way for women that are coming behind you.
I mean, just think about like the WNBA, and you know,
(44:42):
I've been able to go to the All Star Game
with them and have some real conversations and all the
work that so many women are still trying to do
to push the envelope as relates to women in sports
in general. So thank you, thank you, thank you. I
really do appreciate y'all.
Speaker 4 (44:57):
I honor y'all. And again, it was great to.
Speaker 2 (44:59):
Check with y'all. Likewise, likewise, go right back and now
go vote.
Speaker 6 (45:04):
Okay, one to vote, Charlo.
Speaker 2 (45:16):
I could have kept talking to Jazzmine all day, all day,
and I got stuff to do today, but I mean,
nothing as important as going to vote on Capitol Hill,
but steal.
Speaker 1 (45:27):
But such a great conversation, a great person, and you
know what, I love her even more now you want
to know why why?
Speaker 2 (45:36):
Because she does she doesn't.
Speaker 1 (45:38):
Like pineapple on pizza either, and she puts sugar in
her grits.
Speaker 2 (45:42):
Y'all. Some haters. First of all, it's disgusting, y'all are disgusting.
Speaker 4 (45:46):
It is disgusting.
Speaker 2 (45:48):
Of Pineapple on pizza is disgusting. Pineapple and pizzas amazing
Hawaiian pizzas great.
Speaker 1 (45:53):
Sugar and Grits is sugar and grits is the best,
the best.
Speaker 2 (45:58):
And one thing, and one thing Jasmine and I have
in comment is that we both say how we feel
in the moment we feel it and I told you
all asses day and it was nasty, but such.
Speaker 3 (46:10):
A great, meaningful conversation.
Speaker 1 (46:13):
And you know from there, there's so much going on
in this world right now.
Speaker 3 (46:18):
It's it's nice.
Speaker 1 (46:19):
To be able to have a conversation with someone who's
who's in it every single day, right and can.
Speaker 3 (46:25):
Give us a completely different perspective.
Speaker 1 (46:27):
Have so much love and respect for Jasmine, and thank you,
thank you to Jasmine and her team for coming on
the podcast.
Speaker 3 (46:36):
And uh yeah, super happy to have her own.
Speaker 2 (46:39):
Absolutely only Cheryl Swoops can go into somebody's d MS
and get it in. Can't nobody else do that?
Speaker 3 (46:46):
Oh that that's not true.
Speaker 1 (46:48):
Listen, there are a few other people now that I
know at worked, there are a.
Speaker 2 (46:51):
Few other people I know.
Speaker 3 (46:54):
That's right.
Speaker 2 (46:54):
But with that being said, we want to bring this
episode to a close, so it is time for us
to level off and Charyl, what you got for us
this week?
Speaker 3 (47:05):
I got a good one.
Speaker 1 (47:06):
Let's not forget we are still in Black Women's History
Month and to end to close out the month, no
better way to do that right than to have the
jasmine crocoddle on. So I got a pretty nice quote
here by Janet authoring, and it says, I am a
black woman.
Speaker 3 (47:27):
Don't look beyond me, don't see through me.
Speaker 1 (47:30):
Look me in the eye, hold my gaze, Listen to
my heart, see my soul, see me for who I am,
not what you would like me to be, accept.
Speaker 3 (47:42):
Or reject, but don't hide from my truth.
Speaker 2 (47:46):
I'm gonna need you to read that one more time. Yeah,
that might be one of my faves. Run that back
one more time.
Speaker 3 (47:51):
I am a black woman.
Speaker 1 (47:53):
Don't look beyond me, don't see through me, Look me
in the eye, hold my gaze, Listen to my heart,
see my soul, see me for who I am, not
what you would like me to be, accept or reject,
but don't hide from my truth. See me for who
(48:14):
I am. Honey, Yes, that was the lie. That was
the lie.
Speaker 2 (48:20):
That part. Yeah, love it, love it. You know my
mother taught me a long time ago when I was younger,
that if you really ever want somebody to respect what
you're saying and respect your confidence, you have to look
people in the eye when you're talking to them. And
that is just something that I see. People don't look
down and looking around and look over here just because
(48:42):
you lie, you lie in, or you ain't got no
respect for me, or you don't understand what I said. Nothing,
So you everywhere else.
Speaker 3 (48:52):
Yes, you're not holding You're not holding my gaze.
Speaker 2 (48:55):
You can't hold my gaze.
Speaker 3 (48:57):
That get good. That's good.
Speaker 2 (49:00):
That's a good one. That's a good one. Well, we
are going to close it out on that note, and
hopefully we were able to hold your attention throughout the
duration of this podcast, because I think it was a
great one, and I know Schrol does too, and so
we appreciate you. If you got this far, that means
you got to the end. So thank you so much
for listening to levels to this. We will be back
(49:20):
next week with more Next Level conversations. And next week
is going to be such a fun episode. Charl and
I are going to be out on the road again
doing what we do in front of a live audience.
So I can't wait. Hey, I love.
Speaker 3 (49:37):
Us playing music with my friends.
Speaker 2 (49:39):
Friends, I can't wait road again. Come on now, y'all.
Speaker 3 (49:44):
That's about this episode for y'all.
Speaker 2 (49:45):
Right there, scream it. Listen, y'all, leive us a review
with Apple Podcasts and follow us on Instagram, because clearly
me and Shrol ain't got no damn sins today. I
don't even know how to close out the show that
we got some sent so it just kind of is
what it is today. Follow us on Instagram at ltt
(50:05):
pot and until then, do a better job of keeping
your mentals ground level than me and Cheryl are apparently
doing right now, and we will be back next week.
Speaker 3 (50:14):
Peace y'all.
Speaker 1 (50:17):
Listen to Levels to This on America's number one podcast network,
iHeart Open your free iHeart app and search Levels to
this with Cheryl Swoops and Treka Foster Brasby and start listening.
Levels to This is an iHeart women's sports production in
partnership with Deep Blue Sports and Entertainment. You can find
us on the iHeartRadio app, Apple Podcasts, or wherever you
get your podcasts.
Speaker 2 (00:15):
What's Up? Everybody is your Girl? Trerika Foster Brassby.
Speaker 3 (00:18):
And I'm your girl, Cheryl Swoops. What's good y'all? A?
Speaker 2 (00:22):
This is the Levels to this podcast. This is the
show where we share that it is levels to the
ship that women go through. And honey, do we have
a show today? Because today I can't even hold I
can't even play with people's feelings emotions. Today, I just
gotta tell you, OKATAINB we have none other than the
(00:44):
Jasmine Crockett joining the show today. And Jasmine is that
girl like give you guys like our surface level conversation
where we just kind of like shoot the shit a
little bit about whatever. But I gotta take this surface
to just talk about how excited I am to check
with Jazzmine. What I think is so funny, because I
(01:06):
think this is just real, is that we have to
tell y'all how we were even able to get Jasmine
Crockett on the show. Tell them what you did?
Speaker 1 (01:15):
Okay, okay, so let me before I tell them. Before
I tell them, they need to know. They need to know.
Like I don't fan out or fangirl over a lot
of people, not very many at all.
Speaker 3 (01:25):
Jasmine Crockett is one.
Speaker 1 (01:27):
Like she is a sister, she's her, she's that girl,
she's she's all of the things.
Speaker 3 (01:34):
So I did what people normally do to me.
Speaker 1 (01:39):
And it's so crazy because lots of times I don't
check my DMS.
Speaker 3 (01:42):
I'm like no, and then what I do when I do.
Speaker 1 (01:46):
And if people are like asking me for an appearance
of things like that, I'm like, no, this ain't real
or whatever.
Speaker 3 (01:52):
I gotta tak Well, I was that person.
Speaker 4 (01:53):
I went to her.
Speaker 1 (01:56):
Instagram dms and sent her this really cool sweet messag
and was like, we would love to have you on
our podcast now. It took her probably about four or
five days to respond, but granted she's pretty busy. When
I got the response, t I read it like three
times because I was like, I know she didn't respond
to me, but she really did respond. I was so
(02:20):
I was so excited at y'all. Listen, you know our
surface level, we usually get into a whole lot of
shit that you and I have done, and the weekend,
all the things, but uh, this one's all about Jasmine Crockett.
Let me tell you this te This is for you
or for the people you know, you know what. I
hope I can get her to say for me?
Speaker 2 (02:35):
What's that bleach blonde, bad built, butch body.
Speaker 1 (02:40):
Yeah, a bad line, right there was epic And I
ain't said it like.
Speaker 3 (02:52):
I adin't say it like her. I just need to
hear her say it for me.
Speaker 2 (02:54):
That is that is probably the line. Like if you
weren't all in politics, and you weren't already somebody who
followed all of the congressmen and women or all this,
like you know, maybe you were just a casual hearing
Now turn I'm saying, end you knew exactly who Jasmin
Crockett was after that line went viral because that was crazy,
(03:16):
but it was so accurate. It was so accurate.
Speaker 1 (03:21):
Every one of the bees, every one of the bees,
every one of them, every one of them.
Speaker 2 (03:26):
She continues to defy why people are saying all black
women are mad and aggressive. No, black women are not
mad and aggressive. Black women are very eloquent in how
they speak. And if you come for us and we
didn't send for you. We're gonna send your ass back,
and that's exactly what That's what Jasmine does every single time.
But no. She serves the thirtieth Congressional District in Texas,
(03:50):
which consists of like Dallas and toront Counties. She is
a member of Delta Sigma Theta Sorority Incorporated. So I'm
gonna always give some love to my d nine folks
out there. And there is just so many things about
her career that I'm excited to talk about, just getting
to know her a little bit, because sometimes I think
we get caught up in what people do and how
they have become such public figures that we forget, as
(04:13):
we spoke about on last week's show, that they are,
you know, celebrities are human, Politicians are human, and there
are moments where they just want to be you know,
just want to be themselves without some of the things
that come with it. So I am super excited to
talk to her. I feel like I see a new
Jasmine Crockett video on Twitter or Tiksik at least every
(04:34):
other day because she She's always on, like somebody always
got their name in her mouth. And I mean, I
don't understand why they keep her name and their mouth
like that because she's going to tell it like it is,
and that is the beauty of it.
Speaker 1 (04:47):
So well, you know what they say when when you're
doing something right, people are always going to talk about you.
Speaker 2 (04:53):
My mom used to say when I was a kid, girl,
if they talked about Jesus, that part they.
Speaker 3 (04:58):
Talk about Jesus, you know they're gonna talk about you
right about you.
Speaker 2 (05:01):
That's it.
Speaker 3 (05:02):
And that's what I just think with Jasmine.
Speaker 1 (05:04):
I love how she's just unapologetically herself and everything she does,
how she represents for her people. I just I can't
say enough words about how I like, I genuinely love
this woman. I love everything about who she is, what
she represents, where she comes from, how she carries herself.
(05:27):
And we need more Jasmine Crockets out there.
Speaker 2 (05:30):
We do, and so we will not continue to be
labor the conversation because we know that it's going to
be one that is going to be incredible. So without
further ado, let's just go ahead and get into the
next level and bring on our girl, Jasmine Crocket. Cheryl.
I think that today is probably the day that you
(05:54):
and I like you are usually the person that people
get to come on and fangirl. But I think today
is day that, like we actually get to fangirl someone else.
Because facts, our guest today is none other than the
phenomenal and amazing US representative for Texas's thirtieth Congressional District,
Our girl and the love of everyone who has any
(06:17):
common sense, Madame Congresswoman Jasmine Crockett. Welcome to the show.
Speaker 3 (06:28):
We're giving you all the Baals and West.
Speaker 2 (06:30):
That is exactly what we're here for and what we
want to do. And we know that there's a lot
of serious stuff in the world going on and we
are absolutely going to get to that. But before we do,
we just want to have a little icebreaker because we
want to know more about Jasmine, the girl from Saint Louis,
the daughter of a pasta, Like, we want to get
to know her. So really rapid fire questions for you.
(06:54):
What kind of music is on the playlist? Oh?
Speaker 5 (06:56):
Listen, it goes anywhere from gospel to trap, right, But
I feel like it's like the real black girl experience though, right, Like,
I mean, when you need to get pumped up, it
may be a little bit of Jesus, but it may
be gz Like you just don't know how about that. Yeap,
that is my soundtrack.
Speaker 4 (07:16):
It's all the.
Speaker 2 (07:17):
I'm either praying wish you or praying for you because
something's finna go down. I'm with you something finna go down.
Speaker 1 (07:23):
Yeah, yeah, that's good.
Speaker 3 (07:26):
I like that one. Okay. Pineapple on pizza.
Speaker 4 (07:29):
No, absolutely not. I have like putting sweet stuff on
the songs.
Speaker 2 (07:35):
I love Hawaiian pizza and it's fruit.
Speaker 4 (07:38):
It's fruit.
Speaker 5 (07:38):
It's like, take you separate, like dessert. Maybe so you
don't go to like the peach cobbler. But it definitely
is not supposed.
Speaker 4 (07:47):
To be on a pizza. Not on a pizza.
Speaker 2 (07:49):
No.
Speaker 3 (07:49):
Yeah, they don't go together. They don't go together.
Speaker 2 (07:52):
You're on your own. I love I love a good
pineapple pizza. Sorry, okay, speaking of food, what is your
guilty pleasure for food? Like you know you ain't got
no business eating it, but you do it anyway because
you can't help yourself.
Speaker 5 (08:04):
I just mentioned it because you see, it was in
my mind. It's the peach cobbler. It's the peach cobbler.
Speaker 4 (08:10):
And let me tell y'all something.
Speaker 5 (08:12):
I go in and talk about how bad the food
is in DC all the time, and it's crazy that
it's so many black people in DC and like the.
Speaker 4 (08:21):
Soup will be lacking. I'm like, what is happening?
Speaker 2 (08:23):
What is going on?
Speaker 5 (08:25):
But literally I got onto the train here at work
one day, right and because we got these little trains,
and so I get on the train and the woman
operating the train, I was like, what's your name? And
she was like Peaches. And I was like Peaches. I
was like, now, miss Peaches, do you make peach cobbler?
And she said actually I knew. I was like, oh,
(08:48):
he said, we got to be best these girl and listen.
So Miss Peaches, I was like, now, can you really
make a peach cobbla because like these people around here
can't cook.
Speaker 4 (08:57):
And so she was like no, for real.
Speaker 5 (08:59):
And so literally, like my birthday just passed. Miss Peaches
had to make my peach cobblem because Miss Peaches knows
how to put her foot in that cobble. So I mean,
every once in a while, you get somebody and I
literally and she'd be making me so much. I'm like,
Miss Peaches, I can't like okay because I.
Speaker 4 (09:18):
Already gained weight.
Speaker 5 (09:20):
You know, it's a struggle, and every time I want
to cut somebody out.
Speaker 4 (09:24):
It's probably better that I just have a piece of
peach cob. But when it comes to.
Speaker 5 (09:28):
Like my hips and my thighs and my waist, it's
really worse. It would be better that I just cuts
them out.
Speaker 2 (09:34):
You know what. Don't have me come to DC looking
for miss Peaches. Now I have to say, Johnson, Now, y'all.
Speaker 5 (09:41):
Like, if y'all are about, if y'all are on y'all's way,
I'm gonna make sure miss Peach's got some peach cobbler.
Speaker 4 (09:47):
She it is. It is phenomenal.
Speaker 2 (09:50):
I believe it. I believe it.
Speaker 1 (09:51):
Listen, Sis, don't don't don't be talking about no thighs
and hips and all that, cuz we all got the
thighs and hips if you be working so but you
you're saying that about the soul food because you're in Texas, right,
Like DC ain't gonna have the type of soul food
that Texas.
Speaker 5 (10:10):
Has, right, DC don't have nothing that Texas has. Like
I mean, it's it's really a Southern divide. Like you know,
you can roll into New Orleans, which I'll be there shortly,
and you can go anywhere. You can go into the
neighborhood hole in the wall, and you're gonna be ready
to slap your mama right like here, they'd be like, oh,
we're gonna charge you fifty dollars for something that ain't
(10:32):
even good. I'm like, y'all, I need y'all to get
the tacos right.
Speaker 4 (10:35):
I need y'all to get the Chinese right.
Speaker 5 (10:37):
I need y'all to get something right, Like, give me something.
Speaker 2 (10:40):
Only thing you gonna get right and DC is chicken
and mumbo sauce and brunch. That's it. You ain't getting
none else in DC. You gonna get the mumbo sauce.
Speaker 5 (10:50):
Listen, I am. I am absolutely yeah, that's right.
Speaker 4 (10:54):
That's it. Don't try nothing else.
Speaker 2 (10:56):
Yep, nothing else, nothing else. I love it.
Speaker 1 (10:59):
So I got one more food one and I don't know.
Some people say it's.
Speaker 4 (11:03):
A sugar or salt on grits. Oh I'm a sugar
grit girl.
Speaker 3 (11:08):
Me to sugar and butter.
Speaker 2 (11:11):
Yes, I quit.
Speaker 4 (11:14):
Sugar girl.
Speaker 5 (11:17):
If I'm just literally having like grits, and that's it.
Speaker 4 (11:21):
It is sugar.
Speaker 5 (11:22):
It's like oat meal, like it's the same. It's it's
a grain, you know, it's like hungario like this.
Speaker 4 (11:28):
I mean so it's sugar. It is sugar, sugar ship wheat.
Speaker 3 (11:32):
Yeah, I used to have creama wheat. Sugar sugar goes
in creama wheat too.
Speaker 2 (11:36):
That's that's what you should just eat if you're gonna
put sugar grit.
Speaker 5 (11:39):
Now, I will tell you now, if I speaking of
New Orleans. Now, if I'm down there and we haven't
shimpering grits, now, that's a whole other situation. Then the
grits is like the rice. Okay, but even still, if
I'm eating rice for breakfast, it's really just in like sugar.
Speaker 4 (11:55):
Oh, I know a lot about that exactly. Then you
put sugar.
Speaker 5 (11:59):
But other wise it is salt like if it's something
on top of it, if there's a gravy associated with.
Speaker 2 (12:05):
It, salt. See, I'm just gonna put salt and pepper
in the grants with some butter. And then if you
you know, my family from Georgia, so we might cut
up some link sausages and rip the sausages up in
the in the in the grits. But y'all see, we're
gonna move on because y'all out here about to make
me lead an interview talking about putting sugar and grits.
Speaker 4 (12:24):
Before Paples on a pizza girl.
Speaker 1 (12:27):
That part, that part that's nasty, and then the pineapples
make the bread all mushy.
Speaker 3 (12:33):
No, not good.
Speaker 1 (12:34):
All right, here's the last one for me before we
get a little serious. So I don't I don't really
stalk you, but but I follow you.
Speaker 3 (12:42):
I do. I keep up with you. And so I
saw the prank from nephew Tommy.
Speaker 6 (12:49):
Oh, yes, are you're still salty about that?
Speaker 4 (12:54):
No, I'm not. I'm not, but I'm hilarious. In the moment,
I was like, I don't have time for it. Is
right now, Tommy, I don't have time for this. You're
playing with me. It was a rough week dealing with
these people.
Speaker 5 (13:07):
But honestly, in my real life, if somebody gets my
actual direct number, yeah, these are the kind of calls.
Speaker 2 (13:14):
Uh.
Speaker 5 (13:15):
You know, Usually my constituents are not as abrasive towards me,
though I will say that they're usually not, but they
are usually like stressed. And I told him I saw
him in person at a fundraiser at Ben Crump's house,
where Ben Crump had to lay it down and make
it clear and be like, listen, I did not give
(13:36):
Tommy the congresswoman's number. I promise y'all right, like he
has it, like he had, he said he had. He
woke up to over one hundred text messages where they
were like why did y'all why did you give Tommy
the congresswoman's number? Right, So he's like, I just want
to go back on the record.
Speaker 4 (13:51):
I did not do that.
Speaker 5 (13:52):
It was me, No, But I did tell a story
of a constituent who had been old over a million.
Speaker 4 (14:00):
Dollars for approximately two years.
Speaker 5 (14:03):
And so she is friends with one of my friends,
and so he was like, well she got this.
Speaker 4 (14:10):
He she was like, bro, my staff got this. Like,
don't call me. I'm not going iris.
Speaker 5 (14:15):
I mean seriously, like I mean, people feel better if
they talk to me, but like this is our staff,
is what makes us actually great, right right, And so
literally I was like, she just need to call the staff.
So literally I get the call and it's like, you know,
she's frantic and it's been two years, and listen, I
don't know what it is for somebody else to have
my million dollars. I ain't got no millions for them
(14:36):
to have, So I know nothing, right, But like the
way that I feel about somebody holding my hunted makes
me feel a way, so like, I get it, I
get it, I get it stressful right when somebody like
is playing with your money. But my staff, once we
got her to them, they were able to get our
money back in three weeks, and I knew that it
was yeah, yeah.
Speaker 2 (14:56):
Don't play with my coins. You owe me five dollars
and we got a problem. Don't blame with my.
Speaker 4 (15:00):
Car curier, it's on site or.
Speaker 2 (15:05):
Coins. So yes, we wanted to make sure we had
an opportunity to kind of just get to know you
a little bit and kick it with you a little bit.
But you know, over the last several years and even
before then, like you have really been one of the
leading voices in Congress and mainly, you know, outside of
the things that you're doing. It's because I think people
(15:25):
respect the fact that you don't have to play respectability politics,
that you say what needs to be said to the
people that need to hear them with no fear. Where
does that moxie come from? Like, is that something that
you were raised to have or was that something that
developed over time just through your experiences.
Speaker 5 (15:43):
I think that I've always been kind of outspoken and
never really felt that much restraint. But I will say
that it is something that, in my opinion, has probably
been fine tuned over the years.
Speaker 4 (15:54):
As a litigator, when.
Speaker 5 (15:56):
I walk into that courtroom, regardless of what anybody believes
of my case, I have to have confidence and I
have to be willing to say it loud and say
it proud, and be able to convince a jury whether
it's saving somebody's life to agree with me, even when
it's sometimes hard because you've got a client who has
a spicy past and you may run into a jeury
(16:18):
that really just wants to be like yo, like Okay,
well he didn already been convicted of dope, he didn't
already been convicted of assault, but like you want me
to believe that this time, you know what I mean?
Like it's tough, like you know, so I have to
walk in and walk in with a rapport and confidence
and the same thing when I've had to kind of
deal with more so negotiations on some of the civil
(16:40):
rights cases and things like that. And so I think
that part of it comes from that. The other part
comes from this idea that you know, as I'm sitting
here talking to two black women and definitely.
Speaker 4 (16:53):
Who are accomplished on your own right.
Speaker 5 (16:56):
You know, it is never lost on me that any
table that I am sitting at it ain't because I
didn't work my butt off to get there, right, Like,
we know that anytime we end up in the space,
we've had to work ten twenty times.
Speaker 4 (17:12):
It's hard to get there.
Speaker 5 (17:13):
And so when I sit around and I look at
some of the leading people within their cockies, so I'm like, bro,
like you, we're not on the same level. I mean,
I know we own the same level, but not really right,
And so like, why am I going to be intimidated
when I know that, Like you got here because oh
(17:36):
you had a rich daddy who would fund your campaign,
who had rich friends or whatever.
Speaker 4 (17:41):
Like that's not my story.
Speaker 5 (17:43):
Like my parents couldn't just call on their friends and
be like, oh, give max donations, or you know, just
run this independent expenditure on behalf of my daughter because
she deserves to be in Congress, or oh, yeah, I
served in Congress, so I'm gonna call up all the
other people we didn't have that That's not how I
got here.
Speaker 4 (18:00):
I got here as the girl.
Speaker 5 (18:02):
That really is a very unlikely story, even though I
had a resume it's not enough when it comes to politics.
I mean, look at Kamala Harrison, look at Donald Trump.
Not enough to have a resume when it comes to politics.
So for me, I'm like, listen, I know who I am,
and I know that, like my life is gonna be
(18:23):
just fine. On the other side, like I'm not afraid
of like being kicked out of Congress. I'm like sometimes
I actually I think i'd be kind of daring out
of Congress, right, I wish you would, yeah, seriously, because
it's kind of like when I think about what it
is to represent if I'm going to get out here,
and I got to be on edge every time i
(18:44):
say something, wondering whether or not I'm a hold my seat, man,
This ain't my seat in the first place. To see,
belongs to the people, and I truly believe in democracy.
And so at the point in time that people feel
like I am not the person that is really representing
in the way that they feel like I should, I
think that they have every right to kick me out,
and I'll be like, Okay, I'm gonna go get my
coins and stop some of my death threats. I'm good,
(19:07):
like I'm good, right, Like I am okay with that,
And I think that there's a lot of people that
aren't okay with not having the title. The title is
just kind of my job, right, Like It's like I
never was really that caught up on the fact that
I had gone to law school. It was like I
had to go to law school to become a lawyer.
Speaker 4 (19:25):
Like that's just what it was, right.
Speaker 5 (19:27):
Like I've never been that person and said, oh, you
got to go get twenty degrees before you can be
of value. I'm like, listen, if you can get your
money and do what you want to, go ahead and
go get your trade. Okay, save yourself the soud loan debt.
Like I have never been that person to push that.
It just so happened that, like my job required it, right,
And so I look at it and say that like
(19:48):
the work that I want to do, the good that
I want to do, the legislation that I feel capable
of creating and writing and advocating for, that's just the
work that I want to do. And this is just
the title that kind of comes with it. But I'm
not so caught up on the title. Like I can
tell you most people don't even know my title. I
go home, they call me senator, they call me State Rep.
(20:08):
They call me everything like they I mean, you know,
and it's fine.
Speaker 4 (20:11):
I'm like, okay, whatever, you know. You know, I'm your person.
That's what matters.
Speaker 2 (20:15):
That's what it is.
Speaker 3 (20:16):
But it's out of respect.
Speaker 1 (20:19):
So my question for you is just going off of
continuing off of what you just said. It's such a
double standard though, right when so I look at your
situation when you made the funny comment to me about
Greg Abbott, right, and then people want to talk about
your education where you went to school, and then they
want to cent your representative Al Green, Right, So I
(20:42):
look at that, and then I'm like, but on the
other side, when when they do it, there's nothing to
be said. There's not a problem with it. I don't
know what my question is, but it's more so of
a comment though, right, like like how is it or
why is it that that's okay for.
Speaker 3 (21:00):
Them to do, but when we do it, it's a problem.
Speaker 5 (21:03):
It's kind of like what we see with this lawless administration. Yeah,
it's a matter of yeah, we want everybody else to
follow the law, but me, I'm an exception, right, And
that's what it is. It's all the rules, like they
want to be able to break all the rules.
Speaker 4 (21:17):
And frankly, you know, we as.
Speaker 5 (21:20):
Democrats were very compassionate people, were very loving people, yes,
and honestly people have been mistaking that for being very
weak people as well. And my deal is, if you're
gonna throw a punch, Babee, just be ready because I'm
punching back, like I don't know like who y'all think
I am. But like you know, I mean, you bring
(21:43):
up some of the things, and you know, the hot
Willls thing was like so ridiculous in the sense that
anybody can look and see the number one. It's been
going on for a long time. I didn't come up
with a nickname. And you know, Democrats ain't even that
creative to come up with nicknames for people.
Speaker 4 (21:59):
I just want to be.
Speaker 5 (22:00):
Clear, and ain't even the Democrats was like, I mean,
that's not even thing. And if there was really a
conversation to be had, the conversation should have been had
around the fact that this is not a champion for
those within the uniquely abled community, like he is really
their worst enemy. The whole way that he was able
(22:21):
to become a multi millionaire because of what happened to him,
he is also the same person that signed a piece
of legislation that would prevent anybody else from being able
to do that very same thing if they then had
a tree fall on them.
Speaker 4 (22:34):
I just want to be clear about that. I also
want to be clear that he is one of the
leading governors.
Speaker 5 (22:39):
That is ANTIDEI right with Stansford Diversity, Equity and inclusion,
even though they have tried to use DEI as a
slur for black people.
Speaker 4 (22:49):
At this point in time.
Speaker 5 (22:51):
There is an A in that title right for the
accessibility community, and I like to say that the AA
is silent, okay, and frankly, if we go through it,
there's a V for veterans. There's a lot of other
letters that are included, but this has been one of
the leading people that has gone against everything as it
(23:13):
relates to DEI, including those accessibility things. This is somebody
who recently signed a piece of legislation into law that
would make it more difficult for those within the uniquely
abled community to be able to access the.
Speaker 4 (23:26):
Ballot box via mail ballot.
Speaker 5 (23:30):
So I mean, if you want to have a conversation
about who has been on the right side of history
for the community and who has not been. Let me
tell you, my record speaks for itself, not just on
the state level, but also on the federal level. And
I'm gonna just need y'all to go and check it
out and see that I got receipts and then go
check his out. So I do not have an issue.
(23:51):
I've never had an issue. I have never gone after
someone innocently or whatever and try to go after an
entire community.
Speaker 4 (23:58):
And it was a whole game for them to be.
Speaker 5 (24:00):
Like, oh, we're the victims and may God and all
this other kind of stuff, and they're like.
Speaker 4 (24:03):
Oh, poor Greg Abby.
Speaker 5 (24:04):
I'm like, but wait a minute, y'all said Democrats is weak.
Speaker 4 (24:08):
Oh so I'm not allowed.
Speaker 5 (24:09):
To say anything about him because he's in a wheelchair.
Is it okay for somebody to be in a wheelchair?
Are we not allowed to mention that people are in wheelchairs?
But even still, I made it clear, and this was
what was so frustrating to me, is that you know,
whether it was trains, planes, or automobiles, that he was
literally like fast tracking, literally speeding in a speedily way,
(24:35):
getting immigrants out of our state and seeing them immediately
to black mayors all around the country and that is
what I said I was talking about.
Speaker 4 (24:47):
And the very next thing.
Speaker 5 (24:48):
That I said is that he is a hot ass
mess talking about his policies because he literally he spent
so much money on planes, private planes to sit up
there and fly people out as soon as they got in.
Speaker 4 (25:01):
So like, don't come at me and.
Speaker 5 (25:03):
Say, oh, it's about his disability, Like I told you
what it was about. Yeah, but even if y'all want
to have a disability conversation, we can, we can, we
can have that conversation. And I tried to tell democrats.
I said, now, y'all have seen Trump make fun of
everybody under the sun, give everybody a dag on nickname,
go after any and everybody just because they exist. Literally,
(25:25):
where was the outrage when he was saying that the
Haitians was eating the cats and dogs? Where was the
outrage when he decided to mock a journalist who was
trying to do their job. Where was the outrage when
they were sitting up there calling a sitting senator Pocahontas
trying to literally be racist and play in your face.
Like I can go through the whole list of things
that he has done. But like, if you didn't have
(25:45):
that energy for him. Even if you thought that I
was like doing something that was out there, then don't
have the energy for me.
Speaker 4 (25:52):
That is all I got to say.
Speaker 5 (25:54):
And don't sit up there and talk about how we
are bullies. I'm sorry. Even if I was being a bully,
I learned from the best. Obviously, y'all like to elevate,
so listen, don't try to put me down. Lift me
up the same way you lift it your con artists
of a.
Speaker 2 (26:12):
President every single time. That's what makes it so interesting.
And what's crazy is like Sherl and I are in
the sports sector, and people don't really like to bring
sports into politics. But I was a poly sad major
polysid pre law, and literally there are so many similarities,
and there are so many things, for example, like politics
and sports both basically have a good old boys club.
(26:33):
And I look at women like you, like former Congresswoman
Barbara Lee, like who's now the newly elected mayor of Oakland.
I look at women like congresswomen Maxim Waters in California,
like Robin Kelly out of Illinois, and I see these
black women continuing to rise to the occasion, continually seeking
to set the records straight. Continually to rally the troops,
(26:53):
and at some point it gets tiring, I know in
the sports realm, between Cheryl and I and other black
women who are in continuinely trying to have to be
tired of proving ourselves of having to go beyond just
for the basic power of respect when our resumes speak
for itself as far as what we've done, what we
continue to do, and how many people try to do
what we do but can't do what we do effectively.
(27:15):
But there has to be something that continues to motivate
you to want to do the work that you're doing
despite the vitriol and the heat that comes along with that.
What is that motivation for you, especially as a black
woman in this space.
Speaker 5 (27:29):
Yeah, it is tough, No, it is tough. But I
tell you what, and I say it all the time.
I'm a terrible politician for a lot of different reasons,
but one of them is that here recently when we
had our two week recess. When you're in Congress, you
always have to raise money, like money over everything, right like,
(27:50):
and that's another measure of proving really your worth, and
it's really how you get power, or how you're supposed
to get power. So you know, I spend a lot
of time really trying to raise aggressively so that even
within the ranks, they are limited in how much they
can mute me. Right, But like I went home, and
(28:11):
I was only home this first week for one day,
and I told my staff, I say, yo, I got
to go to one of my schools. I don't care
which one. I just want to go to one of
my schools. Now we won't even going to high school.
We're talking about people that can't vote, okay, but they
motivate me. I mean the work that I do. I
(28:32):
tell people all the time. They look at me, they
think I'm so young, especially since Congress is so old.
So I guess I am young in congressional years. But
but I'm like half of my life has already passed
me by. Like the fights that I'm waging are for
those future generations. And I don't have my own kids,
but just know that that doesn't mean that I don't
(28:52):
care about the kids that are coming behind me and
the opportunities that they will or won't ever have. And
so for me, they got me to to one of
my schools. I got to go in and talk to
my kiddos, and it gave me an opportunity to also
see how is this current environment impacting them? Are they
being impacted? Like do they understand what's going on? Like
what is happening? Like I wanted to get a pulse
(29:14):
on what was happening with the kids. You know, it
is always so emotional for me to see their smiling faces.
And you know, when I was growing up, there was
never a black congresswoman from my area. Corey Bush became
the first black woman to be elected to Congress from Missouri,
so I never saw that. I could not imagine it
because I never saw it.
Speaker 4 (29:35):
That wasn't my experience.
Speaker 5 (29:37):
And so knowing that I represent these kids and knowing
the fights that I'm waiting on their behalf, so I
wanted to go into their schools. But like it is
still also very weird and different because like they know me,
Like I would not have been able to tell you
very much about what was going on in politics when
I was their age, But they know me, like they
follow me on TikTok. They tell me what's happening like
(30:00):
they know me, and it only gives them so much
hope to know that I see them, that I don't
just go and talk about these people, but like, I
want to go back, and that's who I want to
be with, even when I am only home for twenty
four hours.
Speaker 4 (30:15):
But that is what refills my cup is.
Speaker 5 (30:17):
Seeing them, hearing them, knowing how smart they are, knowing
how ambitious they are, and knowing that there are people
and forces that are pushing against them to make them
feel as if they are lesser than being able to
pour into them and tell them, don't ever let anybody
tell you what you can't do. Tell them everything that
you are going to do. And so that is what
fuels me is young people.
Speaker 4 (30:39):
It is always young people.
Speaker 5 (30:40):
I gotta do two college graduations over this weekend and
next weekend, and it is so inspiring to me because
I was like, do they want me or somebody else?
Speaker 4 (30:51):
Because let me call because I know a couple of celebrities.
Speaker 3 (30:54):
No, no, no, they want you. They got the right person,
They got the right person.
Speaker 4 (30:58):
And they were like, no, they really do want you.
And I was like, oh, yeah, you know what they
want you because you are you.
Speaker 1 (31:05):
I love how you're just so unapologetically yourself and listen
the clapbacks.
Speaker 2 (31:11):
David, could you be coming with the clapbacks.
Speaker 3 (31:23):
Question for you speaking of.
Speaker 1 (31:25):
Schools and education, and there's so much stuff going on
today that I mean, we could sit here and talk
to you forever about it, but I do want to
get your thoughts and opinions on what you think it
means for lower income families with the dismantling of the
Board of Education, the.
Speaker 5 (31:45):
Department of Education being defunded so that they can boot
leggedly illegally shut it down because to be clear, it
was created by Congress and authorized by Congress. Then Congress
is the other ones they can get. But when you
have a bootleg dictator slash tyrant, I mean, this is
what we end up enduring, especially when you have like
(32:08):
weasels that are in elected seats and redus to honor
their oath to the Constitution and instead are trying to
make sure that their Orange idol knows that they are
falling in line. I will tell you that it is
going to disproportionately negatively impact all communities that are not
individually wealthy. When I went through school, and I'm still
(32:32):
paying student loans, so y'all know, I was applying to
go to school, I had to fill out my FAFSA
and your parents probably had to fill out their fass
A too, And it is the Department of Education that
actually takes those applications. Those fafs are applications, and this
is how they begin to facilitate the moneies that will
(32:54):
then go to students so that they can get an education.
The fact that they are minimizing workforce number one, I
mean I spoke to someone who actually worked in the
financial aid kind of space of this, who does some
of the fastest stuff. I mean, this is going to
number one, slow things down, if not make it come
to a complete halt. And everything that this administration is
(33:16):
about doing, whether we're talking about the FAA and who
is going to oversee the safety of our flights, or
whether we're talking about Department of Defense or whether we're
talking about Department of Education, everything is about privatization. So
putting people into a scenario where if you want to
go to college and you don't already have the money,
(33:38):
then maybe you can go and get a loan that
you can take out. But when you think about the
rates that are on a personal loan to do something
like that, the rates are so much higher. They are
not kind of going to be regulated in the same
way because they are alone that is backed by the
federal government. It is completely different. I Mean, one of
the reasons I ain't paying my through loans offic because
(33:59):
I'm like.
Speaker 4 (33:59):
This is deep is dead.
Speaker 5 (34:00):
I got everything else is hey, I mean I'm gonna
pay off everything for the student homes because I pay
less than two percent.
Speaker 4 (34:06):
I can't get that for a house.
Speaker 5 (34:08):
So I mean, listen, I pay off my house before
I pay off my student loans. If we're gonna put
some extra money on something, right, like, I mean, just
because of how cheap the debt is. Right, and we
will see people that are you know, dealing with and
even people you know, listening to some of the stories
of people right now that they want to go and
(34:28):
start to do collections.
Speaker 4 (34:30):
Some people have already.
Speaker 5 (34:31):
Been victimized, even with us having the Department of Education, right,
and we're hearing people that say, hey, I only borrowed,
you know, thirty thousand, and it's ten years later and
I now owe sixty thousand, Like how is it ballooning?
Speaker 4 (34:45):
Right?
Speaker 5 (34:45):
These are things that the last administration was working on
that for the most part, this radical Supreme Court was
pushing back on the things that really would affect the
middle class. One of the things that I talked about
all the time was the amount of students loan debt
that actually had been forgiven under the Biden Harris administration.
I was talking about the billions of dollars that had
(35:06):
been forgiven, right. And I remember being at Essence last
year and I was doing a podcast live, and I
was telling them the story about traveling the country and
being in various places. And I had gone to Florida
and how I had spoken at the public opening for
Omegasi five. So I had spoken at their conclave, and
(35:27):
I tend to do this. I had done this at
a regional conference for Delta as well. And I know
that in this room, everybody has at least attended college.
Maybe you didn't graduate, but you attended, right, You attended
at some point. And so I knew like having black
folk who had attended college, I know the numbers. I
knew that black people are disproportionately weighed down in student
(35:49):
loan debt, right. So I knew if I walked into
one of those rooms, that the chances were that someone
had actually benefited from the student loan debt relief that
the Biden Harris administration done. So I would tell people
to raise their hands and I was doing good. I
would have hands all of it. I was like, now,
these are the testimonies y'all need to give. But Black
people don't like to talk about money, especially y'all with
(36:10):
y'all fancy educations. You don't want to go out there
and tell the good news.
Speaker 4 (36:13):
Right. You got other people.
Speaker 5 (36:15):
That's going out and telling everything about this twelve hundred
dollars that he did not give, But y'all won't go
talk about one hundred thousand dollars that y'all got, And
let me tell you, that's shouting money, okay. And I
would tell them that, like, think about what difference getting
six figures off your back can make. This means that
that home that you wanted to buy so that you
(36:35):
could build this generational wealth, now you can do it
because now your debt to income ratio is in a
way that would allow you to get a home and
allow you to pass something down for the generations. So
I was like, I don't want to hear people telling
me that Democrats weren't looking out for the middle class,
because I got receipts that maybe people didn't talk about
it exactly, but I got receipts, and so these hands
(36:57):
started to go up slowly, right because people, you know
again and black people just getting that kind of an ena.
They so they started to raise their hands, and then
she decided she wanted to ask how much. I'm like, girl, ahh,
now you cause it's not you, right, because I'm like,
if it's fine dollars, people gonna be like dead.
Speaker 4 (37:12):
See, they ain't even do nothing. It was you.
Speaker 5 (37:15):
And literally, I mean she was sitting there like, Oprah,
how much was yours?
Speaker 4 (37:20):
How much was yours? How much? Majors?
Speaker 5 (37:22):
And the most that I heard because I had never
asked anybody how much because that that really is like
tricky territory. The most that we got was two hundred
and fifty thousand dollars a quarter of a million dollars.
Speaker 4 (37:35):
That is wild, right, wow.
Speaker 5 (37:38):
And so I was like the fact that more people
don't know this, or the fact that like we're pitting
middle class against working class against working poor against like
the fact that we're we all in the same boat,
the one that they right now are trying to sing,
ain't none of us are on the sixty million dollar
wedding boat.
Speaker 4 (37:57):
Okay, like, we we not there with you, Jeff, We're
not there. What you missed? The bezos Okay.
Speaker 5 (38:03):
They pitted us against each other, and people were like, well,
that's unfair.
Speaker 4 (38:08):
They went to college and had the stud loan that relieved.
Speaker 5 (38:11):
I didn't go to college and I ain't get Okay, listen, fine,
but let me tell you. We didn't try to take
housing benefits. In fact, we want to expand it. We
didn't try to take food off your table and get
rid of snap benefits, and instead we wanted to expand that.
We were the ones that understood how important the child
tax credit would be and how much money that could
put into people's pockets. People were getting hundreds of dollars
(38:33):
a month because of that. I think it was three
hundred dollars per child.
Speaker 4 (38:37):
A month because of that.
Speaker 5 (38:39):
So, no, we were looking out for everybody that wasn't
part of the one percenters. Yeah, and y'all decided to
install the people looking out for the one percenter.
Speaker 2 (38:48):
I know that you have to go, madam Congressman, because
we don't want to make you.
Speaker 4 (38:51):
Not go vote. Yeah, I know. I got to keep
my black job and if I don't bo Yes.
Speaker 2 (38:57):
I'm wondering if you can answer this one question estion
for me very quickly, because I'm curious and I'm gonna
put you on the spot because we know that Jerry Connelly,
who is the ranking member of the Oversight and Government
Reform Committee, is stepping down. I do hope that he
gets better due to his medical situation, and you have
spoke so highly of him, but he's not seeking reelection
(39:17):
in twenty twenty six. I know there was a battle
back in January between him and AOC for that spot,
but you, as the vice ranking member, I'm wondering, are
the rumors true? Are you considering running for that seat?
Speaker 4 (39:32):
Yeah, the rumors are true. So first of all, I
don't go.
Speaker 5 (39:36):
You know it is it is hard for me to
put into words what it is to give thirty years
of service. Lord knows, I don't think I got thirty
in me.
Speaker 4 (39:44):
I just want to let y'all know. I just want
to let y'all know.
Speaker 5 (39:47):
But I did come behind a giant and when I
text Jerry once I received the news that he wasn't
gonna seek reelection and that his illness had resurfaced and
he was going to focus on getting better, I talked
about what it means to do thirty years, because I
know because my predecessor did thirty years. And I said,
(40:08):
and one of the most difficult things it was for
my district was to transition because for some people their
entire life, the only congress person they knew was Eddiebernise Johnson,
and for them, she wasn't just an elected she had
become family for so many people. And so I wanted
Jerry to understand that, like his constituents, most of them
probably look at him as family at this point, because
(40:31):
when you've been in the community and serving for that long,
that is what it is.
Speaker 4 (40:35):
And I told him, you know, one.
Speaker 5 (40:38):
Of the people that I hate that I didn't get
to serve with, but I got to meet was John Lewis.
And I sit in awe every chance that I get,
and I go snuggle up. She ain't really a snugly
type person next to Maxine every chance I get, because
I know that I am so privileged to serve with
serving giants, and so to be able to to serve
(41:00):
with Jerry, to be able to serve as his vice ranker,
is huge to me. Yeah, At the same time, when
I signed up as vice ranker. I signed up always
knowing that there may be a point in time when
I may have to step in and I may need
to run that committee in number one, I signed up
with full confidence that I could. I also ran and
(41:23):
was elected unanimously to the post. And this is a
way that I can see myself in service not only
to the Caucus, but to the country. Because most people
are talking about Doge. Doge is right under the purview
of oversight. This is about doing for me, offering myself
on the next level of service to make sure that
(41:45):
we can go out, we can educate everybody. That was
just in Vegas last week a couple of days ago,
and I'm sending in line for a taxi and this
man turns around and says Jasmine Crockett and I was like, yeah,
And it was he and his wife, and I introduced
them to my colleague that was standing with me.
Speaker 4 (42:04):
You know.
Speaker 5 (42:04):
They were just talking to me, and I was like, oh,
you know where y'all from? They say, at Georgia. I said, oh,
y'all don't live in her district? Do you y'all know
who Herry is?
Speaker 2 (42:11):
Right?
Speaker 5 (42:13):
So, and so they were like, they said no, but
we are Republicans, and we love you. I want to
be clear that I get messages from Republicans, from Independence,
from Democrats, from all over this spectrum, because when I speak,
I always do my best to make sure I am
backing it up with facts and I am always speaking
(42:35):
from the heart, because again, I'm not that worried about
the seat.
Speaker 4 (42:39):
I am more worried about service.
Speaker 5 (42:41):
And so for me, I think that I am ready,
especially since you know the president loves to have my
name and his mouth.
Speaker 4 (42:49):
Honey, we can talk about some things. Then we can.
Speaker 5 (42:52):
Talk about some things because I got some oversight that
I want to do. Honey, there is not currently a
vacant now, that's but once there is a vacancy, and
knowing that he's not seeking reelection, so for all I know,
there may not be a vacancy until next term. Theoretically,
I am listening to the calls of the people right now,
as the people is all of the internets, and so
(43:15):
I appreciate that the people have the confidence to know
that I would be ready to rumble that you can
do it.
Speaker 1 (43:22):
Yeah, listen, I know you got to go, but I
need you to be the first black female president.
Speaker 3 (43:31):
I'm putting that out. I know she said she ain't
had thirty years in her but uh yeah, I'm putting
that out yeah, putting.
Speaker 2 (43:36):
That out there for you. Now. I love that. I
love that. Well. Thank you so so much for your time.
We truly appreciate just being able to chat with you
and chop it up with you in wish you the
best of luck with everything that you're doing for the
remainder of your career for this term. But we ain't eed. Listen,
we already know you are called, you are blessed. We
(43:57):
ain't even got to worry about you getting it done.
We know you will. But thank thank you so much
for your time.
Speaker 4 (44:01):
Thank you.
Speaker 5 (44:01):
I just wanted to say, I just wanted to say
this was so much fun and I'm so happy whoever
dropped jumped in the DMS to make it happen. Okay,
because it does go down in the DMS. If y'all
didn't know, yes, I didn't know if somebody from Cheryl's
team did it, so but.
Speaker 4 (44:18):
It was, but it was it was legitimately me.
Speaker 5 (44:21):
It was legitimately me for sure, because on my campaign account,
I'm the one that checks it. So I appreciate the
invitation it's truly a high honor, and I am so
proud of everything that you each have done to really
pave the way for women that are coming behind you.
I mean, just think about like the WNBA, and you know,
(44:42):
I've been able to go to the All Star Game
with them and have some real conversations and all the
work that so many women are still trying to do
to push the envelope as relates to women in sports
in general. So thank you, thank you, thank you. I
really do appreciate y'all.
Speaker 4 (44:57):
I honor y'all. And again, it was great to.
Speaker 2 (44:59):
Check with y'all. Likewise, likewise, go right back and now
go vote.
Speaker 6 (45:04):
Okay, one to vote, Charlo.
Speaker 2 (45:16):
I could have kept talking to Jazzmine all day, all day,
and I got stuff to do today, but I mean,
nothing as important as going to vote on Capitol Hill,
but steal.
Speaker 1 (45:27):
But such a great conversation, a great person, and you
know what, I love her even more now you want
to know why why?
Speaker 2 (45:36):
Because she does she doesn't.
Speaker 1 (45:38):
Like pineapple on pizza either, and she puts sugar in
her grits.
Speaker 2 (45:42):
Y'all. Some haters. First of all, it's disgusting, y'all are disgusting.
Speaker 4 (45:46):
It is disgusting.
Speaker 2 (45:48):
Of Pineapple on pizza is disgusting. Pineapple and pizzas amazing
Hawaiian pizzas great.
Speaker 1 (45:53):
Sugar and Grits is sugar and grits is the best,
the best.
Speaker 2 (45:58):
And one thing, and one thing Jasmine and I have
in comment is that we both say how we feel
in the moment we feel it and I told you
all asses day and it was nasty, but such.
Speaker 3 (46:10):
A great, meaningful conversation.
Speaker 1 (46:13):
And you know from there, there's so much going on
in this world right now.
Speaker 3 (46:18):
It's it's nice.
Speaker 1 (46:19):
To be able to have a conversation with someone who's
who's in it every single day, right and can.
Speaker 3 (46:25):
Give us a completely different perspective.
Speaker 1 (46:27):
Have so much love and respect for Jasmine, and thank you,
thank you to Jasmine and her team for coming on
the podcast.
Speaker 3 (46:36):
And uh yeah, super happy to have her own.
Speaker 2 (46:39):
Absolutely only Cheryl Swoops can go into somebody's d MS
and get it in. Can't nobody else do that?
Speaker 3 (46:46):
Oh that that's not true.
Speaker 1 (46:48):
Listen, there are a few other people now that I
know at worked, there are a.
Speaker 2 (46:51):
Few other people I know.
Speaker 3 (46:54):
That's right.
Speaker 2 (46:54):
But with that being said, we want to bring this
episode to a close, so it is time for us
to level off and Charyl, what you got for us
this week?
Speaker 3 (47:05):
I got a good one.
Speaker 1 (47:06):
Let's not forget we are still in Black Women's History
Month and to end to close out the month, no
better way to do that right than to have the
jasmine crocoddle on. So I got a pretty nice quote
here by Janet authoring, and it says, I am a
black woman.
Speaker 3 (47:27):
Don't look beyond me, don't see through me.
Speaker 1 (47:30):
Look me in the eye, hold my gaze, Listen to
my heart, see my soul, see me for who I am,
not what you would like me to be, accept.
Speaker 3 (47:42):
Or reject, but don't hide from my truth.
Speaker 2 (47:46):
I'm gonna need you to read that one more time. Yeah,
that might be one of my faves. Run that back
one more time.
Speaker 3 (47:51):
I am a black woman.
Speaker 1 (47:53):
Don't look beyond me, don't see through me, Look me
in the eye, hold my gaze, Listen to my heart,
see my soul, see me for who I am, not
what you would like me to be, accept or reject,
but don't hide from my truth. See me for who
(48:14):
I am. Honey, Yes, that was the lie. That was
the lie.
Speaker 2 (48:20):
That part. Yeah, love it, love it. You know my
mother taught me a long time ago when I was younger,
that if you really ever want somebody to respect what
you're saying and respect your confidence, you have to look
people in the eye when you're talking to them. And
that is just something that I see. People don't look
down and looking around and look over here just because
(48:42):
you lie, you lie in, or you ain't got no
respect for me, or you don't understand what I said. Nothing,
So you everywhere else.
Speaker 3 (48:52):
Yes, you're not holding You're not holding my gaze.
Speaker 2 (48:55):
You can't hold my gaze.
Speaker 3 (48:57):
That get good. That's good.
Speaker 2 (49:00):
That's a good one. That's a good one. Well, we
are going to close it out on that note, and
hopefully we were able to hold your attention throughout the
duration of this podcast, because I think it was a
great one, and I know Schrol does too, and so
we appreciate you. If you got this far, that means
you got to the end. So thank you so much
for listening to levels to this. We will be back
(49:20):
next week with more Next Level conversations. And next week
is going to be such a fun episode. Charl and
I are going to be out on the road again
doing what we do in front of a live audience.
So I can't wait. Hey, I love.
Speaker 3 (49:37):
Us playing music with my friends.
Speaker 2 (49:39):
Friends, I can't wait road again. Come on now, y'all.
Speaker 3 (49:44):
That's about this episode for y'all.
Speaker 2 (49:45):
Right there, scream it. Listen, y'all, leive us a review
with Apple Podcasts and follow us on Instagram, because clearly
me and Shrol ain't got no damn sins today. I
don't even know how to close out the show that
we got some sent so it just kind of is
what it is today. Follow us on Instagram at ltt
(50:05):
pot and until then, do a better job of keeping
your mentals ground level than me and Cheryl are apparently
doing right now, and we will be back next week.
Speaker 3 (50:14):
Peace y'all.
Speaker 1 (50:17):
Listen to Levels to This on America's number one podcast network,
iHeart Open your free iHeart app and search Levels to
this with Cheryl Swoops and Treka Foster Brasby and start listening.
Hosts And Creators
Terrika Foster-Brasby
Sheryl Swoopes
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