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MSNBC

Trymaine Lee

Into America is a show about being Black in America. These stories explore what it means to hold truth to power and this country to its promises. Told by people who have the most at stake.

Into America

Days before announcing his candidacy, Michael Bloomberg apologized for the use of stop-and-frisk, a policing tactic he championed as Mayor of New York City. In their search for weapons, the New York Police Department made nearly 4.5 million stops over the span of a decade. Eighty-eight percent of people stopped were innocent, and the majority were Black and Latino boys and men. 

Now, in order to have a real shot at the Democratic nomination, the former Mayor needs the support of Black voters. But will his decision to support stop and frisk hurt his chances? 

In this episode, host Trymaine Lee goes into East New York, a community that experienced more stops than any other part of the city. Plus, a look at whether Bloomberg’s efforts to shore up support with Black voters nationwide will pay off.

 For a transcript, please visit https://www.msnbc.com/intoamerica.

Further Reading: 

Bloomberg says he nearly eliminated stop-and-frisk as mayor. But he fought for it to the end.Debate rivals hammer Bloomberg over 'stop and frisk' policing in NYCBloomberg apologizes for 'stop-and-frisk' police practice

Into Bloomberg’s Legacy of Stop and Frisk

Lindsey Graham is a giant in politics. The three-term Republican Senator has served more than two decades in Congress. He’s now a close ally to President Donald Trump. 

He’s also up for re-election in 2020, and for the first time ever he’s facing a serious challenge to his South Carolina Senate seat. The fight comes from Jaime Harrison, a young, black Democrat, and a relative newcomer to the national stage. Harrison has raised more money than any Democrat running for the seat in state history, but he’s still a relative unknown. 

In this episode of Into America, Trymaine Lee talks to Harrison and Graham’s campaign, to find out why both believe they will win. And we visit the red city of Greenville, to talk to a voter who has supported Graham in the past and is now backing Harrison. 

 For a transcript, please visit https://www.msnbc.com/intoamerica.

Further Reading: 

South Carolina voters with no insurance, deep medical debt swayed by health care

Into the Fight for Lindsey Graham's Seat

The Mahoning Valley in northeast Ohio is in the middle of an economic transition. 

Manufacturing jobs have been leaving the region for decades, but the closure of the General Motors Lordstown factory last year was a major blow to the community. Some families were split apart as GM employees took transfers to other plants. Others are still mourning the departure of steady union jobs. But new opportunities in technology and warehouse distribution are coming to the area. 

Residents near Lordstown are no stranger to promises. In 2017, President Trump came to the region, saying he would bring jobs back. Now, voters in this swing district must choose whether to back the President or one of his Democratic challengers. 

What will these changes mean for the future of the region? Host Trymaine Lee talks with National Digital Reporter Erin Einhorn about her reporting in the Mahoning Valley, why voters in the area are divided on their pick for 2020, and how the local community is working to carve out a new economy after significant economic loss. 

 For a transcript, please visit https://www.msnbc.com/intoamerica.

Further Reading:

In Ohio town grieving lost jobs, voters are deeply divided on President Trump

Into the Future of Lordstown, Ohio

This week, the coronavirus outbreak reached all 50 states and is now responsible for more than 140 deaths. Doctors and government officials are scrambling to address the problem. 

As schools close, employers send their workers home, and entertainment venues go dark, Americans are also wondering how the spread of the coronavirus will impact the 2020 election. This week’s primary states saw an increase in absentee ballots, as people heeded the guidance of the CDC to avoid crowded spaces. And Louisiana became the first state to postpone its primary, with several others following suit. 

This week, Into America goes into the intersection of politics and a pandemic. Host Trymaine Lee speaks with the Louisiana Secretary of State about the state’s decision to delay its Democratic primary. And we hear from a Georgia voter who worries how the delays in her state could impact voter turnout. 

 For a transcript, please visit https://www.msnbc.com/intoamerica.

Further Reading: 

Coronavirus in the US: Map of where cases have been confirmed in the U.S. Louisiana postpones Democratic Primary over coronavirus, the first state to do so

Into Democracy Delayed

Coronavirus is continuing to spread and Americans are relying on the healthcare system to save them if they get sick. But what if you’re one of the 30 million Americans who are uninsured? 

Penny Wingard is one of them. As a breast cancer survivor, she’s immunocompromised and facing uncertainty about how to get proper care without coverage. In Charlotte, North Carolina, where Penny is from, federally funded community health centers are on the frontlines of the coronavirus pandemic for the uninsured. The toll that coronavirus is taking, both on the patients and the centers’ operations, may be irreversible. 

Host Trymaine Lee talks with Phil McCausland, national reporter for NBC News, about his reporting on the healthcare gap in North Carolina and the patients and providers hoping the system can survive this outbreak. 

If you or someone you know is living without health insurance, find a Community Health Center in your area on the website. 

Read Phil McCausland’s piece here.

 For a transcript, please visit https://www.msnbc.com/intoamerica.

Into Coronavirus for the Uninsured

There are moments in life that call for celebration and communion. When a baby is born and when a loved one dies, we cook meals, share stories and help out where we can. These moments of life and death are the moments that pull us together. 

But in the age of COVID-19, we are told to keep our distance. To prevent the spread of the virus, hospitals around the country are placing restrictions on who can be present in the delivery room. And there are limits on who can remain by the side of someone who is dying. 

In this episode of Into America, Trymaine Lee speaks with a first-time expecting mom about how the coronavirus outbreak is changing her birth plan. And MSNBC contributor Eric Deggans talks about the death of his mother and having to coordinate a funeral that many could only attend online. These are stories of life and loss in a pandemic. 

 For a transcript, please visit https://www.msnbc.com/intoamerica.

Further Reading: 

Adding insult to injury': Couples struggle with IVF cancellations amid coronavirus pandemicFuneral workers provide critical service but are at high risk of exposure to the coronavirusOur coronavirus confessions special

Into Life and Loss in a Pandemic

Prisons are hotbeds of infection. People live in close quarters, where they often struggle to have access to soap and hot water. As COVID-19 sweeps the country, these men and women are doing everything they can to avoid getting sick. As many prisons reduce visitation rights, families that are already separated are struggling to remain in contact. 

This week, host Trymaine Lee talks to a Colorado woman who is struggling to stay in touch with her incarcerated husband as the outbreak intensifies. We hear from corrections officials in New York and Colorado about the steps being taken to reduce the risk of coronavirus behind bars. And Dateline NBC producer Dan Slepian takes us inside Sing Sing Correctional Facility to meet JJ Velazquez. Velazquez describes how social dynamics inside prison are changing as fears of an outbreak grow. 

For a transcript, please visit https://www.msnbc.com/intoamerica.

Further Reading: 

Fear of coronavirus reaching Mississippi prisons worries advocates Inmates in Washington, D.C., sue over coronavirus fears, claim staff not taking precautions 1st prison inmate to die of coronavirus wrote heartbreaking letter to judge

Into an Outbreak Behind Bars

What do a famous DJ, an indie musician, and an all-girls choir have in common? It’s simple: a love of music. As we continue to collectively distance ourselves during this global pandemic, people are creating and listening to music to stay connected and bring joy to each other. 

This week, host Trymaine Lee talks about the power of music in the time of quarantine with writer and producer Bonsu Thompson. In this episode, we hear performances from Nashville artist Rachel Baiman, and members of the Seattle Girls Choir who have taken their musical talents online. After all, the show must go on. 

For a transcript, please visit https://www.msnbc.com/intoamerica.

Further Reading: 

The Story Behind the Greatest Quarantine Party of 2020 
Featured Recordings: 

DJ D-NiceShut In & Sing Rachel Baiman Seattle Girls Choir

Into Music as a Lifeline

Black Americans are dying from COVID-19 at a disproportionally high rate. One of the reasons why is proximity to pollution. 

In St. James Parish, Louisiana residents have been fighting for decades to stop industry-related pollution that causes a high prevalence of cancer, hypertension and other diseases. Those health disparities are now making residents a target for COVID-19. St. James and neighboring St. John the Baptist Parishes are among the 20 U.S. counties with the highest per-capita death rate from Coronavirus. 

Host Trymaine Lee interviews Sharon Lavigne, a community leader and lifelong resident of St. James, who is fighting for clean air. And Dr. Robert Bullard, Distinguished Professor of Urban Planning and Environmental Policy at Texas Southern University, explains the link between race, health and the environment. 

The Into America team wants to hear from you about what’s happening in your community. Send feedback, questions, and story ideas to intoamerica@nbcuni.com.

Find host Trymaine Lee on Twitter @trymainelee. 

 For a transcript, please visit https://www.msnbc.com/intoamerica.

Further Reading: 

First pollution, now coronavirus: Black parish in Louisiana deals with 'a double whammy' of death Cancer Alley: Big Industry, Big ProblemsAs more black Americans die from coronavirus, community leaders are taking actionThe coronavirus will devastate the South because politicians let poverty to do so first

Into Dirty Air

Stacey Abrams has been making a very public case for why she would be a strong running mate for the Democrats’ presumptive nominee, Joe Biden. She’s not shy about her desire to serve, why she believes her experience is relevant, and whether Biden should choose a woman of color for the ticket. 

As the founder of Fair Fight, a national organization to ensure voting rights, Abrams told us that regardless of whether she’s on the ticket, she wants Georgia and states across the country to take steps to ensure safe elections this fall. 

In this Monday episode of Into America, host Trymaine Lee talks to Abrams about the VP nomination, the November elections, and about COVID-19 in her home state of Georgia. 

The Into America team wants to hear from you about what’s happening in your community. Send feedback, questions, and story ideas to intoamerica@nbcuni.com. Find host Trymaine Lee on Twitter @trymainelee. 

For a transcript, please visit https://www.msnbc.com/intoamerica.

Further Reading: 

Stacey Abrams slams Georgia governor over decision to reopen businesses this weekCoronavirus could cripple voting in November. But it depends where you live.

Into 2020 with Stacey Abrams

In recent weeks, the debate over monuments, street names and other relics of the Confederacy has intensified. A statue of Jefferson Davis was pulled down in Richmond, Virginia. In Louisville, Kentucky, a monument depicting a Confederate officer was removed from the city square. And on Tuesday, Mississippi decided to remove the Confederate symbol from the state flag.

There are those who argue that tearing these statues down erases our history. And others who say they must come down if we hope to create meaningful systemic change.

Caroline Randall Williams is a poet and writer in residence at Vanderbilt University in Nashville, Tennessee. And in a recent New York Times opinion piece she makes a different argument for why these monuments must come down.

“My body is a monument,” she writes. “My skin is a monument.”

Host Trymaine Lee talks with Caroline Randall Williams about the sexual violence that has left a legacy of the Confederacy in her blood, and about why it’s time for the monuments to come down.

For a transcript, please visit https://www.msnbc.com/intoamerica.

Further Reading and Viewing:

You Want a Confederate Monument? My Body Is a Confederate MonumentStone Ghosts In The South: Confederate Monuments And America's Battle With Itself | NBC NewsVirginia has the most Confederate memorials in the country, but that might change

Into ‘My Body is a Monument’

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