WELCOME BACK!

HE KNOWS LOTS OF PEOPLE.

EVERYBODY, WE'RE HERE WITH FORMER CHICAGO MAYOR RAHM

EMANUEL.

THREE MAYORS ARE IN THE 2020 RACE.

>> MM-HMM.

>> Stephen: YOU'VE GOT A NEW BOOK CALLED THE NATION CITY, WHY

MAYORS ARE NOW RUNNING THE WORLD.

WHY ARE MAYORS ON THE ASCENDANCY?

>> A COUPLE OF THINGS, ONE, YOU ALSO HAVE BORIS JOHNSON FORMER

MAYOR OF LONDON, PRIME MINISTER OF ENGLAND.

WHEN YOU THINK ABOUT THE POLITICS OF INVESTING IN

EDUCATION AND DOING THINGS THAT I THINK ALSO MATTER LIKE ON

TRANSPORTATION, PARKS, LIBRARIES, HOW YOU LIVE YOUR

LIFE, WHERE YOU AND YOUR WIFE DECIDE YOU'RE GOING TO RAISE

YOUR KIDS.

PUBLIC TRANSPORTATION OR TRANSPORTATION, EDUCATION,

LIBRARIES, PARKS, SAFETY, ALL THOSE THINGS, THE GOVERNMENT

THAT DELIVERS THOSE SERVICES ARE MAYORS.

I THINK IF YOU LOOK AT IT TODAY, LIKE IN CHICAGO, WE CREATED IN

CHICAGO THE STAR SCHOLARSHIP.

YOU GET A B AVERAGE IN HIGH SCHOOL, WE MAKE COMMUNITY

COLLEGE FREE.

( CHEERS AND APPLAUSE ) >> Stephen: NATIONALLY, WE

DON'T KNOW THAT ABOUT, NECESSARILY, MAYORS.

BUT WHY WHERE THEY TRUSTED?

>> BECAUSE THEY ARE LOW TO THE GROUND, THEY UNDERSTAND WHAT

GOVERNMENT IS.

75% OF THE AMERICANS BELIEVE IN THEIR LOCAL GOVERNMENT BECAUSE

THEY ARE THERE WITH PEOPLE, THEY ARE IMMEDIATE, THEY ARE

INTIMATE, THEY ARE IMPACTFUL.

THE FEDERAL GOVERNMENT IS DISINTERESTED, DYSFUNCTIONAL AND

TOTALLY DISTANT FROM WHERE YOU LIVE YOUR LIFE.

>> Stephen: YOU WERE IN FEDERAL GOVERNMENT FOR MANY

YEARS.

DID YOU BREAK IT?

>> THE ONLY PERSON THAT THINKS I DID THAT IS MY MOTHER.

>> Stephen: OKAY.

WELL, WHY IS THE FEDERAL GOVERNMENT INCAPABLE OF

ADDRESSING THIS PROBLEM?

>> THERE'S CHICK AND STRUCTURAL.

ON THE STRUCTURAL SIDE, THE CITIZENS UNITED BY THE SUPREME

COURT, HORRIBLE DECISION ON MONEY.

REDISTRICTING, WHERE ELECTED OFFICIALS PICK THEIR VOTERS, NOT

VOTERS PICK, TOTALLY POLARIZING THE POLITICAL SYSTEM.

THERE ARE OTHER PROCESSES IN THE WAY THE PRIMARIES ARE

STRUCTURED.

ON THE ECONOMIC ISSUES, WE BASICALLY, WHEN WE WERE

INVESTING IN PEOPLE, WE WERE SUCCEEDING.

PEOPLE HAVE LOST INTEREST BECAUSE THE FEDERAL GOVERNMENT

IS NO LONGER GIVING PEOPLE EDUCATION.

ONE OF FIRST CHAPTERS IN THERE WAS ABOUT THE FACT THAT WHEN

PRESIDENT OBAMA WANTED TO CREATE UNIVERSAL PRE-K, HE COULDN'T GET

IT DONE THROUGH CONGRESS SO HE CALLED 200 MAYORS TOGETHER AND

SAID I NEED YOU TO DO IT AND NOW CITIES ACROSS THE COUNTRY ARE

LEADING THE EFFORT IN EARLY CHILDHOOD EDUCATION.

( CHEERS AND APPLAUSE ) AND IT'S BROKEN, AND ONE OF THE

REASONS IS, YOU KNOW, RONALD REAGAN STARTED THIS OUT, WHICH

IS HE WANTED TO, THROUGH THE TAX CUTS, STARVE WHAT HE CALLED "THE

BEAST," THE GOVERNMENT.

AND WE STOPPED INVESTING IN OUR PEOPLE, AND CUTTING OFF THE

RESOURCES FROM A GOVERNMENT -- THE MOST IMPORTANT THING IS TO

INVEST IN OUR PEOPLE SO EVERYBODY HAS A CHANCE AT

SUCCESS.

AND ONE OF THE THINGS THAT WE HAVE LOST FOCUS ON IS THE

ABILITY OF THE FEDERAL GOVERNMENT TO MAKE KEY

INVESTMENTS IN OUR COUNTRY, IN THE PEOPLE OF OUR COUNTRY, SO

EVERYBODY NOT GUARANTEED SUCCESS BUT GUARANTEED A SHOT AT

SUCCESS.

SO A NUMBER OF MAYORS TAKE LOUISVILLE, DENVER, BOSTON,

SAN FRANCISCO, CHICAGO, WE HAVE ALL CREATED EARLY CHILDHOOD

EDUCATION AND, ALSO, ACCESS TO HIGHER EDUCATION FREE, SO WE'VE

GONE FROM A K TO 12 TO PRE-K TO COLLEGE.

>> Stephen: WHY CAN'T THE CITIES AFFORD THAT WHEN THE

FEDERAL GOVERNMENT SAYS IT CAN'T?

>> BECAUSE THE FEDERAL GOVERNMENT IS AN AIRCRAFT

CARRIER AND PAYS SOCIAL SECURITY AND MEDICARE.

IT'S NOT MAKING THE TYPE OF INVESTMENT WITH A PROGRESSIVE

TAX TO HAVE THE RESOURCES TO INVEST.

AND MAYORS NOT ONLY ARE GETTING THIS DONE, LET ME ALSO TAKE, I

THINK, ON A REALLY SERIOUS ISSUE WICH IS WEAVING IN A TIME THAT

IS CALLED THE DESPAIR OF DEATH, WHERE ALCOHOLISM, SUICIDE,

OPIATE ADDICTION IS RAVAGING OUR NEIGHBORHOODS AND COMMUNITIES.

ONLY MAYORS HAVE THE ABILITY TO GET RERIDGES INSTITUTIONS,

PEOPLE OF FAITH, COMMUNITY GROUPS, NOT-FOR-PROFITS TOGETHER

TO GIVE PEOPLE A SENSE OF BELONGING AND BELIEVING AGAIN IN

THEMSELVES.

AND THIS IS REAL CRISIS IN THE SOUL OF AMERICA.

AND MAYORS HAVE THAT CAPACITY TO WEAVE THAT.

YOU CAN'T DO IT OUT IN WASHINGTON.

YOU HAVE TO BE WITH THE PEOPLE, UNDERSTAND HOW TO GIVE THEM A

SENSE, ONCE AGAIN, AND MAYORS ARE SUCCEEDING IN ACTUALLY

TACKLING THE ISSUE, NOT JUST ON THE ECONOMIC SIDE, BUT THE ONE

THAT I THINK IS TEARING AT THE SOUL OF THIS GREAT COUNTRY,

WHERE WE'RE LOSING OUR FELLOW CITIZENS TO THEIR DESPAIR AND

THEIR ALIENATION, AND MAYORS CAN WEAVE THAT LEADERSHIP, BRING

PEOPLE TOGETHER AND ALSO GIVE THEM A SENSE NOT ONLYT THAT THEY

BELONG BUT THEY CAN BELIEVE AGAIN IN THEMSELVES, AND IF YOU

CAN DO THAT, I WOULD JUST SAY TO RUSSIA AND CHINA, WATCH OUT,

AMERICA IS COMING FOR YOU.

( CHEERS AND APPLAUSE ) >> STEPHEN: "THE NATION CITY" IS

AVAILABLE TOMORROW.

RAHM EMANUEL, EVERYBODY!

WE'LL BE RIGHT BACK WITH A PERFORMANCE BY HAILEE STEINFELD.