Primary Topic
This episode focuses on former President Donald Trump's controversial engagement at the National Association of Black Journalists convention, where his comments stirred significant media and public reaction.
Episode Summary
Main Takeaways
- Donald Trump's comments about Kamala Harris's racial identity became the focal point, overshadowing his intended political messaging.
- The White House and public responded negatively to Trump's remarks, highlighting a divide in racial and political sensitivity.
- Despite controversy, Trump attempted to appeal to black voters by comparing his policies favorably against historical figures like Abraham Lincoln.
- The episode also highlighted significant global and health issues, such as the assassination of a Hamas leader and rising cancer rates among younger generations.
- Trump’s approach at the convention may reflect broader strategies to engage specific voter demographics in tightly contested elections.
Episode Chapters
1: Trump at the National Association of Black Journalists
Trump's appearance at the journalists' convention quickly turns contentious as he is questioned about his past comments and policies affecting black Americans. Rachel Scott directly challenges Trump on his divisive language.
- Donald Trump: "Well, first of all, I don't think I've ever been asked a question so in such a horrible manner."
2: Global Tensions and Health Concerns
Discussions shift to international and health issues, including the assassination of a Hamas leader in Iran and rising cancer rates among younger Americans, illustrating broader implications of leadership decisions.
- Matt Rivers: "It is a massive deal, both who was killed and where he was killed."
Actionable Advice
- Engage Critically with Political Discourse: Understand the impact of political rhetoric on societal divisions and strive for constructive dialogue.
- Stay Informed on Global Issues: Awareness of international events helps contextualize domestic policies and their worldwide effects.
- Prioritize Health Screening: Younger generations should be proactive about health screenings, especially for cancers prevalent in their demographic.
- Foster Inclusivity in Professional Settings: Encourage diverse voices and perspectives in all professional environments to enrich discussions and decision-making.
- Vote Informed: Understand the policies and historical actions of political candidates to make educated decisions during elections.
About This Episode
In a fiery forum with the National Association of Black Journalists riddled with false claims, former President Trump questions Vice President Kamala Harris’ racial identity. An assassination in Tehran could derail ceasefire talks between Israel and Hamas. And a new study shows cancer cases rising among younger Americans.
People
Donald Trump, Kamala Harris, Rachel Scott
Companies
None
Books
None
Guest Name(s):
None
Content Warnings:
None
Transcript
Ryan Reynolds
Ryan Reynolds here from Mint Mobile. With the price of just about everything going up during inflation, we thought we'd bring our prices down. So to help us, we brought in a reverse auctioneer, which is apparently a thing.
Brad Milke
Mint mobile, unlimited premium wireless. Everybody get 30. 30, baby get 30, baby get 20. 2020, baby get 2020. Bid to get 15. 1515, just $15 a month.
Ryan Reynolds
So give it a try at Mint mobile.com switch.
Unknown
$45 upfront for three months, plus taxes and fees. Promoting for new customers for limited time unlimited, more than 40gb per month slows full terms at mint mobile.com dot.
Brad Milke
It's Thursday, August 1, and race has entered the race. We start here.
In what was billed as a conversation about black America, former President Donald Trump questions Kamala Harris racial identity.
Donald Trump
Is she indian or is she black?
Rachel Scott
She is always identified as a black woman. I respect either one, college.
Donald Trump
I respect either one.
Brad Milke
Rachel Scott was there on stage asking the tough questions. She'll walk us through it all. A Hamas leader is assassinated in Iran.
Matt Rivers
It is a massive deal, both who was killed and where he was killed.
Brad Milke
Did this killing just kill peace talks with Israel, too? And cancer is becoming more prevalent in younger people.
Unknown
It's breast cancer. It's gastrointestinal cancers.
Brad Milke
The alarming new research about Gen X and millennial health risks.
From ABC News, this is start here. I'm Brad Milke.
So I was looking at a poll this week, my favorite thing to do, and it showed what we've all seen happening in the race for the White House recently. It's really tight. This particular poll from Reuters and Ipsos showed Vice President Kamala Harris basically tied with former President Donald Trump among registered voters. She's at 43, he's at 42. In a race this close, any block of voters can swing an election this year, Trump clearly saw black voters as one of those groups. Think about it. In battleground states like Florida, Michigan, Pennsylvania, black voters make up at least 10% of each of those electorates. So if you're Trump, you don't even need to win this demographic. Maybe that's not even the goal. If you lose it less badly, you are taking votes and states off the table for democrats. Well, Trump perhaps had that all in mind when he made a last minute commitment this week to attend the National association of Black Journalists convention in Chicago. This is a huge gathering every year. ABC has a ton of reporters there right now. In fact, ABC's own Rachel Scott was asked to be one of the moderators of this panel. And this bid of Trump's to reach out to black voters quickly turn into one of the most heated and revealing interviews of the 2024 cycle. Let's bring in our senior congressional correspondent, Rachel Scott right now. Rachel, this discussion got combative, even hostile. You were asking him tough questions about how his policies would impact black voters. What did he tell you?
Rachel Scott
Yeah, it was very contentious at points. And honestly, Brad, there was a lot of debate over whether former President Donald Trump should even come before the National association of Black Journalists before this even began. I want to start by addressing the elephant in the room. Sir, a lot of people did not think it was appropriate for you to be here today. You had some members who are part of this organization who pointed out repeatedly these lines that former President Donald Trump has said, telling four congresswomen of color to go back to where they came from, pushing false birther theories about former President Barack Obama. And they thought that this was going to be a forum for the former president to push many false claims. You have used words like animal and rabbit to describe black district attorneys. You've attacked black journalists, calling them a loser, saying the questions that they ask are, quote, stupid and racist. But in the end, this was an opportunity for journalists to sit down and ask questions to the former president of the United States and now the republican nominee for president. And so straight out of the gate, that's exactly what I asked. Brad, why should black voters trust you after you have used language like that?
Donald Trump
Well, first of all, I don't think I've ever been asked a question so in such a horrible manner. First question, you don't even say, hello, how are you?
Rachel Scott
It was clear he was not happy with that question. But look, the dynamics in this race have now changed. He is running against Vice President Kamala Harris. She is the first black and asian woman to serve as vice president, and she's the first black and asian woman to be on a major party ticket. And so you've had a number of republicans, including on Capitol Hill, that have come out and called her a Di hire, Di being short for diversity, equity and inclusion. And so I asked the former president directly, do you believe that Vice President Kamala Harris is only on the ticket because she is a black woman?
Donald Trump
Well, I can say no. I think it's maybe a little bit different.
Rachel Scott
So this was only the second question, but it quickly became the headline of the entire forum because Trump started to question Harris's identity.
Donald Trump
I've known her a long time, indirectly, not directly, very much. And she was always of indian heritage, and she was only promoting indian heritage. I didn't know, she was black until a number of years ago when she happened to turn black. And now she wants to be known as black. So I don't know. Is she indian or is she black?
Rachel Scott
She is always identified as a black college.
Donald Trump
I respect either one, but she obviously doesn't have.
Rachel Scott
Harris went to a historically black college, Howard University. She is a member of a historically black sorority, Alpha Kappa Alpha. When she was elected senator, she joined the Congressional Black Caucus. She identifies as a black woman. And there's no question about that. It's a direct question. Sir, do you believe that Vice President Kamala Harris is a DeI hire as someone who.
Donald Trump
I really don't know. I mean, I really don't know. Could be. Could be. There are some.
Brad Milke
And Rachel watching, you could hear the gasps in the room. What has the response been there and beyond?
Rachel Scott
Well, the White House responded almost in real time to what Donald Trump was saying, what he just said, what you.
Brad Milke
Just read out to me is repulsive.
Rachel Scott
During the White House press briefing, the press secretary just called his words insulting.
Unknown
We all here remember what those four years were like.
And today we were given yet another reminder.
Rachel Scott
And the Harris campaign is not really addressing or responding to Trump's attacks on Harris identity.
Unknown
The american people deserve a leader who tells the truth, a leader who does not respond with hostility and anger when confronted with the facts.
We deserve a leader who understands that our differences do not divide us.
Rachel Scott
I think we have to leave it there by the Trump team. All right, so leave it. That is the last word. Thank you so much, Mister Trump, for coming, coming today and joining us. All of a sudden, the time that we had with the former president was supposed to be an hour suddenly shrank. And about 35 minutes in, Trump's team started scrambling toward the front. We were given a cue to sort of wrap so that the former president could make it to his rally.
Brad Milke
Well, yeah. And I remember he had complaints about the sound system and said that, like, now I'm on a tighter schedule. But I mean, at the end of the day, Rachel, this seemed like it was, I don't know if, like a disaster is the right word, but it became this kind of, like, pr moment for his campaign. But you guys did talk about policy as well, right? So, I mean, what is his pitch, I guess, beyond Kamala Harris and what he thinks about her, what is his pitch to black voters at this point?
Rachel Scott
Well, Brad, Donald Trump has been trying to make inroads with black voters now for months. Look, most black voters do vote democratic. Black voters are not a monolith and in fact, Donald Trump has made inroads more and more with black male voters. And so this was an opportunity that the former president thought that he had to come forward and make his case about why he believes black voters should support him. And, Brad, when he was making this pitch, he made several false statements.
Donald Trump
I have been the best president for the black population since Abraham Lincoln. That's my answer.
Rachel Scott
Better than President Johnson, who signed the Voting Rights act. He also keeps repeating these comments that immigrants and migrants who are entering the country are taking black jobs.
Donald Trump
Millions and millions of people that happen to be taking black jobs. You had the best.
Rachel Scott
What exactly is a black job, sir?
Donald Trump
A black job is anybody that has a job. That's what it is. Anybody that has a job, all right.
They're taking the employment away from black people.
Rachel Scott
He often boasts about just how low the unemployment rate was for black Americans when he was in his administration. But a quick fact check here. Yes, it did hit a low when Trump was president, but it went even lower under President Biden. And also, Donald Trump entered the White House when black unemployment was at a ten year low.
Brad Milke
I mean, the real takeaway for me did seem to be about questioning someone's race very purposefully in that room. And just like the general hostility from the moment, he had to answer a tough question. What was your first thought as you walked off that stage?
Rachel Scott
You know, big picture here.
We heard these attacks on Harris's identity from Republicans. And we know that Donald Trump has raised similar claims against previous rivals and opponents before.
But in recent weeks, he hasn't really gone all the way there yet with Vice President Kamala Harris. And after the attempt on his life, the former president had been pitching this idea of unity. There was talk in republican circles about whether or not this is a new Donald Trump, if he's gonna stay away from these divisive attacks. And what we saw on this stage was that the former president, when asked directly a question about Harris's identity and about those republican attacks, he didn't condemn them. In fact, Brad, he just straight up questioned her identity.
Brad Milke
Yeah, you can almost tell from the Harris campaign being like, we're not even gonna. Like, we're not gonna engage on this, that they believe the average American will listen to this, will listen to comments like these and go, ugh, not for me. So clearly, a lot more to come here as a result of this incredible job of interviewing that you did. Rachel couldn't believe it. Really impressive. Thank you so much.
Rachel Scott
Thanks, Brad.
Brad Milke
Next up on start here, there's a big difference between one missile strike and a series of assassinations across the Mideast. Why Israel might have upped the ante after the break, introducing the ultimate bundle.
Ryan Reynolds
At an unbeatable price, the Disney Hulu Max bundle with iconic entertainment like Loki and Encanto on Disney.
Brad Milke
I will save the magic.
Ryan Reynolds
FX is the bear and the Kardashians on Hulu. I am a good time and the last of us. In House of the Dragon on Max.
Brad Milke
They are a protector of the road.
Ryan Reynolds
All available with the Disney Hulu Max bundle planned starting at $16.99 a month. Terms of plot visit Disney hulumaxbundle.com for details.
Critics and audiences can't get enough of Deadpool and Wolverine next level. It's the most fun you'll have watching a movie this summer. The hierarchy of power in the Marvel universe is about to change forever. You really are God's perfect idiot, aren't you? It's Marvel's biggest triumph. Damn straight it is.
It's a maniacal, meaningful masterpiece. Let's go. Yes, this is what I'm talking about. Deadpool in Wolverine now playing gridded r under 17, not admitted without parent.
Brad Milke
When Israel fired a missile into the capital of Lebanon on Tuesday, killing a senior leader of Hezbollah, that was dramatic. Think about it. This was an assassination of a major militant group's leader with ties all over the Middle east, including Iran. Well, then early Wednesday morning, local time, another attack took place. So we've been talking about Hezbollah. This was a top leader of Hamas, you know, the group controlling Gaza, and he had traveled into Tehran. That's right. If you thought this region was already on a knife's edge, if you thought iranian involvement was a worst case scenario, it's possible that Israel has just hit a Hamas leader in Iran itself. Now, Israel is not taking responsibility for any of this. They haven't denied it either. But if you were wondering if they could ever get to the people behind the October 7 attacks, this just added a whole new shape to this conflict. Let's go right back to ABC's foreign correspondent Matt Rivers, who's in Tel Aviv. Matt, first off, tell me more about who this Hamas leader is and what we know about his killing.
Matt Rivers
Sure, Brad, when you and I spoke yesterday, we thought we had some concept of what the shape of this conflict looked like. We thought we had an idea of what was going to happen next. And then just a few hours later, completely upended. This took everybody by surprise, the Iranians. Anyone who wasn't involved in the planning was surprised about this assassination here's what happened, or at least what we know so far. It was Hamas who first told us, who first put out a statement saying that the top political member of that organization, a guy named Ismail Hania, had been killed in an assassination. Hamas says that it was Israel that carried out the assassination. They say that it was an israeli rocket that actually went into the room of the house where Hainea was staying in Tehran, and it killed him. Now, Hania, this is one of the top members of Hamas. He has been someone that Israel has said helped orchestrate the October 7 attacks. He is the international face of Hamas, and he's been a key part of the negotiations over a ceasefire deal. He was in Tehran at the invitation of the Iranians. He came there to attend the inauguration of Iran's new president, which means that if you're a guest, a state guest, you are under the security protection of the state that invites you in. It was the Iranians who were supposed to protect him. He was in their care, and yet look what happened. He was assassinated in Tehran. It is a massive deal, both who was killed and where he was killed. Israel, for its part, not taking any credit for this.
Brad Milke
Israel will exact a heavy price for any aggression against us from any arena.
Matt Rivers
And this is something that we've seen in the past with assassinations that have happened of other top political figures, top scientists. Everyone suspects that Israel is behind it, but Israel doesn't come out and say that it was them. But that's certainly the suspicion across the region.
Brad Milke
Well, and so we talked about an israeli attack on Hezbollah in Lebanon. Now, there appears to be this attack on Hamas in Iran.
Assuming it is Israel, then how does that reframe the conflict, like the regional conflict that we're seeing right now?
Matt Rivers
Well, we were talking about the idea of the threat of escalation just after the Hezbollah commander was killed. Now, you take it to a whole nother level, because this was an attack in the heart of Iran itself, in the capital city of Tehran. So now you're not just talking about Hezbollah and its tens of thousands of missiles. You're talking about the state of Iran. And the Ayatollah Khamenei, the supreme leader of that country, has already come out, and they vowed revenge against Israel. And we, of course, know Iran has immense military capabilities. So where do we go from here? This is what we're talking about when we're saying a spark can turn into a fire very quickly in a conflict like this, you never know where it's gonna go. And how does Iran respond? Do they send a barrage of hundreds of missiles like they did a few months ago here to Israel. Do they target israeli embassies around the world? Is it both of those options? Is it neither of those options? We really don't know. And I think that gives you the sense of uncertainty and tension that we're now kind of all existing in, in this part of the world.
It could really set the tone for this conflict moving forward.
Brad Milke
What does it mean for peace talks, Matt? I mean, if we're talking about Israel and Hamas killing somebody else's political leader, doesn't seem like it bodes well for them. Is that fair?
Matt Rivers
Yeah. And we heard from a senior Hamas official who basically said that these negotiations are now, quote, meaningless because one of the negotiators, Hainia, the top political person in Hamas, has now been assassinated. I don't think there's a blanket opinion necessarily on what this means for ceasefire negotiations. The United States says they're going to keep moving forward to try and get a deal across the line.
Brad Milke
We don't believe that an escalation is.
Ryan Reynolds
Inevitable, and there's no signs that an escalation is imminent.
Matt Rivers
We heard from some officials both at the state Department and at the White House.
Ryan Reynolds
What I do know is the enduring imperative of getting the ceasefire. And what I do know is we'll continue to work at that every day.
Matt Rivers
And we know that the people who have the most at stake in this are worried about that.
So on the one hand, you have family members of the hostages.
Rachel Scott
We, as hostage families, as you can imagine, are just pawns in this game that's been going on for so tremendously long.
Matt Rivers
More than 100 of them remain in Hamas captivity inside of Gaza. I spoke with one of the mothers of one of those hostages.
Rachel Scott
The world cannot continue to ignore that. We have extreme tension brewing here, and it behooves everyone to help bring that tension down.
Matt Rivers
And then on the flip side, you have the hundreds of thousands of Palestinians who remain trapped in Gaza in some of the worst humanitarian conditions that we've seen in a generation, who desperately need a ceasefire. And yet these two assassinations put it in jeopardy again.
Brad Milke
Hania's assassination will return the issue of negotiations and the issue of the exchange deal back to square one.
Matt Rivers
And so, Brad, the thing you take away from all of this is that everyone in this region is. Or weary, and everyone in this region is tired of having the conversation of, well, what's gonna happen next? Do you know? I don't know. Do you know? I don't know. And that ends up making people feel very uncomfortable, very unsafe, and it just leaves this tension throughout this entire region.
Brad Milke
However, it also means clearly that Israel's got a lot of intelligence. It's been looking for, like, the leaders of this attack. And now it's literally perhaps pulling the trigger on these targets that they've had in their sights for a while now. Really dramatic moments here. Matt Rivers in Tel Aviv. Thank you so much.
Matt Rivers
You got it.
Brad Milke
Like many Americans, I have had several family members diagnosed with cancer. And some of them survived, some of them didn't. For all of them, it felt like way too soon in their lives to be afflicted by such a horrible illness. And whatever age you are, you probably think, well, at least our generation has it better than the one before us, right? Medical treatment is always improving. But last night, the American Cancer Society unveiled a new study claiming that cancer diagnoses are going up, not down in Gen Xers and millennials compared to their predecessors. Let's bring in Sony Salzman from ABC's medical unit. Sony, this seems alarming. What can you tell us?
Unknown
Yeah, thanks, Brad. I mean, before we break down the headline and what this means, let's talk specifically about what the study found. So the American Cancer Society, they extracted data from millions of patients between 2020 19. And their research team found that specifically for 17 types of cancer, those types of cancer are on the rise for Gen X and millennials. So what does that mean? That means that, for example, for very specific cancers, like pancreatic, kidney and small intestinal cancers, people who are Gen X or millennials have a two to four times higher rate of getting those cancers compared to people born in, let's say, 1955. Right? So that is what we're talking about here. There's also cancers like breast and colon. Those rates are up for Gen X and millennials. Now, I will say, thanks to advances in treatment and diagnostics, cancer deaths are down overall in America. But this is yet another study showing mounting data that certain cancers are rising in people in their thirties and what we would consider young cancers. So there's a lot of ongoing research looking at what's going on here.
Brad Milke
What types of cancer are we talking about? Sony.
Unknown
So, Brad, when it comes to that, listen, it's breast, it's colon, it's gastrointestinal cancers, it's pancreatic, it's a few others, right? What's not on that list is things like lung cancer, thanks to decreases in smoking rates, things like cervical cancer, thankfully, promisingly, because of the hpv vaccine, those rates are going down. So there is some promising news in the data. But once again, researchers are concerned about for these particular cancers. Why is this increased rate in younger people happening?
Brad Milke
Well, yeah, and you used the word diagnostic and it made me think, okay, so we're seeing more incidences of cancer is how they frame it. Is that just because more people are being diagnosed, like we're better at screening cancers, is that the reason that more young people are seeing these diagnoses than their elders?
Unknown
You know, I asked doctor William Dahut at the American Cancer Society that question, and, you know, it's complicated, what's causing this? And we can definitely get into it. But, you know, he said no, for several of these types of cancers, there is a genuine increase. It is also true that we're getting better at capturing more cancers. Right. So that's part of the larger tapestry here. But there is also just genuinely something going on in these generations. So when it comes to, okay, what is going on, right.
The frustrating answer is that we don't know.
There are leading theories. Ultimately, we're at a very early stage of research, so there's going to be a lot of caveats in what I say. But there are some leading theories. And one of those leading theories has to do with obesity, which we know is correlated with a higher risk of developing cancer. There are higher rates of obesity. Another is diet. What is the food that we're putting into our bodies? Ultra processed food. Other theories have to do with kind of environmental contamination, potentially things that are in our atmosphere. These would be things like PFAS, microplastics, you've heard of a lot of these things that are just kind of floating out there in the environment. Again, Brad, I really want to emphasize that we're at the early stage. And what I want to say is that there's a lot of confusing and diverse information out there, and we're not yet at a stage where we can be super prescriptive, like, you know, you'll reduce your cancer risk of cancer if you do XYz. Right. But these are some of the leading theories about what could potentially explain this. And I think we're going to have a lot more answers in the coming years as researchers are looking at this more aggressively.
Brad Milke
Well, so then, I mean, at the risk of all of us now, like, I'm just thinking of somebody who's 30 or 40 or 50 or something, listening to this and being like, well, shoot, so there's just more cancer. Like, what can I do? What is the takeaway then, for these age groups?
Unknown
Well, something that's really important to remember is that a lot of the people who are being diagnosed with these cancers may fall below the age threshold at which general screening starts. So I'll just use breast and colon cancer, for example. So for breast cancer, on average, people are now supposed to start getting screened at age 40. And for colon cancer, it's 45. But I want to point out to, to your audience and to anyone who will listen, is that that is, on average, that is for people who have what doctors call an average risk of cancer. And it's possible that you may have a higher risk.
For example, if you had a parent who also had cancer, maybe you start getting screening for breast cancer younger than age 40. Right. So you really need to pay attention. Also, I think another thing to keep in mind is that if you have signs and symptoms, try not to dismiss them just because you're young, but also try not to panic and freak out about all of this. But if you have signs and symptoms, just be your best advocate.
If you have any new medical symptom, you should be going to check with your doctor to make sure that you're still good. And if there's further testing that's needed. And if it was nothing, it was nothing. And then you had a nice visit with your doctor. Right?
Brad Milke
Right. When you look at these huge studies, it ends up being kind of a numbers game. But of course, to anyone who's suffering from cancer or worried about getting cancer, it feels like anything but a numbers game. And yet you kind of just have to, like, take these studies and let that inform the rest of your world. Okay? Sony Salzman, thank you so much.
Unknown
Yeah. Thank you, Brad.
Brad Milke
Okay, one more quick break. When we come back, women's Olympic sports aren't just opening eyes, they're opening wallets, too. One last thing is next.
Whenever news breaks, we are here in.
Ryan Reynolds
Israel, a nation at war in rolling fort.
Brad Milke
This tornado tore through this town from Lewiston, Maine, the scene of a horrific.
Ryan Reynolds
Mass shooting from the scene of that deadly missile strike.
Brad Milke
ABC News live everywhere in Iceland.
Rachel Scott
Let's go on the 2024 campaign trail.
Donald Trump
Here at Ten Downing street.
Brad Milke
Wherever the story is, we're gonna take you there.
Matt Rivers
You're streaming ABC News Live, ABC News Live.
Brad Milke
You're streaming ABC News Live, ABC News live, streaming free everywhere.
And one last thing.
How impactful are women's sports? Well, to answer that question, all you had to see yesterday was this little girl's face at the Olympic swimming events in Paris. Katie Ledecky has just won a gold medal. She waves at this little girl in the stands, and this girl absolutely loses it. You can see her telling her mom, she waved at me. Then she falls dazed into her seat. Like you can see it. A core memory locked in place. That is the power of the Olympics. And yet you might expect that from sports like swimming and gymnastics and track. These have always been star vehicles. What ABC's foreign correspondent Maggie Ruley has enjoyed are the lesser known sports.
Maggie Ruley
Fencing. Brad was like an NBA game. There were people, like, pounding on the stadium, holding up french flag. The roar was so loud, you heard it from outside the stadium.
Brad Milke
She called me from her hotel in Paris where she's been watching the games. And you might remember me mentioning how the rapper flava flav was so inspired by the women's water polo team that he offered to personally sponsor both the men and women's water polo programs. Since then, Maggie went to hang out with him. You hung out with the flav, Brad?
Maggie Ruley
I talked to the flav. I did karaoke with the flav. I went shopping for brioche with the flav.
Ryan Reynolds
I got to hang out with the great.
Brad Milke
With Maggie the Great. We don't say the word up, she says. Not only has he become a tourist attraction in his own right on the streets, he also takes his job as water polo hype man seriously.
Maggie Ruley
He wears his water polo cap nonstop here at the Olympics, including walking around the streets of Paris.
Brad Milke
He's not the only one getting hyped. One of the craziest moments of these games so far was the women's rugby bronze medal game, in which the US was losing to Australia with seconds to go.
Donald Trump
She's gonna take it all the way.
Brad Milke
Cedric, for the USA, you did not have to know rugby to get how unexpected this all was. Fans were going berserk. Players from both teams were sobbing. These scenes inspired Michelle Kang, the healthcare executive and women's soccer club owner, to go to the locker room and tell players that she would start donating big bucks to keep them competitive.
Unknown
And I have committed a million dollar.
Rachel Scott
A year for the next four years, and that is to get you guys win the gold medal.
Brad Milke
And in each of these cases, you can hear the disbelief from athletes sheerly because they are not used to seeing seven figure investments in their sports. That is clearly changing. But it's not just the dollar figures. Maggie says the infrastructure around women's sports has changed, too.
Maggie Ruley
Yeah, this is what's so important, Brad. The support for female athletes and something that's a huge deal at this Olympics is that for the first time ever, there's a nursery that's right.
Brad Milke
Until this year, if you were a young mother or father sitting around the Olympic village all day, there was really no space for you to see your kid. They're banned from sleeping in the dorms.
Maggie Ruley
So you think of all these parents that come to the games, and were they expected to leave their kids behind? What if they're breastfeeding? What if they're the primary caretaker? What if they're gone for a month and don't want to leave their three kids at home? And so this is a really huge deal and something that, in many ways, you're like, how did we not do this before?
Brad Milke
When you talk about diversity, equity, and inclusion, this is what that actually looks like. Because if everything about sports screams women can't be Olympic level athletes, well, guess what? Women are not gonna picture themselves at the Olympics. But at these games, the first ones, by the way, that have the same number of male and female athletes, you've got competitors like Marissa Howard from Pasco, Washington. She runs the steeplechase, you know, the track race with the hurdles and the little pond you gotta splash through.
Unknown
I think it just is opening that space for us, and I think it's opening the space for more women to want to do it.
Maggie Ruley
It wasn't until after she became a mom that she even qualified for the Olympics. And Brad, what I love, she told me. Cause I asked her about this, I was like, what was it? You know, like, did you train differently? And she goes, part of it was just, I had a home birth, and it was so painful that when I was running, I said, wow, getting this pr isn't nearly as painful as delivering my son.
Brad Milke
Maggie says this more than medal counts, more than dollar figures, is how you really can measure the growth of sports by the expansion of who's invited onto the field in the first place and how many more jaw dropping moments we will get because of them.
Who should get the standing ovation here? Maggie Ruley reporting in Paris. What, eight months pregnant? And she will have a full story up on GMA tomorrow morning about this first ever nursery in the olympic village. Really cool stuff. Don't forget, you can always get live news on ABC News Live, wherever you're streaming. I'm Brad Milke. See you tomorrow.
I
Hey, moms. Looking for some lighthearted guidance on this crazy journey we call parenting? Join me, Sabrina Kohlberg, and me, Andi Mitchell, for pop culture moms, where each week we talk about what we're watching and examine our favorite pop culture moms up close to try to pick up some parenting hacks along the way. Come laugh, learn and grow with us as we look for the best tips and maybe a few what not to dos from our favorite fictional moms from Good Morning America and ABC audio pop culture moms find it wherever you get your podcasts.