♪♪ >>> THIS SUNDAY, MEET THE MOMENT. CONVERSATIONS WITH PEOPLE WHO ARE HAVING AN IMPACT ON WASHINGTON AND BEYOND. >> I'M IN PAIN EVERY DAY, PAIN ALL THE TIME. IT DOES NOT LEAVE ME. >> ACTRESS SELMA BLAIR WHO WAS DIAGNOSED WITH MULTIPLE SCLEROSIS IS USING HER VOICE FOR THE RIGHTS OF ALL THOSE LIVING WITH DISABILITIES. >> I WANT EQUITY. I WANT JUSTICE. >> AUTHOR AND JOURNALIST, TIM ALBERTA WITH A WARNING ABOUT HOW HE SAYS THE EVANGELICAL CHURCH IS CHANGING. >> THEY THINK BARBARIANS ARE AT THE GATE AND SO THEY NEED A BARBARIAN TO DEFEND THEM. THESE PEOPLE HAVE DECIDED THAT THE BEST WAY TO PRESERVE CHRISTIAN VIRTUE IN THIS COUNTRY IS TO FIRST SET CHRISTIAN VIRTUE ASIDE. >> HAS IT SHAKEN YOUR FAITH? >> NOT EVEN A LITTLE BIT, NO. >> ALEX FELIX, THE MOST DECORATED U.S. TRACK AND FIELD ATHLETE OF ALL TIME, SPEAKING OUT ABOUT THE BLACK MATERNAL HEALTH CRISIS. >> WHAT DO YOU WISH DOCTORS HAD TOLD YOU. >> AS A WOMAN OF COLOR THAT I'M ALREADY AT A GREATER RISK FOR THESE COMPLICATIONS. THREE OF THE FITTEST, HEALTHIEST WOMEN IN THE WORLD ARE FACING THESE COMPLICATIONS. I THINK IT SHOWS HOW DANGEROUS IT IS TO GIVE BIRTH TODAY IN AMERICA AS A BLACK WOMAN. >> AND IRANIAN-AMERICAN ACTIVIST, MASIH ALINEJAD, AND HER PUSH FOR WOMEN'S RIGHTS IN IRAN AND AROUND THE WORLD. >> MY WEAPON IS MY WORDS, AND THAT SHOWS YOU THAT MY WEAPON IS MORE POWERFUL THAN THEIR VOICE. THAT'S WHY THEY'RE GOING TO GET RID OF ME. >> WELCOME TO SUNDAY, AND A SPECIAL EDITION OF "MEET THE PRESS." >> Announcer: FROM NBC NEWS IN WASHINGTON, THE LONGEST RUNNING SHOW IN TELEVISION HISTORY, THIS IS A SPECIAL EDITION OF "MEET THE PRESS" WITH KRISTEN WELKER. >> GOOD SUNDAY MORNING. FOR MORE THAN 75 YEARS, "MEET THE PRESS" HAS HAD A HISTORY OF SHINING A LIGHT ON PEOPLE WHO INFLUENCE OUR POLITICS FROM OUTSIDE OF WASHINGTON, FROM JACKIE ROBINSON TO ROBERT FROST, JANE FONDA, AND GLORIA STEINEM. >> I AM A CITIZEN ACTIVIST. I THINK IT'S IN THE HIGHEST TRADITION OF OUR COUNTRY FOR PRIVATE CITIZENS TO SPEAK OUT, NOT JUST AS INDIVIDUALS BUT AS MEMBERS OF ORGANIZATIONS THAT CAN HAVE SOME POWER. >> WELL, ARE YOU SAYING THAT THE WHITE MALE EDUCATED PERSON IS THE ENEMY OF THE WOMAN'S MOVEMENT OR THE ADVERSARY? >> WELL, FROM A STATISTICAL POINT OF VIEW, THAT'S ACCURATE. >> THIS MORNING, WE ARE UNVEILING A SPECIAL SERIES, AND WE'RE CALLING IT "MEET THE MOMENT." FROM AUTHORS, TO ACTIVISTS, COMMUNITY LEADERS, POETS, AND SCIENTISTS, THE VOICES OUTSIDE OF OUR POLITICS SHAPING CONVERSATIONS THAT MATTER. WE BEGIN WITH ACTOR SELMA BLAIR WHO'S KNOWN FOR HER DEAD PAN HUMOR WITH QUIRKY, INTELLIGENT PERFORMANCES IN ICONIC FILMS LIKE "CRUEL INTENTIONS" "HEATHERS" AND "LEGALLY BLOND." >> WHAT ARE THE BOYS LIKE? >> IS THAT ALL YOU CAN THINK OF? >> DOESN'T LOOK LIKE ANYONE'S COMING TO YOUR LITTLE PARTY TO ME, HEATHER. >> VIVIAN KENSINGTON, DO YOU THINK IT'S ACCEPTABLE THAT MS. WOODS IS NOT PREPARED? >> NO, I DON'T. >> FIVE YEARS AGO AT AGE 46, BLARE WAS DIAGNOSED WITH MULTIPLE SCLEROSIS AFTER BATTLING THE AUTO IMMUNE DISEASE FROM THE AGE OF 7. IN 2019, SHE WALKED ON TO THE RED CARPET WITH A CANE FOR THE FIRST TIME AT AN OSCARS AFTER PARTY MAKING HER DISABILITY VISIBLE IN A POWERFUL WAY. NOW BLARE HAS BECOME AN ADVOCATE FOR AMERICANS LIVING WITH DISABILITIES, JOINING PRESIDENT BIDEN AT THE WHITE HOUSE IN OCTOBER TO RECOGNIZE THE 33rd ANNIVERSARY OF THE AMERICANS WITH DISABILITIES ACT AND TO ADVOCATE FOR NEW LEGISLATION FOR DISABILITY RIGHTS AND PAY EQUITY. >> I'M HERE BEFORE YOU TODAY AS A PROUD, DISABLED WOMAN WITH MY CANE. [ APPLAUSE ] AND MY SERVICE DOG, SCOUT, BY MY SIDE. OUR LAWS AND POLICIES MUST REFLECT THAT OUR DISABLED LIVES ARE NOT OF LESSER VALUE. >> SELMA BLAIR, WELCOME TO "MEET THE PRESS." >> THANK YOU. >> THANK YOU FOR BEING HERE. YOU WERE DIAGNOSED FIVE YEARS AGO WITH MULTIPLE SCLEROSIS. YOU'RE IN REMISSION NOW, HOW ARE YOU DOING, SELMA? >> I AM IN REMISSION, SO THAT IS A VERY SAFE PLACE TO BE. AS FAR AS DIAGNOSES GO. THOUGH THERE IS NO EVIDENCE OF CURRENT DISEASE, I HAVE THE LEFTOVERS. I DID HAVE IT FOR MANY YEARS, AND DIDN'T KNOW. IT DOES LEAVE SOME BURN AREAS, SCAR TISSUE AND ALL THAT, AND MINE IS IN THE BAY SELL GANG LEAH MOVEMENT. SOME OF MY STUFF LOOKS A LITTLE DIFFERENT THAN OTHERS WITH MS. THERE'S A GAZILLION TYPES OF MS, WHEREVER YOUR DAMAGE IS. I'M DOING WELL. >> YOU HAVE YOUR BEAUTIFUL DOG SCOUT WITH YOU. ARE YOU IN ANY PAIN? TALK ABOUT THE STRENGTH YOU FIND EVERY DAY? >> YOU KNOW, I AM. I'M IN PAIN EVERY DAY. EVERY DAY. AND SOMETIMES I HAVE TO -- I HAVE DISTONIA, DOESN'T ALWAYS FLARE UP FOR ENTIRE CONVERSATIONS, IT'S ALMOST LIKE SOMEONE WITH A STUTTER MAYBE OR A TYPE OF TOURETTE AND PEOPLE DON'T UNDERSTAND THAT. THERE CAN BE A A LOT OF DISCRIMINATION AND CONFUSION. PEOPLE THINK I'M PUTTING SOMETHING ON AND I JUST WANT A DOG WITH ME. THERE'S A LOT OF TRICKY STUFF. THE REAL FACT IS I AM IN PAIN ALL THE TIME. THERE'S A STIFFNESS THAT DOES NOT LEAVE ME. >> I WANT TO TALK TO YOU ABOUT YOUR JOURNEY TO DIAGNOSIS. YOU HAVE WRITTEN ABOUT IT, YOU'VE DONE A DOCUMENTARY ABOUT IT. YOU SAY THAT YOU HAD SYMPTOMS STARTING AT 7 YEARS OLD? >> I MEAN, THERE IS A PREDORMAL PERIOD. I'M NOT CERTAIN THERE'S A FULL ON. MY NEUROLOGIST WAS EXPLAINING, THERE CAN BE YEARS OF ACCRUING AND FATIGUE AND PROBLEMS. I DID, I HAVE THE THING, YOU BEND DOWN AND I GET ELECTRICITY. I HAD CLEAR SIGNS AT THE TIME. OPTICAL NEUROITIS AS A CHILD WHICH IS ONLY FROM BRAIN TRAUMA OR MS, AND YET THEY DIDN'T RECOGNIZE IT IN ME EVEN THOUGH I WAS SEEKING DOCTORS MY ENTIRE CHILDHOOD. >> YOU HAVE SAID OF YOUR EXPERIENCE, AND THIS REALLY WAS INCREDIBLY POWERFUL, YOU SAID IF YOU'RE A BOY WITH THOSE SYMPTOMS, YOU GET AN MRI, IF YOU'RE A GIRL, YOU'RE CALLED CRAZY, AND A NUMBER OF STUDIES SUPPORT EXACTLY WHAT YOU ARE SAYING. WHY DO YOU THINK THAT THIS CONTINUES TO BE A PROBLEM IN MEDICINE? >> THEY WERE ALL, YOU KNOW, OLDER MALE DOCTORS WHO REALLY PROBABLY DID NOT KNOW THE INTRICACIES OF A GIRL, YOU KNOW, EVERYTHING DOES NOT NEED TO BE BLAMED ON MENSTRUATION OR SOMETHING. IT COMES WITH ITS OWN BAG OF THINGS TO KNOW ABOUT. ALSO MEDICAL STUDENTS DON'T HAVE MS, AND MS IS DIFFERENT FOR EVERYONE, AND THEY CAN BE DISGUISED AS EMOTIONAL THINGS. I HAVE PREFRONTAL DAMAGE THAT WOULD CAUSE HYSTERICAL CRYING AND LAUGHING. AND I JUST THOUGHT, WOW, I'M JUST A WILD ONE THAT WAKES UP IN THE MIDDLE OF THE NIGHT LIKE WAKING MYSELF UP LAUGHING HYSTERICALLY OR SOBBING, IN FRONT OF PEOPLE, JUST VERY MOODY, MAYBE, AND I BELIEVED ALL OF THESE THINGS, AND I WAS PUT ON REALLY STRONG ANTIDEPRESSANTS FROM A REALLY YOUNG AGE. AND I DRANK. I DRANK BECAUSE I FELT SO OTHER. I JUST WENT IN THE BASEMENT AND DRANK FROM A REALLY YOUNG AGE OF 7. >> WHEN YOU GOT THAT DIAGNOSIS AFTER ALL OF THOSE YEARS OF SUFFERING, YOU'RE DESCRIBING REAL SUFFERING. AND YOU WERE FINALLY DIAGNOSED AT AGE 46. WHAT WAS THAT MOMENT LIKE FOR YOU, SELMA? >> I WAS RELIEVED I FINALLY HAD SOMETHING THAT COULD BE UNDERSTOOD AND TREATED. IT TOOK ME LIKE ANOTHER YEAR TO REALIZE A LOT OF MY CHILDHOOD SYMPTOMS WERE MS. I THOUGHT, OH, ALL OF THIS POOR FEELING I HAD AND THIS LETHARGY AND ATTITUDE, NOW THIS HAS LED TO, NOW I'VE GIVEN MYSELF MS. BUT IT WAS THE GRATITUDE OF PEOPLE HELPING ME. I WAS SUCH A LONER IN MY LIFE. I WAS SOBER BY THIS POINT. I MADE AN EFFORT TO GET MYSELF OFF DRUGS. MORE THAN AN EFFORT. IT WAS A MAJOR CHANGE, AND I AM SO GRATEFUL THAT I HAVE BEEN SOBER FOR YEARS SO I COULD PROPERLY PROCESS AND FEEL COMFORTABLE REALIZING WHAT PEOPLE WERE DOING FOR ME, AND REALIZING THIS IS NOT THE NORM. >> WHEN YOU THINK ABOUT THOSE YEARS THAT YOU WENT UNDIAGNOSED, DOCTORS WERE FRANKLY NOT LISTENING TO YOU. DO YOU FEEL ANGER? >> SOMETIMES, BUT I DON'T WANT TO FEEL ANGER BECAUSE I DON'T WANT TO FEEL BLAME. I DON'T WANT TO, YOU KNOW, BECAUSE MAYBE I WASN'T READY TO BE DIAGNOSED THEN. YOU KNOW, MAYBE I WOULDN'T HAVE BEEN ABLE TO QUIT DRINKING. I DON'T KNOW. BUT I DO -- THE THINGS THAT WERE SUCH CLEAR SIGNS I WENT IN WITH, THE PART THAT I GET MORE SAD BECAUSE IT MADE ME LOSE, YOU KNOW, MY ENTIRE YEARS UNTIL DIAGNOSIS BECAUSE I HATED MYSELF FOR NOT -- FOR MAKING UP THAT I WASN'T FEELING WELL. I JUST BELIEVED THAT. >> WELL, YOU WERE RECENTLY AT THE WHITE HOUSE AND LENDING YOUR POWERFUL VOICE TO MARK THE 50th ANNIVERSARY OF THE AMERICANS WITH DISABILITIES ACT. WHAT WAS IT LIKE FOR YOU TO BE THERE AT THE WHITE HOUSE? WHY WAS THAT IMPORTANT FOR YOU TO BE THERE? >> FOR ME IT WAS SUCH A MARK OF HOW FAR I'D COME, AND I MEANT THAT AS SOMETHING THAT COULD BE ASPIRATIONAL TO PEOPLE. NOT THAT YOU HAVE TO BE CURED. NOT THAT, OH, GETTING SOME GREAT PODIUM IS THE ANSWER FOR SOMETHING. BUT THAT THERE WAS SUCH A, LIKE A VIBRANCE IN ME, AND IT WAS LIKE, I HAVE THE ENERGY TO GET ON THIS PLANE, TO GET TO THIS INCREDIBLE EXPERIENCE. AND OF COURSE, YOU KNOW, HAVING THAT WALK FROM THE WHITE HOUSE TO THE SOUTH LAWN WAS REALLY HEALING FOR ME IN SO MANY WAYS. HAVING THE MOST POWERFUL MAN IN THE WORLD ON YOUR ARM, YOU KNOW, I'M ON HIS ARM, AND I JUST THOUGHT, WOW, THINGS HAVE CHANGED. AND A LOT OF THIS IS THE HELP FROM THE DISABILITY COMMUNITY. JUDY HUMAN WHO IS THE GREATEST ORGANIZER AND RALLIER OF HER FRIENDS WITH DISABILITIES, SHE WAS THE GRAND AM, SHE CREATED THE AMERICAN DISABILITIES ACT. THEY DID THE SIT IN WHEN THE GOVERNMENT, DISABLED PEOPLE GETTING OUT OF THEIR WHEELCHAIRS AND LYING ON THE GROUND TO SAY PAY ATTENTION. GROWING UP, WE DID NOT HAVE EXPOSURE TO PEOPLE WITH DISABILITIES. IT WAS LIKE THEY DIDN'T EXIST. AND I HAD THAT MINDSET, NOT FROM PURPOSE, I JUST HAD VERY LITTLE AWARENESS. >> WHAT IS YOUR MESSAGE TO LAWMAKERS, TO THE PRESIDENT? WHAT DO YOU WANT TO SEE NEXT FOR THE DISABLED COMMUNITY? >> EQUITY, ACCESSIBILITY. I MEAN, YES, OF COURSE I'M SO GRATEFUL THAT ANYTHING WAS PUT IN PLACE. BUT, AGAIN, SUB MINIMUM WAGE FOR PEOPLE WITH DISABILITIES. YOU CAN WORK ALL DAY AND GET PAID $0.50 AN HOUR, NO, WHY IS THAT OKAY? THAT'S REALLY THEY JUST USE IT AS SLAVE LABOR TO GET DISABLED PEOPLE OUT OF THE HOUSE, THEY HAVE SOMETHING TO DO. AND IT'S JUST REALLY OUT OF TOUCH AND WRONG. I WANT EQUITY. I WANT JUSTICE. I WANT THIS COMMUNITY AND ALL OTHER MARGINALIZED ONES, TOO, OF COURSE, BUT THE DISABILITY COMMUNITY IS CREATIVE AND STRONG AND LOYAL AND FUN AND, I MEAN, REALLY BECAUSE THERE ARE PEOPLE THAT HAVE HAD TO FIGURE OUT SITUATIONS. AND I REALLY DON'T DO LIP SERVICE. YOU REALLY NEED TO BE WITH PEOPLE WITH DISABILITIES AND, YOU KNOW, NOTHING ABOUT US WITHOUT US IS WHAT I HAVE HEARD, YOU KNOW, SAID FROM THE START WHEN I JOINED UP. AND IT'S LIKE OH, RIGHT, RIGHT. OF COURSE. OF COURSE WE NEED A FIT MODEL THAT IS A WHEELCHAIR USER. OF COURSE YOU NEED A REAL WHEELCHAIR USER TO GO DOWN THAT RAMP TO CHECK THAT ANGLE. THERE ARE THINGS, YOU'RE TRYING TO DO THE RIGHT THING BUT YOU'RE NOT AT THE CRUX OF STARTING THIS CONVERSATION. >> WELL, WHEN WE COME BACK, JOURNALIST AND AUTHOR, TIM ALBERTA, THE SON OF A PASTOR WITH A WARNING ABOUT THE EVANGELICAL CHURCH AND HOW IT'S TESTING HIS FAITH. . >>> WELCOME BACK, JOURNALIST TIM ALBERTA EXPLORES THE COMPLICATED RELATIONSHIP WHITE EVANGELICALS HAVE WITH FAITH AND POLITICS IN THE TRUMP ERA IN A FEW BOOK "THE KINGDOMS OF POWER AND GLORY, AMERICAN EVANGELICALS IN THE AGE OF EXTREMISM," IN 2019, TIM'S DAD DIED SUDDENLY, AND HE RETURNED TO CORNER STONE, THE CHURCH HIS FATHER HAD PASTORED FOR THREE DECADES, THE CHURCH TIM'S FAITH HAD GROWN. SOME MEMBERS OF THE CHURCH APPROACHED HIM TO COMPLAIN ABOUT HIS JOURNALISM. ONE CHURCH MEMBER WROTE A LETTER DEMANDING HE INVESTIGATE THE DEEP STATE AND ACCUSING HIM OF TREASON. TIM SAYS IT'S A CRISIS IN CHRISTIANITY. EVANGELICAL LEADER RUSSELL MOORE SPOKE ABOUT IT EARLIER THIS YEAR. >> ALMOST EVERY FAMILY THAT I KNOW HAS A PEOPLE WHO DON'T SPEAK TO EACH OTHER ANYMORE ABOUT THIS PERSONALITY AND THIS FIGURE. >> LET'S TALK ABOUT YOUR FATHER BECAUSE YOU OPEN YOUR BOOK RECALLING YOUR EXPERIENCE AT YOUR FATHER'S FUNERAL. YOU WERE UNDERSTANDABLY EXPECTING COMPASSION FROM THE CHURCH COMMUNITY WITH WHOM YOU HAD GROWN UP. A LOT OF THESE PEOPLE KNEW YOU AS A KID, THEY WATCHED YOU GROW UP, AND YET YOU EXPERIENCED SOMETHING VERY DIFFERENT IN PART BECAUSE YOUR COVERAGE OF THEN CANDIDATE TRUMP. WHAT WAS THAT EXPERIENCE LIKE? >> YEAH, SO, YOU KNOW, I'D BEEN PRETTY CRITICAL OF DONALD TRUMP. I THINK, YOU KNOW, OBJECTIVELY CRITICAL, AND FAIR IN MY COVERAGE, BUT CRITICAL NONETHELESS, AND YEAH, WHEN IT CAME TIME TO BURY MY FATHER AT THE CHURCH WHERE I HAD GROWN UP AND WHERE HE HAD SERVED AS THE PASTOR FOR MORE THAN 25 YEARS, THERE WERE SOME PEOPLE WHO SAW THAT OCCASION AS APPROPRIATE TO JUST HAVE IT OUT WITH ME, TO LITIGATE THEIR DIFFERENCES WITH ME OVER TRUMP, OVER TRUMPISM, OVER POLITICS IN GENERAL. NOW, I WANT TO BE CLEAR, THERE WERE LOTS OF PEOPLE THERE WHO MOURNED WITH ME AND CRIED WITH ME, AND WHO TREATED ME LIKE THE GRIEVING SON THAT I WAS. BUT THERE WERE SOME OF THESE FOLKS WHO DIDN'T SEE A GRIEVING SON. THEY SAW A VULNERABLE ADVERSARY IN THAT MOMENT, SOMEONE WHO WAS ON THE OTHER SIDE. AND THAT'S HEARTBREAKING. IT'S NOT JUST HEARTBREAKING BECAUSE, YOU KNOW, IT WAS ME AND IT WAS MY DAD'S FUNERAL. IT'S HEARTBREAKING BECAUSE THIS HAPPENED INSIDE A SANCTUARY, RIGHT. A SANCTUARY MEANS SET APART. IT IS A PLACE SET APART FOR THE PURPOSE OF BELIEVERS TO COME TOGETHER AND TO WORSHIP AND BE ONE BODY IN CHRIST, AND THIS WAS NOT THAT. >> SOMEONE HANDED YOU A LETTER AT YOUR FATHER'S FUNERAL. WHAT DID IT SAY, AND HOW DID YOU RESPOND? >> YEAH, SO THE LETTER WAS FROM A LONG TIME ELDER IN THE CHURCH, FAMILY FRIEND. SOMEONE WHO HAD KNOWN ME SINCE I WAS A CHILD. AND THE LETTER BASICALLY JUST ACCUSED ME OF BEING A TRAITOR, A PART OF THE DEEP STATE, THAT I WAS UNDERMINING GOD'S ORDAINED LEADER OF THE COUNTRY. >> A TRAITOR, THAT'S SUCH STRONG LANGUAGE. >> WELL, YOU KNOW, AND THIS IS PART OF WHAT I HAVE TRIED TO UNPACK IN THIS BOOK. THIS TIE BETWEEN GOD AND COUNTRY AND THIS IDEA THAT, YOU KNOW, AMERICA IS A KINGDOM THAT IS ORDAINED BY GOD AND MUST BE FOUGHT FOR AS THOUGH SALVATION ITSELF HANGS IN THE BALANCE, KRISTEN, IT LEADS INDIVIDUALS WHO I THINK DEEP IN THEIR HEART ARE GOOD PEOPLE, IT LEADS THEM TO DO AND TO THINK AND TO SAY SOME REALLY UNHEALTHY THINGS. >> GIVEN THAT, THAT YOU WATCHED THIS EVOLUTION OF PEOPLE WITHIN THE EVANGELICAL COMMUNITY ACT, SAY, BEHAVE IN WAYS THAT YOU FEEL WAS ANTITHETICAL TO WHAT YOU WERE TAUGHT IN SCRIPTURE, HAS IT SHAKEN YOUR FAITH? >> NOT EVEN A LITTLE BIT, NO. I MEAN, MY FAVORITE AUTHOR, FAVORITE WRITER, FAVORITE APOLOGIST, CS LEWIS, HE SAID THAT WE ONLY KNOW A LINE IS CROOKED BECAUSE WE HAVE FIRST SEEN A STRAIGHT LINE. SO, YOU KNOW, MANKIND IS BROKEN IN MANY WAYS. HUMANITY HAS BEEN FALLEN SINCE THE GARDEN OF EDEN, AND IF YOU BELIEVE THAT, AS I DO, YOU BELIEVE THAT WE ONLY RECOGNIZE THAT BROKENNESS BECAUSE WE KNOW WHAT GOD'S PERFECT PLAN LOOKS LIKE, AND THAT'S JESUS, AND SO FOR PEOPLE TO DEVIATE IN THIS WAY, NO, IT DOESN'T SHAKE MY FAITH. IT SHAKES MY FAITH IN THE INSTITUTIONS OF CHRISTIANITY. THE INSTITUTIONS OF MEN. BUT IT DOESN'T SHAKE MY FAITH IN JESUS, AND I HOPE IF NOTHING ELSE THAT PEOPLE WILL UNDERSTAND THAT AS THEY READ THE BOOK. I AM NOT TRYING TO BURN DOWN CHRISTIANITY. I'M NOT TRYING TO DESTROY THE CHURCH. I'M TRYING TO HELP STABILIZE THE CHURCH. >> SOUNDS LIKE PART OF WHAT YOU'RE SAYING IS THAT THIS EXPERIENCE WRITING THIS BOOK, SOME OF YOUR PERSONAL PAINFUL EXPERIENCES MAY HAVE EVEN DEEPENED YOUR FAITH? >> I THINK THAT'S TOTALLY FAIR TO SAY, AND IN FACT, YEAH, THEY HAVE. BECAUSE WHEN YOU'RE REALLY HURTING, YOU KNOW, IN THE SERMON ON THE MOUNT, JESUS SAID BLESSED ARE THOSE WHO MOURN FOR THEY WILL BE COMFORTED, AND YOU KNOW, I HAVE FELT THAT COMFORT IN WAYS THAT I PROBABLY WOULDN'T HAVE HAD I NOT GONE THROUGH SOME OF THIS. AND SO I'M REALLY GRATEFUL FOR THAT. >> YOU RIGHT, FOR DECADES THE RELIGIOUS RIGHT HAD IMPOSED EXACTING MORAL LITMUS TESTS ON PUBLIC OFFICIALS, AND YET EVENTUALLY, QUOTE, EVANGELICAL LEADERS EMBRACED TRUMP'S SHORTCOMINGS. HOW DO YOU EXPLAIN THIS EVOLUTION? >> WELL, IT IS AN EVOLUTION, AND IT'S AN ARC. SO YOU THINK ABOUT THE 2016 ELECTION, AND IT'S EASY TO FORGET NOW, BUT FOR A LONG TIME, EVANGELICALS, WERE TRUMP'S SOFTEST SUPPORTERS. HE HAD TO REALLY GO TO GREAT LENGTHS TO FIRM UP HIS SUPPORT. HE HAD TO PUT MIKE PENCE ON THE TICKET, HE HAD TO RELEASE THE LIST OF SUPREME COURT NO, MA'AM NIECE. -- NOMINEES. FOR A LOT OF THESE PEOPLE WHO ARE PANICKED, STRICKEN WITH FEAR THAT THE COUNTRY IS TURNING ON CHRISTIANITY, THEIR FAITH IS IN THE CROSS HAIRS, AND THEY ARE GOING TO BE PERSECUTED FOR THEIR FAITH IN THIS COUNTRY. A LOT OF FOLKS BELIEVE THAT. THEY THINK THE BARBARIANS ARE AT THE GATES, AND THEY NEED A BAR BARBARIAN TO DEFEND THEM AND PROTECT THEM. THEY LOOK AT TRUMP AND THE BEHAVIOR AND THE RHETORIC, AND IN SOME SENSE BECAUSE HE IS NOT BOUND BY BIBLICAL TEACHINGS, BIBLICAL VIRTUES, HE IS FREE TO FIGHT FOR THEM IN A WAY NO GOOD CHRISTIAN WOULD. THAT'S THE TRAGIC IRONY TO ALL OF THIS, IN SOME SENSE, THESE PEOPLE HAVE DECIDED THAT THE BEST WAY TO PRESERVE CHRISTIAN VIRTUE IN THIS COUNTRY IS TO FIRST SET CHRISTIAN VIRTUE ASIDE. >> YOU GO SO FAR AS TO SAY CHRISTIANITY IS IN A STATE OF DISARRAY. CAN IT BE FIXED AND WHAT NEEDS TO HAPPEN? >> WELL, WHAT NEEDS TO HAPPEN IS TO GET BACK TO CHRIST. >> YOU HAVE SAID THAT THIS BOOK IS ABOUT CHRISTIANITY, BUT IT'S ABOUT YOUR DAD, TOO. WHAT DO YOU THINK YOUR DAD WOULD MAKE OF THIS BOOK? >> WELL, I THINK WE WOULD HAVE SOME SPIRITED CONVERSATIONS ABOUT PARTS OF THE BOOK. I THINK HE WOULD DISAGREE WITH CERTAIN CONCLUSIONS THAT I'VE REACHED, BUT I THINK THE UNDERLYING MESSAGE AND I THINK THE FIGURE WHOM I'M CONSTANTLY REDIRECTING THE CONVERSATION BACK TOWARD, JESUS, I THINK HE WOULD BE INCREDIBLY ENCOURAGED BY THAT, AND HE WOULD BEEN IN TOTAL AGREEMENT WITH ME ON THE ULTIMATE CONCLUSION. >> AND JUST BIG PICTURE, TIM, AS WE APPROACH CHRISTMAS, WHERE ARE YOU WITH YOUR FAITH RIGHT NOW? >> MY FAITH HAS NEVER BEEN STRONGER. AND TO BE HONEST, I WAS REALLY WORRIED ABOUT IT. WHEN I SET OUT TO DO THIS PROJECT, I KNEW THAT HE WOULD ENCOUNTER SOME THINGS THAT COULD SHAKE MY FAITH. AND I HAVE PRAYED EVERY DAY AND I HAVE READ MY SCRIPTURE, AND I HAVE -- I HAVE BEEN IN COMMUNITY WITH BELIEVERS. MY SMALL GROUP, MY WIFE, FAMILY, FRIENDS, PEOPLE WHO HAVE HELPED TO KEEP ME GROUNDED THROUGHOUT THIS JOURNEY, SO MY FAITH HAS NEVER BEEN STRONGER, AND I THINK WHAT I'VE REALLY COME TO APPRECIATE IS HOW, KRISTEN, YOU KNOW, THIS IDEA THAT WE SHOULDN'T AIR THE DIRTY LAUNDRY INSIDE THE CHURCH, THAT WE SHOULDN'T TRY TO HOLD OURSELVES ACCOUNTABLE. THAT'S NONSENSE. IF YOU LOOK THROUGHOUT SCRIPTURE, OLD TESTAMENT PROPHETS AND NEW TESTAMENT DISCIPLES AND APOSTLES, THAT'S ALL THEY DID WAS POINT OUT WHAT'S WRONG IN THE CHURCH AND POINT PEOPLE BACK TO THE TRUE GOD. IT HAS BEEN TRYING FOR SURE, BUT I'VE EMERGED IN A BETTER PLACE THAN WHEN I WENT IN, WHICH IS KIND OF CRAZY TO SAY. >> TIM ALBERTA, THANK YOU SO MUCH FOR SHARING YOUR REFLECTIONS ON YOUR BOOK WITH US. WE REALLY APPRECIATE IT. >> THANKS FOR HAVING ME, KRISTEN, MERRY CHRISTMAS. >> MERRY CHRISTMAS. >>> AND WHEN WE COME BACK, SEVEN TIME OLYMPIC GOLD MEDALIST ALLYSON FELIX TALKS ABOUT GIVING . >>> WELCOME BACK, WHEN ALLYSON FELIX STEPPED OFF THE TRACK IN THE TOKYO GAMES IN 2021, SHE HAD JUST WON HER 11th CAREER MEDAL. SEVEN GOLDS, ECLIPSING CARL LEWIS TO BECOME THE MOST DECORATED U.S. TRACK AND FIELD ATHLETE IN HISTORY. BLACK WOMEN HAVE A MATERNAL MORTALITY RATE ABOUT THREE TIMES THE RATE FOR WHITE WOMEN. FOR FELIX, IT IS PERSONAL. IN 2018, SHE DEVELOPED SEVERE PREECLAMPSIA WITH HER DAUGHTER CAMERON. TORY BUOY, THE ANCHOR OF THE TEAM AT THE RIO OLYMPICS WAS FOUND DEAD IN HER HOME AFTER FACING COMPLICATIONS FROM CHILDBIRTH. THAT EXPERIENCE AND HER OWN HAS MADE ALLYSON FELIX A POWERFUL VOICE FROM THE WHITE HOUSE TO THE HALLS OF CONGRESS. >> MOTHERS DON'T DIE FROM CHILDBIRTH, RIGHT. NOT IN 2019. NOT PROFESSIONAL ATHLETESMENT NOT AT ONE OF THE BEST HOSPITALS IN THE COUNTRY AND CERTAINLY NOT TO WOMEN WHO HAVE A BIRTHING PLAN AND A BIRTHING SUITE LINED UP. I THOUGHT MATERNAL HEALTH WAS SOLELY ABOUT FITNESS, RESOURCES AND CARE. IF THAT WAS TRUE, THEN WHY WAS THIS HAPPENING TO ME. >> ALLYSON FELIX, WELCOME TO "MEET THE PRESS." >> THANK YOU SO MUCH FOR HAVING ME. >> LET'S TALK ABOUT YOUR ROAD TO MOTHER HOOD. AT 32 WEEKS, YOU WERE DIAGNOSED WITH PREECLAMPSIA. YOUR BEAUTIFUL DAUGHTER CAMERON WAS BORN TWO MONTHS EARLY. HOW DID THAT EXPERIENCE SHAPE YOU? >> I FEEL LIKE IT REALLY CHANGED ME, AND I THINK MORE THAN ANYTHING, IT OPENED MY EYES. I THINK I KIND OF HAD AN UNDERSTANDING OF STATISTICS AND OF WHAT MATERNAL HEALTH WAS LIKE IN AMERICA. BUT I DIDN'T REALLY UNDERSTAND IT. I REMEMBER WHEN I WAS IN THE HOSPITAL AND I HAD THIS WHOLE BIRTH PLAN, YOU KNOW, I THOUGHT I WAS GOING TO HAVE A NATURAL BIRTH AND IT WAS GOING TO BE BEAUTIFUL AND ALL OF THESE THINGS, AND THEY TOLD ME I HAD A SEVERE CASE OF PREECLAMPSIA AND I DIDN'T UNDERSTAND WHAT THAT MEANT OR MEANT FOR ME AND MY BABY AND FEELING SCARED. I'M A PROFESSIONAL ATHLETE. I HAVE TAKEN CARE OF MY BODY MY ENTIRE LIFE. AND SO TO KNOW THAT THINGS REALLY GOT SCARY AND DIFFICULT WAS SO HARD. BUT AT THE SAME TIME, IT OPENED MY EYES TO THE STRUGGLES OF SO MANY OTHER WOMEN, AND ESPECIALLY WOMEN OF COLOR. >> TAKE ME INSIDE THAT MOMENT WHEN YOU WERE TOLD THAT YOU HAD PREECLAMPSIA. YOU HAD GONE IN FOR A ROUTINE CHECKUP AT 32 WEEKS. WHAT WERE THOSE EMOTIONS? >> YEAH, I WAS EXPECTING TO GO HOME, YOU KNOW, AND I WAS ADMITTED AND WHEN I WAS ADMITTED, THINGS JUST SPIRALLED DOWNHILL REALLY QUICKLY, AND SO I DIDN'T EVEN HAVE TIME QUITE TO PROCESS EVERYTHING. AND IT JUST MOVED SO FAST, AND THEN I ENDED UP HAVING AN EMERGENCY C-SECTION. >> WHAT WAS YOUR GREATEST FEAR? >> THAT MY DAUGHTER WOULDN'T MAKE IT, YOU KNOW, THAT I DON'T EVEN THINK -- IT WASN'T UNTIL AFTER, YOU KNOW, I CAME OUT OF THAT EXPERIENCE THAT I REALIZED HOW SCARED MY FAMILY WAS FOR MY LIFE. I WAS ONLY THINKING ABOUT MY DAUGHTER AND WHAT THAT MEANT FOR HER BUT THEY TOLD ME LATER ON THAT THEY WERE SO UNCERTAIN. >> WHEN YOU'RE IN THE MIDDLE OF THIS EXPERIENCE, AS YOU SAY, YOU DIDN'T HAVE THAT BROADER SENSE THAT WOMEN OF COLOR EXPERIENCE COMPLICATIONS DURING PREGNANCY AT HIGHER RATES. DID YOU FEEL LIKE YOUR DOCTORS, YOUR MEDICAL COMMUNITY WAS LISTENING TO YOU? >> I FELT LIKE I SHOULD HAVE KNOWN THAT I WAS AT RISK. I FELT LIKE I SHOULD HAVE BEEN TOLD THE SIGNS TO LOOK FOR. INSTEAD, I WASN'T. I DIDN'T KNOW WHAT PREECLAMPSIA WAS. I DIDN'T UNDERSTAND THAT THE SWELLING IN MY FEET IS JUST NOT SIMPLY A SIGN OF PREGNANCY. BUT COULD BE PREECLAMPSIA. AND SO I FELT LIKE I HAD GREAT MEDICAL CARE, BUT THAT'S NOT ALWAYS ENOUGH. >> WHAT DO YOU WISH DOCTORS HAD TOLD YOU? >> THAT AS A WOMAN OF COLOR, THAT I'M ALREADY AT A GREATER RISK FOR THESE COMPLICATIONS. WHAT ARE THE SIGNS? WHAT CAN I DO TO, YOU KNOW, HELP THIS NOT HAPPEN, AND ALSO, YOU KNOW, I SHOULD BE TAKING MY BLOOD PRESSURE AT A CERTAIN POINT. SO JUST BE EDUCATED AND BEING AWARE IS HUGE. >> SO NO DOCTORS EVER RELAYED THAT INFORMATION TO YOU THAT YOU WERE AT HIGHER RISK FOR SOMETHING LIKE PREECLAMPSIA AS A WOMAN OF COLOR? >> NO, I WASN'T TOLD THAT. THE FIRST MENTION I HEARD OF PREECLAMPSIA WAS WHEN I WAS BEING DIAGNOSED WITH IT. SO I THINK THAT'S WHY AWARENESS IS SO HUGE FOR ME, AND TO, YOU KNOW, NOT ONLY TELL MY STORY BUT AMPLIFY OTHER STORIES. >> DID YOU GET SICK? HOW BAD DID IT GET? >> BECAUSE I HAD SEVERE FEATURES OF PREECLAMPSIA, THEY WERE IN CONSTANT WORRY OF ME HAVING A STROKE, OF MY VISION BEING LOST, AND SO THE ONLY CURE FOR PREECLAMPSIA RIGHT NOW IS TO DELIVER. AND SO THAT'S WHAT HAPPENED VERY QUICKLY. YOU KNOW, I WENT FROM BEING ADMITTED TO THE HOSPITAL AND BEING TOLD THAT OUR GOAL WAS TO STAY THERE FOR ANOTHER TWO WEEKS, TO TRY TO STAY PREGNANT. AND I DELIVERED, YOU KNOW, LATER THAT NIGHT. AND SO IT WAS A VERY QUICK PROGRESSION. BUT I KNOW THAT IF I DID NOT DELIVER, MYSELF OR MY BABY OR BOTH OF US WOULDN'T HAVE MADE IT. >> YOU'VE BEEN VERY OUTSPOKEN. THE BIGGER PICTURE HERE IS THAT THERE WERE FOUR OF YOU ON THE 2016 OLYMPIC TRACK AND FIELD TEAM IN RIO, AND THEN YOUR TEAMMATE TORY BUOY TRAGICALLY DIED OF COMPLICATIONS DUE TO CHILDBIRTH. HOW IS THAT POSSIBLE IN THIS DAY AND AGE? >> I MEAN, IT'S ABSOLUTELY DEVASTATING THAT, YOU KNOW, THREE OF THE FITTEST, HEALTHIEST WOMEN IN THE WORLD ARE FACING THESE COMPLICATIONS, AND I THINK IT'S A STARK REMINDER THAT, YOU KNOW, THIS CONDITION DOES NOT DISCRIMINATE. IT DOESN'T MATTER IF YOU HAVE THE BEST MEDICAL CARE. YOU CAN STILL SUFFER FROM IT. AND TO ME IT JUST, IT REALLY HURTS MY HEART THAT MY FRIEND PASSED AWAY, AND IT BROUGHT THIS BACK TO THE FOREFRONT. BUT THIS HAS BEEN HAPPENING. THIS IS THE REALITY OF BLACK WOMEN GIVING BIRTH IN AMERICA. AND THERE ARE SO MANY SITUATIONS THAT ARE LIKE THIS. AND SO I HATE THAT IT TAKES SUCH A DEVASTATING LOSS, YOU KNOW, TO BRING IT BACK TO THE FOREFRONT, BUT IT ALSO IS JUST SUCH A MOTIVATION THAT, YOU KNOW, WE HAVE TO DO BETTER. >> WHAT WAS THAT MOMENT LIKE WHEN YOU REALIZED TORY HAD PASSED IN THE MIDST OF CHILDBIRTH. >> IT WAS HEARTBREAKING. IT WAS HEARTBREAKING WHEN I READ THAT IT WAS E CLAMS YA. IT JUST BROUGHT EVERYTHING BACK TO THE FOREFRONT. I MEAN, I HAD BEEN DOING WORK IN THE SPACE, AND SO PASSIONATE ABOUT IT. WHEN IT'S SOMEONE YOU KNOW, WHEN IT'S A FRIEND, SOMEONE THAT YOU HAVE COMPETED ALONGSIDE AND HAD ALL OF THESE SPECIAL MOMENTS, AND YOU KNOW, EVERYONE DREAMS OF MOTHER HOOD. A LOT OF WOMEN DO. AND IT JUST BREAKS MY HEART TO KNOW THAT THAT WAS HER EXPERIENCE. I THINK IT SHOWS HOW DANGEROUS IT IS TO GIVE BIRTH TODAY IN AMERICA AS A BLACK WOMAN. I MEAN, OUT OF THE FOUR OF THE WOMEN ON THE TEAM, THREE OF US ARE MOTHERS AND THAT'S ASTONISHING, AND IT'S JUST NOT OKAY. I THINK ABOUT THE FUTURE, AND JUST KEEPING FAMILIES TOGETHER, AND I JUST KNOW THAT WE HAVE TO DO MORE. >> WHAT IS YOUR MESSAGE TO THE MEDICAL COMMUNITY? WHAT MORE DO YOU WANT TO SEE DONE? >> DEFINITELY MORE TRAINING. MORE IMPLICIT BIAS TRAINING. YOU KNOW, THERE'S COUNTLESS STORIES OF WOMEN NOT BEING HEARD WHEN THEY ARE IN THE DELIVERY ROOM AT DOCTORS' APPOINTMENTS. I DON'T THINK YOU SHOULD HAVE TO BE PREPARED TO ADVOCATE FOR YOURSELF. I THINK IT'S INTIMIDATING FOR A LOT OF WOMEN. THE DOCTOR IS THE EXPERT, AND SO TO HAVE TO REALLY PUSH UP AGAINST THEM IS DIFFICULT. THAT'S ONE THING. POLICY CHANGE, OF COURSE. YOU KNOW, AT THAT LEVEL, IT'S VERY IMPORTANT, AND JUST THE AWARENESS OF IT ALL AS WELL. WE HAVE TO REMEMBER THE STORIES, THESE PEOPLE AND NOT BE DETACHED FROM THAT AS WELL. >> WHEN YOU LOOK AT THE STATISTICS, WOMEN OF COLOR ARE THREE TIMES MORE LIKELY TO DIE IN CHILDBIRTH THAN WHITE WOMEN. WHEN YOU SEE THOSE STATISTICS, AND 80% OF COMPLICATIONS ARE PREVENTABLE. HOW DOES THAT MAKE YOU FEEL? >> KNOWING THAT 80% ARE PREVENTABLE TO ME, IT'S INFURIATING. I ALSO -- IT ALSO BRINGS ME A LOT OF HOPE. LIKE THERE IS THE POSSIBILITY TO REVERSE THIS. LIKE WE CAN DO SOMETHING ABOUT THIS. AND I THINK IT STARTS WITH LISTENING. IT STARTS WITH HEARING. AND OBVIOUSLY THERE'S A LOT MORE TO THAT. BUT I AM HOPEFUL FOR THE FUTURE. >> AND BEFORE WE GO, EXCITING NEWS. WE LEARNED AFTER OUR INTERVIEW, ALLYSON FELIX IS PREGNANT AND EXPECTING HER SECOND CHILD. CAMERON'S BABY BROTHER IS DUE IN APRIL. CONGRATULATIONS. AND YOU CAN CATCH THE PARIS OLYMPICS NEXT SUMMER ON NBC AND STREAMING ON PEACOCK. WHEN WE COME BACK, A CHAMPION FOR WOMEN'S RIGHTS, MASIH ALINEJAD IS USING HER VOICE TO CHALLENGE IRAN'S TOP LEADERS AND . >>> WELCOME BACK. AS WE DO EVERY YEAR, WE WANT TO TAKE A MOMENT TO REMEMBER SOME OF THE ICONIC PEOPLE IN POLITICS, CULTURE AND THE MEDIA WHOM WE LOST IN THE PAST 12 MONTHS. >> I'M READY FOR A GOOD FIGHT. I'VE GOT THINGS TO FIGHT FOR. I'M IN A POSITION WHERE I CAN BE EFFECTIVE AND HOPEFULLY THAT MEANS SOMETHING TO CALIFORNIA. ♪♪ ♪♪ >>> THE UNITED STATES CANNOT BY ITSELF SOLVE EVERY CRISIS THAT EXISTS IN THE WORLD. PAINFUL AS THESE CRISES MAY BE. ONE OF THE PHILOSOPHICAL QUESTIONS THAT HAVE TO BE ANSWERED IS WHERE WE ENGAGE OURSELVES BEYOND MORAL CONDEMNATION AND TO WHAT EFFECT. ♪♪ >> I HAVE NO PROBLEM WITH BEING THRUST INTO THE WORLD OF STARDOM BECAUSE I NEVER THOUGHT ABOUT IT. NOWHERE IN MY BOYHOOD DREAMS WAS THERE THE IDEA THAT ONE DAY I WOULD BE IN HOLLYWOOD, ONE DAY I WOULD BE ON BROADWAY OR ONE DAY I WOULD BE MAKING AN ALBUM THAT WOULD BE SUCCESSFUL. ♪♪ ♪♪ >> ATHLETES USUALLY STAY TOO LONG. THEY STAY PAST THEIR PEAK. I THINK YOU SHOULD ALWAYS LEAVE ON TIME SO THEY CAN REMEMBER THE BEST OF YOU. ♪♪ ♪♪ >> I LOVED WHAT I DID, AND I THOUGHT THE WAY TO DO IT WAS TO JUST WORK VERY HARD AND IT WOULD BE NOTICED. ♪♪ >> I DON'T THINK I HAVE EVER SHIED AWAY FROM CONTROVERSY, I DON'T THINK JIMMY HAS SHIED AWAY FROM CONTROVERSY. JIMMY HAS ALWAYS TOLD ME, IF YOU DO ANYTHING, YOU'RE GOING TO BE CRITICIZED, THE ONLY WAY NOT TO BE CRITICIZED IS JUST TO BE MEDIOCRE, NOT DO ANYTHING. ♪♪ >>> WELCOME BACK, 22-YEAR-OLD MAHSA AMINI DIED LAST YEAR IN IRAN IN THE CUSTODY OF THE MORALITY POLICE. ARRESTED ON CHARGES OF IMPROPERLY WEARING A HIJAB. HER DEATH IGNITING PROTESTS IN IRAN AND AROUND THE WORLD. TENS OF THOUSANDS OF WOMEN AND MEN WAVED PLACARDS WITH HER FACE SHOUTING SAY HER NAME. WOMEN AND GIRLS THREW OFF THEIR HEAD SCARVES AND DEMANDED THE END TO THE ISLAMIC REPUBLIC'S RULE. THE MASAH MOVEMENT BECAME THE CHALLENGE TO THE LEGITIMACY SINCE THEY TOOK POWER IN 1979. SECURITY FORCES RESPONDED WITH A VIOLENT CRACKDOWN, ARRESTING THOUSANDS AND KILLING AT LEAST 500 PROTESTERS INCLUDING CHILDREN AND TEENAGERS. AFTER FLEEING IRAN IN 2009, WOMEN'S RIGHTS ACTIVIST MASIH ALINEJAD HAS PLAYED A ROLE IN ENCOURAGING SUCH DEMONSTRATIONS AGAINST THE LAW IN IRAN, MANDATING WOMEN WEAR A HIJAB. SHE LIVES IN BROOKLYN AND WAS THE TARGET OF A KIDNAPPING ATTEMPT IN 2021 AND AN ASSASSINATION ATTEMPT BY THE IRANIAN GOVERNMENT LAST YEAR, AND SHE'S BEEN CALLED THE WOMAN WHOSE HAIR FRIGHTENS IRAN. >> THIS SHOULD BE ON MY HEAD AND COVER MY MASSIVE HAIR. AND IF I DON'T COVER MY HAIR, I GET KILLED. >> AS WE SIT HERE TODAY, YOU ARE UNDER THREAT OF ASSASSINATION BY THE IRANIAN GOVERNMENT. YOU'RE UNDER PROTECTION BY THE FBI. YOU HAVE SAID YOU'RE NOT AFRAID. WHERE DO YOU FIND YOUR COURAGE? >> TO BE HONEST, IT IS SCARY, BUT I DON'T WANT TO LIVE IN FEAR BECAUSE I KNOW THIS IS THE GOAL OF THOSE WHO TRY TO KILL US. THESE, YOU KNOW, KILLERS IN IRAN TRYING TO PUT THE FEAR INSIDE US AND TO PUSH US BEHIND THE CURTAIN. I'M NOT GOING TO LET THEM WIN. THAT'S WHY. AND I LEARNED FROM MY HEROES WITHIN THE COUNTRY. IRANIAN WOMEN, MOTHERS, WHOSE CHILDREN GOT KILLED, BUT THEY HOLD THE PICTURE OF THEIR BELOVED ONE. THEY GO TO THE SAME STREET THAT THEIR CHILDREN GOT KILLED, AND THEY SAY, HERE WE ARE. WE HAVE NO FEAR OF YOU. SO I LEARN FROM MY TWO HEROES WITHIN THE COUNTRY. EVEN WOMEN WALKING UNVEILED, SHOWING THEIR BEAUTIFUL HAIR IS A CRIME. THEY WALK UNVEILED AND THEY SHOW THEIR FACES, AND THEY SAY THAT YOU ARE SCARED OF US, NOT WE, THE WOMEN OF IRAN. YOU'RE BAD ASS. >> WELL, IN SOME WAYS, THIS HAS BEEN A LIFELONG FIGHT FOR YOU. IN YOUR MEMOIR, WHICH I AM HOLDING HERE "THE WIND IN MY HAIR," YOU WRITE THAT WHEN YOU WERE A GIRL YOU WEREN'T AGAINST THE HIJAB, YOU WERE AGAINST THE MANDATE THAT YOU HAD TO ACTUALLY WEAR A HIJAB. YOU WANTED WOMEN TO HAVE THE FREEDOM TO CHOOSE. HOW DID YOU KNOW AT SUCH A YOUNG AGE THAT YOU FELT THIS WAY? >> FIRST OF ALL IT'S NOT THE WIND IN MY HAIR ANYMORE, IT'S THE STORM IN THE HAIR OF THE IRANIAN WOMEN BECAUSE NOW PROTECTING AGAINST COMPULSIVE VEILING BECAME THE SYMBOL OF SAYING NOW TO A GENDER APARTHEID REGIME. WHEN I WAS A LITTLE GIRL IN A TINY VILLAGE IN A TRADITIONAL FAMILY. I NEVER HAD A CLUE ABOUT FEMINISM OR EQUALITY OR NOTHING ABOUT LIKE BEING MY TRUE SELF, LET'S FIGHT, NO, I JUST HAD A LITTLE BROTHER, ALI, AND HE WAS ABLE TO JUMP IN THE RIVER. HE WAS ABLE TO RIDE A BICYCLE. HE WAS ABLE TO SHOW HIS HAIR. HE WAS ABLE TO SING, TO GO TO STADIUM, ALL OF THESE ACTIVITIES THAT I WAS BANNED FROM DOING. WHY? BECAUSE OF BEING A GIRL. AND THAT WAS NOT FAIR TO ME. THAT'S WHY I STARTED MY REVOLUTION FROM MY FAMILY'S KITCHEN, SAYING TO MY FAMILY, I DON'T WANT TO BE LIKE, YOU KNOW, FORCED TO STAY AT HOME. I WANT TO GO OUT EVERYWHERE. I REMEMBER THAT IN MY TINY VILLAGE, MY BROTHER WAS SCARED OF THE DARKNESS. DURING THE DAY HE WAS ABLE TO GO ANYWHERE. PRINCE OF THE VILLAGE. DURING THE NIGHT HE WAS SCARED TO GO TO THE OUT HOUSE BECAUSE WE DIDN'T HAVE INSIDE BATHROOMS IN A VERY POOR FAMILY. I TOLD MY BROTHER THAT DURING THE NIGHT I KNOW DARKNESS IS LIKE A MONSTER. DARKNESS CAN DEVOUR YOU ALL, BUT MY MOM TOLD ME, IF YOU STARE INTO THE DARKNESS INSTEAD OF BEING SCARED OF DARKNESS, THAT IT WILL DISAPPEAR. I USED THIS TACTIC, AND I SAID TO MY BROTHER, HERE WE ARE, DURING THE DAY, I CAN DEFEAT THE DARKNESS, DURING THE NIGHT, TAKE YOU TO THE OUT HOUSE, BUT DURING THE DAY, YOU HAVE TO TAKE ME EVERYWHERE. >> THAT'S A BIT OF A MOTTO FOR YOUR LIFE, YOU STARE INTO THE DARKNESS, YOU STARE IT DOWN. >> THAT'S TRUE. KRISTEN, I HAVE TO SAY THAT BECAUSE WE THE WOMEN OF IRAN, WOMEN OF AFGHANISTAN, WE EXPERIENCE A LOT OF DARKNESS, YOU KNOW, A LOT OF DARKNESS. IMAGINE, YOU HAVE BEAUTIFUL HAIR. BEFORE COMING HERE, HOW MUCH TIME YOU SPENT TO MAKE YOUR HAIR BEAUTIFUL. YOU USE MIRROR HERE IN AMERICA. WE USE MIRROR TO MAKE OURSELVES THE ONES THAT WE WANT TO BE. >> I WANT IT TALK ABOUT THE FACT THAT FOR YOU, IN ADDITION TO THE DEFIANCE THAT YOU FELT WHEN YOU WERE A YOUNG GIRL WHEN YOU WERE A TEENAGER, YOU STARTED WRITING ABOUT YOUR OPPOSITION TO SOME OF WHAT YOU SAW AS THE OPPRESSION BY THE IRANIAN GOVERNMENT. AND YOU WERE ACTUALLY ARRESTED FOR IT WHEN YOU WERE A TEENAGER. WHAT WAS THAT LIKE TO BE GOING UP AGAINST THE GOVERNMENT, ARRESTED AT SUCH A YOUNG AGE? >> I WAS ONLY 19 YEARS OLD. AND I WAS PREGNANT WHEN I WAS ACTUALLY INVOLVED IN ACTIVITIES, JUST SPREADING PAMPHLETS AROUND AGAINST THE GOVERNMENT. WHEN I GOT ARRESTED AND I FOUND THAT I WAS PREGNANT I WAS LIKE, THIS IS THE END OF MY LIFE. AGAIN, ANOTHER DARKNESS IN MYSELF. >> IT SOUNDS LIKE YOU FOUND A LOT OF STRENGTH IN YOUR PAIN, IN THOSE MOMENTS WHEN YOU DID FEEL AFRAID AS A YOUNGER WOMAN. >> YEAH, BECAUSE THEY MANAGED TO PUT THE FEAR INSIDE US. BUT WHEN I SEE NOW, THEY ARE SCARED OF POWERFUL WOMEN LIKE ME, I WAS LIKE YES. I DON'T CARRY ANY WEAPONS. 45 KILOS, NO GUNS AND BULLETS WITH ME, BUT THE GOVERNMENT, THEY HAVE GUNS AND BULLETS. THEY'RE TRYING TO MAKE NUCLEAR BOMBS. THEY DO EVERYTHING. THEY CAN KILL AND EXECUTE INNOCENT PEOPLE. WITH THAT POWER, MONEY, PRISON, ALL THE STATE MEDIA, THEY'RE SCARED OF ME. WHY? BECAUSE MY WEAPON IS MY SOCIAL MEDIA. MY WEAPON IS MY WORDS. AND THAT SHOWS YOU THAT MY WEAPON IS MORE POWERFUL THAN THEIR VOICE. THAT'S WHY THEY WANTED TO GET RID OF ME. >> LET'S TALK ABOUT HOW YOU RECENTLY USED YOUR VOICE, YOUR WEAPON AS YOU SAY TO SPEAK OUT IN THE WAKE OF THE TRAGIC DEATH OF MAHSA AMINI. 22 YEARS OLD, SHE DIED IN THE CUSTODY OF POLICE FOR THEY SAY IMPROPERLY WEARING THE HIJAB. IT PROMPTED PROTESTS THROUGHOUT IRAN. YOU HIGHLIGHTED THOSE PROTESTS. WHAT DO YOU THINK CAME OF THAT MOMENT? >> YOU KNOW, I STILL CANNOT BELIEVE THAT IN 21st CENTURY, MAHSA AMINI, THEN DOZENS OF OTHER WOMEN GOT KILLED FOR THE CRIME OF SHOWING THEIR HAIR, BURNING THEIR HEAD SCARVES. I CANNOT BELIEVE IT THAT RIGHT NOW THAT I'M SITTING WITH YOU THAT THEY'RE DOING THAT TO IRANIAN WOMEN. YES, IT CREATED A HUGE ANGER AMONG IRANIAN MEN AND WOMEN, SHOULDER TO SHOULDER, THEY TOOK TO THE STREETS. THEY STARTED TO SAY WE WANT AN END FOR THIS BARBARISM, AND I BELIEVE THE FLAME OF THE REVOLUTION IS BURNING, MAYBE YOU DON'T SEE IT ON CNN, MSNBC, FOX NEWS, CHANNEL 4, BBC, BUT I SEE THAT THE NUMBER OF WOMEN WHO, YOU KNOW, PRACTICE THEIR CIVIL DISOBEDIENCE INCREASE FOR SURE. >> YOU ARE SAYING YOU THINK THAT THERE WILL STILL BE CHANGE IN THE WAKE OF THE DEATH OF MAHSA AMINI BECAUSE WE HAVE NOT SEEN THAT YET, AND SOME PEOPLE LOOK AT THE PROTESTS AND WONDER WHY WASN'T THERE REFORM IN THE WAKE OF THOSE PROTESTS, IN THE WAKE OF ALL OF THOSE VOICES COMING TOGETHER. >> YOU KNOW WHY? BECAUSE I HAVE TO SAY THAT THE LEVEL OF THE BRUTALITY IS VERY HIGH, BUT LET'S BE VERY HONEST. REVOLUTION HAVE DIFFERENT FACES IN MANY COUNTRIES IN THE HISTORY. IT TOOK, YOU KNOW, YEARS, SO THAT'S WHY I HAVE TO SAY THE ISLAMIC REPUBLIC TOOK EVERYTHING AWAY FROM US, OUR FAMILY, OUR DIGNITY, OUR HOMELAND, OUR FREEDOM, EVERYTHING. BUT NOT HOPE. NOT HOPE. THAT'S WHY I BELIEVE THAT SOONER OR LATER, WE WILL BRING THIS REGIME DOWN, AND I'M GOING TO INVITE YOU TO MY BEAUTIFUL COUNTRY. YOU'RE GOING TO LOVE FREEDOM AND A BEAUTIFUL HOMELAND WITHOUT THIS BARBARIC TELLING YOU WHAT TO WEAR, HOW TO BEHAVE, HOW TO THINK, YOU KNOW, THEY DON'T EVEN ALLOW YOU TO DANCE, TO HAVE A NORMAL LIFE. SO I STILL HAVE HOPE BECAUSE THE NEW GENERATION HAS NOTHING TO LOSE. >> YOUR MOM IS OBVIOUSLY A HUGE PART OF YOUR LIFE, AND I CAN FEEL AND SEE THE EMOTION WHEN YOU TALK ABOUT THE FACT THAT YOU HAVEN'T SEEN HER FOR MORE THAN 13 YEARS NOW. IS THAT IN SOME WAYS THE CRUELLEST PART OF ALL OF THIS FOR YOU? >> THAT'S MY WEAKNESS. DO YOU HAVE A PICTURE OF MY MOM? SHE'S VERY BRAVE AND SHE'S MY HERO. SHE'S NOT EVEN ABLE TO READ AND WRITE, BUT SHE IS A TRUE FEMINIST, AND SHE TOLD ME HOW TO BE STRONG, AND IT'S NOT EASY FOR ME TO BE AWAY FROM MY MOM. I'M VERY SORRY. >> NOTHING TO BE SORRY FOR. TAKE YOUR TIME. >> I WAKE UP EVERY DAY OUT OF FEAR OF LOSING HER WITHOUT BEING ABLE TO HUG HER. AND THIS IS THE SITUATION OF MILLIONS OF IRANIAN PEOPLE, LIVING IN EXILE OR INSIDE IRAN, THIS IS THE GOVERNMENT. THEY RUINED FAMILIES. MANY FAMILIES. BUT I HAVE HOPE. I HAVE HOPE. I'M NOT SURE WHETHER I HAVE HOPE OR WHETHER I CAN SEE HER OR NOT. BUT YEAH, IT IS PAINFUL. >> AND JUST FINALLY, WHAT WOULD YOUR MOM SAY IF SHE WERE SITTING HERE WITH US TODAY, ABOUT THIS MOMENT, ABOUT YOUR STRUGGLE AND FIGHT FOR WOMEN ALL OVER THIS WORLD? >> SHE WOULD BE PROUD OF ME BECAUSE SHE KNOWS THAT I'M STILL FIGHTING AGAINST THE DARKNESS. MY MOM TOLD ME THAT INSTEAD OF BEING SCARED OF THE DARKNESS, JUST OPEN YOUR EYES AS WIDE AS YOU CAN. THE DARKNESS WILL DISAPPEAR. AS A KID, I THOUGHT THAT WAS A FACT. AND I USED TO OPEN MY EYES AS WIDE AS I COULD, BUT NOW I BELIEVE THAT ALL WOMEN IN IRAN, AFGHANISTAN, ACROSS THE GLOBE, WE MUST DO THAT. WE MUST OPEN OUR EYES AS WIDE AS WE CAN. WE HAVE TO STARE INTO THE DARKNESS. WE HAVE TO GET SHOULDER TO SHOULDER AND FIGHT AGAINST THIS BARBARIC WHO ARE KILLING US. MY MOM WOULD BE PROUD OF ME. >> THERE'S NO DOUBT ABOUT THAT. ALINIJAD SAIDS IN THE NEW YEAR HER GOAL IS TO TAKE DIRECTLY TO THE WHITE HOUSE AND MEET WITH PRESIDENT BIDEN. CONSIDER GIVING TO THE NATIONAL MULTIPLE SCLEROSIS SOCIETY, MATERNITY CARE COALITION OR THE COMMITTEE TO PROTECT JOURMISTS. THAT IS ALL FOR TODAY. THANK YOU VERY MUCH FOR WATCHING. WE WANT TO WISH YOU A VERY MERRY CHRISTMAS. WE'LL BE BACK NEXT WEEK BECAUSE IF IT'S SUNDAY. IT'S "MEET THE PRESS."
