After giving her take on today's top news stories during her 'Ripped from the Headlines' segment, Leslie is joined by Michael Blake, Vice Chair of the DNC and New York State Assembly Member.
They discuss the looming government shutdown, the 800,000 'Dreamers' at risk of being deported, Donald Trump's first year as President, the Economy, and more.
Michael Blake was born in The Bronx, NY to Jamaican Immigrants. He is in his second term, representing the 79th District.
His mother, Hilary, overcame homelessness and Breast Cancer to work 40 years at a manufacturing plant. His father, Headly, cleaned hospital rooms and was a proud member of 1199SEIU. Blake attended New York City public schools before graduating from Northwestern University.
After a career in Journalism, Blake began his political career in the 2006 "Yes We Can" training program. He then managed three winning state legislative races in Michigan, became President Obama's 2008 Iowa Caucus Constituency vote director, and served in eight additional states, including Michigan, where his team won all seven races as part of their Coordinated campaign. Blake later served as White House Associate Director of Public Engagement and Deputy Associate Director of the Office of Intergovernmental Affairs. In, 2012 Blake was National Deputy Operation Vote Director for President Obama.
Blake sits on the board of the My Brother's Keeper Alliance, is an Honorary National Co-Chair of the New Leaders Council and in 2016 became the first sitting elected official to serve as a fellow at the Harvard University Institute of Politics.
His Twitter handle is @MrMikeBlake. The handle for the DNC is @DNC and their website is www.Democrats.org.