How Leslie Marshall Saved My Daughter From Certain Deportation
So my second-born daughter is studying in the UK this semester. I agreed for her to do so because she intends to become a surgeon and I thought that her ambitions would benefit from the experience. Needless-to-say, the recent London tube bombing compelled me to think otherwise as it would have many parents, I am sure.
Thankfully, for her sake, Liberal journalist and radio talk show host, Leslie Marshall, came to the rescue. She just so happened to be interviewing with me that morning. You might know Leslie from Fox News Channel, where she is a contributor, or read her in her blog at the Huffington Post. Maybe you even listen to her show - The Leslie Marshall Show - regularly.
A well-regarded pundit, Leslie and I chatted extensively about today’s political climate across the nation, around the world and more. Long story short, my daughter continues to sit, safely, alongside her peers in their classroom across the pond. And I made a new friend as well as gained an expanded perspective on all things “Trump” and associated. If you are eager to read an intelligent interview, look no further.
Share your personal mantra.
"Truth" governs all in my life. I believe I have a responsibility as a broadcaster and human being to be genuine and accurate, professionally and personally.
Share a bit about your personal background?
I am a mom of two kids - a 9 year-old daughter and a 10 year-old son. I adopted my son from Pakistan, which required me to live there for four months. That experience can only be described as Jason Bourne-esque. I’ve been married for 21 years to my husband, who is both a surgeon and a Muslim. I was born and raised in Boston to a Jewish parent and a Christian parent. That combination and my Bostonian upbringing has definitely shaped me and my views.
Why YOU versus those who want(ed) to be you?
My agent would laugh at this question as he knows that I never truly feel as if I’ve succeeded. The simple answer is, “I moved for the job. I sacrificed my personal life. And I was willing to do almost anything to achieve my goal.” In other words, when opportunity knocked, I was ready...then one break led to another.
Who does President Trump need on his team, in your opinion, that he is missing, currently? Explain?
It is not who but what. He needs a pair of ears that will listen beyond just hear. He also needs to widen his aperture to include those who don't necessarily share his views but do share his love for our nation. Without these changes, it doesn’t matter who he has on his team. Those modifications in place, I'd say, President Trump needs to begin forging strategic relationships with influencial Republicans who can keep him from reinventing the wheel and help him accomplish his agenda with the entire nation in mind.
We are currently coping with one monumental issue after another. Do you believe we are doing so because the megaphone over the current administration is just a bit louder than norm or are we truly on the brink of disaster?
I do not believe we are on the brink of disaster. We are a young country coping with big problems in the way any young and inexperienced person would do. We are also living outside our element, suffering from a diet of hype and speed. The combination is detrimental but not disastrous.
Who is the leader you most admire, currently?
Hillary Clinton, for so many reasons, including the incredibly thick skin she continues to sport among all of the bashing she takes daily.
Who is the leader who poses the most threat to this nation?
President Trump, also for so many reasons. His political inexperience; his lack of diplomacy; his anti-Muslim rhetoric...all this and more is extremely dangerous and irresponsible. Lives can be destroyed at its and his hands. We cannot forget this.
List the prominent challenges on the table in order of importance.
It changes all the time but I’d list my response in this order: North Korea, Immigration and Tax Reform.
You are a contributor to Fox News Channel. Do you believe there is a conspiracy to eliminate this network? And if so, who do you think is behind it?
No, not at all. No one is out to get Fox News, in my opinion. Just lots of opposing views happening on all sides. None of the networks are surviving unscathed.
Are kids in the United States better off growing up today than in prior times in your opinion?
Forced to choose between, I’d say, that kids in my day were much more insulated, safer, and healthier. The wonderful progress of today can not be overlooked but it also comes with a high price.
Share a social cause close to your heart.
The Women’s March, which has evolved into additional needed marches. Emily’s List is also great cause. We need to see more women in political positions. And, of course, the ACLU.
When all is said and done, how would you like to be remembered?
I would like to be remembered as a great mom, a loving wife, and a devoted daughter, sister, and friend. After that, someone people enjoyed watching on television and listening to on radio. I went into this business wanting to make a difference. Hopefully, I will leave it knowing that I have done so.
At the conclusion of our interview, Leslie Marshall thanked me for being so thoughtful in the creation of my questions. She noted that I had made her think. “Not as much as you did me,” I said to myself as we hung up the phone. My daughter’s continued presence in the UK is evidence of that fact as well as my ongoing belief that life has a way of giving you exactly what you need if you remain open and non-judgemental to all of the possibilities. If ever I needed to have that conversation it was at that particular moment for certain.
Many thanks to Leslie Marshall for making this interview possible