[salsa music playing on radio]
[Isabel chuckles]
[DJ Guapo] That salsa goes out to Aaron Shore,
-the proud son of Mexico nominated-- -[DJ Alto] Hold up, 'mano.
I've never seen him in the parranda, and suddenly he's a proud son of Mexico?
-He's never stood with the Mexican-- -[radio turns off]
[Isabel] Sorry, baby. That's shitty.
I've heard worse. [sighs]
Just don't let it derail you.
-Hold still. -What do you mean?
I'm just saying, don't rice-and-beans it. Are you going gray?
I won't pretend I know what you're talking about. Stop it.
When we first started dating, you said you didn't like rice and beans
'cause everyone expected you to eat that.
This looks gray.
No, it's not.
Then I made you my arroz con habichuela and you ate that shit up.
It was good. What do you want me to do?
It was rice and beans.
Okay, what are you getting at?
Don't not do something good
because you're worried about being stereotyped.
Like, say, pushing immigration reform at your interviews this week.
Because all Mexicans want to talk about is immigration.
-That's very woke of you, Boricua. -[speaking Spanish]
Very funny, old man.
Who are you calling "old man," Granny?
You, old man.
[both chuckle]
-[knock on door] -[Russell] Sorry, Mr. President.
You told me to update you if things got worse?
It's all right, Russell. What's up?
Teachers in Ohio and Pennsylvania just went on strike.
That makes eight districts in three states.
Well, that's one way to welcome the kids back.
What are their demands?
Money for textbooks and supplies and a 10% salary increase.
When are negotiations set for?
Both sides are refusing to come back to the table.
And the day begins.
-Have Harper meet me in the Oval. -[Russell] Yes, sir.
These things are fucking impossible.
[theme music playing]
I'm gonna have nightmares of that man
chasing me through the West Wing with talking points.
All the more reason to stay in shape.
-Round is a shape. -You're not round.
So what do you think I should get her?
What? I thought her birthday was months ago.
Yeah, but I missed so many of them. And the last one was her 21st.
So, get her a shot glass.
Is that a fatherly gift?
Oh, my God. You're overthinking this, sperm daddy.
So, what's it like having vice-presidential candidate Aaron Shore
in your communications portfolio?
Hmm. It's kinda fun telling him what to do,
but I can't tell if Lorraine is punishing me or starting to trust me.
You control the narrative. Remember that.
We are as gods that way.
[Mars] First off, Seth, if I have talking points,
I won't chase you down. You're coming to me.
Secondly, Lorraine is punishing you. She's punishing all of us.
And, thirdly, get the girl a simple gift.
-Like socks? -[Mars] Oh, look.
There we go. More teachers just walked out.
Your godliness needs to control the narrative.
I'm telling you, nightmares.
Speaking of, did you ever open that envelope
with the DNA cancer test results thingy?
I don't wanna talk about it.
-[Seth] Just keep me posted, okay? -Yeah.
[breathing heavily]
[Aaron] Come on, slowpoke.
[Isabel speaking Spanish]
-Oh, what's all this? -Some pictures my mom sent.
Lorraine said they'd make me look more relatable.
-I gotta take them in. -No.
Not before I get a chance to look at them.
-Cute. -God.
-Come on, slowpoke. -Hey.
A week's negotiation, shot.
Moss is calling for the governors to break the strikes.
Lock out teachers, bring in the scabs...
[Tom] Son of a bitch is acting like he's already been elected.
Republicans control the governorships in most of the striking states.
No doubt he's dangling cabinet positions for their loyalty.
He said he'd bring in the National Guard if he were president.
Thank God he's not. What about Porter?
"You're a divisive president
presiding over the downfall of education in the United States."
So says the billionaire
whose chemical refinery workers are paid starvation wages.
[Mars] Here we go. Four more districts have gone on strike. Total of 12.
Same demands. Living wage and school supplies.
When did that become a radical demand?
When we started to demonize unions instead of people like Porter.
I want direct lines to every governor who's got a strike on their hands.
-It'll be on your desk when you get back. -Thank you.
[man] They're coming out!
Mr. Shore, are rumors of your engagement true?
-You picked a date yet? -[Aaron] What?
[Isabel] What's she doing here?
-Are you planning to resign... -[Aaron] No idea.
...to help your fiancé on the campaign trail?
-Excuse me? -[reporters clamoring]
What the hell was that?
Someone posted on Reddit that they saw you propose last night.
Since when does CNBS follow rumors posted on online forums?
It's the Internet, sweetie. I can't predict what rises to the top.
How'd you know to come riding to our rescue, then?
Oh, Aaron, I like her. She's smart and unrelenting.
Okay, I didn't start the rumor,
but I did ensure that it made it into a few select inboxes.
Why would you do that?
Hey, everyone loves romance, and it's great publicity.
-[Aaron] Lorraine-- -[Lorraine] That reminds me.
Our press team is arguing about what to call you.
-Hispanic? Chicano? Latino? -Don't use "Hispanic."
Um, "Latinx" is on the rise, but--
I don't like labels, all right?
In any case, I'd be a Tejano.
My mom's family's been in Texas since before it was Texas.
So far, we have dead birds in Florida,
a DIY biolab scrubbed clean in Cambridge,
a flu outbreak in Toronto and a missing nurse.
FBI's still running aliases.
Yeah. This is the strain that we found in the dead birds in Florida,
and this is the strain we found in Toronto.
They're different strains, but they've both been manipulated.
The Florida flu contains gene sequences from smallpox.
The Toronto flu has sequences I can't identify.
Someone is messing with flu strains, seeing what sticks.
So, what's your next move?
The CDC's monitoring the flu outbreak, but I need a smoking gun.
This smoking enough for you?
Health Department reports on a flu outbreak.
-Check out the letterhead. -[Hannah] Tampa?
-The birds. -This time, it's people.
You're up five points since the unconvention.
You're welcome, by the way.
He's the one that gave the speech.
[Lorraine] Colorado's looking really good.
And Aaron has put New Mexico and Nevada into play.
And Aaron is a son of Texas.
Yeah, but we need this to reflect reality, Mr. President.
-The next thing on our agenda-- -[Tom] Can we use this recent bump
to our advantage in dealing with these teachers' strikes?
You know I can't weigh in on official USG business.
When has that ever stopped you?
Fine.
Education doesn't motivate voters, so just say you support it and move on.
And as to the strike, do something that makes Porter look like a hypocrite,
and Moss look like an unfeeling asshole.
Okay, I need you to approve our advertising budget.
I told you I had some thoughts on that.
The president is a very busy man--
We're overspending on our TV budget.
-We need ads. -Just give me a minute.
We need ads, but nobody's watching TV commercials anymore.
And since we need to get the biggest bang for our buck,
we should cut our TV budget and triple our online spending.
That, actually, is not a bad idea.
Thank you.
I've been speaking with Dontae Evans, the man behind the Kirkman Listens videos,
and we've come up with a plan. He's right outside.
[Tom] I know who he is. Bring him in.
Dontae, the president would like to speak with you.
Dontae, nice to see you. What have you got?
I want to do a viral video of you, sir. Tell the public your story.
The public knows my story.
Yes, sir, but they don't know you. The man inside the job.
And once they do, they won't want anyone else to do it.
Think about it, sir. A day in the life of the president.
I can start filming right now.
Okay, okay.
[cell phone chimes]
[mariachi music playing]
Shit.
[door opens]
Hey.
POTUS updated me on the Syria project.
Here's my timeline.
I already cleared a timeline with him. He didn't mention?
Oh.
So you coordinated with the State Department, DHS?
-Yeah. -Commerce?
Not yet, why?
Are you prepped for this meeting with the Turkish delegation tomorrow?
Mars, take a seat.
Okay, look, this VP nod is a big deal, and I wouldn't be here
if you hadn't taken a young poli-sci major and kicked his ass
into the savvy political mind you see before you. So, thank you.
I'm actually not bringing alcohol into the home right now.
-Lynn just got back from rehab. -Shit.
I'm... I'm sorry.
-How's she doing? -She's fine.
You want to thank me?
Get the Turks to agree to talk with the Kurds.
It's all set for tomorrow. My deputy--
Your deputy? I thought these were your negotiations.
My campaign rollout's this week, so I delegated--
Let's get one thing straight. You are still national security advisor.
You and Lorraine can play telenovela VP on your own time.
This is your top priority, not something you delegate.
Got it?
-Yeah, I got it. -[door closes]
[Lorraine] You have the College Powered event at 4:00.
I'll be there unless the negotiations start up again.
No, you're getting face time with some obscenely rich foundation folk.
-We're not taking PACs. -Foundations are not PACs.
Dark money is better?
These rich foundation folk are just going to pressure him
to sign their nondisclosure bill.
I'm vetoing that bill, Emily.
Shouldn't we be focusing on the teachers' strike?
[Lorraine] Ditching an educational fundraiser
at which you're the guest of honor is just terrible optics.
Again, this is a very exclusive event for an educational foundation
whose guests have paid big bucks for a photo op with the president.
Maybe you'll get some ideas on how to handle the walkouts.
Sure, because billionaires understand what the working people need.
Could we not fight in front of the kids?
[Tom] Calm down, you two. Dontae, keep rolling.
I'll simply be sharing the celebrity of the presidency with them.
If you don't mind, excuse me.
[Hannah] Dianne got the Tampa Health Department
to set us up with a lab.
She'll fly down to debrief us.
[Eli] Still wish we could've driven. Planes are breeding grounds for disease.
This doomsday disease obsession you have can't be healthy.
We do have antibiotics and vaccines.
A single cough spreads half a million virus particles.
Put a coughing person on a plane with recycled air,
it becomes an incubator.
Infected passengers fly from San Francisco to London, maybe.
Along the way, they infect others who are flying to Vancouver or Nairobi.
And soon, the world is gripped by a plague from which we'll never recover.
-We'll rent a car on the way back. -Thank you.
Lorraine. It's been ages.
[Lorraine] I wanted to apologize for this morning.
[Isabel] What's done is done.
I had the campaign reach out and squash the rumors.
-What is this? -A coat.
It converts into a sleeping bag.
I have a grantee that's employing homeless women to make them.
And we have a press event tomorrow,
-so if you'll excuse me-- -Who do you have coming?
Uh, so far, I have a local newspaper and some online bloggers.
Oh. That's nice.
What do you want, Lorraine?
[Lorraine] Hang on.
[door closes]
-I'm here about your mother. -What about my mother?
Her involvement with the Puerto Rican wing of the Black Panthers.
The Young Lords? [chuckles] They were a separate group.
Both involved in controversial activities.
Yeah, they both ran free breakfast programs.
And carried guns.
To the Moss crowd, brown people with guns equals scary, scary terrorists.
My mom helped them organize free community events.
She made clothes and taught kids to read out of a church basement.
A church that her little group took by force after trashing city offices.
That's not the whole story.
That's the part people will care about.
Who? Who's going to care? I'm just Aaron's girlfriend.
No, you are the campaign's girlfriend.
And with widow Kirkman off the market,
you're gonna be one of the most scrutinized women in America come fall.
I'm not interested in being a prop.
No, you got it backwards.
I can make sure you're never overlooked again.
As long as I...
Tone down your activist tendencies. Don't call attention to your mom's past.
You want me to denounce my mother.
Your event tomorrow, this thing...
How'd you like for that to be covered by every media outlet in the country?
I like you. I really do.
And I see what you're doing here, breaking into that boys' club.
I want to help you, but I can't unless you help yourself.
That's cool.
An update on the meeting
with the Turkish foreign minister for Aaron.
-I'll take a look. -I said for Aaron.
Aaron's booked tomorrow. I'm covering it.
When did you two last speak?
He briefed me ten minutes ago. Why?
Six more districts are striking.
That's 18 districts in 15 states, nearly a third of the country.
It's time for a charm offensive.
Bring the press in, tell the teachers' side of the story.
I'll man the bully pulpit.
-Your veto statements? -On my desk.
Right now, the strike is the priority.
-Mars, I don't have a lot of time. -I'll be brief.
-[Tom] Aaron, is this your new detail? -Sir, Agent Troy Baye.
-Don't let anything happen to him. -Will do, Mr. President.
I was talking to Mr. Shore, son.
[Mars] No.
I'm concerned about Aaron's bandwidth.
I'd like to take him off the Syria negotiations.
[Tom] I gave him the project.
If he's gonna delegate responsibilities--
Aaron's in charge. I need you to help me man the phones,
stop the governors from doing something stupid.
We need to get the districts to give ground.
Can you get your mind off of Syria long enough to do that?
Aye, aye, captain.
Can I have the governor of Ohio, please?
Megan, do you really want to spend the next six weeks
defending voting yourselves raises while students go without textbooks?
Mr. Speaker, I'm sorry. Can you give me a second?
I need to talk to my press secretary.
[softly] One, two, three...
I've just been given a list of everything
that you've been willing to pay for aside from our children's education.
Teachers are working two, three jobs just to stay afloat.
You've got students wearing jackets in their classrooms
because you refuse to fix the heat, and you're worried about my optics?
It's all about optics.
Interview some teachers. Put a human face on it.
I can get you face time.
I don't give a damn. Do your job and get your teachers back to work.
I'd owe you.
Screw that.
Sorry, Dontae. Not exactly riveting stuff.
It's fascinating, sir.
[chuckles] So, what do you think about the governors?
I think they're fine, sir.
I like to think I'm someone who is comfortable
surrounding himself with people who say what's on their mind.
It's just they're all missing the point.
They're giving bullshit platitudes. Oh, God--
It's fine. It's fine. I'm the president, not your grandmother.
I just mean...
How many of these governors have been to a public school in the last ten years?
My school had 15-year-old textbooks held together by duct tape.
And my teachers were warriors.
They fought every day to give us a future.
Exactly.
My mother was a history teacher.
She would come home with mounds of reports to read, tests to grade.
Some of the kids in her class came from families with no money,
so she would make them lunches so they'd have something to eat.
I once asked her why she did all that.
She just smiled and said, "That's what teachers do."
Ain't no more noble profession.
Wait, could you repeat that?
I'm sorry, I'm only good on the first take.
All right, sir.
Tell me about your dad.
My dad.
My father was a contractor.
[cell phone chimes]
[cell phone chiming]
-[knock on door] -Yeah?
-Lorraine wants to see you. -Right.
Thanks, Kayla.
Thank you.
Hi. Aaron's numbers. His likability is through the roof.
[Lorraine] Good, but we have a problem.
Aaron's vetters have found some banking irregularities.
Consistent payments a few years back to a woman named Mariluz Santiago.
I need you to make sure they're not child support payments.
Isn't that what vetters are for?
I need the stuff that lawyers can't find. You know him. You fucked him.
-No, I didn't, actually. -Really?
You let that get by you? Ouch.
-Gotta be a regret. -Lorraine--
But, still, you have access, darling. Use it.
I'm not gonna betray Aaron.
You'd be betraying him and your boss if you didn't do your job
and get in front of this scandal.
All right, let's start at the top floor.
[knock on door]
Shawn Green?
You look a little under the weather there.
Buenos días. [coughing]
How long have you had these symptoms?
-[Hannah] And how long have you felt bad? -Since Mom got sick.
-Your mommy's sick, too? -Mmm-hmm.
[Hannah] Have you had any unusual visitors lately?
[coughing]
No one except you.
Hi, Mr. Sa Pham? We're from the Tampa Health Services.
We heard you've been sick lately.
-[speaking Vietnamese] -[Hannah] Uh...
[in Vietnamese] Sorry. How is your health?
Just a little fever.
How long?
Maybe one week?
[in English] Okay.
-[in Vietnamese] Thank you. -Thank you.
I hope you feel better.
-[sighs] -You speak Vietnamese?
[in English] I mean, barely. I spoke some with my mom.
Not anymore?
Uh, my dad didn't like us having our own little thing.
He was a real dick about it.
He didn't speak?
Oh, no. He's a WASP.
-That explains it. -Explains what?
That man and you. You have different features, different skin.
And his melanin pops in a way yours doesn't.
Well, Southeast Asians, some are light and some are dark.
Give me that list.
[Eli] Wait. Hannah.
[Hannah] Hello. Mr. Frazier?
Ms. Johnson? Tampa Health Department.
We're sorry to interrupt your day, but how have you been feeling?
The flu? Certainly not, dear. Why do you ask?
Hey. Ready to head home?
Yeah, just give me a second.
Okay.
Shit.
Could we get out of here already?
I've spent hours of my life waiting for you to finish things up.
You can wait five minutes for me.
[Isabel continues typing]
[scoffs]
-What is this? -Pedro Albizu Campos.
Puerto Rican freedom fighter?
The US imprisoned him
and did nuclear experiments on him till he died.
Those are radiation burns.
That's gotta be a conspiracy theory.
Well, google that shit.
How do you know the history of Syrian geopolitics
vis-à-vis Turkey, Russia and Iran, and you don't know about this?
Because it's not my history. I'm Mexican American.
-You wouldn't know it. -Excuse me?
I really need to finish this. Can we talk--
Just because I don't shove it in everyone's face,
doesn't make me less Latino than you.
I don't shove anything in anyone... What?
Then why would you have all this shit around, then?
Because I'm not out here trying to pretend
-I'm something I'm not. -Neither am I.
Okay, Aaron Shore.
Just take your time.
-Can we just talk about this back at-- -[door slams]
[Lorraine] I love this.
What? Begging for scraps?
No, hunting my prey.
Look at 'em. They're like fish in a barrel.
Lulled into complacency by free champagne and tiny little plates of salmon.
Ooh, it's so arousing.
Lighten up, Boy Scout. You'll get the hang of it.
-Ah. Here we go. Garrett. -Ah.
Mr. Detwiler. You've put together a lovely evening here.
Mr. President, thank you for coming.
Congratulations on your foundation. You've been doing some great things.
You found the top performers from across the country,
paying for their college educations.
I wish every student could have that advantage.
I'm more of a social Darwinist. The cream rises to the top.
-Excuse me, Mr. President. -Of course.
[Lorraine] He made his money in pharma.
He also was a huge Moss donor and worked in his administration.
Then why invite me?
You don't have to like someone to use them.
-Thank you. Right. -[Lorraine] There you go.
Let's get this over with.
-[Lorraine] Hi. -Hi.
Look, this is her bowling, on vacation...
High school graduation.
You know she can see who's creeping around her Instagram, right?
-No. Oh, God. -Yep.
[exhales]
Hey, at the risk of sounding like a broken record--
I haven't opened it. Stop asking.
You don't have to open it. It's not going to change anything.
These mutations mean that there's over a 70% chance that I'm gonna get cancer.
My mom already has it, so that makes it pretty damn certain.
Think about this rationally. You don't actually know that.
Are you kidding me right now?
If these results are positive, that means I have three options.
I can wait to get cancer,
chop off my boobs or remove my ovaries.
So, no kids, or no boobs, or both. It's a really shitty situation.
I'm sorry I'm not in the mood to make you feel better about it
by pretending like it's not.
-What the hell? -When you go to a bar,
and somebody is an asshole to you, you throw a drink in their face.
-[chuckles] You're an idiot. -Everything all right?
-No, but... -I'm gonna get going.
I've got some Netflix and chilling I've been meaning to do.
-Who's the lucky lady? -Is that what that means?
-[mouthing] -[Seth] Yeah, no, it's just me.
I'll see you kids later.
-[sighs] Do you wanna... -Yeah, let's go.
-Mr. Kenny. -Mr. President.
Tell me, is the head of every C4 Foundation across the country here?
-You're quite the draw. -Well, I'm glad to support.
Does that mean you're not vetoing our little pet bill?
No, that's not what it means.
Think about all the good that C4's are doing for the world.
All we're asking for in return is privacy.
No, what you're asking for is to hide where you spend your money
so you can buy elections without fear of reprisal.
We're talking about social welfare organizations
helping the most vulnerable in our communities,
-not Super PACs, Mr. President. -Okay.
I'll take that under advisement.
-Good to see you. -You, too.
[cell phone vibrates]
[protesters clamoring]
Shit.
So, what's going on?
I just had this stupid fight with Isabel.
It's the pressure, I guess. VP scrutiny, these engagement rumors...
All of a sudden, we're both under the microscope.
That must be hard.
Speaking of, though, something else came up under the lens. Um...
Does the name Mariluz Santiago sound familiar?
What?
Your bank statements show payments to her over the last four years,
and I need to know what to say if it comes up.
She's just an old friend.
Right, but the payments...
I helped her pay for college. What's the big deal?
What are you not telling me?
All right.
When I was 16, I visited my aunt in Juárez, just over the border,
and she took me to this meeting at her church.
And there were a lot of kids there.
When it was over, she asked me to drive some of them back with me to El Paso.
So I did.
I learned a few years later that my aunt ran this group
that would take kids away from the cartels,
and the kids I drove back with me were undocumented.
How did you even get across?
It was a different time back then.
So the woman that you've been paying--
She was someone I helped cross the border illegally.
[sighs]
Who else knows about this?
As far as I can remember, it's just me, the kids in the car,
and my aunt. She passed away.
You can't tell anybody else. This stays between you and I. Understood?
Yeah, I got it.
-[sighs] -Hey...
I got you.
Yeah.
-Welcome home. -What is goin' on?
We haven't had dinner together in a while, so I thought...
Don't get too excited. [chuckles] It's just takeout.
-How was your day? -Usual.
I called Susan, Senator Paxel's wife.
I wanted to get the Republican buzz on these walkouts.
-Moss is serious about strike-breaking. -We know.
I also called the library about maybe
volunteering for their after-school program again.
Lynn, what is this?
I made a decision in rehab.
I know what this has done to us and I'm going to make it right.
Are you?
[cell phone vibrates]
Go ahead. You can't ignore work.
Is everything all right?
[Mars] Thank you.
[knock on door]
Hey.
-Syria? -Teachers' strike?
Violence at home and abroad. Mind if I sit?
I don't see Harper around, do you?
[chuckles]
Scotch?
Sure. Why not? Thank you.
How you holding up through everything?
The negotiations will be fine.
I'm just not used to having who I am questioned on a daily basis.
I'm afraid that's only gonna get worse.
At the end of the day, all that matters is that you know who you are.
-I heard about the Moss rally. -Everyone's blaming the protesters.
They were the ones that got beat up.
Moss said it was their fault for terrorizing his rally.
Since when is protesting in support of teachers an act of terror?
Since Moss started playing to our basest nature.
Believe it or not, it actually gets votes.
-What are we gonna do, sir? -I'm not sure yet.
All I know is that the history of US labor negotiations
is littered with the bodies of the American worker,
and I have to do all I can to stop that from happening on my watch.
Unfortunately, with the violence today,
the governors are pulling back their support.
And I fear it's only a matter of time before we start having riots.
It's always about money and power, isn't it?
The event I was at tonight,
people in that room could single-handedly give the teachers everything they needed.
It's obscene, the amount of money they have.
How much would it cost to bring the teachers back to work?
Three billion dollars.
And my signature.
Excited about your press event?
Yup. Hopefully Lorraine keeps her promise.
I can see you're not planning on keeping yours.
It's just a T-shirt.
I'm just saying this event you're going to has nothing to do with the Young Lords.
Just tone it down a bit.
In what world was that the right thing to say to me?
I'm just saying don't distract from the good you're doing
to piss off Lorraine.
I gotta go.
-Nice work, Harper. -Good morning, Lorraine.
-Do you enjoy fucking up my schedule? -What do you mean?
This high-level clearance bullshit that Aaron can't tell me about
that was supposed to be handled by his deputy
until someone got their panties in a twist about it,
and now my entire afternoon is canceled.
As long as Aaron is the president's national security advisor,
I expect him to do his job, not delegate it to a secondary player.
Spoken like a glorified office manager.
I'm not the one shirking my duty for photo ops.
What is the matter, Marsy?
Oh, did you wanna be VP? I'm so sorry.
We couldn't have another boring white guy on the ticket.
Could you show some decorum, Lorraine?
I know what this is.
You are jealous. It's the end of your career.
Thirty-nine years in the wheels of the federal bureaucracy
and what do you have to show for it?
Aaron is just starting out and he's already making history.
The student has surpassed the teacher,
and you're still trying to prove that your dick is bigger.
Guess what? It never was.
Someone is targeting people with dark skin color?
[Eli] It looks that way.
How? Nobody even remembers being injected.
I have a theory.
These are melanocytes. Think of them as pigment factories.
This flu is designed to target them.
Now, the cells on the left are from healthy people.
-Okay, so everyone's sick. -No, it's a cumulative thing.
We all have melanocytes. You, me. But mine have more pigment producers.
The more you have, the darker you are, the sicker this thing makes you.
-Is there any way this is natural? -None.
There's virtually no genetic difference between people of different races,
less than 0.04%.
There is no natural way an RNA virus that selective
could be stable enough to survive.
Someone is exploiting a difference of less than 0.04%
to make certain people sick?
[Tom] Mars, I need you to reach out to Max Kenny.
[Mars] The C4 Foundation guy?
Yeah, you're gonna get him and his foundation buddies
to donate $3 billion earmarked for teachers.
-And what am I bringing to the table? -The gratitude of the president.
They're gonna want assurances that you're not vetoing their bill.
But I am vetoing their bill. Mr. Kenny needs to know that.
I'm assuming you've got the votes to support the veto.
The first thing that Lynn's father taught me to do
when I was a lowly assistant was count.
Yes, we have what we need to kill the bill.
-I need you to keep it alive. -Sorry?
Wherever you're pressured, release the screws.
You want me to make sure that the bill survives the veto?
It may not seem like it now, sir, but I think it's a very good trade.
[Isabel] We're employing 32 women in manufacturing alone.
And the government will get back the $10,000 it granted to the project,
within two years. Compare that--
-[woman] Is that Aaron? -[man 1] Aaron Shore is here.
What are you doing here?
I added it to my schedule yesterday just to make sure the press would show up.
I'm so sorry to interrupt. Ms. Pardo, please.
Is the coat you're wearing an Empowerment Plan original?
Indeed it is.
Care to demonstrate?
[Isabel] Sporty, functional.
It converts into a sleeping bag and is life-saving.
That's a really great job, Isi.
I'm so proud of you.
Your mother would be proud.
[man 2] Excuse me, Mr. Shore?
[Dianne] You're certain of this?
On a hunch, I re-checked the samples from our bird friends
and discovered a similar pigment-targeting mechanism.
Why it was only targeting red birds.
Are you familiar with eugenics?
Yeah. Hitler, Nazi Germany.
And Long Island. And an American doctor, Charles Davenport.
He studied heredity, badly.
He's the father of a scientific movement that promoted the idea
of racial genetic superiority, very popular at the time.
Fans included Madison Grant and Dr. John Kellogg--
-The cornflakes guy? -Yes.
And Hitler, who used Davenport's work as a blueprint.
-Not our proudest export. -But one of our more enduring.
-Take apartheid, South Africa. -Project Coast, the bioweapons program?
Yes. I was assigned to the team to monitor Project Coast.
They were researching ways to genetically target black South Africans
with lethal diseases.
-Did they succeed? -No, thank God.
But their work, like Davenport's, continues to inspire.
-[Stephanie] Sorry, orientation ran late. -There she is.
Don't worry about it, kiddo.
-Uh, orientation? -Yeah, I'm leading a group of freshmen.
Hey, that's great.
Oh. Um, I know it was just your birthday, so...
Oh, you didn't have to.
I know, but I wanted to.
If you open it...
Those are my biological parents.
I was adopted, so I never knew them.
And my parents, my real parents,
my adopted parents, whatever, they're great, but...
I thought it's good to know where we come from.
Yeah.
Try it on.
[chuckles]
I also thought I could take you to a concert.
That seems like a good 21-year-old thing to do.
Um, yeah. That's great, Seth. Thanks.
I'm sorry, I actually have an early morning.
So, um, what do I owe you for the drink?
Oh. No, don't worry about it. You can just get the next one.
All right.
I guess I'll see ya.
-Okay. -Okay.
-Bye. -Bye.
[Emily] Thank you.
Hey.
I hear the teachers are going back to work.
Temporary fix. Once I'm elected, we can do some real good.
That'll be a nice change.
Excuse me?
You said you weren't gonna take their money.
But I guess if Lorraine thinks it's okay--
-It wasn't her idea. -That's worse.
What the hell do you expect me to do? Sit here and do nothing?
You took dark money.
For teachers! Not for my campaign.
-This time. -[knock on door]
Mr. President, just got back from the Hill.
-You're good to go ahead. -[Tom] Thank you.
What the hell's going on?
You're picking fights with Lorraine, with me. Have we got a problem?
You didn't ask me here to be your yes-man.
At least tell me you're still vetoing the non-disclosure bill.
[Tom sighs]
-You told me you would veto that. -Yes, I'm going to veto it!
Of course you are.
Now that Harper's checked with the Hill
to make sure they have the votes to override you.
Man, that's...
[breathes deeply]
that's really great politics.
You know what, Emily? It's been a long day. Good night.
-[moaning] -[bed creaking]
[both breathing heavily]
[both laugh]
Damn, that was necessary.
Truth. [chuckles]
-Sounds like you had a day. -Yeah, I just filmed some stuff.
You talked education policy with the president.
You affected his decisions.
-Now that is some sexy ass shit. -[laughing]
-[Dontae] Okay. -Nope.
-[exhales] -Uh-uh.
-I gotta pee. -I'm not done kissing you yet.
-[both laughing] -Fuck, you're crazy.
I like you.
You don't know me.
You'd be surprised at what the US Secret Service knows.
[both laughing]
Is this gonna be like a...
Is this gonna be a thing at work?
Oh, definitely.
For real, though, you...
You're smart.
And you're sexy.
What more do I need to know?
[sobbing]
I did some old-fashion horse-trading on the Hill today.
-[Lynn] You always were a fixer. -I felt young again.
Reminded me that I'm good at my job.
-[chuckles] Was that ever in question? -Lorraine said something today.
-That I'm jealous of Aaron. -It's only natural.
He worked so closely with Kirkman, all that access. He used to have your job.
-I'm not jealous of Aaron. -Of course not.
This administration's a great third act for you.
I'm gonna wanna stay on if he gets elected.
Don't you want to get started on that book you always wanted to write?
You said I was a good editor. We could work on it together.
We'll see.
Thank you for coming today.
Well, I'll always be there for you. You know that.
When did you change your name?
I already told you, my parents changed it--
Before you started kindergarten 'cause they wanted you to assimilate.
Why are you listed as Aaron Rivera in your sixth grade class photo, then?
I changed it in high school.
So you lied to me?
I didn't lie to you. I didn't want to get into it.
Well, you better get into it.
You remember that prep school I went to?
Yeah, full scholarship, valedictorian. It's still on your résumé.
I was the only Latino in my grade.
My classmates thought that I got in on a soccer scholarship.
They also told me that teachers would grade me easier
because they thought English was my second language.
Which it wasn't. Christ.
I remember this big Texas history test.
And I scored the highest.
And the teacher said it was because I was a descendant of Santa Anna.
[laughs]
"And remember the Alamo, kids.
You can't keep letting Mr. Rivera beat you."
You know what's wrong about it is,
they're not just saying that to be mean. They actually believe that shit.
So when it came time to apply for college, I changed my name
so there wouldn't be any more doubts,
so nobody could say I got in just because... You know...
I went to Yale, cabrón.
I had to deal with shit like that every day of my life.
"Oh, you speak such good English. Oh, you're so exotic.
Oh, you're so smart for a Puerto Rican."
-Well, you get it, then. -No!
Stupid people are going to say stupid shit
no matter how much of ourselves we amputate for them.
They're always gonna find a reason to look down on you.
I'm not gonna apologize for wanting to be judged on my own merits.
Oh, please! Don't give me that meritocracy bullshit.
Look at yourself. The European good looks, the light skin.
You think that shit didn't help you?
You want me to march around the White House
with a Young Lords T-shirt on my back, picking fights with the president?
I don't get to be an activist in this job, Isi.
[both speaking Spanish]
I've tried to be so patient with this, but that is some basic bullshit.
-You chose to pass-- -I don't pass.
Yes, yes, you really do.
Okay? And I'm not stupid. I know what I look like.
And I could have done what you did.
-But I chose not to give a fuck. -[scoffs] Okay.
I'm sorry. I feel bad for what you went through, I really do.
But the rest of us have been dealing with that shit and worse.
Well, it's on you.
I don't know what bothers me more, Aaron.
The fact that you're a liar or that you're a coward.
[cell phone ringing]
Mom, I just tried to FaceTime you.
[Carrie] I guess I must not be connected to the Internet right now.
[crying] Um... I got the results. I'm okay.
[Carrie] Thank God. I was so scared I gave this to you.
[sniffles] Are you okay?
-[Carrie] I'm fine. -Mom, really, how are you?
[Carrie] You know I hate that question.
Maybe if you trusted me to talk to your doctors,
I wouldn't have to ask.
[sniffles]
Oh, Em, it's not that I don't trust you.
I just have other plans.
[reporter on TV] Kirkman's VP pick, Aaron Shore,
spoke to Mexican American veterans today,
after a long week of campaigning.
There's been a lot of talk about me as an historic candidate,
and I appreciate what that means, the legacy that I carry on my shoulders.
But I'm not the only one making history in this election.
Over the past years, I've gotten to work closely with President Kirkman.
I've gotten to know him personally.
And I'm proud to call him a mentor and a friend.
And if there ever was an historic candidate, it's him.
And voting for him is our chance to make history.
My dad was a contractor.
I remember sometimes on the weekends, he would take me to his construction site.
The two of us would just sit there,
staring up at these giant iron and steel skeletons of buildings
that hadn't been finished.
Often, I would think about the people who'd live in those buildings,
and how those buildings would serve them.
In many ways, it's how I see America today.
Can we take the skeleton that the forefathers left us,
and make a country that serves everyone, not just a select few?
That's a good question.
[Tom on TV] I have ideas.
And if we can build on those ideas instead of tear them down,
I believe that we can make something beautiful.
Together. All of us.
Hell, I'd vote for you.
Terrific job, Dontae. Captures the big picture.
[door opens]
Mr. President, could I see you for a minute?
Mars, you just missed an amazing ad. We might win this thing.
This came in over the Internet this morning.
Something I think you need to see.
Oh, my God. What is this?
[theme music playing]