Hi, I'm Jonathan Kapart and welcome to Cape Up.

Congresswoman Karen Bass of California returns, this time as the new chair of the Congressional Black Caucus, and on the

eve of President Trump's declaration of a national emergency on our southern border.

We talk all about that, how her constituents went from using her as a political therapist to a band of volunteers who helped flip seven congressional seats, and how AOC, Alexandria Ocasio Cortez, reminds Bass of her younger self.

Here it all, right now.

Congresswoman Karen Bass, welcome back to Cape Up.

Thank you, good to be here.

Actually, no, let me do this again.

Chairwoman of the Congressional Black Caucus,

Congresswoman Karen Bass, welcome back to K-pop.

Thank you.

So, I mean, you've been in the role now for a few weeks.

And it's a huge leadership responsibility.

But is it even bigger than you could have

anticipated? No I think it is what I anticipated because I've been fortunate to have been on the

executive committee of the CBC for a while so I've seen a few chairs but it is

it is wonderful so far 55 members of the Black Caucus, five full committee chairs, 20 subcommittee chairs.

So the Black Caucus is the largest it's ever been and the most powerful it's ever been.

So it's very exciting.

You know, I apologize for forgetting that, and I knew this, you were on the Executive Committee

of the CBC because you were part of the leadership

team that went to the White House to meet with President Trump and there's that

...