Hey everybody. This is Melissa Harris Perry, host of the takeaway. Now, as we end our show this

week on June 2nd, we've been showing appreciation and paying tribute to our production crew,

our control team, our engineers, our interns, you,

and some other folks.

I mean, it is truly a team that makes the takeaway every day.

And every single person plays a critical part.

Sometimes the work that folks are doing isn't on the on-air product, but instead they're

taken care of their teammates, keeping schedules and vacations and sick days in check,

organizing travel for me and for producers to talk with communities outside of our offices. Making

sure subscriptions are covered and logistics

are squared away, just all the jobs and tasks that are absolutely necessary to keeping a daily

news operation, well, operational. For us, someone who is a critical part of that team,

someone we simply couldn't do our jobs without

is our longtime executive assistant, David Gable. This is David. Now, David is literally

the kindest person you could even imagine. He's lived, it feels like, sometimes, a lot of different lifetimes,

which makes sense, since he's an actor, a pro on the silver screen.

He has a magnificent voice with impeccable delivery.

The majority of human beings are not yet human beings at all, but simply machines

for the creating of wealth for others. His baking ingenuity is renowned in this industry,

which trust us, runs mostly on sweets and caffeine. A total mench. Always eager with a warm greeting and an inquisitive mind.

David makes you feel believed in, seen, listened to. He's a driving force of good morale for us, and he just always has been.

Last year in the thick of the pandemic, I took myself on a little solo hiking trip weekend

...