Original subtitles

[military band music]

[Harold on speaker] I was seven years old

when I started my first business,

selling ice cream out of my father's truck.

He taught me about self...

...about identity.

I was the first person in my family to go to college.

My great-grandfather was a slave.

My grandfather and father worked at this factory

behind me for a barely livable wage.

Under the weight of Jim Crow,

Dad refused to be a victim.

I remember...

...the night my dad died...

...at peace,

because he knew

he put that fight in me.

So, who am I?

I am the architect

of my destiny,

and I wanna give every American

an opportunity to be all they can be

to make a stronger hold.

A stronger America.

A year ago, folks said this campaign didn't stand a chance,

but they forgot one thing.

This is America.

Everybody has got a chance.

You hate my cooking that much.

I got in late. I didn't wanna wake you.

Now that is the third time this week.

You know you can't push yourself too hard.

-It's part of your recovery. -What's wrong?

-Uh-uh. You know what's wrong. -What's wrong?

[chuckles softly] Boy, don't play with me.

You've never made love to a sweaty homeless man before.

-Mm. -Oh, see, you have.

-I know you dirty. Was it good? -[laughs]

-Come on. -You're a mess, okay?

Get yourself ready for breakfast, please,

so you can eat real food.

[soft tense music]

-[button clicks] -[line ringing]

[Ira] Hello. You have reached

the great and powerful Ira Goldstein.

Disregard the man behind the curtain.

-Leave a message. -[phone beeps]

Hey, it's me.

I need you to check something out for me.

I am sending it to your email now.

Thanks, bud.

Oh, and change that awful voice greeting.

[scoffs] Peace.

[Ola] The video game is way beyond you.

-Way beyond me? And so-- -Yes.

-You won't understand. -Our son is very smart.

-Apparently, I'm not ready. So, please, uh... -Yeah.

...w-- which shall we move on to?

What's the, the, the elementary subject

that you're going to bestow upon me?

Well, let's talk about football, huh?

-I don't know about that. Football? -Mom, I got practice--

Oh, no. He's got, he's got the strength. He's got it.

-You got the hands for football. -Yeah.

You're too smart for all this toast. Come on.

-That's my man. -You are shameful.

[laughs]

-Damn it. -Hmm?

Mortgage applications. The numbers don't add up.

Mm.

Mm.

-I hate you. -Dad, we still gonna get my costume after school?

Ah! I gotta work, champ. Tomorrow?

-You said that yesterday. -I know. Um--

Yeah, we need to talk about that. [clears throat]

About what?

That whole Wakandatheme.

Maria, it is just a birthday party.

Really?

Wonder Woman fought the Hun.

Captain America, the Nazis.

Iron man, basically Al-Qaeda.

But the Negroes?

Nah, we ain't fighting British colonizers,

American slavers, Portuguese, French, nope.

-We're fighting ourselves. -It's just a movie.

Wakanda can cure a spinal injury in a day

but can't help Africans right next to them.

Cure malaria, yellow fever, typhoid, sickle cell, HIV.

And where were y'all during slavery and colonialism?

Oh, we hiding. We don't wanna change our way of life.

[scoffs] And when you do reveal yourselves,

you give your tech to the UN, not Africa.

Or God forbid, you make your own Vibranium bad currency

and wipe away African debt.

But Killmonger is the bad guy because he's specifically fighting for Black folks,

and to a child, he's a hero because he's talking Kumbaya?

It made a billion dollars.

For who?

[sighs]

You wanna do Star Warsthis year instead?

-[phone vibrates] -You can meet Lando.

-Shit. -Dad, no cursing.

-That's 50 cents. -Ah, come on.

Extortion. [clears throat]

But I got you a dollar, mm, so I got credit.

All right, champ.

-Have a good day. -Mm-hmm. Hmm.

[sighs]

-Ha. Come on now. -Oh, see?

-Snap. [laughs] -That's why I don't need to do Wakanda.

-"Wakanda forever." -Yeah, like he said, "Wakanda forever."

-Sit down and eat your breakfast. -[Femi] That's my boy.

[chuckles] Goodbye. We love you.

-Love you too. -Bye.

[soft tense music]

[woman on radio] I mean, I just wanna know where he got

almost 40 million in campaign financing

before declaring he was even running.

[man on radio] You're not implying that the super PAC,

the board chairmanship of which he resigned the day before he announced,

might be coordinating with the campaign, are you?

[woman chuckles] This is crazy.

Where's the regulation?

We got dark money flooding in from everywhere,

-and-- -[man] So, if he wins the nomination,

you won't watch his acceptance speech?

[woman] Ugh. I just threw up in my mouth, America.

Everyone's for sale.

I'm telling you, it's the end of days.

Over.

[military band music]

[background chatter]

-Should we go-- -Excuse me. These were for yesterday

-Oh, my goodness. I am so sorry. -No worries.

-Good morning. Thank you so much. -No problem.

[mouthing] Thank you.

Yes, I know it's a lot of money.

No, no, there are no limits.

You're not donating directly to the campaign.

[stutters] Hold on.

Our manager just walked in. How about I transfer you?

All right.

Mr. Bergson, worried about IRS.

Got him for 75,000. You're the manager.

Mr. Bergson, how are you?

I hear you're having some concerns

regarding your very generous contribution.

[Ali] You were there? You were at the game?

How did-- That's awesome.

Uh, yeah. Got you down for 150.

Forwarding over the forms for the wire transfer right now.

It's the Johnson Amendment. You're a church, so we can't take your money.

[chuckles] Yes, it's a lot.

[pen clicking]

[background chatter continues]

Boy, you got the whole shooting match here, huh?

Don't mind me. I'm just making my rounds.

I envy you, you know.

Enthusiasm.

Says the man who's never worked a losing campaign in 30 years.

You wanna know the secret?

Never choose from here.

Maybe that's the problem, Fred.

May I?

Sure.

Good morning-- Thank you. You're a lifesaver.

Cancel my 10:15 call, okay? Maybe reschedule it to 2:00.

Hey, Aggie.

Have you looked in a mirror?

I need to talk to you.

-We have a team meeting. -I need to talk to you.

[sighs]

I've been analyzing contributions to our super PAC

and created an algorithm to track where we should focus our fundraising.

And it's working. You've blown through our projections.

I'd love to take credit, but not this time.

Uh, we've had a massive spike in donations

from Independence.NYC and Future Moving Frontiers,

the nonprofit social welfare groups we've been working with.

I wanted to know why their input to our super PAC

had quadrupled over the last six months.

So, I checked out their donation reports.

-[scoffs] -What?

I had the time. Check it.

I started to see patterns in the individual donations.

-Patterns? -Addends.

Uh, combinations of numbers.

Uh, see these highlighted ones?

They're all addends of the same number.

What number?

Eighty-eight.

That's why you dragged me here?

[sighs] Look, uh, I know you said

to these nonprofits to get around the FEC.

-It's the game. I get it. -[sighs]

These, these are contributions

into Independence.NYC and Future Moving Frontiers over the last six months.

Now, take this donation and add the digits

taking the cents as a two-digit number.

Seven, nine, five, sixty-seven.

Seven and nine is sixteen.

-Eighty-eight. -And look, hundreds of donations a day for, for months.

Each adding up to 88, just different permutations.

[sighs]

Whoever's doing this,

they're masking their donations through the nonprofits,

packaging them and then sending them to us as larger sums.

We, we don't care about the original source,

and the nonprofits don't have to report to the FEC

due to their 501[c][4] status.

-Are you taking the team meeting? -Yeah, I'll be right there.

I swiped your keys this morning, by the way.

Yeah, I know.

Hi, how are you?

-Could these numbers be coincidence? -[exhales]

75% of the funds in our accounts

are packages from Independence.NYC and Future Moving Frontiers.

Packages containing these coded donations.

Let me call the guys over there. Just give them a heads-up.

Hey, I gave you a chance when no one else would.

Please don't make me look like an asshole.

[stutters]

[soft triumphant music]

Good morning, everyone.

This is it, folks. Almost a year of work.

But a month from now,

the train leaves the station in Iowa.

[applause]

[softly] New guys.

I see we have some new faces.

This is Fred Fowlkes, my new deputy executive director.

He's run too many campaigns to mention,

and he is a fantastic resource.

Sahar is our committee research director.

She's also my wife. So, if you see her on a mad rant at me, it's all love.

Femi Jackson, our financial director.

I'm sure the other veterans will make you feel welcome,

so you can hit the ground running.

I spent, um, two decades in advertising.

So, I've created a space that will inspire,

and our staff reflects our diverse ethos.

We even have an atheist.

She's the one with the ad agency,

-and I'm the atheist, right? -[chuckles]

[laughter]

We are one USA.

We have raised more money faster

than any other Democratic super PAC this election cycle,

and we won't slow down until Harold Roundtree is in the White House.

[cheering and applauding]

Guys...

...you make an impact

with every donor

that you commit to our cause.

We're more than suits and ties.

We're part of a movement.

[narrator] Citizens United versus the Federal Election Commission.

When it comes to campaign finance,

this Supreme Court ruling's the big kahuna.

This is Grandpa.

Let's just say he came into a bit of money

and wants to donate, anonymously of course,

to Grandson Louie's campaign.

This guy is from the Federal Election Committee.

FEC.

He takes old Grandpa's details

and keeps him to the donation limits, so, you know,

rich people can't just buy elections.

But Louie needs old Grandpa's money,

and without it hitting the front pages.

This is a nonprofit.

They have an awesome force field called 501[c][4].

The Citizens United ruling allowed nonprofits

to campaign for candidates as a form of free speech

as long as it wasn't their main gig.

But Louie needs a dedicated campaign machine if he's gonna win.

Meet super PAC,

aka Political Action Committee,

campaigning for the highest bidder

with powers field by money,

and the nonprofits can launder it like detergent.

-It's Grandpa's lucky day. -[laughing evilly]

And with that force field, it's like he never existed.

-Hmm? -Now the nonprofits, not Grandpa,

gives the money to super PAC without Grandpa's identity.

And just like that, the candidate with the biggest,

baddest super PAC wins.

[evil laugh]

Creative.

My son sent it to me on Instagram.

-You're on Instagram? -[chuckles]

Citizens United really screwed things up, huh?

Super PACs are just a tool.

It depends on how you use them.

The One USA for Roundtree super PAC

changed the game for your campaign.

Well, they've been incredible,

and I thank them for their efforts.

You know they work closely with Independence.NYC

and Future Moving Frontiers,

-both registered social welfare groups, right? -Okay.

Independence.NYC and Future Moving Frontiers

allegedly donate over two-thirds of the money they raise...

...to the One USA for Roundtree super PAC,

who in turn run ads supporting your campaign.

I can't really comment on an organization I'm not involved with.

[Ron] Yeah, but you were chairman of this super PAC

until you announced you were running,

and they became your biggest supporters.

One USA continues to do great work

in low-income communities across the country.

Low-income communities in Iowa, New Hampshire

-and South Carolina? -[chuckles]

That's where they focused expenditure the last six months.

Primarily on ads for your campaign.

Is it just a coincidence that these are early primary destinations?

I believe it was Einstein that said

"Coincidence is God's way of remaining anonymous."

-They won't let up on him, huh? -Hmm.

[Ron] You know, social welfare groups

can keep identities of donors secret from voters and the FEC.

That means that anyone can influence the process with complete impunity.

-Donor spreadsheets. -Look at the state of my desk.

-It is going for 100 grand a square inch. PDF? -[chuckles]

[Harold] I have always been against money in politics.

Campaign finance reform is high on my agenda.

So, I hear you haven't been sleeping lately.

Maria, she worries.

[background chatter]

"Stop Asian hate?"

Never figured you for an activist.

Not activism. It's life.

Wasn't that whole thing years ago?

Wasn't slavery years ago?

Okay, you know it's not the same.

Besides, y'all are like the model immigrants.

-Careful. -Yo, that's a compliment.

[scoffs] Yeah, often followed by ridicule, gaslighting,

and minimizing of abuse, but please continue.

-Wow. Okay. -[scoffs] Hey, I just don't want my grandmother

getting punched in the face when she goes to the grocery store.

Of course, but I, I don't get it.

Like, didn't y'all get reparations?

I'm Korean, Femi, not Japanese.

Okay, okay, but you all came here by choice.

Slaves didn't. The anti-Asian hate bill, it passed on its first attempt.

We've been driving past the anti-lynching bill for a hundred fucking years,

and it's been rejected, what, 200 times.

You want us to apologize 'cause we took care of business.

No, man, but...

I'm just tired of everybody whining, okay?

You, you know your people can be some of the most racist.

-Not, not you. -I know. I'm one of the good ones.

[sighs] Y'all out here, following us around stores, whitening your skin.

-Taking us off of movie posters, and everything's all cool... -[sighs]

...till you get bit in the ass, and then you wanna call Tyrone to come protest with y'all.

-Oh, my God, I sound like... -[both] Maria.

[laughs]

Racists are just like assholes.

Everybody's got them, every race, every culture,

but the good news is there's more people like you and me in this world.

I don't see a Black man in front of me. I see a brother.

Still count your days?

Four thousand fifty-five.

-So on. -[chuckles]

You know this guy we're stumping for?

Roundtree?

He gave this speech at some factory in his hometown last year.

My kind of language, you know?

Accountability.

Made me feel like I could

will myself out of the pit I was in.

Inspiration comes from the weirdest places.

What was yours?

-Kermit. -The frog?

It's a long story, but involves a hooker,

a dozen lines a blow, of Adder vodka, and the Muppet Show.

-[laughs] -O-- Okay.

-[phone vibrates] -The wife.

-Ah. -Hey.

[soft tense music]

W-- What?

-[indistinct shouting] -[man on laptop] Do not resist.

Get on the ground! Get on the ground!

Do not resist me! Do not resist me!

[indistinct shouting]

[gunshots]

[people screaming]

-[horn honking] -[laptop button clicks]

[School Principal on phone] Mr. Jackson?

I'm here.

Just got through it.

Ola was showing that to students

during the morning math class.

[scoffs] Kids, huh? Uh, YouTube.

What can you do?

He told a female classmate

that cops kill Black boys.

He said they're gonna get her brother next.

-She's been in tears all morning. -I'm sure he was just trying--

Your son had Black Lives Matter written all over his desk.

We don't allow cell phones in the classroom,

and the fourth grade's no place for political activism.

I'm sure someone in your position would understand.

-My position? -It's election year.

You're neck-deep in a campaign.

And as Principal, I can't have this kind of thing at my school.

It doesn't look good for either of us.

Ola's one of our brightest.

I'm sure we have an understanding.

We do.

[sighs]

[videogame music on TV]

[Femi sighs]

You know, your mom and I aren't mad about what happened.

[game stops]

But we do need to talk.

[sighs] I don't get what the big deal is.

Everybody already saw the video.

The Principal said you really upset one of the girls in class.

I showed it to Tamika because the boy looked like her brother.

I was just trying to help.

I didn't want her brother to get hurt.

She just started crying, and she wouldn't stop. [stutters]

-I didn't mean to. -It's okay, man. It's okay.

Remember...

...there are good and bad cops

just like there are good and bad people.

Uncle Harry is a cop.

Is he a bad guy?

He keeps us safe from the bad guys.

Come on.

[sighs] Stand up.

[tense music]

What do you do if an officer stops you?

What did I teach you?

My name is Ola Jackson.

I'm nine years old.

I am unarmed, and I have nothing to harm you.

Awesome. And you keep your hands up

until you're told to put them down, okay?

Uh-uh. What did I just say?

Okay, you can put them down.

Remember, if an officer gives you a command, you be polite,

you do what they say.

Even if he is a asshole?

Especially if he's an asshole.

We both owe 50 cents.

[whispers] I won't tell if you don't.

[melancholic music]

Come here.

[sighs]

How is he?

How do you think?

Preaching Black Lives Matter to a nine-year-old.

I swear you're a trip.

Where are my cigarettes?

-I threw them out. -[sighs]

Look, if he's gonna learn about the reality of the world,

he might as well learn it from me.

Wow.

I am trying to win an election here.

Our donors are sensitive.

-[scoffs] -We're not focusing on the race thing

-because it makes-- -Makes it harder to ask for money.

What the hell is wrong with you?

I supported you taking that job,

because, A, you needed to get back to normal,

and, B, maybe you would help that campaign focus on the real issues.

[stutters] That why you called my sponsor?

To make me focus?

-[sighs] -You know, I'm working to put somebody in office

who's actually going to make a difference for everyone.

-Mm. -That's got nothing to do with teaching my son...

-Our son. -...there's some boogeyman out to get him.

I'm scared!

Okay?

I am scared...

...that one day our son could walk out that door

and never make it back home.

He needs to know what's out there.

You know, when you think like a victim, you are a victim.

Oh, yeah. Easy for you to say.

Oh, right, 'cause, 'cause you're an American descendent of slaves,

and I'm some half-bougie-ass African.

[in a southern accent] Yes, sir, boss. No, sir, boss.

I guess I don't drunk the Kool-Aid master.

Don't ever tell me how to take care of my family.

Femi.

[somber music]

Femi!

[door opens, closes]

[sighs]

[background chatter]

Thank you.

[door beeps]

Sorry.

Traffic was nuts.

[groans] Oh, shit.

Let's make it dinner for us.

-Knock yourself out. -Mm-hmm.

Unload.

[sighs]

Ola got into trouble at school today

showing a video of a cop shooting.

Oh, shit. Which one?

-Houston. -[sighs in disapproval]

I had to give him the talk again.

Cop talk.

Just fucked up, man.

Why is it fucked up? Just because it's safer to be a white mass shooter

than it is to be an unarmed Black dude?

Yo, they're taking these Abercrombie niggers

to Burger King and shit.

So, you and Maria got into it?

And she's worse than you with that whole social justice thing.

You know, since the whole Kaepernick fiasco,

I still gotta hide in the bathroom to watch Monday night football.

-What the fuck? -Bro, she's out here talking about, uh,

"We ain't supporting those plantation owners, hmm...

-[chuckles] -...until Kaep gets a job."

Amount of times I've offered to get down on my knees in solidarity

with my light-skinned brother

right there on the living room floor.

-She can go for that. -No, man.

You two would have been a match made in heaven.

Oh, don't sell yourself short, buddy. Speaking of which...

...looked into that shit that you gave me, and this is fucking weird, man.

These numbers, 88, that iconography.

-Iconography? -Mm, 88.

[soft tense music]

Dude, the eighth letter of the alphabet is H, right?

Eighty-eight, two Hs,

Heil Hitler.

It's a neo-Nazi code.

[laughs]

I'm dead serious. My grandfather used to tell me about this shit.

He said back home in Poland, all the skinheads used to tattoo

-that number all over themselves. -Yeah,

your granddad's paranoid as fuck, Ira.

They massacred his whole village.

Sorry.

[knocks on table] I wanna see the rest of the donation reports.

I should never have sent them.

But you did.

And now I'm interested, so I wanna see the files.

-Agatha doesn't wanna know. -Agatha, who is that?

-That your boss lady? -Yeah. She gave me the job, man.

And I'm just starting to balance out.

-Four hundred forty-three days. -Congratulations, man.

-Thank you. -Now, I'm really proud of you,

but that doesn't turn you into a zombie.

-I wanna see the files. -No.

How about "Fuck that, I wanna see the files"?

You're an investment blogger,

not a FBI agent.

I spent 15 years running one of the most successful investment firms on Wall Street,

so you will put some respect on my newsletter.

'Cause you spent 15. Okay.

It is also not the first time that I've had to dig

into someone's financials under the table. You know what I mean?

Come on, man. What the fuck is wrong with you?

You're scared I'm gonna find something.

Would you grow some fucking balls?

I have a wife and kid.

Balls are a luxury.

[tapping on table]

Dude.

Dude. [sighs]

-Okay. Fuck. I'll send them. -Thank you.

[cell phone chimes]

-Mm. -Mm.

It's the office.

Bye, man.

-You leaving? -Yeah.

No, motherfucker. Give me your half of the check

for the Burger Deluxe I'm about to order.

The Burger Deluxe you're getting ready to order?

Fuck you, bitch. I got last time.

All right.

Send me those files.

You think the argument that Citizens United is free speech

really only benefits those with enough money to buy candidates?

It's a concern, sure.

As CEO of City District Bank, you oversaw its collapse in the 2008 meltdown,

but within a year, you'd bounce back.

We could have taken a bailout.

We didn't. We took responsibility.

You then got 15 million in private sector investment

for the Roundtree Institute in '09.

Regular Americans don't have friends with millions lying around.

They didn't get a scholarship to MIT, the Wharton Business School.

How do you inspire someone who doesn't have your privilege?

Well, privileged to some,

affirmative action to others.

Is Citizens United problematic?

Yes.

But is it the problem?

People need equal opportunity, so there's no silver spoon,

no perceived privilege.

Makes you feel guilty?

Responsible for making things better.

And I will

if the American people give me the chance.

[tense music]

[woman on TV] Who is Harold Roundtree?

No plans to end campaign finance corruption?

Check.

As first Allied CEO,

lobbied in 1999 to repeal Glass-Steagall.

Removing checks on how banks use your money? Check.

Millionaire with accounts and tax havens overseas? Check.

Doesn't support defunding private prisons? Check.

Doesn't support breakup of big banks? Check.

[Harold on tape] Hey. Some folks are just lazy.

The, the people don't wanna get off their ass,

they're the ones that whine about rich people.

-[laughter on tape] -Well, did they record this on a potato?

[woman on TV] Harold Roundtree isn't backed by the establishment.

He is the establishment.

Get money out of politics.

Vote Hank McGonville.

It was a joke at a private event.

Where'd they get the audio?

Rotary Club archives.

They have been out last night on YouTube and Vimeo.

Nine hundred thousand views in eleven hours.

It's viral.

-We need that ad you've been working on ready today. -[sighs]

We have to hit back. FEC, what's the word?

Aggie, we're not gonna get investigated. Chill.

-Besides, Roundtree's on record saying he'd support... -[phone vibrates]

...the FEC's request to look into super PACs.

[Aggie] How does him supporting investigations make me feel better?

[Sahar] They're not gonna investigate,

but he still looks like the candidate

against money in politics.

-Win-win. -Sahar is right.

Our donors still buy him as having a conscience, which means that he's electable.

Super PACs on the right are raising three times what we are.

The Republicans control both houses.

-So they cover their own asses. -No.

They never supported the FEC investigations before.

They're not about to now.

Ugh. This is cream. I said black.

-I'm sorry. I'll just, uh... -Just forget it.

What about the IRS?

-[phone vibrates] -Republicans have them mired hip deep in corruption scandals.

We're not even on their radar right now.

You're meeting with Alkem's CEO Sam Trask.

They just confirmed.

Listen, we spoke to his aide.

Slam dunk. All you gotta do is close it.

I, I'll be right back.

[background chatter]

So, there's this cool new thing called voicemail.

You don't want what I got on the record.

-On the record? -Oh, this is a very nice office.

-Don't get me started. -Oh, it's very zen.

It doesn't feel like a cult at all.

[Femi clears throat, groans]

-Mm? -No, thank you.

So, talk to me.

I've spent the last ten days going through the donation logs

of Independence.NYC and Future Moving Frontiers,

and I managed to link the donations

to accounts that originated in Europe.

They're new start-ups. They've only been around for a couple of years.

Some of them only a matter of months.

-So they're shells. -Right, but for whom?

So, I peel back, and I peel back,

and I peel back, and I'm talking generations...

...of name changes and decentralizations of companies and funds,

and all of them, all of it...

...goes back to business interests associated

with one organization.

Who?

The Crooked Cross.

[tense music]

It's an extremist organization started in 1947 in Germany.

These are the original Nazi sympathizers.

Now, not much about them online,

but a friend of mine...

...from the league was able to point me to this book.

Written by a German national named Hans Muller.

He came over here in the '60s with a bunch of his pals.

-"Rassenkrieg." -Yeah.

They were part of the knights of the Aryan realms

or of an offshoot of the Crooked Cross,

and were sent over here to aid in the American race war

in response to the civil rights movement.

After a few years in the US,

Muller defects, and he writes this book.

That's the only copy I was able to find.

So, what's their deal?

Establish a master race.

Ever heard of John Ehrlichman?

He was a close adviser and confidant of Richard Nixon.

So, among other things, apparently, he admitted

that that administration associated heroin with Blacks

and then heavily criminalized it,

so that they could go into Black communities, destroy their homes,

arrest their leaders, even though they knew it was all based on lies.

This book was written in 1969.

Okay, but it is almost a verbatim blueprint

for the war on drugs and the system of mass incarceration,

-which was an initiative started by Nixon in 19... -[both] '71.

It goes deeper than that.

Homeboy Hans here predicts the next 40 years

of American criminal justice reform.

What the fuck did you find?

I, I sent him the files before we spoke.

-We need to get ahead of this. -Get ahead of it?

-You don't even know what this is yet. -Who are you again?

[mumbles inaudibly]

Let me get this straight.

No one vetted the donors, right?

No one checked them out.

We didn't check our sources...

...of the main money that's fueling the entire campaign.

We didn't check it.

We've been getting reports from them for months.

I don't get it.

You knew.

-[clears throat] -[Fred] Jesus.

They thought something was a little off.

[Fred exhales]

They didn't make a big deal of it,

so I made a decision.

A little off?

How, Aggie?

Uh, One Luck Oil on line one.

-Tell him to call back. -Really?

[Fred] How a little off?

Aggie?

Multiple donations from the same account.

[Fred exhales nervously]

So what if people wanna donate a hundred times from the same account?

It's to a nonprofit. It's not our problem.

You said these coded donations account for 75% of our funds.

-Fuck. -We still have Trask on the hook.

So we dead the accounts, we give the money back,

and then we focus on Trask's investment to cover the shortfall

-moving forward. That ought to work, right? -Okay, that works.

-[Fred] Financially, that will work? -That works.

Aggie?

[scoffs] Aggie, you, you heard what's in the book.

It's a conspiracy rag from the '60s no one read.

It's bad money!

We're sitting on a time bomb now.

-[exhales] -Look, if it makes anybody feel any better

and helps us sort of gain forward momentum,

I'm not gonna run my mouth about this.

Thanks, Ira. That makes me feel a lot better.

-You're welcome. -Hey.

[sighs]

If we're gonna figure this out in the time we have, we need him.

Do you think Roundtree knows?

-No. -[exhales]

[Aggie] No way.

-Call Woods. -Who's that?

-Roundtree's campaign manager. -[Fred sighs]

Where do we start?

Follow the money.

[tense music]

You gotta pull everything on Roundtree.

-Mortgages, his loans. -That's right.

[Ira] His investment portfolio, everything.

Wait, you think this goes beyond campaign funds?

[Ira] I don't know,

but I know that it involves

the most insidious ideological disease in the history of mankind.

So, no, I don't put anything past him.

It goes way beyond campaign funds.

It goes to the soul of the fucking country.

You think that's sappy? You think that's bullshit?

It goes to the soul of the country.

Do it.

You not only betrayed me, but you betrayed everybody that works in this office.

And you stand a good fucking chance of betraying

everybody that lives in this goddamn country.

I will support you,

and I will not stop supporting you...

...but you gotta promise me that you won't betray me again.

I'm gonna ask you a question

and I'm gonna ask you to be honest with me.

Can you fucking do that?

Does your wife know?

-Aggie? -[sobs] She doesn't.

Now...

...we're running an intelligence operation.

Okay? On top of everything else.

[people chattering]

[keyboard clacking]

Okay, Mr. Gutierrez,

your loan application is still showing up as declined.

Um, [nervous chuckle]

you said you'd talk to someone.

-All my paperwork's in order, right? -Yes, yes.

And I sent everything to my supervisor.

It's been six months.

Your...

Your felony conviction makes it difficult.

-The bank policy is that-- -I made a mistake.

All I'm asking for is ten grand.

[nervous chuckle]

You are the ninth bank that I have been to.

Some places won't even see me.

Uh, uh...

All of my carvings handmade.

The kids in the neighborhood,

they loved them. Right?

I just need to scale up.

You have my proposal.

I figure in a year I'll be able to double production, and--

-It's not my call. -You're not listening.

[softly] You're not listening.

I am trying to start over.

You have power.

You can help me.

[soft suspenseful music]

Yeah, I'm still holding.

Uh, it's okay. Walter Runkle, please.

-Ira Goldstein. -[Femi] That's right, yeah.

-It's Femi Jackson from... -Thank you.

...One USA for Roundtree.

Email is F.Jackson @thenumberone-usapac.org.

Okay. Thanks.

Tried to source investment reports from the Roundtree Institute.

His story is he got investment from the private sector.

I figured I'd find out who from.

-No go? -Roadblocks everywhere.

-You? -I'm on hold at admissions at his college.

-The scholarship he got? -Oh, yeah.

[sighs]

Hey.

You're doing the right thing, man.

Yeah. Walter.

Hey, it's Ira.

No, I know.

[background chatter]

Hey. Who's the new guy?

A friend of mine. Helping me out.

-Cleared it with Aggie? -Of course.

-Hey, Ali. -Hey, what's up?

I need your help.

How can I be of service?

I need info on someone.

Private info.

-Who's someone? -Uh-uh. Yes or no?

What kind of info?

Financial.

-I'm assuming without their knowledge. -Mm-hmm.

Who?

Roundtree.

Okay, so that will be a no.

Uh, look, hey, someone's trying to blackmail him, okay?

I can't get into details, but...

...it's sexual.

We gotta head this off, man, or the, the whole campaign's gonna implode.

-[stutters] I don't know, man-- -Hey, hey.

You're working here because you know damn well

he's gonna make the best president we ever had.

Think how grateful he'll be to you if you help put out this fire.

You personally.

[Ali clears throat]

-[indistinct conversation] -You know?

[clears throat] Mm?

Yeah, okay.

[footsteps receding]

-How bad is it? -You let me worry about the details.

I just need as much financial info as possible.

-The cross section, obviously. -How far back we talking?

-Early '80s. -You're gonna have to be more specific.

Uh, school transcripts, uh, investments,

loans, bonuses, mortgage payments.

I'm gonna want numbers, source accounts and credits.

Uh, selection. Large sums.

W-- What kind of blackmail is this?

Like I said, let me worry about the details, okay?

-I'm gonna need a list to work off. -Done.

[sighs] Give me a couple of weeks.

Forty-eight hours.

[chuckles] Uh...

Give me his Social Security number.

It will, uh, speed things up.

-[knocks] -[gasps] Jesus.

[sighs]

How are you?

[scoffs]

I take the information you gave me as accurate.

About the money.

Who else knows?

The guy who brought it to me, his associate, and Fred.

He wasn't happy.

The other two guys, you trust them?

Will they talk?

[scoffs]

We're gonna have to hope not.

So bury this.

We never knew.

But we did know, Tom.

I told you something was up with the 501[c][4]s. You said--

I know what I said. I thought you had it under control.

I did.

The new guy I got in started looking at the donor logs,

said he saw patterns in the numbers.

-Aggie. -I took the rap at the office.

I insulated you and Harold, so if this all turns

-to shit-- -Hey. Aggie, Aggie.

They don't have to disclose. They're donors, right?

-Independence and Future? -Yes.

-No. -So we're fine.

That's why we looked the other way in the first place.

When we didn't know it was fucking Nazi money?

-Yeah, sure. -It doesn't matter where the money comes from

if no one ever looks.

[soft suspenseful music]

What are you suggesting?

-Slow down the super PAC-- -No, no, no.

Aggie, One USA is the reason we have made it this far.

-I don't know if I can-- -Don't. Don't.

Don't fuck me on this, Aggie.

We will not survive the primaries without One USA.

Hey, hey. You still got your billionaire lead?

Huh? The Alkem guy.

-Trask. -What's he in for?

Uh, 15 mill now. Another 10 if Roundtree gets the nomination.

Well, isn't that peachy?

That's the news you lead with.

You're gonna be fine.

You're gonna find new donors.

For now, you just don't rock the boat.

And, hey,

Harold doesn't forget his friends.

-Fred, he's-- -I'll talk to Fred. He's a pro.

More importantly, he believes in our candidate just like you.

Huh?

Oh, wait.

I need Harold's Social Security.

If they're in his life, we need to know how much.

No more surprises.

Give me 15 minutes.

[door shuts]

[knocks]

Hey, you got a sec?

-Wow, look at you. -[chuckles]

-When's the big day? Come in, come in. -Ooh, imminent.

Oh.

-[chuckles] -Okay.

So what's up?

Have you been getting my messages

about that loan application?

Jose Gutierrez.

[sighs]

I know you said you would take a look at it. You know, sign off on it.

If I could, I would, but it needs senior level approval.

You know we have policies.

Did you read his proposal? [chuckles]

I mean, he is sculpting toys.

-And let me tell you-- -No felons.

Ex-felon.

What about the private equity endowment?

That doesn't fall under bank regulation, so we--

So we give that to a convicted drug dealer?

Weed. I mean, it was,

it was for weed.

If he lived in the suburbs

-and had a better lawyer, he could probably... -[sighs]

You were never gonna approve his application, were you?

Maria...

...this is not the one to stick our necks out on.

[soft tense music]

[scoffs]

Have you ever heard of Heyward Shepherd?

[sighs] What?

Slave revolt.

1800s.

Heyward Shepherd.

A Black night watchman refused to surrender

to a raiding slave revolt, so they killed him.

Years later, the Sons of the Confederate honored him with a plaque.

The faithful slave.

Rewarding him for standing against his own people.

They call that meritorious manumission.

You know, I've been at this bank twice as long as you.

On the entire executive board, there are two Negroes.

You and me.

But you... [scoffs]

...you are sitting in that chair

because you sure as hell won't stick your neck out for your people.

-Now, you wait just a minute. -No.

Not today.

[sighs angrily]

[melancholic music]

Thank you for your time.

So, I've been going through Roundtree Scholarship Fund.

Now, all the sums...

...same permutations. I couldn't get any deeper than the surface

without running into alumni privacy issues, but there it is, man.

-These are the amounts of each of his scholarship payment? -Mm-hmm.

-Eighty-eight. -All of them.

All of them.

[sighs] He won the Mornington Howell Award.

That was a huge one-off scholarship.

Got him through college in an Ivy League MBA.

-He applied for the scholarship? -Nope.

He was handpicked out of high school.

Can you trace the source of the money?

Told you, man, I need deeper data.

Yeah, I think I just got that covered.

[sighs] I don't get it.

Why mark their donations in plain view?

You ever heard of echoes?

All right. [groans]

Echoes [sighs] are neo-Nazi code...

...for identifying Jews online.

So, Jewish last name

is encased in a set of three parentheses.

The idea being a Jewish last name

echoes down through the ages, causing destruction. I know.

So this gets posted on social media, right?

Twitter, Facebook, Instagram, whatever.

They now know who to target.

And because search engines don't recognize punctuation,

the poster is largely masked.

It's raw, it's immediate.

How do you know about this?

Happened to me. I got echoed.

A blog post I wrote pissed them off, so...

You know, online harassment, death threats, people sending shit to the house.

Some asshole kept on sending me pictures of Auschwitz

with America photoshopped over the gate.

Whole thing only got compromised 'cause a group of celebs decided to echo themselves,

and other people joined in in solidarity,

and the fuckers just didn't know who to target.

Wow.

This whole 88 thing,

it's just a slightly more sophisticated way of marking their territory.

Communicating in code.

-For those meant to see it. -Yep.

[chuckles] I don't think they were expecting to run into Black Rain Man.

When you speak of individual responsibility, what do you mean?

Support individuals with the focus on transition and independence.

Sounds a lot like the '90s TANF Welfare Reform.

[chuckles] Oh, no.

What I'm proposing is to free people

from constant government oversight.

I wanna give them the tools to be self-sufficient,

so they don't have to rely on us.

That's a hair's breadth from trickle-down economics,

which we know never gets to the people at the bottom.

We have to change the way we look at social programs.

How so?

Human beings have a, a natural inclination

towards autonomy if pushed.

To do that, you need true equality.

-We're saying the same thing. -No, I don't believe we are.

To get to your idea of self-sufficiency,

we need socially inclusive programs.

Your proposals will undermine them.

I'm almost doubling the expenditure within a new window.

That means people get twice as much support for a shorter period of time,

so they can reenter the workforce and regain autonomy.

My plan is inclusive.

But I could show you data that highlights the massive discrepancies

and unemployment in minority communities.

-Discrepancies that-- -Shouldn't we be focused

on equality of opportunity, not equality of outcome?

There are so many different factors

affecting a person's likelihood of success.

Um, temperament, uh, gender,

ambition, drive, culture.

The system is broken.

I...

We need to fix it,

but only to make an even playing field.

Let water find its own level.

Isn't that true equality?

[melancholic music]

Mm-hmm.

That's right.

No, no. No, no.

No, I need to speak with the agent who sold 152 Marion Court.

Uh, yes, in, in 2009 to Harold Roundtree

for the Roundtree Institute office.

Mm-hmm.

Yes, uh, commercial purchase.

I know it's been a while, but he's still listed at this firm, so I...

Uh, yep.

Hello?

Okay, just, uh...

...have him call me when you get ahold of him.

[clicks tongue] Thank you.

[footsteps approaching]

[sighs]

I'm going home.

[sighs]

-And get back at it in the morning. -Hey, you don't have to,

uh, you've done plenty.

Uh, really. I appreciate it.

[sighs]

I know how hard this is for you, man.

Him being your idol and all.

[scoffs] My idol?

Bro, you work out to his speeches in the morning.

[chuckles]

-You ever gonna let that go? -No, I am not gonna let that go.

-[chuckles] -That's some crazy Manson Family shit.

Yeah.

I get it, man.

You wanted him to be the real deal.

[gentle music]

Black guy all the way from the bottom makes it all the way to the top.

And now what? He might not have made it on his own? Shit.

I'll tell you what...

...when I fuck up...

...I don't represent every Jew in America.

He's just one man. He's not the whole Black race.

Shit.

When did you get so profound?

[chuckles]

Thanks for riding with me on this.

This whole village, man.

The whole village.

-[door closes] -[sighs]

[indistinct chatter on TV]

-[Femi groans softly] -[turns off TV]

[tense music]

[sighs]

Ola, don't play with your food.

[doorbell rings]

[sighs] Okay.

Hey.

[Harry] How you doing?

[soft tense music]

You on maternity leave?

[Maria] No, just took the morning off.

[Harry] Yeah.

Emma filled me in about Ola.

[Maria] Yeah, I'm sure she made it sound

like he was having a nervous breakdown.

[Harry chuckles] Yeah, you know your sister.

[both chuckle]

[Maria] Ola.

Look who came to take you to school today.

Uh, he just started breakfast, but he's got snacks with him.

Hey, buddy. You ready?

Chief said I need a new partner. I told him I know just the guy.

[Maria] Go ahead. Get your stuff. You'll be late.

Have a good day.

I'll be right out. All right, buddy?

Look, uh,

I know you haven't always been cool with the...

But, uh, I really do appreciate

you trying to show him we're not all bad.

I have a choice.

Harry.

Thank you.

He's my nephew.

Tell Femi I said what's up.

All right, buddy. Let's go.

No, no, no, partner,

You're riding up front with me.

Make sure you put that seat belt on.

I do not want your mom mad at me, all right?

You ready?

[dramatic music]

Thank you for letting me see him.

In 30 years, you're the first.

Uh, why did you say yes?

You asked the right questions.

Take your shoes off.

And socks.

Phone.

Some advice.

Don't look in his eyes.

He has a gift.

This way.

-Wait here. -[loud breathing]

[tense music]

[speaking in German]

[speaks in German]

[loud breathing]

[loud breathing continues]

[hoarsely] The man that sold me this house...

...said if you stare through this window long enough...

...you'll feel like you're... [inhales heavily] drifting.

The Monument Valley.

[inhales] He lied.

Interesting mementos.

It's good to remember where you come from...

...so you never go back.

My name is Femi Jackson.

I work for One USA, uh, Political Action Committee

who's campaigning for Harold Roundtree.

I read your book Rassenkrieg.

I don't think you're crazy, Mr. Muller.

Femi.

African?

My mother's Nigerian, but I, I was born here in the States.

[inhales] How, how can I help you?

I have reason to believe that Crooked Cross

has been financing our candidate's campaign.

Covertly siphoning funds into our super PAC.

Each donation coded with the number 88.

[inhales loudly]

In your book, you write about

indirect social engineering inciting Rassenkrieg.

The race war to establish a master race?

I need to know if what's happening with my candidate is connected.

[loud breathing continues]

[Maria] How are you holding up?

You know, I got a shift in an auto body.

Pay could be better, but...

...the owner takes a lot of guys who just got out.

I got your rejection letter.

-So, I guess it's official now. -I am so sorry.

I wanted to tell you in person.

Yeah, no, it's, it's cool. I, I gotta just keep pushing.

[chuckles softly]

How's your daughter doing?

[chuckles]

Always smiling.

And she keeps me smiling. [chuckles]

-Roundtree supporter, huh? -Mm, mm, mm.

My husband's. He works for the campaign.

Who are you going for?

Going for?

I can't vote.

-Probation. Scarlet Letter. -[sighs]

[Jose hisses]

[as Tony Montana] "You know, they need people like me,

so they can point their fingers and say,

'There's the bad guy'." [chuckles]

-Scarface? -Yeah, very good. Very good.

-I know more movies. -Yeah.

Hey, uh...

I appreciate what you did.

I know you fought for me.

That's $10,000.

The money you applied for.

So, I spoke to a friend of mine at the old warehouses.

Uh, his number's on the back.

He has some space that you can lease to work on your carvings.

$200 a month. No questions asked.

-It's not charity. -Mm-hmm.

It's a loan.

Why? [nervous chuckle]

You are my father.

Don't let your daughter down.

[sobs, sighs in relief]

[tense music]

[muffled] The most dangerous people often start with noble intentions.

History has a nasty habit of repetition.

I was born in a small village in Germany.

My father was a carpenter

and supporter of the Nazi Party from its inception.

It was five years after World War II ended.

Hitler gone, Nazi is defeated.

[loud breathing]

In the aftermath, sympathizers like my father

would conceal their true allegiance to survive.

But slowly, the detritus of the Aryan Brotherhood would find new direction.

The Crooked Cross was formed...

...allying with and spawning

like-minded fanatics across the world.

This concept of white supremacy wasn't new.

The British empire employed it with African colonization.

King Leopold II, the Belgium in the Congo.

The Romans and Greeks before them.

Hitler just repackaged an idea.

An idea.

The most resilient parasite.

[narrator] Children when the Nazi Party came into power,

they know no other system than the one that poisoned their minds.

They are soaked in it.

[Hans] North American slavery

was an economic genius.

It built an empire.

Hitler's Holocaust failed to emulate

what white British descendants

achieved in Australia and the US.

Both nations built on the bones of native dead.

Genocides validated

by the perception of genetic superiority

to mask a quest for economic power.

Policies mirrored in apartheid South Africa.

Then the US

and Jim Crow

with the oppressed were fighting back.

Lynchings and assassinations tried to stem the flow,

but the stronghold was slipping.

After civil rights, they realized the direct approach was obsolete.

So, we were sent.

The knights of the Aryan realm.

White power.

But our American brothers

had already turned to the plausible alternative.

Invisibility.

Finance and support individuals

without their knowledge.

Individuals that push our ideas of their own volition.

Infiltrate all arms of the government,

their ideas thus becoming endemic,

engrained from parent to child,

all propelled by one truth.

How do agents turn against the Puppet Master they don't know is there?

Why did you defect?

I came here to put animals back in their cage.

Instead, I saw beauty.

I saw strength.

I fell in love with my enemy.

The Black man has been sold on the value of the white system.

First muskets and gold for Black bodies.

Now, money and inclusion for your souls.

We wanted you to have leaders

because leaders are flesh and blood.

[rasps] They can be corrupted,

destroyed

with ideas.

What we've always used against you.

Ideas last an eternity.

You said you know where your candidate's funds

came from and where they're going?

[tense music]

[labored breathing]

Who's...

...moving the money?

[Maria sighs]

-Hey, Maria. -Hey, Rick. How you doing?

I thought you and Bob were going on vacation.

No, I had to work last minute, so he took the kids,

and it has been so peaceful.

[grunts]

-You okay? -[grunts]

Yeah, yeah, I'm, I'm, I'm fine.

-Oh. Oh. [groans] -Maria!

[soft tense music]

Thank you.

I may need to come back again.

You've given an old man

with little time some validation.

Thank you.

Please,

don't contact us again.

[siren blaring]

[indistinct radio chatter]

-[doctor] But the hard part is-- -Oh, thank God, you made it.

Oh, where were you? You should have been here with her.

I was out of town. I, I caught the first flight I could.

-Hey, man. We picked him up early from school. -Thanks.

-Where is she? -They, um, they took her in about an hour ago.

Had to deliver the baby. They, uh...

Uh, there were, um,

complications.

Your daughter's a few weeks premature.

Everything's stable, but we'll have to monitor.

Your wife's sedated.

Well, she had some hemorrhaging.

Under control.

We're optimistic.

But right now, patience is key.

[healthcare machine beeping]

Femi, uh, we can take off for the night.

Yeah. [clears throat] Yeah. Come on, baby.

-Yeah. -Come on.

-Hey. -Hey.

How many has he had?

First one. Been here an hour.

-Hasn't touched it. -Thank you.

Maria is gonna be real disappointed when she wakes up.

If you wanted to go back to hell, you wouldn't have called me.

She's a fighter, man. She's gonna be okay.

Did you see her daughter yet?

I can't. Not now.

[melancholic music]

How can I bring another kid into this world, man?

[sobs] I mean, protect her.

All right, man.

-[sniffles] -All right.

I need you to do something for me.

I need you to go to my office and,

and check the donation logs again.

You've got a lot going on right now.

-Um... -Look for similarities

in the mode of transfer of funds.

Femi, we already know where the money came from.

Now, you wanna see if it came Western Union or PayPal?

All right.

Now?

Yeah.

Yep.

[phone vibrates]

Yeah.

[Ali] I took a cross section of his financial info

based on the list of focus points you sent over.

It's a lot.

Ah.

Grouped them together best I could.

Great.

Would that help?

Yeah. Thank you.

Hope your wife's okay.

Thanks, Ali.

[somber music]

[healthcare machine beeping]

[inhales, gasps]

Hey.

Hey.

[gasps]

She's fine.

She's fine. Don't move.

A girl?

-We had a girl? -Yeah.

[sighs in relief]

Ola's with your sister.

Oh.

-How is he? -He's the champ.

Hey, uh...

...about that whole thing with-- with the video...

We want the same thing for him.

You're just a stubborn so-and-so.

I know.

-Mm. -You're right.

I should be comatose more often.

-Oh, Ola. -Hey.

-His birthday's next week. -We canceled it.

-[sighs] -He said if Mom's sick,

he isn't doing it.

He said that?

And that's after you ragged our Wakanda.

-Okay, about that, I was just-- -Maria...

[soft gentle music]

...I get it.

If I wasn't working for One USA...

...would you vote for him?

Roundtree?

Who said I'd vote for him now?

I'll get the doctor.

And shower, please.

[Sam] Really sorry I have to do this virtually. It's been crazy.

-You're in Hong Kong? -Yeah. Mind if I eat?

-Sure. What are you having? -Sushi. Best place in the city.

Come on, shouldn't it be dim sum?

Hey, I grew up on a farm in Berkshire. What do I know?

So, I hear One USA has been blowing through the roof.

We would be doing even better with Sam Trask's money behind us.

Isn't it your daughter's birthday tomorrow?

-Tiffany? -Yes, it is.

Ten years old. You know, I thought I'd never have kids.

-Now, I wish I did it sooner. -[chuckles softly]

So, hotshot advertising mogul walks out of the biggest agency

in New York to start her own firm,

then buys them 20 years later.

You have an appreciation for autonomy.

Oh, much more than an appreciation.

Then why are you doing this?

Fundraising for Roundtree?

Same reason you wanna put 25 million into One USA.

I believe in him.

[soft triumphant music]

[chuckles]

You're asking what he offered me?

Hope.

-You wanna say something? -[baby cooing]

-Really? -I'm not hearing her, I'll come by later.

Oh, okay.

-She has your nose. -You think?

[groans, mumbles]

[groans softly]

Unbelievable.

You know... [sighs]

...I could kill for a pack of pistachios.

I do this, you lift a Monday night football ban?

-Hmm? -Mm.

[sighs]

-Fine. -[both chuckling]

[sighs]

She's still gonna need a name.

-I was thinking-- -Theresa.

Your mother's name.

-[door opens] -[Ira] Hey!

-[gasps] Uncle Ira. -[laughs]

-[Maria] Uh-oh. Here comes trouble. -Did I miss it?

Look, I got a new baby sister.

Oh, show me. Come on.

-[chuckles] -[Ira softly] Hello.

-Oh, Mama. -[chuckles]

-Thank you. -You had to do it again.

All right, I love you. Get some rest.

I will bring you dinner tomorrow.

Yes, you, you're gonna get your wish. He's moving in.

Hey, I looked into that, uh, stuff you asked me to.

-Hmm. -I can't believe I didn't think of doing this first.

I mean, it took me a while because all the files are an absolute mess--

Ira, what did you get?

So, I looked into the modes of transfer like you asked.

More than half of the donations

came from the same routing numbers.

-Really? -Yep.

All right. Um...

-Send me what you got. -Yeah.

-I gotta get back. -Go, go, go. Hey.

-[sighs] -[groans] Congratulations.

Thanks.

[indistinct announcement over speakers]

[tense music]

Your money is gonna make a real difference as we push into the primaries.

The public is really responding to our message.

Your parents still alive?

Yeah. Yeah, they are.

I remember giving the eulogy at my father's funeral.

Lived to 101. Would you believe it?

I honestly thought the guy was immortal.

It was the first time I really faced mortality.

You know, in the existential sense.

Did he make the world a better place for us? His children?

Am I? For mine?

I'm withdrawing my contribution to One USA.

I'm backing Senator McGonville's campaign for the Democratic nomination.

-We had a deal. -We had an understanding.

That understanding's changed.

Corporate tax cuts.

You want assurances? Harold--

He's dangerous. I can feel it.

Mr. Trask, he can win.

That's why I'm making sure me and my friends

throw our weight behind anyone that can stop him.

-McGonville won't beat the Republicans. -Maybe.

But smart money always plays both sides.

You know that. I'd hope to tell you this in person.

This, it's not the best.

[phone chimes]

My daughter.

I need to take it.

Take care.

[intense music]

[Harold] Don't give a man a fish.

Teach him how to fish.

Don't buy a man a house.

Give him the tools to build a house.

When I tell you I'm fighting for you,

you can believe me

and take that all the way to the bank.

[Femi] I started to see patterns in the individual donations.

-[Aggie] Patterns? -[Femi] Addends. Combination of numbers.

All the money, support, Crooked Cross...

[Hans] Finance and support individuals without their knowledge.

87.01, 25.63, 71.17.

[breathing loudly] Who's...

...moving the money?

[suspenseful music]

[dial tone]

-Ira. -[Ira] What the fuck? It's 5:00 a.m., man.

You need to get over here.

Right now.

[birds chirping]

Where did you get all this shit, man?

Those repeating numbers you found?

The transfer numbers, yeah.

They're not just for the super PAC donations.

After the collapse of City District Bank in 2008,

he foregoes a bailout, and?

He sets up the Roundtree Institute all with private donors.

152...

...Marion Court.

Now...

...look at the transaction number

on the investment deposits in '09.

What the fuck?

The same numbers. The same repeating numbers

for over half the donations from the Crooked Cross shell companies

that were donated to Independence.NYC and Future Moving Frontiers.

All with the 88 permutation.

What? So, the same firm

is responsible for the transfer of money

that he used to buy the building

for the Roundtree Institute in 2009.

Not only that.

Roundtree Scholarship, his MBA tuition,

the insurance payment that he got after the 2008 bailout

from a firm with no transactions prior

and none since.

Wait. So, wait, what are they?

They're a money conduit firm. They're...

Registered as Living Space Estates.

Original filing date?

1949.

Living Space.

[suspenseful music]

Living Space?

German.

Lebensraum.

Holy shit.

World War II Nazi initiative

for the expansion of land and resources necessary

for the survival of the Aryan race.

They've got a branch in the city.

Probably nothing more than a PO box.

We gotta get Roundtree out of this race, man.

[sighs]

Femi?

I don't think he has a clue about any of this.

Then I feel like we're missing something.

Femi, what more do you want, man?

I'm gonna go over there.

Living Space Estates.

-Have you lost your mind? -Rattle their cage.

Oh, my God, you're serious.

[stutters] They're a real estate firm, Ira.

You tell Agatha everything.

Get her to set a meet with Roundtree.

-Bye, guys. -Thank you.

[background chatter]

Hey, what-- [sighs]

-You take that one? I'll take this one. -Where's Agatha?

Hey, slow down.

-Agatha. Where's she? -Tell me wat's going on? Slow down.

Okay.

So, when was the last time you saw him?

This morning. This morning.

-Um, nothing since then? -No.

No. Uh, I tried to stop him, but he...

Did he, did he say anything to you?

Uh, he said that he was going to go rattle their cage.

-Let me ask you a question. -Mm.

Do you think there's any cause for us to be concerned right now?

-What do you, what do you mean? -What I mean is that do you think

he's going to do something foolish?

Ah, we gotta set a meeting with Roundtree.

Okay? He, he has to know.

Okay.

[dramatic music]

Hi.

Can I help you, sir?

I'm looking for the Living Space Estates office.

As you can see, this building is unoccupied.

You sure?

I know I got the address right.

You must have made a mistake.

Something wrong?

You know what? I was expecting.

[scoffs]

Have a good day, sir.

I'm from the One USA Political Action Committee.

I'm inquiring about donations to our campaign.

[soft tense music]

-Your name? -Femi Jackson.

F-E-M-I.

[sighs angrily]

I have a visitor here by the name Femi Jackson.

He's from One USA.

Says he's here regarding donations.

Yes, he's alone.

Please wait by the elevator.

Someone will be right down.

[elevator whirring]

[phone vibrates]

[button clicks]

-Hello. -[man] Mr. Jackson?

-Who's this? -You need to leave that building right now.

-Excuse me? -Living Space, the Crooked Cross, Roundtree,

you're scratching the surface. You must leave now.

If not for your safety, then for your family's.

Meet me at the ballpark on Fourth.

Look for the white hat.

[intense music]

[elevator dings]

[soft instrumental music]

[birds chirping]

[soft tense music]

I never did get the hang of a good cup of coffee.

[sighs]

Who are you?

Everything you do online leaves a footprint.

Threatened areas less traveled.

We notice.

You stumbled on something far bigger than you think,

Mr. Jackson.

The people I work for have been investigating the Crooked Cross for decades.

I spoke with Hans Muller.

He said they're controlling people's minds?

No, it's not mind control.

It's... it's more a natural selection.

You back 100 horses,

50 of them show promise.

So, you nurture those 50.

Some of them go lame, others fade.

About five of them make all the right steps.

Jump when they're supposed to.

And out of those five, there's one star.

One you throw everything behind

because he's a winner.

Roundtree's not the only one.

Have you seen The Matrix?

White supremacy is all around us.

You can see it when you turn on the television.

Hear it when you listen to music.

You feel it when you go into work, watch sports, pay your taxes.

It's a construct designed to blind mankind from the truth.

-Which is? -That we're slaves.

Batteries powering machines for profit.

Concept of race in terms of color was a means to an end.

Men seeking to become gods.

But predators evolved to stay on top of the food chain.

The new master race will not be determined by color.

Just money.

Power.

But what about Rassenkrieg?

-The race war. Hans said-- -Hans is a relic.

He's an old-school recruiter radicalizing minds

with fancy stories and back alleys and basements.

He's analog or digital.

10% of Americans control 77% of the nation's wealth.

Half of the world's resources are in the hands

of 1% of the global population.

1%.

Roundtree's policies will widen that chasm.

Individual responsibility, my ass.

More people in jail, more war, more dead, more people in crippling debt.

Who profits?

Every depression needs a scapegoat.

Blacks, Muslims, Mexicans, Asians,

more shootings, more bombings.

Afghanistan, Iraq I, 9/11, Iraq II, 7/7,

Paris, Brussels, Orlando.

Munich, a month ago. Geneva, before that.

A dozen more attacks on home soil, and people will be begging

to have their freedoms taken away just to keep us safe.

Who profits?

The 1%.

Your master race.

So it's over?

Is that what you're saying?

It's not in human nature to give away power.

It's taken.

White supremacy is the construct protecting that power.

We are witnessing the last gasp of a dying beast

kicking and screaming.

[Femi] So, what do you want?

Stop turning over stones.

Let Roundtree win?

We must,

or they recede into the shadows for the next 20 years,

find a new figurehead we might not identify until it's too late.

They must think they've won so we can strike with a single death blow.

How do I know you're not one of them

trying to put me off?

-I can go to the press. -With what?

I have documents, files, evidence that they--

They sponsored a poor Black child from the South,

helped him with an education, a business, a home,

and turned him into the front-runner for the presidency?

Hell, that might do their public image a world of good.

So what do you have?

Your wife just gave birth to a baby girl.

Go home to your family.

Lock the doors and batten down the hatches.

There's a storm coming, Mr. Jackson.

Stay out of the way.

[dramatic music]

[pants]

-Ira. -[Ira] Hey, what's the matter?

You don't answer your phone now?

Did, uh, did you get the meeting set with Roundtree?

Yeah. Five o'clock today at his villa in the Hills. I'm here right now.

-Fuck. Thirty minutes. -Uh, look, this is it, all right?

He's flying to Iowa tomorrow. This is your only chance to get a face-to-face with him.

-What happened at the-- -I'll explain later.

I'm on my way.

Shit.

Where is he?

He'll be here.

[suspenseful music]

[indistinct mumbling]

[exhaling]

[car approaching]

[sighs in relief]

-[Ira] Dude, What the fuck? -[panting] Is everybody here?

-Yeah, man, we've been waiting for you. -How do I look?

[Ira] You actually look better than you normally do.

So you're gonna tell me what happened at the, uh--

-[Femi] You were right. -[Ira] Oh, shit.

You got this.

What's the square root of nine?

Three?

[Harold] Oh, my goodness.

Tom, we got ourselves a baby genius.

Oh, you don't have to tell me twice.

[chuckles] Oh, you go tell your mom

that you are too smart for me.

Too smart. Oh, my goodness.

My own daughter.

They grow up fast.

This is Femi Jackson, our financial director.

His colleague, Ira Goldstein.

-Nice to meet you. -Mr. Roundtree.

I'm sorry I'm late.

Thank you for coming.

I know this is...

-...awkward. -We can't be seen communicating

with a super PAC campaigning for us.

It's, you know, against the rules.

Oh, the rules. Hmm.

You're the one that discovered the coded donations?

Yes, sir.

I have to ask...

-...did you-- -Know?

The only neo-Nazis I ever came across

were the ones that threw a noose on my fraternity front lawn.

-Freshman year. -[chuckles]

We have to give that money back.

Agatha tells me it, uh, accounts

for a huge chunk of our super PAC funding.

We have to, sir.

It doesn't matter where the money came from.

[soft tense music]

What matters most is what I do with it.

That's the point.

They're counting on you being you

to affect their agenda.

What agenda?

White supremacists supporting a Black man.

You know how ridiculous that sounds.

Yes, but they're evolving.

To survive.

One USA's money is bad, that much we know,

and your campaign is where it is because of that money.

And if so Harold wins, then what?

How does that help them?

-My hypothesis? -[Fred] Yeah.

Attacks.

False flag attacks

during his administration.

Attacks?

Terrorist attacks?

Generate enough fear. There's no telling what,

what legislation people will support.

[stutters]

I can show you a, a paper trail

detailing how long these people--

Put those... away.

I just spent an hour with a guy from a group who's been working

these people for over two decades--

You talked to someone else about this?

I thought you said you were going to Living Space.

I did. I meant to.

-But he stopped me. -He? Who's he?

Uh, the, the volunteer from our office.

The kid that made our coffee?

The Crooked Cross...

...they selected you

a long time ago,

set an aligned interest that they could exploit.

That's politics.

If your hypothetical nigger-loving Nazis

want to decrease military spending,

protect women's rights,

and label GMOs, they will love me.

That doesn't mean I have to love them.

[whispering]

It's an NDA stating that you won't disclose any information pertaining

to your investigations into donors and their contributions.

[soft tense music continues]

I'd like to say something if I may, sir.

Remember when I told you I never lost a campaign,

that I sleep good at night because I never helped

anybody get into power that didn't deserve it?

And if this man had anything to do

with any of this stuff

that we're talking about here...

...then that would make me the biggest jackass in the history of politics.

You're gonna run your mouth to the press?

Maybe try and sell this story to Senator McGonville?

I hear he pays well for stuff like this.

You're making a mistake.

Agatha won't sign it.

Agatha signed a half hour ago.

Fred?

Fred sees the big picture.

Mistakes were made.

We all know that.

One USA will find new donors.

[softly] Let's get out of here.

[Harold] Mr. Jackson?

I know who I am.

Harold, come on.

Hey, slow down, man.

Femi, this isn't over.

[melancholic music]

It is for me.

What are you gonna do?

I'm gonna buy Maria some pistachios.

[car door closes]

[Ron] If you win, you won't be the first Black president.

That change the way you'll govern?

-Not at all. -Why won't you say the words white supremacy?

Because to say those words gives them credence they don't deserve.

That why you rarely talk about race?

Well, I prefer action over rhetoric.

But you've spoken frequently on terrorism.

Isn't that rhetoric?

I should prioritize race over global terrorism because I'm Black?

See, that's the thing. That word terrorism.

You know, right-wing domestic terrorists

account for more annual deaths in the US than any other radicalized group.

Declassified FBI reports confirm they've infiltrated

the armed forces and law enforcement

on every conceivable level.

Technically, white supremacy is the longest running terrorist ideology in history.

Correct.

White mobs with tiki torches

and Nazi salutes are disgruntled youth.

A white extremist church shooter is, uh, troubled...

...but a Muslim suicide bomber?

We're dropping bombs, we send in tanks

and the National Guard for civil rights protests,

but yet a white rabble can storm the capital

in an attempted coup and walk away.

And you're not responsible?

[soft instrumental music]

The media is the most powerful medium on Earth.

We forget...

...holy books are literature.

The first thing an invading army does

is destroy art,

movies, TV,

radio, books,

and install their own propaganda machine. [chuckles]

This dysfunctional society you speak of...

...was one made and perpetuated...

...by you.

Then Hollywood and...

...the mainstream news media turn around...

...and lecture people.

And to a lot of voters, it, it feels like...

Cognitive dissonance?

Birth Of A Nation was a Hollywood movie.

Known abusers have gotten standing ovations

at major award shows.

Then you're applauded...

...when a Black person gets a leading role,

a nomination, a trophy.

When you're the same people who excluded them in the first place.

We're all a part of the same hypocrisy.

Can I read you something?

"I am not nor have I ever been

in favor of making voters or jurors of Negroes,

nor qualifying them to office,

nor to intermarry with white people.

And I will say in addition to this

that there is physical difference

between the Black and white races,

which I believe will forever forbid the two races living together

on terms of social and political equality.

And in as much as they cannot so live,

while they do remain together,

there must be a position of superior and inferior

and I, as much as any other man,

am in favor of having the superior position

being assigned to the white race."

Former President Abraham Lincoln.

Are you saying Abraham Lincoln...

...was a white supremacist?

Lincoln said he was a white supremacist.

But he won the war...

...and he kept us united.

I aim to do the same.

-[cheering on TV] -[woman on TV] How do you categorize his win here?

[man on TV] Amazing. Absolutely amazing achievement for his campaign.

[woman] For all those just tuning in, we can confirm

that Harold Roundtree has won in Iowa.

-You think he can go all the way? -[man] Anything's possible now.

As we know, the Iowa caucus is a good determinant

of where the nomination will eventually go.

He's gonna take this momentum into New Hampshire,

and I doubt anyone's gonna bet against him come June.

Alexa, play Easy Listening playlist.

[soft music playing]

I put in a word for you at the bank.

You're overqualified, but they'd love to have you.

-I didn't mean-- -I'll think about it.

-[indistinct chatter] -[tense music]

-[birds chirping] -[dog barking]

[soft instrumental music]

[dramatic music]

[Ola] Hey, Dad?

Breakfast is ready.

I'll be in in a minute.

You go on inside.

[tense music]

[suspenseful drum music]