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tv   Erin Burnett Out Front  CNN  May 27, 2021 4:00pm-5:01pm PDT

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2021, that it is -- it is white extremists. it is people two are motivated by racial prejudice who present the greatest threat and who are most likely to carry out deadly attacks in this country this year. >> cnn original film "dreamland" on this airs monday night. there you see it, the burning of black wall street, 9:00 p.m. eastern monday night. thank you very much for watching. erin burnett "outfront" starts right now. vote tonight in the senate on the january 6 commission. republicans set to block it. are they turning their backs on the truth? a tale of two parties. matt gaetz and margorie taylor greene holding a rally. and the gunman who killed nine co-workers. he was detained by customs officials in 2017. in his possession, books on
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terrorism. that's not all. let's go "outfront." good evening, everyone. i'm kate bolduan. "outfront" tonight, we are standing by for a key senate vote on a commission to investigate the riots, one of the worst attacks on the u.s. capitol since the war of 1812. and that vote all but expected to fail. republicans are confident that they have the votes to block it. block it, despite a bipartisan group of former homeland security secretaries issuing a last-minute statement, urging senators to put aside -- put politics aside and support the commission. this is a commission that, remember, was negotiated by republicans and democrats. one that republicans had said was necessary in the days after the riot. so what changed? well, for one, president trump. some republicans are scared of upsetting the man who incited the riot. and for others it's about power. they believe the commission's findings could get in the way of winning back the majorities in 2022.
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mitch mcconnell is said to have taken twisting of arms to the next level. asking his colleagues to do him a personal favor by voting against the commission. it is a blatant 180, given what he said the day after the riots, write thing -- i salute and applaud those frontline u.s. capitol police officers who stood bravely in harm's way during yesterday's failed insurrection. a pain staking investigation, and thorough review must now take place. yet now, he doesn't want a thorough review. and what about saluting and applauding the capitol officers who protected him and his colleagues that day? our manu raju caught up to ask if he spoke with brian sicknick's brother today. >> brian sicknick's mom -- [ inaudible ]
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>> no answer there. gladys sicknick did meet with other republican senators saying she hoped her words would change their minds. >> usually i'm staying in the background and i couldn't stay quiet any more. >> she felt she had to speak out and she said in a recent statement this -- not having a january 6 commission to look into exactly what occurred is a slap in the faces of all the officers who did their jobs that day. a source tells cnn today's meetings were very hard on sicknick's mom, and that she said "how can they not be doing the right thing?" gladys sicknick lost her son. at least 140 other officers were injured. cracked ribs, smashed spinal disks, officers hit with baseball bats, flagpoles, pipes, you've seen the video with your own eyes. and the republicans who were expected to vote against the commission are now going to have to answer this question -- are they really ready to put trump
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and politics above the truth and an independent commission designed to make sure that deadly day, when all of their lives were threatened, never happens again? manu raju is "outfront." the timing of this vote is still in flux and it's looking like this may be a very late night for everyone on the hill. >> reporter: this was expected. the reason why it's late is not related to this but other issues that are on the senate floor that need to be resolved first before they get to this key vote. but the outcome is not in doubt. republican leaders have been working behind the scenes, have been making their case publicly and privately that they don't want this bill to go forward. mitch mcconnell's pitch privately has been about politics, concern that democrats, in his view, would try to change the narrative heading into 2022, focused what happened on the riots and focus on president trump's role in all of this and focus on some republican senators and
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republican congressmen about how they handled the run-up to january 6. that is something they do not want to litigate in the run-up to the 2022 midterms in which the house and the senate are at stake. so that argument really has taken hold across the senate republican conference. each republicans who had been uncertain if they were going to support this. shelly moore is leading negotiations over an infrastructure package would not go forward with this bill over concerns it would be too political. that's been voiced by republicans up and down the spectrum. so the vote was simply just to break a filibuster, to open debate on this issue, but they need ten republicans to break ranks. the expectations, anywhere from five to seven. but certainly not ten. republican leaders they they have the votes to defeat it. they want to move on. at that point, the ball will be in the democrat's court. they plan to have an investigation on their other,
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potentially in the house, in which they would have the investigation. >> right. so being too political is only if they let it be too political. because by design, it is not. it is exactly what they all at least pretend they're looking for. manu, thank you very much. "outfront" with me now is chuck hagel, defense secretary in the obama administration and former republican senator from nebraska. secretary, senator, thank you for being here. i appreciate it. you have written quite eloquently why you think the senate should approve a commission. what do you say to fellow republicans who very clearly are planning to vote against it tonight? >> well, thanks, kate, for the time. what i have said to them, and continue to say, this is not a republican or democrat issue. this is an american issue. what happened on january 6 is unprecedented. we've never seen anything like it. and we need to understand not just for the police officers and their families, those brave
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capitol hill policemen who defended these members of the congress and the vice president, yes, that's strong enough. but also, all americans, all american citizens need to know what happened, why did this happen? how could this happen in this democracy that we hold up to the world as the greatest democracy in the world? this sanctuary of democracy, which capitol hill is, was attacked. this is serious. this is as serious as anything i think we've seen in recent years. and the independent commission, equal number of republicans and democrats, modeling the 9/11 commission, would do a fair job on this, independent, not under the speaker or the minority leader, but independent. i just don't understand why we're afraid of the truth. why all americans wouldn't want to know the truth. >> i sincerely appreciate hearing you say that. and because it's not that hard.
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this is pretty clear cut what is needed, i think here. but republicans, look, johnson is openly admitted and other republicans openly admitted that this commission suspect good politics for them. that they are afraid it will hurt them in 2022. cynically, are they wrong? >> well, i'll leave that up to the voters. but they're so cowed and intimidated by former president trump that they're afraid of their own shadows. you know, when i was in the senate and had the privilege of being a united states senator representing nebraska for 12 years, i never got confused about why i was there. it didn't mean i was a good senator or voted the right way all the time. but i always went back to the oath of office i took. i took an oath of office, like all elected representatives do, the military does, to defend the constitution, to defend this country, to defend our process, our people.
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not to defend a president or what a president wants or a political party or philosophy. if that's your northstar, if that's the compass you use, then there's no other way around this, you have to have a commission. because you want to get at the truth, what's right, and this is right. politics, yes. i'm sure the republicans are very concerned what might come out of this. well, i don't know what's going to come out of it. but the point of this commission is not to assign blame or not to play politics. it's to get to the truth as to why it happened, what happened, and who is involved and for what reasons were they involved. this is a big country, 330 million americans. and we have different points of view. we should have different points of view, that's okay. but not what we saw january 6. >> and one member of congress said to me, this kind of a vote on this commission, it's time to put your big boy and big girl pants on.
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these are decisions you have to make. it's not that hard. you've known mitch mcconnell for a long time. my colleague is reporting that he asked other republicans to oppose the commission as a personal favor to him. does that surprise you? does that concern you? what do you think of that? >> that does concern me. mitch has been a majority leader of the united states senate, he's now minority leader. he has a big responsibility, has had over the years. and to say something like that to his caucus, if he said it, this is a personal favor for me, this personal favor to me is bigger than the interests of america, that's shameful. that is absolutely shocking and shameful to hear that from a leader, if he said it. i don't know if he said it. i know it's been reported. but if he said it, it's shameful. and he should not have responsibility or the privilege of being a leader in congress. >> senator, as i always call
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you, secretary, thank you very much for your time. really appreciate it. >> thank you. >> good to see you. hope you're well. "outfront" next, live pictures of meat gaetz right there and margorie taylor greene, the next stop on their road show. what do their supporters have to say this time? listen. >> we think this was too great of a crime, and we can't let it go. we're not going to let it go. >> more of that to come. plus, troubling new details about the gunman who killed nine of his co-workers. cnn learning authorities previously questioned the shooter about his hatred for his workplace. and the family of ronald greene who says they were told greene died in a car accident, and instead at the hands of police, meeting with the governor of louisiana tonight. do they believe charges are coming? wn? it could be a sign that your digestive system isn't working at it's best taking metamucil everyday can help. metamucil psyllium fiber, gels to trap and remove the waste that weighs you down.
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looking at live pictures right now out of georgia. republicans matt gaetz and margorie taylor greene making their next tour stop in dalton, part of greene's district. and gaetz who has done donald trump's bidding, saying the gop is 100% the party of trump. >> this is donald trump's party, and i'm a donald trump republican! it's our ideas, america first, that fills the stadiums and the halls and the ballrooms and the
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prairies all across this great land. we're not going back to the days of the bushes and the mccains and the romneys. our way, america first, is the way forward for america! >> that is what we're hearing from the stage. what are you hearing from the people in the audience? >> reporter: you know, when we were last here, it was just two days before the rayiots, presidt trump had his last rally here. and back on january 4th, people were unable to accept trump lost the message. it's very much the same today. have a listen. >> you would agree the 2020 election -- >> we're in new territory. this is the first forensic audit of a presidential election. forensic. so we don't know. >> do you genuinely think --
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>> that trump could obtain the electoral slate of arizona? yes, that's a possibility. if that happens, could it happen to georgia? possibly. possibly. >> you're still clinging on to this belief that the election could be overturned, you're clinging to that, are you? >> clinging to it? i'm hopeful. i'm hopeful. >> would it not be better for republican politicians and supporters to move on and to look forward, even to look forward and ahead to trump running in 2024 instead of keep on looking backward >> no, because this was too great of a crime and we're not going to let it go. >> reporter: so kate, you can hear they are really giving hope and it's giving people hope because trump has been out there with messages, giving
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interviewing saying arizona might be the first domino to fall in overturning the election. gaetz is speaking right now. margorie taylor greene, who really is the main attraction here tonight in her district, is due to speak shortly. i asked some folks here today about those terrible remarks she made at the holocaust. and rather than being worried about them, people here were praising those remarks. they said that it's good that greene speaks her mind and that she makes comments like this. kate? >> okay. thank you so much. great reporting, as always. "outfront" with me now, matthew dowd and former republican governor of ohio, john kasich. good to see you both. governor, you just heard one of the men that he spoke to at this rally, one of the people there to see matt gaetz and margorie taylor greene. i recall that gaetz and greene
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targeted you in these rallies, as well. what do you say to what you heard tonight? >> thank you for doing that. i mean, i can't hardly believe that. kate, it's -- you know, it's like fantasy land. i feel sorry for this gentleman that thinks somehow this election is going to be overturned. who -- i don't know how his head gets filled with this. rather than be, you know, kind of critical and angry, i am sort of feeling sorry. and i'm worried about our country. when you look at the numbers, it's amazing how many republicans think it was not a legitimate election. how does this carry on? are are we going to have one election after another when there's no legitimacy. when you don't have legitimacy in the results of an election, it's hard to sustain the system we have. i'm hopeful we're going to recover from this. but we've been waiting a long time. so it's pretty amazing that
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we've got matthew dowd, who a very smart guy on this. i'm bet he's just stunned at what he's been seeing. it's not the party i grew up with or the party we know. attacking romney and bush and kasich, that's really something. so it will change. this is just -- this moment in time, and the winds of change will come. >> matthew, jump in. every time we talk, we talk about the unicorns that are the republican party or the republican party that we once knew, right? and the winds of change, it might be a long time before it does, because this is the republican base that gaetz and greene speak for. and feed off of. and apparently the republican party is depending on them now. >> well, and it's great to be on with the governor, who i've always been a big fan. i mean, this is the republican party today, and that's what i think people have to face that reality. the only change that's happened over the course of the last five
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years, it's gotten worse. i mean, donald trump has an 82% favorability rating among the republican base. margorie taylor greene and matt gaetz are more popular than mitt romney and liz cheney in the republican party. anybody in the republican party that add mitts to a common set of facts, that wants to investigate what happened on january 6 is basically almost impossible to win in a primary in this country. so to me, i agree that we're at a crucial point in our democracy. probably as crucial as we were in 1860 or 1861 in what we had, because we have one of the two major legacy parties that is occupied by conspiracy theorists, charltons, and people that push for huge conflict 234s our country. to me, the only path forward is decimating losses to be suffered by the republican party in a series of elections.
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that's the only way i think politically we'll move through this. republicans have to suffer a series of devastating losses in 2022 and 2024 and maybe then we'll be able to renew this thing to a place that's rational. right now, the republican party is matt gaetz and margorie taylor greene. >> matthew, it's -- it really is something to hear you put it in those terms. i mean, we've got another republican, i know you both respect who is speaking out tonight, paul ryan is back out speaking tonight. the former speaker, former vp nominee, he's going to be making a speech and he's going to speak out against the big lie. he's going to take on president trump tonight. i want to read for you one of the things that he's expected to say. he's expected to say, once again we conservatives find ourselves at a crossroads. here's one reality we have to face. if the conservative cause depends on the populist appeal of one personality or second rate imitations, then we're not going anywhere.
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voters looking for republican leaders want to see independence and meddle. governor, does paul ryan still know what conservatives want? we just listened to what matthew said. >> well, we know what conservatives want. the traditional republican party, the dna, is low taxes and limited government. and so the problem with the biden administration, they're piling all this new government on top of government that currently doesn't work very well. so the republican party needs to focus on those things that are going to provide for economic growth. and that's limiting the size and the scope of government. republican party has to focus on things like the cost of pharmaceuticals. this is what people are talking about all over the place. the party has to come up with alternatives to immigration. we ought to have a plan for the dreamers, so these kids that came here have a place to live in america. it's a party of hope, opportunity, expansion, and
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growth. and now when i hear them talk about -- what is america first, i don't know what that means. that's just rhetoric. >> it just makes you feel good. it's a rallying cry. >> but here's the problem. the problem is, the republicans are likely, by historical standards to win the house, to one one of these houses of congress. and then we have to see where we are, because that -- i hope they don't think that legitimizes them. because we're almost like a government in britain, where we're breaking down -- >> but it's going to make them feel that way, governor. it's going to make them -- a win is a win. at the end of the day. >> here's the only thing i know. the less that washington gets done, the more is for us to do where we live. and as i told you many times before, change in america comes from the bottom up. we have to seize power in our communities and begin to drive things that way.
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>> i hear you. matthew, as if on cue, matt gaetz has now just take an shot at paul ryan as we are talking about paul ryan. let's listen to matt gaetz real quick. >> as we gather tonight, paul ryan is giving a speech in california. [ crowd boos ] taking advice on party building from paul ryan would be like taking advice on how to interact with your in-laws from meghan markle. >> he's saying paul ryan is synonymous with the devil incarnate, matthew. >> i don't think matt gaetz should be giving any advice, including dating advice. to me, the problem with paul ryan is paul ryan is living in a land that no longer exists. there's not a reagan republican party.
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if reagan went to that rally, he would be booed. john kasich would be booed. mitt romney would be booed at that rally. every single principled conservative would be booed at that rally. the first order of paul ryan, who sits on the board of fox news, is to criticize what fox has done. if anybody has propped up donald trump over the course of the last five years, and continues to do, it's fox news. and the one main entity that is propagated the big lie that led to january 6 is fox news. and so if you want to redo the republican party, you've got to start with fox news. >> and the propaganda machine that is driving this messages that people are feeding off of. matthew, great to see you. thank you. governor, thank you again for your time. >> thank you. i'm not giving up. i'm not giving up on principle. >> you don't. i'm the cynical one. you always try to convince me to stop being cynical. thank you, governor.
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>> we shall overcome. believe me. >> thank you both. up next, new information about the nine people killed during the mass shooting at the rail yard. i'll speak to a san jose councilman who is mourning his childhood friend. and the mother of ronald greene marching for justice for her son who died after being arrested. >> it hurts the hell out of me to even say my son was murdered. so i only pay for what i need. 'cause i do things a bit differently. wet teddy bears! wet teddy bears here! only pay for what you need. ♪ liberty. liberty. liberty. liberty. ♪ kevin bacon here. you know me from six degrees of well... me. but it's time to expand.
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tonight, warning signs. alarming details about the san jose shooter who killed nine co-workers yesterday. cnn is learning in 2016 u.s. customs officials detained the man and found with him books on terrorism and a notebook filled with hatred for his workplace. it comes as we're learning much more about those who lost their lives yesterday. josh campbell is "outfront." >> reporter: tonight, a city in mourning, after wednesday's mass shooting in san jose, california. >> let's take a moment of silence for our fallen workers.
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>> reporter: glenn hendricks, honoring the nine victims today with a moment of silence. and promises of help. >> we're all grieving together, and we want to do everything we can to support each other. >> reporter: investigators are now uncovering more about the 57-year-old man who killed nine co-workers wednesday. the sheert, identified as samuel cassidy, reportedly fired 39 rounds at the scene, and may have targeted specific co-workers. detectives located three millimeter hand guns at the scene. they also found bombmaking material in cassidy's employee locker. >> we had our canines there, and they did a search. some of our dogs alerted on what was his locker inside were precursor things for explosives. ingredients for a device actually. detonation cords, things like that. >> reporter: a dhs official told
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cnn customs and border protection officials detained him in 2016 after a trip to the philippines and found notes about hatred towardis his employer, books about terrorism, fear and manifestos. a neighbor says footage shows him leaving home with a duffel bag wednesday morning. the neighbor saw he saw cassidy's house go up in flames at the time the shooting took place. >> it's my opinion he had a device to go off in his house simultaneously. >> reporter: officers say he died by suicide. an employee at the rail yard witnessed the shooting. >> i do know that he had a specific agenda, and was targeting certain people. he walked by other people, he let other people live as he gunned down other people. >> reporter: in interviews with those who knew him, he was described as a man with anger issues, and who was allegedly
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abusive. cassidy's ex-wife, who was married to him for ten years, spoke to our affiliate and said he resented his work and co-workers. and that he had two sides. when he was in a good mood, he was a great guy. when he was mad, he was mad. the nine victims who tragically lost their lives ranged in age from 29 to 63, including one that was killed while helping his co-workers hide. >> one lady he put in the control room to hide over here, you know? he can go there too, but he just saved her. >> reporter: and kate, here at that maintenance yard, the site of the mass shooting, the investigation continues. today, they moved the perimeter back of this crime scene, attempting to reconstruct exactly what took place, as these examiners do their work, investigators are poring over everything they know about the shooter. at this point, they're treat thing as workplace violence, but
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still much more work to do done. >> josh, thank you. now i want to bring in a city council member in san jose. he's also a former san jose police officer. councilman, thank you for being here. when we spoke yesterday, you were still waiting to hear final word on your childhood friend, michael. and sadly, we now know that he is one of those who was killed in this shooting. i am so sorry. how is his family doing and holding up? >> yeah, first off, thank you. it has been extremely difficult. it was agonizing waiting yesterday and the news came in around 6:00 p.m. our time and, you know, it was like a big weight being lifted. but then all that weight sort of dropped right on you, as that news sunk in. it's been tough, it's been extremely difficult for all the families, obviously.
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and a lot of disbelief still as we're processing everything that's happened. >> you can completely understand that. what do you want people to know about michael? >> yeah, you know, mike was a terrific human being. you know, a lot of the outpouring of our friends and loved ones and family members that knew him all throughout the years, the common thread right now is how he was truly a great trend to everybody. people questioning is there anybody that he wasn't -- he wasn't a friend to. and making this all that more harder as we learn more about this story, because he was just a very genuinely terrific human being. and, you know, would do anything for his friends. >> that is making it so hard, you're hearing such wonderful
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things about those who were killed, and then the complete opposite of the grotesque nature of the person who is responsible for their death. i mean, we have learned a lot since we spoke last night about the man responsible for this. the sheriff says he appeared to target some people. we heard from some folks that he was -- the sheriff said that he was walking around saying to one person he encountered, i'm not going to shoot you, and then proceeding to open fire and shoot others. what more are you hearing tonight? >> yes, similarly. it's obviously hard to hear. you know, michael was somebody that loved his job. you know, he had been a mechanic his entire career and loved the challenge of working on the trains and transitioned over to an even more challenging job of an overhead linesman. kind of the opposite picture, somebody that enjoyed the work,
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enjoyed the camaraderie, and to hear, you know, that there were potentially people that were targeted in this, and that he was included, it's difficult. it's difficult to comprehend. >> yeah. makes what's impossibly hard maybe even worse. thank you. i'm very sorry. thank you for coming back on. >> thank you. thank you. "outfront" next, the family of ronald greene they say, they were told greene died in a car accident. but the video tells a very different story. today, they marched and pushed officials to bring charges. >> this is for my son. this is for a lot of what's been happening here, the cover-ups. the corruption. and texas republicans on the verge of passing controversial bill that democrats say are going to make it even harder for them to win elections in that state.
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is your family ready for an emergency? you can prepare by mapping out two ways to escape your home, creating a supply kit, and including your whole family in practice drills. for help creating an emergency plan, visit safetyactioncenter.pge.com this academic year has been, um, challenging. but i think there's so much success to celebrate. woman: it's been a year like no other. man: yet, for educators across california, the care, compassion, and teaching has never stopped. woman: addressing their unique needs... man: ...and providing a safe learning environment
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pur pursuit. greene's family were officially told by troopers that he died in a car crash. the family met today with the governor of louisiana and state prosecutors who say that they are just now getting access to all the evidence surrounding his death. again, more than two years later. >> it's so disrespectful to the state of louisiana to continue this, to run this through, hoping that eventually it will lose traction, for some reason or other it will die away, which is not going to happen. because this is for my son. this is for a lot of what's been happening here, the cover-ups. the corruption. >> "outfront" now, alana odoms, she took part in the march for ronald greene tonight. thank you for being here. you marched arm in arm with greene's family today. what does the day mean for them? >> today means the opportunity
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to vindicate the rights of their loved one. ronald greene was a father to taylor fwrooen. he greene. he was a son and the brother of shawn. and to see this family had the opportunity to meet with the governor and state prosecutors to finally have the opportunity to make their demands heard, this means everything to the family, and it means everything to the activists on the ground supporting them. >> as you mentioned, the family met with the governor today. he put out a statement. i want to read what he said here. he said, i pledged that louisiana state police is cooperating fully with the union parish district attorney and the united states justice department and under the leadership of a new state police superintendent, change has already started at the agency. do you feel any more hopeful after today that arrests and
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charges will be coming? >> i do feel hopeful. but i have yet to see just as the rest of the public has to see the substance of these investigations. i believe it is incumbent on our elected leaders to call for state charges to be brought, and for all who are involved to be held accountable. and i believe that state charges, as well as concurrent federal charges are appropriate, as does the family. and i also believe that it is incumbent upon elected leaders to forcefully call for federal oversight of the louisiana state police. it does not matter that these investigations are ongoing. if you want to stand for justice at this time, you can actively, should actively, proactively, voluntarily and forcefully call for these things to secure today. >> the family's attorneys at the d.a.'s office told them they were just now gaining access to all of the evidence. i want to play for you what lee
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merritt said. >> they reassured us that the union parish authorities would seek criminal accountability for these officers in due time. time is well due. we are overtime. we are two years later. >> how do you think it is possible that the d.a.'s office still didn't have full access to evidence from police until just weeks ago? >> i don't think it's possible. i don't think that's plausible. and if it is, in fact, plausible, we have a lot bigger problem in the state of louisiana than any of us understand. if the state's top prosecutors and law enforcement officers do not have access to evidence in a criminal case, do not have access to videographic evidence, corruption is a euphemism. we are looking at a system wholly unworthy of trust and
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wholly unworthy of anyone's confidence. i would pray that is just a falsehood and not, in fact, the truth. because if we do not have the confidence that our district attorneys have access to all information from law enforcement, including all evidence, we have a system, a kangaroo court, if you will. we have a banana republic. and i don't believe the state of louisiana is a banana republic. so i seriously question the integrity of that. >> a lot more questions with that. thank you very much, appreciate it. up next, texas republicans trying to pass a controversial bill that critics argue is aimed at stopping democrats from winning elections. and the department of homeland security, with an alarming warning tonight about white supremacists ahead of the 100th anniversary of the tulsa race massacre.
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quote
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>> reporter: as the clock struck midnight inside the texas capitol. this group of democratic state representatives celebrated the end of of a day long efforts to kill a number of republican bills. but it was one of the few moments you will find a democrat smiling in texas these days. >> we have really been just steam-rolled. >> reporter: texas lawmakers are wrapping up a legislative session and donna howard is surprised even by texas standards by the red are meat agenda that has been pushed in the months since the november election. >> it has a lot to do with what happened this in the last election. there's some bitterness there. that they want to see some of the democrats squirm. >> reporter: remember are all that talk about democrats turning texas blue in 2020? republicans crushed those
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dreams. for now. >> they said that president trump will win the state of texas. >> in 2012, barack obama beat mitt romney by 16 points in 2016, trump beat hillary clinton by 16, and as president ally elections are getting closer and closer that texas republicans would be more moderate. that is not what we have seen. texas republicans have passed a heartbeat bill, banning most abortions. a permitless carry bill will allow texans to carry a handgun without a license or training. republicans are pushing an election overhaul with new voter restrictions and another bill is claiming to deal with systemic racism in schools and the power grid bills have not yet passed. brendan steinhauser is a veteran
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republican strategist, he said when predictions of the republican downfall went up in smoke, the republicans decided to move more to the right and toward trump. >> there's no incentive to do anything but appeal to the base. >> reporter: he helped run the campaign for michael wood, an anti-trump republican candidate, wood did not come close to winning. where is the republican party in texas right now? >> we find ourselves being successful in the last cycle and also worried about the long-term future of the party. >> reporter: the signs are everywhere that trump's shadow looms over texas republicans and now the state's republican party is led by allen west who is pushing the party to not be afraid of embracing trump. do you worry that sessions like this end up driving away maybe
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middle of the road voters? >> my dad said the only thing in the middle of the road is road kill and i don't want to be road kill. >> reporter: so kate h, this ye will get more interesting. lawmakers are gearing up for a redistricting fight. lawmakers will be brought back to austin later this year. where they have to hammer on out a redistricting. this state is getting three new congressional seats and it's going to be a long hard fought political year here in the state. >> absolutely. great reporting, ed, thank you. out front for us next, a troubling warning. white supremists may be targeting up coming events to honor the victims of the 1921 tulsa race massacre. plant-based surfactants like the ones in seventh generation
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tonight, cnn learning the department of homeland security has issued a bulletin, warning events associated with 100th anniversary of the tulsa race massacre next week could be targeted by white supremacists. the greenwood neighborhood was a historic center of black prosperity and a site of one of the most shocking murders. white vigilantes went through, killing black men , women and children. so many people have said there were no bodies there. but you know, all the black folk in the community, we believe they are there. those stories were passed to us. >> there was a systemic cover up of the event. it should not have taken 99 years. >> we have to pay attention.
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we have to pick up the charred baton that has been left in our hands and figure out where the screams are coming from. >> hm-mm , this is from the new c this. n film dream land, the burning of black wall street, it premiers on monday on cnn at 9:00. thank you for joining me, ac360 starts now. good evening, we grinbegin what we have learned about the investigation of the january 6th capitol and democracy. we know how it will end. it will be blocked by republicans which may sound like a political statement by me, but it's not, it's a political statement by those republicans. it's a statement of fealty to theman who inspired the insurrection, and praised the attackers. the former president. the inability to form a bipartisan commission to look in to an attack on all of us is a betray aly of on all of us