and good evening. we begin tonight with a striking claim about one of the most controversial provisions in the bill texas state republicans are pushing to restrict voting. it would have limited polling hours on sundays, to after 1:00 p.m. drastically, affecting the souls to the powells voter turnout efforts in black churches around the state. right now, the bill is in limbo after state house democrats ran the clock out on it for their current legislative session. now, some of the backers are trying to say that the whole sunday voting hours portion of

the bill was nothing more than a typo. >> call it an error, whatever you want to. i talked to our team yesterday. kind of regrouping what happened. that was not intended to be reduced. i think there was a -- you know, call it a mistake if you want to, what should have been 11 was actually printed up as one. >> that's a supporter of the bill. republican supporter of the bill, who is calling it a typo or error. a mistake. why it took them more than three days to find that mistake and many public arguments about the mistake, in fact, supporting the 1:00 p.m. timeframe, is a nonanswer to that question. the very public outcry is anyone's guess, exactly, what's going on. now, maybe, his retreat on an especially problematic piece of it is a welcome sign. if so, it would be a lonely bon and exception to president biden's warning just the other day that, quote, democracy is in

peril. consider what we have seen in just the past few days. there's been credible reporting the defeated-former president has actually been telling friends that he will be back in office by august. we have seen a qanon conspiracy promote a retired general, former national security adviser, michael flynn, seemingly endorse a military coup like the one in military, to make that happen. and we have heard from americans, who would be just fine with a coup. >> what's going on in myanmar right now? the government took over and they are redoing the election. that could possibly happen here, possibly. >> would you like to see it happen? >> absolutely. >> yes. >> this is not what you see in healthy democracies. nor, the backtracking on it we just mentioned aside is what's going on in texas. we will talk about that tonight with former texas congressman and presidential candidate beto o'rourke. could soon spread to other states. we have new reporting there, tonight, as well. we will also look at the growing slate of qanon candidates,

believers in the big lie and more. trying to win state and local office. joining us is illinois republican congressman, adam kinzinger, who recently tweeted this about what retired general michael flynn said over the weekend. quote, to those begging for a military coup, you will be shocked when the military arrests you under the, and domestic, part of the oath. that is referring to the oath all service members take to defend the country against foreign and domestic enemies. he continues, your fantasy will be ended quickly. congressman, thanks for being with us. the president, just the other day, said democracy's in peril. do you believe it is? >> yeah, i do. i think we have gotten lazy, in assuming that democracy will always survive. i think democracy around the globe is in a recession because, when you have this advent of so much information. and you don't know who to believe and that happens with, you know, this explosion of the internet. and you can just find whatever news source and misinformation. it becomes really easy for people to just say, i'm going to find the one person i trust. and then, everything they say,

i'll believe it. and well, that's the definition of authoritarianism. and i think, you know, when you talk about things like even flirting with the idea of a coup d'etat in the united states of america. you know, i think michael flynn stood up there and he wants to get applause. so he is going to tell people what they want to hear. i'm sure he actually, in some cases, maybe believes there should be a coup d'etat. but what you are doing for people, to every leader that is elected in the republican party, by your silence, much less if you come out in support of that. but especially, by your silence, too. you are allowing people to think that this is okay. and i think anybody that's never been in combat, you know, and i'm not going to pretend to be here, you know, being a guy on the ground in the war. i flew in the sky. but, if you get medicine from your local pharmacy. if you like to put gas in your car. you know, any of those luxuries that you have today. you like to get on the internet. all that will be gone, if this government collapses. but you have people with this fetish for, like, an overthrow

violence thing. and it's being fed by leaders that just don't want to tell them the truth because it may be harder to tell them the truth than it is to just go along with this. >> obviously, there is now this reporting from maggie haberman from "the times," the former president is telling people he expects to be reinstated this august. and certainly, a lot of people will listen to that and say that's ridiculous. but there are a lot of his supporters who believe that and would like to make it happen. >> yeah. 100%. and, you know, look. if you -- there is a lack of trust in this country. we know that. lack of ust in institutions. lack -- by the way, the last institution that doesn't really have a lack of trust is the military. and -- and people are trying, very hard, to change that. that's a dangerous thing, when -- when people start seeing the military as partisan. but, yeah, i mean, if you look at just all this stuff that's going on and all that misinformation that's being thrown out there. it is a really dangerous moment in this country. and people have to stand up, and they have to tell people the truth. you know, if we have a party

that's sitting around saying, well, it's antifa that, actually, on january 6th, attacked the capitol. but we don't want to do a january-6th commission because, you know, it's time to move on. senator johnson has said there were no guns or weapons confiscated on january 6th. couple quick points on that. first off, there were no arrests because the police were too busy defending the capitol and defending lives to put somebody under arrest, read 'em their rights, and confiscate their weapons. but we know that in at least 300 of the cases that the fbi has cited there were at least 36 weapons, including things like bear spray. which, by the way, is no joke, and can kill people. we know there were pipe bombs found. and we also know, through court filings, that folks in the oath keepers were having discussions about stashing guns outside in virginia, so they couldn't be confiscated. so they could go out and bring them in, when trump incited the insurrection act. this is the kind of danger -- and we have so many members of congress and elected officials that just go along with it. put their heads down. think it's going to go away.

but if somebody, like donald trump, says something. or leaders say something or they don't say something against something totally false. there is no reason to believe that anybody's going to organically come to the truth. and it's just a few of us out here saying this. >> yeah. i mean, you are one of the few, very brave, you know, congresspeople, who -- who is telling the truth on -- on -- on all of this. and calling it as you see it. what do your fellow members of congress -- i mean, i don't really know how congress works, in terms of how much you talk, you know, casually with each other. or if those days are kind of gone. but do -- i mean, do people believe what they are arguing? or is it, they're just keeping their heads down, they are going along to get along to -- to maintain their seat, hoping that and thinking well, you know what, it's not going to be that bad. it will blow away. people -- this fever will break. >> so, you know, some people just stoke it because they can raise money on it. marjorie taylor greene. some of those. right? i don't know if they actually believe it. i think the vast majority of

republican members of congress don't believe this garbage. this conspiracy stuff. there's probably a few that do. i think others just determine -- look -- and i understand this thought, a little bit. which is like, look, my expertise, for instance, is, you know, in somebody's mind, it's healthcare. and i need to survive so i can be here to effect healthcare policy. and if you turn against the republicans, you get kicked out of the tribe. there is a lot of people trying to kick me out of the republican tribe and i was there way before donald trump ever was. by the way, anderson, i'm pretty conservative. i'm center-right. then, you have people that say, oh, we thought you were different. well, this isn't about policy. this is about the defense of democracy. the number of people that i have seen say things like, well, you know, we respect liz cheney. but my goodness, she is a conservative. we're done with her. of course, she is. the number one thing, though, that republicans and democrats have to face right now, as a country, and independents, is the defense of democracy. because none of the issues you are outraged about today,

whether it's dr. seuss or whatever stokes the outrage for your fundraising. whatever you are outraged about today won't matter when you can't get your heart medicine when the country has failed, and you are going to look back and say, my goodness, i got really outraged about nothing. >> well, also, i mean, for those who are, you know, worried about who is making these arguments and where their politics is, we, as a country, as a functioning democracy, we need two functioning-political parties. at the very least. and arguing, you know, full-throated arguments, difference of opinions. have at it. all of that is what our democracy depends on. but it's got to be based on facts. it's got to be based on, you know, on support of democracy, itself. >> that's right. well, think about this. it's the old -- i actually heard this recently for the first time but i guess an old saying. they say conservative need liberals to pull them forward. liberals need conservatives to hold them back, sometimes. and that dance has worked well in this country.

there is some things we could have done better, of course. but what we do in politics, the whole house of representatives, that i'm familiar with, was created so that you take all these passions. you distill it into a political argument. a heated-political argument. lets out the steams. you take votes. and people have, you know, their input. but we have -- we have -- the party has convinced 74 million americans, many who believe it, that the election was stolen. that their vote didn't count. that they were disenfranchised. and in that process, it's impossible to not expect what happened on january 6th to happen. because we believe in a republic, that we have a right to be heard and to vote. and we are playing with fire. and that has to stop. and by the way, for my republican friends out there that say what about the democrats? well, yes, i -- i can be on your show and i could tell a hundred things i disagree with on democrats. but as the bible says, if you have -- if you have a plank in your own eye, why don't you take care of that before you start

pointing out the speck in somebody else's? >> congressman kinzinger, i want to bring in cnn's dana bash because i understand she has some new reporting on what you have been calling dangerous behavior. dana, what's going on? >> reporter: it's just reporting, more reporting, on the former president's mindset and the fact that, you know, we knew from his public statements, how much he is focused, obsessed, unhealthily obsessed with the 2020 election. and that, that only continues, in a very dire way. and i am using the word dire because those are the terms that they are being described in, by some of his former aides. one-former aide told me that, at this point, because the former president is so singularly focused on this notion, this conspiracy, that the election was stolen from him. that he is listening to, quote, the bottom of the bottom of the crazies in the barrel. that is where he is, right now. it's not that he doesn't talk to a lot of different people.

some people, who are trying to tell him, cut it out. focus on going forward. don't focus on the past. that is, i'm told, not where he is right now. and it's interesting, because we have to look ahead to this weekend, anderson. the president -- former president -- is going to have a speech, for the first time in a long time, at a political convention. gop convention in north carolina. there is a lot of agitation, concern, about how far he is going to go into these conspiracies. because, yes, he has these statements that he puts out but he doesn't have social media, anymore. >> congressman, did you anticipate the president, the former president's power, remaining? i mean, i'm talking about among, you know, your gop colleagues, remaining as strong as it has been? >> no, i didn't. look. after january 6th, i predicted that by the summer, he's persona non grata. but a few weeks after the

insurrection, frankly, kevin mccarthy went down to mar-a-lago. he took the paddles, the political paddles, and he resurrected donald trump's politics back to life. he -- he -- he could have done, at the bare minimum, the mitch mcconnell who is this guy you are speaking of, i've never heard of him thing. and we'd be moving on as a party. instead, he's been resurrected. and look, it's amazing. i guess, yesterday, put out a little press release nobody covers. because i guess, if you put out a press release from mar-a-lago and nobody's listening, didn't happen. but he called people like barbara comstock a loser and he called me a loser. i've never lost an election. he has. he is the only loser in that mix, and we are trying to grab on to him as if he is somehow our ticket to the future. and he is obsessed with the fact that he lost, again, at something. and instead of, in his post presidency, taking on, i don't know, some issue that he cares about. or -- or some thing that we see former presidents do. he's down there obsessing about the fact that he's a loser. i'm sorry, you're a loser, but you lost.

>> one of the things that you have said in the past, which i have really respected is that, you know, there are some things more important than holding onto a job. and, you know, as -- as much as you want to serve. if -- if you were asked to do something that you didn't believe in, you -- you would not continue down that -- that road. it seems like that is such a -- an antiquated notion, now. you know, and i go back to general flynn, who, you know, i talked to one of his former-commanding officers yesterday. spyder marks, who is -- who has no idea who this person is that is on that stage, in front of a qanon audience. or a lot -- lot of qanon folks, you know, supporting a coup. i mean, what he did, he had a sterling reputation, while he was in the military. and i have heard that from a number of -- of, you know, of generals i've talked to. does it -- i -- i don't -- i cannot wrap my mind around how a

person goes from that, in a very short amount of time. i don't know if they need money. i don't know if they just like the applause, and they want some sort of power, down the road. but it's incomprehensible, to me. >> well, it is to me, too. and, you know, i -- fame, i guess. applause. is really intoxicating. i mean, i've been in congress, now, 11 years. and there's moments, particularly in the past, not so much recently. but, you know, you get attention for something, and it feels good. people know who i am, and that is a just a real moment i'm going to share with you. and everybody that's on tv, probably, has to fight that, at some point. and then, some people, though, will take that. and in a desperate attempt to get that continual, hollow reinforcement, will -- will put their oath on the line, and lie to people. so that they get that. they are abusing the raw and noble patriotism, as my friend michael wood in texas would say. the raw and noble patriotism of americans. you are abusing that for your own, personal sake. and listen, anderson.

we, as politicians, you know, get tearful on memorial day. we talk about how great it is we have people willing to put their lives on the line for this country. andreas o'keefe, a buddy of mine. if people at a young age are willing to put their life on the line for this country and we can't put our career on the line for the same thing. what's it worth? why are you doing it, right? but if everybody just comes out and tells the truth. has differences of opinion or perspective, of course. we can fix this country. short of that, we got some trouble. >> what do you think it takes to -- to break this fever? i mean, what -- what -- there aren't many people standing up, like you. and it -- it's going to take more. >> well, look. countryfirst.com. country1st.com. restoring conversation. the ability -- i would encourage, anybody watching, if

you are on the left side of the political spectrum. make a friend with somebody on the right. if you are on the right, make a friend with somebody on the left. learn their fears. right? you'll realize, you have the same fears they do. everybody is fearful of something. and that's what leads to our politics. that's a start. it is not going to come from washington, though, anderson. it's not going to come from a wakeup of the political class because, truthfully, it's kind of how it was written in the constitution. the political class, especially in the house, reflects the passions of the people, at that moment. we need people to demand better of their leaders. and i think we need to implement things, like right-choice voting. to get out of this -- this system where, really, 10% of a congressional district elects their congressional representative. it's going to take a lot of work. we can sit back, and demonize the other side only. or we can actually work to solve problems. i want to solve problems, and if it cost me my election, so be it. >> the thing that worries me. and you -- you see this more, because you're out with your constituents all the time. is i feel like it used to be,

people have different political beliefs and arguments and stuff. but they lived next door to each other, and would -- there were commonalities. they both had kids. or they both had, you know, interests. or hobbies. whatever it was, that brought them together. and, you know, the politics was -- sure, it was something in the periphery, maybe. but it wasn't who they were. it seems like, now, that has become less and less. and -- and that -- that notion of, you know, i don't know if more people are just identifying themselves as their politics. but that just seems to be not a great way to -- to have a society. that we're all walking around as a representative of our politics. it just seems that's not what citizenry, really, is about. >> well, and it's almost the curse of being the blessed country we are, right? you have -- i mean, i know there is a lot of challenges. i'm not papering over that. but you can pull out your phone. you have access to any information you want. we know we are not going to get attacked by another country. we're the leaders of the world, for now.

and -- and so, you have to be outraged about something. so, there's people out there, more than happy to reflect your fears at you about the other person. raise money on it. and they raise a ton of money on fears. if i put out an optimistic e-mail, i'm going to raise about a tenth of somebody that says, you know, give me money or nancy pelosi's going to destroy your family. that's the kind of stuff that has to stop. and everybody has to take ownership for themselves. i can try to just tell the truth. i can't do it alone. i need people with me. >> the other thing i don't understand. and i -- i hate to keep going back on flynn. but it's sort of representative of a lot of what we see, which is i understand people who have, you know, not ever served or -- or been in a combat zone. and just seen -- even as a reporter, seen what happens when there is a coup. or seen what happens when there's a strongman and, you know, there's a fight over that strongman. or there is an autocrat. but when you have seen it up close, and -- and particularly, for service members, when you have seen it up close, that is

the last thing you would want in this country. because it does not -- nobody gets out of this alive. no -- nobody gets out of it, intact. >> no. a civil war or a coup would never lead to a stronger nation. yeah. maybe, you'll get your dr. seuss, you know, banning itch scratched. but you're not going to be able to, like i said, get your heart medicine. and by the way, there's not going to be a coup. and if it it was, it's probably not going to be a conservative or liberal coup. it's going to be a coup that would just basically take away your ability to do anything. and i think, look. a lot of people, you know, imagine that a coup or an armed insurrection is just going to be like camping out with the boys. it's going to be a great time. we're drinking some pbrs. that's not true. there's going to be death and that death is going to be people that you love. and it's time that we get past fetishizing the violence in this. it's time that we get past fetish sizing, encouraging us to

overthrow the government. if there is a military coup, which won't happen because no-military member in the united states of america, that -- that takes their oath seriously, would ever participate. but it's for that kind of stuff, not for i don't like the future of dr. seuss in this country. >> congressman kinzinger, appreciate your time. thank you. >> you bet. also, dana bash, thanks very much for joining us. coming up next. what are state lawmakers from pennsylvania doing in arizona? and why is our kyung lah running after them? we'll ask her, next. a fund that invests in the innovators of the nasdaq-100 like you become an agent of innovation with invesco qqq [peaceful music plays] [soft cymbal crash] ♪ ♪ ♪ common love isn't for us ♪ [peaceful music plays]

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dana bash's new reporting on the depths of the former president's obsession, i guess you would say, with the election he lost, given his sources are saying he is taking advice from quote the bottom of the bottom of the crazies in the barrel. this next story takes on even more significance than it did just a few minutes ago. we are talking about the so-called audit of ballots in maricopa county. and how this bizarre conspiracy-driven, republican-backed effort to over

turn and free and fair election could be spreading. c cnn's kyung lah has more. >> reporter: i'm trying to talk to these pennsylvania state lawmakers, who avoided us, and local reporters, all day. this is why they're in phoenix. three republican pennsylvania lawmakers are touring the so-called audit of maricopa county's 2020 election. a partisan effort, led by the republican-controlled arizona senate. why would these pennsylvanians care about what's happening in arizona? ryan macias believes it's to spread the big lie. >> they are probably going to be the entities that are behind a push to continue to sow doubt in pennsylvania. and to continue to fund raise around this event. >> reporter: the most prominent of the pennsylvania lawmakers, republican state senator, walking here on the floor.

and pictured here at the u.s. capitol on january 6th. with former pennsylvania state representative, rick sacon. mastriano reportedly helped organize a bus tour for donald trump supporters to travel from pennsylvania to washington to fru trump's rally protesting the election results. as rioters stormed the capitol, he says he had already left the grounds. saying in a statement, that he was not involved in any violence, and peacefully followed capitol police orders to not cross any police lines. >> this is no game for us. >> reporter: but he has been supportive of bogus election-fraud claims. here he is just weeks after the november election. with then-trump lawyer, rudy giuliani, who joined lawmakers in pennsylvania. mastriano spoke at that state senate election hearing that amplified baseless conspiracies of election fraud. >> we are here today to try to find out what the heck happened in the election. >> reporter: what happened?

joe biden won pennsylvania, by more than 80,000 votes. there was no-widespread fraud found in pennsylvania. and nearly all of trump's lawsuits failed in the state. >> what is happening at the coliseum is not an audit. it is not transparent. it does not conform with election laws. it does not conform with elections process. and is not conducted by elections officials. >> reporter: for weeks, ryan, an expert in election technology, has been monitoring this exercise. about half of the nearly 2.1 million ballots cast in 2020 have been spun, examined, and photographed by a little-known company called cyber ninjas. despite two audits conducted by the county showing no-widespread election fraud. >> the more people that see that they can benefit from this, the more likely that this is going to continue to grab a stronghold across our country. >> reporter: so you don't think pennsylvania's the end, then, potentially? >> definitely, not. >> and kyung joins us from

phoenix. so you mentioned the pennsylvania lawmakers. they avoided, clearly, speaking to you. did they end up speaking to any news organizations? >> well, they did speak to one outlet on camera. but not a news organization. it is one america news network. it peddles conspiracy theories. it is pro-donald trump. it is pro-big lie. and the reason we know about it is because, you know, audit supporters tweeted a picture showing mastriano talking to one of the personalities from one america news network. in fact, anderson, what they did was they kicked out the legitimate-news organizations in the pool that included a cnn camera. we did find out, later, that one of the print reporters in the next shift of pool reporters did manage to speak to one of the other pennsylvania lawmakers, who did tell the pool that they are looking forward to having an arizona-style audit in pennsylvania. anderson. >> kyung lah, appreciate it. joining us now is arizona secretary of state, katie hobbs, who today announced her run for

governor. with us as well, her counterpart, michigan secretary of state, jocelyn benson. when you see you got pennsylvania state lawmakers now touring this so-called audit in your state. do you think that more and more of these audits, or so-called, are going to start happening around the country? and if so, what does that mean? >> it certainly looks like people are going to try to bring this to other states. and what i think is so critical for everyone to understand, and i think they do. because we've been talking about this for so long. this is dangerous. this is not an audit. it doesn't meet any standards or best practices that you would see in a postelection audit. and it's going to do nothing, to determine the validity of election results. it is -- all it's going to do is continue to undermine the integrity of our elections. and fuel voters' concerns. which are unfounded, because this election was free and fair and accurate. >> yeah. i mean, again, there was huge voter turnout, on both sides.

it was an historic election, and a remarkable election, in how many americans voted. the fact that they have been able to manipulate this, and turn this into, you know, something that has some sort of doubt in the minds of -- of a lot of the former president's supporters is just ludicrous and sad. secretary benson, what does it say to you this pennsylvania state senator, who was part of this delegation. touring now in arizona. was actually at the capitol on january 6th. >> well, it shows the connection between what happened after the 2020 election, and what is continuing to escalate in new battlefronts around the country and in new ways. anderson, i think it's really important to note, this is no longer about the former president. and whether or not he is happy with the results of the election. this is about the future of our democracy. and, you know, hear a lot of talk about efforts to right the wrongs of november. and what that is really talking about is actually what you just

pointed out, which is that the november election's success was in the fact that more people voted than ever before. extraordinary high turnout. and we have to see the spread of this information as an effort not just to placate a former candidate or former president but to suppress the vote in the future. deter people from participating. cause people to lose faith in our democracy, and disengage. so that people don't turn out in high numbers in the future. >> yeah. i mean, secretary hobbs, if this was just, you know, sour grapes and people wringing their hands and complaining about something that happened in the past. that would be one thing. but now, you have got legislatures around the country, which are trying to pass laws based on these lies. observers working on behalf of your office. they've seen, i understand, a number of security flaws, procedural violations, happening within this -- this -- what's going on in maricopa county. can you explain, exactly, what they are seeing? >> well, there's a long list of

concerns that we have posted on our website. you can find it at azsos.gov. it's exhaustive and i -- i don't have time to get into all of it. but just, it -- to sum it up, briefly, problems with chain of custody of ballots. obviously, we told maricopa county that we think their machines are unusable, again, because we have no idea what they did to the -- to the voting equipment that they had possession of. there's been security concerns. they had to pause the audit for a while because of other uses in the building. and the -- everything was stored in a -- in a facility that isn't suitable for storage. and was swamp cooled, which has issues with document preservation. so these are just top level, but there is a whole list if you go to our -- to our website. and then, obviously, the -- the -- the very partisan nature of what's being carried out. the folks have a partisan

agenda. there is no independents here that would qualify this as any kind of independent audit or anything else. >> and just to be clear, secretary hobbs. i mean, these -- the folks who are running this thing. they can announce anything they want to announce. i mean, they could say, oh, well, we found this and we found, x, y, and z. and there's no way to validate what they would say. is that right? >> right. i mean, the lack of procedures that are in place are -- are creating an atmosphere where there's a lot of errors going on. and -- and priming it for cooking the books. for exactly what you said. and nobody is going to be able to go back in and replicate what they have done because they've -- they've destroyed the chain of custody. and -- and -- and -- and the ballots, so much, that it's not going to be replicatable. so no one can actually refute by trying to replicate the results. >> secretary benson, do you worry about this coming to michigan? >> yes. in part, because there's been no

accountability. there's been no real accountability for the politicians that are connected to january 6th and the tragedy in our u.s. capitol. there's been no accountability for politicians who continue to spread the big lie. there's been no accountability for organizations, like cyber ninjas, and the senate in arizona, the state senate, that allowed them to come in and have access and undermine democracy in such a really pernicious way. and that's why this is going to continue to increase. this is going to continue to escalate. and that's why we have to, also, keep shining a light on it and tell the truth. because the effort to lie and deceive our citizens, about the truth of american democracy, is only going to continue, and i think it's going to escalate through 2024. >> yeah. jocelyn benson, katie hobbs, appreciate it. thank you very much. former congressman and potential texas gubernatorial candidate, beto o'rourke joins us. and what republicans are calling basically a typo that could potentially have depressed african-american turnout. was it really just a mistake? ahead.

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as we mentioned at the top of the broadcast, texas republicans are quickly walking back a measure in their voting-restriction bill. one of the conservative editorial board of the "wall street journal" had advised they drop calling it a quote, political mistake, at minimum. the bill's final language would restrict hours for early voting on sundays, when many black churchgoers gather for what's known across the country as souls for the polls. under the bill, polls wouldn't open until 1:00 p.m.

only now, at least one state lawmaker is saying that was actually just a mistake, a drafting error, or a typo. >> call it an error, whatever you want to. but i talked to our team, yesterday. kind of regrouping of what happened. that was not intended to be reduced. i think there was a, you know, call it a mistake, if you want to. what should have been 11 was actually printed up as one. >> perspective now on voting rights in the state. and elsewhere. from former texas congressman and potential gubernatorial candidate, beto o'rourke. congressman, first of all, i have to ask you about this alleged typo that i just mentioned. which would have limited black churches, souls to the polls events. i mean, do you buy this line? >> i don't. the excuses that, you know, they wrote in the legislation that voting could not begin till 1:00 p.m. and they said that was a typo. they really meant 11:00. that might almost be believable, if there wasn't the p.m. that followed the 1 in the legislation.

so, they clearly meant to eliminate souls to polls, which as we all know, targets black voters in the state of texas. this was a very conscious, targeted effort to stop some people, including those in the disability community, young voters, black voters, and voters in big cities, from being able to fully participate in upcoming elections. >> i mean, the bill was thoroughly debated. not one republican mentioned the typo during that debate. in fact, one republican defended the 1:00 p.m. voting start time. saying election workers want to go to church, too. >> it's really interesting. this -- this bill has changed over the course of the legislative session. and this provision eliminating souls to polls, as well as another one that's even worse. which would allow texas to overturn elections, based on allegations of fraud. those were introduced in a 20-page addendum, that was given to legislators, literally, hours before they were asked to vote on this. so, this is a bill that -- that

got from -- that went from bad to much worse. and my fear is that, even though texas house democrats bought us some time by defeating this -- this bill on sunday. there's going to be a special session called by governor abbott. and the next iteration promises to be even worse. the thing is we've got this window of time. that session probably won't be called until july. if the united states senate can pass the voting-rights bill, known as the for the people act, it would stop these provisions in texas and georgia and florida, in other states that have adopted them. and it would expand access to the polling place, for eligible voters. that's -- that's the direction our country needs to move in. >> when you look at the proposed restrictions, beyond what we've already mentioned. that, you know, anyone who drives more than two nonrelatives to the polls would need a signed form stating the reason their passengers required assistance. eliminating drive-thru voting. limiting drop-off boxes. i mean, there -- you know, it'd be one thing if there was -- there were mounds of evidence

over the course of many years. that all of these things resulted in widespread-voter fraud. but it's just the opposite. all of the evidence, other than the lies coming from, you know, the man in mar-a-lago, that are now backed up by most of the gop and in congress. there is no widespread voter fraud. i mean, i haven't seen anything that drop boxes lead to voter fraud. >> it's an interesting argument. when asked, the governor, the republican legislators, who wrote this legislation. with the help of the heritage action fund, which has helped to write this legislation all across the country. say, well, we can't cite any specific instance of voter fraud. however, many of our constituents are concerned about it. they're concerned about it because the former president, and his co-conspirators, have trafficked in this big lie. alleging that there was some kind of widespread fraud in 2020. even though donald trump's own secretary of homeland security

called the 2020 elections the safest and most secure, in the history of -- of this country. so, they are akin to the arsonist who wants credit, now, for putting out the fire that he set. and they're -- they're saying they have to come up with these voter-fraud bills to -- to -- to stamp out any doubt about elections that they, in fact, created in -- in the first place. >> it's one of the things, too, that, you know, lot of people thought. okay. well, the former president is gone. and, you know, things will kind of return, back, to normal. but given the -- the -- the way the -- the -- the congressional gop, now, has decided to completely buy into the lie. and completely, continue to slavishly back trump and -- and, you know, cater to his -- his whims. legislation is, actually, being written and actually being

proposed, based on complete falsehoods. and that argument, which you mention, which is the, well, our constituents are concerned about this. that just means that, after every election, if people just are concerned, then -- then, we do over the election? i mean, it makes no sense. >> yeah. and it would be one thing, if the concern were legitimate and organic and founded on, you know, confirmed instances of -- of election fraud. but the -- the incidence of election fraud in texas is lower than the incidence of texans being struck by lightning. i think it's something, like, .00004% rate of voter fraud in the state. the republican party, at least for those currently holding office, in the most part, are -- are still beholden to the former president. he is still pulling their strings and calling the shots. >> beto o'rourke, really appreciate it. thank you. >> thank you. well, just ahead tonight. in-depth report on the adherence of the qanon conspiracy theory

that are running for, in some cases winning offices, in places across the country. it would be cool to ride a horse on the moon.

by now, most of us have at least a passing knowledge of the qanon-curious republican congresswoman from georgia. but it's a mistake to think she is on an island in her beliefs. around the country in local, state, and national races, qanon supporters have not only attracted attention, but gained power and more of the we have an in depth report. >> i keep speaking on queue. and the on the truth. >> from the world champion multi-matt fighter turned mayor. to a school board member with a curious take on science. >> this adherence that you have to believe scientists. is more of like a religious cult. >> to a state representative pushing a deep state conspiracy. >> there's people involved in a pedophile net work and the distribution of children. >> conspiracy embracing candidates are making head way in local, state and national

races across america. >> are there more candidates or fewer than have latched onto the conspiracy theories? >> there's a high ore rate of candidates embracing q anon-. and ntenants now than last cycl. >> the liberal watchdog group media matters tracks the political clout. their research shows the january 6 insurrection didn't kill the conspiracy. it broadened the movement. so far the group says for the 2022 races, 19 congressional candidates. 18 republicans. have shown support for conspiracies. >> we're at the beginning of this. not the end. a large reason why it has such political power is not just because adherence is energized. it's a good go to. they donate and give money.

>> president trump is the chosen one to save america from a shadow group of politicians and stars who run a worldwide sex trafficking ring. so they can drink the children's blood for energy. >> the real threat of this is isn't so much that it's a whacky idea. it's that it is a call to arms. >> case in point. listen to arizona state representative. >> there's a lot of people involved in a pedophile net work and the distribution of children. unfortunately, there's a lot of elected officials that are involved in that. >> i shouldn't be shocked at that. that is shocking. >> the conservative news anchor may not have challenged him. subsequ subs constituents have. and shocked by the tweet outside the capitol showing support for the big lie. claiming the election was

stolen. saying he never entered the building. >> i remember calling my mom. an immigrant. and asking isn't this why you left that country? of course. it isn't supposed to happen in the united states. >> young democrat is working alongside a young republican. joining forces to help recall him. >> we have a tochb people that need help and need laws passed and he's focussed on conspiracy theories. which is just disgusting. >> he's undeterred. he's running to become arizona's top election official. the secretary of state. some voters are all for it. >> the term conspiracy theory is used to ridicule good ideas. >> others dead set against it. >> somebody like him being in charge of elections holing a seat like secretary of state is one of the most dangerous things to happen to democracy. >> we want to give him a chance

to explain his believes. so we waited outside the state house. >> he dodged us. we waited for 12 hours. >> he's one of the last cars in the parking lot. now the security for the legislature is driving his car away. >> 2,000 miles away in michigan. a first time school board member is under fire for social media posts saying q anon-confirmed by trump and they can delete social media but never break our spirit or stop what's coming. god wins. posted over a flaming q. with we the people are pissed off. >> as a high school student and

first time voter, he did home work and discovered the deleted post. >> what is education? it's hard to follow what she does believe. it's hard to separate truth from fiction. >> he and others want her to resign. some of the high school friends and parents support her. 100%. >> she's kconservative so they are attacking her. >> i think personally parts of it are real. people say it's a conspiracy. some is real. some is ridiculous obviously. i think it's a real thing. we should be concerned about. >> pedophiles and do you believe that? >> yes, i do. there's some pedophile going on. >> she was at the school board meeting. >> do you believe in the theory you posted?

>> no. all i posted is where we go one we go all. they are complaining about false narrative. it's the false narrative to cancel trump supporters. >> you have the big q that was burning on fire and says we are pissed. did you believe that when you posted it? >> i don't remember that tweet. >> there are several. and things about science that you don't believe in climate change. >> i believe that science is a method and it's not a belief system. and this adherence that you have to believe scientists is more of like a religious cult. >> you don't mask the health. you mask the sick. >> science surrounding covid is called a conspiracy by the mayor

protemperature. >> are you thinking covid-19 was a conspiracy theory? >> that's former ufc champion. a trump supporter like many candidates we followed. getting widespread support for being a political disrupter. >> i thought he might mix it up and change things around. i knew he was a conservative voice and i prefer that. >> he is mixing it up. spending lots of time spewing and posting conspiracy theories. >> pandemic. >> less time dealing in policy and council business. his critics republican and democrat say. >> the day he was sworn in. he referred to the pandemic at a plan demic. that set the tone. >> the conspiracy circulating that the government planned the current pandemic. he also refused to wear a mask at meetings at the height of the

deadly pandemic in california. nor did he want his children to wear masks to school. >> we'll see what they say. >> he started pushing conspiracies. really out landish accusations. that kids were being abused by our public school system. just because we were mandating kids wear a mask in school. >> it came to a head just this week. at the first in person meeting since january. >> i was sworn in. >> after just five months on the city council. he resigned effective immediately. >> as of recently the attacks -- i feel in danger. >> we tried to talk to him. both by e-mail.

he refused. and after the meeting. we tried to ask about the conspiracy theories and the safety issue. because we should mention that it was him and his girlfriend who posted full face their children on social media. forcing them into the middle of the debate sending them to school without mask during the mandate. during the times when the whole state was suffering dealing with high deaths from covid. he had nothing to say. >> appreciate the report. up next we have breaking news from over seas. what a political earthquake means for the longest serving prime minister in the country's history. when we continue.

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