>> the passage of the juneteenth federal holiday legislation actually came about quite quickly this week, unanimously passing the senate and overwhelmingly passing the house. however, these 14 republicans are the only ones to voted against it. it is a conglomeration of trump sycophants and election deniers and pushers of the big lie and voter suppression, in the face of the gop's onslaught against voting rights across the country majority leader chuck schumer is set to bring the for the people act to the floor on tuesday. it will almost certainly fail since it appears to have no republican support whatsoever. the latest version of the for the people act came about in recent days after democratic senator joe manchin released a new proposal more limited in scope than the original and also combines some elements from the john lewis voting rights advancement act. which is a bill, by the way, manchin does support. how, he doesn't publicly support getting rid of the filibuster in order to pass that bill which is too bad, because that's likely

what will be necessary to get that bill passed. democrats began rallying around the proposal in earnest after stacey abrams publicly promoted the compromise plan which includes making election day a public holiday, mandating at least 15 consecutive days for early voting, banning partisan gerrymandering, making automatic voter registration through the states dmvs and requiring voter id to prove who you are. it comes amidst sham audits such as the one going on in arizona. it continues to grow across the country. in mlg mlg conservative activists delivered several thousand petitions demanding a forensic audit. they were reportedly endescribed

with bible verses and anointed with oil before being handed over. if one said if you wonder why we're doing it at the prayer rally, that's because we recognize it is a spiritual rally. he compared the 2020 election with the persecution of jesus christ. as noted by joss len benson a forensic audit is not a thing. with how to stop the ninja aud ilt sham trend, griswold sweeting, my office just issued rules prohibiting sham election audits in the state of colorado. fraudits have no place in colorado. joining me now, the chairperson of the democratic association of secretaries of state, secretary griswold. thank you for being with us. colorado is a state further

ahead than some in terms of its voting, the success of the voting and the ability to vote safely. my question is how do you prevent audits that may be legitimate? how do you come up with rules that say you can only keep the sham, the fake, the fraudulent audits out but still be okay with somebody say, hey, let's check out how voting works in colorado officially? >> well, good morning, ali. thank you for having me on. the answer to your question is very simple. through state law and rule making. here in colorado we are considered the safest state in which to cast a ballot, in no small part because we already do a risk-limiting audit. that's the premiere type of election audit. it was already conducted on the 2020 election. what that audit shows us in a secure way is that the election results are correct. but what we are seeing across the nation, starting in arizona where republicans hired a partisan firm with no experience to do the sham audit, are these

calls for fake forensic audits, all in an intent to help justify voter suppression and spread the big lie. so we have to push back against those attacks, which are, frankly, attacks on democracy. >> we -- the problem in arizona, which many of us saw coming and the federal government, the department of justice even got involved in and your colleague, the secretary of state, katie hobbs, is that they gave someone else control of the machines, someone not a government employee, someone not vetted as a government employee, putting aside the fact that cyber ninjas don't have particular experience in this and the ceo of the company has perpetuated some of the lies donald trump put forth. putting that aside, they still don't meet general qualifications for the chain of custody. if you really needed now to audit maricopa county, you can't trust the information. >> that's exactly correct. so when you do election audits, you need to make sure that the people having access to the

equipment are vetted. in colorado we require criminal background checks and also that you keep chain of custody and other security protocols. if not, you may have to replace all of your election equipment which costs millions of dollars. but i do want to qualify this and contextualize it. we are seeing a coordinated attack on democracy from these fraudits, intended to undermine confidence to the 400 bills to suppress american voters, to literally insurrectionists and conspiracy theorists running for secretaries of states in battle ground states. the attack on our democracy, the urgency for action is palpable. >> you actually got a tweet from colorado member of congress, lauren boebert, who said the colorado secretary of state has just moved to ban any possible election audit in the state of colorado. democrats are consistently terrified of election integrity. you have already addressed the first part of this.

this is not a ban of audits and, in fact, by -- as part of the system, colorado does audit elections. but this part about "afraid of election integrity," can you just give us a sense of the level of election integrity that takes place in colorado? >> we are considered the most secure state in which to cast a ballot, not just by me, the democratic secretary of state, but we're actually commended by president trump's former dhs secretary, kirstjen nielsen, for our cybersecurity. we take cybersecurity of top importance, all security of top importance. but these calls for fraudulent audits actually risk security and can cost the state a lot of money. what we do need from people in congress, including our congresswoman from colorado, is action. we need congress to pass the for the peoples act or voting reform to make sure that we can stop the gop voter suppression. we need secretaries of state to

lean in. they can pass rules like i did in colorado to make sure that we are stopping attempts to undermine confidence and, ult plate, in 2022 we need to elect people to secretary of states offices that believe in democracy. in 2022, democracy will be on the ballot. >> jenna griswold, we appreciate your time this morning. jena griswold is colorado's secretary of state. thank you for joining me. joining me now democratic senator matzie hirono, a member of multiple committees. great to see you again. aloha. >> good morning. aloha. >> let's talk a bit about where voting rights. these states, texas in particular, has said we can do what we can do in our states to fight back against restrictive voting laws, but we have to have the rules that the federal government can put into place. they were clear on the fact states can't do this without the feds. >> that's right. and this is why when the states start to enact these kind of

voter suppression laws, what i call steal your vote laws, the federal government comes in and that's what the voting rights act was all about. thanks to the supreme court, the major part of that law is out the window. that's why there is a huge blow for the federal government at a time when the states are considering hundreds of steal your vote laws. >> i spoke to jim clyburn earlier this morning and he said we should simply accept, if we don't get rid of the filibuster for everything, we have the reconciliation for things coming with money, when it comes to right to vote we should agree that 50 votes in the senate is appropriate. >> i start with the position it is time for us to eliminate the filibuster as a vestige of jim crow. short of that, perhaps we can think about certain kinds of bills such as those that protect our constitutional right. but you know there will be a

huge debate as to what bill really addresses constitutional rights and what bills don't. so to me the way to proceed is to eliminate the filibuster. but we have to do what we can because reconciliation is not going to be available to do all of the other things that we would like to do, although in this instance we still have, i think, two more reconciliation processes that we can use. >> what do you think happens now? it looks like that you may actually have enough of your republican colleagues ready to come over on the jobs act and the families act, you know, what people are referring to broadly to as the infrastructure bill. does it look like there might be enough bipartisan support to get that done? >> there may be bipartisan support for the traditional infrastructure bill, by the way, which has two huge aspects to it that it is really hard for me to support. one is that it is hardly enough of the kind of infrastructure support, even traditional, that we need. it is about $500 billion in the

money, not the over $1 trillion joe biden said is necessary to address infrastructure needs. the second is where is the pay for? the pay for this kind of a bill should be by making sure that the richest 1% of corporations and individuals in the country make their fair share, which they're not. there's always a question as to whether or not climate is even adequately addressed. the second part, you said there may be enough support among republicans for the family act portion. i don't think so because that is the portion that will enable millions of women who have had to leave the workforce because of the pandemic and the need for them to take care of the families and children, the family portion is going to be what enables millions of women to get back. i don't know that there are republican votes for that. i don't think so. for me to keep an open mind about where we're going forward,

those two, the jobs provisions as well as the family provisions should be tied together. if that happens, then i am open minded about going forward. >> i appreciate you clearing that up because we don't have any reporting that the family part has enough support to overcome the filibuster. appreciate that. democratic senator, mazie hirono of hawaii, aloha to you. still to come, more of my conversation from a group in mississippi. plus, juneteenth commemorations are playing out, including in brooklyn, new york, where a statue of george floyd was unveiled. also, we will have more on the western heat wave spurred by climate change. red by climate change just ask stepping outside his comfort zone dan...

dan: okay, i don't know where the hole for this is. or fourth time streaming that period drama dan... dan: you just made me miss her best line, dan: so now i'm going to have to start it again. even insisted he didn't need directions dan. dan: okay, i'm not lost. i'm exploring. dan: that said, do you know where i am? from select gas, streaming, travel and more earn 5% cash back that automatically adjusts to your top eligible spend category, up to $500 spent each billing cycle. finding new routes to reach your customers, and new ways for them to reach you... is what business is all about. it's what the united states postal service has always been about. so as your business changes, we're changing with it. with e-commerce that runs at the speed of now. next day and two-day shipping nationwide. same day shipping across town. returns right from the doorstep, and deliveries seven days a week. it's a whole new world out there. let's not keep it waiting.

[sfx: kids laughing] [sfx: bikes passing] [sfx: fire truck siren] onstar, we see them. okay. mother and child in vehicle. mother is unable to exit the vehicle. injuries are unknown. thank you, onstar. ♪ my son, is he okay? your son's fine. thank you. there was something in the road... it's okay. you're safe now.

look...if your wireless carrier was a guy, it's okay. you'd leave him tomorrow. not very flexible. not great at saving. you deserve better - xfinity mobile. now, they have unlimited for just $30 a month. $30 dollars. and they're number 1 in customer satisfaction. his number? delete it. deleting it. so break free from the big three. xfinity internet customers, take the savings challenge at xfinitymobile.com/mysavings or visit an xfinity store to learn how our switch squad makes it easy to switch and save hundreds.

history says: fine jewelry for occasions. we say: forget occasions. (snap) fine jewelry for every day, minus the traditional markups. ♪♪ so, we're up against dom's brother? he's got his own private army. we need help. no way. nice clubhouse. so, how do you want to play this? fast. ♪ hallelujah. hallelujah. ♪ ♪ ♪ yeah! -it's good to be back. ♪ ♪

extreme heat is creating dangerous conditions amid the worst drought in 20 years in the western united states right now, and it is raising concerns about severe wildfires and electrical grid failures. the las vegas strip hit a sweltering 114 degrees on thursday, breaking an 81-year record. it hit 123 degrees in california just outside of los angeles, tying an all-time high. at least 45 million people remain under heat alerts this morning with temperatures expected to pass 100 degrees, and it is not even the hottest part of the summer yet. it has gotten so bad in parts of arizona doctors issued warning people can suffer severe burns by simply touching a doorknob or car handle or walking on asphalt. be careful with your cats and dogs. texans were asked to keep their thermostats no lower than 78 degrees to conserve power.

according to the u.s. drought monitor, more than three-quarters of the west is under severe drought. at lake meade, which supplies water for 25 million people in three southwestern states and mexico, water levels have plunged to the lowest point since the reservoir was filled in the 1930s. in california farmers are abandoning their thirstiest crops to save others and communities are debating whether to ration tap water. unfortunately, the latest figures released by noaa, the current dry conditions could stretch well into july. coming up next, privilege or racism, the second part of my conversation with two families from a small town in mississippi. an issue has royaled the town and brought issues of

segregation back to the surface. go nowhere. egation back to the . go nowhere to support local animal shelters. we're proud to have helped over 230,000 pets so far... changing the lives of dogs like jack, and the families who adopt them. subaru. more than a car company. hey lily, i need a new wireless plan for my business, but all my employees need something different. oh, we can help with that. okay, imagine this... your mover, rob, he's on the scene and needs a plan with a mobile hotspot. we cut to downtown, your sales rep lisa has to send some files, asap! so basically i can pick the right plan for each employee... yeah i should've just led with that... with at&t business... you can pick the best plan for each employee and only pay for the features they need.

is mealtime a struggle? introducing ore-ida potato pay. where ore-ida golden crinkles are your crispy currency to pay for bites of this... ...with this. when kids won't eat dinner, potato pay them to. ore-ida. win at mealtime.

centrum multigummies aren't just great tasting... they're power-packed vitamins... potato pay them to. that help unleash your energy. loaded with b vitamins... ...and other key essential nutrients... ...it's a tasty way to conquer your day. try centrum multi gummies. now with a new look.

♪ ♪ in the last hour we aired the first portion of my very interesting conversation with two families from the small town of west point, mississippi, one black, one white, whose teenagers were made to share top graduation honors after the school changed the way it calculated those honors without notifying students or parents. two black students were initially named valedictorian and salutatorian until the board received complaints from two white families who expected their children to receive it under the old system. the way it was calculated was valid. the way it was handled roiled the town. many black families arguing that privilege played a role in bestowing the honor on black and white students.

>> i don't have privilege, i work every day. my daughter and i did not go asking for anything. if he didn't give it to your daughter, it is on him. that's not something that we -- we just said it is something that did not happen. >> we don't have no ill feelings towards the parents or anything, that's what parents going to do. we understand that. >> you are saying you don't have any ill will, but -- i'm not trying to start anything, but there are so many comments out there. the threats for my daughter, where my daughter can't even go to work now because she doesn't know if she can walk back and forth to her car. >> do you understand, and everybody here, do y'all understand how dangerous what's going on right now is and how this could lead to somebody getting hurt or even killed? there's a very irresponsible article from "the new york times" that came out. if you read the article, there's some substance to it, but the headline and the first few paragraphs paint it as something that it is not.

the media needs to stop this. >> well, that's why we've invited you all to have this conversation, and the media criticism won't be edited out. >> the thing with white privilege, not everyone sees it. so you may feel like you may not have it, and that's fine, but -- >> i understand what you were saying, yeah. >> but if you hold a certain name, that means something. or if you can pick up the phone and make a phone call, that means something. it is the optics of it all. the families are not threatening each other. it is the outside people giving this energy, and i get it. i get it. but it is the optics of it. >> yeah. >> it is when you can pick up a phone and say, hey, this is not right, but i can't pick up a phone and say, hey, this isn't right. it just is what it is. >> there is a context here because this is one of a handful of states that in the '60s and early '70s went with segregated academies because people didn't want to integrate.

that's part of why the construct of what we think about exists. i wanted to come here to ask you yourselves, does that exist. >> you have heard the quote if you tell a lie long enough and loud enough the people will believe it. i'm going to go right back to the media. there's been 10, 15, 20 stories across the country on what happened here in west point, and these journalists know what happened. they know a mistake was made, and they choose to divide for the sake of a click on an article. there's no story in honest mistake made in west point, mississippi. so, you know, is there some uneasiness around race relations in west point right now and across our country? yes, and it is -- >> but you understand it is a piece of privilege to call it uneasiness, right? because i spent the year talking to people scared for their life. it is not uneasy to them.

that's the part that's privilege. for you, it is uneasiness. for some people it feels like life or death. >> 100% i understand what you're saying. >> do you feel it is a relatively harmonious place, where people are treated fairly despite the color of their skin? >> it just depends on the situation. if he walked by, he will speak, i'll speak. there's no, you know, bad tension and things like that here. but, again, the underlining privilege is still here. when you have families that have had industry here with privilege, there's money, there's influence, that is definitely here. >> but i made $18,000 a year. i didn't have an industry here. i grew up very, very -- not wealthy or rich or anything, and my children have not grown up wealthy or rich or anything either. my family, i promise you, is a great, great family, but we are not wealthy. >> ali, what she is talking about is something that was

reported in "the new york times", and it suggested that emma's relationship to one of the co-founders of brian foods somehow had something to do with this. the suggestion is that a man that died in 1968 somehow from the grave influenced this. >> he left a legacy here. he did. forever, for years to come, the bryan name will be very honored here in west point, clay county, because of the industry. not him per se, but he had children. he had aunts, uncles, cousins, mothers, et cetera, so there's a legacy of family that's still here that in some people's eyes hold weight. certain families' last name still has influence. and you may not see it, but me being black, i see it. >> so just to cut right through, you are saying that that may have influenced the response from the school superintendent?

>> that's my feeling and my understanding. >> yes. >> i understand what you are saying, but we didn't use that name, and i'm telling america, i'm telling the world, whoever is listening, my daughter earned this by her merit only. but i'm being honest with you, this was nothing underhanded, like we deserve this more than you do. if your daughter -- if they had gone by qpa and you won, i would have shook her hand, i would have hugged her neck, i would have done whatever, i would have been just as proud of her. >> i want both of you to hear me say you don't have to say your last name. sometimes things are just unconscious and kind of given sometimes. so i understand that you probably did not go into that office saying who your family is and you don't have to. the overall picture is two black girls were given credit for having as and bs, or a b from

8th to 12th grade. they were given a score that included rigorous courses along with regular courses. based on that number, they're the highest two. then when they were given that award -- i'm just telling you the optics of it. >> yes, ma'am, i get it. >> and then when they were given that award, a phone call was made -- just a phone call, right? and a meeting was given to add grades, do some other things and all of a sudden things changed. now, it is being shared by two white students that were basing their gpa off regular, unweighted grades. and to appease everyone, let's go back to let's have one white, one black, let's just share it. so thank you for offering that, that's wonderful, but it is the optics of what it looks like. so people are angry. of course, news articles, but that's the picture that they're

seeing. >> for the record, in light of cole bryan's criticism of "the new york times" article on the story we reached out to the paper and it responded by saying, quote, our story chronicles the experience of all four families, quoting them fairly, accurately and at length. i would like to thank you, by the way. i would like to thank all four of those individuals for joining me this week. it was an interesting conversation. it reassured me in my belief dialogue is better than any other option. i'm glad we had the opportunity to do it. celebrations are under way across the country as we mark the first time juneteenth is recognized as a federal holiday. a special event in brooklyn, new york, where a statue honoring george floyd was unveiled, terrance floyd, his brother, was there to commemorate his life. >> my brother was here. he was out in houston, but he is here. i'm telling ya', i love y'all. g. gillette proglide. five blades and a pivoting flexball designed to get virtually every hair on the first stroke.

so you're ready for the day with a fresh face for a fresh start. for a limited time get a 5th cartridge free. wait, this isn't your bed... how'd you get here? ah yes... groceries. earn points now to use on travel later. one of the many things you could expect when you're with amex. if you wanna be a winner then get a turkey footlong from subway®. that's oven roasted turkey. piled high with crisp veggies. on freshly baked bread! so, let's get out there and get those footlongs. now at subway®, buy one footlong in the app, and get one 50% off. subway®. eat fresh. you need an ecolab scientific clean here. and you need it here. and here. and here. which is why the scientific expertise that helps operating rooms stay clean is now helping the places you go every day too.

seek a commitment to clean. look for the ecolab science certified seal. welcome to allstate, where we're driving down the cost of insurance. ♪ ♪ drivers who switched saved over $700. allstate. here, better protection costs a whole lot less. you're in good hands. call a local agent or 1-800-allstate for a quote today. this is the sound of change. it's the sound of low cash mode from pnc bank giving you the options and extra time needed to help you avoid an overdraft fee. low cash mode on virtual wallet from pnc bank. one way we're making a difference. low cash mode on virtual wallet from pnc bank. ♪ ♪ ♪

♪ ♪ ♪ hey google, turn up the heat. ♪ ♪ ♪

today people across the country are commemorating juneteenth, just two days after president biden signed the bill into law establishing this day, june 19th, as a national holiday. the date has long been recognized by communities of color as the official end of slavery in the united states, despite coming more than two years after abraham lincoln signed the emancipation proclamation. on this very day in 1865 union general gordon granger announced

in galveston, texas, that the civil war was over and freedom followed. meanwhile, here in new york city a statue of george floyd was unveiled last hour to mark the occasion. nbc's antonia hilton was there in brooklyn. she joins me now. good morning to you. tell me what the scene is there? >> reporter: good morning, ali. happy juneteenth. here in brooklyn we are about to get started with a series of music festivals, food and dance performances, but the holiday got started first with the unveiling of a brand-new statue in george floyd's honor, coordinated by new york city council member louis's office, and the family of george floyd. his brother terrance is still here right now. what we have heard from people here on the ground today is that this holiday is about joy, it is about recognizing the resilience and strength of black communities across the united states from the legacy of slavery, but it is also about a continued push for racial justice. so that is why they see this unveiling of floyd's statue here

in brooklyn today as such a symbolic and important start to the festivities. i had the chance to speak with terrance, his brother. i want you to take a listen to what he shared with me. >> it is a major statement for a major person. you know, he was -- he was major, man. that was my big brother. so to see the world, to see brooklyn represent him, honor him on a national holiday, it is all love. >> reporter: how do you see your brother's story as connected to the history of juneteenth and what happened in 1865? >> juneteenth, you know, is our freedom. what happened to my brother, what went on before we was free. you know, so it just tells us. it just wakes us up. it gets us to understand that we have to understand we're free. we don't have to go through that. we need to know our rights. >> reporter: you know, it is important to put some of his words in a broader national

context right now, too. this holiday is happening in the backdrop ascertain states move forward, pushing to restrict voting access for voters, and then there are also more than a dozen states in this country right now moving to make certain teachings of race or systemic bias in public schools outlawed. as we talk to people on the ground, it is a celebration but it is also about the continued fight as they feel there are active forces working against the recognition of history, the recognition of george floyd's story and what juneteenth is supposed the mean to america. ali. >> it is commemoration of a very old day and a current issue. antonia hilton, covering the juneteenth celebrations and the unveiling of the statue of george floyd in brooklyn, new york. clearly george floyd has become a symbol of the prolific protest movement that shamed the country over the last year. my colleague, tiffany cross, is with me now. kareem abdul jabar has a new documentary about the last year

of racial reckoning and you are about to talk to him. >> that's right. i don't know if you know that, but i consider myself a bit of a sports aficionado. >> i do. >> despite never having watched a game from beginning to end. so i will talk to him about the nba playoffs, but on a more serious note he has a wonderful new documentary called "fight the power" that takes a look at protest movements that have shaped the country and it is perfect to watch on this juneteenth. we want to take a look at the new federal holiday, and we don't want to be pessimist but the fact is that this holiday rings hollow when so many republicans are trying to impose voter restrictions across the country that specifically attack black black voters. i will talk to my good friend julani cobb about that. there's a lot happening in texas from the new bill where people can carry guns with no licenses and their continued fight to restrict access to the ballot box there. so we have a jam-packed show, ali. good to be back.

i missed you last week. >> i missed you too. >> happy to share the screen with you. >> glad to have you back. catch "the cross connection" here at 10:00 a.m. eastern on msnbc. as tiffany was saying, the nation marks juneteenth, which came in 1865 officially ending slavery. we will dig into that next. l dit introducing the new citi custom cash℠ card, a different kind of card that rewards rashida where her spending is trending. just ask overly confident diy rashida rashida: wait, was this the right wall? or last minute gift shopping rashida rashida: i'm putting a bow on it! wow. even sneaking away for a vacay rashida. rashida: shhh! i've earned this? from home improvement, drugstores, select travel and more earn 5% cash back that automatically adjusts to your top eligible spend category, up to $500 spent each billing cycle. ♪ ♪

the light. it comes from within. it drives you. and it guides you. to shine your brightest. as you charge ahead. illuminating the way forward. a light maker. recognizing that the impact you make, comes from the energy you create. introducing the all-electric lyriq. lighting the way. ♪ ♪ limu emu... and doug. so then i said to him, you oughta customize your car insurance with liberty mutual, so you only pay for what you need. oh um, doug can we talk about something other than work, it's the weekend. yeah, yeah. [ squawk ] hot dog or... chicken? [ squawk ] only pay for what you need. ♪ liberty. liberty. liberty. liberty. ♪ can you be free of hair breakage worries? we invited mahault to see for herself

that new dove breakage remedy gives damaged hair the strength it needs. even with repeated combing hair treated with dove shows 97% less breakage. strong hair with new dove breakage remedy. you're clearly someone who takes care of yourself. so why wait to screen for colon cancer? because when caught in early stages, it's more treatable. i'm cologuard. i'm noninvasive and detect altered dna in your stool to find 92% of colon cancers even in early stages. tell me more. it's for people 45 plus at average risk for colon cancer, not high risk. false positive and negative results may occur. ask your prescriber or an online prescriber if cologuard is right for you. i'll do it. good plan. you love rich, delicious ice cream. but your stomach doesn't. that disagreement ends right now. lactaid ice cream is the creamy, real ice cream you love that will never mess with your stomach. lactaid ice cream.

hearing is important to living life to the fullest. that's why inside every miracle-ear store, you'll find better bedtime stories. you'll find a better life is in store at miracle-ear, when you experience the exclusive miracle-ear advantage. it starts with our free hearing assessment. plus innovative products that fit your needs and budget. with free service and adjustments for life. we're so confident we can improve your life, we're offering a 30-day risk-free trial. call 1-800-miracle today and experience the miracle-ear advantage for yourself. new projects means new project managers. call 1-800-miracle today and experience you need to hire. i need indeed. indeed you do. the moment you sponsor a job on indeed you get a short list of quality candidates from our resume database. claim your seventy five dollar credit, when you post your first job at indeed.com/home.

here is the most important thing you can do to be a true ally. that racist joke? shut it down with "i don't think that's funny." that racist comment, call it what it is, racist, and let the offender deal with the emotions that come with being called out. ♪ ♪ great nations don't ignore their most painful moments. they don't ignore those moments in the past. they embrace them. great nations don't walk away. we come to terms with the mistakes we made. in remembering those moments, we

begin to heal and grow stronger. >> president biden making history this week when he made juneteenth a federal holiday. while nations, great nations may embrace their most painful moments, texas where the delay of informing enslaved people about the emancipation proclamation is the basis for juneteenth, appears to be reluctant to reflect on its own pass. governor abbott signed into bill that limits how critical race theory can be taught in schools. it is the idea that racism is a social construct rooted in laws and policy. it has been part of academia about 40 years, but a lot of conservatives tried to make it a issue here. for more on this i am joined by roland martin, who is host of

the "roland martin unfiltered show." and britney cooper, author of the book- eloquent rage, a black feminist discovers her superpowers." both guests put thoughts into words so well, but i will start with you. >> dr. cooper, because the words on your shirt seem to be doing the talking today. >> that's right. juneteenth is an incredibly important commemoration in this country. we have to tell the truth about the fact white northerners and southerners were not trying to let go of people held in bondage and had to be forced by the military. it didn't just take war. it didn't just take the military, it took an ultimate act of congress to get these folks to recognize they don't own the right to any human being. even though i am a bit ambivalent this morning about what it means for white folks to be out here wishing people a happy juneteenth, because i grew up with it being a regional celebration in my local community in louisiana, right next door to texas, i definitely

think it is important for the nation to acknowledge that there was not some singular clean event in which the north won the civil war, the union soldiers won the civil war and then every black person got freed. that's absolutely not how it happened. >> roland sent me a text thread of the history of these things. it was a complicated matter. jim clyburn told me earlier, not 100% sure it wasn't deliberate that people took as much time as they could to let me nome that slavery has ended or was ending. roland, 14 republicans did not see fit to vote in favor of this holiday, which i would imagine given it was all of those years ago we've settled what the issue is. many of these republicans that are on the screen right now including the former surgeon general, the white house doctor ronnie jackson, paul gosar, conspiracy theorist, mo brooks, some said they too care with the

name of it, seems like it is semantics. >> yes. if you look at it, alabama, alabama, kentucky, south carolina, tennessee, texas, texas. sure, you've got arizona and california and wisconsin in there, but you have to understand these are also republicans who represent confederate states, okay. you cannot ignore that reality. what you are also dealing with, sure they want to say, oh, you put independence in it. what did they think it was? with juneteenth, when enslaved people, when black people in texas found out, but it wasn't until the passage of the 13th amendment, ratified by two-thirds of the states in december when shadow slavery -- see. >> we got to stop saying slavery. shadow slavery. because after shadow slavery ended you still had slavery without shackles with jim crow

that lasted 92 years. the reason why this is important, i am a native texan, and i have to give props to state representative edwards who was father of juneteenth in texas, because what people need to understand, especially black people, i'm not sure about this federal holiday, those of us in texas use this day as freedom day. we use it for voter education. we use it for voter registration. so we were celebrating juneteenth while still fighting for various laws. this day does not just stop all of that. so this is a check mark and where anybody should be saying we will fight for the george floyd justice act, we will keep fighting for police reform, we will be fighting for voting rights. i don't believe somehow it is separate. sure, republicans voted for it but now we get to look them in the eye and say, if you voted for this day to recognize freedom, then you then should be righting for the very issues that black voters were fighting

for then and now. this doesn't change the game. it simply gives us renewed effort to say we will fight for what is ours >> all right. both of you stay right there. roland martin, dr. brittany cooper, i want to come back to you after a quick break. ♪ then we're eating grilled cheese. ♪ ♪ because it's time. ♪ ♪ yeah. ♪ ♪ time for grilled cheese. ♪ my name is douglas. i'm a writer/director ♪ yeah. ♪ and i'm still working. in the kind of work that i do, you are surrounded by people who are all younger than you. i had to get help somewhere along the line to stay competitive. i discovered prevagen. i started taking it and after a period of time, my memory improved. it was a game-changer for me. prevagen. healthier brain. better life. not all 5g networks are created equal.

it's clear to see. t-mobile is the leader in 5g. t-mobile. america's largest, fastest, most reliable 5g network. (naj) at fisher investments, our clients know we have their backs. (other money manager) how do your clients know that? (naj) because as a fiduciary, it's our responsibility to always put clients first. (other money manager) so you do it because you have to? (naj) no, we do it because it's the right thing to do. we help clients enjoy a comfortable retirement. (other money manager) sounds like a big responsibility. (naj) one that we don't take lightly. it's why our fees are structured so we do better when our clients do better. fisher investments is clearly different. mm. [ clicks tongue ] i don't know. i think they look good, man. mm, smooth. uh, they are a little tight. like, too tight? might just need to break 'em in a little bit.

you don't want 'em too loose. for those who were born to ride there's progressive. with 24/7 roadside assistance. -okay. think i'm gonna wear these home. -excellent choice. ing gain flings, with 24/7 roadside assistance. -okay. their laundry smells more amazing than ever. ah, honey! isn't that the dog's towel? hey, me towel su towel. there's more gain scent plus oxi boost and febreze odor remover in every fling. gain. seriously good scent. love the scent of gain flings? then you'll swoon for long lasting gain scent beads.

welcome back to "velshi." roland martin and brittney cooper. author of the book "eloquent rage." dr. cooper, i want to put up a

chart the times my friends at fox news have used critical race theory. they're up to 600 in june. i guess people just don't understand. the critical means critical examination of race in this country. people have taken this to mean a theory that's critical of white people. i'm not a fan of cancel culture. i'm a big first amendment guy, but on this juneteenth day it is important to understand that there are probably some schools in this country in which a teacher can't teach about juneteenth because it falls into the category that's been banned that they can't talk about anymore. >> absolutely. we're looking at the heights of white hysteria again because what these folks have done is wage a battle on knowledge. they don't want us to be an informed citizenry because it turns out then when people do know better they sometimes feel a moral compunction to do better. they keep insulting their own base. they are saying we want to keep our base ignorant so we can pay

on the most base level emotions about grievance and exclusion and use them to wage this kind of informational-based race war. but it's also so deeply intellectually disingenuous. critical race theory is only taught at the highest levels of academia. it's typically only taught in graduate school because it's something that emerges out of the study of the law. what these folks are saying is they don't want their children or any black and brown children to have an accurate accounting of african-american history and accurate accounting of american history, right? that is the thing that they are -- that is what they are. >> yeah. your description of that, roland -- cooper's description is not what ted cruz said it is. it's little kids in school, white kids being taught to hate themselves. >> here's the whole deal. i'm not going to debate critical race theory because they're idiots. fox news, let's be real clear. let's be real clear.

this is a white nationalist strategy. this has nothing to do with education. this has nothing to do -- this is about 2022. the republican party, fox news need angry white people at the polls in 2022 to take back the senate and the house. that's it. christopher rupo, one of the leaders of this, he literally tweeted this. he said, we have successfully frozen their brand, critical race theory, into the public conversation and are steadily driving up negative perceptions who will eventually turn it toxic as they put all of the various cultural incentives under the brand category. the goal is to have the public read something crazy in the newspaper and immediately think critical race theory. pc. now woke is has replaced pc. they are trying to drive white people to anger them to drive them to the polls. that's all -- it's an election strategy. what mainstream media has to do is stop -- is falling for -- put

that in the tailpipe when conservative media does this. that's what they want. debating critical race theory, what is it? what's being taught? i had a crazy black woman on from the state of florida. this one teacher did this to my child. i said, so one teacher said something that you call critical race theory and it wasn't and you want the state board of education to change the whole law in the state? that's i had otic. this is about electoral politics and progressives, you better wake up because these angry white trump supporters, they are trying to win because they are mad they lost in 2020. >> dr. gruper, it translates into the efforts to still suppress the votes of black people in this country that we continue to see and they are expanding now. we just saw a protest in michigan where people have filed all sorts of papers to have an audit there. i spoke to the secretary of state of colorado today. we're seeing it happening in pennsylvania.

malcolm keniata calls it artisnal voter suppression. >> in 1865. look, i live in the state of new jersey. new jersey was the last state to abolish slavery and it happened after juneteenth. so there is a full-court press, not just in the confederate states, but also in these supposedly liberal pockets even here on the east coast, even up north, to reinstantiate white power. i think roland is right. republicans are doing what they've always done which is this is their next tactic in their culture war, right? they want the excuse that folks are being assaulted and their kids are being assaulted in classrooms. they are now targeting k-12. they did this initial push at the university level. this is why they came at nicole hannah jones. these folks want to tell a

whitewashed version of history in which they stole native land. it was fine for them to do so because god wanted them to have this land. they were entitled to work this land. they want us all to be happy and to say we moved on but it's so interesting that they think it's black people who are stuck in the past when clearly they are the folks who are reliving their 19th century glory and they lost a war and yet they keep on trying to refight and relit at this gate a war that they lost resoundingly. then they lost again in the 1960s on the heels of the civil rights movement. so history does not ultimately go to these losers but that doesn't mean that we don't have to be vigilant in continuing to say, here's what the truth is. we will fight you every step of the way. and juneteenth reminds us that our people didn't just get freedom because white people gave it to us but that we fought and that we continue to control our history, our narrative, our story. that is what makes white people so mad that black people have agents tell our story and we're going to continue to do that.

>> roland, 10 seconds. >> it controls 60 plus of the 99 legislatures that control the supreme court 6-3. they control 30 governors' mansions. this is about power and if you don't think it's about power then you have no clue about american history. white backlash has always filed black success in america. read a book and you'll understand what's happening today because it happened before. >> thank you to the both of you. i didn't get a ton of sleep last night. i was a little sleepy. i am ready to run a marathon after talking to the two of you. roland martin, the host of roland martin unfiltered and brittney cooper from rutgers university in new jersey. that does it for me. catch me back here tomorrow morning from 8 a.m. to 10 a.m. eastern. i am excited to talk to d.l.hughley how to survive america. maybe time for coffee, but why don't you wait until the next commercial break because the

cross connection with my friend tiffany cross begins right now. good morning, everybody. i'm tiffany cross. good to be back. i missed you guys last week. on "the cross connection" this juneteenth, we'll talk to nba legend kareem abdul-jabbar and lanai vinay to talk about this day of liberty but as you know, the struggle continues. quite fittingly we continue with the ongoing effort to suppress the vote ahead of the senate taking up the for the people act next week despite an almost guaranteed filibuster. no sooner did we see a proposed bipartisan compromise on federal voting legislation from you know the one, senator joe can't we all just get along manchin then the descendent