that's gonna do it for me for now, but do not go anywhere because msnbc's special presentation with the democrats who walked out of their state capital, who walked out of their beloved state of texas in a last-ditch effort to try to save voting rights in that state and msnbc's special presentation is live in it starts right now. >> a dramatic move in texas, democratic lawmakers leaving the state and heading to washington. >> we are not going to buckle to the big lie. >> we are in a fight to save our democracy. >> that right is sacred to my constituent and we fought too long and too hard. >> 21st century kim pro assault is real. >> they've already passed gop batch bills that make it harder to vote. >> it adds up to the biggest push to -- since the jim crow era. >> we have great, we have

resolve, and we're determined to find a solution. >> they have fled the states to pacific way to come to washington, because washington is the one place has been this disaster in texas. the rolling back voting rights. >> texas democrats will use everything in our power to fight back. >> your vote matters. your vote is your power. ♪ ♪ ♪ >> good evening and welcome to this msnbc special presentation. the texas democrats. i'm joined by my colleague jonathan kaye part in washington. >> hi lawrence, as you know tonight is a little different than we had plans. and as you know, one week ago tonight more than 50 texas democrats effectively shut down a special session of the texas legislature in order to stop passage of the republican voter suppression bill. and they did this by coming to

washington to plead for passage of to voting and elections proposals in congress. our plan was to have all of them together tonight in this room to talk about their fight to protect the right to vote. and everyone was going to be in this room, lawrence, had been vaccinated. >> and then came the saturday announcement that three texas democrats, all of them vaccinated, tested positive for covid. and today, we learned the three more vaccinated texas democrats have tested positive. tonight, we are told that those members are all isolating and experiencing mild symptoms. >> representatives julia canceled her wedding last week to join her fellow texas democrats and washington. she is one of the members who tested positive and she said this, quote, i hope this instance highlights the sacrifices were willing to make for the cause of democracy. i would not change anything to prep the right to vote! >> we want to keep the focus on what texas democrats are

fighting for and why. and we will be joined by more than a dozen of them this hour. >> news of six breakthrough cases are among the texas democrats follows other high profile breakthrough cases. the yankees red sox game was postponed last week after some vaccinated yankees players tested positive and it comes amid rising cases and concerns about the spread of the delta variant. especially for families with unvaccinated children. >> joining us now, the surgeon general of the united states dr. vivek murthy. doctor, thank you for joining us tonight. we really appreciate it. i want to get to this situation that we've seen develop with the texas democrats. the cdc director has referred to the state we're in now as a pandemic of the unvaccinated. but we do have a developing story about the vaccinated. we're seeing this more than in just the case of the texas

democrats. but when you saw that photograph of the 50 or so texas democrats on that private plane, oh without masks, looking like a normal plane ride up a couple years ago, that you look at that picture and worry for them? >> well lawrence i didn't see the picture, but would i can tell you, is if you are on a plane and if you are on a train and on a subway the guidelines say that you should be wearing masks to protect others and what we're seeing is among the unvaccinated. the vast majority of hospitalizations and deaths and the 99.9% of them is the unvaccinated. the highly affected as they are, they're not totally affected. they have breakthrough infections and if you're in the area where there's a lot of infection if you happen to be somebody who is

immunocompromised, you may choose to take extra steps and precautions like masks in indoor settings. for cdc guidance, when you're in public transport port and transport with a lot of other folks, potentially makes vaccination status and wearing a mask is safety. >> technically, the wearing a mask rule doesn't apply on private aircraft which is what that was. but it was 50 people. it looked like a commercial airliner in effect. and so, they're all vaccinated. and so the question tonight, the first question tonight, is what do we, the vaccinated have to do now. what precautions do we have to take now that we are all aware that we can be breakthrough infections now that those who are vaccinated can be infected? >> let me step back for a moment. let's talk about what we should be concerned about it for fully vaccinated. fully vaccinated means you're at least two weeks out from

your last shot. your chances of getting seriously ill or dying from covid-19 are very low if you have been fully vaccinated. there is a chance that you could still be infected but it's low. these vaccines are more than 90% effectiveness against symptomatic illness. and even if you do get sick, lawrence, the likelihood is that your illness will be symptomatic or mild. that's good news, and that's why it's still so important to be vaccinated. there may be conditions where you decide and take extra precautions like for example, if you live in an area where there's a lot circulating and you live at home with people who are unvaccinated. you yourself for a munich compromised and worried about your risk. and all of your settings, you take extra precautions with your masking and you mix with other people and indoor spaces. i just want to say this, lawrence, the delta variant is spreading quickly across our

country. we are learning more and more about it every day. covid-19 has taught us that we have to be humble about this pandemic. it's certainly not over and we have to recognize. so well in new variant is spreading, a highly transmissible variant acts out of caution. we have to make sure that you're not taking excessive risk because this is not the time to let our guard down. >> you just mentioned vaccinated people who live at home with some people who are not vaccinated. i know that's your situation because you have small children who are not old enough to be vaccinated yet. so what does that mean for you? you live in a world that even if you're vaccinated, you could conceivably be a breakthrough craze and be infected. does that mean when you go home that you wear a mask in your home with your children because you fear the possibly transmitting the virus to them?

>> great question. so i do not wear a mask when i am at home with my children. let me say from the outset that this is a place where different people who make different decisions based on their risk tolerance and also based on their community there living in. because i live in and travel to circulating infection, but i do is i wear masks and i go outside especially when i'm indoor spaces. when i wear masks outdoors, we have people whose vaccination satisfaction is low. especially those in areas of -- i do wear a mask because i want to protect my children when i come back home and i don't want to have to wear a mask when i'm with my kids at home. >> president biden made the point today that 40% of the new cases now are coming from just four states that account for 40%. those states are florida, louisiana, arkansas, and missouri.

we have been talking for months now about how you communicate to the unvaccinated to get vaccinated but what we're clearly seeing now in this information that's out there is that there's a partisan, and actually politically partisan resistance to vaccination. and the public health system has no experience in communicating between a partisan but divide and vaccinations. so what is the next step? >> well, lawrence, this is one of the challenges we're facing. and this is been politicized but it's been impacted by a tremendous flow of misinformation and in some cases intentional misinformation on social media platforms and other communication platforms. this is a real threat. what's happened, really, lawrence, is that science has become politicized. and never that happens, what

that means is that people lose out because the benefits of scientific discovery then don't reach everyone. so what are we doing about it? a few things. one is, we're recognizing that fact that we have to recognize that we're gonna be humble about how far are messages reach even if we have the expertise. more importantly, what we're doing is we are reaching out and working to support local trusted voices in communities. not everyone listens to the same people or trust the same sources in the country but -- we just supported leaders and educators and speak directly to their communities and understand the facts. but at the end of the day lawrence, we wanted to make sure that people have the facts so that they can make the best decisions for themselves and their families. >> dr. vivek murthy, thank you very much for joining us. i really appreciate it. >> thank you so much lawrence,

take care. >> thank you. the texas democrats are still pushing forward holding meetings virtually instead of in person. they're spending their second week in washington with a week of events to spotlight national voting rights. today 91 year old activist dolores porter spoke with the group. >> this is all happening lawrence as we mark the one year anniversary of the death of john lewis who devoted his life to fighting for civil rights. the john lewis voting rights advancement act names in his honor last year in the 116th congress is still awaiting reintroduction in the 117th today. and lawrence, if i may, just make a personal note about congressman lewis. of all the times i spent with congressman lewis the special happened a year ago last month, as you see there with my husband and i went with him to see black lives matter plaza. we knew he was battling cancer. what we know now, is that he

was in the twilight of his time with all of us. it will remain one of the great honors of my life to bear witness as that great man, that great patriot, looked out over something that came to symbolize a new iteration of a fight that he joined and then was a part of leading six decades earlier. and that is why it's important to remember that the texas democrats didn't come to washington just to lobby for a legislative action item. yes, they want federal legislation to counter the bill, republican state lawmakers are trying to pass in texas. but they came to their nation's capital to engage the larger fight for civil rights. fight grounded in principle and therefore cannot be, should not be viewed through the lens of who wins and loses the day. when john lewis was beaten, trying to march out on his way of montgomery in 1965, he didn't lose because he and the

1600 with him didn't make it be on the bridge. on the contrary, the images from bloody sunday shock the conscience of the nation. the voting rights act five months later. john lewis and those marchers beyond the arc of the moral universe that day because their cars wasn't just about securing the legislative achievement. it was about calling on the nation to live up to its ideals. that is the cause as old and the republic itself. a cause that john lewis believes was worth fighting for, even as he looked out over black lives matter plaza near the end of his life. up next, we'll talk about that cause with the chair of the texas democrats who is been a key organizer of this effort and also with the dean of the texas delegation representatives and phony it's hard absent. we will be right back with this msnbc special presentation.

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elections fair or free, it is not fair to require people to trump through hoops and philip multiple forms just to vote. we're not free when people can be criminalized for simple mistakes. we're not free when you promote the rights of partisan poll watchers over the rights of others. so we're not gonna take it. we had the courage to take the stand and congress, we need you

to finish it. >> that is, in their own words, why the texas democrats went to washington. the voter suppression effort they are taking a stand against in their home state comes after the 2020 election when texas saw its highest voter turnout in 30 years. and we are joined now by four texas democrats. i'm gonna start with you, representative chris turner. you are the chair of the texas democratic caucus why was it important for you to be here in washington? >> well good evening. thank you for having us. it's important for us to be here because more than 50 courageous texas house democrats made the decision to lead texas, stop republicans led by greg abbott the governor from passing a bill to make it harder for people to vote. we're here to protect the rights of texans and protect their freedom to vote. you have to understand, the special session is poison from

the onset. it's against the backdrop of the governor trying to defund the entire legislative range of government because he didn't get his way on everything that he wanted and we don't live in a dictatorship. we live in a democracy. the governor is not a dictator. so that is number one. number two, in addition to that, making a hard vote. this bill, just like bills around the country, is based on the big lie. it's based on ally that donald trump really somehow won the last election, that all of us know he lost and he lost by a lot. but you can draw a direct lie, a big lie from all these insidious attacks from our democracy including the insurrection from the u.s. capital on january 6th and now these voter suppression bills and elsewhere around the country. so we came to washington because washington, the congress and president are the only people who can help stop this attack on our democracy.

and that is why we're purging the senate to pass strong federal voting rights legislation. we urge the senate to embrace the elegant solution proposed by majority whip jim clyburn to carve out voting rights from the filibuster and the caucus is looking forward to meeting with majority whip clyburn tomorrow. and we hope to also pass the john lewis voting rights act because we need a strong voting rights act to protect texas voters. >> i just want to make sure everyone heard the bit of news you made there that, you will be meeting with house majority whip jim clyburn tomorrow. one quick follow-up with you, representative turner, how hard was it to make this decision to leave texas and come to washington? >> well it's a logistically challenging decision to make. it's challenging for our members who are leaving behind families and jobs and businesses and young children in many cases and that's what

was hard about it and it was easy in the sense that this was the only option we had that we're gonna stop greg abbott and other republicans for making it harder for texans to vote, for making it harder for our constituents to exercise their democratic right and that was the easy part of the decision and that's why you're seeing this extraordinary action of more than 50 courageous texas house democrats who are now in washington d.c. eight days now and we're just getting started. >> representative gonzalez, i'll take it to you. you're the vice chair of the committee on elections. one of the worst provisions in this bill? >> there are several provisions in the bill that are egregious but i want to speak to provisions that involve partisan poll watchers. those that -- at the same time, the poll worker needs to control their behavior so the only way that a

poll watcher can become -- provision in the texas law which is not a high threshold so just intimidation is not efficient so to the elections judge must observe the actual behavior. and so a voter alone reporting this behavior has suspicions rise that threshold and so the poll worker most of already given that one warning. moreover, it adds a new violation for poor workers to refuse to allow a portrait to be there even if they know that that poll worker, poll watcher has been problematic in the past. so what republicans are doing is they're not only making the group smaller, but they're also wanting to pick who the referees are. >> let me follow up with you on something, because when the texas democrats, you won a victory when you one quorum the first time and the second current version of the bill doesn't include provisions impacting souls to the polls or

easier to overturn an election so is it your hope that with this second ending of the quorum, that you will get further concessions from texas republicans? >> well, we did see those provisions removed and they said it was a mistake having it in there. accidentally cutting the bill finally but still the bill has been written right now and has many restrictions and there that will be very awful for the state of texas. >> let me go to you now representative diego burnout. can you talk about the impact to specific communities? >> absolutely, and thanks for asking. there's a provision in the bill that essentially is the practice of helping your neighbor and helping your friend, helping your mom or grandmother vote and so with the provision does is is it criminalizes that activity in a lot of ways and the worst is

this, there's an oath you now have to take that says you didn't persuade or encourage someone selected to help them vote so with that means is if i say, hey, it's wednesday let's go vote. i promised you i will take you. what that means is that when i'm filling out that oath and it says did you persuade this person to choose you to act as their assistant? didn't i? i'm not sure. and the penalty for that is criminal and so i don't want to get myself in trouble i might back off and say never mind. my aunts, my grandmother, my neighbor who i run with might say i don't want to get anyone in trouble in this isn't gonna work out the way i want to. the safest thing for both of us to do is to walk away. they're criminalizing what we've done in our community for a long time and they're making it harder to vote and that's exactly why we're here. because you're taking every day access and making it harder.

that's a hallmark for voter suppression bill throughout history. >> representatives in for nate thompson, you're the dean of the texas democrats. we heard you at the end of the last block and you spoke to my heart is a black american and as an american so can you put this fight in the context of history? >> well let me tell you i had an opportunity for a long time to talk about the six jewish an and that was a sign that says no negroes and no mexicans. guess what the poll doc boxes does in the polling place? based on the people who look like the proud boys and the black neighborhood and the brown neighborhood and then have free range to walk around and look at you, me, mad, and dad. and that's a very chilling effect. in any polling place trying to

have a say in their democracy. and as a result of that, people are intimidated to the extent they don't want to cast a vote and then the news gets around to what's happening of the polling sites and so the votes get to request and so when we're experiencing now is we're experiencing a fight of our lives to be able to cast a vote and have a say in a democracy and we should have a right. it's a situation where enough is enough and people ought to be tired to the extent and our voting voting power in this country. we're just like everybody else, and we should have the same privileges if everyone can go and cast their votes. intimidation, you can call it anytime you want but it's still intimidation. and you don't to make people feel like they're doing something wrong to the extent

that they're walking out of the place and not casting a vote. and that's wrong. it was wrong ten, it was wrong during my grandmother's time and it was still run today. >> i know it's monday but i'm gonna say amen like it's sunday. texas representatives chris turner, jessica gonzalez, diego bernal, and senfronia thompson, thank you so much for joining us. up, next we'll talk to some of the democratic parents who brought their very young children to washington with them and we will do a little fact check on texas republican attacks on skipping work. let's just say a state legislator is not like a united states congress person. >> and if my colleagues left behind children and sick loved ones and they left behind their day jobs and they took health risks to be here because there is an active pandemic but none of these are results in the fight for voting rights. ng rights.

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we want to let you know that many of the texas democrats who were supposed to join tonight in studio, are watching virtually. [applause] it has not been easy for the texas democrats to come to washington. john you see drove 23 hours with his pregnant wife and 17-month-old daughter bradley. erin sweeter brought her three-year-old daughter, who appeared with us last week. >> we have two jobs here. one is to tell our story, of how limited voting access already is in texas. that is a well time toddler, thank you. >> oh come on she can come on camera. do let's see what she has to say. >> this is lurk. >> okay. mark >> let mama.

talk >> and we're joined now by representative john b. buse. representative uc, why has it been like for you in your family so far after that marathon drive? >> it has been amazing to be here. i'll tell you what. the fight for voting rights is a family affair in my household. when we got word that we needed, it was go time we had to get out of the state. my wife and i sat down we had a conversation. and we needed to stick together. we made the decision, because bradley is only 17 months soon to be vaccinated, -- for us, that meant driving. we grab the diaper bag rather laptops, making the 23 are dry through the night. since being here, we've had some very impactful meetings. something that senator warren told us continues to resonate with me. she said democracy is not a given. it is the responsibility of every generation to fight for. that's what texas democrats are here in d.c. and, i hope that having bradley in here with us, we are filling that belief in

her as well. because soon it will be her generations responsibility to fight the democracy we all share. >> representative, i think you know that lark my's -- how is she holding up, in your hotel room? and how has the week been for you? >> she is doing great. she has been happily completing puzzles, and putting stickers in sticker books. >> and when you look back on this years from now, when lark is in high school, what will you be telling her about what you are doing in washington? >> i will be telling her how much she inspired me here during this fight. there is practical reasons why i brought my daughter, but i also remember that the great thing about having her with me, is that she remembers me why i do this work. i want my daughter to grow up with a world with good access to health care, clean air and

clean water, and i want her to grow up in a world where the united states of america is still a democracy. where every single vote counts. and it is valued. and every american has the ability to cast that vote. every generation does have a responsibility, to expand access to the ballot to more eligible votes. right now we are at risk of going backwards. of going back on our promise of democracy. and i want her to know that she was part of the fight to protect. it >> representative, you are also a parent. you left your family behind in texas, not just your family, you left your job behind. this is something i don't think people understand. when they hear republicans attack you, guys texas democrats, as upstanding from work. being a state legislator in texas is not like being a member of the u.s. congress, where you make $170,000 a year. i just want you to talk about

the sacrifice you are making, and give this factoid to the viewers watching. the annual salary for a texas legislator for yourself is $7,200. and you receive a daily statement of $221 each day you are in session. this is not a job you do to get rich, is it? >> no. not at all. most of the times when i tell people whether actual salary is, they spit their drink out. they cannot believe that the people, that are paid to be their elected representatives, are basically, they qualify for welfare. all of us, every single one of us, in this delegation, has a day job. we have to struggle, we have to work, and we have to make ends meet just like everyone else. we have mortgages to pay to. unlike a lot of republicans in the chamber, we are not

millionaires. we don't have our own jets, we don't have the luxury of not working. so, we are sacrificing a lot more than just time away from our families. but all of the sacrifice, is worth it. it's worth it to protect texans. it's worth it to fight for the american dream. it's worth it to make sure that we have a future, to leave to our children. >> texas representatives, john b. buse, errands weiner, and jean woo, and there is large. our favorite guest this week. thank you all very much for joining us tonight. that is the best shot of the night. thank you for joining us. coming up next. what joe manchin is saying in the room, and what's the texas democrats could face when they return home. that is next. home. that is next home. that is next lothat just don't smell clean? what if your clothes could stay fresh for weeks? now they can! this towel has already been used and it still smells fresh. pour a cap of downy unstopables into your washing machine

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with great sacrifice. both personal and political. and you are doing this, in support and in defense, of some of our nation's highest ideals. >> since they arrived, the texas democrats have had meetings with more than a dozen lawmakers and leaders including vice president kamala harris. with all eyes and ears around the meeting last thursday, with senator joe manchin. it's the second time they sat down with the west virginia democrat. who is repeatedly said he is not willing to limit the filibuster to pass legislation. including voting rights. he also said this. >> we have all come to a total agreement of what we want is basically to protect voting rights. voting rights bill. that's all. >> representative victoria knee abe and tony rose, you are both in that meeting with senator manchin. do you think you made any progress, moving the needle with senator manchin?

>> yes thank you so much for having us. we are really grateful to senator manchin for his time and there is no doubt in my mind, that we are aligned with him on the need for national standards to protect our precious right to vote. we know our communities vote as the power to change the trajectory of our nations. he understands that, as a former secretary of state. he understands the system of urgency for us, he understands our mission. we shared with us the fact that there are powerful forces in texas that are trying to rollback our rates. we know the power of the people is stronger. we are thankful to him for his time and to the thousands of people, who are raising their voices, or speaking out, because we left that meeting with hope, and really the same hope that we have felt through meetings on capitol hill. >> representative rose, do you think senator manchin understands the civil rights aspect, of voter suppression?

>> he definitely understands the civil rights aspect of it. during our meeting, i would say the first three quarters of the meeting he spoke and gave his points of view, of his position. and he was very clear. and he is very supportive on this. >> that is good to hear. do you think, do you think in the end he is actually going to move on that though? >> one of the things, that i understand him, is that he's more of a stickler for the rules. when you start changing rules, sometimes they can have unintended consequences. but he is definitely committed to voting rights. >> okay, i want to mention something that happened during that meeting with senator manchin on thursday. the republican speaker of the house, strict democrat joe movie, --

about voting rights. representative moody is the first democrat to face retaliation for breaking quorum. republicans have tried to strip other members of their leadership post. has he even threatened to arrest the democrats when they return to texas. i want to come to you, representative gervais, because, i'm sorry jobs johnson, representative johnson. from what i understand, you are facing, as a result of being here in washington and leaving texas, you are facing threats. a lot of threats. and from what i understand, i would like for you to talk to this through the audience. you will not let your son drive, in texas. why? >> well, obviously the governor has made a decision, and speaker of the houses made it to sedition, as they say and i

quote, around us up and bring us back to the state capital. the question has to be, what does that mean. police officers and law enforcement here, my son oftentimes drives my car. mike hardesty plates on it. i'm very fearful that my son, potentially with those state plates, and law enforcement are all looking for us, as they have gone to our offices, and to our homes, that my son may get pulled over. we understand in this country in this time, the relationship that has been between police officers and black males. i am very fearful that my son, may get pulled over because the police officers were looking for me, and they will end up pulling my son over, which has my name is well. and, of course i'm very fearful. i do not want to even think

about what the consequences could be, because a routine traffic stop in america, is never routine when it comes to black men. and i am very concerned about it. >> let me get you on one more thing representative johnson, after, one of the retailers who are the things that are being done by, or being threatened by governor abbott, is to basically, threatening the salaries of the legislative staff, in the texas state legislature. how serious is that? how worried are you about that? >> that's showmanship governance. at the end of the day the government said in his tweet, that he wanted to punish those that left their post. and so article ten is the legislative budget for 2500 personnel and staff, for all of us, republicans and democrats.

can the governor have his choice, -- what he has to do is take all of our salaries away from us. he said he wanted to punish us as democrats, but as you heard earlier in the show, we make $7,000. but it is first staff. and it's also punish the sergeant at arms, [inaudible] that in a sense tell us he's willing to defund, not only the sergeant in arms, but every staff that works on the capitol, simply because we as democrats, did not do what he wanted us to do. and -- >> and with that we're going to have to leave it there. texas representatives tony rose, service johnson and -- we will be joined by a special guest who has a message for all of the texas democrats in d.c.

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from our final guest tonight, we have a message from back home from a fellow texas democrat, to the texas democrats in washington. >> to the texas democrats in washington d.c., we are so proud of you. not only have you stop the latest attack on voting rights in texas, but your presence in d.c. is the moral leverage necessary to get the senate, the president of the u.s. to do more to pass voting rights legislation there. know that we are grateful for you, we have your back here in texas, and we wish you godspeed and everything that you do going forward. >> representative raphael encinia is the chair of the maximum air can -- you heard, as a group today,

from a variety of people, you are going to continue to hear from people, -- she's over 90 years old. she's been fighting these kinds of causes for her entire life. what did it mean to you to hear from her today. and what is the mexican american, history of voting challenges, that we are seeing also represented in this story? >> it was incredibly inspiring to hear from her, she is an icon for millions of latino americans. she has put her money where her mouth is over the years. fighting for the freedom to vote. it was important for us to hear in his strengthens our resolve, i want to contextualize for everybody, what we have been seeing here in texas, the texas legislature has found to have intentionally discriminated of the voting rights of texans, including latinos and african americans, ten times by three times federal courts during the last decades alone. this is not something you are

redone old-time meat textbooks or which you see and super. a this is contemporary and vigilance happening right now. and there's also been failed voter purges by republican secretary of state to have been disgraced, and noncompliant with national voter registration, voter provisions. what we are seeing today is a continuation, of republican attacks in texas, on the voting rights in latinos, we are done with it. we have to fight. it's important and i take this very personally, my mother is from mexico, my father is in spain. in mexico they had one party rule in 70 years. in spain my dude grew up over absolute dictatorship. when you try to eliminate are free to vote in the state of texas, when you try to make it harder rather than more accessible and safer, we are going to stand up to protect the voting rights and millions of texans, including latinos. >> representative, you are a chair of the texas legislative by caucus. what would you say about what the texas democrats did in this

moment? >> thank you so much. there of those who will say that elections are reserved for those who are part of some elite club. that is not how abraham lincoln said it. he said government is of the people, by the people, and for the people. communities should be able to freely elect the candidate of their choice. they should have a representative, that represents their values and their interest. our freedom to vote under attack, and it's happening rain front of our eyes. too often we are looking for obvious signs of suppression, but suppression does not have to be obvious, it's little things, like empowering untrain partisan poll watchers. moving your polling location, changing the hours the polls are open. we have to make sure we are mindful of these attacks, because they disrupt the election process and makes it

less likely for people to participate. voting does not have to be hard. but it should be fair and free. the truth is, when they can't win voters, they change the rules, and so we need your help to condemn congress, to take action, notify your representative, and asked them, to pass the for the people act. and take up the john lewis voting rights act. if you want more information, please visit, freedom to vote, that come. >> representative, one quick follow-up, what's your idea victory? when his victory look like? >> victory can look like different things. if we see congress making steps towards passing this legislation, we are being very realistic here. we are not expecting congress to pass this within the next 20 days. but when we see movements, when we see more people, getting involved, and doing their part,

in exercising their right to vote, that is progress. >> representative, how long do you expect to stay in washington? >> we are here for the duration, we know that the august recess starts on august six. our legislative session finishes on august seven. we plan to be here to kill these bills in texas that make it harder to exercise our freedom to vote. we have democrats who are locked in. and we are planning to be here for the duration, to by congress sometime to act. >> at some points, will you have to return to texas? and when you do, will the republican control of the legislature be able to basically have their will executed in that legislature with these laws? >> that's the reality. if we have a backstop, from the u.s. senate in the congress, to

make sure we can protect voting rights, then they will not be successful. and they will have to respect the voting rights of millions of texans, and that is the goal of this group in washington. >> texas representatives, thank you for joining us. >> thank you. >> thank. you >> and thank you to my partner tonight, for joining us. and to all of the texas democrats who joined this discussion virtually tonight. [applause] there they. are the 11th hour with brian williams is next. feel well good evening once again, day 181 of the biden administration now facing mounting fears that this delta variant with the biggest cyst

from the anti-vaccine movement in our country is pushing our country in exactly the wrong direction. in fact it was anxiety that hammered the stock market later that closed down over 700 points. worst one day decline so far this year at one point the market was off nearly 900. the biggest concern today was the potential the virus has to once again derail the recovery. >> anything that adds to the uncertainty of the face of reopening and the pace of growth is the thing that could undermine the stock market. >> now, the rapid rise in daily cases has prompted the american association of pediatrics to issue new guidance ahead of the coming school year. the doctors advised, quote, all students over two years and all staff should wear face masks at school. on the vaccine front, the administration campaign has largely stalled about half