right now i'm consumed with the promise of this new year, even after a week spent reflecting on the worst moments of the year that just passed. it is apparent that this will be a period of reckoning as the forces that mobilized against our democratic system on january 6th, 2021, set their sights on another election cycle, the midterms in november. we can hope that this time they confine their efforts to the ballot box where americans are supposed to work out their political difference peacefully. but unfortunately, we cannot be sure. many on the far right bristoled at the efforts by president biden and the democrats to to condemn former president trump's role in the attempted coup. they have their own narrative

they want to spin about that day. that's why it's so important that we continue to uncover and memorialize the truth about january 6th, including the undeniable fact that race was a major motivating factor for the forces that wanted to tear down our american system by force if necessary. because those weren't black lives matter flags being waved by the insurrectionists in the halls of congress, and the overwhelming majority of those that stormed the capitol edifice were not folks of color. and by and large, it's not white voters who are being targeted by republicans in their suppression efforts being carried out under the banner of trump's big lie. that's why in advance of dr. martin luther king's birthday, we have a make it or break it moment for voting rights. senate majority leader chuck

schumer calling on his caucus friday in his first session of 2022 to abandon the filibuster to advance voter protection legislation. as the midterms approach, with democrats already shedding incumbents in the face of long odds set by republicans intent on deliberately rigging the system against them, the party may not get another chance. joining me now, congresswoman brenda lawrence, democrat of michigan, who announced this week that she will not seek re-election after 30 years in the u.s. house. congresswoman, first of all, thank you for joining us tonight. after your announcement this week, in addition to that news, we also watched president biden and obama eulogize former senate leader harry reid at funeral services in las vegas today.

>> it's harry's character that helped explain his extraordinary achievements, qualities that at this particular moment in our history seem especially relevant. >> harry knew better than most how difficult democracy is, that the idea of america itself is under attack from dark and deepening forces. that we're in a battle for the soul of america. >> when you hear that, congresswoman, about your late colleague, at the end of your own 30-year congressional career and then you contrast that with the unrepentant ugliness we heard from the right this week, what goes through your mind, congresswoman? >> at the end of the day, every member of congress are elected and sent to represent the

people, not a political agenda, and absolutely not a one-person agenda like we saw or seen right now with the republican party, fulfilling the wishes and the desires of one man at the cost of our democracy. and so when i hear this discussion, it's heartbreaking and it's also thought-provoking and energizing that we have so much work to do. how did we get here? how did the years of rhetoric and the years of insinuating and just chatter turn into this massive movement of physical rel -- rebellion and attack on our

democracy? twoefrds action or we'll no longer be a democracy. >> you know, i said and have been saying that it's a disproportionate impact on blacks, but it is going to impact everybody. it'll start with blacks, but they're undermining democracy, period. and that brings us back to january 6th and the attack and this week's anniversary. not so much the bombshell news from yesterday that bennie thompson is expected to ask former vice president mike pence to meet with the house select committee on the attack, though, of course, that's major. but your in a position to take a long view. and i wonder if you agree or disagree that the events of last january started with trump, or was it the culmination of a longer radicalization, because either way you would have seen it happening in real time, congresswoman, you would.

>> so i want you to know, when you say a death by a million cuts, we have seen repeated action with the gun rights movement, with the other rhetoric of taking away social programs and not caring about the poor, and making sure that the rich has the tax breaks, to cullify that around a leader, a leader at the highest level of our government who gave permission to those who were in their basement on a walkie-talkie trying to find someone that related to them, to bring a mega phone to america saying this is who we are, i am your leader, and follow me and just brought up sexism, brought up anti-immigration, brought up

the, what do you have, black people? you're broke and unemployed, the worst of the worst, brought it to a platform and sanctified it and said, come on, follow me. that's what you saw happen on the 6th. you heard all the people they interviewed. they said we were following donald trump. >> yeah. >> he asked us to come. >> now, before we let you go, i want to make sure our viewers remember that you are the only black member of the entire michigan delegation both in the u.s. house and senate. and while you served with distinction, i can testify to that, and i know you want to spend more time with your family, your district has been gerrymandered, as have several represented by the dozen democrats that have recently announced retirement. would you like to see the department of justice take legal action against your state as it

has in texas over its congressional maps? because failing that, what recourse do democrats have as they continue to shed members, specifically members of color? >> reverend, i am so behind this lawsuit we're filing to force -- we have a redistricting committee -- and to force them to follow the law, to say we'll have two voting rights districts. they have taken the black population and dissected it to the point where we are a minority. so the reality of having what we call common interests, people put together and in this case, it's african-americans. it's very slim. but i'll use every ounce of energy i have and all my power that i wave a little bit in this last year i'm serving to ensure we get a viable black candidate,

and that we put our resources around them to ensure that when we look at congress, we see someone that looks like us. they'll see a little black girl from the east side of detroit and know that she knows my story or he knows my story, and they can stand in those hollow halls and be a representative for the people, for the minority, and for african-americans. this is so important to me. my time on this earth is limited, but the fight continues, just like voting rights. who knew the fight my grandmother had is continuing through me? the fight continues, and we must have representation, reverend. >> i'm out of time, but will you be endorsing someone to replace you? i know a lot of my folks in detroit trying to get reverend charles williams who heads detroit to run. would you be endorsing anybody? >> yes, i will. >> you will? >> yes, i'm not going to sit on

the sideline. this is too important to me. >> all right. if his first name is charles, come and let me know. >> i will. he hasn't called me yet. >> thank you, congresswoman lawrence. >> thank you. be blessed. joining me now, civil rights leader and certainly one who has been leading in the fight of voting rights and we walked shoulder to shoulder. i don't know anyone who has done more in this moment in terms of making the senate deal with this than martin luther king iii. brother martin, thank you for joining us here at the beginning of the year. now, democrats appear to have finalized their pivot to voting rights. chuck schumer promising a vote on rules change before the holiday, celebrating your father's birth and your father's life. president biden and vice president harris headed to atlanta next week to discuss voting rights. now, you and i have been on every kind of call with

lawmakers and in person as heads of our respective organizations drum major institute with you, national action network with me. for our viewers' sake, are you optimistic that national further action is coming? >> you know, i have to stop and pause to think about that for a second. i always am optimistic, but i also am realistic in understanding that we have to keep exerting pressure until this happens. and the fact of the matter is there's good dialogue going on. i think that's all very positive, but, you know, i don't know that we can say that we know. that's why we mobilized these campaigns all across this nation. and on january 15th we will be in phoenix on a bridge. the president and congress did for the bridges. that is great. we need them to do it now for expanding and protecting the

right to vote for all citizens. and then on the 17th, the holiday, we'll be in washington, d.c., on the frederick douglas bridge with the same message, because we cannot give up, we cannot give out, we cannot give in until this legislation is passed. the john lewis bill as well as the for the people act. >> now -- freedom to vote, excuse me. >> we called for this next weekend drum major institute and you have called national action network and other groups will be with you in phoenix. donald trump will also be in arizona that day, and of course everyone will be in washington on the 17th. but as this week draws to a close, are you confident the biden administration's response to the far-right groups implicated in the january 6th

attack, because on his remarks this week on the eve of the first anniversary of the attack, merrick garland stopped short of invoking these groups or assigning blame for political violence to one side of the spectrum. with that, is the law enforcement response from the department of justice and the fbi sufficient to take down these groups like the proud boys, the oath keepers, and the three percenters in your view? >> i certainly hope so. again, that is a situation that we have to also monitor and encourage and hopefully good information is coming from the committee, you know, chair by our friend in mississippi that is doing so well. and of course a bipartisan group of congress persons. hopefully that information will push the nation to say we must make sure this never happens again in this nation, because our democracy is clearly under

threat, and we have to send a strong message. i think some people have been put in jail, that's a good thing. there are probably more that need to be put in jail. >> now, the president and vice president are coming to atlanta. they're going by the grave site of your mother and father. he's going to make a speech. i know he went to south carolina with clyburn. what do you hope comes out of atlanta. we've marched together and we put 50,000 people on the streets of washington. you and your daughter were arrested. what do you hope happens in atlanta? >> i know the president will be giving a speech. i think that is good to give a speech, but i think it has to reflect the full weight of the white house that is going to show how the white house and congress will deliver this legislation for the people. i think that also means that the president must meet with those

in the civil rights community who've been involved in leading this effort, as well as others in the state of georgia. so i feel confident that a lot of that is going to happen, but i can't say that i'm 100% confident that legislation is going to pass. i believe, again, the white house must use its full force and effort to get this done. there's nothing more important in my judgment than getting this legislation passed to protect, preserve, and expand the rights for citizens to vote, all citizens. >> i must ask you briefly this. i know i don't have to tell you your daughter, yolanda renee, who i call my niece, is growing up fast. martin, she's not quite college aged yet, and i know you're happy about that, but it's going quick, and i thought about your baby and so many black teens when i read that at least eight historically black colleges saw

bomb threats on tuesday, north carolina central university, xavier university in louisiana, howard university right there in the district. according to nbc news reporting, no devices were actually found by the authorities at the institution, thankfully, and no link has been published to suggest any coordination with the january 6th anniversary. regardless, you and i know what it is to grow up in an era of social and political violence, and i hate to think that so many black young people have to engage with this version of america still. what do you think about that? >> number one, the hope is that we would be far beyond anyone making a threat of that kind. nevertheless carry it out. it's very sad. that goes to show you just how far apart we are as a nation. we ought to be ashamed, everyone ought to be ashamed that something like this could happen, even if it's a threat,

you don't play with things like that. people lost their lives in terms of bombings. those four little girls at the 16th street pappas church and so many others. we have to take these things very serious, and i feel and hope we as a nation are taking them serious. and anytime something like this happens, we have to stand up and shut it down right now. >> martin, i know we're out of time, but before we run out of time, i mentioned my niece, renee, your daughter we want to tell our viewers about a special service ten days from now at the washington national cathedral featuring your daughter, yolanda renee. i want you to tell us about it and i want you to tell us where her mom, your wife, my sister-in-law reminded me this is the third generation of kings that spoke at the national cathedral and andrea said make sure you mentioned the first woman of the king family.

>> yes, rev. on january 18th, the day after the holiday, yolanda will be addressing an audience of students from all of the schools that are together with the national cathedral, as well as an online presentation, the same presentation will be streamed. and she is the third generation of kings who have spoken at the national cathedral. i have spoken, and now yolanda renee will be speaking. we are so excited about that happening the day after the holiday. it's at 9:00 online at the national cathedral. >> you know, i saw the video of your father speaking. i was too young, and i clapped for you speaking. but yolanda taught me how the young folks do this. i'll do this for her. martin luther king iii, thank you for joining me. coming up in this week's

gotcha, i'll tell you what really bothered senate minority leader mitch mcconnell about january 6th. i'll give you a hint. it's not what the rest of us are concerned about. but first, today's top news stories. yasmin? >> thank you, rev. stories that we're watching this hour. covid cases in the united states surpassing 59 million, according to our nbc news tally. as cases continue to spike, many americans are also struggling to find tests due to an overwhelming demand there. also, the biden administration finalized the first contract to ship 500 million free rapid tests to american homes on thursday. in new york city a 61-year-old asian man who was brutally attacked last april has died of his injuries eight months later on new year's eve. nypd publicly announced the death this afternoon and are

investigating the attack as a homicide. and today the nasa james webb telescope completed the last step in its deployment. the telescope unfolded into its final configuration in space this morning, allowing it to peer into the most distant edges of the cosmos. more "politicsnation" with reverend al sharpton after a quick break. low as zero dollar? ♪ ♪ so you won't have a medicare in the world. ♪ ♪ plus, 90-day refills and same day delivery. larry? that's even less to medicare about. fill your medicare prescriptions with walgreens and save. ♪ ♪

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for this week's gotcha, i want to talk about senate minority leader mitch mcconnell and his apparent true feelings about january 6th. a year ago while the capitol hill staff was still cleaning up the broken glass and spilled blood left behind by the rioters, the kentucky senator gave a speech in the chambers condemning the mob of trump supporters who stormed the building, call their activities

a, quote, failed insurrection. a month later during impeachment hearings, senator mcconnell even went so far as to say trump was practically and morally responsible for provoking the events of the day. that's a quote. even as he then turned and voted to acquit the former president. some were saying at the time that mcconnell had finally broken with trump and the far right wing of his party. but i knew right then and there it was just a matter of time before mitch would be back to his old political games. that gamesmanship was on full display this week as democrats and a disappointingly small handful of republicans took time to observe the one-year anniversary of the january 6th attack on our democracy. the kentucky senator took aim at democrats, saying it was

distasteful for the party to link the milestone with the ongoing fight for voting rights. that's pretty rich from a man whose party has no problem suppressing the vote under the pre-tense of trump's big lie. republican legislators in 19 states have passed 33 new restrictive voting laws since the 2020 election, and more are expected to come. they have made it harder for citizens, disproportionately people of color, to vote, and made it easier for republican officials to challenge and throw out election results they don't like. many election experts warn the moves could pave the way for trump and his allies to overturn a free and fair election in 2024, exactly what they failed to do in 2020. if senator mcconnell was being

even remotely truthful, he would have to admit it at one time subversion of democracy he had a problem with, the republican party has continued that effort ever since with his blessings. his only objection was to the tactics, and i can't think of anything much more distasteful than that. i gotcha. ♪ [band plays] ♪ a place where everyone lives life well-protected. ♪♪ and even when things go a bit wrong, we've got your back. here, things work the way you wish they would. and better protection costs a whole lot less. you're in good hands with allstate. click or call for a lower auto rate today.

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join today for 50% off at ww.com ♪ i think to myself ♪ ♪ what a wonderful world ♪ in a recent clinical study, patients using salonpas patch reported reductions in pain severity, using less or a lot less oral pain medicines. and improved quality of life. that's why we recommend salonpas. it's good medicine. welcome back to "politicsnation." there's lots to cover with my political panel, so joining me now is tara sed meyer, republican strategist and lincoln project senior adviser, also michael hardaway, democratic strategist and founder of hardaway wire. tara, first to you. only a few republicans participated in the commemoration on january 6th.

what message is that sending? do you expect the capitol riots to be an issue voters are concerned about in the midterms? >> i think those are two separate issues. what do i think that says about the republican party? first and foremost, that they are clearly domestic terrorists sympathizers at this point, because that's what happened on january 6th. we had a violent insurrection a mob of people who were politically motivated to coerce a government preceding to stop a dually elected from the being certified. this is exactly what terrorism is, and the fact that people like ted cruz and others are trying to deny that that's what happened, i think, says a lot about the republican party. it's shameful on their part. i guarantee you that if those insurrectionists were not -- were of a different persuasion, the republican party would have a whole different attitude about the approach to january 6th. so i think that it's

disappointing, it's frustrating, and infuriating that the republican party would dishonor not only the sacrifice of the officers who were defending the capitol and their lives that day, they don't back the blue, they dishonor them, it says a lot about what their commitment is to our democracy, and republicans seem to have no problem with that and they need to be held accountable for it. will voters care? that's up to democrats. it's important for democrats to message this properly and for the american people to understand what exactly happened that day. it was not a bunch of tourists. >> i agree. >> it was a day that will live in infamy. >> the democrats are going to have to make it a case in the midterm elections. michael, on that same day we learned this week that vice president harris was inside the dnc on january 6th of last year when a pipe bomb was discovered outside, which is yet another piece of evidence that what

happened that day was far more dangerous than republicans are willing to admit. what's your reaction to that report? >> it's shocking and concerning that the vice president -elect of the united states was possibly in danger because of the actions of the sitting president of the united states and his band of terrorists who not only stormed the capitol, but put pipe bombs outside the democratic national committee with the vice president-elect inside and the republican national committee. they need to step up and make an arrest because all these individuals who participated here must be brought to justice. >> tara, you know, speaking about january 6th, let's take a listen to texas senator ted cruz on fox this week trying to walk back a rare moment of truthfulness about what happened. >> the way i phrased things yesterday, it was sloppy and, frankly, dumb. >> i don't buy that.

whoa, whoa, whoa. i don't buy that. look, i've known you a long time since before you went to the senate. >> i wasn't saying that the thousands of peaceful protesters supporting donald trump are somehow terrorists. i wasn't saying the millions of patriots across the country supporting president trump are terrorists. that's what a lot of people have misunderstood. >> wait a second. what you just said doesn't make sense. >> what do you see in that exchange? what does that say about your party? >> well, thankfully it's no longer my party. i left the republicans a year ago after the election. but i spent 27 years in the republican party, and a lot of these people were my people, and i'm embarrassed to say that they have all turned into a bunch of sniveling cowards to use ted cruz's own words. and there's a perfect example. does anybody really believe that ted cruz had a slip of the tongue? no. he said this 17 times prior, whether in a written statement or not.

he was speaking the truth about what actually happened that day, but god forbid his maga masters criticize him for being honest about what happened and it goes against their narrative of propaganda trying to misinform their followers. you know, ted cruz is an embarrassment to his family. this is the same guy who didn't defend his own family when donald trump insulted his wife and implicated his father in the jfk assassination. he jetted off to cancun while his whole state was suffering during the blackouts. like, this is insane that ted cruz thinks that this somehow demonstrates strength. he looked like a fool and he's been exposed for the liar that he is, and i rarely agree with tucker carlson on anything, but he was exactly right calling ted cruz out for his duplicity here, but for the wrong reasons. >> all right. i think you were very candid in that response. michael, democrats are using

january 6th to make part of the case for why the senate needs to pass voting rights legislation. there's a pending vote on suspending the filibuster to make some progress on this issue. how concerned are you that the vote won't pass? will it come down to senator joe manchin? >> i'm deeply concerned that this will not pass this year as we head into the midterm elections. i've had these conversations with friends in democratic leadership in the house and senate. while publicly people are optimistic, most people are pessimistic for a number of reasons. but i would say it must get done because the reality is black democrats have given this party control of the house and senate and the white house. and the democratic party owes it to their main constituency to pass legislation and protect the right to vote for black americans and all americans across the country. >> tara and michael hardaway, thank you for joining me.

after the break, arizona has been a major target of former president trump and his allies as they try to spread big lie about the 2020 election. i'll talk to the secretary of state who found herself in the center of the storm about what's being done to protect the vote in the midterms.

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as 2020 gets under way, democrats and republicans are gearing up for a potentially bitter electoral battle in this year's midterm elections. the states expected to be at the center of the fight are those that were targeted by former president trump and his crew as they tried to subvert the 2020 election. this week in arizona, the company called cyber ninjas that conducted an audit of the 2020 ballots abruptly stopped after there was a debunking of the findings point by point, and county judge threatened to fine the ninjas every day until they hand over documents related to the audit. joining me is arizona secretary of state and gubernatorial

candidate katie hobbs. secretary hobbs, let's start with that audit. wednesday's report concluding there was no election fraud in maricopa county is just the latest blow to the credibility of the cyber ninjas' investigation. back in october republican investigators found the audit intentionally missed thousands of ballots and biden actually won more votes than initially reported. and yet we continue to hear about republicans in other states trying to replicate the arizona audit, in between states trump won. you saw the whole thing first hand. what do you think is going on? >> well, we've known from the beginning that this was just a grift. and i think the cyber ninjas shutting their doors is further confirmation of that. this was never real to begin with. it was all a grift. but it is concerning that we're

seeing this so-called arizona-style audit trying to be attempted in other states because what this does is nothing but further undermine the public's confidence and trust in our election systems. nothing that they did during this whole exercise was a reliable or valid election audit procedure, and so it's no surprise that the results they came up with are not valid results. >> former president trump had threatened to hold a news conference on january 6th this week, but he canceled at the last minute and instead said he would air his grievances at a rally in arizona on the 15th. what impact has the former president's obsession with the election results in your state had on arizona citizens' confidence in the democratic process? >> well, we have sitting legislators who continue to tout the president's big lie and these are people who are proposing legislation that

impact how elections are conducted and results our certified in the state of arizona. that's extremely concerning. on top of that, arizona led the charge in the number of bills that were introduced to make it harder for arizonans and americans to exercise their freedom to vote. these are all parts of a coordinated attack, and it's clear if you look at the support that these legislators continue to espouse for the former president and what they're trying to do to undermine our elections that it's all connected. >> now, the politics surrounding the 2020 election in arizona has gotten so overheated that back in may the governor ordered police protection for you and your family due to death threats. who do you believe is responsible for perpetuating this violent rhetoric and why? >> well, a lot of these folks who are, you know, making

threats, harassing my staff, my family, they're being misled. they're being misled by the president, by his allies, and by other elected officials in our state, legislators. a legislator was an insurrectionist and is running to be the secretary of state. these folks are continuing to tout the big lie to say that i was responsible for stealing the election, which we know is flat out false, that the results we certified are an accurate reflection of the will of the voters in arizona, and no one is being held accountable for this, and it is, frankly, irresponsible. >> i want to talk about your run for governor. you're one of three democrats vying for the nomination. one of our key campaign platforms is a diversity plan you just put out. can you tell me a little bit about it? >> absolutely. from day one of this campaign, i've talked about making an

arizona that works for everyone. i listened to arizonans across the state about their concerns, about their dreams and hopes for the future. and a big part of that is making government work for everyone. there are so many people in our state that are systemically shut out of opportunity, and we have to take serious action to reverse that and make sure our government works for everyone in the state. >> arizona secretary of state katie hobbs, thank you for joining me. my final thoughts, next, on "politicsnation."

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♪♪ this week we lost one of the great artists/actors of all times, sidney poitier. i remember growing up and seeing his movies. "lilies of the field," "to sir with love," "they called me mr. tibbs," "in the heat of the night." i can go on and on. my mother loved sidney poitier, and as i grew older and became involved in activism, i found he was an activist extraordinaire. his bond with harry belafonte was something known in all actor's circles and appreciated all over the world. it was through harry belafonte

several times. his commitment as he would talk about human rights and civil rights was as real as his ability on the screen. he crossed this culture over into dealing with a black and having the skills and the perfect weapons that they needed as actors and actresses when it wasn't fashionable. he was the one that broke down the walls of mainstream hollywood when he became the first african american in history to get an academy award, and we as a nation, and certainly those of us in marginalized communities, must wish sidney poitier to rest in power. as i thought about sidney, i thought about how this coming tuesday, my new book is coming out about those that didn't have fame or fortune but that made

real change, were pivotal in the movement for civil and human rights in this country. it is called "righteous troublemakers." trouble makers, in the words of john lewis say good trouble, that were righteous, fighting for equality, fighting for empowerment, even though they knew their name was not going to be in the paper. they were not going to be on television. do you know there was a young woman that sat in the front of the bus in montgomery, alabama, before rosa parks? i tell her story and why they didn't rally around her. do you know there was a woman that wrote legal papers, that some of those theories thurgood marshall used in historic supreme court case of brown versus the board of education? they did not give her the credit and the limelight she deserved because she was a woman and lgbtq. i tell stories of those people because i have this use of platform, i want people that should be household names to be

known. you can get the book at anywhere books are sold on tuesday or you can order right now online at www.alsharptonbooks.com. "righteous troublemakers." every household should have it. we will be right back. ♪ ♪

♪♪ that does it for me. thanks for watching. i'll see you back here tomorrow at 5:00 p.m. eastern for another live hour of "politics nation." we'll have congresswoman katherine clark, the assistant house democratic leader. that is sunday right here on msnbc. alicia menendez picks up our news coverage now. hi, everyone. we begin this hour with what appears to be a serious escalation in the january 6th investigation.

the house select committee investigating the insurrection now wants to talk to former vice president mike pence. they want to do it before the end of this month. that timeline comes as new reporting today from "the guardian" indicates the committee is now focusing on whether donald trump oversaw a criminal conspiracy to overthrow the 2020 election. the committee has collected communications from former trump chief of staff mark meadows and others, texts, phone records and documents, suggesting trump's conduct on january 6th and the days leading up to it may have been egregious enough to warrant a criminal referral to the justice department. congressman adam kinzinger, one of only two republicans on the committee, used the word conspiracy speaking with my colleague kelly jackson and called out fellow republicans for not doing more to stop it. >> what has changed is the use of conspiracy, the absolute lack of courage to call it out, the fear that permeates leaders of the republican party against a man