i'm alicia menendez. a new threat to democracy once again playing out in the state of texas. republicans there are embracing the big lie once again to push voting restrictions. today is day three of a special session at the state capitol in austin. the republican mission is crystal clear. make it harder to vote. and within that argument by claiming restricting ballot access is the only way to prevent fraud. imagine having the will to solve for a problem that doesn't actually exist, because of course there has been no evidence of widespread voter fraud in the 2020 election, not in any state, much less in texas. today, texans turned out in austin, showing they are fed up with the shenanigans, demanding state lawmakers make it easier to vote. >> i'm going to vote and there's too many people, white and black, that died for this purpose, to see that somebody's going to suppress. they should be having voting easier than getting a big mac. >> easier and even more satisfied. trump's lie has texas republicans movi

"the reidout" starts right now with alicia menendez in for joy. hi, alicia. >> hi, ari.and we begin "the reidout" tonight with the latest flash point in the covid culture war. required mandates for masks and vaccines. with president biden today asking federal workers and contractors to get vaccinated or else face testing. >> every federal government employee will be asked to attest to their vaccination status. a mask is not a political statement. it's about protecting yourself. and protecting others. get vaccinated. for yourself. for the people you love.

i'm alicia menendez.not far from where the cyber ninjas' audit is still going down. and his faithful flock, gathering to see him tonight. well aware, and have, clearly, bought into the lie that fraud cost trump arizona in 2020. >> there is just the -- the amount of ballot dumps and everything that were happening in the middle of the night. and i mean, we've seen signature counts not -- not matching up. i am 100% sure that he won the 2020 election. there is no way that joe biden got 80 million votes. he can barely get eight people to show up to his town halls. >> but, you see, feelings are not facts. numbers certified, over and over, again, just don't back up that feeling.

i'm alicia menendez. welcome to "american voices." texas democrats are staying put in d.c.ill stay despite their own personal sacrifices. one missed her wedding. another left a spouse who is grieving a recent loss of a parent. another had to stockpile insulin to deal with type 1 diabetes, can now three have come down with covid despite being vaccinated. these state representatives are working to insure congress and all of america know about the gop's attack on voting rights back home in texas. this week is going to be critical. monday, longtime labor leader and civil rights advocate dolores mp uerta addressing the group. on wednesday, the

hello, everyone, i'm alicia menendez. welcome to "american voices.", in an attempt to bring house democrats back to texas. the ride on a private jet might make for a great tiktok video. texas democrats are choosing to stay put saying on twitter, "the speaker should save his money. we won't be needing a plane any time soon as our work to save democracy from the tmp

i'm alicia menendez. welcome to "american voices."inistration, both have the power to define his presidency and determine whether democrats maintain power in the mid terms. infrastructure. bipartisan talks stalled wednesday when republicans blocked further debate on the bill saying too much of the package remained unresolved. negotiations carried on this weekend, however, and it appears lawmakers could be close on a deal. according to our reporting, the last big hurdle is over public transit funding. democrats want more cash for public transit, republicans want to spend it on highways. democrats today sounding hopeful. >> we have a few issues still to work through but i think this is the week we get the infrastructure bill to the floor. but it's a reminder that in a bill this big, that crosses so many different committees and jurisdictions, getting to the final deal is challenging. it is going to be worth it ultimately this will support $1.2 trillion in new infrastructure spending over eight years, and the $579 billion is new spending

i'm alicia menendez. a new threat to democracy once again playing out in the state of texas.austin. the republican mission is crystal clear. make it harder to vote. and within that argument by claiming restricting ballot access is the only way to prevent fraud. imagine having the will to solve for a problem that doesn't actually exist, because

i'm alicia menendez. we kick things off in texas where lawmakers are back in austin for a special session this weekend. republicans there have one goal -- making it harder to vote. the gop's promoted legislation would cut voting hours, restrict mail-in ballots, and ban drive-through and overnight voting options. much of the new legislation seems to be aimed at harris county, home to houston, which we know is trending more left due in part to changing demographics. and it was innovative voting options like overnight polling locations that helped the county break an all-time voter turnout record during the 2020 election. because of that, republicans are pushing new restrictions with the bogus argument of fighting voter fraud and trump's big lie will be reverberated again when trump speaks at cpac tomorrow in dallas. he and texas attorney ken paxton are due on stage tomorrow, both of whole have been touting lies about the election trump lost fair and square. but getting trump's supporters to face that fact,

"the reidout" starts right now with alicia menendez in for joy. hi, alicia. >> hi, ari. thank you so much. and good evening. i'm alicia menendez in for joy reid and we begin "the reidout" tonight with the latest flash point in the covid culture war. required mandates for masks and vaccines. with president biden today asking federal workers and contractors to get vaccinated or else face testing. >> every federal government employee will be asked to attest to their vaccination status. a mask is not a political statement. it's about protecting yourself. and protecting others. get vaccinated. for yourself. for the people you love. for your country. >> the move could spur private sector companies to take similar steps, which some already have. the same goes with masks, which are required again indoors in washington, d.c., even for the fully vaccinated. it's the latest jurisdiction to change public health protocols since the cdc urged americans to mask up again. while some republican governors are refusing to budge, one of them is greg abbott of texas, who says he will not imp

i'm alicia menendez. i'm going to see you back here tomorrow 6:00 p.m. hand it over to my colleague joshua johnson. hello, joshua. >> hello, alicia. thank you very much. and hello to you. it is always good to be with you, especially tonight. former president trump is speaking in phoenix. we're monitoring that. on tuesday a house select committee is set to begin its investigation into the january 6th riots. what witnesses should the committee call? >>> plus, patience among the vaccinated is wearing thin as cases of the delta variant rise. could full fda approval convince enough people to get vaccinated? >>> also, a nationwide ban on evictions is about to expire. what can people do. we will get into that with former hud secretary julian castro. from nbc news world headquarters in new york, i'm joshua johnson. welcome to "the week." let's start this saturday night with some new developments in the prosecution of the so-called qanon shaman, one of many peop

i'm alicia menendez. welcome to "american voices." texas democrats are staying put in d.c. they have been in the nation's capital for nearly a week, and will stay despite their own personal sacrifices. one missed her wedding. another left a spouse who is grieving a recent loss of a parent. another had to stockpile insulin to deal with type 1 diabetes, can now three have come down with covid despite being vaccinated. these state representatives are working to insure congress and all of america know about the gop's attack on voting rights back home in texas. this week is going to be critical. monday, longtime labor leader and civil rights advocate dolores mp uerta addressing the group. on wednesday, the texas delegation will meet with lawmakers from colorado and and nevada about how their state elections work. on thursday, they meet from officials from maine, colorado, rhode island, and connecticut. friday, they'll meet with states where gop officials have already enacted new restrictions, which brings us to georgia with stacey abrams along with amy klobuchar and jeff merkley

hello, everyone, i'm alicia menendez. welcome to "american voices." the speaker of the texas house, a republican, offered to put a private jet on standby in washington, d.c., today, in an attempt to bring house democrats back to texas. the ride on a private jet might make for a great tiktok video. texas democrats are choosing to stay put saying on twitter, "the speaker should save his money. we won't be needing a plane any time soon as our work to save democracy from the trump republicans is just getting started." those efforts now echoing through the halls of capitol hill. here's texas state representative, one of the state democrats in washington. >> i hope that we can show senator manchin, senator sinema and the rest of their democratic colleagues in washington how to fight, how to stand on principle, how to make a sacrifice, how to risk their careers in order to do the right thing by the united states and by the voters in this country. >> fighting words, and the stakes are high. right now, 17 states have enacted legislation clamping down on voting

i'm alicia menendez. we are keeping an eye on former-president trump, as he prepares to take the stage in phoenix. not far from where the cyber ninjas' audit is still going down. and his faithful flock, gathering to see him tonight. well aware, and have, clearly, bought into the lie that fraud cost trump arizona in 2020. >> there is just the -- the amount of ballot dumps and everything that were happening in the middle of the night. and i mean, we've seen signature counts not -- not matching up. i am 100% sure that he won the 2020 election. there is no way that joe biden got 80 million votes. he can barely get eight people to show up to his town halls. >> but, you see, feelings are not facts. numbers certified, over and over, again, just don't back up that feeling. however, cyber ninjas carries on its very questionable audit. and just yesterday, the man working as senate liaison at the audit site, ken bennet, was kicked out. he was the only person associated with the cyber ninja recount with actual-electi

i'm alicia menendez in for nicolle wallace.s on capitol hill today as speaker nancy pelosi announces that she is rejecting two of minority leader kevin mccarthy's picks to serve on the house select committee on january 6th. jim jordan and jim banks. in a statement which you just heard her refer to, she highlighted the investigation's insistence upon the truth and said the unprecedented nature of january 6th demands this unprecedented decision. a decision mccarthy shot back with an announcement of his own that he will pull all five republicans from the committee and pursue their own investigation of the facts. the chair of the select committee, congressman bennie thompson, has reiterated his mission to follow the facts and leave no stone unturned. in an interview with the guardian, thompson said that he will investigate donald trump as part of his inquiry into the events of january 6th, a day he sees as the greatest test of the united states since the civil war. thompson said that he is also prepared to depose members of congres

i'm alicia menendez tonight, marjorie taylor green and mate gaetz of florida is running so toxic they running out of place to hold political rallies. the desperate attempt to support their rhetoric, last night, they were forced to hold a rally on a street corner in riverside, california, after three venues backed out. this fund-raising pair was on a street corner. apparently, the landscaping company made famous by rudy giuliani was not available. people still showed up to see the two in california, including some of trump's wildest supporters that clashed with counterprotesters as this video shows. you can say it's time to take republicans at their word, that loyalty to trump and to trumpism is who they are. here's what senator lindsey graham puts it. >> here's what i can tell you about president trump. he's heartbroken what is going on in our country and at the world at large. he thinks he can mix it and he told me he has unfinished business. i will be shocked if he doesn't run for president in 2024. this is the party of president trump. if you think otherwise, you are in for a rude

i'm alicia menendez, today marjorie taylor greene and matt gaetz of florida proved so toxic, they're running out of places to hold political rallies. new reporting from the daily beast highlights their desperate attempt to find venues that welcome their america first rhetoric. just last night they were forced to hold a rally on a street corner in riverside, california, after three venues backed out. so this maga-touting pair forced to fund-race on a street corner. apparently four seasons total landscaing made famous by rudy giuliani not available. but whether on street or onstage, people still showed up to see the two in california, including some of the trump's wildest supporters who ultimately clashed with counterprotesters as this newly obtained video shows. you can say they are fringe, or maybe it is time to take republicans at their word, that loyalty to trump and trumpism remains who they are. here's how senator lindsey graham puts it. >> here's what i can tell you about president trump. he's heartbroken as to what's going on in our country and the world at large. he thinks he

my colleague alicia menendez picks up our news coverage now. >> thank you sharpton. it is a busy saturday. a lot developing. let's get into it. begin on capitol hill. the senate was in a rare session today, lawmakers working to hammer out fine print of a roughly $1 trillion bipartisan infrastructure plan. despite taking longer than hoped, senate majority leader schumer thinks an agreement is near. >> given the bipartisan nature of the bill, the senate should be able to process this legislation rather quickly. we may need the weekend. we may vote on several amendments, but with the cooperation of our republican colleagues i believe we can finish the bipartisan infrastructure bill in a matter of days. >> while we may soon see that progress in the senate, there is still, of course, the house, where progressive democrats say they won't support it unless the paired with the multi-trillion dollar reconciliation bill. we'll talk to house progressive caucus chair about that in a few minutes. and in a few hours, limbo awaits millions protected by the evicks moratorium that en

i'm alicia menendez. i'm going to see you back here tomorrow 6:00 p.m. voices." but for now, i hand it over to my colleague, joshua johnson. hello, joshua. >> hello, alicia. thank you very much. and hello to you. it is good to be with you tonight. right now, the senate awaits the final text of the bipartisan infrastructure bill after a rare-saturday session. if it passes the senate, will progressives in the house support it? >>> we'll speak to the vice chair of the house progressive caucus. >>> plus, the delta variant is sparking new concerns. today, florida reported its highest-daily caseload, since the pandemic started. the president's former-senior adviser for covid response, andy slavitt, joins us live. >>> also, a report suggests that republicans could retake the house, just by re-districting four southern states. it is mathematically possible but is it politically probable? and how might a pared down voting rights bill affect that? >>> from nbc news world headquarters in new york, i'm

i'm alicia menendez. i'll see you back here tomorrow at 6:00 p.m. eastern for more american voices. for now, i hand it over to my colleague, joshua johnson. hello, joshua. >> hello, alicia, thank you very much. and hello to you. a new round in the fight over voting laws continues tonight in texas with a special legislate i've session. jasmine crockett joins us from the lone star state. >>> today was a day four years in the making. charlottesville, virginia, removed two confederate monuments. >>> president biden had a message for vladimir putin after more fall victim to ransomware attacks. how should the president respond to these attacks? for that matter, what are his options? >>> and we'll answer your questions about the rapid spread of the delta variant, especially in areas with low vaccination rates. i'm joshua johnson. welcome to "the week." >>> let us begin tonight with two stories that say a lot about who we are as a country and where we might be going. in charlottesville, virginia, crews removed three statues today. among them were monuments to confederate generals robert e. l

i'm alicia menendez in for nicolle wallace.ormation and distraction as we're getting our first look at house minority leader kevin mccarthy's gop picks for the january 6 select committee. three of the five lawmakers on this list, congressman jim jordan, jim banks and troy nels objected to the election results on january 6th, effectively voting to give the insurrectionists what they wanted and overturn the election. as politico today points out, all but one of the republican picks, congressman rodney davis, voted against the creatio

i'm alicia menendez. ahead for us, i talk with state representative jessica gonzales about how she and other texas democrats are pushing back against the latest gop efforts to limit voting efforts. plus, how transforming the child tax credit is transformative across the country. s transfoati across the country (burke) nothing. (customer) nothing? (burke) nothing. (customer) nothing? (burke) nothing. (customer) hmm, that is really something. (burke) you get a whole lot of something with farmers policy perks. see ya. (kid) may i have a balloon, too? (burke) sure. your parents have maintained a farmers home policy for twelve consecutive months, right? ♪ we are farmers. bum-pa-dum, bum-bum-bum-bum ♪ (burke) start with a quote at 1-800-farmers. ♪ downy's been taking you back, since way back. with freshness and softness you never forget feel the difference with downy. fine, no one leaves the table until your finished. fine, we'll sleep here. ♪♪ it's the easiest because it's the cheesiest. kraft. for the win win

i'm alicia menendez tonight, marjorie taylor green and mate gaetz of florida is running so toxic theyt night, they were forced to hold a rally on a street corner in riverside, california, after three vens

i'm alicia menendez.slative theme of 2021 at the federal and state level is voting. restricting ballot access, expanding voter opportunities, there's some good, some bad and a whole lot of ugly. the conservative majority on the supreme court dealt another blow to the voting rights act on thursday by up holding two restrictive voter laws in arizona that disproportionately impact voters of color. the very next day the state supreme court in new hampshire handed a victory to voting rights advocates, striking down a 2017 voter registration law backed by republicans. in the unanimous decision the court ruled that the law was unconstitutional because it, quote, imposes unreasonable burdens on the right to vote. then there's texas, arguably ground zero in the fight for the right to vote. democrats are bracing for their next battle against voter suppression efforts in the state after they denied republicans a vote on their restrictive voting bill by walkings out of the texas chamber. texas governor greg abbott ca

i'm alicia menendez in for nicolle wallace. the republican party leading with disinformation and distraction as we're getting our first look at house minority leader kevin mccarthy's gop picks for the january 6 select committee. three of the five lawmakers on this list, congressman jim jordan, jim banks and troy nels objected to the election results on january 6th, effectively voting to give the insurrectionists what they wanted and overturn the election. as politico today points out, all but one of the republican picks, congressman rodney davis, voted against the creation of a nonpartisan outside january 6th commission. some have even spoken out publicly against the select committee that they're about to join. congressman jim banks last night putting out a statement that draws a false equivalency between the january 6th mob and black lives matter protesters adding, quote, make no mistake nancy pelosi created this committee solely to malign conservatives and to justify the left's authoritarian agenda. jim jordan recently saying

associate editor of "the washington post," and be msnbc political analyst eugene robinson, and alicia menendezo these editorials. governor kay ivy i think is doing a real service, even though she's talking about her own constituents, she's fed up and saying it like it is. this is your choice to get covid and die. >> yeah, look, that little r where you put the r after it to designate whether it's republican or democrat, i had to look really hard because that did not feel like a spokesperson to the republican party. even though there are other republicans coming out. that's the plain talk we need at this point. we talk on the show about what can we say and how do we say it. we have to say what are you people doing? you're killing yourself and other people, that's it. there's no gray here. no two sides to the argument. you talked about that camp in new york, i have friends whose kids are in that camp. i think the only thing left to -- well, a talking point beyond that emotional plea of the government, kids, how about the kids. no, i think that's a poster spokesperson, a poster tone for how this c