john lewis was beaten, and that picture made him famous. what made john the was great for 50 plus years thereafter, he kept his ion the prize. -- eye on the prize. the prize with the beloved community, the community that accepted, lifted up, and enabled people to participate fully in their democracy. that is what the john lewis- terri sewell bill is all about. that is why jerry nadler made sure this would be passed. [applause] that is why judge g.k. butterfield for the state of north carolina worked so hard to make sure we passed a bill that would meet muster, we pray, with the supreme court of the united states. [applause] one of the great members of this congress, a constitutional expert. a giant in her own right and fighting for the rights of people. [applause] thank you for your leadership as well. one of our newest members, mr. carter. he is from louisiana. i asked him if he can play baseball, because his predecessor was a great picture for our team -- pitcher for our team. john lewis beaten in selma. john lewis almost killed in alabama

today, we celebrate the work and the legacy of john lewis. at the same time, i want you to know that if it were not for the voting rights act, i probably would have been elected to the chicago city council. it is clear to me that there had not -- that had it not been for the voting rights act, i would not be in congress today. i am full of gratitude, calling on the senates to do the right thing -- senate to do the right thing and make sure that in between first century -- the 21st century, more voices will be heard. that is the pathway to becoming a more perfect union. >> that concludes our press conference but i want to make sure i acknowledge the great work of ms. jackson lee. we fight onward to the senate. we ask for swift passage and we ask that it get to the desk of president biden to sign. i thought we would take a group photo before we go but this concludes our press conference. >> c-span's washington journal, every day we take your cause live on the air on the news of the day and we discussed policy issues that impact you. coming up o

we keep talking about john lewis. john lewis sacrificed himself and his family. sammy and grant lewis. wont we welcome them at this time? won't we welcome them at this time? [applause] >> good evening. i am henry lewis, the youngest brother of john lewis. i have my brother samuel here with me. and my nephew ron. i would like to thank rev. al sharpton, martin luther king iii , for inviting us here to take part in this event. we know that congress passed >> good evening. i am henry lewis, the younger brother of john lewis. i have my brother samuel with me. and my nephew ron. i would like to thank rev. al sharpton, are visiting, for inviting us here in this part of the event. we know that congress passed the john lewis voting rights act, and not only are we asking the conscious to guide them, and doing the right thing, but we know that the bill will help eliminate suppression. not harder. 15 years ago, my brother and others spoke at this event promoting rights. we now realize, now more than ever, this fight is not for a day or a week or month. it is not for a year. w

well, if you love john lewis, you vote for the john lewis voting advancement build.w york, talking about lighting the torch, he serves as the freshman representative to leadership in the 117th congress, making him the youngest member, the youngest member of the democratic house leadership team. he serves as deputy whip for the congressional progressive caucus and has cochaired the agbtq equality caucus. please put your hands together and welcome representative mondaire jones of new york's 100th. representative jones: good afternoon. i can't hear you all. good afternoon. >> good afternoon. representative jones, thank you for that generous introduction, and to all the incredible organizers are convened this event, and mostly to all of you for descending upon washington dc and elevating your voices, and making it known to those in power that we will not turn away, not so long as we have got work to do. we have come this far by faith and have never been more powerful in the history of this nation. but there is still work to do. our democracy is in crisis. the insurrectio

we must pass the john lewis voting rights bill for mami till, for john lewis and every hero who fought for civil rights. the speaker pro tempore: the gentleman reserves the balance of his time. the gentleman from louisiana is recognized. mr. johnson: thank you, madam speaker. i recognize the gentleman from illinois for the purpose of submitting a unanimous consent request. >> thank you, madam speaker. i ask unanimous consent to introduce no the -- into the record a joint report from the committee on house administration. how democrats are abusing the constitution to nationalize elections. the speaker pro tempore: without objection. mr. johnson: i reserve, madam speaker. the speaker pro tempore: the gentleman reserves the balance of his time. the gentleman from new york is recognized. the gentlelady is recognized. >> thank you, madam speaker. congressman john lewis earned his reputation as the conscience of this body because of his leadership during the long march of equal rights at the ballot box. john, along with so many people of conscience and courage, were arrested, beaten, bruised

the john lewis voting rights act bill. i was here when that was re-authorized and redone and i begged after talking to some liberal constitutional professors of law, i begged jim sensenbrenner and john conyers not to go with section 4-b and section 5, let's do it right so it won't be struck down. john conyers was open. i said, please talk to some professors and let them tell you it is at risk of being struck down. he said well there is a decent chance of that and see what happens. what happens now? we come in here and we are going to dis disenvirons franchise american voters by taking over the voting of american voters. we shouldn't be doing this. back after the 2000 election when there were people in florida that were not as smart as fifth graders, this body jumped in and took over and said everybody go to electronic ballots and electronic voting and have cost us misery ever since. let states and local governments to do the job that the constitution gave them. the speaker pro tempore: the gentleman reserves the balance of

exciting in all of this is the fact that we will have the john lewis, john r. lewis, voting rights advancement act. this is pretty exciting. and i commend you, madam speaker, for your leadership in making this possible, for you to be the author of it, when you are the author, you will no longer be able to preside. you'll have to come down and manage us on the floor. so it's appropriate that during the rule that will enable this to come to the floor, you are presiding so we can all congratulate you in a highly visible way. this legislation is so important. i was very much a part of passing the previous bill that was in 2007, we wrote it in 2006. it became effective in 2007. when prub with a -- president bush was president. and we had democratic republican majorities, house and senate, and we passed the legislation overwhelmingly, over nearly 400 votes in the house, unanimous in the senate. signed by president bush. as bipartisan as anything that has come to the floor. we walked down of the steps of the capitol in a bipartisan way, saluting the fact that we had ex

. >> reporter: earlier this week congress passing the john lewis voting rights advancement act. latosha brown, co-founder of black voters matter leading the make good trouble rally and says federal intervention is needed to protect minority voters. >> we're going to need both of those pieces of legislation to ensure that voters in this nation have access to their democratic right to vote. >> reporter: the john lewis voting rights act now heads to the senate where it faces hurdles. republicans have blocked it before reigniting calls by those on the left

as for the john lewis bill, that is a very important piece of this.states that have been enacting discriminatory laws. we know senator murkowski has publicly voiced interest in supporting the john lewis bill. we've had at least one republican who is very interested in this bill, and there may be more. so we'll take what the house has given us, the work they've done, and we will go from there. >> senator murkowski has also said, as the only republican senator who has been inclined to say anything positive about this, she cannot imagine another nine republicans joining her on any voting rights legislation. so that means never getting to 60. this kind of legislation normally requires the clearing of that 60-vote threshold. senator manchin seems to have suggested that he may be open to some kind of exception to the 60-vote threshold on voting rights. is there any progress that you can tell us about? >> first, we're getting the bill. we have to have general agreement on the bill, and he's come a long way on that. so just a work in progress. very closely re

bill, though john lewis wrote the first 300 pages of sr one. his guidance, his commitment, and much of our legislation. our work to protect our democracy continues with the select committee to investigate january 6. this week we learned it is up to five officers who defended the micro c on january 6 have died. -- defended democracy on january 6 have died. the bill we sent to the senate was passed by the senate so the president of the united states could sign it. he and the vice president spoke so beautifully and powerfully about the debt we owe our capitol police. they are heroes to us and we are very sad about those who have lost their lives, those who have risked their lives, and those who have ongoing effects of trauma, and physically as well. again, we are very pleased to never forget brian sicknick. his mother was there. the president acknowledged his father had been the sergeant and arms at the capitol years ago. these are martyrs of democracy. they are heroes. i want to acknowledge the heroism of the firefighters in the fires in the west

that's exactly what the john robert lewis act would do. john shed blood on a bridge in my hometown for the right to vote. we must never forget as he would say that when we see something, we must stand up and do something. and so all of us have a role to play. every generation must fight and fight again for the progress that we made, and all battles have truly become new again, reverend al. you know something about that. the march on washington will be critically important for us to really call that federal oversight is needed in voting zygotes next saturday, august 28, martin luther king iii and i will lead that march. martin and i sat in the courtroom and listened to the oral arguments on shelby versus holder and looked across the aisle and john lewis was sitting there. >> and he was sitting next to me. it was an the other one sit next to him and listen to them defend. the ldf did an amazing oral argument, but it was clear justice roberts had it out for the vra and was looking for every way in order to invalidated it. but they did leave a

change. >> we are searching for a framework to understand what is happening in front of us and john lewis it to us through his life. it's why we had to keep stelling the story after march and make the book. >> those who marched with lewis, the story continues. >> we did many, many things that the were necessary. but they were not sufficient. even though we got the voting rights bill. we got civil rights bill. that we are not such and i tell the young people today, it's the most humbling thing they have to do what is necessary. but it may not be sufficient. this is a long distance race. >> as john lewis said, encouraging people to keep up the fight is not the struggle of a day, a week, a month or a [announcement on pa] introducing togo's new cheese steak melt, featuring fresh artisan bread, layered with tender seasoned steak, sautéed mushrooms, roasted red peppers, and smothered with melty american cheese. the new cheese steak melt, now at togo's. >>> we end with the story of an unbreakable bond between mother and son. >> by his own admission, dustin was a mother's boy. he cooked gloria's

but your first time doing it without the late congressman john lewis. how is that weighing on you today. >> it's weighing heavily on me. you know, i get the opportunity each and every day to represent alabama's civil rights district, the home of birmingham appear tuscaloosa. while my job is taking care of constituents there today it's also to protect and further the legacy that is the civil rights and voting rights movement. ordinary americans from my district did extraordinary -- extraordinary things in order to bring about extraordinary social change. the least we can do is to make sure that we honor them each and every day. and what better way to do that than to restore to the full protections of voting rights act of 1965? as john would say he shed a little blood on the bridge in selma for the right of every american to vote. i'm looking forward to getting into good trouble as we try to not only get the senate to approve and pass h.r. 4 but today as we mobilize, you know, the simple rights movement and those activists were tacticians or strategists.

if we're not able to put the guardrails back up on section 5 and get the john lewis act passed, then you're going to see the republicans attempt to draw three new seats in texas alone. and if you look at arizona, you look at florida, you look at north carolina, you look at georgia, they really want to try to run the score up in those states. and when i say run the score up, not just democrats versus republican, they're going to be discriminated against hispanic and black voters in these states by taking away their opportunity to choose their representative of their choice. so we absolutely have to take that seriously because we're in a redistricting. i definitely don't want to underplay redistricting. it's looming very large in 2022. >> congressman veasey, one more question for you and pertains to congresswoman debbie dingell of michigan who was warning the party in 2016, hey, hey, hey pay attention to donald trump, the guy he could win. well, now she is saying that democrats aren't, quote, breaking through. why don't you think that democrats are breaking through i guess particularly

king and john lewis go to the federal voting rights act in '65?ked out all of the state laws. we are doing the same thing today with the same fervor. it will not come from biden down, it will come from the people up and you're seeing that demonstrated all over the country today. >> we've got a number of reporters covering today's rallies. we're going to start in dc where we're covering the national action network voting rights rally. another welcome to you this hour. what are you seeing there? >> reporter: alex, to hear reverend sharpton talking about the pressure will come from the people, you get that sense on the ground where tens of thousands of people were expected to pour into washington, d.c. from across down and from across the country. and throwing back to the original march almost 60 years ago, it was a march for jobs and freedom. it was more than voting rights or social equity. and even though the center of it is about voting rights, there have been a wide spectrum of people from unions, folks who are calling for more social equity, and

i've had the incredible privilege of spending time with john lewis, of interviewing john lewis.u have. one of the things that strikes me about him, about his legacy, is that even after all he has seen, even after all he had lived through, he maintained this deep sense of hope that a better future was possible. i wonder where we are supposed to be looking for those well springs of hope today? >> well, you know, alicia, it seems to me very clear that america is more than an idea, it's an argument. it's an argument that has been made through flesh and blood. and john lewis in so many ways, his life represents this fierce argument that we must be truly a multi-racial democracy. i think this is really important for us to understand that our democracy is at stake with hr-4. our democracy is at stake when we think about all of the states that are trying -- the republican party -- the state republican parties that are trying to in some ways roll back the franchise. and so i think it's really important for democrats to make the argument that this is not just simply about voting rights fo

you think about the john lewis -- the john lewis voting rights advancement act, restoring what was taken out of section 5 of the voting rights act, which really helped secure the franchise for so many people in the south. then today they're pushing for hr1 in the senate to really organize how we're thinking about voting but how we're voting in the country. so the list of speakers today, the thousands of people who poured into washington, d.c. to push and put pressure on the federal government has been a sight, but to see martin luther king jr.'s granddaughter take the stage was really something, alex. >> indeed it was. thank you, so much. i'm always glad to have you on the show. >>> we go from there to nbc's shack brewster at the king center in atlanta. shaq, as i welcome you, i understand you got a chance to speak with dr. martin luther king jr.'s daughter, bernice king. i think she was on stage in the last hour when we were talking with you. tell me what she was tellings you. >> that's right. she was on stage, alex, as i was talking to you in the last hour. i pulled her aside. she talk

last evening we voted to pass the john lewis voting rights act. believe it is time to move forward on these pieces of legislation, i believe if the vote came to the floor for the infrastructure bill i would enthusiastically vote for that and i believe we are in the place with the budget process where we need to be moving forward in our subcommittees and various committees. i am on small business as well to figure out where yes is for everyone on the house and senate side, and that is why i voted yes. host: explained to our viewers why there is more work to be done on the $3.5 trillion, and what most people call an ideas proposal. guest: the senate stop -- set the top line and it can be no more than that amount of money. i hopefully hope that this ends up being less than that because i believe that there will need to be compromises that will happen in order for the house and senate to be there. each one of our committees has marching orders on how they will be moving forward and with what amount of access to capital, and we are putting together pie

she was adamant that the john lewis voting rights advancement act to pass the house this week. and as i mentioned, voting rights demonstrators will be held in many cities saturday. we, martin and i doing the major one on saturday in washington going from black lives matter plaza to the capitol. congresswoman sewell, chairman of the caucus, baby and others will be joining martin luther king and i and others leading the voting rights march in washington that day right to the capitol. it would seem that public and political pressure specifically defending voting rights is a concerted effort as it has been. and yet i acknowledge there's no guarantee it will be enough to change republican minds let alone votes. do you think this legislation can pass where hr-1 did not, congresswoman, and that we should put the pressure on a carve-out or the end of the filibuster if it passes the house this week our objective of the march would be to address that. >> thank you, reverend al. and it's because of your leadership and the leadership of the people's movement that's going to allow our votin

they will certainly filibuster the john lewis act, too. the only way forward in terms of protecting the right to vote is what it remains. senate democrats not only have to agree to support and defend voting rights, they have to agree to do something about it. and because republicans will not support them on voting rights, in order to do something about it, they will have to at least carve an exception out of that filibuster rule. at minimum, they'll have to make a carveoutfilibuster for the voting rights. for all that is going on, the time-sensitive on this administration, if voting rights is a top priority for this white house and the white house's democratic allies in congress, they either get this done or they don't. if they don't get this done, they will continue to put more severe restrictions on voting rights than we have seen in more than a generation. so, democrats are either going to not fight back and let republicans run the table on voting rights, or they're going to get it together. and the pressure is on in terms of trying to

in the name of that voting rights hero john lewis. we expect the senate to do the right thing.in the way of legislation, particularly voting rights or civil rights, then we should get rid of it. so we will see what happens. our expectation is not changing our commitment we are not going anywhere, as's hakeem jeffries said last, night we are not going backwards. >> we will be joined in the next segment by another senator later to talk about this. what is your confidence level, at this point, that you will be running in a fairly run election for united states senate in the state of florida? >> i lawrence, last cycle our governor said that florida had an election process that really should be a model for the nation yet, as you have already indicated, florida too has joined the everest efforts to increase discriminatory practices at the ballot box. i'm going to run my race and control the things i can control i will demonstrate that -- voting rights he is certainly not going to find up to protect civil rights he didn't even stand up to help floridians in the middle of a public heal

this is called the john lewis voter advancement act. it is historic where when we were in the minority in 2006, we wrote the bill, worked in a bipartisan way to present voting rights passed at that time, signed by president bush and became law in 2007. it was almost -- i think it was unanimous in the senate at almost unanimous in the house. we had nearly 400 votes for it. not even a question of partisanship. unfortunately yesterday, you did not see that bipartisanship. it was really sad. it is fundamental to our democracy that we respect the sanctity of the votes. that is what john miller's life and risk of death was about. in any event, all the more necessary because of the assault on the voting rights act made by the supreme court and shelby county versus older -- holder, the then attorney general. then again the more recent decision earlier this summer by the supreme court on section two of the voting rights act. what could they be thinking? thinking, caring, i don't know. whatever it is, they are just saying the constitutional basis

if you believe in king and what king did, if you believe in john lewis and the blood, sweat and tearst he gave for this nation, you should cast your ballot to vote for the john lewis voting rights act. every voter in this nation has a secure right to cast their ballot for those they choose to represent them. >> that is a great message to end on. jamie harrison, chairman of the democratic national committee, thank you very much for coming back to "the sunday show." >> thank you, jonathan. >>> a little later i'll have the special message directly from president biden on the issue of voting rights. >>> but coming up next, what's wrong with the leadership in florida and texas? apparently lots when it comes to covid. that's next. >>> plus, we're keeping an eye on tropical storm henri which continues to barrel toward the northeast. to barrel toward the northeast. and one we explore one that's been paved and one that's forever wild but freedom means you don't have to choose just one adventure ♪ ♪ you get both. introducing the all-new 3-row jeep grand cherokee l jeep. there's only one. tide p

that is what john lewis called good trouble., because there is a lot of bad trouble out there, starting with the lies that got us to this point. we hear a lot about the big lie, a lie that some of our own legislators in congress are pushing every day. they ask some americans, believing that our last election was stolen, when every review found that votes were counted fairly and accurately. and they are using that lie to justify all of those laws that will make it harder for black and brown people to vote. but that big lie is not the first in our history. in fact, it is born out of the biggest lie of all, and that is that some people are inferior because of the color of their skin. that lie justified slavery and a then led to a civil war that nearly tore this country apart. and out of that, another lie was born, that the confederacy was engaged in a noble cause, rather than the evil because of slavery, which is not only a treasonous act against our country, but a treasonous act against god. all over the south, monuments to that l

this is what john lewis stood for, what he, in fact, bled for on the edmond pettis bridge and i wants and our chairwoman beaty, j.k. butterfield and so many others that have worked to bring forward the voting right act. i'm proud to be a sponsor of that bill, along with the for the people act. but others have already said what this means and what it stands for. it is our most fundamental right, which is our right to vote. but it's not only about voting rights. it's also about labor rights, it's about civil rights, it's about women's rights, and we can't pass any of the important legislation unless we protect our right to vote. and that is why the senate needs to take up both the john lewis voting rights act, as well as the for the people act. they need to pass it so that president biden can sign it, so that we can prevent these -- there are 18 states this year alone who have passed more than 30 laws to try to suppress the rights of people to vote. and those people that they are trying to suppress are largely women, people of color, seniors, and young people. why? because they know th

this is called the john lewis voter advancement act. it is historic in that -- when we were in the minority, to put this in perspective, when we were in the minority in 2006, we wrote the bill, worked in a bipartisan way, the black caucus taking the lead, to present the voting rights act that passed at that time, signed by president bush and became law in 2007. it was almost -- i think it was unanimous in the senate, but it was almost unanimous in the house. we had nearly 400 votes for it. not even a question of any partisanship. unfortunately, yesterday you did not see that bipartisanship and it was really sad. this is fundamental to our democracy that we respect the sanctity, that was what john lewis' life and risk of death was about. so in any event, all the more necessary because of the assault on the voting rights act that was made by the supreme court in shelby county versus holder, the then attorney general, and, again, the more recent decision earlier this summer by the supreme court on section 2 of voting rights act. what could

republicans filly bustered the john lewis act too. senate democrats not only have to agree to support and defend voting rights, they have to agree to do something about it. and because republicans will not support them on voting rights, in order to do something about it they will have to car of an exception out of it. at minimum that will be true and obvious. all it has to be done and handled. if voting rights is a top priority, they either get this done or don't. if they don't get this done, they will continue to put more severe restrictions on voting rights. so democrats are either going to not fight back and let republicans run the table on voting rights or they're going to get it together. the pressure is on in terms of trying to get them to get it together, to commit to do what's necessary to get them to do it. we've covered this intensively. all of these arrests including members of congress, these dignified acts of nonviolent civil disobedience, like members of congress like joyce beattie, all three members of congress arrested

the john lewis act has not been introduced in the house, yet. the supreme court said was wrong with the 1965 voting rights act. now, here is where the rub comes because, in order to reauthorize the john lewis act or h.r.4, as we called it, you have to have a record developed for why you're targeting these specific states. now, before, it was only around six states. what we did the last time out was expand it to around nine to 11 states. but, you know, if you make the preclearance section of the john lewis act apply to all 50 states, there will be no need to have this record developed. and so, i have been asking the congress. the senate can just take s.1. they have introduced it, before. take s.1 and put the preclearance in it. apply it to all 50 states. and then, take what is in h.r.1, for the people act, and pass it. that's all we want out of the h.r.4 is what we call preclearance. and the senate can do that, if they apply it to all 50 states. they would not need the record that's being developed on the house side. that we cannot get done befor

there will be a voting rights bill, the john lewis advancement act, that would extend his formula usedo identify discriminating voting patterns. tell us about this legislation. this is different from things that have passed before hand, correct? guest: the house has passed broader, sweeping voting legislation that also includes things about how you draw congressional districts and campaign finance laws. this is a more pared down version that really focuses on federal oversight of state voting procedures. the broader package did not advance in the senate. joe manchin has concerns with some of the provisions. so this is an effort to try to get a more slimmed down piece of legislation through both chambers. they are looking to see if they can secure republican support for this. host: they have already gotten support from lisa murkowski, correct? guest: yes. it is interesting to note the rules coming up in the house would also procedurally advance this voting bill, the john lewis bill, so there is pressure on centrists to support the movement tonight that they are not blocking this john le

john lewis used to say that the vote is precious, almost sacred. and it is really appalling to many of us that there are people who are trying to trample all over that right. we don't have a moment to spare. not only must congress act, but we have a moral responsibility to do. so third is the senate amendment to h.r. 3684, which is the bipartisan infrastructure bill. i have bridges in my district that are older than most of your states. states, roads and highways all of this country are crumbling and many are in a state of terrible disrepair. i am glad we have a president who views this issue is more than a slogan. we don't have infrastructure week. we have an infrastructure president. the senate passed a bill. this bill will make our transportation system safer and more reliable, which is good for travelers. when you take this bill together with the american rescue plan and the reconciliation bill getting underway, where implementing once in a generation policies that will change lives for the better. housing, clean energy, dealing with the climat

i see congresswoman terri sewell, who introduced the john lewis voting rights act and i believe congressman al green out of texas, where there is a huge issue with voting rights there. i want to talk to -- ask you about that. i don't know if you can hear me, rev, and hear the sound byte, but i want you to listen to what happened on the house floor yesterday in texas when we can't call a thing a thing, when a member brings up racism. take a listen, and we'll talk about it on the other side. >> intentional discrimination against people of a certain race, is that racism? >> that is -- those words, intentional discrimination i think can be fairly characterized in that manner. >> we can talk about racial impacts of this legislation without accusing members of this body of being racist. >> so rev, i hope you heard that. essentially the member of congress, the state house was saying we can talk about issues without calling members racist.

when you think about what was up on us, john r. lewishat it was not just those of us who are elected officials, but that we were able to galvanize masses of folks that would lead us to where we are today. we know when we look back on our history, it's worked before. when communities come together, when we fight, we make change. so it was in the spirit of not only john lewis but martin luther king jr., fannie lou hamer. they did so much so we must continue that fight today because we're still fighting for our democracy. we're still fighting against voter suppression. we're still fighting against racial issues. >> let's talk about that fight. this past week you and your democratic colleagues in the house passed the john lewis voting rights advancement act. you tweeted now it's time for the senate to make some good trouble. do you really think that's possible with the filibuster in place in the senate and with your democratic colleagues there, joe manchin and kirsten sinema still insisting that the filibuster is a good thing to keep in plac

those images of alabama state troopers beating and gassing john lewis. he's one in the backpack, and his fellow protesters, both horrified and galvanized americans and their politicians. the landmark voting rights act passed just five months after bloody sunday, and its provisions held for half a century until the hard right conservatives on the u.s. supreme court made their idiotic decision to throw out its provision requiring certain historically discriminatory parts of the country to get pre-clearance from the justice department before making any changes that affect voting. to quote the late justice ruth bader ginsburg in her dissent, throwing out pre-clearance when it has worked and is continuing to work to stop discriminatory changes is like throwing away your umbrella in a rainstorm because you're not getting wet. that's what the john lewis voting rights act seeks to restore and even expand, those pre-clearance provisions that would force states like georgia and texas to get permission from the federal government before enforcing restrictive voting

the john robert lewis voting rights advancement act will become law.cracy will prevail and good trouble will win the day. >> hallelujah. hi, everyone, it's 5:00 in the east. i'm jason johnson in for nicolle wallace. last night the house passed the john lewis voting rights advancement act or hr-4. one of the key aspects of the democratic-led fight to secure the vote for all americans. a necessity battle being waged in republican legislatures all across the country to suppress the vote and rig the system in their favor, all premised on the ex-president's big lie. the legislation which would require states with recent histories, all of them, of discrimination to get federal reclearance before changing voting rights laws is necessary according to house speaker nancy pelosi. quote, congress has not only an ironclad constitutional mandate but a moral responsibility to enact hr-4. that moral responsibility is apparently not felt amongst republicans. not a single gop lawmaker voted for the bill. just like the vote in march on the for the people act, which we k

the solution is for the senate to pass the john lewis voting rights act.ividual out there should be calling their senators and demanding that right now. >> i was speaking with bishop william barber this morning on msnbc. he is one of the organizers of the make good trouble rally here in d.c. he said, and this is something you agree with, these voter suppression efforts are short sighted because even though right now minority groups would be disproportionately impacted, in the end it will impact everyone. can you explain that? >> yes, i think it is important for us all to realize our fates are intwined. when you are talking about rolling back early voting, drop boxes, mail-in voting, it affects everybody. not being able to have food and water while you are waiting in eight-hour lines, that affects every single individual. so our fates are all tied together here in our democracy. it is up to us to see if we are going to be able to realize this great dream, hold our country, and if we are going to have a healthy country that protects everyone or if we will de

we were inspired by john lewis.said sometimes you have to get in the way and sometimes you have to get in trouble, good trouble, right? good trouble. it's the anniversary of the 1963 march on washington which, by the way, was the march for jobs and freedom. so even in '63 it wasn't just about one issue or civil rights or voting rights and it was about a combination of issues and we're trying to live up to that spirit with the rally on saturday and we were talking about voting rights, yes and that's important to us if voting rights matter and we're also talking about a range of other issues that we believe are connected on vote being rights because what matters this so important isn't just the process of voting itself and it's the very thing that lets us get the items on our agenda and to get infrastructure and immigration reform and get a living wage and that's why voting rights are so important and that's why we have been leading civil disobedience, and the white house yesterday and zip tied ourselves to the fence

so the john lewis voting rights act takes a step in the right direction. it would put the pre-clearance provision back in the voting rights action, which is the heart and soul of the voting rights act. it means before states that have covered jurisdictions can change anything like new voter i.d., or even closing polling stations, they have to get preapproval by the department of justice or a federal judge in d.c. that's gone. it's remarkable where we stand right now and the gop, people say it's a war on democracy like it's trite. this is literally what we're watching. pride called it a democracy, and we're watching it play out here. the question is, will democrats step up and preserve our democracy, or will this be the point historians look back and say, this is where democrats allowed an autocracy to take place in the united states of america. >> i want you to take a listen to what reverend al sharpton said earlier today. >> we decided not to go to lincoln memorial, but to go where you could see over our heads the capital building of the united states. th

the john lewis act has not been introduced in the house yet simply because the john lewis act is simplyrong with the 1965 voting rights act. now here is where the rough comes pause in order to reauthorize the john lewis act or hr 4 as recalled, you have to have a record developed for why you are targeting these specific states. now, before it was only around six states. what we did the last time out was expand it to around nine to 11 states. but you know, if you make the preclearance section of the john lewis act apply to all 50 states, there will be no need to have this record develop and so i have opinion asking the c congress, the senate can take s 1. they enterintroduced it before. take s 1 and put the preclearance in it for all 50 states and take what is in hr 1 for the people act and pass it. that's all we want out of hr 4 is what we call preclearance and the senate can do that if they apply it to all 50 states. they don't need the record being developed on the house side that we cannot get done before september. >> well, let's hope they're listening. i want to ask you now about t

last night, not a single house republican voted for the john lewis voting rights act.s not that big of a shock. i'm sorry i made you sit down. be right back. machine sit down. be right back. machin i've got moderate to severe plaque psoriasis. now, there's skyrizi. ♪ things are getting clearer. ♪ ♪ i feel free to bare my skin yeah, that's all me. ♪ ♪ nothing and me go hand in hand nothing on my skin, ♪ ♪ that's my new plan. ♪ ♪ nothing is everything. ♪ achieve clearer skin with skyrizi. 3 out of 4 people achieved 90% clearer skin at 4 months. of those, nearly 9 out of 10 sustained it through 1 year. and skyrizi is 4 doses a year, after 2 starter doses. ♪ i see nothing in a different way it's my moment ♪ ♪ so i just gotta say... ♪ ♪ nothing is everything. ♪ skyrizi may increase your risk of infections and lower your ability to fight them. before treatment, your doctor should check you for infections and tuberculosis. tell your doctor if you have an infection or symptoms such as fevers, sweats, chills, muscle aches, or coughs or if you plan to or recently received a vacc

throughout his heroic life, our former colleague john lewis often said the right to vote is the mostowerful nonviolent tool we have in a democracy. if we are ever to actualize the true meaning of equality, effective means such as the voting rights act are still a necessary iron of democracy. last month, we mark the one-year anniversary of his desk. let us not allow another anniversary to go by without ensuring the enactment of the legislation that bears his name, the john lewis voting rights act, to see that we have carried forth what what his life's goal was, which was voting. lead notr anniversary to go by without ensuring the enactment of the legislation that bears his name, the john lewis voting rights act, to see that we have carried forth what what his life's goal was, which was voting. he gave blood. he started the soma and montgomery march. all those killed, wrist lives, others lost their lives. cheney and good men were killed in philadelphia, mississippi just trying to register people to vote. this problem, which has existed since my childhood, where there were segregated dr

right now, i'm sitting in the office that was once held by john lewis, working very late with my teamandrew young. he came in to give my team a pep talk about what it means to serve this special district. we haven't given up hope. we are calling on the senate to do what they know needs to be done. this should not be a partisan issue. this should be about democracy, about standardizing the right to vote and making sure that everyone in our country has access to the ballot. i am still hopeful, i know that i have to be resilient and with that hope and continue to do the work. congressman lewis taught us to dramatize the moment, and that's what you've seen by the march, as by the arrests happening on the hill, and by the conversations that are continuing to happen and by my -- from texas who fled their homes to make sure we could have the right to vote. we are dramatizing the moment because that power doesn't seem quite yet to be there, but we started with the election in georgia and we are going to continue giving power to the people until we get this done. >> before i got the representa

, democrats are pushing their revised version of the voter protection bill named after the late john lewis, hoping to see a vote by early september. of course, the nationwide assault on the vote by state republicans will not abate in that time. case in point, texas, where legislators in the state are also in another special session, the second call by the governor in the past month to pass voter restrictions after state democrats fled the state to protect the vote. but one heavily watched democratic primary concluded this week, and shortly i'll ask chantel brown, the winner of that high-profile ohio congressional race about her state's political future ahead of next year's midterms. >>> but first, joining me now, senator michael bennett of colorado, a democrat. senator bennet, thank you, vice president harris was on capitol hill today to discuss the plan. the senate was in a special saturday session. much of today to consider the bill, a procedural vote coming back 67-27. with these signs, are you confident that the bill will ultimately pass, senator? [ no audio ] >> okay. we've got techni

king and john lewis go to the federal voting rights act in '65? because it knocked out all of the state laws. we are doing the same thing today with the same fervor. it will not come from biden down. it will come from the people up, and you're seeing that demonstrated all over the country today. >> we are. and we're going to be checking in later in the hour, rev, with the national action network that's happening in atlanta. thank you so much. i know you're busy and blanked by all those members of congress. thanks for taking the time to bringing us the latest from the nation's capital, washington, d.c. he'll have more tonight on "politics nation." and you don't want to miss tomorrow because that will be a special edition of "politics nation" as the show marks its tenth anniversary. so congrats to reverend al on that. >>> coming up next, the supreme court has decided it's time to end the federal eviction moratorium. congresswoman korey bush joins me to discuss how that move could leave millions of americans without a place to call home. place to cal

we want to see the john lewis advancement bill passed the u.s. senate. they need to carve out a way to go around the filibuster just like they carved out a way to go around it to confirm the supreme court nominees of donald trump. >> rev, let's show people a map here of what we're talking about today. the march starts in mcpherson square park, going to pass the black lives matter plaza, the washington monument before ending up at the national mall where you mentioned martin luther king junior gave his i have a dream speech. as a progressive action network how is it 60 years later you are fighting for the same things in that speech? the significance is that we are still fighting and that could be in some ways discouraging. but the significance of it is in those almost 60 years we elected and re-elected a black president, which 58 years ago no one thought when dr. king made that speech was possible. and today we have a black woman as vice-president. why? because for most of the 58 years we did have voting rights. they've tried to take it back. we will not

it is a bill named after the late great john lewis.hat piece of legislation strengthens the voting rights act after the sustained effort by the supreme court to essentially got it. this, one as i, said much more circumspect, it should not be a controversial piece of legislation for years and years, democrats and republicans have come together to reauthorize the voting rights act, the last time they did it was in 2006 when george will be bush was president. senator mitch mcconnell, the majority whip, helped usher it into the senate. james sensor brennan, watcher mock a guys divot nunez and -- voted. for president bush, george w. bush, signed it into law proudly. things are different in 2021. yesterday, the john lewis voting rights act advancement act passed the house representatives and every single republican, everyone voted against. it all of them. this genie and adam kinzinger voted against it right, now there is no such thing truly as a robust, pro-democracy republican in 2020. they are unwilling to do with democrats have always don