there is the ron desantis vision and then there is the justin pearson and justin jones vision.finally, going back to justin pearson and justin jones, i could not help continually this past week but think of the title of your book "one person, no vote." the issue of gerrymandering all over the country, these hyper, super majority states where the states are evenly divided but because of gerrymandering, these men, not only did they who were expelled, it was all the people who voted for them. this wasn't like getting fired from your employment in a store, they were elected. >> right. oddly enough, or ironically ough, tennessee was the site of the massive supreme court decision that laid out one person, one vote because of the way that white rural conservative counties had disproportionate power under the state legislature, vis-À-vis nashville and memphis. and because of a series of supreme court decisions, bsequent supreme court decisions, particularly shelby county v holder in 2013, these states have enabled to hyper parts in gerrymander again and this is the result. we have some

so i wanted to reset for a moment there that was justin pearson. he is the second tennessee lawmaker who was ousted. justin jones just was reappointed a few moments ago. and a lot is fluid right now you see hundreds of people around here in nashville, downtown they rush out of the metro chambers, metro council chambers not too long ago, and now they're headed to the state capitol. they're actually looking at the clock because they're hoping to prevent this resolution, this reappointment -- >> kathy, can i ask you a question >> yeah, yes >> it seems like the mood is really jubilant on the ground there in nashville and you have justin pearson quoting martin luther king that the mood? is this a celebration? or is it something more? >> no, i think that's the best way to characterize it there were hundreds of people who were staged right in front of the metro council building throughout today and it kind of exploded in the past couple of moments when they realized his reappointment was going through. so, you know, hundreds of people are now, as i mention

she deserved to be speaker listening to justin j. pearson, representative there who is waiting to see what happens to him and his future there as a member of the legislature in that state, one of his fellow colleagues, justin jones, has already been expelled and then his other colleagues, gloria johnson, survived being expelled by just one vote. i want to bring in harry into who joins me now and harry, let's just pick up and what we heard from representative pearson what he touched on the change in the demographics that change in the nature of the country and the legislature in the state of tennessee itself. 29 years old african american. talk about what we're seeing transpire in the state legislature. look i used to be you know, when i was in high school, tennessee was sort of this purplish state right? and democrats actually held the majority in the state house. there you go forward to today, republicans hold a super majority in the house and tennessee and right now, you know, that's the reason why they're able to expel. at least one legis

this is justin pearson. he is the third democrat to face expulsion in the tennessee state house after justin jones earlier was expelled by this house that is controlled by publican supermajority and gloria johnson , who we understand has survived her vote. by just one vote and extremely narrow victory. ron desantis teen i want to go to you for your reaction to what we're seeing right now. days i mean, i think you really have to understand that in the context in which it is unfolding in that we have seen this kind. this is the most severe but it is on a trajectory we have been in other red state we want to standards has removed from office. one elected democratic state prosecutor and is in the process of building. in the case against a second, missouri and georgia have passed procedure to override and removed local democratic prosecutors in big counties. texas are taken over the texas state from government has taken over the school district in houston and potentially doing to do so in austin, across the board

, representative justin pearson now, it takes two thirds of th tennessee legislature to approve an expulsion this afternoon, the chambe voted 70 to 25 to oust representative justin jones. to house a protest both outsid and inside the chamber >> we are talking about nothin less than 75 people overruling the wishes of 78,000 people. and you're going to cut off th -- give me a break! is this a circus you are talking about kickin somebody out of this body, gro up if you can't sit through a conversation or debate o something no less than expelling a colleague, grow up get out of here! you don't belong here! >> after representative jone became the first tennessee lawmaker expelled for a hous rule violation, we have justin pearson speaking right now let's hear what he has to say. >> in order that the nationa rifle association and all of these gun lobbyists continue t be able to have control over our legislation, what's goin through my mind right now is w need to play for democracy i the state of tennessee, and we need people not only just to vote, but people to show up an speak out, so that we can

we'll be keeping an eye on the tennessee legislature as we await the vote to expel justin pearson.it happens in the hour >> first, new reporting, just the corruption keeps going new reporting exposes the depths of supreme court justice clarence thomas' shameless, hideous corruption more after this. pensive, we have this hotel to our...selves..? - how'd you get here? - kayak! they compared hundreds of travel sites to find a great deal on my flight, car, and hotel. - kayak. search one and done. why are 93% of sleep number sleepers very satisfied with their bed? maybe it's because you can gently raise your partner's head to help relieve snoring. so you can both stay comfortable all night save $1,200 on the sleep number 360 i10 smart bed. only for a limited time. paradontax blood when you brush could lead to worse over time. help stop the clock on gum disease now. parodontax toothpaste... ...is 3x more effective at removing plaque bacteria, one of the main causes of bleeding gums. parodontax. the gum experts. >>> now a question what have herbert hoover, mark link letter, jack london an

here's what justin pearson looked like then as he ran for president of student government. >> i'm justpearson. i'm running for president of bsg. there are a few reasons we are running this campaign, one has to do with representation. how can we rep sent all voices in a conversation? i want to bring together different voices, dissenting voices, voices that were liberal or more conservative. in order that we can reach a point of the radical middle for conversation and dialogue and growth. joined the people's campaign and let's chart ourselves to a better future. >> tucker: i want to bring everyone together said justin pearson in a voice that if you closed your eyes can be could easily imagine coming from a suburban orthodontist. justin pearson wasn't white, that's probably how they got to vote in the first place but he did a fantastic impression, what a nice young man, has he considered an apprenticeship program at citibank? that was the old justin pearson before his transition. here he is now on the floor of the tennessee state house. >> all hope seemed to be lost, representatives thron

given the these both of these representative justin pearson. justin jones are very young by comparison to probably many people in the in the state house. um. obviously not all legislators can bring bullhorns to an argument that they feel they have the moral high ground on it. they feel they're being unheard. but there's plenty of others mentioned measures that the republicans could have taken to center them in some way, are there. not many people who have gone to speak on the floor and have spoken today and mentioned the fact that the only other people who have been expelled from the tennessee state house, you know, dealt with kind of sexual violations or bribery. so obviously this is kind of an outsized response in a way compared to reasons past that people were expelled. i really want to underscore this point you're making about essentially generation z because both of these lawmakers are we can. i'm sorry. we do have representative jones. i'm hoping that the micro it's better this time, representative jones. if you can hear me, i appreciate i

jones, you were walking with this crowd of supporters that also did include gloria johnson and justin pearson talk about the atmosphere and the historic moment that you were witness to this afternoon, literally less than an hour ago. >> it is historic. you can see what i'm seeing now, justin has just spoken to the crowd here in nashville. thousands of people here this has been an historic day. joy, you ended the show, you did my benediction for me on the show since i was cut off the other night and you said watch god work you see justin here. when you said watch god work, we witnessed what was really an expulsion during the weekend of the crucifixion, but here is the manifestation of that resurrection, and justin jones called it that himself that's exactly what this is. so people feel jubilant. just after being expelled, he has now been restored. the plan is on this thursday of this week, the memphis city council will gather and they will reinstate justin pearson. that is the plan that is what is before us. you want to say a word >> today is an important step for democracy, but it's not the e

i make gloria johnson standing next to the justin's, justin pearson and justin jones, who had just been expelled by the tennessee state legislature. we're joined now by justin jones, expelled them a credit tennessee state representative of nashville. welcome back. thank you so much for joining us after this marathon day. your feelings yesterday as you stood with such passion yet composure, dressing down your colleagues who are questioning you, then expelling you? justin jones? >> thank you so much for having me again. it is good to be here. amy: so your feelings right now? how is that possible -- i mean, it is not like your hired to work at a store and then you were fired. you were elected by the people of nashville. so how is it that a republican supermajority can fire you, can expel you? >> i'm sorry, could not hear your other question. i am feeng -- when it happened, it did not feel real. if i did not know what happened to me, i would think it was 1963 and not 2023. that an almost entirely white republican caucus expelled the two youngest black lawmakers, not for anything unethical o

what happened to representatives justin pearson and justin jones is an utter disgrace. this expulsion was blow to our democracy and underscores the legislator's flagrant disrespect for first amendment rights. the families of those who lost loved ones in the covenant shootings deserve real information and solutions not bigotry and petty politics. as elected officials it is our solemn responsibility to keep our communities safe from gun violence but extreme republicans have other priorities, protecting the n.r.a. instead of our children and silencing the voices of black leaders. extremist republicans continue to look the other way as our schools become firing rain onlis. as our movie theaters become firing ranges. as our places of worship become firing ranges. it should come as some comfort that both lawmakers who were expelled were reinstate. local leaders were able to see through the hatred and recognize that representative pearson and jones were fighting for their constituents. however, not forgetting that what happened in tennessee legislature can happen in any commun

special meeting of county commissioners just minutes away, it's now a numbers game to see if justin pearsono the state house. p pearson needs seven commissioners, four have confirmed that they will my next guest is one of them commissioner for district 11 in shelby county, tennessee, joins me now thank you so much for being there. we saw energy on the streets as people were marching how would you describe the mood in shelby county, and what are you hearing from your constituents >> hi, chris, thanks for having me the reality of it is since friday, i received over 5,000 e-mails in support of representative pearson i see them on camera marching, but i actually can hear them outside of my window as they're coming down to our board room as we prepare for this vote at 1:30 in just a few minutes. so i am, as you stated, already in support of sending him back a great number of those constituents have already reached out to me, so i'm looking forward to casting my vote in his honor. >> are you confident of his reinstatement? >> let me say this, we have two of our democrat majority that are out of t

justin pearson happening this hour. pearson of course, is one of two tennessee state representatives who were expelled last week after demonstrating on the statehouse floor, demanding gun reform. republicans who hold a super majority voted them out, saying that they broke rules. of the quorum. a third representative gloria johnson avoided expulsion by just one vote. pearson's colleague justin jones, was reinstated two days ago. and now it's pearson's turn. his fate is up to the shelby county board of supervisors. cnn's ryan young is in memphis, the county seat for shelby county. ryan o rally is happening now to support pearson. any doubts about whether he will be reinstated. yeah that's what they believe that pearson will be reinstated . the energy is behind him, as you can feel with this yeah that's what they believe that pearson will be reinstated . the energy is behind him, as you can feel with this crowd that is marching a mile from the lorraine motel. all the way to the county. permission dude, look this direction t

justin pearson 69 gloria johnson 65 votes. you agree with that, that this the reason that she was spared and they were not is because they are black. well look. gloria johnson is very outspoken and she's been in the state legislature and around a lot of these legislators long enough to know their character traits. but if you just look at the issues that have transpired doing this , this 113 general assembly on during black history month, the same house of representatives sought to change the name of the street bearing john lewis's name to donald trump boulevard. the same representatives wanted to add lynching hanging by tree. as a means for execution in the state. this this body has continuously shown that it will attack african americans and african american issues. the speaker of the house had a very public dispute with the former caucus chair about whether or not he was racist or not. so i think the general public can look at all of those things and come to their own conclusion about whether or not this the supermajority ha

time we're looking at memphis, tennessee, where the shelby county commission just voted to send justin pearsonack to the tennessee state house. his colleague justin jones was reinstated monday. both were protesting for gun reform after three kids and three school staffers were shot and killed by someone who legally bought the weapons and used them to murder school children and teachers. and both lawmakers were expelled from the state government for speaking out republicans said it was because they lacked decorum on the house floor. the backlash to the gop decision has been so intense, it's only helped to fuel the debate on guns in tennessee. and now the southern states governor is actually pushing for some gun reform. governor bill lee signed an executive order on tuesday, strengthening background checks, and he's now calling for gop state lawmakers, the same ones who expelled pearson and jones to pass a red flag law let's first listen to justin pearson. >> guilty of not expanding health care. guilty of not giving us educational resources. guilty, guilty, guilty so for you guilty people, we go

that's justin pearson. gloria johnson, as you know, a third representative who also took part in this protest last week. she survived the vote to expel her by one vote. let's see if we can hear some of what justin pearson has said. is hurting people killing people, and they're treating things like this is normal. we can never normalize the ending of democracy. we can never normalize the tyranny of the way that people in positions of power operated to white supremacy and the maintenance of patriarchy. that's what we're up against. but we are going to fight it because we believe that there is a future that we can live into. that is better than the president that we currently have. any other questions. going to keep fighting for people in nashville. so again, that's justin pearson, who has now been expelled again. this is from a protest that took place last week, three members stood up and approached the well to speak. they didn't have permission to speak. they used bullhorns to try to get their point across.

march underway right now in memphis that was precipitated initially by the shooting in nashville justin j. pearsondistrict 86 house representative, but it was his desire and justin jones' to talk about the issue of gun violence that caused the super majority of the gop to kick them out. now the question is whether he will be, pearson, reinstated it will take seven votes in the shelby county commissioner votes. there you see the folks who are walking in support of him. we're going to continue to follow that today. >>> and coming up, who we just learned is on a surprise trip to ukraine as the u.s. does damage control after that major classified documents leak, we're live in kyiv with the latest next t great prices? whoo, this bed is dreamy. you're kelly clarkson? yes. and you're in our bed? yes. what about five star dining sets? sorry i didn't have a reservation. you're kelly clarkson. i love your work. thank you. find just what you need at wayfair! even a personal sauna. oh! can we do the wayfair song? yes you can. wayfair! ♪ wayfair, you've got just what i need ♪ wow. it'd be better if you did it.

and joints, for all-day energy. >>> in memphis, tennessee, there will be a vote to reinstate justin pearsonor supporting a gun safety protest his colleague justin jones was reinstated monday. tennessee governor bill lee has signed an executive order strengthening background checks for gun purchases. he called on the republican majority legislature to pass so-called red flag laws to keep guns from dangerous people this is a switch in his position joining me now is catie beck in memphis. does justin pearson have the votes to return to the statehouse what's been the reaction there for the calls by the governor to red flag laws, background c checks this is a first. >> reporter: good afternoon. it does appear at this point that there is a high problabilit he will have the votes there are 13 members of the commission nine are democrats he needs a majority to be reinstate and sent back to the state capitol. most believe he will get it today. possibly being sworn in as soon as tomorrow morning. what we know happening here is that starting soon there will be a march from the civil rights museum here

both justins, pearson and jones, are in their twenties.ome of the nation's mos pivotal moments and movement were met and created by youn people >> let's talk about harm let's talk about the citizens, the woolworth's it ins, with the students of north carolina amt. in greensboro, north carolina, sparked a movement dr. king, this young man who was the most hated man while h was marching, and now is the greatest martyr we have ever seen, you cannot negate the ag and the message that these young men who were expelled an now reinstated are delivering, not just to this nation, but t the world. and they are changing an issue that impacts us all. >> holly, justin pearson i headed back to the state house tomorrow here's the thing even though he's getting his position back, democrats do no have more votes. but the republican governo wants a new law to keep guns away from dangerous people have things actually changed i the last week? >> i think that things hav changed. the governor has been very silent, very silent over his entire four and a half yea

during justin pearson's expulsion, republican andrew farmer lectured pearson on how he should behaves burr dripping in condescension and disdain. >> just because you don't get your way, you can't come to the well, bring your friends, and throw a temper tantrum with an adolescent bull horn don't stop by commandeering the wealth while we're conducting business that's why you're standing there, because of that temper tantrum that day for that yearning to have attention. that's what you wanted well, you're getting it now. so i'll just advice you, if you want to conduct business in this house, file a bill >> the members were unbowed and unbothered because this isn't really about decorum it's about stifling democracy and consolidating power, and ignoring an ever-changing, ever frustrated electorate. the glaring tell was the adjudication of the perceived crime. only two of the members were expelled and they just so happened to be black the expulsions, while a lasting stain on tennessee and on american democracy, could be short-lived. the city council for representative justin jones' distric

i know justin pearson.ghting mos specifically to fight back attempts to put a pipeline through black neighborhoods in memphis. it's a sad day it's a sad day >> we have a statement fro president obama who echoes representative pierson when he says the nation was built on peaceful protest no elected official should los their jobs are raising their voice especially when they are doing it on behalf of ou children he goes on to say what happene in tennessee is the latest example of a broader erosion o civility and democratic norms, silencing those who disagree with us is a sign of weakness, not strength it will not lead to progress mark thompson, after reading what president obama just said it raises that question agai of, who is winning what we saw tonight, who i winning? >> as discouraging as th republicans are, and i think dr. king would refer to them a the children of darkness - ultimately, the children o light are going to win they are winning talking to many of the demonstrators there today an people who w

that council meeting on march to the state capital now when it comes to former representative justin pearson, his future that will be determined by the shelby county board of commissioners, the chairman mc michael lowry. he says that they will not discuss pearson situation. nation before the regularly scheduled meeting on wednesday. as of now, it's unclear when they will set up a special meeting to address that vacant seat, fred all right, isabel. rizal is in nashville. thank you so much. i want to bring in now democratic congressman stephen horse for it from nevada. for more on this. he's also the chairman of the congressional black caucus. so good to see you and happy easter. happy easter. thank you for having me. so i mean, congressman who can who can watch? you know the tennessee three as we now know them to be and not think of dr martin luther king jr or julian bond or reverend andy young and, of course, the late congressman john lewis. they were all teenagers and young men in their twenties leading of movements for justice. so what do you see? particularly in justin jones and justin pe

took less tha one single minute, local memphis officials reappointe ousted tennessee lawmake justin pearsonecision comes just days after republicans expelled the democratic lawmaker fo peacefully protesting gu violence on the state hous floor. today, after the vote, pearson made it clear this is not over >> you cannot expel hope [applause] you can't expel [inaudible [applause] you can't expel our voice! you can't expel our fight! [inaudible [inaudible so let's get back to work! [applause] >> on monday, nashvill officials returned state representative justin jones to his seat republicans also removed him from protesting gun violence o the house floor. meanwhile, we are awaiting a ruling from a federal appeal court on a texas judge's decision to halt fda approva of an abortion pill. the court rule could come at anytime. the washington post reportin that the biden white house i purporting for a major legal and political battle to ensure access to abortion medications but state officials are alread taking action, some going as far as stockpiling abortio pills. >> we decided last week to obtain

this year, or we're going to have new legislatures. >> both justins, pearson and jones, they represent parts of nashville and memphis, respectively, two of the most diverse cities which are now stripped of black representation explain the message that these republican legislatures have just sent to the people of tennessee, especially people of color who voted for these men? >> well, i think it sends a message that you have to stay in your place there's a decorum that you have to abide by and what these young people are saying is that if you're not listening to us who represent 78,000 people, you are going against democracy. you're going against fair play, and as a result, we're going to put you on the sideline. i feel more it was a distraction, the whole process was a distraction to not talk about gun laws and gun change. >> how is it that is a distraction that's tolerated because context wise, sir, your state is 12th in this nation when it comes to gun deaths. almost 1,400 people die in tennessee every year from guns these three lawmakers are agreeing with you. they're saying this was

not expel you entirely precisely what happened to the justins in tennessee, justin jones and justin pearsonof memphis and nashville, because they were reinstated by their communities. we will be back with democratic montana state representative zooey zephyr in moment and will be joined by tennessee state representative justin. stay with us. ♪♪ [music break] amy: "try to remember" by harry belafonte. he died at his home tuesday here in new york at the age of 96. to see all of our interviews with him over the years, go to democracynow.org. this is democracy now! i'm amy goodman. from montana to tennessee, we are speaking to lawmakers who have been expelled or silenced by their republican colleagues. joining us now in washington, d.c., is justin jones. earlier this month, the largely white tennessee house of representatives,ith its heavily gerrymandered republican supermajority, expelled two members, justin jones and justin pearson, the two youngest black representatives in the tennessee house. they stood accused of breaching house decorum for non-violently protesting the chamber's inaction on

what the epa is saying about the cancer-causing chemicals >>> tennessee lawmaker justin pearson reappointed after republican lawmakers expelled him for protesting gun violence on the state house floor why he says the fight for gun safety is far from over. >>> nothing brings people together like country music. just ask senator joe manchin, the supposed songbird of west virginia, inside his overseas trip to kyiv with brad paisley >>> and the terminator saying ah sta lavista, baby to potholes. i'm phillip mena >> i'm cori coffin a toxic fire is burning in indiana after a warehouse containing plastics went up in flames prompting evacuation of the epa says it has detected particulate matter in the air. the agency said in a statement it has started collecting debris samples to determine whether dangerous substances may have left the site. our maggie vespa is on the ground in richmond >> reporter: roughly 2,000 people have been forced to flee their homes within a half-mile of that toxic, hazardous fire, and its black plume of smoke here in richmond, indiana. officials saying it is definitely toxic

what justin pearson expects next for his political career. and where can you see a man dressed as a non making bubbles on a big wheel? yeah more of this wacky ride just ahead, christian. we've had warm spring weather for eastern but now get ready for some colder, gusty or whether i'll have the accuweather forecast in just a moment when abc seven news at five continues. alright, let's talk about this. bring your friends. this has so much impact every community feels being high. and here we are. in your friends. make a move electrifying honda vehicles yet like the crv and decor available hybrid powertrains designed for more responsive performance. get them back more advanced tech. and drive a honda. you're driving with the 2022 kelley blue book's kbb .com best value brand. get moved. and find the honda for you. buy online, preserved from select dealers or visit your local honda dealer today. my dreams. can invest in myself and my future can get free money for college. help me achieve my goals. i can be and do whatever i put my mind to. start yo

narratives and what they say should happen now, days after the historic move by tennessee republicans justin pearson and justin jones are speaking out pearson calling their expulsion one of the greatest tactics of voter disenfranchisement and voter oppression he has ever witnessed . but a leading republican, is strongly defending the action. the pivotal moves now playing out the booby from tennessee. the battle over the abortion pill after conflicting federal rulings, the debate on an almost certain fast track to the supreme court what it could mean for abortion access, even in states where abortion is legal. as one of the country's most conservative appeals courts get set to weigh in elizabeth schulze from the white house days after former president trump's historic indictment, trump's attorney general bill barr, with a warning for his one time boss, what he thinks about another potential indictment. pope francis celebrating mass and speaking out on this most holy of days for christians calling for peace around the world, singling out the middle east, the ukrainian and russian people, marcus more f

the department of justice, justin pearson, has changed quite dramatically . as you can see, he transition from a crypto white kid into modern incarnation of martinof luther king junior himself. >> it's remarkable king jr, reas he's not alone iitn that. >> you see this all the time. everybody in the democratic party wants to be martin luther king at this point. >> evethis pi'n joe biden, who the famous march on washington was enjoying the many benefitswa of life as a college student in a racially segregated state. now he's mlk. we all are.o but you've got to ask yourself,e as long as we're mimicking60 yea civil rights leaders who died almost 60 years ago, why not some variety? variety? you never see politicians transition into, say, malcolm ix ? >> why is that? maybe because malcolm x didn't lcolm x talk like a sharecropper. spokpoke dignified, standard english. he was running a shakedown rackete dignified standa of flee liberals.ui malcolm x had self-respect, so d guilty whited it liberals. and he said so. he believed in self-improvement. he, he knew who the

it was a moment where republican state representative andrew farmer scolds justin pearson and pearson responds let's watch. >> tennessee general assembly, that's why you're standing there because of that temper tantrum that day for that yearning to have attention. that's what you wanted well you're getting it now. >> you all heard that. how many of you would want to be spoken to that way >> errick, what's your reactio to that exchange >> again, in a southern context, i live in the state of mississippi. when you have a white male speaking to a young black youth in that way, those are the racialized tropes to try to shift the support of tennesseans to their position. as this young man, this brilliant young man somehow is acting out of place, that they're acting uppity, which is a rationalized trope at the end of the day, we have two primary issues here. what is the state of tennessee going to do about sensible gun control. that's the primary issue secondarily, how are they going to maintain a sense of decorum when they're acting in a way in which they remove members for having a voice h

speaking out today ousted democrats justin jones and justin pearson, say it. was a partisan power grab meant to silence calls from tennessee and calling for action on gun control in the wake of a horrific shooting at the nashville christian school. the reality is an institution filled with people who are more concerned about supporting the nra and supporting the second amendment than it is protecting the first amendment rights of children and teenagers to be able to come to the capital and advocate for gun violence prevention laws. they also point out that their colleague gloria johnson, who is white, and also so participated in the protest was not voted out, avoiding the same fate, but just a single vote. this was not just an attack on us because attempt to silence our districts, predominantly black and brown districts who no longer have representation. democratic activists believe the move could potentially backfire and not only get jones and pearson reelected but rally future democratic voter turnout in the state. tennessee house republicans attempt to cruc

and justin pearson join justin jones and they were holding hands together, and they kept saying, let's keep this march going. they need to finally walked back into the state capitol. we follow along with that as well. look at this picture from the gallery of justin pearson, who hasn't been put back into his seat just yet , raising his fist in solidarity with the young brother who was back in his seat. down on the floor. it was an amazing sight to see you don't see this play out in american politics quite the way we see it in the last week and a half. caitlin was remarkable to see that in the moment where you saw him going put against nameplate back. it is desk. he was taking selfies in you at the same place where he was just expelled last week. ryan young, thank you for being there on the ground in nashville . also here at the desk with me, i want to bring in cnn instrument prokupecz audie cornish, who has seen a toast of the assignment podcast. margaret hoover, our cnn political commentator and host of pbs is firing line and, of course, the money. jones host of game theory with bomani

amy: that is justin pearson of best. led last week as one of the tennessee three for engaging in the gun protest after the mass shooting at a christian school in nashville. pearson could be reaointed to the tennessee house wednesday as justin jones was on monday if a majority of the shelby county commission' is 13 members agree to it. coming up, republican texas governor greg abbott says he's working as possible to pardon u.s. army sergeant who was just convicted of murdering a black lives matter protester and a 2020. stay with us. ♪♪ [music break] amy: justin jones singing with joan baez "we shall overcome" as they met at the airport. this is democracy now!, democracynow.org, the war and peace report. i'm amy goodman. as we go right now to the capitol of texas, to austin, where republican texas governor greg abbott says he is working as swiftly as possible to pardon a u.s. army sergeant who was just convicted friday of murdering a black lives matter activist and a 2020 just blocks from the texas state capitol building. t

state representative justin j. pearsonoins me in just a moment >>> and the two pillars of the republican party, trump and fox, are all friendly again and there are big new developments in both of their perilous legal situations. >>> and late today, a new threatening letter is received by manhattan d.a. alvin bragg's office containing a suspicious white powder >>> but we begin tonight with the triumphant return of the tennessee three. earlier today, the shelby county commission voted to reappoint justin j. pearson to his duly elected position, to represent the good citizens of district 86 not a single republican showed up for the vote. >> representative -- >> yes. >> on behalf of this body we have some commissioners in the queue, say congratulations again. >> pearson, surrounded by supporters was ecstatic once his reinstatement was made official. his return comes less than one week after house speaker cameron sexton fast tracked this extraordinary punishment, not deployed since the 1800s shelby county commissioner lowry sai

justin pearson on the left gloria johnson in the middle. justin jones on the right. two men expelled the woman surviving by one vote. they were punished by republicans for their demonstration on the house floor last week, calling for gun reform, walking up to the well of the chamber and protesting following the horrific school shooting in nashville last month. republicans saying their behavior was disorderly and as a result, they made the decision to kick the two men out of the legislature. so what does the woman who survived have to say about that? i think it's pretty clear. i'm a six year old white woman, and they are too young black men. the chairman of the tennessee black caucus is sam mckenzie. the world saw the options. i don't have to say a word about the fact that our two young african american brothers were unfairly prosecuted. information evidence introduced inappropriately. but they handled themselves like true champions. republicans deny a racism allegations, some saying that gloria johnson was not leading the protest effort. last week republican leader t

. >>> justin pearson, one of the tennessee lawmakers voted out of the state house will soon return. today shelby county commissioners voted to reinstate pearson. he and justin jones, you might remember, were expelled by the majority for staging a protest in the house chamber. it demanded tougher gun laws. >> reporter: less than a week after he was expelled from the tennessee state house, justin pearson can be representative pearson again. >> i'm so glad we get to do our jobs. >> reporter: the district 86 house representative. >> they tried to expel the people's choice and the people's vote. they awakened a sleeping giant. >> reporter: pearson and justin jones returned to the house monday, expelled for taking part in a protest calling for stricter gun controls. it follows the nashville shooting and reignited calls for tighter gun laws. >> we don't need a day to mourn. we need a day of action. >> reporter: the call for action may be gaining momentum. >> nothing is more important than the safety of tennesseans and certainly the safety of tennessee children. >> reporter: the governor si

they say both jones and former state rep justin pearson were expelled because they broke decorum duringrotesters have gathered outside the courthouse. they're looking at to appoint jones as interim representative for his vacant seat. we spoke to a lawyer from vanderbilt university that says the council is within within their rights to bring jones back. >> that's the check and balance that is worked into our state's constitutional documents and our nation's constitutional documents. no one branch is supposed to be able to ride roughshod over the other. >> so across the state, the chairman of the shelby county commission near memphis says that voting body will hold a meeting on wednesday to discuss the reappointment of justin pearson to his seat. they say they understand the need to punish those that break the rules but believe the expulsion of justin pearson was conducted in a hasty manner without other corrective action. so we again, there will be a vote over in shelby county or a discussion in shelby county on wednesday to talk about the possible reinstallment of pearson. tonight all e

i'm so excited to have my colleague justin j. pearson back already have my colleague here from nashville. justin jones back with us. you know, i personally have been affected by gun violence. this hit very close to home. uh i am a father . i have a son, who was in third grade. he's nine years old. i was at my son's school. reading to his class the morning that this shooting happened at covenant school. the little boy that was murdered, is a member and was on a team the reds in the creek hall little league where my son plays. that's how close this hits to home and i am so energized and excited. hopeful that we are going to finally tackled this issue of gun violence in the state of tennessee. but the excitement today is about representative pearson representative jones coming back fighting against this undemocratic process that we saw in the state of tennessee , where they were expelled for office. it was a shame, but the people have spoken. the county commission in shelby county did the right thing today. the people of nashville in our ci

republicans expelled jones and his colleague justin pearson.for violating rules of decorum during a protest last week on gun reform in the wake of the shooting at the covenant school in nashville last month. this is a sacred place. it belongs to everybody and literally start looking up into the gallery with a bullhorn . getting the protesters worked up into a frenzy. that is incumbent on us to say you've gone a step too far. sometimes rules have to be broken in order for the voices that have been marginalized and told that they are voiceless to be heard pearson. he says he's hopeful his vacant memphis district seat will also be addressed during a special meeting tomorrow. if it is the will of god and the people in shelby county for me to serve. i promised to continue to do so, and i'm going to do it. i believe with all of the people who continue to show up for us in this moment who are saying it's enough, and now is the time for us to create change in this state. and over memphis . political tensions have been rising with the chairman of the te

former democratic state representatives justin pearson and justin jones. >> so there is no democracynnessee is the most undemocratic state in the nation. >> you don't understand. >> reporter: last week, mostly white republicans in the tennessee house flexed their supermajority. they expelled two young black lawmakers for mocking house decorum with a bullhorn and bravado. >> i'm concerned about the house floor following the process and procedures that are laid out, that you should follow, and not having a protest, as it was described over here, on the house floor. >> reporter: jones' district included part of nashville. and in a special session today, the city's metro council met to appoint an interim state rep. as expected, they named jones in effect to replace himself until tennessee's governor sets the date for a special election. if republicans here hoped ousting the two democrats would silence them, make them smaller, their tactic backfired. gop leadership here got smaller, ad jones and pearson now have a national voice. >> when they expelled us, they had no idea that this was go

last night, former state representatives justin jones and justin pearson wer expelled from the tennessehere is justin jones befor republicans in the tennessee legislature voted to remove hi from office. >> this is not about me. this is about those youn people who are asking us to us our position and to uphold our oath to protest and dissen from any action or legislation that is injurious to the people. i pray that we uphold our oath on this floor. because, colleagues, the world is watching. >> and the world did watch, as racist republicans in th tennessee legislature voted to expel two young blac legislators for protesting gun violence that left 39 year old children dead at the nashville elementary school. the world watched those same republicans a vote to spar gloria johnson, a white woman, from expulsion, who is accused of the same so-called crime of protesting for gun reform in a state with some of the weakest gun laws in the nation state representative glori johnson had this to say afte republicans failed to find enough votes to remove her >> keep watching, for th nation keep watchi

course, the republican majority at the statehouse in tennessee kicked out two of its members justin j. pearson and justin jones. justin jones case he had the opportunity to go for the city council. they re appointed him and that vote was dramatic. you could see it in his face. in fact, take a look at this video. as you see just the exuberance of the crowd who was excited. they went from that moment and then marched to the state capital. on the capitol steps. he was back to getting a read back in. he had a swearing in service right there on the steps. the crowd went crazy as it went back and finally address that state capital assembly once again. today we send a clear message to speaker cameron sexton that the people will not allow his his crimes against democracy that happen without challenge. we are calling on house speaker cameron sexton to resign. a speaker of the house. he is an enemy of democracy has really shifted now to justin j. pearson he says. he's hoping shelby county puts him back in office. that can happen on wednesday, so both members who were pushed out of their seats may get th

gallery erupting after the gop super majority voted to expel representatives justin pearson and justin jones. afterwards they suggested the move would backfire on republicans. they thought they won today, but they don't realize they're started. they started a movement. they can't stop. not. they are the ones that just get a voice. it's the folks in our districts get a voice, too. and as you see, will demanded in the house. we'll get expelled for it, too, and will demand it outside the house. that story continuing to develop a third democrat involved in the gun protests survived an expulsion vote. she told cnn. she believes race helps explain the different outcomes things we could i'm a six year old white woman, and they are too young black men. cnn's gary tuchman is on the ground in nashville with more omar, something most unusual happened here in the tennessee state capitol building in nashville on thursday. the republican supermajority of the house of representatives decided to kick out to democratic representatives because of what they call disorderly conduct. they were actually exp

if you are justin jones an justin pearson, you are young, your younger generation -- you are built on protest, yo are -- everybody who knew them knew that they were coming in to be disruptive forces and politics now they got kicked out of the legislature for it >> yes, you know, ali, i don't think that came in to be a disruptive for think that came in to be a voice for people who didn' have a voice they had a very shallow voic over the years i think that's one reason that helped me get elected in 2017, people were looking for a voic that they haven't had in a lon time the challenge that we have i the south is that for so lon -- i think democrats just abandon down here and we were left t fend for ourselves and we were just trying to defend things cultural wars that are not always easy to defend. and we lost sight of the fac that the people of the south are basically good folks tha really want the best for their families we lost that side of the fac the democrats provided healt care, democrats provided socia security and medicare an medicaid we lost sight of some of tha and we decided t

republicans voted to expel justin jones and his democratic colleague justin pearson for leading a gucontroltest in the house chamber a week ago. a third democrat gloria johnson narrowly survived the vote. justin jones has told us about what is happened to him. >> they shot -- shut off my id badge already. i had to have another former colleague let me in. they shut off my email access and i am a longer legislature. the 78,000 people from district 52 have no representation in tennessee, the most diverse district in tennessee, here in nastro -- nashville. now they are left without a voice because of this ereme republican super majority that is an almost completely white caucus expelling the two youngest black lawmakers because we stood in action against young -- gun violence. they said that democracy does not matter in tennessee. they took a very extreme step. there've only been three explosions in the house in tennessee history all involving crime or unethical behavior. this is the first explosion for a breach of decorum. david: special elections will be held to fill the seats of both expelle