pearson is being sworn back in this morning.oth and will hold a seat until a special election is held. on wednesday, pearson and jones took part in a rally in memphis with gloria johnson, a white lawmaker who narrowly survived the expulsion vote last week. together the lawmakers have become known as the tennessee three. this is justin pearson addressing a massive crowd of supporters outside the lorraine motel in memphis where martin luther king, jr. was assassinated 55 years ago. >> show me what democracy looks like. show me what democracy looks like. >> this is what democracy looks like. >> show me what democracy looks like. >> this is a democracy -- a place that god calls for it to be. this is a democracy that will bring people from the back, that have been pushed to the periphery. transform our nation. lift up the victims of gun violence. this is a democracy that they are scared of. a democracy they are worried about. this is a democracy that changes the status quo. we've got news. the status quote needs changing. today we ma

they were expecting that this would go in pearson's favor, and they were right. getting the news that that has happened, and celebrating out here on the plaza. after this, what comes next is that pearson will go back to the state capitol tomorrow we're told he'll be sworn in early tomorrow morning on the steps and go back to the house floor. the house does have an open session in the morning where he could return to a full house and reclaim his seat so right now, we're told there's going to be public comment there were several people that went into the shelby county commission meeting wanting to speak. pearson standing at the podium wants to make remarks we're told, and kind of did this in the reverse order. normally public comment comes first and then the vote. it seems these commissioners wanted to get the vote out of the way and get the question ans answered as to whether or not pearson will return to his seat. >> you're outside, i'm watching what's happening inside, and somebody just addressed him as repres representative pearson and said it's so good to call

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 mentio

representative pearson, representative pearson, you know why you are standing in the well today?epresentative pearson. >> yes, hold on, one second. >> represented a farmer? >> yes, sir. >> i was going to ask to pause my time. >> rep senator pearson? -- representative pearson? >> i'm not trying to run out your time. i'm looking for a piece of paper. i'm here in the well right now because i came to this well using our first amendment rights to speak up after the violent killing with assault rifles of beautiful human beings. >> representative farmer. >> no, you're wrong. you're in the well today because you broke rules of decorum. when you agree -- representative pearson? >> i believe i'm in the well today because you have put forward a resolution that says that it is more important to expel voices of dissent and do the work of justice which is fighting to end gun violence in the state of tennessee. i believe that i'm in the well today because i, with the courage of ancestors and loved ones and community stood up and spoke for folks like my classmate, larry thorne, who can speak no

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 that tennessee three are actually walking just ahead of us. this is actually been a nutrition giving with this weather right now because the weather has been so hot that several people have sort of passed out on this walk. we do know that they are planning to move people toward that county commission. we believe that will last about two hours, and then they will send back those minutes to the state capital. what a week. t

you might have said that of pearson and jones.e could also say people's interests last about 15 seconds these days because the news moves so fast. what does it say that almost a week later there is still such intense feeling about what's happening there, not just there, by the way, but in a lot of parts of the country >> i think, chris, it's the intersection of two big issues that americans care very much about. one is gun violence and what we have seen play out time and time again to the point that even the republican governor in tennessee now is calling for some sort of action on legislation to help control this issue, and also, democracy, we're seeing three people expelled for doing exactly what their constituents sent them to the state house to do and how antidemocratic that is coming off of everything we've seen over the last couple of years those two things are untenable, and i think that's why instantly you see this i'm not seeing this so much as justin pearson seeking his 15 minutes. i'm seeing him seizing on something tha

, justin pearson you are listening to there has been remarkable today.s representative jones and representative johnson and so, i want to do what they had to say, we just cannot kee that shot going. but what does seem clear here, elie, i mean, it is no rational what we saw happe today. i mean, i know that sort o obvious and in some ways animu with racism and power, you know, misdeeds are not rational. but they've got supermajority. you know, just go about your business, just ignore it the level of, i mean, you sa it on the faces of these republicans when they got hi to speak, the level of rage an panic, it was so evident this was coming from, like, crazily de place >> there is no accounting fo vitriol, chris there's no accounting for hate the reason why these people, these republicans, cannot take winning for an answer, i because they hate us and like, i know that, like, that level is for certain whit viewers kind of, like, hard to get your minds around, but like, what the racism comes from's hatred of black folks. and that is why, despite winning, despi

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

pearson justin pearson, as you're just sitting right there has been expelled with 69 votes in favor to expel him needed 66 votes. to announce a formal expulsion he has now been expelled, joining justin jones, who had also been expelled. gloria johnson survived her seat with 65 votes. just one vote saving her seat, folks, i have to tell you the optics there, as gloria johnson referenced herself, perhaps the only white out of the three congress members there. and representatives that had been saved her seat. so there you see it. tennessee house voting to expel two of the three democratic lawmakers for their objection. to gun legislation. two weeks ago. this is the culmination of that. this is a historic moment right now, as you're safe playing out state legislature there in tennessee. we will continue to follow the breaking developments, this breaking story that is happening right now and unfolding before our eyes. our breaking news coverage continues right now with a c 3 60.

tell me about what it means for the shelby county commission to vote justin pearson back in.hat does it mean for this debate, this argument we're all having about guns? >> this signals that this discussion needs to continue you're exactly right there's an expulsion made based on a decorum issue i understand that the state felt they had the decision to make, but i'm proud that we sent representative justin pearson back to the state legislature today. this conversation needs to continue we have to do something different in our community, especially in the state of tennessee as it relates to gun violence. >> what do you think you guys can actually get done? bill lee signed an executive order expanding background checks he's talking about pushing for a red flag law i just had a reporter from tennessee who said it's very unlikely that's going to happen, given the make up of the tennessee state house. what do you think can happen going forward? >> we have to keep trying, we need to do a lot more. we're lowering the age of carry in the state of tennessee to the age of 18. that's rid

representative pearson, representative pearson, you know why you are standing in the well today?sentative pearson. >> yes, hold on, one second. >> represented a farmer? >> yes, sir. >> i was going to ask to pause my time. >> rep senator pearson? -- representative pearson? >> i'm not trying to run out your time. i'm looking for a piece of paper. i'm here in the well right now because i came to this well using our first amendment rights to speak up after the violent killing with assault rifles of beautiful human beings. >> representative farmer. >> no, you're wrong. you're in the well today because you broke rules of decorum. when you agree -- representative pearson? >> i believe i'm in the well today because you have put forward a resolution that says that it is more important to expel voices of dissent and do the work of justice which is fighting to end gun violence in the state of tennessee. i believe that i'm in the well today because i, with the courage of ancestors and loved ones and community stood up and spoke for folks like my classmate, larry thorne, who can speak no more

pearson of tennessee i meant lorrainemotel. want to thank you for being here representative pearson, it is good to call you representative again. and i just want to first get to you, the feeling we can see what the feeling was when the three of you were together again in announcing your really victorious return. tell me how you feel about what this process has done for you. it has made the justins quite world famous but also reelevated the issue of multiracial democracy. tell me how you're feeling >> thank you so much, joy. today i feel determined, renewed sense of hope in our democracy despite the anti-democratic behavior of cameron sexton and the republican party in the state of tennessee and at the same time, we still feel the feelings of mourning with our brothers and sisters louisville, kentucky, who suffered from a mass shooting and our brothers and sisters in nashville who have served unfortunately as a catalyst to this conversation because the mass shooting at the covenant school and we continue to hold them in our hear

pearson's colleague justin jones, was reinstated two days ago. and now it's pearson's turn.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 happno

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

expel mrjones and his colleaaue mr pearson? ~ , colleague mr pearson?r pearson? when they were expelled from _ colleague mr pearson? when they were expelled from the _ colleague mr pearson? when they were expelled from the house, i l were expelled from the house, i so a lot of tweets on social media saying that democracy is a dad and i think the council vote today proves democracy is still very much alive and the actions that happened last week were not democratic and people have the right of representation. i have the right of representation. have the right of reresentation. ., ., ., representation. i want to ask about a statement _ representation. i want to ask about a statement buy i about a statement buy republican leaders. republican leaders of the state general assembly: "tennessee's constitution provides a pathway "back for expulsion. "should any expelled member be reappointed, "we will welcome them. "like everyone else, they are expected to follow "the rules of the house as well as state law." would you encourage them to try to follow the rules

just pass a bill. >> representative pearson. >> now, you all heard that. how many of you would want to be spoken to that way? how many of you would want to be spoken to that way? we are not talking about politics, not talking about even gun violence. how many of you would want to be spoken to that way? the reason that i believe the sponsor of this legislation of this resolution spoke that way is because he is comfortable doing it. because there is a decorum that allows it. there is a decorum that allows you to belittle people. we did not belittle nobody. what we said was that we could not the holden to gun lobbyists of the nra, we can't be beholden to organizations that don't want to see us make progress, we can't be beholden to folks who don't want to see his help protect our communities. but there is something else i think that the sponsor of this resolution has alluded to and there are a few things here that you said that i want to address. he called a peaceful protest a temper tantrum. is what is happening outside these doors by tennesseans who want to

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

justin jones and justin pearson, the two young black men. shocking undemocratic arrogant and blatantly racist silencing of dissent just think about it. the republican party of tennessee moved with lightning speed to punish these two young black men because they chose to fight for their constituents' lives and fight harder for the lives of those republicans' children than they have. i mean, clearly, the republican supermajority can move with blinding efficacy when they want to but when it comes to keeping your babies safe from gun violence, it's an entirely different story. in fact, tennessee republicans are actually working to loosen gun laws, yeah, they actually think that the state would be better served if more people had more guns. and more people could walk around with a weapon of war strapped to their chests they also seem to think more guns in schools is the solution to the problem of checking my notes, people getting gunned down at school but rest assured, tennessee parents, governor bill lee is keeping your kids safe from drag queen

i've got to get pearson credit in an era of wokeism where pretending to be agreed as required pearson dove in headfirst to get ahead. play the victim getting the system but like someone famous once said don't hate the player hate the game. i believe it was this guy. let's welcome tonight's guest his books are the perfect gag i kept because it they make readers that throw up cohost brian kill me. she is so top we have to marinate her before that show contributor kelly and conway. she is like a q-tip skinny whit and damaging to your ears. katrina--and they came on the o bald eagles has a nest behind i loftier. my massive sidekick. tyrus i know it. two question which it was the rear pearson and it will he be good wrestler? no because he is a phony. he was fake and as i stand here today, to tell you im all good with changing views it. i changed abuse i did not chang my clothes with my views it. i was dressed in this way when was thinking i'm a democrat. i government paycheck and my taxes got taken out i need to learn about the man. this taxation stuff is terrible. i dipped into my hat aro

gloria johnson and justin pearson standing by.ly, each of them stood before the their colleagues are going to keep their jobs. jones and pearson both voted out. corey johnson surviving by a single vote. represented johnson since she was able to keep her job while her colleagues were not. alex perez leads us from nashville. >> alex: tonight, vice president kamala harris traveling to sanity to meet with the democratic representatives ousted by the state's republican-led house. >> expelled from the house. >> alex: the futures of those representatives now in the hands of local officials and their districts who have the power to reappoint them. representative justin jones and justin pearson and kori johnson all face expulsion after they violated the current last week. >> will not be silence. >> alex: demanding gun reform. leading a crowd of demonstrators into the house for. jones and pearson using a bullhorn. the black lawmakers expelled. gloria johnson who is white surviving removal by a sgl vote. >> why do you think there was a diffe

it sounds like former representatives, jones and pearson could quickly get their jobs back. how might that happen? well lindsay, they could very well have their seats backed by next week, maybe as early as monday. nashville city council and officials in memphis , where pearson is room have indicated they intend to hold a vote to reinstate the representatives. they would serve until there's a special election and they could run again. lindsay alex. thank you. next up breaking news the pentagon investigating how top secret us documents came to be posted on social media. troubling disclosure is not only about the war in ukraine, but also china, iran and the middle east. how did this happen? and what does it mean for national security? abc senior white house correspondent mary bruce is at the white house tonight. tonight growing concerns as more and more top secret classified pentagon documents are being discovered posted on social media dozens of pages of sensitive material dealing with everything from china to iran's nuclear program to north korea. it comes as the pentagon ton

every week to this rotunda _ pearson had to say. week to this rotunda and _ pearson had to say. every week to this rotunda and remind - pearson had to say. every week| to this rotunda and remind them that they— to this rotunda and remind them that they ——we are not going to let this — that they ——we are not going to let this go _ that they ——we are not going to let this go. they are trying to silence — let this go. they are trying to silence people, they cannot siiehce _ silence people, they cannot silence thousands of us here are — silence thousands of us here are no _ silence thousands of us here are. no action. no silence thousands of us here are. no action.— silence thousands of us here i are. no action._ what are. no action. no peace! what we do have _ are. no action. no peace! what we do have an _ are. no action. no peace! what we do have an end _ are. no action. no peace! what we do have an end to _ are. no action. no peace! what we do have an end to gun - we do have an end to gun violence. _ we do have an end to gun violence

johnson had stood by jones and pearson and chanting with the protesters. a reporter asked johnson why she thought republicans did not expel her have to do with the color of our skin. you cannot ignore the racial dynamic of what happened today. two young black lawmakers get expelled in the one white woman does not that's a statement in and of itself. republican leaders denied race played a factor in the decision and noted that the overwhelming majority of their party was still in favor of expelling johnson. special elections will fill the two vacancies eats, jones and pearson are free to run again for those offices to breaking news in the middle east. israeli forces escalated the weeklong violence in the region bombing targets in southern lebanon and gaza. the military said it targeted installations of the palestinian militant group hamas after militants from level non fired nearly three dozen rockets at israel yesterday. the current round of violence began earlier this week after israeli police twice raided the al aqsa mosque in jerusalem's old city. simil

sean bailey , allison pearson. bailey, allison pearson. sean hevvev— bailey, allison pearson.

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 signed an executive order to strengthen background checks. >> we

sean bailey , allison pearson. bailey, allison pearson. sean hevvev— bailey, allison pearson.

. >> i'll talk to the two ousted lawmakers, justin jones and justin pearson. >>> and trump charge >>hese are felony crimes in new york state no matter who you are. >> as the new york case progresses, it's the probe into the mishandling of classified documents that may put trump in greater legal jeopardy i'll talk to one of trump's attorneys in that case, james china. my exclusive interview with trusty. >>> and finally, defying china my exclusive interview with house foreign affairs chairman mike mccaul as he wraps up his own trip to the island of taiwan joining me for insight and analysis are, nbc correspondent laura jarrett, amna nawaz, co-anchor of "pbs newshour," brendan buck, and symone sanders townsend, former chief spokesperson for kamala harris welcome to sunday. it's "meet the press". >> from nbc news in washington, the longest-running show in television history, this is "meet the press" with chuck todd. >>> and a good sunday morning. happy easter, passover, and ramadan. the spring holidays are here pope francis presided over a mass this morning in st. peter's vatican square

we just saw pearson, former representative pearson deliver a pretty rousing sermon in that church in memphis just a few moments ago. do you think that this backfired on the republican lawmakers who expelled them? essentially, what they've done, it seems, is give both jones and pearson, a larger stage and a louder voice. um the actions of the legislature on last week have definitely given representative jones and pearson are larger stage. as you said they are activists. they speak for the people of they've been involved in the community for years when individuals elected them to that seat. they knew who they were. they wanted an activist in those seats, someone who would be unapologetic and speak for the people. uh and so you'll you'll see the people won't be silenced and so you'll see a lot more protests until they are restored to their seats. and also, you'll see protests because there's still the issue of, uh, common sense gun laws and you know we're still experiencing gun violence at a high level in this country and in this state, so you'll still see protests and you'll still ah,

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

>> representative pearson? in the world today because you put forward a resolution that says that it is more important to expel voices of dissent then do the work of justice. >> gloria johnson has an idea why she herself was spared by one vote. >> it might have to do with the color of her skin. >> would you agree with the assessment that she said quite bluntly that it has to do with the color of my skin. >> it's very clear from when we walked in the building that there were systemic racism that is active in the capital. even for members, we stand united in our multiracial, multigenerational. gloria could have easily said, "i'm not going to be expelled" but she stood with us and that's what solidarity looks like. and that's what is so threatening. speaker speaker of the house came in 610 denying that torres played a role in an interview on fox news. >> that's a false narrative, it's unfortunate, she is trying to put political racism in this. they were all given due process. >> the lawmakers expelled after protes

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

the 11th hour with stephanie ruhle starts now ♪ ♪ ♪ >> tonight, tennessee lawmaker justin pearson reappointed back to the state house, saying today you cannot expe hope what happens now that the eyes of the nation are on nashville then, fox news sanctioned in the dominion defamation case a breakdown of what went down, with jury selection set to start tomorrow and my one-on-one with energ secretary jennifer granholm on the administration's push fo clean, green energy, as th 11th hour gets underway on thi wednesday night ♪ ♪ ♪ good evening once again, i'm stephanie ruhle. in a vote that took less tha one single minute, local memphis officials reappointe ousted tennessee lawmake justin pearson to his seat the decision 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

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

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. not working. it's 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 these people in power operated to white supremacy and due to 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. another question. feels like. so again, that's justin pearson, who has now been expelled and again. this is from a protest that took place last week, three members stood up and approached the well to speak. uh, they didn't i have permission to speak. they used bullhorns to try to get their point across. they were spea

nj pearson. 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 throne of the sta

his democratic colleague, justin pearson, was also ousted by republicans. commissioners in his county are also considering similar measures. only but in office for 10 weeks. both men were expelled after taking to the house floor to push for gun reform after a mass shooting at a private christian school in nashville that killed six people , including 39 year old children , republican lawmakers defending their vote and pushing back against accusations of racism after white democratic colleague gloria johnson survived expulsion by a single vote. abc is faith of you. baby leads us off tonight from nashville. ousted tennessee lawmaker justin jones visiting his church home on easter sunday, bringing the congregation to its feet which will help me welcome brother justin jones today. members of the watson growth church in the name of jesus. she would with him covering jones in prayer as he faces a critical week ahead. it's not over. that we are arrested direction, people. the nashville metro council said to convene a special meeting monday to nominate jones back to

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

on sunday, the expelled state representative justin pearson joined his father pastor pearson and spoker service. >> the republican led super majority of the tennessee general a similar sought to have a political lynching of three members because we spoke out of turn against the status quo of the government after the tragic death of six people in the shooting at the covenant school in nashville. three were nine years old. three adults worked at the school. the shooter was gunned down by police that day as well. because we walked to the well of the house out of turn, resolutions were unjustly and democratically filed against as on these trumped up charges. because we spoke out against the empire, against those in positions of power without god, power or people power, because we spoke out against the empire of the nra and the gun lobbyists , because we demanded an end to gun violence and employer for ration of weapons on our streets and -- proliferation of weapons on our streets, the republican led general us sibley with the support of folks even in this district like mark white from our

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

jones and pearson. do you think that factor factored into this? well you know, i'm not going to just look into anyone or tell you what's in anyone's heart. but i certainly will say it is fair to judge people by their . i mean, everybody has seen the tapes. they saw the questions about the sponsors of the resolutions. but again, i think , except for people to judge for themselves, i am certainly have that share that concern with a lot of people. you're concerned that that might be that there. that might have been a part of this. well i would hate for that to be their motivation, and i'm not going to speak what's in their heart, but you know what we did. i made the closing argument on the floor on representative johnson's resolution, and i asked each member to judge each of those. members individually by their own respective conduct. and you know, representative johnson didn't use the bullhorn. she didn't hold. the signs didn't yell or pounding the desk. and so her case was a little bit different fact facts wise, but you know if that's the reason th

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

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

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 pearson again? they are just ages. 27 28. what i see is incredible. young leaders, black leaders who are doing the right thing by using peaceful protest to do something

representative jones and pearson are disrupters. and, yes, for cultural change to make this community, our community, safer, it means disruption. that's how change happens. and as we talked about earlier, mentioning the sit-in with representative john lewis on the floor, when that happened i was leading a rally outside the capitol, disrupting. to make sure that people's voices were heard, to make sure that survivors and victims like me have the ability to express and ask this body to do what's right. the time has passed. it's long overdue. and over and over and over and over again we come before this house and this body and ask people to stand up with courage and do the right thing. when will it happen? do we have the courage to act? and i yield back the balance of my time. mrs. cherfilus-mccormick: thank you, mr. speaker. i'd like to yield to my colleague, the honorable troy carter, from louisiana's second district. mr. carter: mr. speaker, thank you very much. to my esteemed colleagues, congresswoman mccormick of florida, and my e

shelby county commission among the seven members who showed up a unanimous decision to reinstate pearson, one of two lawmakers whose unprecedented expulsion has become a national rallying cry. >> they tried to expel the people's choice and the people's vote, and they awakened a sleeping giant. >> reporter: last week tennessee's republican-led house voted to expel pearson and fellow representative justin jones, both democrats, after they broke house rules while protesting gun laws >> this is where and what democracy looks like. >> reporter: today surrounded by a crowd of hundreds, both lawmakers gathered at the national civil rights museum before marching with supporters to fill the commission chambers. what does that say to you that so many people are supporting you? >> it doesn't happen in the state of tennessee today, tomorrow or into the future >> reporter: they say expulsion was fair punishment for violating house decorum speaking into bull horns on the house floor, but critics say it sets a dangerous precedent. now, a group of senate democrats are calling on the justice department t