judy: robert reich, we thank you for joining us. we're sorry for your -- the loss of your friend. robert: thank you, judy. ♪ judy: we turn now to the fight for vong rights. democrats in washington have so far been unsuccessful in their push for federal election reform. some republican state lawmakers, meanwhile, are passing their own more restrictive voting laws. yamiche alcindor takes a deeper look at where the battle for voting access stands. yamiche: tomorrow is the 56th anniversary of the 1965 voting rights act. and pressure is mounting on president biden and democrats in congress to protect voting rights. we look at the fight now with reverend dr. william barber. he is co-chair of the poor people's campaign, a group that has been protesting for voting rights protection on capitol hill and across the country, and state representative chris turner, chair of the texas house democratic caucus. he is one of the many texas lawmakers who fled to washington, d.c., in an effort to stall passage of a restrictive gop voting bill. thank you

robert reich, welcome back to the newshour.and we're so sorry for your loss. >> judy, it's really a loss for america, the loss for the labor movement, loss for the american worker. rich trumka embodied the best of the labor movement, in terms of protecting workers and understanding workers needed more bargaining power in our system, not only in our particular companies but also in our political system if they were going to do better. >> woodruff: what made him the leader that he was? >> i think it was a combination of his tenacity and genuine passion. you know, washington is filled with some very good people and some pretty cynical people. but rich trumka really did understand the plight of working people in america. he never forgot his origins, and he felt it deeply. every time you were with him, every time i was with him, i understood where his passion came from. it came from his heart. it came from his background. he knew that working people in america were being-- let's face it-- shafted by many large companies. >> woodruff

. >> secular amen for my colleague, robert reich. mitch mcconnell doesn't want to be on the wrong side of popularity. maybe on the wrong side of history. but these are popular plans where people. what's so radical, why can't we afford better hearing aides or vision for older people or all of the things that make us a more resilient and just country. i'm not a huge fan of bipartisanship, but today, we saw something. biden hassa gotten part of his agenda. the 3.5 billion budget plan essentially put forward by senator sanders, but not a single republican supporting it last i checked, is going to complete what i would call the human infrastructure. not that i'm opposed to, you know, broadband access, but the human infrastructure of this country will be made more resilient, just, and fair with thatnd 3.5 billion and that's going to be a tough haul. you'd need all 50 caucus members. i think in washington today, what mcconnell and the republicans did, not only on the 3.5 million, but on the voting rights, you've got to see the need for fixi