Abbott Threatens to Prosecute Absent Dems, Jay Jones’ AG Run, Jobs Report Fallout & Gut Health Tips

Episode Transcript
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Speaker 1 (00:18):
So there's Monday, August fourth, twenty twenty five coming up
of roland Mark Unfield streaming live on the Black Start Network.
Republicans in Texas are hot as hell with Democrats as
fifty one flee Texas to stop them from voting on
racist jerry mendred maps that will destroy black and brown
representation in it Texas. We'll talk to several state representatives,

(00:39):
will talk to Cliff Albright, co founder of voters Matter.
This is a massive attack on Black America. Let's be
real clear. New York State Governor Kathy Hokle says she
is sick and titled Republicans doing this, and she will
work to expand districts into New York for Democrats, saying
with Governor Jay Pritzker in Illinois, same thing that's happening

(01:02):
in California. We're gonna see the same thing potentially in
Virginia and Maryland. This is a jerry manding battle in
order to stop Republicans from their racist attacks on African
Americans and Latinos. Also on today's show, we'll talk with
Jay Jones, who wants to become the next Attorney General
of Virginia. He'll be on the show will break down

(01:23):
with Morgan Harper. The brutal job stats that led Donald
Trump to fire the commissioner over that department. It's amazing.
He was loving the job stats two months ago. Now
he doesn't like him because they showed me his tears
are destroying the economy. Folks, it's time to bring the
funk a'm rolland marked unfilcher on the Black Star Network.
Let's go.

Speaker 2 (01:46):
It. He's right on top, and best believe he's going.

Speaker 3 (01:59):
To politics with entertainment just for kicks. It's roll, He's

(02:20):
she's real.

Speaker 4 (02:21):
The question, No, he's rolling, folks.

Speaker 1 (02:37):
Don't y'all know a hit dog will holler, Well, that's
Texas Republicans. As the governor of Texas, Greg Abbott is angry, upset,
saying he is going to go after Democrats, jail them,
find them, try to kick them out of office because
fifty one Democrats have fled the state went to Illinois
because that keeps the Republicans from having a quorum in

(02:57):
the House and stopping them from passing racist jerry mandred maps.
And remember Donald Trump told Texas I need five seats,
go get me five seats. So as a result, they said, okay,
we're gonna re draw congressional maps in the middle of
the decade. Now, normally this happened once every ten years. Now,

(03:18):
they drew the maps in twenty twenty one. They were
Republican maps in twenty twenty one. They then said, oh, no,
race had no factor in any of this. Race had
nothing to do with the maps that we drew. Donald
Trump then has his Department of Justice sent a BS
letter claiming that these are unconstitutional racist maps. So Texas goes, Okay,

(03:44):
that's a justification for Greg Abbott calling a special session
in order to change the maps. But he is the problem, y'all.
See political jerry mannering. Supreme Court says that's allowed. States
have jurisdiction. Now the state supreme courts can overrule over
rule political jerry mandering. But racist gerry mandering, Ah, that's

(04:06):
still against the federal law. And the Supreme Court is
actually ruled against racist jerry mandering. So Texas goes, oh, oh, okay,
hold up, we didn't we need to switch this thing up.
So no, no, no, no, no. So we're not redrawing
maps because of the letter from the DOJ. We're redrawing
the maps to gain political power. That's partisan jerry mandering,

(04:28):
but you're actually doing it because the pretext was the
letter from the DJ and then they didn't even want
to call in the DOJ folks to come and explain
why they called it unconstitutional. In fact, this last month,
Texas was actually defending the maps in court saying they
weren't based upon race. Here's Greg Abbott on Fox News.

Speaker 5 (04:49):
Abbott joins us, Now, thank you so much. Can you
tell us from your perspective, what is the issue?

Speaker 6 (04:54):
Why did they leave?

Speaker 7 (04:57):
So they they're leaving, and they've left because they're very
un Texaned. Texans don't run from a fight, and there's
a fight going on in the legislature right now about
redistricting as well as other things. But I'll make two
quick points stand about this. For one, to run to
states like New York and Illinois to protest redistricting is

(05:17):
kind of like running to Wisconsin to protest cheese.

Speaker 8 (05:20):
It's just kind of outrageous.

Speaker 7 (05:21):
Those are New York and Illinois to hallmark states they've
already done redistricting to eliminate Republicans. But the second thing
is far more serious, and that is what these Democrats
have done. Just a small fraction of them, we're needed
to break a korum, and that small fraction is holding
hostage legislation in the state of Texas where we will

(05:42):
be able to provide assistance and reform for all of
the victims of that horrific flooding that.

Speaker 1 (05:49):
We've had in the state of Texas.

Speaker 7 (05:50):
Our fellow Texans are being let down and not getting
the flood relief they need because these Democrats have absconded
from the responsibility, and I believe they have forfeited their
seats in the state legislature because they're not doing the
job they were elected to do.

Speaker 1 (06:07):
Ah, So they left, and you're saying Texas are not
getting the flood relief they deserve. One hundred and thirty
people died as a results of floods. So please explain
to me, Greg why did you make redistricting racist redistricting
the priority and not flood relief. Hm, DoD y'all see

(06:31):
how they the story. Just let's which it, let's whitch it,
let's switch it. One of the state reps Joins is
right now. Charlene Johnson, along with Cliff Albright, co founder
of Black Voters Matter, represent Johnson. I want to start
with you. Let's just be abundantly clear with here. You
don't have to say it. I will Texas Governor Greg
Abbots full of shit. That's what he is. Okay. The
Republicans are doing this because Donald Trump ordered him to.

(06:55):
And if Greg Abbot had any guts, if Greg Abbot
had a spot, he would have told Trump, hey, you
my man, but go sit ch ass down. We drew
the maps. Race wasn't a factor. So we're going to
reject your argument with this DOJ letter. Everything you're seeing,
the pretext of this was the letter. But here's what

(07:17):
so stupid readister represent Johnson. If they just never sit
the letter and just did it for political, partisan political reasons,
it would make sense. But they are specifically targeting for
black members of Congress and Latino. These are racist maps
with racist intent and what they don't want. That's why
wore the color chain shirt voting while black.

Speaker 9 (07:40):
Right right, You're exactly right, Roland Martin, thank you for
having me on. And the seats that they picked out,
they were not just picked out randomly.

Speaker 10 (07:49):
They were picked out on purpose because those for a.

Speaker 9 (07:52):
Seat represent minority districts, but they also represent people who
have spoken out against Trump. Al Green always calls out
Trump Mark vc cevia guard Season. These are democratic seats
that they went after. So you mean to tell me
that these are the only seats that you could pick
out as diversus Texas's. We need to have more representation

(08:13):
of color in DC. So what this is Greg Abboy
calling us? You know that we left our jobs. We
were the ones who were fighting for the flood, the
flood issue, the flood bills. He didn't bring this up
until after we left. His priority was to do this map.
We've been down there two weeks and we have not

(08:35):
discussed maps on that house floor.

Speaker 10 (08:37):
We've only had the hearings for the maps.

Speaker 9 (08:40):
That they wouldn't even show the maps to the people
who were coming until after they had the car.

Speaker 10 (08:46):
And how shady is.

Speaker 1 (08:49):
Right, so they wouldn't show the maps. And again now
they're trying to sit here and flip it. Y'all get
the video ready of the leader of the committee who
was trying to say, oh no, this is about you know,
Trump won these districts, and this is about the map
according to how he won, and we should be rewarding
the folks. That's not it. We should be rewarding the folks.

(09:12):
You know, he should be rewarding that now. No, what
you're doing is you're screwing the people because sixty one
percent of Texas is minority, yet sixty one percent of
the folks who vote are white. And what the Republicans
in Texas want want they want more white Republican representation
in Congress. They do not want to see people of

(09:33):
color represented in Congress.

Speaker 10 (09:36):
Exactly.

Speaker 9 (09:37):
Trump is afraid of the blue wave in twenty twenty six,
so he wants to try to cheat his way to
not lose his power in the House by asking Texas
to give him more seats. Now he's just going to
come and ask for it instead of Governor Abb was saying, No,
we need to focus on the families who had lost
loved ones in the floods flooding. No, he bowed down

(10:00):
Trump and he just handed us over to him. So
don't say that we didn't do our job and he
failed to do his job to protect Texas from President Trump.

Speaker 1 (10:10):
Cliff, I want to bring you in here, and I
need people to understand, Cliff, this is a direct attack
on black people. Texas has the most eligible black voters
of any state in America. This is white conservative Republicans
saying we do not want black people in Texas to

(10:34):
have fair representation in Congress.

Speaker 11 (10:39):
You're absolutely right, Roland, And first let me just say
to Representative Johnson and to all the other reps, thank you,
you know, thank you for showing the kind of fight
that you know, black folks across this country progressives have
been wanting to see at the national level.

Speaker 8 (10:55):
And so thank y'all so much.

Speaker 11 (10:57):
You know, we're pleased to have supported the Texas Downs
when they did this back in twenty twenty one over
voting rights. At that time, they were right then and
they're right now. They were courageous then and they're courageous now.
So yes, this is definitely attack against black voters as
just as much as it's an attack against black representatives.

Speaker 12 (11:17):
We saw this back in twenty twenty two.

Speaker 11 (11:19):
Part of what they're hoping on is they know that
this isn't legal, but they hope that they can do
it and just make it happen in twenty twenty six,
before all before all the litigation and court cases takes effect.
That's what happened in twenty twenty two, what happened when
Congress shifted it was because of jerry managering that took
place in Louisiana, in Alabama, in Georgia, in Florida. That's

(11:41):
what made up that difference, that four or five seed
difference back in twenty two.

Speaker 12 (11:45):
It was strictly off of racial racist jerry managering.

Speaker 11 (11:48):
They're trying to do the same thing, even if it
doesn't last past twenty six. They know that the damage
would be done and then once you get somebody in there,
it's hard to get them out.

Speaker 1 (11:57):
Well, and let's unpack that because people don't understand is
we had ten County Commission LILYSSA. Simmons on last week.
So first of all, the filing deadline is in December
for the March primary, and so if they're able to
pass these maps, the court case is not going to
happen in three or four months. And so the Supreme

(12:17):
Court has a rule that, well it take. You got
to have a certain amount of time to allow voters
to prepare for the election. And so what Texas wants
to do. Texas wants to pass these maps now they
become the new maps. Lawsuit is filed. Filing deadline for
the new maps is in December, so the primary in March,

(12:39):
and the German election in twenty twenty six is based
upon the new maps, now the old maps locking in
five new members, and then you're going to have litigation.
Those maps could very well stay in pray place for
the twenty twenty eight mid term elections. And so let's
just say the Supreme Court over rules Texas, then the

(13:03):
all maps or newly redrawn maps are not in the
effect until two thousand and thirty. Representative Johnson. That is
their strategy.

Speaker 10 (13:12):
Exactly kindly what it is. It's a power ground.

Speaker 9 (13:15):
It's a power graund for Trump to take over power
of the Congress, of both the House and the Centate.

Speaker 10 (13:22):
But he really wants to house.

Speaker 9 (13:24):
This is a racial attack on black and brown voters
and representation. He is afraid because he knows that his
approval level is in the trash. He's going down further
and further down because people are realizing that he did
not keep his promises. He did not reduce the cost
of eggs, he did not reduce the debt, he did
not keep his promises. Therefore he should not keep his job.

(13:45):
But he wants to come to Texas to do a
power ground and attack on black and Brown. We are
tired of it. We are saying we are sick and
tired of it. We're a sick of the attack of
our people and we just not do anything about it.

Speaker 10 (13:57):
So we had to fight. The best way we knew
how is to do a.

Speaker 9 (14:01):
Car and break and not give them the opportunity to
vote that map in.

Speaker 10 (14:05):
We were ready to fight, we were ready to stick together.

Speaker 1 (14:08):
But here's the key right here, Cliff and people watching
to understand, the proper language must be used. It's actually
is actually so for the purpose of the lawsuit, Democrats
should not actually call the power graph, should not call
us partisan jerry manding. They have to specifically say this

(14:29):
is racist jerry mandarin because when the when, when the
lawsuit is filed, then they're going to enter into evidence
that that was the point, which is why stay representive.
Jealana Jones, well, she was on the Redistionary Committee, which
she actually resigned from. They told people testifying they couldn't
take sides, so people were commenting on a process never

(14:52):
seeing the maps because they wanted there to be non
racial language discussed. So the lawsuit is filed, they can say, well,
the people testified, but race was never brought up exactly.

Speaker 10 (15:06):
It never was a fair process.

Speaker 9 (15:08):
And you're right. We have to call it what it is.
It's a racial attack. It's racial mandarin. That's what it is.

Speaker 1 (15:14):
Cliff speak on that, and Cliff for the perpect people understanding,
y'all have filed numerous lawsuits, so explain why the language
must be proper, because when you file the lawsuit, it's
going to be based upon the reasons for the lawsuit.

Speaker 8 (15:31):
Yeah, that's right.

Speaker 11 (15:32):
Many a case has been lost, not so much because
the case didn't have merit, but because the way it
was framed, because the language that was used or the
issue that was raised simply wasn't the right issue, especially
when you're dealing for court like this Supreme Court that
we know is legitimate, that is looking for any reason
to throw out any of our lawsuits against the racist
Jerry Manderin. And so you know, I know that our

(15:55):
friends that are I'm sorry that it's going to be
on this folks like legal defense funds and.

Speaker 12 (15:59):
Others, they're gonna get it right.

Speaker 11 (16:01):
They just have to have like the ammunition, the backup,
the evidence, and the testimony. But at the end of
the day, part of that testimony is going to be this.
Part of the reason that we notice is so racist
is that you pointed out the hypocrisy of Abbot a.

Speaker 8 (16:14):
Little bit early on.

Speaker 11 (16:15):
Here He is talking about, you know, all these we
can't leave these seats vacant, right they abandoned in their post.
This is the same Abbot that has left District eighteen
right after the death of Sylvester Attorney has left that vacant.
So clearly he's not in a rush to fill seats,
because that's a seat that should have been filled. But

(16:36):
what's the commonality between that seat and these seats that
they're targeting? Again, black representation and black voters. It's all racists.

Speaker 1 (16:44):
And so again, and I need everybody watching again, please listen.
The language you use is critically important. Now I need
y'all to see how they're trial nine to flip it.
Let me say it again, Department of Justice, that idiot
Dealan and whatever her meat, whatever her name is. This

(17:06):
all started because they sent and actually, truth be told,
they kind of screwed up, but not necessarily. So here's
what they did. I need to unpack it for y'all.
They sent a letter saying your seats are unconstitutional. They
were drawing based upon race. Texas Republicans are on record
by saying they were not drawing based upon race. Then

(17:27):
they go special session, then they flip it to, oh no,
it's about power. Here's the chairman of the committee. Listen
to what he says because he's trying to now run
from the race aspect. Listen.

Speaker 13 (17:45):
I've seen no evidence that this was racially drawn. This
is a political performance map. I haven't looked at those.
The question I had when I looked at this and
I was evaluating it myself, was does this improve the
political performance of Republicans in Texas, which is where we
have been and what we need to do to respond Nationally?
This is not just a Texas issue, it's in nationwide issues,

(18:05):
perhaps one of the biggest issues that we're taking up.

Speaker 5 (18:08):
And when we've seen all of.

Speaker 13 (18:09):
These blue states overperform with their maps and Texas is underperforming,
that puts Republicans at a distinct disadvantage nationwide, and it's
right for Texas to step up.

Speaker 14 (18:18):
So I have not seen any evidence that this map.

Speaker 12 (18:21):
Was racially based.

Speaker 13 (18:21):
What I have seen is evidence that this map was
politically based, and that's totally legal, totally allowed, and totally
fair to.

Speaker 1 (18:28):
Be guys, what are you doing go back to the
video thank.

Speaker 15 (18:35):
You as a pretense to kick off this process, you're saying,
this is about politics, this is about political power.

Speaker 13 (18:41):
I disagree with the assumption that this process had anything
to do with the DOJ letter. Yeah, they sent a letter,
but as you know, the proclamation called us in to
do congressional redistricting, and we did congressional redistorting when we
pass HB four based off of political performance. So, frankly,
don't care what the DOJ letter said. I think it's
pretty clear that no one does on the prevailing side.

Speaker 8 (19:03):
Of this bill.

Speaker 13 (19:04):
So this bill was not based off of that DOJ letter.
This bill was based off of improving political perform.

Speaker 1 (19:10):
Sim Johnson, that's absolute, total bullshit. This all started based
on the letter.

Speaker 9 (19:17):
The letter, because no constituent answer that the letter is
what started this process. And Department of Justice is rune
by Trump, So yes, that is absolutely a fun statement
that he made. This is definitely based on the Department
of Justice letter, and it's definitely based on race. They
said it in the letter. They can say what they

(19:38):
want on that press conference.

Speaker 1 (19:40):
And here what's crazy, this right here, Cliff. This is
the proclamation issued by the governor legislation proposing a constitutional
amendment allowing the Attorney General to prosecute state election crimes,
legislation that provides a revised congressional interesting plan in light

(20:02):
of constitutional concerns raised by the Department of Justice. The Governor,
in declaring the call for a special session, cites the letter.
Now a committee.

Speaker 16 (20:15):
Chairs like, oh yeah, Len, I had nothing to do
with this.

Speaker 1 (20:19):
It's literally the reason why the governor called the special session.

Speaker 9 (20:25):
Exactly black and white.

Speaker 11 (20:29):
Everything they say and do is a lie, and you know,
and they act like, you know, we're not in the
age where like there's things in writings, there are things
in photographs, there's videos like the video that you just showed,
and so like they just expect that they just go
into court and just.

Speaker 8 (20:45):
Be able to lie.

Speaker 11 (20:46):
But again, part of why they're doing this is because
they're counting on some illegitimate court at some point.

Speaker 8 (20:53):
Maybe it's a judge Eileen Cannon. It's not gonna be her.
I don't think this is our district.

Speaker 11 (20:56):
But maybe it's another judge like that, right, Maybe it's
a judge like what's the name that just got approved
Piro from Fox TV. Maybe it's the corrupt Supreme Court.
They know they don't have the law on the side,
they know that it's racist, they know that there's all
this stuff that contradicts them, but they're still going to
try to get away with it.

Speaker 1 (21:15):
And again, I just want everybody to understand. Right here,
look at the the top left corner. July nineth, twenty
twenty five, see right here and testing only whereof I
have here unto signed my name and have officially caused
the seal of the State of Texas to be affixed
at my office in the City of Austin, Texas. This

(21:37):
is the ninth day of July twenty twenty five, Greg Abbot,
that was on July ninth. What happened on July seventh?
Right here? US Department of Justice Civil Rights Division, a
letter to Greg Abbot and Ken Paxton says are unconstitutional
race based congressional districts. This letter or a service formal

(22:00):
notice of the Department of Justice to the State of
Texas of serious concerns regarding the legality of four of
Texas congressional districts as stated below. Congressional Districts nine eighteen
twenty nine to thirty three currently constitute unconstitutional coalition districts,
and we urge the state of Texas to rectify these
race based considerations from these specific districts. And Representative Johnson,

(22:25):
the Republicans in Texas are on record as saying, no,
we did not draw these districts in twenty twenty one
based upon race. So Chairman, how can you say you
didn't draw on race in twenty twenty one you were
defending the districts in court. They send a letter now

(22:46):
based upon race. The governor cites the race, but then
you go, oh, no, I don't care what the letter says.

Speaker 10 (22:55):
Exactly, just that's what they do.

Speaker 9 (22:57):
They lie to get what they want and they will
attack us to get what they want.

Speaker 1 (23:01):
Well, that's exactly I go.

Speaker 8 (23:03):
Go.

Speaker 1 (23:03):
I just want to go ahead, go ahead, go ahead, Cliff,
but don't come in.

Speaker 12 (23:06):
Just real, just real quick.

Speaker 11 (23:07):
And I know that you put it in this context
and throughout all the coverage that.

Speaker 8 (23:11):
You've been doing on this, and you've been doing an
amazing job.

Speaker 11 (23:14):
But there might be some folks listening or maybe that'll
see this clip and they'll hear all this Texas stuff
and the letter from the Texas governor and all that stuff,
and they'll be thinking that this is just a Texas issue,
And I just want to connect the dots the way
that I know that you always do, because we need
to be clear everybody across this country, particularly every every
black person across this country. I don't care what state
you live in. This is our issue. This fight is

(23:36):
our fight. These legislators that have have courageously left the state.

Speaker 8 (23:41):
You know there are reps too.

Speaker 11 (23:43):
Right, because what's at state is control of this Congress.
I don't care what the issue is that you care about.
If you're upset about you know, there's all these students
that are going viral because they don't have no no
longer have the student aid to be able to go
to college that's starting this month, the next month. If
you care about education, if you care about student aid,
If you care about the fact that that black unemployment
has just has just reached its highest point since COVID,

(24:06):
if you care about any of these issues, if you
care about folks being kidnapped off the street by you know,
people in mass you know so called ice agents or
vigilantes or whatever they are that are in mass If
you care about any of these issues. Then you need
to be caring about this fight, and you need to
be caring about these states, these Texas downs that are
fighting this good fight.

Speaker 12 (24:27):
Everybody needs to be involved in this issue. Everybody needs
to be.

Speaker 11 (24:30):
Reaching them to their elected officials, especially if you live
in one of these states that can use the nuclear option.
Well it's California, Illinois, or New York or New Jersey
or Maryland. Everybody needs to be involved in this fight
and making a call to your elected officials somewhere.

Speaker 12 (24:45):
Because this issue is not just about Texas, right.

Speaker 11 (24:48):
We want our fam in Texas to get the representation
that they deserve. We want that, but we also need
to be clear that this affects every one of us.

Speaker 1 (24:56):
And Representive Johnson last point, You've got the Governor's sitting
here threatening this little nonsense. Here. He says this amounts
to an abandonment of forfeiture of an elected office. He's
saying he's gonna have folks arrested. If the House reconvenes
at three pm. He's gonna call for the Attorney General
to remove the missing Democrat from membership in the Texas House.

(25:19):
In the In that opinion, the Attorney General considered whether
Texas law allows for determination and legislatory had vacated office.
All of this is so bullshit. He literally has no
legal ground to stand on. This is nothing but bullshit
from Greg Abbott to fire up his Republican base, and
he knows it. And guess what if he attempts it.

(25:41):
Y'all are going to court anyway, and the courts are
gonna sit here and stay it so you can't remove anybody.
So hey, knock yourself out, Lascar. Are y'all prepared, because again,
deadline is December. The reality is y'all gotta hold out
for four months. Are y'all prepared? There fifty one Democrats

(26:02):
to hold out to state to not be in the
state for four months.

Speaker 9 (26:07):
Well, well, and we are doing everything we can, and yes,
we are willing to fight this fight.

Speaker 10 (26:11):
We want to fight it to the end. We are
taking it one session out of time.

Speaker 9 (26:15):
This session ends and he can call another session if
he wants to, which he probably will. We are in
it for the fight. We are not afraid. We're not
afraid of the wares. We were not afraid to leave
the state. We are just sticking tied of being stepped
on for them to have more power.

Speaker 10 (26:30):
So we're here for the fight. We're here for it.

Speaker 1 (26:33):
Come and take us, all right for Brazila Johnson. I
appreciate that, Cliff all right, appreciate it as well. Thanks
a lot, folks are gonna go to a break. We'll
be right back. Roland Mark unfolded right here in the
Blackstar Network.

Speaker 17 (26:46):
Next on the Black Tape with Me Greg The United
States is the most dangerous place for a woman to
give birth among all industrialized nations on the planet. Think
about that for a seconds.

Speaker 8 (27:00):
It's not all.

Speaker 17 (27:00):
Black women are three times more likely to die in
this country during childbirth than white women.

Speaker 18 (27:06):
These healthcare systems are inherently racist. There are a lot
of white supremacists, ideas and mythologies around black women, black
women's bodies, even black people that we experience.

Speaker 5 (27:19):
Paying Less right.

Speaker 17 (27:20):
Activists organizer and fearless freedom fighter Monifa I Canwila Bandelay
from Moms Rising joins us and tells us this shocking phenomenon,
like so much else, is rooted in unadulterated races. And
that's just one of her fights. Monita Bandelay on the
Next Black Table here on the Black Star Network.

Speaker 5 (27:44):
This week on the other side of change, Diasca wars
the internet.

Speaker 1 (27:48):
Has been sworn.

Speaker 16 (27:50):
Who has a right to black men's and black culture?

Speaker 5 (27:52):
Who is overrepresented?

Speaker 16 (27:54):
Underrepresented is too much.

Speaker 5 (27:55):
It's making us dizzy.

Speaker 19 (27:56):
We don't have to be prideful without this air of
superior right, all stories matter within this black sphere that
we exist in.

Speaker 16 (28:04):
Only on the other side of change.

Speaker 5 (28:06):
From the Black Star Network.

Speaker 8 (28:13):
Bruce Smith, creator and executive producer of.

Speaker 1 (28:15):
The Proud Family, Louder and Prouder in Washington, Roland Martin.
All right, folks, these Texas Democrats, they are two places
in New York State, also Chicago. A little bit earlier today,
New York State Governor Kathi Holko sounded off on what's

(28:37):
happening there, and she says she's ready to act to
change their districts in light of what these racist Republicans
are doing in Texas.

Speaker 20 (28:50):
For Representative Plessa and your colleagues from Texas, what is
your response to Governor Abbott, you know, accusing you all
of you know, possibly committee a felony by being not
returning to.

Speaker 8 (29:00):
Austin by this afterist.

Speaker 20 (29:02):
It's safe to say of no immediate plans and clan
stay here indefinitely.

Speaker 21 (29:05):
How about for saying Texas says, come and get it,
come and take it.

Speaker 2 (29:09):
That's what we're saying.

Speaker 21 (29:11):
Look, governor is very good at manipulating the truth, right,
and what he's saying is not completely accurate. He knows
that we're using a tool that was given to us
by the founders of the Texas Constitution. He knows what
the rules are, and he's trying to manipulate the situation
to make it play in his favor.

Speaker 16 (29:29):
It's not going to work.

Speaker 2 (29:30):
The people of.

Speaker 21 (29:31):
Texas know they've seen this playbook before and they want
fair maps. I told you we had nine hearings on redistricting.
We had hundreds of Texans show up against these maps.
It was a handful of people that testified in favor
of these maps. I'm talking about five hundred people that
showed up on Friday. Texas Republicans didn't give them an

(29:54):
access to have their voice heard. They limited debate in
those hearings. So what I say to the governor is
you need to have better policies. You can't just You're
not gonna just eliminate twenty.

Speaker 22 (30:05):
Meet I gotta.

Speaker 8 (30:09):
So.

Speaker 23 (30:09):
Let me be clear, I'm a criminal, I'm a lawyer,
a part of my practice is criminal defense work. There
is no felony in the Texas Penal code for what
he says, so respectfully, he's making up some shit. Okay,
he's trying to get sound bites, and he has no
legal mechanism. And if he did, subpoenas from Texas don't

(30:31):
work in New York, so.

Speaker 16 (30:32):
He gonna come get us.

Speaker 23 (30:33):
How subpoenas in Texas don't work in Chicago. He's gonna
come get us how So let me be clear. He's
putting up smoke and mirrors, and I'm hopeful that the
media doesn't follow that. I will also say this, I
was on the redistricting committee. I sat in on the meetings.
We had three sham hearings with no maps, with no maps,

(30:56):
where people were forced to testify that they were neutral
on the maps because of our processes, when actually I
would say about ninety nine point nine percent of the
people were against it. So they set it up so
when the when the litigation happens, because it's going to happen,
trust and believe right that there will be testimonies saying

(31:20):
that everybody was neutral on it, which is excuse my French,
a damn lie then when they got the map on Wednesday,
and let me be clear, it was the worst kept
secret in Texas.

Speaker 16 (31:31):
I was on the redistricting committee.

Speaker 23 (31:33):
And I was wondering in January why I'm on the
redistricting committee. I mean, it ain't a redistricting year and
we didn't meet once, right, But this was always the
backup plan. Always. I sat in on the hearings. It
was a joke. The chair of the redistricting Committee, Cody Vsuit,

(31:53):
is a lawyer in the legislature. He is the expert
on points of order.

Speaker 16 (32:00):
He knows the law.

Speaker 23 (32:01):
Cody pays attention to detail during the redistricting committee meetings. Well,
I hadn't looked at I hadn't looked at anything.

Speaker 1 (32:08):
I don't know.

Speaker 16 (32:09):
I ain't seen no maps.

Speaker 23 (32:10):
Yeah, uh huh, whatever you say. So you pan on
me and you're telling me it's raining and you expect
me to believe it. Wrong answer. When they finally had
the one public.

Speaker 16 (32:23):
Hearing with the map and the secret was.

Speaker 23 (32:28):
Out, the stuff is gonna get filed on Wednesday, and
we're going to have a marathon hearing on Friday, is
what they said. The plan was filed on Wednesday, and
they had a ten hour meeting on Friday, and the
thing that was the most offensive to me as a
person who went to these and asked questions about these.
And let me be clear, the districts that are targeted

(32:50):
overwhelmingly are black districts. Okay, they are pitting Jasmine Crockett
against Mark VC, and they are pitting Al Green against
CD eighteen, where there's a black representative. If you don't
know who's sat in CD eighteen, I live in CD
eighteen by the way, Barbara Jordan, Mickey Leland, Craig Washington,
Sheila Jackson Lee, and Sylvester Turner. So those are the

(33:12):
people they're trying to take out. So I'm real upset
about it, and my constituents are real upset about it.

Speaker 16 (33:18):
But it's really interesting.

Speaker 23 (33:19):
That the map person who says that some law firm
drafted the maps and he don't know that much about
the maps.

Speaker 16 (33:27):
I felt like I was in a bad.

Speaker 23 (33:30):
Edition of an episode of White Man's Burden. For the
most part, he told us grown people, speaking to us
as if we were kids, said to us, you need
to be happy we didn't have to give you any
hearings in the first place, and we.

Speaker 16 (33:43):
Know what's best for you?

Speaker 23 (33:44):
Will I respectfully submit that they don't know what's best
for us.

Speaker 16 (33:48):
They do not know what's best for us.

Speaker 23 (33:50):
And let me also be clear, My constituents demanded that
I be here, So you think I'm a listener Donald
Trump and Greg Abbott and Dan Patrick and the attorney
general who can't treat his wife right and who lies
on documentation, So I think he need to.

Speaker 16 (34:06):
Worry about going to jail.

Speaker 23 (34:08):
But my point is this, we the Democratic contingent, we
are paying attention to what our constituents are demanding of us.
They've literally told us, if you don't quarm break, we
will primary you. That's how important it is. This is
people wonder why should New York be concerned about what's
going on in Texas? Why should anywhere be concerned with

(34:30):
going on in Texas. I'm gonna tell you why. My
grandmother says this, if you allow yourself to be a rug,
people will step on you. No one was paying attention
to North Carolina in twenty twenty four. There were seven
Republican congress people. There were seven Democratic congress people.

Speaker 16 (34:46):
Guess what.

Speaker 23 (34:47):
The Republicans rigged the game in North Carolina and they
took three seats. I'm gonna say this one more again.
That's ebonics for those of y'all who don't speak it.
They took three seats. Congress has a three Republican majority.
Ding ding ding, ding ding. So we weren't paying attention
to what was going on in North Carolina.

Speaker 16 (35:07):
And look what we have.

Speaker 23 (35:08):
We got that big, ugly, terrible bill shove down our throats.
So guess what I was paying attention. Fool me once,
shame on you, Fool me twice, Shame on me. Texas
will not be North Carolina. We will not give them
what we need. And we're marching. We ain't fleeing. We're fighting,
and we are so incredibly thankful that the governor that

(35:31):
the governor has hosted us because.

Speaker 16 (35:33):
We need allies.

Speaker 24 (35:37):
So they're there's silence voters that serve them. From my perspective,
to refuse to stand up and fight for our democracy
as we are joining in solidarity with our friends from.

Speaker 16 (35:49):
Texas means one thing.

Speaker 24 (35:52):
You won't fight for democracy, you're doomed to lose it.
For almost two hundred and fifty years, our democratic experience
has been fought for and it's endured. As governor of
a state remained. Those early battles took place. We're commemorating
them next year. Those battles for freedom were here. That's

(36:12):
why I cannot stand by and let this happen. While
Donald Trump and his co conspirator Greg Abbott wrote our
democracy and gregus toward authoritarianism now, but Texas and Republican
states are doing it the direction of Donald Trump, I say,
is nothing short of a legal insurrection against our capital.

(36:39):
Legal meaning they're using the legal process does not mean
it's legal, and it must be stopped. If Republicans are
willing to rewrite these rules to give themselves an advantage,
then they're leaving us no choice. We must do the same.
There's a phrase, get to fight fire with fire. That

(36:59):
is a true statement of how we're feeling right now.
As I've said another overused but applicable phrase, all's fair
in love and war. That's why I'm exploring with our
leaders every option to redraw our state congressional lines as
soon as possible.

Speaker 1 (37:17):
Bringing my panel right now, joining us right now. Doctor
om Congo to being a senior Professeral Lecture, School of
Inaritional Service, American University. He also, of course, is the
author of the book Lies about Black People. Also, doctor
Theonba Carter, Professor, University of Maryland, University of Park She
joins us right now as well. Glad to have her here.
Doctor LARRYT. J. Walker, Associate profession University of Central Florida

(37:40):
out of Orlando. I'm glad to have all three of
you here. So let's unpack this thing right here. Here's
the issue that Democrats are facing. Neo me, I'll start
with you, and that is Democrats believe in fairness. Democrats
believe in what's just, they believe in what's right. And
so what has happened is you've had these bipartisan these
these commissions, these independent commissions. Are the voters voted upon California,

(38:04):
New York State, Michigan as well. Okay, that's great, I
believe in fairness. Republicans are like, won't give a shit
about that. Let's take Ohio. The voters in Ohio passed
a similar commission. The Republican legislature said, bump that we
ain't doing that shit. They overrode that commission. And so basically,

(38:26):
Democrats have been fighting essentially with their hands behind their backs,
or Republicans have been sitting here slashing and burning. And
so the problem that Democrats have they're going to have
to go to the voters to overturn those commissions that
were approved by the voters to be able to do
this and so and so. Even a turned General Eric Holder,

(38:47):
who leads this redisterting Jared Mandering, uhh, fighting Jared Mandering.
He now is on the record of saying, hell, I've
been against Jared Mandering, but if they're going to use
Jared Mandering to voaster their numbers, I can't be against
it and screw my own party. Yeah.

Speaker 5 (39:06):
I mean, look, this is a war of the weapons, right,
and for a long time Republicans have used Jerry manderin
very skillfully. You remember Project Redmap, where you know, over
twenty years ago, Republicans looked at the sea of American
voters and saw that the policies that they favor are
not popular. People don't like them. People don't want more

(39:29):
restriction in their life, they don't want less social welfare
in their life. So Republicans knew that the only way
that they could continue to win is to rig the maps,
and they've done it quite skillfully. They were starting, like
I said, in the using those twenty ten numbers, turning
over those small house district and those house seats all

(39:50):
across these states in New York, in the Michigan's in
the Ohios, with their eyes on gubernatorial seats, with their
eyes on being able to have these state legislatures, because
that's where most redistricting happens in many places, and so
they could have this moment, so they could have their moment.
And now we're here in Texas where they're not even

(40:12):
pretending anymore that this has anything to do with fairness.
And they can call it a party's in jar and
man or they can call it whatever they want to.
But we only see that there are districts where they
are represented by minorities and or Democrats, that these they
are being packed essentially between Austin, Dallas and Houston. And
so we know what this is about, and also the

(40:34):
real Grand Valley. We know what they're doing. And I
think the problem with Democrats is they don't recognize that
this is not something you can sort of, you know,
be nice about. This is naked, bare knuckle brawls here.
And I think, honestly, what's happening in Republicans in Texas
right now is they didn't anticipate that the Democratic Caucus

(40:57):
would do this, because this is something that Republicans would do.

Speaker 1 (41:01):
First of all, we saw that, Larry, when the Republicans
ran out of DC, so they would now vote on
the Epstein files. This is a former trans General Eric Holder. Again,
he has been leading a group against jerry mandring for
a very long time. He now says, hey, that's not
helping us watch.

Speaker 25 (41:22):
And so I've been against jereymandering. But in light of
what Texas Republicans are doing at the direction of the
White House, I say that what we've got to do
is take responsible, responsive measures that are temporary in nature
and come back that we simply can't lie down and
think that if we play fair we're going to get
a fair deal. We've got to do things that maybe

(41:45):
I didn't necessarily support before, but that I find necessary
to support now.

Speaker 1 (41:52):
Here. It is what Niamba just said, Democrats have been
playing nice. That is this is what's fight, this is
what's fair, this is what's just, and the other other
sides like, we ain't doing none of that. Ship you
have to be gangster as as ganged as they are.

Speaker 6 (42:15):
Larry on mute, So Roland.

Speaker 26 (42:21):
This is like like politics if you have gladinators in
Rome back in the day fighting.

Speaker 4 (42:28):
So this is.

Speaker 6 (42:29):
About maintaining the permanent majority. So you're right, the Democrats
have to have the right to fight. You have to
get the treating.

Speaker 26 (42:38):
All because if you don't twenty twenty six eight beyond
all hum for policies right now, the Trump administration and
obviously the public maintaining power structure and look at some
of these things. The other thing that's really interesting here
in former talking about you the mndering, and you talk

(43:01):
about it.

Speaker 1 (43:03):
He's done, you know, Larry, hold on one second, I
gotta stop you. We got to get your audio fixed.
I don't know if it's the headset or whatever, but
we're hearing every other words of guys. Work on that.
Let me go to Ammikongo.

Speaker 15 (43:15):
Look, Roland, you've been talking about this for weeks. Democrats
go hard, go hard, fight back, speak up, don't just
get speed, you know, speeches on the floor like get
out there and use your power. We talk about how
blue states are funding red states and all of these things.
These Democrats are finally starting to do that.

Speaker 27 (43:34):
The fact of the matter is, but.

Speaker 15 (43:36):
I'll give I think you said it's a couple of
weeks ago as well that I'm also going to repeat.
You said something to the effect of, don't give these
ultimatums to the Republicans, and you know with Abbot say,
if you do this, we're gonna do it in California,
We're gonna do it in New York. Do it anyway,
because these guys are shady, they're all about power grabbing.
So the fact that Pritzker and Hoko and Newsome and

(43:57):
possibly the you know, Wes Moore down here on Maryland
are thinking about doing this, you know, in terms of
adding more seats, don't think about it.

Speaker 28 (44:04):
Do it.

Speaker 27 (44:05):
This is the fight to maintain a democratic experiment.

Speaker 15 (44:08):
What are you going to do to help protect individuals
and fighting for this democracy. So the fact that they're
doing that, I hope that if Texas the Republicans back down,
that these New York, these are these blue states still
do it because they are going to figure out some
other shady way to keep hold of the House. And
their goal is if Trump tries to run for another term,

(44:29):
to help him do that, you know, or if someone
like a Jadvance comes in, make sure they get somebody
in there who make sure that Trump doesn't get prosecuted.

Speaker 27 (44:38):
That's their endgame. So they have to fight this in.

Speaker 15 (44:40):
Every way, shape or form. But lastly, I'm going to say, Roland,
for people who live in Texas, particularly those who have
been affected by this flooding, it shouldn't matter if they
redistrict or not. You should y'all live in those districts.
Should not be voting for these individuals who would put
something like this on the floor where they should be
working only in primary to be getting you the relief

(45:01):
that you need for what just happened with this flooding
and the lives lost there, and so the fact that.

Speaker 27 (45:06):
They can still registrict and win seats.

Speaker 15 (45:08):
There should be a Republican in Texas who was satisfied
as the Republican party down there, but forget it, regardless
of what they do. This is what blue state leaders
need to do, and this is what those those Democrats
in Texas need to do, and I applied to one
hundred percent.

Speaker 27 (45:21):
We need more of that nationwide, folks.

Speaker 1 (45:24):
In twenty twenty one, where these maps are being withdrawn,
Texas Democrats fled, but then you had some Texas Democrats
who were weak, who were like, oh, we need to
go back and fight this, which was stupid because they
had no votes. And so former state Representative Jarvis Johnson
joins us. Right now, Jarvis, this here is a photo.
You were in that photo. This was a news conference,

(45:45):
this was This article is May thirty first, twenty twenty one.
And I remember some of those Democrats, and some of
them actually lost when they actually ran for reelection because
they were like, well, no, you know we were we
were elected to do our job. We're gonna come back
and fight the good fight. And it was like, the
hell are you doing. You don't have the goddamn votes.
You're gonna get your ass kicked. And it was stupid

(46:06):
as hell to see here and go let's just come
back and debate this on the floor. No, the votes
were not there. So the smart strategy is leave the state,
stay out long as you can, and keep forcing AVIOD
to have to call special session after special session. But
you cannot think you're gonna somehow appeal to their good side.

(46:27):
They we're gonna make the good faith argument. They will
spend sixty seconds voting for these new maps in a
heartbeat all day long.

Speaker 28 (46:36):
And I always say, you can never be rational with
irrational people. And the fact is that the Republicans have
become so irrational, and unfortunately Democrats feel like at this
point that they can appeal to their sensibility. We know
exactly what they're doing. This is a power graph. When
they can't win, they cheap their on basis tied of them.

(46:56):
Their beliefs, their policies, they're talking points are all horrible.
They're all trying to protect Trump. But this is a
powergraph form and Democrats need to start understanding if Republicans
were willing to burn the nation's capital down behind a lie,
then Democrats better start learning how to stand up for
truths and learning how to fight fire with fiers. At

(47:17):
the end of the day, everybody wants to talk about
all Democrats.

Speaker 8 (47:20):
Your derelicting your duties.

Speaker 28 (47:22):
Your duty is to protect your constituency, and so to
Trump and to Abbot and all the Republicans that want
to keep talking about how Democrats aren't doing their job.
They exactly doing their job, and so you need to
start doing yours and stop cheating. Stop trying to draw
lines so you can get more seats, have the policy,
and go to your voters. But stop doing this and

(47:42):
Democrats that are day. I'm telling you please stay. He
ain't got none to come back too.

Speaker 1 (47:47):
Yeah. And here's the thing right here, Okay, okay, this
happened in two thousand and three. Democrats flee and a
deal was cut. I got no problem saying it. Former
State Rep. Ron Wilson was a turncoat, stood with those Democrats,
skipped with those republic becas he thought he was gonna
get that congressional seat at al Green. He ran ford,
got his ass kicked. Then he lost his own state rep. Seat.

(48:10):
You ain't gotta say it. I'm gonna say it. I
don't care. That's what happened. And guess what they got screwed.
Twenty twenty one, same thing happened. This is an NPR
story right here. Under revisions during closed or negotiations, Republicans
added language that can make it easier for a judge
to overturn an election and push back the start of
Sunday voting, when many black church girls head to the polls.

(48:33):
The sixty seven page measure would also eliminate drive through
voting in twenty four hour polling centers, both of which
Harris County, the state largest Democratic stronghold, introduced last year.
Let me also say this to everybody who's watching who
don't understand why Jarvis is saying what he's saying. What
Texas also did Republicans in Texas used to vote straight ticket.

(48:58):
Guess what Democrats Harris County where Houston has got organized,
Democrats in Dallas County got organized, Democrats in Bear County
where Santoni is got organized, Democrats in Travis County were
already organized. They then begin to emphasize straight ticket voting.
Republic Guess what happened. Republicans lost Bear County lost, Travis

(49:18):
County lost, Dallas County lost Harris County. And what did
the Republicans in Texas do at the state capitol? Jarvis?

Speaker 8 (49:26):
They took away straight party ticket voting.

Speaker 29 (49:28):
One of the guys of we want through voters to
be thinking about the people they should be electing. So therefore,
we shouldn't have straight ticket voting in Texas.

Speaker 28 (49:41):
And you understand, and Harris County and all the other
suburbian counties around the state of Texas, you're going to
have a large, very large ballot, and so you're going
to take voting and now you're going to make these
lines extremely long. You're trying to discourage people from voting.
You're trying to take away people opportunity to vote. Standing

(50:01):
in line for seven hours simply to vote is ridiculous
in America. But the fact is, this is this is
why they did it, purposely to discourage votes from making
sure that they can go to the polls and go in,
do their duty.

Speaker 8 (50:14):
And go back to work.

Speaker 1 (50:15):
So let me again, let me also help people who
don't understand what we're talking about here. They hate Harris County.
Harris County had twenty four hour polling centers. They said,
that's illegal. I don't understand why. If you can go,
if you can go to a damn McDonald's twenty four hours,
why the hell can't you vote, it's say. Then they said,
oh yeah, we need to get rid of this voting

(50:36):
in your car because a person should have the privacy
of voting in a booth. What the hell you talking about?
My car is more private than anywhere else because ain't
nobody in the damn car. They took that away. Why
because they could not stand the big numbers that were
happening in Harris County. Oh and then what happened when
the hurricane hit Texas and Harris County was devastated. This

(50:58):
same asshole governor refused to give a billion dollars in
funding that came from the federal government taxpayer money to
the votes in Harris County and put the money elsewhere
because he did not like the fact that Hidalgo is
the county commit of the county judge, and Democrats control
Harris County, and Democrats control the mayor of Houston, then

(51:20):
mayor of Savesta Turner, and so these white racist Republicans
have been denying billions of dollars to places like Harris
County because they're pissed that people vote blew in Harris County.
That's why Democrats in Austin cannot come back and must
use every two to stop these fascists in Texas.

Speaker 28 (51:41):
Absolutely, and I hope that these Democrats truly understand there's
nothing to come back here too. If you come back here,
then we lose. We have to be willing to tear
this system down to rebuild it. But we got to
do it in the name of democracy. We got to
do it right. But if the Democrats don't stay together,
and here's the problem, rum are all. They ain't gonna

(52:01):
be able to stay together. So of course the Governm's
gonna call it again and call it again and call
it again. But at the end of the day, if
Democrats stay strong, you can defeat Republicans because they can't
go into November trying to do this because they got
to get into their own elections.

Speaker 8 (52:15):
But if we stay strong, we can win.

Speaker 28 (52:17):
We can protect our seats, we can protect and save
what they are trying to steal. And exactly they're literally
taking away our black seats and literally creating themselves more
Republican seats. So at the end of the day, there's
all this threats that they're gonna arrest people and find people.

(52:37):
All that's lies. They can't do none of that. They
can't do any of that. These are all just lies.
So in twenty twenty one, I helped lead the chorm
break and it was hard to keep it together. But
at the end of the day, I still believe that
the Democrats can pull this off, but they gotta stay strong.

Speaker 1 (52:54):
Absolutely. Jarvis Johnson, I appreciate you joining us at late.
We call you me leeds. So say I don't reach
out to Amaicas and show them some love. I've said
thanks a lot a go to my iPad, folks. This
is from the same NPR story. It says right here.
The vote in the Texas Centate came just this is

(53:14):
like the last time they did this here y'all and Larry,
this is people need to understand how they don't give
a damn about rules. The vote in the Texas Centate
came just a short time after a final version of
the bill had been made public Saturday, around midnight, Republicans
wildered their majority to suspend rules that would normally prohibit
taking a vote on a bill that had not been
posted for twenty four hours, which Democrats protested as they

(53:36):
breach of protocol that denied them in the public time
to review the language first. So they will change the
rules to suit them. They will change of the procedures,
and so you cannot trust Republicans to do what's right
and what's fair. So you have no choice but to
be as hardcore as they are.

Speaker 6 (53:56):
This is about power and not democracy.

Speaker 26 (54:00):
People don't realize that, then we're going to continue to
have the problems that we've already seen the last couple
of months. And listen, you're right, Roland, Democrats have to
be once again, we're willing to fight and ring over
this issue. The Republicans are going to continue to change
the rules. There's a time that you know, it was
a handshake agreement about how policies and procedures whether the

(54:21):
state or the federal level.

Speaker 6 (54:22):
Those days are gone. So you have to understand that
they're continue to change the rules and Democrats.

Speaker 26 (54:28):
Have to be willing to adapt. In fact, they need
to start going to defense with some of these issues.
And I don't just mean in some of these blue states,
but Democrats are going to really think about a long
term plan as an address issues relating to vote because
it's going to continue to happen.

Speaker 6 (54:45):
Yeah, and once again this is about power not democracy.

Speaker 1 (54:47):
Yes, it's going to continue to happen because the margins
are small. Neon they they are small margins. As you
heard with President Jelanna Jones say there's a three vote majority.
There's a three vote lead they have in there. They
took the three heach to North Carolina. North Carolina used
to have a ten to three delegation Republican versus Democrat.
Then when Democrats got controlled in North Carolina State Supreme Court,

(55:08):
they outlawed jerry manding racial and partisan jerry manding. So
North Carolinas Congression delegation went from ten to three to seven.
Seven Republicans got controlled with Supreme State Supreme Court, and
then they took the seats back. Yo, that's what's going
on here. People need to understand. These people do not
believe in fairness. They do not believe in what's right

(55:29):
and what's moral and just. And so this is where
Democrats can understand. It's about power. And to all the
folks who are watching, who are like, oh man, you
sitting there talking Democrat and Republican, guess what all y'all
black folks who say that bullshit? You know what these
folks gonna do. They're gonna vote against everything that's for
black people. They are anti black, they are anti brown,

(55:50):
do not care about the advancement of black people. And
so why in the hell would I even remotely consider
voting for these racist fascists. And that's exactly who they are. Then,
is a racist jerry mandreck bill, This is a racist map.
Sixty one percent of Texas is minority, and these white

(56:10):
Republicans want seventy plus percent of the Congression delegation to
be white and Republican.

Speaker 5 (56:18):
And in this particular case, Roland procedure is for fools, right.
I mean, these people will use every rule that they
can get, then they change those rules, and if there
are no rules, they will bend them, right because they
want to make sure that they are always in control
and as much as possible they want to push out
as many people that are going to be in opposition

(56:40):
that will throw up some red flags that will stand
in their way and.

Speaker 1 (56:44):
What they want to do.

Speaker 5 (56:46):
I mean, there was no need for to do this,
Jerry Manderin right now. This isn't about right sizing. This
is about Donald Trump right wanting more votes, and they said,
we're going to get them for you, sir, and that's
what they're doing. Nobody's asked for this, nobody needs this.
And I think the problem that Democrats keep having over
and over again. At least it seems like the Texas

(57:07):
delegation has got it, but maybe the National Democratic Party
hasn't gotten it yet is you cannot negotiate with these people.
You cannot treat them like playing dealers.

Speaker 30 (57:15):
They're not.

Speaker 5 (57:16):
They are willing to backbite, backslide, and say whatever they
need to say to get the things done, I mean
even trying to browbeat these Texas lawmakers into coming back
into the status as. If these people give a dern
about their constituents and who they're not serving. It's just

(57:36):
an attempt to get them to come there so they
can hold that boat and keep going about business as
usual and making sure most of those people are out
of their seat and that their constituents are end up
with worse representation. And so you know, this is the
appeal right to our lowest selves.

Speaker 6 (57:53):
The call is coming.

Speaker 5 (57:54):
I got inside the house.

Speaker 1 (57:55):
I gotta I gotta cut you quick. So here's a
live look right now Republicans Texas Democrats in Chicago are
assembly for a news conference right now, Yes, right now,
I'll tell you when we go live. Let me quickly
go to Jay Jones. He's running for UH because I
don't I gotta go take this lot. I don't want
to have to cancel him. But let me bring up
Jay right now. He's running for attorney general in Virginia. Jay,

(58:17):
why do you want to be the chief legal officer
for the state of Virginia. Guys, bring up Jay's audio? Please?

Speaker 8 (58:28):
All right?

Speaker 1 (58:29):
Can you Jay? We can hear you. I'm gonna go
live to Chicago, Biden, to go to you real quick. Uh,
why do you want to be the chief legal officer
of the State of Virginia.

Speaker 31 (58:37):
Because Virginia is on the cusp of a new generation.
We want to make sure that we are prioritizing justice
for everybody and making sure that we're standing up to
the accesses and overreach of a Trump administration when our
current attorney attorney general would rather be Donald Trump's pro
bono attorney.

Speaker 1 (58:53):
Absolutely. Uh So again, this is one of the things
we're seeing was that guys, I don't know why y'all
had that second thing up, so please get rid of it.
So Jay is full screen. Please thank you. Jay. What
people don't understand is the action you're seeing happen in
Texas right now is because of the attorney general. That's
what's happening right now. So the attorney general is crucial

(59:13):
in every state.

Speaker 31 (59:15):
Look, Attorney generals have never been more important than right
now to be on the front lines to push back
on all of the excesses and overreach of the Trump administration,
to push back on the actions of governors who are
trying to take the loan to their own hands. That's
why the twenty three Democratic attorneys general that you've got
across the country are the people who are doing the
work on the front lines right now until we can

(59:37):
get elected here in November of twenty twenty five and
then get at least a House of Congress back in
twenty twenty six, so that we can get things back
on track and make sure that we restore the trust
of not just people in Virginia, but across this country
in their governments and in their institutions.

Speaker 1 (59:51):
Obviously, when you see what's happening in Virginia, you've got
a tax on DEI, You've got Republicans right now in
cohoots in Virginia with Trump. But they are targeting presidents
of universities in Virginia. They want to take over the
university of these public institutions. You see, they run out
the head of Virginia Military Issue, who's an African American.

(01:00:14):
They want to run the president of George Mason, who's
an African American. We go over and over again. That
makes no sense.

Speaker 31 (01:00:20):
Look, they are using Virginia as a laboratory to go
take these ideas on the road. We have a governor
who would rather be Donald Trump's best friend and his lackey,
and an attorney general who is too weak to stand
up to the president when his job is supposed to
be defending our institutions of higher learning. As Attorney General,
I will always protect Virginia's education system. I'll always put

(01:00:40):
Virginia first. We don't answer to the president. We in
Virginia are bigger and better than all of what we've
seen over these last three and a half years. And
that's why this election, where early vote starts in September
and election days on November fourth, it's so important. We
can get a new governor, we can get a new
lieutenant governor. I will become the next attorney general, and
we will grow our majority in the Delegates so that

(01:01:01):
we can bring some common sense back to Virginia and
we can show the rest of the country that we're
better than what we've seen.

Speaker 27 (01:01:06):
For these last seven months.

Speaker 1 (01:01:07):
You've got black attorney generals in correct, Maryland, Nevada, Illinois, Massachusetts,
and I think I'm leaving somebody.

Speaker 31 (01:01:17):
Out Minnesota and Washington.

Speaker 1 (01:01:19):
Yes, Minnesota and Washington, and again for people who don't
understand as a result of these elections. As a result,
we've seen secretaries of State and the governors excuse the
Secretary of State. Attorney generals have become hugely important when
it comes to elections.

Speaker 31 (01:01:37):
I mean, look, these are critical places. And I think
we also mentioned Letician James in New York. Some of
the best attorneys general in the country that you mentioned,
and I can't wait to be standing shoulder to shoulder
with them as we fight back against the craziness that
we see. But what you are also seeing is that
the Trump ecosystem, this MAGA network of donors from all
across the country, aren't investing in these races. They're running

(01:01:59):
negatives against me here in Virginia that are paid for
out of Texas by folks who fund the president because
they know that this is their only shot this year
to try and hang on. And so we are fighting
back against this ecosystem at every level because they are
trying to steal these elections. They're trying to make sure
that they can hang on because what Donald Trump will
like the least is to see me across the lawsuit

(01:02:23):
from him when we sue to make sure that we're
protecting Virginia's rights and our freedoms.

Speaker 1 (01:02:27):
Absolutely, Jay, we want to have you back I have
to cut you short up because the news conference is started,
but I want to have you back before the election
because it's important for people to do indeed vote, Tell
fools where they could go get more information about your campaign.

Speaker 31 (01:02:39):
Please just go to our website. It's my name Jajones
dot com. We will make history here in Virginia and
every cent counts and if anyone feels that they want
to get involved, all the information is there, and I
thank everybody for their support. This is going to be
a big one in Virginia, will be the first in
many dominoes to fall as we head towards twenty twenty six.

Speaker 1 (01:02:58):
And also, of course we were there in Virginia for
the Commonwealth Galea, the dinner of the big Democratic fundraising dinner,
and of course that was a difficult dinner for you
to attend because your father, historic figure and Virginia had
recently passed. So certainly, candolcents do you in your family.

Speaker 31 (01:03:20):
Thank you very very much and really appreciate everything on
the opportunity to join you, and we will be back.
Thank you for everything, Roland, and we'll talk to you soon.

Speaker 1 (01:03:27):
Appreciate it. Thanks a lot, folks. Let's go lout to
Chicago where Democrats are gathering for this news conference as
we speak.

Speaker 32 (01:03:34):
Other states will do exactly the same thing and neutralize
what you're trying to do in Texas.

Speaker 14 (01:03:40):
It's not gonna work.

Speaker 8 (01:03:42):
Because we are not gonna let it work.

Speaker 32 (01:03:44):
We are going to stand strong with these courageous individuals who.

Speaker 14 (01:03:48):
Are standing behind me, who come to Illinois knowing that
the rest of the nation is with them. Thank you
so much, thank you.

Speaker 19 (01:04:00):
And as he said, we are ready to fight fire
with fire, no but to night to the gun fight.

Speaker 5 (01:04:05):
We are ready to bring the fire, bring the heat.

Speaker 14 (01:04:10):
We can do that too.

Speaker 33 (01:04:11):
And it's absolutely my pleasure to introduce share of the
Progressive Caucus, Representative Anna Maria Rodriguez Ramos.

Speaker 10 (01:04:20):
I got that answer.

Speaker 14 (01:04:27):
Hello everyone, Thank you for being with us today.

Speaker 10 (01:04:30):
When I started.

Speaker 34 (01:04:31):
Marie ro Diguez ramogn the state represented for House District
one O two, and we're here fighting because instead of
Governor Abbott and Texas Republicans focusing on working families and
the negative impacts of Trump's horrible bill.

Speaker 2 (01:04:50):
As I share next rest of my colleagues the other day.

Speaker 8 (01:04:53):
With his horrible bill.

Speaker 35 (01:04:55):
My daughter just got an organ transplant six months ago
with his horrible bill. I don't know that we can
pay seventy five percent increase in premiums. It is going
to hurt my family and thousands of families state wide
and nationwide. His horrible bill is hurding working families, When

(01:05:15):
families can't afford to buy groceries, when families don't know
if they're going to be able to keep their children alive.

Speaker 2 (01:05:21):
Because they can't no longer afford healthcare.

Speaker 35 (01:05:24):
That is what our focus should be, But instead they're
focusing on pushing these racist, radical redistricting map. And why
is it racist because seventy percent over sixty percent of
our Texas population are Hispanic and African America, and our
Asian community that is the largest African American population in

(01:05:46):
the country is in Texas. The second largest Hispanic population
in the country is in Texas. But they want to
silence our voice. This is nothing short of latent racism.
They're going to pride and say, no, you can't say that.
In fact, they've punished us Congressmen cock Crockett knows that
they don't allow us to say that word on the

(01:06:08):
House floor. They say you can't call us what we
are you'th amount of work, but that is what you
are and that is what you are trying to do
her these working families. Trump's policies, when he's kidnapping families
of color in the streets, that is nothing short of racism.
He is coming after all of us who don't look
like him and his Republican colleagues in the Texas House.

Speaker 14 (01:06:31):
So I will now introduce.

Speaker 35 (01:06:33):
Beautiful Congressman Alan Grey, El Grey, wonderful congressman from Houston.
He's going to really share a little more and enlighten
a little more about the impact of these maps.

Speaker 30 (01:06:42):
Thank you.

Speaker 36 (01:06:48):
Rigs Romo's friends. After her profound words, it just seems
to me that we ought to give her another expression
about and to all of my colleagues who have traversed
some great business to be here.

Speaker 8 (01:07:10):
Uh. And I'm talking about these state representatives. Now I
consider you my colleagues.

Speaker 12 (01:07:15):
Uh It it's easy to do something, but you don't
have to do it.

Speaker 8 (01:07:19):
Uh.

Speaker 36 (01:07:20):
They are leaving their homes, they're leaving their families, they
have jobs, they have responsibilities.

Speaker 30 (01:07:28):
And this is courage that is uncommon. And with this
kind of courage, they ought to be commended as well.
Let's give them a big answeration. Yes, we have a
challenge before us.

Speaker 22 (01:07:49):
Uh.

Speaker 30 (01:07:50):
Doctor King reminded us that life is at any scpable
network of mutuality tied to a single garment of festimies.
What impacts one directly impacts all indirectly. And that's what
we're facing. This challenge of it not being Texas is
not just Texas. It really is the United States of America,

(01:08:12):
because if they succeed in Texas, they will take this
to other states.

Speaker 8 (01:08:16):
They will take this to the county court level, They
will take this to.

Speaker 30 (01:08:20):
The commissioners, the school boards, they will take this across
the death the breath of the country. But they'll do
it if we only stand by and watch them. But
if we take a stand, we can stop them. That's
what we're doing today. We're taking a stand and we're
going to prevent them from going forward in Texas.

Speaker 8 (01:08:42):
Very prob We have to take this stand because one
vote makes a difference. One vote makes a difference.

Speaker 22 (01:08:49):
It was one vote that allows them to get the
big ly steal out of the House one vote, and
it was one vote in the Senate with the Vice
President casting that vote that allowed it to get out
of the Senate.

Speaker 27 (01:09:05):
And back to the House.

Speaker 30 (01:09:07):
Friends, I regret to tell you that the eighteenth Congressional district.

Speaker 8 (01:09:12):
Was not represented when that first vote took place. It
was not if the eighteenth had been represented.

Speaker 30 (01:09:20):
They have to find that one vote someplace else, one
vote makes a difference. And in Texas, they're trying to
silence five Democratic voices in the Congress of the United.

Speaker 8 (01:09:33):
States of America.

Speaker 30 (01:09:36):
They have already made an effort to eliminate some of
the district They're no longer going to be there's no
possibility of Democrats being elected. They are doing what the
President has insisted be done. And I want you to
note that we didn't introduce the race call. When this
message was set by and through the Justice Department to

(01:09:56):
the State of Texas, to our Attorney General, they mentioned
the race card because they talked about racial jerrymandering.

Speaker 8 (01:10:04):
They brought it up.

Speaker 30 (01:10:06):
And when they brought it up, they did it knowing
that this was a buzzword, it was a trigger. They
knew that they could use the race card in Texas
where we've had white primaries, and when the Supreme Court said, well,
you can't do that, then we had white pre primaries
where we've had all sorts of obstacles of voting. They
knew that that's a buzzword that people would respond to

(01:10:27):
in Texas. But we are going to respond to that
buzzword by telling them that your racism is not going
to change democracy in the state of Texas.

Speaker 8 (01:10:37):
Is not going to change it in the United States
of America.

Speaker 30 (01:10:40):
Racism is going to be met with our taking a
stand for democracy. You take a stand for racism, We
will stand for democracy.

Speaker 8 (01:10:48):
And we will wear they will wi Our comment exists.

Speaker 30 (01:10:56):
As you know, the president our don't exchange Christmas College.

Speaker 8 (01:11:03):
Uh.

Speaker 25 (01:11:04):
Uh.

Speaker 8 (01:11:05):
The president uh is a very addictive person.

Speaker 5 (01:11:08):
Mm.

Speaker 8 (01:11:10):
He is a don't bring me any bad news person.
Just fire someone because he got bad news.

Speaker 28 (01:11:16):
Uh.

Speaker 37 (01:11:17):
We friends have to understand what we're dealing with, and
if we understand what we're dealing with, we can stop
what we're dealing with.

Speaker 8 (01:11:28):
We're dealing with the eco madical.

Speaker 30 (01:11:33):
Person who believes that he has to be right and
if he's not, then the world's flaw.

Speaker 14 (01:11:43):
He would impeach judges that differ with him.

Speaker 8 (01:11:47):
He would fire people that don't give him good news.
He would change congressional.

Speaker 14 (01:11:53):
Districts just to get rid of people that have challenged him.

Speaker 30 (01:11:59):
But I want you to know this, The challenge is
not over. It is not Yes, we have brought challenges
against him, and I wanna assure you of this. I uh,
there are no circumstances that will prevent me from continuing
to challenge the bigotry emanating from the presidency in policy.

Speaker 8 (01:12:22):
MM.

Speaker 30 (01:12:23):
I will not stop. And I promise you this president
is going to he he's gonna be brought down. Yeah,
he's gonna be brought down.

Speaker 14 (01:12:33):
He has to be brought down.

Speaker 30 (01:12:35):
And I don't mean physically, I'm talking about politically.

Speaker 8 (01:12:39):
We will bring him down. He will be impeached again.
MM I thank you.

Speaker 5 (01:12:43):
I bring one here.

Speaker 14 (01:12:48):
Jess and Zalas Uh hello again.

Speaker 8 (01:12:54):
My name is Jessica gol And Silas, and I'm.

Speaker 38 (01:12:56):
Uh proud to represent housest going on Poort, which includes
uh parts of Dallas and Grand Prairie. I'm also honored
to be the chair of the Texas House of Office. Look,
we all got elected here. We're elected by our constituents
and that's who we work for. They elected us to
represent their voices, their family, and their future, and that's

(01:13:18):
exactly what we're all doing here. By denying Texas Republican's
quorum in order to pass.

Speaker 5 (01:13:23):
These rig congressional maps.

Speaker 38 (01:13:25):
And so I'm very proud to stand united with my
Democratic colleagues. Look, one thing I do know is that Democrats,
Texas House Democrats know how to fight.

Speaker 14 (01:13:33):
We've been in these fights before. We find to fight
every single day when we're in regular session.

Speaker 5 (01:13:41):
We have our sleeps.

Speaker 38 (01:13:42):
Our sleeps are rolled up, and we're ready to take
this fight wherever it's going to take us, because.

Speaker 2 (01:13:47):
Our communities, our state, and our nation.

Speaker 5 (01:13:50):
Is worth definitely worth fighting for.

Speaker 14 (01:13:52):
Absolutely, and we know, we know this is.

Speaker 38 (01:13:54):
Not about providing flood relief because these congressional maps have
been pushed, we have not had real discussions about providing
folks relief who are desperate need of it.

Speaker 14 (01:14:03):
And so we're just not going to stand for it.
We're tired of it, and we're just we're not gonna
let let them do that to our communities.

Speaker 38 (01:14:09):
And so I'm again I'm proud of to stand here
united with my Democratic colleagues. You know, when I first
got elected to Housest one oh four, I was the
first selectly not to ever be to ever serve in
that position.

Speaker 8 (01:14:20):
And I'm very, very proud of that.

Speaker 14 (01:14:22):
My community is a majority minority.

Speaker 5 (01:14:25):
District and so when we do these kinds of you know, play.

Speaker 38 (01:14:29):
These political games that Republicans want to play with our community,
it hurts our people like my in my district and
the districts of people that are steady behind you and
we take our jobs series unlike Texas House Republicans.

Speaker 14 (01:14:43):
So thank you. And next, I want to introduce our
former colleague.

Speaker 33 (01:14:47):
Congress women doing to us, those beautiful group of people.
You know, it is such it's a big honor for
me to be standing here as a former colleague, a
former member of the Texas House, a former.

Speaker 14 (01:15:10):
Quorn breaker.

Speaker 33 (01:15:15):
Testing the right to vote in Texas, and now as
a member of Congress, and you know, what is happening
is so outrageous.

Speaker 32 (01:15:27):
And I want to talk a little bit about my
district and.

Speaker 14 (01:15:32):
The impact that this is having.

Speaker 33 (01:15:34):
So I represent Texas thirty second Progressional District.

Speaker 14 (01:15:38):
It's an urban district. It's eighty percent in.

Speaker 33 (01:15:42):
Dallas County, a little bit of the Collin County, the
county to my north, and a little bit of Denton County.
But for the most part it's very urban. There's not
a single farm plot in Texas thirty two. They have
divided it into seven new congressional districts, two that go

(01:16:05):
all the way to the Oklahoma border, two that go
almost from Dallas to the Louisiana border, and then the
others in a mishmash herb of rural Texas. My district
has been I have seven cities that have been dismembered,

(01:16:26):
paired with six to seven rural counties. So what they've
done is they've taken a group of people predominantly minority.
I have a minority majority coalitioncy of a city, and
then paired it with five to six rural counties that have.

Speaker 14 (01:16:49):
No commonality of interest whatsoever.

Speaker 33 (01:16:52):
The issues facing the constituents of my district are very
different than the issues face seeing the constituents of Upshur County,
which is in very East Texas.

Speaker 14 (01:17:06):
They're very different issues. I have sixty two percent renters,
that county is mostly rural white farmers. And the list
goes on and on, and so what is happening here is.

Speaker 33 (01:17:22):
The most blatant racist disregard for the voters of Texas. Because,
let me remind you, and I was there, we were
all there when these maps were passed in twenty twenty
one by unanimous votes of the Republicans who've just now

(01:17:43):
issued arrest warrants for my dear colleagues and friends, because
they all swore at that time these maps were the
most beautiful maps.

Speaker 14 (01:17:53):
They were perfect. They didn't disenfranchise voters.

Speaker 33 (01:17:57):
They've had lawsuits, they filed affidavits and in depositions they've
sworn and I'll at waste a Sunday that these are
the perfect maps until President Trump gets nervous because his
poll numbers are in the crapper, because he knows that
the American people are not swallowing the crap he's pushing,

(01:18:22):
because he's harming millions and millions of people.

Speaker 14 (01:18:25):
His pull waters are underwater, and he knows he's not
going to win.

Speaker 2 (01:18:30):
He knows he's not going to win in.

Speaker 33 (01:18:32):
November of twenty twenty six, So rather than push for
policies that the American voters want to support, they come
back with this rigged up thing, a DOJ opinion that
implies that these Texas maps now have to be completely dismemberable,
and it's wrong.

Speaker 14 (01:18:52):
And the voters in.

Speaker 33 (01:18:53):
Texas, I hope, are listening because the courage that my
dear friends and colleagues are showing by saying, uh huh, no,
we're protesting.

Speaker 14 (01:19:04):
We're putting ourselves in a great risk to stand up
for democracy and America and voters. I hope you're seeing that.
I hope you're feeling it. I hope you are experiencing
the courage and the hope that these.

Speaker 33 (01:19:21):
Folks are providing, because what is happening is an attack
on our democracy throughout this entire country. And I'm so
pleased and so proud that they're standing up for us
all because.

Speaker 14 (01:19:34):
What's happening here now is cracking.

Speaker 33 (01:19:36):
Throughout other states. You know, we're having a national conversation
over voter rights. And I want to encourage California and
New York and Maryland and Washington State to say.

Speaker 14 (01:19:51):
You know what, we're gloves are off. If war is war,
and Democrats, if y'all are going to do it in Texas,
we're going to do it here. And this is a
national war, and we're Democrats are no longer gonna sit
by handcuffed.

Speaker 33 (01:20:05):
This isn't all out war and everything is on the table.
And that is a message I really hope gets out
loud and clear. But at the end of the day,
I want to say thank you to eat one of
you for what you're doing.

Speaker 14 (01:20:23):
Know that the Democrats of the United.

Speaker 33 (01:20:25):
States House or Representatives are one hundred percent behind you.
I hope you're feeling it, and I hope you out
there the voters are getting a little glimmer.

Speaker 14 (01:20:36):
Of why politics is important and that if they.

Speaker 33 (01:20:39):
Say, well, I don't know, politics doesn't affect me, and
saying honey, it does.

Speaker 14 (01:20:43):
If you don't do politics, politics will do you. Here
and here we are. Politics is doing a lot of
people right now. But you know, I want to end
with this.

Speaker 27 (01:20:56):
We're all very proud.

Speaker 33 (01:20:57):
Texans up here, most of us, some of them. We're
all very proud Texans. We come from a state of
great pride.

Speaker 14 (01:21:08):
And I never thought as a Texas as an elected member.

Speaker 33 (01:21:12):
Of the Texas House of Representatives, and now as an
elected member from Texas to the United States House of Representatives,
that I would see the governor of the proud state
of Texas.

Speaker 14 (01:21:23):
Ben Denee to a fellon from New York. Never thought
i'd see the day my letters are introduced for RepU Seek.

Speaker 8 (01:21:39):
Thank y'all so much.

Speaker 39 (01:21:40):
I'm so proud to stand with my colleagues in the
Texas House and our friends in Congress. We're all here tonight.
It's not on a vacation. We are here fighting and
actively for working Park constituents and the people of Texas.
This is us on the job, fighting Park constituents.

Speaker 16 (01:21:57):
Hi.

Speaker 39 (01:21:57):
Everyone, my name is State Representative John Busey, and I
have great pleasure of representing Austin and how Sistrict won
thirty six Lotterally, I didn't run for.

Speaker 8 (01:22:05):
Office to walk out of the Capitol.

Speaker 39 (01:22:07):
But I also didn't run for office to stand by
while democracy is stolen.

Speaker 8 (01:22:12):
In broad daylight, Texas Democrats.

Speaker 39 (01:22:15):
Broke for him because sometimes the only way to uphold
your oath is to refuse to play along with the
rig game. Let's be clear, this special session was supposed
to be about saving lives after your tragedy. A cabin
full of eight year old girls was washed away in
the middle of the ninth Families called nine to one one,

(01:22:38):
only to hear that help wasn't coming. At the end
of the day, one hundred and thirty seventh Texans lost
their lives. That's an emergency that demands our actions. But
instead of holding hearings on flood prevention. Greg Abbott and
Donald Trump held eight hearings on redistrictive not for faireness,

(01:23:00):
not for representation, but to manufacture five more Republican seats
in Congress to enable Trump to cling onto power that
is in governing. That's a heist, and we're here to stop.
When politicians can redraw the maps in the middle of
the decade just because they're scared the voters won't re
elect them, that's betrayed them.

Speaker 8 (01:23:21):
Look, the governor can lie only ones. But we're not
running away.

Speaker 27 (01:23:25):
We're running into the fight.

Speaker 39 (01:23:26):
Texas Democrats are standing up for one of our most
basic American principles, the rights to representation. So no, this
isn't political theater. It's survival because if we lose the
power to choose our leaders, we lose everything we broke,
more of them, because this isn't just about maps, it's

(01:23:47):
about power, and in Texas, the power still belongs to
the voters. I want to thank y'all so much, and
I have the pleasure of introducing one of our great champions,
Congressman Mark VC. He's a passionate advocate for Texas's thirty
third district. He's fighting for working families, voting rights, and
economic opportunity. And if you didn't know, he's in fact

(01:24:09):
as the founder of the Voting Rights Caucus and comers,
he's from Fort Worth to Washington. Congressman VC has shown
us that he will stand up to Donald Trump. He
will fight for Texans and he will fight for Americans.
Please help me welcome market from Congress, from the markets.
Thank you, Representative. And you know, the press and I've

(01:24:31):
been getting something wrong.

Speaker 40 (01:24:33):
I've been seeing a lot of headlines as say that
these Texas legislators are fleeing. These Texas legislators ain't fleeing.
These Texas legislators are fighting.

Speaker 4 (01:24:43):
Yeah, they are.

Speaker 27 (01:24:45):
Fighting for rupatis.

Speaker 40 (01:24:46):
They are fighting racism, and they are fighting rigging.

Speaker 8 (01:24:50):
And that is what it is all about.

Speaker 1 (01:24:53):
And I got to tell you it's.

Speaker 8 (01:24:55):
Crazy to think about this.

Speaker 40 (01:24:57):
Sixty years ago today, the Voting Rights Active teen sixty
five declared that no American, no Black.

Speaker 27 (01:25:04):
American, no Latino American, no Asian Americans.

Speaker 40 (01:25:08):
No working class voter would ever be denied their voice
in our democracy because of who they are or where
they live. But that promise is under attack today by
Greg Abbott bending a knee to Donald Trump and it
is absolutely wrong and it is embarrassing. And I got
to tell you, I'm proud of these heroes that are

(01:25:30):
standing behind me, some of which are my former colleagues
in the state legislature where I spent eight years before
going to Congress. And I got to tell you, I
came into Congress right after the two thousand and three
mid decade with Districtine one, a group of Democrats had
just left the state to block discriminatory redistricting that had

(01:25:54):
happened literally.

Speaker 27 (01:25:55):
Just before I was sworn in.

Speaker 40 (01:25:59):
And I got to tell you made a big mistake
back then. We had no blue stakes back during that
time period after Tom delayed did his mid decade redistricting,
we didn't have any Democratic states that followed suit, and
so it gave them the incentive to do it again.

Speaker 8 (01:26:16):
And that's why we are here right now.

Speaker 40 (01:26:18):
But I got to tell all of my friends that
are Republicans, but after watching them right now, the game
has changed.

Speaker 8 (01:26:25):
Maybe that ain't be saying no more.

Speaker 40 (01:26:28):
In FRA. We are going to match Donald Trump's energy
when it comes to redistricting. As it was said before,
it's been Democrats we have shown up to a gunfight
with nothing but good intentions.

Speaker 8 (01:26:43):
And dull knives. And that era is over.

Speaker 40 (01:26:48):
We are not going to unilaterally disarm and that is
that's what's different this time around. And so to the
governor of this state of Illinois, the governor of Californa
in New York, thank you for sending tall with us.

Speaker 4 (01:27:04):
We need our other.

Speaker 40 (01:27:05):
Democratic governors in New Jersey, New Mexico, Maryland, not New Mexico,
the Jersey, Maryland, Oregon.

Speaker 8 (01:27:13):
And Washington.

Speaker 40 (01:27:14):
We need for them to stand with us now. Also,
this is serious business. This is absolutely serious business. Democracy
is at stake here and we have to keep fighting
Donald Trump each and every step of the way. With that,
I now called back to the podium Representative Harold Dutton

(01:27:36):
to do I serve with Ale Houston.

Speaker 8 (01:27:38):
Harold good Attune and everybody. Let me start by saying,
my name is Harold Dunton. I'm from Houston. Most people
say fifth Lord, and I guess that's true. One of

(01:27:58):
the things I've learned in order seventh grade was that.

Speaker 12 (01:28:03):
We learned that in order to have.

Speaker 8 (01:28:04):
Democracy, he had to be of the people, by the people,
and bought the people.

Speaker 30 (01:28:10):
M M.

Speaker 41 (01:28:11):
But in Texas, what would change that to is we're
gonna have the democracy by being of the party.

Speaker 8 (01:28:18):
By the party as farther the party.

Speaker 28 (01:28:20):
That's right.

Speaker 42 (01:28:21):
That's absolutely crazy, And I wanna'em correct something.

Speaker 8 (01:28:25):
And I I think Representative Visa said, we're not learning
him from anything.

Speaker 42 (01:28:31):
We're gonna trying to make sure that when democracy he
is in Texas, it is going to be of the people,
by the people, and bought the people.

Speaker 41 (01:28:41):
And second way, if you see us running in a fight,
we chasing somebody, Yeah, let me let me end with this.

Speaker 8 (01:28:54):
I I'm here because I.

Speaker 42 (01:28:57):
Uh, one of my can shit just told me she said, well,
if you're all gonna hang separately, you.

Speaker 8 (01:29:03):
Might well hang together. M And so I'm here with my.

Speaker 42 (01:29:07):
Colleagues because I don't think we're gonna hang because.

Speaker 8 (01:29:12):
Another constituents said to me wherever be in Green said.

Speaker 17 (01:29:16):
You know the story of the Bible about Haman and
Watercuinte hay To built the galleries for mortercut.

Speaker 8 (01:29:24):
And guess who they put on the gallows verse Haman.
And so I think all of this is gonna backfire
all these Republicans.

Speaker 42 (01:29:32):
Because I think they have raised democracy issues so far
and so high that the people in Texas now are
getting the message, and that's one of the reason we're here.
I'm thankful for the Illinois delegation. I have worked with
him before him. My first cousin was Bonique Davis, who
hm uh was a member of the Illinoyd delegation for

(01:29:53):
a long time.

Speaker 2 (01:29:54):
Uh.

Speaker 42 (01:29:54):
She said to tell you all hello too, because she
went to the over I had just stopped doing that.
But again, I think that the challenge for us, the
challenge for us is really.

Speaker 8 (01:30:08):
Made sure that our people get the home and we're
gonna do that. Yeah. With that, let me stop and introduce.

Speaker 22 (01:30:21):
That's me.

Speaker 8 (01:30:23):
No, I'm gonna do so journal the truth.

Speaker 19 (01:30:35):
I believe your last and final speaker. But let me
tell you something. I want to make sure that I
make it clear who these people that are standing behind
me are, because I don't think that the American people
truly understand the amount of sacrifice that these warriors and
heroes are.

Speaker 2 (01:30:52):
Making right now. Most people don't understand that in.

Speaker 19 (01:30:55):
The Texas House you only get paid seven thousand.

Speaker 2 (01:30:58):
Dollars as it is as a salary.

Speaker 19 (01:31:00):
But these people are saying, listen, we are going to
do our job because we understand our oath. Unlike those
that serve on the federal level, and our Republicans as
well as those that serve in our current Supreme Court
and happen to have been appointed by Republicans, as well
as those that serve in the Texas House right now

(01:31:21):
and happen to be Republicans.

Speaker 14 (01:31:22):
These are people that.

Speaker 2 (01:31:23):
Understand what it is to be a representative.

Speaker 19 (01:31:26):
They understand their constituencies, and instead of trying to stump
on them, they want to do everything that they can
to stop for them. And so that's why they're here.

Speaker 1 (01:31:37):
Now.

Speaker 2 (01:31:37):
Let me say, this governor talks a lot of noise,
and I made.

Speaker 19 (01:31:41):
Sure that I put up my warrant from four years
ago to make it plain that they talk a lot
of noise. But these guys are weak. That's why they're
over here trying to bully people. Bullies are always weak.
The difference is they expect Democrats to kind of be
the nice those guys that we are. They expect us

(01:32:02):
to take the punch and say thank you.

Speaker 5 (01:32:03):
Well.

Speaker 19 (01:32:04):
I am here to tell you not only are we
gonna punch back, but we about to beat you down that.

Speaker 14 (01:32:10):
You're going to win.

Speaker 19 (01:32:12):
I'm gonna tell you why we're going to win, because
people are tired, and as it's already been said, we've got.

Speaker 2 (01:32:18):
A few truth tell us that came before us. A
number of them.

Speaker 19 (01:32:21):
Came out of Texas. So I need y'all to understand
that maybe you haven't learned these amazing warriors' names, but
you won't know their names. Y'all know how the President
feels about me. Got my training ground right there in Texas.
We know that there was another amazing black woman out
of the state of Texas by the name of Barbara
Jordan that had.

Speaker 2 (01:32:42):
To check another to go riding by the names of Texas.

Speaker 19 (01:32:47):
So I'm here to tell you, just like I told
a group of folk in Arizona yesterday, Frankie Beverly.

Speaker 2 (01:32:54):
And Maze Sidifist, we are one.

Speaker 19 (01:32:58):
For everyone that's been asking where are the Democrats, Well
here they are. For everyone that's been asking where is
the fight, well here it is. But let me tell
you something that don't leave them out on the ledge
by themselves. They need to know that you, the American people,
stand with them because they are standing for you. There
are so many people that they will never meet, but

(01:33:19):
they understand the importance of making sure that they have
a voice when it comes to their government. They understand
the importance of standing for what democracy is and making
sure that it does not fall by the wayside. They
understand that we have a TIMU Hitler and the White
House right now that thinks that he is going to
become the dictator of the United States.

Speaker 2 (01:33:38):
Well, I got another thing to tell you, sir. The Democrats.

Speaker 19 (01:33:42):
No whether we're talking about these Texas House Democrats, or
whether we're talking about the governor from Illinois, the governor
from California, or whether we're talking about New York or
I can go through the states and it's not just
the governors. It is the state houses, it is the
state senators.

Speaker 2 (01:33:58):
It is those congressional delations that are.

Speaker 19 (01:34:00):
Saying, do what you gotta do, and I will fight,
and I will win, and I will earn my seat
back to the People's House in DC. I am here
to tell you the time is up for playing in
our faces. The Democrats are not going to stand for
this any longer. We know that we are standing for
the people, and so long as we stand for the people.

Speaker 2 (01:34:21):
I absolutely believe the people are gonna stand for us.

Speaker 19 (01:34:24):
So I just want to be clear, do whatever you
can to support these heroes, because they're the ones that
have to leave their families. They are the ones that
have warrants out for their arrest.

Speaker 2 (01:34:36):
They're the ones that are.

Speaker 19 (01:34:37):
Doing things that, honestly a lot of other people do
not have the audacity to do. So make sure when
you talk about them, press put some respect on their names.

Speaker 40 (01:34:48):
I appreciate that.

Speaker 14 (01:34:48):
Our call friends, our closure.

Speaker 2 (01:34:56):
Oh we're done, We're done. How are you pay for this?

Speaker 1 (01:35:01):
Mister?

Speaker 14 (01:35:02):
Will you taking questions were much?

Speaker 2 (01:35:07):
Yes, we are we doing?

Speaker 8 (01:35:10):
Okay, okay. We used to have part.

Speaker 28 (01:35:15):
Right.

Speaker 32 (01:35:18):
I under stay represented ron Reyntolds and our Property Service,
that chart marts of the Texas Legislative Black Caucus under
the great leadership of our Chairwoman Barbara Germy Hawkins and
its vice chair of the Houston mccroduct Caucus under the
Greek leadership of Chairman g wu And we're all united,
standing on the right side of history.

Speaker 27 (01:35:38):
You know, Congressman BC's right.

Speaker 14 (01:35:39):
It was sixty years ago that the Voting Rights.

Speaker 32 (01:35:43):
Act of nineteen sixty five was passed into law, and
it was signed by great Texan by the name of
Lyndon Baines Johnson. But that Voting Rights Act didn't come
easy It came as a result of people who made
the ultimate act Christ, people who we may remember like
Congressman John Lewis who made good trouble. He riched his

(01:36:07):
lives to end Jim Crow, he did everything with other
freedom fighters.

Speaker 8 (01:36:13):
They took Freedom Rise, they set it lunch counters.

Speaker 32 (01:36:16):
They did everything they could to end poll taxes and
literacy tests. And thank God, many of us here today
would not be here but for the Voting.

Speaker 8 (01:36:29):
Rights Act of nineteen sixty five.

Speaker 32 (01:36:32):
It was, as congress Woman Crockett said, Barbara Jordan, who
was the first African American congress woman from the South
since reconstruction, she was only there because of that field.
And here we are on the right side of history,
trying to stop the Texas still by Abbott and Trump

(01:36:52):
that want to take us back. They literally want to
take us back by disenfranchising black and brown communities.

Speaker 8 (01:36:59):
We say no, no, no, we say hell no, not
on our watch.

Speaker 14 (01:37:04):
We will not allow you to turn back the clock.
We're gonna continue to fight.

Speaker 8 (01:37:09):
We're gonna continue speaking truth to power.

Speaker 14 (01:37:11):
We're gonna continue doing.

Speaker 32 (01:37:13):
Everything we can to protect the precious, fundamental right to vote.

Speaker 8 (01:37:19):
And I will end with this.

Speaker 32 (01:37:20):
Our scripture teaches us in Proverbs thirty one eighty nine
to speak out for the one who cannot speak for
the rights of those who are doing speak out, judge fairly,
and defend the rights of oppressed and leading people. Ladies
and gentlemen, I submit to you that the Democrats are
gonna keep speaking out. We're gonna call out the racist Jerrymander,

(01:37:43):
that President Trump is Maggi. Extremists like truck like Abbot
want to push down our throats, not on our watch.
We're not going back. Thank you that much.

Speaker 2 (01:37:56):
I will farm to vote.

Speaker 31 (01:37:58):
Mother.

Speaker 1 (01:37:59):
That you're much.

Speaker 14 (01:38:00):
I want to say give it a special thank you
to the ib W.

Speaker 8 (01:38:03):
For hosting us.

Speaker 14 (01:38:04):
As are all flunoise. We been so nice to us.

Speaker 8 (01:38:09):
We're not going to do group pressions.

Speaker 31 (01:38:11):
Members will be available for individual interviews if you.

Speaker 39 (01:38:14):
Want, but we do the perhaps we are hustle press
I do actually.

Speaker 8 (01:38:18):
Have to make another meeting, so we have a limited finer.

Speaker 1 (01:38:31):
Folks. That was a group of Texas Democrats state represent
this as well as US House members, just including a
news conference in Chicago. Fifty one Texas Democrats have left
the state, preventing the Texas House of Representatives from having
a quorum, which stops Republicans from being able to pass
the racist jerry mandred maps they present it late last week.

(01:38:56):
This is critically important because in order to vote on
these maps, the House has to be in session, but
there has to be a quorum. Republicans controlled the legislature
control the House more than twenty votes, so fifty one
Democrats had to leave the state, meaning you don't have

(01:39:18):
the jurisdiction. Understand what happens in Texas. The law allows
for the governor to send Texas state troopers to literally
not to use arrest, but let's say, bring a legislatory
back to the state capitol in order for them to
be in session. So by leaving the state, Texas no

(01:39:42):
longer has any jurisdiction to be able to arrest a
lawmaker to come back and be present in the state capitol.
That's why they're in Chicago earlier today, a number of them.
Yesterday and today they were in New York State meeting
with Governor Kathy Holk. Yesterday Governor j Pritzker of Illinois,

(01:40:04):
who's actually helping fund them being there. A private plane
was sent for them from Texas to fly to Illinois.
The putting them up there because there are obviously significant
costs to house and feed fifty one people, and you
don't know how long they're going to be there. Now,
here's the deal. The special session in Texas is at

(01:40:25):
which the governor calls for. It's a thirty day special
section session. It expires August nineteenth, and the governor can't
immediately call another special session. So that's likely what he
is going to do. Now, somebody asked the question, how
long must Democrats hold out? December? December? So let me

(01:40:47):
explain the politics here. There's a deadline in December to
file to be to run for office in twenty twenty six,
So you must file by a certain date in December.
Control room, find the date for me and get it
to me, please. So if that's the case. If that's

(01:41:07):
the case, then what's going to happen is then what's
going to happen is you're then going or going to
see You're going to see these members. You're going to
see these members file. So they have to fight. They
have to fight Texas. They have to fight Texas through December.

(01:41:29):
They got to stop the Republicans from passing this map.
That means that if the session in August nineteenth, the
government calls for a thirty day session, then that's going
to begin a certain date. Then they got to they
can't have a quorum for thirty days. So let's say
that's August twentieth through September. That session ends. They got
to hold out September to October. They got to hold

(01:41:51):
out October to November. Then they got to hold out
through December to keep the House from being able to
vote on these Now, Supreme Court has a precedent in
that they don't like to rule on cases where essentially
maps are locked in. So let me explain what that means.

(01:42:14):
That means is they believe that you have to have
sufficient time for the voters to decide who they want
to vote for. So Republicans want to pass the maps
before December, so those maps take effect. Lawsuits are filed,
they know their hearings, the lawsuits will not be determined.

(01:42:37):
It's going to go all the way to the Supreme Court.
It's not going to be determined for a year, two, three,
maybe even four years. Do y'all know right now? Lawsuits
were filed against the twenty twenty one maps. That is
still going on right now in twenty twenty four. So
the lawsuits from the twenty twenty one maps are still

(01:42:59):
taking place right now. So the Supreme Court freeze its
maps in place. And so what the Supreme Court will
say is we will lead even though they may because
it's happened in Alabama and Louisiana. Even though the Supreme
Court declared the maps to be unconstitutional, they were frozen

(01:43:19):
in place until arguments could be heard and the cases
could be fully adjudicated. So Republicans have been elected in
the past. This is like in the last four to
six years in maps that were declared unconstitutional, but the
Supreme Court froze them in place. That's why we're where
we are right now. Back to my panel on the

(01:43:42):
Congo Larry Niambi, I'm gonna go to you. These are
the things that people need to understand the nuances of
what's going on here. And so JB. Prisker is the
richest governor in the country. He's worth more than a
billion dollars. Democrats, we pulled the Texas tributing article up
last week. They were like, hey, we have to fund this,

(01:44:05):
like people don't understand, and you got to keep fifty
one out of the state, so Niambi. So what they're
going to be doing is what they're gonna be doing
is looking at your numbers and saying, Okay, how many
people who can go home for a week or come back.
It's going to be all of that. It's going to

(01:44:25):
be a lot of planning around scheduling. But the only
power that Texas Democrats have to stop these racist jerry
mandrad maps becoming law is to do what they are doing.

Speaker 5 (01:44:39):
Absolutely, And I think one of the things you said
Roland is this is going to have to be a
game of wits because on the numbers, Republicans have it right,
and so it's about logistics, like you said, negotiating who
can go home and win but for how long? But
we have to also remember they're going to be fines
imposed on those same legislators for all the days that
they're missing. I think Abvid says something like five hundred

(01:45:02):
dollars a day. So this is going to be costly
in more ways than one. Whether he does that, whether
they meet those obligations there are another thing. But I think,
as you noted, this is a long game, and so
there's going to have to be a lot of coordination
a lot of funding for these folks while they stay

(01:45:23):
out of the state, and we have to also run.
But people have families, right, People have kids, people have
parents that they're caregiving for. They have clients, right. Some
of these members are our attorneys, so they have other
people they are also obligated to. So this is not
a small thing that they're doing. It is going to
be a real sacrifice, and it's going to require a

(01:45:46):
lot of support not just from their local constituents, but
also the constituents of the local jurisdictions where they're going
to be fleeing.

Speaker 1 (01:45:52):
To understand here, Okay, when we talk about a quorum,
there are one hundred and fifty seats in the tech
his house, Larry Democrats have sixty two of those seats,
and so in order for them that they have a quorum,
that's why fifty one can't show up. It's a numbers game.

Speaker 26 (01:46:16):
Yeah, And as you know, my colleague noted, it is
a matter of not only sacrifice, but how long can
they hold out.

Speaker 6 (01:46:24):
This is going to be a tremendous coordinated effort. As
you mentioned, Roland, you know your.

Speaker 26 (01:46:29):
Thirty day session, the governors call them that we have
individuals fault some of the intiduce he that stay behind
where they fly out, So it'll be to be really
important in terms of how they coordinate activities to make
sure that they can't vote on this unfair map. The
other thing is Roland is how do you want to
remember Historically we talk a lot about those fighting in

(01:46:50):
the civil rights movement, but there are a lot of
people behind the mind you know that you don't know
about that make tremendous sacrifices. So this is an opportunity
to stay staff at and make sure that we have
a fair map and they don't provide Trump with the posdense.

Speaker 1 (01:47:07):
This is a piece for the Texas Tribune that says
denying quorum has been a Texas political strategy since eighteen seventy,
and while the Democrats could technically derail the GOP's redistricting plan,
such efforts have been largely symbolic and had limited success
blocking past legislation. Now, according to this story right here,

(01:47:27):
it says right here, June eighteen seventy, on the Congo,
thirteen Texas senators walked out of the Capitol to block
a bill giving the governor wartime powers depriving the Upper
Chamber of the two thirds quorum required for voting, Though
the Fleet members were arrested and the bill eventually passed.
The quote Rump Senate incident established quorum breaking as a

(01:47:49):
minority party tactic that has persisted in Texas politics since
ever since. Quorum breaks took place in nineteen seventy nine,
two thousand and three, twenty twenty one. That's what's going
on here. So you see right here, this expert says,
it's a messaging move. It's a last resort for Democrats
who have run out of options legislatively and even legally.

(01:48:11):
So you need two thirds of the House members present
in order to call it into session. Again. Democrats have
sixty two out of one hundred and fifty. By keeping
fifty one out, they don't meet the two thirds quorum
in the Texas House.

Speaker 27 (01:48:30):
This is powerful. This is powerful, and they're standing on history.

Speaker 15 (01:48:34):
So I'm glad you shared that particular point about the history,
because some people are going to call them old rabble rousers.
They're some I'm sure somebody are calling them insurrectionists and
all this other type of stuff. They're standing right in
line with what has happened in Texas for decades, going
back to eighteen seventy.

Speaker 27 (01:48:49):
I think that's very powerful that you would share that.
I think it's also.

Speaker 15 (01:48:52):
Important to while the press conference was playing Roland, I
was scrolling through the other news networks. Nobody was playing this,
Nobody he was playing this live. Nobody was giving them
the attention that they deserve. So that was another thing
that I picked up on as they're fighting. And then
the last thing I picked up on was I looked
at the diversity of the people who were on that
stage versus the Texas Republicans, right, you know, she saw

(01:49:14):
people part of LGBT community, Latino black, you.

Speaker 27 (01:49:17):
Know, white males, black women like run down the list,
and it was all there.

Speaker 15 (01:49:21):
So that is a group of individuals that look like
America who are fighting for America. So when you were
talking about they're going to be gone, Neombia's talking about
the cost, I hope people like George Clooney and they're like,
they're going to be stepping up, you know, to to
help these individuals. I'm thinking about that Texas representative Romos.
She was talking about her daughter, and I was wanting,
it's her daughter with her? Did she have to leave
her in Texas. These people are putting up a real

(01:49:44):
sacrifice for this country, and they're standing in line of
what they've been doing in Texas. What I appreciate what
they're doing as opposed to what Trump and his ilk
are doing. Everything these Texas Democrats are doing that it
is legal, and all we've been asking for is for
Democrats to use their power to legally fight back. And
now that they're doing that, they deserve not only our praise,
but our support and probably our financial support as they

(01:50:05):
go through this as well.

Speaker 1 (01:50:07):
Leon Bei Larry made the point about coordination, and that
is the case here. And I think that this is
so unique and different, and this is real. This is
a moment where it's gonna be a significant sacrifice. It's
gonna be a significant cost. But let me reiterate this
again for people who think that this we're playing around here,

(01:50:29):
Republicans are doing this because they are scared to death.
They are scared to death of losing the House next year.
They know they know that they lose the House next year. Democrats.
Democrats can stop any bill from passing that goes a
down trum. That's what's going on here. So what they're

(01:50:50):
trying to do is I mean people understand, they are
trying that, They are anticipating. They are looking at polling
data right now. They know gas price are up, grocery
prices are up. They know Donald Trump is down in
a huge way on immigration. They know he was at
fifty five percent among folks eighteen twenty nine when he

(01:51:14):
first was inaugurated. He's down some twenty seven points in
that category. So they see the writing on the wall.
We're seeing the impacts of tars. We're gonna be folks.
We were going to have accounts Morgan and Harper arm
but we needed more time to explain the economic stuff.
We're going to have her back on tomorrow. They know
what's going on. They are freaking out. So their deal is, hell,

(01:51:37):
let's get let's get five in Texas. They see how
many we can pick up in Florida. They see how
dody we can pick up in Ohio. So they're hoping
they can they can rig this map to pick up
ten twelve seats. And the reason as a battle because
Democrats could literally wipe them out in California. The problem

(01:51:58):
is they got to get around that independent redistricting committee
in California. There's an independent reditioning committee in New York
State Democrats. Blue states are the largest states, so between California, Illinois,
New York State, Virginia, Maryland, Democrats could conceivably pick up

(01:52:20):
twenty seats if they lose five in Texas, unless say
lose in Florida, a net gain of ten seats. They
only down three, so they could actually win. That's why
this battle is going on. It's about the House.

Speaker 8 (01:52:36):
The Senate.

Speaker 1 (01:52:37):
Is hard for them to win the Senate, but they
have a better shot at winning the House because you've
got thirty five Republicans who are vulnerable, who are in
district that Biden.

Speaker 5 (01:52:47):
Won absolutely And I think, though, you know, Texas is
a real bellbeather, this is a real test because it
so goes Texas, so goes a lot of the Republican Party.
I mean, Texas is a big state with a lot
of votes, but it also has a lot of young people,
and a lot of black folks, and a lot of
Latino folks who are pissed off and rightfully so, because

(01:53:08):
these people have seen their children die yet again. We
saw what happened with Uvaldi, and we kind of moved on,
and then we saw just what happened with these floods.
So I think it is about, you know, what can
be happening in these blue states, right, but it is
also about what are the future prognoses right of this
party should Texas go down? And let's be clear, you know,

(01:53:31):
Abbott is thinking about his legacy too, and he's trying
to think about how he can hitch his wag into
a star that looks like success. But as you know,
Donald Trump is failing in so many areas. He has
not kept a promise, or at least not kept it
the way that people wanted them to. But he's also
not changed people's lives in any appreciable way. I think

(01:53:51):
many people will say their life is worse now than
it was nine months ago. And not only that when
you look at a place like Texas was happening with
the energy costs with the grid there, whether it was
the snowstorm where people lost power, or again with these
floods and these natural disasters that are only going to
keep happening. I mean, people are really hurting and somebody

(01:54:12):
has to pay. And unfortunately it's on Republicans watch and
they know that, and their time is ticking. Even in
a place like Texas. It's just a matter if this
is going to happen faster or slower, and they are
trying to really stave off the inevitable because you got
a lot of young, very restless people in that state.
And if you look to places like Maryland and other

(01:54:35):
Democratic states, I mean, they have to protect themselves. I
mean this administration is downright bengeful and going after those places.
So it's not just about depriving Republicans and seats. It's
also about how can we inoculate ourselves as much as
possible from this administration.

Speaker 1 (01:54:50):
But the young people are in the state got to vote.
Twenty twenty two, Larry, when Bettel O'Rourke, former congresson, ran
against Greg Abbot for governor, seventy five percent of young
voters in Texas under the age of thirty did not vote.
Texas has the largest black voting population in the country,

(01:55:12):
not hitting the numbers. And this is the thing we've
got to understand here. This is why Republicans are scared.
Go to my iPad antoine House Republicans in competitive districts
who voted for Trump's budget bill. You see this, Alaska, Colorado, Kentucky, Missouri, Nebraska.
Don Bacon right there represents Omaha, Nebraska. He's retiring New

(01:55:33):
Jersey Tom King Junior. Mike Lawler competitive district there in
New York, Andy Ogles, in Tennessee, Monica Della Cruz in Texas,
you have Michigan. Two seats in Virginia two in Wisconsin.
Wisconsin is critical because you now have a Democratic control
state Supreme Court, and they've put back on the ballot.

(01:55:53):
They've actually they've nominde it lawful to have ballot drop
boxes and things along those lines. They also outlawed partisan
jerry mandery there in Wisconsin, three in Arizona, three in Colorado,
three in Florida, four in Iowa, three in Iowa, three
in Ohio. Then U see four there in Pennsylvania. And

(01:56:14):
so that's what we are seeing. Republicans desperate want to
jerrymanda Pennsylvania because this is what they're basing layer. They're saying, well,
Trump won these states, Well, that means nothing. People have
to understand congressional districts. There are four hundred and thirty
five in the country. They represent some eight hundred thousand people.
It has nothing to do about Trump winning a state.

(01:56:36):
That means nothing. Hell in North Carolina. Trump won North Carolina,
but Democrats won the governor's mansion, lieutenant governor, secretary of state,
attorney general. They won the state school superintendent and a
Supreme Court seat. Republicans won the state auditor. So that
means nothing. Who gives a damn if Trump won the state.

(01:56:57):
That's not how election Congressional elections are. But this is
about them. They like, those are thirty five vulnerable people.
That's why they're trying to steal these five seats with
this racist.

Speaker 26 (01:57:08):
Matt Yes, trying to create a permanent majority. And you
can't let that happen. You know, World, I want to
go something you highlight about young people and certain demographics.
I think there are two challenges, misinformation change and voter suppressure.
But the bottom line is if either the Democrats can
win on issues like we're talking about what's happening in
Texas to make sure we prevent some of this gender

(01:57:30):
managin then Nune this will matter. We've already seen some
of the implications in terms of some of the student
loan issues with Biden and people have to pay now
back to save program is eliminated. But it's really important
that not only in Texas. But what's happening is going
to happen in Florida and some of these other states
are the Red States. Is they try to peel away

(01:57:50):
some more of these congressional districts. Democrats have to have
a plan. You need to have money and consistent support.
The only way we can deal with this tidal wave
for his relationship and Maney. Otherwise we're going to be
dealing with some of these same issues. The country is
going to verge of a recession that's going to impact

(01:58:10):
the number of working class and underserved individuals throughout the country.

Speaker 6 (01:58:15):
So this is the first step.

Speaker 1 (01:58:18):
I understand on the Congo. I understand the points that
Larry has made there, and I agree for the suppression
those things. But here, I think is again the fundamental
problem in Texas and that we also see in other places.
We see this for Democrats in Louisiana. We see this
because we saw it in Georgia. It's an unorganized state.

(01:58:39):
There are two hundred and fifty four counties in Texas.
Democrats only have county offices in eighty one of texas
two hundred fifty four counties. So the issue that you
have is you do not have a sustained organizing apparatus
in Texas that is three hundred and sixty five days,
seven days a week. Better or work was putting that together.
He traveled all across the state. He visited all two

(01:59:00):
hundred fifty four counties. But what happens when the election
is over? And so what should be happening right now?
What it's called nonpartisan groups, nonprofits or whatever while this
battle is happening. You can't just hope people turn out.
The state has to be organized and mobilized.

Speaker 8 (01:59:21):
Yeah.

Speaker 27 (01:59:21):
Absolutely, this is the all hands on deck approach.

Speaker 15 (01:59:23):
And we can't just leave these Democrats out there to
drive almost like the way we treat like certainly you
know when elections come, Oh our guy in see you
in two years, see you in four years. Like we
can't have this mentality, Oh they're just going to hold
out to December. It's all going to be fine. Republicans
never quit. Every single day they're fighting to move the
needle just a little bit. And so if you're going
to have all of those districts that don't have representation,

(01:59:43):
right now, you've put out the work, You've put out
the call for people to get out there and every
time you have people like you know, Cliff Albright. I mean,
there are people like him who have the blueprint for
what needs to be done and how it can be
done right in terms of their organizations. If people won't
understand that this has to be step by step, district
by district, we're.

Speaker 5 (02:00:03):
Going to lose.

Speaker 27 (02:00:04):
Everything is going to be temporary.

Speaker 15 (02:00:05):
Things are going to look good for the cameras here
and there, but people have to be involved in this
fight at every level. When I brought up like George
Clooney and others who can help, you know, these guys financially,
I was just using that as an example that these
celebrities who talked a lot during the last election need
to be involved in the game. The youth people that
you talked about, I'm sorry, the youth that you talk about.
With everything that's happening in Texas, from women's rights to

(02:00:28):
the job opportunities to what's going to be happening with this.

Speaker 27 (02:00:31):
Bill, there is no reason for young people to not
be engaged in this fight.

Speaker 15 (02:00:34):
Everybody's talking about the young guy at James tell Rico,
you know in Texas, who's bringing the youth along with
him or whatever. If these young people are not going
to get immobilized right now, not in the summer of
twenty twenty six, then this is theirs to lose.

Speaker 27 (02:00:47):
This is their future. I miss all of our futures,
but it's primarily their future.

Speaker 15 (02:00:51):
And so if they're not going to see that through
the inaction of the flood, do they want to be
the next flood victim? When people don't vote for a
monitoring system, they have everything to lose in this system them.
So if they don't get behind these Democrats as well
and start waking up and do some of that work
that needs to happen in some of these districts that
you just talked about that have no representation, then I'm
afraid that these these these Democrats who left Texas is

(02:01:14):
going to be all.

Speaker 27 (02:01:15):
In vain and we can't let that happen.

Speaker 5 (02:01:16):
Roland.

Speaker 1 (02:01:17):
So let me close this out with this for folks
to understand, you heard you heard Congress women in Jasmine Crockett.
You heard her say in that news conference, We've got
to get behind these folks, and what she's saying is
they're doing their job. The question now is what are

(02:01:40):
you going to do? I see your comments in the chat.
I see this, somebody says Roland, this is a sl
Watson thirty five rolland there needs to be a leader
to help us mobilize our Texas state. You're correct, we
have to be a cohesion plan. You already have that.
You already have groups who are doing that. But here's
the question. I will say to Slats thirty five. If

(02:02:01):
you're in Texas, you can be a mobilizing leader. Let
me unpack that. And I say this all the time.
If you're going to organize Texas, you have to organize
Texas counties. In order to organize Texas counties, you got

(02:02:23):
to organize Texas cities. To organize Texas cities, you have
to organize Texas neighborhoods. To organize Texas neighborhoods, you have
to organize Texas streets. To organize Texas streets. No Texas neighborhoods.

(02:02:45):
You got to organize Texas blocks, Texas blocks, Texas streets,
Texas streets, Texas houses. Texas houses means one person in
the house. So what now then happens? So one person
in a house says, we got to organize and mobilize
here in Texas. So the person in the house says,

(02:03:09):
I got to organize my neighbors. The neighbors say, we
got to organize our street. The street folks say, we
got to organize our block. The block people say, we
got to organize our neighborhood. All of a sudden, when
neighborhoods mobilize, you now organize and mobilize the city. When

(02:03:30):
the cities mobilize, you begin to organize, organize and mobilize
the county. When the county and the cities are mobilized,
you now begin to organize and mobilize the state. So
where do you start. I keep this very basic and
I keep it very clear and very simple, and that
is this, go look at the existing data. You can

(02:03:56):
pull up the data by going to the state Board
of Elections, the county Board of Elections, and you can say,
how did my precinct vote, Folks. Elections are based upon precincts.
There are x number of precincts in the state, in
the county, in the city. You pull the data and

(02:04:17):
you say, oh, my precinct, which could be a collection
of neighborhoods, my precinct has seven hundred registered voters. That
doesn't mean eligible voters to be registered but let's just
say it has seven hundred registered voters. Well, those seven

(02:04:40):
hundred of the seven hundred registered voters in the last
congressional campaign in my precinct, three hundred voter. That means
it's right there in the data. Four hundred registered voters
in that precinct did not vote in the last congressional, presidential, state,

(02:05:08):
county commissioner, city school board, DA whatever election. And so,
if you're watching us right now or listening, stop trying
to worry about a big leader of the organized state.
Stop stop trying to worry about men who can do
the county, who can do the city, who do the neighborhood.

(02:05:31):
You watching right now should first start with what's in
my concentric circle. Hmm. Let me first start with my family.
Don't we first start within my households. Let's my family.
Let me then start with my neighbor owner, left, neighbor

(02:05:51):
owner right across the street. You begin to bill there,
this is how it is done. The reason And let
me real clear, Republicans, whenever you hear Republicans complained about
what's happening in Texas, I'm trying not to cuss because
I keep running the people who kept telling me, come on, roller,

(02:06:12):
you gotta stop cussing. But I really want to tell
them the f off right now because Republicans have controlled
Texas for the last thirty years, since George W. Bush
was elected to a second term. Republicans hold every state
wide office in Texas, all of them. They have controlled

(02:06:38):
the House and the control of the Senate. It's a fact.
So when they complained about what's happening, you can't blame Democrats.
They couldn't blame Biden. They control the state. The Texas
power grid is trash. You know why because Republicans unplugged
from the national power grid. So we're going to create

(02:06:59):
our That's why you have folks who died when it
got cold all across Texas. I mean, we could go
on and on and on. Greg Abbott spent three billion
dollars building bullshit along the border. Even the Republicans were like,
this shit ain't working, so they quietly stopped spending. He

(02:07:21):
wasted three billion dollars. The problem we have in America
is there are a lot of people who complain who
don't vote the opposition. They vote. And when you complain
and say, well, I'm not voting unless I get tangibles.

Speaker 8 (02:07:47):
Full.

Speaker 1 (02:07:48):
You can't get any tangibles unless you vote. It doesn't
work the other way around. Now, what it means is
when the election is over and you are putting pressure
on that person, I need you deliver. But then what
happens when your person doesn't win. You're still a constituent

(02:08:11):
and you can make demands of them. This moment that
we are looking at right now is a challenge to
the people, the silent majority in Texas who don't vote.
I'm gonna give you the stat again, and you heard
me say it several times. I'm still registered to vote
in Texas. So it's my brother, this is my two sisters,

(02:08:35):
so my parents, so my numerous all of my nieces, nephews,
all thirteen of them, my cousins, my aunts and uncles.
I've got four or five hundred relators in Texas. Folks,
they are registered. But the problem is sixty one percent

(02:08:56):
of Texas it's black, Latino, Asian, American, Native American. Get
sixty one percent of the people that vote in Texas
are white. Yes there's voter suppression, Yes there's Jerymandarin. Well,

(02:09:17):
in the history of black people, we've had to hop
jump hurdle, go under go over every obstacle presented. So
if you don't have an ID, we should be working
with folks to help get them an ID. We should

(02:09:38):
be reregistering every single year. Oh they're removing folks like
crazy in Florida. Fine, register to vote every single year.
Just fill the card out, turn it in. Y'all aren't
screwing me over. The only way we change this by
taking our country back and taking our state back is
if we use our power at the ballot box. But

(02:10:00):
it cannot happen if we are not organized in mobilize.
This shirt I'm wearing, Color Change gave him this shirt.
It says voting wild black. If you are complaining while
black and you're not registered with Paul due respect, shut

(02:10:23):
the fuck up, Niambi. Thanks a lot, Nyambi, Larry, Oh, Micongo.
I appreciate y'all being on today's show. Thank you very much,
folks and molast Off. We wanted to get to We
obviously did not get to it because we were so

(02:10:44):
focused on what's the racist Jerry mander and maps in Texas.
We're gonna be covering more of this tomorrow. We're not
letting go of this story. We don't give a ship
with MSNBC. Seeing in Fox, ABC NBC is doing. This
is personal to us because, oh, when we talk about
celebrating on teenth that originated in Texas, we talked about
what's happening in Texas. And I'm telling y'all, if we

(02:11:06):
take Texas, the Republican Party falls apart, they fall apart.
And so for me, being a native of this state,
being a homeowner in the state, you god damn right,
it's personal. You don't want support the work that we do, join,
I bring the Funk Fan Club. Every dollar you give

(02:11:28):
go support what we are doing, because again, mainstream media
is not covering this at all. You heard on the
Congo say nobody was covering the Texas of news conference.
We were covering it live right here on Rolling Mark unfilter.
There's nobody in black On media that's doing We're doing
every day as well, and so listen. September fourth is
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(02:12:33):
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