>> he's also a political activist with a lot to say about voting rights and joins me live tonight. good eving. i'm mehdi hasan. senate republicans dramatically swooping in by water, to a news conference after touring portions of the border with customs and border patrol, a remind they are the perceived enemy at the boarder is this. children. not soldiers. not terrorists. only girls and boys looking to be united with family in the u.s. that's right, gop senator tommy tubberville ready to take the fight to unaccompanied kids. everything the republican party is doing at the border right now, everything the republican party is saying about the border right now is -- from outrage over how children are being treated, it's meant to enrage. these senators posted videos to their accounts of them crouching in the brush, in the dark, to hide from the evil drug smugglers at the border. the same smugglers who heckled them during their visit. so sad. the senate gop twitter account also chose to highlight this photo of senator ted cruz on the border. let's take a closer look at the pose he's striking. no comment necessary, really. however all of this looks, there are lives at take, not just the lives of kids trying to cross the border, but the other brown skin people that live in the u.s. that may face backlash. these acts at the border are dangerous, and there is a mismatch right now between what the challenge at the border is, it's a mess, no denying that with people being put in overcrowded faciliies and what the is talking about. listen to what dan crenshaw had to say to me about the kids crossing into the u.s. >> 75% of the supposed unaccompanied minors are 15 years old and males. this is military age in a lot of other countries south of the border. so we're -- [ overlapping speakers ] let me ask you something -- i think a 4-year-old child we should take care of. there's a different lens between a 4-year-old child and a 17-year-old male. >> military age males. that's the phrase the gop is using to describe children. as if teenagers aren't children. >> this isn't about politics, and it isn't about playing games. it's about the humanity of these children. it's respecting their dignity, and it's about empathizing. >> did you know a delegation of democratic lawmakers, including representative omar there, also traveled to the board they are past week? no. maybe it's because they didn't have a gun boat. we laugh, but unfortunately, they're succeeding in frame thing awful and so-called immigration debate. on thursday, fully a third of the questions joe biden faced at his first news conference were about the border crisis. which means the republicans are winning. their talking points are driving this latest panic. for more, let's turn to congresswoman omar who you just heard there. congresswoman, thanks for joining us on the show tonight. >> glad to be here with you. >> you were at the order on friday, and you met with kids in detention. what did they tell you about why they're coming here and how they're being treated? >> thank you so much for asking that question. the kids that we met told us that they were coming here to be reunited with their family members. almost every single child i sat with and had a conversation with had a father, a mother, a sister, an aunt that was living in the united states that they were reconnecting with. they also told us about the, you know, really horrific journey that they were -- that they undertook. you could see the trauma is still in their eyes, even though they've been in the united states for a few weeks. and it also, you know, explained the tragedies of the lives that they fled. you know, for me, i sat next to a young boy who was 12 years old, who, as soon as he started talking, i leaned over and i said, i was your age when i came to the united states, and, you know, he lit up i think realizing that there were lawmakers and others who also understood his journey. and, you know, we asked him what message he wanted us to take to the president. he said he came to the united states looking for an opportunity and just wanted to be treated with dignity. and that's what these children deserve. these are kids who have went through unspeakable conditions. and they don't deserve to be in detention centers. they deserve to be united with their families. >> unfortunately, they're not being treated with very much humanity and dignity. thousands are in detention, hundreds held for longer than the legal limit of 72 hours in cvp stations. many of them unable to use a shower for days or see daylight. you were critical of the trump administration. are you as critical of this biden administration for also holding children in horrible conditions, even if they say it's not their fault, it's what they inherited, the children are still suffering. >> it's unacceptable and shocking. that we are keeping children in these situations. and it's not because we don't have the resources or the ability to move kids through our system and reconnect them with their families. you know, i didn't go into the border center for children are held where these horrendous conditions exist. i went to a secondary location where kids are living in better condition, but still not an acceptable condition that we shouldn't be there for a long period of time. and what those folks told us that were caring for these children is that there is an opportunity for the united states to deploy all agencies to the border to a one-time processing of these children. kids were coming in where the mother, a father to process them through, get them reconnected with their families. those who are coming who have relatives to process them as well. and those who are in need of a sponsor and a foster family, to put them in one of those nonprofit centers that we have, and allow for the follow-up and the process that takes with case workers, to take place after. i mean, the conditions that we are keeping children in, no children are living -- when people are fleeing their homes and to have these really horrific, traumatizing conditions to exist in the united states for children is quite shameful. >> so you mentioned the 12-year-old boy you spoke to at the border and your own experience you mentioned to him. what was it like for you to live in a refugee camp in kenya before you left somalia and when you came here from the age of 8 to 12, to be seen as a threat as so many refugees around the world sadly still are? >> right. it is to forever, you know, internally and externally feel homeless when you are a refugee. you become a political football, part of a conversation, and games those in power want to play with your life. you know, it's really dehumanizing. and that's why i've tried to focus this conversation about what's happening with these children and the solutions that we need to find in their humanity and in their dignity. when i arrived at the age of 8 at the border of kenya, i was processed and given an opportunity to be sheltered and without those four years i waited for a process to eventually happen to have a better opportunity here in the united states. and the conditions i lived in were not acceptable, as well. but they certainly did not resemble anything like the conditions that kids are living in, on our boarders here in the united states of america. >> wow, that was depressing to hear. just to shift to the big picture. it was reported that you are part of a political progressive delegation that met with ron klain. what do you say to your critics on the left who said progressives in congress like yourself, the squad, haven't pushed biden hard enough on issues like the $15 minimum page, universal health care, the filibuster. >> that's because we have been pushing really that the, you know, american rescue plan is deemed to be the most progressive policy in decades. we certainly understand that there was a failed strategy, not by the progressives in congress, because we put $15 in the package. by the administration, i think the -- their early signaling that that could be negotiated out and it might not stick as part of the final package. really i think that endangered the ability for us to pass $15. so when we were in that meeting, we pushed for a strategy to get $15 minimum wage. we pushed for a strategy to pass the agenda that the administration ran on, that the democrats agree on, whether it is passing sensible gun laws, dealing with our immigration crisis, and all of the things that we all care about. what we talked away from that conversation with is an understanding that there is a limited window of opportunity for us to push these pieces of legislation. there are members in the senate within the democratic party that are certainly not there yet on the priority pieces of legislation that we have. and it's going to be up to the administration to come up with a strategy to push them, because progressives in the house are constantly told to get in line and to push policies that are going to have an impact on people's lives. that's what those democrats in the senate need to be told. and that's what it's going to take. >> we're almost out of time. i want to ask very quickly, the derek chauvin trial starts tomorrow in your district. if he gets off scot-free, what would happen in minneapolis? how would african-american communities react to another police killing without any consequences? >> i mean, as you can imagine in our community, it's still traumatized by the murder of george floyd and the events that unfolded with the uprising. we are a community that has experienced time and time again injustice within the criminal justice system, and we are holding our breath. we know that he has lots of resources and a great defense. but we have faith in attorney general keith ellison and his team and their ability to get justice. >> let's see what happens. congresswoman, thank you for your time tonight. >> thank you for having me. still to come, same story, different year. the gun reform debate again. will the outcome ever change? plus, thousands of covid deaths that could have been avoided. could president trump one day be held criminally responsible? and activist, actor will join me to talk about the voting rights some are trying to take away. but first, richard has the headlines. >> at least four people died and 130 rescued in nashville, tennessee. starting friday, new yorkers will be able to use an app that shows if they've been vaccinated or if they recently tested negative for covid-19. the pass is the first of its kind in the u.s. the governor says it will help entertainment venues and other businesses open up to larger groups. finally, comic-con plans to hold an in-person convention during thanksgiving weekend. the san diego super hero convention went virtual in 2020 due to the pandemic. organizers say they're still figuring out the cost of tickets and how many people will be able to attend that. more of "the mehdi hasan show" after this break. f "the mehdi h" after this break you get unlimited data for as little as $25 a month. but when you bring a friend, you get a month for $5. so i'm bringing everyone within 12 degrees of me. bam, 12 months of $5 wireless. visible. wireless that gets better with friends. i've lost count of how many asthma attacks i've had. i've been on and off oral steroids to manage my asthma. does that sound normal to you? it's time for a nunormal with nucala. my nunormal: fewer asthma attacks. my nunormal: less oral steroids. nucala is a once-monthly add-on injection for severe eosinophilic asthma. it targets and reduces eosinophils, a key cause of severe asthma. nucala is proven to help prevent severe asthma attacks, and reduce the need for oral steroids. nucala is not for sudden breathing problems. allergic reactions can occur. get help right away if you have swelling of your face, mouth, tongue, or trouble breathing. infections that can cause shingles have occurred. don't stop your corticosteroid medications unless told by your doctor. tell your doctor if you have a parasitic infection. common side effects include headache, injection site reactions, back pain, and fatigue. ask your doctor about taking nucala at home. learn about financial assistance at nucala.com. find your nunormal with nucala. starting today, nobody has to settle for less than the very best. because only verizon gives you 5g from america's most reliable network at no extra cost. and more of the entertainment you love like apple music. and the beautiful iphone 12 on us when you buy one. only from verizon. - [announcer] we're thrive cosmetics, we create high performance, cruelty free, 100% vegan formulas and we love that you love our products. like our award winning liquid lash extensions mascara. plus, with every product you purchase we donate to help a woman thrive. join our movement today at thrivecosmetics.com. this weekend in virginia beach, two people were killed and another eight injured in multiple shootings. this as the country is still reeling from the shootings in atlanta and boulder. just three months into 2021, there have been 114 mass shootings in america. according to data from the gun violence archive, more than 10,000 americans have been killed by guns this year already. crazy. joe biden has called on congress to ban assault weapons and for the senate to pass the two house bills on background checks. well, one senator who won't be voting for those bills is republican lindsey graham who, fresh off of his gun toting kos play at the border, had this to say about assault rifles. >> i own an ar-15. if there is a natural disaster in south carolina where the cops can't protect my neighborhood, my house will be the last one that the gang will come to becauseky defend myself. >> that is the kind of world that too many republican lawmakers inhabit. he wants you to know if there's a natural disaster, he will shoot his constituents rather than help his neighbors. of course, the nra plays a role in this. cameron questioned senator marco rubio about taking nra money in 2018. >> in the name of 17 people, you cannot ask the nra to keep their money out of your campaign? >> i think in the name of 17 people, i can pledge to you i will support any law that will prevent a killer like this -- >> no. >> cameron cassky joins me now. let's start with those comments from lindsey graham about ar-15s, the weapon responsible for the death of your classmates in 2018, as well as sandy hook, las vegas, but graham has to imagine a post apocalypse scenario to justify having those weapons. what do you make of those remarks? >> they're pretty good sign that gun control with republicans is not a constitutional battle. it's a culture war thing. the suggestion that lindsey graham can be a tough guy defending away invaders is the narrative they sell and what they want the republicans to say to sell more guns. it's all a marketing thing, which is what you say when gun sales skyrocket after a mass shooting. it's because of this kind of messaging. >> yeah. imagine responding to shootings in spas and in grocery stores by inventing some weird societal breakdown scenario in society. i want to show you this graph. this shows gun homicides per 100,000 residents. the u.s. is double the rate of chile and 20 times the rate of other countries. why is it that americans like graham think they need these weapons when no one else in the industrialized world does. >> well, again, this is just a well funded story. a story that the gun manufacturers pay the gun lobby to use the republicans as mouthpieces to tell. it's how they sell weapons. it's their marketing techniques. guns are one of the only industries we're able to successfully have in this industry. and they sell really well and they know how to play on fear, and they know what they're doing. it's a well-oiled machine at the gun lobby. but in times like these, there were just a graph up about the support for the wildly popular back ground check bills, the red flag laws. it makes you wonder, the republicans have always been actively acting in the interests of the gun manufacturers. what are the democrats doing right now? this is a story that's been told since before i was born. the columbine shooting was before i was born, and the democrats, they've got a lot of power right now. they can abolish the filibuster and get these bills passed. and we're not getting the baseline level of the simplest reforms we can get. >> yes. and it is the simplest reform. background checks are the very basics. it won't prevent the shootings, but it will change the discourse. polling from politico shows 84% of all voters, including 77% of republicans support universal background checks. two senators from the gop spoke on "meet the press" today and think there are now enough votes in the senate for a compromise. have a listen. >> i've got an lot of calls from republicans in the senate who don't want to fight this fight any longer because the nra's authority is fading, the anti-gun violence movement is increasing. >> we need to require background checks on commercial sales. that's where senator manchin is. and there are republican senators who are interested. >> do you think it can get done? are you optimistic about the nra is weaker than it was, people are angrier about mass shootings. is now the moment to get something done? >> look, the nra has been tripping over itself. it's obviously a mess. they got into the content creator space and that was a financial issue for them. but it's not about the nra. it's about this moment that we have right now with our lawmakers. if the biden administration is going to show one a $15 minimum wage, if they're not going to show up for student loans. i'm a college-age voter and voted for joe biden. if they're not going to show up for the very gun control bills that they campaigned on, what was this about, about getting a better president than donald trump? that's great. we need the bare minimum. we need it, and it's really up to the biden administration to put the pressure on all of the lawmakers to make this happen. >> agreed. and we're almost out of time, but i want to ask you this, a lot of people say this country is numb to mass shootings. we hear the news and we carry on with our business. what is it like for you as a survivor of a mass shooting when you hear the news that something has happened in atlanta, something happened in boulder, what is that like for you? >> well, with the shootings in atlanta, obviously that was a horrible moment for our country, specifically because of the racial violence, and because the fact that the united states has been fundamentally racist towards asian communities for a very long time. the boulder shooting was horrific, but what comes to mind right now is the fact that the entire country is traumatized. the events of the past year have been horrible for the entire nation. people have been losing family members everywhere. so the type of trauma you would see like parkland or aurora or sandy hook, it's something the whole country knows in a way that it hasn't in a very long time. so i think about the people in those communities that have to see this horrible thing happen in what's been a horrible year. the country is numb to deaths in a lot of different ways, not just about guns. and it's -- i send all of my love to the people who are dealing with this, and i send all the pressure i possibly can to the lawmakers who are twiddling their thumbs about it. >> well said. well said. cameron, thank you so much for being with us tonight. >> thanks for having me. dr. deborah birx who served under trump, says thousands of coronavirus deaths could have been avoided. so why weren't they and who will be held accountable? en't they al be held accountable? how great is it that we get to tell everybody how liberty mutual customizes your car insurance so you only pay for what you need? i mean it... uh-oh, sorry... oh... what? i'm an emu! no, buddy! only pay for what you need. ♪ liberty, liberty, liberty, liberty. ♪ hey, dad! hey, son! no dad, it's a video call. you got to move the phone in front of you like..like it's a mirror, dad. you know? alright, okay. how's that? is that how you hold a mirror? [ding] power e*trade gives you an award-winning mobile app with powerful, easy-to-use tools and interactive charts to give you an edge, 24/7 support when you need it the most and $0 commissions for online u.s. listed stocks. don't get mad. get e*trade and start trading today. ♪ ♪ it's not "pretty good or nothing." it's not "acceptable or nothing." and it's definitely not "close enough or nothing." mercedes-benz suvs were engineered with only one mission in mind. to be the best. in the category, in the industry... in the world. visit your local mercedes-benz dealer for exceptional lease and financing offers. mercedes-benz. the best or nothing. ♪ ♪ losing a tooth didn't stop you but your partial can act like a bacteria magnet, putting natural teeth at risk. new polident propartial helps purify your partial and strengthens and protects natural teeth. so, are you gonna lose another tooth? not on my watch! people were afraid i was contagious. i felt gross. it was kind of a shock after i started cosentyx. four years clear. real people with psoriasis look and feel better with cosentyx. don't use if you're allergic to cosentyx. before starting, get checked for tuberculosis. an increased risk of infections and lowered ability to fight them may occur. tell your doctor about an infection or symptoms, if your inflammatory bowel disease symptoms develop or worsen, or if you've had a vaccine or plan to. serious allergic reactions may occur. learn more at cosentyx.com. we look up to our heroes. idolizing them. mimicking their every move. and if she counts on the advanced hydration of pedialyte when it matters most... so do we. hydrate like our heroes. ♪♪ not everybody wants the same thing. hythat's why i go withs. liberty mutual — they customize my car insurance so i only pay for what i need. 'cause i do things a bit differently. wet teddy bears! wet teddy bears here! only pay for what you need. ♪ liberty. liberty. liberty. liberty. ♪ but are you saving the most? check out rxsaver - a free coupon app and website where you can see prices and save up to 85% on your prescriptions. it could even beat your insurance copay. just visit rxsaver.com, type in your meds, select your pharmacy and show the coupon when you pay. now you're an rxsaver! remember: you haven't saved...until you're an rxsaver! there were about 100,000 deaths that came from that original surge. all of the rest of them, in my mind, could have been mitigated or decreased substantially. >> hundreds of thousands of deaths that could have been avoided. that's the new message from dr. deborah birx. more than 550,000 americans have lost their lives to covid-19, with over 30 million cases across the country. president trump told fox news that he chose to ignore his own experts, including dr. anthony fauci. >> i didn't really listen to them too much, because i was doing the opposite of what he was saying. >> he just came out and said it. he ignored the advice of his own medical experts. but will he be held accountable? our next guest says he should be. joining me now is former federal prosecutor glenn kirschner. you want president trump criminally investigated over covid deaths. one study said there were 400,000 deaths that would have been avoided. dr. birx is saying something similar. but most legal experts say the bar is too high to criminally link president trump, the president in d.c. t the time, to any of those individual deaths at the state level. >> i disagree. here's the thing, as a former career homicide prosecutor, when i look at the elements of one of the lower level homicide offenses, whether we call it involuntary manslaughter or negligent homicide, different jurisdiction call it different things. there are really only three things that must be proved. the first thing is that president trump engaged in grossly negligent conduct. we can check that box, that his grossly negligent conduct was reasonably likely to result in death or serious bodily injury to others. check. and the third element, which sounds tougher than it is to prove is that he thereby caused the death of another. but causation in the law is defined as your grossly negligent conduct being a substantial factor bringing about the deaths. we now have an admission of guilt from president trump's own mouth. he said, dr. anthony fauci, one of the preeminent infectious disease experts in this nation, indeed in the world, was giving me advice on how to best protect the health of the american people, and i did the opposite. that statement will make an appearance in a court of law when president trump is finally prosecuted for these manslaughters. >> i do hope you're right, because it seems to me bizarre that more than 500,000 americans can die, more than the world war ii death toll, more than the world war i death toll, vietnam, et cetera, and no one is held responsible? people cause a car accident and people die, they get prosecuted. and yet you have a new administration, the biden administration, which doesn't seem interested in holding president trump to account for anything. you know, january 6, his role in that. or let alone covid. i would like to see a covid crimes commission to investigate people across the board for their role on this on a federal and state level. but we haven't seen any sign of that. >> we haven't seen it yet, and i know we're always waiting for the next white knight to gallop in and clean up president trump's mess. i'm not saying merrick garland is that white knight. what i'm saying, mehdi, he's a deadly serious crime fighter. the man broke his public corruption teeth on the mayor marion barry prosecution office in d.c. he then cut his domestic terrorism teeth overseeing the investigation and prosecution of the oklahoma city bombing. what he said when he took over that investigation was that i guarantee you, i promise you, we will hold everyone accountable for what they just did to the federal building in oklahoma. but we will do it in a way that honors the constitution. i take merrick garland at his word, and i think he's going to tackle the crimes he sees in the trump administration. >> let's hope so. we need accountability. i have to ask, that was a stark assessment from dr. birx about preventable deaths. but it's worth remembering that she was saying something quite different when she was still in the administration working for him. have a listen to what she said last year. >> he's been so attentive to the scientific literature and the details and the data. and i think his -- his ability to analyze and integrate data that comes out of his long history and business is really been a real benefit during these discussions about medical issues. >> this is all too little too late, suspect it, glenn? >> it is. that was at a minimum, an unseemly thing for her to say, and i can predict, though, what she will now say. i was on the inside, and i was trying to continue to massage donald trump's ego and trying to prevent as many deaths as i could. that may not be an entirely satisfying answer. but there are good public servants who remained in government through difficult circumstances, still trying to protect the american people. let's hope she was one of those government servants. >> well, you can stay in government and do your best without slathering praise on donald j. trump's brain, so-called. thanks so much. >> thank you, mehdi. next, the 60-second rant that i should haven't to give, including why men shouldn't refer to women as witches. plus, the backlash in georgia after lawmakers limit access to voting. bradley whitford joins me to discuss. adley whitford joins meo discuss. psst! psst! allergies don't have to be scary. spraying flonase daily stops your body from overreacting to allergens all season long. psst! psst! you're good. itchy? squirmy? scratchy? family not getting clean? get new charmin ultra strong. go get 'em. it just cleans better. with a diamond weave texture, your family can use less while still getting clean. goodbye itchy squirm! hello clean bottom! we all go. why not enjoy the go with charmin. when i found out . . . . . . i had hiv, it was difficult for . . . . . . me to accept. i decided . . . . . . hiv doesn't define me. my name's dimitri. and i'm on biktarvy. biktarvy is a complete, one-pill, once-a-day treatment . . . . . . used for hiv in certain adults. it's not a cure, but with one small pill . . . . . . biktarvy fights hiv to help you get to and stay undetectable. that's when the amount of virus is so low . . . . . . it cannot be measured by a lab test. serious side effects can occur, including kidney problems and kidney failure. rare, life-threatening side effects include a build-up of lactic acid and liver problems. do not take biktarvy if you take dofetilide or rifampin. tell your doctor about all the medicines and supplements you take, . . . . . . if you are pregnant or breastfeeding, or if you have kidney or liver problems, including hepatitis. if you have hepatitis b, do not stop taking biktarvy without talking to your doctor. common side effects were diarrhea, nausea, and headache. if you're living with hiv . . . . . . keep loving who you are. and ask your doctor if biktarvy is right for you. it is time for what i call the 60-second rant. start the clock. if you have any touts that the gop is morphing into a vie rent cult, check out this. he referred to michigan's governor, secretary of state and attorney all women, as witches. and talked about getting them lady for burning at the stake. he joked that the only way to get rid of the two michigan members of congress were assassination. hilarious. but this is no joke. there was a plot to skill the governor of michigan six months ago. the capital police say threats against members of congress were up 94% this year. and it wasn't just the attack on the capitol by trump supporters. 56% of republicans agree that the traditional way of american life, we may have to use force to save it. so the fact that democracy in this country is not just from voter suppression laws, it's from senior member os of a party that continue to incite violence against their opponents without any consequence, without any shame. [ buzzer ] next, actor and activist bradley whitford is here. he's outspoken when it comes to voting, and now even more so when some are trying to take that right away. stick around. are trying to take that right away. stick around kevin bacon here. you know me from six degrees of well... me. but it's time to expand. see, visible is wireless with no surprise fees, legit unlimited data, powered by verizon for as little as $25 a month. but when you bring a friend every month, you get every month for $5. so i'm bringing everyone within 12 degrees of me. bam, 12 months of $5 wireless. visible. as little as $25 a month. or $5 a month when you bring a friend. powered by verizon. wireless that gets better with friends. breyers is always so delicious... i can tell that they used your milk, matilda. great job! [moo] you're welcome. breyers natural vanilla is made with 100% grade a milk and cream and only sustainably farmed vanilla. better starts with breyers. i've lost count of how many asthma attacks i've had. milk and cream and only si've been on and off oral. steroids to manage my asthma. does that sound normal to you? it's time for a nunormal with nucala. my nunormal: fewer asthma attacks. my nunormal: less oral steroids. nucala is a once-monthly add-on injection for severe eosinophilic asthma. it targets and reduces eosinophils, a key cause of severe asthma. nucala is proven to help prevent severe asthma attacks, and reduce the need for oral steroids. nucala is not for sudden breathing problems. allergic reactions can occur. get help right away if you have swelling of your face, mouth, tongue, or trouble breathing. infections that can cause shingles have occurred. don't stop your corticosteroid medications unless told by your doctor. tell your doctor if you have a parasitic infection. common side effects include headache, injection site reactions, back pain, and fatigue. ask your doctor about taking nucala at home. learn about financial assistance at nucala.com. find your nunormal with nucala. i've been telling everyone, the secret to great teeth... is having healthy gums. new crest advanced gum restore... detoxifies below the gum line, and restores by helping heal gums in as little as seven days. crest. the #1 toothpaste brand in america. a state of georgia has passed a law thatfeatures for absentee voting and gives the legislature greater power and influence over county election boards. georgia is just one of 43 states that has introduced legislation restricting voting access. these are the different major themes of the pending voter bills across the country. limits on who can vote by bill, tighter voter i.d. requirements and preventing same-day voter registration. look at all the bills that would be blocked if passed in the senate. without it, bills like the one just signed in georgia could be the first step towards an anti-democratic dystopia more suited to "the hand maid's tale." joining me now is bradley whitford. thanks for coming on the show tonight. there is a growing tv and film industry in georgia, so what should hollywood's response be to this law? because after indiana and georgia passed previous controversial laws on abortion, on lbgtq rights, there were boycotts. are you going to be advocating for your fellow actors to stop filming in the peach state? >> i'll be honest with you, first of all, it's good to see you and thank you for having me. i'm going to follow the lead of stacey abrams whos have very specific reasons about why the film industry should not boycott georgia, because of the communities that it would affect. i trust her judgment on this. my first instinct is, yes, absolutely we need to put whatever pressure we can. it has to come from industries, it has to come from corporations. let's take a moment to look at the insane place that we are. president trump lost the election. republicans haven't won the popular vote in 7 out of the last 8 elections. the only way they can exist is by keeping people who might vote not for republicans, from voting. the last election that we just experienced, the attorneys generals from all of the states, there were three recounts in georgia. there was no voter fraud. republicans don't care about vote -- about, you know, election security. and they don't care about, you know, a consensus. they care about power. and this is a brazen attempt to >> yeah. so you talk about other forms of pressure, if hollywood can't pull out right now because it would hurt communities on the ground, which is a legitimate argument. there have been campaigns to pressure georgia-based businesses. companies like coca-cola, delta, u.p.s., as you know, headquartered around atlanta. you tweeted, hey coca-cola, none of your wildly successful slogans have anything to do with voter suppression, speak up. what should consumers do? what actions can the rest of us do? >> i think we need to put pressure on these corporations. i think it is the pocketbook, unfortunately, not the moral imperative, that will get this done. i mean, clearly on top of this, no matter what the corporations do, we need to get rid of the filibuster and we need to put pressure on manchin and sinema because there is nothing that not only the progressives in this country but the majority of the country -- there is nothing that we need progress made on that will get done if we don't get rid of the filibuster. >> yes. 100% agree with you. you need to get rid of the filibuster in order to get hr-1 through. let's put that map up again on which states propose restricting voting rights, the bills that they're proposing. these are the ones that would be foiled by hr-1, that's information from the brennan center which does brilliant work. it doesn't take a rocket scientist to understand what's going on here, bradley, but is there another solution that congress can look at as a compromise? >> well, it seems to me at this point, look, my home state is wisconsin. i have watched republicans disenfranchise voters in wisconsin like it was alabama in 1963. i mean, it's extraordinary. it is shameful. i think we need some sort of federal basis. you know, it's amazing. the chief justice of the supreme court of the united states gutted the voting rights act in 2013 with the rationale that racism was over, which is obviously completely absurd. i wish that a reporter could ask him if he still feels that. but we need some sort of federal insurance that the most fundamental right in a democracy is ensured. and i think hr-1 is the only tool that we have now. and i think this is an emergency. and i strongly urge everyone out there to get involved in this. anything you care about depends on the passage of hr-1. >> so listen to senator lindsey graham speaking about hr-1 this morning on fox news. have a listen. >> i can't wait. >> what's sick is hr-1. federalizing state elections in our constitution. states are supposed to run elections. hr-1 is the biggest power grab in the history of the country. every time of a republican does anything, we're racist. if you're a white conservative, you're racist. if you're a black republican, they're either a prop or uncle tom. they use the racism card to advance a liberal agenda and we're tired of it. hr-1 is sick, not what they're doing in georgia. >> what's your response to lindsey graham, who used to call donald trump a racist at one time. >> yeah, racists don't like to be called racists. this is a classic example about how white supremacists reveal their own weakness and inability to compete on a level playing field. donald trump, i think i have it right here, said on "fox & friends" last year, he chooses his words carefully so i want to read it. you'll never have a republican elected in this country again if we make it easier to vote. this is insanity. and sorry, lindsey, yeah, it's racist. you formed a cult around an incoherent racist whose entire career is based on a birtherism lie. so yeah, it's racist. >> and you've got not just donald trump, lindsey graham. you've got the entire party behind this stuff, even moderates. you were in "the west wing," bradley, which influenced a lot of democratic politicians in office today with its message of noble bipartisanship, democrats and republicans working together for the common good. but that world, that republican party doesn't exist anymore, does it? that's pure fantasy. >> it doesn't exist. a version of it did. but this party has gone completely insane. they have no solutions. all they have is this kind of sort of, you know, fascist street theater. they have no solutions. and the only thing they care about is power. i've always said, the fakest thing in retrospect about "the west wing" was that we have reasonable republicans. they don't seem to exist anymore. and when mitch mcconnell pretends to care about consensus and bipartisanship, this is a guy -- we have one-third of our supreme court was appointed by individual 1, as he's known up in the new york district attorney's office. two of those seats were stolen. they're not interested in bipartisanship anymore. i don't know what their values are except for the accumulation of power. >> which means that democrats need to stop obsessing over bipartisanship, and i'm thinking of certain democrats like kyrsten sinema and joe manchin. we'll see what happens next. bradley whitford, thank you so much for joining me tonight. >> great to see you, thank you. we're moments away from "the week" with joshua johnson. the house whip will be discussing how to keep the filibuster from standing in the way. please stick around. we'll be right back. sing a too'u but your partial can act like a bacteria magnet, putting natural teeth at risk. new polident propartial helps purify your partial and strengthens and protects natural teeth. so, are you gonna lose another tooth? not on my watch! there it is... “the extra mile.” on the border of expected and extraordinary. for those willing to go further. like vans customized for work or play. with safety and tech to keep you connected. supported by a five-star sales, service and finance team. and backed by the one star you know. so, go the extra mile. it's never crowded because so few have what it takes to go there. mercedes-benz vans. we look up to our heroes. idolizing them. mimicking their every move. and if she counts on the advanced hydration of pedialyte when it matters most... so do we. hydrate like our heroes. ♪♪ needles. essential for pine trees, but maybe not for people with certain inflammatory conditions. because there are options. like an “unjection™”. xeljanz. the first and only pill of its kind that treats moderate to severe rheumatoid arthritis, psoriatic arthritis, or moderate to severe ulcerative colitis when other medicines have not helped enough. xeljanz can lower your ability to fight infections. before and during treatment, your doctor should check for infections, like tb and do blood tests. tell your doctor if you've had hepatitis b or c, have flu-like symptoms, or are prone to infections. serious, sometimes fatal infections, cancers including lymphoma, and blood clots have happened. taking a higher than recommended dose of xeljanz for ra may increase risk of death. tears in the stomach or intestines and serious allergic reactions have happened. needles. fine for some things. but for you, there's a pill that may provide symptom relief. ask your doctor about the pill first prescribed for ra more than seven years ago. xeljanz. an “unjection™”. ♪ limu emu & doug ♪ excuse me ma'am, did you know that more than seven years ago. liberty mutual customizes your car insurance so you only pay for what you need? thank you! hey, hey, no, no, limu, no limu! only pay for what you need. ♪ liberty. liberty. liberty. liberty. ♪ so jeff, you need all those screens streaming over your xfinity xfi... for your meeting? uhh yes. and your lucky jersey? oh, yeah. lauren, a cooler? it's hot. it's march. and jay, what's with all your screens? just checking in with my team... of colleagues. so you're all streaming on every device in the house, what?!! that was a foul. it's march... ...and you're definitely not watching basketball. no, no. i'm definitely not watching basketball. right... ( horn blaring ) thanks for watching. we'll be right back here next sunday. catch me monday through thursday, 7:00 p.m. eastern, on "the choice" on nbc's streaming channel peacock. now i'll turn it over to joshua johnson. >> hello, mehdi. thank you very much, and hello to you. good to be with you tonight. right now, democrats are turning up the heat on gun legislation and voting rights. but the filibuster remains a potential road block. if none of these bills will pass the senate, then what's the point? congressman james clyburn joins us live to talk strategy. covid cases are rising again all over the country. they are up 12% from last week.