Major damage to the building and flaws in the construction. Well have reports from the scene and ill talk with the Miamidade County mayor. Also a case of bipartisanship appears to break out on infrastructure. We all came to get some. What we did first was put the needs of our country. Soon things break down as President Biden say as larger plan must also be part of the deal. Where does this Deal Stand now . My guest this morning, republican Senator Bill Cassidy of louisiana and democratic Congresswoman Alexandria Ocasiocortez of New York, and the Justice Department sues georgia over its new voting law. The eligibility of our ability to vote is the center. Joining me for Insight And Analysis are nbc News Washington Correspondent andrea mitchell. Msnbc host Joshua Johnson and Danielle Pletka ott The American prize it substitution. Welcome to sunday. Its Meet The Press. Welcome to Meet The Press, the longest running show in television history. This is Meet The Press with chuck todd. Its sunday morning. Were going to get to the politics of the day, but were going to begin with the terrible tragedy of the Beach-condo'>Miami Beach Condo clachlts as of this morning 156 people remain missing in the collapse of the champlain tower complex, and hopes are fading that more survivors are be found in the rubble. The Death Toll could be roughly on par with oklahoma city. These terrible images of the floors pancaked one on top of the other reminds us of the devastation that took place on september 11th. Joining us is sam brock. Hes been covering the story since the early morning hours of the collapse. Sam, we know more fires in the rubble slowed down the Search And Rescue process, but i know officials insist this is still Search And Rescue. What can you tell us about how realistic it is that theyre going to find more survivors . Reporter well, theyre maintaining hope. I guess thats the best we can tell you, chuck. Look, were entering the fourth day of this search. Over my shoulder on the other side is a pile of rubble thats three or four stories high, and that rubble is incredibly fragile. We know Search And Rescue crews have much better accessibility than they had 24 hours earlier. The fire was emanating from the building. They had to locate it with infrared technology. They were deploying Water And Foam to tamp down the flames. All that smoke and were several blocks away was so thick, we were vb having trouble breathing. On top of that, chuck, you have downpours throughout the day, proopressive heat, and falling debris. Things are clearing up and theyre going full steam at this point with canines searching for human life, sonar to detect some sort of Sound And Excavation equipment, a 400ton Crane picking up smaller pieces of debris and bigger pieces of concrete to look into voids and cracks to potentially find people. Chuck, ive got to tell you. I spoke with someone with decades of experience in urban Search And Rescue. He anticipates it will be a couple more weeks of this going on with recovery efforts. 156 still missing this morning. Unmarriageable. A lot of people want to know why. Why did this happen. Weve gotten a Treasure Trove of papers released from the community of surfside, and there already seems to be some evidence in there of what may have been the initial cause. Where is the investigation going . Reporter so heres whether we stand. Big news dropped Friday Night when the Inspection Report from 2018 so about 2 1 2 years ago and the information came out. In its own words there was described significant breaks and cracks and there was a Slab U underneath the Pool Deck that needed to be switched out in its entirety. That was a couple of years ago. They Say Its not atypical of a building thats been there for 40 years. They said, look, were lawyer, not engineers. If there was imminent chance of failure, it should have been in the Report Snoomd there was a fatal flaw in the construction from the beginning. Sam brock, good work, thank you. Thank you. Joining me now is the mayor of my Miamidade County. Mayor lacava, welcome to Meet The Press. I know this has been a tough 96 hours. Anything you can tell us that occurred overnight . Any signs of new hope . Thank you for following this important story. We did control the fire and the smoke as of about noon yesterday, so the Search And Rescue operation continued unabated throughout the night. You announced a decision that youre going to reinspect, i guess, anything that is 40 years old or older. Explain that process and why did you start with buildings that are 40 years old or older . We have a recertification process. We make sure we have the necessary reports on file and that all of the remediation that has been ordered in those reports, recommended in those reports goes forward. Well be doing that deep dive over the next 30 days to make sure theyre up to date. 60 is in cities, and cities are going to have to do their own. There is voluntary evacuation in some of the other buildings in the champlain complex. Is the county going to be able to provide resources for people who dont want to stay in the buildings for fear that theyre not structurally sound . Just the building thats the Sister Building to The One that came down, that is The One that surfside has authorized for voluntary evacuation, and, yes, anyone who chooses to leave can be supported. Its also true that the Town Building Inspector went and did not find any immediate causes of concern. You know, this brought back a lot of memories for those of us who went through Hurricane Awn drew down there when sadly we found out buildings build bildt in the 70s And 80s were shoddy. Shoddy building practices exposed, panels faulted. Many Building Codes were indeed overhauled. But this building was built in 1981. Do you think you should order a review of any building basically that was built essentially in the 70s And 80s, prehurricane andrew, and have them all reinspected with a Finetooth Comb . We have a very strong building code, as you know, and based on hurricane andrew, as you say, we have learned so much from that and buildings have been built to a high standard. For sure when we get this information, we may look at what else we might do. At this point were starting with a review of 40plus. This is an anomaly, but the investigation is going to be ongoing. Right now were still very focused on Search And Rescue. I understand that. Clearly some flaws were identified three years ago. Look, obviously hindsight makes that look very haunting when were reading about that today, but does that give you a lot of concern there may be quite a few buildings you dont know about and why would you at this point because its going through the process. That has to give you more concern that there may be more troubled buildings in the area. Ive been speaking to fellow mayors of cities and what well do as far as municipalities in Miamidade County, and i can assure you well be looking into everything. Are you getting all the federal and State Support you need . We are very grateful. Not only the state of florida has been here in full force, but the president the morning of the disaster called with assistance and we had fema approval. Were Working Superhard for everything we need. We have not lacked any support as well as support from around the world. Hurricane season just began. Barrier island that contains Surfside And Miami Beach have not been directly hit in a generation, if not more. Andrew missed Barrier Island with a direct hit. Do you feel as if Barrier Island is ready for this Hurricane Season . You know, we have a very aggressive drill for Hurricane Season, we know how to manage hurricanes, our Emergency Operation Center is ready to go, in fact, is activated because of this disaster, and well deal with it, whatever comes our way. Finally im thinking about the first responders going into a very unstable situation. You talked about the fire that was put out. We remember after 9 11 first responders ended up with Breathing Issues and it was very harmful to them. What efforts are you putting in place to keep our first responders as healthy as possible . As you say, our first concern is saving lives, so we have all of the protective gear, respiratory equipment, fans obviously quelling the fire and the smoke. If it was not a condition in which they could breathe, theyre told to avoid the area, and were keeping them safe because theyre sacrifiing for us each and every day. Mayor daniella levine cava. Quite a challenge for you. Hang in there. Were all pulling for you. Thank you. Thank you, chuck. Turning now to the big political story of the week here in washington, president Bidens Effort to get a deal on the infrastructure. It was something he promised to skeptics. Then again, maybe not. Republicans were angered when mr. Biden announced a few hours later he wouldnt sign the package unless he could sign a more aggressive bill at the same time. Only one comes to me. Its in tandem. Well, lindsey graham, one of the 11 republican senators initially on board responded bay saying if hes going to tie them together, he can forget it. Im not doing that. Thats extortion. Im not doing that. Yesterday the president walked back his statement a bit. In a lengthy statement he writes, my comments also created the impression that i was issuing a Veto Threat on the very plan i had just agreed to, which was certainly not my intent. Well, many progressive democrats wont go along with that package without that twobill guerin tee. So where does that leave us . Theres a group at the White House on what was initially quite the celebratory day. Senator cassidy, welcome back to Meet The Press. Thank you, chuck. So let me start with the president s statement yesterday. Is the deal still in jeopardy or was that enough to calm the waters . I sure hope its enough. A great deal. Its actually going to provide the infrastructure that The American people want, that they need, that will make our country more prosperous for all americans, so i hope its enough. Well see going forward, but ill continue to work for the bill. I was going to say. It sounds like its enough for you. Theres a little bit of to Quote Casablanca are republicans really shocked that the democrats were going to pursue their own bill . You knew exactly what the situation was. What makes this what makes tying them together somehow more fraught for some than if its back to back the way its likely to be . First, we were assured that the two would not be linked. Yes, the Human Infrastructure as you will, is that the two would not be linked. Why is that important. First, theres bipartisan position to the bipartisan infrastructure of the bill. Number two, republicans think that portion is bad for our country. We have an Inflation Rate thats been higher than its been for quite some time, and that bill would make it higher. We dont want to be party of something that might coerce the package. Lastly, it will probably sink both. This Infrastructure Bill is good for america, for all americans. Its going to make us more production tichb. Its going to create lots of jobs. If you sink both, we lose the advantage of that which is in our hand, which is this Infrastructure Bill. You know, considering the Infrastructure Problems we still see, and there are some experts who say, as good as this bill is, the problems we face in this country of rebuilding our roads and bridges and adding some 21st century technology, that this bill still isnt enough. Do you accept that criticism . First, its estimated the most we can absorb per year is about 70 Billion in infrastructure spending, hard infrastructure, roads, bridges, et cetera, before it becomes a little wasteful. We kind of get there. By the way, we go further. We also have 47 Billion for resiliency. I was discussing this with the White House. I said, does that include things like coastal restoration and working with rivers to make sure we dont flood as much. They said thats absolutely what were thinking of. So not only do we have the roads, bridges, and tunnels but plans to protect the roads, bridges, and tunnels. Whats your case to skeptical republicans where you say, hey, i was able to go home and secure funding for this bridge over here or this Restoration Project over there, but somehow the political Chattering Class tells them, hey, youre going to give Joe Biden a win, right, because youre supporting a bill he reports. I know were so politically cynical in this town, but sadly there are senators who stick their finger in the wind and make a decision based on that. How do you walk that line . Whats your message to the republican senators . If you go home and talk to constituents who are stuck in traffic for 1 1 2 hours getting to work and 1 1 2 hours getting home, three hour days they cant spend with their families, they want a bridge coming to a town near them. My wife says roads and bridges are a womans problem if you will. Oftentimes its a women who besides commuting to work are taking children to skoal and doing the shopping. The more time she spends on the road, the less time she does things of higher value. If you speak to her, shes going say this is a good bill. Lastly, if you speak to communities that have been flooded, that are in danger, you spoke of the hurricane, my coastline of louisiana has been melting away, if you speak to those communities, they really like the resiliency piece. If you put your finger up in the air, youre going to feel a breeze in favor of this bill. Senator Mitch Mcconnell, we know if he doesnt like something, he can probably convince 40 republicans to vote no. How much are you consulting with him, and is he still comfortable with where this deal is still going even if he doesnt personally support it . Hey, mitch has been if we can pull this off, i think mitch will favor it. Now, he didnt like the president throwing the wrench in there saying the two are tied together. That caused a little bit of, hmm, lets think about this. I think much mcconnell wants infrastructure as much as anyone else. I think leader mcconnell will lean forward if it continues to come together as it is. The former president is on what some deem as a revenge tour. Hes going after people who voted to impeach him or voted to convict him. How much does that concern you politically . It doesnt concern me at all. Theres a discrepancy tur, let the days own troubles be sichblt for the day. If republicans focus on whats right and if they focus on the bridges and coastlines and decrease in fives and floods, future politics will take care of themselves. Good policy is good politics. Lets stick to the good policy, and this is good policy. Senator Bill Cassidy from Louisiana Part of the bipartisan group trying to strike this deal. Thanks for coming on and sharing your perspective. Thank you, todd. When we come back, were going to hear from one of the democrats, Congresswoman Alexandria Ocasiocortez from New York. Stay with us. Andria ocasiocort New York stay with us the 1 Toothpaste Brand in america. Group trying to strike this group trying to strike this [ Me And You by barry Louis Polisar ] Me And You just singing on the train Me And You listening to the rain Me And You we are the same Me And You have all the fame we need indeed, you and me are we Me And You singing in the park Me And You, were waiting for the dark welcome back. President biden wasnt the only democrat who linked the two Infrastructure Bills on thursday. House Speaker Nancy Pelosi told her House Members there aint no bill without the Reconciliation Bill, and, yes, she emphasized the word aint on that bill. It would inclues many progressive priorities including education, child poverty, climate change. Joining me now is one of the leading progressive voices in the party is Congresswoman Alexandria Ocasiocortez from New York. Congresswoman, welcome back to Meet The Press. Of course. Thank you for having me. Its basically the flip question i asked senator cassidy. President bidens i dont know whether we call the statement a walkback or not, his clarification, was it a Veto Threat, was it not, what he said on thursday seemed to cheer progressives. Do you think his are you a little upset by the walkback that he made yesterday or do you consider it a walkback at all . You know, i think regardless of the president s statements, there are three key Chess Pieces we need to align to pass any legislation as we know. Theres the senate, theres the house, and the White House t presidency, and so i believe that, you know, the president is more than able to take his own approach, but i believe we have to also talk about this missing piece, which is the house, and i believe that in the House And House democrats, theyre very committed to making sure that, you know, in senator cassidys words, that infrastructure is very centered on women, and in addition to a bridge, you need a babysitter, and its sprornlt we pass a Reconciliation Bill and Family Plan that expands Child Care, lowers the cost of Child Care and supports families in the economy. Would you like the president to be issuing a Veto Threat on the bipartisan deal if the Reconciliation Package doesnt come to fruition . Well, i think i think whats really important, i think its very important for the president to know that house progressives and i believe, you know t democratic caucus is here to ensure he doesnt fail and that hes successful in making sure that we do have a larger Infrastructure Plan. And the fact of the matter is while we can welcome this work and welcome collaboration with republicans and in those areas where there is agreement, republicans are more than welcome to join so that we can get this work on infrastructure done. But that doesnt mean that the president should be limited by republicans particularly when we have a house majority, we have 50 democratic senators, and we have the White House, and i believe we can ensure hes successful and issue a strong agenda for working families. The senate majorities are extraordinarily narrow in the house and in senate, and when i think about the democratic coalition, we can make the assessment 50 is progressive, but that doesnt give you majority votes here. How big do you think this Reconciliation Package can be . Ive seen upwards of 3 Trillion, 4 trillion, but ive heard from more conservative democrats in the house who think 3 Trillion is too much. Is there a Baseline Number you can tolerate before you come out against the deal . Well, to me, its not just about a Price Tag, right . You can have an enormous Price Tag Thats Chockfull of Fossil Fuel giveaways and thats not going to solve our problem. Likewise you can also have an Infrastructure Plan thats too small and its so small it doesnt invest in any meaningful way that people can feel a positive impact in their everyday lives. For me its not so much about a Price Tag, but there is a level we do go too small, but its really about what impact are we making. And its important that we talk about these figures that are spread out over ten years or eight years in some of these packages. And so when you break that down into a peryear cost, it is much, much smaller. And, frankly, we really need to understand this is our one Big Shot not just in terms of family, Child Care, medicare, but on climate change. The report came out this week that showed devastating consequences. Its the underinvest. And so while i appreciate, for example, the president talks about resilience, resilience does not draw down Carbon And Building infrastructure does not draw down carbon. While i appreciate the easy investment, we need to have real deals, Rail Investment, highspeed Rail Investment that will electrify and transition folks so they have the option to take rail almost wherever they need to take it. Obviously a lot of this depending on the senate democrats holding together. I know where you stand on the filibuster. Im curious where you stand when it comes to sinema. She wrote, would it be good if we did this, basically getting rid of the filibuster, only to see legislation rescinded a if youre s new no and replaced by a nationwide voter i. D. Law or restrictions on voting by mail in federal elections over the objections of the minority. Shes saying lets get rid of all of this and the roles are reversed and everything gets rolled back. Is that a good enough defense to you for the filibuster . No. I mean, its an argument of saying, well, why do anything at all in Case Something in the future may change it. Political systems all across the country, all across the World Pass Legislation with majorities, and, frankly, heres the thing. Democratic legislation once enacted is popular. Republicans have tried to gut social security. Theyve tried to reverse the aca. Theyve tried to claw back on legislation that has passed by simple majorities in the senate, and they havent been able to because democratic policies are popular. And once they are enacted, theyre very politically difficult to undo, and so, i do not believe in the defeatism of saying we will lose in the future and this will automatically mean Ta Anything we do now is going to be reversed, so we might as well not do anythinglegislate. Our job is to help people, do as much as we can. Even if that is the case, even if that is the case, wouldnt it be better to get People Health Care and Voting Rights for three years instead of zero rights even if you think what is true thats not in the first place. And then beyond that, why 60 votes . Why stop at 70 . Why need 80 . Why defend a 60vote Filibuster when the senate already amplifies Minority Pow sore that the 50 democratic senators already represent millions and millions and millions more americans than 50 republican senators . And so i would argue that 50 republican senators is already a built in kind of filibusteresque law. Congresswoman alexandria ocasiocortez, i really appreciate you coming on. I wanted to get in a little new York City politics, but weve still got a lot of counting to do. We do. Thanks for coming on. Appreciate it. Thank you very much. When we come back, President Bidens highwire act. Can he keep enough republicans and moderate democrats together for a bipartisan deal . Thats next. Announcer Meet The Press is brought to you by charles schwab. Own your tomorrow. To microtarget damage helping to repair hair without weighing it down. Try pantene. Nobody builds 5g like verizon builds 5g. Thousands of engineers taking business to a whole new level. Employees are empowered. Customers are engaged. Near real time data for fast decision making. This is business at the speed of 5g. Because the more businesses do with 5g, the more your network matters. Its us pushing us. Its verizon vs verizon. When you have nausea, heartburn, ingestion, upset stomach. Diarrheaaaa. Pepto bismol coats your stomach with fast and soothing relief. And try new drug free pepto herbal blends. Made from 100 natural ginger and peppermint. This. Is what freedom sounds like. And this. This is what Freedom Smells like. Ahhh, enjoy 30 days of openroad freshness. Febreze car. For deb, living with constipation with Belly Pain was the same old story for years. Trying this. Doing that. Spending countless days right here. Still came the Belly Pain, discomfort, and bloating. Awful feelings she kept sugarcoating. Finally, with the help of her doctor, it came to be. That her symptoms were all signs of ibsc. And thats why she said yess to adding linzess. Linzess is not a laxative. It helps you have more frequent and complete bowel movements. And is proven to help relieve overall abdominal symptoms Belly Pain,discomfort, and bloating. Do not give linzess to children less than six and it should not be given to children six to less than 18, it may harm them. Do not take linzess if you have a bowel blockage. Get immediate help if you develop unusual or severe stomach pain, especially with bloody or black stools. The most common Side Effect is diarrhea, sometimes severe. If its severe, stop taking linzess and call your doctor right away. Other Side Effects include gas, stomach area pain, and swelling. Could your story also be about ibsc . Talk to your doctor and say yess to linzess. Welcome back. The panel is here, and, yes, in person again. Nbc News Correspondent andrea mitchell, Joshua Johnson, Danielle Pletka of The American Enterprise Institute and Yamiche Alcindor and this is the first time we can say youre the moderator of Washington Week and congratulations on that. Thank you. On first freedom friday our team laid out three ways this bipartisan deal can get derailed. Scenario one, conservatives revolt. You saw that with lindsey graham, a plan that he called extortion. You heard Bill Cassidy say maybe the president s statement helped calm the waters. See therrio two, the democratic consensus unravels. We heard how thats possible from Congresswoman Alexandria Ocasiocortez. However, i sense there is an attempt to not make the White House mad. I mean i thought that was interesting there. And then, scenario three is something, we call it the great unknown. The fact is these are fragile majorities, okay, and anything can happen and suddenly the majorities can change. We have very narrow majorities in the house and senate. Andrea mitchell, where does this Deal Stand . It is in such a fraught place, just teetering in the balance. You heard from senator cassidy. They want a lot of whats good in it. They say Mitch Mcconnell might want it. I dont know about that. He wants a new bridge between Northern Kentucky and cincinnati. He wants that. But he does not want a biden victory, thats very clear, and this would be a bind victory. People want infrastructure, but i have never in my experience seen two bills so different moving in tandem which Pelosi And Schumer have said is their bottom line, and, you know, you heard Nancy Pelosi Say It aint going to happen, using that word, aint, and that, of course, precipitated the president miss speaking so badly he had to release a long statement of apology for ever saying anything like that. For both of these to be worked through, and they have to wait because in august theyre going to be rewriting language. I think senators dani, i think youre The One former one here. You know about compromise. Thats the thing. Theyre not going to vote on this until september. Those three scenarios, i think theyre going to happen 3,000 times between now and september. What say you . I think thats absolutely right. Whats going to happen on reconciliation and on this other how many trillion are we talking about now in. By the way, i thought it was interesting Aoc Wouldnt say what her bottom Line Number is. They have to negotiate the number. It starts with a t. The closer we get to next years election, the republicans are going to start to ask themselves a question, a, are we paving the way toward this other Reconciliation Bill that, you can spend, 1. 3 Trillion and then youre going to do three, four, five more on reconciliation . Are republicans going to be okay with letting that happen . Can i ask one last question . Where is all this money coming from . Its not crazy. We seem to have weve not worried about the deficit in a long time. What this week really underscores is how fragile this partisan shenn is in washington and the delicate dance thats being done. I was surprised it was number three, and then we realized number three was 1 through 99. What frt said is i want both of these bills on my desk, and, of course, he had that long 600word statement where he really trying to assure people, yes, im behind the bipartisan bill. With that said, theres also this feeling i was on the driveway when the senators swaggered out. They all had to know there was going to be a second bill. Of course, theres not the veto there. Of course, we have to remember the White House has been saying and the democrats have been saying for a long time, they want this second track. Theres this real understanding, we can have this but you cant say the two are tied together. I do take the point that this is tied to two, Covid Relief and infrastructure. This year. This year, right, the first year, and that politically potentially, thats ammunition, i think, to speak to a republican base. I do think, however, theres nothing like a disaster to focus the mind. I have never spent a night in a building and wondered if it was going to hold me up by morning. Right. I stayed in a hotel across the street from here, on the seventh floor. I lie in bed and before i closed my eyes, i thought about the condo. You and i are both from South Florida. Florida is one big infrastructure project. Bill cassidy is in louisiana. Thats the biggest. New York Subways have flooded in the last few years. We had a pedestrian street fall. They say for every dollar you spend, it saves 6 in disaster relief. Miami Beach-hasnt'>Beach Hasnt been hit by a major hurricane since 1926. They called it a big blow. Category 4 that killed 113 people drowned and crushed by a hurricane. I understand all this political calculi that are playing. But its enough to remind people the home you sleep in may not stand by morning and Theres Something you can do about it. Theres something about the socalled pay for it. Theyre completely made up. If youre not doing a Gas Tax or electric Car Tax and youre not doing entitlement reform. Forget that. Irs collection . Thats the old waste, fraud, and abuse of the 1980s. I wish we could get rid of it. You know, both Sides Nobody wants to face the reality that there is no way to pay for any of this. Inflation is rearing its head. Lets see where we are by fall. Do the House Democrats have the votes for 3 Trillion in Reconciliation Spending . Right now they do not. Nancy pelosi has lost at Tleeft A Vote from a moderate blue dog, and she cant afford to lose more than two votes, so this is a very, very fragile situation for democrats. Theyre trying to also get Senator Manchin to agree with Senator Bernie sanders, which is going to be a feat in the senate here, but i will go back to something josh said because im a South Florida native myself. With family searching the rubble right now, Theres Something to be said about 156 to even 200 souls that may possibly go missing at The End of this. Right now the number is at 156, but its really, really scary when you think about they that building is its an anomaly that it came down, but the fact that it was dealing with corrosion, there was a consultant three years earlier saying there are major structural issues with this building, how many more buildings have reports like that . How many more senators getting notes from their constituents, are our buildings safe . That might be one of the unknowns that would help you. This isnt just about money. Its about responsibility. Without that, all of the money in the World Isnt going to make a difference. This is reminder. Folks, worry about who you vote. In we had terrible officials in the 70s And 80s who allowed all this shoddy stuff to happen down there. To see this in 2021, you just got angry all over again. You dont know the Answer But Someone does. When we come back, the growing acceptance across the board. Stay with us. Across the board. Stay with us Zzzquil Pure Zzzs all night. Fall asleep. Stay asleep. When you have nausea, heartburn, ingestion, upset stomach. Diarrheaaaa. Pepto bismol coats your stomach with fast and soothing relief. And try new drug free pepto herbal blends. Made from 100 natural ginger and peppermint. Welcome back. Its data download time. What made it newsworthy is its Lis Itted A Shrug from the general public. To mark The End of Lgbtq P. R. I. D. E. Month, we want to look at how far the debate has shifted in the last few decades. The best place to look is on the issue of same Sex Marriage. 70 of all adults believe that sameSex Marriage should be legal, and this is across the board on the political agenda. In fact, there is more acceptance of sameSex Marriage atlanta is of global warming occurring or that abortion is morally acceptable as you can see. So weve made a lot of progress there. This has changed a lot. In 2004 the idea of same Sex Marriage was a polarizing debate in this country and it was used in that president ial campaign in order to generate voter turnout. Well, theres a new divisive part of the lgbtq rights fight these days, and it has do with trans people. Legislation Targeting Transpeople in this country is occurring in more than 30 states, and this is the, quote, new battleground youre going to see. In 2004 you would have seen a map like this. The question we have is will we see the same rate of acceptance of the Trans Community over the next decade as we did with sameSex Marriage weve seen earlier in this century. When we come back, limiting Voting Action circumstances and the Justice Department is striking back. Stay with us. Department is striking back. Stay with us it also helps lower cholesterol and slows Sugar Absorption to promote healthy Blood Sugar levels. So you can feel lighter and more energetic metamucil. Support your daily digestive health. And try Metamucil Fiber thins. A great tasting and easy way to start your day. My name is monique, im 41, and im a federal contract investigator. As a single parent, i would run from Football Games to work and trying to balance it all. So, what do you see when you look at yourself . I see a person thats caring. Sometimes i care too much, and thats when i had to learn to put myself first, because i would care about everyone all the time but im just as they are. Botox® cosmetic is fda approved to temporarily make frown lines, crows feet and forehead lines look better. The effects of botox® cosmetic may spread hours to weeks after injection, causing serious symptoms. Alert your doctor right away as difficulty swallowing, speaking, breathing, eye problems, or Muscle Weakness may be a sign of a lifethreatening condition. Do not receive botox® cosmetic if you have a skin infection. Side effects may include allergic reactions, injection site pain, headache, eyebrow, eyelid drooping, and eyelid swelling. Tell your doctor about your medical history, Muscle Or Nerve conditions, and medications including Botulinum Toxins as these may increase the risk of serious Side Effects. See for yourself at botoxcosmetic. Com our complaint alleges recent changes to georgia election laws were enacted with the purpose of denying or bridging black georgians to vote on account of their Race Or Color in violation of section 2 of the voting Rights Act. Welcome back. That was attorney general Merrick Garland announcing that theyre going to challenge georgias laws, and yamiche, this feels like its first of what could be many of the Justice Departments attempts to challenge State Laws around the country. Where is this going . When you talk about people really familiar with the thinking about this, the democrats realize its not only going to be resolved in a legislative way, but there has to be a judicial Court Battle ahead. When i talk to Rights Activists, they want to see two things, that that cant be the Way America works. They want to see more judges on the court. They want to see President Biden accelerate nominees to the courts. Who can get the access to vote . Republicans and State Legislatures are saying essentially a critic would say if we dont like the way you voted, we will take away your vote. Thats a real problem if you look at the Philadelphia State Legislature and whether north they can nullify votes in philly. That could be a problem and a big problem. Look. This is where sort of the multiple conversations here, dani are. Theres the fight about access to the polls and then who decides what vote counts. I want to put up a map here. We have about a dozen states who want to change or have already changed laws or restricted local officials from what they can do to change election law. This seems to be, first of all, hard position to defend from the right and the question is whether or not the courts can effectively stop them. There are a whole bunch of issues at play here. I dont think the republican party at the State Level or federal level wants to be known as the party of the Voter Suppression any more than the democrats want to be known as the party of fraud. The challenge here is because of covid, there were a lot of changes on a statebyState Level. Its confusing to me and to a lot of people that when states seek to adjust based on some of those changes, for example, Drop Boxes, georgia never had Drop Boxes before. Now Drop Boxes are in law. This is the law Merrick Garland was just talking about. There are going to be problems that if at the federal level, they only need to go after republicanrun states for laws that mirror, for example, things that exist in delaware or New York or connecticut or new hampshire. And i think the other challenge is that i think its hard to argue that we are in an existential crisis. How many people voted in the last election . More than ever before. We have unbelievable voter engagement. So, again, there are reasonable arguments to be had here, but im not sure that those are The Ones that are going on. I do want to get to the point, though, of whether the bigger mistake here is that there hasnt been a bigger push to renew the voting Rights Act because i dont know if Merrick Garland has the tools to push back on this. This is an attempt to deal with the preclearance issue, and its no accident that these changes are taking place in particular states, and it is a nullification. Its arizona taking away from the secretary of the state katy hobbs, her right but they right it so the change would expire when her Election Term expires. Its the most bizarre attempt of all. Its taking 100,000 people off sorry. Its specifically aimed at people of color, at people who have voted in the last election, people who had access because of the changes, because of covid, they had more access. Its taking away in texas, taking away sunday voting, souls to the poll. Its exactly aimed at minority voters. They took away other aspects. Theyre purging the role. Its so explicit that in each of these cases, if you talk to lawyers on both sides of the case, theres no question that in georgia they have we have to remember that you push republicans. Ive talked to state republicans, why are you doing this. Well, there was voter fraud, voter issues. You have William Barr just out today with The Atlantic saying its b. S. He didnt say b. S. He said the whole word. Then republicans who are keeping letting him continue to have power, understanding he has a lot of influence with the base, that they are following suit in this conspiracy theory, and we have to really base all the conversation in the fact there was no widespread Voter Fraund that black people and people of color who fought and died for the right to vote, their Ballot Box is now in jeopardy. Thats what makes me have a little bit of hope in the long term. This whole Voter Suppression, big Lie Thing is such a move. It feels like a hail mary. Both parties know where the demographics are going. The nation knows its a lie. I think theres a strong core of people who buy into this. The fact that youre taking away the vote because you didnt like the way the vote was going . This feels very much like a desperate last gaps, especially among people who know what happened to the voting Rights Act. You want to see Everyone Cast their ballot. I understand. I think we separate out the big Lie Part of this. Hang on for a scored. There may be people who cant. There may be legislatures who dont want to. Agree with you with arizona. This apparent attempt to replace someone you dont like is wrong. On the other happened, i think that part of the argument that were making about places like georgia is unjust, you know. Theyre allowing sunday voting. Theyve expanded access. And the very hero against trump, the Secretary Of State s now a villain. Hes a villain in the georgia voting right. Last word. I think one of the problems is youve got two bills, the John Lewis Bill and the for the people act. The first was a Messaging Bill with everything voted in. Its the John Lewis Bill. That to me was a mistake. The democratic leadership made a mistake. Thats all for today. Very lively Panel Discussion here at The End. I appreciate that. Thank you for watching. Well be back next week even on Independence Day because if its sunday, its Meet The Press. Something went very, very wrong here, and were going to get to the bottom of it, but as far as im concerned, Job One is to get those folks out of that pile of rubble and reunite them with their family. The desperate search for survivors continues after last Weeks Condo Chance in South Florida. The question this morning, could a warning about struck montreal Damage Back in 2018 have prevented this disaster . Plus, President Biden walks back his Veto Threat on the bipartisan deal. They say they were