Rachels on vacation but well get through it together. We have so much to get to tonight, a lot of news developing today on a number of different fronts. We start with a solemn ceremony in the White House Rose Garden this evening where President Biden signed Legislation Awarding Congressional gold medals to the Police Officers who defended the u. S. Capitol on January 6th. One medal goes to the u. S. Capitol police, another to the washington, d. C. Metropolitan police department. Medals honoring the heroism of all the Law Enforcement officers who protected the capitol that day will be displayed at the capitol itself as well as at the smithsonian museum. The ceremony was attended by many Law Enforcement officers who were at the capitol on January 6th, and in an emotional speech the president offered his gratitude. Thank you, thank you, thank you for protecting our capitol. Maybe even more importantly for protecting our constitution and saving the lives of duly elected members of the senate and the house and their staffs. And it breaks my heart breaks the heart of the nation to remember that you were assaulted by thousands of violent insurrectionists at the capitol of the united states of america. President Biden Today also talked about the Capitol Attack in some of the starkest terms we have heard him use. Not even during the Civil War did insurrectionists breach the capitol of the united states of america, the citadel of our democracy. Not even then. But on January 6th, 2021, they did. They did. A mob of extremists and terrorists launched a violent and deadly assault on the Peoples House and the sacred ritual to certify free and fair election. It wasnt dissent. It wasnt debate. It wasnt democracy. It was insurrection. My fellow americans, the tragedy of that day deserves the truth above all else. We cannot allow history to be rewritten. We cannot allow the heroism of these officers to be forgotten. We have to understand what happened, the honest and unvarnished truth. We have to face it. We have to face it. The president s determination there not to let history be rewritten, to face what happened that day is a determination shared by officers who have spoken out publicly in the aftermath of the insurrection. Metropolitan Police Officer Mike Fanone is featured on the cover of time magazine today. Americans have heard his descriptions and seen video of his terrifying experience of January 6th being pulled into the crowd, beaten, tased and nearly killed. In Todays Article Fanone says this, theres people on both sides of the political ill that are like, listen, January 6th happened, it was bad, we need to move on as a country. What an arrogant Effing Thing for someone to say that wasnt there that day. What needs to happen is there needs to be a reckoning. The times molly Ball Fanone is, quote, not asking to be called a hero. He just wants us to remember what his sacrifice was for. Fanone believes we cant just keep trying to outrun this thing. Weve got to turn around and face it, defeat it once and for all. If all we do is turn around and hope it fades itll keep getting stronger until it comes back to kill us all. Which is why Mike Fanone keeps speaking publicly about what he saw that day, what he went through. He testified at the first hearing of The House Select Committee investigating the Capitol Attack. And of course he wasnt alone. He testified that day alongside three other officers who were at the capitol protecting it on January 6th. That includes sergeant ganell. He told lawmakers that January 6th was scarier than any day of his deployment to iraq. Heres a bit of his compelling testimony that day which weve put together with video some of the scenes he describes. Ive always taken my oath seriously. On january 6, 2021, i fulfilled my oath once more. The verbal assaults and disrespect we endured from the rioters were bad enough. My fellow officers and i were punched, kicked, shoved, sprayed with chemical irritants and even blinded with eye damaging lasers by a violent mop. I was particularly shocked at the scene of the Insurrectionists Violently attack us with the flag they claim to protect. Joining us now is Sergeant Gonell of the u. S. Capitol police. Its an honor to have you here and get to talk to you. I know you were at this Ceremony Today in the Rose Garden, and i wonder if you could just tell us what that was like. Did it help . I was very pleased for a lot of us officers who were there, a lot of us made a lot of sacrifice just to be able to be recognized even though we did our job. We all signed up to be a Police Officer and we all know the risk to that the job inherits. But its nice to be recognized. Its nice to for once people beginning to acknowledge what happened. And hopefully that will change the conversation because there are still a lot of powerful citizens including elected officials that continue to deny what happened, continue to downplay it even though some of them themselves were running for their lives or were scared that day. And its unbelievable the lack of support and to acknowledge what happened. Sergeant gonell, what has the last week been like since the testimony of your testimony alongside officer hodges, Officer Dunn, and Officer Fanone . Well, since the hearing its almost the same for me. I still got to go to Physical Therapy twice a week for about 2 hours, sometimes 2 hours and a half because im recovering still from my foot and my shoulder. That still hasnt been resolved. The mental exhaustion from being called by the Department Of Defense im sorry the department of justice, the prosecutors, the fbi. Thats still ongoing. I mean two days ago i got another call relating to a case that is pending a plea deal. The issue is that no matter what or how much i want to move on, like, so many of those people who now say nothing happened, theres nothing to see here so therefore we all should move on, i cannot do that still even more than six months later because of those things the mental health, the trauma, the Physical Therapy, my pending surgery on my shoulder. So as much as i want to, i cant get away from that. You and your fellow officers i think did the rest of us a favor by talking about some of what youre talking about now. I want to play some of what Officer Dunn said to his fellow Law Enforcement brothers and sisters in Law Enforcement at that hearing that day and well talk about it on the other side. Im now receiving private Counseling Therapy for the persistent emotional trauma of that day. Ive also participated in many Peer Support programs with fellow Law Enforcement officers from around the united states. I know so many other officers continue to hurt both physically and emotionally. I want to take this moment to speak to my fellow officers about the emotions theyre continuing to experience from the events of January 6th. Theres absolutely nothing wrong with seeking professional counseling. What we went through that day was traumatic. And if you are hurting, please take advantage of the Counseling Services that are available to us. Since the testimony that you all provided last monday we have learned that two additional officers who responded to the January 6th insurrection have died by suicide. And i wonder if you can just speak to what is obviously ongoing and what the public can do. How can these conversations be had in a way that supports what you are all still very much going through in realtime . Its tough coming forward to talk about it. I know for me, my case what drove me to come forward and talk about the whole ordeal on January 6th was when i saw the family of Officer Dunn, Officer Fanone literally begging some of these congressmen and elected leaders that they provide a promise just to get them out of their hair, out of the way. And then the minute they turn around they deny everything, they gave those Family Members a sense of false promise. And when i saw them doing that, it broke my heart. I started crying. My wife walks into my room because i still was recovering from my leg injury, and she saw me sobbing and i couldnt even talk. And she asked me what was wrong with me, and i just wanted to the tv, and look what theyre doing. When i did that i saw my wife, my mom and my son doing the same thing in their position, begging for an acknowledgement that something bad happened not only to me but to the country to the country, to the democratic process, to my fellow officer. And it takes a lot for people to come forward. For me i waited, i waited and waited months because i want to talk about this within a week or two after it happened, but i gave it time. I know i was not in the right mind because i was so upset and very emotional. Everything happened to us. And i took my time. But i was also waiting for other leaders, other Police Officers and also elected leaders to acknowledge what happened and come forward to talk about it. Some of the people in the White House, my thing was, okay, maybe after this happened on January 6th maybe somebody is actually going to come forward and speak the truth and acknowledge that nothing was happening from the White House, that everything for five hours or more than five hours when us, Capitol Police and Metropolitan Police and throughout this whole ordeal at the capitol. When was the president trying to assist us . When was he this was some of the question that i had even when i was battling his own supporter. When is he going to tell them to stop . When is he going to tell them to this is not what i had in mind . And then later on i learned that three hours later into it instead of sending the help that we needed, he just send a message begging them to continue, praising them. And then two hours later, well, everybody go home, we love you. How is that love when we, the Police Officers and elected leader, are put in the position that we could get killed when we try to protect and doing our job . To me that was unbelievable because theres no way that he did not know what was happening. There was no way that he nobody at the White House at that time told him that this is bad and something really horrible is happening in our own government, in another branch of the government that he including the Vice President of the united states. And he talking about if this is not a matter of national security when you have the Vice President , his own Vice President at the Capitol And Everybody in the succession of the Chain Of Command to the presidency is there at the same time. When are you going to send help to help those members including the Police Officers, which we were left on our own just to you know, as a sacrifice for his ego. I remember that video coming out the same way you do. It was stunning in which he said to the insurrectionists, we love you. Sergeant gonell it was kind of like, you know, have a good day, we had a good time, come back next monday. And meanwhile we still are dealing with the injuries. Meanwhile im still dealing with all these things. It was not a Love Fest like certain people want you to believe. Youve seen the footage at the entrance. It was not a tour. It was not like a tour either. This was horrible, and people need to acknowledge that because the danger and the severity of that moment to our democracy, to the capitol, to lawmaker, to his own Vice President , that was a sentence to death that he sent his supporter to do that. And when he says ill be right there with you after his speech and then he wasnt there, he literally send them over to do whatever he told them to do. And now he wants to change the narrative. Now there are people who want to change and whitewash everything. Its a complete betrayal and a violation of the oath of office, in my opinion. Sergeant gonell, its a privilege to get to speak to you with the united states Capitol Police. Thank you so much for being generous with your time tonight. Thank you for having me. Theres new reporting from Politico Today that indicates that the select committee investigating the January 6th insurrection has taken over a house Committees Probe of former president trumps Pressure Campaign on the Justice Department in those final weeks in office. Specifically politicos reporting that the House Overscythe Committee dropped two planned interviews with trumps former acting a. G. Jeffrey rosen, and rosen Nfs Number two, Richard Donohue, passing those interviews instead to the January 6th committee. Rosen and donohue are of particular interest right now because of two developments. First the revelation the president called the acting a. G. Almost daily. And second the proof that backs up those revelations, notes, contemporaneous notes taken by Rosens Number two, Richard Donohue, showing trump told rosen, quote, just say the election was corrupt and leave the rest to me and our congressmen. Now that trump is no longer president and not protected against the Justice Departments rule against indicting a sitting president might a criminal investigation against the expresident come next . In an Oped Today in the Washington Post two former u. S. Attorneys and constunesal Law Professor argue it should be. They write this. The time has come for the Justice Department to begin if it hasnt already a criminal investigation into the former president s dangerous course of conduct. If were to maintain our Democracy And Respect for the rule of law, efforts to overturn a fair election simply cannot be tolerated and trumps conduct must be investigated. Joining us now one of the authors of that piece, Barbara Mcquade, the former u. S. Attorney for the eastern district of michigan, currently a Law Professor at the university of michigan. And Devlen Barrett is here, the Washington Post security and Law Enforcement reporter. Thank you for your time tonight. Barbara, its a great piece. For our Viewers Detail the crimes Donald Trump could be and should be investigated for . Well, at this point of Course Doj should just begin investigating. Theres enough evidence i think in the public dedomain to suggest any number of crimes that have been committed. Number one, conspiracy to defraud the united states. Its one of the things Robert Mueller charged against the internet research agency, obstructing the administration of government. In this Case Congress in certifying the vote. Number two, conspiracy to obstruct an official proceeding. That is a charge that has been laid against some of the protesters there that day. Possibly even rico, which is the organized crime statute, using the president s office as the machinery to engage in other crimes that are called racketeering acts. Those could include extortion, and the Rico Statute permits both federal extortion acts, could be these pressures on rosen as well as state crimes. So it could be these pressures extended against the secretary of State Of Georgia. The Big Cuhoona would be Seditious Conspiracy or inciting insurrection. I dont know whether the evidence will go that far. And then theres some smaller charges like Voter Fraud and commanding a federal employee to violate the Hatch Act. But all of those things need to be investigated so that prosecutors can decide whether the evidence is there. And to let it go for political reasons we argue would be a grave mistake. You know, devlen, its such a sign of the ethical and legal potential monstrosities of the expresident that Barbara Mcquade mentions illegal Voter Fraud and Hatch Act violations as the smaller things in the list of seven. I wonder if you can speak to the fact that Donald Trump has brazenly flouted norms slash lieus for five years. And the impediment was always that you could not indict a sitting president. Robert mueller describes five or six acts of what sound like criminal Obstruction Of Justice and a whole lot of joint missions with the russians. But there was never a serious conversation about investigating and charging him because he was president. Has that changed Behind Closed Doors at the Justice Department . To my knowledge it hasnt changed yet, but you have to remember there is a constant collection of evidence. And, you know, in theory could that View Change . I think we have to see. I think one of the the big things we have to see is what does Jeffrey Rosen say specifically about his conversations . We have the notes and obviously theyre quite damning. But i think it matters a lot what Jeffrey Rosen actually says in front of a microphone. And i think the same holds true for Richard Donohue and a handful of other senior Justice Department officials who wrestled with this in realtime. And so i understand her argument here. Shes a very smart lawyer, but i do think theres a lot more to the picture that needs to be understood before you can make any kind of determination about criminal activity here. And barbara, im sure thats your understanding as well, that as we start to see these pieces come into public view, it makes your argument stronger. Yeah, of course. And i agree with devlen that i dont think theyre ready to indict today, but there is enough already in the Public Domain to serve as whats known as medication. That is, you know, nonfrivolous facts, that there was a crime that occurred here. And so i think that would merit those additional investigative steps. And when prosecutors investigate, they can get text messages. They can get emails. They can put people into the Grand Jury and ask them what happened. I think one of the most damning things that has come out in addition to those notes you reference, nicolle, is the Draft Letter from Jeffrey Clark that we saw that in Mine Mind lays out the Road Map of what the End Game here was and the conspiracy. That letter was to be addressed to State Of Georgia telling them what to do about their own election. Telling them the legislature under federal law can come in and substitute its own vote for the vote of the people. Here it is. It seems to me he lays out what could be the Game Plan if congress could throw out enough of these Election Results and fail to certify the election, it then gets thrown to the house where the majority of delegations were republican. There was a path to victory for Donald Trump as long as people believed the Big Lie. And its amazing. It puts his Phone Call in different light, too, when you read that letter from mr. Clark. Barbara mcquade, former East Attorney for the district of michigan, Devlen Barrett, the Washington Post reporter to be continued. Thank you again both so much for your time tonight. Coming up for us, will the u. S. Military be stepping up its efforts in the fight against the war on covid . More on that just ahead. R on cod more on that just ahead. With dupixent i can du more. Yardwork. Teamwork. Long walks. Thats how you du more, with dupixent, which helps prevent asthma attacks. Dupixent is not for sudden breathing problems. Its an addontreatment for specific types of Moderatetosevere Asthma that can improve Lung Function for better breathing in as little as two weeks. And can reduce, or even eliminate, oral steroids. And Heres Something important. Dupixent can cause serious allergic reactions, including anaphylaxis. Get help right away if you have rash, shortness of breath, chest pain, tingling or numbness in your limbs. Tell your doctor if you have a parasitic infection, and dont change or stop your asthma treatments, including steroids, without talking to your doctor. Are you ready to du more with less asthma . Just ask your Asthma Specialist about dupixent. Piano Playing here we go. [john legends i can see clearly now] make your reunion happen with vrbo. Your together awaits. Vrbo announcer if youve struggled to lose weight, you might think you were born with a slow metabolism, but what you may have is insulin resistance. Fat becomes trapped inside your body and it becomes very difficult to lose weight. Now theres golo. Golo works to reverse the effects of insulin resistance, increase metabolic efficiency, and targets stubborn belly fat. Join over Two Million people who have found a smarter way to lose weight and get healthier. Go to golo. Com and change your life. Thats golo. Com. So the biggest employer in the country is the united states military. The Department Of Defense employs 1. 4 million active duty men and women plus a civilian Work Force of more than 700,000, which is why as private companies have started to require their workers to get vaccinated against covid, all eyes have been on the u. S. Military to see if the nations largest employer would mandate vaccines, too. President biden has already required all federal employees get vaccinated and many Service Members are already required to receive certain vaccines. But the u. S. Military has a complicated history with mandatory vaccines after it required all Service Members to receive an experimental Anthrax Vaccine in the 90s. President biden has asked his Secretary Of Defense lloyd austin, To First Study Whether or not the Covid Vaccine should be mandatory for the u. S. Military. The Defense Secretary will make his final recommendation to the president in the next few days. Joining us now is Pentagon Correspondent Courtney cuby and also courtney, tell me first where this stands and if you have any Tea Leaves you can read about what Secretary Austin is inclined to recommend. So hes inclined to make this mandatory for u. S. Service members and i think well see that in the next literally couple of days that that announcement will come out. So its hes already telegraphed that by the way. And President Biden said last week hooechted the Defense Department to look at this. You mentioned in intro that the dod has a complicated history and with vaccinations, mandatory vaccinations, and thats the crux of this issue right now. All along weve been hearing from people close to the pentagon and Secretary Austin they did not want to make this mandatory because of the Militarys History with vaccines like the anthrax. Theres been this reticence to make anything with authorization mandatory for the military because they dont want to make it look like theyre using the military as Guinea Pigs for a new environmentation. This is different. We already have millions of people around the world who have taken the vaccines including many military members themselves. So thats i think what changed the calculus here for the military. We know now that Secretary Austin is open to this. Theyve looked at it. Weve been told even after the president made the announcement last week, we were told it would happen quickly in a matter of days so we should expect that announcement to come very soon. I was trying to find a tweet you put out tonight. Youve listed the vaccines already required for Men And Women In The Military and i ask you to do that again for us. Obviously the Anthrax History is recent, and i believe we should give credit where credit is due. I believe right now today as of august where are we the 5th, the military is vaccinated at slightly higher levels than the general population. But come at this however you see fit tonight. This is coming. This needs to happen, and frankly it should happen already. We cant afford to have 30 of our military unvaccinated. We cant afford to have Navy S. E. A. L. S and fighter pilots and other people in the military on the front lines of all our global conflicts coming down with covid. Theyre on barracks, vehicles, on ships. Weve already had the uss roosevelt, an aircraft carrier, have to come back to shore because they had an outbreak last year. This is about national security and transcends politics and really cuts how dangerous this antivax Rhetoric And Agenda has become. Its endangering our national security. To have hundreds of thousands of american men and women in uniform every Day Biden waits our enemies are celebrating. So i think it should have happened already and i hope it happens soon. You and have had a lot of really frank conversations about the military as a reflection whats going on in the rest of our broken badly damaged politics. I mean, how much of this is a reluctance to step in and something that we all know has been highly politicized . All of it. Biden needs to all of it. Biden needs to bite the boulet here and do whats right for our national security and the army. You cant decide youre not going to wear Body Armor when you go out on patrol. You cant decide youre not going to wear a helmet. These things are designed to protect you and so will the vaccine. So if youre not going to take the vaccine, get out of the military. This is really about the core of not just the Vaccination Effort across the country but our national security globally. So i hope biden will bite the boulet here, step forward, take whatever political flack he has to do because lives are Lit Raeg at stake. From your reporting it seems that is the view from the top of the pentagon. Is it simply due diligence, is it theyre had a chance to ask internally what would happen. Or is this really as paul is suggesting because of the political moment . So i mean the secretary did he wanted to consult with medical professionals before they made this mandatory and there actually is a process they have to follow. President biden has to issue a waiver because this is Emergency Use Authorization medication. He has to issue a waiver before they can make it mandatory for members of the military. I think well hear when they make this announcement that it will be mandatory for all active Service Members i think well hear the word ready a lot. The military needs to remain a ready force. Its exactly what paul was just talking about. We have these people deploying all over the world, places where there are a lot of vaccines and where there are outbreaks of covid. And its a matter of keeping those men and women ready to fight at all times. And thats going to be the argument that i expect according to a number of Defense Officials that ive spoken with, that i expect Secretary Austin to make here for why he made this decision. Well keep watching with both of your help. Nbc news pentagon correspondent. And our friend, the host of the independent americans podcast. Thank you both so much for being here with us tonight. Coming up for us, as the rest of the america remains largely divided on ideological lines between the vaccinated and unvaccinated, is there anything that could break through and persuade those skeptics . That conversation is next. Persuade those skeptics . That Conversatn Iois next. Here we go. So id like to know where you got the notion to rock the boat dont rock the boat, Baby Rock the boat dont tip the boat over rock the boat dont rock the boat, Baby Rock the boat see disneys jungle cruise. Its time to rock the boat, america. Feel the Cool Rush of claritin cool mint chewables. See powerful 24hour,uise. Nondrowsy, Allergy Relief plus an immediate Cooling Sensation for your throat. Feel the clarity, and live claritin clear. Today the number of coronavirus cases thin u. S. Reached a sixmonth high. The average daily cases are now nearly five times what they were just one month ago. Half of all new covid cases and hospitalizations this past week come from seven states, florida, texas, missouri, arkansas, louisiana, alabama and mississippi. Those seven states also happen to be the seven states with the lowest vaccination rate. See a pattern, folks . Meanwhile the biden Administration St. Reportedly developing a plan to require proof of vaccination for all foreign visitors traveling into the u. S. And just tonight the Washington Post is reporting that the administration is considering withholding federal funding from certain institutions in an effort to spur more vaccinations. As Vaccine Mandates become a reality of Daily Life in places where Vaccination Rates are already high, what can be done to slow the spread of the deadly virus in the rest of places in our country . To help us answer that question one of our favorite people to turn to, dr. Hasheesh jha. I now wake up and search twitter for whatever youve said and weighed in on because its not a spin on the Days News but you do cut through and get to the bone. And i wonder if you can do that with what seems to be happening as the Delta Variant has made clear that it sees simply unvaccinated states, not Red States, not Blue States. But in this country those happen to be Red States. If we move toward Vaccine Mandates, are we simply going to get less and less covid in the places that are wearing our masks and getting our vaccines and having mandates . If the rest of the country doesnt follow suit will it really help the whole country . Yes, nicolle, first of all, thanks for having me on. Its a great question. I would say two things. First of all even in a lot of the Blue States there are pockets of unvaccinated people. And so everybodys hawork to do. This is not just a pure Red State or blue State Problem though obviously as you point out seven states are reel driving so many of the infections across the country. Second is i think this is a time for people to step up, people who were apolitical. University president s have to step up in all states and say theyve got to mandate vaccines. That should happen everywhere in america. So if we see civil society stepping up, we can get rid of this Blue State and red State Stuff and just get people protected. Can you tell me i mean a lot of what i think People Flock to your feed for is the science. Can you tell can you explain what is happening with the Delta Variant . It feels like we have an out of whack and i know the White House feels this way, too almost disproportionate reaction to the phenomenon of Breakthrough Infections while most of the danger is still for unvaccinated adults who are still vaccine eligible young people. Absolutely. If you think about it these vaccines really are terrific, right . Weve said they have great efficacy at preventing any kind of infection and then they have superb efficacy at preventing hospitalizations and deaths. But when you have this much infection spreading in the country, 800,000 americans getting infected youd not be surprised if 5, 10 americans are having Breakthrough Infections every day. Why are there that many . Because theyre surrounded by so much virus because of the outbreak really focused on unvaccinate people, its spilling over into the vaccinated. Thankfully most vaccinated people are not getting very sick. Theyre not dying. And so while break through infections are problem, theyre not driving this pandemic. At this point it is a pandemic of the unvaccinated being driven by unvaccinated people. And unvaccinated people are doing most of the suffering, unfortunately, as well. Can you look at any other country that had the Delta Variant attack their unvaccinated populations before we did and project out what the next few days and weeks are going to look like for our country . Yeah, absolutely. There are a lot of countries that have dealt with the delta wave. The u. K. Really started about two months before we did. So they gave us a head start. Were told they gave us a peek into our future. In june and july we were warned this wave was coming unfortunately a lot of governors and leaders ignored it. After two months of pretty horrendous increases they have turned. I think thats going to happen here in the united states as well. So if that holds as we get sort of to The End of august into september im hopeful were going to see Infection Numbers turn more quickly in the vaccinated states because it has more immunity but im hoping everywhere in the country were going to see that. One of the more compelling things i see as im consuming news in my regular life are the horrific tragedies of Deathbed Pleas for people to get vaccinated. Just on the Messaging Side or anecdotally in your own life, do you hear those messages of people who were the in camp of vaccine skeptics having terrible sicknesses or losing Loved Ones . Is that breaking through . I think it is breaking through. And it is actually heart breaking to see those. Because i know people love to sort of beat up on the unvaccinated. I have a lot of sympathy for people who have been bombarded by misinformation and only sort of at the their most critical moment of their life when theyre very, very ill theyve come to realize theyve been fed a lot of disinformation and theyre suffering because of it. So weve had to keep urwork on countering that misinformation by getting good information out there to people. Its a very tough situation, but i hope the political leaders also step in here and amplify the good science people need to hear. Dean of the brown University School of public health, one of our favorite people to ask all these questions to, thank you so much for making some time for us tonight. Coming up for us, signs of movement on federal voting Rights Legislation as Run Away texas democrats hiding out in d. C. Face brand new pressures at home. Well tell you about it next. W t home well tell you about it next berl knows everyones unique. Thats why they customize your car insurance, so you only pay for what you need. [ nautical Horn Blows ] i mean just because you look like someone else doesnt mean you eat off the floor, or yell at the vacuum, or need flea medication. Oh, yeah. Thats the spot. Only pay for what you need. Liberty, liberty, liberty, liberty upbeat music [narrator] this is kate. She always wanted her smile to shine. Now, she uses a capful of therabreath healthy smile oral rinse to give her the healthy, sparkly smile she always wanted. Crowd Cheering therabreath, its a better mouthwash. At walmart, target and other fine stores. When senate republicans blocked the for the people act earlier this summer, Majority Leader Chuck schumer described the fail vote as, quote, the Starting Gun not the finish line. He promised that democrats would not let the fight for voting Rights Legislation die. Now more than six weeks later it appears senate democrats are closing in on another vote. The Washington Post is reporting that key senators have been working behind the scenes trying to tailor a narrower bill that could rally democrats and even bring some republicans to the table. Democrats say they expect a deal within days that could setup another vote before the Summer Recess next week. Meanwhile more than 100 State Legislatures from across the country are in the nations capitol. Theyre joining texas democrats who spent the last three weeks in d. C. Pushing members of congress to pass federal Voting Rights would stay out of texas until The End of the special legislative session there to block republicans from passing texass restrictive voting bill. That session ends tomorrow. Today Texas Governor Abbott called a second special session with new Agenda Items starting the very next day. Joining us now is texas State Representative Trey martinez fisher. Thank you so much for spending time with us tonight. First, i want to get to the u. S. Senate and the legislation there. It seems like you have really helped focus and narrow that. I want to ask you what is happening in texas. Are you going back or staying . You know what . I am not going back. As long as congress is working and it looks like they are working very hard i will be here and well see this come to a head and hopefully see a vote in the u. S. Senate before The End of next week. I first heard your Colleague Jasmine Crockett talk about loving what was in the federal legislation but just needing an inch. Saying making the argument publicly that something albeit narrow would be better than nothing. Tell me how those conversations have changed the deliberations in washington. Well, absolutely. First and foremost, i dont think the u. S. Senate really understood just how high the hurdles are in texas when it comes to voting. Texas by and through republicans have done a good job of Making Voting pretty much a crime in the state of texas. And i can recall my conversations with senator Manchins Team just to understand just how easy it is to vote in West Virginia and how hard it is to vote in texas, at some point i said you know what . Well take the West Virginia standard because it is a lot easier to vote in West Virginia than in texas. But as it relates to the national conversation, i mean, clearly, anything that can be done to make voting easier would be an improvement in texas. Anything that can be done to have an almost no Excuse Absentee Voting program would be good. Expanding voter i. D. To provide more provisions and documents you could use to prove you are who you are. There are a number of things in the federal proposal that would really open up voting in the state of texas and be refreshing but we recognize that when it comes to Voting Rights in america we should only have one standard and that is the american standard. When you look at the it is hard to describe it as successful because it is so malevolent but the republican backed Voter Nullification Campaign has been one of the most wildly successful State By state legislative pushes in my career. I mean, they have proposed i think almost 400 Voter Suppression laws in 49 states. 22 of them have been passed into law. Do you feel like at the national level the democrats are on their high game to meet that lethal threat to Voting Rights . You know, i think it is becoming increasingly clear the republicans want to hijack elections right . We saw it with the Big Lie and now were seeing states moving to change the way you vote in your state. This is a tremendous set up for the 2022 elections where you can effectively lose an election yet have some rigged process through republican lawmaking that might nullify and overturn results. So, yes, i think democrats are waking up. Here in texas we saw this coming when we saw the voices being silenced in georgia and in florida and as we spent a lot of time with lawmakers from other states the last couple days they were giving us Praise And Encouragement for our stand. We made it very clear we were prepared because we saw what happened in their states and so, yes, State By State Republicans are just rolling over, silencing the voices of voters, and somebody has to push back. Somebody has to say no. Right now its us here in texas and we hope that by rallying this nation and making Voting Rights a top Talking Point in the domestic Policy Agenda that we just might see another vote in the u. S. Senate before The End of next week. A lot of the Coverage Centers around the intractable nature of the debate around the filibuster that Senator Manchin and Senator Sinema are quite devoted to as this president. Do the conversations Behind Closed Doors have that baked in the cake . Or are you pressing Joe Manchin to reconsider his position on the filibuster in your private meetings . Sure. That is a great question. Ive been a lawmaker for 20 years and i understand my house practice. I understand our rules and our procedures, you know, and there is an identity to the institution and you want to be loyal to the institution but at some point there comes a time when you recognize you may have a Rule Or Tradition that is actually impeding our constitutional right and, really, we should not have a tradition or a rule or a relic of jim crow, you know, actually take Center Stage for our Voting Rights and our u. S. Constitution. So, look, i understand the need to work and try to find a pragmatic and bipartisan response. I understand, you know, if and when this bill gets filed that there are a number of provisions that may have been put in and taken out to invite bipartisan support. And i hope there is support. But in the event there is not then we have to recognize that democrats have done all that they can do and our democracy is on the line and so republicans are fighting like they have everything to lose. I think we need to do the same thing because it is that important to our country. What awaits you in texas . Do you fear retribution or charges . Do you know . I mean, for me i hope it is a beautiful wife and two lovel daughters is what im looking forward to. Yes, of course, there is this fear of arrest and retribution. We take it serious. I also take this job very seriously. The governor can call as many Suppression Sessions as he wants. Well stay here and defend democracy and i think at this Juncture Everybody knows well put all of our tools on the table. We know how to use them. Weve used them effectively and republicans know we mean what we say. We are not going to just bow down when it comes to taking Voting Rights away from our fellow texans. So, you know, come what may, we are here to defend the Country And Voting rights and wont be intimidated by a threat of arrest. Texas State Representative Trey Martinez Fischer we really appreciate you taking time to talk to us tonight. Thank you so much. Well be right back. Millions ofs who experience occasional bloating, gas, or abdominal discomfort . Taking align can help. Align contains a Quality Probiotic to naturally help soothe digestive upsets 24 7. Try align, the pros in digestive health. When i was young nonononono please please no. I never needed anyone. Front desk. Yes, hello. Im so. Please hold. Those days are done. I got you. All by yourself. Go with us and find millions of flexible options. All in our app. Expedia. It matters who you travel with. Advil dual action fights pain 2 ways. Its the first and only fda approved expedia. Combination of Advil Plus acetaminophen. Advil targets pain. Acetaminophen blocks it. Advil dual action. Fast Pain Relief that lasts 8 hours. Hey google, turn up the heat. Feel the clarity of nondrowsy claritin. And 24hour relief from symptoms caused by over 200 indoor and outdoor allergens. Try claritin cool mint chewabls for powerful Allergy Relief plus a Cooling Sensation. Live claritin clear. Show me the olympics. [ Buglers Dream playing ] that does it for us tonight. Thank you so much for watching. Well see you again tomorrow. I will see you again Tomorrow Afternoon at 4 00 p. M. Eastern for deadline White House but now it is time for the last word with lawrence odonnell. Good evening. How are you . Good evening. This is the point where i usually give rachel the boston accent