and most surprising, bernard, the convicted felon police commissioner and close ally to rudy giuliani. at least three of them, eastman, mill er miller, the subpoena letters make clear why each of these individuals is of interest to the committee. bill over saw a campaign that urged state and party officials to affect the outcome of the election by asking states to delay or deny certification of electoral votes. michael flynn reportedly attended a december meeting in the oval office where participants discussed seizing voting machines declaring a national emergency and invoing national security powers. it was a drastic course of action that flynn also pushed publicly. >> the president has a and i just mentioned one of the options. he could immediately on his order seize every single one of these machines around the country on his order. he could also order, he could order the -- within the swing states, if he wanted to, he could take military capabilities and he could place them in those states and basically rerun an election in each of those states, it not unprecedented. >> but of all of them, eastman's subpoena contains the lengthiest wrap sheet covering his memo to overturn the election, his appeals to state legislators to reject the outcome in their specific statements and 11th hour emails to mike pence during and after the insurrection. today's development brings the total number of witnesses under subpoena to 24. however, it's unclear whether these latest targets will compile. nbc news reached out for comment and is still awaiting word back. you'll recall last month the house voted to hold former trump advisor steve bannon in contempt of congress for defying the committee's subpoena. with me now, maya wiley, stewart stevens, senior advisor for the lincoln project and glen kushner. thank you-all very much for coming to "the reidout." let's talk about the subpoenas that and significance of subpoenas that. maya, i'll start with you. when you saw the list of names of folks subpoenaed, what kind of signals or messages did you get from that list? >> well, thank you, jonathan. i think the signals are very clear, which is to say there is a lot of activity that the committee knows of that involved these advisors to donald trump who were very publicly arguing essentially that the president had power at this point with michael flynn advocating frankly martial law and a military coup as far as i could tell and also, eastman, eastman who on january 2nd was on steve bannon's show actually explaining how mike pence could steal the election for trump having tremendous impact frankly on the qanon, which that very active result of what they were all saying. so what you're seeing is the committee getting closer and closer and closer to what the president knew who was talking to him. you have to fight for that testimony. i expect we'll see a lot more votes and resolutions on contempt and a lot more requests with the u.s. attorney. >> and you know, glen, on that point what i found interesting not only who was on the list but when they are expected to appear for depositions and i wrote out on the counter, angela mccallum is due on november 30th. flynn, december 6th, eastman december 8th, miller december 10th, bill december 13th. it -- there is no indicator they're actually going to compile with the subpoenas that. are we looking at a situation where the committee on a rolling pay sis is going to be voting on and sending to the floor of the house contempt citations or resolutions against these people? >> jonathan, at a minimum, if these men and women defy congressional subpoenas that, let's hope that congress votes them in contempt and refers them for prosecution where the law says the appropriate u.s. attorney, that would be the d.c. u.s. attorney shall present the matter to the grand jury for its action. here we are on day, i believe, 18 of the bannon indictment watch. we've heard nothing. we don't know if they have already presented the matter to the grand jury. they're awaiting the grand jury's decision. i would urge even beyond referring these witnesses for criminal contempt in the event they defy subpoenas that, i hope congress will also consider using its lawful tool of inherent contempt. representative jerry conley was on tv today earlier on msnbc saying it's and his words it's a notoriously long process and both the department of justice and the legislative branch of government. excuse me, the judiciary and a co-equal branch and we have the lawful power of contempt and we haven't used it in 100 years. we have to dust it off. i'm hoping congress will use all of the tools in its tool box. >> to glen's point, stewart, i mean, congress did hold steve bannon in contempt of congressmen we're waiting for the department of justice to say what it's going to do about that contempt citation from congress. how important is it to your mind that the doj do something activate that contempt charge, go after steve bannon? >> well, look, i think you could stay up really late at night trying to think of something more serious than over throwing the united states government and stopping the peaceful transition of power. that's the host sacred element of a democracy. somebody has to be willing to lose in a democracy and what republicans have decided they're for democracy when they win but not when they lose, which means they're not for democracy. this is an interesting group and, you know, you got a couple of former felons, pardon felons, dead beat dad in jason miller. the person i would focus on i think is the most normal would feel some genuine duty to do the right thing is bill stepien. he's doing try do his job. listen, i'm continually disappointed in republicans so this just may be next on the list. i would hope that bill would go out there and tell what he knows and do the right thing and not be forced to be dragged kicking and screaming in front of his committee. >> glen, let me play for you angela mccollum had a very interesting phone call. this was a voice mail that she left for a michigan state representative. have a listen. >> you do have the power to reclaim your authority and send a slate of electors that will support president trump and vice president pence. we want to know when there's a resolution in the house to appoint electors for trump if the president can count on you to join in support. >> and so glen, as a former prosecutor, having evidence like that is solid, isn't it? >> you know, this has the feel of a criminal conspiracy, you know, all six of these witnesses who have been subpoenaed were part and parcel of the big lie. they all seem to have their individual roles in the attempt to over throw our democracy and what i'm really interested to see is we may finally begin to see some witnesses invoke their fifth amendment right against several incrimination because jonathan, that phone call you just played, you know, i think any defense attorney would recommend to that witness declining to testify by invoking your fifth amendment right against self-incrimination. when you see the letters that representative thompson issued that accompanied these subpoenas that, which prosecutors can't do, the fact of us delivering the subpoena to somebody enjoys grand jury secrecy protection but the congress is not bound by those rules so the representative thompson was calling it like it is and laying out the dramatic and deeply damaging information that he expects to get out of these witnesses. i have a feeling you're going to start to see some witnesses pleading the fifth amendment right against self-incrimination. >> maya, what do you think of that? do you agree with glen? >> you know, i don't think we know what's going to happen with any of these witnesses. i think we have to go back to whether or not -- [ inaudible ] so i absolutely agree we need to see that and if anything, we should see that soon but remember, there is also a georgia grand jury that made these panels and that's really important because all of the facts that we're hearing that we're seeing from these potential witnesses have been subpoenaed also go to georgia and that is important to remember that there are other mechanisms which will be very difficult for some of these witnesses to avoid with a grand jury. >> i'm glad you brought that up because i was going to ask you about the georgia case and about the possibility of this grand jury that looms in the trump inquiry and you see it there. atlanta district attorney is moving forward convening a special grand jury in her criminal investigation of election interference by the former president and his allies. and this one the grand jury can be used to subpoena evidence but not indict. i want to put up one other thing. this is from the brookings institute analysis of trump's conduct in georgia. the brookings institute writes and this is 114-page analysis. trump's post election conduct in georgia leaves him at substantial risk of statement charges predicated on multiple crimes including solicitation to commit election fraud, interference with election duties and last but not least racketeering. you know, stewart, you know, this sounds very bold and very damaging to the former president but for some -- why do i feel like for some reason because donald trump is the former president that these sorts of charges will never really land at his feet? >> well, look, we're in uncharted water, very few presidents of the united states have attempted not to leave office after they were defeated. the argument will be made donald trump is like a guy walking around with a paper bag full of water. when it goes, it will go fast. all those things you put up there about interfering with election officials and any kind of campaign, the first day some lawyer sits you down and says don't do this stuff. this is bad. you know, you can't mess around with election officials. and the idea that they were just people all over the united states government and the republican party that were doing this is if there would be no personality, which is why it's important to hold these people accountable, otherwise this was just a practice. >> right. right. and there is that saying that's been said many times on air, what's a failed coup? practice. stewart stevens, maya, thank you for coming. up next, infrastructure was a running joke in the previoused a administration but under president biden it's here. i'm joined by kareem john pierre and congressman joyce baitty. also, gripping testimony in court today from the lone survivor of the kyle rittenhouse shootings in wisconsin. plus, the fight to save democracy. joining me, radio legend joe madison who is on a hunger strike until congress pasts voting rights legislation. and tonight's absolute worst is brought to you by the letter m. for misinformation. "the reidout" continues after this. "the reidout" continues after this itchy? scratchy? family not getting clean? get charmin ultra strong. it just cleans better, so your family can use less. hello clean bottom! enjoy the go with charmin. ♪♪ things you start when you're 45. coaching. new workouts. and screening for colon cancer. yep. the american cancer society recommends screening starting at age 45, instead of 50, since colon cancer is increasing in younger adults. i'm cologuard®. i'm convenient and find 92% of colon cancers... ...even in early stages. i'm for people 45 plus at average risk for colon cancer, not high risk. false positive and negative results may occur. ask your provider if cologuard is right for you. an official message from medicare. did you try it yet? comparing plans? oh yeah. they sure can change year to year. i found lower premiums and lower prescription costs. that'll save you money. so uh, mark? on medicare.gov now. open enrollment ends december 7th use the plan finder at medicare.gov to compare medicare health and prescription plans. comparing plans really pays. paid for by the u.s. department of health & human services paid for by the it only takes a second for an everyday item to become dangerous. tide pods child-guard pack helps keep your laundry pacs in a safe place and your child safer. to close, twist until it clicks. tide pods child-guard packaging. ♪♪ this... is the planning effect. this is how it feels to know you have a wealth plan that covers everything that's important to you. this is what it's like to have a dedicated fidelity advisor looking at your full financial picture. making sure you have the right balance of risk and reward. and helping you plan for future generations. this is "the planning effect" from fidelity. so you have diabetes, here are some easy rules... no sugar. no pizza. no foods you love. stressed? no stress. exercise. but no days off. easy, no? no, no, no, no with freestyle libre 2, you can take the mystery out of your diabetes. now you know. sir? you know what you want to order? yes. freestyle libre 2. try it for free. in business, setbacks change everything. yes. so get comcast business internet and add securityedge. it helps keep your network safe by scanning for threats every 10 minutes. and unlike some cybersecurity options, this helps protect every connected device. yours, your employees' and even your customers'. so you can stay ahead. get started with a great offer and ask how you can add comcast business securityedge. plus for a limited time, ask how to get a $500 prepaid card when you upgrade. call today. infrastructure week is finally here. after months of wrangling congressional democrats handed president biden and you the american people a big win and the blitz is on to promote the $1.2 trillion infrastructure bill, which is awaiting president biden's signature. today transportation secretary pete buttigieg said it can't come at a more urgent time. >> infrastructure is so elemental to our society when it's not there to serve us in the right way all of us are impacted. when it is strong, every community large and small, rural and urban, privileged and marginalized, every community feels the benefits. >> make no mistake, it's a big deal. president biden set out to combine an eisenhower lbj investment in society and this bill that passed the house friday night, the bipartisan fa infrastructure deal is the eisenhower part. $550 billion in new spending, it's the most massive investment in roads and bridges since ike. it's the largest investment in public transit in history. and the largest investment in passenger rail since amtrak was created. it also expands clean energy and rebuilds our electric grid and puts billions toward rebuilding water systems in places like jackson mississippi and eliminating lead pipes in flint michigan. it does a lot but not everything. there is the outstanding issue of the second big part of the big deal, the build back better plan. it was no easy feat getting the bipartisan infrastructure bill passed. it was only after the congressional black caucus negotiated a crucial last-minute plan to pass this bill immediately and set up a later vote for the build back better plan, which got all but six democrats to vote for the bipartisan plan or the bipartisan bill, which will soon become law. that vote is expected the week of november 15th but the question remains are there enough votes to pass it in the house and the senate? with me now is white house principle deputy press secretary careen john pierre. welcome back to "the reidout". >> thanks, jonathan. good to see you, you're right. it's finally infrastructure week. >> so it took a last-minute wrangling by the cbc but the bipartisan infrastructure bill got over the finish line. let me give you a couple minutes to crow about it, just a couple before i give you the really hard question. >> okay. like i said, it's finally infrastructure week and we couldn't be more excited to deliver for the american people, as you can imagine. one thing i want to say is for those at home who feel like they've been left behind or who feel like they've been forgotten because the economy is moving so rapidly, well, this bill is for you. this bill is for you. it is going to create union jobs, good paying jobs and a lot of those jobs you do not need a college degree to have those jobs and another thing about this, too, we're talking about red states, blue states, travel communities. this bill is for folks who have felt forgotten and left behind and this is what the president is working towards for over a year he has talked about having an economy where no one is left behind and that's also equity at the center of all of these bills we're talking about, the bipartisan infrastructure bill and build back better act and that's something the president is committed to from the beginning. this is incredibly exciting. we'll deliver for the american people on the infrastructure and bipartisanship, let's not forget that word, something the president was elected to do, reach out to the other side and bring people together and two other things i really want to layout for folks, which is i think for your viewers, which we'll really appreciatet it's going to take led out of the drinking water so our kids can have clean drinking water. that is critical. that's across the country. another thing, too, that's so important is you -- we hear these stories of parents having to go to a fast food restaurant, the parking lot of a fast food restaurant to get internet for kids to do homework. we'll have affordable internet so across the country, again, kids can be able to have internet to do their homework in a way so they don't have to sit in their parents car to have that access. so these things are incredibly important on top of modernizing our roads and bridges and that hard infa -- infrastructure we've been talking about. >> now comes the really hard part, getting the build back better act negotiated between house and senate, democrats getting it over the line, let me read you a tweet today from congresswoman cori bush of missouri and she tweeted the build back better act is a racial justice bill, community violence prevention, affordable housing expansion, supporting child care and elder care workers and policies crafted to support black and brown folks. we need to get it across the finish line. >> yeah. >> and yet, we've spent months talking about two particular senators kyrsten sinema and joe mansion who have spent a lot of time stripping out a lot of these provisions from the build back better plan or shrinking the amount of money that they're willing to spend so that those things, some of those things get squeezed out. is the president confident, is the administration confident that the build back better act will indeed have the -- enough of the human infrastructure in that plan, in that bill that will make a difference in the lives as pointed out by congresswoman bush? >> so that build back better act that you're speaking of to your point, this is propeople, this is about humans, right? this is about profamilies actually doing that investment that we haven't done in a long time that's going to give people a little bit of breathing room that the president talked about all the time because he understands what that all means. so i want to be very clear here. you know, they said to us oh, we're not going to get the american rescue plan done. we got it done. they said we wouldn't get the bipartisan infrastructure deal done. the president got that done. so he is committed to making sure that this build back better act happens. let's remember, this is something that the president has been talking about for over a year. this is his plan. this is something that he understands, again, will give the american people a breathing room, deal them back in as he says many times to make sure we don't leave anyone behind and truly, truly invest in the american public and so he's going to, you know, dial that phone, call up congressional members like he did on friday like he's been doing for the past couple weeks and make sure this gets done, working with members of the house, working with leader schumer and senators on that side of the chamber and making sure that we deliver for the american people because this is what is going to change, transformational change is critical here and those two bills as we've talked about is also going to help us fight climate change in a way that has never been done before and we talk about resilience, making sure those hurricanes and wildfires, all of those extreme temperatures that we see in different regions of this country actually that we build our resilience so there are so many important things that we're going to deal with these two pieces of legislation that we're going -- we got one done and we're going to get the other one done, as well. >> yes, you got one done and it's sitting on the president's desk. congress isn't in session this week so no bill signing. the president will go to baltimore to promote the bipartisan inpa -- infrastructure bill. my question, when will the bill signing me? >> the president wanted to make sure -- congress is out -- he wanted to make sure everyone that works so hard to make this happen are able to be at the bill signing and once that happens, we will let folks know what we'll have an event here and we'll make sure that everyone is here who like i said, worked day and night to make sure that we delivered for the american public. >> all right. white house press secretary careen john pierre, thank you for coming to "the reidout". joining me is congresswoman jace of ohio. >> i saw you yesterday morning on the sunday show. the congressional black caucus, the cbc out of nowhere comes through with the breakthrough maneuver with the bipartisan infrastructure bill to the floor for a full vote for the house of representatives. will you do the same thing to get the build back better act across the finish line? >> we'll be a major player doing that. we crafted major legislation in it. we're really excited about it. our entire caucus wants to make sure that we pass the build back better. it is a human infrastructure bill. it's a job's bill. it's a civil rights, it's a justice bill and we're on the same page with the congressional black caucus. this should be exciting. if you think of one transformational pieces of legislation, when i told you we were putting $400 billion into child care, you would be just excited the child tax credit, when we think about 35 million families will be affected, we're experiencing so much with climate change, $555 billion for that. not to mention what we're doing for taking the led out of water, we know what we've experienced here in the midwest with flint michigan and so many of our black americans going to hbcu universities and pell grants. there is a lot in there that will make a difference. we know we're still fighting this covid-19 with so many people who are lost their jobs. this is also a jobs bill. it a justice bill. so we're really excited about it and we're going to be on board. we crafted much of the legislation. housing, $150 billion for housing. we have our chairwoman and my chair of the financial services committee, congresswoman maxine waters has been at the table all six of our congressional black caucus chairmens and chairwoman men have been at the table along with our leadership. >> you know, and i'm thinking about the vote on the bipartisan infrastructure bill. there were six no votes. four of the six no votes are members of the congressional black caucus. do you think that is there -- rift is too strong a word but do you think that those members, cbc can work with and talk to senators joe mansion and cinema and talk to them in ways that get them to support all of the things that are in the human infrastructure bill in the build back better act? >> well, we're working on that as a caucus and with our leadership and those four members who belong to the congressional black caucus are strong members. we knew where they stood. we have a big tent and that's a good thing about the congressional black caucus. i believe that also made us a force because we are moderates, we are progressives, we are new diem. we have everything wrapped up in our 58 members and so we're a family and just like most families, you don't always agree but you don't have to be disagreeable. those are my colleagues and my friends. i spoke with all of them. they've stood with us at our press conferences when we were talking about both bills so there is no divide there with those members who voted their principle, their district and what they want to do. >> the cbc is moderates, progressives but the deal you came up with to get the bipartisan infrastructure deal over the line demonstrates the cbc is pragmatic about getting stuff done. joyce, thank you for coming to "the reidout". >> thank you. coming up, the lone survivor of kyle rittenhouse's bullets took the stand and recounted the harrowing moments when the want to be militia man turned the gun on him. that's next. a man turned the gun on him that's next. wondering what actually goes into your multi-vitamin. at new chapter. its innovation organic ingredients and fermentation. fermentation? yes, formulated to help your body really truly absorb the natural goodness. new chapter. wellness well done. with clean, fresh ingredients, panera's new chicken sausage and pepperoni flatbread is a mouthwatering explosion of yes. craft? yes! heartiness? yes! living life to the flavor-fullest? heck yes. panera. live your yes. now $1 delivery. ♪ when you have nausea, ♪ ♪ heartburn, ingestion, upset stomach... ♪ ♪ diarrheaaaa.♪ try pepto bismol with a powerful coating action. for fast and soothing relief. pepto bismol for fast relief when you need it most. ever notice how stiff clothes can feel rough on your skin? for softer clothes that are gentle on your skin, try downy free & gentle downy will soften your clothes without dyes or perfumes. the towel washed with downy is softer, and gentler on your skin. try downy free & gentle. today is day six in the trial of kyle rittenhouse, the illinois teen that killed two and wounded a third during protest after the death of jacob blake in kenosha wisconsin last year. jurors heard from the lone survivor gauge who was training to become an emt and providing care to anyone that needed it. that deadly night he came across rittenhouse after he had shot and killed joseph rosenbaum and about to kill anthony huber. he acknowledged he was armed with a pistol but says his arms were raised when he was shot by rittenhouse. >> i thought that the defendant was an active shooter and i mentioned earlier, any time you add a firearm into the evasion, the stakes are so much higher for somebody to potentially being seriously injured or being killed. >> what was going through your mind at this particular moment? >> that i was going to die. >> he then testified that testify rittenhouse killed huber, he turned his weapon on the witness and unloaded not accepting his gesture of surrender, he thought to disarm the shooter. >> i was never trying to kill the defendant. i was never something i was trying to do. in that moment, i was trying to preserve my own life but doing so while also taking the life of another is not something that i'm capable or comfortable with doing. >> he was ultimately shot describing to the court that rittenhouse vaporized his arm. his word. tearing away much of the bicep. jurors looked away as they showed the moment he shot him. at one point according to notes, a juror nodded in agreement when the judge said to disregard his description of a shooting as a protester as murder. joining me now is paul butler, former federal prosecutor and georgetown law professor. paul, great to see you. i'd love to get your reaction to the testimony because i always thought that, you know, folks like the good guy with the gun but also this judge and his actions in this case. >> jonathan, the prosecution has a tough case proving attempted murder when he was armed. he testified he was afraid mr. rittenhouse would kill him. on cross-examination the defense got this witness to admit it wasn't until he was pointing his gun at rittenhouse that rittenhouse fired. so that could bolster rittenhouse's claim he shot in self-defense because he believed he faced a deadly threat. >> wait, but paul, i mean, we just heard the testimony where he said he thought it was an active shooter, so does that not -- i mean, at a minimum cancel out that little thing that the defense got him the say on the stand? >> well, in fact, he was right. kyle rittenhouse was an active shooter and he already killed two people. what citizens are supposed to do in that situation is to call the police to alert authorities. this witness testified he put his hands in the air but when he saw mr. rittenhouse rerack his rifle, he was afraid for his life. the videotape is the star witness in this case so the jurors will look at the videotape and hear this testimony and decide whether they believe this witness or whether they believe mr. rittenhouse. >> now, in my intro to you, i said that the judge instructed the jury to ignore, disregard his description of the shooting of a protester as quote murder. is that because murder is actually a legal, there is a legal definition of murder? >> that's exactly right. so it's the jury who will decid murderer. this judge likes the limelight and he's micro managing this case. this is the same judge that did not allow the victims in this case to be described as victims even though mr. rittenhouse killed two of them and the witness that testified today had graphic testimony about how he blew the bicep off this man's arm when he shot him. >> let's talk more about this judge. because i'm following loosely this trial but everything i hear about this judge is sort of planted this seed in my head that this trial is, sorry to use the word, rigged. the instructions from the judge is making it pretty much impossible for the jury to actually consider all the facts, come up with a verdict where justice will be served or am i way out there in what i just said? >> at at all, jonathan. i understand your concerns. remember, this judge also ruled that the victims could be referred to as looters, arsonists and rioters if there is evidence they did those things. so far no evidence at all. the witness today was a trained emt officer. the first victim wasn't a protester, he was a man that had just been released from a psychiatric hospital that seemed to be having a mental health crisis. so when the judge allows these victims to be described as criminals, that certainly falls into question his judgement if not his bias. >> paul butler, thank you very much for coming back to "the reidout". still ahead tonight's absolute worst. up next, voting rights is as good as dead in the u.s. senate but legendary activist and radio host joe madison isn't giving up by embarking on a hunger strike to demand congress take action and he joins me next. d congressn and he joins me next clerk: hello, how can i? sore throat pain? ♪honey lemon♪ try vicks vapocool drops. in honey lemon chill. for fast-acting sore throat relief. wooo vaporize sore throat pain with vicks vapocool drops. ♪ ♪ ♪ hey google. ♪ ♪ ♪ ♪ ♪ ♪ woman: i have moderate to severe plaque psoriasis. now, there's skyrizi. with skyrizi, 3 out of 4 people achieved 90% clearer skin at 4 months after just two doses. skyrizi may increase your risk of infections and lower your ability to fight them. before treatment, your doctor should check you for infections and tuberculosis. tell your doctor if you have an infection or symptoms, such as fevers, sweats, chills, muscle aches, or coughs or if you plan to or recently received a vaccine. ♪ nothing is everything. ♪ woman: talk to your dermatologist about skyrizi. learn how abbvie could help you save. woman: talk to your dermatologist about skyrizi. it only takes a second for an everyday item to become dangerous. tide pods child-guard pack helps keep your laundry pacs in a safe place and your child safer. to close, twist until it clicks. tide pods child-guard packaging. is struggling to manage your type 2 diabetes knocking you out of your zone? lowering your a1c with once-weekly ozempic® can help you get back in it. oh, oh, oh, ozempic®! my zone... lowering my a1c, cv risk, and losing some weight... now, back to the game! ozempic® is proven to lower a1c. most people who took ozempic® reached an a1c under 7 and maintained it. and you may lose weight. adults lost on average up to 12 pounds. in adults also with known heart disease, ozempic® lowers the risk of major cardiovascular events such as heart attack, stroke, or death. ozempic® helped me get back in my type 2 diabetes zone. ozempic® isn't for people with type 1 diabetes. don't share needles or pens, or reuse needles. don't take ozempic® if you or your family ever had medullary thyroid cancer, or have multiple endocrine neoplasia syndrome type 2, or if allergic to it. stop ozempic® and get medical help right away if you get a lump or swelling in your neck, severe stomach pain, or an allergic reaction. serious side effects may include pancreatitis. tell your provider about vision problems or changes. taking ozempic® with a sulfonylurea or insulin may increase low blood sugar risk. side effects like nausea, vomiting, and diarrhea may lead to dehydration, which may worsen kidney problems. looking to get back in your type 2 diabetes zone? ask your health care provider today about once-weekly ozempic®. oh, oh, oh, ozempic®! you may pay as little as $25 for a 3-month prescription. voting rights appears to be dead in the senate with republicans filibustering the freedom to vote act and the john lewis advancement act but activists haven't given up marching to the white house to demand the biden administration take action and today radio host and activist joe madison announced he's going on a hunger strike until congress passes and the president signs one of those voting rights bills. >> as a political protest, i am beginning a hunger strike today. just as food is necessary to sustain life, the right to vote is necessary to sustain democracy. >> joining me now is joe madison activist and host of "joe madison the black eagle" on sirus xm. my friend, it is great to see you. why -- going on a hunger strike is i would say an extreme protest. why is it so important to you to go on a hunger strike on behalf of voting rights? >> because what the republicans are doing is extreme. i mean, and i think about for example, the end of the first reconstruction the compromise of i believe 1877 the rutherford b. hayes. what the first thing that they did to newly freed africans who had spent about seven years with reconstruction elected to many people to congress from states like south carolina and mississippi was the first thing they did was they went after the vote and to be quite candid, you know, i thought about john lewis and one of the things that john lewis said and it just stuck with me, he said, you know, i urge you, i urge all of you to answer the highest calling of your heart and stand up for what you truly believe. look, let's just be quite candid. i think the senate has three things it can do, and that is o the filibuster. two, reconvene the senate, the congressional black caucus suggested and urged senator schumer to reconvene. take another vote. and then pass the freedom act. i refuse to believe and i am not going to accept the fact that in this so-called second jonathan reconstruction we're going through that they repeat what happened over a hundred years ago. people say, well, what about you? what about your health? what about all of that? it is not about me. look, i've got four children, five grandchildren, and a great grandchild. i don't want them 50 years from now to have to go through what our forefathers went through a hundred years ago when they ended the first reconstruction. look, this is serious. if you don't protect -- there is nothing more important than protecting the right to vote, and it is very hard to believe that out of 50 republicans that they can't find ten people to stand on moral principle and protect the right to vote. so i'm going to continue this hunger strike. they've got three things they can do. kill the filibuster, shoot a hole in it, they did it for the supreme court justices and the budget. so that's why. >> joe, on that point of the filibuster, one of the reasons why it is not going anywhere is because, you know, folks like senator manchin and senator sinema don't want to reform or kill the filibuster in order for it to pass. if you have a chance to speak with senators manchin and/or sinema or some of the other democratic senators who are hiding behind them, what would you tell them about the importance of at a minimum reforming the filibuster to get the voting right -- either one of these voting rights bills passed? >> jonathan, i would tell him straight to his face that he ought to decide, does he want to go down in history on the side of dixie crats? of these individuals who actually almost destroyed the political advancement of african americans and others in this country? i mean, i have never seen so much fear in the hearts and minds of people who are so afraid that you've got, jonathan, 400 bills that have been introduced in 49 states to repress our right to vote. my god. do you really want 50 years from now to be written down in history alongside the southern democrats at that time? no. >> joe -- >> so we have to fight it. we just have to fight. >> joe, we are going to keep tabs on you. we're praying for you, because a hunger strike is serious business. just as voting rights are serious business. >> jonathan, you know me. i'm serious. >> oh, no. i know you're serious. joe madison, we got to go. thank you very, very much for coming to the reid out. good luck, joe. >> thank you. if you thought the cultural panic couldn't go further than the outrage against teletubbies or mr. potato head you thought wrong. tonight's absolute worst is next. wrong. tonight's absolute worst is next ben isn't worried about retirement his personalized plan is backed by the team at fidelity. his ira is professionally managed, and he gets one-on-one coaching when he needs it. so ben is feeling pretty zen. that's the planning effect from fidelity ray loves vacations. but his diabetes never seemed to take one. everything felt like a 'no'. everything. but then ray went from no to know. with freestyle libre 2, now he knows his glucose levels when he needs to. and... when he wants to. so ray... can be ray. take the mystery out of your glucose levels, and lower your a1c. now you know. try it for free. visit freestylelibre.us knowing where you came from, it gives you a sense of “this is who i am”. oh my goodness... wow, look at all those! you get hungry for more and then you're just like, “wow, i'm learning about my family.” yeah, yep. which one, what'd you find? lorraine banks, look, county of macomb, michigan? look at grandma... hey grandma! unbelievable. everybody deserves to know who they are and where they came from. ohhh...cool. this whole journey has been such a huge gift for our family. ♪ this is the greatest idea you'll ever hear. okay, it's an app that compares hundreds of travel sites for hotels and cars and vacation rentals like kayak does for flights. so it's kayak. yeah, like kayak. why don't you just call it kayak. i'm calling it... canoe. compare hundreds of travel sites for thousands of trips. kayak. search one and done. every day in business brings something new. so get the flexibility of sit the new mobile serviceps. designed for your small business. introducing comcast business mobile. you get the most reliable network with nationwide 5g included. and you can get unlimited data for just $30 per line per month when you get four lines or mix and match data options. available now for comcast business internet customers with no line-activation fees or term contract required. see if you can save by switching today. comcast business. powering possibilities. hello boys and girls. today's letter of the day is, "f" for freak out. and it is brought to you by all those out of breath right wingers who have found the object of their latest temper tantrum, everyone's favorite feathery resident of "sesame street," big bird. you see, big bird sent out a tweet supporting the recent efforts to get 5 to 11-year-olds vaccinated. how dare big bird share such scientific truths about the shot in order to keep him and his friends healthy? yeah, ted cancun cruz calling it government propaganda for 5-year-olds. news max host and former trump flunky steve cortez calling it actual evil. come on, y'all. you have others saying it is brain washing our kids. and even one joking that it will lead to the death of the beloved "sesame street" character. but don't you worry, kids. big bird and all his "sesame street" friends will be okay. they have long been targeted by the right, accused of indoctrinating all the boys and girls with such scary values as tolerance, kindness, incluesivity and, yes, staying healthy. guess what? it is not even the first time big bird has promoted the benefits of vaccinations. there he is back in 1972 getting in line for his measles vaccine. and speaking of values, kids, good sportsmanship is also an important value, unlike what we saw with benched green bay packers quarterback aaron rodgers, who lied to his teammates about being vaccinated. football hall of famer terry bradshaw spelled it out for rodgers over the weekend. >> it would have been nice if you had just come to the naval academy and learned how to be honest. >> yeah. >> learned not to lie. that's what you did, aaron. you lied to everyone. unfortunately we've got players that pretty much only think about themselves and i am extremely disappointed in the actions of aaron rodgers. >> kids, that's what we call a reid. here are some facts even big bird would understand. the "new york times" is reporting that the gap in covid deaths, the death toll between red and blue america has grown faster over the past month than any previous point. the big difference of course is vaccination. so the lesson of the day is if you find yourself attacking big bird on getting vaccinated or really on any issue, you're probably on the wrong side. and in the case of those on the right already doing that, you're tonight's absolute worst. and that's tonight's "reidout." "all in" with chris hayes starts right now. tonight on "all in" six new subpoenas from the select committee investigating january