STARTS RIGHT NOW.
>> GOOD EVENING, ALEX.
GREAT SEEING YOU THIS WEEK.
TONIGHT YOU NEED TO SEE THIS.
BECAUSE WHAT YOU SEE HERE IS AN
ESCALATION BY THE REPUBLICAN
STATE GOVERNMENT OF GEORGIA
CRACKING DOWN ON VOTING RIGHTS,
LITERALLY ARRESTING A STATE
SENATOR, WHO IS BLACK, WHICH IS
RELEVANT TO THE RACIALLY CHARGED
VOTER SUPPRESSION NOW BREAKING
OUT IN THE STATE, AND SHE WAS
ARRESTED FOR KNOCKING ON THE
GOVERNOR’S DOOR AS HE SIGNED
THIS NEW VOTING CRACKDOWN.
>> WHAT DID SHE DO?
WHAT DID SHE DO?
CAN Y’ALL CITE THE CODE?
WHAT DID SHE DO?
>> STOP!
WHERE ARE YOU TAKING ME?
STOP!
>> STOP!
STOP!
>> WHY ARE YOU ARRESTING HER?
>> WHAT DID SHE DO?
WHAT DID SHE DO?
>> WHAT DID SHE DO?
YOU CAN HEAR THE PROTESTERS
ASKING IN THAT FOOTAGE BY
JOURNALIST ARI BERMAN.
REPRESENTATIVE ARRESTED FOR
KNOCKING ON GOVERNOR’S DOOR.
THAT’S WHAT SHE DID.
TONIGHT WE CAN REPORT THERE ARE
NEW PROTESTS IN GEORGIA AND
AROUND THE NATION.
ALL OF THIS SMACKS OF ’50s ERA
JIM CROW ABUSE.
AND THAT CRITIQUE, THAT STRONG
LANGUAGE, THAT LEVEL OF MORAL
STAKES HAS NOW BEEN ENDORSED BY
PRESIDENT BIDEN HIMSELF,
CONDEMNING THE NEW LAW’S MOST
EXTREME PROVISIONS LIKE MAKING
IT A CRIME TO PROVIDE WATER TO
PEOPLE WAITING IN LINE TO VOTE.
>> IT’S AN ATROCITY.
THEY PASSED A LAW SAYING YOU
CAN’T PROVIDE WATER FOR PEOPLE
STANDING IN LINE?
THIS IS NOTHING BUT PUNITIVE,
DESIGNED TO KEEP PEOPLE FROM
VOTING.
YOU CAN’T PROVIDE WATER FOR
PEOPLE ABOUT TO VOTE.
GIVE ME A BREAK.
>> THE LAW RESTRICTS VOTING BY
ADDING HURDLES THAT ARE NOT
NEEDED LEGALLY FOR ACCURACY OR
FAIRNESS.
MAKES VOTING BY MAIL HARDER WITH
AN ID RULE.
IT CUTS DROP BOXES, WHICH IS HOW
MANY VOTED, INCLUDING THE
GOVERNOR WHO SIGNED THIS LAW.
IT CRIMINALIZES WATER AND FOOD
FOR PEOPLE IN LINE AND ENDS
VOTING BEFORE MANY GET OUT OF
WORK TO VOTE.
GEORGIA’S NEW SENATOR SAYS ALL
OF THIS ACTION GOES BACK TO
DONALD TRUMP’S BIG LIE.
>> IT IS THAT BIG LIE THAT IS
THE FUEL FOR THESE TERRIBLE
VOTER SUPPRESSION LAWS THAT WE
SEE COMING OUT OF THE STATE OF
GEORGIA, AND WE HAVE HAD TO PUSH
HARD AGAINST A BIG LIE AND MAKE
SURE THAT WE SECURE THE
DEMOCRACY FOR ALL OF OUR
CITIZENS.
>> THAT BIG LIE FROM DONALD
TRUMP.
SO THIS IS VERY IMPORTANT
TONIGHT.
WE COVERED THIS AS THE NEWS
BROKE LAST NIGHT AND WE COVERED
IT BEFORE THIS THING EVEN
PASSED.
VOTER SUPPRESSION TACTICS ARE
VERY OLD IN AMERICA, BUT THIS
LAW DOES ALSO RESPOND DIRECTLY
TO TRUMP AS A FACTUAL MATTER
BECAUSE IT DOES SOMETHING VERY
STRANGE FOR MANY LEGAL APPROACH
TO SECURING ELECTIONS.
IT STRIPS POWERS FROM THE STOP
GEORGIA ELECTIONS OFFICIAL WHO
STOOD UP TO TRUMP WHEN HE WANTED
TO STEAL THE GEORGIA RACE.
THAT INDIVIDUAL, BY THE WAY,
HAPPENS TO BE A REPUBLICAN.
IT TAKES POWER FROM THE
SECRETARY OF STATE, WHICH MEANS
A WOULD BE-AUTOCRAT DEMANDS THAT
GEORGIA OFFICIALS FIND HIM SOME
VOTES, THERE MAY BE MORE WAYS
BEEN THE SYSTEM TO DO THAT, TO
CHANGE TALLIES, TO HAVE MORE
PARTISAN AND POLITICAL
REPUBLICANS INVOLVED.
MEANWHILE, THE CORE LIMITS ON
VOTING IN THIS LAW HIT
MINORITIES, YOUNG, POOR AND
DISABLED CITIZENS HARDEST.
>> IT IS ANTITHET CAL TO
EVERYTHING THIS COUNTRY HAS
STOOD FOR.
THIS IS SUPPRESSION.
>> I NEVER HEARD OF WATER BEING
AN ILLEGAL SUBSTANCE IN THE
UNITED STATES.
>> WHAT EVIDENCE IS THERE OF
INSECURE ELECTIONS OR VOTER
FRAUD THAT JUSTIFIES THESE
SWEEPING CHANGES?
THERE ARE NONE.
>> YOU CAN DRAW A DIRECT LINE
FROM THE REPUBLICANS’ 2020
LOSSES TO THIS LAW.
>> JOE BIDEN IS PRESIDENT-ELECT
OF THE UNITED STATES.
>> NBC NEWS NOW PROJECTS RAPHAEL
WARNOCK AS THE WINNER IN THE
SPECIAL GEORGIA SENATE ELECTION.
>> NBC NEWS CALLED THE SECOND OF
THE TWO GEORGIA SENATE RACES
AFTER HOURS AND HOURS OF BEING
SURE AND COUNTING AND WAITING
FOR JON OSSOFF.
>> JOE BIDEN DEFEATED DONALD
TRUMP AS PRESIDENT.
WE KNOW THAT.
ALL THE LIES AND THE ALLEGED
ELECTION CRIMES IN THE WORLD
COULD NOT CHANGE THAT.
THAT’S WHY THERE IS A NEW
PRESIDENT GOVERNING NOW WHILE
THE EX-PRESIDENT HAS RETURNED TO
PHONING IN TO FOX NEWS FROM
FLORIDA.
LET’S BE CLEAR.
NO SINGLE PERSON OR EVENT CAN
END ALL OF TRUMPISM IN ONE BLOW.
IT IS A MIX OF RACISM AND
AUTHORITARIANISM THAT EXPLODED
AT THE CAPITOL ON JANUARY 6th
AND HAS A CLEAR FOOTHOLD IN PART
OF THE REPUBLICAN PARTY.
THAT IS WHY BLATANT CALLS TO
OVERTHROW AN ELECTION REMAIN
POPULAR IN AMERICA RIGHT NOW.
THAT IS WHY AN ENTIRE STATE
PARTY IN GEORGIA CAN OPENLY
INSULT ITS OWN CONSTITUENTS BY
SAYING, BASICALLY, WE SAW YOU
VOTED FOR OUR OPPONENTS, SO
WE’RE GOING TO TRY TO TAKE AWAY
YOUR RIGHT TO VOTE AND ARREST
LAWMAKERS WHO PROTEST.
THIS ALL GROWS OUT OF TRUMPISM,
AND IT IS ALSO BROADER THAN THAT
CONTEMPORARY POLITICAL SPASM.
NOW, IF YOU HAVE WATCHED THIS
NEWS PROGRAM FOR ANY STRETCH OF
TIME, YOU HAVE PROBABLY SEEN OUR
CONTINUED COVERAGE OF TWO
CHALLENGES TO AMERICAN DEMOCRACY
TODAY: RACISM, WHICH IS QUITE
LITERALLY THE OPPOSITE OF
EQUALITY IN ANY POLITICAL SYSTEM
PROPOSING IT, AND, TWO, THE
TOOLS THAT CAN GUT DEMOCRACY
FROM WITHIN.
THEY RANGE FROM RAW ABUSES OF
POWER, LIKE A FILIBUSTER THAT
OVERRIDES MAJORITY RULE LIKE
VOTER SUPPRESSION.
BUT THEY ALSO INCLUDE
GERRYMANDERING WHICH IS DILUTE
VOTERS IMPACT TO THE ANTIQUATED
ELECTORAL COLLEGE THAT OVERRIDES
HOW WHEN MORE PEOPLE CHOOSE
DEMOCRATS FOR THE WHITE HOUSE
THEY DON’T GET THE WHITE HOUSE.
THAT’S HAPPENED ACTUALLY IN
SEVEN OF THE LAST EIGHT
ELECTIONS.
THE REPUBLICANS PICKED 6 OF THE
LAST 9 SUPREME COURT JUSTICES.
IT’S NOT DEMOCRATIC, EVEN IF IT
IS CONSTITUTIONAL.
DEMOCRATS YELLING THIS IS WHAT
DEMOCRACY LOOKS LIKE.
IN GEORGIA TONIGHT, THEY ARE
ADDRESSING THE REPUBLICANS, BUT
THEY ARE CONDEMNING AND
CHANTING, THIS IS NOT WHAT REAL
DEMOCRACY LOOKS LIKE.
THE FACTS ARE IN PUBLIC.