>>> OUR NATION IS FOUNDED ON THE
PRINCIPLE THAT WE DO NOT HAVE
KINGS, WE HAVE PRESIDENTS!
AND THE CONSTITUTION IS OUR
COMPASS.
WHEN YOU SEE SOMETHING THAT IS
NOT RIGHT, NOT JUST, NOT FAIR,
YOU HAVE A MORAL OBLIGATION TO
SAY SOMETHING, TO DO SOMETHING
OUR CHILDREN AND THEIR CHILDREN
WILL ASK US, WHAT DID YOU DO
WHAT DID YOU SAY
FOR SOME, THIS VOTE MAY BE HARD,
BUT WE HAVE A MISSION AND A
MANDATE TO BE ON THE RIGHT SIDE
OF HISTORY
>> THE CONSCIENCE OF CONGRESS,
JOHN LEWIS, CIVIL RIGHTS HERO
AND LONGTIME CONGRESSMAN FROM
ATLANTA, GEORGIA, PASSED AWAY
THIS WEEKEND AFTER A MONTHS-LONG
BATTLE WITH CANCER
JOINING OUR CONVERSATION, HOST
OF THE BRAND-NEW SHOW DEBUTING
TONIGHT, "THE REIDOUT"
PREMIERING AT 7:00, MY FRIEND
AND COLLEAGUE, JOY REID.
I’M SO HAPPY ABOUT THIS NUZEWS.
I’M SO HAPPY I’M GOING TO GET TO
WATCH YOU AT 7:00.
YOU’RE SO IMPORTANT TO TELLING
THE STORY OF THIS PRESIDENCY AND
THIS POLITICAL MOMENT AND I JUST
WANT TO SEND YOU MY
CONGRATULATIONS, FIRST
>> THANK YOU SO MUCH, NICOLE
I TRULY APPRECIATE YOU
THANK YOU. >> I HEARD YOU FRIDAY NIGHT AT
>> I HEARD YOU FRIDAY NIGHT AT
ABOUT 11:50 CALL INTO BRIAN
WILLIAMS’ NEWSCAST WHEN THE SAD
NEWS BROKE AND I STAYED FOR THE
ONE-HOUR DOCUMENTARY YOU HAD
DONE ABOUT CONGRESSMAN LEWIS
AND I WANTED TO ASK YOU ABOUT
SOMETHING YOU SAID THAT NIGHT.
YOU TALKED ABOUT WHAT HE THOUGHT
OF THIS GENERATION OF ACTIVISTS.
AND IT GAVE ME A TEENY BIT OF
SOLACE THAT HE WAS HEARTENED BY
THE BLACK LIVES MATTER MOVEMENT,
BY THE SWELLING NUMBERS OF
SUPPORT FOR THEM
CAN YOU TALK ABOUT THAT A LITTLE
BIT MORE
>> I ONCE SAW JOHN LEWIS
INTERACT IN ATLANTA WITH SOME
BLACK LIVES MATTER ACTIVISTS,
WHO WERE REALLY CRYING OUT
I THINK THIS WAS IN 2015
AND THERE WERE JUST SO MANY OF
THESE CASES OF BLACK YOUNG MEN
AND WOMEN, YOU KNOW, BEING
KILLED BY POLICE OR BEING
HARASSED BY POLICE AND THERE WAS
SO MUCH ANGER THAT THEY FELT
AND HE CAME OUT AND HAD THIS
GENTLE SPIRIT AND SAID TO THEM,
BASICALLY, I WAS YOU
I KNOW WHAT IT IS TO BE ANGRY,
TO WANT TO SCREAM OUT AND CRY
OUT AGAINST INJUSTICE AND WANT
TO, YOU KNOW, CURSE INJUSTICE
OUT, YOU KNOW?
BUT THAT, YOU KNOW, HE WAS A
LIVING EXAMPLE OF HAVING TAKEN
THAT SPIRIT OF PROTEST
YOU KNOW, HIS ANGRY 1963 SPEECH
THAT HE WANTED TO GIVE WHERE THE
WHITE HOUSE WAS READY TO START
PLAYING MUSIC REALLY LOUD, TO
DROWN HIM OUT, THEY WERE SO
AFRAID OF THAT HE WAS GOING TO
SAY, TO EMERGING AS THIS SORT OF
BEACON OF BEING ABLE TO WORK
WITH EVERYONE ON THE HILL,
PROBABLY THE MOST LIKED MEMBER,
OTHER THAN ELIJAH CUMMINGS ON
THE HILL
THE TWO OF THEM WERE PROBABLY
THE BEST-LIKED PEOPLE IN
CONGRESS
AND ALSO SOMEBODY WHO NEVER
STOPPED BEING FEAR AND HE NEVER
STOPPED BEING ANGRY AT
INJUSTICE.
AND HE NEVER GAVE UP ON THE IDEA
THAT WE COULD DO BETTER AND HAD
TO DO BETTER
AND IF SOMETHING WAS WRONG, HE
HAD TO NEIL, YOU KNOW, EVEN WITH
ALL OF THE PHYSICAL AILMENTS
THAT HE FELT, HE STILL FELT THAT
HE NEEDED TO GO DOWN ON ONE KNEE
AND KNEEL WITH THE PROTESTERS
AND DO THAT SYMBOLICALLY IN THE
HALLS OF CONGRESS AND HE NEVER
STOPPED BEING THAT YOUNG MAN
AND GOD BLESS HIM AND GOD BLESS
HIS MEMORY
>> AND THE SOUND WE PLAYED WAS
FROM IMPEACHMENT
I REMEMBER, I THINK I WAS
ANCHORING WHEN THAT HAPPENED
AND YOU COULD ALMOST PUT THAT
FRAME AROUND LITERALLY
EVERYTHING THAT’S HAPPENING.
I MEAN, I THINK THERE HE WAS
SAYING TO HIS REPUBLICAN
COLLEAGUES IN THE HOUSE AND THE
SENATE, JUST LOOK AT WHAT WE CAN
ALL SEE.
THE ABUSE OF POWER IS FRONT OF
ALL OF YOU, JUST DO THE RIGHT
THING FOR YOUR KIDS, FOR YOUR
FAMILY
HOW DO WE -- HOW DO WE GET BACK
TO THAT?
HOW DO WE CRAWL BACK TO THAT
WE ARE SO FAR FROM THAT.
"THE NEW YORK TIMES" REPORTING
THIS WEEKEND ABOUT A SECRET
SOCIETY TO HAVE GOVERNORS THAT
HAVE TO MEET WITHOUT STAFF TO
BYPASS ALL THE DISINFORMATION
AND INCOMPETENCE COMING FROM THE
FEDERAL GOVERNMENT
I MEAN, WE’RE SO FAR FROM WHAT
HE CALLED FOR, JUST IN DECEMBER.
>> YOU KNOW, IT’S -- I WAS
LISTENING TO THAT SEGMENT AND IT
LITERALLY BOGGLES MY MIND THAT
GROWN MEN AND WOMEN HAVE TO
SNEAK AROUND AND MEET TO SAVE
THE LIVES OF THEIR OWN
CONSTITUENTS, BECAUSE THEY’RE
AFRAID THAT DONALD TRUMP WILL BE
MAD AT THEM IF THEY SAVE
PEOPLE’S LIVES
THIS IS INSANE
AND YOU KNOW, JOHN LEWIS DIED
ONLY A FEW HOURS AFTER CT VIVIAN
AND HE WAS ANOTHER HERO OF THE
CIVIL RIGHTS MOVEMENT.
AND THERE WAS THIS VIDEO OF CT
VIVIAN CONFRONTING NOT BULL
CONNOR, BUT A GUY WHO’S STANDING
NEAR BULL CONNOR, BUT WHO’S
SILENT
AND HE SAYS TO HIM, WHY ARE YOU
FOLLOWING HIM.
WHY ARE YOU LETTING HIM DRAG YOU
INTO THE PIT OF HELL
DRAGGING YOU INTO THE WORST
DEPTHS OF HISTORY.
HE’S DRAGGING YOU TOWARDS NAUZ
NAZIISM.
WHY YOU LETTING HIM DO THAT?
YOU NEED TO MAN UP AND WALK AWAY
FROM HIM
AND JOHN LEWIS WAS CRYING OUT TO
REPUBLICANS, YOU CAN WALK AWAY
FROM HIM
YOU DON’T HAVE TO DO THIS.
THE IDEA THAT YOU WOULD LET -- I
THINK ABOUT THE FLORIDA GOVERNOR
ALMOST EVERY DAY
BECAUSE I STILL HAVE SO MANY
FRIENDS DOWN THERE
YOU REALLY WOULD RATHER LET
PEOPLE DIE THAN DEFY THIS ONE
MAN?
HE’S NOT GOD
HE’S JUST A MAN.
BUT THE COWARDICE THAT YOU CAN
KEY ON THE HILL IS SHOCKING.
JOHN LEWIS WAS LITERALLY 17
YEARS OLD WHEN HE STARTED
DEFYING THE POLICE THAT COULD
KILL HIM IN THE STREET
HE WAS 23 WHEN HE GOT UP IN
FRONT OF 250,000 PEOPLE AND
SPOKE BEFORE THE MARCH ON
WASHINGTON
KING DIDN’T EVEN MAKE 40 AND HE
LAID DOWN HIS LIFE AND HIS
COUNTRY.
HE WAS 26, JOHN LEWIS, WHEN HE
GOT BEATEN IN THE HEAD
THESE WERE BASICALLY KIDS AND
THEY HAD MORE COURAGE THAN A
MEMBER OF CONGRESS, OF THE
SENATE
THE KIDS IN FLORIDA, YOU KNOW,
WHO MARCHED AGAINST GUN VIOLENCE
AFTER THEY FACED A GUNMAN IN
SCHOOL
THEY WERE LIKE 17.
I MET THOSE KIDS
THOSE KIDS HAVE THE SPIRIT OF
JOHN LEWIS
THE PARKLAND KIDS.
THESE MEN IN CONGRESS, THESE