Summary
Deb Haaland has been confirmed as first Native American interior secretary. Biden kicks off tour touting American relief package. Relief checks are already appearing in bank accounts. Relief checks causing delays at IRS. Senate will take up voting rights, gun and policing reforms. Biden is not ruling out wealth tax while eyeing tax hikes. Some Californians reject COVID precautions. California Governor Newsom is facing sixth recall effort. The GOP is increasing their efforts to suppress the vote ahead of the 2022 midterms and the 2024 presidential election.
Transcript
ARI MELBER, MSNBC HOST: Joy Reid is up next.
JOY REID, MSNBC HOST: Good evening, everyone. We`ve got a lot to get to on this Monday night. In a moment, I`ll be joined by Senator Elizabeth Warren. And later, Governor Gavin Newsom joins me live to respond to a new recall effort by California Republicans, fueled in part by his attempt to contain the coronavirus pandemic in the state.
But we begin THE REIDOUT tonight with breaking news, history in the making. New Mexico Congresswoman, Deb Haaland is now Interior Secretary Haaland, the first indigenous person to ever hold a spot in the White House cabinet.
We begin this evening also with a monumental moment in the national fight against COVID. The American rescue plan rollout has begun, with President Biden kicking off his national tour to tout the relief package and making big promises for the days ahead.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
JOE BIDEN, PRESIDENT OF THE UNITED STATES: Over the next ten days, we will reach two goals, two giant goals. The first is 100 million shots in people`s arms will have been completed within the next ten days and 100 million checks in people`s pockets in the next 100 days, shots in arms and money in pockets. That`s important.
The American rescue plan is already doing what it was designed to do, make a difference in people`s everyday lives.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
REID: For some Americans, the relief was immediate, with steaming checks hitting their bank accounts over the weekend. But challenges remain to ensure that aid is properly implemented for the millions of Americans who are unemployed, behind on rent and facing eviction or financial ruin.
For them, this aid could not come soon enough. But try and tell that to the big banks, some of which are holding some of those checks, even though the funds have already been deposited by the federal government, while others who rely on paper checks could face check cashing fees.
And for those desperate for your tax refund, not so fast, the IRS cranking out those stimulus checks, which causes delays in this tax filing and leave nearly 7 million tax filers in limbo at least for the moment.
Joining me now, is the one person, we know has a plan for all that, she shows us there a plan. Senator Elizabeth Warren. Senator Warren, thanks so much for being here.
I have to point out personal privilege to say that you left me in a crying, blubbering mess when you were on Nicolle last week when you were talking about your brother. You`re brother seems like a wonderful person. So I just wanted to say thank you for telling that story. It was really, really beautiful.
SEN. ELIZABETH WARREN (D-MA): Oh, thank you.
REID: And I wanted to give you a quick moment -- of course, I wanted to give you a moment to quickly big -- give you a moment to big up Deb Haaland, your campaign co-chair. She`s now Interior Secretary. What do you think, what does that mean?
WARREN: You know, when you talk about something being historic, that`s what this is, obviously, the first native woman to hold a position like this in a cabinet and to be head of the interior department. That did so much through the generations to try to undercut the strength, the health, the survival of the tribal nations.
And now, it`s not just Deb being there. This is not simply about having a figurehead. This is about having someone who has this moment where she actually can reset the relationship between the United States and the tribal nations, a woman who, down to her toes, believes in making our lands work and preserving them for generations and generations to come.
You know, Deb speaks of herself and always talks about how she is a 35th- generation New Mexican, that her people have lived on that land for at least 35 years -- 35 generations, which is a way of seeing how she will think about the public lands, how she will think about how we build a future that is not sustainable over a month or a year, but how it`s sustainable for generations to come. I love it and I love Deb.
REID: Well, I am glad you said the word sustainable. Because I`m so glad that you were available to talk to tonight. Because all weekend, people were tagging me and tagging you on some of the same tweets. Because when you talk about sustainability, this $1.9 trillion is -- I mean, it huge. There`s no way to underplay what a big deal this is and what a big progressive victory it is.
But, you know, some of the sort of the the catch for a lot of people who are not high income is either they`re banking with a bank that is not giving them their money, including Chase and wells Fargo, who are holding the stimulus checks, because they have a policy that they don`t release it right away. And for some people, you know, back in my broke days, I can remember waiting for a check to clear. It can feel like forever.
And then you`ve got this other institutions that are charging check cashing fees, which is going to eat away that money. People were tweeting you and me and saying, how is that legal. So my question is how is that legal?
WARREN: Because it`s legal because the big banks call the shots in Washington, and that`s how the regulations have remained. So we have two responses to this. Response number one, fix it yourself. Change your bank. Ask this question about how quick they`ll give credit. Go to a credit union. Go to a member-owned credit union. You can make a real difference.
Go to a local bank that says, I will give you credit. That`s number one. But number two, it`s on us in Washington, it`s on the bank regulators. We need to force these banks to give quicker credit on checks. That would be one of the most helpful things we could do for middle class families, for working class families and for poor families. So let`s do it in Washington, but you do it at home.
REID: So that`s some good advice. I know online banks and some of the other ones are sort of making that pitch as well. The other big issue when it comes to big change, and you talked a lot when you were running for president, you always talk about big, structural change, for a lot of people, the one thing that didn`t make it in the bill that people really wanted and needed was that $15 an hour minimum wage. And people who are earning that, you know, when you net that out per month or per year, it`s not a lot of money even, even if we got that, right?
So to get that, you would have to get through Joe Manchin, who says he`s never going to rid off, he`s never going to let go of the filibuster. Is there anything we can do? There are so many big bills that are sitting there way to come through, HR-1, the For the People Act, Bipartisan Checks Act, the George Floyd Justice Act, there are so many good bills that have come out of the House. If we`re not going to get rid of the filibuster, then what?
WARREN: Well, Joy, you`ve put it exactly right. Our problem is not just the $15 an hour minimum wage. Our problem is the filibuster because it blocks us on everything that doesn`t fit through. Everyone had to learn the word last weekend, reconciliation, right?
REID: Yes.
WARREN: So if we really want to make changes to protect the vote, we really want to make changes on gun safety, we really want to make changes on immigration, we really want to make changes on child care, we have got to deal with the filibuster.
Here is the good news. Democrats know that. The discussions are now going on, on our side, about what we can do. Now, you know where I am and where I`ve been for a long time. We just need to pitch the thing out. It was born of racism and a way to try to keep the south happy, the southern senators, by giving them extraordinary power to be able to block any civil rights legislation or any anti-lynching legislation. And that`s what it was used for, right up until the mid-1960s.
And now, Mitch McConnell and the Republicans have resuscitated it with a vengeance. First, to use it against President Obama and have indicated they`re going to use it against President Biden. That means it is on us to stop this. We`re in Washington to fulfill our promises to the American people, to make this government work for them, not to give Mitch McConnell a veto.
So stay tuned. You know where I am in this fight. And nobody is giving up at this point.
REID: Yes. Okay. That`s good to hear. We hear of Jeff Merkley and yourself and others sort of working on some plan. So we`ll definitely stay posted on that.
Another issue that you -- you talk about this a lot. Because, again, structurally, the challenge with everything previous to this bill, which is that Democrats felt they had to build in lots of tax cuts and things to help upper income people. This time it really is sort of the bottom up thing, but a lot of it is temporary. So you have to make some of these tax credits permanent. But you`ve also gone further than that, and so, there needs to be a wealth tax on top. You were tweeting about it this weekend.
Janet Yellen, express some skepticism. I will let you listen, this is Janet Yellen, I think we have this audio. This is her talking about the wealth tax. Oh, it`s a graphic. Okay, so let me find it, we`re going to put it up just a second.
So she expressed a little bit of skepticism when it comes to having a wealth tax. She said that Biden is still open to it, the president, but even without one, wealthy Americans will likely face a tax hikes. She didn`t seem super enthusiastic. Do you think a wealth tax is even possible when Joe Manchin exists?
WARREN: Oh, yes, I do. Look, let`s remind everybody what the wealth tax is, and that is, this is for fortunes bigger than $50 million. Your first $50 million is free and clear, but your $50,000,001, you`ve got to pay two cents, at two cents on every dollar of wealth above that, until you hit a billion, then you get to add a little bit more. This would affect the top one-tenth of 1 percent in American. And it would be a way to raise about $3 trillion in revenue.
Keep in mind, Joe Biden ran on raising taxes on the people at the very top and on giant corporations. Taxes wouldn`t go up on a wealth tax for 99.9 percent of Americans. You just can`t do much better on raising taxes, only for those at the top. There`s not another plan on the table that says that.
So I think this is in line with what Joe Biden ran on and I think it would be good for America. So I`m feeling good about this one.
REID: You know, I feel like the media cares a lot more about bipartisanship than regular people. I think if you go and ask people like what are their priorities, bipartisanship probably never makes the list. But it`s a thing that is floating out there. And so we have to talk about where sort of Republicans are on things, sometimes, right?
There are Republicans who were out there trying to repeal the wealth tax, permanently, like it would help like 400 families. Like, you know, their priorities are still unchanged from before. So would it help the majority of people if we in the media weren`t so focused on it or do you think bipartisanship actually is a thing that matters and that is important in legislating?
WARREN: I think we need to expand our vision of what constitutes bipartisanship. You know, the American rescue plan that just came through, it was a deeply bipartisan plan. That is, it was supported by Democrats, Independents and Republicans across this nation. The one group that was out of step were Republican-elected officials in Washington. They were the ones who are unanimously opposed for their own political reasons.
Same thing is true on the wealth tax. The best polls I`ve seen show that the wealth tax is popular across America, and that means Democrats, Independents and Republicans. The question is, these guys in Washington, who are elected officials, who are Republicans, and they want to veto.
And why do they want to veto everything that comes through? They know that there were good things in the American rescue plan. Shoot, some of them tweeted about the good things, not mentioning that they voted against them.
They know the same thing about the wealth tax. They get why it is popular, that the 99 percent paid 7.2 percent of their total wealth in taxes last year. That top went one-tenth of 1 percent paid 3.2 percent, less than half, they get why this staff is popular.
But right now, they`re in the politics game of trying to set to veto everything that Joe Biden wants to do, just like they did to Barack Obama. We are not going to permit this. This goes right back to your question about the filibuster. I`m glad to have Republicans join us. But they`ve got to be willing to come and get serious about legislation, not just to be there to try to block everything.
REID: And one more thing that I think is bipartisan, people want their mail. And, I mean, I`ve talked to a lot of people who still are getting things late. It`s still very gummed up. Louis DeJoy thinks he`s staying, and he`s not going anywhere. But President Biden has now put in three nominees. He`s got enough where they get a majority that could get rid of DeJoy. Are we near the end of DeJoy`s tenure running the Postal Service?
WARREN: I hope so. It is time. We need our mail on time, and that means we need to show DeJoy the door.
REID: Succinctly said. Senator Elizabeth Warren, I want to thank you for spending some time this evening, always great talk with you. Thank you so much.
And coming up -- thank you.
And coming up next, California Governor Gavin Newsom joins me in a REIDOUT exclusive, the surge in border crossings, the easing of COVID restrictions and how he is fighting back against a recall effort.
Plus, tonight`s absolute worst was not even close. A senator blurts that exactly how he feels about black people. And we just got a love the honesty. You`re going to want to stick around for this one.
And Republican voter suppression efforts are happening everywhere. But I will tell you why the good guys might just be winning this war.
THE REIDOUT continues after this.
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
PROTESTOR: I`m not putting that on my face. I`m not. I`m not going to. I`m a healthy person, I`m not crazy. This is like psychosis for everyone to put all this stuff on their face when they are healthy.
PROTESTOR: I don`t have to wear a mask. I am not going to wear a mask. This is America and I don`t have to do what you say. Trump 2020.
BARISTA: You need to leave. Thank you.
PROTESTOR: No, (BLEEP).
(END VIDEO CLIP)
REID: While the state has seen both improvements and setbacks over the past year, they are now on a good path, with numbers of cases, hospitalizations and deaths all heading down. And that leads us to California`s governor, Gavin Newsom, who now is facing his sixth recall effort, which is partially being fueled by the mandate that he put in place. Those recall efforts have been supported by quite the eclectic group of people.
An L.A. Times investigation found that recall campaign leaders seeking to capitalized on the darkening political mood, allied with radical and extreme elements early on to help collect signatures. Those included groups promoting distrust of government, science and medicine, peddlers of QAnon doomsday conspiracies, patriots readying for battle, and one organization allied with the far right extremist group the Proud Boys."
Joining me now is governor Gavin Newsom of California.
Governor Newsom, great to see you virtually. And thank you so much. Really appreciate you spending some time with us this evening.
And I want to start right there where we kind of end that open.
We just saw the United States Capitol besieged a couple of months ago by people representing the same collection of folks that you`re now facing. How much is that impacting security in the California Capitol? Are you fearful that this group is not just interested in the politics of a recall, but could actually become as violent as they did in our nation`s capital?
GOV. GAVIN NEWSOM (D-CA): Well, all of us are vigilant and all of us are obviously at heightened awareness and concern.
And all this, of course, predates even the insurrection in January. We have been monitoring white supremacist groups in the state of California for years and years and years. And there is a surprising number of them, even proximate to the state capitol, and a number of them, quite literally, not figuratively.
And I appreciate the setup. The Proud Boys, the 3 Percenters, these other right-wing militia groups are behind now this sixth recall effort in California. But, moreover, we`re just concerned about violence moving into the future. As we move farther and farther away from the January insurrection, and we put down our guard, we must remain vigilant about these groups and how serious they are, hell-bent they are on, well, doing what they can to promote their perspective.
REID: They`re also, of course, politically -- they dislike you and they want you to be recalled. There`s been six of these.
California`s a unique state.
NEWSOM: Yes.
REID: It`s sort of a nation state. Like, it could be a country, it`s so big. It`s so incredibly diverse.
But on the side that is behind these recalls, what they were saying in the L.A. Times, and the quote says, well, we`re not -- those aren`t our people, but we`re willing to tolerate them. Why should we kick them out?
It`s kind of what you hear national Republicans say about Donald Trump, and what they would say about groups like the Proud Boys nationally. So, I wonder if you think that -- Trump actually turned out to have a pretty strong political pull, even though there are a lot of really oddball people with him.
What do you make of this recall and whether or not it has a shot? Because I think a lot of people would be kind of terrified at the idea of a nation state like California being run by people like this. Vote to recall is only at 38 percent.
It would need to get a lot higher. Vote to keep is at 42. Are you concerned about this as a real political challenge to yourself, or what?
NEWSOM: Yes, I mean, look, we had a recent example, in 2003, and we ended up with Arnold Schwarzenegger as governor. Gray Davis was recalled. And the reality at the end of the day, in California, it`s the easiest state in America to put a recall petition on the ballot. There are 19 states where you can do it.
All you need is about a quarter of the people that just supported Trump to sign a petition. And it appears that they have done that in this state. As you noted, this is the sixth recall attempt since I have been governor. And, by the way, I have only been governor 25 months.
So it`s been a very short period of time. But this one is serious. And it`s serious for many different reasons. It`s the uncertainty of being on the ballot with a question up or down, but also the folks behind it.
I mean, let me be just more candid and more direct. The principal sponsor of this recall effort wants to put microchips in immigrant aliens. We have folks that are literally part of the 3 Percent militia group, right-wing group that are part of the principal proponents of this effort.
But here`s, Joy, why we should be more concerned about it. Where it has a lot to do with me, it has a lot to do with everybody watching. It has to do with our values as Democrats. The RNC is the second largest donor to this effort.
The Huk PAC, Mike Huckabee. Newt Gingrich is out there, Devin Nunes. Trump mega donors-have put in close to $3 million in this effort. So, yes, I`m taking it very seriously.
REID: And you just described a lot of people who are also fueling what can only be described as sort of a counterfactual on COVID, right?
NEWSOM: Oh, yes.
REID: There`s been a lot of downplaying when Donald Trump was president. There`s been a lot of anti-mask, anti-vaccine, to the point now where, among Republican men...
NEWSOM: Yes.
REID: ... only 30 percent say that they would take the vaccine.
You see -- we showed a little bit of a clip of people sort of flipping out in stores, not wanting to wear masks. Can you talk about the complication of getting a huge population like yours vaccinated with that going on?
NEWSOM: No, it`s a great point.
Look, I live -- and you said just a moment ago -- I live in not only the largest state in America, 40 million, but the most diverse state in the world`s most diverse democracy. We`re the equivalent in poverty elation of 21 states combined.
And so, when you deal with diversity across the spectrum, including ideological diversity, you had dozens of counties of our 58 that supported Donald Trump, overwhelmingly so. So, we`re dealing with anti-maskers, anti- vaxxers. We`re dealing with people that promote and support the insurrection against the U.S. Capitol.
And so you`re dealing with all kinds of complexities. But, at the end of the day, we`re dealing with the vestiges of the last year-plus, where we had so much intentional misinformation about nonstop pharmaceutical interventions, like wearing face coverings and masks, and invariably now the mixed messages that the president -- former president, that is, Donald Trump, is sending as it relates to his own efforts to get vaccinated, but to do so without the light of any camera or day.
And so that`s leading to more complexity. And the reality is, in six weeks, we`re going to go from scarcity on vaccines in this country to abundance. And when we`re in that abundance mind-set, the challenge for us is to convince those that are hesitant.
And it turns out the most difficult may indeed be political, in the context of an ideological frame, not just a racial and an ethnic frame, as we had previously predicted.
REID: You know, California is diverse, as you said. It`s also diverse in terms of what it offers resource-wise. It`s a huge tourist economy.
NEWSOM: Yes.
REID: It is a huge sports economy.
We just did a list of how many sports teams are in California. I have forgotten how -- like half of them.
NEWSOM: Yes.
(LAUGHTER)
REID: You have got Disneyland. You have got Universal.
There`s -- how -- how open is California going to be, let`s say, by July, the date that the president has said we will have a more or less normal life?
NEWSOM: Well, look, we`re down to 2 percent positivity. There are only three states that have lower positivity rate, 80 percent down in hospitals, 77 percent in our ICUs. Our case rates are now among the lowest per capita in America.
So, we`re not only stabilizing, but we are reopening, but thoughtfully and strategically, mindful of the public health realities of these mutations and these variants. And we`re tracking six here in California, not just U.K., Brazil, not just those like South African, but a West Coast variant, and, of course, the New York variant.
And so we`re mindful of that reality; 37 of our 58 counties have moved to the least restrictive or the less restrictive tier. And I imagine, by July, if our vaccination rates continue -- and we have done 11.2, almost -- excuse me -- 12.2 million vaccinations.
If we continue on the pace that we have been, I have all the confidence the vast majority of our sectors of the economy, still with modifications, will be open, including those sports venues, appropriately outdoors, with the appropriate modifications in mind.
REID: All right, we -- I have a lot more questions. So, I`m going to ask you to stick around just for a moment.
We`re going to take a quick commercial break, Governor Newsom. And I have more questions for you. So, please stay with us.
And I want to ask about -- the governor about his plans for dealing with the migrant surge, including unaccompanied minors, at the Southern border, creating a new crisis, as overstressed facility struggle to help those on both sides of the border.
And that will be right after the break, so stay with us.
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
REID: The Biden administration is facing a brewing crisis at the border, where, according to multiple reports, more than 4,200 unaccompanied minor children are being held in U.S. custody, in jail-like facilities not intended for kids.
Almost 3,000 of those children have been in these facilities for longer than the 72 hours they`re legally allowed to be there.
Today, House Minority Leader Kevin McCarthy led a coalition down to the border to stage some right-wing theater, before predictably blaming President Biden.
But the situation is a lot more nuanced than any political stunt. Last month, the Biden administration reversed a Trump era policy that immediately expelled unaccompanied children. And that reversal led to an influx of children at the border.
The administration has acknowledged that the surge may be related to the change in policy. But the border is far from open, with the U.S. continuing to follow Trump`s policy of immediately expelling most adults and families who cross the border.
This weekend, the Biden administration announced that FEMA will help shelter and transfer the unaccompanied children. They`re also considering opening up new facilities, including one at a NASA airfield in the Bay Area of California.
And back with me is California Governor Gavin Newsom.
I want to let you respond to Kevin McCarthy, the House minority leader, coming to California...
NEWSOM: Yes.
REID: ... his home state and yours, to critique the border crisis
Your thoughts?
NEWSOM: Yes, and offering nothing, except a criticism, absolutely nothing.
He should have been going to Washington, D.C., to support a farmworker bill and a dreamer bill, two things he can do as a congressional leader. At the end of the day, it was just more of the same, demagoguing an issue that they substantially contributed to and created.
With all due respect, they had the opportunity a few years ago to promote and support comprehensive immigration reform. That would have landed us in a very different place. You got a new administration, just six weeks, just six weeks into their term.
And this is not unique. In 2014, 2016, I think `18, a little bit of `19, we had similar surges. So we`re going to have to work through this. I am mindful of our collective responsibility. While it`s the federal government`s role, at the end of the day, border state governors like myself also play a unique role in not having a closed fist, but an open hand, to help support these migrant facilities, to support our humanitarian efforts.
And I appreciate you just referencing some of those efforts identifying locations within the state of California, including in Mountain View, and a location that`s more suitable for these children and for these teenagers, in some cases, adults as well.
So, we have a lot of work to do. This is a serious issue. At the end of the day, we need less politics and we need folks to come together and address the root causes and address this crisis before it manifests even more acutely.
REID: And my mistake here. He -- Kevin McCarthy is in El Paso, not in California.
NEWSOM: Yes.
REID: But, obviously, the migrant crisis impacts your state a lot.
How much -- how much authority do you have, as governor, and how much authority does the state have in dealing with the border crisis, in dealing with these young people? Or is this a fully -- what is the balance between the state and what you guys can -- the state and what the federal government are doing?
NEWSOM: Yes, I mean, in some ways, we`re victims of federal policy at the end of the day. We also have agency.
I mean, this -- California, one of the reasons this recall is happening, this -- by the way, the -- this recall that`s likely ended up on the ballot predated the pandemic. And the number one grievance was the browning of California, immigration.
In some ways, California, with 2.5-plus-million people here without documentation, with so many mixed status families, as a dominant state as it relates to farmworkers and it relates to agriculture, as well as newcomers that have blessed us through the innovation and the entrepreneurial spirit that defines California`s economic growth and America`s great success, we`re uniquely positioned to be creative.
And so we have developed strategies and partnerships for migrant facilities. We`re addressing issues related to COVID testing for people that are crossing the border. We`re providing supplemental support for staffing to help some of these children, and so we`re currently -- children -- and working with the Biden administration.
In fact, I was just on the phone an hour or two ago with the vice president on this topic, working with them to be partners, not sparring partners, but working partners, to address this crisis and see if we can supplement some of their efforts.
REID: And I know you`re working together, but do you have any criticisms of the way in which they have transitioned from the absolute no Trump policy to the policies they have now?
I was watching a VICE News special where it made it pretty clear that there`s a sense that there`s more openness with President Biden in office that is, in some senses, pulling people over. Do you think that the Biden administration properly communicated, including to their counterparts in Mexico, about what the change meant?
And do you think they have handled the border situation well?
NEWSOM: I think this was inevitable, regardless of the calibration of the federal administration, as it relates to the extreme rhetoric and bigotry, respectfully, of the Trump administration and the Trump years.
This was a natural reaction to that. And while there is some calibration, obviously, over the last six weeks, as we move forward, we need to be mindful of that and consider some of that, at the end of the day, we have to deal with some of the root causes here.
I had the pleasure, the privilege, as governor, going down to El Salvador, going to the Northern Triangle to understand what`s really going on. And until we fundamentally address that issue and the need to comprehensively change our immigration policies here within the United States of America, we`re going to have surges like those surges we had in `14, `16, `18, and a little bit of `19.
And we will continue to struggle and suffer through the consequences of that. At the end of the day, this requires seriousness of purpose, a little less politics, a little less demagoguery. It requires some adults in the room to deal with a systemic issue that transcends administration, goes back decades, and requires a little humanity.
And humanity, with all due respect to those Republicans that were down there on the border that had their hearts broken, to suggest that somehow the Trump administration didn`t break their heart completely is remarkable, indeed.
And so with all due respect to the theater, that`s not the way we`re going to solve this, with press conferences at the border. We`re going to solve it by good people coming together across differences.
REID: Speaking of things that are divisive in terms of issues, I know that you have announced that you would like to see a major push toward moving to a fully electrical fleet.
NEWSOM: Oh, yes.
REID: I think you have set a date certain that you would like to see that, no more gas-powered cars by 2035.
I`m sure that that`s certain to animate the same people who would like to oust you from the governorship. How is it possible to implement that kind of a change in a country that is so dependent on the oil and gas industry and the auto -- and an auto industry that may or may not want to make that change wholesale?
NEWSOM: Well, this is California. So goes California, so goes the nation.
We are truly a nation state. We punch above our weight when it comes to environmental policy. Low-carbon green growth is not just a mantra. We want to deliver on it.
The world is running the fever, not just with COVID, as it relates to the issue of global climate change. And, at the end of the day, it`s impacting the West Coast of the United States disproportionately. Hots are getting hotter. Dries are getting drier. The wets are getting wetter with these atmospheric rivers.
Just think of the smashmouth realities that we experienced last year, not just in California, but Colorado and elsewhere, with these wildfires. So, we got to get serious about it. And if you`re going to get serious about it, you got to deal with the number one contributor, at least in California, to greenhouse gas emissions.
And that`s tailpipe emissions, which all in is 50-plus percent are emissions when you consider extraction and you consider the emissions directly from vehicles.
So, yeah, we did something no other state has ever done. And we said, on 2035, we`re going to stop selling internal combustion engines, and we`re going to move to dominate the next big global industry. It`s not about electric power, it`s about economic power and that`s the transfer from fossil fuel, gas-guzzling cars, that destroy our environment and hurt poor people disproportionately because of bad air and dirty water, and we`re going to dominate that clean, low carbon green growth future.
REID: OK. We are out of time, out of time, out of time. I have to go to a break. But I have to do a "yes or no" answer that you can give me.
NEWSOM: Yeah.
REID: If, in fact, Dianne Feinstein were to retire, will you nominate an African-American woman to restore the seat that Kamala Harris is no longer in the United States Senate? And do you have a name in mind?
NEWSOM: I have multiple names in mind.
REID: It can be yes -- answer yes or no.
NEWSOM: We have multiple names in mind, and the answer is yes.
REID: Okay. Governor Gavin Newsom, thank you very much. I really appreciate your time this evening.
Still ahead, Georgia Republicans are finding it`s a little bit harder to suppress Americans` voting rights than they thought it might have been.
But, first, it`s tonight`s absolute worst. And, boy, do we have a worthy pick.
Stay right there.
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REID: Remember Ron Johnson? He`s the Republican senator from Wisconsin who put forward a ridiculous conspiracy theory that the MAGA mob who attacked the Capitol, well, they really were just fake Trump supporters pulling a prank on us. Ha-ha.
I guess nobody was buying that theory because Johnson is now trying a new approach. He`s speaking from his heart. In a radio interview last week, Johnson told us what he really thinks of the violent insurrectionists of January 6th, essentially defending them as model citizens. Never mind that they laid siege to the Capitol, leaving five people dead. The real threat, according to Johnson, is Black Lives Matter.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
SEN. RON JOHNSON (R-WI): On January 6th, I never felt threatened. I knew those were people that loved this country, that truly respect law enforcement, would never do anything to break a law. So I wasn`t concerned.
Now, had the tables been turned, Joe, this could get me in trouble. Had the tables been turned and President Trump won the election, and those were tens of thousands of Black Lives Matter and Antifa protesters, I might have been a little concerned.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
REID: In other words, Ron Johnson is more afraid of black people seeking racial justice than the violent, majority white mob that tried to overturn our government. That`s the kind of over-bigotry that even racists used to utter only in private or from under white hoods.
But let`s look at the insurrectionists whom Johnson broadly described as loving this country. They would seem to include this guy, who is arrested for breaching the Capitol in January. He is an army reservist, and if it isn`t apparently from that mustache, is apparently an Adolf Hitler enthusiast.
This is a guy who according to an eyewitness said, Hitler should have finished the job. He allegedly believes that babies born with any deformities or disabilities should be shot in the forehead. It doesn`t sound like somebody you`d invite over to a post-vaxx barbecue, but as Ron Johnson`s comments would suggest, he loves the country like you or me, or senators that spend their Independence Days in Moscow, with the Kremlinist, like Ron Johnson.
According to Johnson, it wasn`t scary at all that extremists were chanting "hang Mike Pence", or the lynch mob erected an actual gallows with a noose on the National Mall.
Ron Johnson said he`s not afraid of people who wore sweatshirts and say, Camp Auschwitz. No, no. And he definitely wasn`t scared of those who beat police officers so severely that they were left with concussions and severed fingers and a gouged out eyeball. No, no, Ron Johnson says, those people truly respected law enforcement.
I guess that also includes the two arrested yesterday for assaulting Brian Sicknick, the U.S. Capitol police officer who later died from the injuries he sustained that day. Apparently, all of that is A-OK in the world of Ron Johnson, and the silence from members of his own party, yeah, well, that means they don`t disagree with him either apparently.
I guess old Ron running from the Capitol that day along with everyone else, it was like Josh Hawley`s fist pump, only with his legs. I mean, he wasn`t too cowardly to face his zip tie and bear spray wielding America-loving friends, no. He was just enthusiastic on his feet.
Today, Johnson insisted there was nothing racial about what he said and he`s accusing critics of playing the race card, which completely, coincidentally is exactly what people who say racist things claim, other than, whoo, I had an attack of the sugars, when it`s pointed that what they said was racist. Crazy how that works.
And that`s why Wisconsin Senator Ron Johnson, you are the absolute worst.
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REID: The GOP is increasing their efforts to suppress the vote ahead of the 2022 midterms and the 2024 presidential election. Unable to compete on a level-playing field, they are actively trying to turn back the clock to the Jim Crow era.
Of the 24 states with Republican majorities and governors, all but two are racing to pass new-voting restrictions. According to the Brennan Center, 11 are attempting to place new restrictions on mail-in voting. Nine are seeking to expand purges of the voter rolls and eight are attempting to implement stricter voting ID laws.
As "Politico" reports, this wave of proposed measures stem from the former president`s big lie, that the election was stolen. In short, bills are being introduced to prevent something that didn`t happen, in 2020, widespread-voter fraud.
In fact, a lawyer for the Arizona state GOP said as much before the Supreme Court. He didn`t defend voting restrictions as a way to prevent fraud. He admitted, their objective is to help Republicans win elections.
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JUSTICE AMY CONEY BARRETT, SUPREME COURT: What`s the interest of the Arizona RNC here, in keeping, say, the out-of-precinct voter-ballot disqualification rules on the books?
MICHAEL CARVIN, ARIZONA GOP LAWYER: Because it puts us at a competitive disadvantage relative to Democrats. Politics is a zero-sum game.
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REID: But perhaps the most notorious state is Georgia, where the GOP`s proposed could have easily cost Joe Biden his victory. And now, civil rights and activist groups are turning up pressure on large Georgia companies like Coca-Cola and Delta Airlines to oppose sweeping voter restrictions. Among those groups is black voters matter. One of several that is asking supporters to directly contact CEOs, presidents, and headquarters of major Georgia-based corporations.
And joining me now is LaTosha Brown, cofounder of Black Voters Matter.
And, LaTosha, it`s always great to talk with you. So you have changed can`t stop won`t stop, to not just mean voting but also, can`t stop won`t stop terrifying corporations in the state of Georgia. These are just some of the groups that are being targeted by your organizations, and others, Aflac, Coca-Cola, Delta Airlines, Home Depot, Southern Company, and UPS, via the Chamber of Commerce.
What has been the response from these corporations, to your efforts to get them to stand up against these voting restrictions?
LATOSHA BROWN, BLACK VOTERS MATTER CO-FOUNDER: Over the weekend, the chamber, the Georgia Chamber of Commerce put out a statement, a statement that, in fact, all these companies were members at the time. You know, what we are saying is that it`s good that they have a statement. It`s a good, first start.
But what we need is we actually need action. They all have political leverage. These are major, Fortune 500 companies.
Where is Delta Airlines? Where is UPS? Where are those companies, that are based right here in the state of Georgia that work with them, for them, in management on the boards and also consumers?
And so, what we are seeing is that, while the statements are good. You know, what we need is eight days left in the legislature. What we are seeing is we are seeing these draconian bills that will impact not just black voters but will undermine democracy. (INAUDIBLE)
REID: So let`s just remind people what these laws are, that are being jammed through the state legislature. They would limit voting by mail, to only people age 65 and up. Or disabled who are away from home, they have new voter ID requirements for absentee voting. They would limit hours.
They end automatic voting registration. Ban drop boxes. Move up deadlines. So there is lots of ways that would directly impact communities of color.
What, specifically, do you want these corporations to do? Is this about them not donating to Republican politicians, who support these laws? Or is there something else, specifically, you want them to do?
BROWN: There are three things that we`re asking in the request. One, we are asking them to immediately stop the bills of anti-suppression, voter- suppression bills in the Georgia legislature right now, that they have a political leverage and power to be able to stand up and so that. So, they should step up to stop those bills.
The second thing is to divest. Divest into -- divest those candidates, those Republicans who continue know that they are standing on the big lie and they`re actually putting these bills forward. They should divest resources from them to send a strong message that we are not going back, and that we are standing for democracy.
And the third thing is that these are also national and international companies. So they have a tremendous amount of power not just in Georgia. But also on the federal level. And so, we are asking they also support HR-1 and the complete restoration of the John Lewis Advancement Act.
REID: And just, the question then becomes, or what? So the new Georgia project, which is one of the groups allied with you. They just put up a couple new ones. Hey, home depot, be a hero and defend Georgians` freedom to vote. You can do it.
And one from coca-cola as well tweeted out earlier. What`s the or what, Latasha? Is this -- are these companies facing boycotts? Potential-consumer boycotts, if they don`t stand up against these laws? And is this something that you want to roll out, beyond Georgia?
BROWN: You know, we -- these acts and this effort as an opportunity for them. This wasn`t meant to be some kind of -- we should say that we believe that it is just common sense, that if -- and we want to have a stable democracy. Democracy is good for business. That, when you have a stable government, it is good for business.
And so, fundamentally, what we are saying is that they are part of the ecosystem. They cannot stand on the sidelines. It is not the responsibility of black people to support and always have to literally fight for democracy, if this is about all of us. This is about all of our Democratic rights.
All throughout the weekend, there have been different people we`ve been contacting saying what it is that they would like to see. And so, the or what, is we`re not going to stop. We are going to continue to put pressure. We do have consumer power.
We do have -- as -- as citizens of this country, as citizens in Georgia, and just as we stated, we want them to stand with us.
REID: Well, this worked in south Africa. I mean, in theory, if, let`s say, Coca-Cola and UPS said, no, would you -- would you recommend that African- Americans and those who support voting rights continue to buy Coca-Cola and use UPS?
BROWN: Well, I believe that we should stand with those companies that stand with us. I believe that, as we are doing this work, that this is no longer -- the fact that we`re in 2021. And we`re actually looking at voter- suppression bills that even "The New York Times" said are the worst bills that we face since reconstruction. It is not acceptable. That any company that would not come out in full power to support us, why would we continue to support them?
REID: LaTosha Brown. Thank you, very much, from Black Voters Matter. Really appreciate you being here tonight.
And before we go. The Grammy`s were held last night and women swept the top categories. Beyonce won her 28th Grammy for her Juneteenth tribute, Black Parade, making her the most awarded woman in Grammy history. Her won song of the year for honoring George Floyd, "I Can`t Breathe." Taylor Swift won Album of the Year.
And my friend, my pal and colleague, Rachel Maddow won best spoken word album for "Blowout." Yes, congratulations, Rachel. That is great.
That is THE REDIOUT. So happy.
"ALL IN WITH CHRIS HAYES" starts right now.