senator hearing that was uprooted from washington and moved to georgia and held in georgia instead. this is the first time the rules committee and the senate has held a field hearing in 20 years. but senator klobuchar decided that the issue of voting rights was worth hitting the road for. to go understand in person what's new republican installed voting restrictions mean on the ground in states where they're being enacted. so the committee, at least the democrats on the committee who showed up, republicans didn't show up for this. but democrats on the committee heard testimony from georgia voters an election officials including helen butler who you just heard from their. she served on the board of elections on her rural county in georgia for more than ten years, until this year when a provision in georgia's restrictive new voting law allowed local republican officials to remove her from the board this month so they could take full partisan republican control over her counties election administration. helen butler called the takeover of local elections boards the most egregious part

in georgia to block georgia's flu restrictions. not to mention those passed in 16 other republican-controlled states just since the 2020 election. that sailed, there is still no clear path to getting that voting rights legislation through the united states senate. at least it doesn't appear that way tonight. but joining us now is somebody who knows better than we do. she's the chair of the rules committee in the senate. minnesota senior senator amy klobuchar. senator, it's great to see you. thank you so much for joining us. >> thanks, rachel. >> so the rules committee does have responsibility for things related to federal elections. lots of rules committee chairs in the past have sort of ignored that part of the purview, ignored that part of the committee's remit and focused on other things that are like administrative things for the senate. you've decided to max out basically what the committee can do in terms of that part of its purview. tell us how that led to this decision today, this remarkable decision, for the first time in

we're seeing that in georgia and all across in nation. to the extent the texas democrats had to flee from their homes to go to d.c. to stop this voter suppression, that's a demonstration of how intense the fight is we're in right now. while we seeing this directs action is not going to stop, this is not something that's not going to go away, that we can outorganize, outlitigate, we're going to have to have federal legislation to make sure we have protect voting rights and really unravel a lot of the damage that republicans are doing right now. >> let's look at the states enacting restrictive laws right now. these are states voting, enacting voting rights laws. you've got a second map here, states that are actually efforting these audits like pennsylvania and michigan where they may not get much traction but they are trying. latasha, until people not directly affected by this as you in georgia were or people in texas were, until everybody understands this is an affront on all voting rights, we're not activating the rest of the population.

that rolls back voter suppression, in texas, in georgia, in florida, and so many other places. and it opens up our elections to every-eligible voter. that -- that's not a democratic-party position, nor a republican-party position. that should be an american-democracy position. and that's why we're marching and that's why we want folks to join us in austin, tomorrow, 10:00 a.m. in front of the capitol. we'll be joined by impacted people and willie nelson, who will be giving one of his first concerts since the pandemic there. so, big day, tomorrow, in austin. >> reverend dr. barber, you -- i think, in the last few weeks, you've been arrested at least a couple of times. doesn't scare you. doesn't scare the texas representatives, who are under threat of arrest. they have done nothing criminal. but the -- the governor has implied that they could be arrested. that's what the summer actions turning out to be. people marching, people putting their bodies on the line. doing what they have to do to remind people that this is the kind of energy that is required. very reminiscent of the --

he has consulted with state officials in arizona, pennsylvania and georgia, is that what we call, it consulting? and he has described state ballot reviews as the key to prove that he won the 2020 election. and his political group has repeatedly urged donors to give by claiming that trump is working to protect their votes. fundraising pitches that his advisers say remain the most lucrative. one recent facebook ads says quote, we need you to join the fight to secure our elections. join the fight to secure our elections. pay for my private jet gas. buy me a sandwich. pay for my staff and buy other expenses. save america, that is a world class griff, man. $75 million, just in the first half of the year. but the predicate for this grift, the false idea that they are selling to the masses of trump supporter is this idea that there was some kind of consequential election fraud, right? and eventually they'll get around to finding it someday. maybe if there were more than one cyber ninjas it would be easier. but that predicate for the grift, that idea that they are selling, literally, to pay

georgia was recounted three times. it's clear. for those who challenged the results and the integrity of the election, no election has ever been held under such scrutiny, such high standards. the big lie is just that. a big lie. [applause] 2020 election is not hyperbole. it's the most examined in the fullest expression will of the people in the history of this nation. it should be celebrated. the example of america is the best. but instead, we continue to see the example of human nature is the worst. something darker and more sinister. in america, if you lose, you accept the results. you follow the constitution. you try again. you don't call facts fake and try to bring down the american experiment just because you're unhappy. that's not statesmanship. [applause] that's not statesmanship. that selfishness. it's not democracy. it's denial of the right to vote. it suppresses, it's subjugate's. then i'll a full and free and fair elections is the most unfair thing that any of us could imagine. the most undemocratic. most unpatriotic. >

so people who are not directly affected by this, as you in georgia were in, or people in texas were, until everybody understands this is a front and all voting rights. we are not activating the rest of the population how do we get the rest of the world to understand this is not a black urban problem, a black voters of the self problem, this is a democracy problem. >> i think there's a number of things that we have to do, we have to be honest and what's happened in georgia this is widespread all across the nation, and while black voters and brown voters have been targeted, anybody in the most dredges laws come up, the truth of the matter is that it is going to impact all voters. that's every single one of us. anytime, one of these that we have to help people understand, is that anytime a political party be the libertarian the green the republican doesn't matter, anytime a political party abuses that power to really be in their authority to actually take laws in place, so that whoever does not vote for them, they can punish, or they can prevent them from voting or making more difficult

i am very grateful for senator raphael warnock of georgia who i think has been instrumental in bringing the party together, including senator manchin. it's really good news. it's a sign of progress. frankly, it's a sign that would bishop barber the poor people campaign and others who are willing to take direct nonviolent action across the country, what they're doing is actually working it's bringing the parties to the table, they're feeling the pressure and they know that they need to move forward. i would argue, and agree fully with bishop barber, that as important as the physical infrastructure of our country is, if we do not save the infrastructure of our democracy, protect the right to vote and guaranteed field for elections going forward we will lose it forever and nothing else is possible. raising the minimum wage. expanding access to health care, confronting climate change, legalizing illegal immigrants in this country. all these things only become when we bring people in the voting places, so that their voices are heard. i hope that senator warnock and others who believe in this

health care, other infrastructure that president biden wrote that as part of the pace and for sure georgia through boards or go. today, the chance for station minister pete buttigieg pushed for the infrastructure agenda. i sat down with him here in oregon, to discuss the senate's two track approach to infrastructure, and what he thinks of the bill that senate democrats are putting together which takes a broader view of infrastructure than republicans do. >> the idea that americans ought to have paid leave just like people in pretty much every other country, it's something you don't have to be a democrat and republican to believe in -- and most people think we ought to do it. there is a problem with it in washington. a few months ago, when talking about human infrastructure, i heard republicans say childcare is great, building veterans hospital is great, we just don't think it is infrastructure. you should put it in a different package. fine. now it's in a different package. let's see if they vote for it now. >> yes, we shall see. you can catch the full interview with buttigieg on my show.

a couple of days later "the washington post" published a phone call in which president georgia secretary of state to look into the results in his state. the infamous call where trump said he only needed to find about 11,000 votes. that same night the republican elections official in arizona got another voicemail. >> this is a white house operator. i was calling to let you know that the president's available to take your call if your free. >> the official told the arizona republic he presumed trump would try to pressure him. so he never returned that call. this new reporting is the latest to detail a multi-state effort by trump and his allies to undermine the results of the 2020 election, the same effort to led to a so-called audit that's been going on in maricopa county in arizona since april. run by the cyber ninjas. now the republican playbook on how to overturn the 2020 election is turning a new page, this time in pennsylvania. the associated press is reporting today that republicans in the pennsylvania state senate might be planning their own audit of the 2020 election in their state

in the summer of 2006, struggling to the end of his disastrous tenure as secretary of defense of the georgia we bush administration. he lived at the time at mount missouri. he bought the place in 2003, as he was leading the nation into the invasion of iraq. that was where he went to get away from washington while running to disastrous wars. he like to have the shook helicopter drop them off at the slave breakers home where fredericton glass was nearly tortured to death. as you can see pictured here. donald rumsfeld died today at the age of 88. he had a singular career and that he make a zillion's of dollars in business running companies that invented neutral sweet, and early h g tv. he served four terms in congress which is not frequently remembered about. him especially given his later overt and pronounced disdain for congress. he served in a variety of roles in the nixon administration report becoming president. gerald ford's white house chief of staff, and then ford's defense secretary. george w. bush brought him back to the pentagon in 2001 to be secretary of defense again, he is the onl

he himself was impeached twice, and he is facing a criminal prosecution and georgia state law. there is also a second row of indictments -- tax fraud screen, the tax fraud scheme, that has led to the indictment of his company that bears his name and its longtime cfo. i mean, not only is that not normal for an american presidency. but in what countries that normal? right? and in what universe is that the person you pick to be the prohibitive front runner of the republican nomination. wow. imagine trying to recruit people for the next trump presidential campaign. listen, if you play your cards right, you might become cabinet secretary, and if the last time he was in offices and knee indication, that only gives you a one and three chance of being referred for a criminal prosecution during the four years of his term. if you want to run the campaign or the inaugural vote, the odds are pretty good you're gonna end up in the probe our hotel. just hope that it happens soon enough for him to pardon you. the record is -- anyway, today the latest ceramic horse to fly by on the carousel of

. >> so it sounds a little like that call to georgia election officials that we all heard around christmas time. that there's a -- there's a president trying to convince someone to do something, and the person on the receiving end, understanding this is probably unorthodox. somewhere along the line of unorthodox to entirely wrong or possibly illegal and try to not commit to anything. >> right. and you see that in -- in a -- in a implicit, gentle way. in rosen's testimony before congress, back in may. he made a point of spelling out all the things he did not do, in that time period. and i think, in hindsight, now that we know about these phone calls, i think in hindsight that testimony stands out more clearly as rosen sort of trying to draw a line for people, even though he didn't feel he could say it publicly. of look, whatever was said to me, whatever, you know, was brought my way, i did not go down the road that some of these folks wanted us to go down. >> great reporting. important reporting that this -- that may be before us in a matter of days, as congress investigates january 6th and

some more good trouble in his name on voting rights and there will be vigils around this country from georgia to new york to north carolina to texas to honor the late congressman and to carry his torch for democracy. specific, the protestors who were arrested yesterday and the texas representatives who are holed up in d.c. and the americans holding vigils across the country, they're calling for voting rights legislation at the federal level. without legislation at the federal level, voters in republican-controlled states all across the country might be out of luck which means all eyes are on moderate swing votes, senators like joe manchin who have the power to act at any point they want to protect the right to vote by agreeing to carve out voting rights from the senate's filibuster rules. which would allow voting rights protections to pass with a simple majority in the senate without needing ten republicans to sign on. that's all it will take. tonight, while 51 texas democrat representatives are in d.c. to plead with senators like manchin, manchin himself has flown to texas for a fund raiser

and he's personally facing a criminal investigation under georgia state law for interfering with elections officials in that state. we're also awaiting a potentiale second round of indictments derived from these allegations of a years-long, multi-million dollar tax fraud scheme, that's already led to the indictment of his company that bears his name and its long-time cfo. i mean not only is that not normal for an american presidency, like in what country is that normal? right? and in what universe is that the person who you pick to be the prohibitive front-runner for the next republican presidential nomination? wow. imagine, like, you know, they're trying to recruit people to the next trump presidential campaign. listen, if you play your cards right you might become a cabinet secretary.ab and if the last time he was in office is any indication, it gives you only a one in three chance of being referred for federal criminal prosecution during the four years of his term. if you want to run the campaign or the inaugural though, the odds are pretty good you are going to end up in the crowbar ho

. >> so it sounds a little like that call to georgia election officials that we all heard around christmas time, that there is a president trying to convince someone to do something and the person on the receiving and understanding that this is probably unorthodox, somewhere between the line of an orthodox and entirely wrong and possibly illegal and not commit to anything. >> and you see that in an implicit gentle way in rosen's testimony before congress back in may. he made a point of spelling out all the things he did not do in that time period. and i think in hindsight, now that we know about these phone calls, i think in hindsight that testimony stands out more clearly as rosen tries to draw a line for people even though he cannot say publicly, and say, look, whatever was said to, me was brought my way, i did not go down the road that some of these folks wanted us to go down. >> great reporting double, an important report reporting that is in front of us in the following days as congress investigates january 6th and the accusations of election fraud. thanks for being with us devlin. al