surrounding boosters. who needs them? who doesn't? and when? a doctor is here with answers based in fact amid rampant disinformation. let's begin this hour with the future of elections and our democracy. and a concerning piece out tonight in "politico" magazine going in depth about what the republican party has been doing nationwide since the 2020 election. the political experts argue is a dress rehearsal for undermining next year's midterms and beyond. writing quote, for the first time in american history, the losing candidate refused to concede the election and rather than dismissing him as a sore loser, a startling number of americans have followed donald trump down his conspiratorial rabbit hole. the safeguards that ensured he left office last january after losing the presidential election, may be crumbling. the election officials who certified the counts may no longer be in place next time he falsely claims victory.

if republicans take congress, a compliant speaker could easily decide it's simply not in his interest to let the party's leader lose. when you live in a democracy that is a truly terrifying scenario. it is death to democracy by a thousand cuts and as of now, the republican party is getting away with it. texas now pushing forward with an election review in four counties, thanks to the wishes of donald trump. it remains unclear why the former president wants answers about results in a state he won. not only because it makes trump and his flock sore losers and sore winners. but this tactic didn't work out too well for them in arizona. that maricopa county fraudit, despite lacking integrity, still resulted in joe biden being named winner in 2020. and by an even larger margin than first thought. and then, there's last night where trump held a rally in georgia bringing election conspiracy theories to the stage with him. some of the other speakers last night in perry were extreme

candidates that trump endorsed to replace politicians -- this is the important part -- to replace politicians who dare tell the truth about georgia's election results. that truth being that joe biden won georgia, fair and square. these are all things we should be concerned about. the gop's battle plan against democracy. it is before us. and members of congress are working to raise the alarm. >> it's a political party outside of the constitutional order. it's not agreed to participate according to the rules that we have adopted. so what we are trying to do in the democratic party is to defend democracy, itself. at the county level, at the state level, and at the national level. and what that means for us in congress is to get to the truth of the january-6th attack because that literally could be just a dress rehearsal for what we're going to see in 2024 as they continue to perpetuate the big lie. >> jiening us now, former hud secretary, julian castro, and

msnbc contributor, victoria, she is assistant dean for civic engagement at the lbj school of public affairs at the university of texas. it is great to see you both. secretary castro, i want to start with this wide-reaching effort by the gop to undermine election results. "washington post" journalist robert costa was on "meet the press" this morning discussing trump's overall strategy. take a listen. >> he wants power back. our reporting in the book shows he's -- these rallies don't get a ton of coverage but he is out there with this type language. we'll never surrender, we will never give in. whipping up thousands of people across the country and the most important thing is not just his personality as the story. he is influencing the republican party across the country to now run for office, to be secretaries of state, to be election officials. 2022, 2024. >> certainly. >> so, essentially, we have the republican party working to install extreme candidates to oversee elections. this is unfolding as the party, also, pushing the big lie in its

effort to pass restrictive voting laws. secretary castro, how do you see all of these individual actions building together to undercut our democracy? >> the way i see them building together, among other things, is that now you have the duly elected officials in states like texas and florida and some folks in arizona, georgia. these elected officials who have the power to help rig a system or at least undermine voter confidence in the system. going along with donald trump's big lie. acting on his lies and whims because they are deathly afraid of losing in their own primary and that's what you have going on here in texas where greg abbott has two primary opponents that are seen as further to the right than him. and so, on the same day that donald trump sends an open letter saying we need an election audit in texas, lo and

behold, there is an election audit that's announced but only for the four biggest counties in the state. what makes it dangerous is not only that a sizeable percentage of republicans, one of our major parties, believes in it. but also, that that's translating into official action in states like texas. and so, it represents a real threat to our democracy. >> secretary, i do want to ask you. i mean, do you have a sense of why it is that they want to recount in those four counties? >> you know, i think that this continues the narrative that they've set of big-urban areas, versus rural areas in the state here in texas and in other places. the fact is that joe biden won three out of those four counties that they've said that they're going to audit. and the -- the governor went on tv today to say, well, this was always in the works. there is an election audit that happens every time we have an election. that's simply not true.

um, he's not telling the truth. this is aimed at undermining confidence, particularly in those places that have gone democratic. it sends a strong message to that base that there is fraud out there that really doesn't exist and most of all, this is being done because greg abbott has a primary in march that he doesn't want to lose. >> vicki, i want to broaden out a little bit. and pull up an opinion piece from "the washington post'" robert kagan. he writes quote, in a little more than a year, it may become impossible to pass legislation to protect the electoral process in 2024. now, it is impossible only because anti-trump republicans and even some democrats refuse to tinker with the filibuster. it is impossible because despite all that has happened, some people still wish to be good republicans even as they oppose trump. these decisions will not wear well as the nation tumbles into full-blown crisis. i want to talk about two things here, vicki. one is the importance of voting rights in this moment. and making sure that there is

federal legislation that is passed which is -- certainly, we cannot take our eye off of that. but also, this question that we all circle back to and i have asked strategists, i've asked former electeds but for you as a political scientist, i'm worried -- i wondering is there going to be a consequence at some point, right? when does the consequence come for republicans as a party for not just going along with all of this but being active partners in building these lies and these conspiracies? >> so the question is basically when do we get to the point of overreach? when do the extremities of the republican party snap back? snap back, either for the republicans themselves or for democrats to get even further mobilized. and that is really key and i -- i am an optimist, and i do hold out hope that there will be some kind of federal-level protection for voting rights, given that that was stripped in 2013 after scotus did that. but the question is will what is happening right now in texas

push that forward? because what you said early on, alicia, is this is death by a thousand cuts to our democracy. and it is so worrisome because you see it on -- on -- on the one hand, being something that supports the narrative of donald trump, right? this is something that he has been pushing. but on the other hand, it really boils down to pure-political calculus. and you asked the secretary earlier. why? why is this happening? and regrettably, i think it is partially that brand of the gop but also the worst-kept secret in texas is that governor abbott has presidential aspirations. and that the calculus is being made that he needs to cultivate this base. so i think that is even more of a reason why that federal-level protection needs to be coming down because we don't have that base of democratic stability that we had before. >> and, vicki, as you well know, that -- that secret has made its way out of texas. vicki, these -- these attacks on democracy.

i think what is -- what is important to understand is this is both sort of the big picture about what this means for democracy. and then, there is the -- the -- the here and now in terms of what it means for issues that voters care about and how though decisions are being made today. so you have a dallas morning news poll showing that most texans support reproductive rights as republicans in your state ushered in its restrictive abortion law. talk to me about the long-term effect when republicans pass these extreme laws, not based on the will of the people but because they gamed the system? >> so again, i think we are approaching overreach. where you are going to have a snapback where the pendulum is going to swing back. but what is moderating that snapback, alicia, is the lines that are going to be drawn. so we know in 2010, the lines were drawn here in texas to very strongly favor republicans. we know republicans are in the driver's seat for redistricting this time around. so i do think, eventually, the

will of the people. we look at the university of texas, texas tribune polls. folks are not as extreme here in texas as our politics show. but it is going to take a while because of those lines and that the way that they are going to be drawn. >> i do want to get you in, secretary castro. we have talked about voting in your state. we have talked about reproductive rights in your state. i also want to talk to you about the humanitarian crisis that we are seeing at the border. your sense of what the right path forward is for the biden administration? >> well -- >> we need to -- >> -- glad to see president biden -- >> secretary castro, go ahead. >> -- i was glad to see -- i was happy to see president biden this week denouncing mistreatment of asylum seekers at the border. what i hope we'll see in the near future is the lifting of the use of title 42, which has allowed the administration to summarily expel, basically deport, people like those haitian -- haitian asylum

seekers without even allowing them to make an asylum claim. this was stephen miller's grand policy in the trump administration. and it has held over into the biden administration. which, to me, is inexplicable. i -- i believe that it's cruel. i believe it's unnecessary. public health experts believe it's unnecessary. even chuck schumer, the majority leader, has said that it makes no sense. so my hope is that that's the policy that's going to change. in addition to that, on the ground in texas, there ought to be an investment in those border communities and in the individuals, themselves, because you have a lot of people who are living in misery. and we saw those images this past week. >> all right. secretary castro, victoria, thank you both as always. next, the house is not the only big test facing the biden agenda. what's the senate gonna do? we are going to ask senator alex padilla. that is straight ahead. plus, expert advice from a

doctor about boosters as they begin to roll out nationwide. but first, to richard lui with a look at the other big stories we're watching this hour at msnbc. >> hey, alicia. good sunday. gabby petito was laid to rest on long island earlier today. her funeral comes just days after a coroner confirmed that remains found in wyoming were that of the 22-year-old. petito's death was ruled a homicide. the search for her fiance, brian laundrie, that continues. three people were killed when an amtrak train derailed near north central montana last night. seven others were hospitalized. the cause of that derailment is under investigation. and the race to replace german chancellor angela merkel is well underway. the social democratic party leading by just a percentage point or less other the christian democratic union. if the social party wins, olaf scholz will be germany's new leader. more "american voices," right after this break. "american voi after this break 's time for ♪ 'plop plop fizz fizz' ♪ alka seltzer plus cold relief, dissolves quickly...

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very rich. very tender. alive. speaker pelosi vowing to

bring the $3.5 trillion reconciliation bill along with the bipartisan infrastructure bill to the floor for a vote as soon as tomorrow. for the reconciliation bill, there is little room for error if and when it gets to the senate. all democrats need to support it for it to pass but many moderates including west virginia's joe manchin and arizona's kyrsten sinema still nold not sold on the price tag. something new jersey senator cory booker addressed today on "meet the press." >> well, first of all, i -- i don't like how this has been characterized progressives versus moderates. this is joe biden's bill as he said to me in the oval office and a handful of others, i have never really been a progressive. this is about seizing what is a one in a generation opportunity. if we miss this opportunity, every dollar that we shrink it is a dollar that we are not investing in our future and it's unfortunate. so how this plays out? yeah, this is washington. i'm sure there is going to be some kind of compromise. >> joining me now, california senator alex padilla. he is a member of the budget and

judiciary committees. senator, do you share senator booker's optimism that there is going to be a compromise and a deal? >> i absolutely share his optimism that this will get done. both, the bipartisan infrastructure package that has already been approved by the senate and this budget reconciliation measure which is even bigger. a more ambitious but necessary investment in our nation's infrastructure. and i just want to remind folks that are watching the drama in washington. it seems like it's falling apart. we have some holdouts. is the number going to come down? this and that. we went through the same roller coaster on the bipartisan infrastructure package that ultimately got done. so my first year in the senate. seemed like this is just a -- the standard part of the process. it's got to fall apart, come back together, fall apart, come back together a few times before we finally get it done. >> i was going to say you are now trained up for it. mean, it seems there are a

number of sticking points. your sense of where this lands? what it is that ultimately gets compromised? >> well, there's a couple of pieces, right? one is, as senator booker was asked, the $3.5 trillion figure. will there be a compromise on that? you know, i want to start that conversation by acknowledging that $3.5 trillion figure is already a compromise. the original proposal not just by senator sanders but by the budget committee of which i am a member of was closer to 6 trillion and we can justify the need for that level of investments not just in transportation, the electrical grid, water infrastructure, or broadband but housing, healthcare, education, and the care economy. so bringing it down to 3.5 trillion was already significant. might -- might have come down a little bit more? i think so but certainly not cut in half or any significant reduction because other important piece here is this is a paid-for plan. for folks who are worried about

just piling on the deficit and running up the nation's credit card, democrats put together a responsible plan to fund this infrastructure investment but the need for it is absolutely clear. the return we will get for it is absolutely clear. >> senator, i do want to ask about immigration reform. the senate parliamentarian ruled last week that democrats plan to put immigration reform in the reconciliation bill doesn't meet the requirements of the process. there were, of course, a lot of people who then wanted to say that immigration reform was doa. advocates, you have always said there are multiple paths forward. can you give us a sense of where this goes from here? and what the chc is prepared to do to make sure that senate democrats deliver a policy victory? >> yeah. so i am so glad you asked that question because i like the whole world to know. i do not give that up easily. we will not give up that easily. we will keep up the fight. what was denied by the senate parliamentarian last week was a specific proposal on how to

include immigration reform in the budget reconciliation process, right? technical speak for the second part of the infrastructure package. and we -- we knew there was a chance of that. there is a plan b, even a plan c if necessary. but in some way, shape, or form, i am confident that we'll meet the criteria of reconciliation and include a significant protections for immigrants across the country who have earned it. alicia, as you know, approximately 12 million undocumented immigrants, adults who have been here, on average, for 18 years. working, paying taxes, raising families, buying homes, contributing to the strength of our economy. and by extension, the federal budget. 5 million of them, by the way, working in essential jobs during this pandemic. so yes, they absolutely deserve to live without fear of deportation and i am confident we're going to be successful before the end of the day. >> and it's also just time to

get something done. senator, you and several of your colleagues, along with representative cori bush of missouri, introduced the keeping renters safe act last week to protect tenants facing ieviction, i want to talk to me about that especially in light of what we watched happen with sort of the first round of aid that came out where we catched it get wrapped up in a lot of bureaucracy, right? there was all this funding that was supposed to make its way through and it seemed though a lot of states were sort of holding it up. how do you avoid that problem moving forward? >> yeah. well, we certainly have to improve upon it but let's not lose sight of the millions of families across the country who were spared, who benefitted from the initial assistance. and did not end up on the streets because congress acted through eviction moratoriums and direct assistance to families, rental assistance, mortgage assistance, et cetera. so we need to continue to get the money quicker from the federal treasury and to the bank accounts of the families who need it.

but at the same time, recognize that this pandemic is nowhere near over. unfortunately, we -- we were hoping to be in a much better place. the delta variant had other ideas. and so, we need to continue the assistance and that includes an eviction moratorium. we urge the president to move administratively. he did. this supreme court and don't get me started about this supreme court but this supreme court shot it down. and so, we have introduced legislation to formally grant authority to the secretary of health and human services, secretary becerra, and his successors with the authority to be able to establish those protections during public-health emergencies. you know, folks in the medical space. first thing they learn as a doctor is, first, do no harm. so in the middle of a pandemic, this is not the time to push working families out of their homes and onto the streets. >> senator padilla, thank you so much for your time. >> thank you. next, deadly disinformation raging online, and it is

targeting specific communities with real-world consequences. and later, it's now revealed that the gop in florida used a lie to pass a law to help them win elections. so, what can be done about it? and what can you do to preserve voting rights where you are? stay with us. it's a wishlist on wheels. a choice that requires no explanation. it's where safe and daring seamlessly intersect. it's understated, yet over-delivers. it is truly the mercedes-benz of sports sedans. lease the 2021 c 300 sedan for just $449 a month at your local mercedes-benz dealer. ok everyone, our mission is to provide complete, balanced nutrition for strength and energy. whoo hoo! ensure, with 27 vitamins and minerals, now introducing ensure complete! with 30 grams of protein.

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this past week, the cdc approved booster shots for the pfizer vaccine, recommending them for seniors and adults with underlying conditions. around 20 million americans are currently eligible for booster shots. but cdc director rochelle walensky says the focus is still on getting out first doses of the vaccine. >> i want to be clear. we will not boost our way out of this pandemic. infections among the unvaccinated continue to fuel this pandemic rise -- resulting in a rising number of cases, hospitalizations, and deaths where people are unvaccinated. the most vulnerable are those

unvaccinated. >> meanwhile, in new york city, a setback in vaccination efforts. a federal judge temporarily blocking the city's vaccine mandate for public school employees. and within the nba, rolling stone reports that anti-vaxxers are setting the agenda and players union calling any vaccine requirement, quote, a nonstarter. joining me now, dr. jorge, assistant professor of medicine at yale. and msnbc contributor and vice news correspondent, also author of "finding latinx." doctor, i want to start with you. how might the rollout of the booster shots complicate the vaccination efforts overall? >> i think that it goes back -- thank you so much for having me on the show -- but i think it really goes back to getting the information out there and getting into the communities at the grassroots level. and just like the vaccine rollout has been ongoing in several states. we need to get to know the communities. we need to understand what their needs are. you know, in particular, with

the hispanic population, we are, you know, a group of many communities, right? so there's various countries kind -- kind of put together in -- and so, i think that we really have to go back to really understanding that there's differences. and so, i have -- you know, one thing that i do is clarify the message, right? so, who is eligible? number one, are individuals that are 65 as you said before. and that received the -- the pfizer initial series six months ago. and so, that's the number -- that's the number one group that should get it. and that's based on data. that's based on evidence that this extra dose of the pfizer vaccine will produce that added benefit for these individuals. >> doctor, we're going to talk about disinformation and misinformation because that is a critical piece of this. but we still need to talk about access, and you've called attention to the barriers that latinos face to getting vaccinated, including the fact you have one in five latinos in this country who don't have health insurance.

so, what do we need to be doing to continue to address the access problem here? >> yeah, that's a great question. and so, you know, you have to meet the -- the individuals where they are. one of the -- one of the things that i, in my community, that i did was reach out to them in spanish, right? you have to make the message understandable. you have to make the message clear in their language. and so, there are many individuals that are spanish speaking and they need to have a clear message regarding the vaccination. and um, in addition, you -- you alluded to this before. not -- not any -- not everybody has a primary care provider and, you know, there -- this is a team-based approach. there's community workers. there's state workers. there's individuals in religious groups and everybody has to come together and to provide the accurate information so that this misinformation kind of goes to the wayside. otherwise, we're going to continue to -- to have low numbers of individuals getting vaccinated. >> it is such a critical point and a point we have to keep

coming back to, which is this idea that a lot of members of the latino community -- a lot of young americans don't have access to a primary care provider. and part of what we know is that one of the best ways to confront misinformation, disinformation, is for someone to hear from their primary-care provider that they ought to get the vaccine. i want you, powell, based on the work that you have been doing on misinformation and disinformation, to help us understand what it is that we are up against, specifically when it comes to spanish-language speakers and why spanish-language speakers are being targeted by these conspiracy theorists? >> so, i will give you a couple examples but the first one that just came to mind as i am hearing dr. moreno is where is the latino dr. fauci? truly, like where is a spanish-speaking dr. fauci at the government level? but -- but i mean that sincerely, right? dr. fauci has done over 300 media appearances just since january 2020. he's become a pop-culture symbol. a trusted voice in the most uncertain moments of this

country. the spanish-speaking community needs that. right? we -- we need -- we need the same thing. i will give you one -- one -- i talked to so many people in spanish, spanish-speaking latinos, that watch up to four hours of youtube in spanish every single day. they are listening to anti-vax doctors and not dr. fauci. so that's one example. the second thing we have to keep in mind is they're on social media platforms like whatsapp and facebook messenger at higher levels than the average american, right? these are encrypted platforms where a lot of the mis and disinformation lives. and then, the most incredible stat that is out there is that facebook doesn't have a good monitoring system, alicia, and we have talked about this when it comes to english disinformation. it's almost nonexistent when it comes to spanish, right? over 30% of misinformation in spanish was flagged by facebook compared to 70% when it comes to english and so there is this big blind spot in these big-tech companies that is literally -- maybe it cost votes in 2020. now, it is literally costing

lives. that's something to keep in mind. >> i got to say i love that you bring your phone as a visual as though you are going to show me your whatsapp with your tias. i wait for that day. you have "the new york times" reporting that hospitals have been forced to delay desperately-needed care to non-covid patients, right? this is now affecting people who don't have covid. what's that going to mean for people who are already underserved by the medical system? >> the -- the way i explain this to patients and to the communities is we're in a big traffic jam. right? and so, there's no exits. there's a bottleneck. and we really can't get off the ramp. and so, the -- the only way we will get out of this is with vaccinations, getting the first series done, and then getting your booster if you are -- if you are recommended to do so. and so, if we really want to get -- get out of the weeds and really get -- and get out -- you no, these -- these bottlenecks are happening in rural communities in wyoming, in

texas, um, tennessee. if we really want to try to get out of this, we really have to get vaccinated. we -- it's our -- it's our tool. it's one of the best things we have right now to -- to combat this. you know, i see it in my clinic. you know, i have had patients that come in that have had the -- um -- they have been unvaccinated and the hospital. they have had their series and some of them get covid. but they stay home. i -- i was able to keep them home. and that was not like that in early 2020. now, we are able to keep people that get covid home in much greater numbers if they're vaccinated. >> dr. moreno, i hope you will join us again. powell, as always, thank you. breaking news now from capitol hill. house speaker nancy pelosi announcing moments ago that the vote on the bipartisan infrastructure plan is going to happen thursday. pelosi says, however, that debate on the infrastructure package will begin tomorrow on the house floor. we're back after this. s.

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if he wants it, florida governor ron desantis appears to have a chance at running for the white house in 2024. recent polling shows in a theoretical trumpless primary, desantis leads former-vice president mike pence by seven points. which is a shift from last month when pence led desantis by two points. again, all theoretical. governor desantis has, so far, denied he is running in 2024 saying he is focused on his re-election next year. and some revelations about the midterms in the spring, you'll remember, florida passed an elections bill limiting mail-in voting. to pass it, state republicans preached it was necessary to prevent fraud insisting it was not political. which were, of course, all lies according to internal exchanges obtained by "politico." in them, florida republicans made clear they believed mail-in ballots would be devastating for their party in 2022. with me now, former-florida

congressman, he is the host of strange days podcast and an msnbc political analyst. jonathan, daca recipient and the vice president of programs for the kasie foundation. and sarah, executive director for the alliance for youth action. it is great to see you all. congressman, i am going to start with you because i have this pelosi dear colleague letter in my hand. so we know, tomorrow they are going to begin debate on the bipartisan infrastructure framework. they are going to vote on it thursday. what i want you to do for me, debbie, is just pull back the curtain because you have been in these rooms where these negotiations happen. you know what this looks like, and when we hear that speaker pelosi is going to stand before the caucus and make one final plea, i think everyone thinks she is going to give some speech like out of american president and all of the sudden, everyone's going to be like oh i see the light. i changed my mind. that's not how this actually works, right? there is back-room negotiating where people are trying to figure out what can actually go into this. so, your sense reading the tea leaves, they are going to debate tomorrow, they are going to vote thursday.

what does that mean? >> yeah. hi, alicia, and hi, everyone. look. the speaker knows very well what she is doing and i think that she needs a few days to make sure that she hears from those concerned democrats. whether they're the more moderate or the more progressive democrats in the caucus on the bill. she is going to make sure that she has the votes once the bill is on the floor. i have absolutely no doubt in my mind that she will have those votes. but i think right now what's happening is there are a lot of conversations behind the scenes. there are a lot of members who are in difficult districts that need to make sure that what's included in the bill is going to benefit the constituents that they are representing. that -- that's where it boils down to. and the -- the master -- um -- in -- in the speaker is that she makes sure that the people that the democrats are representing are going to benefit from this bill. and she wants to, also, ensure that it's a bipartisan bill. she is probably also having conversations with some of the republicans in the caucus to

ensure that some of their requests are also being met. um, the speaker, from the very beginning, has made it clear that she puts bipartisan bills on the floor. unfortunately, what we've seen is that there is a radicalization from republican members of congress who are not voting to support the best interest of their constituents. i have seen it here in south florida, alicia. our congress members here in the south florida delegation have been voting against the people, voting against climate change dollars that would benefit as we see our sea level rising. voting against infrastructure dollars where we know that our infrastructure is crumbling here in south florida. so um, a lot of negotiation but i have no doubt in my mind she will have the votes and the bill will bass. >> nothing like talking to someone who's actually been in those rooms. now, let's talk about what is happening in your state, in florida. and this new reporting which i am going to guess didn't surprise you that republicans push this legislation because

they knew that they were up against a problem where they couldn't win the right way. where does that leave florida voters? >> well, alicia, i think it leaves florida voters in the same where it leaves voters all across the 50 states. you know, i wish this was a problem that was just contained to the borders of the sunshine state where we see a republican party that runs the state completely untethered from american democracy, doing everything in its power to, yes, rig the electoral system and make democracy and elections hard to participate in. but this is something we continue to see all across the country. the big lie after the 2020 election has metastasized. it's grown stronger. and that is why i am actually hopeful that if and when and hopefully the democrats can get this infrastructure bill that you reported passed as early as this week. they can move onto the existential fundamental priority for this country, which is to try and save the democracy from a republican party that is untethered from the tenets of

democracy and that is openly saying, without any consequences or seeming accountability, that they are going to do everything to upend our democratic system and our democratic elections and make it impossible for democrats to win any elections going forward. >> so, sarah, i -- i take his point. i agree with it that this is not just about florida. and it is not just about texas. we are watching this happen all over the country. how then do we fight back? >> you know, alicia, again, people have been leading on voting rights in almost every single state. right now, and i am so glad you are raising this, it is not just in florida. this is not just in texas. right now, we have an incredible organization in kansas called loud light. they were created to register young people to vote. sadly, our government should be

the ones who are registering people who are welcoming them into our democracy but when they don't, young people do. loud light had to suspend all of their voter registration activities literally on the 50th anniversary of the 26th amendment. the 50th anniversary of 18-year-olds getting the right to vote because a terrible law passed in kansas that basically says, if anyone could mistake you for being an elections official, you would get a fine. you will get a state penalty. and um, you will be thrown in jail. like, this is ridiculous and 2021 in the united states. and so, young people are here doing everything they can to fight back and we're -- whether it's trying to get rid of the filibuster. whether it's trying to pass the for the people act. or throw down in statehouses and legislators across the country. young people have been leading on this fight and that's not going to stop. >> jonathan, what strikes me is that there is this -- this macro conversation about our democracy and what our democracy looks like and what is at stake. and part of what is at stake is the way that this all, then, translates to voting when it comes to the senate is doing, what the house is doing, the president's domestic agenda.

tell me what you believe is at stake when we talk about what's happening in florida, when we talk about what's happening in texas? >> thank you so much. the attacks that are happening on our democracy, i am disgusted in the fact that there are people spending resources, time, and energy [ inaudible ] the very principle that this country was allegedly founded on, our democracy. and when we think about -- when we think about what it looks like, we believe [ inaudible ] so it's not a coincidence that they impact poor people, black folks, latinx folks, communities of color, vulnerable communities across the country. so what -- what i feel when we're talking about all these attacks, i just -- i'm just so

disappointed. and really, inspired by the leadership of those on the front lines. who are leading the fights on the ground. there are a ton of organizations and organizers that like sarah said, because our government has failed, they have taken it upon themselves to fight for true democracy. >> so, debbie, all of this, of course, with an eye towards 2022 and 2024 which brings us back to ron desantis and i am going to guess much like at the top of the show, secretary castro, vicki, were talking about how greg abbott's presidential ambitions are the worst-kept secret in texas. that your governor's presidential ambitions are the worst-kept secret in florida. is that correct? >> i don't know if it's the worst-kept secret. i think everyone knows that his political ambitions are coming before the interest of floridians when we need him the most, especially during this

devastating covid pandemic, the rise of the delta virus here in the state of florida. he's been out raising money. he's been traveling. he's gone to the border in texas for photo ops. he's been in new jersey. he's gone to iowa. he is traveling, raising money for his presidential run. and -- and it's been obvious to floridians here in the state of florida. but let me just say that the right to participate in our democracy is sacred and nonnegotiable. and what the republican legislature is doing here in the state of florida and across america is an attack against the voters, an attack against our democracy. it's un-democratic, un-american, and unconstitutional. and i think that they are going to pay a price for trying to pass bills that are attacking the rights of -- of those who are most vulnerable. people that are older with disabilities, students, communities of color. so, they're doing it so that they can set the stage, like you said, for '22 and also '24. but um, i hope that america's paying attention to what is happening here in florida. we cannot allow the governor to,

um, take that run for president in 2024. it would be devastating. >> debbie, jonathan, sarah, thank you all. next, a brand new report highlights disparities in representation. stay with us. ay with us this may look like a regular movie night. but if you're a kid with diabetes, it's more. it's the simple act of enjoying time with friends, knowing you understand your glucose levels. ♪♪ liberty mutual customizes car insurance

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investigate an absence of latino representation across all forms of media. and the data is telling. finding in 2019 the estimated percentage of latinos working in newspaper, periodical, book, and directory publishers was about 8%. an estimated 11% of news analysts, reporters, journalists were latino and that includes representation on spanish language networks which means latino representation is even lower on english language platforms. data collected over the past decade by researchers at ucla revealing a deeper lack of representation in hollywood finding latinos account for just 5% to 6% of main cast members in tv and film. despite being about 20% of the u.s. population. those researchers point out hollywood executives have long argued that films with diverse leads don't make money. and that diversity and i quote scares off white people. it is a notion the texas

congressman castro wants to eradicate imploring media leaders to include latino prospectives. as he puts it the lack of accurate representation especially in hollywood means the very best that americans don't get a full understanding of latinos and their contributions. at worst especially when latinos are solely portrayed as drug dealers or criminals it invites politicians to exploit negative stereotypes for political gain adding, quote, american media including print journalism has relied on stereotypes of latinos. if the goal is the truth that certainly has not served the truth. you may or may not have noticed all of our guests this past hour are hispanic or latino or latinx, doctors, cabinet secretaries, past and present members of congress, journalists, academics, political strategists and some of the savviest organizers out there. their lived and professional experience of course not exhaustive or complete. there are about 60 million of us

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thanks to tiktok a sea lion and the rules of mother nature there is intense debate online over this video of a sea lion who wiggled its way aboard a boat. it wasn't there to pry.

it was trying not to die. orcas swirling around waiting for their moment to live up to their status as killer whales. the woman aboard the boat was in the face of real danger and an emotional dilemma. either save the sea lion's life or her own. >> i know, honey. this is how the world works. oh, boy. oh, my. oh, my word. >> my hands sweat no matter how many times i watch it. she decided what she decided she had to do and the woman forced the sea lion to jump ship. what would you have done? the story reveals the crossroads we often face as humans the cruelty of allowing the sea lion to be eaten versus the necessity of self-preservation. with congress, just hours away from starting debate on the president's entire agenda who right now is the sea lion? whose the orca? who is driving that boat and who knows? instead of the legislative fight

ending like the story with the sea lion perhaps we'll get an outcome as glorious as this picture of german chancellor angela merkel leaving public service basking in the glory of birds. that is it for this sunday and this weekend. thanks for being with us. i'll see you back here next weekend at 6:00 p.m. eastern for more "american voices." right now it is time for the mehdi hasan show. i know you didn't know how i was going to bring that all back to politics. but we did. >> i like the way you did. i'm not going to talk about seat lion but i am going to say isn't it amazing angela merkel leaves office after a decade in charge of germany and america has still never elected a woman leader. >> you know that is a note i can get behind. have a great show. >> have a great rest of your sunday. tonight on the mehdi hasan show the fate of biden's agenda will be decided this week and decided in the senate by democrats. will they reach a deal with themselves? or throw it all away? plus, award winning