DC Residents Protest Trump Takeover

Summary

The Beat with Ari Melber (Guest Host: Jason Johnson)

Episode Title: DC Residents Protest Trump Takeover
Date: August 12, 2025

---

Overview

In this episode, Jason Johnson sits in for Ari Melber to dissect the Trump administration’s controversial deployment of federal control and military force in Washington, D.C., and the broader national implications for democracy, race, redistricting, and government agencies. With guests including Congresswoman Jasmine Crockett, Rick Wilson, Joyce Vance, David Daley, Andrew Ayden, and economist Justin Wolfers, the show explores the rising protest movement in D.C., the historic and racial underpinnings of Trump’s moves, the uproar over redistricting in Texas and other states, concerns about the politicization of government data, and the mishandling of FEMA as hurricane season ramps up.

---

Key Discussion Points & Insights

1. Trump’s Federal Takeover in D.C. (00:31–05:57)

• Background: The Washington Post reports a Pentagon plan to establish a “domestic civil disturbance quick reaction force” – 600 troops on standby for rapid deployment in case of protest or unrest.
• Attorney General Pam Bondi has assumed control of the D.C. police for at least 30 days, prompting concern from residents with limited representation in Congress.
• Racial and Authoritarian Dimensions:
  • Trump’s actions echo a long tradition of federal intervention in predominantly Black cities.
  • Jason Johnson and Rick Wilson highlight the administration’s use of crisis narratives to distract from economic woes and scandals like the Epstein files.

“The whole idea that there is some kind of a crisis of disorder in D.C. is a made up phony story to distract attention from [a] deteriorating economy… This administration would like to take over not only D.C. but any state or jurisdiction that doesn’t completely bend the knee.” – Rick Wilson [01:59]

• Warnings from Experts and Lawmakers:
  • Johnson cites the Wall Street Journal calling it Trump's "boldest move" to expand military power on U.S. soil.
  • Joyce Vance calls this “part of the very dangerous slide towards authoritarianism.”

---

2. The Legal Landscape: Posse Comitatus and Abuse of Power (05:57–09:57)

• Trump’s Leverage in D.C.: As president, Trump can control the D.C. police and National Guard—a power not easily replicated in other states due to the Posse Comitatus Act.
• Joyce Vance details pending legal battles over Trump's use of the military in domestic affairs and references a California trial on his actions in Los Angeles.

“We’re talking about Donald Trump saying to Americans … ‘I can bring you to heel. I can make you behave if you step out of line.’ It’s threat, it’s intimidation.” – Joyce Vance [05:57]

• Concerns About Precedent: Rick Wilson links Trump’s control of museums and historical narratives (specifically the Smithsonian) to authoritarian regimes, warning of revisionist history efforts.

“Authoritarians rely on rewriting history in their image… it whitewashes history, it erases history, it makes history into something that is an ideological moment that is reshaped by the desires of one man.” – Rick Wilson [07:58]

---

3. D.C. Takeover: What Happens Next? (09:57–11:06)

• Temporary Nature: D.C. home rule gives the president 30 days of police control; any extension would require congressional approval (and a likely Democratic filibuster).
• Slippery Slope: Concerns if this “test case” becomes a model for other state interventions.

“Who has used power in unprecedented ways? Who has reread our laws and sort of tortured them into a shape that I think the people who passed them did not intend?” – Joyce Vance [09:57]

---

4. Voter Backlash & Redistricting Battles (13:40–22:23)

Town Hall Fury over Trump's Policies

• GOP Congressman Doug LaMalfa grilled by angry constituents over support for Trump’s unpopular healthcare cuts and policies.
• Example: A previously pro-Trump San Diego couple describes experiencing racial profiling by border patrol—a direct, personal example of policy backlash.

Texas Redistricting and Racial Politics (with Rep. Jasmine Crockett)

• Redistricting Conflict: Texas Republicans accused of aggressive racial gerrymandering—potentially eliminating multiple Black and brown congressional districts.
• Inside Strategies: Eric Holder (former Obama AG) to meet with Democrats about combatting these efforts.
• Racial Tensions: Crockett addresses questions about coalition strength and unity among minority legislators.

“When you decide that you want to cut healthcare from 17 million people… I can guarantee you that they're not all members of the Democratic Party.” – Rep. Jasmine Crockett [16:14]

“They sent us a form via email, and then… confirm that this is your current residence as well as your census block… Yet they consistently moved us out of our districts.” – Rep. Jasmine Crockett [18:33]

“At a very minimum, we're looking at losing almost seven members or more of the Black Caucus… So you tell me what it is if it ain't race.” – Rep. Jasmine Crockett [19:20]

---

5. Politicizing Government Data: Bureau of Labor Statistics (24:32–30:53)

• Trump Nominates E.J. Antoni: A partisan MAGA loyalist and critic of the BLS, backed by Steve Bannon.
• Expert Alarm: Jason Furman (Obama’s top economist) publicly states Antoni is “completely unqualified” and “an extreme partisan.”
• Dangers Outlined by Justin Wolfers:
  • Manipulating official numbers undermines market trust, the Federal Reserve’s decisions, business planning, and citizens’ livelihood choices.
  • Even the suspicion of cooked data damages government credibility and economic stability.

“This is a job that has never been filled by ideologues. It's always been filled by number crunching nerds who understand all the wizardry of statistics… you want to eliminate any suspicion that the data's not worthwhile.” – Justin Wolfers [26:38, 28:12]

“This is central planning. This is the thing Reagan fought against, against. And it's a beautiful irony… we are on MSNBC right now arguing for market forces over this excess of central planning from an administration crazy on power.” – Justin Wolfers [29:48]

---

6. Polarization, Red and Blue America, and the Gerrymandering Endgame (32:12–39:12)

• Obama’s 2004 Unity Speech vs. Today’s Reality: Johnson notes how the U.S. is now more polarized—with 40 states run by a single party and political rhetoric approaching civil war.
• David Daley on the Roots and Strategy of Polarization:
  • Republican “Red Map” project gained control of key purple states in 2010, locking in GOP advantage.
  • 2012: Despite more total Democratic votes, Republicans held outsized House power due to gerrymandering.

“So much of it goes back to … redistricting… This is how you can control this country from the minority through redistricting.” – David Daley [34:01, 35:43]

• Gerrymander Arms Race: Daley warns Democrats are out of viable targets for aggressive redistricting compared to Republicans, meaning voters and democracy lose in a nationwide “gerrymander off.”

---

7. FEMA, Disaster Aid, and Regional Inequality (41:18–44:14)

• Trump’s FEMA Cuts: Delaying or denying disaster aid to blue states while helping red states—heightening regional suffering and resentment as hurricane season begins.
• Andrew Ayden’s Groundwork in North Carolina:
  • Discusses the Appalachia Comics Project—survivors use comics to tell their stories and earn money.
  • Federal recovery funds have covered only 6% of disaster costs in some areas; debris removal and infrastructure failures compound future risks.

“We were completely cut off from the rest of the world for almost a week… [Now] we're not getting the help we need… These are investments that should be made now to prevent further damage in the future. But they're cutting back and they're just creating a problem that's going to get even worse.” – Andrew Ayden [41:18, 44:14]

---

Notable Quotes & Memorable Moments

• On Authoritarianism:
  “We might be there.” – Jason Johnson [03:22]

• On Police Control:
  “The D.C. code home rule gives Trump 30 days… after that… he needs permission from Congress.” – Joyce Vance [09:57]

• On Museum Revisionism:
  “I won’t doubt that by the time he’s done… there will be no reference to any African American in the Smithsonian who’s accomplished anything in this country.” – Rick Wilson [07:58]

• *On Partisan Data Manipulation:
  “Even the suspicion that Pete Hegseth is holding up [Trump’s] arms, I no longer believe what the scale says.” – Justin Wolfers [27:50]

• On Redistricting in Texas:
  “So you tell me what it is if it ain’t race.” – Rep. Jasmine Crockett [19:20]

• On Disaster Relief Shortfall:
  “Only 6% of the cost of the disaster has been covered by the federal government… the gap we’re talking about is tens of billions of dollars.” – Andrew Ayden [42:54]

---

Timestamps for Key Segments

• D.C. Takeover and Authoritarian Push: 00:31–05:57
• Legal Barriers & Posse Comitatus: 05:57–09:57
• Smithsonian and Revisionist History: 07:10–09:22
• Redistricting & Town Hall Backlash: 13:40–22:23
• Data Integrity/BLS Discussion: 24:32–30:53
• Red vs. Blue & Gerrymandering: 32:12–39:12
• FEMA, Disaster Recovery & Comics: 41:18–44:14

---

Tone and Style

The conversation is urgent, analytical, and at times outraged—reflecting high stakes for democracy and civil rights. The guests bring both expert analysis and personal experiences, blending policy wonk detail with lived reality and direct calls to action.

---

Summary

This episode of The Beat confronts the Trump administration’s deepening authoritarian tactics: from the militarization of D.C., the manipulation of federal agencies and institutions, the crushing of minority voting power through redistricting, to punitive disaster relief and partisan warping of government data. Congresswoman Jasmine Crockett highlights the reality and resilience of Black political leadership, David Daley charts the technical but devastating march of gerrymandering, and the real-world stakes are underscored by the suffering in underfunded regions like North Carolina. With threats to objective truth, civil rights, and basic governmental trust abounding, the episode ultimately serves as both a warning and a rallying cry for vigilance and resistance.

Transcript

[Jason Johnson]

Introducing the new Dell AI PC powered by the Intel Core Ultra processor. It helps you do your busy work for you so you can fast forward through editing images, designing presentations, generating code.

[Joyce Vance]

Debugging code, summarizing meeting notes, finding files.

[Jason Johnson]

Managing your schedule, responding to Jim's long emails, leaving all the time in the world for the things you actually want to do. No offense Jim. Get a New Dell AI [e-mail] AI PC how those ahead Stay ahead.

[Congresswoman Jasmine Crockett]

Are.

[Jason Johnson]

You a parent looking for an independent, flexible and tuition free school in Oregon? Evergreen Virtual Academy offers a dynamic and tuition free public education with Oregon certified teachers for PK through 12th grade students. Your student gets a laptop, live class sessions and the ability to chart their own unique path. Plus in person events and social activities all year. When school has no walls, learning has no limits. Learn more and enroll now. Evergreen Virtual Academy evergreenvirtual. Or welcome to the Beat. I'm Jason Johnson in for Ari Melber. We begin with a stunning new report about Donald Trump's authoritarian assault on American cities. The Washington Post reporting on plans from the Pentagon to create a quote, domestic civil disturbance quick reaction force in cities facing protests or other unrest. According to the Post who viewed this plan, it if adopted it would require 600 troops to be ready round the clock to deploy in as little as one hour. This as members of the National Guard report to Washington D.C. to facilitate Trump's authoritarian takeover of our capital city. Attorney General Pam Bondi meeting today with DC's mayor as she assumes control of the DC police for at least the next 30 days. Meanwhile actual residents of DC who only have a single non voting representative in Congress and have been out in the streets protesting this takeover.

[Rick Wilson]

The whole idea that there is some kind of a crisis of disorder in D.C. is a made up phony story to distract attention from deteriorating economy, from the ice rage which horrify even people who wanted action on immigration. And of course from the Epstein files. I think this administration would like to take over not only D.C. but any state or jurisdiction that doesn't completely bend the knee.

[Jason Johnson]

The conservative leaning Wall Street Journal is even calling Trump's latest escalation, quote, his boldest move to date to expand the use of military power on U.S. soil. As the AP reports, Trump's targeting of D.C. and his rhetoric around it echoes a long and ugly history of racism towards majority black cities in Americ. Lawmakers and experts are sounding the alarm about both the authoritarianism and the racial undertones of Trump's latest actions. He's doing the dictator playbook again just like he did in la, he does this with black manners.

[Congresswoman Jasmine Crockett]

Yes.

[Rick Wilson]

Whether it's Baltimore, Louisiana, New York, it.

[Congresswoman Jasmine Crockett]

Is the reincarnation of George Wallace, of Huey Long, of the disgusting policies of the past.

[Joyce Vance]

He really enjoys using US Military force.

[Jason Johnson]

Against American civilians on American soil and wants any excuse to do it anywhere he can. This is part of the, the very dangerous slide towards authoritarianism. It's not a slide. We might be there. Joining me now is Rick Wilson, co founder of the Lincoln Project, and Joyce Vance, former federal prosecutor and law professor at the University of Alabama. Rick, I'll start with you. Clearly, this is an authoritarian move by the president, United States. But from your perspective, is this just another power grab from Trump, or is this just a distraction from other things that are wrong in the administration? Which do you think is the primary motivation here?

[Rick Wilson]

You know, Michael Wolfe and others have reported in the last few days, Donald Trump kept saying, I want something big, I want something big. I need a distraction. And this is a pretty big distraction. I believe that Donald Trump both loves authoritarianism, loves the use of the military against American citizens, and needs a distraction. But this has a side benefit to reassemble some of the cohesiveness of the Republican base that has been shattered by Epstein, because it's not all of them, but a meaningful fraction of his base. Voters will be happy to watch video of young black men being arrested and chained hand and foot in the streets. That is what Trump's feral sense of his own base will lead him to do. And again, it's not every Republican in the, in the country, but there are a lot of them in his base who have been very disappointed about the, the Epstein matter, and that's. This is a way for him to bring them back home.

[Jason Johnson]

Joyce, I want to play some sound from Maddow last night, just talking about Trump's authoritarianism and get your thoughts on the other side. He wants US Military force deployed on.

[Joyce Vance]

US Soil facing inward as a show.

[Jason Johnson]

Of force to the American people about what he and the government can do to you. We clearly are now in the part.

[Joyce Vance]

Of the attempted authoritarian takeover where our.

[Jason Johnson]

Authoritarian leader just starts trying to turn our own military to face us, the people of this country. Joyce, I read your Substack article, which is very informative about what the laws are at play here. So tell us a little bit about a very important ruling that's going to happen this week that could have a huge impact on the ability of Donald Trump to do the kinds of things that he did in LA and what he's attempting to do right now in Washington, D.C.

[Joyce Vance]

Right. It's a complicated issue because what Trump is doing in the District of Columbia depends on special circumstances there. His ability as president to take control of the police force, to control he already has over the National Guard. If he'd like to go into other states, he faces that same problem he faced in Los Angeles, which is the Posse Comitatus act, the prohibition on the use of the military for domestic law enforcement. And that's what Rachel's talking about when she says turning the military inward. Right. We're talking about Donald Trump saying to Americans through the creation of this proposed rapid response force, through any sort of deployment of the military, he's saying to American citizens, I can bring you to heel. I can make you behave if you step out of line. It's threat, it's intimidation. It's very clear what he's doing here in California, there's a trial. I don't know that we'll get a ruling this week, Jason. But the ultimate issue there is whether Trump crossed the line in Los Angeles and used military folks who were deployed there, the National Guard folks, for improper purposes under Posse Comitatus.

[Jason Johnson]

Rick, you know, this authoritarianism is taking a form of the military. It's taken a form of. Of threats against media companies. It's taken a form of threats against universities. But I want to talk a little bit about something that we used to all share, more or less agree on, which is Trump's interference with the Smithsonian. We are now in a situation where it looks like the White House is about to vet Smithsonian museums to fit Trump's historical vision. I, as a college professor and someone who enjoyed many opportunities to go see free museums when I was a kid in Washington, D.C. am disturbed by this. Not just for what it means now, but what it means down the road. Talk just a little bit about the danger of a president who has the time to start monkeying around with what we have in national museums that tell our nation's history.

[Rick Wilson]

Authoritarians rely on rewriting history in their image. They rely on reshaping what were common facts among everyone into a narrow caste version of themselves. This would be enormously familiar to anyone in North Korea. This would be familiar to anyone in communist China. This is the same sort of revisionist history where Donald Trump is going to go in, and I won't doubt that by the time he's done, you know, there will be no reference to any African American in the Smithsonian who's accomplished anything in this country. This is a. This is a through line again. That pleases a part of his base that are the people who are addicted to the culture war outrage all the time. They're addicted to the, to the constant idea that there's this woke conspiracy trying to oppress, you know, the, the, the, the, the long put male. This is a, a transparent and shallow attempt at this, but it is exactly out of the dictator's playbook. It whitewashes history, it erases history, it makes history into something that is, that is an ideological moment that is reshaped by the desires of one man. It's, it's sick and it's wrong, but it's very much on brand for Trump's authoritarian wannabe status.

[Jason Johnson]

Joyce, I want to move back to the sort of city at large, as opposed to just its museums. We're going to have 30 days of the President of the United States, or whoever happens to be under him, controlling the police in the city. Okay, fine. What happens after the 30 days? Does that mean that these troops will now leave? Does that mean that, you know, the city at that point will sue and tell them they have to go? We don't have enough room or space for them? What could potentially happen after these 30 days? Or could this be a situation where the President just keeps extending this out and out and out and out and out as a test case for what he might do somewhere else?

[Joyce Vance]

So the D.C. code home rule gives Trump 30 days, and after that, if he wants to continue with this sort of expanded control of law enforcement in the city, he needs permission from Congress. I'm not certain about very many things in Congress these days, but I feel pretty good that Democrats could mount a filibuster to keep that sort of a measure from passing. So I think it's very unlikely he'll get that. And the question becomes, what does he do at the end of the 30 days? You know, maybe Rick is right and he's had his big distraction and Epstein is no longer on people's minds and he doesn't need to go forward. But if he needs it, this is a precedent. Who has used power in unprecedented ways? Who has reread our laws and sort of tortured them into a shape that I think the people who passed them did not intend? So the question will become, will he push the issue and try to keep control based on these utterly bogus claims of rampant crime, which, you know, we all know wrong statistics don't bear it out. DOJ numbers say he's wrong, but he may well push past 30 days.

[Jason Johnson]

Rick Wilson, Joyce Vance, thank you so much for starting us off the show today.

[Andrew Ayden]

Thanks for having me.

[Jason Johnson]

Coming up, why experts are worried that Trump is trying to hide the truth about all of our economies. But first, the GOP lawmaker gets an earful as he defends his support for Trump.

[David Daley]

I want to know why you support Nicole's man is this ugly bill and.

[Rick Wilson]

Voting for it there's not Cut us for Medicaid.

[Jason Johnson]

Congresswoman Jasmine Crockett is our special guest. We are back in just 90 seconds.

[Kelly Ripa]

Hey there, it's Kelly Ripa. And if you've been listening to my podcast, we are knee deep in season three. And if you haven't heard it, it's time to get on board. After years of interviewing celebs on camera, I finally get to bring you the real conversations that take place when the cameras aren't rolling. Where else are you going to hear Michelle Obama talk about keeping her girls out of Page Six? Hilaria Baldwin's hilarious reaction to Alec running for office, or Jeremy Renner's lucid hallucinations about Jamie Foxx? Nowhere else. It's raw, it's honest, and best of all, it's off camera. And believe me, that's where you get the good stuff. So download. Let's talk off camera with Kelly Ripa now. Wherever you get your podcasts On Deck.

[OnDeck Advertiser]

Is built to back small businesses like yours. Whether you're buying equipment, expanding your team or bridging cash flow, Gaps on Deck's loans up to $250,000 help make it happen fast. Rated A by the Better Business Bureau and earning thousands of five star Trustpilot reviews, OnDeck delivers funding you can count on. Apply in [e-mail] depending on certain loan attributes. Your business loan may be issued by Ondeck or Celtic Bank. Ondeck does not lend in North Dakota. All loans an amount subject to lender approval. What is comfort? Comfort is a mattress that feels soft and supportive. Made without harmful chemicals. Comfort is being able to invest in your well being and still having money left for the things you love. That's the Eco Organic Mattress from Avocado. Thoughtfully made, surprisingly affordable and trusted by families and with flexible financing from a firm, Organic Comfort is more accessible than ever. Shop the Eco Organic Mattress [e-mail] and save 10%. Avocado dream of.

[Jason Johnson]

Republicans have officially entered the find out stage of the second Trump presidency. Republican Congressman Doug LaMalfa of California getting grilled so hard they were calling him Foreman. By the end of that town hall, attendees were holding his feet to the fire on Monday for Supporting Trump's very unpopular agenda.

[Congresswoman Jasmine Crockett]

I want to know why you support.

[Jason Johnson]

The big orange man and his big.

[Congresswoman Jasmine Crockett]

Ugly bill and voting for it.

[Rick Wilson]

There is not cush for Medicaid.

[Andrew Ayden]

People.

[Rick Wilson]

That really do need it and are eligible. I mean, the program, they're not being.

[Congresswoman Jasmine Crockett]

Cut and the hospital.

You have taken money out of poor people's pockets.

[Joyce Vance]

Your party for actively burning people.

[Jason Johnson]

Hold you accountable. It started as a town hall in California. Today it's national headlines why GOP leaders urge lawmakers and their party to skip town hall events earlier this year amid a wave of angry backlash over Trump's policies. The backlash escalating over what's happening in D.C. and in voters hometowns. In San Diego, a married couple that backed Trump in 20 and 2024 say they now regret their votes after experiencing, quote, racial profiling by Border Patrol officers. George and his wife Esmeralda say an.

[Joyce Vance]

Unmarked SUV started following them and pulled them over.

[Jason Johnson]

They say Border Patrol agents first approached wearing masks. Why are we not allowed to be here? Because we're not white. George and Esmeralda both voted for the first time in 2020 and again in 2024 for President Donald Trump as they.

[Congresswoman Jasmine Crockett]

See his immigration crackdown.

[Jason Johnson]

Do you regret your vote? Yes, I do. Very much so. I feel shame, guilt, and anger at the same time. Joining me now to discuss is Democratic Congresswoman Jasmine Crockett, representing Texas's 30th district. Thank you so much, Congresswoman, for joining me this evening. I'm wearing my cowboys colors for the district to make everything work better. We'll start with this. As someone who is out talking to the people on a regular basis or when you see a fellow member of Congress get just raked over the coals like this, is that a reflection of their lack of communication? Is it just holding on to bad policies? How do things like this end up happening to members of Congress?

[Congresswoman Jasmine Crockett]

Yeah, well, first of all, they've decided that they're not wanting to listen to their constituents. Instead, they focused in on doing whatever the nonsense that is coming out of the White House dictates needs to happen. And I think that that's one of the reasons that he's decided, let me go and let me mix up the maps as it relates to redistricting, because these policies are not popular. They're not popular with Democrats for sure. They're definitely not popular with Independents. And frankly, Republicans are getting upset as well. When you decide that you want to cut healthcare from 17 million people in this country, I can guarantee you that they're not all members of the Democratic Party. When you know this, that you are going to pull out $1 trillion out of the healthcare system, and therefore everyone's healthcare is gonna go up, then that's what we're going to see.

[Jason Johnson]

And that kind of representation that you're talking about is important. Right? People want someone in Congress who's speaking for them. When you're traveling around Texas, when you're, when you're home, when you're at your desk in other parts of the states, what are Texas residents saying about Abbott's attempt to redistrict? Are. Are people still being informed? Is anybody there who doesn't know? Or are people sort of screaming to you and Democratic leadership for help?

[Congresswoman Jasmine Crockett]

Yeah. No. The people in Texas are not happy. Obviously. We know that they had these hearings where they, and of course did not offer a map. And then by the time they offered a map, they only gave people 48 hours notice to then show up on a workday in Austin to testify because they did not want to hear from them. Well, over 400 people signed up to testify against the bill, and maybe about 20 signed up to support the bill. So, listen, we know that these lawmakers are not listening to the people. Instead, they are doing whatever Trump and Abbott tell them to do. And I think that there is going to be a reckoning. If we hearken back to 20, we know that we saw waves everywhere. I think that the backlash is going to be even bigger.

[Jason Johnson]

You know, I had a conversation with several people who were involved intimately in Texas, and one person told me that there were members of Congress who literally got calls from the state to confirm their home addresses in order to guarantee that they were being drawn out of their own districts. Can you confirm, did you receive one of those calls, or have you talked to other colleagues who had a similar experience?

[Congresswoman Jasmine Crockett]

Yeah, so it actually wasn't a call. So when I testified in Austin, I talked about the fact that they confirmed our address. So they sent us a form via email, and then at that point in time, they said, confirm that this is your current residence as well as your census block. I then sent that back in, and then I asked them to confirm receipt, which they did. Yet they consistently moved us out of our districts.

[Jason Johnson]

Former Obama Attorney General Eric Holder has said he's going to meet with House Dems tomorrow to discuss Texas redistricting. Obviously, I can't know all the inside strategy that you're going to be engaging in, but what do you want Eric Holder to do? Or what's a way that he can actually help you? All in this battle in Texas before this sort of anti Democratic cancer spreads throughout the rest of the country.

[Congresswoman Jasmine Crockett]

Yeah, I think that what we've got to do is make sure that people understand what laws are left on the books and make sure that they know that Texas qualifies as it relates to race. Racial gerrymandering. While he said he wanted five seats, he didn't necessarily say he wants five black seats. But basically that's what it's kind of turning into is get rid of all of the black and brown representation as we see that this cancer is trying to infect the entire country. They're talking about going after Jim Clyburn in South Carolina, a Section 2 seat. They're talking about going after Andre Carson in Indiana. They're talking about going after Amelia Sykes in Ohio. They're talking about going after Reverend Cleaver in Missouri. They went after three, three out of four black seats as relates to Texas. So when I do the math, at a very minimum, we're looking at losing almost seven members or more of the Black Caucus. And that's not talking about what Florida is planning to do because Florida is moving forward. So you tell me what it is if it ain't race.

[Jason Johnson]

Seems pretty obvious to me. But then again that's, that's, that's the problem that we're dealing with. So I want to ask you this. It's important racial question. A lot of people who I've talked to in Texas have said, and I want you to either confirm or deny is the case that there is some tension within the Democrats who have left the state, that there seems to be a stronger coalition sometimes between black and white legislators and that some of the Hispanic legislators have either stayed in the state or have been more likely to defect and go back. Is that true? Is there any sort of racial cleavage or tension in what you're seeing with the Democrats who've left the state? Or is that just sort of an outside rumor?

[Congresswoman Jasmine Crockett]

I think that that's more so just kind of people making an observation. We know that there are no members of the black CAU that actually showed up to the floor. We can't say the same for members of the Hispanic caucus. So I think that that's where people are getting it from. But at the end of the day, there's still a larger consolidation of members, black, white or brown that have decided that they were going to leave the state. And so the vast majority have left. But I think that much like a lot of things that we see even when we look at the numbers of who held down Kamala, regardless of the defections that they like to talk about, black folk have been the most solid voting bloc for the Democrats. We know that black folk come from a long history as it relates to the civil rights movement. Now, we can't get through any movement without allies for sure, but we know who was on the front lines of leading those movements. And so I do think that it hits a little harder when you know that people bled when they died, when you know that there were water hoses and dogs put on them. These are the images that are seared in our brains when we think through the history of what it took to get us here. And as only the 55th black woman to ever be elected to the US House, I can tell you that there is so much more work to do. But right now they are trying to take us back to prior to LBJ signing the Voting Rights act into law.

[Jason Johnson]

Congressman Jasmine Crockett, thank you so much for the work you do and thanks for coming on the Beat tonight.

[Congresswoman Jasmine Crockett]

Absolutely.

[Jason Johnson]

Later this hour, Trump officials are already decimating fema. They're disturbing next steps are coming into focus. Plus, why Obama's history making 2004 DNC speech is back in the news tonight. But first, critics warning a quote maga partisan handpicked by Steve Bannon is now empowered to corrupt government data. More on that. We're back on the Beat.

[Will Arnett]

Hey, this is Will Arnett, host of Smartless. Smartless is a podcast with myself and Sean Hayes and Jason Bateman where each week one of us reveals a mystery guest to the other two. We dive deep with guests that you love like Bill Hader, Selena Gomez, Jennifer Aniston, David Beckham, Kristen Stewart and tons more. So join us for a genuinely improvised and authentic conversation filled with laughter and newfound knowledge to feed the smartless mind. Listen to Smartless now on the SiriusXM app. Download it today.

[Jason Johnson]

On Deck is built to back small businesses like yours. Whether you're buying equipment, expanding your team or bridging cash flow gaps, OnDeck's loans up to $250,000 help make it happen fast. Rated A by the Better Business Bureau and earning thousands of five star trust pilot reviews, Ondeck delivers funding you can count on. Apply in [e-mail] depending on certain loan attributes, your business loan may be issued by Ondeck or Celtic Bank. Ondeck does not lend in North Dakota. All loans and amounts subject to lender approval.

[OnDeck Advertiser]

What is comfort? Comfort is a mattress that feels soft and supportive, made without harmful chemicals. Comfort is being able to invest in your well being and still having for the things you love. That's the Eco Organic Mattress from Avocado. Thoughtfully made, surprisingly affordable and trusted by families and with flexible financing from a firm, organic comfort is more accessible than ever. Shop the Eco Organic Mattress [e-mail] and save 10%. Avocado dream of better.

[Jason Johnson]

Trump is continuing to not hire the best people the administration is tapping a MAGA loyalist for the top job at the Bureau of Labor Statistics. You see him there. E.J. antony, Project 2025 contributor, an economist at the Pro Trump Heritage foundation who Steve Bannon urged Trump to nominate after Trump fired the previous jobs data chief because he didn't like the data, accusing her of manipulating stats without offering any evidence. And Tony has been a vocal critic of the agency and said this right before Trump fired the previous administrator. Have we put in our own person into BLS is a MAGA Republican that.

[Congresswoman Jasmine Crockett]

President Trump knows and trusts. Are they running the Bureau of Labor Statistics yet, sir?

[Rick Wilson]

No, unfortunately, Steve, we still haven't gotten there and I think that's part of the reason why we continue to have.

[David Daley]

All of these different data problems.

[Jason Johnson]

Steve Bannon calling for a MAGA Republican to run the agency. But experts say the job is about instilling nonpartisan trust, which explains the instant backlash, including Barack Obama's top economist, Jason Furman saying, quote, I don't think I have ever publicly criticized any presidential nominee before, but E.J. antony is completely unqualified to be BLS commissioner. He is an extreme partisan and does not have any relevant expertise. Today, Reuters reporting on worries among economists about the reliability of jobs numbers due to potential political interference and staffing cuts. Joining me now to discuss is Justin Wolfers, economist with the University of Michigan and host of the Think Like An Economist podcast. Justin, thank you so much for joining us today. I want to start with this because this seems to be the basic thing to me. I don't think there are Democratic numbers. I don't think there are MAGA numbers. Aren't labor statistics just numbers? Tell us a little bit about what that job actually entails? I don't see why it's a partisan position.

[Congresswoman Jasmine Crockett]

Right? So let's try an analogy here. Say you wanted to figure out what the president's weight was. We could get a scale and we could put him on the scale and that would tell us in pounds. That'd be pretty good. And if it was a doctor, an honest doctor who read the scale, you'd know exactly what the president weighed. Now here's the problem. What if I told you that Carolyn Levitt, the White House press secretary, who has a tortured relationship with truth, was the one reading the scale? All of a sudden, I reckon that president's gonna be about a hundred pounds lighter. Now, in this case, it might mean he gets the wrong cholesterol drugs, but when it comes to the economy, it means that the folks at the Fed are driving blind. It means that businesses don't actually know which parts of the country are booming and which are in recession. It means job seekers don't know what occupations to join. And on and on and on it goes. It is just a number. This is a job that I want to be clear about this. It's the most important part of this. This is a job that has never been filled by ideologues. It's always been filled by number crunching nerds who understand all the wizardry of statistics, the complications, and how we can make data speak in a way that they tell the truth most clearly.

[Jason Johnson]

You know, Justin, this is the thing that gets me to extend your metaphor about the scale. The worry is that Trump steps on the scale, and Antoni and Pete Hegseth are holding his arms up, so he appears to be a lot lighter than he actually is. What are the potential consequences of unreliable numbers from the Bureau of Labor Statistics, both domestically and internationally?

[Congresswoman Jasmine Crockett]

Right. So these are data that are used for all sorts of things. Businesses use them to figure out where should I open my next branch? They use it to figure out whether they should be hiring or whether they should be contracting. The Federal Reserve uses it to decide whether to raise interest rates or lower them. Banks use it to decide whether to expand lending or whether it wouldn't be safe to do so. You and I might use it to figure out which occupations we should be directing our kids to be going into and so on. These are data that have already been collected. And all we need is to be told the truth in order to make the best possible decisions for our families, our businesses, and our government. Look, it's worse than you said, because even if Pete Hegseth isn't holding the president's arms, metaphorical arms, here, the very suspicion that he might be is enough. I no longer believe what the scale says. This is a job that's always been occupied by a wonk because you want to eliminate any suspicion that the data's not worthwhile. And so the moment you allow the possibility of doubt, you've all of a sudden taken the hundreds of millions of dollars we, the taxpayers, have invested in these data, and you've made them a whole lot less valuable.

[Jason Johnson]

You know, I want to say this. There's a story now about Trump saying that Goldman Sachs should fire its economists who said tariffs would slow economic growth. You know, obviously this is a president who is allergic to the truth. But what's the impact, Justin, of also, not only does the president seem to want to manipulate his own data, but he is now threatening, and we've seen him go through these threats, threatening economists that don't even work for the government. What can that do to our economy?

[Congresswoman Jasmine Crockett]

Let me look him right in the eye and say tariffs are going to raise inflation and slow economic growth. Come at me, brother. But this is actually more pernicious than that. What this is is a president telling a bank on Wall street who to hire as their chief economist after he told intel who to hire as their CEO after he told Harvard what to put on their curriculum after he told Coca Cola what kind of sweetener to use in their drinks. This is command and control. This is a single man in a room deciding all the different levers about what should happen in the economy rather than letting individuals make their own choices and individual experts and businesses compete with each other in the market to produce the best possible goods at the best possible prices. This is central planning. This is the thing Reagan fought against, against. And it's a beautiful irony. Jason, you and I are on MSNBC right now arguing for market forces over this excess of central planning from an administration crazy on power.

[Jason Johnson]

I gotta tell you, it is always clear when you explain things to us. And it always sounds great, too. Justin Wolfers, thank you so much for joining us this evening on the Beat.

[Congresswoman Jasmine Crockett]

A pleasure, mate.

[Jason Johnson]

Still ahead, Trump's mishandling of FEMA is affecting communities like this one as they struggle to rebuild. But first, Obama's vision of America turned on its head. As party power struggles escalate more, we get back on the Beat. Well, I say to them tonight there is not a liberal America and a conservative America. There is the United States of America. There is not a black America and a white America and Latino America and Asian America. There's the United States of America. Barack Obama in 2004 with a vision of a united America. But now Gallup surveys show that the two parties are more polarized than ever. And the Texas redistricting fight has escalated into a national brawl between red states and blue states. If they show back up in the state of Texas, they will be arrested and taken to the Capitol.

[David Daley]

We are talking about emergency measures to.

[Rick Wilson]

Respond to what's happening in Texas and we will nullify what happens in Texas.

[Jason Johnson]

They fled and went to leftist blue states that may be more aligned with their personal philosophy. That is not welcome in the state of Texas.

[Joyce Vance]

We are at war and that's why the gloves are off. And I say bring it on.

[Jason Johnson]

This feud may only deepen existing divisions in this country. Right now, 40 states have governments controlled by one party or another. And the anxiety about where this all could lead was expressed in last year's thriller, Civil War.

[Joyce Vance]

19 states have seceded.

[Jason Johnson]

The United States army ramps up activity.

[Joyce Vance]

The White House issued warnings to the Western forces as well as the Florida alliance.

[Jason Johnson]

The future president assures the uprising will be dealt with swiftly. There's some kind of misunderstanding here. What? You're American. Okay, okay.

[Andrew Ayden]

What kind of American are you foreigning?

[Jason Johnson]

Me now is David Daly, journalist and author who's written extensively about politics and voting rights. His latest book is Anti Democratic Inside the far right's 50 year plot to Control American Elections. David, thanks for joining me this evening. I'm going to start with this. I am a political scientist by training. I teach political journalism to students. And I've always been skeptical of the idea of purely red and blue states. I, I think there's a lot of purple in there, but they've been gerrymandered into red and blue states. Do you think that we have actually, does the data show that we are actually more ideologically polarized today, or is it simply the leadership of our country is more ideologically polarized and it's dragging people in their directions?

[David Daley]

I think that we have been polarized by gerrymandering. We've been polarized by redistricting. We have 25 states that voted for Donald Trump three times. Those 25 states all have Republican governors, Republican state legislatures, and they have 50 U.S. senators. We have in many ways the exact opposite of what Barack Obama hoped for in that speech. And so much of it goes back to the question of redistricting. When Obama was elected in 2008, Democrats had a super majority in the US Senate, a huge advantage in the US House. Republican strategists recognized that as historic as the 2008 election was, the 2010 election would be much more consequential. It was a census year, it was redistricting year. And that if they were able to win trifecta control in purple states, and that's what they've taken over to really have the upper hand in redistricting. North Carolina, Ohio, Indiana, Florida, Wisconsin, Michigan. That's where the Republican gains on redistricting were made. So much of this stems from that strategy.

[Jason Johnson]

And a lot of the data shows it was in 2012, where I think Democrats got over a million more votes, but ended up losing seats. When we had sort of our midterm elections during the presidential election in 2012, how does that happen? So what is the process that Republicans have taken slowly over the last 50 years, 40 years, 15 years, seven years to make sure that they can gerrymander out power despite in some instances not having the majority?

[David Daley]

Republicans had a really sophisticated strategy heading into the 2010 midterms and what they wanted to do. And Karl Rove outlined this in an op ed in the Wall Street Journal that March. He said the party that controls state legislatures can control Congress. And so Republicans had a strategy called Red Map, short for the Redistricting Majority Project. And what they set out to do was to control every seat at the table. When it came to redistricting in 2011, this was focused really in purple states. North Carolina, Ohio, Michigan, Pennsylvania, Wisconsin. And as a result, you're absolutely right. In 2012, not only did 1.4 million more Americans prefer Democratic candidates than Republicans for the U.S. house, Republicans held a 234, 201 advantage anyway. But all of these purple states that voted to Reelect Obama In 2012, Republicans took 64 of the 94 congressional seats from those states. That is how you can control this country from the minority through redistricting.

[Jason Johnson]

So, David, I'm looking down the road. We've got Abbott saying he's going to eliminate five Democratic seats in Texas. You've got the governor in South Carolina saying we're going to get rid of one district. You've got these sorts of plans happening, and then you've got Democratic governors saying, hey, we will do this in response. Play this out. Give me some back at the envelope math here. If we look at all the solidly blue states that don't have, you know, independent electoral commissions, if all the blue states gerrymandered out Republicans and all the Republicans gerrymandered out the Democrats, who would basically end up winning. If there was an extreme gerrymander off, who ends up winning that contest in America?

[David Daley]

Well, voters lose, first of all, but I think then Democrats lose as well. Democrats and Republicans could fight this off to a stalemate if this just stayed in Texas and California. And I think that this by no means would pass in California if it goes to the ballot, allowing the legislature to go ahead and gerrymander. But. But this is not going to stay in Texas Republicans are going to move on to Ohio where there's only a four year map in place. Two Democratic districts there that they could wipe off. It's going to move to Florida where Ron DeSantis has already said he's going to reopen these maps. Three seats in South Florida as well as Tampa and Orlando that he's going to take a look at. This is going to go to Missouri, to Indiana. If Republicans really want to continue, they could go to Kentucky, to New Hampshire, to Kansas. The Supreme Court today is taking on this additional case. They're going to hear arguments October 15th on the voting Rights act case out of Louisiana, majority minority seats could allow Republicans to rip up maps next year across the south and destroy majority black seats in Alabama, South Carolina, Georgia, Louisiana. Democrats could. They just don't have a lot of room to go after California, New York, it's 2028 until the state constitution can be amended. Democrats have already pretty much maximized their gains in Illinois. The governor of Oregon has said that they're not going to touch this. Maryland attempted to do an 8, 0 map. The state Supreme Court said no. Democrats are trying to talk tough here about bringing a gun to a gunfight. The trouble is they're out of ammo. They're out of targets. If Republicans want to push this advantage, they can do so.

[Jason Johnson]

They'll end up. Yeah. David Daley, thank you so much for giving us raw data, even if it's sort of depressing news. Thank you for joining us this evening on the beach.

[David Daley]

My pleasure. Thank you.

[Jason Johnson]

Up next, new worries about hurricane season under the Trump administration. But we're back on the beat. Tonight, new scrutiny on the Trump administration's plans for FEMA as hurricane season begins. Last year, there were 24 major weather and climate related disasters in the United States, each of which costs more than a billion dollars in damages. Instead of preparing for this, Donald Trump is trying to defund FEMA, a judge recently blocking the administration from diverting $4 billion away from disaster prevention funds. As Trump and Homeland Security Secretary Kristi Noem have both called for completely eliminating fema. It comes as FEMA workers have been reassigned to work for ICE during hurricane season. All of this while Donald Trump plays politics with life and death matters, approving disaster aid for devastating flood in deep red Texas and rejecting aid requests for states with Democratic governors, including Maryland, Washington state and North Carolina, where residents in remote rural areas of the state are still recovering from the devastation of Hurricane Helene. Joining me now to discuss this is Andrew Ayden, a former aide to Civil rights icon Congressman John Lewis. Ayden also co authored Lewis's graphic novel memoir called March. Now he's working on the Appalachia Comics Project, raising awareness by creating a graphic history of Hurricane Helene through partnerships with local artists. Andrew, thank you so much for joining us this evening on the Beat. Look, everyone knows that I'm a comic book fan and I find them to be a great way to communicate. But, but tell us a little bit about this Appalachia project. You had a write up and Forbes talking about how this is uplifting Appalachia and also helping with Hurricane Helene.

[Andrew Ayden]

Yeah, we took a terrible blow. And what scared me the most is once we got back online because, remember, we were completely cut off from the rest of the world for almost a week. No phone, no Internet, no television. We get back online and we see so much misinformation going around on the Internet. And part of what we're trying to do is tell the story through comics. We're trying to give survivors like myself, my neighbors, my friends and colleagues the opportunity to write comics about their experiences during Helene so that people who didn't get the full truth understand what happened and that people from Appalachia have the opportunity to give voice to their story. I mean, what we're dealing with out here is unprecedented still, and we're not getting the help we need. And the way we're doing this is that the survivors who write their comics, who write their stories, they get paid as the writers. And a lot of my colleagues who make comics for a living, they're donating their time and they're giving their labor free so that these survivors can get.

[Rick Wilson]

A little bit of help.

[Jason Johnson]

Andrew, first off, that's amazing work and gives people an opportunity to also make money talking about what they've suffered from. I want to point out here, the Trump administration, just as recently as last Friday, the Trump administration is delaying aid on hundreds of already approved projects in North Carolina. Are people in North Carolina aware of this? Are voters there aware of the fact that this administration that some of them voted for is now denying them the aid that they need to recover from these natural disasters?

[Andrew Ayden]

You know, I think some people are aware, but I don't think they have any idea the scope of it. I mean, I saw somewhere recently that only 6% of the cost of the disaster has been covered by the federal government. And if I recall from my days on Capitol Hill, that was usually somewhere between 50 and 70% of the costs covered by the federal government. So the, the gap we're talking about is tens of billions of dollars. And we're just starting to feel this in different ways. I mean, for instance, out here in Edneyville, where I live, you know, this is the Apple Valley. We're all farmers, and we, we have something called the debris removal program, and it was supposed to clear debris around waterways and, and, and homes and structures that could be damaged because a tree is, is fallen but hasn't fallen all the way or something like that. When they came out to actually do it, we were informed that less was covered, that the federal government had mandated a change, and that not all of the debris would be removed. And this complicates things in several ways. One, you've got people who have these piles and piles of drying and rotting wood that's going to be fuel come fire season. And two, you've got waterways that are going to be blocked. So the next time we have a flood or a storm, the floods are going to be even worse. These are investments that should be made now to prevent further damage in the future. But they're cutting back and they're just creating a problem. Problem that's going to get even worse.

[Jason Johnson]

Andrew, thank you so much for the work you do creatively and what you're doing in the community in North Carolina. Appreciate you coming on the Beat tonight.

[Andrew Ayden]

No, thanks for having me, Jason. It's good to see you.

[Jason Johnson]

Good to see you, too. We'll be right back with one more thing. Music he played made life work and made him a legend.

[Will Arnett]

Cool DJ Her Insane.

[David Daley]

My back to school party that I gave.

[Jason Johnson]

1520 Cedric Ave. Aug. 11, 1973. That was the birth of hip hop at the Beat. We'd be remiss to not take note of a special birthday this week. Go Hip Hop. It's your birthday. 52 years ago yesterday, a back to school party by DJ Kool Herc and his sister Cindy Campbell changed America. No one could have predicted that a small rec room in the Bronx would be the birthplace of hip hop. Two turntables on a microphone became the music of a generation. Today, hip hop is a global industry influencing fashion, sports, food, and most importantly, politics. As hip hop is often the anthem of the unseen and unheeded in America, hip hop is now older than Star wars and just short of the median age in Congress. So let's pour one out for hip hop and welcome the music of our youth to middle age. That does it for me. The weeknight is up next.

[Will Arnett]

Hey, this is Will Arnett, host of Smartless. Smartless is a podcast with myself and Sean Hayes and Jason Bateman, where each week one of us reveals a mystery guest to the other two. We dive deep with guests that you love, like Bill Hader, Selena Gomez, Jennifer Aniston, David Beckham, Kristen Stewart, and tons more. So join us for a genuinely improvised and authentic conversation filled with laughter and newfound knowledge to feed the smartless mind. Listen to Smartless now on the SiriusXM app. Download it today.