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Host or Moderator
Cancel contact T Mobile who as MAGA Mike recessed Congress as he's terrified of discussing anything relating to Donald Trump's dark past with Jeffrey Epstein and the MAGA Republicans are in disarray. He just got more nightmare news. The new Gallup poll, which, by the way, previously showed Donald Trump's like, approval in the 30s. Now, when it comes to party identification, this is a big change from 2024. More Americans consider themselves Democrats than Republicans right there. And that poll is hot off the press this morning. Let's talk about MAGA Mike panicking, though. During this period of recess. We all know that MAGA Mike's trying to conceal all of the Epstein files, but he's been trying to make his rounds and actually say, no, no, no, no, no. I'm, I'm, I want everything, really. I've been, I'm the guy who has pushed for it to be released. That's me. I'm that guy. Here, play this clip.
Speaker Johnson
We have to do it in a, in a responsible manner. But look, I'm pushing for, aggressively for the full release of everything that is possible. And by the way, so is the President. He has said the same thing. We're using every mechanism within our power to do that and to do it as quickly as possible.
Host or Moderator
Wonder why less people identify with guys like that. What are you talking about? You're literally the opposite of that. And what do they think? That we're just so utterly really stupid. They're like, oh, yeah, Megamike. That's why you recessed it, because you want to get more info out. That's why you gave immunity to Ghislaine Maxwell. Here he is again on the Epstein files and saying, look, you know, Thomas Massie, he may be a Republican, but he's got other motivations and why he wants. I'm not going to get into those other motivations, but he wants, he's pushing for something else for his own Reasons here, listen, here it is.
Congressman Thomas Massie
Speaker Johnson, as I told you, your favorite topic, the Epstein file. So this issue is going to be waiting for you when Congress returns. And just this afternoon, Congressman Massie posted, quote, speaker Johnson has been promoting this non binding resolution, hoping to give cover to those who don't want a full release of the Epstein files. Embarrassingly, Section 3 of his resolution refers to Section 2, which doesn't exist, unquote. Massie calls your resolution resolution a glorified press release. He says his bill would be binding, has the force of the law and he says it does protect the victim. So I wanted to give you an opportunity to respond.
Speaker Johnson
Look, I have no interest in getting a back and forth with Thomas Massie. He's doing what he's doing. Everybody can judge the motivation for themselves. I don't know what he's talking about. I don't have a resolution. There is a resolution that's out there that was passed by the House of Republicans on the Rules Committee and that's Freedom Caucus members and a cross section of members who are for maximum transparency as well.
Host or Moderator
Oh, for maximum, maximum transparency. Those files are literally right there if anybody wants to release it. But then go into this issue as well of redistricting and how Donald Trump has ordered Texas to basically remove the Democratic congressional districts from Texas, remove five Democratic congressional districts. It was already gerrymandered bright red by the Republicans in the first place. But just remove all Democrats basically from Texas. And then MAGA Mike Johnson was asked on Fox, well, what if the state like California, has to, you know, they respond and they gerrymander out Republicans. Isn't this just going to be a tit for tat? And then MAGA Mike's like, the thing is in California they have to follow the law. They have lawful process. We don't have to really do that. Right. We're the Republicans here. Play this book.
Congressman Thomas Massie
Your life was so simple in the first term, but much simpler in the first term. Less responsibility. Real quick, are you for the redistricting that the president's pushing for in Texas and Ohio? Because in response, the Democrats say we're going to do it to you in New York and California.
Speaker Johnson
California has a problem. They've got to amend their state constitution, as I understand the law out there to do it. Look, we have to fight for every inch of ground in the country. We're in an era of small margins, as you said, because of gerrymandering and redistricting. But they have to follow the law. I'm convinced the red states will and we will probably have a few more seats out of that. And, of course, that's good news for me.
Host or Moderator
You know, I got to bring in Democratic leader Hakeem Jeffries to respond to that. You're in Austin right now, and you're speaking to these state legislators there who know that the fight is on. I want to talk about the fight being on. Before I talk about the fight being on, though, I got to talk about all the stuff that he's saying at the beginning right there when he goes. He and Trump are maximum transparency, and they're the ones who want everything released. Leader, what do you say to that?
Hakeem Jeffries
Well, the extreme MAGA Republicans in the House, and of course, Donald Trump are completely and totally out of control, and they're in free fall right now. Donald Trump is deeply unpopular. His public approval rating is in the 30s or early 40s. The one big ugly bill has been rejected by the American people. It turns out that when you rip away health care from millions of Americans, steal food from the mouths of children and veterans and seniors, and all of this is being done by Republicans because they want to reward their billionaire donors with massive tax breaks, the American people don't like it. So they have no legislative track record of accomplishment that will meaningfully address the issues that are important to the American people, like driving down the high cost of living. In fact, inflation is going up under Donald Trump and Republican rule in Washington, D.C. life is getting more expensive. And they have the problem that they are hiding the Epstein files from the American people. They're not about transparency. That's a joke. The votes exist in the House right now to release the Epstein files, but House Republican leaders refuse to bring the bill to the floor because Donald Trump has ordered them not to do it. And in the face of all of this, that is why they feel like they need to gerrymander the Texas congressional map to try to rig the midterm elections.
Host or Moderator
Right. I mean, Donald Trump's a lifelong cheater. I mean, this is what he does. He cheats on people. He cheats in business. He. He cheats on taxes. He's a fraud. I mean, that's his background. Like, that's like, you know, it's like, well, what's your background? I mean, Trumps are all of those things. And this is what he does. When he starts losing, he starts cheating, and he compounds the problems. So, yes, they're trying to rig the midterms right now with what we said, this horrifically unlawful gerrymandering scheme. So you're in Austin, you're speaking today, you just spoke with us, them, the Democratic Austin legislators who are in for a fight. So what are you talking with them about? What does this fight look like? How do they stop this unlawful plan?
Hakeem Jeffries
The members of the Texas congressional delegation are in complete lockstep with Democratic members of the Texas House and the Texas Senate who recognize this is an all hands on deck moment. And everything is on the table in terms of pushing back aggressively against this reckless Republican gerrymander effort. We have to push back and fight them politically, fight them governmentally in terms of the legislative battle. And of course, we're going to make sure that we're fighting them legally in court and organizing on the ground, which is one of the reasons why I'm here, so that we can win over the hearts and minds of the people of Texas who are going to be hurt by this effort to suppress their ability to participate in a free and fair election. Ben, it's important to understand that as you pointed out, the Texas map is already gerrymandered. There's already a lawsuit that is active that is challenged this map in terms of violations of the Voting Rights Act. And of course, if the map that they want to substitute in is put in place, it's a further attack, particularly on communities of color all across the great state of Texas. Under this new proposed map, about a third of the people of Texas will be put into a new congressional district that's more than 10 million people. And 2/3 of those folks who will be put into a new congressional district are people of color. And so this is a very clear scheme designed to have politicians choose the voters that they want to represent so that they can rip away four or five congressional seats currently held by Democrats as part of their desperate effort to stave off being wiped out in the midterm elections because of their failures as a Republican Party.
Host or Moderator
You know, as our viewers may be wondering, how can they be, how can they do this? Like, did they do this 20 or 30 years ago? Why does it seem like the maps are getting more egregious? Well, the Voting Rights act was completely gutted as a result of the right wing Supreme Court. In the past, these maps would actually have to be submitted to to an independent Department of Justice and a three judge panel that would make the determination in the first instance to approve or not approve. Now they are even unlawful maps presumptively go into effect to your point, Leader Jeffries, then the litigation happens, which takes many years. As the litigation gets closer to an election, the Supreme Court goes right wing Supreme Court, we've got the Purcell principle or whatever, parcel principle. We're so close, so we can't do anything. We're going to keep the unlawful map for the next cycle. And then this is what they keep on repeating over and over again. Then they don't follow the Supreme Court orders and you have to get injunction after injunction after injunction. So with that as the background, though, when you say everything's on the table, yes, litigation needs to be on the table. The problem is that's not going to, you know, I don't know. That'll stop it before the election. So what else is there? A walkout? So there's not a quorum. Is there other steps that are taken? You know, are you meeting with other states and saying you do this? How do you deal with the fact that in a state like California, there's independent commissions and Democratic states tend to play by the rules and go, okay, we'll have independent people do it? Republicans like, screw that, we ain't do it independent. But Trump says rules, so how do we fight that?
Hakeem Jeffries
Yeah, we can no longer unilaterally disarm. So that's the core principle. Enough with that. And you know, we're going to make sure that we take a close look at the ability of other states like California, New York, New Jersey, Maryland and others to be able to respond in a way that allows for the greatest opportunity for the nationwide congressional map to be as fair as possible. Now, you're absolutely correct that California has a citizens commission. New York has a constitutional prohibition on mid decade redistricting and also has an independent redistricting commission. And so right now we have a situation where Democrats for decades have been playing by a different set of rules relative to redistricting. And that's been made worse by the fact that the Supreme Court in 2013 decimated Section 5 of the Voting Rights act, which is the pre clearance provision that required that states like Texas or others who want to change the congressional map had to get that pre cleared by either the Department of Justice or a three judge panel in the federal judiciary who weren't going to sign off on changes that would likely undermine the ability of communities of color to be able to choose the elected representatives of their choice. So right now we are making sure that we are exploring all of the opportunities to go back to the voters of California or New York or New Jersey or Virginia or beyond to address the moment that we are in as needed. Because the bottom line is who's in elected office matters. It matters in terms of the economy. It matters in terms of health care. It matters in terms of standing up for our veterans who have been under assault, standing up for organized labor, under assault, standing up for our children or people with disabilities, older Americans, all of whom are going to suffer as a result of this one big ugly bill that has now been passed into law. And so we are going to use this moment to organize the American people in ways that shine a spotlight of transparency on how these Republicans have failed to make life better for the American people and why we've got to do everything possible to ensure that when the will of the American people has been expressed in the midterm elections, it can be done in a free and fair way, which the Republicans know will result in them getting wiped out and Democrats taking back control of the House.
Host or Moderator
Yeah, I think that's what frustrates so many Americans. You look at the issues, you remove the parties, you remove the issues, whether it's climate, women's, reproductive rights, gun control, the tax policy, trade policy, you name veterans issues, the size of the government, whatever. And if you did a blind study, here are the issues, here are the issues. What do you support? They come out like 70, 30 usually, and sometimes even more 80, 20. And then you tell people, well, now I'm going to tell you these issues are the Democratic issues, these issues are the Republican issues. And they'd be shocked about that to begin with. And so how is this all get inverted and they're playing by the. You're right, they're playing by a different set of rules. Democrats have been playing nice. You're telling the people, we're done with that. We, we could still be nice people, we could still be compassionate and empathetic Americans. And we want to be clear that we're fighting for the people. But when it comes to this type of stuff, to your point, we're not going to unilaterally disarm. We're fighting, right?
Hakeem Jeffries
Yeah, absolutely. We're in a more is more environment and we just have to keep doing more to push the extreme MAGA Republicans in an aggressive fashion. Stop them legislatively, stop them in the courts, stop them in communities in terms of winning over the hearts and minds of the American people and then stopping them politically in November of 2026. The stakes are too high. And listen, we just believe in a country where when you work hard and play by the rules, you should be able to live the good life, not too much to ask for good paying job, good housing, good health care, good education for your children and a good retirement, which means making sure Republicans keep their hands off of Social Security and Medicare. And now we know that the Trump administration is trying to privatize Social Security. So these are fights that we're waging on behalf of the American people, and we're going to have to do it with righteous intensity over and over and over again. More is more, continuing to do more on behalf of the American people. But this redistricting fight is at the center of their efforts on the other side of the aisle to stop the American people from holding them accountable. And that's why we're in an environment where extraordinary times require extraordinary measures. And all options are on the table from this moment forward until we end this national nightmare with Donald Trump in office and compliant House Republicans, and can continue our country's great march toward a more perfect unit.
Host or Moderator
Weird and dangerous times. Let's get out of them. Thanks. Thanks for fighting for us. We appreciate you. Leader Hakeem Jeffries. Great. Great to see you again.
Hakeem Jeffries
Great to see you.
Host or Moderator
Thanks so much everybody. Hit subscribe let's get to 6 million subscribers. The truth is more important than ever. Check out our new Truth over lies collection@store.midas touch.com All 100% USA Union made.
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The MeidasTouch Podcast: Leader Hakeem Jeffries Responds to GOP Gerrymandering Scheme
Release Date: July 31, 2025
In this compelling episode of The MeidasTouch Podcast, hosts Ben, Brett, and Jordy Meiselas engage in a spirited discussion about the recent GOP-led gerrymandering efforts aimed at manipulating electoral districts in Texas and beyond. The episode features a critical dialogue between the hosts and Democratic Leader Hakeem Jeffries, who addresses the escalating political maneuvers by Republicans to maintain their hold on power. This detailed summary captures the essence of their conversation, highlighting key points, insightful analyses, and significant quotes that shed light on the current state of American democracy.
The episode kicks off with the hosts addressing MAGA Mike Johnson’s controversial actions related to gerrymandering and the Epstein files. They express concern over Johnson’s attempts to manage the release of sensitive information while simultaneously pushing for redistricting that favors Republican interests.
Host Commentary:
"MAGA Mike is terrified of discussing anything relating to Donald Trump's dark past with Jeffrey Epstein, and the MAGA Republicans are in disarray."
Speaker Johnson on Epstein Files [01:23]:
"We have to do it in a responsibly manner. But look, I'm pushing for, aggressively for the full release of everything that is possible. And by the way, so is the President."
The hosts criticize Johnson’s inconsistent stance, suggesting that his actions are more about political maneuvering than genuine transparency.
Host Commentary:
"You're literally the opposite of that. They think we're just so utterly really stupid."
Congressman Thomas Massie enters the conversation to critique Speaker Johnson’s resolution concerning the Epstein files. Massie labels the resolution as ineffective and more of a publicity stunt than a meaningful legislative action.
Congressman Massie on Johnson’s Resolution [02:10]:
"Speaker Johnson has been promoting this non-binding resolution, hoping to give cover to those who don't want a full release of the Epstein files."
Massie further dissects the resolution, pointing out flaws that undermine its legitimacy.
Congressman Massie [02:45]:
"Section 3 of his resolution refers to Section 2, which doesn't exist. Massie calls your resolution a glorified press release."
In response, Speaker Johnson dismisses Massie’s criticisms, maintaining that his efforts are aimed at greater transparency and accountability.
Speaker Johnson [02:45]:
"I have no interest in getting a back and forth with Thomas Massie. There's a resolution that's out there that was passed by the House of Republicans on the Rules Committee."
Johnson emphasizes that his resolution, supported by the Freedom Caucus, strives for maximum transparency, albeit struggling against internal party resistance.
The discussion transitions to Texas’s redistricting plans, where Republicans are accused of attempting to eradicate Democratic congressional districts. The hosts highlight the strategic removal of five Democratic districts, which would significantly weaken Democratic representation.
Host Commentary:
"Donald Trump has ordered Texas to basically remove the Democratic congressional districts from Texas. It was already gerrymandered bright red by the Republicans in the first place, but just remove all Democrats basically from Texas."
The conversation underscores the broader implications of such actions, including the potential for a nationwide tit-for-tat in gerrymandering practices.
Hakeem Jeffries takes center stage to counter the GOP’s narrative and outline the Democratic strategy against gerrymandering.
Hakeem Jeffries on GOP Extremism [05:01]:
"The extreme MAGA Republicans in the House, and of course, Donald Trump are completely and totally out of control, and they're in free fall right now."
Jeffries critiques the Republican legislative agenda, highlighting policies that undermine healthcare, food security, and economic stability.
Hakeem Jeffries on Gerrymandering [06:41]:
"The votes exist in the House right now to release the Epstein files, but House Republican leaders refuse to bring the bill to the floor because Donald Trump has ordered them not to do it."
He emphasizes the detrimental impact of gerrymandering on electoral fairness, particularly targeting communities of color.
Hakeem Jeffries on Texas’s New Map [08:15]:
"Under this new proposed map, about a third of the people of Texas will be put into a new congressional district that's more than 10 million people. And 2/3 of those folks who will be put into a new congressional district are people of color."
Jeffries outlines a multi-faceted approach to resist Republican redistricting efforts, including legislative battles, legal challenges, and grassroots organizing.
Hakeem Jeffries on Democratic Strategy [07:23]:
"We have to push back and fight them politically, fight them governmentally in terms of the legislative battle. And of course, we're going to make sure that we're fighting them legally in court and organizing on the ground."
He stresses the importance of maintaining independent redistricting commissions in states like California and New York to ensure fair electoral maps.
Hakeem Jeffries on Independent Commissions [11:10]:
"California has a citizens commission. New York has a constitutional prohibition on mid-decade redistricting and also has an independent redistricting commission."
The conversation broadens to discuss how gerrymandering and partisan manipulation threaten the foundational principles of democracy. Jeffries highlights the importance of fair representation in addressing critical issues such as the economy, healthcare, and social justice.
Hakeem Jeffries on Democratic Goals [15:00]:
"We just believe in a country where when you work hard and play by the rules, you should be able to live the good life... making sure Republicans keep their hands off of Social Security and Medicare."
He calls for relentless efforts to combat Republican strategies to ensure that elections remain free and fair, ultimately aiming to return the House to Democratic control.
The episode culminates with a reaffirmation of the Democratic commitment to fighting gerrymandering and restoring electoral fairness. Hakeem Jeffries underscores the high stakes involved and the necessity for Democrats to employ extensive measures to counteract Republican tactics.
Hakeem Jeffries on the Importance of the Fight [15:00]:
"Extraordinary times require extraordinary measures. And all options are on the table from this moment forward until we end this national nightmare with Donald Trump in office and compliant House Republicans."
The hosts thank Jeffries for his insights, closing the episode with a call to action for listeners to stay informed and engaged in the political process.
GOP Gerrymandering Efforts: Republicans, led by figures like Mike Johnson, are actively manipulating electoral maps to suppress Democratic representation, particularly targeting communities of color.
Democratic Countermeasures: Under Hakeem Jeffries’ leadership, Democrats are pursuing legislative, legal, and grassroots strategies to combat gerrymandering and ensure fair elections.
Transparency and Accountability: The debate over the Epstein files symbolizes the broader struggle for transparency in government, with Republicans accused of obstructing the release of crucial information.
Impact on Democracy: These partisan tactics threaten the integrity of American democracy, making it imperative for both parties to uphold fair practices and protect the electorate’s ability to choose their representatives.
Hakeem Jeffries on MAGA Republicans [05:01]
"The extreme MAGA Republicans in the House, and of course, Donald Trump are completely and totally out of control, and they're in free fall right now."
Speaker Johnson on Epstein Files [01:23]
"We have to do it in a responsibly manner. But look, I'm pushing for, aggressively for the full release of everything that is possible."
Congressman Massie on Johnson’s Resolution [02:10]
"Speaker Johnson has been promoting this non-binding resolution, hoping to give cover to those who don't want a full release of the Epstein files."
Hakeem Jeffries on Texas Redistricting [08:15]
"Under this new proposed map, about a third of the people of Texas will be put into a new congressional district that's more than 10 million people. And 2/3 of those folks who will be put into a new congressional district are people of color."
This episode of The MeidasTouch Podcast serves as a vital discourse on the ongoing battle over electoral fairness in the United States. Through incisive dialogue and expert commentary, the Meiselas brothers shed light on the urgent need to address gerrymandering and protect democratic principles.