'Troubled' candidates burden GOP already saddled with Trump's baggage

Summary

The Rachel Maddow Show

Episode: "Troubled" Candidates Burden GOP Already Saddled with Trump's Baggage

Airdate: August 4, 2026

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Episode Overview

This episode dives deep into the increasing troubles facing the Republican Party in the 2026 midterms, particularly focusing on controversial and scandal-ridden GOP candidates across several states, and the ongoing strain of Donald Trump’s influence. The second half features an extensive interview with James Talarico, the Democratic nominee for U.S. Senate in Texas, exploring his unusual appeal, legislative record, campaign strategy, and the stakes for democracy and rights in Texas.

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Key Discussion Points & Insights

1. National Crises: Wildfires and Cyber Attacks (00:58–05:00)

• Western Fires: Catastrophic wildfires threaten Spokane, Washington, requiring mass evacuations and overwhelming state resources.
• Federal Aid Politics: Host notes the Trump administration’s history of withholding federal disaster support from states that didn’t vote for him, raising concern for Washington.
• Major Cyberattack: Local water systems in seven states have been hacked, attributed to Iran. This vulnerability is linked to Trump-era gutting of U.S. cybersecurity by firing key officials and scaling back defensive resources.
• Presidential Response: Trump initially blamed the state of Minnesota and its Democratic governor, then gave no coherent plan as the attacks spread.

2. GOP Leadership and Trump’s Legal Maneuvering (05:00–10:00)

• Attorney General Nominee: The Senate Judiciary Committee is poised to confirm Todd Blanche, who offered hollow reassurances about a potential Trump slush fund but at the same time pledged to give Trump and his family “total immunity” from tax crimes.
  • “Blanche is... o​​vertly insisting that he, as attorney general... has conveyed upon President Trump and his family... total immunity for all tax crimes.” (06:30)
• Jeanine Pirro’s Troubles: Reports suggest former Fox News host, now D.C. U.S. Attorney Jeanine Pirro, may be fired following numerous, embarrassingly failed prosecutions.

3. Troubled Republican Candidates: Scandal Across States (10:00–14:00)

North Carolina & Ohio:

• Rep. Chuck Edwards: Facing bipartisan calls for censure due to sexual harassment of extremely young staffers. He refuses to step down.
• Rep. Max Miller (Ohio): Accused of domestic abuse; intense pressure to withdraw, with Ohio GOP deadline looming. His Democratic challenger, Brian Poindexter, is in a tight race.

Texas: A “Showcase” of Scandal

• Ken Paxton (Senate Nominee): Notorious for corruption, impeachment, and personal scandal but survived due to financial influence in his Senate trial.
• Other Noteworthy Texas GOP Nominees:
  • Don Huffines (Comptroller): Infamous for buying Jeffrey Epstein’s ranch.
  • Beau French (Oil & Gas Regulator): Ran a notorious, bigoted online poll pitting “Muslims or Jews” as threats to America.

Notable Quote

“Today, August 3rd, is the anniversary of [Ken Paxton’s] mugshot being taken on the day he turned himself in to face charges in a multi-count securities fraud indictment.” (10:45)

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4. James Talarico: Rising Democratic Star in Texas (11:47–36:09)

National Profile and Communication Skills (12:32–15:12)

• Talarico draws attention for viral moments highlighting faith, social justice, and opposition to culture war politics, including appearances on the Joe Rogan podcast, The View, and a wildly popular TikTok response to the Ten Commandments in classrooms.
• Described as “somebody who's really important, perhaps to the whole future of the Democratic Party” (14:15).

Interview with James Talarico

A. Path to Victory in Texas (15:18–17:59)

• Talarico’s Case: Texas is ripe for a Democratic breakthrough due to mounting backlash against GOP extremism and rampant corruption, especially that of Ken Paxton. Cites Paxton’s unexplained wealth, involvement in multiple bribery scandals, and role in undermining healthcare and workers’ rights.
• “His own defense attorney just endorsed me in this race. I'm kind of expecting his family dog to run away and head over to my house any day now.” (17:40)

B. Campaign Focus: Public Corruption over Personal Scandal (17:59–20:06)

• Avoids focusing on salacious personal details (e.g., Paxton’s affairs), opting to emphasize Paxton’s public record and betrayals of public trust.
• “The only thing worse than Ken Paxton's personal cheating is his public cheating.” (18:45)

C. Bipartisanship and Legislative Achievement (20:06–22:39)

• Cites a track record of passing 60 bipartisan bills, including major reforms in healthcare, education, and juvenile justice.
• “We're told that it's a choice between people who fight [and] people who get things done. I think the people of Texas deserve a senator who can do both.” (22:10)

D. Voting Rights and Democracy Under Attack (22:39–26:38)

• Discusses Texas Republicans’ suppression of voter turnout and his own protest action to spotlight gerrymandering and attacks on voting rights.
• “We have to love democracy even when we lose... When you manufacture the lines of a district to guarantee a certain outcome, you are robbing our neighbors of their God given rights at the ballot box.” (24:08)
• Argues that flipping this Senate seat could build momentum for restoring the Voting Rights Act nationwide.

E. Trans Rights and Campaign Strategy (28:30–30:34)

• Responds to critics claiming support for trans Texans is political suicide, reaffirming a refusal to sell anyone out, while denouncing “divide and conquer” tactics.
• “The most radical thing you can do in an era of division is unite people.” (29:20)

F. Building Support Among Black Texans (30:34–33:22)

• Acknowledges a hard-fought, racially polarized primary loss; now reaching out proactively to Black leaders, voters, and institutions, prioritizing voting rights and issues like the maternal mortality crisis.
• “When I win this seat... I'll represent the most African Americans of any senator in the country. And that work of representing black Texans starts now.” (31:07)

G. Immigration and Human Rights Abuses (33:27–35:57)

• Denounces inhumane conditions, including the presence of infants in detention at Dilley, and advocates shutting down abuses, reforming ICE, and passing comprehensive immigration reform.
• “I am sick to my stomach seeing the abuses that have been committed against our undocumented neighbors... I think we need a senator from Texas who is going to hold ICE accountable, who’s going to end these human rights abuses...” (34:35)

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5. Grassroots Resistance in Ohio: Haitian TPS Crisis (39:11–41:43)

• Ohio: Federal government revoking TPS for Haitians, leading to mass fear and humiliating “ankle monitor or deportation” edicts.
• Local activists denounce policy as “modern day shackling” (40:20), echoing the legacy of slavery.
• Strong community turnout in support of Haitian neighbors, emphasizing a compassionate alternative to Trump-era cruelty.

Notable Quote

“We are America that loves our neighbors... No matter where you come from, no matter your color, no matter your accent, we are people that care.” — Deborah Thompson, local minister (41:09)

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6. GOP Governance in Chaos Across Government (41:43–47:27)

• Trump administration’s faltering foreign policy—specifically, a faltering war with Iran, crowd-sourced strategy queries from Pentagon staff, and the appointment of unqualified Fox News hosts (Pete Hegseth, Jeanine Pirro) to top defense/justice posts.
• Pirro’s tenure as D.C. Attorney notable for failed grand juries, embarrassing legal reversals, and ineffectual prosecutions, culminating in rumors of her imminent firing.

Notable Quote

“He [Trump] slammed her decision on his social media site. And in the Oval Office today, he said she, quote, choked and folded like an umbrella. I was kind of excited to hear that because I don't know how long it's been since I’ve heard the president with a three syllable word.” (45:39)

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Notable Quotes & Memorable Moments

• “If Ken Paxton is willing to scam his own friends for a quick buck, what makes you think he's not going to scam you in the United States Senate?” — James Talarico (18:32)
• “We have to love democracy even when we lose.” — James Talarico (24:08)
• “The most radical thing you can do in an era of division is unite people.” — James Talarico (29:20)
• “We are America that loves our neighbors.” — Deborah Thompson, Ohio activist (41:43)
• On Jeanine Pirro: “Grand juries almost never fail to return indictments when prosecutors asked for them. But Jeanine Pirro’s office has had to dismiss nearly a dozen cases.” (44:00)

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Important Timestamps

• 00:58–05:00: Wildfires, cyberattack, and federal neglect
• 05:00–10:00: Trump’s slush funds, nominee Blanche, and Jeanine Pirro
• 10:00–12:32: Scandal-ridden GOP candidates in NC, OH, TX
• 12:32–15:12: James Talarico profile and campaign momentum
• 15:12–26:38: In-depth interview with Talarico on corruption, bipartisanship, and voting rights
• 28:30–30:34: Talarico on trans rights and “uniting people”
• 30:34–33:22: Outreach to Black Texans and policy priorities
• 33:27–35:57: On ICE, immigration abuses, Dilley detention
• 39:11–41:43: Ohio’s Haitian TPS crisis; community activism
• 41:43–47:27: Pentagon dysfunction, Pirro’s prosecution fiascos

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Tone and Style

The episode blends Rachel Maddow’s signature investigative rigor with sharp wit and a sense of urgency about attacks on democracy and social justice. Talarico’s interview stands out for its hopeful, faith-grounded approach and practical optimism amid political turbulence.

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Summary Takeaways

• The GOP faces mounting scandals and severely weakened candidates in critical battleground states, while Trump’s administration is depicted as floundering in key areas of national security and justice.
• James Talarico emerges as a uniquely formidable Democratic contender in Texas, offering a vision of principled leadership, bipartisan record, and a campaign focused on unity over division.
• The fate of voting rights, immigrant protections, and the broader struggle against corruption are central themes, with the show highlighting grassroots activism and the consequences of political decisions on real communities.

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Recommended for listeners seeking sharp political analysis, insight into the 2026 electoral map, and a firsthand look at emerging Democratic strategies in red states.

Transcript

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[MSNBC Host or Political Commentator]

really happy to have you here. We are watching a number of developing stories tonight. Mass evacuations are underway in eastern Washington state where more than 700 buildings have burned already. In Spokane, more than 65,000 people have been forced to evacuate already as three totally uncontained wildfires close in on that city. Zero containment of those fires thus far. Washington's Democratic governor, Bob Ferguson is asking for help from the federal government under this administration. It's not only unclear how much federal help will go to Washington State, but it's also sadly unclear whether or not help to Washington State might be called off from Washington or might be impeded by the president, specifically because Washington is a state that did not vote for Donald Trump to be president. This administration has admitted that it has denied federal support to states purely on that political basis in the past. But this is Washington State's real time of need right now. Spare thought for those tens of thousands of your fellow Americans who are evacuating ahead of those terrifying out of control fires. We're watching those fires and those evacuations tonight after what has been just a terrible day in eastern Washington state. In seven different states today, local water systems now know they have been hacked into in a mass cyber attack that is being attributed to Iran. Now you may recall that the Trump administration dismantled or radically scaled back cybersecurity capabilities within the federal government, including inexplicably firing the head of cyber command in the US Military. Well now local water supplies again in seven states, have been hacked into by what appears to have been a foreign adversary. This is not a drill. This is something that is happening right now and in real life. President Trump initially tried to blame the state of Minnesota and its Democratic governor for this attack, now that it is at least seven states. And so definitely by definition, it is not Minnesota's fault. We are left both with the president's sort of strange inability to process this kind of information, to even seemingly understand this kind of attack. And we're left with no real sense of whether the United States right now is even capable of mounting a defense and a response to this kind of attack because of the way Trump deliberately degraded our cyber capabilities. Tomorrow morning, the Senate Judiciary Committee is set to vote on the confirmation of Todd Blanche as attorney general of the United States. Two Republican senators, John Cornyn of Texas and Thom Tillis of North Carolina, they both dropped their opposition to Todd Blanche after gave them a legally meaningless and easily reversible written assurance that President Trump wouldn't get a $1.8 billion taxpayer slush fund to dispense to whomever he wants. I feel compelled to point out, though, that at the same time, Blanche is still overtly insisting that he, as attorney general, as acting attorney general, has somehow conveyed upon President Trump and his family and his family business total immunity for all tax crimes. I feel like it's getting lost in the sauce a little bit. But Blanche is at least saying the slush fund won't be given to Trump. But he's also saying at the same time that Trump and his adult sons and his business, which has already been convicted of tax fraud, are all magically immune from audit or investigation by the irs. You'll recall that the CFO of Trump's family business until recently resided at Rikers island after pleading guilty to a 15 count tax fraud scheme at Trump's company. But Todd Blanche is giving Trump and his sons and that same family business tax crime immunity, pledging once again today in writing that he's going to do that. And somehow his assurances along those lines are part of him proceeding to a Senate floor vote to confirm him as attorney general. Just remarkable. We'll have more for you later on tonight on new reports this evening that Jeanine Pirro may be getting fired tonight. She is the former Fox News host who Trump installed as U.S. attorney in Washington, D.C. we'll have more for you tonight on people in Ohio and elsewhere standing up for their friends and neighbors who are Haitian legal immigrants from Haiti who the Trump administration has essentially delegalized. And they're now threatening to deport these people by the hundreds of thousands. Going to have more for you on the protests in support of Haitians and protests against Trump's attacks on immigrants more broadly Coming up later on in the show tonight, the House Ethics Committee has released a report on Republican Congressman Chuck Edwards of North Carolina. After a somewhat lengthy investigation of Congressman Edwards, this bipartisan Ethics committee is now recommending that he should be censured by Congress. He should be censured for sexually harassing young women who worked in his office. And the operative word here is young. Chuck Edwards is a married 65 year old man. One of the women he's accused of pursuing relentlessly in his office was 19 when she first started working with him. In case you're curious. Yes, Chuck Edwards is running for reelection this fall. The North Carolina Democrat running against him is a fifth generation North Carolina farmer named Jamie Ager. In Ohio, the Republican Party has until next week to replace incumbent Republican Congressman Max Miller on the ballot, if indeed they are going to replace him. Max Miller is insisting that he's running for reelection in Ohio. But after mounting accusations of physical abuse toward his ex wife and their young daughter, accusations with which Mr. Miller denies, his political future is very much in doubt. Max Miller's ex wife is the daughter of Ohio Republican U.S. senator Bernie Marino. Bernie Marino is now demanding Max Miller should quit his re election race and quit Congress. But nobody knows if he will again. Republicans only have until next week to replace him on the ballot if he's getting out. So far, Max Miller says he's not getting out, but we shall see. In case you're wondering, the Democrat running to unseat Max Miller is named Brian Poindexter. He was already in a statistical dead heat with Max Miller in Ohio before Senator Moreno demanded that Miller get out. We shall see. Those stories are out of North Carolina and Ohio, troubled Republican candidates in those states. But you know, if there is a state that's kind of leading the pack when it comes to Republican candidates you can't quite believe are really still on the ballot this year, it's gotta be Texas. In Texas this year, Republicans have nominated the guy who bought Jeffrey Epstein's ranch to be their statewide candidate for comptroller. His name is Don Huffines. In Texas this year, Republicans have picked as their statewide nominee to oversee the oil and gas industry someone who is perhaps most famous for polling people online with this question, who is a bigger threat to America? And then he gave you just two options to choose from, Muslims or Jews. He is now the Republican Party's nominee for statewide office in Texas. His name is Beau French. The guy who has the Republican nomination for U.S. senate in Texas has a big anniversary today. Today, August 3rd is the anniversary of his mugshot being taken on the day he turned himself in to face charges in a multi count securities fraud indictment. Those are charges he later settled. Texas Republican Ken Paxton was turned into the FBI by his own staff in the Texas Attorney General's office. They turned him into the FBI for bribery and abusing his office. Ken Paxton was then impeached by the Texas House of representatives, including 60 votes for his impeachment from his fellow Republicans. But they didn't remove him from office. He was only not removed from office after that impeachment because of the Senate trial in that impeachment. Remember this from Trump's impeachment, right? You get impeached in the House and then you go on trial in the Senate. It was the same thing for Ken Paxton in Texas. And the trial in that impeachment in the Texas Senate was overseen by Texas's Republican lieutenant governor. Texas Republican lieutenant governor, literally, I'm not kidding, literally took $3 million from two billionaire Ken Paxton supporters right before he started overseeing that trial. And then wouldn't you know, everything in that trial really seemed to go Ken Paxton's way. And so they kept him in office on $150,000 government salary. Ken Paxton has not been able to explain how he has amassed a multimillion dollar real estate portfolio that includes at least 15 homes and parcels of land, including three houses he simultaneously, simultaneously claimed as his primary residence and one home where he has been registered to vote. Even though he definitely doesn't live there, even though his campaign says he follows all voter related laws, Ken Paxton himself refuses to answer any questions about where he votes and if it's legal, even as he stokes fears of voter fraud for everybody else. To get a sense of Ken Paxton's reputation in Texas, the kind of thing that Texas voters have been hearing about Ken Paxton recently. Consider that while Ken Paxton was primary Republican, U.S. senator John Cornyn. Cornyn's ads against Ken Paxton looked like this.

[James Talarico]

It's voting time. So let's cut through the bullshit. Crooked. Ken Paxton cheated on his wife. She's divorcing him on biblical grounds. So now Paxton's wrecking another home, sleeping around with a married mother of seven.

[MSNBC Host or Political Commentator]

Okay, so that's who Texas Republicans have nominated to take John Cornyn's Senate seat in Texas this year. But if you ask Texas Democrats, they will tell you that actually that's LBJ's Senate seat. And this is the man Texas Democrats have nominated to beat Ken Paxton and flip that state, flip that seat blue.

[James Talarico]

The President of the United States just said that I insulted Jesus. You want to know what insults Jesus? Kicking the sick off their health care while cutting taxes for billionaires. You know what insults Jesus? Deporting the stranger and separating babies from their mothers. You know what insults Jesus? Bombing innocent school children in Iran and sending our brave men and women off to die in another forever war. You know what insults Jesus? Covering up the Epstein files and then refusing to prosecute a single person in them.

[MSNBC Host or Political Commentator]

That is James Talarico. He's the Democratic nominee for the United States Senate in Texas. That clip is from his TikTok channel. That clip has 24.3 million views and that tells you a little bit, a little something about James Talarico's strength as a candidate and his strength as a political communicator. You may have heard about James Tallarico's appearance on the Joe Rogan podcast where Joe Rogan told him point blank that he should run for President. You may have seen the viral clip of James Talarico opposing the Texas Republicans requirement to post the Ten Commandments in public school classrooms. That clip went viral because it included James Talarico giving a full biblical exposition of not just how unconstitutional and un American it was, but how unchristian it was as well as he was able to speak to that, both as a Texas Democrat and as a seminarian. You may have seen his appearance on the View, which led the FCC to start a quote, equal time investigation of ABC for the crime of putting on James Talarico. You may have seen his appearance with Stephen Colbert, which CBS lawyers told Colbert to cancel. And Colbert then did the interview purely for his YouTube channel, where it promptly got about 10 million views and sparked millions of dollars in fundraising for James Talarico's campaign. Texas has 32 million people in two time zones with 20 media markets. It is profoundly expensive to run there. And Democrats have felt for a long time like the DAC is really stacked against them there. Democrats tell themselves every couple of years that maybe this is the year they can finally start winning there. But no Democrat has won statewide in Texas since 1994. Is this year different? There is something about James Talarico, and frankly something about Ken Paxton too, that makes this U.S. senate race seem legitimately winnable for Texas, for Democrats. And there is something specifically about James Talarico that I think has really driven Republicans to distraction. They are quite palpably unnerved by him. They are desperate for people to not hear him speak. It is that same something that has Democrats nationwide talking about James Talarico as more than Just a promising candidate in this one race. Democrats nationwide have been talking about him as somebody who's really important, perhaps to the whole future of the Democratic Party. Joining us now for the interview is James Talarico, Democratic nominee for Texas Senate. Mr. Tallarico, thank you so much for being here.

[James Talarico]

Thank you for having me.

[MSNBC Host or Political Commentator]

I really appreciate the chance to meet you in person. We've never talked before. Been really looking forward to this.

[James Talarico]

Well, same here.

[MSNBC Host or Political Commentator]

So talk me into the idea that you can win a statewide race in Texas right now in 2026, when Beto O' Rourke couldn't, with that remarkable campaign, with either of his two remarkable campaigns, when Colin Allred couldn't, when Wendy Davis couldn't. These are all candidates who got a lot of national attention, got a lot of sort of Democratic hopes up. Why are you different?

[James Talarico]

George Carlin has this great line that inside every cynic is a wounded idealist. And so I just want to speak to all the wounded idealists who are watching this show right now and trying to figure out if they can believe that winning Texas is possible. 2018 is when betroth got within two and a half points of beating Ted Cruz. The backlash that we're seeing to the extremism and the corruption in our government is bigger than it was in 2018. And then I didn't think it was possible to find a candidate worse than Ted Cruz, but I think we found him in Ken Paxton. I mean, this is the most corrupt politician in our state, one of the most corrupt in the entire country. You mentioned that since taking office, he's become a multimillionaire, all while the pay of most Texans has remained stagnant for years, for decades. He now owns 15 homes while most Texans can't afford one. He's taken bribes from wealthy donors, all while he blocks overtime pay for Texas workers. And guts are health care. I mean, he was one of the, the, the attorneys general who led the fight against the Affordable Care act, which has led to premiums skyrocketing for Texans all over the the state. And you just saw this month that he's taken these lavish vacations to Iceland, to England on the 4th of July. Quite a decision to spend our 250th anniversary from the British.

[MSNBC Host or Political Commentator]

From where?

[James Talarico]

Yeah, right. He was with the British on that anniversary. And most Texans can't afford to take a vacation given this cost of living crisis. So Ken Paxton's corruption is costing us in the state of Texas. And it's why the people closest to Ken Paxton know he's unfit for office. You mentioned that his own party impeached him in the Texas House. His own staff reported him to the FBI. His own defense attorney just endorsed me in this race. I'm kind of expecting his family dog to run away and head over to my house any day now. I mean, I think in a time when we're all so divided, there is one thing that Texans, Democrats, Independents, and Republicans can agree on, and that's. That's that we can't afford Ken Paxton's corruption.

[MSNBC Host or Political Commentator]

Listening to you talk about Ken Paxton that way, I'm struck by the contrast in the way you just sort of made the case against him there. And that clip that I just played from that John Cornyn brutal primary ad, hitting him on personal ethical issues, the very messy divorce, the allegations of adultery, those expensive vacations that you just referenced, part of the reason those got a lot of tabloid attention is because he was taking those vacations with a woman who's not his wife. She's also associated with some of the properties that he's been found to have, sort of without explanation. I'm wondering if that's a conscious decision from you to avoid what may be salacious charges, but potentially really politically resonant charges about his personal character.

[James Talarico]

I mean, I think the only thing worse than Ken Paxton's personal cheating is his public cheating. I mean, yes, he's betrayed the people closest to him. You mentioned this being the anniversary of his famous mugshot, and that was because he was indicted for securities fraud, for investment fraud. And what's fascinating about that story, I'm not a lawyer, but when you. When you read about what happened, he was scamming his own friends. He convinced his own friends to invest hundreds of thousands of dollars into a tech company, and then he didn't tell them that he was getting a commission off those investments. And so I've said on the campaign trail, if Ken Paxton is willing to scam his own friends for a quick buck, what makes you think he's not going to scam you in the United States Senate? And the last thing I'll say is I served with Ken Paxton's wife. She's a state senator in Texas. Senator Angela Paxton. And I have great respect for the senator. We don't agree on every issue, but I respect her public service. And the last thing I want to do is kind of bring up all this personal stuff when there's so much public stuff to really prosecute the case on. And so I'm just going to stick to Ken Paxton's public record because there's plenty of material there to run a campaign and make the choice in this election clear for the people of Texas.

[MSNBC Host or Political Commentator]

Your relationship with Republicans in the legislature is interesting politically because as a Democrat in the Texas legislature, obviously you're in the minority. Republicans have had a lock on control in both chambers for a long time. But still, as a Democrat in the House, you have been able to pass a remarkable amount of legislation where you were lead sponsor as a Democrat, and you still got stuff made into law. What should the country understand you're running for this position in the United States Senate, Understand about how as a Democratic Texas US Senator, you'd be able to sort of put those lessons to work at the federal level? I don't think that Democrats nationwide have much faith that there is anything to be achieved by working with Republicans at the federal level level. But you've done it at the state level.

[Community Activist or Local Leader]

Yeah.

[James Talarico]

And so I've passed 60 bipartisan bills through the Texas legislature. And these are not, you know, nibble around the edges incremental bills. I mean, I passed the largest early childhood education bill in our state's history. I passed the first ever cap on insulin co pays in our state, passed a major reform to our justice system, allowing incarcerated minors to earn a high school diploma. So these are. These are major bills that are making a real impact on Texans. And I think the key. My faith is central in my life. It's central in my public service. And there's a teaching from my tradition to love your enemies. And it's become kind of cliche, but it really is a radical teaching one. It acknowledges that you're going to have opponents, right? I mean, if you're trying to do right by your neighbors, if you're trying to speak truth to power, you're going to run into some resistance, some people who disagree with you. But you're called to love those opponents, those enemies, just as much as you love the people you're fighting for. And so in the state legislature, like, I've been able to form real friendships, real relationships with my Republican colleagues. And we're fighting, you know, one day tooth and nail. You know, if you see me on the. On the back mic in the well of the state House, I have no problem going toe to toe when I need to. But then the next day we may find a piece of common ground that we can actually get something done on. And I'm always going to seize that common ground whenever I can. And so we're told that it's a choice between people who fight, people who get things done. I think the people of Texas deserve a senator who can do both. And I've shown in the state house that I can do both.

[MSNBC Host or Political Commentator]

One of the things that I find it personally most challenging to be empathetic about or like when you're talking about love your enemy. One of the things that I just, I have a real hard time getting over and just thinking about in a way that doesn't get me personally exercised is when people use political power to make sure that other people can't vote.

[James Talarico]

Yes.

[MSNBC Host or Political Commentator]

When you are using the prerogatives of your control of the state or your control of the federal government, whatever it is, to make sure that you can't be ousted.

[James Talarico]

That's right.

[MSNBC Host or Political Commentator]

And one of the things that I always kind of lecture people about when I'm hearing them get, when I'm hearing Democrats get too optimistic about Texas is that Texas has the second lowest voter turnout in the country. And it's not because Texans are apathetic. It's because it's really hard to vote in Texas. Texas Republicans have systematically attacked the franchise so that, you know, you can't. There's. Not only is there no same day voter registration, there's no online voter registration, there's no automatic voter registration like when you get driver's license or something. And it's. And plus there's all of this, not just fear mongering, but threatening people around these, these sort of phantoms of voter fraud. I don't know how you both compete for people's votes and constructively and empathetically compete with the people who are taking those votes away from your constituents and their own.

[Community Activist or Local Leader]

Yeah.

[James Talarico]

It's why attacks on voting rights is a red line for me and it should be a red line for all of us. Right. We can disagree on all kinds of issues, issues of moral importance, issues of life and death. But the key is that we always have a shot in the next election to make our case to the people and get a shot at winning political power. And attacks on voting rights, this redistricting power grab, those are attempts to rig the rules of the game so that we don't have a shot at making our case to the people in the next election. And so it's why a year ago, a year ago today, my colleagues and I in the state house broke quorum to shine a national spotlight on this redistricting power grab. I mean, that's an extraordinary step. Right? I mean, we have to love democracy even when we lose. And the people of Texas, at least at a statewide level have voted for Republicans historically, at least over the last 30 years. And when you break quorum, you are disrupting representative democracy. But it is a tool in our Constitution, in our state because it's an important check on the abuses of the majority. And when you manufacture the lines of a district to guarantee a certain outcome, you are robbing our neighbors of their God given rights at the ballot box. And I say God given intentionally not. Doesn't matter if you're religious or not. But I think we can all agree that these rights don't come from politicians. They are inherent to us as human beings, as citizens of this country. And when you are robbing someone of those God given rights, you're robbing them of their ability to shape their own destiny for us as a community, as a state, to shape our own destiny.

[MSNBC Host or Political Commentator]

Do you think there's a way to turn it back though? I mean, I agree with your critique of what's wrong about it, but I don't see any U turns ahead, either in Texas or federally. It's even worse.

[James Talarico]

Here's where we disagree, because you mentioned that this is LBJ's Senate seat and if we win this seat in Texas of all places, I think we can build the political will to restore the Voting Rights act, which was signed into law by Lyndon Johnson. And so it's only appropriate that winning his seat could be the key in restoring federal voting rights protections for all Americans, banning gerrymandering in every state, blue states and red states alike, so that we can truly have free and fair elections in every community.

[MSNBC Host or Political Commentator]

Stay right there. We're gonna take a quick break. We'll be back with James Tallarico right after this. Stay with us.

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[James Talarico]

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[MSNBC Host or Political Commentator]

Back with us live on set is Texas State Representative James Talarico. He's the Democratic Party's nominee for the open Senate seat in Texas this year. Representative Talarico, thank you again for being here.

[James Talarico]

Thanks for having me.

[MSNBC Host or Political Commentator]

Critics have argued that one of the things that makes you unelectable in Texas is a reason that you can't win in Texas is because you have been empathetic toward and voiced support for trans people, that you have not been willing to join in, in the demonization of trans people that motivates so many candidates right now and that, that the Republican Party has relied on so heavily in general election campaigns. What's your response to that?

[James Talarico]

I mean, I don't think we win by selling people out, and we're refusing to do that in this campaign. This is a campaign of, by and for all Texans. And I think people are really tired of these culture war fights that are designed to tear us apart, designed to get us angry. I mean, there are difficult issues trying to figure out trans athletes in sports. That's an issue where we could actually come to a policy solution. But instead, politicians like Ken Paxton, they use those difficult issues to rile people up, to divide us, to distract us in order to win power for themselves. I mean, it's divide and conquer. It's the oldest strategy in the world. And so what we're trying to do in this campaign is, is bring people together. I've said that the most radical thing you can do in an era of division is unite people. And we're not going to win with the politics of division. We can't win that game. We have to change the game. And I think what's exciting about this campaign is so many people are hungry for that kind of politics of union, of friendship, of love. And people have been so starved of it for so long now. I mean, we've seen what a politics of fear looks like. We've seen what a politics of anger and Rage looks like. But it's been a while since politics has made us feel hopeful or excited about the future or brings us together and creates community. And I think that's what we're building in Texas in this election.

[MSNBC Host or Political Commentator]

Well, you had a very difficult, very hard fought primary to get this nomination against Congresswoman Jasmine Crockett, and that was a very racially striated result. She had a lot of support from black Texans and you did not. I mean, Texas has more African American residents than any other state in the country. Black Democrats are absolutely the backbone of the Texas State Democratic Party. What are you doing to repair any remaining bitterness from that campaign to reach black Texans, to convince them that you're their candidate, too?

[James Talarico]

Yeah, I want to pick up on something you just said. When I win this seat as the next US Senator from Texas, I'll represent the most African Americans of any senator in the state in the country. And that work of representing black Texans starts now. It doesn't start the day after the election. And so I've been traveling the whole state. I've been convening private conversations with black business leaders and elected officials and community leaders and faith leaders. I've been visiting black churches and black owned businesses, appearing on black media throughout the state, particularly our local Dallas Weekly and Houston Defender, but also podcasts and YouTube shows where folks are now getting their information and their news, and have been rolling out policy proposals based on all these conversations that can meet the needs of black Texans. Obviously, there are issues that we all face, right? The rising cost of groceries and gas and housing and childcare and prescription drugs. And then there are issues that black Texans face uniquely. And you think about the maternal mortality crisis in our state that is three times deadlier for black women. Harris county, home to Houston, is the deadliest place for a black woman to give birth in the entire country. And so we've rolled out a comprehensive plan to combat that crisis. We've been visiting our HBCUs. We did a town hall at Prairie View and then gave the commencement address at Paul Quinn College in Dallas, the oldest hbcu. We've been talking about how to bring HBCU funding up to parity, because there's a gap in funding between our historically black colleges and universities and similar institutions with a similar percentage of low income students. And imagine if we actually close that gap, what our HBCUs in Texas could do. And then we already talked about voting rights. I mean, we have seen the most aggressive attack on black political power since Jim Crow gutting of the Voting Rights Act. These racist redistricting maps. And I think the first thing that we have to do to your point earlier, when we win a Senate majority, our first priority before we get to housing and healthcare and education has to be passing the John Lewis Voting Rights act and guaranteeing that all of our neighbors, particularly our black and brown neighbors, can access their God given rights at the ballot box.

[MSNBC Host or Political Commentator]

One last question I want to ask you about. Even though I've just been told we're out of time. No, no, forget I'm breaking the rules.

[James Talarico]

It's your show.

[MSNBC Host or Political Commentator]

One of the, sort of. One of the things that I came across in prepping for today's show was interesting images out of San Antonio from just a few days ago on Friday in San Antonio, where I know you were a middle school teacher at the very beginning of your career. People protesting there against ICE detention facilities, immigrant prisons. A group of Democratic Texas members of Congress recently toured Dilley, the Family Detention center in South Texas. And what they found there was shocking in terms of the conditions in which people were held. But they also found things that were just shocking. Categorically. They said that the youngest person they found incarcerated there was two months old. Should Dilley be shut down?

[James Talarico]

You know, my friend and colleague, Congressman Joaquin Castro has done a lot of work on this and he's telling me about the human rights abuses that are happening at Dilley. It has to end and that can't be on our watch. And this is not the last time, the first time that we've seen a baby, an infant being treated this way in Dilly. I am, I am sick to my stomach seeing the abuses that have been committed against our undocumented neighbors in Texas and all over this country. You mentioned that. I was a teacher on the west side of San Antonio. I taught a lot of undocumented students in Houston. We saw ICE murder Lorenzo Salgado, our fellow Texan who had lived in Houston for 35 years. And as a construction worker, he sent his three boys to college. His oldest is a public school teacher. His middle son's an engineer. His youngest is still in school. I mean, Lorenzo Salgado embodied the American dream. And the fact that we are spending our limited law enforcement resources on Lorenzo Salgado on a two month old. Those are law enforcement resources that aren't going to actual Immigration and Customs Enforcement. Those resources aren't going to keeping us safe and removing people who actually mean to do us harm, which we should do. Instead, those resources are going to masked men and unmarked vehicles that are terrorizing our communities. All over the state. They're going to these detention centers like Dilley. And I think we need a senator from Texas who is going to hold ICE accountable, who's going to end these human rights abuses in these facilities, and who's going to fight for comprehensive immigration reform finally, so we can stop grandstanding on this issue and actually fix it.

[MSNBC Host or Political Commentator]

Texas State Representative James Tallarico is the Democratic Party's nominee for the open U.S. senate seat in Texas this year. It's really nice to meet you. I'm glad to have a chance to talk to you. This way. Come back.

[James Talarico]

Thank you.

[MSNBC Host or Political Commentator]

Good luck.

[James Talarico]

Thank you.

[MSNBC Host or Political Commentator]

We'll be right back.

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[MSNBC Host or Political Commentator]

Two months ago, the U.S. supreme Court allowed the Trump administration to end legal protections for immigrants who were here in this country because they were fleeing violence and natural disasters in their home countries. That was temporary protected status TPS and the court said that Donald Trump could revoke that in the state of Ohio, that means that tens of thousands of legal immigrants, people who are here legally from the nation of Haiti, they have just been effectively illegalized and they are now living in fear of being deported. Specifically being deported to a country so violent that the US State Department advises Americans not to travel there at all for any reason. Over the past week, Haitian residents in Ohio have started receiving letters from Homeland Security demanding that they turn up, that they report in person to their local ICE offices in Ohio. And at those ICE offices they're being given a choice. They can have an ankle monitor put on them as if they're criminals or the other option is to be deported immediately. This is a video showing two individuals who chose the ankle monitor after reporting to an ICE facility in Blue Ash, Ohio near Cincinnati. Outside that ICE office, the executive director of the Springfield, Ohio Haitian Support center said this.

[Community Activist or Local Leader]

As Haitians, we know that human rights is a thing in the 21st century. But it seems that it's not the case for the US anymore. I really feel ashamed when I look at those mothers, those fathers, those young people. And I just, I just have a picture on my, on my phone. Over 20 years, only augmented, just like graduated from high school and they put that anchor monitor on them. I think that this type of treatment of putting an anchor monitor is just like trying to bring back the memory of slavery. It's really a shame to do, to see this administration is doing this to people again.

[MSNBC Host or Political Commentator]

That was Blue Ash Ohio this weekend near Cincinnati. This was also Blue Ash Ohio this weekend. Hundreds of people showed up outside that ICE office bright and early yester morning to show support for their neighbors, to support their Haitian neighbors and to protest the federal government treating their neighbors this way.

[Deborah Thompson]

This is shackling. This is modern day shackling. And when I saw the ankle bracelet, I said this is how slaves felt. And we're making human beings feel like animals. We're making them feel like modern day slavery in America, which is supposed to be the land of the free and the brave. This is despicable. God does not like it. Our God is not smiling kindly on what is this, what we're doing to these people today?

[MSNBC Host or Political Commentator]

That is Deborah Thompson. She's a retired minister who lives in Ohio. You see her here talking with msnow reporter Alex Tabitt.

[James Talarico]

What does it say about this community that before 8am there was what looks like 500 people on the streets here

[MSNBC Host or Political Commentator]

in solidarity with the Haitian people?

[Deborah Thompson]

It shows that our community cares and we see people as neighbors and not as enemies. I don't know what's happened to our country? We used to be a country that cared about people, but now I see that people are showing up and saying to the world and saying to Donald Trump, we're not the America you're trying to create. We are America that loves our neighbors and loves people and cares about people. No matter where you come from, no matter your color, no matter your accent, we are people that care.

[MSNBC Host or Political Commentator]

We're not the America you're trying to create. We are America that loves our neighbors. That is the other side of this story from Ohio as Haitian residents there are in real fear about what the Trump administration is about to do to them and has started to do to them. We'll stay on this story. We'll be right back. How do you know things are going great in Donald Trump's war with Iran? Well, the Pentagon is now reportedly sending out emails asking, hey, does anybody have any ideas on how to win this war? CNN's headline quote, U.S. military asks troops for creative and unconventional ideas to punish Iran. Military officials said the crowdsourcing style query was unusual over email. Ms. Now has not confirmed that reporting. But I don't know what we expected to happen when Trump nominated a weekend Fox News host with a documented drinking problem to be the US Secretary of defense. But we got him. And so now we are losing a war with Iran and he's sending mass emails asking if anybody in the military has any ideas for how to win. Hegseth also fired, among many other people, the head of U.S. cyber Command. While now Iran appears to be hacking into the US Water supply in multiple states, we really do appear to be losing this war with Iran. And Hegseth's big idea appears to be testing all our troops for testosterone because, sure, we definitely need more of that more than we need Cyber Command. That said, if you're keeping track of who's doing the worst job as a high profile former Fox News host in the Trump administration, it's gotta be a race between Hegseth at the Pentagon and Jeanine Pirro at the D.C. u.S. Attorney's office. The first sign that things weren't going great in Pirro's office was when grand juries in D.C. started refusing to indict the people Pirro wanted to charge with crimes. There was the guy she wanted to charge with felony assault for throwing a subway sandwich at a federal officer. The grand jury said no to that. In a different attempt at a felony assault case, Pirro failed to get an indictment three times with three different grand juries. In yet another case where A grand jury refused to indict. A judge asked why Pirro's office wasn't dismissing the case. Quote, out of sheer embarrassment and shame. Grand juries almost never fail to return indictments when prosecutors asked for them. But Jeanine Pirro's office has had to dismiss nearly a dozen cases. When she was only three weeks into the job then, Pirro tried to charge six sitting Democratic lawmakers. But a grand jury unanimously rejected, rejected that attempted indictment as well. And she soon gave up on that effort entirely. When a US Veteran burned an American flag across from the White House in protest, Pirro tried to have that guy prosecuted, too. But that case also fell apart. As of April of this year, judges had tossed out nearly a dozen gun cases brought by Pirro's office. That's something Federal judges in D.C. had rarely ever done before. And of course, there was the criminal investigation Pirro opened into the Federal Reserve chair Jerome Powell, which collapsed under the weight of its own absurdity within months. Now, of course, Jeanine Pirro has struck again in an even more embarrassing fashion. She announced with great fanfare about a month ago that her office was charging a man with damaging the reflecting pool that had just been renovated by President Trump. Pirro said that her office had evidence to prove beyond a reasonable doubt that the man willfully destroyed property at the Lincoln Memorial Reflecting Pool pool. The arrest appeared to vindicate Trump's insistence that the problems with the reflecting pool were the result of vandalism and not just shoddy work by his no bid contractor. But then on Friday, Pirro's office dropped the case against the man they had charged. They said in court filings that in fact, yes, the damage to the reflecting pool was the result of the botched renovation and behavior by the contractor that has made President Trump reportedly very angry. He slammed her decision on his social media site. And in the Oval Office today, he said she, quote, choked and folded like an umbrella. I was kind of excited to hear that because I don't know how long it's been since I've heard the president with a three syllable word. That was pretty exciting. But despite that, within hours of those comments from Trump. Amid some reports that Trump was thinking of firing her, Jeanine Pirro arrived at the White House tonight. The New York Times reporting that Pirro met with Trump, Trump in the Oval Office, but she was not fired in that meeting that said anything could happen. Watch this space. Two quick things before we go. The first is that I will be back here tomorrow night. I'll be part of our special coverage of the primaries tomorrow. Virginia, Kansas, Missouri, Washington State, and of course Michigan, where there's a bunch of big contests, including that big Democratic Senate primary. Our special coverage of those primaries starts at 8pm Eastern time tomorrow. So I will see you here tomorrow, 8pm Eastern. And then also there are still tickets available for our big live event in Texas in September. More than a dozen of us from Ms. Now are going to be coming to Texas. We would love to see you there. We're going to be in Arlington, which is right between Dallas and Fort Worth on Saturday, September 26th. Tickets for this start at just over 30 bucks a piece. You can buy tickets right now if you just scan that QR code on your screen. Or you can just go to Ms. Now together. We'd love to see you in Texas. I for one am looking forward to some barbecue. Alright, that does it for me tonight.

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