To go in just hours. Thanks for joining us. Ac360 starts now tonight on 360, it started with the former president, but now the ugliness is coming from inside the house. How one congressman amplified hateful campaign against haitian immigrants would top republicans are saying in his defense and what the chair of the congressional black caucus plans to do about it, keeping them honest also tonight, the two candidates, they're dueling economic messages and the former president's claims about the two attempts on his life and iran plus the very latest on hurricane helene now forecast to reach category four heading for the florida panhandle. Good evening. Thanks for joining us. We begin tonight, keeping them honest with politics specifically the brand of it, which runs on falsehoods in fear, and frankly racism. The latest example, louisiana republican congressman clay higgins, this guy, now it doesn't have much of a record of accomplishment in the house, but today, he's certainly got noticed this is what he posted on social media, quoting the congressman. Now lol, these haitians are wild, eating pets, voodoo, nastiest country in the western hemisphere cults slapstick gangsters, but if they don't feel all sophisticated now, filing charges against our president and vp all these thugs better get their mind right? and they're out of our country before january 20. So a couple of things from pack here, voodoo, other ways, a streaming service that's and by fandango he obviously meant the religion voodoo, but just knows nothing about it. More importantly, he is slurring an entire country and everyone from that country, men, women, and children, people who are in this country legally, and americans have haitian dissent he seems particularly riled up that a haitian american organization would have the temerity to have taken legal action if they don't feel all sophisticated now, he tweeted late today, he took down that tweet. And how speaker johnson said that higgins regrets the post he was approached on the floor by colleagues who said that was offensive. He went to the back. I just talked about it. He said he went to the back end. He prayed about it, and he regretted it and he pulled the post down. That's what you want a gentleman to do. I'm sure he probably regrets some of the language he used, but, you know, we move forward, we believe in redemption around here. Yeah. He went to the back and he prayed real hard about it. Any regrets? it nevertheless, house democrats body motion to censure the congressmen with this objection from majority leader steve scalise for what purposes, gentleman from louisiana seek recognition first of all, the tweet has been deleted already in remove, but i object to what is to the motion and if we wanted to spend every kind of animals on the other side, we'll be happy to do. I don't know. Man has not been recognized let's ensure motion has been pushed back until after the election. Now, clay higgins, language might surprise you, but it's difficult to figure out the source of his inspiration about haitians eating their pets in springfield. They're eating the dogs, the people that came in, they're eating the cats. They're eating, they're eating the pets of the people that live there of course, no evidence that has been debunked. But again these are not original ideas, congressman higgins is coming up with, like when he said they better get their assets out of the country, we all know where that came from two do you think springfield will ever be the same? i don't think the fact is and i'll say it now you have to get them the hell out yeah. Have to get them out. I'm sorry to get them out. Can have it he had happened destroyed it before congressman higgins was in congress. He was in local law enforcement in louisiana. That's right. He had the power to arrest people. And if you read up on him, you'll see he has something of a track record on outrageous statements and other things as the cofounder harvard university's niemann media lab discovered, the congressman has cited in a newspaper article in the bayou brief back in 1992, when he was voting for former kkk grand wizard david duke to be the governor of louisiana. Now back then, there were a lot of people who said they just didn't believe the duke was the racist. He was being made out to be in the liberal media and they were going to vote for him, but apparently not play higgins, he knew full well and voted for him anyway, he told a reporter, quote, regardless of the fact that david's a homeboy and all that the boys or nazi and that's a real problem. Then the reporter noted that mr. Higgins voted for mr. Duke anyway, in the governor's race joining us now is congressman steven horsford, a democrat of nevada and chair of the congressional black caucus congressman. Thanks for being with us when you read this post from the congressman, what was your initial reaction? anderson thank you for having me on when i read it, i thought of the haitian immigrants, haitian americans, all throughout this country, those in springfield. And in my district in nevada and all across the country who are living today in fear who feel harassed who feel singled out and targeted by the former president donald trump by senator j. D. Vance by representative higgins and it's this type of racist intolerance. This divisive rhetoric that must stop it's why i have filed a resolution to censure representative higgins it's time to turn the page as the vice president, kamala harris is set against this divisiveness that pits one group of americans against another congressman higgins has told cnn that he stood by his comments adding quote, it's all true. I can put up another controversial post tomorrow. If you want me to. I mean, we do have freedom of speech. I'll say what i want. He also said, quote, it's not a big deal to me, it's like something stuck to the bottom of my boot. Just scrape it off and move on with my life he prayed about it and regretted it and took it down. Maybe he had another talk with jesus and decided he's standing by it do the censure motion, is that that's now off the table until after the election. I mean, does that kind of finished? no it's not and it's not about the next election it's about the fact that this type of divisive, racially charged hateful rhetoric needs to stop right now. There are children who are haitian immigrants who are haitian americans who do not feel safe going to school because they are targeted right now, my colleagues representative sheila cherfilusmccormick and fredricka wilson and ayanna pressley and maxwell frost, who are members of the haitian caucus, joined with the congressional black caucus other members, just earlier this week to push back on j. D. Vance. And these madeup stories that it's not even true, what they're saying. And it's time for this to end. But guess what it's this type of divisiveness that is actually tearing our country apart. I understand that according to sources who witnessed the interaction you and congressman higgins had a heated exchange on the house floor can you say what what did he tell you when you talk to him? well i was supporting my colleagues who were trying to compel him to understand how his words are affecting the lives of actual people today. People who contribute to our communities, who are entrepreneurs, who are nurses and doctors people who don't deserve to be targeted. Let's just start with that. They didn't do anything wrong. And i asked him specifically to remove his post and he's like, i'm going to pray about it. What do you need to pray about? just do what is right and stop this? hateful rhetoric that is causing people to feel targeted he told me no. And that is when i said, if you refuse, i will take this to the floor. We will move for a resolution to censure you, and that is exactly what we did and sadly, the republican leadership we're more focused about silencing me. Then holding him accountable. And he used his official platform the property of the house of representatives. He probably thought he was posting on truth, social but in fact, he told everyone exactly what it is he believes. We are going to follow through on this. It is not about the next election. It is about every people in america feeling targeted. Today. It's the haitians who will it be tomorrow? will it be you will, you know, what's interesting about this is, i mean, he in the statement to cnn, he's certainly seems sort of proud of this, or is it bluster, which is he's made a career of it when he was in law enforcement and sort of being the toughtalking sheriff guy, despite moving around a lot from different departments. But this is just i mean, there's a long history of this in this country and in many countries of demonizing immigrants, of i mean, it was irish, it was italians in the early days of mass immigration to the united states. I mean, there have been there have been people like this throughout our history who have said exactly these same things. It's remarkable poll, that this continues that in this day and age, this still i guess it can use because it works it works to demonize a group like haitians. Clearly don't trump thinks that works. J. D. Vance thinks it works because that's why they're continuing to do it. And this guy thinks that works too well. The majority of americans are ready to turn the page against this. The vice president kamala harris is set at time again, we're tired of people dividing us targeting one community and pitting them against another we want to build up our communities, not tear them apart. And i know haitian immigrants, i know haitianamericans and my home state of nevada and people all across this country who are here, they've been vetted they've gone through a legal process to be here it's comprehensive. They have children who are trying to attend school. They are nurses and teachers and first responders in our community it is this type of, of racist, hateful, intolerant rhetoric that must end whether it is against haitian immigrants or anyone else, we should be against all forms of hate. And what is so astounding to me is that republicans in congress just don't get it we're over them and we're ready to turn the page and move our country forward towards one that represents a multiracial multigenerational society that reflects all of us and the contributions that we make. Congressman steven horsford. I appreciate your time tonight. Thank you. Joining us now, cnn political commentators ashley allison and david urban also washington post national well columnist philip bump. Actually, what does it tell you about the climate right now that a sitting congressman felt comfortable enough to post something like this. And apparently stand by what he said well, it's a reminder that racism and hatred is still very much alive and well in our country it's also reminder there is a leadership vacuum in the republican party right now. And i say that because the reason why he had the gall to post that and then have to side whether or not he was going to take it down as because his leader was the one who came up with it, or his leaders running mate rather came up with it. And so when you don't have leaders who tell you what is right and wrong, you end up with situations like this. Now the thing that is so unsettling about this is you mentioned in your piece, anderson, is that this man was law enforcement. This man had the power. He carried a gun he had the power to walk in the street and enforce the law and most likely we have the justice system behind him. He now can make laws that are rooted in racism and discrimination. And so in this moment there is an opportunity in november for us to decide which direction we want this country to go in. You do not have to like every policy of commonly harris, but at least kamala harris wants to be in conversation about the direction, positive direction, and work together right and left, black and white. So there's an opportunity here to begin to turn the page. It's not going to end the book of racism in our country, but there is a chance to turn the page and say enough with this nonsense, enough with this racism. Let's move forward to a better day in this country. I mean, it filled again the there's a reason why this is being repeated by trump and vance. I mean, there's a long history of this. It does tap into something that's very primal and very, i guess effective. Yeah. I mean, the trump campaign has long been, i mean, his motto literally make america great again, is a call back to america used to be better, used to be different and it's very much there was an unsubtle appeal to white american families getting together or not having to worry about immigrants under community and so on and so forth. That has always been an undercurrent to his politics and something that he reinforces. And we've seen polling as well. I think this incident is fascinating in part because we've reached this point where unless you say the nword people like, well, i'm not sure if that's race. There's not. I mean, like you can't you don't get much more explicitly racist. And what just happened there. And yet republican leadership isn't willing to hold him to account. I mean, even just a few years ago, we saw stephen king from iowa, who was this just sort of dabbling and white nationalist mean you sort of ahead of the trend, if you will, in the gop. And he's held to account by republican leaders in and eventually lost his gop primary, which it was seemed like a sort of rejection by the party. But now of course you have donald trump and j. D. Vance. And there's a poll came out yesterday from kff three in ten immigrants say they feel as though their lives have been made worse because of donald trump's rhetoric david, i mean is i mean, you're republican. Does this is this what who is this guy? i mean is this something that the legal standing look, the guy it's a clownish markets. It's hateful, despicable, full stop, right? there's no there's no defending that remark. It is the worst of america. It's not the best of america, it's the worst. And he's a member of congress. He should be ashamed for putting it out. Listen, there are legitimate concerns about immigration, about illegal immigration, legal immigration, but elav immigration, their concerns about the town of springfield being overwhelmed, their school district not being able to do their legitimate concerns. We should have discussions about but it here on nantucket, a tiny island about 15,000 be around residents. This passed last week, the ice came over and took four sexual predators gotaways who are here on the island, raped two kids, two children were raped by these gotaways sexually assaulted, two others, two other gentlemen who had sexually assaulted women here on the island were taken away for, for gotaways on this tiny island, picked up a plucked and taken away by ice. It is a real problem in communities across america. We should be having a fullthroated discussion about it in an intellectual way, in a constructive way, there is a problem we need to figure out how to get illegal immigrants out of the country. They should not be here, right? legal immigration is a great thing. We're not going to deport everybody who's here. I know that's a plan, but we need to think about there are lots of violent people here in america who are committing crimes, right now. And if the congress wanted to focus on that, laken riley, there's a long list every day and go through and talk about real incidents were not making things up and demonizing an entire year, but as you know, actually, violent crime is down robbery shoplifting has been up crime, violent crime i'm saying as you know, so it migrates generally commit do not commit crimes at the same level, commit crimes at a lower level. They understand the u. S. Population. I i'm n