MUCH.
>> THANKS FOR HAVING ME ON
TONIGHT.
>> ON THE OTHER SIDE, DEMOCRATIC
CONGRESSMAN MARK POCAN FROM
WISCONSIN'S 2ND CONGRESSIONAL
DISTRICT JOINS US FROM MADISON.
>> THANK YOU HAPPY TO BE HERE.
IN A LETTER TO THE CDC YOU
SIGNED WITH OTHER HOUSE
DEMOCRATS, YOU CALLED TITLE 42.
WHICH HAS BEEN IN PLACE FOR TWO
YEARS AND CLOSED THE BORDERS DUE
TO COVID 19.
ILLEGAL. WHY
>> WELL, FIRST OF ALL, MOST OF
WHAT HAPPENED IN THIS AREA,
UNDER DONALD TRUMP WASN'T DONE
FOR HEALTH CONCERNS, WE KNOW
THAT.
HE MISHANDLED COVID IN EVERY
POSSIBLE WAY.
THIS WAS DONE IN A WAY TO STOP
PEOPLE WHO MIGHT BE LEGITIMATELY
COMING TO THE COUNTRY TO SEEK
ASYLUM.
THERE WAS A PROCESS TO FOLLOW,
AND THIS ALLOWED YOU NOT TO HAVE
THE PROCESS.
THAT'S THE REAL PROBLEM WITH IT.
I KNOW THE REPUBLICANS
POLITICALLY LOVE TO TALK ABOUT
THIS AS ONE OF THEIR TOP THREE
HITS THAT THEY'RE PUTTING OUT
FOR THE CAMPAIGN.
BUT I CAN TELL YOU THAT PEOPLE
IN THE DISTRICT DON'T REACH OUT
TO US ABOUT THE SOUTHERN BORDER
AS MUST HAVE MUCH AS THEY DO --
AS MUCH AS THEY DO GETTING MAIL
DELIVERED, FOR EXAMPLE.
ON THIS PARTICULAR ISSUE,
BECAUSE IT WAS A FAKE ISSUE ON
THE TRUMP ADMINISTRATION, ABOUT
COVID, THEN WE SHOULD BE SMARTER
AND BE BACK TO THE POSITION THAT
WE'RE DEALING WITH THE ISSUES AS
ASYLUM CASES.
AND EVEN MORE IMPORTANT AT SOME
POINT, FREDERICA, WE NEED TO BE
DOING RESOURCES AND HELP IN THE
COUNTRIES THAT PEOPLE ARE COMING
FROM.
IF WE GIVE PEOPLE A REASON NOT
TO LEAVE THE COUNTRY THEY'RE IN,
THEN THIS POLITICAL ARGUMENT
THAT SOME PEOPLE LIKE TO HAVE
WILL BECOME EVEN LESS RELEVANT
THAN IT EVEN IS TO PEOPLE IN MY
DISTRICT.
>> INTERESTINGLY, THOUGH, SOME
DEMOCRATS ARE EVEN HEDGING ON
RESCINDING TITLE 42, WHAT IS
YOUR COMMENT ON THAT?
>> YEAH, AGAIN, I CAN'T SPEAK
FOR OTHER FOLKS.
I CAN JUST TELL YOU THAT I WAS
IN CONGRESS DURING THIS PERIOD.
WE SAW HOW IT WAS MISUSED.
AND IT'S TIME THAT PEOPLE WITH
LEGITIMATE ASYLUM REQUESTS WE GO
BACK TO THE COUNTRY THAT THAT
LEGITIMATELY LOOKS AT THOSE.
>> DO YOU THINK THOSE UKRAINIANS
FLEEING WAR, SHOULD BE GIVEN
PRECEDENT THAN THOSE LEAVING FOR
OTHER REASONS.
>> IN SOUTH CENTRAL WISCONSIN,
UNDER THE TRUMP ADMINISTRATION,
I THINK EVERY SINGLE AGENCY
CLOSED DOWN ACCEPT FOR JEWISH
SOCIAL SERVICES AND THEY STAYED
OPEN AT A LOSS TO THEIR
OPERATION DUE TO HOW WE CHANGED
POLICIES DURING THE
ADMINISTRATION.
WE HAVE ALWAYS HAD OUR ARMS OPEN
FOR REFUGEES.
I DON'T THINK THAT PEOPLE THINK
THAT ANYONE COMING FROM UKRAINE
AS A RE REFUGEE IS NOT LEGITIMA.
WE NEED THE SUPPORT OF AGENCIES
THAT WE HAVE IN SOUTH CENTRAL
WISCONSIN TO HELP THE FAMILIES
HAVE PLACES.
>> SPEAKING OF UKRAINE, WHAT IS
YOUR RESPONSE IN REACTION TO
WHAT IS GOING ON THERE RIGHT
NOW?
>> IT'S HORRIFIC EVERY DAY TO
WATCH WHAT HE IS HAPPENING,
RIGHT.
VLADIMIR PUTIN HAS PROVEN A
COUPLE OF THING.
RUSSIA IS NOT THE SUPER POWER
THEY BELIEVE TO BE, AND PUTIN IS
AN AUTO KRAUT, AND THEY'RE
LOSING THEIR GRIP AND WHERE THEY
ARE.
AND THEY ARE OUT MUSCLING ON THE
GROUND, IN UKRAINE, AND THAT
TELLS YOU A LOT.
WE NEED TO GET RESOLUTION TO
STOP THE BOMBING.
AND GO AFTER VLADIMIR PUTIN FOR
THE CRIMES THAT HE HAS COMMITTED
GOING INTO THE SOVEREIGN NATION.
WE PROVIDED EVERYTHING WE CAN,
AND I THINK THE PRESIDENT --
WILL ASK MORE WHEN HE IS BACK
NEXT WEEK, AND WE NEED TO DO
EVERYTHING WE CAN DO TO SUPPORT
THE UKRAINIAN PEOPLE.
>> ON THE COVID FRONT, PEOPLE NO
LONGER NEED TO WEAR MASKS ON
AIRPLANES AND ALL OF THE
MEASURES ARE BEING LOOSENED OR
ELIMINATED.
AND YET THE NUMBERS ARE TICKING
UP IN WISCONSIN ALSO.
WHAT CAN YOU SAY TO A CONSISTENT
WHO MIGHT BE A LITTLE CONFUSED
ON WHAT IS GOING ON WITH THIS?
>> I DON'T BLAME THEM.
I AM A LITTLE CONFUSED AT TIMES
WHERE WE ARE WITH COVID.
THE PROBLEM IS A LOT OF PEOPLE
HAVE DECIDED THAT COVID IS OVER.
I THINK COVID WILL TELL US WHEN
IT'S OVER.
THE GOOD NEWS FROM PEOPLE I
RESPECT WHO ARE THE SCIENTISTS
AND THE DOCTORS IN THE AREA, IT
DOES LOOK LIKE OMICRON AND THE
NEW VARIANT OF OMICRON ARE
PUSHING OUT COMPLETELY THE WORST
PARTS OF COVID.
AND THIS MAY BE THE STAGE WHERE
THIS BECOMES A MORE MILD DISEASE
AND WE CAN MOVE ON AND WE WON'T
HAVE THE DEATHS AND THE MONTHS
FILLING LIKE LIKE THEY DID FOR
THE FIRST SEVERAL YEARS IN
COVID.
WE NEED TO FOLLOW THE SCIENCE A
LITTLE BIT.
WHEN I FLY TO WASHINGTON, D.C.,
I KNOW I HE AM GOING TO WEAR A
MASK.
I DON'T WANT TO GET SOMEONE
SICK.
I HAVE A LOT OF ACCESS TO
PEOPLE, AND I THINK IT'S A
COMMON COURTESY.
PEOPLE NEED TO DO WHAT THEY ARE
MOST COMFORTABLE WITH.
I STILL LOOK TO THE EXPERTS ON
THIS.
AND I HOPE WE REALLY ARE IN THE
FINAL STAGE WHERE IT TURNS OUT
TO BE MUCH LESS SEVERE.
MORE CONTAGIOUS.
BUT LESS SEVERE.
AND PROBABLY MORE LIKE THE FLU.
BUT I AM NOT 100% SURE THAT'S
WHERE WE ARE AT.
BUT IT LOOKS LIKE THAT IS WHERE
WE'RE GOING.
>> LESS THAN A MINUTE LEFT, I
WANT TO GET YOUR TAKE ON LAST
WEEK'S WISCONSIN SUPREME COURT
RULING ON THE LEGISLATIVE MAPS
AND HOW THEY RULED ON THAT.
>> YEAH.
YOU KNOW I WILL TELL YOU, IF
THERE ARE TWO THINGS I COULD
CHANGE THAT WOULD FIX JUST ABOUT
EVERY OTHER ISSUE, ONE IS YOU
STOP GERRYMANDERING, WHETHER BY
DEMOCRATS OR REPUBLICANS AND
HAVING POLITICIANS PICK THEIR
VOTERS RATHER THAN THE OTHER WAY
AROUND.
WE THAT PROBLEM IN WISCONSIN.
AND CHANGE HOW YOU FINANCE
CAMPAIGNS.
YOU ALLOW BILLIONAIRES AND LARGE
DONORS TO HAVE MORE OF A VOICE
IN THE CAMPAIGN PROCESS THAN
PEOPLE WHO ARE YOU CONSTITUENTS,
WE HAVE A SYSTEM THAT ULTIMATELY
WILL HIT A WALL ON DEMOCRACY AND
CAUSE REAL PROBLEMS.
I AM VERY CONCERNED.
THIS IS ALWAYS AROUND AS AN
ISSUE BUT WE FIND NEW WAYS THAT
BILLIONAIRES FOUND WAYS TO PUT
MILLIONS INTO A PRIMARIES IN
VARIOUS RACES AROUND THE
COUNTRY.
AND THAT HE MORE THAN MOST
CANDIDATES RAISE FOR THEIR
PRIMARY.
WE NEED TO TURN THINGS AROUND.
IN WISCONSIN, THAT'S A GREAT
CASE OF THE JE TH THE GERRYMANDG