Mother Jones on Instagram: "NEW: “I feel like North Korea has more democracy than we do in the state of Tennessee, and it’s terrifying to me that we’re in this march to fascism,” Tennessee state representative Gloria Johnson told Mother Jones’s @garrisonh today, in an exclusive sit-down interview in Nashville. “And it seems like the Tennessee supermajority is leading the charge.” While the nation’s gaze was fixated on a singular event this week—the unprecedented arrest and arraignment of a former president in downtown Manhattan—another critical stress test for democracy was unfolding at the Tennessee State Assembly. Republicans introduced resolutions to expel three opposition lawmakers, citing “disorderly behavior”. The threats stemmed from a tidal wave of outrage following last week’s mass shooting at Nashville’s Covenant Elementary, which claimed the lives of six people, including three children. Just days later, hundreds of anguished students orchestrated a school walk-out and marched on the Capitol en masse, demanding gun reform in a vibrant show of solidarity. Reps. Gloria Johnson, Justin Jones, and Justin Pearson stepped up to the chamber’s well to express their unwavering support for the demonstrators, with the help of a bullhorn. The act of defiance prompted House Speaker Cameron Sexton to assert that the representatives would face “consequences,” likening their actions to the Capitol insurrection on January 6. Johnson told Garrison she’s going to fight every step of the way. “When my folks sent me here, they knew I was vocal, and they knew I would stand up and I would be their voice,” she said. “And that’s why they sent me here. There’s no question about that. Everybody in the state knows that.” The trio was subsequently stripped of their committee assignments and now faces the risk of an ouster as early as Thursday. The student-led protests have only continued. We’ll keep posting video from the interview and the scene in Nashville as it unfolds. Stay tuned for more video from the interview, as Garrison probes what happens next, and asks Johnson her to share her message to families affected by the Nashville shooting."

26K Likes, 962 Comments - Mother Jones (@motherjonesmag) on Instagram: "NEW: “I feel like North Korea has more democracy than we do in the state of Tennessee, and it�..."