Tonight, Tennessee Republicans expel two Democrats who led gun safety protests.

We'll take you there and across the country as we look at what is going on in state houses

from coast to coast.

And the big question, do lawmakers know what their constituents really want?

And money power politics and the Supreme Court, the investigation into justice, Clarence

Thomas secretly accepting luxury trips from a major Republican donor, as the 11th hour

gets underway on this Thursday night.

Good evening once again, I'm Stephanie Rule.

And tonight we begin in the state of Tennessee.

We're in a stunning act of political retaliation.

Republican lawmakers expelled two of their Democratic colleagues, Justin Jones and Justin

Pearson, for joining in a peaceful protest on gun violence with students.

Jones and Pearson are both black.

A third Democratic lawmaker who is white was up for a vote but was not expelled.

Here's how the Tennessee newspaper wrote it up.

Quote, 10 days after a shooter unloaded 152 rounds inside a Nashville school and killed

six people, Tennessee House Republicans on Thursday expelled two Democratic lawmakers for

breaking house rules and mounting a gun reform protest on the chamber floor.

Surrounded by his Democratic colleagues, expelled state representative Justin Pearson had

this message of hope for the future.

We've got good news that Sunday always comes.

Resurrection is a promise and it is a prophecy.

...