these people are on trial for trying to steal an election. i am not on trial no matter how hard you try to put me on trial.

host: washington journal for february 16 that was fani willis who took to the stand if she should be disqualified from prosecution. you can call in and comment on the events of yesterday particularly the das testimony. republicans (202) 748-8001, for democrats (202) 748-8000, for independents (202) 748-8002 if you are a georgia resident or you can use the same phone line to text us at (202) 748-8003. you can post on facebook facebook.com/cspan.

more on x at c-span wj. a combative and impromptu testimony that even surprised members of her own team. her and nathan wade became romantically involved but she paid her own way, often in cash and did nothing improper. asheelationship continued and she prepared for one of the most important criminal prosecutions in the country. she is expected to take this and again today in georgia at 9:00 in c-span's coverage will start at that time. if you want to follow along you can at c-span, c-span now and as always on the website at

c-span.org. i'm here to take your calls for the first 45 minutes on this. for republicans (202) 748-8001, for democrats (202) 748-8000 and for independents (202) 748-8002 and georgia residents (202) 748-8003. here is a portion where she is being questioned by, accusing her of being a liar. [video clip] >> i did hear the argument, you lied on monday in here we still are. >> that's the argument, no testimony. >> i thought she did an

excellent job how dishonest you were with the quotes on monday. i am actually surprised the continue -- hearing continued. >> let's talk about what you did in preparation for today. did you meet with mr. wade? once the motion was filed due to meet with mr. wade to talk about the motion filed? >> i probably has some choice words. i don't know that it was a conversation. as you know mr. wade is a southern gentleman. me, not so much. >> did you have a conversation? >> no, i did not. i probably said some choice things to him about some of the

lies that were told within the media. we used to be in the state and time where people would verify information and we had great reporting. but as we've seen today a lawyer can lie and is printed for the world to say. >> i just wanted to ask -- >> we had no substantive conversation, we did not. >> i just wanted to make sure. you did not have a meeting with him in the conference room to discuss it? >> in the conference room in my office you could view financial documents. they were given to me and i

think he showed me a document in our conference room. as far as a substantive conversation. i have had conversation since you filed the motion but they would not be substantive to this. they would be nice sermons. we had conversations about did you listen to that sermon? things of that nature. in relationship to this about needing to be kind. host: you can find the complete hearing including her testimony on our website and cap go to (202) 748-8001 for republicans, for democrats (202) 748-8000 for

independents (202) 748-8002 and georgia residents. (202) 748-8000. let's hear from calvin. caller: good morning. i am very proud of her. what they are trying to do is trying to get donald trump out of the mess that he has put himself in. i think she did a great job and i am proud of her. i think she needs to continue this case. thank you. host: calvin in georgia. georgia residents you can call in a make your thoughts no. we have been in pennsylvania on the republican line. caller: good morning. as a supporter of president trump out of the four criminal

cases, a few months ago fani willis'was the one i was most worried about. i think they are all politically motivated. including the civil cases, that being said. the recent da willis cost me concern is because it is a state charge. federal charges, if he is reelected he can be done but the state case, that is a whole different story. i'm not even counting the one in manhattan. over the past few weeks that she tanked this trial herself. i can't help but feel bad for her. i don't think this trial will be able to proceed after all of this. she had her significant other

taking trips to the white house frequently. hundreds of thousands of dollars. it's crazy. host: that was been in pennsylvania and the new york times takes a look at what happens. after this case she is disqualified to carry on. there is a conflict of interest because of the romantic relationship with the prosecutor which merits disqualification and disqualify her entire office and reassigned to another georgia prosecutor who could continue with the case, make major changes or even drop the case altogether. the decision would drop the case of mr. trump for the actions in georgia. the former president sought to overturn his loss in the case

and it would be up to the prosecuting counsel to take up the case. it would fall to the council's executive director. there is more in the new york times. 9:00 is when the da is expected to resume. our coverage will start on our main trial, our app, our website. let's hear from david in atlanta on the independent line. caller: yes, can you hear me? host: you are on, go ahead. caller: the question was really incredible and it goes to show so much that was not talked about in the news when fani willis took the stand.

i was impressed that she straightened the accusing attorneys when she got up this book to the thousands of dollars. nathan wade made it clear that there were three attorneys that were brought in for the prosecution. that money was split up between all three of them. attorney wade did not get 300,000. they just kept running the same questions from attorney wade to attorney willis on whether he was with her before 2021 from the only witness they had that this person said they had a relationship before which they found out it was not true.

i think district attorney willis showed how important it is to correct misinformation given by these attorneys so we could credibly say she slept with this man before they even got together. the question that got me when they went to belize. she said her father taught her to save money. i am 64 years old and my mom taught me you always keep money in the house and i am quite sure americans from my generation were taught that and do that. host: that is david there let us hear from howard on the democratic line. caller: yes, good morning. i was very impressed with the

das testimony. it was unexpected as the drama unfolded. i hope it makes clear to the public, the -- whole trump maga movement is trying to delay. this was her private life and it shows how unethical the entire trump is. she was really impressive and i hope the judge does the right thing and all of these things taken together and putting back on track the fulton case the rnc chairwoman having to step down

because of trump. all of these are showing how phony the republican party and conservative movement is and i hope it speaks in the end of all of it. host: teresa and waco, texas. on the republican line. caller: i thought it was disgusting the way d.a. willis spoke to the attorneys, the way she spoke to the judge. she was telling the judge what to do. i have never seen a witness dictate how things are going to be run. it was disgusting. she should be disbarred and so should wade. who does that? using taxpayer money from georgia. i have family in georgia. saying trips -- taking trips

from here and there. there were too many lies. she was not good on the stand. host: it was nathan wade testified that he met willis and 2019 and they developed a professional relationship as she sought his advice before campaigning for district attorney. mr. wade paid for expenses and trips in willis reimbursed him for some of the trips including two bay leaves which was a birthday present from willis. they split the cost of their

travel evenly. and that is from the georgia atlantic constitution. caller: first of all, mr. wade was hired as the lead attorney and he has no experience in criminal cases. that right there is a big red flag. why would she hire him for this case? she was not supposed to have been listening to the proceedings. the moment she came in and you could tell she was furious. why was she furious? because she knew he had put his foot into it.

people would like to believe she is right. she is a liar. they took advantage of the people in fulton county and georgia. host: the washington post in a story that was printed in january of this year. nathan wade has little criminal experience prosecuted in atlanta. he had mostly dealt with family law and contract disputes and then fani willis tapped him to prosecute the biggest case of her career. the back-and-forth was over his relationship with fani willis. [video clip] >> you got money from fulton

county for the money you do here? you sent and invoices and they would pay you money? >> yes sir. >> that money was from the citizens of fulton county or the state of georgia? that's what they mean by public funds? >> i guess i am having trouble with the notion that the citizens of fulton county have paid me any funds. i could tell you the state of georgia or fulton county has written me a check. >> so, those entities are public entities? that would be public funds. right? >> yes. >> those public funds are from the same source that were used

to pay out your expenses from trips you took ms. willis on? >> no sir. i have income coming in from my law firm and i also have income coming in from the funds we are here disgusting now from the state of georgia or fulton county. -- discussing now from the state of georgia. so to say i am paid credit cards from the state of georgia is incorrect because it could be coming from my private account? >> what percentage of your funds

came from money from this case or your partners working for fulton county? >> in 2022 you would say 50-50? >> what about 2023? >> i would say 60/40. >> the money in those accounts 60% would be public funds used to pay for expenses that you incurred in the trips you took ms. willis on? the cruises, napa valley? host: more available on the website and app. you can follow along on the app as well. this is greg from atnta. nothing more than deflection from the president who me that tony saying i was appalledhe

da allowed them to separatth attorneys and filibuster her answers. this is robert in mississippi, this is a great example of how the justice stehas declined that most americans have lost all confidence in athould be a fair system. tony from detroit michigan. fani willis saw this coming. she has shown poor judgment and no anger control. you can text us at (202) 748-8003, facebook and x is available as well. sheila and youngstown, ohio on

the democratic mine. line. caller: i just heard some news. alexi novotny has died in siberia. the reason she could not prosecute is because everyone is scared. this is fascism already. do you remember langford? he received a call from a commentator who said if you try to get this immigration bill passed before the election. host: let's stick to the das testimony what was your impression? caller: i thought how they are treating her is horrible.

this is about stealing an election and what they did to ruby friedman and shane moss. illegally taking voting machines. it is the same as russia. you can't vote for somebody you want to vote for because putin wins every time. caller: pedro i love c-span and i think all of these cases are nothing but election interference. i talked to rich mccormick. host: let's stick to the case from yesterday. caller: i disagree with her 100%. i am totally for trump. host: why are you for trump? caller: i think all of these

cases are nothing but election interference. let the people of america decided let them vote. i think they will vote for trump 's so i am all fired up. rich mccormick introduced a bill. host: georgia residents if you want to leave a comment on yesterday's case (202) 748-8003. you can text on that line too. this is kevin from illinois on the independent line. caller: hey, good morning, good morning. as far as yesterday. i think she failed. they had him hold, line and sinker. everything is about stroke. they all want trump to go down.

host: how exactly do you think she failed? caller: she was calling them liars. she was nervous. she came in the courtroom like she was in charge and i think the judge is a lot smarter because he will give them rope to hang themselves. the more they brought all the more they will convict themselves. i have a judge that said if you ever wanted incriminate yourself, keep talking. host: you can want to playut on c-span. at 9:00 the show will end as we go to the testimony. we are expecting fani willis to

resume the stand. from linda in mississippi, on the democrats line. good morning. caller: i think she did a great job in defense of herself. this is not about her being a crook. she went on the stand and called the attorney a liar and they are missing the point. it's not about whether she is lying it's about what trump lied about. she told her story because those attorneys have been lying about her and told them what they were lying about. host: how is the relationship

with the special prosecutor not a point of concern? caller: is not against the law. she did not benefit. she makes money to mike she said she does not depend on any man for her living. she defended herself like any moment. -- woman. host: a long associate who had a falling out with willis in 2022 said there was no doubt in her mind that they were involved in a romantic relationship and testified that she had talked to willis about wade and seeing them huggy and kissing. when he joined the case as a

prosecutor. damon and south carolina on the independent line. caller: i think yesterday was not a good float. look. she seemed to get flustered and seemed a part of something that she had to respond to. i would love to make one more comment. i am asking all registered voters to keep americans first. host: nets, on the republican line.

caller: i don't think she made herself look good. i don't think she made the state of georgia look good. one of the things the judge told them is that she was not supposed to be watching that trial and i am pretty sure that the reason she came in so hot is she was absolutely doing what the judge told her not to do. the time she said she was fearful in her home. if i was fearful for my life i would be fearful for my elderly father's life. i know she said covid but that is one of those things where all you have to do is move him from one place to another. i don't know if she was afraid

for her life her she needed a condo for her affair. i find it odd that they will not allow them to bring up that mr. wade went to the white house and met with them. why did this stay prosecutor need to meet with the white house? thank you so much for taking my call. host: colton is next on the republican line. caller: i am not a professional about reading people but i pick up on social cues and that is what i noticed. fani willis seemed nervous, it seemed frantic and flustered, waving papers around. avoiding simple questions and

divisively going all around them. host: democrat mind from plano, texas. caller: i was very impressed with ms. willis. i thought the point of the hearing was an evidence hearing and i was waiting for the evidence. they talked about mr. wade's timesheet and invoices those types of things. none of that came out. i was surprised the judge allowed the salacious testimony. it felt more like a reality show than courtroom proceedings but i was impressed with ms willis. i think she didn't outstanding job. host: the events in georgia are

not the only things taking place. when it comes to the hush money trial will start on march 25. mr. trump will have to navigate his courtroom calendar. it was scheduled to begin on march 4 has been postponed in the supreme court may take up an appeal which would push the court back. they denied donald trump's his motion to dismiss. the events in georgia and the focus here today. fani willis testifying yesterday and you can call in (202) 748-8001 for republicans, (202) 748-8000 for democrats, for

independents (202) 748-8002 in georgia residents. (202) 748-8003. caller: thank you for taking my call. i think fani is a liar. you don't have to be a psychology major that she was putting her hands on her face and could not sit still and when she was getting asked questions she was going off in giving roundabout information. my point is, i think she was lying. host: lake charles, louisiana, melissa. caller: thank you for taking my call. i found the hearing riveting. i could not stop watching it. fani willis completely failed

herself. she lost all sense of decorum. she was inarticulate. you could tell that she is incompetent about how to enter a courtroom. how anyone could think she would be able to weave all of the intricacies of a rico case when she can't present herself without losing it completely. she would rather pontificate and filibuster on the simple yes or no questions. i think she was trying to obscure that these were kickbacks and she's putting a million dollars of georgia tax money on a credit card. i don't know why anyone would vote for that woman. the truth will come out in the

questions remain about why were they going to d.c. to meet with the january 6 committee? host: donald in ventura, california. caller: hi, this is donald in ventura. anyone who goes after donald trump they need to make sure they have clean hands. they can't have controversial issues. they should know by now that this man will do everything he can to delay these cases and they need to make sure they have clean hand and they don't have dirt he can dig up. host: is having a relationship like the one discussed, is that a concern?

caller: it is a problem if they are going to be trying donald trump if it's something he could use to delay the case. host: this state of the relationship itself, do you see issues with that? caller: not really. i don't see why it would interfere with this case unless you could prove there was money being passed back and forth but i don't see any evidence of that. host: let us hear from fani willis in fulton county, georgia. being questioned by one of the lawyers for former president trump about a relationship with nathan lane. [video clip] >> by the time you hired mr.

wade there had never been a romantic relationship? >> are we talking about sex? >> romantic relationship doesn't have to be just sex. it could be dating, holding hands any of those things someone might call romantic. i am asking prior to november 1 20 21 there was a romantic relationship with mr. wade? yes or no. >> i don't consider my relationship with him romantic, no. >> beyond november 1, 2021. there was no romantic relationship with mr. wade until early in 2022 whether it be

january, march. host: somewhere between february and april. >> i am asking about that time where it became romantic? you did not see the need to tell any of the people on the prosecution when you had established a romantic relationship that the lead prosecutor. the man that was giving orders to others was having relationship with you? >> i object to relevance. >> we are attempting to show there is an issue on the credibility of the relationship. the failure to let anyone know she was having a romantic

relationship with the lead prosecutor. >> the inference that? >> that they were concealing this because it had been characterized by the court and had started earlier than they say? >> i want to make sure that we are clear. from at least 2020, i want to be clear. my credibility is being evaluated. we were friends, we hung out prior to november 2021. i hired him and i don't consider our relationship romantic until 2022. some time in april of 2022.

host: let's hear from kyle in buffalo, new york. caller: i guess i'll be the first republic about the county line in support of whatever is going on here. it's because i'm a black person and i get tired of republicans always going against black people. her demeanor was defensive like why am i being questioned about my relationship? and i don't understand why her relationship has anything to do with election interference. i guess i am confused. you have democrats on her side and maga supporters saying she is a liar and she should be disbarred.

it is sad that we have to have these issues when it comes to court procedures. that has nothing to do with the case at hand and wasting taxpayer dollars. host: let's hear from john in kentucky. caller: he is very honest about it, she is very honest about it. everything that she said proved out to be. i guess the world doesn't always love lovers. she is just being herself. there is no dishonesty in it, she is being honest. host: john there inentucky.

9:00s when the district torney is expected to resume testimony in our coverage will start at that time. follow along on this network if you want to watch it carry from yesterday. this is from jacqueline and oregon -- in oregon on the republican line. caller: good morning, thank you. her demeanor is totally unacceptable. it tells that she has something to hide or she would not have this attitude. to me there are two points to this whole thing.

it doesn't matter if you're brown, white, purple and green. it is ethics. whether you are the local city council, school board, county official, law officer. if you are state level officer, whether you are federal or state ethics. there are always ethics requirements, if they can't be kept at top levels are abused at lower levels. she has broken the code of ethics and that is what she can be convicted on. the second important thing is, it is irrelevant that her father

or anyone else kept took money in a safe. who has three safes in their home where they keep money? host: let's go to david in maryland. caller: it is not about ethics. i am an african-american man. i am 75 years old. my parents taught me, this is a great time for our whole country to take this lesson. mr. trump, mr. biden, all of these people are lacking ethical transparency.

what we have now is corruption. it goes all the way out. host: let's stick to the topic at hand, is there anything untoward about the das relationship? caller: it's not transparent. there are too many questions. she left herself out there. host: donna from pennsylvania on the democrat line. caller: i am a black woman also. white people's culture is different than black woman's culture. we speak up. i was taught to speak up for yourself. when i got accused of work, i

kept telling them, no, it wasn't me. i told you one time, it was not me. but she will sit there and do that. and then i got loud. i said to my boss, if you tell a lie on me i will speak up for myself. i am exactly like that and i want to speak up. don't light on me. if you gonna tell on me, tell the truth. her girlfriend was about to get fired and they didn't follow-up questions. but they didn't follow-up. white women, we black women speak up for each other. host: john in ohio on the

republican line. caller: i just want to make a few observation. i think the guy is definitely in trouble because he lied on his poor document. i think what she did yesterday may have gotten herself in trouble by saying she put her campaign donations for personal use and that is against the law. for people that say it is because she is black. two out of the three people are lying. we know he is a liar. and i believe the first lady was telling the truth more so than ms willis because she doesn't want to testify because she knows she will get a lot of

harassment. i believe her more. host: one more call, frank in georgia. caller: i listen to that whole thing for several hours. i am convinced that ms. willis is as honest as they come. the lady who spoke against her got fired and had a reason to say what she had to say. i don't believe in getting into a man and a woman sex lives i mean considering trump had three wives and two mistresses. host: you can watch this teimony at 9:00 on c-span follow along on our platform. coming up we will get two perspectives on capitol hill.

congressman buddy carter to discuss aid to israel in ukraine and a democratic perspective from dalia ramirez. both of those are coming up on the washington journal. >> american history tv saturdays on c-span two exploring the people and events that tell the american story. authors talk about the role of africans in the civil rights movement in the 1950's and 60's. this episode is titled what is wrong with their schools? and then on the presidency, constitutional law professor all third the court out war and looks it roosevelt's

relationship with the supreme court. on historic campaign speeches we located 2000 speech from john mccain at a michigan campaign rally. and bernie sanders speaking in dearborn, michigan. watch american history tv saturday on c-span2 and find a full schedule on our prog guide or watch any time at c-span.org/history. >> nonfiction book lovers c-span has a number of podcasts for you. listen to best-selling nonfiction authors on the afterwards podcasts and on q&a here wide ranging conversations that regularly feature authors

of nonfiction books. about books tacy behind the scene of the nonfiction book industry. find all of our podcasts by downloading the free c-span now app. >> a healthy democracy doesn't just look like this, it looks like this. where americans could see democracy at work. get informed, straight from the source, on c-span. unfiltered, unbiased, word for word. from the nation's capital to wherever you are. the opinion that matters the most is your own. c-span, powered by cable. "washington journal,"

continues. host: joining us is congressman buddy carter. thank you for giving us your time sir. guest: thank you for having me. host: if we can start with the impeachment of mayorkas you call that your constitutional duty. guest: i don't know if you have been to the border i have been to the board eight times. the last time was last week and it is worse now than i have ever seen it. we have a secretary that is failing in his responsibility and he is responsible for this. not only the number of illegal aliens coming across the border but the drugs that are coming across the border. i am a pharmacist, we are losing 200 people every day as a result

of fentanyl poisoning. if we had a plane crash and we killed 200 people we would stop every plane until we figured out what is going on. but that border is wide open. i mentioned i was at the border last week. now, there are more non-mexicans crossing than ever before. the price of fentanyl has plummeted. there is so much supply that demand is not keeping the price up. that is not something we should tolerate. mayorkas is guilty of this. host: what constitutional standard did mr. mayorkas

breached? guest: he has a responsibility of protecting that border. the secretary of homeland security is different than other secretaries. it is his responsibility are clear, it is his responsibility to make sure that border is secure. it is not secure and he should be held responsible. host: tom mcclintic voted against the impeachment and he said it would dub down the requirement for impeachment. guest: there were three people who voted against at the first

time and i understand them and i respect their opinion. i was convinced after listening to my fellow colleagues this was the right thing to do. we are fortunate to have a speaker who was a constitutional lawyer. his opinion matters a lot to mean not that tom and mike does not. certainly i took that into consideration in making a decision. host: you have seen these numbers as well. the number of arrest in january of 50% from december and they attributed to seasonal decline, heightened enforcement and efforts by mexico. what do you think about the drop down and does that show things are changing? guest: what i saw last week, that border is a mess. people are just coming across it

. the numbers are what the numbers are. you look at the numbers in november and december and we had record numbers of people coming across the border. not to mention the number that got away. we have 10, 11 million illegal immigrants right now. that border is the number one issue on people's minds. when i go home that's what they want to know about the border in the economy. host: this is buddy carter and if you have questions for republicans (202) 748-8001, for democrats (202) 748-8000, for independents (202) 748-8002 and you can text us at (202) 748-8003. we have patty on the line for democrats. caller: thank you pedro and

c-span. i want you on the floor quite a lot and you seem like a decent person. you do a lot of honors for your local folks in your district. this is a talking point and i understand that with the border. i have family in texas. if you were presented with a solution, why are you refusing to bring that up for debate? i look at the bill and read through it. no one likes it which means it is probably pretty good. nobody on the progressive side likes it. if you would like to solve the problem, why are you not willing to push leadership to at least bring it to the floor for debate and vote. host: i think she is referring

to the send's initial plan. guest: a fair question. i did read that and look into the senate version of what they passed. i am glad the speaker did not bring it to the floor. we have made it clear that we need to secure the border. if you look at the senate bill, tell me how many laws that after so many people violate this law it is that illegal? we have to arrest 5000 people and after that point you will get arrested? the border needs to be secured and it can be secured. the president has the tools to secure the border. he can stop catch and release

and build the wall. when i was in tucson, arizona we saw the wall. the wall of the donald trump continued in joe biden stop. i appreciate senator lankford. we should be looking for solution, right now. we have to compromise but i tell you that hr to is as close to a perfect bill when it relates to the border and we need this senate to take up hr two. host: john in virginia. caller: are you really serious about securing the border talk

to me about the aspect of work connections? are you in support of giving illegal immigrants work permits when they get here? guest: certainly, we want to look at those. this is part of the negotiation and what we should be looking at and working for. i am in favor of the h2a program and that's important to our agriculture community and that is different from people coming over illegally. i am not against immigration as long as they do with the right way. we want them to come to this country.

i give very frustrated when republicans say they don't want anyone coming into this country. we just want them to do it the correct way and specifically, if you talk to someone he was come through the process and spent that much money and it takes a long time. it's a tough process to become a naturalized citizen. if you want to talk to someone who gets upset about illegals coming in, talk to that person. host:

for the secretary and what he is doing with the border. guest: it is a vote of confidence and i've talked to him numerous times. we talked about things we want to see at the border and he says , you need policy changes, and legal pathways we actually need

policy change. we need more administrated resources and some type of screening and we need to pass the budget to do so. the challenge is that republicans have not want to do that. they system that -- they had negotiation that was dead on arrival. the people on the border were not included in that negotiation. it has been chaos after chaos. the reality is they say this is not political theater, this is someone not doing their job. he is doing his job implementing the current policy. if we do not like the policy, let us change the policy, let us work on it and move it through. host: representative, the senate initially offered a plan for border enforcement along with money for other things. how supportive are you for that effort? guest: look, the senate negotiations did not includes

any hispanic caucus members for the negotiation and i felt disappointed and it had some things, but also some terrible things. even then the republicans did not want to take it. it would overhaul the critical if your interview process which is the only way that someone can request to seek asylum. and it would implement some provisions of title 42 that did not work. there were bad things on that bill. here is the interesting thing, there were some of my colleagues ready to vote for it. but what it was coming this way it was dead on arrival, which just shows you that even when democrats take the bait and when democrats lean in and do what republicans want them to do they will say just kidding, donald trump does not want that. host: you have your members or may be people you represent come to you but look at the numbers coming in. even though we have seen some decreases in the last month or so. when you look at those numbers

would you say that there are issues that need to be corrected? guest: i would agree. we have to ask ourselves what is causing so many people women with children to collect dust across jungle's and borders and to get here, many of them have gone through hell and back to get here, why are we not creating legal pathways? what is our relationship with venezuela, guatemala and honduras? how do we address the root cause? if someone feels like they are in danger of dying either physically or starvation, they will do anything and everything to save themselves and their children. what are the legal pathways? we want to make sure that the people are not going to be a threat to our country. why not provide the resources for the screening that the republicans will not vote on either? if we want to address fentanyl,

we should, and over 80% of that comes in through u.s. citizens through point of entry. how about we get the training necessary? the issue is that every time republicans are given an opportunity to make the border safer as they call it or address the issue, they vote no all because in the words of congressman bob menendez "they can't -- they keep bending the knee to their arms the -- there are in jesus donald trump instead of doing the job they were sent here to do." host: one of the cities you represent is chicago and there is a story recently about migrants in chicago concerned about being put out of their temporary housing units. but when it comes to chicago itself and other major cities talking about the influx and how to deal with it, how should chicago deal with it and what our leaders saying to you? guest: chicago is a sanctuary city i am the daughter of immigrants and i have served for

22 years in different capacities for the public. what they have said to me is that they want to provide services for immigrants coming in. we need to be able to fill jobs that have not been filled, manufacturing jobs and the list goes on. the issue is that many of them are coming in and they need shelter because we have not address the issues of how long it takes to get a work permit, if eligible. we need support resources. in that supplemental dialogue we have a little bit of money to go to cities to be able to help provide emergency shelter until they get on their feet. unfortunately, it is tied up in the supplemental budget. so what people are saying is homeland security, department of housing, there are things we need to be able to help supplement the needs of migrants. and in cities like chicago they want to welcome them and they are, and also the federal

government needs to do more. host: republicans would tie the issue to crime issues in major cities. when you hear those comparisons what do you think? guest: ridiculous. a couple of articles have come out just tracking data. in some cases really saying if you look at the journey of people who are migrating into these countries, they are less prone to commit a crime. they are here because they are starting again. they want to work and they want their children to have a better life. there is no correlation between that. two or three people committing crimes in that case they should be deported. but for the vast majority, 98% of the people are here to work and to contribute to make the fabric of the nation better. look at it, we found some reports from budgeting that show that immigrants are the reason that we are improving and costs are coming down. they are generating more investments into our economy, they are buying more.

the number of actions -- the number of republican business owners and say congressman -- congresswoman get people work purposes -- work permits we need workers. the reality is that immigrants are that the solution to our economy and republicans have decided that they are scapegoats. host: aside from immigration i want to talk about the senate bill offeredwe have heard from s guest as far as it is dead on arrival in the house. are there other avenues to bring it forward to do a discharge petition, and is that something you would support? guest: a lot of conversation about a potential discharge petition. i represent the community where there is one of the biggest ukrainian communities in the entire country, a ukrainian village and i represent them to this -- in the statehouse. being able to provide aid to ukraine is important. we voted on it last year and we

need to make sure that ukraine has the resources, the aid and support it needs to be able to fight putin immediately. however, it is tied up to money to israel. we know that right now the u.s. is probing on how money that we have sent over has killed innocent lives. there is no way in my conscious that i can think of thousands of children that we talk about here, already dead. and sending more money to kill more children in gaza because netanyahu's government has decided we do not care about international law, give us more money and we will do what we want for the sake of what netanyahu wants. so, what i think we should be doing is considering how do we perhaps use a discharge petition specifically to get money to ukraine as quickly as possible. that i could support. host: representative delia ramir ez.

serves on the border of homeland security subcommittee of border and enforcement. thank you for that time. we will take up open forum for the half hour before fani willis is expected to resume her testimony in fulton county, georgia. you can watch that at 9:00 on c-span, and our website at c-span.org. for open form you can call in at 202-748-8001 for republicans. 202-748-8000 for democrats. and independents, 202-748-8002. we will take those calls when washington journal continues. ♪ >> book tb every sunday on these bantu features leading authors discussing their latest nonfiction books.

at 6:30 p.m. eastern, oregon democratic senator jeff merkley shares his book "filibustered" where he argues that bringing back the talking filibuster will fix all legislation in the senate then wesley and university professor andrew curnt talks about his book "who is black and why?"hich talks about how the concept of race emerged. he is interviewed by a george mason university history professor. watch booktv every sunday on c-span2, and find a full schedule on your program guide or on booktv.org. >> sunday on q&a, dobbs got the newly elected democratic speaker of the house of delegates in the first black speaker in 405 years talks about his life including spending almost eight years in

prison. >> i had never been in trouble before. i had served my country and i was hoping i would get a little bit more grace and get the attitude to go with the lord, but he probably could've given me more time than he did. but i remember hearing my mother when he said 10 years she cannot believe it and that yelp of pain , it always stays with me. it is always going to be and it lets me know how fragile our freedom is and how perilous it is. and if you make one want -- one wrong move sometimes, it can be the end of your life as you know it. >> virginia's democratic house speaker sunday night on 8:00 p.m. eastern on q&a. you can listen to that and our podcast on our free c-span now app. >> a healthy democracy does not

just look like this. it looks like this. where americans can see democracy at work, when citizens are truly informed a republic thrives. get informed straight from the source on c-span, unfiltered, unbiased, word for word from the nation's capital to wherever you are. the opinion that matters the most is your own. this is what democracy looks like. c-span, powered by cable. >> washington journal continues. host: also if you want to give your thoughts on open forum you can do it on the various social media sites, facebook and x and send us a text at 202-748-8003. this story breaking during the course of our program that alexi novelli -- alexei navalny died in prison according to russian news agencies and the cause of

death is still being extrapolation -- established. he had been serving a sentence at a penal colony for more than 30 years on the various charges. he was 47 years old and had been behind bars since january 2021 when he returned from russia to germany. doctors concluded that he had been poisoned. with soviet era noise -- nerve gas. he blamed the kremlin. it's open forum so start us off on the democrats line area caller: a big bark out your team sanity. i'd like to talk about popular conservative economic policy. it's responsible for the eight point just 30 -- $33 trillion debt we have right now. for starters, tax cuts have

never paid for themselves. the only thing i've seen the tax cut increase is the national debt. it really doesn't trickle down to the rest of the classes. the lower classes worse off in the middle classes were off -- worse off. i'm sure when the rich guys get together and whine and dine, they have a good laugh that they convinced some poor old north carolina knucklehead to get fighting mad. host: we got your point. bonnie in pennsylvania, republican line. caller: yes, thank you for taking my call. i am a 74-year-old woman who probably won't be around in 10 or 15 years.

i plead to all americans whether they are d's or r's or i's, we need to exist. my grandparents came here separately in the 1930's to ellis island. they made a wonderful life and had a wonderful family. both sides, both democrats and republicans, it's all about power. we the citizens of this country need to solve our problems at the voting booth. we need to go there and say do we want to be like we were in years past or do we want to continue going through all of the turmoil? i have a relative who just passed away from a drug issue who is not a druggie. we cannot live like this. if we know what happened in china with mao zedong and ho chi minh, they destroyed their

people, covered of hunger, covered up no jobs with opium. that's with happening here. host: that's bonnie in pennsylvania. you can continue to call in our open forum. stay on the line for a few moments. later on today, the president will travel to east palestine, ohio to talk about efforts after that train wreck you remember from last year. joining us to talk about the trip in the larger issues is mike lee. thanks for your time. guest: thanks for having me. host: you write in your recent story, to give you the headline that mr. biden is confronting unfinished business when it comes to the ohio train wreck, can you elaborate? guest: i'd like to give a shout out to mike colleagues. just to my colleagues on that story. after that train wreck happened, there s huge concerns in east

palestine about the potential for chemical contamination. also about the potential for mo train wrecks because of an increase in the number of train wrecks on the railroad lines. over the last year, nothing has been accomplished to fix those problems. host: when it comes to the president's visit today, how much will he specifically mention efforts by his administration about this and what is the response expected to be? guest: at this point, we don't know who he will talk to or how long he will be there. we don't know what he will say. host: what has the white house done in this situation even if this is a year later than the incident? guest: the biden administration has said this was caused by the railroad, norfolk southern and the railroad should be responsible for any claims. host: the environmental protection agency, what has

their role been since the accident? guest: they are basically in charge of overseeing the cleanup and making sure norfolk southern does what it's supposed to do. host: what does the administration expect from norfolk southern? guest: they want to see the chemicals cleaned up, they want to see long-term monitoring of the soil in the area and there is discussion about how they need to monitor people's health going forward. people are concerned they might get sick in a couple of years. host: aside from the administration's efforts, has congress taken any role in correcting the incident in ohio or the larger issue of report justf improving rail safety? guest: a mon otwo after the train wreck happened, the two senators from ohio plus two senator from pennsylvania which is the neighboring state introduced a bill that was

supposed to improve railroad safety. there is a lot of provisions in eir that would address several long-standing issues with the railroads. that bill has been bottled up since it was produced. it passed one committee in the senate. but it hasn't gone to the house. host: why do you think that is? guest: my colleagues have reported there was a lot of lobbying around it. the railroads are cost-conscious and don't want to pay extra for some of the safety provisions and things like that. host: you spent some time in east palestine. as far as the residents themselves, year later, how intense is the concern about the aftereffects of the accident? guest: i was there last summer. there is a lot of people that are still concerned about what will happen to their town and will their kids get sick and will they lose the value of

their homes and things like that area a lot of folks just want to move on. host: when it comes to the larger issue of rail accidents, how often do these things occur? guest: this was unique because it was a derailment and a fire and there was the sort of second effect where the railroad came in and blew up one of the cars. that was a huge plume of smoke that made the headlines. that's fairly rare. the jerome it's happened almost every day. -- the derailments happen almost every day. host: he is looking a the issues involving east palestine where the president is expected later today. thanks for your time. guest: thanks for having me. host: you can also follow along c-span as the president travels out there and makes remarks. stay close to the website for that. back to open forum, let's hear from sharon in maryland, democrats line. caller: good morning.

i just wanted to call in and say that as we are americans, we all have full together and do the right. thing for want to take this country down. if we don't pay attention and be looking out, that's what's going to happen. we shouldn't be in this state right now. we need to come together, republicans and democrats and do their job and do it right. that's why we vote. we vote the ones in that are going to look out for the constituents. we've got to stop this hateful racism and this greediness and all of that that's going on. our country is chaotic. it doesn't even seem like the united states of america. it's just a shame it has to be like that. i am a 72-year-old woman and i have grandkids.

and one great grandchild. with them, trying to teach them to write things, no lines -- no lying, do what's right and you will be all right and say a prayer. host: let's hear from britney in michigan, independent line. caller: good morning. nice to talk with you this morning. i specifically wanted to go over an issue brought up earlier about immigrants on the border. 's very negative and terrible to talk about an entire group of people who are trying to be in these conditions out of desperation. there's such negative under tones but also we are missing an entirely important part which is we deep stabilize the global south. we did that for resources. we overturn governments.

we overturned their capacity to have sovereignty and we know demonize the people for trying to find themselves in conditions . it's unfair and it is morally bankrupt. the amount we could spend to ukraine in israel, we could be sending it to the global south. people will say what about us? we can also actually fund the initiatives we have at home but it's being able to look at our budgets. host: mike in illinois, independent line, good morning. caller: good morning, thank you. we are being guest lit on the front and we are getting gas lit on the backend. netanyahu showed his hand this week or last week. you mentioned tote just two things that nobody caught.

no one is asking the question about the israelis. the other point is the two areas that were attacked in israel on the seventh were liberal areas. he almost smiled when he said that. politicians want to write a check with the flood of palestinians without even answering the question. the second part is hearing that israel was taken over by the right wing party and netanyahu we saw last week and a few other countries didn't take it over but americans did it and washington, d.c. was out of control and taking over. the states are in the news right now or the voting problems, the

barb wire and the fences and the federal government is coming after the 50 states about it. host: we got your point. we did the story about the russian earlier in the program. the vice president was speaking at the security conference referenced that and made comments about it. there is a portion of that. [video clip] >> we have all receivedorts that alexi navalny has died in russia. this is of course terrible news is we are working to confirm. my prayers are with his family including his wife who is with us today. if confirmed, this would be a further sign of putin's brutality. whatever story they tell, let us be clear -- russia is responsible. we will have more to say on this later. host: the vice president at the

munich security conference and you will see more comments at our website and their app. let's hear from jeannie in kansas, democrats line. caller: thank is a much for taking my call. i want to speak about women's issues. i'm 80 years old and no one ever seems to mention that trump is convicted of rape. i do not understand host: it was technically sexual assault but go ahead. caller: the judge said it was rape. host: he elaborated on his comments but i get the point. caller: he sexually assaulted a woman and then insulted her. this is trump. when he kept insulting her and i heard him that night at the rally, he humiliated her an 80-year-old woman got $80 million because the judge said

much money will it take to make him stop? the year found $80 million. i'd like to ask for the women out there -- would you have a man who is a convicted of sexual assault even work in your school? would you have them teach sunday school? would you have him in your house? why in the world are we considering this man? the other thing is this -- i was 26 years old when roe v. wade became law. it was a nightmare before then. he is responsible for the three judges that overturned roe v. wade. be careful out there, be careful because -- thank you for taking my call. host: that's jeannie from kansas, let's hear from robert in florida, independent line. caller: i used to be a republican but i left because they wanted the loyalty of oath to the party.

this is what you get when you have someone like donald trump as the parties leader. we cannot have this in america to be loyal to america, be loyal to the constituents and don't be loyal to an individual that some people call orange jesus. i wish we could do something about it and hopefully this election will move the house of representatives who have done nothing. they are the worst one since herbert hoover. what was happening in that time? it's terrible and we can't have this, it's got to stop. host: pennsylvania, democrats line. caller: hi, yes, i have something very disturbing -- i heard something very disturbing that trump said he will make stephen miller head of the immigration and they will go door to door to hispanic and black houses and knock on doors and make sure that there is no illegals in there. that reminded me of nazi germany

when they went door-to-door to door looking for jewish people. it was very disturbing area than they also made the daughter-in-law in the rnc so she will make sure the money goes to her father-in-law. this is not democracy and not the united states of america. it's just disgusting. that's all i have to say. host: if you go to the website at the atlantic, a recent story about trump's quote knock on door. you want to read more, that's at the atlantic website. we will go next to vivian in tennessee, democrats line. caller: good morning, can you hear me? host: i can, go ahead. caller: trump and the republicans are trying to gerrymander our states.

he wants to keep black people from voting. they are against women's rights. a woman should have the right to choose with her body. when i heard them say they will let ladies suffer. they are going to track you down and have you arrested. something is wrong with our country but you know it sounds like? i'm 73 years old and it sounds just like russia is trying to do our country like that. we had one man up there and some republicans trying to do what russia is doing to the people over there. i remember when i was a little girl back in the 50's, they wouldn't let us write on the bus. when people come up to the stand to get burgers, when black people are there, they make their order and why people come up and they push us to the back. i remember all of this. i remember my cousin being killed. by white men because he was

talking to a white lady. i remember all of this. what is wrong with our country? wake up america. host: speaking of russia and related stories, there's a story in the wall street journal about the revelations yesterday from the white house about moscow developing an anti-satellite weapon. this is from the wall street journal. [captioning performed by the national captioning institute, which is responsible for its caption content and accuracy. visit ncicap.org] [video clip] >> i know that sherman's -- the chairman's comments on a weapon were open yesterday. i can confirm it's related to an in-flight sidelight capability that russia is developing. i want to be clear about a

couple of things right off the bat. this is not an active capability that's been deployed. though there's -- though their pursuit is troubling, there is no immediate threat to anyone's safety. we are not talking about a weapon that can be used to attack human beings or cause physical destruction on earth. that said, we've been closely monitoring this activity and we will continue to taken very seriously. president biden has been kept fully informed by his national security team including today. he has directed a series of initial actions including additional briefings to congressional leaders, direct diplomatic engagement russia and with their allies and partners as well and other countries around the world who have interests at stake. the intelligence community has serious concerns about a broad declassification of this and -- of this intelligence. they assess that starting with private engagement rather than

immediately publicizing the intelligence could be a much more effective approach. we agree with that which is consistent with the manner in which we have conducted downgrades of information the past. this admission has just this administration has put a lot of focus on this in a deliberate way but tickly when it comes to russia. when we consider about downgrades, we work with the intelligence community to conduct a thorough scrub of that intelligence to make sure we are protecting sources and methods. we sequence our private diplomacy with their public disclosure to ensure the maximum effect. in keeping with that approach, the national security advisor jake sullivan is meeting this afternoon with house leadership and committee chairs this afternoon to brief them on the latest intelligence and our analysis. we will brief the senate when they are back in session on the 25th of february. i will not get ahead of those discussions. as i said, we make decisions

about how and when to publicly disclose intelligence and a careful, deliberate and strategic way that we choose. we will be knocked off that process regardless of what has found its way into the public domain. i can assure you that we will continue to give members of congress as well as our international partners and all of you and the american people as fully informed as possible. host: the new york times when it comes to vladimir reporting yesterday --

let's hear from christine and marilyn, independent line. christine in chevy chase, maryland, independent line. one more time -- barry is up next in ohio, democrats line. caller: hello? the problem is the american people need to wake up and they have to do it now. they have to get trump out. trump is a dictator and he wants to be just like putin. he's taken the united states down and get rid of all the republicans working for trump. trump is not our president, biden is. please, america, wake up and look at your grandchildren and your children when you are watching them sleep because he wants to be a dictator like putin. thank you. host: fernando in california, republican line, go ahead. caller: thank you for taking my

phone call. i wanted to talk about comment made earlier about immigration. i understand it's a very important topic. to understand the topic come you got to understand the destination of the people of where they're coming from. you have to understand reform from having it done from another country before passing it into our country. i hear topics about immigration but no one is talking about the infrastructure how to create a positive and safe pathway. it needs a fair base for all. we have an overload of immigrants coming in. i am mexican and i understand the process getting over here. by bypassing every safety that we have, we cause a danger to our infrastructure in the united states.

to all our public servants, go across the aisle and work together and work with other countries but don't just blindly accept that people are coming in. that's it. host: let's hear from pat in north carolina, republican line. caller: good morning. i've heard so much this morning i don't know where to begin. trump does not want to be a dictator. he made a joke about that the first day he would start drilling again and he would close the border. it's the democrats that have tried to have attacked free speech, states rights, the second amendment. trump didn't try to do any of that. he did close the border. the thing about the border being open is deliberate. the more that come in, they will be counted in the census which will give those states where the immigrants are more seats in

congress. that means more votes. that's the reason they have the open borders. it's not that they feel sorry for these people. it's to get votes for the democrats. let me make one last comment, please. host: quickly. caller: as far as israel and the palestinians, israel didn't occupy gaza. that's the jewish homeland for 3500 years. israel has done everything they can to protect innocent people. they send out flyers, they warned them they will be bombed. host: ok, let's go to john in florida, independent line. caller: thank you for taking my call. i want to talk about democrats. i want to talk about democrats. i'm biracial. i want to say i can't understand why any democrat would vote or

any black person, or person of color would vote for a democrat. if you look at your history the k.k.k. was founded, all the jim crow laws, these are democrat policies. as long as they keep us down, the people of color, as long as they keep us down with giving us free money to vote for them, things will never change. we'll always be their slaves. thank you. host: i want to show you the headline on the calmer's point. several fact checks as far as the democratic party and their ties to the k.k.k. i'll show you this from fact check going back to 2020. democratic party did not found the k.k.k., did not start the civil war. if you want to check out that, do it for yourself. this is from "the new york times" this morning. greece making same-sex marriage legal. they legalized same-sex marriage and equal parental rights for

same-sex couples thursday. drawn vehement opposition from the country's powerful orthodox church. that's it for our program today. like we told you, just in a few minutes from now the fulton county district attorney, fani willis, who started testimony yesterday in her defense when it comes to her relationships and ultimately the larger issue of her management of the case against donald trump in georgia set to make testimony today, a second day. we'll follow along as it plays out. we'll take you to that hearing just about to start. [captions copyright national cable satellite corp. 2024] [captioning performed by the national captioning institute, which is responsible for its caption content and accuracy visit ncicap.org] >> your honor, we waive -- >> mr. roman.