television providers, giving you a front row seat to democracy. >> coming up on "washington journal,"our calls and comments live. then tom hall discusses the start of hunter biden's■w gun triaon federal charges related to his 2018 gun purchase. and nicholas wu talks about the week ahead in the congress. retired d.c. superior court judge gregoryize answers questions about the u.s. legal system overall and in lady trump hush money case. "washington journal" is next. ♪ host: good morning. it's monday, june 3, 2024. the house returns from the memorial day recess at noon eastern. the senate is back at 3:00 p.m. we're with you for the next three hours on the "washington journal." we begin with the trial of

president joe biden's son, hunter biden. he'll be in court today in delaware facing gun charges. it's the first time the child of a sitting president has faced a felony trial and is being closely watched ahead of the 2024 election. this morning, we want to hear your thoughts on the v. robert . phone lines are split. republicans, 202-748-8001. democrats, 202-748-8000. independents, 202-748-8002. you can also send us a text. that number, 202-748-8003. if you do, please include your name and where you're from. otherwise, catch up with us on social media at x, on facebook. another week, another high-profile trial to draw our attention. this is the headline from reuters, hunter biden criminal trial begins in the aftermath of

the trump conviction. tom hols is a reporter on that story, and he's in delaware today to cover that trial, joining us via phone. tom hals, good morning to you. tom hals, you with us this morning? we'll work on getting tom hals on the phone with you, but we're hearing from you, our viewers, this morning to chat about the trial, to get your reaction. again, 202-748-8001 for republicans. democrats, 202-748-8000. independents, 202-748-8002. already some reaction even before our program began this morning. and this is not sheila from facebook writing i he wasn't president, he's not running for president, he will never run for president, and he's a private citizen who happens to be an adult son of a president, and this is not my concern. another comment this morning from greg saying no one is above the law, maybe hunter and donald

can share a cell. one more from aldrich hall saying he will get off on all charges. that's what we're looking for this morning, your reaction to this trial, your thoughts on it. we're going to try tom hals again from reuters. he's outside the courthouse covering this story. we're getting him on the phone. guest: i'm here. can you hear me? host: thank you. glad to have you. i know you're in line waiting to cover this trial this morning. if you could, catch our viewers up on how we got here and what these charges are about. guest: hunter biden is charged with two overlapping charges related to his background form in which he checked the box for no, next to whether he was an unlawful user of a controlled substance when he bought his handgun. he bought a gun in 2018. he bought a .38 special in wilmington. he said on the form he was not an unlawful user of illegal

drugs. then he's also charged separately with possessing that gun illegally. he only had the gun for 11 days. his brother, beau, beau's wife had taken the gun and thrown it away. since then, you know, there was a long investigation of hunter biden, and eventually these are the charges that came out of a. he's also separately charged with a tax crime in los angeles. that's a separate trial. it nothing to do with burisma or anything like that. and they're going to try to prove a trial over the next week or two that he was an unlawful user, knowing an unlawful user of drugs, and lied on his background form. and he faces 25 years in prison. host: what has hunter biden's defense attorney said about this case and what sort of evidence are they expected to be confronted with? guest: they've tried to frame this as politics.

they've tried to, you know, truy saying this is donald trump and republicans bringing pressure on the u.s. special counsel to bring the charges. last summer, there was a plea deal in which hunter biden was going to plea to misdemeanor tax crime, and he was going to avoid punishment for the gun crime at a hearing last summer. that fell apart when the judge in this case questioned if the plea deal was too broad, was offering hunter biden way too much immunity for what he was actually alleged to have done. after that, it was put on track to trial as the only way to resolve this. biden's legal team has also raised the chances that he may not have realized he was a drug addict or user at the time he bought the gun. he may he as rehabilitated.

he had come through a rehabilitation program shortly before he bought the gun. then he also made the argument that, you know, he wasn't actually using drugs the day he bought the gun. i think it was another aspect that they kicked around. they also raised questions about some of the evidence that's been put on the record by the prosecutors. there's kind of one infamous instance where the prosecutors entered an exhibit a picture of what hunter biden's legal team said they thought of, especially when it comes to key contain. we'll see thousand■a goes. host: during the trump trial, there was a parade of high-profile witnesses. who's expected to be on the stand, and is hunter biden expected to take the stand in this trial? guest: yeah, i think any good defense lawyer will tell you it depends on how things are going before they put their client on the stand. we'll see if hunter biden testifies. certainly his legal team has suggested he might.

but the prosecutors have said they plan to call his ex-wife during divorce proceedings in 2017 hunter biden's ex-wife complained a lot in court documents about hunter's spending money on alcohol and drugs and prostitutes. so she may take the stand. and also they may call beau biden, hunter's older brother. they may call beau biden's ex-wife. hunter■) and halley had a romanc relationship, and she was thewa. this is why she removed the gun from his car. and there may be other romantic partners taking the stand as the prosecution makes their drug usr at the time. host: also during the trump hush money trial in new york, we were able to get play-by-play action in the courtroom, even though cameras were not allowed.

reporters were able to use heir laptops and cell phones, and we sort of watched that trial in real time. how is this trial going to be covered? guest: that's a great question. i'm hoping -- i'm glad you asked that. it's a little fuzzy to me if i'm going to be able to get in the courtroom. i think i can. i think you may get some real-time coverage. if there's interest in it, it's not quite as high profile as donald trump. but yeah, we may see some of that. a lot of the press will not be able to get laptops n. i happen to be a local reporter, so hopefully i can. we'll see. host: one more question before you go, you mentioned it briefly, the tax case in california. when is that expected to go to trial? is he facing more or less serious charges in that case than these felony charges on the gun charges? guest: that is supposed to start on september 5 in los angeles federal court think is

actually fewer years in prison for that. you know, it's hard to say. these gun charges typically don't -- he's facing 25 years in prison. typically these kind of charges result in much, much shorter t.ntences, a year or even less and usually when people face these kind of gun because they charge in addition to other uses of the weapon, like violent shooting or something like that. so it's hard to compare, but i think i'm sure they're pretty concerned about both cases. host: what are you seeing around you right now as you're waiting to get in? we saw all those pictures during the trump trial in recent weeks of what it looked like in manhattan. what does it look like in wilmington where you are? the speaker pro tempore: much sleepier town. -- guest: much sleepier town. there's a lot of patriots. there's dozens and dozens and dozens of reporters waiting to get in. a lot of crews waiting this

morning. i'm sure if any of your viewers put on any of the news channels this morning, they will see thee standing out front, speaking before the cou introducing the case. guest: tomfor the live update this morning. to cover his work, it's at reuters.com. thanks so much. guest: thanks a lot. take care. bye. host: we're taking your phone calls in this first hour of the "washington journal" today about this case, how much are you paying attention to it, your thoughts on the charges that the president's son is facing. the first child of a sitting president faced a felony trial, that's what we're talking about on phone lines, split by political party. republicans, 202-748-8001. democrats, 202-748-8000. independents, 202-748-8002. mark in milwaukee, democrat, you're up first this morning.

good. caller: yeah, good morning. i think that it's right that he's following the legal system, but it's kind of hypocritical that i thought this was resolved before and he was going to make a plea deal. until the republicans got involved. what's the difference between that and trump? i think it's clearly more towards hunter biden having a political trial versus trump's trial. that's basically what i have to say. host: you went out there for a trial, versus trump's trial? you think that was not a political trial, as you would define don't. i think for trump's trial, it's been in the going for a long time. and for hunter biden's trial, they thought it was wrapped up until it got politically involved. it just seems that everything, if it's weaponization of the

political system of the d.o.j., of the f.b.i., of the police, how come it's always one-sided to the republicans? it's the same thing with the voting. how come the election was rigged for trump, but all the other republican candidates were able to get in? it doesn't make any sense. host: that's mark in milwaukee. this is rich, illinois, independent, good morning. caller: thank you for taking my call. last gentleman that was talking said about where this politicizing, these are legal cases. these people are not charged in politics where they can be censured or the senate or the house can take action. e are criminal cases these people are facing. and hunter biden is the son of a

president. it's unfortunate, but that's the way it is. donald trump was little president. it's unfortunate. that's the way it is. these men committed crimes, and they're being charged with them. and i don't understand why anybody would think that these are just because they don't like the guy. to me, that's not what this is about. these are crimes that they're charged with. and they have a trial by their peers. they presented the evidence. this is what happens. host: rich, do hunter biden's alleged crimes, and if he's convicted, if those convictions, does that matter for joe biden running for president? caller: again, it's unfortunate these people have sensitive information we don't want disclosed. i can understand when you're

looking at should a consideration. we don't want the sensitive information to be used as a bargaining this is unfortunate that people of these calibers are in our system of government at such high levels. to me, it's unfortunate, but it's system, and we need to address these issues. people are denfranchised with the government, because they say, oh, everybody's doing it. this is everybody is a crook, everybody is a liar, everybody is a cheat. well, some people aren't. but it's all being generalized that way. and it's not so. and we need to be accountable for it. host: go ahead, for your

comment. caller: and that's what this process is all about, accountability. you violate e law -- you know, if i invite the law, you violate the law, we should be accountable, the same thing with these people. they should be accountable also. host: thanks for the call from illinois steve is out in san jose, republican line. good morning. caller: good morning. we are about to see, i predict, an example, another example of a two-tiered justice system. these trials, the tax evasion trial and the gun charge trial, are going to take place in democratic stronghold states. the first one, the gun charge, the defense is going to claim

that everything from the forms were fraudulently fraudulently filled out to he was involved in the astronaut program and on■ te moon at the time, so he couldn't have purchased that gun. my second point is, joe biden was asked in regards to pardoning his son, and he said, i say his lips move on the he would not pardon his son. and i would hope that you could pull up that video of him stating that. it's on file somewhere. and that would be another example of him lying. host: let me say this. this was hunter biden's last

year, viewers will recall, becae it happened in the morning, i think it was during the time that this program was going on, hunter biden came to capitol hill and delivered a statement about the prosecutions against him, about the congressional hearings being held against him, and he wrapped up some of what he's being charged with here. this is about a minute and a half from last year. hunter: i am first and foremost a son, a father, a brother, and a husband from a loving and supportive family. i'm proud to have earned degrees from georgetown university and yale law school. i'm proud of my legal career and business career. i'm proud of my time serving on a dozen different boards of directors. and i am proud of my efforts to support global business relationships. for six years maga republicans,

including members of the house committees who are in a closed now, have impugned my character, invaded my privacy, attacked my wife, my children, my family, and my friends. they have ridiculed my struggle with addiction. they've belittled my recovery. and they've tried to dehumanize me all to embarrass andage my father, who has devoted his entire public life to service. for six years, i've been the target of the unrelenting trump attack machine shouting where's hunter. well, here's my answer. i am here. let me state as clearly as i can. my father was not financially involved in my business, not as

a practicing lawyer, not as a board member of burisma, not in my partnership with a chinese private businessman. not in my investments at home, nor abroad, and certainly not as an artist. host: hunter biden last year on capitol hill speaking to some of the charges he was facing from members of congress in those investigations. ial for is gun charges, illegal possession of a handgun. he's also facing tax charges out in california. the jury selection begins today in wilmington on those gun charges. you can see the scene there outside of thejw courthouse. jury selection, and then, of course, the trial itself, we don't know if hunter biden will take the stand. a viewer just a minute ago was talking about what joe biden has said about pardoning his son, if he's convicted of some crimes in

his ongoing legal battle. "the hill" newspaper, this is from december of last year, wrapping up one of the most recent times that the whouse wa. white house reiterating president biden's pledge that he would not pardon his son, hunter biden, if he's convicted amid an ongoing legal battle. white house press secretary said that the president has not changed his mind on the statement in the wake of tax crime charges brought against the younger biden in california when reporters asked about it. nothing has changed, she said back in■er december, this is stl the case. that's the latest story on that. there probably will be more questions on that topic as this back to your phone calls, asking you your thoughts on the hunter biden trial. this is kim in delaware, democrat, good morning. caller: hey, good morning, thank you for taking my call. i just wanted to say

this guy on the call before me is talking about he's president's lips moving on the tv. that's an interesting statement. i think that hunter biden probably got a lot of reasons to want to carry a weapon of some type. if i had all these crazy people constantly up my butt while i was just trying to mind my business and smoke rocks in hotel room with a pokemon plush -- host: got your point. this is from north carolina, willie, good morning. caller: i'm from the other belief that hunter biden, donald trump, joe biden, mike pence all should be held to the very, very same standard. yes, joe biden had documents from the senate. he should have been charged. it doesn't matter what his intent was. he had them. he took them. he wasn't supposed to. mike pence took them, wasn't

su to. donald trump took them, wasn't supposed to. hunter biden, bought gunned that he wasn'ted to have. he's on drugs throughout. lied, lied, lied. there cannot be a double standard. you cannot be the only thing that all these people that we're speaking of have in common is that they're rich. they're all rich white men. and ultimately it doesn't matter what party, it doesn't matter what philosophy, they're going to get a different treatment. if this was any other young man from a normal or underclass family with all these charges floating, it's no way he'd be walking out on bail able to fly around and get press conferences. he'd number jail awaiting charges. you and i know that. at the end of the day, the system is, i won't s rigged, i'll just say that it's corrupt, and i won't even say intentionally corrupt at this point. i politics and the

legal system are so, so in bed, so intertwined that this thing we call justice, somebody just walked up on the statue of liberty and knocked mother liberty's head, knocked her neck sideways. that's the reality of the times that we're living in. that's all i have to say, thank you. host: will knee hope mills, north carolina. coming back to the specific charges that hunter biden is facing, these gun charges. in today's "washington times," they delve into this and offers some statistics. hunter biden is being prosecuted under a section of law that makes it illegal for a drug user to purchase or possess a firearm. he's charged with possession of the weapon and with lying on the background check when he denied being a user of unlawful drugs. the same section of the law also bars convicted felons, most illegal immigrants, dishonorably discharged veterans, fugitives, those with mental illnesses, and

several other categories from obtaining a gun. they note prosecutions of felons are the most common charge of the law, according to the u.s. sentencing division. drug use was a distant second at 5.3%. that works out to about 440 drug users for sentence for possession of a firearm. again, this is in the year 2021. illegal immigrants and temporary visa holders were third when it comes to prosecutions under this statute, this law, 2.9% of cases. that, again, is from "the washington times" today. this is donald in missouri, republican. good morning. caller: can you hear me? host: i can, donald. caller: hey, that last man that spoke -- we only have choices

for president. there's overwhelming white people in america. contribute -- host: donald, you're going in and out. we'll try to get that line in o, good morning. caller: hi, this is kevin. i'm really amazed that this even merits any news time. it seems that the big concern of hunter biden and his involvement with his father to this. we all have -- well, many of us have children. many of our children have problems. the legal system exists, and these issues are being addressed as they should be. but this really has no bearing on national politics, except for the alarm that the republican party feels the need to have over this issue. it's just disturbing that we're

spending our time on this. and, you know, the whole cavalcade of entertainment that we now see in national politics is in itself disturbing. and i really wish we could get back to addressing real issues that our country has in solving them through a meaningful legislature, which is not tied up through partisan bickering. it's very sad for me. i'm very proud to be an american. i'm proud of this country. i wouldn't say this country has done everything great, but it's a great place to live. get overs issue that we have in politics and move on to meaningful legislature and executive branch. host: before you go, give me one or two of those issues you would like to see addressed. what should congress be addressing? caller: in terms of making this a better country, it's been

proven that subsidized education and subsidized healthcare undeniably gain benefits. people are less frequently sick. they're treated before illness gets bad. people are sufficiently educated so they contrute to the best to our country. these are two things. the border cris i think has been blown up to be more than it needs to be again t party. but that does also need to be addressed. host: that's kevin in ohio. this is a call from flint, michigan, good morning. caller: hi, i just want to say that it's pretty weird alvin bragg was going after donald trump and then the case was droppe and then we had a judge and his daughter that donated to joe biden. the third guy that was on the prosecuting attorney was under merrick garland.

we got to understand, there's two different sides of the law here. statue of liberty is supposed to be blindfolded. she's not blindfolded anymore. her eyes■+ are open. we all see what's going on. host: what side of the law is this hunter biden gun case? caller: what side of the law? if it was any person like you or me or your kids and we did the same thing, w walking around tg we're above the law. we would be sent behind bars until our case. host: that's tim in michigan. this is nick in florida, republican, good morning. caller: good morning. my mom raised four boys. none of us were crack addicts. none of us did drugs. none of us behaved on videotape the way hunter biden did on his

own laptop that outlets like c-span said were disinformation. when you had images of the person on the laptop, i'm not really sure how that is russian disinformation. so for joe biden and dr. jill biden, the great doctor and educator, my mom did a much better job raising four boys as opposed to two. and none of us did drugs. secondly, to the caller from ohio, it's so typical for democrats. what are the first two things that he says the country needs to do? pay for education and pay it's so typical of democrats, and this goes back to the two cases, the hunter biden case and the donald trump hoax in new york. to go out and work to their stuff.

when are people in this country going to wake up and realize, get up, get out of bed, go to work, be responsible for yourself. i am tired of having to worry about everybody else's education when 40 years ago when i went to school, nobody worried about my education. i went to school. i, unlike hunter biden, did the classes and did the work. i graduated with a 3.6gpa, a double major, major, honors, ann i got a job and i paid off my student loans. the government did not give me anything. the government loaned me money that i had to pay back a close to 10% interest, which i did, when the banks were giving about managed to save.

i am tired of hearing democrats constantly whining to say that immigration is not an issue. why don't you have that caller from ohio go and sit and face lake and riley's parents who was killed by an illegal immigrant that democrats like him lead in this country. the death of all these people by these illega country, the bloode victims are on their hands. because that person from ohio is a democrat he does not have the guts to face anything other than call into a television program. host: that is nick in florida. you mentioned hunter biden's laptop. expecting to hear more about that. usa today wrap up a preview of the trial. jurors are likely to see plenty

of evidence of the defendants cocaine use. the justice department special counsel has pulled volumes of evidence beau biden's drug use from his memoir and his book and his icloud computer backup. ■exhibits include a message from october 13, 2018, where biden allegedly writes he is waiting for a drug dealer named moookie, and in which he describes himself as sleeping on a car smoking crack. the questions of his sobriety may come down to his state of mind on the day he bought the gun. his lawyers say he never loaded or use the weapons. biden's then girlfriend took the gun and loaded it in a car outside of a convenience store and he writes in his memoir "it is impossible to get well know matter what the therapy unless you commit to it absolutely."

he says "by this point in my life i have written a book on half measures." more from that book and from hunter biden's laptop expected in the days to come in this trial. we are asking you about the hunter biden gun trial. phone lines split by political party. phone lines for republicans and democrats are on your screen as we hear from teresa in missouri. democrat. caller: good morning. how are you? what do think about this trial? i do not care about joe biden son. hunter biden has nothing to do with my vote. he is the typical drug user. he bought a gun, he smoked crack.

he is not above or beyond doing what half of the country is doing. i did not care about joe biden. i mean i do not care about hunter i do care about is the person who is going to be running this country. that is who i care about. donald trump is going to be running this country he will not get my vote. thank you. host: to asheville, north carolina. this is alan, independent is elt , good morning. caller: i feel like the only reason the republicans want to go after hunter's because they have nothing on president biden. they had nothing on hillary when they tried for years and years to go after her for emails. something they cannot even find anything on there.

they still went afterthey never. they are still not giving up. they spread so many falsehoods with these stories and then people follow them and believe these things and they ignore the truth. host: p talk about republicans going after hunter biden but this case was brought by david weiss, who works as a special counsel in joe biden's justice department. caller: that is true. after years of them trying to go after him he did that just to seem like he was balancing it out. i feel like that would not be an issue if they had not tried to go for years after him. there are some innate who break they have so much on trump. the contrast between what they have on trump and what they have

on hunter biden is ridiculous. what they have on trump we have proof for. maybe hunter biden did do this but it has nothing to do with our politics. we are not getting anything done because they refused to do anything. all they want to do is this and it is driving me crazy when we have so many problems like climate change. big problems we need to fix. we do not need to be talking about this. we really don't. by talking about this we empower them and we should not be doing that. host: that is ellen in north carolina. you talk about the kinds of cases brought. makes somewhat oe point onsad for the man's ongoig struggles but there are too many weapons on the street without allowing people to obtain them illegally. it would be interesting to see what percentage of people who commit this crime are brought to

court. me go back to today's washington times who looked into more statistics on that in his story on this trial. he writes "government statistics show thatust 1.8% of gun crime prosecutions from the years 2008 to 2017 were for unlawful drug abusers in possession of a firearm. given more than 132,000 prosecutions, that works out to more than 2000 cases. mr. biden's attorneys have said there are fewer than 1000 cases into lying about firearms on background check forms." dave is in california. republic. good morning. caller: i have some things toisp verdict was fast and this is coming right after? is that a coincidence or not? i would like to know when he

bought the gun. that ithe law. what was he going to do with the gun? they say the gun was found in the car. you cannot find the gun in the car that you buy in the car like that. what is the law and was he treated like everybody else is supposed to be treated? he is a lawyer. he is supposed to know what he is doing. host: what is your point on the timing of the cases. one was a new york state case brought the other is a federal a federal court. i still don't understand what point you were trying to make on the timing? caller: my point is it was the case itself being on tv.

what is right after the other. is that a coincidence right after the trump verdict? everyone thought the trump verdict would take a few days. this happens -- everything is happening in place. my point is that coincidence or no coincidence. host: how these played out in two court systems is how we got the timing? caller: somebody pushed the verdict so this could go on after trump's verdict. you see what i'm saying? host: this is brian in lincoln, nebraska. democrat. caller: at the time of the plea bargain conservative movement media said there was black rappertd who did the same things hunter and he got locked up.

he lied on a firearms application form. i looked up who the might be. he had a rap sheet going back to being a juvenile, rape, drug trafficking. even after president donald trump pardoned him he got arrested again for drug trafficking. the hunter biden laptop, matt ta ibi admitted in testimonyn it hn altered. while it might show white powder in the possession of hunter biden there is not much they could take into the court of law to prove anything beyond that. host: that is brian in nebraska. this is jeff in michigan. caller: good morning. i am trying not to take sides, but the most important part

about the united states of america is the word united. we have differences. our enemies, the whole world is laughing at us because worry about -- we are worried about this garbage. i am trying to keep it clean. they are laughing at us. please, america, be aware. sidetracked with the next netflix feature going on. the entertainment. fellow independents, are you better off under biden war were you better off under trump? two bad choices. i am an old white man. host: who were you better off under? caller: trump.

host: in what ways. caller: he was so mean and nasty. ■i am on the bottom. top 20%, top 40%, i'm not a statistician. you get the idea. if you are on the top moneywise, you are born into it or you made some smart moves, that is called capitalism. i am happy for you. come on. the world is laughing at us. while we are all busy -- i like c-span because■á i'm not listeng to all of the other talking heads telling us what to think. we are hearing -- i am just john q citizen. wake up, america. please wake up. the world is laughing at us.

our enemies are watching us self-destruct. host: jeff in michigan. about 15 minutes left of this first segment, spending the first hour talking about the hunter biden gun trial that starts today. jury selection today. this case movi forward this week, another week, and high-profile trial to watch along with the other wrap ups you have seen. this is the washington post, asking their series of questions about the trial. "will president biden attend the trial of his son?" .8they write on monday "the president will be in wilmington delaware with no public appearances scheduled but he is givencation that he will be out the federal courthouse, a possibility that would require considerable security or arrangements. he is scheduled to travel to greenwich, connecticut before returning to the white houseép.

on tuesday the president will travel to france in commemoration of the 80th anniversary of the allied landing in normandy. he will return to the united states on june 9 and italy for e g7 summit." on june 6, on the 80th anniversary of d-day, we will spend all three hours on the washington journal talking about d-day and we will be showing you speeches from the past and the president today of joe biden speaking in normandy. expected to speak around 6:30 east coast time. we will be ri hope you watch c-e 6. back your phone calls. this is conrad in pennsyania. republican. caller: good morning.

i want to make a comment about joe biden's son. it was not smoking crack or whatever he was doing he could have rolled down to the southern market to get a gun no questions asked. all of that falsified paper about he was done on drugson ong follow the law. when you go in the southern states, you can buy nine or 10 guns no questions asked as long as you have the money. two is the bottom line with donald trump. i cannot figure this out. i am a republican. you really think the democrats are that smart that they put all of the republicans in office and did not put him in office? please somebodmake a comment on that because we have all of these know it all republicans. host: that is conrad in

pennsylvania. this is james in ohio. caller: in akron, ohio i know two friends that purchased a gun under disability. one of them the wife turned him in for not supporting. one of them only paid a fine, the other paid the fine and got probation. the top 10 states in the country per capita with gun violence and murder are red states. if you look at the statistics, someone called about people giving things up. those same 10 states are leaving the country -- are leading the country in food stamps and the states are all l■:eadingcountrye federal government. these red people call in and complain what is happening in the blue states.

they better do a little homework and background check on the states they are representing. thank you. host: this is paul in iowa. independent. good morning. caller: i would like to make a comment fact they say no one is above the law. i'm here basically to say that plenty of politicians and other folks that are above the law. trump will never go to jail. biden will not spend a day in jail. his son will not spend a day in jail. mayorkas was impeached, which i thought was a big waste of

he is not going to spend a day in jail. i am saying, watch all these trials turn out. even if ey are convicted, there are appeals, they have the money to keep it going forever. they will not spend any time in jail. that is all i've got right now for you. host: joe in baltimore. republican. you are next. are you with us? caller: i am calling to make a few comments. biden- hunter biden purchased a illegally -- the other caller said he could have purchased a gun all he wanted. he did not do that. he has a mistake on his part. the same thing with trump. look at the government we have,

look all the things they had done. to me hypocritical is hypocritical. bealzebub cannot take out bealzebub. we have people going through the border and cannot say who it is. let's go to the real deal. look at what is happening in ukraine, look at israel. biden says it might be some of the bombs he gave them. some of them. to me -- host: that is joe in baltimore. coming back to the hunter biden trial as usa today points out this trial may come down to the definition of when one is addicted. this is what they write.

"biden is charged with violating a statute written the present tense. it is illegal for anyone w is an awful awful -- who is an unlawful user of or addicted to narcotics in possession of a gun. biden refers to himself as an addict in recovery. it was october 12 when he purges a cult 38 special revolver and checked no on the federal gun form thaasked are you an unlawful user of or addicted to marijuana or any depressant, stimulant, narcotic drug, or any other controlled substance. as you are watching this case, watch for that coverage of the definition and meaning of when one is addicted. this is darnell in philadelphia. democrat. good morning. caller: america investigated bill clinton for seven years to catch him in a sex lie and

ultimately that impacted the gore election and the hillary election. i am saying, didn't we make a wrong turn when we started investigating people's sex lives ? the republicans benefited from those elections. this is going to be a spiral downward and it started with catching bill clinton in a lie. was it worth that america? that is my statement. host: youngstown, ohio. lori. good morning. caller: i have a few comments regarding this hunter biden trial. i do not support either party. watching c-span and "washington journal" every morning i don't know how people cannot just keep

choosing t may 13 b. ridiculous. they are all corrupt. there is not one that isn't. it was trump team blue would be cheery get on, now that it is biden they are cheering this on. it is the most ridiculous thing. if you just watch. i don't know how you hosts can stand it to see that everyone is being duped. you are being duped. if anybody is being persecuted it is julian assange, who all he did was report the truth about war crimes and he is rotting away in a prison in the u.k. wake up. you are being duped. get real. host: blood to somebody like you do on election day this year? -- what does somebody like you

do on election day? caller: i will sit home because since 2016 when bernie sanders was robbed of the primary -- and i was a longtime democrat. i was duped by the duopoly. they are both corrupt. i've voted in the primary for bernie sanders. since 2016 i have not voted and i dropped out. i am done. i will not be complicit in this corruption. i cannot. everything that is going on? no. i cannot do it anymore. thanks f day. host: chula vista, california. republican. caller: i am calling because i cannot believe the hypocrisy from the democrats. it is outrageous.

i remember so many of them calling in about jared kushner and trump's daughter, the money they made. they were so selectively outraged. what they were doing for trump and on and on.now hunter biden,a long and extensive history of drug abuse and getting away with crimes because of who his daddy is. we still do not know who has the cocaine in the white house. nobody seems to care. s kids it would be all over the front page. we were lied to. i agree with that last caller to a degree. there scorruption. it is just astounding how so many democrats close their eyes when it is their side but they

have a magnifying glass when it comes to trump. my mother always told me the apple does not fall far from the tree. one thing nobody can say about trump's kids is they have come anywhere close to the depraved son of joe biden. even hillary clinton said of trump's kids are stellar. i look at it from that perspective. if trump can raise such fabulous kids he cannot be all that bad. look at joe biden? what did he say about his son? he is the smartest person i've ever known. who goes into business with a crackhead? his father. host: you talk about the cocaine incident at the white house from july of last year, coming up on about a one year anniversary. a long official statement from the secret service about a week after the substance was found. it was found july 2.

this is 11 days later from the secret service. it is a long statement. let me give you the last paragraphs. "there is no surveillance video footage found that provided investigative leads or any other means for investigators to identify who may have deposited th without physical evidence the administration will not be was a go a person's interest from the hundreds of individuals who passed to the vestibule where was found. the secret service investigation is closed due to lack of evidence. they go into the lab testing that went into it as well. that is the crux of it from the secret service statement from about 11 months ago. this is carrie in maryland, democrat. good morning. i've been listening to c-span for quite a while. today i feel sorry for hunter bideni have agreed with about te

men who have been on previous calls. one guy said he went to school, his parents paid,hich is true. every one of these people yelling about democrats, we work hard, we go to school. my family has not want to but three. i have three degrees. i do not know what you people learn inchool, but president roosevelt is the one who started welfare. he did not start welfare for brown or black people. he started welfare for the people in the appalachian mountains, which is west virginia. people now are still on welfare. most of them are caucasians. the only difference is is they

are put in townhouses and they e you cannot see they are on welfare. host: for the hunter biden trial because we are running out of time. caller: i will get there. ith the people who have called in today. for me personally, the government should invest all the money they are investing in hunter biden's trial on these children killing each other with guns. nine-year-olds. no matter what culture you are from. that is where the concern should be. hunter biden has a family. they can take care of him. ■uwe need to take care of all of these people running around with guns from all cultures. especially nine-year-old kids.

that is where the concern should be. we should not be worried about hunter biden or trump. host: michigan, independent, go ahead. caller: this is why i am an independent. in my lifetime i have voted as many times democrat as republican but i would never vote democrat again. these people that come on here and try to defend hunter biden, there is physical proof on that laptop that he had a gun and he had drugs. it is against the law. last week all of these democrats that called in were cheering because president trump was going through hell. now that she was on the other foot. now they will call in and they will defend hunter ben with everything they have got. there was innuendo and hearsay about president trump. it was a clerical error that was

made and he was convicted on 34 counts. this week we have hunter biden, physical proof of him having cocaine and having a gun. you democrats call in and you want to defend the indefensible. it is ridiculous. gorge in michigan. r last caller in this first seen plenty more to talk about today. up next, we will talk with politico congressional reporter nicholas wu about the week ahead in washington. house and senate are back today. r, retired d.c. superior court judge and georgetown law professor gregory mize will answer your questions about the u.s. legal system and the role of the judiciary. we will be right back. ♪>> 2 million sons from 15

countries jumped into flak field skies and met death on an even playing. >> sons of democracy mounted their own attacks at that exact moment, on these beaches, the forces of freedom turned the

tide of the 20th century. >> the road was hard and long and traveled by valiant men. history will always record where the road began. it began here with the first footprints on the beaches of normandy. >> more than 150,000 souls set off towards this tiny sliver of sand upon which hung more than war. rather the course of human history. >> today we remember those who fell and we honor all who fought right here in normandy. >> watch special coverage of the 80th anniversary of d-day thursday, june 6, featuring a speech by president biden from

normandy, france. >> if you ever miss any of c-span's coverage find it online at c-span.org. videos of hearings, debates, and other events featured markers that guide you to newsworthy highlights. these markers appear on the right-hand side of yo screen when you hit play on select videos. this makes it easy to quickly get an idea of what was debated and decided in washington. scroll through and spend a few minutes on c-span's points of interest. >> "washington journal" continues. host: on mondays when congress is in session we like to take some time to look ahead at the week in washington. joining us is nicholas wu. we are watching for, lawmakers returned to lights and camera of capitol hill in the wake of those guilty verdicts in the

trump hush money trial. what i am going to be watching for his help of parties capitalize on the conviction last week. we have seen republicans try to hit democrats on it and fire up their base. we saw a republican fund raising arms break some of the records. ■xmeanwhile, the interesting dynamic to see is democrats in red states like sherrod brown of ohio and jon tester of montana, i have shied away about talking about this. trump is fairly popular. the other hand of the house democratic campaign has been finding ways to hitch vulnerable republicans to trump saying they support a valid. host: jim jordan talked about this in a hearing. matthew costello, one of the

senior cancels in that case testified. e know about that hearing and will there be more than one hearing? guest: you know they have been asked to testify. the question is whether or not they would appear for such a hearing given that in many ways this is still a live criminal investigation and prosecutors are generally loath to discuss any of this in public. this could lead to a protracted fight between the das office and house republicans. host: shifting away from the guilty verdict. friday we heard joe manchin was filing independent. he said he is stepping away from the united states senate. what do we learn about joe manchin filing is an independent? guest: joe manchin always likes to keep his name in the mix. kept open his options of you wants to pursue senator.

that can always change. senator manchin is someone who has a profile to make another state when one. host: why is it easier to be an independent candidate in the senate and the house? guest: the interesting thing th independents in the senate right now is that many of them like senator angus king or bernie sanders caucus with democrats and this allows them to have powerful positions leading committees and building seniority come in if they are not part of the formal party. for me manchin, he can maintain his senate chairmanship. he just does not have to have a d next to his name. host: the house is backon and the senate returns at 3:00

in the wake of a memorial day week long holay recess. what is the legislative agenda as we enter the summertime ahead of an election year? guest: we are an interesting point for congress. they have punted all their legislative deadlines until september. this week and the coming weeks we are likely to see some mix of messaging bills to try to hit the opposing pty. as well as attempt to push forward with appropriation legislation, at least in the house. the attorney general be on capitol hill on tuesday. they want to hear from him about -- guest: this is a regular

oversight hearing for the house judiciary committee. in the aftermath of the verdict, even though that was state, at the local level prosecution, this is still something republicans will bring up in the context of having on capitol hi. host: there are always hearings to choose from. this is one will be covering from on c-span. it is just after 8:00 and it is monday. we are talking about the week ahead in washington, asking what you want to hear about, what stories you want to focus on. phone lines are open. republicans (202) 748-8001. independents (202) 748-8002. democrats (202) 748-8000. call for nicholas wu of

politico. other hearings are watching for. guest: one thing i am hoping to hear rules committees as republicans try to tee up legislation on appropriations and potentially sanctioning the icc for trying to prosecute israeli leaders -- the rules committee is normally and under the radar committee, but given their slimpen within the republican conference before they make it to the house floor. we have concerns on the business committee that they have concerns. host: were conservatives they should be watching for as they try to parse what you are talking about. help us get a better ■mvi longtl

committee is where some of the mac happens, and very late at night. one person to watch might be a conservative like chip roy or thomas matthew who sit on that panel and often make the concernsf the conservative bloc of the house. the republican party heard before we see things develop on the house floor. if those guys have the ability to block all indication. host: where are we on fiscal 2025 appropriations and is congress on track to complete its work before october? guest: on paper they are. house republicans have laid out a schedule where they want to do their appropriations bill over the coming month. this week we will see the beginning of that process at they start tmove military

constructions and veterans affairs -- the question for republicans in congress will be whether they allow the policy writers that could derail the entire appropriations process. we saw this last time they tried to appropriations bills. there were versions that could have affected the proportion pills -- host: who puts in policy writers that is what happens with the appropriations committee. that happens with republicans in control of their conference and the democrats control of their conference as more policy provisions beyond the straight.

st i will let you chat with a few callers. tony is in■d9 maryland, indepent caller: hello. host: what is your question or comment? caller: my comment is if mr. hunter biden cared about his father or himself he would go ahead and plead and take the consequences if there are any. to put the country through this over his personal activitie. i understand the president is an older gentleman. he should take that into account. that is my comment. host: how much are you going to be talk about hunter biden thi s with the trial this weehunter be

democrats loath to talk about because it is a sensitive issue and -- ■.we see a separation in the way the democrats want as president and his son's legal woes. host: dayton, ohio. this is ronald. caller: they're talking about hunter biden and al hunter biden has nothing to do with running for the country. nnected the president with him. i like talking about the president interrupting the border build -- it would help eliminate illegal immigrants --

[indiscernible] host: that is ronald in ohio on immigration and border issues. anything you are watching this week? guest: one thing i am watching for all reports president biden could rollout an executive order on immigration that would clamp down asylum as soon as this week. this has rumored to be in the pipeline for quite some time -- part of what we see is the biden's administration's pivot to the center. guest: -- host: we mentioned the merrick garland hero tomorrow. the federal government hearing, jim jordan and the judiciary committee want to galvan bright to -- anthony found she expected to be back on capital today.

guest: this is the kind of hearing that is unlikely to yield a lot in theit is somethil see a lot of the partisan out as republicans try to figure out ways to attack dr. fauci for his handling of the pandemic and quite a few members of congress are trying to get there moment in the spotlight in these hearings. host: is coming at a time anthony found putting out a new book on his experience with the code response and his years as

the head of infectious disease response. he named the book "on call coming out this month. republican, good morning. caller: i want to point out that no riots have happened over the trump decision. that is very important. i would like to know why narratives never seem to get clarified. good people on both sides, don't shoot.■lwould like to say. i would like clarity on what the underlying crime was. what was the prime? -- what was the crime? caller: are you talking about the jury decision in the trump case?

it had to be unanimous. caller: the judge gave them a crazy decision to make and they did not have to all agree, which i've never heard of in my life. that is the crime that made the first prime real. the first crime was not real. we all know that. that second crime was more. guest: anything you want to pick up -- host: anything you want to pick up on? guest: they what our caller was speaking to illustrates a lot of the hazy nature many on the right see with the trump trial last week from the conviction handed down. as we noted the jury decision was unanimous. host: a story of you from politico. democrats may not want to talk a

lot about donald trump on the campaign trail. guest: one thing my colleagues and i reported is how democrats running statewide, those in red states did not have to talk that much of action. 7mred state senators running in states were trump won fairly heavily gordon -- trump won by heavy margins in the last elections and they are to put themselves -- as they run for reelection. those guys do not want to talk about it. the interesting thing is at a smaller scale, candidates in swing seats, those running for house races are trying to find other ways to capitalize on the trump commission. sue altman, as a democrat running in the only competitive seat in new jersey.

not long after the commission came out she tried to hitch her opponent to trump and saying he supported someone who is not convicted himself. host: another democrat running for reelection. henry cuellar. what is the latest with the congressman from texas facing his own investigation from the house ethics committee. guest: congressman henry cuellar, now he will finally know who his general election opponent is. last week there was a runoff election on the republican side. but we are watching in that race is see whether national republicans taking issue -- --

given the mix of circumstances that are happening and political vulnerability, republicans now have unique unit -- this did not make the seat more competitive. host: what of those districts on the u.s.-mexico border. guest: this is one of the districts on the border were republicans have tried to flip seats as they try to drive home a broader narrative about hispanics shifting to his party. caller: this is craig, democrat, good morning. host: what is your question or comment. caller: i think that the second amendment would protect hunter biden's right to have a firearm. as of that with whole subject is about? host: what he is being charged

with is violating a law that makes it illegally for somebody who is addicted to narcotics to own a firearm. caller: ic. host: and lying about that addiction on forms when he was applying to own this firearm. caller: ok. that is another subject. host: does that change your view on the case? caller: yes. he should not have had the gun i suppose. host: greg in alabama. this is dd in massachusetts. caller: good morning to everyone . i wanted to follow up on the gentleman that call before the last gentleman, the republican who asked what was the underlying crime that allow them to resurrect two misdemeanors and turn them into election fraud felony. we still have no idea what that was.

the jenna men was correct in saying that they were offered for that crime, they do not have to be unanimous and which of the three crimes. he laid them out specifically, a federal election crime, a tax keeping -- which of those things they found he was guilty of in order to magically promote two expired misdemeanors into felony and a four brother -- let's be honest and talk in reality. our country is at stake and i will leave it at that. thank you for what you do. i appreciate that. host: rich is in north carolina.

republican. good morning. caller: i want to talk about when your guest said the vote was unanimous. we john know if it was unanimous or not. the judge, we do not know -- we do not know if it was unanimous or notwe do not know the crime y voted on, if all of them voted on the same. they do choice of crimes. had a choice of crimes. if they all voted -- host:hat is your view on how much attention this will get on capitol hill? how muchis on capitol hill? caller: probably not much other

than to say it was a sham. nobody is pointing this out. the jurors did not have to be unanimous. host: that is rich in north carolina. about five minutes lefthwhat h'l be looking into this week? guest: i will also be watching for■c how members of congress observe the anniversary of d-day coming up this week. part of the reason why this is a short meeting we can congress, house just in session monday through -- a somber moment in our nations history and some lady keep an eye on. host: window president biden

will speak in normandy on d-day. as their congressional delegation? guest: there is generally a congressional delegation that goes along. leaders in both party. it was former speaker nancy pelosi who requested for speaker johnson for the session to allow members to go to the configuration. host: a question from social media saying what table benjamin netanyahu show up to speak before congress? guest: that is a great question. last week all four leaders of congress in both chambers come the senate and the house officially signed off on a leader to invite benjamin netanyahu to speak. he said he would agree. we we have not seen as when he speak to congress. when we -- when he does we know

this will set off a lot of fireworks. democrats have been critical late they're likely to be quite a few democrats that boycott the speech. host: dennis out of north carolina. you are next. what is your question or comment? caller: i would like to comment on the hunter biden case. hunter biden is a private citizen and the only way he is getting this publicity is because the republicans want to know other private citizen -- no one else would get this publicity if it was not the president son. secondly, the judge indeed made

donations to the democrats and he was good enough to go to an ethics committee and asked their opinion, whether he should stay on the case. i think trump should do the same. he should go to an ethics committee and asked if he is qualified to run for president. that is my comment, thank you. host: any part of the trump trial or the hunter biden file you wanto pick up on? guest: this is the sentiment we have heard among quite a few democrats. democrats have repeatedly called the republican target of hunter biden as a way of getting at the president. we'll have to see how this trial plays out this week. watertown, tennessee. independent. ca politico going

to issue an apology? politico pushed to the notebook is russian disinformation. even greta on c-span braided -- prorated --■ berated callers to the notebook was real and how they admitted it was real. tony blinken got 50 guys to write that it is russian disinformation. the fbi, everybody, including me, i had a copy of the notebook in october before the election and people like this guy on your tv is talk about everything but that. host: are you talking about laptops? caller: the laptop. host: that is al in tennessee. how much the hunter biden laptop of figure into this trial. we are saying that the icloud messages will be a big part of

the evidence. guest: for sure. this has been a political flashpoint for quite some time. as our caller was speaking to this has been a particularly contentious piece of evidence in this trial so starting with whet existed or not. now being entered into evidence. they question from bakersfield "does mr. wu see any movement in the parties to move away from trump or biden -- most will not vote and will stay away if that is the case." guest: there is dissatisfaction in both parties with their presumptive nominees. as of now both joe biden and donald trump are very likely to be the party nominees. that wils segment of the week ahead in

washington. we will have you back ahead down the road. nicholas time. coming up in about 45 minutes, we will talk about the judiciary and the rule of law. we will be joined by gregory mize, it retiring d.c. superior court judge and now law professor at georgetown university. until then it is open forum. any public policy issue committee political issue. the phone lines are yours. screen. go ahead and start dialing in and we will get to your calls right after the break. >> tune in to c-span's live national political convention starting with the republican event in milwaukee on july 15. next up, catch the democrats as

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decor and accessories. there is something for every c-span fan and every purchase helps for our nonprofit operations. shop now or anytime at c-spanshop.org. washington journal continues. host: sometime this monday morning or are open for them, any puicicy issue, any political issue that you want to talk about now is the time to call in. (202) 748-8001 for republicans. democrats, (202) 748-8000. independent, (202) 748-8002. beginning in garfield, new jim on the line for democrats. caller: good morning. thanks for taking my call. i was thinking about this debate that is going to be taking place. they should ask the same question of both candidates and see what the answers would be.

that i think would be fair for everybody to understand what the answer would be for trump or biden. each can't hear the ansr of the other person. that is what i host: think should happen. do you think too skip to caught up in crosstalk? i believe so. when hillary was talking, and when biden was running, he was constantly interrupting everybody's answer. to make it clear for everybody, there should be a soundproof ■zbooth and they can't hear the answer of the other person so they can't copy anything or repeat the answer of that person. host: june 27 is the first debate being hosted by cnn and then september 10 is the second debate that has been agreed to, that would hosted by abc. thanks for the call, thanks for the idea.

open forum, what is on your mind? caller: i just like to remind people. i think i would much rather vote for somebody who has violated a business records thing than somebody who is taking money from foreign governments that are especially against our interests. that's all i have to say. think about it before you vote. host:higan, democrat. caller: i don't understand why mr. wu clear up some of the haziness around the trump trial. judge merchanror individually and ask them if they agree with the guilty verdict. and each to remember said yes. host: the final moment after all

34 get the account had been read. caller: yes. he asked each juror individually if they agreed with verdict. but anyway, a crime and fraud has been trump's method of operation since[n forev'ñer. in 2016 he had to pay 20 $5 million for defrauding students at trump university. 2019, the trump foundation was closed down. he had to pay $2 million to eight charities for defrauding veteranses for political purposes. part of the settlement, his children have mandatory training. to teach them what a charity is. organization had a jury of multiple charges of criminal fraud connected to a fifty-year scheme to defraud tax authorities.

2023, sexual assault, 20 six women, bragged about it publicly. a jury found trump liable for sexually abusing e.g. and carol and required him to pay $25 million. so this pathological liar could have defended himself, could have testified, but he will go outside the courtroom because he can live with impunity with no consequences. he knows he cannot lie with impunity and no consequences if he is undergrowth. that is why he didn't testify. he is such a charismatic person to even convince vladimir putin and kim jong-un that he is there buddy, why didn't he use his charm and his orator skills to convince the jury that he was innocent?

because he's a coward, because he's a pathological liar. host: independent line, catherine is in pennsylvania, independent. caller: good morning, how are you doing? unfortunately, i've spent way too much time in front of the television set watching this trial that just finished up, and it is the lowest hanging fruit of all the trials coming up for our former president. i'm really kind of sad because i read a lot still and i guess a lot of people don't read, they don't get newspapers like that used two, and they are really not keeping up with the way technology and media is being delivered to them now. i mean, i don't want to hear another i on youtube or ira reid on a channel of your choice about somebody said this. i want people to really understand that they have to

educate themselves on branches of government, how trials are run, what people with gigantic inherited wealth can do vs. people who work for a living and lies, just basic lies. you look at this person, the blob of orange makeup and you don't see that he is not looking out for you people. host: yourdo you read, you said you read newspapers. caller: i live in a furled part of pennsylvania, a very nice area but there's not a lot of newspapers around. so i had to give myself a subscription to the new york times through my computer. i read the washington post for my computer. i do read a lot of books, a lot of op-eds, but also since i was a kid i always in an avid reader

and i've always been interested in politics. and not just stuff like clinton like that. more important things like what started cutting education in 1980? reagan, they started cutting public education funding. i mean, i listen to democracy now. host: stayed with me for a washington post. you may have seen this on their website last night, the executive editor of the washington post since 2021 has stepped down according to the publisher, william lewis. he announced that late yesterday she will be replaced by the former editor-in-chief of the wall street terminal. previously the executive editor at the associated press, the first woman to lead the nearly

150-year-old washington post. i need to flip this over to give e more paragraph that i want you to respond to. the departure comes at an already tumultuous time for the washington post which lost $77 million over the past year, according to the ceo. it offered buyouts to a couple hundred staffers to help bring costs in line. as a reader, what do you think? color: it upsets me very much that journalism now has become it has to make a profit. isn't that ridiculous? these people work for the post, they were investing their own money to keep it running and they had to walk away because they had to pay the bills. everybody here in america is on the hamster wheel. they don't have time to do anything other than i've got to look out for mine. we have such a huge wage gap in

this country now and people like journalists on the post, people that are leaving, one of the big things i'm seeing is the way israel is not being represented in the■r media, except for in newspapers like the times, the government, in the administration are leaving because we've been doing things that the media, and i will put it in quotations, the media isn't covering going on in the rest of the world, like what is going on in ukraine. you don't watch it on the evening news anymore like we used to. the big three. cbs, abc, nbc. it used to be you watched the news while you ate dinner and you heard things that were not -- i don't want to say downed down, but had a little bit more actual facts in them.

objective, observable facts instead of opinions. and opinions are super important, but if you don't keep yourself educated and if you are a journalist, the only people are people like me were kind of political junkies who grew up with their parents. i grew up with my parents being very disillusioned with government, being opposed to a understanding what the military industrial complex was. : for a political junkie, i would note that the house is back in today at noon eastern, when you can watch that here on c-span. the senate is in at 3:00 p.m. eastern, you conferred watch that on c-span 2 some of the hearings we are covering include dr. anthony fauci, he will

testify about overseeing the u.s. covid response tay including pandem europe policies and research into the origins of the virus. at 10:00 a.m. easteron c-span two, and watch that hearing before the house coronavirus ic subcommittee as it is called. 11:00 a.m. eastern, a discussion on domestic manufacturing of computer chips and multibillion-dollar investments from the 2020 two chips and science act as it is known. that is taking place at the aspen institute. that coverage begins you are on c-span at 11:00 a.m. eastern, also at c-spanrg and the free video app. back to your phone calls, go ahead. caller: i've got the usual request. sometimes when the question is about money and stuff, some

people call in and you hear them say they are living on $800 or $900 a month to me, it is like a punch in the stomach. i was wondering if there is youa list of people that would accept some■ help and a list of people that would help those people. privately, nobody has to know about any of it and to where we can actually help each other. you let catherine rave on forever, and she does so much research and stuff, i know she didn't watch any of the trial because none of us did. she s but she will know what kind of snakesarty.

and my last statement is that hunter bidenasth his sister-in-law before bo's body was even cold. host: new york, democrat, good morning. morning?how real quick, a couple points. on donnie, with these felonies, i seem to see everybody stepping around it, but first of all, he's not allowed to do any of the presidential things. 40 countries won't even let him has felonies now. 40 of them. u.k., israel, there's a whole list of them online. then we also have the fact that in order to become president, your background needs to be gone through, and they have to ok you to be allowed to look at all the classified documents and things

like that. which having a felony automatically disqualifies you. i mean, they keep protecting this man over and over again, it is getting a little ridiculous. that woman -- host:passing a background check is not something that is in the constitution of requirements to be president of the united states. t whether he would be able to vote for himself and the 2024 presidential election. his presidency is in florida, his conviction is in new york. the way that works is that florida goes with voting laws of the state of or the person is convicted if their residency is florida. so in new york, you can't vote if you are actually in prison but if you are out of prison, you can therefore donald trump if you was not in prison on election day would be able to vote for himself as president.

does that help a little bit? caller: not really. how can you expect him to do his job with the international governments when he's not even allowed to go into these countries? even cuba won't let you in with a felony. i'm just a little confused how we keep allowing him$= to be evn qualified to do this. but back to the media part, the media is being bought up by all of his friends. all the rich people are buying the dia. my newspaper just got sold. everything is going downhill, we don't get the information we need from gentlemen like you. everybody needs to be able to check all different media services to get the real information. host: this is troy in georgia, independent. good morning. caller: good morning, sir. host:rning?

caller: i'm eagerly awaiting the fauci hearing today. i've been a bit puzzled. i've been following this, i'm a librarian and rand paul and fauci have been goingack and forth and rand paul has been using citations of literature or actually, he's than mentioning literaturecitation when he's acg fauci of the things he has accused him of and says that it is in published literature. i've read much of this published literature and i kind of agree with him that there is some literature out there that is disturbing, but also there's some literature, andnd why faucs raised this point. in 2018 there was a moratorium that was lifted. so anything after 2018 was not

illegal. host: this hearing today before the house coronavirus committee. so rand paul is probably going to continue to give questions along that same line. caller: yeah. if i were rand paul, first of all, if there was testing going on after 2018 it'ta legal. and rand paul has intimated that it was illegal. so the to get the timeline s what i'm saying. because this is on the public record than the (÷moratorium was lifted. i am a medical librarian. i'm not qualified to interpret a lot of this literature, i'll say that upfront. this is highly tecic

and most people don't know where to find it. all these places where you read this type of literature that is published on public, most people don't know where to find it. host: where does one find a medical library, is that something in a hospital? caller: hospitals, every college or university has any type of health science program will have a medical librarian on staff. host: are you at a university or a hospital? caller: i'm in a clinical setting. host: how did you get into becoming a medical librarian? caller: i was a health science ■tinstructor at a technical college and i just became interested in librarianship. one thing led to another and i finally landed the job. medical librarians are few and far between, but i think fauci

could use aor maybe even rand pe i don'tving a lot of literature and they are not sending it properly. i've watched this closely since the pandemic and i don't know, it just seems toe sides use the literature to bolster whatever argument they may make and it doesn't seem like the truth is really coming out. host: before you go, is it a good time in the history of this country to be a librarian? caller: i think it's an interesting time. i how the turn of ai and how all this is going to incorporate into librarianship. i think there's going to be a need for librarians. i did an interesting thing a few months ago,■[ i had to type a literature review out and i had chatgpt also did the same and it

used the same citations of literature that i used. i don't think it blended and synthesize the information. caller: it can't quite do it yet, but i think in time, library will probably be as passe as print librarianship is now. caller: good morning. i have a question i'd like to ask. how do you determine what is factual? i noticed, and i've seen■w why a democrat because in and bashes

trump, calls in every file■ nam, why do you let them get by with that, but every republican that calls in with a fact, you do your best, or not you, but all the hosts cut them of know are y republicans that works on washington journal? just one, are there any republicans that work on washington journal? host: so i don't go around asking my colleagues political affiliations. what we do try to do is create a productiveversation and name-calling not usually productive. i completely understand that legitimate criticism of whether it be joe biden or donald trump or public officials is part of

our rights as americans. we can criticize public officials. when it gets to name-calling, sometimes it just becomes a less productive conversation and people are just throwing nasty words around so sometimes we do cut that off bause i it is certainly not something we try to do on one side or the other and if we did that, it wouldn't work well for a call-in program in which we ask folks on both sides of the aisle and independents to call in. so it is it is more of an art what we do appear, and we try to do it the best we can. and i'm sorry if you think i haven't done that correctly. i'. host: i don't actively think of cutting off one side or the other. i tried to have a productive conversation and i've never done the math on who actually gets cut off or not.■< caller: but i have.

i'm an avid watcher of this show and i've been watching it ever since trump srted and i've seen people on this show bashing him and tell lies on is why reo ticked off. host: that is gina and mississippi. this is doug in fairfax, south dakota. democrat, good morning. caller: i have to admit to you again i was wrong about the vice president or whatever. all reservations, they've got her band from reservations. in the last eight years, this country has lost its way. we have all these smart politicians d look where they've gotten us. $35 trillion in debt, record inflation. proxy wars. ukraine is running out of soldiers to die over there,

letting prisoners out so they can go fight their wars. and then gaza, we are funding the genocide over there, giving them bombs to kill women and children. they are still killing them over in rafah. and biden's got chips on the bank. israel is giving everything to the right. in congress, they want -- giving them orders pretty soon. it will look like a bunny hop. i really think republicans will jump higher even though israel was based on social society. biden would be trying to jump higher but i don't think you would get much jump out of biden. host: that is doug in south

dakota. shack affords virginia, -- shacklefords, virginia, independent, good morning. caller: thanks for taking my call. first thing i would like to say is bedford, virginia. 80 years ago. host: d-day memorial? caller: yes. that should be talked about along with what is going to take place again in normandy, in france. that whole scenario should be lkedright now, the united states in the beginning of world war iii. we can see that. what we have to do as a nation is to come together. i spent 10 years in nato and two years inthis has to be united aa country. we've got to stop all the bickering between the so-called

parties. and i just hope the world understands america is looked at as a very special place. the republicans and democrats have got to stop it. we've got to get this country united. thank you, sir. host: you mentioned the bedford boys and the national d-day memorial in bedford, virginia. they are having a ceremony there as well on june 6, 11:00 a.m.. just one of many events taking place including at the national world war ii memorial. that event on thursday is happening at 10:00 a.m. eastern. when this program ends on thursday, we are going to focus on d-day all three hours on thursday. but when we end washington journal, we are going to take you to the world war ii memorial. president biden is speaking in

normandy, france. about six: 30 eastern time he is expected to speak in normandy. we will certainly have that on the c-span network as well and we will re-air it later in the day if you are not up that early. but a major focus on d-day on this network on thursday. and also on c-span 2 on saturday on american history tv, a full day of dk-related programsaboutn . talking with our viewers about public policy that you want to talk about. good morning. caller: good morning. it must be gina day. host: there has been a couple this morning. caller: the last caller, i pray for peace and fear of war. i have one on active duty.

i'm a veteran myself. i thank him for his service. what i called about■f was the hunter biden discussion. it is kind of ridiculous. hunter biden does get special treatment. they app counsel for a conflict of interest■a. on the irs thing, my uncle went for three years. my dad wore a deeper because -- beeper because they would sell the lumber and not claimant. they are both deceased, it is public information. i don't see what the big hoopla is about.

if you did the crime, he could do the time. we need to come together, we need to support our troops. as a nation, we are all americans. host: where is your child serving right now? caller: he is in south korea. he had orders for the other place but they stopped him at the last minute and he went to south korea. the other day, you didn't cover this story but the pentagon did about the poop in the balloons. host: i'm not sure i saw the story. caller: that was disrespectful. the lady in the pentagon briefing was asked about it. we never hear anything about what is going on in south korea. it was insulting.

they said that across the■ó borr . host: he had orders to go to the other place, what is the other place? caller: the middle east. host: thank you for the call. this is anthony in michigan. caller: thank you. i've got three things that were on my mind this morning. i watch you guys every day. 7@■ui had a game called ghost rn and it said all of the caucus and everything would end up with us at war with russia. the biggest concern i have is for my own city. we have been under all kinds of stuff here with the water and things that washington is not

paying attention to. we are still using this water after 10 years. it would be a huge favor to me if you would ask anybody about what contaminants are in the water in flint. joe needs to pay more attention to it. the problem we have with a water switch from detroit to the flint river, which was really contaminated. they need to focus on water quality across the nation. host: do you think your congressman is paying attention to this? caller: of course, he has been working on it. the mayor and everybody h b thid out.

they are taking out the lines and everything. it has been over a decade. i wanted to thank you for what you do. it is really appreciated. the water quality issue, during this election cycle, most of us were on the court cases with trump. water quality is an issue the democrats -- if they produce good candidates up and down the ticket, i'm sure trump will be blown out in november. thank you for taking my call. host: this is david, independent, good morning. caller: good morning. i wanted to directly address your trump supporters. there is a fake video going

around, it is called the 2000 meal video. they just issued a public apology and said they will stop circulating this fake video. there was a defamation lawsuit. he not only sued salem media, you've had him on your radio show. i called in about a month ago and told you guys. i directly addressed this fake video and he denied it. i want the trump supporters to pull that up oei: the npr storye conservative media company behind the book alleges widespread conspiracy to steal the 2020 election. they would halt distribution of the film and pull the book from

platforms. they specifically apologize to m georgia falsely portrayed as illegally voting. caller: let me give you one other one just so you could check it. smartmatic settled there defamation lawsuit with oan. they were accused of committing fraud just like dominion. they settled for $780 million. smartmatic has settled their lawsuit. ruby freeman, the georgia election officials settled, smartmatic, dominion, you trump supporters have to start paying attention to the real news. this election fraud stuff is complete nonsense.

thank you, have a nice day. host: kevin in marshall, texas, good morning. caller: good morning. thanks for getting me on. i wanted to use my once a month allocation here because i've been wanting to say this for a while. i'm a long-time c-span watcher. i've been watching almost as long as you all started. i really enjoyed the show. i got a little man cave, i keep c-span on 24/7. people make fun of me. host: of you, thank you. caller: i really wish -- i'm fascinated, i think you do better than anyone else in trying to moderate such diverse opinions.

it's fascinating how you do it g it, how you handle all of theseg impassioned, as much as you get accused of being biased, i hear constantly from both sides. it amuses me. you guys are without a doubt the least biased news source there is. that is why i watch you. this is the opportunity for us as american citizens to voice our opinions. i wish c-span would dedicate kind of like you do with the presidents and the first ladies on washington journal where we could get to know you guys a little bit better. host: does it make sense that keeping ourselves out of it is kind of the way that we do that and keep the focus on the collars and the less we step in? the more it is about you all.

caller: i understand that, i do. it fascinates me. how you could do that, you can't avoid that. the more conservative libertarian kind of guy. i can understand how most progressives that i know, they can't help but voice their opinions. for me, we all guess which party you are from. how many guests accuse you of being with one party or another. we have that idea. you don't have to say that.

we have certain views. this is how i keep my views out of it and let you guys talk. host: that's what we do, cut out of it and let you guys talk. this is the guiding principle here and it has worked well for more than two decades on the washington journal. i appreciate the phone call, the interest, thanks for having us on 24/7. caller: you bet, buddy, you take care. host: less than five minutes left in open forum,hristine, democrat. caller: thanks for havinglove l. you really get a view. host: what is your mom's name? caller: dorothy. host: shut up to dorothy.

-- shout out to dorothy. caller: i know the listened to evidence that we did not get to hear and it was a unanimous verdict. i just was curious, did michael cohen get convicted for the same crime to the trump administration and the trump doj ? wasn't he in prison for three years with the same issue? i believe trump was co-conspirator number one or something like that. the things i'm hearing about fake news, fraud, rig, witch hunt. it doesn't seem to coincide with what happened with the trump administration.

the other comment i have is about the media. not so much the washington , the mainstream media, cnn, msnbc, fox news. all you hear is one side, you hear the gloss over soundbites, things like hush money. it was really a fraud. they have these salacious headlines and that is all you hear, with immigration you hear crime wave,■9 all of these criminals. the army of chinese setting up camp in the united states. it'there is no facts.

again. statistically, are the least crime creators in our country. they are the least likely to be arrested and convicted of crime. i'm not hearing any pushback. it is like the media is dumbing americans down. you have to go to other countries for news broadcasts and people like washington journal, it is a shame what is happening to journalism and broadcasting. host: let me try to get cathy in who has been waiting a while. go ahead. caller: there's a lot of

information. i'm glad i tuned in this morning . the water in michigan, that is sad to know. i couldn't disagree with that person saying you show one side or the other. you do an excellent job. just to say you are doing a job, i really appreciate it. kathy will be our last caller. 45 minutes ago this morning. we will talk about the u.s. legal, we will be joined by superior court judge gregory mize. stick around, we will be right back. ♪

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catch the democrats as they convene in chicagoon august 19. stay connected for an uninterrupted and unfiltered glimpse of democracy at work. watch the republican and democratic national convention live on c-span and online at c-span.org. your unfiltered view of politics. >> "washington journal" continues. host: conversation on the judiciary and america's justice system. our guest is judge gregory mize who now teaches at georgetown. judge mize, two sentences from a recent gallup report. americans have been losing confidence in the judicial system since 2000. 43% of americans say they have confidence in the judicial system, the u.s. is tied with

italy as the g-7 country with the least faith in the judiciary, why do you think that is? guest: this is theorizing what they are saying in the newspapers and media, decisions that come down or how decisions are being made, it tarnishes the i think it is limited judges and courts because as far as a very key component in our judicial system is trial by jury. the polls that have been done on persons who have served as jurors, is 76% of all people who went through the experience of jury selection think it was one of the important things we

have ever done. i would caution trial by jury is not part of that statistic. host: how long were you a judge? guest: i was appointed by the first president bush in 1990. i presided over hundreds of jury trials until in 2002 i retired and took senior staff. i wanted to pursue my passion of improving trial by jury, working with jurors and lawyers arou cot procedures and making them more sound so we could appreciate our juries more than we have. i was a trial lawyer first and i love the courtroom. i loved this dynamic of a jury trial. i became the chief lawyer for the d.c. city council and got

involved with public policy. after doing that for several years before i was appointed to the bench i wanted to go back to the judge. host: these high-profile cases, biden, is it good to give so much focus to the judicial system and the roles of the jury? do you see this as an opportunity in terms of what you are trying to do? guest: i think people don't think about juries, courtrooms unless they are litigantsor the jury. our statistics show that 31 million american citizens are

summoned for jury duty every year. 150,000 people serve on a jury. i want to correct that. it is more like 31.8 million are summoned and 1.5 million are paneled for the 150,000 jury trials that are held in our country everyhost: page for vieo call in. certainly want to hear from viewers who served on juries. we are setting up the lines regionally. eastern time zone, (202) 748-8000. mountain or pacific it is (202) 748-8001. certainly want to hear your experience with the legal system . that number is (202) 748-8002. if you have a story of serving

on a jury or legal system. what you want to do, your goal is to improve the jury system, what are three or four ways we could do that? guest: we improve our summoning processes so more citizens when they receive a sentence in the mail are willing to serve. that means making the jury service more comfortable, so to speak. a juror has youngkin children -- young children, for them to have childcare facilities while they serve is an important factor. compensation, some people, cals proprietors. there is a financial hit for such people. jurorsd is very important. i am not giving up my livelihood

to serve on this jerry. one day, one trial. instead of being on call as a juror f months or weeks. a growing practice and courts around the country is the one day, one trial system. you are summoned, ed you are ofe hook for two years. if you serve, once you serve, your duty is also complete and you won't be called back for another two years. the types of americans who serve , it is self-selecting. the people who want to serve will find their way. do juries become a group of like-minded americans? guest: i think not.

i say that because people are summoned for jury duty in the policies are different from state to state. courts find the jurors by using voter registration, automobiles, income tax, public assistance, in a few states, newly naturalized citizen roles. there is a wide net that goes out. you get a summons in the mail, in just about every state there is a criminal, a small fine or incarceration period if you purposely appear to fail -- failed to appear for jury services. you can't avoid the law that says you have to be there. once the trial begins, once we

call jury selection, there is a process by judge questions to figure out who is here because they want to do justice and not because they want to write a book when they are finished with services. host: is there a way to improve the judge, the position of the judge. you had a lot of questions about ethics when it comes to the nation's highest court. do we need a new code of conduct. do you have recommendations for improving the position you have held for so many years? guest: the way i became a judge, i am very proud of. every state court system has its

own code of judicial conduct. the federal courts have their own code of judicial conduct. we know about this exception that is being talked about. those codes of conduct are reviewed by state supreme court's regularly. the american bar association reviews it with some regularity over time to learn from real life lessons, some of the challenges, the gaps in the code that will probably need to be filled in the next edition in the code of judicial conduct, which is approved by a state supreme court. host: is one of those gaps that that code does not apply to the highest court in the land? guest: it is very important that

public trust and confidence be very hanything tt distrust shou. for many years with the help of the american bar association, we have paid great attention to keeping our code of ethics as enforceable as possible. host: the judge with us until the end of our program. linda in virginia beach on the line for folks with experience in the legal system. good morning. ■pcaller: my dad was an administrative law judge. he practiced for 52 years in philadelphia. igree in law and justice. i'm thinking that perhaps the

trial of trump and the jury outcome, the jury nullification because the judge was so biased, he would venue. his orders reading the direction were biased. ■could that be jury nullification? guest: i have to respond in this way. i am not someone who watched the i am ethically bound as a senior judge that seeks help from retired judges, i am duty bound by my code of ethics not to comment on the judgment of

another judge in another case for the actions of parties in another case, especially if it is still pending. this hush money case as they call it out of new york is still pending because there is going to be an appeal. i let the judia process decide whether there is legal error and i look to the new york code of judicial conduct to be there to make judgments about what the trial judge in the hush money case it did or didn't do so that is as far as i want to go with that. host: with a hypothetical case, a high-profile case, we don't have to talk about this one, but knowing there are going to be reporters in the courtroom in real time saying what is going to happen, what advice would you give a judge walking into a trial like that to avoid being

concerned about heat was biased or she was last the whole time? guest: i have had a few semi-high-profile cases in my career and what i tried to do is i issue a standing order well before the trial begins and the standing order indicates how to conduct jury selection and if i have time limits on the parties, it will spell out time limits. and if it has a lot of media attention, i work with court administration and the administration officer in my court to orchestrate and regulate how the media gets involved in what access they have to the case and sometimes that means there will be several satellite courtroom live feeds so that as many reporters as

possible can take in the trial and do their job as professional journalists. host: how many times in your career did you issue a gag order? guest: never. host: why? guest: because i think that is an extraordinary step a judge takes. we have first amendment rights, all of us. so it takes a real important circumstance to issue a gag order and it usually is preceded by actual conduct by a party or someone somehow connected with o believe there is grandstanding going on in the business of the trial and pursuing justice is not the highest priority for at particular spokesperson. so we try to put limits only

when there is danger of making it rather than admice, a show,'t want a show. host: gregory in kaiser, west virginia, experience with the legal system. caller: i live in west virginia. i was a juror on a trial in loudoun county, virginia years ago. there was a murder trial i actually had a brother that was murdered and when they voir dired me they asked me if i agreed. -- with thverdict in that

trial. i said i faith in the justice system. i thought for sure i was going to get kicked off but they picked me. went through the trial and we actually found tuy at not guilty. but there were reasons for that. host: do you still have complete faith in the justice system? caller: yes, i do, actually. guest: thank you for your service, gregory. you just proved in your experience someone who presents himself as i want to do the just thing in this case, get selected , was on the jury and works with fellow jurors to reach a just result. congratulations and thank you. host: david in illinois, good morning. caller: good morning.

right now we hear a lot about the democrats about fascism. fascism would be power to the executive office and reducing the checks and balances. the democrats always talk about packing the court and if you pack the court, what they are trying to do is create a rubberstamp. if you remove that, is it fascist? guest: i am not a writer of dictionaries and i am not going to venture to insert that. although i do appreciate the question. it is very important for all of us in this country to remember about the beauty of a separation of powers. our founders because they dealt with a monarchy that was oppressive and the colonial days

our founders wisely decided that would be three branches of government, each having a defined role and with that defined role there is a balance of power and know one branch of our government can dominate if we live up to the constitution. so i think we have the tools and the united states constitution and bill of rights that we mus hold two. we have the tools of the three branches of government. how long -- well that we done sticking to that defined role and do you feel that one branch or more has expanded their role, perhaps to the detriment of another branch? guest: if we look over the history of our country, you will see trends of a very strong

executive, think of fdr or abraham lincoln or george. these presidents were big figures■p but some might say tht this administration went over the line and the other two branches were weak and it could be turned around that the register -- legislature dominates so it would seem. from a jurist point of view, i have to keep my eye on the ball and the ball is, i am to adjudicate and manage the reaching of a fair and just result in this one case and then the next and then the next. host: are the three branches well-balanced today? guest: i think so. i think in each branch there are more people who respect and

honor what the constitution ando would like to put it aside and may be grandstand. i think anyone who tries to answer that question has to look at a situation and ask, in this situation, was the separation of powers honored or not? did this branch live up to its constitutional duty and not exceeded. host: lee in maryland, history with the legal system. caller: how are y■6ou today? guest: i am fine. thank you. caller: i was on several juries in the district of columbia. you were not the josh. -- judge. i used to work for the district of columbia government and worked very closely with your colleagues in the d.c. superior

court. i want to say that they are a bunch of hard-working, honest, dedicated people. they really are. i just wanted to make that comment. guest: thank you. caller: i also wanted to say one other thing. the district of columbia come as you well know, is a unique jurisdiction. the people who live in d.c. are the only ones in the united states who do not have a district attorney. all of the criminal cases, at percent art prosecuted by the federal prosecutors, which is a very unusual situation. you go into nework and mr. bragg electedhe da. if the people don't like him they can't vote him out. in the district of columbia, if they don't like the date -- da,

there is no da it is the federal prosecutor, as you well know. host: is that a good system? guest: it is the product of the provision in our constution that was crafted and adopted in 1801, this provision - provisiol government shall be no larger than a 10 mile square, dess of the united states. they created the district of columbia in 1801 and in there they put a provision that the congress shall have plenary authority over the policies of the district of columbia. this is something that i as a d.c. resident and others -- i've lived in the city for 50 years, and we are very sad that we

don't have voting representation in congress. there is a license plate that says no taxation without representation. there is a bumper sticker i don't see much anymoresee on dif columbia vehicles, the last colony, d.c.. it is a sore point for those who live here and those of us who grew up in another part of the country who could vote in

congressional elections, it is a sad memory that the right i used to have i don't have. host: the caller had high praise for you and your colleagues. you mentioned you were involved in high-profile cases. can you say what some of those cases were? guest: the one case that comes to my mind is a very prominent family in this area, successful

business family, there was a huge breakdown of relationship between the patriarch of the sons and there was a divorce and one case was a divorce and the other was a business breakup case. i had the business breakup case. it was in the buses day. i knew that was happening but my focus was on the courtroom bringing some calm and respect because the parties had a tendency when they took the stand to berate their father or their son and managing those emotions is what i had to do. the media i never had to worry about. they would just call it like it was.

courtroom was my big task. host: what is the superior court, superior to what? guest: some people use that very same question, superior. it is a common name that i would say at least half the trial court in america called in new york state, the trial court is called the supreme court. i think those names apply to the trial courts because of that, that is the opening, the first step in the administration of justice is to file a complaint in trial court and get a trial eventually settle. policymakers, legislatures that create these courts, i think there is a message behind the word superior and supreme at the because this is perhaps the most important part

of a litigation is how things are handled at the beginning and the first judgments that are made at that stage. host: is it a good thing when a case is settled as opposed to a jury rendering a dioest: i thine settlement giv tthat the partiey the hatchet and want to put an end to this battle and move on. done some arbitration and mediation work in my life and i think it is a wonderful adage that a settlement is successful when both parties e disappointed to some degree. there is something given up to obtain something that is even more valuable. host: this is johnny in washington on thek line with those with experience of the legal system. caller: i was on a jury years ago and i found it very experie.

i can't say i enjoyed it because it was a domestic violence case but i encourage people to take the opportunity to serve if they can because it is interesting to see how the system works. my question is about justices and judges and how they get their jobs. cane are elected and some are appointed and do you think one method is better than the other? guest: thank you for that question. howudges are appointed and what their term of office is is created state by state and when the constitutional conventions were held at the beginning of the life of every one of our states, there was debate like that was in the federal government among our founders and how are we going to choose our judges and how long are wegf

going to keep them. some state and founders of that government and the state decided that we want the people to have a strong, direct voice in who occupies our judiciary. they believe in having judicial elections either an election to become a judge or in some jurisdictions the chief executive or state legislature appoint the judge and at the end of the term they have to stand for what is called retention elections to see if they are performing satisfactorily. other jurisdictions feel it shoue bpoints, not the electora. it is a variety and i am not in a position to second-guess what the founders of these appointment systems decided.

that is for the people in that jurisdiction to amend the constitution or their state statutes if they think the appointment process could be improved. host: many judges, you thinkof r judge? guest: i think that i am glad i was not elected judge because i would be eternally the lawyers appearing before me or any parties they represent me involved in my election to keep my job and what a distraction that would be it for me. i would have a hard time with it . so speaking for myself, i prefer that i am beholden to the code of conduct and once a president

or government appoints they are duty-bound to live up to that code of conduct and many states have a judicial disability tenure commission. if a problem people have with an appointed judge, n be filed and the commissions in every state has one, they have an investigative arm and they dig into whether thelegitimate. if i think it is, there is an adjudication in a commission as a mini trial and decide whether there has been a violation of the code of conduct. there might be a sanction if there was. a sanction as gentle as admonition do that again to actually losing one's job as a judge. it runs the gamut but every state has an enforcement system. host: in new yorky, this isnn.

caller:caller: i have a problem with the supreme court. the absolute immunity for trunk is very -- i am so angry they took the case and are now slow walking it. the other quick thing is alito and thomas should resign, not recuse themselves but resign because of the ethics with the gifts they have received, even forgetting about the political affiliations. i am really angry at the supreme court for slow walking the absolute immunity for donald trump. guest: i can't comment on that situation but i will say -- i'r.

i think that iically have to appreciate your point of view and let me just switch this around to say that one of the beauties of jury deliberations is you will have people who have a view -- a negative view about a witness and a positive view about a witness and the jury in deliberations, these 12 or more people coming together and they hear why mrs. jones thinks the witness was a liar and mr. harris thinks the witness was a reliable witness. and everybody in the room says, i hear what you said but i have to disagree with you. in the process of the give and take of jury deliberations, they come up with a consensus about what is believable and what is not.

i believe juries of the best lie detector ever invented because of that deliberative process. instead of me in a bench trial doing the best jury in that deliberation room is testing each other and either persuading or being persuaded and it is a beautiful process. host: carol says bench tal are less and quicker but juries are hung and a bench trials utilized enough? guest: right now, the number of jury trial compared to the number of bench trials very small, be it civil cases or criminal cases. one or less percent of all filings go before a jury. bench trials are the most common trials but i must say the most

common resolution of cases is a pretrial dismissal either because there has been someone o follow the rules or they give up their case. i will stop there. ■host: you mentioned the code of judicial conduct for judges in each states have different codes of congress -- conduct. is a code where the spouses or -- of judges ohink it would be helpful to have a code of conduct for the family members? guest: the code of conduct that was proposed over the years with revision and revision byhe assos what he or she can do in their

private life. they can't do fundraising with their name being used to help get donations for their church or their special charity. there is a lot of mention of spouses. the code judge. for instance, a judge, there are some provisions that relate to how a judge acts if there spouse let's say was a member of a jury in the courtroom. the code will address things likehost: i can imagine that situation being awkward. is there anything more to the code or should be expanded in your mind? guest: everyth of improvement. experience tells us that. i am sure the state supreme

court's and comm■ktees of judges reviewing the complaints that have been filed against judges, consulting with their commission on judicial disability and tenure and coming up with proposed improvements. there is always room for improvement. host: a reminder that the house is in at noon eastern and you can watch gavel-to-gavel on c-span. the senate is in at 3:00 p.m. eastern on c-span two. after the program today, are taking you up to capitol hill, dr. anthony fauci is testifying at the coronavirus pandemic subcommittee hearing. that is on c-span two if you want to watch at. a lot going on on the c-span networks today. kathy has been waiting a while

in wethersfield, new york. caller: good morning. i have a good amount of experience in the legal system. two jury trials in brooklyn and i was a witness in a custody case in upstate new york where i live and i was in the small claims court in traffic court. the system doesn't always work but i still very much believe in it. one of the big things i notice from people to get your case heard and how much money it costs and i think so many cases are just left may be unjustly because people can't afford to fight them. also i have a question about a specific case where i was a witness my best friend, the

executor of the estate stole the money from his children. we appealed it because the evidence i thought was higher evidence but the appeals court reviewed it and left it as it was and they denied the ability for the children to get another appeal. that is frustrating but it happens that the person i was talking about from egypt to america and he loved america and he always said it is a great 2wcountry and i said, but it is not perfect. he said it's the best in the world and i know and i have been in a lot of places and i hold that deer in my heart and the principles of the justice system. the trials i was on care of, --

i was on, there was no political . when i go into a courtroom in get nervous because i want to make sure i tell the truth and tell it right. i think equal justice under the law and that was the only thing i could hold onto. host: thank you for that story. the final few minutes. guest: i share your sentiments. you experienced what in your view was a shortcoming or a disappointment but nevertheless, you found that the process in the courts was reliable and i share that view. we are a human system in all three branches of government

which are exercised by human beings. i think persons of goodwill like you, kathy, are what make it work. host: retired senior judge in the d.c. superior court, gregory mize, thank you for the conversation. guest: thank you. i enjoyed it. host: we will be back tomorrow morning. in the meantime, have a great monday. [captioning performed by the national captioning institute, which is responsible for its caption content and accuracy. t >> live today on c-span at din

domestic manufacturing of computer chips and multibillion-dollar investments from the 2022 chips and science act. at noon eastern, the u.s. house is back in session for general speeches. california congressman will be sworn in who won a special election and will serve out the remainder of the former house speaker kevin mccarthy's term. so considering several post office naming bills including one for the late country music singer johnny cash and his homeland of arkansas. watch live coverage of the hausman members gavel in here on c-span. >> c-span is funded by these companies and more, including comcast. >> you think this is just a community center? >> it is way more than that. >> comcast is partnering with 1,000 community centers to create wi-fi for students d low income families so they can get the tools they need to be ready for anything.