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military a.i. world it needs to distinguish to signals, i remember telling martin will know is going to be the major from investor, he says steve, i know what it means but it's an exotic work here and it's a big global public dedication. i held with a fantastic team court principles focused on politics and policy of washington and finance and technology, africa and a fantastic global newsletter of london so it is in my view. [laughter]

>> let's talk about israel, a lot going on. mass protests, shutdowns, the airport shut down all outgoing flights. tell us what's goingng on there. >> a crescendo when prime minister netanyahu fired the fens minister coming out and saying israel needed to p o hold judicia reform and it reads right now the clinical world taking over the court and there's a massive protest against that. a corruption related investigation and whether the eternal general who normally has this capacity rules of unfit for office, it's one of the issues. the other is basically allowing by majority vote overrule so it

changed the balance ofbu power inside israeli society and the unique role having the powers, a system of checks and balances in primus or not yahoo is committed to trying to overturn a and give political leadership an edge over judicial authority and israel has been tied up and lisa massive protests in israel now that yahoo put on hold what they want. >> he did announce yesterday to put it on hold and is it enough to appease protesters? used the term civil war, is that what it's moving toward? >> it's hard judge will sever war and service people israeli

defense forces, the ability for israel security and civil war not what it means and it's the political back and forth over leadership there and what he's experiencing is when you have a bare majority and fragile coalition it's tough to move things is controversial as they are and a lot of people criticized, i was doing this in a self-serving way to remove himself from the eagle processes and it is a big moment. >> i will remind our viewers if you like to call in and make a call and, you can do so. democrat 202-74-8000. robert can 202-74-88001.

let's look at the spokesperson for the state department asked about the biden administration to use on that yahoo action. >> i was wondering the biden administration still have confidence in the leadership of prime minister netanyahu. >> israel has enjoyed a democracy since five years ago and the hallmark has always been democratic thatae something president biden had the opportunity to assess prime minister that yahoo recently and we continue israeli partners and

prime minister nine yahoo. >> did not answer that question and we know from president biden'sah comments there is significant concern in the white house over judicial reform, noti being judicial reform at all but undermining what he was speaking to which were the core principles of democracy, that is the big thing here, is israel going to remain a democracy or taken over by political leadership in the direction that undermines them? controversial but the white house previously expressed and if you carefully, it basically

said that. >> is a probable israel no longer be a democracy? >> it depends on how you look at it and who you consider. a lot of criticisms particularly treatment over palestinians inside the state, palestine right now the pathway for israel with occupied territory can't remain a democracy unless it does something. if it were the state solution, it would be a pathway to israel maintaining democracy, very controversial but thus far right now because of decisions the supreme court has made frequent me about expanding settlements or residents, there's

frustration within the far right and israeli politics so that's what this is coming down to come down to this end israel remained whole and remain a democracy. >> i want to ask what's happening in russia and ukraine because last week putin and the belgian president reached an agreement to the tactical nuclear weapons in belarus. those are short ranged missiles, what's the response from the west and what is going on here? >> i think there's concern about vladimir putin which he's bringing this in more and more, he's pulled out nuclear arms agreement with united states. he's discussed nuclear deployments the past with regard

to potential outcome particularly if we go in and support taking crimea or territory invaded by taking russia in 2014 that could lead to nuclear exchange so it is a serious issue. i talked to fence efforts and chief of staff of the german defense ministries in eastern europe and he believes there's less there than some of the people concerned that just because they are moving the command-and-control but what i would disagree is vladimir putin using it as a tool to send a signal where he's going to go and what he's going to do nuclear arms are back in discussion, we are discussing them in ways i think raising questions of whether we stimulated responses to this and what to do.

>> what is the latest in ukraine? has russia made advances? are the able to mount them? >> ukraine is continuing to defend its territory. there are areas, both tossed right now. depending on what you read is being decimated by ukrainian resistance and ukrainian forces or continuing to throw new recruits from russia into the system so i've seen too many pictures, thousands dead, killed and we hear atrocities going on by ukraine and we know about deportees, particularly children to russia. all of the continues. what's interesting and why i don't have an answer is what is

the resilience on each side for this pressure and tension what was interesting to turn the corner was a massive attack by russia against i ukrainians eney infrastructure and transportation infrastructure, ukraine seems to be turning a corner on that we see less of that. we've seen daily missile rate from russia declined by about 80%. is that a function of lack of supply or something we don't know the answer? i don't know the answer but the intensity of russian onslaught toward ukraine right now i think is challenged. >> before we take calls, i would ask about syria, there are still u.s. troops agent in syria and this weekend the u.s.cl carried out airstrikes in response to the drone attack that killed an american contractor and left

other troops injured. talk about was going on, why are they still there and how long? >> is a great question, there are about 900 u.s. troops stationed there onqu a mission o disrupt isis and islamic at radical activities so that is the mission they have. iran and syria have said the forces are illegal, a violation of sovereignty, president biden launched a counterattack that killed syrian military people and basically blew up an iranian drone yesterday so conflict is going on there. it's interesting that i don't have an answer for, right now have activities in the u.s. to rescind authorization use of

military force set into place after 9/11 used to authorize many interactions we've had. if those come back, it raises the question of whether u.s. forces do have authorization to do with a are doing. and iraq we have about 2400 troops, they are there at the request of iraqi government, a different situation. in syria is clearly not the case. we will have to see how that plays out. >> let's go to colors now. jim in pennsylvania, independent line. >> good morning. i want to ask your best a couple questions. one, if something happens to putin, who is next in line and is he as insane as a putin is? the other question is what my major concern is our southern

border. i can't understand why chief of border patrol get it under oath launched operational control of the southern border, how canl that notot be number one prioriy for any administration? it seems the numbers in the last couple of years 5 million. they come across and given themselves up and they are just sent around united states. >> you had one more thing? >> besides that, a million and a

half in the last couple of years on the southern border from 170 areas. >> i think it is a consensus and the circumstances don't automatically produce a warm and fuzzy russia and it's a function of one individual. also sharing these back and forth and people but there was a difference, different between them and right now there is still evidence they will come in and go in a different direction than is right now. i understand the frustration

seeking asylum get out of situations from other cases it is a huge process. my criticism to be honest, we have hundreds of thousands of backlog in the u.s. courts today can have a backlog as much as five years and they are being dealt with so we have too few resources in u.s. law. around that we see a lot of horrible pictures, detention centers the deals with mexico and efforts by kamala harris and others in the partnership for central america to try to stabilize the economy so that there are jobs and economic opportunity, we need a holistic picture than what we have right

now. i disagree with jim we just lose track of millions of people and they are brought over in observatory circumstances but there is no doubt it is a major problem and identifying the southern border as a problem. what will fix it is more resources into the processing of real cases unless wee want to walk away from asylum laws which i don't believe we do that as part of the question, that is believed the division right now do we stand by the actual flaws today and finally to process these? backlogged and overwhelmed right now or do we spend the laws to create other alternatives and i have to tell you in america there is a place where immigrants and injustices, we welcome that flesh many books we

have to wrestle with how to get this right but not enough resources right now. >> let's talk to make in minnesota, democrat. >> what to do about gun shooting basis and i think the only way rectified is a little dark but i think the only way for us to solve this is for a shooter to go to the u.s. congressman and shoot -- thus the only possibly way. >> it's hard to comment, i completely disagree but with gun

laws again what happens now we are looking at capital right now from c-span offices, our congressmen and senators need to hear from people that we have a constitution, people have gun rights different equilibrium points between gun rights and gain gun safety. >> kathleen in massachusetts, independent. >> i'm sorry, i think i need to call fact. at the you were talking about was going on in israel. >> yes, you can go ahead. >> oh, perfect. a dear friend is israeli, her mom and sister ingo jerusalem, r brother, she stopped at my house, i don't know her politics but i do follow netanyahu, his election far right -- and with

the ruffle -- well, i think in general is that party, i know i am saying it incorrectly, is the extreme right and they are messing around with the supreme court in general so the other thing -- i am nervous, netanyahu is known for being the trump of israel. he's very conservative and they feel they will lose their democracy. biden's already shot -- not shot, that's a horrible word. advised them the only democracy left in that region of the world and i have strong feelings, i am glad the reserves, the military

brought things to a halt so it is far right wing and the other thing is they are calling netanyahu the maga crowd of israel. >> my critique netanyahu is a prime minister, he's been prime minister multiple times because his elected able to put together government so there's no doubt we know from voting israeli, the israeli electorate has moved to a national security right, it's parties are traditionally very worried about national security and security elements but also social dimensions that come from that in the ruling coalition.

in israeli government, parties committed to racist, the agenda, that's how bibi netanyahu was able to come in. one of the other parties, think it would be a mistake to think that because he was conservative for far right based on how not successful, they are worried about security but right now we've seen to change the political weight between the political world and judicial branch the line has been crossed and we have seen massive response to that and that may constrain netanyahu's course.

that is also part of democracy, people have the right to protest and communicate that something healthy to watch because we haven't seen this activity in israel before and that's why it is unworkable israel million dollars in military aid when they have 90 billion weapons business? >> they are in a troubled region, a lot of those concerns political concern. they are a component of our but israel is smart how it has its defense dollars and they have seen those into its own capacity. one of the great things aboutuc israel, it's one of the most innovative dynamic digital network innovators of the world

so in part of the country there, israel has been to take the steps to turn them in and keep itself a strong vibrant and economy. ... abraham records, with the uae is doing, what other state and region that hadar normalized relations with israel i think you want to do deals with israel. in the long run that's going to be stabilizing. it's good for use interest and good for regional stability. >> , let's talk to daryl in nevada. independent. >> caller: . thank you for c-span. iou would like to make a couplef comments about the southern border. that is for t anyone who wants o

understand what the problem is on the southern border of how it got to be that way is to look at the history of immigration especially since world war ii. that is, during world war ii we had a thing called the bracero program in which mexican citizens came to the united states to work in agriculture and other fields and every mexican citizen akin to the united states -- after world war ii, that labor was retained by the many interests so we would have cheap labor, across the southern border as we always had. during the eisenhower administration was actually an operation called operation wetback -- kernel we can go through all the history but is a specific question? >> caller: okay, the question is this.

is it come immigration onus of the border has to do with cheap labor, and it has to do with the united states foreign policy destabilizing the governments of central america starting with the 1954 cia overthrow of the democracy of guatemala. >> host: got it. let's get a response. >> guest: there is no doubt that over time immigration in the united states takes jobs that otherwise american has been part of come yes or immigration policy is certainly agricultural programs that in california and along the southern states elsewhere were part of that. it's a much, much bigger issue right now and i think, candidly, the experience of the united states in attracting immigrants from nations all around the world has been part of the magic of the american economy and keeping things going. that's my personal view. i think right now the issue and it's important to understand is

that you most of those immigrants at the border are not coming from mexico. mexico is a largely stable economy. there are jobs that some people coming over families and that's been part of america's immigration story but it is s been from distressed economies inam central america in which te horrific conditions, poor economies, druglords that basically run d states that people are trying to escape that he come in.co that's what we're finding. >> host: do you think the u.s. destabilizing -- destabilizes countries? >> guest: i think right of the united states isis trying hard o stabilize his country and. to think we have right now the story of former seal mastercard and now the nominee for the world bank president has been very involved as a coach of the partnership for central america working with vice president kamala harris to look at a get into us to go in. they got about $5 billion come still short of what is needed to go into some of these countries but it is not a function of the

america tried to do stable as these economies. it's a question of how to stabilize and inhe an effective way that also rolls back some of the nightmare situations that these people are dealing with. it's part of the equation, how to relieve pressure at the southern border. it's one ofn the elements in addition to processing asylum cases. >> host: let's go to the republican line. mark is in washington state. good morning. >> caller: good morning. >> host: go right ahead. >> caller: i have another point about the border. >> host: okay. go ahead. >> caller: what was wrong with president trump's stay in mexico plan that was turned over 20 minutes20 into president biden's inauguration? and how manyd drugs are coming over? they say they are all come over to the port of entry. which is incorrect.

and these gotaways, how many terrorists or known terrorists are on the o watchlist are comig through with the gotaways? >> host: let's go through some of those stays in mexico. >> guest: it didn't end in fact, when president biden came in. that program is to working with mexico to process asylum applicantse in mexico. look, as i've said initial rooted the system is overwhelmed right now and it has greeted crf uncomfortable realities for the biden administration because they have also taken on an accepted the prospect of establishing detention centers which were exactly the points of criticism there were criticizing in the trump administration. so both white houses are finding themselves, have found themselves overwhelmed by the circumstances trying to figure out how to do with that. i think one of the major differences in the process, to the caller, is the biden administration is committed to keeping families together. what we see is one of the

strategies us some of the people seeking asylum is they are sending their children over the border while they remain back, and that separating their own families and creating i think very important moral and ethical question for those folks who were dealing with them, were askeddu during the trump administration there was an explicit strategy, very controversial, inside thehe trup administration of separating families as a deterrent. thisil is when it gets tricky is when you're trying to deter people because they see detention centers, d.c. separated families, will that change their calculus about desperate they are and the asylum that your seeking and the support they are seeking frompp the united states? it's hard to get into the heads of this is basically it's a very different signal if the trend is trying to scare people away by creating horrific conditions, something i don't support. i would be ready to criticize tali but i think trump and his team and i to tell you i was

talking to a very senior member of the trump administration this past weekend, and this person still has nightmares over that policy what they did and strong fought and argued so it's important to realize that inside the trump white house there were incredible debate about this, great discomfort about how that policy actually played out. >> host: y i want to ask you about something you just broke a story about the release of an imprisoned political activist fromcc rwanda. his name is paul. he was made famous because of that oscar-nominated dominate filmes hotel rwanda. >> host: a contract to during the rwanda genocide in 1994. he became a political activist, was very critical of president leadership in rwanda, and he

was, he started a group that allied itself with a group that had become violent and this national liberation front actually got engaged with some domestic violence and innocent civilians were killed on a school bus, others. rusesabagina was lowered, thought is going to a trip, was lowered over to africa to give a speech and ended up in rwanda, was tried there and convicted i believe in 2021 and has been in prison since on a 25 year jail sentence, along with 20 other individuals sentenced at the same time. what i was able to break the story, , interviewed the presidt of rwanda several times this last year, and in december of this year when the u.s.-africa leaders summit was happening in washington i interviewed the president and he was strident he

would not release rusesabagina comp would take ann invasion to get him out. ian interviewed the president again on march 13 in doha carter and in that interview i said look, ien have not seen anything in his and if you ask americans what to know about rwanda it's hotel rwanda and the story of this gentleman. and he said sometimes we have to be prepared to forgive the unforgettable. that's when a new that they were preparing to do a release and i was able to report that story. paul rusesabagina is outside rwanda. he's an doha, qatar. everything stays on track i think you will be back in the united states tomorrow. so it's a big story, let's talk to marco nextgen's life for democrats. michigan. >> caller:co yes. i listen to c-span all the time, thank you very much for taking my call. i just wanted to comment on

israel and netanyahu. i think it's silly decided that netanyahu you ishu not a fascist and israel is apartheid state. i think there's plenty of evidence for the case, and this idea, i'm going to keep it short, this idea that they are the only democracy in the middle east, like that some law of nature not a deliberate action of the united states making sure many countries insu that region are destabilized. i just think how we talk about israel is very problematic in that you can be critical of the israeli government without being anti-semitic. thank you. >> guest: i agree with the callers last point that you can be critical of israeli government without being anti-semitic. i strongly agree with that. we have to even with our closest allies reserve the right to be critical anything that's whatic president biden in fact, is doing byy critiquing this

so-called judicial reform effort there. that said, it's also a a miste need to be careful because of whatever views we may have as progressives, as conservatives, as misreading the political dynamic in of the countries. i've been watching israel also for many, many years. i have known many politicians on the right and the left, and for whatever reasons right now, and it can be demographic, it could be the question of where israeli society has come in. there's been a discussion of a lot of the more recent immigrants to israel have come from russia and others, is it that the political equilibrium seems to have shifted in israel over the last couple decades into a more conservative slot. i think israel like any society has to wrestle, with that. but i also believe strongly we should call it what it is when we see a democracy undo itself, and i think is what president biden is concerned about as well

as other global leaders. >> host: let's go to pennsylvania, frank, independent line, yes. i'm going back two callers. he was talked about the drugs coming in and if the wall was up that probably won't be happening like it is. my other point is about the assault rifles. that might've been your last show. >> host: that's okay. >> caller: your assault rifles, there is a settlement assault and shootings, and somehow a lot of people believe that these kids, everyone that's doing the shooting, where are they getting the guns? because a lot of them are mentally on drugs, and how are they getting the money for these guns? and they are all being shot dead, and it you could google does, , but it's probably taken down, james wesley how in california got put up to it and confessed that they put him up

to it to the shootings. another guy called in, they're putting them up to it so they could take our guns because they know the civil war is coming and they are putting the shootings are put up. >> host: let's get a response. >> guest: look, on fentanyl and drugs coming across the border, i think we do have a drug consumption problem. we have a drug supply problem. a lotf of these basic ingredies are coming from places like china. i don't think the wall is the answer for that. there are other answers that we have to consider. on the issue w of rifles and whatnot, the thing that concerns me is we have an epidemic in what are called mass shootings were you former victims going on. while we hear of particularly horrific cases, this case in tennessee were children were shot, that every day somewhere we have a killing with four or more people practically onn average, more than that in the united states, and there are many contributors that. itr don't believe there are easy

solutions, whether it's mental health. of course as part of it. gun control and get accountability is another part of it. having greater stake holding a people so we can identify potential risk factors. allis of this is the ecosystem that matters, and right now we have a result that's very horrific i think our country and sad because a lot of violence in the united states today. >> host: let's hear from luke in fairfax, virginia.a. independent. >> caller: hello. i wanted to agree -- >> here on c-span2 were going to break away now for live coverage of the u.s. senate. order.