water system and infrastructure with the american water works association. "road to the white house" is next. "washington journal" is next. host: more more young people are turned off by the idea of going into politics or working for an elected official. as we take you through the new findings from the usa today

bipartisan policy center poll, we want to hear your thoughts. we split our lines up i age this morning. those 18-29 can call in at you can also catch up with us on all your favorite social pages, on twitter and facebook, or e- mail us. a very good monday morning to you. we want to take you to the front page of "the usa today," the headline

to show you a bit of the results come the percentage who say participating in the political process in the most important or very or very important things in their lives, those 18-29, 39% said it was one of the most important or very important things. those 30 and older, 53% said it was one of the most important or very important things in their lives. thisll take you through story this morning and some of the results of that poll. our phone lines are open, and we want to hear from you on this subject. our facebook page already has a few comments on the question, is politics the best avenue for public service?

our phone lines are open. they are split up by age. 18-29-year-olds i will read you little bit more a the "usa today" story -- quote from congressman aaron schock, republican of illinois

that convinces some of the nation's ablest people, especially those starting out, that they do not want run for office or work the government at any level. government and politics are likely to work even less well, presumably prompting perceptions to fall even further. calls are coming in already. we will go to michael from ridgewood, new york, on our 30 and older line. good morning to you pretty is politics -- good morning to you. is politics the best avenue for public service? caller: thank you for taking my call. i find politics to be completely dysfunctional. unfortunately, i find most nonprofit organizations to be untrustworthy. moneyeos are making more

than the president of the united stat, their contribution to the public good, i consider that almost corruption. thank you for taking my call. i will take my comments off the air. host: michael from ridgewood, new york. david is from florida on our 30 and older line. good morning. caller: good morning. most of these people get into government work for the benefits, the retirement, on the other duties. if you think about politics, poly is latin for many. are bloodsucking parasites. that is all i have to say. host: david from florida. jody writes in on twitter some more from that poll this morning, views of government, the percentage of folks who say they trust the government in

washington to do what is right, those who say just about always trust the government to do what is right is just 4%. those who say most of the time to do what is right is 17%. those who say the government, they trust the government only some of the time to do what is right, succeed four percent. that is the largest sphere. 64%. who say they trust -- that is the largest sphere. those who say they trust the government none of the time, that is 13%. those surveyed are most interested in owning their own 46% they would be extremely or very interested in that, slightly more than one third embrace for the idea of working for a small business or nonprofit. only one in five expressed strong interest in working for the government or a large corporation or serving in the military. at the bottom is being unelected official working for one, drawing a lot of interest from about one in 10 folks. the story goes on to ask, why do so few want to run?

in response to an open ended question, the top reason cited by those ready and older is they decided -- those 30 and older is they decided it would be to time-consuming. for those under 30, the top reason is that politics is vicious and nasty. we are taking your thoughts on the survey and what the best avenue is for public service, see that being an important part of your life. we will go to gerald from delaware on our 30 and over line. good morning. caller: how are you doing? host: good. caller: there is one reason that these politicians get away with what they get away with. there is no accountability. it seems like they are monarchs sitting on the throne somewhere. you see this civil unrest around the globe from different countries where the people have just gotten fed up so much with their politicians. i fear that this is going to happen to our country if our politicians do not do what is

right. we are all doomed. thank you, sir. host: thank you for the call. alice is from kalamazoo, michigan on our 30 and over line. good morning. caller: what i think about politics is that our senators and our congressmen, once they get elected, the whole world is theirs. they sell our world out to all of the businesses. host: you told us you are 80 years old. what is your thoughts on young people and their feelings and souring on running for office? is this something that concerns you looking back through your years? caller: yes, it does pretty think the biggest contributor -- it does. i think the biggest contributor to that is all the cell phones and e-mail and texting.

it has taken that emotions and caring for the world. can yell at people over a text or telephone and not even have to look at their face. host: you think that has contributed to a lack of desire of going into politics or to run for office? caller: it may not be a lack of desire, but it has something that has taken the place. host: alice, thank you for the call. story highlights a few stories of individual young people as they go through their there is ats -- picture along with the story

we will take you through a few of the folks that were highlighted in the front page talking "usa today," about this new poll and the bipartisan policy center. we are taking your calls on politics. is it the best avenue for public service? paul is from seattle, washington on our 30 and older line. caller: good morning. i think most young people do not want to be -- do not want to go into politics because they are not. enough american christians -- they are not pure enough american christians to go into politics. host: young people in general are not? caller: no, they are not. host: why do you say that?

caller: because they drink and smoke and fornicate and commit violence. american politicians should be pure christians. young people are not even pure enough christians to qualify for american -- to be an american politician. host: you think only pure christians should run for office? what about other religions or people who practice other faiths? did we lose you? all right, we will move on to dexter from new hampshire on our under 30 line. good morning to you. caller: good morning. host: your thoughts on politics -- is it the best avenue for public service, and is public service something that is important to young people these days? caller: there were a lot of

comments about how politicians are corrupt and that is the reason why you should not serve because you get into office and you are a monarch. but i do not think that the issue with our government, especially congress, is that they are corrupt, but that they are ideologues. your ideas are holding up progress. host: dexter, talk about those who are under 30, and what you think when you see your peers, how important public service is to them. is this something that people feel like they need to contribute to in some way? caller: i am at a college, university of new hampshire. it is very politically polarized to one side. i think there is a shared thought that it is a corrupt field, something you should not go into. think that is also incorrect. i served on a local planning board. i certainly have not discovered anything that proves that there is some sinfulness going on at our local or national governments. host: thanks for the call, dexter.

wr wrightson on twitter -- ites in on twitter we are taking your thoughts and calls this morning on twitter, on facebook. our phone lines are split up by age groups. on this subject of public service, one man who was known for public service turned 90 today -- that is bob dole. there is an opinion piece written by pat roberts, the republican member of the u.s. senate from kansas, that talks about bob dole's public service. i want to take you through pat roberts' commentary on bob dole's 90th birthday

if you want to read more on the occasion of bob dole's 90th birthday from pat roberts, that is in today's opinion section of the "washington times." we will go to louise, calling in on our 30 or older line. think you for the call this morning. politics, is it the best avenue for public service? caller: a previous caller said that we need more fewer christians.

it's not forget -- pure christians. let's not forget that our last evangelical christian president george bush lied us into a war. mark twain said the best people are in washington because they can be bought by money. campaignpresidential proved that corporations shelled out hundreds of millions of dollars to get romney in office, but by the same token, these corporations would not help president obama create jobs. politicians do not listen to what the people want. 90% of americans want common sense gun regulations, but the politicians, they cater to the extremes, the nra, and the gun lobby. host: that is louise from boca raton, florida. a few more tweets one other tweet

that poll stats from from "usa today" and the bipartisan policy center, which is actually holding a forum on the subject, a town hall forum exploring the changing attitudes towards public service on tuesday at the national constitution center in philadelphia. they released a few more results of that nationwide poll of 1071 adults. 27 by ataken june 24- republican pollster and democratic ulster. -- pollster.

we will take you through some of the stories and results of that poll, but we will go now to dennis from maryland on our 30 and over line. good morning to you. caller: good morning. thank you for the opportunity. encourage good young people to venture into politics. that is the only way we are going to be able to battle the so-called tea party. so dangerouss are for this country. we need this next generation behind us. i think we do.

we have some very sharp young people out there. they are getting into politics and following, especially minority once like me, following the president of the united states. when i was younger, i could not imagine having a black president, and we see how fortunate and how blessed we are to have this man at this time. listen to the speech he gave a couple of days ago on the trayvon martin situation. host: using to indicate that young folks are more inclined to the democratic party. why do you say that? caller: number one, let me put it to you this way -- when i was their age, when i was in my 20s, we do not have all of this , theology, the phones internet and everything.

the world is coming together. under the banner of politics. you cannot stop it. simply because of the technology. the tea party, they are obsolete. they do not know it. i guess a few of them realize it, but they are obsolete because of the technology. for ourbright future young people coming up if they do not destroy the world with chemicals -- what am i trying to -- fracking and that kind of thing. i am optimistic it -- optimistic. host: a little bit more from the story. was taken by "usa today" and the bipartisan policy center

we will go to our 30 and underline. john is from santa fe, new mexico. good morning to you. let me get your thoughts on this idea of a mandatory year of public service for those 18-25 25.d -- 18- caller: i think mandatory service would be good.

i think the individual would get to select whether it would be military or volunteering. special needs individuals or other things. i really was calling about to say that it is discouraging to be young and have an interest in politics when clearly you see if gou are not in one game -- gan or the other side, your voice may be drowned out, or you may be ignored. that is a big issue. excuse me. a bad -- its really is horrible for democracy because if you're not part of the majority party or whatever, it is like you do not have a voice. you have a vote, but it is still drowned out. the feelingwhat is of public service in general among folks your age? caller: i think a lot of people

-- i would it's -- i would say that a lot of people i have do not have aly big interest in volunteering, as far as, i guess, service would go, military or local soup kitchens or other nonprofit organizations. host: john is from santa fe, new mexico. we will be taking your calls for about the next 25 minutes or so in this segment. we want to bring you some of the other news going on around the country right now. we mentioned at the top that president obama is conducting a series of speeches focused on the economy this week. here is the big story in today's -- in an article from the ap last night

the president will also speak wednesday at the university of central missouri in war and, missouri. warren, missouri.

"the hill" has more on what president obama is looking to do and why he is making this series of speeches. is from a story posted last night on the website of "the hill" -- that is dan pfeiffer at the white house, one of the president's advisers.

we want to show you now, in talking about economic messages, house speaker john boehner, the republican, was on cbs's "face the nation" and talked about president obama's handling of the economy. [video clip] >> republicans have a plan for job creation. we have been at this for the last two and a half years. whether it is making student loans more affordable, stopping unnecessary regulations, trying to get our budget deficit under control, all of these things would help get our economy moving again. normal, slownew economic growth, no increase in available, wages are being basically frozen, we are squeezing the middle class. i would argue that the president's policies are getting in the way of the economy growing, whether it is obamacare, whether it is all of these needless regulations that are coming out of the government , it is getting in the way of the people wanting to invest in

our economy. i used to be a small businessman could i know how this works. host: that was house speaker jon --cbs's "face the nation john boehner on cbs's "face the nation." president obama will travel to the midwest to give a major speech about economic revival, bypassing bankrupt detroit where he has resisted pleas for a federal bailout. that story notes

on the same page of the "washington times" today, there is another headline that notes that story in today's "washington times." on that same subject is an editorial today in "the wall the headline" -- of that

the editorial goes on to point to philadelphia and chicago as other cities that may the next and ends by saying that is today's "the wall street journal." one opposing view on that is an editorial by paul krugman in today's "the new york times"

you can read more of that editorial in today's "the new york times." back to this question of

politics. is it the best avenue for public service, and is public service an important part of young people's lives? let's go to bolivia -- olivia from georgia on our 30 and older line. caller: good morning. mandatory public service for young people, i disagree with that. we are in the land of the free. we are not in communism. politics, i think young people should do the opposite if they are disillusioned with congress. this is the government we live in. they cannot put their hand in the government. as we look at the stand your ground laws, somebody can pull you in an alley and kill you. that is because we as americans are not paying attention to the laws that were being made. if you feel disillusioned by the government, by politics, it is your duty to serve as well as to throw them out.

you do not have to run for office. you can volunteer on a campaign. you can find somebody that you want to represent you and volunteer that way. i do think if you live in the united states that you should feel it is your duty to participate in the political system. if you are disillusioned, you should fight them out, get them out. they have always said that things about politicians, but we the people have to do the opposite and get them out. host: you told us you were 38 years old. how do you feel about the idea of public service among under 30, the next generation of folks coming up? do you agree with the full results that seem to indicate that there is a lack of desire to run for government and maybe contribute in other ways? know, i am not under 30, as you know, but i have had

the same feelings because i have tried to volunteer in the political arena, and they say they want people to volunteer or to be involved, but they are very clickish. they try to run people away from participating in the political system. they are threatened. people do not stay in office 30- 40 years because they want other people to be involved in the political system. host: are they threatened by anyone, or are they specifically threatened by young people? caller: who does not think like they think. myself mostly a democrat, but i am not sure abortion. -- for abortion. there are a lot of things, if you're not down with them, they want you out. there is no place you can go. ok, justy, i thought, let the younger people -- you know what? i'm going to find an issue -- i

am against abortion -- i might work on that issue. you can pour that into the political system as well. it seems like things are moving so badly where you will either have to decide to volunteer with andrty and put your $.10 and your friends money -- and your friends money to push it behind her candidate so you can see change, but i do understand the disillusionment of young people because no one really wants to change anything. i really think the politicians are out of touch with we the people. they are not trying to be in touch. they are trying to -- i don't know. host: thank you for the call. a few more tweaks -- tweets - one other

another one of those stories of an individual featured in the -- i will" story review a bit of her story -- that is the story in the "usa

today," the headline let's go to brian from plano, texas is morning. let's get your thoughts on this story. i think the point i want to get across is that voting is the great equalizer to corporate money. moneyn have a corporate coming in print here so many people talking about corporate puppets and the government being owned by corporations. if 75% of people who were voting voted, older got out and then this would the government government of the people, by the people. would know that they do not have the power anymore. moore has been trying to bring this to the forefront many years.

get out and vote. when i hear when i talk to somebody who is disillusioned by the government, i listen to what they have to say. then i asked them, did you vote? they say, no, why am i going to vote? my vote will not conference in. as long -- not for anything. as long as you have that mentality, corporations will rule the government. if representatives in congress, the 435, and the 100 senators and the president realized that ,hey are held to the people and that the people, if they are dissatisfied with the job you are doing and voter turnout is way up there, high in every election, including presidential and midterms, you are going to get kicked off if you're not doing the job. it will be in effect -- let me

get this point across -- it will be in effect term limits. we will vote them out. we will vote in a new representative. the disillusionment, that argument really bothers me because if you're not getting out there and voting, if you are not encouraging other people to , the onend vote fundamental right we have as aericans, then this is not government or the people and by the people. it is a government for whoever has the most money in their wallet. host: brian from plano, texas. we told you the house is back in today. two weeks to go before its august recess. the house will meet at noon today for its morning session. votes later this afternoon. a few of those, according to house majority leader erik hatcher, -- eric cantor, a few of the bills on the floor --

a bill to amend the fish are like act of 1956. to reauthorize volunteer programs and muted partnerships for the benefit of national wildlife refuges. that is on the floor today according to eric cantor's office. as a picture of eric cantor. -- here is a picture of eric cantor in the "the wall street journal" story. i will review a bit of that -- read you a bit of that

we will get into more of that in our next segment of the "washington journal" as we look at the weeks ahead before the august recess. we've got a few minutes left on this idea of politics as the best avenue for public service. on ouris from tennessee 30 and over line. good morning. caller: hello, sir. yes, i had a couple of things. this is a really good issue you guys are talking about the -- about. it really gives us the opportunity to look at how money

-- fiat currency with a monopoly, how it can control elections. abramoff has talked a lot about this. i will just leave it at that and ask everybody to look into it. the nsa also allows people to manipulate markets, gain money off of that stuff, and turn around lobby for new things to happen. host: can i ask you about this proposal that was asked about in the survey of the "usa today," requiring every american aged 18-25 to serve one year in the military or the peace corps or community service organizations? you are 31 and just past that. how do you feel about that proposal? the militaryned voluntarily. i found that it really helps you to understand where politics

affects the common man. favor ofld you be in forcing every young person to serve a year, whether it is the military or in some sort of other public service effort? i'm not sure if that would affect things, but in the past when people were forced to go to war, they had a little bit more stake in it. evil became more active as they understood the politics related -- people became more active as they understood the politics related to their lives. our 18-29 line. from centerline, michigan. good morning to you. caller: how are you doing? host: good. caller: my generation does not seem like they think politics is actually a public service. i think it is more of a job. they do understand that the military is public service, but

they do not really -- they are more inclined to believe that politics is corporate-controlled , a masterminded plan that they have no control in. military service is one of the things that they do not want to get into because i do not think the wars that we are in right now in afghan -- in afghanistan and iraq and soon-to-be syria, from what i saw today, they do not think that any of that is something they should get into. to, the people i talked they think those wars are now based on oil than trying to bring about democracy in places where people like saddam hussein are using mustard gas on their own people. the question that you raised earlier about the one you're in year in therps -- peace corps or military service, i think people should be forced into doing that. i don't know your

political affiliation, if you have one, but let me read you a piece of this article and get your thoughts on this -- this is from the "usa today" story what do you think the candidacy of president obama did among young people, and if you want to say if you are a democrat or republican, go ahead? caller: i am a bit more on the republican side, but the candidacy for barack obama kind know thatet people

you do not have to be a white, old oil tycoon to be a president. you could be somebody that comes from chicago and did not exactly have the best upbringing to still be president as long as you are smart and well-educated and are qualified for the job. i do not know if the president has done the best out of the world, but i think he is trying. know -- it-- i don't seems like vladimir putin is kind of spitting on barack obama, from my point of view, that is not with this call was about. let's get one last call from our 18-29 line. mike is from georgia. mike is 28 years old. the question is, is politics the best avenue for public service? caller: yes sir. i believe it can be.

if you have the right people that go in with the right mindset to serve the people. the problem i have sometimes with conservatives going into politics is they criticize the government, and it is supposed to be a government of the people, by the people, for the people. if the government is bad, then that is saying something about the people. they go into politics saying the government is bad, and then they wreck it, and they turn around and say, see, the government is back. the problem i have with young is it islling in today all over the internet. when you go into politics, your life is torn apart. everybody looks at everything you have ever done. i think it is going to be a little bit difficult going forward. back in the olden days, if you

goof off in college, it is just between you and your friends. now basically their lives our minute by minute posted all over the internet. it might be a problem to find people -- the gentleman that spoke about christians being the ones that should come into politics -- i thought his comment was really crazy, but when i thought about it, i think what he was trying to say is people of good standing -- if you make a little mistake that can come back to bite you in the future. that is my comments. host: mike from georgia. the story is on the front page of the "usa today" -- that is it for this first segment of the "washington journal." up next, we will preview the week ahead in the congress with lots you set -- bob cusack.

later, joanne keenan will join us for an update on the health care law. we will be right back. ♪ >> i think of it as a new way of thinking about how people are going to consume television in the future it is an online platform. it is direct to consumers. people can get access today to live broadcast television along with their dvr on any device. without a cable connection, just

using the internet. the key element, the foundational piece of the aereo technology is a micro antenna. if you think about it how you used to have over the air antennas in the past, they were large grid the miniaturized -- l arge. we miniaturized them. i think there is a desire to create competition. there is a desire to have choice. streaming broadcast television signals to any web- enabled device, tonight on "the communicators" at 8:00 eastern on c-span 2. jackie was raised as her mother was raised. she was the same kind of white and hostess. the home him of the children, the entertaining with style and was her-- that heritage. she did it again in the white house, right after her administration, during the johnson years. the whole world corrupted like

volcanoes. we had the women who went to work and got divorces and demanded equal rights. we had a flower children, and we had free love and free sex. boy oh boy, was it great for the young! i miss all of that. [laughter] the whole world changed. it became a whole new concept of women and i think mrs. clinton today represents the new woman. >> as we continue our conversation on first ladies, dridge and others closest to recent presidential wives talk about the role of the first lady and how it has changed, tonight at 9:00 eastern on c-span. >> "washington journal" continues. host: with two weeks to go before congress adjourned for its august recess, it is a busy time on capitol hill. joining us to help us with all the issues is bob cusack, managing editor of the " -- of

"the hill" newspaper. what are the legislative priorities of the house and senate over the next two weeks, if you want to start with the house? guest: the house will be working on this week on a defense appropriations bill. that is interesting because of the number of amendments that could contradict the passage of it, whether it is on the nsa or egypt aid or syria. house rules committee meeting tonight to discuss what commitments will be allowed. that will be a spirited debate, especially, we do not know what the rules committee will allow as far as amendments. on the other side, the senate is working on a transportation appropriations bill. this is fascinating because in committee, six republicans voted for spending levels that went beyond president obama's budget and beyond what the house republicans have proposed. republicans are a little split on that transportation bill. the big thing that everybody is watching is immigration. what will the house be doing on

immigration? the senate has passed a bipartisan bill, a lot of pressure on the house and it looks at the house the passing narrow immigration measures and then going to conference. you do not have word of when that will be. it is not going to be this week. it'll probably be next week. we talked to some members, and they think some of these bills which have been approved by the judiciary committee will be voted on in the same day. i will not be lumped together in one bill like the senate bill was. host: breaking them up and -- guest: going to conference grid that is when the negotiation starts. host: john boehner was on cbs's "face the nation" talking about immigration. [video clip] >> if you allow a bill on the floor that provides a path to citizenship -- >> what we are going to do in the house, we are dealing with this in a commonsense, step-by- step approach. we want to deal with this in chunks.

chunks that members can deal with and grapple with, and frankly chunks that the merrick and people can get their arms around. -- the american people can get their arms around. not -- we do we do not know the specific timing of when we will see this. guest: i think it will be next week. the house republicans, they say they are not went to vote on the senate bill. that is not going to be happening anytime soon good they do feel pressure to move something. host: does that pressure comes from what the vote score was on the senate with their bill? a good number of republicans that got behind the bill? guest: they feel now the ball is in our court. it is interesting what speaker john boehner said to bob schieffer of cbs. he is not going to propose or endorse any type of bill. he has been critical of the senate measure. he also did back the farm bill before it went to the house floor. this is a tough challenge for speaker boehner. a lot of his members do not want to pass anything like a pathway

to citizenship that was in the senate bill, but as a party, the gop feels like they must pass some sort of immigration reform bill. a lot of people are saying is immigration is going to get to president obama's desk, it's got to happen in 2013 before the election year. this fall will be very busy. in the fall, we are going to be dealing with a possible government shutdown, the debt limit showdown. other things are going to be grappling for attention on capitol hill. host: tuesday on immigration for a second, bob schieffer pushed the speaker several times to try to say whether he would support specifically the path to citizenship. the speaker did not want to say his personal opinion. talk about the dynamics that speaker boehner is dealing with and why he would not want to give away his opinion. guest: he's got a lot of conservatives who are worried about primary challenges who do not have a lot of hispanics in their districts. they do not trust the obama

administration to enforce order security provisions that are in the senate bill. they think it is worthless because the obama administration on various things he has deviated from what the kid on it including recently -- what congress dictated, including recently on the health-care law with the employer mandate it republican say that this -- mandate. republican say that administration has skirted congress. majority leader rick kantor and judiciary committee chairman bob goodlatte are crafting a gestation that -- legislation that would be the republican version of the dream act. republican say, it is not going to be the dream act, but it will be the children of illegals who come here, dealing with them. we do not have language on that. i do not think that will be passing or even being introduced over the next week. at could come into play when the house and senate go into conference. host: you talked about spending bills earlier and what is coming

up. talk about how the spending process is working this year in the face of possibly more sequestration cuts to come. guest: yes, the senate budget committee this week is holding a hearing on sequestration. it is something that has evaporated from the headlines on and certainly democrats are trying to put emphasis back on sequestration. as far as the budget process, there is not a lot of optimism on capitol hill because what the house budget passed, the house whatd in senate passed, they passed for transportation applications are vastly different grade they could not agree to get into conference between the house and senate. that is why some people are saying that there could be some site -- some seven -- some type of government shutdown. there is very little hope that appropriation measures are going to be signed into law anytime

soon before the fiscal year ends september 30. host: you talk about the vast differences between some of the bills that are moving on capitol hill. here is a story from "the hill" talking about the transportation, housing, and urban development bill that is the difference-- between the house and senate .ersion is about $10 billion the differences between these bills, is this a particularly unusual this time around of how far apart they are? guest: yes and no. they are more far apart and they have been in previous years, but with republicans controlling the house in recent years, as well as republicans -- democrats controlling the senate, we have seen these differences. comes across

community development blocks, grants that are in the senate bill, and also high-speed rail. there is no money on the house side for high-speed rail. senate democrats have embraced that. senate democrats may seek in a debate transportation bill on the floor -- there is no doubt that they will be noting that six republicans in committee voted for it. that could split the senate republicans from the house republicans on this. whether that gets a deal, that is unlikely. host: i want to read little bit more from the story on may be why the transportation, housing, and urban development bill is moving forward first. the story notes are we going to see a return to the impact of sequestration messages coming out of senate

democrats and from the white house? guest: to some degree. a lot of democrats come and certainly republicans and some democrats, believe that the white house overplayed its hand a frustration -- on sequestration. republicans mocked the white house could the economy is getting better. the white house says, we are still not there yet. this is one of the messages about the economy. democrats are try to sequestration about the economy. they think over the long term, this will have real effects of middle-class families, but republicans say, they do not like sequestration, they do not like the defense cuts, but at the same time, they want cut one way or the other. that is why they have gone into effect. host: here is an editorial in "oday's "baltimore sun written by senator ben cardin i want to read you a little bit

of that. ben cardin says are we going to be seeing more of these type of editorials

from democratic members? you havethink so but seen some stories that low-level and i was taught to remember last week concerned about suicides in the military saying there had been cut to the mental health services to help prevent suicides in the military. weather and moves congress to actually get some type of deal, that will not happen before the august recess. however, the sequestration to some degree may be altered, revenge during the debt limit discussions later this fall. host: we are talking with bob "thek, managing editor of hill" newspaper. the lines are open.

we've got a call from darrick from seattle, washington and our democratic line. caller: thank you. takeld like your guest to a look at what i am going to say. the clinton presidency and obama presidency -- if you look at them, they are trying to do the exact same thing. clinton had a tax increase, that's all he got public all the bad policies we put in place. glass stiegel, the same thing with obama, he got a tax increase and they are trying to put it all these bad policies, bad abortion policies to destroy the government, they talked about impeachment. if the democrats to not realize this, they will lose and the

midterm and black people not come out and represent. vote for hillary. supportt going to hillary clinton because she might bring back the triangulation of the clinton administration. the caller brings up the midterm elections coming up and how some of the policy issues that president obama is pushing right now might affect that. what do you see in your stories? guest: one thing that we wrote over the weekend is at the beginning of this cycle after the election that obama won and convincing way, -- convincingly, he was eyeing winning back the house anyone to aim for that. that is a real uphill climb right now and there is talk about how democrats could lose the senate. from"thet is the story

hill." guest: recently, the big news is brian sweitzer not running in montana. not to run against max baucus. thatundits are thinking republicans have a slight edge there. favors the republicans in this cycle but not in 2016. house, democrats need to pick up a substantial amount, feasible 17, right now, many democrats have to worry about their seats as well as republicans. few think that democrats can win back the house in 2014. let's see what the implementation of obama care is free of that goes smoothly, democrats will go well. it does not, republicans will do

well. the other issue will be the economy and both parties want to get out their base in midterm elections. host: in recent midterms, we have seen wave elections, a big wins for one side or another. what is the prediction for this upcoming midterm? will this be closer? guest: it is a little bit too early to say. history has not been kind. they called the six-year itch or. . but presidents are in their second year election. president obama had a tough midterm election in 2010. it was a shellacking where republicans took back the house and cut into the democratic majority. republicans,te this is probably their last shot to win back the senate for a while. the math in 2016 will not be good. republicans will be defending a lot of c street can republicans

win back the senate? yes, they need to pick up six seats which will be challenging. at the same time, i think it's too early but because of history, most people think republicans will pick up seats. host: we are talking with bob newspaper.the hill" i will ticket to a policy issue. how important is energy, carbon credit -- guest: i think the house will try. there are two energy bills on the house floor this week that deal with the economy. republicans say they want to cut back and energy regulations so that would help the economy. by congressman bill cassidy running against congressman landrieu and the

other is offered by congressman david mckinley and that is the beenash bill which has labeled a hazardous material. this is a bipartisan bill level that they house floor. as you see gas prices rise, you always see more talk on capitol hill of energy. it is no surprise in the east of the summer that house republicans have scheduled a couple of energy bills. host: in his big speech on global warming issues, environmental issues, president obama talked about doing things through the executive branch and not through congress. to lower carbon emissions. is anything happening on capitol hill right now that has -- that have been -- that members have tried to move on carbon emissions? guest: the president has failed to try to get climate bills through.

one passed the house. nancy pelosi was able to muscle a bill for the lower chamber and installed in the senate. president obama is going to use his administration powers to address climate change and they will be a series of rule making that they will issue. congress can overturn these rolls through the congressional review act but they have to be final rules. for the congressional review, you don't need 60 votes. aboutthey are talking carbon pollution from power plants. guest: yes, there is a question of when that rule is final. it would move through the house. would the senate passage? president obama can veto it even of a gets 51 votes but i'm sure the white house does not want to be in that situation. there are democrats nervous about what the administration is doing an energy and climate

change. the administration has made it clear that they will draft -- they will address this through rulemaking. host: we are taking your calls. on the congressional agenda. bruce is up next, independent from baltimore, maryland. caller: good morning. i'm a registered independent. i have drifted more conservative than one of the things as immigration. i have nothing against people who are legal immigrants i'm totally against any type of comprehensive immigration reform because of personal experience. i had a number of illegal immigrants that have moved into my neighborhood that have made no attempt to simulate -- to a

similar engine and a respect for the neighborhood. host: the immigration bill is being broken into pieces, are there pieces of this bill you do agree with? i am soaller: frustrated. house right next to me with illegal immigrants coming with different license plates. they have had code violations and it took me years to get an inspector out there. they don't care about law. what host: do you want to see from congress? conservative now and i will vote republican. conservative republicans have to stand up for this stuff. kenneth from go to our as some of our democrat line, good morning. marianna, from

arkansas. i would like congress to look into the standard ground lost. many people don't know that in 1947, jackie robinson got ran out of the sanford, florida. he had threats against him. the citizens there got together and the mayor caved in and they had to moveable ball to him out of sanford, fla. to daytona beach to complete their training. there is something wrong down there with the jury that was picked to down there but congress needs to look into these laws especially stand your ground. that ran jackie probablyout of florida had children sitting on that jury. they need to look and see the relationship of what is going on how these jurors are picked. people looking for a fair and impartial jury. host: talk about the standard

ground laws that were brought up because of the trayvon martin case guest: that is an issue that will be talked about especially after president obama's extraordinary press conference on friday which was totally unexpected and his reaction to the verdict which was nearly a week after the verdict came in. democrats are definitely echoing that call. they say we need to have hearings to take a look at the state lost republicans, for the most part, are saying is an issue of state power and states want to pass their own laws, they are free to do so. you will see a lot of reaction to what the president said on friday. congress was out when a add that press conference. host:

congresswoman marcia fudge from ohio was on nbc's "meet the press." she is the head of the national black caucus and talked about the trayvon martin case and the larger issues. [video clip] >> you look at what has happened in 2013. we've got the trayvon martin case that everyone is talking about and this is happening across the country every day. you look at the fact that we have a supreme court that just gutted the voting rights act. they are trying to dissenting with affirmative-action parade you look at the house of representatives that last week took food stamps out of the farm belt. look at this past week when they started to block grant 1. we are being attacked from someone decides when you have to decide where you have the most impact host: the different

issues that she brought up there, are any of those coming up in the next two weeks having to do with the supreme court voting rights or the exclusion of food stamps in the house farm bill? guest: definitely the voting rights act. there is a big hearing in the senate where congressman john lewis, a democrat from georgia, a civil rights activist, and jim sensenbrenner from wisconsin both agreed that congress does need to address the voting rights act after the supreme court decision. house republican leaders have not indicated what they will do on that just yet. at the same time, there is some bipartisan calls for that and as far as the farm bill, debbie stabenow, is ready to finish the farm bill is the house passed a farm bill after much difficulty as well as the senate but the food stamps as was mentioned was

not included on the house side. house republicans indicated they may pass a separate food stamp legislation and will not go into conference until that is done. the farm bill is something that is pending but probably is not going to be settled any time the committee after the congressional recess. host: charles from connecticut of our republican line, good morning. caller: good morning, i question is probably more economics than politics. have this suppose the debt limit. why do we have a debt limit when nobody ever pays any attention to it? i will get off the line listen to your answer. the united states has debts and we borrow a lot of money. some members are kind of confused as to why we borrow

money from other countries when foreign nationals cannot contribute to politicians. in order to pay our bills, the united states needs to lift the debt limit. this has been going on for decades. usually, the process is just to schedule a vote with a clean debt increased republican said we are not doing that anymore and we saw that in 2011 with a major showdown. republicans said we will need some spending reforms. finally, a deal was brokered. of the credit rating agencies after that downgraded the united states credit rating. now we are facing that again. it is not clear exactly when the date will be. has been moved back because the federal government has received more revenues partially because of the fiscal cliff deal that was reached in january. within the next several months, the debt limit will have to be raised and the president has said he is not negotiating like in 2011. it was an ugly time in

washington but republicans are saying that the boats are not there for a clean debt increase and we need some spending reform. it could get quite ugly again. host: we are looking at a fall timeframe? guest: or possibly late fall. will looks like it will be this year but the treasury department is reassessing how much money they have and how long they can keep going. at some point, they will say that we need the debt limit raised. there has been no progress on the grand bargain the president has been doing a charm offensive on republicans mostly in the senate have credited the president for getting together and having these dinners whether it be at a restaurant in d.c. or at the white house. they have not yielded much as far as negotiating some type of a grand bargain whether it is on medicare, medicaid, and the debt limit. that is probably not going to happen. host: could you talk about

detroit and a bankruptcy? guest: i saw a press release from john conyers from michigan. it is big news that the city has filed for bankruptcy. it says it's the only way it can survive. this has angered a number of constituents in detroit. i have not seen a lot of what congress will be doing but certainly, as this moves forward, a lot of people think it is an easy way out whether it is for individuals or cities to file for bankruptcy. others say it is absolutely a must in order to save the city. from waltham, mass.

on our independent line. i don'tfirst of all, know how supporting the billions of dollars of unfuinded pension liabilities would help. detroit get back on the right track. that thenking democrats and republicans do the same thing. thise still talking like is a professional wrestling match, blue verses read, republicans versus democrats when we have seen for the last 10-20 years the illusion of our civil liberties and our economic decline. you talked about the debt limit. that basically magic paper we just pull out from under the bed and say take this money or

we will shoot you. host: we're talking about priorities of congress and the short term. -- in the short term. what do you think their priorities should be? caller: to ask themselves some very difficult questions about why they are doing their job the way they are doing it. themselves.ve host: let's go to mike from beaverton, ore., on our democratic line. i am concerned because i am autistic and i wrote a speech at and make

people cry because i was talking the truth. is -- in any religion, in any country, man's inhumanity to man. americans have a national debt, a gross debt of $17.40 trillion. to be $18.20ected trillion in fiscal year 2014. debtmeans that the federal 52,006 of is about its $71. $52,671. there are companies like chase manhattan bank that have not

paid taxes in 15 years. i know this for a fact because i do my research. the president this week is going to be giving a series of speeches talking about the economy, the pivot back to the economy as it has been described. will he be talking about these issues? guest: a think you will talk about what the economy looks like and it is getting better at a slow pace. message ofe president obama's a reelection campaign is that we averted economic disaster after the implosion of 2008 and i think president obama will talk a lot about that as far as the debt. you talk to some democrats including senator charles schumer who has said we are on an unsustainable path. whether it is a long or short

way out, there are different opinions about how quickly the u.s. needs to act. at some point, it needs to act because of the ballooning deficit. roughesident has had a six months for a lot of his agenda items other than immigration reform and gun control died in the senate. they are trying to revive it. immigration reform does not look like is a sure bet to pass. gun-control and immigration were his two top priorities. on the economy, there are signs of life especially in the housing sector. it is not surprising the white house wants to talk about that. host: this is a positive place he can go to? guest: exactly. ist: also important presidential nominees. what about the deal that was reached last week and is there a time line for moving them? guest: they had the nuclear option, the threat of nuclear

option plastic and it went down to the wire. senate majority leader harry reid threatening to change the rules of the senate so that for executive branch nominees, not judicial and legislation, he would change the rules of the senate so that it would clear with a straight up or down about and they cannot -- the threshold is 51 votes. there were seven nominees that were in dispute. that is what harry reid kept saying. can avertrepublicans the nuclear option if they let the seventh through. in a deal negotiated senate republican leaders and john mccain was in the middle of that deal, they reached an agreement to avert the nuclear option. the democrats gave a good deal. they gave up two nominees for the nationalch is labor relations board which is

one of the most important agencies for organized labor. because of the gridlock in washington and a lack of approval for these nominees, the b and powerless. there was a court ruling that ruled that the nominees that president obama, there were unconstitutional because of how their recess appointee. democrats said we will withdraw those two nominees. president obama quickly nominated two replacements after the deal was reached and they will go through the committee, that health and labor committee this week and should be on the floor as early as next week harry reid got the nlnb working but got richard cordray confirmed. that was a major battle. between the parties. if he still has the power

was to go back to it. host: it sounds like you are saying this is day win for democrats. guest: absolutely. some republicans were divided on the deal. at the same time, the republicans say that those two unconstitutional picks are not going to be at the nlrb. they say they got that but overall, harry reid had more lovers but also got a good deal hos. michigan on afrom republican line. what will outlook of happen in the congress is we are just going to be looking at more gridlock. is to theestion

commentator. i watch c-span pretty much every morning. republicansat the get skipped in the process quite often. other comment is i also noticed that of your callers, i don't know if you realize it, but only 30% of the population is black in this country and you of pretty much adding 40% how much the call in. host: are you concerned about the numbers? we want everybody to call in on c-span and give their opinion. you concerned because we pull them up as the calls come in. caller: i have called and every morning and don't get through. i get through maybe once per year. i noticed that even this

morning, you skipped a republican in your process. yesterday, there was instances where you had 10 callers, two were republicans. have a rule on c-span of 30 days before you can call in again. if you're concerned you do not get through, try every 30 days. we'll continue our discussion about the week ahead on capitol hill, the next two weeks ahead before the august recess. from texarkana, texas, independent line. are you there? caller: yes, sir. [indiscernible] what about immigration?

about somere for republicans are for cheap labor. can we get this straightened out? from -- with the most money when? --win? campaign finance and emigration. legislationse are that democrats have introduced on public financing of campaigns that is not a top priority on capitol hill. as far as immigration, the big difference between the debate now and the debate during the bush administration when immigration bill passed the senate but did not get to his desk is that big business and organized labor are on the same page 3 organized labor back then had major concerns that are members would lose jobs.

this time around, labor is on board and the chamber of commerce is on board and there are prominent republicans ranging from grover norquist to karl rove who are for comprehensive immigration reform legislation great in the house there are many conservatives who don't like that bill. host: virginia from port orchard, washington, on our democratic line. caller: i'm a very old lady. i like the quality we showed to the poor and the people who are ill and the black people. it is time that congress, especially the house, changes the tax laws. some immigrants came on a boat or an airplane or some walked. i wish there was a little more humanity and the republican

side. they need to see the hundred people. congress need to see how many people are overweight. up tax reformgs in her comments. do we see anything moving forward on a comprehensive tax reform? guest: the push for it will happen in the fall. the senate finance committee chairman max baucus and the winds and means committee dave camp have a good relationship and have been going on the right and think they can defy the odds and bring together a tax reform bill even though the parties don't agree. time, camp and baucus worked well together and

there will make date -- they will make a major push. bob casack, managing editor of ""the hill" is paper. next, we get an update on the health care law. later, our weekly segment will take a look at replacement and repairs in the u.s. water system. first, a news update from cspan radio. >> the survey of business economists finds companies are increasingly confident the u.s. economy will grow at a modest pace over the next year. the national association for business economics find nearly 3/4 of the survey respondents forecast growth of 2.1% or more over the next 12 months and 39% expect their firms were white -- will hire more in the next six months. president obama kicks off a

series of addresses on the economy this week. he starts at knox college in illinois. it will be the first speech he plans to deliver over the next several weeks. this is ahead of key budget deadlines in the fall. the new fiscal year begins in october and the government will soon hit its borrowing limit. finally, former senator bob dole's is celebrating his 90th birthday. the world war two veteran earned two purple hearts and became the senate's longest serving republican leader. senator dole also served as rnc chairman , was a presidential and a champion of the americans with disabilities act. he was awarded the presidential medal of freedom in 1997. those are some of the latest headlines on cspan radio. aerio as a new way of consuming television in

the future. it is direct to consumers and people can get access to dead to live broadcast television along ath dvr on any device without cable connection, just using the internet. but foundational piece of the aereo technology is a micro- antenna. think of how you used to have over the air antennas in the past. we miniaturize to them. i think there is a desire to support innovation. it is a desire to create competition. i think there is a desire to have streaming broadcast television signals. this is tonight on "the communicator's." 9 >> jackie was raised as her mother was raised. was the same kind of wife and hostess. the home, the children, the

entertaining with style and panache. that was her heritage and she did it again and the white house. right after her administration, during the johnson years, the whole world erupted like volcanoes. we had the women who went to work and got divorces and demanded equal rights. we have flower children and we have free love and respect for it that was great for the young. i missed all that. [laughter] a whole world changed and it became a whole new concept of women. i think mrs. clinton today represents the new woman. >> as we continue the conversation of first ladies, letitia baldrige, social secretary to jackie kennedy, and others close to recent presidential wives, talk about the role of the first lady and how it has changed along with the nation tonight at 9:00 eastern on c-span. >> "washington journal" continues --

host: we continue our periodic minister is looking at the federal health-care law. we will focus today on education and outrage at heart to reach populations. our guest is joanne cannon. thank you for talking with us today. let's talk about how important education and outreach is to the success of this law. we got always think of that law terms of a success. guest: there are polls that show that people know less about this law and they did three years ago when it passed. there has been so much fighting about this law and it is complicated. if you take the political and you take that fact that it is a new law for many people and they don't understand what a health exchange is, the marketplace on line, a good analogy is something like travel law city.

ocity. if people don't understand it, they don't sign up. if you don't have people participating, it won't work. host: where are we at in the pr of this law . on a 1-10always been scale of confusion. i don't see that dropping. that is the challenge in the next few months for the implementation is a technical matter. it is getting these marketplaces set up an insurance companies to participate and getting these complicated computer systems working. hhs says we are on track but we won't know if they are totally on track until october 1. we know certain things. states have a lot of insurance plans and some states don't have as an -- have as many.

in terms of the education component, we have heard a lot of rhetoric. in terms of trying to sit down with people and explain what this is and if they benefit, there is a little bit of a catch-22. you don't get the message out, people don't hear it. they hear the criticism. if you get to detail about how it works and how you and roll, the person wants to do it now but they cannot do it until october 1. there is a timing issue. there is a six-month signed up. you don't have to do it october 1. host: what is the danger of not signing up? guest: if you have had a pre- , it is harddition to get insurance now unless you get at the office. i think people know there's a

larger awareness about that option. the fear is that if people who are already sick to go in -- its current insurance companies -- theynt to cover them need -- you need to get younger and healthier people in. in the workplace you have that mix. you have a person starting at 25-year-old and a 65-year-old ready to retire and they are trying to create these in the nude -- in these new markets. they are skeptical. host: you can give us a call. we are looking at outreach efforts and hard to reach an hard to serve populations. who are the hardest people to reach, to teach about law and

get them on board? guest: one group is called the young in vincible separate if you are young and healthy and you're not making a ton of money and you're just starting out and you have an entry-level job and you're not sure if your job is going to be there next year and you're trying to pay off college loans are trying to get your first car, do you want to spend money on health insurance? you are also hearing is going to be expensive. in fact, we don't have all the prizes yes. for many young people, they would get subsidies so it is not as expensive as the headlines u.s. secret for some individuals depending on your income and where you live, it will be more money but for many people it is a sliding scale. that is a high number of young people not insured. nobody is expecting all of them to run and sign up. they only have 3 million of the young people to sign up that

first year. traditionally, there regard to return this country. there may be language barriers, illiteracy, they are not watching the same media. how do you reach these partners -- these people? many people are not taking benefits they may already be entitled to. you keep hearing about small businesses. how you define a small-business tax you keep hearing all of this. if you're under 50 employees, you don't have to do anything. if you found a small business with 75 people, there are no options but they have been put off for one year. really small businesses is one of the biggest source of confusion. if you do something, there are tools you can use that you are not required. >> what your colleagues or route wrote -

speech toent gave a the white house on thursday so let's give a listen. [video clip] >> general speaking, what we have seen, is that health care ints have slowed drastically a lot of areas since we passed the affordable care act. we got a lot more work to do but health care inflation is not skyrocketing the way it was. because of this new rule, because of the fact that it improves the value of the coverage you purchase, last year alone, americans saved $3.4 billion in lower premiums. that is $3.4 billion on top of these rebates. hat is just one way this law helping middle-class families prayed it represents everything be affordable care act means for folks who already have insurance, better benefits,

stronger protections, more bang for your buck. it is the basic notion you should get what you pay for. host: who is the president trying to reach with that speech? guest: think he was trying to reach the middle class. there's a lot in this law for working people or people who are struggling to pay their house bills. this is not a message if you are the poorest of the poor. an ordinary person does not know what the poverty line means. subsidies fors people up to 400 percent right. it's not free but it is a sliding scale and some people will be of -- eligible for help. some people all ready get insurance through the government or your job, there are trends and the helpless market that

health-care inflation has dropped a lot. academics and politicians argue about why it is dropping and whether it will continue but nobody disputes that the rate of growth from year to year in health care is the lowest it has been in like 20 years. host: the president is speaking to the hard to reach americans? guest: i think he is speaking to a bunch of people pretty hard to reach people will not necessarily be home watching the president on tv. there's a whole series of other educational, waves of educational attempts that we will see. i think he is reaching a certain audience and setting the boundaries. he hopes people are paying attention again. rebates andg about consumers and regulations and i'm not sure that is the magic message.

you will be seeing education. independent but sympathetic organizations allied with the white house and they are going door-to-door. you will see a community elsewhere -- cal safety given money to the federal market. markets as the people who are qualified for these lower income programs. host: let's hear from stephanie in the manetta, virginia. caller: the health-care exchanges are nothing but a federal employee health benefits program on a state-by-state basis. the federal employee health benefits program works great. it is acknowledged by congress but heaven forbid if they want to acknowledge that the federal government does something great. also, the best part of this new

health care law -- i think it is called the payment policy advisory board and the republicans are blocking it. it is an independent commission that is looking at what cost are throughout the country and republicans want to keep their doctor donors scanning the system. the system.g the president put off that one part of law because these companies that are anti- american are putting all their employees on three hours per week so that they don't have to to pay this. especially wal-mart. don't go to wal-mart. we subsidize wal-mart with this tax credit because the people don't earn enough money to live on. that is ridiculous. the federal employee

health plan, the state markets are not identical to that but it is a similar model. there's a bunch of plants in this marketplace that you can choose from for federal employees. the government pays part of it and you pay the rest and you can outn line and you can pick a plan that's best for you. it is not a model for this. yes, there are federal plants and they will be in this bill. some states will have a lot of choices. it depends where you live and a lot of factors. greatsippi does not have insurance competition right now and they are -- they're more choices for them. this is a template for the we are not going into those plans. i think you're referring to the pimmit advisory

board and the demonstration is not appointed anybody but medicare is only for medicaid not at a crisis point. when medicare spending hits a certain trigger, they have to give recommendations and we are nowhere near there. think the politics of that will have a secondary issue but it is not a make or break elements of the law,. think it is too strong to say that everybody is making people part time. we have heard anecdotal reports that probably there is some truth in those and it does. if you are an employer with 51 employes and you are currently not coming health-care, you might want to go down to 49 if

you're not a larger profitable business. larger companies with 20,000 employees are not going down to 15. there has been a trend toward more part-time work in this country with or without obama care. that parlow law, the him -- the employer mandate was put off for a little while. there was political push on that there was also a technical side and it is not ready for the prime-time but they came together. most larger businesses already cover their workers. it is not all of them but if you are working with someone who has more than 50 employees, you are likely to the least have an offer of insurance that your employer. host: you brought up

mississippi. tell us what happened and why is this significant? republican is a insurance commissioner trying to implement block. . the law. in the power struggle over this, the insurance commissioner lost out and the state will not run on exchange rate in every state, there will be an exchange whether the state or federal in.rnment steps -- big federalid exchange and nobody came. this was a crisis. how do you have a health plan with no plans and its? mississippi is our role and

there are two issues. to cover the -- theyrt population want to cover the underserved population. in mississippi, half of the zeroy's there had participation in this was going to be a crisishumana, one of the big national companies said they will do it last week. it is risky at the beginning. they have released counties with no coverage and they said we will provide coverage is in the exchanges. it is a risky proposition. without having talked to you and our being an expert on their business, a few years from now,

it made -- this may turn out to be a smart move. >> we're talking about market places on open enrollment on october 1 and january 1, the exchange's kickoff, 17 states have their own exchanges. "the wallmap from street journal." guest: the joint ones are supposed to be temporary. it is supposed to be a transition period in a few years, they will be state run and we will see how that evolves. good morning, i have been a hospital-based registered nurse since 1966, before lasix. i have worked for the past 37

years for the oldest not-for- profit hmo in the country and it is a wonderful organization. last year, i was teaching for them. the model for obama care has all the quality initiatives in place. oregon has done a good job with health care changes. our governor happens to be a number 0 position. fun and quirky commercials for the young people that is called cover oregon. they're running commercials that from what i hear, we are in pretty good shape. and i know wec need these changes particularly addressing the quality of this is that people don't speak about, addressing obesity and diabetes and congestive heart failure, depression and a

certain search for excellence. host guest: we're talking about the most troublesome states and we were saying it was mississippi. if you ask me which was the most successful, i would give you five or six names but i would put our gun as one that is likely to do well -- to put oregon as one that is likely to do well. they have been doing health reform for years. physician ands a when he was -- he left office and came back and in those in between years, he was doing a lot of health care policy. your state is invested. you are politically on board. the state government has created the exchange and have supported the exchange. you have public stakeholder someone said make the

.ink to the eds i have one of my reporters wrote about it. host: we go to the neighboring state of washington -- in nashville,ndy tennessee, republican. caller: i am a health-care worker of 37 years myself. of obama care is like public education. everybody gets it but nobody gets it well. for myself, and the people i

work with, i work for a very large health-care hospital. we are really suffering here. we have had a lot of job losses. they are now asking that 30% of our rn's and health care professionals go prn. that means you work as needed with no benefits. this is a large corporation. we are letting off the people who love or 20 and 30 years here. but coming of this law has had a horrible repercussions. that's all i have to say and thank you for listening. host: without knowing which hospital and as the soviets, many hospitals -- guest: there is ways of consolidation of mergers.

while andzes for a market changes. that happens -- that happened a long before obama care. whether there is specific elements of law that are affecting your institution, i am not able to judge. there will be changes to how hospitals do business and some will come from the government. hospitals will have more in short patience of that part -- you will have fewer people walking into the emergency room with no coverage. that will be over the next few years the park we focus on is the coverage and the cost of the coverage. that's what we're talking about today. there is huge changes in how medicine will be delivered. that is happening for medicaid and medicare and through state governments and through private insurers. -- as he tried to shift from what you mentioned to more chronic

diseases which is what americans live with for many years, our aging process is different than it was when medicare started in 1965. some people have diabetes and congestive heart failure and live with it for years. the players come up with different incentives for hospitals. roby some dislocation and some hospitals will adapt better than others. -- there will be some dislocation and some hospitals will adapt better than others. host: some questions on twitter -- guest: in most states, we don't know what the premiums are. we know what it will be in about half a dozen states. in some states, insurers have

posted preliminary. but have not been approved yet. says the premiums will go up by x amount, you don't know whether that is true or not. it will also depend on your age. it will not depend on your health. smokers will pay more and boat -- in most states. if you are young and healthy and you currently have a health plan that does not cover a whole lot and you make more than 400% of poverty with a decent income, there's a chance you will be in. the government will vary by state and the democratic. of that about 75%

demographics of the young of the people will be eligible for subsidies. >> it is when news premiums of the sale will now. some people will pay less and some people pay more but they will have more benefits. people, if your are an early retiree and lost her job in this recession and you did not get the early retiree benefits, you can get covered more easily than you would have been able to and you will be paying less. we also don't know about the catastrophic option that will be affordable. it will be for people under 30. am hit by the bus, i uncovered. -- i am covered. this is for emergency.

forcannot use your subsidy the catastrophic plan but it is available for some people who want it. who wants it. democratic calller from new york. -- kyle. caller: the exchanges of the let's hope the, only place you can go is detroit, because we need a lot of young people to sign up. assume costs are born to be more. certainly there will be more for people currently unemployed -- uninjured bearded young people are injured -- and in church, a lot of them. of them.red, a lot what makes you think you will

pay 10 times more than the tax? all, no one is assuming ever young, healthy person will enroll. the number they are talking about is 2.7 million. lot exchange is assuming a of them will say i do not need this, i would rather pay the penalty, the tax. the misconception is if you get sick -- there is an enrollment time for six months. and ended onck time on march 31, and i have not reported that, i can see if the numbers are not great we might take another month or two, but there is an enrollment season. decide you do not want to

get insurance by march 31 and in july you get appendicitis, you get stuck with those bills. it does not matter. you go in with a clean slate, but you cannot just get insurance the second you need it. you get it in the next cycle. there are people that are not going to buy it. a catastrophic plan. they may feel unhealthy but want protected instead of this -- in case of a ski accident or by accident or something horrible happens to me. and the catastrophic plan covers routine care. what you say will depend on the state you are in. we did not even know exactly.

>> here is a look at the health insurance penalties the people elect not to buy insurance. one percent of taxable income or $95 per person and increase as the years goes on. --eet from mark stone you brought up the fact that smokers may pay more. how does the government know if you are a smoker or not? guest: with the smokers, it seems to be an interesting one. and, very -- verification that changed because of the employer mandate. you have to say this is what i think i am making this year, and there will be ways of doing checks. i do not think they are saying they will be able to check absolutely every human beings income projection but they have

databanks, previous tax records, if you are medicaid eligible. i read the other day that they .ired a credit-card company they know where businesses are and what kinds of industries. there are ways of electronic verification. i do not think there's think it will check absolutely everybody, but if you live in you do your tax return next year and you said you were making $12 and you were making 100,000 and you got this big subsidy -- there will penalize you the following year. on my list to find out. i am not sure if you have to pay back the entire repayment or part of it. i will find out. host: knoxville, tennessee.

carl, a democrat. the red hat. right ahead. caller: over the past several months i have been working to spread the word about this program, what it will do and how what will affect people. had a number of different settings, generally at libraries or churches. isquestion to your guest what we find or have found is very low participation from the general public to come in and attempt to to understand the program and how it may impact and with the milestones coming up are. interested in knowing whether your guess would have any suggestions to increase the

general participants that come in and learn about this program. agreek the speaker would to that. really not the general's job how to tell you to do out reach. own community and look and see what has worked in the past. in july people did not pay attention as much as the mike in october. that is a big question me -- the question. when we look at the bill and the , iel of public understanding do not think the white house would come out and say we're really worried about it. i would not be surprised if they are thinking that. so there will be more publicity starting in about a month there

are these things called navigators. some will do a better job than others. grants and will get training under the whole fall. categories and confusing names. go uplly people that will to help people. the navigator's will be paid. thecalller mentioned library. the american library association has said they wanted to help out reach education. i suspect people will be in the library and more wind summer is over. in the library more risk than when the summer is over. -- weme of the people have heard the secretary and say thingsacy groups

and have not seen that. it is a very divisive topic. you could see some sports teams do it. they did it in massachusetts. the boston red sox help to get the publicity. it in the nfl.g recalled nascar, and they're not putting it on the side of the sports cars. so there will be more education. there will be counter education. the people who do not like the law will not sit down until the president says it is your time to talk. up in some states saying this is terrible. the confusion does not end as the enrollment education campaign begins. the confusion might get more intense. if you hear something and do not

know what to make of something, you are less likely to sit down and figured out for yourself. host: you mentioned navigators. here is a recent story in "the hill" -- guest: at least 14 states have passed various laws on the navigators. there are several layers of fights. one is consumer protection. if youll have access choose -- if they are sitting down with you, they will know about your finances. current navigator will help take them through which insurance plan is the best. nott: the navigator is supposed to stay here is the best one for you.

they will say here are your options and here is what they mean appear yen in mississippi it will be only one. in some states you will have multiple tauruses. multiple choices. guest: there are consumer protection issues, making sure they are trustworthy. there are those issues. insurance brokers traditionally are the ones that have done this. they can still do it. the laws are different in each state. samehey did not have the payment systems. some of the states have created licensing requirements. it gets complicated about the role of the broker verses navigator. some of them are very consumer

focused. some might be to make it harder for a navigator to qualify and get to be a navigator. august 15 for the federal exchanges. paid for the work. the idea is to have community- based groups that can into the heart of the communities. literally the language but understanding the concerns. i looked at the data bank of the laws. and i was left wondering, the state insurance commissioner has until august 15 to come up with kind of roles that will say who is a navigator and what criteria will they have to know. wouldwondering how many get bogged down.

host: next calller from utah. caller: i wanted to know what the rationale or reasoning was for making the work week 30 hours, rather than keeping with 40, and why would that be something that they would think about getting rid of like they did the class act in 1099? 1099? host: there are bills for that. they wanted to maximize coverage. there are apparently some other irs rules. because it is written in the law, it is out something the treasury or department of health and human services can say we're going to change it, not a regulation. there is a little more wiggle room. with the law, congress has to change it.

areid a story saying there a lot of obstacles to that. i am not sure of the entire year because there is always willing in dealing. the package pieces of legislation to make them more acceptable to get the votes you need in congress. there are some democrats who say they are hearing the 30 hour week is hard. there is a bipartisan bill in the senate. there is legislation pending. we have another year for this. could that change? i am not predicting it is. remember, if you are part-time and sake of it -- they go back to 40 hours per week or whenever they end up with, the people who do not get it up work could go to the exchanges and be eligible. host: last call.

colorado springs on the independent line. caller: good morning. i am wondering about the credit being gamed. and $62,000lorado income i get on 1094 per month credit. if i had $63,000 of income i would not get any credit. next year i will be able to play with the credit. one thing i did notice, the cost of the bronze plan would cost me $1,500 per month before the credit. if i did not have the credit, the plan would amount to 28 percent of the gross income. your: i do not think subject to the mandate if it reaches a certain percentage of your income, then you are not legally obligated. they get a technical definition.

i do not know the specifics of exactly the plan options and colorado. there are people -- wherever you put the limit, if you put it at 50,000, the person who is $1 then you are right over. from low-income people. person at 99 percent of poverty will get more. you can probably talk your accountant for how to get income. are you still with us? how are you learning about this? lot of there was a

advertisements and colorado starting a month ago. they get the web site on the advertisement so i went to the website and put in my eighth and my wife's age, and i do have a lot of control over my income. and i have already talked to my accountant. you can see one of her recent stories on the front page of the hard copy of "politico" today. the bills that became known as the death panel bill of couple of years ago. it really came close to blowing up the health-care law. it is actually a really simple bill that the reaction is anything but simple. years you can talk to your doctor about the care you

would like at the end of life and gets it documented and make sure you understand choices and the doctor is paid for his time. the doctor gets paid for cutting you open, and this bill would say the doctor can get paid for listening to you in a fairly complicated discussion. he still thinks it is a good idea to have your doctor know what you want at the end of your life. he brings a back every year. heat sinks it is a talk to your doctor and let your doctor listened bill. it is a talk to your doctor and let your doctor listen bill. eastern time. joe biden traveling to india today.

he and indian leaders are expected talk about trade and restrictions on american companies doing business in the indian marketplace. this is his first trip to india as vice president. he visited in new delhi in 2008. the european union placed the military wing of the military on the terrorist list today. the reach the decision unanimously at the monthly meeting. this would mean imposing visa bans on individuals and asset freezes on organizations associated with the group. the family of the ousted egyptian president mohammad morsi is accusing military generals of kidnapping him and saying it holds the army responsible for his safety and security. the statement is the first from his family since the military overthrew him on july 3 and took him into custody. he has been confined since then.

government officials say he is safe and is being held for his own protection. those are some of the latest headlines on c-span radio. we think this as a new way of thinking about how people will consume television in the future. it is an online platform that is direct to consumers and people can get access today to live broadcast television on any device without a cable connection, just using the internet. could keep peace is a micro and 10 up. we miniaturized them. i think there is a desire to support innovation. i think there is a desire to have choice. on "theht

communicators" at 8:00 eastern. as herie was raised mother was raised, the same time of wife and hostess. the whole world erupted like volcanoes. women who went to work and got the horses and demanded equal rights. flower children and free love and free sex. i missed all of that. and the whole world changed. it became a whole new concept of women. i think mrs. clinton today represents the new woman. >> as we continue the

conversation on first ladies, secretary to jacqueline kennedy, reporters, and others talk about the role of the first lady and how it has changed along with the nation. tonight on c-span. each week and the segment we take a look at how your money is at work in a different several program. this week looking at the state of the u.s. drinking system. a recent survey noted -- estimated the u.s. will need to invest about $384 billion to repair and replace the country's aging water system. here to walk us through the issue is is tom curtis, deputy director for the american water works association. talk about this water situation in prince george's county first that came up last week and made

headlines around the country. what does this tell us about the state of water systems nationwide. guest: thank you. i am very pleased to be with you this morning. i am not familiar with the details. i can say it reflects a much broader problem with america's water infrastructure. reflect on how critical the infrastructure is. it supports public health, hygiene, fire protection, the economy and quality of life. we literally cannot live without it. infrastructures are critical. there is no question that we do face a significant need to increase spending on the reinvestment, rebuilding, refurbishment of this infrastructure. waterwhat is the american

works association? who'd you work for? we are dedicated to solving water problems. the focus has been on safe drinking water but we deal with waste water, storm water, water use, water conservation, and all water issues. we have about 50,000 members. in the united states the utility members serve 80 percent of the american people with a safe and affordable water. your but for how all the others are at work. most focus on better rates and fees. guest: that is correct. it is estimated recently that last year total spending on water and waste water infrastructure in the united states was a little over $111 billion. of that or 45 billion

was for investment in new or upgraded treatment plants, storage facilities and pipe networks. the balance of that was operations and maintenance expense. the federal government offers no help at all for operating and maintaining utilities, and we think that is probably appropriate. of the capital investment made, about 93 or 94% of that is local money. the federal government does offer loans through a number of programs. about 1% is in the form of federal grants, targeted exclusively to very small, very hard-pressed communities without substantial grant assistance would not be able to do the job they have to do. host: we can get more into how the loan and grant work.

next 20lion over the years for upgrades and fixes to the water system. where will that money come from? will they not be able to keep up with that level of funding? guest: i think local spending will have to keep up. it probably means water bills will go up in the future. i will say the $384 billion figure is considerably low. the american water works association did an estimate last year's that is over 25 and 40- and we looked at closely at the level of spending it will face. our estimates, is that just for drinking water infrastructure we face the reinvestment of about one trillion dollars in the next 25 years and can be quite confident that waste water needs are about the same. ont: we should the viewers

the stats of the $84 billion. we want to shows that's about u.s. water systems and general. 64 million are. about 1.7 trillion gallons of clean water leaks from pipes on a yearly basis. this from a story in construction magazine. we're talking about water issues here. tom curtis with the american water works association. we want to hear from you if you have questions or comments. give us a ring. we will split the lines up by region, eastern and central u.s. can call in --

the phone lines are open for you. give us information about the average age of the water systems in the u.s. and the average life span of water pipes. guest: that is an important question. very hard to get a national average age of water pipes. it is true that generally the systems in the northeast and parts of the upper midwest are older than some systems the in the western south, but age is not the only factor that determines the life expectancy of a pipe. it is important but by no means the only one. the way it was buried in the ground, the but it lies on. .xternal forces like vibrations

you have to understand the dynamics of the own system to do advanced asset management where by they assess continuously monitor and assess the condition of their pipes. they were taking corrective steps to avert -- prevent a very catastrophic water main break. if we could actually go to a question on twitter talking

about those pipes. what percentage are ceramic and plastic? is there an effort to make them all plastic? i do not have an estimate on what percentage maybe -- on and which ones may be plastic. there is an excuse for every type of pipe, depending on the conditions. some i described earlier about where the pipe will be placed, what job it has to do and what kind of external environment may be operating. almost impossible to say there is one bus type of pipe. pipe? best type of guest: i do not think so. there have been changes in construction materials. very early in the nation's history we almost exclusively use cast iron or wood. those materials are not used.

each type of pipe is good -- would be best in certain circumstances and not so good and others. that is a decision that the local water system has to make. host: a question from kevin walters -- everywhere in the u.s. needs to upgrade and maintain water systems. water infrastructure is truly critical. hopefully your viewers are a cupng the show and have of their morning beverage in front of them. no water, no coffee. also, in a public health, no hygiene, no fire protection.

no local open restaurants, hotels, and other businesses. the infrastructure we now rely on it was built by parents and grandparents. mostly the systems are built starting in world war i as people move off the farms. that was accelerated after world war ii. andle moving to the cities the pipe network had to expand to accommodate. much of the pipe will now rely on was played in the ground in paid for by our grandparents. pipes last a long time, but they are not immortal. there comes a day when we cannot live in the longer on the investment the earlier generation made. att: talking with tom curtis the american water works association.

we're taking your calls and tweets. from easto now to lansing, michigan. caller: good morning. i have several concerns. is the fluoride added to the water. it is a very reactive product. i am sure the pipes would have lasted longer if we have not added fluoride. some salesmen from the fertilizer industry decided we needed to add this to our teeth and sold it to the dentist saying it would be great for tv, but now we have toothpaste that has the fluoride in it. in our waters?t i am sure many of the problems in this nation is drinking fluoridated water.

the: is this something american water works association has looked into. guest: the preeminent health association and the american metal co -- medical association and dental association. this is an informed public process. we do not think the public should for something on a majority of customers but the health benefits of fluoridated water is are beyond dispute. significant health

impacts. he must have been very enterprising indeed to convince the u.s. centers for disease control and the world health organization and other organizations are mentioned about the health benefits of reasonable amounts of fluoride. caller: tracking is an issue and around the country. the petroleum industry to get more oil and gas. is an issue around the country. i understand water is totally polluted.

there is no question oil and gas production is associated with water at impacts. and most of the impact is actually related to water that comes up from deep underground reservoir as with oil and gas. t is not opposethe fracking process%. this may only last for a few hours or days. that has to be deep injected underground where it cannot get

into the environment. ohio asks howom much is owned by the public? another question. of them are owned by a public. 12 percent are private. i am not aware of any data that shows different levels of service, safety between public and privately-owned systems. the american water works association believes the decision on whether or not the critical asset should be publicly owned or in private ownership. there is really a local one. that is one that the city council and governing board has to make. host: debra from arlington, texas.

good morning, gentlemen. my question is about fracking as well. it was not entirely answered because if it is growing that deeply, i wonder how much it is affecting our water tables that are being depleted at an alarming rate. guest: an excellent question. i think we have to look at the numbers on the use of water in the u.s. above 50% of the water that is taken out of water reservoirs' of all kind, about half of that goes to thermoelectric power production that is turned into steam and an electric generating plant. it is dense and return -- condensed and returned.

most of the depletion of water of underground water furs are tied to irrigation. it is often very pristine water. oil and gas is found far lower than that. thousands of feet below the drinking water sources. already highly contaminated. heavy metals and other things in it. that is why it has to be so carefully treated before it can be returned to the environment here yen host. --t: jody says

we have talked about energy policy and the impact on the water system. talk about recent droughts and wild fires, especially affecting the west in the united states and how those have affected the water systems. droughtsestion that and wild fires affect water system. drought andon that wild fires affect water systems. surface level supplies get lower. water demand often goes up as people are more interested in watering their lawns and so forth. destroy a forest and healthy watershed. so we have to be very concerned about drought and a wild fire. curtis,lking with tom

deputy director for american water works association. previously worked as the director of natural resources for the national governors' association and deputy director of the environmental council of the states. we are taking your calls with tom curtis. bill is up next from beverly hills, calif.. you guys contaminate the water, and it really makes me mad. and i see a lot of contamination with the fluoride and everything. caller: good morning. my question is, and i am undergoing a problem with a water line currently.

guest: i am not sure if the damage is from all public water line or service line that connects your house to the water main. it likely runs under the street you live on. i am not sure where the damage is coming from that you referred to. the question about how often a pipe can be repaired is not an easy one. it is much like owning a car. you do not have to invest much in it. at some point you need to start to repair it more frequently. until he reached a point where economically it does not make sense any longer to repair and time to buy a new car. pipe network server much that way. there comes a point when the water system will say this pipe

is not or is preparing any more. that goes to the job of asset management utilities do. outsideck to washington, that is what they were doing and what utilities should do. host: jack in tennessee. good morning. you are on with tom curtis. caller: good morning. two questions. what about my property, one about the intake for the water supply of the chattanooga on the tennessee river. they kept saying we're working on it, the pipes are too small. for 20 years raw sewage gets dumped into a stream.

that is inexcusable to me. i wonder what can be done. it is below the tennessee fiasco where maybe the biggest environmental accident of all time. guest: the epa monitors water quality constantly and they have that available to any consumer.

it is called the consumer confidence report. you can get a valuable toformation by going 2 www.drinktap.org. i think this highlights the need to reinvest and the nation's infrastructure. one of the list -- the solutions that would help chattanooga and other cities with the reinvestment is the water infrastructure finance and immigration act. it is a successful transportation program. it makes no interest federal loans available for water and waste-water projects, large projects -- projects. it pulls down the cost of betting the projects and minimizing customer water bills. will act on it.

host: where is the bill right now? guest: the senate has approved a version. they sent it over to the house as part of the water resources development act. hoping the house will act on that with the legislation as well and go to conference with the senate. story from this past friday talking about the town of bethel, discussions to upgrade the system there. it noted with work on the south street pumping station.

guest: the regulatory process involves the epa setting standards for the quality of water. it is analyze constantly to make sure it meets strict federal guidelines. most of the investment we face is not drinking water quality. most of this is to simply replace or rehabilitate the pipe networks. host: is that where we're seeing

when they cite one. trillion gallons of leakage, that is where it is happening? guest: yes. i do not want to debate the number. some people include unbilled water. just is not leaked at all, not accounted for in the billing system. sometimes that involves fires. fire hydrants. question lines to remove things that might be a problem for public health. meets thee the water federal standards. making sure water goes to city hall for which the utility does not bill. we have to be careful when we

look at numbers like that on water leakage or water loss to make sure we know what we're talking about. there is no disputing the fact. over the next 25 years we will have to spend significantly more to repair and replace those aging pipes. host: you can see his group's work on their web site at paywwa.org. a question on twitter -- guest: that is a good question. probably right now that is not feasible. most water systems are in fact connected with neighboring water systems. we do not have anything for a

national grid for water the way we do and electricity. not,e answer is probably and if we did need that, it would require significant thoughts and investment. ihost: another question from twitter -- well, i did not think so. no reason to think your city will sell your water works to china. as we discussed earlier, there are 12 percent of the american people served by investor-owned water systems. that ism to get water just as safe and the level of service is just as good as other americans do. about the united states

.hat and local investment if local water systems are locally owned and controlled and paid for. host: going back to the phones. julio in illinois. caller: good morning. i had a question on the water safety of the drinking water in the united states. i have done a lot of research over the past few years. cdc reports on the additive in .he drinking waters it is fluoride or barry of that is a heavy metal or other forms of fluoride being added to the drinking water in high levels, at the same time the ph level has gone down significantly. why is it so important you have

all of these added chemicals into the drinking water when there are harvard professors, professors in england that are stressing this should not be in our drinking water? why is that in our drinking water, and why is it necessary to have these chemicals into our drinking water when a lot of people, even in rural and urban areas are being exposed to this? sayt: i will come back to the chemicals are not added in high levels. they are added at very low levels. it naturally occurs in some groundwater and spring water. -- spring water and ground water.

recommendations from preeminent water levels. it has been shunned operative health benefits. thet: take us through regulation of what is put into the drinking water. what are the agencies responsible, so that people know? is it just the epa that comes up with regulations on what can go into the drinking water? case of fluoride epa is working very closely with center for disease control and prevention to determine what level should be recommended for addition. those are very low levels that would be added if there is no natural fluoride in the water. if there is too much natural

fluoride, than that has to be removed according to epa standards. in our country epa sets the standards for drinking water quality that is largely about removing pathogens and other organisms sums -- organisms or substances that may be harmful to public health. that is the job the epa does. in the case of fluoride they had recommended the addition of fluoride chemical to the water and are working very closely with the centers for disease control and prevention. host: sheila from connecticut. caller: i have a statement first, and that a very important question for you. to me, we cannot wait for congress to get a vote on it. obama has nothing to lose. he could be the deciding factor right now hos.

host: what you mean, the proposal? caller: yes. he could be the deciding factor and put out a proposal my tom curtis,you is can you speak to the issue about the proper way to dispose of and the newedicine, labels that the mercury in them? i was told they could only be disposed of and hazardous waste place. we cannot let these get into our drinking water. very important. i wanted to mention the article i am pushing. expert on thet an disposal of batteries. i would say to consult with your local waste management authority.

she was talking about the proposal for federal funding, the new infrastructure bank you are talking about. how much money are we talking about to be able to be loaned out through the product? guest: our proposal is a low- interest long-term federal loans. they are repaid at federal treasury rates so there is mold -- term cost to the taxpayer. very important for people to understand in this day and age. this require the federal government put money up front? butst: a little bit, because they are loans, all they have to put up front is a default reserve.

the congressional budget office in looking at the senate bill said that $1 and federal appropriations could support about $33 in federal loans. have 100 million and appropriated for a default reserve, that would support $3.3 billion in low-interest loans. that can make a real difference in the investment we face. host: the american water works association is selling this as a job creation tool. guest: no question of the support local economies. they create jobs at the time the project is undertaken, construction and other jobs putting the new pipe underground. and water infrastructure plays a critical role in supporting your local economy as the hotels and

restaurants and businesses can tell you if they have been subject to a water outage, it is devastating to local business. you cannot run a business without water. modern, efficient water system is a wonderful magnet for jobs and economic activity, as well for every $1 of infrastructure spending, according to the u.s. department of commerce. host: those needs outlined by the department of protection agency. 34 billion deeded over the next fall -- to under 47 billion needed. billion needed for u.s. drinking water systems. jerry waiting from austin,

texas. caller: good morning. my question concerns conservation. can you speak to the issue of personal, as well as the issue of corporate responsibility for cultivation and bring us up-to- date on where it is and where it is going. obviously conservation is important. more important some places than others. if you are on the great lakes, it may not be quite as important as if you're in the high plains of texas or nevada where water is harder to obtain. i would say contact your local utility and get their guidance. in host: tom curtis with the american water works association. you can see his work at awwa.org. that is our show for today. we will see you back here

tomorrow at 7:00 on "the washington journal." [captioning performed by national captioning institute] [captions copyright national cable satellite corp. 2013] >> congress is in this week, with the house returning and noon for general speeches. at 4:30 p.m. for legislative work. their agenda this week include the 2014 defense department budget and two separate environmental bills. one focused on coal ash regulations and the other on epa rules. meanwhile, the senate comes back

at 10:00 a.m., in consideration for the bill that deals with transportation, housing, and urban development. on c-n see the house live span, the senate live on c-span 2. we have live coverage today on c-span 2. at 4:15 p.m. eastern the alliance for health reform set health-career experts plans. later at 5:00 p.m. eastern former president jimmy carter will be joined by the former president of finland for discussion on the israeli- palestinian conflict. the carnegie endowment for international peace is hosting this discussion following the news on friday that palestinian officials had reached a tentative agreement for stop -- for stalled peace talks.