white house race and the u.s. economy. then, washington dc attorney general joins us to discuss the increased use of synthetic drugs in u.s. cities. you can also join the conversation on facebook and twitter. host: are we living in a society of entitlement today, where everybody gets a trophy? or is there value in encouraging participation? that's our discussion item on this first segment of "washington journal." on instagram, this message -- i came home to find out that my boys received two trophies for nothing. participation trophies. while i am very proud of my boys for everything they do and will encourage them until the day i die, these trophies will be given back until they are in it real trophy. -- earn a real trophy.

everything in life should be earned, not allowed -- and not about to be raising men who were entitled to something just because the try their best. are we living in a world where everyone gets a trophy? we want to get your opinion on whether or not you think participation trophies and passing out of awards is appropriate as a reward for participating? call (202) 748-8000 if everyone gets a trophy, call (202) 748-8001 if you disagree. an issuee has become in the national media as well. kelly wallace of cnn has posted this article -- does sports participation deserve a trophy?

with the parental debate begin. the awards children get just for showing up strike such a chord. after james harrison took to instagram this we get announcing he would be sending back the trophies his sons, six years old and years old, received, until they receive a real trophy, parents responded with the majority of plotting harrison, who plays for the pittsburgh steelers. twitter stood firmly with harrison, quote, i don't let kids pass classes for just showing up. parents,her side are like his father of two sons, who participate in sports. he is the author of parents praised books, hundreds of easy useful phrases, scripts, and techniques for every situation. while he doesn't believe trophies are necessary, he does

believe they reward effort, not the final outcome. the idea of a participatory aophy is not to make everyone winner, but jirga knowledge that the child put time and effort forward, and to provide a memento of the experience. that's part of the argument. we want to get your opinion on this issue. call (202) 748-8000 if you agree, call (202) 748-8001 if you disagree. not everybody gets a trophy or deserves a trophy. if you can't get through on the phone lines, you can also contact us via social media. @cspanwj is our twitter handle, our facebooksit page or send us an e-mail at journal@c-span.org.

john in new york city, what do you think about the potential of living in a society of entitlement where everyone gets a trophy? i disagree that everyone should get a trophy. it sets kids up for failure and for a sad look on the world because you don't always get a trophy for participating in life. on the other hand, i was quite when he firstn had sex, i wanted to give them a trophy for that. host: we will leave that there. there is error brady in usa today sports. -- eric brady. he writes participation trophies outlook.rp kids' news, kidss is

always know the score, even when it's not being kept. and then the world went nuts. sporting press nodded in agreement, as if a football player with a history of cheap shots is a paragon of parenting. host: this is nonsense, kids always know the best players. they know the difference between winning and losing in the difference between first place and last. they do not grow up to believe they are winners in life just because they had a trophy for finishing fifth in rec league

basketball. registration for abuse were not thought up by kids, and probably mean more to the self-esteem of parents and grandparents than to their progeny in the pint-size cleats. anotherf this worth chapter in the tough love approach to life? lots ofy boomer knows millennial's, mostly well-adjusted men and women. older generations always find something to harrumph about. this is a belief that things were better in the past, but never was. the trophies cost a few bucks were a big smile, they do not cost trauma later in life. woody allen famously said 80% of success is showing up. write that on a participation this tempestnsider in a trophy like a youth league referee. that there brady in usa today.

up next is ted in new york. good morning. caller: good morning. i really appreciate participation in any program, and if that really leads to a trophy, why not? i started my kids playing tennis, and after they finish, they got a certificate and we posted on our refrigerator. it becomes a motivation for the children. he might be a superstar, nobody knows. but giving a trophy for a child is not against anything. they are rewarded because they are behaving, playing, participating, it's motivation. we should encourage, not discourage it at all. jenny in lancaster, ohio. caller: i have a different swing here.

forn't think it's right them -- for movie stars to get trophies and awards. they're not acting. or a basketball player or football player that thinks they are hero. you are not a hero. host: thank you. alice is in philadelphia. what is your view on ever buddy gets a trophy -- on everyone gets a trophy? caller: my view was that i disagreed. spoke, ithe manager may have changed a little bit. about to say something another part of that. i have a grandson who play soccer. he's very good. a fewyed in a tournament years back. he is 13 years old now. he was voted the most valuable player, i think they had three

sessions that day. got most valuable player in each session. m.v.p. intonied him the sessions because he said someone else to serve that trophy. i think that way of doing things is sort of with what you are talking about now, i think that's the wrong way to do. -- you earnomething something in the deny it you because the other kids didn't get it. on our facebook page, you can make comments as well. julie says if they made a legitimate effort, they should get some recognition as opposed to those who did nothing. james harrison is promoting the idea if they don't come in first, their efforts are worth nothing.

danny says no child left behind disagrees. is going to take away ambition from the winners. a further comment down the page -- hopefully i can find it right away. i had it a minute ago. we will come back to it. [laughter] host: we move on to build in san francisco. what do you think -- bill in san francisco. caller: i think everyone should get a trophy. host: why? caller: the special olympics is an example of a situation in -- kids who should normally wouldn't feel very good about themselves, like schizophrenics and cripples and people of that nature, have the ability to feel positive about themselves. deez nutsvoting for

in 2016. host: the comments i was looking for is from stephen. related for what bill had to say, was the first part of what he had to say, which is i have been it many special olympics events, everyone gets at least a ribbon. somewhat different circumstances than with a football players referring to. but there is a place for such awards. matt is calling in from the suburbs in but we, maryland. what do you think about everybody gets a trophy? is it important to encourage participation? matt is gone. another "usa today," columnist has written about this issue. armour is on the other side of the issue that her colleague eric brady. james harrison is right, you

shouldn't get a trophy for showing up. fair, you canays work your hardest, try your best, spend every ounce of energy you have, and sometimes things don't work out the way you hoped or imagined. that's just the way things go. yet somewhere along the late -- along the way, someone had the notion that kids should live in a land where everything is perfect. there are no hardships, heartbreaks, and you get a shiny trophy were pretty blue-ribbon just for being you. there is time enough to get acquainted with reality, the thinking goes. in the meantime, children should be praised and encouraged, reminded at every turn how wonderful they are. everybody gets a trophy proponents say children should be rewarded for their efforts, the prizes give kids incentives to always try the best and persevere. but isn't that with the orange slices and cookies are for? by handing out trophies and metals at every turn, and since the opposite message, telling

kids is enough to just show up. why should get strides to improve or put in extra effort when he or she is treated no differently than the kid who sits in the outfield eking dandelions? or his current warner said on twitter, they don't let kids pass classes were just showing up. the benefit of competition is winning, the benefit is improving, this is according to ashley merryman, co-author of "top dog, the science of winning and losing." when you give a kid a trophy for everything they do, they are saying i don't care about improvement or what you are learning about your mistakes, all we expect is that you are always a winner. this is of nancy warners -- nancy armour's column on everybody gets a trophy instagram post that pittsburgh steelers jane harrison sent out. agree202) 748-8000 if you

that everybody deserves a trophy for participating. call (202) 748-8001 if you disagree with that thought. joel is calling in from new york. joel, you were on the air. i was a college athlete, i wrestled in college. i got to that point because i was 5'6" and wasn't winning basketball trophies. i realized through some process of elimination that i was greater wrestling as i was winning trophies, nonparticipation awards. not participation awards. host: anything else? caller: that's it. host: ben is next. caller: trophies are important to kids. but long as they are active in anything, they deserve a trophy to keep them off the streets, to keep them involved in sports. it's a good thing.

with theere's overkill point they're trying to make by not giving everybody a trophy, but it's awful lies the want your kids are grown, you look in the room and see all the things that you done with your kids through the years, its memories and only for your kids, but after it's all over with, you can realize that you did a good job or try to do a good job as a parent. raising your kids, special olympics deserve the best trophies they can make. creatingyou think it's a society of entitlement? caller: i think they love to use the word entitlement. taxblicans and how they social security when you think of entitlements. i think awards is more appropriate, to make a kid feel special. if they run a track meet and

they complete the race and they get a ribbon around their neck, they have done that and they can always look back and say one point, i can run a mile or whatever. then say i was active. i think that's the most important thing. if god gives you the talent and you were able to go out there and do anything, i think that deserves appreciation. that's the way i look at it. jim mckinlay gaston tweets in little kids first great them below, let them have a trophy. after that, teach them trophies go to winners only. rick is calling in from florida. rick, what do you think?] ? get a: not every kids to trophy, is indicative of a bigger problem that we have, there are too many parents the try and insulate their children from any kind of disappointment. they have to be taught the

disappointment comes with life. that are way too many kids grow up later in life and don't know how to handle , orppointment or anger something that doesn't go their way because they have never been taught that not everything is going to go your way. that life isn't fair. it is never going to be. host: thank you. larry is in killeen, texas. good morning. give a little kid a trophy or something. if they tried. kids are so shy, they don't want to do anything, and then they get the guts to go out and play and it feels good. they know they didn't win, but if you were handling them something and they feel good about it, you give them a pat on sayback, it should young to it's an entitlement. little kids don't know words like that.

give the kids something, let them have a good time at. go through the park and have some more fun, make them feel good. if you are a parent or a sports official who has been organized sports for young kids, where everybody gets a trophy, we would love to hear your viewpoint as well. rich lowry, editor of the national review, picked up on this issue and on james harrison's post. here's a little bit of his column right here. harrison'sding withering assault and public opinion, the culture of trophies for all in youth sports will endure. the trophy has gone from exceptional reward for , tollence to nice gesture practically an entitlement. when a cash-strapped little league in oklahoma canceled its participation trophies a couple of years ago, one parent complained it thanks little

league for failing my son and disappointing him as well. rich lowry goes on to write there is such a thing as winning and losing, excelling in failing. it's ok for kids understand that, and in fact come if they don't, they're going to be shocked by life. there's no reason to try and hide it under a wrap of automatic trophies that will never be as value to something truly extraordinary or truly earned. james in spokane, washington. and what is your view on everybody gets a trophy? hey, steve. i called them before. it's a weird analogy, but i compare this to calling people heroes. don't get me wrong, i don't disparage -- i know what families go through a lot of stuff. reserveds used to be for medal of honor recipients are people who did extraordinary things. , ifyone getting a trophy

someone does extraordinary things, they deserve it. i'm totally anti-politically correct. , there'se kid earns it value in it. host: at what point do you learn it?- earn caller: 80% of life is just showing up. but if someone does extraordinary, even as children, we realize when someone does nothing extraordinary. that should be -- this is the analogy on the heroes thing that calling the family's heroes and everyone heroes come i appreciate their sacrifices and i appreciate everything they do. the guy who jumps on the grenade, that's a hero. we don't realize that. it's just common sense to me. trophy, whening a who did school, the guy

something extraordinary got the trophy. trophies, ithe diminishes the exploit. does that make any sense? kids did you have participate in sports and get a participate -- participation trophy? caller: no. host: deal is calling in from jamestown, north carolina. good morning. like some of the other callers, i believe it's ok to give a trophy in the form of a paper recognition for those participating in sports. toa young age, say up seventh-grade. after the seventh-grade, where people becomee -- very competitive, then you can give a meaningful trophy. miss first james harrison is concerned, i wonder how he rewards his kids? does he rewards them after a

game where he says you give a good hit to that kid, and his kids are getting maybe a concussion or the beginning of injuries? i find it fascinating that he might reward his kids after a game with a hamburger or some sort of verbal reward, at the detriment of his children. that's my comments. host: have you had kids in sports? we will never know. aboutobably saw or heard president carter yesterday, talking about his cancer diagnosis. that pressred conference live. here's a portion of what he had to say. [video clip] carter: at first i thought it was confined to my liver, and the operation had completely removed it. that same afternoon, we had an mri of my head and neck, it showed it was already in my

brain. i would say that night in the next day, until i came back up to every, i thought i had a few weeks left. i was surprisingly at ease. life,ad a wonderful , i've hadof friends an exciting and adventurous and gratifying existence. so i was surprisingly at ease, much more so than my wife was. but now i feel -- they say the -- i will be prepared when it comes. host: that was the president carter talking about the next couple of weeks and what he is going to be going through. the full video of the press conference that he held can be held -- can be seen at c-span.org. back to your calls on everybody

gets a trophy. this is preston in omaha, nebraska. caller: good morning. i believe that everybody is not created equal. some are faster, some are just naturally taller i'm a bigger. more built to compete in certain sports than other kids are. now, when they have those trophies out, you know that first place trophy is always a lot prettier, always a lot bigger, the second-place trophy is the next level. the third-place level trophy goes down to the next level. ever but he wants that first place trophy, regardless. if they are a true competitor. if they get a participation trophy, i don't see anything wrong with it. because they did show up to compete. trophysed to be a show back in the day, where that

person that took fourth place got a trophy. worn award. but it's an award is a lot less than the first, second, third place trophies. i'll see anything wrong with giving a participation trophy. they participated. there is a note on the screen that says you have grandkids that participated in sports. have they gotten participation trophies? granddaughter is six years old, she does basketball and gymnastics. but no, she hasn't gotten any participation trophies at all. that shedoesn't mean shouldn't get one just for being in -- playing basketball, whatever. it's on the same level. i can understand what the

football player or some of these other callers are saying. trophy,ive everyone a in a way, it could take away from that drive for them to want to compete. but a true competitor doesn't want that little bitty piece of a trophy. he may not be happy with it. i rim when i played basketball, we were playing for first place. was noty lost a game, i very happy with that second-place trophy. i was about ready to throw it away. i wanted the first place trophy. a true competitor is never going to be happy with the lesser. equal, some born are born naturally gifted. -- others are born less gifted, less physically capable. it doesn't mean they didn't try just as hard. yesterday when we were

discussing this issue in the editorial meeting, one of the issues that came up -- you mentioned you had a six-year-old granddaughter. up of the issues that came with graduation from every class, from kindergarten, from first-grade, etc.. mentioned used to go to school and graduate 12 years later. is your granddaughter being graduated in a ceremony from every year she is in school? what do you think about that? caller: i don't know if there's a graduation, she just started first-grade. i don't know if there's a graduation thing from kindergarten up to first-grade. that view, i wouldn't see as a bad thing anyways either. if you are making it from the first-grade to the second-grade, secondary to the third-grade, you are actually making it, i don't see any problem with you

at the end of the year saying i made it to the third-grade. it's not like you are graduating. from one elementary to the middle school, to the high school, from high school you graduate from college. i don't believe that passing -- butrough school debt don't know anything, they don't know the basics, i don't think you should even get through elementary school without learning to read and write. it totally messes me up when i see people that are all the way through high school and don't have the basic skills down. you're not doing them any favors by passing them through. is preston in omaha, nebraska. i appreciate your time this morning. here's a photograph of the trophies that james harrison for being the so-called best of the batch, next level athletics.

this is for their participation. kelsey is apparent in newport news, virginia. what do you think about everybody gets a trophy? caller: actually i disagree with that. we have a daughter who has participated in several different types of sporting events. third junior high and high school. i never felt like she should get rewarded with a trophy, she competed to that level. often times as i observed, just watching her practice in different competitions, i could see she was a really trying as hard as some of the other children. i didn't want her to get rewarded for a haphazard effort. i don't think that's the right message. i would always tell her look, you need to try harder. i disagree with just giving out trophies just to appease

children or parents, river, and was feeling a little emotional about the child not having everything from participation. if they want to do anything for any children didn't come in first place, take them out to a pizza party. everyone would integrate effort you tried hard. everyone should not receive a trophy, and waters down what trophies really mean. which is you should be the cream of the crop. the olympics doesn't give out trophies to all participants. on the top three people get a trophy or metal. i don't think it's the right kids trophiese

just for bringing 80%. part of james harrison's instagram post tweeted out by fox news. to raise men who believe they are entitled to things before -- because they did their best. participation trophies break and collect dust and embarrass them kids who know they lost. it's a business. caller: when it comes to sports, it mirrors society's expectations. get paid.the job, we most of us get minimum or little above that. some people get higher salaries for better skills. better productivity, and of course, the ceos get. that's the same thing with sports. i played baseball most of my life, we have trophies, and we

got participation level, m.v.p. someone who had the most home runs. etc. the one factor that people haven't said yet is that our parents today are paying a lot of money for kids to participate. they want to see the kids go home with something. that's one of the factors. frankly, they also are the participants from the stands. all of those things play a factor in what trophies are given out at what levels, and that shouldn't necessarily be the case. i do think the kids are motivated when they get something to try harder the next time to do better. is calling in from williamsburg, virginia. what do you think about this issue? america,ood morning the morning c-span. i own a small business operating for 15 years. i am a fitness education and

safety business. i have made 1200 school site visits over these last years. trophy is because the really receipt, like the man before me said. it demonstrates the parents put in a lot of effort putting -- driving to and from games. if the receipt for the child having played that sport. again, america is losing its focus with sports. individuals and there's really no data that demonstrates there's a positive outcome in the elementary, middle, and high school participation. i know i have nagging injuries for my high school sports career, i'm 53 years old now that compromise my ability to train children now. that the trophy is

really receipt, and the cost of the use sports, the facilities, many communities are basing their revenue, new revenue streams on sports k-12 sports. i think it's a little perverted, and we lost our focus. you are being critical of your personal revenue stream it. is that fair? caller: i don't play games with children's health. those are games the children are playing. i'm a fitness professional, and we do fitness. i elevate and sustained heart rate. , do it in a fun, healthy educational and safeway. who were just bigger programs, do they all get a trophy? caller: no, they get education, health and safety. doore kids beating down my

to get to my program when i am at a school site, when there are always other activities for them to do, because it's fun, they have a physical outcome. you will never see any program that can take like mine, where pre-k kindergarten child, i can sustain a heart rate at 110, 120 feet -- 120 beats and have a conversation with a four-year-old or five-year-old about a resting heart rate and accelerated heart rate. you can't teach children about vocabulary for their body, or math and science and what their body is doing while they are doing these activities. so i've created these mobile fitness abilities. i've been on the national mall, the presidential fitness partner, and i am one of the only businesses in america --

the only one that the cdc has published as a public health program. it's common for me to show up at childrenand train 500 in a six-hour school day with 30 stationary bikes in a 50 foot trailer. host: we are going to put on the 'sophies that jim harrison' sons one. what do you think about the fact he returned these trophies? caller: i think parents need to take a more focused role in these activities that their children are participating in. i'm glad that he voiced his way of raising his children. it sounds like he is very involved. that aresome folks just way over the top, and then

some are just going through the paces. what you have to have is a professional that can capture those children who are disenfranchised, who are standing around there looking at the grass, playing with their are halfmitts or who participating because their mind to somewhere else. and getto grab them those chemicals in their brain rolling. i can assure you that i don't care how -- in whatever role that kid plays in his school, whether he is the physical one of the smart one, they will participate. you have to give them an opportunity, all children, to get on the field that has something that offers all of them, whether they are tired or little grumpy, something that

will grab them and regardless of their previous time in the day, this elevates them. this gets those chemicals going. host: randy in williamsburg, virginia. thank you for your time. this guy tweets and everyone gets a trophy for showing up? didn't realize we were talking gop presidential hopefuls. bonnie in florida, what do you think? caller: number one, i think i agree but i disagree. i'm not going to get into that respective it. certain children, i think a lot of it based on parents. parents want to make their kids the best, and i agree with the last caller, i did not have my in athletics.te i did have personal trainers, they got athletic programs to gems and things like that.

i think there isn't a lot of fairness in athletics programs, there is favoritism. everyone getting a trophy, knowing that they have not been played equally, it's not necessarily something i agree with. i think that depends on the child. some children need that additional self-esteem building. greatl parents are self-esteem builders, some of them go over-the-top, some don't do it at all. it depends on the child. that kind of trophy is ridiculous. it's absolutely absurd. get ak if you're going to participation trophy, it should be designated as that. a participation. some children don't like to participate. when they finally step out and do participate, they learn teambuilding and sometimes trying things out of your comfort zone. you get a dollar store trophy, things like that may be. the huge ones are just absurd. that looks like super bowl cups.

that's bonnie in florida. posts our facebook page don't tie trophies to self-esteem. recognizentended to performance. that's why they don't give tin and copper metals. mike, good morning. caller: i agree, think they should give those kids a trophy for starting out, to show that they can participate in sports. i think it's a good thing. can take a look at donald trump, they gave him a medal for making up his bed when he was a military academy, and he's right for president. you can look at it that way. that is mike in kentucky. up next is larry in gallatin, tennessee. caller: hello.

me and my wife our past cubs got a boy scout leaders. i think it is ok to have both the participation and the recognition. age,nk a young participation trophies are fine. run, theyut, they have an idea of what teamwork is about. i think recognition for what you do. heading to boy scouts and cub scouts earn merit badges, they , once they requested, it is checked out.

meeting, the, for their parents. if they get a badge, they get their parents as a way to show advancement. do you have evidence that the kids appreciated the participation recognition? caller: i did. boy got his soccer medal, ation middle -- little recognition trophy. get, i hateing you -- at this young age, politicize.

minds into kids whether they participate, or they are recognized. you don't get recognized along the way for what you've done. we just have to be part of a team, and if your team is good enough, then the gets recognition, and then, a lot of times come on you think about it, the trophy goes to the school. with a coach. it goes to somewhere else. they don't have them in their homes. it's a team effort. in the school of college, they get it. in cub scouts, the individual is recognized. they put them -- in boy scouts, they put on a sash.

, notids walk around everybody has the same amount on their sashes. they stand out. and they ought to stand out. host: --t: this tweet bob in philadelphia. everybody gets a trophy? caller: i disagree there. is best thing you could have to show you were part of the team. trophies went to the best -- went to the best participants. it showed that you were on the team. host: rich calling in from

pittsburgh where this whole story began. caller: good morning. i think the one caller was misinformed. he talked about them the leagues did not keep score. all of the trophies were exactly the same. we are all children of coping skills. the results of the survey were that 20% thought they were special and 80% thought they were average. of the children thought they were special and 20% thought they were not in this manifest itself in different ways and the example of that is when you are dating a girl and if she breaks

up with you, you pick yourself up, dust yourself off, mope around and move on. you are seeing more and more examples of these young boys, these teenagers, that when the girl breaks up with them, they may come back and assault the girl. they say, if i can't have you, no one can. it is robbing kids of coping skills. that is my take on it. play is jamesd of harrison's instagram post getting in pittsburgh? caller: i don't think it is that big of a deal. i'm not a fan of his. he would not go see president oba at the white house because he is not a fan of president obama and i am a fan of president obama. i dismiss what he said anyway. host: washington journal is on the air 365 days per week.

it is a little slower in washington and we thought we would spend a little time and we appreciate the enthusiastic level in that segment. we are going to turn our attention to politics. after that, we are going to be synthetic drugs. first, we want to show you what little bit more from jimmy carter's news conference yesterday on his cancer diagnosis. [inaudible] [no audio]

so, we have a good and harmonious family. as long as i am physically and mentally able. we have hundreds of visitors who come. they like to see the politician teaching the bible. [laughter] mr. carter: i continue that. i wish i had sent one more helicopter to get the hostages and we would have rescue them and i would have been reelected. [laughter] mr. carter: that may have interfered with the foundation of the carter center.

"washington journal" continues. host: joining us from our new york studio is steve forbes. we are going to be talking about politics. give us an assessment, your assessment of the race so far. what you have seen is an interest in the race. it is absolutely intense and unprecedented. donald trump stirred things up and that has a lot of interest in the first debate. there is a lot of deep dissatisfaction in this country about where the country is that, where the economy is at. the democratic side with bernie sanders.

it has not gotten as much play is the donald trump phenomenon, but you have this senator, socialist out of vermont who is ahead of secretary clinton in new hampshire, moving up fast in the national polls. people want big change and they are very unhappy with where we are today. host: mr. forbes, this is a rather indelicate question. g fopresident? --st: donald trump's mind zero. [laughter] no mattern you run, what your background, when you go in that arena, you are going to expect brickbats. it is like the nfl. it is a contact sport. if you are rich, they are going to say you are out of touch. if you are not, they are going to say you have no achievement. field you arethe getting into. you are doing it voluntarily. if you don't like getting

bruises, don't get in the ring. host: you ran for president twice. did you suffer those brickbats? guest: of course. i called it the hazing process of american politics. in 1996, when i started to gain traction, there was what you might call the honeymoon period, where the national press was all aw's and then overnight, it turned. nothing you did was right. every day, they found something wrong. with the american people look at in that process, even though they don't do it consciously is can you handle the pressure? the presidency, you are going to get stuff thrown at you you don't anticipate. it comes almost every day. people want to see how you handle the unexpected things when you are in that arena. y discussing the issues that you think are important so far? -- i: in the first debate

think it is going to change with the second debate -- i thought that was inadequate discussion of the economy, hardly any mention of the tax code, no mention of the federal reserve and our credit markets, and very little discussion of health care . i think that is going to change in the second debate and you will find the participants are much more active and less passive than the first debate. if they don't show well in this debate, they are going to be thrown off the island, in effect. you will see the candidates put forth a lot more specific proposals, get to issues that are very much on people's minds. host: let's put the phone numbers up in case you want to (202) 784-8001, republicans. (202) 748-8000, democrats. (202) 748-8002 independents. get through on the

phone lines and still want to make a comment, try twitter. the chairman and editor-in-chief of forbes media and ran for president in 1996 and 2000. he has written several books, as well. what if donald trump gets the nomination for your party, mr. forbes? guest: to get the nomination, it is very different from having an early lead in the polls. to get it, you are going to have to show you can unite the party, you are going to have to win a number of primaries. we are still a long way from that. it is still several months before we have the first contest in iowa. to win a nomination in a political party, you have to show you can bring the different parts of the party together. the parties in america are unlike in europe and elsewhere. you have groups of people together who have very different

interest from one another. one quick example. in a normal economy, you go to iowa. iowa republicans have much more interest, as a whole, in social issues than economic issues. in new hampshire, you find just the opposite. much more interest in economic issues and hardly any interest in social issues as a generality. disparate groups that you have to bring together and show skills in doing that. to get the nomination, it is not enough to have a rise in the polls. you have to demonstrate in the primaries and the caucuses that you can bring the disparate elements of the party together to get the majority of the delegates. host: what is your assessment of carly fiorina? demonstrated, and what they called the kiddie she demonstrated

and put in a very impressive performance. as a ceo, you are accustomed to getting brickbats and you are accustomed to a lot of pressure in dealing with different constituencies. nothing like politics. i attended a dinner with carly fiorina several's ago -- months ago and people were very impressed with how she comported herself and how she answered the tough questions. it did not surprise me that she did very well in that secondary debate. it is clear that she will be at the adult table so to speak in mid-september. host: have you endorsed and are you going to? guest: no. i'm with a couple of several other people, like art laffer and steve moore, we have been putting together meetings with various people with the particular candidates to discuss specifically changing our horrific tax code, making changes at the federal reserve, economic issues.

we agreed when we started to do these events that we would not endorse until after we had an opportunity and people had an opportunity to talk to all of the candidates. that process is still unfolding. i don't expect to do anything until at least around christmas time. host: are many of them friends of yours? guest: i've known many of them over the years. some better than others. so, yes, most of them are not strangers. [laughter] host: didi fredericks tweet san, dr. carson is very popular and places second in many polls. what are your thoughts? guest: i think dr. carson's rise and he did well among the republican base in that first debate, i think dr. carson exemplifies the deep dissatisfaction with politics as it is today, with the present people in politics, and that people want a big change.

think his great knowledge and quiet demeanor has impressed people. he is someone who has done substantive things in his life -- not just made beaches speeches. one of the things that came out of the first debate though the whole focus was on donald trump is that the republican bench, so to speak, is very deep and very strong. you had a lot of impressive people up there. you will get even more an impression on the september 16 debate. that is why the situation in the republican party in particular is so fluid. you have a lot of people who are very plausible. that is why carly fiorina is going up and dr. carson is going up and governor kasich has had a rise. host: let's take some calls. steve forbes is our guest. matt is calling in from new york on our republican line. caller: good morning. good morning, mr. forbes. guest: good morning, matt. caller: what you were saying

about the brickbats, the newest brickbats is the term "anchor baby." hillary clinton was first lady years.lary --eight the term anchor baby has been used for decades and now it is an offensive term to hillary clinton. position to in the actually say something about it, she didn't. everybody knows what anchor babies are. there are no two ways about it. jeb bush and donald trump are being condemned for saying what the truth is. you know what? it is time for the republicans to start coming to the gunfight with a gun instead of a knife. they started to back in the days of newt gingrich, but now it seems like they are backpedaling and apologizing for telling the truth. what you said is true. i would like to see somebody

stand up. i'm not saying i'm a trump fan, but i tell you what, i love his attitude. host: i'm sorry, matt. i thought you were finished. mr. forbes, any comment? exemplifiesnk that the deep dissatisfaction, the worrying anxiety that is around the country today. we have had the worst economic recovery from a sharp downturn since the 1930's. there is a feeling that things are falling apart around the world. the things are not going right here at home, that the labor markets are not as strong as they should be. people are frustrated and are looking for new faces. it doesaller indicated, not mean that he, at the end of the day, or when the primary come, you will end up voting for donald trump were dr. ben carson or somebody else, but he wants a vigorous debate out there.

you will see very vigorous debate on immigration, on taxes, on spending, on the huge spew of regulations we have had that are --shing mall businesses small businesses. we will have lively encounters in the next debates. host: is there a republican candidate that you would not support of this point? guest: no, i'm looking at the field. i want to see with a put on the table. i want to see how well they thele the pressure when brickbats come flying at them. ronald reagan demonstrated that he never lost his demeanor, which was one of his great characteristics. he demonstrated he could take the pressure, take the criticism , and not lose sight of the purpose for his candidacy. , that isk in history one of the mistakes that ross perot made back when he ran as an independent in 1992, was pulling out of the race and then coming back in. you cannot do it.

if you are in it, you are in it until you win or are out. host: travis is a republican in detroit. caller: hello. speaking of new faces, i'm generally have voted republican over the years, but recently i have become disillusioned with the party and i found an independent candidate that has been getting some press lately called deez nuts. i was wondering what your views on that were? what his chances are? if you wanted to know wanted to address that mr. forbes. guest: [laughter] names, talking about new you will see more -- there is the feeling that secretary clinton is on the revolt. of colorfule plenty

stories and lively people out there in this process. host: 600 people have declared their intention and filed to run for president at this point. guest: i think there are a lot in the white house -- in the race for the white house. you will see a lot of unanticipated things happen in this campaign. john kerry may get in the race. there is talk about al gore. they said, look at all these democratic candidates. all of them are eligible for social security, what does that tell you. there will be plenty of grist for the mill for the comedians. nuts has been

identified as a 15-year-old farm boy in iowa. guest: sadly, you have to be 35. [laughter] host: robert is calling in from greenville, north carolina. good morning, gentlemen. i would like to ask you what you think about citizens united. i would like to ask you who was worst. when donald trump says he has bribed all kinds of politicians with money donations, is he the worst guy for bribing the politicians were for the politicians taking the bribes? thank you. on citizens united, which was a supreme court decision saying that companies and unions can set up organizations to supposedly independently support

candidates, i think that case is a way waystation to finally removing a lot of the campaign restrictions that were put in the aftermath of watergate in the 1970's, which has made our election laws almost as convoluted as our tax code. i hope eventually through the supreme court or through acts of congress, we should get rid of these restrictions. be allowed to give what you want to a candidate and to stop all of this convoluted stuff. make it open and transparent and be done with it. , instead get to that of the complicated way that you have to do it today. host: what do you think about set aboutd trump giving politicians money and they do what they want?

guest: i'm sure there were times when he wishes they would do what they wanted. people are looking at his candidacy and what he is saying because a lot of times money is given for access. ,f you allow absolute openness you should be able to do it. he got hillary clinton to come to his wedding. that was the only example he cited. i'm sure in the next debate, they will press him. host: is mr. trump a friend of yours? yes, i have known donald trump for years.

his father was a major real estate developer. his father broke into manhattan back in the 1980's, so i got to know him way back then. host: are your daughters at all interested in politics? guest: we have five daughters. none of them are interested in politics. none of them have exhibited any appetite for it. they follow it. they are glad they saw it, but it did not entice them to enter the arena area -- arena. [laughter] host: mark is a democrat. caller: good morning. i wanted to reiterate what mr. berniehad said about sanders. he is always labeled as a socialist democrat.

we never hear about the s democrat -- capitalist republicans. we were a country founded on the people. being a socialist type. bernie sanders is the chairman of ways and means. we have seen the squandering of wealth and the greed that can happen with a purely capitalistic approach. which is becoming stronger and stronger. we need someone that is there to speak for the people and he speaks to the people. a lot of people get a wrong impression when he is called a socialist. i wish they would just drop it and leave it as democrat. but i think he has a lot of great things to say and need some more airtime. thank you. host: steve forbes? guest: in terms of the label socialist, bernie sanders calls

himself a socialist. in vermont, when he runs for the for thend before that congressional representative, on the ballot, you had republican, democrat, and socialist. he filed as a socialist and he caucuses in the senate with the democrats. they like his vote, so they let him in the caucus, they put him as a member of their various committees. the socialist label, bernie sanders puts it on himself. that is not something the press did or his opponents did. bernie sanders will be live tonight on c-span at 7:00 p.m. from south carolina. we will carry that live. liveward, he will join us for a call-in program.

bella is in miami. you are on with steve forbes. caller: good morning, mr. forbes. guest: good morning. caller: yes, good morning. this is in reference to your run in 2000. i was a volunteer then in miami. guest: thank you. caller: you are welcome. the reason i did this. it is due to the factor that i was caught in occupied china as a child. my father was u.s. navy. long story. he served under admiral harry yarnell. fdr ignored the mock raid on pearl harbor that yamamoto covered. that is why never vote democrat. why did you back out of your run?

i want to know whether this might happen in this next election. of both the 2000 race and the 1996 race, when you lose, you don't get the votes and you don't carry on. even though we came close on some of those are -- early contest in 2000, close was not good enough. when you don't win, you pull out and move on. it was not something i wanted to pull out of or voluntarily pulled out of. the votes were not there. host: do you agree with privatizing public education? guest: i believe, in terms of education, parents should have a choice.

nevada has put in a couponarent can have a -- where parents can put in a coupon if they don't feel that their particular school meets the particular needs of their child, they can put that child in another school. i think one of the things we're discovering is that one size does not fit all. a particular educational environment may not work for another kid. there are some kids who thrive in single-sex schools rather than coed schools. we have seen it with our daughters. each one is very different. what works for one may not work for another. it is not privatizing, it is giving people a choice. it gives people more choice if you don't go to a neighborhood that happens to a good school, you suffer. live,less of where you

you should be able to put your kid in a school that meets the caps off needs -- meets the kid's needs. aanndk we need truth diversity in terms of education methods. host: steve forbes, at one point in your runs for president you were pretty much in front of the pack. you were in first or second place in opinion polls. what is that feeling like? guest: it is a very pleasant feeling. [laughter] guest: you hope it can last. we were thinking, this is great, we are moving up. i had read enough history to know that those things don't necessarily last. this one did not. you move ahead, you do go through that hazing period, you do get the brick that.

that is part of the american political system. we don't have a parliamentary system. we see the process unfolding in the republican party now and we will see it among the democrats. you have a lot of people running , but people want to get to know them and they want to see if they can handle the job, handle the heat in the kitchen, as hairy truman put it. host: what do you think about the fact that iowa and new hampshire are still first and i can when it comes to the nominating process? again, even though i didn't win the process, i think it is not a bad process. in both states, you get very involved in what they call retail politics, even though you are running for president. you do get to know people. you get to know issues, you get

to know concerns on a personal basis. you do not get those through position papers or reading polls or scrolling the internet. it is face-to-face. you get a real feel for it. in iowa, you've got to demonstrate you can put together organizations. new hampshire is a traditional primary. to demonstrate going throughout the state that you can win the support with people looking at you very closely. they are not impressed with candidates because they see them all the time. in do not get in a bubble those states. the system is unlike any other. i have not seen a better one around the world yet. is an independent in chestnut hill, massachusetts. caller: good morning, mr. forbes. i would like to ask you if your political views are more conservative than your father

maolm. i have a brief comment about what you said about the schools. that that is true, but i think in these privileged communities, like my own, we need to integrate more fair people are able to move into these affluent are better,there much better public schools. ,f course the more affluent their children tend to go to the private schools. i would like to know about your dad malcolm and how that compares with your views. host: i think we got it. thank you. steve forbes. had very father diverse views on a lot of subjects. i think i persuaded him on some

things, like simplifying the tax code will before i got into politics myself. one of the amazing things about him was that each day he always had a fresh take on things. he taught us, as kids, he taught us to have independent minds, to come to our own conclusions. we would have vigorous arguments around the table, especially with one of our younger brothers. even though he was very forceful, very forceful, he appreciated when you could make an argument that could make him change his mind. died 25 years ago, sadly, so i have no idea what his opinions would be today. he would probably very much opinion a -- i would very much appreciate hearing because he had interesting opinions on things. the housingbout

issue? the public housing issue? guest: well, you shouldn't be having the federal government forcing people to move or not move or trying to upset local communities. ,n the education thing, again as nevada is starting to do, give parents the means so that regardless of where they live, regardless of their circumstances, they can try to get a school or schooling method that best meets the needs of their particular children. to say, we must fill an apartment building here's a certain school. give people a choice of movement. people can live where they want and people should be able to go to schools that meet the needs of their kids. host: a tweet. what should happen to social security and medicare? guest: easy questions. not. [laughter] , even on social security

though we have a troubled economy today and i think that is going to change in the next couple of years, we have enough wealth in this nation. to meet the obligations of social security for those on the row graham now and those who are going to go on the program and 10-15 years. the real problem comes with younger people, teenagers, people in their 20's and 30's, there for will not be them if we continue on this current course. people who are on social security and about to go on it, don't worry. you will get your benefits. for younger people, we should phase in having your own with properount regulations, where a certain amount of your payroll tax goes into your account, you own it, not the federal government. the more you earn, you will end

up, even if you don't go on the stock market, you will end up, by the time you wish to retire, you choose when you want to retire, whether you want to do it at 60 or 90, you make the choice. if something happens to you, those assets go to whoever you want them to go to. right now, when you leave this existence, alls the money you put in social security, the politicians keep it. time,k this return, over would turn it into an asset rather than a liability. medicare has to be a part. we can meet the current medicare obligations for the next 10-20 years. i take issue with some of my republican party colleagues on that. it can be done.

we need a more patient oriented system going forward, where you start to get real entrepreneurs coming in providing health care, more health care at a lower cost. we see little pieces of it like lasix surgery for the eyes where it costs less than it did 10 or 12 years ago because you have the entrepreneurial forces at work. you put in more patient oriented system. peter, is that, patients are not the real customers in health care today. it is all third party. the patient is not the real customer. that is going to change and is starting to change. when it does, the problems, the huge problems, are going to disappear. i'm writing a book on that, by the way. host: when is that coming out? guest: the end of november. host: ken is in florida. a democrat. caller: good morning, mr.

forbes. guest: morning. caller: my question is about the republican governing of the economy. i have been around since 1948. without exception, every republican president has had a recession during their administration. some of them horrendous recessions like the 1982 and the 2007 recession. i don't want you to blame it on the democrats because eisenhower's recession was in in8 and george w. bush's was 2007, well into his administration with republican house and senate for the most part. that is what i think about it. of thewell, in terms recession, first of all, you did

not mention the 2000-2001 recession. i begin to feel that one is bill clinton was leaving office. you can blame it on anyone you want. the economy was weakening visibly in the late 2000. trigger point, in terms of good economics, that is not a partisan matter. i think the previous administration, republican administration, made a huge mistake in allowing the bekening of the dollar to done by the u.s. treasury department, the federal. that had disastrous consequences . we would not have had the housing bubble of the dollar had not been undermined in the early 2000's. john kennedy had it right on taxes. johnson passed it. a major income tax cut. kennedy did not muck around the dollar the way that does today. -- rock with ronald reagan

with ronald reagan, the recession came with a terrible inflation of the 70's. we got the great boom of the 1980's and 1990's because of the reforms that reagan pushed. in terms of taxes, if a democrat wants to have a flat tax, i would cheer. if a democrat wants a stable dollar, stable and value instead of what the fed is doing now treating it like a yo-yo, which is very disruptive, i would applaud it. there are no monopolies in terms of good policy. the is why i am looking at republican candidates right now who recognize the mistakes made in the 2000 and some of them are starting to put some very good proposals out there, particularly on the tax side. ,ost: kp potatoes tweets and medicare, medicaid patients are not the real customers. the next call for steve forbes

comes from sean in cleveland. sean is gone. sorry about that. barry is an center arbor new hampshire. morning, mr. forbes. the last time i saw you face-to-face, you are running for president in new hampshire and we had some discussions about mandatory age-based retirement for airline pilots. guest: right. caller: you are planning on getting together with the other candidate and seeing who was worthy of support. you would broaden this to eliminating mandatory age-based retirement in the federal service broadly. if i had been able to continue to work as an airline pilot, much as i don't like to take chances, i would have been contributing to social security instead of drawing on social security and drawing on society.

if someone wants to work, they should be able to work and contribute to the general welfare. i hope that your position has not changed and that you will continue to support this. host: we will get a comment in just a minute. very quickly, do you make a point of trying to meet as many of the candidates as possible in new hampshire and which way are you leaning as of today? caller: i'm somewhat of an independent. i try to meet and listen to as many candidates as i can. people asgs i like in diverse as bernie sanders, rand paul, ron paul, and ralph nader. these people tend to be mavericks. as i think steve was, a little bit, and still is. they all bring something to the table.

i'm not really a fan of donald trump, but he gets a lot of support and attention because he is not one of the politics as usual people, as for example hillary clinton and jeb bush seem to be. host: thank you, sir. steve forbes. guest: in terms of retirement, i think, at the time, pilots had to retire at the age of 60. it has been raised since then. in terms of that, where you have a physically, mentally demanding job, if you take a test every few months, psychologically and physical, and can do the job, you should be able to do it. the only area where you might have a fixed retirement is for high executive positions or boards of corporations where they tried to bring in new people. at the very top, yes, i could see having a retirement age where you go into something else and let others move-in, younger people move in.

like for pilots, that should be dependent on your own capabilities. we have learned a lot since the 1950's. when the pilot rule was put in, in terms of people's capabilities when they get older. host: what about the significance is of politics as usual versus mavericks, as barry put it? guest: mavericks, as barry calls them, often times bring new and change the course of debate. in terms of the flat tax, which i have been advocating, i think a number of candidates will be putting that on the table again. rand paul has already done it, others will be doing it. even though the u.s. have not done it, 30 countries have put in such a system and it has worked fairly well. yes, there is always a place. that is one of the virtues of the american system.

it is not a closed shop. britain is almost impossible for someone who is not a professional politician to break into that system. and is. is wide open think that is a good thing. when things are not working, people want new solutions. host: david is in goldsboro, north carolina. a few minutes left with our guest. caller: good morning, mr. forbes. guest: good morning, david. caller: i remember when you were running. you try to include everyone in their debts your campaign regardless of race and everything. as of right now, it seems that every republican is scared to discuss race. i don't see many minorities at the republican meetings and everything. they all think republicans are racist.

i would like to know what your thought is on that. i remember when you were running and and you try to include everyone in your campaign. think they are not willing to talk about racism and that is hurting them. that is hurting them politically. thank you. guest: thank you. thank you for calling in. this is what we were getting too earlier. the political parties must include many people to win an action all -- national election in the country. candidates such as rand paul have been doing a lot of outreach. hasrnor john kasich of ohio done a lot of outreach and when he ran for reelection as a republican, he did extremely well among minority communities because of that outreach. the candidates know this. they have been working on it.

i hope they continue to do so. people want to hear the message and you've got to get the message to everybody if you want to govern this great country. host: his immigration an economic issue? covers notgration just economics. it is social and everything else. one of the things that will happen as a result of this, you will not get anything from congress in a year or so. when you get a new president, one of the things that has to be done is you have to overhaul and simplify our current if you play by the rules and try to get into this country, you end up in a legal limbo twilight zone where they lose your files, you wait for years, you go through hell to do it and that is not right. people who play by the rules should not be punished. that is the first step in terms

of dealing with our immigration talent. -- challenge. host: have you think john boehner and mitch mcconnell are doing in washington? guest: i will not call them names, they are nice guys, but i would have -- i was hoping they would be more aggressive. in terms of pushing some needed changes in some of the regulatory abuses of this administration. that is part of the frustration out there, especially when you control both houses of congress. they have not found more innovative ways of getting some of these issues dealt with. there is still time for them to do it. host: we appreciate you coming in talking with our viewers. we look forward to having you back. guest: thank you. appreciate it. host: we turn our attention to synthetic drugs. attorney fors the the city of washington, d.c.

we will talk to him about synthetic drugs and synthetic marijuana and its effect on the city and nationally. that is what is coming up next. ♪ ♪ ♪ >> this sunday night on q&a, curt dion has been visiting the graves of u.s. presidents and vice presidents since he was nine and documenting his adventures on his website. he talks about those visits and his interest in american history. >> the one great site everyone has trouble getting to is the rockefeller great. -- grave. how did you do it? >> we were able to get to it through an active god. my father walked further down the perimeter and saw the

gigantic tree had fallen across the fence. nelson in and saw rockefeller's grave and decide he would have to get me there fairly quickly. sunday night at 8:00 eastern and pacific on c-span's q&a. >> our road to the white house coverage of the presidential candidates continues life from the iowa state fair. as the candidates walk the fairgrounds and speak at the des moines register's candidate soapbox. this morning at 11:00 a.m. eastern, senator ted cruz and on saturday, chris christie at noon and bobby jindal at 1:00. join the twitter conversation. 2016, takingaign you on the road to the white house. with the senate in its august break, we will feature both tv

programming weeknights in prime time on c-span2. for the weekends, if you book tv special programs. saturday, life from jackson, mississippi for the inaugural mississippi book festival. discussions on harper lee, civil rights and the civil war. on saturday, live from our nations capital for the 15th annual national book festival. apollo on sunday with former atond lady and senior fellow the american enterprise institute, lynne cheney. .ook tv on c-span2 television for serious readers. "washington journal" continues. host: we want to introduce you attorneyacine, the general for washington, d.c. he is joining us to talk about synthetic drugs.

what is a synthetic drug? guest: a synthetic drug is a chemical compound normally manufactured as far away as in china, manufactured into a powdery substance, illegally shipped over to the united solventsixed in with and sprayed on dry plants or tobacco and then ingested into the body. these compounds are volatile, inconsistent, erratic and they cause very violent reactions when people ingest them. host: are we talking about marijuana? sprayed onto real marijuana plants? guest: let me destroy a misnomer. oftentimes, these synthetic drugs are called synthetic marijuana. the chemical compound has nothing to do with marijuana.

it's a chemical compound that is turned into a sullivan and sprayed on any dried plant. not necessarily marijuana. consumed usually by inhalation. host: what is in these compounds? guest: that is part of the problem. that wereals originally being used were chemicals that sought to mimic thc. --adays, they are being used they are uncertain. even the scientific community is not certain as to the base chemicals. what we do know is that when folks consume these chemicals in their bodies come all manner of reactions occur. there had been folks who have immediately gone into dramatic coma. have had heart attacks. more importantly, what generally happens, there is a surge of energy and even violent -- violence has occurred. innocent bystanders had been

injured and even killed. host: when you say they are legally ship, are they illegal to sell? guest: they are absolutely illegal to sell. host: are there statutes that say you cannot sell this compound? guest: there are. in fact, initially, prior to 2010, they were not illegal to sell. the industry, the purveyors of these substances marketed them as an alternative to marijuana. they had nothing to do with marijuana. states and cities like the district of columbia got wise and started passing laws beginning in 2010 to absolutely make these drugs legal. -- illegal. host: what if the formula gets tweaked a bit? guest: as you know, chemicals are subject to being tweaked in the laboratory very easily and

just in a minor way. when these chemicals get tweaked, the oftentimes frustrate the testing in place to uncover whether the base chemical is illegal. part of the problem that law enforcement has had is the ability to stand up in court with a valid test that holds these drugs to be illegal under schedule one. a forumspan covered about these synthetic drugs and drugs in general. [video clip] >> even these highly conservative, highly repressive societies have not been able to stand up to drug use. when you consider our own society, for heaven sakes, we are not able to keep drugs out

of maximum-security prisons. what are our chances of keeping them out of a free and open society? the answer is, we have no chance of doing that. then, what do we do? ignore the problem? not necessarily. there are things we can do. the goal should be to channel the trade in these substances and other currently illicit , intointo legal channels the hands of reputable businesses. that means requiring standards of labeling and dosage so that customers know what they are getting. and then, as citizens of a free society, they get to make their own decisions. guest: that is a very provocative piece.

when you are talking about areical drugs, what we speaking of, there should be no discussion as to a legalization of those drugs. what needs to happen, we need to educate the community about the dangers of this drug, we need to dispel the myth that this drug is something akin to marijuana. it absolutely is not. in the need to do that district of columbia. mayor past emergency legislation that allows the police chief to go in and illegally shut down businesses for up to 96 hours if they are found to have sold these drugs. significant fines are also attached. authorized to bring civil actions that can shut down businesses for up to a year. i'm happy to say we have done that. the u.s. attorney's office is

getting a much better testing of these substances and is now prosecuting sellers of the substance. it has to be a law-enforcement approach and education approach. quite responsibly, we were able to work with the korean business alliance, a group that has many convenience stores throughout the city. they were first to come to the plate and indicate that they would join us in getting the message out in a broader convenience or merchant community that selling these substances is bad conduct. is it fair to say that these substances sold as scooby snacks are widely available today in the district? you and i could go to a convenience store and buy them? guest: the increase in -- the drug is

widely accessible and is cheap. that's why folks who are interested in a cheap, volatile substance are attracted to it. another reason why consumers use it is because of a gap in testing. if you areows that using heroin, cocaine or marijuana, those drugs will linger in your system and a testing process will reveal it. marijuana stays and once system for 30 days. , thesynthetic drugs testing and the detection is behind what we are doing with the other drugs. we are catching up quickly. host: two final questions before we go to calls. we have divided our lines regionally. ,f you live in the east or west you can see the numbers on the screen.

reports of a spike in crime in d.c. this summer. is there a relationship to the synthetic drug? guest: there certainly is an increase in crime and a dramatic increase in the reported cases involving chemical drugs. increases, folks showing up to the emergency room with symptoms of having ingested chemical drugs. as to whether there is a direct correlation on that, i will not speak to that issue. , law enforcement is quite active in that regard. one area has to be in curtailing the use of chemical drugs. 1980's, the crack acted epidemic. is this comparable? guest: i don't believe we are

there in terms of comparing what occurred in the 1980's with respect to crack and pcp. the government led by the mayor and the council and police chief and all the prosecutors are focused on this in an obsessive way in order to make sure that we don't get to any place like this terrible days in the 1980's. host: is this just a d.c. problem? guest: it is nationwide. the exponential growth of the use of the substance as seen in the emergency room reports, a 10 fold increase over last year is indeed nationwide. host: karl racine is our guest. let's take some calls. troy is in portland, oregon. go ahead. caller: hello, mr. attorney general. i think we are looking at the wrong issue.

this is a mental health issue. kids will always find stuff to get high on. i actually read a report about this thing called choosing. .- cheesing went to mail pets get together, their urine can get you really high. host: i apologize for that. next call is robin in pennsylvania. caller: how are you? i have something to tell you. my nephew was addicted to heroin. he has been in and out of rehab over and over again and he keeps going back to it. this time, he got into trouble with the law. he has gone to rehab outside of philly. he was in rehab and 13 of the patients got a hold of the synthetic marijuana and all 13 of them smoked it and all 13

with the hospital in the same night. how are we going to deal with this? he is in rehab and they got it in rehab. guest: i'm sorry to hear that story. suffering from addiction is going to have ups and downs and has to stay with the program and the family must be supported. this is a problem. the drug is accessible, it is cheap and there is a view out there that the users are not going to be detected. we are to make sure that reducing the amount of supply on the streets by enforcing the law against those who sell and educating people as best we can as to the serious dangers of consumption. host: richard in illinois. you were on the air. caller: thank you for taking the call. to have agoing to try safer society and a society

where law enforcement can concentrate on things like violent crime, you have to rethink your position about not having a discussion on legalization of substances in general. it should not really amount to what substances we may be talking about. in amounts to a civil liberties issue and when people want to consume substances that alter their state of consciousness, they should be a lot figured if you did not have such a crackdown on drugs like marijuana and cocaine and heroin , there would not be market force and that he drugs. you do a disservice to the nation coming to service to the youth when you act in an authoritarian manner saying its proper for police to involve themselves in the non- violent activities of adults. when alcohol or drugs are involved with youth, that is a parental issue.

it can transition into a law-enforcement issue, but for consenting adults, u.n. law enforcement and the authorities have no business being in people's business. guest: i respect the caller's perspective and in many ways, i agree with the caller's central point. and overcement criminalization can cause more harm to society than benefit. here is the distinction. with respect to chemical drugs, the recipe is clear, we know what's going to happen when people ingested. it's not just merely a personal use and to a dull's not harming anyone. go adults not harming any one part other people occurs. the state has to be involved. respect to legalization of other substances, including marijuana, the caller makes an

excellent point. host: what is the district's current -- what is the legal status of real marijuana in the district of columbia today? guest: in the district of columbia, use of marijuana for medical purposes is legal. use of marijuana for your own purposes at your home is legal. we are in a country here in the district of columbia because unfortunately, the congress of the united states has prevented the district of columbia from doing what states like colorado have done. regulate marijuana. what should happen is that the congress should get out of the way and allow the district of columbia to regulate the legal use of marijuana. we can use the tax benefits to come in to educate folks on proper uses an dangers of drugs.

we can put some of that tax money into the programs that alleviate crime and provide programming for kids and thereby move into the world of the 21st century when it comes to law enforcement and the use of drugs in america. clear, do to be real you think the cocaines and heroins, should they be legalized as well? would it help law enforcement? policinge 21st century is such that smart prosecution means less of an emphasis on criminalizing conduct, more of an emphasis on mental health and substance abuse. with respect to marijuana, my position is clear, i think it should be legal in a think the district of columbia like the

state of colorado should be able to regulate it. the next call comes from stephen philadelphia. in philadelphia. caller: in your opening statement, you mentioned most of these synthetic drugs come from asia. know howike to congress has not stopped the importation of this particular synthetic drug. what can we do to halt it from coming into our country and destroying our young? -- it shouldtion be more like colorado and other states. it could be grown properly,

healthier. that's all i have to say. have a nice day. guest: thank you very much. in regard to the source of these chemicals, they are being made everywhere. the law enforcement information is that a lot of the drugs are manufactured in china. i know law-enforcement is stepping up its effort -- the national association of attorney generals over the last two years in a bipartisan manner has urged action on the part of congress and we could certainly use more law enforcement action to stop the illegal importation of the substance. host: you talked about how easy it was to import these drugs because of the powder. all powder drugs? are any of them liquids? guest: the answer is yes.

i appreciate the very learned comment. it makes it easier, you can also drink these? guest: most people smoke it, but there are reports of other means of adjusting it. what we are seeing in the district of columbia is mostly the powder being mixed in with solvents, sprayed onto dry leafy substances and smoked. host: another tweet -- guest: i completely agree with that. that is right. there is a supply and demand and cost factor. host: what has the district done in the last six months with convenience stores making these drugs available?

guest: the mayor and the council have given the police chief authority to shut down any store that is found to have sold some of these substances come up to 96 hours. and a very hefty fine. the district of columbia has shut down stores for up to one year. no business at all in the store that was formerly making revenue. we are still doing that, we have many cases that we are investigating and actively enforcing. host: dan in mansfield, ohio. go ahead with your question or comment. caller: good morning. i lost a friend to that stuff. i believe that contributed to it. here.alled it posh around

i heard them call it scooby snacks. it was like fake marijuana. i figured it was some kind of plant with chemicals sprayed on it. if people sniff gasoline, that will do something to them, too. he has started smoking that and one time he had a mild seizure or something, different episodes and i said you need to stop smoking that. it would be better to buy marijuana. it's a lesser of two evils. that stuff really is evil. -- you allyou said stole my thunder this morning. he really knows the facts. i will turn it over to you for your comment. guest: i appreciate you calling

it and it's my experience that when people like you honestly call in and recount personal experiences that you've had, the message gets out even more vividly. this stuff can kill you. not only can it kill you come it can cause you to do things that can hurt other people. we need to get that message out and a happy to say that throughout the summer, notwithstanding the increase in this drug -- the mayor's office, the council and the office of attorney general has been reaching out to young people and the homeless community. host: can these drugs be made in someone's kitchen like methamphetamine? guest: yes. we recently covered a panel of criminal justice policy foundation talking about

prosecuting crimes involved with synthetic drugs. [video clip] >> these things called incense and bath salts, they are clearly intended for human consumption. the prosecutors who say there is nothing we can do have not been getting the targets of these -- why does a gas station sell something by the cash register called incense? it's inconceivable to me that you cannot send in a sufficient number of well-trained informants to get the clerk to make some kind of statement indicating that the clerk understands that this is for human consumption. guest: it has been red alert zone in the district of columbia. the government is organized and

focused in every way to do just with the gentleman suggested. aggressively go after those businesses who make money selling these chemical drugs that cause violent reactions in people. host: is the epicenter of the synthetic drug issue here in washington or are the other major cities having it worse than we are? guest: i'm not sure if it's worse or better. it is a growing national epidemic. it is not only adc problem. in theorney general state of new york has been quite active in this area. the police chief has been active in this area. it's getting into suburban america. as one of the colors indicated, we have a cheap way to get high.

like the hight some people believe it is. it can cause significant damage to anyone who consumes it. host: the district has put up a website with the word song be in it. it.zombie" in guest: it was quite responsible on the part of the government to do just that. peoplelooking to educate and destroy the myth that these zombie, k2, it is not fun stuff. you are putting your life at risk of putting the lives of others at risk. there will be serious consequences for selling and using. host: ted in los angeles. good morning. caller: good morning. i have a couple of comments.

regarding the synthetic drugs , it seems they always have names that cater to young people or children. regardingady was laws advertising to children from cereal companies and everything, but they seem to get away with this by advertising these dy or instancen or whatever. or whatever. that should of been taken care of a long time ago. the question i have, in hollywood, they had these places called hookah parlors where people go in and smoke large hugo pipes. is that synthetic marijuana they are smoking?

it seems to be a legal thing that goes on here. thank you very much. question, there are tobacco products that are legal for adults to use. i cannot speak to the hookah bars in hollywood, but certainly re are those types of establishments throughout the country. so long as the tobacco products are legal, it's appropriate for adults to choose to use that. host: steve tweets in -- guest: i think we live in a world where we can do more than one thing at the same time. there is no doubt that the mayor,t of columbia, the

the council, the police chief, community activists are absolutely focused on getting guns off the streets. d.c. citizens over generations have clearly expressed their view that reasonable restrictions on gun use makes sense. we are defending the right of the district of columbia to pass those reasonable restrictions. i can issue or the caller that not only are we focused on synthetic drug use, but indeed, we are focused on the most important issue, saving lives. host: will you address the issue of drug abuse overall in the district, including meth and crack? where would you rank it? guest: i'm not sure i have an accurate measure or compare ator.

the method we have traditionally thought to deal with substance abuse is changing. law enforcement needs to be active, particularly against those selling substances that are dangerous. in a real way, we are tilting the model to focus on treatment. host: sue is calling in from illinois. go ahead with your question or comment. i want to know if cultivating, selling marijuana is not illegal. is it illegal? guest: in the district of columbia, the law permits residents of the district of columbia to grow and to use certain amounts of marijuana in their private dwelling. host: did you have a follow-up?

caller: i want to know how is it legal to put people in jail for marijuana and or write them a ticket within the same city that you are cultivating and growing and selling the marijuana? how is that not a double standard? how is that constitutional when you put one set of people in prison for marijuana and you have a white sector of people who are allowed to grow it. you are an african-american. the president. happen -- all at that allow that to happen? guest: you are talking about something that is extraordinarily important, disparity in prosecution and disparity in arrests and convictions.

part of the reason, one of the main reasons why the district of columbia went forward with the was toing marijuana eliminate the disparity in ofsecutions and arrests folks using marijuana. it was the case prior to legalization that both black folks and white folks use marijuana at the same level. african-americans were eight times more likely to be arrested and convicted for marijuana related offenses. exists.parity no longer the caller is highlighting a problem that has now been resolved in the district of columbia. host: is congress interested in this issue? have you work at all with the chinese government? guest: with respect to congress, we can frankly do more with

congress and ask more of congress. the organization which i am a member of, the national association of attorney general's, bipartisan people, republicans, democrats and couple independents are all in unison in regards to working against the chemical drug. there needs to be more coordination with congress. host: and the chinese government? guest: i do not have those levels of relationships. i'm not sure that i can report that there has been an outreach. host: there has been a case in d.c. that has been well-publicized locally. a young student being stabbed to death on the metro. synthetic drugs were reported to be involved. can you confirm that is the case? guest: i have read the report.

thatesn't certainly appear the young man was clearly under the influence of several drugs, including chemical drugs. host: linda in ohio. good morning. caller: good morning. i don't know anything about synthetic marijuana. in this neck of the woods: the -akron area, we are having devastating effects from .eroin -- a fake heroine it is killing people. every single day i read in the obituaries of people between the 40 who have died from this stuff. i genuinely believe it goes back to the economy. these young people have nothing

in the future to look forward to. they cannot get a job like their .ad nowadays, they can either go into massive amounts of debt to go to college and get a degree where they can even get a job paying $40,000 a year or they can work two part-time jobs making nine dollars and hour with no benefits. -- have a have no very good future to look forward to. dim future to look forward to. these kids have watched their parents and grandparents struggling since 2005. the recession started in about 2007 with bankruptcies and

foreclosures and people losing their jobs way back then, they . we are making a comeback, but the some people have a dim future to look forward to. to thei can only add heartfelt comment that issues related to education, job training, opportunity, things that get kids and young people into positive activity certainly contributes to less substance abuse. bob in georgia. you are next. caller: hello. that nothe issue is much tokids not have look forward to, but putting them in prison for smoking pot for five or so years, to call it

criminal university, it makes them into hardened criminals. chris christie was talking about how marijuana indicates a lack of self-control. as far as i'm concerned, that guy needs to lay out the donuts. he was talking about criminalization of drugs. has the war on drugs that the u.s. has been conducting for the last 20 years in your view been successful and worthwhile? data: the evidence and the over the last decade or so clearly indicates that the over prosecution and over penalize asian and mandatory sentencing has been harmful to committees. -- over penalization.

tactics andifted approaches. host: robert in new york. go ahead. caller: good morning. i wanted to address when we speak about use of recreational marijuana, and also medical marijuana -- there is an increase in illegal grows in states that allow this medical marijuana. especially in california. we also see that in these dispensaries, the cost is rather prohibitive for those were in at the0 an ounce dispensary in on the street, you can get it for $200 an ounce. this and we say they got it from a dispensary. pakistan asndia and well -- it's a chemical compound processed in the united states. we realize this is an immense

problem. from europe, when we talk about ecstasy -- i know the dea now has emergency powers to combat every time they move the molecular structure. i'm 73. years of age. in doing street work in my community with kids. our kids are in trouble. the reason i find most often with children using drugs is about emotional pain. the economy -- we are simply tearing at the fabric of our society. the more we tear, the harder to matt. -- mend. law enforcement is an extremely

important group -- we are pro-law enforcement. when you know there is drug dealing taking place, we reported to the police and let them do what they have to do. what's interesting -- host: let's leave it there and get a response from karl racine. guest: i will touch on one point that robert made. he talked about the regime in california with respect to medical marijuana and concerns illegalks were growing marijuana at a high rate. if you look at the california of regulationy and compare it to colorado, you will conclude that colorado's model is far more elaborate and far more effective. learnedat type of regulatory framework around the issue of legalization where the

district of columbia and other states decided to go legal should move towards. host: one of the statistics we have shown our viewers is that visitorsergency room reporting spice use are between the ages of 12-20 years of age. guest: i hate to say it, but that's where the marketing of the product and these flashy, colorful packaging clearly plenty young people, scooby doo, k2 has been regrettably effective. that's why it's most important to get involved in the lives of kids and get out there and tell them the truth about these substances. it is not a plaything. you can get hurt you can end up hurting people you care about. host: calvin in alabama. caller: thank you.

it seems like you and your team are doing an excellent job in getting the message out. how are you and the leadership in the city from the superintendent to the mayor dealing with going into your school system in educating kids? when we start educating kids about smoking, many of the parents stop smoking. do you have a plan to go into the schools and actually educate kids about the impact of these drugs? how are you working with your regional partners? host: have you seen any evidence of these synthetic drugs where you are in birmingham? guest: every day. host: where do you see it? guest: with young kids.

they are having the same problems here. host: do you see it in the convenience stores? guest: gas stations. host: thank you, sir. guest: with respect to the gas stations, one year ago, the national association of attorney general road to exxon mobil and all the other big oil players and urge them to get these things up the shelves. quite responsibly, the larger players have done just that. that is noteworthy. we need to make sure that the medium and smaller players are getting the same things up the shelves as well. host: how many stations or areas have you been able to shutdown? guest: through various means , the policeor officers, the ability to shut

down stores for 96 hours and our own ability to shut down stores for a two-year, combined, we are in the area of a dozen stores where we've had significant law enforcement. resulte than dozens themselves when we simply inform a seller that those products need to go or else. there are any number of cases where informally the sellers have eliminated this product from the shelves. what is the impact of putting the traffickers in jail? how effective? how much is that slowing down crime? guest: that is a very difficult question to answer candidly. the folks who are the big dealers and who are really

controlling the influx of the drugs in the united states and into the stores, law enforcement should come down on them and come down hard on that. the consumers need to be educated and treated. is thearl racine attorney general for the district of columbia. he has been our guest for the last 45 minutes. thank you, sir. we have about 40 minutes left in the washington journal. we put some public policy issues on the table, but there are a lot more out there. what do you want to talk about? for republicans. 202-748-8000 for democrats. 202-748-8002 for independents. this weekend on our newsmakers program, the president of the national education association is our guest. ly garcia.s lit

[video clip] >> we have teachers all over the country on the edge of their seats wondering what is one to happen to know child left untested. had thisit when it when lyndon johnson signed in ar on poverty.r give states extra funding for reading tutors and libraries and teacher training and technology. in greatened and bipartisan fanfare, educators going you realize you are signing something that says 100% hitematite children will i

this score -- that is impossible for 52 million kids and assigned it anyway. -- they signed it anyway. they said we will change it before we get to that failure of 2014. kids supposed to be above average. now, we are in a panic because technically, without some waivers that have been given so that we are not all labeled unfairly failed schools, we are in this horrible limbo because of things that congress did 12 years ago. stands in these versions? how is it different from the original? lily: what we needed and what we were more successful in convincing senators with lamar

alexander and patty murray and you have to do something against this one-size-fits-all standardized test. -- lamar alexander and patty murray at the leader. we have to replace that with something that does matter. we want better information. that full interview with the president of the national education association will air this sunday at 10:00 a.m. and 6 p.m. eastern time. are bigto know what you story of the week is. for republicans. democrats.0 for

independents.or saturday, downey jackson mississippi is the first annual mississippi book festival. -- down in jackson, mississippi. the chairman of the board of directors of that book festival -- how did this come about? for having meou here we look forward to having c-span be a part of our festival tomorrow. mississippi is home to an enormous number of authors and a group of us a couple years ago acided that the state needed festival to celebrate our literary heritage and that's what we are going to do tomorrow. host: who are some of the authors that will be at the festival? how long in planning was it? guest: we have 165 authors

coming -- 103 of them will appear on a range of 22 panels. john grisham will pick up the festivities tomorrow morning. we will end with a panel we call the last chapter that bill ferris will moderate along with allie gilchrest and steve yarbrough. ,n between those two bookends we will have a huge number of authors talking about a whole variety of subjects and books. host: is it mississippi centric? guest: we have tried to promote mississippi authors and we have tried to promote topics about mississippi. the more we got started and the excitement that developed, we broadened our offerings and we have a variety of regional and some national authors coming. participants or

people do you expect to be attending the festival? guest: i am willing to take as many bets on that as you want to do with me. we've never had one of these before. this is our first one. we have no idea the number of people who will show up. it could be as low as 500 or 1000. some of my more optimistic board members are predicting 5000. luckily, you will be there and you get to take a look. host: how did you get involved in this? doing i got started political consulting in campaigns and mississippi and a friend of mine and i decided 10 years ago that mississippi needed a good history of our most recent politics, the transformation of mississippi

from a profoundly democratic state to a republican state. we wrote a book about a history of mississippi politics. my interest in promoting history and biography and mississippi office has taken up. host: you are holding it at the state capital. there is some government cooperation here. you are exactly correct. you cannot have done this without the help of our state elected officials and the legislature and providing money to help fund the festival. the mississippi develop an authority in his division of tourism happen enormously helpful. -- and its division of tourism. us have fulling range of the capital tomorrow. all the panel meetings will be inside the capital. the c-span coverage will be in the old supreme court chamber.

it will be a lot going on. book tv will be live at the mississippi book festival in jackson tomorrow beginning at time.a.m. eastern we will be covering panels on rightsar, history, civil and two other panels we are covering on tv will include harper lee and -- that is all live tomorrow on book tv on c-span2. thank you for your time this money. guest: thank you. we look forward to hosting you. -- thank you for your time this morning.

host: you can see the numbers on the screen. 202.rea code is this begin with a call for mississippi. johnny lose dale mississippi -- ale, in loosed mississippi. aller: yesterday was politician on talking about the automobile manufacturing in this country. 206 and that had an enormous amount of problems with had- it would be nice if we some sort of information on how many and how much is foreign-made so that you can compare it with the japanese cars. what do you do?

guest: i'm retired. host: from? guest: refrigeration. host: there is a couple of foreign automobile plants in mississippi. guest: that is true. they are doing real good in canton. host: kobe calling in for maryland. about thewas calling iran nuclear agreement. up to this point, i have been a huge supporter because it's about verification, not just. as i heard about the so-called -- they say the iranians will have the power to inspect their own sites. anys wondering if you had more information to clarify that statement. host: what do you think of the idea? caller: i think that sounds a

little bit fishy, in my opinion. host: is this an issue you have been following along with? caller: yes. i've watched a lot of congressional hearings on it. host: if the president is able to convince enough senators to , is for it, it is vetoproof that a positive development in your view? caller: if we are going to deny the deal but our allies will support the deal, it seems completely pointless for us to reject it because our sanctions will not have as much power on iran because it is just us. how old are you? caller: i am 18 years old. host: why do you follow this issue closely? caller: i am very into politics. i'm a double major in journalism and political science. host:

host: where do you go to school? guest: salisbury maryland. politics is interesting to me and this seems like one of the biggest foreign-policy issues going on right now. caller: i do not know. i do not want to see a nuclear iran. i bought this deal would be the best way to do that, but this new so-called side agreement has me more on edge about it. will show you this headline and get your reaction to this. this is from "the new york times." great britain is reopening its embassy in tehran and the foreign minister will be in tehran this weekend to formally reopen that. what do you think about that? caller: i guess if they are going to be taking all sanctions, there has to be some sort of relations with iran , but i still feel they have

to put policies in place to go against their terrorism initiatives and stuff like that. host: thank you for your time and good luck in school. michael is calling in from alabama. on one second,g i want to show another article with relation to iran. up, inobe brought it letter, obama tells congress u.s. will still press iran. in his most comprehensive effort assure wavering democrats, president obama wrote in a letter to congress that the u.s. would unilaterally maintain economic pressure and deployed military options is needed to deter iranian aggression both during and beyond the proposed nuclear accord. this is jonathan weissman in "the new york times" writing. democrata trust to a in new york, but it is also aimed that other democrats with

concerns about the deal. for mr. obama, it reflects steps the agreement. the president has repeatedly said that the deal reached by iran and six world powers cannot be changed. so far, according to this to senatenly democrats, chuck schumer and robert menendez, have declared their opposition to the deal. that raises the possibility that a resolution of disapproval to around september 16 could fail to get the 60 votes needed to break a filibuster, and doing any threat of a veto shutdown. this is an article in "the new york times." michael in alabama and, thanks for holy bond. -- holding on. caller: i have not got into a lot of politics lately and i've been watching cnbc and cnn. and fox news and it just seems like the republicans are putting

out -- they are trying to put out their policies. as soon as they do, cnbc and cnn attacks them. the reason i called it is like race relations. ,n the south and in alabama they are trying to make us out as racists. i'm a white guy and most of my friends are black. i just think the country is coming to a point in time where it is getting divided instead of coming together. host: as of right now, michael, what you think the republican party should be doing to increase minority support for your policies? caller: i'm not sure, but i wish donald trump would keep his little airplane in new york because he is just making it so

-- this whole republican thing -- i do not know how to explain it. it's a clown show. host: who do you like so far? bush,: well, i like jeb but i think people expected him to come out and just say, hey, my brother did a bad thing in the war and this and that and just talked him. like itkind of feels ain't right. they want to throw him under the bus. i don't know -- i know the war was wrong and stuff, but he did not have nothing to do with that , but they are making it out like she is george bush -- like he is george bush and not his brother did host. host: what do you do in gaston?

caller: i work part-time construction and stuff like that. it just seems like the media withis just getting crazy the politics of it. host: you know donald trump is going to be in mobile, don't you? caller: i don't care nothing about donald trump. [laughter] host: michael, thanks for your time. jeb bush donor event to include his parents and brother. for a candidate who insist about his own time, he is asked about his own lineage. jeb bush era likes calling in blood relatives to help raise campaign cash. the republican presidential contender is hosting a campaign donor retreat in late october with his parents as the headliners. do celebration in houston will include his older brother, former president george w. bush. the 43rd president

also penned his first message to campaign donors on behalf of his brothers 2016 campaign. "i rarely send e-mails like this, but i wanted to make sure i asked for your support on behalf of my brother, jeb," george w. bush wrote. "my brother will be a tremendous president could he is a proven leader with an optimistic outlook and a clear, conservative agenda for america's future. he's got a tough road ahead. take it from someone who has been there. with his strength and your support, he will succeed. but he needs you, friend. " the e-mail had a link asking people to donate $100, $50, or $25. out on the campaign trail, jeb bush regular 60 distance himself from his family and touts his two terms as florida governor to suggest to voters that his politics are different from his father and brother. however, bush strongly defended his brother's decision to engage for the first time in the 2016 campaign.

"is that a contradiction? i have my own record and my own life experience. i am blessed to have a brother that loves me and wants to help tolder and out," reporters while campaigning. in houston, texas, high, don. caller: good morning. how are you guys? host: how are you? caller: i'm well. to chime in on the last caller, i love me donald trump. i love him because he is putting establishment on the edge of their chair. of all this stuff would it costuch us to continue a prolonged war? what did thet is senators learned when they went

to israel that would help us today to make a difference in trying to rid ourselves of a nuclear iran and israel, and even america? because those things are no good. host: thank you, don. speaking of putting the establishment on the hot seat, as don said, bernie sanders' campaign has some momentum it seems. tonight, he will be live at a columbia,meeting in south carolina. that will be live on c-span at 7:00 p.m. eastern time it following that town hall, senator sanders and join us for a call in progress. you will have a chance to talk to senator sanders. the iowa state fair and all the candidates that are cycling through that continues today as well. on the cruz will be

soapbox from the iowa state fair. that is at 11:00 a.m. eastern time today, again live on c-span. the next call comes from steve in phoenix, arizona. steve, you are on "washington journal." caller: good morning and three cheers for c-span. my comment is that i was listening to the last guest before the questions. it was a marijuana segment. i live out here in a conservative state in arizona. a couple of years ago, throw the bums in jail with the pot. venture. a moneymaking we can sell pot to everybody. it seems to me the issue is not the pot -- it is the politicians. host: that is steve in phoenix. post's" thompson style article in the section. it is called "a long windy city

goodbye?" the first couple weekend destinations have been new york, where michelle obama has attended broadway shows, and florida, where the president has spent time golfing. to tella's have begun friends that they plan to make the big apple their home, said peter slevin, author of and alle obama: a life" chicago resident can "they probably outgrown sukarno socially and professionally," said slevin, who interviewed many of the families associates. them."o can't hold " -- greg,n journal you're on. caller: thank you for taking my call. i have never been digested in politics for a long time until bernie sanders. i just want to touch on and then come -- income inequality.

why between 95% and 99% of all the income is going to 1% of our population. of ourlook at a map country of what they own as landmasses if it were well compared to the bottom of the country, what the little guy owns, someone needs to come out and speak for the little guy. most people do not have any idea that the money is mostly in the hands of a few. the 1950's, we had eisenhower who had a 90% tax rate and he was a republican. now a billing will pay and less tax rate that a teacher. -- billionaire will pay a less tax rate than a teacher. host: what do you do? caller: i'm a musician. host: what kind of musician? caller: i play guitar, i teach guitar.

i play on the street times. host: how do you do? caller: i make more money playing on the street with my guitar than i do at a minimum wage job. it's like a $15 an hour rate. yeah. host: thanks for calling in. again, bernie sanders live tonight at 7:00 p.m. eastern time. patrick is in reseau, louisiana on the republican line. i, patrick.ck caller: how are you? i'm doing good. i was responding to a previous caller's question about the iranians inspecting their own nuclear facilities. i would like to add an answer his question that there is no way in the world that the u.s. would let the iranians inspect their own nuclear facilities. , i come as a that

republican, i should be against the deal, but i am all for it. host: why? caller: any deal is better than no deal. i kind of agree with the president. war.either a deal or either way, if we do not make a deal with them, they are going to build a nuclear weapon anyway . host: all right, patrick in louisiana -- what part of louisiana are you in? caller: northeast louisiana. host: anywhere close to shreveport or closer to mississippi? caller: about four hours both ways. and joe isis patrick up next. he is in marysville, ohio on the democrats like your what is on your mind?

caller: this is joe ward. i want to make a comment on the 14th amendment. they talk about the anchor babies. -- it so confusing that so many other countries do not interpret it correctly could it says foreign nationals when they are living here under our jurisdiction -- not above it, come here so-called legally. if the workers here with a green card or students here under student visas, a woman would here and then the baby, of course, is an en.rican citiz but if the green card or visa expires, ar out of jurisdiction.

if she had another baby, that child would not be a citizen. ae first one would be citizen. the second brother or sister would not be a citizen. it is simple and i do not understand what the confusion is. that is joe in marysville, ohio on that issue. ona today" has an opinion their editorial page. -- retaine view birthright citizenship for babies born in the u.s.. politicians pushing the repeal of birthright citizenship have given short shrift to the real-life complications with women. need tomen in labor bring for certificates or passports to the hospital to prove that they or the baby's father is legal? would bureaucrats need to check the ideas to determine authenticity before any for certificates were issued? costschemes would surely some women to stay away from hospitals, endangering the health of mother and child.

far better if the effort and federal dollars put toward more efficient ways to fight illegal tighter borders, better employment verification, and dealing with visitors who overstay their visas per in babies born to undocumented immigrants were suddenly decide citizenship, it would create an automatic underclass of stateless children, unable to attend school or feel allegiance to these country -- the country in which they live. david vader has an opposing view. , "it is flatpart out wrong a choose learn -- of children of illegal immigrants to be citizens just because they were born here, especially when it's justified using a false technicality of the constitution. the only way we can move forward with immigration reform is to make sure we are not dropping the ball at the beginning. preventingo start is birth tourism and focusing on a brighter american future that admits and welcomes foreign citizens legally through a thoughtful process."

mike is calling in from r&d, pennsylvania. mike, you're on "washington journal" on this friday. caller: thank you for taking my call. how soon do we forget? remember the ferguson deal over in missouri? what i wanted to ask you was this -- what is loretta lynch doing about having those homes being repaired, having those police cars repaired, and having those people who ignited this riot put in jail? we have not heard nothing about it. we have heard nothing from her. in the meantime, anybody can commit a crime. anybody can do anything they want and get away with it. how long has it been? what are they going to do about it? are they going to continue to press charges against these people are not? do you have any idea what will

happen? host: we believe your questions to stand. we go to david. go ahead. caller: i would like to talk about immigration. the has been a lot of attention -- the has been a lot of attention because the donald in the statements republican party about immigration. there is talk about ending birthright citizenship, which was just talked about. i would just like to say it is a pretty clear reading of the constitution that as long as somebody -- ari, i have a cold. if they are under the jurisdiction of an area and was born in the united states, they are a citizen. iven that donald trump's proposals and those of other would harm the

economy, as a conservative, i have to question how beneficial supposedly strong immigration policy would be to the american economy. host: and what is the answer to the question? what is your answer to the question you are raising? caller: i would like to ask if you know of any statistics on the effect that a mass deportation or a building of a border wall would have on the u.s. economy. host: do you know any statistics? caller: i have read some statistics, but i am not sure if they are from trusted sources. atlantic,"om "the which is a pretty left-leaning news magazine. are: maybe what you

suggesting is a segment on "washington journal" -- the economic costs or benefits of immigration. would that be a fair re-wording of what you have to say? caller: yes, thank you. host: that is david in new york. up next is the week, maryland. bowie, maryland. caller: thanks for taking my call. i want to talk about the second amendment. i wonder how many people have to die in this country before congress can pass a copperheads of gun-control bill. host: what do you mean by common sense? caller: a background check. that is common sense. keep mentally distraught people from owning guns. that is common sense. peoplet know how many

would have to die in this country before congress will pass common sense and control bill. that we onlyssue talk about when something happens. you do not have to wait for something to happen to talk about it. guns are not there to protect people. it is there to kill. i know what guns can do. we went through a 10 year civil war. guns are not friends of human beings. thank you, sir. marlene is calling in from new jersey. where are you calling in from? lake.: host: thank you. caller: i'm an independent. i called on the independent line. host: you're right. caller: i have to laugh.

my family came here in 1634. we fought in the original revolution. i want to say something to the american people. all this talk about this iran is a waste of time and the reason is that we have already voted on it and the un security council approved it. host: what is your point? caller: this is also getting years because it has already been approved by us. papersread the actual from europe, it does not matter what the united states does. it is a done deal. host: and? caller: and we are in decline. the american people better wake up because as a country, we are in decline. and i want our country to bring back our troops. they startedwhen closing bases around the world, the german people were up in arms that we were going to close bases because they were living off of us for 75 years since

the end of the second world war. enough is enough. ring our troops home and protect our citizens. host: that is marlene in new jersey. zach is up next from pennsylvania. he is also an independent. caller: my top news story of the week is about -- it was just mentioned a few minutes ago -- about the obamas moving to new york possibly after their term is over in the white house. i just thought that it would be -- make more sense for them to go back to their home. you just mentioned an article there, i believe it was mentioned in "the new york times" on the tv. i feel that his identity and their identity really should the long back in chicago -- belong back in chicago. host: it looks like the library is going back there. caller: and that is great.

i'm glad to hear that, but i just -- i don't know. it just kind of -- what will be chicagoans who may have been excited for that? host: it will be adjusting, zach, to see how that article plays out today and how much you hear about it and whether there is reaction from chicago. i agree it will be interesting to watch it play out. jerrold nadler" who received a letter from the president on iran has publicly endorsed the iran deal. he is a democrat who represents manhattan and he is, according the first new york jewish democrat to back the iran deal. biden could draw wayward voters . one of vice president joe biden's top challenges amid

increasing signs he could announce a presidential campaign is determining whether he could corner a democratic constituency that would sustain his candidacy and make him a formidable threat to hillary clinton. with mrs. clinton's living in polls, mr. biden could introduce and other challenge to her campaign by drawing working-class americans an independents. both groups have moved away from the party in recent elections and mr. biden fares better with them that mrs. clinton, according to a "wall street journal"-nbc poll taken in june. he is expected in the coming weeks to decide whether to make his third bid for the white house, a campaign that would be far behind mrs. clinton's in terms of fundraising, staff, and organizing in early voting states such as iowa and new hampshire. tamra, we only have three minutes left. caller: that is all i need. three minutes is perfect. host: go ahead. caller: listen, marlene who

called earlier, made comments about iran and how it is such a done deal. i haven't really curious about the iran deal. i have been online and called a couple people i know who might know something. no one has really seen the deal. get to the far as to top classified secret documents that most of the american public are not allowed to see. the deal of these people in iran -- i do not know if it is able to trick they want to play on us or what. if you happen to know where i can maybe look at this deal, show me the deal. i will take the deal. host: that is tamara in florida. dawn, she left you enough time in memphis to have the last word. go ahead. caller: i would like to make a comment. years ago, there was a little fat russian dictator who made a speech at the u.n.

is thereasically said is no army, no air force, no navy that is going to conquer america. we are going to decay from within. that is exactly what is happening -- we are decaying from within. i would like to make another comment about that guy calling about the second amendment. if we were to enforce the laws we have on the books and arrest people who commit crimes with guns and take them out of society, we would not need all this chatter about gun control. every time i watch obama talk about gun control, you can tell it chaps his but and it just thrills me to debt. ath. that is pretty much all i have to say about that. host: that was don in tennessee. i'm sure you all heard about this little bit of a sensation, this young man, brady olson, who renamed himself deez nuts, and

he is running for president and pulled 9% in north carolina. he is a 15-year-old farm boy in iowa. there are about 1600 people running for president who have announced and filed papers to run for president. they include people such as the cap buddy -- buddy the cat, i'm sorry. is these voluptuous buttocks from buffalo, new york could there is president caesar. these are just some other people. there is james titus the great. jack sparrow, but edl -- these are people literally running for president in different states. that article was in "the national journal" if you want to read that for yourself. there is a lot to watch on c-span this weekend. coming up tomorrow, book tv will

be live at the first annual mississippi book festival. we will also be live on c-span at iowa and this will be the iowa state fair soapbox. that continues and you can see some gas flare. that includes bobby jindal and governor christie. they will both be there. willspan two, book tv, we be live from the mississippi book festival at 11:30 a.m. and on c-span3, american history tv on the weekends, real america is on at 4:00 p.m. eastern time. he will see in 1971 short film about a pilot program to improve police-community relations in washington, d.c.. all of that this weekend on c-span networks. thanks for being with us. enjoy your friday.

[captioning performed by the national captioning institute, which is responsible for its caption content and accuracy. visit ncicap.org] [captions copyright national cable satellite corp. 2014] >> we are back at the iowa state fair today. warroad the white house coverage. wrote the white house coverage for our life coverage gets underway at 11:00 a.m. eastern. we will follow up with your phone calls and tweets. senator cruz tweeting this morning -- later today, we have more campaign 2016 coverage. bernie sanders running for the democratic nomination. he is in columbia south