a special thanks to our cable cox,ers, charter, comcast, and time warner cable. he sure to watch one of the top 21 winning entries before "washington journal." on the communicators, george ford, chief economist for policyanced legal and studies, and mark cooper debate the sec proposal allowing consumers to buy their own set- top boxes. they are joined by the telecommunications reporter for bloomberg bna lydia beyoud. places, this access

work. this is one place it really has not. we think consumers would have lower prices and more choices if we got vigorous competition in that space. >> is there a market for set-top boxes? no, because that is actually a component of the network. that is the most efficient way to design and deliver television service. it is the cheapest and most efficient way to do it. watch "the communicators," monday night at 8:00 eastern on c-span 2. >> saturday, april 30th, c-span presents live coverage of the 2016 white house correspondents dinner, an event that typically includes prepared remarks by the president of the united states. coming up in a few minutes, we

are going to show you the last white house correspondents dinner speeches from presidents reagan, both bush's, and clinton. first, we will discuss the washington event with the mcclatchy newspapers senior correspondent steven thomma. how long have you been attending these events? how have they changed? steve: i think i have been going 28, 20 9 -- might be 30 years. i have been going since reagan. bob: how have they changed? steve: two things. they have become more crowded. we have squeeze more tables into the same ballroom. and it has gotten a lot more hollywood and celebrities than it used to. always had them, but we have a lot more. those of the biggest changes. bob: what about the length of

the president's speeches. the speeches we will show in a few minutes -- we start with ronald reagan, he goes about eight minutes. we end this program with george w. bush. he goes about 20 minutes. clearly, the speeches are getting longer. what do you account for that? steve: age. particularly at his last dinner, was getting up there and was ready to go home. 20 minutes is about average now. to be fair, all of the presidents, one of the things they insist on is they want to get out of there and get home. so when we are working on a scheduled, the white house always reminds us, whether it is barack obama or ronald reagan, running the gamut in age, they want it done by 10:45 or 11:00 so they can get out. bob: do they get more uncomfortable -- do they get more comfortable, enjoy themselves as the years go by? steve: absolutely they get more relaxed. you can see it. the humor changes, particularly the last couple presidents.

barack obama at the beginning often told jokes that stung a little bit. he was using those jokes to go after his political rivals or enemies. and as each of them goes on, they become more relaxed, more big ontarian, make a little more , make aore egalitarian little more fun of themselves than everyone else. and everyone laughs a little more. bob: what about first ladies? how long have they been attending? do they take a role? steve: they have been attending for decades. obviously no women attended , before 1962 when john f. kennedy insisted he would not come unless they opened the dinner to women. so before that we did not have eleanor roosevelt or bess truman. they have all come. a few have played a role. nancy reagan went to the microphone once. there was a moment where president reagan asked if she had anything nice to say about

the media. she took a long dramatic pause, he said no, and she said i am thinking. bush, george w. bush actually stepped aside. she delivered the monologue on his behalf. bob: what is going on at the tables? let's go in the ballroom. are reporters working the room? the you ever had opportunity to talk to an administration source and try to get a story during the event? steve: it is not a story -- definitely making contact in getting as much information as you can. other than the fact that you will have a drink and a few laughs, hopefully you are working your sources or meeting new sources. absolutely. do it every time. mcclatchy, we tend to take in government or politics who can help us and we'll talk to us about policy and politics. bob: in the times that you have attended, what is one memorable,

particularly fun moment you can relate to us. steve: my position is a little different because i was president of the association. so the unique moments tend to be presiding over the dinner and sitting next to the president, having dinner with him for three hours. his conversation is off of the record. so he can relax and chat more. i will say he told me -- we talked about golf. he played that day. i know what he shot, which is kind of a state secret. the white house does not release his golf score. and i will not tell you, because that is the only thing i have for my book. we talked about, we talked about things that has since become public. where he would live after he left the white house. i asked the white house staff several times if i could put that on the record. they said no. i never wrote it. until he released a statement said -- that said he will likely

move to new york. there were other memorable moments. joel mchale told jokes i thought were a little off-color. more than i was comfortable -- i was wincing. to theof apologized president. he put his hand on my knee and said, "steve, don't worry. i have heard worse." i will always run for that. bob: steven thomma, the senior white house correspondent for mcclatchy news. thanks very much for joining us. now, we will show you the last white house correspondents' dinner speeches by president reagan, president george h. w. bush, bill clinton, and george bush. we start with ronald reagan from 1988. [applause] pres. reagan: thank you. thank you very much.

thank you all. i am delighted to be here. my, what a crowd. looks like the index of larry's book. [laughter] [applause] pres. reagan: it is good to see your incoming president, jerry o'leary. in his book,arry said that jerry used to line his coat pockets of pastries. jerry denies it. earlier tonight, just to be safe i told him, keep his hands off my dinner roll. [laughter] said preparing me for a purse conference was like reinventing the wheel. that is not true. i was around when the wheel was invented, and it was easy. [laughter] [applause]

pres. reagan: even howard baker is writing a book about me. it is called "three by five, the measure of a presidency." [laughter] pres. reagan: mike, in his book, said that i had a short attention span. i was going to reply to that, but what the hell, let's move on to something else. [laughter] [applause] pres. reagan: now, i forgot to acknowledge yakov smirnov. i have heard him before, he is a very funny man. i just have an idea -- why don't you and i have a little fun? how would you like to go to the summit as my interpreter? [laughter] [applause]

pres. reagan: the media certainly has had a lot to report on lately. i thought it was extraordinary that richard nixon went on "meet the press" and spent the hour with chris wallace, tom brokaw, and john chancellor. that should put an end to the talk that he has been punished enough. [laughter] [applause] pres. reagan: of course, you have been reporting on the new york primary. i am afraid that dukakis' foreign policy views are too far left for me. he wants no u.s. military presence in korea. no u.s. military presence in central america. and no u.s. military presence at the pentagon. [laughter] dukakis got great news today, though, about the jimmy carter endorsement. he is not getting it. [laughter] [applause]

pres. reagan: george bush is doing well. george has been a wonderful vice president, but nobody is perfect. [laughter] i put him in charge of antiterrorism, and the mclaughlin group is still on the air. [laughter] pres. reagan: but with so much focus on the presidential election, i have been feeling a little lonely these days. i am so desperate for attention, i almost considered holding a news conference. [laughter] [laughter] pres. reagan: i have even had time to watch the oscars. i was a little disappointed in that movie "the last emperor." i thought it was going to be about don regan. [laughter] [applause]

pres. reagan: of course, i still have lots of work here. there is that panamanian business going on. one thing i cannot figure, the congress wants to bring the panamanian economy to its knees, why doesn't it just go down there and run it? [laughter] [applause] pres. reagan: ladies and gentlemen, this is the last white house correspondents' dinner that i will be attending. we have had our disagreements, over the years, but the time i have spent with you has been very educational. [laughter] pres. reagan: i used to think the fourth estate was one of walter annenberg's homes. [laughter] pres. reagan: as my goodbye, i

am not going to stand up here and deliver one of those worn-out sentimental homilies about the presidency -- neither of us would believe it. [laughter] pres. reagan: a president may like members of the press personally, and i do. jerry, norm, johanna, and so many others of you. but a president institutionally seeks to wield power to accomplish his goals for the people. the press kabul kates -- the press complicates the wielding of that power by using its own great power. that makes for friction. every president will try to use the press to his best advantage, and to avoid those situations that are not to his advantage. to do otherwise results in diminution of his leadership powers. the press has more freedom, more influence than ever in our history. the press can take care of itself quite nicely.

and the president should be able to take care of himself as well. so what i hope my epitaph will be with the white house correspondents, what every president's epitaph should be with the press is this -- he gave as good as he got. that i think will make for a -- [applause] pres. reagan: that, i think, will make for a healthy press and a healthy presidency. i think all that is left to say is to thank you for inviting me, and thank you for your hospitality. [applause]

[applause] pres. bush: thank you all very much. thank you, charles. please, be seated. tonight is a night for relaxation and fun. barbara and i are delighted to be here. this is a strange and ugly year in politics. there is a lot of name-calling out there. candidates calling out terrible epithets, like corrupt, liar, hypocrite, fascist, racist, incumbent, and -- [laughter] even my normally relaxed able right hand got a little hotheaded a while ago.

but i will be honest -- and i do not want to be critical of the white house press. but you went a little far when you referred to that simple flare up as global warming. i hope you will excuse me that if my normally hilarious one-liners are set aside for just a few minutes here, because i really have -- i am just back from l.a. deign to speak for white house correspondents, but i think all of them were with me on this trip and were moved. at least for me, it was a very emotional and moving trip. the scenes of destruction will not go away, nor will the hurt of the people i met with. nor will the vivid pictures on television of the firefighters and the police officers stepping in harm's way or neighbors coming to the rescue of friends. yesterday, i talked to a woman who used to go to our church in houston, saint martin's.

her son and her brother climbed on a motorcycle and set out to see a friend, a young afro-american, living in an area they were concerned about. an area that became a gang members' riot zone. their motorcycle was upended by a gang of these thugs. the woman's son was beaten. a pistol held up to his head and a trigger pulled, it did not go off. her brother, a guy that had been deeply offended by the king verdict, and felt very close to the black community itself was savagely beaten, and then from close range shot right through the head. that same terror gunned down the now paralyzed firefighter that i went to see in cedars hospital yesterday. justice, you might say. what does this have to do with

justice? but the point i want to make tonight is that out of the fear and desolation there, there was -- i really felt there was something stirring positively. the people i met with. the wonderful church service, the church leaders, civic leaders, kids. the boys club, the ministers -- all projected a sense of determination and hope. it was genuine and pervasive. some of the reporters know that in of the really tough and some ways most moving moments was when we met with the korean community. placeg korean, and a where it had been totally wiped out, said i am staying. i want the american dream. south-central will be restored. we will find many ways to help everybody. local, state, federal, private sector. to help not only in the

restoration by giving those people there a real shot at the american dream. some out there, it was ugly. the scene made a profound impression on all of us. there is that certain spirit that is hard to describe. the spirit says, we will come back. we will make it back. so i wanted to share that with you. and i am sorry for being so somber. now there is an expression you do not hear much of, anymore, "perk up." perk up. the best is yet to come. charles brought pollack poundstone to the white house this a.m., i said, how are you? he immediately turned to me and said, stop being political. it is that kind of year. i know it. she knows it. i told her not to hold back any shots. paula and i are both funny people. [laughter]

but she is funny on purpose. thank you very, very much. [applause] [applause] pres. clinton: good evening, ladies and gentlemen. president, president-elect, distinguished guests. i am really happy to be here. [laughter] happy to be reunited, at long last, with the white house press corps. [laughter] if i may, let me direct your attention to a photograph. [laughter]

just moments ago. it proves beyond a doubt that i am, indeed, happy to be here. [laughter] pres. clinton: now, wait a minute. it seems that my hair in that photo -- it is a little longer than it is tonight. [laughter] [applause] so maybe i am happy to be here, and maybe i am not. feel free to speculate. [laughter] pres. clinton: admittedly, looks and photos can be deceiving. now, look at this photo. it is a recent one of the vice president applauding one of my policy initiatives. [laughter] pres. clinton: but look a little closer. those are not his real hands. [laughter] [applause]

pres. clinton: now this photo -- it made all of the papers, but i have to tell you something -- i am almost certain this is not the real easter bunny. [laughter] pres. clinton: the next one is my favorite, i really like it. let's see the next photo. [laughter] [applause] pres. clinton: isn't it grand? [laughter] pres. clinton: i thought it was too good to be true. but there is one thing beyond dispute tonight -- this is really me. i am really here. and the record on that count is

clear, in good days and bad, and in times of great confidence or great controversy, i have actually shown up here for eight straight years. [applause] pres. clinton: looking back, that was probably a mistake. [laughter] just eight years, i have given you enough material for 20 years. this is a special night for me for a lot of reasons -- jay leno is here. [applause] pres. clinton: now -- no matter how mean he is to me, i just love this guy. because together, together, we give hope to gray-haired, chunky, baby boomers everywhere.

[laughter] [applause] pres. clinton: tonight marks the end of an era. every year, the "vanity fair" party became more and more and more exclusive. so tonight, it has arrived at its inevitable conclusion. this year, no one made the guest list. [laughter] [applause] actually, i hear the bloomberg party will be even harder to get into, but i'm not worried. i'm going with janet reno. [applause]

the bloomberg party is also a cast party for the stars of "the west wing" who are finishing their first season. you will have to forgive me for not being excited at the thought of a west wing finale party. at their first season got a lot better ratings than my season did. the critics hated my travel office episode. that david gergen cameo fell completely flat. [laughter] of real-life drama, i'm so glad senator mccain is back tonight. i welcome him back especially. [applause] as you all know, he just made a

difficult journey back to a place where he in to unspeakable abuse at the hands of his oppressors. the senate republican caucus. [laughter] [applause] see senator mccain and governor bush are talking about healing their rift. actually, they are thinking about talking about healing their rift. and i would really like to help them. i've got a lot of experience repairing the breach. i worked with catholics and protestants in northern ireland, i've worked with israelis and palestinians, with joe lockhart and david westin. but the difference between bush

and mccain may just be too fast. possible running mate. hasn't the man suffered enough? [applause] george w. bush has a brand spanking new campaign strategy. his moving toward the political center, distancing himself from his own party, stealing ideas -- i'm sother party glad that morris has finally found work again. [applause] the clock is running down on republicans in congress. i feel for them, i do. they only have seven more months to investigate me. [laughter] that's a lot of pressure.

so little time, so many unanswered questions. example, over the last few months, i've lost 10 pounds. where did they go? [laughter] [applause] why haven't i produce them to the independent counsel? how did some of them manage to wind up on tim russert? [laughter] [applause] now some of you might think i have been busy writing my memoirs. about myoncerned memoirs, i'm concerned about my resume. here is what i've got so far. -- to stayctive

president. [laughter] but being realistic, i would consider an executive position with another country. [laughter] i would prefer to stay within the g-8. resumeking hard on this deal. i've been getting a lot of tips on how to write it, mostly from my staff. they seem to be really up on this stuff. they tell me i have to use the active voice, things like commanded u.s. armed forces, ordered airstrikes, served three terms as president. everybody embellishes a little. [laughter] built and painted the bridge to the 21st century. [applause]

the vice president's invention of the internet. [laughter] [applause] [generated, attracted, heightened and maintained controversy. i know lately i have not done a very good job of creating controversy, and i'm sorry for that. [laughter] you all have so much less to report. i guess that is why you are covering and commenting on my mood, my quiet, contemplative moments. my feelings during these final months in office. [laughter] in that case, you might be interested to know a film crew has been following me around the white house documenting my remaining time there. this is a strange time in the life of any administration, but i think this short film will show i have come to terms with

it. [laughter] could we see the film? [laughter] [video clip] >> on the campaign trail, things are not as exciting as they used to be. in fact, it is starting to wind down. >> there is bipartisan support in congress and it meets the principles i set out in my state of the union. if they send me the bill in its present form, i will sign it. ok. any questions? [laughter] >> are you still here? [laughter] ♪ >> radio just is not captured be sadness and isolation of it all. >> joe? anybody home?

[frank sinatra singing] >> john? you hear? >> ♪ set em up joe i've got a little story i think you should know ♪ >> he is yesterday's news. who is next? >> white house, hold please. hello, white house. please hold. hello, white house. white house, hello? hold please. he's not here. would you like his voicemail? >> nothing to do. [laughter] >> i am a little bit worried about him. this morning, he came into the oval office for our meeting.

i said, "mr. president, are you all right?" he said, "yeah, what's the matter?" i said, "mr. president, you're wearing your pajama bottoms." >> i wish i could be here, but i know he has everything under control. >> wait, wait! [laughter] [applause] >> i think his legacy is going to be the natural environment. ♪ >> i have urged him to spend more time on that. [laughter] >> his schedule is as busy as ever, just filled with different things. >> ♪ one more for the road

[laughter] ♪ >> ♪ you would never know it but funny how i'm kind of a poet and i've got a lot of things i would like to say and when i am gloomy ♪ >> i feel bad for him. i wish there was something that would cheer him up. ♪ [upbeat music] >> hahaha! ♪ >> yes! >> there you are.

come on in. >> let's light this candle. just like that, you are riding the wave of the future, my man. how many are you going to buy? >> wait a minute. >> chicken? >> what does it cost? >> name your own price. let's do it. you did it, my man. [laughter] ♪ >> you sunk my battleship. [laughter] >> yes! ♪ [laughter] >> i want to thank the academy for this tremendous honor. this may be the greatest moment

of my life. ever since i was a little boy, i have wanted to be a real actor. [laughter] ♪ [traveling music] ♪ >> pretty good, huh? whatever you want. ♪

[laughter] [applause] >> you like me, you really like me! [laughter] [applause] [laughter]

mr. clinton: now, you know, i may complain about coming here. [laughter] but a year from now, i will have to watch someone else give the speech and i will feel an onset of that rare affliction unique to former presidents -- agdd. attention-getting deficit disorder. [laughter] plus, i will really be burned up when al gore turns out to be funnier than me. but let me say to all of you, i have loved these eight years. you know, i read in the history books how other presidents say the white house is like a penitentiary and every motive they have a suspect. even george washington complained he was treated like a common thief. they all say they cannot wait to get away. i don't know what the heck they are talking about. [laughter] i have had a wonderful time.

it has been an honor to serve and fun to laugh. i only wish we had even laughed more these last eight years because power is not the most important thing in life. it only counts for what you use it. i thank you for what you do every day. thank you for all of the fun times that hillary and i have had. keep at it. it is a great country. it deserves our best. thank you and god bless you. [applause]

[applause] president bush: thank you, all. [applause] thank you very much. thank you, ladies and gentlemen. please excuse me if i am a little sleepy. 3:00 a.m. this morning, the red phone rang. [laughter] the damn wedding planner. [laughter] two weeks from tonight is jenna's wedding, so i am a little wistful this evening. plus, this is my last white house correspondents' dinner as

president. i am not sure what i am going to do next. after he left office, vice president gore won an oscar and a nobel peace prize. [laughter] i don't know. i might win a prize, publisher's clearing house or something. but thanks for inviting me. our entertainment tonight is craig ferguson. [applause] you know, this is a small world. craig was once in a punk band called "bastards from hell," which is what dick and i are going to call our band. craig is scottish by birth, so is barney. two months ago, craig became an american citizen. [applause]

i'm honored to call you a fellow american. ladies and gentlemen, surprisingly, i have enjoyed these dinners. [laughter] so tonight, i thought we would reminisce a bit. the first couple of years i came to this dinner, i was really into slideshows. [laughter] [video clip] >> my mother has put together at least 70 scrapbooks about our life as a family. when i have done is pull out some of the actual, never before seen photos from these scrapbooks. [laughter] [applause] this was during the great drought of 1953. [laughter] dad, neil, doro, and jeb.

in my family with all those kids in the tub, it is not arsenic in the water i would be worried about. [laughter] people have asked me if it left hard feelings between my brother jeb and me. not a bit. in fact, here's a picture of the governor of florida. [laughter] [applause] [laughter] we have two dogs. this is our dog, barney. i tell him with eyebrows like that, he ought to be a senator. [laughter] [applause] this is our dog spot. people often ask me how i came up with that name. [laughter] i don't know. i am just kind of a creative guy. [laughter] the truth is the door to the

oval office has a little peephole. [laughter] this is karen hughes peeping in on me. this is karl rove peeping in on me. this is condi rice peeping in on me. spot has her own peephole. [laughter] [applause] this is andy card peeping in on me. [laughter] and ladies and gentlemen, this is the vice president of the united states looking through a peephole. and dick, i hope you are not doing what it looks like you are doing. [laughter] next year, a new president will be standing up here. i have to say i am kind of surprised we don't have more presidential candidates here tonight -- like any. [laughter]

senator mccain is not here. he probably wanted to distance himself from me a little bit. [laughter] he is not alone. jenna is moving out, too. [laughter] the two democratic candidates are not here either. senator clinton could not get into the building because of [indiscernible] and senator obama is at church. [laughter] [applause] but i am sure whoever the next president is will show up at these dinners, especially like the dinners in 2005 and 2006 when we had a couple of surprises up our sleeve. [video clip] >> the city slicker asked the old guy have to get to the nearest town. >> not that old joke, not again. [laughter] [applause]

ladies and gentlemen, i have been attending these dinners for years. [laughter] and just quietly sitting there. [laughter] well, i have got a few things i want to say for a change. [laughter] [applause] i am married to the president of the united states, and here is our typical evening. [laughter] 9:00, mr. excitement here is sound asleep. [laughter] and i am watching "desperate housewives." [laughter] ladies and gentlemen, i am a desperate housewife. [laughter] [applause] >> i want to talk about some serious issues such as -- ok. [laughter] here it comes. nuclear proliferation.

[laughter] nuclear proliferation. [laughter] nuclear proliferation. nu-cu-lar pro-liberation. [laughter] all right, all right. maintain. stay cool. let's give this a try. we must enhance noncompliance protocols sanctioned not only at iaea formal sessions but through intersessional contact. [laughter] we must enhance noncompliance protocols sanctioned not only at e-i-e-i-o formal sessions. but through intersexual conduct. [laughter] [applause]

nailed it. [laughter] >> we have had a lot of fun over the years. remember the year i mentioned ozzy osbourne, and he stood up on a chair and blew me a kiss? [laughter] so few leaders get that kind of experience. [laughter] you know, i love the crowds here. it is an interesting crowd. just think, pamela anderson and mitt romney in the same room. [laughter] isn't that one of the signs of the apocalypse? [laughter] which brings me to dick. [laughter] for eight years as vice president, dick has ridden shotgun. probably not the best analogy.

[laughter] but he is a dear friend, and he has been the greatest straightman in the history of the world. dick, i don't know what i would have done for material without you. [laughter] get out and get a little fresh air and exercise. let me show you what he has been up to. ♪ [laughter] >> ♪ walk down the street [laughter]

>> lynne and laura were out of town recently, so i called up dick and said, "why don't we go to a movie?" he said, "great idea. let's go to a cowboy movie." [laughter] yep, finally went to see "brokeback mountain." will let me tell you -- whooeee! yippee ki-yay. dick sat through the movie. he did not say a word. we come out. after a while he says, "nice horses." [laughter] i said, "yep."

he became real quiet again, kind of serious like. i knew something was on his mind. finally turned to me and said, "you don't suppose the lone ranger and tonto?" ♪ down the lane i look dick cheney is struggling with documents he has been withholding it is good to touch the brown, brown grass of home yes, you are all going to miss me the way you used to diss me but soon i will touch the brown, brown grass of home ♪ [laughter] [applause]

what i like best about these evenings is the laughter and the chance to thank you for the work you do for the country. i also knew this was a good chance to put aside our differences for a few hours. one thing we all share whether we are native citizens or new citizens like craig is a tremendous appreciation for our people in uniform. an appreciation symbolized by the united states marine band, celebrating its 210th anniversary this year. [applause] i love the band. and so i'm going to say my farewell to you by doing something i have always wanted to do. and i do it in the spirit of our shared love for this country. [crowd murmuring]

[applause] [drums beating] >> [band playing] >> [crowd rhythmically clapping] ♪

[laughter] ♪ [laughter] [laughter] [crowd rhythmically clapping

with the music] ♪ [cheers and applause] [drums rolling]

>> president obama will deliver his last speech at the annual white house correspondents dinner at the in of this month. next weekend, we look back at some of his previous speeches. here's a portion of what you will see. obama: no one is prouder to put this birth certificate to rest than the donald. that's because he can finally

get back to focusing on the issues that matter like did we fake the moon landing? what really happened at roswell? ?nd where are -- where are biggie and tupac. all kidding aside, we know about your credentials and that's and breadth of experience. [laughter] , just recently in an episode of "celebrity apprentice" at the steakhouse, the men's cooking team did not impress the judges from omaha state. there was a lot of blame to go around, but you, mr. trump, recognize the problem was a lack of leadership. lltimately you did not blame li

john or meatloaf. you fired gary bc. these are the kinds of decisions that would keep me up at night. you can see more of president obama's speeches at the annual white house correspondents dinner here on c-span. our program includes remarks by senior white house correspondent , steve toma of mcclatchy news. president obama's final speech at the white house correspondent 's dinner is april 30. it is one of the biggest social events in washington every year and the dinner includes a guest celebritiesng major , remarks by president obama, in this year's featured comedian, larry wilmore. democratic presidential candidate, bernie sanders, holds a rally in brooklyn this afternoon.

campaigning with him is danny devito and justin long. new york holds it primary on tuesday. ohio congressman jim jordan, chair of the freedom caucus, talks about the role of the caucus in blocking republican leaders from meeting the april 15 budget deadline and the conservative approach to spending and other legislation they support. that's "newsmakers" this afternoon on c-span. >> the obama administration's immigration policy goes before the supreme court tomorrow. justices will hear oral argument on president obama's executive action that would allow some undocumented immigrants to stay in the u.s. we'll have cameras at the court to get reaction tomorrow on c-span two. this morning, we talked with a reporter who is following the case for about 40 minutes. se freedom caucus.

we want to welcome sam baker of the national journal who is covering the court, including tomorrow's immigration case. thank you for being with us. guest: thanks for having me. host: let me begin with news this morning inside the new york times, the story of t pinto family in fairfax, virginia, any number of immigrants anxiously awaiting the supreme court outcome. what is tomorrow's case mean for this family and others in the u.s.? guest: there is a huge amount riding on this. president obama announced that allows up to 5 million people to stay in the country so there is a huge amount on the line for real families across the country. this is a program that is aimed at the parents of children who are citizens or who are legally in the country. a loss for president obama here could potentially mean families being separated, parents being sent back across the border

where the children are allowed to remain in the country. it is a very human story in addition to an important story. host: let us take a step back and ask you about the president's order on this which is part of the political argument in washington. guest: that's right. one of the big questions in this case, it is really about how you look at what the president did. hen he came out in 2014, said children can stay in the country. we will not do for young children and then cannot out with his policy that said the parents of these children were eligible to be here. we will also differ enforcement action, meaning we will not focus our deportation resources on those parents. when we get into court tomorrow, the white house sees that as we only have so much money to spend on enforcing immigration laws. we decided where we are going to spend it. critics see it as a change in immigration policy and sort of a

new grant of legal protection to people who are not eligible for it before. where ar you see that says a lot about how you view this? host: a lot of references to doccca and doppa. guest: doppa is deferred action for children. a slight extension of docca and doppa. host: lettershost: for this in terms of how many families and children are involved in this. as you can see on the screen and if you are listening on c-span radio, the childhood arrivals between 2012 in 2014 i for 1.4 million children. accounted for 1.4 million children's and the parents, 3.6 million so a lot of people involved. guest: absolutely. host: your piece available

online. the chief justice of the united states, john roberts, is the one the white house is pay particular attention because it remains a 4-4 court with the death of justice antonin scalia. how is the solicitor general framing the argument? guest: that's right. with it being a 4-4 court, the only way for the obama administration to win this case and implement any part of it before he leaves office is to win over chief justice roberts or chief justice anthony. they are making an argument that seems like the kind of argument you would make if you have roberts in your sights. 26 states led by texas who filed this lawsuit. the white house says they don't have the right to be -- they are trying to tell the court you have to rule on whether it was right or whether we did it the right way. this case cannot be in this court because states cannot challenge the federal abuse of power.

chief justice roberts does not like to be in the political limelight. he keeps ending up there, but it is not his favorite place to be. he does not like to see the courts overly put. what the white house is saying if you let this case go forward, if you let the states challenge the federal government now, everything the federal government ever does immigration, changing the formula for calculate poverty, all these other nominally federal policies are all going to get challenged in court, and the court will have to settle all of those political disputes. host: you write the following. -- thetice department is states cannot challenge federal immigration policy in court. guest: that's right. therder to challenge federal policy whether it is an act of congress or something the administration has done you have to have standing. in order to prove you have standing, you have to prove that

policy has injured you or will injure you in some way. what texas is saying they have suffered additional costs the state will have to bear to issue driver's license to people who will remain in the country. there are the costs is what they are focused on the harvest license cost. the administration says this is an incidental change. the state chooses to subsidize drivers licenses for some people. it can always change its mind. the federal government says that is not enough of an injury to bring this case. host: texas one of 25 states that brought this case before the supreme court. if it is a 4-4 ruling when the high court decides in june, then what? guest: then the supreme court decision does not set any but the lower court ruling with came out of the fifth circuit court of appeals would remain in place. technically what would remain in place is just an order blocking the limitation of the policy.

the lower court has not ruled on the merits of this yet. there is a lot of unusual procedural stuff happening. the lower court has not set yet whether this policy is legal or not, but they have said the administration cannot implement it while that question is proceeding, but it is a very conservative court. it is a court that some people feel like plays politics with just putting in place injunction in the first place. it would prevent the obama and his mission -- obama administration from the voting this. host: you will be inside the supreme court tomorrow. will you be looking for? guest: i will be looking for two big things. one, how much time robert ted kennedy spend on the standing question that we discussed. it roberts moves past that quickly, it will be a bad time for the white house. they want that to be a significant portion of the time that is taken up on monday. the other thing will be how

those two justices frame the issues. are they asking the lawyers in this case does the administration have the authority to grant work authorization to these people? or are they asking does the administration have the authority to make changes in enforcement policy that incidentally affects because they'll will tell you whether or not they are accepting the state's frame of what this debate is about where the federal government. host: we will be at the supreme court tomorrow morning as part of c-span's washingto "washingtn journal" discussing this case. our guest is sam baker. you can send us a tweet. for republicans, 202-748-8001. for democrats, 202-748-800. let us go to lead joining us from new york. caller: good morning to you.

in response, i was reading the heritage foundation article. they said 400,000 anchor babies are born to illegals each year here in this country. at about 2.5 years, that would be like a million. there were saying now the -- the of these illegals illegal parents of these anchor babies are also allowed to stay in this country, and they pointed out that 40% of them are on some form of public assistance. i wanted to know your comments on the. -- i wanted to know your comments on that. host: thank you. appreciate your call. guest: one of the important factors in this case, president obama did this right in the wake of congress's rejection of comprehensive immigration. at thatof billed it time as i am doing as much as i can on my own to advance the

ball as far as i can. now the administration is going into court and sing this is actually pretty small -- saying this is actually pretty small. it is no big deal. how much immigration reform do you think obama tried to a comment on his own here really does weigh heavily on the legality of what he said. host: bu let me ask you about the house republicans. they will have 15 minutes to make their case before the high court. how unusual is that? guest: they asked for that time. the court here has done a lot of theys to sort of make sure get everybody in and get everything in. they have added a couple of legal questions for the oral argument attorneys will have to address. i think that is consistent with the court cost housekeeping.

we will check every box. as you indicated, this is a partisan divide between democrats and republicans. done a study.as in addition to the partisan divide, it is a generational divide between young and old. , what research the story is your takeaway? guest: that is very true. i think that -- you see that in the public polling about this issue and see it in who is globalizing around this particular case. you see that in a lot of the controversies that surround the obama administration in general. host: it is impossible to read the tea leaves and understand how the court will decide. vocalll be looking at how

justice roberts will be before the court. who else would you be looking for how long the oral arguments will last? guest: they are 45 minutes, but they are usually and hour. -- chief justice roberts, this is the only case of the day. when a hour struck, they were done. guest: that is one of the key differences and is probably for the best. questions.s have i think the other people to really keep an eye on is just as alito and justice justice sotomayor. clarence thomas really asks questions. if he sees alito

roberts or kennedy trying to side with the white house. interesting to see if he will be able to bring them back into the conservative fold. you will see justice so to mayor on the left -- justice so to tomayor asking questions. let me go back to this "new york times" story. husband and wife and three children, they are awaiting the supreme court ruling. they came to this country from .olivia what happens if the court does not limit or favor? will they be deported? guest: i don't think anyone really knows. as a factual matter, what the obama administration is saying is true. there is only so much money to

be spent on deportation in each year. so, every person who is in the country illegally does not get deported. it is not liked -- it is not like, if the obama administration loses, all of a sudden the 11 million oh in the country illegally immediately get sent back. those people are certainly at greater risk. one of the concerns is that you will drive people for the backend of the shadow economy where people are not comfortable becauseg local services they are being afraid of being deported. you can't guarantee any one person will be deported, but the risks are higher, and they will no longer have formalized protection. host: we are with sam baker. his work is available online at

nationaljournal.com. caller: good morning. if we would quick sporting them and giving them -- if we would .uit supporting them this is why donald trump is getting so much attention. this is getting ridiculous. middle class is going under. the middle class is just going down the tubes. , theyats and republicans have to have immigration coming over here to get the wages down. this is a scam going on. you are going to need new voters. chancey would have the of being deported if it does not go through? host: thank you.

guest: i am not quite sure. that is a good question of how much the administration would be able to keep up with deportation and this enforcement action. they will have to make a decision on who to deport the matter what. but we talk about the policies of politics, this decision will come down at the end of june when the big decisions always do. a couple of weeks before the first contested republican convention in decades, were immigration is already the central issue. how that plays out, does it people? doesd his it stoke anger? the politics of this giving the timing of the republican convention are going to be explosive. host: that hypothetically say

that the court rules that illegal immigrants must be deported. who authorizes the money, congress? can the president resist doing so? there are a couple of ways the court could write this ruling to address that question. that is an argument you have for jobthis play roberts' village. one of the arguments texas made is they laid out a path where the supreme court can say, they are not ok as it was done. without really ruling on the policy itself of the process by which it was implemented. regulation be formal where the public can provide comments and you go through the state. that takes a lot longer. i think there is a good chance that if the court rules against

president obama, that could go that way. once they come in to office, in which case, you can see a similar status quo reestablishing itself after a year or two. host: will john roberts i'm with obama on immigration? that is the question. charles and north carolina. good morning. caller: i really appreciate c-span and appreciate your show today. just a couple points. one, we are the most compassionate country in the world. we taken more people every year by far than any other country. i think that germany may be second. even in the refugee crisis and so forth, we have been a shining

star taking in people. these are people, many of which, did not knock on our door. these are people, and some way, got to our country. to say that states do not have a standing when the burden of the language problem, when the burden of social services, when the burden -- these people go to our government must they are here, illegally, and say they need help. to say there is no social cost to this country for all of these immigrants, and to say -- that is one point. the second point, we have one million people into our country. to say we are picking and weldren -- and choosing, will educate you and teach you our language and give you support and allow your children to be born here for free.

it is just a ridiculous argument to say the states don't carry a social burden for immigration. thank you. host: thank you. guest: that is certainly an argument the states have made many times. they have focused on drivers licenses because that is a very direct cost. they have mentioned some of the other social programs, education costs, other services that the states either provide or pay into. ofpeople who have some sort quasi-illegal status in the country. the administration response to that is -- deferred action is not an issue. these people are not here legally, they can still be deported any time if they can -- if they commit a violent crime. some sort of which

lawful presence is being provided here, that is really a subject of a factual. host: what if a president clinton or president obama does not fall short of any court ruling? here is a tweet, what about president cruz or president trump? then what? this policythough was technically still be working its way through the lower courts, you would see republican president immediately. it is not even a regulation, is not even an executive order, it is an executive action is what they are calling it. it would be easy for a republican president to reverse and put the brakes on it. question would be with a use the same procedure to set out their own deportation priorities?

if they do, could that be challenged in the courts as well as obama's was. host: let's go to james in connecticut. good morning. caller: thank you for the conversation. i have a couple of questions on the mechanics of the supreme court. first question is, if the states don't have standings, and the court decides they do not have -- does that mean that the lower court ruling is nullified because of a lack of standing? can a state bring a case to the court if they haven't had any aal harm since this is non-enforced policy, they cannot experience a real harm? those of the two points. host: thank you. guest: today the first question first. if the supreme court rules that the state do not have a standing, then the whole case is thrown out, not just the procedural issue. it is not go back through the

lower courts. president obama would be free to begin implementing a policy soon as he wants. , on the second question , what was the second question? host: let me go back to the resistance by congress. let me present another hypothetical. the house is controlled by the republicans in the senate is controlled by the democrats in 2016. guest: yes, depending on who the president is, you might see whatever the outcome of this case is used as an argument to try again on comprehensive reform. to say, all right, this was a mess, obama tried to do it, maybe he did it, we don't know how long it will last. we give the president much more,

sort of, direct authority in terms of what he or she cannot do moving forward. the argument you would hereafter four/fouris it is a tie. host: immigration and tomorrow' court case is our topic with sam baker of "national journal." we welcome our listeners on c-span radio. denny, indiana, good morning. caller: good morning. thanks for c-span. figuredr, earlier you 11 million to indicate a many illegal immigrants are in the country. i have been hearing that number for 10 years. 11 million illegal immigrants in the country. there is no way that number is accurate. the number is probably 30 million or 50 million. they come in every day. if there were 11,000,010 years

ago, there has to be more now. that is really my only comment. that ties into what the administration has said so many times in this case that there are too many people here to deport everyone who was illegally here. isdon't even know everyone or know where everyone is. that is where we have to focus our resources. unpopular with republicans. they would rather see much more money spent on enforcement and deportation. but that is sort of, related to the rationale for this policy in the first place. host: arnett caller is from texas. our next caller is from texas. caller: good morning, gentlemen. if we are going to deport anybody, why don't we start with the 38,000