-- calling from oregon. sorry, we move on to richard from washington state. caller: good morning. i came from bakersfield to washington for a family emergency. as a displaced worker, i qualified for a job training partnership. i went to his booking college -- to spokane college. they said the class was full. i came home and talked to my folks. were -- herad parents were stationed in puerto rico when she was born. gave her a hispanic birth certificate. out caucasian on my

application and put hispanic and for ain that class two-year program with a $5,000 toolbox and gas and food vouchers for two years and 50% of my wages reimbursed from the employer for six months because i claimed hispanic. there are white africans in africa. there are white people in mexico. handicap.is a claim hispanic. the other phone line does not work. host: we are having some trouble with our phone lines. colleges areity open admissions institutions. they have a very diverse student populations from all groups.

they do not practice affirmative action in the same way elite colleges do because -- i cannot speak to you our personal experience, but most community colleges do not consider race and ethnicity in admission. host: scott jaschik, editor of inside higher ed. thank you for joining us today. coming up next, we will be taking your calls about the new doj crackdown on leaks. we will be taking your calls on that. republicans can call 202-748-8001. democrats, 202-748-8000. independents, 202-748-8002. but first, this week's newsmakers interviewed the top -- heat on the house tax was asked whether democrats and republicans can work together on tax reform legislation. [video clip] >> i hope as we proceed to tax reform that there could be room

for bipartisan cooperation. it strikes me that there is broad agreement on what's wrong with the current tax code 31 years as a long time to wait before we try another attempt to bring the textbook into conformity -- the tax code into conformity. committee, imeans hope if they decide they are going to do this on a one party basis that we don't end up with just tax cuts as opposed to tax reform. host: can you talk more about priorities that democrats would --e to see in tech support tax reform? >> there is broad agreement on the idea that there's $2.8 trillion that sits offshore. some of that is intangible assets. there's an awful lot of money that sits offshore.

there's also on the democratic side a yearning to address the issue of the skills gap that exists across america today. there's 6 million technology jobs that go unanswered. worker participation rate is at 63% we need to put knowledge how we can align economic growth with job opportunities -- we need to acknowledge how we can align economic growth with job opportunities. revenue neutrality means they will prescribe a number of dollars around the current system. were there will be broad disagreement with democrats come this is just and that he will not adhere to distributional neutrality. that's where the nub of the resistance will come in on the democratic side. host: you can see the entire interview with congressman neal

sunday at 10:00. you can also hear it on c-span the free c-span radio app and newsmakers is also available online at www.c-span.org. now, we are going to be taking your calls. we have new phone lines. we were having trouble with our other lines. for the remainder of our discussion about the doj crackdown on leaks, republicans can call 202-624-1115. 202-624-1111.call callendents can 202-624-0760. for your thoughts about the new doj crackdown on leaks. first, let's take a look at what jeff sessions himself said about this new initiative. [video clip] >> we are here today to talk

about the dramatic growth in the number of unauthorized disclosures of classified national security information in the past several months. to both thes leaks media and in some cases even unauthorized disclosures to our foreign adversaries. oferrals for investigation classified leaks to the department of justice from our intelligence agencies have exploded. the first six months of this administration, the department of justice is already -- has already received as many criminal referrals involving unauthorized disclosures of classified information as we received in the previous three years combined. classified information by definition is information that is disclosed would do harm to national security. leaks are incredibly damaging to our intelligence mission and capability.

simply put, these leaks hurt our country. all of us in government can do better. the first requirement is for discipline within all our agencies of the government. to prevent these leaks, every agency and congress has to do better. they are taking a stand. this culture of leaking must stop. furthering this goal today, we are here to announce some steps being taken and underway by the national insider threat task force to ensure the government's first priority to protect this country and her citizens is not undermined by the very people who are entrusted to protect it. host: that announcement from attorney general sessions topping the headlines in our nation's papers today. -- leakhe front page investigations tripled under trump.

the fbi is creating a new counterintelligence unit to pursue such cases. in "the arkansas democrat leakers. the hunt for he is cracking down on leaks and the investigations will target members of the press. james is calling from boca raton, florida on our republican line. caller: good morning. is the phenomenon of since i'veeen around been interested in politics, which is most of my adult life. i am 64 years old. what we see now is something much more dangerous to our democracy, it appears to me. trump, but i held my nose because i just couldn't stand hillary clinton.

so, i'm not like a really strong trump supporter, per se. most recenthis conversation the president had leaders,ral foreign particularly the prime minister of australia, is just terrible and dangerous. host: let me ask you, on this issue of leaks, you agree with the attorney general that this is a national security issue? caller: certainly. -- in washington, i had a brother who spent his leaks in washington --

are just part of the culture in washington. most people that know anything about washington know that. people have axes to grind and within the bureaucracy and etc. the leak state does exist. thetrump decided to take on press and the intelligence services and the government itself and of course, they're pushing back. that said, these leaks we have seen are dangerous. they are dangerous to our democracy. host: there's been some pushback to this plan, according to "the wall street journal. " press advocacy groups elected with alarm to mr. sessions' announcement. -- reacted with alarm to mr. announcement.

next, we have ryan calling in from eugene, oregon on our democratic line. caller: i don't think it's right. typically, we democrats enjoy -- especially in the current administration. host: what about folks in the intelligence community who say they are dangerous? that it really can endanger national security when sensitive

information is leaked out to the press? caller: i don't think that's correct. when the real sensitive information is leaked out to the press, there has to be a reason for it. it's probably because we want open consideration. host: the aclu tweeted their reaction to this new policy. every american should be concerned about the trump administration's threats to step up efforts against whistleblowers and journalists. that is the reaction from the aclu. we are getting your reaction to the policy. stacy is calling from brooklyn, new york on our independent line. caller: good morning. i agree with the aclu that the doj's crackdown on leaks would be a crackdown on public employees who know there's

corruption within their agencies, they may intimidate them into not reporting that corruption. we face a bigger threat from not having people speak out about government corruption than we do from any possible leakers. multiple leaks i've read about have not been threats to national security. they've been embarrassing, but not necessarily threats to national security. host: what about the idea that there are other avenues? if people are concerned about things, they can go elsewhere, they can go internally or go to the inspector general as opposed leaking to the press. who has worked for a public agency, they know full well that the goal within the agency is to make -- that is extremely dangerous. you could lose your job, lose your livelihood. it is not necessarily going to get the information outside of

the agency. a lot of the inspector general's arm pointed -- are appointed by people within the agency who are partial to the administration. that's why we need people to be able to blow the whistle and they need to be protected. i don't think we can leave it up to the people who are reporting about things going on within these agencies to decide whether it's a technical leak or whether it is was blowing. know which lane it falls and come i'm thinking they should probably just not report as opposed to thinking they are blowing the whistle and then being accused of leaking security information. writes thebernstein new policy is aimed at an audience of one, president trump.

--writes jason is calling from tampa, florida on our democratic line. what are your thoughts, david? -- what are your thoughts, jason? caller: i had a comment on that. listening to the situation with as leaks, i look at it

pretty much a national security issue. sense if you are dealing with a national security issue that the trump administration would try to shut down on the leaks. like the previous caller said the mother's been nothing that's come out concerning things like cracks that i can see, but things concerning these allegations of colluding with russia. from a national security standpoint come i'm thinking they want to get to the bottom of it. this seems like they are trying to hide information. there probably was some collusion. host: david is calling from los angeles on our independent line. what do you think? caller: it's interesting. before i get started, i would like to compliment you. you are such a beautiful sister and i hope we are here -- that

you will be there for a while, too. insanityate over the that comes in on your lines. you deal with it great. host: what do you think of this leak crackdown by the attorney general? caller: what sessions could do of them. -- i'm sick the trump administration to try to obscure and deceive the american people under the cloak of this leaking made-up controversy. because the trump administration that's the guy who came in, the -- hishad demonstrated effort was pretty much to deal

with the people in trump's administration and the infighting that is going on there and the dysfunction that is going on there. trump is no more concerned with thes then trying to obscure lies and deceive the american .eople he is a traitor. that's what he doesn't want to come out. host: a little more from "the new york times." not all leaks are illegal. many of the disclosures that have irritated mr. trump violated no law. the espionage act and several other federal laws do criminalize unauthorized disclosures about certain national security information,

like surveillance secrets. the justice department appears to increase, has already tripled its investigation into leaks so far. norman is calling from oklahoma on our republican line. what do you think of this new initiative announced by the attorney general? caller: i think they have to get a handle on it. i don't think there are leaks cia used to --e the deep state is so embedded, trump is such a danger to the whole applecart, he's doing one hell of a job. anytime they fear he's going to they --ood 24 hours,

on their way out the door, obama .hanged the rules it was done intentionally so people would leak anything and everything. usn our nsa turns against and try to squash the vote by when we elect a man president and ever since he's been there, all anyone wants to thes deny that he won presidency and it's all propaganda. host: a little more from "the new york times." once rare, leak cases have become far more common in the 21st century. in part because of the electronic trail that makes it easier for investigators to determine who has access to leaked documents.

2006, the bush administration created a dedicated task force to go after high-level leaks. the obama administration oversaw about nine or 10 leak related prosecutions. that was more than all previous presidents combined. two of them were investigations inherited from the bush era task force. from is calling massachusetts. caller: how are you today? host: i'm good. what do you think of the announcement by the attorney general? caller: i think it is pretty disgusting. to fight against leaks, they should start with president trump, who leaks classified information to secret meetings with two russians who

were in our country and the free press wasn't even allowed in the room. that weo disgusting have to get our information through leaks because the white house doesn't tell the public anything of substance. my newn't even give details about what's going on in the white house. details about what's going on in the white house. we are going down a dangerous road here with sessions trying press it so that the can't be a free press and they will try to prosecute people in the free press who are only reporting things they have found out because they are doing their jobs and they are trying to protect the rest of us from a traitor as president. host: we have nikki calling in from south carolina. independent line. what are your thoughts about the announcement from the attorney general? caller: i don't know what to think. robert mueller has a difficult

job. if he goes hard on the administration come up will complain. -- people will complain. it is a no-win situation however you look at it. he has a difficult job. he has to be a strong person to seek that job. the trumpnk administration is doing a good job so far as far as the economy is concerned and all these other things. but, this thing about leaks and , i don'tkind of stuff really know what to think. a little more from

"washington post" about what the current administration is doing already in its crackdown on leaks. prosecutors had charged for people with making unauthorized disclosures of classified information or concealing context with foreign officers. contacts with foreign officers. we are talking to you, getting your thoughts about the attorney general's announcement about cracking down on leaks. michael is calling from stamford, connecticut on our independent line. caller: what i'm thinking is all these leaks that are coming out

are probably coming from trump himself. that make him look like he doesn't know what he's doing. not being able to get him to say what he wants them to say because he's not going to build a wall. the first time we ever heard about fake news was from trump. would the president leak when he's pretty free with his comments when he makes public appearances and tweets freely? caller: look at him. what has he got going for himself? he wants the attention for himself. look at me, look at me. that's all he's doing. why else did he go to west virginia with all these people saying you look great? while the rest of the country knows the guy is fake. trump is fake. host: denise is calling from

florida on our democratic line. what did you think about the announcement from attorney general sessions? caller: this is truly the dumbing down of america. we are being played. is anthony scaramucci going to get along with steve bannon? is poor spicer being kicked out the back door? these are all weapons of mass distraction to show that trump is doing nothing. the real leaks -- this is from the playbook of bush and cheney because they had real leaks coming from the white house. they had miller from the new -- tubess printing would carry their weapons of mass destruction. she wouldn't tell who gave her that information. then we had the crazy trial of scooter libb be where the

prosecutor was going to overturn every stone. he outed the poor cia agent and and discovered there was nothing being bought by the iraqis. host: if you look at history, there have been cases of leaks, the pentagon papers, watergate -- journalism that led to the uncovering of real serious issues in the government. do you think there is a place for it when it is deemed necessary? caller: absolutely. the pentagon papers, we have to know exactly what is going on. of massjust weapons distraction because nothing is getting done under the trump administration. we are being played. host: on tomorrow's "washington journal," we will be joined by samuel sheriff. he will be here to discuss relations.

florida international cruzrsity's is a miguel cruzjose -- jose miguel and david beckwith will be here to discuss his piece in "the national review." that is all for "washington journal" today. we will be back here tomorrow morning at 7:00 a.m. have a great saturday. ♪ [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. 2017] >> coming up next, a look at efforts to combat isis in iraq.

then committee discussions about the motivations and tactics used by lone wolf terrorists. >> we have been on the road coming meeting winners of this year's studentcam documentary competition. jack, kyle and handed $1500 for their documentary on environmental justice. honorable mention winners received $250 for their documentary on health care. in concord, massachusetts, a ,econd prize award for cara for theiraroline documentary on the wage gap. in massachusetts, students from won anpton high

honorable mention prize of $250 for their documentary on sanctuary cities and immigration reform. , three students received an honorable mention for the documentary on the opioid epidemic. thank you to all the students that took part in our studentcam documentary competition. to watch the videos go to .org.ntcam craig a video illustrating why the provision is important. a look at combating isis and a rock the iraqi ambassador told the u.s..

from the u.s. institute of peace this is an hour and 45 minutes. >> ladies and gentlemen let me welcome you to the united states institute of peace. we are pleased to welcome you here this afternoon. my name is bill taylor the executive vice president here at , we willtute of peace have an opportunity to address everyone at the right time. the kurdistan regional government special representative is here and are cohosting. we also have the ambassador from iraq. ambassador, glad to have you here. both will have an opportunity to speak to you before the panel discussion.