energy grid. kevin gosar of our street institute talks about efforts to reform the postal service host: good morning and welcome to "washington journal." 9:00ouse will be in a eastern, it's a short session. they will not be back until next week. friday, theblack traditional beginning of the holiday shopping season. this morning, we thought we would ask your view of the economy. it are you optimistic or pessimistic? this is how to join the conversation.

if you feel00 optimistic. at (202) 784-8001 if you are pessimistic. it you can also weigh in on social media. and you canitter reach us on facebook as well. again, black friday. where is the economy? as you go out today, 80 you will be one of the many who pick up a flatscreen tv. streetalks, the wall tunnel joined at the hip nafta and cheap tv's. one of the biggest casualties of the trade scuffle between mexico and the u.s. is one of the most consumer products, a cheap flat-panel television set. every year, consumers by more

than 40 million tv's and they are assembled in mexico.

just to give you a graphic of the spike in television set sales under nafta, the decline in price first of all of a 55 underv up near $6,000 now $1000 in many cases in 2017. the market share is rising as well. your views on the economy. if you are optimistic, (202) 748-8000.

if you are pessimistic (202) 784-8001. this is part of the conversation on trade, on tax reform when the senate returns next week. this is the front page of the new york times. will a tax cut raise wages? some doubt it.

just a snapshot of the labor department where things stand in terms of workers in the u.s. as we talk to the economy. the bureau of labor statistics is talking about the long-term unemployed. it is 1.6 million. the labor petition rate is nearly 63%. let's hear from you. joe is calling in. it i am optimistic. the tax for the rich people is not going to work.

make minimumat , we arethe middle class waiting for the trickle-down. middle class is becoming minimum wage workers and the rich are getting richer. the 1% is going to get richer. it's not going to work. not owing to work. host: are you currently working? caller: absolutely. absolutely. i've been working for minimum wage all my life. i am still waiting for that trickle-down. that was joe in laura.

virginia is next, we hear from floyd. caller: optimistic. my son was laid off for two years. he worked in the mining industry. he has been called back to work. yesterday, they are calling people to work, trying to get people back to the mines. it's really picking up around here. we even had a hospital shut down during the obama administration. they are talking about opening it back up. jobp is doing a real good and i hope he keeps up the good work. i hope he gets everybody back to work. host: your son is in the coal mining industry? caller: he is. he is back to work.

all of my children, some of the others have been out of work. they are all back to work in different places. thank god for president trump. i pray he keeps up the good worse -- work. host: the present his family spent the next giving weekend in mar-a-lago. he spoke to troops overseas. the headline is in the wall street journal. he put his own unique twist on a day of traditional holiday activities during his first thanksgiving in office he talked about the economy. here is what he had to say. >> the economy is doing really great. you will see the companies coming back into our country.

the stock market just to a record high. unemployment is the lowest it has been in 17 years. a lot of things of happened over the last very short amount of time. like to save companies are starting to come back. we're not working on big fat vehicle tax cuts. host: the president spoke to troops from mar-a-lago in florida. black friday gets underway, the traditional start of the shopping season. if you are optimistic, (202) 748-8000. pessimistic is (202) 784-8001. let's go to michigan. not so keen on the economy. tell us why. caller: i voted for trump. back as he brought in all

these people from goldman sachs and now we've got this tax plan that he wants to do it doesn't really benefit his face -- base. u.s.in 96 for the congress. ran in 1996 for u.s. congress. onanted a moratorium immigration. it's basic supply and demand. i don't think -- i think this tax thing is a joke. the problem is over the next 20 years, 50% of remaining jobs in this country are going to be automated. it makes no sense to bring in more immigrants. i'm tired of these with

pro-agreements with countries like saudi arabia that have terrible human rights records, where they can buy up our businesses in the united states through programs. he really needs to hear this basicallyisch is not going to allow him to continue to blow this orange smoke up our butts. what needed, real wages of not gone up its 1973. people are suffering. we are shouldering a lot of laptops, cell phones, things we need. people are falling behind. comes to his senses.

they aremessage is getting ready to jump on him. host: we talked about this article in the new york times about the tax plan, let me read you a little bit from that. they talk about whether this will actually create jobs, the pitch republicans are saying that the lack of pledges to create jobs is not been lost on the top economic advisor gary cohen who seem perplexed last week at the lack of enthusiasm. he asked his audience how many chief executives would invest more in the tax cuts were passed. why do you think others are not willing to commit more investment and more jobs in raising wages? caller: isn't that the point?

we see another golden shower, trickle-down economics. host: here is compton, california. eric is optimistic. caller: good morning. i am very optimistic. we are living through the great jubilee. they are trying to pass a tax cut on us and we should be getting debt relief. jubilee wipes out all that. it should all be wiped out. they are trying to pass a giant corporate tax cut. we need debt relief. if we get the debt relief, wipe out all that, everybody would have money. it is the darkest of times because we are being selfish.

great, would do it's the paid host: traditional start of the holiday season. we are acting you -- asking you if you are optimistic or pessimistic. robert still, missouri is a next. this is brian who is pessimistic. caller: thank you, c-span. i don't believe anything they say. the tax cut is not going to bring jobs back. the real wages aren't going to happen. our government is run by a

minority party. the only reason they are in power is because the least amount of votes wins. until they change that, we will not have a real democracy anyway. the republicans bankrupt us every time they get into power. it's going to happen again. it's going to crash and everybody is going to be crying. aboutt remain very good the economy. thank you, c-span. host: the front page of the wall street journal, they have a picture of the traditional macy's day parade. the thanksgiving tradition sales on. this is look at some of the security measures. shoppers flock to phones. they shunned flat -- black friday for the mall in the pocket.

kim is in virginia. good morning. becausei am optimistic in our economy, we go through ups and downs normally. in the long picture, we grow. the poll of one day on the television said it's not speaking to what the real economy is doing. addressing to the facts and not to political opinions. host: you think the politics of

the last year has made the economy or optimistic? is that because of the actions of the administration? caller: no. the trump administration is running it better than normal, but that has nothing to do with it. grows,cause the economy it gets bigger, it moves on. these political polls do not in any way speak to the dynamics behind the economy. they speak instead to partisan political viewpoints held by people who are following identity politics rather than real economy. host: using this black ready to gauge her feelings on the economy. are you optimistic or pessimistic?

we have some numbers from the euro of labor statistics. they keep track of labor and job figures. in the food service industry, be

getting out of hand. say we will have more money to spend. we don't have more money to spend. hospitals ors to drugs or medical bills. we don't have the privilege of getting the tax breaks that the rich people do. buy a tv or more close. those are things that are that's the on us thing that got to get to to find out.

there was a time when somebody asked the president what is the price of a gallon of milk? he didn't know. host: a number of years ago. caller: it's the little things that are sneaking up. now theye poor section say we are only going to get $5,700. host: are you still working? caller: i retired lower-class area i don't get very much. i just get my social security and that's it area that's not much. host: less and less each much because the bills you have? caller: that's what i mean. it's not the big bills that the senate looks at. it's the ones that are sticking up behind your back it people are looking at. host: thanks. alvin is in missouri.

he is optimistic. this rally wek are having, it's based on an anticipation. if we really want to get things we need to enact some 501(c)(3)s.o more host: what do you think that would do? caller: i think what it would do is make people a little more honest as far as charity. you don't do it for a tax rate. if we can do that, i believe we will get businesses tax break with militant roles. a corporate patriot

act, that is very essential to the survival. host: the tax debate will resume in the senate asked week when they return. the houses passed its version. civil action will be next week. of tax cuts are the focus the administration, including the chairman kevin hassett. to repair a badly broken corporate tax system. we need to have a corporate reform in the u.s. because we are chasing capital offshore. we will get a surgeon capital spending in the u.s.. now we don't know what the assumption is, if you , that 15%s by 15% reduction should increase

capital spending. all those comments are available at www.c-span.org. host: the washington post is writing about this. the child health fund dries up and the program may and in some states. officials in nearly one dozen states are notifying families that a crucial health insurance program for low-income children is running out of money for the first time since it nation two decades ago, putting coverage for many risk. congress aces in deadline to extend funding for chip. youngsters andn pregnant women nationwide receive care because of it. many states can keep their individual programs afloat for a few months, but five states to run out in december.

, otherskers do not act will exhaust resources the following months. the crunch which comes despite the bipartisan support as dismayed children's health advocates. are you pessimistic or optimistic? (202) 748-8000 for optimistic generally. (202) 784-8001 for the pessimistic line. charles is in louisiana. good morning. go ahead. caller: this trickle-down economics is the stupidest thing that was ever perpetuated on the american citizen. if you took all the money from the 1% of the richest people and give it to the 50% of the poorest people, every business would boom. they would sell more cars and more comics and more houses and

were everything you you don't hire people to work when you have money in the bank. you hire people to work in your selling your product. it's upside down of what it realistically is. next, he is also pessimistic about the economy. caller: good morning. we are at the end of the beginning. the elites are sucking this dry. they are taking every last drop of milk they can get out of this country. they have no loyalty to the united states. they left. they left the american people in dirt. reason, we've been tricked into thinking that wall street is the state of the

economy. it is absolutely not area it is not main street. the whole idea behind these tax rightthe other fellow was about the little bills. these are just more money to keep corporations feeding off the american people. we need to be ready to stand up when it's time to stand up. the crap is coming. host: we are asking your view about the economy. this is lizzie. overseas, another president is taking office. in some bobwhite, is sworn in as president. he was sworn in today is resident of zimbabwe.

doug is pessimistic in ohio. i think, there are only 30 percent of the people support the tax cuts from the republicans. 0% of the people it's a work the tax cuts -- the tax cuts. they don't care about what the people have to say. they are going to do what they are going to do it -- do. that is part of why i am pessimistic. people, that's almost one in five, still a money from

what they spent last christmas. make me feel to pessimistic about the economy either. host: you are calling new trade deals for the united states. we were talking about flat screens and nafta. here is president trump earlier calling on better and better trade deals. >> we will never turn a blind eye to trading abuses to cheating economic aggression or anything else from countries that profess a belief in open trade, but do not follow the rules. no international trading organization can function of

numbers are allowed to ask lloyd others for unfair gain. trade abuse has harmed the united states. we will take every trade action necessary to achieve a fair and reciprocal treatment that united states has offered to the rest of the world for decades. my message has resonated. the leaders for the first time ever recognize the of orton's affair and reciprocal trade. the wto is in strongly of warm. these leaders noticed we must do a better job following the rules. his 12 day asian trip. we are asking your thoughts on

the economy. are you optimistic or pessimistic? (202) 748-8000 if you are optimistic and pessimistic (202) 784-8001. usa today is writing about small business saturday. that marches to its own the. beat. small business saturday has become less about the big educatingd more about about the small merchants and their own backyard. back to calls. benjamin is pessimistic on the economy. caller: i appreciate you taking

my call this morning. this tax cut is going to put our economy $1.5 trillion in debt. if they would take this $1.5 give it tod taxpayers making less than $50,000 a year, they would take that money and spend it. it's going to create jobs because what they buy has got to be replaced. that is my comment. host: gary is in illinois. caller: good morning. i just wanted to make a couple of comments. increased --ma right before the christmas

they doubled the onerest rate from 3% to 6% college loans. nobody really took that to task. now they want to eliminate the write-offs on student loans with this new tax cut. bringing jobs back to the united states, i don't see that happening. what happened was the federal deserve printed $15 trillion to back stock the banks and went money to operations. money and take that keep buying back their stock shares and inflate their stock prices. they don't have to make new products and hire people.

flat for whoges knows how long. that's about all i have to say. the federal reserve is been a big problem. cdsle getting returns on and the like, you can't make money anymore. it's a terrible system. host: he mentioned former president obama. this is a story in new orleans. a woman was charged with mailing explosives to greg abbott and obama. comments on twitter, are you optimistic or pessimistic about the economy on this black friday?

somebody out there has done there black friday shopping already. colorado andom charlie who is optimistic. economylook at the since the crash, we've been coming up at a steady pace. there is nothing that trump has done, if you look at his executive orders, to get the economy going better. cuts, i wouldtax

implore the go back and look at what happened during the reagan era. recently what is happening in kansas, kansas is a microcosm of what republicans want to do and this idea that you are going to cut the written tax rate and they are going to invest in business is a fallacy. it's not going to happen. our debt is going to explode. we keep chugging on. cure theally want to problems, what we need to do is invest in infrastructure and education. when i grew up, there were three tv stations. there are computers all over the world.

our competition is not here anymore, it's a -- around the world. year,is to make $50,000 a a robot does that now. you will have to see the college people making over $1 million a year in a lifetime over noncollege educated. we need to train people to run robots. there are plenty of jobs out there. they are there. just look. go out there. trained jobt have a force. host: let me ask you about that. you did not give it to president trump in terms of the economy. do you believe the growth we have seen the sheer is due to business reaction to the

president? manufacturers optimism to the president, not necessarily to the policies? caller: i think there is a little pop given to him for that. if you look at it rum 2009 onward, it's been a steady growth. you don't see some giant uptake in the economy. a lot of people believe the lack of regulations will create things. it's an illusion. it's a tried ballistic belief. -- tribalisticc believe. you hear people talk about how they don't have jobs. remember john henry? the machine came and replaced

him. host: let's go to florida. good morning. caller: thank you for all you do c-span. it's a great service. as far as being optimistic, i think we should have a third category of being realistic. i am here in delray beach, it's a huge senior population. as far as jobs go, i used to work at ibm down here. this is where we created the personal computer and gave bill gates the operating system. actionas an antitrust taking place against at&t and ibm the same time. they left ibm alone.

in 1985, manufacturing left boca raton and went to ireland in mexico. -- and mexico. jobs havehe disappeared. fast-forward to where we are now, the topic is tax reform. back, our health insurance premiums, it's not going to pay for one month. , trump hasddressing addressed the fact that you can go to mexico or canada and by am is suitable for $.50 -- pharmaceutical for $.50. the premiums have to be addressed.

we have home health aide here in south florida. they get paid $10 an hour with no benefits. they are coming into people's homes and rehab centers and they are good people, but they are barely surviving. if you want to talk about realistic, you got to address what is really happening. if we can bring trillions of dollars back, but have a contingency that the money must jobs,nt on factories or it's just a vicious circle. beachgary is an delray area another viewer from florida?

a couple of notes from congress, this without al franken. senator franken said i crossed the line. he pledges to regain trust. ofsaid he is been accused inappropriate physical contact with several women.

this is a story on john conyers from usa today. resorts to they expulsion option.

back to the economy and your views. romney is in fremont, texas. go ahead. and i: i had a comment think it's funny every time you

care, --t medical host: thank you. ahead. caller: i would like the american people to know that when mr. trump took office, the economy was on the upswing. credit forn too much the economy. i don't think it's right. host: do you think a president gets to have that? whoever is in office gets to claim some of the credit or the lumps if the economy is not in great shape. caller: exactly. he's taken way too much credit.

i would like the american people .o know host: go ahead. what you going to say? like the would american people to realize that he had his businesses all around the world. why are they concerned about that? if he brings his businesses back , that would be a good example. i just don't think he is doing the right thing here for the american people. understand, why aren't they questioning him about his businesses or his daughter's businesses? theirn't they bring businesses back in higher american? they don't even question his stuff. are: the president's sons

running the family business. on the front page of the washington post, trump junior is defiant.

we hear from joyce next. go ahead. caller: good morning. there needs to be another category. i am optimistic about a lot of things. i believe he will be one of the best presidents we ever have if congress will leave him alone or if the media would leave him alone. is thing i am calling about i've been on medicare for seven years because of disability. was zero. pay i got a letter from health and human services and they informed me starting the first of the

$54 to would have to pay have my medicare. that is ridiculous. d is the drug part of it. there is nothing wrong with having to pay for something. income that we get which is primarily social security because we're not able to of ord -- afford boca raton retirement. we didn't have the money to save. we didn't make that much.

when i closed my business after 38 years, we had $60 a week. now it is $60 a day. women stay home because they can't afford childcare. you can't afford to pay the increase in utilities. nobody is doing anything about that. everybody should have a flatscreen tv. i have two of them. we can't afford to pay the service because the cable bill increases rapidly and no one seems to have a cell phone. there should be caps on everything we have to pay.

the people who are not benefiting from the tax cut are the people who don't make enough money. host: she brought up, we mentioned this article earlier in the wall street journal tine in the affordability of the chief nature of flatscreen tv's. part of the wall street journal article was about that. nearly all of televisions value come from asia. 80% is lockedd into one part alone, the glass panels. make them bigces enough. optimistic or pessimistic on the economy? we have about 10 more minutes on

this. (202) 748-8000 if you are generally optimistic and (202) 784-8001 if you are pessimistic. go ahead. caller: good morning. i would like to say it starts with the trade schools. we need the proper education on how to do a proper trade, carpentry, electrical, in order to build and progress forward. you need to know how to do a job in order to do it properly. host: you think that's going to help younger students as the economy becomes more automated and robotic? caller: yes my son is a mason. he had two or three jobs in the lawyer and the men he worked with were not masons. they had to tear everything down and do it over again.

expensive to do it over again. it has to be done properly. $15 wagelieve the would be proper also. insurance, that needs to be right down also. host: you know with the wages in delaware? a dollars,s something like that -- eight dollars, something like that. host: marcus pessimistic on the economy. caller: it kills me because all these people are talking about how domestic because the president has been a success in business. he has no idea what in the bill or in the health care bill.

the other problem is if you don't want to look back to 86 when reagan changed the tax system. it didn't work. trickle-down economics is a falsehood. it does not exist. you can't cut everything and expect to make more money. if i am the ceo of the company and i get to take advantage of these tax rates, i have one responsibility to my shareholders. if i can still do labor at next to nothing so my shareholders make money, that's what i'm going to do. the working people are not going to succeed in this way. if you need a more current example, look at kansas. disaster's state is a because of that. host: what do you think about the argument that cutting taxes for corporations and for

manufacturers will drive those investes to spend it, to in their plants and their inventory and hire more workers. caller: they can already do that now. interest rates are low enough or they can get money to do those things and they are not doing it. to say we are going to make corporate tax cuts permanent, but were not going to do that for the people, it's a slight to the people. you're going to get tax breaks on both ends. there is a no-win situation. i don't understand how people think he's great. he will get it done. no. he won't. he just doesn't understand it and the people understand making

money for themselves. host: tax reform is on the agenda for the senate next week. c-spanbate will be on two. privacy advocates want to revamp surveillance law.

that is a texas republican. you can read more at the washington times in tom is in laura. good morning. caller: good morning. the economy is getting better and it's been measured by the agencies. we are in the third order in a row where we will have gdp growth. what do you want? people said the economy would tank when trial was elected --

trump was elected. now they say it was going up anyway. in the last quarter of obama's administration, he had a negative quarter. the idea that the economy was getting better is ridiculous. there is about i would be willing to take with anybody. money in your pocket at the end of the trump administration, you must vote for trump on reelection. if i don't have more money in my pocket, i have to vote democratic. i would take that any day of the week. takers?d you got any caller: it would be interesting

if that could be done. host: call us back. that call. the issue of corporate tax and a lot of viewers are weighing in on that. senator mark warner of virginia had to say about this. right 31st out of 35 in terms of total taxation. relative to our competitors, we are a low taxing nation. most of them have consumption taxes allow them to bring the corporate rates down. this plan has a couple of laws. additional debt when we are $20 trillion in debt. that is not a good scenario.

weekgreenspan said last you do tax cuts and you are at relative full employment which we are with borrowed money, you may get what sugar high, but the grosslyrojections are optimistic. host: that was senator mark warner. vivian says if congress would , that isout of the way not how i want our government to work. clara inr from atlanta. caller: hello.

i am doing ok. i am him both optimistic and i ammistic, but most -- both optimistic and pessimistic, but most americans are not doing ok. host: jamie, we lost you. caller: how are you doing today? host: fine. everyone puts down donald trump and says he is a danger to the economy. look at the growth already -- 3%. the millions of jobs he is creating, and the opportunities. the thing is, american people have become lazy. everyone expects things given to them. people want to sit on their butts, collecting welfare.

they want free college. who is going to pay for that question mark the democrats have -- pay for that? the democrats are created $10 trillion in debt. now they are all over trump because he is trying to do something. for the last eight years, the democrats have done nothing to raise the economy. they have actually hurt the economy. we have lost millions of jobs because of the stupid trade deals obama did. nobody wants to talk about that because god for bid you say something about obama, you are a racist. at least trump is trying to do something. host: we turn our attention next here on "washington journal," looking at consumer protections, following recent data breaches. we are joined by ed mierzwinski by the you -- of the u.s. public interest group. we aren, we look at --

.ith e&e news' blake sobczak earlier this week, -- an interview on sexual harassment in the case of john conyers, the judiciary committee's ranking member. [video clip] >> the maltreatment of women employees by leadership in the congress, ibers of think deserves the airings that it is getting, and more reportedly, any sexual harassment, the use of power to impact -- inflict demand and are wrong.quests ifeally think on this issue agonizing -- as agonizing as it

might be for all of us, the ranking member needs to step down at the minimum, as our leader pelosi asked for the ethics investigation, and the chips will fall from there. at the minimum, i agree that is a necessary step. i think we have passed a tipping point. whether it is in the boardroom, on the plate floor -- plant floor, in a shop, in a business, or in a house of government, any government levels, the thetionship of power and attempt to exploit that our sexually -- that power sexually and to demean, degrade, demand on a sexual connotation from employees, i think that seachange is not only needed, it is happening, and it is

happening because you have reached the tipping point. host: you can see the entire interview with congressman raul "newsmakers" sunday at 10:00 a.m. eastern on c-span. you can also see it on c-span radio, and is available online at c-span.org. we are joined ed mierzwinski, -- by ed mierzwinski, church talk about -- here to breaches talk about recent better breaches and what consumers can do about it. we will start with the most recent one, the uber data breach. when we talk about a data breach, read about it in a headline, what does that actually mean? guest: that is a very good question, and there are several kind of data breaches. you heard several years ago, the home depot target -- many other stores had data breaches of credit cards primarily.

then you have the yahoo! breach, which is -- information that could socially engineer you for more information. resultswhere a breach in the loss of your name, your phone number, and email address, but not anything personally secret about you. then there are big breaches like the equifax breach or the health care breach where yourself security number and date of birth were compromised. and those kinds of breaches, information that can be used to wreak havoc with your life is taken. host: what is your best guidance when people hear about yahoo!, equifax, now the uber data breach -- 80 personally people have the tendency -- may be personally people have a tendency "it won't affect me." what should people do? guest: people need to be more

vigilant and understand their rights under law, and some cost money, but take a look and study the ways your information can get out there. the biggest and most important in our view and the view of many consumer advocates is the information on your credit report. it is very hard for you to get your own credit report from a credit bureau. you have to go through, kind of, a spanish inquisition. you have to provide them with your social security number. you have to answer several questions. only then, reluctantly, will they give you your credit report. that is a good thing. the problem is your credit report is not what an identity thief six. an identity thief just needs your social security number and then apply for credit in your name and the bank or the phone company gets your credit report because they are a trusted partner of the credit euros. that is the disc -- bureaus. that is the disconnect of the

system today -- your information can be gathered in many places. my college id, years ago, had my social security number on it. military ids had them. medicare cards have them until next year. it is incredible that social security numbers are just out there. guest: is there -- host: is there any reason that you see that these breaches are becoming more commonplace? guest: there are a lot of legacy data systems the companies are using. companies are not doing a good enough job -- in particular in the case of equifax, there -- has testified in front of congress and made the truth statement consumers are not our customers. we are not their customers. we are their product. they don't care about us.

at the same time, equifax is in one business -- they buy and sell information about us. they collected, buy it, and sell it. they should do a much better job, but they have not been held accountable. host: finish up. guest: european companies are going to be subject from the european data authorities when they lose information. american companies haven't been subject to enough pain yet. they have to do a better job. host: out of those hearings do you think there is consideration that will be legislative or regulatory repercussions to equifax? guest: the interesting thing that is on the day equifax finally announced its breach to the public, the house financial services committee, the banking committee of the house -- that is its name -- was holding a hearing on a bill that would make it harder to sue equifax and other credit bureaus and get damages or penalties when you sue them.

they were going to eliminate what are called punitive damages from the law. that is how cocky the financial industry is today with a weak congress and the weak oversight of the financial industry. on the other hand, since the bridge we have seen the first -- breach kissing the first glimmering of an understanding hey, consumers to not have any control of their information. we should give consumers control , so we're hoping the security freeze has a chance to be enacted federally. so, about 49 states have passed a law that says you have the right to freeze your credit report, which prevents financial identity theft. the bad guy, again, he has your social. he applies in your name. but when the creditor contacts the credit bureau, your account is. frozen. and do not have a federal right. we are hoping we can get the

freeze to be enacted federally. the other thing that is being talked about, which is astonishing to me as a longtime there is ancate, is understanding are you in congress on the health -- why shouldn't the freeze be the default? essentially we have been asking for years that consumers have the right to freeze their credit report. people are now asking the basic question, the important question, should consumers have the authority to control their information? shouldn't it be protected all the time? host: some credit card companies wallet, itlace your is stolen, some of value to rather than cancel, freeze the credit card line. guest: some do. the credit card companies -- that is an interesting point. the credit bureaus, we are not there customer, we are their product.

credit card companies are subject to strong liability loss. if you have your credit card stolen, you are basically protected, it is their money. they do a good job of trying to protect their money. by the way, if you lose your number, youonth -- are well protected. if you lose your debit card -- the actual instrument, you do have protection, but not as good as with a credit card. that is why i only use credit cards. host: blake sobczak -- is our guest. he is with the u.s. public interest group -- public interest research group. we're talking about data breaches. we would like you to be part of the conversation. to ask you about the most recent one that is made the news -- a different twist, the uber data breach.

uber paid hackers to delete stolen data on 57 million people. hackers stole personal data of 57 million customers and drivers of uber technology -- a massive breach a concealed for more than a year. this week, they all said a chief security officer and one of its deputies for their role in keeping the attack under wraps, which include a $1000 payment to the attackers. why would a company paid the preachers, the hackers, in this case? companyhis particular is in a lot of fights with a lot of countries, a lot of cities. they are trying to protect their brand name, and perhaps they hoped they would get away with it. i am astonished. who would believe a hacker would give you back the information they still? how do you know they did not keep a copy? that is the problem with this.

the second problem is why did uber wait a year? is that a violation of a number of state laws? i think it is. that is why they are under investigation by the federal trade commission and several states. host: the reporting from "wall street journal" this morning --uber's ceo knew of the data breach for months. while it did not happen under the watch of the new chief executive, he knew about it for two months, people familiar with the matter said. guest: the same thing with equifax -- they knew about it, but did not tell us about it until later. it is a real problem. companies do not feel accountable. they do not have the skin in the game of being penalized. not enough companies have paid the price for their data breaches. that is why we have to make sure any law congress passes holds companies accountable and is not immunize them. host: potentially, with the

equifax fact, how many people impacted? guest: equifax is 145 million americans, some people get other countries. that is what they say. it could be more, fewer, but that is over half of adults. host: we would like to know if this has affected you, and your thoughts and questions for ed mierzwinski. host: first call. alberto in new york city. good morning. caller: i just wanted to say the american people are being screwed in many, many different ways. for example, they do not know that they are just paying three taxes, city and federal, they pay 35 plus taxes. federal taxes, medicare tax, social security tax, money in the bank interest and other tax. if you put money on another

parking meter, it is another tax. i could go on and on. host: i think you are talking about our last segment of the economy. thanks for weighing in. we will hear from alan in michigan. good morning. caller: i have a question on equifax about the breach. i called them yesterday regarding the breach, wanted to find out if i was part of that, and the only thing they advised me to do -- they gave me a phone number. they wouldn't give me any information about myself. they referred me to a number, and the number i called referred me to go online. i don't have a computer. is there any other way to find out the information about myself besides going on the internet? guest: you should definitely contact your attorney general in

your state. you should also contact the federal trade commission -- ftc.gov, and the u.s. consumer financial protection bureau. you can find a television number for them -- i don't have it with me. the cs bb can get results -- the cfpb can get results. the state attorney general can get results. the problem you face is being faced by many consumers. it is not only the way equifax allowed this breach to occur by ignoring to fix a security flaw in a proper manner, but the way they did not plan for the people the wayit on the phone, they set up a separate website required people to go to the web instead of taking their calls -- they are very unhelpful, and that is very disappointing, but we will encourage you to keep trying to get information from

them. if you don't have a computer, it is very tough. host: here in the nation's capital, isaac on the democrats line. caller: good morning. i want to ask about richard cordray. he is about to leave the cfpb. i wanted to know who the next head is going to be? protectionconsumer -- financial protection bureau was established after the collapse of the economy caused banks recklessness. rich cordray was the first director. it took him two years to be confirmed, even though he was a brilliant public servant that had been the attorney general in the state of ohio. he has been fabulous work. through the history of the bureau, which took over in 2011, he has been under attack -- just incredible. we are worried the president

mike appoint someone that -- might appoint someone that wants to take the bureau down, less capable of helping the public. in my opinion, the law requires his successor to be a consumer advocate. a lot requires his successor to carry on the duties of the director of the bureau. the bureau has returned 12 billion dollars to over 29 million americans that have been ripped off by big banks, payday be a consumer advocate. a lot requireslenders, debt cold others. we're speculating who the president might appoint. the names we have heard are not very good. host: isaac, do you have a recommendation for that post? caller: no, but we have heard the same about always be director mulvaney and other -- mbways be director -- o director mulvaney. what are the rules around an intern had -- interim head?

guest: the rules are up to debate. industry lobbyists are pushing an obscure, older law, that says the president can appoint anyone as interim director that has been confirmed for any position by the u.s. senate. they will be a fight over who is correct on those two interpretations. i would encourage any viewer who cares about consumer protection, who cares about an agency that stands up for them and not for wall street, contact your senator, and tell your senator we need to protect the bureau. we also need to protect its funding. we have four bank regulators. people have heard about the federal reserve board, the fdic. they might not have heard of the office of the comptroller of the currency, but these three agencies and the bureau all have their funding, independent of congressional appropriations. the senate is about to consider

an appropriations bill that would make the consumer bureau the only federal agency under lobbyistdibly -controlled appropriations process. host: has the cfpb taken the lead, in particular on the equifax hack? guest: that is another question. rich cordray has said we are investigating equifax, but that is one area where the law is a little bit odd. the law says the consumer bureau took over control of a lot of our financial system, including thatredit bureaus, except the federal trade commission maintained control over data security of the company. tradelove the federal commission, but they just don't have the tools of the bureau. i'm hoping the bureau continues to follow up with its investigation to make sure that we hold equifax accountable. host: there is also a civil legal ratification.

the headline in "the washington post" scenarioy write the experts feared might be underway. guest: i think there is going to be some class-action lawsuits, and it has already been one lawsuit filed by the attorney general of massachusetts. other states attorney general to look at the matter as well. host: a question on twitter -- jim tweets a question saying if you cancel out your credit cards and pay off your loans, you will not exist in credit card databases? exist, andmight people -- people have asked can

you opt out of equifax. you can bank at a credit union, not a bank, but you do not get to choose your credit bureau. throughout this region investigation that has been going on since september, a lot of people have asked this question -- i want to opt out of equifax. i will turn them off, but keep trans union and experience, their competitors. you cannot do it. we're not their customers. we are their product. they are gatekeepers. by the way, if you cancel credit creditit may hurt your score. if you don't need credit cards, you can of course cancel them off, but that is your choice. guest: -- trans union -- are they equally exposed to breaches? guest: the day after the equifax breach was announced to everyone, their lawyers set down with ceos and security people

and said this in better not be the way we are doing business. host: let's hear from matthew in mark bill, new york. democrats line. go ahead. caller: good morning. were of the issues you discussing have already been answered, but i have a question for the guest, what about forced arbitration? isn't that going to be implemented so that there couldn't be any class action lawsuits against companies like equifax? guest: forced arbitration is a very important point that the caller raises. so, congress gave the consumer ba or the authority to regulate then use of small-print force arbitration clauses in consumer contracts. the bureau came out with a rule that said you can't not block a consumer from banding with other consumers to go to court together. for example, when a bank

overdraft fee takes $30 from each of you, you cannot afford your own lawyer, but 30 million of you having $30 taken from you, that is a lot of money, so the bureau came out with a recently, but the senate and the house overturned it on an obscure procedure that is being used more and more called the congressional review act. in the case of equifax, equifax has backpedaled so much and made so many statements about its use of forced arbitration, and it is essentially, we think, has said it is not going to impose forced arbitration at any victims of the breach. but as my friends in the consumer bar say, that is what they are saying today. what will their lawyers be saying in court tomorrow? host: the executives of equifax have been on capitol hill testified before several committees, including most recently before the senate committee.

questions from new mexico's catherine cortez masto. [video clip] masto: we havez not had a discussion on the data because the consumers that have had credit freezes, their data was still breached, correct? matter,t does not because that is what they are going to go after. i see, mr. wilson, you are not in yes. isn't that correct? >> yes, senator. sen. cortez masto: shouldn't consumers be able to say i should opt in or opt out? >> this is part of the way the economy goes. when the consumer goes -- sen. cortez masto: the consumer does not have a choice in the data you are collecting. that is what i hear from consumers all the time. i know it. the credit reports i get as a consumer do not tell me all the

data you are collecting on me, isn't that true? >> the credit report -- sen. cortez masto: that is true, isn't it? host: the questioning there with executives -- they are talking about consumers being able to opt out of equifax. do you think after these hearings that congress is more in the mood for either regulating that, or equifax on its own, and allowing customers, for a lack of a better term, to do that? guest: again, the senator is a former state attorney general and she understands these issues, and she hit the nail on the head -- she aimed at the ex -ceo and the interim ceo, who were both at that hearing a couple weeks ago. again, she talked about control. consumers have no control or knowledge of the situation. one of the problems here is the credit bureau. business is actually the most highly regulated part of equifax's business, but they are

just -- much more than just a credit bureau. they are a data broker. a data broker industry, according to the federal trade commission has thousands of companies buying and selling information about you. they have more information every day. your telephone provides locational information, tracks where you have shopped, and companies are selling it in real time on the internet, but only the credit bureaus are strictly regulated, and the senate made another point -- the credit bureaus and credit reports are regulated, but social security numbers are used in all the parts of their business. that is what they use as an identifier. when he to go from using the social as an identifier and authenticator, which makes no sense. that is it is in the databases. it shouldn't be the way that companies choose to do business decisions about whether im me based on my social -- i am me based on my social.

we to go to whatever system of identification. host: couple more calls from ed mierzwinski. a reminder for a viewer who did not have access to a computer -- susan tweeps people without computers can go to their local library for assistance and online access. let's hear from linda in longwood, florida, democrats line. caller: hi. i am asking what happens when the information is totally incorrect? it is impossible to correct. the creditor, at six years sold your information to a debt collectionthe agency, provided m all the information over and over and over, but yet it still continues on. guest: that is a very good question, and the caller is clearly frustrated by the fact that the credit bureaus not only

to fixstakes, they fail them, or they say they fixed them, then they don't. it is very difficult for them to do a good job. again, when he to protect the consumer bureau. for 40 years, the credit bureau ran roughshod over the federal trade commission because it had no tools in its toolbox. the consumer bureau of the last five years has begun to bring them to heal. attorney generals have brought them to heal. credit scores are going up a 31-state attorneyer general lawsuit that was settled this summer. we are making progress, but we need to protect the rights of consumers to sue credit bureaus and a strong federal agency to investigate and oversee the bureau. host: let's go next to marathon, for the. good morning to -- florida. good morning to mel. guest: i have a comment for

someone that called -- caller: i have a comment for someone who called earlier who did not have a computer. you can by u.s. mail -- and it has to be by certified letter -- you can write to each of the agencies, asking for a freeze on your records, and you have to send a letter showing at least one government -- like your drivers license, or something -- and also, you have to send a utility bill showing your current address. so, you can write to them. that is one way. another comment was met with regards to legislation that was just passed by congress, i think they are preventing us from suing banks with class-action lawsuits, and last, but not least, with equifax, it was my understanding that if you write to them, or whatever, sign up for this credit-checking thing,

that you automatically, in the fine print, agree to arbitration. host: we will get ed mierzwinski to respond. guest: there are a lot of points he has made here, and equifax has set a lot of different things about arbitration. you are right. it may not be as clear-cut as we think. arbitration is the way they prevent you from suing them. it should have been banned, and it was banned from the consumer bureau, but congress overturned it. equifax has made some promises that lawyers for consumers and government agencies will help us with. in terms of contacting the credit bureaus, you are exactly right. consumers should figure out, find up the phone number, and perhaps go to the library and get information about how you could reach out to equifax by phone or mail. i do not know how much time we have left, but i want to say a couple of things i did not say. if you think you have been a

victim of a security breach of any kind, you have the right under federal law to put a temporary fraud alert on credit reports. all three of them -- you call one, then they have to call the other two. when they put the temporary fraud alert on, you have the right for a free credit report to be issued to you by each of the three credit bureaus. you have the right by federal state lawe you have a right and a federal right. you should do those things, the initial fraud alert, which you can renew every 90 days. you should consider the security breach, which we support, which costs five to $10 for each credit bureau, and then five dollars to $10 to lift it when you want to apply for credit. these are the things you should do. host: what is the view on credit watch companies? guest: credit watch companies

and monitoring companies that we don't like them. why do you want to pay a company that is supposed to protect your credit -- why do you want to pay them $19.95 a month for them to promise to protect your credit, and they only find out after the horse has left the bar? the freeze at least protects you from new account identity theft. it may not protect you from all fraud, but it gives you peace of mind your credit report. don is in massachusetts. republican line. caller: good morning. host: good morning. caller: so, i understand i cannot sue the company. i cannot tell the bank not to use them. guest: that is true. say iuld find a bank and want to apply to -- for credit go, transere do you

union, experion, or equifax? some banks go to all three, or some go to the other was. host: ed mierzwinski. don, go ahead, get a follow-up. guest: what if i tell the banks -- caller: what if i tell the bank and have them sign an affidavit saying they would not go to equifax? do you think any of them would do that, or do i keep going around finding a bank that says they will not use them, or is that not allowed? guest: you will have to try that out. you can vote with your feet with your bank. you cannot vote with your feet with credit bureaus. as the senator said, we don't wouldny control, and we like protecting our information to be the default instead of the option. host: ed mierzwinski, consumer advisor with the u.s. public interest research group. he is on twitter.

thank you for being with us. guest: thank you, bill. host: we will turn our attention to puerto rico, and the recovery there. we are joined by blake sobczak. later on, kevin kosar talks about the u.s. postal service. .ore ahead ♪ host: -- studentcam video competition is underway and students across the country are at work, sharing their experience with us through twitter. ♪ >> it is not too late to enter. the deadline is january 18,

2018. we are asking students to choose a provision of the u.s. constitution and create a video illustrating why it is important to you. our competition is open to all middle school and high school students, grades six through 12. $100,000 in cash prizes will be awarded. the grand prize of $5,000 will go to the student or team with the best overall entry. for more information, go to our website, studentcam.org. >> c-span bus is on the 50 capitals tour -- visiting every state capital in hearing about each state's priority. we caps off the tour on september 15 in dover, delaware, and have no visited 12 state capitals -- now visited 12 state capitals. the next stop is tallahassee, florida. live on " there

washington journal." >> sunday, on the book "president mckinley." >> he was a consequential and effective president, and you cannot quite figure out how -- how or why he was able to accomplish what he accomplished because he was in direct. he was an incrementalist. he was a manager. he was not a man of force. it turns out without that force he had amazing capacity to manipulate people, and manipulate them into doing the things he wanted them to do, well they thought it was their idea. >> sunday night at 8:00 p.m. eastern on "q&a" on c-span. >> "washington journal" continues. host: blake sobczak is a reporter with e&e news, and joining us here on "washington

journal" to talk about the state of recovery efforts in puerto rico, particularly with the energy sector the most prominent issue. blake sobczak, it will go the headline in e&e news, said the ceo of a troubled utility resigns under fire. what is the status of electricity and energy on the island? guest: for the past two months now, puerto rico has been struggling to recover from the devastation brought by hurricane maria, and to this day, nearly half of the island's power generation remains off-line. it is been called the worst blackout in u.s. history. a lot more work is to be done. you mentioned the resignation of the utility ceo, ricardo ramos. he had been criticized for his decision to contact a small montana firm by the name of whitefish energy. whitefish chosen? do we know. guest: there were a few reasons

cited. one was that several other companies that had also offered to be contracted for that utility repair work were demanding high, up-front payments. the poorly -- puerto rico electric power authority is bankrupt. the executive director had said they are having problems coming up with upfront payments, and whitefish did not demand that. the other reason being some of the timing with some of the power utilities might have been off in the sense that it could have taken more time for them to get a logistics figured out. -- whitefish offered to come in right away and figure it out. that is another reason that was cited. we have had the hurricane struck the u.s. mainland, but typically on puerto rico and in the island, how is power restored? it seems on the mainland there is planning, trucks ready to come in after the storm.

what is the typical, sort of, reaction and time to get energy, electricity, back online in a major disaster like the hurricane in texas, the hurricane that struck florida? guest: you mentioned preparation, and that is key. a lot of authorities opt to engage in mutual agreement in advance of the storm. you can see what some of the effects might be. hurricane maria was a status -- especially devastating, category 5, wiping out 80% of the power grid. you add to that this is an island, it makes logistics more complicated. for instance, on the mainland, you might be able to light up and even have them stay in hotels on the outskirts of where the power is down, and rolled in and help with at work. that was not possible in puerto rico. you had more logistical challenges getting crews and equip it out there. host: a bigger problem for is just a fiscal

insolvency overall the island has faith -- faced? guest: that is correct. the fact that the island is more than $70 billion in debt, $9 billion of that going to the public/private utility -- i mentioned the puerto rico power authority -- that is a huge challenge. those financial challenges remain unresolved. boardve an oversight trying to result -- work through that, however they have been rebuffed in efforts to get a chief information officer appointed. by the name of -- asked the puerto rico power authority take over reconstruction efforts. host: our guest is blake sobczak , a reporter with e&e news, focusing on puerto rico's recovery efforts in the energy sector. here is how to be part of the discussion --

host: an article on cnbc news -- the headline, "puerto rico utility defends decision to postpone mutual aid." puerto rico's governor had this to say. [video clip] >> it the question, then, and the idea of urgency to save human lives, but in retrospect, wouldn't be -- wouldn't it have been wiser to do, as we saw on the u.s. virgin islands, to push

send and request mutual aid? >> we spoke about this -- we would be happy to answer the components in the decision-making, but i want to add an element. when we were making the decision about bringing some of the additional assets to puerto rico, we had the offer from the corps of engineers that would allow us to restore the energy grid fairly quickly and immediately, as was stated to us initially, and that we didn't have to have a cost-sharing to do so. right now, as you know, puerto rico is in a fiscal predicament. we have little liquidity to push forward. , under those, we chose the understanding that things were going to pick up quickly -- the energy grid was going to be restored --most of it within 45 days. we chose the alternative that both fema and the corps of engineers proposed to us, which was let's do it through the corps of engineers so that we

can get going. host: that is puerto rico's governor. blake sobczak, what did you hear in his answer? guest: so, he was referring to the truck administration -- trump administration's decision to offer assistance to the army corps of engineers. that was basically an effort to help some of the financial woes that the governor also mentioned, because those costs would then fall to the army corps, who immediately contracted some major players -- hundreds of millions of dollars of deals to rebuild the grid. that was a decision that was made september 28, just a week over -- just over a week after the storm. host: for the corps of engineers did not have any decision in hiring whitefish? guest: correct, and the trump administration has distanced itself from the decision to bring on whitefish, despite the fact that the ceo shares a hometown with trump

administration interior secretary ryan zinke he. that attracted a lot of scrutiny and raise suspicion among lawmakers and others that they be there was some sort of quid pro quo arrangement, and that has been vociferously denied. host: we have calls waiting. we start with henderson, kentucky, and hear from robert on the independent line. caller: good morning, gentlemen. thank you for taking my call. rico,o you think puerto being an island of most of ,eople of color, mostly african and some hispanic, and some of the things mr. trump has said about the mayor is the result of mr. trump's lack of empathy for people of color? guest: that is a great question, and you are referring to the mayor of san juan, who has

fought the trump administration over where she has perceived to be a languid response. president trump, on the other hand, has rated the response in mid-october a 10 out of 10 and has basically said the u.s. government is rolling out the toise and equipment needed restore power and assist puerto rico. of course, there are questions, what more could have been done? a point that the governor has made recently is he would like puerto ricans to be treated like any other americans, and if the situation were to play out in, i don't know, iowa, or even as we saw in recent hurricanes in florida, that puerto rico is getting that assistance. to the extent race played a role in that, it would not be my position to comment on that, but there has been some assessments on that in some quarters. host: jim. democrats line. caller: good morning, gentlemen. here in florida -- the so-called

state, and because of the governor's ignorance, you see almost no solar panels, minute because of the power of duke industry, duke electric industry. you have puerto rico, which needs help. elon musk said solar power down to help a hospital down there. why don't they put as much solar power as they can in the company to prove it is the best way to handle the situation in the future because we will need more in this country if you could just get away from -- utility energy is so pathetically run. we can do a lot for helping against earth warming and make puerto rico an example of how solar could work. thank you. guest: that is a great question. i think a lot of great planners in puerto rico -- grade planners

rid planners are looking at a way to refresh. someer, there are challenges in getting more renewable resources online in puerto rico. among those, limitations in federal disaster relief fund in, and you have something called the stafford act, which prevents the grid being rebuilt from beyond what the pre-storm conditions indicated. they would need to be changes in order to have the opportunity that some seek to build a, kind of, stronger, more modern, renewable, resilient grid. host: the new york times writing about the status of repair of the grid setting unpaid -- citing unpaid bills --

host: well, it is a must the end of the month now, and what happens next after whitefish leaves? guest: as whitefish to parse the territory, there will be other contractors -- departs the territory, the other contractor stepping in. the white fish contract was canceled in late-october, and they were given until november 30 two wrapup the work they had been doing and work resumed yesterday. whitefish announced some of the issues they had been having with the puerto rico electric authority had been resolved, indicating that they were acting

in good faith. int: what is your best guess terms of the percentage of power that has been restored to the island? guest: to this day it is about half. it is hard to tease out how that affects customers. that is talking about power generation, the load, basically. generally, over one million customers -- over one million people still without power, and that might not be back until the start of next hurricane season. there is a lot of work it remains to be done. host: ed, myrtle beach, south carolina. caller: how are you guys doing? guest: doing fine, thank you. caller: if they put this system back, string the lines from pole to pole, it is another matter of time before another storm comes through and blows it all down again. unless you get the politicians out of it, and turn it over to someone who knows what they are doing -- all of that stuff needs

to be put in the ground. you are wasting your time, throwing your money away. you put it up, that august or september you get another storm and blow the whole thing down again. a whole new way of thinking is to be done. all the utilities there, especially the electrical grid, news to be put in the ground. the: any indications government puerto rico is doing just that -- rethinking about the grid, understanding they are facing a tough fiscal situation? guest: right, and that is the challenge, of course, balancing the fiscal situation with the need to prepare for future storms. actually, that was a great observation -- there is the risk, of course, that another hurricane blows through next hurricane and tears down puerto rico's power grid all over again . that is not something utility planners, federal officials want. that leaves a lot of death and destruction in its wake. preparing for the next storm is crucial, but finding the money

to do that, and you mentioned putting power lines underground -- that is expensive. that can carry some of its own risks in terms of flooding, or being able to work on some of those lines that are buried. there are a lot of challenges. host: and reflecting your saysnts, jim on twitter there must be a reason all transmission lines are not already very worldwide -- buried worldwide. al is on the republican line. caller: i resent the implication that you said president trump did not give puerto rico good because it could be racially the interest. the argument is puerto rico has not maintained their own service there. you have because it could be had over one million people leave their. i have friends that have left because they cannot live there anymore because of the crime. there is no incentive for people to do anything.

they have no money, no support. it hasn't been to do with race. i am sick and tired of people like you bringing that up. puerto rico did not carry the ball for the people. they are leaving their intros, and you make a statement like that. i think that is so unfair. host: your thoughts. blake sobczak. not my intention to say, and i do not think it is certainly my place to say whether there was any racially motivated element in the federal response to puerto rico, however as we heard from the earlier caller, i do see the perception taking hold in some quarters. i do not want you to think i make that claim. interms of people leaving droves, there has been an exodus after the hurricane of people who have said we cannot live in this condition. we're going to head to the mainland. that already has the potential to shift florida's population,

certainty, and to the other point -- to what extent the puerto rico's poor management and fiscal management land themselves in this trouble, that coming up to discussions of funding -- should these be loans, grants -- should puerto rico have an obligation to repay this may be in a way that texas or florida did not after hurricanes irma and harvey, and that is an ongoing discussion. host: you wrote in e&e news -- million" in "$94 disaster relief. -- $94 billion. if i said million, i apologize. $94 billion -- any indication of if that is a number congress can deal with or how that will fare with congress? particular request

was generally perceived to be a little high as a starting bargaining position there, however the damages of the storm are likely to surpass that figure, and consumer -- conservative estimates put the overall damage at at least 100 --00, from what we have seen $115 billion, from what we have seen. guest: -- host: broadly. guest: yes, that included housing and other infrastructure that had been destroyed, not just the energy sector. i believe about 70 billion was earmarked for great restoration. james tweetingr, the atlanta ice storm got people talking, but no shovels that i remember. carol says there is more work to be done in puerto rico because it has never been done properly in the past. what was the generally thought of state of the energy grid in puerto rico before the storm? guest: the state of the energy grid in puerto rico was poor. it was widely considered to be

one of the more expensive utility services in the country. it routinely had issue and .ervice delivery problems as we talked about previously, the puerto rico electric power authority had been marred in debt. a lot of the infrastructure was aging. this is a utility that i'm not dealt a plant in upwards of 40 years. there was widely perceived to be a need for changes to that particular energy sector before the storm struck. host: you mentioned fuel oil in terms of generating power. is there a nuclear plant, to your knowledge? guest: no. mostly fuel oil and natural gas. host: couple more calls. we have the u.s. house coming in at 9:00 a.m. eastern for a brief pro forma question. let's go to texas and hear from

kevin on the independent line. go ahead. caller: first of all, let's make it clear -- puerto rico is not a state, so they are not ordinary americans. that doesn't mean we shouldn't treat them like americans, but they are not ordinary americans. they are not a state. as a result, they should not be treated like a state. they should be treated like a territory, which is what they are. host: kevin, what does that mean to you in terms of aid -- we talked about the $94 billion figure. what is that mean to you in terms of what the federal response should be? caller: well, i think -- i'm very much a humanitarian. i have spent time all over the world as a soldier. i believe very strongly in the idea that we need to take care of people everywhere, not just

americans, but we need to take care of people everywhere, we theybut to say that, well, should be treated just like ordinary americans, they are not ordinary americans. sorry, they are just not. host: kevin in texas. blake sobczak? they arewould say americans, and they are, certainly, entitled by citizenship to federal aid and disaster relief. of puertoo your point rico not being a state, that is important in this discussion, and of course that means puerto rico does not have, for instance, representation in congress. aey have jenniffer gonzalez, resident commissioner who acts as a nonvoting representative in the house, however they do not get votes in the presidential election. they do not get both in congress, -- votes in congress, and that certainly has shaped the way this disaster response

has unfolded, absolutely. host: let us get one more call here with a house coming in refit. david. columbia, missouri. i am curious, what is the commerce of puerto rico -- bananas, citrus -- what do they use for commerce? why are they so in debt? guest: great question. the pharmaceutical industry has a huge presence in puerto rico, and that is a large part of exports from the territory. obviously, power restoration has been -- the main priority for backng that industry online and having the opportunity to bring puerto rico out of debt and backup on its feet. go here will let you with the u.s. house coming briefly. blake sobczak of e&e news. you can follow him on twitter. think so much for being on this morning. guest: thanks so much for having me on. host: the house gaveling. it should be a brief pro forma

session. they are back for work next week.