conversations you had and decided they did not like your tone of voice or the language you are using or the topics you are discussing and they pulled the cord and shut down the phone lines, that violates the social contract we have had with the phone companies for quite some time. aat is happening is there are number of companies like cloudflare that are that deep infrastructure that runs behind the scenes and makes the internetwork. the question is whether or not we are the right ones to be making the decision on what content should and should not be allowed online. >> watch "the communicators close net -- watch the communicators "-- livednesday morning we are in tallahassee, florida on the c-span bus 50 capitals tour. representative and speaker of the house will be our guest on the bus on washington journal starting at 9:45 a.m., eastern.

the executive director of the arms control with north korea making headlines again this week . how concerned are you? >> i'm increasingly concerned about the situation. what we just saw was a test of a more powerful missile. north koreans have achieved what president trump said they could not achieve. they have a powerful liquid mobile icbm that can hit any target in the united states. they have also conducted a nuclear test explosion, the largest was back in september. far moreons which is powerful than the weapons that destroyed hiroshima and nagasaki. threat,not an imminent but it is an increasingly dangerous capability. it means that the north koreans

not only have the capability to strike south korea and japan with a small number of nuclear weapons, but probably within the year they will have the ability to hit the united states with a capable missile armed with a nuclear weapon. we are in a difficult relationship with north korea that requires an adjustment of the u.s. strategy. president trump's strategy over the last year has not worked, it has not forced north koreans to back down, come to the negotiating table, the threats, themasto -- the threats, pressure is not compelling the north koreans to back down. we need an adjustment in strategy and we need to recognize that this is a capability that exists. , weo not have to accept it do not like it, but it is something that we have to deal with. mething we have to deal with. host: for our radio audience, we will put on the screen this graphic that shows the capacity of these north korean intercontinental ballistic

missiles. as you look at this graphic, what does it tell you? guest: what this traffic tells us is the north koreans have conducted three -- what this graphic tells us is the north koreanthat is what this graphics

us. that is what this information tells us. this is all accounts, country described as a "hermit kingdom." you cannot feed many of its people outside major cities. who is giving north korea this technology and why? guest: north korea has been working on its ballistic missiles in nuclear program for decades. at this point, they have the indigenous to the ability to build more sophisticated intermediate range missiles. intercontinental range ballistic missiles. this technology may have come from the russians 20, 30, years ago with less capable ballistic missiles, but this is now north korean technology. they have acquired the skills to help them manufacture these missiles, probably from china

and other countries through their black-market network. they have this capability. there is nothing we can do, at this stage, to blockade them or prevent them from getting the know-how and materials to build them. host: let me get your reaction to what secretary mattis said. he said the following -- [video clip] >> a little over and to another hours ago, north korea launched an intercontinental ballistic missile. thennt higher, frankly, any previous shots it had taken. it can threaten anywhere in the world, basically. it in response, the south koreans have fired some pinpoint missiles out into the water, to make certain north korea understands they could be taken under fire by our ally.

tois a continued effort build a threat curve, ballistic missile threat that endangers world peace and the united states. host: what do you think is happening inside the trump white house and inside the pentagon? guest: that is hard to say. i think they are evaluating the technical abilities of this latest test. we do have some information. i think they are also trying to find a way to talk to the north koreans. the policy of the trump administration, to this day, has been that we need to exert more pressure through sanctions to bring them to the table. we have also seen threatening statements and some reckless tweets from the president. but i think they are, behind the scenes, trying to find a way to sit down and talk to the north koreans. of until this point, they said this is not the time to talk. my understanding is that the north korean have rebuffed some

of these offers. i am not sure of the details. i think they are looking for ways to reduce tensions through dialogue. but they are also likely going to be seeking ways to increase the pressure again p and we will likely see nikki haley at the un security council working with her chinese and russian colleagues, trying to find a way to tighten the screws more on the north koreans. that strategy has not worked yet , but i think that will be the natural response. they are probably looking around for a different formula. i think they need to adjust in order to get a more effective approach. are talking with daryl kimball of the arms control association. our phone lines are open at (202) 748-8001, our line for republicans. (202) 748-8000 for democrats. we have a line for independents. we are taking your tweets at

@cspanwj. and join our conversation on facebook at facebook.com/cspan. bbc has this graph that gives you a sense of what type of technology and weapons north korea currently highs. if you look at this chart, what does it tell you? the northtells us koreans are improving their capabilities. it tells us they have short, medium, and long range ballistic missile can abilities at this stage. they have, for many years, had short range capabilities. they have accelerated their ballistic missile testing of intermediate and longer range systems. we just saw these three intercontinental ballistic missile tests this year. they will likely want to conduct further ballistic missile tests of this icbm range system. there are reports that the

reentry vehicle broke up coming back into the atmosphere. that is a critical technical achievement they need to overcome. a hurdle they have to overcome. they have to have a reentry vehicle that can carry a warhead to its target. we will like you see north korea testing the hwasong-15. it is possible they could decide to pause and see what the united states does. the north korean propaganda, after this hwasong-15 test, was interesting in that north korea said we have achieved our capability that we have been seeking for a long time, which is a deterrent capability. a missile and warhead that can hit the united states. host: a quick follow-up. does north korea understand the invocations of that and what they face if that were to happen? guest: i think they do. that is why i say the threat is not an imminent threat. the north koreans are not

planning on and out of the blue strike of washington, d.c. or los angeles or san francisco. they have been pursuing this capability for years in order to the terror -- deter what they fear, which is an attack on north korea or a decapitation strike against kim jong-un. they have a choice, if there is sync between a strike against washington, d.c. or decapitating the north korean regime. that is what they are after. deterrent capability. that is why we have to learn to live with this and reduce the possibility that the north korean have a more numerous nuclear arsenal. darylwe are talking with kimball of the arms control association. our first callers from ohio. mike, independent line. caller: good day, steve.

i do not know if my memory serves me right, but several years ago, our nuclear secrets were stolen. it seems like it was a cia-israeli spy. he said he stole the keys to the kingdom. to.where that led but on the approach to the north korea nuclear capability, i think we should use a more positive approach. i think, instead of a nuclear race, we should treat it as if it were a nascar race. hiswelcome him like he won first race. now he is part of the club. try to workl together and congratulate the guy, like he really made and a call punishment. after all, the secret is out. it has been spread around the world. i do not know how many countries are armed and have missiles that

can reach this country, but let's look at our foreign policy, the state department, and how that worked out. host: what about that approach? guest: i think our goal still needs to be the denuclearization of north korea. that may be a long-term goal at this stage. i do not think we should necessarily congratulate them. this is a very dangerous program. it violates multiple un security council -- u.n. security council resolutions. vote doing is the international community has to be careful not to goad north korea into testing more and to do it more provocatively. if we deny the fact that the north korean have at icbm capability that can hit the united states, or a viable nuclear deterrent, that may encourage the north korean to conduct tests in a more

provocative fashion to prove they have that capability. they threatened that they may nuclearan atmospheric test explosion over the pacific ocean, just to prove they have the capability of actually delivering a nuclear warhead on a ballistic missile. we do not want them to do that. we need to recognize, acknowledge through words, that they do have this capability. i think we need to find a way to engage in direct talks with them in order to reduce tensions, avoid risk regulation, and find a way to halt and eventually reverse their capabilities. host: let's go to chad, independent line, tennessee. good morning. caller: yes, i was just wondering -- host: are you still with us? i feel threatened from them.

it is getting very surreal. host: part of it was he feels threatened and worries for his family. guest: it is worrisome, that this country, led by a despot, the north korean country has this capability. remember, the united states has been living under the threat of nuclear war for many decades. this was the situation we have had with the soviet union and now russia, for many years. russia and the the united states have far more nuclear firepower. 5050 nuclear weapons can be fired within 30 minutes or so. small nuclearve a arsenal. we had a similar reaction to the chinese acquiring nuclear weapons and icbm capabilities in the 1960's and 1970's. i think it is possible to continue to deter north korean

aggression. what is different is that the threat of war on the korean peninsula, right now, is higher than it ever has been. if there is a breakout of hostilities on the korea peninsula, -- on the korean peninsula, it could easily lead to nuclear war. it is not just the u.s., it is the tens of thousands of korean u.s.e tens of thousands of service people over there. the worry is -- we need to focus on dialogue with north korea to avoid making the north korean think we are about to attack them, which could trigger kim jong-un launching an attack. that. host: late last week, the president with this tweet -- of

the chinese envoy, with who just returned from north korea, seems to have no impact on little rocket man. hard to believe his people and the military to with living in such horrible conditions. russia and china condemned the launch. referring to him as "little rocket man," this personal name-calling -- how hurtful is that? guest: for the north korean, it is extremely insulting. it is something they feel they need to respond to. i think -- i feel that name-calling has provoked the north korean to pushing forward with this program. that does not help you that may be something that makes donald trump field personally satisfied, but that is not how you speak to the leader of another country that has a nuclear arsenal. so we need to be very serious and sober about this situation. wouldthink the president

be wise to allow rex tillerson to take the lead in speaking about this, and the professional diplomats who have met with and spoken to north korea in the past. mcmaster, and this story -- the potential of war with north korea increasing every day. read details at cnn.com. josh, republican line. good morning. caller: i think a lot of these so professionals have zero credibility really -- could ability. -- credibility. they have been in charge. guest: you have a point, but i have not worked in government. there have been successes and failures over time. the united states has been trying to deal with the north korean nuclear threat for about a quarter century. at times, when there has been the right, nation of pressure

and incentives and double medic engagement, we have had some success in curbing north korean 's nuclear and missile programs. there were two agreements, one under bill clinton, one under george w. bush, that halted north korea's nuclear programs for a while. but then, those fell apart. a very difficult situation. i think they professionals need to reevaluate, the professionals who are in charge right now, need to reevaluate the approach and i just said it is less dangerous. host: if you are listening on series xm or on c-span radio, our guest is daryl kimball. we are talking about north korea and its threat to the united including our allies, japan and south korea. terrance from south carolina. caller: good morning. i am curious why all of the fear mongering -- north korea truly

tos not have an incentive launch an icbm towards the united states. also, america is the only country to ever use this type of kid against another country. statesyeah, the united is the only country that has ever used in -- a nuclear weapon in war. i am not trying to sow fear. i am trying to explain the heart, cold reality of what the north koreans have. they do have, i think we need to recognize, a capability to send a nuclear intercontinental oflistic missile to parts the united states. the reliability may still be relatively low, but they also have a nuclear warhead. that has been proven. this missile can carry that

warhead. if they do not have a given ability today, to deliver a warhead to the united states, they will have it soon, with further nuclear testing and listed missile testing. that is why it is critical we find a way to halt their further ballistic missile testing. this program could be improved. the number of warheads they have to be increased. they probably only have about two dozen today. that number could increase to maybe 100 and 3, 4, 5 years. so this is not an imminent threat. the north koreans are not about to launch a nuclear pearl harbor attack of any kind. they had this to deter the united states from threatening them or attacking them or decapitating the leadership in pyongyang. we need to recognize that is what it is probably for, and we need to avoid situations in which we might fall into a conflict with the north koreans that could escalate to become nuclear. host: and this headline -- of

the north korean is confirmed to be an icbm. what is that? guest: icbm --intercontinental ballistic missile. one that can travel across the ocean, from one continent to another. in this case, this ballistic missile has a range of about 1300 kilometers. that is what it refers to. it has to have two stages. this particular missile is more capable than the ones the north koreans have tested. it has two more rocket motors. there are only a few countries that have intercontinental ballistic missiles that can carry a payload as large as a nuclear warhead. russia and china and the united states are the only ones with intercontinental ballistic missile capability that is now deployed. host: we welcome our international viewers, including

those watching and listening on the bbc parliament channel in great ringtone -- great britain. we are joined from england. caller: i have what may seem to be a crazy idea. i wonder what you thought of it. if south korea produced millions of dvds with long batteries and we dropped them all over north korea, showing life in south korea -- they are really 20 years ahead of the west and some aspects. and we dropped it all over north korea. do you think the people there may rebel against the leadership, and we could achieve a revolution from within? host: thank you, daniel. guest: all of us have long hopes for a regime change from within in north korea. the unfortunate reality, however, is that the north korean regime has a pretty firm grip on power. there has been a consolidation of kim jong-un's power within

the regime over the last few years. he has been in power little over five years. taking over from his father. it is very unlikely that we will see that kind of transformative change in north korea anytime soon. term, this isong the kind of gradual change that can alter the reality in north korea. but any such change would not be smooth. it would not be a velvet revolution. it would be a very difficult conflict from within. but that does not appear, according to all of the north korea watchers i talk to, to be something that will happen anytime soon. host: from florida, democrats line, jean, you are next. caller: hi. i agree with the man a couple of believe --said we

who said we should kick back. the best way to prevent war is to be prepared for it. i remember in the second world war reading about having a when the japanese were buying our scrap iron and the germans were building their tank division. i want to be prepared. we know north korea's getting better and better with their armament area i am hopefully -- with their armament. i am hoping we are getting better and better. that is what i have to say. host: thank you. guest: we have to be prepared for aggression from north korea. the united states has been prepared for decades of that possibility. the 1953 armistice has frozen this conflict. the two sides are still facing ,ff across the border, the dmz the demilitarized zone. the united states works very

hard with our japanese and south korean allies to fortify their defenses and to be prepared. the problem here is that north korea also has a very powerful conventional military force. they have tens of thousands of artillery pieces. seoulorth of the city of in the south, where there are 25 million people. even in a conventional conflict with north korea, the possibility of casualties, the number of people who could die in the first few days, is probably in the range of 300,000 , according to the congressional research service. if you factor in nuclear weapons, we are talking about millions of acts in south korea and japan. we have to prepare, but we have to recognize that a war on the korean peninsula is not going to be like anything we have seen over the past five decades.

we also have to recognize that north korea is not expansionist, at least not at this point. they are trying to protect their regime from outside threats. they feel isolated. i do not think that they are going to attack unless they feel as though they are being provoked or unless they feel they are under an imminent attack from the united states. host: you mentioned the united nations holding an emergency meeting this past week, based on what happened in north korea. here is what our u.n. ambassador, nikki haley, had to say. [video clip] >> the dictator of north korea made a choice that brings the world closer to war, not further from it. we have never sought war with north korea. still, today, we do not read it here before does -- we do not seek it. if war does come, it comes from continued acts of aggression like we saw yesterday. if war comes, make no mistake.

the north korean regime will be utterly destroyed. host: what more can the u.n. do? you said earlier so far these sanctions have proven to be ineffective. effective, have been but they have not been sufficient. they have made it harder for north korea economically, but the north koreans have proceeded with their nuclear missile programs to they have focused a lot of their energy on their nuclear missile programs. it has not stopped them from continuing forward. one thing about one nikki haley just said i think is somewhat disturbing. it is another indication of the different messages coming out of the trump administration at this time. rex tillerson, after the hwasong-15 test, made it clear diplomacy is still an option. yet here you have nikki haley mentioning the word "war."

the message is if the united states does not see north korea pursue aown, they may military option. there is no viable military option. we need diplomacy. unfortunately, talks are not happening right now. one of the ways in which the trump ministration needs to adjust and fine-tune their policy is they need to align the statements coming from rex the president, h.r. mcmaster, nikki haley, to make sure the north koreans are getting it to your message that the united states does not seek regime change. it does not paint us into a corner that says we will initiate a military attack. that is not something we want, our south korea and, japanese allies want or need. host: our guest is daryl kimball. john joins us from illinois. good morning. caller: good morning.

guest: morning. caller: i agree that i do not think north korea wants to fire anything. what gets me is the technology leads the united states indirectly and ends up in china and russia and those places. one man on the radio say that the clinton administration gave china the complete intercontinental missile system. they had one rocket they shout over there. over, andreally fell they took the guidance system out. build these portable missile launchers for north korea. why would they send those over there? there has been a lot of espionage over the years relating to nuclear weapons related technology. there was some espionage in the 1990's that led the chinese to have some u.s. information.

korea.s is north the chinese are unhappy that the north koreans have moved in this direction. one of the things we have to remember is that the chinese-north korean relationship is not a very good one. you mentioned the north korean -- the visit to north korea by the chinese envoy a few days ago. that chinese envoy was denied a visit with kim jong-un. so the chinese ability to influence north korea is more limited than i think we think, and the chinese are more aligned with the united states at this point in time in trying to combat north korea's nuclear missile pursuits than they have been in the past. host: i will ask about russia in a moment. but first, our last call from jack in illinois. caller: good morning. i am not very first in this -- versed in this topic, so i apologize. it seems to me he is

strengthening his missiles just so he can sell them to other countries, because they need the money. guest: good question. been a concern that the north koreans, have an extremely weak economy may sell nuclear technology, nuclear material, to others. that is something we need to be concerned about. we need to guard against. we need to be watchful for. but at this stage, the north koreans have put a lot of national treasure into developing intercontinental nuclear --intercontinental ballistic missiles. they are doing this for their national defense, as they see it. i do not think they are about to transfer this. they do not have a great excess of this, thankfully. but down the line, this is something we need to guard against. this is one reason why we need

to engage better with the north koreans, to understand what and how they are doing. and they -- we need to make sanctions at the u.n. more effective. the approach is not necessarily put more sanctions in place, but make the existing sanctions more effective. the requires the united states works very closely with those countries who are on the frontline of the black-market nuclear trade and the black market economy that north korea uses to sustain itself. host: can you briefly touch on the relationship between a -- vladimir putin and kim jong-un? guest: the russians have been working with the united states and china in an effort to hold back north korea's program. the russians, however, have a different point of view of how this situation should be handled right now, russia and china do, then the united states. the russians and chinese have been suggesting there should ea

-- be a trade between the two sides to reduce tensions, that the north koreans should stop all nuclear missiles testing in exchange for a modification of the u.s.-rok military exercises that take place on a regular basis. that could be a good starting point for negotiations with the north. so far, the trump missed ration has not been interested in thinking about modifying those exercises. that, i think, is one of the main differences. the russians are concerned about the united states pursuing a preventative military action against north korea. they want to see a more robust poetic effort. they have been looking for ways to find an arrangement that may be suitable to both sides. we always kimball, appreciate your expertise here on the c-span

>> the salt lake tribune's reporter will discuss president trump's visit to utah. be sure to watch "washington journal" live at 7 a.m. eastern on monday morning. of the american conservative union. you can check out his work at conservative.org. we begin with the senate tax bill that passed early yesterday morning. will you be on the president's -- will it be on the president's desk before christmas? guest: i think it is a 90%

chance. first of all, this vote in the senate, as a partisan republican, it was great for the party and for the president. the majority leader deserves a lot of credit. importants to an congress. we will have it good, old-fashioned conference to bring together the house version and the senate version which has major differences. host: among those, the corporate tax rate. why the difference? guest: the president would like a 15% corporate rate, if he had his choosing. but paul ryan and others decided that the best course of these taxes would be to try to make as much of a permanent as possible. in order to make it permanent through the budget reconciliation progress --

process, you have to find pay for it. it is an overall tax cut, but there will be deductions taken away. they are trying to find a little more revenue to get republicans who are worried that operates may go up in a final package. and republicans are worried about the loss of a deduction for state and local income and property taxes, which had been talked about as a new york come in california problem, but more americans who pay income taxes in their state realize it will hit their tax returns as well. i think republicans want to make sure the final package does not raise anyone's package. -- taxes. host: the alternative -- will that stay in place? guest: that is a real question. back on the corporate peace, the

only reason to raise it to get the revenue is because the underlying question, would you make everything permanent? i think the better course is make less of a permanent, make more of a cover a 10 year window. then you can do things like eliminate the amt. you can restore people's reduction -- deductions for the taxes people pay, so they are not double taxed. anyone who gets their taxes increased, it is a bad policy. corporations in this country face competition from around the world from companies that pay less corporate taxes. keeping taxes competitive is important to you if you raise it two points, you are making america less competitive with the globe. have seen inversions where corporations leave america for lower tax havens overseas. host: this tax bill will increase the debt, it is said.

? will it guest: this is the old question. was reagan right or was reagan wrong? i posit.hat the main focus of this bill is on the fact that american corporations are no longer competitive with overseas competitors, because our tax rates are way too high. withve this problem repatriation, where there are trillions of dollars overseas, locked out of the american economy, because of our tax structure. that alone, the fact that u.s. corporations will be competitive , makes it so americans can get more economic activity. tremendously positive and optimistic and will have a great impact on our economy. i do not believe this tax cut will affect our economy at all.

host: in terms of reducing government spending, -- guest: one of the things democrats and is used to agree on was the idea that welfare should be temporary and order to get the government best benefits. you have to show you are working to get your life back together. what happened since bill clinton haveoffice, democrats gravitated to this idea that welfare should be permanent. republicans are really hell-bent on the idea that welfare should actually help people. host: this is from kristin h -- the biggest political scandal of our time is the national debt paid she makes the point that welfare spending is still largest spending item.

it incentivizes many americans to remain jobless and in poverty. americans pay zero income tax. over 45 million americans are currently on food stamps. that is a 70% increase since 2009. half of u.s. households receive government benefits. federal spending in the face of the debt is shockingly reckless. it is young americans who will bear the burdens of this fiscal response ability yet many remain clueless. poverty hasar on been a failure. it was well intended to help people. -- they find themselves welfare has come a way of life. ofas with several members the trump administration the other day. i think they are focused, next year, on doing something about this problem. i think it is a mistake that the

approaches we have to do something so we can take that money and use it for something else. it is about these peoples lives. uni, when we came to work, probably passed the mitch snyder home was center. the saddest thing when you come to washington, close to union station, you see the sadness of people whose lives are broken. was a mitch snyder center temporary place, you would feel better about the system. what it seems like his once someone's life become so desperate, it seems like they stay there. not encouraging them with tough love to make good, responsible decisions in their own lives is not something that will help them. host: we will turn to some news of the day he of the u.s. senate race in alabama very close. one poll has done jones up by three percentage points. clearly within the origin of error. what will happen? think judge moore has a

chance to win this race. i think voters are struggling with these horrendous allegations that i take seriously. desire, byre is a people who do not consider -- whoves elite, who not do not consider themselves part of the beltway inside game, they do not want to hear from those folks when it comes to who they will vote for and who they will elect. what you heard from a lot of washington republicans is condemnations of judge moore, which, if true, are right. but the voter has to decide if they believe unsubstantiated allegations, whether there was enough of them that they see a pattern. it is for that voters are aside, in alabama. i would just caution people, in my own party, -- it is almost like a moral question that they have to unlock in their own

soul. are these allegations so serious that they cannot possibly vote for him in light of the fact that doug jones is way outside the mainstream for policies, especially for alabama voters. host: who would you vote for? guest: this would be the rare circumstance where i would take every moment between now and election day to ascertain whether i thought the allegations were true. if i thought there was any plausible case that the allegations were true, i could not vote for judge moore, even if the senate was in the balance. girls. i have i have a 14-year-old. if someone called me for permission to date my oldest girl, i would take out the key to my gun closet. host: let's get to your phone calls. from california, republican line, don. good morning. good morning. first off, trump is a crook.

i worked for him in 1979. he ripped me off. i have to take his company to court. i still have not gotten the money to this day. host: what was your business? caller: construction. he is a thief. a scumbag. i am a republican. he is the worst president this country ever had. figure out trying to what your point of view is. i understand there are these people who did business dealings with donald trump. ofsomeone who has done a lot repair work on my house is sometimes there are disputes about what a contractor is trying to charge a business owner and homeowner. i can understand somebody, sometimes, saying i think you are charging me too much for the services. host: from michigan, carl, democrats line. caller: good morning.

i have a couple of comments. your article from "the hill" that you have shown twice says that welfare pays more than minimum wage, that should tell you something. as far as jobs coming back from overseas, based on this tax bill -- jobs are not coming back from anywhere, when there is cheaper labor to be had elsewhere. that is a fact. as far as the tax bill, i find it hilarious that we get the tax bill passed and then trump is off to fundraisers to get thanked for the efforts of republicans to get the donor taxes lowered. which mitch mcconnell stated, and from the -- in front of the press, that the donor class would think them for it. so this is the problem that my party, the republican party, faces.

essence, they are, in raising the effective tax rate of people in the top 1%, these class warfare argument are still portrayed. republicans are doing nothing but benefiting their rich donors -- the fact is the house bill made the top tax rate move over 46%. if you look at the small business passed through rate, it is higher than the rate for secor. a lot of these -- are disgruntled that it did not go lower. the fact is people at the very top of the economic ladder -- i do not think -- do better under this tax frame. they would do better, potentially, under the current tax frame, not under this bill. it is completely wrong to say this benefits the wealthy. but i do think that this is something that the party has to

confront. is it ok to raise taxes, even slightly, on those on the upper end of the income bracket or not? in the end, the republican party will decide, as much as a possibly can -- you cannot know the scenario of every tax payer -- to make sure everybody sees a tax cut. most of those donors are not frustrated or happy about a tax bill. what they are frustrated at -- most of our donors are frustrated now. they want a more progress on the trump agenda. that includes taxes. that was why this was a big vote. the "newn hannity in york times sunday magazine." the fox news hautes willing to at any cost it how far will shed -- sean hannity go? how much influence does he have among the trump base? guest: a lot. chair for about

three years, and sean hannity came to the first cpac i chaired. he is dominating the ratings of all of the primetime shows on cable. show.he has his radio he and the president have a good relationship. i just talked to the president about him the other day. he has a high regard for sean. he is a new yorker and scrapper and toss, in your face. he rubs some people the wrong way. he definitely has an important voice. host: whether it is sean hannity or rachel maddow, do you worry about the course nature -- guest: did you read my tweet before i got on? i said i would have a civil conversation with steve scully on c-span. i do a regular appearance on pbs. pbs provides a very important

question on the question of, if there was a liberal sitting with us, could we have a civil conversation? there are studies that show it could be done. shawn does it on his show. i do not watch rachel much, but she does it. it is important for producers to bring right, left -- i do not mind disagreement. it should be done in a way where the viewer learns something. they do not learn some things when it is trumped up for the setup is not done in a way where the people can listen and learn. host: people can follow you at @mschlapp. follow my twitter feed, you get it all. host: we go to wayne in nebraska. caller: -- host: we missed the first part of your question, if you could repeat it. caller: i think the irs should

arrest people because -- host: we really cannot hear you. can you speak up one more time? caller: the irs has the taxes raised -- guest: the president donates his salary every year. the deputy of secondary of the aged just said trump would donate his annual salary to fighting the opioid crisis. he has given it, i believe, it to the department. he has also given it to the department of education in other places. like john f. kennedy, the president is not taking his salary. a lot of senior members of the president's senior team have not been taking a salary either. that is an important thing. if you have the financial resources, and you can allow more of this money to go to other things aside your own

pocketbook, that is a wonderful example. host: we go to philadelphia, our democrat line. caller: first of all, the allegations against roy moore, there is idea substantiation. i do not think you need much more. however, people see what they want to see. that is the sad state of affairs we are in. -- why do we not get rid of the corporate tax and start taxing capital gains as normal income? i am not an elitist. i am a working person. just because i am a democrat and live on the east coast, i am not an elitist. and i resent that, always being slapped on people. it's total b.s. born with a silver spring in their hand for have money in the stock market, let them pay their millions of

dollars. let them pay a they are supposed to pay. how is that, for a start? and then we will not need a corporate tax. that is my comment. host: thanks for the call. guest: for those of us who believe in a flat tax, everything would be taxed at the same rate. so your income -- by the way, it corporate income tax is really just a jobs tax. in the end, it just means we have fewer jobs in america. fewer promotions, lower salaries. we have been facing that for already a decade. that is a terrible policy. i agree with part of what you're saying. on capital gains, we always think it is about rich people, but remember, that capital gains rate, many times, is lower, because it is a working man or woman who buys a rental property, who has to maybe flip it, and that is how a lot of people make a little extra money. so capital gains is not just about people on wall street with big financial deals.

sometimes, it is regular old americans trying to figure out how they can increase their economic prospects. i come from wichita, kansas, which israeli a cradle of entrepreneurism -- which is really a cradle of our journalism. what i found in wichita and is true in america, everyone had a job, then they had something else on the side to be that successful arch partner 1 -- entrepreneur one day. host: this is from cq weekly. low-scoring first half. few gains in the first session. congress could greatly affect the final score. what is your bigness -- bigest concern? what we just talked about. there is an economic malaise in this country, a hangover from the obama years. i think the tax bill and

stopping all of these insane regulations that were really not balance in any way really could help the men and women across this country. my biggest concern is that does that medicine kick in fast enough? having a good job, there is more value to that for people. can america still lead? can we still be the number one economic power? is this the place to come if you have great ideas and want to put them in the marketplace? that is what is being tested. next year will determine it. host: we will go to sam, republican line. caller: basically, i would like to make a comment, that as far as tax has been going on, i do not believe in mitch mcconnell and all those things because they are all out to do harm them

president trump. democrats have been damaging this country and they have really ruined this country by sending jobs that. people who do not realize that, that is very sad. i have not talked about , irything, and roy moore helped his campaign, whatever i could do, even if it is little, but anybody comes and they are after him. look at all this sexual harassment, i'm glad this is coming out. this is what it is. read the first time, we have somebody like president trump who is really trying to save this country from the mess. i am a muslim person, too. and my husband is christian, but i tell you that this is very sad what is happening because you really open your mind and see this man does not need to be on

the television on the time that he is saving this country and i know he will succeed because god is there. host: thank you from florida. guest: i get this all the time and i do a fair amount of television. it is often the camera operator or someone will whisper in my ear on the set that they think president trump is doing a great job. i was doing home repairs the other day, a theme of this interview, but i had to go to a place with employees whispered in my ear how much she thought -- she -- thought from was doing event -- trump was doing a fantastic job. the reason the polls seem weaker is because there are a lot of people who feel ashamed or they are ashamed for supporting the president. 90% of the coverage is bad, he is a hater, racist, anti-muslim. the caller is muslim and likes the president, which is another

example i do not think it is properly shown in the polls. election night showed that. most of us knew the race of the close but most polls showed he would lose in a landslide. i think this is a phenomenon in the country. donald trump is a unique political figure. host: you predicted in early october last year president trump would win. guest: i did. i woke up and had a terrible sense of dread we were going to have the second iteration of the clinton's, and i got worried throughout the day. i thought -- my political experience showed me what i was saying, his support was not well captured. i think that is a real question for polls, especially in alabama. when somebody is considered radioactive, will they tell a pollster what they think? host: from new jersey, independent line, good morning. caller: first, i would like to send love and support to our

veterans and soldiers protecting this home and abroad, first. guest: absolutely. caller: thank you. second, i am a millennial, i was born 1986. i just want to speak on the fact that first, i feel like our economy is undereducated. we have a lot of fiscally irresponsible people at the helm. i find it ironic that i can have student loan and debt the bow, and meet linda government isn't trillion dollars of debt -- me when the government is in trillions of dollars of debt. i think it is unfortunate that as a millennial, we have people more or less who will be dying out to 20 years who will be responsible for how the finance s are distributed. -- mostee the president

of the bills and laws have already been in place and on the books for years, and that is what a lot of these people have, foresight. the fact that the economy is undereducated, these people cannot do the jobs. i believe that is systematically done. it is to our own detriment. host: thank you, brock. guest: when i talked to ceos, i get recurring themes. on the tax bill, they are not asking for permanence. they just want 10 years to lower the rates so they can make the investments in the country. the second thing they tell me is that one of the reasons we have a jobs problem in this country is because our education system, public education system, colleges, community colleges, they are not necessarily thinning out gradually. there are a couple of republican business leaders in silicon valley and you hear they are

starting their own schools because what they are getting out of our system isn't working. my mother was vice mayor of wichita, kansas, on the city council. you realize the number one expense in state after state is system.ersity we are spending more on that them protecting our country. with due exceptions, the academies are amazing. i think there are great public schools and private schools, but by and large, we cannot continue to spend all this money on a public school education system that is not preparing graduates to take the jobs american companies need to compete and win on the globe. this could be our problem of the country. host: front page of new york times, by peter baker, looking ahead and over his shoulder, writing that success in scandal is creating a roller coaster for the president. president trump responded to questions yesterday about michael flynn. [video clip] president trump: what has been

shown is no collusion. there has been absolutely no collusion, so we are very happy. frankly, last night was one of the big nights. >> [indiscernible] president trump: we will see what happens. thank you very much. host: matt schlapp, the president yesterday, what is going to happen? guest: i think that point is important, which is -- michaeltely flynn, unfortunately, had a lack of judgment and lied to the fbi. , but even under oath if they are interviewing you, you cannot lied to the fbi. i think it is important to know that what he lied about, which is making calls overseas to russian officials, was nothing illegal or unethical about that. there was nothing even wrong about that. i think you fee -- i think he felt he needed to live because

he had not had these interactions publicly, which is why the vice -- after the vice president had went on national television and said the conversations had not occurred. these were all after the election comes of the president is saying there is no collusion. there's no evidence they did anything to change the election. there is a little bit of question on the other side with donna brazile's book that the other side was reading their process and there is evidence the clinton administration was working with people close to putin to figure out dirt on donald trump. what i find ironic with the clinton's, is what they accuse their opponents of they are sometimes guilty of. program hasmueller to look at the series of things. general flynn used to work for president obama and was fired by him because general flynn was pushing the president to be more aggressive on the war in terror

-- or on terror -- war on terror and then, he switched to work for trump. what does president obama and of doing? abusing the power of the government to spy on michael flynn. out, found out their information, and then went to president trump and trashed general flynn and said do not hire him. this got petty between obama and flynn. it is a part of the story i think deserves more attention. host: when is cpac next year? guest: edward 21st through 24th at the gaylord hotel -- february 21 to 24th at the gaylord hotel. anyone is welcome to come, even if they are liberal. go to our website, conservative.org, get tickets, ask questions. we have a lot of liberals were invited to speak. it is the third or fourth most covered political event of the

calendar year, the biggest conservative conference of the year. it is a great thing to go to and we would love to host you. host: we will be there >> congress returns tomorrow, facing a deadline friday when the funding runs out. the senate begins the week by nielsen'sg kirstjen nomination. at some point, the senate expects the house to send over a short-term spending bill that would fund the government until december 22. they will likely vote on that later in the week and whether or not to stop -- to start tax reform negotiations with the house. on going to conference happening at 6:30 p.m. eastern. as always, fall the house live

onenate live on c-span2. on the sunday talk shows, today, members of congress were asked reformhe progress of tax now that the house and senate are closer to negotiations. here is some of what we heard. >> the question is whether you are getting tax relief and of course people don't provide a huge -- people on the lower end to not provide a huge percentage of the interview -- of the revenue we use. is my job likely to continue to be in the united states and are we going to have a growing economy so my children will be able to realize the same goals and aspirations that i want them to have? to get theigned economy -- we did not have a single year of 3% growth during all the obama years. we were clearly underperforming.

you have to ask why. a combination of a lousy tax code and overwritten -- overregulation. >> economists believe we will do much better. take a look at the current economy. these are based on 1.8% stagnant obamacare numbers. we don't have to do much to get up to much higher numbers because the last two quarters, we have had over 3% economic growth in this country and we new jobs2 million created since the day president trump was elected and a lot of that has to do with the reform of regulations. when you do regulatory relief as well as tax relief, i think we are going to have an accelerated growth of the economy beyond what people are predicting. >> i think you will find that economists don't agree on this. >> you are comfortable with your vote on this tax bill >> a comes out of conference? -- taxant to see what builder the matter what comes out of conference?

to see what comes out of conference. i have a commitment that we are going to pass two bills including the alexander murray bill and one that i sponsored which will help offset the individual mandate repeal by lowering premiums and i also got a iron glad -- ironclad commitment that we are not going to see cuts in the medicaid/medicare program. >> three things about this process that just stunk. swap one 01, the process on friday night when the bill was being hand drafted, lots of provisions were being included for special interests. exempting ased particular religious college in michigan backed by the ross family. that got exposed. i will bet we will see dozens more of these special provisions put in that helps special

interests. as somebody who has been passionate about not adding to our already $20 trillion in debt, this bill will add over $2 trillion to the debt, even with whatever growth comes from these tax cuts. that is not only because of the $1.5 trillion already knowledge, but this tax bill is set up so that all of the goodies are all set to expire within five years creating more fiscal clips and chances are those provisions will be extended, driving up more debt. third on just plain substance. they got some of the international provisions wrong so that this bill may actually soment -- incent companies to move more headquarters into tax havens and you still have corporations paying virtually no american taxes. if we are going to bring back this money at such cheap rates, thatot put in requirements

companies invest some of that money into training their workforces and giving them the skills to compete? instead, using it for share >> she's interviewed by bruce darling and national research council. of his entireause

wartime experience, he became convinced that the only way for democracy to survive, the best way to eat our enemies and be as -- be a strong country is to have a great school system where washow that democracy better dictatorship -- better than dictatorship and we would have sufficiently brilliant people in government in science. the way to do that was to have the sat which he helped invent and implement in schools across the country to produce what he felt were the kinds of leaders, the kind of technically advanced people that we would need in positions of power, if we were going to be a great nation in the high-tech world that he foresaw. he had an extraordinary impact on american life. announcer: watch afterwards tonight at nine eastern on c-span twos book tv.

the senate banking committee held a confirmation hearing this past week for jerome powell who president trump nominated last month to be in next chair of the federal reserve. esther powell has served on the federal reserve board of governors since 2012. at this hearing, he was asked about the fed's independence from political influence or pressure, the possibility of raised interest rates, and his overall approach to leading the federal reserve. this is just over two hours. >> and the committee will come to order for the hearing. ] avel pound >> this morning we will consider the nomination for the chairman system.ederal reserve governor powell, welcome and congratulations on your nomination. i see friends and emily behind you and i welcome them here as