martin luther king jr.. a.m., the brookings institution host a discussion on president clinton and the future of russia. how the we look at swiss government controls debt there a constitutional rule. and we has a conversation on a survey gauging the level of trust americans have in the media. and american history tv marks the 50th anniversary of the death of martin luther king jr. in memphis with a discussion on coming up in one hour, matalin will of education week on -- deline will, a reporter for education week on teacher pay.

then, sophia nelson, author of "e pluribus one: reclaiming our founders vision for a united anniversarythe 50th of the session of mlk. and then it: 30, lieutenant governor mike cooney. the worst in the white man in the worst in our presence. of lynchingstory people and throwing their body in rivers? my people are telling me to stoop down to that level, oh no. ♪ host: one of the passionate messages of the reverend martin luther king, this before his assassination in memphis, tennessee, 50 years ago today. in this first hour, we invite you to share your thoughts not only on the anniversary of his death, but the legacy he continues to forge today. for those of you under the age

of 32, (202) 748-8000. .0-50 years old, (202) 748-8001 for those 50 and over, (202) 748-8002. if you want to mark today with your thoughts on the 50th anniversary of martin luther king's assassination, you can also post on our social media on @cspanwj at twitter, and you can also post on our facebook page, at facebook.com/cspan. took place intion memphis, tennessee. the memphis commercial appeal, the newspaper in memphis, has a guest column today by william barber on this 50th anniversary of the assassination of martin luther king jr.. this year especially, we need to remember the real martin king, who found himself having to take on a society he properly diagnosed as having a neurotic sickness and septic combination of immorality,

poverty, and racism. declared,y, he destroys our cylinders apart our moral possibilities. it is part actuated -- perpetuated through systemic justice and it must be confronted and challenged by a moral agenda in the public square. this is from the memphis commercial appeal, and you can read at their at the commercial appeal that you can read it there at the commercial -- you can read it there at the commercial appeal website. if you want to give us your thoughts, we have divided the lines are friendly, by age. you can give us your perspective. for those under the age of 30, (202) 748-8000. ages 748-8001 for the 30-50. and those 50 years and older, it is (202) 748-8002. a lot of events happening to this day to memorialize and

remember the importance of it. some of those events you can see on c-span today. starting at 4:30 to 8:00 this evening, it is live coverage of the anniversary, the 50th anniversary of the assassination. this will take place at the national civil rights museum plaza. wreath layinge a at the spot where reverend king fell mortally wounded, and marked by responses from civil rights leaders. at 8:00 this evening on c-span3, live coverage of panel discussions of well -- as well with civil rights leader's and present. this includes representative john lewis, diane nash, and tina belafonte. that will take place at the crosstown conkers in memphis. that anniversary you can see on c-span3, live at 8:00. anya is first, on our line for 30-50 years old from

alexandria, virginia. go ahead. caller: good morning. i was just calling because i feel as though in today's political climate, we do not have any leaders that represent lor like weof co did win martin luther king was alive. it is unfortunate now that the political climate is so tumultuous, but it would be nice just to have someone who could represent and speak on our trying tot is not create balance or anything like that, but progression for african-americans and other people of color. host: and you blame that on the political climate particularly? caller: yes i do, because for whocrats, you have people don't really have a voice when it comes to the black or the hispanics, or any other people

other than caucasian. i feel like the political climate is very hot right now, and it is unfortunate. i cannot name one -- you have john lewis and people like that, but they are of an older generation. i am in the 30-50-year-old range, and i can't think of anyone who i could say truly represents me as a woman of color. host: from philip in orlando florida, 50 and older. you are next up, good morning. caller: good morning. that young lady was from alexandria, where i was born and raised. i am an author of a book on race run in my called " shoes," and that will hopefully offer that young lady some the history of racism in america. one of the problems we have is we do not have an open

classroom type of workshop that is ongoing all over the country that can involve all races coming in to learn more about what actually went down during the era of slavery and throughout the present. you have the willie lynch syndrome, you have so many things affecting america and race relations, and no one wants to deal with it in the mainstream education system or in churches or other area venues tot could be positive help understanding and offer dialogue about racism in america. what did dr. king bring to that? what influence did he bring to that, and does that remain in some affect today? caller: what he brought to the table was courage. courage to take on the system , from his own

religious background, that was against the principles of what he was taught in his own religious ideology. there are other religions out could embrace the tenant of what he was bringing to the table, but we do not have courage anymore. everyone is kind of more or less looking for that american material dream. dream.ought a spiritual he was a magnificent soldier in terms of the struggle. he is one of the most important figures in the history of race relations in this country. philip in orlando, florida. the new york times this morning from memphis, tennessee not only highlighting the hotel, but highlighting the mason temple, which still uses chairs used in the mountaintop speech.

those are some of the photographs in the new york times. we will see other photographs in this hour. lawrence from st. paul, minnesota, 50 years and older, talking about the 50th anniversary of martin luther king's assassination. go ahead. pedro, thank you. for years, i have kept a copy of his letter from the birmingham jail, his speech from washington, d.c., and the audio from his last speech in memphis at all times. i treasure them. if you years back, my friend who was -- a few years back, my friend was asked to speak on martin luther king's birthday anniversary. i now have a copy of that, and i tell you, when he gave his speech, it sent chills through he had beenhat brought forward over the years to recognize the contributions that king made to our society

and shared that with other people at a major university. so as a father, i have done my part to share the dream for another generation. thank you very much for this opportunity. speechesyou reach the -- read the speeches and when you have collected over the years, do they speak differently to you as when you first started to read them and now? caller: every time i read those speeches or listen to the speech, that's when i engage people, how do i want to approach my people -- people in working through the opportunities and issues today? they just keep me grounded. i have no better way of saying that then they just keep me grounded. host: washington, d.c., good morning.

caller: good morning. i first want to thank you for having me today. i want to take a moment to tell 24/7,at i listen to you literally on my radio. i go to sleep with you and wake up with you. you all are the best. you are the most honest, caring people. your programs are just magnificent. i have listened for years and i have learned so much, and i want to thank you. that is really from the bottom of my heart. dr. king, of course, is a value, a treasure, and i think if we can just focus on love -- it is love that we need these days. not all the negativity, the things that are wrong, but just love. i think love really is the answer. dr. king to you think showed that? how do you think he expressed

that? caller: his words are so profound. if you listen to him and study it, you will see his words are profound. we just need to listen and follow the words. some of those words from the mountaintop speech, the last speech he would give, the day before he was assassinated. "like anybody, i would like to live a long life. longevity has its place, but i am not concerned about that now. i have seen the promised land. i might not get there with you, but i want to know -- you to know that we, as a people, will get to the promised land. and i'm so happy. my eyes have seen the glory of the coming of the lord." thatis how he ended speech. the next day he would be assassinated. it is the 50th anniversary of that event, and we are getting your odds on that.

from detroit, michigan, this is jerry. caller: good morning, pedro, and greetings from motown. a good show, as always. host: thank you, jerry. your thoughts on dr. king? caller: you know the old saying that the more things change, the more they stay the same? i think 50 years on, in my as dr. king said, america has not been true to what has been set on paper. there are still white people who, in spite of their denials, think black people -- dr. king's words, in my opinion, resonate as much with white people as with black people. the only hope i have with people is among the younger generation. i really do believe, pedro, that the younger white people tend to be less racist than the older

white people. over theder, i mean age of 60. i would like to add, if i could, i think what most people forget about the final speech of dr. king is where he mentioned he read about freedom of speech and assembly, and of the press. i think most white people forget that last one, the greatness of america is the right to protest our rights. and most white people confuse protesting with writing. is my honestit opinion, pedro, that i don't think that white people revered dr. king every bit as much as black people do. host: that is jerry in detroit, michigan.

jason raleigh in the op-ed section of the wall street journal quotes dr. king. here is the headline of the piece -- the martin luther king quote -- we can't keep on blaming the white men. writes that dr. pulledoke about -- he's a congregation in st. louis that we have to do something about our moral standards. we know that there are many things wrong in the white world, but there are many things wrong in the black world too. we can't keep on blaming the white man. there are things we must do for ourselves. blacks that have more opportunity than any previous generation has been taught that -- have been taught that america offers litter than trigger-happy cops, bigoted teachers, and biased employers. it is not only incorrect, but as king and a previous generation of black leaders understood, it is also unhelpful. anita in arkansas, hello.

caller: hi, pedro. i was old enough to remember when dr. king was killed. -- i am white, but i know black people in my town who are my age who cried over that. the same that we did when john kennedy was assassinated. i do wish the media would pay some attention to the john kennedy assassination. we have heard absolutely almost nothing about that latest report that came out a few months ago, and that age 15, i thought that i would never, never know who killed john kennedy. focused on we are martin luther king today. what do you think his legacy was? legacy washink his that people need to try to work together and to get along.

i will tell you, here in magnolia, the black people are more prejudiced against whites then we are against them. huntsville,go to alabama. fred is next. good morning, you're on. caller: good morning. i would like to say something very, very short and very special. wasin luther king one-of-a-kind. no one will ever replace him ever. he was a heck of a man and may he rest in peace. have a nice day. host: trenton, new jersey. we have divided the lines differently. under 30, 30u are through 50, and people under 50. patrick is in that category of people between 30 and 50. good morning. caller: pedro, good morning on this very special day. -- i do not know what town you grew up in, but i

live in trenton, new jersey. the blacks burned the town down after he was killed. this idea that king was a man of generally wanting to do things the peaceful way -- our town got burned down. what you do is when you raise one group of, the blacks' so-called civil rights, you are taking rights away from another group. that was a great article from the wall street journal. and in the meaning of it today, ray, themes earl assassin. his dream came true. host: robert, florence, kentucky, and the ages of 30-50. caller: yeah, i wanted to comment on some of the facts about martin luther king that

will not be shared on the news media today. the fact that he is a doctor, known as a doctor -- his doctorate was actually his work was recognized as being plagiarized. they said there was no point in taking his doctorate away, but he plagiarized his work and stole the i have a dream speech from another black pastor. he was also well known as a commonness agitator -- communist agitator. , seen in theegacy highlander for school, and also in being a philanderer. there is a reason why the fbi --, i'm sorry -- i'm sorry, a onge, sealed the fbi's file michael king, who did not even have his real name legally changed. the fact that he was bugged in that hotel the night before, there is a reason why the judge sealed the files, because he was

beating up on prostitutes, which was known. host: we will leave it there. sylvia and fort worth, texas. caller: hello. i really appreciate you reading that piece in the washington journal this morning. i am here in fort worth, texas, and i do agree with that. it is not always the white man's problem. in the classroom, it is so horrible in the urban community that most minority kids are so disruptive in class. something need to do about that. if we are going to take stock or king'slegacy -- take dr. legacy and use it to promote peace, we need to start in our own communities. not really an education, but in cleaning up the community and mowing our yards, and giving back to our children in our communities and teaching them to respect people. i am not saying that to be down

it is really but frustrating for educators to go to school to teach kids that will not listen, who all they do is disrupt the class, cursed teachers out -- the list goes on and on and on. host: sylvia, thank you for that. you also called an hour range for 30-50 years old, a previous caller talked about leaders or future leaders in the civil rights movement and carrying on the thinking and the heart of dr. king. do you think those people coming up, the civil rights leaders coming up can carry on that message echoes -- meshes? caller: we need a real voice. i do not know what is going on. i am assured african-american people -- not sure if african-american couple -- people are not respected and what they say or do or if their actions are not speaking louder than their words.

we have to first start with our own communities, either cleaning up our communities and then embracing diversity. host: we will have to leave it there. our companions that american history tv on c-span3, they have pulled together a series of historical film from the assassination and the aftermath, and you can find most of that on our website at c-span.org. one of those includes a cbs news report on martin luther king's body returning to atlanta, and the scenes of the city that day. here is a bit of that news story. [video clip] >>'s body came home on a plane chartered by new york senator robert kennedy. hundreds of people took time off their jobs to gather in the overcast weather. aides were joined by the atlanta mayor, who was earlier barred and participating in a black people's march in a

ro district. neg the rain had stopped just before the plane arrived. mayor allen led the motorcade from the airport through downtown atlanta to a funeral home, just a few blocks from the gold dome of the state capitol. and another crowd of 500 waited there. mrs. king took the children into the home. she met with friends and family to make plans for the funeral. his brother, reverend 80 king, .ame here from louisville the acting president of the southern christian leadership conference spoke to the people. he was a man that did not believe in violence. he believed in nonviolence. he lived this.

he preached this. lift the way -- he lived the way he died. host: john is next in maryland. the policen i joined department in 1968, there were no drugs and guns and washington, d.c.. most of the major cities in this country had no guns and drugs in them. from the time ronald reagan became president until now, this nation has been ravaged with drugs and guns. notsome reason, people do want to understand where this problem is coming from. i want to say this about dr. king. i watched a show on hbo about king in the wilderness. the reason he was assassinated is because he was getting ready to do something that this country and no country can stand -- he was bringing together all the poor people -- the poor whites, hispanics, native americans, and the blacks. he was bringing them together with one umbrella to deal

poverty and inequality in working places and in politics. that was a no-no. president trump is a divider. all they talk about is the middle class. nobody talks about the poor people in this country, the poor whites, blacks, hispanics, and native americans. that is the problem. can only keep people subjugated when you keep them divided. host: tallahassee, florida, you're next. go ahead. caller: yes. i believe that the law enforcement world, the criminal justice world, and the media has wrongly portrayed the black community. i also believe that the black community has a part to play in it. supporting crack houses and other institutions like that. if we are to stand together in the unity and the thought of

martin luther king, we should all stand together and show a proper image of what america should be. that is what i feel. host: how does that happen? that we shouldve have a common goal, to bring up the respect for our communities. host: and how would you go about doing that, particularly in the dr. kingat ] taught. how would you apply that in the modern day? do that by going to hbcus and institutions that we dear to us, or any institution for any community and speaking to the intelligent people there. malik from tallahassee, florida.

this is out of memphis today, it's front page taking a look at the 50th anniversary. hundreds packed the temple and revisited the mountaintop in memphis tennessee -- memphis, tennessee. if you go below the full, it king'sbout martin luther bus victory, and how it stalled as hundreds of transportation still fails minorities. this symbolizes the cause at hand that a young preacher, martin luther king jr., had his first megaphone. he emphasized the voice of rosa parks and other african-americans as they boycotted alabama's bus system theyut determining where got to see. many black people in memphis and throughout the nation, the buses have morphed into symbols of oppression, not freedom.

the buses do not easily take them too many places they must go to get with a need to simply exist. more of that available when you go to the website of the commercial appeal, commerciala ppeal.com. we are getting your thoughts on the 50th anniversary of martin luther king. this is albert. go ahead. good morning. i wanted to say that it seems to me from listening to the program so far, that a lot of white people, not all of them, but a lot of white people consider martin luther king jr. to be a black hero and not an american hero. at 35,to point out that the man won a nobel peace prize. say it does not matter because they would say that barack obama won a nobel peace prize -- it was a completely different era and that is a completely different topic.

five years later, the man was dead. think about the man dying at the age of 39. look at all of his accomplishments. it was a short, very short life. host: in those a compliment, what do you think tops the list is you see him as an american hero? , what do youments think tops the list as you see him as an american hero? aller: because he led nonviolent movement during the civil rights era. i caution people to try and understand what this country may have been like if there was not a martin luther king. other people obviously believed movements,nt nonviolent protest and everything, but he had the organizational skills at such a young age to get everyone, get a notof people to say i am going to give in to my demons. i'm not going to give into the struggles and everything and all

the injustice that the falls me. i'm going to protest peacefully and say that we don't have to do this. we do not have to be violent. we do not have to get guns and beat up people and try and do things in a way that is not peaceful. host: let's hear from jamie in maryland for our category of 50 and older. go ahead. caller: yes. i just wanted to say that the legacy of dr. king is almost like a frustrating one to me. i appreciate him dearly and i truly believe that he was the best that america had to offer, and the best that we may ever see. still like parts of america, as peaceful as he was, they still would not accept that. for me, what it basically said is there are a large segment of our population that just cannot be reasoned with.

they will not see your particular way, and no matter how peaceful you try to address the situation, they are not trying to. . they do not want to give up the power that they have, they are not trying to give up their game. america,e that black nobody else is going to do it for you. we have to do it for ourselves. at the same time for white america, i say there is a debt to be paid. there is something owed. it does not have to be in the form of finance or whatever, but education. just to rebuild a people that were broken down. i think we should all be able to agree to that. this is a people that everything was taken from them. their existence, from everything from religion to the food they ate, everything. it was totally lost. jamie in maryland.

on twitter, this is steve harrison. on twitter -- this is the remarkable speech martin would -- robert kennedy gave the night that dr. king was killed. here is robert kennedy in indianapolis, announcing the death of martin luther king junior. [video clip] >> in this difficult day, in this difficult time for united is time to ask what kind of a nation we are and what direction we want to move in. for those of you who are black, considering the evidence evidently is there were white people who were responsible, you can be filled with bitterness and with hatred, and a desire for revenge. we can move in that direction as a country, and greater

polarization. black people amongst blacks and whites amongst whites, filled with hatred toward one another. effort, asake an martin luther king did, to understand and to comprehend and replace that violence, that stain of bloodshed that has spread across our land, with an compassionnderstand and love. for those of you who are black and who are attempted to be filled -- who are tempted to be filled with hatred and distrust of the injustice of such an act, against all white people, i would only say that i can also the samey own heart

kind of feeling. i had a member of my family killed, but he was killed by a white man. we have to make an effort in the united states. we have to make an effort to understand, to get beyond or go beyond these wrapper difficult times -- rather difficult times. joining usn is next, from randolph, maryland. hello. caller: hello, good morning. it is a great day today. it is a day to remember a great changed the whole world , the diversity of the world. i heard a teacher blaming the kids, the black kids. i am a schoolteacher. [inaudible]

of martinthe legacy luther king, as a black community we should unite ourselves to teach our kids the beauty of diversity, the beauty of nature. the oneness of nature. how can we say we are a christian nation, and still, in the 21st century, divided between black, white, yellow, knowing the force of the issue and the oneness that god created. host: do you think the united states is better with diversity than 50 years ago? caller: yes, it is better than 50 years ago in diversity, but there is a lot of work to do. we do not blame the black kids the wrong teach them

way. we do not teach them who they are, their nature. who you did not know are, how do you know where are you going? host: we will hear from gloria in upper muldrow, maryland. caller: good morning and thank you for this discussion. i am an african-american, blind, 80-year-old preacher. i do not think we have enough pastors like martin luther king. i would rather be in the mainstream of trying to make things better, but this is what i called to say. reverend king never lost faith in the fact that we could become one nation, under god, indivisible. he never lost faith in the fact that we could become a nation that demonstrated the fact that all men are created equal and

have the right to life, liberty, and the pursuit of happiness. kids beinglack disruptive in the classroom, that is a home problem, i'm sorry. i raised 22 kids, i ought to know. i pulled five of mine out of the school system because of the violence, and it is an educational, institutional problem. we must learn to respect each other as people, as human beings. we have forgotten that the pinnacle of god's creation with people, and we have a problem for justice in red, brown, yellow, black, and white. same in god's eyes. it is not black against white, black against latino, on and on and on. and unfortunately, this ugly attitude has produced a dysfunctional, thoroughly dangerous administration. but i have faith in where this country was designed to be.

ugliness,ercome violence, and i believe that those of us who have not turned our back on god and value all people for who they are, we are going to overcome again. host: thank you, gloria. the founder of the rainbow push coalition has an op-ed this morning. king lived is why he died is the headline. he writes apart, saying he bequeathed the african-americans -- preparing a counterrevolution. five decades ago, the segregationist governor george wallace in reaction to the civil rights movement today, we are in the battle for a soul for america. to admire him is to reduce them to a mere so like if the -- celebrity and values no commitment, no action.

those who value justice and equality must have the will and courage to follow him. they must be ready to sacrifice. the struggle continues. jesse jackson in the op-ed section of the new york times this morning. david in south dakota, go ahead. caller: yeah, as far as dr. martin luther king, his words are always good. they are peaceful and they make a lot of sense. i am a 52-year-old white man. host: what is something he said that made sense to you or makes a lot of sense? caller: it is about the way he says peace. we cannot get through this with violence. r, ifit comes to colo we can stop putting a caller on on a person and say this man or woman over here and leave the color part outs -- they did not have the cultural differences. as white guys have our own way of talking, but when you get to

be an adult, you have to become an educated person and you can't talk like a punk going into a job interview. you cannot have your pants halfway down her but -- your butt. the lady said the school thing -- they act out, i was a white guy, i acted out. but it starts at home. if you have no discipline at home, they will go to school and do what they are allowed to do at home. host: the 50th anniversary of the assassination of martin luther king is what we are remembering today in the first hour of our program. 20 minutes or so left to get your thoughts in this morning. if you are under the age of 30, (202) 748-8000. if you are between the ages of 30-50, (202) 748-8001. and if you are 50 and over, (202) 748-8002. you can post on our twitter feed at @cspanwj. is how youm/cspan

post on facebook. if you go to c-span.org you will find information about several events we are airing live today. you can catch them from 4:30 to c-span, a live outdoor ceremony commemorating the 50th anniversary of the assassination, which includes a wreathlaying and the spot where reverend king fell, mortally , and will also include remarked by jesse jackson, who was with reverend king on about any at the time of the shooting, and following the event, we will open the phone lines for your reaction to that. that starts at 4:30 this afternoon. at 8:00 this evening on his band three, live coverage of remarks and panel discussions with civil rights leaders past and present, representative john lewis, nina bellefonte, and others. we also invite you to go to our website at c-span.org.

not only can you find information about these events, but everything we have taped over the years, taking a look at the life and legacy of martin luther king jr.. when you go to our video library. from omaha, nebraska, this is clifford. good morning. caller: good morning, sir, and thank you for this opportunity. it, the mark that was left by dr. king was one of empowerment. he led a movement of oppressed people, whereby they were able to select their muscle and bring about some change. king, there was no one that had words that had inspired african-americans. -- ton african american

the point of changing their mindset to that. it was possible to bring about it through thedo mantra of nonviolence actually made us stronger -- stronger than our oppressors by letting them know that no matter what they did to us, that we were going to continue to struggle and push forward. that is what we are lacking today, that kind of leadership. i am faithful, like the minister that spoke a few moments ago, i because it was just a few years ago that myself and those of my generation were

saying that they never thought they would see the day that an african-american would reach the highest office in the world. ricky in baltimore, maryland. you are up. foremost, at and have not discussed where martin luther king got a lot of his ideas from, which was gandhi. ideas, aook on these lot of people, a lot of different individuals that understood that peace was the only way you can get anything accomplished and anything recognized. martin luther king, along with malcolm x. and a whole lot of other leaders at that time were banding together and about to start a lot of good things otheracks, whites, and

coaches. what i am looking at here is the division. everyone wants to bring on the division of religion, the division of politics, so on and so on, which is not a cool thing and not really represented by a lot of these historian people, like jfk. he was along with martin luther king and a few other people, but that not being recognized they were in a group together, not apart. host: do you think there are any younger people that will carry on the idea of dr. king, the way he thought, talked, the things he fought for? do you think there are any leaders rising up to take that place? caller: you know what? i believe so. the reason why -- if you look at social media very carefully, there are a lot of people that are standing up talking about

the issues, solutions, ways that nd all ofd all up -- e this bigotry, racism, and whatsoever. i cannot think of the guys name, but he is either from alabama or mississippi. he was on their talking a lot and -- when -- katrina happened you talking about a lot of things. there are a lot of positive people out there that want to see everything changed. this is ellen, hello. caller: hi, i am 84. wrong line,on the it is in my phone. what i want to say is let's remember that martin luther king was a pastor.

school whenoing to we had prayer in the morning, and prayer was taken out of our schools, and we need to get back to the fact that this nation was founded on godly principles, and that is what martin luther king stood for. it was the baptists and the quakers that were fighting against having these black people as slaves. they took them in as friends. they supported them. it was the christians that turned it all around, and we love martin luther king and we need to give back to god and his principles. it works every time. host: let's go to columbia, south carolina. george is next. caller: good morning, guys. i just wanted to say mr. king, the only thing people are not saying about him is that he was not afraid. people are afraid of everything now. makes is fear, fear that

[inaudible] .ou can't be afraid you have to have courage. that is the legacy of martin luther king, is courage, no fear, go forward, you know? host: george, how does expressing that current, -- courage, what does that mean today? courage in god. if god is with you, nobody can be against you. it is good to have courage in your home. host: george, go ahead. noter: courage is about being afraid to speak your mind, go to work every day, be honest, you know what i mean? if god is with you, nobody can be against you. if you have that, you have no fear, because he is not about fear, he is about strength. teacher kids how to be strong and take care -- teach your kids how to be strong and take care

of themselves, and respect. host: in the op-ed section of the death a -- of mlk junior set america ablaze. president lyndon johnson addressed the grieving, shaking nation, and spoke of reaching out to a multiracial array of leaders coming to the white to forge a way forward. the dream of martin luther king jr. has not died with him, he said, america should not be ruled by the bullet, but by the ballot of free and just men. even as the country engages in andt debate over the power the pull of bullets. and it is noteworthy that this new movement against gum islands -- gun violence coincides with newly unleashed anger over young black men needlessly dying. chicago's explosion was not just because of king's death, it was riotsueled as were many

in the 1960's, by allegations of police abuse. few of our race related problems are new, we just keep experiencing them in different ways. here's part of this news coverage from cvs. [video clip] >> chicago claimed that careful distinction as night fell. there, 6000 national guardsmen were called to duty, and fires raged through a 16 block area. >> they call it garfield park, and long known as a bleak negro ghetto. tonight, much of it is on fire. thousands of schoolchildren left their classes. by late afternoon, as national guardsmen were being alerted, the trouble reached alarming proportions and these fires were started. the looting went largely unchallenged. the scenes are all too familiar too,n and women, children

of all ages, carrying articles of all descriptions -- television sets, clothing, furniture, food. police often ignored and in turn were ignored by looters -- ignored, and in turn were ignored by looters. the area on fire reaches west madison street. the first several hours, no significant shooting incidents were reported. the word sniper was not heard. that has changed. several deaths have been reported, including several negros and a few police in this part of the ghetto. authorities have lost count of the number of buildings now burning out of control, the water pressure problem has developed in the past hour. fire find themselves -- firefighters find themselves unable to make the slightest indent. host: we hear next from

catherine in springfield, massachusetts. caller: to me, martin luther king was a false prophet. as a pastor, he did not tell his people the truth. [inaudible] -- he told abraham that those seated would be in a strange hand -- land for 100 years. president trump signed an executive order waiting 400 years. host: we will go to gary in north carolina. good morning. yeah, i remember. i was 10 years old, and i did not know who he was at 10 years old, not big on the news or anything. but i remember when the riots started. as a young kid, i remember -- they seem like big people, but they must have been teenagers. they were running through the streets saying he is dead, he is dead. those are scary things.

changes that happened from that day, i think piece went out the window that the day -- peace went out window that very day. i think his message kind of ended. and i talked to a few drug who move around the country and stuff, and one of the things i said was well, how do you get drugs when you are away from home? it is a sad thing, that martin luther king would be so sad about -- he said you go look for martin luther king boulevard, and just work your way out words, block by block, and you will find drugs. that was the most depressing thing i ever heard. but people think about people -- discrimination is the action. when somebody thinks about somebody, other people shouldn't hurt you or bother you. keep marching forward.

discrimination is the action, but name-calling, what people think about people or their view, i would not let that bother me. i would just get on with my business and move on. i would do the best i can for myself and my community and not worry so much. host: from utah, this is sandra. caller: hi, good morning. i want to say that i think that martin luther king would be very disappointed with the description of the blacksmith -- destruction of the black family that has taken place over the last 50 years in civil rights and all of these things, and i think he would be extremely upset with planned parenthood. i just want to remind people that jesse jackson of the presidential campaign -- jesse jackson's presidential campaign was run from a property donated by donald trump. so how do you relate the destruction of the black family

directly to civil rights? because planned parenthood was a eugenics program designed to sterilize the black community. margaret sanger, you can look it since the inception of planned parenthood, the black population has been kept up 13.7% in america. it is a complete tragedy. net seven-hour category 4 30-50 years old, pennsylvania. morgan, hello. caller: to the lady that just called, lady, you need to know your history. more babies have been murdered through abortion because their father was black and their mother was white. people need to remember that same bigotry and hatred martin fell from the south, he also got when he came up to the north in boston, chicago, and it shows you that immorality, the abomination of racism in this country, is coast-to-coast,

north and south. host: before you go, do you think it is the same today than 50 years ago? caller: it is worse today. we have a white supremacist in the white house as president that evangelicals helped put there. host: we also had an african-american president for two terms. yes we did, but look at what he went through. look at all the racism obama and nt through. the names they were called, the disrespect they were given, and the racist bumper stickers created because there was a black man in the white house. in a lot of ways we have improved, but in a lot of ways it is the same old hateful, racist bigots that have persisted through the foundation of this country. host: doesn't that president obama achieved that goal speak to the progress of america as a whole? caller: it does, a lot of white people did vote for obama. in that area we did do better.

but let's be honest, we have a long way to go. host: in georgia, this is mildred, those 50 and older. hello. number one, there is no better evil. racism is evil, and as long as there is the white privilege, there is an impossibility to have equality. that is the only thing that americans should concentrate on -- how can we have equality and justice with white privilege in place? host: how to unify and white privilege? -- you define white privilege? little i was born into a -- there was a little three break would school, i could go on and on. but as long as you have that, you can't have a quality -- how you chart that today? caller: how could i have equality when there was a system in place to make sure that i would never be prepared to compete equally with the white

children in my hometown? in other words, i started college with a third grade education. the main thing i wanted to think about is, like i said, how can we possibly -- nobody in this country can deny that we do not have white privilege in this country. as long as we deny that, we will always have racism in this country. we know they have white privilege and white people know it. host: let's go to kansas city, kansas. hello. hi, i just wanted to speak on the fact that white people are just scared of black people. every time we try to come up and come together, they want to get arms, they want all this ammunition and stuff because they know they were wrong and they are scared, and think they are going to come and do something for them. all we want is our equal rights. host: what do equal rights look

in this day and age? caller: not judging somebody by their skin or their religion or youal orientation, because are a white person, all white is considered right. host: do you apply that as a whole to white people in general, and why do you do so? caller: some white people do believe in equality, and i have white friends. but there are a few that want to keep it where we were, where they had a hold on us. host: california, california is where jimmy is. go ahead. caller: hello. i am a 62-year-old white agnostic, and dr. martin luther king jr. is my hero. morereciate his holiday

than any other holiday in our country, and i would like to remind people of the sermon dr. martin luther king presented at the ebenezer baptist church in 1968. -- them major instinct desire to be first, to lead the parade. people like recognition, importance, attention, and being first. but he also reminds us that we have to use our into the -- instinct in a positive way. us that if something happened to him, he would like to be remembered as a drum major who major, to be right on the war question, to feed the hungry. to clothe the naked, to visit those in prison. to love and serve humanity. emphasized theo of incomethe evils

inequality. he was a nonviolent person and he taught me that nonviolent conflict resolution is the future. host: are you suggesting that instinct is not happening today? guest: obviously not. we have guns rampant, violence rampant. president -- in congress we are split as a country. andmartin luther king saw, we don't have to look at our money --d who has more it is love and giving back to others. he said "if i can help someone as i pass along." i am not a religious person. juanita, more call, cincinnati, ohio. guest: i would like to make two statements.

the first one, you talk about institutional racism -- my understanding is this is going nation of institutions. one of the things mr. king did is write a letter from the birmingham jail to the religious community of the united states, to try to change their hearts. their hearts have not changed. they have not. they have gotten worse. number one. question, two - your i will give my full name. juanita glover. i went there my entire undergraduate career as an honor student, in a racist institution. please do not tell me there is no institutional racism. host: she is the last call on this topic. we are to change topics and talk about protests you have been

seeing across the nation, because of teachers seeking more pay another things. morell look at the ways, about teacher pay and benefits and joining us for that is education week reporter madeline will. later on we will talk with commentator sophia nelson to talk about the racial and political divide in the country, particularly on this 50th anniversary of the assassination of martin luther king. also it is stop number 26 on c-span's 50 capitals tour and today we go to the capital city of montana, helena, for lieutenant governor mike coone y. ♪ ,> monday on "landmark cases" katz versus the united states. recorded by the fbi

while transmitting illegal information. this ultimately expanded andican's right to privacy, forever change the way investigators pursued investigations. the justice is jeffrey rosen. jaffer, director of the policy program. watch "landmark cases" monday and join the conversation, our #landmarkcases. on the c-span website at www.c-span.org/ landmarkcases.

q and a,,on c-span's talking about his latest book, michio kaku. >> if you dig under our feet right now, you will see the bones of the 99.9% that no longer walk the service of your. earth.surface of the we are different. we can see the future, we plan and plot. perhaps we will invade this conundrum and maybe survive but we need insurance. that is how this book is different. the other books talk about the steps. what is the goal? q and day, sunday night at 8:00 eastern on c-span. a, sunday night at 8:00 eastern on c-span. >> washington journal continues.

, we are heree will to talk about teacher pay, benefits and pension. guest: good morning. host: those topics playing out in rallies across the united states. guest: oklahoma, arizona and uptucky, teachers are rising and protesting after the success in west virginia last month. got ast virginia teachers 5% pay raise after striking for nine days. teachers everywhere thought, maybe we can do that too. oklahoma teachers are on the third day of their walk out and they're fighting for an increase in education funding and higher salaries. host: the oklahoma governor has reacted. what did she do and why has it not satisfy the teachers? guest: last week the legislature passed a $6,000 annual raise for teachers but that is not as much as they asked.

the governor is saying, we have other budget priorities we need to focus on. host: usually is that the response from governments when these calls for more pay, with teachers? guest: the arizona governor said they are asking for 20% pay raise. the governor said that is not realistic. they are trying to balance priorities. teachers are saying, this is our time. host: that sets up the conversation we will have about teacher pay and benefits. our guest will be with us if you want to ask your questions, special line, (202)-748-8000 for 8001 ifs, (202)-748- i you live in the eastern time zones and if you live in the mountain time zones, (202)-748- 8002. guest: school district have a salary schedule. every teacher in the district by schedule, they get

raises when they earn years of experience, when they are different levels of education. masters degree, dr. it, they get paid more -- masters degree, doctorate degree, they get paid more. average, 58t of the thousand dollars, the average pay for a schoolteacher. places like new york, higher. places like mississippi, lower. that depends on the tax base. are there other factors? guest: it depends on the state legislation investment in education. individual districts pay more if they need to. host: how much does it make a difference if a place where a school is located is considered rich or poor? see rural will districts, teachers get paid

less, than suburban district. if a district has more in their budget from a property tax they want to put that money into teacher salaries. host: if you start at the base, what determines raises? guest: years of experience and education levels. peak at topically salary level at age 55. if they get higher education, taking more professional development courses, they can get raises that way. host: some of these are described as step increases. guest: step increases are based laneears of experience, experience is levels of education, it looks like a grid. host: how does a teacher degraded? especially with -- how does a teacher get graded? are there other things that factor in? guest: it is standard across the district.

a teacher cannot go to their boss and say, i had a great year and i want a raise. it is what the schedule says. host: we are talking more about this idea of teacher pay and what goes into that. we invite you to call us. teachers, andp, those in certain areas around the country. , goodlorida, let's start morning, go ahead. guest: [inaudible] those steps you are talking about, in florida we have not had a step in 10 years. steps are not going up. [inaudible] believe me, if we could, we would strike. they signed a law way back when, that florida teachers cannot strike. most teachers are living in poverty. those steps have been stagnant for years.

ice t said, teachers should be paid just like lawyers and doctors because we take care of kids. look at the future. we have a president like donald trump. -- we are teaching -- we are not really teaching. guest: oklahoma teachers will tell you the same thing. they're not had a pay raise in 10 years. virginia, striking is illegal there is well. the state attorney general threatened to pursue legal action against teachers. ultimately nothing happened. the teachers went on with the strike. host: his claim that teachers are living in poverty -- from your experience, do teachers have to have other jobs to supplement income? guest: i hear a lot of those stories. an oklahoma, many teachers have second jobs. is not so much

getting by day today but teachers if they want to buy a house, they need a second job to supplement income. host: from phoenix, arizona, we will hear from linda. hello. guest: hello. i would like to ask her about the charter schools. do teachers in charter schools, popping up all over phoenix, have to have the same certification as those in public schools? varies by state.e i'm not sure about arizona but in most states, charter schools get leeway. host: little elm, texas, thomas. thanks for calling, you are on with madeline will. guest: hi. there are a lot of things about, -- teachers are great for their

strike but they do not understand that the pressure that the parents are under, because, not only are the parents going to end up paying out of their retirement pension, an x amount of money off the top, which is not tax-deductible -- the pension benefit guaranty corporation, the federal agency, being created -- created back in 1994 for the wto to collect money from each person and they are the overseer. therefore, the parents are actually pressured and a lot of people don't even know, that, you are going to be taxed. the parents i am talking about. but the teachers are considered government. policemen, firemen, congressman are all exempt. the trash collector -- if they are solely paid by the city, and

not subcontracted. therefore the pressure exists with the people, or i should say the parents of the children. therefore, if we can get together and get the wto out of our country, then you would be able to see pay raises across the board. not just for teachers but for everybody. host: we will leave it there. guest: i'm glad you brought up parents and the pressure they are under. in oklahoma, teachers were worried about what parents are going to think. if schools are closed, that as a burden of childcare on the parents -- in oklahoma there has been a widespread immunity support for teachers. parents have been willing to make sacrifices with the community groups stepping up and helping. host: talk about the topic he brought up. pensions. how is that based? guest: teachers are part of a

system, that formula is determined by the state. they will take into account user experience, average salary, teachers age, retirement age, they will get paid off of that. it is different from 401k which is common in private sector based on individual investment. host: do teachers get a defined benefit every year once they retire? guest: it favors the teachers who stay in the classroom longer. teacher is going to get a more generous pension. host: how much of a burden is that on a state? when you determine the long-range cost of teacher pay? guest: it is a huge burden. many states do not have pension systems fully funded. texas is 56% funded. they are trying to figure out what changes need to be made to the system. host: is there a situation where go to acan say, we will

401(k) style system and give you money to put into the market but then you manage it? guest: kentucky is talking about that for new teachers. there are a lot of changes on the table. to have are reluctant these changes made and it is worth noting that in kentucky, teachers don't get social security. pension benefits are the only safety net. host: is that by and large? guest: 40% of teachers do not get social security. most do but some states have not opted in. host: why? guest: they had pension systems before social security. they decided not to add it on top. typically have more generous pensions to make up for it. host: we will go next to factory built, pencil -- we will go to pennsylvania. chris. guest: i really love c-span,

watch it all the time. schools have become a babysitting service around here. our largest gold district is $4 million behind on budget and they are rife with corruption. a guy resigned from the school board, now he's back, i don't understand. a lot of teachers where i live are well-paid. but i think they should build big football stadiums and teach them from home on computers or cell phones. i think they would learn better. why is the, situation where you are -- -- $57,000 a year, small class sizes. when i graduated 30 years ago it was 100. we are losing people left and right. host: anything from that? i'm glad you brought up using computers and online

lessons. in some places where there are shortages, district center to that. they cannot find teachers. they're turning to online instruction. host: he said we are losing people left and right. is pay the largest driver? guest: definitely a big factor. teachers are frustrated with policy. they want more autonomy but pay is a large factor. host: compare the teacher salary to the administrator salary, the principal salary. is there a disparity? guest: administrators tend to be paid more than teachers. lee isrom massachusetts, a teacher in holyoke. caller: hi. i am a special educator in a district currently under state receivership. this is a deeply under resourced district where a number of our students actually our entire

district, entirely full, free lunch and breakfast. with this receivership, we have also expanded the school year and the school hours. teachers are being asked to work a significant number of hours, in addition to what we had formally been working, without any additional pay increases. something that i think is really significant around all of this pieces. number one, teachers are highly dedicated. we are always willing to put forth additional hours and effort to be there on behalf of the students and community. however, when we are not seeing changes in pay scale, it makes it difficult to keep up that momentum, especially in these times of change. number two. as a special educator, that

position continues to grow and change and we have become case managers. we are being asked to take on a significant role that very much mirrors that of an administrator, again, with no changes in pay scale. this is something i think is not isolated in my district. host: can i ask you a question? when it comes to day-to-day today, what hours are you putting in before class and after glass? -- and after class time? guest: -- caller: i wake up to texts on my phone from parents. called it reminded so they are not using my personal number. i received those messages until i go to bed. i work with children with severe special needs. these are questions ranging from, specific incidents, apparent time to understand what a student is trying to

communicate to them, all the way to people needing help with understanding services they are receiving. that is 24/7. host: thank you for sharing. madeline will. guest: teachers are being asked to do a lot with less. oklahoma, ain district worked only contract hours to make a point, in reality they are working much more than the seven hours listed in contract. ist: one thing we have heard the idea that teachers have to use their own resources to buy materials. talk about that. guest: the average teacher spends $600 out-of-pocket on supplies, paper, pencils, science teachers have to bilateral equipment. english teachers have to buy novels. their funding classrooms themselves. host: why is this not a basic

requirement that by the school system? -- met by the school system? guest: many cannot afford it. so many budget cuts, their minimums. from el paso, texas, here is johnny, you are on. caller: teachers are my heroes. military, thehe lowest paid around. we have nine school districts. $300,000 plus per year for ceos. it angers me. my hats off to the teachers. i hope these strikes go nationwide because ever since i was in first grade, i am 76 years old now -- teachers are underpaid. host: madeline will. guest: nationwide, they might

spread. it is happened in 4 states. there are rumblings of building protests in other states. a lot of organizing has taken place on social media. it can happen anywhere. host: you wrote about the impact of facebook. talk about that. guest: these teachers are organizing on facebook, a grassroots movement, teacher driven. oklahoma,group in 75,000 members, these are were teachers are planning. host: why not direct activity from the union? guest: these are all happening in right to work states. they do not have as many resources. host: states that do have union representation are the skills for pay better? -- the scales for pay better? guest: it depends on different factors. host: let's go to south carolina.

rod. good morning fred caller: -- good morning to you. caller: good morning. politicianse on tv, shame on them. give these teachers what they want. make sure that schools have what they need to educate our children. i was in the marine corps for 21 years, i am retired. when i got out i got the option to go into the education system with the troops, the teachers program. i don't know if you remember that? excuse me. but i saw the writing on the wall. i decided to go into the medical field. i spoke with people that were going to college to become educators and after they graduated, they switched what they thought they were going going to -- what they thought they were going to go into.

they went back into the medical field. politicians are not supporting teachers. we have got to do better in this country when it comes to education. we just have to. it is our future. everybody says it but no one is paying attention to it. host: thanks, caller. guest: you hit on a lot. teacher preparation programs, enrollment is down. host: from new orleans, louisiana, hello, you're next. caller: thank you for taking my call. this is something i feel like teachers never, ever want to talk about. anyway you cut it, teachers are part-time employees. isy have a school day that 8:00 to 3:00. that is not even eight hours a day. class period each is 45 minutes.

that is, less than five hours of true classroom work per day. i know teachers are very get twod but, um, they weeks off at christmas, get several days of thanks giving, a week off at mardi gras. they have spring break, fall break, easter break. they get 2-3 months off for the summer. months of vacation time a year. there is no way this is full-time employment. a teacher stays an hour after school every day, even if. host: thank you very much. have beenkly wages compared to workers of similar education levels and found that teachers are paid less. even taking into account summer break, teachers tend to be paid less than other professionals of

similar education levels. teachers can choose to receive a full schoolr the year, 10 months or a smaller paycheck over time. host: have you ever had a reaction about the time off? how does a teacher respond to that? guest: that is a common concern and teachers will say, we plan lessons during that time and are never truly off. we are taking stuff home. a lot of lesson planning and communicating with parents and students. host: we will hear from a teacher in washington state. hello norm. caller: i taught 30 years and i have a daughter teaching now. i my question this. i spent the first 12 years of my teaching career teaching summer school, going to college to get mine -- my masters degree and doing what they call, a fifth year. i don't think i ever had summers

off until the latter part of my teaching career. another thing. the south hasike declared war on education. all they want is football players and basketball players but forget the education of children. about,orm, when you hear -- you talked about your experience. how much money to invest personally in your teaching career, supplies, that kind of thing? caller: it was huge. i don't even want to try and guess. every year we had something to motivate our students. you could not just motivate students with a textbook. you had to get their interest in other areas like math, english and these things. i could not believe the resources -- i am lucky.

we had resources here. but boy, what they are saying in the south? i cannot believe it. host: thank you. guest: i am glad he brought up professional development and going back to school during the summer. a lot of teachers will do that. host: it sounds like antagonism to sports programs. is that a concern for teachers suffering from low pay? guest: you heard a lot of that in oklahoma. the sports association was wondering if they should cancel games. teachers were saying, it needs to be a unified effort. we cannot act like we are prioritizing athletics. host: minnesota is next. tim. historically, it has any greatn said, nation realizes one of its greatest assets is what it puts into education, books, libraries, arts.

all that stuff. we're going backwards. dod,l compare what the gives to what they give to education. it is a spit in the bucket. $700 billion that trump is don'tng about now -- we give half of what we should to educators. i think it is a crime. teacher salary is determined, does that come from federal government? guest: salaries are all state and local. there is money from the federal government -- in the most recent budget, president trump had proposed eliminating these teacher professional development program. that was saved in the final. host: one more call from maryland. mentioning,lady was

the jobs, teachers are part-time . it might appear true but in fact, they have to do a lot of preparation outside of classrooms. grading, preparatory materials, stuff like that. it turns out to a full-time job instead of part-time. that is the common. teachers in oklahoma and other states are successful, will this be a drive for other localities to do the same? guest: all eyes are on the states. arizona has not set a date. they are thinking about it. they will be watching oklahoma to see what happens. other states will as well. host: madeline will report for education week, if you want to topic, goding on this online, we thank you for your time. guest: thank you. host: we talk with sophia nelson

coming up about the anniversary of the assassination of dr. martin luther king. it is stop number 26 on c-span's 50 capitals tour, taking us to montana where mike cooney will be joining us to talk about top issues in the state. ♪ sunday on una, theoretical physicist michio kaku talks about his career in science and his latest book. >> the norm for mother nature is extension. if you dig right under our feet right now, you will see the the 99.9% that no longer walk the surface of your. we are different -- no longer walk the surface of the earth. we are different. we plot and plan and see the future. perhaps we will invade this conundrum and maybe survive but

we need insurance. that's why this book is different. the other books talk about the steps. what is the goal? >> q and a sunday night at 8:00 eastern on c-span. on "landmark cases", katz versus united states where charles katz was tape recorded by the fbi while transmitting illegal that's from a telephone booth on sunset boulevard -- illegal bets on sunset boulevard. this ultimately expanded america's right to privacy and change the way investigations are conducted. our guests are jeffrey rosen, president and ceo of the national constitution center in jaffer,lphia and jamil director of the national security law and policy program,

at the george mason antonin scalia a lost soul -- george mason antonin scalia a law school. follow us on c-span. we are resources on our website for background on each case. the "landmark cases" companion book, a link to the national constitution center's interactive constitution and the "landmark cases" podcast at www.c-span.org. "washington journal" continues. host: sophia nelson joins us. good morning. guest: good to be back. host: on this 50th anniversary of martin luther king junior, what is the best way to remember him in this day and age? guest: a patriot. he was a true revolutionary. what he said was, i want you to be true to your documents.

i want you to own up to what you said on paper and what did thomas jefferson right? we hold these truths to be self-evident that all men are created equal and endowed with their creator with certain life,, among these, liberty and the pursuit of happiness. martin luther king said there was a promissory note due. he held feet to the fire. that is what patriots do. they hold us to truth and righteousness and goodness and community and brotherhood and sisterhood. that is who he was to me. so with topics of race relations, equality, poverty, where are we 50 years later? guest: it would be wrong to say we had not made progress. we have made enormous progress since the time dr. king was assassinated. rfk and the whole 1968 year was a difficult one for america. we have had an african-american president. we have women on the supreme court.

we have made progress but not enough. we see young black men being killed in the streets at the hands of not only each other but law enforcement. they are always under suspicious circumstances. bere never seems to adjudication for those unarmed and victims. if dr. king were here he would be on the front lines with lack lives matter and other -- with black lives matter, challenging this administration to honor the civil rights he fought for and his generation died for, literally. host: where can we go politically in fulfilling that? guest: we're very divided. we are is divided now as we have ever been, maybe more so in some ways. at least in the time of dr. king, there was a consciousness, there was right and wrong. this could not stand. you think of the jfk speech in 1963.

he talks about the founding principles of the nation. you cannot have happened population living one way and the other the rest. we are beyond that. we have had a black president, we think we are over racism. it doesn't exist. it is harder in many ways to get through because for many white americans in particular, the ro america, those folks say i am disenfranchised. i am out of work and struggling. why am i worried about the rights of immigrants, women, minorities? as a white american, i am struggling. there is this great divide, we're not talking to each other. we're talking at each other. host: how much is that fostered by the current administration? guest: greatly. go to twitter. the president of the united states is a sacred trust between the president and the people. it has a standard of conduct that no president has violated, saved richard nixon, and he had

to resign. impeached,presidents andrew johnson in the 1860's and clinton. no president in modern history had the divisive twitter in the way this president has. yes used it in such an ugly way. there is no one safe from his feed. host: does that filter down to parties themselves? guest: there is minas. correct -- there is meaness. rex tillerson -- what a wrong way to handle another human being. there is a callousness in washington, us versus them. that is the people's house. that belongs to us. they are supposed to represent us, engage in self-governing. that is what our founders saw for us and we're gotten far away. it is now name-calling. i am going to take you out.

that is not what our founders envisioned. host: sophia nelson joining us. (202)-748-8001 for republicans, (202)-748-8000 free democrats, independents2 four -- for independents. give us your political background. guest: i am an attorney. been in this town a long time. as an african-american woman being a republican, jack inspired me. he came to my college campus late in the 1980's. i am dating myself. i was inspired by him, he was a great republican. i am a moderate, a rhino. we're not too popular these days. this country needs two strong parties, a good republican and democrat party. on air onnalist,

msnbc, a contributor at nbc news. i've written a lot of books. lawyer, lobbyist, i have done it in this town. host: from your personal experience what do you see things as? as a womanman of -- of color, we have a long way to go. fortune 500 tells you everything. there are maybe four or five women ceos. angela burns stepped down after years of service. kathy deloitte. even our white sisters are not doing well. women of color are very far behind. four men of color, imprisonment, how they are being treated by law enforcement -- for men of color, imprisonment, how they're beating treated, there is this malaise. i'm concerned about is going backwards. it feels like we're going backwards instead of going

forward. we have the movements of our time but dr. king was a true revolutionary. what that means is, like the founders, he did something. he didn't just talk. people forget this man marched. he was with the sanitation workers in memphis. he was doing things to move the ball. now we like to talk. talk, talk, talk. we don't do a lot of moving. host: movement comes how? guest: revolution, challenge, change, provocation. -- people living out our motto. e pluribus unum. we don't have to agree. i'm so sick of the notion. that is the beauty of our country. the founders of the colonies agreed on very little. but they agreed on was that king george was a tyrant and he needed to go. what we need to do is finding the things we agree on. we all want better schools, we

all want our children safe. we all want better wages and jobs and a better way of life. we all want to be able to worship freely, exercise the bill of rights freely in this country. all of the amendments, not just the second. i am a gun owner, former nra member but it does not mean we cannot be saved about this. the free press, sacrosanct to who we are. do thee the president things he does against the free press? going against amazon and saying they own the "the washington post" when they don't. those things are hurting the market. we need to challenge that instead of going, oh well. host: we have a call. athens, georgia, independent line. caller: good morning. nelson, enjoy you miss all the places i have seen you on, i like your attitude.

we do not agree on everything but i think you really come across in such a kind way. in a way that is open to other discussions. the thing i wanted to mention -- to was shot while trying help people get a living wage. we should keep that in mind. i would like to hear your opinion on the new jim crow, with the imprisonment going on with so many people of color? i thank you. guest: great call. book, "theexander's new jim crow", great book. where in a place african-american women are becoming the next group of population in prison. it is important that we press our elected representatives to make the change.

we need criminal justice reform --oss the board for policing we need police to come together. operation blue shield others in texas are doing that. they are bridging the gap and the divide so that people are talking. so that they are working together and i think that when our politicians understand that when you have a large segment of a population of african-american men in prisonlike as it devastates not just that population but children do not have fathers. women do not have husbands. there is no economic viability in the tax base. their roles downstream in a negative way. we need reform. it is a serious issue. host: is the mentality changing amongst republicans and outside groups to make those changes? guest: i think you see people like rand paul in others -- more

moderate leaning, some conservative, the heritage foundation has been tweeting about those things . she is a true conservative that cares about these issues. you have a shift of a mindset, republicans who should care about this issue, more, because of the foundations of the republican party, you're starting to see it. both parties have to work and stop fighting because we have large segments of the american community incarcerated and we know the sentencings are not just. the at marissa alexander, woman who shot a gun in the year and got 20 years. george zimmerman who shot trayvon martin got no time. what is a disparity from one person does and another person does and how they are dealt with. host: democrats line. caller: good morning. sophia, do you think it is time for a strong, independent

third-party in america? if so, would you be our president? [laughter] guest: you're very kind. we are at a tipping point. the american people agree that washington is broken. president trump campaigned on draining the swamp. the swamp is not drained. i been here a long time. things are more the same than they are not. it seems like people are getting meaner. whether or not there needs to be an independent party, i know adding mcmullen and others have thrown this out there. it is difficult, because the parties are so entrenched. even if you got an independent elected, talk to members of congress like bernie sanders. there is so few of them. it is difficult to raise money, get support. once you get into office, you have a caucus with the democrats

and republicans to get something done. i don't think it is viable at the moment. they could become so. i do not want to be president but thank you. host: independent line, baltimore, maryland. caller: how are you doing? guest: how are you? caller: i'm good. you spoke on what i wanted to ask. you mentioned rand paul and the libertarian party. my question is, do you think we as black people need to look at the libertarian party? because the democrats are not doing anything and the republicans are doing anything either? you mentioned rand paul. i am a huge fan of rand paul. he talks about criminal justice reform. and talked on tv mainlyhe war on drugs, affecting black and brown people. he talks about majority black people have ended up in prison versus white people don't go to

prison for drug charges. he is very genuine about the subject even when obama was in office. am always telling my friends and associates, hey, rand paul is the real deal. i actually believe in the libertarian party -- if it was stronger he would break away from the republican party and the all out -- he would become all out libertarian. i was curious what you think? guest: great question. i think the african american community has to be a better job of making both parties, republicans and democrats, fight for our boat. we do not -- fight for our vote. 90% of african-american women are voting for democrats. i may understand why. an increasing population are single, heads of households and unmarried which is not

necessarily by choice. it is by chance. relative to republicans, you know that party has a glorious with the african-american community up until the 1960 election. dixiecrat's,, the flipping personality with the southern strategy. the gop with trump is sustaining severe damage. the president's rhetoric has been not what the republican party should be proud of. it has been divisive, along gender lines, racial lines. it has been out in your face, outrageous. the gop will pay a price. republicanstion of like myself and others will do some party rebuilding and reaching out because the country's demographics have changed such that no president will win an election going forward with just white votes. it is not going to be possible. demographics are shifting. brown and black people will be

the majority in a decade or so. that is part of why we see this racial tension and of people. with respect to libertarians, i like to think i'm closer to libertarian then i am republican. i agree with you that rand paul is one of my favorites. he gets it. we are in alignment. criminal justice reform impacts the black and brown communities severely. even large segments of white america insert in areas, rural areas, crime rates are going up, the opioid crisis. all this fits in. it is becoming a problem for our country. to answer your question, the black vote needs to do a better gayslike hispanics, women, and other groups, say, come get my vote. show me. that is what we don't do. we blindly click for democrats and we hate republicans. there are good republicans.

there are republicans who have done amazing things for the african-american community. there needs to be more. host: president trump directly reached out to african-americans during the campaign. what you have to lose, you remember that. guest: that kind of outreach is disrespectful. that is not outreaching. you need to talk people and engage people. host: black unemployment? guest: that is the obama rollover effect, president trump has sustained it. he gets credit. it's not increasing. we know those numbers have a lot behind them. many people stopped looking for jobs, there is underemployment. there are educated african-americans with degrees still facing discrimination. we have a long way to go. host: texas, republican line, this is jim. caller: hello am i on? host: go ahead.

caller: i wanted to ask mrs. nelson, what did you think of the elections? the 2018 elections. here, i think of texas as being a purple state. just as many democrats as i run into republicans. all the democrats have got the idea that the republican party is dead. that they are going to sweep the state in 2018. i would love to hear what you have to say. guest: great question. texas is my second home. i am down there a lot, have a lot of friends there. i love it. i will tell you what. i saw an article where senator cruz's opponent is raising a lot of money. millions of dollars. host: he has raised $13.2 million in the race so far. guest: that is a lot of money for a challenger to a sitting u.s. senator.

if you go back to the dixie era, john f. kennedy and lbj going on that fateful trip to dallas and in '63. it was democrat. my home state of virginia is trending blue. once a reliably red state. the days of george allen -- it was red. it is no longer. the democrats are going to do very well in the elections. it is an anti-trump vote. we saw that in virginia in 2017. people who had never run for office put their name on the ballot and were able to win, because they didn't like republicans. comstock will be in a fight for her life at home. host: ohio, danny. caller: what do you think of what martin luther king, and the civil liberties union, going across the country, taking every , westernjesus christ

civilization -- [inaudible] nativity scenes, taking those down. taking down crosses. they did that. then they told us that, teaching kids in school that, we were never a christian nation. i destroyed evidence in a court of law -- i guess that would be -- i would be thrown in jail. this is a different sort. also, i notice now how they are going after american history. statuere robert e. lee's down, stonewall jackson -- both were opposed to slavery. robert e. lee married george washington's granddaughter. now they are going after william mckinley, thomas jefferson. , youhing about it is, uh

-- --uh, it is said to me it is sad -- as a white person, i feel like i'm the one being discriminated against. host: we will leave that there. guest: let me first say i hear you. i spoke to this earlier, a lot of white americans are in a place where they feel like the country they grew up in and understand is changing. it is. to his point let me say that i agree with you. congress starts every day with a prayer. the senate and house pray everyday. our kids in school cannot do that. what would dr. king think about the aclu? i think dr. king, the aclu in his time was pivotal to helping civil rights. i am in agreement with you that there seems to be over each, i want americans to understand that the religious liberty cause is important, as the free press

and the amendments. it is critical to who we are. our founding fathers fled tyrants. they did not want that here. we are a christian nation. we are a judeo-christian nation. that does not mean muslims are not welcome, they are of course. to say it is not founded on principles, i quoted jefferson talking about those unalienable rights granted by god himself. that simply means rights that no man can give and no man can take away. i hear you and understand and i think dr. king would be someone who would be concerned as a pastor, a man of faith on how churches have become enemies in the sense of, if they are not pc, it is a problem. you raise a good point. that is one of those issues we

as a nation need to talk about and have respect for one another, that some of us are firmly rooted in our faith. that is critical to us and how we live. others may not see it that way and that is ok as well. nelson, the author, she is a journalist. i want to show you a poll recently taken. saying that major news outlets report fake news. howdy respond? -- how do you respond? guest: president trump has done a very effective job of saying, fake news, quantifying this term. fox and other by outlets sharing his point of view -- they reach a lot of homes. they -- this issue of sinclair broadcasting, having journalists read from scripps that fake news is dangerous.

--horitarian practices taking a free press and telling them they have to read a script in order to be employed by a network. if i say, no, i will lose my job. if i'm a young journalist, maybe i am not tom brokaw. maybe i cannot say, i am not doing that. go back to your documents, america. this is not ok. our founders said, thomas jefferson talked about this a lot. any person that made a speech condemning the free press he said, you are looking at a tyrant. i am paraphrasing. jefferson felt very strongly among atoms in washington and the other founding fathers, madison, that free press was at the center of who we are. the press'job is to keep a watch on the government. to inform the people. the press needs to be left unfettered. host: i will read the sinclair

broadcast response to the story. "it is ironic that we would be attacked. specifically asking the public to hold newsrooms accountable. our local stations keep trust by staying focused on fact-based supporting and reporting and commentary." guest: they are deciding what is fact-based. if you are attacking cnn -- to a --ulist not well informed the local news and rural america, southern america, the midwest -- people do not watch stuff you and i watch. they watch local anchors. it might anchor tells me there is a is up there and there is someone i need to be afraid of, i will be of the -- i will believe it. we are never seen these types of attacks before on the free press by any president. arguably george w. bush took the most heat from the press of any modern president. they did not like him, they were

unkind. you never saw him attack the press in that way. host: from orchard park, new york, democrats line, gary. caller: i have a question going back to dr. king on the 50th anniversary of the assassination. wasderstand that dr. king quite antiwar. was against the amounts of money put every year into the pentagon. i understand that historians and the media tend to ignore that part of his philosophy. would you speak to that plays? -- would you speak to that please? guest: you are right. during the end of his life he was ardently against the vietnam war and passionately so. it made a lot of enemies for him. people did not like that. they could use that as an anti-american stance, which it was not.

he like any citizen, has the right to protest peacefully against the war. he saw disproportionate numbers of black and brown men going to that war. he was a man of peace, like him, i and jesus before they are not men who agreed with or would have been proponents of war. it is pretty basic. host: al is in brooklyn. hello. good morning. how are you? guest: brooklyn is a great by the way. caller: thank you. thank you. here is my concern, harkening

said about the media. black working class, white orking class, republicans and democrats, we have more in common than we have differences. what you're saying about the media, i listen to washington journal," i listen -- i , to msnbc, and they tell you fox new system grossly viewers.ming their our president is grossly constituents.is i'd like to know, is there something we can do, now sinclair is coming out. is there something we can do as flow of to stop the misinformation? guest: it's a great question. again, this is a representative republic, that means the power rests with the people, that is founders set it up. get in group necessary your community,

a anis club or member of fraternity, your church, write in groups, say to your representative, this is not country, do this it.thing about write to the president, tell him you are not please when he tweets or attacks. it affects it. write to the stock market and moral of the public. voices have to be heard. the ballot box, in november, vote for the party of your choice, when you are not pleased with how things that is how americans express that, power of the ballot. host: mrs. valdez. caller: good morning, mrs. nelson. i have a point about your demographic comment. fact, it is going to change, like you said, as far as in a ncerned, growing up mexican family in california, the i saw in the 60s how

shift of things that we used to subserve iant part of sxoet controlling it is state, we move east and president trump has been successful at, that somehow ple we're going to take stuff over. he's partially true because things aren't going to be like they are going to be. nothing has ever been done voluntarily, women's rights, gay rights, has ity always been a struggle. asking, now we're going to start taking or it might be time for payback. you.k guest: well, i certainly don't agree with payback, but thomas have said the tree of liberty needs toy from time to time. and revolution, again, doesn't have to mean that we're pointing each other or doing violence to each other,

revolution is in your mind, it idea, a movement, it's a think that for latino americans and immigrants country, california has certainly been a state. san t to college there in diego and things have changed a lot in 30 years. o i think you're right, there is a shift and it does scare people and if you listen to the our country, what is our country mean? means. know what that i want somebody to call and explain it to me. i don't like that language, it country and immigrants are a part of this country and have always been. the rule of law? absolutely. we have laws and we ought to i or and respect them, but think on this daca issue and other issues, again, congress is they are just , punting. people, this is not how this is supposed to work. them to do a job up there

everyday. they need to do it. not doing it. sir, things are changeing and sisters,no brothers and it is a new day. i want to see more of you in law firms merica, where i see zero or one maybe or change.that needs to we need to work on not just liketic jobs and things, i to say the latino community, where the black community was more, y 50 years ago or meaning that we were domestics, frican american women and men working sanitation, etcetera. we have moved up. i would like to see that. author of a nelson, "e pluribus one: reclaming our founders' vision for a united america". can find out more about her. thanks for your time. coming up, we'll take phone in open phones until 9:30. republicans. for democrats, 202-748-8000.

independents, 202-748-8002. coming up 9:30 eastern standard time, a conversation montana lt. governor, mike pence, who will join us live via c-span bus on the "50 capitals tour." montana lt. om the governor at the bottom of the hour. k monday on landmark cases, versus united states. a phone booth.in the supreme court expanded american's rights to privacy the fourth amendment and forever changed the way law enforcement officers conduct investigations. guest to discuss this case are jeffrey rosen, president and .e.o. of the national constitution center in jaffer, phia, and jamal and director of the national

security law and policy program. mason university antonin scalia law school. watch landmark cases monday, our hashtag is landmark cases. follow us at c-span. we have resources on our website for background on each case. companion link, link to interactive constitution and cases podcast at c-span.org/landmarkcases. > sunday on c-span's q&a theoretical physicist and author talks about his career in latest book, s "the future of humanity." nature ism for mother extinction, if we don't bid right under our feet right now, bones of the he longer walk the surface of the earth.

we are different, we have can see the s, we future, plot, scheme, plan, so evade we're going to this conundrum and maybe need an but we insurance policy, that is why this book is different from the books. the other books talk about the steps, but what is the goal. gold up he pot of there? eastern onay night 8 c-span. "washington journal" continues. host: on the facebook page post and post on our twitter feet at c-spanwj. ouse energy and commerce committee announcing on april 11th, they will hear from the c.e.o. mark zuckerberg. "wall street journal," more tariffs on china.

bob davis reporting imports for 25% levees range from high value-added goods such as medicine and medical tools to machine tools and chemicals by trade to release representative. none of the tariffs go into effect immediately and may never be if the two sides agree n deal to open china to u.s. imports. companies have until may 22nd to raise objection. scheduled for may 15th. the he -- that war was lost by foolish or incompent people who represent the u.s. we have deficit of $500 billion per year and another $300 let's this cannot continue. president trump saying in that weet that border laws on another matter, border laws are weak and those of mexico and strong.re congress must change the

they want nd others, peep toll pour into our country, all checked. ine, all capital with exclamation point, we will take strong action today. of the m the president united states. randall is the first call on is in texas, e independent line, dp ahead. i was listening to mrs. nelson and her talk. hu hun. caller: i think we in america confused. we are republic, small number of the rest andted by the greater number of citizens country would say extend technology of modern now, we don't have to do that anymore, we can have a democracy ithinian democracy, a book called "faction free jerry hamrick,

"fashion-free democracy," tells go back to n washington's school of thought nd washington -- george washington said one for every should have a we representative. 20s and oze off in the now we have lobbyists, just right and m left and never hear the press call on lobbyist names or anything. fairfax, virginia, you're next. caller: good morning, pedro. host: morning. follow-up on o ecent caller about fox news misinforming, brainwashing a large number of people. the president is also by nformed and brainwashed fox news and recently a major contributor left fox and wrote an editorial about how fox longer a news organization, but a propaganda

to have d i'd like you that person on or somebody on to tell these people that what hearing from fox news is the reason so ignorant on ppear your show. host: headline of "washington ost," headline reading about interest in military troops to guard border with mexico saying who ials said mr. trump last week floated idea of using entagon money to find a border wall export plan for national uard plan on tuesday afternoon meaning with general mattis, homeland security secretary and of the joint chiefs of staff, the president's ire the t been stocked as aravan consisting of 1500 migrants makes way across mexico, intent on reaching the united states. in the washington times, headingof some migrants

across the picture, caravan at soccer field. caravan is ng the theme for three days running, he threatened nuclear strike, negotiations over north american free-trade agreement. also threatened to reduce honduras, home o country of many of the marchers. from there, oes on you can read that in the "washington post." "washington post" highlighting story looking at president and special counsel robert mueller. the special counsel informed president trump's attorney he is continuing to investigate the resident but does not consider him a criminal target n. private possible n about a presidenti

2016 election, prosecutors view someone as engagedwhen that person under contact under -- to bring , not charges. heather in springfield, illinois. you are on the independent line. go ahead. caller: hello. hect hi. caller: america, please hear me. 63-year-old woman with a i can d knee braces and hardly walk, let alone run. entered my heriffs home as they decided they would. i told them they could not and to, we could wanted stand out on the porch and get a by all means, n you can come in, i explain to hem the constitution and revolutionary war and i asked him to read the words on their

cruiser. but they thought i called in a andalism call, someone was throwing stuff at my home. i called them and they -- i must have thought i was crazy and decided i had to see the emergency room to a mental health professional. host: okay. cornelius, in alexaale alexrialouisiana. caller: i love c-span, i love to you on. martin luther king jr. being a republican in louisiana and i can't understand blacks, we were all then weans at first and became democrats, i think because of what r.f.k. and .f.k. did for african americans, but we are epresented republic and i hope blacks look at the republican party again.

i'm a pro-gun guy. pro-life, and stuff like that, pedro, but i believe in legal in gration, i do believe legal immigration, not illegal immigration. martin luther king jr. would feel sad about the black our families aren't together and stuff. we took the pledge out of school nd that is why we have school violence and stuff. i can remember we used to carry guns to school when i was going to school. we would go duck hunting and deer hunting right after school, edro, we didn't have no gun-free zones. host: got you. north , greensboro, carolina, republican line, hi. caller: yes, good morning. thank you for taking my call. would like to somewhat a little comment on the last

caller from illinois, i believe where he said he's from. retrospect of n dr. king, rest his soul on the 0th anniversary, he would be devastated, as well as the heavens above looking down what this earth on today, destruction, death, homicide, unnecessary. laws, the people who are in power, such as mr. trump in administration, worldwide, know that taking another human period.wrong, we want new change, we want that people could gravitate to, but if you look at from all the firing and replacement of career

rofessional educators, people in the military, career for many careers politicians of for years and as soon as he gets in, dismissing them based on views, disagreement, it's ust unbelievable how this is being accepted. host: okay. jeffrey in north carolina. the next n phones for 12 minutes or so. 202-748-8001 for republicans. for democrats. independents, 202-748-8002. several events happening today with the 50th anniversary of dr. king's assassination, couple on c-span. a longer one starting 4:30 this afternoon, you can see on th anniversary, several people connected with 8:00. fo 4:30 to 8:00 on the companion network, -span3, another forum, live tonight 8:00 taking a look at

major events since the for sination, implications today. if you want more information about either of the programs, go at c-span.org. virginia is next, hear from pete lovettsville. good morning, perdue. the caller two callers ago, i call in, don't state my race, is what i like about c-span, you can't see my race and you don't really ask. the fact with him, i agree, the community has been put down and keep themselves down by voting democrat and i think they could come around and vote little more. you read, paragraph the machine tools, 75% of your audience probably wouldn't know was in this e tool day and age. that is a sad case we don't make anything anymore. the immigration front, again,

back to the caller, two callers work in the construction, residential and heavy construction and there shouldn't a man or woman that wants to ind a job in this country shouldn't be working. i mean, 90% of all the people i everyday, hour by hour, right next to are either or minorities from some place other than america. show up in see, i job sites and english isn't the poken language, up to the crew leaders and site foreman. host: got you, pete. thanks. daca figures, new daca figures in washington times this 64,000g, saying more than illegal immigrant dreamers applied to renew their status program.e daca since federal judge ordered trump administration to restart program, about half have been approved with others data from ording to immigration services, all told,

694,000 people being protected. status will expire this onth, of those, 120 have renewal application pending. 26 2680 have applied for renewal. who have renewal applications pending are safe from deportation, even if they not been reapproved, according to the government. when it comes to healthcare. abbey goodknow talking about figures from the affordable care act, trump administration said on tuesday 11.8 million people for health insurance through the marketplace for 400,000 fewer than last year. small, was relatively -- entire decrease came

states that use the market-run plight federal healthcare.gov. if you go, it gives you dollar figures attached to this. agency final he enrollment report, monthly marketplace customers before any subsidy $621 from 476 dollars, subsidies are covering about 86% of the premium cost for those who qualify. from new york, this is susan. line for democrats. caller: hello. host: hi. aller: are you talking to susan? host: yes, you are on. caller: oh, my gosh, thank you so much. i love your station. number one, talking about healthcare, real quick. 40s.e a daughter in her she was a single mom, she went to school in new york city, show to new jersey and became an -- came to where i'm living, registered nurse, she's a teacher, she can't get a

ob in either one of those, she works for a law firm. she can't get healthcare, she's alone, she hildren 1.ns a home, she's a type country. it is life-threatening, she has to go to canada and pay $30. the other thing is, i'm simple, i don't even have -- i have high education, i left early and went and got a ged, i'm not 76, i got son, i'm health issues. but, if you watch the news, you have to be smart. his man, in the white house, i say they should paint a plaque, his man is sick mentally, he is. it does no good to pray for him, a simple person could understand, listen to people who know what they are talking precious -- and

putin's face, you know, i'm not smart, but his eyes are empty. host: okay. that's susan from new york calling in. jerry in michigan, republican line. hi. caller: hello. called is i think that president trump is right about putting the troops on the border. we have to -- people ave to realize we have sovereign country host: okay. caller: i think mexico is sovereign country, i respect that. remember when the sergeant went across the border by accident and he got arrested, it out. two years to get him but they had to do it the way legally and i think we have to respect our borders i don't think anybody in the democratic party seem to want to respect our border. are a sovereign nation, thank you for letting me say that.

host: jerry in michigan. showed you the story about the texas senate rate, and ted raised 13.2 million, this fernendez, it says began re-election campaign favorite political backdrop, the red neck -- downtown houston. "tough as th backdrop,texas," bout resilience in the aftermath of hurricane harvey there is a real choice for the texas mr. cruz told a local television station there. "wall street journal," this morning, talks about women running for office. writing, record number of women are lining up unlike some predecessors, gender. telling their narja, in wisconsin and

in maryland, appear breastfeeding their babies. candidate in chicago, has described being sexually child, marine veteran in kentucky launched her recounting how men told her she couldn't become pilot. the hter story is mostly democratic, but republican women are keeping of congress. epresentative in arizona, former fighter denounces "bs," g.o.p. leaders to grow ovaries. she is a party favorite in ennessee the front runner and raised more than any other candidate in the last quarter of 2017. new fairfield, connecticut, independent line. joe is up next, hello. caller: hi. i am sorry i couldn't get

theygh with sophia nelson, were talking about a third-party run and her as president. he was saying how difficult it would be and the only point i king to make is that dr. knew his task would be quite difficult, even ife-threatening, yet he continued and did pay the ultimate price. i would advise her to confront difficult problems, those problems that are difficult are be able to m to solve. it is difficult ones they don't go on. a third party, it's president trump. he represents neither republicans nor democrats. although he has not been represented real well, i believe third party, nobody really supports him fully. thank you very much. georgia, marvin is next, republican line. yes. i just want to say about this fake news, is that i i watch msnbc, i watch

cnn will do all they can to make trump look bad. they will say -- we have this from an anonymous esource, president trump -- martin luther king jr.'s bus over, when he walked through the house, that was fake news. find somebody, to me. fake news from gastonia, north carolina. caller: yes, let me get off my fast. real point number one, all whites are ot racist, a lot of whites are complacent with white supremacist policy. eye to it blind because -- number two, vote

for one reason and one reason only, laws. get it right now. democrat's right -- didn't pass no law for equal voting laws, start with that. not because ideology, passing law, republicans, we'll vote for you. you don't pass laws, we won't vote for you. three, worship -- christianity has never done anything for black people, i that is the t, biggest, biggest problem. call 't have no color and them black. host: okay, okay, leave it there. last call for this topic and you all e been telling morning, we've been conducting a bus tour of the 50 capitals of it stopped 26tes, today, that will take us to helena.capital city of mike up after the break,

ence will join us above the c-span bus. >> monday on landmark cases, katz, versus united states, a the e was recorded by f.b.i. on sunset boulevard in a telephone booth. decision e court's expanded americans' rights to privacy under the fourth changed and forever the way law enforcement conduct investigations. rosen ins are jeff row hiladelphia and jameel jaffer, director of the national security law and policy program, mason university antonin scalia law school. join the conversation, our

hashtag is landmark cases. follow us at c-span. and we website urces on our for background on each case. national the constitution center interactive constitution and landmark cases podcast at c-span.o c-span.org/landmarkcases. >> joining us now, we're pleased lt. governor mike cooney on the bus, he's a democrat. lt. governor cooney, joe biden was recently in your state, what political message to democrats there? lt. governor: we were very lucky come e the vice president and speak to the democrats and his message was that there is a

are going on that we need to take governing seriously. we need to be able to get out the story of what we stabb we do, if we're true to ourselves and the eople, we can win future elections. so it was great to have him and to have the treat vice president come to montana. you during that visit, montana is far from a red state. lt. governor: right. right. a lot of people, if you don't montana, youory of just assume we're out in the here are states out red. montana is really been a very urple state for many, many good we've always had a mixture. republicans control the most statewide offices, result of the last

election. montana dent trump won by 22%. but there were a lot of people voted for president trump, who also voted for governor bullock, and myself, that just says a lot about the people and how thoughtful they are in when it comes to electoral politics. host: lt. governor mike cooney been serving in state office 1976, in a variety of positions, we'll go through those as we go through the morning.this lt. governor cooney, we're aking up to potential trade -- potentially happening, how does that affect and agriculture and mining aspects of montana's economy? know, it is ofyou great concern, in fact, just had lunch with a group of young farmers.

kids and ing young their families, who were in town for an awards ceremony. they were doing posters and the benefits of agriculture for the people in this country, as well as state montana. sitting there and talking to those folks about the potential tariffs and the trade war that we're looking at, they're scared, very scared, it could impact on their livelihood. hey are worried about what countries like china will do. if they put tariffs on some of known ducts that we are for growing and producing in havena, it will absolutely an impact on their livelihoods and they have very little so it is er it and frustrating, it's concerning and they're watching it with great in the governor's office. host: about a million people

10 in montana, about million people visit montana every year. how important or how big are the and timber and mining industries in montana? still as big as it used to be? the as big as ot it used to be. we are fortunate to be a natural is very state, that important part of our economy. but we're seeing the economy seeing a hange, we're lot of growth in technology. know, we've got a great ph otonics industry developing here montana. it is changing, we want to keep development, we want to go ahead and grow the best agricultural products anybody in the world and our timber, just had a meeting over montana with lumber purchased by t

another company and it was very exciting. we have a lot to grow on, but at -- we e time, we can't, need to look forward and we have to grow in other areas and we've been very lucky to be able to, i think make real progress in that area. montana has been discovered. i can just tell you that right now. there are companies and people are working for these companies who want to live in a montana that offers the great outdoors, air, unities, the clean the clean water, the recreational opportunities that we have to offer. and with technology as it is oday, people can come here and do business all around the world. we are seeing real growth in areas, as well. host: mike cooney has served in for na, secretary of state many years, as well, and now

governor. 202-748-8000, if you happen to be resident of montana and want this opportunity to talk to your lt. governor. lt. governor cooney, a topic we don't talk about often on the "washington something ut important in montana, that is aboutnd water management, 5% of montana is controlled by the federal and state management and water is important and you're key in that. governor's droubt and it is, water is incredibly important we are.who we are very concerned about our water, how we use our water in

resiliency, last year we went through a severe drought. sure, you exactly know, what we're, how we're going to see this winter, we're having a lgs winter in the springtime here. we're not sure how, you know, kind, we know we have record snow, we're hoping it will melt off when it is to, but last year we ad the same sort of situation, we had -- didn't have spring rains, we had a very warm wind, created a drought in the whole state , followed up with asty forest fires, not just ires in the forest, but we had a difficult time even though we county.reat hop this is something different,

rains, i mean, is, water is a resource, important to who we do in this we state. if it is not used wisely and we don't care for it, that will be very, you know, bad thing for us. so we're working very hard to to sure that we're able meet our needs, as our population grows and our ndustries change and we have enough water to serve our people. at the same time, we're a state, as i said. we have to be concerned about how we deal with this because we for many other parts of the nation, that is a responsibility we take very seriously. so yes, it is something we're concerned about, it's something time with and f it also involves our land water and land go hand hand. host: what is the relationship guns?n montanans and

lt. governor: guns are a part of our culture, we're an outdoor talked about earlier. you know, we -- when you come to typically come here to enjoy the outdoors, fishing and hunting. families here are involve said in those sorts of activities. hiking and enjoying it. guns are a part of our culture. the e same time, i think majority of people who have guns, we hunt in our family, responsible. e respect, we respect the guns and what they are to be used for. we are he same time, immune from the that occurs as a result of gun. welle dealing with that as

as other parts of the country at the same time. governor, i read glacier national park, most visited place in montana, by the way, they are melting a little bit. accurate? lt. governor: yeah, i mean, no question, we've seen the glaciers recede. i remember, you know, former al gore came to montana and made a trip up there with the purpose of looking at having a rs and discussion with experts, yeah, hough question we're seeing change in our climate out here droubt with our situation. the fire season is longer, than harvest or be when you go up to

glacier, dwlis -- you can't is e with the fact that happening. ost: 202-748-8000 for montanna residents. 202-748-8001 for all others. frank, who is m calling in from clarksburg, west virginia. hi, frank. you doing today? t. governor, i got a couple questions to ask you, but out of uriosity sake, i was just wondering, i fly fish, it is not real good here in west virginia, involved with r. franklin aliverio, he used to come to montana more than he should, but having said that, i that you all manage your water and your trout in a situation to where you have regulations on the water in gets too warm for the fish.

and also, another question, i ask, i wonder if you have any idea what part of economy is based on fly fishing? answer off the air, thank you, god bless, have a good day. you, frank. lt. governor: thank you very much, frank. manage have to fisheries, for instance, a ouple years ago, rivers were running lower, temperatures were running higher, we will regulate ways.n many different we can literally close down parts of rivers to prevent happening simply because it is too much of a stress on the fish population in area or there is a regulation which i get a kick owl registration, means, you can -- hoot owls are out. it is a term used quite often. we do try to regulate that in

our to make sure that population of fish, whether trout or some other population species of fish, so they're know, vily impacted, you because it's easy to have a real fishing our population. t is an important part of our academy, especially in the summer. i'm sk for how big it is, -- we e i can tell you had 12 million people visit montana last year, that brought over 3 billion dollars, over 3 billion to our economy. o when we talk about our outdoor recreation economy, it a very important and it is economy.art of our let me step away briefly from he fishing part and just tell you about one community that we have here in montana, a little

ommunity up in glacier and flathead lake area, called whitefish. they developed a trail system up is a multi-purpose trail, about 55 miles long. in little trail brings about $6 million, creates about is obs and of those -- it about $2 million going directly that area.in fishing consider fly and hunting and just the outdoor experience, the wild land to rience we are so proud talk about here in montana and share with people all throughout is very big part of our economy. so frank, thanks for the question. to the at kind of goes land management question, again, is controlled by the state or the federal the nment, how complex is relationship between usage of federal lands and how the -- ral government manages

land? and i governor bullock work to be request the intricate of our state. we try to have a good working relationship. see esn't always mean we eye to eye on everything, but we certainly try hard to work together with them to solve some of the more nagging problems occasionally. you know, i just think, if -- you grow up when here and you decide to come to a state like montana or anywhere you are usually coming out here because of quality of life and what we have offer. and so we have to have a with the, they hold land out here. you know, for instance, when we ere having the fires last summer, fires don't know boundaries, they don't care if

land federal land, state or private land. we were working with them on a know, basis trying to, you help manage those fires and i not every decision made by the federal government we agreed with, but we also decided we weren't openly.o challenge them we worked with them behind the scenes and continue to work with the on lessons learned from experiences we had last year and so i think that is the kind of build nship we try to with them. it doesn't say that we don't have our disagreements, but we to work out those disagreements because you just relationship and the ownership of the land in a montabba, watt trying ard to work in the federal government. host: is it helpful to have ryan as secretary of the interior?

lt. governor: we would hope so. other for a each while. the governor has a good relationship. with each nd talk other. it doesn't hurt and i think he tries to be mindful of the needs of our fellow montanans and so that going to make relationship work as well as we possibly can. ost: mike cooney began political career accidentally working for senator -- long-time senator max baukus. "washingtone on the journal." caller: yeah, hi, peter, hi, mike. professor ersity here, graduate of fordham. on uld like a little advice the public education thing. 've run mike, in arizona, and montana is excellent as far as publeducatis

concerned. out standing schools, really bozeman hool necessary and also in mazulah. and my we supported a ashland, we had a chance to visit. will hangup here, what advice can you give me as a candidate in arizona in terms of funding arizona and ion, nevada are the bottom two statistically for funding education. hangup and listen to your comment. lt. governor: thanks very much for the question. first of all, governor bullock nd i, we constantly say and truly believe that education is the great equalizer in the state. doesn't matter who you are, it doesn't matter where you come from, it doesn't matter what paycheck is, everybody is entitled to the same and quality education, it is something that we've worked very hard on.

compliments your about our structure. i am the proud father of a high in helena.her here so i'm very in tuned with how education is. i'm a product, as is the public , of montana's education system. it is something you have to work on. to dollars mes down and we've been very lucky, the a partner in education, the local school districts are partners, we've been mix, nate to have a good locals need to step up, orl they in and pay their portion and the legislature, it is always a struggle because money in state a struggle legislatur legislatures, but we tried to a structure that takes long-term approach to funding education. it always needs to be tweaked, needs to be looked at

and something always discussed legislature. i just think you asked for my advice and how to go about it, i montana, we appreciate it, we want our kids to have the best education possible. we want to make sure that prepared to go out into this world, regardless of what want toareer they might pursue. background that allows them to do that. the other thing that we in at, too, notlooking verybody is -- will want to go to college, we have to make sure they have their opportunity, we ave to look at things like apprenticeship and on-the-job training opportunities. make sure we're giving exposure to our young people to great opportunities, they can, you know, stay in montana, if that is what they raise their family, work and have a quality life. thing for important

us. in montana, graduation rates are oing up, we're seeing, you know, challenging our young people to do better and they're challenges.e internet connectivity in the schools is growing and that is a giving them t is the opportunity to be connected in their education. even looking at things such as kids going to the governor and and the first lady have worked very, very hard to try to issue and make sure more and more kids are coming to having the opportunity to get breakfast, so prepared to er learn. saving them nt, money in college and exposing ideas and opportunities that they didn't even know existed. o those are some of the things that we've been doing and i think it's helped add to the

quality education that we're to provide, but i will say it is always a work in progress, something we always have to be on, we're very proud of our public education system in montana. 26% of montana's billion iset of $6.4 spent on education. morning.waukee, good caller: good morning. thanks for having me. cooney, my son worked for miller brewing company and was a district manager out mizulah, montana. in 1992, he and his family were in the paper, black history month. and my husband and i came out to visit your state and it is a place.ful we just travel all over with my son and his family, as far as we could go in montana, you have a

beautiful state and my husband the fishing and education is excellent. educationn was in the system for two years in montana. congratulate you for having a beautiful state, keep orking on it and thank you for taking my call. bye. guest: thank you so much, tina. greatly appreciate that. i love to hear it. didn't even pay you to say that. please come on back, we'd love to have you come back. ourselves on trying to be friendly and open and we just having people, not only from around the country, but from around the world visit so we can show it off. host: historically chief joseph, lewis and clark, general custer history.ontana your border with canada, is this any protection or any fence or up there?

lt. governor: there is a border crossings, since 9/11, you do now have to have a the ort to go across before which was -- 9/11, we didn't have to have a passport, it was pretty open, free.y it's now and certainly with kind f the nature of the world, things have tightened down quite a bit. we still have a very, very relationship in canada. montana borders three of the provences in canada and we have, you know, canada is montana's partner.rading so since i've been lt. governor, canada, t time up in visited n calgary, and areas to see how they do it. gain, when we talk about water in montana, water is shared with anada, that can pose interesting challenges at times, but overall, we try to work

out and we have an open dialogue, open conversation with them. and so we consider them an partner. when they are doing well, we're usually doing well. when we are struggling, they are typically struggling. we're very connected. tourism from f canada and montanan guess to canada to see the beautiful country. it's a great relationship. it's a very important relationship and one that we're build and ntinue to work to expand. ost: robert in brooklyn, hi, robert. caller: hi, good morning, governor. two quick question. first one, when are you going to nvite nancy pelosi to come to montana? second one is that nancy pelosi weekend, she first over 17 by the en and children israel government and over 600

hurt. when she come back, will you ask her what kind of effect it will on her -- nancy pelosi wasn't there, but [indiscernible] -- in your paper, none of your governors or it, could ak about you speak about it, please? political question, lt. governor cooney. lt. governor: i had a hard time understanding what the questions were. you repeat it. host: opening question, when are pelosing to invite nancy to montana? lt. governor: my goodness, well, nancy pelosi, as well as anybody would certainly have the bility, we'd love to have them come to montana. we'd love to talk to her about, you know, our priorities and the things that are important to our people. to don't know that we need xtend an invitation to mrs.

pelosi and we'd love to have her any time. delores in beachwood, ohio. good morning, delores. hi, am i online now? host: you are on the air, please ake your statement or ask your question. caller: well, i heard earlier in the program that you said that really find that education is the key for the future and hi.n actual ly -- i heard -- host: you got to turn down your t.v. and just go ahead, we are we will give you one more chance, just go ahead and listening.re turn down the t.v., delores. caller: i'll turn it down. okay. that i was asking and you said the education, the money for education -- can you hear me or no? delores, one more chance.

okay.r: host: i apologize, we'll have to cut you off at this point, there delay, reminder to callers that if you do get on as air, turn down your t.v. you are instructed, otherwise you will hear that delay and you you are be sure if talking, it gets confusing. this day, lt.u on overnor cooney, april 4, 1968, do you remember that day 50 years ago? lt. governor: oh, i certainly yeah. host: you were about 14 years old? t. governor: yeah, i was a young person and i remember that dr. martin d that uther king had been shot and assassinated, the country was in such turmoil and as a young wondered what t was going to happen. the country was in such turmoil.

as a young person, you wondered what was going to happen. even in montana, where we feel we are isolated from what is going on in other parts of the country, the isolation ended. it is, what is happening out. were times that do not leave your memory at all. hadmartin luther king such an impact. people in montana were watching what was going on. after the riots, it helped -- riots -- it helped us grow as a country. hopefully, we gain some. we still have a lot of work to dos