report on the state of black america. then primary day preview. ♪ host: good morning. it is tuesday, may 8. the has returns at 10:00 a.m., the senate is in at 2:30 p.m. and tina haskell will continue to make the rounds -- tina has both continue to make her rounds of rhodeh jack reed island. we begin this morning at the other end of pennsylvania avenue where the first lady launched an effort yesterday aimed at promoting the well-being of children. as we take you to that announcement, we're asking for your views on the first lady and her initiatives. give us a call, democrats:

202-748-8000. republicans: 202-748-8001. independents: 202-748-8002. you can also catch up with us on social media. twitter at c-spanwj. and on facebook. a very good tuesday morning to you. you can start calling now. we will show you one of the scenes from the white house yesterday, this from the pages of the washington times. the first lady with the president launching her "the best" initiative. the agenda focuses on improving self-esteem, fighting opioid crisis. there is some of what the first lady had to say yesterday at the white house. first lady trump: as a mother and first lady, it concerns me that in today's fast-paced and ever connected world, children can be less prepared to express or manage their emotions.

and oftentimes turned to forms of addictive or destructive behavior such as drug addiction and suicide. i feel strongly that as adults we should be the best at educating our children about the importance of a healthy and balanced life. so today i am very excited to best," a campaign dedicated to the most valuable and fragile among us, our children. [applause] there is one goal, and that is to educate children about the many issues they are facing today. if we truly listen to what our kids have to say, whether it be their concerns or ideas, adults

can provide them the support and tools they need to grow up to be whoy and productive adults, contribute positively to society and their global communities. host: the new york times talking about the first lady's initiative, comparing it to past first ladies. they write that recent first ladies have poured their focus elle obamaams -- mich was an advocate for nutrition. laura bush championed illiteracy. barbara bush promoted reading. nancy reagan started the just say no campaign. rosalyn carter sought to lift the stigma of mental illness. but mrs. trump has not narrowed her interests. we want your thoughts. democrats: 202-748-8000. republicans: 202-748-8001. independents: 202-748-8002.

usa today in their wrapup of the announcement yesterday talked about the role that first lady has taken in this white house. she has taken inconspicuous approach compared with predecessors, in part because she did not become a full-time first lady and so last june. is more reserved than her immediate predecessors and not entirely comfortable with public speaking. a former fashion model she is multilingual, but english is not her first language. more from the new york times, they write, "she remains an enigma. there is evidence that the public has warmed up to the wife of the president." 57% ofn poll, respondents said they held a favorable view of mrs. trump, up from january. 27% had a negative view. we want to hear your thoughts. give us a call.

james in atlanta, georgia. line for democrats. good morning. caller: good morning. she should be treated just like michelle and her family was. from true that she is russia, she is a russian. host: she is from slovenia. but go ahead, james. caller: he has been accused of -- to me it seems like she is a weak person. how did she come to these united states? isn't it true that she came through prostitution, that she was a mail order -- host: she became a u.s. permanent resident in 2001, a citizen in 2006. she is the first presidential spouse to be born outside of the united states, since the wife of

john quincy adams, who was born in england. liz, go ahead. caller: i thought that her announcement was admirable, however, it just lacks any consistency or role model of those behaviors, skills and other areas she is focusing on for children, when her husband and entire family has not displayed those skills and behaviors and attributes that she is trying to role model for the kids. say anything you do to help children is admirable, and that is why i said it was admirable, but i think it starts with demonstrating that by her actions and the actions of the first family. that is what is disappointing in all of this, it seems like just a cover. she has not addressed many issues that would indicate that she is a role model, by standing

up for what she is actually trying to accomplish with her initiative. host: joe, maryland. line for republicans. caller: good morning. i could not agree more with the previous caller. my comment is, it is just another example of for lack of a better word, chaos and coordination -- on coronation in the administration. she announces that she will stand and help children, the president on the same day announces a proposal to cut the chip program. it just does not make sense. line for republicans, go ahead. caller: i think she is great, her program is good for the children. i think she is an asset to our country. i think she has class and she

ourates the republican - -- party. and i do not think the united states is giving them enough credit, they are not letting them do what they want to do. and i can compare her with the kennedys. she has class, she elevates the american people. and i am very proud of her. host: the previous caller's comments about cuts to the chip program. here is the issue, president trump sent congress a plan that calls for stripping more than $15 billion in previously approved spending with the hope that it will temper conservative angst on the deficit. over half of the proposed cuts would come with in the insurance program, chip. what officials said, those funds expire to last year and are not expected to be drawn upon. an extra cut would come from

money created by the affordable care act. and service delivery models. than are a handful of more 30 programs that the white house is proposing to congress for precision, a process of cutting back money that was previously authorized. lawmakers now have 45 days to vote on the plan, or a skilled back version of it. if approved, the reduction would represent less than 4% of government spending this year. ray is in chicago. your thoughts? caller: grateful as always. listen, not only is she beautiful, but she is just as smart. she speaks seven different languages, wants to talk about kids. and guess what? everybody is making fun of her, how she talks. if they only could talk the

seven languages that she talks, maybe that would set them up a little bit and see how beautiful and wonderful this young lady is for this country. host: more on her background. she began her modeling career at the age of 16, then signed with 18.gency when she was only she took a break from full-time modeling to go to college for a year, then returned to the profession afterwards, moved to new york in 1996. and as we noted, became or took a full-time residency in 2001, got her green card then. here is more from the first lady at that white house ceremony yesterday. first lady trump: let us teaching children the importance of their well-being, which includes a social, emotional and physical health. there are too many critical issues facing children today.

of "bethree main pillars best" will include well-being, social media use, and opioid abuse. together, i believe we should strive to provide -- the need to cultivate their social and emotional health. we can and should teach children the importance of social and it self-awareness, positive relationship skills, and responsible decision-making. once a child understands these vital skills, they will be able to communicate openly with one another, and in still positive feedings -- feelings of compassion and self-esteem. let us teach our children the difference between right and wrong, and encourage them to be best in their individual paths in life. host: we will show you more from

that event as we spent our first 45 minutes this morning getting your thoughts and views on first lady melania trump. democrats: 202-748-8000. republicans: 202-748-8001. independents: 202-748-8002. the previous caller before that clip was talking about seven languages that the first lady speaks. according to cbs news, it is five languages. she speaks her native slovenian, the other languages including english, french, serbian and german. lisa is in fayetteville, north carolina. go ahead. caller: good morning. fromrying to take anything melania trump, but she has not kept to any of her words from the beginning. at first it was, stop the bullying on the internet. look at what her husband is doing.

if you are not taking care of your household, how are you going to help other people's children. and to do what? what is the platform? i mean, she is a beautiful woman. a plus for dress. she cannot hold a light to michelle obama, i do not care if she spoke 20 languages. she needs to stick on something other than that -- on something. other than that, i -- host: that was lisa from north carolina. north carolina one of four states holding congressional primaries today and we will focus on the primary races in north carolina, west virginia, ohio and indiana today. aree last three states states that are considered to be key battlegrounds for control of the senate this fall, so stick around for that discussion in our 9:00 hour, talking to reporters about various -- from

various papers and going through the key races, that is in 1.5 hours. jackie, fairbanks, alaska. good morning. caller: yes, i would like to comment on melania trump. i think she is a wonderful first lady. she is very poised. she knows many languages. she is very educated. i think she is a little shy. i do think that she loves children. her true calling is for children. so -- and as far as the trumps some work with children with the internet and donald trump can do his tweeting

or whatever -- it does not bother me. it should not bother people, it is not illegal. he is an adult. he is not insulting children. and -- so. should not be on the internet all the time. but the phones down. i am 72 years old and that is the way our feel about it. host: an independent, go ahead. [static] sterling? go ahead. caller: hi. i have no objection to melania trump. mimics michelle obama, the platform that she is taking. duplicate of what michelle was being slandered for

in the media, "be best." michelle said "be better." i think she has no original thoughts. and i like how she chooses to copy somebody who is better than her, michelle obama. host: alan, an independent in colorado. caller: i wanted to comment as to how i have no idea how melania trump would even, or can even have an idea of what it is like to raise a child in america. i mean, she is raising her child, however he goes to private school, he has always what typical not - how they are- raising their child. she is never been raised as a child here in america, so i have

i am baffled as to why she is commenting on that. in comparison to the other first ladies, i do not think that she is doing enough. i do not think that she is out there. host: what more does she need to do? what do you mean by out there? caller: in comparison to the other first ladies, she is not voiced enough. we do not see her enough. michelle obama and the other first ladies, they had a very public platforms. and she is not out there. as a matter of fact, this was the first speech i have heard her speak since she has been first lady. host: on twitter, plenty of comments. "i think it is a worthwhile initiative. we should all be proud of our first lady." "in my opinion, be best is an awkward slogan with bullying. i would suggest she start with

her husband, the worst example for our children." "she would have more credit if her husband was not the worst offender of what she is saying she wants." more from some of the wrapups of the initiative announcement yesterday at the white house, at the rose garden. this miller writes in washington times, "she has been treated as an oddity by the washington press corps, who was either ignored or increasingly in strange from her husband -- he strange from her husband. who was treated so harshly was hillary clinton. " in their right up yesterday, usa today notes that her comments on social media are notable given her husband's expansive use of twitter to attack his enemies,

something that several callers have pointed out already this morning. there is melania trump talking about social media use among children. trump: social media can be positively and negatively affecting our children, but too often it is used in negative ways. when children learn positive all my behaviors early on, social media can be used in productive ways and can affect change. i do believe that children should be both seen and heard. and -- and it is our responsibly as adults to educate them and remind them that when they use their voices they must choose their words widely and speak with compassion and respect. host: in this first segment today, we are focusing on first lady melania trump. and we want to get your thoughts on the first lady, the

initiatives she announced. also keeping you updated on other stories in washington, and of the tweets of the president as well. this from 10 minutes ago from the president, "my highly respected nominee to lead the cia is being praised for the fact that she has been and will always be tough on terror. she has been a leader wherever she has gone. the cia wants her to lead them into a bright future." as we noted at the top of our program, gina haskell is meeting with members of the senate today -- gina haskell is meeting with members of the senate today. we will see if there are any updates or comments from the senators she is meeting with. one other tweet from the president that got attention yesterday, but we are anticipating for later this afternoon, he says he will announce his decision on the iran deal today.

that is tuesday, from the white house at 2:00 p.m. and we will be covering that and talking about it with you and getting your thoughts, what the president should announce and what you want him to say, coming up in 20 minutes. stick around for that discussion. in the meantime, your views on the first lady. democrats: 202-748-8000. republicans: 202-748-8001. independents: 202-748-8002. john in tennessee, line for republicans. caller: yes. i would like to just say that i thought she looked fabulous and graceful. guess this show is the beat of the first lady. i do not get you lowlife democrats. it is amazing how you treat people. and then you talk about bullying, and you all bullying every morning on the presidents. he is just -- the president.

he is just doing a good job. he wants to get us jobs where we have an opportunity to -- host: what would you say to those callers who have said that president trump bullies people on twitter and how he uses his social media platform? caller: he is not a kid. he is laying at back to them. host: that is john in tennessee. diane in michigan, a democrat. go ahead. nice, iit sounds very am sure she has good intentions, but everything she is saying about teaching children social skills. that is frosting on top of the cake. after the children are fed, clothed, and educated and in a sound and safe environment, a

healthy environment. schools are in terrible shape. they are worried about parents, how will they pay the bills day after day? we need to attend to the basic needs of children. like i said, food and health care and a home, before we start talking about social skills. i mean, she is just focusing on the wrong place. i think that she could do a lot of help for young people if she would condense her husband. some of these things that are happening, maybe visit this goals and to see what the children, not these photo ops, but really visit the schools and learn the conditions that they are living under. i think she could be more constructive. it is just, she is wasting her time. it sounds good, but i cannot see where she is really helping the children this way. d's views on twitter about melania trump are mostly positive.

"i thing she is a good road the model." "she stays in the background, as it should be." line for democrats, go ahead. ofler: my views are negative melania trump. early on in the campaign, i did not see the segment on "the view," the very early she spoke nd it birther is him -- a believe. she should not be speaking about that, because as you know she is not a u.s. citizen, or she is now, but she came here on a visa that may have violated her employment. and and then was given citizenship. she was supposed to show her papers, but never has. she violated -- she could be kicked out of the country. finally, she has broken -- we should not have a first lady who

cannot speak english. i cannot understand anything. i listened to yesterday's speech and i could only understand a few words. she needs to take an english class. it is not a good representation for this country. thank you. thoughts?ed, your caller: good morning. every democrat caller so far has been a sore loser and using their disappointment in the election to go after the first lady. i think she has done a wonderful job. she has had a lot of statements she has made since he has been president. he has not been given a chance by the press. they have not treated them like the obamas, where everything was soft and cozy and fuzzy and warm. they were never challenged by the press. michelle obama, when he was elected president for the first time, she said she was proud to be an american. they have resentment for the

country and the smug attitude from the left, it just, it is unbearable. the president, what they say about that education system, that is controlled by the democratic party. if they have a problem with it, that is within their own party. i think it is encouraging for kids that the president pushes back. do not take it. stand up for yourself. he is a strong leader and i think she is as well. host: fred in maryland. this issue of how the president uses social

-- has nothing to do with that.

it has to be with the trumps being fraudulent. host: line for democrats. caller: it is my understanding, some of the news media is reporting that a lot of that information was taken from a pamphlet that was sent out in 2014, i think is what they said. commentslet that these had already been under the obama administration. so that might be something that c-span would like to look into and follow up on. host: what are your thoughts on the job she is doing as first lady? i really do not have any particular thoughts on that. thank you. host: earnest, independent. go ahead. caller: good morning.

i want to commend it the first lady. i think the first lady and the president are doing a marvelous job. i hear all these people calling in on the democratic line, with the same talking points. i am 68 years old and the democrats, the platform they are running on they have been running on ever since lbj. i was 16 years old, the same thing they were telling us then they are telling us now. democratic party, not for the republican party. i voted for mr. trump because he is doing the best job, he has done the best job of any president that i have known since ronald reagan. i'm an african-american pastor in the louisiana and a support our president and i am tired of all of the venom spewed by the democrats. and i encourage all black people to leave the democratic party,

because as long as you are a democrat you are going to stay poor, on food stamps, you are going to stay -- of their lives. host: coming up at 8:30 a.m., we will be joined by marc morial of the national urban league, to talk about their report, the state of black america, a report they have been doing for 40 years. how would you describe the state of black america? caller: it is in a dismal state. and it is getting better, simply because of the president, mr. trump. blacks have never had it as good as they have it now, if they were honest. thethey were just -- democratic platform. host: that was ernest. that discussion of the state of black america from 8:30 a.m. until 9:00 a.m. this morning. paul in california, line for

republicans. go ahead. emily inll go to herndon, virginia. an independent. caller: hi, i wanted to call while i was driving my kids to school. i agree donald trump is probably a a bully, as it comes to tweeting. definitely uses an unconventional method. one thing i think we need to consider is melania trump is not donald trump. for anybody who is married, i think it is fair to say that we do not always agree 100% with everything that are spouse -- our spouse does. it is possible that she does not agree with how he is using social media. talked aboutas that with him privately, and maybe this is a way of making a statement that she is not on

board with how he is using social media in this way. host: emily, if that was the case would you like her to be more upfront, or vocal in that or you think this is the most that she can do? caller: i do not think that you as a spouse, i do not think -- i do not ascribe to throwing your spouse under the bus, so to speak, as far as my husband is horrible, he should not be doing this. but i do think, i believe that this is a way of making a statement. and i agree with her. we all could be more considerate of each other, and more open-minded. and have a more civil discourse. the idea is out there and i think that striving to be more civil would be a great idea. host: emily, thank you. lucia in savannah, georgia.

caller: good morning. host: go ahead. caller: ok, i do not have anything against the first lady, because may god be the glory. i am not against her at all, because she is trying, she is try to do the best she can, so what we need to do is just pray for her. we need to pray for her. host: ok, go ahead. do you want to finish your thought? because, ok, because like i said may god be the glory. she is trying to do the best she can. we need to pray for her for god to give her more knowledge. arere not supposed -- we not supposed to judge her, because god says we do not judge no one, we will not be judged. leave her alone. host: tweets from president

trump as we have been having this conversation about -- this conversation. will beident noting he begin with the president of china this morning at 8:30 a.m., the primary topics will be trade, where good things will happen, and north korea where trust is building. the president also saying that john kerry, the former secretary of state, cannot get over the fact he had his chance and blew it. stay away from negotiations, you are hurting your country. that tweet referring to john diplomacy," as the president described it. here is the story noting that the iran nuclear agreement could remain in place even if the president withdraws the united states from the deal, according to the iranian president yesterday, if other participants in the deal provide iran the guarantees it seeks. he said iran will not revive

nuclear development. iranian foreign minister he met recently with the former secretary of state john kerry, who helped negotiate the deal under obama. the meeting set off trump, who railed against the agreement since before he took office. the president talking about shattered diplomacy yesterday, referring to john kerry's meeting over the iran do. gayle is in connecticut, line for independence. go ahead. caller: yes, i think that melania is doing a lovely job. she is taking her time. said it she times came late. the reason she stayed in new york was because her son was finishing up school. and it is cruel to children to

take them out midyear. yesterday was not the first time that she has been actively involved. she has been going to hospitals and schools and is supporting the children. and for one of the callers to say that she came over in a prostitution ring, that is totally absurd. she came over with a visa, she is an american citizen. she is a very lovely woman. give her a chance to be first lady. thank you. host: cj in baton rouge. go ahead. caller: good morning. host: good morning. caller: i have no problem with the first lady. in fact, i think she is pretty intelligent. she speaks what, five languages, including german, danish, english of course -- an i couldd understand her this morning.

she does not speak you bond next t -- ebonics. host: what do you mean by that? caller: people praise michelle obama for how great she does everything. i do not think that. host: what do you not agree with michelle obama doing? caller: for one thing, the obesity deal. you know, i do not think she did that to the full extent that she could. host: what more would you have liked to have seen? cj.ost stephen in louisiana, a republican. go ahead. caller: i would like to say that obama is doing a great job -- melania is doing a great job.

donald trump is not bashing kids. she is about bullying in schools. i think the grown-ups can take a little bit of bashing, that is what keeps us straight in politics. host: what about the callers who have pointed out that, what it shows children about how to treat others, their concern about that? caller: it has to start somewhere. i am sure that you know that this is a good program. she is doing what it takes. these children will grow up as adults and this will retain in their mind. we come from a different generation and there might've been bullying going on in the past. host: do think it is something that can be ended by the first lady led program? caller: i sure hope so, because there is no place for it in our schools. no place for this. we are growing up to be a better country. and i think donald trump is doing a great job. and it the first lady is doing a wonderful job herself. host: deborah simmons in the

washington times takes up the platform in her column today. help melaniagod trump and her supporters, because some want to see her fail because her husband is who he is. if most of them focus on the message, they will see she is following in the footsteps of her predecessors." mrs. trump proposes a campaign in this day in age, refreshing come as children are raising is much pain as their educated parents and grandparents, and shedding blood and taking their own lives when they see no light to teach them otherwise. we are beginning to see the promising light of parents teaching children to be kind, smart and how to be important for their own sake." lisa is in maryland. democrat. good morning. caller: good morning. thed the supporter of

anti-bullying campaign of mrs. trump. despite the fact i find her husband despicable. callers, i louisiana do not know, one of them called her ivana. one of them said the state of black america is dismal. in louisiana, but in louisiana, but c-span should not ask an individual viewer, even though he said he was a pastor of a church, what their thought is on the state of black america, because one viewer cannot speak to the state of black america. i am in maryland, he is way the hell in the louisiana and he cannot speak to my condition. so whatever dismal situation he is in, perhaps he needs to get from under the train and get into reality. thank you. host: tell us about your position in maryland and how you would've answered that question. caller: i am doing very well. i am doing very well.

we all have our struggles, that is not a black thing, it is an american thing. it is also a part of who we are. i have a masters degree from columbia university, i work hard, i am an educator, and how dare he think he can speak for me. you guys should not have asked him that question. let the gentleman from the urban speak to that, because i am assuming his view is broader than some little pastor in louisiana. host: do you think his view on the matters? caller: you asked him. host: do you think it matters that he has an opinion on it? caller: i think that he should of said, i cannot speak to black america. i do not think he can speak for me. host: lisa in maryland, we will be talking about the state of black america, the report from the national urban league. that will be happening at 8:30 a.m. this morning on the washington journal, if you want

to stick around for that discussion today. we will end this conversation about melania trump and move on to a different topic. so much going on today. we want to get your thoughts on president trump tweeting yesterday that he is going to be announcing his decision on the iran nuclear deal at 2:00 p.m. today. so start calling with your thoughts on that, what you would like to hear from the president when he makes that announcement. the phone lines again. democrats: 202-748-8000. republicans: 202-748-8001. independents: 202-748-8002. as you are calling in for this question, we will turn to a white house correspondent for the hill newspaper. jordan, good morning. what is the expectation at this point for with the president is going to say at the announcement? jordan: people expect that president trump will announce that the u.s. is no longer waiving sanctions that were

lifted as part of the iran nuclear deal. the fear is among european allies that that will trigger iran to begin developing their own nuclear program again, raising the risk of conflict in the middle east. so this is what is at stake. i think most people expect this will be a partial reposition of sanctions, and not a full exit from the iranian deal. again, this is what we have to do, wait and see. host: what would that mean, partial sanctions? is that something that congress would have to approve or something the president can do on his own? jordan: he can do it on his own. it means that there was a whole range of sanctions in the deal to get them to the negotiating table to pause the nuclear program. what president trump -- once they did that, the sanctions were waived, they were lifted, but what president trump wants to do is reimpose some of them because he believes iran is not

living up to the terms of the deal. many that happens, iran, people fear it might react poorly and restart part of the nuclear program. and that would be the beginning of the end for the iran nuclear deal. host: we just thought the french president, the german chancellor, talk to the president and encourage him to stick with this deal and fix it. the british foreign minister also making the rounds in washington dc yesterday. can you talk to the lobbying campaign in the final minutes, is there still an effort to try to change the president's mind? jordan: absolutely. it has been a really fast and furious campaign with all of those european allies visiting, and also having conversations with other u.s. officials, about this deal. and in addition to that, the president taking phone calls from those leaders on a weekly basis. but you have to remember that

the president has brought on a couple of hawkish members onto his national security team, who are critics of the deal. i am thinking of mike pompeo who just started, and the new national security adviser john bolton, they are much more is ideal than rex tillerson and mcmasters. so he is hearing critics of the deal as well. host: can you explain why john kerry was speaking with the iranian foreign minister about this? jordan: john kerry was one of the lead negotiators for president obama and securing the deal in 2015, so he has an interest in making sure it stays intact. so he was talking at the united nations some weeks ago with the iranian foreign minister, his former negotiating partner. this angered president trump, raising accusations that he

improperly is trying to influence u.s. diplomacy. hasis really through -- it ignited a fire in the already fierce debate. host: we have seen tweets from the president targeting john kerry, what he is calling his "shadow diplomacy." anything the white house can do to sanction john kerry from doing that? can they shut down his discussions with iranian officials, or is this something that a former secretary of state is allowed to do? supporterse trump have raised the possibility that john kerry violated the logan act, which is an obscure law from the 1700s that bans private citizens from conducting certain diplomacy,, for the united it has never been successfully tried. there were accusations that

those on the trump team violated this law through the transition, and nothing came to pass with that either. so i doubt there is anything that the of ministers and can do, other than criticize john kerry to get them to stop the meetings. host: anything else that you know about the 2:00 announcement coming up, or anybody who will be stated with the president when he does it? to be determined, but i think he will be speaking from the white house, likely to a national television audience, explaining the decision because he remembers that the u.s. intelligence committee believes iran is upholding the terms of the deal. he will need to explain why he is taking steps away from something that his own government believes is being upheld. host: jordan covering for the hill newspaper, the white house correspondent, we appreciate your time. hil.col.com if you want to see s

work. we will also be covering that announcement from the president today. look for our coverage online at c-span.org. plenty of headlines about the president's expected announcement at 2:00 p.m. that is what we are asking about for the next 45 minutes, would you want to hear from the president when he makes his announcement on the iran nuclear deal. democrats: 202-748-8000. republicans: 202-748-8001. independents: 202-748-8002. phone lines are open now for you to start calling in. here is the story from the washington post about the reaction within the world financial markets, of the decision, and what the president tweeted yesterday. noting that the uncertainty over the president's vision has already been rolling. the international oil markets, since december iran's currency

has lost value. uncertaintyrice of has rippled through the international crude market. the price of west texas $70 aediate crude topped barrel on monday for the first time since 2014, the story noting that the fears of the renewed u.s. sanctions, and a fear that they might require international companies to purchase less iranian oil, will face stiff penalties. will experts estimate that they renewed sanctions could it take about 350,000 to 500,000 barrels a day off of the markets, within months, a modest but meaningful amount. more could be at risk later, adding seven dollars a barrel to the world prices. goldman sachs report said that the iran -- that the country exports 2.6 million barrels a day. what do you want to hear from the president? what are your thoughts on how into what he should say? william in chicago, you are up first in this segment.

go ahead. caller: good morning. host: good morning. caller: i think we need to know what is the end game, if he leaves this treaty. i think, i do have problems with this idea of him leaving this agreement, rather. i'm sorry. host: finish your thought. caller: i think that is the first point. the second point is, i'm not the biggest fan of iran. i am a veteran, a military veteran, but i think we need to understand that iran's anxiety toward the united states -- case in point, there is the u.s. military presence in iraq on one side, and on the other side there is a u.s. presence, military presence. just think about if, if russia

had troops in canada and mexico, how would americans feel about that? they would feel uneasy. so these are things we need to think about. about iran's right as a sovereign nation. i will leave it at that. host: do you think they have the right to develop nuclear weapons? caller: -- host: we lost william. kristol in north carolina, go ahead. caller: good morning, thank you. i am looking forward to the announcement on iran. president pulls us out of the deal, i do not think it was a good deal. i think john kerry was a bad representative. i am also a veteran, a navy veteran. president pulls us out of theand i do not approve n kerry at all. he did they -- stolen valor thing. he thought that he could -- it is just a mess.

he is not a good representative. i think i ran should not have the right to have nuclear weapons, because of their rhetoric against us and other nations. i think if we could all live peacefully, that would be awesome. if they need nuclear power for their country to have a good system over there, then fine, but they do not intend to use it for that. they intend to harm other people with it and i do not think they should be allowed to have it. i support our president. go donald trump. host: what if it is a partial withdrawal? what is it reimpose his some sanctions, but is not a full withdrawal from that treaty, would you be ok with that? caller: i don't, i would not be --with that because of their to america and other countries. i do not trust them. they are not trustworthy people. they say one thing and do

another. i think that we should be hard on them. and we need somebody that is tough and will stick to their guns, and make them do what is right by our world. so -- that is what i think. host: president trump making that announcement at 2:00 p.m. today and we are asking what you want to hear from the president when he talks about his decision on the iran nuclear deal. again democrats: 202-748-8000. , republicans: 202-748-8001. independents: 202-748-8002. times going through the deal and its impact on iran in the 28 months since the arrangement went into effect. the inspectors say they have found no violations in the deal, except for minor refractions. sanctions and, restrictions would begin to lift

after a decade. after 15 years, they could produce as much fuel as they wanted. mr. trump has insisted that the sunset clause has put off the day when iran would become a nuclear arms estate. the agreement, he said, failed to address missile capabilities and expanding influence in the middle east, all funded from cash returned to the iranians as as well as itsl, resumed oil trade. mr. trump has told visitors that once the current agreement is destroyed come iran will come to the table to negotiate a new deal. the iranian foreign minister, who negotiated the initial accord with john kerry for more than two years, has a said iran will not participate in such negotiations, since it already spent years doing so. adam is in brookfield, wisconsin. line for democrats. what do you want to hear today? caller: i know what you will not talk about.

he is not going to talk about the influence of saudi arabia on this whole deal. and his decision on it and thought process on it. you have to understand that a lot of this motivation is coming from the sunni shiite conflict and how saudi arabia is concerned about the growing influence of iran. lobbying that donald trump and his people to kill this deal, even before he became president. so he is not going to mention that or discuss saudi arabia or its influence on this decision. i think that is one of the biggest contributors to his decision-making. host: the wall street journal focuses on saudi arabia's goal and what this decision could be for them. so little bit from that. already emboldened by the hard line on iran, saudi arabia has y,ved to dilute iranian swa

and now contemplating troops to stabilize syria, what they had once considered a lost cause. officials have said that they are contemplating how to sell more crude oil to the trump administration, reimpose sanctions on anybody who buys iranian petroleum. saudi arabia and iran are on opposite sides of conflicts in the middle east, saudi arabia accuses iran of arming rebels who deposed the saudi backed government and fired missiles toward the kingdom. iran denies this, but have openly helped assad in a civil war in which saudi backed rebels are trying to overthrow the government. if you believe there heading for war, the rivals are likely to find each other in less direct ways if the deal is it scrapped, according to middle east analysts. samantha is in washington dc, line for independence. such independents. my concern is we have a

president who really does not understand the world order. he does not understand what he is doing to our allies. should this thing blog in our face, there is no reason for our he has -- allies, who especially theresa may. does notof the world have to come to the aid of the united states. this man has us going down a slippery slope. there is no reason for our children to be wind up in a war, which is where he is taking us. he thinks he can negotiate with a smart little boy and north korea who is playing him like a fiddle. he does not get it. the american people better wake up. we have never had more on these

shores. enemies toing our come for us. he does not care. they voted for him. let their children go to war. it should not be another vietnam, where minority children go and are killed while he is out playing with his bone spurs. next.tim is caller: still has done nothing. nothing.eal has done are you there? host: yes. do you think this is not significant. in the 28 months since it went into effect, international

spectators say they have not seen violation of the treaty. caller: that is irrelevant. the money they got from the deal, $150 million -- host: are you still there? caller: yes. the money they got from this deal funded hamas. they still chant, death to america, death to israel. if it was up to them, they would have the bombs flying. this deal should be killed. no good reason they should hang onto this. trump is 100% right. why people do not see the writing on the wall. you are determined to bomb israel -- these people are

determined to bomb israel. --aeli blood, american blood the prior administration was complacent it this. host: on the money you are talking about, it is not hundred $50 billion. not $150story -- billion. here is a story from fortune magazine. 17,story notes on january 2016, the same day five american hostages were released from custody, a jetliner delivered cash -- delivered $400 million in cash. it was not u.s. dollars. the shipment was secret until the wall street journal broke

the story. since then, republicans have assailed the white house for paying a ransom when government paid ransom is bar. president obama denied the payment was ransom. it settled a decade-long financial dispute. at the time, officials may no mention of the $400 million arriving in iran the same day the hostages were freed. a confluence of events of events bound to arose suspicion. $12 billion in iranian assets in our shores. the u.s. returned $3 million to iran. the two nations establish a

tribunal. the major issue was a payment for military equipment made by the government prior to the 1979 uprising. the u.s. band delivery of jets and weapons during the hostage crisis, but froze the $400 million advance payment. -- that is what i believe you are referring to. donna is on the line for democrats. go ahead. thank you for c-span. i love it. i hope trump stays in the iran deal. froms to prevent iran developing nuclear weapons. that was achieved. they have had inspections. they have been keeping up with their part of the deal. as far as the money given to money we gottheir

from the sanctions. is loadedetanyahu with weapons. he can defend himself in a new york minute. he has no business pulling the puppet strings of large governments and telling us what to do with the iran deal. is how i feel about it. host: to assad in washington dc, a republican -- in washington, d.c., republican. problem withe a mr. kerry. kerry is dead. the president of the united the middlerstands

east. themiddle east is establishment of the terrorist organization. ever since they change the regime, they stole from the country. host: on the line for democrats, go ahead. caller: a caller said earlier, trump is feeling the pressure from the saudi arabia government and israel. are we to tell iran how to protect themselves? that and trying to do he gets out of the deal, it means iran will be left to do

what they want to do. a current deal is putting a lid on what iran came through. keep is no need for us to playing police. who are we to impose iran on a way for them to defend themselves? this will create another the --ere in which between iran and the united states will go on for years and years. host: the president makes his announcement at 2:00 today on the iran deal. he tweeted out other things on his schedule this morning. he said he will be speaking with president xi at 8:30. the topics will be trade, where good things will happen and north korea, where relationships and trusts are building on the

issue of china, we have talked about the defense policy bill working its way through congress this week. a story on it from reuters noting jim mattis urged top lawmakers to shepherd the bill to include measures to tighten oversight in investment in the united states in hopes to hampering efforts to gain access to sensitive u.s. technology. he urged the republican chairman and top democrats on the arm the houseommittee in and senate to include in the national defense authorization act, measures broadening the powers of the committee are on -- committee on foreign investment in the united states. he said he supported for investment, but the department of defense -- our allies have

andied our weaknesses are exploiting them today. moving through congress with scott taylor. he covers military construction veterans affairs issues on the appropriations committee. unable -- they were unable to make it this morning. we will reschedule the discussion. we will talk with them -- him as soon as possible. scott taylor a republican from thisnia has appeared on program a couple of times before. we will make that happen for you in the days to come. in the meantime, more of your calls on president trump announcing his iran decision today. eduardo is waiting on the line for republicans from the bronx. go ahead. we lost him. robert is in new york city, independent.

go ahead. caller: hello, john. thank you for taking my call. guys.lad to talk to you i would like to share what i think about the jcpoa. i hope i have enough time to complete my comments. readers inspection protocol proved iran has ceased its development of nuclear weapons. there -- israel was preparing to bomb iran, but the u.s. was put under diplomatic pressure. sanctions,instates will iran restart its nuclear

program? if it does, will israel bomb iran? possibly with the help of the trump administration. why attack on one tanker? caused chaos in the u.s. market. oil prices will soar. trump faces the political damages without diplomatic tools. he will take u.s. into another war. every american should remember one thing -- president trump lies. tomorrow may be the first act in a tragedy where thousands of young, each are out and women young, patriotic men and women die.

it is enough reason in my mind to impeach him. trump is manufacturing a threat that does not exist. host: robert -- we have your point. you started your comments by saying you are a contributor to a publication. i did not catch it. what is it? caller: the brooklyn rail. host: the brooklyn rail? caller: yes. host: what is it? caller: it is a newspaper. host: all right, robert in new york city. steve is in north carolina, line for democrats. caller: good morning, john. think it would be terribly stupid to pull out of the iran deal. i would like to address the lady from north carolina. iran -- the name

of the country is iran. host: on the line for republicans, go ahead. caller: yes. -- one, thisoints deal was never approved by congress. under no, we are obligation. it is not a treaty. the inspectorsl, are not allowed on iranian military bases. anything they declare is a military base -- whatever is on the base, nuclear, whatever -- cannot be inspected. three, john kerry, by going to is negotiating with iran as a prison -- as a private citizen. it is a violation of the rogan act. once again, the democrats --

reasonable points -- three simple points. host: on the line for democrats, go ahead. caller: donald trump really has no idea what he is doing. the iran deal was working. you should leave it alone and stop listening to the net. -- to benjamin netanyahu. no country in the world is a threat to the united states. any country that would dare to use nuclear weapons against the ratedould be of bill are -- would be obliterated. the u.s. has more weapons than all of the other countries in the world combined. it has the capability of striking any country in the world at any time. donald trump has no idea what he is doing. it is all to undo everything barack obama did.

that is all because of racism. andld trump is a more on should never have been elected president -- a moron and should never have been elected president. host: why do you think it is because of racism? caller: the time he got himself elected -- that is all he talked about. he has lied his entire term. foras never apologized saying barack obama was born in kenya. he never apologized for all of the lies he told. he said he had people in hawaii checking records. believed and you cannot what they found. they found nothing. he said there was a report. we are is the report? nobody is -- where is the report? nobody is following up on it. this man lies every time he opens up his mouth.

host: that is leonard in illinois. time for a few more calls in this segment. asking your thoughts on the president saying he will announce his decision today on the iran nuclear deal at 2:00 p.m. from the white house. i want to show you a couple of other stories. the top administration saying yesterday it will pursue criminal charges against every migrant jumping the u.s.-mexico border. putting syria's teeth behind stiffening immigration enforcement. that is how the washington times puts it. parents who bring their children with them as they think across could face smuggling charges, jeff sessions said yesterday. i will go is to have the whole world know this border is not open. do not come unlawfully, sessions

said while standing at the border in san diego. prosecutors have been the exception -- the prosecutions of those who have been the exception to the wall, with most people who jump the border put into civil deportation proceedings. even the entry is an illegal crime and attempting to sneak back in is a felony. mr. sessions said it is time the government started treating them as such. then he is in alabama, a democrat. -- danny is in alabama, a democrat. caller: thank you for taking my call. ahad not heard anything about story coming out yesterday. has israeli spies spying on obama's staffers when they were negotiating this iran deal. i would like to know what is behind it.

host: not a story i have seen yet, danny. my producer can search around and see what he comes up with. frank is in louisiana on the line for independents. caller: thank you for taking my call. should get rid of his deal. europeans are appeasing these people. that's what british did with germany and look what happened. he is doing the right thing. that fall calling earlier saying trump is prejudice, black people were racist. host: why? why do you think the obamas were racist? please.oh,

these people split the white and blacks down the middle -- the whites and black down the middle. shooting,e was a obama was picking up for the black people. he could've been my son and all of this and that guy in florida, whoever he was -- host: what would you preferred the president do in the situations? caller: what situation? host: any of the ones you just brought up. this president here -- host: what would you have preferred barack obama done? caller: he should of stayed on the side of the law. there are some bad ones out there. i guarantee it. are giving they

everybody a reason to write it -- to riot. that was a big mistake. they need to get rid of jeff sessions. host: why? so many must have something on him. --is dragging his feet somebody must have something on him. he is dragging his feet. they need to get rid of him. he needs to be replaced by a woman. bush administration, clinton and ministration, obama administration -- this is a witch hunt on trump. he is not the most perfect person, but he is the most honest person we have had in there for 50 years. it is a shame they are trying to drive him under.

let him do his job. get rid of sessions. that is the way it is. maybe get rid of the iran nuclear deal. they will nuke us. they will knock out new york city. have a good day. thank you for taking my call. host: frank in louisiana. one other story as you continue to call in on the president making his announcement on the iran nuclear deal, the washington post -- oliver north, a central figure in the iran contra affair has been named president of the national rifle association. he was chosen on monday morning after people now -- after the brownell-- after pete

decided not to be a second -- decided not to seek a second term. he is a legendary warrior for american freedom, a gifted communicator, and skilled leader, said wayne lapierre. said -- north will assume the presidency in the coming weeks and has retired from fox news, where he was a commentator. another stories from the op-ed pages of the washington post. jennifer is the author of this. if anyone knows how to sell guns, he does, referring to all of her north. he was convicted on three felonies for the iran-contra scandal that rocked the reagan administration. his conviction was overturned on the ground of congressional

testimony. she writes he is the ideal person to be the public face of the nra. throughout the right wing thrills to the conservative political action conference. he is a truth teller and a hero in this world. oregon on the line for independents. caller: i am calling because i have -- because a couple of the previous collars have me dialing the phone. i am a trump supporter. i hate he is wrong on this iran deal. i feel this deal was a good deal for us. it helped america save face in actuality. iran has every right to pursue

nuclear energy for peaceful purposes. the member of the nonproliferation treaty, he was not supposed to be helping them. the keyword is energy. that single media outlet is not offering fair coverage on this, nor have they for at least 10 to 15 to 20 years -- i thember 2005, every time word nuclear energy was used, we changed it to nuclear weapons. america is bamboozled on this topic. the end result is trump is wrong. . am really afraid john bolton is talking in one thisnd his consistency on -- i cannot imagine him not pulling out.

it scares me. he is wrong on this. host: how do you feel about mike pompeo? caller: not happy, i thought he was quite and cute at his cuteing-in -- was coy and at his swearing-in. i am jumping off the trump trained with mike pompeo and john bolton. host: what would push you off? caller: the announcement today. i hope you hear me, donald trump. i have been a loyal supporter in a very liberal city. it has not been easy. this particular issue -- he is just wrong. the lead headline in story of the washington post story, trump expected to impede iran deal. ther steps toward ending nuclear accord -- taking your calls as the president gets set to make his announcement at 2:00

p.m. today. go to c-span.org for our coverage of the event. eddie, a democrat, go ahead. caller: good morning. that was a great republican caller, that last call. i rarely say that about a republican. we can get along. if we plot -- we pull out of iran, we are looking at a major war. i cannot believe how benjamin netanyahu can speak so freely. in my opinion, lies. i do not know if donald trump was a liar before benjamin netanyahu, it is scary. i am a veteran. i was in the air force in the 1980's. we never had this with reagan. i do not understand. this thing with oliver north is scarier. i do not understand what is happening in america. it is frightening. i do not what else to say.

it would be a terrible mistake if we pull out. host: charlotte in texas, a republican. , butr: i love my president i do not think you should address this problem. he has too much on his plate. i will be honest, i think everybody will be surprised. what they are expecting, i do not think it will happen. host: you think you will stay in the deal? it seems like a lot of the speculation is he will partially or fully pullout -- fully pull out. caller: we do not have all the information the president has. that is charlotte in houston, texas. our last call in this section of the "washington journal." we will be joined by marc morial. he will speak about the state of

america --state of black america . later, we will have coverage of primary day. we will be right back. ♪ >> sunday on to two and day -- on q&a, a professor on his book, inseparable on the lives of inseparable twins. >> you can imagine these are two married couples. it cannot be in the same bed.

when they set up two support households one mile from each other. they stick to this rigid schedule. live in oneay and house for three days with one of their wives. during these three days, he is the master the house. other would give up his free will. three days later, they would move to the other's house. he would be the master of the house and the other would give up his free will. >> did it work? >> apparently, they had 21 children. >> q&a on c-span.

-- and around the country. c-span is brought to you -->> c-span watch history unfolds daily. in 1979, c-span was created as a public service by america's cable television companies. it is brought to you by your cable or satellite provider. >> "washington journal" continues. joining us at our desk is marc morial, the president of the national urban league. good morning. guest: good morning. host: what is the equality index? guest: it is a statistical measure created by the national urban league 13 years ago that compares the conditions of

african-americans, lights, and latinos -- african-americans, whites, and latinos. simple, ifcreate a you will, way for people to understand a complex array of statistics we talk about social and economic conditions. the national urban blackley wants to start on a factual aces --black league wants to start on a factual basis. the disparities between blacks and whites has not appreciably changed. it has remained in suspended animation were african-americans are about -- you look all of the factors, the index is 72% of where white americans are.

latinos are 78 or 70% -- 70% or 79%. it is a convenient way to see racial disparity in american life. host: give us an example. guest: let's look at home ownership rates. we measure what percentage of white americans own their homes. it is about seven out of 10. what percentage of black americans own their own homes? the number is 40%. you have a disparity of 30 points. the equality index will share a wide variety of factors, death rates, graduation rates -- it puts them in an index.

it is why we want to encourage to go -- encourage people to go online and dig in this index. host: the report we are talking can be found on stateofb lackamerica.org. you talked about employment rates. i want you to talk about it. it is something the president rings up, why african-american -- president brings up, why african americans should vote for him. guest: let's talk about the black unemployment rate. everything has to be looked at in context. at the height of the recession, it was at 16 plus percent. about a 16% of

african-americans were unemployed. that was from the first or second year of the obama administration. by the time barack obama left office, the black employment rate had come down to less than 8%. trump came into --ice, it has not come down it has come down about an additional percentage point. it is disingenuous of the claim credit. been.lower than it has it is still twice as high as the white rate. we still have low labor participation rates. we have a lot of people who are working part-time. wages remain depressed,

not just for lack americans or latinos, but all americans across the board -- four black america -- for black americans or latinos, but all americans across the board. marc morial is joining us for the next half an hour. if you want to talk about the state of black america, the phone lines are open. democrats, (202) 748-8000. republicans, (202) 748-8001. independents, (202) 748-8002. as folks are calling in, explain which digital inclusion is. guest: we want to look at the new digital economy that has been created. this entire television production is empowered by various element of technology. technology is changing our

lives. we want to look at technology. it is a modern version of the industrial revolution. it is the digital revolution. african-americans and latinos participating fully with improving benefits of industry called digitization? the answer is a paradox. are moremericans likely to own a smartphone. likely to use social media sites like facebook and twitter and snapchat. when it comes to employment, particularly at silicon valley, technology firms, the big guys like google and facebook and twitter, the numbers in 2014

were less than 2% of their employees. when it out the fact comes to diversity, these companies, which are leading in the american economy, have to do better, need to do better, and we insist they do better. host: what is the national urban league trying to do too promote -- do to promote? than awe identify more dozen initiatives around the country where we are training and preparing people for the digital jobs of the future. urban tech jobs program prepares people in cities across likeation for occupations cable installers or network administrators. where -- we want to

encourage companies to do more recruiting at schools like north orolina or morgan state xavier university or howard .niversity wherever you have, if you will, a pipeline of young, talented men and women who are ready and willing to work in the technology industry. it our report, we have solutions. the state of black america and we propose solutions and interventions -- not just public sectors, but private sectors. host: you come onto c-span and we appreciate it. andrew is first from new orleans on the line for democrats. go ahead. caller: good morning, marc. i still believe you are the best man we ever had.

guest: thank you. caller: i think you are doing a wonderful job. guest: thank you. caller: how is your mom? guest: she is great, thank you. caller: good. god bless you. keep up the good work. kids are called -- are being called the n word. i believe we are all human beings. i am a member of the human race. god bless you. keep up the right work. calling in. you for congratulations to the new mayor down there, latoya cantrell. democrats,e line for good morning. mr. morial, i

have been watching you for the entire time you were the head of the organization. during president obama administration, people cannot and said do not vote for him. if we had supported president obama and kept the democrats in charge of the house and senate, 125 judgeve had vacancies replaced. all everybody -- what everybody -- you said we all own smartphones. i do not have one. if we spent our money -- we spend our money, if it does not help us, we will not do it.

facebook? what do i need with it? i am 73 years old. i have retired. i hear this and i have three sons. my baby boy is a superintendent on the third largest construction company. at&t --lt a city and at at a and t. say i stand around and cannot get this because i am black, they will not hire me because i am black. if he -- leave the drugs alone. get a good education. then, you'll have ground to stand on. guest: let me offer this thought. these phones, smart phones and computers, are not niceties. they are necessities. i was at a retail assessment in a young man walked in and said

, i would like to apply for a job here. the manager looked at him and said, you must go online. we only take applications online. you need to go to a computer or a phone. then often or -- ofthe than not, one cannot function without a computer or phone. thechools, many schools -- teachers are using the internet to give a homework assignments, to give feedback, to communicate with them about how they are doing. these phones and this technology is no longer something we can afford not to have. as we build the 21st century economy, people who work for these companies look like americans. host: the color run -- the caller brought up kanye.

had one of -- kanye the best tweets of all time. this is part of his piece today. liberalism is black people's cigarette. in the immediate aftermath of the civil rights movement, democrats marketed liberalism as a liberating thing. today, it needs a general's warning -- a surgeon general's warning. disintegrated.ve our men have been incarcerated and emasculated. our communities have been abandoned by high achievers. our children are resentful of their elders. black people have no reason to fear political free agency. call: that is what i

standard right-wing talking points. i've seen that editorial at least 100 times in the last 20 years. sincehe last 50 years, 1958, republicans and conservatives have controlled the white house. under nixon and ford and reagan and bush and bush and trump, more often than democrats controlling the white house. it is evenly divided between democrats and republicans controlling the policymaking apparatus. these are not policies of liberalism. our policies of the last 50 years that will put in place with liberal and conservative prodding. cheat liberalism or conservative politics.

liberalism has not considered an alternative to african-americans. candidates do not engage in african-americans, do not visit african-american treaties, except for political purposes. host: is donald trump engaging? guest: he is not engaging in a meaningful day. he had invitations for our conferences and did not to attend. show up and have full ops. it is a serious conversation, not just promoting your views, but hearing from the leaders and representatives of a community about what their perspective is. that is what leadership is. leadership is about engaging and going back and forth. it is important in looking in a critique like that for people to have the facts of the matter, in

terms of who is controlled and who is overshooting the policymaking apparatus. isican-americans -- overseeing the policy apparatus. african-americans -- i should say it this way. we do not find serious efforts by republican candidates running for public office at the national level to appeal to , campaign two, and promote messages that appeal to african-americans. that is just the fact of the matter. you do not get folks by talking about a community outside of the community. by engaging the community. a -- i can paint as equally and aggressively in all communities -- i campaigned as equally and aggressively and all

communities. we were politics like that at the national level, where people do not just not handed to a base. they do not say i have a base. base, promoteo my my policies beyond my base. that is the kind of politics we need in the future of this nation. the nation is becoming more complex. it is more diverse. it is how you run for office more diverse. host: in l.a., an independent, eddie. go ahead. caller: good morning. after listening to this, i am disappointed with our black representation. the black caucus has turned to a carcass. the bone.ned to democrats or republicans do not talk about the black situation. they are talking about illegals. they are doing more for them

than your own people. you have made us second class illegals. this is ridiculous. our school system you are had theabout -- if they education, they could -- you are sending us backwards. guest: i am not an elected official. i represent an advocacy group. helped over 10,000 people last year find employment. tens of thousands of people with afterschool school program and assistance for them to get into colleges. if you will a problem with their elected officials there is -- officials, there is a remedy. out. to vote them the process is elected officials work for the people.

when of the challenges we have across the nation is low voter turnout. a situation we have is efforts to suppress the vote to make it more difficult for people to vote. whether it is suppression or self suppression, it leads to lower voter participation. people who object what elected officials are doing should exercise their point of view at the ballot box. host: do you think the congressional black caucus has been an effective voice for the black community? guest: they are a strong voice. are not as high profile. host: also? guest: they operate in the minority. they all happen to be democrats. bc or cnnnot on msn all of the time. host: why? guest: you would have to ask them. i cannot speak for them. whether it is present reform --

if it is prison reform, they are the conscious. why large, they do a good job. here's what people needs to -- by and large, they do a good job. here is what people need to understand -- have to not represent districts that are african-american. they are present diverse districts. their constituents are not all black. their interest go beyond what may consider traditional interest of african-americans. people need to understand the caucus of today is not like the caucus of 30 years ago. 30 years ago, most black caucus members represented majority black, urban districts in the north and a few you in the west. this caucus is far more diverse. some represent rural areas, some represent suburban areas, some represent majority white

districts. host: you ran for congress in 1990. what was the district you are looking at? guest: 55%, 60% african-american. we ended up with in a runoff election with two african-americans. i was not successful with the election. it was my first foray. i barely missed and that the opportunity to go to the state legislature. host: jesse is in new york, a republican. caller -- a last bull's-eye on that one, man. no one is going to hire me because i am a white guy. it is because i can compete with a marketing angle with double greece to get it done -- with elbow grease to get it done. i agree, they are more concerned registered to

vote for the democratic, progressive garbage to keep them in their condition. you have to understand what that man from l.a. was telling you, man. he hit it right on the head. -- black americans are americans. see, this is the problem. falsehood that every black person is somehow lazy and looking for a handout. nobody gave me anything. nobody gave my family anything. many of my friends and colleagues and people we work with anything. african americans want a level playing field, fair opportunity. -- opportunity, a lot no special no explicit --

every time they turn ahead. they do not want to turn into a coffee shop and be taken out because they are profiled as no good. they do not want to be driving their car, minding their own business, being stopped and pulled out and being harassed by the police. i do not think any white american would want for themselves either. -- i more likely with believe we come in this report, point out, with facts, the continuing disparities that confront american life. host: give us an example. guest: i want to encourage the callers to look at the report. host: give us another example from the report. another metric that you looked at. inst: in the health area is

-- area, it is an interesting metric. 80% of where whites are when it comes to health. that is life span, health insurance -- a common nation of factors. conditionstance, the of african-americans have improved over the last two to three years. we think it is because of the affordable care act and the expansion of medicaid. here's an example of where the obama administration and one of its important initiatives. a difference in the lives of african-americans and white americans by giving them access to quality health coverage for the first time. host: on the line for democrats, go ahead. caller: i wanted to say i am ond to see marc morial

television. we need a black president like him, like barack obama. they talked about how low the black unemployment is. have a have -- he may tiny bit in bringing it down. it is because of previous presidents who had been working on it. we need more black place officers, blacks in the civil government, and doctors. i am glad the black congressional caucus -- lacks are doing good. blacks are doing good. we cannot do any better. guest: it is interesting the question about the congressional black caucus has,. i would incur -- has come up. invitation ofthe the leader of the black caucus to b -- to this show.

there are many members of the congress who are important positions. the public educate about the work they are doing. performs anight now important role. they would be more powerful and influential if the democrats controlled the house. host: i promise we invite those folks to come on. 47 videos in the c-span library. you can catch those videos at c-span.org. the caller said he wanted to run for president. would you ever do it? [laughter] i am touched by the fact anyone would think i could serve as president. host: eric in maryland, on the

line for independents. go ahead. caller: thank you for giving me the opportunity to press myself. i work in law enforcement. there are a lot of blacks in washington, d.c. i'm going to be brutally honest. we as blacks need to do better. the first i want to say -- how many african-americans are born to just one parent? studies have shown every time a kid is born to a single parent, usually a female, there are more

chances he or she will end up in system.on a high schoolhave diploma. what kind of job will you do if you do not have a ged or high school diploma? are you going to compete with the illegals? let's be honest. let's stop blaming everybody but ourselves. host: marc morial. guest: this is a problem with the argument. feeds into the narrative all african-american are without high school diplomas, african-americans are looking for handouts. it is an old narrative people continue to peddle. there are more african-americans with high school diplomas that

any time in history. there are more african-americans with bachelors and masters americanan any time in history. they black americans represent over $1 trillion in spending to the american economy. i want people to see not, if you will, just a problem of black america but the access that black america brings to this all tooand off t often, these narratives are born media and focusing on the negatives. when we talk about disparity, we are not looking for a handout. we're telling you the truth about the american condition, and our job is not to create spin, that things are all great wars spin that things are all that can hit the truth square in the face.

in a report with your company report this- in our year, we identified issues from pittsburgh, chicago, new orleans, atlanta, where the urban league is involved in partnerships that help people become employed, that help people get a high school diploma, that helps people itome college educated, and is very important that we do not fall into the trap that somehow this community, the african-american community, is all sitting on a stoop, looking for someone to do something for itself. and people need to educate themselves. people do not understand the substantial contributions that black america makes in cities and counties and towns and villages across the nation. travel tod that they washington, d.c. and go to the smithsonian museum of african american history and culture. many more americans seemed to be better educated about the positive contribution that african-americans make but

recognizing that that was standing of contribution has exclusiong history of that we still have to fight and work to overcome. host: one last call for you, jason waiting in hyattsville, maryland. go ahead, jason. caller: thanks for taking my call. the comment is for the host. roundtableve discussions on topics and issues, do you see anybody from a black think tank or one of the black newspapers in the area or cato university, heritage, bloomberg, you know, we have five black newspapers that i know in the area, and i never see them on the in terms in terms ofthere the roundtable discussion. host: one, who would you recommend? two, search c-span.org.

i imagine whoever you come up with would be in the library, but for an upcoming segment, who would you like to see on? of them,here is a list you know, off the top of my head, you know, like him on tv one, they have them on all the from thefessors university. -- what istion is never hear talked about is a black united front, ok. enough of the ping-pong politics. miami democrat, then i am a gop -- we need a black political blackthat addresses the agenda. it is not to the exclusion of other people, but we need a third political party that has a black agenda and a black united front that can reach across the pand, grassroots efforts, african some of the nation of islam, all these other

grassroots organizations in the black community that can help so that we will not have to beg a company for diversity. yes, we have that as an option, but still do for self. guest: let me just answer the question he raised, and i think you should consider inviting representatives from the joy , whichof political study is an african-american think tank. there are great studies published here in the d.c. area that are excellent, high-quality papers where i think it could make a great contribution. these papers that have big readership try to operate under the main radar screen. howard university has a great ineup of theology professors, right here a few

blocks away, that would make a great session host: and there are several who have been on the program. guest: i think the caller has made a great point that you guys are working hard here to be inclusive on the roundtable, but i think he makes a great point that more voices should be brought in. host: to this question to you -- guest: third-party said had limited success in the united states getting traction and electing people to public office. in 100 years, the most successful third-party was the progressive party, the bull moose party. we have an independent andy, the green party, these parties have not been successful, in my opinion, in electing people to public office or really impacting public policy in the united states. be an, working together among those of us who want to see the african-american community improvement. what i would say to the caller

is probably a lot more cooperation and coalition building than meets the eye. beetimes the way to effective is to not always pronounce it and announce it on television but to simply work to get it done. i will give you an example. we put together and released and expect to be introducing a bill later this week on what is called the main street marshall plan, which is a comprehensive plan to fix the conditions of urban america. that plan represents contributions of many, many interests and groups across the board. it is not just an african-american agenda, but it has in its focus helping to lift up, helping to grow and build stronger urban communities, stronger suburban communities, stronger rural communities. 's name is the mainstream marshall plan, so keep an eye for the announcement of bad

legislation, which should be introduced sometime later this week. host: and the name of the new report, "the state of black america: 2018," you can find it kamerica.org.c president of the national urban leg, thank you. your reaction, your thoughts on the primary battles going on around the country. life report from political reporters on the ground with races you can watch today. we will be right back. ♪ universityn "q&a," of california santa barbara english professor joseph long on his book "inseparable," about the life and times of conjoined twins. unte: you can imagine these are

two married couples that cannot be in the same bed, and also when they set up the two separate households about a mile from each other, and they stick to a very rigorous schedule. in fact, they will say stay, ang's house for three days with chang's wife, and chang these three days, is the master of the house. he can do whatever he wants to. and his brother will give up his free will. three days later, they move on house, and he will be the master of the house, and chang will give up his free will. it works apparently. they had 21 children. >> "q&a" sunday night at 8:00

eastern on c-span. >> "washington journal" continues. oft: for our last segment our program today, we're talking about a key primary day taking today, andur states we want to hear your thoughts, what races you are watching, is especially if you are in the states of indiana, west virginia, north carolina, and ohio, but we can hear from colors across the country today as we hear about some of the key battlegrounds. we will also talk about a few reporters from newspapers in some of those states today, but we will start by showing you the front pages of some newspapers during the "south bend tribune" in indiana. midterm primary ballots double your talking about the turnout in the state of indiana. fairmount, west virginia, this

is the "fairmont times," today is the day we prepare for the primary. the page of the "springfield un" out of springfield, ohio, "10 storylines to watch in today's election," the election for governor in the state, on also a senate battle with sharon brown looking to see who she will be taking on in the fall. out of "enterprise" north carolina -- "voters settle primary races against." give us a call and let us know you are watching. democrats, (202) 748-8000. republicans, (202) 748-8001. independents, (202) 748-8002. in new york, a republican. ann, go ahead. i am concerned about the

character of this country as a whole. i am very concerned about leaders on both sides, on the republican and democratic side. my main concern is that everything now is becoming collectivism, nationalism. thatl that the races people are running for office really should concentrate on this state. instead of having other people and other special interest groups to put tons of money into a state to pass a bill, collectivism, to have a centralized government, i feel new if you are running in york state, then the people in new york should be voting, not outside groups. if you're are in west virginia, i get very upset when you have, osy, george clooney or sors

of dollars into that particular state of a particular agenda. what is bothering me as an american citizen is there is a big difference between a liberal bureaucracy and progressivism. i consider myself a liberal republican, but i will never be a progressive collectivism democrat. i feel what is happening now is it has become so polarized that all of these outside groups and these outside entities, such as rosie o'donnell, george clooney, and then you have got people, right, andon the far what they are doing is they are destroying the fabric of this mainry, because they hav concern is the special agenda. host: we have got your point. performance again, democrats, (202) 748-8000. republicans, (202) 748-8001.

independents, (202) 748-8002.as we talk about key ohio,es in west virginia, north carolina. post" noting that the primary voters in west virginia and indiana are set to set the future of donald trump's anti-political result, while donna travis there to stir the passions that he helped unleash, focusing on the race for the republican primary to figure out who will be running against joe manchin, the democrat, and the senate race. don blankenship, and his campaign, being closely watched there. the outcome in the contest and in several states having primaries today. shaving not just the future of the republican party but the odds of democratic control in the senate.

democratic incumbents, meanwhile, are facing no serious primary challenges and few potential upsets in swing states. host: we want to hear what you're thinking, especially if you are in ohio this morning, as well as west virginia, indiana, and north carolina. one more headline to show you. "his from the "new york times -- battle to control the senate begins in the trunk heartland. p 36 shifteds how toward trump in the 2016 the regionthe redder in this map, the more the shift in the margin from romney to trump.

you can see very few-areas where the shift was to the democratic party. again, key races will be in ohio, indiana, and west virginia, and for more on the west virginia race, we turn now the "charleston gazette," reporter there. good morning. thank you now for joining us. guest: good morning. host: take us to the primary and explain who is facing off your and who is expected to be leading in the polls at the end of the night tonight. guest: there are six candidates right now in the republican primary. ed jenkins, -- there is catherine morrissey, evan jenkins, and don

blankenship. dependingeally very on which campaign is releasing them and when they came out. i try to avoid the polls, and i think it is anyone's game coming into tonight. host: the president himself getting into the roles, -- race, cannot make it.ship guest: don blankenship with the when theysey energy owned a mine, and the mind exploded, and miners died underground. he did not go to jail technically in connection with wasexplosion, but he convicted of conspiring to violate mine safety and health laws in the months leading up to the explosion, so that explosion was in 2010 through he went to jail and was just released this year, and people are worried that with someone with that kind of baggage, he has a long-standing history of

mine,tory problems in his you might run into some problems like roy moore had in alabama, where this long and troubled history might just catch up with him. host: we've seen national headline saying don bouygues ship is coming on as some of the internal pool. what has been his pitch or his message? now, evan jenkins and patrick morrisey, really everyone in the race, is establishing their latency to normal trump, although one might say don blankenship is the most -- he has this antiestablishment, he is constantly in a feud through the media with mitch mcconnell, he has a checkered label history, outsider really the economics guy. evan jacobs and patrick morrisey have been in politics for some time. patrick morrisey was lobbying in 2010, 2012. evan jenkins has been in

congress throughout 2011. so i think don blankenship is trying to take on the drain the "i am a victim of the war on coal," and really jenkins andcob patrick morrisey as the swamp, if you will. host: president trump tweeting "remember alabama" in the primary. an effort byn patrick morrisey had evan jenkins to cease-fire on each other and turn on don blankenship? guest: no, that has been one of parts isinteresting that evan jenkins and patrick morrisey go at it and add it in all of these debates. they're constantly going after one another, and it was not until this week when people started talking about don blankenship's time in federal

prison, which you would think would be the most talked about part of the race. just yesterday, we asked evan jenkins, do you maybe regret turning so much fire against patrick morrisey and perhaps leaving a door open for don blankenship, and even the question did not get a straight answer there seems to be a calculus that they are both valuable, not from don blankenship, but that strategy remains to be seen tonight. how have democrats and joe manchin try to play this as we have seen all of this fire back and forth on the republican side? guest: the most interesting thing from the democrats as the super pac that has gotten involved, it is called duty and country, and it is listed on the same address of the major senate democrat in the primary. about $1.85ent million on this primary loan. some of that money has gone for

patrick morrisey, but just about all of it has then really pounding evan jenkins, and a lot of negative on him. it seems to have really had an effect on the perception of him. you see the democrats vis-à-vis both washington, d.c. and this known figure, ruth goodwin, a former u.s. attorney, really getting themselves involved in the primary, so we're still seeing how it will play out. host: before we let you go to your primary day stories and the work you have to do around the state, any other congressional primary which we watching here as we look in on west virginia? guest: i think jenkins has actually vacated the seat in the third district, so honestly, i have lost track, both on the republican and democratic side, but you have a lot of interesting names, interesting dynamics down there. the leading democrat is a real populist. he voted for donald trump in 2016, and he has caused a lot of

polarization in the state. meanwhile, you have three or four really well known political figures fighting on the republican side, so we are seeing who will make their way out. zuckerman is with the "charleston gazette-mail." thank you so much. we are taking your calls on this primary day. democrats can calling on (202) 748-8000. republicans, (202) 748-8001. independents, (202) 748-8002. tell us what races you are most interested in seeing the results, when they will come out tonight. steve is in philadelphia, a democrat. good morning. caller: good morning. how are you? host:.doing well . caller: i may be a little off base here, but it has to do with the election straight i think we should get off of the electronic

voting booths to go back to the old standards. and a second party that you want in the house with the senate to help stay, and pull the lever back, case closed, whatever, when the election is over in the evening. think what we are doing with is electronic voting booths dangerous. we have seen that in 2016. i think -- i know that we have invaded by the kgb and the russians, so they are here. where areestion is -- the good shepherds? we need to make sure the good shepherds protect us and the constitution. host: kevin writes in about the

west virginia primary "can't wait to see if west virginia gop will actually nominate a convicted felon to challenge joe manchin." one other tweet from hank says " west virginia might go with poorvil coal baron -- the are willing to work for a guy who does not value their lives very much, so why not vote for him?" earlier, we got a question for a convictedout why felon was allowed to run in west virginia. g,is is from factcheck.or their fact check on this issue. they know that senator ted stevens was convicted of seven of corruption, and he ran for reelection before this article came out. they know that it is popular -- possible for a felon to serve in congress, but the house and

senate can expel any member that they feel unfit or unqualified to serve your they say the constitution requires that members of the house and senate fulfill the three requirements. all members of the house must be at least 25 years old, and a member of the senate must be at least 30 years old. the member must be a u.s. 30 years,r at least and members of the house must have been a u.s. citizen for at least seven years. they cannot disqualify someone from surveying congress. i want to hear your thoughts as we talk about indiana, west virginia, ohio, and north carolina today, primary days in those states. let us know which races you are watching. (202) 748-8000. republicans, (202) 748-8001.

independents, (202) 748-8002. we talk about headlines, talking that donaldimaries trump will reach, controlling the primaries in the states and the election coming up in november. this is some polling from the "wall street journal," a majority say they support president trump more than they support the party. 54% support president trump. 40% say they support the party more. when republicans were asked who do you want to see take the lead in setting the policy for the country, 55% of republicans who responded said president trump. 45% said congress and the gop. ,ne other story to note for you we focused on west virginia so far and mentioned senate races in indiana and ohio.

north carolina is also up for primaries today. it is not have a senate race. today" writes that north carolina primaries are sleepier, and there are no statewide races on the ballot. jonespresentative walter hopes to retain his seat in the eastern part of the state for one final time. the 12-term incumbent faces two primary opponents, craven county commissioner scott dacy and phil law, a former marine. no democrats have filed to host: so the only ones to watch tonight when north carolina results come in. we had to south carolina right now, david is waiting come alive for republicans, go ahead. whyer: i do not understand

you guys are letting that ride. not a felon, he was convicted of a misdemeanor. are letting it passed law that he is a felon -- he is not a felon. host: thanks, david. thompson, dallas, texas, democrat, go ahead. withr: i have no problem this man running, if you get his time, but you need to do something with our president. he lies all the time. anything that comes out of his mouth, you don't believe it. they just need to impeach him and get him out of the way. who is president, every time he opens his mouth, it is a lie that comes out. y'all have a blessed day. host: right is in london, kentucky, an independent.

go ahead. caller: in the primaries, the republicans will end up sweeping -- host: end of sweeping what, brad. caller: their races. there will not be any blue wave because the democratic party has no foundation anymore. host: do you want to add something to that, brad? caller: i mean it will be a republican victory, but it is only an indictment of the democratic party, which is some sort of mutants of what it used to be. there is no moral leadership. it is a train wreck. host: that is brought in kentucky. one of the callers focusing on don blankenship, a lot of focus on the west virginia senate republican primaries has been --

at least the national headlines -- and has started or at least increased after this ad was released by the blankenship campaign. [video clip] hi, i am don blankenship, candidate for u.s. senate, and i approved this message. politicians running crazy as pure they blew up the coal mines and then i went to prison. no subprime there. if you want jobs, you want to bring the drug epidemic, and you want to protect the unborn, you need to vote for me. one of my goals for u.s. senate is to ditch cocaine mitch. when you vote for me, you are voting for the kids. host: as we succumb a primary day in west virginia, indiana, ohio, and north carolina. from voters in those states, what you are television,our getting in the mail. democrats, (202) 748-8000. republicans, (202) 748-8001.

independents, (202) 748-8002. brittany is in ohio, an independent. go ahead. caller: how are you doing this morning? host: doing well. caller: the two elections i am -- i amabout today pretty excited about mitch because health care policy is what i like the most. be treated it should -- that is and not something i appreciate with my neuroscience background. host: do you think dennis can appeal beyond just a primary? caller: i do believe that he now, he has got

corduroy, and he appears to be met and that, at least within a margin of error. i am not sure if you have any other polling that goes against that, but that is what i see. host: we will check with one of the reporters who has been covering the ohio races and the governor's race. if richard cordray wins over dennis kucinich, will you back him in the general election? caller: it's possible. i will look more into it. i am definitely not a fan of taylor, i will tell you that. host: what would richard cordray have to do to win been your vote if he does win tonight? caller: it would be more about ,he health care issue for me the way that dennis goes after that, i just fully support his stance on that issue. host: explain his stance a little more as you understand it. caller: he backs medicare for

, mentaltewide access health care, and really ohio got hit hard with the opioid crisis. i think that if we really are serious about fixing that going forward, we do need to be treating addicts as patients instead of criminals, in my opinion. host: britney, thanks for your call from ohio. phyllis is in montgomery, alabama, a democrat, go ahead. i am hoping that a democrat can be seated. we need them. republicans are not standing up to the president. just comes on tv and says whatever he wants to say. we need someone that is for the right, for what is the middle class, for the poor, and not just for the rich.

host: thank you for the call from alabama. so the three senate seats that are being -- that are the focus of today's primaries -- ohio, indiana, and west virginia -- all held by democrats. so if democrats want to increase their numbers in the senate and possibly take it over, they would still have to hold these seats and gain more and other states. we can certainly focus more on the map for democrats as they look to take over the house and senate. we want to go to darrell and rochester, new york. the line for independents. go ahead. caller: how are you guys doing today? i was just reaching out in response to a couple of the callers, saying that the democratic party is kind of fractured and we do not have strong leadership and things like that, but as an american, it is someone who assert that their country, i have never seen

our political system this fractured on both sides. i am just curious as to, you know, when do we as americans, you know, republicans and democrats, get back to standing up for our constitution and standing up for truth and values, you know, the american dream thing, you know, when do we really get back to that? because we do not seem to have leadership on either side. host: when do you think we will get back to that? caller: you know, it is hard. i love my country. i have a wonderful wife, two wonderful kids, and i teach my children -- my children are young -- i teach them about our country. we are a mixed family. it is kind of hard to tell. i am hoping maybe a light goes off in the white house and he can stop all of the hyperbole and things of that nature. i am hoping that congress can kind of, you know, start to come together and think about, you

know, what is good for the people, all people, not the 1%, not the bottom, but everybody involved. may hoping that, you know, be solves a few issues for us and lets us know, you know, what is really going on behind the scenes, because all of this covering, all of this lying and back and forth, it is like everybody is putting harder for the country. --the bomb is not going to if a bomb is dropped on us, it is not going to be marked democrat or republican. host: now we go to the hoosier chrissie thompson joining us from the "cincinnati inquirer. " take us to the senate race in indiana. how vulnerable is the joe donnelly consider this fall? guest: i am actually joining you from ohio from the "cincinnati inquirer." i am a native hoosier, so i can

talk and little bit about joe donnelly. host: [laughs] yes, talk to us about sherrod brown and the buckeye state. guest: no worries. relativelywn has a strong position in ohio, especially what may be a blue wave here. in most polls, he is up at least a couple of percentage points, if not more, whatever republican challenger emerges from today. so republicans are really hoping know,hey can say, you sherrod brown says that he is a but thatlass person, is not who he is, and they are hoping that they can show more of his liberal positions to turn him off to the buckeye state. host: who is he most likely going to be facing this fall, talking about the republican

primary? guest: the most likely candidate is jim renacci, a congressman from northeast ohio. earliere of trump's supporters, and trump asked him to get in the race to take on sherrod brown. another person running today, a couple of people, but the other contender, his name is mike gibbons. the interesting thing about mike earlys is he was also an supporter for president trump. he made hundreds of calls for him, raised more than $1 million for him, and actually got in the race to help president trump, but trump backed renacci. host: has governor kasich gotten involved in this contest at all? guest: not really. his campaign operatives are

getting but generally tired, some consultants. there are some more moderate republicans or anti-trump republicans behind him. host: a lot of the national headlines are focused on today's primaries being a test to president trump's influence. how popular is president trump in ohio? guest: he has done reasonably well here compared with other states. he won by eight percentage points here in ohio, which is kind of a lot. there are a lot of working-class democrats who are still saying, you know, give him a chance, and , in the republicans primary here in ohio, we have seen the republicans trying to be as close to him as possible, generally speaking. he is still relatively popular here. what house races will you

be focusing on today as he watched the primary results come in? guest: i think the most exciting one of the 12 district, a central ohio district, and it has a special election in august for the general, because in my district, our congressman, who is a kasich aid -- this is kasich's old district -- pat barry then became a congressman. he is retired. replace him is going to be a sort of a form letter for how some of these country.es go in the there are 18 people running. it is crazy. on the republican side and on the democratic side, a leader who is a mainstream politician and then also a grassroots activists.

so those are probably the two contenders on each side, and whoever emerges from at will face off in august and again in november. host: how many house district are democrats looking to put in play this fall, democrats only with four house seats right now in the state of ohio? guest: there are two or three that they have a real shot at, here in central ohio, and then there is a race down in the cincinnati area. chabat'sman s race. there is a young democrat who is running their and is hoping to take down chabot. chrissie thompson is with the "cincinnati inquirer." buckeyeo much with the state. you can check out their work at cincinnati.com.

guest: thanks so much. host: we will talk more about the hoosier say in a few minutes, but we are getting your calls this morning as we talk about primary day in four states, besides indiana and ohio, it is north carolina and west virginia. what races are you going to be watching tonight. ? (202) 748-8000 if you are a democrat, (202) 748-8001 if you are a republican, and (202) 748-8002 if you are an independent. wrought in north carolina, republican, go ahead. caller: thank you. here in north carolina, there is so there seat up, probably will be a low turnout here in north carolina, but i fear this morning giving voice to the party royalty, and the democrats supported president just passing legislation

without even reading it. if the republicans want to give that kind of loyalty to president trump, the democratic party would go more insane than it already is. i think it is funny. i enjoy it. his wrestlingh match. i am telling you. [laughs] rod in north carolina today, one of the four states with a primary today. again, (202) 748-8000 if you are a democrat, (202) 748-8001 if you are a republican, and (202) 748-8002 if you are an independent. this morning, we will hear your thoughts on the upcoming elections for the fall. we talked a little bit with a caller earlier about the various

primaries in ohio, and we will get back to that in just a little bit, but lucy called in from mesquite, texas, the line for democrats. what are you watching? caller: yes, i am watching c-span. host: [laughs] yes, what are you watching tonight in the primaries? i am glad you're watching c-span. caller: i am watching all of them, because we need to get blamend stop playing the game between the democrats, republicans, and the independents. it is not about who you are as far as a democrat or an independent. it is about the people of the united states. it is about the president being fair. it is about the president paying attention to his country, and , he is interfering, and he is playing the blame game. let robert mueller do whatever he has got to do and let the defending of yourself, stand

before the people. democrats are not doing any more than the republicans are doing. the republicans are afraid of trump. you can tell that. the democrats are being quiet. runningindependents is underneath. we need to get back to our basic values and help this country, build this country back, because this country is being torn down from the inside. and we are in big trouble. you for thethank call from texas. mark is here in washington, d.c., an independent. go ahead. caller: i am an attorney at law with georgetown law. i am independent. what happened in the trunk completelys disturbing given the fact that there was discourse between "bernie bros." and

establishment democrats. i think the current discourse between progressive democrats, establishment democrats, will result in an absolute wonder of the 2018 election, and i think of democrats do not get themselves together, trump is going to pull out all of the seee initi that you the media right now are not going to work and they will have one coherent voice. i do not think it will be as close as people expect. host: whose fault will it be? know, honestly, i believe, the united states requires a bit of honesty within the rule of law. i think it will be the democratic -- unfortunately, the democratic establishment's fault.

a bit of honesty, i think of it , you know, we have to work together for some long-term progressive goals in this country, including technology, because right now, trump is honestly -- he has an entire country confused, right? i think actually we are working with china. i do not think it is a surprise. i think there is something else going on in this country. i think they are working together, to be honest. host: mark, we might be losing you, but i want to ask you before you go, who is the democratic leader right now in your mind? maybe another caller can answer that question. i think we lost mark. jonathan santa pollock, california. good morning. caller: good morning, and i would like to thank c-span.

my comment is to get out and vote. so many times in the midterm elections, we have a liberating turnout. get out and vote and support your candidate. a low voter turnout is the shame of america, so we all need to get out and vote and make sure that we go to the polls. host: john, thanks for the calls this morning. (202) 748-8000 if you are a democrat, (202) 748-8001 if you are a republican, (202) 748-8002 if you are an independent. let us know what primaries you are most interested in seeing the results from. today's primaries in north carolina, west virginia, indiana, and ohio. we talked a little bit about indiana's far. threey senate race there, republican senate candidates vying to replace the unopposed joe donnelly senator from indiana. an almal share in al

mater and similar conservative policy, according to the "usa today." host: here is one of the senate adds in that race, todd rokita, the congressman, going after special counsel robert mueller in his ad along with senator joe donnelly. [video clip] mueller, donnelly, they are ourg fake news to stop president. who is tough enough to stop them? not luke messer. he supports early release. and macron? this democrat raise our taxes many times. make english our official language and ban sanctuary cities. todd rokita, tough enough to stand with trump. mr. rokita: i am todd rokita, and i approved this message. the: more from "usa today,"

indiana senate race is the most expensive in the country, candidates for outside groups have spent more than 12.4 million dollars so far on ads, and again, it is just primary day right now. ramona is in front royal, virginia, a republican. go ahead. caller: i heard a republican me, she says that america is a business, and trump is a very good businessman, and what we need is a good businessman running the country. i thought that was a very good comment. i have many friends who do not like trump. i am a strong supporter. i also have many strong -- i see many trump cars around, but that is my comment.

host: before you go, ramona, do you think there are many strong businessman in congress right now are running for congress? is there somebody that you think is in that mold? caller: i do not know anything about businessman in congress, i do think that hurt, that government is a business, it is true. host: ramona, thanks for the call. daniel in staten island, line for business, go ahead. caller: thanks for taking my call. i just want to voice an opinion in regard to these primaries. they don't seem to prove anything. the real issues in this country are not being dealt with, such as children being shot in the classrooms, or the national trying tociation

govern the country through the republican party and congress. i am not a democrat. i am not a republican. the two candidates that we had running for president is the most deplorable bunch that have ever run for office in this country, and i am embarrassed that i served this country, and i am embarrassed that we chose these people, and yet these gun- toting republicans keep pushing down our throats. somebody better do something soon, or it is going to be complete anarchy. and i am sorry for being so -- host: that is daniel in staten island this morning. more of your calls in just a second. congress, of course, the house expected to come in at 10:00, in minutes.ht

we will get to as many of your calls as we can come of it in the meantime, i want to return to the hoosier state. we have maureen, a correspondent with the "indianapolis star." we have heard about joe donnelly, how vulnerable is the senator according to the polling? guest: he is vulnerable because he is the only statewide elected democrat in indiana, a state that trump won by 19 percentage points, and people think he got lucky when he was elected six years ago, and he benefited from circumstances that were in his favor. they did not think he would have face when he would reelection, but he got lucky again when trump won, because it would be hard for him to be reelected if hillary clinton was president. and yet lucky again with the controversy in the primary on the republican side.

host: tell us why it is so competitive. we know there are two members of congress running, but they are not the only ones. guest: right, so congressman rokita and congressman messer, they got into the race first, in the race early on that very competitive between the two of them and got a little nasty. that left an opening for mike braun, who is a businessman who served in the state legislature, although very briefly, for three self, and he has been funding his race, and he has spent a lot more than the other two have on very professional as that have gotten a lot of attention, so the has made this race between the three of them. host: how do they try to to sing which themselves in this crowded primary? guest: there is not much difference between the three of them on issues. mostly, they have been attacking each other and trying to out- trump each other on the thing that they are each the most trump-like. mike braun, the businessman, he

is self funding, arguing that he is the trump-like, this is outsider who is going to shake up washington. luke messer has been arguing that he has the best record as far as supporting trump's agenda in congress. todd rokita says he has the most trump-like attitude, he is the fighter, the one who is tough enough to beat joe donnelly and to help stop what he calls the witchhunt, the mueller investigation, and otherwise support trump in washington. host: have trump or vice president pence said who they like in this race? guest: they have not. that has been a little contentious, because todd rokita has been endorsed by the two men who ran trump's indiana campaign in 2016, but they made a point that they were endorsing for themselves, not on behalf of the white house or the trunk-pence campaign.

when rokita put that on his yard signs, the trump campaign asked him to take us down because they thought it was implying that he had the endorsement of trump and pants, and he did not. luke messer has a lot of ties to the president. he competed in the congressional district with his brother mike pence's older brother, who is running for luke messer's seat. there are others in the tinfoil who are close to them who are actively supporting luke messer. there are two groups that have been running ads, who have ties to luke messer and the vice president, but vice president pence has not officially endorsed anyone in the race. host: in the meantime, how has senator donnelly been campaigning? an rv, hehas ,urchased a used rv last fall last summer, and has been driving around the state in his

rv, campaigning on his own, enjoying what is going on on the republican side, and doing his own thing. he had one at that was running in the primary . nowhere in the ad did he talk about being a democrat. he talked about republican issues, cutting funding, being for the military, so he is positioning himself as the middle of the road guy, average joe, just working for hoosiers, not one particular party. host: take this around some of the house races around the state. any primaries that you will be focused on particularly tonight? guest: the one that has gotten the most attention with interest is the seat to succeed luke messer in a house district, that he is giving up to run for the senate. as i mentioned, he got that seat -- he took it from mike pence went mike pence became governor, and now mike pence's older brother, great events -- greg

pence, is running in that seat. most likely will be decided in the primary, because it is a republican district. there is also a competitive alsory rokita's district, a republican district, where the winner will most likely be decided in the primary. battles been a batter thei there, too, with some super pac's. there are two competitive democratic primaries. they are republican districts, but the national democrats think they have a chance of returning competitive races, but there's a strong blue wave this fall. first, democrats have to get through the primaries there. strong candidates, a well-funded candidate, a question of whether they are delivering firepower by having this competitive primary, one in northern area where the republican i

incumbent, jackie, and then another in southern indiana with republican freshman trey hollingsworth. with thereen groppe "indianapolis star," thank you for your time this morning. guest: thank you. host: just a minute or two before the house is expected to come in for the day. of course we will go live for gavel to gavel coverage. calls on more of your four seats -- indiana, ohio, north carolina, and west virginia today. todd is in hollywood, florida, a democrat. go ahead. caller: thank you for having me, c-span. you guys are great. i want to reiterate something that was the previous people said, get back to basics. i have been watching politics for over 20 years, and i have never seen such divisive, mean politics, what has been going on for the last two years, ever since trump got in office.

it has been going up exponentially. there is no civility anymore. everybody thinks that trump is accepted norm now, and you can say anything a matter if it is the truth. unfortunately, most people are getting their news from sources that they only like, so they will not listen to any other points of view. they think fox news is the best thing that they have ever heard, or other things similar in between. it is very sad. and everybody in a country is the loser, all of us are the loser. the middle class and the poor are getting played worse than we have ever been played before. host: do you think that changes in another election? do you think another campaign season can fix that? but we have got,

you know, all the middle-class people who or the angry core that donald trump got who are probably mostly factory workers -- host: we will end it there. the house is gaveling in for the daycare call us back and it will chat more about it. we now take you live to the house floor for gavel to gavel coverage. [captions copyright national cable satellite corp. 2018] [captioning performed by the national captioning institute, which is responsible for its caption content and accuracy. visit ncicap.org] speaker. the clerk: the speaker's rooms. washington, d.c. may 8, 2018. i hereby appoint the honorable roger w. marshall to act as speaker pro tempore on this day. signed, paul d. ryan, speaker of the house of representatives. the speaker pro tempore: pursuant to the order of the house of january 8, 2018, the chair will now recognize members from lists submitted by the majority and minority morningfor