announcer: the here is a rundown of the c-span networks. continuing work on a defense programs bill. and the senate works on nominations. on c-span3, secretary of state mike pompeo testifies for the first time as secretary at the hearing. in the afternoon, it hearing from high school students about coming up in 30 minutes, author bookeacham on his "the soul of america."

at 9:40 a.m., north carolina congressman mark walker, chair of the republican study , here to talk about house republican conservative priorities. ♪ host: good morning. it is wednesday, may 23, 2018. the houses in at 10:00 a.m. today in the senate returns at 11:00. here with you for the next three hours. we will be talking to jon new book, "theis soul of america." we will also chat with were public and -- republican mark walker. we want to discuss what public policy issue is on your mind. give us a call. we can talk about it.

democrats, (202) 748-8000. republicans, (202) 748-8001. independents, (202) 748-8002. you can also catch up with us on social media. on twitter it is @cspanwj. on facebook, facebook.com/cspan. good wednesday morning to you. you can start calling in now as we let you lead the discussion this morning on the washington journal. of ourst 30 minutes program will be on open phones. start calling and as we show you the front page of the wall street journal. here are three stories they sought to highlight. first, congress pushes back over china. lawmakers looking to thwart the trump administration in their efforts on restrictions on chinese telecommunications giant gte corporation. -- cte corporation. corporations.

the wall street journal also highlighting this story -- action in the house. rules.is this small bank those were originally from the dodd frank law, that tightens rules on financial firms after the 2008 financial crisis. the house of representatives rolling back some of those rules on small banks, bruising -- approving legislation yesterday. they now send that to the president for his expected signature. the on the front page of wall street journal, president trump casting doubts on his upcoming summit with north korean leader kim jong-un. here is a picture between -- of the meeting between the president and south korean president moon jae-in yesterday at the white house, where they discussed if plans for that summit would pan out. here is what the president had to say yesterday. [video clip] something,orking on and there is a chance it will work out. there is a substantial chance

that it will not work out. i do not want to waste time and he does not want to waste time. there is a substantial chance it will not work out. but that does not mean it will not work out over a period of time. there is a good chance we will have the meeting. host: more on that discussion later in our program, but speaking of the president, he is expected to be on long island today to speak at a forum about the threat of the ms 13 gang. that is at 2:00 p.m. today. we will be carrying that live at c-span.org. here is a story from new york newsday about the protests happening yesterday ahead of the expected visit today. immigrants and civil rights advocates protesting trump's visit, representatives of multiple groups, including salvadorans, jews, and on others tolling reject the president of the rhetoric -- president's

rhetoric. those are a few stories happening today around the country. we will let you lead the discussion this morning. democrats, (202) 748-8000. republicans, (202) 748-8001. 2.dependents, (202) 748-800 keith in atlanta, a democrat. good morning. caller: good morning. [inaudible] i am also curious to find out if they would consider when you have a guest -- i think you have done it before where we have to opposing guest -- two opposing guests. i also want to know high you decide on the topic to pick. when we had the issue of the theing -- how you decide on topic to pick. when we had the issue of the opening of israel's embassy, i thought that would lead the day

the next day, but that was not the topic c-span shows. i would be curious to find out if you would be making a video of how you decide what should be spoken about the morning thereafter, because that would help us kind of put it in perspective, there is no inherent bias. that is one of the things trump has been mentoring -- mentioning. host: i appreciate the perspective and suggestion. in terms of inviting members to come on together, we do occasionally get them to do that , although it does not happen too often. we try to do that. there are members that work together on certain issues and they are more likely to come on together, but we have roundtables with people on different sides of a topic and look for those. we will certainly be doing more of those as we continue to go on on the washington journal.

decide onf how we topics, we have a production meeting. it happens about 10:30. our show ends at 10:00 today. our team gathers in a conference atm not too far from here 10: 30 every weekday morning to have those discussions and decide what is going on in the news to bring you some of the topics that are being debated on capitol hill. we also have open phones to allow you to drive the conversation. that is why we are starting with the open phones today. we try to do that as much as possible. it lets you be the one to pick the topic. thank you for calling in. don in virginia, republican. go ahead. caller: thank you, c-span, for taking my call. the spying on the trump campaign. that was just unprecedented, the way they did that. they could have told the campaign people they were watching things about the russians, because that is all we

have been hearing about for two years. but what happened with romney? administration did this much crap. what happened with romney? that race was so close. i think there was interference with that. i cannot wait to see clapper in a little orange jumpsuit when all of this breaks out with the ig report and the special counsel. you cannot have the wolf looking after the henhouse when you have all this corruption from the obama administration. that is my point. morninge president this tweeting again about the 2016 election, the russia investigation. "look how things have turned around on the criminal deep state," the president tweeted. we went on air

today. "they go after phony collusion with russia, a made-up scam, and end up getting caught in a major spy scandal the likes of which this country has never seen before. what goes around comes around." we will keep an eye on him this morning. phyllis in michigan -- phil is in michigan. what is on your mind? caller: are you there? host: go ahead. caller: the local libraries have -- as you walk through the doorway, it is a metal detector. i would like to see them get note in all the schools and using the stories to play with, but what's they get used to them -- once they get used to them, they will detect large objects being taken through the doors in the schools so that people in the office can be alerted that somebody should get down there and take care of it rather than

i will walk in and start shooting at the school. thank you, c-span. host: the front page of usa today focusing on the santa fe high school at the center of the latest shooting. the students there, the focus in the headline on the shooting, but also on the climate of dread. santa fe high school's year of fear. they battled through a year of vigils and extended school closings. normalcy never arrived, they write. myron in dallas, texas, republican. go ahead. caller: good morning, c-span. mi on? -- am i on? host: yes sir. plan onc-span, do you covering the doj coverage and

the ig report? because i feel like -- it is orious it is a deep state secret society or something, and we see it. it is in the media. they are blocking the coverage of it. the justice department inspector general report is certainly something we have talked about. we will continue to talk about it when it comes out. we will follow the news on it, so if that is a topic you are interested in, keep watching. dean in louisville, kentucky, independent. what is on your mind? caller: i am calling about the da. -- the v.a.. i think the government should give veterans a choice. [inaudible] people where i live, most of them are veterans, and

half of them told me they used to go to the v.a., but [inaudible] then they started getting some stuff done but the v.a. would not do it, and the doctors found out that they could not the [inaudible] host: dean in kentucky. this is not a ba a story, but the health care story. the house passing right to try legislation -- this is not a v.a. -- this is not a v.a. story, but the house is passing right to try legislation. president trump is expected to sign the measure, but it was announced by scores of medical and consumer groups as unnecessary and dangerous. the senate passed the bill back in august. gary in virginia, republican.

what is on your mind? caller: i would like to say that i would like to see mr. mueller and his investigation look into the leak after the manchester city bombing. they disclose the personnel that were involved with the sessionss, and jeff had his hair on fire about leaks. then the manchester city bombing happened and he went silent. he also did a half donkey on the first section of the 14th amendment. he said he is going to repeal that, and i am still waiting. this divide that i see in this country, i think it all got started when we started subsidizing irresponsible parenting with the hyde amendment and the mexico city

policy. am i still on the air? host: yes sir. policy,this mexico city one of your callers in north -- i wassaid it was complicit in genocide because i that. to repeal i asked the guys that i work with, 20 immigrants and three of them had papers, the rest didn't. i asked them what they wanted, and they said the first thing. i was shocked. with birth help control. she accused me of genocide. that are soe people antiabortionist are really pandering to perverts and pedophiles. host: carl in maryland, a democrat. go ahead. caller: [inaudible]

so-called president, and you are letting him pass laws and [inaudible] he is really the devil. destroyying to everything that we have fought for for so many years, and he is dividing the country. the democrats and republicans are just sitting there. they are letting this man do iatever he wants to do, and think he is part of the mafia. the russian mafia and the american mafia. no one is saying anything about it. in maryland this morning. a couple callers bringing up the

russia investigation this morning. on that front, this story from the hill newspaper. house republicans produced a resolution calling for a second special counsel, the appointment of a second special counsel to investigate misconduct by the department of justice and the fbi during the 2016 residential race -- presidential race. leading those calls is zeldin fromlee new york. here is a bit from him yesterday. [video clip] we have at least 19 members of congress who will be introducing today a 12 pays house resolution -- 12 page house resolution to investigate misconduct at the doj and in the special investigation. it will detail how and why the hillary clinton even a investigation ended and the trump russia probe began.

this calls for the appointment of a second special counsel to investigate the gross misconduct with the understanding that the justice department cannot be expected to investigate itself. it is important to note that the ranks of the doj and fbi are filled with amazing, patriotic americans who love their job and take this seriously, and perform their jobs objectively with much respect to the rule of law. these are historic, legendary agencies that require transparency and accountability in regards to the conduct that took place. it is important for public servants and these agencies to continue their work, moving forward stronger than ever before. as the resolution states, the concerns of the american people are serious, and the concerns require an immediate, unbiased, and thorough investigation. host: more from the president's twitter page this morning. "spygatedent tweeting

could be one of the biggest political scandals in history." be briefed on thursday about a confidential fbi source that has been a lightning rod for controversy in the russia probe. and treydevin nunes gowdy will meet with christopher wray, daniel coats, and top justice department official ed o'callaghan, according to white house press secretary sarah sanders. white house chief of staff john kelly helped broker the meeting, but will not be there himself. yesterday, senate minority reacted tok schumer democrats being shut out of that upcoming meeting. here is what he had to say. [video clip] totallynk it is inappropriate. it would be inappropriate for the white house to inquire on any ongoing investigation and put pressure to direct its outcome.

it is even worse when the president and his campaign are subject to that investigation. i think it is very wrong and should not be done. it is unprecedented, it is outrageous, and it has overtones of things that would be done in a banana republic, where the dictator just pushes what he wants done. second, if they are going to do their you take them at word, this should be a fair process, it should be bipartisan. for every republican at the table, there should be a democratic counterpart. if chairman nuñez is there, chiff shoulder s be there. if grassley is there, feinstein should be there. it should be bipartisan. i find it mindnumbing the kind this president and some of his allies have launched on the justice department, and it is just so un-american. firstopen phones for the

30 minutes of the washington journal today. joe is in columbia, maryland, line for independents. good morning. caller: good morning. i want to talk a little bit about the dueling narratives in the russia investigation. we have the democrats, who believe there is a serious amount of evidence of a crime of collusion, and the republicans, --thisink this is a non is a debate that started off with phony information, a te,sier that opened up spygas as the president is now tweeting about. my biggest point of concern that i want to bring up is that robert mueller cannot indict donald trump. the only thing robert mueller can do is present the invited states people -- the united states people with the truth. president and the

anyone siding with him, his allies in congress, sean hannity, for example, are trying to cheat legitimize -- delegitimize this probe. it cannot hurt them, it can only give us the truth. so they are just trying to prevent us from having the truth. even if you think this investigation is baseless, a witchhunt, it should not be least beou should at curious to what the actual truth is, because they do not ever want it to get out. that is all i want to say. host: james, maryland, line for democrats. caller: thank you for taking my call. my point is that donald trump should have started being investigated the very first moment he said russia hacked into hillary's emails. he should have been investigated and disqualified. that is my believe.

he put it all on himself. thank you for c-span and have a great day. host: nancy, maine, good morning. caller: i only have something very short to say. i am a democrat, and every time donald trump says there was a spy in his campaign, it is the the man were speaking truth. guess there were, and they were russian. i keep waiting to hear democrats follow that up with yes, and they were russians. thank you, c-span. before you go, how do you think your party leadership in congress has done on this issue, on highlighting this issue? we lost nancy. sean in minnesota, independent. go ahead. caller: yeah. you know, people talk about ties to russia and the russian mob.

in theyears ago construction business in new york and america, he was tied to the american mob. anybody knows this. run like aworld is game of thrones. criminal by organizations and organized crime, democrats and republicans both. i'm not saying it is good or bad, that is the way it is, and people need to realize it. you will get what you get, and there is not much to do to protest and all of that stuff. how do you know that the president and congress are tied to organized crime? caller: listen -- anytime you have money running anything like they do with the lobbyists, you are a smart man. you cannot say it, but i am your eyes. you know this is what goes on,

and you can't tell me that it is not true. you know this, brother. you have to do your job but you know this. caller: i'm asking where you are reading this, what evidence have you seen? host: -- host: i'm asking where you are reading this, what evidence have you seen? caller: reading this? you can see it. host: line for independents, go ahead. caller: has anyone heard what stephanie stall said when she interviewed donald trump? he speaks ill of the press so that when negative news comes out about him, they do not believe. he has all of these kool-aid drinkers. host: i'm listening, go ahead. caller: he has all of these kool-aid drinkers leaving his lies. i do not understand. are we that stupid? he stated he is saying negative

things about the press so that when news about his life comes out, no one will believe him. do you get that? are we idiots? host: the story marie is talking about, president trump telling veteran journalist lesley stahl on 60 minutes that he bashes the press to demean and discredit reporters so that the public will not believe negative stories about him, according to stahl. this talk came at the deadline club at the annual journalism awards in manhattan. just a few minutes left in open phones. we do want to remind you that yesterday was primary day in three states, run off day in and primariesfs in texas, georgia, and kentucky. we will be discussing those at 9:00. by our guestined

to break down the results. here is a story from the washington post. democrats picking candidates with compelling life stories as the headline. for democratsies, yesterday, the results marked a of rising up against the american electorate. the democratic contention that it was the party of the future was modeled in 2016 by nominee who campaigned, to continue the policies of a sitting president. now, democratic primary voters are looking to candidates who embodied the changing face of american politics. one of those races is in kentucky. the sixth district, where amy flyath, the first woman to an f-18 fighter jet, defeated the house -- the former mayor of

lexington in that house democratic primary. we will talk more about the primaries across all three of those states and the runoffs in texas around 9:00 if you want to join us for that discussion. tony in texas, democrats. did you watch any of the runoffs yesterday? caller: i did. i'm afraid it is sad but true, but the american people have no control over their country no last 18 years,he not one good decision has been made, not one good decision has been made for the american people. we need to get our money out of politics and get our money back away from the military. wars, andon for no here we are going around killing everybody or getting saudi arabia and israel to kill everybody. we are walking away from all of these good deals and we are not getting nothing from it. our leaders are doing nothing for a, just put it down

year and think about it for a couple of years -- this is ridiculous. host: what is a good deal we are walking away from right now? nuclear deal,an the north korean deal, we are walking away from the american people and keeping drugs out of our system deals, we are walking away from keeping guns -- it is as easy as a metal detector in the doors of these schools, as simple as that. we can't even put those in our schools to protect our kids. you talk about hiring more cops, and cops -- you had a cop that did not do us no good, so you need to put something there that is stable and will tell you when something is walking through that door. host: tony in texas. larry in washington, d.c., republican. caller: yeah, these people are ignorant.

there is a spine in --, he has -- there is a spy in --, he has spied on the american people for 45 years. [cheers and applause] blackmailed rosenstein to get mueller, -- [inaudible] blackmailed rosenstein to get mueller, and people talking about kuwait -- host: there he who do you trust in government? do you trust any part of the government? caller: there is a big battle going on between the deep state and people that are loyal. a big battle going on. a lot of people do not believe it, but it is a big major battle and a crew to overthrow the -- coup to overthrow the president. he was elected. this is a republic. host: larry was our last caller

in this segment. up next, we will be joined by jon meacham to talk about his new book, "the soul of america and the battle for our be tter angels." join us for that and a second. we will be right back. ♪ >> thursday morning, we are in madison, wisconsin for the next stop on the c-span bus to the capitals for.

tour.-- that is at 8:30 a.m. eastern. skill as a's great grand strategist was that he knew the advantages of shock and unified this is how he germany in the 1860's. he instigated wars with den mark -- denmark, austria, hungary, and france. but having done that and achieved his objective, the unification of germany, he stopped and became a consolidator rather than an instigator, and his next 20 years in power as german chancellor were devoted to build build -- to reassuring alliances with all of germany's neighbors so they would get used to the idea of a unified germany.

it was that distinction between andgun -- shock and awe, then knowing when to stop. reassurance. >> john lewis gaddis and his ." sundaygrand strategy night at 8:00 eastern on c-span's q&a. washington journal continues. host: jon meacham is a pulitzer prize winning biographer and a professor at vanderbilt university. his new book is titled "the soul the battle for our better angels." that periods of public dispirited this -- dispiritedness are -- guest: if you voted for

president trump and 2016, you were clearly of the conviction country was headed in the wrong direction, you wanted to make it great again. if you voted against him and if you stand against him even now, you tend to believe that the country is facing arguably one of the most perilous hours in history. what i wanted to do was put some put the moment in some context, and figure out how did we get out of moments in the past like this, and how can we apply those lessons going forward? host: defined the nation's soul? guest: the word in hebrew or life,eans "essence," core. socrates says what makes a man a man? the soul. my sense is that the soul has

good and evil, light and dark, fairness and cruelty. there is dr. king, and the ku klux klan. the american soul is capable of great good, but it is also capable of great evil. if we don't confront that. somehow or another you think that a given president or administration has captured america, we are not actually being honest about our faults. thise totally capable in country and have been since the beginning, even before the beginning, of giving -- getting things woefully wrong. and yet, we have managed her strife and fits and starts to move forward. responsibility does the president ordered ministry have for the soul of america? guest: they are the boards of the moment. if you seek ultimate power in a republic, you have ultimate responsibility. it is not to say the presidency is entirely decisive, but the

upon which we look back and commemorate, they tend have ones where presidents been in sync with better angels. host: do you think president trump is living up to that responsibility? guest: i do not. part of my reasons for doing this book were the reactions to charlottesville in 2017. i think he is missing a historic opportunity to dig into what franklin roosevelt said of the presidency, that it is preeminently a place of moral leadership, and where you can shape the dispositions of hearts and minds in the country, which is hugely important. a republic is only as good as the sum of its parts. that is the wonderful thing about the republic, that all of us play a role in the ultimate fate of the nation, because it is a reflection of who we are. host: we mentioned that you are a pulitzer prize winning biographer. is this a history book? guest: it is.

this is not a partisan book. i voted for democrats, republicans, i plan to continue to. what i wanted to do was look back historically and offer a , as much asiew in order to reach the maximum number of people. we are, as you know better than anybody, we are incredibly tribal at in order to reach the maximum number of people. the moment. you pick a team, and anything the other team does is motivated and we it is a danger, don't listen particularly well to each other. what i wanted to do was try to have gotten it right and gotten it wrong. republicans have gotten it right and gotten it wrong. it has very little to do with those kinds of service affiliations. -- surface affiliations.

when we more generously ideapret the jeffersonian of equality. when you look at the history of progressive movements in the past in particular and of conservatism, you realize that the eras we look back on and wants to be like are the ones we opened our arms as opposed to clenching our fist. host: the book, "the soul of ," the author, jon meacham. if you want to join us, democrats, (202) 748-8000. republicans, (202) 748-8001. .ndependents, (202) 748-8002 host: take us through one of those moments of injustice that you describe? we were at a moment in

american life between 1915 and 1927 when the white working class -- this probably sounds familiar -- were anxious about broad cultural and economic shifts. we were moving from an agrarian to an industrial society. there was a fear on the part of nativeborn americans that immigrants were going to come in and take their jobs, so work harder for less money, and explicit worry that was in literature of the time. after the movie "a birth of a was released, there was the founding of a new ku klux klan. oregon, colorado, indiana, texas, georgia -- it knew no regional boundary. enormous lee important as a cultural force. 347 delegates to the 1924 democratic convention were klansmen. they were so determined to keep

an irish catholic from being nominated. if the klan had that strength in the early 1940's, it was arguable that the 30's might not have turned -- the 1930's might not have turned out the way it did. a couple of things. the press was quite tough, the new york world, though coverage early on increased their -- were were examine examining the klan and the corruption within it. kure was a new law that the klux klan had to publish the names of its members, and there was a law struck down that required all public -- all schoolchildren to go to public schools. calvin coolidge arguably took the right position against the klan. it dissipated as the 1920's when on. but for a moment, it felt as

though the klan was a permanent and powerful interest group in the united states. and that was not 100 years ago. host: you mentioned it dissipated. there was not one moment where it was defeated? guest: there is rarely one moment. that is the interesting thing about history. joe mccarthy -- in the documentary that plays in our ands, this began in 1950 ends when he is attacked and -- joseph welch says have you no decency? at long last -- that is the big hollywood moment. host: mccarthy had a 34% approval rating one month after that. guest: he was censured and it was important, but these things in the way a twig would. in our own lives, narrative is messier than we make it out to be. host: as a historian, what do

you think of the phrase make america great again? reagan used ronald something like that. he used let's make america great again on a 1980 campaign poster. the way donald trump used it, what i think he meant was let's like 1956 again. if you are a white, heterosexual, southern man, it was great. for other people, it was not great. we were two years away from the brown decision, if you are a woman, your professional opportunities were quite subscribed. jim crow was prevalent by law and by custom. i think it is a nostalgic vision of a past that existed for a certain number of people but did not exist for as many people as they think it did.

nostalgia is a powerful narcotic, unquestionably. in terms of political history, it is not ultimately a sustainable rhetorical strategy. people -- the president will tell you this endlessly -- people want to know what you will do for them tomorrow, not that you will necessarily restore something that was a mistake and remembered, dimly andmbered past -- mythic remembered, dimly remembered past. it has to be about what you will receive, what you will give the american people at that particular moment. of nostalgia -- it might be a good starter, but it is not necessarily a good finisher. host: the book is "the soul of america: the battle for our better angels." taking your calls. .emocrats, (202) 748-8000 republicans, (202) 748-8001.

independence (202) 748-8002. mike in akron, ohio. good morning. caller: thank you, c-span, and thank you mr. meacham. i am a big fan of yours. tired teacher. i spent 30 years teaching students, and my first comment is about our congress. woulduld you compare -- i this congress to the worst class of high school students i have ever had would be an insult to the high school students. as far as president trump, i have a short point for him that goes like this. 16 months and what do we have? a leader who needs a big swat. it allme, stormy, give you got -- in court, of course. guest: i did not know poetry was alive and well in the midwest, but i guess it is a good thing. placeow, we are in a

where virtually everyone in the country has an incredibly strong opinion about the president and the congress. if you are for the president, you think that the kingdom has arrived. if you are against him, you are composing verses about it and rightly defending the honor of your junior high school students. my sense of congress -- you isld know this better -- that i believe the institutions will ultimately prevail. i think we will run it close. i think that we can sit backi td just let it unfold. there is a determined strategy from the white house, we have seen it already this morning, to continue the campaign of on those whotake are investigating him, to muddy the waters, to undermine the authority of the institutions that might discover damaging

information or reported, whether there is damaging information or not. ,t is a very contentious time and it requires, hopefully, the peopleg of enough historically to engage the battles of the president and preserve the institutions. i am confident congress will prevail because of the human document. it takes in account the simple this, the appetite, of the institution of the people themselves. it is a calvinistic document. it assumes that we are frail, greedy, and will try to reach for more power, no matter where we are, then we should have. i think it would have stunned the framers to say that it would take until 2016 for a demagogue of this ale to become president. they would have thought that it was a pretty good batting average. history ofook is a

darker moments in american history. you have mentioned a few of those already. what one was the darkest? oh, into the civil war, the 1850's. you had a society where virtually half the country was willing to shed their blood for a system of human slavery. southerner.e i grew up on a civil war battlefield. but it is an arguable, if you read the record, that the civil war was about slavery. it was about circumscribing liberty, protecting property in human beings, and the fact that you had so many people that were willing to die and did die to defend something that is beyond our moral imagination now as being acceptable. you cannot even put your self -- yourselves in those shoes.

you can intellectually but not emotionally. that is the darkest hour. the war was in many ways, and you were principal conflict -- pressible conflict. we learned that it would require another century or more to overcome the institutionalized andsm and legalized racism, strife, division, unhappiness, this bearded -- dispiritedness, to use the word we use, is often an exception in american life. and in the maelstrom of the ofsident and the maelstrom --, we tend to think the world fundamentally changed on election day 2016. the question i get asked all the time, has it ever been like

this? yeah, it has. if we were sitting here in 1968, 46 american men would have died in vietnam. it began with 10. dr. king is assassinated the first week of april, the country erupts -- he rubbed -- into violence. in november, george wallace carries 14.5% of the popular vote in southern states, and that is a moment where everything seems to be coming apart. this hour is perilous, but my remembering remembering, and within the living memory of most folks we know, that was the reality. goodwin just died, the

great presidential speechwriter. it has only been 53 years since he wrote a speech for the american president arguing the now seemingly inarguable principle, that inequality, human equality requires equal access to the ballot box. that was an enormous drama. people died for that in the last half-century. it requires diligence, it requires insistence on an american ideal that the best way to guarantee fair play for yourself is to guarantee it for others. host: you are a professor at vanderbilt. rose is in nashville, republican line. caller: good morning. mr. meacham, i hope my grandchildren -- i was alive in 1968. i was 18 years old. i hope my grandchildren do not

choose to go to vanderbilt, because i can see where you would be indoctrinating them towards your liberal viewpoint. with youto take issue over make america great again. your interpretation of make america great again is not what donald trump meant. when he talked about making america great again, he was referring to things such as both sides of the aisle, republican and democrat congresses, shoving the american worker down the tubes on trade issues and all the large trade deficits and the jobs disappearing from this country, where working men and women saw their factories and , goingses close down overseas. that was one thing. donald trump, when he talked about make america great again, was talking about the people that do not live in the

washington, d.c. bubble and on the east coast and west coast. flyoveralking about country, and he related to us in language that we understood. he was not high and mighty, like nearly every politician is. i voted for donald trump and i am proud to say that i did, because even though he is a man understood the average american person, the average american that was struggling to put food on the table. the average american that couldn't find a job. this man has done more in the short time that he has been president than any president that i have ever seen in my lifetime. also, he was talking about making america great again. we had a president for eight years that would go overseas and bash america when he was on foreign shores.

before that, we had a republican president that got us involved in iraq, in a war that we should have never been in. host: we want to give john meacham the chance to respond. guest: well, that is a prevailing view among about 45% of the country. very well articulated and very well stated. a lot of people simply disagree. saying think what i'm falls neatly into a liberal or conservative category. it is a sign of the reflective that theref the hour is a tendency to want to talk at each other as opposed to each other. ,y old friend, an editor founder of the washington monthly, he had something he used to call his gospel -- we still do.

one of the rules was you have to be willing to say something bad about the good guys and good about the bad guys. that is the price of intellectual honesty. really, the price of working sensibly in a public way. this is not a country -- the was not set up for one side to win 100% all the time. the entire system of checks and balances was a given solution to try and achieve a majority view for a certain period of time. so i think we need to, somehow wherether, find a place if the president does something successful, people on the left should be able to admit that. if the president does something beyond the pale, people on the right should be able to admit that. the caller's central point, this was an economic election, is largely true.

to dismiss the cares and concerns of the people who voted for president trump as somehow less than worthy is a huge mistake -- not just politically, but culturally. is prosperity of the country essential to the health of its democracy. there is no mistake that 1965 was the moment where we ended jim crow, i think, because that at which will was more broadly distributed and there was greater wealth. that was the kind of moment the caller is talking about in the mid-1960's, and people felt comfortable enough to be generous. the nature of history. democracy requires a thriving and prosperous middle class. that is simply a historical point. i hope we can get there. host: in ohio, line for democrats. good morning. caller: hello.

i would just like to say that i am a democrat. i am a very blue liberal and ,ertainly did not vote trump but i wondered if you covered in your book at all about the corporate soul of america. when you have corporate tax evasion hiding billions offshore, like google has approximately $10 billion hit it -- hidden offshore's, moving toufacturing overseas get around environmental regulation, that is what i see as the tribal. i wonder if you could address the corporate soul, because i do not think it is the people. you are wrong. guest: wrong on? we lost her, sorry. guest: well, i am often wrong. [laughter] you are probably on

strong ground there. is there corporate complicity in the issues of the time? absolutely. i do not think i am wrong in arguing that -- of course, i wouldn't -- in arguing that the arena in which all of these issues play out. there is the corporate world, the donor class world, the working class world. my point is america at its best has managed to have a kind of symphony in the clash of interests. not that it is always harmonize, to torture this metaphor a , but we have gone from strength to strength, to the point where our immigration question is that people want to come here, not leave. people on the upper west side say they want to leave, but they do not seem to. my view is that there is a remarkable capacity for goodness, prosperity, and i am

not talking about equality of outcome. i do not like paying taxes. again, i live in tennessee, so that goes back to the caller. what i do believe though, is that we are stronger the more widely we embrace the diversity in the sense of the free flow of people and ideas. this is not an ideological point, this is simply a historical point. look at the country. prosperity,ods of sustained prosperity, and you will realize those are periods where we have been more open, more competitive. if you are an economic conservative today, you believe in the virtues of competition. the story of the modern era is that the free flow of people, ideas, and goods ultimately leads to stronger nationstates. host: about a half hour left

with jon meacham. the book is "the soul of america: the battle for our better angels." if democrats want to join the conversation. republicans, (202) 748-8001. independents, (202) 748-8002. discussed this -- i want to go back to august 17, 2017. this is president trump speaking about the violence at the white the premises rally in charlottesville. [video clip] on aam not putting anyone moral plane. you had a group on one side and a group on the other, and they came at each other with clubs, it was vicious, horrible, and a vicious thing to watch. there is another side. there was a group on this side, you can call them the left, you have just called them the left, that came, violently attacking the other group. you can say what you want, but that is the way it is. >> you said there were hatred

and violence on both sides? >> i think there is blame on both sides. sides -- i both think there is blame on both sides, and i have no doubt about it and you don't have any doubt about it either. and if you reported it accurately, you would see. >> [inaudible] you have some very bad people in that group, but you also had people that were very fine people -- on both sides. host: jon meacham, your reaction to that moment? guest: a failure of presidential leadership to take the side of our better angels against our worst. neo-nazis rally of and klansmen over the fate of

the statue of robert e lee. to some extent, it was a complicated moment because of the different forces of history and culture, but what is not obligated is that a president of the united states should always stand against neo-nazis and klansmen, and the fact that we have to say that sentence in this particular moment is a bad sign. host: lisa in louisville, kentucky, democrat. caller: the morning. caller:good -- good morning. caller: hello, mr. meacham. my comment -- one is to rose in nashville. i would like her to know that in -- harley davidson left yesterday, after a huge tax anyway and left are going to thailand. my issue is the doj. destroys the doj,

he gets what he wants, they do not impeach donald trump. where is the doj and what is the role after that? them to attack people he wants prosecuted after he thought he was too guest: there is an enormous amount of concern fueled this morning about the rule of law institutions, how the president interacts with all of those things. i do not know what is going to happen. i am also someone who did not think that donald trump would be president, so what the hell do i know? stress test for citizenship. it is a difficult moment. institutions other presidents have acknowledged implicitly as being beyond the pale, beyond suddenly.are in play

it is going to require vigilance and it is tiring. people who are truly concerned about these issues on either side are going to need to stay in the arena and hopefully, this will be my plea, actually listen to each other a little bit. 9910 -- 99 times out of 100 you are going to disagree. everything is a centrist solution. the more we reflexively argue as opposed to listen and reflect on what the other arguments are, the less true we are being to the core of the american revolution. the american revolution in many ways is the political environment of the idea reason has a role to play in the arena against passion.

you had the translation of sacred scripture into vernacular. you had gutenberg, democratization of information. the digital revolution is in fact not a new story. it is a chapter about the flow of power from the few to the many. to whom much is given much is expected. have theoment where we most vivid character as a president of the united states , and aarguably ever culturally dominant force, we also have most empowered public. it is a fascinating moment historically. more people have more information with which to form

their opinions. we have a president who is determined to govern exactly the way he wants to without reference to how people have done it in the past. it is a riveting moment in a stress test for citizenship, a crash course in popular politics. would you say this free flow of diverse and he has done nothing but bring down american ideology, traditions and way of life. guest: what does that even mean? higher taxes to support the foreign invaders taking way for my family's needs and dreams. thet: that is what i wrote book. that kind of sentiment should at and abe informed by fact historical perspective. becomeion itself has

more economically viable, stronger on the world stage because we have embraced the changing world around us. to master those thees and take account of talents and skills of those who have come here. ideology, if we have a controlling idea is that we are all created equal and we should have the quality of opportunity, not of outcome. adam smith. wealth of nations. to me americans that is best intelligently engaged with the future and not

resisted change. destiny.y is i worry that there is a that somehowfear or another demographic change is going to erode america when in fact demographic change is what built america. host: curtis. go ahead. caller: good morning. thank you for taking my call. i was listening in and heard presidention to the trump reacting to the .harlottesville i can tell you sir, i voted for donald trump. i'm happy with my vote. defending a he was

good group of people. i think it is ridiculous people are offended by statues. especially when they think certain ways about a war that reallyd that they don't understand. robert ely was not a bad person. regardless of what the statue represents i'm not a neo-nazi. two half black, half white children. i'm also one of my closest , he is out of -- not out of the closet as a homosexual but i embrace my and i washistory finally attacked when i was at a rally monday my own business. i was not there to cause problems that i had kids dressed

and bandannas and looks like a ninja attack me for no reason. i have friends that are democrats that vary radical left-wing. haveve questions -- we beers all the time. we have a serious media problem in this country. what was spun out of something crazy.s nothing, it is hope you drink a lot of beer with him. and try to figure out whether where we canes compromise and meet halfway or a to tryf the way in order

to create a moment that we will look back on as a time where the country grew stronger, where we pursued happiness more enthusiastically, and maybe captured some of it. we forget that part of the declaration some time. it wasa of happiness, not just about personal fulfillment. it was about a civic engagement. it was about a rising tide lifting all boats. a dock that happiness enough. if the beer in baltimore will do that, go for it. host: bloomington, line for democrats. caller: i had a question. the way that the house republicans are trying to stop

this investigation, do you think withthey are also involved with the president is supposedly has done? that is my question. guest: you mean house republicans somehow colluding with russians? rumsfeld usedtary to sacred these are known unknowns. i don't think the house republicans of done that. that is a personal view. i have no idea what is the truth about the trump campaign. that is why director mueller is doing his investigation. in the fullness of time we will see what the results are. russianfortunate that did this, interfered in the election.

war against our democracy. we simply have to wait and see what is proven or not proven from the investigation. host: line for republicans go ahead. caller: yes. i have a couple of questions. i see you on other talk shows talking about an educated trump .oters and races trump voters do you have a plan to divide america. what is your plan to unite america? another thing we talked about the civil war. you answer why north carolina was kicked out of the union? i'll be waiting on your response. thank you. guest: i cannot. i am from tennessee. we took our state from north

carolina. i don't know that particular question. races, i'm not sure what you mean. there is a great divide in the country. more, that we can talk listen to each other more, not that we are going to come to some centrist position we are all going to agree on. country.his is a 6040 if we can get to 51-49 that is a remarkable number. , can youhe other day imagine today in the country a result like the 1984 election? ronald reagan carried 49 states?

it is though we are talking about -- it is so removed from where we are. stated we get from 49 country to one that is so divided? the partisan media has a great deal to do with that. is it a cause or an effect is one of those things we have to work out the fullness of time. era, andcarthy 1790's,uction, in the cracking down on newspapers, launching new raid , there have been

these contentious moments and at some point we have gotten out of them because of some combination of the presidency, congress, courts, press and people have determine the shape of a given era. host: in these dark moments in the past was that every president who was unredeemable? guest: andrew johnson is the close. supposed to significant civil rights amendments. congress and the forces of the day overcame that. johnson, andrew johnson, whatever you think about chief justice of his impeachment, his views on fulfilling the racial version of the civil war mime and not in the business of resume for condemning but he will have a hard time. host: you have praise for

franklin roosevelt during the times he faced dark moments. to the didn't rise occasion at times. specifically japanese internment camp. horse ofsue with this an attorney named or worn. earl warren. president reagan and president clinton ultimately apologized for it. another sign that our great view of faithful in moral and. if you are for perfection this is the wrong place. perfect. be more one of the most interesting things in the book i did not

write, a speech frederick douglass gave, not far from here at the dedication of a monument to lincoln. he said the best meditation on the nature of history and the reality of it, he is praising lincoln. he says lincoln, it the white man's president. we were at best his stepchildren, children by adoption. yet this is the man that delivered us from bondage. interesting as the scene at the end of the iliad, talking about life-and-death. it is this stark and uncompromising view the best we can hope for is somebody doing the right thing more than half the time. i think that as a guiding

principle gives us a better sense of proportion. host: you have had criticism for that moment, the comments about the violence? do you think trump is redeemable? hold: absolutely you can't out hope and say not for him. course. there is not a ton of evidence but intellectual honesty requires you to say we all learn. we all are informed by experience. our hope is to be that he decides, if i had five minutes and i would say we know you care in norma sleep about ratings and success. historyg to remember is

last forever. your ratings in your success forever are determined to some the number of times you reach beyond your base and bring more people on board where .ou governor more that is just historically the off thecy he trips tongue are those who stood up to their core supporters or reached out beyond them. whether it is ronald reagan, the right wing did not want him soviets, orhe lyndon johnson from segregated soviets, or lyndon johnson from segregated states during the work of civil rights, or harry truman made border state -- whether it is harry truman from a border state.

those are presidents who change that minds or did things their supporters would have opposed. the oil portrait test. what do you want us to think about when we look at the oil portrait of you. none of them can imagine where we are not gazing at their oil portrait. host: the book is the soul of america. sarah, line for democrats. i would like to bring up some things in history that unfortunately the president does not take the time to read. i don't know what education he had but i grew up in the shadow of the u.s. capital. you absorb the history and i can

ours.er a neighbor of washington was considered a southern city. a neighbor coming out friday night in his ku klux klan outfit , scaring the children. i can member the fact that we were not allowed to vote in washington. i also remember the fact that with joe mccarthy it took a long time before the congress and the him and wentounced after him. i see the same thing happening now with this congress who just sits in the corner and allows these things to happen, idiots,ly with these gowdy, meadows,

allowing them to lasso the doj and use them as a whipping post, which is unfortunate. the mccarthy example is right on. it took four years for the macaws c -- mccarthy phenomenon to burnout. is hero of that story margaret j smith, a republican senator from maine who gave a speech called the declaration of conscious, laying out the entire case against mccarthy, as it would become coherently held. she got six cosigners. she was dismissed as snow white and the six dorms. wrote -- roy cohn wrote an

interesting book about mccarthy boughth he said mccarthy anti-communism the way people might have bought a car. a car thief fell -- mccarthy fell because he overstayed his welcome. he demanded too much popular attention and the audience got tired of the show. that is a cautionary lesson. host: line for republicans. go ahead. caller: i would like to talk about the fact that we are looking backwards so much. we seem to be talking about the bad.that trump is so that he is not doing us any good. with all of the problems we have today, what could we look

forward to to make things better demagogueu call him a . just a lot of bad things. something that looks towards the future that us.d be better for host: what do you think that would be? caller: i think trump has done -- theings as far as best things he is doing is jobs, the interest rate in the business structure. corporations have a lot to do with what is going on. for some reason they would rather put business towards .hina than here i think that he is trying to bring jobs to the corporations

but there's only someone -- always summon who will work for less. think he is going in the right direction. guest: i think the big issue of our time is how do we continue class. a thriving middle every great society has had one. in theievement of that postwar era is one of the great achievements in human history. you ask about hope. you're on the right path. we need to figure out a way in a globalized world to have a sustainable and thriving economic future for ourselves because that creates all sorts of other cultural and political benefits.

that is the great question of the age. president trump offers one ofwer, which is a kind maximum pressure. you use that. here is hoping it works. absolutely. era are aboutthe ultimately what the country is. are we a country that welcomes people who will work and do well , and help us rise economically and culturally, or do we talk about building walls and keeping people out? everything is not about immigration. but that is not a bad way to think about the central

question. globalization and its implication. what does it mean to be competing with these growing economies around the world? host: five minutes left to talk about the soul of america. john has been waiting in new hampshire. go ahead. caller: good morning. thank you for taking my call. say in regards to back, afterooking jfk at said the presidency as a decline, been in especially after nixon. from there on in. to the middle class, another class has been slowly declining.

we have the reagan economic plan, the cutting of taxes. itm there on you can see starts that you can see or this decrease that flatlined. guest: i think to build on that, too numbers explain why we are where we are politically. 17%.s the americans you trust the federal government to do the right thing some or most of the time. that is down 77%. the other number is 130,000, the figure that economists believe a lead aof four needs to

middle-class life. income has gone up a little bit. about 57 dollars. -- $57,000. youhat missing 60 points have the elements for this unconventional election which sent an unconventional man to the pinnacle of power. the presidency as woodrow wilson once said enables a man to be as big as he can, or as small. bounded as as wager on human character. they left a lot unclear in the constitution because they believed they were looking at the first president. they were looking at george washington. whenve up ultimate power he returned the army to the congress. they trusted him to set precedent and set a town. that is generally worked.

i think it will continue to work. i think we are stronger than any passion of a given moment. viewers may-span remember you speaking at barbara bush is funeral -- bush's funeral. how did that come about? guest: the honor of a lifetime. she called two years ago and asked if i would speak at her memorial. i said ma'am, you will be bearing me. she says that is the plan, but just in case, be ready. a classic way for mrs. bush. she is and was a remarkable american figure. i call to the first lady of the greatest generation. she fell in love with george inker bush -- they married january of 45.

she had every expectation her husband made eye. she went to texas. when they moved from greenwich to new haven to odessa her boxes said her -- center -- sent her and so boxes of deter urgent and so because her mother did not think they had that in texas. they lost a daughter to leukemia. to say we hesitate shall not see their like again, but i would bet money we would not see her like again. maybe what is dated is a historian laureate -- maybe what is needed is an historian laureate.

do you want that job? guest: that might be the final nail in the coffin of the american experience, but it is generous. i will leave you with this. when you quote winston churchill it is a good thing. he wrote the future is unknowable, but the past should give us hope. and, the soulor -- john meacham, the soul of america in the battle for better angels. we will start republicans only for the next half-hour of washington journal of theory of you want to hear what the issue of immigration. publication only the following --now i believe that area

republicans only. flex this is a great skill. he knew the advantages of shock and all. the shock and awe. he instigated wars with denmark, .ustria hungry and france having done that and achieved his objective, the unification of germany, he stopped and became a consolidator rather than an instigator. his next 20 years in power were devoted to build reassuring with germany's neighbor so they would get used to the idea of a unified germany. .t was that distinction

grand strategy, strategic thinking and leadership for contemporary global challenges. >> c-span. c-span was created as a public service by america's cable television company. today we bring you unfiltered coverage of congress, the white house, the supreme court and public policy events in washington dc and around the country. c-span is brought to you by your cable or satellite provider. host: we are talking to republicans only, asking for your message to your party's leaders on immigration. republican, 202-8000.

start calling in now as we share this story. immigration split. the influence of the midterms. focusing on two races showing two ends of the spectrum in the republican party. a tough path to reelection. the electorate is evenly split. likely to breeze through reelection in ohio with 3% of ohio voters are republican. they are at opposite ends of a bitter republican showdown. haveknow the outcome could

implications into the election and could carry immediate significance for retiring paul ryan. plenty of stories focusing on where paul ryan stands in his party because of this immigration split. .ere is the front page that but we're asking republicans only for the next half-hour of our program. your message to party leaders on immigration. the lines in eastern and central time zones. we will have a question in 30 minutes for democrats only. stick around for most of these discussions. steve, in maryland. caller: good morning. how are you doing?

before, as far as immigration and policy, i don't see why everybody is upset about the wall. the wall is to keep out illegal immigrants. american andive italian. havingntry is based on people come to this place to make it better. the problem is people who want to make it like where they came from. those of the people we need to vet. if there is not a wall to keep people from just walking in, how can you do that? we need to have people come into our country helping us out. it is like france can they are just letting everybody in and they are not helping them. host: what is your message to

republican leaders? i believe our leaders need to enforce immigration laws on the books. we have a massive immigration, illegal immigration problem because laws have not been enforced. i own a construction company. i hire only legal employees. i pay them good wage. i furnish insurance. i pay workmen's comp.. i am competing with companies in atarea that hire illegals one third of what i pay my people. i have to bid against them. they are breaking the law. i am following the law and i am thousands of dollars by legal employees who lose work because they are competing against people who make one third what they do.

i have to bid these jobs. host: germantown, maryland. caller: thank you for taking my call. america is supposed to be a nation of laws. as such i agree with the previous caller. laws onto enforce the the books. america is not supposed to be a free-for-all. the constitution is the law of the land. the bill of rights is under attack by the left. it is the law of the land. it is why america has been the most successful economic and social experiment in human history. that is my comment. host: what is your feelings on the daca program? those kidshink that should get a break. with respect to kids brought

were underage, brought here because their parents came here, those kids deserve the opportunity to succeed as americans. ,hey pay taxes, going to school they are trying to improve society. the republican party has missed america's hispanic possibility -- population. conservativesture , they tend to be religious. i don't mean to generalize a population. boat onink we miss the our hispanic population in america. with that being said we are a nation of laws. a path to citizenship,

but i don't support amnesty. we need to be in a place where , bute can legalize people it has to go through a process. host: more with that split on npr, theon, this from passions over immigration took whenan unrelated farm bill it block -- a block of house itservatives voted against as leverage against immigration bill. he farm bill is now on hold. a competing group of moderate republicans continues to address a discharge petition over the

focal operation of the speaker. if the maneuver is successful it would require a short waiting p eriod. to gain support for the discharge position. comment,at is your your message to party leaders on this issue of immigration? caller: i lived in a century city. i saw a lot of abuse with the system. where we rented an apartment, weirdrought through some things. they were renting out rooms as opposed to owning it out right.

i don't agree with immigration at all. -- i have seen host: with legal immigration? legal i agree with. my husband is from turkey. it took a lot of time and money to get him here. he learned english. work to get a good job. i have seen women -- sorry. . hate to say women popping out babies. it was rampant where i lived. attitude.you how do you know they were illegal? go on: i had to

2010.lity in could notn the office speak english. a million kids. the woman told me i didn't deserve to get disability because i'm husband -- my husband made enough money. that bothered me. wouldn't that bother you? massachusetts.n caller: good morning. my feeling on immigration is, what is wrong with being fair? whog fair to all people want to come into this country? you have to get in line, fill out the forms, pay the fees, then you are allowed into the country.

anything.red, yellow, b fred to everyone. the second point, our society has changed. we are no longer a shovel ready society. tech biotech. people cannot come into this country without skills. we mainly have to have people who can hit the street running and not be a burden on society. aboutalls into my feeling being fair to everyone. in fromparents came ireland. if their sponsor became ill and could not support them, and they couldn't speak the language, they went back. that was over everyone. everyone was treated the same and treated fairly. if we treat people fairly there

should not be any guilt or shame . the system is working. good morning. yeah, here is the thing. when their parents brought these kids over i'm sure they told the kids if we get caught you were going back. if i do something illegal, i get in trouble. i go to prison. i sold drugs to make a better life for myself. i went to prison. they are not doing right and it is not fair. only,talking to plug-ins asking -- talking to republicans only. to a democrats only question democratic leadership. stick around for that discussion.

what is your message to republicans? caller: my message is to both parties. what we should be doing in this country is focusing on homeless people, people with needs, especially veterans, and mental health issues. these people who need health care, that need housing. i'm disappointed in both sides , i see it looks to me the congress doing very little. i go back and think maybe they are afraid to do anything. if they do something they get voted out of office. they are stagnant, if you will. that is my feeling. i think we focus too much time on it. host: good morning.

i would like to see the rays act fast. these a get rid of this lottery that brings in everybody and their family. there is no merit. we need to bring in people that are going to be helping our economy. we get rid of the anchor baby policy. i don't know why we can't get rid of this. these women come in and just have babies at the cost of every one else and they don't even belong here. daca, they can go home and use that education that they stole off of taxpayers, and send it

back to make their country better. we are 1.3 trillion in the last bill. we did not even get a border wall. bill rays act passed. we need to return the direction immediately and stop subsidizing people that hurt us. those are certainly issues president trump has highlighted on his twitter page. another issue, recent immigrant -- people that were in those caravans, they managed to make it into the u.s.. 122 were arrested for jumping

the boarded -- border. the caravan began with 1500 people making their way north through mexico traveling for weeks. some were turned back next to cope. of those who got to the united states the majority followed government directions and waited to apply for asylum by the original points of entry. james is in essex, maryland. caller: good morning. ,ive me your tired, your poor this is the description on the statue of liberty. what you are discussing is against it. we should be building bridges, not walls.

should live together as one, not turning away. host: you say it republican leader in congress standing up for that perspective? not. this time i do >> what about your congressman in maryland? is it amy harris? caller: correct. host: what do you hear from him? caller: the same old same old. essentially there is no thatective on the basis these people should be allowed to live because they are not contributing. their news to be methods to allow people that have good intentions in but that is not happening.

host: did you vote for andy harris? caller: i did. host: why? caller: the better of the two options. you go with who you can. host: what do you like about him? caller: i do like his policies around economics, especially around business in maryland. host: thank you. good morning. republicans. caller: how are you doing? i support the rays act. i think they ought to pass it. but this problem with this illegal immigration is so bad. i don't think people understand. they ought to check out the u.s. illegal crime report every day. i feel sorry for people in north

carolina. it is every day. somebody raping somebody, selling drugs, doing something they should not be. we just don't need this. keep importing these people that are illiterate. comejust say they want to here and do jobs that americans will not. for years. withd not have a problem those people and still don't. they say they are coming here doing these jobs, go to a good will allo outlet store and telle they are doing jobs americans don't want to do. who publishes that? united states, i guess? i'm not sure. i look at it all the time. north carolina is one of the

worst in the country. they are getting inundated seems like every day busting somebody there. being illegally here in the country selling dope or something like that. it is sick. it has got to stop. host: the federation for american immigration reform, on their webpage has an example of serious crimes by illegal aliens. that webpage for may 6. injured her six-year-old son. the driver of the vehicle was previously deported 15 times before the accident. from had representatives the federation for american immigration reform on this program if you want to check out previous appearances.

taylorsville, north carolina. a republican. what is your message? guyer: yes, i'm like the talking about north carolina. problems with this. i've got people. they lived next mexico and everything. i'm not against mexico. i'm against all people coming here. keepouldn't have to putting it out and putting it out. most of them are illegal. i don't know how to explain about being illegal. more people come in here. tot: do you think we need stem illegal immigration? caller: yeah.

we definitely need to do that. isa way that we know what getting in here. , lettingmmigration people come here. paint.der wall it is killing us. -- the border wall ain't up. it is killing us. caller: good morning. praise the for c-span allowing citizens to express their views. bush, john kasich, jon huntsman should get together and include the democratic governor this is because of

a difference in economics. they should propose a plan for economic unions we can have an economic union where there is a free flow. three republicans ought to come up with an .lternative future vision jeb bush, john kasich, jon huntsman and john hickenlooper to be bipartisan. host: why don't you think the current leaders can do that? asked johnl, i have kasich of ohio and hick and looper to come together as bipartisan medical care. and be leaders and get congress to do it. they need some leadership in congress.

the bipartisan working group could be the place republicans could join with democrats. save this country from the path we are traveling down. host: is it a problem in lakeland, florida? caller: not so much. labor. people need cheap everything is kept quiet about people doing jobs. no big issue. immigrants are more accepted in lakeland. we depend on cheap labor. that is why we need an economic union. ist: hose a rogers, what your message? do you think immigrants are accepted in arkansas? caller: well, thank you for taking my call.

what can i say? in 1985.re mexico is a very rich country. there is no need to come here. bad.orruption in mexico is for a long time. a long time. nobody did nothing about it. they just do not pay good salaries. no opportunities. a lot of crime. the mexican government never would change the way they treat us.

they are sending a lot of money back to mexico. more than what they get from oil. government, whatever, they will keep going. it is just a mess. we don't want to be here. to make the mexican government liable, responsible, take care of us. stop the corruption in all this mess. about the 50, what million illegals here?

what about the daca parents? host: that debate is playing out in congress. time for one or two more calls. linda has been waiting. go ahead. caller: i have two different comments. i am in san diego, california where we are next to the wall. i have seen instances going into , for theye costco ,ctually sell things in bulk and watch people i know who own a taco shop use their ebt card for that, which is the food stamp card they use. they are getting it for their personal use, using it for their

business use. first-generation american. i can't even walk into a grocery store where i live and ask for help without somebody having to find somebody who speaks party's on your leadership in congress, nationally, we want to hear your party's your leadership. democrats only, 202-748-8000. if you're a democrat in eastern or central time zone, if you're a democrat in the mountain or

pacific time zone. in now.lling as you're calling in, want to et a wrap-up on primary day in arkansas, kentucky and georgia and primary runoff day in texas that, we're joined on escariome, y leah reporter and analyst there. to georgia, one of the most high profile races was governor's seat down there. what happened last night? in georgia, stacy abrams won the democratic governor.r she was facing stacy evans. stacey abrams had a lot of national support, support from from hillary clinton, who actually recorded a robo-call for her, and she managed to kind of coalesce forces to win pretty

comfortably last night. one of the kind of more interesting things for people like me will be seeing how her works out in november. get out with s to her base, people that maybe non-white ed before, voters, immigrants in georgia, stacey evans strategy was to reach out to moderate voters who maybe voted republican before.

-- georgia is one of those becoming more urban, less white, and that into theoretically play democratic hands. that said, president trump arried georgia in 2016, so it is just not clear if georgia is at g to be voting democrat this point. it is possible that it could happen and if it doesn't happen i think it is probably likely to happen in the next few cycles. georgia also the location for two house races that we've say watching democrats they'll be targeting this fall, he seats of rob wassedall and karen handel, did either of them last harder or easier path night? >> i think karen handel is going eyes on st have fewer her race in georgia six.

high ce against john is profile, but now it looks like run-off with two it's -- we'll see what happens there, one of them endorsed by emily's gun and is a proponent for safety. in the seventh district, again, a runoff, bit s will be a little clearer once we know who the actual democratic candidate is. kentucky, who o is amy mcgrath? mcgrath, the democratic nominee, which is pretty surprising. not be surprising as of a few weeks ago. she had ew months ago, a high national profile, it was unclear she had local support democrats in dc had jim ited lexington mayor

gray to run. he won before in a statewide is popular there. on, democratic favor early mcgrath's campaign prospect xcited about of winning. poll after the win showing her with substantial lead over the republican incumbent, andy bahr. emocrats have been happy with either candidate, but aimay mcgrath is interesting, she's a woman, a veteran and ran intentionally as an outsider candidate. that might be something we came again as look at democratic primaries continue to the f that is kind of trend, women, outsiders, kind of candidates

voters are interested in. video got quite a few clicks on the internet what should we be watching for what happened last night? guest: yeah, there are a few coming from there. most high-profile one was texas seven, where runoff etcher won the last night. intervenedwhy, mosier, who made comments disparaging of texas nd they thought would disqualify her from the general election. she's also progressive, all, rter of medicare for she kind of became a national -- national spotlight for being a progressive who wasn't getting support of the party.al in the end, her fundraising

asn't spectacular and fletcher ended up winning that race and culberson inng john november, which will be a pretty competitive race. barely clinton just carried that district. culberson is like taking this race seriously. district, also jenna jones won there. it is the most texas tive primary in against congressman will herd, a killed politician and running in a really large district, make its ally, which hard for nonincumbent to come in nd get his name out and campaign across the border districts. go ahead. comment.ish your guest: i would also say the 32nd district is another one we're colin allred, used to

play for the tennessee titans in n.f.l., democratic nominee against pete sessions. check lan to watch and out reporting at insideelections.com, leah askarinam, what are predictions about how many seats democrats expected to take in the house and senate in we're so in the house, projecting between democrats picking up between 20 and 30 could be enough for majority, but they could also fall just short. re-evaluating those as the cycle goes on, in the enate, we're seeing republicans, possibly gaining one and democrats gaining two, a difficult path ahead of them, but things seem to be shaping up in way that democrats.it host: reporter and analyst with inside election on twitter, cufollow her at leah askarinam. thank you for joining us this morning. phone calls, talking to

askarinam only, leah talking about potential for democrats taking over house and if thing guess their way this fall. grade your party leadership you think of t do their efforts heading into the mid-terms? from you, if you are democrat in eastern or central time zone, 202-748-8000. mountaina or the pacific time zone, 202-748-8001. lynn, high point, north carolina. go ahead. yes, i think it should be a law changed. if you are illegal immigrant and come over here and you have children, if the parents are not then the kids should not become legal. lynn, as democrat, what is your message to democratic leaders? need to do something about the immigration, live in randolph

county and it is ridiculous in asheville, north carolina. host: alfonso, go ahead. yeah, i'm american and i mexican-american, which don't think i'm mexican, i'm an american, was born in chicago. i get mad at the border now.t they have people have come over then o have babies and they help their parents become americans. thing, too -- host: alfonso, are you a democrat? caller: yes, yes, i'm a democrat. that the people that come advantage of ake i feel sorry for

by the law on't go and i see a lot of abuse on our system from these people that the border. host: got your point. illinois. morton, how would you grade your party's leadership heading into the elections? caller: my message to the on number oned be on illegal immigration, they are harm's way ldren in by having illegal immigrants ome into america just so they can have another vote. it's not right. on gun policy, i've been a gun guns locked up. they need to quit hammering on he gun issue, it will not get us anywhere, it will cause more division. like protect our schools airports and our

banks. all i got to say. how would in oregon, you grade democratic leadership? caller: a c, john, thank you for taking my call. host: why a c? caller: i don't think there is on in ntation going either party, i believe that the just as yesterday when 33 the rats voted for deregulation of the more banks 27% re making more profit, more profit than they did last leaves only 10 banks under the t -- still old regulation and i think that they have forgotten history. i think there is an identity crisis, i don't think any one particular issue, i a matter of true epresentation, especially when the second is stinney, the democratic in the party he -- host: ben hoyer, in the house? yes, he went to the one

progressive candidate, i forget pordardon me, he was aying we have picked the candidate and backing him. been doing this for years and representing me or anyone else, an average citizen. f this republic doesn't -- i think become more educated in and not like your show yesterday, you had the topic drain the swamp, i wouldn't have even used a term, i term 't have validated a from this president. i'm getting stuck in my thoughts, i'm sorry. don't know, it is just a matter of representation and i don't think our voices are being heard. host: thanks for the call. virginia.rlington,

terry gave democrats a c, how them?you grade caller: very poorly. host: why is that? caller: the democratic leaders been around much too long, we need fresh, bold leadership positive message and that is not happening right now. regarding daca issue -- host: who do you think should be the adership, if not current crop of democratic leader? democratic ink the a bold devoid of leader, they seem to be absent outstanding.ho is i can't name anyone in particular. congressman nnedy from, i believe, massachusetts island, he sends certainly has possibilities, but he's very young. otherwise, it is true, the

emocratic party is lacking anyone who stands sxout that is a very sad thing at this time. host: you're talking about joe kennedy iii. about him and some of his comments about trump in recent appearance from the boston picture there. oyer, how would you great democratic leader? caller: grade democrats as 10 plus, they have done everything all of the dirty secrets to the forefront. leadership, corey booker is a very good candidate democratic presidential candidate. lot now we are getting a of support, we won the primary georgia for a first african

merican woman to run as a governor. we run in alabama, democrat, won in pennsylvania, so there is a just coming on and it is willing whether people are illing to see it and act on it and come out and vote. talking georgia, voyer about stacey abrams, winner of for emocratic primary governor last night. seeks to be nation's first black female governor. trenton, florida, go ahead, how would you grade leaders?c party caller: i'd have to grade leadership as incomplete. it's just they need to really develop a good message that with people. i'm in such a quandary right now a senate , we've got race going on with scott and mean, they should

not even be close. this guy, scott, he should not been a politician. w bilking the government at fromhe uses money he built taxpayers and wins himself a couple elections down here. education, he's just been a mess and yet he will the dangend up winning senate race down here against a solid american guy who stands up for people and it is just like, be close tis ven all because they got to have a better message, fight money. donate millions to candidate to get them electd and takes anymore, money to get people put into office. it is just a shame. i don't know where this country is going, it's bad. host: do you think hillary of the is still leader democratic party? caller: i don't know. -- you know, uld

she's gotten a bad wrap for a ong time and she's not great, not bad, she's just a person and chance to govern, she could have had a better message and could have gotten votes, but there's the underground republican underground nonsense going on for 20 years that ends up a clown into office. we have to figure out a way to crooks and clowns, that is what the democratic message has to be. beat crooks and clown? call.thanks for the joseph curl write necessary takes on n times, he hillary clinton in his column today. he writes, democratic party has right now, no one tochlt such a void that leads ne person with the spotlight, bitter, vin dickative hillary clinton. mrs. clinton told the democratic leadership forum on friday she would be a

foundational party of the resistance. no, she didn't ask whether anyone wants her to be. back congress, i'll be there every step of the way, we will take back the country that we of lo. the whole speech sounded more like a threat than a promise. two-time loser with health problems pledging to ead the party, whether anyone wants her to or not. washington times. david, flint, michigan. democratic party leaders. caller: i would rate them about a b plus. up against a lot and up know, i party, you hate to say this, up against a will do t party that anything and the president of the united states, so they have when yougo against and up against the most, biggest usinesses and manufacturers in the world, and we got to get out our vote, we got to come

together. mix young y should people up there with the older people, you know, i don't think peep shell take over, but be mixed up in there and see the young people's view, too. older guy, retiree, still working, but i think the got to workarty, we hard, you are up against a corrupt organization. tough, tough, rough organization that will do anything to win. host: if democrats take back the house, should nancy pelosi be last year?the house caller: i like nancy and i wish it up a little bit, though. host: you don't think she should speaker? caller: well, i continuing is time to get a younger person in there. think it is time to get a younger person in there now. michigan.d in flint, nat gonzalez, inside

columnist, he says nancy pelosi is a drug republicans just can't quit and the threat of s her becoming speaker of the ouse again will awaken any potentially apathetic-based voters. that might work for republicans cycle, might be the last cycle with their favorite oogie woman considering three scenarios, the california democratic won't regain the scenarios he goes through in the column democrats therefore ajority, doesn't have the opportunity to be elected speaker and might eave on her own terms and retire or majority isn't big enough if democrats do get take back the house, she doesn't have the votes to become speaker of the house. atread nathan gonzalez it is

roll call dot com. mark, go ahead, mark. how would you grade democratic leadership? give them a big fat f on this entire go-around starting with the election. had a good leader who was bringing in younger people who millennial andng intelligent people -- ost: who is that, president obama? caller: no, bernie sanders, he was not given a fair shake within his party. democratic party slaughtered front oft candidate in everyone h. they not done that, entirely have given different flavor to this presidential election. the continue to alienate younger, smarter people that they need. disturbing. host: mark, what would you like to see bernie sanders' role be cycle and into 2020?

caller: i don't think the damage repaired. meant you f, that were done with this course, when i was in school. happened repair what and what they continue to do with nancy pelosi. against alienated a lot my grade.and that's big fat f. host: thanks for the call. few more only for a minutes asking your grade of your party's leadership. rock, arkansas. go ahead. caller: i'm in complete agreement with the last caller. i can tell, over the years among other issues, if you look at democrats and republicans, basically the same. my view, we had two revolutions party at the same time. the republicans tried to put could eir revolution and

not. they've got donald trump. democrats put down bernie largely because of super delegates. is a party, i've been a democrat my entire life, i'm disenfranchised with them. to note, in the middle of the financial crisis and we were 600,000 jobs a month in and in 2008, took in a million legal immigrants every a million en a half illegal -- 1.5 basically, as i it.rstand and at some point, this has got to stop n. terms of deregulation, you see the same thing out of the democrats, just very discouraging. think the problem is largely systemic. e keep getting the same behavior over and over again and it doesn't matter who is elected. thank you. robert in arkansas, few minutes left to chat with democrats only. leadership.f party after that, we'll turn to

walker of north chairman of the republican study committee, talk 10:00 when the house comes in. know, you can u watch mike pompeo, we are on c-span 3. before house foreign affairs about budget.ing it is on the web or the free c-span radio app, or stick with for this conversation as we talk to democrats only, asking party leadership. bill in long, south carolina. go ahead. caller: good morning, sir. for c-span, i appreciate you taking my call. agree with a couple of recent callers. he assault on the unions, with don't rmation, people understand that is what raised

for people.benefits people say, e when $7, $8 $9 a rk for job with no benefits. pelosi, it is a joke they put her in power. wastes hypocrite, she money. too many skeletons are in her grade and as far as the for democrats, i think they are way off message. the political and e to the republicans, special interests have taken us over with their money. people need to get educated. the recent call frer oregon in regards to the banking bill recently changed over, that was banks to be able to ake more risky loans local people.

they have to keep the money. that was actually a good thing. barney frank recently was on a talk show and actually thought good move. so education, i believe, is what step up ally need to -- stop listening to the host: before you go -- caller: that is my plea for the americans is to step up. do you think americ democrats are going to take back senate?se or caller: the folks down in other countries tis very difficult for them. are tryingd why they to come here and be so desperate. south carolina. eric is waiting in lockport, new york. go ahead. i just wanted to say chinese internet

a big that, they are part in the intellectual property. called them out and he called them out on that soon as ng and then as it comes time to pay, he backs deal.f the ost: eric, on that issue, the -- technology ing eal, the lead story in today's "wall street journal," congress pushing back democrats and cte licans over the comments from president trump. yaya, chicago, illinois, our last caller. can you rate democratic party for us?ip caller: john, i want to give a plus, i'll y an tell you why. everyone is complaining, but to secure dollar

for dollar match for all the you kno ey wanted, knoknow -- stays funded,hood the democrats are playing a nice leverage game. reason the tax, the g.o.p. was able to push that push h, set that up and that through with minimum votes. other than that, they need want ats to vote if they anything passed and chuck and nancy deserve a plus especially omnibus. host: yaya, last caller. by north oined carolina representative and republican study committee chairman, mark walker. here to discuss conservative priorities in congress. stick around, we'll be right back.

>> this marks great skill as a grand strategist. advantages of shock and awe, and this is how he germany in the 1860s, he instigated wars with denmark, austria, hungary, and eventually france itself, just started it himself. having done that and having achieved his objective, which germany, he on of stopped and he became a than an tor rather instigator and his next 20 year german y power as chancellor were devoted to trying to build reassuring web of alliances with all of germany's neighbors so

the idea get used to of a unified germany. it was that distinction between awe, and knowing when else, p and do something reinsurance. professor, ersity his book on contaechl raer sunday night,ges, 8 eastern on c-span's q&a. >> c-span, where history unfolds daily. 1979, c-span was created as public service by america's television companies and today we bring unfiltered the white congress, house, the supreme court, and public policy events in and around the country. c-span is brought to you by your cable or satellite provider.

>> "washington journal" continues. host: north carolina, republican congressman mark walker joins us, serves as chairman of the committee. study for viewers who don't know, what is the republican study committee? the goal? guest: founded in 1973, during by group of ixon, conservative house members that anted to pull legislation more conservative without killing that. that message still stands today, conservative caucus, 157 proud strong and we are work resent and this the the the policy and leadership and other groups to make sure the policy crafted other he needs of the people. host: if you are a member of the block?do you vote in a guest: no, we meet once a week, 1:30, we have 60 to 80

members of the group that comes provides r rotate lunch, so we can get into the policy and issues. jerry -- jared mulvaney.nd mick host: what did you talk about this week? meeting, ay is the reform and we may talk about the farm bill and what happened friday.ast host: how is your group different from the freedom caucus? sometimes the same goals and have a crossover. members of the freedom caucus, probably 10 or 12 of the tuesday group, we have cross-dynamic. our goal, i said maybe the major is we nce, our approach were were -- host: why do you feel that is a

better approach? sometimes relationships, a lot of times behind the scenes, afford you an to be a major player. doesn't mean the other folks do more nt to work, this is tried and true process to influence the direction of the policy. may not be in the media circles, but believe very effective in accomplishing these goals. host: headline from "washington house paul ryan's grip on growing weaker. even as by discord, they hold congress. do you agree? guest: i do not. friday, le, this past farm bill, 90% of members voted or it, pretty good record as far as on the speaker's behalf. he is still the right person to be able to walk through the next months and any kind of upheaval is detrimental to what accomplish. to host: questions about whether paul ryan should step down efore the election to have leadership vote before the election so the party can be unified going into the election.

thoughts on that? thet: i don't think that is best approach. paul needs to guide us through recision, opics, something we are getting closer chairman. the righte speaker is person. the reason why, if you switch horses in the middle of the things aren't going as good as we hope, it will election in tic november, the same process. paul needs to stay the course, speaker needs to stay the course and have the election in due time. host: hear what paul ryan had to about it s asked yesterday. here is speaker ryan. speaker ryan: i serve at of the members, people who direct me in the job in the first place. agree, the best thing is to complete the agenda and not wedge into the divisive leadership elections. host: if viewers want to see the go to onference,

c-span.org. one issue that is dividing the epublican party right now is the issue of immigration. -- what polls the tion do you think is right direction? guest: rnc hasn't changed, wree 93% of the and members believe we should do something to resolve the issue, i think where 1.7% believe pathway ould be special to citizenship. i believe we reached a place pushing foro one is deportation here in congress. to note o important that we can get to the place can work something through, long-term solutions when it comes to level of citizenship. where it breaks down is putting the daca recipients in front of people who have gone through the process and members, he law, most

-- right bill to move forward, 180 members as far as members we have in the republican conference. we are trying to work those out different caucus chairman. yself, mark meadows, rodney davis and john catko. we have been working about it, there a pathway through that, is what we're trying to figure out. host: bring viewers in, 202-748-8000 if you are a emocrat and have questions for mark walker of north carolina. us until will be with the house comes in at 10:00. you are welcome to call in now. second, discharge petition for a vote on set of immigration more als, a group of moderate republicans, pushing hat, do you think that first

we'll have enough votes to actually go through and have the discharge position vote? think it is a good idea to move discharge petitions at all? guest: second part first. it is not a good idea. 2 or 23 republicans pushing with this. vot oncerns me, you have votes -- adhered to when it comes to the -- partner with this. ultimately, you get something going to be vetoed anyway and you start all over. as hurts our credibility far as leading in majority, i issues.can resolve the host: is the will of the conference to end the daca program? guest: yes, it is. well, to resolve it in a way we do not have the situation like e've had another decade or two down the line. let's do something and make sure to ix this for generations

come. how does that get replace? ed guest: i believe those that had 700,000 that are daca recipients, that went through the process, need to have access moving forward. a legal status f. there is forwarded, path put i believe they need to be able able -- have that access, not daca cting from the recipients. we're saying we shouldn't put these folks in front of the line who have come as part of legal immigrant status, that is where the rub is at this point. minutes left.nu20 plenty of callers. good morning. caller: good morning. think the nts, i american people are just too lazy to do the jobs that don't pay good. are uneducated, most people can't get a good job --

second, we're a going to work on the sound for the congressman. o ahead with your comment again. caller: yes, i was saying the immigrants come over to america, hired by mostly the rich people. american people are too easy, do the hard jobs, they are uneducated, most of can't pass an ashu. and they send them down to mexico and back into america. fix it at the top. why are we there, why are we in money?stan wasting our look ata the airport and embassy we built in iraq. all this money and seems like instead of iraq, we iran. have went to host: couple topics, congressman. uest: some of that i think was overstated there, the heart of what i believe the gentleman was comes to , when it

farm workers, we have many wonderful farmers. with the issues ability to bring in migrant workers. we want to make sure they are the law and the process. our economy is the best that 3.9% seen in decades, at unemployment. allow people to ove off the entitlement perspective. think about this, in eight 44 million nt to people on food stamps, this is one that brings hope and opportunity. people are talented, we're asking people from 18 to 49, who have dependents over six, to be able to find pathway, a lot of from the farm bill goes back into a workforce development. make sure these people have a opportunity to better themselves and give back the community.

-- i would like to say to representative walker that i think bill anybody who really looking out country should be bill.ering is the good this thing where the republicans re joining with all the democrats, you know, larry, the and that gets most votes obviously that will get the most reallyi think that it is a slap in the face. if mcconnell and ryan let this go through, i think american -- we don't know what to do. used to be a life-long democrat. i crossed over several years ago

independent, so i could vote for who i wanted. guys, for the most part, you do pretty good. if this is remember a two-part system basically in his country and if the democrats have gone so far crazy basically modern guys, are turning to you i believe everybody did, we're you guys for common sense and -- in the room. so please understand that the for donaldople voted trump, who weren't original republicans. please, where are we supposed to go if we cannot depend on you? host: that's a very fair question and i think you for the a very t, have made

accurate observation. ou are correct, a lot of moderates have moved over to the republicans. congressional numbers show this than the democrats did ecause we feel like the -- ative or progressive shift left. speaker ryan has been fighting discharge petition tooth and nail. we meet once a week for lunch with different people, some are ehind the petition, he is fighting it privately, fighting it publicly, this is not the way or hould be governing managing the house. when we turn that gavel over to to make decision on immigration. host: what leverage does that ng official have in fight? guest: i think the leverage is a ll there, i will not make bold prediction, sometimes it

tarts to >> wayne. caster, california, -- e, go ahead caller: i think the supreme -- hear about daca, like they did dapa. he couldn'tama said do anything because it was unconstitutional. what, [cutting out] 25 illion peep nel our country illegally right now. ou work for the american citizen, you the constitution to constitution of the united to work for american citizens, if paul ryan has the american vote, as we -- him, trump

host: you are going in and out, i think we got your point. guest: i would address that in saying there is three equal branches, supreme court does role f. they believe something is unconstitutional, it connects back the process. time we cannot relinquish our role to make sure from legislative standpoint we resolve this long-term. ronald reagan is my political washington, george but this area, he tried to solve, it increased the problem seen now three decades later. what we're trying to do from egislative side is bring resolve to this, next generation we not have the same issue have. host: the caller seemed to support jim jordan for next house when that election occurs or the next head of the republican conference in house. who do you support? guest: well, i don't think we've made a final decision, we still

a speaker and speaker ryan right now. we'll look at the options. -- we re to put full acknowledgment there and enjoy leading the republican study committee. go. a long way to host: tar heel state, david is a republican, good morning. aller: good morning, congressman. after another school shooting rsc will congress, when the act to stand up and secure our schools? keep happening. guest: that's very fair observation. some who still have children in public school or charter school or private schools, be, we want might schools to be solidified. working with a sheriff to

resource officers. jacksonville, duva lt county, brought forth up speedon that picked to make sure schools are hardening. the same time, there is mental component we want to make sure we're doing everything we can and people who have issues concerns do not have access to guns, the background checks, specifically as we've seen more schools becoming a target by even teenagers, that is the concern. hardening how? what do you think every school should have? guest: i think you need to up as far as access to the schools. entrant and exits, i a little bit.s are debates, maybe have -- nceal the

mountainburg, keith, go ahead. caller: i'm going to mute my .v., it is hard to understand both of y'all. anyway, good morning, sir. i hope i can talk. yeah, good morning. i was going to say that i've the program all morning nd the fella that told the democratic party that they better quit messing with guns know, background checks and all that stuff is okay, but but -- the crooks and stuff is guns whether we have them or not. you need a gun actually. gun away.my i didn't care. i don't need a gun. country, but, he you know, i'd like to have a gun. corps expert in mat rein and i'm fine and everything. host: keith, why did they take away, keith?

why did they take your gun away? wife is h, because my crazy and she had me put in the toohouse and i stayed there long because i was trying to help this navy guy. was having epileptic seizures and they didn't know was wrong with the boy. i knew, because i'm marine. host: thanks for sharing your story. congressman walker, anything you want to pick up on? guest: yeah, i'm stanch of the second amendment. law e who obey the shouldn't have rights infringed upon. many contribute in many ways to their community. i think sometime fist we're not areful, we make lie-abiding citizens the target as opposed to the criminals. f there is a mental health issue here or other places, prime example of maybe a ackground check that was able to catch something here, but i do believe, our sheriff, for example, we talked about conceal

permits. the local sheriff is responsible guy is community, he's the -- if you obey the your best to serve and be a productive citizen, you should not be the target of this where the whole argument on gun control has shifted. we are now going after people the law taking away their rights or trying to as opposed to s keeping focus and target on the criminal or those who struggle. forney, forny, tex -- texas. go ahead. caller: this last time for at ident, i didn't votes all. we could vote for someone, if willave good slogans, they vote for you, that is all have you to have, good slogans. energy you tack each other, why don't you use the energy to help the american peep

and he will broken promises, you now, the prom approximatiss nothing is going to be done. a say that, if you are republican and a christian. hristians don't own republicans. people are so fed up. youl don't do anything once get in there but argue with each other and put each other down people is rican getting sick of it. we're very sick of it. point.rachel, got your congressman. guest: i would push back a little bit. he last 24 hours we've been something, passed three bipartisan support just yesterday. try, allow ht to people who are terminal to have access to experimental drugs, gone through the theess, one other thing was first step act. criminal justice reform is a major part of this.

cedrick richmond, chairman of the black caucus, he and i recently wrote oped, on criminal justice reform. nothing things happen bipartisan act. third thing we did, repeal something connected with the allow community banks to have opportunity to flourish. on emocrats voted with us that. those are things that are the attacknot always process. it is most success you can have member, have the right tone spirit. have opportunity to build something, that means working with people across the aisle. few minutes left before the house comes in, we will go gavel-to-gavel coverage when the program comes on. we discussed the issue of compensate ot to college athletes, i know college athletes are a big deal in north

carolina. had a recent column in the news observer out of raleigh, it at thatto start looking issue, why do you support compensating college athletes? believe in free market, start with that principle. is something e going on that is not american when it comes to student athletes. to surrender your likeness, image and name to an organization where they can hundreds the tune of of millions of dollars, i think that is an issue. many student athletes come from underprivileged places, people from university of connecticut and people from providence college. have money to provide meals or go home and see their families. this is atrocious. we are not asking the university o pay more money, not asking t the bill.ot asking for any other person. if you are on a full ride and

academically and you are going to be a teacher, you can make money part-time as tutor. technical world, cupick up summer job. these student athletes are from doing that, we feel it is unfair and trying to do urage the ncaa to something about this, bring the solution we can look at to make ure student athletes are treated fair, as well. host: what about folks who are it will ruin amateur status? guest: not at all. olympic status, focused on sport, other times they can use their likeness to be able to go out and earn a living at 19, 20 or 21 years of age. incentive for young at athletes to stay in school and their degree. lynchburg.ewaiting, illness ands mental no one is talking about it. every one of the children had problems.

he father said that child got harassed in school all the time. i was in school, i saw this says anything.y host: congressman. uest: there was a day and age, we all had conflict growing up in school at times. we live in a different time when issues or where somebody has had their feelings whatever, we never saw it manifest itself with loss of life. lot is mental health issues, t is incumbent on us as teachers, elected officials to avert mental health issues and to identify're able it. it is a concern we have had laws parents couldn't have access to information when they have a struggling. many times students become young adults that live with their parents, 15, twenty, 25, 30, s, they can't r 40

have access to records. one way that allows us to get law information to enforcement is have more access hipaa laws. host: other ways to get that nformation to law enforcement quicker? red flags about whether law enforcement, whether they are they have.nformation guest: it is. if you have domestic issue domestic violence, committed felonies or yourmeanors, you forfeited right to have access like you would in other areas. that is o make sure streamlined to law enforcement, on the mental health side, sheriff, loc 58 law enforcement, those signing off does have make a o information to judgment call. ost: valdez, mapleton, illinois, independent's line. go ahead. caller: priorities, i want to a point that the election of president trump has pretty

destroyed and i'm thankful for that, this nonsense about and how moral values play a part. i will throw names at you. david vitter, dennis hafter, foley, newt gingrich. talk about things that matter to this nd he will forget nonsense about whether people are better because they read the bible. has been proven, this is nothing, but a sham you sell to people, like a product. walker, i think you are sincere. you have to recognize the moral latform you guys have been carrying for all these years exploded trying to justify likes franklin graham, hagey, pastor jeffers, people who behavior that can't be defended. thank you for your time. guest: yeah, i very poignant call, but i believe he makes a point. i know that i'm responsible for god and forth to my

me that is very important that we do our best to live that out people watching. you have a situation here where live out body doesn't the faith, but someone who defends the faith, that is why 81% of record of evangelicals. for me to make the case this is moral aptitude test with the president we have, especially party, with blican the caller, i believe that would disingenuous. host: speaking of faith, the in, house chaplain think y a prayer, do you there should be a house chaplain? guest: i do. chaplain, he house whether a priest or pastor, male or female that has experience in people and walks of life, if you look at 435 people work t of through personal issues, whether parents,ildren, loss of

other sickness in the family, having someone around you are ble to talk to, real men and women and having access. es, good reason for a house chaplain. host: mark walker, republican of north carolina, appreciate your time. coming in now, we'll take our viewers there and see you back here tomorrow morning at 7 a.m. eastern on the "washington journal." the speaker pro tempore: the house will be in o rder. the chair lays before the house a communication from the speaker. the clerk: the speaker's room, washington, d.c., may 23, 2018. i hereby appoint the honorable evan h. jenkins 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 leaders for morning hour debate.