in the u.s. ♪ good morning. it is saturday, may 26, 2018, the height of graduation season for high schools and colleges across the country, and a time for students and their families to consider the cost of higher education as they take out or begin repaying student loan debt. student loan debt hitting the $1.5 trillion mark for the first time. a survey shows 39% of college students would consider dropping out of school to avoid incurring more debt. we are washing -- asking our viewers, is college worth it?

if you have under $50,000 in student loans, you can call (202) 748-8000. andou have between $50,000 $100,000 in student loan debt, call (202) 748-8001. more than $100,000 in debt, call (202) 748-8002. if you are a student and you are .ebt free, call (202) 748-8003 you can reach us on twitter and facebook. the front page of today's "wall street journal" has a story about student loan debt. one student incurring $1 million in student loan debt, asking whether it is worth it. a 37-year-old orthodontist native big investment in his education. as of thursday, he owed

$1,060,945 and $.42 in student loans. month, only $1589.97 a not enough to cover the interest so his debt for seven years at the university of southern california grows by $130 a day. in two decades, his loan balance will be to million dollars. he and his wife have become numb to the burden, focusing instead on raising their daughters. if you thought about it every single day, she said, you would have a mental breakdown. we are talking about the high cost of student loan debt, student loan repayment, and student loan default. that was a topic of the education secretary's face under questioning from george or congressman -- georgia congressman. >> can you expand why the

department things it is important to change the way barbers -- borrowers repay their loans? >> i commend this committee for the steps that have been taken through the passage out of this committee of the prosper act, that does seek to simplify the ability of students to pay off their loans. it has become a confusing navigation for so many students, and i have talked to a number of them myself who are highly educated and yet have a problem trying to figure out what is owed where and to whom. again, i commend the steps taken here and hope this provision continues to gain steam. we need students to be able to reliably and simply pay off their loans and obligations. >> along the same lines -- and thank you for that answer -- according to the fsa's annual report, the percentage of student are wars in bankruptcy, default -- borrowers in

bankruptcy, default has increased to a little over 15%. the volume of loans in default or other distressed status has grown to about $36 billion. that is a very high number. who millions of borrowers need help getting out of default, i'm concerned the department is not planning for the current and future needs of the borrowers. can you talk about which performance metrics you are using to measure contractor performance and can you talk about how your team is working contractorsat these have the resources that they need to meet these demands? >> this is a really important issue going forward, and as part of our plan to modernize federal student aid in that whole experience, the states that we to moving toward is going

provide students more information up front. it will ultimately give them a suggestionsls, and that they begin addressing and paying off their loans more quickly, and even at a time perhaps when they are still students at a low level. it will continue to engage with them at an earlier stage. today i think that students have to be in default much too long, and i would contend, and we will be moving toward a much more consistent and regular engagement. host: a little more from "the wall street journal," as a details the situation that has led more students to go into default because of the high debt burden. due to escalating tuition and easy credit, the u.s. has 101 people who owe at least $1

million in federal student loans , according to the education department. five years ago, 14 people owed that much. while a typical student borrower owes $17,000, the number of those who owe at least $100,000 has risen to around 2.5 million, nearly 6% of the borrowing pool, education department data shows. we are talking to you about college, is it worth it, is it worth the debt? we has special lines for this. if you have under $50,000 in student loans you can call (202) 748-8000. 51 thousand dollars to $100,000 in student debt, (202) 748-8001. more than $100,000, (202) 748-8002. and no student debt at all, (202) 748-8003. robert, you are student loan

free. what did you do? .aller: i worked for living when i am feeling is that this falls into sort of what trump is saying. china and everything, why make our students pay all this, why put all this pressure on our students to pay back so quickly when everything we buy here is in china, china, china? let's get these students that are in student debt jobs in factories and everything, so they can make steps. this, to me, falls into what donald trump is doing. why is the united states against our students? i would imagine if it was other students from other countries in this country, we would not even be questioning them and they would be getting free college altogether. host: let me ask you this -- are

you saying you think more people out of high school should just go into the workforce and not go to college at all? caller: no, that is not what i'm saying. there should be some students that go into the workforce, but there should be a lot of students that go out of high school into the military. this country is a great country. i think we have one of the greatest presidents going on right now. to me, just leave the students alone. let's get china and this country, let's get everything made in the usa again. we are donald trump supporters in hazard and i thank you for taking my call. leave the students alone, give them a chance. host: jeffrey is calling from auburn, new york. you have under $50,000 in school debt. do you think college is worth it? caller: in my case, no.

and good morning. happy memorial day weekend. i went to the art institute of pittsburgh in 1978. 1985 after four years in the military. i use my g.i. bill. this is called a trade school at the time and now you would call the art institute a for-profit college. -- thereforeprofit profit was based on fraud. the u.s. department of justice sued them for $11 billion and they settled. this caused the art institute to declare bankruptcy. corporation, their parent corporation, owns nearly 100 for-profit colleges in the united states. i believe they are a leech on society.

the degree was not worth the paper it was printed on. i achieved dean's list four times. no one cares. it is ridiculous. trying to get these bills discharged, i pay $200 a month and that is a lot for me. i only gross about 17,000 last year. i am in poverty. host: are your loans federal loans or private? caller: yes, they are federally insured student loans and i have been paying them back. approximately 30 something thousand dollars and the interest is all i am paying. interest in legal fees. it does not even touch the principal. the principle that i owe, because i had paid up until me and my girlfriend had a child and i needed to pay child support, i could not pay student

loans and support at the same time on my income. i defaulted and was defaulted until she turned 21. this book me in $30,000 debt on a $6,000 principal. i still cannot get these bills discharged, even though they admitted to fraud and they have tens ofaction suit with thousands of students that also are victims of fraud. i cannot get the loan discharged and i got the application and it deskeen sitting on devos for a year. i have been calling my congressman, does nothing for me. host: i appreciate you sharing your story. cnbc reports on that server that we mentioned earlier about students, 39% of students considering dropping out to avoid incurring more debt, says

the burden of paying back hefty loans is becoming too much for some college students to their. thoseey found that 39% of with loans considered dropping out of school before graduation to avoid taking on more debt. of those who would consider dropping out, more than half are ready oh $20,000 or more. between 10,000 dollars in $19,999. the magnitude is not the main reason students would consider giving up. they considered dropping out because it is difficult to drop -- balance school with a job. william is on the line from tennessee. you owe under $50,000. his college worth it to you? caller: no, it is not worth it. i agree with the last caller. i have the same problems.

interest is so high, when i was doing when i got a job, i had to pay $280 a month and i was working two jobs. one job could not fund my life. i got another job and i which i interest, because they charge you 6% and 6% is a day. you triple that by 30 days or 31 days, that is $180 to pay on interest. i have to add $100 to my principal, and now i do not have a job. whatever their going to do to me when i get a job, i don't know. this career is not worth it. i tried to go to school because i did two years, and no my

credits -- so my why does the government when you cannot spend your credit? is thathow the loan enough. host: joe is calling from buffalo, new york, also has under $50,000 in student loan debt. do you think college is worth it? caller: good morning. i am not sure colleges worth it. i am on social security disability, got injured on the job. ,t took them a year and a half but they relieved my $20,000 in debt. thing, if my credit is shot, my wife's credit is shot. they need to relieve the student loan.

you know what it would do for the economy? talking about starting up the economy. one last thing, i don't know where you went to college, but if i talked like you talk, the whole program, it would drive me crazy. host: according to the wall street journal, it breaks down some of the priciest perfections according to student loan investment. the top would be dentistry, just like the person featured in the story, who has $1 million in student loan debt, followed by optometry,ne, osteopathic medicine, pharmacy, the dietary, and veterinary medicine, with the highest level , the most expensive degrees in the united states right now. we are talking to you about student loan debt, asking if colleges worth it. if you have under $50,000 in

student loans, (202) 748-8000. and $100,000,0 (202) 748-8001. more than $100,000, (202) 748-8002. if you are student loan debt free, (202) 748-8003. earlier this week at the meeting for the health, education, and workforce committee, here's a exchange between bobby scott and education secretary betsy devos. >> madam secretary, the act provides for a $15 billion cut in student aid, is that right? >> i have heard that opined. i am not sure i agree with that. >> do you have another number? >> it is an approach to giving students much more flexibility pursuing their higher education. >> $15 billion cut? do you have another number? >> i have heard that opined that

that is the case. i said, i don't necessarily share that perspective. >> public service loan forgiveness has to do with the debacle that teachers are in the process of fulfilling their loan forgiveness requirements. how long has the department known about that? >> are you speaking of the teacher grant program? >> im. -- i am. >> we are aware of the issues and have taken steps to address the issues. >> do you need legislation to fix it? >> i do not think so. >> can we expect the same debacle to happen in 10 years when they are completing their loan forgiveness? >> we are committed to fulfilling the requirements and the arrangements of loans under the public service loan forgiveness agreement. host: eddie from durham, north

carolina is on the line with less than $50,000 in student loan debt. good morning. caller: hello? host: you are on. what you had to say about betsy devos, i was calling yes. -- host: listen to the phone. caller: it was just a delay. less than $50,000 and my original debt was $2500, but it went up to $10,000. the interest on it is way to bring much. when he -- too much. it is hard to pay back the interest. people first told me it was forgiven and i got a call from the bank of minneapolis and i said, was there a problem? they said it was forgiven.

they my taxes this year, were telling me by the end of the year if i do not finish paying the interest off it will go up to $13,000. it is just a problem when basically you are taking care of euro living situation, living needs, and your loan interest goes up high. host: what did you study in school? [indiscernible] they said it was forgiven and when i did my taxes, the federal federalnt took my clause for me. i cannot say like some other colors, we do -- callers, we need education, but at the end of the day and paying -- and staying in debt all of your life

is rough. that is why some students really feel like paying the debt part off such a hard thing to do. rita is calling from cameron, north carolina. you said you have more than $100,000 in student loan debt? caller: i have more than $100,000 of student loan debt. and mynurse practitioner number one concern is the public service loan forgiveness program that betsy devos is just talking about. you join the program for 10 years, however it is not being guaranteed. paying for 10p years and then it still not be forgiven at the end of that 10

years. i wish that the secretary would do something. maybe more people would enter public service. host: do you think your education was worth it at this point? would you consider a different path if he had to do it over again? and i: i am a mother believe that education is always worth it. i think that education is definitely always worth it. feel for democracy sake and being a good mother, you need to be educated. i think that in the u.s. we need to have a better system. we definitely need to have a better system. host: according to liberty street economics, it broke down who is more likely to default on student loans.

it says, it considers whether default rates differ by college types, how a default rate and dropouts compared to those of graduates, and does the relationship vary by degree program and other factors? students who attended private for-profit institutions have the highest default rates after their mid-20's, in contrast at every age, four-year private, not-for-profit students have the lowest default rates for every college type. two year's dues have higher default rates than for your students. -- two year students have higher default rates than four year students. colleen is calling from pine bush, new york, you have under $50,000 in debt.

as college worth it? caller: absolutely. andlieve colleges worth it each degree i recently received, each degree i have earned exponentially. more than what i did previously. meo, a professor once told that the higher the degree, the more you are heard, and i believe that is true. my student debt and my husband and i are paying our children's student debt, each of which is $37,000. because i am making exponentially more, i am able to afford that. do i believe that the system is faulty and should be repaired? yes. i am in new york state where undergraduates can receive their , if you're earning is less than a certain amount. i cannot quote you what that is. host: you said your education

increase your earning power. what field are you in? caller: right now, i am in research and education. i work at an institute in new york city. i also work part-time as an adjunct professor at a local college. to me, it is worth it. i think it is important for students -- and i tell all -- tell all my students -- look for loan forgiveness programs. there are plenty, especially in the helping professions. the government, and also indian reservations, if you go national health service you can find jobs to repay. i know a physician right now paying for student loans working in alaska, and i know that is pretty radical sounding. there are national health services in every state. usually if you work in underserved areas, if you are

willing to do that, you can actually get loan forgiveness. there was a speech therapist, a support person at work who was really lamenting about her student loans, and i said, put speech therapy and loan forgiveness programs, and now she is working in a loan forgiveness program and not having to work her student -- pay her student loans back. part of it is knowing how to negotiate the system. host: john is calling from akron, ohio. you do not have any student debt. do you think college is worth it? caller: no, i don't. the reason that i called was i think we may have a priorities -- our priorities a little mixed up. our last budget, we gave $12 million in scholarships to the nation of libya and lebanon.

there was $10 million for disadvantaged egyptian students, and another $20 million for just middle east scholarships. how much -- i did not see anything in that budget that said how much american students were given for scholarships. i think we have our priorities a little mixed up in this country. thank you for taking my call. host: according to the federal research,nk, economic it breaks down the unemployment rate of college graduates who have a bachelors degree or higher, who are over the age of 25, by year. the unemployment rate peaked just before 2010 during the economic turn down, to over 5%. is backril of 2018, it down to 1.9% unemployment rate

for college graduates. it has been a cyclical cycle, but the unemployment rate for college graduates is still significantly lower than the national average. marcy is calling from sterling, florida. you do not have any student loans. how did you accomplish that? caller: i am older, selected them off years ago. as a phd and a college professor , i had to think about what to do for my own child because of all the cost, etc. we planned early and we went into a savings account and she got scholarships. between that, she is finishing her bachelors with no loans. i think that parents and families have to really plan for these and sacrifice, and it was a sacrifice. happenble to make this in an equitable way, and the

other thing, and you are hearing this from a lot of your callers, these for-profit colleges are really serious ripoffs. people need to be warned and projected from this. this is something that our current department of education is not doing. you are talking about planning with euro and children about their education and talking about that. does that discussion include what field they ought to consider going into? caller: actually, no, it is i wanted my daughter to have the opportunity to do what she really loved and not have to worry about loan payments later that might limit her choice of jobs. so she is probably going to go into working in the nonprofit area, things that do not necessarily pay a lot, at least to begin with. without having his college loans hanging over her head, she has that option.

host: michael is calling from dallas. you also are student loan debt free. do you think college is worth it? caller: yes, ma'am, i think college is worth it. the christian we -- question we are asking should not be about worth. people should not be barred to achieve a college degree because of money. i am a student at unc dallas majoring in criminal justice and i'm trying to become a criminal defense lawyer. i learned about the theory that people commit crimes, the reason is lower-class, the theory we live in the same culture which is a material culture. we all want to achieve material success. legitimate means and opportunities to ask is that success is not equally distributed, so how do we equally distribute that success?

-- which is fund what they are doing, they are doing the pell grant's. they have the pell grant's to make that success easily accessible to the lower-class and lower middle class. the only way to legitimately access material success is by an education, joining the military, opening a business, but you have to have capital. the main focus is the education. that is the key to success. if we look to a college degree to make the amount of money to achieve that material wealth, you have to have a college degree. that is why i totally support college education. it should not be about money. that is the whole problem, is it is all about money. host: we have a chart about how people pay for that cost of higher education. from the college board, it

tracks the total undergraduate and graduate student aid by source and type. the overwhelming largest source of student loan eight for undergraduates are federal loans -- loan aid for undergrad are federal loans at 38%, graduate students at 63%. other sources include institutional grants, federal pell grants, like our caller mentioned, veterans and military grants, and private employer grants. the majority of students paying for their higher education with federal student loans. charles is calling from campbell hall, new york. you have more than $100,000 in debt. is it worth it for you? caller: i believe that education is always worthwhile and is a worthwhile pursuit. the cost of education certainly

is not. i have two graduate degrees and i did so because i have five children and a wife i am trying to support, and wanted to better myself. the cost of pursuing that education certainly has not been worth it. the majority of my student loan came earlier in the undergrad and the first masters. in the second masters, i took second -- steps to pursue that without as much cost. the problem we face, because i'm trying to better myself, if you are trying to better yourself your repayment is based on what you are making. if i work harder in order to provide better for my family i have to pay more for my student loan, and i never seem to get out from underneath it. maintaining the mortgage, all these different things is the end goal of pursuing higher education and doing better and that biting you on the backside because you cannot ever seem to get ahead of it.

host: did you take out more than $100,000 or did you reach that amount by the interest growing over the years? caller: the interest growing over the years. absolutely. host: do you have a plan to try to reverse the growth in that student debt? caller: i pay very close attention to the interest itself , because i am a military member. ensuring i am at least paying my interest on a regular basis, even when i am on reserve status. it allows me to go into a deferred status. conflict of education becoming a for-profit concept, when we look at early education and the whole purpose of the university and what we were trying to do is

have a citizenry. we seems to have shifted it to where we are really about the money and profit, and we are the only country setting up our young people for failure by having them walk out with so much debt after a four-year degree. host: some other headlines today, the front page of "the new york times" reports president trump has targeted federal workers in orders curving protection, "seizing on a longtime ambition of many republicans, president trump on friday overhauled roles affecting at least 2 million federal workers, making it easier to fire them and rolling back the workplace rule of their unions. trump, furthering a goal cited in his state of the union address this year, signed a series of executive orders regarding disciplinary procedures, contract negotiations, and limiting the limiting the conduct

of union business on government time. this is more than unionbusting, it is democracy busting, the national president of the federation of government employees, the largest employee union said in a statement." we are talking to you about student loans, cost of college, and whether it is worth it. d is calling from springfield, new jersey, you have over $1000 in student debt. -- $100,000 in student debt. caller: his college worth it? not necessarily if you have to finance it only with student loans. i have a bachelors degree and i did not take out $100,000 of student loans. i graduated about 16 years ago. the way i am paying it back, a second job. any other thing i can do to pay it back. when i tell students now, because i am in the education

field, you have different options. i would not say if you do not try to finance your education through student loans, new jersey has the stars program where you can go to community college for two years, get that paid for free and transfer to a four-year state university and get paid. you can join the army national 100%, up they will pay to 15 credits. that is basically half. or can commute from home just wait, go to military and get a g.i. bill, but do not try to finance your education through student loans because it is almost setting yourself up for failure. host: do you think it is a part of the responsibility of schools to advise their students of different ways? when i went to school, it was almost assumed you would take

out a student loan to finance your education. do you think schools should talk to students more about options? caller: of course, they should talk to them. it should be guidance counselors are different counselors because that is their job. if they know students are coming from a background where they might be the first to go to college and they did not get a scholarship, they should steer them in different ways. , checking out student loans, that could come four to five years out of school, that becomes a mortgage. you are not really getting a job. you do not have the money to pay that back. deviseduld definitely different options, vocational school, the military, community college. just do not put the burden on the student right now because a 17 or 18-year-old cannot do

that. host: from that house education and workforce committee hearing earlier this week, with education secretary betsy devos, let's take a look at what she says when asked whether the u.s. is doing enough to promote all education pathways, not just four year colleges. >> we have a lot of opportunity to continue to improve on our support for the reality of multiple pathways. i think for more than a couple of decades, we have sent the subtle or not-so-subtle message that the only way to success in adulthood is there a four-year college or university. i think that is ilya this ill waste and -- ill placed and ill advised. i think we should continue to help students get exposed to multiple opportunities at a young age. i would argue middle school is really when we should begin to introduce students to a wide variety of opportunities, and

that we should introduce a lot and/orrned and learn dual enrollment opportunities through the high school years. so, and reallyg encouraging innovation and collaboration at the community level around what the opportunities are and what is needed, is a direction that we have to give a lot more support to. perspective,deral ensure that we built in flexibility from the federal level to the resources that flow to those kind of programs. host: we are talking with our viewers today, asking you is college worth it? given the rising costs and rising levels of student loan debt. if you have under $50,000 in student loans, you can call (202) 748-8000. and $100,000,0 (202) 748-8001.

more than $100,000, (202) 748-8002. if you are student loan debt free, you can call (202) 748-8003. a lot of our viewers mentioning for-profit colleges and the seattle times reported that education department scale back a unit investigating fraud at for-profit colleges. embers of the special team with the education department that had been investigating widespread abuses by for-profit colleges have been marginalized, reassigned, or instructed to focus on other matters, according to current and former employees. the unwinding of the team has effectively killed investigations into possibly fraudulent activities at several large for-profit colleges, where top hires of betsy devos had previously worked. during the final months of the obama administration, the team had expanded to include a dozen or so lawyers and investigators

who were looking into advertising, recruitment practices, and job placement claims that several institutions , including to bright education group. group.y education do you think colleges worth it? caller: no, i don't, and i hope i can speak clearly for you. this is the problem. governmentederal started giving out loans instead of the regular community banks, the price of college costs has skyrocketed. once you take out a federal loan , you cannot discharge that if you go through financial hard times. so if the federal government gets out of giving federal loans ,o kids who cannot stand back

the price of college will go down. host: we showed a statistic earlier saying that the majority of students use these federal loans to be able to pay for school. how would they pay for them if federale -- if the government pulls back on granting these loans? caller: i understand what you are saying. i am 63. i never went to college. plenty of people my age went to college and probably had to pay $10,000 a year or $20,000. when the federal government got into the loan business to children just out of high school where $10,000 a year and now it is $30,000 a year. here is the catch. you cannot discharge a student

, whenhen the government you other government money. do, you could file bankruptcy in your debt will be forgiven. bankruptcy on a federal loan for college. host: in some other headlines on the front page of "the washington post," it reports the president shifted on the proposed summit with north korea's kim jong-un. "president trump reopened the door to a high-stakes summit with north korean leader kim jong-un a day after aborting the meeting for what he says were open hostility and nuclear threats from pyongyang. he says it is even possible to meeting could take place on june 12 in singapore as originally planned, although that appeared unlikely. the optimism through a new twist into the already chaotic run-up to what would've been a

significant foreign-policy gambit. we are talking to them now, trump told reporters as he left the white house on friday morning. a very much want to do it. we'd like to do it." "northng to sky news, and south korea leaders embraced at surprise summit." the leaders getting together after president trump sent a letter to kim jong-un calling off the summit earlier this week. carlos calling from rockford, illinois, you have under $50,000 in student debt. was college worth it for you? caller: sometimes i do wonder, honestly. i was always really good at school, so i do not see that i could've done it any other way. sometimes i wonder, because all of the jobs i have ever had, there has always been people sitting right next to me that did not have college degrees. i do wonder sometimes.

previously, i did work for a for-profit university, colorado technical university online, so i had that experience. i also worked for a private company that used to file paperwork for people selling these loan forgiveness programs. i would like to tell people that the loan forgiveness program is free. it comes from the department of education. you do not have to pay for it. now i work for a private collection agency that does student loan debt collection. most people do not realize there these income-based options for people to take advantage of. everybody that is in default right now, they need to rehabilitate their loans so they need to set up voluntary income-based payments. it is a pretty good option for most people. some people that make too much money will have to pay a lot, but for the most part it is a

solution for people and they just do not realize. they have their wages garnished or their taxes offset every year. they need to make voluntary, income-based payments. is calling from st. paul, minnesota, with under $50,000 in loans. good morning. caller: thank you for taking my call. i did a midlife career change and i'm probably doing what i really enjoy doing. i'm a professional pastry chef and i went to cordon bleu in minneapolis. the schools are now closed throughout the united states because they make promises they could not keep. i do believe that post secondary education is worth it, and everyone actually needs it to get a good job. the previous caller was talking about loan forgiveness programs. and i waswo of them

scammed out of over $5,000 from these programs. they said the money was going to go towards my loan and it never did. i finally got a call from the department of education and we got, i got things straightened out. i am in forbearance now because they are investigating the so-called loan forgiveness programs. i really think people need to look into these loan forgiveness programs. most of them are scams. i do not want to see other people go through what i've been going through. payout all this money for nothing. that is my comment today. thank you very much. host: in some other headlines today, "the hill" is reporting the senate harassment will is running into -- bill is running into opposition from the house. "house lawmakers are expressing opposition to a senate bill that

would change how congress handle sexual harassment claims, arguing it would not do enough to support victims of harassment. critics of the bill, approved thursday in the senate, are backed by civil rights groups who say the legislation would limit the behavior for which lawmakers can actually be held accountable. i look forward to going to conference because it appears to shift back the power to the institution instead of the institution, congresswoman jackie spear said in a statement." shelby is on the line from tallahassee, florida with over $100,000 in student loan debt. do you think it was worth it? caller: yes. going to two medical schools, are now right under $200,000. this is from harvard and columbia.

a black american, third-generation higher education postgraduate seeker, i think that this is about the priorities of a nation. if you look now at the disinvestment that the government makes over the course of from the 1960's until current, even with residency, the medicaid government pays for the residency cost for not the private hospitals, not the insurance, it is the government. that is who is paying for the residency salaries. we have a disinvestment, particularly at the state level. now we have only about 37% of states contributing to higher education costs. 68, 1968,e in, i am

celebrating my 30th year from columbia, next week and, in fact, now you are having 37% state investment in higher education. local taxes with property paid so with regard, to where we used to have, we have all these things on people with extended loan forgiveness, with debt reallocation, with income change. theme. just a this is about the priority of a nation that we are going to fund for our people to have skills. we are at asset capacity. evenpeople are not in fact high school, beyond any high school.

in many rural communities where have gone from burrell to urban to metro regions -- "the washington examiner" reports the epa shows secretary scott pruitt spent $3.5 million on security, a claim that is emboldening democrats. "the epa said friday that scott pruitt spent 3.9 -- $3.5 million on security of the last year, which democrats are running with that his proof for the spending is an attempt to "muddy the waters." he wants to muddy the waters after racking up massive travel bills, but he is not falling anyone, said the democrats in a joint statement -- fooling anyone, said democrats in a top -- joint statement. dollars they expect will be spent on preventing their

communities and children from toxic pollution and chemicals, not on premium security for him. in the first and second quarter $603,000prewitt spent and $742,000 respectively on security. the administrators claimed it is for security purposes. jerry is calling from west virginia, you have no student loans. good morning. caller: thank you for taking my call. i hope you let a finish my statement. athink the colleges today is bastion of liberalism just to support the democratic vote. i'd euro a truck for 47 years, and my last year of working i made $75,000. honey, i have got an eighth-grade education.

i sent a boy to a community college, pay for it myself. he ain't got no student loans and the best job he can get pays about $45,000 to $50,000. it is according to what a person does, and i worked hard. i earned when i made. i just don't think anybody needs to -- you can go out and get welding, pays high dollar money. you can tell out, take you a class to do anything, but you got to work for it. no, i don't believe college was worth it. that is my statement. host: rene is calling from upper margaret, maryland, also with no loans. maryland,arlboro, also with no loans. caller: i do not have student loans but i have a plus loan for my daughters. they are strapped with student loans and they do not have the position to backup the amount of debt they are in.

one thing that needs to stop immediately is the accruing of interest daily on these loans. that is a scam. that is how credit cards accrue interest. then they put them in these forbearance programs at the drop of a hat, because then they can capitalized interest in that interest, it is just quadrupling. who would do this to our youth? they say it is a non-collateral loan, so that is why there is a higher interest rate. there is collateral, and it is our country's future. it is our youth, and anyone that is trying to advance themselves and educate themselves, the government needs to fix that immediately. , do youjust want to ask think institutions are doing enough to educate students about that? do you think many students understand exactly how these loans will capitalize and how they can grow? caller: they do not have a clue about it, no, and we are not

doing enough. they should not even have to face that. they have enough in their life to face. it just should not be done. -- weuld educate them should not educate them about the scams, we should get rid of the scams. host: a report that california governor jerry brown said higher education should be like chipotle. a democrat in his last year in force, got in some slights higher education during a speech at the california chamber of commerce. what i like about chipotle is the limited menu. whiteand in line, get rice or black rice, black beans or pinto beans, and you are out of there. i think that is a model some of our universities need to follow, brown said, according to an account. if universities would adopt a limited menu concept, everyone

would graduate on time. rene is calling from upper marlboro -- no, we just heard from rene. bob is calling from high springs, florida, also with no loans. caller: good morning. how are you doing? host: i am good. what are your thoughts about college? is it worth it? caller: it is definitely worth it, and it is worth it for everyone. constitution specifies we auto have free education for everybody. there are certain rights we all should have. when i went to community college , tuition was $50 a semester, and that was great. i could afford it and otherwise i could probably not have gone to college. my family could not pay for it so was that or go into the air force. for my masters degree just a few years ago, that was 45 years later, my tuition was $500 per

semester in a state university in florida. host: what did you study? caller: psychology and counseling. i ended up getting my masters degree and a counselee license and teaching psychology for 10 ,ears in north-central florida florida gateway college. i am thinking that this right should be for everyone. doesn't the constitution offer the right to free education? we can have capitalism and freedom, but the constitution allows laws to keep our god-given rights reasonable, with equal opportunity for all. i say let's use the system we have got, take charge by voting intelligently and by using our vote to let our legislatures know what we feel is right. sierra is calling from selma, alabama, also with no loans. i am saying, i know i

got put out of school in seventh grade because i got pregnant. school, wegoing to had high school, then we go into trade school. i wanted to go to the service, but they put me out back in them days. i still worked at factories and stuff like that. now, these children, like theirody's saying, high-level skills, you need this. first of all, technology did not just come on a whim. raised by persons

that had high school diplomas and stuff like that, or you go into college. they are doing it on the backs of the people that have already done this. if you go to technology school now, you are going to pay out at least $200,000. it don't make no sense. each of them don't need all that , because they are trying to do the right thing, trying to make life better for everybody, but the government look like they trying to keep them in this bondage, like a slave thing. host: coming up next, student loan debt recently hit $1.5 trillion for the first time as mentioned. jillian berman of marketwatch will join us for a look the impact this is having on college graduates. later, the recent apology changes -- policy changes

implemented under betsy devos, eric kellerman of the chronicle of higher education will join us. we will be right back. ♪ >> commencement speeches next week on prime time. oprah winfrey, scott's police, ron prosor stein. tuesday, toronto bar, clarence thomas, and nikki haley. , rexsday, hillary clinton tillerson, james mattis, and justin trudeau. cook, john kasich, kate brown, and luis gutierrez. on friday, jimmy carter, betsy

and keisha meadows, lentz bottoms. primetime on c-span.org and on the free c-span radio app. >> here are program highlights for this memorial day weekend. munkht on c-span, the debate, is political correctness a positive force for social justice? on book tv? . john meacham tv at 10:00tory p.m. eastern, archival films of world war i. sunday on c-span at 6:30 p.m., chris christie at the university of chicago institute of politics. ,n book tv at 9:00 p.m. eastern

james clapper. atday on american history tv 6:00 p.m. eastern, a tour of the battlefield monuments, and american cemetery in france. coverage of, live the wreathlaying ceremony at the tomb of the non--- the unknown soldier. davidk tv, indepth with baldacci. c-span 3 at 8:00 a.m., programs marking the centennial of world war i. this memorial day weekend on the c-span networks. go to c-span.org for more programs and times. "washington journal" continues. gillian berman joins us now to discuss the cost and value of education and -- as student loan debt reaches $1.5

trillion. thank you for joining us today. guest: thank you for having me. host: $1.5 trillion in loan debt, how big of a deal is this? guest: we saw student loan debt surpassed $1 trillion in 2012. in the past six years or so, it has ballooned even more. 10 years ago, it was only at $600 billion. host: what is fueling that fast increase? guest: one, more people are going to college than in the past. so there are more borrowers. the loans are getting bigger. the cost of college is higher. . obviously, that makes the outstanding debt go up. another thing is that people take a long time to pay it off. we are not getting those loans off the books as quickly as we would like. host: you write about the debt hitting the 1.5 join dollars

mark, debt that exceeds income -- $1.5 trillion mark, debt that exceeds income. students leave school with a7,000 of debt on average, summit can be bearable for many, given that the average starting salary for a new college graduate last year hovered around $50,000. but as many as one in six college graduates will leave school with the data that exceeds their income. it is challenging for those borrowers to pay off their loans on a standard 10-year plan. youou get the stands -- do get the sense that they understand the burden on the other side? >> -- guest: students understand better today than they did five or six years ago. there has been a lot of coverage in the media have a student challenges and students are

becoming more wary. mentionedur callers the features of student loans that make them difficult to pay back. host: we are joined by julian berman, a reporter at "market watch," focusing on student debt and financial issues facing and people. we want to get your thoughts in this conversation. under $50,000, you can call. host: i want to talk about some

other stories you have written. a student debt burden that is becoming a universal problem. there is more evidence that it is a part to gillooly acute challenge for women. the gap -- a particularly acute challenge for women. why is that? guest: these days, a lot more college students are working adults coming in to college later. women,they come in, because of the gender pay gap, have less money to put towards their education.

while they are in school, they are still working. when they get out, that gender pay gap plays a role so women are taking longer to pay off because they are paid less on average. guest: -- host: are there other factors, like care for children or the burdens? guest: that is a big factorguest:. when we talk about the gender whitefield's women -- what fields women are over representative in take longer to pay off. from gaithersburg, maryland. caller: our son just graduated from a state school in maryland. a businessd with degree. i gave him the opportunity to

ck on how he would get through college. we've put this money aside for him. he went to another community codes that fed into maryland, the mac when school, and he was able to get scholarship through the third year. so the money we save, about $80,000, $60,000 of that to him and the rest went to scholarship. it was a great way to keep my some local and let him to be involved in the decision-making on how he would pick the different schools. he did get a lot of offers out-of-state, but i explained to him, even though they were full scholarships, they were not room and board and would not include travel. by getting him involved, he ended up getting a business college anda state got a great job. he just graduated and it cost him $20,000. enough options

like that available to students who are trying to graduate without that enormous loan debt? guest: there are options out there, but it is challenging. schools arete definitely a good deal. families looking to save on college should look towards that. increasingly, we see more students doing what the color described, starting at a community college and transferring to a four-year school. it will be cheaper and save them a lot of money. you have to really pay attention. those credits from community college are not always easy to transfer as one might. so you have to be very intentional. host: another issue you have written about is what you say is the black-white wealth gap and how it is fueled by student debt. student debt is becoming nearly widelyal, buddy can vary

depending on the color of your skin. it is becoming increasingly clear over the past several years that the black student loan borrowers take on far more debt than their white counterparts and struggle to repay it. new research sheds light on the trajectory of black-and-white students during the college-going and student-loan-borrowing debt will and student go on contributing to the persistence of the race wealth gap. about what is fueling that disparity. host: -- guest: there are a few things. there is a historical wealth gap difference. white students are to the incoming to college with more resources to pay for it. they don't have to borrow as much. so typically, right off the bat,

black students are borrowing more. they get in school. they get out. once students leave college, there are a whole host of factors that make it so that black college graduates get paid less. we know about discrimination in the labor market and things like that. on top of that, because of the wealth gap, the authors of this research speculate that white student loan borrowers might have an easier time paying it off in the early years because they have family resources to rely on. maybe their parents are not helping with the loan itself, but maybe they gave them $200 that they used toward some other expense. those are some of the reasons for the differences. host: carol from maryland. thank you for calling. caller: my name is mindy. i have a four-year degree. when i was getting my first 60 to 90 credits, i was try to save

money by getting my credits at a junior college. i went to other colleges to get summer credits. but when i went to transfer over, they did not accept 30 of my credits at the four-your college. that is what is opposite of what should be. it should be that credits always transfer per student, not college money. host: talk a little bit about that. guest: this is a problem that policy members -- policymakers and higher education persons are jumping on. there are some community college systems that are working to make this smoother, but the color is right. her experience is not abnormal. it can be difficult to transfer those credits. host: we are talking to jillian

berman of market watch about the burden of student loan debt which has reached a cumulative total of $1.5 trillion. for thently wrote huffington post as a business reporter and is herself a graduate of the university of michigan. we want to hear from you. headlineead earlier a from today's "wall street journal" about a dentist who has a million dollars in student loans.

more than a hundred people have debt that i. -- that high. itst: we will probably see -- see more of that, but it is still exceptional to have more than a million dollars of student loans that. the person featured in that story, he did a residency that he had to pay for. he had seven years where he was paying top dollar, taking out top dollar loans and not paying them back. even though id, million dollars in student loan debt is exceptional, there are only 100 people who have this and there are 40 million student loan borrowers, we are still seeing the number grow with high balances.

it stands to reason that we will see more borrowers with exceptional loans. host: is a dentist. -- he is a dentist. talk about choosing a field of study. dentistry is the most expensive right now. but other fields, law, medicine have followed closely behind. those are also expensive but make a lot of money. how does the choosing of the fields make a different? cases,any a lot of depending on the school, law and that, he fields like was living an ok life. he owns a nice house. he has a used tesla. yes, a million-dollar debt is a lot to weigh on your mind, he did get some payoff. he makes $225,000 a year. but if you are going to study a

low-paying field, think about whether it makes sense to take on so much debt. dallas,metrius from between $50,000 and $100,000 in student loans. go ahead. caller: i believe it is not worth it. internete boom of the and basically all the concepts that are freely accepted -- accessible to you now, it is not really worth it because of the andds, choices are limited capitalism has a flaw in it. povertyrom a level of where my parents made between $20,000. the system is not a level with the essentials that you need to survive.

equate to what you want to aspire to be. the system is so flawed based off numbers and you are not really going to get anywhere when you're creativity and inspiration is tied to a number. host: i want to give jillian a chance to respond to that, whether people see that experience is worth it. guest: the debt feels this for sure. a lot of people regret their choices and their major choices. one point the caller was making at the end, you shouldn't think of this decision totally as something about a number and you have to think about what you're passionate about. that's true, too. you don't want to major in something that will make you a lot of money if you won't be

able to land a job in it because you are not passionate about it. there are a lot of. factors to consider. out --ou also write write about students having a different experience now that 10 years ago, at the height of the great recession. 2018 ise the class of graduating into an economy on the upswing. talk about the difference in the process that students graduating this week have compared to those who are still suffering from having graduated when the economy took a drastic downturn. host: in that story, one of the experts i talked to said, hitting the job market with a ea today, you are looking pretty darn good.

ba they,ent -- with a you are looking pretty darn good. unemployment is very low. students i talked to today are not concerned about finding a job. they felt they were able to do it. 10 years ago, that was not the case. i was in college during the recession. i had friends who are graduating then. even what i graduated, inc.'s had not totally picked up. there were -- things had not totally picked up. there were questions whether there would be a job for you at all. i interviewed a number of people who worked for two years doing something that did not use their degree. it took them a long time to get into a career. so their trajectory is thrown off. host: nick from new york city has more than $100,000 in student loans. good morning. know about theto

dean at howard university who took money from all the students. the second thing i want to know is how come i heard [laughter] john from kentucky with over $100,000 worth of student loans. caller: i wanted to comment about -- i graduated over 10 years ago and received a doctor to degree. one of the things -- doctorate degree. one of the things i have not heard and i wanted to share is i eighth -- i am a veteran. gettimes you can go in and a doctorate. i went into resource management. this is something students should be aware of. there are programs out there that allow you to have that dead

asused, forbearance is, even a disabled vet, their programs are based on work hours. i am in human resource management. they will allow you to pay your debt to a certain percentage and excuse those debts. what i am not hearing is a lot of students are picking career fields that they have a passion for, but they are not focused on how to educate themselves on how to get to a college degree. and there are programs out there. i wanted to know if you had anything about it or wanted to talk about it. host: one, the forgiveness programs. two, educating students to understand the effect of these debts. guest: yes, there are a number of debt forgiveness programs.

if you are a public seventh, you pay your loans for 10 years -- your federal student loans for 10 years. you theoretically can have that differ given. for students -- that debt forgiven. what students know when they enter college about lot evidenceis a that we are not teaching them enough about it. there are strategies that students and parents can use. i'm talking about this stuff to make it more meaningful for students after school. host: you write a story that says there is a morally suspect way that the government is collecting student loans. print digitally those who went to for-profit schools, oftentimes pulling out very early in that process, but later being hit with government seizing their funds.

a lot of these low-income students can for that -- cannot afford that. guest: they will take a portion of your tax return. but the borrowers in this story, they were taking their earned income tax credit, which is a program specifically for low ,ncome, working americans lifting them out of poverty. so a lot of experts i spoke to said this is a counterintuitive way to deal with this problem. you ideally want these people to have jobs and the money to it eventually pay back their loans. but if you take a government refund they are relying on to fix a car that they need to get to a job or find permanent housing for them and their children, you will have trouble achieving that goal. host: talk more about the

difference between federal student loans -- the biggest source of student loans for most students -- and private loans that have much different terms. they are not backed the government and have drastically different repayment terms. guest: federal student loans come with a lot of protections. most financial aid experts and advocates say that since exhaust with eligibility government loans before they go to the private market. if you get into financial trouble, there are a lot of options available to borrowers to make it easier to pay back that debt. with private loans, they don't come with those types of options. they can come with a variable interest rate. as the interest rate environment changes, the interest rate on your loan can change, which can be difficult for students to deal with.

also, private loans often require that students have a cosigner, so a parent or coparent, their credit is on the line. that's not true with government student loans. missouri withrom under $50,000 in loan debt. caller: my student loan debt goes back into the late 1980's and i'm afraid, when i retire, i will still have student loan debt. i don't think that the student loan forgiveness program is easy enough and widely available and after people so they can take advantage of it. i did go to a private college. i was kind of pushed into getting student loans. they said, don't -- no big problem. i could take my sweet time, but i did not graduate and i am still burdened with this tremendous debt from a

private college. i think students need to be better informed about student loans, perhaps while they are in high school or even junior high or something like that. secondly, junior colleges across america should be made free tuition to everyone. that might help lower some of keep down the cost of private universities. i think that will go a long way. host: i want to give jillian a chance to address both of those issues, particularly the proposal that we have heard from lawmakers that, community colleges should be free. guest: i think what the color is getting at, right now, for the past several decades, college has become a riskier proposition because it is expensive. wednesday investment in college was high tuition was low. you could try it out.

if it did not work out for you, it would not be the end of the world. but what happened with this borrow and -- borrower and many others, they start school and it is not for them and they leave and they have a ton of debt and don't have the degree that will give them the salary to pay it off. some lawmakers have proposed making community college free as a way to mitigate that risk. you can go into community college, if it works for you. if it doesn't come you leave, no debt. if it does, maybe you go to a four-year school. by then, you are on the path to a degree. host: bill on the line from illinois. you have no student loans, bill. 1962, so graduated in i got it all paid off. $500uition each year was for one year and $600 the next. i had a student loan of $1100. my first job, i made $330 a month gross.

the second year, i made $340 a month gross. what i was hoping to get in was the thing about -- magazine and why blacks generally have less wealth and resources. 75% of black children are born to unwed parents who never get married. this differs greatly from what the magazine said from 1880 to about 1960. black adults got married or blacks got married at a higher rate than whites did. that something happened in 1960 or so. that was the time of a lot of welfare programs. darrell patrick moynihan, the senator from new york, wrote the unwed motherhood rate was only about 50%. host: i want to give jillian a chance to address that.

have you come across a factor in your research? guest: i have not. when we talk about the racial wealth gap, there is a history of policies. in america, that has made it difficult for americans to build wealth. for blackicult americans to buy a home. that's the sort of thing we're talking about here. host: david is calling from thousand oaks, california. one of the aspects that is often -- aspect that is often left out of this discussion is that much of the student loan debt falls on the backs of parents to pay off. i never hear lawmakers are people in the media discuss that. oftentimes, these parents are going into their retirement years and have difficulty paying

off these loans. guest: that's definitely true. starting to think more about that. there is a government loan product called parent plus loan. that is a loan that parents and take out. it is controversial because they can take out the cost of a degree. it doesn't have a lot the same protections as federal student loans, but it does have the same collection power. it can get parents into a bind. host: you can find her work at marketwatch.com. guest: thank you for having me. host: we will continue our on higher education and changes to policy with chronicle of higher education's eric alterman -- eric k

elderman. >> joining us live next sunday, june 3 for our year-long special in-depth fiction edition featuring best-selling fiction writers. that ifld have to say we're talking about creativity, and i know many writers and so on, the people with a lot to say with the wealth of storytelling. the idea that there is youytelling, that must learn to do this if you are going to be a fiction writer, it is not going to make you a great writer. faulkner andwith

you discover they could all do it. there is about learning to do those things that in peds creativity. >> her books include "typical "mona in the promised land." jen on booktv on c-span 2. sunday on q and a patricia "thele discusses her book more list: woodrow wilson and the world he made." >> there is a huge psychological literature about wilson. i read it, but i had the sense that it reduced him to edi what i felt ind

could not deal with with mild theory. some said his stubbornness in later life was a reaction to his strictness. they can point to one story where his father made him revise a little thing he wrote a bunch of times. that wilsonions are resented this. he was a good boy and he put up with it. in read every mention wilson's letters of his father, they are worshipful. he never had an unkind word to say about his father, a presbyterian minister. >> sunday on q and day. >> "washington journal" continues. host: joining us is eric kelderman a senior reporter at the chronicle of higher education here to discuss the top issues facing higher

education and u.s. policy changes under u.s. education secretary betsy devos. what major issues are facing colleges and universities in 2018? lott: i think it depends a on the kind of college you are talking about. if you're talking about elite or private selective colleges with big endowments and diverse revenue, those colleges are doing pretty well overall. even some of the better flagship different revenue streams coming in, tuition, interests onts, investments, things like that. if it is small, small private areas, theyrural are struggling with enrollment students.t enough public colleges in the upper midwest and northeast are struggling with enrollment issues.

those are some of the bigger issues. there are issues about public perception of the value of higher education. questions about the price and student debt. there are things like debates about free speech and some of ultural war issues happening on campuses. year ofu write about a rolling back rules under education secretary betsy devos. the u.s. department of education has taken steps to roll back several of the most controversial rules enacted during the obama administration. at the same time republicans in the house of representatives are considering a reauthorization of the higher education act, the major federal law governing higher education that would constrain the government's oversight of colleges. talk about changes in the

current administration in terms of education regulation and how that is being felt at colleges across the country. guest: a couple of big regulations that the education department is reconsidering under secretary devos is something called gainful employment rule. -- they cancolleges be penalized if they're , particularly from career colleges and vocational programs, if they're graduates don't make enough money in their jobs to pay back student loans. that rule has been put on hold and renegotiated. we are waiting for a proposed rule to come out. in theory that would be in place, the final role in november and in place by next july. the other thing is the borrower defense to repayment. this rule allows students who have been defrauded by their government ask the

to be excused from those loans. this comes into play with larger for-profit schools, corinthian and itt, tens of thousands of student asked for their loans to be excused because they felt they had been taken advantage of by the institutions. that process is in the courts. a lot of those applications, some are being processed, some are being held up. that rule is being renegotiated. those are changes that would happen. in theory, we are seeing the device administration -- the devos administration is trying to make it easier for institutions to avoid penalties. penalties under the gainful employment rule in theory that would come out. you would have to provide disclosure that your graduates

are not making enough money to pay back their loans. defense, we're not sure where that is going as he would have to show proof of fraud. other things, title ix, sexual assault on college campuses, a big topic right now. the devos administration has ledcinded what our cal dear colleague letters. asking colleges to take a harder line on the issue. evidence to prove sexual misconduct on campuses lowered. the number of activities that would be considered sexual misconduct. the devos administration has rolled that back and said they will issue new regulations through the formal formaltration --

regulation process. the obama administration was not formal regulation. host: issues facing colleges today. we have special minds. if you are college student or parent, you can call (202) 748-8000. if you are a college educator, you can call (202) 748-8001. all others can reach us at (202) 748-8002. fromt to play clip for you about theis week department of education's priorities. i want to to respond to this exchange between bobby scott and betsy devos. [video clip] >> a $15 billion cut in student aid, is that right? opined.e heard that i'm not sure i agree. >> do you have another number?

approach to giving students more flexibility pursuing their higher education. >> a $15 billion cut? do you have another number? opined.e heard that i said i don't necessarily hear that perspective. -- share that respective. >> the debacle going on with teachers in the process of fulfilling their loan forgiveness requirements. has your department known about that? >> are you speaking of the teacher grant program? of the issues within that program and have taken steps to address the issues therein. >> do you need legislation to fix it? >> i don't believe so. the same expect debacle when students are

completing their 10 years of loan forgiveness? >> we are committed to fulfilling the requirements and arrangements of loans under the public service loan forgiveness agreement. host: talk more specifically about the prosper act. the changes it implements and how it affects things like loan forgiveness. guest: sure. as we mentioned, the republicans in control of congress and the running the department of education are keen on rolling back regulations. this bill would not only roll back some of the regulations, but it would prevent the department from enacting similar legislations in the future without legislation. that is significant. want to get into if it was a cut or increase. it would increase the loan limits available to students, though it will bow colleges to

place limits on loans for individual programs if they feel those students might not make enough money in the future. it would give more discretion to colleges to limit loans. it would also put colleges on the hook for students that dropout. if you dropout midway through the semester, if your college has received a federal pell grant or loan money that money would have to be repaid to the government. so colleges are not benefiting from students who drop out. host: independence, oregon. you are a parent. good morning. caller: i'm thinking my kids are going to come out of college because it is not worth it because of all of the places college.that have free they come over here and take our jobs and they do not have to pay back loans. what you think about that? thank you.

guest: there are countries that are recruiting students from the u.s. to go to programs overseas, england and germany are a couple. there are a number of international students. the number of international students in the u.s. has been increasing. that has declined significantly over the past couple of years. colleges and universities that are able to attract those students, most colleges cannot bring international students. placesublic flagships or with namebrand recognition in china and india to bring international students. they come here and typically pay fees.uition and in some cases that is an important revenue source for those institutions. host: indiana, you are a college educator. caller: my comment is one of the

public's biggest misperceptions about higher ed in the united states is it is like an employment service. that is not what a college education is supposed to do, find people jobs. it is supposed to give graduates skill sets that are multifaceted and dynamic and can change with changing economic circumstances of the country. right now, we are experiencing rapid economic change. and a lot of people's skill sets long were developed a time ago need to be refitted for a new economy. education is generally designed so the graduate can reinvent themselves down the road to deal with that change. --t: do you see the change is college reflecting the change kevin is talking about? this is one of the big

picture debates happening on college campuses. whether colleges provide specific skills for jobs or if they provide broad pallets of skills, sometimes referred to a soft skills. communication, writing, working in teams, things like that. sometimes from businesses you hear we want graduates that are more prepared for specific skills. sometimes you hear we want independent thinkers that can think critically. this debate is playing out in different ways. over the long run, we are to have to find out whether -- which side wins. see liberal arts majors that get soft skills in the long run tend to earn more down the road. host: from bedford, texas. caller: good morning. are you familiar with the

national laboratories, oakridge, loss ou -- los alamos. i am a senior citizen. 2 areas, math and science. our country right now was about ready to fall below zimbabwe. anyway, you talk about money for these programs. the problems we are having with kids that start in junior high and high school with math and science is killing our kids. there is huge amounts of money for kids in math and science. oak ridge national laboratory million. hit $30 they could not spend it because they were not any kids that came in to apply for the programs. i wanted to see if you were aware of this. host: talk about these specific

skills. guest: again, there is a large pushe happening and a big in college and by the public to increase the number of students going into the so-called stem fields, science technology engineering and mathematics. there are a lot of well-paying jobs out there for those folks. whether they are prepared coming out of junior high and high school, there is a concern whether the elementary and secondary schools are adequately andaring kids for college if the goals we are seeing in middle and high school are aligned with college, being ready to go to college. in the chronicle of higher education that while higher education generally isn't popular, people really like the own schools.r

democrats and republicans see a need for improvements in higher education, but they like their local colleges and universities based on responses from 1600 random selected adults. there are similar findings to last year's polls that showed deep support for community college believing that degrees lead to more employment than a high school diploma does. guest: the new america findings have shown in general people still believe in the value of higher education. education leads to better opportunities in terms of your job and career. they are concerned about the rising cost. they are concerned if colleges are doing an adequate job preparing students for the workforce. those are big things that have come out of those polls. community colleges get high

marks from the public on these issues, they're the most affordable option for a lot of students. i think they connect well with demands thatration the public and employers like. host: dave is a parent calling from illinois. caller: i just had a couple of questions. health care to increase access you have to lower the cost. the affordable care act did not want to do that. so we have the access problems. the second thing is talking about preparing kids for school. in illinois, we pay high property taxes. are burning so many funds and kids are not getting ready in elementary school, middle school, and high school. that money is not available for

parents to save for college. said, the price of college is one of the major concerns for most people in the public. how they will afford to send their kids for college. you had stats in the previous segment talking about the average price. most to students, if you go to a regional college, western illinois university, for instance, you will pay less than $10,000 year for tuition. like are other costs books and room and board, so it adds up. it is a big concern. talked about have for-profit institutions. when they are saddled with debt even without a degree. how do you see this administration reacting to these for-profit schools? the obama administration took a hard line on for-profit

schools. we saw major closures during the obama administration, i mentioned corinthian and itt. devos has tried to lower the regulatory bar with it the many spots need as for college students as we can create. we need to allow those institutions. in the long run there will always be a place for for-profit colleges to do there a specific vocational -- to do very areas andocational online education is popular. iny are permanent players the market. whether they survive in the state they are for a very long time has a lot to do with how they are perceived in the public. their public perception has gone down. they tend to be more expensive than public colleges because they do not get state

appropriations. they are eligible for pell grants or federal loans, if you are talking about the accredited institutions, but they have to charge a lot of money because they do not have endowments or other sources of income to offset the cost of education. host: is the process of being accredited different for these schools? guest: the process is the same, actually. it is a complex issue. there are regional accreditors, seven in the u.s., that a credit mostly public colleges and some private nonprofits. then there are national accreditors that do mostly career colleges. they have slightly different standards. it has become a controversial issue about how colleges he come accredited. are the standards high enough for these institutions?

looking closely enough at business and recruitment practices to make sure they are on the up and up? host: i want to quickly read this headline from the new york times. administration is cracking down on students who overstay visas. plansump administration to crack down on international students and visitors who , stoking fear in the higher education community that president trump's aggressive immigration policies will hinder university efforts to attract the brightest minds from overseas. can you talk about the impact of immigration policies like this or the daca program on higher ed? you're saying concern about the crackdown on immigration policies and the impact of repealing daca. as i mentioned, and a lot of the international students come from

china and india and pay a significant amount of money. they in essence subsidize other students that go to college there. that is one issue. different.sue is these are students that grew up in america. they are not typically wealthy. colleges have taken steps to try to help those students out, protect them to the extent they can, provide free legal advice on how to manage their situation. end to it,ee a quick an but it is a big concern in higher education. host: hi, beverly. caller: i taught school for 32 years, pre-k through high school, and dedication on the college level. i am concerned about how easy it is for the government to take away from the funds they could provide to this school's to help

us get into the kinds of programs that produce the kinds of children they want. i find it really disgusting that game is charter end game-- devos' an is charter schools. they're not working as well as the public thinks. planets nothing on the that should stop these children from attending a trade school versus a traditional college or university. my grandfather used to tell my brother, a real man learns how to make a living by using his hands. ast: i want to give eric chance to talk about trade school education and how charter school graduates are faring in higher education. guest: i do not have an answer one.e second

i don't know if there is research on how charter school graduates perform in college versus students who go to a more traditional public school. there is a renewed interest in vocational training. communityoned, colleges are very popular with the public. i think there is a big push to get students to consider, do you need a four-year education for your career goal, or can you go to the community college or technical college and get that six-month certificate, one-year program, or two-year degree to put you on the career path you want? host: elizabeth from pennsylvania. a parent. i, my name is elizabeth martinez. i am the parent of a college student who graduated four years

ago from a private university. when he was attending, because of our income, my husband and myself, he was not available for student grants. that being said, we used the parent plus route for his college education. a couple of years later he was only able to get a part-time job out of college. that finally turned into a full-time job, but we were forced to retire because of health reasons. our income is lower and we have debt. i refinanced our home to help pay for that. i paid $35,000. the loan is still growing will stop it has grown to over $160,000. i have no clue how i'm going to pay for this. host: talk about the debt burden that not only students face, but

their parents. guest: the parent plus program allows parents to borrow the amount of money required for their student to get through the degree program. it has become a big issue. lawmakers in the federal department of education tried to tighten the credit requirements. of a was something backlash, because that made a bunch of minority students at historically black colleges in particular, their parents in eligible to take out loans. that put a crimp in their enrollment. sword. double-edged you hear parents like the one that just called and saddled with a lot of debt, and their child thankfully got through college and is earning a living, but they are carrying that weight. that is a big problem for a lot of parents. seniorric kelderman

reporter at the chronicle of higher education. thank you so much for joining us. weis commencement season, want to take your calls in the next segment and get your thoughts on whether you think graduation speeches have become too political will stop current students can call (202) 748-8000 . recent graduates, (202) 748-8001 . all others can call (202) 748-8002. this week, newsmakers interviewed the president of a super pac working to elect democrats to the senate. he is questioned about the florida senate race and what it will take to win the senate in 2018. >> it will be reportedly if not the most expensive, one of the most expensive, senate races

ever. how much money are we talking about? because governor scott will be writing a lot of checks. do expect the race to be competitive. i think we will win. i think, frankly, senator nelson serving in the senate for florida makes him a favor to start in this race, and that is where we are. i am confident in this environment. considering earlier on, governor scott. he is notorious of dollarsg millions in the last few days when he ran, so i think we know what we are against financially, but for the voters in this environment, it is about more than the money. we will have the resources we

need to be able to communicate and get the senator's message across. >> what bad habits from past cycles do you expect this year to be successful? jb poersch: i think both the weree level and they behind communicating digitally. in the cycle, we have put our foot forward in terms of showing a real field effort. in alabama, a state that is not normally a democratic stronghold, we have a chance to be a part of that, knocked on 200-5000 doors, went to 600 african-american businesses. having that kind of traction in red states is pretty important. you have got to show up. >> "washington journal" continues. you, we are now asking

during commencement season, do you think graduation speeches have become too political? if you're a current student, you can call (202) 748-8000. tell us what you would like to be said at your graduation. if you recently graduated, you can tell us about the speeches that were said for you, (202) 748-8001. all others can call (202) 748-8002. some of the commencement around the country are making headlines. on the front pages of newspapers , the "worcester telegram" in massachusetts features "the holy cross graduation," saying speaker michelle morris tells holy cross grabs that tasks by vernon jordan at 1978 graduation is unfinished. "capitol"e

from annapolis, maryland, talking about president trump telling the graduating class naval academy that "we are expected again." let's take a look at some of what mustere mr. trump said. [video clip] ats. trump: each of you are a truly exciting time for our country, because we are witnessing the great reawakening of the american spirit and the american might. we have rediscovered our identity. sproudined our tride, and we are proud again. prosperity is winning at home, our economy is strong again, and our country has regained the respect that we used to have long ago abroad.

yes, they are respecting us again. host: that with the president at the u.s. naval academy graduation. let's take a look at what former secretary of state hillary clinton said, talking about resilience in her remarks that yale. ms. clinton: we are looking at a time when fundamental rights, civic virtue, freedom of the press, even facts and reason are under assault like never before. but we are also witnessing an conviction,oral civic engagement, and a sense of devotion to our democracy and country. so here is the good news -- if any group were ever prepared to rise to the occasion, it is you, the class of 2018. you have already demonstrated the character and courage that will help you navigate this tumultuous moment. and most of all, you

demonstrated resilience. now that is a word that has been on my mind a lot recently. one of my personal heroes, eleanor roosevelt, said "you gain strength, courage, and confidence by every experience in which you really stop to look fear in the face. you are able to say to yourself -- i have lived through this horror. i can take the next thing that comes along." that is resilience, and it is so important, because everyone -- everyone -- gets knocked down. what matters is whether you get back up and keep going. this may be hard for a group of yale soon-to-be graduates to accept, but yes, you will make mistakes in life, you will even fail. it happens to all of us, no matter how qualified or capable we are. [laughter] ms. clinton: take it from me.

i remember the first month after the 2016 election were not easy. we all had our own methods of coping. i went for long walks in the woods. [laughter] miss clinton: yale students went for long walks in east rock park. i spent hours going down the twitter halt here you spent es group.the yale mem i had chardonnay. you had any drinks -- penny drinks. [laughter] ms. clinton: i practice yoga. you took psych and "the good wife. " cheers and applause[] ms. clinton: let me get this out of the way. no, i am not over. it.

i still regret the mistakes i made. i still think understanding what happened in a weird and wild election in american history suspend our democracy in the future, be it right, left, center, republican tom, democrat, vegetarian, whatever -- [laughter] ms. clinton: we all have a state in that. as a person, i am ok, but as an american, i am concerned. host: we are talking to you about whether havencement speakers gotten too political. former secretary of state hillary clinton they're talking about the "weird and wild election." linda in maryland, what do you think? might and it is the children were graduating, they are heroes and they have to have a cause. i do not think they need t

someone to tell them the course or direction of their life. great if youis have good, famous people, but what they needed someone to help them to the next stage. so my suggestion is college, when they choose the person who has to corner them for commencement, they choose someone that can put their helpingr put themselves those students to the next stage, by guiding them to the next stage, by giving them opportunity, by giving them some connections. i think this is what they need. they do not have to be knocked down. of course we make mistakes. they have done this all the time. but they don't have to knockdown, they have to look alway up.

i think the college leadership -- this is only my opinion, of course. host: we are talking with you about whether commencement speeches have gotten too political. lots of commencement speeches happened in the last few weeks and in the upcoming week. if you are a current student, you can call (202) 748-8000. if you are a recent graduate, you can call (202) 748-8001. all others can call (202) 748-8002. "the daily beast" has a piece about senator jeff flake and remarks he made in a commencement. it said "in highly charged and notably ominous terms," senator jeff flake, a republican from on wednesday laid there is fierce about the damage donald trump was inflicting on the office he holds and called out his fellow republicans for lacking the spine to fight it.

host: frank is on the line from fort lauderdale, florida. do you think that speeches have gotten too political, frank? caller: well, i am going to go one step after that. what i think we should do, for instance, i would suggest the gotof the spy pilot that shot over the soviet union in 1960, a commencement speaker. he is not very political, but he is historical. when he to look at that. the end of the cold war i think would be one of the areas -- not

the only 1 -- but one of the areas that we could select speakers from to look at our legacy in the country, and this case, i think it's pretty good, because i think joseph stalin was absolute dictator as we have had in the world, he just was not as aggressive as atul fidler militarily. i think we need to -- as adolf hitler militarily. i worked for the "cold war times," which gary powers was the publisher of for a time. he would be a good commencement speaker. he travels nationwide for talks on the cold war and everything else. i would recommend him. i think that would be a guideline for other speeches that are probably a little less apolitical and maybe more historical. i think it has improved since the end of the cold war and since the urgent gulf war. i think this is generally a healthy thing for our society. thank you. host: all right.

ada is going from arlington, virginia. graduation speeches got into political? too political ? caller: i do not think it is too important. i think it depends on the speaker and what the speaker says. in this particular case, you have shown, one was a liar and the other one was not, and we have heard hillary clinton talking about encouraging also the students, to be resilient, and to move forward. i do not think there is anything the about talking about political situation in the country. it is so important. we are in a mess right now. host: all right, congressman awis luis gut

democrat, spent some time talking but the issue of immigration at his commencement speech at northeastern illinois university. let's take a look at that. [video clip] rep. gutierrez: this is a particularly dark moment in american history for the latino community and for us all, and we have to recognize that progress for latinos for inclusion in the united states has taken several steps backward in the last couple of years. hisrson who proclaimed candidacy for president of the united states by saying that people who look like me are mostly "rapists and criminals" was elected president of this nation. "build a wall, support them all, -- deport them all, get rid and we are all the

targets of that emotional reaction, whether we are immigrants or whether our ancestors came here on the mayflower. " to manyill "them americans, and in the minds of some, we are not part of "us." get 80% of latinos in america are citizens of the united states, and most latinos were born here. "them,"re considered and not "us" by many americans. 93% of our children are citizens of the united states of america. 93% of latinos are under the age of 18. and i want to remind someone -- they are getting to be 18 real quick and registering to vote. [cheers and applause] about onerrez: million latino citizens turn 18 every year, and this will be true for decades to come, but we

are considered foreigners in our own land. at least by some people. and i know there are dreamers in the audience this afternoon. and daca recipients right here in this audience among the graduates today who are trying to continue their lives and career in times of great uncertainty, but i came here to you, and id with will not rest until the job is done and you have your american citizenship in the united states of america! viewers cannder, find that another related videos on c-span's website, c-span.org. baron is on the line, a student from virginia. caller: good morning. host: to you think graduation

speeches have become too political? but i alsohink so, think rightfully so, because students are the future. know whatey need to is going on in society. when you make that reality during the commencement speeches, they understand the seek the issue at a personal level in one way or another, regardless of where they find themselves. the only problem, though, i think, is the politics that is used during some of the commencement speeches may not be true politics, and that is where the problem, in my view, really lies. politics needs to be reflective , and iactual atmosphere

understand people have various views about the way the nation needs to go, the way we need to address certain things in society, but at the same time, you need to be outside of yourself to present the political future in a way that projects society from the local community to the federal government, on national and economic issues to foreign policies, and not about themselves. host: ok. brian is calling in from overlook park, kansas. you are a recent graduate. do you think commencement speeches are too political? was your commencement speeches political one? caller: thanks for having me on the show.

speechommencement a couple of weeks ago, it did get very political. college is already a very politically charged atmosphere. i know mine was. graduation is supposed to be a time of excitement and preparing for the future, and sitting there in the crowded having get up there and basically push their own political views, whether the audience thinks they are correct or not, i think is just an inappropriate time. host: brian, from where did you graduate, and who spoke at your commencement? caller: i graduated from a place in missouri, i would rather just keep it, you know, private, just and alsot the college the person who spoke. know, i think that it needs to be more focused around the students, not the political agenda, and i think that is an

losttant site that we have , you know, with being caught up in social media and the news and just having politics around us 24/7, i think we have lost sight on just focusing on being human and congratulating someone. i worked way too hard for four years to sit there and be almost lectured again. i sat through hours and hours of lectures. graduation is supposed to be the one time i can sit down, have my name called, walk across, get my diploma, you know, praise the lord. but i think it is just time that we look and reflect on, you know, just the in humans. host: ambassador nikki haley, u.n. ambassador nikki haley, lived some tips on how to an active life of gratitude. take a look. [video clip] amb. haley: these are a couple

of tips of living a life of active gratitude. first, beware of social media. if it wasst as resented to destroy gratitude. everything is carefully curated during we all do it, right? posting the best pictures of the most exciting places we go and the most interesting things that we see, but our social media lives are not the real world. real life is usually messier, and whether we need to do what not, the fake lives we live on social media can evoke a kind of gratitudeis a lack of that is very damaging. the grass isia, always greener on someone else's page, but this is a recipe for dissatisfaction with life. and makes us obsess about the stuff we don't have rather than be thankful about what we do.

and all for what? spend our lives unhappy, chasing an ideal that does not exist? as a country, we are experiencing something of a gratitude crisis today, and it is not just on social media. instead of feeling grateful, too many americans are feeling entitled. we take for granted the many, many blessings that we have. we feel entitled to be free, to speak our minds, and to not have our feelings hurt, but these things are gifts, not guarantees. just ask the three americans recently released from a north korean prison. and now my second piece of advice on how to live a life of active gratitude. be alive in to america in 2018. every day at the united nations,

idea with countries where people are not free, people where there is no respect for the inherent dignity of women, or people of faith,nt races or places where the rule of law is nonexistent. without exception, these are dark, dangerous, unpleasant places. they are countries where governments commit genocide, places where dictators use the torture of children and the rape of women as political weapons. it is not that the united states is perfect -- we are not -- but we have been given a great set of tools, freedom, the rule of law, and respect for human rights, with which we can create a more perfect union. don't take these things for granted. be grateful for them. preserve them. use them to make a better life for yourself and your family. host: that was ambassador nikki

haley giving a commencement speech. we are talking about commencement speeches. have they become too political? current students can call (202) 748-8000. recent grads, (202) 748-8001. all others can call (202) 748-8002. mike is on the line from stockton, california. good morning. caller: good morning. first, i would like to talk about -- it looked pretty apparent that we are going to metal detectors in the schools and probably have a dates inuick-release case of emergency -- we are talking about commencement speeches now. do you think commencement speeches have become too political? caller: i really do.

short, youong story know, there is always a reference to quotes from the itle, i would call spirituality, it is karma-minded. it is much simpler and easier for a person who has been spiritually enlightened to have an understanding than a carnal -minded person. that is where i have to say about that. host: the "new york post" reports that an interesting are taking the post as commencement speakers, making the majority of them. it says "this graduation season, the podium is all hers."

host: by contrast, women made up just a 1/4 of speakers at those schools over the previous 19 years, according to an associated press analysis of university workers. -- records. karen is on the line from norman, oklahoma. good morning. caller: good morning. i just wanted to say that we love nikki haley, and i did not know anybody that cares about what jeff flake thinks. i do think they're are getting too political on the commencement speeches. i heard president trump talking about how great our country is, and then hillary and the other guy talking about how to resist,

and i do not know what jobs to get done, the guy was talking about, because president trump get daca a way to citizenship, and the democrats did not want it. college is supposed to be about not just learning stuff but go toure in life, how do bed at night, how to get up in the morning had a good time, comb your hair, take a shower, brush her teeth might go out, work hard come home, study, or go to a job. want toege kids do not work. they get that money too easy, too frequently they want to go buy some old car that does not last a month, they get their loan check, they have money, now they are going out to the bar. they will go around town with new tattoos. and they are not teaching them structure on what the priority -- apply yourself. i am not saying all college kids are like this, but not all college kids are that young,

either. they brushed, hair combed, have been to a job, their breast is not smell like liquor. the kids have to take some kind of responsibility their own selves. week's former president jimmy carter talked about the country's difficulty adjusting to equality during his commencement speech at liberty university. [video clip] mr. carter: so far, real americans, down through history, have had a hard time adjusting to this concept of a quality. we fought the civil war, the war of 20 states, finally ending slavery. in the 1920's, and then four years later, we had a struggle granting whiteof women and in four years later black women as well just the

right to vote, and more recently, we have been struggling to end racial segregation. even now, some of us are still struggling to accept the fact are equal in the eyes of god. president -- [applause] mr. carter: as when i was in the navy and also when i was president, i wanted the united states to be strong enough so we would never have to prove that we were strong. with the attributes of a they go beyond military strength. it is the same as those of a person. our nation should be known as a champion of peace. our nation should be known as a champion of equality. our nation should be known as a

champion of human rights. admired forso be , helping people in need, and other moral values. in other words, for those principles that never change. there is no reason why the united states of america cannot if the demise these high virtues. host: in some other news, president trump has just tweeted about the release of an american hostage. he said "good news about the release of an american hostage in venezuela. should be landing in d.c. this evening and be in the white house with his family at about 7:00 p.m. the great people of utah will be very happy." a is speaking of joshua holt, man from utah, who was imprisoned in venezuela for two years without a trial. senator orrin hatch also

released a statement. "breaking: senator hatch has secured the release of utahn josh holt from venezuela." we are continuing our discussion of commencement speeches. have they become too political? win is on the line from rural arkansas. what do you think? caller: um. yeah, i think they are becoming way too political. i think they are almost trying to brainwash these kids. i think they should be giving motivation-like speeches, send them on the way, let them teach themselves a little bit, instead of trying to tell them how to think, you know. it is just scary to me. host: what about the fact that colleges are places, wayne, where they learn not just what they learn in the classroom but also to form their own political ?iews aren't colleges sort of

inherently political places? caller: yes, and i think they can be somewhat. you should not give them just one side. you should give them both political views, conservative and democrat -- that is what makes our country great -- but when they are graduating, you are giving a commencement speech. is should be more of a congratulations, you have made itthrough however many years is, and this is all the life lessons -- hard work pays off, don't give up, try, this and that. them -- that is not what it host: it supposed to be about to me. all right. more from the "new york times" about president trump's address. it says during the speech on friday, mr. trump runs about increasing the size of the military and said that a more powerful army, navy, and air force would help keep the country safe by preventing the

need to use them in the first place. is best way to prevent war to be truly prepared for war, mr. trump told the graduates. , if a fightdded must come, there is no other alternative -- victory, winning, beautiful words, but that is what it is all about." what do you think about commencement speeches, such as when we see speeches for the navy officer graduates. do you think they have become too political? caller: i don't think they have become too political, c-span, and i feel like they are not political and global enough. our students must be prepared to accept the world. the world's political. i am an african american scientist. i have a phd.

dr. angela merkel has a phd in physics also. hillary rodham clinton, she was a global secretary of state and would have been one of the best presidents this country has ever had, if you had jimmy carter on re a moment ago. our students need to know what world you are going to go into. barack obama has no political at theat all, 0, 0, 0 top, but he will go down in history as one of the best presidents this country has ever had. hillary would have been a fine .resident durin endorsedournals all hillary clinton to be president. edward, i want to bring the conversation back to commencement speeches.

president trump is the president of the united states, he is the current president -- caller: that is correct. but president trump has divided this nation. he has did a lot to divide this is, i up, and the thing do not consider him as a legitimate president because of what he did. look at what happened, hillary rodham clinton -- he calls people names. he calls cleopatra names and all these kinds of things like that. that is not what we are about. our students need to become global. for example, look at the foreign policy. i had almost forgotten that i was an american citizen, but they treated me well. i was treated well in this country when i go to into academia, and our students need to be prepared for the world. host: all right. in some other headlines, the "washington post" reports that president trump's now former

attorney met with russians at trump's tower. at trumpohen met tower in new york days before the inauguration with a russian billionaire who was sanctioned this year by the u.s. government. host: charlie is on the line calling from roslyn heights, new york. charlie, do you think that college commencement speeches have become too political? caller: no, not at all. the conservatives have been political since the beginning of time in this country, and when the liberal progressives start speaking up and getting more

political, all of a sudden they say it is more political. i think it is good to educate the students of reality and the world, just like the other speaker said. i think there is some confusion as to be in a progressive and be at a liberal is. it is not just being a woman or a black -- that does not mean you are a progressive. just because they are a woman or a black person does not mean they will be more progressive than anybody else. we need to open this up a little bit. host: charlie, should it be subject matter whether the speaker is progressive or conservative, is a college graduation a time where students and their parents and families come together to celebrate the fromvement of graduating college, should that be the time to focus on politics, or should they instead be focusing on the future of the graduates? caller: both. politics is in everything. politics is in everything.

there is absolutely nothing wrong with doing this. when progressives speak up and start being political, i think that is when the corporate media starts saying they are too political, but the conservatives have been doing it since the beginning of time, you know. because they are a woman, like i said, identity politics is not progressivism. just because it is a woman speaking or a black person speaking does not mean they are progressives. host: ok. house majority whip congressman deliveredise the commencement at his alma mater, louisiana state university, in baton rouge, and he talked about coming together as a country. [video clip] scalise: remember how precious life is. ultimately, how you use this time, what you do with it, is so important. in the days following the shooting, i had so many people reach out to me, some people i had never knew, some people i

had met briefly. benjamin netanyahu, the prime minister of israel, he and i had become friends, and he called me. we had some incredible conversations on the phone, and he shared so many things with me. when he recently came to the capital, he presented with a paratrooper's beret, with in israel is a sign of bravery. it is such a wonderful show of love and support that all around the world gave me. theresa may, the prime minister of england, king abdullah of jordan. itt it told me was clearly was not just about the shooting of a member of congress. it was a sign that people all around the world look to us. they love the united states. they saw this as an attack on the united states. as we look at it, we all have different points of view, whether your republican, democrat, libertarian, progressive -- we all have differences.

when our founding fathers set up this great country, it was to set celebrate those differences. we do not say everybody has to think alike, or if you think differently come alike in some countries, you will be oppressed. our country shares those differences freely. but what is so important as you do not take those differences personally. just because somebody disagrees with you, don't try to attack the character. i think that is where you see so much of the division in congress and among the country, is that too often people make those differences personal, and that is something we all have to work harder to do. civility is not dead, but we need to keep working harder to strengthen our democracy. host: we are talking to our viewers, asking you -- do you think commencement speeches have become too political? again, current students can call (202) 748-8000. recent grads, (202) 748-8001.

all others can call (202) 748-8002. give us your thoughts on commencement speeches. we will get back to the calls in a moment. other headlines, fox news reporting the white house once a briefing on the mueller probe information that was shared with lawmakers this week. it says "the white house is reportedly seeking a briefing on information that lawmakers received thursday regarding classified documents related to special counsel robert mueller's investigation into russian meddling into the 2016 presidential election. one of trump's top attorneys, told the associate press on whit friday that the white house hopes to receive a handout on the information next week, specifically in relation to a government informant who reportedly approached members of the trump campaign in a possible attempt to influence the election. giuliani said if the alleged spying turns out to have been inappropriate, then we may have

been entirely illegitimate investigation, referring to the mueller probe." karen is on the line from somerset, new jersey. do you think politics of overtaken college commencements? caller: thanks for taking my call. bs, i do. graduating from medical school on thursday, and hard, watched him work so and it is so stressful, and now -- almost through the culmination -- of course he has to go through residency now -- but he has had such a great accomplishment to get to where he is now, in he also has insurmountable debt. and i want him to be celebrated. i want him to be encouraged. i want him to have people give him hope, more than what we can give him, and that should be done by people who have an optimistic outlook for the

future of our children. i do not think politicians should be allowed a commencements. they, no matter what side you are on or what you there is going to be fully half of that audience that does not agree with you. and creates a feeling of, for me anyway, it creates an annoyance. to look at the commencement speaker as an opportunistic person trying to put forth something from him instead of looking at these kids and everything that they have had to point,ugh to get to this even with something as stressful as, you know, the medical field. that is my opinion. i know different people calling have different opinions. this country is so divided. why bring that into a time when parents and children should be unified? and so thankful for my son

his hard work and the kind of young man he has become. that is my point. host: some other headlines in the "washington post," reporting that the department of homeland security has allotted 16,000 guestworker visas.

host: we continue our discussion about commencement speeches. have they become too political? harry is on the line from baltimore. what do you think, harry? caller: i think it is too much trouble with those speeches, because they tried to indoctrinate the young people into becoming democrat or republican. they should be celebrating that they are graduating from college and get them to go out and earn a living and start paying their debts, just like all of us did before them. i appreciate the call. bye. host: on monday, memorial day, we will look back at 100 years of american involvement in world later, in thers

spring and summer of 1918, american army soldiers and marines saw their first major combat in northeastern france. angel, on offer, will join us to talk about the role of u.s. troops. that is monday on memorial day. we are continuing our conversation about commencement speeches. miriam is going from miami. what do you think? caller: i think it is ok for them to be political. days, especially the young people who are graduating out of college, they tend to come alike -- i am not talking about in the

media, i am talking about the general public, they crucify anything that is serious, anything that is a serious topic, whether religious, politics, whatever -- "well, we do not want to talk about that right now. go it will affect the seniors -- or the people becoming seniors. it is important to have political conversations, challenge, form an opinion. is an opportunity for people to, yes, celebrate, but then when you are having that conversation around the table to say hey, what do you think about what he said? well, i agree, i disagree. form their spin. i think we should not discourage it but encourage it. host: marianne thieme 11 me ask college students have years to sort of engage with each other and form those political opinions. pointed out,ller

it may turn off some, maybe even half, of these folks who are graduating. they feel like their views are not being heard. caller: no. in schoolstudents are sometimes, what ends up happening is a lot of them just complete the assignment to get through class, and they do not understand the impact that it actually has in the real world, and i think someone like, you know, whether it is donald trump or hillary clinton, saying like, ok, this is how it impacted me, this is what i am doing in this world, whether you like them or don't like them, whether you are uncomfortable or not, you should be able to, like, ok, i can listen to you and still enjoy my what i am going to do about it in the future and have an idea of how do we change this point, because i am the future.

it should not make you feel like so small, like, well, they are not expressing my views, so i am not happy anymore. you should be happy. you should definitely say you know what, i do not agree with what this person is saying, so i will be the next speaker. host: ok. in some other headlines, the says theeet journal" gop has a new push to repeal the aca.

host: we are continuing to talk to you about commencement speeches. are they too political? john, you are calling from chicago. what do you think? caller: as far as education, i think everybody should get an education. if you go to college, if it takes that to get an education -- the reason i say that as i got my undergrad overseas. i got my masters in the states. the one thing i learned from that is how to learn. when you are discussing different things, like someone talked about trump or barack obama, you can do your own research, you can do your own studies with the resources you have today. there was an individual earlier you had on that set he does not believe trump is our president.

well, i do not believe that barack obama is our president, if i use the same theory he uses, but i do my research. i do my studies. i just do not listen to news stations and take what they say for the truth. i am going to do my own research. president, not our obama was not our president, because i think he did more destruction to our country than any president in history, and i have studied history. so yes, i do believe going to college, to learn to how to learn to do some research and not just listen to nonsense on the radio or tv. thank you. host: ok. listing whatce out they call some of the most controversial commencement and theyof 2018, include rex tillerson speaking at virginia military institute on may 16, where he was critical

of president trump. delivering aomberg speech at rice university as well as hillary clinton's speech at yale. we saw a clip of that earlier. commencementof the speeches pointed out by forbes this year as being controversial. we are talking to you about commencement speeches. connor on the line from greenbelt, maryland. you are a recent graduate. what do you think about your own commencement speech? do you think they are getting too political in general? caller: i actually liked mine. it was an astronaut. think every controversial speech, largely, it has fallen on these school. connor, if you could speak into your phone a little more

clearly, i am having a little trouble hearing you, but i want to caller: get to your caller: point. can you hear me now -- get to your point. caller: can you hear me now? host: yes. caller: hillary clinton, there should not be any doubt in anyone's mind what kind of speech she was going to deliver, same with rex tillerson. so if the school invites a alitical speaker to deliver commencement speech, that is what they are going to get. ith the previous caller, think students can speak to themselves, so being presented with controversial idea is fine. they can pick and choose from and what they like, but i do arek commencement speeches supposed to united graduation class together, and send them on their way without a polarizing speech. that is not do that. thank you.

host: some other headlines today from the "washington post," the gop worried over senator mccain's's senate seat.

host: meanwhile in utah, republican mitt romney and state lawmaker mike kennedy will debate ahead of the june 26 primary election. romney and kennedy are running to replace retiring senator orrin hatch, and you can watch that of a live on tuesday at 8:00 p.m. eastern here on c-span. to talk abouting commencement speeches and whether they are too political. there is still time for students to call at (202) 748-8000. recent grads can call (202) 748-8001. all others can call (202) 748-8002. , tous know what you think you think political speeches have become too political? we have courteney on the line from california. what do you think? caller: hey, young lady. thanks for the opportunity. so yes, yes i do.

can you hear me? host: you are on. go ahead. and tell us why these graduation speeches have gotten to political. theyr: because basically are all speaking fake news. they do not really know what they are saying, because they are not speaking the truth about the american experience. ley, fore hay instance, she is saying many americans are feeling entitled, we take for granted the many blessings that we had, we feel entitled to speak our mind and do not have our feelings hurt, but these things are gifts. no! these things are not gifts! these things are our natural -born rights. let me tell you what a gift is, the gift is letting nikki nikki haley stand up there and give that speech. the only one who is making sense

and who speaks eloquently without mistake every time and who was actually telling the people to do the same thing he told his children to do when they was very young, there is nothing you can accomplish in this country if you think big. i am thinking big, and the only thing that is going to make america rich again is first and foremost to make the native here, because this still is a stolen country. and to restore african-american's reparations, and i have a three-point solution to get the job done. calling from simi valley, california. are a current graduate third what do you hope your speaker focuses on? becausei feel alienated

if i do not agree with, like, the mainstream democratic point of view, it is kind of like i am being labeled a racist or something. that is pretty much it. you go to where do school, and do you know who your speaker is going to be? i don't want to give that away. i do not want to give personal information to tie me to it. host: ok. in some other headlines, the "washington post" reports bipartisan anger. the president has struck a deal on zte.

host: lou is on the line from pennsylvania. you have the last word. do you think graduation speeches have become too political? caller: no, not at all. we are living at a time when a person is doing their utmost to twist reality and the perceptions of reality and also the political debate in an extremely deceitful way, so anything that can bring a greater focus on the truth and andthrough the gas lighting purposely create confusion is definitely a step in the right

direction in our democracy, and our country really depends on the. i praise anyone who came out, like jeff flake, and as secretary of state coming out greaterng much attention to the problems that are being created by this terrible, disgusting man in the white house. host: on tomorrow's "washington joined bywe will be 's eleanor clift and cheryl chumley. zalmayormer ambassador khalilzad will be here to talk about north korea and

>> coming up on c-span, testimony from facebook founder and ceo mark zuckerberg before the european parliament on data privacy. then the swearing-in of gina to as cia secretary. , facebookis week founder and ceo mark zuckerberg testified before the european parliament in brussels, belgium about his company's use and protection of data after that cambridge analytical breach.