security. and todd ruger on the confirmation hearing for william barr's president trump's choice to be the next attorney general. [captions copyright national cable satellite corp. 2019] [captioning performed by the national captioning institute, which is responsible for its caption content and accuracy. visit ncicap.org] ♪ good morning. it is friday, january 18. day 28 of the government shutdown. the senate is in at 10:00 a.m. the house will meet in a pro forma session today. house members are set to return on tuesday next week. we are with you for the next three hours and we begin stepping away from the shutdown discussion and getting your reaction to the gillette razor company's new ad on masculinity in today's society. this morning, we want to know what c-span viewers think.

democrats can call at 202-748-8000. republicans, 202-748-8001. independents, 202-748-8002. you can catch up with us on social media. on twitter it is @cspanwj. on facebook it is facebook.com/cspan. good friday morning to you. if you haven't seen that gillette ad, here it is. [video clip] >> masculinity. is this the best a man can get? is it? cannot hide from it. it has been going on far too long. we cannot laugh it off. iswhat i actually think she trying to say -- >> making the same old excuses. >> boys will be boys. >> boys will be boys.

>> something will -- finally changed. >> allegations regarding sexual assault and sexual harassment. >> and there will be no going back because we, we believe in the best in men. >> men need to hold other men accountable. >> come on. >> to say the right thing. >> to act the right way. in ways bigady are and small. strong." am >> i am strong. >> some is not enough. >> that's not how we treat each other, okay? >> because the boys watching today will be the men of tomorrow. ♪

host: in this first hour of the "washington journal," getting your reaction. inviting you to call in to chat about that ad. if you put stock in social media numbers, here are the numbers from gillette's various platforms. on twitter, that ad has been viewed 27 million times. on youtube, 20 million times. on facebook, 7 million times. some 521,000 viewers like that ad. 970,000 viewers have disliked that ad, loading it up and down. one of those who disliked that ad was a columnist in today's washington times. his column, gillette takes it on the chin. he writes why be nice to your most loyal customers when you can resort to snark and snarl the feminists.

he said the way to make money and reform the world is to disloyal customers and cater those without -- to those without much use for your product -- gillette is betting snark an insult is the way for the company to be all it can be. a few comments from our social media pages. rob writes i think people being outraged by this ad is hilarious seeing as though a majority of those people call me a snowflake because i am liberal. brian says i wonder if adv er-scolding would be as welcome if the target audience were composed of anyone else. i guess gillette isn't good for sensitive skin. the men in my life don't already get it. they don't need to be told by a razor company how to set good examples. democrats, it is 202-748-8000. republicans, 202-748-8001. independents, 202-748-8002.

carl is an independent from des moines, iowa. you are up first. caller: good morning. i just wanted to compliment you on your beautiful suit. very nicely.ess although sometimes year tie messes with my astigmatism. host: what are your thoughts on the ad? caller: real men strike up and not down and they are trying to highlight that fact. real men don't use their power to privilege -- or ought not berate people. it is disturbing to see how many people are triggered by this ad and just how people are taking it as offensive and defending the boys will be boys thing and somehow it is almost like it is an attack on like straight,

white heterosexuality and it is bizarre to me because it is just a reminder that real men stand up for what is right, or ought andnd real men strike up attack people in places of power and privilege that are causing .arm to people host: what are your thoughts on a term one of the facebook viewers came up with, ad verscolding? adverscolding? some people are making comments to that effect as if this advertisement were to try to boost their women's line of products and not actually was targeting -- the ad itself is in trying to get me to purchase things, just boost their ladies line. i don't know. i think that is ridiculous. -- i amre offended

pretty certain people who are offended by this ad and the people that throw the term around "snowflake," are the same group. as some of the people commented online. host: that is carl in iowa and this is jack in providence, rhode island. what are your thoughts on the ad? i have a couple of daughters and i find the ad disgusting. also, from what i understand, it is getting a severe backlash online and the people who develop the ads are radical feminist. this general information is withheld from the public in most cases. host: why do you find it

disgusting? why do you use that term? caller: they seem to take away the overall masculinity and duties of a man. the duties of a man are to provide and the duties of a man are to protect. i will give you an example of a good man. .overnor kemp in georgia that commercial he has about his four daughters and one guy wants to date his daughter and he is telling this guy, you have to bring her back at a certain time. i do that, too. host: who gets to define the duties of a man? caller: the duties of a man are to love. good question. andove, console, be gentle provide. of those are the duties of a man and to be strong. also be strong. if he has to get a pair, he gets a pair. host: that is jack and rhode

island. this is janet in washington. what did you think of the ad? caller: i think masculinity should be that they look out for their wife and kids and protect them, provide for them and treat shouldght and the woman be, in turn, do right by them and they should not use their power to beat the kids or the wife and they should not use a woman for sex for prostitution. they should not try to be overbearing about wanting their way because they have the power. they should do what they think is right and not you as -- do as trump did and use his powerful what he wants and the heck with everybody else. and should treat the women

children and other men right and the whole world. they should use their strength in the right way, not the wrong way. host: steve is next in south carolina. independent. caller: i don't really have a problem with this ad personally. i use gillette products. the problem with things like this is it falls under the bashing.f male i am a big guy. i have never mistreated or abused women. built that way. here is a problem for maybe gillette and procter & gamble. when you step onto that limb of political correctness, you have to be careful what is going on in your company. there are people right now saying i work for gillette and woman -- am a

some woman somewhere right now is trying to get on "the view" to tell their story about gillette. that is where companies get in trouble. they have to be squeaky clean or they will not print. -- survive it. gillette say you use products. doesn't this commercial make you more inclined or less inclined to use them? caller: it doesn't affect me one way or the other. i am going to use a product because i like -- men who don't like it say this is telling men to fall into the women category -- you have to make that decision for yourself. host: on facebook, some viewers questioning what this ad will mean for gillette's bottom line. valerie saying i predict sales will miss estimates. to be saying i like anything that forces people to stop and reconsider how their pay --

behavior is seen and copied. if this doesn't make you do that, you have bigger issues than what razor to choose. a survey out yesterday looking at reaction to this commercial, 2201 adults200 -- immediately following the campaign release earlier this week. before watching the commercial, 42% of consumers said they agreed gillette share their values. after watching, that figure jumped to 71%. the chart here showing that change in percentages among various respondents to that survey. asked to rate how positively they felt about the ad with 10 being very positive, 61% gave the ad high marks, 23% were neutral. 17% gave the commercial low marks. up byghest mark split

party. it democrats, 73% gave it high marks between a seven and 10. 48% of republicans gave it high marks among women. more inclined to give it high marks, 64% than men. through more of that survey. we are asking your reaction to that commercial. it has got a lot of attention. over 50 some million views on various social media platforms. william in florida, republican. go ahead. watching have been your program and i have actually watched the ad and i don't understand what is so bad. who put ads like this on tv, of course they are doing it for the money. if it is a good thing, who cares? isail to see anything that

any less than positive about the entire ad and i really liked it. i would give it a 9. host: what did you really like about it? caller: i think it displayed way ibeings, men as the would like to see people be. host: do you want to see more companies do this? to get into these types of issues rather than just a straight advertising of their product? caller: i think now everybody seems to be interested in not ist your product, but who selling it to them. if they have that sort about it to do and the thing is, someone said earlier, they let themselves open. it is okay to let their company open. now they are going to have to live up to their advertisement in their own company.

this is all good. i just fail to see anything negative about the entire thing. host: when did this start? of companies starting to do this? what was the first advertisement you remember of these companies taking on these bigger social issues rather than advertising their products? caller: i don't know. collin is a -- reminder of people taking on social issues. i may disagree with the entire thing. host: you are talking about the nike ad? caller: right. they have a company attitude whether they are selling razors .r athletes they are trying to make money and i am interested in who they are. host: thanks for the call from florida. from pasadena, texas, democrat. go ahead. caller: yeah.

a lotly don't understand of the apparent fervent reaction from the right against this ad. it seems innocuous enough. off asny trying to come forward thinking, forward-looking, progressive, which is good for a company because as mitt romney said, corporations are people. i would rather have them forward-looking as opposed to regressive. then't really understand reaction from the right.

hatred, it seems. especially online. host: some comments online from twitter from two conservative lauren of foxmy news saying the only people applauding the gillette commercial our social justice warriors who believe the solutions to all the worlds's problems are for men to act less like men and more like women. women are also capable of bullying each other, harassing each other, and men. candace owens -- another conservative commentator saying i hope gillette makes an ad reminding women not to fake sexual assault. it is important we be reminded not to do that. it in your reaction and showing some of the reaction online throughout this first hour of the washington journal. that gillette ad came out earlier this week and it is something that has been talked about on social media.

we want to talk about it this morning. rick in alabama, independent. go ahead. caller: yes. to terms left and right have been used over and over again. i think this poll shows based on your viewers comments that we need to reconsider what is right and what is left because everybody is going to have to open up -- admit their insecurities and begin to realize things are changing and another thing is minorities are taking notice of companies -- what they put on tv and you are going to see a reaction to that economically, going forward social media and these types of ads are used more and more. thank you. host: you talk about the right and left. from the left, alexandria oak osseo cortez tweeting you have to love it when the folks calling activists getting

arrested to advance equal rights snowflakes turn around and get offended by coffee cups and razor commercials linking to a story about this to let ad. teresa in tennessee, republican. go ahead. caller: the caller before me just led right into my opinion of the ad. please don't cut me off. i have an offended more than once on c-span because i am white. none of the sexual assaulters or women beaters happen to be black . they are all white. this is an attack on white men and white men only and if you watch the ad, it is the black man who comes in and saves the day. it is the black man who comes in and shows the white man how to act and how to be a good, upstanding citizen. it is mordant -- more than just a male bashing. it is a full out racist commercial from start to

beginning and i don't see how anybody doesn't see that. another thing. can i ask you when the last time was you did an hour-long show on a patriotic ad? maybe upholding this country and may our president? are you being paid by gillette to show this over and over again? host: what is a patriotic ad? caller: show the best america can do. showing people coming together to help in national disasters -- natural disasters. also a hateful, discriminatory ad. what is c-span's agenda here? why a whole show for this ad? i don't get it. host: it is certainly a topic in conversation this week and people have been talking about it online and we figured we would talk about it here and let people call in.

how do you feel about the state of race relations? caller: nancy pelosi being kicked off a plane. are you going to talk about that today or you will not because it hurts democrats? host: there is a lot to cover today. we can certainly talk about nancy pelosi's travel plans, it is the lead story in the washington times. president trump shuts down pelosi's travel plans. theesting the state of union being postponed during the shutdown, the washington times it a battle of snobs continuing. president trump canceling nancy pelosi's plans to use an air force jet to lead a delegation of lawmakers to brussels and afghanistan. the story notes president trump insisted nancy pelosi could still make the trip if she was willing to fly commercial. "that would be your prerogative

." that seemed unlikely given that the president divulged her travel plans to war-torn afghanistan. an issue democrats said was a major mistake yesterday. plenty to talk about in day 28 of the ongoing government shutdown. we will have that conversation. we wanted to reserve this first segment for this topic that has been a topic of conversation all week online. we want to hear from you and give you a chance to open up. mark and ohio, and independent. what did you think of that gillette ad? caller: thank you very much for c-span. mark and it was off here is why because i found out the exact definition of toxic masculinity. hillary's wardrobe. that is toxic masculinity. i would also like to say cortez, the congresswoman, i have the

exact belief she did. i am 100% with her and then i up.ed 8 and i grew thank you very much. host: to dave in south carolina. an independent. good morning. caller: good morning, john. host: go ahead, dave. caller: hello? host: go ahead. caller: i am 65. i stopped being overly influenced by commercials quite a long time ago. in one respect, you have to say this. whoever came up with the ad will get a bonus because everybody is talking about it. everybody is talking gillette saying gillette must be sharp or gillette is dull. it is sad we have so much time we have to get upset or inspired by tv commercials. happy new year to everybody and try to laugh at yourselves more. you are all giving me gray hair.

host: what do you think about advertisers trying to do this? advertisers who try to inspire or spark social conversation? caller: i think what they try to do is inspire attention. that is what the ad department does. they are there to sell and that is to put the product and everybody's mind. the more outlandish they can be, the better off they are. it doesn't really matter whether i approve or not. i don't think most people think most men act like that anymore than they think most women hate men or want to be there mother. we take things to extremes and seem to forget the common sense we are supposed to have. host: on that issue of selling products, more from the morning consult polling over 2000 americans in the days after this at. in the two weeks before the campaign, 69% of americans said they would consider purchasing

products from gillette. that moved to 65%. 65% within the bounds of gillette's normal purchasing consideration range. it has been at that level or lower over the past year. the morning consult poll tracking the reaction to this ad and some of the conversation around it. nicholas, we want to hear what you think in oregon. a democrat. go ahead. caller: my name is nicholas. i think the ad is absolutely incredible. it definitely touches on integrity and basically the fundamentals a lot of men forget about. it doesn't mean they are a bad person, it just really helps people to remember we are all human, we are all civil about love and community and coming together. that is what is important. the whole point of life is love. you want love and you want to grow and unite people and bring people together because the

smallest act of love can save the world and one person. that is all it takes. i think it was an awesome commercial and it hit me home. a lot of people making fun of it say you need and add to know common sense -- there is nothing wrong with a reminder on how to be a good person to send a message. michigan. in republican. go ahead. caller: good morning. kudos to gillette. we oftentimes do need to be reminded. the person that made the comment about hillary's wardrobe, i did not know pantsuits were the exclusive purview of men. such an a direct sophomoric comment. we don't have to look too far for an example in washington. nancy pelosi thinking about the people that don't have money for gas, don't want to spend it.

all the things that are inconvenient for people that would have to be there. the hundreds of people that have to be there to protect the people in congress. made a very logical suggestion. who comes along but let me show you how important i am, you cannot go somewhere, nancy. a perfect example of someone who should be watching this ad although it would fall on deaf ears and eyes. congratulations, gillette, let's have more things like this to point out to people the inadequacies. we to show how powerful think we are. we will see how fast that power will last. host: that is cara in troy, michigan. coming up on 7:30 on the east

coast. a reminder on what is happening in capitol hill. a bit of a snow on the ground today. it is turning more to sleet and rain. wondering if that will impact the march for life rally taking place today. our coverage begins at 12:00. c-span,watch at c-span.org, listen on the radio app. it is supposed to be wet all weekend and the marches in d.c. happening all weekend long. it tomorrow is the women's march in d.c.. c-span will be covering the women's march as well. this story in today's front page of the usa today talks about the women's march expected to not be as big as it has been in the past couple of years as it grows and its political power, the movement is running into headwinds in the form of splintered leadership and accusations of anti-semitism against some of its original organizers. the controversy, which prompted

the democratic national committee and other groups to distance themselves from the march this year, this washington event threatens to erode the movement's gains and slow process in its third year. a cause that drew 3.3 million it probably the largest demonstration in u.s. history now maybe lucky to attract half that many. the women smart -- coverage begins at 1:30 on c-span, c-span.org and you can listen to our coverage on the radio app. host: one more story about the news from capitol hill. congressman tom marino who helps successfultrump's campaigns that he is resigning just days into his new term. in a statement, he said his last day will be january 23 and that

he is taking a job in the private sector. .e easily won reelection that district includes several counties. county and-old federal prosecutor was one of president -- one of president trump's earliest -- that story from the associated press. our story in this first hour of the washington journal is this viral gillette commercial about masculinity and today's society. if you haven't seen that commercial, here it is one more time. >> toxic masculinity. >> is this the best a man can get? >> the best a man can get. >> is it? .e cannot hold from it it has been going on far too

long. we cannot laugh it off. >> who is your daddy? >> what i actually think she is trying to say. >> making the same old excuses. >> boys will be boys. >> boys will be boys. >> boys will be boys. >> something finally changed. >> allegations regarding sexual assault and sexual assessment -- sexual harassment. >> and there will be no going back because we believe in the best of men. >> men need to hold other men accountable. >>, on. >> to say the right thing. to act the right way. >> not cool, not cool. bigome already are in ways and small. >> say, "i am strong." >> i am strong. >> some is not enough.

>> that's not how we treat each other, okay? >> because the boys watching today will be the men of tomorrow. host: plenty of reaction to that ad online this week. we want to get your reaction on the "washington journal." terry has been waiting in florida. republican. go ahead. caller: good morning. thank you for taking my call. i watched this ad and i don't care if you are red, black, white, green, whatever color. of the one thing this commercial has going for it is it is showing men need to have respect for each other and for their children and with respect comes responsibility. i think that is critical.

i think this is a great ad and i hope gillette gets kudos for it. thank you for taking my call. i appreciate it and i love watching c-span. thank you. host: in round hill, virginia. independent. go ahead. caller: the problem is bigger than masculinity. first of all, most masculine males are guys, not men. men is a different level. most guys never reach that level. there is a plateau above just being an adult male. i feel sad for women because prince charming is not there. guys do not take care of business. they are insecure and they have a bigger problem. guys fore tolerated we

centuries. i admire them. they are much stronger than guys. men are right. host: what makes a man? who -- is notone about insecurities. he has the woman. he has to deal with half the world wearing skirts and most guys cannot deal with that. you have to get beyond that first. you are not stronger than a woman or greater. that is your partner. if a guy doesn't know how to share that, there is no such thing as power. power.n't exerting it is a myth. most guys will die guys. very few men reach manhood. it's a whole different level. host: this is mary in virginia.

democrat. caller: thank you for playing the ad because i hadn't seen it. i like the message it seems to be sending out. former vice president joe biden had a campaign or initiative or something that said men that stand up would not use their power and influence to violate women. thank you. river,ubert in green wyoming. a republican. go ahead. caller: hello. this is hubert smith. i think gillette has done a wonderful job with their advertising agency because they are basically getting millions and millions of dollars worth of free advertising and i think that is wonderful. host: what do you think about

advertisers or companies getting involved in social issues as part of their advertising campaign? is that a trend you can get behind? caller: i don't know. i would have to see what happens. as far as i am concerned, advertising is a thing to get you to spend money on certain products and if an advertising agency can come up with something that they can get millions of dollars of free advertising, more power to them. manywhat coca-cola did years ago with that mean joe and the coca-cola bottle. they got millions of dollars of free advertising out of that. it is all about the money. host: that is hubert in wyoming. a few more comments from twitter. fred writing you don't bring people together when you insult them and pushing more of this pc nonsense about men and tweeting out a picture saying nobody

complained about toxic masculinity when we were saving the world from nazis. another tweet from kevin, it's just an ad, there are more pressing issues in the world. personally, i don't see anything wrong with asking somewhat to be a better person. kristen, i am trying to remember one of the last time one of these states about rage lead to a positive outcome for the company in question. rich, are you with us this morning? we will go to ron in west chesterfield, new hampshire. go ahead. caller: good morning, c-span. good morning, c-span. good morning, john. i kind of like the ad. it helps to shine a light on bad behavior from men and there has definitely been decades of bad behavior from men toward women. a powerful, rich men.

be an think there should equal opportunity ad, so to speak, where it shows women treating bat -- men badly. women use razors, too and there are plenty of women that treat men badly. i think a light should be signed on some of that behavior as well . other than that, i like the ad. i think it shines a light on an ongoing problem. there are other ongoing problems that are kind of a reversal of the sexual rules -- sexual roles. badly.an treat men maybe they should do a reversal. host: what do you think would happen if a commercial did a commercial -- a company did a commercial on that topic? caller: i think it would go over well. women taking men's to court and destroying their lives -- women

can treat men badly as well. i don't think the light should be shining on men. for this commercial, that is fine. if they come out with another commercial showing women treating men badly and showing behavior that should be changed as well, i think that would be great as well. host: to john in florida, republican what do you think about the commercial? caller: hello? host: hello. caller: what i think is women are usurping men in all aspects of life and power and it is not biblically correct. this is what the lord is allowing at the end times. host: dustin in baltimore, maryland. independent. caller: first of all, i will show my true independent colors and i would never support gillette simply because they are owned by procter & gamble notorious for testing on animals. i don't care about the product one way or the other. especially in this day in age

when we have a megalomaniac in the white house that just spouts off sexist, racist, xena phobic language, verbiage, what have you. a commercial that calls on people to be better human beings i think is appropriate and we need more of that because he has the biggest megaphone in the country and gets most press coverage. look at like hate crimes in schools since he has taken office. they have gone up every year since he has taken office. he is empowering hatred and bigotry and anything to counteract that, i am in support of. host: a little over 15 mem -- 15 minutes left of this reaction -- section as we get your reaction to the gillette viral ad. democrats can call at 202-748-8000. republicans, 202-748-8001. independents, 202-748-8002. not just viral online.

plenty of ink spilled on this topic throughout this week. here is a couple of commentary pieces. the first by piers morgan. the headline calling it a war on masculinity. piers morgan saying don is the celebration of men read in its place, and ugly, vindictive, two-minute homage to everything that is bad about men and masculinity. the film asks is this a -- the best a man can get before alluding to sexual harassment, the me too movement. the subliminal message is clear, all men are bad, shameful people and we need to be directed how to be better people. that is piers morgan. from the boston globe, christopher is a columnist. he writes a commercial for razors is not a rallying cry for an imaginary war on masculinity. many of the hundreds of thousands of complaints against the best a man can become from men who feel the ad, which was directed by a woman, paints all

men as bullies, sexist, and predators. it is asking you to be an example by not calling other people names. this ad is not trying to emasculate you, it is asking you to treat people with respect. in pennsylvania, and independent. go ahead. caller: i think how a person grows up -- it starts in the home and the parents need to put their phones down and whatever they are doing or what they need and get off facebook. they need to teach their kids how to treat other people with respect and all of that and i really don't think it helps when kids are watching the tv hearing the president talk about people the way he does and lying and all of that. i just think people needed to get their priorities in order and put the kids first. it's not the school's responsibility to teach kids how they are supposed treat other

people. it starts at home when they start talking. parents get mad and blame the schools when their kids are doing these things. it is their fault. host: is it advertisers' responsibility to teach people how to treat each other? caller: now, it isn't. i just saw the ad for the first time. it's not just men or women, it is men and women both. everybody needs to know how they are supposed to treat people. host: this is kathy in oklahoma. mustang, oklahoma. a democrat. go ahead. caller: i think they are being terribly manipulated and gillette is using social issues that are currently popular to make a lot of money. i think there are standard probably qualities about men that should not be, but there are standard qualities about women that should not be. there are good men.

all men are not people white men that calls all the problems in the world and all women are not petty and catty. i think they are controlling a narrative to put us in the mindset to think that. i think we need to look at the issue as a whole and our society as a whole. i don't think there is a prevalent toxic masculinity. i have known very good men in my life and i don't think women are bad either. we have extremes of each in society. insulting and unkindness does not solve anything. to insult men is not right. host: what are your thoughts on the me too movement? caller: i am totally against that. i have seen those women on the me too movement use a filthy language. that is not what i am. that is my thought. host: that is kathy in oklahoma. brandon in wisconsin, a republican. go ahead.

caller: that last caller, i agree pretty much with everything she said. i think the ad itself is a little bit hypocritical. there are some pictures circulating on twitter showing gillette girls wearing basically skintight spandex with the gillette logo on the butt. it seems hypocritical they are all of a sudden taking this stance and they are stereotyping everybody. it seems like the white male is target number one in terms of oniety now and it backfired nike when they did their activist type campaign and i think this will backfire as well. host: why do you think it backfired on nike? caller: people don't like being lectured to. they just need their shoes. it is the same thing with the

democrats protesting at certain restaurants when a particular republican is there. people are trying to enjoy their meal, they don't need a lecture or demonstration. kind of like stay in your lane. host: art in michigan. democrat, good morning. morning.ood god out ofare taking the picture. he created adam and then he created eve. hello? host: i am listening, already. caller: yes, -- host: i got that. you said you have been raised how? caller: i have been raised as a christian. i was born in the south. i have been going to church. been raised as a christian with

christian values, but i am a democrat. i have been raised that men are supposed to be the head of the .ousehold based on adam many i know that women are very important. i love my mother. i love my sister. i love my grandchildren -- granddaughters, but we have a problem in this country. we cannot keep on saying one thing and then living another. host: what does it mean to be head of the household? caller: head of the household has always meant to me getting up, getting your education, going to college, getting a job, marrying a woman, raising your children. host: can women do those things?

caller: we are the ones that are supposed to protect the children . i watch all kinds of things .appening on television because -- women pardon me? host: go ahead, finish your thought. caller: i mean, i have been taught one thing and i am a man of color. when they said men need to stand up. i watch these movies about birth of a nation and i come out of that situation. on these movies, they show the rape of black women married to black men by white men and i find that disturbing. want to talk about

it, but it is part of our history. i love my country. i am a patriot. i am from the descendents of africans and i am also a descendent of the cherokee nation. everything is getting to be kind of confusing to me. host: that is already in michigan. this is david in alexandria, virginia. go ahead. caller: it is really important to speak truth to power because -- when you have a social platform. i think it is disingenuous to leverage this in order to sell how trending is going on. more importantly, i think we need to recognize instead of drawing our social cues from a razor company telling you you should not be buying r. kelly albums or -- is david in virginia.

this is tyrone, new york city. democrat, go ahead. tyrone, go ahead. caller: yes. you can hear me now? host: yep. caller: we have some serious insecure people. the commercial is telling us we need to be better. that is it. i don't know how these people go against this commercial because this is all it is telling us to do. you have people against us having clean water and clean air. they are against gun regulation. these people are against affordable health care. stop being so insecure about the fact they are telling men to be better, to not stand by and be abused by anyone else. you are taking offense to that? it is ridiculous. these people are ridiculous.

they need to grow up and understand there is more to life than you just being here. you have to be proactive to the past this country is taking. arecan just say that they man bashing. sometimes men need to get bashed. they need to be woken up and understand that women matter, too. men matter, but women matter also. because you have the power to abuse them doesn't mean you should do that or watch them be abused. wake up. we are better than this. host: less than 10 minutes left in this segment. the conversation about that gillette ad that has been getting a lot of attention. also want to keep you updated on the major headlines in washington and around the country this friday morning. focusingy in buzz feed on the president and his longtime attorney michael cohen .

president trump directed michael aboutto lie to congress building a trump tower in moscow. trump also supported a plan set bank -- cohen to jumpstart the tower negotiations. even as trump told the public he had no business deals with russia, the sources said trump in his children received regular detailed updates about the real estate development from cohen. michael cohen in the news a bit this week including not just that story, but this story. acknowledged he paid the owner of a technology services company to dr. results of an online poll to help candidate trump as he considered to get involved in 2016 election

. in a post on twitter about his actions, first reported by the wall street -- reported by the wall street journal, he said he had done so at the direction of mr. trump. in 2015 before he declared a --didate for presidency -- gave cash in a walmart bag to the owner of red finch solutions who also works for liberty university in exchange for boosting mr. trump's name in two online polls. that story from the new york times and in several papers today. we can talk more about it as the program goes on. a three hour "washington journal this friday, snowy day on capitol hill. back to your calls on this gillette add on masculinity. your reaction and your thoughts on the let getting involved. margaret in the louisiana. an independent. go ahead. caller: it is about time

somebody addressed the real problems of the country. --took gillette to step out the government should be out there teaching young parents how to raise children. there are no programs on tv how to teach young people who are inexperienced and haven't been raised well themselves how to bring up little boys and girls. think all this stuff going on today started today, it didn't. i saw5 years old and things happening, abuse of little girls i was aware of when i was a little child and didn't know what it was all about because there was no sex education and parents who were afraid to use the word sex and probably still do in their homes. they don't teach children what is right and wrong. how to treat one another with

respect and kindness and that is where the real problem is and then we have leadership that is as immoral as they come and they get away with lying to the public. the president of the united states that thinks it is ok to cover up and live. what example do the children have today? they grow up thinking it is ok to abuse people, boys and girls. especially men with their sexual drive that young men are not taught how to treat a young good with respect for a life together. host: that is margaret in louisiana. clayton, an independent. go ahead. .aller: good morning, john for one, i want to start with saying you let is probably engineering this to generate profit and i think it is working because the conversation has

expanded. i do think there has certainly been image problems that have given rise to where we are in the me too movement and i definitely think sexual assault and the things that have been raised with the me too movement are major issues that need to be addressed. the main comment i wanted to bring up has to do with like is there really a major difference between the sexes? physiologically, we know there is. what are the differences between the roles and when i think -- there is an excellent program brian lamb had done a q and day. it was a book called " sex matters." with -- host: mona karen. caller: i think it is an interesting perspective she has on this and i think there is a lot of validity. i may not agree with a lot of

things and ideological backgrounds she has, but i think there are certain attributes about the sexes that kind of have a greater predisposition to one feature. that feature, i really think comes down to balance and i do think -- just for clarity purposes, that could be emulated on either side. a woman could actually be more masculine in a relationship and raising a child and a man could be more feminine. as long as that works and balances -- i think that is the key. i guess my question is what is the fulcrum we are looking at? with respect to this ad, i definitely think this is a ploy for profit, but i do like the fact it keeps this alive because there are real issues we need to address. host: you mentioned mona.

she has a column in the national review. "the let is not wrong," is the headline of her column. you brought up gillette and questions about why they did this ad. this is from the brand director quoted in the wall street journal earlier this week after the ad caught on. he said this is an important conversation happening and as a company that encourages men to be their best, we feel compelled to address it and take action of our own. we are taking a realistic look at what is happening and aiming to inspire change by acknowledging that the old saying boys will be boys is not an excuse. time for a couple more of your calls. david in san francisco, and independent. go ahead. caller: good morning. as a flimsy kind of guy, i appreciate the fact they are attempting to do this ad. as a fuzzy guy, you have to look at this ad and say where are the beards? there had to have been cavemen

who were good fathers. there had to have been neanderthals that were good fathers and they didn't have a high dollar razor. the idea of masculinity, this is almost like the creation of a legend, that people that are clean-shaven are masculine and anybody that is fuzzy is not. host: you think it is anti-beard? caller: thank pardon? -- beg well, that is kind of where the proof is in the pudding of whether it is an ad or public service. and with the deregulation of the media, used to be that the airwaves had to have some public to them. you couldn't just be a liar that owned a radio station and disputed out day after day -- day after dayout after day. the human condition is we should naturally be able to figure out who is civilized and who is

being a fool. but the idea that the propaganda machine has no public service to it. it does not have duty to care. it does not have any kind of attribute that gives advantage to civilization or humanity or the development of society. it is just this hate machine that spews crap all day. we have to get the fcc back on the job of giving licenses to people that actually have public service. but they do not -- that they do not get paid began to ads. wheregets to the point america has to rely on a razor manufacturer to give you direction in life, that is a sorry situation. host: this is fraser, trenton, new jersey, democrat. go ahead. caller: good morning. what i would like to talk about has a good program,

but we have to have -- this is the thing that is bothering me, and i've been thinking about it all of my life. i believe in god. and i believe in human beings. but what i really think about is -- this program, the church should decide this program. we want to teach the younger generation how to live with one another, mother, daughter, ister, brother -- everybody getting in misery. because of what? the truth is not revealed enough. we need more love. a leader come out and say this is wrong. we need the church to come out and say this is wrong. where is the church and the , because thed

world is on fire? host: that is frazier, our last caller in this segment of the "washington journal." isis claiming responsibility for a suicide bombing in syria, we will find how that may complicate the planned pullout of forces from that country. seth jones will join us for that study. later, we will be joined by maryland public and congressman andy harris to talk about day 28 of the government shutdown. ♪ ♪ >> c-span. where history unfolds daily. was created as a

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ast: seth jones serves director at the -- what is this week's deadly attack in syria tell us about the ongoing threat and the complications of pulling u.s. troops out of syria? guest: first of all, it is important to note that, while some u.s. officials have noted that the islamic state has been defeated, the caliphate has been defeated, what the attack certainly shows is isis has the ability to conduct attacks in syria. we have seen them conduct attacks in iraq as well. they are monitoring u.s. activity. what is interested about this hadin manbij is a clearly collected intelligence on u.s. forces there. this is traditional guerrilla

tactics. the islamic state has moved into this guerrilla phase of the campaign. many fighters are left for the islamic state? are there estimates to what they are down to? we have seen maps of small territories where they are expected to be, but do we have numbers? guest: it is hard to gauge numbers for two reasons. one is the border between syria and iraq is relatively porous, so fighters move frequently across the border. we assess that there is somewhere in the neighbor out of 20,000 to 25,000 fighters on both sides of the border that are islamic state or islamic state supporters. in addition to islamic state, there are al qaeda-linked and other jihadist groups operating in syria, many in western part of the country.

this is not just about isis. this is about other jihadist groups operating across the country. host: we are taking your calls. the comp after this week's deadly -- the complications after this week's deadly suicide bombing. if you want to join the conversation, democrats, (202) 748-8000. republicans, (202) 748-8001. independents, (202) 748-8002. the president wanting to get u.s. troops out of syria. the numbers you cited and the attack this week, is this a group in its death throes? respect,, not in this which as it continues to operate in syria and iraq. it also continues to operate, and the trump administration has recently released counter strategy that notes this, in locations, ineas

libya, afghanistan, in southeast asia. in iraq andhe core syria and in the broader locations in africa, the middle east, and asia is over. it's weakened but not dead. host: what does victory look like? guest: no one defeats terrorism, per se. terrorism continues in various phases. we have seen ago from al qaeda to the islamic -- we have seen it go from al qaeda to the islamic state. but what we will see is the threat to the u.s. and the homeland to u.s. interests overseas, including embassies and american citizens is limited. we see few attacks. they are focusing on other things. that, in a sense, is victory. no major plots.

presidenthe way, the talking in december talking about his decision to pull out u.s. troops from syria. here is a statement on twitter. [video clip] >> we have been fighting for a long time in syria. i've been president almost two years, and we have stepped it up. we have won against isis. we have beaten them and beaten them badly. we had to conduct the home. it is time to bring our troops back on. i get very saddened when i have to write letters or make calls to wives or families of soldiers who have been killed fighting for our country. it is heartbreaking. now we have won. host: what is your reaction?

guest: it is a mature it talk about winning. every american president since president bush and the aircraft carrier in 2003, has wanted to declare victory, to some degree, against terrorist and as asians. the better approach is when we look at countries like the u.k., where they consider this a generational fight. you do not hear british intelligence groups talking about defeating groups in the near future. they talk about weakening and protecting the homeland and using all available resources to target these organizations. but winning, when you say things like that, you will have to eat your words, eventually. you have to get rid of the word winning. it is a false dichotomy. seth jones here from the

center for strategic and international studies. talk about your work before you join that group, specifically with u.s. special forces. what did you do? guest: most of the work i did afghanistans like or somalia, focusing on providing training to security forces overseas. important to recognize is the president wants to withdraw u.s. military forces. that is a justifiable argument. what i would say is whether there are u.s. interests, -- where there are u.s. interests, the u.s. needs to continue to work by and for local interests. directople think of action operations, killing or capturing terrorists. the vast majority of special operations work is training, mentoring, and working with local partners on the ground, whether they are security forces, army forces, so that they do the fighting and they do the dying for their own country

and interest, and the u.s. is providing some assistance to that. that is where we want to get to, providing that assistance. host: and what is csis? guest: the center for strategic and international studies is a bipartisan think tank, neither republican nor democrat, conservative nor liberal. publications are open to the public, so people can go to the website and see if -- see publications and videos. host: or you can call in and ask seth jones about a busy week and foreign policy we want to get to some calls. john is in los angeles, independent. caller: good morning, gentlemen. i have to admit i am somewhat dismayed at this segment following the last one, when we were talking about how to be a man. it seems like how to be a man still is who will be the baddest

and biggest and who will bully people around. it is time for the united states to stop trying to make people like we are. we have to figure out who we are. if we keep spending the money on war, we will never take care of the money that we need to save the world. what wed, but that is are in. we are fighting for survival. you are just beginning a big hole -- just digging a big hole. guest: thanks for your comment. one is this is not about war. this is about protecting american interests. and american homeland. in the last two or three years, we have had major attacks inside the united states inspired by the islamic state, in san bernardino, california, in orlando. we had a vehicle attack in new halloween in 2017.

and we had an individual arrested this week in georgia for plotting a major attack at the white house, which would have occurred this week, with something equivalent to a rocket propelled grenade and guns. he was targeting secret service, the department of homeland security. we have individuals committed to conducting terrorist attacks inside the united states inspired and, in some cases, directly linked with individuals operating overseas. we have seen this in europe. thepe has seen attacks in last year and a half. ariana grande concert in manchester. , france.ourgh coming home and forgetting about the world does not mean these kinds of organizations stop trying to target us. and this is not just about

military forces. this is also about diplomatic efforts to try to and some of the wars waging in these areas. it does not mean that the u.s. needs to be the policeman, it just needs to help find solutions. host: brad, kentucky. guest: i am happy with the president's decision to pull out of syria. the u.s. has not been involved in any necessarily good overseas conflicts. the idea that we need to be in these places, changing these places, is a bad idea. we create more anti-american feelings and terrorists, being there and doing the things we do. to crossover with the first segment, a good example of toxic masculinity is -- i encourage everyone to look into susan rice and hillary clinton and samantha

powers convincing barack obama to destroy libya. ladies,hat his three but it is toxic masculinity. host: that is brad in kentucky. guest: a couple of quick points. one is it is important to recognize that just because the u.s. leaves some of these areas does not mean any of these problems are solved. or if the u.s. is not there. on 9/11, the united states was not in afghanistan, yet we were attacked by an organization headquartered there. in 2011, president obama left and pulled out all u.s. forces from iraq. over the course is a 2012 to 2014 al qaeda in iraq transformed into the islamic state, rejuvenated, and conducted major attacks, including in the west. places like paris, berlin, london, from its bases in iraq

and syria, and inspired attacks in the united states as well. it is a misnomer to believe that itause we are there, inspires these groups, and because we leave means they will stop bargaining us. the evidence shows strongly that, quite the opposite, is true. what we have to look at is which of these groups are targeting the u.s. and where do we need to work with local partners. host: kay is in ohio. caller: i am all for pulling out of syria, men and women, and i am all for telling the men who goaded europe, silently, to back and fight their own battles. we have a government that will not even try to protect our borders. we can save a lot of money and pull it -- put it into our military and secure our borders. instead, we are fighting for everyone else's orders. so we should pull out of syria,

and we should tell the men who left that country and invaded europe silently to head back to syria and fight your own battles. think thisn, i perspective is an important one. i think the debate about whether to be there or not is important. i should note this issue is broader than just syria. that the u.s. is withdrawing some of its forces from afghanistan, going from 14,000 to 7000. the u.s. is looking to decrease .ources from somalia this is not just syria. this is with drawing -- this is withdrawing military forces from a number of places. what the president is not pulling u.s. forces back home, he is focusing them on other competitors, in particular it states. if you look at the national defense strategy, this is not about pulling forces back home

and trying to save money, it is about prioritizing other competitors. in particular, if you watch what the president said, it is the chinese, so increasing american deployments in asia. it means iran, so moving some of the u.s. military forces from extremists tounni shia ones. this is not about bringing them home. it is about shifting them to other competitors. host: and yesterday, the president announcing his new missile defense strategy, the first comprehensive update to missile defense strategy in years. the president promising to shoot down all missiles anytime, anywhere. here is a bit from the president yesterday at the pentagon. [video clip] >> first, we will prioritize the

defense of the american people above all else. newreview calls for 20 ground-based interceptors at fort greely, alaska. and new radars and sensors to immediately detect foreign missiles launched against our great nation. we are committed to establishing a missile defense program that can shield every city in the united states, and we will never away our rights to do this. host: your thoughts and take away? guest: it is important to continue to focus efforts on building better missile defense capability. when we look at u.s. adversaries, we look at chinese missile capabilities improving, including longer-range intercontinental ballistic missiles. we look at russian missiles,

still largely pointed at the united states. north korea. areiran's capabilities mostly focused on its pair miller -- paramilitary and its missile forces. so missiles seem to be a major focus of the resources of the russians, the chinese, the north koreans, and the iranians. tothat sense, the u.s. needs build its capabilities to shoot any threat directed to the u.s. homeland. to recognize no system will be infallible. the israelis have recognized this. they have built a pretty sophisticated system. in the context of a war, no system will be able to shoot down every single missile coming in. there are decoys, and other governments have other capabilities. host: less than 10 minutes left

with seth jones. we want to get as many of your calls as we can. carrie has been waiting in maryland, -- jerry has been waiting in maryland. caller: thanks for taking my call. i am a third-generation democrat. i am totally discard -- disheartened and disappointed in the party. anybody who does not want to stand behind this individual that we call our president, that we should respect him and what he is trying to do -- he has actually passed -- i believe, in my heart, that he has the best interests of the american people in his. he is fighting something we have all been dealing with, called globalization. we need nations, borders, wells,

security, not just in our country but every country. we should be entitled -- we should feel entitled to feel that way instead of being ridiculed and called racists. the reason we have these problems around the world with all of these jihadists is due to past presidents, long before this man stepped up to the table. host: seth jones, i will let you pick up on that last part. guest: on that last part, it is important to recognize why we have terrorists and sunni extremists. he said jihadists. , in general, aot result of past american presidents. however, the u.s. invasion of iraq does seem to be a calling cry for many of these groups. what we see over the last couple of years is a single, most significant event that allowed the resurgent of these groups is

the arab spring, which led to the collapse of governments like libya -- the u.s. was involved in that a little bit. somalia. egypt. had no hand ins. syria. the collapse of the assad government provided a major sanctuary for groups to operate. yemen is another good example. actions in the past are not necessarily the major reason for these activities. we have poor and employment, poor economic conditions in a number of these countries. they are complex mixes. theseyou talk about terrorist groups. when it comes to syria, is it just the islamic state? guest: syria now has the largest groupsage of jihadist operating anywhere in the world. maybes of 50,000, 60,000,

70,000 -- host: are you talking not different groups? guest: no, individuals and support efforts. many of those are not islamic state. in western syria, there are tens of thousands of individuals hasating with a group that direct links with al qaeda. along the jordanian border, we have some of these same groups operating. this is much more than the islamic state. host: when the strikes are happening -- u.s. strikes are happening, are they just targeting islamic state for are they targeting other groups? guest: predominantly uss focused in eastern syria, which is some estate. iranian,n syria, it is russian, and turkish operations. if the u.s. pulls out of syria,

as many people want to happen, countries like iran have moved into that vacuum. we have to ask ourselves is not something we are ok with? host: rose is next, democrat. caller: good morning. thank you for c-span. hi thank you for mr. jones being on and hearing what he is saying. my point is that the u.s. is ignoring all of the terrorism taking place in africa, most recently the bombing in nairobi, kenya. diplomatically, the u.s. should start to pay more attention to the african nations, because kenya is strategically located. ienceith mr. jones' exper in somalia, it would be helpful for the u.s. to deal with kenya in this regard. guest: that is a great question. in africa, the primary focus of

terrorist activities at the moment, one is in west africa, in nigeria, when we have groups like boko haram. africa,s in north particularly libya. if there is in east africa, the horn, in countries like somalia and kenya. the fourth is in the south. there is a significant amount of terrorism that continues -- the numbers are concerning. they are continuing to rise. this is an example where partners can be helpful. look at the last time we saw an increase in jihadist activity in that it was the french stepped in and provided the majority of diplomatic and military assistance to mali. as we identify continuing concerns in cases like kenya and somalia, with the al-shabaab

attack that killed an american in nairobi, that we work with partners. kenya has been a very important partner, targeting groups like al-shabaab, and al qaeda-linked group. host: jim has been waiting, independent. caller: as far as terrorism goes, we have to come together and realize this is an issue that is probably never going to go away. understanding that -- i think it needs to be handled in a regional manner and that the players in different areas need to step up to the plate and start policing their own. we cannot, as a nation, run around the world for much longer and lay waccamaw -- and play whack-a-mole with these jihadists. onneed to withdraw and work protecting our borders. the money we have spent

overseas, fighting terrorism, if we had put all of that money into strengthening our border security and entry points, harder 9/11 would be very to believe. they are going to try, but we have learned a lot since 9/11. we keep going back to 9/11 as the ultimate excuse to be overseas. i think it is naive, because we are now working together in we have notues as been in the past. say thisain, i would is not about 9/11 anymore. this is about looking at the threat as it exists today. i would urge people to look at the case in georgia, the fbi arrest with the joint terrorism task force of the individual plotting a major attack in washington against the white house. that was an individual that had the intent and some capabilities

to do it. an fbi informant provided intelligence into that individual and that network. the other thing i would say it is -- is it is important for the u.s. to decrease its presence in a range of areas, but the question u.s. policymakers need to ask is if we see plotting against the united states, and we do today, from overseas, what do we do about it? is it in our interests to leave it to others to take care of? what if it is not being taken care of? what is our response to the? i think what we have learned is deploying large numbers of military forces is not the answer. a small footprint is much better. host: time for one more call. we should note we have been talking about this bombing in syria. the defense department identify three of the four americans killed wednesday this morning and that bombing claimed by the islamic state.

the pentagon named the three as army chief warrant officer at jonathan farmer, 37-year-old of florida. maybe chief cryptologic technician shannon kent, 35, of upstate new york. defensertment of civilian scott wirtz of st. louis. the fourth victim has not yet been identified. democrat, massachusetts, go ahead. caller: when i first heard the news that he was pulling out of syria, i thought that was great. but it looks to me that all he is doing is privatizing the war. he is making money for the arms rince and hisp mercenaries. the united states did not get invited into syria. the syrians invited the russians, and they had isis under control. all we are doing over there is just creating more of a mess, creating more enemies.

are sure our soldiers enlisting -- i am sure a lot of reasons. patriotic but they have to realize they are not really fighting for our country. they are fighting for the military industrial complex. host: seth jones, that will be your last minute. guest: again, the withdrawal from syria has to be done in a way that it does protect american interests. the u.s. did not go into eastern syria, was not invited by the invitedgime, but it was by populations living in that area, and worked with the kurdish military operating there. it successfully decreased the territory controlled by the islamic state, and the syrian regime and the russians have been actually quite happy with the work united states has done in targeting groups operating in eastern parts of the country. the last comment, though, is as

the u.s. withdraws its forces, the u.s. needs to find a way to protect its interests. if it sees islamic state continue to research in syria, does it send in teams or limited strikes? the u.s. has to reserve that capability. -- a growthranian in iranian activities, the united states has to work with its allies in the region to counterbalance iranian activities. as the u.s. with draws, he needs to work with partners in the region, the israelis, jordanians, the turks, and others, to achieve its interests. host: the center of four strategic and international -- strategic and international studies can be found online, csis.org. up next, we will be joined by congressman andy harris, a

republican from maryland and we will discuss day 28 of the government shutdown and border security. later, attorney general nominee william barr answered how he looked deal with the mueller investigation. todd ruger goes through it with us on what happens next. ♪ >> the c-span cities tour, exploring the american story. we take you to independence, missouri, home to harry and beth truman. saturday, we will look at the roots of independence and how it started as a starting point of america's western trails. >> downtown was the place to be paid we had several blacksmiths shops. places you can get horses. if you needed flour, bacon,

anything to go out west, you would get it here. you can imagine a big, buzzing community downtown. easterny at 2:00 p.m. on american history tv, a tour of president truman's life. watch saturday and sunday. working with our cable affiliates as we explore the american story. onurday at 8:00 p.m. eastern tv, from a washington, d.c. -- from a washington, d.c. jail, the free minds book club meeting. >> a moment of carelessness or bad judgment or plain stupidity carry consequences that last forever.

a lot of times, when we are in the streets, we say we are in the field. like when they are in a war, they are in the field. so when we get locked up for a decision you make out of bad judgment or stupidity, it carries consequences that last forever. so we have people who have been here 20, 25 years. words," on "after author sebastian gorka on his book "why we fight." >> you can find moments when your life changes. my parents used to take me to paris as a child. my father, a national athlete, he left to swim. he comes out of the ocean, and i am 8:00 -- i am eight years old, 9-year-old. i see on his wrist these white lines. without blinking, he just said

that is where the secret police bound my wrists together behind my back so they could hang me from the ceiling in the torture chamber. that changes your outlook. so from an early age, i understood freedom is as fragile as it is precious. sooner or later -- the great ronald reagan was always correct when he always said sooner or later the loss of liberty is always but one generation away. tv this weekend on c-span 2. >> "washington journal" continues. republican congressman andy harris is back at our desk, a member of the appropriations committee, of the conservative house freedom caucus. now four weeks into the longest government shut down, i wonder how it is impacting your district, which is not far from

the city, just across the chesapeake bay in easton maryland. guest: on the government employee and contractors aside, there are issues. but we need to resolve the border. this is a growing humanitarian crisis. who say it is not do not understand the changing demographics of who is controlling the border. mexican drug cartels, drugs, human trafficking, is all increasing. it is all solvable. , but this week, not much happened on solving this issue. how does this and? -- end? guest: when you have one side that refuses to negotiate, you will not solve it via the american people expect negotiation. when one side says we will not give anything, they say we will give $1, that does not solve problems. host: what is the president giving? guest: the president offered to

come down from the $5.7 billion. he did that before christmas. that was rejected. he said if you will not accept my lower offer, i will go back to my original offer. the president has not said we will build a continuous wall. the president has already said he is changing in order to make this work. the other side basically says no negotiation at all. host: should he just declare a national emergency and find the funding through the military or some other funding program? guest: he is doing it the right way, which is expected congress to do its job. if congress does not do its job, i would support him doing that. host: how long should he give congress? guest: we may have to give it a little bit longer. the bottom line is i do not think they are serious. when one of the major negotiators is going to fly across the world for seven days, which is what speaker pelosi was going to do, that sends a signal they are not serious in

negotiating. host: what do you think about the back, nancy pelosi looking to postpone the state of the union, and the president canceling that military flight for the congressional delegation? guest: i think the speaker should remain in town as long as the shutdown occurs to at least give the appearance that she is available for negotiation. host: we are talking to andy harris, congressman from maryland. you can join the conversation. democrats, it is (202) 748-8000. republicans, (202) 748-8001. independents, (202) 748-8002. he is a member of the house appropriations committee in the 116th congress. when republicans had control of the senate and house and white house, you are able to pass five of the 12 appropriations bills on time. is there any hope to pass any more than that in a divided congress? guest: i do not see any way

around this. although it is frequently said that republicans controlled all three, you do not control the senate until you have 60 votes. the only thing you control is nominations and the approval of nominations. that is the 50 vote threshold. you do not control the senate until you control 60 votes. host: do you think we are in for more shutdowns in the coming years? guest: i am coming around to a continuing resolution and let's discuss this all in the next presidential election. host: we had a viewer suggestion last week saying that members of congress should wait to pass their own funding, the legislative branch appropriations bill last so there is an incentive to get all of the other appropriations bills down. is that something you may consider taking up? guest: i think that would be fine. the thing is it is one of the least controversial. the way congress works, it is

the easiest to pass, which is why it may be among the first group to the passed. this time is unusual. since i've been here, if we have had a shutdown, it is an entire government shutdown. this time is a smaller shutdown. host: from woodbridge, virginia, independent. thatr: my issue is shutting down the government is ridiculous. you know that -- is ifer question government has a proposal, put it in the budget, and if you put it in the budget, how much is put in the budget? host: i am not sure i got the last part of that question. guest: the bottom line is the american people expect this to

be resolved. they do not expect shutdowns to occur. again, this discussion -- and this is my ninth year in congress. congress always likes to kick the can down the road. we should have had this discussion in the spring and summer. the congress delays everything. we delayed it passed october 1. it was an election year. now we are delaying it into the spring. washington no longer works. host: john is next, republican in texas. caller: good morning, congressman. texas, but myouth congressman, i tried to get a hold of his office. the problem is them in -- is the republicans are not telling the american people how much these illegals are costing the american taxpayer by way of housing, free food, and medical care. the slogan should be every dollar we spend on an illegal immigrant is a dollar we could be spending on a child we send

to college. that would resonate with every family in america. guest: it is an interesting point. we would love to have an estimate. there are people who believe the cbo will score a dollar spent on border security as saving multiple dollars. if you think about what is going on, we have hundreds of thousands of people claiming asylum, coming into the country, they are put on a two-year or three year waiting list for their education. that is not timely justice. if someone comes, we should adjudicate those cases probably. 80% to 90% of people who request asylum do not get it because they do not have a legitimate cause. but we are delaying this decision to to three years all people come into the country and use our resources. border security is right for humanitarian reasons. it is right just because a country should have borders. and it is right from a physical

ofnt of view -- fiscal point view. independent, go ahead. theer: i have not heard argument made that the wall would deter terrorists. as long as that is a perception amongst the people,, trying to get into the united states, that there is a wall that is effective, it will be a deterrent. host: congressman harris? guest: a wall clearly deters people crossing the border. we had customs and border protection coming in and saying you do not need a wall and dashed along the entire border -- you do not need a wall along the entire border. chuck schumer agreed with this. speaker pelosi approved funding in 2008 when she was speaker.

this idea that all of a sudden border walls are a seventh century idea when, within the last 10 years, both leaders of the opposition party actually have agreed that walls work. host: nancy pelosi yesterday talking about ports of entry. that has been the focus of especiallyconcerns, when it comes to drugs being brought into the country. here is what she had to say in her weekly press conference. [video clip] >> 90% of drugs coming into the country come in through the ports of entry. let's use resources to expand the ports of entry. nothave evidence-based, notion longer. nearly 3040 vacancies, positions not filled on the border. some of it is the quality of life. they need more infrastructure to do their jobs at the ports of

entry. host: you talk about the need to negotiate. is that a place where you could start and find common ground? guest: we have that in the current appropriations bill. the bottom line is democrats have drawn a line and said -- and if you read the language of the appropriations bills -- it excessively says no new wall or fencing. you can replace fencing but not billed new walls. but as part of our company has a border security policy, there are areas we need new wall. say we are going to do everything but not do this, no. of course not all the money has to go to fencing or wall, but then again, we should not say that no money can go. if customs and border protection says we think -- and they tell us there are areas where they know drugs are coming across the border, because there is no wall, no fencing. i got to believe them. they are on the border every day. host: illinois come independent.

larry, go ahead. caller: thanks for taking my call. representative harris, nice to talk to you. i would like to ask a question on the funding. these continuing resolutions, they seem to constantly -- instead of doing a budget, they wait until a deadline, then drop into somebody else's lap and make a political issue out of it. what can be done so that we can have a ruling where these budgets have to be done by a certain date? thank you. guest: one thing we can do is reconsider the action we took in the 1970's, the budget control act. prior to 1970, the executive branch had more control in getting the budgets passed. it gets complicated, but if any of your viewers are interested

have a look at the history of the federal budget. host: you would become double with handing more control to passing budgets to the executive branch? guest: no. but not necessarily passing through the constitution says all money has to be appropriate by congress. what happens now is the president sends a budget to capitol hill, and it is announced to the dead on arrival, and you start from ground zero and rebuild the budget. i think because the executive is the one who is the one who spends money on the budget, the executive should be more involved. it makes more sense. with that -- i think we have the pendulum swung too much to one side. with a broken washington and congress, you will get shutdowns. because if this is the only group that has a say, you will get shutdowns. aboutwe wanted to ask you this picture that caused a bit of a stir online.

was in the hallways under the capital. a picture of you walking with chuck johnson. who is chuck johnson? guest: chuck johnson is a guy who has an interest in a company that does dna sequencing. sequencing is incredibly important. we have thousands and thousands of rape kits unprocessed throughout the country. it can help us through the backlog, solve rape cases that have been there years. a person who has an interest in that. that was what was discussed. i do not know the guy's background. i do not do a google search on everyone. host: here is a profile on chuck destroy-- a guy who can

a person's political career. he has argued that black people are dumber than white people, post on making a white power sign while posing next to a white supremacist leader richard spencer. guest: i take it, since you are a journalist, that you read my statement. i did not know his background. to think that you appeared in a photo with someone and suddenly agree with all they agree to is ridiculous. host: you signed on to the resolution condemning cumbersome and steve king. guest: of p because i am not a white supremacist. i am not a holocaust denier, not an anti-semite, and even a suggestion, even on this program, that somehow this associates me with that is repulsive.

on the steve king vote, there are congressman pushing for more -- do you think this is settled? guest: i have not talked to congressman king. i think we did the proper thing. all of us a great white supremacy has no place, anti-semitism has no place. we have members who are openly associating with anti-semitic leaders of hezbollah and hamas. nothing made of it. i do not understand it -- well, i do understand it. because the far left media attacks conservatives. we are used to it. host: a few minutes left with andy harris, republican from maryland. andy has been waiting in maryland. caller: thank you for taking my call.

you guys have total control of congress for two years, and you did not pass one dollar. the same dollar you accuse nancy pelosi of not paying for the wall. you do not pass to build a better wall. if it were that important for you and your followers and donald trump, you should have passed some money to pay for that wall. the second thing is if you want to spend $5.7 billion on a wall, -- you have seen the suffering in maryland, baltimore city. i am sure there are a lot of poor white people in poor black people in this country who are suffering, who do not have food and do not have a lot of stuff that they could use for themselves. you can use that money to create jobs in these areas for these people and help them. instead, you want to build a five $.7 billion or however much it cost to spend on a cause which you know, in your hearts,

does not work. this is the problem with you guys. assailiticians who people to use simple solutions to complex problems. guest: well, warren obviously has the ability to look into my heart and see what i think. he is wrong. they do work. the fact of the matter is your caller is ignorant about what works and what does not. walls and fences work. he is also ignorant to how congress works the aid we did put five point $7 billion into the bill and chuck schumer and the democrats blocked it in the senate. until you get 60 votes in the senate or you get a senate minority leader who believes in border security, we will have catch and release and all of the border problems. we have problems in maryland. ms 13. ms 13 crosses the border illegally.

some cross legally. most cross illegally. jonathan, gocan, ahead. caller: i have experience in security. when people say a wall does not work, it is kind of elementary. a wall is basic. you need the wall for defense technology to work effectively. if they all just say we do not need the wall, we need better technology, that technology would be irrelevant if all they are doing is observing people walking through. if the wall finals people to the point of entry where the technology can work. same thing with cybersecurity. it is elementary to open up all your ports and of close them down to have breaches. and you have to have ways to prevent access. to me, they are both related and you can make these metaphors all day.

know who is consulting them, those against having that barrier. guest: what can i say? walls and fences work. experts agree. this should be a no-brainer. the average person, if you asked them, does a wall or fence work on the border, the average person would say yes. the president has already said it is not about the entire border. it is aware customs and border protection says we need to keep out ms 13, keep out gangs, keep out violent people, send a signal to say do not send women thousands of miles. our open border policies are leading to sexual abuse of these women and children coming across the border. washington, the march for life is happening, as

well as the woman's march tomorrow. today's march for life rally begins at 12:00. theare speaking as part of march for life rally? guest: no, i am appearing on stage. i am not speaking. july guest:s that we are not part of the march for life. we are going to send a signal to people that you know you are killing a human life. you are taking a human life. it is definitely human from the moment of conception. you have to think long and hard before you say that is a good thing to do. host: time for a few more calls. indiana, independent. caller: good morning. i would like to access my sub these for the caller before the last and give him a pat on the

back for speaking as i was going to. the border wall should have been taken care of when you had the senate and the house. now that you do not have the house, you want to take it up -- well, excuse me. mr. mcconnell will not serve the american people. he serves the president. he is a separate ranch. he should be building up the bills already past the house and them, one wayail or another. you are just sitting back on your hands and saying it is pelosi, pelosi. but look at your own face in the mirror. it is you all, not just pelosi. guest: all i can say is you cannot have the senate unless you have 60 votes for the last party to have 60 votes was president obama and the democrats before the election of mr. brown up in massachusetts. bottom line is you do not have the senate until you have 60

votes. and chuck schumer is obstructing border security. americans have to set -- have to decide if they want border security or not. host: one last call. james has been waiting in new york -- in newark, new jersey. caller: hi, c-span. hello? host: we are listening. caller: i am a moderate. now, the wall. i am for the wall. -- youre is one thing had power for the first two years of drum. schumer held chuck up the wall. the first two years of the trump administration, it took 51 votes to pass for the wall.

street.llion for wall so there you go. a 51: it does not just votes to build the wall. it takes 60 votes. when you have a minority leader, harry reid before and chuck schumer now, a minority leader who refuses to take up these issues, and americans expect the senate to debate. let's go ahead and take up these issues. let's see if americans believe we should have a secure border. that is what this fight is about. host: congressman andy harris, republican from maryland. we appreciate your time. up next on the "washington journal," what i will voters elected women

to the u.s. house of representatives. both are democrats and defeated republican incumbents. she earned her mba from northwestern's school of management before working at a shestate agencies previously served two terms in the iowa house of representatives. illinois elected three new members to the house, all democrats. two of them defeated republican incumbents. lauren underwood represents the

14th district. she was a senior adviser at health and human services during the obama administration. she has to master's degree. theas elected by voters in illinois fourth district. he has had a long career in state and local politics. he was a cook county commissioner and served in the illinois senate. he is the executive director of a local community development program. in congress, new leaders. watch all on c-span. author and journalist patricia miller and her book bringing down the kernel. >> the number of middle names he has should signify that he was a southern elite.

yet been a southern kernel. he was in the confederate cavalry. he is in his fifth term in congress. she was literally a poor girl from kentucky who was very hungry for an education. she was this hungry young woman who ran to breckenridge. she was desperate to make herself in the world. >> sunday night on q&a. >> washington journal continues. affairsll call legal hearings ford the william r. knew -- need to do? did he do it. i think he did what he

needed to do. he needed to reassure senators the probe being led by robert mueller into interference in the campaign, that he would protect the probe. that he would not get rid of mueller unless there was a good cause, that he would make that public, that a report that comes out. he was basically making sure would begood friend able to do what he needed to do to settle the issue once and for all. there is the mueller program and then there is donald trump who is vigorously defending himself. the country needs a resolution. he wants to make it as public as possible. he did a lot of reassuring this week. chairman of the committee who started the questions about the mueller probe. here is a bit of the exchange.

>> you say you have known him a long time. do you have a close relationship? >> i would say we are good friends. >> would you say you understand him to be a fair-minded person? >> absolutely. fair?you expected to be >> yes. >> we share report? >> consistent with regulation of the law. >> would he be involved in a witchhunt against anybody? >> i don't think he would be involved in a witchhunt. host: the term witchhunt? guest: he said he was going to be independent from donald trump. he was not appointed to get rid of bob mueller or quash this. he made a big deal out of being 68 years old and on the end of his legal career. washington. he has been the attorney general

in 1991. his family works for the department of justice. he said he loves the institution. at 68, he's not worried about his reputation. independence the of the justice department from interference in the white house. was setting that up. did he win any democrats are losing a republicans? it's hard to say. emma crestwood objected his approach such as civil rights enforcement or being tough on crime. they are against his approach to immigration enforcement. it would be hard to win him over on some of that. i think a lot of his answers did win over democrats on the committee based on feeling more

secure that he would be independent and give the mueller probe the air it needs to be public. math take us through the on the confirmation. guest: he starts with a leave because it is 53-47. 12-10.committee, it is the new members of the committee don't look like they would vote against him. you have some republicans who have not made up their minds yet. he would have to lose three members of the republican party and that does not look very likely. host: what is susan collins waiting on? guest: i just saw that she said she is undecided. she likes to talk to the nominee or wait for the answers from the written questions. there are some outstanding things that dianne feinstein

said that her vote depended on, he clarified what he would make public at the end. there is a report which is from bob mueller to the attorney general. the attorney general will read report that goes to congress and the public. dianne feinstein was to make sure it is as public as possible. there is some confusion as to how that will be released. that is her vote right now. with here is his exchange senator amy closure. >> will you commit to make public all of the reports conclusions? even if some of the evidence supporting that can't be made public? that is certainly my goal and intent. it's hard for me to conceive of

that would run afoul of the regulations as written. that is my intent. host: william barr said his intent is to do that. has that caused concern? guest: i think that is the issue right now. is ofis a report, this incredible importance to the public and resolving these issues about the president. when he stopped short of saying was the he would release the full report. he cites the regulations about the special counsel. those regulations say the report from mueller is a report to prosecutors. it's not public. they make a decision whether to prosecute or not.

the question here for democrats is this is such a big deal. we need to get that report. lindsey graham joked that it would leak anyway. host: we are talking about william barr, his confirmation hearings were this week. if you want to join the conversation. you can start calling and now as we show you more from william barr on why he decided to take the nomination and why he is trying to come back to the job. decidedf the reasons i i would accept this position if it was offered to me was i feel i am in a position to be independent. people, years, a lot of

some politicians have said i'm thinking of going for the attorney general position. i say, you are crazy. if you have a political future down the road, don't take the job. to make to be ready decisions and spend all of your political capital and have no future. you have to have that freedom of action. i feel i'm in a position in life where i can do the right thing and not really care about the insequences in the sense that can truly be independent. host: if you want to go back and watch the confirmation hearing, you can always do that. if you have questions, now is the time to call in.

mike is up first in new york. go ahead. caller: are you on the air? we need someone who is totally independent. william barr is not independent or unable to make the proper judgments. host: why do you think that? caller: because of his past. if you study him, in 1991 he was one of the lawyers who recommended people from the next administration be pardoned. host: the history of that? guest: a lot of people are independentout how he might be. he has defended some of trump's actions. he made some comments about the collusion probe, there is not

enough evidence for a collusion probe. he backed up a lot of what jeff sessions did in office. there are a lot of people who think he is one side or the other. the one thing that is interesting, you will not get a democratic attorney general nominee out of a republican president. he's not going to be opposing trapdoor opposing policy positions. barr has backed up some of those ideas. that doesn't mean he would be independent. sessions,back to jeff there are protests. they said he would not be independent because he worked on the campaign. there you have another guy who

did not work on the campaign, he wrote a memo that was critical of one aspect of the mueller probe last year. it was a 19 page memo. he has opinions. he won't necessarily be independent. cindy is an independent. when the fbi wanted to question certain people involved in all this, trump told them don't say anything. i could pardon you. that makes him look so guilty. i knew he was guilty when he said i could pardon you. all of these people calling in and blaming obama for everything , they told me he is no longer president.

office, when in brought up bush, people say he's no longer president. thank you. one of the things it's interesting about what happened at the bar confirmation was questions like that were addressed. saying there memo should not be obstruction of justice charge for firing james comey because he has the ability to fire james comey. he was asked a lot of other when a president might be obstructed justice. one of those topics was whether he was floating the idea of a pardon in order to get people not to talk. that would be affecting

testimony and obstructing justice. itdid not rule out that would be obstruction of justice if a pardon was used to affect testimony. host: a story in busby is getting attention. michael:dent directed july 2 congress. that is reporting from buzz feed news. anything that might speak to the concerns raised in that story? guest: i spoke directly to this at the hearing. this has prompted the committee chairman to say they would be looking into whether he directed en to giveh misleading testimony. memo, he set a president

can obstruct justice and be guilty of it. the democratic senator from minnesota asked him about those words. yes, if he directed somebody to give misleading testimony, that would be obstruction of justice. connecticut is next. go ahead. caller: a very simple question, seems rational, was it lindsey graham who is responsible for setting up his nomination? host: what do you mean by that? caller: who suggested it? it seems to have lindsey graham's fingerprints on it in a

good way. tois so rational as opposed any of president trump's staff. lindsey graham after the hearing on tuesday said he thought there was nobody more qualified that he could think of on the republican side for this nomination. that includes himself. he was talked about being attorney general. he said that mr. barr was more qualified. lindsey graham has been one of trump's most outspoken people on the hill. he met privately and got a lot of private meetings with the president in the last few weeks. i do have any inside information ifut why he suggested bar or that came to be.

i get the sense that lindsey graham is glad it's not him. there will be a part -- bipartisan vote. host: north carolina is next. good morning. caller: good morning. i have a couple of questions for the gentleman. he is in charge, he will be in .harge of the the attorney general have more power than the congress? how did he decide if they see a report or not? won'tt understand why he recuse himself. he did make a derogatory statement against mueller and the investigation.

i would like more and how he gets to pick and choose what they hear in committee. now, that comes down to the regulations that the justice department put in place for a special counsel probe like this one. what that lays out according to robert barr and lindsey graham is the regulation goes to the attorney general and they report to congress about that result. i wanted to point out that he make a note of any time he disagrees with the report. essentially, that has been set up in these regulations. that is the role the attorney general has as the top law in charge offficer bringing prosecution on behalf of the country. in terms of his recusal, that's

an important distinction. a lot of democrats are getting him to commute to -- commit to ak ethics officials if he has reason to recuse himself. if they agree, if they say he should that he would agree to do that. he very adamantly did not agree to do that. he said it was his decision to make. he said he would consult with them, but it was ultimately his decision. said he would not do it if he disagreed with them. there's a much different situation with jeff sessions. it was partly because he was involved in the campaign and that was part of the investigation. being critical of the mueller probe doesn't mean you've already prejudged it.

he said he did not know a lot of the facts. virginia, go ahead. caller: good morning. i wish there was a line for concerned americans. i just wonder, bill barr is saying it 608i can be independent. what was he at 65? host: going back to his first term at the justice department. testified.iam barr if you are in your 40's or 50's, you might have to worry about the rest of your career. what your point that is there is an indication that when he was 40 or 50 he was worried about what the future might hold. says i'mhe is 68, he

not worried about my future career. that's basically it. host: new york city, go ahead. caller: i'm concerned about the transparency of the report. i got the impression he was saying he could summarize it to congress rather than the report itself. i want the american people to be able to see the full report. to callngress be able robert mueller and to testify and find out what he really said? guest: you bring up some great points. these are points the democrats have been airing for weeks now. you talk about the summarizing of the report, that sounds like what he reads the regulations to say, he would summarize it and give his own

report to congress. i chatted with lindsey graham. he said he would be fine with summary, unless there were questions about what was missing or what was in their. -- there. one of the things that barr from hiding this is robert mueller can protect himself. he's a marine. he's got a great reputation. if william barkin the most important aspects of the report, he would find a way publicly. or speak there is some restraint on that. william barr said he respects robert mueller. one would think there is a relationship there, a

professional relationship that from sweeping stuff under the rug. he is the legal affairs staff writer. he is talking about the william barr hearings. jerry is in minnesota, a republican. caller: here is an idea. exercisey will prosecutor integrity and just release with they can actually prove in a court of law. buzz feed got an anonymous source from the legal department. now everybody is running with it. wondering, maybe the

justice department can actually do something to stop this insanity. if you have evidence that you can prove, they should release it. gossip, you have no business saying anything about it. i think we will find out a lot more in early february. michael: is going to testify in the house. he will be asked about that. you will be able to hear it directly from him. maybe he won't answer, but he will definitely be asked. releasing what they could prove in court, they might. i don't think there is anything that has been said by william barr this week that would thelude him from releasing

entire report if that was consistent with the regulations, if there was a national security secret, that might be blocked out or redacted. nothing that says that's not what he would do or what mueller would push for. i think what william barr tried to say is the nation needs to heal. we need to get past this. we need to say which side is right and get the facts. host: michigan is next. good morning. caller: good morning. thes just wondering about discrepancy i'm hearing, that made arrests and convictions. that it's the attorney general who decides

that after they get the report. that you explain discrepancy? guest: yes. mueller is doing an investigation. the way that a lot of this works, the fbi investigates, they collect evidence. they make a suggestion to prosecutors. mueller has prosecutors on his team. they are filing stuff in court. there is oversight. he is not operating independently. , hedeputy attorney general is running the investigation. there is a balance between investigators and prosecutors. in this particular case with the

way these special counsel is written, they would give a report to the attorney general. host: new jersey, go ahead. yes, i think you mentioned a very good point about presidential pardon power. one of the reasons mr. barr was nominated was because he served as attorney general under bush senior. president bush pardoned weinberger. pardonedon is that he forformer defense secretary his involvement in iran-contra.

this is a gray area. this could be interference for justice. very realistic implications. isst: what you are saying concerns that are being raised about his nomination and what he might do. a lot of this is somewhat speculative. a lot of things have changed. he is familiar with these policies. he would be making decisions. trump is not going to nominate somebody who says the pardon power is restricted. he's going to put somebody in there that has a more expansive

view of presidential power. view,m barr has that along with a lot of conservative thinkers. host: you could see his work at rollcall.com. he is a legal affairs staff writer. will discuss data 28 of the government shutdown. usual, aes are as special line for federal workers. you can start calling them out. this weekend, our cities to her explores the american story in independence missouri. city's feature the history and political culture. missouri is the east neighbor to kansas city. independence is well known for

harry truman. he wasn't born in independence, he moved here when he was a young child. he considered it to be his hometown. it is the jumping off point for the pioneer trail. on thel began here independence square. that's a great part of our history. politics are very important in jackson county. independence, there is that identification only with president truman but many political figures. historically, it's a very democratic blue-collar environment. we are seeing that changing. he won in missouri and independence.

we see those changes. the parties have changed considerably. the parties have changed very much. the parties are changing. i think the values are still the same. considerede is still a very hard-working, independent type of town. people tend to be politically involved. >> washington journal continues. host: taking your phone calls in the last half-hour today. this is day 28 of the government shutdown. .emocrats, (202) 748-8000

weublicans, (202) 784-8001 have a special line for government workers. (202) 748-8003. the move is called an apparent retaliation for misses pelosi attempting to postpone the state of the union address. here is one other story on the government shutdown. or government employees are being put back to work during the shutdown. the state department has enough cash for one pay period. they joined the fda inspectors and 2500 agriculture department workers and irs workers heading

back to work, even though they have not provided funding. those are some of the stories about the shutdown in the newspaper. we want to hear from you. beach, andnorth palm independent. her husband is a government worker. caller: i just wanted to say we've had to make various provisions to sustain ourselves. i'm not saying this is been easy at all. i consider the policy of this president a policy of compassion.

i know it sounds crazy. jumped on the plane because it would be better for my family to take a trip to hawaii. fallout ofee the what happens with a great influx of people who are here illegally. they are at the mercy of their exploitative employers, schoolds, even in the system people are making money off of them. they are pushing their kids into various programs and things that benefit psychologists and grant programs. nearby.a place ,hey put kids to that program they do a lot of things there. i'm not exactly sure what they are doing.

there is a lot of testing and different things. i think it's an exploitive policy. says what parent would put their child through that process. what kind of politician supports the program that basically putting kids to these terrible circumstances. it benefits the politicians who want their votes in the future. host: this is terry in oklahoma. wondering, why can't the congress take a bill in give the money straight to border patrol. the government can get open. when, if that's what they want to call it.

border control can do whatever they want. they can hire more people. why don't they just put a bill up there. host: that is what it is an issue. . the crux of the argument is, whether there should be money in that for a border wall. $5.7resident has asked for billion. here we are. host: i'm talking about where trump has no say what happens with the money. this way border patrol decides where it goes. are doinghe ones who the job. host: you don't want the head of homeland security, the head of the border patrol to have say over funding measures? caller: yes. they are the ones who are crying out for the wall and need more

agents and things like that. let them decide. , goodchicago heights morning. caller: good morning. because i've been watching this president for a number of years. it seems like racism at its core. this president is basically using the border wall as meat for his base. people are mostly racist. this president has overtly made racist comments. at his rallies, the same thing. open, you can see it on tv. the wall is not going to be basis of securing the border. border a comprehensive

protection, not a wall. a wall is not going to keep immigrants out. fence,n get in under a under the ground or something like that. i don't think that's a good idea. the republican said we should give the money to the border patrol agents and allow them to delegate where the money would be best spent in order to secure the border. democrats and republicans want secure borders. we've got to look, there are more than just mexicans over here. there are people from ireland, guatemala, people from switzerland, people from all different nations. wellare over here as illegally.

why does everybody hate on mexicans? host: we've got your point. chris is in springfield, federal worker. caller: i work for the aa. it's only going to be a short amount of time before air-traffic controllers say we are not coming to work. they don't mention 800,000 people, half of them are married. those people have kids. you were talking about millions of people affected. you've got a bad picture. none of these people are causing the problem. they are being used as pawns in a game. it's not right. it shouldn't be done. people are working hard and doing good things. they are keeping the flying public safe and in the air.

it's a horrible plan. thanks for having me. there was a lot of focus last week on the missed paychecks for federal workers. are they on every two weeks pay period? caller: we were a few days behind. weeks, a couple of days later you get that paycheck. it's a few days past. we get ours on tuesday. i've already missed one, i'm going to miss another one shortly. i have some savings to whether this. that's not very common. some people don't even have $1000 in savings. people are going to miss house payments and car payments.

my wife is working and bringing in a smaller amount than we normally have. not everyone is lucky enough to have two breadwinners in the family. i am. host: thank you for sharing your situation. this is from the washington post. are lining up for food donations. reportingyees are they are not able to report to work due to financial limitations. they have not been coming to work because of financial hardship. the agency said the callouts are rising. lisa is in texas. go ahead. caller: i would just like to say group member united we stand, divided we fall. these people are suffering. instead of parties, we need to

think about people. andt watching the courts see who is really doing what. these people need help. host: natalie is here in washington. good morning. caller: i would like to bring this to the fact that the congress and everyone has a voice in this. a dictator named mr. mcconnell. he has a bill that has been passed by the house, passed by the senate. they both have passed it. he will not bring it to a vote. if he brings it to a vote, what bring it to is they the president. let him rejected.

us members who represent will be able to pass it or override the president. that's where the issue is right now. mitch mcconnell has been running this country for years. he refused to have a member of the supreme court set because he made a decision that since you , he now isesident against -- again sitting there in control and not doing anything. he should bring legislation that was passed by the full congress to the floor for a vote. then we know it's going on. it is disgusting that mitch mcconnell has been doing this for years. his aim was just to take control, do what he wants. him,ed to put pressure on particularly the republicans.

this needs a final vote. host: jim is in orlando. go ahead. caller: i am behind the shutdown. i think the president is doing the right thing. the president has been there since christmas. he is never gone out of town. he went to see the troops and came back. he went to new orleans. nancy pelosi is the one that doesn't want to deal. it really upsets me that the that the cannot see politicians are pulling a fast one over them.

i am glad he took away her military flight. she started at the day before. he got 63 million votes and nancy foley has a fraction of san francisco. i feel bad they are not getting paid. at least they have a job. the regular worker who gets fired, they don't have a job to go back to. you are going to get your pay. hopefully you will be able to get through this. we will let a federal worker respond to that. go ahead. caller: thank you. i appreciate you letting me call in.

my concern is the work we are supposed to be doing over the last four weeks is building up. host: explain? caller: i'm with the national fire science foundation. we send out research funding. the amount of work we normally do will be doubled and tripled. i'm beginning to worry about us. we will do an enormous amount of work in a short amount of time. it will have a significant impact in responsible stewardship. host: how long will that impact last? caller: i would guess to wrap the fiscal year.

by the end of september, all resources that need to be dedicated, we will be scrambling to do our job as effectively as we can. host: robert is in arizona. go ahead. about: people are talking is a goes into override the president, the president might do something against mcconnell. the elephant outside the room is mcconnell's wife, she could lose her job also. that's all i've got to say. op-edone shutdown related , it's the daughter of ronald reagan and nancy reagan. no with machine guns, but paychecks.

she ends it by saying this: that is the daughter of ronald and nancy reagan. kim is in iowa. good morning. caller: i would like to thank all of the government workers that are keeping us safe and they are not getting paid. it's the morality. to here, they are trying keep us safe.

we know that donald trump one of the government shutdown. it is disrespectful to our workers. they are the ones keeping us safe and i appreciate them 100%. keep up the good work. thank you. host: another federal worker is in virginia. go ahead. caller: thank you for taking my call. i wanted to chime in. i am working without pay. with all of the stuff that is parties,tween the two it was the republican party that was supposed to be the party of law enforcement and veterans. the longer this has gone on, it's become more transparent they are doing this as a political stunt. a lot of law enforcement are hurting from this. ism hoping what will happen

the democrats will hold the republicans to task for this. host: an independent in georgia, go ahead. caller: i have a couple of brief comments about the shutdown. , i don'tble solution line up with either the republicans or the democrats. i think it helps to focus on the truth. he said that mexico would pay for the wall. that's the truth. -- had two years to get it done before the democrats took over. that's true. not only did he say mexico would pay for it, he has had two years to get it done. solution, all of the individuals who want to support fund.eveloped a special

you contribute to that fund. you can pay for your wall and leave the rest of us out of it. there is your solution. thanks. host: we mentioned the story of the president shutting down nancy pelosi's travel plans. canceled her plan to use an air force plane to lead a delegation of lawmakers on a trip to afghanistan. cnn is reporting that her spokesperson released a statement. they hope to go still despite the presence actions -- president's actions. after the president revoked the use of military aircraft to travel to afghanistan, they were prepared to travel commercially.

the delegation has decided to on thee the trip flights. always thanks our diplomats and troops for their service. that is part of the statement released this morning. california, go ahead. caller: i just came in on the end of one woman speaking about how many illegal immigrants were here. the census bureau says there are are hispanic and 67% are from mexico. the numbers i am aware of our closer to 11 million.

since 2004, the census bureau says there are 15 million. that's wrong. in 2015s crime goes, in anwas a law official interview where he was bragging about the illegal immigrants in l.a. county alone. murder was for illegal immigrants. where the other crimes the highest percentage. goes, 30% ofa those people have criminal records and there is an initiative on a california crime

site, the first issue is how they are expediting and streamlining getting these thate eligible for daca have criminal records. they mentioned the law firm that is doing it for them for free. the democrats say there is no coordinated effort. as soon as obama got into legal immigrants have to follow the rules as far as naturalization. on his little initiative he started as soon as he got into office, he was getting these people naturalized.

they didn't have to speak english. he urged everyone to work overtime to get it done quickly. documentary where they democratic backed out througho pass the entire state of arizona. they were passing out registration forms for illegals to sign. host: that was bill in tallahassee, florida. caller: yes. when you hear everything that is sides are using to deceive ands

play on fears. the congressman who is a , he has 821n texas miles of the border says the exaggerations an by donald trump. he has played on fear. he is a great showman. than taken more vacations anyone in history. for him to take off christmas is no big deal. if you think about it, the democrats and republicans have come together with the bill that he has said he would sign. until you had three individuals conservativesme

rush limbaugh and those guys that said it was not a good deal. they said he was caving in to the democrats. what happens? he holds the entire country hostage because of this. is, people on both sides need to see this. nancy pelosi is not right in saying one dollar. she stands on principles because she sees it that he is holding us hostage. they had a deal where they were going to fund part of the wall. he wants it all. our last caller on washington journal, you can follow day 28 of the government shutdown throughout the day on the c-span networks. we will be back your tomorrow morning at 7:00 eastern on

washington journal. in the meantime, have a great friday. ♪ >> the government shutdown is now at four weeks. it's 28 day. the standoff continuing over border wall funding. white house attempted to pass another measure to reopen the government but republicans rejected the vote. the house will re-vote on that next week. mitch mcconnell has said he will not bring any bill to the senate floor that the president finds unacceptable. it is unlikely to be considered by the full senate. no votes are scheduled.

we will have it live here on c-span. also today, the annual march for life rally is happening in washington. the speaking portion expected to start around noon. we will get there a bit early. that is why beginning just about noon on c-span. tomorrow, it is the women's march. the rally at freedom plaza at 1:30 eastern. >> saturday at 8:00 p.m. eastern on book tv. jail,he washington, d.c. the free minds up club monthly meeting. the causes were immediate. but carried consequences that lasted forever. when we are in the streets, we say we are in the field. when we are in the streets we are in the field. even when you get locked up for

a mistake or a decision you make that is carless or from bad judgment or stupidity, it could last forever. most people who have been here for 20 years and the consequences last for a long time. sunday, author sebastian gorka on his book, why we fight? my father, who was an amazing athlete who was on the national crew team before he was arrested, he comes out of the ocean, i am nine years old, and i see white lines on his wrist. he is far too young to be wrinkled. i said, dad, what is that? that iswith no emotion, where the secret police bound my wrists together with wire so they could hang me from the

ceiling of the torture chamber. that changes your outlook. from an early age, i understood freedom is as fragile as it is precious. , ronald reagan was always correct when he said sooner or later the loss of liberty is always but one generation away. >> watch book tv this weekend on c-span2. >> the c-span cities tour, exploring the american story. this weekend, we take you to independence, missouri. home to harry truman. we will explore the roots of independence and why it served as the starting point of america's great westward trail. >> downtown was the place to be. shops,several blacksmith several places you could get horses, outfitting and general storage.

if you need anything to get you out west, you were going to get it here. you can imagine a big bussing community downtown. >> on sunday at 2:00 p.m. eastern, a tour of president truman's historic sites, including a visit to his home and library. watching c-span's city tour of independence, missouri, saturday at noon eastern on c-span's book tv and sunday on american tv history on c-span3. >> he serves as director, joining us to discuss the u.s. military pullout from syria. threat about the ongoing and the complications of pulling u.s. troops out of syria. >>