later, kalena thomhave discusses her recent article on roe v. wade. you can join the conversation on facebook and twitter. host: good morning and welcome to "washington journal." we move toward the next presidential election, democrats are beginning to -- president trump. several have already thrown their hats into the ring. as they try to figure out the best person to capture the white house, who do you think is the best democrat to challenge president trump? we are opening the phone monster democrats only for this first hour -- phone lines to democrats only for this first hour.

we want you to call in and tell us your pick for 2020. in the central or eastern time zone, (202) 748-8000. if you are in the mountain or pacific time zones, (202) 748-8001. keep in mind you can always reach us on social media, on facebook.nd on for all of you out there, i want to remind you that you can always watch our road to the white house coverage on our website, c-span.org. onwill bring you up to date the 2020 campaign. the latest to throw his hat in the ring was remarked senator bernie sanders. [video clip] >> i am bernie sanders. i am running for president. i am asking you to become part of an unprecedented grassroots

campaign of one million active volunteers in every state in the country. our campaign is not only about defeating donald trump. it is not only about winning the democratic nomination. our campaign is about transforming our country and creating a government based on the principle of economic, social, racial, and environmental justice. our campaign is about taking on powerful interests that dominate our economic and political life. i am talking about wall street, the health insurance company, drug companies, the fossil fuel industry, the military-industrial complex, the private prison industry, the large multinational corporations that exert such enormous influence over our lives. host: if you look at the poll that was taken by morning

consult, they have a list of senators and democratic challengers who were possibly going to get into this race. right now, they have former vice president joe biden as the favorite for democratic primary voters as their challenger for president trump. coming second is bernie sanders, who we just heard from. behind him is senator harris of california. let's go to the funds and see who our callers think should be the pick for democrats. let's go to lou from illinois. good morning. caller: good morning. i love your question. i think any democrat with a brain can take us forward and problem solve all the issues facing america, including economics and social justice is the person i am going to vote for. i would vote for bernie.

i would vote for elizabeth. choice?you canur only choose one. only choose could one, i would probably go with bernie because bernie has the brains. he has figured out what is going on and how to solve it. that is who i would vote for. host: if you have a second choice if for some reason senator sanders decided not to run? caller: then i would go with joe. host: former vice president joe biden. caller: absolutely. democrats don't come up with specific lies. donald trump says he is going to do this or that. he does nothing. our economy is doing well because obama figured out how to get us out of this depression. this is what we need. we need brainpower.

we don't need might. host: if you have to design your dream ticket, would be present and vice president? beler: my dream ticket would bernie on the top and then probably kamala harris second. she will attract ethnic people. she will attract young people who can identify with her. we have so many democrats who are running who would qualify. it is very difficult to choose only one. host: let's go to catherine calling from ohio. good morning. caller: good morning. thank you for asking. what a great way to start the program. gabbard fortulsi president and bernie sanders for vice presidential candidate. given whatu think

happened in the last election that america is ready for its first female president? caller: sure. on foreign policy, that is the lodestone of the candidates. medicare for all would be the second. war,we have a vote on the the republicans and the democrats jump into bed. we effectively don't have a two-party system. we are not solving real problems. that is such a foolish way. this country could work so well if we stop all these imperial wars and anointed candidates. the people in the past were so over it. us who you are

democratic pick for president and vice president would be. president tulsi gabbard and vice president bernie sanders. caller: we need someone not too old. he is kind of two old now. ago -- therefore, i think bernie sanders and jill biden should sit out. people and women . i am 58 years old.

host: who would you pick? saying, hat i'm her or the guy from texas, senator. host: beto o'rourke? caller: yes. that's what we need. somebody new. host: speaking of senator harris, here is senator harris and manchester, new hampshire, earlier this week. [video clip] believe very strongly that right now in our country there wary lot of people who are of our government and its institutions. we are going to have to do it that going forward. in our we all know

personal and professional lives that the very nature of the relationship of trust is reciprocal in nature. you give and receive trust. one of the most important ingredients to trust his truth. there is a funny thing about truth. as a remote leaders we know this to be true. can often make people quite uncomfortable. when you stand behind microphones like this, there is an incentive that when we speak, the kraus will applaud, and we will -- crowds will applaud, and we will sprinkle lovely dust all over the room. the other thing about truth is people will walk away from that knowing it was an honest conversation.

as we proceed in this campaign year, i believe it is critically important that as leaders we speak truth, with the purpose of not offending or making people uncomfortable with the purpose of dealing with issues and inspiring trust. host: we are hearing from our viewers on social media this morning, where all of you are watching. jody says, it is foolish to choose a favorite. they all have almost two years to eliminate themselves. around october. mickey come it is too early to say. . would support bloomberg my second choice would be senator klobuchar. mark tweets, no one yet.

they are all too far left. maybe joe manchin will run. darrell, good morning. caller: good morning. thank you for taking my call. i have the perfect combination pick. i would go with joe biden for his experience and someone who served with barack obama. woulde presidential pick be bob casey of pennsylvania, someone that is well-respected thatth sides of the aisle could bring people together. that is what we need. we need unity and to come together as a country. host: politically speaking, both choices are democrats from the northeast. do you think you need some geographical diversity in a presidential pick? side,: on the democratic i think the party will support

that ticket. remember, barack was from the midwest but spent time in the northeast as a. -- as well. he said the only way he could win is if he picked somebody biden, respected on both sides of the aisle and among the military. host: joe biden has run for president before. he has run for the democratic nominee several times. about havinghink someone who has tried for that nomination before but did not get it? is it better to have a fresh face? think it is best to go with the voice of experience. jill biden is well-respected on the west coast. i predicted that take years ago. there were a couple of people in delaware, and i told some people

in california working in the political field, i predicted that pic. -- pick. i said watch, barack obama is going to choose joe biden as his running mate. i said, watch. they said, you called it. barack would lose without someone like joe biden, someone who can get him more experienced voters, and the military vote counts as well. that is somebody you need. from let's go to kareem buffalo, new york. good morning. 2020 wouldpick for be universal basic income.

radaingly off the c-span r which i am surprised by. host: who would be on the ticket with him? caller: somebody with maybe some international bona fides. i cannot say that might be. some people are also interesting to me is bernie sanders. viewers who might not know who mr. yang is, who is he? caller: i believe he calls himself a serial entrepreneur. instagram and facebook. companiesy from tech to pay for that, $1000 each .erson over 18

i think it is a monthly $1000-to -- $1000for everything stipend to help pay for everything. universal basic income might bridge the gap. milton callingto from pennsylvania. caller: good morning. thank you for taking my call. i think the strongest ticket that could defeat donald trump would be vice president biden and beto o'rourke. you have experience and youth. my candidate i would really like to run for president would be former first lady michelle obama. she would really excite the country. i would like for her to run. i don't think that is fun to happen. thank you for taking my call. host: let's go to robert from

maryland. good morning. caller: good morning, big man. good morning to america. i am old school. what i cannot believe it is, i guess i agree with arnold schwarzenegger. -- modern democratic party these modern democrats just don't have it anymore. might can deal with -- [inaudible] --s new congressman

[inaudible] deal with him on his level. person to run for president against altra. -- donald trump. >> the new congresswoman. she talks. she knows how to bully him. she has the old school fight in her. i hate to see. is mosto see it americans sit back and watch it happen. everything donald trump does to get power in this capitalist government. to get control of the socialist

government in germany. host: let's go to john calling from california. caller: i hope everything is ok there. i would like to suggest bernie gabbard fromulsi hawaii. i think they would have something to say that most americans want to hear. they want to hear something completely different from what is coming out of the republican and democratic parties right now. agenda and bernie's fit together. host: do you have any concerns that senator sanders ran and did not get the nomination last time? would that be a disadvantage this time?

caller: no. i worked for bernie sanders campaign last time. i think tulsi gabbard would give him strength. i don't think it means anything right now. i think most people want something in washington besides the democrats in washington. different points of view. i think bernie sanders and tulsi gabbard offer that. host: we have heard a lot lately that a lot of the democrats have adopted things that senator , that makeked about his campaign was unique. what is good to make senator sanders stand out from the crowd if everyone is agreeing to the same things that? caller: tulsi gabbard would give him the kind of edge he needs

and his agenda for something fresh and new. especially if you're talking about wars and things like that. the only person i know who has come out against the wars. i am all for using our money for something more productive. host: if sanders was not running for president, which she be your nominee? oaller: i think she is to young to run for president. i am not sure about that. i have to stick with sanders because -- host: let's go to rhonda calling from new jersey. good morning. america,ood morning, my beautiful country that i love. michael bloomberg to run. he is a good mayor that is

conservative. that will attract republicans and democrats. we can bring some stability back to our country and get back on track to be the capitalist country we are. i don't like sanders. he is a socialist. i don't like elizabeth warren. she is a socialist. we don't want a socialist country. we have so many people in our black community that our government dependent, and i cannot stand it another day. i cannot stand it. i worked my but off since i was 20 years old. because iat 62, only adopted my granddaughter and you did that time with her. michaelbelieve that bloomberg will put us back on the right track. i would love to see a michael

bloomberg and kamala harris ticket. i don't think the country is ready for elizabeth warren. i believe this job is for a man. nobody can convince me of anything different. god bless you, america. i love you. host: let's go to louisiana. good morning. joeer: i would like to see and or work -- beto o'rourke. need some young people that stuff.ave no ideas and -- new ideas and stuff. , i think all the old guys in congress just step

down. host: your choice for the democratic nominee would be beto o'rourke and vice president would be joe kennedy? caller: you have may correct. i think they would be a good fresh face with new ideas. nobody is going to try to talk about making the rich pay for college and stuff. nobody is never going to make the rich people pay their share. it. know how to get around host: any concern that beto o'rourke wasn't able to win his statewide race in texas? caller: no, because that was just texas. i think he has the tenacity to

go on to be president. he is young. he will not be listening to these other trying to go against trump so hard. do like he did in texas. another of the democratic candidates who are seeking the minnesotaation is senator amy klobuchar. she was at a cnn town hall earlier this week. [video clip] >> progressive leanings, who believes in the american message of hope and opportunity for all. i am looking for a democratic candidate who can make donald trump a one term president and two does not sacrifice moderation to the leftist ideology. i want to hear achievable goals that benefit the middle class

now and are not patriots. are you my candidate? >> yes, i am. [applause] thank you, sheila. my mom taught second-grade until she was 70 years old. yours is a true calling. i come from a north country state similar to new hampshire. someone that has always believed we have to govern from opportunity and not from chaos that we are seeing now in the white house. i have done that my whole life. hard to standvery my ground on important issues, whether it be things like doing something about climate change or to ensure that we are progressive and how we handle our economy. i'm am also someone who looks for common ground. from oure comments

c-span social media followers. brown,sanders, sherrod kamala harris, elizabeth warren. my dream ticket would be bernie and any of the above. pragmatic, need candidates, not an aspirational one, authentic authority figure, government or ask military, not a socialist. politics require a hopeful hero to take gop on. joe says, will support any democrat against the current white house occupant. let's go to henry, calling from new york. good morning. good morning. thank you for taking my call.

senator harris, and i am not picking vice president. i'm not talking about the vice presidential candidate. the best presidential candidate would be mayor bloomberg. -- ink senator harris is [inaudible] i think those folks will do it for me. i'm just talking about who will do it for me. , trump was asked rhetoric and what happened with that coast guard. he is not changing a thing. programming initiative. i agree with that man who called

earlier. my friends in europe understand what is happening here. i think the president has a responsibility to expose more of this so we can have our election in a few years. gloria,t's go to calling from washington. caller: yes. just how it is spelled. host: who would be your pick for the democrats? caller: considering it is so early, i would pick kamala harris because i think she is very bright and speaks the truth, and she is not a billionaire. i'm a true trump hader. -- hater. bernie and joe biden, as old as they are, i would pick one of them.

i am 75. i think they are too old to be present. i think kamala harris is a wonderful truthful woman. she would be my pick for president. for vice president, i am not sure. paul harris would be my pick -- kamala harris would be my pick. host: what attracts you to senator harris? honest i think she is and forthright. she is up next race. xed race. i am a white woman, but i think hadmixed race people have a horrible time in this country. i am tired of these old white men. thank you. host: let's go to alan from new jersey. good morning. caller: good morning. i would like to say bernie sanders is not a democrat.

i would like to also say he would not concede to hillary after california, three months embarrassing democrats and hillary. i want joe biden and kamala harris. all bernie sanders wants to do is ruin this party. .e refuses to become a democrat if he won't even do that, then just go back to his independent green party and run from there. he knows he has no leg to stand on. i'm waiting for vice president biden and kamala harris. i think they would be wonderful together. host: speaking of senator

sanders, cnn wrote a story last week that addresses this very issue. sanders senator bernie plans to sign a plan affirming he will run as a democrat in 2020 and serve as one if elected. meet insaid it plans to the coming weeks with the presidential primary campaign and require to affirm in writing that they are a member of the democratic party, will accept the democratic nomination, and will run and serve as a member of the democratic party. sanders, and independent of vermont, caucuses with the democrats in the senate. his refusal to more formally embrace the party has been a sore spot with some democrats.

let's go to carol, calling from texas. good morning. caller: good morning. thank you, c-span. see them run the woman as the leader of the ticket, kamala harris were amy klobuchar. them hasither one of the experience. they would both do a good job. my choice for vice president would be somebody like beto o'rourke. i don't think he is ready yet to be president. he has to win some more elections, do a little more to be qualified. he is still young. i think senator klobuchar or kamala harris. this is what i want to say to all of the bernie supporters and anybody else that is listening,

whoever we pick, we have to unite behind that candidate. we have to unite. we cannot stand four more years of the human horror show that we have in the white house. i just wish everybody would commit right now to say we are going to unite. it doesn't matter if we end up , -- bernie or come all kamala harris, we are going to unite behind them to defeat this thing in the white house. thank you for taking my call. from a lotve heard of our callers this morning about vice president joe biden, their pick for democratic nominee. he has not jumped into the ratio. he was at an event earlier this week in pennsylvania. [video clip] >> what people are looking for

is some sense that they are going to be able to take care of their family. scranton, andfrom if you listen to barack, i climbed out of a coal mine with a lunch pail in my hand. my dad said, a job is about a lot more than a paycheck. it is about dignity, self-respect, your place in the community, your sense of who you are, being able to look your kid in the eye and say it is going to be ok and mina. -- mean it. peoplethe american qualify as middle-class now. they are worried. host: let's go to raymond. good morning. caller: thank you for taking my call.

country,ople of this are very scared. they are scared because the republicans don't have the whereabouts to understand truth. they know the truth, but they are scared to speak out on it. get someone in the presidency like senator harris and beto o'rourke to run. harris for president and beto o'rourke for vice president. that will take us to where we need to be in this country. presidents know this is a liar, and they stand by liars. who needs people like that in this country? that is my view on things. host: we have had this conversation for decades.

do you think america is ready for a female president? caller: we are ready for that. yes, we are ready. we are ready for truth. we are ready for honesty. people in this country have mothers. a mother is not going to lie to you. hasybody in this u.s. mothers. they will care for you. they will get you up in the morning. they will make sure you're in school, make sure you are in church. that is when a woman does in this country. -- what a woman does in this country. that is what we need. host: let's go to the seal calling from missouri. caller: good morning. thank you for c-span. i think the democrats ought to stop and really think.

the most qualified person i can think of to be donald trump is leon panetta. if you are listening, please consider running. i think the ticket with him and mike bloomberg would be the way to stop all over trump. that is my opinion. i hope leon panetta is listening and might consider running. have a nice day. host: let's go to terry, from kansas city, missouri. caller: good morning. first of all, the caller from louisiana stole my thunder. i want joe kennedy and beto o'rourke. i would like joe kennedy to be the presidential candidate. he is going to be on cnn at 7:00 jonesn time, on the van show tonight. iii,kennedy th

integrity, not too extreme progressive, he is going to do kidshing about the daca and reform -- cannot think of the word. i think joe kennedy the -- kennedy iii would shine. last southern democrat to win the presidency was bill clinton from arkansas. caller: joe kennedy iii is from massachusetts. host: you are talking about senator kennedy from louisiana.

that was my mistake. caller: i think he is the one. solt: let's go to mari calling from connecticut. good morning. caller: good morning. this is my thought process. i have three things i am worried about when it comes to the election. foreign affairs expertise, fixing relations at home, and instituting the respect for law. so for the candidates we have, the only one who has the proven foreign expertise is joe biden. i know he is a little up there in age. that is ok. we should not discriminate against people because of their age. onese not heard the young speak a lot about foreign

policy. then we should choose a vice president who can help train them in the ways that needs to be taken care of just in case that person needs to take over. i don't have a problem with kamala harris, amy klobuchar, and there might be other people. that is my major concern. those are my two cents. another u.s. senator who has thrown her name into the ring is senator elizabeth warren. she spoke to the new hampshire democratic party last night. here is a little bit from her speech on the need for affordable childcare. [video clip] >> without childcare, millions and millions of american families simply won't make it. if every mom in the country had

fi, we would be cool. think about that. i stand here today as someone who eventually wrote 11 books, and tooke at harvard, the stage at the united states senate. [applause] yet childcare, childcare nearly knocked me out. childcare or the lack of childcare nearly sent me packing twice. could i have gotten back in the game later? after my children were old , maybe.o go to school

today, parents are getting crushed. one year of childcare cares more tuition of one year at the state public institutions. try working in budget around them. try raising two kids were three. or three. it doesn't work. we are failing parents and our kids. host: this is a good time to remind you you can watch all of our road to the white house 2020 coverage on c-span.org. you will find videos from democrats and republicans talking about the road to the white house.

who would be your pick for the democratic presidential challenger in 2020? wenonahi would pick legend. host: tell us who she is. caller: she is an american indian. she ran with ralph nader. he was presidential candidate. she was vice presidential candidate. i heard her speak in colorado at the green party convention. would be a good candidate. she has a respect for the land. host: is she a democrat or a member of the green party? caller: i think she would run on the democratic party.

appealou think she would to a wide majority of the democratic party? time hearingnk one her speak, she would appeal to people of all parties. i think that is what we need, someone who understands problems of the land and the people. i think that will work would be o'rourke would be a great vice president. thank you for taking my call. host: good morning. caller: good morning. thank you for taking my call. thank you for taking someone from the south. everyone i am looking at this from the northeast and california. we sent jimmy carter to the white house.

et choices are not -- we can g biden. i wish that bernie sanders would declare himself a democrat. he did himself and injustice the last time. you have to believe in something before people can vote for you. democrats have to rise up. need big mouth women, especially black women to get y for ae and rall democratic president. people don't watch the health care. they are going to die. host: who would be your pick for the democratic challenger? caller: i would rally with joe

biden or elizabeth warren. she is speaking for all of these mothers. would you put senator warren on top of that ticket? caller: she would be vice president. i would put joe biden. handle --dle, he can host: are you still there? caller: i cannot hear you. host: go ahead. caller: ok. joe biden, he can handle are now president. he has the come back. he is on the issue. elizabeth warren is real. northlet's go to jay from

carolina. caller: good morning. i appreciate the opportunity. like the lady said before, i would vote for joe biden because i heard hillary clinton and him had gotten together and discussed about running in 2020. when i think about it, i hesitate. of theoughout this term president that is in office today, everyone is talking about know thedent you american people have a voice. we have to stand united. that if the american

people would stand united, i up the we need to lift president that we have right now because i believe there is no thatn the democratic party can run for office and really be him because they have not proven nothing. they are against everything the president stands for. i believe we need to stand united behind the one that is in office. as for now, everyone is against the one who is in office. a have not passed one bill. host: did you vote for president trump in the last election? caller: i don't vote. for one reason, i want someone

in there who is going to do what they say they are going to do. i am a veteran myself. climate veteran myself. -- i am a veteran myself. i have gone to the v.a. when this president in office now was in, i was standing before my african-american friends in the military, and they would tell me they were going to vote for hillary when she was running. host: the caller brought up something that came up last month, former secretary of state hillary clinton's meeting with joe biden and senator amy klobuchar. hillary clinton held meetings in early february with former vice president joe biden and senator amy klobuchar to talk about the 2020 presidential election.

the meetings happened at clinton's home in washington, and, and focused on biden's klobuchar'ss -- possible 2020 bid. biden is said to still be considering a bid. spokespeople for biden and klobuchar both confirmed the meetings occurred. clinton maintains a devoted group of supporters around the country. from missouri. host: -- caller: thank you for taking my call. as far as bernie sanders

running, an independent, i know he said he would change to democrat. if the issue of sure he can beat trump, why doesn't he run as a candidate in the gop to beat him in the dimeric? -- primary? why doesn't he start there? the man from north carolina was not a democrat. he is not allowed to speak. he is lucky to have someone like you. host: who is your pick for the 2020 candidate? caller: my pick is whoever everyone goes for. i like harris. i like clover chart -- klob uchar. i like kennedy running as vice president maybe. i wish biden was 15 years younger.

he is getting up there. anyone to get trump out. i will vote for anyone. mickey mouse. it is a shame what this country has become. i feel like i am in the twilight zone. i want america back. host: let's go to lisa calling from kentucky. good morning. caller: good morning. thank you for c-span. i have three major issues. i vote on keeping nato, also strong union jobs, and i also want to protect social security and medicare. my picks are joe biden and sherrod brown. i think we need to win the rust belt back. . think it is important

keep budapest. host: tell our viewers who that is. caller: that is the mayor from indiana, a gay gentlemen who was in the military. host: what is the mayor of? caller: i cannot remember. indiana. i cannot remember. host: let's go to robert from south carolina. good morning. caller: good morning. thank you to c-span. my pick would be bernie sanders. bernie sanders would put the power of the government back into the people. -- letu look at people the people paid by capitalists socialism capitalism,

only for the rich in america. he wants to flip that. bernie sanders wants to put the power of government in the hands of the people. i don't know why people in america have a hard time listening to what the man is saying. clinton,bout hillary that is crazy. if you remember, if you look at the polls of bernie, hillary, and donald trump, bernie sanders andbeating both hillary donald trump. that is what the polls said. nobody thatn't know for the people. when you listen to senator harris, she talks about capitalism. even senator klobuchar, no free

college or tuition for students. come on. 10, $3, september trillion went missing from the pentagon's budget. me that moneyll disappeared, but we cannot have health care or a good educational system? waste money or do we are slaves -- on numerous things. caller earlier mentioned the south bend mayor. we wanted to make sure that our viewers knew who she was talking about. he is the mayor of south bend, indiana. let's go to jim.

good morning. caller: good morning. my pick right now would unfortunately be none of the above. i think everybody is way too far left to actually do the country good at this point. i would like to see a much more moderate central politician get into the race. then maybe we would have a chance. i think donald trump is doing a great job and would probably beat any of the above. host: who is on your dream list?? if you have to pick anybody, who would you pick? caller: i just of see anybody out there right now. i see too many people too far to the left. this show highlights where the democratic party is taking us.

way too far. you can see all the nut cases in the woods. they are crazy. host: let's go to bobby from mississippi. good morning. [inaudible] beto o'rourke. i think that would be outstanding. hillary already ran. [inaudible] i think that would be a winning ticket. host: let's go to mark calling from chicago. caller: good morning. how are you? host: just fun. go ahead. caller: i would want ambassador caroline kennedy and senator warren.

i think that would do a very great job for the united states. host: ambassador caroline kennedy, a member of the kennedy family? caller: a good dark horse that has impeccable reputation and well-rounded. host: and senator warren as you're vice president shall pick? caller: i like kamala harris, but i think warren would be a better vice president. host: who would like to thank all of our callers. coming up, we will discuss the supreme court's decision this week. spotlightour weekly on magazine segment, kalena thomhave to talk about her recent piece on the future of roe v. wade. this week on newsmakers, we talked to air force secretary.

one of the topics was the presidents directive to create a space force. [video clip] >> what do you think the first several steps are, and when do you think we might seek legislation moving to capitol hill? aboutre is a question these things. it will be within the next couple of weeks sometime. the draft legislation is underway. >>, steve think it will cost now? has given ust guidance to find that out earlier this week to propose to establish a space force with a chief of staff. we would have been

undersecretary specifically for this. i have one secretary for this. this would expand that. to focus on that has really made it kitchen table conversation for the country to recognize the threat in space. >> the united states is the best in the world and our adversaries know it. we are not going to let that happen.

engage -- to make sure we remain dominant in space. there will be discussions over the next several months. >> washington journal continues. we are back with sam gedge , attorney and cocounsel over the case that was just argued. what theviewers institute for justice is. lawt: it is a nonprofit firm with headquarters right across the river. our main mission is to protect individuals from overreach from the government. economic liberty and school choice. overwhelmingly, we deal with charitable donations.

tell our viewers what led this case to the supreme court. of years he number was addicted to drugs. he got a $40,000 life insurance policy. that, a confidential informant set him up for a couple grams of heroin. he was poor, addicted and desperate. -- the state of indiana retained a private law firm. it came all the way up to the u.s. supreme court. host: what did the supreme court ?ay in its animus ruling

unanimous ruling? -- it is in the eighth amendment of the u.s. constitution. the u.s. supreme court was unanimous in the judgment. there was also a conversation about the 14th amendment, as well. tell us about what the court said about the relationship with the 14th amendment. guest: when it comes to states and be disabilities, the bill of rights -- bill of rights protects us. years, thest 60 basic bill of rights attention that we are all familiar with,

it protects us against. the court decided the excessive fines clause is protected. how does this relate to the everyday person. how does this affect normal everyday americans? it protects us against -- to take ourst property, our cars and our homes.

it is a key check on some of the worst abuses. host: the federal government has often able to do this. guest: both at the federal government, state and local level. the reason for that is the same -- theynd prosecutors benefit financially from doing so. aboutare we talking funding salaries, funding operations? guest: it depends on the jurisdictions. operations, buildings, anything you can think of. want to make sure you

can join in on this conversation. if you have a question you want , we are going to open up our regular lines. republican, call in at (202) 748-8001, if you are a democrat, call in at (202) 748-8000, if you are an independent, call in at (202) 748-8002. you can follow us on social media or facebook. this case comes up to the supreme court. how many justices agree with the argument? of nine.ne out surprisingly, all nine justices thought it was just like the first amendment. fundamental to our

beal tradition -- it should incorporated against state and local police. they all agreed. what was the difference between majority and the two justices? host: is there a legal

difference in the way they get to that? guest: in this case, no. they are protected. the clause protects everyone in the united states. it is pretty straightforward. what happens now? do we hear more arguments? is a big victory but it is a first step. now that the u.s. supreme court has told the indiana supreme court the law applies to it --

calling from kansas on the republican line. caller: good morning. would there be a better process of civil asset forfeiture? your local governments would have oversight to control where that money goes, that would be my question. guest: civil forfeiture differences -- has many differences part. about whatalking

civil forfeiture might be, a system or if the government wants to punish you by taking , they can docar that after imposed by a criminal conviction. question from a social media follower. century ande 17th usingentury, they were bootleggers and pirate ships. forfeiture later exploded with the rise of the war on drugs.

this has become a modern phenomenon. it made it law enforcement's dirty little secret. the supreme court has not given us much on that. in the 1990's, the court announced a fine orin forfeiture is excessive under the eighth amendment. something isike out of whack with the amount of property being seized in relation to the underlying crime. not everyone agrees with you. here is what they wrote.

amendrgue that the 14th it does not incorporate the first eight amendments. it also argues that the forfeiture in this case was excessive. integral to his heroin operation. transporting heroin is a serious offense. guest: we don't agree with their argument. it is not surprising that state and local government were the only ones supporting it in indiana. host: explained to our audience

what that is. guest: corporations or even individual people. host: most of what was filed against your client was from municipalities of state? joanna is calling on the democratic line from damascus, maryland. caller: good morning. recently on a network i saw a woman who owns a lot of property at the border. in november, somewhere around thanksgiving, the feds so they want to take the land to build

part of trump's wall, up to five yards from her back door. in that same house on that property, she had lived for more than 40 years. said nobody has ever tried to cross the border illegally yet they want to take her property. know what you guys are doing to help the farmers and the ranchers at the border who are having their property taken and part of their livelihoods taken away by the federal government with this white elephant wall. we are not directly involved in that eminent domain action. the government is property,ple's

whether it is civil property, whether it is civil forfeiture or eminent domain, the government has the power to to combs. we should make sure when that power is used it is used in the spirit of the law. host: that is part of their budget. that a valid argument? guest: no it is not. when it comes to economic sanctions or civil forfeitures, -- thing that makes prosecutors are pursuing a civil forfeiture with an eye on bowstring their budget. law-enforcement goes on record all the time talking about budgetary considerations.

noted it wasort not toward an eye for justice. to the extent that law-enforcement is to be funded -- it should be through legislative appropriation. do we see any type of legislation that would help in this area in any way? guest: absolutely. they have taken major steps new mexicorming -- effectively abolished civil forfeiture. if the cops want to take your property they can do that but they have to convict you of a crime first.

thereguest: this week's decision won't fix civil forfeiture for all time. now that we know that it , they invoke it

only in rare and extreme circumstances. if they want a lawyer, they have to pay for it out of their own pocket. civil forfeiture proceedings are civil. in some cases they are not entitled to a free lawyer if they can't afford one. host: next call is from john in new jersey on the democratic line. morning.ood i am a retired assistant former prosecutor. i think civil forfeiture is fine. speaking, when there there is a system

set up where it goes in front of the small claims court and it is hadd and the person who property taken from them can come to the court and in small claims court it is usually civil litigation. the judge makes a decision about whether what was taken was too much. a man who isaking, dealing out of his car or house, i think it is ok to take that property from him. when there are cases that aren't right, the judge will throw them out. over, he hadhe guy a gun. $475 had nothing to do with the gun. i don't think the system is as bad as it sounds.

wonder if excessive fines carry over to real property. it depends on the case. as you described, there are times where real property is needed for civil forfeiture. other times, it is parents who have a small house and one of their kids was selling drugs outside of the house. the police that might seize the prints home. that is not hypothetical. that precise thing happened in pennsylvania. concerns about civil forfeiture go beyond hypothetical examples. too often police and prosecutors

take property. they are feeling pressure to take more property to build. you still have institutional problems with these kind of laws. democratic line from falls church, for genia, alex, good morning. caller: someone should have brought this to someone's attention or try to change these laws. why did it take it so long to make it to the supreme court? as to why sometimes politicians don't act quickly,

law enforcement is a powerful constituency. individual property owners will get scared during forfeiture sessions. one of the challenges that -- takingface affirmative steps to try to curtail some of the worst of it. wheels of justice turn slowly. orhas been going on for four five years and is not over yet. host: where is tyson's landover right now? we read that it is in a government owned garage. let's go to larry on independent line from new york. caller: good morning.

i love the show. have an observation. you all the time in the newspaper about various attorney generals and corporations with huge fines assessed. i am curious. are there settlements, are they considered in the same realm of an excessive find? it is the people at the corporation that violate the law. is this some sort of money grab or the government gets money and just walk aways

free? what i think you are describing is within the realm of excessive fines -- and those kind of scenarios where the defendant, whether a corporation or individual is in a settlement agreement with the government. ed on thes go to republican line from georgia. caller: good morning. about the use of civil forfeiture in the context of immigration. is there any reason it couldn't toused against an employer take an employer's business for hiring someone who is not supposed to be working in this

country and what would be the impact on the immigration scenario? thank you very much. of courseoretically, congress has a law that running a business who hire someone not here lately, -- i think forfeiture brought under federal law would bring a lot of concern. someone's small business being taken in its entirety because they have one person on the payroll that is an illegal immigrant. i think there is some disproportionality there that would raise concerns. democratic line from staten island, new york. good morning. caller: good morning. i have a question. does it apply to landlords and tenants in civil proceedings in

courts? in terms of not being able to pay the rent? the excessive find clause does not cover every economic injustice people might encounter. it applies to economic sanctions or forfeitures that are imposed by the government and imposed in an effort to punish someone for doing something wrong. private parties involved in nonpayment and right, i don't think that would apply. we will go back to indiana and go on from there. the institute for justice as a number of court cases when it comes to civil forfeiture. summer, a federal

court in albuquerque, new mexico said when it came to civil forfeiture in albuquerque there was such a strong pull that it the new law. wehave one in philadelphia are wrapping up in the next few months. this week's decision is an important one. michael on theto republican line in chicago. good morning. caller: good morning. i filed a case in supreme court that involved living in indiana and for two years they refused to credit any of my property tax, even though

the treasure had the money in the account in three days. up over two and half went towards 12 years of property tax payments. they were all actively involved. guest: congratulations on your success with that. when it comes to economic -- traffic tickets -- ra form of economic sanctions. -- are a form of

economic sanctions form of economic sanctions part. caller: your program is excellent. please address why this is so important. today, what does it mean to the average american if the government can actually we do not have resources, and you are one small individual, whether it is state, global or federal, they take your property and you have no way to defend yourself. mean to theis average jane or joe out here? we need to know more about state and local government.

the state and local government has great power and sometimes we don't even realize it. guest: i think you're right. they don't encompass the universal rights we have as individuals. your point about the danger of state governments -- that is a concern we see throughout the justice system. we see it with forfeiture and eminent domain. they're willing to hold governments to burden of proof. would like to thank sam gedge from the institute of justice for being here. coverage of the national governors association 9:00 a.m.. --

we will be right back. ♪ this weekend, c-span has live coverage of the national governors association beginning am.y at 9:15 at 10:15, cnn hosts van jones on criminal justice reform and strategy. 11:00, the j.p. on sunday, live coverage continues at 9:00 eastern. 11:45, there is a discussion about education policy. watch the winter meeting life this weekend on c-span,

c-span.org or listen with the free c-span radio at. >> often in the memoirs they own up to that. >> an english professor at the united states military academy at west point on her addition of her memoirs. the experience of the man who set alongside those notes. was desperately clean to all determinationand to give every last ounce of strength to this book.

including bankruptcy. night at 8:00 eastern on c-span q&a. >> the only thing we have to fear is fear itself. ask not what your country can do for you, asked what you can do for your country. frank theistorians country's best and worst chief executives. notedare interviews with presidential historians.

and the legacy they left behind. shelfesident will be on april 23. in can preorder your copy hardcover or e-book today at c-span.org. journal continues. host: we are back with our weekly spotlight. reproductive written -- reproductive rights at risk with or without roe. guest: i think when justice we had a lot of fear around roe v. wade. think that fear was well-placed.

think the reason i wanted to roee an article about where because -- for many people, access to abortion has never been a reality. it affects low income people, people of color. if roe v. wade were overturned, nothing would change in some areas. without roe, what would the future of abortion look like customer with roe, what with the future of abortion look like? host: as you see it, does the future of abortion rights lay

with the supreme court or states? guest: with states. we are not sure what is going to happen. it is more important to focus on to states have the ability make incredible he difficult for a woman to access an abortion. i think a lot of legislators would outlaw abortion. because they can't, they can put as many burdens as possible toward abortion providers. make it more difficult and that is what we should look at. downe supreme court hands decisions to make it easier to find abortion access, there could be a national outcry. according to the center

-- reproductive rights, abortion would automatically become illegal in four states. -- only nine states are protected the right to an abortion in the constitution. what four states are we talking about? i can't give you the specifics. they are anti-toy states. alabama had a lot on the books -- had a law on the books and

could overturn roe. host: what is the likelihood of the supreme court overturning roe? i am not a lawyer but i do think it is much more likely that the supreme court could pass down decisions that could uphold state decisions to make it easy to restrict access to abortions without having to overturn roe. have laws on the books and have people forced to carry pregnancies. we are going to open up special clients is 20. wade, wepport roe v.

want to hear from you at (202) 748-8000. wade, wepose roe v. want to hear from you at (202) 748-8001. support (202) 748-8000 (202) 748-8000,, oppose (202) 748-8001 and if you don't fit into either category, call in at (202) 748-8002. guest: those are laws that are meant to make it more difficult for an abortion provider. they are under the guise of trying to protect women's health. they can make it difficult for an abortion provider to provide services. for example, a state can require

be like an clinic surgical ward. they can require certain length of hallways. an abortion clinic would be forced to close. when most people think -- -- how is it changing this idea of what an abortion is? guest: we had something in the u.s. -- a person seeking an abortion can take a pill or two pills and safely induce an abortion. it would be like inducing a miscarriage. do that without surgery.

advent an important considering there are so many areas across the country the don't have access to an abortion clinic. they can take an abortion pill. states, people are able to take the abortion pill and their doctors provided. host: are we seeing more people move toward

host: good morning. good morning, america. first, i would like to start off by saying

there is a divide. women who just don't want to have that type of lifestyle. abortion is a false argument because republicans want to protect the egg. they want to protect but it becomes a fetus. once it is born, they don't want have to do -- they don't want anything to do with it. food, clothing. guest: thank you for your

comment. outthing i want to pull that is particularly important is proportions provided in clinics and hospitals. abortions in the u.s. are provided in hospitals. the reason for that and i think we need to change it is because abortion is so stigmatized. you are saying they could be included in hospitals. that is moving away from stigmatization. a color from illinois who opposes roi versus weight -- roe v. wade.

caller: i can't tell you how strongly i oppose roe v. wade. women who wanted to undo their pregnancies. i learned so much. they were offered help. 99% of them change their minds. pro-choice, and she does not want to have a , disciplining yourself and avoiding conception, why is that

never discussed? infant?han destroy the guest: thank you for your comment. we do have many faith mandated counseling and most of the time they do not change their minds. women are thinking about these decisions for days and weeks before they decide to get an abortion. host: linda is calling from texas. caller: i have some mixed feelings. one thing i am certain of is i am sick of this issue ruining every election by single issue voters. they just come out to vote on the issue of abortion.

i don't have a horse in this race. peoplehand, i feel like in this day and age not get with all the ways to avoid pregnancy. if they do get pregnant, they should have the kid and adopted out. hand, i don't want anybody telling me what to do with my body. i am so tired of it taking up every election. i think that: makes a lot of sense. abortion is often seen as a single issue hot button topic. as part ofn be seen the reproductive health spectrum. -- if weommon ground

did want to make -- i want to be careful with how i say this -- if we did want to make abortions rare there are policies we can turn to to make sure women don't have to make this choice. policies are better sex education in schools, better access to contraception's because many people don't have access to contraception. there are also things related to economic stability. abortion.ant policies that might not seem careed -- universal health , these kind of things put more money in people's pockets and bring them the life they want.

speaking of abortions and politics, i want to get your reaction to what the trump administration said. issuing a rule barring groups participating in the federal family planning program. federally funded family planning no longer can refer patients for -- servicesess funded by the government and any organizations that provide abortions. it serves an estimated 4 million income -- 4 million low income people.

it was celebrated by social conservatives. what did it do? that federalk -- we don'tbortions federally fund abortions. federal funding cannot go to abortions. it is an attack on planned parenthoodparenthood because pld parenthood is seen as the face of abortions even though the majority of those services are women's health services. planned parenthood has put themselves out there. --acking planned parenthood is good for the election.

from here is a call indiana who supports roe v. wade. caller: good morning. do you want to go back to women using coat hangers? when a man carries a child we will let them have a vote on it. i get disgusted. they have taken it away in the state of indiana. big business is number one. this is just ridiculous. why can women not make their own choices? what you said about

self-induced abortions, that is before roe v. wade. people were dying at a very high rate from inducing their own abortions. that is terrifying. overturning roe won't make abortion go away. i will say that when we are talking about abortions now, things are very different because now people can induce their own abortions within abortion pill and is very safe. graphic --ave a explain what it is. area more than 100 miles away.

difficult.ery you can travel and pay for the and have mandated health counseling. that is very difficult. getting to a clinic. they could have waiting periods. you are talking about someone wages andays and lost having to pay for hotels and meals and it is really hard,

economically. there are places where you have the furthest traveling to get to an abortion provider. midwest areouth and definitely the most difficult places. forget that the midwest is a difficult place to have an abortion. this color opposes roe v. wade. caller: i most definitely do. it is murder no matter what way you look at it. they are going to answer to god. i know a woman has the right to her own body but she should think about. it makes me sick to my stomach. video, looking at

this little baby. the legs are moving. the eyes were moving around. i thought all my god i can't believe this. woman worked in an abortion clinic and she watches to see what happens with these babies. nine months and you can kill that baby. i would like to respond to your last point about the new law in new york. there is a lot of misinformation going around.

there was a lot ofif abortions d would be in immense pain. , it is a lotwomen easier to spare the pain. easier to spare the pain. for other women, who elect to have later abortions, a lot of the time is because of the burden. it makes it difficult to access abortion early in the pregnancy. i think the main point is that nobody says i don't want to have this baby anymore after eight and have months. birmingham, alabama, this

color supports roe v. wade. caller: good morning. down syndrome or stuff like that. choice and iake a support the medical part of the abortion clinics that give these -- i support that. you go out and have sex and toceive a child, and just go an abortion clinic and get rid of it, that i don't support. be responsible for your own sexual activity.

even though it takes two to tango, you are the woman, you are the one that carries the baby. protect yourself against pregnancy. there are a lot of policies that make it very for theirto plan reproductive health and reproductive lives. for some people, it is difficult to access contraception. besidese other policies women and abortion access that make it really difficult for people to control their own lives and control their own reproductive health in the u.s.. i think that is what you pointing to. one more color. -- one more collar. kentucky, opposes roe v. wade. caller: hello.

i oppose this bill because -- host: did we lose you? caller: hello. hello? can you hear me? host: real quickly. believe inyou all the lord jesus christ? hello? we have come to the end of our show. thank you for being here. thank you so much for being here. guest: thank you so much for having me. host: we are going to go to the meeting in a few minutes but we want to make sure you join us again tomorrow morning at 7:00 a.m. [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] nationrnors across the talk about the child welfare systems and employment. ,he method hosted by political including budget priorities regulations.