>> c-span's live campaign 2020 2verage continues sunday at p.m. eastern. former vice president joe biden monday at 2hire, p.m. eastern. entrepreneur andrew yang in nashua, new hampshire. and tuesday at 11 a.m. eastern, senator elizabeth warren in boston. watch the presidential candidates live on c-span, or listenc-span.org, live on the free c-span radio app. >> we're back with brett cohen, executive director of generation talk abouttion to impeachment, election 2020 and the youth vote. good morning. and the youth vote. guest: good morning, thanks for having -- having me. host: tell us what -- generation progress is. -- we work with 18 to 35-year-olds. we move progressive solutions to

the most pressing problems facing our generation. host: where do you guys get your funding? guest: our funding comes from individual donors, the tap action fund. that is how we do our business there. host: how do you expect the youth of america to vote in the upcoming election? do you expect it to go up or down? or even stay flat? guest: it is going through the roof. there is no question. this was or shadowed in the 2018 midterms where voter turnout had the highest mark in 20 years, particularly pronounced between voters 18 to 35. you're seeing engagement from young adults now. that will shoot through the roof in 2020. host: why are more young people getting involved in voting and

civil action? guest: young people have led civic and social justice actions throughout history. you are now seeing that turned vote. need for -- need to people are realizing that 16 votes can be the difference in an election and the difference in terms of having people working alongside social justice movements. from aet me read to you current poll. turnout --th generation z, millennials, and generation x accounted for a narrow majority of voters. the three younger generations, those age 18 to 53 in 2018 votes 26 point 2 million compared with 60.1 million votes cast by baby boomers and older generations. it is not the first times -- time that the younger

generations out devoted to their elders. oted their -- out-v elders. host: -- happening things are -- there are systemic barriers to young people getting to the votes. to the polls. young people are finding ways to jump over those barriers. they say we are going to run over these structural barriers and make sure our voices are heard at the polls. the other thing that is happening is that the share of young people who are eligible to vote continues to rise. we are seeing candidates say that i need to speak to this pivotal demographi early on. i need to make sure i'm speaking about the issues that young people care about.

that engagement starts not in october of an election year, but well before. wherecre there places there are barriers--- where there are barriers to young people going out and voting? guest: there are intentional barriers. you saw with hr one senate majority leader mitch mcconnell's response was that it was a power grab. it was a power grab because it let young people in disenfranchised communities vote. these barriers are in place whether it is registration requirements or other things that say you cannot vote. when i was in college, i moved three times in three years. every time i moved, that meant i needed to read register to vote. --re-register to vote.

that is just one aspect of what butter suppression looks like for this group. host: let's talk about the impeachment vote. i want to read a story to you from usa today. this story says that by a nearly 2-1 margin, more young voters support then oppose the impeachment of president trump and his removal from office according to a poll from the school of economics at harvard. -- pulled voters pole isolated voters ages 18 to 29. they found 52% of all eligible youth voters and 58% of likely youth voters in the 20 presidential general election leave that trump should be impeached. and 28all youth voters

percent of likely general election voters disagreed that he should be impeached and removed. guest: -- debt -- guest: young people will inherit this democracy. taxpayerng federal dollars to bribing foreign government to investigate a political rival, that flies in the face of everything that we were taught our country stands -- you seeknow that young people being invested in ensuring that we have a government that actually works, that does not just espouse ideals, stands by them. this is just one example with ukraine. we are seeing young people who have been floored and appalled by the abuses of power of this administration on a whole host of issues, and administration

that has one of the lowest approval ratings in history with young people for human rights abuses. join let's let our viewers in on this conversation. we will open our regular lines for this. that means republicans, your line will be (202) 748-8001. democrats, your line is (202) 748-8000. , you can call (202) 748-8002. and keep in mind, you can always (202) 748-8003. and we are already -- always reading social media. where do younger voters get their information about the impeachment process? what are their sources? does it matter where they get

their information from? guest: yes and yes. we are seeing a generation z and millennials getting their information from slightly different places, but both are reaching for their cell phones. on facebook, you see what your friends are talking about. to whater, you listen your timeline is saying. that is where you're seeing generation z and millennials turning to their cell phones. sometimes turning directly to a new source and other times turning to social media. most of the older generations are going to tv first. host: when we talk about younger voters, are we talking about a younger group that skews more democratic? guest: let's take a look at the 2018 results for voting.

that is self identification of party, or whether it is actual voting outcomes, what you are seeing is that when push comes to shove, people are showing up at historic margins and they are voting for the progressive candidate over the has -- the conservative candidate. host: we will not do our regular lines, because we want to hear specifically from the people we want to hear about. we will change up the lines on you here. that means if you are ages 18 to 35 -- you are a new vote or you are generation z or a millennial, we want to hear from you at (202) 748-8000. -- if are middle-age or you are middle-aged like me, between the ages of 36 and 60, you have a special line --(202) 748-8001.

older, the60 and baby boomers, the silent generation, your number is (202) 748-8002. over 60, (202) 748-8002. let's start with mark who is calling from north oak, virginia. mark, good morning. nororth oak virginia -- folk, virginia. mark, good morning. caller: i am middle-aged and i am so ready for the millennials to take their seat at the table. the younger generations have the anefit of being able to see long enough of you from a lot of the past and yet have been able to assimilate long enough to know what it is supposed to look

like. to be your is going generation that will have to take this upon your such -- your shoulders. no input, no say so -- at this point you guys have all of the input, because we have left a serious mess for you guys to try to pick up and carry. the last thing i say to the middle-agers is to start mentoring in a serious way to put these kids in place. because the whole thing is going to collapse. guest: i could not agree more. the only piece i would add is that we have had the long view of the ills of this country. we have a longer view of social justice movements, including the civil rights movement. we have the benefit of learning from those who came before,

whether it is the free speech movement. we have learned from those movements and see how the country responded, how the power structure responded. toget the benefit of getting look back and take those lessons learned as we move forward. we need input and we need a say so, because at the end of the day, we are 38% of the working age population in this country, more than a third of the u.s. adult population. things are happening in our name and it is our time to take our seat at the table and we have been taking our seat at the table. we are making sure we are not on the menu. host: what role will the youth vote play in the democratic presidential primary? are the youth progressive and liberals lining up behind any particular candidate or is it still a free-for-all? guest: it depends on how much

you trust to the polling. people are doing will different levels of calculations. some people are saying who is most likely to win and it is all about the electability argument. what the younger people are saying is who is most tuned into our issues, and how do we get someone into office will take us era,to a pre-donald trump but will take us into a post donald trump era. i think any candidate would be wise to take notice of this younger generation of voters and make sure that they are both speaking to the issues that young people care about and entrusting them with real policy solutions. barbara whotalk to is calling from oklahoma city, oklahoma. barbara, good morning. caller: i am so happy to see the youth -- wow. i am so proud of all of you. everyone of you. i'm so thankful we can believe

you, what you say. someone who is not lying. i am just really proud of all of you. said wean before that are all equal -- i am sorry. morelicans, you may be christian or something, i do not know. i am not calling people names. i do not see democrats doing that. every morning, the president calls people names. say a democrat, and he will something about hating those democrats. i just hope our youth can get rid of this and see this for what it is. a man toot normal for get up every morning and get us to hating each other. i think that is ridiculous.

i do not hate republicans. i enjoy that woman, newt gingrich's daughter. i truly want us to stop this. quit running after what donald trump says every morning. stop this hatred. you cannot put this on us every single day. guest: thank you, barbara. young people cannot do this work without the help and ally ship of others. thank you for the work that you are doing in oklahoma. one of the things that young people stand to benefit from is we are the most diverse generation in history. the millennial generation was the most diverse generation in and nowion's history, gen z and younger are even more diverse than we are. that brings a different set of experiences, which means -- we

talked about the hate and divisiveness. we have grown up with family members and neighbors who looked different than us. may come from different backgrounds than us. are just more diverse. we really stand to benefit from that into see-through hatred that is being -- host: let's talk about the generational divide in the democratic party. i want to read to you from the week.com. oldest candidate in the race is senator bernie sanders, who is more than twice peter buttigieg's age is the preferred candidate for under 30 voters. this fact that a 78-year-old who recently suffered a health scare is far more popular with millennials than the 37 euros candidate tells a lot about --

tells us a candidate lot about the generational divide that has consumed the democratic party in recent years. up boomers are not lining behind the boomer candidate. guest: there is an oversimplification of how events and other researchers assume about how people will vote based on age or race. the same things were being said about black voters not rallying behind kamala harris and cory booker. there are reasons that manifest about how -- generation z and millennials are looking at candidates who they feel are most speaking to the issues that they care most about. representation also really matters, whether it is the chosen candidate for millennials or not. having pete buttigieg on that stage is significant. it is significant whether young

people rally around their candidacy or not. host: do you see the free college tuition proposal gaining traction? is that because of the youth vote? guest: yes. it is getting traction and it is because of the youth vote. motioneration progress is logic a campaign to raise -- launching a campaign to raise awareness to the fact that college is unaffordable. americans with $1.6 college debt -- we have to address the current crisis of student loan debt today. we are seeing various plans come out, but nearly every presidential candidate has had to address the affordability of college in some fashion. it is getting traction, and the reason is because one in six americans of all ages has a

student loan debt of some form. one in the three young adults do. they understand the importance of accessibility of college education. who iset's talk to rob calling from independence, missouri. rob is one of those younger voters that we were just talking about. caller: i would like to know which candidate, in his opinion, is going to be most helpful in addressing the opioid crisis, the drug crisis in america. of hisaking away people age. i had a nephew recently who died of overdose. which party is, more supportive and is that going to be part of the health care issue, which is actually mental health is actually -- also part of health care. i understand that health care is

going to be a major issue in 2020, but i wanted to know what candidate and his opinion supports the opioid crisis in this country and will help bring down the number of deaths that are happening in this country every year. guest: first of all, my condolences to you and your family. far too many people have lost their lives to the opioid epidemic. far too many families are reeling from it. have come along way as a nation, in terms of looking at what drug use is and the impact that it has from a clearly crime and climate and --ly drug problem.nd we should see this as a public health crisis, the way we should have seen the crack epidemic as well. we have come to that realization and every candidate needs a plan forward to address the opioid

ambit -- epidemic. one of the questions you asked is which party would actually address this. the trump administration has made some comments about it, but they have made more steps on the vaping than they have on opioids. there has been a level of an action here that has resulted in families not getting the support that they need. you're absolutely right -- it drug use, opioids in particular are part of the health conversation. point --in acute we cannot take this away from them. we need to make sure that opioids are not being misused by the general public and particularly by younger people who are disproportionately impacted. we need to make sure that both are addressed simultaneously. candidates will bring a nuanced

approach. we are not seeing that today from the trump administration. host: what impact do youth voters have on down ballot races? is it just presidential elections that bring youth voters to the polls or are they getting more engaged all up into down the civil -- civic ladder? are lookingnk folks at a 2020 presidential election college -- that can be disillusioning sometimes for voters. what you're seeing is a real impact in district attorney races, real impact in the kentucky gubernatorial race, where there are tangible and -- impacts that come at the city and state level. hisgovernor of kentucky on first day re-enfranchised over a thousand people for voting rights.

that is something that young people care about. think you will see folks driven to the polls, not just because of donald trump and the presidential election or the democratic candidate however -- but more so because of what is possible in the criminal justice reform conversation in a district attorney race. state, the legislature just passed laws that allow undocumented immigrants access to driver's licenses. if you care about immigration, it is not just to is in congress that matters -- certainly that is where we will find the comprehensive reform that we need, but it matters who is in your state legislature. they are the ones who can provide things like drivers licenses. these things are connected. young people and young voters

see this so it might be an up a ballot situation where people are coming out to vote for local races. is andur next caller from vincent in lancaster, pennsylvania. vincent is a middle-aged collar. middle-ageds a caller. just like told comment -- first of all, the younger generation came off of eight years of president obama, where it was free phones, free this, everyone is entitled to have this. i'm sorry about that. we have an old-fashioned president now who wants to give you everything you need to go to work, earn a living, and live a good life. stamps,o not need food you should not be getting them.

, it goes on and goes on. we talk about free college for --rybody and student death debt. what happened to investing in yourself? there is night school, community college, whatever you can afford, you go for it. blame folks for this stuff? we now have people running for president saying billion errors -- billionaires are wrong people. you should not be that way. where thata country is supposed to be the drive of everybody. the opiate crisis -- if you do your history, i think the civil war was the first opiate crisis. folks are not paying attention to their history. our president can be rude at times, but there is no one who can touch his economy.

it is good to feel respected again as a country. if you want to give people that sneak into our country, drivers licenses. host: good response. guest: let me touch on a couple of points. one of the really interesting things about the trump administration is polling among people who think that the economy is doing well but is negative toward donald trump. feeleality is, some folks like the economy is doing well and are still very unfavorable toward donald trump. two, this idea about president obama and handouts -- i do not to get very far into it. i will just say that that is not

accurate. the color referenced history and really knowing our history. as we think about the history of the united states, founded the bloodshed of native americans and indigenous people who were here first, followed by the enslavement of people of african dissent, if we talk about the history of this nation, we have to recognize the inherent, structural racism that was built into the fabric of this country. we need to take direct action to combat that, if we are being honest with ourselves, we are going to live up to the values of equality for all, then we need to get there. part of what that means is making sure that people have access to things like higher education, that we address the racial wealth gap, that we do not kick children who need access to food off of public assistance. those things go hand in hand. we should know our history. we should be honest about what

that history says. host: let's take two more calls. victoriacaller is from in merlino, oregon. over 60, am well politically active, and we just had a 19-year-old grandson move in with us from oklahoma. i took him to get his drivers motor-, and we have voter. and said i have registered to vote. he said he registered unaffiliated. "bu i knowt i wouldn't vote for trump." motor-voter for a while. ony're going to put postage

vote by mail envelopes. --t: guest: you talked about motor-voter or automatic voter registration. oregon has been a leader on this. to thet that you can go dmv and both get your voter -- driver's license and simultaneously registered to vote, that becomes a solution that should be enacted in all 50 states. that was also included in the hr-one bill that mitch mcconnell blocked. 16 and 17-year-olds can also vote inre-registered to oregon. one of the things that we know about voting is that it is habitual. if you vote at 18, you are likely to vote two years later in four years later.

those are critical reforms that are easy to implement and should be done across the nation. host: let's get one last call from patricia in arkansas. caller: hello. thank you so much for taking my call. i have a quick question because the previous guest was talking about polarized media. i was wondering how much that affects the use voters today. are they actually as informed as we would like them to be? i think you're seeing two generations of young people who are very well-informed with what is happening, specifically on the issues we care most about. you're seeing young people lead on criminal justice reform, gun violence, and student debt issues. part of that is because of the information that we have. i do agree and i think the media has a huge role in this, making sure that the media becomes last

polarized -- less polarized is important. part of the benefit of the younger generation is how diverse they are. thankwe would like to brent cohen from generation leading to a senate trial. live, unfiltered coverage of c-span on demand at c-span.org/impeachment, and listen on the free, c-span radio app. ♪ you compare it to being on the jetsons. >> it is not there yet, but that is the vision. the vision is to have flying airships in this coming decade,

and not just a few carrying around rich people to golf courses. they want these flying airships carrying all kinds of people, and they want to flying network like a metro system, with little stops all over dubai with flying machines carrying people. stephen baker, whose latest go" examinesskip, transportation. watch the communicators at 8:00 p.m. monday on c-span2. coming up, a discussion on congress, courts, and the so-called administrative state. after that, former astra -- former nasa astronauts and administrators on the legacy of the apollo missions. plus, representative kelsey gabbard at a town hall in new hampshire. now, a look at the administrative state, from the