we talked about vietnam and the soviet union among other things. >> on this episode of book notes plus, listen at c-span.org/podcast or wherever you get your podcasts. ♪ show you president biden from yesterday talking about the enhanced child tax credit and the checks that started going out yesterday. [video clip] >> i believe this is a historic day in the sense that we continue to build an economy that respects and recognizes the dignity of working-class and middle-class families. it is historic and it is our effort to make another giant step towards ending child poverty in america. this is what i will be most proud of when my term is up.

all working families, people making under $100,000 as a family, who have children are going to receive their first monthly tax cut payment. that payment from the expanded child tax credit is going to be signed into law as part of our american rescue plan. it is one of the largest ever single tax cut for families with children. people in this country who need tax cuts are not the people at the top. it is the people in the middle, the folks who are struggling for looking for a little bit of breathing room. host: president biden yesterday in washington. this is the lead story and the washington post on this topic --

" biden extols the initiative." some stats on it -- more than 35 million families are impacted. that impacts some 60 million children. the benefits are expected to cost $120 billion a year. it amounts to $300 for every child five and younger. we will dive more into the program itself. we mostly want to hear from parents and guardians asking how you will spend the child tax credit. will it impact your family finances? (202) 748-8000 if your income is under $50,000 a year. if your income is between

$50,000 and $100,000 a year, (202) 748-8001. and if your income is over $100,000 a year, (202) 748-8002. caller: thank you for having me this morning. i am not a parent. i have never been married, never had children. my gripe is they are giving this money to families who do not even pay taxes and may even be on welfare. here i am paying taxes. my mother just turned 85 and here we are having to pay taxes for school taxes, property taxes, and these people are getting monthly payments to pay their property tax and school tax. host: we will try to keep it to parents and guardians only because we want to hear what this means for your family about

these checks coming in and how you are using the. dana is -- how you are using them. dana is calling in on the line for those making over $100,000 a year. caller: i make over $100,000 a year, but i live in california. i do not like the idea at all. they're turning this country into a welfare country. we have a fella in california who posts on your facebook all the time. you read his quotes all the time. he is a proponent of all this welfare stuff. host: how many kids do you have? caller: i have 4 kids. host: did you get a check?

caller: we got $250. host: you say you do not like this program. have you considered opting out of the program? caller: you can't opt out of the program. we will send it to the salvation army or something. it is ridiculous. how many of those kids are going to get this money at the end of this year? people from all over the world coming here to collect free money. is there anyone in this country -- if everyone -- if anyone in this country is working for a living, they are screwed. host: this is charles in marion, indiana on the line for those whose family income is under $50,000 a year. caller: i don't have no kids.

host: we are trying to talk to parents this morning specifically about the impact this is going to have on families around the country. the universe we are -- universe of colors we are looking for is the 35 million parents -- the universe of callers we are looking for is the 35 million parents of 60 million children this morning. the american rescue plan was passed back in march. this expansion of the child tax credit was part of that plan. these checks are starting to hit on a monthly basis from july on this year. that is the first half a year of payments. the second half will be applied when taxes are filed next year. that is how it works. we want to hear how it works on

the ground. parents of families who make less than $50,000 a year, (202) 748-8000. families whose income is between $50,000 and $100,000, (202) 748-8001. mitch mcconnell said the thing really hurting families in this country is what he described as " runaway spending," by democrats. and inflation. this is senator mitch mcconnell from the senate floor. [video clip] >> new figures confirmed what working families around america already know -- runaway costs are hitting america where it hurts. this was 100% predictable. even top democratic experts like larry summers warned that the

job dropping $2 trillion that democrats -- jaw-dropping two minut -- jaw-dropping $2 trillion that democrats borrowed -- american families did not need a socialist experiment. they needed a government to finally let things get back to normal, but the president, speaker, and democratic leaders will slop another $2 trillion on the country's credit card and it has brought us a level of inflation unprecedented in recent memory. costs have shot up, inflation is running so hot that event though american workers have seen a 3.6% pay increase on average since last year, it has been

completely wiped out and then some by inflation. american workers' pay has actually gone down nearly 2% since last july. let me say that again -- on democrats' watch, inflation has turned a three point 6% annual pay raise for american into a nearly 2% pay cut -- 3.6% annual pay raise for americans into a nearly 2% pay cut. democrats used the same week to announce they want to tax and spend another $4 trillion in the coming weeks, yet another budget busting socialist package, twice as big as the last one. host: that is $4 trillion made

up and spending of two different packages democrats hope to move through they house and senate in the coming days. the infrastructure, to bipartisan infrastructure deal that totals $607 billion then a $3.5 trillion on what the biden administration calls a human infrastructure program. senate majority leader chuck schumer pressing democrats to wrap up their negotiations and get them moving ahead of the august recess. mr. schumer said thursday he is setting a hard deadline for next week of both deals so they can be presented to the senate for consideration. the deadline adds pressure. the senators heckling over the bipartisan infrastructure deal and human infrastructure

package, which includes health care, environmental spending as well. back to your phone calls as we are trying to talk to parents and guardians about this charlton tax credit. this is amin out of temple, texas, and come under $50,000 a year. caller: this is something important to me and my wife. we both have to work, and i have to work 2 jobs, and my wife have to give all the money she is working for to childcare. senator mcdonald has a lot of nerve -- for the last 40 years the sudde -- republicans have been giving corporations money. they have not given us nothing.

this is a blessing. people ought to show the president how much they appreciate this. host: do you mind saying how much the check was yesterday? how much more a month is your family getting? caller: we have two children, and we got $300 for each one. $600. host: what is $600 in your budget going to mean? caller: my wife can work without killing herself. when -- all these republicans culling in, you do not have any -- all these republicans calling in, you do not have any bills. i do not have to slave at two jobs. i can take a break and take care of my family.

host: this is john, nodding him, maryland -- nottingham, maryland. how many kids do you have? caller: i have four children. host: what does that mean for you? caller: i am a trump person and i love the idea of money going directly to families. so much money is spent on corporate welfare, and mitch mcconnell is all into that t oo. i know what it means to my family, but we were -- had much less means at one point. any time we got a child tax credit, it made the difference between making it and not making it. money directly from the government directly to families

is a very populist idea. i love that. you can call me a conservative, but i am more of a trump make america great again person. i love this idea. it is a democrat idea, but i think it is also a populist idea. host: what do you think of the likelihood that this is going to be a program that goes beyond just one year? the child tax credit has been around since 1997. people have been able to claim it on their taxes each year. this is just a different way of doing it, and more money. caller: it depends on who is in control. if the regular democrat establishment -- republican establishment is in control, they will try to kill it. if the democratic establishment is in control, they will tie it into new bureaucracy.

i think, if there is a populist movement in control, they can get the best of both worlds. they can get rid of the bureaucracy, and get the money directly to people who need it. host: who are the republicans you would like to see in control. what republicans do you see supporting this tax credit? caller: i see republicans -- i see trump republicans, and i also see the populist socialists and the populist democrats, but i see the establishment as something that has been holding us all down for time immemorial. i love this idea -- i just want to get it out there that i am a trump mag a person and i love

the idea of money going to families. host: this from the new york times op-ed section -- and human app obama writing about this program saying -- applebaum writing about this program saying, " it was passed as an emergency aid program, ended ands in it -- ends in a year. they are gambling that the program will prove popular and that republicans will then allow it to become permanent. until that happens the benefits of the aid are likely to be attenuated because families will not have confidence the money will keep coming."

back to your phone calls. this is yaya out of chicago on the line for families making less than $50,000 a year. caller: i want to point out, this is not a freebie. this is the exact same child credit people get at the end of the year when they file their taxes, except this is coming to people in advance. half of it is coming in advance. host: it is also a little bit more as well. caller: it went from 2000 to -- $2000 to $1000. this idea that it is free money -- it isn't. most of the parents are taxpayers. it is a tax credit against their tax obligation. this is a creative way to

distribute it, especially since we are trying to come back from the pandemic and people need the cash now, not thinking about at the end of the year you will earn income credit and may be get back some of the taxes, your obligation will be lower. host: how will you use it, yaya? caller: this year i am not using it. i believe there is supposed to be a stipulation if this becomes permanent, if you have an elder as your dependent, which i have my elderly parents who live off of social security income, if i started claiming them as a dependent, i believe i would be able to benefit from this, but i have not seen that yet. i have only seen it for the child tax credits.

host: there was some debate about that last year when it came to stimulus payments for dependents, additional money for dependents in the stimulus payments. i have not heard that for the child tax credit though. that is not an aspect i have explored. caller: i think it is a great idea to creatively distribute tax credits. i just hope that -- i keep hearing people calling it a " freebie" when it is not. republicans should love tax credits! host: this is joe out of north carolina, the line for those who make over $100,000 a year. how much was the check that came in yesterday or that could be coming in? caller: i do not know. i do not have any small children.

my son does. i would like to wake up the maga caller who said that he is still way mag -- a maga caller. trump had the chance to do this and he didn't. not one republican voted for this. we are giving the tax bear bask some of -- ba -- taxpayer back some of his money. that is something republicans supposedly believe or do they? host: talk about your son. how much does it cost you to raise your grandchild? caller: i have 2 sons, 14 and 10.

i am well aware that this came from the biden administration, and that the republicans gave thair -- their tax alleviation to the wealthy. host: at the same event yesterday, vice president kamala harris spoke about this tax credit as well. [video clip] >> my mother worked hard whether it was waking up at the crack of dawn to pack our lunches or after we went to bed sitting about the kitchen table trying to figure out how to make it all work. it was never easy, even though she never said that. my family's story is not remarkable. it is the story of the american family -- parents who will do

anything for their children, parents who work so hard every day, parents deserve their government and leaders to really see them, to really understand them, as they juggle all their responsibilities every month, every month the rent comes due. every month the childcare providers need a check, check that could take half an income. every month, american families need gas, groceries, utilities and power loans. -- car loans. even if they have enough to make ends meet, it is barely enough. when unexpected expense could mean the difference between taking on more debt or losing it

all. in the wealthiest nation in the world, it should not be this way. host: in washington, we are getting your thoughts this morning, asking parents, how do you spend to the child tax credit? phone lines split up by income this morning. greg in cleveland, ohio -- " this month's check already spent. the money will be used to offset the rising prices of goods and services. this tax credit is a reverse republican tax credit policy and the republicans can't stand it." " my children are grown, but i would probably spend it on childcare. if you don't like the tax credit, holiday subsidy."

caller: i have two grandkids, and that is my concern for our future. i do not understand these people. because for the people, by the people -- we have been dealing with corporations for years, paying the corporations welfare, then people do not want to help each other. in my opinion, this information -- with the disinformation the democrats and republicans are playing the population, the citizens, not realizing, thinking that everything that is being done is done for black people. is done -- it is being done for

people. . host: this from man op-ed by senator marco rubio, we talked about how this program has been around, not in the format is now, but has been around since 1997. senator marco rubio writing, " for the next six months, the child tax credit claim to five families every year at tax time will be transformed into an anti-work welfare check. parents will receive monthly che cks -- payments of $300 per child under six and $250 per child age 7 to 17.

by next tax season -- this is laura in troy, michigan on the line for those who make over $100,000 a year. caller: i would like to make a comment about senator rubio's comment right now. he was complaining about people getting $10,000, but were nonworking. i wonder how these people support themselves? as a former republican, i am absolutely appalled at the treatment we have been showing these hard-working americans, people that were not able to take time off to go to mexico on a little jaunt. i applaud the president. i think he is doing a grand job

before and majority of the american populace. i am lucky enough to be making more than that amount. i have grandchildren who definitely do benefit from this 1 year gift -- well, not a gift. god bless joe biden, and the democrats. thank you. host: we are coming up on 7:30 on the east coast at the end of a very busy week here. we wanted to set aside some time to turn the phones over to you to ask why your top news story of the past week has been? that is what we will turn to now. we will do our phone lines in this half-hour as usual -- democrats, (202) 748-8000. republicans, (202) 748-8001.

independents, (202) 748-8002. catch up with us on facebook, twitter and on messages -- text messages on that topic as well. one of those topics of discussion this week was the topic of inflation in this country. federal reserve chairman jerome powell on capitol hill both on the health side and senate side to discuss that issue. he is taking questions from members of congress on that issue as well. he spoke on the house side on wednesday and spoke on the senate side yesterday on this topic. the headline from the wall street journal -- "powell seeds anxiety on inflation." [video clip] >> these kinds of across the

board cost increases are unmanageable for many families. i know it is easy sitting here in washington dc getting a government salary to think that people can manage, but if you are a working family, particularly one coming off of layoffs or reduced hours, these are real, and they bite into the economics of these families. as bad as inflation is, it is only one part of our economic woes. we are also having trouble getting people to go back to work. before the pandemic hit, the unemployment rate was 3.5%. within two months, unemployment went from 2.5% to 15%. since then, -- 3.5% to 15%.

since then, we have made steady progress in getting workers back on the job but our democratic colleagues have seen fit to incentive five men and women to stay on the sidelines of the labor market. the partisan bill they passed extended, bolstered unemployment benefits through the end of september, long after we expected our economy to reopen. host: senator john cornyn on the senate floor yesterday. in her daily column on inside the beltway, jennifer harper looking at some of the inflation and specific sectors that has been seen in the past year -- hope prices up 15%, rents rising at triple their normal rate, and hotel rooms up 36%.

the cost of eating out has risen 4.1%. 48% of small businesses have been forced to raise their prices, the highest percentage in 4 decades. another topic this week -- unexpected until it ended up coming to the doorstep of washington dc -- that fight over the voting rights bill in texas. texas state house legislators left the state to avoid a quorum to avoid debating and voting on the topic of voting rights. the headline from rick green's column in the washington times -- " run, hide, obstruct -- nothing new for texas democrats." " we do not have the votes to

represent the government so we would rather break down the republic then do better at winning the support of the public." from rick green on the strategy pursued by texas tech gretz -- texas democrats. we are asking for your top news story of the week in this half-hour. (202) 748-8000 for democrats. (202) 748-8001 for republicans. (202) 748-8002 for independents. our next caller is from meant victory, ohio -- mount victory, ohio. caller: i want to talk about

censorship and they washington influence on facebook and its position -- the washington influence on facebook and its position. they intercepted through the nfa program journalists and things of this nature. it is disturbing to me, and it seems it is right in the constitution and should definitely be looked into. host: it was earlier this week that on washington journal we were joined by mep cough, -- by the chief media officer from parler to talk about this issue of free speech and the role big tech plays in that. amy peikoff is her name if you

want to search our site for that clip. caller: betrayal tax credit is a game changer -- the child tax credit is a game changer. child daycare is $150 a week for one child. it is going to help greatly. i think republicans are afraid. come november, they know this is a game changer for eyeliner families, and they know that for a lo -- a lot of families and they -- stick together. host: line for republicans, this is jerry out of council grove. caller: how are you? host: i am doing well. caller: my issue is the child

tax credit. one, first thing of all, a person should evaluate their income before they start having children. if you cannot afford children, you should not be having children. two, where is the tax credit for those of us who are single people? we pay a higher tax percentage out of our income? i paid 32% of my income. i pay for all their schooling. now they are getting all this other money. that is coming out of my pay! i have already paid enough taxes that has covered my schooling going through high school. where is my help? host: jerry, were you concerned

about the child tax credit before this enhanced version of it? as we noted, it has been around for 25 years. caller: yes. i used to debate this with some friends of mine. they have kids,. i said " wait until your kids are out of your house. then you will find out what high taxes are." as soon as that happened, they cannot envision just how much in taxes they would not pay. now they are complaining because their kids are gone, and they no longer get this benefit of all these kids. they are complaining because now they pay such high taxes. host: frank in pensacola, florida, independent. what is your top news story of

the week? caller: i was started by the 46.1% increase in the price of gas. the price of gas has gone up. texas is trying to pay out its damage from the ice storm it had in january. when that happened, the price of gas went up 20. then all of a sudden they had the ransomware. they paid $47 million to them. the price has continued to go up. the money is going to texas -- it is not going to the federal government. the price on gas, federal taxes on gas have not changed. host: is your concern with refineries? the oil and gas companies?

the state of texas? caller: i'm talking about the state of texas is trying to pay for the ice storm, and they want us to pay for it. host: this is horace out of philly. what is your top news story of the week? caller: my story of the week is that biden sent the childcare help through congress, and i think it was a beautiful thing. god bless him. i understand he did it without the republicans help. when are the republicans going to wake up and start working for the american people instead of donald trump? thank you. host: on this topic of the enhanced a child tax credit, chuck schumer took to the senate floor yesterday to discuss the checks going out to millions of american families.

this is what he had to say. [video clip] >> the cost of raising children in america has become ludicrously expensive. everything from diapers to college tuition has risen in price, some of it rather dramatically, and wages unfortunately have not kept pace, putting strain on american parents. the cost of childcare alone can be roughly equivalent to buying a new car every single year. that is a big burden for so many families. the pandemic, of course, made life even harder on americans' families. in the american rescue plan, democrats make sure it included a dramatic expansion of the federal child tax credit to give families help during this once and a century crisis.

today i am proud to announce that tens of millions of americans are going to see extra money land in their bank accounts, the first of monthly checks that will be dispersed through the expanded child tax credit. let me say that again -- because this law passed by senate democrats, unfortunately, not a single republican voted for this much-needed measure that will help the middle class and the poor. host: chuck schumer on the senate floor yesterday. we are talking about your top news story of the week, asking you to call lynn at the tail end of a very busy week -- call in at the tail end of a very busy week. chuck schumer made news with a bill still being discussed legalizing marijuana. " proposals to legalize

marijuana are nothing new. the majority leader became a sponsor of the effort this week. the measure would erode a central pillar of the decades long war on drugs. the bil woul treat th -- the bill would treat marijuana like alcohol. those under the age of 21 could not purchase it. it would make it illegal -- it would remain illegal to sell significant quantities without proper license thing and authorization much like looking alcohol. kathy, what is your top news story of the week? caller: i was just talking to a neighbor about inflation. everyone should turn around and

lock -- look and see where the inflation came from. when joe biden came in, he closed down everything trump had done. i'm sick of trump taking all the blame for everything. he is not to blame. it is the democrats. chuck schumer -- he is another one. look at what he has done. he stood up there. they got that bill out now. they are sending money to everybody. they want you to love the government, because they want your votes. they want to keep you a democrat as long as they can, because as long as the democrats are in, they know that the republicans would never stand a chance. that is why we have to, so to speak, overthrow the democrats.

in the upcoming election? no, we will not. host: the numbers we found out on tuesday every were out of the labor to meant as the consumer price index rose 4% in june from the previous year. that is the highest 12 month rate increase since august of 2008. sonja, independent, north carolina, you are next. caller: i am a janitor in our public schools. a top story in our area is now the school districts not only gives free lunch during the school year, now you get to get free lunch and breakfast for your whole family. i am a conservative.

i work my fingers to the bone, and i have not gotten one thing free because i am married and i had kids after i married. it is not fair. i am sick of paying for everybody else to write that free-trade. how many more freebies can we give out? we are free be poor. -- we are freebie poor., host: our next caller is from nebraska. caller: i hope c-span will cover it because no weather network will cover it except for fox and those are the 2 audits. they are being completed as we speak. the one in georgia is unbelievable. , again, i hope c-span covers it. the one in arizona is being covered as -- completed as we

speak. both of them show what a farce it was with these excess -- they are saying there were 250,000 illegal votes in arizona. this is a state audit. host: news from arizona central on this topic -- " arizona said that they need more material from maricopa county, suggesting that the senate's review may be nearing its end. fann said during a hearing at the capital that she expects the demands for additional materials will end up in court, setting up another legal battle in the saga that has seen the country and

state lawmakers spar over the scope of the legislature's subpoena power. also during the hearing the senate's top contractor on the review recommended reviving plans to go door-to-door to inquire about some residents' participation in last year's general election." caller: glad to talk to you. my concern is over black lives matter, what they had to say about the demonstrations in cuba the day before yesterday. i think it was around us. -- i think it was horrendous. host: how do you feel about the demonstrations in cuba, bob? caller: i worked with a lot of cubans. i had a cuban neighbor in chicago. they are wonderful people. these people have condemned

them. it is horrendous. host: is the u.s. government doing enough to support these protesters? would you like to see them do more? caller: there is something wrong there in cuba. they are destroying their right to live back there. host: what more can we do from here in the united states, bob? caller: more sanctions is about the only thing i can think of. host: this is bennett in maryland. your next. -- you are next. caller: i got to say what is happening in south africa -- it is a treacherous and alarming --

atrocious and alarming to see a country teetering on the edge of becoming a failed state. the images and what is happening to the economy with the destruction from the protests -- it is amazing what can happen from the effects of unrest in a country, from just the people who live there. not counting any external forces on a country, the internal forces can be ravaging. it shows to me that racial issues extend far past the boundaries of the united states and elsewhere around the world in light of what we have seen with the george floyd protests. there are complicated racial issues that exist all across the world unfortunately. host: from the new york post story on the latest backed of --

bout of south african sporadic violence. if former president refused to show up to a hearing on former corruption. -- " sporadic violence began last week in protest of former president jacob zuma." cory, what was you newr top news story of the week? caller: they sell these tax breaks for -- we need a tax, no

exemptions, no subsidies, everyone pays their fair share. the government would not be going bankrupt. we would have the money we need. the people would have an honest system. redo the tax code, make it fair. the republicans will not do this. they have to sell their tax breaks for campaign donations. that is all i can say. host: marie, san antonio, texas, democrat, your top news story of the week? caller: the top news story other than the mess in texas trying to restrict our votes, but the infrastructure bill is what i am interested in. it is about time that some money came back to the people who need it. i came of age in the 70's. factories were booming. we had work, then our leaders

allowed our industry to be outsourced. it has taken us 40 years for the middle class to disappear, but it has. what concerns me about the infrastructure bill -- i am 66 years old. my husband and i lost everything we have worked for in the financial collapse. he had a massive heart attack. we live off of social security. that is all the income we have. what about us seniors? can you imagine what an extra $300 a month to our social security checks would allow us to do something other than just keep the roof over our heads? we have no disposable income. we can i do what really needs to be done. we see all this money going out, and no one is paying attention to us. i live in an area where the firm

subsidies are everywhere. the people around me get thousands of dollars in firm subsidies. the people on welfare get money. they get food stamps, they get section eight. my husband and i make just enough where we cannot get any of the benefit you would see from lowering. we barely make $2000 a month, but that is too much. we sit here just the two of us with no health, no children, no grandchildren, and we suffer. i called the white house yesterday to try to express to president biden that we seniors need help and the comment line is not working and the switch board line is not working. i have always been able to call and make my presence known and it bothers me that i cannot. i thank president biden and the people who may be listening to this to think about us seniors. we need help.

do not assume that we have reached a certain age and we are set for life. it is not like that for millions of us. thank you for taking my call. think about us and pray for us here in texas, because we are being overrun by a fascist state government. host: marie in san antonio, texas. here are some of your comments from social media on your most important story of the week. this from stephen in michigan -- " my most important issue is the debt. the government must take in more money in taxes than it spends. we haven't done that since the tax breaks of 2001." larry in new jersey -- " my most -- for me the top stories are the droughts in the southwest,

the fires in california, the floods in europe. we cannot keep ignoring it, but it is not going away." " my top story is about the eight black women, including a congresswoman, who stood up and spoke up for voting rights and were arrested in the senate thing yesterday in washington dc. i want to thank them for standing to protect my voting rights and democracy." the photo therefrom cq roll call of her being arrested by easy capitol police. -- by capitol police. what was your top news story? caller: this story i caught on c-span3 a couple days ago. it was from june 2021.

it was the origin of coronavirus, and my chin was on my chest the entire time. i could not believe what i was hearing. supposedly, they do a man-made, 90%. china -- anyone who does on the research on the origin of the coronavirus, -- during the hearing, it was phenomenal what was coming out. our scientists are being threatened if they do any research on the origin. they are going to be an enemy of the state of china, if they do anything to look into it. not just that, but it was going on and on. what do we do? how do we protect ourselves now from this country that has threatened our scientists? host: that is mike in illinois.

it is c-span.org, the search engine is at the top of the page to find all of our coverage. you can also head to our special coronavirus page showing our coverage of events, talking about the pandemic. this is kathy in west virginia, republican, your top news story of the week? caller: i -- caller: i am calling about the unemployment i received. i received unemployment in the amount of $21,000 and some change. i received a letter from the unemployment portal that all my weeks were disqualified. all my payments were canceled, jamie. i/od -- i owed them payments.

host: who have you contacted about this issue beside c-span? caller: i just got the repayment papers here. i have where they canceled it for $9,000, for $4000. my accountant already did my taxes. host: kathy, have you tried the irs or unemployment? why are you calling c-span? caller: i thought it was some kind of news that had to be heard. they made payments on what they didn't even pay me. host: good luck. caller: i have the paperwork. i just wanted to know who to contact. host: i don't have a number for you kathy. sound like you have an accountant. thanks for bringing it up.

we have a couple minutes left in this segment of the washington journal asking people for their top news story of the week. next caller, it. caller: good morning. so the books that came out about the coup, about the possible coup that trump was convening and how close we came to a coup. i just want to say that, during his next presidency, it really opened my eyes as a formal government employee. it took two months for them to investigate my employment and check my credit. it opened my eyes that a president could not even do a background check to be

president. that was astounding to me. that was like a pet peeve of mine about opening my eyes about who we elect. host: the book you are talking about, "i alone can fix it," donald j. trump's catastrophic final year by two washington post reporters. the washington post has been printing eggs herbs of that book throughout the week, the release of that book, and several page spread with eggs herbs in today's washington post if you want to look at it. david in new york, republican, what was your top news story of this past week? caller: i feel a wash in the kool-aid, but my story was the cuban people rising up against their communist leadership. i lived in south florida for 25 years, have many contacts with the good industrial

hard-working cubans neighbors and friends. we celebrated cuba in the 1960's and that is time to do it now. but it won't be done by the biden and harris regime because they love [indiscernible] that is how it is from the road. host: if you are going to be on the road sunday morning from 8:45 to 9:30, a segment here on the "washington journal," we will be digging deep into the cuba issue. you can join us for that segment. >> c-span is your unfiltered view of government. brought to you by these television companies and more, including charter television. >> broadband is a force for empowerment. that is why charter has invested billions building infrastructure, empowering opportunity in communities big and small. charter is connecting us. >> charter communications

supports c-span as a public service along with these other television providers, giving you a front row see to democracy. -- front row seat to democracy. >> coming up shortly, white house press secretary jen psaki will take questions from reporters. we will have live coverage at 1:00 p.m. eastern. later this afternoon, senator jeanne shaheen and ryan clock are discussed giving u.s. visas to afghans who helped the u.s. live coverage from the center for strategic and international studies begins at 2:00 p.m. eastern on c-span, online at c-span.org, or listen on the free c-span radio app. >> sunday night on q&a, jessica delong was chief engineer of the historic fireboat when it was called back