active during the orientation. she was very upset about what was going on. and her and i chatted, she said, what can i do? i said, how about you go back in the cloakroom, fill am video, place it on social media and if you have any influence over anybody out there, tell them to stop. she did that. >> this week you'll also hear from democrats from pennsylvania and california. january 6, views from the house. sunday at 10:00 p.m. eastern on c-span, c-span.org or listen on the c-span radio app. a group ofo the capitol steps yesterday to protest mask wearing among other policy differences, a country in crisis. >> we have a country in crisis. a recent poll showed american's optimism about the direction of the country over the next year

has limited 20 points since may. this should surprise no one. every time americans go to the grocery store, they are paying more. every time they turn on the national news they see crime. every time they get updates about our southern border, they see reports about migrants that are illegally entering our country every day. every time the cdc releases new guidance, nunnally does it contradict information they have released, it punishes americans who have already done everything they were asked to do. they were told to be vaccinated. think about what the cdc did this week. they forced vaccinated americans

to wear masks because of a study in india about a vaccine that is not in america that has not been peer-reviewed. the cdc has become a political arm of the administration. they want to control every element of our lives. what's interesting is we stand out here in front of the capital. as you look across the other steps at the senate, i'm not quite sure where the cdc got it, the science changes. if you are a capitol police officer, you got orders. if a vaccinated staffer comes across without a mask, you are ordered to arrest him.

this is not the america we know. this is the people's house. host: republican leader kevin mccarthy from california on the steps. get the headlines. the date masks returned to congress. then you've got this from the associated press. mask guidance met with hostility from leading republicans. a poll from nbc showed the breakdown by party. republicans, 48% say they wear it every time. 71% of independent voters. 86% of democrats say every time. the washington post headline, the rate of new infections is twice as high in red counties as blue counties.

we turn to you this morning and ask how did mask wearing become political? you are up first. good morning. caller: i wonder how it happened. i was born in the 50's. back then, we had to get vaccinations for polio and all kinds of things. it stopped those diseases from flourishing. this is a disease. it has nothing to do with politics, race, gender. i feel the politicians stood lettuce made our own choice about whether we want to be vaccine. my husband and i are vaccinated. we got the pfizer. if i have to take a booster, i will take a booster. i have grandchildren in their 20's and 30's. some will vaccinate and some won't.

i try to talk to them. i know there is a lot of misinformation on the internet. then we get politicians involved. leave people alone about this. these are lives being lost. i had a sister who had covid. she was 73. she doesn't know how she caught it. she almost died. she made it through. you can see the suffering that covid causes. get off this bandwagon of politics. this is life-and-death here in america and all over the world. we just need to get vaccinate. host: i am going to go on to arlene in michigan.

what the you think? caller: mask wearing became political as soon nancy pelosi started screaming at donald trump was racist because he wanted to shut down our borders. right now, it's just a way for the democratic party to throw their power around. if you've been vaccinated, you should not have to wear a mask any longer. host: listen to tim ryan of ohio. he took to the floor wednesday to push back against the republicans who are pushing back against the cdc. this has gotten one million views. >> fear, fear, fear.

the attending physician of the united states capital, the top doctor for congress asks us to put on masks when we come to a chamber with 435 people. i hate these things. it's terrible having to put this back on. we do it because the top doctor for all of us asked us to. i may not be from a hotspot, the speaker may not be from hotspot, somebody in this chamber is coming from a hotspot. somebody represents hotspots. they get on a plane and they fly here and they interact with all of us. we leave here and we go home to our families. some take care of their sick

parents. some take care of kids who may have an autoimmune disorder. i just find it absolutely immature and appalling to somehow diminish it, to try to score cheap political points. host: how did mask wearing become political? mark is in milwaukee. what do you say? caller: i would have to say it started with trump downplaying the virus at the very beginning. the republicans wouldn't wear the masks. they are the ones that wouldn't get the vaccine. i got the vaccine. i enjoy not having to wear a mask. i am concerned about a new variant coming up. i would have to blame it on the republicans and the anti-sirs -- vaxers.

caller: it became political when the democrats and china released the virus on our country. that's when it became political. it was politically used to try to keep donald trump from becoming president. i don't know why you act like that's a surprise to you. host: you've got to turn down the television when you are called on. just listen and talk through your phone. kevin in frankfort, kentucky. caller: that was just imbecilic. i would have to say from personal, i'm afraid i'm going to lose my brother and his entire family because they are listening to whatever it is out there on the internet. they can make up anything they want to on the internet.

it can be truth by their reckoning. i am going to lose my entire brothers family because of this. they refuse to believe the truth that this virus will kill you. host: kevin in kentucky. gina, what do you say? caller: i find it interesting, when there was a caller that made masks and headpieces to keep viruses out. he said the masks do no good. they do not work. this is the subject of interest. people just ignore that fact. this became political so the

democrats could have mail-in voting again. that's all it is. it's to scare the people. it's a travesty. host: two newspaper articles this morning. this is from the washington examiner.

the washington examiner. compare that with the new york times. alarming findings drove the mask reversal. this is what they say. kevin in jacksonville.

what do you say? how did this become political? caller: it became political in the constitution. it says to promote the welfare. it tells us that they have to promote for the general defense. that's what they think is the most important thing for us. even though coronavirus -- none of us knows where it came from. they just want to keep us divided. united we stand, divided we fall. as long as we are not looking at them, they will continue to oppress us. have a great day. host: this is pam in north carolina with her text.

let's go back to the former president. in april 2020 as he announces then the mask guidance, this is april 2020. this is four months after the virus is in our country. >> the cdc is advising the use of nonmedical cloth face coverings as an additional health measure. it's voluntary. you don't have to do it. they suggested. this is voluntary. i don't think i'm going to be doing it. they have a lot of ways you can look at it. the cdc is recommending that americans wear a fabric mask. they can be made at home.

these face coverings can be used or washed and reused. the cdc is not recommending the use of medical grade or surgical grade masks. we want that to be used for our great medical people that are working so hard and doing some job. medical protective gear must be reserved for the frontline health care workers who are performing those vital services. the guidelines do not replace guidance on social distancing, including staying in your home when possible. standardly six feet apart for a. of time. we are all going to come back together. we can practice hand hygiene, which we should do anyway. a lot of things i think are going to spill over. shaking hands, maybe we will stay with our country for a long time. one of our great doctors was

telling me we have the flu every year. the number of people killed by the flu is very substantial. if they didn't shake hands, that number would be substantially lower. maybe some of these things long term will be good. those guidelines are still the best and safest way to avoid the infection. with the masks, it's going to be a voluntary thing. you can do it. i am choosing not to do it. some people might not want to do it. host: the conversation on the website had a piece about the psychology of wearing masks. their headline from the conversation, we will show you that. they say :

what do you think about that? how did mask wearing become so politicized. a deck rat in oklahoma, what do you say? -- democrat in oklahoma, what do you say? caller: a lot of it goes back to trump. i don't know. he thinks everything is going to be just fine. everything is good. we all know it's not. anyway, my sister's boyfriend

just got out of the hospital with pneumonia and covid. the doctor told him he has -- is a very lucky man to have survived from that. the pneumonia part, he plays drums in his church. the man sees that he's got a second chance. he said that he is going to start helping people. god gave him a second chance. host: got it. kevin is in arkansas. it challenges our sense of exceptionalism. host: janet in jacksonville.

what do you say? caller: it got politicized when we see these people pouring over our border unmasked and unvaccinated and untested. what are we to think? we are just ignoring the southern border. my husband and i are vaccinated. we are fooling the american people by lying to them. that's my point. host: ray in colorado. a little history for you this morning. this is from a washington post article where the headline says

the battle over masks has always been political. they went back to the 1918 flu pandemic. during that time, directives to wear mastic apolitical battle over gender and power. although they did not necessarily accord with partisan division. part of it was because of the different political situation in 1918. the pandemic coincided with 19 -- world war i and americans were more likely to side with the government. host: frank in pennsylvania, and

independent. good morning two. caller: good morning. the statement you read a few moments ago regarding the psychology belonging to groups. that is a beautiful way to describe how it becomes political. the fact is this virus is nonpolitical. it is a scientific problem we are having. this is something we learned decades ago. the problem comes from the individual. it shows how the democrats and republicans blame each other. the individual has to make a decision. do we get our scientific information from politics or from scientists. we all have an individual duty to follow the science. forget about what religious leaders say. it's not going to wait

miraculously. it has nothing to do with either party. that statement you made about the psychology, we want to belong to a group. follow the science in the truth. have a wonderful day. host: william in connecticut with a text. robert in florida, democratic caller. it's your turn. caller: good morning. i got my shots, my first and march and second one in april. i've been wearing a mask even though i got the shots. right now, here in florida, this is spreading like crazy. they are overflowing hospitals. this governor we've got, he was

declaring mission accomplished. this is two times now. now we are in this position. i'm going to keep wearing a mask because it's the right thing to do. host: more of your phone calls coming up about how this mask wearing became a little. democrats, republicans, independence. your lines will be on the screen. continue texting us at (202) 748-8003. you can go to facebook. you can send us a tweet with twitter. on infrastructure, as we told you, the senate is moving forward with that $1 trillion bipartisan infrastructure agreement. another hurdle will happen today. they will begin debate on the senate floor, whether to begin debate. there could be more votes as well on this infrastructure

agreement. tune into c-span 2 today. they could work into the we can. here's chuck schumer on the senate floor yesterday, talking about the way forward on this deal. >> i want to commend the senators who worked with the president to reach the deal. it will ultimately dedicate over $1 trillion to strengthening every major category of our physical infrastructure. the vote last night means the senate is on track to reach the two track goal i laid out at the beginning of the month. the first track, a bipartisan bill post on traditional infrastructure projects. the second track is a budget reconciliation bill where democrats will make investments in american jobs, families, efforts to fight climate change. in order to start work on a reconciliation bill, the senate

must pass a budget resolution first. we are on track for

a few months ago, the parade of left-wing ideas that comprise this mess. turning pandemic welfare payments with no work requirements into a permanent goal. shoving through big chunks of the green new deal. government price-fixing that will leave us with fewer new medicines and new cures. there is an effort to inflame the border crisis with a far-left amnesty. we have seen the highest unaccompanied child arrive or's on record.

the biggest month for immigrant encounters in 21 years. this month, apprehensions for the calendar year are expected to top one million. we still have five months ago. one might think they would try to avoid repeating the missteps that created the crisis. apparently, democrats intend to do the opposite. their spending spree will include a bigger green light in this crisis. host: mitch mcconnell there. back to our conversation, how did mask wearing it become political?

here is one of our viewers saying the delta variant is getting our children sick. i can only hope that your fellow americans care more about your family than you do. take a look at the hill newspaper with the headline u.s. has the highest number of new cases in the world. the u.s. tallied 500,000 new cases for the week ending to lie 25th. the u.s. was followed by brazil, indonesia, the united kingdom and it is the delta variant is driving the surge. what do you think? caller: i think it became political because of trump's missed information get go. -- misinformation from the get-go. that speech you just played earlier, he talks out of both side of his mouth. he had no continuity. he said the cd recommends it, and i'm not going to wear one. it just came to a head. i would like to say this is for john.

i made a comment about how most americans get their information from facebook and believe it's true. i'm looking at a pew research poll taken from techcrunch.com. 36% of u.s. adults say they use facebook for news. they don't understand reality. fake and fiction. they think this is a big hoax even today. host: mark, do you think that is the driving force? you said it was the former president. but how much does disinformation -- caller: ok. i live in massachusetts. we had one of the worst outbreaks initially. charlie baker, a republican governor, we had amassed mandate. -- we had a mask mandate. one of the first states. we had over 70% vaccinated.

we have one of the lowest rates in america. i'm looking at florida, there are 186,000 new cases. in the last week. we have 8000 in massachusetts. there is obviously some misinformation. education in general is the biggest lack. we have a bunch of morons in america. thank you. host: steve in vero beach, florida. caller: good morning. i think we need to get back to its been political from the get go. it needs to be political on both sides. red or blue. if you go to basics, 100 years ago, we didn't know about sterilization. bacteria. antibiotics. we take them on faith. they are a protectant. or a healer. if you go out in a rainstorm, you wear rain gear, an umbrella.

if you are in the cold, you wear a heavy coat. these are the basic things that protect us. if a mask can protect us, everybody should be wearing one. host: eddie in peoria. illinois. democratic caller. caller: good morning. how are you doing? when the virus was released to the world, it was up to the medical and the scientists to help heal them. when the politicians started from the highest person in the free country started talking his rhetoric, people started believing what they wanted to believe. it's up to the scientists and the medical profession to kill this virus, not the politicians.

host: do you think the cdc has done a good job of communicating why they make the decisions they make? caller: i think the water is being muddied. because of the politicians. one site says it's this. another says it's that. i think the water is being muddied. host: tensions flare over the cdc guidance that if your fully -- you're fully vaccinated, you still need to wear a mask when you are indoors. look what happened yesterday. house republicans are protesting the mask mandate by walking to the senate where masks are not mandated by the capitol physician. you can see marjorie taylor greene there. other republicans as they walk over to the senate. also in that crowd was chip roy of texas. he came to the house floor wednesday protesting the

re-imposition of mask wearing in the house chamber. here's what he had to say. >> we have a crisis at our border and we are playing footsie with mask mandates. it's absolutely absurd what this body is doing. it's a mockery. the american people are fed up. they want to go back to life. they want to go back to school. we are running around here, the speaker comes down and says we've got to where masks. -- wear masks in the people's house. we've got thousands of people pouring across the border. we have the new york times today, what a mess. the cdc is about to reverse on. -- on indoor masks foring vat -- for the vaccinated,

quote-unquote. this is serious nanny state stuff that will only breed resentment. no kidding. consider resentment being magnified right here on the floor of the house of representatives. host: congressman chip roy wednesday. matt in dallas says masks are political based on your view of freedom. we as democrats believe in achieving freedom from the virus. republicans will protect their own individual freedom no matter the human cost. yesterday at the white house, the president was asked about his previous promise that if people got vaccinated, they wouldn't have to wear a mask. here's what he had to say. >> if you're fully vaccinated, you no longer need to wear a mask. in may, you made it sound like a vaccine made you lose the

master. >> that was true at the time. what happened was a new variant came along. more people were getting sick. host: from the white house yesterday. how did mask wearing become political? what you think? caller: good morning. i have a masters in public health. i worked for 30 years in public health. i am educated in this. the guy that talked about florida having high numbers. that's because of the immigration, the illegal immigration. louisiana is high. alabama is high. mississippi is high.

and also california is high. it has nothing to do with the fact that people were vaccinated or not. the rate from the new people coming in is a lot higher than the rate when people were not wearing masks. secondly, the reason there is so much politics is because there is so much variability. i'll tell you a little bit about the variability. one thing is wearing a handkerchief -- i wore mask for 30 years. in business and industry. i worked for shell, the army, oil companies. doing public health. i have a master's degree in it. a bachelor's degree in environmental science. what happens is the virus changes so fast. they brought in so many people from the south, you had so many possible variants. the second thing is the mask don't even work right.

if i had to put a handkerchief on workers, they would've kick me out of the plant. i've seen a guy in puerto rico wearing a handkerchief. the point is a handkerchief -- there is pulmonary functioning, there are a bunch of masks used that are better than the ones doctors use. that actually covers you. if you wear a surgical mask, the virus is going to go through there. the only way it works is with globular spit of the virus. there are a lot of other factors. host: we don't have enough time to go through the mall. shirley is important. florida.

caller: it is so disgraceful, the reporter asking joe biden about something he said a couple of months ago. if we all get vaccinated, we won't have to wear a mask. that was true then. they act like they don't have common sense to know that this is a different type of virus now. people need to protect themselves. i think it is so foolish. if donald trump told the republicans to jump off a cliff, they are going to do it. he went out there in said -- and said he wasn't going to wear a mask. he said it was a choice.

they decided then and there they weren't going to wear one. now, these senators are taking up the rat. they're going to do whatever donald trump says. they are having a fit about wearing a mask. it is so stupid. like a mask is going to kill them. host: dave, your turn. caller: i think both parties are to blame for this. they've been fighting for years over every topic imaginable. the democrats were attacking trump. trump is going to be defiant and attack back. he did say all of those things about the masks.

that's kind of where it all started, just the constant attacking. how to fix it, there is a show. you had a program on c-span and they said there were four doctors saying the virus is intentionally or accidentally leaked. if the people see that, i think that would be clearer. i think people would take the vaccine if the government says you are going to be covered medically if you have issues further down the line. it is not fda approved. i think that's the way fobble get this more under control -- possibly get this more under control and get people more on the same page. host: iris is in louisiana. have you thought about this before? democratic caller. why is this political?

caller: i think it's political because we are dealing with politicians. i honestly think -- i tried to raise my children to tell them if you tell a white lie, i will not believe you in any situation you want to explain to me what happened. white lies turn into bigger lies. i think the politicians started telling us lies from the beginning. that politicized it then. i had covid last year. -- i had shots immediately. i had covid last year. fortunately it znt cause me any harm -- did not cause nene -- me any harm. my husband also had it. he came through it just fine. i was really worried, but we came through it fine. and i'll elderly. i'm in my 70's.

i really think the reason it's politicized is we are dealing with politicians. i also want to blame the migrants. they are coming through with no masks. and having covid and they're going to pass it on to everyone else in the united states. and i also wish that president biden would take a look at that situation and maybe dr. fauci flip-flops so much that people are confused. i only wear my mask now when required. if you go into a health setting, you need to wear a mask. there are vulnerable people. we are dealing with politicians. there's your reason it's been politicized with the virus. host: sam in kentucky sends a text.

host: shelley in wisconsin, what do you say? republican. caller: this is not a red or blue pandemic. it is an american issue. it's getting worse. i don't understand. i do not understand how this turned over. host: you've got to turn down your television. it is confusing and people can't hear you. just listen and talk through your phone. i want to show you what the president had to say yesterday when he announced vaccine and mask requirements for federal workers. president biden: in addition to providing incentives for

vaccination, it's time to impose requirements on key groups to make sure they are vaccinated. just this week, we took an important step to protect our veterans. like many civilian hospital systems, the department of veterans affairs will require covid-19 vaccines for doctors and nurses and other workers who provide medical care for our veterans. we must do everything possible to protect our veterans from getting covid. when they come to get medical care they so richly earned, serving our country. we owe them. next, since many vaccinations are required for active duty military, i'm asking the defense department to look into how and when they will add covid-19 to the vaccinations the armed forces must get. our men and women in uniform who protect this country from great threats should be protected as

much as possible from getting covid 19. this is important because our troops serve in places throughout the world where vaccination rates are low and diseases prevalent. next, every federal government employee will be asked to tax -- to attest to their vaccination status. anyone who does not attest or is not vaccinated will be required to mask no matter where they were. test one or two times a week to see if they have acquired covid. socially distance and generally, they will not be allowed to travel for work. likewise, i'm directing my administration to take steps to apply similar standards to all federal contractors. if you want to do business with the federal government, get your workers vaccinated.

host: president biden at the white house. his announcement for federal workers. we are going to go to morgan in pennsylvania. how did mask wearing become political? caller: good morning. thank you for c-span. how it got political. remember, at the get-go, trump said it was a democratic hoax. americans were dying and he said it was a democratic hoax. it's been downhill since then. host: let's keep it civil. you don't need to call people names. john in middleton, new york. independent. caller: i honestly believe this has become political because of the politicians out there and different newsgroups that love to throw fuel on the fire and misinformation to the public. i'm a transplant recipient.

my wife is an icu nurse. i'm a grandfather now. i wear a mask. i have to wear a mask. when i first got my transplant, i had to wear a mask when i started working again because of different fungus and bacteria in the soil we deal with. it's nature. then covid came along. my wife went through an unbelievable year as an icu nurse. we were hit very hard here in orange county. i jokingly used to say to one of my friends who is a transplant recipient, we were in style. we were setting the fashion because we were wearing masks prior. like your text message said, he was wearing a mask before and it wasn't political. my family wears masks.

when we do markets. my son who i respect, he gets harassed because he wears a mask because he has a daughter that is less than two years old and he's got a dad who is high risk. he has a grandmother who is in her 80's. it's got to stop. i don't care anymore. i get up early in the morning and i come in and watch c-span. then i work all day. i'm a conservative american. i will admit one thing. i did vote for trump once. i wouldn't vote for him again. i know that will set some calls off in the future. when it comes down to it, think about other people. my wife says to me, they don't wear masks and the nurses and doctors and staff in the

cleaning people, we have to deal with them when they get sick. so wear the proper mask. follow the guidelines. stop trying to be tougher than the next guy. thank you. host: john, bonita springs, florida. a republican. it's your turn. caller: good morning it, gretchen. host: it's credit. -- greta. caller: dr. fauci said we didn't need a mask. then he said you'd better have one. then you should put two on. if we look at his emails he says, you don't need masks, they're pretty much useless. it's 5000 times larger than the virus. it's going to go right through it. it's a mosquito going through a chain-link fence. they are useless. if people would follow the

science, i think people would be a lot more receptive. wearing a mask is absolutely useless at this point. thank you gretchen. host: bernie in louisville, kentucky. caller: i'm a numbers guy. this morning on our new station, the head of our hospital system came out today and said 97% of all the covid cases they have had are people who are unvaccinated. those numbers sound very alarming to me. you are a really good reporter. i will talk to you again in about 30 days. host: what was the appeal from that doctor? what was the point? caller: he was giving his daily news briefing to get people to

understand the people who are getting sick are the unvaccinated. as far as the masks go, i'm tired of blaming trump. that is getting redundant. masks work. look at the flu virus, we had virtually no flu season at all. according to my doctor, he didn't treat anybody for flu. washing your hands, the masks, the social distancing, it all works. there is no denying it. host: what the you say, judy? independent in rochester. caller: i think both parties are to blame from day one when it started, i think some of the stuff that came out of trump's mouth wasn't the right thing to say. but i don't think fauci was right either because he was following fauci's guidelines. you showed a video trump saying he wasn't going to wear a mask. the one thing that bothers me a lot, because most media is

democratic, and i try to be fair and honest and watch all the channels. nobody ever shows the video of nancy pelosi in chinatown in san francisco saying there is no virus, it's a hoax. when trump wanted to stop the planes coming in from china. nancy pelosi was dancing around saying there is no virus. why don't they show that video? host: where did you see that? caller: i think you guys showed it. i watch mostly you. i watch fox, newsmax, cnn. cnn will never show it. i will not watch msnbc. i think they are the most lying -- what's the word i want? they are just a bunch of jerks on that channel.

host: i will go to jason in minnesota. jason? democratic caller. caller: good morning. i just want to respond about fauci. at the time that fauci was talking about mass, it was the n95 mask that were so needed for everybody on the front lines to be using. the other mask isn't as good as in n95. it's better than nothing. where did this start? it started with donald trump. everybody knows that. he said it was a hoax, it wasn't a hoax. he said he wouldn't get vaccinated. he ended up getting vaccinated in january, he wouldn't let anybody see it because of vanity. he thought any of the stuff would make him look weak. he didn't want to roll up his sleeve on the air and have everybody see that. it's just ridiculous, from a guy who paints himself orange and he is so concerned about vanity. but not the lives of americans.

it was disgusting. the republicans glommed on with it. they were just like, oh, boy, yes, our orange savior is saying this, we have to believe everything he says. this is the guy who said i understand science because my uncle was a scientist. this is how much this guy understands. you r i agree about keeping things civil. that man who said something, we've got to keep it civil on here, donald trump of said worst things about americans than one person calling him a name. i love c-span. just wear masks. i love america. get vaccinated. the fda should approve this by now. we've got 100 million people plus vaccined. everybody is doing fine. there are 15,000 to have had side effects, remember 600,000 dead from this covid-19 that

could've been taken care of earlier if the guy you're showing on tv right now would have said, wearing a mask is ok. thank you. host: richard in kentucky. good morning to you. guest: you definitely showed your true colors when that lady asked you about nancy pelosi going to chinatown and saying, saying let's all party, because it was supposed to be their time year where they celebrate the chinese culture and you said you never saw that. host: richard, i asked her where she saw it. what's that i -- that's what i asked. caller: but here's the kicker. no one on msnbc, no one on "washington journal," nobody is talking about the hundreds of thousands of people walking across the border who have -- who we have no idea, you're

telling us we have to wear a mask. you're telling us we need to social distance. our children are going to have to wear masks. and you say nothing about the mexicans and the others. coming across the border, killing our people. you're murderers. host: richard did you watch the show yesterday? apparently not. if you -- richard and others, on the show yesterday we talked with congressman henry cuellar, a democrat from texas, who represents a border community in laredo, texas, we talked for 30 minutes about the surge in immigrants coming across where he lives. the cases of covid that they're seeing down there. and his call on the administration to do more for the homeland security officials on the frontlines and the border communities to protect them from covid-19. we're going to talk again this morning about immigration on the southern border. we'll take up the -- all of the

issues around that and your questions and your congressmens as well. linda, fort worth, texas, democratic caller. hi, linda. caller: hello. i was just wondering, why don't you just have the working people call. in most of us that called in this morning are old people or we can stay at home. we don't have to work. i'm wondering why don't you have it to where just the working people call in one day. thank you. host: linda, we've done segments like that, it's hard because they're working. they're already working or they're -- if they're on the west coast they're sleeping. we try to broaden out the conversation so we can get many different callers. jay in milford, pennsylvania, republican. hi, jay. caller: hi, greata. thank you very much -- greta. thank you very much for your show.

i want to make two quick points. one is my mother is in a nursing home. recently i found out that the nurses and aides are not vaccinated. and the people calling who feel the mask is a joke. put a mask on, throw some watter on the mask, see if your face gets wet. then take off the mask and do the same thing. masks work. for people to feel this way, that's a problem we're going to have forever. thank you very much, greta, have a great day. host: you too. david, democratic callers. caller: thank you, greta, you can do your own survey, the people who don't wear a mask, why are the masks getting political and that is look at

what congress did yesterday, all of them walked in with no masks. what does that mean? that is being politicized by the politicians especially the republicans. what does that mean when they can go and say to their constituents, look what i did and get a little tv time? but they're not really thinking about the constituents, you know. and our -- or each other. that's all i have to say. have a good day. thank you. host: pete in connecticut. yes, it's political. politician, media, don't see us as people. they treat us as clay to be manipulated and molded. that's why we're victims of deception and fighting each other. from diamond, new jersey, a republican. caller: i don't like everybody calling in and getting on trump. he's not the president anymore. he's the one that starred the ball rolling for these vaccinations. i have had both of my

vaccinations, and if you don't trust the vaccinations, then yeah, go wear a mask. but i trust the vaccinations and i'm never going to wear a mask again. so that's the problem in this country. people don't trust the vaccinations. the government don't trust the vaccinations. that's what the problem is. you say mask up, mask up, whether you had the vaccination or not, and that is untrue. if you -- you're not trusting vaccinations, then this is -- this whole farce is for nothing. thank you very much. host: before you go, did you hear the new york times piece that i read at the top? dr. walensky sent an email to the new york times reporter, told them why the c.d.c. made this announcement earlier this week about even if you're fully vaccinated you need to wear a mask, and this is why. new research shows that vaccinated people infected with the delta variant carry tremendous amounts of the virus

in the nose and throat. the finding contradicts what scientists observed in people infolked with previous versions of the virus who mostly seemed incapable of infecting others. but now they're saying the science is showing that this delta variant, even if you're vaccinated, you are carrying a tremendous amount of it in your nose and throat and you can spread it to other people. your reaction to that? caller: it's a lie. they don't know what they're talking about. they have changed their mind the c.d.c., i don't know how many different times since this virus started. no. i'm not going to wear a mask again. and they can't force me to wear a mask gep. i'm an old vietnam veteran and i love this country but i hate the way it's going. and it's going to end badly. host: how do you respond to scientists who say we change when the science catches up?

you know, this research was just done. caller: they don't know what they're talking about. they talk out of one side of their mouth do, this, do that, do this, do that. and i don't think they really know. they don't know anything about this virus because they're so confused about what it's doing. host: ok. kenneth in missouri, republican. wally, in naples, florida, he says the next half-hour should be about going from political to personal. i've had to bar certain family members and friends and neighbors from my home due to nonvaccine, nonmasking behavior, this is getting harder, he says. owe in oklahoma city, a democratic caller. hi, joe. caller: hi and thanks for having me on. you know, i'm really tired of listening to the republican callers to be quite frank. it's almost like they have an excuse for everything trump has done and they continue to line up behind him.

you know, it was proven he had dodged the draft, but the flag wavers and patriots get behind him. it was proven he robbed from charity, cheated on all of his wives, paid off a important star, tried to -- a porn star, tried to hide it by paying bribe 34u7b and they lined up behind him. he sends terrible tweets out, they say he's a businessman not a politician. when it comes to covid, does anybody not remember or did they not hear his open words when he was being interviewed by the guy for the book, woodruff, and trump on that tape said, yeah, i'm lying to the american people about covid. he wouldn't wear a mask in public. he lied about the virus, that was proven. he's the biggest reason why we have such a terrible problem with it now. and then they're saying oh look at the border, they're letting them in without vaccines but they're the same people not getting the vaccinations. this is ridiculous. turn off the a.m. radio, turn

off newsmax, start paying attention to science. it's just like the same thing with the climate change, it's all denial until it hits your home with a flood or a drought or a fire. get vaccinated, you morons. thank you. host: danny in st. petersburg. caller: i'm a retired nurse and a veteran. i know something about viruses. they do mutate, they do change and the latest news we've heard is true. what we've heard before this is very political. put on your mask, get your vaccine, and stay safe. protect your family. that's all i got to say. host: all right, danny. jimmy in raleigh, north carolina, republican. hi, jimmy. caller: hello, how you doing. host: good morning. caller: good morning. i'd like to say that i think everybody has gone nuts lately. everybody is running around with

their heads cut off, running around like chicken, they don't know what to believe or what not to believe. you have fauci saying this and that, he's a flip-flopper. then you have biden, he doesn't know what he's talking about. so that's all i really have to say. host: all right, jimmy. tim in minneapolis with a text, he's an independent, saying it's political because people really do listen to their candidate, representative or president. he says it'll just go away. katherine in boling bolingbrook, illinois, we'll go to you. caller: yes. i wear a mask just as i carry a rosary. in my pocket. every day where i go. and i do it for me. and for you. it's important that we look at

other people. host: ok. brandy in rome, new york, independent. caller: good morning, greta. my comment is, you know, under the early days of the covid, we saw day after day after day of the scientists, fauci and dr. birx, i wonder where dr. birx is today, why aren't we having briefings for the american people that we can ask questions to the scientists in front of the mesh people to answer what the science is and what are these reasons for, they're saying, they're changing the science. ok, what -- show us. is it one thing they're going

by? host: that's essentially what this program is, a town hall, where you get to call up and ask questions of scientists and we've had lots of epidemiologists throughout this pandemic on this program. we will continue to do so. where you get to call up and challenge what you've heard and ask those questions so that there's clarification of the science. let's go to robert in spring valley, new york. hi, robert. caller: i've got a question for ms. tenney about what she sees the potential impact to small business of new democrat caused lockdowns plus the higher prices coming because of inflation caused by new democrat spending. host: ok. robert talking about claudia tenney our guest coming up here on the "washington journal." he's a member of the small business committee. kevin from glen, michigan,

democratic caller. hi, kevin. caller: hi, hello. um, yeah, so, i mean, i think there's a fundamental lack of understanding. i mean the last caller was just talking about inflation. and the spending that has caused that. and you look at the limiting supply that has been caused, you know, in the lumber industry, some of that is caused by trading from canada. semiconductors with automakers. like there's been a fire in a plant ina pan. there's also been problems with a plant in texas. all that stuff contributes to inflation, not only an increase in spending. then you look at like the science. and i do work in the health care

industry, i'm a doctor, and like what you're seeing now, like what the public doesn't see is the process of science. so you look at all the studies and how the scudies come out and such -- studies come out and science is constantly evolving and changing. thing we did 20 years ago for heart disease aren't the same we're doing today. and things that we thought were good 20 years ago, aren't necessarily thought of as good today. host: does that lead to distrust? caller: i think that how public and -- how public ions is today with the virus specifically, people aren't used to seeing that process, that evolving process, you know, they just go to their doctor and get a treatment for heart disease or you know -- diabetes, anything like that. and they just kind of accept it.

then they can see the tangible benefits immediately. but you know, you have this new virus that's coming out and there's a lot that we don't know. and with -- there's not a whole lot of studies that have been done. there's been a ton of studies done but in the scheme like in the language of science, or in the history of science, there's not a lot that has been studied with this thing. and i think that people just -- they're not used to seeing that practice evolve like that. host: sara in wisconsin. masks have been mandated and some see it as politics and some

do not. host: jean in new orleans, an independent. hi, jean. caller: good morning, c-span. i think that the recent -- the covid-19 has become so political is because of the advent of the information highway. seems like anybody who has access to a computer, telephone can spread their opinion instantly. so that in the case of smoking, there was less controversy about people not smoking, there was less controversy about people wearing seat belts.

and the fact that people have to, or ask, do -- or are asked to do something for themselves to protect themselves, they have the -- there's the ability for people who disagree to have access to those people, that makes it political. thank you. host: here's dave in new york. host: al a republican in yonkers, new york. what's your opinion on this? caller: i think it became political because the politicians are telling free people what to do. when you're telling someone what to do, they just question the fact of why they need to do it.

i understand personal safety. i wear a mask, i've been wearing a mask ever since this came about. but my question this morning is, why is nobody trying to figure out exactly how this thing came about? yes we're telling everybody to put on a mask but we need to know how it came about. that's all i've got to see. we seem to have left that part out. thank you for taking my call. host: yes. al in yonkers, new york. richard in new haven, connecticut, a democratic caller. hi, richard. caller: hello. i'd like to say that conservative republicans are pro-life. when it comes to a woman's right to choose. what to do with her own body. when it comes to their own live, their children's lives, they are pro-choice. they choose not to be -- not to be veterans administration naid, choose not to wear a mask. what is it going to be, pro life or pro choice? what's the difference?

people walking around, in poverty, not one republican senator voted for the child recovery act. not one republican senator voted for the covid-19, which numbers have proven have reduced poverty to as low -- to its lowest level ever. you have 48% voted to repeal the affordable care act. so how can you be pro life when you don't support things that support pro life? host: ok. richard. bobby, north carolina, republican. caller: i think it becomes political. first to get rid of trump. and secondly we all need to come

together on this and quit dividing us and find out what really happened over there in that lab. and be bipartisan. everybody in the united states, they work for us. they need to get to the bottom of it. i know a lot of them got big interests in china and stuff like that, got a lot of money invested over there. but that's where this thing comes from and we need to know the real history on it and where it came from and how -- what we can all get together on the same page and work together. and quit all this mess. it's just crazy. that's all i've got to say and god bless y'all all. host: bobby in nashville. don in riverside, california, republican.

hi, don. caller: hi, how are you today? host: good morning. caller: how are you today? host: i'm fine, thanks. when did mask wearing become political? caller: i can tell you, i can sum it up in two words. it's a money grab and i hope nobody votes for it. thank you. host: willy in slidell, louisiana. democratic caller. hi, willy. caller: good morning, ma'am. i live in one of the most republican parishes in the state and these people haven't been wearing a mask if the very beginning. they've got 41% in this parish that are vaccinated. and i say let them die. let them die. thank you. host: william in lanceford, pennsylvania, a republican. caller: yes. i just would like to say that masks don't work because over in china, they all wore masks and still caught the covid and another thing, i'm not going to take the vaccine until

dr. fauci, wmple h.o. and china get in trouble and face consequences for their actions. thank you. host: bill in columbus, ohio. democrat -- doyle in columbus, ohio, democrat caller. have you thought about this question? have you discussed it with family or friends? caller: i have. it started in the beginning. ever since donald trump was in office, the lie he is said, it was a democratic hoax. i'm so amazed that so many people get behind him and all the stuff that he does. he supports the mob. he didn't say one thing when they rushed the capitol. you know, he said y'all were great patriots. but how many times did he appreciate the police officers that had to protect the public people and their lives and stuff? he said so many things for the republican party and it's just amazing that he supports, so many people supports him. he tells his people to not wear masks and then so many people in his cabinet was catching it.

every time you've seen him speak at the rose garden, he told them not to wear masks and then look how many people came up with the virus? and then since they think the masks don't work how can you say it doesn't work? this past year there were not a lot of people that caught the flu. i'm just so amazed about what they say, what he says. he says he don't know nothing about stormy daniels but then all of a sudden boom, his name is all over the checks. and this dude is a habitual liar, lies all time. i don't know how people can support that former president. thank you. host: tim in ohio. pose this is question. if you don't have access to ventilators because you refused to mask or get a shot, would it be politicized? lee oh in a in new york, an independent. hi, lee oh navment. caller: hi, how are you, greta. i wanted to say with all the trump bashing it's very upsetting because when the virus

first became known to us in early 2020, trump closed the flights from china in particular and they called him a racist. i mean, now, the boarder is open. so who is really protecting us? i don't understand. how do people get on the bash trump wagon when he was trying to protect us way back then? and they called him a racist. and that's the democrat party. that's what they do. they use that. to silence people and to twist everything. it's horrendous what's going on. just horrendous. it's very upsetting. i mean, i voted for trump but i'm wearing a mask. you know. i have the antibodies because i had a mild case of covid. and i had an antibody test and i have the antibodies and i feel, according to my doctor, he says you're safe just like vaccinated people. so i'm -- and i wear a mask

every single day. and i work. so people come into my office sometimes and they say why are you wearing a mask? i said because i feel safer doing it. and that's just the way it makes me comforted. and it helps me feel like i'm protecting others as well by wearing a mask. and i'll wear two masks if i feel more safe. but it's not a republican thing to be anti-vaccine or anti-mask. that's not true at all. and the more people keep saying it, the more upset i get because every republican i know is wearing a mask and is vaccinated. and they're in my family, and they're my friends, and i just hate the way, you know, they use the racism thing against trump because he was trying to keep us safe from the get-go. host: all right, leona. we'll leave it there. >> things have been in a bit of a holding pattern here at the white house and on capitol hill.

first the white house, the deputy press secretary, karine janne-pierre, set to address reporters, that's been pushed back a couple of time, we'll have live coverage once it start, assuming the house doesn't come in. they've been in recess subject to the call of the chair, because the rules committee has been meeting throughout the day, since about 8:00 this morning, on a bill that would extend the federal pandemic eviction moratorium set to expire tomorrow. the bill would extend it to the end of the year but the word is, democrats are trying to get votes for a shorter extension, through october 18. the speaker explaining in a letter to colleagues that is when the public health emergency declaration expires. still no word from the rules committee nor when the house may gavel back in. only thing it did move forward on capitol hill was the senate, by a 66-28 vote, agreed on the motion to proceed to that