i didn't really catch my attention. what did catch my attention was shortly after that, these police officers started coming into the chamber. they were being very loud. we were still debating. there was a lot of commotion and the doors to the chamber were the day started shutting all the doors. you could hear them lock. i noticed several of them were standing in front of the doors and they had their weapons out. >> you will also hear from democrats from texas and new york. january 6, views from the house sunday at 10:00 eastern on c-span.

for more on exactly what these policies were that were announced from the white house yesterday. we turn to area -- turn to arianna skibell. good morning. explain what these new policies are and how much buy-in they are getting from automobile manufacturers. guest: thank you for having me. the president has launched a multipronged effort to turn over , increase electric vehicle sales by 50% by 2030. the car companies, including ford, gm, chrysler, stood by president biden as he signed the executive order. they have made pledges or aspirations to reach 50% ev

sales by 2030, but stopped short of a firm commitment because they want to see federal dollars go to tax incentives and charging of the structure first. host: on that infrastructure, how much is included in the bill that is likely to see a final vote this coming weekend? guest: it is hard to say what is actually going to show up in there. biden originally put in $174 billion for ev's. and that has been slashed dramatically. now there is 7.5 billion electric vehicles and electric buses have been reduced to 2.5. host: the aspirations to 2030, that was the pledge the biden administration laid out for half of new vehicles to be electric vehicles by 2030. how does that compare to other countries or the eu? guest: we are falling far

behind. in the u.s. ev sales count for 3.8% of total vehicles sold, up from 1.5% earlier this year and expected to grow, but in europe that number is closer to 11% and expected to hit 20% by 2025. host: the other part of this is tailpipe emissions. there is history going back to the trump and obama administrations, where president biden was then vice president biden. explain the evolution of emissions standards. guest: president obama launched the most significant climate regulation in the history of the u.s. with his tailpipe efficiency rules, which president trump scaled back dramatically. what the epa and president have done today is really try to reinstate the obama era standards.

they have released new requirements for greenhouse gas emissions and fuel efficiency for cars, suvs, and pickup trucks through 2026. through the executive order they announce an intent to beef up those restrictions for model year 2027. updating air pollution standards for heavy duty vehicles. they are going in the right direction. a lot of people would like to see more stringent rules but may need to wait until 2026 for that. host: you talked about the reaction in the auto industry coming you cover these groups in washington. what about the environmental group's reactions and the oil and gas industry? guest: environmental groups are mixed. a lot of people are saying it is good but we need more stringent rules. a lot of people are saying the epa's regulation has a lot of loopholes and flexibility for car companies. so they are really hoping to see more stringent rules.

oil and gas, i haven't seen a kind of reaction there. host: what are you watching for in the days, after this announcement has been made at the white house yesterday? what's next? guest: just to state, it is important to remember that for epa this is a proposed rule, so we have a long role ahead. -- long road ahead. there is a deadline by the end of the year or the rules do not go into effect for model year 2023. we have to see what happens with congress, and whether biden can get that federal investment to start transitioning into the sector. host: arianna skibell, a transportation reporter, first out with the reporting of the new proposals by the biden administration this week.

thank you so much for your time this morning. host: as we talk about these proposals from the biden administration, the executive order signed by the president targeting 2030 for half of new car sales in the united states to be electric vehicles, zero emission vehicles, we want to know if you think the united states should phase out gasoline-powered vehicles. (202) 748-8000 if you say yes. (202) 748-8001 if you say no. talking about that event at the white house yesterday. here is some of president biden's remarks. [video clip] pres. biden: the future of the automobile industry is electric. battery, plug-in, fuel cell electric, it is electric. there is no turning back. the question is whether we will lead or fall behind in the race to the future. it is whether we will build these vehicles and the batteries

that got them to where they are here in the united states or we will have to rely on other countries for those batteries. whether or not the jobs to build these vehicles and batteries are good-paying union jobs, jobs with benefits, jobs that will continue growth in the middle-class. they have to be, they have to be made in america. right now china is winning the race as one of the fastest growing electric vehicle markets in the world. right now 80% of the manufacturing capacity for these batteries is done in china. here is the deal. it is not china's battery technology is more innovative than anyone else's. remember, our labs, universities, automakers lead in the development of this technology. we lead in the development of this technology. there is no reason we cannot lead again.

we just have to move fast. host: president biden yesterday from the white house grounds. we talk about should gasoline-powered vehicles be phased out? here is one of the headlines in the wake of that announcement from president biden from the front page of "the washington times." biden plans to phase out gas cars faces roadblocks, lays out ambitious goals is the sub headline. the statement yesterday from cathy mcmorris rodgers, republican of washington, the ranking member on house energy and commerce committee said if people struggle to stretch their last dollar to avoid reliable transportation amid rising gasoline prices, this administration is asserting more control over the vehicles we drive to work, take our children to school, and live our lives. it is unfair for people whose car is not a luxury, but a

necessity. it is a radical push for electric vehicles that will make america more dependent on china's supply chains. we will take you through more of the reaction through this first hour of "the washington journal." we mostly want to hear your reaction to the question, should gasoline-powered vehicles be phased out? first up, he says no. why? caller: good morning. no. we have to put this in context. america was built -- certainly after world war ii, our energy and innovation, our ability to create unbelievable medicines. we are losing sight of all this based on this climate change and this hatred of energy. the point is they want to bring america down based on these

issues. i can't believe a guy like joe biden, who is almost my age, would agree with this. it's insanity. host: do you think gasoline-powered vehicles should ever be phased out? do think technology is advancing beyond that? caller: no. at some point, who knows. but the fact that oil and gas, the wheel, it is what made the world great. why would you want to bring all this down? host: john, new jersey. thanks. jane out of auburn, washington. caller: you can cut them out tomorrow. the united states has fracking, another form of smoking crack, putting oil in the ground, but cars you have to mandate them in the united states.

trump era republicans are like fred flintstone. these people went to stay on fossil fuels because they have that monopoly on it. no one wants to go to china and start a business. why do americans want to go to china to start a business? then they complain about what china makes them do. bring your business home, mandate electric cars made in the united states. do not listen to anything republicans have to say. but the 3.5 million dollars and another trillion dollars on the infrastructure. what the republicans want to do is they were spending money on airlines, cruise lines, giving partners money, a lot of politicians were getting loans. -- host: got your point. michigan, the home of atuo

city, yes, we should phase out gasoline-powered vehicles. caller: good morning, americans. good morning, c-span. i think it is time to start phasing out vehicles. gas vehicles. we have the west on fire, we have the south flooding, and we have temperatures in the hundreds, and we have republicans and republican leaders denying what's happening. we must get off of fossil fuels. we need to start now. host: you say start now. just for the viewers watching on tv, this chart from the pew research center shows where we are now when it comes to new electric vehicle sales accounting for 2% of new vehicle sales in the united states.

that is the yellow line. in europe electric vehicle sales account for 10%. in china it is 5.7%. you said we should have started yesterday. how long will it take if it is something where gas-powered vehicles get phased out? what is the time horizon? caller: like the president is doing now, mandating that a certain percentage must be made. we have to start mandating solar, mandating electric vehicles, or your grandkids and your grandkids' kids will not have an earth to live on. it should not be a political issue. it should be a life or death issue. host: this from the new york times story on these actions by the biden administration yesterday, without a radical change for the types of vehicles americans drive it will be impossible for mr. biden to meet his ambitious pledge to cut

planet warming emissions by 50% from 2025 levels by the end of this decade. gasoline-powered cars and trucks are the largest single source of carbon emissions accounting for 28% of the country's total carbon emissions. that from the new york times this morning. this is joseph from glenn burnie, maryland. says no to the question about phasing out gas-powered vehicles. caller: i worked in the automotive industry dealing with car repairs. when it comes to electric vehicles the ones we've had come through our business, it takes 50% more work effort to make the thing safe to make repairs to. we have consumers that complain about our repairs getting more expensive, and we are making them more expensive to work on. we currently have modern internal combustion engines that have been narrowed down to a small as they can be creating as

much power as possible, and it is creating problems with the engines, creating incredibly expensive problems. i have customers' cars that because of the mandated changes that have to be done to the engines to make them more fuel-efficient, they have repairs at 80,000 miles that cost consumers $10,000 to $12,000 to fix. and these are things that cannot be worked around. what we are doing is creating a situation making cars to expensive.some of the entry-level electric vehicles are in the $40,000 to $45,000 range. that is the price for an entry-level three series bmw. host: you say that you are in auto repair, how hard is it to make the transition from repairing a gas powered engine to a battery powered engine? how much affect do you think if we get to 50% of new vehicles

being battery-powered within 10 years, how much of an effect is that have on the auto repair industry and jobs in that industry? caller: it is incredibly difficult. there are a couple of pieces. one, there is a large amount of training that has to be done to get a technician use to an internal combustion engine to safely work on an electric vehicle. it is new designs you have to learn, a new function of the component. if they don't know what they are doing it is not an oops, it is someone got electrocuted to death. another part of this is there is a right to repair act in a country that protects aftermarket independent automotive repair centers that make up the bulk of the industry. tesla has avoided having to

make their repair information for cars available under the right to repair at. i -- repair act. i have customers who own tesla's. they were told they no longer have to bring in their cars on a yearly basis for maintenance, which is one of the things they included when they had the car new. we have tesla owners being told drive your car, it has tires, brakes, all of these moving parts that are inspected by each state that you no longer have to bring into have checked because we don't have to change the oil so you don't need to look at this other stuff. honestly, my opinion on that, is because tesla is having such a problem with getting parts serviced and taken care of and inspected, that they put pressure on the service centers. if they would make their information available to independent service centers, there would be an even playing field and more people able to

practice the trade and learn how to do it so that when we switch over to 50% vehicles in 2030 -- which is a joke -- that we will actually have an industry ready to back that up and be able to take care of people. host: how long have you been in auto repair? caller: my entire life. i'm about 35 years old. host: thank you for the review of your industry. you mentioned tesla. arianna skibell of ene news mentioned the heads of the big three automakers were represented at the event at the white house yesterday. the washington post noting that on twitter elon musk, the chief executive of tesla, suggested his company was snubbed from bidens' event. he wrote, seems odd tesla was not invited, he wrote on twitter. yes, phase out gasoline

powered vehicles. how soon do you want to see that? caller: we are going. to be phasing out over 100 years ago there was a guy who patented hydrogen cars. the original -- if you look at the original cars when they were first made they were mostly electric. then the big guys with oil, the rockefellers and those guys, came in and took the electric out. they passed these things that mandated gas power. it is well-known and well-documented. all you have to do is do the research. they wanted to make the money. also, in 1948 there was an antigravity machine patented, in october i believe. two years ago or three

years ago the secretary of the navy came out and there was a senate hearing where they discussed an antigravity machine , like ufos that go in and out of water. we are going to go away from it and it is coming up sooner than a lot of people think. host: on the issue of electric vehicles, here is where we are from the pew research center. 7% of u.s. adults say they currently have an electric or hybrid vehicle. the pew research center noting 39% said that they are very or somewhat likely to consider buying an electric vehicle the next time they are in the market. outside of a few major metropolitan areas electric vehicles are not that common in the united states. as of 2021 .8 million ev's were registered in the u.s., more than three times as many in 2016 according to the international energy agency. about 2% of new car sales in the

united states in the past year were electric vehicles. that is well below the countries of norway at 74.8% of new vehicles being electric vehicles. iceland, 52.4%. the netherlands at 25%. denmark and switzerland, you can see the countries down the line from the pew research center. talking about reaction on capitol hill to the proposal coming from the biden administration, especially this target of 50% of new vehicles being electric vehicles in the u.s. by 2030. this is the republican from wyoming, the conference chairman for senate republicans. his remarks on the floor of the senate yesterday. [video clip] >> the american taxpayers are giving billions and billions of taxpayer dollars to electric vehicle manufacturers and owners.

electric vehicle makers have been given free tax dollars for 30 years. the truth is electric car buyers don't need more taxpayer money. they have plenty of their own. there is a market for electric vehicles very well established. there are more than a million electric vehicles on the road today. they are being made by everyone. general motors, mercedes-benz, u.s. manufacturers, foreign manufacturers, they are being made all around the world. the u.s. energy information projects sales of light-duty electric vehicles will reach 4 million by 2025. electric vehicle makers are doing just fine. they are also receiving free money from just about every state. who benefits from these taxpayer handouts to electric vehicle

makers and users? well, customers are usually wealthy. they don't need more money. seniors on a fixed income in wyoming are not trading in their cars for expensive electric vehicles. it'll class families who are trying to make ends meet dealing with inflation hitting them every day under the fine economy , they are not going out to buy expensive, new electric vehicles . seniors and middle-class families are hurting now because of inflation hitting them when they buy gas, groceries, and other goods. this is cost-triggered by massive democratic spending and the buying and -- and the borrowing and spending under the so-called coronavirus relief bill will stop democrats are looking out for them under the proposal? no.

nearly 80% of tax credits for electric vehicles go to households that earn at least $100,000 a year. let me repeat, nearly 80% of the tax credits for electric vehicles go to households that have earned over $100,000 a year. host: republican senator john barrasso on the senate floor yesterday. taking your calls, your comments, on the question should gasoline powered vehicles be phased out? this from patsy in illinois, ione 2015 nissan centric gas powered. isn't that energy efficient? it works from knee. we are already behind and making batteries for electric cars as far as the costs. like vcrs and everything else, the cost will go down. they should not be phased out, they are too useful. offer the ev option and continue

the production of gas engines. no, the reality of emissions is fantasy. there will be emissions from mining for batteries and what happens during major power outages, hurricanes, and natural disasters or rolling power outages? a few thoughts from people texting us and on social media. especially looking for your phone calls. this is robin in florida who says no to our question. caller: my main reason for saying no is i think that there is a lot of information about the electric vehicles. i own a vehicle currently that gets 41 miles per gallon.i have had it since 2013. i care about my carbon footprint. i tried to look into electric vehicles to find out the benefits, costs, and repairs, and it is difficult to find that out.

on top of that by 2030 is i think not feasible. i took a trip from florida to pittsburgh, and after i got out of north carolina i saw very few charging stations. how are we going to be able to transfer in such a short time? my main thing is i want more information. it concerns me about the battery. what happens to the battery? i think there are too many unanswered questions to phase out gas vehicles at this time. host: thank you for the call from the sunshine state. big sky country, mary and montana says -- in montana says yes to this question. caller: i can remember gas stations had a battery bay. for the longest time i didn't understand what it meant.

all of the restaurants and motels and public areas had sockets to plug in. i remember that and didn't think too much of it. my grandfather just happened to tell me about the fact that our state was run on electric vehicles during world war ii. he showed me the big construction vehicles that were being sold off. he was actually buying them and the batteries that went in them. they were huge. then we ran into some gentlemen who were in the trucking industry during world war ii. when gas rationing hit, it hit the trucking industry, too. they did not have enough gas vouchers to function as a business. the competitors across the nation got together, the trucking industry, and said, how

do we get oranges from florida up north and milk from point a to point b? we can't do this. most of our businesses will belly up. they worked together. they did not have gasoline. we have to look for alternatives. what was available? military batteries were available. they were being made in bulk. the manufacturers could make extra gigantic batteries for the trucking industry. the mechanics in the trucking industry almost overnight put their heads together to figure out how to use existing vehicles, put the batteries in, and jerryrig them to function for the trucking industry across our country. host: what does it say to you

that three automakers were represented at the event at the white house pledging aspirations to meet this goal of 50% electric vehicles by 2030? caller: lazy. we were able to do it during world war ii. the trucking industry did it. they did it within weeks. they had to get produce to the people in the united states across this country. they had to get stuff there. they made it happen already. one of the major problems with our country right now is we have short-term memory. we already have done this. we don't have to reinvent the wheel. host: mary in montana. next-door to idaho, rick on the line for those who say no. caller: top of the morning to

you, john. i have spent 16 of my 20 years in the marine corps on the f-18 jet. i say no to electric vehicles. i concur with the mechanic who called in earlier. i own a 1978 chevy pickup truck . i rebuilt the engine myself, back to standard blue printed. the original transmission has 78,000 original miles. the cost of repair. ladies and gentlemen, if you think you have repairs now, you have computers on wheels. if you upgrade to electric you will have to spend a lot of money. it is not feasible to go all electrical. if you want an experiment or platform do city buses. i guarantee every six years they will have to do an update.

to pay for the minutes of polity buses -- the municipality buses. i have a 36 pickup truck, my boy toy, i rebuilt that engine myself. keep the automotive transportation going. joe biden is a piece of the puzzle you forgot to tell america. 62% of our cars are made in foreign countries. i watched three alternators fail test. he pointed at the box and said made in china. that is your problem. your parts are coming back junk. get our parts made in america, general motors, ford, and chrysler. fine-tune everything. i get 23 miles per gallon on my 78 chevy pickup truck and i have no computers.

host: you mentioned president biden and his comments at the white house yesterday. here are a few more about the goals he is setting for the auto industry. [video clip] pres. biden: folks, the rest the world is moving ahead and we have to step up will stop government, labor, industry working together. we have a playbook and it will work. today i'm announcing steps we are taking to set a new pace for electric vehicles. first, i following through on a campaign commitment to reverse the previous administration's shortsighted rollback of vehicle emissions and efficiency standards. i'm doing so with the support of the auto industry come the automobile industry. today the environmental protection agency and department of transportation are unveiling proposals to do that. these agencies are working on the next round of standards for a broad class of vehicles, cars,

suvs, pickup trucks, medium and heavy-duty vehicles. we have announcements from automakers representing nearly the entire auto industry market who have positioned around the ambitions of 40% 50% of all vehicles sold by 2030 in america being electric. to unlock the full potential we have to keep investing in our workers in manufacturing capacity. that is what our build back better plan is about. it is about leveraging once in a generation investments and a whole government effort to lift up american automakers and strengthen american leadership in the world in clean car technology, cars, trucks, and buses.that is why i'm signing an executive order setting a target of 50% of all passenger vehicles sold by 2030 will be electric and set in motion an all-out effort. host: president biden from the

white house. should gasoline-powered vehicles be phased out? eric in maine. you say yes. caller: good morning. can you hear me? host: yes, sir. caller: great. if anyone has not seen the movie who killed the electric car, 20 almost 30 years ago we had battery capability of one charge 250-mile radius. the old company and big auto lot the car and technology and literarily buried it in the desert and they show it happening. what happens when we move from the horse and buggy to the combustion engine? i am sure the blacksmith coalition, the horse buggy coalition, all of those folks must have been up in arms. it was the end of the world. well, we did it.

the blacksmiths were out of business and the buggy producers were out of business, but we made it, and here we are. how many years have we been on the combustion engine? i think 70% of the energy that the combustion engine creates, the only thing it does -- the energy that the combustion engine creates goes into keeping the engine going. i think 30% or less moves the vehicle forward. that is not -- that doesn't make a lot of sense. but here we are, new change, moving into the electric vehicle . but also green is not really green. the electric vehicle should not be considered green because of how the parts are being made, the battery parts, the chemicals and the metal that goes into the battery, slave labor, burning,

plastic. yes, i think it is necessary to move to the next technology. i own my second prius. my first, no major repairs. my second prius, and i drive a ford f1 50 combustion engine for my business. i want to move and become the first green landscaper in town, but i have a problem with the technology is not really green. what i do with the batteries when they are dead? yes, we should move forward and get rid of the combustion engine. not 100%, i love a muscle car and cannot wait to get into my 1979 bronco, but change is hard but necessary. host: what is the name of your landscaping business? caller: little tree lawn and

landscape. host: this is steve out of illinois. said yes, get rid of the gas powered engine. caller: good morning, everybody. youtube and the internet is the greatest tool of mankind today. you can go on and find out all the information you need about electric vehicles. there are literally thousands of reviews from jay leno on speaking to the quality,, safety and reliability -- quality, safety, and reliability. as far as the gentleman speaking about batteries, there are many young startups that are beginning recycling businesses for the batteries. as far as mechanics go, win did a mechanic save you a dime ever? when a mechanic calls and say they don't like a product it is

because they won't be able to get you into their shop and roll you over there bill paying. the electric car has no transmission. no transmission, no transmission fluid. there are hundreds of less parts electric vehicles. as far as the radiator goes, it is filled with toxic chemicals that would kill you in a second that is poured all over our country. no more radiators. these cars drive themselves. you can go to the grocery store, sit at the checkout counter, and your car will drive to you. there are youtube videos of people driving tesla cars through flooded streets. while combustion cars are underwater, they are driving through the water and the tires are propellers driving them through. host: we should note, never drive through a flooded street.

that is always the better idea. caller: thank you, john. you think about everybody, and you are absolutely right. my point being the safety and reliability of these cars is phenomenal. host: what kind of car do you drive?? caller: after 2008 i got wiped out and now i drive a rusty ride. i will never be able to afford a tesla, i dropped out of the economy. elon musk is a treasure to this country. we are very fortunate to be living in a time when the people who were against the tire, the wheel -- we don't like the wheel, it is too complicated. those people still exist. host: on percival, virginia, on

the line that says no, don't get rid of gasoline powered vehicles. caller: thank you for taking my call. i am a mechanic. i have been turning wrenches for about 40 years. the issue with electric cars is in the wiring systems. even over the years i have seen the older cars, the wiring system -- i have a 1972 suburban and there is nothing wrong with the wiring because it is bigger wires. with years computers come and everything else -- i have newer cars with computers and now you have smaller wires. you have road wear and tear, well, the wiring is an issue. on electric cars, we don't have an history on the wiring. we are getting bits and pieces now as they have been out for little while, but the life of

the battery is another issue. are they going to get 10 years out of the battery? which is the whole subframe of the vehicle. the batteries cost $8,000, $12,000, not counting the labor to replace them. what happens to the batteries and chemicals? are they recycled? a percentage can be but a percentage can't. that is the same with the older batteries. they recycle batteries nowadays, but only a percentage can be recycled. not the whole thing. in my experience, computers have made them more efficient. i have no problem learning technology and improving technology, but until the vehicles and technology get up-to-date to where we can afford vehicles -- you take the

average household out here, they cannot afford a $120,000 tesla. they can barely afford a $30,000 kia. host: in person bill, virginia, -- percival, virginia. if you say no to the question it is (202) 748-8001. we talk about the senate very late, or very early this morning, unable to reach an agreement for final vote on the bipartisan infrastructure bill. that vote now expected this weekend, perhaps saturday or sunday. the senate is not in today, in large part because several senators will be attending the funeral of the late senator. this is the story from the casper star tribune out of wyoming. governor gordon, congresswoman

loomis will all be in attendance of the public ceremony to commemorate the life of the former wyoming senator mike enzi. according to the story, he died monday after hospitalized from a bike crash that left him hospitalized with a broken neck. there were no other parties involved in the crash. the chapel has not anticipated how many people they are expecting, but the building has a capacity of some 4000 people. speaking of the passing of well-known washington figures, this is the obituary in the washington post. aflcio president richard trumka, an influential voice died

at 72 on a camping trip with his family after suffering a heart attack. president biden told reporters yesterday, president of more than 50 labor unions representing more than 5 million members and has been a frequent guest on c-span networks with over 100 appearances on c-span over the years. it was yesterday on the senate floor that the senate majority leader, chuck schumer, announced the death of richard trumka. this is what he had to say in an emotional address. [video clip] sen. schumer: i arrived with sad, horrible news about the passing of a great friend, richard trumka who left us this morning. the working people of america lost a fierce warrior at a time

we needed him most. yesterday rich was lending his support to the striking miners in alabama. following in his father's footsteps he worked in the mines, he went to penn state and learned his law degree. he went right to work for the united mine workers, which he led for so many years and then became the head, first secretary treasurer in the afl-cio. he had in his veins and every atom of his body the heart, the thought, the

>> what would it cost to switch to electric vehicles for your business? i think the overhead would be incredibly extensive because we pressure wash them. what we do in order to have the same power not running emissions. to mass-produce batteries on

that scale, it is too expensive now. >> thanks for calling. in massachusetts, good morning. go ahead. i strongly believe from over 20 years of research and learning at university, there is so many reasons why we should shift to electrical cars. i discovered my own reasons for my research into the phaseout of oil and gas. i saw that we are like 100 years behind, so the timing now, with infrastructure, is very important. i believe our freedom from oil and gas lies in the ability to use electrical vehicles, because then those electric automobiles can use -- be used in sync with

the new infrastructure involves a surveillance, sensors, and smarter systems that can go along with electrical cars much more seamlessly than the internal combustion engine. sen. klobuchar: let's call -- >> we end the week on the "washington journal" by turning phone lines over to you and asking you at the top news story of this past week is. here's how you can get in touch with us, republicans are --

the senate non-session today to allow senators who attend the funeral of their late former colleague, senator mike enzi in wyoming. the senate is set to return at 11:00 a.m. eastern on saturday morning and you can watch all the action gavel-to-gavel live on c-span two. time for your phone calls, asking about your top news story of this past week. we will get right your calls. this is bill in sidney, ohio, a republican, good morning. caller: good morning. my top news story concerns the illegal immigrants come across the border and dispersing them, knowing they have covid, dispersing them into the other states. i can't understand why that is not being covered. thank you, and i will hang up. host: here's george in illinois, also a republican. what is your top new story of the week? caller: i guess i have the same

story about people over the border. i don't think any democrats i can imagine have a tv set unless they think faxes putting on movies -- foxes putting on movies with actors, actresses, babies, and all of these people coming over. it is really good for the country. thank you. host: our line for democrats, this is allen in brooklyn, new york. good morning. caller: i think hands-down it is the report that trump pressured internally justice department officials to announce that the election results were corrupt and he would take care of the rest once he had some kind of indication there was a reason for the public to be angry, he could rouse up the crowds and create the very violent mob he did on january 6 and try to reverse the results of the election if not through legal

process and that is the scariest story i can think of. host: hey democrat scholar, top story of the week? caller: yes, the biggest story i think is how close donald trump came from taking over, doing an insurrection and destroying our democracy. host: that is deborah in oregon. asking viewers what your top news story of the week is. the first two viewers talking about immigration, news this week on that front and what is happening at the border. the biden administration preparing to begin offering the coronavirus vaccine along the mexico border where illegal crossings are at their highest levels in over two decades. health officials are struggling with soaring numbers of infections according to two department of homeland security officials with knowledge of that plan. the washington post writing until now, only a limited number of i grants -- of migrants have

received vaccines while in customs and force in -- customs enforcement detention facilities. the dhs was vaccinating migrants soon after they cross into the united states. that from the washington post. then to our third and fourth callers in this segment, some news from politico, the headlines, january 6, a select panel takes over the house probe of trump and the department of justice, a key house, political rights, has postponed multiple interviews about donald trump's final days in office, handing them to the panel investigating the january 6 capital attacks. "as the oversight committee continues this crucial work, we look forward to the committee exposing the former president's unconstitutional attacks on our democracy and attempts to stay in power after the american people voted him out of office. -- office." that is from the chair of house oversight committee, in a to the

january 6 panel speaking on politico did not to speed the handoff and added the select committee would announce additional actions soon. that from politico. back to your phone calls. your top new story from the week, max, democrats, what do you think? caller: i am a democrat, i am against what supposedly the governor cuomo did. i think he should be resigned or taken out of his office, because on the same token, i cannot believe the republican party had not criticized one just got release from fox for sexual misconduct and republicans are supposed to be evangelicals and to not criticize for things they have

done sexually another misconduct, but democrats, as soon as something happens, they get rid of the guy. host: on the union front page, inquiry nears its and from the front page of the new york times this morning, how the cuomo team uses retaliation to hush accusers aiming to instill fear, the report detailing strategies from an outside loyalist, just a few headlines at a new york today. this is don in new orleans, independent. what is your top news story of the week? caller: good morning. my news story of the week is the ongoing forest fires on the west coast of california and oregon in particular. this particular forest fire is called dixie, d-i-x-i-e. those are roman numeral's and the i and x in roman numeral's

is nei and the x i is 11. host: that's a lot to read into on the name of a fire. caller: it's all of these fires by nature. they said lightning strikes but all of these fires are diabolical -- ra diabolical plan. we have all sides of the street, some are over 1000 and some are over 2000 years old. 2026, america will be 250 years old. that is 10 times older than america. host: that is done in louisiana. james in mission, texas. good morning. caller: good morning. my top story is the star that

just won't go away. i go -- i live in the border -- i live near the border. it's an issue with covid. you think about over the last year how people will say we can't let people with covid out and about and how we have had over 8000 since february released into our streets and nobody in the liberal networks have been down here to cover its but you can bet for sure if trump were president, they would all be down here. this immigration issue is not going to go away. even the democrat politicians in the area are against what biden has done changing the policy. this is an issue, a top issue this week, but it will not go away. thank you very much. host: rick, a democrat, what is your top news story of the week. caller: my top news story for the week is that no one is talking about, i am trying to figure out, maybe you can help

me. what happened to the $500 billion trump took without oversight during the first round of covid relief in spring of last year. there was any inspector general assigned to oversee the spending of that $500 billion that mnuchin got and trump fired him two weeks later. i have to know what is going down at the border. i have relatives that live in mexico. our money is being used to incentivize human traffickers to send people up to the border to cause as much chaos as they can cause for this country and administration. where's our $500 billion? six months later, trump lost the election and where did the $500 billion go? host: got your question. this is lower in washington, a republican. caller: good morning. my biggest concern is the constant over dramatization as

what they referred to as the insurrection on january 6. if you look at the facts, it was nothing like that, nowhere close. and that is what i have an issue with. the politicians up there, specifically democrats, are lying about the situation and keeping people in jail that should not be in jail. they are in there for trespassing and for months and weeks and are demonized and these are democratic politicians with an agenda. host: how would you define what happened up here on january the sixth? caller: on january 6, i believe there was a rally of people that love this country and trump had nothing to do with what happened. i believe they went there to do what they had the right to do. they had the right to redress their government with the grievances, they have the right to challenge the electoral vote. host: do you think there was a right to attack police officers? caller: i don't believe there was an attack.

i haven't seen anything that confirms that. what i see is clips of videos. host: that is lower in washington this morning. another headline from today. biden awards officers who defended the u.s. capitol from rioters, congressional gold medal. president biden awarding the gold medal. the branches -- medal the brach's highest -- two of their officers responded to the capital attack, died by suicide in july. the deaths of the officers bring the total number of officers who have taken their lives after the attack to four. another officer died the day after fighting off writers during the capital invasion. all told 140 officers were injured, 17 remain out of work from injuries sustained from that attack on the u.s. capitol.

this is president biden in his remarks yesterday in the rose garden before signing into law that's bill awarding those gold medals. pres. biden: folks, not even during the civil war did insurrectionists breach the capital of the united states of america, the citadel of our democracy, not even then. but on january the sixth, 2021, they did. they did. a mob of extremists and terrorists launched a violent and deadly assault on the people's house from the sacred ritual to certify a free and fair election. it wasn't dissent, it wasn't debate, it wasn't democracy. it was insurrection, it was right and mayhem, it was radical and chaotic.

and it was unconstitutional, most important. it was fundamentally un-american. an existential threat, a test of whether our democracy could survive, whether it could overcome lies and the fury of a few who are seeking to thwart the will of the many. while the attack on our values and votes shocked and saddened the nation, our democracy did survive, it did. truth defeated lies. we did overcome. and that is because of the women and men of the u.s. capitol police, the washington metropolitan police department and other law enforcement officials we honor today. speaker pelosi, who led the effort in the house, senator

klobuchar, cosponsors legislation in the senate, and all my colleagues, pat lahey and house members as well, they are here. thank you. thank you. today, i will sign into law the bill you sent to me that awards the congressional gold medal to the united states capitol police , the washington, d.c. metropolitan police department, and other law enforcement for their service and defense of our democracy on january 6. tall of them, on behalf -- to all of them, on behalf of a grateful nation, thank you for taking our capitol -- protecting our capitol. host: president biden from the rose garden yesterday. about 10 minutes left in the program, asking you at the top news story of this past week was. veronica in texas, democrats, what do you think?

caller: the metals bang that were awarded by president biden -- medals that were awarded by president biden and the audacity that people don't see what we see on tv. what news do they watch? they do not see what we saw and i want to say thank you to those brave policeman that died and their family members. it is crazy how can still deny it. like the previous caller. it was obvious trump sent them over there, so i don't know what she saw that day but we all saw what happened that day and it was terrible. how can you say you love america and allow that? host: next out of madison, virginia, a republican. what was your top news story of the week? caller: the story about the creator of the mrna virus had any interview with tucker carlsen.

he wasn't saying anything about people not taking the vaccine but he was saying the government is not being transparent about the risks, and there is not enough data available for them to even determine exactly what the risks are, these statistics. another thing he said was people have the right to decide whether or not to take the vaccine because it is still experimental. that they have not been out long enough to see whether they need to refine if they have to. and he was shut down, they canceled him or took him off, setting -- saying he was spreading disinformation. then when they looked up his background, harvard, phd, all kinds of years of research -- host: where do you stand on taking the vaccine?

caller: i think it's a privacy issue. some people have medical issues where they should not take it, and i just think i agree with the doctor, people have the right to decide while it is still experimental and it is not fully approved yet. we don't know the risks, and the data is being withheld. host: meanwhile across the country, we are seeing the institution of new mandates by various state institutions when it comes to getting vaccinated returned to work. both maryland and virginia will require state workers to show proof of a covid-19 vaccination or undergo regular coronavirus testing. the state's governor announced thursday, mariner governor -- marilyn governor larry hogan says this will apply to workers

that are in geithner get virginias -- congregated working in virginia. it will affect about 122 thousand employees in the commonwealth. this tweet from this morning about mandates in california. california mandates coronavirus vaccine for all health care workers affecting more than 2 million people in that state. that is from the apv. apd also noting governor phil murphy from new jersey will announce masks ill be required in new jersey schools for k-12 students this fall. that news out yesterday and that announcement yesterday. this is norman in richmond, virginia. democrat caller:. good morning. caller:good morning. -- democrat, good morning. caller: good morning. i think the most import and item this week was the news that several republican-controlled legislatures in various states are enacting laws that will enable the