later, michael smith discusses the mlk day of service and the importance of national service and volunteerism. host: good morning. it is january 16. a three-hour washington journal ahead. we will have a roundtable discussion on ukraine and russia and the state of philanthropy in the united states. we begin on the topic of k-12 schools. during the omicron surge, a strain on school districts around the country. we want to know what the impact has been in your area. give us on phone line split different. parents can call in (202) 748-8000 at (202) 748-8000.

teachers, (202) 748-8001. school services staff including bus drivers and school food service workers, (202) 748-8002. all others, (202) 748-8003. that is also the number you can send a text on. if you do, give us your name and where you are from. a very good sunday morning to you. you can start calling it now. tell us what's happening in school districts in your area. as you were calling in, this is the headline from the washington post. the researcher at the university of minnesota, it is time to acknowledge reality. many schools we have to close because of omicron. this is what he writes:

that is the washington post. he is going to be on this program tomorrow at 9:00 to talk more about that story. we are just hearing from you. we want to hear what the impact of omicron has been in school district in the art. parents, (202) 748-8000. teachers, (202) 748-8001. school staff. , (202) 748-8002.

it was during their covid briefing that the president talked about the resources available to keep schools open going into these winter and spring months, including millions of new tests that the federal government has made available for schools. this was the covid team last week. >> schools to have the resources through the $10 million that went out. these 10 million tests add to the testing availability for schools. this is double the testing that was done in november. it's important to put testing in the context of the overall school strategies to keep schools open. i will turn that over to dr. walensky. >> thank you. i would like to remind people that we had a robust delta surge in the fall. we were able to keep 99% of

schools open safely with in person learning. i would highlight that was before we had pediatric vaccinations. we have pediatric vaccinations, when the best things we can do is get our children and teenagers vaccinated. once we do so, we can practice those mitigation strategies. we are 3.5 times less likely to have school closed if you are masking. host: that was the white house covid team last week, talking about resources available for schools. we want to hear what you are being told in your area. what is happening in your school district? phone line for parents, teachers, school staff, all others. last week during one of the several state of the state addresses that we aired last

week, the florida governor talked about school openings and the efforts in florida to keep schools open during omicron and the other ways -- waves of covid. >> education represents a major pillar of florida's future. i'm happy to note that florida is ranked number 34 k-12 achievement in the latest education week ratings. we have worked hard to keep schools open, to increase teacher compensation, to promote workforce education. in pockets across america, schools are closing once again. these are the more mislead destructive and they will not be tolerated in the state of florida. florida has led the way and putting our kids first. in 2020, when it wasn't

fashionable, we made clear that kids needed to be in school. we faced opposition from hysterical media, unions and politicians. we even faced lawsuits aiming to close schools. we would not allowed fear of politics to harm our kids. we were right and they were wrong. millions of families in florida are better for it. host: we are asking you in this first hour to let us know what's happening with schools in your area. we want to know what you are being told, what the impact has been. is there a possibility that schools may close. let us know. parents, (202) 748-8000. teachers, (202) 748-8001. school staff, (202) 748-8002.

all others, guest:. the new york times did their state of the virus. the omicron variant has pushed the country case reporting to record levels with more than 800,000 new infections reported each day. most of the country is seen explosive case growth. levels seem to have been peeking in some areas. new york and washington dc is starting to see some improvement. more people are hospitalized now than any other moment in the pandemic. around 1900 deaths are being announced each day. that's a 50% increase over the last two weeks. we are asking for your thoughts. just one tweet on this.

let us know what's happening in your part of the country. this is michael in virginia on the line for parents. good morning. caller: good morning. host: what's happening? caller: they are doing their best. i think little by little, it's going to start receiving. i don't know if they are going to close schools. they are short staffed. i don't see the choice. they are having issues with drivers, teachers have been out. my kids of had substitutes. now they are home. i think it's going to maybe

recede over time. we will have to handle it the best we can right now. host: what are the rules in your district for close contact? caller: it's five days. unless they have been vaccinated or if they have had covid. then they get to stay in school. i guess they are allowing anybody's to count as vaccine. host: how old are your kids? caller: they are eight and six. host: have they been vaccinated? caller: they haven't just yet. we're not against it. we are giving things time. host: what are your thoughts on virtual learning? that's third grade and kindergarten? caller: yes.

that's first grade and third grade. it worked out ok. i don't think it's good for kindergarten. i think that's their first year going into school. i feel like kids in kindergarten may learn so much just how to be around other students. i know they learned that in daycare and preschool. some kids don't go to preschool. they do learn so much in a classroom environment. i think it is better for them to learn in class. first grade, second-grade, i'm not against virtual learning. i think it does help the kindergartners to be in school. host: thank you for the call. on the line for parents, (202)

748-8000 is that number. teachers, (202) 748-8001. school support staff, (202) 748-8002. michael was from virginia. yesterday, the governor glenn youngkin was inaugurated into that post in richmond, virginia. among his remarks yesterday were comments about education and parents rights when it comes to schools. this is part of what he said yesterday. >> somewhere along the way, we lost the ability to show respect to one another. to disagree without being disagreeable and we tried to silence the people most responsible for the lives of our young children, their parents. parents should have a say in what is taught in schools.

they should have a say in what's being taught in schools because in virginia parents have a fundamental right to make decisions with regard to their child's upbringing, education, and care. parents, we respect you. we will empower you in the education of your children. host: the governor yesterday in richmond after being inaugurated as governor of virginia. talking to you about schools in your area. let us know what is happening in your part of the country. we want to hear whether there is a possibility of shut down and what the escutcheon around the

omicron variant has been in recent weeks. again, (202) 748-8000 for parents. (202) 748-8001 for teachers. (202) 748-8002 four school support staff. (202) 748-8003 for all others to call in this morning. this from fox news, one of the columnists when it comes to the issue of parents and schools. [indiscernible]

what's happening in sylvania? -- pennsylvania. caller: in our area, we are only at 40% vaccinated. our legislature is controlled by republicans. our governor is a democrat. they have taken him to court, gotten rid of the mask mandate. they went seven or eight days with no masks and already on friday, they had to close our high school and our middle school.

if you don't have some kind of reasonable precautions, i don't know how we are supposed to keep our children in school. thank you. host: how long will they be closed? caller: i don't think they've announced that yet. when they hit 5%, 5% of the students the test positive, they have to close. i don't know how long they wait until they go back. this affects -- they do let the special needs kids go. if they have a medical issue, even they can't go. somewhere, we have to do something that is reasonable. if we want to keep our children in school. what i would like, i would like my grandchildren to be able to go to school, but may be they do

need to wear masks or do some precautions. if all they went was seven or eight days without masks and already they have to close, something isn't working. host: how are your grandchildren doing with masks for school day? caller: they probably don't like it. i would think it would be better than being at home. i don't know how easy it is, how can you ask questions if you don't understand stuff when you are at home? i think virtual learning is a lot harder than kids being in school. my one grandchild is special-needs. he loves going to school. now, he can't go because he has

a medical problem with his breathing. they can't risk him being there. i just think somewhere we have to be a little bit more reasonable. host: thank you for the call from pennsylvania. atlantic city is next. good morning. caller: good morning. how are you? i don't have children in school. i do have grandchildren in florida. in new jersey, it's up to the district. right now, they are in school. i really feel that the most important thing from this pandemic was trying to keep children in school and the fact that they haven't been is going to reverberate for years to come.

i feel the parents, they say they want their children in school, but it's a group effort. you have to wear your masks. you have to maybe not go to bars and restaurants. there has to be a sacrifice to keep children in school because it's the most important thing. i have an idea it, the parent screaming and yelling at the teachers in meetings, maybe they should organize a group and try to help the teachers, maybe volunteer in the classroom, instead they just want to yell at the teachers who are taking care of the children all day. i think that's wrong. host: on this reverberating for years to come, i want to read a piece from the new york times. stay on the line it, i want to get your reaction to it. they focus on that. this is a newsletter writer for

the opinion section. he was writing how kids are falling behind and what has happened in a year or more. he writes: your thoughts on some

stats? caller: it's the tip of the iceberg. the children are the ones that are going to suffer mostly with all of this. if you are out for one or two weeks, you miss so much. i know some of the parents with children who are suffering because it's going to be terrible. the parents should come off their high horse. the kids do not want their parents yelling at school boards. they don't want that. i think society would be so much better if the parents would team up with the teachers and maybe help them. they are on the front lines.

i do think that regardless of whatever the kids have to be in school. use the out of thorium's, use the lunchrooms. do it outside. the masks are not on for eight hours. have them outside. they've got to where the masks. the adults have to wear the masks. we have to work together. the most important thing then sports and broadway shows and going to bars is those kids have got to be in school no matter what. host: thank you for the call out of atlantic city. (202) 748-8000 for parents. (202) 748-8001 for teachers. (202) 748-8002 four school support staff. all others, (202) 748-8003 we are looking for your tweets as well.

from the washington examiner, their latest magazine this month. the headline, the lead story from the front page, this is the headline on the inside. if you want to read more in that. this is charles in washington dc on the line for parents. what is the situation? caller: good morning. i have a child in the public school and a charter school. i think they need to talk to the kids. some of my ninth graders pass's have excelled at home.

people forget prior to covid, you had a crisis in education. we had oversized classrooms, with disruptive students and teachers not able to get the lesson across. you have a lot of children that are going to find that they are safe. we have no clue what it's going to do. i think to value students and teachers and respect them and show the respect to mr. give parents option. if your child has excelled at home as we know some have, if that's the safest placed, the option should be there. it shouldn't be a blanket umbrella that you are in or out. we know that virtual learning has worked. it should be a model for the future where parents have the option to address learning gaps. rumor -- remote learning should

never stop. they should always have that option to do work at home. host: how old are your kids? caller: five and 14. host: is the remote option working for the five-year-old? we had a collar talking about a six-year-old. they were concerned about virtual learning for the younger kids. is there something to be said for the socialization of being physically at school? caller: i don't think that. i think schools are social institutions. with my five-year-old, when they were on the tablet, she was focused. that's across the board. we live in a society where we try to penalize teachers for student development.

parents have to be involved. if there is an older sibling home, i don't think it affects the social ability of children. they are already on youtube and tiktok. they can stay social. the porton think should be keeping everyone self -- safe. host: too much screen time for kids was a concern, how much time a child spends looking at the screen. were we to worried about that? does that go out the window? caller: mitigating factors, they've got those classes that reflect the rays that can affect the eyes. i still think it needs to be monitored because of the content. if families can find those, i think school should be providing them. they should be providing

headphones. some children are in homes where it's not conducive because it may not be allowed. the option just needs to be there. that is how we learn. this is how we learn. we have to do it in a way that is safe and equitable and uses the resources we have. host: we are going to head back to the garden state. john is on the line for school support staff. caller: i'm a crossing guard and i've seen a lot of things schools have been doing. where i work as a crossing guard, when i go into the high school, you have a place where we check temperatures. they require you to wear masks. i think the real problem is technology in schools.

you have some districts who are not online. i think we need to push more use. we still have problems dealing with kids who were special-needs. those of the people who are learning disabled. there are still issues with not dealing with that. also with employment of these kids when they graduate from high school or post education. we are not teaching more technology. i think we've got to improve on that. i think schools are getting good with dealing with covid. i think it has taken us into a different direction. host: how did you get into being a crossing guard? caller: i was working in the office.

i put in as a crossing guard in my city. i became a crossing guard. i enjoy it. i'm not making the pay i should make. i have a bachelors degree. i've been having problems getting jobs because of my learning disability. host: what would you like to do? caller: anything in criminal justice, may be probation officer. host: thank you for the call from new jersey. indiana, what do you do in schools? are you there? one more time? we will try to get wendell back

on the phone as we go to kelly in texas. good morning. caller: good morning. how are you this morning? it's mighty cold down here in texas. host: you should see the frost on some of these windows on the other side, not the ones behind me. caller: when it hits 28 degrees in texas, we've got a problem. my complements on school right now, i'm 57 years old. we've had school going on. it has not shut down. the children have to wear masks. i agree with that. other than that, our schools have stayed open. in some parts of texas, schools have went remote. in your cities, up in austin, which i would not go there to save my life because of the

crime. other than that, i feel sorry for these children. they have lost so much of their learning with all that's been going on. i'm sure there's not one parent or schoolteacher that disagrees with me. we need to work together on this. i feel like they are making the children ponds. -- upon -- pawns. my grandchildren are in tennessee and they did horrible at the remote learning. they have been back to school. what i don't understand is i'm not knocking states. a lot of the red states had school open, but the blue states don't. can you explain that to me? i don't understand it. host: thanks for the call from

texas. carol in st. louis is next. go ahead. caller: i have a granddaughter who is a teacher. she went to school thursday. there were only two teachers that showed up for the whole school. are you there? host: what did they do? caller: she was telling me, she had to take the kids and put most of them in the room. she would go from one to the other to supervise. the littler kids, the eighth-graders watch the little kids. that's ridiculous. host: did any education happened that day? caller: no. she said it was all she could do

to make sure nobody was having trouble. this is a mess. they were closed for four days. then they opened back up because the governor thought schools should be open. then he should come and have volunteer teachers that go when when they have those problem. she's already teaching half a day into different grades because one of the teachers got so sick they decided not to come back. this is ridiculous. our governor feels like there is no problem. host: your concern it is open for the sake of being open, not for actual teaching. caller: the state is saying our schools are open. that's right. that's exactly right. that's what they are doing. host: thank you for the call

from st. louis. we played that clip of glenn youngkin yesterday in richmond. he's to new governor of virginia. the headline from the washington post, he takes office in virginia and reverses some virus rules. he was talking about parents ability to have a say in the classroom. wild and wonderful the program nearly every day. there is a good community of people to do that on twitter. you can join in.

this is amy in new york. she is a teacher. what grade do you teach? caller: good morning. i have taught for many years. i teach in new york city. last year, i went to school all year except a couple of weeks where they told me i couldn't go to school. i teach special needs. my students chose remote. i was doing a combination. this year, i'm very glad our schools are been open all year. we should not close schools. i have students whose parents are choosing not to send them because some of them have tested positive, some of them have other illnesses. it's been cold and snowy. i do have a number of students that are losing a lot of education this year. i can't do both this year.

i'm teaching live all day. i can't give the support i would like to. host: is there a virtual option? caller: no. i do know if you know new york city, our mayor said there would be no remote option. some of the kids, last week they walked out. they said there should be one. there is no virtual option. we do have one teacher. so many kids have been quarantined. we have two teachers in our school who work with children virtually. we've been able to do some of that. for my regular students, i work after school. i reach out to them. i can't support them. sometimes, the parents aren't responding.

i do have parents who are missing some of their education. host: is your school a high school? caller: elementary and middle school. we are a very good school. our staff -- we do have some staff out. the majority have come in every day and are working hard with the kids. it's been frustrating. host: for the teachers whose jobs it is to do the virtual who can't get in, do they have to be a kindergarten teacher and a seventh-grade teacher and know how to teach math to a seventh grader? caller: one of them supports. we have google classroom. teachers will put their assignments on google classroom. we have one teacher who works with pre-k.

we have another teacher that works with 5-8. they will call into the students and check in with them, what kind of work they are doing. i have one student who was out this week. the paraprofessional called in and worked with him every day. host: are you hopeful as a teacher in new york? is the wave passing? caller: i love teaching. i will not retire because i love what i do. it is so funny. as bad as it's been over the last couple of years, i feel like i've gotten closer to my students. when they would home, i could see with their lives were like. now we are back in school. the kids are happy to be back in school. i really love going to school

every day. i do not like wearing a mask. i'm looking forward to they would we can take our masks off. host: thank you for being a teacher. maryland, gloria good morning. you are next. caller: i teach middle school. omicron has impacted our school a little bit. not significantly, right before the christmas holiday, a lot of teachers were out. we have been helping with coverage. we have separate virtual schools for those who chose not to come back when students are out sick,

they are on quarantine. we have to do extra work as far as giving them assignments. i think -- i just wanted to thank president biden for giving us the masks and the extra testing at school. we are able to get covid tested and receive masks and students also received masks. that's been very helpful as well. host: how long or your kids out? caller: we've been out periodically. for two days we were off to do some planning for virtual just in case we had to go virtual. we were out this weekend for the martin was a king holiday. -- martin luther king holiday.

when we've been out, it's just been for weather related issues. we are planning virtually. it hasn't been a major impact at my particular school. there are other schools that have gone to virtual learning because of the amount of teachers or the amount of students who are out sick. host: on schools being closed last year, what of you seen on this idea of learning loss as a teacher? caller: i think it's half-and-half. i teach special needs students as well as regular education students. in some cases, it did some students well. some students have social anxiety when it comes to middle school. they are more prone to do better virtually. they don't have to deal with the

social issues. some students need that social contact. i think they are glad to be back. she had formed a better relationship with her students. they were able to connect with me at home. i do think there have been gains and losses on both sides with omicron impacting us last year. i grew as a teacher learning more technology. it was overwhelming at times. it's been difficult wearing the mask. we are trying to make it work and keeping up our children's spirits. we are doing restorative practices, talking about mental

health and trying to make a better connection so children have an outlet. host: we are going to try wendell again. that line for school staff. what do you do in your school? caller: i'm a student mentor. i work in illinois. it's about 25 minutes west of meat. host: what has it been like in your school? is a chance you could shut down with the omicron surge? caller: we have. right before winter break, we were supposed to be in person for three days prior to christmas. we went virtual the third day. we went remote for the first two days of that week.

we were doing adaptive learning. host: what is adaptive learning? caller: it's virtual. all the staff is in the building. host: does it work? caller: i don't think it is. some of the -- in our class, we have 50% attendance. some of the students that get on it, they say they've got to go somewhere with their parents. or it's too noisy. i understand the precautions. we didn't have -- we had less than 50% show up. that was some of the reasoning why they said we've got to go adaptive.

it's a tossup. it's a challenge for the students. especially younger kids. just to be plugged in, the teaching style is the same. i don't see you. we are able to see their screens. show your face to the camera. you are not on task. i think it presents a huge challenge. it has widened the achievement gap that the students are going to face in the future. host: thanks for the call. orlando florida, also school staff. caller: i am -- i see the

problem over and over. the district was able to have students have a preferential opportunity. everybody in my school, my wife is a teacher in an elementary school. i have two sons in philadelphia. one is a member of the staff, the other is a teacher. in orlando, they don't tell us

anything, who is sick. you have to ask for a teacher who is not there. host: on the idea of masks being optional, now that it's optional, how many kids where the masks? caller: when we started back, they started back. this month, they were going to make a decision with regards to that. students and staff, they were wearing the mask.

as a matter of fact, i contracted the virus. i had delta. in regards to -- i think virtual is the best and only option. we have a lot of disruptive students at my school. the teachers have to teach students who want to learn. host: would you be in favor virtual never covid is passed? caller: yes. for example, maybe for most. in regards to that, or best bet

is to start online. my daughter goes to school in college. she is online. that is like 15-20 years ago. we should go that way. in orlando, we have a lot of programs. you can choose that if you want football, basketball, whatever. i understand what people see. this is the only way we should go. host: we've got just about 10 minutes left. hearing from parents and teachers and school support

staff about what's happening when it comes to omicron and schools. alfred is in maine. good morning. caller: good morning. when it comes to omicron, dealing with the covid, it's very hard. i am the parent of a seven-year-old and a 13-year-old. my 13-year-old is doing everything virtual. what makes it harder for me as a parent is my children -- my oldest goes to school in california. he does virtual there. my daughter does school in maine and california. her education -- her grasp of knowledge is dwindling. it's become very hard.

for her to grasp certain things. she is starting to develop signs of dyslexia. these kinds of things can happen because they need that one-on-one face time or interaction. they are not -- they get easily distracted. especially at a young age. with that being said, it's hard on the parents, especially when you have to reschedule your job or your business. that's why i feel like so many businesses are opening. people want more time with their children, they have to do virtual lessons. host: thank you for the call. one other article to show you on this from politico.

it is an oakland based journalists. the headline, hout school closures made me question my progressive politics. she writes:

we showed you him inaugurated yesterday. this is frank in vero beach florida. how old are your grandkids? caller: thanks for taking my call. i'm calling in reference to my granddaughter who is in tennessee. speaking with my daughter, she says virtual learning is not working for her and her daughter. she has had the child in an out of school because they've closed it sometimes and had them open. she said she can't understand the difference in how her daughter asked when she's in school compared to trying to keep her focused on her lessons at home. it's hard for me to listen to

these people that come from different parts of the country covid in florida and i'm retired. i get to see things going on. it seems so much different here than it does in california or texas or new york or michigan. it's like it's almost not even happening here. compared to what's happening in the rest of the country. the virtual part of it, this is from a teacher perspective, which is my wife's sister in michigan. she's only in her 40's. she is going to retire if this continues because she says it is not good for the children. i can only go by what i'm being told by people that are in the system. that's all i have to say. host: sandra in north carolina. good morning. caller: good morning.

i'm from a small town obviously. maybe our circumstances are more unique. i can only speak from my perspective as a parent. my senior in high school was impacted by the beginning of this epidemic. her whole senior year was obliterated. she had no prom. she had no graduation. nothing. i understand it from a parents perspective. i watched my child not be able to enjoy the things that are sisters did as a graduating senior. i'm aware of the emotional impact as well as the impact academically. having said that, i also worked

in my county as a substitute teacher. for a number of years. i worked in the beginning of the pandemic and then stopped the amount of covid in my area. we did not have vaccinations at that point. i have an elderly mother-in-law. we were trying to do the best we could to keep her safe as we continue to do. i live in a county that has one of the lowest vaccination rates in the nation. that is astounding to me to this day. the lack of awareness of the seriousness of this is also something that continues to

frustrate me and mystify me. the impact on our schools -- our schools have closed down due to not having enough teachers. in one school alone, we had to -- there was an outbreak of covid several months ago. the young teacher died. a cafeteria worker died. a number of people that got sick with covid. thankfully, they recovered. the reaction was just like no reaction other than the normal sympathies for the loss of someone. there was no reaction as far as we've got to take this more seriously.

this is a county where the teachers don't wear their masks outside of school, who opposed this openly. that's my problem with it in the schools. they are making children vulnerable. host: i wonder about your thoughts about the frustration, especially in light of the chicago teachers union standoff, the shutdown that happened in the schools are reopened again. the frustration people had about that, about shutdowns and teachers unions calling for school closures after we did a lot at the beginning when vaccinations started coming out to put teachers toward the head of the line to get those vaccinations. there was a lot of frustration among people. now they should be back in school. caller: i understand that.

i can see the frustration of parents who have to work and don't have anyone to watch their child and don't know how to teach and they don't how to deal with it. i understand this. this is a hot mess from the beginning it to the end. the situation with chicago, i'm not there. i'm numb the ground. i don't know what's going on there. i know what's been reported. i can understand the teachers feel they are not safe. they feel like they are putting their lives in jeopardy. that's a concern all the way around. the fact that they have reopened as safely as possible. that is a good thing. i think they have a higher vaccination rate.

the higher vaccination rate and the protocols in place, i would be all in. children need interaction. they need activities. i'm all for it. i am in a perspective where if things aren't going to be safe, i'm just saying to the protocols are not put in place where i live and people don't follow them and they fight them continually, i feel like it's an unsafe environment for children. we've had teachers pass and staff pass, that's evidence of that. host: i want to get in a parent from texas. go ahead. caller: i have a daughter. she is a special ed teacher in

central texas. she has covid and her children -- she has six adopted children. they are all sick with covid. she called in last week and the school nurse called her coughing so bad she could hardly talk and told her she only had five days to be home that she has to be back to work monday unless she has a real high fever. even though she is infected and that the children have to be back in school. this is in texas. they only give you five days according to the texas education thing. what people don't understand that this omicron variant is an

airborne disease and you catch it in the air. and that's why face masks and i coverings are so important and i cannot understand why the government in texas cannot understand this unless they are purposely trying to reinfected people. host: stick around. plenty more to talk about this morning. return to a roundtable discussion on ukraine, russia and the u.s., we will be joined by florida international university professor david kramer and columbia university professor rajan menon. americorps ceo michael d. smith will discuss day of service and volunteerism.

>> 2022 is shaping up to be a big year for nasa with two major missions underway. the first will test the agency's ability to defend earth against asteroids. the second, the james webb space telescope will be used to study the origins of the universe. we will discuss those missions from the johns hopkins university lab. >> there is no known threat to the earth right now from asteroids. we are tracking things. there's nothing on course to hit the earth. we haven't found all of the asteroids yet. the mission is to find all of

the asteroids to be able to assess the threat letter. >> you can just go and point at an object. we find completely new things. probably some of the most exciting science results are things i'm not even sure i can tell you right now. >> tonight at 8:00 p.m. eastern on c-span's q&a. you can listen to q&a on the new c-span now and. >> this week live on the c-span networks. congress returns on tuesday. the senate will begin debate on voting rights legislation.

the house plans to vote on legislation to automatically enroll new veterans into v.a. health care. the u.s. supreme court hears oral argument in the case of the federal election commission on whether the senator's campaign -- repayment of personal loans and whether these federal restrictions violate the first amendment. the house armed services committee hearing on the prosecution of sexual assault and harassment in the national guard. agriculture secretary tom vilsack testifies on the state of the rural economy. watch this week live on the c-span networks or on c-span now. c-span, your unfiltered view of

government. >> washington journal continues. host: a conversation on russia, ukraine and the united states. we are joined by professor david kramer. and professor rajan menon of columbia university and the foreign policy think tank defense priorities. the situation on the ground in ukraine evolving on a near daily basis. can you explain what you believe vladimir putin's end goal is right now when it comes to ukraine? >> the only person who knows that is mr. putin himself. he has many pieces on the board. he has said many things about the way he might respond if his

demands are not met. so it's very hard to say. there are two scenarios people have talked about. one is a military move in ukraine. i myself think that is unlikely. the other is the deployment of russian strike systems in countries where it would compromise the security and even outside europe. we are at a point where we will soon find out. host: we spent last week talking about watching for news from these talks between the united states and russia. the headline in today's washington post, fears of war loomed bigger after talks fail. your thoughts on whether we learned anything during those talks.

>> i don't think we learned anything. i would argue that the talks were a mistake in not making it a precondition that russia would withdraw its forces from the border with ukraine. that would have been the right tone to have set for these talks. we have seen the russian demands increase rather than decrease and the rationale for any military technical response has shifted. ukraine is not really a country. the current ukrainian government is going to launch an offensive

i think ultimately what he wants to do is destabilize ukraine. he wants to make sure ukraine is not a vibrant democratic prosperous country along russia's borders that moves closer to euro atlantic integration. host: were those talks a waste of time? >> i don't know that they were a waste of time but i don't think they produced any surprises. the russian side dug in. the united states seemed firm and its position with nato allies. it perhaps puts on the table what everyone already knew and

perhaps for america's allies in europe that showed a readiness to engage. at the end of the day it doesn't seem to have changed anything. it does seem the russians are ratcheting up the pressure to see what they will be able to bring out of the west. host: would you agree with that read on the talks? >> yes and no. i think given the magnitude of the crisis created by the russian buildup in the war which could implicate both nato and the united states which we have an interest in avoiding, i don't think it was a mistake to engage in talks. very often states talk to their advert -- to their adversaries. i don't want to underplay how serious this crisis is nor do i want to underplay that russia is a formidable military power.

particularly on the eurasian landmass. it has used its power with significant effect. but let us keep in perspective when we hear, there has been a lot of this about russia being an existential threat to the united states. we have a gdp almost six times the size of russia. our defense budget is 11 times the size of russia. we have 11 carrier battle groups . we have bases in 80 countries. technological innovation. our allies are the wealthiest in the world. so we need to put this in perspective when we look at the nature of the russian threat and how to deal with it.

>>'s list is useful but it leaves out a lot of things. russia's cyber attack against estonia in 2007, its invasion of georgia in 2008. military intervention in syria that includes alleged war crimes , the invasion of ukraine in 2014 and the illegal annexation of crimea. includes disinformation campaigns launched against the west. interference in our elections. the list goes on and on. i would say the putin regime and i want to differentiate between the putin regime and russia, it is a nuclear weapon state roughly equivalent to our own and the military forces that are once again threatening ukraine pose an enormous threat. let's remember ukraine borders a

number of nato allied states and we have seen this threat only grow. it took forces along the border in the spring of last year. it is a serious threat. just because its economy is significantly smaller than ours doesn't mean that putin doesn't pose a major threat. >> if i might, much of the specific detail that david has given is covered by my omnibus statement that russia is a formidable power in eurasia. nobody could deny it's also nuclear power. the nuclear balance is canceled out because of the fear of mutual destruction between us and russia. so the question in this crisis relate to my mind has been notwithstanding these differences, we united states have an interest in getting involved in a war with russia

and the worst possible place imaginable? namely on its doorstep. the biggest loser if there was a war would be ukraine because the cold reality and one might wish it were otherwise, is that it will be left completely defenseless. host: if you say that russia is not an existential threat to us, are we an existential threat to russia? and if so, why doesn't russia seem to fear that? why don't they seem to be worried about provoking the united states and united states allies? >> both sides have a very stylized vision of the threat that each process to the and in some particular respects that is accurate. if we were having this discussion in moscow and you

were a russian government spokeswoman or spokesman -- i think the immediate russian concern is the advance of native toward its borders. i want to be clear this is not the only reason for the crisis nor is that the only item separating us on the russians. there is question that the march of native torts russia's border has created tension between ourselves and russia and by the way, while these objections are chalked up to mr. putin, his predecessor boris yeltsin was no less critical as was the last president of the soviet union, gorbachev. so it is not purely a putin phenomenon. it has certainly been ratcheted up under mr. putin.

unlike the 1990's, russia opted -- after 2000 because of oil price trends. >> can i just respond? host: let me just pause and invite viewers to join. we have you with us until the top of the hour. for viewers, it is split by political party. professor kramer, now that we have done that, please go ahead. >> let's remember putin actually broached the idea of russia joining nato. in 2010, the pro-russian president of ukraine at the time signed legislation making ukraine nonaligned state.

it said it would not pursue nato membership. that has nothing to do with putin's decision to invade ukraine. ukraine at that point was not seeking nato membership. support in ukraine for joining nato was in the low teens at best. there was no issue dealing with native that explained putin's invasion of ukraine in 2014. it was only after putin had invaded that ukraine dropped that legislation and not surprisingly after putin invaded ukraine that strong support within the country for nato membership grows. the notion that nato enlargement is the cause for this. putin wrote a very long article in july posted on the kremlin website. over 5000 words. in which he essentially said ukraine is not a state, it's really part of russia.

there were only two dimensions in a 5000 word statement to nato and neither of those had anything to do with nato membership. this is only the latest justification that putin and his cronies have put up to try to justify whatever it is they are going to do. i think it's a huge mistake. >> it's not a mistake i've made. i did not say that nato expansion is the reason for the most recent conflagration. no russian leader has viewed it as a friendly act just as we would not if there weren't adversaries moving into the american hemisphere. my point is not that the 2014 -2015 war between ukraine and

russia had to do solely with expansion. these are complicated manner -- matters and overdetermined. the too many moving parts -- there are too many moving parts. i'm happy to be reported on points that i make and not ones that i don't make. >> nato enlarged to include poland, the czech republic and hungary. so they weren't happy with nato enlargement, but they have even looked at the possibility of russia joining. on their terms. >> i agree. -- i'm sorry. go ahead. host: i want to bring in some viewers as well. we bring in tom out of clinton massachusetts. democrat. thanks for joining in on this discussion.

caller: i have a question in regards to nato. i understand nato has a rule that no new members are allowed if they have a border conflict and clearly the ukraine and russia have a border conflict. what else would you call it? it sounds like an excellent rule i think it is still in place. i would like to hear your guests opinion on. there is no chance that ukraine is going to join nato. >> in nato's charter dating back to 1940 nine, article 10 essentially invites in other countries in europe. so there is an open door policy. let's remember that west germany became a member of nato despite the fact that the country was divided and east germany was occupied in part by soviet forces and a communist regime.

turkey has had some issues. there are places where you can create a situation to invite in a new nato member state but that article five security guarantees which is that an attack on one is considered an attack on all. it would not cover areas not occupied or controlled by the host government. -- that's not to imply any recognition of those regions as part of russia. but it would suggest the rest of ukraine controlled by the ukrainian government could be covered. >> i think the caller is in part correct and so is david. i think what the caller may be referring to, in 1995 or thereabouts nato issued a statement outlining its guidelines for membership.

there was no rule that a country that had an internal conflict or territorial conflict with an adjacent neighbor would not be admitted. but there was a general statement saying that it would be a good thing that such disputes would be resolved before nato membership. as a practical matter, i think nato is very much divided on whether to invite ukraine for membership partly because russia is opposed to it but partly because of the unresolved conflict. that might be at the caller's excellent question is referring to. host: should nato invite ukraine to be a member? >> it's not a decision for me to make. i think it's not in the cards. i think ukraine's membership in nato is a very long wrong -- iffy proposition.

what the russians noted starting in 2019 is a steady increase in the military ties between the united states and ukraine which they regard and i think wrongly as a sure guarantee that ukraine will enter native. the backdrop is of course the 2014-2015 conflict and the russian creation of separate statements and i take his point. host: professor kramer? >> we don't want to encourage russia to occupy potential nato member states so there can be ways to get around that issue. i also agree that nato membership is not in the --

imminent for ukraine or georgia, in which 20% of its territory is occupied by russia. but we don't want to encourage prudent by thinking if you'd destabilizes more people -- more territory, he will take the nato option off the table. nato has been crystal clear in saying that no other country has a veto defect or otherwise over other state aspirations to join. the paris charter clearly states that countries have a right to pursue whatever foreign policy they want. russia wants the sphere of influence. the paris charter completely rejects that claim. this goes back to 2008 at the bucharest nato summit. and there is some frustration

with the lack progress for membership in both ukraine and georgia. host: we are joined by david kramer with florida international university. also a former assistant secretary of state for democracy, human rights and labor in the george w. bush administration. and rajan menon of columbia university. also grand strategy program director at defendant's. chris is out of huntingburg, indiana. republican. caller: good morning everybody. i want to make the comment that i'm really concerned that it's 2022 and we are discussing a possible invasion by russia. i guess you can call it an invasion.

i don't know a whole lot about nato, but i do know they were created so that no bullies can start another world war. and it seems to me, i guess my question is what is nato's purpose if a fellow bully can stop votes in nato to stop this nonsense? i'm assuming china can do that and their other bodies. it's a common question combo. do we as a planet need to start another universal country organization to do what nato originally started as? >> i would say the following. nato was established in 1949 i think for a very good reason. to keep a stable balance between

what would later become the soviet led warsaw pact and american allies in western europe. what happened after the collapse of the soviet union is that nato began expanding eastward. that was a very controversial move and i don't think part of it was meant to say we will check any bullies where they may arise. mr. putin suggested that russia join nato. when i look back on this, i wonder whether unlike after world war ii the united states created a security architecture in europe that stood the test of time, that was very well done. we missed the opportunity to create security architecture that brought nato and russia into it at an early stage one in the 90's we ourselves would say

that russia is a democratic country, notwithstanding that it wasn't all democratic -- all that democratic. on your question of bullies, i take your point. nobody wants other countries to be bullied. the question is what is the price to be paid for stopping the bully? is it another nuclear war? countries have the right to self-determination. the problem is the choice that ukraine makes about self-determination has direct implications for us. let us not forget given the record of european defense spending, if push comes to shove and things get bloody and somebody has to intervene, it will be overwhelmingly the united states because nobody in europe is in a position to fill that void. so there are implications for

american blood and treasure in ukraine's exercise of itself. host: on the price we should be willing to pay to stop a bully. caller: i appreciate the colors question. nato protects other members from attacks and invasions from outside powers. let's also keep in mind that russia's most secure stable borders are with nato member states. estonia, latvia, lithuania. that is russia's most secure stable border. russia does not have to worry about an invasion coming from those countries. nato i think should still exist because it has ensured the security and prosperity of the

european continent for seven plus decades and as long as countries want to join nato, nato must be doing something right. i would argue that we need to strengthen nato and reassure that the united states will continue to be there. i agree that other countries need to step up and do their job in defense spending, providing support for ukraine and other countries. starting something new, it will be too late. let's keep in mind, ukraine is not a member of nato. it aspires to join but is not a member so it does not get article five security guarantees. host: a lot of calls. john, washington, michigan, independent. caller: i was commenting on a

moment of reflection here that in 1990, we were -- nato was 1000 miles from st. petersburg. and now, we are 100. the encroachment is going to cause -- that would definitely cause tension here. for nato to go into ukraine, the ukrainian border, isn't that only 300 miles from moscow proper here? host: professor kramer, i will let you take that one. caller: john, i appreciate the question. let's remember why there has been this enlargement. these countries want to join. they want the article five security guarantees which treat

an attack on one as an attack on all. with when you, latvia, poland -- lithuania, latvia, poland, the list goes on. wanting to revive the borders with these countries and use the pretext as a justification for going in, they have wanted these article five security guarantees. i think people in estonia, lafayette and with when you -- latvia and lithuania sleep better. the charter of paris, the amended one in 1999, the united nations charter, if we shut the door, this is a nato policy based on its charter. just because a country says they want to join does not mean they automatically do.

it would be a huge mistake for countries who meet the nato criteria, for us to say no, sorry. guest: may i touch on something very quickly? host: go ahead. guest: john, the caller, made a good point. he went back to 1990 and said hasn't nato extended its border and the answer is yes. the professor's argument that other countries wanted to join is also correct. in 1990, russia's economy was near a collapse, a 30% decline. the soviet, russian army was a complete mess. they were not a palpable threat for any country outside of nato.

it was in the 1990's that the concept of nato expansion was hooked up. nato was going to the current number. it is hard to see an example in history where a great power is revived, moving toward borders and does not react. one could say the reaction is paranoia and unjustified. there is a reaction. going back to 1993, quickly, when germany was unified and i think john made reference to this, there was no promise that nato would not expand because there was no discussion of nato expanding as we know it today, then. when germany united and the

russians facilitated that because they had 100,000 troops in east germany, nato's military infrastructure would not move into east germany. it does not take a rocket scientist to understand if they did not want nato military infrastructure in east germany at that time, subsequent expansions would be even less welcome. boris yeltsin made it clear that was unacceptable to him. never mind his goal was to integrate with the west and turn russia into a democracy. no russian leader has looked upon this kindly. host: the russian journal simulcast in the united kingdom, we get callers from across the pond. this call is from london, england. thank you for joining us. caller: thank you for taking my call. good morning to your guests.

what is it about the biden administration that makes them think they can push u.s. as much as they want? we saw that with the chinese negotiations. we saw it in afghanistan and we are seeing it in talks with iran. with china, it could go nuclear any and now with russia. how would you advise the biden administration -- [indiscernible] host: professor kramer, go ahead. guest: if i understand the question, the biden administration has tried to repair transatlantic relations that were tattered from the previous administration. it is trying to reengage with

iran on the nuclear deal but it is also pushing back on countries like china. i don't think the biden administration had planned to spend as much time as it has this past year on russia. i think the main focus had been intended for china, issues of climate change as the caller indicated, and so i think putin is reminding the biden administration and the rest of the world that he cannot be exhort. he is a major -- be ignored. he is a major factor in issues of national security. the biden administration is doing what it can to rally support among european allies and others to prepare for a russian re-invasion. it has already invaded ukraine. i would argue that the putin regime, thanks to the biden administration, is weak and has questions about whether the west will pull the trigger on sanctions.

the biden administration needs to be more forceful in pushing back on these threats coming from moscow and not be seen as too week or too accommodating. host: in whitefield main, the line for democrats, good morning. caller: what's shaking? glad to be on. host: what is your question or comment? caller: the ukraine coup was the worst blasted thing the american foreign policy has ever done, and less it was our entry into world war i -- unless it was our entry into world war i. i think there is a real chance to squeeze some advancers in a peaceful direction out of this situation. have a good day. host: dr. menon.

caller: i'm not sure i see the question. i never favored nato expansion from the outset. that said, we have to bear in mind david's point that this is not just about nato expansion. the question is this. given that the two sides are far apart and given that some of russia's demands cannot be met by the united states or nato, that is two draft treaties and we want you to signed them, is there an opportunity to make something come of this that would make the european security border more stable that is beyond ukraine? or is it the case that the talks that have been held more recently, and they are talks, not negotiations, having collapsed, will the two sides and russia in particular walk

away? i think that would be a mistake for both sides and i hope that does not happen. as the cliche goes, you should not let any crisis go to waste. host: about 20 minutes left in our segment. i want to talk about russian energy production, the north stream 2 pipeline getting a lot of attention in the senate. that legislation put forth by ted cruz when it comes to sanction for the pipeline -- sanctions for the pipeline. when it comes to russian energy production and how the u.s. should respond, this is a clip from john barrasso, the republican from wyoming, talking about that issue on the floor of the senate from late last week. >> john mccain, who i traveled with on several occasions to ukraine used to say russia is a mafia run gas company disguised as a country. inner z is the only successful

-- energy is the only successful sector of the russian economy. natural gas is what is propping up the russian military and the entire putin regime. vladimir putin uses energy as a geopolitical weapon and he knows how to use it. uses energy to coerce and to manipulate our allies and our partners in europe. if they don't do something that putin wants or they do something he does not like, he can turn off the power and turn off the heat. we signed example of this in november, when russia threatened to cut off gas flow to moldovan. moldova had declared a state of emergency. europe already gets almost half of its gas imports from russia. with the nord stream 2 pipeline

in russia and germany, the imports will only need to go up and they will go up. the secretary told the foreign relations committee we have been counseling europe for almost a decade now, to reduce its dependence on russian energy. a decade, a decade includes the administrations of president trump and president obama. yet, joe biden done everything he can to cripple american energy production. what happens with that? it makes our allies more dependent on russia for energy. it gives more power to putin. host: professor kramer, i will let you start here on energy as a weapon and how the u.s. can and should respond. caller: thanks for that. the weaponization of energy by putin is not a new phenomenon. russia shut off gas flows to

ukraine. that was before there was any talk of nato and ukraine. they did it again in 2009 and in the winter, when they had the leverage and ukraine was vulnerable and they have been doing it again as senator barrasso has indicated with moldova. also to pressure germany to certify the now completed pipeline from russia to germany. i think the biden administration major mistake in providing a waiver for the nord stream 2 pipeline in may of last year and they made a mistake in lobbying against senator cruz's legislation that was defeated and did not get enough votes. it has expressed support for senator menendez who has put forth alternative legislation. i think this pipeline is a huge mistake. it has divided europe because

most europeans are opposed to it and it leaves ukraine vulnerable because ukraine will lose out on between $2 billion and $3 billion a year. ukraine should reduce its dependence on those fees. but right now, it depends on it. or, the fact that my act as a disincentive for putin to go further into ukraine and break this pipeline that runs through the country prayed i think this has been a serious mistake for the biden administration to grant that waiver and it is a mistake on the part of the germans to stand by this. the defense minister said the pipeline should be divorced from any talk of what is happening between russia and ukraine. host: professor menon. guest: there is a lot of license in what senator barrasso said. europe does not depend on russia

for 50% of its energy. that is not correct. this is the second. if russia were to invade ukraine , that pipeline would be in jeopardy, not least because there is a new government in germany. the green party has never looked kindly on the pipeline. this flies in the face of the argument that countries have a right to make their own decision. i think imposing sanctions on europe, deciding where it will buy its energy from, even though there might be strategical reasons for why we object, would fit uneasily with what senator barrasso would like to do, which is billed the

transatlantic partnership. if countries want to reduce their dependence on hydrocarbon, oil and natural gas, they have a good way to do it. get serious about the transition to non-hydrocarbon energy. would i like to be in a position where i depend on it to that extent? no. it is more complicated than the senator says it is. host: about 15 minutes left in our segment. let me take a couple of calls in a row before i come back to you. david in arlington, virginia, democrat. go ahead. caller: good morning. a couple of things. interesting conversation. i wanted to provide a few comments to you guys and you can agree or disagree. nato is is often referred to synonymously with a country. it does not behave like a country. it is an alliance. it is an alliance of member states that have different

perspectives on russia. the way russia is viewed in estonia, poland, latvia and lithuania is different from the way it is viewed in germany, spayed and -- spain and france. they have their own defense policy. secondly, article five is often referenced. it is not as strong as you may think. it goes in contradiction to the member state's district. they could send blankets instead. finally, nato member states, they are often different in her capabilities -- in their capabilities. that ranges all the way from the germans to the french to some

states in the balkans that have limited capability. finally, let's keep in mind how difficult all this is and how much we have been wrong in the past. since 2008, when georgia was invaded, we have had a poor track record on being prepared and being successful with tragic international decisions. i am talking about libya, iraq and afghanistan. we have to be cautious and aware of our inability to get things right and tread lightly. russia is really economically not very powerful. but militarily, it is their own backyard. they have the ability to mask forces more effectively than we do. we are on the other of the world. that is all. host: what years were you overseas? caller: i have been overseas in

germany from 2009 to 2012 and i was in estonia for 2015 and 2016. just after we deployed one company of paratroopers to estonia. i am not taking anything away from the guys who were there. it was not a legitimate capability. it may have had a deterrent effect that demonstrates to russians that you will have to kill americans if you invade estonia. at the same time, you could draw conclusions about what that looks like. the ratio still exists. it is a couple hundred thousand americans against 800,000 russians. germans have one division of ground forces total. the predominant land force in nato is the turkish. they have 700,000 forces in the turkish army. i don't know that turkey will be a dependable member state. host: thank you for your perspective. let me get in kevin out of

petersburg, indiana. republican, go ahead. caller: good morning. host: go ahead. caller: i want to know the guest on is nato -- it seems like russia invading different areas is always a repeat thing. i want to know if the guests think maybe nato is being used through not just russia but through our own government to protect certain entities in our shadow government. it seems like we have a problem during certain times of elections or careers. history is going to show like that military guy there, they know what is going on. host: that is kevin this morning. professor kramer, we will let you start on those two calls. guest: let's thank david for his

service and being in estonia, on the front line, if you will. he is right about article five. it has been invoked once and that was on 9/11, nato allies supported the united states. i will tell you who takes article five seriously. that is mr. putin. that is a good thing. he accepted the cyberattack against estonia in 2007 when we had not developed a response strategy for cyber attacks. he has not threatened a nato member state, although he has been in belarus, weaponizing migrants across the border into lithuania, latvia and poland. on the poor track record, i take the point. the challenge is that we are talking about a regime in moscow that is thoroughly corrupt and thoroughly authoritarian.

it is arguably the worst it has been since the worst in the soviet period, going back to the 1960's and 1970's. the problem is that putin, the way he treats his own people is indicative of how he will treat people in other countries. that is why we have seen this aggressive russian response and behavior toward neighboring states. even going beyond countries like syria, russia increasing its presence in countries like m ali and talked about building up forces in cuba and venezuela. i would argue the authoritarian, corrupt regime is a threat to its own people first and foremost, to its neighbors and to countries beyond. we have to take it seriously while recognizing that we can't be the worlds police and we can't be everywhere. where countries are under attack and they morphed to the west, i am not arguing we send in the

military but i think we have an obligation to provide countries like ukraine with a means to defend themselves so they can act as a deterrent against russian aggression. host: professor, what do you want to pick up on? guest: a couple of things. i think david's point about the nature of government, we did not have diplomatic engagement with corrupt and authoritarian countries. not to mention, we have a few friends of our own who are authoritarian and corrupt. the world is the world as we see it, not the world as we would like it to be. -- like it. the other person who called, the x service person, he makes a couple of good points. he says in effect, there is a divide in nato on how far to expand. maybe he did not put it that way. that is precisely correct.

the further west you go from germany, the less in thursdays him dust enthusiasm there is. -- enthusiasm there is. this is not a proposition that will happen anytime soon. i would like to pick up on something else the other david, the caller said. this is fundamentally a european problem. the european union, which is a prophecy of nato, because there is overlap between the two organizations, has a gdp of 20 trillion. and yet, it cannot articulate a defense strategy to deter what it claims is the greatest threat to it. the russian federation. which has a defense budget of about 10% of that of the united states.

the economy is probably five times that of russia. there are certain benchmarks on nato defense spending. some countries have met it. if you look at the latest nato chart on which countries have and which have not, many have not. if you look at the commission report, the german army, this is the richest country in the european union. there is no excuse for claiming that you have an existential threat and on the other hand, being on the same continent with that existential threat. this connects with david kramer's point that whether the europeans like it or not, the central american strategic intention will skew to the asian

pacific. if they believe russia is going to struggle, there are things they would be well advised to do. host: let me try to get two more calls in before we get to the end of the segment. mary in arizona, independent, go ahead. caller: hellocaller: -- caller: hello? host: go ahead and turn down your television. it is easier to hear you that way. caller: my question is for both professors. the over determination is absolute. isn't it always overdetermined to the nth degree? that being understood, are there any similarities in the problems between chamberlin's policies of

appeasement and the present situation facing the european nations? host: mary, we will take that question in just a second. we will hear from joseph. go ahead. caller: how are you today? host: doing well. caller: i will bet ukraine wished they had their nukes back. what do you say, gentlemen? host: mr. cramer, we will let you start on those two questions. guest: let me pick up on joseph's point about the nuclear weapons. in 1994, ukraine, the united states, russia and the u.k. signed the budapest memorandum, in which ukraine, who had the far -- third-largest nuclear force, agreed to turn over its nuclear weapons to russia. in exchange for sovereignty and

territory. among many other charters, this is one of them and it is one of the most critical. joseph gets an important point. there are some ukrainians who wish ukraine had nuclear weapons capability, thinking that would be the greatest deterrent against putin aggression. i am not advocating for ukraine to develop weapons. it underscores that ukraine agreed to give them up in 1994 and look at what has happened since. putin has invaded the country in 2014 and is threatening to do so again. this would be a second invasion. on the issue of appeasement, i am a little reluctant to compare to what is one of the worst chapters in british history during that decade. i do think that we need to stand with our principles and our values and our friends.

i am not advocating we send the u.s. military in to fight the war. we are not asking for that. we have an obligation to provide them the support they need to defend themselves. caller: -- guest: first to joseph and then mary, you are correct that david explained the story well. this particular thing was done on his watch. it was four he was elected -- before he was elected by a decade and a half. i would say the following. when chamberlain was denounced as an appeaser, let's not forget, i'm not saying this is the right thing or a good thing, but we should remember the facts. he was welcomed in britain as a hero.

the second fact, and i am not saying we do what chamberlain did here, now. the other thing to bear in mind is that the appeasement of hitler's turned out, in retrospect, to be a huge mistake because what he had in mind, it was clear. it was limitless expansion of -- in the conquest of all of europe. i don't think the parallel, and i don't think you meant to imply it, between putin and hitler's holds. the question is not between appeasement and doing something outlandish, the question always is what is the prudent thing to do given the military realities on the ground and whom are you

trying to deter at what cost and where? host: let me get in one last call, andrea has been waiting in white plains, new york. caller: thank you for taking my call. what does it say that russia is not purely bluffing? russia has an imperative to expand and expand further. mr. putin is in a country that is reliant on buying a single section of the economy to sustain it. radel our cage, -- rattle our cage. he has no intention of invading because if he does, he gives up his greatest leverage. host: professor menon, i will

start with you. caller: you are correct that russia is the largest hydrocarbon economy. it is one of the largest exported items. russia's great problems in the military. i think the question is given the military forces it does dispose of, the question of what to do in this crisis cannot be figured out by saying this is just a hydrocarbon state. as for bluffing or not bluffing, david and i would agree. i don't think the russians are bluffing. i don't think the ukrainians think so. i don't think nato thinks so. i don't think russian observers

think so. what we don't know is, and it sounds less clunky in russian, military technical measures, is he speaking of an attack on ukraine? something short of that were doing something somewhere else? the consensus seems to be he is talking about ukraine. that could happen. i am not convinced that is what they will do. the cost of doing that political , economic are big. host: final minute. guest: it is possible. i don't think it is likely. moreover, there is a proven track record, where putin has used aggression against his neighbors. in 2008 against georgia and most pertinent in this case to our discussion, 2014 in ukraine,

there is an ongoing conflict. russian officials try to present this as a civil war, it is not. russia continues to occupy 8% of ukrainian territory. russia has launched military adventures in syria and other places. putin has a track record that needs to be taken seriously. the rhetoric indicates that he is serious about this. and so the concern in the u.s. government and elsewhere, in the government is that the russians are serious. what they will do is not clear. there is a history of cyber attacks that russia has engaged in in ukraine, including the attacks several years ago and the one on friday of last week. we have to remain on guard and be prepared for the distinct possibility putin will do something that will be very bad

for ukraine. host: we will end it there and we would love to have you gentlemen back down the road to keep discussing this topic. our guest is david kramer and rajan menon. thank you. guest: good to see you, david. guest: likewise. host: for the next half hour, we will be joined by michael smith to discuss the importance of national service and volunteerism. stick around for that discussion after the break. ♪ >> weekends on book tv feature

leading authors talking about their latest nonfiction books. former new jersey governor and 2015 republican presidential candidate chris christie provides his blueprint for how the republican party can win national elections. and then on afterwards, north carolina democratic congressman and political scientist david price shares his book, the congressional experience. he provides his perspective on the rules and role of congress and how it is changed over time and how the legislative body can function better. he is interviewed by gerald connolly. watch book tv every weekend and find the full schedule on your program guide or watch online any time book tv.org. ♪ >> the first ever televised congressional hearing was on august 3, 1948. the first witness was a man who said he did not want to be there. he had been subpoenaed to

testify before the house committee on un-american activities. his name was whittaker chambers. and american who had been a communist spy for the soviet union in the 1930's. we talked with john barris ford. he has spent years studying and researching the background of whittaker chambers and the story and trial of the man chambers accused of also being a communist spy, alger hiss. his work can be seen in 38 lectures, amounting to nine hours on youtube. >> our conversation with attorney john barris ford on book notes plus. it is available on the c-span app or wherever you get your podcasts. ♪

>> c-span offers a variety of podcasts that has something for every listener. weekdays, washington today gives you the latest from the nations capitol. book notes plus has interviews with writers about their latest works. and looking at issues and how they develop. and extensive conversations with historians about their lives and work. many of our television programs are available in podcasts. you can find them all on the

c-span now mobile app or wherever you get your podcasts. >> washington journal continues. host: a conversation on national service and volunteerism. our guest is michael smith. mr. smith, remind viewers what americorps is and when and why it was created. guest: thank you so much for having me here, americorps is the federal agency for volunteering and service which started during the clinton administration in 1993. the idea behind it was how do we get things done for america? when the going gets tough, we need a volunteer force on the ground, responding to those needs. we have 250,000 americorps members in every state that are working in more than 40,000 locations and more than one million alumni that are working

on some of the most pressing challenges in our communities. host: why is there a federal agency devoted to volunteerism? why is this a place there is a federal role, as opposed to letting private organizations run this? host: the origins of americorps, we go all the way back to fdr and the national civilian conservation corps. we go back to vista in the 1960's, which continues today. i think what is important to note is that americorps members are not volunteers. they are members. they are serving mostly in full-time positions and they are force multipliers. they are able to work with millions of volunteers. it is great that some people can serve from time to time or a couple of hours here or there. our americorps members are working full-time to make sure we are there in and out of

tragedy and we are able to work with lots of other organizations and volunteers to respond when the going gets tough. host: what do we know about american's willingness to volunteer today, especially amid the pandemic, versus in the past? guest: when the going gets tough, the american spirit comes out. i first met this agency after hurricane katrina. long after the cameras were gone, we had americorps members who were there, helping family member's who had lost everything. i think we are seeing that same spirit during the pandemic. americorps members were on the ground. when things changed, we were at schools, working with health clinics and nonprofit organizations. we saw more americans not only how can we stay safe, but how can we help our neighbors as well? i am excited to see folks responding in those ways across

the country and there are safe ways to do it. host: what are some ways you will be talking about in your new role as ceo? guest: no matter what happens, it is important to note we are working with local health officials and national health officials to make sure our americorps volunteers can stay safe. this is the mlk day of service that is coming up tomorrow which i am excited to talk about. no matter what your comfort level is, you will find something you can do. there are projects where people are on computers, writing letters. there are projects where people are talking to be senior companions. there are people unifying outdoor spaces. there is meal delivery and thing together safety kits. when times change, americorps and america change with it. host: we are talking about volunteerism in america. we are asking you to join this conversation.

(202) 748-8000 in the eastern time zone. (202) 748-8001 (202) 748-8001 there (202) 748-8001 -- (202) 748-8001 in the central time zone. (202) 748-8002 in the mountain or specific -- specific times on. -- pacific time zone. guest: i will stay in this job as long as president biden will have me. i hope to be here for three to four years. i am excited about the work that lies ahead. what i think success looks like is threefold. we have to make sure we are operating with impact. sometimes in the nonprofit community, we confuse activity with impact. comedy people are on the ground and how many meals do we serve -- how many people are on the ground and how many meals do we serve?

are we actually contributing to the challenges that lead to hunger in the first place? we have to start making sure that, 20 years from now, when we look back at challenging moments for america and the world, we can say national service played a specific role in keeping our kids in school and on track and helping them to erase health disparities that are taking place. that is the number one impact. we have to make sure that national service reflects the diversity of the country and the communities we serve. making sure that folks in communities that are being served not only see themselves as someone that can be served but is serving. i know in my own background, in western massachusetts, i saw people who did not have a lot of resources who did everything to help their neighbors. i want to make sure we have a clear pathway. you have the power to be part of this national service family.

i am excited to lift up the role that national service can play in helping to address some of the divides we are seeing. we have seen -- i have seen this work transform people and have them come to back -- come together from what might be diametrically opposed background. when you see the urgent need of our community, what your party affiliation is, how much money you have and what city you come from gets thrown out the window. i want to make sure that national service is helping to bring us together. host: what did you do before you took this job? guest: i worked for president obama for a long time. i then went to his foundation after he left office. i continued that work and also did a lot of things around opportunity youth. i worked on the digital divide and worked on philanthropy on a variety of issues.

host: what is the budget for americorps and has americorps seen its budget go up, when it comes to the money to respond to the covid pandemic? guest: absolutely. americorps' budget is a little over $1 billion and almost all of that goes back out to amenities. we work with 50 state commissions who decide how the dollars are spent based on local needs. we fund hundreds of nonprofit organizations that are meeting local, specific needs, whether you are a rural community, inner-city community, tribal community, the vast majority are going back to touch the ground almost immediately. host: and the money during covid , in terms of an uptick in funding? guest: we were pleased to see with the american rescue plan funds, we saw an uptick in the americorps budget. we have played a pivotal road -- role.

i was talking to a group of americorps members in kentucky which work full-time in a residential membership program and they were working in hospitals in kentucky to help when the surges were taking place. we have been there. we have been at testing lines, we have been at schools, doing all sorts of things we could do to respond to this moment. host: again, (202) 748-8000 in eastern or central time zones. (202) 748-8001 in mountain or pacific time zones. elise is up out of falls church, virginia. good morning. caller: the morning. thank you so much. my question is about the long-term investment in national

service and whether or not you think that we have enough to meet the growing needs of education and the criminal justice system. $1 billion is significant but when you look at the scale of issues that we have to address, will that be enough? host: thanks for the question. guest: thank you so much for that question. it is a great one. we have more than 250,000 americorps members working across the country. we know the challenges are great. one of the things we are excited about is seeing some growth. as part of the american rescue plan, we launched public health americorps, but we will see thousands of new americorps members who are working to respond to community health needs. also, we are trying to build the pipeline and increase the talent

pipeline of folks that will continue to go into the public health field. there are conversations that are happening with the build back better act, where we will see expansion for the climate corps and have members who are working to respond to climate needs. both on disaster response and mitigation. i do hope, in this moment, that americans have seen the power of national service and how we can show up and turn on a dime and how we are there, long after cameras are gone, working in partnership with communities. i hope we will see growth so that we can engage more americans in full-time national service. host: if the build back better act were passed, how much money would americorps get? guest: it looks like a $15 billion expansion over 10 years, which would allow us to have

300,000 more americorps members working in partnership with communities on a vast array of climate issues. whether that is mitigation, the coastal erosion issues, whether that is sold will -- solar panels, a variety of things were americorps members can be on the ground. we have a long track record going back to fdr. all sorts of americorps programs that are working. host: $15 billion over 10 years. are you prepared if that passes in the senate, to use more than twice your budget? guest: we are fired up and ready to go. the great thing about this federal agency is we work with partners across the country. it is not like we are hiring a bunch of new government

employees that have to do this work. we have partners who have been waiting to expand that have wait lists and projects that are on hold. we have governors who are coming to us all the time, wishing we could bring another americorps. we have teams that have been ready for many months. i would say i am hopeful that we will see the build back better act passed. i am hopeful we will see these dollars coming. we have the teams and the infrastructure all over the country that is ready to go. host: this is candace, good morning. caller: good morning. i have one comment. from 2004 to 2006, i was at a volunteer center. afterwards, i became the director there. i was able to hire three, almost

four more people. i love the fact that we are working in the community on different projects. it is a wonderful program. host: mr. smith, do you know the program? guest: of course, it is one of our oldest programs that goes back to the 1960's and predates the agency being started in the 90's -- 1990's. thank you for your service. i think candace demonstrates the power of americorps. we are seeing data that shows americorps members not only do these years of service but they stay in communities and get involved and bring back all sorts of change in their communities for many years to come. i want to thank her for her service. the great thing about americorps vista programs is they work specifically on issues of poverty and helping to build capacity among those communities so that when americorps members are gone, we have strong infrastructure for many years to come.

host: americorps.gov, if people are interested, is that the place to go? guest: yes. you can find information about our americorps and triple c program. you can find where we are working on disaster response and preparation and climate change. you also have our americorps vista program, working with nonprofit organizations and faith-based organizations. you have programs working on local projects with our 50 state commissions and our other partners and some of the bigger programs you may have heard of like teach for america or public allies, those are all americorps as well. i have to plug our americorps senior program. so often, people think about americorps and about people who are just getting out of high school and college. that is important. we have the fastest growing

population over 55 years old that we have seen. they have a lot of time and expertise. they have a lot of ways to give back. we have all sorts of ways to get our seniors involved. if you are over 55, over 65 and you want to figure out how you can do more in your community, go to americorps.gov as well. host: which group makes up more volunteers, the younger core hole -- cohort or the older cohort? guest: there is a spiky would not be surprised about her we see an uptick in volunteering when kids are in high school and -- and college. then you see a drop when people have families and get in the working world. then -- i hate to use the middle-aged term, older americans, you see an uptick once again. one of the senior volunteers said she had been volunteering

for 20 years. she started when she retired at 60 and now she is 80. host: herndon, virginia, john, good morning. caller: good morning. thank you for taking my call. you have two strikes against you. you worked with obama and now you work for joe biden. we are living in a country where people are so divided that you can't have a reasonable conversation about what you are trying to do to build this country and help each other. now, people always mention that -- and i understand a lot of people are ignorant, thinking this is money that comes from the government and it does not do anything for the people. you hear people are lazy and don't want to work and all of these things. how do you convince people like this when you have an issue with people not listening that

building your community is for your children and the country and has nothing to do with the politics. and all of a sudden, they go politics. i try to do volunteering. but sometimes, people, when you try to explain to them and have a conversation like neighbors, people go in different directions. explain to the people how we can get together first. we can't even have a reasonable conversation. host: thanks for bringing that up. guest: thank you so much for that question. i thing i have the best job in the federal government because there is no politics when it comes to the needs in your community and how do we roll up our sleeves and give back. i was introduced to the agency during the president bush administration, when i worked closely with their

participation. i went to new orleans after hurricane katrina and i saw when americorps members walked into cafes. people stood up and applauded and cried, because there is something -- there is a big challenge that is taking place in the community. everything else gets thrown out of the window when you look at the needs and realize we have to come together. it is only through the power of us uniting and getting to work that we will take care of our children and take care of our families and build back from disasters and respond to moments of great tragedy like we have seen here, after 9/11 and katrina. what i am excited about, john and i am sure you have seen this, sometimes we need to get away from the internet, where we can be forced into our echo chambers, where we can -- with

each other. there is something that happens when you have to look i tie with your neighbor and have to put your hands -- i tie -- eye to eye with your neighbor, there is something that shows humanity with each other and brings people together. i am excited about lifting up that role and saying through the power of service, by coming together, especially on this mlk weekend, it is what america is all about. host: michael smith, ceo of americorps. we will talk to the caller in stafford, virginia. caller: i was curious if there are problems to help with the homelessness issue that we see

in many american cities these days. it seems like every town i go to, i am seeing an increase in homelessness. i was in los angeles, california . this is america we are talking about. what does your organization do for people, for americans in that situation? thank you. host: mr. smith. guest: thank you so much for that western. i will actually -- as part of our mlk day of service, i will be volunteering today myself at one of our -- a big food bank. one of our goals for america, all across the country, is how do we look at poverty and issues of hunger and homelessness? as i said earlier, we work with local communities to identify those local challenges.

you have americorps members like americorps vista, who are working with the communities of individuals and are thinking about how to address hunger and homelessness. you have americorps members delivering meals. you have americorps members who are helping to find benefits. that is one of the big programs that happens with a lot of our seniors. to make sure seniors who might be struggling with issues of poverty can understand the benefits they are eligible for. many are working directly on the issues of hunger and homelessness. i am proud to see that work underway. >> this -- host: this isgood morning, john. nice to see you. ok. i'm 73. good morning, mr. smith. sorry. i worked, volunteered.

we are living in california. i was living in orange county. every morning, we took the bus. our project was santa ana, california. we helped organize their voice. sleep, it was hispanics, a lot of people that could not speak english. it was an incredible experience because i always wanted to serve in the armed services for the country, especially my favorite president with kennedy. ask not what you can do for your country. no. please help me. host: ask not what your country can do for you but what you can do for your country. caller: thank you. i was so inspired. i grew so much as a woman, as an american citizen because i got

to experience what it was like to get back. i got to experience what it is like to be helpful when we went in there. we did not go in with attitudes. we went in with hunger. we wanted to hear what they wanted to say. individually, we would hear the voices and help organize them as a group and it was powerful. powerful. i encourage anyone, no matter what age you are, find out about americorps. strive to experience what it is to be a volunteer and to help communities and that camaraderie, it changed my life and is still with me today. i am so happy for this topic. thank you very much. i have to shut out to the big twitter goodbye a part of. every morning, we come and support c-span. thank you so much. god bless. host: what is your twitter handle? caller: my gosh, i don't think

you want to know. i have been kind of critical. it is senior_eugene. host: that is terry in oregon. thanks for the call. mr. john, on the experience testimony there. guest: can't you feel the energy and excitement? i am more excited having heard from terry. thank you for that testimony and what you did. i think terry identified important points here. what we see from surveys, oftentimes volunteers say they get so much more out of the experiences that they think they have actually given back and we know they are giving back. if you are thinking about, how can you build yourself up, how can you get energy, how can you get inspiration? sometimes it is through the power of service. dr. king said everybody can be great because everybody can serve, and i think there is a good opportunity. not only endorsements that lift you up.

not only the connection that comes together with working with your neighbors, but we actually found there are great we pathways that happen as well. if you are a young person that may be is just getting out of high school and are not sure what you want to do, maybe join americorps because we will give you some different experiences. you can be inspired to try something new. if you just graduated from college and wants some career experience, i was talking to a young men working in a hospital who was going to medical school. he was volunteering with the hospital so it gives him that. if you are a senior, we started as part of our pandemic response, we actually have retired medical professionals that are volunteering across the country now. no matter who you are, there is an opportunity to not only give to your community, but you will find you are giving so much to yourself as well. host: last call, donald and the empire state, good morning -- in the empire state, good morning. donald, are you with us? oh, donald, i know you were waiting for a while there.

sorry we missed you. you talked about folks who have been inspired, especially by your talk, the mlk day of service tomorrow. if they want to volunteer, where you can they go to find out? guest: back in 1994, congress made the mlk day holiday the only federal holiday that is a national day of service. it is all about honoring dr. king's legacy. if you care about equity, social justice, giving back to your community, we hope that you will not just watch a movie and sleep in tomorrow but that you will take the opportunity to go to mlkday.gov, find a service project near you. we are working with hundreds of partners across the country. there are ways you can serve online, off-line, in person, or at home. find a chance to volunteer today or tomorrow and think about how you will volunteer all year long, how you will create a lifetime of service. you can go to americorps.gov to find out how you can join one of our programs for full or

part-time service where you can get a living allowance stipend. you can get an education award. you can get all sorts of other training and benefits that can help you engage in that full-time service and hopefully help you on your pathway going forward. host: i'm okdoing.gov -- mlk day.gov. thank you. guest: thank you for having me. host: about 25 minutes left in the program, and in the final 25 minutes, we will do as we often do, turn the program over to you. it is our open forum. any public policy or political issue you want to talk about. the phoneline are yours. start calling in. the numbers are on your screen. start calling now and we will get to your calls after the break. ♪ >> this week live on the c-span networks, congress returns on tuesday. the senate will begin debate on voting rights legislation, and

they vote to change filibuster rules to try to pass the rules. the house plans to vote on legislation to automatically enroll new military veterans into v.a. health care. they may vote on coronavirus eight for public skills. on wednesday at 10:00 a.m. eastern on c-span three the u.s. supreme court hears oral arguments in the case of the federal election commission's ted cruz versus the senate come on whether that senator's campaign consumed for repayment of personal loans and whether the federal restrictions violate the first amendment. at 2:00 p.m. eastern, a house armed services committee hearing on the prosecution of sexual assault and harassment in the national guard. on thursday at 10:00 a.m. eastern on c-span3, agriculture secretary tom vilsack testifies on the state of the rural economy. watch this week live on the c-span networks or c-span now, our new app. head over to c-span.org for scheduling information or to

stream video live or on-demand anytime. c-span, your unfiltered view of government. >> sunday, february 6, georgetown university's law professor will be our live guest to talk about race relations and inequality in america. her many books include "the agitator's daughter" and her latest. join the conversation with phone calls, facebook comments, text, and tweets, live, sunday, february 6, at noon eastern on book tv on c-span2. >> c-span offers a variety of podcasts that have something for every listener. weekdays, washington today gives you the latest from the nation's capital. every week, but notes plus has in-depth interviews with writers about their latest works.

the weekly uses audio from our immense archive to look at how issues of the day developed over years. and i occasional series talking with teachers extensive conversations with historians about their lives and work. many of our television programs are also available on podcasts. you can find them all on the c-span now mobile app or wherever you get your podcasts. >> "washington journal" continues. host: it is our open forum ending the program. your view about any public policy, any political, any local issue you want to talk about. here is the way to join the conversation. democrats, (202) 748-8000. republicans, (202) 748-8001. an independents -- and independents, (202) 748-8002. we will take your calls until the program ends at 10:00 a.m. eastern. just a few stories to keep you updated on. you probably heard about this one late yesterday.

an hours long standoff at a dallas area synagogue ended last night. the men held four people hostage and is dead. the confrontation beginning during saturday services in the suburb of fort worth and dallas. all hostages out alive and safe. texas governor greg abbott tweeted about 9:30 p.m. last night. good news to a scary situation there. this story back here on capitol hill, a story on the front page of the sunday "washington post" looking at the enslavers in congress who helped shape our nation's history. the first of its kind "washington post" database reviews the more than 1700 u.s. lawmakers who once enslaved black people in this country. the list of slaveholders, glaring holes in many of the stories that americans tell about the country's past. a look there.

1700 u.s. lawmakers over the course of our history who enslaved other human beings. this from the op-ed pages of "the washington post" from former vice president mike pence. the headline, january 6 was a tragedy, but the filibuster would be too. the former vice president writing that it was a dark day in our history and overcome by the cribbage of the capitol police, the willingness of elected representatives of the american people in both parties to keep and uphold their oath of the constitutional framework and the work of the freest and most popular nation in the country. i call on my former colleagues in the senate to do as you did before, uphold the right of the state to conduct and certified elections, reject the latest attempt to give washington the power to decide how the united states elections are run and keep the oath you made before god and the american people to support and defend the constitution.

the former vice president in the pages of "the washington post" today. this is just a few of the stories we are tracking this morning, but we want to know what is on your mind. tony, an independent in philadelphia. open forum. what do you want to talk about? caller: hi. good morning. good morning. good morning. i was calling because i did some research on the oil gas pipeline in pennsylvania and the mineral royalties that many of my friends are getting in other counties, such as warren county, oak county. but philadelphia has 84 miles of oil and gas pipeline underneath the parcels of the land of the property owners. but they don't get a dime in royalty payments.

my buddies, they are getting between $3000 and $32,000 a month royalties from oil production and the energy from their land. so my question is this, and this refinery in south philadelphia, and pennsylvania, is the seventh largest refinery in the united states. how come philadelphians are not getting any of those proceeds and have not been for at least my entire lifetime? host: tony, is this something lawmakers and elected officials are taking up or an effort you are trying to start yourself? caller: i don't even think they know about it. because i talked to many people that are commercial and residential property owners. they knew nothing about it. but i know of other lawmakers from other counties in pennsylvania that their

constituents get monthly checks because they are procuring their energy from their property and refining it to what they sell on the market. how come philadelphia's main county out of all of the 67 counties, they are not getting proceeds from that? host: thanks for bringing it up. let's go to bob in the tar heel state. caller: thank you, john. monday, the head of the cdc said in little over 75% of the covid deaths were from underlying conditions and not from covid. that would mean if there were 900,000 deaths, that 675,000 of that total number of 900,000 would not be from covid. that is very confusing with the way the numbers are being reported. so possibly this thing has not been as bad as reported all

along. host: do you know anybody who died from covid? caller: no. i know people who have died with covid. they died from pancreatic cancer and things like that. but somehow, they were put into the numbers. i hope it is not because the hospital gets more money when people die from covid. hospitals do get considerably more money from the government when the debt is listed as covid. so possibly it is a hospital administration problem. i know a lot of doctors are very upset about it because they are being pressured to say they were covid deaths when they weren't. host: that is bob in north carolina. this is coleman in the sooner state out of tulsa, republican. good morning. caller: hey, good morning. for somebody who believes in

free speech and opposition to what democrats want to do is called insurrection. we have new language now. and the build back better, biden's speech in atlanta brings this new language into play. that if you are opposed to eliminating voter id's, you are a jim crow, you are a racist. that is the new language. the democrats now call anyone that is supposed to their agenda insurrectionists. sedition. january 6. people walking around the capitol are insurrectionists. that is new language. host: that is coleman in tulsa. diagonally across the state

south and west and oh, -- in oklahoma, juan, good morning. caller: good morning. thank you for letting me be on your program. i just want to say if everybody would give our president now a little more time and some more credit than our past president, he is doing the best that he can. if everybody would just do like what they are doing, pitching in, helping out, out, give whatn

give. host: in the first hour of our program on the mlk day of service, which we just heard about, we will talk about volunteerism in this country. spending time with our callers with that tomorrow morning. joe in riverview, florida, democrat, good morning. caller: good morning, everyone. an happy new year. so i was watching your show and watching this article on the enslavers in congress shaping our history. i thought it speaks volumes that you had that going on in the 1850's. and as we celebrate dr. martin luther king, junior's, birthday, and the lack of progress on

certain legislative fronts. i think it is good for folks to reflect on what that means in voting rights. i would even go so far as to say reparations. it is one of those things people need to think about as we start talking about these issues and how congress for the most part has been ineffective going forward. host: 1739 members of congress who enslaved people at some point in their life. you mentioned the 1850's and 1860's. this chart here showing the percentage of congress who were slaveholders over the course of the years starting way back in 1789. of course, you can see when the civil war hit by numbers dropping significantly. although ticking back up again in the 1870's for taking down again -- before ticking down again. an interesting note in that

series by "the washington post." the last enslavers to join the senate was in 1922, and it was the first woman to join the senate. when rebecca latimer felton took the senate oath of office in 1922, the press was there to capture every moment. the next day, she gave a brief speech and then stepped down from the post. she had been a u.s. senator, the first woman to hold the office for one day. the newspaper gave glowing reviews of her historic moment. some noted she also held a record. at 87, she was the oldest freshman senator in history. none mentioned another historic title she felt. a suffragist writer, avid white supremacist was the last member of congress known to have once enslaved another human being. that story in "the washington post" if you want to read more. this is edward out of tampa, florida, an independent review good morning. caller: good morning.

how are you today? host: i'm doing well. caller: good, thank you. first, it was nice to see the americorps representative on the program today. as a former americorps alumni, i can testify to the great work they do and would support anybody who decides to become an americorps member. the second thing i would like to say is i think it is time for people in america to start out a general conversation about whether our government can truly govern as a republic. at the time of the founding of the biggest city in america was philadelphia with 30,000 people. we now have tens of millions of people in cities with state governments with ultimate control, in some cases superseding their own state. i think at this point it would be very wise and mature for people to consider reforming our federal government or having a convention to talk about serious issues that affect every american, including things like

censorship, the economy, whether or not states can operate as states under this government, whether our federal government has the manner they do. i don't know if you have any comments on that, but that is all i have to say. host: edward, can i ask going back to your americorps service, where did you serve, and what did you do? caller: so i worked with a group that is associated with americorps but operates independently called the american conservation experience, ace. as a man, i am not that interested in working with people and doing certain things, so we did a lot of trail building come a , conservation of parks, things like that. host: was that in florida? caller: no, actually that was out of asheville, north carolina. host: what do you do now? caller: i am a paralegal working for a nonprofit pro bono in tampa at st. michael's legal center.

we help people with legal law. host: if it was up to a word in tampa, florida, to add one constitutional amendment, what would it be, edward? caller: [laughter] oh man, we are going to need about 10 of them. host: give me one. caller: i would not add one but i would rescind the 17th amendment. i believe state senators should be selected by the state and not be elected by the population. that is one thing i would do for sure. host: why? caller: i believe the people and the state are two different entities. i think the founders saw it that way. i think the founders saw the state entity separate from the people itself and should act as such. having a popular election for senators opens up the doors for demagoguery and we see the fruits of that. that is all i have to say on that. host: that is edward out of tampa, florida. this is judy in the buckeye

state out of akron. good morning. caller: hi. hi. this is judy from akron, ohio. i wanted to talk about the callers who called in about the president's remarks, republicans being like bull durham. i lived through that era. if you take any of those speeches from bull durham, george wallace, and put it right next to the speeches the republicans have been making and trump has been making, you would not know the difference. so they need to start showing all of those speeches that the others made back then. you put them next to each other and take them all the way back to the 1940's and i feel real bad about that. host: that is judy and akron. this is frank out of north carolina, republican. good morning. caller: how are you doing? i have a question here.

i am sitting trying to help these people in washington to get the vote deal straight. the only idea that i have about this, every county has a tax listing. if you don't have a tax listing, you can go in there and the people that pay taxes should have a vote. if you don't, you are not on the tax list, you should not vote. we all pay for what we get here in america. we don't sit back and wait for somebody to give it to us or things like this. you've got to work. i was born in 1934 with the new deal. i lived through it during the second world war. and all of this, we did not have social security coming. they were giving us food and all of this mess. we worked the farm. the people that talked about slavery don't know what they are talking about. host: that is frank in north carolina. this is chris in sumner, texas.

good morning. caller: hello? host: hi, chris. caller: yeah. there is a guy there. i am not from sumner, texas. i was born and raised in tulsa, oklahoma. that guy coleman that was on there talking about freedom of speech, they just passed a law down there in oklahoma with little books on shelves and libraries. if people do not like that book when they can soothe a city or library for $10,000 a day for every day it was that it was not on there. he talked about freedom of speech. hitler took books off the shelves and they piled around them and burned them and danced around the fire. people don't know. we have these people that claim to be constitutionalists. they only know one

constitutional right, and that is the second amendment. and they think that trumps everything. donald trump, man, that guy don't care about anybody in this country. never has, never will. and if he becomes president again, i think it will be the ruination of our country. host: that is chris in texas. this is boho out of port charlotte, florida, republican. good morning. caller: good morning. i wanted to comment about covid because i am getting really sick and tired of them pushing the narrative forward. there is a lot of listeners. i have also a talkshow too. there is a lot of people in america that might be independent. i have nothing against them. there are a lot of people on the republican side they say are misinformation informed on the situation of covid. i have over a year now done deep

research, not only with a list of global positions and doctors -- physicians and doctors, but researchers as well as global information that i get from various medical areas, including a pharmacy, which i ask for an actual sheet to give me a print off on the four different vaccinations. i have a print off in front of me in black and white that shows all of the ingredients in the covid shot. everybody has the free will and freedom to do what they are doing, but they are not doing it. they need to look into the actual ingredients of each of these shots and care about their life. host: this is keith in champaign, illinois, and independent. good morning. caller: good morning, sir. i would just like to make a few comments about the democratic party and how just every time something is not going their way , everybody all of a sudden is a

racist. i was raised by a black man, his white wife because i had no place to go when i was younger. i just don't see this thing they are trying to convince america of. i don't think the rest of the country does either. i also am thinking how they can just go in and arrest a man because his daughter was assaulted and he is trying to check the school. that scenario. it is just completely wrong. nancy pelosi, she was supposed to be the one protecting the capitol. she was in charge of security. she was the head of security over that situation. host: that is keith in illinois,

our last caller in today's "washington journal," but we will be back here tomorrow morning. of course, tomorrow is martin luther king, junior, day in this country. programming note for tomorrow night at eight a copy of eastern, the rev. al sharpton and the national action network hold the annual breakfast to honor martin luther king, junior, and washington, d.c. that is happening tomorrow morning. we will re-air it at 8:00 p.m. eastern. remarks by the u.s. deputy attorney general kristin clark, treasury secretary janet yellen, and martin luther king, junior, the third. if you want to watch that, we will be airing it tomorrow night at 8:00 p.m. eastern. we will be back here tomorrow morning at 7:00 a.m. eastern, 4:00 a.m. pacific. in the meantime, have a great sunday. [captions copyright national cable satellite corp. 2022] [captioning performed by the national captioning institute, which is responsible for its caption content and accuracy. visit ncicap.org] ♪

>> 2022 is shaping up to be a big year for nasa with two major missions underway. the first, dart test, for the ability to defend earth against asteroids. second, the james webb telescope, the success of the hubble. tonight on "q and eight -- q&a we will discuss those missions. >> earth gets hit by experts. that is not new. it happened in the past and will happen in the future. that said, we are tracking things.

there is nothing on a course to the earth. we have not found all of the asteroids yet so this is an important part of planetary defense. to find all of the asteroids and take the first steps to be ready in case you need to before you need it. that is where dart comes in. >> you can go and point at an object and i get new data and i know i am the first person to have ever seen it. sometimes you cannot put into it you are going to find, right? you find new things. probably some of the most exciting things to come out of webb are things i am not sure i can tell you right now. >> planetary scientists tonight at 8:00 p.m. eastern on q&a. you can listen on our app. >> c-span's "washington journal

." every day, we take your calls live on the air and we discussed policy issues that impact you. coming up monday morning, we talk about voting rights in state -- and state election laws . and then parker, columnist and president of the center for urban renewal and education, talks about martin luther king day and race in america. the university center of florida's michael on the federal response to covid-19. watch "washington journal" live at seven a clock eastern monday morning on c-span or c-span now, our new mobile app. join the discussion with your phone calls to my facebook comments, text messages, and tweets.