>> coming up a look at the war in ukraine. the federalist society house you can watch at 1 a.m. eastern. the ukrainian ambassador to the u.s. discusses the russian invasion of her country with the washington post. watch live this afternoon starting at 4 p.m. eastern on c-span. online at c-span.org, or full coverage on the free video have. >> this morning on "washington journal" president and ceo of the national urban lake talks about the organization's findings in its 2022 state of black america report. syndicated columnist cal thomas

talks about the upcoming 2022 midterm election and the future of the republican party as well as the biden presidency. be sure to join the conversation with your phone calls, facebook comments, text messages and tweets. ♪ >> it seems like you are seeing more of president biden in washington and around the country these days it is probably not just the spring weather. eager to post about recent accomplishments such as the elevation -- nomination of ketanji brown jackson to the supreme court the president also needs -- meets these events with staggering poll numbers. good morning, it is friday, april 15, 2022. good friday, passover, and to "washington journal". we will spend the first part of

the program here asking you about your approval of the president's job performance so far. republicans, the line to use is (202) 748-8001. democrats, (202) 748-8000. for independents and others it is (202) 748-8002. you can send us a text message, that is (202) 748-8003. and tell us your name and or you are texting from. we are on facebook of course. we will look for your posts and will come your thoughts on twitter and instagram at c-span of you jake. there are several poll numbers we will look at. approval and disapproval poles --polls. we are not looking for a letter grade. your rating of the president's job performance so far. this is a headline from fox news from yesterday on one of those polls biden approval rating

tumbles to the list point of his presidency. part of that says it came out on wednesday. democrats approve of the president's job performance it. 12% disapprove. republicans disapprove of the president's job performance by an overwhelming number, 94% disapprove. and 3% approved. we will get to your phone calls and a moment. let's hear from the president one of those road trips to north carolina yesterday talking about the economy. president biden: we are seeing the results of our economic vision. our economy created 431,000 jobs in the month of march alone. 7.9 million jobs over the course of my presidency. our jobs in the 14 months that i have been president than any other president in american

history. unemployment at 3.6%. it's down from 6.4% when we took office 14 months ago. it has declined. north carolina, thanks for the american rescue plan and the leadership of the governor has added 194,000 jobs in the last 14 months. [laughter] [applause] president biden: that 67,000 jobs ahead of where the state was before the pandemic hit. unlike the past recoveries, this time around, the american rescue plan, we make a choice to bring everyone along. so not only has the unemployment rate dropped to record pace here in north carolina and across the nation, but black unemployment fell by more than 30%. more than 30%. [applause]

hispanic unemployment fell from nearly 9% to 4.2% in the year 2021. the fastest single drop ever recorded. we had the largest -- largest drop ever recorded in american history. host: we are opening questions here on "washington journal". how would you rate the president's job performance? (202) 748-8001 for republicans. (202) 748-8000 for democrats. and independents and others (202) 748-8002. this is from the washington times. democrats aim to win back borders -- voters. president biden is reviving his lou koller persona to connect with rural voters and to help congressional democrats to hold onto their majorities in the november elections. the president traveled to north

carolina. he referred to members as folks. professed camaraderie with a college student in the audience. when you are chairman of the ibm board call and say hey malcolm it's joe here i don't want to hear you say joe who. they write that after decades of declining prospects in rural america the democrats face the possibility of losing the house and the midterms. voters feel the democratic party has abandoned them by failing to address issues such as inflation and rising prices are on twitter, a couple of comments. bill tweets this, according to the poll biden has a 61% disapproval rating on crime, 62% on immigration, and 63% disapproval rating on the economy.

in other one says biden's low numbers are his fall. too many bad decisions, deflecting our problems and concentrating on foreign issues. gas is still six dollars a gallon here. derek says light years better than putin's puppet. joe biden is doing ok despite the character assassination by the right. let's go to the calls. sammy in south st. paul, minnesota democrats line. good morning. caller: hi there. i think president biden is doing a really good job. basically, it's a change from when trump was in office. that's all i gotta say. thank you. host: to steve and san jose, california. caller: i think the question is

what is the goal? if the goal is the destruction of the united states, he gets in a. if the goal is the preservation of our way of life, he gets an f . the colors that say that biden is doing an excellent job, be specific. and what manner is biden doing an excellent job? is it on foreign policy? be specific. is it on immigration? is it on crime? is it no wars? is it the national debt? the poll that you cited, i think it tells the whole story that the american public is not fooled. and the only way that the

democrats can win an election as they have learned to cheat. they have become very well in knowledge regarding way to cheat. i am very fearful for this country. because once we go over the edge, we are not going to come back. it will be too far gone. do you have any questions? host: thank you for your comment, steve paired we will go to georgia, emma kratz line. caller: i think the president is doing a great job based on the fact that what he inherited from the previous president. we would not have been in this dilemma had our previous president had answered the call to covid. president biden is working based on covid, the pandemic which was

international. then he inherited a war. the previous president wanted us out of nato. he was able to garner all the other countries to help ukraine. so that makes it, for me, he did a great job. and i voted for trump. and i lost my mom. so he would never do a good job for me. thank you. host: the political reporter for the washington post, one of his polls the headlight of his peace, and that article he writes this. gallup status shows more than half of the members of gen z are political independent. as those older than baby boomers per there is a remarkable correlation between the two. more likely a generational group is to identify with a political party. the less decline of the approval and joe biden.

joe biden was in north carolina yesterday talking up about the economy and pushing for one of his technology pieces of legislation to pass through the congress. here are more comments from president biden yesterday. president biden: i know we are still facing tyler and -- tout -- challenges of inflation. i grew up in a family when the price of gasoline went up at the palm it was a conversation at the kitchen table with my dad. putin's invasion has driven up gas prices all over the world. ukraine and russia are two of the largest wheat producers in the world. we are number three. they are shut down. we saw that yesterday. what people don't know is 70% of the increase in inflation was a result of the impact on oil

prices. 70%. we need to address these high prices and urgently for working folks out there. host: on the things they do is track all kinds of polls and they do a rolling average of presidential approval roles. so the most recent run -- one and that includes all these different ones. the most recent average of approval/disapproval, 40% approval rating of president biden's job. disapproval is 52.3%. over time, you can see it sort of graphically laid out there in the chart that they do. the numbers corresponded with the chart, the red being the disapproval number. start go up in the full off last year and crossing. you can see the margin there. by text joan says i didn't vote

for him but i was willing to give him a chance. he has been terrible for this country and of the world. he does not know what he is doing. he often speaks untrue information the front is laughing. this is an embarrassment. go to the independent line and hear from anthony in virginia beach. caller: good morning. as far as immigration is concerned, this would be an open border. this is the vengeful destruction of the black felt -- folk that the blackman has worked tirelessly for for 400 years period that is going straight out the window eventually. as far as the economy is certain, the place we are entering out that is disruptive to the american spirit of the work ethic. it is going straight out the window as well. and the shift within the country , it's destruction of this nation. joe biden has not done a very

good job being president of these united states and that's how it is. thank you. host: northwood, new hampshire. we are from work on the republican line. caller: hey, good morning. i think he is doing an abysmal job. absolutely abysmal. first off, i was denied my third stimulus check through my tax return for no apparent reason. and i can't get anybody at the irs to acknowledge or confirm or even talk to me about it. but most importantly, i got fuel delivered yesterday, $800 for a tank of fuel oil which is twice what i paid last year. this is absolutely the worst administration i have seen in my 70 years on this planet. absolutely terrible. your first caller hit the nail on the head 100%. absolutely the worst, abysmal,

terrible. i guess that's my vent. host: how long will that tank of fuel oil last you for the -- how long does that last you typically? caller: this will probably last me until november appeared i use it for hot water and heat. we will not need heat going into this bring in summer, but i still needed for hot water. if it lasts me until november, ok fine. but still, $800? i only get $1000 a month in social security. how are you supposed to survive? with this kind of nonsense going on? we hear about billions of dollars going to ukraine, billions of dollars going to the south american countries to stop the influx of illegal immigrants for what the heck is going on? host: we will go to mac on the democrats line. good morning.

caller: i would like to say that the whole problem, donald trump that the united states up for failure when he went pandering to putin and dip munition power of nato. if we can get rid of putin and donald trump we can get back to normal that's all i have to say. host: in terms of foreign, has president biden restored a lot of the respect, if you will, the integrity of the u.s. with nato that you were critical of president trump? caller: well, joe biden has given it a good effort. donald trump broke everything. they had a -- they are totally disregarding that. our system is broken. it's a failure of donald trump and the republican party.

they let him get away with everything. he has no respect for law, of respect for subpoenas, anything. it's disgusting. host: next up is mikey on the republican line. caller: i just wanted to say that if we don't get donald trump back in office and stop all this corruption that we've got going on, there is no way ever country can ever come back. we will be date -- paying $10 a gallon for gas even here in indiana, we are paying about four dollars right now. we will never get back. i had an rv, i had to sell it. i couldn't afford to put gas in it. everybody is riding bicycles over here. we don't have the jobs around here that people act like we do.

by didn't create new jobs. he didn't create anything. he greeted harding for the american people. under this it ministration, we need to get back to our independence on our oil here. we worked so hard to get that. biden went in there and took it all away within a week. we are struggling here all over the united states. he's caused whole world to struggle over this gas. host: here is a look at other polls. gop finds favor to win the house has a six point lead over a democrat. there is a quote in that piece that says this is a significant lead for republicans.

it shows building strength among key independence among suburban voters. the shift is even greater in the swing districts. especially given the economy prayed we are asking you to rate the president's job performance. the lines are (202) 748-8001 for republicans. democrats it's (202) 748-8000. and for independence and others it's (202) 748-8002. lawrence new jersey independent line. caller: hello? host: good morning, you are on the air. caller: i can't see how anybody can look at this president and think remotely that he's doing a good job in any respect. for one thing, he's the answer for all the problems that we have in america. he can barely hold a sentence. let's just beaver the about it. let's just be real about it. i've seen it in the army.

i'm in my 60's. president biden is old-school, all right. there is no new ideas going on there. no innovated thinking. just the same old old-school politics with the old president. trump came to office, i was a democrat but i looked at trump, i see he was de-escalating the wars. he was taking care of the borders. renegotiating the trade agreements. he was doing things that helped america. he stopped part of the swamp in he didn't come in there with handlers and owners like you get with biden. that they want to call him a putin puppet. all that has been debunked. all that has been debunked but they still want to call him that, you know? people are misinformed. if there is anything that i seek at that biden is doing, night --

not one thing. host: brian on the democrats line. caller: good morning. i'm agnostic but i want to wish you a happy easter. it's for my republican friends out there. you can't say merry christmas and whatnot. but biden has been doing an ok job. he hasn't been doing great, everyone complains about the border. foreign policy, i mean, they did a number on the country's bird after that, no one is going to listen to it anyway. he's a better president than trump. he at least has compassion, empathy, integrity, that's all i have to say. thank you. host: next to ella ware and sheila on the republican line. caller: good morning.

hi. i am not pleased with joe biden at all. i did not vote for him. the country has really gone way downhill in months. i'm really not pleased with anything he has done. i don't want to get into specifics because i don't really want to upset people but i am not pleased by any stretch of the amash -- imagination with anything he has done. host: in political story this morning. the wall street journal, rnc to require gop presidential candidates to sign debate ledges to pull out of the debate commission, in a statement the debates are an important part of the democratic process.

the rnc, the republican national committee is created to free and fair debates. it has refused to enact reforms and help ensure fair debates including posting debates before debating begins and selecting moderators who have never worked for candidates on the debate stage. next is paul in myrtle beach south carolina. go ahead. caller: good morning, you look at the breakdown and conservatives are about 35%. the rest of the ones that decide the election. i think the national mainstream media is the democrat party, big tech, social media. they supported these people that think biden is doing a good job, no matter what -- they don't get

the true story all this mainstream media are still stuck on january 6. they never mentioned what kind of job biden is doing. so people need to kind of look at it for themselves. it's a terrible president and they got together in south carolina and decided he was the louvre one that he could be -- they cut a deal and he started losing the democrat nomination. that's when it turned around. you get what you get. host: all right. toledo, iowa. dennis on the democrat line. caller: republicans are telling me to go back to trumpcare that we had unemployment, since the great depression. we had sporting events canceled.

we had short seasons and baseball. we had fans going to the games because of trump's [indiscernible] why -- i don't think biden's children saying -- living in the white house like trump's grown children living off the government. you very much. host: there fully hose, california. caller: thank you. 31 days ago i made an appointment to talk to vladimir putin because i met him as a teenager growing up in europe. my mom was section chief of cia and my dad was a general with the military.

the reason i wanted to talk to putin was, number one, to get him to stop the ukraine fighting and poking his head into poland. and he made a comment to me said i have no respect for biden. i did have respect for trump and if trump gets reelected, all this bullying -- i'm told that i'm a bigger bully than trump will end. if trump gets reelected, i will make payments to ukraine to help rebuild it. so i think putin for that comment. host: the director of the cia was on capitol hill testifying about the state of affairs in ukraine with russia. headline for the hell, u.s. can't take lightly possibility of russia using nuclear weapons.

cia director said thursday the u.s. cannot take lightly the possibility that russia could use technical nuclear weapons as it grows more desperate and its military attack on ukraine. even the potential desperation of russian president a lot of your patent and the russian leadership given the setback they faced so far militarily, none of us can take lightly the threat of his resort to nuclear weapons. following a speech, at georgia tech he also noted however that the u.s. has not yet seen practical evidence of russia moving to use such weapons. kim is next up in nashville, tennessee. good morning, kim. caller: good morning. i would like to make a comment about the $800 fuel cost and making him sick when he hears about billions going to ukraine.

what makes me sick is the billions that are spent on the campaigns for the politicians that we got. anytime i hear the word bipartisan it makes my skin crawl. i think biden, we can't blame on the problems on the republicans. but it's petty. the ones that have been there forever and ever they are lining their pockets. one comment i would like to make about term, he said he was going to tilt the ball and mexico was going to pay for it, ago didn't pay for it. and i don't, we need to take control. host: how long have you identified as an independent voter? caller: pre-much on my life. host: i appreciate you calling

this morning. this is the headline from the washington post blast sinks russian warship. sustained severe damage and sank on its way back to port early thursday. a major symbolic blow to moscow and at the invasion of ukraine entered its eighth week. both sides prepared for potentially devastating battle over the eastern donbass region. on the missile cruiser, remains contested with russia saying a fire detonated ammunition on board and forced the q crash -- crew to evacuate. a senior official told washington post thursday evening that the ships think as a result of the ukrainian attack but did not confirm what weapon was used. john kirby, the pentagon spokesman talked about that ship and it sinking yesterday at the briefing at the pentagon.

[video clip] >> the servitude they have had from a dozen to two dozen ships operating in the black sea since the beginning of this invasion. they have ports as you know on the black sea. historically they have operated there. it would be difficult to be if all to tell you that this one shipping out of commission what exactly the impact is going to be. the reason i say that is, the naval component here has been fairly limited to two things. one, chris missile strikes in ukraine and two, replenishment of their supplies in the south. they have only conducted one amphibious landing. that was an uncontested stretch of beach. they really haven't made any concerted naval effort towards odessa. i guess it remains to be seen

what the major impact is going to be. this is a cruiser, they only have three in its class. the ship that is roughly 600 feet long and has a crew of almost 400, sorry that is what this ship is designed to do not unlike our own cruisers. it is going to have an impact on their capabilities in the near term whether it has an impact in the long term it is unclear right now. we do not have as much as we would like to have. we do not have a better clearer sense of the damage done and what impact it will have to the ships future in the near term. whether she can and will be repaired we do not know. host: we are asking you to rate president biden's job performance.

we will go to a couple of polls. some comments on social media about this saying. a true -- a tweet saying biden is hurting us. instead of taking responsibility by then tries to pass lane to putin. real leaders do not do this. deborah says i love having a caring and intelligent man doing everything he can for our country. he does not bash republicans. he is not all about power or ego. i do not worry at night that he is going to do something stupid. trump created such a mess biden would've been better off losing. this one says that president biden's approval rating is 41.5. that is better than trump then when he left office. also higher than the losers at this point in their presidency. back to your calls and we will go to dorothy on the democrats line in north carolina. caller: good morning.

this is so comical to me because we know people are in long lines for food. people were out of work. everything was shut down. trump did not know at it handle it. as far as afghanistan, trump made the deal with the taliban. not the afghan government. the taliban was giving -- trump did not remove anyone from afghanistan while he was there. also, let us talk about the war in ukraine. we know what trump would've did. look at what he did with turkey -- and invaded the cards. he did not help them. he would not have helped ukraine. if -- putin was planning on that. putin is not actually winning

this war because of the usa. they stopping him. without firing a shot. he is doing a great job as far as i can -- as far as i'm concerned. when trump came in there we were not losing jobs. that was done by greed. biden does not have anything to do with that. the democrats could win, it gives them -- raise social security for the elderly people. they do them two things they would kill the republicans. how many republicans go for it. they do not raise social security. host: our caller from north carolina. one of the states that has an open senate seat. this is an ad in that senate race from the republican candidate in the race, mike

durham. >> trump made it clear from day one. joe biden speaks a different language. open borders, tax dollars for illegals. violent gangs. here is some plain english. joe biden is a failure, embarrassing our country and i am going to stop him because the career politicians will not. i am mike durrant and i approve this message. host: that is a republican and in north carolina. how would you rate president's job performance? republican line. caller: thank you. i am 87 years old and i can remember presidents from roosevelt on to some extent.

i do not have the best memory by a longshot but things are going the wrong direction. i was born and raised a democrat and i forget exactly but in the 1970's i started changing. it seems to me like if you want a socialist type government you want to be a democrat. i do not. but i don't really like trump. if he is running i have to vote for him. i can't say i really like him as president of this country.

it's been an interesting life and i thank you for letting me on the air. host: we will go to john and willington -- in wilmington. caller: in my opinion of joe biden i only have one major complaint. that is continuation of the trump opiate commission. his commission has successfully killed 2 million americans by denying these americans including veterans the access to the fda pain pills that actually work. we have been trying to get the cdc to make -- issue some new guidelines in february. i think it would be very interesting for the public to know that our cdc actually hires a company called maximus to field through all of the phone

calls and emails coming into that institution. i have really nice long video that i will be could -- i will be putting on on my campaign site. i will be renting and ill of noise. -- i will be running in illinois. our country does not seem to care. we have all of these anti-mascaras and anti-vaccine or's whining and crying. if they had any idea of the mandates being imposed upon 50 million americans such as the elimination of hepa with the pharmaceutical database so the doctor knows how many paid pills -- how many pills you got. prescriptions monitored. we want to make sure these people are the lying dope fiends that -- has propagated

throughout their campaign to try to force americans into big pharma off label experimentation. host: let me ask you, have things gotten any better in the biden administration or is it just the problem has gotten worse? caller: i have done everything i can over the last five years, to try to make this an issue that people realize. nobody is paying attention. i tried to get the cdc on friday to add, to extend their comments. but they chose not. i had this hour-long video of me trying to get through to maximus corporation in order to find out who do i have to talk to. host: i will let you go. what is the legislative district

you are running for? caller: i am going to be running for the new 79th legislative district or the 40th senate interest -- senate district. host: keep us posted on how you are doing. we will go to buffalo, new york. caller: i would like to say i think joe biden is a plus plus. i think he is doing an awesome job. not to hear all that rant and fake that was coming from donald trump. biden is doing the best he can with the mess that he was left. he is a kind person. peace it -- people were so used to trump's anger. they do not how to deal with biden. he is doing a wonderful job. now i can let my grandchildren be in the room when the tv is on. i do not have to worry about

trump coming on and saying all of that rhetoric. when joe biden comes on he is a very kind dish i wish i could tell him to not let these people get to him. he is doing a wonderful job and i love him. i will vote for him. host: thank you for your call. we played the ad in the north carolina senate race. this is a recent ad from the democratic majority pack in the upcoming election. >> two years ago we were in crisis. democrats rescue the economy. the biggest single year gain in record. the .9 million new jobs. a record drop in unemployment. democrats are working to lower costs. releasing a million barrels of oil a day. they passed a cap on insulin. democrats are getting things done to create jobs and lower costs. house majority packs responsible for the content of this ad. host: to our republican line.

caller: regarding the woman who was just on, who said that president biden is kind and is so nice to see someone kind in the office. i vote for someone to be president based on their policies and what they can get done for our country. our country was extremely safe under president trump. the only war under president trump was the war against president trump by the media, and the democrats. who daily 24/7 torture this man constantly and would not allow him to just do his job. if the media was not involved there would have been no rhetoric and all of this nonsense.

they created narratives that they wanted that were all negative against him. they did not just let the man do his job although the statistics and everything, his job performance on the economy, what he did for bringing peace to the middle east was tremendous. he did a phenomenal job. did i didn't like his tweets or some of the things he said? no i did not. i voted for him based on his policies and i would definitely vote for him again. president biden, i am so afraid we have three years left with this man. i am terrified for our country, we are actually -- they said president trump had nuclear codes and oh my goodness. we are going to be in a nuclear war, no, we are in one now. there is a possibility based on

biden not having any control and being such a weak president, there is a possibility that could happen. the democrats, that old saying careful what you wish for, what you got it and now this country is in dire mess and the world is in a dire mess. host: we will go to democrats line. greg in colorado. caller: i wanted to say you guys to a fantastic guy -- a fantastic job there at c-span. i we give joe biden a b. it is funny to me that everyone rushes to blame the president when what they should be doing is looking in the mirror. this -- is not going to support us. no one wants to talk about the climate. joe biden talks about the

climate and all of the republicans give him grief about it. the position we are in is because of us. i see all of these people walking around with their gadget attached to their hand, they want to call amazon to get everything they expect yesterday. that is who you are giving all of your money to, spending at amazon. jeff bezos does not pay taxes. then i see elon musk talking about buying twitter. why is everything in america all about money? pretty soon money is not going to matter because this earth is going to be destroyed. i hope you understand that. host: let us hear one more call from mechanic, pittsburgh.

caller: good morning. it seems like people are really upset and they should be. the way we are going should satisfy nobody. it appears most of your democratic callers are black and are -- host: how can you call that most of our democratic colors are black? caller: why don't you put that on as a topic one day? host: why does that matter. caller: -- it just seems if all one side, would pull her once to say -- and by the way, white is

a color. let us stop this of color thing. host: the line is open for democrats, republicans, independence of all color. more washington journal ahead. we will be joined by marc morial who is president of the national urban league. he will be discussing the state of black america report. cal thomas will be with us to discuss the future of the republican party, the biden presidency and more. that is ahead. ♪ >> book tv every sunday on c-span features leading offers -- leading authors. at 2 p.m. eastern in charlottesville. author discussions on colonialism, injustice.

at 10 p.m. eastern on afterwords former texas republican will hurt with his book, american reboot. argues that america needs a restart. offers his -- on how to move the country forward. he is interviewed by blake moore. watch tv every sunday on c-span2 and find a full schedule on your program buying or watch online. >> during discussions over the reunification of germany in 1990 u.s. secretary of state james baker told soviet leader mikael gorbachev that nato was not expanded eastward, not one inch. in the lead up to the russian invasion of ukraine vladimir putin used those words to suggest that the u.s. and nato were not interested in peace and

could not be trusted. sunday on q&a, merry sorority history professor and author of not one inch talks about the 1990 combat and how the expansion has had. >> showed that baker had the dentist allies and said sorry about that language and causing confusion. we are not going to use it anymore. the problem is it took go gorbachev a wild to say this. he started pressing that that is no longer on offer. when push comes to shove and there is actually a treaty negotiation that treaty allows nato to move -- eastward. >> mary sorority and her book, not one inch. on q&a.

you can listen to q and day and all podcasts on our at. >> all this month watch the top 21 winning videos from our c-span studentcam competition. every morning before washington journal we will air one of our winners. their documentaries talk about how the federal government impacted their lies. you can watch all of the documentaries anytime online at studentcam.org. >> washington journal continues. host: we are joined this morning by marc morial who is president and ceo of the national urban league. he is on this morning to talk about the organizations 2022 state of black america report. marc morial, welcome. guest: thank you and happy friday. for those who celebrate good friday and passover, peace and blessings.

host: what is the genesis of the state of black america report? why did it begin to guess why did it begin? and what do you try to find out? caller: vernon -- guest: vernon jordan who served president of the national league in the 70's conceived of the report in 1976. he sat down as we always do and watched president ford deliver his state of the union address. in his address he did not address the issue of civil rights and this is a 1970. he did not talk about poverty, urban communities, did not mention black communities at all. he did not mention the challenges and problems we were facing a wreath session, the beginning of rising inflation. vernon jordan said he would do his own report and thus the

state of lack america report was born in 1976. over the years we published it and when what i joined the urban league i wanted to create an objective set of numbers, a statistical set of numbers through which you could measure -- in comparison to white america. we created what we called the quality index. we published that continuously since 2004 thereabouts. i think it is the best, most objective, clearest act based analysis of the social and economic conditions of african-americans versus white. we also did a comparative -- we also did a comparison for the latino population. that index this year also includes a important section which emphasizes american

democracy. a third component is the pulse of black america which is a pole . all of this information is available to your viewers and the general public online at the state of america -- the state of black america.org. host: this is the percentage of how black americans are doing versus white americans. done for a number of years. this year's report says overall number is 74%. tell us what that number means. guest: the best illustration would be, let's look at the joblessness rate and unemployment rate for black americans. it is about 6% or so today. white americans it is about 3%. that would make the index a differential of 50%. we look at a range of statistics

, homeownership levels, death rates due to various diseases, median house cold incomes, net worth or wealth, business formation rates. about 300 data sets and we compile it into a statistical index. where traditional white americans is that 100 and black americans is a percentage of 100. if black americans fare better than white americans in any category the number would be over 100. we encourage people to take a look at this. 74% of this number has changed relatively almost not at all in the 15 years that we have been doing this report. in some cases in the numbers we released on tuesday, black americans have done slightly

better. this is pre-covid when it comes to income. a slight changes, slight improvements relative to white americans. the social justice index and several other indexes declined. it offsets -- losses offset gains. that is why it is an overall index. i encourage each and every person who has a serious point of view about the issue of racial disparity in america because this is not my opinion, this is not the opinion of the national urban league, these are facts from a range of sources including the united states census. verifiable sources and honest sources that go into the creation of this index. it forms a basis to have discussions about race, it forms

a basis to have discussions about the solution. it is an important statistical index. host: in those topline numbers you can look at them here. we talk about the overalls, 74%. economics, at 62%. health at 84%. education at 75 percent. social justice at 57%. civic engagement at 98.9%. that never for civic engagement what does that include? that looks like it is equal. guest: in that area we measure voter registration rates versus the population. voter turnout rates in the most previous presidential election. we measure a percentage of people who are military service, people who are public sector jobs, government jobs.

when we look at all of that that index is much closer. that is one reason -- one reason why african-americans are higher in civic engagement, as a percentage of the whole work for federal or state government or are in military service. it is important to under and that civic engagement includes things like voting. predominantly there are a number of things we look at to get at the civic engagement number. host: our lines are open for you to weigh in with marc morial. (202) 748-8001 four republicans, (202) 748-8000 four democrats. (202) 748-8002, and for independents and others. it is the 2022 state of black america report from the national urban league. one of those figures you spoke of is the income figure.

the median household income 37% less than that of white people. he said that the income figure how improved slightly in 2022. does your report recommend what other steps have to happen to make that number improved further? guest: there are a range of steps. one factor i hope the viewers were also focus on is the differential in income between blacks and whites. it is part of a larger story which is the differential in income between wealthier americans and middle-class americans and working-class americans. the truth of the matter is that black americans are more dominantly in the working-class, the working poor, the working class, the aspiring middle-class.

much more dominantly than white americans. the large percentage of white americans are high income categories, higher middle-class and over with the. having said that, this number should be understood in context. for all working americans, working poor americans and aspiring middle-class americans incomes have not over the past 30 to 35 years kept pace with inflation. this trough got bigger and bigger. i would say that one important thing is to make the minimum wage a uniform number across the land. we've got differential minimum wage laws because 25 or 30 states have created their own. any companies have created their own. we need a national minimum wage.

we need continued investments in education, workforce, job training. we need continued focus on workplace discrimination both intentional and in -- and unintentional. we need college-educated african-americans to rise of the latter. host: in terms of wages has the covid demand for workers, have they raised their own bottom line rages, has that improved or may be made less necessary the need for a national minimum wage in your view? guest: let me offer this. numbers do not include post-covid analysis. i would venture to say that it is better economic policy to have a national minimum wage from an employer's standpoint who is working in multiple

states, has locations in multiple states, it is a much easier system to administer. it is a much easier system to hire. what is now an issue is even if wages have increased, how we have inflation. in some guest: what appears to be an increase may not be an increase at all. it may be a net increase because the cost of gas or food or housing has risen. we have to address that for 35 years the wages of americans, working poor, the aspiring middle-class has not cut pace with inflation. this is why you see workers

leaning in favor of unionization. this is why you see businesses responding by raising wages. we will know better next year from the covid numbers. this report does not include an analysis of the covid numbers. anyone notice a steep decline in unemployment post covid has to do with a number of factors. the government responded more aggressively to the covid recession than they did to the great recession. host: let me ask you about life expectancy. what is going on with the life expectancy?

covid figures are not included in this but life expectancy had declined for african-americans. a black person can etch a black baby can expect to live less than a white baby. guest: of the first time since we've been keeping the numbers life expectancy for blacks and whites are in decline. is it -- there's the opioid crisis. there are homicides and suicides . there is the erosion of health condition due to diabetes and heart disease relative to smoking and lifestyle issues. there is the disparities in the insurance system and access to health systems that affect after americans. less likely to have insurance,

less likely to have a personal physician. we should raise an alarm on this. for black americans it is in decline, for white american it is in decline but the disparity remains. host: we have caused remaining. -- waiting. we will go to lawrence on the independent line, minnesota. caller: black americans moving forward in poverty, crime and government dependency. does your report speak to the need for black americans to address that issue so that we can make advances without having people relying on the government so the kids are not born in poverty and deal with crime?

guest: i challenge the notion that some large number of black americans our reliance on government support. the food stamp program, the majority of recipients are white. there is no more traditional buffer systems. black americans our work americans -- are working americans. they are working class americans who are taxpayers like every other american. it is the responsibility of the government to help people who are in poverty. it is the responsibility of the government to help people achieve their aspirations. that is why we have a free education system in the u.s.. that is why many believe that college should be more affordable, community college needs to be more formal. four-year college needs to be more affordable. to give people more pathways.

black americans are not a dependent class on the government. they are working in communities, churches, local governments to improve conditions. the condition of black americans is like a race. we started at the founding of the nation. white americans started, some in a 26 mile race maybe three miles ahead or more. in the race to find a quality a black american run as fast as a white american but not get as far. the differential remains. so much has been, yes we have

seen some improvements in the condition of african-american since the 1960's but white americans have seen great improvements to. increases in in high school, college graduation. increases in mid 80 -- increasing outcome -- increases in income. comparatively these divides in america remain the same. i challenge the notion. it is tied to political rhetoric . i invite people to understand that the black community is like every community. working, taking care of parents, take care of children trying to build a house, buy a house. get a better apartment. but once the same sports. -- but once the same supports. the g.i. bill, freddie mac and

fannie mae, empowered the white middle class. plaques were cut out of that -- blacks were cut out of that. we talk about these issues, i am trying to create a fact-based understanding. a lot political rhetoric today is narrow and creates perceptions that are inaccurate. i invite people to understand that black americans poverty rates are higher but there are more white people in poverty then there are black americans. host: rick in maryland, republican line. caller: in 1965 a group of guys

set up hud and went to chicago, detroit. they bought the worst sections of land because they were the cheapest. they financed and owned and managed to this day the section eight hell hole projects. therefore it's and blacks in the country today. 40% are football players, rappers doing fabulous. will smith is worth $350 million. kobe bryant $600 million. 30% are doing fabulous. the 70% live in those projects don't have a chance.

barack obama for eight years and joe biden did for the blacks in her intercity nothing -- in our intercity nothing. here is your next book, it is called no consequent this. what are the consequences for young black boys 55, 60% dropping out of high school today? they are dropping out because there was ai can make more on selling drugs. what is the consequence for a young black girl having six or eight kids? guest: were numbers are wrong. -- your numbers are wrong. this notion that for the 5% of black kids are dropping out to sell drugs is wrong. the idea that teenage black girls are having six to eight kids is wrong. is there a teen pregnancy issue in america? there is.

teen births have declined. high school graduation rates for black boys and girls has increased. but it is not where we wanted to be. you have to understand, when you make sure people have the correct numbers, information so that perfect section -- that perception becomes a big lie. that it does not dominate people's thinking about the black beauty. many of the problems the black community faces exist in the impoverished white areas of america. teen pregnancies, high school dropout rates and the poor impoverished areas of america. we don't want to paint a picture that all the most difficult problems are only in the black community.

they affect portions of the white community two. there is a disproportionality when it comes to this. i don't want to get into a defensive -- a defense of obama, of biden but there were other presidents in the middle. if criticism is to housing policy than ever president bears responsibility for it all the way back to the founding of the department of housing and urban development. i gave a presentation at the national press club two weeks ago. it was a critique of what was done with housing. we've not built sufficient units. we have not enforced fair housing laws. we have not held landlords accountable. we get the section eight certificate which is a

responsibility of local governments. we have to deconstruct or destroy this narrative that comes to her that black america is a den of poverty, drug dealing. many who offer those perspectives have never been in a black community, black church, and a black family's home. to understand the challenges and the hard word -- hard work, hope, advocacy for a better life. this is, for christians like me it is good friday. into resurrection sunday. for those of the jewish faith it is passover. for those of the muslim faith it is ramadan. hopefully some sense of love and

understanding about people's conditions. there is a condemnatory mentality that points fingers at people given their condition. i am one of those people who believes any combination of personal responsibility and opportunity. i believe that government has a role but individuals and families have to do with they need to do. not a simplistic argument about it is personal responsibility. let those conversations go because they are so divorced from the reality of what we need to do in this country to address these challenges. i welcome this conversation because it gives me opportunity to hear what people are saying. i am going to have to challenge fax -- fax and where people may have a perception.

the media helps build that. want to bring people back. host: from minnesota on our democrats line. caller: my question is, do you believe that we black americans have a middle class? strong indication about the state of black people, some clarity can be given if we were looking at the middle class of black people. that would require us to disaggregate information you are putting into those reports.

where we are is in direct relationship to where we came from. until we address where we came from and the applications that have led up -- the implications that have led up tori are now your report has no substance or merit. we do not have a black middle class which is indicative of the state of black people. can you speak to that? guest: our report has great merit. you do not like our report put your own report together. put your own research together. be part of the discussion. it is tough for me to hear people challenge a report without having read it.

just the facts. that is all it is. then you can discuss the interpretation. there is a black quote unquote middle class. it is not a large middle class. but it is a significant middle class. if you look at those who have a certain income, educational attainment, some combination of those there is a black underclass. the light middle class is larger, deeper lay wealth. when physicians of color made is to understand the condition of african-americans is impacted from 1619 to 18 625, almost 250

years of being owned as property and enslaved. maybe eight to 10% of african americans were free. but were treated as second-class citizens. post-civil war where the country believe that by amending the constitution it was eliminated slavery, creating a level playing field, guaranteeing people people protection of laws states created the system of separation -- segregation which was sanctioned by the u.s. supreme court in 1896. you had this period was segregation in the south. you had segregation laws or black code in the north. you had de facto discrimination

in the north. civil rights comes. 1619 to 1965 is almost 350 years where in this country asking americans were not allowed to own property, not vote, not go to school, not learn to read, not allowed to enjoy the american dream. it is not our ancestry. that is how our ancestors were treated in the u.s.. that is what is challenging and impacts today. look at the 1860's. the homestead act which gave families free land if they settled it.

look at the g.i. bill which gave free education. black veterans were mostly cut out of it. look at the fha where the government stepped in guaranteeing home loans. black americans did not have any opportunity. until the fair housing act and some of the reforms in the 60's, 70's and 1890's. -- 80's, and 90's. the past has impacted the present. we have to understand the past. host: one of the things the report finds in terms of schools, secondary and elementary schools schools with more minority students are more likely to have an experience, less training uncertified

teachers. fewer students are enrolled in stem classes leading to higher paying jobs. what else did you find in the state of black education in your report? guest: school districts across america can address that issue uncertified teachers. if it is a question of how teachers are assigned, whether we are producing enough teachers, not enough people in stem classes it is because in some schools they don't exist. the classes are not offered. these are fixable through policy. states have the responsibility for education. instead of getting sidetracked taking books out of school libraries and battling over things like trying to stop the history of african americans were being taught these

educators should be focusing on expanding stem classes. they should be focused on getting certified teachers and teachers a and -- teachers aides and coaches in schools. it gives us a chance to point out in some cases some governors, states, school superintendents do not have a focus on what they should be focusing on. there following new stories. focus on what can make a difference. the report points out why you have some the challenges with educational outcomes if you do not have a qualified teacher in every classroom. host: robert in pennsylvania, republican line. caller: i agree with a lot of

things you said. i grew up in the 50's. with mixed neighborhoods much different than it is now. one of the major problems of the black community is the family life. something that is not there. the violence that is created. it happens in the white community. i'm knocking to say it is strict leah black issue. the family life and violence that comes about in many black committees -- black communities. i have friends in both sides white and black. why do blacks think the democrats are there answer? i've that i did vote for

president trump. he is an imperfect person. they look to solve the problems. -- they look to democrats to solve their problems. guest: that is a fair question. i've spent my life in politics. it is an advocacy job. i have to deal with. the republicans have failed miserably appealing to the black community. they don't campaign in the black community. they don't show up at events. i have had very few republican leaders show up at an urban league event. a stack as high as the ceiling of invitation letters every republican speaker.

we invited mr. trump in 2016. wanted to provide all candidates with an opportunity. they have failed in appealing, getting to know the african-american community. when you say you have solutions for the community and you've never been there it is in -- people do not trust. where are they coming from? that is something, you go back to the bush years. george bush hosted meetings with african-american leaders. some were contentious. he signed an extension of the

voting rights act in 2005. he had some outreach to the afton american community. it is notable how things have changed. mitch mcconnell has come to urban league events two or three times but has not been to one long time. part of having a community left engage in a talk to them. -- you have to engage and talk to them. democrats can tout that it was johnson who signed the civil rights and voting rights act. that was when afton american shifted to the democratic party -- african-americans shifted to the democratic party. advanced african-american

officials for process and supported african-american elected officials. when we were working on the voting rights act we held one meeting with nine or 10 republican members of the senate. it was the first time that type of discussion had occurred in years. we got a breakdown in this country. the dialogue issue. the dialogue cannot just be politicians. as to people in communities. the black community does not see , exceptions to the rule, republican elected officials come to the community, for

candid discussion. when i was mayor of new orleans went everywhere in my town. black, communities, white, hispanic committees. felt it was my responsibility to engage with people. even if we ended up not agreeing. host: our guest is to time of new orleans. in the report, a section on voting rights and the concern your organization has. our right to vote is on the line is the headline on that part. ron in new hampshire, democrats line. caller: what you were talking

about, i do not believe the republican party acknowledges there is a problem. they do not a knowledge there is a problem with young unarmed black man being shot by police officers. they come up with he should not be -- should not have been trying to run. our weather, the republicans do not believe man is contributing to our weather problems. they do not acknowledge the problems we are having. they are a lot of wealthy people that set up under pedestal and not give a damn about anyone else. are you familiar with professor eddie glenn junior? he got a call, the caller asked

him i have never owned a slave in my life. neither have my parents. why should i feel guilty about the state of black people are in? i've never done anything. eddie came back with a great answer. just because you have never owned a slave in your life does not mean you have not benefited from slavery. white people did get a jumpstart on everything. guest: eddie's answer i embrace. closing the issue of racial justice is a paramount issue.

this week another black man shot by law enforcement in michigan. other case where the video raises questions. i read a piece in the pittsburgh courier about hiring a number of law enforcement officers. until we have accountability in that space, these things are going to happen. he state of black america report we did not get a chance to talk about democracy. i want to encourage everyone to go to state of black america.org. download the report. the national urban league. i appreciate the dialogue from people i may want to challenge, he lied agree with. i want to thank everybody for the views. at the easter passover, happy

ramadan. host: her head on the program. we will be talking with columnist cal thomas on the future of the propelled can party, the biden presidency. more of your calls and comments. it is our open forum. (202) 748-8001 republicans. democrats (202) 748-8002. independents and others (202) 748-8002. american history tv saturdays on c-span two exploring the people and events that tell the american story. at 2 p.m. on the presidency part

seven of our series first ladies in their own words. looking at the role of the first, their time in the white house and the issues important to them. this week will feature michelle obama. >> with every action we take, were to be under we think about the children who are watching us . who hang on to our word. looking to us to show us -- show them who they can and should be. that is why we try to be the people that were children deserve -- your children deserve. >> at 2:45 p.m. the white house historical association hosts the conference on the american presidency focusing on history and civic engagement, first lady's impact and influence and interpreting slavery and race at historic sites. exploring the american story,

watch american history tv saturdays on c-span two. find a schedule on your program guide or watch online at c-span.org/history. these been now is a free mobile app featuring your view of what is happening in washington. keep up with the biggest events with live streams and floor proceedings of hearings from the white house congress, campaigns and more florida politics -- more from politics. stay current with the latest episodes of washington journal and find scheduling information. plus a variety of podcasts. c-span now is available on the apple store and google play. c-span now, your front row seat to washington anytime anywhere. washington journal continues.

host: open forum here. your chance to weigh in on policy or political issues. an update from ukraine. from the wall street journal, kyiv rocked by explosions as russia steps up attacks. loud explosions rocked kyiv friday as russia threatened to escalate attacks on ukrainian command centers in response to alleged strikes inside russian territory. both sides during up for -- yesterday at the economic club president biden national security advisor jake sullivan talked about sanctions on russia. [video clip] >> are there any more economic sanctions left that you can impose? >> what we have done is unprecedented to take this set

of steps of financial sanctions, the export controls,. more than 600 major companies leaving countries at their own accord. we are grateful at how the private sector is stepped up. there are more companies making that decision. the u.s., as long as there is a functioning economy there are more tools. we feel we have taken the major measures. where our focus will be is on evasion. as russia tries to adjust to the economic pressure what steps do they take to evade sanctions? how to we crackdown on that? we will have announcements that

identify targets that are trying to facilitate that evasion. there is the issue of energy in europe. host: russia threatens to move new stub baltic area in finland, sweden -- if finland, sweden join nato. russia warned if they join nato russia will reinforce the baltic sea region including with nuclear weapons. suggested their country could request to join the military alliance. sweden making a similar move. texas, on or democrats line. caller: it is great what we are doing to help ukrainians. i have a problem with that.

the same problems that are going on in latin america and other places, they are treated differently. they're not people -- related people from ukraine. some of these latin american countries are being terrorized by drug lords, but when they come over it is not the same thing. it is not millions being welcome to like it is in ukraine. same policies -- the same policies to help ukraine should be happening to mexico, argentina, all these other countries that the people are being terrorized but they are not considered as great as they

are to the ukraine's. i care about what people do. host: thaad in new jersey, or public in line. -- republican line. caller: i love c-span. before you judge anybody in president look at the picture. god bless you people, criticize biden. he has a flawed person. he is not qualified. he did not want the job. after he retired with obama that was it but they dragged him like in -- back in. he was the only one who had the chance to be trump because the media was against trump. the media has brought people against trump. i'm not saying trump is the

greatest president. we have low gas prices which helps business. when you go to the store, milk is going on. everything is up. they passed on to us. if biden really cared his team will be doing something about this. he's not doing anything. those people with the climate, no matter what we do if we stop driving our cars russia and china and india are not going to do anything. it is going to be us. we'll have climate agreements but we will have no work. we will not be respected in the world. we will be a third rate nation. host: you think the media is critical -- do you think media is critical of president biden? caller: you take the washington post, new york times, cnbc, cnn,

cbs they give him a pass. i live in new york. the gentleman that committed the bombing the other day he had ran stain racist graves on youtube and they won't show it. they won't talk about it. this guy was an element of what is going on this country. the hatred. it starts with kids. it starts with education. children have to be educated with the truth. not this woke innate this education that is not the truth. host: all in south carolina. -- carl in south carolina. caller: i give trump credit that

he loved himself more than anybody else. a know he don't like me as a black guy. when you about race in the u.s., all whites are not created equal. on to hear about all americans. italians, irish, all these people have problems. last we were slaves -- blacks we were slaves, the big reason

people don't want to talk about is it's too deep. when you go to deep that is when ugliness comes out about child rape, it is the country we live in. i am thankful for everything a guide. -- i got. get around all kind of people in military. host: other news from the political front from the atlanta journal constitution herschel walker's campaign raises $5.5 billion in his republican senate. lying behind the democrat

senator from georgia who collected 13.6 million during the first quarter. walker might wind up as one of the highest fundraising totals of any republican u.s. senate it destiny candy. it is expected to outpace his sin arrivals in georgia. florida, blake on the independent line. caller: this is the greatest country. i served my country. i have to keep it 100. the u.n. said 20 years ago the u.s. should give us land. the estimates are from the 42 trillion a step to 6.2 5 trillion in terms of what the u.s. owes african americans. it's state makes $4000 and there was 4 million of us that is

billions of dollars that money from 1860. when people come from the country they take opportunities for us. they don't come to donald trump or joe biden's neighborhood. they come to my neighborhood. they come because this country has made us disorganized by assassinating our leaders. the president is bringing drugs into our community. other things we won't find out about. reparations are due. if you don't think reparations or do you are racist. my ancestors were fed as babies to alligators. my ancestors cleared the land for people who do not own slaves. you won't give us free education because you don't want an even playing field.

host: we will be joined by jet -- cal thomas. he will be talking about the future other public and party, the biden presidency and more. more of your calls ahead as well. >> during discussions over the reunification of germany in 1990 you and secretary of state james baker told soviet leader mikell gorbachev that nato would not expand eez for -- expand eastward. in the to the russian invasion of ukraine vladimir putin use those words to suggest the u.s. and nato were not interested in peace. and cannot be trusted. sunday on q&a area sorority history professor talks about the 19 -- 1990 conflict and the impact on russia u.s. relations.

>> one of the things i found shows that leaders had to go back to allies and sorry about that language, we are not going to use it. it took mikell gorbachev a well -- a well. he starts pressing in the summer and fall that it is no longer an offer. when there is a treaty negotiated that treaty allows nato to move eastward. >> mary and her book not one inch. sunday night eddie eastern -- at 8:00 eastern on q&a. >>'s ladies in their own words.

our series looking at the role of the first lady, their time and lay the white house and the issues important to them. >> it was an advantage to know what it was like to work and school. education is such an important issue for a governor and president. that was helpful. >> using material from c-span's series force ladies -- first ladies. >> i am the person who believes you should they what you mean and mean what you say. >> dispense online video library. we will feature first lady's labor johnson, betty ford, rosalynn carter, nancy reagan, hillary clinton, lori busch, michelle obama and melania trump. watch first ladies in their own words saturdays at 2 p.m. eastern on american history tv on c-span two or listen on the c-span now app.

washington journal continues. host: cal thomas is with us. his columns are syndicated across the country. you can read them at cal thomas.com. you can read them at washington times.com. we started the program asking our viewers to rate the biden presidency. you addressed this in a piece headlined walk like a man. we wrote that she wrote president biden's numbers are low. when the economy has produced the worst inflation for decades. gas prices have reached record highs. when he claims we should expect food shortages, he reduces -- he

reduces gas. biden's troubles are compounded when he tries walking back his statements. the president is on the road. he has been in front of people. is this a political necessity for him? guest: is not me -- not it is not just me saying this. the latest poll shows he is now a record 33% approval. other polls, republicans lead democrats by a wide margin. most people think the country is on the wrong track with inflation, high gas prices and grocery prices. other things that touch every life. even the independents are turning against him. i don't think visibility by the president is going to make much of a difference unless the

policies are working. for many they are not working. that is why everyone including the washington post is predicting a massive red wave come november. host: you think democrats are in the same position the president is in? is there fate tied to how president biden does? guest: i don't think solely. in most off your elections presidents are more vocal. when you fill up your gas tank say you have a suv and you're putting the midgrade gasoline. it goes to 90 or $100, that is a message for you. it was not like that two years ago. we were energy independent. people are asking themselves what is happened? are the biden policies working?

you have jen psaki and others claiming so much is going well. the unappointed rate is down. -- unemployment rate is down. that is a lot of people returning to work after being laid off or sidelined by covid. at the president went to help himself he would admit some things are working and we need help. people appreciate that transparency. continuing with repeating things that don't resonate with most americans i don't think is going to help you much. host: how do you think the president and biden administration are responding to the war in ukraine? guest: this is a difficult issue. i wrote if we are not doing anything more than sending weapons to ukraine because vladimir putin has nuclear weapons that mean of china

invades taiwan we cannot do anything because china has nuclear weapons? if iran develops a nuclear bomb can we not do anything to help defend israel because iran will have nuclear weapons and pakistan and others? you need a new foreign policy. we had containment policy during the old soviet union. we had mutually assured destruction which guarantee the new the soviet union or the u.s. would engage in a first-rate. we have the situation with putin. i'll think republicans or democrats have articulated -- i don't think puppies are democrats have articulated a workable foreign policy. we are having threats from putin that if finland and sweden, when

nato this is going to be a provocation. he is going to move more nuclear weapons into the bar take area -- into the baltic area. host: you think nato is still a strong part of that? the u.s. being the major funder of leader is still part of that new foreign would like to see? guest: i do. whatever some viewers may think of president trump he did get those nato nations to pony up more especially germany for their own defense. we have been defending since the marshall plan at the end of world war ii. defending europe since then. while they're out in france enjoying themselves and weird paying the bill. putin has said, -- putin has

united the nato nations in a way that i've not seen in a lifetime because of what he's doing in ukraine. committing war crimes, target civilians, children. whether he can be brought up on war crimes i don't know. this is an issue that transcends parties. democrats and republicans used to be united on foreign policy issues before the vietnam war soured 70 people -- so many people. it is important for the country to develop a workable foreign policy. host: publicans (202) 748-8001. democrats (202) 748-8000. independents and others (202) 748-8002.

on the november midterms mitch mcconnell raise concerns about it in a speech for the chamber of commerce in kentucky. mcconnell possible for gop to scrub the midterms with unexcelled for candidates. he said from an atmospheric point of view the 2020 midterms are a perfect storm of problems for democrats. how can you screw this up rushmore is mcconnell saying it is possible. i've had experience with that. in the senate if you look at where we have to compete to get a majority there are places that are competitive in the late election. you cannot nominate somebody who is unacceptable to a broader group of people and when. we had that in 2010 and 2012. do you think mitch mcconnell's concerns are warranted? guest: i do. republicans have screwed it up in the past. democrats have two.

the most radical candidates run in the primaries. the most engaging angry voters vote in the primaries. they wind up nominating somebody that cannot be elected in the general election. most of the country is not hard right or left. that is wide joe biden ran as a moderate. most of the country is in the middle. not necessarily on economic issues where people are feeling the pain right now. you want to elect somebody who has convictions to move policies forward. we cede some of the moderate republicans who are voting for supreme court justices that no democrat would vote for. a republican president nominated somebody to supreme court.

we have seen republicans voting for tax increases after they promised they would not. she george h w bush being the most egregious example. i am from washing, d.c.. where the only, -- politicians with convictions are present. -- are in prison. host: a viewer sends this week. cal thomas, what is the current projections of the number of seats in the house and senate to be taken this fall by their problems? what is your hope or expectation there should mark guest: you have to have a credible platform to run. you cannot say these guys are doing a terrible job elect us. that one former vice president mike pence has done with a platform that reminded me of the newt gingrich contract with

america in the 90's. and says put out a platform that includes two cultural issues, teaching civics and the history of the u.s., parental rights, foreign policy, domestic policy, taxes, spending. we have a $30 trillion debt. no nation has been able to sustain itself on that spending. interest on the debt is greater than the gdp of many nations. we have to attack that. so many people are addicted to government programs and think the government can do things better than they can. any time republicans try to cut the rate of increasing -- increases in spending their demagogue demagogues as being an system to the poor and racist. they have to stick to their guns. one of the results of that was

the clinton gingrich welfare reform bill which produce results. put people back to work. if you can demonstrate your policies work and are not just ideological you're going to get more people. i am not a prophet. it is six months before the election, anything can happen. i think as of now publicans should take up 50 or 60 seats in the house, three or four in the senate. turnout is key. the enthusiasm gap is big with more republicans host: that column is available online at cal thomas.com. america is the focus of that. we will go first to susan in south carolina. republican line.

caller: [indiscernible] host: mutual volume and go ahead with your russian. -- your question. caller: the voting system, and and other people going to vote -- i am confused with all of the money being injected and a long time people, years, why? why are they doing this. guest: it is obvious. the people who benefit from repeated terms in congress would have to vote for term limits themselves. it is a good job of people coming into washington, and elected representatives who are

thousand heirs, and if they leave, they are multimillionaires? how does that happen? my very good friend, that 1972 presidential candidate george mcgovern, when he lost to reagan in 1980, he went up to connecticut to buy and in and try something different, and he went bankrupt. the wall street journal called him to find out what happened, and the only thing you need to know is that when you stay too long in washington, he said i know how difficult it is to run it business. i might have voted differently and senate. we need to get them out and have them only for limited time to avoid corruption and other problems. they would have to vote themselves out, or we would. if we are against term limits, the voters have the ultimate power for term limit, but you can't send the same people back and expect different results.

that is the definition of insanity. host: here is miriam in texas on our democrat line. caller: yes. i noticed that republicans are just whining, whining, whining. they don't have any real issues or any answers to our problems. here in texas, i lived by the border. there was a woman who got arrested because she had performed an abortion. now, women are doing that for themselves. there are laws created by republicans that will hurt women in general. they are voting against roe v. wade right now. they are doing things at a legislative level where they are taking the whites away. republicans are really hurting americans.

they are whining, whining, whining and after a covid that happened and the economy needs to recuperate and everything, and they are using that for their social, social -- cultural negativity, where they put americans against americans, but i am a teacher. how dare you come to my legislative state where you want to put laws where you are banning books. there are a range of students that come to our school with different needs. not every child is the same. kids are trying to discover who they are in the classroom. host: several issues raised by our caller. guest: that is a list of democrat talking points. you haven't heard me whining. i am an optimistic and funny guy. let's talk about schools. what you saw in virginia with

the election of glenn youngkin, the republican governor, it was an issue that cuts across party lines and ideology. the issue being parents have any rights when it comes to what is being taught to children. in new jersey, the democratic governor is pushing for the teaching of gender issues for his young as kindergarten. why can't kids be kids for a while? they will be exposed to this soon enough. parental rights -- you mentioned immigration. these are laws that were passed by republican and democrat congresses to control immigration in our country. we want immigrants to come legally. among our spanish population, which is the largest minority group in the united states, a majority of hispanics are upset, outraged and opposed to the open border process that we have. if we are going to have laws, are they to be obeyed or

ignored? the president, members of congress, they taken oh through uphold the conch -- constitution. those laws are not being upheld. host: in terms of the abortion point, the texas law will be ruled upon by the supreme court, and since that argument, new laws have been passed by governors in oklahoma and kentucky and kentucky -- florida as well. what is your view to more restrictive abortion laws? guest: a lot of people, younger people especially, the science has advanced so much since 1973. we can now peek into the womb and see in 40 color -- four-dee color. we do a lot of talks at

pregnancy centers around the country, and i hear the story of women who have abortions and regret them deeply, and scar them physically, emotionally, spiritually. they say if they had different information on alternatives, they would made a different decision. this has made a devaluing of human life in other categories. shootings in the streets, mental illness, shootings and the subways in new york, unsafe neighborhoods. they are tied together. i think a lot of people think we have been far too liberal and tolerant on the killing of the unborn, and we won some extractions -- restrictions. that is what the polls say. we want 100% restrictions? no. but we want some. abortion on demand, live birth, it is not a credible policy. host: we have another caller

from texas. arlington, independent line. caller: i would like to first say that joe biden's policy has nothing to do with gas prices. the price of oil is set by opec and other factors that have nothing to do with the united states president. our country has only built one new oil refinery in the last 11 years, and that is in texas. we don't actually produce oil, we were distract -- extract and refine it. it has nothing to do with gas prices. his policies have nothing to do with inflation. i work in manufacturing and i have for 19 years. it is about the supply chain and the loss of labor in the market because of covid. thirdly, the republican party is nothing more than a socially acceptable fascist movement. it had the most corrupt president in the history of the united states, donald trump, who faced the country, and right now, he is praising vladimir putin. he took a meeting in trump tower

with stolen emails of hillary clinton. he could not even bring himself to critter him up -- criticize vladimir putin, and he took his helsinki interview alongside vladimir putin, where he discredited his own intelligence service, and he praised vladimir putin. the republican party has no platform, no ideas, nothing but spin, propaganda, and they bash the media. they don't believe that constitution. they want everything to be a police state. host: your response. guest: i'm glad he called in on the independent line. i would hate to see what he would have to say on the democrat line. just remember that two years ago, we didn't have this kind of inflation or gas prices. we didn't have the kind of prices we have in food stores. we didn't have inflation now. when it's on the others, do you remember when the democrat was

in the white house, republicans were blaming him under obama for rising gas prices. the line was that the president doesn't have a thing to do with that. but when the prices are low, they take credit for policies that they claim are helping. we have a 30 trillion dollar debt and this president wants to spend more on the build back better program. in my view, the build back better program is dead in congress. we can't afford it. where does the money come from? the united states treasury takes in record amounts of revenue, but they spend more than they taken. if you do that in your personal life, you are going to get bad credit and you are going to get big debt and big trouble. but the government keeps printing money, and that is one of the reasons we have inflation on the rise. the republicans don't care about the constitution -- that is just baloney. host: you had a column about parents and their role in choosing their schools

curriculum. the bike president -- vice president, mike pence, addressed the same issue. i want to get your reaction to what mike pence had to say. >> freedom of speech is the god-given birthweight -- birthweight -- birthrights of every american. we can never let the working class take it away. i am proud to report that the american people have been stepping up for freedom, just like courageous voices did here and at other campuses arrive had the privilege to speak. parents are beginning to take back our schools. i don't know if you have noticed, but a republican by the name of glenn youngkin was elected governor of the commonwealth of virginia just last year. [applause]

i was in the county a few days before that election. that election was about freedom, education freedom, powering parents. the people of virginia can be proud. it is not just happening in virginia. i was in san francisco not long ago, just a couple days after the most liberal city in america literally recalled three school board members who cared more about renaming public schools then reopening public schools. the american people are stepping up. [applause] the truth is, many on the left have spent years agitating for a culture war. it looks like they got it. it looks like they are losing. because, this generation, i believe is the freedom generation.

the truth is, everyone of you must be prepared to stand on the freedom of -- in your life. host: that was mike pence raising issues that might be part of the midterm debate. your thoughts? caller: nice to see he wasn't shouted down. they claim to be defenders of freedom of speech these days. there is something else. mike pence agrees with this. since the pandemic had us, more and more parents have experienced the power they have two educate their children at home. more and more states -- something like 30 states, have programs that allow tax dollars for taxpaying parents to allow their children to move into the private or religious schools of their choice. it is amusing to me that my friends on the left are all for choice when it comes to abortion but anti-choice when it comes to

where parents want their children to be educated. the first right of a parent is to see that their child is properly educated and taught the basics of american history, culture, language, and everything else that helps one to become american. not these woke subjects that have nothing to deal with the ability to make a living. china is ahead of us so far on science and math and other subjects that really matter. what are we doing? we are doing gender stuff. we are doing unisex bathrooms. we are doing downs and pronouns and all of these other things that have nothing to do with intellectual or spiritual development. they are only the captives of the intellectual and moral left of this country, and this is what parents are rebelling against, and i think that is going to be a major issue in the fall campaign. host: let's hear from nate in milwaukee on the democrat line. caller: thank you for having me.

i was going to put out three or four points, and i will start out by being willing to criticize biden and say he has cruise -- screwed up in afghanistan, and people should see that. but i will turn it around. some of the follower points -- starting by saying, i think he is doing a reasonably good job with the situation in ukraine and far better than his predecessor would have been. on top of that, we do have other issues going on worldwide, including global warming. if anyone knows some of the other articles in the news, you have over 300 people die in south africa recently because of global warming related flooding. the republican party as a whole, marginally, is to corrupt to be beholden to fossil fuels to even approach that issue honestly. i believe it was mentioned with

term limits before. i don't have a problem with that. if people want to try, sure, but it is not going to get to the deeper problem of both the need for campaign reform, and for ending gerrymandering. gerrymandering is basically rigging elections by a different name. but if you want to give people freedom, give people actual freedom with free elections in this country. guest: i agree on the gerrymandering business but not the global warming business. we have been to climate depot.org. it is a terrific site for another point of view. we have had, in the 70's, newsweek magazine had a cover magazine -- story on the global ice age. we were told we need to change our lifestyles because the world was going to freeze if we didn't. now you have people like alexandria ocasio-cortez saying we only have a few months to

change everything for it we have john kerry same we only have a year or two to change everything. now the so-called experts are on the exact opposite side, and we need windmills, and we need solar, and we need to drive electric cars even though the price of an electric car is $40,000 and beyond the needs of the middle class. certainly, the poor. i am reluctant to jump onto these trains where the so-called experts and politicians want us to change our lives and lifestyles while they go on living bears like they will. the climate has changed for thousands of years. it is called weather. we had floods before all this, and we are droughts and fires. it is a natural state of the world. what the left wants to do is spend trillions of dollars on supposed global warming that

most of the stuff i have read full not affect a drop in global temperature. i think we will get beyond this just like the new ice age. host: let's hear from leroy in massachusetts on the republican line. caller: thank you for putting up with this abuse. i want to talk about the v.a. that joe biden is shutting down. there is already a 42 day wait to get doctors there, now they will send doctors to the border. they are shutting down the v.a. in my town in northampton massachusetts. i am a veteran and i need health care. why are they shutting down the v.a.? is it because of donald trump? the second thing, i want to say to the person out there, the democrats try to take the high ground and defund the police, open the borders, and kill unborn babies. how did they get the high ground on that one? guest: i wasn't aware of the problem with the veteran

administration that you mentioned. i was -- i would contact your local representative and member of congress because they have people dedicated to helping with these sorts of things, including social security, and other matters this is one of the things that most congressional offices have someone dedicated to. i would recommend contacting them. host: i want to get back to the school issue. the issue of curriculum in schools and books in schools. a report from reuters -- the headline of the report, u.s. schools have 1000 book titles in unparalleled censorship bid. the house oversight subcommittee held a hearing about this. i want to play for you the democrat who is a chair that subcommittee, and some of his comments at that committee hearing. >> somebody hates left-wing speech and right wing speech and was to censor.

someone hates hate speech about gay people, and some want to censor speech about the love lives of gay people. some people want to censor huckleberry finn because it uses the n word. some people want to ban the antiracist baby because it thinks babies can be racist. everyone wants to take one bite out of the apple, but if we allow all of those bites, there is no apple left. the freedom of speech disappears. the way to save the apple for all of us is to learn to tolerate the speech you a poor as well as the specie she would agree with. it is not always easy, but this is incumbent upon people living in a free democratic society. if we cancel or censor everything that people find offensive, nothing will be left. everyone is offended by something, and that is why other people's level of offense cannot be the metric for defining whether your rights are my rights are vaporized. there is a famous story about

lenny bruce that someone -- thus somewhat risque comedian from the last century. someone said his show should be shut down because it offended him, and lenny bruce said from the stage, my parents came to america in order to be offensive and not to be thrown in jail for it. host: the comment there from jamie raskin on free speech. your thoughts? guest: i agree with a lot of what he said. i have had people try to censor me, write my newspapers and say get rid of this guy. i wish congressman raskin would talk to max boot. he has written columns about elon musk's attempt to take over twitter. the column earlier this week talked about the need for content moderation. that sounds to me like you are going to have some overseer determining what ought to be said and what ought not to be set on twitter, for example. some of these other social media

platforms print who will these people be? every human being who has ever walked the earth has a worldview. they have certain things they prefer, and certain things they do not appropriate who is going to decide what is truth and what isn't. when you look at some of these nutritional supplement ads on television these days, you can see a small print down at the bottom. these comments or claims have not been approved by the fda. how do you know with these things you're supposed to take or are -- you are going to lose weight or live longer, live more healthier lifestyles customer who is going to regulate that content? the idea that americans need some kind of overseer, that we don't have brainpower sufficient to educate ourselves and find out what truth is on our own is, i think, a discriminatory in its own way. i am for free speech, absolutely. we have certain controls already. libel, slander, the old classic

line about crying fire in a crowded theater when there is no fire. but i am an absolutist when it comes to that. otherwise, we would not modify the word speech with the word free. host: that piece came out yesterday. washington post is where they can find it. elon musk is the last person who should take over twitter. what do you think -- would elon musk running twitter be a good thing for free speech in this country? guest: he says it would. i don't like the idea of some anonymous group of people, who we don't know who they are, other than the current ceo of twitter, deciding what violates and what does not violate their content standards. if you are criticizing somebody in a particular political party, and you are saying content overseer of twitter, another member of another particle party, that doesn't mean -- meet our content standards.

where is the appeal on this? where is the alternative? elon musk says he is a free speech absolutist, and let the people decide. let people make up their own minds. we don't need a content manager or regulator. host: we will hear from trent on the independent line in monroe, louisiana. good morning. caller: hello. let me say this as distinctly as i can't using the most intelligent people i can. [indiscernible] there was a book in the 60's called hostage to the devil where he talked about a theological priest, and he talked about how many people he saw were possessed, and some were perfectly possessed, and in jungle scholars who worked in this field had a project in berkeley in one of the largest

libraries in the world. he came to the conclusion that there are some people who are just able to be low torched so the human personality isn't even there. they are taken over by some demonic spirit. he wrote a quote recently. there are undoubtedly things of the spiritual betray humanity just to get a taste of demonic bliss of their own annihilation. just put your theological cap on and tell me, where do you think we are in terms of the managerial elite? guest: that's a deep question. i am not a theologian. i am the son of one, and you would have to go inquire of somebody with an advanced degree on that subject. as a follower of jesus of now the earth on this good friday, i would certainly say that there are demonic elements out there, and certainly, we are seeing it

expressed with the ukraine. one of the things i am interested in seeing, and i have seen, the number of times in the media that the words armageddon and people have shown up. these are not usually subjects for polite conversation in mass media. but given all of the horrors that putin has inflicted on the ukraine, it is fascinating to me that these words have come back. but in terms of demonic possession or invasion, i think you will ask somebody with more credentials than i have. host: new jersey, democrat line. linda, go ahead. caller: good morning. i agree with you about the comments you made about the supplements. the fda not approval. i especially agree because dr.

oz was kind of producing supplements and was sued for $5 million, which he paid. now, he is with the republican party, and with his last comment, he would do anything for trump. but anyway, i really want to call about the abortion thing. i am 74 years old, and i believe that every woman has a choice. maybe the women that are being blocked from protecting their own bodies from protecting their own future, financial, emotionally, physically, maybe they ought to sue the governors and the states for some support. for the support that they are forced to bring into this world. since these governors are taking responsibility, for the unborn child, let them.

let them have it. let them pay support for the child until they are 23 years old, and then maybe they'd have some respect for the women. guest: these are old arguments that have been answered in the past. if you have a pregnancy health center in your community, they have pledged to help adopt any child that a woman does not want. those arguments have been answered for years, but i want to go back to something you said about dr. eyes. it is interesting, and in the trump world, the addiction has come up among pro-lifers. dr. eyes, just recently, a couple of years ago, he was vehement about his pro-choice position. now that he is running as a republican for the senate in pennsylvania, he claims to be pro-life. he is being interviewed recently by talkshow hosts, and one of them, i asked, and i sent him an emailed -- john fredericks. be sure to ask him to ask why he

changed his provision -- position for it i am for conversions, but i want to know it is credible. a confirmation conversion. that would be an interesting question with an answer, but there is a division among trump supporters because of this issue. host: what do you think of the current and future role of president trump in the republican party? guest: the hill had a piece yesterday or the day before on this, where trump had an interview with the washington post and said well, you know, a doctor could come up to me and say, we need to see you, your health issues are always an issue. on the other hand, he said something else. he is trying to keep people balanced. the hill was speculating that he might use that as an excuse not to run, but no one knows. so much will depend on the outcome of the house and senate race this november, and whether trump can claim credit for those

he endorsed or not. whether he wants to run again. my own view is we need some younger leadership. there are a lot of republicans that have a great bench right now. everything from ron desantis to mike pence to nikki haley. many other young republicans with strong issues -- sure some of the issues but don't have the personality that turned off a lot of independence and women during the last election. host: one more call for you. gary in virginia. democrats line. caller: how are you doing. i've been listening to this guy for a half-hour. this guy is the same as laura ingraham and sean hannity. they are spouting nonsense. inflation coming from joe biden -- let me ask you something. what would trump -- if he was reelected, what would have trump done to end inflation?

i want to hear this. guest: i'm not a philosopher, but i think he would finish the border wall. that was working during his administration. he certainly had the warp speed on the vaccination for covid, which was developed in record time. i think he would have continued with tax cuts, and hopefully with a republican congress, would have done something about spending in terms of foreign policy. he was right to pull out of the gpo eight with trying to make it a nuclear deal with iran. they believe their god once them to eradicate israel and then come after the great state, which is us, and we would've had a stronger foreign policy. i don't like the personality, but i did like the policies. i had to make a choice -- i have to go with the policies. host: carol thomas -- cal

thomas. his columns are at cal thomas.com for it have a happy easter we can. guest: always a pleasure. host: we have a half-hour left for open forum. any issue in the news, calling. republicans, (202) 748-8001. democrats, (202) 748-8000. independence, (202) 748-8002. we'll get to your calls after this. >> the russian invasion of ukraine discussed with the washington post. watch live at 4:00 on c-span, online at c-span.org, or watch full coverage on her video app at c-span now. >> congress is looking into academic censorship. the impact on students while being -- well-being grid watch

at 9:00 on c-span, online at c-span.org, or for coverage on c-span now our free video app. >> six presidents recorded conversations while in office. here many of those conversations on c-span's new podcast, presidential recordings. >> season one focuses on lyndon johnson pretty will hear about the 1964 civil rights act, the 19 624 presidential campaign, the gulf of tonkin incident, the march on selma, and the war in vietnam. not everyone knew they were being recorded. quick certainly, johnson's secretaries knew because they were tasked with transcribing many of those conversations. in fact, they were the ones who made sure the conversations were taped, as johnson was signaled to them through an open door between his office and there. >> you often -- also hear some

blunt talk read >> i want to report on the number of people who were assigned to kennedy on the day he died, and the number assigned to me now, and if they are on mine come i want them out right quick. i won't go. i promise, i won't go anywhere. i will stay behind these black gates. >> presidential recordings, on c-span now is mobile app or wherever you get your podcast. >> c-span has unfiltered coverage of the u.s. response to russia's invasion of ukraine. we bring you the latest from the president and other white house officials, the pentagon, and the state department, as well as congress. we also have international perspectives from the united nations and statements from foreign leaders. all of this on the c-span networks, c-span now, our free mobile app, and c-span.org/ukraine. our web resource provides the latest videos on demand and

follow tweets from journalists on the ground. go to c-span.org/ukraine. >> washington journal continues. host: it is open forum here on washington journal. your chance to wash -- weigh in on any item in the news, public policy, and more. just update from the michigan area from the free press in detroit. on the police shooting in grand rapids, the headline -- escaped violence and persecution in congo, only to die in michigan. they write that when the family arrived in 2014, after spending years of persecution in africa, the refugees thought they finally had made it. they escaped earlier from conflict in the democratic republic of congo, and they were living in malawi. they wanted asylum in the u.s.. they were part of a growing number of refugees in michigan. they were told in america, there

is peace and safety and you will not see killing anymore. that was a safe haven. he said that in an interview through a translator on thursday. that is the mother of patrick, talking about her son. you can read that at free press.com. let's hear from mississippi, independent line. this is been. then in mississippi, you are on. -- ben into mississippi you are on. caller: i want to talk a little bit about the election of 2022 and 2024. a lot of people are saying that the democrats are going to lose, independence will lose. i think democrats and independents, republicans and democrats, they need to hammer down on the election of 2020,

those republicans who tried to overturn it. they really need to get hard on those ones that congress now. that's the only way they are going to win in 2022 and the election in 2024. if they don't, they are going to lose and lose fast. that is what i've got to say. talk to you again. it's been a while. host: good to have you call and prayed we will hear from danny and kentucky. , crestline. -- democrats line. caller: how are you? i'm just wondering why they stopped the investigation into the lady at [indiscernible] and i would be interested in why the democrats are on things

getting these groups [indiscernible] all of them, but they're not try to get more of them, and i appreciate your time. host: john in smithville, missouri. republican line. caller: sean. i was commenting on cal about trump's policies. trying to get rid of nato, trying to help putin take over the ukraine, take money from foreign countries and taxpayers as well. and now, women's rights? they are holding them hostage, making them have babies even with incensed. thank you. host: shannon on the independent line calling from west virginia. caller: i wanted to say

something about the war in ukraine. it is not exactly an opinion, but something that i think people need to think about. we are in danger of making it into a spectator sport, and not a serious thing where everybody sympathizes with the ukrainians. meanwhile, the whole country is getting destroyed. it is going to take years and years and lots of money to build it back. it is a bonanza for american arms dealers. it is expensive. it is -- i am tired of biden being so gung ho about it with all of the war president rhetoric. i think we need to think about if there is not some way we can get out of the war. we can guarantee to the ukrainians that we will help them, even if we are technically having them surrender. we will help them in subtler ways to withstand the russians.

thanks a lot. goodbye. host: leading the usa today, in today's edition online and in the newspaper, the headline is, is california one of the bluest states in the u.s. at a turning point over crime and homelessness? they write that ron whiteman has changed drastically over the decades. 66-year-old remembers when the city's violent crime reached historic highs in the 1990's with gangs, murders, and a crack academic -- epidemic. it got safer, but he sees it moving backtracking to a new crisis. tents and a disheveled rv now lined the streets. there is a black fence that surrounds a small community. the sounds of emergency sirens echo during the dead of night, and in the middle of the day. the other day, there was a shooting. it never ends, says whiteman. looking towards a pile of trash and broken bicycle parts that sits from his home, it is

ridiculous and scary and sad. the usa today writes that california touts its reputation as a progressive leader, rolling out policies and plans aimed at reshaping the state and inspire the rest of the country, but residents such as whiteman in los angeles and san francisco, two of the states largest cities, and liberal leaders, signal they feel frustrated and unsafe. they are in need of a change after seeing both crime and homelessness appeared to explode. you can read all that in the usa today. in harrisburg, pennsylvania, patty on the democrats line. caller: good morning. we should get back to the basics of science. the declaration of independence and the bill of rights, all those things, i would like to see people elected to office from some kind of background. all of these important doctors at the start of the whole thing have gone overboard with

politicians running for office [indiscernible] celebrities running for president. it doesn't make sense. [indiscernible] host: ted on the republican line in lewisville, texas. good morning. caller: i've got an answer for your guy wanted to know how trump would handle the invasion. it is all about the energy. he would've kept the energy going. energy affects everything there is. there you go. host: open forum on washington journal. (202) 748-8001 for republicans. (202) 748-8000 for democrats. (202) 748-8002 for independence. the house and senate are out for the holiday break. this was a story reported in the san francisco chronicle.

this is a follow-up from the washington examiner. feinstein puzzled by reports of failing memory. won't step down. they write that senator dianne feinstein of california rejected reports of colleagues questioning her meadow -- mental ability prescience is she is equipped to serve. the 88-year-old rejected question saying that she was rapidly deteriorating. the california democrat touts her attendance record that she is up to the task. i meet regularly with readers, feinstein said in a call with the san francisco chronicle, which published the original report of the calling accusations. i am not isolated. i see people my. my attendance is good. i am rather puzzled by all of this. they write that feinstein, who is held her seat since 1992 added that she does not plan to step down. the outlet noted that the paper cited for senators and three former staffers were concerned

about her ability to continue serving. one lawmaker claimed to have had to be reintroduced several times over several hours as they talk policy. the lawmaker claimed to have spoken repeatedly with feinstein about the same topics over several hours without any recognition on the senator that they addressed the topic recently. let's go back to calls. gary is in sterling, virginia, republican line. caller: good morning. it's a good day in paradise. it is spring. but i'd like to say, we need to, you know, seeing as how 40% of our crude oil goes to buses and drugs, we are responsible for 60% of noxious gases. 70% [indiscernible] conversions of buses and trucks to national -- natural gas. it is one third cheaper, locally

produced, 85% cleaner than diesel. 50% cleaner than gas. you combine the refueling operation and you can run that right out to the school bus, but who pays for the maintenance and electric charging apparatus? who maintains that when you go with electric vehicles? we have natural gas. this would put mechanics, machineries, and it is 40% more simple than crude and gasoline. that would lower the price. come on, joe. get off the stick. thank you for your time. host: michigan, independent line. this is troy. this is john in troy michigan. go ahead. caller: i just want to comment about some of these people who are calling you.

something i have observed over the years is those who accuse others are often guilty of their observations. there was a woman who called on the democrat line, and she spent her entire time whining about how republicans wind. her entire spiel was about how republicans wind, and she spent the entire time doing that. i am a true independent, and back in the 70's, i was considered a radical liberal because i thought it was ok for gay people to be teachers. i lost a friend from high school, my best friend from high school, because his girlfriend at the time was a teacher, and she didn't think gay people should be able to teach, and my position back then is the same as it is now. my position makes me conservative because i don't think a gay person or straight

person should be indoctrinating kids with talking about sex. they should be talking about what happens in their home with their sexual preferences. now, because of that position, which is not changed at all, i am now considered a conservative. things are completely backwards. those people, as far as abortions go, they don't think abortion should be performed after six months, but they also think that if they don't, life is in danger, it is ok to have an abortion. there are too many radicals on both sides of it. they make no sense at all, and they are not with the mainstream of most americans. that's all i have to say. host: all right. we will go to las vegas and hear from jeffrey on the democrat line. open forum, good morning. caller: thank you.

i just wanted to say, you know, about joe biden, the infrastructure and bill passed, and joe biden talks about it, and talks about rebuilding america, and because of inflation, what do we think was going to happen when we stop putting [indiscernible] that coming 2 america? that's what i have to say this morning. thank you. host: john is on the line. he is calling from the republic line. hello. caller: how are you? i want to talk about the similarities between world war ii and what is happening now in ukraine. it world war ii, the propaganda to the people of germany was done without -- hello? host: were listening. caller: the difference was that

in world war ii, the people were receiving propaganda through the nazis without the use of twitter, all of the stuff that we have now. if you look at the war itself, it is so similar to what the nazis were doing. the russian army, they were good at killing buildings, killing civilians, burning up, and yet when the army fights the ukrainians themselves, they get slaughtered, so my suggestion is we get in the m1 tanks and we get a couple of our f-16s, and we give them whatever they need, and there is no chance that we do any negotiating with putin. this is a man that has -- his mind is gone. you are pushing people off a cliff and asking why they are jumping right now. there is no negotiation that should be done with this person,

except to devastate this army that does nothing but kill women, children, and the ukrainians have killed zero children. they've taken zero buildings out. no elderly. hospitals are perfectly brand-new in russia. yet, their people believe that the propaganda they are being sent. the difference with that is at the end, hitler's did not have these big bombs. when it became the point time where he knew he wasn't going to win. host: russia set stage for battle to control the ukrainian east. they write that the latest development of the russians are staging attack helicopters at the border and bringing in soldiers and artillery, according to the pentagon. both sides furiously prepare for what is expected to be a bloody battle to control the vast plains of the country's east. preparations, as russians narrowed their war aims. at least for the moment.

they have pulled back from the capital after its forces were pummeled. the thinking on thursday -- syncing on thursday of that navy black fleet flagship by a powerful new ukrainian missile, russia may have to scale back its ambitions, where they do not have the capacity to take the entire black seacoast. we will hear from john on the independent line in alamo, california. caller: i have one thing, but on putin, i would just like to add that no one is talking about removing russia as a permanent member of the security council. what that does, if you are a prominent member, it allows you to block the united nations from taking any action against a country. if you look at the start of the korean war, russia walked out of that meeting, and they were unable to veto the resolution

defend south korea from a north korean invasion. when you look at how things have progressed for the united states, if you look at how korea has fared, has not been a good option pretty of a dictatorship in the north and you have an independent republic in the south, but as you move forward to the next war, vietnam, that didn't have a positive outcome. you go to iraq, if -- afghanistan. they have not had good outcomes. this idea that a single nation, the united states or whoever, or even nato for that matter, can control an aggressor, i think you need to go to the worldwide system that makes it impossible to exhaust a countries will to continue to rebel. afghanistan is what i'm thinking

about. host: how do you get rid of russia from the un security council? they are not only a member there. they can veto, as a member, it is a catch 22. it is a classic catch-22. they can veto any measure that would remove them from that counsel. caller: right. what you have is, the united nations has developed as world war ii was ending, and russia did a wonderful job of posting -- pushing nazis out of asia and all the way back to berlin. they need -- what i am suggesting is that they need to take a serious look at a world government, and how you get there. i've read some of these charters, and they are milk on toast. they are very mild. they need to do something more serious on this because you look at the wars, and the outcome,

starting with post-world war ii, the outcomes have not been positive. they really haven't. we may be the most powerful military force on the planet, but the outcome is not good, and it is wonderful to beat your chest and say, let's send our infantry over there. we need something that discourages an aggressor, and one of the arguments i'd make on this is this is being watched by china, and china wants to be an aggressor against taiwan, so, you have a big picture. no one is talking about it. they really need to put some energy into that. host: thank you for sharing your ideas on open forum. we have a few minutes left. we will get to a couple of calls. here is a story for mortgage rates from the washington post. mortgage rates hit 5%, ushering in a new economic uncertainty. they have swelled about 5% for

the first time in a decade. an unexpected rapid ascent as we temper the housing of me. it could usher new uncertainty into an economy dog by uncertainty. it hit the structure just five weeks ago after surprising 4%, according to freddie mac. data was released on thursday. the data has not been this high since february. the run-up occurs as the federal government launches in addition to reign in the highest inflation in 30 years. the higher interest rates will recalibrate the job market, but it also rests on the assumption that higher rates will cool demand for housing. especially well homes themselves are in such short supply. onto the democrat line in ohio, lily is next. caller: i would like to make a comment about abortion.

it is concerning the christians. i want the christians to listen very carefully. if you believe, which i do believe, that there should be abortions, you are missing the corruption about what god says. not to fornicate, not to commit adultery. if you look at the statistics, it is more single women having abortions and it is married. you've got -- you can't put a band-aid on just that part. you've got to get to the part, so you should fast and pray that god will bless the people, to stop committing adultery, and fornicating. and another thing. if you want to save your nation. you have to go to the book of jonah, and read jonah, because

that is what will save this nation. host: on to georgia. andre is on the independent line. caller: i want to talk about this -- what -- i agree with the guy earlier. reparations. we do. they brainwash people. they don't want to teach slavery in schools. the talk about this thing. we need to wake up. we've been needing to wake up. trump was a con man, trying to get mike pence killed, and he won't talk about that. if i was capitol police, i would let them get the republicans, because they don't want to agree that trump lied. he didn't even fill the cabinet position. also, we have all kinds of products during his term. they don't want to vote on marijuana because it affects blacks people's lives. when it comes to big pharma,

they started the drug problem. narcotics are a gateway to opioids. now it is coming up. i can remember when crack took over the black neighborhoods. what did they say then? just say no. is it reagan said just say no. why can't they just say no now? ok. now they're trying to discourage the vote by messing with the young people with voting locations and all of this. young people will show up. they will show up. we showed them the last time, and we will show up again, because we don't want a con man in office. we left them alone to do with their own body. let them do what they want to do. if they want to do this with their bodies, let them do it. they talk about government. they want to talk about less government. but they want to govern a women's body. such hypocrites. host: let's go to our republican line, bobby in south carolina. good morning. caller: good morning.

happy good friday. today i would like to comment about the house versus the senate. i think, the house act like a kindergarten and they fight all the time like kindergartners, and the senate acts more like teenagers. a little bit of arguing, sometimes they get along better. i love watching c-span to, the senate. i can't watch the house anymore. it's gone to ugly -- too ugly. thank you for let me talk. same to you. best wishes for the house and senate return.

as bobby mention, over on the c-span2. that will do it for the program. we are getting to the holiday we can print we hope your back on the holiday morning tomorrow with us at 7:00 on washington journal. ♪ >> coming up, look at the war in ukraine and the next steps for the response. you can watch beginning at 1:00 p.m. eastern on c-span. the ukrainian ambassador to the u.s. discusses the russian invasion of the country with

"the washington post." watch this afternoon at four rpm on c-span -- at 4:00 p.m. on c-span or on the free video app c-span now. >> c-span is your unfiltered view of government. we are funded by these television companies and more including sparklight. >> the greatest town on earth is the place you call home. it is our home too. sparklight is working around-the-clock to keep you connected. we are doing our part so it is easier to do yours. >> sparklight supports c-span as a public service along with these other television providers, giving you a front rope seat to democray. >> during discussions over the reunification of germany, u.s. secretary of state james baker told gorbachev that nato would not expand eastward, not one

inch. in the lead up to the invasion of ukraine, vladimir putin used those words to suggest that the u.s. and nato were not interested in peace and could not be trusted. sunday, history professor and author of "not one inch" talks about the impact the nato expansion has had on u.s.-russian relations. >> one of the newest documents shows that they have started with that line that caused confusion. the problem is it took gorbachev a while to say this. he starts pressing in the summer and fall of 1996 that that is no longer an offer. that was a claim. when push comes to shove and there is a treaty, that treaty allowed nato to move eastward.

>> her book, "not one inch" sunday night on q&a. listen on the free c-span now app. epa administrator michael regan testified on the 2023 budget request calling for an increase of funding to $12 billion. he discussed environmental justice, renewable energy, and clean water and air investments. this is just over two hours. >> we are pleased