stories of the week. there is several we will focus on. republicans, (202) 748-8001, democrats (202) 748-8000, independents and others, (202) 748-8002. send us a text at (202) 748-80 2 3. we are on facebook. you can post there and post your comments on twitter and instagram @cspanwj. it has been a busy week. the aftermath and the blockade of taiwan and those chinese military drills that are happening. also the brittney griner story, the nine-year sentence she received yesterday. we will update that in a moment.

the declaration by the u.s. health and human services that monkeypox is now a health emergency. we will talk about the abortion vote in kansas and the winning of pro-trump candidates in several races, particularly in arizona. we have news on the inflation reduction act and senator kyrsten sinema's support on that and we will talk about the federal charges related to the killing of breonna taylor. all of that in your calls and comments welcome. the top news stories of the week. (202) 748-8001 for republicans, (202) 748-8000 free democrats, and for independents, (202) 748-8002. this is the headline just before we came to air this morning. the headline from the wall street journal. russia is open to talks on the brittney griner criminal swap.

russian officials ready to talk -- brittney griner and former marine paul whelan traded for a russian arms dealer. the wall street journal writes the comments from sergei lavrov in a news conference in cambodia came a day after a russian court sentenced ms. griner to nine years in prison following her guilty plea and conviction on charges she brought a marijuana product into the country. the u.s. maintains brittney griner has been wrongfully detained. we are ready to discuss this topic in the framework of a channel agreed upon by president putin and president biden. sergei lavrov said this today at a forum of the association of southeast asian nations. the u.s. secretary of state antony blinken is at that same conference, also had comments this morning on the possibility of a prisoner swap for brittney griner. [video clip]

>> with regard to brittney griner and paul whelan, a few things on that. first, we have all seen the sentencing and conviction of brittney griner to nine years in prison that further compounds the injustice being done to her in her wrongful detention. it puts a spotlight on our very significant concern with russia's legal system and the russian government's use of wrongful detention to advance its own agenda using individuals as political pawns. the same goes for paul whelan. we put forward a substantial proposal that russia should engage with us on. what foreign minister lavrov said this morning and said publicly is that they are prepared to engage through channels we have established to do just that and we will be pursuing that. host: antony blinken this

morning. your top news story of the week. that is our focus this morning. a couple of comments on twitter. france's top issues, abortion rights and climate change. mark says alex jones, another well-known republican exposed as a liar and a fraud. for a small percentage of people , the crappy economy is the top issue. let's hear from our callers. this is oliver in falls church, virginia. caller: good morning. give me a chance. i will be respectful and quick. i have lived in washington, d.c. all my life, born in alexandria, raised in arlington. i am praying the american people realize that donald trump and that movement he is swaying his

followers to is a direct threat to this government. it is a direct threat to all that we have stood for in this country for years. donald trump is not a good person. i am telling these people if they do not realize and stop following his lies and conspiracy theories, he is a criminal that got to put three justices on the supreme court and i am telling you -- host: did this week's election results further confirm your belief in that? tell us a little bit more. caller: he has a large swath of the caucasian race in this country and you can see it with the storming of the capital.

i have lived in this area all of my life. i love washington, d.c. never in my life. i will be 69 years old. i never thought i would see it in this country. and then have americans still support a man who led an attack on our government. host: we will go to john on the republican line for the top news story of the week. caller: the continual lack of attention to the border. it is outrageous that this administration continues to let people come in unfettered. i cannot imagine why this is good for the country. no one explains it, no one is called on to defend it. it is every week. plus the crime at the george

soros sponsored da's in the major cities. it is insanity. isn't it host:? next up is -- host: next up is dan, democrats line. caller: i am so confused and i do not understand what will it take for the republican people to understand -- it is not just about donald trump for january 6. it is about the attack on your democracy and on your voting rights and everything else. he has totally messed up. the whole united states, we can never be confident with being able to vote again because of the lies and the things he has

done and i do not understand, how can people and the senators and everything else still sit there and back this man. it behooves me that the mentality of the people in the united states, they do not care about democracy for themselves. it is very sad. host: we are following the continued military exercises by the people's republic of china around the island nation of taiwan. this is a tweet from matt lee, who covers the state department and diplomacy for the associated press saying china halts dialogue with the u.s. on climate change, military issues in retaliation for pelosi's taiwan visit. the headline from the washington post, "white house summons chinese ambassador for rebuke on taiwan response.

the white house summit china's ambassador on thursday could dip the dam beijing's escalating -- to condemn beijing's as letting actions on taiwan and to claim the united states does not want a crisis in the region after a visit by nancy pelosi sharply escalated tensions." before the call the white house of the chinese ambassador, john kirby had this for white house reporters in a briefing yesterday. [video clip] >> china launched an estimated 11 ballistic missiles towards taiwan. impacted towards the east, the northeast, and southeast of the island. we condemn these actions, which are irresponsible and at odds with our long-standing goal of maintaining peace and stability across the taiwan straight and in the region. china has chosen to overreact and use the speaker's visit as a pretext to increase provocative

military activity in and around the taiwan straight. we anticipated china might take steps like this. i described them for you in quite some detail just the other day. we also expect these actions will continue in the chinese will continue to react in the coming days. the united states is prepared for what beijing chooses to do. we will not seek, nor do we want a crisis. at the same time, we will not be deterred from operating in the seas and skies of the western pacific, consistent with international law, as we have for decades supporting taiwan and free and open indo pacific. to that end, secretary austin has directed the aircraft carrier uss ronald reagan and the ships in her strike group remain on station in the area to monitor the situation. we will conduct standard air and maritime transit through the taiwan straight in the next few

weeks, consistent again with our long-standing approach to defending freedom of the seas and international law. we will take further steps to demonstrate our commitment to the security of our allies in the region. that includes japan. beijing's actions are of concern to taiwan, to us, to partners around the world. you probably saw the g7 yesterday rejected beijing's attempt to coerce and intimidate taiwan, which is a leading democracy. a statement was also released about the importance of de-escalating tensions in the taiwan straight and today the japanese government reported five p.r.c. missiles landed in their exclusive economic zone, noting their grave concern. another example of how china's actions are undermining peace and security in the region. we will continue to communicate closely with our partners around the world, which we have

demonstrated over and over again is a strength of this administration. beijing's provocative actions are a significant escalation in its long-standing attempt to change the status quo. host: reflecting some of what we heard from john kirby. a headline in politico: "u.s. orders aircraft carrier to remain in region amid china-taiwan tensions." the u.s. is also purpose phoning a planned intercontinental -- postponing an intercontinental ballistic attack. we go to rick in altoona, pennsylvania. my demo -- democrats line. caller: my biggest concern is china. i do not know why we have to always seem like we have to go around the world and police. we are not the police of the

world. different countries are treating their people inhumane. this is the other countries business. it is not ours. nancy pelosi agitated china. i think we are poking at the wrong bees nest. them and russia are pretty good allies and if they get together, i do not want to see what is going to happen if those two get together. that is my biggest concern. china and their military strength. thank you. host: next is yuma, arizona. bob on the independent line. caller: i want to make one observation. we are a very small community on the border and we are completely decimated by immigrants trying to come in. we have no place to put them.

our facilities are completely stymied. that is all i have to say. host: next is mike in connecticut, independent line -- ohio. independent line. go ahead. caller: i would like to talk about -- good morning. i would like to talk about washington. if this is not incompetent people -- we are still talking about donald trump in january 6. donald trump has been cleared. let's talk about the biden family and their corruption. we have physical evidence to get this man and everyone of his family members in prison and yet we choose not to because the department of justice and the fbi, which was involved in the original russiagate. our government is out of

control. they do not observe our own laws. the border wide open. someone has to do something. are we going to sit back and keep taking this or are we going to realize -- host: horace next on the democrats line. caller: thanks for taking my call this morning. i would like to talk about vik tor orban or whatever his name is and he can get up and talk about where he is controlling hungary and he gets all the republicans, trump and jim jordan and the rest of the crew over there taking notes on how they will destroy the united states. the republican is so mixed up.

it is like the other guy said earlier. if we do not take care of trump, to lock him up, they have to lock him up. if they let him go he will continue doing what he is doing right now. they need to -- put a thing -- a gag order on him because he is spreading those conspiracy theories every time he opens his mouth. that is all i have to say this morning. host: will talk more in a later segment about hungarian prime minister viktor orban. this is a headline from the washington times about last night speech before cpac. "orban calls on conservatives to fight progressive liberalism."

we will get more in depth into that speech and your comments as well later on in the program. this is robert on the republican line. caller: i think the biggest story of the week is the biggest story that is been going on for over two years and that is the aggression against the united states and the world by the ccp. china -- let me start with a question. covid. a lot of people say there is no proof it came from a lab. you probably heard of typhoid mary, that is the one person that show no symptoms and was spreading typhoid. that is a very rare thing. this virus, we had tens of

millions of people that had no symptoms spreading this virus. that is one of the reasons why it was so deadly, because it was so stealthy. that did not come from nature. let's get real. they killed innocent american citizens and millions around the world. host: top news story. his christensen among ready to advance the budget bill -- is kristin cinema ready to advance the budget bill? christensen him a announces late thursday night -- leaders agreed to drop a provision modifying the taxation and make leaks to protect advanced manufacturing and booster clean energy economy. sinema says in a statement she will proceed to a bill.

chuck schumer on the floor of the senate yesterday ahead of that agreement by senator sinema . here is what the majority leader had to say. [video clip] >> listen to this tsunami of disastrous proposals. taking away health care. raising taxes on working americans. these are some of the things senate republicans have openly called for recently. the democrats agenda is something entirely different. the inflation reduction act will lower inflation, lower the cost of prescription drugs, close loopholes long exploited by big business who pay no or little taxes. that is with the inflation reduction act is at its core. it is what the american people want and what the country so desperately needs and it is what democrats will deliver on in the coming days. host: back to your calls on the

top news story of the week. the senate expected to vote on that inflation reduction act over the weekend. david on the independent line caller:. thank you for taking my call. my concern is that of two other callers. cpac with viktor orban. i want people to research who viktor orban is. research him and if you are satisfied voting with republicans and trump [indiscernible] i thank you for taking my call. host: pamela in ohio, democrats line. go ahead. caller: i am calling about jim jordan. the supreme court of ohio has struck down the gerrymandered

maps the republican party has gone through, so that forces us to only have jim jordan, who should not even be in there, he should have been prosecuted for his role in the molestation of the wrestlers at ohio state. also, the fact he was directly involved in january 6. he has done everything he can to skirt out of that. he is a dishonorable representative. i find it amazing the state of ohio is going to force us into this vote where the map is gerrymandered, which we voted on years ago to throw that out. host: is he your congressmen? caller: jim jordan.

we live in ohio. i have to put down a zip code but i'm actually down the road, which is in his district. host: eric is next. republican line. caller: good morning. the most important thing is the budget. host: what are your concerns? caller: is out of control. [indiscernible] i don't think a president can screw up a country in eight years or four years. everything gets corrected eventually.

host: we go to st. paul, minnesota and hear from diane on the democrats line. go ahead. caller: i am glad you took my call. my biggest story of the week is the fact we have to fight to get this bill passed that is needed. the top people with all of the businesses and all the money can pay their taxes. they need to pay taxes so now we are fighting to tax the rich. donald trump gave them a tax break. 125 -- i make $125,000 a year and i do not have a tax break. i/o the irs and i am paying them every month so i can keep on keeping what i have got. that is my biggest thing of the week. host: how much you have to pay to them a month? caller: right now i am paying

$325 a month for my taxes a joy get them paid off because i/o them $5,000 and i did not get a tax break. i did not know who did but it was not me. i did not get a tax break from donald trump. host: we played you the comments of chuck schumer on the inflation reduction act. the democrats proposal. mitch mcconnell on the floor of the senate shortly thereafter. here what he had to say. [video clip] >> i would dare any of our democratic colleagues to walk up to a working class american on the street and ask them what the government ought to spend hundreds of billions of dollars on. first off, and a time of inflation they would probably tell them not to spend hundreds of billions of dollars in the first place. i doubt a single american worker or middle-class parent would say

my top priorities are dump like size of the irs and giving my boss a government kickback if he buys an $80,000 electric car. do you know a single normal american family that is clamoring for this nonsense? americans want lower prices, they want border security, they want more police and public safety. americans do not want tens of thousands more irs agents, they month -- they want more border patrol. americans do not want democrats to regulate us into a deeper legislation. they want liberals to let police officers bring long order back onto our streets. democrats want to spend hundreds of billions of dollars on a 3% issue while they completely neglect crime and border security and make inflation and the recession even worse. host: that health care and

climate change package is expected to be debated and voted on this weekend in the u.s. senate the white house issuing a statement on the president support of the so-called inflation reduction act. the white house saying it will help american save money on prescription drugs, health premiums, and much more. it will make our taxes to more fair by making corporations pay a minimum tax. it will not raise taxes on those making less than $400,000 and it will reduce the deficit. it also makes the largest investment in history to combating climate change and saving people money on their energy costs. back to your calls on your top new story of the week. let's hear from rob in binghamton, new york, on the independent line. caller: thank you so much for taking my call. two things are bothering me. what is our southern border is wide open.

i do not know if you knew this, but 75,000 americans stormed the beachhead normandy. we are having three of those month coming across our southern border. you barely talk about it. the same with the stolen election. i have not seen you have dinesh desousa. i'm starting to wonder whose side you're on. host: what stolen election are you talking about? caller: the 2020 election. didn't you see the mike lindell movie absolute proof? host: we will hear from russell in massachusetts. democrats line. caller: good morning. my first comment is to these gentlemen and these ladies of your audience with this immigration and our borders are open. my thing is this. i am an american indian.

i am an indian. i have no american blood. all of this immigration stuff, if you are not native american stop this immigration stuff. you do not belong here. my news topic would be for all of these burn pit veterans. we need to stop talking about taxes and money and stop talking about washington and get our veterans of this country right. it is a sickening thought that people of this country minds are on money. get off the money and get on your military. when you put a gun in a person's hand and they become a soldier that soldier fights for your country, you stand up for those who stood for you. that is how i am going to leave it. stop the taxes. worry about your veterans and get this burn pit and all of these veterans who suffered from serving your country services. host: next up is saint albans, west virginia. richard on the republican line.

caller: my top story of the week is you cannot ever trust the democrats. the republicans are pathetic but you cannot ever trust the democrats. i was feeling somewhat proud of joe manchin. he proved he is the same kind of rat as the rest of the democrats, even worse because he played into that charade they were not going to do the budget reconciliation. as soon as the republican signed on to something else he made the agreement with schumer. the purpose of the democratic party is to ruin this country. the republicans are pathetic. democratic politicians are either people are stupid or both. this talk they are to lower inflation, keep that in mind. see how low inflation is a year

from now and see how much their promises were worth. unless they pull some incredible gimmick i do not think they are smart enough or lacking in philosophy enough to pull off, you are inflation will be just as bad or worse a year from now. vote democrat and voted for the demise of this country. host: is the top new story of the week this first hour here on washington journal. some of the ones we are focusing on are the taiwan trip by the speaker and the chinese military drills. following that the brittney griner sentencing and now word there may be a prisoner swap in the works. monkeypox being declared a public health emergency. we will talk about the kansas abortion vote in the declaration of the pro-trump candidate winning in arizona, the republican race. also action on the inflation reduction act and we are talking

about the federal charges in the killing of breonna taylor. let's hear from christopher in oklahoma on the democrats line. christopher, go ahead. caller: good morning. how are you doing? host: fine, thanks. caller: my top story this week was not covered very heavily, but the astrophysicist yield the grass tyson made a statement, there was a big lottery payout, and he was talking about the odds of the lottery and how very low the chances you will win it. he was talking about the nature of reality. he said ants in antfarms do not

know they are in an amp farm. he said the odds this is really happening, this is the base reality, is about zero. they asked him what he meant and he said the chances we are here really having this conversation are about zero. host: this was neil degrasse tyson this week? caller: right. host: tammy on the republican line. caller: i am asking all republicans, please stop calling c-span. you are two biased. you call three democrats to every republican. whenever the guy just called and talked about the stolen election you said what stolen election? really? what stolen election. you know what he is talking

about. you are so biased. you do not even hide it anymore. republicans, please stop calling. this is a joke. my husband keeps telling me i'm crazy for calling. host: we welcome democrats, republicans, independents. democrats (202) 748-8000, republicans (202) 748-8001, (202) 748-8002 for independents. monkeypox is declared a public health emergency in the u.s.. aimed at beefing up response in the u.s. and speeding the rollout of a vaccine. it comes amid criticism of a response. the caseload for monkeypox cases -- the u.s. has the highest known case cap globally.

the world health organization declared monkeypox a public health emergency of international concern on july 23 in new york, california, and illinois have declared their own states of emergency. "we are prepared to take our response to the next level" said the health and human services secretary. in the same article they write about the vaccine situation for this virus, saying there is only one fda approved vaccine for monkeypox. the vaccine is supplied by a single company, copenhagen based bavarian nordic. demand for the vaccine has far outstripped availability in cities such as new york, chicago, and san francisco. thousands of people are on wait lists for the shots. the administration has been criticized for not acting quickly enough to stock up on available vaccines.

david in franklin, west virginia on the democrat line. caller: my biggest concern is the economy. things are not good. it is really bad. the gas prices are not dropping like everybody says they are dropping. things are getting worse. people are getting a lot worse. there was a lady a minute ago complaining about having to pay taxes and she makes $125,000 a year. back here i retired i was making $35,000 a year and she is whining making $125,000. those people need to wake up. they need to learn to save a little bit and be more responsible. that is the problem with this country. nobody is responsible. they do not know how to live within their means. the government does not know how to live within their means. they just spend, spend, spend.

that is the whole problem with this country. there is always a payday. the payday is coming. that is why people are suffering in this country and they will suffer even worse. host: next is mike in california, republican line. caller: a couple of points. when you vote for a political philosophy of the left that believes on every issue government is the answer, that is what you got with joe biden and that is we live we are in the economic plight we are in. the people who calling on the democratic line, you voted for government. secondly, as far as climate change, they doubled the irs agents, double them, which is totally nonsensical. thirdly, they get 31,000

certified scientists that have come out against climate change, putting the reputations on the line saying climate change does not exist. this also includes the guy that invented the weather channel. he is a scientist. you cannot get our elite liberal media who serves the left to even interview one of those 31,000 scientists. do not try to tell me in america , you or anybody else come and you are certainly not fair, you want to feign fairness but you do not have one nonliberal guest, including yourself. you are a liberal. i watch it every day and also i am a teacher. do not try to act like you are objective when every journalist

that works for c-span is liberal. i am tired of having my intelligence insulted. host: this is the lead in the courier-journal. the headline "breonna taylor should be alive today." four current and police officers charged in her death. attorney general merrick garland announced thursday the four former and current louisville police officers have been federally charged in breonna taylor's march 2020 slaying. former louisville metro police detective joshua james, who was fired for lying on the search warrant that led to the deadly 2020 rate at taylor's apartment was taken into custody thursday morning by the fbi and booked in the oldham county detention center according to thomas clay. they list the other officers charged in that investigation.

here is the u.s. attorney general announcing those charges. [video clip] >> the federal charges announced today allege that members of the investigations unit falsify the affidavit used to obtain the search warrant of breonna taylor's home. that this act violated federal civil rights laws and those violations resulted in ms. taylor's death. specifically, we allege ms. taylor's fourth amendment rights were violated when defendants joshua james, kyle meany, and kelly goodlett sought a warrant to search ms. taylor's home known the officers lacked probable cause for the search. we allege the defendants knew the affidavit in support of that warrant contained false and misleading information and it omitted material information. among other things, the affidavit falsely claimed officers had verified the target of the alleged drug trafficking

operation had received packages at ms. taylor's address. in fact, the defendants knew that was not true. we further allege that defendants james and meany knew the search warrant would be cather doubt by armed mpd officers and that conducting that search could create a dangerous situation for anyone who happened to be in ms. taylor's home. as outlined in the charging documents, the officers who's ultimately carried out the search at ms. taylor's apartment were not involved in the drafting of the warrant and were unaware of the false and misleading statements it contained. when those officers executed the search warrant, ms. taylor was at home with another person who was in lawful possession of a handgun. when officers broke down the door to the apartment, that person, believing intruders were breaking in, immediately fired one shot, hitting the first officer at the door. two officers immediately fired a

total of 22 shots into the apartment. one of the shots hit ms. taylor in the chest and killed her. we allege the defendants knew their actions in falsifying the affidavit could create a dangerous situation and we alleged these unlawful acts resulted in ms. taylor's death. host: merrick garland yesterday. back to your calls on the top news story of the week. in avon, massachusetts, this is brian on the democrat line. caller: i keep hearing about bias about c-span. i have seen plenty of republicans speakers and whatnot. i think it is bias the other way. we are all biased. i do not know anybody's political affiliation of all of your correspondence. number two, the native american is the only one who mentioned

burn pits. for the senate to vote 85 and then knock it down, that is a disgrace. then he talked about immigration , him being a native american. the guy from new york sits of the 5000 people coming over the border. i live in massachusetts. i do not know what is going on at the border. and then the republican came on and said republicans live, then corrected himself and said democrats. he is right. republicans like. and then the woman about jim jordan. she is right. the country is too divided. i do not see an end to it. trump was no help. i do not know what to say. have a great day. host: from georgia we hear from ryan on the republican line.

go ahead. caller: thank you for having me on the air. i would like to follow-up with what some of your previous callers were touching on. i think the top story has not been addressed and that his election integrity. as you see here in arizona that just occurred in this primary, there were delays in counting the votes. it had to go to the next day, just like in the previous presidential election. why is it that they had these issues in the last presidential election and they have not resolved it? this is just a primary. they are having to go into the next day. that did not happen for the democrat primary. only in carry lake's race did that happen because they fear keri lake. she will give a platform to all of these people to point out the election integrity that needs to occur, to point out what happened in arizona, in georgia

in the last election and restore faith in the american voters. thank you very much. host: this is a story about the arizona election. keri lake wins the gop nomination for governor. the trump-endorsed candidate propelled into the general election where she is favored to become the states 24th governor. in fredericksburg, virginia, on the republican line, good morning. caller: i want to talk about the most important story, the ukraine war, and obscene amount of weapons we are sending in there. i also wanted to talk about amnesty international, which pointed out there was a pattern of ukraine military putting their military in civilian areas. they do this continuously.

during the beginning of the war there was a correspondent that talked about how he saw ukrainian soldiers shoot captured russians in the legs after they were tied and bound. hands and feet. it is a corrupt war. those are corrupt people. they like continuously. the ukrainian people need to overthrow that dictator. he is killing their own people. he has been doing this since the beginning. i think we should stop sending all weapons to ukraine and let's get the world moving in the right direction again. this is corrupt. it is sick. very sick. if you saw the bbc report on how the ukrainian government has been treating handicapped,

disabled, mentally disabled children, it is sickening. that is a corrupt country. i want it to end. host: it is your top news story of the week. (202) 748-8001 for republicans, (202) 748-8000 four democrats come and for all others (202) 748-8002. on twitter derek reflecting on the video of merrick garland announcing the bombshell charges of police officers involved in the search warrant that led to the death of janik taylor -- of breonna taylor. on twitter, as republicans are praising orban of hungry if they know abortion is legal in hungary up to 24 weeks. kansas showed us who can stop radical republicans from invading our privacy.

yesterday at c's back -- at cpac -- the president of the national right to life committee talked about the kansas results and what it might mean for the november elections. [video clip] >> is not just the states. congress has a role. there are things they can be doing. i want to encourage everybody, we have to win the vote in november. if leaders like chuck schumer in nancy pelosi are in charge next year and they have the votes, we know they will pass the women's health protection act so that abortion is legal through the entire country for all nine months of pregnancy and tax dollars will be paying for it. they will get rid of the filibuster so they can put that law into effect, and i fully would expect them to try to add more judges to the supreme court to overturn dobbs be jackson. we have to make sure we are

electing good candidates. if your favorite candidate did not win the primary this year, vote for the candidate who did. if chuck schumer has another vote, we are in serious trouble next year. i also want to caution every single one of you, this is a 50 state battle. we have some states that are already protecting unborn children. many states are ready to do it, just waiting for their legislature to come back into session. we are seeing -- our opponents are well organized, well-funded, we saw what happened in kansas. they will go after every state. in south dakota, very pro-life state, they protect unborn children, text have already been submitted to the attorney general said he certifies the wording that this is understandable and this is the way our procedures work, they

are already planning to collect petitions to have a measure on the ballot in 2024 to override what the state legislature has done, because they want to take it to the people thinking they will win. that is going to happen in all 50 states. i truly believe that. if you come from a state where you can say we are good, we are conservative, expect some activity like that. do not take anything for granted. host: a news story, or the aftermath of the supreme court abortion decision from the tampa bay times. the headline "desantis removes hillsboro county attorney. the governor removed hillsboro county state attorney from office for what the governor said was his disregard for duties to enforce state laws, including a pledge not to prosecute people receiving abortion or doctors performing them.

at a news conference flagged by police, desantis said warren had put himself publicly above the law by signing letters saying he would not enforce laws prohibiting gender affirming care for minors or limiting abortion under a clause in the state constitution. desantis suspended warren, effectively firing him. " bethesda maryland, democrats line. your top story of the week. caller: one of my biggest concerns is the authoritarian -- the increase of authoritarianism by the republican party, especially accepting the authoritarian leader of hungry to their cpac. basically they do not have fair elections. they are free, but not fair.

they only allow people that the regime deems as favorable to win and you can see that happening in many republican states with various election laws that republicans are trying to push, from georgia not letting people eat or drink in line, affecting boats in specific counties. that is definitely what they are trying. it has shown why they have had a fixation on orban and other authoritarians around the world. host: we will let you go there. you are breaking up. reflecting the divide in the republican party in wyoming's former vice president jay cheney -- former vice president dick cheney and an ad in support of his daughter, congresswoman liz cheney.

[video clip] >> in our history there has never been an individual a greater threat to our government then donald trump. he tried to steal the last election using lies and violence to keep himself in power. he is a coward. a real man would not lie to his supporters. he lost his election and he lost big. i know it, he knows it come in deep down both -- most republicans know it. lynn and i are so proud of liz for doing what is right and honoring her oath to the constitution when many a in our party are too scared to do so. liz is fearless. she never backs down from a fight. there is nothing more important she will ever do that lead the effort to make sure donald trump is never again near the oval office, and she will succeed. i am dick cheney and i proudly voted for my daughter. i hope you will, too. >> i am liz cheney and i approve

this message. host: carmen in georgia, republican line. caller: good morning, america. i am a lifelong registered republican, african-american, and a true conservative. with shame, i will admit i voted for donald trump's first four years, primarily because i thought by his business background he would go to washington and shake things up. i was so disappointed with his performance in his first four years that i hang my head in shame. i did not vote for donald trump during the time he ran for the second term. he is a liar. he is a despicable person.

i was totally exhausted. i say to liz cheney, liz, you go, girl. i am so proud of you. even though i live in georgia, i will be sending you a check for your election. i hope you win. i hope true conservative republicans work hard to get our party back on track. this donald trump cult type of environment we are living in, we have to let it go. that it go. host: brooklyn, alexander, democrats line. caller: good morning. i would reflect what the person that previously called just said.

the news of the week is the republican platform. somebody stated earlier, cpac in dallas. republicans if you are listening, look at the platform you have on cpac. you have orban from hungary, which has accumulated power, he has destroyed the democracy in that country, he is welcome to your with open arms by people like ted cruz and trump? the republican party just this week put people in arizona that are destroying the democracy, somebody just called and talked about lake. she called the election before it was over and said she had one. these people in the republican party will come after you. it is not enough they hate democrats. they will look at any republican that does not look at the radical agenda as against them and that is not with this country is about. it is about democracy.

republicans, look at these candidates in the primaries. in november, if these people win, our democracy will definitely be in threat. host: a couple of reactions to the ad we just played by dick cheney. this is the gop subjected this country to the likes of dick cheney and donald trump. this one says democratic callers do not know what they are talking about, democrats hated dick cheney and l.a. love him because of trump. they have no principles, they just hate. in michigan it is rob on the independent line. caller: i would like to make a short statement. people talking about the economy. i live in the country and when i go into indiana every door you walk through, every business, thousands of them have help on the door.

the machine shops, they cannot get enough help. somebody explained to me why they think the economy is going down? thank you. host: in the next half-hour we should get one snapshot of the economy, the unemployment number for the month of july. that will be released this morning at 8:30 eastern. jonesboro, arkansas. republican line. that will about wrap up for this segment. thank you all for weighing in with your calls and comments. there is more ahead on "washington journal." the heritage foundations dean cheng will join us to talk about nancy pelosi's taiwan trip and the chinese response. later emily cain executive director of the pro-choice group emily's list discusses the kansas abortion vote in her group's role in the upcoming midterm election.

♪ >> watched c-span's live coverage of the cpac annual conference. today our coverage continues at 11:15 with opening comments by mypillow ceo mike lindell in the speech by ted cruz. on the conference's final day, saturday, closing remarks by former president donald trump. watch the cpac annual conference live today on c-span. >> ♪

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with everything happening in washington each day. subscribe using the qr code, or visit c-span.com/connect. >> there are a lot of places to get political information. only at c-span do you get it straight from the source. no matter where you are from, or where you stand on the issues, c-span is america's network. unfiltered, unbiased, word for word. if it happens here, or here, or here or anywhere that matters. america is watching on c-span. powered by cable. >> "washington journal? continues -- "washington journal" continues. host: we are joined by dean chang, we discussed this morning speaker pelosi's high one visit. first of all, dean chang, how

did you view the choice by speaker pelosi to go to taiwan? guest: she was originally scheduled ago last fall. while coming down with covid, sort of ironically. this was a rescheduling of the visit, this is part of ironically why the chinese are reacting as strongly. they had several months to suade her from coming, and they failed. it is probably about as well-managed as it could be. she arrived in the evening, had meetings, but was promptly finished and flute onwards. needless to say, beijing was not happy about it. it sent the message the u.s. wanted. host: outwardly, the white house was not happy about it. what do you think, behind the scenes, the guidance they gave to the speaker and the potential flaw -- fall out it may

contribute to the biden white house? guest: i was disappointed in the white house's hesitancy and opposition to the visit. in this period, i think it is important for the u.s. to signal beijing that we continue to stand with taiwan, that this is a strong relationship. by signaling to the speaker of the house, who is a part of the legislative branch, it basically created the appearance of a disagreement between two key branches, as well as the top leadership of the u.s. government. host: what has been your reaction to the military response, the military exercises china is going through? guest: one of the things that has been under noted is that the chinese in their closure areas and missile tests, which, missiles have been spotted over taiwan, which have never

happened before. they are almost replicating and going beyond what they did in 1996, the u.s. responses sent two battle groups and that shocked beijing. china is doing the same thing, going a bit beyond. no one is thinking about sending two carrier battle groups into the taiwan straits area, because the risk would be too high. that is a sign that beijing is underscoring that 25 years later, the balance of power has shifted and it is china that now holds a much more powerful position. i do not think that message is lost across asia, i fear that is something that may be recycling itself within top circles of the straight. host: what do you expect the situation on the ground in the ocean there, after sunday when these drills, these exercises are supposed to in? will there be continued chinese

presence in that area? guest: absolutely. i think this is the chinese salami approach they have been taking. will they be holding missile drills and firing in taiwan on a database -- day-to-day basis, probably not. if you take a look at where the chinese are doing their exercises, there is one box directly east of the island. i think that is a signal we should expect to see chinese ships, including coast guard ships, regularly patrolling east of the island to signal several things. host: the map we are showing from new york times about that area shows that part of that area is the japanese economic zone. what kind of potential problems does that create with japan? guest: a lot. the japanese have steadily edged closer to supporting taiwan, specifically supporting the u.s. in the event of a taiwan contingency. this is china pushing back

against japan. taiwan fuzz -- was first torn from -- taiwan has been a focal point of china-japan relations, or pushing 140 years. host: this is part of a chinese military plan that came back a couple of weeks ago when speaker pelosi first decided on this trip. this is a highly organized plan that has been on the shelf for a while. guest: absolutely. this is military exercises season, so to speak. the pillai -- pla normally would be doing these exercises. because speaker pelosi had planned on sitting almost eight months ago, they have had lots of time to think about how to calibrate this. even this visit, there were rumors of it for several weeks, which allowed them to take the plans off the shelf and nature everything is up-to-date. host: dean change -- chang is

with the heritage foundation. we welcome your calls, the visit by the speaker and u.s. policy in the aftermath. (202) 748-8000 is the line to call for -- (202) 748-8001 is the line to for republicans. (202) 748-8002 four democrats. all others, caller:. what is the u.s. military response in the area? guest: when speaker pelosi's plane was heading toward taiwan, we sent a number of fighters mostly to keep watch. they were not escorting her. that is about it, there was no evidence we are deploying a second carrier group out there, although i think there is a re-amphibious group in the area. host: as this continues by the chinese, what sorts of reactions

can the u.s. take, economically or further military actions, etc.? guest: militarily at this point, we are probably at about where we are going to be. it takes time to deploy additional carriers of ships to the region. we could play more aircraft. economically, it is important to signal to taiwan that we maintained economic relations. i think one of the things to keep in mind is that china is pushing diplomatically across the region, there secretary abe lincoln is at the port -- host: the u.s. announcing to cambodia to agricultural products and what about militarily for taiwan, what has the u.s. supplied taiwan in the last year or so? guest: that is very

disappointing. this administration appears clamping down on arm sales to taiwan, three key areas that apparently have been killed. anti-submarine helicopter, anti-early warning aircraft and artillery. the last two are things that, if you look at the ukraine conflict, would be particularly useful. you need to know where these airplanes are and artillery is a key way of delivering a wide variety of emulations. host: do you think the u.s. republic of china will change the administration's policies in terms of further arming or supplying taiwan? guest: i have to admit i am bewildered by the line of policies that simultaneously says china is the foremost threat, and turns around and says we are going to kobach, an early warning aircraft.

host: let's get to calls, we go first to eve in grand rapids, michigan. you are on with dean cheng. caller: good morning. the reason i'm calling, i get up every morning and i listened to c-span. i cannot believe for the life of me that these republicans are still denying this insurrection in the capital. every day, just like any other democrat caller has said, we always are bombarded by the border. what does the border have to do with -- host: we are focusing on china this segment. we go to new jersey to hear from joe on the republican line. good morning. caller: hi. there are many things i do not understand about why china is so adamant about taking over taiwan. i remember studying the revolutionary war in the u.s.,

and win people who supported the king lost in the revolutionary war, they went to canada. they were left alone. there was a revolution in the 1940's, and the communists won. the nationalists went to taiwan. it is 90 miles off the coast to china, i have looked it up. it is about the size of maryland and delaware combined. why is it that the chinese communists are so adamant about getting back taiwan? thanks. host: dean cheng. guest: three broad reasons. one, the chinese communist party is founded on the idea that they throw the foreigners out and unify the country. to your american revolution aspect, the tories who fled to canada did not claim they were still the rightful government of the colonies. in that regard, that is one element.

second is geostrategic. if you look at the map of east asia, taiwan is part of the first island chain in the chinese navy, and limits access to china sports, which is the center of gravity of china's economy. the third part is semiconductors, technology. taiwan is the main manufacturer of microchips and from the prc's perspective, that is the lifeblood of modern power. control taiwan, control microchips. host: next up, we hear from the -- dee on the republican line. caller: good morning. i want to talk about this china and united states thing. my personal opinion, anybody who is the biggest bully in this world is the united states. there was a person talking before i was, what does china have to do with china being 90 miles away.

the united states will travel thousands and thousands of miles with war machines to annihilate nations, kill presidents, kill the citizens, dams their countries -- damns their countries, we are worse than china, russia, any other country out there. we are bullies. we have bullied our way through this whole world since the very beginning. we have killed, we have murdered, have stolen and we continue to do that today. i do not understand. i wish this moment would explain a little bit. host: do you view the -- do you think the chinese view the u.s. as a bully on the world stage? guest: absolutely. the chinese have never committed aggression, that is an official line of the ccp. their perception of the united states is trying to contain china, is trying to prevent

china's return to the world stage. absolutely, they view themselves as far more sinned against. would chinese neighbors agree with that assessment is a very different issue. again, china in its attitude feels it is entitled to dominate the region and intimidate or pressure cambodia, vietnam. host: there was a headline a day or two ago. pelosi visits undermining risks with asian efforts. does this strengthen our relationship with them? guest: it seems to be mixed. when speaker pelosi landed in south korea, her leadership -- her meetings with the leadership was by phone call, that has been commented upon and there has been a lot of what is going on there. the japanese have noticed the military exercises, and that has

definitely further pushed them towards the u.s. southeast asia, secretary blinken at the form is trying to play off of speaker pelosi's visit. host: is it because of china that japan has beefed up its military? guest: yes. for decades, we have been trying to get them to increase spending by 1% gdp. in the recent years, they have now agreed to push to 2% of gdp on defense spending, that is in reaction to china. host: let's hear from joe in cliffside park, new jersey. independent line. caller: good morning. relating to the other comments made dealing with china and wanting to be on the world stage, they are on the world stage already.

pouring billions into different countries on infrastructure, they are moving to take over their philosophy is to take over the world in a sense of the imperialistic ways that china has was been that way. taiwan represents another step in the form of taking it over based upon the fact that taiwan was part of china, and had separated due to the war going back decades, if not half a century. there is no true answer to pellucid going to china, other than it is political and -- pelosi going to china, other than it is political. china stepping forward and making islands have further military influence in that area of the world. it is a complex topic, and one must understand that this could ultimately lead to a limited war

with china, and protecting taiwan's interest to remain independent. we must be terribly careful on how we proceed with our efforts to bolster taiwan's position as independents. do we know the war over taiwan? i do not think so. host: thanks, joe. dean cheng. guest: i cannot disagree that the situation is extraordinarily complex. it is three players, not just the u.s. and china. taiwan is a separate player from either of these other superpowers, it has its own interests. as a democracy, the president in taipei has to listen as much to domestic political concerns as foreign and military strategic

issues. is this worth fighting a war over? that is part of the issue that is the taiwan's relations act and prevention to arms sales. what is preventing the war is, how do we deter china from trying to take the island? how do we signal beijing at the same time that we are not supportive of taiwan independence, which many folks seem to misunderstand. the u.s. does not support taiwan independence, it supports a peaceful resolution to the taiwan straits issue. host: what did? guest: that was huge. the chinese has held up hong kong as an example. here is hong kong being reintegrated into china, it will be left alone and we will sign a treaty with the u.k., the foreigner colonial chief. now that china has said your

system is subordinate, it has undermined any real interest in one country, two systems in taipei, taiwan. as important, it has antagonized the important population of taiwan to say, whatever it is our relationship is with china, it will not be one country, two systems. we do not trust you, for good reason. host: richard in louisville, kentucky, republican line. caller: for 40 years, we have had american technology going over to china as they continue to build their military, nuclear weapons. now, they have a navy twice the size of ours. you have nancy pelosi go over there and act like a complete fool, china turns around, surrounds that little island and starts firing missiles over it. do you honestly believe that if

the united states got involved in trying to protect taiwan that it would not turn into a nuclear war? it will never happen. taiwan is gone, just get over it. host: ok. dean cheng. guest: well, first of all. when you are on an island hundreds of miles off the shore, chinese navy can operate all around the island. that was true whether or not nancy pelosi went. if china can win a war against taiwan is an interesting question. they haven't fought a war since 1979. i think it is important to recognize that the chinese are not going to start a war on a whim, or unless they are very sure. party survival would be at stake. with regards to whether or not we would go nuclear, that is a tough call. we fought the cold war for well over 40 years.

at the end of the day, deterrence worked. i think that is the outcome we are all hoping for with regards to taiwan. host: wise this muscular response from the chinese military important to the political future of president xi jinping? guest: president xi is part of a party that will eliminate retirement requirements or he has secured his position as president, and will not have to resign as head of the party. he does not want a war during this party congress with this enormous political significance hang over his head. going into the congress, went he wants is a peaceful situation where he can say, look at how well things are going. that is all because of me. host: let's hear from matt in houston on the republican line.

caller: good morning, everybody. i want to make a comment. in 2020, we noticed that there were hundreds of thousands of cisco routers that were in critical infrastructure at the u.s. at&t and nsa --internet, infrastructure, we had to replace a lot of these because on the bottom of these boards were chips that were installed as they moved through china. if we allow taiwan to fall to china, none of us ever will have freedom again. it started with products sold in wind, which nancy pelosi and several others signed off on because when they wanted to start signing on everybody, they only had to blow up two towers. now, we have got to worry about winnie the pooh and east taiwan. no thanks. taiwan needs to stand free, free hong kong. host: dean cheng, any comments?

guest: china is one of the world's leaders in cyber espionage, it's cyber technology is pushing ahead in certain areas, artificial intelligence. they are our peer in some elements of those technologies, and they will be ahead. when we think of u.s.-china competitions, it is absolutely about chips. the interesting thing there, china is intent on building lodging chips, they are not there yet. lodging chips are dominated by taiwanese, south korea and some american firms, but not chinese. host: i wanted to ask you about the efforts by the chinese on the economic side, particularly the fishing in the east china sea, the area between at 100 miles between china and taiwan. are they -- is china expected to further pressure taiwanese fishing vessels into not being

able to fish in that area? guest: i think it would certainly love to do that, i think that is to the east of the -- east of taiwan the prc will have difficulty limiting fishing activities. any taiwan straits area, closer to the chinese side, you wind up with that problem. we have seen chinese fishing fleets across indonesian and other waters, central pacific waters. for those listeners who are interested in the environment, china is one of the worst fishing states out there. the various technologies they use are often some of the worst in terms of vacuuming a swath of ocean, regardless of what sea life gets caught in their nets. host: let's hear from dawn calling from missouri on the independent line. caller: good morning. even though taiwan is 120 miles off china's coast, if you look

at it in-depth on a map, it is clearly a part of the starch of tellico to the north of the philippines, to the south. it would be, that is the logical reason it is in our free zone of nations. that is all i have to say. host: ok, do countries like the philippines have countries over china's presence? guest: absolutely. the court of arbitration found in favor of the philippines where china has been building artificial islands and extensive fishing, etc. china openly said the port of arbitration is unqualified to issue judgments, sort of like saying the supreme court is not allowed to make constitutional calls and judgments.

the japanese, the philippines, taiwan are part of the so-called first island chain, and that is an area china is showing great concern about. all of these islands are in pro american hands, they limit china's ability to flush their navy out to the central pacific. if they were in chinese hands, they would keep the u.s. navy in their -- and their forces away from china. host: speaker pelosi's trip made strange bedfellows in terms of who supported and who didn't, some democrats opponents of this trip. i wanted to point you to the comets of michael waltz, congressman from florida on the armed services committee. critical of the speakers trip here here is what he had to say on fox news. [video clip] >> here's the big difference from priors, we have had these -- with these chinese over visits from taiwan. the difference then from now,

acton, a new and we knew that they couldn't do anything about it military. now, they believe that they can do something about it let harrell he, they can match us. they -- he has told his military to be ready around 127 to defeat us. that is the game changer and why we have to wake up as a country, versus the speaker of the house, then it is trade routes, it is critical minerals, then it is our pharmaceuticals that they are manufacturing. then, they dominate the world. host: how might this change u.s. policy toward military policy toward the area? guest: well, i think there is the hope and expectation that there will be increased, renewed arms sales that the administration will move away from that decision. that there will be greater opportunity for exercises. one of the problems for the taiwan military, they have been isolated from pretty much

interacting with any other militaries. there has been enormous amount of the military doctrine and technology. the hope is, it is not just weapons and equipment, it is training and doctrine that they need modernization. host: do you think hungers been watts's comments reflect a waters split in the republican party over how we view -- congressman watts comments reflect a larger split in the republican party? guest: among some to walk away because of things like climate change in things where we need chinese cooperation. we are seeing splits in both the republicans and democrats, but i do not think it is a specific, ideological one. host: tim in hannibal, new york on the democrats line. good morning. caller: good morning. i was led to believe that, when the patriots of america, big

business decided to started manufacturing in china that one of the conditions in order for them to do any business there was that they had to give up intellectual properties to do business there. is this true, or is it not? if it is not, it is espionage, correct? guest: well, it depended on what it was you are making in china. if you are packaging dog food, no. there was not much intellectual property. if you were microsoft, manufacturing chips or things like computer chips, yes. the chinese definitely pushed for intellectual property, that is part of why the previous administration posted tariffs on the chinese administration. is that espionage, no. it is contractually based. you want to make x here, apple

iphones, you will have to do that. apple walked in knowingly. espionage would be if somebody stole your data, that has happened with folks like cisco routers. that was often in the united states, or worldwide. host: have we seen reaction from american business leaders protesting this military action by china? any action, any threats of moving their business out of china? guest: out of china, because of the pelosi visit or the missile tests, no. there has been a broader trend of companies starting to redirect out year investments. it is not, i am upping my factory or closing it. that, my next factory will not be in china. it may be in indonesia or peru. host: that has been an ongoing thing the last couple of things, correct? guest: correct. as xi jingping has lamp down, as we have seen steady uptake in espionage issues and political

repression, a lot of companies are looking at this as being risky. there is a whole code issue. host: has the u.s. policy toward china changed between the trump administration and biden administration? guest: no. the biden administration has not rescinded most of the terrace put in place. it has talked about taking some chinese companies off the entities list, but that has not happened yet. there is still freedom of navigation operations in the south china sea, maybe transistors to the taiwan straight. in that regard, there has not been much. it is the arms sales of taiwan, the header of discussions, not the substance. host: let's hear from bill in waynesboro, pennsylvania. democrats line. good morning. caller: good morning. my concern is, i listen to a lot of news.

more and more for months and months at least, i hear so much talk by politicians and political leaders about china being a threat, and even dozens of possible war with china. this goes on all the time, it goes on with president biden, who i generally support. it is democrats, it is republicans. my point is, if we talk about war with china enough, we can make it happen. there is a difference between a military threat and economic threat. in many ways, china has exceeded our economy. we have a lot of people in this country that just cannot stand the thought we are supposed to be exceptional in the world, and the economy's rise and fall. we might not be the strongest

economy in the world -- always be the strong as the economy in the world. we have given away much of our economy, the businesses have, by moving to china because they can pay workers there many dollars less then workers are paid here. my main point is, i think it is a mistake to constantly talk about china as a threat and a military threat. if they truly become a military threat, this country, with its thousands of nuclear weapons and 800 military bases around the world, part of the u.s. empire, this country could successfully fight china or blow us all to kingdom come. host: bill in pennsylvania. dean, your thoughts. guest: even during the cold war, many argued it was the u.s. that was the problem.

china's military is still the largest in the world, it's military has modernized. it is not your father or grandfather's pla, this is a military that deals sophisticated weapons, has counterspace capabilities. no u.s. adversary has fielded cyber capabilities. now, we are finding out they are expanding their nuclear forces massively, 300 silos detected in western china. new, ballistic missile submarines. they are building and manning a strategic bomber, the chinese themselves are talking about that. host: a little more than 10 minutes left with our guest, dean cheng talking about nancy pelosi's trip, the military response. we welcome your calls. (202) 748-8001 for republicans. democrats, (202) 748-8000. for independents and others, it is (202) 748-8002. dean cheng's work can be fine

owned -- can be found at heritage.org. you draw a straight line from the u.s. withdraw from afghanistan to the russian invasion of ukraine to an increasingly aggressive china. explain that. guest: afghanistan was a catastrophe. one of the worst aspects was that, from a military perspective, it made it look like we were not very competent. that, after 20 years of fighting there, is not the message you want to send. russia's invasion of ukraine occurs in the wake of that. what's the u.s. going to intervene, certainly not. was putin and bolden, it was quite likely. it didn't help the u.s. said specifically there was no chance of u.s. intervention.

what we are seeing with the chinese's lessons learned from both of their superpower competitors. while russia is aligned with china, they are a potential threat from beijing's perspective. what have they learned from the russian invasion of the ukraine, the american withdraw from couple -- ? host: the u.s. response, it was part of a broader nato response, united nato. is there a organization that is in the southeast asia region that the united states is part of, a similar bulwark against chinese military aggression? guest: i think you are referring to the southeast asia treaty organization, which was set up in the 1950's. that organization died at the end of the vietnam war. it is still in the books, but no one thinks of it as an existing organization.

asia has no militant, multinational military alliances. that is one of the challenges, u.s. has a wagon wheel of bilateral alliances, but there is no multilateral alliances. some countries like south korea and japan dislike each other as much or more as either fear china. host: was it a mistake for the u.s. not to enter that u.s. trade deal at the end of the obama administration? guest: the trans-pacific partnership, the free-trade deal. it was a self -- black eye. had we had joint, it would send a signal to the beijing that the u.s. was a robust, economic presence in the pacific region, tying together these countries. the reality was, both hillary clinton and donald trump opposed it. basically, it would take a lot of fancy footwork for either candidate after winning two join

tpp. host: matthew, go ahead. caller: good morning. i am wondering about the asymmetry of the situation, where the speaker of the house visits taipei -- taiwan, excuse me. then, the chinese authorities, there was a visit perspiring rockets into the sea. i do not understand the asymmetry of the whole thing. why are they so threatened? thank you. guest: speaker pelosi is a human being. speaker pelosi is number three in the line of succession. from the chinese perspective, this was not simply somewhat -- some representative, this was the number three person in our government visiting. that, from the chinese

perspective, was tandem to an implicit statement that the u.s. is supporting taiwan. from beijing's perspective, there is no legitimate reason for any politician of any stripe, mayor or president, to go to taiwan. for the number three person -- and a key figure in our legislative branch, which, -- that is a political statement on our part. they are sending a political response, using weapons saying, fine. understand you are doing something serious, we are doing something serious, too. host: there was a phone call between president biden and president xi before pelosi's trip. what do we know of that conversation? guest: sadly, very little. it is surprising. the u.s. readout of that was a paragraph long from a two hour conversation.

they mentioned they talked about climate change and human rights. the chinese issued a three page, much more detailed version of what they said happened, including that xi jinping made it clear about taiwan. i fear that, as a result, the world is getting a bigger impression, much more influence from the chinese side, which is providing details from the american side. i hope that state department issues a full transcript of the -- of exactly what was discussed. host: let's hear from kami, calling from indiana on the democrats line. we lost kami, we will go to stone on the independent line, calling from oregon. go ahead, stone. caller: how are you doing? i support pelosi in taiwan, i am democrat strong. i think it is smart to make an

alliance with the taiwanian people. i support the whole movement, i wish she would come to check out eugene, oregon, look at the eugene, oregon, kyle williams, crooked police officer. badge number, 191, look into him. host: the speaker has come into other criticisms, in advance of potentially losing her speakership in foreign policy hurrah. what are your thoughts? guest: from a timing perspective, if she was going to go, she had to go now. we are about to go full war into the reelections -- into the election season for the midterms. if as protected, the democrats lose the house, she will lose that. going now, she goes as speaker of the house. if she went a year from now, she would simply be going as a representative. host: do other leaders of other major countries, the u.k., india, australia, other major

democracies in particular, face the same sort of blowback and reaction that the speaker did in visiting? so, the prime minister of the u.k. visited taiwan, would there have been a response like this? guest: probably not in the sense of missile firings over taiwan. remember, the u.s. has security ties to taiwan that the u.k. in india do not. i would expect that if boris johnson or his successor would -- were to go to taiwan, we would see massive chinese disinvestment in the u.k., sanctions against british companies. we have already seen that the chinese have issued warrants and things against british members of parliament for their criticism of the chinese treatment of hong kong. this has become a major sore point between london and aging. host: den cheng is the senior research fellow at the heritage

foundation. thanks so much for being with us this morning. guest: thank you for having me. host: the jobs are up from the bureau of labor statistics. the report on monthly unemployment for july, the unemployment rate dropping to 3.5%. the number of jobs added in july, 528,000. up next, we are joined by emily cain, the executive director of the pro-choice root, emily's list, talking about the kansas abortion vote and her group's role in the midterm elections. gary, indiana -- spoke at the cpac conference. his appeal to some and the republican party. thank you, sir. >> ♪

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support c-span's nonprofit operation. >> "washington journal" continues. host: next is emily cain, executive director director of emily's list, the pro-choice organization aimed at getting women elected to office. emily, welcome to "washington journal.' guest: it is so good to be here. host: emily's list founding, it's underlying mission and how you go about getting candidates to run for office. guest: emily's list is the nation's largest resource for women in politics. we have been around since 1985 with a single mission, to elect democratic, pro-choice women to office. our name, emily's list, is an acronym. it stands for early money is like yeast, it makes the do arise. we help women raise money and

run successful campaigns. we have elected 159 women to the u.s., 16 governors and more than 1400 state and local officials peered we are not slowing down anytime soon, especially this november. host: are you looking for members mainly in the democratic races, or have you run republicans as well? host: emily's list has only elected and supported democratic, pro-choice women. guest: we are competitive and primaries, and have been from the beginning since we have helped elect barbara mikulski as the first democratic woman elected in her own right to the united states senate. in our history, we have only exclusively elected and supported democratic, pro-choice women. host: we are having you want to talk about some of the cabinets in this years race, and talk about the kansas constitutional amendment, the measure which failed in the kansas boat on tuesday by -- kansas vote on

tuesday, the measure that would allow a change to the kansas constitution. what was your reaction to that vote? guest: it was excitement, hope and a little bit of joy in what has been a tough year for women's were productive rights. the reproductive rights in our country. we are in a position right now where republicans are talking about a national abortion ban, and if -- and the supreme court has overturned roe v. wade. the vote this week in kansas was an indicator and what we believe we have been seeing across the country. which is, a majority of americans are on the side of people being able to make their own health care decisions. that coalition of people in kansas, democrats, independents and even some republicans that came together for that resounding vote this week since the signal that, not only are americans on our side when it comes to access to abortion, but

the driver of turnout is going to be key in the november elections. host: what do you think that vote in particular will mean for turnout in key races across the country? guest: it was a record turnout for a midterm, for primary off day election. we think when we head to the general election, emily's list and our partners are working to center choice in the election, combined with our candidates who unapologetically makes the case for people being able to make their own health care decisions. when you compare that to a republican party where mitch mcconnell has said clearly if the republicans take the house and senate, they will push and pass national abortion bands in the face of republican governors and state legislators across the country, rolling back access to health care across our nation. this is a clear choice. it will be a driver of turnout, not just for democrats but independents and republicans. we believe this will be a

winning issue this fall. host: emily cain is our guest, she heads emily's list. we welcome your calls, (202) 748-8001 for republicans. (202) 748-8000 for democrats. for independents and others, (202) 748-8002. the role abortion rights may play in your vote this year. emily, i want to play the comments after that kansas vote by the vice president, kamala harris. [video clip] >> the people of kansas spoke yesterday, loud and clear. they said this is not a partisan issue. the women of america should not be the subject of partisan debate, or perspective. the people of kansas spoke and said this is a matter of defense of basic principles of liberty and freedom in america.

they spoke loudly in saying that they trust women into make decisions about their own lives and their bodies. and they said government should not be mandating those decisions for the women of america. host: emily cain, your thoughts on what you heard from the vice president. guest: honestly, it is another example on how the vice president has been so clear on her support, and the biden irs -- harris administration has been clear on that support to attack the right to choose across the country. this is a demonstration that has pushed a budget without restrictions to protect reproductive health care. they have been clear that they trust americans to make their own health care decisions. i am not surprised by her genuine and clear, strong comments. i appreciate the leadership that the biden harris administration

has shown, and the partnership they have shown with elected officials across the country that trust americans to make their own health care decisions. host: for you surprised by the decision of the kansas vote on the referendum? guest: i was not surprised by the outcome. where i was surprised was by the margin, the fact that it looks like it could be nearly 20 points. this was not a close call, this was not a close race. this is what happens when people organize, when they come together, when they speak truth from their heart about why it is important to protect our freedoms. it shows, as you heard the vice president say, that this is not a partisan issue. the fact we have a situation where republicans across the country are staking their claim over people's bodies and their ability to make their own decisions about them is quite disturbing. i think it is a motivator for

turnout. that is the biggest take away from tuesday, this will drive people to the polls and they are on our side. host: i want to review the commons from alexander dissent, his writing in the national review of writing how this may not be a bellwether on abortion. in her article, she writes that while i am certain democrats may be over reading the results, i would offer pro-lifers two general words of caution in reacting to this news. first, do not allow republican politicians to consider the outcome in kansas evidence that being pro-life is the electorally toxic. one bad result on a confusing eminent in a state that is relatively moderate on abortion is indicative about how americans feel about abortion policy. second, remember the democratic party is deeply out of step with americans and its own voters on abortion. it is true that most americans oppose enacting total protections for unborn children,

but most americans also oppose abortions until birth. this debate is a messaging battle and we will be more successful in the long run if we continue to highlight the test extremism of the other side, if we allow them to put us on the defense. your thoughts. guest: let's start with kansas. kansas is a state that overwhelmingly went for donald trump, not once, but twice. and yet, overwhelmingly confirmed the ability to make their own health care decisions this week. confirmed that kansas is a pro-choice state. when you think about the ball, people love to talk about messaging. in this case, it is about telling the truth. which is, the democrats support the ability for americans to make their own health care decisions. we believe that those decisions, no matter what they are, should be between a person and their doctor. we trust women to make those decisions. this is about fundamental freedom, power and control.

that is telling the truth. as our candidates across the country, whether they are running for state house, governor, the united states senate or house, they are going to be telling the truth to voters and the voters will be saying, i agree with you. democrats can use that to their advantage this fall. host: we are three months away from the fall elections. how many candidates is emily's list endorsing this year? guest: hundreds of hundreds. we have endorsed many incumbents for reelection, like abigail spanberger running for house in virginia. we have endorsed new candidates for the house, dr. kerr barrow running in colorado. janet mills in maine, michelle long gresham in new mexico. upcoming teacher governors, nelly gore bay at in rhode island. we are blessed to have candidates from all backgrounds, diverse candidates running up and down the ballot. we are excited to throw our full

support them -- full support behind him this fall. host: part of that is money for these candidates. guest: absolutely. our name is early money is like yeast. we get involved with candidates early. we typically work them for three to six months before we make a decision on endorsement. when we put our stamp of approval on a campaign, it sends a message to funders, voters, this candidate is running a competitive campaign. we find that path to victory. we find their path to victory. we are proud of our impact over changing the face of power in this country over the last early eight years. we are not planning to start anytime soon. host: how far down ballot do you think it is important that the

organization get involved and support candidates? guest: i have a personal take. i was a state legislator for 10 years. if you think about access to abortion right now, that power absent action in washington lies in state legislatures and governors office across the country we have indoors hundreds, more than 600 candidates for state house offices across the country last year. on top of that, we go down to city councils, mayors, sometimes county offices because it is important to have that perspective of democratic, pro-choice women who trust people to make their own decisions, to empower them every step of the way and have diverse voices at the table. that is how we are changing the face of power in this country. host: let's go to calls. we hear from evelyn in west

virginia, democrats line. though ahead. caller: i would like to know, there is 12 or more ways of keeping you pregnant. why do people need abortion? unless it is for incest or rape. do not understand why there is a need for it. host: ok. care to weigh in? guest: i think what the caller's perspective is reinforcing is, how personal the decision to have an abortion is and how that is a decision she would be less -- it should be between a doctor and family to make the decisions best for them. i do not pretend to know or understand every single situation a person gets themselves in. i would never pretend i could put myself in another person's shoes. i know when it comes to access to health care, access to abortion care, people should be able to have that option for themselves every step along the way. host: let's go to rick,

gainesville, georgia on the democrats line. go ahead. caller: good morning. let's take politics out of this. my personal experience, back when i was younger, my first wife and i found ourselves pregnant and we had a business which was not conducive to raising a child. we interviewed we interviewed was catholic services and put the young lady up for adoption. 24 years later, this year, she found me. i am ecstatic. i was able to hug her for the first time. she thanked me right off the bat for not having an abortion and going the adoption route. i have not heard very much about the adoption route. i believe a woman should be able to have an abortion up to let's say four to six weeks. but after that, my gosh almighty. let's go ahead and promote adoption. thank you.

host: ok. emily, do you have any comments? guest: it is a powerful story. the whole point is that everybody has a story. everybody has the story about the situation they are facing and the decision they need to make for themselves and their families in their lives. i think the caller's example is one of people being able to make their own decision on privacy. i think that is what this debate is about and why the right to choose abortion needs to be something we talk about and is so important in the elections this fall. host: emily's list is part of a coalition of groups. this says 50 groups including yours engage black voting groups. what are you doing with that? guest: emily's list is partnering with his aces because

we believe turnout is key this fall. we want committees of color to know that we value their perspectives and they have real power when it comes to the vote this fall. we are proud to be part of the coalition and other coalitions as we seek to increase turnout for our candidates across the country and up and down the ballot. host: delano is calling in from missouri on the democrats' line. caller: i am almost 90 years old my. only hope -- my only hope is nothing less than elizabeth warren for president. host: why is that? caller: she is the smartest woman out there. she has got some bills that protect everybody. not just one group of people. the guest, i will let the guest tell about the bills she has wrote.

my best friend said but she said she was part indian. winston churchill's mother was half indian. if it had not been for winston churchill, we would be speaking german by now. host: emily cain, your thoughts on senator elizabeth warren? guest: i want to say first thank you for your service to the caller. thank you for reaching up to talk about your support for elizabeth wherein -- elizabeth warren. she is a clariion voice. i have seen her in person. emily's list supports her later in the primary in 2020. senator warren is an inspiration to many. she has been a game changing voice in the senate is great to hear that she has a big fan in missouri. host: were you an early supporter of her candidacy? guest: when she ran for the u.s.

senate, yes. there is a great story about the former president of alumina lease -- implementing slip -- emily's list sitting down with elizabeth warren. it was a tough battle. now she is being a game changer for so many and so many important issues in the senate. she is one of many important women we have serving their. the number of emily's list endorsed and previously supported women in the senate is strong but needs to grow even more. that is why we are so focused on working to elect women like in north carolina and florida

because we know that we need more voices at the table like elizabeth warren, amy klobuchar, and tammy duckworth, so we can have the biggest impact for good in our country. host: what is the biggest donation and what is the typical donation you make to a candidate's campaign? guest: emily's list has millions of members across the country. the last time we took accounting, we call that 5 million members across the country. we have a robust online contribution program. i think $37 was our average donation last month. when you think about the strengths of our candidates and campaigns, it takes the whole emily's list backing them. a lot of times, those are checks that come in the mail with a

note that says thank you for what you do. when it comes to how we support campaigns, under federal law, we are only allowed to support within federal pac limits. there are similar state rules across the country. emily's list also has powerful super pac called women vote where we have invested millions to make a difference for candidates. you will see the strong and clear residence in the elections this fall. host: minnesota, sharon on the democrats' line, go ahead. caller: thank you for taking my call. emily, thank you for all you do for women in this country. abortion is a top issue for many of us going through in this election. i disagree with republicans who

think this is not going to cause some issues for them because it has proved to be in kansas. you say only democrats that you endorse. i am wondering because i am pushing for unity ticket. i am wondering if at all possible, you just mentioned amy klobuchar, love her, is it possible we can have amy klobuchar and liz cheney on the ticket together? we work with liz cheney on the abortion issue. she is more moderate. is there anyway that we could bring her to the middle and go forward together? thank you. host: ok, sharon. guest: thank you for the support. there is so much going on in michigan with governor whitmer and her reelection campaign. emily's list elects democratic

women. they run the spectrum for democrats for sure. when we think about where we are in our country, there is no question liz cheney's leadership , clearly democrats are working with her on the january 6 commission, a very powerful presentation of facts that reinforces all of the disturbing, corrupt elements of the trump administration. when we think about where we are headed as a country, i think we need more women at the table to start. i wish there was an equivalent organization on the republican side that help support pro-choice republican women to run for office because the republican party right now, even if there was a way liz cheney wanted to work with us on abortion, republican party is not there. the republican party has its position. it is banning abortion with no exception in states across the country. democrats are very focused on making sure we empower people to

make their own health care decisions every single day of the week. republicans are hell-bent every day of the week on taking those rights away. until we have a better sense of common ground or understanding how we trust people to make their own decisions, i don't see that kind of ticket coming together anytime soon. i never say never in politics. politics can certainly bring together interesting alliances. i know if i have more emily's list supported from democratic women in office, we will have better outcomes no matter who is in charge. host: following the supreme court decision, there has been a strong effort on capitol hill to codify other issues including gay marriage. i want to read from a "new york times" article this morning. baldwin leaves nothing to chance. senator tammy baldwin was on a plane home from washington last month when she got word senator ron johnson, her home state

colleague and strident republican, said publicly he would not oppose a bill protecting same-sex marriage rights. a rare moment in which she and mr. johnson might agree on something. she tapped out a text to him saying she was thrilled. tammy baldwin said i would do nothing to jeopardize its chances of passing, but we may differ on what she constitutes obnoxious. mr. johnson replied with a thumbs up emojis and wished her a pleasant weekend. ms. baldwin in 1999 became the first openly gay woman elected to congress. the respect for marriage act would provide federal protections for same-sex marriage rights at a time of rising fears they are at risk. emily cain. guest: this is a great example.

we don't have a pro-choice, functioning pro-choice majority, in the senate. tammy baldwin is amazing. let's be clear about that. tammy baldwin is making it happen hopefully for marriage equality in the united states senate. i want that to happen so badly. she is exactly the kind of leader that can move that through. but we do not have the same potential right now. as we see bills that come forward, even ones that have bipartisan sponsorship and support, there is right now no way that clears a filibuster. right now, that is not a pragmatic way to get this done. the most important thing we can do right now is change to his empower and put the functioning pro-choice majority in the senate. that is why we are focused on winning in the elections in november. there's a sharp contrast between mitch mcconnell and house republicans saying they want a national abortion ban.

you have democrats fighting tooth and nail every single day to protect people's freedoms and ability to make their own health care decisions. the contrast is so stark. it is not the same conversation happening on marriage. i hope so much tammy is able to deliver. i believe if anybody can, she can. right now, we have to focus on building a pro-choice majority in the senate so there are more strong voices to protect rights of americans. host: let's go to doug calling from las vegas. go ahead. caller: hello. my problem with the abortion debate is the way it is argued. it is all argued in terms of it is a woman's choice. we are forgetting 50% of the people involved here, no woman can get pregnant without meals firm -- male sperm. how does the mail get cut out of

the conversation? i have no choice. i have experienced this with my ex-wife. she got pregnant and came home and told me she had an abortion and that is the way it is. you're out on the street, goodbye. you took my kid away would not her kid, my kid. and our kids. it is not just a woman's choice. host: ok, doug. emily cain? guest: it really reinforces how personal this is. i don't know the specifics of the caller's life, but ultimately what we are talking about is whether the government can make health care decisions for us. i want government to trust me to make my own decisions in the context of my life and my family. the caller was calling from nevada. there's a big election in about a right now when that is a key

issue on the ballot. a pro-choice democrat supported by emily's list trusts people to make their own health care decisions. you have extreme anti-choice adam lacks all, no exception when it comes to banning abortion. the contrast is stark. it is a huge divide. democrats have a chance to send her back to fight for them this fall. emily's list will be there to make sure she wins. host: democrats have not yet selected their candidate. charlie crist maintains dominating lead over nikki freed in florida in the democratic primary. does emily's list have a candidate you are supporting? guest: emily's list has not made an endorsement in that race. we take every endorsement on a

case-by-case basis. we are watching that primary. nikki freed is a long -- has a long history of leadership in florida. our focus is on someone running a strong campaign against senator marco rubio. not just issues of choice are on the ballot at about who is fighting for floridians. host: let's hear from mike in gettysburg, pennsylvania, republican line. caller: i was a former democrat turned republican. let me say the young lady you have on television today is well spoken and she speaks well. i wish i had her ability to talk the way she does. let's make something clear.

rubio years ago stood on the capitol steps and said we have the power. we don't care what the people of the united states want. we have the power to ban the abortion bill. that is what she have been saying from the get go. she wants her group to have the power to make decisions. the american people overall have stated for years that they want the ability to be able to say whether they should have the power to have an abortion or not. if you put it to the people of the united states, it will overwhelmingly be defeated that abortion be allowed. what it comes down to is that if you give the power to a few people, they can vote the way

they want. that is basically all i want to express. thank you. host: emily cain, any thoughts on mike's comments? guest: thanks for the kind words. we are talking about been able to make our own decisions. that is what i want. i do not want government making those decisions for me or anyone else when it comes to whether or not to have an abortion. i trust people to make those decisions on their own and i want to make sure they do not have to drive 20 hours to find access to health care, to basic health care. that not the america i see for us. that is not the america our candidates c. i think when it comes to the elections in november, we have a stark choice. there is the saying that all politics are local. that is why at emily's list our candidates are focused on issues on the ground and what they are hearing from their voters. is that access to abortion matters this fall.

they want people that will fight for them and stand up for their rights. that is why candidates endorsed by emily's list are such a force to be reckoned with. host: do you think the kansas results, defeating the referendum, were more in line with what polls have shown in support of women's rights to have an abortion? guest: absolutely. kansas went for donald trump twice. they have an incredible government, democrat laura kelly, who is focused every day on growing economic opportunity. you see kansas saying leave us alone, let us make our own decisions. that is what we want. i think that is a message that resonates in many states and i think it will resonate in november. host: i want to play a quick ad from kansas for constitutional freedom, an abortion-rights

group, and the messaging they use in the ad ahead of the vote. [video clip] >> this confusing constitutional amendment is a slippery slope for kansas. it gives government more power over your privacy and personal medical decisions. don't let politicians take away your freedom. send a message. vote no. host: a lot of messaging on privacy, on taking away your freedom. do you think this sort of approach may work in other states where abortion referendums may be on the ballot, like in kentucky and montana? guest: i am no messaging expert. but for me, it comes down to the truth and the facts. what that ad outlines clearly is the fact that referendum was about privacy. it was about the ability to make your own decisions. i think that kind of plain talk is exactly what we need. what you are hearing from republicans is a lot of hyperbole. what you are hearing from

democrats is the facts. we are telling you the truth. we believe you should be able to make your own health care decisions. we don't think the government should be able to make those. we certainly do not think mitch mcconnell and the republican majority should make them. we are focused on protecting those rights. that is what played out in kansas. whether you're talking about montana or kentucky or big senate races in places like north carolina or pennsylvania, i think those same messages of who is with you and who is against you will be bringing true and clear for voters as they turn out this fall. host: let's hear from joseph in virginia, republican line. caller: good morning. i have a couple of points. first off, it is big money. that is why planned parenthood, etc., want to keep abortion going. number two, it is totally unnecessary over 62 million innocent lives have been taken

when birth-control is writing billy -- readily available. there are many different types now. you look it over 63 million murdered. that is worse than hitler or anybody else. american socialists have more blood on their hands than any bad guy in history. host: on the availability of contraception, are you concerned the supreme court could address that issue in upcoming cases? guest: i am concerned. i think we are looking at an environment where you are seeing republicans walk away from birth-control. we saw a vote a few weeks ago on the floor of the house around protection and access to birth control, contraception. i believe the income -- into count was only five republicans in the house voted for it. that is embarrassing and scary.

it is further truth america -- republicans are so out of step with americans when it comes to reproductive health care. they are so extreme. they want to control bodies across the country. not only by banning access to abortion but now rolling back and taking away access to birth control. that is scary. that is not who we are as americans. we have an obligation to talk about it cleanly and talk about the real-life implications of it. that is what you will have an opportunity to see our candidates do this fall. host: what has been your success rate against pro-choice -- with pro-choice candidates across the country? guest: laura kelly is a great example in kansas. she is a teacher who ran for governor and won four years ago on a message of bringing kansans together and creating economic opportunity together with support for education.

she is continuing to do that as she runs for reelection. emily's list takes on the tough fights. we don't always win them. we take on republicans running for the house. we sometimes win. we sometimes don't. it comes back to changing the faces in government. you cannot get elected in november if you are not on the ballot. we work hard. since 2016, we have more than 65,000 women sign up with us who want to make a plan to run for office. a lot of those women are from rural, underserved communities. we are working with them through our online training center, our online communities, to provide the tools they need to think about running for office, whether that is schoolboard, county council, or the u.s. senate. we are not afraid of the big fights in red states or blue states. that is why you see such an increase in women taking on those races and often winning. host: you mentioned you served in the main senate from 2004 --

2012-2014. you served in the house of representatives in maine before that and ran for congress against first polk but you lost in 2016, correct? guest: i did. i lost in 2014. i ran again in 20 and donald trump won my district overwhelmingly and i did not. two years later, congressman jared golden defeated him as he will again. main politics is something i am very close to having been in the majority and minority in the legislature having fought for access to abortion. abortion is on the ballot here. not just the second congressional district but especially in the governor's race. the governor has been such a strong voice for protecting access to abortion.

the former governor has done the opposite. abortion is on the ballot in my home state of maine as it is across the country. we are seeing it play out in big races in big ways. host: howard guest is a graduate of the university of maine and harvard university. let's go to linda on the independent line in missouri. go ahead. caller: i want everyone to remember unborn babies has a heart and soul which makes abortion killing. thank you. host: we will go to tina in leesburg, virginia. good morning. go ahead. caller: yes. i just wanted to say in addition to what a man said earlier about you need a man and woman to make a baby. without the grace of god, there's not going to be a baby. the baby did not have any choice

when it is put to death by abortion. i have heard thereover one million couples waiting for babies. the woman made a choice when she chose to have reckless sex. wait nine to 10 months and give a life to someone who cannot have one. host: let's go to the republican line. caller: good morning. thank you for taking my call. if a man chooses a woman on the way to abortion because he does not want her to have it, he is charged with double homicide. the life of the child also. how is pro-choice not advocating murder? host: emily cain, as you mentioned, a lot of emotional response to this issue. how do you approach this

politically when recruiting candidates to be pro-choice and hear stories like that? guest: it is interesting. we don't have to commence our candidates to be pro-choice. they are pro-choice. they come from different backgrounds, different religious, different types of community straight that value of trusting people to make their own health care decisions is what shines through and brings them to us. we can help people know how to talk about it, be an empathetic listener, be a clear voice for those values, and focus on what is at stake here. in november, it is about power and control and who gets to make those decisions. our candidates are focused on making sure people can make their own health care decisions no matter their circumstance, and without judgment. i think that is important when we think about the contrast with republicans. some of the biggest work we do is training women to tell their stories.

our women have incredible stories about lynn cancer, raising children on their own, starting a business, being successful ceo's or running nonprofits, being community leaders, making real change in making a difference. most women don't wake up in the morning thinking they want to be a politician. we try to help them see themselves in government by electing and supporting a diverse group of women. we are proud that 40% of the women we have elected to the united states congress have been women of color. that is a game changer. right now, there are no black women in the senate. we are seeking to change that. this is the kind of difference emily's list makes. we don't think all women think the same. we don't think all women are the same. but we know our government is better when there are more democratic pro-choice women at the table. that is the changing the face of power difference that we can make. host: emily cain is executive

director of emily's list. thanks so much for being with us on "washington journal." guest: a real pleasure. thanks for having me. host: on the way, we will talk about hungarian prime minister viktor orban, who was the featured speaker yesterday at the cpac gathering in texas, the annual conference in dallas. after the break, david salvo from alliance for securing democracy will tell us who orban is and his appeal to some in the republican party. >> watch see pence live coverage of the cpac annual conference. coverage continues with opening comments by mike lindell and a speech from texas senator ted cruz.

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from her, specifically her leadership secrets, the personal skills that brought the legendary executive great success and the enormous respect she still has today. [video clip] >> let's be honest. great leadership is a rare and elusive quality composed as it is of many different attributes that must come together at the same time. intelligence, courage, high standards, personal presence, the ability to communicate, among others. >> you can find "the weekly" on our free mobile video app or wherever you get your podcasts. >> there are a lot of places to get political information. but only at c-span do you get it straight from the source. no matter where you are from or where you stand on the issues, c-span is america's network.

unfiltered, unbiased, word for word. if it happens here or here or here or anywhere that matters, a watching on c-span. powered by cable. >> "washington journal" continues. host: david salvo is with us. he is the deputy director at the alliance for securing democracy. he is with us to talk about viktor orban, the prime minister of hungary. he's on to talk about his speech and presence in the united states. on your organization, what is your mission? guest: our mission is to study autocratic threats to democratic institutions across the world. by this we mean information threats, cyber threats, money threats, anything that is below the threshold of kinetic warfare that state-sponsored or homegrown actors are waiting to undermine democracy. host: do you think viktor orban

is one of those threats? guest: i do. i do not think viktor orban is a democrat. i think he is an autocrat. i think he has cleverly manipulated hungarian politics to suit his end. host: give us a snapshot of his worldview and his rise to power in hungary. guest: this is his fourth consecutive term in office as prime minister. he is perceived as a bulwark of conservativism in europe standing up to bureaucrats trying to get his country to take in more migrants from the middle east, to allow more rights for the lgbtq community. and he has quite cleverly manipulated hungarian politics to allow his party to remain in power. host: why has he made such a/in united states politics? guest: he is standing up to this

perceived woke progressivism in europe. bureaucrats are trying to impose laws on hungary like they do with all e.u. members. he is saying we are not going to do this. we are not going to open our borders. we are not going to allow rights for minorities in our country. i think that is appealing to a certain segment of the american electorate. host: is hungary also a member of nato? guest: it is. host: what has been their view of the invasion of ukraine? guest: pres. biden:'s -- orban's view is probably that it is appalling. he can only say that publicly because he has cozied up to vladimir putin. his countries reliance -- his country relies on russian gas for heat. there is symmetry between his worldview and putin's worldview. majority rule is better than protecting minority rights.

and an ethnic homogeneous state is what they want. there's a lot of compatibility. host: he is probably popular in own country? guest: he is popular faith but if you look at the last lecture, it seems the tide has turned and he might finally lose an election in hungary. the party was able to manipulate the media environment and electoral laws that disadvantaged opposition candidates. the united candidate was not able to get airtime on television because all the tv channels are dominated by the ruling party. the voting laws allow hungarians wherever they live to vote wherever they want in the country. the ruling party can move voters into opposition areas and have them vote for viktor orban. it is very easy to see how even

when the tide was moving against him and public opinion, the ruling party was able to manipulate laws and electoral procedure. host: how big of a country is hungary? how many people? what is the size? guest: i cannot tell you exactly off the top of my head. probably between 5 million and 10 million if i had to guess. host: you mentioned the perceived symmetry between viktor orban and vladimir putin. his viktor orban in terms of european leaders an outlier or are there other leaders that share similar sentiments? guest: there are. not many are in power. poland is probably the closest example to a semi autocratic ruling party that has managed to come to power. you have a number of far right and far left politicians across europe in many countries that look to leaders like viktor orban as an example of what their countries ought to be like.

but hungary truly is the outlier. the true outlier. host: how was the syrian refugee crisis in particular a spark to his electoral success? guest: it was hugely important. i think there was an organic backlash to these people into their country. a lot of european countries took in migrants from that part of the world. orban categorically said no. it resonated with many parts of the hungarian population. host: the anti-immigration message also resonated politically in the united states. guest: it does. that is where the ties that bind are between segments of the republican party and leaders like viktor orban. that is like parts of the american right are courting viktor orban to come to cpac to describe how he and europe have been able to push back against liberalism. host: former trump advisor steve

bannon said something like orban was trump before trump. what did he mean by that? guest: well, he certainly was on the political stage before donald trump in the united states. orban has been for well over a decade for molding this bastion of conservativism in europe, and otherwise predominantly liberal europe. orban understood maybe even before trump that if you manipulate laws and the media to remain in power, you can do so. i think that is why he is so attracted to this sector of the electorate. host: david salvo is deputy director for alliance for securing micro c. we are talking about viktor orban and his presence in the united states at cpac and his influence in europe. we welcome your calls and comments at 202-748-8001 for republicans> for democrats, 202-748-8002> for independence

and others, 202-748-8003> this is at cpac in dallas. here he is criticizing the news coverage of his previous speeches. [video clip] >> you managed to confuse a lot of people by inviting me. [laughter] including the leftist media. i can already see tomorrow's headlines. "far right european racist strongman holds speech at conservative conference." [laughter] [applause] i do not want to give them any ideas. they know best how to write papers. instead, i tell you the truth.

in hungary, we introduced the zero tolerance on racism and anti-semitism. those accusing us and those who make these claims are simply idiots. [applause] they are the industrial corporations. host: david salvo, he pretty much pegged the headline right for the " washington post." in that article, they write they went ahead with the speech despite orban's latest controversy, a speech in which he railed against europe becoming mixed-race, saying europeans did not want to live with people from the outside of the continent. one of his close advisors resigned in protest calling the speech nonsense. guest: all you have to do is listen to the prime minister's own words.

you do not have to read it in the media. he used those words, we do not want to end up with a mixed-race population. i don't know how you could spend that -- spin at any other way than racist comments. host: let's go to sam in baltimore. go ahead. caller: how are y'all doing this morning? i wanted to say i listen to "washington journal" on a regular basis. it is like a horror podcast listening to how crazy and absurdly racist he is. some of the comments in the last segment are absurd. and then the hypocrisy and outrageousness of orban. they just love it. [indiscernible] this is absolutely frightening to be in this country.

there are good people that will not be held accountable for whatever they do. look at january 6. thanks a lot. that is my comment. and go, democracy. host: the color used the term "outrageousness." does viktor orban thrive on that bombastic approach? guest: he does. we have seen that in our own country. what is troubling is he is clearly a liberal politician. he does not care about democracy. he is clearly racist even though he claims he is not. here we are in the united states welcoming him to speech at a major political conference. it is almost incongruence in many ways. host: diane in detroit, go ahead. caller: good morning. first time caller. i wanted to say it was

disgraceful, horrified. everyone that cheered him on, i am scared for democracy. thank you. host: david salvo. guest: we should be worried about the state of democracy in the united states. we have seen since 2020 and the insurrection of january 6 and organic movement call into question one of the pillars of democrat life. and the fact a sitting president raised doubts about the veracity of our election to hold onto power is an autocratic move. now there is a groundswell of disinformation where candidates for office in the coming midterms are laying the groundwork to call into question the results of the election that has not happened yet. host: you touched on this earlier in terms of the elections in hungary and the manipulation that happened there

in voting districts. tell us more about that. guest: the party in power legally changed laws to advantage their party. i think what you see in the united states is politicians trying to politicize the electoral process, trying to change voting laws to make it more difficult to send in mail-in ballots which has always been a pillar of the electoral process in the united states. now you have a party or candidates trying to change that because they know it is advantageous to them holding onto power. that is similar to what happens in countries like hungary that are not democratic. host: many supporters of viktor orban will say things like he is a very profamily prime minister. the government will support having more children in hungary. what is behind that effort in hungary? guest: there is a movement in hungary to promote heteronormative gender

stereotypes, marriage is defined in the constitution between a man and woman. it is a profamily values country. i think that has support among most parts of the hungarian population. we have that debate in the united states. there is nothing wrong with that on the surface. we can have that debate. the problem is when you manipulate laws or the media environment so there are no opposition voices able to be heard made that is a problem. host: let's hear from bakersfield, california, james, on the republican line. good morning. caller: i wanted to ask mr. salvo to go into more detail about how democracy is not being fairly implemented in hungary. i was thinking they were more of a democratic country. you are making the claim elections are not free and fair. is your organization -- does your organization generally lean left or right?

what is your opinion of george soros? thank you. host: mr. orban critical of george soros and his speech last night, as he has been in the past. guest: my organization started as a bipartisan organization. our original directors were unknown and open democrat and republican. we still have democrats and republicans in our staff working together. we are now a nonpartisan organization. we are established to protect democracy. we do not care so much about party affiliation. the reason i say hungary has moved from being a democratic country to an autocratic country is let's look at what the government has done to the media environment. they have created a national media council that can levee fines against media organizations willy-nilly on the whims of the government. the government has used this to impose economic pressure on opposition media outlets.

on top of that, the government has threatened advertisers to pull their ads from perceived hostile opposition media. that has crippled and bankrupted many needy outlets in hungary. now you have a media landscape dominated by loyalists to viktor orban. that is using the power of the state to essentially entrench your hold on power. i do not see that as democratic. it may be manipulating democratic procedures but it is not democrat. -- democratic. host: it sounds similar to what is going on in russia. guest: it is. orban takes a lot of his cues from putin and other autocrats. he cozies up to china. it is strange the marriage between parts of the american right and viktor orban when orban has been so close to china over the years. obviously, china is anathema to that segment. host: is there an economic

connection? guest: there is an economic connection. it is not unique to hungary. all over the world, china is using leverage to buy support in countries like hungary. host: julie on the republican line. caller: good morning. i have to say that the caller before me ask the question i wanted to ask. my point right now is this. why is it not ok to be conservative? why is it not ok to think a man and woman should be able to create a child? why is it ok for this country's catholics to think abortion should be in the law forever? codify it, codify it. why is it long for we to have our opinion, and the left, their

opinion whether wrong or right, it is what it is. who cares what we think? the other part i wanted to mention was that our president wants to codify abortion. he is supposedly a catholic. no matter how you look at this, ok, abortion is death. host: we talked about abortion in the previous segment. if you wanted to respond to some of her other comments. guest: i don't think it is a problem to be conservative. we should have debates about abortion laws and marriage. that is democratic society. we have a marketplace of ideas. we debate them. we go to the polls. we elect candidates. sometimes our ideas win. sometimes they lose. the pendulum swings.

it is not a winner take all system. that is the beauty of democracy. sometimes our candidates and issues prevail, and sometimes they don't. it will change over time. but if you monopolize a system so that only your views are heard and only your candidates hold onto power, it is no longer democracy. there are left-wing autocrats just as there are right wing autocrats. it is not unique to where you fall on the political spectrum. host: let's hear more from the speech yesterday by viktor orban at cpac in dallas. here he is critical of u.s. democrats over his style of government. [video clip] >> they wanted to force us to change our constitution according to the globalist liberal contract. how bizarre. this came as a surprise and caused us a lot of pain. but we resisted this attempt

successfully. since then, we are not the favorite of american democrats. they did not want me to be here. they made every effort to drive a wedge between us. they hate me and slander me and my country, as they hate you and slander you and the america that you stand for. we all know how this works. progressive liberals did not want me to be here because they knew what i would tell you. because i am here to tell you that we should unite our forces because we hungarians know -- [applause] because we hungarians know how to defeat the enemies of freedom on the political battlefield. host: david salvo, framing it as a battlefield, and a similar headline from "the hill."

we must cordon eight a movement of our troops to fight liberal order -- coordinate a movement of our troops to fight liberal order. guest: is what we are seeing across the transatlantic space for far right movements in many countries are trying to learn from one another. that itself is not a problem. that happens in mainstream centrist politics. countries learn from one another. i think this notion that we must band together to fight, a call to arms against the established order, that is problematic. i think it is indicative of orban's authoritarian bent. he does not want to work within the established rules of the game. he wants to mold them to suit his own end. host: is there a militant or paramilitary right wing presence in hungary? guest: i think in many parts of

europe, you have an extreme fringe that trends towards that sort of violent extremism. i do not know the exact situation in hungary. i do know in other parts of europe, you have seen those types of extremists come together. host: what sort of changes have happened to the hungarian constitution under viktor orban? has it been totally rewritten? guest: it was totally rewritten. it was rewritten after his party won election was able to stack the parliament to have a super majority to write it without much input from other parts of the hungarian political system. host: let's hear from randy in alabama on the democrats' line. caller: their newspeople over there sound like american newspeople. there ain't much difference. best thing they can do is split the country and have two united states. that will settle a lot of it. thank you.

host: how much has changed in hungary since the fall of the soviet union? guest: it has become a more economically viable country. it originally oriented itself towards the west. enjoined european union and nato. this was inconceivable before the fall of the soviet union. it's population seemed to buy into western norms, western political ideals. that is changing. hungary by joining the european union agreed to a certain set of norms to protect rights for all of its citizens. now it is saying we want some benefits of being in the e.u. we want the economic benefits but we do not want to comport to other demands. host: what can the e.u. do in response? guest: it is tough. the e.u. does not want to completely alienate hungary. does not want to alienate orban. that is dangerous.

brussels is trying to figure out how to navigate this. host: do you know if hungary's lending support to the nato effort? guest: yes, of course. hungary as a nato member is absolutely an important part. we should note that it is an ally of the united states. it does work with our military on nato missions. it is not like this is china we are talking about. host: what has been different about the immigrant policy in the case of the ukrainian refugees because of the war? guest: hungary has an anti-migration stance. we see most of the migrants from ukraine being funneled toward poland. there, too, you have a backlash in certain parts of polar society -- polish society against the influx of migrants. they historically had close ties. nevertheless, it is inflaming tensions there, too.

host: next is john from dayton, ohio, on the republican line. caller: actually, i am on the independent line. however, thank you to mr. salvo for the education i am receiving by watching. as i have watched through the covid and our political struggles we have had over the past five or six years, i see a move toward minority rule. you have a group of people who want to restrict voting. you have a group of people that have decided they know best for the whole country and they will make choices for everyone. viktor orban seems to be of that same ilk. that is the reason he is here talking to the cpac. i find it rather disturbing that

his group would turn to a former eastern bloc country that is two tottering on the fence between supporting putin -- two tottering on the fence between supporting putin and democracy. he is also still, he still wants to minority rule in that country. and he sees it as viable for this country, which it is not. host: thanks for that. david salvo, your thoughts? guest: i think there is a big reason why you see this sector of american conservatives courting him and how he has been able to manipulate laws to entrench his party rule. this segment of the american

conservative electorate understands it is in the minority. it does not have a groundswell of organic popular support. if it could learn how to manipulate democracy to serve its own ends, they ought to learn from the masters of that. . or bond is one of them -- viktor orban is one of them. host: a headline. embrace for viktor orban deepens among conservatives. fresno, california, mark, on the independent line. caller: the caller said the gentleman made racist comments. everything cannot be racist when you throw that out there for true racism. i will not say a cuss word on the air. but that is kind of his beliefs. as far as being neutral, he said he was neutral. obviously, he is not neutral. [indiscernible] thank you.

host: david, i think you said your organization, foundation for defensive democracy, is a bipartisan organization. guest: if we are going to use the militant word, the fight to protect our democracy, this call to action to protect democracy cannot just be one party or group of americans. it has to be united across the aisles to strengthen our democratic elections, to sanitize our political discourse. i don't mean censorship. i just need to have normal civil conversations about issues like abortion in ways that do not inflame passions. we need to be able to talk to each other and understand our democratic life depends on the pendulum swinging. sometimes our ideas and candidates win.

sometimes they lose. that is ok. that is going to happen in democracies. host: is orban's party in hungary the minority party? guest: it is not the minority party. it is overwhelmingly in parliament the majority party. host: a few more calls. we will go to illinois, rose on the republican line. good morning. caller: good morning. you can. of the people all of the time but not all of the people all of the time. when i listened to this man talk, i knew right away he was a leftist liberal. i am tired of calling us a democracy when we are a republic. we are talking about the news in hungary and how it is by these controlled people, freaks or whatever they are. i don't know. i forgot the name he used.

but anyway, in america, we have the left controlling our news media. the computers. they are all billionaires that only computernbc, abc. when you listen to one channel, they all mimic the other channels. they are within the democratic party. they are all democrats. they buy off policymakers. they buy off congressman. they buy off the bureaucrats running the different departments. host: we are running short on time. david, she is critical of the news media. so to is victor ormonde. guest: we could have a debate about the immediate environment in the united states. i don't think it is perfect. i think the media inflames those divides that have engulfed

political discourse. i think there are many channels on all parts of the spectrum that are culpable for that. host: sherry, good morning. caller: good morning. i would like to say thank you so much the c-span and thank you to david and for his organization. as someone that the democrat in a red state i find a little bit of hope in the voting yesterday showed there are a lot more democrats coming out to vote. i want to say gerrymandering aspect of it is definitely taking a hold. they explained they changed the rules and changed one little area, the district, to a republican against anything remotely democratic.

i want to say thank you to all of you. i hear this at my job. people having another war. the north and the south. i cry every day. i have three grandsons and two granddaughters and a 15-year-old daughter. it is very scary. i want to say thank you to you all for everything you do and for getting it out there. host: we will go to marshall from virginia. democrats line. caller: good morning. i listened to mr. ormonde speak yesterday and i was concerned. i'm an american first. most americans should be americans first. hearing the things he said. they want less cross-dressers and more chuck norris, pulling on those american sentiment. they were saying things about gender identity.

after hungarian women have their fourth child, they get a tax break. go marriott hungarian woman. -- go marry a hungarian woman. he wants the court the donald trump fan base because he's at cpac. donald trump is a criminal. if we are talking about upholding the laws of the united states, the full weight of the law for someone who tries to overthrow the government should be applied. i don't know why we are even making victor ormonde relevant. he does not emulate american ideals. we are a country of a multitude of people. guest: i agree. we should not be emulating him in this country. we our country of a multitude of people. we have different ethnic

identities, different backgrounds. we are all immigrants from some part of the world. we have different views on family values. that is good. that is what has made america such a vibrant democracy for the last two plus centuries. we should be working to protect that. we are not going to agree on questions like cross-dressers. that is ok. we need to have that debate. we need to protect rights for all american citizens regardless of how they express themselves. victor ormonde tells us it's ok to to do that. host: we appreciate you coming in for the conversation this morning. guest: thank you. host: that'll do it for this morning's program. we hope your back tomorrow at 7:00 eastern. we are going to take you live to capitol hill where we will hear from senate republicans talking about their opposition to the