threats to democracy taking place in various state legislatures. later, former u.s. attorney brett tolman discusses the fbi's search of former president trump's florida home. as always, you can join conversation with your phone calls, facebook comments, and tweets. ♪ >> in a midterm election, the party of the president usually uses, this year maybe even more so due to the president's ratings. but that is still three months away. as congress went on their august break, democrats had some legislative and policy wins they can boast about. will any of that matter to voters in november? good morning, it is thursday,

august 18, 2022. will those recent legislative winds by democrats matter in the midterm election? republican line is (202) 748-8001, democrats is (202) 748-8000, an independents is (202) 748-8002. we will hear from the president signing what is called the inflation reduction act yesterday. we will hear from other members of congress as well. some of those recent wins for the democrats in the last week's before the august break include,

as we mentioned, the "inflation rejection act -- reduction act" and what is called the "chips act." this past in a bipartisan vote in both the house and senate. it addresses health care for veterans who were exposed to taxes -- toxic burn pit. in certain cases, mass shootings earlier this year were addressed. there is also the approval for sweden and finland to join nato. overwhelming support on those measures. those are couple wins the democrats would say our big wins for their party going into the election. the president yesterday at the white house, signing the bill called the "inflation reduction act," calling it a big achievement for the country. pres. biden: i know there are

who have old -- who hold a dark and despairing view of the country. i'm not one of them. i believe in the promise of america, the future of this country. i believe in the very soul of this nation. most of all, i believe in you, the american people. i believe to my core there isn't a single thing this country cannot do when we put our mind to it. just remember who we are. we are the united states of america. there is nothing beyond our capacity. that is why summary foreign companies decided to invest to make chips in america. billions of dollars. we are the best. we have to believe in ourselves again. now, i am going to take action that i have been looking forward to doing for 18 months. [applause]

ok. there we go. now, look. [cheers and applause] host: the president in front of members of congress is today signing the "inflation reject -- reduction act." the question where action you, will the democratic successes matter in the midterms? one magazine saying this, "it is quite a late innings homerun

that shows democrats at least tried to address what has been the dominant issue of the midterms, inflation, along with the abortion referendum on august 2 that shows democrats may have significant still swaying voters. the party probably has little to do with it. they will get credit for falling gasoline prices if they continue to drop." fresh tree this morning about whether democrats will matter in the midterms. publicans, -- republicans, (202) 748-8001. emma kratz, -- democrats, (202) 748-8000. independence, (202) 748-8002. >> my husband was police

officer. he died of cancer in his liver and gallbladder. i'm calling about the pact act. nothing ever happened. [indiscernible] the black race has a hard time doing anything. host: willie pack act helps you in all? caller: it would have helped my husband, who had cancer in his liver and gallbladder. he was never able to successfully get anything. he died, just like i said, from

cancer in his liver and gallbladder. host: i'm sorry to hear about that. independent line. caller: thank you. i don't believe that this will help the democrats's goal. the "inflation reduction act" is a misnomer. it has been proven by nonpartisan groups. it is not going to help inflation. and they are telling us what we need. we are telling them they need to work directly on inflation. they are telling us we need load drug prices. they are not listening to us. i don't believe this will be advantageous to them and the midterms. thank you. host: a reporting on that bill and signing yesterday from quote usa today." "by then signs bill, calling it one of the most significant bills in our country."

here's what they write about the inflation piece of this. "the budget model, nonpartisan research, would reduce the deficit by $64 billion over 10 years, but have no measurable impact on inflation." analytics say that it will modestly reduce inflation over the next decade, with the impacts building as the reforms to medicare drug pricing and energy provisions go into effect. joe manchin, who claimed credit for the name, said it will help the market and energy provisions. new jersey, democrats line, go ahead mitchell. caller: good morning. i think that all the recent successes or -- are an important

indicator for the midterms. i think what is been happening is almost a misinformation propaganda war that joe biden started this inflation. every problem that is occurring post-pandemic is attributable to actions and measures that the administration is taking. i think that is completely false. i think what we're seeing is a lot of competency in the executive branch, which is not to say they haven't made mistakes. they have, but every administration does. but to give them the kind of blanket plane they have been receiving to this point, i think that is vastly unfair. do i think this new law is going to attack inflation? not so much. but i do think it is a very needed, effective law. i think it will help with

receiving taxes as a nation. many people are not paying and i think that part of the irs expansion is needed. also think the environmental standards are very unique and new and absolutely needed. you are seeing climate change all over the world this summer. i think people are starting to wake up to that. hopefully, it will have an impact on the november elections. host: ok. to john in texas, democrats line. good morning. caller: good morning. i think the act itself is good. these gas prices are going to start falling like crazy here in the next two weeks. they have already come down about $.80 a gallon here. they are really going to go down and that will help with

inflation, because everything you buy is in a truck somewhere. as far as all these people calling in and complaining about the withdrawal from afghanistan, it was fine compared to the disaster under richard nixon. i am 68 years old, white male. i can still remember watching the disaster under richard nixon when they evacuated vietnam. we had people in the embassy, hanging from helicopters, pushing people of the decks of aircraft characters -- aircraft carriers. i don't hear anything about the afghanistan from the republicans. host: next up is george, republican line. he is in new york. go ahead. caller: good morning. i just want to put a little perspective on this thing. all of this legislation going on now and things going on this

part of the year, now it is the teams lining up for this curmudgeon football. what is going to matter in the end of the day is how the campaigns are conducted. what arguments are made, what the issues are on election day, not today. that's basically it. let's keep things in perspective and let the campaigns play out. host: here's a story about the democrats money behind the campaign this fall. this is new this morning from "politico." democrats used a $10 million ad. a trio of democratic groups, including one nonprofit backed

by several major voters -- donors, spend money on a tv ad campaign to defy the legislation in the mind of the voters. it is the largest paid ad ever to bolster the legislation so far. an array of democratic groups kick off a 90 day sprint to promote the package to defy a brutal elect to roll -- electoral environment. house minority leader kevin mccarthy attacked the never kratz and the president's record leading up to this. [video clip] >> answer me this question. is america better off today than there were two years ago? is the price of gasoline lower? it is? the price of gasoline is lower today than two years ago? i guess you believe inflation is at 0, 2. i don't believe in your math. our groceries lower than they were two years ago?

are your food prices lower? i would love an actual debate right here. why don't we have that? because the american people are having a challenge. one of the most successful businesses in america is walmart. when walmart wants to look at where the economy is in america, they don't go higher economists. you know what they do? bill? they just checked the data on americans and what they buy. for those who answered yes, you are studying, too. they are just looking at products, they look at hamburger buns, hotdog buns, whole-wheat, and white bread. you know what? hamburger sales go down and the hotdog bun sales go down, and the wheat bread sales go down,

and the white bread sales go up, you are in economic crisis. you know why? people can no longer make the decision to have hamburgers with hamburger bronze -- hamburger buns. they have to use the white bread. for those of you who said yes, why don't you get out of washington for moma and ask your constituents if they are better off today than they were two years ago, because gas is not lower, it is higher. car prices are higher and food prices are higher, and they are going out each and every day -- going up each and every day. host: we are here on "washington journal" with whether democratic success will matter in the midterms. on twitter, a couple people say this. maybe with all the inaction by republicans, you should vote for them. gas was $1.80 when president trump left office, gas is now $3.60 now, and joe biden is

congratulating himself or bring gas prices down. a republican view from matt gaetz of florida, "you cannot eat your way to skinny, you can't drink yourself to sober, you can't spend your way out of inflation, which is what every democratic senator is saying the "inflation reduction act" will not reduce inflation." first, i want to check the really clear politics for poles and such, including the president's approval ratings. the average of the approval ratings, the most current for president biden is 40% drop approval on the handling of the economy. 62% disapprove and 70%, in their average, say the country is headed in the wrong direction.

will democrats's recent legislative success matter in the midterms? let's go to greg in pennsylvania. good morning. caller: good morning morning, mr. scanlon. the question i have is that 70% number you just cited, the country going in the wrong direction. i do not recall, and diane -- and i am an almost daily viewer of c-span, that particular survey being the topic of any of "washington journal" in the early morning. i think that is relevant, of course, to the topic today. there is no doubt that the mainstream media, and i would also accuse some c-span moderators of being in that fraternity, or cheerleading for the biden administration. they are doing that for one

reason and only one reason, virtue signaling about donald trump. whatever donald trump ones, they don't want. regardless of how hypocritical that may be in decision after decision, if donald j wants it, they say no. if he doesn't want it, they say yes. they are going to spend a hell of a lot of money between now and november 8 to try to convince the low information voter that they are right and give us two more years. it will be somewhat successful. i am 74 years old and 1.5 weeks. i went to vietnam, i went through the late 60's and early 70's. i saw what happens when people that don't know what they're talking about go out and do stupid stuff, like what happened in the late 1960's and early

1970's. we got through that and we will get through this. i certainly hope that part of getting through this is that there is a reckoning in november. the first evidence of that was liz cheney. i think she is just off the whatever. she is a perfect example of those people who the left-wing media, mainstream media, will champion when she does something they like, but as soon as she does something else, she is the devil again. that's the problem that i hope voters see through, that the media is pushing you in a certain direction for their own political purposes. they get lots of money from the people in d.c.. i hope people put the government on the same. what do you do when your income goes down? you stop spending.

you stop spending on things until things are better, so you can spend more. has that ever happened in the federal government? ever? i hope it does and starts real soon. host: greg mention the former president and current elections with liz cheney. a review here in the "new york times," the former president continues to shake the gop. the primary schedule is winding down, with only a few states elections still waiting. mr. trump's influence is becoming clear. he has become the rare defeated president to wield enormous weight over his party to -- with the ability to end careers, like miss cheney. he even persuaded other top republicans to endorse liz cheney's opponent. let's hear from walter on the independent line. will democrats's recent

legislative success matter in the midterms? good morning. caller: good morning. yes, i think it will help the democrats a little bit, but because it doesn't take effect until january, the benefits will not be recognized. they don't have many thinking voters out there. there are so many trump stores -- trumpsters that when they think about it and say the two things in this bill that will be so but efficient is one, it will reduce the cost of medical for just about everybody, especially the elderly. but the provision about chips, that is one of the things

holding back the economy right now, the supply of auto builds and other things. once more chips are manufactured, that will speed that up. i think there will be some benefit, but a minor benefit to the benefits from the plan. if we are talking about next year's election, i think it will help the democrats a lot. but for the midterm, i think it will just be minor benefits and an increase in votes. host: appreciate your call. let's hear from bonnie on the democrats line. caller: good morning and thank you for taking my call. i really appreciate it. i am thinking long-term about the midterms because we have some problems clouding over us,

with the political issue with trump and his followers. but there are four questions i have in my mind. if anybody wants to comment, i would be pleased to hear. as far as handing back the documents, they had a long time to do this in trump world. they needed time, perhaps, to make photocopies of everything. but they don't have to have these actual documents in their possession. that's the number one question i have number two, what was going on when trump met putin privately and had nobody from his team in this meeting? it was one-on-one. nobody recorded what he said. we don't know what kind of conversations trump had with putin in private. those are secret conversations. as far as the deposition that he

took, he has great lawyers. he could have really had that postponed it he wanted to be on the ground in mar-a-lago while this investigation was going on. host: bonnie, i have to let you go there. good questions, all of them. we are going to focus on the fbi investigation and the documents from mar-a-lago an hour later segment with former u.s. attorney brett tolman. if you want to say that and call back in then or weigh in with a question, that's fine. memphis is next. will democrats's successes help in the midterms? caller: good morning. i love your show, by the way. this is what i have seen happening. trump, i think he baited the fbi to come there just that he could make them look bad, because they

have been fairly ineffective. and i think this. the more bigots talk down, the stronger the party is going to be. i think that conspiracies -- that conspiracy theory, keep throwing that out there. we know something is going on. host: let's talk commentary from the conference policy chair in the u.s. house yesterday -- or friday, i should say. the new york congressmen on passage of the bill. here's what he had to say. [video clip] >> we are once again getting big things done for everyday americans. we passed the "american rescue plan," saved the economy, money and pockets, kids back in school, past the "infrastructure and jobs act," creating millions of good paying jobs. we passed gun safety legislation

for the first time in 30 years that will save lives. we passed the "chips and science act" that will bring back to mastic manufacturing jobs to the united states of america. i rise today in strong support of the "inflation reduction act," another transformative bill brought to you by your friendly neighborhood them credit party. the inflation reduction act will confront the climate crisis with the big urgency of now, set our planet forward on a sustainable trajectory, lower health care costs by," strengthening the open court of horrible care act," as well as reducing the deficit by $300 billion and giving medicare the ability to use its price purchasing power to drive down the high cost of lifesaving prescription drugs. it is a big deal.

the "inflation reduction act" is going to dramatically improve the lives of everyday americans. we are putting people over politics, fighting to lower costs, for safer communities and better paying jobs. my colleagues on the other cited aisle, republicans, will oppose this groundbreaking legislation. they would rather defend donald trump then defend the american people. vote yes on the "inflation reduction act" so we can continue to put people over politics. host: writing about some of the recent legislative bills that have passed by democrats and some bipartisan measures is jim garrity in the "national review." you haven't turned everything around yet, democrats. he says this. "why am i unconvinced at we are witnessing a genetic term for

the democrats? for starters, there right direction, wrong numbers are still abysmal. 70% of the country is convinced the country is on the wrong track. 65% of americans said -- our question for you, will democrats's recent successes matter in the november elections? republicans (202) 748-8001, democrats (202) 748-8000, independents (202) 748-8002. caller: over the weekend, i read something in the associated press about the "inflation reduction act." one thing i got is that it

really helps people who are really young. there are also people who are really poor and really retired. unfortunately, i don't think that's going to translate into much hope for the democratic party and the midterm elections because the vast majority of people who vote in the midterm election are generally middle-class voters, who are actually well-off. not only that, their allies in the traditional media. people aren't paying attention to nbc and cnn, and really follow the rank of social media. that holds a lot of sway over voters in the midterms, and that's a shame. when the republican party does take over congress in january, they are not, focus on inflation

reduction at all. rather, the republican party, will use their power to impeach joe biden. that is what i think is probably going to happen. historically speaking, the president's party doesn't do well in the midterm elections. that's my comments for today. host: then up next in mississippi on the independent line. caller: good morning. host: good morning. caller: the bill has been passed on the progressives got a little something. the middle got a little something. everybody got a little something. but that is not going to help them in the midterms because they need to get their messages out better than what they do. they need to stay on this trail.

we had over 100 representatives that were accessory to treason. we had several senators. if they can't get that message out that everybody and keep talking about it, get in these people's faces, they will never get democrats to come out and vote. that's the only way they are going to do it. that's it, bill. appreciate you. host: thanks. next up, jeff on the democratic line. caller: thank you for taking michael. with these recent legislative victories, they should help the democrats, but i doubt that it will help them much in the house of representatives. it will probably help more in the senate, because of the candidates that the republicans have put up. the republican party listened to donald trump and followed him in

lockstep like a cult. they have allowed him to nominate we candidates in the senate -- we candidates in the senate. dr. oz is a weak candidate, that woman in arizona, all those candidates are weak. the democrats should be able to hold onto the senate. the house is going be a hard job. but the republicans don't even have an agenda to deal with inflation. their agenda to deal with inflation is to rehash reaganomics. they always talk about reaganomics tax cuts over and over again. that does nothing to do with inflation. inflation is a supply and demand issue. you got to increase supply in order to catch up with demand and lower prices. they have no plan to deal with that. host: ok. to peggy next up, republican

line in xml. go ahead. caller: how are you doing? thanks for taking my call. i have worked in a blue-collar industry for 30 years. the employees i've had the chance to work with, they care about two things -- as prices and putting food on the table. -- gas prices and putting food on the table. i think democrats, when they pass this bill, i don't think any of them have run a business. i keep hearing people say that everyone needs to go by an electric car. people can't afford to just go by a $50,000 or $60,000 new car. they are struggling to make ends meet now. i think one of the reasons that donald trump resonates with people is because it just seems like he gets it.

i don't think that the new legislation will help the democrats because i just don't think they resonate with the people. that's just what i wanted to say. host: thanks, peggy. headline from the associated press. "they tell the gop to stop lashing out at the fbi over their search." they were perhaps testing the water for 2024. [video clip] >> if there's an invitation to participate, i would consider it. you heard me mention the constitution a few times this morning. in the constitution, we have three coequal branches of government. any invitation directed to me, i would have to reflect on the role was serving as vice president. unprecedented in history for a vice president to be summoned to

testify on capitol hill, but as i said, i don't want to prejudge. if there was ever any formal invitation rendered to us, we would give it due consideration. but my first obligation is to continue to hold my oath and continue to uphold the framework of government because the constitution has created the greatest nation in the history of the world. host: the former vice president's speech yesterday. by the way, you can find that on our website recent legislative success matter in the midterms? a couple comments on twitter. one says, "yes, but not way they want. there will be impeachment hearings." one says, "this is truly groundbreaking.

there will be no more catastrophic weather in america." "i would answer where on the wrong track for abortion rights." "democrats's legislative success does not equate to quality of life issues, including rising prices for housing, food, college tuition." in west virginia, it is check on the democrats line. caller: good morning morning, mr. scanlon. the previous caller from florida said something that i think is very true. for most people, it is like this kitchen table issues, inflation, the economy. she was saying most people are talking about putting gas in the car and putting food on the table.

yeah, that is true, not only in the united states but around the world. when kevin mccarthy gets up there and starts talking about hamburgers and hotdogs as though inflation is only a problem in the united states, therefore you have to pin it on joe biden, people really need to look beyond our national borders because the price of goods and services, the price of gasoline, is up all over the world. i want you to also flashback to 2.5 years ago, when everything went into lockdown because of the pandemic. i know here in charleston, very little traffic on the interstates, downtown charleston, west virginia was practically a ghost town because everybody was staying at home, everybody was in fear of covid-19. as a result, wrestling prices went down because the demand simply wasn't there anymore -- gasoline prices went down

because demand sibley was there anymore. then, when things started opening back up oil companies and the gas elite industry took advantage of recouping their losses and guys prices went skyrocketing backup. i remember the last time there was a big spike in gasoline prices during the administration of george w. bush. i remember as prices were up around $4.50, $5.50 per gallon. it didn't last that long. but people were not blaming george bush on that. gasoline prices are beyond joe biden's control. just one more issue. big elephant in the room this november may very well be abortion, because in one fell swoop, he had the supreme court with all these new conservative justices who previously said roe v. wade is settled law, then

they go in and overturn roe v. wade. i think in public, there are a lot of women who would describe themselves as being against abortion, that they wouldn't personally want to have an abortion. but in private, they think to themselves, "wait a minute, in one fell swoop, the supreme court has eliminated a major part of my own self-determination in a way that men will never have to understand." when you think about it, there are no laws that regulate men's reproductive decisions. i think a lot of people, a lot of women voters, are going to be very nervous about this, because suddenly you have women who are being forced to carry pregnancies, which to me amounts to involuntary servitude. i think abortion is going to be a much bigger issue in november than most people think.

host: chuck mentioned a caller -- mention inflation overseas. there is a front-page story about that. inflation in u.k. tops 10%, leading a rise in europe. that caller had mentioned a previous caller that had been talking about the price of electric cars. there are incentives and such in this inflation reduction act to buy electric cars. this is the front page of the "washington times" this money. their headline is "running on empty." the spending in the president's tax law would reward those purchasing electric vehicles. that would never reach people's pockets. those eligible for tax credits up to $7,500, automakers would have to radically change their sourcing and assembly method. that is because china, one of the chief competitors of the

u.s., has a strength hold over about 80% of the rare earth minerals. these are critical in producing ev batteries. those in the auto industry fear that the stringent requirements for sourcing, most batteries from north america or free-trade partners could render the credits useless over the next few years. let's hear from paul on the republican line in chesapeake, virginia. go ahead. caller: good morning, bill. host: good morning. caller: what i would like to say is that at the beginning of the program, you showed a list of all the legislative achievements. when i look at those, one of your viewers texted in about "doesn't deal with quality-of-life issues." that's very true, because

there's really nothing in those that affect me and my quality of life and my everyday life that is going to change anything. two things. one is on the climate agenda. there is a lot on the climate. you just read an article about the sourcing of materials. well, yes, there is a climate problem, i will say. however, what happens when you start having to mine for all these minerals in the united states? here are to have protests, tearing down and stripping forests, possibly polluting rivers, etc.

with that, you have to taken in consideration some of the consequences of this. secondly, this is being advertised as a climate and health bill. very rarely do you hear anybody mention the doubling of the irs. i'm not going to go into one of these conspiracy theories about that, but i will say that yeah, they did need more people, because it took them 1.5 years to process my 2020 return and that was due to covid. it took me six months to get my refund back this year. if they are going to hire people to at least process these taxes, yeah, it needs to be done.

but 87,000? and they say these 87,000 employees are going to be auditing for whatever 5%. host: thanks for pointing that out. the story talks about the plan announced yesterday shortly after the signing of that bill. janet yellen, treasury secretary, outlines $80 billion overall plan for the irs one day after president biden signed into law, a sweeping bill. janet yellen directed her agency to create an operational plan for the irs. in a memo to the irs commissioner, janet yellen mapped out her priorities, including clearing a backlog of unprocessed tax returns, improving text pair services,

revamping antiquated technology, and hiring thousands of new employees. in new jersey, dom on the dependent -- on the independent line. caller: good morning and thank you for taking my call. i think we are asking all the wrong questions. we are dealing with social issues, yes, but the quality of life issue is a real matter, and i think that is why the democrats will not fare very well. we look at affording housing, education, raising a family, and these are things that are being taken away from us. i do believe that these issues today are far worse than growing up. i just don't think we are asking all the right questions. for instance, today, it is

probably 10 times your salary to be able to purchase a home. education back in the 1980's, you were able to get a part-time job and afford it. you can't do that today. i think we need to stop talking about trump and all these other guys, and i just think that we need to maybe clear some house, get rid of some of these dinosaurs in washington and start fresh. i think we are heading on the wrong track. i think it is going start here in the midterm. host: appreciate that. to ted, oceanview, michigan. the morning on the democrats line. oceanview, hawaii. my fault. up early in hawaii. caller: you are a great job. yeah, i am a democrat and i have been a farmer all my life. i think it is going to help. it is not going to be an

immediate solution, but it shows the direction that we are trying to go. i think that's very important. i personally would pay 20% or 15% more for the items that have been listed -- food, gas, etc. we have a new president and he is honest. that is worth a lot. i think i would just pay more. and i think it's great. we don't have to worry about trump for a while, i hope. we are going in a good direction. give for your work, sir. host: to missouri, doug on the republican line. good morning. caller: good morning and thank you. on the legislation thing, i don't think it matters a whole lot or much at all. most people in the united states, as the media tells us, don't pay attention to these legislation issues. but calling in and listening to your show, i enjoy it very much. the only thing that is going to change is the head of the party. that will split hairs there. other than that, this

legislation will probably do nothing, especially when it does nothing for years immediately. that is my peace. host: this is a piece from a paper this morning. will the democrats's recent legislative winds matter in the november midterm? one writes, "in state after state, republicans have noted that have elected and all phonetic ticket. in arizona, for instance, one committed to royal candidate based her campaign on the idea that the 2020 election was stolen, while the secretary of state nominee is literally a member of the far right oath keepers. new jersey, jerry is next on the republican line. go ahead. caller: good morning. a couple of things. about the irs hiring 87,000,

shuffling paperwork. in the meanwhile, there going to be training to be armed. don't know what you're thinking, but they are going to be armed, so get ready people. another thing i'm laughing about is you have jamie raskin and even mansion that are going to do anything about inflation. it's not going to help now. it's going to be down the road. i am laughing. i'm asking that next question, when they ask if it's going to help inflation, who passed this bill? what do you mean? question. you have to be kidding me, democrats. what are you thinking? by the way, the automakers have raised the prices of the cars already, the electric cars, by

$7,500 to counter the credit you're going to get for buying the cars. so, get ready for that one, too. please pay attention, democrats, because you are getting snickered big-time. you don't even realize it, you will soon. get ready. host: next, bill on the democrat line. go ahead. caller: i think it depends. if we concentrate on how bad trump was, we are not going to get anywhere. we can use the midterms as a place to start a positive agenda. i live in a city which has the worst poverty rate in the country. i can see that change, then i will continue to vote for the

working family party or democrats. if they keep concentrating on putting somebody in jail, you don't do politics by threatening to put samadhi in jail. that's other countries that do that. not a wise idea. we have to concentrate on what we can do. we can get more legislation for climate control, put in more for housing. we could do a lot of things. but if we concentrate on that rather than on how bad trump was way back when, we can get somewhere. thank you. host: thank you, bill. now to hear from the senate race in wisconsin. this is from incumbent senator ron johnson, focusing on crime. there is a look. [video clip] >> violent and destructive rights in kenosha. the waukesha christmas parade tragedy. record high homicides in milwaukee. from defunding our police to releasing violent felons with no bail, democrats have created the worst crime rate in decades. senator ron johnson is standing

with our brave law-enforcement officers to keep wisconsin families safe. and he wants to keep violent criminals behind bars where they belong. >> i am ron johnson and i approve this message. host: back to our calls and comments on, will recent democrats's legislative successes matter in the midterms? joe is on the republican line in tennessee. caller: good morning. everything seems to be going so wrong, it all points to the "green new deal," like that lady said a while ago. the prices before biden were $45,000 and have gone up to 95 thousand dollars. nancy pelosi takes her son to taiwan, so he can try to make deals with these chips. we lose -- we lose an airport base -- air force base, so we can fly all these minerals and a nap. we have diseases, the borders

are wide open. you don't know if you've got monkeypox or the virus coming in. i mean, things need to change around here and people need to open their eyes to what's going on. we did not, the united states, make this happen. all these rains and fires happen right here. this is just a ploy to get to the american people. one more thing i would like to say is it doesn't take 85,000 new agents carrying guns to walk around until the american people that they need to pay their taxes. thank you for letting me make my comments. host: on to jim in new jersey on the democrats line. caller: yes, my comment to the republicans and those who are trump supporters, the economy is in shambles all over the world. don't place the blame on jill

biden in the democrats. -- joe biden and the democrats. the other thing is, the midterms will be determined by the outcome of the midterms, will be determined by the independents and them alone. host: where do you think -- line caller: wait, wait, wait. not by the republicans. host: where do you think the independents are leaning these days? what do you think most independents might think of these legislative victories, as democrats would call them, and congress? caller: it matters

because they are the wedge between the republicans and the democrats. hello? host: appreciate that, jim. next up, nehemiah. welcome, democrats line. caller: i would like to say one thing about the whole political situation in america. it's because we're not sticking together. they are always talking about white, black, this and that. we need to stick together as a country, otherwise russia, china, and everybody else is going to come over here and kick our bots. that's all got to say. host: this is the opinion in the "washington times" this morning. the "inflation reduction act" won't reduce inflation. i will school down a little bit here. what he writes is, "there is a

certain elitism in this bill, about this bill, as well as many other things that come from washington. the government now sees itself as a primary provider of life. for many, it has become the first resource. inclusion in the earlier years, it was the last resource. blame franklin roosevelt for expanding. the idea of entitlement group. addictions, whether to substances or government, aren't great. politicians know this, which is why trying to cut increased spending for outdated programs is like taking away a child's favorite toy." let's hear from steve on the republican line in indiana. go ahead, steve. caller: yes, i just wanted to say that it seems funny that we just passed this bill for $750

billion and we can even keep track of the last money we had. we had 165 billion dollars, missing. we can't keep track of none of the money -- the democrats can even handle what money we do have. they want to put more money out there. whenever did head if she's -- we never did have issues like this when trump was in office. but now that the democrats are in, we have got billions of dollars that of come up missing, just vanished like a fort in the wind. i can't understand what's going on with all of our taxpayer money that's being mishandled in

this administration. host: to our republican line, democrats line next. omar, hi. caller: good morning. i would just like to say they voted liz cheney out because she told the truth and everyone is saying that trump is -- i don't know. we are voting people in that know that it was a lie. people keep saying that he won the election, he won the election. they know he lost the election. why don't we just move on and both the people in that need to begin? thank you. host: appreciate your call and all of your calls. there's more here ahead on the "washington journal." we will be joined by the former

chair of the ohio democratic party, david pepper. we will talk about his new book, "laboratories of autocracy: a wake-up call from behind the lines." later, former prosecutor brett tolman is with us to talk about the search of president trump's florida home and the release of the ♪ >> tv every sunday on cebit's van to features leading authors discussing their nonfiction books at 3 p.m. eastern shares his book american -- some of the investigations undertaken. at 9:00 p.m. battle for the american mind fox news host and co-authors argue that our k-12 school system is teaching children to hate america and its

history. watch book tv on c-span two or watch online anytime at book tv.org. >> nobody really thought this was going to happen. it was unthinkable when it finally happened because the city of lights was supposed to be this bastion of enlightenment and freethinking. just an open society and their warm assess -- mass executions. they executed liberals and freethinkers and everybody was scared >>. martin to guard author of taking terrorists and the liberation by

american and french forces in august of 1944 watch on q&a sunday nights at 8:00 p.m. eastern. you can listen to q&a and all of our podcasts on the new c-span now ab. --app. >> there are a lot of places to get political information but only on 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 here. 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. host: david pepper is with us. he is former ohio democratic party chair and has authored

several books including laboratories of autocracy of wakeup call from behind the lines. good to have you back on "washington journal" this morning. guest: thank you, great to be with you again. host: in that book you talk about the seismic political changes that have happened, in particular, focusing on your statement others as well. what are those changes and since the book was published last october, have out -- how have those changes exacerbated? guest: ohio is kind of a case study. there's a book behind me where several use kansas as an example. ohio has always been the bellwether for this modern politics. we are now bellwether of how extreme legislature can set off a downward spiral of extremism

that is out of touch with the people of the state. it is a nonstop attack on democracy itself to keep all the other stuff going. i walked through the book of its happening and the truth is, if you want to subvert democracy which, sadly, there is a strand in politics today, the same strand that supports. the best institution to do that through is a gerrymandered statehouse. they have paths was like ohio and texas and not held accountable because they carried create districts they can never lose per that began a generation ago and because they work in concert that is the title it is accelerating all the time. the point of my book is until those who care about democracy, and i hope that's not just democrats but independents and

some republicans as well as to we care about democracy and figure out the front line of attack on democracy, at the statehouse level until they bring their bottle -- battle to the statehouse level they will continue to lose the battle for democracy. the subtitle of the book is a week of call from behind the lines. it is a wake-up call to see this is what is happening. it is happening because of hundreds of people like marjorie taylor greene in statehouses who are the majority passing laws, not just tweeting about them. host: you use the word autocracy, to find that for us. what you are seeing across the country. guest: sure, so i go through this in the book. there is a form of government called competitive autocracy. the perfectionist of it is this

guy victor or bond -- it feels like a democratic system. it feels like you have elections but the truth is everything has been determined in advance by gerrymandering interesting -- redistricting. that is what the statehouses have become or are leading to. some will say how can you say this about american statehouses? they went to hungary and celebrated and studied him that is what they are about. they welcomed him to texas to talk about his brand of politics. it has both the conditions for a one person autocracy that some countries have but what we are seeing in a lot of states is competitive autocracy modeled seeping and that we can stop it if we focus on it or most of the

results on what is supposed to be a democratic system are predetermined by the very people in power. that, at some point, is no longer democracy. the reason you have lost passing in states like florida and ohio, and ohio is a state that supports review of a -- roe v. wade very clear but the reason we have laws that makes a 10-year-old girl a victim of rape go to another state there are extreme laws that don't reflect the views people have is because they create a system in the statehouse, like many statehouses, that is completely opposite of the v. of the people. they create districts that shield them from any accountability for their extremism. that is beginning to look very similar to what we are seeing in other countries. if you saw and other countries

do the following things although once, re-give reelection so the results are predetermined, attack three -- than history or sensor history or ban books. in another country we would watch that and say my god that country is losing its democracy in front of us. but it is happening in our own statehouses. because we don't pay attention to statehouses we don't see it in our own country like we do overseas. the mission of my book is to wake people up to that. people who are frustrated that even when they think they win their political battle, federal swing states for example, it still feels like you are losing it because one side is focused on statehouses where democracy is shaped and the other side hasn't paid attention to these

critical institutions. host: david pepper is our guest. we welcome your calls and comments. we were -- we are ext let's hear what you have to say. (202) 748-8001 republicans. (202) 748-8000 for democrats and for independents and others (202) 748-8002. david, when did you serve as democratic party chair? guest: beginning of 2015 through the end of 20. so in the world of party chair's as you may know, that is a very long tenure. i was like a grandpa when i was done. i was in a lot of litigation over footing rates. i pushed some of the measures to end gerrymandering. part of the book is a personal view of what it is like to be in these battles. host: i'm sure people get calls

from folks in democratic states who say our state is gerrymandered and it is completely democratic. guest: you know, gerrymandering goes back to a few centuries. it's bad wherever it is. without the federal template there going to have a race to the bottom. when you have politicians with no you get politicians who are not held accountable to do their job. let's be clear there is no both sides here. the intensity on the republican side is far greater. here is an example, when new york politicians were caught gerrymandering recently after the ruling, it was over.

when the ohio republicans are cut they just kept breaking the law. at the end of the cycle, ohio is going to have a map that is in violation of the constitution. new york's map is settled because they follow the law. in places like ohio, they are so intent about gerrymandering they will break any law to get there and risk consequences. 2011, the historic level of gerrymandering and with all the computer technology in a more aggressive part of nature put it on steroids. what has always been an issue exploded after 2011. even in 2018 for example, wisconsin may be the worst example. in 2018, wisconsinites voted by nine points in their state for a democrat to be their state representative. in wisconsin the result is a 2-1

super majority republican in the statehouse. that is a statehouse of minority role a lot of mayor pete and would be in pressed by -- putin would be impressed by. once you put together the out of touch extremist records, and one thing that comes with intense gerrymandering is terrible public outcomes. if you no longer feel like you have to deliver good public results to get elected which you don't in a gerrymandered system it goes down. we are seeing terrible outcomes in states that are heavily gerrymandered. these politicians know sending 10-year-olds to other state and the falling apart of roads in a

real democracy they would lose. they know it. once they have gone down the path of these systems they have to keep gerrymandering or they would lose power. that is why the 2021 process in states like ohio has been even more off-the-wall. in most of these people -- and most of these people now in office and statehouses like ohio have never once been in ovary election. it is all they know so of course when the gerrymandering comes up again they are scared of reelection so they keep doing it. it is at an intensity now that it has never been. while it has happened on both sides for centuries week or seen republicans do it in a way that has never been seen. host: we have some calls waiting but briefly, you restate party chair for the democrats in ohio for six years. how long did -- how often did you raise this to national

leaders say you are not focusing on this this is where the attention needs to be? guest: we got some support. our right was we changed the ohio constitution twice. at percent of ohio voted to change the constitution to end gerrymandering, to add some rules. we then actually successfully because the supreme court of ohio is the one to read the amendment we went to a court that is three democrats, three republicans and one chief justice who has been a moderate republican. i can't say that when the chair understood why it battered it helped but my point i'm focused to say the robustness of their fight at the statehouse level, the coke brothers --koch

brothers this is not some sightseeing for them paired the core of what they do is grapple with statehouses and again if you look at when they have been in control of congress they had every office they needed right? most of the agendas didn't go through there. almost all of their agenda, the antiabortion stuff the crazy gun laws, it's all through statehouses so this is core issue and stuff and my call out to democrats is this cannot be aside thing anymore. after we are finished worrying about the federal stuff, this has to be core mission as well. this is for the other side's fight has started and it is the institutions in our country that determine democracy. i appreciate that but it has to be a big picture mindset from joe biden on down and unless we go to where the battle is and

bring accountability back to gerrymandered statehouses into the extremist map and laws they are going to keep winning this fight. we will always be on defense. host: we will get to calls now. jesse on the republican line on -- in new mexico. caller: thank you so much. of i will tell you, i am a reregistered republican since the 2020 election just like you know. that is just a little bit, that is the tip of the iceberg for me. i was wondering what you think about the new party that some others are supporting and the value of a third party to break down this autocracy you are talking about? because you seem very smart i want to hear your opinion. guest: i appreciate that.

let me just say this, i respect anyone's viewpoint and they are not comfortable with one party or another. we have a history of some third parties and have gotten offended over the past when the two parties try to crush others. let me be clear, at this moment in time and i appreciate you calling in with nice words because i don't think what i have described is tribes all republicans. it is wanting to subvert the will of the majority. it is very intense. then there is everybody else which is the majority. there is an extreme strand that is undermining democracy. i worry, despite good intentions by some, it is the rest who want to live by the rules of age of the sea against a smaller group and it is a small group that

wants to subvert the rules of democracy. the rest of that world, the dimock -- majority it is a gift to those. right now is the time for unity. everyone who is not with the people supporting democracy needs to say we are putting all of our issues to the cipher of little bit because we have to protect democracy itself. once we establish security in state after state then let's go disagree on other issues we disagree on and have it out in a democratic system. but we have to protect democracy itself. if the other side, the side that is attacking democracy relentlessly if they see the pro-democracy side i know republicans who would, i have

endorsed republicans who believe -- who have said they believe democracy delivered results. the pro-democracy site has to be together. i think starting a new party all of a sudden the antidemocracy side outnumbers each of these other two sides and we just let antidemocracy when the day. let's unify to save democracy first through some of the strategies. my back is not only the darkness of what is happening, it has concrete stats and everyone else at whatever the falcon actually take to say democracy. once you see that democracy itself is under attack certain strategies and tactics become very clear and other things that we are doing wrong become very clear that we need to stop doing.

i put forth all sorts of ways with her in new mexico or ohio can get involved and change the way they are doing things in their own lives, in their own groups so we are spending every part of everyday saving democracy. host: let's hear from philip in maryland. caller: good morning, how are you? guest: very good, thank you. caller: a comment and a question. the problem with america right now is we have a media which is supposed to be watch talking us and they are for either party. i think that is a fundamental root cause problem for our nation. i really think that the media has to wake up and realize they are not there to promote the government they are there to defend us from the government.

so at the journalism. i was looking at your profile and i understand your background, you went to yell, yell law. you are the son of a png ceo, that is great. i would really like to hear you talk a little bit more about a fourth of this country is actually run by democrats. california, new york there is no chance of of republican getting in there and making a difference. i would love to see you talk more about your position. guest: i appreciate you going through my background. we can talk about that on a different show. if you read my book i talk about

problems in all states. once you have government that is less accountable and often that is through gerrymandering you have broken government. i list some of these in my book again, michael is to convince people of all stripes that our statehouses, if they do not reflth in far more republican states and those states are locking out voters of the other side. but whenever you have intense gerrymandering i will say you have broken government. some states like california, michigan, some blue state to their credit have actually had reforms to give the gerrymandering districting process over independent commissions. so let's give credit where credit is due that is mostly democratic event.

i was a county commissioner in a 50-50 county. when you live in a closer district you deal with political pressure in a good way of doing things where you work with people. you try to get things done. when you have a system where you don't feel accountability you will be a worse officeholder. i'm not saying that a blue state is not going to be blue or aprons is not going to be read, that is fine. i am perfectly fine living with the outcomes of elections. what is happening in some of these states is a moderate red state is becoming intensely red in a world of gerrymandering where the state of ohio is legislating as if it was the most conservative state even though it's not. some blue states, a republican may not win because they're just

going to win in a blue state. the question is the system of government is being rigged so that votes and voters are locked out odder officially from being represented versus being reflected overall in the state. this is literally taking systems or the ultimate result of the legislation doesn't reflect in any way the view of the people in the state. i will use ohio as an example we are estate, strong majority supports roe v. wade. a deep majority. but our laws passed every few months that say no roe v. wade, no exceptions, even for a 10-year-old victim of rape. that is extreme even in ohio. same with common sense gun reform. that will never see the light of day in a legislature that is not

reflecting the views of ohio. these institutions is statehouses are literally being designed to reflect extremism and to make it so that extremism can exist without ever being held to account. that is the problem. gerrymandering overall is a problem. host: the caller was critical of the media. a recent article in the new yorker you were quoted extensively in that piece goodbye columbus is the name of the piece how and in extreme minority has upended democracy you cast some of the blame on the absence of media the failure of local media to cover the statehouses. guest: i forgot to mention that part. again, what makes a state the perfect institution to subvert

democracy in the dark? no one pays attention to it. as people cannot name their state representatives. that's perfect if you are trying to do damage through statehouses. one reason no one can name them is because local small town papers are dying so the coverage of that state representative goes away. statehouse bureaus are atrophying. quickly. the overall coverage is dying. if there are 100 bills doing crazy things there is no paper left to cover three of them. most tv, although some do it, most local tv rarely covers the statehouse. the dying of local in-state media is actually crushing the awareness of statehouses. we saw what happened to, a really good example, and i somewhat agree with the callers

point. we need watchdogs in every statehouse of the country so there was a story a few weeks ago the horrible tragedy of the 10-year-old girl who had to go to indiana after being raped to get an abortion. some republican officials, i will name them because it was so awful be hot ohio attorney general went to fox news and said we don't think this really happened. we have heard nothing about a 10-year-old rape victim. well, some local reporters because they still exist in ohio actually went to the hearing of the rapist and covered it. it was heard around the world because of fox news and the wall street journal kind of trying to pretend the story didn't happen but local journalism showed up and found no, it happened. here is the rebid straight here and here is his victim we won't name her and all of a sudden the

truth telling came because of good, local media. the scary lesson there is if the local reporter had not been on the ground doing her job and right now there have been a lot of young women reporters doing great jobs in finding that case, the false story pushed by the attorney general would have been sin -- seen as a reality. but the journalists found the truth and the story became confirmed. that is an example. many statehouses, i put this in my book, the average statehouse has three permanent reporters that is a disaster for democracy. if we care about democracy subscribe to your local paper and in-state paint. by the way there is something happening and he states that is also good there are nonprofit

journalistic outlets that are building up and they are providing a watchdog column. they are doing in other ways so support the small papers. these nonprofits are actually really getting into some of the tougher questions. it is a crisis, it is getting worse, but there are ways to go back to the 30 steps. it is an economic crisis for these outfits. put your money where democracy is, support a local paper. share the stories when the right about statehouse corruption. host: let's go topeyton in new hampshire. caller: home to unh as well. to be honest, looking forward to

this. i caught david when i was picking up my daughter and she was graduating so i saw david on ohio public tv and he was describing this. it was the first time i heard it and i bought the book and i read through it. i was shocked to learn that the fight is at the state level. i came back to new hampshire and i looked around and then i decided to run for state rep to take an active role and try to push back and get involved because i figured maybe if i get in the mix here i can make a difference. i looked around and i didn't know who i state reps work. we are a heavy blue district, so maybe they didn't need a feel -- feel need to canvas. more action is good. i am running and it's an

experience to go around and speak with them or -- neighbors. just a few thoughts on the statehouse as well. you get a hundred dollars a year as a rep people that run are essentially retired and there is a retired crew going up with no staff against professional lobbyists if you will. it is not an equal playing field. there is sort of, you know i am on the younger side and i'm 56. i guess, it's difficult. host: do you think you will win your race, peyton?

caller: we have been redistricted as well so there are four seats and five of us running. host: good luck, we will hear from our guests. guest: i love that you called and if i was loving that. this is one of the things you can do. here is the crisis that is happening in too many statehouses. we are literally letting people vote for the craziest laws you have seen. in ohio they voted a couple of ago and i will challenge any caller to call and tell me they agree with this law. there is a requirement of inspection of girl athletes to make sure they are not trans. in states they vote for things like that and the next election they don't even have an

opponent. in 2020 of districts in georgia, arizona they are uncontested and you want to put extremism on steroids, people creating these laws never face an opponent. as peyton just talked about we have to run everywhere but we have a problem. we don't own a democratic side. we don't have an infrastructure that says to you we value you running everywhere we have to change that. we can't only focus on swing federal offices. when we do that of course we want to win those seats but when we only do that no one runs for state. one thing i am excited about we started an organization called flu ohio. it is a crowdfunding organization. it takes our donations and 100% of them, it gives them not to

the race everyone is talking about put to the race no one is talking about that we need people to run in. our goal is to say don't just give hundreds of millions to a few senate seats. start putting your money where democracy is. democracy starts by running every single district of every single state. it lists turnout but it also rings awareness to the statehouse. it also makes extremists think i have an opponent next election maybe i can't pass laws that are totally toxic in my district if someone is going to run against me. but if we never say to people to peyton thank you for running. through many districts it is a heroic act to run in a tuft district and we are going to support you running because of that. if we don't start doing that all around the country we continue

to have extremism calcified. we would never have known for example the kansas was so ready to reject roe v. wade. just like we don't know which extremists would lose if we ran candidates against all of them. we have to get out from only focusing on a few federal offices and start encouraging people to run. if this year, it's too late this year but in this year your district does not have a candidate make the change for next time either you run yourself if you are ready for it, not everyone is ready for it. if you are not going to do it convince someone to do it. we can all do what peyton just said that the rest of us have to support people who step up and do it and quit being on the

sidelines while we focus too much on just a few offices at the national level. host: let's hear from cheryl. independent line. caller:hi. i just want to say that i totally agree with the comments about the media. here in north carolina at least the area for im, the tv stations a big story for them is when a new mcdonald's opens or it is telling you what you should do or shouldn't do, how you should feel, etc.. now i'd like to study history and i think that what i am seeing today in our country is very much like the 1930's in germany. and i used to wonder how people in germany could have allowed the situation that went on.

recently, i discovered that it is simply by turning your head. you turn your head because when you stick your head up it gets chopped off. and you pretend that you don't see. and then, when and if things turn around, you act so surprised. and you say, it's not me. it's not me. i didn't see it. oh, yes, you did. you just chose to turn your head. another thing too, though. if the media does not report things, most people are so busy they don't have time to go digging for information. it is just very striking that the media does not report what is going on down in raleigh or locally. host: thank you, cheryl. guest: really sobering comments.

i go through, there is a lot of history in our own country that shows a lesson. if people are relentlessly attacking democracy, and the other side doesn't see it or takes it for granted, the site attacking democracy wins. that is literally what we got jim crow. it was not a natural response to the civil war that was of response that for several decades there were a lot more african-americans voting in the south and there was an attack to change that and people who knew better just didn't stop it. they looked the other way. the lesson in the book the lesson in history is we have to fight for democracy or those attacking can succeed. i'm going to be a little bit more understanding. here is -- going back to the point when you underfund in state and local media and when

most readers only read the sports columns or only read those features the reporters who would spend more time uncovering corruption in the statehouse, they actually -- because their stories are not read or shared they go away. let's be clear there is corruption. ohio was named the most corrupt state a couple of years ago. i guarantee it's going to come no matter what. to uncover that kind of corruption, to really show this happening takes experienced reporters, takes editors who understand what it takes to fund that kind of story. it is an investment. one of the problems that happens when you have a wilted and underfunded media is they don't have the money or the time to invest in that kind of watchdog role that the prior caller was

talking about. i don't want to get carried away i wrote for my college paper that i saw enough of this. at the yeezy or story is going to be the one that doesn't require the months of public records work or the litigation to get public records. it takes more work and more investment. it is a robust media. it takes resources to uncover it versus stories you feel are surface level. if that media is gone it's not going to be as much. i hear your frustration. i feel it too. but there is an economy to it. the thing we can do for it if we really care we had a nonprofit. host: in your book, you suggest

that we do democracy building at home as we have done overseas. you write in that book understandably, we have taken for granted the essence of democracy, what democracy is, assure nations elsewhere but not on our own shores. we have to reapply our pro-democracy mission, mindset and work back into our own country. we must call it what it is, a fight for democracy. explain to us the importance of that clause. guest: maybe i picked this up that law school. i am very proud that one of the most professionals in the country said he totally agrees with on this. there is a part of our constitution that no one talks about. it is called the guarantee clause.

article four section four. it says that the united states shall guarantee to every state in the union a republican form of government, ok? nowhere else does shall guarantee appear. that because, by the way, appears before the next promise so this guarantee was so important it even came before foreign invasion. what did the founders mean? a revolution of our revolution was republican form of government would replace monarchy and what they meant by republican was that the people were sovereign, the government would reflect the people and not the crown. so when they were saying and medicine wrote about this in the federalist papers. they were worried sick that

statehouses in the wrong hands in a car -- corrupt hands like it is happening now could undermine our entire democracy is statehouses cease being democratic. so they were the cause saying if there is a moment where statehouses are no longer deemed democracies reflect in the people the united states shall guarantee that they become -- when every senator of the union takes an oath to office as a senator they are taking an oath to guarantee that every state has a republican form of government. i rate this because when you start to see states passing laws like the one that made that 10-year-old go to indiana and are totally the opposite of the views of the people of ohio were ignoring the ohio constitution seven times that we voted on by 70%, easter to save this is no longer a republican form of

government. this gerrymandering and corruption of our statehouses literally no longer meets the required guarantee of the republican form of government and that commands that the u.s. government do something about it. the reason i put this in the focus the easy thing to do about it right now is to pass legislation that is sitting in the senate that would curb gerrymandering and protect voters. equal protection. to me, that is fulfilling their duty to guarantee a republican form of government in all states. host: guest: -- this because it be lifted for ohio -- far higher. the filibuster has no business serving as an obstacle to legislation to protect democracy

itself. why? because the guarantee clause trumps the cello -- filibuster. host: one more quick call here. lyle from monroe, north carolina. caller: i definitely agree that people should get more involved in their local government and that is something i encourage and as an african-american in this country, when it comes to voting -- [laughter] . host: your book was published last fall, you are also a fiction writer. you have a piece of political fiction have a piece of political fiction being published this month tell us about that. guest: is a description we just talked about that i find a lot of people learn as much through stories and fiction writing than

they do nonfiction which is a little more expose. i have written a number of books to trying to look at story, with good characters. that also bring to bear the reality of politics so people think about them, they question them, etc.. my newest book is called a simple choice. it is all about this broader plot. i will summarize it this way, some of them got into gerrymandering. really got into election integrity. this one gets into a deeper question and tries to challenge every reader to see what would you do if you were given an opportunity to save the life of a loved one who is deathly ill? what trade would you make? what line would you be willing to cross? what would you? it's a very tough question. then the book is on to say ok, what is -- would they must

follow -- powerful politicians in america do? they would do just about anything also. that takes the story from maine i like to focus on ohio and i'm glad we got good responses. the truth is the choice in the book is not that simple. it is brought with consequences. we have a little time left in the summer, if you crystal looking for a beach retreat. host: good luck with a simple choice. you for being with us this morning. guest: thanks, i really enjoyed it. take care. host: up next we will turn our attention to the continued legal question the aftermath of the fbi search of former president trump's florida home last week. conversation next with the former federal prosecutor. ♪

>> american history tv, saturdays on c-span2 exploring the people and events that tell the american story. at 8:50 p.m. eastern our claim -- mark clay talks about the history of the star-spangled manner. at 10:00 p.m. eastern how black soldiers between the civil war and world war i used their military service to further civil rights. exploring the american story, watch american history tv saturdays on c-span2 and final s -- find a full schedule on c-span.org. >> live sunday, september 4 on in-depth.

uc berkeley of governmental study scholar steven hayward will be our guest to talk about reagan's political career and the conservative movement. he is the author of several books. scholars who changed the course of conservative politics in america. join the conversation with phone calls, facebook comments, and tweets. in-depth with stephen hayward, life on september 4. >> it is time to wrap up the season with c-span shop end of summer sale. now through tuesday, at c-span shop.org save 25% on apparel items. there is something for every c-span fan and helps support our nonprofit organization. only at c-span shop.org.

scan the code on the right to start shopping now. >> "washington journal" continues. host: brett tolan is with us. he is the former u.s. attorney. with this this morning to talk about the ongoing legal question about the aftermath of the search of mar-a-lago, the president's former home the -- the former president trump in florida. we are expecting to hear from the judge about of request that was made to unseal the affidavit from the fbi to allow the search. one of the justices is expected to keep it sealed. what are the ramifications of unsealing, of releasing the information? guest: traditionally, the issue with is unsealing is one that protects the defendant as well as the investigation of the

prosecution. typically, a defendant is just as motivated to keep quiet all the facts that are being alleged against him or her. so you don't have this very often where the affidavit is being requested to be released if you do, it is usually by a defense attorney that wants to see if there was sufficient probable cause outlined to justify the search to begin with. or if they think there is a problem with it and they can file a motion to quash the search warrant. here, the department of justice has indicated they think it will , you know, it will reveal too many details about the scope of their investigation and it may reveal those that are cooperating or additional targets. they have argued that they do not want it to be released by the court. host: in the past, if you have

seen news of this what sort of impact does this have? when an affidavit is unsealed like that, does that generally mean the investigation has to draw to a close? does it mean the element of the investigation may not continue? guest: no, i think it is a my you know, the department's position on this is not inconsistent with what is done in most cases and that is resist the revealing of the search warrant because they may have identified sources. but they also don't like to have that level of transparency that early on in their investigation. they believe it will most of the time, and indictmenis quickly filed prior to the revealing of a search warrant. you are dealing with somebody who has been charged with federal crimes here.

you have the unusual situation where it is the defendant that is saying, or the target of the investigation is saying reveal all of it i want to see all of it. host: what was your reaction to the doj releasing the elements that were found in that search warrant? guest: i think it reveals the search warrant itself is very broad. it's not surprising. investigators tried to get as broad a search warrant as they possibly can so when they search a residence they are pretty much free to look anywhere that a document may be. so my initial reaction is it's not surprising that it is very broad. the list that they put together of what they have secured, there is questions. i think it leaves more questions than answers. what was the true scope of the investigation at the time of the

search warrant? why were there things that were taken that seem to be inconsistent with the theory of the investigation? host: typically when the fbi does a search and has a specific think they are looking what happens if they happen to see other types of documents may be unrelated to this particular investigation? guest: that is a great question. the reality is, the plain sight doctrine says when they observe something they believe is evidence of a crime, even if it is a different crime, or it may be it is not necessarily contemplated in the search warrant if it is in plain sight and they observe it they can take it that they are limited by the four corners of that search warrant in terms of what they are supposed to be looking for. and therefore what they see. we still have a lot of questions about what the investigators, as

they went through in search, you know, with a attempting to filter what they were grabbing? are -- or were they grabbing anything? it shows there may not have been they may not have been that careful while securing the evidence. host: the timing of this, it happened months ago. the former president was in new york at the time when the occupant of a home or dwelling is not there is that typically what they do? guest: not necessarily. i think when they have a search warrant and a hand and they believe they need to come in with a show of force they will

do similar to what they did here. regardless of whether that individual is in the home or not, they will pursue the search warrant. they would use the standard operating procedures and they will attempt to secure the site and search it. if they are there, then they will be asked to step aside or step outside. host: tollman also the executive director. what is it about? guest: it is an organization that is attempting to fix broken aspects of criminal justice system. is an incredible organization of well-meaning and dedicated individuals who have had experience in the criminal justice system. we have some that have been formerly incarcerated, some are former police officers, former

prosecutors. people that recognize we can improve theater criminal justice system without undermining public safety. we try to take a look at a different approach where you hear to defend the police. we think, let's get better instruction. let's make tinges to policing but let's never compromise public safety. host: our guest is hear talking about the search of mar-a-lago. (202) 748-8001 for republicans. (202) 748-8000 for democrats and for independents and all others, (202) 748-8002. the headline from limburg doj opposes release of affidavit in trump search citing probe. based on your experience, do you have any thoughts on how the

judge might rule today? guest: this particular case i think they would rule in favor of the doj. i think this is a case unlike any other and i think the public needs to see what forms the basis of the search and what formed the justification for the timing of the search and the way in which the search was carried out. host: let's go to lawton, ok and collided. caller: seems like people have their mind is somewhere else than what is going on. he is the accuser of the world. why is he not in jail like everybody else? thank you. host: we will go to lee on the republican line.

you are on the air. caller: hello? i think the invasion of president trump's house is the ultimate trap because just like you can plant a gun and drugs in anybody's house you can also implant documents that are adverse, hold on a second will i think about this. in other thing is you have 30 fbi agents and i am told they had guns, you can -- gosh. give me a minute. i'm so excited about this. you can plant bugs all over the place because 30 people can ransack a whole house and you

can eliminate any information that trump has for opposition research. you can take it away and destroy it and you can implant cereals. host: let's hear from our guest. taco little bit about the oversight of these searches on property. particularly a case where it involves the president of the united states. guest: it didn't have to go down this way. i have been involved in many cases in which the search warrant, you first may attempt -- especially in investigations where they attempt to work with the target to handover and to provide evidence. we have a lot of unanswered questions here. why were they in discussions

with the attorneys and apparently given access to the place and were able to take some evidenceplace and able to take e evidence prior to securing a search warrant? what was the justification to escalate into a search warrant and utilize 30 special agents of the fbi to come in and search it. it does not seem justified based on the information we know now, but that is why we want to see the affidavit and what may have caused such a decision to go forward. was it legitimate and consistent with geo day -- with doj policy and historical decision-making or did they want to have that narrative and was this a political act done on the eve of an important election? host: in terms of the documents, these documents were documents

that the national archives was looking for and they would approach the justice department and say we are not getting these from the former president than the justice department carries out the negotiations with the president staff and attorneys to get these documents? guest: that is one way it could go. we do not know exactly what went on. my guess is the national archives engaged first with president trump and his team of lawyers and that if they felt they were not getting cooperation, you would think they would then go to agency like the department of justice that can push the issue using some of the tools they have. we do not know all the details about what went on. we do know there has been a lot of confusion. there does not seem to be consistency in the responses by some about the justification for the search going in the way they

went in and the timing of when they went in. host: let's hear from stephen on the democrats line in illinois, good morning. caller: you are saying the department of justice is inconsistent in explaining its conducting the legal search of trump's residence. let's take a look the inconsistency of donald trump. shortly after the legal search he stated that the documents that were seized were fake, meaning they were made up or constructed by the fbi or the justice department, and they were planted. the next day he stated through his representatives that when he was president 20 months ago he declassified the documents. you are a clever man.

please explain how a president can declassify something ahead of time he does not know exist that will be planted and are fake. please explain that to me. host: any thoughts? guest: there have been several that have confirmed there was a declassification of documents. i'm not familiar with the comments he referenced the president made about the planting of evidence and whether the evidence was fake. that is something we want answers to. we want to see what were the documents that were declassified and when were they declassified? that is a relevant inquiry. host: in texas, independent line. caller: good morning.

i want to say love everybody. not democrats or republicans. the guy that you have on earlier , he was talking about people turning away from the truth. they have a blind eye. you cannot make it better if we cannot face the facts. for right now i do not know how to answer that. you keep saying you don't understand this but you want to know that, you do not know what donald trump said. you know. that is how it is. it was anybody else, that is the most frustrating thing. if anybody else had done it they should be prosecuted, but donald trump is not a politician.

since he is not a politician, it does not matter. anybody else does it, republicans that love trump tell me, if anybody did what trump did they should be prosecuted. host: do we know specifically what sort of potential crimes or violations of national security law the doj is looking at? guest: we know they have outlined three or four statutes related to the possession or destruction of classified or protected documents. there is obstruction of justice type charge that may be at issue. there is reference to the espionage act. the reality it boils down to is it appears the investigation that is being pursued by the department of justice is in relation to the unlawful possession or removal or

transfer of national security documents. we don't know anything more than that. host: merrick garland a former appellate court judge and a u.s. attorney who led the prosecution in the oklahoma bombing case and also involved in the unabomber case. what is your assessment, based on his prosecutorial skills and management, but he has handled this so far? guest: i know he indicated he made the decision and that does not surprise me that he was the decision-maker. doj policy requires the attorney general and the deputy attorney general sign off on such a warrant. that does not surprise me. i do not know that what we have seen and heard we have any confidence this was a well thought through investigation. if so, i think they would have

had answers sooner, i think they would have had a much different approach to the search and secure seizure of the documents. at this point i think it is too early to tell how well either side is performing. we do not know enough to know what doj is acting on. if they have probable cause, if they have information that is legitimate and we have confidence in that information that the department of justice is acting on and that results in a charge against president trump , then you can grow in confidence it is action by the department of justice that is less political and more in-line with what their mandate is. if not, if they do not have the

evidence, if it seems like it is a great area or if they pulled the trigger too soon and no charges are brought, i think it is going to reflect poorly on the department of justice. host: let's hear from karen in pennsylvania on the republican line. caller: good morning. i wanted to call and express my discussed -- my disgust at how they have harassed president trump. any intelligent person knows it is because he has a lot of power and they do not want him to run again. if they can find him guilty of some cause, then he cannot run again. i feel sorry for his family. i also can say in my own state of pennsylvania there is no justice. i have experienced it myself from the people that are supposed to protect and serve all the way up through the lawyers that are supposed to use

the law for justice for people, and then all the way up to the fbi. i have had my issues. serious issues. the agencies that should have helped me did not. of americans are not afraid of what is happening to this country, they better open up their eyes and take a good look because this country is about to be taken over. we are about to be -- my freedom of speech has been taken away from me. i have been boxed into my life as a form of retaliation for different issues and i have no outlet. host: karen in pennsylvania. to her allegation of harassment of the president, what are your thoughts? guest: i think it is a fundamental issue we should all be concerned about.

the use of the doj, if this was more clinically motivated than anything else or it is inconsistent with how they have treated others in a similar situation, and we can reference hillary clinton and the words of james comey who indicated no reasonable prosecutor would prosecute her for her unlawful possession of classified documents on her email server. when attorney general barr indicated he was not going to investigate and prosecute barack obama over issues surrounding the russian collusion and the use of the national security offices in relation to it, i think attorney general barr made the right decision. we have to be very careful to utilize the department of justice against a political adversary. i have said that it would not

matter if this was president trump or any of the other presidents. i would be concerned about going down the path merrick garland has gone on and they better have the evidence and it better not be -- there better not be any equivocation in terms of do they have sufficient evidence to pursue the former president and to do so in the manner they have. host: the headline says trump pac rakes in millions off of the mar-a-lago search. it's fundraising increased exponentially. does that surprise you? guest: it does not surprise me. politicians will utilize everything they can to raise funds. it is the nature of the beast we have allowed grow. both sides do this. if the department of justice does not have the evidence to pursue the former president and to bring charges to backup what

they have done, this could be a monumental overplaying of their hand on the left if it is more political than it is legitimate. host: in your view, it is not a fate a complete, but it has to happen, there has to be some sort of charge in order for this to hold up. is that your view? guest: i think that is right. if they have sufficient evidence to show there is criminal intent by the former president and their investigation is a reasonable investigation and a reasonable approach given all the facts, which we do not know, i think that changes the calculus. if they do not have that, and it appears this was a lot of effort over a small matter. if an indictment does not come, i think this will be terribly difficult for the democrats

going forward. host: let's hear from patty in mansfield, pennsylvania. independent line. caller: thank you to c-span and thank you for taking my call. i was taken aback when you said we are not sure steps were taken , that this is an appropriate action, it might be an overreach. it is pretty clear there was 18 months of discussions of trying to get material that should never have been taken. we do not know what was in those documents except we know it is something that should have been in the national archives. 18 months of discussions, followed by a subpoena, followed by folks from the department of justice meeting with mr. trump's lawyers and being told here is more stuff and that is it, we

have nothing more, and they realized that is not true, there is stuff missing. they continued conversations with the man and with his team. he refused to return the information. they had no choice. it seems to me they went about it very carefully. it was a methodical decision. it makes absolutely no sense that the department of justice would take such an enormous step as to initiate a search warrant. you of all people should be extremely familiar with what a judge would require. the answer -- the questions he has answered in order to execute such an extraordinary search warrant. host: we hear from brett tolman. guest: on the judge itself, i

have drafted and sought search warrant's during my time as a federal prosecutor. there are some judges that scrutinize them more than the other. we have no idea what this judge saw, we do not know what the justification is. the caller could be correct and there could be plenty of information to justify the issuance of the search warrant. we will see. in terms of the 18 months that have gone forward, we have conflicting reports. we have reports there was some effort to secure documents and the former president's legal team allowed individuals to go in to mar-a-lago and take boxes out earlier in june. we do not know if the subpoena had been attempted to be used. i am not aware of that.

we did not see any grand jury effort to secure documents. the first action we become aware of by the department of justice has been the search warrant. we are waiting to see. we need to know what where the discussions and why did it take so long? was there legitimate legal resistance or was it just the former president saying i'm not going to cooperate with you? that is what we want to know and the public deserves to know that . host: a bit from mike brett -- from vice president mike pence yesterday. the headline "pence tells gop to start -- to stop lashing out at the fbi," critical to those who have been critical of the fbi and threatening of the fbi.

this is an extremely rare case. a unique case all its own. how often would i department of justice or the fbi consider the potential public relations or political damage a search like that may cause the department itself before they undertake a search like this? guest: you would like to thank those that we give police power to, the fbi, they are above politics and above thinking about anything other than looking at facts and utilizing those facts to pursue a case criminally. i am puzzled by the reaction in terms of the criticism of the fbi. if there are threats to the fbi they need to follow up and determine the legitimacy or not of those threats and make

arrests and prosecute individuals that may be threatening violence against what are good men and women who work hard every day. the criticism of the fbi for its decision-making over the last many years is very legitimate. there have been concerning decisions on boats -- both sides of the aisle have rightly been concerned about the decision-making that started to become more and more political. in the upper executive offices of the fbi there is decision-making we now know based on things like the solicitor general review of what happened in the aftermath of the russia collusion investigation. we are living in a time when law enforcement has incredible pressure from political sides,

incredible pressure to investigate political opponents. there is a shift and we have stopped the politics. host: we go to josie in indiana, pennsylvania. democrats line. caller: to my fellow pennsylvanians, patty, thank you for the good comments you made. karen, you do have freedom of speech because you are able to call into c-span and voice your opinion. now to your cast. -- to your guest. i see him in his cautious comments sowing doubt about what has taken place. obviously a judge would have to look over the reasons for a search warrant and probable cause. obviously there was probable cause for this search of mar-a-lago.

as to the fbi being a political tool for some people, i think we have to remember j edgar hoover. i am old enough to remember that j edgar hoover also went after political figures and investigated them widely. it was widely known. right now we are in aeman says t might be a small matter for the search warrant, he used some small detail. if these are super secretive documents that were seized at mar-a-lago, that is no small detail. that is yet to come out. that is why a grand jury and a probable cause search warrant armored to be cappedinvestigati.

we do not need to know everything all at once. i do not like his docking -- his ducking or using language that puts down the actions. no man is above the law and merrick garland is a very cautious man. host: we will let you go there. we will hear from brett tolman. guest: certainly no man or woman is above the law. however we see decisions being made at the department of justice and the fbi that give pause on both sides of the aisle have been critical over the last few decades in terms of decision-making that has been made. when james comey decided to go forward with the press conference on the investigation and reopen the investigation of hillary clinton and her possession of the classified information on her server, there were many on the left that were outraged, and still to this day feel that may have had an impact

on the election. we have to be careful as a country to not let our political affiliation substitute the rule of law and protections every man and woman is afforded in this country. it is unchallenged that president obama had classified information and documents and he was not prosecuted. we have a history of treating these issues very differently than what occurred here and i think it is right we all want answers. that is a good thing. am i skeptical of the basis for the search? at this point i am always skeptical of government. i try to analyze in issue knowing that the government has

become overbearing and broad and has grown in ways i think are dangerous to this country and we have to be concerned. if you ask somebody that is the subject of an investigation, a federal investigation, you will have a wide array of responses in terms of how legitimate they believe. when ronald reagan was president there were a few thousand statutes used in the federal system to investigate in a criminal case. today there are over 300,000 statutes and regulations with criminal penalties. when i was a federal prosecutor if i had a target of an individual i wanted to bring a case against, i had a universal belief that i could bring a case against that target. that is how many statutes we have and how different our criminal justice system is today

that it was even 20 or 30 years ago. host: next is anne pauling from lake city, tennessee. republican line. caller: the previous caller should be -- a democrat calling on the independent line is nothing to be bragging about. i saw merrick garland say he would narrow the scope, but the subpoena was for every scrap of paper from the day president trump walked into the white house to the day he walked out. that does not seem narrow. how hard to they have to look to find this one judge who hated president trump who had already been excused from one hearing because of his hatred for president trump? we know this is not about the national archives. this is about the january 6 committee hearings. the national archives let sandy berger walk in there and stuff

sensitive documents into his underwear and walk out. there was no walking yet with documents from president trump's basement. they were secured behind doors and i'm sure president trump has a better security system than the national archives has. host: brett tolman, she mentions the judge in this case. it is u.s. magistrate judge bruce reinhardt has scheduled an in person hearing today regarding the unsealing of fbi records related to the raid last week. how is that judge chosen? guest: it is interesting. the judge that sits on that case itself if an indictment is brought, that is done through a lottery system. a case gets filed it is assigned to a judge. on a search warrant it is different. there is not an indictment or a

district court judge. magistrate judges have the authority to issue search warrants and they have a rotation. it is not so much as selecting or not selecting a particular judge. however, when i was a prosecutor and other prosecutors, you knew what judge was up on which day. he knew there was some judges more friendly than others in terms of securing a search warrant. i have no idea whether this judge, what he was presented with, whether or not they waited until that monday that he was up and went forward to secure the search warrant. did they do that strategically or do they not care what they had? this hearing today is an important hearing because we will hear whether or not the affidavit will be released. i am hopeful it is and we can see the justification for the search. host: lawyers for both sides

will argue their case. typically how long to they get to argue that case? guest: typically they get to argue as long as the patient's -- as long as the patience of the judge lasts. it could be very quick come a few minutes each side, and then the judge takes it under advisement, or he may listen to hours worth of oral argument and then make the decision on the bench. host: is he compelled to issue a ruling today or could he wait a few days? guest: p is not compelled to issue the ruling today. he could take it under advisement to consider the arguments and issue a written opinion deciding the matter. i assume in this case he will do so very quickly. host: let's hear from mary in dover, delaware, on the independent line. caller: good morning and thank

you. i would like to say donald trump will never be president again. secondly, he was in collusion with russia and he stole those papers come in recently he had a golf tournament or something where i am sure he shared that information that he had stolen with our enemies. you are a republican and you are also a trumpster so i understand your train of thought. people news -- people need to use common sense and we need to save this country and bring it back to the republic it is supposed to be. host: any response? guest: i am critical of any president if they make bad decisions and bad policies come from any president. i have also praised presidents

from both sides of the aisle when they make good decisions. that is the freedom we each have. i hope people will continue to be interested in to assess whether or not there was validity behind the search warrant and the way it was pursued, and if there was a will be indicating it was appropriate and it looks like the department of justice made the right decision. if not, we are in a dangerous area that further escalates the politicization of our law enforcement agencies that soot -- that should secure verbs. host: let's hear from patty in harrisburg, pennsylvania, democrats line. caller: i just wanted to say that i think people are not taking seriously the january 6. if those protesters or whatever you want to call them -- either right or left -- the guard kept them from doing that.

behind closed doors. our country is in grave danger if we accept somebody as president like trump who does not know anything about the constitution and i think he needs to clean up his act before he tries to help other people. he is not helping matters. host: how much legal jeopardy do you think the former president may be in because of january 6? there is the separate justice department investigation outside of the select committee on capitol hill. guest: is an answer that is difficult to make at this point. the investigation on january 6 has been taken very seriously by the department of justice. hundreds of individuals have been charged with trespassing or other related crimes when they

unlawfully entered the capital and many charged with the violence that occurred on that day. we also know if you're going to charge a sitting president for what occurred on january 6, then he is afforded all of the same rights as everybody else. you have to be able to show intent, you have to be able to produce the evidence. if a charge comes as a result of it, then he is in some jeopardy. anybody in the crosshairs of the department of justice has issues that have to be addressed and dealt with. if they are convicted, they are a felon and will be sentenced to some term of prison and that would apply to anybody who gets charged by the department of justice. host: brett tolman, former u.s. attorney in the george w. bush ministration, thank you for being with us.

guest: thank you. host: still ahead, it is open forum and your chance to call in on public policy and politics. republicans, (202) 748-8001, democrats (202) 748-8000, and independents, (202) 748-8002. ♪ >> over the past few months the january 6 committee held a series of hearings revealing the findings from an ssent investigation. watch c-span as we look back at the hearings featuring never before seen evidence, depositions come and witness testimony on the attack on the u.s. capitol. tonight at 8:00 state political leaders and election officials from georgia and arizona described the pressures they face from president trump and his allies to decertify the

election and the harassment and threats they have experienced from his supporters. watch tonight on c-span or anytime on demand at c-span.org. >> be up-to-date in the latest in publishing with book tv's podcast about books with current nonfiction book releases as well as bestseller lists and industry news and trends do insider interviews. our free mobile app or wherever you get your podcast. >> now available in the c-span shop, c-span's 2022 congressional directory. this spiral-bound book is your guide to the federal government with contact information for every member of congress, including bios and committee

assignments and contact information for state governors and divided administration cabinet -- and the biden administration cabinet. every c-span shop purchase helps support c-span's nonprofit operation. >> "washington journal" continues. host: it is open forum on the program and your chance to call in with items on the news you are falling lyrically. (202) 748-8001 for republicans, (202) 748-8000 for democrats, independents and others, (202) 748-8002. we started the program talking about the midterm elections. an article from the hill, the irs becomes the gop bogeyman. as republicans rail against the fbi, they are also hyping the danger to voters from another three letter federal agency, the

irs. the gop is warning the $80 billion funding boost to the irs including in democrats tax, climate, and health care package will target middle-class americans with an army of new enforcement agents and will also become a key part of republican messaging ahead of this year's midterm elections. let's go to sheila in colonial heights, virginia. democrats. caller: good morning. i would like to say i wish people would clarify incorrect statements when they are made. this guest mentioned obama had possession of these classified documents. immediately after that charge was made, someone from the national archives administration clarified that he actually had

submitted documents for their approval to be released to his library. he did not take home nuclear weapons papers information. he went through the process. it sounds to me as if this gentleman may be applying for a job with president trump in his defense. goodness knows he needs him. i wish everyone would be honest about what is happening in our country today. we are in trouble and we need help. we need good moral help from all of our leaders. host: on sheila's point about the documents from the obama administration, the associated press, "obama did not keep millions of classified documents." they write that "a counter narrative pushed online by trump

himself posits obama kept possession of white house documents after his term of office. these records were given to the national archives in 2017 on the end of obama's term and they remain in their sole custody in accordance with federal law. the 30 documents were moved to a facility in the chicago area. none were classified. the administration's classified documents are stored in a separate facility in the washington, d.c. area." new york, teresa, republican caller. go ahead. caller: i want to tell you i heard this woman, i forget what state she came from, possibly indiana, who said trump was in collusion with russia. i am appalled. absolutely disgusted with the lies, one after the other by

adam schiff, by liz cheney, by nancy pelosi, hillary clinton, blaming president trump constantly. the rino's did not want trump to be president to begin with in 2016. then i believe, and my son stayed up all through the night in 2020 and saw what was happening with the ballots, with the people that were paid off to go and get things out of the postal -- however they did it, they did it. we saw that when they were hiding boxes underneath the tables. host: where was this? in georgia?

that was found not to be the case in georgia. caller: i don't believe it. i do not believe anybody that is going against trump. host: to south massachusetts, democrats line. this is lori. caller: good morning. i would like to put in a comment that i do not agree with all of the taking of the papers out of the white house and mar-a-lago. i believe those papers were packed and delivered to mar-a-lago without trump knowing what was in there. i am skeptical on if there was some fbi planting other things. in my view, i have changed my mind, they have been after trump and it keeps piling on more and more and it seems to me the

government is becoming a mob. they are after trump so he would not open up the swamp and expose all of the people that are doing illicit, illegal things. host: a reminder of our lines. (202) 748-8001 for republicans, democrats (202) 748-8000, and four independents and others, (202) 748-8002. our live program today includes part of an urban institute panel on federal investment to improve job opportunities and economic editions in low income communities on c-span. it is also on our c-span now mobile app and c-span.org. at 1:00 we are covering various states attorneys general talking about the fight to protect abortion access after the

supreme court's decision overturning roe v. wade. this is hosted by net roots nation, their annual gathering. that is live at 1:00, eastern. host: texas up next. independent line. it is lisa. caller: good morning. the common sense award goes to pennsylvania today. as far as i am concerned, mr. trump was asked numerous times to return the documents. people calling in saying he has been railroaded -- look, if the government tells you to give something back, you give it back. if you refuse, watch how fast they kick the door in. host: next is nancy in louisiana. independent line. caller: i wanted to call back in

reference to the items we were discussing with the fbi. i find it highly irregular this country does not have faith in our fbi, our cia, and nsa. my father was a world war ii veteran. i was raised to respect our laws and everything that goes along with it. people that do not understand what donald trump has done to this country, i am very glad my mom and my dad are not alive to see what happened on january 6. that is the most awful thing that has happened to our country in hundreds of years. if we do not come together as one people, trust our people that work for the fbi, the cia

come in the nsa, they are not there for von. they have given an oath to stand up for this country, the laws of this country, if anybody remembers when blackwater walked into trump's hotel, i am sorry. we had american soldiers that were killed due to blackwater. they were in kosovo, afghanistan, and iraq. they have no oversight at all. the people in this country, you need to understand, you need to be respectful of the people -- they are not lying. they are doing their jobs and they took a vow to protect this country from domestic and international problems like trump. host: post primary election

analysis from the new york times. there front page focusing on the wyoming race and the party more broadly. "liz cheney loss may submit gop path." shane goldwater likes "liz cheney's martyr like has ensured her place in republican party history but her defeat in wyoming on tuesday also expose the remarkable degree to which the former president controls the parties present and its near future. 10 house republicans voted to impeach mr. trump in early 2021 for his role in inciting them up that storm the capital. only two have survived the 2022 primaries. a breathtaking run of losses and forced retirements in a chamber where incumbents typically prevail with ease. no defeat was significant as liz cheney's or as revealing of the parties realignment. the sheer scope of her loss, the daughter of a former vice

president was defeated in a landslide, may have only strengthened mr. trump's hand as he asserts his grip over the republican party by revealing the futility among republican voters of even the most vigorous prosecution of the case against him." westminster, california on the republican line. mary. good morning. caller: i am disagreeing with a lot of these commentators. i believe very strongly they have been trying to bring this man down since the date he announced he was going to become president. i believe very strongly that he opened a can of worms with all of the corruption that has been going for many, many years in that white house. the democrats have been trying and continue trying to bring him

down. we need this kind of president to continue fighting corruption. i was in mexico city and one of the commanders told me do not get it wrong, because there is corruption in the united states all the time. that is my opinion. i wish people would do their homework. host: to fort lee, new jersey. brenda, democrats line. caller: good morning, america. i have a quick comment. i am so disappointed. i have always been a democrat but i find president biden doing a terrible job running the country. i am switching over to being a republican. i am in the process of doing the paperwork to change to become a republican. when it comes time to vote, and

i hope president trump runs, and he is going to get my vote. he did so much for america. no one is giving him a chance. they raided his home to pull out everything from his home saying he took things from the white house. host: a story in the statin news about changes ahead for the center for disease control and prevention in an effort to address its misstep during covid. "cdc plans and ambitious agency overhaul." they write "the cdc which has had its reputation battered by the covid pandemic been a slow response to the monkeypox pandemic will undergo ambitious overhaul, director rochelle walensky announced. and email to staff rochelle walensky announced they will focus on making the agency more nimble.

priority will be to gather data that can be used rapidly to spend public health guidance rather than craft scientific papers. in staten island, sal on the republican line, good morning. caller: my comment is based on reporting done -- anytime i get a chance i watch c-span. i cannot believe that five years later people call up your show and talk about the russia collusion, that trump colluded with russia, when your show, cnn, c-span, everybody knows very well that has been completely debunked, 100%. it was hillary clinton and the dnc that started that. they are the ones that committed crimes.

president trump has done nothing but work for the american people. people still call today, and c-span does not let people know that has all been debunked. if it was the other way around, c-span would not waste any time to bring up an article that it has been debunked if it was hillary clinton or hunter biden or joe biden. it is a disgrace. the bias is unbelievable. people do not realize they do not know how to change the channel. they believe it. it is amazing. january 6. from supporters were in there. it was staged. that is why they caused all the commotion. host: what was staged? january 6? caller: absolutely. they let people in, they had the doors open. you had people walking through.

the security was detouring them which way to go. you see videos of it. that was all staged. host: we will move on to tampa, florida. claudia on our democrats line. good morning. caller: good morning. there are people in the united states who know who president trump was and is. they know he instigated january 6. they know he took those papers. they know he abuses women. they know all those things about him. because -- i do not want to just say whites, but he makes them feel like they used to feel in

the 1950's and the 1960's and before. he makes them feel powerful. trump is not a good person. he laughed at people who went into the military. he said john mccain was a loser. he is the opinion of me of the -- he is the epitome of the anti-united states citizen. he is offer power and money. i would ask these people to justify what he is done, try to book a reservation in any of his places, any of his hotels, any of his golf courses. you will be turned away soundly because he looks down on you. he knows you love him, but he does not care how you feel. that is why he gave all of that

tax break to the wealthy. he did not give the regular person a dime. host: there is a story on the january 6 investigation. "archives agency subpoenaed by prosecutors investigating january 6." the new york times writing "prosecutors investigating the role president trump and his allies played investigating the january 6 attack on the capital have issued a grand jury subpoena to the national archives for all of the documents provided to a parallel house select committee. according to a copy of the subpoena, it made a sweeping demand for all materials in whatever form the archives had given to the january 6 house committee. this materials included records from the files of mr. trump's top aides and daily schedule and phone logs and a draft text of

the president speech that preceded the riot." owings mills, maryland. we hear from terrel on the democrats line. caller: how are you all doing? donald trump -- the republicans are destroying themselves. these are all republicans coming out and talking against donald trump. if they want to destroy themselves. i heard john bolton the other day say of donald trump had declassified the information that was down at mar-a-lago it automatically becomes public property where anybody can have access. if donald trump wants us to see the information, the declassified information, he can show it to us right now. he destroyed such guys as rex tillerson, jeff sessions, he

destroyed a lot of republicans and it will take the republicans to oust him like liz cheney, who is a patriot, who did her job and did not care about the consequences. liz cheney is a patriot. she always will be. thank you very much. host: next is diana in florida. republican line. caller: i am distressed by some of the calls you are getting this morning. i am distressed. they wanted trump to accept he did not win. stacey abrams never said she did not win. hillary clinton never said she did not win. five years of tormenting trump, this is what they have done. they have never accepted that he won. from day one they tried to get him out. the attorney general in new york says i will get trump, that is

what she said. we know the doj, the cia, the fbi, the left, the media, are all in collusion against donald trump because he wants to rule out corruption. planting documents, maybe? not allowing trump's attorneys in the room, what is that? just as one way for democrats. no justice for president trump and his supporters. merrick garland is angry because he did not get to be supreme court justice. release the affidavit. the left has shown no respect for the rule of law. how far will they go to stop donald trump? host: more midterm news. this from the cook political report. corporal report shifts pennsylvania senate race to lean democrat. "the nonpartisan cook political report is changing its rating of pennsylvania's senate race from

tossup to lean democrat. the development comes against the backdrop of the social media campaign john fetterman's campaign has waged against opponent oz who has portrayed the celebrity as a carpetbagger from new jersey out of touch with voters." host: to kentucky, this is mike, republican line. caller: good morning. i want to comment. host: you are on the air. go ahead. caller: a lady called earlier saying we ought to respect the fbi. look how the fbi has done with the olympic gymnast, they dropped the ball on that. the mission governor, she was going to get kidnapped, they were in collusion with that. they will not tell how many fbi

agent's for informants were in the capitol building on january 6. how do they expect us to believe them. j edgar hoover started the fbi. -- host: new york, democrats line. eric. caller: good morning. good to see you. as always. i don't know. listening to america as i have a want to do in the mornings, my time is limited. the level of conversation. what we are talking about. i am not an internet person, but i get to listen to the results of what the internet has done to our quality of conversation.

everybody -- there i go, i am just as bad. i hear people claiming to be experts on these current events whipping by at rates heretofore unseen by man. they know the skinny on what is going on and these complex things that a brain cannot contain. i see it. in my family, i have a relative who would drive by to go get ammo because ammo was available where we are. he would not stop to say hello, he would go out of his way to buy ammo and got more at odds. it is the quality of the conversation and i think it is being polluted by people thinking they know what other people are like by what they find online. host: what you pay attention to in the news?

the quality of conversation. what are things you focus on in the news locally, nationally, internationally? caller: the quality of the conversation is what i focus on. the content -- it is hard to sift through. i am not an internet person so i do not have algorithms feeding me what i supposedly am interested in. i like diversity. i am not a polemic. i try not to be. i come up against people individually and i speak with them individually a lot. that colors my view. what matters to them and what they want to talk about interests me. host: glad you are part of the conversation. thanks for calling in. thanks for all of your calls. we'll be back here tomorrow morning at 7:00. hope you can join us then as

well. have a great day. [captions copyright national cable satellite corp. 2022] [captioning performed by the national captioning institute, which is responsible for its caption content and accuracy. visit ncicap.org] >> coming up today on c-span, democratic representative jim himes joins the conversation on federal investments that can improve job opportunities and economic conditions in low income unities. live from the urban institute at 11 a.m.. in the active -- after the supreme court decision overturning roe v. wade hosted by roots nation live on 1:00

p.m. he spent -- c-span or on c-span now or c-span.org. other events streaming includes conversations on the upcoming 2022 term elections barber -- with barbara comstock and others at noon eastern. >> the january 6 committee held a series of hearings reviewing the findings from its investigation. wife c-span as we look at the hearings featuring never before seen evidence, depositions and witness testimony. state political leaders and election officials from your jet and arizona describe the pressures they face from president trump and his allies to decertify the election and the harassment.

watch tonight on c-span or anytime on demand at c-span.org. >> c-span is your unfiltered view of government. we are funded by these television companies and more. >> homework can be hard. squatting at a diner for internet is harder. we are providing low income students access to affordable in effect -- internet. >>cox along with these other television providers giving you a front row seat to democracy. john: we return to the u.s. economy. our guest is heidi shierholz, president of the economic policy institute here in washington d c. remind viewers what epi is, your mission?