crime . his city, bakersfield, has a higher crime rate then both new york city and chicago. which he plays on a loop. the same >> the same can be said for grand junction, colorado with representative boebert. host: that is all the calls for this segment. there is more ahead. next, we talk politics, campaign 2022. the managing editor will join us, the topic, campaign 20 and what is ahead this election season. later, we dive into the issue affecting american workers. the latest unionization efforts across the country and a piece in washington post. ♪

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is watching on c-span. powered by cable. >> ♪ >> c-spanshop.org has c-span's online store. browse through our collection of c-span products, apparel, book, home to core and accessories. there is something for every c-span fan. every purchase help support our nonprofit top -- operation. c-spanshop.org. >> "washington journal" continues. host: we are joined by kirk, the managing at her of the hotline, national journal newsletter focusing on politics. we welcome you to washington journal. it is a spread now to -- sprint to election day. it is nine weeks until tomorrow. what is your take on what the electoral landscape stands for, the house races? >> the house races have narrowed

significantly from the beginning of the summer until now, thanks in part to the dobbs decision that overturned roe v. wade and, democrats are feeling empowered. their base is energized. they have had special elections recently and are fired up, the fuel of competitive house races is more narrow and the red wave people were predicting as soon as a few months ago is looking and has been downgraded to a tropical depression for republicans. host: what do the numbers for the republicans for, to take control of the house, how many seats do they need? guest: they will have to slip just five seats. even if -- this tropical depression we are talking about, that could be enough to get the house, it is so narrow right now, to get redistricting. the math is tight, even with this newly energized democratic

base, independents breaking their way. it might not be enough, even republicans gaining the minimum seats needed. host: you mentioned the supreme court decision. what other elements are those democratic candidates using in their elections against republicans? guest: they are leaning into abortion and fighting for abortion access. also, leaning into showing republicans as more extreme. you saw that during president biden's speech there is the night in philadelphia where he talked about the maga republicans as a threat to democracy. in a handful of house races, you have republican candidates who are on capital hill during the insurrection. they did not go into the capital, but were at the rally before and they are trying to paint them as a threat to the republic. host: is there any sense that the tone of that speech from the president could be a threat to

those very tight house races? guest: it could be. there are some democrats that said former president trump carried that would rather not talk about president -- former president trump, they would rather focus more on defending abortion access, economic issues and how democrats have started to deliver in the last few months. i am thinking of someone like matt car right -- cartwright. host: who was on stage with president biden on thursday in wilkes-barre. guest: he would rather not talk so much about threats to democracy and talk about the infrastructure bill is helping jobs in scranton, pennsylvania. host: it is a race by race thing in terms of candidates. let's talk about the senate. a couple of races i want to highlight. the key ones for, you may be looking at. arizona, mark kelly versus blake masters. pennsylvania, john federman versus mehmet oz.

georgia, rafael warnock, incumbent against herschel walker. nevada's catherine cortez masto against warsaw. senator ron johnson, republican against mandela barnes. any of those you want to talk about? guest: in a 50-50 senate, every race matters. i think what has been interesting is the field of gop candidates right now running against democrats, particularly in arizona and pennsylvania where there has been a lot of -- on the republican side about candidate quality. blake masters has been outraised by mark kelly by about 14-one, he has massive money issues. peter teal invested about $15 million in getting masters across the line into competitive arizona primary. that has had minority leader mitch mcconnell sweating

bullets. host: tell us more about that. there is reporting of this tension between senator mcconnell and scott, the head of the senate campaign committee and mitch mcconnell, the leader of the senate for republicans. guest: if you look at it now, they should be on the same page. they want the same goal. they want that magic 51 seats in the senate. the way they are going about it has led to tension. rick scott, the chairman of the and rfc has -- state primaries, much like mcconnell who worry because they lead voters in local issues dominate those races without having a guiding hand from the national party, they have nominated less than stellar candidates. they both seated the primary process, the former president trump, who has endorsed these candidates and in competitive races, some endorsement is good for about 36% of the vote in

these competitive gop primaries, like what we saw in ohio with j.d. vance. that is enough to get them across the line. host: trumps endorsements, who has he been more successful with, house or senate candidates? guest: both. the only area is in governors races, he has had to oust georgia, the ohio -- idaho governor, and got a victory in arizona. host: what about the fundraising for republicans, there are reports that mitch mcconnell from his fundraising has to come in and help in these senate races. guest: there is reporting last week in the new york times that the nrs senate campaign committee raised about $181

million so far this campaign cycle has spent 95% of that. before the general election started, they have had to rollback ads, in key battleground states. mitch mcconnell has had to come in in a live super pac to help boost these candidates. what they have been investing money in is digital advertising. the in rsc will tell you they are trying to do investments, this will benefit future committees. the complaints right now, they are about boosting the profile of rick scott at the expense of the candidates in switching the senate. host: we are democrats in focusing their spending dollars? guest: democrats are on defense. they are focusing heavily on new hampshire, nevada and arizona right now as the most vulnerable members are in those states. they only have a few offensive opportunities, the open seat in pennsylvania and ron johnson in

wisconsin. host: to your knowledge, what is the latest in terms of poles and the race in nevada against the incumbent and the secretary of state? guest: i think the latest polling has masto, i think the average has her a few single points ahead. that is not where you want to be if you are incumbent. host: before we put up our phone lines, this is the managing editor of the hotline, the national hotline. we are talking campaign 2022. (202) 748-8000 free democrats. (202) 748-8001 for republicans. independents and others, (202) 748-8002. it is amazing how much focus is going on in pennsylvania the last couple of days with president biden in wilkes-barre

last wednesday or thursday, he is back in philadelphia with his maga speech for better -- lack of better phrase, and a number of republican members in the state. we showed the comments of kevin mccarthy in scranton last week, president biden today will be in pittsburgh. here is the headline from the weekend, gop mounts rescue efforts in pennsylvania focusing here on the --doug mastery on oh and meant it. guest: pennsylvania is ground zero for midterms.republicans are worried about pennsylvania. this is a winnable state, a battleground state, that because they have less than ideal candidates could slip through their fingers. men it awes mehmet oz has not campaigned well.

gubernatorial candidate for republicans, doug mastery on both -- doug mastriano, a lot of candidates will adopt the language of the big lie, election theories. to get there a primary election, wipe that clean ring the general election. that is not doug mastriano, he is a true believer that the election was rigged. he is suing the genuine sixth committee to keep him from testifying. republicans see that as a massive liability if they want to flip the governors mansion. host: the former president spoke in wilkes-barre. i want to play you the comments of donald that rally in the state of the make america great movement. >> he thinks making america great again is a threat to our

country. no, making america great again is great for our country. >> [applause] >> there is only one party waging war on american democracy by censoring free speech, criminalizing dissent, disarming law-abiding citizens, issuing lawless mandates and unconstitutional orders, imprisoning political protesters. that is what they are doing, rigging elections. weaponizing the justice department and the fbi like never, never before. >> [audience booing] >> and rating and breaking into the homes of their political opponents, i wonder who that could be? >> republicans in themaga

movement are not the ones trying to undermine our democracy. we are the ones trying to save our democracy, very simple. >> [applause] >> very simple. the danger to democracy comes from the radical left, not from the right. host: we could be hearing more of that from former president trump as he is expected to be out on the road or doing robo calls for many candidates across the country. guest: former president trump is about to step up his election aide for endorsements coming up in october. democrats are looking to make this not a referendum on president biden, but rather a choice between the extremism of the republican party and the practical solutions of the democrats. using midterms as a referendum on the party of power, the party

of the first-term president in their first term has an average of 26 seats in the house, democrats are trying to flip the script and make this about the extremism of republicans. host: you said democrat leaders would be happy with that. what about most republican candidates running, do they want the president stepping in on their race? guest: it depends on the race. we just saw that clip, that was a speech and rally in support of men oz -- mehmet oz and mastriano. you can see with the colorado senate race, the republican nominee would appreciate a rally like this. michael bennet, came -- same for tiffany smiley in washington. she said in that washington post article, there has been no contact with the trump campaign. the enthusiasm cap is flipped -- gap is flipped.

democrats are more enthusiastic than republicans to vote in the midterms right now. georgia, where it is about turning out republicans, a rally like this for herschel walker would probably help, rather than hurt. host: let's get to calls, let's go first to stephen on our democrats line, vienna, virginia. good morning. caller: my question is along this georgia thing. i think we can thank maga for the progressive agenda. there were two incumbent senators in georgia. when trump got messed up about the election and the maga people bailed, we ended up with two democratic senators that allowed biden to do this progressive work. why is this election difference when warnock has already? i appreciate warnock and everything they are doing, i appreciate trump and maga giving away the progressive agenda. why is that -- why is warnock

even worried? he has already won state wide once. i go to that thing, you've got a former president declaring the current president as an enemy of the state and declaring he is being persecuted when any banana republic, if he did that to the current leader, they would be in jail, where trump can go and shot his mouth off like that all the time. that is why we have the progressive bills and biden got these things accomplishedm,aga and trump gave it to them -- maga and trump gave it to them in the first place. guest: the reason we have this is because democrats flipped those two georgia senate races. raphael warnock is concerned about this, you are either running behind or running unopposed. herschel walker does have a lot of baggage. it seems like every other day

there is a story about some scandal or something he said that might not have been the best way to phrase things. he is herschel walker, this is georgia. herschel walker is a legend in georgia, he is a sky high name id and poses a serious threat to rafael warnock. host: how much space -- how do you use pole to the hotline? what do you use? guest: we use a lot of caveats with our polls. we try to look at polls in the aggregate, we try not to pay attention to one-off poles were polls we think are going to be outliers. there are some polls that have the race between 10 points in favor of warnock to about four or five points, we are trying to average those and look at the quality of polls. when it comes to 2024 polling and hypotheticals like that, we try to minimize that as little as possible. we -- people are talking about

them, these are important like looking ahead. we try not to base a whole story or anything on one 2024 pole when it is so far off. we have a whole slate of elections coming up in 63 days. host: kirk beto, managing editor of the national journals hotline. (202) 748-8000, line for democrats. (202) 748-8001, line for republicans. for independents, (202) 748-8002 . lutherville, maryland, next is elizabeth on the independent line. caller: i have a question for the gentleman on television, can trump run again? is it against the constitution, a lot of people think trump can run again. i would like that answer, i would appreciate it. guest: the short answer is, yes. he can run, he is at least 35 years old, a citizen of the country.

i think what the caller might be referring to is the effort among some legal groups to kick him off the ballot where he might've been allegedly involved in planning the insurrection or planning the rally, the protesters in the capital on january 6. so far, all of those have been defeated in court. there was one against marjorie taylor greene, those have all been dismissed right now. trump is in a lot of legal peril, we need to see how that plays out. if he wants to file papers with the fcc today to run for president, there is nothing stopping him. host: as much as the former president is a boost to republican candidates, is the current president, joe biden, a drag on democratic candidates? guest: he has seen a slight uptick in favorability numbers, but it depends on what race we are looking at right now. there are a handful of vulnerable house members, marcy kaptur, who have run ads talking about how they have broken up

with the biden administration, how they have worked with republicans and do not support some of biden's policies. it depends on the race and candidate. host: let's hear from stanford, connecticut. bob is on the republican line. good morning. caller: good morning, happy labor day. host: happy labor day. caller: i am watching kirk, i am not sure where you are getting your polling information. when you look at the news and actually see what is going on in the economy with the fuel prices, open borders, all these policies that have failed from joe biden, i do not understand how anyone can think there is anything less than a red wave that can come through this country. there is -- they are still hung up on trump. i think the mar-a-lago rate is a wake-up call -- raid is a wake-up call to patriotic

americans, hey, this is no different than nazi germany. they are using the same tactics as hitler's did. thank you. host: any thoughts? guest: right now, this is a favorable setting for democrats. we are talking right now about a handful of races, the most favorable for democrats right now. as for the house, we are not talking about a red wave, are so many factors at play. economic issues are one of the top priorities for voters, but the -- we have seen abortion rise up in concern for voters, the threat for democracy rise up in concern for voters according to an nbc poll last month. the field is so much more narrower than the last time we had a 50 plus seat wave, thanks to redistricting and lingering partisanship. host: do you think the use of the economy is less of an issue?

you think it is the number one issue for voters? guest: i absolutely think it is the number one issue, we have other animating issues in the rankings activating voters who might have stayed home if the election were held, say, may. host: let's hear from james in georgia. go ahead. democrats line. caller: good morning. happy labor day. it is no way in the world we are going to put herschel walker to represent georgia with the baggage that he has. as far as the economy, the gas prices and everything else that joe biden has already pushed the agenda, we are not changing that. we are going forward. donald trump, we welcome him. we want him to be a part of what he is trying to do, because we are running on him. as long as he is around,

stealing documents, classified, all types of papers, we are supposed to break the law and let him get away with that? the average person would be in jail right now. this is ridiculous. as far as the gop, they have showed their colors. they are the right wing. they are trying to destroy this country. we are going to stop them. host: what do you think of herschel walker as a candidate? caller: let me say this. herschel walker was a great football player. that is all that is. they have nothing to do with politics. the man abused his wife, he has lied about being a fbi agent, he lied about his business, and you think we've just got to say, oh, because he's black we are going to vote for him? no. host: james in georgia, kirk

neto. guest: that is a reaction, i think herschel walker is one of the stronger of the weaker republican candidates, if that made sense. it lends itself to a split ticket vote in georgia between the governor and senate race. brian campbell is a mainstream republican who is scandal free, you can see a split ticket with more independent, middle of the ground voters who might support brian kemp for governor but rafael warnock for senate. host: brian kemp is facing stacey abrams in the governor's race. guest: correct. that race is going to be a blockbuster. in the polling we have seen, camp has a healthier lead, still single digits within five points. but, stacey abrams comes in with more baggage per sheet is a big national figure, easier to pull

roy's -- polarize. with independence in georgia, we could see a split ticket between governor and senate race. host: do you think brian kemp, governor for georgia, because he parted ways with the former president in 2020, gained more independent and democratic support? guest: i can't speak to how much, democrats supported him, he thought like a republican and is a republican. but, the election. he could have peeled off from democrats there to peel into -- appeal in doom and penance. i think that was a smart political move and i smart move for democracy. host: a question via text from jim in bakersfield. he said, can he comment on the

california incumbent and -- voting to impeach trump and redistricting made it more democrats. host: i am so glad we got a question about this. guest: this is one of the interesting races we are watching right now. there are 10 house republicans that voted to impeach trump. eight are not coming back. four were -- retired. it is an interesting case with how california does an all party primary. he was able to defeat a moremaga -- maga-aligned republican. he is not guaranteed that seat because of how the district is drawing. dave alameda is the underdog, i think we could have one republican who voted to impeach trump left in the house when the

-- >> that would be the congressman from -- >> and newhouse -- dan n ewshouse. host: to linda in texas on the democrats line. good morning. caller: i have a question about texas. how do you see the governorship coming out between beto o'rourke and governor abbott, and with dan patrick and michael collier? my last one is about my a floras in district early for going against representative visit to gonzales. host: i hope you got all of those. guest: the governor's race is a done deal right now. we have had greg abbott leading substantially in the polls by think 10 points on a average over beto o'rourke. rourke -- o'rourke had a nice

moment after the uvalde shooting, he seized on the opportunity to give voice to victims,

i think we will see several test of that in november. host: up next is clarence and cleveland, ohio. morning on the independent line. caller: good morning. talking about reelection. do you guys think it is just a return of the same thing in 2016, 2020? i am 64 years old. host: clarence, do us a favor. you have feedback from the tv. if you could mute the television, go ahead with your comment. caller: ok. i was saying that i am 64 years old. i am wondering, [indiscernible] we keep going through it over and over again, just the same stuff. now, we are doing the same thing

again. we need to keep a real close i -- a real close eye on this. [indiscernible] i guess it's just what we do. i would like to see a change. thank you for letting me have my comment. host: kirk bado, a comment on twitter says this paired we pay way too much attention to the horserace and nowhere near enough to holding these people accountable after elections. guest: i think that's why we have seen a lot of frustration with voters right now. there was a study over the summer that showed frustration with washington is near all-time highs, as voters are really upset with their elected officials right now. i think our job as media is to hold them more accountable right now. at the hotline, we are more horserace coverage and

everything, but we try to tell our audience to the elected officials are here. we are focused on campaigns, but we want to make sure that people know, that our audience and the voters know who these people are who are going to be their elected officials. host: let's hear from susan in south carolina, republican line. good morning. caller: good morning. happy labor day. host: thank you. caller: i am just concerned about the up to 2 million immigrants coming in. they are putting our lives at risk with all the fentanyl coming in. i believe joe biden is letting all the immigrants in and he is going to try to use them to vote for him or the democratic party.

and i am sad about their abortion policy, that i just wonder if people realize that they are wanting the right to abort a baby up to the time of birth. host: ok, susan. we get so many calls about immigration in this country. still an immigration -- still a number of immigrants crossing the border. is it as big of a campaign issue? guest: it is, especially the races along the border states. you see those a lot. not just republicans, but they are talking about this crisis at the border from democrats as well. even the senator from new hampshire over the summer took a trip down to the border. i'm not talking about the

canadian border. she went down to the u.s.-mexico border to talk about the crisis of immigration there. i think that kind of speaks to the frustration that we talked about previously, about how there is no real movement on immigration policy for the past 15 years, almost. there might have been a pathway for dreamers, a pathway for immigration reform, but because the two parties have become so partisan about this issue, it has become such a redmeat issue, the compromise just isn't there anymore. and best -- and voters are frustrated. host: let's talk about the one in maine, with the incumbent. he is facing a familiar opponent. tell us more about that. guest: he is facing the former representative who he defeated, i believe, in 20 during his first run. we talk a lot about candidate

quality and individualized profiles for the district. jared has done that. he is a former marine and at -- and every ad that he is in, he is not in a suit like we are now. he is in short sleeves, showing off his tattoos and everything. he is a real working guy. he is sitting at a diner, cracking open lobster and talking about all his support for the lobster men and everything. i think maine is one of the only places where you can get away with saying lobster is a symbol of the working class up there. but it has proved to be a very tough challenge. the district is still one that trump carried by about six or seven points right now. he is a known enemy of the district. i don't know exactly this last quarter, but it is going to be a tough challenge and one of the key house races we will be watching. host: let's hear from tennessee, philip on the democrat line.

good morning. caller: yes, yes. my deal is, i can't understand why anybody want a liar to support them in an election. he only lied 3000 times in about four or five years. if i was a republican that was going to run, the only thing trump successfully did would be buying the republican party -- dividing the republican party in half. you see the republicans shy away from him. the only gutless ones are in washington, d.c., which is mitch mcconnell, cruz, mccarthy. there is a whole wagon full of them. this deal about the border, i

used to live in texas. in houston. they used to have immigrant round up about twice a year. whatever happened to the governors taking care of their borders? why do they rely on the president to take care of their borders? it is there deal. i agree the president has the last say so, but that is my deal right there. thank you. host: philip mentioned splitting the republican party in half. doesn't look that way to you or does it look like most candidates out there are really aligning themselves with the former president? guest: it seems like everyone is aligning them selves with the former president. there is a recent poll that said 72% of republican voters would vote for trump again if he ran in 2024 right now. if you look at anyone who is staking out a claim against him,

look at what happens to liz cheney and as him -- and adam kissinger. they are not for elective office right now. the republican party not want an anti-trump vote right now. his party is pretty strong. host: our lines are (202) 748-8000 for democrats, (202) 748-8001 republicans, (202) 748-8002 republicans --independents. caller: i want to say that i am grateful for two things. the immigrants are coming here for the jobs. employ immigrants with low wages. number two, i think trump and joe biden both are too old to run again in 2024. we have got to have someone else out there younger and talented that can run the country. host: we have been focusing on

2022. kirk bado, your thoughts about her comments on the age of the former and current presidency? guest: they would be the oldest living inaugurated president, and joe biden is the oldest living president right now. there are some big legislative winds that in july and early june, there are those stories hammering democrats over bidens age, whether or not he is going to run into 24 right now. i think the democrats writ large have this meritocracy problem, where their leaders are in their 70's and 80's. nancy pelosi said she might or might not retire, could hold onto power a little bit longer, until there is this big leadership gap as this older generation hold onto power longer. the question here for democrats is, and what biden is putting

out is, is trump running again? he is the only one who's proven he can beat trump. guest: -- host: we have seen unusual campaign spending this year. in the gop primary in new hampshire, a group aired a pro-trump candidate had, a picture there. a democrat from washington was on "state of the union" yesterday. i want to play that common. [video clip] >> as a democratic leader, a national leader as well, are you ok with democrats helping election deniers in republican primaries like new hampshire? >> i believe what democratic supporters are doing is working to make sure we have a democratic majority in the united states senate and congress, so we can restore the rights of women to make their own health care choices, so that we can continue to fight climate

change, so that we can work to continue to put in place the policies that allow this economy to work for the men and women across the state and across the nation. >> ok, that's out of like a yet. -- like a yes. host: kirk bado on the line. that happened there and other places, like the maryland given tori a race. -- pictorial race -- gubernatorial race. guest: you have an election deniers getting across the line, peter myers, a more moderate republican. the line with democrats, especially in the house, it doesn't matter who the republican is. but we are still in a more favorable environment for republicans right now.

that half-million dollars and that michigan race helps election deniers conspiracy theorists at one step closer into congress right now. i think that is something they are really going to have to grapple with come november. the republicans could really be on the hook for putting election deniers and congress. host: we haven't talked much about that race in alaska, putting a democrat in that seat. don young one in a special election. but that was just a primary win. guest: she won the special election. she will be a member for about four months now. hope she is still coming down here, making that long trip and everything. but now, we will have a general

election here in november. she will face sarah palin, the former governor and vice presidential candidate, and the grandson of the last our credit to hold that seat in 1972. he ran as a republican in the primary. democrats firmly see this as in play. they're going to put money into that seat. democrats are going to have to be forced to spend on that seat i think it speaks to where the abortion issue is right now. mary just released the first general election add and it is all about her defending alaskan rights to abortion. that is an animated issue up there. the democrat waiting for the first time since 1972, this is a real issue. host: i understand this inspiring choice. how many votes did she win the special election by? guest: i think she was 3%.

she had 51% and sarah palin ended with about 40%. host: we will hear from kathy in delaware on the republican line. though ahead. caller: good morning. i think it is interesting that abc, cbs, and nbc did not carry bidens political message this week. i felt like when i understood him to say, it felt like he was speaking to me, that i was not a true american, that i was not worthy of this country. let me tell you, there are tens of millions of us who are incredibly offended by the way he spoke about us. i don't think, as far as this midterm goes, i think it is certain state-specific issues that will lean more democratic.

but in general, i think that the people who have witnessed the behavior of the fbi -- and i'm not talking about rank-and-file, i'm talking about the higher ups. the overall food costs, gas costs, the feeling that we were cheated for the 2020 election, and those issues, i think, are going to push the republican vote. by the way, those 10 people that voted against donald trump, most of them didn't even bother to run again. what does that tell you about the power of x president donald trump? host: kirk bado, final thought? guest: i thought it was really interesting that the networks did not carry it. i have yet to hear and explain about why "young sheldon" outranked president biden

speaking. it kind of spoke to the gamble of that speech. president biden tried very hard to have a nuance in that speech about how it is not every republican, only the maga republicans who wanted to overturn the election. but that was obviously lost, especially when you see the staging pictures with the red background and everything. republicans are kind of feeding on that right now, as a way to see that democrats and biden are demonizing them right now it writ large. the think she touched on with the fbi search of mar-a-lago, where trump and republicans, there defense initially was that if they could do this to a former president, think about what they can do to you. trying to make it less about the particulars of the case, the particulars of the allegations, and more about the element of the movement right now. the community, the collective spirit of the republican party around donald trump, it has

really kept his string a hold on the parity strong for so long and many people thought it would dissipate. host: kirk bado, let's get you back in the next 63 days as the election draws near. kirk bado, thank you for being here. still had here on the program, coming up in a little bit, we will talk about the issues affecting workers on this labor day and the wave of union victories they have seen across the country. "washington post" reporter lauren kaori gurley will join us at 9:15. up next, more calls and comments. the lines stay the same on open form. your chance to weigh in on politics, policy issues, other news you are following. (202) 748-8000 democrats, (202) 748-8001 republicans, (202) 748-8002 republicans. --independents. we will. ?.

>> now available at this c-span shop, the 2022 congressional directory. this compact, spiral-bound book is your guide to the federal government, with contact information of every member of congress, including bios and assignments. also, contact information for state governors and the biden administration cabinet. order your copy today at c-spanshop.org or scan the carload -- the code with your smart phone. ♪ >> middle and high school students, it is your time to shine. you are invited to participate in this year's c-span studentcam document or competition. in light of the upcoming election, picture yourself as a newly elected member of congress we ask this year's competitors, what is your top priority and why? make a five minute to six minute video that shows the importance of your issue, from opposing and

supporting perspectives. don't be afraid to take risks with your video. be bold. among $100,000 of cash prizes is a $5,000 grand prize. videos must be submitted by january 20, 2023. visit our website at studentcam.org for tips, rules, and a step by step guide. >> there are a lot of places to get political information, but only at c-span do you get it straight from the source. no matter where you are from or where you stand on the issues, c-span is america's network. unfiltered, unbiased, word for word. if it happens here or here or here, or anywhere that matters, america is watching on c-span. powered by cable. >> if you are enjoying book tv,

sign up for our newsletter using the qr code on the screen or to cede the schedule of upcoming programs and more. book tv, every sunday on c-span2 or anytime online at book tv.org. television for serious readers. >> "washington journal" continues. it is open form here on washington journal. a chance for you to call in for comments on political news, other news your following in the national regional news. (202) 748-8000 is the line for democrats, (202) 748-8001 for republicans, and for independents and others, (202) 748-8002. labor day here in the u.s., and a significant day in the u.k. as well. they are getting a new prime minister. list trust will be the new u.k. prime minister.

the outgoing p.m. boris johnson has tweeted out a congratulation and offering his formal resignation. "i have been proud to be the leader of the republican for years, getting brexit done, overseeing the fastest vaccine rollout in europe, and giving vital support to ukraine." liz truss will be the new prime minister and will also meet with the queen tomorrow. we expect more. let's hear from troy up next in connecticut, open form. good morning on the democrat line. caller: good morning. i have been watching what has been going on in the country. why can't republicans see that the former president has committed some serious crimes?

he has committed treason against the country. he does not care about his followers. for some reason, they keep following him. not only that, joe biden has been doing a hell of a job steering the ship that donald trump pretty much messed up. i don't understand why they keep following this traitorous man down a path that is not good. there are a lot of people that died and suffered because of this man's incompetence. i think it is unfair that everyone is coming out the president -- coming at the president right now for what is going on in the country. i think he is doing a hell of a job. i think age has nothing to do with his job. come november, the republicans will see the light and vote blue. thank you. host: on new york, republican line, lydia. caller: good morning. my first question is, why do

democrats not want voter id registration? and also, why can't we do -- what do you call this? energy independent, to do solar and everything, and for the fuel? host: to ohio, diane on the democrat line. go ahead. caller: hi, good morning. first of all, i wanted to remind everyone if republicans get in office, they are going to vote against having social security, medicare, and medicaid. they promised to get rid of it inviting years. number two, when it comes to abortion in the state of ohio, in one year, 52 little girls

were raped and became pregnant and had to have abortions. this is disgusting that they want to keep this up, because we have little kids sleeping in it cleveland offices because there's not enough place to put them. also, the point i'm trying to make is that these children need a place to live, a place to have somewhere safe. a lot of kids are getting killed not from abortion, just being out in this world. which one is worse? inc. about this, which one -- think about this. which one? do you want to kill your children? host: this month, we're celebrated the 243rd of the u.s. constitution.

a second constitutional convention. some republicans want to force one. that is the headline. representative jodey arrington, a conservative texas republican, believes it as well best time something for -- for something the nation has not celebrated in centuries. i think they are due a convention. in july, he introduced legislation to tally applications for state legislations -- state legislators. "it is time to rally the states and rain in washington responsibly." a former democratic senator from wisconsin and president of the american constitution society, a liberal judicial group, "that is a terrible idea. mr. feingold sees the prospect of a -- as are hogan's push to

retake control in novembers elections." we are very concerned that the congress, if it becomes republican, will call the congress. -- will call a convention. internationally, on the constitution, the story here from the "washington post" about the defeat of a new constitution in chile. they say no to constitution that beard far left. on sunday, they delivered a resounding rejection to a new leftist constitution that aimed to transform the country into a more a gala terry in society. in a referendum, voters were asked to propose -- work asked to approve or reject one of the most market firmly in the world, with one of the world's most inclusive. the new charter envisioned a

dramatic shift to the left in the south american nation, expanding the role of government and calling for an economic model that would narrow inequality and help lift up the poor. but for many chileans, the proposed changes were too drastic, with 99.9% of the ballot boxes pallet -- tallied sunday night. about 62.2% of voters rejected it. it is open form on "washington [captioning performed by the national captioning institute, which is responsible for its caption content and accuracy. visit ncicap.org] caller: good morning fellow americans. i wonder why people don't recognize, compared to the items that were found at the ex-president's house, some people in the past paid the ultimate price. nobody mentions julius and ethel

rosenberg compared to what donald trump is trying to do or has done or will do. i wonder how that would affect the coming elections. thank you. host: can is up next in pennsylvania on the republican line. caller: good morning, i think the american people ought to remember the democrats and the unions closed down schools. i think you ought to play the clip where trump said you have to open up, thank you. host: overland park, kansas is up next, rob is on the democrats line in open forum. caller: good morning, i think shifting demographics is the overarching issue why we see donald trump out there and people still follow him. the brookings institute did a study that showed that people

who support donald trump despite everything, they do it because they deep down have an element of racism in them. you see the shift in demographics and maybe by 2045, whites will not be in the majority anymore so fox news and other griping media is feeding into that here critical race theory and all the ohlone that's not even happening. the fear is being whipped up in in a democracy like america, people can lie on tv like on fox news so we are destroying democracy slowly by letting all this happen. unfortunately, c-span can help but let these people come on and live. he lied about the insurrection and he launched a coup against the government.

despite all that cultish behavior, that continues on and on -- if this country becomes authoritarian, maybe they won't even let them come on. thank you. host: next up is grant on the independent line in lincoln nebraska. caller: thank you for taking my call. i'm going to use my call this month to talk about social security. everybody gets text 6.2% on the first $147,000 they make. which means for the super rich people who make 300,000 dollars or more per year, they are saying social security taxes on less than half of their income where the mass majority of us paid social security taxes on all of our income and i don't think that's fair. i think everybody should be

contacting their federal representatives to remove the maximum tax on social security so everybody is paying the same percentage of their paycheck regardless of how much income you make. i think it's a simplification of the tax code and i think it's more fair for everybody and it makes the social security fund more secure, thank you. host: a couple of comments on labor day for members of congress.

in mckinney, texas, pat is up let -- up next on the democrats line. caller: i have two points and one is women are the only ones who have the right to address the issue of abortion. next is -- when people come across the border, wherever they want to send them, they need

help. we know the whole country, people either quit their job and they need people now to take the jobs. i'm getting a little confused. if they knew who the people were and could track them, there wouldn't be any new -- there wouldn't be any problem. i know people in smaller towns and all that in the little bit bigger towns, they all want help. host: it is open forum here on "washington journal" for the

next 10 minutes or so. this is the headline this morning from the hill. part of that momentum begins today with the president on the road with two stops. he is stopping at a steelworkers hall near pittsburgh and west mifflin, pennsylvania. the president will speak at 5:30 p.m. eastern we will have live coverage of that at 5:30 p.m. and our mobile app and available at www.c-span.org. redding, california is next and we hear from rick on the independent line, good morning. caller: good morning, just like the hunter biden laptop was suppressed from the public, the media has been suppressing these

and i suggest everybody take a look at the movie selection code and look at those before you get out and vote. host: manchester, missouri, rick is up next, go ahead. caller: yes, i wanted to call and response to the gentleman who made the analysis that trump supporters want to dark -- our fuel for -- are fearful for watering down the white race. my wife and i have made to international adoptions of kids from a different race. they are missing the point. i voted for trump twice because i viewed him as an outsider which is what we need to break up the long-standing political cabals in washington. as far as racism, we have a

friend who's an asian girl and has had two different races and they weren't white. she's had threats toward her during the pandemic. trump supporters are not racist by nature. i'm looking for someone who is an outsider to take charge in washington to break things up. host: thank, we will go to the democrats line next in florida. iris, mute your volume on your television. go ahead with your comment. caller: i want to talk about the republicans rewriting the constitution because that's a horrific idea. it's simply to give them more power. i feel the constitution is

updated by the amendments if anything should be done, that's how would should be done is by amendment. can you imagine what kind of constitution we would have if they are allowed to do this. i think they should vote that idea out. host: this is the front page of the new york times about how the election timetable could affect investigations into the former president.

in washington, maryland on the line, republican caller. caller: the reason that i have loved donald trump. he is a breath of fresh air. he is common sense and he is a businessman and has run our country like a business. not like a very regulated socialistic country. that is what joe biden has done. he is going more socialist and is very progressive. and -- with donald trump, we were more energy efficient and we had lower taxes and lower regulation, a stronger borders.

he was for law, the democrats have been defunding the police. we have had bright clear across the country and no one seemed to complain about any of the horrible fires and destruction clear across our country about january 6 it makes me so angry they didn't investigate any of those. here he was, people were saying goodbye to him on that january 6. until we have a country that is having a terrible time, many people are having a terrible time financially and all they are talking about his donald trump, donald trump, donald trump. host: next up is crystal lake, illinois we lost him we will go to michael on the independent

line from connecticut. caller: the only people talking about critical race are the republicans. they are pushing it and they're the only reason anybody knows anything about it. whatever. if you removed only one person from january 6, that would be trump and it would never have happened. he was the catalyst behind the whole thing. the last woman, everything she said, i don't know where she's getting it from stuff he wants to stir the pot. let me let you republican people know, it's easier to fool someone than to convince them they been fooled. you have been fooled by a fool. thank you very much, have a great labor day. host: on labor day, this is the opinion piece of the washington examiner.

you can read that piece at washington examiner. calm step next up is alan, good morning. caller: this is alan. it's like a soap opera we watch every day. is just about trump, trump, trump, it's almost like trip trying to clean up a mess with a wet sponge and we are not solving any problems.

it's like an abrasive soap opera. i hope we can come together as a country and solve some problems after creating more. thank you for your time. host: thanks for your calls this segment with more ahead on "washington journal." , we will be joined by the washington post labor reporter to talk about the issues affecting workers today and the wave of unionization efforts across the country this year. >> listening to programs on c-span or c-span radio just got easier. tell your smart speaker "place --play c-span radio app." important congressional hearings and other public affairs events air throughout the day.

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>> "washington journal" continues. pe to be joined by the washington post labor porter to talk about this labor day. you can start calling in. if you are a union member -- you can also use that line to send us a text and hopefully our guest will be joining us soon. she wrote of the jobs report last week. she writes that the unemployment

rate ticked up slightly according to a monthly jobs report. some 344,000 more people were unemployed than in july probably because more workers rejoined the labor force newly looking for work. the office jobs game was far lower than the stellar job growth with half a million people finding work labor market remains an area of strength for the economy especially as the federal reserve raises interest rates to rein in blistering inflation which is weighing on the housing sector. our guest covers labor issues and the workforce or the washington post and is joining us this morning, welcome to the discussion. guest: thank you so much for having me. sorry about the technical issues. host: we cleared it up. you said in your reporting that the numbers were less than they were for july.

where is the strength of the jobs gains? guest: july was over half a million in june was a bit lower. the strength of the job gains, well, a big drop from july-august but that's not incredibly concerning. that's what was predicted. we are still seeing significant job gains in professional services which is important because a lot of people were spooked out about mass layoffs and in other blue-chip companies. it turns out that sector is growing past its pre-pandemic levels and we are seeing big gains in health care, retail, things have slowed down a bit in leisure and hospitality so we

are still significantly under the pre-pandemic, the jobs that existed pre-pandemic. manufacturing continued to grow a little bit of most other sectors were pretty much, no major growth. host: your piece was published saturday and you write that the strength of the jobs market this year has emboldened the fed to take aggressive action to fight inflation. speaking in jackson hole last week, jerome powell said the fed should stop raising interest rates until inflation is under control and that will probably soft and the labor market and cause some pain. explain the tide in between what the fed is doing and the job number we see each month. guest: when the fed raises

interest rates, that makes it more expensive for people to borrow money. that means money is being fused -- infused into the economy. this means that eventually, the unemployment rate kicks up because employers are offering fewer jobs. technically what this tool is that the fed uses by raising interest rates is designed to lower wages -- keep wages from skyrocketing so that inflation also does not need to go up. this is a tool that may be used for a long time to tamp back inflation. there is definitely a lot of

pain that has inflicted on households and workers and it's proportionally on the backs of black workers and workers of color because the unemployment rate for them is typically higher than it is for the overall workforce. host: looking at your headline from last august, chipotle, the first two organize. is this more in indication of the growing strength of labor unions or the continued strength of the marketing rights of workers across the economy? guest: i think two things are happening here. for very long time, union membership in the united states has been declining.

we are at about 10% of workers right now of workers part of the union which was 30% in the 1950's. it is also matched with a popular opinion poll that says more americans support labor unions. bennett any point since 1965. there is there a resurgent interest in unions. starbucks unionized, rei, apple stores, amazon so there is a shift in the interest among people in labor unions that hasn't happened in a long time and i think that's being propped up by a very tight labor market. there is to open jobs right now

for every worker. when that happens, workers have more leverage to negotiate individually but also collectively as a union so more workers are forming unions. 66 percent and up to the number of workforce is filing for union elections this year as opposed to last year. host: also the figure from the labor statistics, the numbers in our dropping off of it. what should we read into that? guest: i think they are still elevated and maybe in some sense the fed raising interest rates is having an effect. people are staying with their jobs because they are up rating from the recession.

they read headlines and are less likely to say we are still in a place where i could find another job easily if i were laid off so people are more hesitant now because of the headlines and slightly fewer jobs that were being created, the soft landing that the fed has tried to design is happening in some way where workers are maybe a little less bold and they were a few months ago. host: has the administration emboldened union movements across the country? guest: biden promised to unions the most of any president in the united states but i don't know if that had an enormous impact on the resurgence for interest

in labor unions we are seeing. labor law is still very weak in the u.s. and the law affects workers with the right to organize free from retaliation. it's very weak and i think joe biden has indicated that we have seen not too much significant change of what it's like for workers in this country to form a union. host: we have the labor writer from the washington post comments on this labor day stop we are talking about the state of the american worker and the state of the labor movement in the united states.

let's go to phoenix and eric union line. this is nicholas. caller: good morning. you host: are on the air. caller: can i have the name of the guest i'm speaking to. host: it's lauren kaori gurley. caller: may i call you lauren? [captions copyright national cable satellite corp. 2022] host: you can call me lauren. caller: good morning, how are you? i appreciate your focus on labor and unions. it sounds like you were raised right. i work for the v.a..

i haven't seen a patient since june 15. i was on temporary leave because of health concerns. with covid. they weren't supposed to be released on the races and it's been two months. i called the office of government retirement benefits. that is a joke. i would love for you to enjoy the joke as well. 88-767-3768. if you are attempting to obtain benefits come up please press one. if you are a current employee, press two, if you're having trouble with the logged in, we cannot help you go to the website.

due to the volume of calls, if you're calling your own government benefits, there is no one to help you. click. there is no leave your number, this is how are government works. same thing with the labor department. everyone is taking the menu, an algorithm that sends you nowhere. it's just a circle. host: to be clear, the first phone call is to the office of personnel management? caller: yeah, the government retirement benefits section. guest: i'm sorry that happened to you. i imagine this happens to a lot of people. i've received emails to this effect. do you have a question you want to ask? host: unfortunately, he is off the line. caller: thank you. host: we will go to david north

port new york on our union line. caller: good morning, i am in the trade union in construction. i believe the percentage of union membership is down to 7% nationally. caller: 10%. guest: when i came minute it was 13%. caller: my primary issue now is with the democratic party. there is a lot of problems for unions right now but one of them is the flood of cheap labor coming over the border. it's a major problem. i am a shop steward and i deal

with 19 contractors all the time. they have a limitless labor pool to underbid union contractors. it's 100% class warfare. i look at the democratic party and i don't understand what they have done for organize labor. even going back to clinton, you had john podesta with emails with corporate alliances. i don't see anyone helping organize labor. the only person i ever heard was donald trump. he said he will bring jobs back from china and close the borders to protect people like me. then i have to listen to president biden with his speeches in all this nonsense. host: we will get a response from our guest. guest: i would say that

immigration right now is been historically down because of the trump administration's policy and closing borders during covid. it's true about lotto big players in this country. they will often go to cheaper contractors as far as construction or temp services that tend to hire pete -- hire people for less. i think president biden is made some strides in travailing wage genders where employers have to pay certain amount. hiring low-paid workers might be

people who just came into this country but i would also say that overall, a lot of people are concerned about union jobs going overseas to other countries where labor is cheaper. particularly manufacturing jobs. there are many jobs in the united states i would say that are not union, unions are fighting to improve benefits and conditions in these industries stop benefits and wages could be as good as manufacturing. that is an area where we could see more improvements i totally agree with what you said.

it is hard for a lot of union waiters -- workers. it's hard to get them to bid on the largest pay raise. host: the labor department says that's 241,000 than 2020 and 58% of nonunion workers say they are not interested at all in joining. is there any why behind that question? guest: that a great question.

colored workers are the least likely to join a union. i can't say why that happens. workers who are -- were on the higher end of the pay section think that maybe they wouldn't benefit from a union. there are a lot of white-collar workers unionizing right now across the tech industry, across nonprofits and various other office for additional workplaces. that could be coming from there. while there is surging interest in unions among young people, baby boomers and older workers tend to be more mistrustful of unions because of their history. for all the support there is for

unions in the united states now, there is obviously a bunch of people who feel the unions are not serving another interest but only their interests or it hasn't worked out for them in the past. there is a large assortment of reasons why it makes people hesitant to join unions particularly on the higher wage and. -- end. host: caller: i am upset the way they are doing to trump. they are working him over. if they don't get after joe biden for spending all this monday. host: we are focusing on labor day in the labor movement in the

u.s. but thanks for your call. in maryland, jimmy on the democrat line. caller:caller: at the beginning of the program, you started with who is the more worker friendly. people are forgetting that the republican who always against social security and medicare. they were always against unions and minimum-wage increases. when they get into power, they have tax breaks for the rich and they are for less regulations if you think why a working-class people voting again their own interests. right wing radio is 24 7, 365.

they're always using this propaganda to say that unions are bad and the government is spending and they don't mention social security and medicare but they say government spending which is code. the democrats are for the unions and social security and for worker safety regulations. they give tax breaks to the lower classes. guest: we've seen union

membership in this country dropped from one third of workers to one in 10 workers over the past 70 years. a lot of that the client has taken place since the 1980's when there became more sophisticated strategies by management around despite union drives, more aggressive legislation to got the unions. a lot of that has been overseen by democratic administrations as well. there is a lot of concern among working people about the democratic party not being strong enough to prop up unions and joe biden is one of the first to sort of place unions

prominently. there are still questions whether he has really done anything materially legislatively to significantly improve or make it easier for workers in the united states to join unions. host: inflation is an economic issue but it becomes a political issue in an election year. is there any evidence that the rise in inflation is encouraging a broader interest in union membership? guest: and speaking to workers

like union members at chipotle and traders -- and trader joe's and starbucks and amazon, i hear the inflation question all of the time is one of the main reasons why people are struggling right now. we've seen historic gains over the past year. it's being wiped out by inflation. people are taking on a second or third job i was talking to someone who said people at a trader joe's that unionized in minneapolis, people are donating blood plasma to make extra money. they are doing all sorts of things because of inflation.

the combination of super tight labor market where there are lots of jobs or you need to switch jobs combined with inflation where people are struggling to make ends meet, that is a very ripe environment for union activity. host: you've talked to new union members. there is a piece on sunday morning a few weeks ago that was titled there is advocating for unions. what are the union membership expectations for the younger people? guest: i think it's different in some ways than we've seen in previous decades. many workers are forming independent unions at these

shops like amazon. they are not affiliated with any established union like the teamsters. they do their own thing. that is a bit different and i don't know how that will play out. they are looking to negotiate contracts but i don't know if they will remain unaffiliated or not trader joe's and amazon workers have gone independent so they are committed to staying that way. the concerns that they have are pretty much the concerns that people have had joining a union. people are concerned about wages and benefits and they are interested in having a voice in

how their working conditions are set and negotiated. they want to place at the bargaining table. the other huge thing is people have a lot of health and safety concerns because a lot of them work throughout covid on the front lines. they saw people die or get sick. i think that is a huge issue that will play out in these battles these workers have with management at these companies. host: let's get back to the calls, our union line, go ahead. caller: how are you today? as far as i'm concerned, what killed the labor movement in this country's citizens united. it gives the power to put tons

of money into union influence. they don't have to hold their membership. they can just put the money in where a union takes the conservation of its union members to fight for the union. if you want to start a union, there are laws that protect union people and most people get fired from some of the meetings. i'm 84 years old in born and bred and i believe in unions, pe riod. host: what was your union? caller: i belong to the west or fire department union and i'm the central mass vice president of the afl-cio i love this false information that's put out there. i can see why these companies

like fox news or any company has to put false information out there. they should have a retort of the other side stop host: thank you for calling. guest: thank you so much for calling. i would note that yes, the companies having more sophisticated antiunion campaigns is playing out now. over the past year, we saw amazon fire a number of very active leaders of unionization campaigns including the first president of the first amazon union which was voted in, the first warehouse to vote a union in in april in staten island. the company also help hundreds

of antiunion meetings with lee's in the lead up to the election they sent them text messages and posted signage urging workers to vote no to the union election. in the case of starbucks, the starbucks management has fired more than 75 union leaders over the past nine months. i definitely -- starbucks is also waged a campaign where they denied raises and benefits to union workers that they are giving to nonunion workers. you are right that things are very much back to the workers and the fight to unionize and employers will have more sophisticated tactics to derail

unionization campaigns. some of these tactics are very old. host: in the case of amazon where the warehouse voted to organize, any indication the interest in organizing and establishing unions is growing among amazon warehouses and locations nationwide? guest: a couple of weeks ago, second amazon warehouse file to unionize in albany. they filed the human -- to unionize with amazon labor which is an independent labor union. a big piece of news that came out last week on thursday night

was that amazon had challenged the results of that election in staten island and said they should be thrown out. the national labor relations board said that the amazon objection does not stand up and they are proceeding and they recommend the union in staten island be certified which is the first time that an amazon union would be certified. host: next is silver spring, maryland, democrats line. caller: thank. happy labor day. thank you for taking my call. my mother was a federal employee . i look at a union like the constitution, it's a piece of paper about we the people. a union is also about we the

people and how involved we get stuck i did not have a great experience. i have brain damage and lung damage from worker's comp. injuries. the present of the local union at my gum recalls would do nothing to help me and would not let us stop -- a shop steward help me. i did not get benefits but that's not normal. the faculty union seiu is wonderful. she is more for the administration. it's again a matter of employees and members of the union sticking up and standing up stuck once you get sick, you can't. i thank you for the work you do and i definitely believe in unions and anybody who's been in a position where there is a union, joining it, pay your dues. like in maryland, people are

getting benefits and if you are friends with the president, she will bend over backwards to help them. host: we will let it go there. guest: thanks for calling. i'm sorry to hear that happened to you. i think a lot of the reason why workers, we are seeing workers more interested in forming independent unions were like at starbucks where the workers are doing the organizing and not as much professional union organizers, a lot of that is because people are hesitant of establishing a union because of what you may be hinting at which is unions that are pro-business and are with management and willing to side with management and often have concerns among workers who want more of a voice

on the job and want a union are still looking for ways to ensure that their concerns and workplace conditions that they want changed are being considered by the union and not something that maybe an elected official, union official has agreed to as management. host: this is from twitter guest: that's a good question. i don't know too much about that campaign. there is a lot of interest. there is a section of union supporter videos on youtube as

well. i think there is growing interest among the youngest set of workers in this country, people who are in their early 20's and unit -- and unionizing. we are seeing record support for labor unions right now. most of that support is coming from young people who are very much active on social media so i would not be surprised if there was some sort of tiktok or youtube union or in influencers union step i believe there are influencers who were tied to a hollywood union. that's a space where we could see more activism. host: i want to ask about your

piece published today in the washington post. what had you in trusted in minnesota and why is it a hotspot for workers? guest: minnesota currently has unemployment rate of 1.8% which is the lowest unemployment rate ever recorded by any state since the bureau of labor statistics began. it's kind of wild and what we are seeing is the hot labor market dynamic that has come to play in the covid recovery economy has just been very heightened in the state of minnesota, harshly because the state has a diversified economy

and high purchase of patient and a strong education system and a lot of immigrants from east africa. we were interested to go there and see how that was buying out on the ground stop they have a ton of leverage there. no one is making less than double the minimum wage. on the flipside, they are struggling to hire. they're trying to attract workers like us again people from other states and offering huge sign-on bonuses. this is a microcosm of what's going on around the country, the most extreme example and that's why we broke that piece. host: the article is on washington post.com. columbia, maryland is next up on

the republican line. caller: yes, thank you for having me. i have a question here. do you think that using -- unionizing companies won't just speed up automation? guest: that's a great question. in many cases, unionizing companies, there is automation occurring. it isn't necessarily displacing workers. it's making their jobs easier and making the work flow smoother and increasing productivity as a company overall.if the workforce is unionized more, the workers are benefiting hopefully from those gains. i guess there is always a fear that automation will displace workers but i think we haven't

really seen that playing out in the sense that people are actually losing their jobs due to automated versions of their jobs coming into play. host: you cover labor issues for "the washington post." thank you for being with us on this labor day. guest: thank you so much. host: on this labor day, the president is leaving shortly from washington to go to two spots. there is a live look at air force one at joint base andrews. first stop is milwaukee, wisconsin and then he will stop in pittsburgh and west mifflin, pennsylvania for remarks on this labor day. we will cover that event at 5:30 p.m. eastern and you can watch that live here on c-span and watch it on our free mobile app, c-span now and at www.c-span.org .

that will do it for this morning's "washington journal." we are back tomorrow at 7:00 >> c-span's "washington journal." everyday we take your calls and discuss policy issues important to you. dave leventhal talks about the ongoing investigation of potential conflict of interest by members of congress, and a look ahead to capitol hill this

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