now. ♪ host: good morning it's saturday, 3/25/2023. by a vote of 213-200 eight house republicans passed one of their high priority pieces of legislation it is called the parents bill of rights and if it fills a campaign promise that republicans say will give parents a bigger role in what is taught in public schools. house democrats were united in

opposing the legislation labeling it the politics over parents act. this morning, we want to hear from you. if you had to vote in congress how would you come down on this legislation? if you support the bill call us at (202) 748-8000, if you oppose the legislation you are in line is (202) 748-8001, we also have a special line for educators. we want you to call us at (202 748-8002. you can also send us a text message at (202) 748-8003. please include your name and where you live if you sent us a text. you can find us at facebook.com/cspan where our discussion has already begun this morning. we are on twitter at

http://twitter.com/cspanwj and instagram. to start today's conversation i want to bring up an article in the new york times about yesterday's vote on the parents bill of rights legislation. the times writes a divided house approve legislation that would mandate that schools make library catalogs and curriculums public and they obtain parental consent before honoring a student's request to change their gender identifying pronouns. trying to bring a debate on contentious issues. the vote was a long party lines. it has no chance of passing the

democratic controlled senate or being signed by president whose advisor says it endangers transgender children without actually supporting parents. it passage reflects latest bids to focus on topics that animate the base by promoting -- republican opponents say that it's a measure to ensure the rights of parents are honored and protected in the nation's public school and argued that the goal provide students the best learning experience possible. let's get to the democrats perspective, it says democrats argue that the bill could create a legal basis for censorship in schools and book bands and would create divisions based on sexual orientation and gender identity. during debate on the house floor

democrats dubbed the legislation politics over parents act calling it extreme and vehicle to bring political ballot over social issues into classrooms while trying to codify parental rights that already exist. that's an overview from the new york times of this parent bill of rights act. let's look at an ovvi of what is in the legislation. school dtrts publicly post curriculum information, they need a copy to any revisions the states academic standards, teachers must offer to in-person meetings each year, parents have a say schools private policy issues. parents must consent before any

health exams. mental health screenings. or drug screens. we will get here because of just a moment but i want to bring up a video, this is republican lawmaker julia lowe of louisiana who introduced the legislation and this is her talking more about what it will do. [video clip] >> hr five is about one principal, parents should always have a seat at the table when it comes to their child's education. we believe that learning is a partnership between a family and their child's teachers. this bill is a vehicle by which we can put parents and educators together at the same table to have a productive dialogue. this bill is not complex or

complicated nor should it be partisan or polarizing. contrary to what you may hear from my colleagues on the other side of the break i'll, it's not an attack on our hard-working teachers who will always be the heroes of my eyes. it is not an attempt to have congress dictate their curriculum or determine the books in the library. instead this bill bring aims to bring more transparency and accountability to education allowing parents to be informed and when they have questions and concerns, will lawfully bring them to their local school boards. over the past two years we have seen too many instances where rather than opening their doors to open parents and his partners, some schools slammed them shots and that government bureaucrats know what is best for our children. parents have overwhelmingly spoken out that they have had enough. they want a seat at the table because at the end of the day,

these are our children are the governments. mr. speaker, i worked in education before congress and i am also on mom. i have seen firsthand that when you educate a child you give them a future. we know that when parents are involved it is the students the succeed. we also know that when a family a shot out of a child's education it will lead to bad results. host: that was republican lawmaker julia letlow who was the original sponsor of the parents bill of rights legislation and now we want to get to some of your calls. the question this morning is that if you were in congress and able to weigh in how would you have voted. if you supported (202) 748-8000, if you oppose it (202) 748-8001, and our special line for educators is (202) 748-8002.

we will get to your calls now, bob in dallas texas. it says that you oppose the bill, tell me why? caller: it is conservative extremism. host: what you mean by that? which part of the legislation do you think is extreme? caller: the mere fact the conservative element in congress consistently, radically changes everything that the democrats offer. host: alright bob we appreciate your call this morning. let's go to hiawatha, kansas. jerry you support your bill.

what about the bill urge or support? caller: normally i don't go for federal control but the democrats have caused this because they have tried to ram this de i education and because of the federal control on that, i would go to my local school board. the educators, my son was in education and he was told that he had to call a boy a girl's name and he had no say on anything and none of the teachers could say anything or they would be punished or fired. the thing about democrats, they put a great name on what legislation they want. an example of that would be pro-choice with all that is is killing babies. host: we appreciate your call

this morning. our next caller is glenn in lakeland, florida. what you oppose the bill? caller: i oppose the bill because i'm looking at the bigger picture. it has nothing to do with what the discussion is, it's about republicans using a strategy that didn't work last time, it did not get trump elected. now they want to use this because they know good and well is about trying to prevent african-american history from being taught in school so their kids are uncomfortable in class. they don't care about the black children in class and what they need to know. on top of that, it's just a ploy. all this transgender stuff is bs and i will ask white americans, if you want to ban books, let us ban the bible? the bible has the kind of things

in it that you complain about. that's all i have to say. host: let's go to norfolk, virginia, you support the legislation reaches? caller: i support it because of the critical race theory and the orientation that they're trying to force homosexuality on our children, trying to groom them for homosexual sex. mutilating little girls body and if they want to transition back, a lot of times it's too late. they have lost their physical ability to have children and it's terrible. host: that was reaches in norfolk, virginia. let's go to francis, you oppose the legislation in bayside, new york?

caller: correct. host: tell us why. caller: you can't ban books. if you don't like the book, you don't read it. many times i picked up a book i didn't like the first chapter and i put it away. we are getting back to when the nazis through books in the fire and just burn books for the sake of burning books. people should be given the option. i don't believe that they are teaching homosexuality and change of sex and gender all that in schools. it's been there all along. it has been happening and if a child feels that they were born in the wrong sex, that is for the parents to deal with and i don't think it's being dealt with in the school. i don't think the schools are in encouraging it, that is my

point. homosexuality has been there all along but people stayed in the closet. i am really against these banning of books. i also believe that parents have no say in the schools, that is not true. i don't ever remember everyone saying that they have problems with what their kids were ringing home to read from school. i think it's over exaggerated and they are just making a big deal out of it. host: up next in myrtle beach, south carolina, dusty. tell us why you are against this legislation? caller: i am against this legislation because of the single fact that it is just a ploy. host: what you mean by that?

the republicans that we have in washington today are nothing but donald trump puppets. i have a brother who lives in orlando, florida. and they're taking all these books out of the schools. you may not know it but on the local news those kids are crying in the young kids are crying in class because they are taking all their books away from them. this is been going on all our life. this started when they stack the supreme court and then they did away with abortion.

that does not give anyone the right to give you or any woman what to do with their life or their body. you don't have the right to come into my house and say you can't have that, you can't have that book. you have to do away with that. these republicans, if we do not stop them, they will take away every right that we have away from us because the type of the republicans that are in there now. jim jordan, he is the biggest waste of taxpayer money. they are so immature and childish. i watch him in those committee hearings. how in the world does this man get elected in washington dc?

host: we appreciate your call and we will move on to someone who supports the legislation don in cooksville, tennessee. caller: hi, good morning how are you doing? host: doing well. caller: this ought to be real simple. if you don't have kids or if you are wealthy enough to be sending your kids to private schools, those legislatures need to recuse themselves from voting on this. just leave it to the legislators that have involve children. people that have skin in the game. i am very sick and tired of this being simply republican versus democrat. just leave it to the people that actually have something involved in it. thank you, that is my comment for today. host: on the line from westwood,

new jersey. mark, you oppose the legislation. tell us more about that? caller: good morning, thank you for c-span. i oppose this legislation. this is just a typical republican ploy to get us all involved in some culture war. they ran on inflation, the border, they are not doing anything. all they are doing is this culture were garbage. they are banning books in florida and texas it is so obvious what books they are banning. books about black people, books about gay people, books about jewish people. this country is really going the wrong way and if we elect donald trump again, that is it, we are done. we will never have a democracy or a decent country and now the most loud, racist parents can decide what is taught in school?

i pay the highest property taxes in the country and we have the best schools in new jersey. i'm happy my taxes go to school because kids are getting a great education. people with masters and doctorates in know what they are doing or designing the education for children so they understand the world that they live in. just because you have a child does not make them qualified to decide how kids are educated. i just think this legislation is garbage and i hope the joe biden vetoes it. host: all right, thank you for your call mark. it was passed in the house, the bill is not likely to even get an airing in the senate where democrats are in control, let alone make it to president biden's desk. it did pass in the republican-controlled house. i want to bring up an article by

the associated press because a lot of callers have been mentioning what has been put under the umbrella of culture wars now that the republicans are in control of the u.s. house. this is an associated press article about this legislation and i want to start a few paragraphs down it says in the wake of the pandemic virus and racial protest there intense focus on parents control has migrated from local school board fired its to the u.s. floor of the house. while schools should focus on reading writing and math, not woke politics. that was said in earlier debates. expert education has invited concern among some parents usually conservatives. the term "parents rights" sex

education and teaching of languages other than english. republicans have passed frustration over remote learning as well as social conservatives opposition to teachings on race that are broadly labeled as critical race theory, a way of thinking about american history through the lens of racism. glenn youngkin was elected as virginia's governor on the slogan parents matter. political action committees poured millions of dollars into school board races nationwide. mccarthy made at the bill a part of his 2022 election pitch to voters to give republicans a house majority. that's a little bit more on the parents bill of rights and i want to bring up the video.

during the news conference after the bill passed, house democratic leader hakeem jeffries spoke out against the republicans agenda. [video clip] >> today extreme maga republicans passed a bill that puts politics of her parents and will ban books, since her librarians, and bully children. it is shameful. rather than actually invest in empowering parents, making sure parents have the opportunity to be engaged and involved in the education of their children, the extreme maga republicans want to jam their right wing ideology of the throats -- down the throats of students, teachers and parents across america.

they want to ban books on the holocaust. ban books on the holocaust. they want to ban books on martin luther king jr.. extreme republicans want to ban books on the lgbtq journey in the united states of america. extreme maga republicans want to ban a book on roberto clemente and baseball. what is more american than baseball and apple pie. extreme maga republicans want to ban a book on baseball. and of course they want to ban a book on a native american experience in the united states of america. that is there educational

agenda. it is out of touch and they are out of control. host: that is representative hakeem jeffries who is the house democratic leader speaking out against that parents bill of rights legislation but we want to get back to our phone lines to talk to you about whether you support or oppose this bill. again, if you supported that number is (202) 748-8000, if you oppose the legislation it is (202) 748-8001, and our special line for educators current and retired is (202) 748-8002. dave and hilton head, south carolina. tell us why you would vote in favor of this bill if you are in congress? caller: i don't like what they are teaching my kids. i pulled my kids out and put

them in a private school. they need to get real in the department of education. because you have people who are trying to ruin it. critical race that is, what the hell? we're teaching sex in second grade, that's crazy. i am paying $1500 a month to send my kids to private school. the education department is going to hell. they are teaching all this crap because they have fifth-graders who can even read and write, are you kidding me? that's crazy. host: our next collar is

colleen. she is calling from illinois. you are not in favor of the legislation? caller: no, i am not. in good morning, i am listening to the callers from both sides and i am amazed at some of the opinions. i think a lot of the people who are in favor of this so-called bill on parental rights should probably take themselves to some schools, maybe sit in the classroom, talk to the actual educators, people who are doing the work for our children across the country, not just in florida and texas that are on the hot seat right now. they should listen to what they are teaching our children.

i have not had a child in school for a lot of years but i went through school, you went through school, we all went through school. this critical race theory is to me, i don't know where it came from. most of the people who are screaming about it probably don't even know what it means. the people who are screaming and yelling about all these things happening to our children in the education system, they should seriously educate themselves. get in there, get in the schools , see what is being taught. i have three educators in my family and if you asked them are any of these things happening in their schools? they will tell you flat out no. they are not teaching any of

these crazy ideas to our kids. they are not trying to make little boys become little girls. simeon, i am sorry, i listen to what i see and hear from educators that are actually doing the work. host: alright colleen we appreciate that. we will move on to austin, texas. mary is calling in to say why she supports the legislation. caller: i do support this because if we look at ourselves. the baby boomers and myself, i am a middle-aged woman. look at us? what is wrong with us? what's happening with their children? i want to tell you this thing about taking martin luther king

who i've loved and supported and i am hispanic. they will not take those books out. he's history, he made a difference for black americans. you guys need to start waking up and not woke because i will tell you, teaching our children about sexual acts and books. those books are out. they won't allow a parent to go sit in class because they are invading. every parent has a right to know what their child is learning because if we don't, we will ruin our children. they were already ruined when they took on out of the schools. i remember we had a little prayer, and i thought i have to be good because there is a god that is watching me. because nobody else is watching their children today. we have to believe in something greater than ourselves. i love america.

my ancestors were from mexico. they came over back in the day, i am not really familiar with it. i am proud to be an american. anybody who comes to america needs to know that this is the country that you can open a business if you want. you can do anything you want. we have to secure our borders and where is our president? he has not even been involved. host: i want to stay on topic and make sure we are talking about the parents bill of rights legislation. we have an educator on the line, nina and milton, new york. good morning. nina?

all right, we will have to come back to her. patricia in cleveland, ohio. tell us why you are not in favor of this legislation? caller: i think educators have been making these decisions for a long time and they are good at it. they don't need the parents telling them what to do. host: do you think there is a role at all and having a say are being notified about certain things? caller: i'm not sure about that. i think the educators know what they are doing when it comes to educating children.

pta meetings, they can be involved in. i don't think they need to be talking to the children. i think educators should be in charge of that. host: we have patricia in cleveland, ohio. mike in michigan, tell us why you are in favor of the bill of rights? caller: this is a.k.a. big money. what i can't believe is that this is what we are going to talk about. when are we going to talk about god? when are we going to promote god? that is what i would like to know. host: are you saying public schools should promote religion? caller: god. that's it, god. when are we going to promote god? host: are you saying that's the

role of the public school to do so? caller: the federal government is in our public schools now, so that is the problem. host: ok. let's go to mark and montgomery, alabama. mark, tell us your thoughts on this legislation? caller: i am opposed to it. my wife is an educator. those books would not have made it to the shelf if they weren't warranted good education material. we have other books that are on the shelves at third grade levels like the odyssey and the iliad. they have conduct in them that everybody may not condone but they haven't been pulled from schools. host: has your wife faced any

censorship or tying of her hands because of concerns about what teachers like her teaching in the classroom? caller: no. but i can tell you that they have been pulling books a lot longer than this critical race theory has come about. they've been pulling books for years. host: let's go to dahlia in miami, florida. you are in favor of the legislation? caller: yes i am, good morning. the reason i am in favor of it is because parents have rights. when the government tries to eliminate parents in the education of their children, that is completely wrong. i have two grandchildren who

used to be in public schools. one of them just graduated. he went to the university of virginia because he's very smart. his mother took him out of public school because she saw when they were on the computer what kind of a teacher he had. she went to the principal because she worked for that school. she was not an educator, she worked in the office. and they said i'm sorry, i can't do anything about it so she took about and she went to catholic school. his sister has been gifted since the first grade. she was also in public school until fifth grade.

she found out that both of her friends were going to cut her. next year she will be going to high school in catholic school. when the government tries to indoctrinate your children, you do not have any rights. when they go in and tell the children what to think, is not right. at the same time you find high schools in cities like baltimore and others which are run by democrats in which you have children in the poor areas that are not proficient in math, who could barely read. what kind of an education or those children getting? why are they doing that? they will never get ahead and

they will be in the hold of the democrats. host: we are going to have to move on to our next caller, tom in los angeles, california. you are an educator. tell us which type of educator in your thoughts on the legislation? caller: i am so furious athat the democratic party leader had to say. it'not true. i teach teachers how to teach to children from non--- homes. concerns that i have are the impression that is totally wrong we put togetheiteria to teach children our probl with her teachers.

they are not doing the job. i was probably in classes on how to teach. hopefully i won't have a big problem now. the teachers when i was younger, called me up from school and told me that my son is going to be transferred from one part of los angeles to a hispanic area to balance out the racial makeup of people. my child was in a private school two days later. my children have been in private schools and i am sorry that we have a bureaucracy that is so

strong that my kids, had to get my own kids tutors. the people that don't want this don't have children or are stupid. i can't believe anybody would give up the right to educate my child or anybody else's child. i want to thank you for letting me speak. host: we appreciate your call this morning. there were five republicans, conservative members of the freedom caucus that voted against the parents bill of rights. one of them is representative can broke. he's a republican from colorado. i want to read a portion of an opinion piece he wrote in the washington times. he rides the measure has a failed flaw, while reinforcing

parents rise it undermines the critical principle for conservatives. federalism, the bedrock of our liberty. it provides a limited list of federal powers. as conservatives have pointed out, education is not on that list. my republicans in the house, confusing themselves with the national school board believe the federal government should step in to print that parents. but let's consider the implications, they say the federal government provide curriculum to parents. that is explaining what some conservative republican said in

opposing the legislation. during a news conference after the bill passed, house speaker kevin mccarthy responded to a question on whether the legislation infuses washington into local education and this is what he said? caller: no it's infusing parents into education. it's for the parents to know was being taught in schools. parents can now look at the reading material. they can see with the money is spent on. a parent can protect their kids privacy. the parents can have a notification if there's any violent activity on campus. this is not about washington. this is a parents bill of rights, it's knocking down the bided administration that wants to control us. they want the doj go after parents at school board

meetings. >> what you say to people that this could open the door to unfair treatment of children? some of those incidents at school board meetings that have been raising the temperature, is really violent and frightening for people who work in schools? caller: it got violent in loudoun county after a father said his daughter had been molested in a bathroom by a boy wearing a skirt. violence had already been on campus but they were never notified. when he went to the school board he was violently arrested. we now have had an investigation

that got rid of that superintendent that did that to a parent. for those concerned about bullying we should celebrate this bill because he will now know if there's any violent activity on your campus. not if it just happened to your child but anyone. this is why it's so much stronger for a parent to know what's happening in education. host: that was house speaker kevin mccarthy. he was talking about the parents bill of rights legislation of responding to the questions about whether it puts washington into too much in control of education. we want to know if you were in congress, how would you vote on this legislation? if you would've supported legislation call (202) 748-8000,

if you oppose it (202) 748-8001 and if you are an educator your line is (202) 748-8002. we are going back to the phone lines to coal city, indiana. tell us why you support the legislation? caller: i have 14 grandchildren and three great grandchildren. we are going through a problem with our granddaughter. all you democrats does say this is not going on, you don't know. you have no right saying there is nothing going on. i don't want to go into details but is not good at all. people have better wake up. joe biden has done nothing but make our country go down the tubes. people better wake up. start investigating and reading about stuff. when you can go to school and you are born a girl and start

being called by a boys name. there were two girls walking down the aisle holding hands. that should not be allowed. boys or girls, it should not be allowed. you people better wake up before it's too late. that is all i have to say about it. host: up next in california, greg on the line. what are your thoughts? caller: my thoughts are i am super lucky to have had public education provided for me as a youngster in california. to the last caller, people need to have a more open experience and understand the larger meaning of what's really going on. education provides for the future growth in the overall

benefit of society. the more he reads, the more ideas you understand and the better off we all are. host: all right, thank you greg in california. let's go now to grand junction, colorado. rob is on the educator line. tell us about your experiences in educator and how it has influenced your thoughts on this legislation. caller: i taught everything from middle school to university level. those in taxes indicating that parents can't go into the classroom. there is federal law that says any parent can go into the classroom they just have to inform the school that they will come that day. i was substituting and had a parent in the class that was watching her daughter. we had a discussion about it. i taught at the school back in

2019. i had six classes and for back to school night i had a total of eight parents. i had to put classroom expectations every year. i gave them life phone number and email, i told them what books were be used. i had no problems with anyone if they asked me for my weekly lesson plans for exactly what we would be teaching. i think the fact that they take small occurrences and overblown of these. i had a transgender boy in one of my classes who i called by his boy name. that is what they did, all the students did that, they did not care. last week, i had a seventh grade student that was wearing a

rainbow lanyard. in education, you give different points of view to discuss and debate. to think about things going on. if parents don't like the books, they don't have to read them and they can take them to the school board. we have local control and are school birds and you have an opportunity to do that. -- school boards. let's not forget, i am in the district for lower boebert who put through this bill to get rid of trans girls competing. that is a state issue. that's an issue for sports organizations in each state to make a determination on that and not be hurtful religious police. she was the one who wanted to cut the separation of church and

state. i keep an open mind on these things. our county tried the best they could to get rid of a teacher because she was gay. that should not happen. we should have different points of view and let everything be debated but make sure it is grade specific. thank you. host: rob, we appreciate your call. next we have chris in indiana. you support the parents bill of rights? caller: yes i do. thanks for everybody's comments. right off the top of my mind, i have heard a lot of stuff about homophobe and transphobia and i don't think that's fair to a lot of people on our side. it is just our belief that is

simply there and i think we are falsely labeled. as for the bill, i supported even though it is flawed. i am sure it is. it's obvious on a human level but i got to thinking about when i was younger and i was taught that evolution was actually true. now that i am a believer later in life and a follower of jesus christ, i don't think i should have been slammed in my brain that that was the fact. some people want to teach their children evolution is true do that in your home but it should not be broadcast every child in america. that's just where i stand on that. that's been going on for a long time.

i think our government has had a long time to proof that they can manage this and they cannot. as time goes by, the more they manage the more they mess up. obviously it needs to go back to the states and if liberal states wanted teach what they want to. i'm in a conservative state by the grace of god. everybody needs to be heard. i think a lot of the conservative beliefs have been trampled on and our rights have been taken away in different ways just like the evolution thing i brought up. my god does not give me the choice of who to love and not love. i love you all who call sin. i try to incorporate jesus christ and everything.

we have to come together in some way over this. host: our next caller is robert in kansas. tell us why you oppose the parents bill of rights? caller: i have posted because the president said he was going to veto it long before they even put it on the table. if you are a mom or dad, you just didn't disobey. it cost money, because time. when it came down to it it was still no. why bring it up if it's not a political thing? there's a big no on it so you get these congressmen that would pour their effort and energy

with the know at the end of it and it's not their money, it's yours and mine. that is why am oppose. host: i want to bring up some of the responses we are receiving on social media. marian owens writes on twitter, parents have always had input. it is called pta. the current bill infringes on citizen rights. kids are citizens, no one should have the right to keep them ignorant. mike and orlando santos attacks that says this legislation is absolutely useless. every school district has parent and students right written into the code of conduct which every parent/student signs when the year starts. what happened to what republicans ran on? the border, nothing.

it's a sad day that we need a bill to appear in our own children. keep the government out of their lives. when we take a village to raise our children we mean parents and friends. liberals hate that parents want to say in their own children's education. that is some of the conversation that's continuing on social media but we will head back to the phone lines. from texas, tell us your opinion on this legislation. caller: i 100% supported and i bless kevin mccarthy, god bless the man and god bless the republicans for fighting against people and all democrats want to do -- if you are born a boy. you're a boy.

if you are born a girl, you're a girl. trying to teach all this silly nonsense about homosexuality in schools in the parents have 1000% my support. god bless kevin mccarthy and the republicans. if it ever gets up to biden, he is such a puppet he will vote against it because he's a puppet of the far left. he's turned on the lord god anyway. he is for murdering babies. he's going to veto it, it will never get through the senate because democrats controlled the senate. but god bless kevin mccarthy and hakeem jeffries is nothing but a bald-faced liar. he stood up there and bald-faced lie to the american people a

while ago. i have studied the holocaust, everybody needs to study the holocaust. and not one time in my life have i ever denied the holocaust. i support the jewish people. i love israel. i love the lord god. i love jesus. and i support kevin mccarthy and republicans for standing up against people because that's what it is. you have good against evil. host: we are going to move on to our next caller stephen in little rock, arkansas. you are on. caller: hi, thank you. i am just really amazed and appalled at some of the calls and is funny that they are talking about a bill.

i love children and i think the school is a place where they can get away from their parent's personal opinion and they go to get educated. educated about everything. to start limiting how they learn and make them so rigid in their thinking. a lot of republican people talk about god but then support president trump. the evangelical church that is backing these policies and training to be soldiers of jesus christ.

those who claim to follow him, jesus christ would never -- he hung out with tax collectors, the prostitutes. we can't deny our children. roberto clemente who happens to be dominican. civil rights icon. it's ok to talk about tromp and not magellan.

personal opinions and feelings of those individuals like marjorie taylor greene. they support the people who trashed the capital who claim to be americans but you go in trash or capital. for those who denigrate joe biden, he is our president whether you're a republican or a democrat. what happens to respecting your president? host: we have diane from mansfield, ohio. an educator. tell us what your thoughts are and how your experience shaped it? caller: i have been in kindergarten through college classes. i have four things i want to say. some other teachers have said

this, parents of always have the right to all of this information and guess what, you can volunteer. you can go to pta meetings. or show up for a parent/teacher conferences. the biggest complaint in the last 10/15 years is that they teach to the test and i can guarantee you that none of the stuff people pretend to be worried about is on the test. they're just trying to get rid of public education, they've been trying for year. betsy devos, her brother owns charter schools and they're just trying to make money on this by picking on vulnerable populations which is disgusting. i have a trance daughter and she did not learn it at school because you can't teach someone to be transgender just like you can't teach someone to be gay. you are just like i knew i was a girl. my daughter had the same

feelings. what she looked in the mirror what look back at her did not match. you don't have to understand to accept other people. finally, change the news channel occasionally. news is meant to be watched 30 will you have this jump into your head, you think this is all that is going on in school. go visit. it is a view -- beautiful place to be. host: today is national medal of honor day. after the break we speak with author and historian alex kerkshaw to learn more about the history and significance of this day. and why the medal of honor distinction is so important. later, opening day of baseball is days away. at 9:00 we explore the rich history of u.s. presidents in america's favorite pastime with phil hochbeg and historian fred

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watch american history tv every weekend and find full schedule your program guide or watch online any tatim c-span.org/history. sunday night on q&a in his book children of the state, jeff looks at the workings of the juvenile justice system is get united states focusing on three programs in san francisco, delaware, and new york city. >> when a kid walks into that sale and here's the bolts behind him or her, even if it is only for an afternoon while something gets sorted in the courthouse, next door even if it is just for a couple of hours that sound in filling -- and feeling his life

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>> c-span shop.org c-span online store. browse our latest collection of products, apparel, books, decor, and accessories. there's something for every c-span fan and every purchase helps support our operations -- nonprofit operations. shop now at span shop.org. >> "washington journal" continues. host: welcome back. this morning we have author and historian alex kerkshaw. welcome. guest: great to be with you. host: this morning we are discussing the history and significance of the medal of honor because today is national medal of honor day. let's start there. tell us about the medal of honor. what is it? how is it awarded? guest: it was designated

national medal of honor day in 1990 and it was to bring recognition and appreciation of the nation military award which is the medal of honor which is being given to americans since 1863. today there are i believe 66 living recipients. it is the highest award you can receive for showing great courage in the united states military. host: liza day needed -- why is a day needed and how does national medal of honor day differ from a veterans day or memorial day? guest: it is designed to bring the nation's attention to the medal of honor and the recipient and to appreciate those living recipients and those americans have given their lives, in many cases, to receive that medal. it celebrates the best politics

of those who serve there's country. it isupposed to highlight their selfishness and courage americans have shown through many wars. host: we want to get through your calls. we are going to be talking about national medal of honor day. we want any feedback you have for reflections. if you are in the eastern or central time zone, 202-748-8000. mountain and pacific time zones, 202-748-8001. if you are a veteran or the family member of a veteran, your number is 202-748-8002. we will get to. we were showing medal of honor fax. -- facts these are a few, first

awarded 160 years ago today when the first medal of honor was awarded. the total number of medal of honor awarded is 3535. we have total recipients 251 living recipients, 65 from the congressional medal of honor society. let's start with that. what is the process. who gets to decide who receives a medal of honor and what are the criteria? guest: today there are two ways you can receive the medal of honor. through the chain of command being you have when you are in combat. which is conspicuous, which shows extraordinary courage.

in your own chain of command will go through a process where your recommended for it. the other way you can receive the medal is through a congressman recommending you be receive the medal. host: let's your recommended either by your china command or member of congress, who ultimately decides? guest: a gust chain of command in military, it is a process, very detailed and a great deal of action paid. it is rigorous and it has gotten more rigorous over the years. host: is that because there are applications, a lot of people vying for medal of honor's? guest: i do not think anybody vies for medal of honor's. there is bipartisan legislation being produce by democrats and

republicans to increase the contention of medal of honor recipients. i think it is around you receive if you have earned the medal of honor. recipients receive $100,000 a year. you might think that might encourage people to go get the medal of honor but people do not set out to win. did not set out to win the medal of honor. if you look back in world war ii, they had no idea they would receive the medal of honor. in many cases, they did not know what they are doing. it was an extensive reaction. an interview several years ago the oldest living medal of honor recipient who was in france before the 1943 and a grenade

landed next to him and extensively he jump of the grenade. he said to me, i did not think of what i was doing. it was instinct. a moment defined his life. he said he did not set out to win. host: let's go to the phone lines to get questions or comments from our viewers. i want to remind you of the lines are eastern and central time zones, 202-748-8000. mountain and pacific, 202-748-8001. veterans or family members of veterans we want you to call us at 202-748-8002. our first caller is john in brooklyn, new york on the veterans line. what is your question or comment? caller: my question is thanks to c-span for giving everybody a chance to express themselves. i am a vietnam veteran. i was brought into this service

in 1968 and i want to speak on the presidents and the racism i face after being drafted. i want this gentleman to tell me what he thinks about the racism and remorse blacks get and do not get. guest: it is an interesting question. i would go back to world war ii and talk about that for a little bit before coming to the present day. the most recent recipient of the medal of honor was a black soldier, special forces in vietnam who in the last couple of weeks received the medal of honor from the president, making that 66 living recipients of the medal of honor. back in world war ii, black americans served with great courage and of the clinton presidency, seven of them, only

one was alive, was giving the medal of honor. i think that is decades way too late but there have been efforts over the years to recognize american minorities who are not recognize -- who were not recognize. most recently in the case of mr. davis, there has been the paperwork was conveniently lost and some kind of -- i think were getting a lot better in the last 30 years. lots more efforts have been made to recognize minorities weapon overlooked in the past. host: do you know statistically with the breakdown in? i would assume most recipients are white males but what is the diversity? guest: i do not know.

this could be interesting to look into that. of course, giving the fact that most medal of honor's since the civil war were earned in world war i and world war ii most of them would've been white males. host: let's go back area that first medal of honor in 1863. tell us about the first guy to get the award. guest: what is interesting is that 40% of all medal of honor recipients date back to the civil war. when we talk about the medal of honor there never waiting going back to the civil war -- overweighting going back to the civil war. if you look back to world war ii, the medal of honor -- some people says it is way too many medal of honor's were given

during the civil war. in 1917, the only woman to have received the medal of honor -- in 1917, over 900 given during the civil war were rescinded. it was thought that they were given out far too easily. host: we are going to get to that. let me get to some cause. john in illinois. what is your question or comment? caller: good morning. i grew up with a fellow named harvey. he was awarded the medal of honor from a sacrifice in vietnam. a fellow from east chicago, indiana that was awarded the medal of honor for jumping on a hand grenade in vietnam.

i have a particular dose of survivor's blessing. i read many books by medal of honor recipients for inspiration in my life. those kinds of fellows and women have led extraordinary lives. you talk about those medal of honor recipients. my wife's cousin was on the hilltop with a fellow from southern illinois. those men are all extraordinary examples i try to abide by and try to climb the mountain those men have climbed and god bless their all in heaven right now and they are looking down at us and mr. e talking about the middle -- and you keep talking about the medal recipients.

emilio has three beautiful granddaughters out there that can continue. a heritage man from america. god bless him. this is the greatest country on earth. get the next caller in. talk about the books that the medal of honor recipients right. they are very inspirational. i'm going to keep off-line. god bless america. host: we appreciate your service. he mentioned books. are there a lot of books written by medal of honor recipients? guest: yes and often bestsellers. especially from the iraq and afghanistan wars. i have written a book about world war ii medal of honor recipients yes they are great

narratives. they are very inspiring. host: i know you have written several books. a true story of ultimate courage and survival in world war ii. that is alex book about world war ii medal of honor recipients. that last caller mentioned about serving alongside and it seemed like it is still us a sense of pride and patriotism. is that something you find when people learn about medal of honor recipients that it does instill something in them a drive? guest: it is hard to find a better example of an all aspiring americans. these are people who are prepared to give their lives for others. we have to remember since world war ii the majority of

recipients received a medal's mis-c -- post office there is s very impressive. these are young americans who often found a cause that was far greater and were repaired at any second to give their lives for others for their fellow americans. they did not talk about politics. there are not divided in any way. there were united in the service of the service of their country trying to defend and protect freedom and that is something we should all be inspired by, especially today. host: let's get to miss mary walker the first and only woman to receive the medal of honor. what do you tell us about her? guest: it is interesting story. it is controversial for several reasons. she served during the civil war,

volunteered. she was not part of the military. she was a civilian. she was taken to and held by confederates for several months and received the medal in 1865. in 1917 she was the only one to ever receive the highest reward for honor in this country's history. sadly in 1917 over 900 metals given during the civil war were rescinded. people thought they were given to easily and they did not deserve them. her meadow was rescinded. she was very old at this time. she refused to turn her meadow she were the meadow with great pride. sadly she died. thinking the medal had been rescinded. you jump 477 during the

administration -- you jump forward to 1977 and they were viewed her case and it was an rescinded. the medal was recognized as she is to this day the only woman to ever receive the medal of honor. host: the 3500 number, 900 were rescinded but it includes miss mary walker? guest: yes. host: harry in georgia. caller: thank you c-span. i appreciate it. i text you all the time anyway. this is a great gust you have. i want to ask, i have a family history where -- of

abolitionists. the first black soldier to win the medal of honor was from new bedford massachusetts. i have the honor of having a family who raise money when he came home to purchase his mother from a slaveholder in north carolina and bring her home so that she could be with her son. i'm wondering if you know this story. i'd like to hear about it. i will put my tv on and take your answer off-line. guest: i do not know this story but i would like to hear more. maybe you could tell us. caller: ok. this family of snow, it goes way

back. at the time -- actually on cotton mills in the north and started out as a welding family. that was new bedford was the center of that is where all the oil came from. it was a hugely successful industry. these were all abolitionists going way back. i forget the gentleman's name who won the medal of honor but -- host: sergeant william carney? caller: yes, that sounds right. mostly for keeping the flag-waving during the battle. it was my family who went from

being cotton mill owners and then bankers and eventually but anyway they purchase his mother and brought him home -- brought her home to new bedford to be with him. host: thank you so much. i'm going to read out a little bit more about sergeant william carney. this is from the department website. if you stats. this is from 2017. at the time this article was written in 2017 there had been 3748 service members who had received the medal of honor. at the time, 88 have been black. it says, the first black recipient of the reward, william carney who earned the honor for protecting one of the united states greatest symbols during the civil war, the american

flag. it does say in the first paragraph, carney was born into slavery in virginia in 1840. his family was granted freedom and moved to massachusetts where carney was eager to learn and got involved in academics despite laws that banned blacks from learning to read and write. you guys can learn more. the medal of honor website is very comprehensive. that is the congressional medal of honor society. cmohs.org where you can look up every medal of honor recipient and find out more about them. i am finding this website super interesting just to our conversation today. to the phone lines and to talk to another collie. dave in michigan. caller: good morning.

i want to speak about the recognition. these people talking about john wayne and popularity suite here -- we hear. i would ask you a question. -- i want to ask you a question. is very fine line between recognition and sacrifice -- is there a fine line between recognition and sacrifice? there is -- there is indigenous people.

are they recognized? or is there a line when consider that as being a different type of a division for recognition? i would take your answer off of the air. i think you for being loyal. thank you. guest: it is a good question. when i look at what i think about vision i wrote about, 45th infantry division and when they left in united states in 1942 around 12,000 men, there are 1500 native americans. there is no larger division that had a large number of native americans. they came from 30 tribes. the 45th division had four native americans that are the medal of honor. i think what is more interesting

is this idea of how you could recognize? -- how do you get recognized? who sees you perform an act for which then you will receive a medal of honor? i've been fortunate to speak to several medal of honor recipients. several confirmed with me people say the real heroes are the ones that are lying in grace all over europe from world war ii. so many people. they often point out their actions were never witness. your action has to be seen to for you to have an eyewitness testimony and go through the recommendation process. there were countless cases and not just in world war ii of people's actions who were never seen. there were killed for anyone to see what they had accomplished or the men around them were killed. i think it is very interesting how people end up becoming recognize.

for example, omaha beach, june 6, 1944 there are only four medal of honor recipients of that action. 900 americans killed on that beach. every man was a hero. some say every man that landed on that beach should've earned the medal of honor. gains of these debates about -- get into these debates. it gets very interesting. host: we mentioned it briefly but recently earlier this month president biden awarded the medal of honor to army special forces colonel harris davis based on his service in vietnam. we are showing a little video -- a little bit of video from the ceremony. can you tell us a little bit more about colonel davis and why he was recognized? guest: this is a remarkable

individual going back to 1965 and 19 are a long battle and he was responsible for -- 19 hour long battle and he was responsible for saving members lives. he was sadly not recognize at the time. came across one report where a fellow veteran set the recommendation had been conveniently loss. i would describe it as being somewhat and just he has not been recognized but he has now been recognized and this is one of the wonderful things about the process of recognition. you can revisit these cases. it is difficult. it takes a long time. in this case 1965 when he should have received the medal. thankfully he is alive. he's alive to be recognize in the white house. host: i want to talk to you

about the process but i want to make sure our viewers know you can look at our c-span archives either on our website or our app because a lot of these medal of honor ceremonies are available for you to watch including colonel davises and those over the years. our c-span video library is another good resource for medal of honor recipients. how long does it normally take, not when your application is lost, but i was looking and i was so surprised looking on the medal of honor society website and there are recipients from the war in iraq, the war in afghanistan. which are relatively recent. what is the normal process? how long does it normally take someone is nominated? guest: it takes a lot longer

today than it used to. as he world war ii you might perform the act in a couple of months later he would receive the medal. immediately towards the end of world war ii he would be pulled off of the line. debt heroes -- dead heroes having received the medal of honor was not useful for the federal government. the limit -- if you were to perform an act today, you would have -- the process would have to end within two years in the you would have to receive the medal within five years. because the medal of honor is no small thing. there are so few people alive today who can wear that highest of honors the process has become more rigorous. it takes a while.

on average it takes at least a year before you stand the chance of receiving the medal. in most cases, it takes longer. host: let's take another caller. dana in arkansas. you have veterans in your family? dana, you are on. turn down your television a little bit. all right. i think we do not have dana. we will move on to shane in michigan. good morning. caller: good morning. i wanted to ask, is there any way to tell how many more recipients there may be of the medal? is there some type of count? the second question would be do you think it is possible the medal could be a thing of the past?

with mailers vehicles and -- manless vehicles and such? is it possible we could know that? guest: there is a specific list. you mentioned the congressional medal of honor society which is detailed. it is great for educators to because it has a lot of wonderful information. there an up-to-date detailed list. i think it is a variation question about whether in 50 years time -- interesting question about whether it will be any human beings around to earn becoming -- to earn the medal of honor. this raises the issue of how are we going to wage future wars. is he going to be done through ai? are we going to have real human beings in combat?

there are two recipients from the war in afghanistan. it is not many. if you look at the ages of the living recipients of the medal of honor, not surprisingly most of them are from vietnam. god forbid we enter into a war like vietnam war again, but that would be the main opportunity to have more living recipients of the medal of honor. i hope we're going to have less and less medal of honor recipients because i hope we are not engaged in such horrible terrible wars that take so many lives. you have to think about this. the more recipients of the medal of honor we have alive, the more wars we are involved in. the more people who are dying giving their lives for their country.

in 10-20 years time my hope is there be few living recipients because we would not be engaged in so much conflict. we will be negotiating our way through. host: for the record, i counted for the war on terror for iraq and afghanistan, i counted 28 total. i'm not sure if all of them are still with us. john in virginia. where is your question or comment? host: can you hear me caller: c? guest: yes. caller: i was listening to you on the radio. i have met many of medal of honor recipients. these are individuals who are average. they are the wrong place at the right, did the right thing.

roy who died. yvette had an opportunity to talk to him too. i have met recipients in person. two thirds of the medal of honor recipients are killed. did you know that? guest: since the second world war. caller: i would like to contact you somehow. how do you spell your last name? kerkshaw. caller: you have to understand something. i started out in november 1983.

i'm so in the military today as the civilian. there are certain regulations like army regulations is a good job about requirements. now you have to get your congressman or congresswoman to process you and they have to pass legislation for the bill. did you know that? guest: yes, it is very difficult. caller: i have worked with victoria. i've been in their museum. have you been to their office in yorktown? guest: no, i haven't. caller: you have to go. go meet victoria. she is the executive director. some of the things i wish i could talk to you all day on these matters and i spent years in the military. i never got to vietnam.

i never got to operation deaf storm. i finally got to a war zone in iraq. i understand these things. wars help. these guys come up with a date be recognized. the medal of honor only cost $48 for the army. thanks for the navy it is $42. host: we're going to have to move on. he had a lot of great facts and points. alex kerkshaw your book is called against all laws. a true story of ultimate coverage and survival in world war ii. you're also the resident historian at the friends of the national world war ii memorial. that is a big memorial on the mall. but is that mean to be the resident historian of the memorial? guest: i work to try and commemorate and celebrate the

greatest generation. more importantly, most of my time is spent going into high schools, most recently in virginia and trying to get young americans who know about world war ii to care about world war ii and try to unite them because i believe young americans in this country are very hopeful. i like to cut through all the negativity surrounding those issues. they are inspired profoundly when you talk about young americans in world war ii. i point out when i see them that it was not a bunch of that made america's most respected it was young americans just like them. when you to 18 years old and say this generation did it, you can do the same. they really get it and they are inspired by it. they want to be inspired. i have often been in classrooms

where ask people to put their hands up and told me -- tell me were only -- a chapter in your history that inspires you makes you feel proud to be an american. sadly sometimes they do not put their hands up but when they do put their hands up and operate chapter, it is always world war ii -- and offer a chapter, it is always world war ii. it is the greatest chapter i believe in this nation's history and we can use it to inspire future generations. host: we're going to stop it right there. author and historian alex kerkshaw. thank you for joining us. coming up at the top of the hour, opening day of baseball season is just days away. at 9:00 we will explore the long rich history of u.s. presidents in america's favorite pastime with phil hochbeg, former

announcer for the washington senators and baltimore orioles and politics historian fred frommer. but first, it is open forum. go ahead and start calling in. democrats, 202-748-8000. republicans, 202-748-8001. independents, 202-748-8002. ♪ >> hundred years ago these names were in american newspapers e many days. today those names can be found in a new book, cricket, subtitle the roaring 20's tells of a corrupted attorney general, a

crusading senator, and the worst of the american scandal. nathan is the author and it is his first book. he has hosted a television series known as los l.a. and works at the university of southern california library in los angeles. >> nathan masters on this episodes of otes plus available on the c-span now free mobile app forever you get your podcast. >> your copy of the 118 confession directory now available. it is your access to the federal government with bio and contact information for every house and senate member. important information for congressional committee, the president's cabinet, federal agencies and state governors. scan the code at the right to order your copy today. go to c-spanshop.org. it is $29.95 plus shipping and handling. every purchase helps support our nonprofit operations at

. >> looked tv every sunday on c-span two futures leading authors discussing the latest nonfiction book. a 9:00 p.m. john agresto author of the death of learning offer suggestions to increase the value of the education and enrich the divide between academic -- bridge the divide and then 10:00 p.m. angela saini explores patriarchy and how express in data how express in the world. watching tv every sunday on c-span 2 and find a full schedule on your program guide or watch online anytime at booktv.org. >> there are lots of places to get political information. only c-span do you get it

straight from the source. no matter where you are from 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 a c-span. >> "washington journal" continues. host: we are back. it is time for open forum. you can start calling in with your thoughts about the news of the day or any political topic that is on your mind. as a reminder. democrats, 202-748-8000. republicans, 202-748-8001. independents, 202-748-8002. want to start by talking about syria. there was an airstrike.

this morning's washington post on the front page has an article about the airstrike in syria. it says deadly values between u.s. forces in suspected iranian in syria has reignited long tensions between washington and tehran as president biden warned iran on friday that violent attacks on american troops would be met retribution. that is this morning's washington post. during his visit in canada yesterday, president biden address the suspected iranian drone attack in syria that killed several people including an american citizen. pres. biden: the iranian backed militant groups use an unmanned vehicle to strike one of our facilities causing several

american casualties. one of our citizens tragically died in that attack. on the fight up yesterday i spoke to our national security team and ordered an immediate response. last night u.s. military forces carried out a series of airstrikes in syria targeting those responsible for attacking our personnel. my heart and deepest condolences to the family of the american we loss and we wish a speedy recovery for those wounded. i'm grateful for the professional of our service members who so ably carried out this response and to make no mistake, united states does not seek conflict with the ran -- with iran but be prepared we are to protect our people. that is what happened last night. we're going to continue to keep up our efforts to counter terrorist threats. in partnership with canada and other coalition to defeat isis.

host: that was president biden talking about that airstrike that killed one american and several others in syria. we also go to your cause in a moment. but the other big thing that is happening today. one of the first big rallies held by former president donald trump as part of his campaign to return to office. this is this morning's new york times. here is a portion of that article. it says mr. trump and bottled by multiple investigations and publicity predicting an imminent indictment in one announced last week he would hold the first rally of his 2024 presidential campaign on saturday at the regional airport in waco. the date falls in the middle of the 30th anniversary of the weeklong standoff involving federal agents and followers of theirs to the left 82 branch

davidians and four agents dead at mount caramel. the groups compound east of the city. trump has not linked his waco visit to the anniversary. ask -- as if it was an intentional nod to the most famous episode in what goes history, campaign spokesman emailed the waco site was chosen close because it is located in all four texas biggest metropolitan areas. while providing the necessary infrastructure to hold a rally of his magnitude. that rally will beelthis evening at 6:00 p.m. eastern time. you can watch it live right her on c-span i c-span now -- at c-span now or online at

c-span.org. what is the news of the day you would like to talk about? democrats, 202-748-8000. republicans, 202-748-8001. independents202-748-8002. independents, 202-748-8002. host: runner in new hampshire on the independent ne. what are your thoughts this morning. caller: thank you for taking my call. i want to talk about the worst atrocity that has happened to our country in 100 years. for some reason the media is not talking about. that is what is done to our country during the covid pandemic. the people responsible for making public policy during the pandemic made decisions that they knew would intensify and prolong the pandemic and there

has been no accountability for that. the media is not talking about it. i understand people want to move on but there has to be accountability for this. this is the worst atrocity that has happened in the past 100 years. i do not understand why people are not talking about it. c-span has never had anyone on to talk about that, to talk about the policymakers were making decisions they knew would make the pandemic worse. i will give you a couple of examples. in the beginning of the pandemic, the pandemic was raging in europe and they let all the people come back to the united states without quarantine or even screening. they knew that was going to cause the pandemic to break out in united states. another example, at the beginning of the pandemic, they told everybody to wear cloth

mask. cloth mask do not work very well. they knew the people were respirators, and at 95 mask -- n95 mask, people would've worn that instead of the cloth mask the pandemic would have happen in the u.s. that is verified by harvard peer-reviewed study. they kept making these decisions that they knew would make the pandemic worse yet they made them anyway and there has been no accountability for that. host: alright. that was ronald. our next caller from bayside, new york. andrew on the republican line. caller: yes. i'm calling on the republican line but i really believe in clear thinking on any issue. it is not about our party affiliation. you are talking about the bills of rights -- parents bill and

many people feel that a parent or any person may not know anything within -- but i do not think so. i think a parent has every basis for throwing in their opinion and views. i do not think it is wrong to do that. i think that person may have a point. i think he is worth listening to. i would support parents having their say any more than anybody else. everybody should have the right to speak and say what they think. as far as the parents bill of rights i think it is very important. for example, i'm not saying certain books are good in certain books are bad certain ideas are good and certain ideas are bad but i believe they should be heard. the parents as a right to be

heard. -- has a right to be heard because they are a person. as a person, they have a point to make. host: all right. let's go to the democratic line. herb in new york. good morning. caller: good morning. the country of syria is all over the news this morning and i would like to suggest what in the world are we doing in syria? number one, we have a proximately 1000 troops and contractors in syria all in violation of international law. syria has had a government there with president assad reelected many times but according to the news we are there to defend the kurds who are trying to

re-create the nation of kurdistan that has not been around for many years. they are considered tears in turkey, he -- iraq, and syria. that is the reason for our mission of 1000 troops in syria. we are spread around the world and it is almost impossible to understand what in the world is the pentagon doing with hundreds of billions of dollars. i cannot answer it. host: ok. of next we have jerry in illinois on the independent line. caller: no, i was supposed to be on the independent line. host: go ahead. caller: about the parents rights.

i have seen it. in many board meetings and different states. most of the issue is parents you have a right to say their view and opinion, but a book for sixth-graders that is sexual in schools and parents are very upset about that. we have every right to know going on in schools. i backed up mccarthy parents rights 100%. i've seen the board members and one parent got up and read the six grader book that was offered in the library and the board member said stop, you cannot read it. the parents said, but you're

letting the children treated in the school library -- letting the children read it in the school library. i think you for any speak. host: appreciate your call. paul in ohio on the independent line. what are your thoughts? caller: there are number of things. i have to some of the callers about ukraine and we should not help them because they are enemies and have been our enemies but it seems we have forgotten history. japan was our enemy but now there are close ally. england was our enemy but now they are ally and friend. germany listen enemy and now they are a friend. -- germany was an enemy and now they are a friend. the other thing i would like to

point out within the boundaries of this country, lives the world. every race, creed, nationality, religion. if we cannot learn to get along, how can we expect the world to get along and make it through? we need to stop all this ungodly name-calling and start to understand we are america and what america is the world. the other thing i want to point out is the internet. with all this ufwith the internet, there should be posting of country of origin where the information is coming from. just like some tv channels might put down what city, state i becomingro the answer -- ste coming from. internet nissan to modify -- the internet needs to identify because our enemies tryo ay on it. and gets up to fight monks ourselve

the treasureta makes it kind of crazy because i thought this was to be a separation between church andta and if they are trying to push down the crch of people who believe in god but they way they want to vote which is in conflict with the way they believe there is no church and state separation. they should understand what the constitution stands for. we all have the right to be heard. i would say when i went to a lot of these stores and body products and of the kids cannot make change. that tells me how effective our educational system is. the need to wake up and get things under control. host: let's go to a cliff in tulsa, oklahoma on the independent line. caller: while we are talking about the war of the 25th anniversary in iraq the money without in afghanistan and the money going down to ukraine. when is america going to stand up and say this is enough?

it seems like it just keeps going on and on. 2 trillion, three children, for train. how many trillion are going to put into ukraine before we say it is enough? i challenge all of america to have pickup all of our equipment and get back to try to sell it for the dead. host: up next, stephen in illinois on the democratic line. caller: thank you for c-span. these republicans use bizarro speak when they talk about the parents bill of rights. we are taking rights away from the parents of trans kids or their parents of black kids that want their kids to know the history of the united states. that is the other point. they claim parents are not terrorists but her parents calls it school board member and dressed to kill them and their

family, they are terrorists. republicans likeo t the conflict between people. people invoking god. what about a parent of atheists who does not want that? there on the out there. that is stephen and wilmington illinois. our next caller is either in butler, pennsylvania, republican peter go ahead. >> ida question aut a domestic issue that was mentioned earlier. i am asking about a program called the abc program a better chance. that program was in the 60's and 70's, i believe. i had a question. does aonknow why i was an alumnus of thatroam? then i was aemonade from that program because i was caucasian,

and i wonder if that will nullify any of the positive experiences i had. >> let's go to the democrat line. montclair, new jersey. you are on. >> thank you for c-span, and make god can do to -- protect our troops. i love c-span. i love the different people to get their perspectives. young and old. i am a little younger. my comment is that i hope we can work on our mental health -- health. we go through so much drama, and i am a parent. i have a seven-year-old son. i tried to protect him. i wouldn't want him to be educated. even as parents, we have a wrong way of dealing with their trauma, and we may be ignorant

of better ways and better practices we can teach, and you know, we just don't have enough professionals in our country to help with this trauma in positive ways read maybe, we start there. get our house in order. maybe we can do something positive. >> next is essex connecticut. michael on the independent line. >> thank you. i will be brief. i wish c-span would reconsider covering donald trump's rally tonight. life. specifically live. the reason for that, and i will be brief, it is clear that he is encouraging violence against elected officials, and we will leave it at that, specifically in new york, and perhaps those who are indicting him very soon. keeping in mind, he has been

under several different investigations. it is clear he is encouraging violence. i don't think c-span or any organization would cover a nazi rally or a coup flux clan rally or a white supremacist rally life. cover the information that comes out of it as a news report, but live, it can be dangerous. that is who is gathering tonight at the trump rally. a trump flag now covers all of those groups i've mentioned. to cover it live, it may prove to be a very dangerous thing. thank you for listening to me. >> that will be drawi are on for them to a close. we will take a quick break, and next up, a new season of major league baseball kicks off next week. next on washington journal, sports attorneys and former baseball announcer phil hochberg sports and politics historian fred foamer will join us to discuss the history of the u.s.

presidents and baseball. but first, here's a video from the white house historical association, looking at president calvin coolidge, and the possible impact of the 1924 washington senator baseball team. >> in the summer of 1924, washington, dc found itself uncharacteristically united behind a shocking lie of a toned down team. the washington senators. the capital was home to many great things, but the senators were not one of them. in fact, they only had six winning seasons in their first 23 years. as the saying went, washington was first in war, first in peace, and last in the american league. in the summer of 1924, it would bring with winds of change, and

presidential good luck. unlike the sanders, calvin coolidge student know the meaning of a losing season. born on the fourth of july, he rose from humble beginnings in rural vermont and never lost an election in his career in politics. his career was so packed with success that the country referred to him as coolidge lock. when he throughout the first pitch on opening day, 1924, he imparted them with some of that good fortune. the man who caught the toss was walter johnson, one of the greatest pitchers in baseball history. in 1924, he teamed up with all of faber's like sam right and bucky harris to storm to an unexpected american league pennant. he outlasted babe ruth and the yankees. when the dust settled, the

senators were pitted against the mighty giants. game one was the hottest ticket in the political town that had gone baseball crazy. the president and misses coolidge were on hand in their box seats in the middle of a raucous crowd. just as he had on opening day, the president throughout the first pitch. the senators first world series had begun. johnson tossed a staggering 12 innings, but the senators could not hold onto the victory. washington and new york then traded wins in games two and three and four and five. they returned home, three games down to two, with a disappointing end to another season. the president was in the stands for game six, the team discovered a little of his coolidge lock. they squeaked out a victory. this was a do or die game seven showdown with the resident and

everyone else in washington wanted to see it. griffith stadium and nearby rooftops were packed dangerously full. the senators and giants were tied, heading into the ninth inning. bucky harris made the biggest move of the season, calling on walter johnson to relieve in the top of the ninth. with the stadium chanting we went justice, they inspired four scoreless innings, sending another world series game into the 12. but game seven wouldn't end like him one did come with two runners on, and mcnealy smacked a ball which took a bad hop over the third baseman's head, sending him home with a winning run. coolidge luck had struck again. the senators were world champions. >> washington journal continues. >> baseball returns to washington and across the nation this coming week. for the next hour, we are

looking at the relationship between american residents and based all over the years had joining us for this discussion is bill hopper. a sports attorney and a former announcer both washington senators and the baltimore orioles. good morning. >> we also had red foamer who is ace words and politics historian. good morning. >> i am so excited about our discussion today. let's get right into it. phil, you have been following the game of baseball in this town for many years. what is the start of new season. what does it mean to you, and what does it mean for the people of washington? >> we hope that the nationals will have a decent season. not necessarily a good season, but they are in the midst of rebuilding. we are delighted in the world

series victory of 2019. i myself have followed washington baseball since 1949. i remember the washington senators of 49. they won nine games in a row. in the early part of the season, they came back to washington to a parade. from union station to griffith stadium, they finished last that year. a terrible season. but we've grown used to those years. >> then, fred, baseball is a game of moments. we will show one of them on the screen, which is a picture of president franklin roosevelt tossing out the first test- pitch to open the 19 34 season. e setors were playing the boston red sox. what is a photo like that during the great depression. what kind of meaning can it have for the country?

>> it's about unification. they've done nothing to do more than that. as part of the presidential opener, both parties would be there. the local parties took a little break, and there were others from both sides who were facing very excited about the nationals. >> the difference is that it used to be the opening game in washington. it is in the american league, and in cincinnati for the national league.

the entire focus of the baseball world was on these two games. ever since washington lost its franchise in 1971, we have had over mean games in baltimore and we have had opening games with specialness of the presidential appearance at the very first game. >> will be talking all hour about the president and baseball. we want to get out the phone line so the viewers can call in with their memories or their questions or their comments. if you are in the eastern or central time zone, the numbers are on your screen. you can also send us a text message.

include your name and where you live. we will get here calls in just a moment. fred, we've been talking about president roosevelt. the story of presidents in baseball, and you can jump in, it goes much further back than that it can you get us started, and we will let phil bring us in on the long history of u.s. history. >> we have a town ball in illinois. by the time of the election, baseball is such an important subject that it was the subject of political cartoons. all four candidates in the cartoon have a baseball bat,nd it shows their political affiliion, and linkhen -- link it is very ickly disappointed.

-- lincoln is vanquishing his opponent. >> isn't there a precursor to a small that even george washington played? >> they talk about throwing the coin across the potomac. he never really did that. i have not heard of any presidential involvement in -- before the election of lincoln that you showed on screen. >> he brought a book that is called baseball -- the president's. you say to the author's apron to viewers. >> paul nixon. >> it is by paul nixon. it is about the presidents game. it actually says here, george washington of washington, on

chapter one, page seven of washington, an american soldier says he throws or catches the ball for hours with his aid and probably working with rounders. the bridge game with eight precursor. >> there are a lot of books or stories about baseball is involved, and it evolved in part out of the british rounders. there have even been stories about how baseball goes back many centuries or something similar to baseball goes back many centuries, but i don't ink we have any indication that there is not any real involvement of that in the

lincoln cartoons. >> fred, over the years, why have there been such a close relationship between presidents and the sport? >> a lot of things state back to the first pitch position, and a started in 1910. but it is really two years later when a new manager came in name clark griffith. he was an owner of a team, and he saw a lucky opportunity. he said let's make this an annual tradition. that's what went baseballs and presidents. he became the owner of the team and became friends with every president through his lifetime. with chief justices, members of congress. he saw something tightknit between politics and baseball, especially the washington senators, and a lot of us clerked for his handbills, closely with him. >> prior to 19 37, when the

washington redskins moved here from boston, baseball was the only successful sport. >> and even after that, baseball was the only major team sport that mattered until the mid-50's and early 60's. there were three dominant sports in the 20th century, and they didn't have much competition. that was through the first half. >> we mentioned abraham lincoln. there is a myth that exists, and i give credit to this myth or bill stern, a former sports broadcaster. he created a lot of myths, but one of them was abraham lincoln, on his deathbed called abner doubleday, and one of the last

words that lincoln said was, make sure baseball survives. it's not true. but it's a great story. >> we talked about fdr, but the first pitch -- when and how did that pitch begin with the u.s. president. >> it began in 1890 seven. william mckinley was president. he was invited to the opening day and had about a hundred members of congress. william mckinley miss the opportunity to throw out the first pitch of the season. they went from mckinley to teddy roosevelt. he was never a baseball fan. from there, we went to william howard taft.

>> he was a senator ma who was lost history. he suggested that taft do this but there was no sense then that thuld be a situation. it was a one-off. it wasn't until years later that they made an annual tradition. had a fitting start to the morning. >> syrup been a number of myths mentioned about bill stern and abraham lincoln. william howard taft is the subject of another myth he invented the seventh-inning stretch. there is no truth to that. >> i was going to ask you that we at >> taft got up at the seventh inning, but there were instances, prior to that, in

college baseball and even in some professional baseball. harry wright of cincinnati led this in 1869. he wrote a letter, and i think that was held in the dixson book, and wrote a letter talking about the seventh-inning stretch. 1869. that was 41 years before william howard taft. >> let's get to some calls. i have some calls coming into remind you it if you're on the eastern or central time zone, the numbers on your screen. as we enter the week of opening day, our first caller is rick it he's in manchester missouri.

what is your question or comment? >> there are two points, and sorry if i got a little feedback there. x is coming from our studio. don't worry about that. >> first off, i was born and raised in new york, and i grew up in a boston spot. >> it references one famous thing. that is abner doubleday. >> i have family in cooperstown in the baseball hall of fame from the 1970's. just a glorious place. maybe one of your commentators could talk about any connection between any resident and the hall of fame, which is a place every hall of fame fan needs to visit at some point next i don't

know. i've never heard of the president visiting cooperstown. >> i haven't either. >> i haven't heard of that. >> i'm sure there is a section of verse down which is in fact devoted to the president and baseball. but, i have no recollection of any president having visited there. >> let's take another call. derek is calling from lakeland minnesota. >> good morning. good morning america. maybe you can talk about this. the player for the minnesota twins, he had a great story talking about how the senators from minnesota had the mets stadium, and when it was going to be ripped down and go to the

metrodome, he called me and told me that it was going to be charging money to store all of these documents, everything they got from the original purchase. a lot of those were presidential letters, and memorabilia from years ago read they're just going to throw everything away. the guy who was the curator, all the time in the world to take all of the memorabilia, and it was 15,000 different items. i just want to get your comment on that. >> i've never heard that story. i do know that in washington, when they tore down the stadium, it was the home of the senators for 60 some years. they could buy seeds for $10 a seat.

along the rate course, there were three seats because in my memories, i haven't heard any stories of the memorabilia being thrown away. i'm sure if they still have it, there's a helluva market or. x were getting some interesting calls. patrick from new york. you are a former senator. a former member of the team? >> hello? hello? >> we can hear you. ok. i'm not a former senator. i don't understand it >> i think i misread something. go ahead. >> my comment is on tv, can you hear me? >> they can. go ahead. >> when i was a kid, we went on

vacation to washington dc. pretty soon, it was 1965. it might've been 66. i was young. there were two home runs in one inning. >> ok. you are at the game. a senators game. >> i was at adc stadium with the washington senators in the minnesota twins. in the first inning, two home runs were thrown in the inning >> we appreciate you sharing your recollections. let me take another caller. jeffrey in marietta georgia, do you want to talk about president carter and baseball? >> yes. thank you for having me on. i lived in atlanta since i was seven years old. i want to ask about the

relationship between jimmy carter and the atlanta braves. i've seen many games, and i think he was a good friend. i was curious if you had any insights into that. >> i do not. carter was -- there was no baseball team in washington. the last team left town and 71, and that is a segway of richard nixon. it is a huge baseball fan, and he immediately had a meeting with mayor, walter washington. i found this on a recorded tape, and heht he could lure the white sox here. hedicted that by 1976, the other carter one, there would be a bicentennial. he was off by 28 years. >> we were also told that the senators would leave, and there was a -- when they were leaving,

and for the 71 season, there was an attempt by a number of locals to get nixon involved in trying to get a team to replace the senators. but apparently, the white house, according to some information we had, the white house refused to get involved. icly, they said it is a shame in a tragedy that they were getting involved, but behind the scenes, he was trying to do something. i don't think it was much beyond that meeting with the mayor of washington. >> do you consider nixon the greatest baseball fan among u.s. presidents? >> definitely. >> he probably has some competition from woodrow wilson. wilson went out to games after his stroke.

the -- wilson wouldge for the former president to go to griffith stadium. it would be limo, and they would be invited and through the right field entra the stadium. mousine would be parked there during the entire game. the story goes that they washington coach, a famous baseball entertainer was delegated to protect the wilson limo against eddie fallible, so he was in the right field, and he said, he would sometimes embellish stories. he had long conversations with woodrow wilson.

this is after he had suffered a stroke. >> the best seat in the house. >> going back to president nixon, we have videos. this is from 1987, but at the time, the former president stopped by a new york mets post game program to talk about his love of baseball. the host was a former player. let's watch. >> when you are in the white house, did you get excited about this. >> yes. i did throughout the first ball. this is nixon life again, and our daughters did, and many times, we went to griffith stadium, and you have to be a baseball fan in washington. we used to go throughout the ball. eisenhower went on occasion, and

i thought it was a great privilege to thrown out. what i prefer to do is not go as a celebrity, but to get the cheers or boos or whatever. but i like to be in the stands. to be with people, like for example, like our friend here. i'm always invited stay here, but in the stands, you get to be in the game. you don't appreciate the fans sitting in the box. you have to sit in there with the fans. >> i think that it's interesting. just the history lesson because we always hear about president nixon resigning, and it's like, yes. he resigned, but he was attending baseball games. i think it is interesting to see that. you had a story wanted to tell. >> when i was a teenager, i worked for bob wolf who was a senator and play-by-play announcer, and he would do interviews before the game, and the interviews were typical of

the washington fans, and you come out here often. what do you do? i'm a government employee? plays in german, the vice president of united states, richard nixon, he interviewed them on the air it >> he attended a lot of games as well. >> high point out something? >> baseball celebrate the centennial of baseball. it was here in washington. they hosted a bunch of hall of famer's and all-stars at the white house, and it made a shocking admission, which is that i like the job i have now, but if i could do it again, i would be a sportswriter. >> a journalist. >> the all-star teams with the son-in-law got a which. in 1971, they said did you

predict your all-time all-star team, and he said yes. >> he went to camp david with his son-in-law. they spent several hours working for about a week. he spent all afternoon having one of the most enjoyable times he had, and he put together for all-star teams. >> the new york times columnist handed and said as it pains me to say this, i think richard nixon should stick to be president. >> i've seen the shotve on the screen. nixon was talking to a young fan, and to his left, sioner of baseb but it

viled. they moved to texas, leaving the city of washington without baseball for some 30 years. they ran for senator in minnesota. the number of washington baseball fans took out an ad in the minnesota -- many annapolis -- minneapolis star tribune, opposing him. he was not a favorite in washington. >> brian in michigan, what your comment? >> yes.

i had my volume down rid >> you're going to get some feedback. no problem. go ahead. >> ok. first pitches. we had some presidents with some great first pictures. they opened the season, and some were lousy. how many of them practice before they went out to make the first pitch? furthermore, have you ever heard of the late great bernie harwell, from the detroit tigers? he was the only announcer that was ever traded for as a ballplayer. that's how we got him. we trade a ballplayer for announcer, that's a great story. he was revered in the state of michigan. people respected him all over, especially al kaline. i was at the 1968 world series in baseball is the finest

forever. >> you have any recollections like that? >> i could jump ahead. with these world series pitches in 2001. >> set that up for us. in 2001, the world series game wasn't long after those 2001 seasons, but it wasn't long after 9/11. what else was the context of george bushes pitch, and you know about his preparation? >> that year, he told him, don't bounce it because you could get booed. he did practice, but he saw this as a way to unite the country. this is about one month after a 9/11 attack. it was at yankee stadium. he thought it was a way to be a unifier, and he reported, saying he had never had as much of an adrenaline rush as he did that

evening. he took cheaters advice, and he threw a strike. he had fans chanting usa. it was an emotional moment. >> let's look at that. >> please welcome the president of the united states.

>> no president has ever visited yankee stadium during the world series. this was the year. >> quite the reception for the president. what are your thoughts? >> wonderful. wonderful. when we heard all of those fans cheering, i did a little research about fans booing for the president.

herbert hoover as the 30 --. >> 31. >> at the 1931 world series. he throughout the first pitch. as he left the field, the fans booed him. they started to cheer the said we want to be here. >> i was going to say, wasn't about for more politics, but it is about neither. >> they were angry about not having beer. >> so it was about politics, little bit. >> it was. >> there was another booing in the early 50's. harry truman was at a ballgame and not in the first game, but he had just fired douglas macarthur. as he left the field, the fans -- macarthur was a great hero, locally. he had just made the old

soldiers never die speech to congress. truman appeared at the next bagame and he waroundly booed by the fans. a mh bigger booing, if you will was at the 19 -- 2019 world series when president trump appeared on the big screen. he didn't throughout the first ball, and he didn't sit in the stands, either, the fans recognized trump and booed him vigorously. >> i was thinking, the national opening day, they have a home game in washington on thursday. is there any chance the president biden might show up or do you think that she would likely be booed. things are so polarizing now. there will be universal reception for an american president and just about any city.

>> he would get more cheers than booze because he is in a liberal city. i don't know if he will do it. a couple of years ago there was talk that he was interested in doing and he might do in the future. we don't know. interestingly with trump, he talked about the opportunity to throw the first best -- pitch at the world series, but he didn't want to wear a vest that make them look heavy and he didn't like that. that was his answer. >> so, we will do a quick pivot and bring in another guest. our guest is going to keep us on the same topic with presidents and baseball. this is the white house historical association senior historian, matthew costello. he will continue this discussion. good morning. thank you for joining us. ask thank you. >> the white house historical association -- your website says it is one of the first baseball

yields that was practically in the president's backyard. you tell us more? >> yes. it becomes more popularized in the second half of the 19th century, and you can see the city lots popping up in washington where people are taking out and playing games. some of these are pickups or organize, but just south of the white house, there is the ellipse, and fire to the full creation of the national mall, this is where they had the white slot, where a serious baseball field was set up, and this is where local citizens would come play or employees. they offered an opportunity to get outside and exercise and escaped the drudgery of everyday office work in washington. it was a place where they would grab a seat in the 19th century. >> also on your website, you reveal to you think was really

the biggest fan ever at 1600 pennsylvania avenue, and you say it wasn't a president. tell us who you think was the biggest baseball fan to occupy the white house. >> i don't know if she was the biggest fan, but she was the certain -- certainly the biggest in the white house of calv coolidge. grace coodgwas a diehard washington baseball fan. obviously, her husband enjoyed baseball as ll there was a funny reported story of the are -- attendina game, and the president wanting to lee because o going into extra inning and she was instructed tsit down. ey ended up losing an extra innings, but grace would follow the games on the radio,nd she would take notes and flo along with a scorecard. she was a pretty enthusiastic

baseball fan. probably more than her husband. >> can you tell us more about the white house historic asked association, and what is on your side when it comes to presidents in baseball? >> we have a research collection of different types of research articles and the podcast about coolidge and baseball. they are the first to host the world series, winning baseball at the white house. that was at the 1924 washington senators, but they didn't post them until the following year. they're aiming to repeat, and it

was a notable occasion. it's not really aid fairly consistently practice tradition, and i would say it's not until 19 70, 1980, with ronald reagan, there is an invitation to all sorts of championship winning teams across different sports, and even college and professional, so it is a growing tradition in the second half of the 20th century. we know that coolidge is a baseball fan, especially misses coolidge. so it makes sense that it has its origins there. >> what is the overall white house historical association. >> it was founded in 1961. as a cooperating association park service. we are the nonprofit and

nonpartisan partners to the white house. we have research education and printing and publishing. it is more readily available for americans. we would teach about the history of the house. >> finally, your co-editor of a new book titled morning the president -- lost legacy in american culture. >> the book was an idea after the funeral of george h w bush. what we were witnessing in real time, a colleague of mine, with that, we wanted to take a historical look at the morning processes, and case a former president passed away at what is the immediate reaction, and over time, how does that change or

how does the legacy change based off of those morning periods. we put together 12 in the volume, spanning from the first president, george washington, up to george h w bush. we go through and we talk about the importance of family, political parties, race, culture, all these different things that impact how we remember residents and how presidents want to be remembered ask thank you so very much for joining us this morning. again, matthew costello, the white house historical association senior historian. he joined our conversation about presidents and baseball. thank you, again. >> go nationals. >> will come back with our guests. again, we have fred who is a sports and politics historian, and phil hopper who is a sports

attorney and former announcer to the washington senators, and the baltimore orioles >> let me jump in. i don't want to claim credit where it is not do, but i was the stadium announcer and not the point by way announcer. >> ok. >> what is the difference. what was your role as a stadium announcer? >> generally, i introduced the lineup, introduced pinch-hitter's in a special note that the fans were supposed to get. and also, for a number of years, i was the press box announcer. i announced just to the members of the press box. as we were listening to matthew, there is an interesting story about presidential autographed baseballs. walter johnson was a great

washington pitcher for over 20 years. he would get an autographed baseball from each of the presidents who attended the opening day. his son, after walter passed away, his son to all -- donated the balls to cooperstown. the grandson going to cooperstown, subsequently, asked to see the ball. but he saw was pictures because cooperstown admitted the balls had been stolen 10 years before that. autographed baseballs from taft, harding, and roosevelt. given to the hall of fame, no longer there. >> and is still an unsolved mystery. >> apparently at >> we've got some more calls coming in. steve from maryland.

go ahead. >> thank you for taking my calls. my senators adventure began in 1958. i went to my first game, and it was at griffith stadium. just let you know, my parents owned a grocery store in washington called the fairfield market. it was not far away from washington d.c. stadium. my father would take my friends and i to the game, drop us off, and pick us up after the game, and take us back to the store. they put us to work. we got a game and we got work. but, i can remember the 1958 game. that was when i was five years old. but i was at the all-star game where john kennedy throughout the first pitch, so i got to see that it and, i was at the last

game against a new york yankee. instead of staying home, i was in college. i was going for a test, but i went to the game with a couple of friends, and there were a lot of not nice posters about bob shorts at the game. but the game never ended. i think the top of the ninth inning, two outs left, and we stormed the field, and it never ended. one of my favorite moments was frank howard hitting a home run, he took his home and through it into the stands. i guess he was expressing his displeasure. >> those were some of my washington senator experiences. >> thank you. we appreciate your call. >> cannot talk about autographed

baseballs? one thing i want to mention from my book is that the tradition evolved over time where the resident, we saw the pictures bound, and the president back then, you see the pictures in the stand, but the photographers would have plans for both teams battling for the ball did they would get the ball and bring it over to get an autographed one time, president kenny from 1961, he would get the ball back. they signed it quickly, and it is a garbage autographed. i can't read this. keep going to south chicago and anyone believes they will sign this? do it again. he actually did. >> jungle jim rivera. expect to the phone lines in month emory alabama. mike. what are your thoughts or questions you want to share? >> great guests.

growing up in the early 60's in connecticut, my dad took me to yankee stadium a number of times. we went to a stadium, and it's in a second year or so, and at that time, the old-timers day, the baseball greats would play two innings. after the old-timer play. one of your guests will recognize the voice of god, bob sheppard, introduced joe dimaggio because he suited up that day, and he wore the famous number five, and he got up and drove one down. he hit hr. basically, the crowd went nuts. i heard about that, but i never

saw him play. the regular game started and my idol came up. he melted one in the right-center field area my dad said to me, mike, this is the time you are going to remember. you saw it to yankee greats. home runs in the same day. >> wow. >> i've got a joe dimaggio story. >> migrated through in the 40 some years that i did stadium announcing was during the old-timers game. it was in 1981. i literally had chills down my spine. literally. i introduced number five, joe dimaggio. it was a great thrill. the following day, i saw dimaggio at the ballpark i said

to him, i've got to tell you something. i have chills down my spine. he could have cared less. it was a disappointment. >> all right. let's take another call. buffalo new york. you are on. >> hello? great program. i've got a question. i recently saw a picture from a baseball game. i was wondering, do you see this program returning to inner cities. it's a great program. >> are you familiar with this program? >> i think ace paul is trying to expand. that is back into the inner cities. >> i think it is wonderful.

>> little league world series bringing new generations baseball fans. let's go to fred in vermont. >> hello. great program. i don't know but it's off-topic, but i want to give a quick story. i went to my first baseball game and it was unique read it was in the early 1970's. i family was visiting montreal. we happen to be staying at the same hotel that the expos stayed at. my mother was a good looking redhead. we got on the elevator, and like i said, we said the same hotel, we got on the elevator. downstairs, we were coming back upstairs, and we saw a rusty stop. and to other teammates. i was a big baseball fan and i knew who he was.

i was a big mets fan and tigers fan. i was a red sox fan. he started coming onto my mother. he was making passes at her, trying to pick her up, basically. he was telling her that she was a redhead, and he could show her a good time, and he pulled out two tickets and said you and your boy come watch me play. i'll hit one for you. >> my mom gave me the ticket, we went to the park to watch the first baseball game. >> my mother was good-looking and he wanted to go out with her. >> let's go to richard. he is in verona missouri. the morning. off the topic, i want to talk about pete rose. i'd like to see a full pardon for what was done, so you can get back into the hall of fame.

he is one of the greatest baseball players this country ever had. it is a shame that he can't have his seat where it belongs, and another thing, they went to kansas city. i was an apprentice carpenter. all the floors were in the dugout, and they have the same ball. that was the only relation. but thank you for taking the time. >> i don't think the president has anything to do with that. i tickets up to the baseball commissioner. or maybe the hall of fame. but the president has no role. >> he wants a pardon or that to get them into the hall of fame. maybe interpretation is a pardon of his crimes that are keeping him out of the hall of fame or wipe the slate clean. we are getting to the end of the show. there is so much we haven't been

able to go over, but i want to ask you, franklin delano roosevelt had an important contribution to the game in 1942. something called the greenlight letter to baseball. can you tell us what that is? >> after they entered world war ii, the baseball commissioner wrote a letter to fdr, and they said in 1942, should we continue to play? will do whatever you think is right. fdr wrote back the next day in a letter addressed. my dear judge, because given a former judge, baseball must continue. the people will be working long hours. they would need a little time for rest and relaxation. they pointed out and he emphasized that you agree with me that players who are of eligible age should be fighting. inserting the country, so what you had it was a very unusual. in world war ii baseball were a lot of layers were either too

young, or in high school, and the teammates before he came in or before, you had guys who were too old, guys who were half down, or maybe some people were missing limbs. one leg it. but sheppard, he was one like it, see of all these interesting layers. in two teams were always very bad. they had good teams because they were turned upside down, and felix brown is one of the pendant makers and the washington senators were already back by then. 1945. they were in the last pennant race. that was last in the season, so a very interesting time. by the way, fdr really hated him, so when he saw those letters, it was something they couldn't agree with each other, they shut it off. action world war i, baseball season, they were thinking baseball would have to be shut down. and johnson, the president of the american league had said, we

are going to cancel the game after a certain ointment in 1918, and the games continue to be played. it was van johnson who didn't have quite the authority to do that read and, the season ended early. in part, the celebrate the end of world war one. >> we are getting to the end of the show. i know you are -- ready both nationals fans or are there other for the season? ask -- >> i am a cardinals fan. by right about the nationals much more. i love the nationals, and i love history their close to it, for the cardinals are my favorite team. xes and >> i'm a nationals fan. win or lose. >> you think -- i mean, i feel like i've been trying to pay attention, but i'm not the biggest fan. you think the nationals will have a good season this year?

mark i hope so. back snow. >> again, i want to thank both of you for joining us on this really on conversation. again, red rumor andheuthor of a book titled you've got to have a heart. it is a sports story, and phil hopper and he is the sports attorney. for the baltimore orioles read thank you for joining us. that will do it for us for washington journal. we will be back tomorrow at 7 a.m.. have a great day.