♪ host: good morning it is saturday, april 8, 2023. 3600 jobs -- 236,000 jobs.to and unemployment ticked down.

this morning we will ask you about jobs and how satisfied you are with your jobs. -- with your job. and what you think of your coworkers and manage and if tightened labor has affected your job. if you are under 30, (2 748-8000. between 30 and 60 years old, (202) 748-8001. or over 60 years old (202) 748-8002. you can also send us a text text (202) 748-8003 just tell us where you're from. and you can also comment on our twitter page twitter @cspanwj. host: texas judge suspends fda

label and the second judge protects the access. they follow the supreme court elimination of a constitutional right of abortion last june. the article starts with the status of key abortion medication it was passed in uncertainty last night when rulings from judges reach contradictory conclusions. one judge blocked the drug and once at the pill should remain available. we will be talking about that news during open forum. we will get more up date and get your reaction to that so be sure to follow us and stay tuned for that. going back to jobs, i want to show you a few research center polls that came out a few weeks ago that ask americans how they view their job. it says that in the wake of the great resignation and demanded

reports of quiet quitting, only about half of u.s. workers say they are extremely or very satisfied with their job overall. you can take a look at what that looks like. here is overall, those that are extremely satisfied, and people that are happy with their relationship with coworkers and their manager or supervisor, here is where it gets worse is how much they are paid. only 34% and opportunities for promotion at work. i'm wondering what you think about that we are taking your calls. let's take a look at whatt says about satisfaction by age range. those 65 and older say they are extremely or very satisfied with their job overa 55% of thoseen 564.

and 44% for those aging upo 29. older workers are most likely to say they are extremely or very relationo management, they also are more likely to say they find their jobs to be enjoyable and fulfilling. all or most of the time. and this is what it says abo discrimination. 41% of black workers say that at some point they experie discrimination or have been treated unfairly by and in lawyer that is hiring a working promotion because ofheir race or ethnicity. this is compared with 8% of workers, and asian workers.c

and women have experienced race -- discrimination because of their gender and only one in 10 men say they experienced the same. we are asking you how satisfied you are with your job and what you think and how that is going we are talking with america this morning. the numbers are on your screen. under 30, (202) 748-8000. between 30 and 60, (202) 748-8001. and over 60, (202) 748-8002 and we are starting with mark. >> this was not the strongest

labor report that we've had over the years. there were 236,000 jobs added and that's the lowest number since december 2020 it is still a strong six-figure job growth month over month. that does not match up with what the debt reserve is trying to do with raising interest rates. host: let's talk about the fed reserve in the raising of the interest rates, what is going on with the interest rate, the growth of the job, how is that interacting? guest: to understand what the fed is thinking you have to think about why they are raising rates. they are doing this to tamp down inflation to quotes demand and drive down inflation. part of that is you need a weaker marke.

t. -- we have the possible recession going forward. everyone is worried about that. guest: we are hearing that regularly that there is a fear

of recession. it has not happened though. guest: no. we have not had an actual recession yet. when you look at gdp numbers there was a brief period at the beginning of last year there were negative. some of gdp growth that indicate a recession. one was near record lows at the time but now we are looking at the scenario where a lot of communist dutch economy is projected -- economists projected -- a low. and the economy was going very strong before covid came. most forecasters expect the rate to take up and that equates to tens of millions of lost jobs.

host: when it comes to wage growth, what is the report showing on that? -- it showed that on an annual basis wage growth or hourly earnings were up 4.2% 4.3% increase from last time. that is crucial because it shows wages are slowing. -- that was a surprise. the ratio of white unemployment was lower -- higher than black

unemployment. it was a positive report. host: are there certain sectors that do better in the economy. certain types of jobs. guest: yes but let me talk about the sectors that are not doing as well first. when it raises rates the provisions rippled through the economy. the construction housing is one of the first places it is reflected. where you see rates go up, investment is to build new projects and as the projects start drying up, workers of the can structure -- but the housing market it has been cooling with lot of parts of the country. hospitality is still going strong. and there are other sectors as well. overall it is a mixed bag.

host: is there another rate hike coming? guest: right now investors think there is a greater than 50% chance -- they usually hike at the average. but there are some that are in the camp that this report and other reports show that we need to take our foot off of the gas and show a pause here. there is another report next week that the fed will take into account area and there are two other inflation reports that are yet to be released. all eyeballs on -- all eyes on those. host: that was zachary. from washington examiner. thank you. guest: we will take your calls let's start with test -- ted in boston as a toots it's between 30 and 60 years old.

caller: good morning i think all of the minutia we discuss about the jobs reports and black people and i feel like it is a waste of time if we stand back and look at the broad scheme here. the last 40 decades, or the last 40 years, it does not make a difference any of the topics we are talking about today. because ceos make 400 times the average worker and no one can afford health care, daycare, houses. it doesn't matter if someone has two or three jobs. it is the quality of jobs, the wage and buying power. it is a meaningless discussion. it does not matter. we should be talking about the grand scheme not manipulative or arts on data. -- manipulative reports on data. and i notice you and tina use

first person a lot and i think it is symbolic of losing impartiality. it strikes me as a little bit of confusing. that is all i have to say. thank you. host: terrel is in sutherland, maryland. terrel? caller: i'm under the age of 30. my current occupation -- i am optimistic about this year and based on my income last year when i put in a little more work, i can put myself in a little bit of a better position this year as far as work. going to pick back up this summer. and i guess, based on my personal opinion that we put in a little more work i can do a little bit more better. but i seem to be paying more taxes this year and i just want to push through i guess. based on the economy there is

nothing i can do about that. is this -- host: is this the type of job you want to stay in? caller: yes, i am extremely happy. with your question i am with my employer happy working where i am working at. my lawyer communicates well with me as long as i communicate well with them. they work with me i'm happy where i am with them i just got to work harder. host: alright let's talk to danny next to is in arizona. caller: good morning. happy easter to all. mimi, what i have to say is this question about the jobs is important. i live here and we are being invaded by illegal aliens, drugs, and all kinds of different bad stuff. why don't you have a whole show

about that or the insurrection in tennessee or what is going on between china, russia, and brazil trying to take down the american dollar. why don't you guys have a whole show dedicated to these questions instead of these softball kind of things i'm not saying this is softball but a lot of them are. it makes the democrats look bad but where is joe? joe should be talking to us about all of this. he goes away for the weekend all the time in delaware campaigning this weekend. he should be in front of a microphone addressing us. this is ridiculous. the democrats are refreshing this country down the toilet. . . . . . . .

-- i will not name drop any companies but there are a few i would consider working for because of their value and mission. if you are not satisfied with your job you need to reevaluate your right -- your life.

me -- for me being self-employed is one of the best things i could have done. it is a pleasure to get up every morning and not have the same thing every day when you are self lloyd everyday is a friend. host: how is the housing market where you are in dallas? caller: thank you for asking. i call it a tale of counties. to some of the counties around me price values are extremely high. one that averages home values 400,000 in dallas county which is where dallas is is more affordable. it depends on where you are in the state or area. in some parts of the state there's more available homes. in others there is a big shortage. host: alright. you know what we have not gotten any calls from women yet. and i want to show you the research center article about

the gender pay gap. . . . . . american -- american women typically earned $.82 per dollar for men the slow pace in which the gender pay gap has narrowed -- in 1982 women earned 65 cents to each dollar for men. there is no single explanation for narrowing the pay gap it has all but stalled in the 21st century area women begin their careers closer to wage parity admin but they lose ground as they age and progress through their work lives a pattern that

has been consistent over time. i wonder if that has been your experience. we are taking your calls this hour on jobs. we had a job report come out yesterday. and let's talk with david in new york. good morning. caller: good morning. -- i am kind of unemployed. a worker of estate for 35 years. -- most small businesses you get training on the job. but you come in under the teachers unions and they will have a situation where it is no

longer educational process. -- you can't learn a skill in six months or a year. it is a lifetime. so, -- i just say this. please let the private sector. do not discount the private sector as a educational process. you can still learn skills. i don't care what skill you want that is my opinion. host: let's take a look at the tweet that came in -- i spend time calculating how much i have until retirement. in one of the few places that still has engine. i did not think i would be at this job if it were not for insurance, benefits, and engine

being tied to it. this is from russ in california. that shows you how unsteady the job market is. employers are not loyal and employees are not either. you can get laid off or fired in a heartbeat. attacks from: in baltimore i love my job. i have a stake in the organization and influence on data infrastructure. d this is a text from highland, michigan saying the jobs report mean absolutely nothing without the detail of specific name, pay, age him ladies. -- -- this is the u.s. chamber of commerce and this is

something that they put out called quit rates by industries. workers across industries are quitting their jobs. to further understand shift in the labor force it is interesting. some have a shortage of labor while others have a surplus of workers. -- even if every unemployed person in experience with the durable goods manufacturing were employed the industry would fill 44% for the vacant jobs. conversely it is a labor surplus there are more unemployed workers in the industry than there are open jobs.

speaking of manufacturing, president biden spoke last month in march about investment in the u.s. manufacturing jobs. >> 30 years ago corporate america decide to go with the jobs that are the cheapest. guess what? america lost its edge in manufacturing across the board. we did that for decades and now we are creating jobs. no longer american products are being made in growing the economy. and since i took office, we have attracted 435 billion dollars in private investment in american manufacturing.

-- everyone knows that is why it is so important and you have to have access to it. my economic plan rings the supply chain home. as said why are we doing this? and i said we are no longer going to have to wait for products from countries. you will have access to what we do but we will have a supply chain in america.

host: we are taking your calls that the -- of how satisfied you are with your job. and we are taking those calls by age. if you are under 30, -- under 30, (202) 748-8000. between 30 and 60, (202) 748-8001. over 60, (202) 748-8002. we have a color between 30 and 60. calling us from georgia. what do you think of your job? caller: i am a public school teacher and so, on the one hand,

-- we are dealing but so many different challenges. and so familiar with so many people. hold on, let me turn this down. i'm a schoolteacher and so on the one hand, if i was, so, we have many different challenges. we have a literacy data and the total lack of engagement. we deal with from parents and students. we have a system that has not caught up in -- barely. host: we feel like you're doing a lot more than just teaching kids? caller: we are doing so much

more. it is real mental health issues that we are dealing with without any support. the shortages, it you know, these days, we already know by the time we are in the school year we are going to lose at least probably like one third of our staff. host: do you feel like you are supported by your administration and getting the things you need? caller: they are doing -- i feel like in my case, the administration is doing the best that they can. however, they are not getting the support. it would be the autonomy they need in order to address the needs. they are still, it is like they are still on discourse. they are trying to pursue it the same way they did several -- a

decade or so ago. host: john is calling us from new jersey. over 60. caller: i work as a guard but i have problems with the job for many years because i am dyslexic. i have been discriminated against based on my handicap. host: tell me how. how does that impact your job? does it impact your job performance at all as a crossing guard? caller: no it doesn't but what impacts my job is the crossing guard. it is a great job. but i would rather have done another job where i could make more money. and i have a college degree. for years, i've been dealing with discrimination based on

being dyslexic. host: how would an employer know that you are dyslexic? caller: if you go for federal jobs you have to let them know because if they find out you are disabled some companies would fire you because of your handicap. even with the american disabilities act. host: all right. stella is in dallas, texas. over 60. good morning. caller: good morning. i am never working. i am -- life. good morning how are you. i am here to talk about these issues. host: i understand go ahead

stella. caller: ok. there are a lot of jobs right now on the tv you know especially [indiscernible] one kind of job is not a job for everybody. [indiscernible] lawyers or something. i don't see a problem with that. each one of these people -- to me i do not think that is not good. it is not what guys [indiscernible] and everybody, if i am my mother i went to see my boys --

[indiscernible] and all this in these kind of careers. host: all right let's talk next to paul who is in cornwall, new york. good morning. caller: good morning thank you for the opportunity to call in. i am not satisfied at all with my job. it is long hours, or pay, no chance of any promotions. lousy bonuses. and i do not spend a nickel or dime on anything but yet my company goes through money. host: have you thought about leaving? caller: i have almost 60 but where will i go to? there is no place to go to at this weight at this age. host: why do you feel like at this age but you cannot get a different job? caller: yeah. host: why do you feel that way? caller: i look at the stuff that

my friends are going through that are the same age as me they are older white males and they cannot get in there and going. they want younger people they will not take benefit packages or things like that. caller: you feel like you are stuck in a job you do not like? host: exactly my boss is fantastic but he does what he can at his hands are tied. host: let's talk to robert next in waldorf, maryland. caller: good morning it sounds like a flock of -- saying i cannot get a job. and unions have made it cost-effective. all of the union policies and benefits the unions are forcing, that has forced them to take that. the unions have made it cost-effective for companies to move out of the country.

if you cannot generate revenue what is the sense of being in business. people do not understand the federal government can come in and shut your business down. and the government comes in and shuts the stuff down. so you invested all of this money in your economy trying to make money and that is affecting the federal government. so why will people want to replace you. host: what is your situation? tell me about your job. caller: i retired from all the stupid stuff. i sit here and watch these corporations this is all they do. they hire people for the color of their skin they do not hire best qualified candidate. it is like bud light. bud light is more concerned of having some clear guy get on here. now they killed their revenue. -- host: let's look a the

nets. 82% say thr employer has time off. 77% say they have access to a 401(k) or other retirement savings programs. 57% say they have access to paid parental family or medical leave . kelly is next in taxes. you are between 30 and 60. caller: good morning i am calling on balf of my husband. he is in construction a he has been doing construction work for all his life. he does resurts, he is a suriendent, and the problem

now is y cnot even get a permit now to start a restaurant . is to the point where he stl gets a salary and health benefits but wha to choose between medication [indiscernib] now with me, i have to wait. i have seizures and i cannot get back t work. i have a lot of health issues. i would t, t do you think anyby uld actually employ me? no. another thing i would say about this is i live in the state of texas and i wonder why do you guys had the segment on all the illegal people coming across the border demanding cost, it is

utterly ridiculous. we have to worry about paycheck to paycheck. biden does not care about the middle class people all he cares about is union workers. they are not teaching trade skills anymore. and that is what you were taught in school. you know, i don't basically know what to say anymore. host: let's take a look at a text we got from joe in kentucky. he says my son is the district manager over the labor union in my district. he has a lot of jobs with too few willing to work them. these are $28 an hour with and if it's airy this is a good problem to have but people are not willing to work anymore. they are paid $100 a day if you show up and work all day and a lot of people will not do that. this is a $500 bonus each week. russell in washington dc says

jobs white-collar and blue-collar are about to experience of people. and so to the population. ai will soon displace writers, communicators, organizers, and laborers. all of it is coming not long from now. about that here is an article from foxbusiness. it's headlined chet gtp ai list it's jobs can do better than humans as millions are being put out of work. it was unveiled in november and went on to break records. the article says this is expected to replace 4.8 million u.s. jobs. and biz coaching firm at -- asked chet gtp bought including what jobs can it replace and what does it feel would be most

capable of working. the bot told the firm that it would most likely replace positions that are repetitive and predictable and ones that are speech and language requirement. that includes customer service representatives, translators and interpreters, technical writers, copywriters, data entry clerks area and it goes on to say that that ai chat bot added it could see entering other fields such as machine learning, mathematics, computer science, robotics, automation, and business. i wonder what you think about that we are taking your calls about jobs during this first hour. i wonder if you think that artificial intelligence can replace your job. nancy is over 60 in wisconsin. good morning. caller: can you hear me? host: yes i can.

go ahead. caller: there are all these people acting like ai -- i saw that they were talking about that. i will get into my job situation but ai thing has been going on since i was 17 years old and working in a factory and they were getting robotics back then. and my problem is that people are texting and calling acting like this is new. if you look at any it is all typical. host: certainly artificial intelligence has been around for a while it just has not been as powerful as it is now. i don't know if you have a chance to lay around with chat gtp. caller: people are stupid and it came to live because of the computer system they see what is going on. i don't want to get crazy but my problem with my job is i have been working all my life paying taxes. i get disabled because i had soldier -- soldier -- shoulder

surgery. i am six credits short. and when you take early requirement -- retirement because i am too young i and tax for my own money that i worked for my whole life. that is my problem with our society. i -- if you ask me joe biden needs to be shot in his face. host: we do not kill bone -- condone violence, nancy. next caller. caller: i am a young 42-year-old male i have two kids and a wife. i got hurt i worked many years in construction and i had surgery on my neck. now i am disabled and i'm not getting any payments. host: you have to turn down your tv in the back, tom. are you still there?

caller: yeah. host: you are saying you got disabled and you are not able to work anymore. caller: yeah and i'm not getting any help. host: are you not on disability? caller: i have been on it forever with worker's comp. it is been around for seven years. host: david is in new york. caller: yes ma'am. good morning. i am a university professor at a private nondenominational university. it is nonunion and the stature, status, and compensation for the so-called 10 year system professorship has deteriorated ever since i joined it in the 1980's. 75 >>80 -- 75-80% were

tenured. and what has happened is the government and other external predicaments have because the university to support staff but in particular at the executive level and they have only proliferated this proportionately to a point where every full-time equivalent professor there are three staff and administrators to comply with your requirements. as you are teaching and continue to get your education. and you let them know to what extent it serves the purpose of the students or the scholarship or faculty. and the majority of the university professors teaching at the moment are really

non-status clean-cut professors. adjunct professors, part-timers, and contract professors. in the fringe benefit has deteriorated across the board you specially for this group that has really gradually replaced traditional tenure professors. host: thelma in lake moore ohio. good morning. caller: good. host: what do you think? caller: i am not satisfied with my job. i am 604i worked in the hard labor my whole life. it is ridiculous the money -- i am 64. i worked in labor my whole life. the -- it is ridiculous. the money we make cannot support our needs. host: what is your job? caller: hard labor.

they pay the ceos way too much and they forgot about the bottom people. i think of the union were stronger in america we would get more rights. you do not hardly make enough money to thrive. it is terrible. host: have you thought about how long you will continue to work? caller: i will retire at 65 no matter what even though i cannot afford it there is no way i can continue to work because my body cannot take it anymore. it is falling apart. they do not pay enough for you to retire. host: all right. let's take a look at other news. this is the new york times reporting on the story. kiss as justice thomas says he was advised that lavish gifts

do not need to be reported in a statement. he had passed items from others in the court but he will now comply with new guidelines and disclose gifts and free travel. here is st. paul, minnesota. delma. good morning. caller: good morning. i was just -- i don't know. i am commenting about -- i don't like justice thomas anyway he is fake but whatever. but as far as being satisfied with my job, i work in health care. i like what i do, but it is, you know, i have been doing it since covid and i am feeling kind of the burnout. and i think what is happening is covid just kind of change the type of workers we have. and she was on the other foot where we have more jobs than people looking -- for jobs.

people can pick and choose whatever. it has made everybody lazy. i would not say everybody but some people. and they can kind of pick and choose what they want and get bonuses. it change the type of workers they are younger, coming in getting the bonus, not staying a full year, kind of hopping around. but as far as i am hearing some people they -- to say they cannot find jobs. host: in your sector in health care what do you see as far as open positions? how hard is it to fill the positions? caller: as far as openings, we always need nurses. there is a lot of them, but you do not have to have a nursing degree. there is a lot of clerical administration positions. and whether it is cafeteria,

medical coding, scheduling. and those only require a high school diploma. and maybe some skills in medical terminology or whatever. but if you can pick up a phone. a lot of our positions you can work from home now. that is just the way it is. but if you are not that. i am, although i like my job i am not happy with the administration. i do agree with the others calling in. with the ceos and they are forgetting about the older employees. and i've been doing what i've been doing for 20 years and it is almost like they are trying to hurry up and get you out of there so they can hire the

cheaper, young workers. i do not understand that mentality area i decided i am going back to school and if you want to change, if you can change your job it is not too late. i am going back to school and getting my degree in medical coding. and doing something for myself. so it is not too late you can do it. host: all right thank you for that encouragement. caller: leon is in nebraska. good morning. caller: good morning. for me, i am happy with my job in a way because there is -- right to work in nebraska. so if you're a felon -- it doesn't make any sense. within the republican state we just do not have what it takes

to be like the other states. those that do the reforms of jobs. host: you do not feel like workers are protected in nebraska? caller: no. because the whole state there is no right to work in the state of nebraska. there is no protection for workers. if they decide that for some reason they want to get -- even new trucks or officers. if you are a officer and you do something that is -- the administration says is wrong you do not have options. i've seen a lot of right to work for a person [indiscernible] host: what kind of job do you have? caller: i am a machine operator.

host: are you happy with your job? caller: yes, i am happy with my job, but it makes it hard for somebody my age. it is not very good. medical bills get high. that is my only complaint is that we as a system we don't care about our health the way that which should -- we should. host: understood. john in new jersey you are on the air. caller: hello. excellent show. as far as artificial intelligence we are a product of our success. we are at a point now in our nations age, i am talking about the age of the nation, we are

very successful and we become the greatest country on earth. and we are going through what the romans went through. we are so successful that menial jobs will be taken by the underclass but even jobs that were middle-class at one time are being taken over by the underclass. in ancient rome, they were so successful that slaves ended up being the majority of the military and slaves ended up being the majority of the police force and slaves ended up being the majority of the teaching industry. host: how do you see that applying to us today? caller: we are so successful that americans do not want those kinds of jobs. they want to be in the upper end war they do not want to work. but because -- they end up wanting to be in the upper and and they do not want to work.

nobody wants to do the middle-class jobs that was typical 40 or 50 years ago, such as nursing, policing, teaching, military work. host: what impacted that? caller: look at what happened to the romans eventually it all came down but it is cyclical. host: are you working now, john? caller: i am still working but i will be retired soon. host: all right. let's go next tonight go -- go next to michael in vermont. caller: good morning i was not planning to get up early this morning but i turned on your station like i do every morning and the way you are doing it the way you are covering it is a fascinating number of topics. the best thing i can say i agree with a lot of those they called in. i am going on 70 and i do not have to work, but i am meeting

so many people wear our work and i have my own businesses that when you do serve these -- surveys of people over 60's i've had young people come up to me and say we all love you because you have so much energy and bring out the best in other people. but there is a difference when you do not have to work and you love to work and he worked 50 years. just like your parents and grandparents. that is what it is like where i live in vermont. it doesn't matter how much education most people have here they work hard. ageism is a -- alive and well. the cost of living has exploded. there are solutions to these things, i guarantee you, on your studentcam, i will watch every single one of those videos. host: you mentioned ageism what is the solution to age discrimination in the workforce? caller: i have done this.

i said, give me 30 days to make a positive impact on the young people in your company and if it does not work out there is no hard feelings. because i also live in a state where it is employment at will. somebody cannot fire me at any moment for any reason and i can walk off the job for any reason in a way that is a good thing but there is no real security. i think setting the example to people my age i work for grandchildren -- i have grandchildren. i was a executive of until the great recession. the thing is we have left our -- my children and my two sons are fine as far as my two grandsons we all leave here in vermont. we have left them in a financial mess that we have got to fix.

i go to work and i have two companies i built from home because my grandchildren are doing this. i don't want to be the roman empire. that guy made a fantastic point. nobody is too good to roll up their sleeves and work in my mind. but if you want to set an example for the young people. host: about the young people, do you feel that young people are willing to learn from older workers?do they value the experience that older workers bring? caller: i absolutely do. sometimes it comes to the point where there is a conflict at work where an older, experienced person who cares about other people can calm people down and be in a very respective way, not that i worked harder or longer or more educated but why are we

here? what are we trying to do? let's do it together. and this is what i think we should do. 99% of the time they do that. they did not do that because it is a corporate policy or some kind of rule or direction from corporate. they do it because there is someone to them that they respect. host: let's talk with jack in california. good morning. caller: good morning. i watch your show. it is about 4:55 here. i realize you do not have much time so i will keep it short. i used to work with office people for about five years and i got a really bad fall. i injured my foot. i used to be allowed to sit down and work. i was asked to provide a letter from the doctor and i provided the letter from the doctor saying i have a foot injury.

and then i got a letter saying i cannot climb ladders anymore. i am 62 now and i have stopped looking for jobs because everyone -- they ask you do you have special requirements? and i say i do. and then it ends there. host: wow. so you're not working now? caller: i am not. i am being forced into retirement because every employer will say -- host: what about looking for a job that does not require you to be on your feet or to climb ladders? is that an option? have you thought about that? caller: definitely in retail they tell you -- the first thing they tell you is do you know how to clean the bathroom?

you know, they have special requirements. host: all right. let's take a look at this article hey the washington post. it is about -- the headline is black unemployment rate hits record low at five percent. during the coronavirus pandemic the black unemployment rate soared to its highest of 16.8%. and we take a couple we just have a little bit of time left. maybe we don't have time. sorry. all right. we will end this right here. the segment and what is next on washington journal. ryan clancy discusses the effort to put an independent candidate on the 2024 presidential ballot. and later this morning congressman doug collins talks about his podcast.

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my guess is ryan clancy. welcome to the program. guest: thank you for having me. host: tell us about no labels. why it was created in 2000 hand and what your mission is today. guest: we are created over a decade ago to bring the political parties together to solve problems. we have been fixated on congress for most of our time, the house problem solvers baucus. -- caucus. that was our allies that led the way. host: how are you funded? some people accuse you of being a dark money group. we do not know where your

funding is coming from. how do you respond? guest: we have funders across the country and political spectrum. we are a 501(c) four group like aarp. they do not release their donors and neither do we. there is a second part of this. we have been talking about our 2024 insurance project efforts. if you saw some of the incoming hate mail to our social accounts, email accounts that is what people who do not like what you are doing do these days. they try to attack and intimidate you. we are not going to subject the amazing people who support us about treatment. host: i will remind our viewers if you like to call in and ask a question or make a comment you can do so on our lines by party affiliation. republicans, 202-748-8001. democrats, 202-748-8000. independents, 202-748-8002.

speaking of hate groups, i want to show you a statement from the arizona democratic party. look at that on the screen. the dark money group no lab engaged in a shadowategy to gain ballot access when in reality they are not a political party. no labels does not follow the rules of a political party must follow but they are claiming to be a party for the purpose of valid access --ballots to push the interestseir dark money under the expense of arizonans. political party committees must meet's legal reirents and maintain a level of transparency. no labels needs to -- meets none of these requirements and maintains little to no transparency. what do you think? guest: it is the absolute

hypocrisy what is they are doing. no labels has been working since last year to get valid access to states across the country -- ballot access to states across the country. in arizona, a month ago we are certified to be on the ballot the democratic secretary of state. everything we have done has been above board. we have a legal team making sure every t is dotted -- i is dotted. this is nothing more than about power. the same people who talk about protecting democracy. they are protecting their turf. i will give you evidence. in their legal philo -- filing they say justification is to make it harder for democrats to win elections in arizona. that may or may not be true, but that is not a basis to kick us off of the ballot.

that is them not wanting competition. this dark money charge, democrats in 2020 election cycle, a billion dollars in quote dark money spending, most of it favored democrats. the same people attacking us for our funding, are fine with the funding as long as it is benefiting them. we do not take you seriously. it is an effort to disenfranchise voters who want a choice and will keep moving ahead in states across the country. host: let's talk about what you're calling an insurance policy and laying the groundwork for another candidate is between 24 -- and 2024. guest: we started planning a little over a year ago. we spent most time focused on congress and continue to be focus there. we started looking at 2024 presidential election and saw

the prospect that two major parties were going to put forth choices and platforms that did not speak to the majority of the country. we started investigating what would it take to get on the ballot and working to get on the ballot and then we started looking at whether there will be a path. we know it is very difficult for any independent presidential ticket to get traction. but we have done polling, including a poll in december of registered voters and the take away is there is a path to electoral college victory for an independent unity ticket. host: your website says you are not creating a third-party. how is this different? guest: if you recall over the summer, and you yank -- andrew

yang created the forward form. that is a new party that intends to challenge the two major parties up and down the ticket. they'll be running state and local candidates. we are not doing that. it is a one-time effort to create a ballot line for the presidential election. we get on the ballot in some states, sometimes you get on the ballot as political group, sometimes critical organization, but there are some states as a tactical matter make you get on as a party. we are not intending to build a party that is going to challenge democrats and republicans up and down the ticket. host: critics have called this a spoiler. very much like ralph nader. what do you think of that charge? guest: we dug into that. it is something we take seriously.

we do not want to have unintended consequences and throw an election to chaos. there are couple things wrong with that argument. if you take ralph nader or joe stein in 2016, they did pull votes from the democratic side, but that is what you would expect because they ran especially left-wing campaigns. they're going to pull votes, it is always going to be the democratic side. the last time an independent arguably made an appeal to the vast middle of the country was in 1992. when we look back and look at exit polling after the election, they asked them if if you would not been in the race, who would you have voted for? 30% said clinton, 30% said bush, and a 24% said not a dog.

when he ran he pulled evenly from both sides. our latest poll shows the same thing. it showed an independent ticket pulling evenly with the major party nominees were for president trump and president biden. host: if you like to call in you can use -- do so on our lines. republicans, 202-748-8001. democrats, 202-748-8000. independents, 202-748-8002. i want to read from third way, a think tank, centerleft. they say, no labels cast biden and trump as equally e and frame the ticket as an antidote to rematch. this is a smokescreen. july the has governed as a mainstream moderate. n the overwhelming odds because a third-party candidate untain of evidence of who cket with hard, conclusion

is inescapable, no labels is committed to buildi a candidate that will intentionally or n pvide a crucial boost to republicans and a majoobacle to biden. as a result, more likely that donald trump returns to the white house. what do you think? guest: mountain of evidence is no evidence. reread the new memo -- we read there memo. i came up in democratic politics. i have no intent, nor does anybody in this organization, that is going to be a spoiler. when they say there is a mountain of evidence that is going to spoil and only can do so in favor of trump. we are sitting here years from the election. there is no candidate we are talking about. there is no platform we are talking about.

we have no idea where the country is going to be from a year -- a year from now. we do not know for sure who the major party nominees are going to be. to sit here and say with any form of certainty, we know exactly how this is going to unfold, they do not. they do not like, and we've gotten this from the right too, they do not like the competition. they did not like right now we would be offering the public a choice they want. we are not going to be sitting here parsing, whether or not, joe biden extreme as former president trump. i do not think that is the case. in the poll we did in december, 69% of registered voters do not want to joe biden to run again. 62% do not want trump to run again. the answer right now is

effectively too bad. that is a choice you're going to get, probably. we think we can do better. the public wants us to do better. host: let's talk to some callers. chris on the line for democrats. good morning. caller: good morning. republicans have a total lack of ideas. they restrict voting access as the way to get elected. no labels is an organization that was split the vote. if you give your money to these, you are basically supporting another think like restriction to voting access. i think it is wrong for them to go directly to the presidential election. why don't you do local elections?

build something instead of trying to go readily to the president split vote. host: what do you think? guest: people have asked us if are going to get involved in state and local, we have not. we are a growing organization. we have had our hands full these last decades focusing on congress. we are still focus on congress. this cycle we are going to be releasing our problem solver sales we award -- seals we awarded to candidates. we awarded our first one of the cycle to adumbration -- adam frisch running for congress in colorado for democrat. the idea that no labels is looking to stack the deck in favor of one party or another is not true. everything we do is thoroughly

bipartisan. everything we do this presidential effort is trying to give the public a choice that right now the two major parties might not give them. we may not offer our ticket anybody. if it is a year from now and the public is happy with their choices, if it does not look like the unity ticket can win come we would not offer our ballot line any presidential ticket. will double down on the great work we have done in congress. is what we talk about it as an insurance policy. host: we have text from cara she asked, what percentage of american voters want a third option in 2024? have you done pulling on that? guest: we have. in our december poll, we found 64% of registered voters said

they want more choices than democrats and republicans. we asked them if your choice were to -- were between trump and president biden in a moderate independent ticket we be open to voting for the moderate independent, 59% said yes. for contacts, perrault, he topped out in the mid 30's in 1992. you have an openness to voting for a ticket like this. we know you never get to 59%. people say they are open to it is not the same essay they will vote for it. in a three way race, need to win a plurality to get the electoral vote in the state. you get 35%, you can when a

state. host: greg in wisconsin. dependent. hi. caller: i come from wisconsin and we have gerrymandering. we are frustrated. if you go to illinois, is probably the same think. tennessee, the same thing. what is the position of no labels addressing those issues. which is created the frustration of the polarization. you get these extremes in which the incumbency advantage for canada's is high that -- for canada's is so high it is difficult to defeat because of money and the how the lies are drying up -- drawn up. guest: gregg is right about the fundamental problem. we have been active. supporting candidates in their

campaigns, particularly in their primaries. lots of your viewers probably know today in america eight how selections, the only race that matters is the primary because the district is reliably red or reliably blue. the problem is turning in primaries is low. the people who turned out to be further to the right or left. you get elected officials who wake up every day thinking about, not how do i represent all of my constituents, how do i keep happy the slice of activists and ideological voters who put me over the top in my primary. that is what we think it is important to mobilize support behind leaders who have courage to reach across the aisle. to the question about gerrymandering, it is a difficult issue. one of the problems it makes sense that we should get rid of

gerrymandering, the practice of politicians drawing their own the district. the problem is both parties do it. we have looked at the research on this. tomorrow you wave your magic wand and got rid of gerrymandering. the problem you have is the concentration of voters in districts from one party is less because of gerrymandering and more because of increasingly democrats want to live near democrats and republicans want to live near republicans. if you look at counties across america, district lines change, counting lines do not. number of counties that are more than 60% red or 60% of blue have more than doubled in the last 30 years. that is tough to crack. host: bill is next. republican.

pennsylvania. caller: good morning. i'm very interested in you are presenting this morning. obviously because our current president is a doddering old man and are former president has a lot of sleaze associated with him. biden's family has a lot of corruption that is obvious to people. this third candidate is an interesting thing. i have to counter one thing that you said, i think perrault is not coming from the center. i think he was more of a populace. then the alternative. your presentation i think at some point you have to answer

the question about where your funding is coming from. i am curious to as to what you do not want to divulge that because i follow the money in politics at the like we have a populace right that was legislation done for the blue-collar workers in a social left that also wants governments to take care of the needs for the lower class and we have this middle that for a long time was republican controlled and it basically took over the money interests. that is what we do not want. we do not want another party like a republican party and the clinton democratic party that just grabs power and takes care of the moneyed interests. guest: quick question. i will give you a couple of answers.

why don't we release the names of our individual donors? the organization we are they typically do not release their donors like aarp and league of women voters. i mentioned the incoming we have got into our office, the hate mill, the attacks. we are fine taking that in but we live in a world today where if your name gets out as a donor of organization that some group of activists do not like, it will show up at your house and make your life a living hell. we are not going to subject our supporters to that. nobody who supports no labels does so with the expectation to getting any special benefits. nobody thinks this is the organization for them and they can push an adjunctive they want -- an objective they want. if you look at our history, but

we have advocated for, we have never pushed for a special corporate interests. we will release our common sense policy agenda this summer. it is rooted in what the public wants according to our polling and research. what you are going to find in that, since policy agenda -- co mmon says policy agenda is ideas that speaks to the public other than the narrow interest of the activist groups. be on the lookout this summer. common sense policy agenda. host: david is next in charlotte, carolina. caller: these two parties have wrecked this country. we have two parties. one that gives tax cuts to the rich.

and the other, democratic party. therefore defending the police -- they are for defunding the police. the last election i cannot go for trump or our current president who is a joke. please give us choices. thank you. guest: davis points about choices. that is what we are doing. we are offering the public potential choice they want that the parties right now refuse to give them. we have not talked a lot about issues but i want to hone in on immigration. we assess our responses in december poll about all kinds of immigration policy. we said, would you be open to

the compromise that involves significant investment in border security along with a path to citizenship for the dreamers? people brought to this country illegally by the parents but often children. they are as american as anybody else. eddie percent support the compromise -- 80 percent supported the compromise. if you are democrat today and say you are for any kind of security, you have a basis of your party there will come after you and say you want to put children in cages. if you are republican for anything but departing people, your base will say your for amnesty. that is why as we go into this presidential election, you will not see choices like that from the major party nominees and is true on issue after issue. they will speak to one half of the issue there base cares about not make an appeal to the broad

middle. if you ask what is success for this effort look like? success is not nominating an independent ticket. we would love not to do that. it is over the course of the next year both major parties wake up and speak to this growing common sense majority in candidates they put forward in ideas they put out, then we will go away. the need for an independent will go away. who have no reason or opening to nominate -- we will have no reasoning or opening to nominate one particular. host: you will make the determination if it is needed, when we you make it? -- when will you make it? guest: we are a convention in dallas in april 2024. that is the deadline for when we have to make a decision. we did it in mid april because super tuesday, when states have

their primaries, is early in march. our thinking is that you have a pretty good view over the major party nominees are going to be coming out of super tuesday. we look to make a final decision soon thereafter. host: richard is next. north carolina. public and. good morning. caller: good morning. from did offer that -- trump did offer that, a path to citizenship. i will like to know your beliefs. do you believe the democratic party and hillary clinton and president obama spied on the trump campaign? guest: i do not have a view on that. frankly, no labels does not take a view on any of these issues that have consumed us for the

last six years. this happens all of the time. people want to know what this -- does no labels thinks about the investigations into trump, and hillary clinton. we have a justice system. those cases will move forward how they move forward. this is not where the public's focus. the publix's focus on -- the public's focus on the table stuff. my kids are going to failing schools. everything is so expensive. it is i am worried about our state in the world. this is what we are going to speak to in our agenda. were not going to be opining on whatever the partisan scandal of the day is. this goes back to what i said in the beginning, our northstar is what the public wants. with the public wants -- what the public wants is not this

investigate one another, conspiratorial charges against one another. it is not what they want, it is not where no labels is going to be. host: according to the washington post, joe manchin and former governor hogan have not rolled out being added onto the ticket. what is a no labels candidate look like? how do you make that selection? guest: over the course of this summer will start to pull together a nominating committee, a diverse distinguish group of americans, leaders that people respect. they will start to do the vetting for those candidates. this nominating committee will make the decision we go forward, which ticket to nominate. if they nominate a ticket, it

will then go to our convention in dallas where it will hopefully be ratified the national delegates we are gathering their that april. host: john in massachusetts. independent. good morning. caller: good morning. i want to pat ryan on the back for moving this organization along. it seems in washington dc as a looker about the americans, it is about -- it is no longer about americans, it is which party wants to win. guest: oftentimes people in washington decide they will decide to campaign on the issue then solve it. this is an great example. we have a great ally named tony gonzales, a member of congress from the southern texas border.

his district spans one of the biggest stretches of the border in the country. he has been trying, along with other colleagues in the house, and a bipartisan group of senators, to forge a common sense compromise -- immigration compromise by another group in the house led by chip roy, a house republican, trying to push a far right immigration bill that has no chance. we never become a because democrats control the senate and the president as a democrat -- is a democrat. why are they going to waste their time pushing this bill they know is not going anywhere? they want to pass the bill so they can use it in their campaign. say we passed a immigration bill and those people democrats will not work with us on it. you pass the bill they knew that she knew they would never support and now you have a message for your campaign. it is a joke.

20 gonzalez has carded what it is. he says -- tony gonzales has carded what it is. that is something no labels is looking to called out and elevate when there are leaders who call it like it is, to do they think is best for the country, even if the base of the party does not like it. we want to encourage and and elevate and supported. host: chuck in kentucky. republican. good morning. caller: thank you for having me on. i would like to say, 60 years ago -- i made a statement about -- our main problem is china. that is what i believe.

you say you have a congress, congress is controlled by nancy pelosi. when she did when she got in to power, change the rules for congress she rules the democratic congress. when she gave it over to mccarthy, she turned around and pick the mallet back up when she ran with a big smile on her face, but i still got control -- like i still got a control and if it is what happened when the republican congress turned around and made their first set of bills against dc being a

state. they had three bills there dc-10 longer be a state. -- tc to no longer be a state. guest: there is one key point he made, the concentration of power in the congressional leaders. he is right about that. that is something we have been working against for a long time. congress in the senate have been topped out institutions, committees often do not work anymore. the weight legislation gets written as the leaders getting together in a room cleaned up a bill -- picking up a bill. they cheapened our allies is bipartisan and production bill -- the achievement of our allies in bipartisan is the infrastructure bill.

they really force that a bipartisan bill to the table and they got it done. the business public -- the biggest public works bill since eisenhower built up the highway. it is a model for how things to work in congress. host: billy is next in texas. democrat. you are on the air. caller: thank you. america needs the world because we have more people doing the things god will like. we have a great president. joe biden is doing a great job. he is dealing with russia. when we have people going against america, we have people going against god. not trump. not people who want to support things that are illegal. we are nation of god. with number one nation in the world -- we already number one nation in the world. were going to when at the

end of the day. host: curtis in florida. independent line. caller: yes. i'm not sure i listen to c-span quite a bit and i hear the same arguments coming from the left, right. every time i listen i always think -- if the government were to actually allow us, if we were to unite as a country, 300 million of us were to come together. they can never allow that to happen. host: what do you mean the government is not allowing us to come together? caller: anyone who has tried to unite the people -- we the people have all of the power, the only time in human history

to not live under tyranny when they wrote this document. this experiment -- i do not really know. biden talking about how he's going to unite us all. there's no way he can. they would never unite us. were not allowed to be united because it would take all of the power. host: what do you think? guest: what curtis just said is important. it speaks to the recent we are doing this whole thing. everybody knows this past week 55 years since dr. martin luther king was assassinated in memphis. a couple of years before he died he had the quote, we are going to have to learn to live together as brothers or perish as fools. he was speaking to the imperative of unity.

curtis is right, there are powerful forces on both sides that want to see us divided because it is good for them. it helps them raise money. it helps them get power. i cannot tell you how often you see this cynical think or someone gets on tv, go on the floor of congress and say something inflammatory and 10 minutes later there out with any mill raising money off of it. that is the way it works. that's why the public has never had a lower view of washington, congress, direction of the country. the thing that is frightening gallup has been asking this question for decades, do you think your kids are better off than you? today, the readings at the lowest this -- it has ever been. the public is clear we want leaders who will try to unite us.

where trying to provide an opening for that to happen. host: willie on the republican line from texas. caller: good morning. i have been watching the no labels coalition for the last 10 years. our member when this started, a group of senators, and i thought very interesting at the time. i cannot member the names of the founders. flash forward five years ago, i called and talked to one of the gentleman on the same program, hispanic gentleman, a former representative. i thought it sounds like a true believer. when i listen to you, sir, --

this country, this society is polarize. it is always been but now it is more because of the seriousness of the issues going on in the world. we do not want conservatives -- true conservatives do not want anything to do with the society the democrats are trying to put forward. we are talking a lot of things that do not pass the common sense test with them. we do not want a part of that. i understand there are given takes and elections are consequences. but look at you and i give you an a for effort by did not think -- but i do not think it is not

something that's going to pan out well for this country because we need stern components of issues of the true issues like immigration and the like and forward policy. components of those that are going to attack those issues and not have to compromise. guest: one of the things that is important to define the no labels movement, it is not just moderates's interests. -- moderate centrist. the whole idea here is that anybody should have to drop the principal's at the door. there are issues that are a matter of conscience.

it is difficult for them to compromise on and that is ok because it is what they believe and they are going to fight for. the problem is every single issue in washington has become this religious, spotify. if you look -- sort of fight and if you look at the group in congress, they may not get there. they may not be grounds for compromise but there may issues where they can. witnessing wishes our allies from other people as they say -- witnessing wishes our allies from other people as they would not sit here but our view of the things we do not agree on will focus on the things we do agree on. if they solve some things and get agreement, they find the other issues they thought were intractable and they say there's more agreement than we thought. if you want to think about being a part of this movement, be

conservative, be liberal, be great, but be pragmatic. host: can -- ken in michigan. caller: i think you're right. our founding fathers made three branches of power because absolute power corrupts absolutely. if there was a way to force three parties, everything would be 33% and people will have to work hard to get a majority, people would not fall into a category that says i am majority and i win. i love what is going on. i will not be voting democrat, probably this year. are you guys able to carry a torch for something like a balanced budget and term limits? the balanced budget is simple.

we take in 3.8 trillion in taxes, that is your budget. next year, that is all you have to spend, 3.8 trillion. i think there are simple answers. i do not understand why we are not using them. this medical power plays -- there is political power plays and donors people are trying to make happy. guest: interestingly and notes, one of the highest pulling ideas was in our poll in december was to get the budget balanced the next seven years. people care about the fiscal issues in a way they did not care five years ago and here is why. when inflation is under control and you can get a mortgage for 3% or 4%, nobody cares about the deficit.

suddenly they do because they recognize there is a connection between what washington is doing and the prices of things and fiscal conditions of the country. when we talk about getting the budget balanced, you will see this reflected in our common sense policy agenda, as a government you do not have to have balanced exactly money in and money out. there are progressive times where it is ok to run a deficit. every country across the world run some kind of deficit. your problem is when you're deficit is growing faster than your economy. it overwhelms her ability to pay interest on your debt. when we think about balancing the budget, it does not mean every single year washington needs to have exact same money in and out. it needs to get imbalance. the trajectory we are on right now where are great spending is exceeding the underlying economy and ability to provide tax revenue to fund the spending is

out of whack. you will see ideas from us on that over the summer. host: ryan clancy chief strategist for no labels. thank you for being on the program. guest: thank you for having me. host: so i former georgia republican congressman doug collins discusses his podcast the doug collins podcasts buffers we will take -- but first we would take more of your calls on open form. you can start dialing in now. will be right back. ♪ >> c-span campaign 2024 coverage is your friend say -- front row seat to the election. watch our coverage with announcements, meet and greets,

speeches and events to make up your own mind. campaign 2024 on the c-span network, c-span now, or anytime online at a c-span.org. c-span your unfiltered view of politics. ♪ >> sunday night on q&a in her book nine the black roads john talks about the supreme court during and after the trump administration she argues presint trump's three appointments to the court so there it is right word shipped living to the overturning of roe v. wade. >> i have begun detecting different behaviors, tensions among the justices during the trump years and i started to document that. as i was working on the story for cnn, i pitched this book.

never knowing that it would culminate in the dobbs ruling reversing 50 years of abortion rights and roe v. wade but then when i went back to add this ending to the story i was telling i realize i had the narrative arch of how we got the dobbs ruling in this book. >> join in sunday night at 8 p.m. eastern on c-span q&a. you can listen to q&a and our podcast on our free c-span now app. >> i would has been a lifelong reader of abraham lincoln. this can 2020 published his first book on the 16th president called every drop of blood subtitle momentous second inauguration of abraham lincoln. in his second book on lincoln,

mr. a corman truck back to the beginning of on this a -- of his political career, the subject matter inside the republican convention hotels in chicago. the book is titled the lincoln miracle. i would is a formal editorial the providence journal -- edward acorn is a formal editori of the providence journal. on this episode of book notes plus. >> there are lots of places to get political information but only c-span do you get straight from the source. no matter where you are from where you stand of the issues c-span as america's network unfiltered unbiased word for word. if it happens here, or here, or here, or anywhere that matters,

america is watching on c-span. powered by cable. >> "washington journal" continues. host: welcome bag. it is open forum. i will take your calls for the next 25 minutes. we'll talk about anything you want to talk about. i'm going to start with the abortion ruling that came out last night. here's a washington post article about it. texas judge suspends fda approval of abortion pills. the second judge protects access. the article starts the status of key abortion medication was cast into uncertainty friday night when rulings from two federal judges reached contradictory conclusions. with one of blocking u.s. government approval of the drug while the other said the pill shall remain available in a swath of states. the dueling opinions, one from

texas and the other from washington state concern access to the medication used in more than half of all abortions in the united states and follows the supreme court's elimination of the constitutional right to the procedure last year. it appears inevitable the issue will move to the high court and the comforting decision to that sooner than later -- could make that sooner than later. president biden responded and he put out a statement and it says, the court in this case has substituted its judgment for the fda, the expert agency that approves drugs. at this ruling were to stand, -- if there relink was the prescriptions. will be no this does not -- if it stands it will prevent woman in

every state from accessing the medication regardless of if abortion is legal in a state my administration will figh this ruling. the departmejustice has filed a upn -- and the pill. the only way to stop those committed to taking away women's rights at seleka congress that will pass a law restoring roe v. wade. the vice president was speaking to reporters and she talked about this and said it was set a dangerous precedent. [video clip] >> there's no question that the president and i are going to stand with the woman of america and do everything we can to ensure woman have the ability to make decisions about their health care in the manner they need and they decide that not the government.

it's contrary to would make for good public health policy to allow course and politicians to tell the fda it is to do. the fda approved 20 years ago. this is a dangerous precedent and i will have more to say as i reviewed this decision in its entirety. host: that was the vice president of yesterday about the ruling in texas. here a statement from the alliance defending freedom or cnsel. that is the conservative legal group with a representative -- that represented the plain in the case. pregnancy is not an illness chemical abortion drugs do not provide a thtic nefit. comse serious -- compose

serious publications of the mother and the baby. the fda never had authority rove these drugs or remove importt feguards. this is a victory for the doctors and medical associations epresent. more importantly for the health and safety of women and girls. taking your calls now on this open forum. tallahassee, florida. mark is a democrat. caller: good morning. i would like to talk about the infrastructure construction. i seen a push back in the bush years they open the border and let the mexicans come in and took over the construction completely filled in this country and put out millions of construction -- white construction workers the work. i was one of them. i did concrete for years and all

of a sudden i do not have a job because i was underbid. i think what is going to happen here since they have opened the borders again and let hundreds of thousands in, millions in again, they're going to be the ones who benefit from this infrastructure construction. i will be amazed if any construction workers will be working. host: are you not working now? caller: nope. host: are you still looking? caller: i got injured and i am on ssi but like i said 44 years it was one of my favorite things to do. i loved my concrete job. it was taken away from me so fast when they opened the border. it was like a wave that went from california across the united states. it was terrible.

tens of millions of work. host: tina in iowa. independent. are you there? no. i is a republican in oklahoma -- ivan is a republican in oklahoma. caller: this fentanyl crisis, joe talks about fixing that. i have one guaranteed way to fix it. if hunter biden jugular -- drug dealer is listening -- host: terry in indiana on the independent line. caller: good morning everyone. thank you for taking my call. the most important thing that needs to be done, we need to stop the digital currency system they are trying to put in this country because it will take our

freedoms away. will have no more freedoms. there is talk on youtube and they say we go to guy bullets or a new gun they will say no and they can threaten us with never getting another penny out of our own money. host: what is the relationship between digital currencies and buying guns and ammunition? you made a connection between digital currencies and buying guns and ammunition's. caller: yes. carl schwab wrote the book the great reset is what he wants done. by the year 2030 will on another think and be happy. -- we will own it and i think and will be happy. joe biden has talked with him. joe biden is with him. host: paul and skin of

kalama. republican. caller: yes. i was thinking about the rules of justice -- the wills of justice. there republicans claim victory last election. the senate is democratic. it is possible the reason have control there is people in places, high places, and the minority leader mitch mcconnell his wife has $300 million in

securities in the shipping industry. if you would check his, all of what he allows the come when he was majority leader, -- host: members of congress has to disclose their investments and that stuff. i think that would be public information. caller: i do not think very many people know it. host: rommel in virginia. caller: good morning. do not cut me off. let me try to finish my point. the three institutions destroying america is irs,

federal reserve and adf. i cannot understand during the pandemic why was available but the institution that was needed the most, the department of motor vehicles was shut down. i have been an independent operator for 23 years. i cannot register my vehicles for four months. when i get it register, the fuel prices begin to fluctuate from five dollars to seven dollars a gallon. this is possibly a capitalistic society where any man can pull himself up and do something himself. we get out here to do something, the government itself is against you. all the mom and pop operations during the pandemic were shut down. i cannot believe it.

california receded from the rest of the state and put out >> all this is three dollars or four dollars 8 -- pop. you cannot even go out there because they are doing these policies. america is the greatest country in the world but when you have taxes, fuel taxes, highway taxes, controlling taxes and nothing is being done about the infrastructure. where is all this money go and when they are collecting these taxes? how are fuel taxes supposed to pay for the infrastructure. i have to come out of my pocket to pay for this.

host: republican. caller: i just want to know that between the time that donald trump exited the white house and joe biden in, how many world problems have gone on? that we name a few. inflation was around 2% when trump was in. russia was not invading ukraine. china was not harassing taiwan. the two-tier justice system that has gone on -- during the whole summer of 2020, the black lives matter and antifa bernard city after city, building after building, and killed numerous people. not a one of those people has been prosecuted. look at the rich elite people's kids that attacked in atlanta. you have not heard about them.

the number two democrat in the house, katherine clark, her offspring -- i don't know what it is, a boy or a girl. attacked in boston, massachusetts and you have not heard anything about that. if you could play the sheriff in florida, the three kids that got killed down there and the three perpetrators -- gang members down there? that sheriff. but he said there needs to be broadcasted across the country because the schools are covering up because of misbehaving of young ones in school. the liberal media does not want to cover it. they showed the pictures. it does not matter if you are 12 or 112, if you do the crime, you do the time. when you are six years old, you know the difference between right and wrong. host: mike did mention russia.

your is reuters with the headline, "russia charges wall street reporter first of which with espionage". he denies the charges in the u.s. demand his release. russia says he was caught red-handed. let's go to audi in maryland. democrat. caller: good morning, america. c-span is supposed to be a good source for information. sadly, people can call in and say anything without pushback. this morning alone, i heard five crazy things. fighting being with charles schwab to do something about cryptocurrency. some people calling in to say about wendy border was open -- when the border was open, some

people just opened the gate. it is sad to see that there is no pushback. host: you go ahead and pushback. what would you like to say about it? caller: what i have to say about it is -- as much as possible -- i do not know where people get their news from but one of the biggest problems causing confusion is people saying things they know nothing about. at some point, we have to figure out how to correct people in real time. i do not know how much help that will do but we need to start doing that. host: mark in st. paul minnesota. republican. caller: it strikes me that 2024 is a perfect opportunity for a third-party independent candidate to win the presidency.

it strikes me that donald trump has his own baggage. i do not see him garnering much support against independent voters. there was a cnn poll earlier this week indicating 67% of adults thought president biden should not be reelected. i think this is a perfect opportunity for someone like michael bloomberg or howard schultz to gain lots of support as independent candidates. thank you. host: i want to show you this from the tennessean. vice president harris was there yesterday to visit the tennessee three. the headline is, "we need you all". vp harris visits after the covenant shooting. vp harris visited the day after the tennessee house suspended three lawmakers who led protests

for gun reform. she seeks to encourage young people and advocacy for gun reform. your voices are part of the conscious of our country. take a look at the portion of that speech by the vice president from yesterday in nashville. [video clip] vp harris: they chose to show courage in the face of extreme tragedy. which is that, 11 days ago, six people, three educators and three babies, nine years old, were murdered. senselessly, due to gun violence. they chose to leave -- to lead and show courage to say that a democracy allows for places

where the people's voices will be heard and honored and respected. and they understood the importance. these three, of standing to say that people will not be silenced. to say that a democracy here's the cries, the police, the demands of its people who say the children should be able to live and be safe and go to school and not be in fear. [applause] they said, we understand when we took an oath to represent the

people who elected us, that we seek -- speak on behalf of them. it was not about the three of these leaders. it was about who they were representing. it was about whose voices they were channeling. understand that. is that not what it democracy allows? [applause] in democracies says you do not silence the people. you do not stifle the people. you do not turn off their microphones when they are speaking about the importance of life and liberty. [applause] that is not way democracy does. host: that was the vice president in tennessee yesterday.

it is open forum. we have another five or six minutes left. jenny is -- jimmy, democrat. caller: number one, it is a predicative country. number two, it is all about the money. if they can forget about skin color and make their rich pay their fair in taxes, than this country will be ok. host: roger in fort wayne, indiana. republican. good morning. caller: sorry, i called on the wrong line. host: can you call back on the right line? caller: i can. i sure will. host: ed in baltimore, independent line. caller: thank you for taking my

call. i am an independent because as far as republicans and democrats go, it is like an episode of tom and jerry. if tom ever caught jerry, the show is over. one question, what do the republicans really represent? it used to be the religious right and i could expect that if you had good views but you couto to someone like donald trump. it used to be fiscal responsibility. then trump ran up $1 trillion pre-covid to the national debt. then, they used to say we do not like people that flip-flop. carry, push them out because he flip-flopped. then you had people like lindsey graham. andy graham said, read my lips. we could never select a supreme dors is -- a supreme justice this quickly. mitch mcconnell. even ted cruz who spoke about

things in the worst ways until he had a 35% base. ok, we are the party of law enforcement and we support crime. but then with the insurrection, it is not even an insurrection. the elephant in the room is that they finally found someone to say these dog whistles out loud. like crt. critical race theory is not taught in any school for any youngster. it is just another term for black, urban, you know something that you are not to -- at least state what it is. it is no way that the populace is -- can before by fox news who does not even like trump.

or trump who said himself that republicans are stupid. i should make myself a republican because -- these are words out of his mouth. host: we got your point. ameen in temple, texas. in morning. caller: good morning. i used to call the time but i stopped because i thought, i am not making any difference. nobody is listening to me. but the times have gotten so bad that i will just say it once again. we are living in the last days. if you do not believe me, check out the weather. california, snow like they have never seen before. 40 and 20 tornadoes at the same time hitting down. what we need to do is remember that we all are americans. i am a disabled vietnam veteran.

i have been disabled since 70 with a salt rifle -- with an assault rifle. -- why they kneel now? what we need to do is start doing right because you may not believe this but god is coming. who is right, he will help. who is wrong, he will hurt. host: an article from the new york times. reaction to texas abortion pill rolling, outrage and pain. leaders say the decision could be a catastrophe and used the moment to criticize republicans who remained relatively quiet on friday. will limit -- william is calling from arizona. republican. caller: one of your last colors hit it on the head. we are a godless society.

it is going very quickly. you are not going to unify people with this hate filled ideas about death and destruction. it is just a matter of time before god returns. he will not favor the right, they left, or the independents. he will suffer those who are willing to come to him. host: real quick, denise, independent. caller: can you hear me? host: yes but very quickly. we are running out of time. caller: i wonder if democrats and republicans and now independents. the issue is, i think, number one we no longer speak about god.

we do not have civics so the youth does not care. they do whatever they want. when you look at what happened in tennessee, you have people that are supposed to be in charge and are taking over. then you have insurrection like what happened on january 6. i am not sure our vice president -- not sure why our president went down there for people that started an insurrection. they blocked when there were major issues going. host: we are out of time. thank you to everybody that called in. next, georgia republican congressman doug collins will discuss his podcast called, "the doug collins podcast". ♪

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book, kreg sullivan looks at the history and rise of drag. then afterwards, in his book "superpower in peril", former bridgewater ceo and 2022 pennsylvania candidate for u.s. senate david sullivan outlines -- watch book tv every sunday on c-span two and find a full schedule on your program guide or watch anytime on booktv.org. ♪ >> edward acorn has been a lifelong reader of abraham lincoln. in 2020, he published his first book on the 16th president called every drop of blood. subtitled, "the momentous second and duration of abraham

lincoln". in his second book, just published, he dropped back to the political career of abe lincoln. the year was 1860. the subject matter, inside the convention held in chicago. this time, the book is titled, "the lincoln miracle". he is at the providence miracl >> edward acorn in his book the lincolmicle in this episode of book notes plus. this is available on the c-span now free mobile app or where you get your podcasts. announcer: since 1979, in partnership with the cable industry, c-span provided complete coverage in the halls of congress. from the house and senate forced to congressional meetings, party briefings and committee meetings.

c-span gives a front row seat to how issues are debated and decided it no commentary, no interruption and completely unfiltered. c-span, your unfiltered view of government announcer: washington journal continues. host: welcome back. it is our spotlight and podcast segment and we are joined by doug collins, the host of the "the doug collins podcast". he is a former representative, republican of georgia who served from 2013 to 2021. welcome to the program. guest: i'm glad to be with you. i hope everything is well on this wonderful weekend. host: let's talk about the podcast. why did you start it? guest: it is something i have enjoyed doing. it is anywhere you get your podcasts. what i wanted to do is just have

a voice and have an outlet to talk about things i wanted to do , current events, but also to dig into deeper details of why believe is missing not only from a conservative perspective but also from a liberal perspective as well. we talk about hunting, fishing, small businesses. talk about politics. i interview a lot of members of congress. but we also, we just talk about things of faith. for me, it is an outlet to remind everybody that is much as we get tied up, and c-span does a good job of feeding the political instinct that there is a lot more to people. i think if we have a more rounded version of who we are -- we can disagree in what we believe that we can come together and talk about it. that is why have different perspectives on the podcast. i have had democrats on the podcasts and republicans. we come across all ideals which is a specialty for me in stuff i

have dealt with in congress in the news moderation act -- news modernization act. it is a place where you can spend about an hour, sometimes shorter or more, and have a way to think about things people talk about in their everyday lives. host: if you would like to call and asked a question, you can do so on the lines by party affiliation. republicans, (202) 748-8001. democrats, (202) 748-8000. independents, (202) 748-8002. you can also text us and engage with us on social media. what are your thoughts on the republicans winning the house? host: -- guest: i was glad to see the republicans win from a conservative perspective. again, that is from my perspective. i think they have a lot to do in congress. both sides of the aisle. now that you are back divided

with the house being republican and the senate being in democratic hands. first few months were the honeymoon period for kevin mccarthy. now, they have to get into the deeper details in which you will see device within the party itself and divides with the democrats. you have spending bills to deal with and a debt ceiling to deal with. but they are trying to do is find their place in how they go about dealing that. how they deal with it is going to be interesting. it is going to be tough for them. host: let's talk about the details on how you would assess how they have done so far. they passed hr one, the energy bill, and the parents bill of rights. what are your thoughts on that, given the democratic senate said they are dead on arrival? guest: these are bills that were reported -- that were important to republicans. the energy process is something

everybody deals with. there has been real concern from many, especially those on the right that we are not taking a holistic approach to energy. not only dealing with sustainable energy or renewable energy but also with the fact of fossil fuels in the power plant we currently have. i think, it is just a reflection of what they ran on. i think that dealing with the other building have that may or may not make it through the senate, which i agree will probably not make it through the senate, as does not stop either party for did -- from doing this. the democrats oftentimes knew they would not make it through the republican senate. it is not a matter of will they make it through but are we standing for our principles and making ourselves known? that is where the divided government takes its shape. to the end of the day, you will have to find something that republicans and democrats can pass and that presidents will

actually sign. i think both parties do it. host: is it useful to do these messages those knowing it will not go anywhere or is it a waste of time? guest: i do not think it is a waste of time. i definitely like to characterize both sides. this is something both sides do. there are things that pass in the senate that will never pass in the house. while it does is lay out a position. i hope would be that if the bills are passed and the senate senate was truly interested, that they would percent of own bill. i think this is the part i've struggled with even when i was in congress. you get to a certain point where you take an idea. there is my idea, here is your idea, watery going to do in the middle. that is what we are missing a lot. i know that c-span loyalists with no way conference is. there were members who never

participated in conference committee in which the senate and house get together. that is the bigger problem. not in the sense that you are passing bills which may or may not pass. it is not my job in the house to make a build the senate lights or that the house lights. it is a bill that can come together with the house and senate to make something that maybe could be signed. if not, then you end up with what we have seen the past few years. that is simply coming together on appropriations bills or omnibus bills or things that have to be passed, that frustrate a lot of people. host: i know that you are a supporter of the former president trump. he was arraigned on charges in new york city. i want to get your thoughts and impressions on that. guest: i was a supporter of zonal trump when he was president and i am a supporter of republicans in general. the problem of what we are seeing with this indictment is,

i heard someone say the other day, the indictment is flawed. it should be a piece of paper where those who are accused know exactly what they are charged with. i understand the da alvin bragg said he did not have to put the crimes specified as a secondary crime in this. when you look at it, i think it is a flaw in the reasoning. in the long run, this will be a part of the court system. i hope people let it play out. those who supported the indictment and are against the indictment. it is a matter of the law. both sets of attorneys, the prosecutors and defense, are going to go at it. it is not going to be a quick process. as one thing i want to emphasize with viewers. this will take a wild play out. the constant discussion about it all the time is muted. we will see what happens over the next months as the motions practices go into play.

is it good for if you are trying to run with this from a perspective of it on the record? probably not. is it helpful for those who have been frustrated with what they see is two standards of justice? are many on the right to feel that way. he left feel the same way. i hope as we move through this and especially, it has been universally agreed, or a lot agree left and right that this is a weak case and alvin bragg is to have a lot more in the bill if it comes up in the next few. host: one more question. since you are from georgia and an attorney, i wonder what your opinion is of the georgia election kate and how this may -- election case and how this may play out? do you think that is a stronger case? esko i do not know. i do not have the case. the da is looking at this.

you will see what is happening with the case. then, i am sure when they announce it, we will see where to go from there. host: david in moncks corner, south carolina. public can. caller: it is wonderful to see you on camera again. i do not have your podcast by will look into it. the major differences between the party are what i see is generally the left uses ad hominem attacks. republicans do not think trump is an angel but he is the leader for the time, maybe. king david would not have even gotten his 15 minutes of fame in the beginning without killing goliath. give them a chance, see what he did. he did some very bad things in his lifetime as king but he was a leader. this is all republicans say of trump. he has the boldness and the

clarity to do things that conservatives believe in. not that we worship him at all. our interest in president biden is the fax. is he compromising our national security by being influenced in bad ways by foreign countries? nobody hates president biden. they just want to know what he is doing. a fax. you are not doing ad hominem attacks. for a point about message bills, it is important. you cannot just lay down to the majority and the majority says, we are not going to pass it, just go with our program. you have to speak up and work to compromise. host: all right. guest: i think david makes a good point in the sense of you take each situation. messaging bills or whether it is that. it provides a starting point for discussion. if i come onto the show and say,

what are we going to talk about? we have a starting point for discussion. you may disagree with the calle rs but that is a starting point going forward. i disagree just a little bit. not in the substance of what he said but the biggest difference today in what we see in republicans and democrats is the role we see in government at cell. that continues for many years and goes back even before reagan. i will take it a step further. i believe we are still having an issue with the role of congress and executives. if you want a bigger issue approach, i think congress, republicans and democrats, in legislatures have given up over time their legislative power. they have given up their legislative power to the executive branch, passing laws with rule to be propagated by agencies. and not using the power of appropriations to actually put legislative intent onto the executive branch.

the executive is to carry out the legislative branch, not the opposite way around. that is a bigger problem i see. i see differences between the republicans and democrats. in my time, democrats decided to be the government solution all republicans were nongovernment solution. it is a lot to take in. we have to be honest in how our system of government is set up. host: several house committees have announced and lost investigations into the biden family and security agencies like the fbi. where do you stand on that? you think that is an appropriate focus for house republicans? guest: it is an appropriate focus for congress. one of your job is oversight of these agencies and the department of justice falls under the judiciary committee. this happens under both republican and democratic administrations. you want to know what the doj is doing.

if congress does not investigate or believe their job is part of this oversight, then we miss a very vital cog in the checks and balances system. you may not agree there is weaponization of the federal government. you may not agree that the borders are secure or not secure but those hearings are important in finding out. in the oversight committee, if they believe there is needed oversight of the biden family, other there is a compromise there, that is one of the things they are going to look into, just as the democrats when they had control looked into issues in the trump administration. my whole thing is they will look at what actually continues to affect the federal government in ways that not just lead to hearings but then to results. that was one frustration i had in congress which is many times we had hearings but there was no consensus in what to do about it.

in essence, what you had was four hours of hearings, soundbites, and at the end of the day, nothing changed. host: joe in maryland, democrat. caller: good morning. pleasure to speak. mr. collins, pleasure to speak with you and ma'am, thank you for your work. i have been in d.c. my whole life. host: go right ahead. caller: mr. collins, yes sir. a couple quick points and you can tell me where i am wrong or stupid. 1920 something, they had rockefeller giving a speech, saying we are going to give a two party system but we are going to have a new world order. now, back to today. they are throwing out divisive things every single day, making you pick a side. or you pick a middle guy.

none of this has been working, still has not been working. i am totally discombobulated at this point. i will say, thank you for your work and your podcast. i do not know why you are not in d.c. anymore. but having been here my whole life, in the swamp, living here -- citizens united, how do you feel about that? host: let's get a response. guest: citizens united. the whole issue opens up even before citizens united and that is mccain-feingold. if you want to go deeper into how the funding of campaigns and everything else was going, took away the power of the parties which was really interesting. i appreciate so much your call. because it is a concern of how we handle and administer our elections. i am not one to overturn this issue. i do believe there is a place in

speech and money in speech and clinical campaigns. the problem we have is what you just brought up a second ago, which is you picking size in the harshness. i am a partisan conservative republican. i am on the side to a conservative route -- a conservative perspective. but i also pass, along with hakeem jeffries, i democratic partner, and justice for modernization act. when you look at the election process and what we have to get back to a center of saying, what are we therefor? to actually find where we can agree, disagree where we know we will, fight strongly on that. but find ways to get by. i am not one to say -- going back to your last question, citizens united needs to be overturned. if we get into this perspective

of who can provide and get into this process, again, there is so much we could go into there. i do not think the rest can hold it. host: andy in kentucky, republican. caller: good morning. i want to wish everybody out there on c-span a happy easter. my question is, i feel like we have been drifting away from the lord. i think we need to get back to him. i feel like that is the answer that we need in america today. i used to be a democrat. in the democratic party, they have left. they used to be conservative and moderate but they have given into woke-ism. we need to start standing up. mr. trump -- they do not do anything but go after him. it is nothing but a witch hunt. people need to stand up and say

and is enough. they need to tell mr. brad -- in fact, the judge, i heard he was given to the democratic party. that judge should not be hearing this case. he is going to be with alvin bragg and them. we, the people, need to stand up and say enough is enough because donald trump will stand in the app and fight for us. the democratic party does not like that right now. we need to turn back to the lord. that is what america needs. host: let's get a response. go ahead. guest: i have been a chaplain for over 20 years and been a pastor for a number of years. i believe god is extremely important. the easter weekend cannot be more important for the understanding of what jesus christ did for us, dying and raising a down easter sunday so we can have life.

i believe republicans and democrats say we all have faith. each of us have fade we exemplify in that way. the problem comes when we are looking at each other through partisan lenses. just because you disagree with me, i do not like you or hate you. it comes from the democrat side just as much as it comes from the republican side. one of the issues you have -- and this is something we can actually discuss. they reported the judge gave $15 to the biden campaign. this is an elected judge. across the country, you have elected officials who are judges who will be involved in partisan politics. there are judges who gave money to republican candidates. the problem of the whole case in new york is the perception this is a slamdunk case but it is reality it is not. if you have these factors to people who believe that this should be a prosecution that

never took place because of what has been shown in the surface and in the indictment itself, it gives the perspective there is bias here. this is what we have seen in dealings with many things from the department of justice. the last point i will say in looking at this is, again, when you deal with this thing this morning, we have to come back and say, what is doable? what can we get done? how can we do it? you can be, as a partisan, a fighter but also someone who gets things done. the american people are hungry for that. the caller made a point about donald trump, saying things people understood. one thing that amazes me came from north georgia. i grew up around them across whose belief system looks nothing like the national democratic party. i grew up a part of that in high school and college. that has changed over time. that is why you are seeing red

states who had lifelong democrats vote republican and back and forth. the issue about donald trump is congress said he said things that people talked about around the local diners, waffle houses and restaurants. he was talking about jobs and workers and those kinds of things when he ran in 2016. that is why people were attracted to him. is why you still see about 30% to 45% that still support donald trump in his current run. sometimes it is hard. and i was in d.c., had reporters i could not understand that. earlier colors said just -- callers said just get out of d.c., you will see many opinions but understand be on the washington bubble. host: i want to get your perception on the tennessee lawmakers that were expelled. how did you react to that? guest: i am sad about it.

i do not think their answer to guns is not the right answer. it will not help. let's just be frank. that is not the option we have. but they abused the roles and did participate in this. what i am concerned about is the tennessee lawmakers, why did they not start with may be a suspension or a censure or removal of committee or something? if you go straight to exposing, which is what they did, they have made these protests even bigger. they made it into a much bigger situation, although the rules were broken and a price had to be paid. my next question to the legislature in tennessee is what do you do if it happens again? is it the standard that extols and is the first step? -- expose and is the first step? sometimes you do the right thing and sometimes that is handing out a punishment for them eking

out and taking over the four of the house -- them speaking out and taking over the floor of the house. if you make the standard of every time we go straight to exposing -- expulsion. there were plenty of ways for them to go outside the chamber and make their point and have discussion. that should be a part of our society. again, going straight to exposing them -- expulsion in the long run may be the best thing here. host: gary, indiana. and independent. caller: good morning. you are the best of what you do. you are appreciated. thank you. mr. collins, the kentucky guy that mentioned a witch hunt, here is an example of a witch

hunt. the royal moore case from several years ago -- the roy moore case from several years ago. and he was running for election, all the start got dug up on him and then when he was -- when he lost, it just disappeared. it is, is there any truth to it? host: go ahead. congressman. guest: no problem. this caller probably sums up the feelings of a lot of people. they look at different cases, especially when it gets involved in our election cycles. no matter where you fall in this, is it being used? you asked a question earlier about is it proper to look into these committees or have these committees the house is looking into with the use of government?

this is what people see. he made a great point that is his personal perspective but a perspective of many on the left and the right. what is the role of government in our elections? what is the goal of media and social media? what is the role of a news organization refusing to print a story, such as the hunter biden laptop or other things, that is later perceived to be true? what is it when we look into other issues from the pandemic when what was first capped out is now being acknowledged? the latest example being, i will take this and expand the question, the chinese weather balloon that we were all told all of this was not a problem, we have it monitored, we are blocking every. we find out a month and a half later, during the trim issues in new york, they did have satellite communications and could send real time to china.

i took his question and expand on it because i have talked to enough democrats and republicans on our podcast and other times that are frustrated with the perception that we are not moving ahead with ideas that affect good policies and change. it is simply, my way or no way. we are missing that in the middle. anything else attached to that is perceived as interference or bias. a lesson i learned years ago from my grandmother was, and mother kept it up, perception is reality. that is what you see in callers and voters. their perception is reality and there is not a lot changing that. host: john, democrat, oregon. caller: good morning, mr. collins. i am a musician. have not benefited from the new

legislation. i still have trouble with genital. -- digital. my concern is the idea as far as gun control. you mentioned we cannot do anything about guns. that's is probably true. but as a hunter, we are only allowed five rounds in our weapon and if you are a duck hunter, you are only allowed three. my idea is the only allow, as far as weapons of war that have so many rounds, they should be insured. it goes to financial responsibility. we have it for our vehicles. host: what do you think? guest: i appreciate it -- i was just in oregon working on stuff recently with democrat and republican legislators on criminal justice reform. if you are having trouble, i do

not know if you are a part of one of the assault rifle publishers but go through them. they can help you if you are an assault writer. hakeem jeffries and i worked five years on this bill to help our songwriters and creators get a fair shake in the world. i am proud to hear that. in regards to the situation and solution with weapons of war, any gun can be used in war. from a single shot revolver to an ar-15, to a shotgun. they all can be used "in war". the problem is if you use this in the situation of the instrumentality, you are not solving the problem. you tell people if we just took away these guns, everything would be solved. in actuality, the vast majority,

90% plus of gun violence is not occur with a rifle or handgun. more people are killed with blunt objects, knives and other things than rifles. again, we have a lots of issues when it comes to people go to soft targets like schools and other places where there is no security. that is wrong. it is murder. simply saying, if i just took the gun away, they would have gone something else. remember, a demented individual went into virginia tech with handguns and killed over 30 people. we have to have an honest discussion about this but it also has to deal with the fact something has changed in our society. i made this statement many times before. it shocks some people. i went into a high school in which we went into -- we lived in the country. people would bring their

handguns in their truck. yet, we never had these issues. we need to answer these questions and deal with it. my youngest son talks about this all the time. he says the first group that comes forward and makes the older millennials or younger generation understand they are trying to keep faith in schools is the group that will win the hearts and minds of the generation going forward. i do not disagree with him but you have to have real answers and not pandering answers. host: is there any gun restriction or anything regarding gun control that you would support? guest: that is too broad of a question for me to answer. host: you have mentioned that restricting guns is not the solution. is there anything regarding expensive background checks or an assault rifle band that you would support that you think

would help? >> first, there is no such thing as an assault rifle. it except into that in the sense that this is a name we call something. it came up a couple years ago to make it sound like a rifle is worse. the things we talked about would not have stopped the main shooting events that have taken place in the last 5-10. let's have more expensive background checks, it would not have stopped the tennessee shooter were several other shooters. the question really becomes bigger than where we are at. what bothers me is when you have the idea thrown out that if you do just this, it will solve your problem. that is not true. if we look at this, going forward, there are a lot of restrictions on rifles and guns but it is interesting to me that we are wanting to put eight restrictions of 21 to buy a

rifle but having the same discussion about issues of other -- social issues in which we are saying they are not ready to make these decisions at age 21. but we are willing to say other issues whether it be marriage, abortion, or whatever that they are able to at other agents. this is where a lot of people see contradictions. to throughout a blanket, i will support this, i will not do that until they look an idea, it is not possible but there are many gun restrictions. in the way we go about it in many states, the question is why are we not enforcing the law when it comes to gun sales? chicago is an example. the former mayor kept talking about gun purchase sales ruining chicago. my question is why was the u.s. attorney not prosecuting those cases? there were less than a dozen cases a year or two ago that were actually prosecuted.

my question to the american people is, what actually stops these? prosecuting what is already on the books or letting it go in trying to say we just need more laws? that is part of the issue. host: marianne in illinois. republican. caller: good morning. thank you for c-span. happy easter. i am going to go all the way back. i think something american people need to look at is why do your children want to kill each other? what happened in the last 25 or 30 years that your children want to kill each other. you just had a 12-year-old boy arrested in florida. somehow, the kid got a gun. but i wanted to ask the congressman is in america, we do not elect people to go to the house or senate for them to pass bills -- for the senate to say,

like you commented earlier, the bills are dead in the water before they ever arrive. that is not what we elect people to do. people should not be even writing bills, wasting time writing things they know are general -- dead on arrival. what do the american people do? what do we do about this? it has gone on for years and continues to go on. it continues to divide your country. it is not helping your country. that is not helping at all. i want to remind people, the continued division of your country over sex, abortion, marriage, guns, racism. we killed a half a million people ourselves during civil war. if we are not careful, we are letting people, a very small percentage of people in my opinion -- you did not see the

whole house in tennessee doing that. you saw three people. those people and people with that type of mentality are going to take your country to civil war. host: congressman? guest: i will pray and do everything in my power that we are not going toward civil war. what bothers me is the public discourse cannot be civil like we are having here. again, you can be very forceful in your opinion. if you look at my time in congress. i was forceful in my opinion but at the same time, i had a working relationship with the democratic party and others to get things done. i do believe there is a place --. i believe if it is all you do than it is a problem but if you have a nesting bill, what is the use of your majority? if you have a majority in the house and a minority in the

senate, the majority in the house has to give way to the majority in the senate? and say i will only give as much as i can to buy into my argument? rightfully so, the democrats say the same. will only pass a bill to kevin mccarthy that i know we can get 218 votes on and move forward. it is a forgotten idea and a lonely defense to speak for, in my legal background, in the cases that were made and raised back again years later and said this idea had not come at this time but now we understand it in a better light. this is where we need to be. if all you do is pander and showboat bills are not going to break or have any hope, then that is a problem for both democrats, republicans, and anybody in between. if you brainstorm and look for solutions -- my question is, if democrats do not like the energy bill that just passed in the house -- energy is a very vital

issue in our country right now. why are the senate democrats not saying we are not going to vote for your bill because we do not like your ideas? or they come back and say we think this part of the bill might be akleh -- be ok but we do not like this part of your bill? or we want to move forward to sustainable and recyclable fields, how are we going to do that? again, this is both sides. i am not saying that one side is doing it better than the other. if you do not have these ideas, where are they coming from? go to any restaurants, synagogues, churches, mosques and there is not a lot of people that come in the morning and say i am just going to be in the middle ground. you have to have your opinions but find ways to get through them. host: harry, north carolina, independent. hello. caller: hello. congressman, do you think donald and santos are honest men?

guest: i'm going to attack the premise of your question. have they both probably told things that were not true, yes. have you? yes. have i? yes. next question. host: one more question for you. that is, why you left congress and if you are thinking about coming back. guest: i left to go run for senate. we had a crazy election in 2020. i ran for senate and we had a jungle primary and i lost. i did pretty well. i enjoyed it and i thought it was time for me to try a different approach. who knows? we have a number of years and some elections coming up. i make it back into it but right now i am enjoying the "the doug collins podcast" and interviewing with great folks like you and keeping the

conversation going. host: 2024 presidential election. so far, from her president trump is ahead in the polls as far as the republican ticket. will you be supporting him if he is the nominee? guest: if he is the nominee, yes. i am not declaring public support for anyone yet. i think we are still too early. i want to say, can we shorten the election cycle? as someone who lived through what seemed like an eternity of the election cycle. but right now, donald trump has about a 30% to 45% of a base in any state so far. it is going to be interesting to see how this plays out. then, there are a lot of people on both sides saying we want somebody, especially republicans , who can win the lighthouse. that is the main goal right now. host: former congressman doug collins, host of "the doug

collins podcast". thank you for joining us. guest: take care. host: that is it for today is washington journal. we will be here tomorrow at 7:00 a.m. happy palm sunday and to everyone who is celebrating. have a great day. ♪