♪ host: good morning, friday,

it'll 28 in the senate is out today but the house of representatives will convene at 9:00 a.m. which means we are with you for two hours this morning. we will begin on the war of words for the legal battle between florida governor ron desantis and entertainment giant walt disney. the dustup has fun charges of corporate activism on one side and government retaliation on the other and it has spilled over into the 2020 for presidential primary. we want to hear your thoughts with both lines split as usual.

a very good friday morning to you. you can start calling in now. here are headlines on this dustup between desantis and disney on the front page of the wall street journal today. if you go into the op-ed pages of the wall street journal, this is the lead editorial. some background on what's happening on this story from the associated press. the fight began last year with disney in the face of significant pressure publicly oppose the state law that bans classroom lessons on sexual orientation and gender identity in early grades, policy that critics call don't say gay. desantis took over disney world self-governing district and appointed a new board of supervisors that would oversee municipal services in the sprawling themepark.

that's what's been happening over the past few months and it came to ahead this week and that's why we are talking about this morning on the "washington journal." this was governor ron desantis yesterday on a trip to drip -- to jerusalem after he was asked about the disney lawsuit. >> they are upset because they had to lead by the same rules as everybody else. they don't want to have to pay

the same taxes as everybody else and they want to be able to control things without proper oversight. every other floridian has to have this type of oversight come every type of business. it's a little bit much to be complaining about that. i think it's political. i think they filed in tallahassee for a reason because they are trying to generate some district court decision. we are confident on the law. >> a lot of floridians were upset particular parents that they really went so headstrong into trying to get the sexualization of the curriculum into the elementary school. we don't think that's appropriate in florida and that spans partisan and everything and parents want kids to be kids and focus on the basics of academics. host: that was florida governor ron desantis traveling in israel on his trip to jerusalem yesterday.

this is bob iger, the ceo of disney speaking at a shareholder meeting earlier this month back in the first week of the month but he was asked about governor desantis'action here and the ongoing dustup and this is what he had to say. [video clip] >> about a year ago, the company took a position and ending florida legislation while the company may had not handled the position well, a company has a right to freedom of speech like individuals do. obviously, in taking the position, the governor got very angry about the position disney took. it seems like he decided to retaliate against us including the naming of a new board to oversee the property in business. in effect, to punish the company for his exercise -- for its exercise of a constitutional right and that seems wrong to me. particularly against a company that means so much to the state you live in.

we have over 75,000 employees which i noted in my opening, countless thousands of indirect jobs of been created, about 50 million visitors will go through our gates this year alone, about 8 million of those from outside the u.s. and we are the largest taxpayer payer in the state. you may find this interesting as it relates to future taxes but we are currently planning to invest over 17 billion dollars in walt disney world over the next 10 years. those investments we estimate will create 13,000 new disney jobs and thousands of other indirect jobs that will attract more people to the state and generate more taxes. our point on this is that any action that retaliates against a position a company took is antibusiness but also anti-florida. host: that some of the back-and-forth against governor ron desantis yesterday.

we are getting your thoughts this morning on this dustup between desantis and disney. members of congress are weighing in in the wake of that lawsuit being filed this week in the actions of the desantis appointed board this week. this is senator chris van hollen on twitter, the democrat from maryland. this from one of our viewers this morning --

you can see the different sides this morning. we are asking you to weigh in and we have about half an hour in this first segment to hear from you on this topic. go ahead and start calling in. this is new jersey, republican line. caller: we used to sit down in the 1970's and wants disney on tv now you sit down and watch it and tinkerbell is binary and peter pan as i don't know. it's out of control and i wish disney would go back to being a wholesome family channel. host: columbia, new jersey, what

do you think? caller: wake up florida, get rid of governor desantis. he is horrible. going after disney when they have a right to say what they want. get rid of him in florida. get rid of him. thank you. host: rick in fort belfour, virginia, independent. your thoughts? caller: thanks for having me on. i don't have a dog in this fight. i think disney will probably win this case. you've got a supreme court that has ruled that they have the freedom of speech which is ironic because the same court said the democrats will be the

same ones that will uphold disney's right. the first caller that called that stated disney got special breaks, it's pretty rich because disney provides way more taxes back to florida than it actually receives. good luck with taking this thing when it gets all the way to clarence thomas and samuel alito. disney will win this. it will be interesting to watch it. host: we mentioned earlier that this is spilling over into the 2024 presidential primary. rhonda's aunt -- ron desantis is an expected candidate but not officially announced.

donald trump weighed in on the governor's actions here and this was from trump's social posting from last week, saying -- this is the independent line. caller: good morning. host: what do you think? caller: the irony is that trump

is no friend of progressives. the idea that he's going to sit in support of disney is ironic in and of itself. secondly, this ron desantis, he is major trouble. the republicans have the sense that they are pro-business when this man, because of a social issue is attacking a major provider of business for the entire state. certainly, this entire push toward an authoritarian rule. we need to move these folks out of the political spectrum. there is no difference between the two. thank you. host: that's mclean, virginia we mentioned the special line for florida residents, we want to

hear from you. let's go to tampa good morning. caller: good morning and thank you for c-span. help us, this is our governor and everyone in the country loves airgun -- loves our governor with his fascist tyrannical behavior. this. governor desantis from becoming the president. please do not make him a senator or a candidate for president. he was married there. don't trust him. look it up for yourself. thank you for c-span, please do not vote for this man as we

drown in these fascist and tyrannical ideas. i gave them alias because they were groups of individuals that he is going around and retaliating be it the form of voter suppression or election suppression or suppression of the ability to protest. please, no one from the state of florida, give your real name because he might be listening and he will take us all down. host: that's a florida resident and here is another florida resident. marco rubio was on fox news yesterday and he was asked about the disney lawsuit. [video clip] >> i don't have a problem with taking on disney for the fundamental question is what we're trying to fix is the fact that disney has some arrangements they gave them governmental type power so it's a legitimate thing. it's problematic in the eyes of some people when you create ideas that somehow you run

crossways with whomever is in charge, then you may wind up in the crosshairs of the legislature for political purposes to make a statement. i don't think disney will go anywhere. i do worry that if this happens to many times, businesses thinking about coming to florida might say we don't want to go there. a hypothetical issue but i think disney is not unlike any other company in the world. there rules are up for review every year. >> businesses can weigh in on any type of bill? >> just asked budweiser. host: that was marco rubio on fox news yesterday. the lawsuit filed against the governor was filed wednesday and here is some of what it had to say.

that is from the filing with the associate -- with the associated press quoting that. back to florida, shall, independent, good morning. caller: good morning. i regret that it has come to this that our state here in florida has become a state that is using the power of the public purse and the public power to go after political opponents. let's talk about disney's impact on the economy and tourism and the taxes in florida and the other districts were almost

300,000 elders lived that have special taxes where they allow one of the republican donors to give and develop across three counties. let's talk about the daytona roadway down there that also has a special district. let's talk about the fact that publix, the walmart and disney, the top three private employers, walmart and publix, publix is first. it pays about $11 per hour. walmart around 14. disney's highest paid of their service jobs, what ron de satan needs to talk about is diversifying the economy.

what are they doing with $4 billion of direct taxes and 1.7 billion dollars of indirect taxes that disney supports with other businesses that come in. they have tourism, beaches hotels, that is the economy for florida. we are not a manufacturing state. if you look the manufacturing going on in ohio and georgia where they are doing electric batteries, that's not in florida. they are attacking schoolteachers and taking away their powers but accepting correctional firemen, they are attacking the giving away of the fte money, $8,500 for the fte for each student taking that from school districts. they have set up separate accreditation of accounts and set up a separate approval for school districts money to be taken that 90% of property taxes

goes to. let's look at what disney has done for the brand. disney is mickey mouse. they have been using the florida tourism board -- they the florida tourism board is been using mickey mouse for the past 60 years. this is all regrettable but what we really need -- we have public schools but they have to work at restaurants, hotels, walmart the publix and disney. host: that is shelby from tallahassee, florida. the news out of tampa bay took a look at this idea special districts and how many they are and what they do.

that wrap-up is from abc action news out of tampa, florida. we are discussing this topic and this is gerald in winter haven, florida, good morning. caller: good morning. i would like to say that it's about time that disney has had to come in line with everybody else. the way those people have been running that outfit, it's just about time for the whole thing

to have to come in line with everybody else here in florida and these people that are calling in from all over the country voicing their opinion, they don't have a pig in the fight here so it's about time they just get out of what's going on and leave us alone down here. host: this is david in hazleton, pennsylvania, good morning. caller: good morning, how are you doing? host: good, go ahead. caller: i have a winter home down in fort lauderdale. i don't know what ron desantis is doing. as a lifelong conservative, we're supposed to be about leaving business alone, tax breaks, taking food, cutting these entitlements where starving people think they get food from the government.

we are supposed to be about breaking unions, making things hard for the working poor. what kind of conservative is desantis messing around with disney. let them do what they want. it just blows my mind. take care, my friend. host: this is june in brookfield, wisconsin, line for democrats, good running. caller: good morning, thank you c-span for being an unbiased media outlet. we can finally get news that's not biased. number two, that last caller just summed it up, let disney do what they want. i'm a democrat and ready to turn republican next voting cycle because i'm sick and tired of lawsuits. it's the only way these people get away with just having lawsuits every time they don't get their way.

disney has gotten their way for so long and ron desantis is standing up. thank you jess for being unbiased and letting us voice our opinion but it's time people start understanding what's behind these companies and what's behind these decisions. like the previous caller said with the woke changes disney is making, what happened to family and faith? let them do what they want, that's the problem in this country. we need someone like desantis to stand up and not let them do what they want. host: back to pennsylvania, good morning. caller: good morning, america. tell them the truth, the legislation passed the law. desantis signed it. that's number one. anybody on your show get fired

for the lies you told america? host: anymore thoughts about disney and desantis? caller: you are a liar. your show is a liar. host: ok, this is jim in claremont, oklahoma, republican. caller: disney is trying to groom children to be a bunch of perverts and stuff and it's disgusting. they should be taxed like every other company in this country. host: that's jim in oklahoma. we mentioned the wall street journal editorial board and their lead editorial today focusing on this dustup between disney and desantis. they are calling it the disney/desantis knife fight and here's how they wrap it up.

about five minutes left in this first segment of washington journal. we are ending at 9 a.m. eastern because the house is coming in and we will have gavel to gavel coverage on c-span of the house when they are in. this is diane in key west, florida, democrat, good morning. caller: good morning, it's about time somebody stood up to desantis. he has taken away local rules here in key west, he won and signed a bill that went against our wishes.

he is telling schools they cannot talk about or mention transgender people. the one from telus at -- the woman from tallahassee said something interesting and i wasn't aware of walmart or publix. if i understood correctly, disney has no special favors. they have the same rights as huge corporations in florida. all they said was we believe that gays and lesbians should have rights. i think desantis has shot himself in the foot and i'm proud of walt disney for standing up for everyone's rights. this is a great day for the people who oppose the dictatorship of ron desantis. thank you so much. host: is that a rooster crowing in the background?

caller: yes, we had chickens and roosters running wild. host: morning time in key west, thank you for the call. this is john in texas, republican, good morning. caller: good morning. i'm thinking about this disney thing. more importantly, what i'm thinking about is what's going on in our country. this seems to be a part of it. this woke ideology that's going around, we have drag queens dressing up and dressing little children, we have sexual books in schools, induction going on so i don't know what's going on in the country but it's out of control. something has to be done. this is terrible. i don't know what to say about disney. desantis is doing what he thinks is right i guess. i don't know, i don't know what

to think about any of this. it's getting out of control and i think our country is getting out of control. host: that is john in texas, our last caller in his first segment. about 90 minutes left before the house comes in and in our next half hour, we will be joined by the first of two lawmakers with this today. there is a member of the house armed services and agriculture committees and later, we will be joined by texas democrat al green who serves on the financial services committee. stick around, we will be right back. ♪ >> fridays, see sent -- c-span brings you afterwords were nonfiction authors are interviewed on their latest books. tonight, the author of mott street reflects on her family's american experience across five

generations and the impact the chinese exclusion act had on her family and community. watch afterwords at 8 p.m. eastern on c-span. >> american history tv saturdays on c-span2, exploring the people and events that tell the american story. beginning at 9 a.m. eastern, watch a live daylong conference, the end of the vietnam war 50 years later with veterans, journalists and historians discussing the wars meaning and legacy. at 7 p.m. easton -- at 7 p.m. eastern, brief history with skills and resources for the ap u.s. history cost test course talk about the u.s. history exam and explain how this year's test has strategies for answering questions and analyzing storable documents. .

at 8 p.m., douglas kennedy the u.s. air force academy talks about the vietnam war's operation rolling thunder air campaign which took place from 1965-1960 eight. exploring the american story, watch american history tv saturday on c-span2 and find a full schedule your program guide or wchnytime online at c-span.org/history. >> a healthy democracy doesn't just look like this. it looks like this. where americans can see democracy at work where citizens are informed. get informed straight from the source on c-span, unfiltered, unbiased, word for word from the nation's capital to wherever you are, get the opinion that matters the most, your own. this is what democracy looks like, c-span, powered by cable.

>> "washington journal" continues. host: we like to welcome back to our program republican don bacon, armed services and agriculture committee member, proud member of the problems are was caucus. this debt ceiling impasse is a big problem so how does it get solved? guest: it gets solved by negotiating and republicans, we control the house but the senate is controlled by democrats by two votes. and we have a democratic president so we have to find compromise and find middle ground. on our side of the aisle, we know we cannot expect the moon. there has to be realistic expectations. for joe biden to say he refuses to negotiate, that is not right either. joe biden was a senator and he wanted negotiations on the debt ceiling and now these president he's saying no. we have to's sit down and find some middle ground.

we also have to curtail spending. if we do nothing, we will have a 200% debt to gdp ratio by 2040. that's a house of cards for our country, a fiscal house of cards as we need to get our financial house in order at the same time we raise the debt ceiling and it will take republicans and democrats working together to do this. host: when does default now become a bigger concern than curtailing spending in the future? is there a point at which the debt needs to be raised? >> when the president offers reasonable compromises and solutions. a lot of republicans will say we will accept that. for the president to say he refuses to negotiate in a divided government, when he himself as a senator three times demanded negotiations, we are not going to give into that. he's the one putting the

blackmail down on us. if he's reasonable, there were republicans like myself that want to make a deal because the greatest country in the world, we have to start acting like it and start reaching into the middle and get things done. host: the debt ceiling plan that republicans announced this week, raising the debt ceiling into 2024 and reducing spending to fiscal 2022 levels and limiting future spending to 1% and recovering the unspent covid-19 funds and there are plenty of other aspects of that. this is e headline on the republican plan out of norfolk -- what it could mean for folks in the v.a.. the v.a. secretary says -- i know you are a member of the armed service committee so your

reaction to that? guest: in the end, we will raise discretionary spending across the board 1% per year. it also gives the ability to move, the v.a. could get more than 1%. 1% growth per year is not draconian. the democrats will tell you it is draconian. it is not. we have a $32 trillion debt and if we do nothing it will be 19 more trillion dollars over the next 10 years. we are at 130% debt to gdp ratio so we have to start taking action. the reality of this past week, we put the ball in joe biden's court and chuck schumer's court. we will sit down and talk. what we voted on this week will not be the final bill. this is the way to negotiate.

it takes tuna did to negotiate we hope the other side comes the table to do the same thing. host: you can call in now to chat with congressman don bacon. he is with us until the top of the hour at 8:00 a.m. so let's go to spending when it comes to military aid, financial support for the country of ukraine. where do you see that fitting in? guest: i'm part of the party that defense freedom. i believe i'm not an isolationist and we saw how that worked in 1938 in 1939. some of the statements i hear sounds like from joe kennedy and charles lindbergh, we cannot ignore the world. russia invaded ukraine which was unprovoked and they are

committing crimes against humanity and kidnapped over 16,000 ukrainian children. republicans do not ignore that. it's international scary interest to ensure that ukraine remains independent. if it does not happen, the baltic states will be under threat and other nato countries will be under threat. you have to stand up to a bully. we cannot write a blank check either with only so much -- so many weapons and we need to increase our munitions production and think about what taiwan for deterrence. we have to balance all this but i'm for supporting ukraine to the best of our ability which defense freedom and human rights we got to acknowledge that vladimir putin is committing these wars against humanity and if we don't stop him in ukraine, he will go somewhere else next. host: what would you say is the percentage of your party and the caucus of where you are in

ukraine? are you in the minority? guest: in the conference itself on the house side, i think about two thirds of not more agree with my position. there is maybe 20 or 30 that are pretty vocal on the others. i would say roughly 2/3 to three quarters share my view. host: you said they kidnapped children in ukraine and you are pushing for action this week on that front so what did you do? guest: we called on congress to condemn vladimir putin's behavior and people in russia who are doing this. 16 thousand night think there is more numbers. at least 16,000 children in ukraine have been kidnapped and dispersed throughout russia and they are trying to keep these ukrainian children from their families and their heritage in their language so it's genocide what you see there and we need

to have more clarity, what russia is doing is wrong we need to put a spotlight on their behavior. at some point, the russian people will wake up and say this is wrong and we will not support a leader doing this. host: there are plenty of callers already for you. this is out of boston, line for democrats, good morning. caller: good morning, according to open secrets ductwork, your guest has received close to half $1 million from pro-israeli pack money. i would like to know what he does with that cash and why is that not a violation of the foreign agents registration act? i will take your answer offline. guest: i admit upfront that i am pro israel. israel is a democratic state and they are surrounded by a lot of adversaries. we need a strong homeland for the jewish people because

they've experienced repression and anti-semitism for centuries. without blinking, i would say i am a pro-israeli congressman and i've had those views from day one. i served with the israeli military when i was a colonel with long-range missile defense. i stand by israel and because of that, folks who share my views support me. i've no apologies for that. i stand proudly. host: alabama, republican, good morning. are you with us? you have to stick by your phone. this is jimbo in bakersfield, california, independent. caller: good morning. congressman bacon, i wanted to ask you a couple of quick questions. first off, do you really want to play around with the full faith

of u.s. credit? wouldn't it be better to pass a clean debt ceiling and then negotiate a better arrangement on the next budget? also, if you guys can pass in legislation to help us in the central valley, we are just about to have an historic 500 year flood here. we need kevin mccarthy, my congressman to focus on working with fema and getting prepared for historic flooding in the central valley. i don't need kevin mccarthy threatening the good faith of the united states especially after a $1.9 trillion tax cut for the most fortunate americans. and also kevin mccarthy passing the debt ceiling three times. host: i think we got your point, what your response? guest: i think if the other way

around, president biden was a senator and demanded three times for negotiation on the debt ceiling. we were elected in the house majority to curtail spending. i would agree with the caller that i should not demand unrealistic expectations. we have to meet in the middle but to refuse to curtail spending at all, there is a $32 trillion debt with 130% debt to gdp ratio and that's dangerous. we are on the path to getting to 200%. i want her kids and grandkids to live in a country that has a strong economy and a strong fiscal foundation and its on raveling if we do nothing. i believe the imperative is on the other foot right now, that we have to take action on the depth of spending.

my heart goes out to the california's with a record snow in california and when it melts, it could create dangerous conditions and if they can funnel this water into a reservoir -- when i was in the breast in 2019, we had a 500 year flood -- when i was in nebraska in 2019, we had a 500 year flood. host: on your agriculture committee work, many of the folks in the agriculture business are looking at the farm bill this year. what are your expectations for this farm bill? guest: we will pass a farm probably around october. then we have to reconcile with the senators and their bill. i think they are fairly well aligned so i don't think there will be significant disparities but there is a lot of work to do. what i hear from farmers and ranchers is the affordable crop insurance for farmers and ranchers.

they want to expand trade and we need to have a great research program to defeat things like african fever. biofuels are interesting -- are important. i believe what we will see is a continuation of what we have had with tweaks around the edges, probably not a significant growth. i predict there will be some growth to this farm bill versus the last farm bill. i don't anticipate this being too hard to get across and passed. host: pennsylvania, mike is next, republican. caller: congressman bacon, i have a question about ukraine. i heard the president is just like vladimir putin that he's going after christians, he's putting his political opponents in prison. i would like to know that's true or not, can you help me out there? guest: there is a lot of russian

propaganda that's going on and we have to be careful about that taking rubio's russian propaganda is being passed over the internet and some of the cable shows. the one thing i saw is that the ukrainian president was critical of the orthodox church is promoting vladimir putin and critical of some of these churches that were promoting vladimir putin on the russian orthodox side. they are free to practice their religion but they are trying to have democracy and freedom of the press and that's what ukraine wants to do but that's what russia does not want. it does not want a democracy that is successful on its borders. they told the russian people they can have that too so it's a threat to vladimir putin when he sees a free market system developing and you train, free elections, freedom of the press.

vladimir putin sees that as a threat and that's was going on here. beyond that, he wants to regain the territory the soviet union had at one time under peter the great so he is trying to restore those borders any does the sea ukraine is an individual, independent nation with its own language and culture. they do have their own language and their own heritage. they don't want to be under the russian yoke. 4 million ukrainians were murdered by stalin in the 1930's. there are many other examples like this. they want their independence and they want their own country. host: halfway through our conversation with congressman bacon until 8:00 a.m. this morning. this is in the wake of former president donald trump speaking last night in new hampshire and the headline says -- what are your thoughts on that speech last night and the road

ahead for the republican presidential primary? guest: i think he needs to focus on the primary first and agree to debate. he does -- he says he doesn't want to debate but my message has been pretty clear. most republican support a lot of the policies of this administration but he lost. he lost in 2020 and had a bad election in 2018 and we could've had a much better election in 2022. the purple district lost to me have to acknowledge the facts here. he will very likely lose in 2024 if he's the nominee and i want to nominee that can win the white house and hold the house majority, take back the senate and be successful. i'm afraid of he's at the top of the ticket, we will lose the white house and lose the house and not get the senate back. we will probably lose the filibuster and the supreme court will be packed so it's important we nominate a candidate that can

compete in suburban areas and when swing voters and suburban women and i don't think president trump can do that. host: who is your candidate in mind? guest: i look at governor desantis. he won florida which was a purple state just four years ago in an overwhelming manner. the democratic counties had not voted republican in decades and supported ron desantis. i think we have great folks like tim scott. i don't know nikki haley as well but i sure like the things she's saying. we have some great candidates that would win in november of 2024 if they are at the top of the ticket. if you have someone like tim scott were nikki haley, you will win the white house, you will grow more -- your majority in the house and take back the senate. host: we talked earlier about ron desantis and disney, your thoughts on that dustup now

turned legal battle? guest: i hate to see this happen because we should -- we have to acknowledge that disney and my kids and grandkids like going there but they got themselves involved in a political fight by getting involved in issues at the state level and they picked a fight with ron desantis and republicans. if i'm a businessman, i want republican and democrat business. i want to make a profit for our workers and grow our business. when you pick sides, there is a whiplash and i think this is coming back from ron desantis and the republicans. it's better for businesses to stay out of these partisan fights and take care of their business first. that would be my response. host: joe, independent line, go ahead. caller: hi, don bacon.

what is your definition of a lie? guest: a lie is when you would intentional say something that is not true. caller: thank you. the china tariffs, how much taxpayer money did trump bail out the farmers with? you are on the agricultural mideast test committee so you should know. guest: i could give you the amount that we had a lot of money that went to farmers to support them because the chinese shut off our product going to china. host: this is michael in massachusetts, republican, good morning. caller: hello. congressman, i want to know why we need electric charging stations for cars when the cars can make their own electricity? the pins inside of a copper coil make the electricity and the

cars have two axles. with a transformer, you can multiply the electricity the way you put a battery in there and make 10 thousand volts. host: electric vehicles? guest: this has to do with the free markets in the business community and see where the interest of the consumers are. president biden is trying to force this on our country saying 60% of her cars need to be electrical. in a certain amount of years. consumers are being pushed where they don't want to go quite yet. if it reaches 200 miles, that may work in the city but if you have do do a long drive across nebraska, that doesn't work. it used to be that congress would legislate and if the president supported that legislation, he would execute. today, the president is legislating from the executive branch without congress and signing things into law

mandating how many cars will be electric and so many years. he is signing things in the white house, saying it you're a good credit risk, we will increase her interest rates but if you pay your taxes, we will reduce your interest rates, where did that come from. it didn't come from congress. he's doing this on his own and now he's trying to mandate airports. maybe mcdonald's or burger king contract in your airport, he wants the airports to say you have to force these businesses to pay $18 per hour. that didn't come from congress. we have an executive branch that's out of control is not what our founders envisioned. legislation should come from congress and the president executes those laws and i don't think we have it quite right now. host: a few minutes left with

congressman don bacon. this is south carolina, republican, good morning. caller: good morning, hello congressman. i would like to propose a new position at the state department. the united states ambassador to the walt disney company. disney has relationships with china, japan and paris, france i think they have a park there also. thank you very much. host: back to disney. guest: i don't know how to expand on that except i was the commander and ran stein -- ramstein air force base in

germany and they do have a theme park in france. i would prefer we try to separate politics, partisan politics from business. if i was a businessman, i want republican and democratic customers. host: this is from twitter -- guest: they have every right but ron desantis has a right to push back. people don't like that. if you want to attack ron desantis as a business, expect push back and that's was going on. this is just human nature. if you're going to punch a guy in the nose, expect to get punched back and that's was going on here. i think smart businesses stay out of that and stay under that fray. you don't want to alienate half

of your business base and that's was going on here. host: massachusetts, democrat, good morning. caller: good morning. my question is on the budget. with the republicans, the senate comes back and says we want to rescind some tax cuts. the are the republicans willing to negotiate on that? guest: i don't think joe manchin would support that. i have to correct the record here. 85-90% of all americans got a tax cut under the tax reform. if you are a middle-class income earner, you got about $2000 back to you. that's about $200 or so per month. it was sizable and roughly under 90% of americans received that. tax revenues went up because

businesses and individuals that were prospering with the tax reform so it created increased tax revenues. when people talk about the deficit growing, revenues went up but public spending was up. once again, we have to look at spending and curtail reckless spending. i support what we did in 2017 which work. i would like to try to maintain the tax rolls we built back in 2017. host: a few minutes left, i don't think we have had you one since the federal leaks became public. you talked about retiring as a brigadier general. what are your thoughts and how damaging the leaks were and how you stop somebody from leaking who is seemingly leaking to show a visibility to show the information he has access to?

how do you stop this in the future? guest: you all people accountable and he gets his day in corporate assuming he's guilty, he deserved lots of jail time. as a five-time commander in the air force, if you have a problem and some is committing a crime, you court-martialed them and put them in prison and everybody else sees that and they say i don't want to and up at leavenworth. you hold people accountable. we are a society that's talking about pulling back these laws. it sends the wrong message, when you break the law in this case there were grave national secrets that were leaked and there was some russian propaganda from another person put in there so you have to distinguish the two but there were top-secret secrets in there that created great damage to our country. other countries know what we are collecting and they see our analysis they go to the

president, that's embarrassing and wrong. this young man deserves jail time and should be jailed in other people will see that and say i don't want to do that because i will be held accountable. i believe in law and order and i believe this young airman broke the law and deserve to be punished. host: thanks for waiting in pennsylvania, independent, good morning. caller: thank you. i have two comments in a question for the congressman. one, how is it possible that as an american, devoting yourself to the usa, you also pledge an uncontested bond to israel and the jewish people? if push comes to push, how do you term in who you will prioritize first? number two, you're harping on

controlling russia. the same forces that control the u.s. controls russia. all of this is going under the radar with their currency being devalued. host: israel and russia? guest: again, i am unapologetic supporter of israel. i think it's in america's national interest to stand by them. we gain a lot from our relationship with israel. they have a great intelligence system and some of their technology, you get a lot of synergy between our two nations working together. i am an unabashed supporter of israel but it doesn't mean they are perfect and we are not perfect but international security interest to secure that israel remains strong and sovereign. they are the democracy in the middle east and they share our

values and we should support that. vladimir putin is a thug, a bully and attacking an innocent country. he's trying to undermine our country every step of the way. israel has expanded capabilities compared to russia and we have to go in with our eyes wide open. i don't believe the russian propaganda. host: north carolina is where we will end this morning, republican, good morning. guest: my name is dave and i'm in wilmington, north carolina and i am a moderate republican. i was a supporter of the lincoln project. i am hoping the republican party comes to its senses gets away from the stupidity of the previous four years. i'm obviously not happy with what's going on now.

i am really concerned with all the craziness in the past few administrations. in my opinion, we haven't had a great president since reagan. i'm must set the nuclear football is still a one-person decision. it should be shared by the joint chiefs of staff. it's a launch in a matter of seconds but we don't want one individual who has a bed day and say i will launch. going to launch. and i was actually in the air force nuclear weapons security. point number two, i think the republicans would get off of this business "we don't have climate change." that is one area i lean to the left. it is not a partisan issue. it is a world issue. and biofuels, they are not the one and all solution for everything, but a little bit of this, little bit of that. and biofuels are patriotic.

they are made in america. they are not coming from the arab oil empire, which hates us. host: let me stop you there and give congressman bacon a chance to respond. guest: first of all, i agree with the caller about biofuels. i think most republicans agree with him on the way forward. it should be an all-in-one approach. 40% of omaha is powered by wind. i believe in nuclear energy. natural gas is much cleaner than coal. it is also cleaner than europe's natural gas, so it should be part of the solution. so all of the above on that. i would also agree that the last several presidencies have been too chaotic, too hyper partisan, and we have to get back to some sense of normalcy. we are the world's superpower, the strongest country in the world, the best country in the world. we are not acting like it.

we have to step up and stop treating each other like enemies and fighting each other. we have to do better to solve the debt problem, solve -- to be able to be prepared against china and russia. we need to be better for our children. you see a 3% increase in depression. 22% of our 18-year-olds did not even qualified to get into the military, so we are worried about physical fitness. we got to do better as a country. we are the greatest country -- we are not acting like this. if we want to maintain this, we got to do better. what did i miss out of that call? host: the only other thing is nuclear football and launch capability. guest: well, i was also part of the nuclear enterprise as a general. i flew on aircraft that, if the white house was hit, i could take over our nuclear forces. i am also pretty much aware of how we do business.

i would say it is more complicated than what the caller said. the president cannot just get up one day on a bad day and order an icbm strike on russia or china. it goes through the command chiefs, and orders have to be lawful. they have to be lawful orders. any order would be seen to that it would be a lawful order. i think americans can have confidence in their nuclear enterprise and the safety we have built into it. host: congressman don bacon, thank you. member of the armed services committee and the agriculture committee. later this morning, a different perspective from another member of congress, democrat al green from texas will be joining us in about half an hour. until then, it is our open forum. any public policy issue, any political issue on your mind, give us a call. phone lines are open for you to do so, republicans, democrats,

independents. the numbers are on your screen. start calling now, and we will get to you after the break. ♪ >> be up-to-date in the latest in publishing with book tv's podcast on books, with current nonfiction releases, plus best seller releases, as well as the street news and trends through insider interviews. find out about books on c-span now, our free podcast. ♪ >> live sunday, may 7, attorney and author philip a coward -- ke philip k howard will take youral. mr. howard has written six books, including his beseller,

"the death of common sense." join the live conversation with torney and author philip k. howard sunday at noon eastern on c-span 2. ♪ >> if you're looking at the constitution for review, the main thing you should focus on art checks and balances. you will absolutely need to know how different branches can limit each other. and you cannot go wrong with the bill of rights, because you know in the scotus comparison question, will be asked about a court case that almost definitely will be routed somewhere in the bill of rights. >> are you a student praying for the advanced lay spent u.s. government and politics exam? get your questions ready and tune in saturday live at 9:00 a.m. eastern for our annual cram for the exam, where we will take your calls, texts, and tweets. joint -- join teacher sunshin

cavalluzzi at 9:00 a.m. eastern on c-span's "washington journal ." ♪ >> since 1979, in partnership with the cable industry, c-span has provided complete coverage of the halls of congress, from the house and senate floors to congressional hearings, party briefings, and met hearings. c-span gives you a front row seat to how issues are debated and decide, with no commentary, no interruptions, and completely unfiltered. c-span -- your unfiltered view of government. >> "washington journal" continues. host: a reminder this morning that the house of representatives is coming in at 9:00 a.m. eastern this friday morning. we will go there for live

gavel-to-gavel coverage when they do. taking this half hour of the "washington journal" for our open forum to give you a chance to lead the conversation, any public policy, any political issue you want to talk about. here's how you can call in. republicans, it is (202) 748-8001. democrats, (202) 748-8000. independents, (202) 748-8002. we will also look for your texts, (202) 748-8003 is that number. make sure to include your name and where you're from. two stories as your calling in the lead story of today's washington post -- the u.s. economy wobbled in the first months of 2020 three, growing at an annual rate of just 1.1% as higher interest rates and the banking crisis dragged down activity across sectors. the latest figures released thursday by the bureau of economic analysis market sharp slowdown at a time when wall street is already bracing for recession, in part because of years that the banking sector's

troubles will curtail landing. by comparison, the u.s. economy grew at an annual rate of 2.6% in the last three months of last year. this story from the new york times on this topic, former vice president mike pence appearing thursday before a grand jury hearing about president donald trump's efforts to cling to power after he lost the election. he spent more than five hours behind doors in an appearance after he was subpoenaed to testify before the grand jury earlier this year. both mr. pence and mr. trump tried to fight the subpoena, which the vice president claimed violated the speech or debate because of the constitution, given his role in overseeing the election results certification. mike pence testifying for five hours yesterday. plenty of calls in our open

forum. we will turn it over to you. this is john, new york city, democrat. what is on your mind? caller: hello, my name is john. i am highly confused -- i was trying to get through on the line when the representative was there. the debt ceiling is about money already being spent? aren't they aware that, when they pass these bills, they are going to have to pay for what they spent? so why are they negotiating at this end? shouldn't they be negotiating this when they wrote the bills? we will have to pay for it when the debt ceiling comes up. host: that is john in new york city. this is carol, lebanon, ohio, republican. good morning. caller: hello. i tried to call last week.

thankful to get in today. thank you. i am talking about the supreme court. and i've been thinking about confidential information. the young man who apparently stole the documents from the pentagon was arrested in about one week. it has been many months since the leak about roe v. wade, about the supreme court's decision was stolen. i believe this proves that the supreme court was leaked by a high up person. he or she is too high up. to be identified and prosecuted. host: do you think we will ever learn who did it?

caller: i am afraid we won't for a long time. i am afraid it will be when that person dies. and i think it is pitiful. i do. and that is one reason why i have really gone down in my belief on this up in court. host: this is rick, hudson, florida, independent. good morning. caller: good morning, sir. how are you? host: doing well. what is on your mind? caller: on my mind is really the d&r, democrats and republicans. we are in serious trouble, whether it be with china or russia. i am a vietnam vet, have been around for a long time, and our countries and more turmoil now than ever before. we are at our we guessed. if a country would try to take us over, now would be the time. we have people in our government

who really should not even be in the government. we can't disagree or agree anymore. we are in really serious problems. that is basically it it i hope we wake up. host: what is it going to take for us wake up? [laughter] caller: i have to say the good lord. we are even falling away from christianity. we are in some bad times. like i said, i am a vietnam vet. it blows vietnam out of the water right now. like i said, it is up to our government -- whatever happened to we, the people, for the people, by the people? it is sad, really sad. i'm an all-american. i believe very highly in our country. but at this point, i'm not. i'm sad to say -- we need to wake up. host: this is amanda in

clarkstown, mississippi, line four democrats. caller: yes, i am calling this stuff people are talking about with this guy who lead all this stuff to the press and social media. this guy should not have ever even passed vetting. i remember back in 1996, i got v etted, and the fbi told me back then they would go all the way back to the third grade. this guy's stuff started in high school. he made all these threats about killing people and all this stuff, so he should have never passed vetting. i just wonder what in the world are we doing now that allows people like that, whether black, white, green, or gold, to pass

the vetting process. he should have never had that clearance stuff he's had. host: from the wall street journal story today, as a high school student, the international the national guardsmen charged with leaking documents admitted that he made violent threats that prevented him from getting a firearms license. two years later, he secured a top-secret security clearance for he was back before a judge yesterday, the judge considering whether to further detain first-class airmen jack teixeira . --after prosecutors argued he would obstruct their probe if he was free, he was considering whether he continues in attention. airman teixeria is charged with unauthorized removal and retention of classified documents or materials. the prosecutor in that case arguing against his release, saying the defendant uses what

he can to gain what he wants. he has constantly and consistently put himself before all else, arguing against his release. this is robert in north carolina, republican. that morning -- good morning. caller: good morning, sir. thank you for the open forum. i know there are simply different topics. there is so many different things going on in our nation and our world. i think a lot of it is affected by internet for number -- i thing a lot of it is affected by internet pornography. to be candid, sir, i am hopefully -- hopelessly addicted to internet pornography. it affects me so many different ways. please have a segment where people can call in and we can learn about this internet

pornography stuff, and why have our senators and stuff past laws -- passed laws where people like me can't sue for our addiction? host: what do you mean you cannot get help? caller: because i feel like i should be able to sue the internet providers who put all of this filth, and i feel like even little kids can see it. i feel that so many people in our nation have been secretly affected, even clergy, children. people come to the emergency rooms -- full of people secretly suffering from this filth. you can see anything your mind can imagine, sir, 24 hours a day on the internet. don't you think that is destroying people's minds early on? host: robert in north carolina. this is baron in georgia.

good morning, your next. are you with us? one more try for baron. greg, lincoln park, michigan. independent. good morning. caller: good morning. i want to talk about china. china is our biggest threats. here in michigan, we have a battery plant going up, and it is owned by a company out of california, which is owned by the chinese. every time they build something, it is always next to one of our military institutions. here, it is a training institution. i just wish they would stop letting the chinese take over america. this is what it is all about. they want to spend money on china with the batteries. they want to spend, spend, spend, and give china all our money. we need to do it here at home. if we cannot do it here at home, we need to go back to oil.

everybody have a nice day. host: edward, wisconsin, john, a republican. good morning. caller: good morning. i would just like to talk that the way people use language to where things really changes the way people think about. for example, the transgender movement started with sex change surgery, went to gender transition surgery, and is now gender affirmation surgery. that is the way they play the game. i was wondering if you could do a segment sometime -- people are not allowed to buy a beer until their 21, not allowed a drivers license until minimum of 16, and they are not allowed to legally dissipate in sexual contact until 18, so why are they allowed to change their so-called gender at early ages, such as 12, 13, 14? that is happening.

i was wondering if you could do that a segment -- do a segment on that sometime on how many people would support legislation banning underage sex change surgery. host: always appreciate recommendations on segments. this is jim. good morning. caller: good morning. firstly, i think our country is doomed. luckily, in a decade or two, i'll be dead, i'll be gone. i see what is happening with our school-age kids protesting about gun rights, being active. i would love to hear from those kids on a c-span show, perhaps in the evening. thank you. host: and what do you think you would get from that? do you think you would be more off mystic about the future? jim hung up. this is gabriel in jacksonville,

florida. good morning. republican. caller: hi, yes2 good -- hi, yes. good to hear from you. my question was about stopping uranium production in north korea and china. i was reading about the sanctions under president bill clinton. i know that in clinton's demonstration, it was a strategy to cut uranium productions and see victory in the hospital -- to work with doctors in jacksonville. they are currently issuing -- it is hiv medicine, and it really works. it is a miracle drug. it helps boost the immunity for females and works well with men

-- host: alright, that is gabriel. this is joe in indiana. good morning. caller: good morning. how are you? i would like to contribute to the conversation today by recommending three books for everyone to read, especially americans, especially young folks who have more open minds that they have so much to be thankful for and also to learn about. the three books are "a people's history of the united states," by howard simms, "bury my heart at wounded knee," and "get yourself a world almanac -- and get yourself a world almanac. it starts with the columbus discovery of america and goes from there, and you will learn some really good history. host: that is joe in indiana. a few minutes left in this open

forum. again, phone lines as usual, republicans, democrats, and independents. one other story to point you to, this is the headline from rollcalll -- u.s. to expand migrant processing abroad after title 42 policy ends. officials expect a spike in migration after that pandemic era policies lifted. here is a little bit of what he had to say. [video clip] >> we are dedicating specially trained refugee officers to the centers. they will interview applicants for the u.s. refugee admissions program and provide swift processing of a greater number of individuals. in addition to refugee processing, migrants may be screened at these centers and referred to pursue additional pathways to the united states or to other countries for which they may be eligible. second, we are streamlining the

long-established family unification parole processes for cubans and haitians, so individuals from these countries with approved family-based petitions may more quickly reunite with their families here in the united states. third, i have directed my team to develop family reunification processes that would extend this well-recognized model to individual from el salvador, guatemala, honduras, and colom bia. more information will be available may 11. fourth, we will continue the successful processes we announced in january. through our mobile app, we will enable individuals to schedule more meetings -- pearl processes, as well as the

corresponding returns to mexico for those without a legal basis to remain will continue. at the same time, we are imposing consequences for individuals who do not use our lawful pathways. host: hundred mayorkas, the homeland security secretary. yesterday, here in washington. if you want to watch the entire press conference, it is available on our website, c-span.org. this is matthews, north carolina. david is a republican. good morning. caller: good morning. yesterday, you had a democratic congress woman on who talked about the top 5% of earners in this country and referred to them as "tax cheats." i think you need to challenge people on that. to get a better discourse in this country, we cannot be calling people names. that 5% pays for 45% of the taxes in this country, and she should have a little more respect for them. and the secretary of the treasury has also referred to

those people as "tax cheats." i think you need to challenge them on that and where they get that information that they are, in fact, tax cheats. host: thanks for the call. ed from jamaica, new york. caller: good morning. first, i want to say i do not care what president biden did as a senator. that has nothing to do with passing a bill to get our debt -- to pay for our debts, what we have already paid for and owe. and you did not answer another caller's question -- host: just so you are aware, i am not the congressman. you're talking about don bacon, our last guest? caller: oh, brother. alright, goodbye. host: all right. gabriel, springfield,

massachusetts, republican. good morning. caller: good morning. you got him good. host: i didn't mean to. i just did not want him to think i would be answering his questions as the congressman. caller: you just made my morning. all that i really wanted to say is i do not know why people are so scared about what people -- you know, trans, gay, lgbt -- let people live there life. -- their life. as conservatives, we are not supposed to be in people's business. now it seems like we are banning this, banning books, tell women want to do with their bodies. we are for tax breaks for rich people like me, and we are for eviscerating the homeless and poor in this country. we should aim for that. amen, brother. host: that was gabriel in massachusetts.

this is richard also in massachusetts. caller: good morning. i just wanted to mention i've been studying republicans for six years now. all the republicans interrupting and cutting off democrats when they speak --jim jordan, ted cruz, josh hawley are the worst. they try to answer the questions for them. it's very important, because it is violating their right to beach. i just wanted to make that point. and if you are watching, republicans, from now on, you will see i am right. and i thank you. host: how often are you watching those committee hearings and debates on the floor? caller: i called c-span monday and mentioned it jade i want word to get out.

these people are cutting off democrats, not letting them speak. i saw it again this morning on the other c-span channel. host: that is richard in massachusetts, our last caller in this open forum. just about half an hour left before the house comes in. in that time, we will be joined by congressman al green, democrat from texas. we will talk about the debt limit and other news on capitol hill this week. stick around for that discussion. we will be right back. ♪ ♪ >> sunday night on "q&a," presidential historian richard norton smith shares his by graffiti on gerald ford, titled "an ordinary man." he talked about ford's personal life, antiishmt politics, and his efforts to heal the country following the watergate scandal.

>> fellow americans, our long national nightmare is over. >> the irony about the whole phrase, whoever wrote it, is ford didn't want to use it. ford thought -- and it was kicking a man when it was down, don't you think that was a little hard? and hartman made the case, lis ten, people need to hear this, they need to hear it from you. the final surprise, of course, is that our long national nightmare was far from over. >> richard norton smith with facebook "an ordinary man," sunday night at 8:00 p.m. eastern on c-span's "q&a

♪ >> if you are looking at the constitution for review, you are absolutely going to need to know how the different branches could limit each other and you can't go wrong with the bill of rights either. the question you are going to be asked out a court case somewhere in the bill of rights. >> are you a student preparing for the advanced politics exam? tune into washington journal saturday at 9:00 a.m. eastern. we will take your calls, texts, queen -- tweets on the exam. watch washington journal's annual cram for the exam session live saturday at 9:00 a.m. eastern on "washington journal." >> the very first president to

attend the white house correspondents dinner was calvin coolidge in 1924. i had just been elected to the senate. >> the correspondents dinner is saturday at 8:00 p.m. eastern. watch coverage where this years headliner and president biden is expected to speak. join us for red carpet arrivals at 6:00 p.m. eastern on our free mobile video app. the white house correspondents dinner live saturday at 8:00 p.m. eastern on c-span. . >> a healthy democracy doesn't just look like this, it looks like this, where americans could see democracy at work. c-span, unfiltered, unbiased,

word for word. from the nation's capital to wherever you are. this is what democracy looks like, c-span, powered by cable. >> "washington journal" continues. host: representative al green is with us, democrat from texas. i want to start here in the new york times, and obituary on the front page of a storekeeper who doomed emmett till with her words. you were seven years old when emmett till was murdered, do you remember his killing? do you remember your family talking about it? guest: i don't remember any conversations at the time as i was older. we had conversations about it because i was reminded of what happened to emmett till when i would go out and about. my parents were always concerned

about what could happen to me not just from police but also from people in society, there are reasons we will never be able to explain what hurts people of color. i understood emmett till was not only taken into the custody of people -- into custody in the dark of night. they did it in ways that were inhumane. after all of that they didn't just -- just dumped his body, it was sad commentary of our time. it is unfortunate this happened because of someone making a statement that was inappropriate from that person's perspective. could you imagine a time when a person could be lynched for simply saying something someone else thought was inappropriate? that was the time he lived in and a time my parents and

relatives reminded me of. host: i want to play a few clips from our program earlier this year talking with emmett till's cousin. he was with emmett till in the store that fateful day. he had spoken about the interaction with carolyn bryant, who died yesterday. this was about 2:00 from that interview. >> the 2017 book by duke university historian was the next big accelerant in seeking justice. what was the big news in timothy tyson's book? >> his book gave me a lot of hope. it brought a lot of closure. all my life i did not like the way they were portraying emmitt.

she said that she lied. that gave me some sense of closure. you cannot bring him back. i didn't like the way he was looked at were viewed in history. i got very excited about this book, very excited. you read the story there. >> the central claim, the part that was the big news in the book was that tyson said carolyn bryant had recanted on her story. what did that piece of information give you, your family, and the fbi licensed to do? >> we weren't at odds with each

other, that is what i wanted. the main thing i wanted. that is all i wanted in life. i had what i wanted when i heard she admitted that she lied. they wanted much more than that. i wanted -- i was not against that. i felt so good when she said she lied. host: the reverend in that conversation, our "q and a" program. guest: it is sad to know that a person's words, untrue, could cause such harm to another person. it is really sad.

it is also very demeaning, that is the point that was being made, to say he did something of this nature. i am a proud resident of the united states. they showed the film at the white house. i was there. host: which film? guest: "till." this president wants people to understand the history. i'm proud that he does that. so much of the history has been distorted. he takes on the challenge of correcting history. even with his efforts we have some other challenges. i have to mention now that we brought this up the senate office building, russell was a self-proclaimed white supremacist. he taught the legislation that

we ultimately passed, he fought it. his name is on a senate office building. that building is a symbol of national shame for this country. it was the old senate office building. that would be the appropriate thing to do. that could be done if the senate had the will to do it. host: something you hoped would be done as a part of your conscious agenda, what would that be? guest: the conscious agenda says this is right or this is wrong. the moral imperative that we have that says you know this is wrong, you need to correct this injustice. that is what the conscious agenda is all about. getting his name off of it is part of the conscious agenda. i encourage others who feel similarly, don't go in as wel

l. i've had invitations to come there for meetings, several groups have asked me to come to speak. i will not go into that building other than to protest. he has a statue dedicated to him. richard russell fought anti-lynching legislation. one of the co-authors, if not the authors of the southern manifesto, who fought the whole notion of integration. his name is on the senate office building paid for with taxpayer dollars. host: legislation you helped pass last year. guest: i voted for it. i remember jesse jackson coming to congress. this is something that has been on our agenda for a very long

time. i'm proud that it was finally done. we got it done. let me mention this, you brought the conscious agenda. this is something important to this country. 1619, a day that will live in infamy, the day the first africans were brought to this country by trade. those persons are the foundational mothers and fathers and helped lay the foundation for the economic success we have today. the white house itself, the capital. they did all of this work without any pay, any monument. they laid the foundation. in 1950 six we gave a congressional gold medal to the enslavers, the confederate soldiers. 1956, a congressional gold medal. no such thing for the people who

gave their lives for the country. we need to give them a congressional gold medal as well. that is on the congress agenda. a congressional gold medal for the enslaved. we could revere the enslaved. host: the house comes in, in 20 minutes. we will go there for gavel-to-gavel coverage as we always do. phone lines, republicans, (202) 748-8000, democrats (202) 748-8001, independent (202) 748-8002. we will get right to the calls. caller: good morning. i want to discuss some things with you that you all did not fight back on. please don't cut me off because it is so important. we do not believe in nine months

pregnant see if the baby is alive and well and could live. why do you not fight against that? hold on. we do not believe in pornography in schools. republicans are saying we believe in all of this, we don't believe in any of that. what school is doing that? whoever is doing that should be arrested. you all do not fight that. they are saying we are demons because we believe in this, we do not. another thing about that tax break, this is what i've experienced myself, when trump did that tax giveaway, when the exemptions were taken away, you cannot do that unless you itemize. you cannot write that off

anymore. host: let's stop you there, the congressman fighting back on issues like late-term abortion and pornography in schools. guest: we are opposed to pornography and we are opposed in schools. we are opposed to nine-month abortions. a woman's right to have some privacy in terms of how our health care is satisfied. she should have the opportunity to these things with someone she trusts. that could be her minister, other family members, a woman's right to choose. i do think we have to do more to fight back against this perception of being pushed as a relief to democrats. we are doing a lot. i cannot say we have done enough. there is that perception and we

have to change that. i was in a conversation last night when this came up about how we have to really push back. we are opposed to pornography in schools. i agree with the lady. show me the school where this is happening and show me the democrats saying i support pornography in schools. that distorted perception has to be dealt with. host: this is james in mississippi, independent, good morning. caller: i agree with you on that part. the democrats and mostly any person with any sense, they don't want children to be taught pornography in schools. they just throw everything off the wall. whatever they say, they go along with. they don't want you to teach

whatever they call it. i would hope you would speak one day about having each state talk about their history from eighth grade through 12th grade, every state teaches the history and let's see what they say. guest: that would be great to do this, especially the state of texas. the state of texas is a state that was kicked out of mexico because it was a part of mexico at one time because they would not give up slavery. they refused. let the unit -- they left the union because they wouldn't give

up slavery. it needs to be taught. the truth is what has to be told. if the truth is told, we will do more to revere the enslaved people who laid the economic foundation upon which we stand today. host: that economic foundation, where are you on reparations right now? guest: i am supportive of reparations. i don't know that we are quite there yet. that would give us an opportunity to study this and come to conclusions as to what happen, how it happens. i support that legislation. that legislation and legislation for the truth and justice committee will have a better chance of getting done if we have a department of

reconciliation. we have not reconciled in this country. we need a department of reconciliation similar to assure us that we could have a clear look at these issues of concern related to our history. what happens to the native americans during the trail of tears when they were uprooted from where they live and forced to move across country. we need to reconcile with slavery. we have a department of education, department of labor, we need a department of reconciliation. host: at what point could we say we have reconciled? what needs to happen? guest: we need to get to a point where we give them the honor that they deserve.

there were also be a slavery remembrance day, just as we have 9/11, pearl harbor, holocaust. we need a slavery remembrance day. i appreciate this president for acknowledging. to get these things done you need a department devoted to it. host: the name fort lee is being changed. guest: there are others across the country. richard russell's name has to come off the building. we could change the name of forts but not the name on a building. surely we could see the injustice in that. surely, we can. the public at some point should decide i'm not going into the building either.

i refuse. one more thing, we would have secretaries of reconciliation just as we have secretaries of labor. it is a legitimate department with a secretary reporting to the president of the united states. let's let the world know our intentionality is to correct this. there are no schools named after the people who liberated black people from slavery. there is not a john brown elementary school that i'm aware of, matt turner, we are taught to believe they are some vile people, john brown was out of his mind. the history has to be told. that is what the department of reconciliation could help facilitate. host: good morning, you are on with al green.

caller: congressman, a couple of points. did you get a chance to hear rand paul's speech about spending other people's money? guest: i did not. caller: it's about how the government spends money and he was saying that congress wanted to appropriate money. horatio bunce brought up the point that it was not constitutional. maybe all of the congressman could donate money out of our own salaries. of course davy crockett was the only one willing to do that. i know you mentioned reparations. i am 90% irish ancestry. i don't know if you realize how the irish were treated when they

first came to this country. there were signs in businesses all over the country saying no irish need apply. we were discriminated against because of our faith. what you think about reparations for the people of irish heritage also? guest: i think that was entirely wrong. i lived through segregation in this country, lawful segregation, state-funded. i went to the back doors. i drank from colored water fountains. i sat in the back of the movie if i was allowed into the movie. i had to sit on the back of the bus. i celebrated my 25th birthday for the third time. the histories many people talk about, i lived. people of color suffered many of those things as well. there is a distinction. slavery, for centuries, people

were chained, babies were born into slavery. they live lives as slaves, they died as slaves. for centuries, we have this institution that denied people human rights. it was one of the greatest crimes ever committed against humanity. that is an injustice that needs to be corrected. people of color suffered the same injustices you are talking about. i assure you it was not something we could sanitize. it was kidnapping, it was rape, it was murder. it was all of the wicked things that we do not like to talk about. just as the holocaust was something that was unlike any other thing that ever happened. it was one of the greatest crimes against humanity. it was horrific. i have seen the evidence of what was done to people. how they were tortured.

mistreated, murdered. the truth about the holocaust, we have to tell the truth about savory -- slavery. caller: good morning. i would like to talk about what the woke movement means to me. in all of the study i have done woke means truth. the truth comes -- thank you. host: talking about the issue of wokeism. guest: the people have distorted what the intentionality was. be aware of your circumstances. also they are complicit in this. do something to correct it. a moral imperative to do things that will help us have a better society. i love our country.

i don't do this because i hate america. nobody could say al green hates america. i sing the national anthem, i salute the flag. i say the pledge of allegiance. the greatness of america will not be determined by whether al green would do these things. the greatness of america rests in whether al green will stand up to people who choose not to salute the flag, not to sing the national anthem. there are some people who do not choose to do what others consider the norm. that's the greatness. i appreciate the greatness and i love it. i also want to make sure we correct an injustice that has dogged us since 1619. that is slavery remembrance day. we should correct it. the way to do it is with a department of reconciliation. all of these other injustices as

well, it happened to the native americans and the asian communities and the way they were treated with constructing the railroads. later on when we had the war, these camps had properties confiscated. these injustices have to be corrected. liberty and justice for all, that includes them, too. host: you will be working again today on the looming debt ceiling crisis. i wonder how this ends in your mind? guest: i hope it ends as president biden has suggested, we passed the debt ceiling and allow ourselves to be blackmailed into doing something that is in addition to passing a clean debt ceiling. you continue to do this. those of the things that could

be required and only grow. it is not going to strengthen. we have a duty to do this, to pass a clean debt ceiling. the system is designed for us to be able to debate, vote, and hopefully build a consensus. this is what the system is designed to do. we find a way to escape and go around it. we need to get back to what many of the conservatives have said. i have heard them say it. they want regular order. i'm for regular order too. this is out of order that we will be forced to do things that i don't agree with. i don't agree with the notion that we could force our country to decide that we are going to take from the needy to satisfy

the needs of the very wealthy and greedy. that is not america. this legislation that is proposed with food to people that need it, air traffic controllers. it has been estimated that we will lose 375 air traffic controllers. they could hurt. we don't need that at a time when the president is helping us to get back to normal. helping us eliminate inflation. it is down from more than 9% that it was at one time. he's helping us with the gasoline prices everybody complained about. they are coming down. they fluctuate a little bit but they are way down comparatively speaking. the president has us moving in the right direction.

host: until the congress comes into session, we will have phone calls. this is philip. caller: i would like to talk about the point mr. green made about reparations, people come together and work on the facts of history in this country. the failure including native americans as well as african-americans. i wrote a book to about the subject. however, we don't look at the reality that he suggested. we want to hide it or sweep it under the bus. until we address the history with the rise of violence in this country, the taking of land

from people that were already occupying it to create the world, the illusion that everything was done by the hand of manifest destiny. all of the things that were the true essence of this country. it is so important. i hope you run with the ball on this subject. it is like so many people are unaware of the true history that made up what we are. if we will be a better nation, we need the truth. guest: i serve on the financial services community. under her leadership, as the chairperson of the committee of oversight, we have the big banks

come in. we found they have a connectivity to slavery. the institutions make loans so people could buy other people. if they defaulted on the payments the bank could repossess people. that has to be corrected. the insurance company would ensure people. if something happens to that property, the owner would get money. this is the predecessor institution. host: out of time because the house is about to come in. i want to thank you for coming on. that will do it for us on "washington journal," this morning. we will be back here tomorrow morning at 7:00 eastern. now to the house floor, live coverage gavel-to-gavel.