on c-span.org, c-span and the c-span now app. announcer: tonight, a look at political relationships in the middle east. topics include reforms in saudi arabia, how the iranian younger generation is challenging is government, and the israeli-palestinian conflict. announcer: coming up next on c-span's washington journal, we speak with mary kaszynski and tyler koteskey with concerned veterans for america about president biden's military and veteran policy. then, atlanta journal-consititution's senior reporter tamar hallerman looking into the possible 2020 election interference by president trump. washington journal starts now. ♪

host: good morning. thursday, august 10. welcome to the washington journal. this morning, we will begin with the abortion debate and how it will impact your vote in the 2024 election. republicans dial in at (202) 748-8001. democrats, (202) 748-8000. independents, (202) 748-8002. you can also send a text message and include your first name, city, and state to (202) 748-8003 or post on facebook.com/c-span or on x @cpsanwj. ohio is a roadmap for 2024 after ohio voted in an off year

election in summertime to reject a ballot initiative that would have restricted abortion or abortion efforts. now, democrats nationally are looking at this as a roadmap. the power of reproductive rights in recent elections is prompting democrats to rethink their 2024 strategy. from the washington post, they begin with, even in red-leaning states, support for abortion rights is proving to be a potent electoral force. in ohio, voters rejected a ballot measure that would have made it harder to add abortion rights to the state's constitution. the victory for abortion rights groups is likely to encourage abortion rights advocates to put the issue on ballots in more states next year and beyond.

such moves could boost democratic turnout as many party leaders are worried about low enthusiasm for reelecting president biden because of his age and week job approval ratings. back to the washington post. democrats are also thinking this helps them with the senate. they hope the push for abortion rights helps them minimize losses in the senate where they hold a narrow 51/49 majority. among them is a sharon from ohio, jacky rosen in ohio. they can step up their focus on abortion rights. major abortion rights groups have most of ballot measure campaigns in several swings dates across the country, hoping their success can help sweep the road candidates into office. productive rights groups in arizona launched a bid to sign

protections into the state constitution, setting off a high stakes battle. they are also pursuing ballot measures in florida and missouri, while advocates for other states are exploring whether to do so for 2024 and beyond. in maryland and new york, the state's democratic controlled legislature's referred abortion rights amendments to state voters can help the credit house candidates in those states, especially new york. the washington post also notes that the white house, from president biden's perspective, have sent out kamala harris on this issue more times than the president himself, dispatching her to 16 states over the past year to discuss reproductive rights. she recently traveled to iowa with gop presidential candidates also gathered, to slam the

states new law banning abortion after roughly six weeks of pregnancy that has been blocked by the courts sense. here is the vice president delivering -- speaking on the one-year anniversary of the supreme court jobs -- dobbs decision. [video clip] >> over this past 365 days, doctors and nurses have also experienced this chaos and confusion and fear. they are not only afraid to lose their medical license, which they might, these medical professionals have dedicated themselves to the care of perfect strangers. they told me they fear being prosecuted and going to jail. in texas and alabama, doctors and nurses could go to prison for life.

can you imagine someone passing a law saying life in prison for a health care provider, doing what in their medical judgment is the right thing? in this past 365 days, extreme laws creating chaos, confusion, and fear. laws that have impaired access to other a sick women's health care -- two other basic women's health care issues. productive care clinics have been forced to close, those that offer routine checkups for so many people in the community, trusted by the community. they offer referrals for mammograms and other cancer screenings. the impact to women's health issues broadly is very real.

one year after the dobbs decision, we have also seen many women questioned whether they can even move to any states passing these extreme laws. they are asking their friends and family, should i consider going to that state when deciding where to go to school? where to take a job? host: vice president kamala harris talking about abortion on the one-year anniversary of the supreme court dobbs decision, overturning roe v. wade. how important is the abortion issue in your 2024 vote? where does it rank for you in the top five issues? that is the question for this first hour. the former president delivered a speech at the freedom conference

policy conference in d.c. and shares his pro-life record as president in his role in the dobbs decision that overturned roe v. wade. [video clip] >> exactly one year ago today, the supreme court was pivotable in ending the controversy known as roe v. wade. [applause] thank you. conservatives had been trying for exactly 50 years. amazing that today is the day. did you set this up on purpose? today is the birthday of that decision.

did you do that? it was not just a fluke, right? whether you did or did not, this is the birthday. it is very good. something crazy was going on here. they will say it is donald trump's fault. but i got it done and no one thought it was a possibility. good people, strong people, smart people had been fighting for 50 years and never came close to getting it done. i don't believe they have ever even taken a vote. i got it done. i got a kick out of these candidates and the other side saying, i don't know, i think i am more pro-life. it woman stood up and stashed -- a woman stood up and said this guy is pro-life.

i am proud to be the most pro-life president in american history. host: former president, the leading presidential candidate for 2024, touting his record this morning. how important is the abortion issue on either side of it to your 2024 vote? according to a recent reuters poll done at the end of july, president biden holds a slight lead over former president donald trump on the issue of the economy and abortion. from this poll, president biden led trump 37% to 35% in a hypothetical matchup with the remaining 28% saying they were not sure who to pick or would vote for someone else or not at all. the poll last year showed avery doherty of voters -- showed a

majority of voters do not like presidents who have a harsh view on abortion. many said they are less likely to support a presidential candidate who backs laws banning or severely restricting abortion access. 27% said they were more likely. if you are one of those voters, join us. a solid 72% of suburban white women, seen as an important demographic, said they were less likely to support an antiabortion candidate. abortion has already taken a prominent role in ads in battleground states in the democratic national congressionacoittee. it is your time to tell how important is the abortion issue in your 2024 vote?

republican, good morning. tell us. caller: good morning. host: we are listening. caller: i agree that abortion is one of the top five issues in the 2024 election. but i really view the election over all like this. are you going to keep your promises? one senator lost his primary because he failed to deliver on his promises. i will not vote for joe biden next year because of promises made and promises not kept. and if he cannot promise to codify abortion for election day 2024, i will simply not vote for

him. host: ok. bill adams on facebook says, "the issue of abortion is not important to his 2024 vote and should not be a federal election issue." chris, what do you say? as an independent, where do you fall? caller: if donald trump says he is the most pro-life president in america, i heard he was a registered democrat until obama. i also heard in an interview where a woman who works for him says he was all for abortion. some lady got pregnant or something and he wanted her to have an abortion. that is bs. host: where are you on abortion? caller: it should be a personal issue and politics should have

nothing to do with it. it is a woman's body. let her do what she wants to do and make decisions with her family and her spirituality. host: as an independent, who did you vote for in 2016 and 2020? caller: i don't vote for president. i figured i did not want to be with possible for what goes on. i voted to raise the minimum wage to $15 and it was a scam and goes of one dollar a year. it will be $12 in september which is like $10 an hour after taxes. you cannot live on that. everything tripled here. host: larry, detroit, democrat. how important is abortion in your 2024 vote? caller: it is very important. women should have the rights to

their own bodies. no man should have the rights to tell a woman what to do. the republican party is out of whack. they are trying to control the government and turn it into a fascist country. you need to run a program to show who has done more for this country in 70 years. just google on your phones, america. it is democrats. the democrats have always put any issue that has affected america and any programs that have affected america, and republicans get credit. they have never done anything in the country except for the rich. host: we are sticking to the abortion question. the washington post writes abortion rights measures have often performed far better than president biden and democrats did in the same state. in ohio, former president donald trump defeated president biden

but abortion rights forces prevailed tuesday by 57% to 43%. in kansas where donald trump one against biden 56% to 42%, voters rejected an abortion ban by 60% to 40%. in washington journal, donald trump 18 co., one of the state's most populous by seven points in delaware. voters rejected issue one which was the abortion question by 16 points. voters were split evenly on the measure in fairfield county, an excerpt of columbus and butler county. donald trump had won both by more than 20 points in 2020. bruce, independent.

where doesion rank for your 2024 vote? caller: anyone talking tively about banning abortion, no. io not believe they stand a chance. i certainly will not be voting for anyone that is going to get in the way of women having abortions. it is their body. they have to decide within their framework as to what they want to do with that fetus. that's it. host: before you go, how did you vote in 2016 and 2020? caller: 2020, i did trump. then i did joe biden last time. i am not doing joe biden this time. if donald trump is the only

chance, unfortunately, i think he is the lesser of two evils. this is one of those situations where we are not voting for the best person but some other person so we will not get stomped into the situation we are in now. host: you just heard the former president in june taking credit for overturning roe v. wade, and you said you would not vote for any candidate who wants to restrict abortion. caller: yes. unfortunately, joe biden said a lot. but i am not seeing anything he has actually done that women have already had or had before. all the noise they make our talking points. they are not going to do anything. negatively, i think women should have the right to do whatever

they want with their bodies. host: katie on facebook. "i live in ohio and i voted no because currently in my state, you cannot get a dmc if you have a miscarriage. and a 10-year-old had to go to indiana to get an abortion. politicians are putting women's lives at risk." ray, republican. good morning to you. we are listening. caller: i have never heard this before but abortion is the best thing that ever happened to men because they do not have to pay child support to these women they pick up in bars and other places. that is why i like abortion because it is helping men to keep from paying child support.

host: --. caller: good morning. before you ask who i voted for, in georgia, we have a split ticket. you stay out of the primary and then when the election happens, you can vote either side. i said i would vote for the one who tells me the least number of lives. on the abortion thing, i called in to mrs. kelly bateman a month ago and said, what is going to happen is, we have seen in multiple states that the independents will speak up and bring reality back by asking the question of, who causes abortions? that is where it stops. we are not respecting the fact that the women -- my god, i had to say what is wrong?

you want to protect women? we are turning our backs on the women. i have enough spine to say, who causes abortions in a crowd of men that is screaming for donald trump to be even the presidency. host: who do you vote for? caller: like i said, when it comes time for the election, i can vote split ticket. host: if the election was today and it was president biden versus former president trump, how do you vote and why? caller: i would vote for joe biden. we have a transportation bill. with my representative in this district, transportation is a big name. now we got the bill passed even though he voted against it. georgia is running around saying georgia did this for you on the money that democrats worked hard.

let's make sure you understand. host: david, i am trying to get -- caller: this is what you have to deal with. independents are getting fed up. we want to get to vote while we are trying to make a living. host: hold on. transportation is why you would vote for president biden. what are the other issues? caller: yes, ma'am. here is his general way of thinking. host: where does abortion rank? caller: -- was something for women. it would have given 6000 single mothers a job and would have added $2 billion to our budget to get the women working, the republicans decided they wanted it out because that is all they do. host: all right.

lawrence on facebook. "for this election, abortion will not be. i will let the courts handle that. i vote republican and always will. i am more worried about my paycheck and how i can spread it out given the fact food and housing is so high." chuck, west virginia, the craft. caller: good morning. thank you for taking my call. my name is chuck and it has been 34 days since my last call. abortion is pretty high up for me. i would say second or third from the top. basically, i consider it essential to a woman's right to self-determination. i think a lot of republicans are starting to get nervous about what happened in ohio tuesday. they turned down issue one.

who could have seen this coming? the polling indicated the issue would be rejected and it was. the dobbs decision -- there were donald trump's three sworn in court appointees who swore up and down roe v. wade was law. but as soon as they have the decision, they overturned it. and we knew it was coming because it was leaked. now you have women in red states who are losing their rights to determination in ways that men do not have a frame of reference for. the women are paying attention to this, even among women who would never consider having an abortion themselves. i think the dobbs decision makes them nervous. i think what was -- that was

what was reflected in the midterm elections because the big red wave they were expecting turned out to be not much more than a trickle. host: in ohio, in an off year special summer election, you have 3 million people that turned out. they had a higher turnout than their midyear election. caller: yes, a much higher turnout than they expected especially for an election in the middle of the summer. you look at what happened in kansas and michigan with the issue was pushed to a popular vote. the same will happen in ohio, november. when you play the clip of donald trump taking so much credit for overturning roe v. wade, he does not care about abortion. he is just using this to pander for votes.

abortion has never been that big of an issue for him until -- except as a political opportunity and to pander to evangelists. when he was in the oval office, he would invite evangelicals into the oval office and they would surround him and pray on him. he would close his eyes and bow his head for the camera because it played well to the base, but anyone who thinks donald trump is some kind of god-fearing man is hopelessly naïve. host: tracy hale on facebook. "i believe a woman's rights and reproductive choices should be private, and strictly between a woman, her doctor, and god. i will vote for the candidate who believes that as well." the new york times has news on the abortion issue.

their headline is ohio voters are moved not just by abortion but by sticky tactics. for many ohioans, the barely concealed tactic is what made them come out against the measure. they came out in a turnout that nearly doubled last year's primary election congress and the governor's office. it is likely most of the votes against referendum sought issue one as a threat against abortion rights. this brought people out to vote even in republican strongholds like warren county in the cincinnati suburbs. still, more than three dozen interviews with voters on monday and tuesday revealed a sizable segment of the electorate and a decisive one that was defended by the -- that was affected by the effort. people grumbled that the campaign for issue one was sneaky.

this sentiment was bipartisan, perhaps explaining why the outcome on tuesday was close in counties former president donald trump won by 20 points or more. still in columbus, ohio. how did you vote on issue one? caller: and voted yes. a lot of people voted yes because i know november, there is also a vote to legalize recreational marijuana. i know a lot of people wanted to vote so they can pass that. host: why did you vote no? caller: i will not be around the bush. to me, i think abortion is very racist. the white liberal elitist control the media. since black women make -- host: i am confused. did you vote yes or no?

voting against it is voting pro-abortion. caller: i voted yes. i think the number one killer of blacks in the country is abortion so of course republicans are for it. the number one killing of black youth is gun violence so why would they want to stop that? host: carol, independent. where does abortion rank in issues that will bring you to the polls in november 2024? caller: i believe that an abortion is the right of a woman and a woman only, unless she wishes to share with someone else. as for these men who keep calling in, if you do not want a

baby, keep it in your pants, mister. host: if the election was today on this abortion issue, how do you vote? if president biden was on the ballot and former president donald trump. caller: i would never in the world vote for donald trump. in this case, president biden would be my choice. host: dan -- jan, democratic caller. caller: i feel just like the lady said. a woman's right to an abortion is her own choice. they do not want people to get abortions but at the same time, public and officials are trying -- republican officials are trying to cut all programs to

help feed them. if you do not want to help feed children, stopping against abortion. host: howard, republican in somerville, texas. good morning. caller: good morning. how are you doing? host: doing fine. where does abortion right for you? caller: it should rank high for everyone. i think killing babies is not a good thing. but evidently to a certain party, it is very important. new host: in june, senators had a debate -- host: in june, senators had a debate. here is mike lee in utah talking in favor of the dobbs decision. [video clip] >> the supreme court recognized the constitutional importance of

keeping the power with the people, knowing they have interest in protecting the lives of the unborn and possess authority to enact laws that reflect their values. moments ago, we talked about the difference between authority and rights. they are the opposite of each other. rights protect you from authority. when the supreme court decided it was a matter of policy and was so passionate about abortion in 1973 that it had to be in the constitution, they effectively wrote it into the constitution. they made it impossible for local governments and states and legislative bodies where appropriate in congress to make the laws. ultimately, those were subject to the will and whim of the supreme court.

they did this because they deemed it part of the constitution. but just deeming something part of the constitution does not make it part of the constitution. abraham lincoln once said, "if you call the tail of a dog a leg, how many legs does a dog have?" someone answered five but he said no, it is four. just because you consider it a leg does not make it a leg. this is the constitution. people cannot make laws to protect the lives of the unborn unless the supreme court decides it is permissible based on their meandering standards, utterly untethered from the constitution or 400 years of jurisprudence. host: mike lee utah, republican, drink debate in june on

abortion. listen to catherine cortez masto on the issue as well. [video clip] >> we have worked hard in this country to evolve to our medical care if some of the best. we are fighting to make sure we have access to technology, medical care, and we do research and development. we have medical care of the 21st century. what my far right republicans are telling women across the country is you cannot access medical care for the 21st century. why? because we think we should hold you back to the 19th century. we want to politicize this and take away your rights so we are going to take you back to the 19th century. that is outrageous. outrageous we have to be here in this day and age. over 15 years -- over 50 years

of roe v. wade and not one issue we can see impeded by these rights for women across the country and the fundamental freedoms about reproductive rights. i am disappointed but i will tell you what, mr. president, this is an issue that you will see all of us, one after another, continue to fight. this is an essential fight for women in this country and their right and freedom to choose. the freedom to choose and not have someone else dictate what they should or should not do with their body. not to have someone else dictate based on whatever their religion is or their right, that they know better than someone living in an issue that is so personal to them they can be dictated to in this day and age. host: democratic senator catherine cortez masto of nevada, vowing they will

continue to fight after the supreme court overturned roe v. wade when you're ago in the dobbs decision. after ohio voters yesterday rejected a ballot measure and turned out in favor of abortion rights, the washington post front page morning. the request saying ohio is a roadmap for democrats to energize the electorate to come and vote for democrats. howmportant is the abortion issue in your 2024 vote? charles, maryland, independent. hello. are you there in maryland? one last call for charles. let me go to linda, democratic caller. good morning. caller: i would like to say i am rapidly pro-choice. i would never vote for a

person who is antichoice. host: so you have always voted for democrats, i assume? caller: yes and there is no way you could get me to vote republican. host: in your top five issues for when you go to vote, where this abortion rank in the top five? caller: way up there. people talk about inflation but if you have kids you cannot afford, you will really be in financial trouble. imagine supporting five or six kids like they did in the old days when there was no contraception and women had to have kids. it was not unusual for them to have seven or eight kids. host: angelo, rhode island, republican. where is it right for you? caller: abortion is not really a

vote when the supreme court sends it back to the states because it was not constitutional. that is what they talk about. being constitutional or not. the states now have the ability to put it on the ballot if they like, like ohio did. it is not republican or democrat . it is pro-life or against it. that is the answer. send it to the states and get their vote. host: is a presidential candidate is talking about abortion, do not think they should because this is a state issue? caller: correct. it is over. host: tammy on facebook says, "it is extremely important. i will only vote for a candidate that supports choice the matter the party affiliation, women's

access to health care." floyd, ohio, independent. how did you vote on issue one? caller: i did not vote this time. but i would vote for trump. as of june 6 of 2023, we owe $32 trillion. if you go to the bank and borrow money, you have to put up land. what is the land of the u.s. gave up? i have heard national parks. i don't think that is right. host: so abortion is not even in your top five? caller: abortion should be by the control of a person and their body. that is why they sign a waiver. a vinegar allows the person to

wash the deck out. we give away free syringes, free market and, three rubbers. an applicator and bottle of vinegar is not that expensive to help the young children being put into the situations. host: david, democratic caller. caller: this is david baker. i definitely -- i am disabled and i voted yes to keep it legal. the reason i am calling is if this was to stay the way the supreme court handed it down, just like cvs out here, when they had the big issue over

cigarettes, they took cigarettes out the store. i am going back -- if roe v. wade was owed, the supreme court will not stop there. the men will not be able to have protection, contraception. they will not be able to have surgeries to keep from having kids or anything else. it is a woman's free choice how she handles her own body. that is definitely wrong. i will take you back to the bible. i have read the bible from one end to the other. the bible was written on the middle east. but yet, in the u.s., we take

the bible as gospel and i believe it 100%. but, here is a whole point. if it was not for that in the middle east, we would not have the bible today. the bible is a guidance for all things. here is the whole point. what will people do for ladies that have miscarriages? i have a friend who has a daughter and it was almost full term but was dead inside of her. if it had been illegal for them to take the baby, she would have probably died. on that, i took enough time.

roe v. wade should have stayed in effect to this day and from now on. thank you. host: all right. damien, maryland, republican. caller: good morning, everybody. host: good morning. caller: my thinking of abortion is it is really low on the totem pole. the main thing is the economy and our pocketbooks. democrats and republicans, no matter how they feel about abortion, will first vote on their pocketbooks. people are smart enough to figure out that abortion is here. the states have it. it will not get restricted by the federal government. my thinking on abortion is that back during the slave days, a person who was black was

considered property. today, a woman says her baby in her womb is her property. it's the same thinking. they can determine whatever they want to do with that person, living or unborn, and they can destroy it. that is the democratic thinking. my body, my choice. they do not understand the baby growing in the womb is a human. until they figure that out, they will always be corrupt. host: ridge, kingsport, tennessee. how important is abortion in your 2024 vote? caller: it is paramount. host: why? caller: it is the most important guarantee we have in the constitution.

everything else stems from that. i mean, we have spoken about this before. this has guided my vote ever since i have been able to vote. ever since 1973, at least. the democrat agenda -- if you think of this logically, this is just antiscience and anti-reason , the pro-abortion policies and platform of the democrats. we are talking about terminating a life as health care. that is orwellian. that is up is down, or is peace, and abortion is health care. all the scholars -- these caller s basing their opinion that

abortion is a woman's choice. if you take this to a logical conclusion, that means abortion at any stage, as long as the fetus is still within the woman's body, means no restrictions. nothing. that is the only logical conclusion you can have as long as it is within her body. maybe we should ask. when they say this, you might ask, do you favor any restrictions at all on abortion? do you see any conflict with this? forethought is a woman's body makes it her choice -- your thought is a woman's body makes it her choice. host: keana, ohio. before i punch you up, here is an ap headline.

few u.s. adult support full abortion bands, even in states that have that. states want it to be legal at least through the initial stages of pregnancy. this poll was conducted in late june, one year after the supreme court's decision. while the laws have changed, opinions on abortion remain complex with most people believing abortion should be allowed in some circumstances and not in others. about two thirds of americans say it should generally be legal but only a corner say it should always be legal and only one in 10 say it should always be illegal. tell us about this campaign. what was it like to turn on the tv or radio in your state,

leading up to the vote on tuesday? caller: i live in ohio so i am used to the fear mongering, honestly. we were a purple state. i think we are very much in the red. i do not think this holds at this point. i am not surprised. i do think abortion should be fully legal matter what term. i think the rare case in which it is late term, it is usually needed to save the life of the mother. they are trying to disband even saving the life of the mother. it is wild and really scary listening to a lot of these callers because it is old, white men running the country, whether it is on the supreme court's, or

local city council, or doctor's office. they want to force you to have the baby but do not want any taxpayer dollars to go towards feeding, educating, housing or providing health care. they care about the baby inside the womb blast soon it is out, they are like screw this baby. host: on the campaign for and against the issue, the associated press took a look at the outside influence and honey. the coalition supporting the measure called protect our constitution is funded almost entirely by an illinois business owner contributed $4 million of the campaigns $4.8 million. hundred $50,000 came from save ohio jobs.

the effort against called one person, one vote also raised a majority. several of the largest donations came from dark money groups that are not legally obligated to disclose their donors, including the progressive 1630 fund based in washington and a social justice group in california. the1630 counts among his funders a wife who has given the group more than 20 $600 million since -- $2600 since 2019. -- polarized issues that regulate nastily like abortion in the ohio election can be a major motivator. rhonda, massachusetts,

republican. where does the abortion issue right for you? is it a top issue in the 2024 race? caller: it is not. for me, i am a christian. i believe a baby is a gift from god. and you choose whether to destroy that gift or not. also, these women are saying it is my body, but who gave you that body? god gave you that body. i believe everybody that is for abortion should see a video of the procedure. that is all i have to say. host: mary, independent. good morning. caller: hello. good morning. i can call every day and correct

people on their misinformation. the girl that sent a text message and said a girl was having a miscarriage and could not even have a d&c, she had to. that is medical care. the 10-year-old that got raped was a story from texas when the whole thing got overturned at the beginning. the federal government was subsidizing planned parenthood to $50 million a year. they relieved themselves from that cost and gave the power to the state. that is all it is. every reproducing entity out there knows what it takes to reproduce. there is a cvs and walgreens on every corner in the united states. can you not stop and get protection. host: training, tennessee,

democratic caller. caller: i believe it has all been put on the female. i believe they need to take some of bail rights like viagra, pornography, and other issues for then. then maybe they will think about women and what they have to go through when they are stuck. i had to have a d&c, and now it would be considered an abortion. i think that is very wrong because it could have killed the bus and i know people -- killed both of us and i know people that have died. it is not at the top of my list but is near the top for sure that a right to choose -- that's a woman has the right to choose.

host: would you ever vote for a republican? caller: i would not, ever. i never have and will not . host: is it because of abortion? caller: both sides are not great but at least democrats care about the american people. host: joyce. caller: i cannot believe she said democrats care for the american people. abortion is not high on my list. it is way down there. it is shocking to me people do not realize what is happening in our country. they censor speech, then go after donald trump nonstop since he first announced he was going to run in 2016. they are taking away our rights.

these people, especially men calling in about abortion. people can still have abortions if they want abortions. i do not care about abortions. i do know that people that have abortions, it is not a contraceptive. i know abortion is a huge moneymaker for selling baby parts. sorry. i just think that is ridiculous to have democrats push that. host: kathy, cedar rapids, iowa, democratic caller. caller: good morning. for me, it is in the top five. women are losing rights in this country and we do not need to go backwards. iowa is a very red state.

we cannot even get it on the ballot because of the legislature. to say it will go back to the states is a false statement and people cannot have a say in what has happened. host: got it. jill, republican in alabama -- joe, republican in alabama. caller: it is not in my top five priority items but i will not go into what they are. just to say that the programs out there are supposed to be government-funded if we are talking about health care in general, the let's talk about health care. talk about cancer and mental problems. abortion is just one issue. host: jean in detroit, michigan democratic caller. caller: first, abortion is

important to me. i remember before roe v. wade, i even wrote a paper regarding abortion and child abuse. first, women have been getting abortions since time began but what roe v. wade did was give them access to safe abortions. i feel that we as individuals -- a lot of people are trying to impose their will on others. we have to realize the only person we are accountable to god for is ourselves. if we live the way we should be living, and treat each other with kindness and understanding and compassion, then we will be living according to his word. the person who has an abortion have to answer to god. host: max in indiana, democratic

caller. where does abortion right for you -- rank for you? caller: i am against abortion but i am a democrat. there are a few things i do not agree with but i believe democrats have done a wonderful job. joe biden got elected and stopped doing a whole lot of talking. he sat down and got a plan. in 83. i remember people saying, why are we giving so much money to foreign aid? he said why don't they give it back to the people? he started giving to the people and stop people from being thrown from their apartments. it has been great. donald trump lies. i hear him live. he told me when covid started that it was just like the flu.

i am going out and then finally, i started looking and cuomo was the first guy. then i started watching dr. fauci and chicago's lori lightfoot. they really enlightened people and started taking care of business. joe biden said, please wear the mask. host: we will take a short break. when we come back, we will talk with votevet's mary kaszynski and concerned veterans for america's tyler koteskey. we will discuss topics related to the biden administration approach to military policy. then later atlanta journal-consititution's senior reporter tamar hallerman discusses the investigation into possible 2020 election interference by former president donald trump. we will be right back. ♪

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>> washington journal continues. host: welcome back, the next hour we are talking about the biden administration military and veterans policy. we are joined by tyler koteskey, policy director for concerned veterans for america and mary kaszynski with vote vet. what is your group and what are your goals? guest: it is a progressive veterans organization, founded in 2006 by veterans of the iraq war. we have a network of over 1.5 million veterans, military families and supporters. we work to advocate for progressive veterans policy and policies that benefit u.s. national security. we supported president biden's decision to end the war in

afghanistan, repeal the authorization for use of force in iraq, which has been used to authorize wars in far too many countries, strongly supported strong u.s. support for ukraine and nato allies. host: the same question to you and how do you differ from this progressive group? guest: thanks for having me on. concerned veterans for america is a national grassroots advocacy organization of veterans in the military. our mission is to advance policies that will promote the freedom and prosperity members of sacrifice and fought to defend while in uniform. we focus on three main issues, the first is reforming the veterans affairs department and expanding veterans choice in health care. also confronting the growing national debt. we share some overlap when it comes to foreign policy issues, particularly around more

restrained realist rooted policy. host: the president has been commander in chief years, what grade would you give him? guest: somewhere like a c-, it has been a mixed record at best, but we shared support of his decision to exit the war in afghanistan. i think that strategic decision was the right one. however, the rollout was a disaster that will be remembered for decades and people involved in the planning need to be held accountable for the future. we are glad to see avoided actions that could escalate the war in ukraine and lead to direct u.s. russia confrontation , however we have been disheartened about some of the mixed messages about the overarching u.s. strategy and

the endgame we would like to see in that conflict, the open-ended nature. more recently, we're looking at talks to potentially give a security back to saudi arabia in exchange for them normalizing relationships with israel. the administration seems interested in getting the deal. host: same question to you, what grade would you give the president? guest: he gets a+ without a doubt, for two reasons. he has shown deep commitment to u.s. national security above party politics. he is never going to politicize or bring partisan issues international security. he understands the sacrifice of members and their families and veterans have made, their commitment to our country, because of his son, who was an

army veteran who died of cancer after serving in iraq. joe biden understands that, he stands with veterans and military families and service members and his record shows that. host: the president has pointed to his son's death possibly caused by burn pits and his access to them when he was serving, that brings up the pact act. first explain burn pits, what are they and where does the pact act stand right now? guest: burn pits were places to dispose of toxic material, waste and other substances. they were widely used in iraq and afghanistan, enormous pits, the size of football fields. if you served in iraq and afghanistan, you are likely exposed to burn pits. there was no escaping them. the pact act is now a year old, the largest expansion of coverage for veterans exposed to toxic substances and other

toxins like agent orange during your time of service. now a year old, veterans can sign up to get covered for diseases they may have because they were exposed to those substances. host: the registration deadline for signing up for those benefits is when? what are we seeing? are people registering in large numbers? guest: that is coming up august 9 to be able to have a claim that is backdated from when it was passed. they have been opaque as far as people being interested in the coverage, we certainly agree people who have been exposed to these burn pits should be able to get coverage. i think with the deeper issue is is how the v.a. has rolled out. they did this with good intentions, but did this expedited rollout plan which i think will contribute

significantly to the growing claims backlog at the v.a., which is already about 270,000 people. the v.a. itself estimates that could go up to 400,000, so we are thinking about adding all of this new coverage, that is great people are getting the help they need. the v.a. needs to take advantage of programs like the community care program, which can allow veterans to use their benefits outside the v.a. as an additional option to make sure it is not increasing wait times and backlogs as a result. host: what additional coverage are they getting? guest: basically access to more benefits and treatment related to these exposures and the ability to have those better taken care of as a result. host: do you disagree with

tyler? should these be in the pact act, or could they be used in legislation laws that already exist? guest: pact act benefits are absolutely essential. they expanded the list of presumptive conditions. instead of veterans needing to prove their diseases were linked to time of service, we should be expanding them. they should not have to prove where their diseases came from. they serve, they sacrifice, they deserve access to that health care coverage in that is what the pact act is doing. host: the president is expected to talk about the one-year anniversary around 1:15 today, look for our coverage. tyler, you talked earlier about reform to the veterans administration, what sort of reforms would your group like to see? guest: i think with the main issue with veterans affairs department has been is they are

increasingly trapped in a broken system with long wait times. the v.a. is often improperly calculating the wait times so they do not know how long it will take to receive care and the v.a. has been hostile on a few alternatives like the community care program that would enable veterans to get timely and quality care if the wait time is too long at the v.a. or they have to drive far for an appointment. particularly with the passage of the act, i think the v.a. should view community care as a tool that could be a partner for directly v.a. run facilities to help ensure we can keep those promises to victims of toxic exposure. the v.a. has been reluctant to educate veterans about community care options or refer them to those providers in the first place. host: your response? guest: there is an issue with

backlog at the v.a., their underfunded services and things like that. the v.a. is underfunded, plain and simple. any of issues -- any issues at the v.a. could be solved if they had adequate funding. the challenge has been extreme republicans who are blocking and even trying to cut the v.a. budget. we saw that earlier this year when they tried to cut the budget by 22%. host: the president requested 300 25 billion for veterans affairs. disagree or agree? guest: there are a couple of issues. i do not think it is realistic to say the v.a. has been underfunded. the budget has increased over fivefold in the past 20 years. even though we have a declining veteran population over that time. there's been more and more resources per veteran and we see an explosion of administrative

staff. it is unfortunate we are talking about the budget request that the v.a. is its own office of public affairs to claim a proposal to limit the growth of discretionary spending would result in cuts to the v.a.. the v.a. was fully funded this year and the most recent appropriation. host: we are talking with two veterans groups, votevet with mary kaszynski and concerned veterans for america, tyler koteskey is the policy director. we want to join the conversation about veterans policy. republicans (202) 748-8001, democrats (202) 748-8000 an independents (202) 748-8002. active and former military, we have a line for you this

morning. it is (202) 748-8003. all of you, any of you, can text on the last line, include your first name, city and state. what would your group like to see the administration do in the coming months, years of this remaining term for the president? guest: when it comes specifically to veterans, get the word out. veterans need more information. to their credit, the administration has been largely responsive to some of those concerns. the deadline has been extended, the deadline to apply for retroactive benefits, because of the overwhelming response, desire and need from the veterans community. the administration is listening, taking the concerns on board and they are acting. so more outreach.

on veterans affairs specifically, passing the act that would allow disabled veterans who retire prior to 20 years or had to leave the service due to a disability to allow them to become eligible for retirement benefits. it is a bill currently in congress, unclear if it will gain bipartisan support. it has strong support from democrats. it seems senate republicans may want to block the bill because they are reluctant to give a win to joe biden. host: for the remaining part of this president's term, what do you want to see him focus on? guest: when it comes to veterans, the biden administration should do a better job of giving them choices. they chose to serve our country and they should choose where to see a doctor, whether at the v.a. or a private care provider

that meets their needs. i would like to see the v.a. secretary be less hostile to the community care program and do a better job of following the mission act that established that in 2019. on foreign policy, we would like to see him articulate a clear and safe when it comes to what we want to achieve in ukraine and how our aid is tied to the long-term strategy and conflict resolution in that war. i think the president needs to work with congress to make sure spending stays within the limits set by the discretionary spending caps most recently so we can work to control the ever mounting national debt, which is about $32 trillion right now. host: william in georgia, democratic caller. caller: good morning. i wanted to make a comment about what tyler mentioned under biden

and the withdrawal from afghanistan. i hear conservatives or right-wing individuals constantly make reference to how it was a disaster, but they never put the context of the withdrawal in plain detail. we were there for 20 years, we spent trillions of dollars and lost thousands of lives. donald trump comes along and tries to invite the taliban into the white house. he had an unconditional surrender to the taliban, told them we would leave with no conditions. that is called surrender. if the united states renders to the taliban, of course the afghan government is going to collapse. if the u.s. is going to leave, how can they stand up? given all of that, how could we

possibly have an organized and orderly withdrawal from a war zone in which we surrender to the enemy with no conditions? guest: that is a great question. i would go back to the fact this was the withdrawal president trump originally set the groundwork and motion four. i think the fact president trump set out the agreement that enabled us to not have ongoing fighting while we were trying to plan the withdrawal and president biden's willingness to carry that out when he was in office is a good example of bipartisan cooperation, pursuing the right overall strategy for the united states. you are right to point out we were there for 20 years. after the death of osama bin laden in 2011, it should have been clear all of our main strategic objectives were

accomplished and we should not have been focused on a devolving mission that was unwinnable for the troops. we have to focus on the underlying strategic decisions of the conflict and we can do that while also criticizing the specific planning failures that went into the withdrawal itself. that is why reese supported efforts to greet the afghanistan war commission in recent years to ensure we have accountability and lessons learned going forward. host: in north carolina, hello. caller: i want to clarify some things for tyler. i'm on v.a. health care for four years, two years in a call center in greenville north carolina and two years managing a providers panel in jacksonville. v.a. health care works.

the problem is with a veteran, we would call them a month, two weeks, three days before the appointment and they would not show up. do you know any veteran assigned to a clinic or facility, if he is sick today, he can walk in and be seen? you and others in congress think the veteran awaits months to be seen. let me clarify this thing so people understand. donald trump did not sign veterans choice. that was done by barack obama during the appointment storm. right now, a veteran can get great care, but he has got to work within the system. i like the idea of that veteran being seen outside on referral, because that veteran more than likely is not in a big facility town, for example, like raleigh,

north carolina. they have a huge v.a. health care system, so does fayetteville. this misnomer that veterans are not taking care of -- i fully agree with the lady. they need to be funded so the v.a. has enough medical support systems, doctors, nurses to provide the best care for that veteran. you needs to be clarified. host: tyler, you go first. guest: we will thank the caller for helper veterans at the v.a., but respectfully disagree. i work with staff who use the v.a. as their primary provider who tell me stories about how schedulers will sometimes argue with them about whether they are eligible for community care and point to the access standard for

access to these non-v.a. providers. what has been said about same day care is just not worn-out, if you google it, look up local wait times in your area. i was at an event the other day where the nearest appointment for mental health care was more than 72 days. we are talking next month is suicide prevention month. when you have wait times like this for care, that is not an acceptable state of affairs. there is nothing wrong with giving veterans the choice to either go to the v.a. if they like that, which is great, and go somewhere else fit is not meeting their needs. host: mary kaszynski? guest: thank you for your call and support and advocacy for the veterans community. i cannot agree more. it is 2023, there are some new

tools the v.a. could be utilizing to provide greater services to veterans. telehealth appointments, more facilities. it is difficult for veterans enroll communities to reach their local v.a.. rural broadband, greater communication with veterans wherever they live, more facilities, modernizing facilities. but all requires funding and congress needs to come together over the objection of extreme republicans to get that funding to the v.a. and v.a. clinicians. host: dean in kentucky, republican. caller: i thought for my country in vietnam and today's health care is very bad. it'll be a and a half months before i have a colonoscopy.

i have cataracts, i have one removed that took six months. 12 weeks then called back, 12 more weeks. that is how they take care of veterans. there are some out here on obamacare, they got private health care from the government. i'd be dead right now because i could never get nothing done. they said he would die if you waited for your appointment with the v.a. guest: i think there are a lot of problems here that are even deeper than the lack of funding at the v.a.'s, because they should be able to provide excellent service to each and every veteran. republicans earlier this year threatened to shut down the government. that would have impacted social

security, disability benefits for veterans, survivors benefits for gold star. congressional republicans, extreme republicans in the house and some in the senate, are threatening to tank the economy, causing a global recession. that is what those kinds of actions cause. that will have an across-the-board impact. those are issues we need to address on top of the specific issue of providing adequate resources to the v.a. so they can support every veteran. caller: i have had pretty good care from the v.a.. the problem i have run into is a shortage of providers that has extended the wait time. i think tyler is talking out of both sides of his mouth when he says the v.a. has plenty of funding, it does not area one of the things they have done, they

made you be cured in six weeks and mental health care, for example, then they want you to move on. that just does not work for a lot of people and there is a big push by a lot of republicans to privatize the v.a.. vets want to be seen by people who are familiar with the vets and their problems. they do not want to be seen by the private sector. we want to be seen by v.a. doctors that know the problems of veterans and what they entail. host: tyler? guest: i think linda's call in the previous caller really highlight the contrast of v.a. experience. some people enjoy the coverage they are getting. other people have to wait eight months front appointment. we know this happens in every single congressional district in the country, even the chairman of the house veterans affairs committee has a constituent who

was basically ignored and had their community care referral delayed for four months by the v.a., even though they were a cancer patient. the chairman of the committee intervened on their behalf. again, it highlights different systems work for different people. it is not privatization to give people a choice of whether to go to the v.a. or a different provider that meets their needs better. if you have chosen to serve your country, you deserve the right to choose who your doctor is, just like we give veterans the right to choose where to take the g.i. or seek other educational benefits. host: frank in chicago, independent. caller: good morning. i am not a veteran, i have a good friend who is a veteran. he was explaining to me that --

tyler has been highlighting this a lot this morning. about the wait times and resources, talking about the veteran population decreasing over time. what percentage of veterans are actually getting care provided to them? i doubt it is 100%. all of the issues are talking about are fixable with more resources for the v.a.. wait times, delays, those things are fixable with extra resources to the v.a.. i do not know how you advocate for cuts to the v.a., because the overall veteran population is decreasing. they are not providing care to 100% of veterans right now. very quickly then i will get off , we have over 900 bases around

the world. i want to hear from members active where there is rampant sexual abuse and physical abuse. there are rampant issues all over the country. i want to understand what both of your organizations are doing to protect people who have chosen this career path for themselves. host: mary, you go first. guest: starting with your last question, we supported something put in place led by a senator in the house and the former attorney general of maryland, which reforms the uniform code of military justice to take certain major offenses that could be committed against a service members out of the chain of command. there would be an independent review for processing those crimes.

it will be an enormous help moving in the right direction in terms of accountability for abuses that could be perpetrated against service members while they are serving, because they should not be subject to that. they signed up to serve their country and we should stand with them. could not agree more with the point on adequate resources. any problems with the v.a. right now can be traced, directly linked to consistent underfunding over many years. the solution is to not double down on budget cuts. that is unfortunately what some extreme house republicans are proposing into they have done it and again. guest: i feel the need to clarify giving veterans choices is not cutting the v.a. budget and it is a misnomer to suggest that. i am not advocating cutting the department of veterans affairs budget either, nor is concerned

veterans for america. we are advocating giving veterans more options for their care. when we have a $330 billion v.a. budget that increased fivefold, almost sixfold in the past 20 years even as the veteran population has declined, it is simple math the v.a. has been rapidly accumulating more resources. if they are not being spent, that is a problem of how the v.a. is managed and the incentives in place and lack of accountability for leadership and employees who do not measure up to get veterans the care they deserve. i do not think we can simply say the v.a. is underfunded when resourcing has increased that much overtime. the v.a. needs to be more responsive to veteran needs by empowering them to have the full range of choices available.

host: there's been a lot of attention to the alabama republican senator and his hold over military promotions in the senate over abortion policy. i want to show for the viewers and add recently run by your group, votevets, then we will talk about it. [video clip] >> every day, crises pop up all around the world, crises you may never hear about. the world's greatest military is ever on alert, ready to defend us with the best and brightest seated in positions of command. for months, one loan senator, who never served in uniform himself, has held hostage hundreds of military assignments just to force his social agenda on women in the ranks, freezing all promotions for top military posts to the chair of joint chiefs of staff, leaving mission-critical positions to go vacant.

enemies are watching, looking for any vulnerabilities to exploit. senator tommy tuberville is playing into their hands, playing political games with our national security. not one republican in congress will stand up to him and let our troops keep us safe. host: tyler koteskey, do you agree with the sentiment of that ad? guest: i think it is focused on the senator in particular when really what the conversation is about is how both senator tuberville and the white house are using the institutional pull at their disposal to advocate for values they strongly hold. senator tuberville being a member of the senate has the ability to hold up these promotions while the biden white house is unilaterally issuing new guidance related to access to abortions that many members

of congress feel undermined a long-standing prohibitions on funding those. i do think what we are missing from the conversation is understanding both the white house and senator are using tools they have at their disposal, that is a fundamental feature of how the american system works. host: i want to show viewers with the senator had to say, defending his actions and have you respond to the senator as well. here he is on the senate floor. [video clip] >> democrats say my hold is unprecedented. there abortion policy is unprecedented. we are here to make the law, not the pentagon. anyone who calls themselves pro-life needs to stand up and be counted right now, my party included. democrats, the media machine is destroying the kitchen sink. that does not bother me.

i've been called everything anyway. it makes me that much stronger to hear people complain about this, knowing that deep down somewhere there is a soft part in their heart for 4000 5000 unborn babies that will never breathe life on this earth. the more joe biden attacks me, the more i am convinced i am doing the right thing. seems like my colleagues on the left will do anything to change the subject and distract from the issue at hand. recently, the white house even attacked my football record. my wife did the same thing at times. it is ridiculous how this thing has gotten out of hand. there's been little conversation, little dialogue, and that is what this place is supposed to be about. guest: senator tuberville is factually inaccurate.

set aside the issue of abortion, this is not about abortion. this is about injecting partisan politics into an apolitical process. for decades, thousands of military promotions on a bipartisan basis have been approved by the senate three unanimous consent. what to prevail is doing is unprecedented. bipartisan agreement, bipartisan respect for the military review process for not making national security a political issue. tupper villas breaking that tradition and it is harming national security. as we showed in the ad, and shortly, three chairs of the joint chief of staff will be vacant. the chief of naval operations, that chair will soon be vacant. it is a direct result of senator

tuberville's choice to inject his personal political agenda into a national security issue. host: let us hear from audrey in alabama, veteran. welcome to the conversation. caller: good morning. let me give you a little history of my background. we are both 100% service disabled connected veterans and we made it to the hospital. we had a son, he is 21 now. they cut off his v.a. insurance when he graduated, but he landed a great job making $60,000 a year. today, we celebrate his one-month anniversary because he left july 10 for basic training. now, let us talk about what is going on with the v.a..

it was called choice, then the mission act, then community care, which it is now. my husband just had his right i done, the second cataract. this past tuesday. the only holdup we had on that was the consult was put in. to make it short and sweet, i called the patient advocate and they said we will answer within a week, because i gave them a month, calling once a weekend leaving a message, called the patient advocate in birmingham. the patient advocate got on it. the next thing would be a congressional inquiry and i would call the congressman and they were like no no no, do not

do that. we will get it taken care of. i had him an appointment in less than a week and now he had his second i done -- eye done. thank the lord for the v.a. what they did with my son by dropping his insurance and costing me $350 a month for an 18-year-old through blue cross blue shield was ridiculous, just because he chose not to go to college. guest: thank you for your service and your families and good on you for advocating. v.a. services can come through for you, this is what can be done when it is well-funded and they have resources to provide excellent care. host: robert in alabama, democratic caller. caller: good morning.

great show. my care facilities here in huntsville, outstanding. never had a problem with them, i am involved with the community care program. i am 100% service connected. my fabulous doctor and her team always look out for me. i have never had an issue and i follow votevets, you guys are fantastic. tyler, you have a long way to grow before you can get on board with what the nation needs in with the nation needs to do is continue to take care of us veterans and serve our country well and aboveboard. great show. i'm sarai had to follow behind tub irvo. i did not know what will happen in our great state, but thank you for hearing me out. host: let us talk about the national defense authorization bill. tyler, give us an update on

where things stand in the house and senate and where the big differences. guest: the house and senate have passed their versions of the national defense authorization act at this point. the main sort of point of difference as they go into conference and reconcile is the house version has a lot more amendments added related to cultural issues like abortion or ddi - dei type issues. the house version includes a new inspector general for ongoing ukraine aid to provide a level of oversight that was not there previously, while the senate does not. we will be focused on the latter issue in particular. host: mary, your view. guest: i think when we agree, we

tend to agree strongly. it is fortunate it was loaded up with frankly irrelevant issues. they took a bipartisan bill and loaded up with a bunch of anti-lgbtq amendments, antiabortion amendments, etc.. we hope that does not slow down the conference process, we are strong and supportive of the senate bill as well. it is time to do the serious work of legislating and reconciling the difference. the house version is dead on arrival in the senate. host: why does it matter each year? guest: it is congresses opportunity every year to direct national security policy, to require reports, set objectives, give the department the right direction from civilian leadership.

every year over 60 years, it would be not only unfortunate, it would be detrimental to national security if house republicans succeed in ending that streak. host: in california, veteran from the vietnam war. thank you for joining us. caller: thank you for taking my call. i have a lot of disagreement with mary kaszynski about how she is going about telling about the v.a.. i've used the v.a. since the 1970's for health care on and off. it has been lousy until donald trump was elected president and did a lot of reforms for the v.a. service care. it's been greatly improved. in the past -- i have used v.a. facilities across the country.

atlanta, indiana, california, texas. from the years they've been moving around. you might say i have a lot of experience. i am considered priority one veteran, priority one veteran is anyone with a service-connected rating over 50%. the california v.a. facility is the best i've ever seen. across the country. i have had several surgeries, i had 12 weeks ago. i am still recovering from that. the v.a. has been improved, but it was improved once donald trump became president. host: i will have mary respond. guest: thank you for your service and sharing your experience. it is absolutely essential as we

are making policy recommendations as decision-makers are considering legislation that they are taking your views into account, hearing from the veterans community. i think what we are hearing in the vast majority of calls we have had today from veterans, they had positive experiences with the v.a.. they want adequate resources at the v.a.. the caller noted how important it is for veterans to see v.a. doctors who understand conditions that veterans may have and know what to look for. the expertise is invaluable. the most important thing is we are listening to veteran voices and taking their experiences into account. host: new jersey, independent. caller: hello, thank you. i also have a bit of an issue with mary kaszynski. instead of bashing president trump -- by the way, not one

american died in afghanistan when president trump was in office. to hear those family members of the 13 american servicemen and women who died is speaking out about their loved ones was heartbreaking. they were disrespected by mr. biden and his associates or staff. furthermore, president trump is correct when he says they never talk about the wounded. in afghanistan, there were many aside from the 13 americans that died, men and women. many more were wounded, lost arms and legs, some had their faces blown off. this was an unnecessary, catastrophic failure of a withdrawal that will go down in history in our country. as one of the worst things to have happened. god help those family members,

they are living with it every day for their sisters, brothers and children. guest: just on the evacuation, i think it is essential to give the greatest respect and honor for all who executed the evacuation. it was an incredible achievement and we should respect them for that. donald trump made a deal with the taliban that publicly set a deadline for a withdrawal from afghanistan. joe biden inherited that. to the point that tyler made very rightly earlier, it is important that we evaluate the entire 20 plus years of the war in afghanistan. there were multiple presidents of both parties throughout that 20 year conflict. it is essential that we learn the right lessons from the entire history of the war in

afghanistan so we can make better policy decisions going forward so we are not starting unnecessary wars. that is the best way to honor u.s. service members and veterans. host: in north carolina, a veteran as well. welcome. caller: i was in the army from 1962 to 1971, second division at fort benning. i did not start using the v.a. until after i retired. the v.a. is excellent, and get a pension. i am 100% category one. i've had 13 operations. i had an emergency detached retina and they sent me over to wake. everything is there for you, you go to the v.a., everyone is

polite and thanks you for your service. my care has been excellent throughout the years. this little girl kaszynski is some kind of liberal -- host: i am going to move on. caller: i am a vietnam veteran and i have a question. why is it that veterans of any other wars do not have the right to go on military bases without having problems? why don't they get the discounts that retirees get? guest: that is a good question and it is a tricky one, particularly when we are looking at the way we assess privileges and benefits for retirees.

it gets to a deeper question to look more comprehensively at the broader priority groups to determine how we look at disability statuses and whatnot, let alone additional things like going to exchanges and things like that. it is certainly an issue that is ripe for reevaluating. host: the wall street journal did an article about recruitment for armed services. it found the u.s. army is 15,000 short of 65,000 recruitment goal. the u.s. navy 10,000 short, u.s. air force 3000 short of 27,000 goal and the marines hit the target of 33,000. both of your thoughts about recruitment and was happening? guest: recruitment has been an issue for many years. it is growing steadily worse and there are a number of reasons

for that. for example, the policy on single-parent families, a growing demographic in the u.s. requirements for medical readiness, history of adult mental health issues could be a disqualifying factor if you want to join the military. there are many smart proposals on the table to help military recruiters hit their numbers to ensure we have a fighting force at the numbers we need. host: what are some of those proposals? guest: proposals to change medical requirements. if you saw therapist many years ago, should i disqualify you from serving? i would argue probably not. those are some of the issues we need to reevaluate. guest: an additional set of considerations to take in mind and thinking about the recruiting crisis, think about the amount of missions we are

having the military do abroad and the lack of strategic prioritization that we have for what theaters of the world we want to prioritize the most. we've been looking to asia for a long time, the middle east and europe. when you have this many missions at once, you get a really unsustainable operational tempo that wears and tears on our personnel and reduces morale. that can be really difficult. another important point about sources of recruitment are military families. 80% of young people interested in joining the military have a family member in the military, about a quarter of those is a direct parent. we see service members and military families in smaller numbers over time declining the rate at which they want to recommend military service to

their children and relatives. i think perhaps the operational tempo that we have abroad in the sense that we do not have a square of a strategy anymore is eating into recruitment numbers. host: in seattle, independent caller. caller: good morning. i just woke up and you all on every morning, i was happy to see this. just a couple points, the last guy that called in and was all over biden, i would like to remind him that the former president called john mccain a war hero a loser and he managed to escape military service because he had bone spurs. you are right, he did start the whole plan for the afghan thing and when he left, he said let the next president take care of it. he did not want to deal with it.

i will say two things. why we have problems with the military is you are right, the physical assignment they have to deal with. just yesterday, i read in the military times that they were having a hard time deciding people coming into the military on their waist size. they cannot even figure that one out. i think biden is doing a good job, he could decide of ukraine which is excellent. we haven't gone into any new wars, we are out of afghanistan. it was not pretty, but it never is. one final thing i would like to say is when we have to deal with people like tober ville, blocking promotions serious needed at this time more than

ever, shame on them. shame on the republicans for allowing one man to stop these promotions. then they have the audacity to say they are promilitary. host: tyler? guest: a couple of things i agree with and certainly on the afghanistan withdraw, both president biden and president trump jointly pursued the withdrawal and the overall strategic decision was the right choice. the fact of the matter still remains the heroism of the soldiers executing the withdrawal and marines executing notwithstanding, there are severe planning failures at the pentagon for organizing how the plan went into practice. those people need to be held accountable. host: in kentucky, when did you

serve? caller: i went in in april 1969. host: what are your thoughts this morning? question or comment. caller: i think it took me a long time to get service connected through the v.a. and i've still got more stuff. it seems to me, you can have it on your medical record to set up a date. they drag their feet all the time. i could never understand why they do that. people talking about trump, he ain't no angel, no president is an angel. president trump done a better job than biden done right now.

down there at the v.a. in tennessee, eight no veterans got no respect for president biden. host: final thoughts from both of you? guest: i think one of the lines we've been talking about here is we agree the need for greater support for veterans and the veterans community. in our view, that comes down to fully implementing historic legislative agreements ushered in by president biden and democrats in congress, as well as greater support for the v.a.. when we listen to veterans, it will lead to better outcomes for veterans and national security. guest: i think we heard an interesting mix of callers today , some who their individual facilities work great and meet their needs and others for that is not the case and the v.a. is not measuring up. when it comes to implementing passed legislation, i agree that

is important and that is why the secretary at the v.a. needs to work with the president to fully implement the v.a. mission act and ensure veterans have the care they need. host: if you want to learn more about votevets, visit their website. the other group is concerned veterans for america. thank you both for the conversation, appreciate it. when we come back, atlanta journal constitution senior reporter tamar hallerman discusses the fulton county, georgia investigation into possible 2020 election interference by the former president. stay with us. >> book tv syllabus 25 years. >> book tv is live with a library of congress national book festival. >> since 2001, book tv in

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just look like this, it looks like this. where americans can see democracy at work and where citizens are truly informed, and the republic thrives. get informed straight from the source. on c-span, unfiltered, unbiased word for word.from the nation's capital to wherever you are, it's the opinion that matters the most is your own. this is what democracy looks like. c-span, powered by cable. >> "washington journal" continues. host: joining us this morning from atlanta is tamar holliman to talk about former president and the georgia 2020 election investigation. there are news reports that the da there could file, seek indictments against the former president and others in the week ahead. what is this case about?

5 guest: guest: all of this started after the leaked phone call between the former president and the georgia secretary of state. that's when he asked if the secretary of state could find more votes. the probe has expanded and now includes the appointment of alternate electors, testimony that rudy giuliani and others gay a four georgia legislative committee about counting votes in the harassment of the fulton county officials as well as the accessing of sensitive election data from a server down in south georgia. this is far beyond the initial phone call. host: does that mean it has extended beyond the former president? how many different people are involved here? guest: yes, we expect the da will file racketeering charges that could implicate a dozen

people which includes folks rudy giuliani and many of the campaign attorneys like john eastman, kenneth chesbro and some unindicted co-conspirators. there could be some folks locally on the ground who were trying to convince poll workers to admit to committing election fraud and some other local news like that. host: the fulton county d.a. is expected to build the case around the georgia racketeering influenced and corrupt organizations act. how would she use that law? guest: george's racketeering act is modeled after the federal law created in 1970 to go after mobsters. in many ways, george's law is broader and more flexible. it has a broader definition for what racketeering is and it's easier to prove the racketeering

occurred and it allows prosecutors to introduce evidence that on its own might not be able to be its own charge in court but can help prove a broader pattern of criminal racketeering activity. she hired one of the foremost racketeering experts in that case was working for free in her office and we are expecting he will have a big role in crafting what could be a very strong narrative about what happened in georgia in the two months after the november, 2020 election. we expect something that will almost read like a crime novel that unfolds and shows the different tentacles within election interference. host: what rule have you heard the former president plays in these alleged charges and what would the da be charging him with? guest: it starts of course with the call to the secretary of state. we have the entire tape of that and that could play a major role

in a potential racketeering indictment. secretary of state raffensperger is not the only official that donald trump called and is not the only conversation we have on tape. he called francis watson who was working for raffensperger conducting an investigation and he called the late georgia house speaker there is a tape recording of that as well. we also know from the january 6 committee that the former president was allegedly involved in this appointment of the appointed a fake electors or helping design the plan for talk folks through it. we expect him to be involved in many different facets of a potential racketeering indictment. host: what are some other names? you mentioned some before, some high-profile names that viewers would recognize? guest: john eastman is a name that's been the news lately, he is the alleged architect of the

alternate electors scheme. based on reporting from national outlets come he's one of the unindicted co-conspirators. he was brought in and interviewed by an investigative panel in fulton county last summer. he ended up pleading his fifth amendment rights. he could be a part of this. sidney powell is another unindicted co-conspirator injects myths indictment. they sought to speak with ms. powell and she did not come down here to testify. there are also some local names involved especially in this selector plan. david schaeffer, the former head of the georgia republican party just stepped down. he was allegedly at the center helping organize this meeting of state electors in georgia. his attorneys have really stepped up their public relations campaign in recent months to talk about how their client has done nothing wrong and he was following legal advice from the trump campaign and that they were following

what they say is an historic precedent which is the same as the democrats in the 1960 election. host: we are talking about and getting an update on this georgia, 2020 election investigation. we want you to join us this morning, if you are republican, (202) 748-8001, democrats (202) 748-8000, independents (202) 748-8002. georgia residents, your line this morning is (202) 748-8003 and you can all text us at the same number >> to join us in (202) 748-8003 -- to join us in this conversation. who is barney willis? guest: she is a retively new district attorney in fulton county. she was elected in 2020 and she defeated her former boss paul howardhoad been the da for

almost 25 years. she stepped in and ran as a democrat and stepped in as a middle-of-the-road moderate. her rhetoric can be a bit tough on crime but at the same time, she doesn't believe in some of the criminal justice reform elements we have seen discussed on the national stage. shalso talked about stepping over dead bodies at crime scenes and how she is not afraid to prosecute when appropriate. before she was elected, perhaps the best thing she was known for was successfully prosecuting atlanta public school teachers as part of a widespread cheating scandal in atlanta. she controversially used the racketeering law i talked about earlier. she prosecuted these educators. it was considered a controversial decision. we are talking about low income teachers in atlanta and many of them, children of color but she was prosecuting teachers, educators and using this law to

go after mobsters and many of them were teachers of color. she ended up securing over a dozen guilty conditions and ended up serving prison time. it's still considered a very controversial move in some corners of the black community. she said she stuck by that and since then, we have seen her embrace the racketeering law even more. the other current high-profile case coming of the fulton das office is the prosecution of a record label and who the da said is supported by an alleged street gang with several wrappers on it including young thug, a grammy award winner so she's using racketeering laws to go after that as well. host: your recent story about her is quoting her saying derogatory and false, the fulton d8 denies rumors circulate by the former president. guest: the former president and recent campaign appearances, as recently as tuesday in new hampshire brought up an alleged affair she had with a gang

member and a former client. it's something the trump campaign has also mentioned in an ad that's airing on cable stations in atlanta. the documentation is pretty thin. as i looked into it, it showed that it didn't really carry much water. the rolling stone interview with a rapper who the da once represented when she was in private practice, she was affiliated with young thug and young slime life record label was being prosecuted for racketeering. in this story, this rapper is talking about how they had in auntie/nephew kind of conversation and they didn't venture does mention a sexual relationship of the point of the interview cummings talking about the woman who represented him a couple of years ago when he was facing aggravated assault charges. it's not the kind of attorney who would then turn around later

as a da and prosecute musicians and folks were alleged racketeering. i don't know where else the former president is getting those rumors that have been spreading fast. the da in an email called the allegations false and basically directed her staff not to respond publicly and to just keep doing their work. host: the atlanta journal-constitution, another piece yours -- give us a timeline. guest: earlier this week, we saw security titan around the fulton courthouse in front of the main entrance on prior street. it has been blocked off to traffic. there is giant orange barricades filled with water, a giant line of black law enforcement and they are starting to block off the remaining streets from traffic. we expect security measures to

even tighten next week when we expect the grand jury testimony to begin in this case. we will also be on the lookout for any protesters. that something law-enforcement is paying close attention to. nobody wants anything like what happened on january 6 in the u.s. capitol. i think there is a lot of behind-the-scenes efforts to monitor different online forums and be ready for the worst. host: how long will it take to present the case and possibly get indictments? guest: we expect it could take more than a day. racketeering, if the da decides to go that way, can be a very complicated narrative to explain to folks. it's not a simple in and out single charge. you are trying to describe a vast conspiracy narrative with multiple players involved. there are upwards of a dozen that will take a while to explain. we expect prosecutors to bring in witnesses and speak to grand

jurors about what they saw about the various elements of this case. we know at least for folks who have confirmed they have been subpoenaed and i know several others privately will speak. that doesn't mean that prosecutors will for sure and up calling them. it's possible some will be on standby in case jurors have more russians about different elements of the case. the atlanta public schools racketeering case i mentioned a couple of years ago, the one the da is famous for doing, that took about two days to bring that and we expect something similar for this case. host: will in tulsa, oklahoma, democratic caller, welcome. caller: good morning and thank you for taking my call. my comments regarding the speech former president trump is using. it was two days ago or yesterday i believe, provo, utah, man was shot and killed by the fbi. why?

because of his speech being inflammatory and violent. i'm blowing the dust off my sniper rifle and joe biden is coming to town, blah, blah, blah. trump is using the same inflammatory language and has used. if you're coming after me, coming after you but he has used inflammatory language to promote aggression i will say mildly and insurrection. let's march down there and give him hell, rock, rock. he's got giuliani's cohort and crime suggesting trial by combat and arousing the passions of the audience before him and we all know what happened on january 6. the man is a grifter and a con man. all he cares about his donate. give me money. he has declared bankruptcy several times.

he is just a con man who refuses to take responsibility for his speech. he believes it's protected but it's not, just like the old adage, you can't yell fire in a crowded theater. host: will donald trump, the former president's words be used in this case in georgia? guest: i think that's safe to say. the question when he says find me 11,780 votes, what does find mean? a lot of the arguments will hinge on that. does that mean do something illegal and created ballots that didn't exist or does that mean find the fraud that in my heart of hearts knows exists and do your job as an official in route out fraud. i think that's going to be an argument in that potential trial.

because we have these transcripts, i think that allows folks to really dissect the former president word. host: charles, fort collins, colorado, independent. caller: what i'm really afraid of and i think what they ought to do, they need to put all these trials on tv for the american public to see. there is a far right faction that believes the doj and the people in georgia and everything trump says is they are corrupt and evil and they are coming to get you. i am afraid there's going to be like this guy in provo is going to rise up and come after somebody like you or someone in georgia or anybody, juror or whatever and i believe if they put this on the air for the americans to see, that it will dispel a lot of this rhetoric that's coming out of trump.

there is a big difference between being on the platform in front of a bunch of your worshipers than it is to be in front of a judge and a jury of his peers in a courtroom. i think if the people see that, it will make a big difference on just how people react. host: what are the prospects of cameras in the court in georgia? guest: a lot depends on the venue and particular judges. we are talking about fulton county superior court. it allows cameras in courtrooms now depending on the judge presiding. if it stays in fulton county, i would say there is a decent likelihood this could end up on tv depending on the individual judges. at the same time, one of the first moves we expect the former president to make if and when he is indicted to attempt to remove the proceedings to federal court. if he is able to do that and there is a lot of debate over

whether he would be able to, the fulton da would still prosecute the case but the venue then moves to the federal courthouse in atlanta a couple blocks away. federal courthouses do not allow cameras in their area that would be very much the outcome. host: back to your reporting -- another headline -- who is he and what role are they alleging he played? guest: he is a republican who ended up retiring at the end of 2022 rather than seeking a second term. he was pretty much the only republican on the state ticket here in georgia for in a statewide position who ended up denouncing trump. he has a book that promotes his new vision for the gop called something like gop 2.0 where he talks about the trump user and the gop. as lieutenant governor, he was a

figurehead leader in the georgia senate. i assume he will be asked about that because the georgia senate was the venue for several hearings featuring rudy giuliani, john eastman and others where they spread lies about trump. there were also two state senators who were involved in this alternate elector scheme. it's possible he will be asked about that as well. the lieutenant governor subpoenaed last year by an investigative grand jury to help the da compile evidence for this case so i expect a continuation of that testimony he gave last year. host: bernie, louisville, kentucky, democratic caller. caller: good morning. tamera, since your reporting is

based in georgia, i want to clear something up. the two poll workers that mr. giuliani claimed were passing around usb drives, cocaine and heroin and were doing all these things and basically ruined their lives. from what i understand from the story i heard on npr, it was a good source of information. his defense is going to be the first amendment. the first thing i thought when i heard that was, how long have i been asleep? how is that even possible that somebody could use the first amendment as a defense to use language that destroys people's lives? do you have any updates on the event? guest: these two poll workers you mentioned, they actually have several open defamation

cases against rudy giuliani in the gateway pundit which is a conservative website. they settled a separate defamation case against one american news where they sued them for telling lies about them and ruining their lives. that's separately going on in the background. in georgia, we are expecting the first amendment defense to come up. that something donald trump will use when he talks about the phone call with brett raffensperger and he talked about that in recent days. he also talked about that in relation to the january 6 case but it's also illegal in georgia to disrupt election proceedings and folks were doing their jobs. i expect that argument to come up i apologize for my job. host: another story from you is

about why potential trump charges in fulton could have staying power. what do you mean? guest: because of george's pardon law, the two cases brought by jack smith at the justice department, if a republican is elected president, they could conceivably try to dismiss those cases by the justice department. they've also said they could pardon the former president or even if donald trump himself is elected in 2024, he could try to sell pardon but there is debate whether that could occur. in georgia, the pardon process is much more politically appointed. the governor has no power when it comes to pardoning. george is one of only six states in the country that has an independent board in charge of pardons. no one can even apply for a pardon in georgia until five years after they serve their prison sentence. host: we will go to nathaniel in

north carolina, democratic caller, good morning. caller: good morning. i've been watching c-span over the last 20 something years. i think you have a nice program and i like it. but i have two questions -- one of them might not be about this but the reason the republican party wants to keep present trump back in 2021, he told the party that if he goes there, he will take them down with him. they are really trying to keep him out of jail or put them back in office. host: ok, go ahead. caller: my second question is, concerning representative jim jordan and matt gaetz. when bill barr was attorney general, trump told him to stop investigating the case because jim jordan was accused of messing with young boys when he

was a coach. host: tamar hollerman, do you want to respond to his comments? guest: i missed the first part of his question. host: david and george's sins is a text -- what are the odds that the grand jury does not indict? guest: it certainly is possible but we can sit or highly unlikely. the standard for issuing an indictment is probable cause which, in legalese, means more likely than not that somebody might have committed a crime. given that threshold, it's not the same as beyond a reasonable doubt which is what you need to convince someone at trial.

probable cause is a relatively low legal bar to clear. most of the legal experts i speak to when they say looking at that raffensperger case, that's enough probable cause. i think the -- if the da decided to pursue the former president that the grand jury would not bow to indict him. host: carly, ndc, democratic caller. caller: good morning, i was calling about the gentleman who called earlier about possibly putting the trial on tv. so that most of the individuals will be able to see what's going on. with their own eyes. i remembered that -- he should be reminded that the january 6 committee hearings were all on tv. it didn't change a lot of the republicans minds. i don't think having any of these new indictments televised would make a difference with the diehard republicans, supporters of donald trump. host: that's a democrat in

washington, d.c. what do we know about the grand jury? how many people, what is the makeup, etc.? guest: 23 people on this grand jury, we don't know the identities of jurors which is designed to be secret. if they hand up a true bill of indictment, we should see oh list of names which will give us hints about who these people are. in general, to serve in a grand jury in fulton county be 18 years old and have two of lived here for at least six months and pretty much anyone under the age of 70 is required to come in if they get a summons. we expect it to be racially, economically and culturally diverse. i spoke with half a dozen of the special grin jury investigative panel that help the da compile information last summer and i was blown away at the different age ranges, one of the folks i

spoke to in their low 20's and another person was in there and their low 70's. the types of economic diversity in terms of the jobs they worked and where they worked. somewhere in more industrial areas and low income and somewhere in the highest earnings zip codes in the county. i expect a similar makeup for this and yeah, it's supposed to be a true representation of who lives here. host: we will go to lynchburg, virginia, independent. caller: yes, ma'am, thank you for taking my call. i'm just calling to ask you, can trump be held responsible for putting out false information about the prosecutor in georgia or any other prosecutor? they should file a lawsuit for defamation of character.

another thing, you should already have been in jail. nobody takes as long to be prosecuted. if you are a civilian, you commit a crime and you got to wait until justice is supposed to be blind. if it's blind, why isn't this man already in jail? he's made false statements against people and even the prosecutor and a judge and people talk about the judge is funded by democrats but the law is supposed to be the lord regardless of who appoints you. guest: it's possible that the da could sue him for defamation for some of these claims that she had an affair. i find it highly unlikely. in the email she sent to her staff in which he talked about these allegations raised by the former president, she mentioned how it's not personal.

i think especially because there are these accusations of a partisan witch hunt and she is a blind partisan looking for a promotion trying to make a name for herself, i don't see her looking to move forward with the definition side knowing that could become a sideshow that could distract from a larger case. i think much more likely is that prosecutors seek an order to get an indictment in fulton county that would try to get the former president to not talk about the actors involved in this case and to limit what he can say publicly about this case. host: to wrap up here, review again for our viewers the evidence in this case. what is the investigation centering on? guest: there is several different tentacles of this case. the main one is the phone calls the former president made to georgia officials. his phone call with secretary of state brad raffensperger where he asked them to find on was 12,000 votes but also phone

calls to the attorney general and our governor and other folks pressing them to overturn the election results. the case looks at the appointments of alternate republican electors in georgia, the harassment of two poll workers, false testimony that rudy giuliani and other campaign attorneys gave to georgia lawmakers about counting votes and the accessing of sensitive election data from servers in south georgia. host:tamar hollerman, you can follow her onx @tamathollerman. thank you. we will take a break and when come back we will be in open forum for our last early minutes of today's "washington journal." any policy or political issue in your mind, start dialing in now.

>> sunday night on c-span;'s, q& the newsmaxa chief corresponded author of skill leah talks about the first of this two-part biography of the late supreme court associate justice antonin scalia a. >> i think he recoiled from the excess of the student antiwar movement of the late 60's and the unrest in the taking of law into their own hands at different times. all that shaped him in ways that made him a better judge in a better justice. you can really understand how he got to be justice scalia without understanding the elements of his academic career. >> this is sunday night at 8 p.m. eastern onq&a.

you can listen on all of our podcasts on c-span now. >> this year, but to be celebrates 25 years of presenting nonfiction books and authors. >> for the 22nd year in a row, book tv is live at the library of congress national festival. >> since 2000 one, book tv in partnership with the library of congress has provided signature, in-depth uninterrupted coverage of the national book festival, featuring hundreds of nonfiction authors and guests. watch saturday is book tv once again brings you live all day coverage of the national book festival. we will have guests and authors. here are complete national book festival schedule online at book tv.org. the library of congress national book festival life saturday

beginning at 9 a.m. eastern on c-span2. >> "washington journal" continues. host: we are back in open forum for the next 30 minutes on today's "washington journal." we will begin with the economy with president biden out west this week and he was in albuquerque new mexico yesterday at a wind tower facility. here is what he had to say, the economic pitch to new mexico voters. [video clip] >> since i signed that law, there has been tons of money for new wind towers and we will break ground in a new plant that will create 250 new good paying jobs. [applause] >> meanwhile, we are seeing the firm in up of transmission lines. what's happening now is it's hard to get at these towers

which are old. everybody is not in my neighborhood and don't want to big, new tower going up. we are strengthening the towers and we will go underground which cost six times as much but we are learning how to do that more cheaply. that way it doesn't because forest fires in the things that happen when major windstorms knock these lines down. my administration recently completed a review s of a proposedunz line, transportation energy from a planned wind farm in new mexico and california so you can generate the wind here, the energy here and be able to transmit it across arizona into california as well. these projects are expected to create 200,000 new construction jobs and up to 150 permanent jobs. providing clean energy for up to 3 million americans, 3 million. [applause] >> it gives me to ship its

plaque pressure on climate change. biden makes is about bringing this back home. it makes wind towers that will go into turbines made by ge verona, excuse me, i mispronounce it. vernova in florida and new york. that we use these turbines to build the long is the largest when fine spanning counties in new mexico. [applause] sunz will use that energy to power homes across the southwest o. that's bidenmics, it's cheaper. host: present by marking the one-year anniversary of the inflation reduction act in western states this week. today, he will be in utah to market when your anniversary of the pack act, benefits for those

exposed to burn pits, expanding veteran benefits to those who have been exposed. we are in open forum and sharon is in port charlotte, florida, republican, good morning. caller: good morning. i just wanted to say when people asked me what party i am for, i am embarrassed to say republican. there and out four parties. there are republicans, democrats, independents and the trump party. trump has nothing to do with anybody except himself. i wish other republicans and other people would see that. he has done nothing for this country but bring it down. i'm sorry to say there is some people that think he can change for the better. he has tried and failed. he is a liar, a thief and a cheat and a wifebeating or. -- a white cheater. why would anybody vote for him? thank you very much for your time. host: did you vote for him in

2016? caller: i voted republican in 2016 and i will never vote republican again, not like this. host: richard, massachusetts, democratic caller. good morning. caller: good morning. i've called the show before and this something very important going on. donald trump talks about freedom of speech. he had a debate with joe biden and he interrupted him 145 times. job biden is speaking to millions of people and that's a violation of his freedom of speech. all the republicans are doing it. host: emma in washington state, independent, what's on your mind? caller: childcare. my daughter is currently working and her husband is currently working. they have two children and child

care has become an issue with them because they have their knees living with them after she graduated from school and she helps babysit their children for both of them to work. this year she's going to school. my daughter checked out childcare and childcare for a week is $1000. that's for two children. the issue here is she has gotten out of that slump of the food stamps and childcare and everything and she considers herself middle-class. now with childcare the way it is, she will be forced to quit work because she is only making $18 per hour. it's not enough to bring money into the home as well as pay for child care. i think something really needs to be done in the way of helping

out for child care. the rates need to come down or something needs to come down and that's my issue this morning. host: the washington post with the headline -- an update on what happened in hawaii yesterday. don in columbia, pennsylvania, republican. we are in open forum, good morning to you. caller: good morning to you. all these people about trump cheating and lying, let's go to georgia. he didn't say lies make up votes, he said find. it's like the democrats. let's stopbsing each other. this country is going downhill so fast that we might never come back from this. bidenomics? are you kidding me? the grand canyon in the forest

fires? this guy needs to get out of office and pass it on let's try to get this country back to where it was. if we don't get trump in 2024, this country will go to be a host: host: third world country. speaking of campaign 2024, the republican candidates are descending on iowa for the iowa state fair this weekend. this is the headline from a cbs station in the state -- then there is also this headline from the associated press that the former president plans a stop at the iowa state fair though he won't attend a candidate chet with the gop governor tim reynolds. the governor is sitting down with republican president candidate and she has invited all of them for what she is

calling a fair side chat at the iowa state fair. we will have coverage of the campaign from iowa this weekend and next week. go to c-span.org for more details about that. scott in monroe, north carolina, democratic caller. caller: a lot of people are attracted to donald trump's messaging but i'm attracted to my first cousin. host: amanda in ohio, independent. caller: thanks for taking my call. the biden economic plan is tearing the country apart. the middle-class is no longer the middle class. the average home and mortgage now, they are renting homes in columbus a little north of us and they will be renting these homes for $2500 per month. you have to have clear income,

that's a rent single-family home on a small lot. i have two children and two grandchildren. i'm worried about them and i'm a senior citizen. by the way, the biden economics, it has increased inflation. they are doing this on purpose. the people we 11 social security will not get that raise. look at the cost of utilities, look at the cost of medical care. look at the cost of everything you buy. the home values are going up as well as property tax. its economic suicide for the middle class. there is no way we are going to come out of this. speaking of trump, why is there so much election bellyaching? you have jack smith who has a vendetta against trump and why didn't they bring this up a year or two ago? it's when he announced he was running for reelection to bring

this up. look what's going on around the country? we are talking about climate change, abortion, look at what's going on in the country. it doesn't take a genius to see that the country is headed on the wrong course. host: the washington times this morning, front page story, some made millions from the biden brand.

it's from the front page of the washington times. bob and answered them, ohio, democratic caller. caller: hello. i hear all these republicans calling in and saying that trump did this for the country and trump did that for the country. trump played golf for one solid year at the cost to the taxpayer of $18 million. also, my new and trump fired the overseer of the ppp loans and $500 million disappeared. they have no idea what happened to it. also, trump in his show with howard stern, he said his vietnam was not getting an nypd

in new york. his father got out of that and his grandfather ran from germany. their name is not trump. their name is actually dumpf and that records you donald trump is. he is the stupidest -- host: james in san diego, republican. caller: good morning, first thing in like to talk about is the armed services. it's not the recruiters that are having the problem, it's the v.a. which is disallowing a number of individuals to be qualified for one reason or another medically. that is broken bones, going to a shrink and being overweight and having asthma and things of that nature. number two, like to talk about

the alabama senator. he is holding up this because of money being spent improperly and illegally. you can take it that way. number three, i would like to talk about the washington journal program where you take a poll but you never tell us how many people were involved in the polls and you never tell us where the polls were taken. to give you an example, if you take a poll in washington, d.c. they got 90% of the people that responded as democrats and 10% of republicans, you never divide that up until is how many individuals responded and how many and where it was taking place. host: you can find that information yourself. we tell you who conducted the poll and you can find that

breakdown yourself online. happening in washington today, a discussion about national reauthorizin section 702 of the foreign intelligence surveillance act hosted by the center for strategic and international studies. that event is live at 10:00 a.m. eastern time here on c-span, on c-span now, our free video mobile app or online at c-span.org. cap 2 p.m. today, the mexican foreign affairs secrary sits down with the atlantic council for discussion on u.s.-mexico relations and you can tch live at 2 p.m. eastern time here o c-span, c-span now or online at c-span.org. the washington post reporting this morning that senator dianne feinstein was briefly hospitalized after she fell at her home recently. she is now back home and she is 90 years old and has suffered serious health problems recently leading to increased calls for

her to resign. she has waived up questions about her age and ability to serve and has also relinquished key roles in recent years and stepped down as the top democrat on the senate judiciary committee before the 117 congress started where she would've been the first woman to lead that committee. she declined consideration to become the president pro tem of the senate. andre and washington, d.c., independent. caller: how are you doing today? host: what's on your mind? caller: these corporations kept people as slaves for years.

they have to have a permanent underclass and they pay people slave wages and they keep talking about people coming up with the border. it's not people coming over the border the corporations got too big and they are not paying people anymore. it takes 15 years to make $20 per hour. host: paul in illinois, democratic caller. caller: i want to make an observation that i've seen evidence of bidenomics. in my brief troubles this summer to ohio and west virginia in texas and missouri and arkansas and other places. i have noticed developments of homes in subdivisions where my relatives live. there are new shops and restaurants, local and state in the international highway

system, there are people working. unemployment in my area here in illinois is under 4%. people are finding jobs. i have seen what i believe is evidenceo of bidenmics at work. host: let me start again, john in shirley, new york, a republican. caller: thank you for taking my call. i've been watching your show and everybody bashing donald j. trump. i want to let the people know, look at the facts. he's done more than any other president besides ronald reagan in one year. he is not a politician. he is a businessman and he knows construction, he knows it all and he said court our border. right now we have open borders and it's costing taxpayers $7

million and nobody justified that. by the time he becomes president again, which he will become president again, we will secure the borders and we will deport all the illegals, follow the law. donald trump, he is number one. keep bashing him all you want, look at the economy and look at gas prices now. host: eddie in cincinnati, ohio, independent. caller: i'd like to know, when you get politicians anywhere and you ask them a question, the always give you a story instead of the answer to the question. i would like to know why you will don't insist upon them answering the question the way you act. you are settling for the story. i have noticed that from every politician that's on the show when someone asks them a

question. they give you a story instead of answering the question. the question somebody -- can be answered yes or no but they don't ever do that. everybody seems to accept that. host: folks like you can call up and press those lawmakers more on the questions that are asked. tom in san jose, california, democratic caller. caller: hi, in 97, i wrote a book on global warming that was just blasted by the right. things haven't changed. they don't want to believe in science. they believed what they want to believe and what trump tells them what they want to hear in the whole system is rigged against them. they're kind of like trump. they are all like him. they mock and put down people who aren't like them. they want to believe everyone who doesn't support trump for their way, they are traitors or

pedophiles are against god. they gaslight you. everything is people like the country will now go bad if biden is in charge and trump is not in charge. i have faith in this country. you are letting folks call in and i'm hearing them and i know biden isn't perfect and i know trump is in perfect but we've got to get beyond that, we are america and i believe we are a good country and will get beyond this back and forth. host: larry on her line for republicans in mechanicsburg, ohio. caller: good morning. what's baffling my mind is before trump is even put into office, people are calling for his impeachment area after a while, they found a problem with the varese my where he was asked about the investigation of mr. biden's family over the money he was given. you come to find out now that so

many papers and documents and personal experience is saying that yes, the biden family was involved in the varese my dealings which is white president trump was impeached the first time around. when are they going to pull those charges back? host: scott in los angeles, independent. what is on your mind? caller: good morning to everybody out there in c-span land, i'm loving the show once again and i love the open for them. my take is just a little bit different. when you go to the 2020 election, i don't believe there was one fraudulent vote. i know it sounds crazy but for the sake of discussion, i don't believe one dead person voted in the entire country. i do believe it was rigged in terms of the tech companies, it

was rigged in terms of the fbi, all the things we know took place now they're coming out. this is what i would like to say? it was a very close election, 40,000 votes over three states? i can see where those 40,000 votes over three states could turn around on the basis of two things, number one, people's personal finances are being destroyed under this administration no matter what they tell you. also, there might be like 40,000 people spread out over those three states. i'm just saying everything else being equal, which it would be, you might have 40,000 folks that are real big on world peace like i am. they might be real big on world peace and they see what's happening right now. and how there is difficulty

everywhere. we are under siege from all these different countries. host: i'm going to go on to lauren in jacksonville, florida, democratic caller. caller: good morning, yes. i'm glad you took my call because one of the things i wanted to talk about, i never made $20 per hour. i am retired military, i am also a senior citizen and i work for the department of corrections. one thing i found out in my lifetime is people do not want to make sacrifices. they don't want to make any sacrifice and that's why they cannot recruit people in the military.

i was a single parent and raise my son and daughter. there were times where i worked with the midnight to eight shift and there was times people would babysit for me and call me at 10:00 at night and say something came up, i cannot babysit. i had to take my kids to work. host: i will go on to john who has been waiting, independent in indiana. caller: yes, host: we are listening to you. caller: i'm calling because we are all americans and trump is not right for this country, he never was. that's all i had to say. host: greg is a democratic

caller in georgia, good morning. caller: i was calling in reference to whether it be republicans or c-span or fox news, they were talking about jared got $2 billion from saudi arabia. they won't talk about that, they want to talk about hunter biden. host: ernest in charlotte, north carolina, democratic caller. we are an open forum, good morning to you. caller: good morning to you. i wonder why, you don't say anything about biden economics and it did not give him any praise but he tried to do the best. right now they are pumping more oil out.

number two, i want to know how donald trump,, why the republicans once a anything about the all the property he has. i don't understand that. host: henry in dawsonville, georgia, independent. good morning. public policy or politics, what's on your mind? caller: i want to talk about donald trump there. how can you have that many charge and not be guilty of one? another thing is the whole government is run on a budget. what are those things called, jesuits? host: donna, fulsome, louisiana, republican, good morning to you. louisiana, republican. good morning to you. caller: good morning. i watch c-span pretty much every

day. i just counted the days, we are on the eighth day of trump being the topic. why don't y'all put a topic on like the washington times did today about the story of the biden family? if he says he didn't take money, that doesn't mean that his son didn't funnel money into his family. it would be nice to see maybe one day that y'all could take and do something about the bidens. host: we've covered that. it was covered, the hearings as well. the whistleblower testimony, etc. you have to go to the search engine to the top of our website. you can put in hunter biden, etc.. eddie, good morning. caller: good morning. thank you for taking my call. i'm calling because of all of

the rhetoric that is going on. i look at biden as the ceo of the united states. we have two branches of government. and throughout history, the democrats and the republicans come up with a plan for the president. and it looks like there is a lot of infighting. and our government is for this. we lost you, eddie. sue in oklahoma, republican caller. host: hi, sue. good morning. we are in open forum. caller: yes. host: hi, sue. we are listening to you. caller: oh, ok. i was just wondering this morning, i've been watching for about an hour.