host: good morning it is wednesday, 2/28/2024. in michigan they both one the

state primaries and days to avert a possible government shutdown they are trying to find a way to keep agencies open past midnight on friday. our phone lines are split as usual by party for republicans (202) 748-8001, democrats (202) 748-8000, independents (202) 748-8002 you can send a text at (202) 748-8003 include your name and where you are from or on social media at facebook.com/cspan. a good wednesday morning to you. here is the latest numbers 99%

reporting donald trump is up 52 points to nikki haley 26 .5% nikki haley getting nearly 300,000 votes into the democratic side, joe biden with 81.1%, 99% reporting. the second most popular vote is uncommitted. at 13.2% taking you to the political new site to see how this is playing out to the liberal side the huffington post trying to play up the voters

rejected donald trump and on the others of the aisle at the uncommitted voters but what does all of those voters mean? we will dive into those results as you: but the other story we are covering is the government moving closer to the government shutdown. six agencies are shut -- set to shut down if they don't get an agreement. they are hopeful about averting a government shutdown. the story showing congressional leaders meeting at the white house and the agencies, agricultural, veterans affairs, housing and urban development will shut down friday at midnight if the agreement is not

reached by those leaders there to fund the government after that meeting at the white house. [video clip] >> we had a couple of meetings that were frank and honest. i was happy to participate in this. we did that as a group and i had a one-on-one. when i showed up today, my purpose was to express an obvious truth which is we must take care of american's needs first. when you talk about american's needs you need to talk about the open border. in twentysomething states going around the country appearing at events with my colleagues in hearing from the american people from all parties who feel this

acutely. they understand the catastrophe at the border and is top of mind for that reason. i brought that issue up repeatedly. the other big priority for our country is the funding of our government and we have been working around the clock every day for months and weeks over the past several days to get that job done. we are optimistic and i hope the other leaders told you the same. we believe we can prevent a government shutdown. you also heard there was discussion about the supplemental spending package and i was very clear with the president that the houses pursuing and investigating all the options on that and we will address that in a timely manner but the first priority is making

sure the border is secure. i believe the president could take executive order and i told him that again today it is time for action it is a catastrophe that must stop and we will give the government funded. host: speaker mike johnson after that meeting with congressional leaders and we will show you more reaction with the leaders in the room also talking about the michigan primary results in getting your reaction on those two storylines. your phone lines republicans (202) 748-8001, democrats (202) 748-8000 independents (202) 748-8002 and we will look at your text messages and tweets but we will start on the phone lines with shea out of

annapolis. caller: about this border situation, republicans are taking their marching orders from donald trump. there was an agreement between the senate and house for a border deal and it seems to me the republican party doesn't want this problem to be fixed. there is a deeper issue about this, you have a small white minority group of people that know that they are going to be in the minority soon and i think the problem is this is a country of immigrants and i think these people coming across the border want a better life and opportunity and as long as they

pay taxes and don't have a felony they should be able to come in and work for citizenship. host: the issue on the border will be in focus when president biden and trump are making visits to the border on the same day. thursday president biden will be in brownsville, texas, to meet with border enforcement agents. the same day president trump has scheduled a visit to eagle pass. president whited strip will be the second trip noting that democrats are expected to play up that border deal that was rejected by republicans to try to turn this issue to their favor as they headed to the election.

anthony out of arizona. caller: john, i have a question for you. do you believe you pay for what you get? you hear people say that. before i let you respond, if i get something from a restaurant or store and it is not something i want and doesn't meet my standards, i take it back. instead of you get what you pay for, you pay for what you get. this is what we are seeing with michigan in the primaries and this is what we get two candidates going into a rematch. someone who has been in the white house and has left and

wants to return. thus not letting a criminal out of jail and then putting him back in jail. now there is a government shutdown, is the same thing. were going to pay for what we get because government money has a time limit and the longer they could put the time on it, the harder it is for any government organization to execute his priorities. host: the time limit now is friday at midnight for a half-dozen departments that would shut down if a deal is not met. biden is trying to avert that shut down and these are his remarks from that meeting. [video clip] >> we have a lot of work to do

we want it find out how to keep funding the government in ukraine, i feel like the need is urgent and the consequent of inaction is dire. speaking to some of our partners and they have just come back very concerned. concerning the supplemental we have to deal with israelis and that has to do with humanitarian assistance for palestinians. we have to replenish air defenses for israel and we have to work on making sure they don't face a threat from what is going on in the middle east not

just from hamas but from iran. in government funding, it's congress's responsibility to fund the government. we need bipartisan solutions. i want to hear from the group and i want to hear from all of you here. thank you all for coming and that's what will be talking about. host: that was president biden at that meeting. we are talking about the potential government shutdown in the michigan primary results. you could call about any of those results. this is james out of kentucky, a republican.

caller: it is really sad that they did it at the end of everything. they need to take a year when this thing comes up to actually do it right. that is how incompetent they are. host: you're talking about government funding? caller: it should be an entire year. say all of a sudden i am paying my bills and i figure out how much i pay a month. i won't do it right at the end. that is the problem with these democrats. it should be open to the public, we need to see what they are doing. host: when you say open to the public, there are plenty of

congressional hearings. caller: i watch those all the time but they have a lot of backdoor sessions. they are set back in the office where no one knows what's going on. they need to have it front and center. doing it right at the very end. it is sad how they do things and i have one more thing to say. with the way the government is bringing these people in. they are bringing them in, bringing in mexicans so they don't have to worry about the black man vote. once i get enough mexicans they won't have to worry about their vote anymore. host: that is james out of

kentucky, back to the government funding. the washington times out of the path forward a path that could happen if nothing happens. here's how they explain what is going on. mike johnson has a unique chance to pull off a victory. this budgetary impact persists through april 30 and an automatic sequestration method kicks in and/is 1% of the budget it was championed by a budgetary hawk. now it could give house republicans the bus policy when that they have seen in years because it would put the budget not a road to recovery.

we will dive into how that works later on. out of philadelphia, good morning. caller: good morning how are you. what's on your mind? the government shutdown. this mike johnson, the so-called speaker. he comes out after speaking with the president and he lies about the border. his own people came up with the problem solver and what'd they do? what if they do? they actually turned it down.

you understand? playing politics. and they come out with the straight face with the bible in his hands and tells the people it is the democrats, you understand? putting our country in danger. it is the democrats leaving the border wide open. how stupid do they think the american people are? that we can't see through that. it is a terrible situation. mike johnson needs to step down. host: this is claire out of virginia on the republican line. caller: good morning. on the budget specifically and whether or not they will do a continuing resolution they are approaching this in the wrong way.

there are committees that make budgets every year. we need to have one bipartisan committee that makes a budget every year and it should not be an 18 month process. a few months before the beginning of the year so that we don't have this issue, continuing resolutions again and again. no one is taking the lead on changing the process and that's what i'd like to see from mike johnson or anyone on either side. host: with federal spending it's over trillions of dollars a year, do you think one committee can handle all of that? all of the departments try to take a chunk of that spending and find a best way to spend it per year it would be a big task

for one committee. caller: they need to have less people in the room. let's say there is one main committee handling the budget with the 50-50 split, democrat and republican and they get feedback from all the other committees that feed the numbers into the budget. host: ed is an independent out of ocean city, new jersey. caller: one of the main causes of the government shutdown and our financial problems is that for decades the presidents of the united states have spent billions of dollars of taxpayer dollars flying around the country. they take their families, entertaining at the white house.

a little bit of that is ok but the news people should get on this. how much money president spend on entertaining and trips around the world. even on campaign trips the government ends up paying for a lot of it. if they did what costa rica did, did away with their military. it is a financial mess. host: we will talk about waste, fraud and abuse that they also taught about the biggest component of the budget, medicare, medicaid spending which is one point 7 trillion, social security is 1.4 trillion. interest on the national debt 758 billion. those are the real ways you can

reduce federal spending. caller: we can have a means test on social security and medicare/medicaid. my father was a physician and he could have taken a cut in his social security. people over a certain asset level if they took cuts it was a billions. host: we have bob out of north carolina. caller: we all watched what happened on tv and part of the problem is how police officers can get attacked, this is

pathetic. we make ourselves look worse and worse. because we are afraid of one man? he should not be walking the streets. host: in light of that what are your thoughts on donald trump winning five primaries in a row. it wasn't close. it was more than a 40 point margin. caller: he broke the law, we all saw it. nothing is happening to him because he is rich. any other person would have been put in jail a long time ago. they just let him walk the streets like he's the king of the world. this is ridiculous. i switched from cnn, fox and

nothing is being done. host: that is bob in south carolina. from cleveland, ohio we have william. caller: good morning. in regards to this voting thing in michigan. i think it is a shame that vivek ramaswamy did not hang in there. i think he had a lot of positive things to say in a good business had. nikki haley's experience as a congressperson prior would be beneficial in the executive bridge, it makes good sense that she has good sense.

they can keep an eye on how things go in judicial bodies. regarding the border they need to shorten the time on how they process people. biden should restore president trump set up and that would have been sufficient. they can be holding meetings to correct defects a system -- i was in the military and i had a friend from belize. he was in the military and his family was in belize and for three years because he went to his country he was able to

finally see his family. in reality, they should have been able to live with him on base but instead he is living in the barracks with the rest of the personnel. it's just outright. host: that's william from ohio on the border policies. an interesting note in that story the border visit that will happen between the president and former president, president biden heading to brownsville and president trump headed to eagle pass. with border legislation stalled in congress bided is considering executive action to achieve some of the policies and that legislation that risks a backlash from immigration

advocates. biden is exploring executive action under 212-f under the immigration act to achieve restrictions on asylum-seekers trying to enter the u.s. illegally. no executive action can duplicate the bipartisan border bill and that's something to watch for during that visit. thus from usa today. -- that is from usa today. we have a from pennsylvania. caller: i was calling about the border situation because a lot of people: saying that president biden can do like trump with the

orders but if i did did that, there would be some republican would take them to court to say he can't do it. that is the game they play with the situation. trump made it deal with mexico and i don't know what he gave mexico to do that. i guarantee you, if bided did with the republicans are hollering for someone is going to say something is wrong with it. this is a game with the border situation. it only comes up during election time. watch what i tell you, the republicans are going to challenge it in court and say something is wrong with it and as far as the guy from kentucky

making that remark about democrats allowing immigrants in so they no longer need the black vote. that's kind of crazy. it's crazy for someone to come on the air and say something like that. it's crazy we have people thinking that way in making these remarks. that is the way it is. i think this border situation is created by the republicans. the border has never been open. nobody said the border is open. that is what they holler every day. the border is not wide open. people keep repeating that of course people are going to come in.

but who said it? the republicans. host: this is the story from the front page of the washington times today noting they are looking at the issues in georgia that in the peach state and illegal immigrants killing of a nursing student that donald trump has set the stage to flip georgia back into the trump column. in georgia, joe biden is trailing by 7%. the story pointing to an illegal immigrant who has been charged with killing a nursing student. that story playing out could be a key story leading to the election when it comes to the

issue of immigration. john and clifton park, new york. caller: good morning john. i appreciate everything. i am talking about the situation with the shut down government and immigration. recently at cpac ben carson made reference to the fact that immigration led to the downfall of rome. people have to understand rome was not built overnight. what it amounted to was there was a political party that you had to start somewhere to build something as strong as rome. there is a respected political party in this country at the

beginning of this century we had a political party, we had a balanced budget which would have compared to the ratio before the this century, if we had maintained the balanced budget, we more than likely would not be in this situation. 11 years ago the same political party -- this was a bipartisan deal that created the balanced budget. the very same political party 11 years ago a very strong bipartisan vote in the senate was held and it could have led to immigration laws stop recently the same party turned down another similar deal.

people have to remember what is going on. that is the problem with this country. they do not maintain, they just speak for the moment. they do not realize what is creating these problems and deal with it in a proper manner. host: that is john out of clifton park, new york. halfway through this first segment of the washington journal. talking about yesterday's michigan primary results in the fact we are just days away until a partial government shutdown. departments and agencies set to close friday at midnight. it was yesterday at the white house congressional leaders met with president biden to come up with a plan to avert the government shutdown. we have showed you the reaction of leaders walking out of that meeting. senator chuck schumer, the majority leader in the senate, his remarks yesterday afternoon. [video clip] >> the meeting on ukraine was

one of the most intense i have ever encountered in my many meetings in the oval office. the four of us altogether led, the first president speak was leader mcconnell, the five of us. made it so clear how vital this was to the united states. this was so important. that we cannot afford to wait a month or two months or three months because would in all likelihood lose the war, nato would be fractured at best. allies would turn away from the united states, and the boldest autocrats of the world, the putins, the xis, the president of north korea -- i like the governor of north carolina,

actually -- the president of north korea and iran would be emboldened, thinking the united states was this soft fat country that lost its way and would take advantage. we said to the speaker, get it done. i told him this is one of the moments. i've been around a long time. there are four or five times history is looking over your shoulder. if you do not do the right thing , whatever the immediate politics are, you will regret it . disco years from now and every year after that. it is in his hands. host: congressional leaders and the president meeting on congressional funding. the looming potential government shutdown. ukraine eight is one of the topics that chuck schumer and others felt was one of the most important topics to bring up in

that meeting. rick is in philadelphia. independent. caller: thank you for allowing me to speak. i was somewhat captivated by your intelligent conversation you are having with some of your viewers. with respect to the border, we all know the truth about the border situation. immigration is a normal part of life. animals do it, insects do it, fish do it, people do it. they look for a better life. that is how america was begun. i will leave that there. in reference to the budget, several democratic presidents left us with a surplus in the budget. a lot of the governors did as well.

if they really wanted to solve the problem, you go back to where the problem got out of hand. we are going to have to overturn the trump tax breaks. you can ask anybody on the street, what does your family get out of the tax breaks trump gave? they cannot say one thing. they only say two things their family gained from his presidency. i will leave that there as well. host: that is rick in pennsylvania. this is clifford in birmingham, alabama. caller: good morning. my reason on the border and the budget -- this is a political ploy. it only happens when the republicans are trying to gain advantage.

they are not for america. they seem to be occult following donald trump. he told them he wanted the government to cave in. as long as donald trump can stand up and speak people do not care. they had a bipartisan border deal. trump said no. told the speaker to say no. i want this to be an issue i can run on. he does not care about fentanyl coming in. he only cares about himself. that is the situation we are in right now. the bible says a house divided against itself cannot stand and this country is divided. it will not fall because of russia or china or iraq or iran. roman empire fell. america will fall as well. host: william in north carolina.

you are next. caller: i was calling mainly about the primaries in michigan and saying what they reflect. i think it is a microcosm of the problem. host: what you mean by that? caller: what i need is the country is so divided -- what i mean is the country is so divided, even on spending, we cannot agree to spend the dollars we do not have. the meeting yesterday was just for show. nothing was accomplished. nobody got anything from the meeting. everybody came out attacking everybody else. nothing can be done like that. as far as the border or people being led by trump or led by biden. followers of both parties can be said to be called like.

if you vote along party lines, how can you truly vote your conscience? host: you started talking about the michigan primaries. what you take away of nikki haley winning 300,000 votes in the republican primary and in the democratic primary joe biden losing 100,000 votes to the uncommitted side? caller: i think if joe biden's policies do not change and did not begin to reflect reality on the ground with young people, the black vote he is losing as well as the arab vote, i seriously think he is in trouble. host: that is william in south carolina. it was aaron blake in the fix, a political columnist for the washington post who takes a closer look at the committed.

a disproportionate number of arab americans make a point and send a message to joe biden about his middle east policies favoring israel too much. it was led by prominent congresswomen including rashida tilly and there is no question it got people's attention. whether it changed the 2024 paradigm is another matter. aaron blake writing in today's washington post. this was congresswoman rashida talib from her x page encouraging people to vote in that uncommitted campaign. >> i was proud to walk in and pull a democratic ballot and vote uncommitted. we must protect our democracy. we must make sure our government is about us, about the people. 74 percent of democrats in michigan support a cease fire. president biden is not hearing us. this is the way we can use our

democracy to say listen to michigan. listen to the families right now that have been directly impacted. also listen to the majority of americans were saying enough. no more wars. no more using our dollars to fund a genocide. no more. take your family members, use our democratic process to speak up about your core values. where you want to see our country go. i know taking my 18-year-old son to the polls today was so incredibly empowering. he felt it. i told him those images have not left any of us. he also did it to protect our democracy. guest: -- host: rashida talib, that was opposed on her x page. 101,000 voters voted uncommitted

yesterday, about 13.3% of michigan democratic primary voters. that number coming in much higher than the 22,000 who voted for marion williamson and dean phillips, the other candidates in the democratic primary. this is susan in south dakota. democrat. good morning. caller: good morning. thank you. with michigan i did see where the votes were going to be affected because of the war. i think we can all understand that. it is disturbing. nobody wants to see people killed and injured and countries being destroyed. part of the problem will be benjamin netanyahu is like trump, he is like putin. this is a large part of the

problem-solving. the reason i am calling is michigan -- the results show me we have way too many people that support trump and we have this partial government shutdown in which trump has that. we have speaker mike johnson -- i do not know how we can have this racist criminal giving outspoken directions on what to do and what not to do. it is insane this many people in our country do not care -- first of all, women do not care that he has been found guilty of rape. he has no respect for women, including his own wife. he is challenging every law, every court, everything that is good in this country, and

tearing it apart. i heard something the other day that struck me. it was there are no illegals on stolen land. i think that sums that up. we need to help people. every large group of people is going to have a bad person in it. that is certain to happen. we have the worst person affecting america right now. a large portion of america or white supremacists. host: got your point. this is cleveland, ohio. independent. caller: until people begin to divest themselves of the constant lies over the decades, a century of lies for the war profiteers in these country we not be anything except guinea

pigs being used as cannon fodder , exactly as the united states, democrat and republican are using the ukrainian people as cannon fodder to try to weaken and destroy the soviet union. the same tactics behind the scenes elitists used against afghanistan in the 1980's to send billions of dollars to terrorists. confuse the fact the united states was supporting these terrorist. host: bring me to the topics we are talking about. the potential government shutdown and the primaries in michigan. caller: i think the biggest problem is that this has been set up as a trap to throw in both israel and the massive

hundreds of billions of dollars being sent to a fascist neo-nazi government that was overthrown by the united states and deserves not one penny of support. it even has death squad killings of anyone who criticizes zelinski. host: that is john. william is also in cleveland, ohio. good morning. caller: in regards to the democratic and republican party, the representatives in this country only represent themselves. they do not represent we the people. there are so many issues we the people should be authorized to vote on that should be put on a ballot that should include the people's vote. as far as the country going to be shut down, that is because

this one wants to get there special projects done, there special plans, and the other group wants to do their things. they underwrite other things that should not even be in those bills. some things need to be voted on, some things need to be separated, just like the border issue should be separate from ukraine. the other issues we have got going on. those issues should be laid on a ballot for citizens to be able to vote on. host: on the partial government shutdown we should you comments from the president, chuck schumer, mike johnson, this is mitch mcconnell speaking with reporters about the potential for a partial government shutdown.

[video clip] >> as you know four of us were at the white house with president biden earlier in the day. i think it is safe to say we all agree we need to avoid a government shutdown. the speaker was optimistic they will be able to move forward first with the bills. under no circumstance does anybody want to shut the government down. i think we should stop that trauma right here before it emerges. we are not going to do that. we will come close to having an orderly appropriations process. not by the time we should have done it. better than we have done some years by getting this four through and then doing the

balance many of us later. host: mitch mcconnell talking to reporters on capitol hill. about 10 minutes left in this first segment of washington journal. a partial government shutdown at midnight on friday and yesterday's results from the michigan primary. this is carol in st. louis. democrat. good morning. caller: i would like to talk about the michigan primary. could you tell me since you have the figures on how much nikki haley, how many boats nikki haley got and how many know votes it was for biden? how many votes did biden get and how many votes did trump get? host: donald trump with 755,000 votes yesterday. nikki haley with 294,000 votes on the republican side. on the democratic side, joe

biden with 617,000 votes. the uncommitted line getting almost 101,000 votes yesterday. host: -- caller: thank you. host: new jersey, democrat. good morning. caller: regarding the results in michigan, i have a hard time with it. i think biden's primary responsibility is to the american people. host: some people may assume that way what? caller: some people may assume he has more power than he has. we have treaties and historical alliances and he is tried to keep the american people safe, which is his primary responsibility. i think no biden is myopic. big the most powerful leader in the world calling for a two state solution being the individual that is spearheading the release in gaza is something

he should be credited for. i understand how horrifying and disgusting what is going on in gaza is. i understand people who are calling for cease-fires. however hamas attacked israel there needs to be some kind of solution to hamas. i would like to say that those who protest this and blame biden will not be happy living under christian nationalism if it comes to that. host: jolene in pennsylvania. independent. good morning. caller: thank you for taking my call. usually a prepare something to write and call in. today i just picked up the phone and try to get in. i got in. the michigan primaries, i am not sure. i would think biden got a lot of the vote in the uncommitted i am hoping would go to biden in the general election.

i am not sure how that works. host: that is the question of whether those people will come back to joe biden, to the democratic column in the general election in the same question on the republican side. how many people who voted for nikki haley eventually vote for trump on the republican side or say it is nikki haley or no one? that is the warning sides on both sides, even though joe biden and donald won michigan handily in the democratic and republican primary, that question is a warning sign because michigan has been such a close state in the past couple elections. caller: and they have done that same thing with barack obama. in the general election, how many did go over to barack? host: you're talking into thousand eight, 2012? caller: i believe in 2012 there was a bunch of uncommitted votes in the primary.

host: let me give you some history. i am pulling it from a column in today's washington post. "the raw numbers of people voting for the uncommitted option was substantially higher yesterday than it was in 2012, 2016, and 2020, when around 20,000 people picked the uncommitted line each time. the actual percentage was only modestly higher than it was in 2012. then uncommitted got about 11%. that was a much lower turnout race. another thing to remember is in 2012 the nominating process featured substantial performances for uncommitted voters. the option got 42% in kentucky, 21% in north carolina, and so on in other states." aaron blake making that point. it was about 11% in 2012.

a lower turnout primary. 13% in a much higher turnout primary yesterday. caller: so there are a lot of variables on different things. one thing i would like to say that boggles my mind is i want to know what people see or do not see that i see when they look at donald trump. i see someone who is not fit for office. if you look at his performance with laura ingraham the other day, he was incapable of finishing a sentence. i do not see that in joe biden. i am a registered independent for many years. i do not understand -- i would like to know and i would love to see a show on what drives people towards becoming an independent, democrat, and republican.

host: do you think the age issue -- we have certainly heard the age issue with joe biden. do you think the age issue catches up with donald trump over the course of the next nine months? we are talking a 77-year-old running for president. caller: sometimes i think 80 is the new 60. we have come far in terms of our life expectancy. life expectancy is 76 for men and 79 for women or something like that. i think how you treated your brain and took care of your body means something. to meet there is something going on. i do not understand why other people do not see that.

it is hard for me to take that one. i've to accept what goes on. even my husband and i on different sides of the political spectrum so we just do not talk. host: was last presidential candidate you and your husband agreed on? caller: i cannot tell you. i remember when the kids were young they would tell us to stop talking about gore and bush. they cannot stand hearing us. i do not think we agreed on any. host: dating back to reagan and before? caller: reagan, the whole trickle down made me sick. it made me sick. if trickle down was going to work it would've trickle down to me by now. it does not work. host: politics is not what brought you and your husband together? caller: no. i was looking for a man who would be a good father and i got

that. host: nice of you to say. a few more calls. can't in illinois -- kent in illinois. caller: talk to me like you would a democrat for 30 seconds or so. the government shut down -- it is real clear. fix the border. until you fix the border we will not sign anything. fix the border. the idea that somehow the senate has a bipartisan bill that will fetch the border is a joke. all you have to do is fix the border to go back to what trump did. remain in mexico. that would shut down 80%. remain in mexico. because trump did it that is all bad. these people calling in with trumped arrangement syndrome.

he raped somebody. that is a lie. you never hear anybody talk about trump's policies. it was terrible because we did not have inflation. it was terrible when trump was in. the border was the most secure ever when trump was in. it was just terrible when trump was in. he had foreign policy under his thumb. china, russia, they were frightened of trump. they did not know what he was going to do. that is good. host: on the border, do you think republicans when it comes to this moment of government shut down or not, do you think they make a deal? caller: if they fix the border. if they do not fix the border -- what does a government shut down meat if you do not have a government or secure borders.

we have 10 million people running around because biden wants them for voters. they are murdering people. they are filling up the hospitals. there filling up the schools. they are stealing. they are occupying houses. these democrats call in and say there is bipartisan deal in the senate but trump told them not to sign it because he wants that for the election. they hear this stuff and they repeat it like parrots. there is 91 indictments against trump. why don't you talk about fani willis the guy she had for her paramore? why don't you talk about that. we get so many calls with trumped arrangement. he raped somebody. do you want some be like that in the white house? bill clinton was in the white

house sodomizing young girls. you never heard democrats calling about his character. nobody calls about trump's policies because trump's policies made america great. everybody's taxes got cut. all you hear is he cut taxes for the rich. if you paid taxes trump cut your taxes. your country was safe. your children could walk down the street without some illegal trying to molest them or kill them. host: that is kent in illinois. two more calls. oxford, alabama is next. caller: good morning. i wonder how in the world are leaders in washington, d.c. could possibly always wait for the last minute to develop a budget? and to plan and budget?

it is not like we do not know how much money we have coming in. it is not like they do not know with -- that we are $34 trillion in debt. i just do not think they are doing their job. host: brandon, alabama. bernie and louisville -- in louisville. caller: i love being the last caller, it has happened more than once to me. michigan results, no big surprise. he will probably lock up the nomination sometime before kentucky can cast a ballot. do you happen to have the headcount to show to me right now? and back on topic, the only thing i know for sure is that a lot of people have fallen off the boat and there is a lot of new people who have entered the

voting polls because they are now of age to vote. the only thing i know for sure, it will probably end up like it was in 2020. i think joe biden will when and it will be a close race. i do not think that a lot of people are jumping to republican and jumping from democrat. it will probably be as far as the same cut -- the same count. i am sure that the government will make some kind of deal. i am just glad that we are back on topic. host: the delegate count, the associated press tracks that and you have a webpage. it is 119 for donald trump at the moment. nikki haley, 22. ron desantis gathered nine delegates before he dropped out and on the democratic side, job at -- joe biden 177 delegate so far. caller: what is needed to lock

up the republican nominee? host: the number 1215. caller: wow. host: super tuesday is going to award a lot. caller: super tuesday is pretty much going to call it for us. thank you again. goodbye. host: the last caller in this first segment of washington journal. stick around, plenty more to talk about. next we are joined by frank l bank and we will discuss the news of the day and the michigan primary campaign. later, the bloom bore -- the bloomberg spring -- supreme court reporter greg stohr will join us about the arguments in the supreme court about bump stock attachments. stick around, we will be back. pres. biden: three years ago democracy faced its biggest threat since the civil war and though bruce, our democracy remains on bout.

>> thursday, march 2, president biden delivers the state of the union address to outline his priorities. watch our live coverage beginning at 8:00 p.m. eastern followed by president biden's state of the union speech and then the republican response. we will get your reaction by taking your phone calls, text, and social media comments. watch the state of the union address live thursday, march 7 at 8:00 p.m. eastern, c-span now or online at c-span.org. >> if you ever miss any of c-span's coverage you can find it any time at c-span.org. videos of key hearings, debates and other events feature markers that guide you to newsworthy highlights. these markers appear on the right-hand side of the screen when you hit play on select videos. this makes it easy to quickly

get an idea of what was debated and decided in washington. scroll through and spend a few minutes on points of interest. >> for voices when he 24, we are asking voters across the country what issue is the most important to you in this election and why. >> the most important issue this political season is immigration. >> the deficit. >> i think that is an issue that needs to be addressed. >> we would like you to share your voice by heading to c-span.org/campaign20 24. recorded your voice in a 32nd video telling us your issue and why. c-span voices when he 24, the a part of the conversation. -- 2024. be a part of the conversation. host: viewers are familiar with frank l bain, he has a

communication strategist joining us a day after the michigan presidential primary. he is -- is the wolverine state expected to be competitive in 2024. did we lose -- did we learn anything new? guest: yes we did. shakespeare said everything that is old is new and everything new is old. we will have a fascinating election campaign and i am concerned about the tone and demeanor and how we relate to each other. listening to c-span often in the mornings, and it is a little bit quieter in the mornings and the evenings. but three things that stand out to me. number one, there is no hesitation or doubt whatsoever that it is going to be joe biden versus donald trump. any thoughts of someone coming in late is not going to happen. second, there is discontent on

both sides. that nikki haley, the governor south carolina does not have a chance of taking the nomination and she is still getting a sizable boat -- vote and on the democrat side the fact that 100,000 people voted uncommitted as a way to discuss -- to show their displeasure with this biden is significant. the typical unclear vote is 25,000. third, i really do think that we are going to set yet another record for turnout in 2024 as america's -- americans want to have their voices heard. host: who should be more concerned, joe biden or donald trump looking at nikki haley's almost 300,000 votes even though he won over -- by over 40%.

caller: they both -- guest: they both should be. union households are you -- are losing republicans and that is important in a state like michigan. latino and hispanic voters are doing the same and it is possible that a republican could get 45 or 50% of the latino vote. on the democratic side, suburban voters and particularly women, particularly upper-middle-class do not like donald trump and they are moving towards the democrats and joe biden. we have the shifting going on that is very significant and happening in all of the swing states. and frankly, it is giving viewers an idea of just how few votes will determine the election. there are only nine states that are truly up for grabs, and only about 5% is shifting back and forth.

when you combine those two we are about to spend aliens of dollars in negative advertising for only 2% of americans. and frankly, i am concerned about the consequences. host: in advertising how much will that be age versus indictments and abortion versus border. are those of the messages that viewers should be repaired to hit on? guest: if i was taking notes but i am focused on the viewers. you just summarized it. you just summarized it in a way that they cannot do on cable news. you said in four seconds what takes them two minutes to say -- to save. host: you started by saying that it is something you are concerned about and c-span viewers know that you are thin polling people for a long time. what is different in the division that you were talking about? guest: i will go into it if you

have the slides to show viewers. host: sure. guest: we asked the question and i believe this is been the best question we have asked and maybe my career. i asked the american people do you feel invested in your country and its future? two thirds said yes, which is not a great number. one third really does not care what really happens to america and to the people around them. host: as you are explaining this and showing your slides, explain where they should be looking on the slide. you know them. do you consider yourself invested in america, 66% yes. democrats at 71% and republicans at 71%. explain why that is? guest: no partisanship. if you are republican or democrat you are invested in your country. the people least likely to be invested are independents who

have chosen to stay outside of the political process and outside the partisanship and in some cases because they reject republicans and democrats and in other cases they simply do not care. it is the bottom seven numbers that leumi away. and i literly, and i mean this and i saw the results come back and i started pacing when i had to write the analysis. 31% of americans and fewer among republicans believe that their country is invested in them in their future. and that is a complete rejection of the political process. a belief that the people in washington are not listening and do not care, a sense of denial and betrayal, and it completely freaks me out to be honest.

memes are going to be created, he is freaked out. host: what would you say to the viewers who say well americans throughout history have not felt that their country is invested in them. how different do you think those numbers are, that concerns you from 20 years ago, 60 years ago? guest: i believe that it is at an all-time high. this country did a vaccine that saved millions of lives. this country invested in education and roads, bridges and highways. some investments republicans like and some investments democrats liked. every day this country asks of us are tax scholars -- dollars and gives us back hopefully and i believe how people feel that they are not getting their money's worth and they do not you like the government is

efficient, effective, and accountable. but overall when i visit the lincoln memorial and ic the jefferson memorial and the washington monument and i think of how much this country has accomplished and truthfully it has nothing to do with government. it has to do to this commitment to the flag, the statue of liberty and the star string -- star-spangled banner, i teach at west point now. and these young men and women are the best that america has to offer -- to offer. and i believe that our country is invested in them and they may not do it well, as i said they might not do it efficiently. but when the public says i do not believe it anymore and i do not accept it anymore, we are less likely to trust the media than ever before or politicians than ever before. we are least likely to have faith in the future than ever

before, when i see these, it makes me concerned about the future and let us do the other two slides later in the interview to give people a reason to keep watching and keep engaging. host: let me invite the viewers to call in with frank no and he is with us for another half hour or so. republicans. 202-748-8001. democrats, 202-748-8000. independents, 202-748-8002. we will get to other two slides let us hear from bob out of nashville, tennessee. independent line to start. go ahead, bob. caller: i am calling to ask if he has some assigned to the terrorist center relative to the uncommitted vote. now, how close do you think it is that israel will be held accountable for the terrorist,

there part in the terror in the middle east, particularly directed to the people in the west bank, and the siege in gaza? it seems like congress is beholden to this idea that it is unconditional and israel is all good is when the opposite has been the truth. do you think accountability is coming? thank you? guest: i want to get to as many questions as possible. one of the things i teach my students and staff that you can ask the question incredibly powerfully and do not have to re-ask. frankly, it is a mess. the middle east and what happened on october 7 is a crime against humanity. what is happening in gaza right now is horrific. we all see that. the question i ask is there a

light at the end of the tunnel? is there way that these two could live together side-by-side, maybe not loving each other but at least accepting each other. the work that i try to do, this is not who i was 10 years ago. i was on the show as far back as money five years ago. i am trying to find the common ground, the threads that allow people to just accept each other and respect each other and ask -- and respects the right to live. on october 7 that did not happen. the level of crime and inhumanity, and what is happening in gaza today. i do not look away from it, we have to see it. buildings destroyed and families ruined. what must be done to prevent that, and you are correct, caller. we have to do a better job at prevention.

trying to hold people accountable now is good for them. it is essential. but seeking to prevent this from happening again, allowing israelis to live in peace and not invading and desecrating and committing the most unspeakable crimes has to happen so that we do not have a gaza, so we do not have a lebanon. by the way, just do not look at gaza. consider what is happening in lebanon, the hezbollah are firing missiles almost every night and killing israelis up north, and we will have the same situation if we do not do something about it. that is the purpose of politics and diplomacy. see a problem and to address it before it becomes a crisis. host: louisville, kentucky. this is benny. democrat, good morning. caller: thank you for taking my call. i will take you off

speakerphone. it is a pleasure to talk to you. i appreciate you taking my call. my question is that you had mentioned earlier the stands about republicans and democrats and feeling that america is invested in them. but that number for republicans was substantially higher, almost double. i do feel like we are getting a lot of whining and you know, america does not care and they have given all the money to the immigrants. and i think that republicans in congress they painted this picture that the government is not working. so, i guess, are they feeding the fire, or how do you see it, that was my question. guest: good for you. i want to hold both sides accountable. and everything that i do.

but your question is a good one. and the answer has to be yes. are they seeking to find a solution to the border or are they playing politics. and that border crisis is a problem. frankly, it was not a problem under donald trump and a nightmare under joe biden. i will say that. i will also say that the members of congress had the opportunity to pass legislation to address it and they have chosen not to do it. and that is a problem for republicans. we need to sit them down at the same time. the problem was not nearly bad under trump and worse hunter biden but republicans are not solving it. if you could bring up that slide, it was page 77, the pie chart because to the caller's point. we feel more desired -- more divided now. 80% of americans feel polarized

than ever before. if you look in the corner i broke it down by age. over 90% of people over age 65, the typical viewers of this program feel like the divisions are the worst that they have ever been. remember, they lived through the rise of the 1960's, the protests of the vietnam war in the early 1970's, the oil embargoes and the reagan and carter campaigns of 1980. they have lived through all of these divisions and they specifically say it is worse right now. my message to all the callers and to the washington politicians watching me right now is that up until now they have been able to play it anyway they want because we are a strong and healthy democracy. at this moment in 2024, we are

so divided that if we continue to act the way we have acted over the last few years, it is possible. i never would have said this, but it is possible that we could lose the democracy right now. we are so angry with the other side that we do not seek to listen and to learn, and the data from the national governor's association poll. c-span covered it last saturday. it is governors from both sides. it is callers from both sides and it is me as a former political consultant. we have to take responsibility and we cannot make the situation any worse. right now we are on that line. and if we get any worse, the west point cadets when you run into them in the airport, explained to them how you are deborah. thus jeopardizing the future of the democracy and you

cannot do that. we have to stop. host: the presentation to the governors and the slides point to the portions of the country being pulled apart, what are the portions bringing them together. guest: clearly it is here at west point and education itself. i will give you two specific solutions. number one is education. the more that we know and the more knowledgeable we are the less likely we will be angry because the more likely we will understand and appreciate the other side, point number one. point number two, the communication that elected officials deliver should be, and this is something called the dignity index. so it was created by tim shriver and unite movement. we should reject communication that demonizes the other side. it is perfectly acceptable to

disagree. in fact, there is nothing wrong with this agreement. we should embrace it. but how we disagree, do we simply think that you are wrong which is fine or do i think that you are evil which is not. we have to find a way to fix the education system and change the discourse at those two solutions to make a meaningful and measurable difference to the future of this country. host: from one frank in new york to another frank in new york. this is the republican line, good morning. caller: frank, this is frank from new york. i have been listening to your responses and they have been interesting and intelligent. i was an elected official for 20 years and never lost an election. always had both sides support, democrat, republican and conservative. what i think is not being said, quite frankly.

i am 81 years old. i have never seen that the legacy media in all forms, and i know we like to claim that it simply came from the internet. all forms of media, magazines, radio and tv. it is incredible how they have deliberately divided our community. so, you can gain by dividing because then you can nip you late and get the 51 north 52%. they do not care if they are getting the other 20%. as long as they can get over 50%. dividing perpetuates the elites, the people who gain the most. that is why they do not need the regular people, that is why trump is successful because he is saying it is all about the elites, the intelligentsia so to

speak from the old european word we used to use. host: got your point. guest: that is a fair point. that is one of the things that i do when i present to "the new york times" or on cnn when i have the top -- the chance to talk to the "financial times." all of them have to say, the number one attribute that people think is missing by far is truth. not left-wing or right-wing truth, but truth, not joe biden or donald trump's truth but the truth. i think we'll have to see a role. this -- what cp is what c-span did was they give democrats and republicans and independents a line. the problem is that that causes us to polarize. when we hear the democratic line

republicans think i will not believe it. when we hear the republican line democrats to not out. i am glad that people listen for the entire show. i am glad that they hear both sides. but even that little effort to inform the listener of the perspective of the caller, that in itself polarizes. i have been on this passionate pursuit of the truth. a willingness to say to former president donald trump you do not have to talk that way, a willingness to say to current -- i am sorry. current president joe biden, the american do -- the american people do think you are too old. the willingness is to speak truth to power to save our democracy. we do so not out of revenge or meanness, but out of the truth. we have to tell the truth. i appreciate the caller's respective. ohio, william. republican. caller: good morning.

i wanted to say something about the border thing. a few years ago when president trump was in office a soldier was killed in south america or africa. we were working with that country to dustup the training camps of hezbollah. now people are coming through those countries to come back up through our border. so now you understand why people would be so polarized about that. with regard to the constitution of the united states. i -- we need to have the palestinian people and the israeli people sit down and try to work out a two state solution, i think it would be sufficient. they would have to have a constitution that they would agree on and model it something similar to what we have here. the problem with the palestinian people is is that they are not

trying to put hamas, the radicals, those hamas people out of their country. instead they put them in charge, which was a huge mistake. because that is just another terrorist organization. guest: the issue is that we have to be careful. demonizing the people versus holding the governments responsible. hamas is radical, it does not just leave about laminating israel it talks about killing jews, which is a fact. you can look that up. but it is not the people -- sorry. this is what happens when you start to get old. and you get up at 8:00 a.m.. you have to have something to negotiate with. and frankly, the israelis are not eager, the israeli people are still buried. but with so many hostages and so

many people knowing someone who is still a hostage in gaza, they are not eager to negotiate. with israel continuing to attack in gaza the people in gaza are not eager to negotiate. we are not in a position where both sides will sit down and have an honest and open or not -- open-minded and free-flowing conversation about how to solve it. there have been attempts again and again over the last 30 years. when barkat was in charge of the palestinians. you have to have people willing to negotiate. you have to have people who have the best interest of their populations at heart. and arguably that is not the case at this point. and until that is the case, it will continue to be a conflict. and i want to do something

helpful in this. i am asking listeners right now to pay attention to what is happening up north. because whatever missiles and whatever happens in gaza coming over the israeli border, what is happening in the north is more significant. there is even more weaponry and more civilians. and i am praying, literally that it does not erupt. but as we look at gaza, let us also focus on preventing a conflict up north to remove the offensive missiles that hezbollah has, and to communicate to them that moral community will not embrace anything that they might do because that is how you get a war. that is how you get the kind of conflict that sucks the united states in. i will say to all of you it is

interesting that there has not been a single comment about china and yes this goes back and forth and there has not been a single conversation about russia and ukraine. it is right that we are focused on what is happening in the middle east, but we cannot just focus on that and ignore everything else that is happening over there or over here in america. host: about 15 moment -- 15 minutes. continue to call in on the phone lines as usual. you mentioned honest and free-flowing conversations. i want to bring that back to the united states. one of the things you have found on the impact of polarization, that we are censoring ourselves and that we are not having honest and free-flowing conversations. explain. guest: that is particularly true among yog people. we that they are the most toleranteneration ever and yet under age 30 you are more liky -- i am so worried -- i'm sorry about this. at the age of 30 you are more

likely to cut out somebody in your life that you disagree politically and you are censoring yourself and not engage a political conversation because you are afraid of consequences. the one that are most tragic, you are most likely to cut off a family member because you and they disagree. a caller who i listen to before i came on, it was tragic, the idea that you cannot have an open, honest and free-flowing conversation with your parents and grandparents. the fact that husbands and wives let up because they disagree so much on politics. that is not america. that is not who we have been or who we should be. and, i am going to point a light at this for the rest of my career in conversations like that when i am having here. and i am grateful. i do not mind people on the

phones disagreeing with me. i want to hear that and i welcome that. and i will always treat you with respect because in the end not only are we speaking the truth, but we are seeking mutual respect and and open-mindedness that we did not have before. the governor of utah has done a brilliant job at focusing on this challenge. because in the end we can solve inflation and immigration and education. and we can solve and you factoring in all of these challenges if we are just open enough and open-minded enough to have these conversations and if we are not we cut people out and none of these challenges will be solved in the country will continue to sink deeper and deeper into this political morass. host: christopher, new york. line for democrats. good morning. caller: i want to say and talk

about the intersection we are at in our evolution. i want to talk about it from a point of ascension. mankind has ascended to the point where industrial revolution, computer revolution, and now the space-age is bringing us forward. and i wanted to talk about the fact that in our evolution we have always used these -- the things that made us evolve like the whole food, shelter and clothing thing made us better but we had to fight for it so we became warriors. in the world we seem like we have become more like warrior nations and we weaponize everything from our schools to even the fetus. and it is getting to the point where we cannot do any other way, but we can. i think it is a matter of looking at what are the common themes for us. the other thing is a police system. host: let me pause and let frank jump in. guest: because this thing is

people. this gives us the ability to visit a museum, halfway across the globe. this gives us the chance to interact with virtually every human being at an affordable rate. when i was a kid i had to book a phone call to call my parents at, home and it cost $30 and i had to get on off quickly. it now a dixie your chip -- it a ddicts children and grandchildren and this spreads falsehoods. it is your parents if you are watching me right now and your kids do not listen to you and they do not want to engage you, and they seem to be spending their entire life on their phone, take it away. the way that we address so many of these challenges right now is for parents to assert responsibilities. and their control.

there should not be a device that disconnects us, should baa device -- be a device that allows us to do things that we had never been before. if you allow your kids on social media for three hours or four hours or tiktok. tiktok's nest -- not just a disease but it is toxic and it is destroying the ability for us to have conversations. in the last 45 minutes, to really engage in these debates as we are doing right now in this morning. if you allow your child to get addicted it is not your child's fault but your own. grow up and take the phone away and do not let your kids use it at school or use them in place of education. using this to google or bing something is a good use of technology. using it to spread hate and division on social media is the bad use. host: staying in the empire

state. pat in new york. caller: i want to tell the gentleman that we lost democracy a long time ago. john adams said that the two party system was the worst thing that could happen to the country when they are set up against each other into a conflict which is the only thing we concentrate on, not the issues. the people are not educated on the issues and people cannot participate on the issues. we have the tools to do that and we can go on c-span and look at the bills raised and we can vote instead of having these people who do not represent us. and what is happening -- which is to say what is happening in israel, it is a disgrace to the american flag and the honor of the united states and america. and to the people of this country who will take the blame for it. these foreigners think that we, the american people are the

decision-makers the way that we are supposed to be. we the people. it does not work. these two guys going for the presidency, we always have two people, the same two people. out of 350 million people in this country, we are stuck with the same puppets. we want to know who the puppet masters are. host: that was pat. guest: ok, i appreciate that perspective you know what, ronald reagan was -- did not have a puppet master. he responded to the public. we were incredibly down and it looked like american democracy was failing. and in the eight years he gave us hope and opportunity, and a belief in the future again. and so did barack obama. when he became president the idea that an african-american against all sorts of odds could rise to become president really

gave this country hope. republicans and democrats. i know that half of you think that reagan is great and half of you hate him. have of you think barack obama is great and half of you hate him. that is ok. let us say it is half ok. hate is never acceptable. my issue right now, and i am hoping that there is a viable third party candidate to give us an alternative to these two individuals. i have never seen a candidate with more intent support, more loyalty and a willingness to literally walk through fire for him than trump support. and in joe biden's case, despite the fact that he is 81 he will still be the democratic nominee. there is strong support for them. but for the first time since i have been polling, and that has gone back 38 years.

two thirds of americans are looking for an alternative to the two major parties. somebody else that they will vote -- that they could vote for, not that they will. but they do want an alternative. we will see over the next few weeks if they will get that or not. host: do you have someone of who that could be? guest: i thought it could be joe manson -- joe manchin but he is not interested or that marilyn senator. i am thinking it could be senator cassidy of louisiana, a republican. or the tulsi gabbard, the former democratic congresswoman from hawaii or the former governor john huck stead from utah. there is another name mentioned but he has said he is not interested. i am watching carefully. i believe we will get a name within the next 10 days, so we

should talk about how viable the person is because once you get to 22% of the vote you start to win electoral votes. and that poses a different issue when they participate in the debates. they get aderholt funding. we could see a complete change in the two parties system 10 days for now and that is why am so excited. let's see what happens. host: why that time day timeframe frame? after super tuesday? guest: after super tuesday, they cannot be any down. there is no down. after super tuesday it will become impossible for some of the challenges for joe biden and donald trump. and with that 70% who would rather not have those two candidates running, i believe that right after super tuesday we will know of an alternative, and i will be fascinated to know who that alternative is. host: one or two more phone

calls. annapolis, maryland. republican. good morning. caller: good morning. i had a quick comment about the quote that you started with which is a shakespeare quote which reminded me of a line from hamlet which reminded me to be someone or to do something as written by john boyd. based off of that, and based off of your experience of surveys, i am curious. you talk about two thirds of the nation feel like the government is not doing something for them. i am curious if you have discovered a correlation with the activities of individual citizens in the united states. are they actively doing something with their dedication to join the military or get involved in their local community? is there a correlation between that number and that number of two thirds not feeling like the government is doing something for them? guest: that is the best question of this morning. and if you are involved in some

sort of service, either the military or faith or charity, the more involved you are in the community the more positive you are. the happier you are with your family, the happier you are at work, your employment your career and where you live. there is a direct correlation with public service and public acceptance and the embracement of american democracy. i love that correlation because that is something that everyone can do. rather than complain, actually do something about it. frankly, there is no place in america where i have seen more commitment to service, sacrifice, character and courage than where i am sitting right now in west point. they are raising, training, and setting out to the world the most incredible rate of future

leaders and i wish that other universities had the same curriculum and the same positive impact that west point has. host: i looked it up while you are talking. 117 appearances on c-span over the years, 21 on this program dating back to 1994. we can show viewers and image of that 1994 visit to the washington journal. you mentioned how the phone lines are set up. if you do not mind holding up a mirror to this program, if you are trying to create a forum and have this conversation, final 45 seconds, how would you do it? guest: first of all, i have had a great experience with your hosts for years. you are the best interviewer i have ever had. this will mean i will never be on the show again, i realize that. the questions that you asked, i believe that viewers have the right to context and the right to know where you are coming from and where do you support.

but, i would be looking for ways to break it down in other ways because in the end if we only see things republican, independent and democrat, that makes us partisan. give me a shout a couple of months from now and allow me to think of the answer to say something intelligent and to continue this conversation because the viewers are awesome and i appreciate that there is no hate this morning. host: always appreciate you having you on and on x you can follow him @frankluntz, and we will have you back down the road. thank you. coming up in a little bit, we will be talking about the supreme court case happening today. greg stohr will talk to us about the bump stock case that supreme court justice is will take up in just over an hour at 10:00 a.m. eastern. that is next after the break. ♪

>> american history tv saturdays on c-span two, exploring the people and events that tell the american story. at 7:00 p.m. eastern we continue with a serious free to choose coproduced by milton freeman and rose freeman. the episode is titled who protects the worker. and then at 8:00 p.m. eastern, texas woman's university history professor talks about the federal government's efforts to explore and control the american west from the early 1800s for the civil war. at 9:30 p.m. eastern on the presidency, the former polish president gives a speech marking the 113th anniversary of ronald reagan's birth, his legacy and his support in poland and the solidarity movement. at 10:30 p.m. eastern on historic campaign speeches,

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helps support our nonprofit operations. scan the code on your right or go to c-spanshop.org to preorder your copy for delivery this spring. >> washington journal continues. host: on the day that the supreme court sits to hear arguments it is a good day to bring in greg stohr the court reporter from limburg news. the case is garland v. carville. viewers will be able to hear it live. what will it be about if they stick around? guest: it is a device called a bump stock which can be attached to a semi automatic rifle to be able to fire as rapidly as a machine gun. the issue is whether the government, or the atf can classify that bump stock as something that creates a machine gun, which is illegal and create a criminal ban. host: merrick garland is the

garland and kargil is the kargil. who is he? guest: a gunshot owner and a veteran. he acquired a couple of bump stocks and under the rule that went into effect they said you had to destroy them or turn them over and he did that but said i am turning them over and hang on because i will sue. he sued and that made it up to the supreme court. host: take us back to that process and when it happened and when that decision was made to go to the supreme court. guest: this rule was put into place in the trump administration after the las vegas massacre that inspired the ban, and went into effect in 2019. he took his bump stocks to the atf at that point. and he filed suit. he lost at the federal district court level. eventually won at the fifth circuit which is probably the most conservative appeals court

in the country. it was a big ruling and that court said that atf has exceeded its authority by barring these devices and subjecting them to criminal penalties. and the biden administration suggested a return to the supreme court. host: a lot of the case and appeals process down to what is a semi automatic and what is automatic when it comes to the weapons, explain. caller: -- guest: under a 1986 statute that bans machine guns which defines them as being things that can operate and can fire multiple rounds with a "single function of the trigger." host: pull? guest: it does not say pull, but function. government would argue that it is a single pull. the way that bump stocks work you do not have to mow -- arming -- move your finger at the weapon moves itself and it causes a trigger to go back and forth and that is an issue.

there is also the word automatically. so the question is that whether a bump stock causes them to fire multiple rounds with a single function and automatically. host: are automatic weapons banned in this country? guest: since 1986 average people cannot possess a machine gun, and automatic weapon. host: wended the bump stocks start to be developed and how many after this process to trying get rid of them, how many are left around? guest: at the time of the rule, atf estimated half a million bump stocks manufactured in the past eight years or so. a significant number, not as many as people who own other types of weapons. host: hundreds of millions of guns in the country. guest: so, it has been an evolving process. there was a device and the atf shifted its position in the

changes of devices and there was a device known as the atkins accelerator that worked a little bit differently that had a spring in it and atf eventually concluded that that was something that qualified as a machine gun. this device does not have that sort of spring. it basically requires the user to push and keep forward pressure on it and advice basically replaces the normal stock on a weapon and it lets the weapon slide back and forth while the user holds his or her trigger finger in the same spot. so atf originally said that is not something that converts it into a machine gun and then after the 2017 massacre said we actually think it is. host: the case is garland v kargil set today on capitol hill

at 10:00 a.m. eastern and we will bring you those oral arguments live on c-span if you stick around between this program at 10:00 a.m. eastern. if you want to talk about it beforehand, greg is a great person to do was -- to do it with. you are going up to the court to hear the case as well. get the calls and sooner rather than later. republicans, 202-748-8001. democrats, 202-748-8000. independents, 202-748-8002. we always have you do a little reading. who is the justice that you will be watching for, what will you be looking forward to get a sense of where the case might be going? guest: the usual justice, barrett, cavanaugh and roberts. i will also be interested to see what justice around-jackson does. as part of the argument. mr. cargill and the lawyer said that the statutory language is

onside on our side. but if you think it is close or ambiguous enough there is something known as the rule of levity which the court has said in some cases and in critical cases the court has said if a statute is ambiguous someone cannot cope to prison for violating a law that was not clear. the person needs to have fair notice of what the law encompassed. and that is a backup argument that the opponents of the ban are pressing and that is something that justice jackson will be reception -- receptive to. host: when do we expect to hear a decision from the court? will this be one of those that waits for the final day of the term? guest: maybe not the final day but the trend has been all of the biggest cases come in the last couple of weeks of june. given where it has been argued in the term, relatively late or at least in the second half. given that the court has issued only a few rulings in minor cases so far.

i think we are talking late june. host: let me switch deal -- years away from garland v. cargill to the case when it comes to the 14th amendment and whether donald trump's name should be allowed on the colorado ballot. colorado primary is taking place next week as part of super tuesday and we have not gotten a decision after that argument back on the eighth. are we expecting a decision before super tuesday? guest: we are not. the court is not expected to issue opinions today and the practice is to issue opinions from the bench and they will not take the bench again until march 15. it looks like that is the earliest date we could hear. the way this case came up to the court, the colorado supreme court put its own ruling on hold while the supreme court considered it so donald trump can appear on the ballot for now and everywhere else in the country he is eligible to appear. host: what happens is super tuesday happens and he appears

and the supreme court decides that he was not allowed to appear on the ballot? guest: that is a messy situation and then we start talking about the general election and whether he can appear as a candidate on the general election ballot too. it would be complicated, no question. the cleanest way they can resolve this is to side with donald trump. any ruling that is against him would potentially be very messy one way or another. host: the other case that many are watching is the community claims. the u.s. circuit court here in d.c. made its decision on that, will that get an appeal to the supreme court? guest: a form of it does. right now he is asking the supreme court to put that ruling on hold, actually and keep the trial in washington on hold. host: one of the two federal cases. guest: exactly.

the supreme court could activate any time on that request and if they turn that down and say they will not keep the trial on hold that it will go forward probably in a metal -- in a matter of a couple of months based on the way that the district judge scheduled date. the supreme court has a lot of options. they could agree and say that we will hear arguments in the case. you know, they could just grant the request and get the trial on hold for a long period of time. there are a number of options, but the most dramatic and consequential would probably be just turning him down. host: for all of the questions greg stohr for the next 20 minutes to answer those questions. phone lines for republicans, democrats and independents/ it is the bump stock case that the supreme court will hear today. and c-span viewers know that greg stohr covers at all at louisburg news. @gregstohr on x.

brent, louisiana. republican line. caller: i was listening to you guys talk about the las vegas shooting and i think that guy was a democrat. host: do they question? caller: was he a democrat? host: i actually do not know any political affiliation. how much does that shooting itself, been the case? there was the impetus for the federal action. how much are we going to hear about the las vegas shooting and what we hear of the supreme court today? guest: i would not imagine very much. by the time it gets to the supreme court it is about the words in the statute and the rule of limiting, it is not what inspired it. certainly it is a very important context, without that shooting, many of us would not have heard of bump stocks and we would not have this ban. host: how soon after this ban come into place and walk through

the process of how it happened. it was not like there was federal legislation? guest: right, there was talk that we needed a legislative solution and that was the only way one could do it. as i suggested that the atf in the past had said we do not think we have the authority to ban these things. there are some folks including like dianne feinstein who said the only thing that that is going to fix is legislation. instead the trump administration moved ahead with this and the legislation lost steam. though shooting was october 1 of 2017 and the rule was finalized in the early part of 2018. host: stepping back to executive actions. we always hear that legislation is better than executive actions and more lasting. whether it is an issue or border actions, there have been questions over the year about or even college tuition forgiveness

, about how far presidents can go with executive actions. how willing has a supreme court been in years, whether in this case are other cases to step in and push back on what a president can do and how far they can go? guest: this court has been assertive in saying that there are many instances where the executive branch is overreaching and does not have the authority to do that. that, so i case a couple years ago, where the court restricted the epa ability to deal with climate change by putting controls on power plants. host: this was during the biden administration. guest: yes. there are several cases this term, the biggest of which is a case dealing with the so-called chevron doctrine which says that if there is an ambiguous statute, the agency gets first crack at interpreting that and if the interpretation is reasonable, the court will defer to that. the supreme court is considering overturning that and that what's

a given kelly reduce the authority of agencies to fill in the gaps where a statute isn't clear. it is very much a theme of this court. host: is it fair to say, a yearly theme of this court, defining executive overreach versus what is allowed by the executive branch agencies? guest: as the court has grown more conservative, a number of the justices there, and some of them because they came from the d.c. circuit judge the court here, the deals with administrative agencies a lot, they care about these issues and in many cases they think the agencies are going beyond what congress allowed them to do and that is not the way our government is supposed to work. host: scott and pennsylvania is next. you are on. caller: thank you. i believe that the supreme court should not even be chiming in on this. it is we the people, and they serve us first. the second amendment is actually

law that we put in place, our founders to curb what is happening right now. we actually have an invasion brought upon by corrupt politicians with the head being joe biden. host: on the second amendment and the supreme court, how willing have they been to step into these issues? guest: this court has been pretty assertive on the second amendment, so far. there was a case two terms ago, the same term as the abortion decision where the court said there is a constitutional right to carry a handgun in public for self-defense, and they imposed a tough new test that governments have to meet whenever they put restrictions on guns, basically saying you have to find something at the time of the founding, you have to find a historical analogue to the restriction you are trying to put in place now. important to note that the case

we are talking about today, it is not actually a second amended case, it is a gun case but it's about the power of federal agencies, about a statute. there is a second amended case the court heard earlier this term having to do with the federal ban on people subject to the mystic violence restraining orders, but that is a different issue. host: a great question for you, what is the process for the supreme court to decide which case to bring up for argument? who decides who brings the actual arguments in front of the justices and how much are justices, legal it -- legal assistance and -- assistants and interns involved? guest: if someone loses at a federal appeals court or state supreme court, they can turn it to the supreme court and say you should hear our case. their docket is all most entirely discretionary.

they don't have to take cases up. they get together and discuss pending appeals and it requires the vote of four of the nine of them to take up a case. host: on average, how much did they take up a term? guest: these days, maybe 60 or so. host: higher or lower than years past? guest: it has been getting lower. if federal appeals courts are divided on the same issue, different of -- different courts had reached different conclusions. when that happens, the supreme court will almost always get involved. it will get involved if a lower court says something the federal government has done is unconstitutional. they do have law clerks. each of them have four. their duties involve going through the nearly 6000 petitions they get a year now. host: chief justice roberts gets

as many law clerks as ketanji brown jackson? guest: yes. host: would this bump stock case be different if congress had passed a law outlawing bump stocks? guest: absolutely. there may be some other sort of question about whether congress could do that. not sure what it would be, but this is all about the argument that congress did not authorize atf to ban these things. if congress had clearly said these could be ban or just banned them itself, this would be a different issue. guest: our next caller from michigan, democrat. caller: good morning. the caller that called in about the las vegas shooter, claiming he was a democrat, i believe the people he shot and killed are dead. it doesn't matter, it wasn't like he was picking out republicans. host: what is your question about this case?

caller: i'm just making a statement. host: ok. this is sean in maine. good morning, you are next. caller: good morning. i was wondering if the person has any thoughts on whether or not multiple military machine gunners have listened to the audio in nevada and determined a belt for machine gun was used and not a bump stock. it had a consistent sustained rate of fire. host: something you've heard about or looked into? guest: my understanding is that a number of bump stocks were found in the hotel room where the shooter was, and that has been the basis that everyone has been using to talk about this. host: last couple of minutes here. cases still get to be argued before the court, that are likely to be one of those that ends up as one of the last ones decided, the ones most watched

by those in your business? guest: one big one in the next setting involves the abortion pill. host: the next sitting? guest: the court will be offer two weeks, so in march. also a second abortion case. that case is about limits on access. the fifth circuit, the same circuit that decided the bump stock case partially upheld a ruling that put limits on how the abortion pill could be distributed, when it could be prescribed. for example, limiting male access. another abortion case in the april setting is the last setting of the term that has to do with emergency rooms in a state like idaho which has an almost total ban on abortion, whether doctors under federal law can provide abortions to people who come in and have a medical emergency, maybe not something life-threatening but

something severely endangering their health. those two cases will be very closely watched, and politically potent. host: when will you -- when will be likely here on those cases? guest: usually the end of june. host: greg stohr, he will be covering the supreme court today, covering those cases. bloomberg.com. we will let you get up to the court. we appreciate your time. coming up in about 20 minutes, we will talk with alex thompson, axios national political correspondent, discussing his recent interview with hunter biden and his deposition before a house committee behind closed doors today but first it is open forum. any public policy or political issue you want to talk about, the phone lines are yours to do so. we will get to your calls right after the break. ♪

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>> "washington journal" continues. host: it is time for our open forum. any public policy issue or political issue you want to talk about. republicans, (202)-748-8001. democrats, (202)-748-8000. independents, (202)-748-8002. this is the time of our program where we let you lead the program. as you are calling in, if you updates on capitol hill. the supreme court will hold its arguments in atump stock case we just talked about at 10:00asrn. live coverage here on c-span if you stick around when this program ends. also at 10:00, a senate hearing. the judiciary committee will hold a hearing on the recent spike in deaths in federal prisons, mainly by suicide, abuse or accident. testimony from the federal bureau of prisons and justice

department inspector general. live coverage on c-span3 at 10:00 eastern, also on c-span.org and the fe c-span now app. when it comeso after this program torrow, lloyd austin, secretary of defense will testify tomorrow at 10:00 a.m. eastern about his hospitalization and how he handled notification of his hospitalization. that's tomorrow after this program on c-span3, c-span.org and the free c-span now app. plenty going on. the senate is in today at 10:00 on c-span2 and the house is in at noon today on c-span. you can stay here all day long on the c-span networks. time for your phone calls in our open forum. audrey is up first out of maine, democrat. what is on your mind? caller: good morning. i'm wondering if anyone else remembers that when joe biden ran last time, he mentioned that social security recipients would

receive an extra $200 a month. we've been waiting -- i've been waiting for all this time and there has not been another mention of it since then. has he mentioned it this time and tried to make it work? i think you would get a lot more votes. -- i think he would get a lot more votes. host: do you think it would be coming if he mentions it again? caller: i certainly hope so. some of us are on social security only. there is no 401(k), no pension, no additional anything except maybe snap benefits if you are lucky. i've been sick for 32 years with what with a -- with what they call the guppy flew. it is the original long covid. chronic fatigue syndrome, whatever. they keep giving it different names but no one is helping us

to get better. i'm not able to go to work, even part-time because of this illness. i would love to be able to go to work, but i can't. i'm totally dependent on social security. because insurance companies, when i first got sick, they say we don't pay for that. so i had fabulous benefits but when they cut them off, they put me into social security poverty. i've been living on what was supposed to be supplemental, it has been the majority, the only income for 32 years. this is a very long covid. we need help. if you are not going to give us a raise in social security, then up the food stamps, help us with -- everything is coming out of property taxes and heat and electric and food. can you do it on less than $2000

a month? host: greg is in texas, republican. good morning. caller: good morning. my question is, you spoke of the abortion act earlier and how the supreme court is hearing two cases. how does the supreme court pick which cases to hear and do you think these cases should have more female input? host: perhaps a question for greg stohr, a bloomberg news reporter for the supreme court. when it comes to the supreme court picking which case to hear, they vote essentially on whether to take up a case and it takes four votes for the supreme court to hear a case, and five votes is the majority in a nine justice u.s. supreme court. it is four votes to hear the case and then five votes to make a decision in that case. a bump stock case is set to

happen at 10:00 eastern here on c-span. we are waiting as well for an appearance by president biden's son, hunter biden. he is coming to capitol hill today to testify behind closed doors, to members of various house committees. if he does make it in and decides to talk to reporters before he goes behind closed doors to talk with house committee members, we will certainly bring that to you in the next 15 or 20 minutes. this is lewis in maryland, independent. caller: good morning. how are you? host: i'm doing well, go ahead. caller: i had a question about the decision in louisiana. if they treat frozen embryos as a human being, then what is the

embryo in a womb? host: what do you think the definition should be? caller: i think -- [inaudible] host: let me take you up to capitol hill. james comer, oversight committee chairman talking to reporters ahead of this meeting with hunter biden. >> we are deposing hunter biden because he is a key witness in our investigation of president joe biden. our committees have unearthed substantial evidence of president biden and his family's corruption. the bidens created 20 shell

companies, most of which were created when vice -- when joe biden was vice president. for anyone who doesn't understand what a shell company is, a shell company is a company with no assets or no known purpose. we determined that the bidens had 20 shell companies. the bidens and their associates raked in over $30 million from china, russia, ukraine, kazakhstan, romania and democrat donors. 10 members of the biden family including joe biden either participated or benefited from the family schemes. what was the biden family business? that's been a big question of this investigation. what was the business? biden family associates testified that joe biden was the brand. biden has repeatedly lied to the american people that he never interacted with his son's associates but when he was vice president, he spoke to his associates, his son's associates

by speakerphone over 20 times. he dined with oligarchs and had coffee with his son's chinese associates. all while he was vice president. since you care so much about russia, we know the vice president, biden spoke with russian oligarchs and dined with her as she was funneling millions of dollars to her son. -- to his son. one of his associates said this phone call was orchestrate a by hunter biden and vice president biden told her to quote, be good to my boy. president biden also lied to the american people that his family never made money from china. hunter biden's work with the chinese communist party link energy company cesc began when joe biden was vice president. they even gave hunter biden a diamond during this time to entice him to work with the company. the bidens received a $3 million

payment as a thank you for work completed when joe biden was vice president shortly after joe biden left office. we learned this in our interviews. what was that $3 million for? they said it was a thank you for all the great work that vice president biden did in the biden-obama administration as vice president. along the same time as this payment, he attended a cesc meeting where there were 10 officials present including the chairman, who is tied to ccp intelligence. a few months later, hunter biden threatened an associate when he demanded payment by claiming his father was sitting next to him in the room. that is a whatsapp message that

whistleblowers produced to the ways and means committee, a message were hunter biden claimed his father was sitting beside him when he was shaking down or extorting money from a chinese national. shortly thereafter, cesc wired $5 million to an entity controlled by hunter biden. but of that day, 400,000 dollars was moved from the joint entities account to a business account of hunter biden. a few weeks later, joe biden received a $40,000 check from that transaction. that is evidence that joe biden received $40,000 directly from the chinese communist party link entity. this is public corruption 101. the american people see the corruption but unfortunately many in the corporate media and democrats seek to cover up for the bidens. why is that?

the american people aren't buying what the democrats and corporate media are selling. we will continue to follow facts and hold the bidens accountable for their corruption and i will be happy to answer a few questions. >> yesterday you put out a statement that this is not over. at which point during the investigation will be the end of the investigation? when do you refer out the articles to the floor and will you tell people once it is complete? >> obviously we've had a lot of interviews and depositions over the last few weeks but with each interview, we learn more information. we find more potential evidence, more tips, more accusations that need to be investigated. as long as we keep getting new information in, we're going to

continue to pursue. i'm ready to try to begin to close this investigation. this has been a very difficult investigation. this administration has been very obstructive, not cooperative. i feel like we have to battle the department of justice and the fbi on a daily basis to get basic information. many of our witnesses we have brought in our what i would consider hostile witnesses. at the end of the day, with every interview we have learned new information and the basis of what we have learned is that the bidens didn't have a legitimate business. their business was selling access to joe biden. what we have learned is a little bit about the business model from three different associates that said that joe biden communicated with the people, so he was the closer of the influence peddling scheme, and that at least into cases, -- in

two cases, one was cesc, which hunter biden was leading and one with americorps, the deal that politico did a good job writing about. both times, in their scheme and their pitch to obtain money in their influence peddling, they said joe biden was interested in an equity ownership stake and that joe biden might even, if the price is right, be on the board of these entities. that is what we have learned through these depositions and interviews. it has been very valuable information. host: james komar the house oversight committee chair, his committee is one of the committees taking testimony from hunter biden behind closed doors today. that is set to happen, hunter biden excited to arrive on capitol hill at any point this morning, for that deposition. time for a few more of your calls in open forum and then we will dive into that deposition

in our last segment of "washington journal," and certainly we will answer your questions on that topic. mike is in north carolina, republican. thanks for waiting. caller: good morning. a couple points. i know you got the results from the michigan primary last night, not counting nikki haley's votes. donald trump's votes totaled more than all the democrat, undecided, biden and phillips votes. the main thing i'm calling about is this illegal immigration and the horrific murder of the young lady in georgia and the final autopsies have not come out in the disfiguration. the girl's was crushed and just formed. this open border policy, these democrats and the biden demonstration are blaming trump on this and everyone knows that this border is wide open from

biden. when he first came in, and the debates, he told the immigrants to swarm the border, we will let you and and free health care and all that stuff. they said that venezuela won't take these people back? but they are sitting there wanting to buy oil from them. these people from guatemala that want to kill that young cheerleader in texas and left her in the bathtub, these venezuelans, they are the cause of this and we need to shut that border down. host: got your point. this is the story from the wall street journal, the killing in georgia brings calls for new laws in the state. a 21 -- 22-year-old nursing student was found dead in georgia. a migrant to enter the u.s. illegally has been charged in her killing. cj is in minneapolis, democrat. caller: good morning. thank you for letting me get this in. first of all, i want to say,

let's pray for our leaders because they need a lot of help from god. no matter what happens in this upcoming election, we still know that god is in control. the other one is that while they are doing all of these investigations against the president, all while he is trying to do his job, you can tell that donald trump is pulling the strings. i want to know how can they not pass some of the important legislation like balancing the budget and they still get paid even if they don't. it will shut the government down and they will still get paid. i would like to know how to they keep getting away with that every year. host: this is kevin in kentucky. good morning. caller: hello, thanks for taking my call. i would like to comment on your guest from earlier. i would agree with him that back in the 1960's and earlier decades, how the divisiveness in

the country -- these days now, we are battling with the internet, social media, which back then was nonexistent. the contribution that those two have put on the country in the divisiveness can't be underestimated. it is really getting almost out of control, but that is the way things are these days. i appreciate the different opinions i hear from the country , different parts of it. i would like to end with one suggestion, that maybe you had a fourth line for your call and that just as american or america. maybe change one of your other lines. maybe that would help with the

divisiveness if people would identify as american versus what party they stand for. it doesn't -- doesn't take very long to figure out what party or opinions most people have. host: to ronald in michigan, republican. good morning. what is the name of the town you're in? go ahead. caller: thanks for taking my call. that gentleman that was talking, he kind of had a part of what i was thinking about, there were a couple of things. i think the reason, one of the reasons that the left has such a hard time is the network partisanship. you watch morning joe or

something on cnn and they never talk about the issues. they just talk about the nastiness and the divisiveness that they are trying to spew out and i think that is a big problem as to why the left has no idea what we are talking about we try and talk issues with them. they don't have a they do not have a clue because they have never heard it before. like the border, they have no clue what is going on at the border because those networks never talk about it. another thing, frank luntz from earlier, he zeroed right in on a big problem. that is back when brian lamb switched from regular open calls to the republican, democrat,

independent, that caused a lot of divisiveness and still is. those are two things that really bother me, and i have got hundreds -- i have been watching c-span since it started. host: appreciate you watching since it started way back in 1979. mark here in d.c., good morning. caller: good morning. my call is to make a comedy about the arrest of alexander smirnov who was the main republican alleged witness against joe biden, who has been arrested and sits in jail currently. could you please ask your next guest how the rest of alexander smirnov affects the deposition of hunter biden today? because the entire fake case against joe biden has collapsed with the rest of their witness. host: certainly, we will ask.

this is the last call in open forum, chicago, independent. good morning. caller: good morning. thank you for taking my call. i would like to address global poverty through the international budget with the ongoing humanitarian crisis, can you share your perspective and the importance of allocating resources for that poverty on a global scale? how do you think investments will contribute to humanitarian goals and national security interest in the u.s.? thank you. host: maybe a question for our viewers. that does it for open forum. stick around, about half an hour left. next, we will be joined by alex, national correspondent with access, to talk about hunter biden's deposition behind closed doors on capitol hill. we will be right back. ♪ >> in the weeks that lie ahead,

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on c-span now, our free mobile app, or wherever you get your mobile apps spirit c-span, your unfiltered view of politics. "washington journal" continues. host: alex thompson joins us now on the day joe biden is set to testify behind closed doors on capitol hill. alex thompson, who will hunter biden be talking to and what will he be answering questions on? guest: house oversight and house judiciary committees. they subpoenaed him. you may remember dramatics over the last few months about hunter saying he would only testify publicly, and he was told, too bad, he would be in content of congress. he showed up and will testify now. they did not pull contempt of congress, but he did not agree to the private behind closed doors deposition. the reason why comber wants to do that is because you have real

litigators, real lawyers going in. but they will really ask him about his about his business dealings. more specifically, did his dad ever change policy, u.s. policy, as vice president to benefit hunter and the family financially. host: is there a way for us to find out what he gets asked about behind closed doors and will we know eventually? guest: absolutely. we will get transcripts, which usually take a little bit. in this case, i think the transcripts may come out within 24 hours. you will have a full transcript. it will not be recorded, that was part of the negotiations. no videotapes, and as far as i am aware, no audio. host: as members continue to show up, we will show you the stand up here, we're waiting for hunter biden to maybe show up on capitol hill. jamie raskin talking with reporters there. if hunter biden shows up ahead of this deposition, we will go here what he has to say.

alex thompson, jamie raskin is a democrat in committee, will there be democrat and republican lawyers there? will they go back and forth or do we know? guest: there definitely will be democrats. i just came from an event with one of the democrats that will be there and there were democratic lawyers. you can read in other transcripts of interviews with james biden, his brother, and others. there is a lot of clashing between the two sides. i expect this is the "star" witness of the gop, and i imagine it will get that way behind closed doors. host: at the top of the hour here, we will quickly go over to the supreme court, maybe a little bit after 10:00, for that bump stock case. we will let you hear oral arguments. until then, your calls with alex thompson on this hunter biden

deposition. democrats, [video clip] -- democrats, (202) 748-8000. democrats -- republicans (202) , 748-8001. independents (202) 748-8002. ,talk about alexander smirnoff and how that impacts today. guest: alexander smirnov, there has been a lot of talk, especially with republicans, over an fbi informant that it is alleged that joe biden had taken a $5 million bribe from burisma, the energy company hunter biden was on the board of in ukraine. because he was a longtime fbi informant, a lot of republicans, james comber, jim jordan, really took this as a verifying a lot of what they had been alleging about the ties between joe biden and hunter biden's business

dealings. special counsel david white you may remember, special counsel in charge of the investigation into hunter biden, he recently filed and indictment against smirnov alleging he lied to the fbi about this $5 million bribe. he has shown no love for hunter biden or for the biden's in general. he is currently indicting hunter biden in two different municipalities, delaware and california. the fact he came out and said that this man lied has really undermined a lot of the gop case because so many republican lawmakers are citing him as one of these corroborating factors. host: before calls, i want to know that you interviewed hunter biden recently. what was that about, and how long ago? guest: it was this past month. you have obviously heard a lot

about burisma, and i have covered it, at about it and some of the things he is alleged of doing, not filing taxes, a gun felony. in this conversation, i wanted to talk about how he got sober. because if you look at the timeline,, it is sort of a shock that he has stayed sober. the reason we know he stayed sober is because he swore in the court that his sobriety date was june 1, 2019, and another judge in september said that he had been tested in outside authority and was testing negative. like, huh, that is interesting, given where we know he was. it is an extraordinary story. if his last drink was the day before his dad's campaign kickoff in 2019, that was the day after dr. biden got married to a woman he had only known for a week. the fact his father was jumping

into the presidential fray while his son was really in a spiral of a crack cocaine addiction and alcoholism, and he did not even know where hunter was some of the time, and the fact that he was able to pull himself out of this nosedive -- everything else was swirling, having your entire digital life spread across the internet for your father's political enemies, and then the fact that you are facing jail time, and having all of this sort of tabloid frenzy. the fact he was able to do that. so we talked about how he got sober. the thing that was so interesting to me is he sees his sobriety not just something for himself, but he sees it tied with the country now because he knows a relapse would not only be a feeding frenzy on the right, but it would be devastating to his dad. hunter biden is the only living

person from that 1972 living person from that 1972 accident that was such -- so he clings to him. a hunter relapse would really just be devastating for his father's psyche, and he knows that. host: axios.com to read more about that. taking your phone calls with alex thompson until our program ends this morning. william is up first, birmingham, alabama, line for democrats. go ahead. caller: good morning. first, i would like to say james comer -- [indiscernible] there was a bunch of lighting. -- there was a bunch of lying. c-span showing jamie raskin. do you think anybody will say president joseph robinette biden was going for the okie dokie

from russia or china? how stupid are the american people? and you interviewed hunter biden, thank god for that. there are folks addicted to drugs, and we pray for their healing. we do not demonize them and put them down, we pray for them. i do not think republicans will find anything against joseph robinette biden. [indiscernible] on social security and everything else in this country. host: we get your point. alex thompson, what do you want to pick up on there? guest: this frustration with james comer is interesting. james comer really frustrates some of his own republican colleagues now, because in several instances, he has overstated, or misstated, what

the evidence is. part of this is because he has really gone on a lot of right wing media, a lot of newsmax, shows with benny johnson, and stuff, and they sort of lead him to the water, and he has basically repeatedly sort of gone over his skis. to the point now that a lot of his own colleagues feel he has over promised and under delivered. host: republicans gone over there skis on alex smirnov? guest: exactly, not just james comer but chuck grassley, jordan, there are many examples. you can go throughout fox and newsmax and them saying this corroborates their entire account. part of the reason is because smirnov was a longtime fbi informant, for a decade, and republicans knew that. host: cindy in ohio, republican. good morning. caller: good morning. thank you for taking my call.

my main point is this all started because joe biden lied. he told the truth that he had some dealings with his son, if he did that from the beginning, we would not be where we are today. he lied during the campaign, and he lied during the first part of his presidency. instead of being truthful, he lied and lost credibility. this started this whole sham of a presidency. thank you. host: alex thompson? guest: there is a lot of truth to that because joe biden did not tell the full truth during the 2020 campaign. he said his son had nothing to do with any business in china. that was not true. there were repeated instances of him saying i knew nothing about my son's business dealings, i was never in business with my son.

he gradually moved the goalpost. there has not been in a smoking gun that joe biden is ever influenced u.s. foreign policy to enrich his son, to be clear. but it is true that he issued this blanket denials, especially early on, that have not held up under scrutiny. host: what would you see as a smoking gun? guest: oh, let's focus on the main thing republicans have turned on, which is burisma and the ukrainian prosecutor. they say the ukrainian prosecutor was looking into burisma. joe biden they sickly pushed ukraine to fire the prosecutor -- joe biden basically pushed ukraine to fire the prosecutor. they say they are related. you have to have a smoking gun of hunter biden called his dad and said i need you to fire the prosecutor, it is hurting the company. and they have not found that. host: glendale, arizona, democrat, good morning. caller: good morning.

first of, if the guy was addicted to crack cocaine and making all that money at the same time, i give him all the props in the world for still being alive. but once his dog and pony show is over, will they be able to take any action against comer for his buffoonery, sue him or something? host: can you sue a member of congress after deposition? guest: i don't think so. if anything, i think comer may be rewarded politically for this. he has developed a big national base. sure, you saw this -- i'm not equating the different cases, but you saw it becoming the public face of an inquiry like this, which is big for a political future. i think of adam schiff and what he did taking on trump, and now he is a front runner to the next u.s. senator from california.

james comer has run statewide in kentucky before, and i would not be surprised if he does again. host: how does jim jordan fit in? guest: it has always been an interesting play between the two of them. because i think jim jordan has been a more disciplined messenger. he is very much out there, but he's in charge of the judiciary committee, not the oversight committee. and the oversight committee has a lot of jurisdiction here that jim jordan does not. but jim jordan is in the mix. host: judiciary committee investigating compared to the oversight committee, they are both behind closed doors, right? how do they break down the line of questioning? guest: it is a little bit of back-and-forth. and they're both sort of jockeying. when mccarthy first announced the impeachment, he put them together because he saw that jim jordan's team and their lawyers, especially when it comes to national security expertise, had

a little bit more experience than james comer. host: wasn't jim jordan her chair of oversight committee at one point? guest: yes. host: randy in missouri, republican. caller: i really appreciate your show. i just want to say that this rest -- arrest of this witness informant does not kill this case. they have evidence of shell companies, evidence of former business associates saying that he was selling the biden brand. and when you define bribery, it does not mean he has to personally gain from it. when his family gains from it, it qualifies as bribery. the third thing, this guy you are making out to be a right-wing radical republican, and he has arranged a sweetheart

deal for hunter that gave him complete immunity from all future charges, which the judge just asked three questions and it all lou up. -- it all blew up. so there is still a lot of evidence against mr. biden, and we have got to just deal with it. host: alex thompson? guest: some interesting and good points. it is true what he is saying, there were a lot of tips and business dealings, and hunter was selling the biden brand, and there is that. but one of the problems is that is a very compelling case against hunter biden, but you need to have a smoking gun to connect joe biden in order to impeach joe biden. you can say that joe biden benefited from the fact that hunter was getting more money, but i think the problem for the impeachment inquiry is they want to find evidence that he actually changed u.s. policy.

are there sketchy business dealings? 100%. i do not think anyone would discount that. in terms of david weiss, that is a good point that david weiss was the one that was about to give hunter an agreement, and that did not hold up after the judge questioned it. it is also one of the reasons why jim jordan and james comer have been critical of weiss. also remember that david weiss, not like a right-wing lunatic or anything, but he was a trump-appointed u.s. attorney that biden kept in place after he was elected because he was the one investigating hunter biden, has been now for five years. and after the plea deal fell apart, he really threw the book at hunter biden and tried to charge him with everything thing you could. host: hunter biden expected on capitol hill any minute to testify behind closed doors for

his deposition. we have been talking about it. there is a shot of the doors were he is expected to come in. james comer already came this morning before cameras to talk to reporters, along with other members of the oversight committee and judiciary committee. if we do get hunter biden in the next few minutes, we will show you that. the senate is in a 10:00 a.m. eastern, you can watch that on c-span2. on c-span at 10:00 a.m., we will take you to the supreme court for the case on him stocks, -- on bump stocks, so stick around for that. the houses in at noon eastern today. you can watch c-span all day long here in the various networks. chuck in alabama, independent. thanks for waiting. caller: good morning. you keep repeating that they identified evidence that joe biden changed policies, but maybe the problem is that he did not change policies, that he

left things as they are so that it would not hurt china. things we should be doing to china joe biden is not doing because maybe he has been influenced. what do you think about that? guest: it is a really interesting point. i think the thing they need to find is that joe biden was doing those things to benefit hunter. you can say hunter was in business with some chinese companies, so it is obvious. but in order -- the things the impeachment inquiry has tried to find and have yet to find is direct evidence. you can argue, just as he was, that -- host: hunter biden going through security here on capitol hill. looks like he is not going to stop to talk to reporters. go ahead, alex thompson. guest: the impeachment inquiry has been trying to find clear,

either written evidence or evidence through phone calls in which was made very clear hunter instructing his dad to do, or not do, something. that is what they have yet to find. host: to florida, hunter biden now in the congressional office building where he will be testifying behind closed doors, go ahead. caller: good morning, thank you for answering our questions. the one guy already sort of covered a lot of what i was going to ask with the deposition, way more than just about the informant and the input between the subseries -- subsidiaries, everything. for the money was going and everything, and this one fbi informant doesn't really, to me, have anything to do with it. it was just another claim. but they need to investigate all this stuff. i do have a question about the

fbi informant they got arrested. what makes it different for him to get arrested and not mr. steel from the dossier he put out from the fbi and stuff and was paid and everything from the fbi, informant, and everything else -- why wasn't he arrested for fabrication? host: alex thompson, i will let you take that. guest: again, very interesting points about -- and it is true that smirnov, the informant, that was seen to be corroborating evidence that justified the original allegations. when people say this is not what the whole case was built on, that is true, it wasn't. but they did seize on it. host: when you say they? guest: the republicans really seized on that potentially explosive claim. but they are right, hunter was

in this with ukrainian -- in retrospect, i think joe biden and hunter biden would do this over again. at the very least, it looks awful, and maybe they will find evidence they did something awful. the fact is joe biden was in charge of ukraine policy at the same time one hunter was on the board of a ukrainian energy company. that is at the very least not a good look. host: here with alex thompson this morning, you can find him on x @alexthompson. it says you're writing a book about biden. is that joe or hunter? guest: i do not think you can write about joe without talking about hunter. the book starts in 2015. this is just a year of incredible trauma for joe biden and for the whole biden family that started reverberating in everything going on.

the reason i say 2015 is because that is the year when bill biden dies, the heir apparent to joe biden. you hear joe biden still talk about how beau biden should be in this chair. that was also the year who hunter -- were hunter, who had problems before comes up breyer be -- sobriety problems, but when beau biden dies, that is one hunter loss control, his marriage fell apart, and he eventually began a relationship with his brother's widow. and the whole family was really struck in this tragedy. joe biden also wanted to run for president, if you remember, and was sort of dissuaded to do so by barack obama. which a lot of people in biden's inner circle considered a

betrayal. i think a lot of what happened that year continues to reverberate throughout the presidency. host: do you think joe biden regrets not running in 2016? guest: i think he does and i think it is part of the reason why he is running again now. i can tell you that when trump won in november 2016, it was also sort of a traumatic -- i'm using that word a lot, but it was a really traumatic event for joe biden, because he felt guilty for not running. beau biden wanted him to run and hunter wanted him to run, and he felt guilty because he thought he could have won, and then he felt angry at everyone who try to talk him out of it. host: taking phone calls before the supreme court comes in for that bump stock case. robert in florida, independent. caller: good morning. alex, you have interviewed hunter biden. the mainstream media says there is no smoking gun, no evidence

of any wrongdoing. so please reveal to the american public who the big guy is who is supposed to be allocating tens of thousands of dollars in the emails. if you did not ask that or you do not know, shame on you. thank you. host: the big guy? guest: this is about emails with tony bob linsky, and other business associate. to be clear, i am not saying there is no evidence here for what the republicans are alleging. they turned up a lot of evidence of sketchy financials, and hunter biden doing business with foreign nationals while his dad is vice president and doing a lot of -- also u.s. policy in. hunter biden went on air force to with joe biden to china and did business deals when he was there. so to say that there is no evidence here, that is not what i am saying.

but i am saying republicans have suggested there is a smoking gun or they want to find one. the truth is, they have not found it yet. host: to robert in greenville, north carolina, independent. caller: morning. i would like to know how we can allow donald trump to run for president with all the baggage, all the lies, all the evidence we have already, and also, he is going to do the same thing again. only worse. if it is a legitimate -- you know, he cannot say the last election was legitimate, and the rest of the republican party is following him. host: we're short on time. caller: i think it is crazy. host: in dixon, california,

republican. morning. caller: good morning. i have a question about policy change. is there any truth to i have seen, where joe biden tells ukraine to fire their prosecutor and he holds money that is already destined for ukraine hostage, and is there any truth to that to begin with? host: can you take us back to that? we have a few moments. guest: he did talk about that. human over and pushed them out the prosecutors. he said, if you want to keep this money for you want this

foreign aid, you have to do it, and ukraine. fire the prosecutor. i did happen. republicans say that joe biden did that to help hunter, but that has not been proven. that prosecutor was very popular. there was a lot of pressure to fire him because they believed he was corrupt. you may remember, this is the same issue that led to impeachment and now he is at the center of tbl presidential impeachments. -- two presidential impeachments. host: the testimony is an important cornerstone of joe biden's innocence. who is kevin archer again? guest: he is hunter biden's

former longtime business partner. he has separately been charged with fraud crimes. it was exonerating, but he was -- joe biden was not truthful about how much she was involved. hunter would often put him on speakerphone. he was the one that told others that he did go to a dinner with hunter's associates when joe biden said he had not been said under. so he did undermine some of the blanket denial. but it is also very clear that joe biden was not involved really in all -- and any of the

business dealings. he was knowledgeable and knew about them, but he was not involved in a way that the allegations would have you believe. host: joe biden expected to get his annual physical at walter reed medical center today. we are waiting to sure about the stock case. if you get a chance to chat with the members after the closed-door session, what would you want to find out about? guest: the main ones will be jamie raskin and probably jim jordan as well. jim jordan feels like the underlying facts have not changed, going forward with impeachment. the other is hunter biden's

attorney and seeing how it went. this has been a long time in the works. actually going back to the first trump impeachment. it is a pretty remarkable day when the president's son is being interrogated by congress. host: you can find that tomorrow. come back again on the washington journal. that will do it this morning on the washington journal. we will be back tomorrow morning we will take you over to the supreme court. oral arguments are set to begin momentarily. >> it will empty a 100 round magazine in about 10 seconds. those weapons do exactly what