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>> what could possibly go wrong in eight years of george bush? >> my producer just coughed up a hairball. >>sorry. >>just be grateful current tv doesn't come in "smell-o-vision" >> oh come on! the sweatshirt is nice and all but i could use a golden lasso. (vo)only on current tv. >> announcer: this is the "bill press show." live on your radio and current tv.

>> bill: all right. 26 minutes after the hour now. obamacare helped millions and millions of americans so far in the first -- its first three years. more opportunities kick in starting this fall. the president trying to get the word out about those opportunities as is families u.s.a., executive director ron pollack in studio with us. so ron i've seen the number -- you were just talking about. we need to get the word out so the people know the opportunities that exist. i've seen the number like two and a half million people. they're the numbers we've got to get to sign up in order to make sure that enough people are in the system to make it work. a, is that about the right number and b, if so, how do you get the word out to them? what's being done to get the word out to them? do you think it will succeed? >> i think we're going to see many more than that number. >> bill: oh really?

you have to tell people -- people have to know they can buy it right? >> absolutely. and unfortunately, if you look at the various surveys we've undertaken surveys vast majority of the american public, especially those who would benefit the most from this legislation are unaware of how it's going to affect their lives. we've had a debate, really robust debate on politics of the affordable care act. but we have not had really an adequate discussion about how it personally will affect people's lives. and that's our job is to transform this from the political to the personal. the more people understand this the more people are going to say hey, there's something here for me. i think it's going to -- i think ultimately, we will be successful. we've got to make sure that family members learn about it. they'll, of course, tell other members in the family and neighbors will tell neighbors. >> bill: is there money for a mass public relations p.r.

campaign? are there going to be tv ads? >> there will be ads and a big outreach effort. i have to say that congress, particularly house republicans have no interest whatsoever for helping to make this work. they just want to be critical of it. and so the funding for this has been severely limited. secretary sebelius, the secretary of health and human services is on the road traveling to different places. the president is going to step up the effort and it looks like ours are going to be doing this. >> bill: families u.s.a. will be doing it, too. you can join them and find out more about the opportunities for you at families u.s.a..org. great job ron pollack. thanks for coming in. >> announcer: this is the "bill press show."

but still support the drug war you must be high. >> "viewpoint" digs deep into the issues of the day. >> do you think there is any chance we'll ever hear the president even say the word "carbon tax"? >> with an opened mind... >> has the time finally come for real immigration reform? >> ...and a distinctly satirical point of view. >> but you mentioned great leadership so i want to talk about donald rumsfeld. >> (laughter) >> cutting throught the clutter of today's top stories. >> this is the savior of the republican party? i mean really? >> ... with a unique perspective. >> teddy rosevelt was a weak asmatic kid who never played sports until he was a grown up. >> (laughter) >> ... and lots of fancy buz words. >> family values, speding, liberty, economic freedom, hard-working moms, crushing debt, cute little puppies. if wayne lapierre can make up stuff that sounds logical while making no sense... hey, so can i. once again friends, this is live tv and sometimes these things happen. >> watch the show. >> only on current tv.

>> announcer: this is the "bill press show." >> bill: hey, good morning everybody. welcome back. 33 minutes after the hour now here on the "full court press." this friday morning. july 19. we're coming to you live from our nation's capital our studio here on capitol hill. coming to you all the way across this great land of ours coast-to-coast. on your local progressive talk radio station, of course, and on current tv. brought to you this morning by the american federation of teachers. the good men and women of the aft under president randi weingarten making a difference in america's classrooms every day. you bet. and our guest this half hour, a man who's making a big difference and has for quite some time here in

washington, d.c., i very seldom get to introduce a man who represents me anywhere but we live in washington d.c. we live in ward 6 and tommy wells is the city councilman for ward 6 here in washington, d.c. doing a great job. we're proud of you. nice to see you tommy. thanks for coming in. >> thank you for having me on the show and to be such a great constituent for us. >> bill: thank you. capitol hill is a great neighborhood. people don't think of it as a neighborhood but it's like one of the oldest neighborhoods in washington, right? if not the oldest. >> absolutely. it is america's neighborhood. we have our own little 4th of july parade. all of the things that make great little towns that, you know, that happens here on capitol hill as well. >> bill: people don't realize i didn't until i moved here that when washington was created it didn't -- the only way to get here was by boat, right? they came in at the navy yard which is right down the end of

8th street. so this, in effect, was like the first main street of washington. >> that's right. people came up by canal. which has since filled in. eastern market used to be right on the head of the canal. eastern market where we shop for fresh food and groceries and people gather on weekends, it is one of the oldest continuously running markets in the country. certainly not as old as baltimore and other areas. this used to be our main street used to be a canal. >> bill: next time you're in washington, you see the capitol building library of congress, take a little time to come a block, a few blocks back on the hill and you'll see this great residential neighborhood that we enjoy. the big news of the day you see the head story in "the new york times" this morning. detroit tumbles into insolvency. it is sad to see a great city like that go bankrupt. how are cities doing today?

generally? >> well, different cities are having different experiences. d.c., our city is doing very well. we've built up our cash reserve. we've begun to diversify our economy. in some cities, like d.c. and some other cities, young people and baby boomers are all moving into the cities. and so if you can provide kind of a lifestyle which you can do in a city which is hard to do in suburbs, then there is a future for that city. but detroit just got too far behind. >> bill: you mention about moving back in. now, we've lived here like 15 years on the hill. when we came here, it was generally a lot of members of congress a lot of people who worked on the hill but an older population. now, i say greatest threat to my life on capitol hill is getting run over by a stroller. there are so many young families. it's great. it is so exciting. what's going on? >> we've had an incredible resurgence in our neighborhood,

traditional public elementary schools. there's ten elementary schools in ward 6 and they all have waiting lists for people across the city to get into. and we've had a baby boom. young people, they don't want to see their lives as sitting in a commute. we've got some of the worst traffic congestion in the country. so the idea that people can do kind of what you do which is live work and play around the same neighborhood, really is the future. again for baby boomers and new parents. as soon as we're able to get our elementary schools up to speed people stayed. they're moving in. we've got -- the city's averaging about 1,000 new residents every month. >> bill: wow! see, peter are you listening to this? >> i am. i'm hearing you. >> bill: young man with young kids who is too far out. >> talking to me. >> bill: all that time you spend in the commute you could be right here. >> you could be walking to work, dude. >> maybe i could move in with

you. >> bill: i didn't say that. you mention the economy, one of the issues we've been dealing with lately, we talked about it here on the program because it does have ramifications nationwide. is what the city council voted to do for big box stores in washington, d.c., require them to pay $12.50 an hour to their employees. walmart said we're not going to do that. we're getting the hell out of town. you voted against it. >> i voted against it. i have a proposal coming out today that is kind of a living wage for everybody that we all grow together. not just targeting one sector of the business community. but increases the minimum wage. also has large employers like walmart pay into a pool for the employees they don't cover even under the affordable care act. that if someone only works 30 hours or less, the employer doesn't have to pay for their healthcare under obama's healthcare plan. so the city would have to do that and so the idea would be that they pay into a pool. but it really is a way to get

everyone to benefit by better living wage instead of targeting one particular sector of the economy. >> bill: the living wage in washington, d.c. is $8.25 an hour now correct? >> over two years -- i've already spoke to the head of the chamber of commerce. they could support this. over the next two years we raise it by a buck each year. we get it up to around $10.25. so that would -- you know, another thing that we can do is increase the exemption the personal exemption on income tax. that's how about -- 75% of the people that make middle income and lower they don't itemize like someone who is doing well like others. >> bill: it is interesting you mention the $10.25 because senator tom harkin who is a good friend of the program and has been critical of the president because he only wanted to raise the minimum wage from $7.25 to $9.ta and tom harkin said no,

that's not enough. it has to be $10.25. >> we can help all washingtonians and not just target the big box retailers who will not come into the city. we've got neighborhoods where there's not fresh groceries no am -- amenities like wards 7 and 8 that would not be able to get the same things we have here which is grocery stores we can walk to. >> bill: tommy wells city councilman here in the district of columbia, our own city government. we'll talk about whether or not that will ever become maybe a statehood in just a minute here. you can follow him at tommywells.org. one other issue in fact, right across the street here from our studio we're very excited about the fact there is going to be a medical marijuana operation right above i think -- >> it was going to be above the dunkin' donuts and now it is above the popeye's fried

chicken. insert joke here. [ laughter ] >> bill: but you've been talking a lot about the decriminalization of marijuana. why is that important to you? >> well, it's important because a lot of young people that they do experiment and try marijuana. for a small amount of mayor marijuana to get bust and have a criminal record for the rest of your life this proportionally disadvantages minority use. we have a much higher rate of african-american youth that get busted and have a criminal record which impacts obviously a lot of their abilities to get jobs and construction sites that do ask for criminal records and all of that. when marijuana usage is the same for white kids and black kids, but the folks that are less likely to be able to get jobs, things like that, that we have the highest arrest rate and it really is just small amounts of maybe wanna. i don't think that the public

good of criminalizing this is outweighed by the public harm of really beginning to disenfranchise a whole segment of our society. >> bill: have you talked to the police chief about this and what kind of support are you getting from cathy lanier? >> we had a rash of crime not far from here one evening and i held a community meeting and this was like three or four years ago cathy said we need to focus on crimes like this instead of busting kids for marijuana or young people. and i was surprised the whole room erupted into applause. this has been on her mind. i don't know how far she's willing to go. but it is like the busted taillight. it is a reason to pull someone over, give them a citation and see if there's anything else going on. it is used really in a lot of ways that really is disproportionate, especially the amount of people that get criminal record. it is a use of our courts, our police, and our whole police

apparatus for fighting crime should not be caught up in this way. >> bill: amen. there are more and more cities and states that are coming to that conclusion. >> i modeled the bill on massachusetts. they've had five years of this and frankly everybody that did not become dope smokers. >> believe it or not. >> bill: lots of issues we're dealing with here in washington d.c. tommy wells right in the lead on many of them. on the d.c. city council. that have ramifications nationwide. other cities are dealing with at the same time. maybe not so successfully. your calls and your comments welcome at 1-866-55-press. we'll be right back on the "full court press."

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>> announcer: this is the "bill press show." >> bill: it is the "full court press" on a friday morning. back to our conversation here with councilman tommy wells in just a second, but first told you about identity theft. saw this story up in massachusetts. how about it. a man ordered a tie and a pocket square from a retailer's web site. when his package arrived oops, he received instead the confidential files of former employees including social security numbers and w-4 tax forms from the retailer. somebody made a big mistake. but that's how people can get

ahold of one -- one way people can get ahold your private information. you should be protected against identity theft as i am with lifelock ultimate. the most comprehensive theft protection i.d. theft protection out there and available. but of course, lifelock services can't protect you or your bank account if you're not a member. so visit lifelock.com or call and mention press 10 and you'll get 10% off your lifelock ultimate membership. call 1-800-356-59667 for lifelock ultimate. 1-800-356-5967. tommy wells city councilman here in ward 6 in washington d.c. what about the fact that we live here, we work here. we pay taxes here and we don't get a vote. is it ever going to change? >> well, when they wrote the constitution, they wrote in this provision that there would be a

spot where congress made all laws. i don't think they really thought that 600 and some thousand people would live here. i don't think they thought ahead on that. there are a lot of affirmities in the constitution like women unable to vote which has been corrected over time. this is one that needs to be corrected. d.c. is larger than two other states in population. >> bill: we have more people than wyoming. >> that's right. for the idea that people don't have a senator or a voting congressperson, the disenfranchisement because we fight in wars, we pay our taxes we are american citizens. and the idea that we don't have full rights is -- there's no other major capital in the world of a developed country where the residents of their nation's capital are disenfranchised. >> bill: the answer is statehood, right? >> i strongly believe the answer is statehood. i strongly believe that. but whatever gets us full voting

rights that walks talks and quacks like a state, i don't care what they call it but it is statehood. >> bill: when some people look at washington today they still say yeah but look at this town. marion barry's reputation and all of the recent problems we've had with michael brown. they see washington as a corrupt city. is it? >> well, currently, there is a crisis in ethics among our elected government. certainly when this happened in illinois. that no one came in and took their statehood away. louisiana, not to -- say anything bad about our brothers and sisters in louisiana and illinois. they've got a lot of elected government in prison. so that has happened in d.c. but you know, through that, we still have -- we've got a great economy. we're growing as a city. our city is doing extremely well. certainly is a crisis in government. that's why i'm making the

changes i'm doing is that -- it is completely unacceptable. we root it out and ask the voters to take care of it. >> bill: and you have -- how long have you been on the city council now? >> i've been on the council for six years. before that i, i was on the d.c. school board for six years. >> bill: you have indicated you might decide -- might seek the opportunity to step up and be mayor of washington, d.c. next time around. >> i'm absolutely running for mayor of washington. >> bill: what are your goals? what do you want to accomplish and how do you see it? >> the first is obviously to bring integrity to government. cities doing well but a corrupt government will lay it low. that can't happen. that's one of the reasons i'm running. >> bill: do you see vincent gray as part of the corruption? >> he's under investigation for running an illegal campaign. to the tune of $650,000. of a shadow campaign. and i think that, you know, it has continued to embarrass the city, the idea that he also paid

a guy to stay in the race against his opponent and gave him $100,000 plus job he is unqualified for. he continues a pattern of undermining the confidence we have in our elected government. i'm running to create what we call great place to live, work, and raise a family. and as you noted we're covered in strollers because people believe in this area. and that we've rebounded our traditional public schools especially as the elementary schools come back. we've had the great es decrease in crime in ward six. it is what you enjoy where you live, bill is five-minute living. you can get to just about anything you want in five minutes and what makes cities great. we can do this in wards 7 and 8 as well as across the river. then the other thing that i really do believe is we have to build the next generation of transit. i believe in the streetcar. it is one thing you know, the poorer folks it doesn't matter

if you have a job if you can't get to it in a safe, reliable way. the poor folks in d.c. have the worst public transit in the city. >> bill: wouldn't it be great to bring back the streetcar in washington? >> that's exciting. >> bill: that would be exciting. tommy wells, great to see you. thank you for stopping by this morning. you're in the neighborhood, just stop by any time. have a cup of coffee downstairs and we'll talk about the issues of the stay. good luck with everything you're doing. good luck with the mayor's race. any way we can help, let us know. >> thank you very much bill. >> bill: tommywells.org. i'll be back and tell you what the p.o.t.u.s. is up to down at the white house. >> announcer: connect with the "bill press show" on twitter. follow us at bpshow and tweet using the hashtag using bp. this is the "bill press show." the sweatshirt is nice and all but i could use a golden lasso.

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>> if you believe in state's rights but still support the drug war you must be high. >> "viewpoint" digs deep into the issues of the day. >> do you think that there is any chance we'll see this president even say the words "carbon tax"? >> with an open mind... >> has the time finally come for

real immigration reform? >> ...and a distinctly satirical point of view. >> but you mentioned "great leadership" so i want to talk about donald rumsfeld. >> (laughter). >> watch the show. >> only on current tv. this show is about being up to date, staying in touch with everything that is going on politically and putting my own nuance on it. in reality it's not like they actually care. this is purely about political grandstanding.

>> bill: very excited to welcome back rosa delauro from connecticut. she and democratic leader nancy pelosi out there yesterday talking about the great contributions women making to this american economy. she'll tell us all about it here in studio and then we'll be joined by president tom buffenbarger of the machinist's union. to talk about jobs, jobs, jobs and how we might get our manufacturing base back in this country. the "full court press" rolling on. president obama with kind of a light day down at the white house today. he and the vice president get their daily briefing at 10:15 this morning. he will be meeting then with senior advisers throughout the rest of the day. nothing else, no public events on his schedule. boy, he's really been laying low lately. this evening at 5:00, he and the first lady will host a reception

for members of the diplomatic corps. and then the only other event at the white house today is jay carney has his daily press briefing at 1:30 p.m. i'll be there. at my perch. trying to ask all of the questions that you would want to ask if you were there. it is friday, july 19. here on the "full court press." we come back and talk economy and women with rosa delauro from connecticut.

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>> bill: good morning everybody. what do you say? it is a friday morning. july 19. great to see you this morning. we're coming to you live from our nation's capital washington, d.c. bringing you the news of the day. whatever's going on here in our nation's capital. around the country around the globe. we'll let you know. and then you let us know what you think about it all. you can do so by phone at 1-866-55-press. you can join us on twitter. we want to hear your comments on twitter at bpshow and on facebook, be our friend, befriend us and inform us of what you think at billpressshow.com. i'm sorry facebook.com/billpressshow. they made the deal on the filibuster meaning there would be votes on president's nominees

to the executive branch. gina mccarthy confirmed yesterday as the head of e.p.a. and tom perez confirmed as the new secretary of labor. yeah. what took so long? meanwhile, at the white house president obama yesterday celebrating the success of obamacare so far. and pointing out that the best is yet to come when those health insurance exchanges kick in starting october 1. we're also going to be talking in the next hour, of course with congresswoman rosa delauro about women's impact and contribution to this american economy and then tom buffenbarger from the machinists on current tv. young turks! i think the number 1 thing than viewers like about the young turks is that were honest. they know that i'm not bsing them for some hidden agenda, actually supporting one party or the other. when the democrats are wrong, they know i'm going to be the first one to call them out. cenk on air>> what's unacceptable is how

washington continues to screw the middle class over. cenk off air i don't want the middle class taking the brunt of the spending cuts and all the different programs that wind up hurting the middle class. cenk on air you got to go to the local level, the state level and we have to fight hard to make sure they can't buy our politics anymore. cenk off air and they can question if i'm right about that. but i think the audience gets that, i actually mean it. cenk on air 3 trillion dollars in spending cuts! narrator uniquely progressive and always topical the worlds largest online news show is on current tv. cenk off air and i think the audience gets, "this guys to best of his abilities is trying to look out for us." only on current tv!

(vo) current tv is the place for compelling true stories. (kaj) jack, how old are you? >> nine. (adam) this is what 27 tons of marijuana looks like. (vo) with award winning documentaries that take you inside the headlines. way inside. (christoff) we're patrolling the area looking for guns, drugs bodies ... (adam) we're going to places

where few others are going. [lady] you have to get out now. >> lots of terrible things happen to people growing marijuana. >> this crop to me is my livelihood. >> i'm being violated by the health care system. (christoff) we go and spend a considerable amount of time getting to know the people and the characters that are actually living these stories. (vo) from the underworld to the world of privilege. >> everyone in michael jackson's life was out to use him. (vo) no one brings you more documentaries that are real, gripping, current. >> occupy! >> we will have class warfare. (vo) true stories, current perspective. documentaries. on current tv. >> announcer: broadcasting across the nation on your radio and on current tv. this is the "bill press show."

>> bill: you probably won't hear this anywhere else but the dow set a new record high again yesterday. this obama economy is working. at least one aspect of it. we think it's important that you know about that. good morning, everybody. it is the "full court press" here on a friday, july 19. so good to see you today. i would like to think you're keeping cool but that's probably impossible to do so. all across the nation, temperatures in excess of 90 degrees. cooldown at least this last hour before we go into the weekend as we talk about the big news of the day and give you an opportunity to join the conversation at 1-866-55-press. give us your comments on twitter at bpshow and on facebook at facebook.com/billpressshow. thanks for joining us this friday morning. and it is a historic day this friday morning.

july 19. 1848. 155 years ago seneca falls this is the anniversary when women maybe first met to assert their rights and one woman today who is leading women in asserting their rights is congresswoman rosa delauro in studio with us. >> good to see you. >> bill: happy anniversary. >> 165 years. this is the day. i want you to know that the colors that were part of this celebration were purple, gold and white. so you are in very good form. and we didn't even get a memo out. so there, it is wonderful. >> bill: just automatically picked up on it. >> you knew it. >> you and democratic leader nancy pelosi were out and other women from congress yesterday talking about many ways in which women can help them. and are driving this american economy. we want to hear more about that from you.

you join our team, you've been here so many times you probably know them well by now peter ogborn and dan henning of course. alichia cruz. she's got the phones covered. cyprian bowlding has the video cams covered. yesterday, two days ago congresswoman, another big day. the 95th birthday of nelson mandela. yesterday in the congress, was the birthday yesterday or the day before? >> birthday was yesterday. >> yesterday. >> bill: and there were celebrations of course throughout south africa and outside of the hospital in pretoria. and here in the congress, leaders of both parties got together to commemorate the great life of nelson mandela. harry reid speaking. >> the father of a nation, the george washington of south africa the abraham lincoln of south africa, nelson mandela. >> bill: and then john bainer from the house republican john

boehner also echoing the sentiments. >> he surely will live on in the hearts of every dreamer of every builder and everyone who toils and says i want to be free. >> bill: one of the great people of our lifetime. >> amen. you know, extraordinary human being. in my life, you know, one of the most poignant moments i had, i was in south africa in johannesburg when nelson mandela was elected. my husband stan greenberg was doing the public opinion survey work for mandela and really had camped out there for many, many weeks. but i went for the elections. and truly first of all a stirring event the night before the election when they lowered the flag of the apartheid and

raised the flag for the new south africa. it was really stirring and i was in the room that evening when nelson mandela danced across the floor. and people, you know, just crying and dancing and just the exhilaration was unbelievable. and a good friend of parliamentarian took stan and myself, we jumped in a car and drove out to a place that was not electrified so people had built bonfires and were dancing and just filled with joy and with hope. let me just tell you one vignette, there were lines of people. this was out -- without any bloodshed in this nation where they thought it would really explode. but we visited a number of the polling places and just to see if everybody -- they had ballots and so forth.

just to see what was going on. people waited in line all night to vote. there was a young man, skid him why he waited in line, i got this wonderful picture in my home of myself and this young man. he said to me that if something should happen to me, when i come out from voting, at least i will have had a chance to vote once in my lifetime. it was unbelievable. unbelievable. sometimes we complain of waiting 20 minutes in line because the lines are too long. all night long. people waited to cast that ballot. extraordinary man nelson mandela. he is, as i listen to harry reid and to john boehner the father of a nation. >> bill: you know, the idea that he may now get out of the hospital, what they're saying. >> resilience. >> bill: sure. there sure is. so, talk about a resilience, what was the message of seneca

falls and what's the message today? >> seneca falls was all about women, declaring if you will, as we did in declaration of independence and if you read you know the transcripts, it was a declaration of sentiments and it was about asserting women's equality with men. it was about political social, economic life. for women. and that is -- over the last year or so, we have been look at -- women certainly have made gains since that time. however, this is a particularly precarious economic time for women. all women and particularly unmarried women women who are single widowed divorced or separated, experiencing unbelievable financial challenges in their lives, and

it's now -- you know, there was a view of a nuclear family which was probably more the ideal than the norm but women are in the workplace. and that is the standard. and the fact is that when we talk to people in our own communities and we've had these conversations over the last several months with women, with some of the women's organizations who have been out there as well and listening to our colleagues, that when you are talking to women that that financial struggle their pay. the issues are really -- there were three areas that continue to bubble up and that's pay. it is paid leave. and it is child care. and essentially, what this is about is to look at an agenda. when women succeed america succeeds and it is an economic

agenda for women and it says that you know, it is about raising incomes. of it is about paycheck fairness. it is about raising the minimum wage. it is about educational opportunities for women and for their families. it's about the kinds of things like paid sick days and paid family leave that help them in the workplace as well as child care that's affordable and accessible and preschool. this is a balance women are trying to live with today and their economic circumstances are really dire and they face serious challenges. and you know, they're also concerned that not too many people particularly in washington, d.c., are focused on what their lives are and we are now. and have been. and have been. >> bill: and that's -- if anybody had any doubt about that they no longer have any doubt about that.

when you hear that impassioned -- you know, explanation of what this is all about. and underscoring the needs of women today to have some attention to those problems. you're also facing -- you know, they call it the war on women. you're facing counter pressure from people who either don't care or don't want to help. right? >> yes that's very true. you take a look at some of the issues. again, this is about -- you know, women looking for pay equity. that rise in the minimum wage. the education opportunities and the reason why it is a better quality of life for themselves and their families. that's what it's all about. now, when you take a look at some of the initiatives that we have, you know, been dealing with in the last 70 years

paycheck fairness, i introduced it in 1997. we won the vote twice in the house. lost it in the senate. very, very interestingly enough, we lost by two votes in the senate and there were five republican women. where we couldn't get the two votes there or republican men. and that would have been the law of the land today if that had happened. but every time we bring up -- >> bill: still hasn't happened? >> no, it hasn't because the second time we brought it up, we won in the house. it then went to the senate. it was filibustered. and the view is that this is not an issue. that women select to take a job that pays less than a man's job. this is simple legislation. same job same pay. and -- >> bill: the idea that that should even be debated is -- i just can't relate to it. >> every time we have this debate in the house actually, one of my house colleagues, not

that long ago on a national tv show on a sunday morning said women don't need equal pay laws, okay? but the fact is that even accounting for education experience, all of that, no matter what the job is going to pay 77 cents on the dollar and women of color, there is a greater disparity. look at women wage. the fight against minimum wage and raising that effort. you know, paid sick days, i'm so proud of connecticut. they're leading the country. we were the first in having paid sick days. almost 50% of people, men and women in the united states work in the private sector, do not have one single paid sick day. not one. this really affects women because they are caregivers. so if your child is sick, and

you have -- you're faced with -- shouldgy to work or am i going to take care of my child. if i don't go to work, i'm at risk. and then or an elderly parent to take care of. >> bill: if they're sick, you can't just drop them off at day care. >> you can't. they won't accept them at day care. then you've got the issue of day care. you know. if something goes wrong people's arrangements on day care are tenuous. sometimes it is with family. sometimes if you have someone that's -- where you have someone and they're ill or so forth what you want to do is to have your child in a safe and secure place in day care. day care is very expensive. it can be as expensive as a mortgage. so so, the agenda is about focus on those economic issues that are confronting women today

to be able to have them raise their incomes, better take care of their families. >> bill: and the leader of that movement here, congresswoman, one of the leaders i guess i should say congresswoman rosa delauro here and nancy pelosi right at the head of the pack in studio with us. you've got a chance to get a comment or a question in, give us a call at 1-866-55-press. and maybe the solution is that we just need more women in elected office who can make the decisions and pass these laws in the house and in the senate. we'll be right back with the congresswoman from connecticut. >> announcer: get social with bill press. like us at facebook.com/billpressshow. this is the "bill press show." laughing... >> that's hilarious! >> ...and the thinkers thinking. >> okay, so there's wiggle-room in the ten commandments is what you're telling me. >> she's joy behar. >> and current will let me say anything. >> only on current tv.

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>> announcer: heard around the country and seen on current tv this is the "bill press show." >> bill: we'll be talking jobs with tom buffenbarger, president of the machinist's union coming up. i'm not talking enough about jobs these days. coming up in the next half hour. right now in this half hour, we're talking about women and this exciting new -- women in this economy exciting new movement launched yesterday by democratic leader nancy pelosi with congresswoman rosa delauro standing right by her side called when women succeed america succeeds an economic agenda for women and families. the good congresswoman is in studio with us this morning. peter, you had a comment online? >> we're at bpshow on twitter at bpshow where steve in massachusetts says women must crack the glass ceiling.

that is the republican party. the republican party seems to be leaving women behind. once they figure it out, we might make some progress. >> bill: congresswoman will there be -- tell us about this campaign, going to be a series of bills legislation. of some which are already in. but packaged together and moving forward. >> absolutely. there will be a campaign and leader pelosi is leading this effort, i might want to mention my colleagues were there yesterday. a number of them and congresswoman donna edwards congresswoman donna matsui and we had three unbelievable women who spoke about their own personal circumstances with regard to pay to paid leave and with regard to child care. but what we're going to do there are a whole lot of dates commemorating all kinds of historic events, not unlike the anniversary of seneca falls. targeting those to do events.

obviously members of congress, men and women. we have some of our male colleagues standing with us yesterday. we'll be going home to do events around this -- around this agenda. and talking to, as they have been and this comes out of -- we are responding to what we listen to from women. and working women around this nation. and trying to get back to them to let them know that, in fact, there is legislation. and there is upcoming legislation as well. that we are going to champion. and we want to make sure that their voices are heard so that we're able to move on some of the efforts. for their economic well-being. >> bill: as you mentioned you're focusing on thee areas pay equity work and family and -- >> balance. and also on child care. big issue and the affordability

and accessibility of child care. also with regard to women business owners, small business women, you know, entrepreneurs what they need to be able to succeed and our congresswoman spoke yesterday as well. and it is in addition to capital, they need the opportunity for child care and you know -- >> bill: in order to grow their businesses. how important -- about 30 seconds left, how important is it, the effort to get more women in elected office? >> well, listen. you know, it simply is much better than when i came 23 years ago. but let me just say this. it is not always the case is that you know, women come with the same views as to what we have to try to accomplish. and you know legislative bodies. this is about -- certainly women changed the agenda. there is no question about that.

and you know i'm an advocate for recruiting and electing women to the house. but a legislative body is finding the like-minded people, the women and the men who believe that when women succeed america succeeds and our foreign economic agenda for women and their families. >> bill: that's the message. you carry it loud and strong, congresswoman. so good of you to come in this morning. we'll be back and talk jobs with tom buffenbarger here on the "full court press." >> announcer: this is the "bill press show." but still support the drug war you must be high. >> "viewpoint" digs deep into the issues of the day. chance we'll ever hear the president even say the word "carbon tax"? >> with an opened mind... >> has the time finally come for real immigration reform? >> ...and a distinctly satirical point of view. >> but you mentioned great

leadership so i want to talk about donald rumsfeld. >> (laughter) >> cutting throught the clutter of today's top stories. >> this is the savior of the republican party? i mean really? >> ... with a unique perspective. >> teddy rosevelt was a weak asmatic kid who never played sports until he was a grown up. >> (laughter) >> ... and lots of fancy buz words. >> family values, speding, liberty, economic freedom, hard-working moms, crushing debt, cute little puppies. if wayne lapierre can make up stuff that sounds logical while making no sense... hey, so can i. once again friends, this is live tv and sometimes these things happen. >> watch the show. >> only on current tv.

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time anywhere. this is the "bill press show." >> bill: it's friday morning! july 19. here we go on the if ul court press. coming to you live from our nation's capital, our studio on capitol hill. and the "full court press" brought to you this morning by the international association of machinists, good men and women of the machinist's union under president tom buffenbarger, look who walked in this morning. >> great to be here, bill. >> bill: mr. president, nice to see you. sharpening america's edge on the global economy. you can find out a lot more on our next half hour together here. go to goiam.org. >> i like you mention his name and he shows up. >> i want you guys to know i walked through hell to get here. have you been outside this morning? it is hot! >> bill: you know what? even at 5:00 a.m. when i showed up here this morning, it was

already 90 degrees. >> so hot. >> bill: it doesn't cool down anymore at night. >> this is the coolest part of the day. that's what's -- >> think about that for a second. >> bill: you look at the map of the united states, it is like 90 degrees plus, all red. all the way across. particularly we thank you on a day like today coming in. >> it is what happens when the republicans get their way the whole country gets red and burns up. goes to hell in a handbasket. >> bill: so we were talking in the last half hour, tom with rosa delauro from connecticut about the efforts launched yesterday to really get fairness in the workplace for women and the whole issue -- the whole idea of jobs. i want to ask you about you know, a couple of years ago president obama and even the republicans were saying our agenda is going to be jobs. the most important thing is

getting americans back to work. jobs. you know, we still have 7.6% unemployment. nobody is talking about jobs anymore. what's going on? >> the only time you hear the politicians talk about jobs bill is right before an election. and then after election, they forget about that. now, that is still our number one issue. that's number one in the minds of working americans today i'll guarantee it. and i don't care who would take the survey or the poll. it is about good jobs. it's about secure and safe jobs. it is about jobs in the united states. and they don't want to talk about that on capitol hill. as a matter of fact, if you think about it, while we're sitting here today right now this moment, how many hundreds of thousands of federal workers are enjoying one of their congressionally-imposed furlough days. >> bill: a lot from the defense department, too.

enjoying in quotation marks. >> it's not that they want to. they want to be doing their jobs. the jobs they do very well for our country. these are people who live next door all across this country. they are friends neighbors and family members so our government has imposed the sequestration modeling. it's causing layoffs of people. that impacts the national economy because of the sheer numbers involved. and what it represents for those workers. whether they work for the defense department or any other part of the federal government, those are pay cuts. because at the end of the year, they have 11, 12, 20 days less of pay. it is significant. so our government doesn't talk about jobs and in fact, acts to exacerbate an already bad problem. and there needs to be a hue and

an outcry about the issue of jobs. that leads me into what comes up in august, the 50th anniversary of martin luther king's march on washington this year. and the labor movement is going to play a very significant role in support of that march as we did on the first one when randolph and ruston made that march. >> bill: a lot of people don't realize or maybe don't remember that that march was -- it was about civil rights and jobs. economic justice and jobs, right? >> that was the issue. >> bill: the message was both and martin luther king got criticized by some people for including jobs as part of the agenda but it made sense. >> and here we are 50 years later, bill, i don't know how much progress on the jobs front we can lay claim to. with all of these millions of

americans. either unemployed or underemployed. it's wrong in america. in the year 2013 to say we don't have a government that takes this issue seriously and moves to address it. >> bill: when we talk jobs, particularly with machinists, we're talking manufacturing jobs. is the manufacturing sector doing any better and is it within the cards we might get the manufacturing jobs that have been shipped overseas back to this country? >> that's a complicated question bill. some sectors of the economy are seeing a stabilization, maybe a slight rebound in manufacturing. other sectors of the manufacturing economy are still struggling very deeply. and i don't know -- you know, we

still have 7.5% or greater unemployed in america. that tells me the good jobs are the manufacturing jobs, people like g.e. can say they're bringing jobs back. and they are in some product lines and they're laying off people and sending them overseas in other product lines. net result is a company like g.e. still offshores more jobs than they bring back to america. and there's a lot of companies like that. and we're not seeing anything really concrete yet. i want to see -- i want to see new products developed and made here. and serve the needs of the modern world. >> bill: absolutely. it is sort of symbolic, isn't it today that the big story the lead story is that a great manufacturing center and city, detroit, filed for bankruptcy.

>> that is a very sad day in the history books for america to see this center of manufacturing you know, if it wasn't made in detroit or surrounding area, products were made elsewhere and shipped to detroit to be included in those products. and when you think that detroit was not only a manufacturing center but a huge transportation hub for the shipment of big products cars and trucks to places overseas, exporting them, it is a sad commentary that, in america, this could happen to a great city. and it was the lack of a national focus. and a priority on the types of industries that provide good jobs that give americans that middle class standard of living and by government policy, we helped dismantle a great city. and that is so wrong. to happen in america. >> bill: we're building cars in america.

we're building planes. you and i have talked about that commercial -- the big -- >> commercial airliners. >> bill: commercial airliners but also private jets. >> yes. >> bill: those two sectors are doing well? >> commercial airliners -- yeah. well a company like boeing is doing very well. very successful. you know, certainly stock price demonstrates that today. building commercial airliners but think about it, bill. we're only left with one company in america that builds big planes. and there's only one other company globally that's really a competitor to them today and that's airbus of europe, france. and so that's a very -- >> bill: owned by the french government isn't it? >> well, yes the french. consortium of european countries. but it is becomening, in its own right, a private -- it is

transitioning to the private sector. however, on the general aviation side, that's where you get your -- the business jets, the small turboprop-driven aircraft that are so critical, so critical to the conduct of business, not just in the united states but globally. they're made here in america yet. the vast majority of them. they're made in wichita, kansas for the most part. and in a funny kind of way it's languishing. we were really moving ahead. there was strong order books. there was growth in this industry until 2008. and then with the economy collapsing that collapsed. then our government policies further eroded that. and today, we're still fighting against those government policies. that just -- keep a great industry with a future, with promise, with good jobs and the kind of things america looks for, we keep that suppressed.

we've got to turn it loose. >> bill: these are jobs that are paying a living wage and -- a living wage where people who work in the industry require great skills but they earn enough to be able to achieve the american dream things like educating their kids, things like owning a home, supporting their school systems and their communities through the tax base. isn't that what we want in america? >> bill: absolutely. having a little extra cash to take a little vacation. puts more money into the economy. >> i thought only congressmen could do that, politicians. >> bill: we want every american to have that opportunity, tom buffenbarger, president of the machinist's union here with us. goiam.org. we'll be right back. your calls and questions for president buffenbarger at

1-866-55-press. >> announcer: like politics, then like the "bill press show." on facebook. this is the "bill press show."

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>> only on current tv. >> announcer: on your radio and on current tv, this is the "bill press show." >> bill: 13 minutes before the top of the hour here on the "full court press" this friday morning. we're talking jobs with the man who leads hundreds of thousands of american workers as head of the machinist's union president tom buffenbarger. mr. president, always good to have you in studio. thanks for coming in.

we've got some comments from our listeners here. peter, you've been tracking. >> we're on twitter at bpshow where polygags says bill, have you noticed that once politicians secure jobs for themselves, they forget about jobs for everyone else? >> bill: alas, alas. >> they're right on! irish boy sort of echoes that says true, the only time you hear about jobs is right before elections. unfortunately, americans drink the kool-aid in 2010 and have gotten nothing in return from republicans. >> bill: i don't want to make this all bashing republicans but when john boehner said you put us in charge of the house our agenda will be jobs. they pass some stuff that they call jobs bills. >> john boehner considers sequestration a great jobs win because we're getting -- we're going to put painho i don't know

what he believes but i think they serve his district very well. he and i come from the same congressional district in ohio. and i can't understand how the people -- the good people of ohio can elect him when he's inflicting so much harm in southern ohio. >> bill: let's say hello to gordie up in rochester new york. good morning. >> good morning, bill. i'm all for that gentleman. i'm a strong union man. and i think we should have -- if you can sell it over here and you undercut the union factories and corporations, then we're going to put a tariff. if your toaster goes on the shelf for $14 we have to charge $14 because of our expenses. that's fair trade. free trade is when i give it to you to build it cheap so you can

send it back here and make every corporation here nothing more than a distributor that, destroys americans. all i have to say is look to germany. they protect their markets. >> bill: all right. gordie good to hear from you. fair trade. >> he is absolutely right. i'm very familiar with what happens in other countries and i'm a fair trader. and this free trade -- not only do we give it the misnomer of free trade. there's nothing free about what they're doing. or these free-trade agreements. but, in fact, when we negotiate them, we pledge the help of the united states government to companies who take jobs out of here, send it overseas and help them bring their products back in. and we keep shooting ourselves in the foot or in the head and call it success. so i don't understand what goes through the minds of the people who negotiate the agreements that destroy american jobs. >> bill: we also reward the

companies that exploit these jobs. >> we give them tax breaks and we give them actual financial assistance to do this. that's your tax dollar being used against you. now, if the republicans want to talk about a tax policy, why don't they talk about these type of things. well their corporate puppet masters like what we do know and they haven't woken up to what's going on in america. and it's killing the people. i just would -- i'm waiting for the day when people don't have to be told to go to the polls that they -- you don't have to wait for the campaign rhetoric. and the unions and the other supporters for or against an issue. that people understand they've got to start paying attention and start voting in their own best interests. >> bill: i think people have to understand something else. we're just about out of time.

quick comment. i am appalled that the percentage of working men and women who belong to labor unions today is down to 11.1%. i've been 30 years a member of the labor union. i know how important it is to me and my family and to american workers. why so low? >> bill, every law -- ever since the labor act of 1935 americans, the congress and the corporations have been chipping away at it and made it harder for people to belong to unions and then they use court decisions to suppress the gains that union members have made. and we have politicians that say our day has come and gone. and i just love that last one because if our day has come and gone, let's take a look at countries that did away with unions. they went right back to the poor conditions that led to unions to begin with. you know, history shows it wasn't unions that wanted the national labor relations act. it was companies. because before they pass that

act, there were a lot of things unions could do to better serve the interest of their members. and the act only restricted us. so i want to adopt a proposition from the republicans. they like deregulation. let's take it all the way and let's deregulate the labor movement. and then give us back our freedoms and we'll show you what unions can do for this country. >> bill: that's the way -- i like that. reverse strategy. i haven't heard anybody else talk about tom buffenbarger, so good to have you in studio. thank you for all of the support you've given us over the years. that's why we're out there every day with your help. and goiam.org. thanks tom. >> thank you bill. we're proud of your 30 plus years of union membership. we'll be there to support you in the future. >> bill: all right, thank you. >> announcer: this is the "bill press show."

>>sorry. >>just be grateful current tv doesn't come in "smell-o-vision" >> oh come on! the sweatshirt is nice and all but i could use a golden lasso. (vo)only on current tv.

>> if you believe in state's rights but still support the drug war you must be high. >> "viewpoint" digs deep into the issues of the day. >> do you think that there is any chance we'll see this president even say the words >> with an open mind... >> has the time finally come for real immigration reform? >> ...and a distinctly satirical point of view. >> but you mentioned "great leadership" so i want to talk about donald rumsfeld. >> (laughter). >> watch the show. >> only on current tv. this show is about being up to date, staying in touch with everything that is going on politically and putting my own nuance on it. in reality it's not like they actually care. this is purely about political grandstanding.

>> announcer: the parting shot with bill press. this is the "bill press show." >> bill: all right. you know here at the "full court press," we've tried not to talk about 2016 but today, joe biden is forcing us to break our promise. joe said yesterday in an interview with "gq" magazine, i could die a happy man never having been president of the united states but that doesn't mean i won't run. he says if he's got enough energy, he might run in 2016. you know what i've got to say about that he should.

we've never seen a more effective vice president. joe biden presided over the sequester, the passage of healthcare, the auto bailout the gun debate and almost every other important initiative of the obama administration. he's been an outstanding vice president and he would make an outstanding president. and even though i might end up supporting hillary clinton in the primary, i would still love to see joe biden run. you guys have a great great weekend!

[♪ theme music ♪]

>> stephanie: hello, current tv land. hour number one. hello, jacki schechner, are you there? all right then. i'll just talk to myself. hello jacki schechner, are you there. >> i can hear you. can you hear me? >> stephanie: apparently not. all right. it is going to be one of those days. happy friday everybody. i think we'll do a