host: we are joined by gregory korte you, he is the white house reporter for "usa today"."ll be speaking about president obama's use of executive actions. start by walking us through exactly what is an executive action. guest: it is an umbrella term for all kinds of things the president can do without going through congress. it could entail his power to appoint people who work for him, his powers to do the kinds of things that presidents do. they are most formally known as executive orders, presidential memoranda. those are executive actions that get a lot of attention. does have the force of law -- those have the force of law, sort of like a direct order from the president to the administration to do this. the way president obama uses the term can include all kinds of lesser actions, what i might call soft power. things like issuing reports, convening meetings, and doing a lot of things the federal government does. grants regulations, procedures guidelines. president obama uses executive action in the generic sense to convey he is taking action. he is not waiting for congr

usa today reporter gregory korte will discuss president obama's use of executive action. we will take your calls and you can join the conversation on facebook and twitter. washington journal, live at 7 a.m. eastern on c-span. coming up, yesterday's farewell ceremony for outgoing attorney general eric holder. that is followed by remarks by the president and chair of the export-import bank. look for some of your thoughts on attorney general holder's time at the justice department from washington journal. . we are talking about eric holder and his six years as attorney general. mcconnell whipped for lynch mitch mcconnell worked to round up more than 60 votes to end the filibuster of loretta lynch. he held up her confirmation vote for weeks. mcconnell worked to ensure she would overcome a filibuster, pitting him against ted cruz and other conservatives. some same o'connell wanted to avoid a battle over the nuclear option. the tactic henry reed employed to reduce the threshold for ending a filibuster from 60 votes to a simple majority. one lawmaker said mitch mcconnell talk to

and gregory korte will discuss president's use of executive action. join in on the conversation on facebook and twitter. "washington journal" live at 7 a.m. eastern on c-span. >> here are some future programs for this weekend on the c-span network. saturday, the white house correspondents annual dinner you'd live coverage at 6 p.m. eastern with red carpet arrivals and entertainment. sunday night on "q&a" judith miller on her time in prison for not revealing a source of her reports before and during the iraqi invasion. on c-span 2, then apple us festival -- the annapolis book festival. sundin at 10:30 p.m., c-span -- sunday night at 10:30 p.m., "first ladies" book. explore the lives of our first ladies. on american history tv, lectures in history. sunday afternoon, 40 years after the fall of saigon, veterans talk about their work experiences. get the complete schedule on c-span.org. >> homeland security secretary jeh johnson said that the number -- discussing dhs. that is followed by the federal ceremony for outgoing attorney general eric holder. >> ho

and gregory korte will discuss the presidents' use of executive action. >> during this month c-span is pleased to present the student documentary competition. it is an annual competition that encourages middle and high school students to think critically about issues that affect the nation. students were asked to create documentaries based on the theme the three branches and you. the winners entry focuses on the individual disabilities education act. >> the discrimination of people with disabilities are is something we have all experienced in our own personal lives. prior to the individuals with disabilities education act, or the i.d.e.a., students with disabilities were not given an education. ms. romo: you would not give are you down syndrome or disability like that. ms. runfola: the doctors told us he should be institutionalized which is what they did in those days, and she, being a nurse said no, that is not going to happen. mr. wendorf: students with disabilities are protected class and deserve a level of support both in instruction and another ways that go beyond the needs of the

your final thoughts, gregory korte? guest: the previous caller and cora raises a similar point. the previous caller refer to it as tongue wagging about president obama's executive actions. there is a long action of time writing going back to the washington administration. there were people who called george washington a traitor. we will continue to have these debates no matter who the president is, democratic, republican, black or white, male or female. we will continue these debates. they are part of living in a democracy and constitutional republic like we are. it is true president obama has had a particularly intransigent republican congress. that does not necessarily change the nature of the constitution. as we have been talking about all morning, much of this is not even a constitutional argument. many important executive actions he has taken do have constitutional implications. but generically speaking, this idea of presidential power is something most of the time are things the president is undeniably authorized to do i the constitution or congress. host: white house repo

later, usa today reporter gregory korte talks about affirmative action. ♪ host: good morning to you.t is saturday, april 25. comcast has dropped time warner after -- tonight is the white house correspondents dinner. the annual party that brings together journalists politicians, and hollywood celebrities in washington. on "washington journal" our first topic will be free range parenting. police were called