internet providers. we are just getting started. we are new infrastructure to reach those who need it most. >> charter communications supports c-span as public service, along with these otr television providers, giving you a front row seat to democracy. >> coming up on "washington journal," we will take your calls and comments live. natalie andrews previews the week ahead in congress, and jared alper with the group good party discusses the organization's role in supporting nonpartisan, independent, and third-party candidates. "washington journal" starts now. ♪ host: it is the "washington journal" for may 6. in a recent poll, respondents were asked about the most important issue to them as they consider voting this year.

among the top ones, the economy, immigration, and health care. among all the categories, most expressed that they trust former president trump to handle those issues versus president biden. we will show you the list, and you can call in and tell us what issues are important to you as you consider voting this election year. on the phone lines, it is (202) 748-8000 for democrats. republicans, (202) 748-8001. independents, (202) 748-8002. if you want to text us, you can do that at (202) 748-8003. you can always post on our social media sites, on facebook and on our x feed. it is abc news and if sosa releasing a poll yesterday asking a variety of questions related to this year's election. one of those, a list of those

top issues that voters thought were important to consider and who they trust better to handle those situations. at the top of that list is the economy, from the abc news/ipsos poll. 80% say that was the most important thing. 46% say they trust former president trump to handle those issues better than president biden. following that, inflation. most of those giving support to the former president as far as who they trust to handle those issues better. when it comes to issues such as democracy, protecting democracy is how they categorized it, 76% of those saying that is important to them, fourth on the list. an even tie to both the former president and president biden on handling those issues. thanks along the lines of health care also on there, with president biden leading that

group of people who trust president biden to handle those issues. abortion access last on the list, 57% saying that, 41% saying they trust president biden to handle that issue better than former president trump. there's more there, and we will go through them. we want to know about those top issues for you, maybe something on the list or something not on the list. you can call and let us know. democrats, (202) 748-8000. republicans, (202) 748-8001. independents, (202) 748-8002. if you want to text us those important issues, the things you hold dear as far as election day, you can do that on social media sites, facebook.com/c-span and also on x at @cspanwj. several of you posting on facebook this morning. this is gregory martinez, saying

jobs, the economy, crime, the border, and inflation. diane says her issues are democracy and women's rights. from brenda on facebook, it centers on the former president, saying keeping him out of the white house, keep the maga republicans out of congress. another viewer saying all are important when it comes to the current president and the issue important for him, centering on president biden, saying he must go. you can call us on the lines to let us know what is important to you. you could also text and post on our social media sites. some of the other issues include immigration. 69% of those respondents saying that was a top issue for them, with those giving the former president more trust when it

comes to handling that issue. they issue of gun violence, 66% of respondents, and the former president with a slight advantage. last, dealing with the issues of israel and hamas. 48% of those respondents there saying that was an issue for them, and then giving former president trump a slight advantage. this is scott and california, democrats line. you are up with the idea of the issues that are important to you. caller: good morning, pedro. misogyny, that is what is most important to me this election. i want to share with all of our female voters out there and some of our more radical, more right, congresswoman that misogyny does not mean that he is good with a

foot rub. host: ok. thomas on our independent line, thomas joins us from honolulu this morning on issues that are important to you. caller: yes, i agree with the polling respondents' top issues, but my, just more with respect to how c-span will cover the election between now and november. i called about a year ago, and my request was that you folks considered doing more regular analysis of how your callers get their news. the hosts sometimes ask them, many in directly, but the vast majority of the time it is my impression that you just that people say what they want a new get a lot of this -- just total

opposite, and there is no discussion about how we form our opinions, where we get our information. host: we occasionally ask that question, and we do let people talk at length on what is important to them, despite where they get their information from. back to the question, you said you agree with the list. what do you agree most with? caller: well, democracy and economy. again, do have democracy functioning optimally, people have to have a shared concept of truth. and we have heard this for years now, post-truth, post fact, and everybody has their own opinion, their own facts, and that alone will destroy democracy, regardless of how people rank it. when you have 50% thinking biden is protecting democracy in 50% thinking trump, that is a problem. my request, may be many times between now and november, just focus the conversation and have

experts come on and talk about how -- talk about the psychological reasons we believe what we believe. host: you can look at our website for more, protecting democracy, as the caller brings up. the poll saying when it comes to who handles that issue better, it was an even split between the current president joe biden and the former president donald trump in handling those issues. joanne, independent line, illinois. hi. caller: hi, i would like to say that i really feel that our president has the wrong viewpoints, and i do not think he has our economy and everything else where it should be, sir. i honestly feel that he is doing

our country more harm than he is good. he wants the world government to come into play, and i don't want that. host: as far as the top issue, if you had to boil it done, what would that be? the economy? if that is the case, why is that? caller: one world government is top on my list. i do not want that to occur, and biden is for that, sir. i have no idea what the other man is for or against. host: ok. joe in new york, democrats line. caller: good morning, and thank you for taking my call. what is on my mind is whether or not the person who is running for the presidency is a decent person or an indecent person. victor franco put it this way, there are only two races, decent and indecent. other people have said, if you

want somebody to be a leader of a country, he must be capable and honest. and for that reason, i think that from my perspective decent and indecency are high on the list. do you trust a man? is he honest? is he capable? or is he the type of guy who goes after somebody's personality? page 6 on the newspaper. that is the first thing.and what is really up there on my list is the abortion aspect. the idea of old people telling women what to do with their bodies is reprehensible. and i appreciate the opportunity to speak with you guys, and thank you very much. host: that was high on the list of joe there. abortion access second to bottom on the list from abc news and ipsos, over 2000 people responding to this poll and

asked questions about that top issue there. abcnews online. this was released yesterday. you can pick something on the list. we have been showing it to you. there are other things to consider, too. add that to the mix. call the line that best represents you. sharon in new york, republican line. hi. caller: good morning. thanks for taking my call. the most important thing for me is democracy and women's rights, because my daughter is 16 years old. when she gets to my age -- i do not think it is up to a politician to tell a woman what to do with their body. we are competent to know what is needed and what we need to do or not. this is a private issue.

that is a big concern to me. and another thing is about democracy. we have to try not to be too opinionated when you hear things . [inaudible] before we decide something is correct or incorrect. host: shay ann in florida on our line for independents. caller: thank you for taking my call. i have been triggered a view times from your other callers, and i want to point out that nobody repealed abortion rights in this country. what they did was they kicked it back to the states, where it belonged. host: ok, is that a top issue for you then? caller: no, the top issue is the total absence of the equal application of the law in this country. also, how is it that they

mandated these shots that were untested and unproven and nobody is talking about that? host: let's go back to the first one, the equal application of law --what do you mean by that? caller: well, just look around. i cannot believe that there are all these sham prosecutions going on over a candidate when i thought it was -- you know, it is astounding to me how far we have fallen from a constitutional republic. host: that call from florida, her top issues there. some of you posting on facebook. this is rodney, more concerd with the will of the people not having a voice. he adds that the government will continue to feed their own needs over the wants of the people. gary from facebook posting, america first because we have

been placed at last for too many years. again, you can call in and let us know your thoughts. more available to you there on the website and on facebook and x feed. you can call in on the lines, too, to tell us about the top issues of importance to you as you consider your vote this election year. democrats line, paul in indiana. hello. caller: hello. my main issue this election is democracy, and i do not want to vote for a person who wanted to overthrow the federal government and not make our votes heard. and i am talking about don trump. host: ok. this is butch in illinois, republican line. hi. caller: hello. yeah, my concerns are,

naturally, the economy. i was kind of watching, and i did not see anything on there about education. i think we need to get back to teaching all our children, like so many other countries do with math and science and all that kind of stuff. you know, i just do not understand how we keep -- how our president keeps spending money on paying off education and different stuff like that when there's so many african-american people that are homeless or struggling, and we're putting illegal immigrants, spending all this money on them. just seems that this country has got to be unfair to the people who live here. host: i am looking through the list right now, education not on

this list, at least that was the pull from yesterday. does that surprise you? caller: no, i missed it, i am sorry. host: no, does it surprise you that something like that did not make the list? caller: absolutely, absolutely. these children -- you know, we got china. there really educating our children. i am 67 years old and my kids are in their 40's come up but i got grandkids, you know. naturally, i live in a small town were none of this affects us, but it seems like we got to get our children educated. i always believed in colleges and there are also trade schools. there's other ways to make money, but just seems like our president is spending money on too many different things. and as far as these children that are protesting on this

colleges, i mean, i just do not understand what is going on with this country. host: ok. butch, i apologize, but we got your thoughts out. he mentioned a couple things. just to show you where they rank, that last one, the protests which centers around what is going on with israel and hamas, that is last on the list that was released yesterday. but immigration, which he also talked about, specifically the u.s.-mexico border, that falls about midway, 69% of respondents saying that was the top issue for them, with people giving, as far as trust on how to handle that issue, giving priority to former president trump on that versus current president biden when it comes to issues of immigration. in cedar rapids, iowa, we will hear from josh. hello. caller: yeah, hello, good

morning. i just wanted to say, as far as concerns, israel and hamas, to me, seems to be something that people do not consider as a major issue. i do not think the united states can continue to fight proxy wars in the east china sea and israel and the ukraine. i think that is a very big mistake, something the previous administration did a little bit better job of. although trump, obviously, i feel like he could have done a better job. and also the current administration, the border is currently in crisis and something needs to be done. so those for me are really important topics. host: ok. josh there in iowa.

an adjacent issue he brings up, he brought up what is going on with israel and hamas, but there is also a category here, the u.s. growth. in that issue of trust, current president joe biden at 34% versus the former president donald trump at 31%. if that is a category to you, u.s. world standing, and you want to find out what that is, you can do that, too, on the phone lines or texas or post on the social sites. kathleen in ohio, democrats line. caller: hi, thanks again for "washington journal." you guys are awesome. anyway, my biggest issue is biden's history with standing up for israel with unbridled support no matter what.

one presidency after -- i was hesitant to work on his campaign. i am 72 and have worked on dem campaigns since i was 16. i will not be working for his campaign this time. i have questions about whether i will be a noncommitted vote, since i definitely do not want trump, so i am conflicted. but his stance on israel since he was a senator has been unbridled support, unbridled support of israel that has caused that constant expansion and building of illegal settlements in the west bank. and that is what has exacerbated this condition, the conditions for the palestinians, for decades now. i do not respect biden on that at all. he uses a lot of words but does not stand by them, does not care about the palestinians at all. so i want to ask you guys to have -- last night on msnbc,

there was the head of the world religious leaders, and they have called for a gaza cease-fire. reverend dr. elise canon, very well-informed about the israel-palestine issue. and if you could also have senator mccain on from the world food program, as well as people from the freedom flotilla, that would be the colonel who stood up solid against the iraq war, and also a member in turkey trying to get ships into got to challenge the placate. anyway, i have big questions on biden. i could be an uncommitted vote, but i totally disrespect him on that issue. host: that is kathleen in ohio giving her thoughts on one of the top issues. senator tim scott on the sunday shows yesterday was asked about

if he would become a vice president jewel candidate if -- a vice presidential candidate if asked by former president trump, and he also asked about results and if he would step down. [video clip] >> i hope that the president will choose a person who helps the country unite and heal. i certainly expect to have a decision from president trump in the next 60 days or so, but he did not bring it up. i certainly did not bring it up. i am excited that in this nation, if poor kids from south carolina can rise to the level of being a u.s. senator, it shows all things are possible for kids growing up in such poverty today, they can know that all things are possible for your future. >> let's talk about some of the headlines this week. mr. trump would not commit to accepting the election results of 2024 if he loses. he still has not conceded the

last election. you did vote to certify the 2020 election results, and you said "it was not stolen." why would you join a ticket to someone who believes the exact opposite on this critical point? >> i think we have to listen to what president trump said and not what the reporters said he actually said. here is one of the things he has been clear on, even talking about the situation with gaza, he said he expects there to be an honest election and expects the results to be clear and for them to be successful. i expected them to be successful, as well. there is no doubt we look at the polls across the country, the one thing that is crystal clear is that the american people now are really excited to get back to the president trump years. so i expect the election to be fair, and i expect donald trump to be our next president. >> he specifically said, if it is not, not fair, as you are saying, you have to fight for

the right of the country. and just this week, he said he won wisconsin falsely, senator. again, you voted to certify the election results of 2020, exact opposite of what you said and did it why would you want to be on a ticket with someone who has such a fundamental difference? >> there is clear facts here. president trump himself said he expects this election to be fair. he expects it to be honest. and he expects to win. that is what the presidential candidate should expect, and i expect the exact same thing. frankly, the american people agree with him. this is an issue that is not an issue, so i'm not going to make it an issue. >> will you commit to accepting the election results of 2024, bottom line? >> end of the day, the 47th president at the united states will be president trump. i am excited to get back to low inflation, low employment --

>> senator, yes or no, what you accept the election results no matter who wins? >> that is my statement. host: that yesterday from the sunday shows. your top issue when it comes to this election year, let's hear from kevin in florida, republican line. thanks for waiting. caller: just a couple of comments. the border would be my most important observation. it is plainly on purpose, for a reason. the second would be, look, donald trump, we hired him to do a job. that's all. everybody is not expected to like him. he was just hired to do a job. and with the abortion, i am trying to understand this. do they want it to be government-funded? i really don't care. i am against abortion completely, but if the people are so stupid, they want to kill the babies, maybe their babies

should be born anyway. i'm trying to understand this abortion thing. do they want it government-funded? if so, i would never pay for it. host: in massachusetts, this is richard, independent line. caller: good morning. my biggest issue is education in this country. public education is so ridiculous that it makes me angry. in my city, they had to take the clocks out of the schools and put digital clocks in because the kids cannot even tell time from a regular clock. and the problem is that when people pay their taxes, they don't get their money's worth. and a teacher should be able to be fired, but they are not because they are unionized. but the catholic school in my

city is one of the top high schools in the whole massachusetts, the top high school. because when they got bad teachers, they fire them, no ifs or buts about it. i am 80 years old and plan on leaving this world, not coming into it. thank you very much for listening to me. i hope the american people wake up and see what is going on. thank you very much. host: ok. democrats line, ohio, this is diane. caller: good morning, pedro. my first situation is abortion, because trump said he would make it a ban federally. number two, when it comes to the migrants, that is why our colony

is the best in the world, because these people are here to do the jobs. and i don't care what anybody says, trump is a threat, and he is going to make us another russia. people, listen, social security, he even said several times he will get rid of it. people, listen to what he says. there is more, but i know there is no time. thank you. host: ok. abortion was one of the topics that came up in an interview on "60 minutes" yesterday with minority leader hakeem jeffries. here's what he had to say about it, especially in light of this year's election. [video clip] >> how big of an issue will abortion rights be this election year? >> it is going to be incredibly significant because, on its own, it is about freedom and the extreme maga republicans have set in motion the erosion of reproductive freedom.

we're going to fight for it with everything that we have got at our disposal. if roe v. wade can fall, anything can fall. social security can fall. medicare can fall. voting rights can fall. and god help us all, but democracy itself can fall. if roe v. wade can fall, then anything can fall. host: again, there's more there from "60 minutes" if you want to see that interview with the house minority leader. that's hear from steve in indiana, republican line. caller: i got three comments i would like to make. one of them is about the border and the fentanyl that is killing all of our kids. this is totally ridiculous about the drugs that is coming into

the united states. these cities that is promoting these drugs, handing out needles and crack pipes, drug dealers all around these areas where they are selling these drugs openly, right in front of our police officers. the crime is unbelievable. we have a lawless country that was created here in the past three or four years. it is unbelievable. also, our deficit. we are spending $100 million a second on our deficit. people cannot understand that in 100 days, $1 trillion -- how

long can this last? our money is going to run out. our money can't last. sooner or later, people's going to quit lending us money. all this money that we're giving out to these other countries, we are borrowing it. and how stupid is that? that our government cannot figure out how to balance the budget here. host: ok, that is steve -- caller: also, look at the trump rallies. look at all the people that goes to the trump rallies all over, the people that's for donald trump in the united states. people can see this, that these elections are not fair. there's no way it could be. host: ok, that is steve in indiana giving us his thoughts on the top issue. you can add yours to the mix by

calling us. democrats, (202) 748-8000. republicans, (202) 748-8001. independents, (202) 748-8002. you can also text us at (202) 748-8003. if you're currently on the line waiting to talk to us and share what you want, hold on for a few minutes. and you can keep calling in as we continue on with this topic. our attention now turns to new york, taking a look at the trial for former president donald trump which has been for several weeks in new york. joining us for an update on what to expect this week and what has happened so far, molly crane newman. thanks for your time this morning. is there a sense of what might happen this week as you look ahead? >> yes, the prosecution has been keeping the witnesses close to their chest, but we do have an idea of where things are moving next.

over the last two weeks, we have heard from nine witnesses sort of shed light on this alleged conspiracy before the 2016 election to bury unflattering news stories about trump. we expect the prosecution to sort of connect that to the charges that donald trump is facing, the solicitation of business records. everything we have heard so far has pertained to conspiracy, and now we expect to hear from trump organization staffers, and michael cohen is supposed to take the stand, and witnesses that can speak to the actual payments, the reimbursement, to michael: that prosecutors say came at the final stage of a scheme. host: when it comes to the prosecution and defense, how would you characterize the approach when it comes to making the respective cases? >> the have been pretty

methodical, the prosecution. they started with what some describe as sleazy trump characters, and they very much started looking at it chronologically. so the first one was david pecker and trump tower, were prosecutors say the scheme began , and he became the campaigns eyes and ears. and then we heard from a lawyer who is part of negotiations. on friday, it was dramatic, abouthhush money from hope hicks, the trump campaign press secretary. it all sort of shed light on trump had said he had no knowledge of these payments and had nothing to do with any sort of efforts on his part to get ahead of negative rumors and

efforts to protect his family, his reputation, his brand, and lawyers in the prosecution have said, no, this was to hide information that was damaging, and it was laid out how trump was very closely involved with his media strategies, and they all do referred to him as the boss. the prosecution kind of flickered off the records themselves in their opening statements. we are yet to hear from a witness about the checks to michael cohen in 2017. so they are building up to it and filling in the background context on what came before. the defense has -- he has a tenacious defense team. in their opening arguments, they said trump had a right to defend his family, and they have really

tried to focus on trump's caring from -- for melania. they asked hope hicks about him caring for his wife. there trying to focus on his reputation, his brand, his family. host: when it comes to the judge, how is he described? the way he is keeping things going and keeping things on track? >> pretty efficient. we have had a couple of -- he tries to get any sort of outstanding matters out-of-the-way the way first thing in the morning. trump is under a gag order in this case and has been sanctioned for violations. we are waiting to hear on a rule on some other alleged violations. but he is keeping things moving pretty quickly.

yeah, keeping things moving pretty quickly. host: and if you had to take a sense of how the jury is taking this in, what would you say? >> they have been super engaged, taking notes, some look like they are sort of watching a tennis match, especially with hope hicks on friday. that did end up quite a dramatic note. at no point have any of them looked like they're wandering off or where their mind is elsewhere. everybody is fully present in that courtroom. host: molly crane-newman, what would you guide our viewers over the next couple of days, things to watch out for? >> what i'm watching out for is the connection of this alleged underlined scheme to the churches that donald trump is facing. a reminder, 34 felony counts of

solicitation of business records, each tied to his alleged reimbursement 10 michael cohen and 2017 -- in 2017. his lawyers have said he did not direct this payment and that cohen went rogue and was obsessed with donald trump. they said these payments were for legal services in any efforts on trump's part was to protect his family. so what we're waiting to see is the prosecution connecting the scheme to those payments and whether it is michael: or stormy daniels -- michael cohen or stormy daniels and checks sent out. host: you can follow our guest reporting on this case at newyor

kdailynews.com. molly crane-newman, thank you so much for your time today. back to your calls, looking at the most important issues this election. in colorado, independent line, this is ray. caller: thanks for taking my call. with the libertarian party, over the past couple months, nearly every time i called, i always put immigration at the top. but one issue that is not listed is found money, which is one of the main reasons why a became so interested in libertarian ideas. a recent article from "new york times" yesterday really motivated me to think about found money again.title , china is buying gold like there's no tomorrow. they made reference to so-called gold beans as a consumer friendly way to invest in gold. but it also mentions that beijing is buying up gold to

diversify its diverse funds and reduce its dependence on the u.s. dollar. china has been reducing its u.s. treasury holdings for more than a decade. china is down in its u.s. debt. i do not expect either biden or trump to even think about issues like that, but i hope that is something that the eventual libertarian presidential nominee will take into consideration. host: ok. bob is in utah, democrats line. you are next up. caller: good morning. democracy is my main thing. democracy is america. that is what we stand for. if we want to live in a country like north korea, liquid donald trump fell in love with -- like what donald trump fell in love

with, that is what we would have. he sent that college kid home with his brains destroyed to his parents. he killed his uncle. he killed his half-brother. and trump fell in love with him. what is wrong with the people? do you even hear what is going on? what do they do, just listen to fox news that do not put anything out? thank you. host: paul on our independent line. he is in new york. caller: good morning. a lot of people, the main question is whether or not they're going to vote for biden or trump. it is not my feeling as to whether it is biden or trump, it is the party behind it. to me, the democratic party is the party of humanity, caring about people. while the republicans, it is the

wild, wild west, care for yourself. i would rather have a government that cares for the people. there's too much wealth in this country for people to go to sleep hungry. and if it was up to the republicans, people at the lower end would lose more and more rights, lose social security, lose their medicare, lose their right to vote. that is not the country we should be. we should. there's so much wealth in this country, we give up one missile, we could have 700 teachers. in my opinion, it is the future that is laid out by the party, not the individual man. i hope you take my reasoning with some thought. thank you very much. host: republican line, diane in ohio, that top issue when it comes to this election. caller: good morning. all three issues, the economy is horrifying.

we are constantly lied to by the democrats and biden that things are getting better. they only keep getting worse. i can hardly make it. i am retired person. i had to go back to work so that i can support my life. and that is not even working. i am losing everything because of the biden administration. the border is out of control, and they are letting all these criminals in. the border should be closed. the abortion thing -- first of all, it is not the government's business. that is up to the person, the woman and the husband or whether they are single or not. it is not the government's business. this country has turned to communism. we have no rights. this is not a free country anymore, and this is all due to biden. and i have one comment, when they were talking about his inability -- he has bad memory and all this, cannot even walk

or anything, that is why they did not want to put him in trial. if that is the case, then he should not be running for president. he is not capable of it. host: that is diane giving us her thoughts, focusing on the two candidates themselves, that was part of the pole from abc news and ipsos. when it comes to the category of honesty and trustworthy, president biden overwhelmingly beating out the former president when it comes to that category. when it comes to mental sharpness, former president trump ranking in that category, as well as physical health. when it comes to representing your personal values, does respondents get the priority a little bit to current president joe biden, as well as someone who understands your problems. there's more categories there. you can look at it when it comes to that top issue of yours and what you think it is this election year. democrats, (202) 748-8000.

republicans, (202) 748-8001. independents, (202) 748-8002. we will be taking those calls. you can also text or post on facebook. this is frank from oregon xting us. several issues, the top one, lower cost of living across the d. number two, round up and deport all illegal iignts. number three, address the nationalt. number four, create laws to make special interest groups illegal. just some of the top priorities there for frank in oregon. this list we have shown you, you can take something like that and run with it or perhaps you have a category of your own you want to add. independent line in missouri, hello. caller: hi, my top issue is the election, these tabulating machines are connected to the

internet, and we have dirty registration rolls with names of people that there is no person behind the name. they are nonexistent people, and these names are used to submit for people -- submit photos for people who did not vote, manipulating the results. and we need to vote in person within a week or same day. in person with id or on paper and have hand counts, no machines, because you cannot see the results. host: democrats line, we hear from justin in north carolina next. good morning. caller: yes, thank you for having me. my issue is keeping this democracy straight. right now, trump talking about wanting to be a dictator.

that coming from his nazi relatives that served in world war ii under hitler. is that the reason he admires hitler so much? i warn people to watch out, listen to what the man says and what he does. host: on axios this morning, something to look for, the impact of swing states in this year's election. they highlight six to watch as voters head to the polls. nevada, arizona, wisconsin, michigan, pennsylvania, north carolina, georgia. adding that the election will likely be decided by roughly 6% of voters in those six states. each side plans to spend billions to reach those voters over the next six months. and why it matters, roughly 244 million americans will be eligible to vote, but 99.5 of us will not be deciders, will not vote, or we will always vote the

same way, and we live in states that will be certainly red or blue. president biden expected to head to wisconsin later this week to address issues there as part of his reelection campaign. you can follow along on c-span for that. the president also expected to speak to king abdulla jordan later on today. let's hear from moses in florida, independent line, on the top issues important to you this coming election. hello. caller: hi, thank you for taking my call. biggest issue for me is immigration. you know, they talk about immigration, but hr2 secures the border. nobody compares a bipartisan bill versus hr2. it is to enforce existing laws.

the bipartisan bill hires more personnel but to process more people. hr2 terminates catch and release. the bipartisan bill codifies catch and release. nobody compares both two bills. ok? another thing that is big for me is election integrity. we have five states in 2020 that changed election laws. they did not go through legislation. and then you had mail-in boxes all over the place. zuckerberg port $300 million and to the democrats campaign at the end of the election to help stuffed ballot boxes in the middle of the night. host: ok.

when it comes to matters of the economy, many of you choosing that category. the "wall street journal" this morning looks at how food is impacting, the cost of food is impacting voting. saying the pace of food inflation in supermarkets and restaurants has slowed over the past year, but prices are still far more expensive than they used to be. fast food prices in march were 33% higher than 2019, while grocery prices were up 26%. u.s. fast food traffic declined 3.5% the first three months this year compared with the same time in 2023. u.s. grocery sales of food and beverages fell by 2% for the 52 weeks ending in april 20, compared with the year ago period. as more data there when it comes to food, the cost of food, and how it might impact your vote,

especially if the economy or inflation categories are important to you. it was a top two category on that abc news/ipsos poll we have been showing you. you can comment on that or other things. (202) 748-8000, democrats. (202) 748-8001, republicans. independents, (202) 748-8002. nancy is in louisiana, democrats line. caller: good morning. there are two issues i wanted to bring up. the number one issue for me in this voting election, definitely not trump, but when you have a nation who has -- women and their health care for over 50 years, our government is always looking at this from one point. they want women back in the home there for than pregnant --

barefoot and pregnant. you just had a united health care hearing in congress about people that have hacked our medical, our individual, everything. this is a part of what medicare did. so the medicare issue, the people that hacked us were people that worked with medicare. number two, when you are dealing with women and their health care, do not send stuff like trump and all these people want to do to the states to make the realization between my doctor, my health care, and what i can and cannot do. number three, when i was growing up as a younger person, you

would hear things from parents and people around me, no one in this country has brought up the fact they used to have back alley abortions with coat hangers. we are now in the calendar year of 2024. we need to understand we are cutting our own throats by not understanding that the medical field has come so far and has the ability to help every person in this country. host: ok, let's hear from jeff in maryland, independent line. caller: yes, i want to speak briefly. i want to thank the c-span family. i want you to consider the children and consider young people before making your phone calls. i want to ask this question,

when you look at a former president who is facing 88 felonies, and 32 at the felonies are related to espionage, do you really believe he deserves to be president? please, you have to think -- host: as far as the top issue for you this election cycle, is that it or are there other things? caller: well, there are other things. we have to be -- we, for our children's sake and our young people's sake, we have got to pay attention to global warming. i tell people this, google biden 's accomplishments as president, number one. number two, google trump's scandals from 2015 to 2021. that should help you be an educated voter. do not go on commercials.

look at what people are doing. host: ok. this is carl in west virginia texting us, saying i was riously thinking of not voting in the presidentia election. but when ieehe biden justice department harassing political opponent donaldrump, i will stand strong for donald trump. so the candidates themselves may be the top issue for you when it comes to this election year. we have shown you that list from the abc news and ipsos poll. next couple of minutes, your top issue when it comes to this election. let's go to mason in iowa, republican line. caller: hi, i think there are people in a world of hurt for killing dogs, and all around the country, dogs bite people and

get shot. i thought it was terrible that she shot that dog because they got no problem killing unborn babies. isn't that amazing? president biden's dog ought to be taken out of the white house and euthanized were shot. host: ok, to pennsylvania, democrats line. caller: we have lost track of -- for the rest of us, i was a freshman in the class of 2001, and i felt like our republic had such more pride in solidarity. we lost that. the democratic party have shown a sense of adulthood since then, of being able to negotiate and bring things together to help move our country forward. so my top issue is working together. if we cannot get the parties to work together, we have to vote for the party moving our country

forward and protecting our future. because we have to do better for the sake of our republic. thank you. have a great day. host: that is niah and pennsylvania. "usa today" looks at another poll of where candidates stand. election day just under six months now. they add that it cannot be closer. six was before election day, it is president joe biden and former president donald trump tied at 37% each -- six must before election day. another poll says that while the nation's fears polarization has set many political preferences in stun, 20 4% of registered voters say they might change their mind -- many political preferences are set in stone, 24% of registered voters and they might change their mind.

there is the unprecedented criminal trial of the former president now underway in new york, as we have talked about. one more call on this topic of top issues for you this election cycle. aaron in new york. caller: i am just curious because a lot of these people who claim to be patriotic, they ran around with a flag and wave it, but i do not think they actually read the constitution and see what it says. it says we the people, not me, you. it is we, the people. i am just baffled by these grown-ups who were calling in and say it is just one issue. it is a democracy. it cannot be one issue. it is every issue. and when you choose one because of your party, you are not really patriotic, are you? host: are you saying for

yourself it is no one or two issues? caller: no, it can't be. if this is a democracy, it cannot be just one issue. it has to be every issue. this is what moves us forward, what makes is a democracy. it is we, the people. if you say i am so patriotic, do not go around and wave the flag and carry on the hypocrisy and call yourself a patriot. and people are talking about how patriotic they are, read the constitution. host: ok, that is finishing off the sour with your calls, looking -- finishing off this hour of your calls. a few guests this morning. the house of representatives scheduled this week could be an attempt to remove speaker mike johnson. wall street journal reporter natalie andrews joins us to talk

about that and more. later on, we will talk to jared alper as he discusses nonpartisan, independent, and third-party candidates. those conversations coming up on "washington journal." ♪ ♪ >> on the c-span networks, the house will consider legislation around a citizenship question on the census and marjorie taylor greene plans to offer a motion to vacate the chair, to remove mike johnson as speaker. the senate to news legislation on a five-year faa reauthorization bill to extend programs asked the friday deadline. tuesday, the education secretary

testifies before the house education workforce committee examining policies and last year's financial audit failures. president biden will deliver the keynote address for the holocaust museum days of remembrance. wednesday, catherine mark, national public radio ceo, appears before the commerce committee over accusations of ideological bs at npr, taxpayer-fded news entity. the mayor of d.c. and pamela smith will appear beforthe house oversight accountability committee concerning the d.c. response to unlawful activity and anti-semitism at george washington university. watch li on the c-span networks or c-sn now, our free mobile video app. go to c-span.org re-scheduling information to watch on or live anytime. c-span, your unfiltered view of government.

>> explore the wonderful array of mother's day gifts waiting for you at c-spanshop.org. discover books, apparel, home to core, accessories. there is something for every c-span m and every urge is that you make those toward supporting our nonprof organizations. join us now at c-spanshop.org. >> ovi washington journal" continues. >> host: natalie andrews joins us, in congress for "the wall street journal," thanks for joining us. let's start with the house. what are they working on this week? guest: it is one of those weeks where you could have a normal week, but we are looking maybe on the level 10 bananas side of the house. i like to say that the house is going to house and this maybe be one of those weeks. host: why is that? guest: they are going to go

after some home appliances, a partisan issue for republicans. they don't like the biden administration regulations on home appliances and feel it is a winning issue for them. we expect johnson to talk more about the protests on college campuses. hanging over everyone's head is whether or not marjorie taylor greene executes a motion to vacate and throws the schedule out. host: what brought us to this point when it comes to this attempt? guest: detractors will say three things, which are not a ton of people, there are three people signed on to the motion to vacate, they point to the appropriations process which frustrated them. they felt that johnson didn't hold true to what he said he was going to do when he became speaker. then they point to the fisa reauthorization. they wanted an amendment on being warrants for all searches

and johnson was that a five -- deciding vote against that. that upset them. then they pointed to the $95 billion in aid that included healthy portions for ukraine, which marjorie taylor greene said all along, if ukraine aid comes to the floor for a vote, she will execute a motion to vacate. so, those three things are what a lot of detractors and critics -- there are two groups, people signing onto the motion to vacate and a group of two if asked to vote for johnson on the floor, what they do it? maybe, maybe not. host: one of those critics, bob good, i want to play a bit of what he had to say. >> i doubt that, she has been hearing, as the rest of us have in our district, the time for a speaker battle visit in november after the election. let's focus on reelecting president trump. if she moved forward there would

be a motion to table, motion whether or not to move forward with a vote to vacate the speaker and i think that would likely fail and i don't think we would actually vote on whether to vacate the speaker. >> that sounds like a know from you. ok. but congressman thomas massie, go ahead. >> i just want to clarify, just because you don't believe it is time to take the action with a two vote to three vote margin, more narrow than a year ago when she was criticizing those of us who challenge the speaker back in january were voted to remove the speaker in october when we had a nine vote majority and worked six months away from an election, it's interesting that none of us who were a part of it called for the action, we realize it's more dangerous, reckless, risky to do it now. host: so, if both sides approach. what did you get from that? guest: the folks that voted to oust key in ousting the earthy

and have really faced blowback. he's not wrong about that. several are facing primary challenges, including bob good. there is an interesting place there in the conference and they aren't fans of it. now there is the question of whether johnson survives another day right now, but it seems that the real russian's who do they elect to be speaker early in january? that is mostly what the detractors are saying. host: marjorie taylor greene was one of the leaders. who else is leading this? is it just a general dislike or are there? guest: it seems that there are some process issues. matthews is big on process. he likes things to go the way he things that he has to we he thinks they should and his objections were tied to obsess over fisa, that's when he joined on and go sare joined on shortly after.

host: you can call into join the conversation. the numbers are (202) 748-8000 for democrats, (202) 748-8001 for republicans, and independents, (202) 748-8002. you can text questions to our guest at (202) 748-8003. how is it that the democratic party in the house is supporting johnson in the position? guest: they want to not deal with another three weeks of chaos. they said that the man you know did what they asked and that's what they did all along and it's different from when mccarthy was ousted. democrats are willing to vote on the motion to table that's likely to pass and the motion to vacate vote will likely not happen because democrats have said that they will support the motion to table because they said if you put ukraine aid on and do the things we are asking were, it puts your job at risk

and we will help you out. that has never happened before. some democrats wanted to do it for speaker mccarthy. but it's different in that mccarthy had burned a lot of bridges. he had, democrats felt that they had tried to extend trust to him that had been burned several times. with johnson, they didn't know him as well. he's unknown. what he's done so far has been very transactional, done what they asked, they would vote for the motion to table. if it came up again, i would expect their patients to wane. host: as far as the senate is concerned, what are they concerned with this week? guest: deadline to reauthorize the faa. the key debate, it is one of those trains leaving the stations. a lot of lawmakers try to get some things that are not related to jump on.

when -- one of the key debates here in washington is over allowing more flight to come into reagan airport. the local lawmakers from virginia and maryland are very opposed to this, but members of congress that fly back and forth each week want their direct flights. they are pushing for five round trip flights, 10 new flights to the airport. it will be interesting to see who wins on that. host: theresa, tennessee, you are on with our guest, natalie andrews. good morning. caller: good morning. i support the motion to vacate for speaker johnson. i think he has been the worst speaker of the republican party has ever had. he gave in to every whim that the democratic party wanted. we can't trust him to go forward on these bills that we are

facing now. i mean, i know it's not going to pass, we aren't going to get rid of him. we will get rid of him in november. we will not vote for any republican to hold the house. we won't do it. the republicans have not earned our vote in november because of the house. all i want is a recorded vote. i want to see the vote. i want to see the democrats vote who they call a white nationalist over their african-american speaker that they want. i want the proof that they have sold out completely. i want to see which republicans vote against it. they are not going to keep the house. i hope mike johnson doesn't keep his job in november. guest: to clarify, you are ok if the house loses this fall? caller: how could it be worse than what mike johnson does? if there is a debit that in the

seat, i think maybe the republicans might fight against it, maybe, but they have all sold out, they have all sold out. host: gotcha. guest: part of the problem for johnson is he has these detractors standing so staunchly against the elements that as speaker you often feel you need to bring to the floor. we want to keep the lights on. he has had a hard time unifying his party around the actions to democrats. we seen this problem with republican speakers for years. john boehner worked with nancy pelosi. nancy pelosi became masterful at this. she knew the republicans couldn't pass key bills through the house, even with bigger majorities than what mike johnson -- mike johnson had a very small minority. i mean, i don't know if we have

ever had as small a minority as mike johnson has right now. so, pelosi became masterful at this. he can offer the state must pass none. if johnson could muscle it through with republicans, he would be able to argue for more conservative wins, but because he can't he has to bring the bills to where he can get democrats through. if he doesn't want to keep the lights on, he could go and face the republicans. host: that idea of republicans being ok with losing the house, is that ok in the republicans you talk to? guest: not the ones i talk to, they feel majority is very important, however you do get a lot of them worrying that this chaos could cause them to lose the majority, which is why i think some of them want to get the motion to table out of the

way and they want to be done with it to show that they can govern. host: let's hear from louise. democratic line, thanks for calling. caller: i think that speaker johnson did the right thing. votes like marjorie taylor greene and all, they don't want to see anything happen in this country that is good for this country. i'm glad that the democrats did help, went on and voted together. that's what they are supposed to do. compromise. the republicans in the democrats. so, they need to learn that. to compromise. thank you. host: that's louise in north carolina. goodwill for johnson, how long does it last? host: exactly.

it seems that when you talk to republicans they are already gearing up for a leadership race and we will see if johnson continues the job or not. even if you are not joining in the motion to vacate, they see the position as possibly opening up in november. host: last week we saw the representative from texas coming in. guest: a democrat on the border, he has a key district in laredo. he was indicted. this is something that has been speculated on for two years, his home was raided by the fbi two years ago. it looks like the indictment accuses him of accepting bribes from azerbaijan and a bank in mexico. it's fairly detailed. i think it's over 50 pages of how they have track is bribes and idem to henry cuellar and

his wife, ml the. it basically outlines a theme where he offered to -- allegedly offered to support different legislation or try to grease the skids to get things done in order to accept bribes. host: he is up for reelection? guest: he is up for reelection in the house. he has said that he will stay up on the ballot. this is a district republicans have had their eyes on for several challenges. a lot of the texas primary is already over but the republicans that are trying to challenge him made it to a runoff later this month when they will vote for that. depending on the candidate, it could make republicans spend more money there. he has aligned himself as a centrist and appealed to

republicans. the last remaining antiabortion democrat in the house of representatives, so he has been able to kind of thread the line for democrats as a centrist, someone who speak to pro-business republicans. if he is under a scandal, voters in the district may look for a different candidate and get frustrated. do they worry that he is going to, you know, not be there if they elect him? he has stepped down from a powerful position in the appropriations committee, something that he could talk about a lot in texas in terms of bringing money and advocating for texas. he is not in that position and i could hurt him there as well. host: republican line, joe, long island. caller: how you doing? it's not just mike johnson where people are saying that he's a failure and this and that. as a republican, i'm going to tell you, the republican party

is a failure. right down to got to look at it this way. the democrats, they opened up the border. they did this and that in the recession. i mean, where is the power of the republicans, you know? it's true that they are fighting among themselves, but i was worn -- i think it was truman who was president. he would be spinning in his grave right now over what has happened to this country. where is the leadership on either side? as far as getting rid of johnson, the only person with backbone is taylor green. but they failed, too. look at the country, where it is ? how do you do it where the open borders have the world coming through. they could have impeached joe biden, but you had the

republicans going against that. i have no more confidence in it. host: thanks for calling, joe. miss anderson? guest: that sentiment is something a lot of voters feel around the country they are looking at presidential elections. the two choices from 2020, for a lot of folks they don't feel the world has gotten that much better. they feel like they are just frustrated. as they gear up for campaign, it's fascinating to get out of the washington bubble and talk to folks where you get a sense of how frustrated people are feeling. even if the numbers show the economy doing better, even if we look at the stats and can see the economy is doing better, a lot of folks feel like the country is headed in the wrong direction. host: part of his frustration was the house republicans to do anything regarding this impeachment against president biden. what has happened to that? host:

if you don't have -- guest: if you don't have the fuel, you know, they didn't have enough votes and it sounded like they couldn't really make their case. they could have in the larger majority brought an impeachment onto the floor. you have a lot of republicans who don't feel the charges are actually there, so they will not it. comber and the folks leading were not able to make their case to all the republicans. the to be a vote that they would have to be united on host:. is there -- on. host: is there a sense that this issue will fight for go away? guest: it seems that the senses they vote against biden in november and that's what they do. host: herber, bronx, democratic line, you are next. go ahead. caller: you know, i am watching c-span and you know what i would

like for you guys to do as journalists? combat the stupid things republicans are saying. they don't know and don't care what's going on. here donald trump says he wants to be a dictator. a dictator. these people, they are americans who love their country, they want to be dictated by a politician? donald trump says he wants to be a dictator. what part of the words don't you understand? dictator. hitler's, mussolini, genghis khan. all of these people, you understand me? they are the ones who are the dictators, the murderers. donald trump says he wants to be that. and they still say they want to vote for him. this mass, you have, how many crimes have been committed? host: herbert in the bronx.

is he still influence in congress among the republican party? why does that exist? guest: i think that they have wound up behind -- lined up behind donald trump. there was a time magazine interview last week that came out where donald trump outlined in two interviews what he wanted to do and several people found it quite shocking that he would be willing to have panels against women who seek abortions. things that democrats especially don't want to have happen. we are seeing republicans lining up with their man. they are all in on trump for 2024. they see this as their team. we have two teams in american politics and they are firmly behind donald trump. host: ryan joins us from houston, republican mine. caller: quick question. several times i've seen on twitter, x, there is a reputable

account that i follow that has shown documented treats -- tweets from hakeem jeffries. denying the 2016 election saying that trump was legitimate. even nancy pelosi did. is there anything you are hearing behind the scenes about republicans losing the house trying to use that against jeffries regarding the 2016 election? evidence from jeffrey's own profile on those results? host: stopping you there because you are fading in and out, but thank you for the call. guest: there were several lawmakers after the 2016 election calling trump illegitimate, allegations that he worked with the russians. that seems like so many years ago now, but certainly if the party switches and we seek congress where they are on

january 3, sixth, or whatever, whatever the transfer should be in congress to certify the election. a lot of people are watching what happens there. host: your focus was on ted cruz, what took you there? guest: i was just thinking about that, having gotten back from houston. i am covering ted clute -- ted cruz this cycle. he's trying to rebrand as bipartisan, talking about how there are two sides of ted cruz. intrigued me, the ted cruz that we all see on c-span, on tv, is the one who often has strong points of argument against democrats. he just came out with a book that i read that argues that emmett kratz are really cultural marxists at this point. he doesn't generally have kind

words to say about democrats, but he is on this cul-de-sac tour taking him to various neighborhoods around texas, the suburbs, areas that may be kind of his, but might be swinging more suburban, those voters that we always talk about. i watched him pitch a kinder, softer ted cruz. they had hoagies and cookies and he took questions. the crowd that i went to outside houston, he was in a county from 2018, a precinct that he was the winner of near a precinct where he didn't. he was trying to talk, presenting a very calm ted cruz. he had the crowd laughing, eating out of his hand when he made jokes. they were into it. none of the questions were extreme. i spoke to people afterwards. they were heartened to have a more intimate gathering with a few dozen folks. it's interesting, he's doing that in a few places.

they are also making these little video clips that he is putting on his social media. you know, the next day i went to see him speak. he stood on stage and the kinder softer ted cruz was gone. he called bernie sanders crazy uncle. calling democrats all socialists. these two sides, he's going to see if it is ok to present a split personality. host: how much of a threat does ted cruz face? guest: polls are split. in some calmer ed has been close but there's also a large chunk of folks not into voting for ted cruz and are willing to hear about another candidate. if he can make a pitch to them, he has represented dallas since he was the winner of that seat in 2018, so if he can make a

pitch to the wider swath of voters, he might have a chance. ted cruz was the winner by 3.5 points in the last election. a democrat has not been a statewide winner in several decades. it is a tough hurdle. host: there's a story on their website about ted cruz and that recent reporting. going back to your calls, james, battle creek, michigan, go ahead. you are on. caller: hello. i just want to know about the supreme court. i feel like marjorie taylor greene and donald trump -- host: watch the language. appreciate the call, nonetheless. house republicans were headed to college campuses in the area to talk about anti-semitism. what more is planned on that

front, if anything? guest: they have had good luck doing these investigations, republicans feel like. house republicans, they felt glad and happy that they were able to interrogate college campuses and ivy leagues. two of them resigned. they definitely feel as though they can make a dent to there. they feel like this issue is a good one for them. it's interesting, especially as the biden administration talks more about student loan forgiveness, they feel the issues go hand-in-hand. they want to highlight students on college campuses getting their student loans forgiven by the government, tying that together. host: mike johnson, i want to play a bit of what he had to say about this and get your response to it. [video clip] >> congress has an important

responsibility of oversight there's also the person of the funding streams going to these universities. billions of dollars in the ivy league alone, they don't deserve taxpayer funds to support these institutions if they can't uphold the basic constitutional rights, freedoms, civil rights of their students, maintaining their safety, it's a basic responsibility failure. these administrators have allowed the chaos. allowed the violence and all the things that we have seen and we need accountability. this past week we announced we would be doing this in the house of representatives. we have the jurisdictions working on this, this united effort to look at their funding streams for federal funding, all the various streams that they receive. looking at the student visas that allow for these foreign students, these terrorist sympathizers, they don't need to be there, they don't have a right to do that. host: how do you think that will

play in the house itself? guest: they feel that this is a great issue for them. the visuals of students protesting, being in tents, they were interesting stories over the weekend about how the student trained and learned to protest. which is common. students tend to learn these things from other groups that have been there before. house republicans want to make this an issue in an election year. they see it as akin to 2020 with democrats and other members of their party saying defund the police, focusing on police work. they have since tied that to a rise in crime in some cities in america. they see this as what could be there 2024 defund of the police. host: massachusetts, independent mind, good morning. guest: -- caller: ok, my name is

luis, like i said. i don't want to say my name in the air, i'm an immigrant. i'm here in the cities. host: what's your question? caller: not a question, comment on republicans in this country. johnson. johnson can be a republican and never a republican, but what he's doing, yes, democrats, sunday the country, it has a problem. some people are against him. but they should not do that. republicans are not good for the country. until the republicans have power, the country never, never

works towards helping the other countries in the world is watching. host: that was our viewer in massachusetts. guest: it's interesting to watch the house become this kind of coalition government. you are seeing them be able to pass bills that might have more of a chance of getting through the senate because you have to be so bipartisan. that has typically, we saw it in when nancy pelosi was speaker previously. they passed a lot of messaging bills that they knew were not going to go anywhere. they called mitch mcconnell the grim reaper of the senate. they knew these bills were not going to go anywhere. with johnson, these bills that he needs bipartisan support on, you ask him to make an agenda each week, he has a coalition of democrats and republicans willing to vote for the bills.

ideologically it is not what johnson would necessarily want, but either bill might have a chance of making it rough the senate. host: a viewer on x with the high-cost of medical care, credit card debt, these kinds of issues, especially heading towards summer break? guest: probably not. it's hard for congress to do anything big right now. in terms of the debt, it wouldn't get the support that you need. with credit card debt or consumer debt, one thing we have seen from the faa bill is the effort to -- i think they are looking at amendments. it's something biden talked about, airline fees, something broad to help consumers. host: i don't know if this is a direct question or tongue-in-cheek, but is congress working for the entire week,

"for a change"? [laughter] guest: because of the faa deadline on friday, you might see them on friday, which you are right to be a change. they are not typically here on fridays. but yes, they are typically on a late monday thursday afternoon schedule. host: you can see the reporting from our guest at wsj.com. natalie andrews, thank you for your time. guest: thank you. host: in a little bit we will hear from jared alper, talking about the influence of third-party candidates in the eltion cycle. first we turn to the question that we started with this morning, what issues are important to you this election? i'll and let us know. democrat (202) 748-8000. republicans, (202) 748-8001. independents, (202) 748-8002. we will take those calls when " washington journal" continues.

♪ >> friday nights, watch the c-span 2024 campaign trail, a weekly round up of campaign coverage providing a one-stop shop to discover what candidates across the country are saying to voters, along with first-hand accounts from lyrical reporters, updated poll numbers, fundraising data and campaign ads. watch the c-span 2024 campaign trail, friday night on c-span, online at c-span.org, or download the podcast on c-span now, our free mobile app, for wherever get podcast. c-span, your unfiltered view of politics. >> this week on the c-span networks, the house and senate are in session in the house will consider legislation on a citizen should question on the

census and marjorie taylor greene plans to offer a motion to vacate the chair to remove mike johnson as house speaker. the senate continues legislation on a five-year faa reauthorization bill to extend programs past the friday deadline. tuesday, miguel cardona testifies before the house education work or skim it he, examining his department's policies and financial audit failures with president biden delivering the keynote address at the days of remembrance for the holocaust museum. the national public radio president and ceo appears before the house energy commerce committee over accusations of ideological bias at npr, a taxpayer-fund ws entity. d.c. mayor muriel bowser and pamela smith appears before the house oversight and accotality committee concerning the d.c. response to antisemitism at george washington -- george washington

university. watch live on the c-span networks or our free mobile video app, c-span now. go to c-span.org for scheduling information or to be able to watch live anytime. c-span, your unfiltered view of government. >> "washington journal" continues. host: abc news and epps house put out a poll yesterday taking a look at several issues. one of the things they introduced as a part of that is a list of them election issues for people who participated. at the top of the list was the economy, with 88% saying that that is their top issue, followed by inflation, the issues upon -- private safety, protecting democracy, health care followed that, immigration at the u.s. mexico border, followed by gun violence, standing in the world of the united states, abortion access, and then the issues concerning israel and hamas.

that's the list. you may pick one of those as a top issue for you this election year, or there might be other issues you want to add. you can call us, (202) 748-8000 for democrats, (202) 748-8001 four republicans, and independents, (202) 748-8002. as you are calling just to let you know what to expect ring the worst of the day, 10:00 right after this program, priorities of the unite nations, featuring ambassador dennis francis of trinidadndobago, he'll be at the national press club. if you want to learn about those issues, you can see that on our main channel, c-sp n and our app, and as always you can follow along at c-span.org if you are interested in that topic. your top issues this election cycle, crystal starts us off north dakota, republican mine, thanks for calling.

caller: for me the most important thing is foreign policy. we are a superpower and have a stature that we are part of, 75 years of nato. the nato alliance. that was created after world war ii. it's very important right now for us to be focused on foreign policy. the success of the abraham accords came into place with jordan, saudi arabia coming to the rescue of israel when iran wants all of those missiles. we are looking at what is going on in ukraine. thank goodness. in my state we have got strong republicans who understand this. senator katter -- kevin cramer, senator john hoeven. they have been phenomenal in helping to get the package for ukraine, for the middle east, for taiwan. that is -- that is essential. no matter what is going on in

our own country, our ability to defend our nation, our ability to come to the defense of our allies -- as i said, 35 years of nato. united nations is coming up. it's so important right now and it needs to be handled with diplomacy and military strength. host: that's crystal in north dakota. president biden is exposed -- expected to host the king today going on in the background of what's going on between israel and hamas out there in gaza. look for that on the c-span network today, as well as our app. if you want to see what comes from that discussion. illinois, catherine, you are next up, good morning. caller: for me the number one issue is protecting the democracy. we need to do that before we can address these many concerns.

i agree with my republican friend, crystal. i also think that it is utmost that the republicans protect the republican party. it almost seems like it is being infected with something that isn't normal. it's very disconcerting. host: when you say protecting democracy, what exactly does that mean to you? caller: to me it means having people elected as president, be a democrat or republican, that understands our democracy. it seems like there are people that want to come in and shatter our government, not improve it. breaking us apart as a people. it's as though people are being turned against each other.

republicans and democrats used to fight like hell and then go out and have a drink together. they were all working towards the common good of the country. now it seems like it is being ripped apart. that the republican party is being ripped apart. i'm glad to see leader jeffries do something to help maintain and mr. johnson, who i totally disagree with politically, but i think that he has the right idea , that mr. jeffries has the right idea. they are coming together to solve problems, not fight one another and cause tension. host: caller: that was kathy there in illinois. andrew, good morning. my biggest issue is the election

of the former president. the only sitting president in american history to use lies, deceit, coercion, and eventually violence in a failed attempt to remain in office after losing the election and for some god knows why reason -- i get the whole team politics thing, but how could anyone vote this man? i don't get it. that's the biggest issue in front of us today. thank you very much. host: you can throw the candidates themselves in the mix if you wish as far as taking a look at the issues, the most important issues to you. the it so's poll took a look at the category of personal favorability. when it comes to joe biden, president biden, 40% favorable

versus 51% unfavorable. when it comes to former president trump, 33% a verbal versus a 58% unfavorable. danny is next. republican line, kentucky, go ahead. caller: thank you for cut -- take my call. been trying to get through for two months. having a hard time getting through. as far as a free and fair election and what's going on with keeping trump in the courtroom and it not being a free and fair election, i don't understand anybody wanting joe back in their. bad as the country is, i tell you, joe biden four years ago was a lot better. another thing, y'all have clips

y'all play all the time. i noticed in the last hour you played a lot of clips of people not getting through because of people talking on different subjects. i had to call the number so many times it was like -- getting that many people to call through , too much of them are talking without having people calling through. like i said, i've been trying to get through for two months. i got through to you yesterday and didn't get to talk, they just hung up on me. appreciate you. host: thanks for calling today. pat, michigan, democratic line, hello. caller: thank you for taking my call. i want to tell you that the c-span moderators are incredible off the chart professionals, you do an amazing job every day. my main focal point these days

is the abortion issue. abortion is not about abortion. it's about taking a way a woman's right to her own body. when you start with the perceived black man, the brown man, the least amongst us, ultimately they are taking away everyone's rights. to take away a woman's right to her own body terrifies me. i'm nearly 68 years old. i chose not to have children. i got my tubes tied when i was in my mid-20's. i knew i never wanted to have children. i love children. i had a great childhood. i had wonderful parents. i wanted to drive a semi truck. i grew to live my dream. my husband and i retired as 2

million mile accident free semi truck drivers driving coast to coast for 23 years. today, the way that i see things going, they want to take so many rights away from women, they don't want women to be educated. they don't think that women should be working certain jobs. i've seen on youtube where christian right nationalists said women shouldn't be educated . women shouldn't work in the medical field. women should work in the sciences. and so on. host: ok. caller: ok, thank you. host: out there in michigan to reflect how abortion will play out amongst the reelection campaign of president biden, recent days and advertisement taking a look at the topic of abortion. here's the advertisement.

>> donald trump on abortion saying that some states might choose to monitor women's pregnancies to prosecute women who violate abortion bands. >> two years ago i became pregnant with a baby i desperately wanted. i learned that the fetus would have a fatal condition and never survive. because of the new laws in texas , i had to flee my own state to receive treatment. if donald trump is elected, that's the end of a woman's right to choose. there will be no place to turn. we could lose our rights in every state, even the ones where abortion is currently legal. that means every woman in every state is at risk. donald trump away our freedoms. we need leaders who will protect our rights and not take them away. that's joe biden and kamala harris. >> i'm joe biden and i approve this message.

host: topics that you have for this election cycle, let's hear from angela in massachusetts. independent mind, hello. caller: number one for me is immigration. right now, maura healey is spending $64 a day just to feed the immigrants pouring in. a lot have been removed. a lot of nursing homes have these families, now. it's impacting our children in school. they don't speak english. there is no way that you can learn if half of your classroom doesn't speak a word of english. this is impacting them as we spend billions -- i live in cape cod. we have two bridges that need to be repaired asap. the money that they are spending on these illegals could go towards our infrastructure.

as far as a health care concern, we have stewards. they own kearny hospitals, good samaritan. they will all be bankrupt. where are these people coming in here illegally going to find health care? my granddaughter is a nurse at the boston medical center and she said that they are coming in, they are not paying. the people that live here are not getting the care that they need. this is an important issue to me , as well as the economy. here on the cape, the people are standing in line and get is a great ice to live and it is, but a lot of people are on assistance and need help. our churches trying to get a pantry going because of the people who lost their jobs so that those people can find bread, milk, whatever they need. this is very important to me, as well as the economy. joe biden in my 88 years is the

worst president ever held the office. host: that's angelo there in massachusetts. the xo's poll, 97% of the respondents called it the most important. right about that, health care, the caller referenced in as top for them. yours may be on the list. you may want to add bullets. you can do so on the line, (202) 748-8000 for democrats, (202) 748-8001 republicans, independents, (202) 748-8002. texas, go ahead. >> thank you for taking my call. my interest is protecting democracy. in that category, it's the integrity of people and of the information that we are receiving. we need to figure out how do we convince people of true facts?

for instance, global warming. obviously, something is going on with the weather. so, we need to come to an agreement and take action to fix it. when people, when you come at people with fact, just true fact , and they deny it, they can't accept it, they don't even accept it. we are never going to survive, democracy isn't going to survive . we have to understand what's right and what's wrong, what's true and what's not true. that's all. the integrity. you know? truth, honesty. be accountable. it's ok to be wrong. it's ok to make a mistake.

that's ok. i do it all the time. i learn, and change, grow. host: ok. let's hear from rick. rick, denver, republican mine. caller: first i would like to say that i am appalled that you would play a biden commercial on your show when you are supposed to be independent arbitrators of the news and letting people do their opinions. that was not -- that's number one. but technically, i think inflation, the economy, those are probably the biggest. and of course immigration. probably all of those are all kind of tied together as far as inflation goes.

host: ok. rick there, denver. come election season, one of the things he will see often on the, and we have done it for many cycles, the kind of commercials that people see at home, taking a look at the various issues. we just showed one from the biden campaign. here's a trump super pac aligned with the former president dealing with the topic of immigration. here's the ad. [video clip] >> defenseless young girl brutally raped and killed by a violent gang member and illegal alien. it could have been prevented, the killer was released onto our streets by weak border policies. criminal illegals released into our communities. we have to stop joe biden to close our border. make america great again is responsible for the content of this advertising. host: seattle, independent line,

you are next up. caller: i think that the issues we are focusing on, he needs to be abortion. i'm in disbelief on how the murder of children is a big issue even in today in 2024. i don't think that that should be a choice. scientific, you know, women don't even have y chromosomes. the baby comes from a man, you know? it all comes from an xi the eggs . but that's against the point. to anyone who is really pro-choice, if you take all of the abortion clinics out of black neighborhoods and put them in white neighborhoods, then i will see if you are still pro-choice. it hasn't done anything but kill and destroy innocent children. babies, people. innocent babies. we are really fighting over it

being ok to murder innocent children? host: democratic line, florida. caller: good morning, pedro. i have four issues that i think are i marion my thinking into thousand 24. the first, disinformation. i find it disingenuous that certain people, even the corporate media, as far as the student protests, students being students, not wise enough or knowledgeable enough to understand what's going on overseas, i hear the media portraying them as being ignorant. next, nobody is confronting the police officers and these security forces. i am sure that there are israeli , pakistani, conservative, liberal police officers participating in controlling these students on these campuses . that's a part of the economy. i live in trump country.

west palm beach, florida. i don't see any of that information portrayed in our society. i don't see all of this crime. i don't see people not shopping. gas lines are still full. the mall, people still be shopping. mcdonald's is crowded every morning. also, the war in gaza. how in the world we going to justify children dying? not just children. sugar, diabetes, they are dying. women with hepatitis dying. a woman not even having the opportunity to get an aspirin when they are feeling bad. those are my comments, the way i feel. thank you. host: canada, independent line, new brunswick. caller: hello, pedro.

i guess the number one issue for me, and i sort of have maybe a favor to ask, because i noticed in your programming it is referred to as the israel hamas war. so, really, to refer to this as the israel gaza war. israel hamas framing erases the tremendous humanitarian crisis disaster genocide that is being experienced by civilians in gaza. host: ok. that was brandon they're giving us a call on one of those topics on the new show, and from foxnews marco rubio commented on a trip taking a look at the middle east and policy issues there. here is a portion from yesterday.

[video clip] 2 hamas, they are degenerate savages. sending humanitarian aid, these poor people are starving and they are launching mortar attacks against the humanitarian aid coming in. you know a lot of the aid getting in, israel allows it in anyways because they know to be done, but hamas, it is sold on the marketplace. we should say that we are on the side of the people who are the victims from our -- october 7 of savages and lunatics who came across the border who raped, killed, took hostages. these people need to be defeated. how is supposed to live alongside these people? when they talk about displaced people, there are 80,000 israelis displaced from the north. they have to live -- i saw them, their kids are going to school online, they can't go north,

hezbollah is attacking them in northern israel. it's a time when we have to have not a weak president, but someone who makes it clear that we are on the side of israel, they are the good guys, hamas is people, and the terrible civilian casualties are because hamas uses them as human shields. host: a report this morning from "the guardian," thousands evacuating from rafah hours after the military told residents that they had displaced people in neighborhoods in advance of a long-term attack on the city and frighten families are described leaving on foot, packing them into overloaded trucks on monday. trucks had stoked the panic and fear in a move that they called an extreme tension in all areas, including west of the city, many thinking about it back you waiting into many who already have. they had dropped leaflets and

were broadcasting instructions on text message and in other languages, arabic, if that is an important issue to you during this election, give as a call. independent can call -- republican line. caller: good morning. i feel that the democratic party has created all the mess going through today. i also feel -- ma'am taken everything away from the american people and we need to bring it all back so that they can prosper.

they should lay down the law on them and they should be held accountable. everybody. my main feeling is, the people in it deserve to have their prosperity. i am 68 years old. i remember everything from the very beginning to the end. what our own government has done to the american people. thank you very much for your time. host: democratic mine in tennessee. caller: thank you for taking my call. there is not one issue that is a top deal. first off, we have the israel and hamas war.

hamas attacked israel. already. the shortest point between two distances is a straight line. you have hamas. you have a hezbollah. and north korea. they get their military, they get their training to get rid of israel. that is it. i'm not taking sides. i'm looking at the forest and not the trees. a previously viewer mentioned the media. i am a democrat in tennessee. there are not a lot of us out here. you have sinclair broadcasting. it is all skewed to the right wing view. it keeps people scared.

you win elections by ton people what to be afraid of, but i noticed every time -- i am 71 years old and i noticed that every time there has been a republican administration or republican control in some port -- some part of our congressional and judicial branches -- it is hauling water as well. every time that happens, a democrat administration comes in. they have a mess to fix. the only time this country has ever been in the black socially, economically and ultra-sickly has been under two democratic administrations. john f. kennedy and bill clinton. host: let's hear from april.

caller: thank you for taking my call. the big issue that is confronting our country is protecting our democracy. our democracy is the genesis of everything. if you look at it from an international perspective, we need to be the beacon of showing what a democracy is about. all of these other topics we are discussing in terms of abortion, in terms of israel and hamas, the crisis -- if it were not for our democracy, we would not even be able to week of these things. protecting our democracy and it needs to be at the top of our list. host: april in new jersey. when it comes to the issue of what is going on at college

campuses, a democrat on face the nation talked about his interest in the biden administration, working to address what is going on in college campuses. [video clip] >> i condemn any protest that is anti-semitic. the whole point was nonviolent protests. we have to understand that this is a defining moment for this generation, similar to anti-vietnam protests and anti-apartheid protests. over 30,000 people have died. it is time for the work to in. time for the hostages to be released. they want to see leadership around the world. this is not the world that they want.

>> the protests are not making him change his policy. a month ago he said something had to change, or u.s. policy would. you expect any change in policy? >> idea. i think they have had the president change. talking about some of the consequences it could have. the u.s., the cease fire movement. it was nonbinding, but everyone from the president on down is aware that young people are upset about what is going on in the middle east. i think it has had an awakening in washington that the war has to end. the president of hospice language has certainly shipped did. some of us want there to be consequences. host: a related story coming

across the wall street journal. canceling a main commencement ceremony after protests. this was just posted. that is just raking now. let's hear from pat in illinois. caller: i just want you guys to know that -- there were some agitators that caused the problem, but the students -- we should not be complicit in the annihilation of gaza. there are ready thousand people that they have killed already. one third are women and children. bombing these people. we should not be paying for any of this stuff.

i am with the students. caller: my top issue is keeping biden in office. the other one is the infrastructure money that texas has gotten. small cities that the republicans do not talk about. people signed up for obamacare. the border? the people who come over here and work and get jobs that others will not do. they do not work in the field where the factories. they absolutely work. pedro, from 9:00 p.m. at night to 6:30 in the morning, these are people building roads and

bridges. they are down. gasoline? now it goes up a little bit. when you talk about inflation, i count 75. ronald reagan said shut up on interest. pull your bootstraps up. that is what i think of people. quit whining. you have a show that is optimistic and pessimistic. i'm still optimistic because of president biden. he does a great job. have a great day, america. caller: good morning. how are you? thank you for taking my call.

what a great day it is from et able to speak to you guys. i am a pastor. i go to different countries. i am kind of like a first responder. wherever there is a disaster, i go there and i try to help. i am working right now in ukraine and i am working with the people of puerto rico. whatever -- wherever there is a disaster. i went to go help the women and children in gaza. i have a couple issues that i think should be addressed. first, i am an immigrant. you can hear it from my accident. i came here and i missed my

country. right now, the way that we live, it looks like we do not have common vent. we do not respect consequences. and the world is full of consequences. why are we involved in the war in gaza? it is because israel is for war. they started it first. now, nobody mentioned -- nobody mentioned. host: even in light of the attack of -- from hamas directly? caller: can you repeat that? host: you said israel started this. caller: i did not say that israel started it. no, the opposite. hamas started it, going to israel.

they were having a party and they got killed and kidnapped. host: ok. let's hear from the republican line. caller: how are you, sir? the $85 billion package that was sent over for bombs for babies for israel and ukraine, that could have been better spent here at home, by housing all the homeless people across the country without one package, giving them a home for the rest of their entire lives. i do not know where your priorities are in this country. there are a lot of issues this election season and none of them are taught about the real

issues. they are talking about abortion when they are not talking about the border. they are talking about silly things that make no sense. i'm sick of it. we should vote all these politicians out and have direct marker c. using the app on your phone, we can harness technology to govern ourselves and our own society without these idiots. caller: good morning. i wanted to make a point that my top issue is inflation. the hamas israel war. the idea that we are involved in wars is actually offensive to me as a former young person in the vietnam era, being against war and feeling very strongly about involvement in these things, and living through inflation at that time.

it was ronald reagan who changed the high interest rate and brought our economy back from the brink of disaster brought by jimmy carter who caused the crisis, who was the underlying end -- evil empire that supports hamas that once the destruction of israel. israel is the foam on the hand of the u.s. host: in new york, one of the potential vice presidential picks coming out with a book. she was asked about the book yesterday considering a reach action of meeting kim jong-un. that was part of a discussion on face the nation yesterday. [video clip] >> you talk about meeting world leaders and one specific one. i remember when i met with kim jong-un. i'm sure he underestimated me, having no clue about my

experience, staring down little tyrants. i had been a children's teacher after all. >> i certainly made some changes . i met with many world leaders and traveled around the world, as soon as a but -- as soon as it was brought to my attention, we made him edit, so i'm glad this is being released in a couple of days and that people will have the updated version. >> you did not meet with kim jong-un. >> i have met with many world leaders. i talked extensively in the book about my time serving in congress. some of the travels i have had. i will not talk about specific meetings. i will not do that. this anecdote should not have been in the book and it was

brought to my attention. i made sure that it was adjusted. host: one more call from devon in alabama. caller: good morning, pedro. my biggest concern is for democracy. trump is the only person who has committed election interference. georgia and all the other states -- he tried to overturn the election. someone from kentucky was talking about the economy four years ago. maybe he should look because it was called the great lockdown four years ago. and there was also another lady from cape cod, massachusetts that called in about their grades needing fixing and all that. she was talking about

immigration. i would like to see anybody go to cape cod and rent a hotel for $67 a day. basically, they kind of segregated themselves but they want the government to come and fix their grievance. if that is something you want to do, maybe you should fix your own bridges. host: final call. thank you for your participants. boeing is launching its first crude mission tonight. it is a milestone for the organization. that is something to watch out for later today. next, we will talk about the impact of third-party candidates and the life of this election cycle. good party political director will join us next on washington journal.

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all with the support of america's cable company. 45 years and counting, powered by cable. >> washington journal continues. host: a discussion on independent and third-party candidates. good morning to you. can you explain to our audience what your group does? guest: good party is on a mission to solve an important problem, which is that people do not matter currently over the interests that have been built by decades by the two-party system. our view is that the only way to fix this and ending the dysfunction in our political system is to provide competitive alternatives that can fundamentally change the political landscape in this

country. it is something that people are overwhelmingly looking for. even in their behavior, looking increasingly for alternatives and for candidates who are not current or republican. our role is to provide the structure. people who are looking to get involved and lend their support. two candidates running outside of the two-party system. and traditional political tactics to help those candidates already running and candidates looking to run outside of the system without having to lean into the two-party system and play the game it is currently playing. host: when it comes to those candidates that you look for, is there a partisan perspective that you bring to that approach?

guest: we are a nonpartisan organization. we have strict things that we adhere to and then other things were we are nonideological. we are looking for candidates who pledge to be and follow our terms of service. they should not have a dnr next to their name. they are not running as officially democrats or republican without having that label on the ballot. they can commit to taking no less than a majority of their sponsors from -- we are looking to support those real people who can cast a ballot. candidates who can essentially take a bare minimum stability standard that pledges to be pro-democracy, looking for ways to support initiatives and open up the doors to the political

system, committing to being transparent and anticorruption. what that means is we are able to work with candidates who are progressive, moderate, libertarian, green, forward. we are not that in people based on their ideas. we are trying to help candidate running outside the two-party system with the infrastructure and the needs that they have to help make them more competitive and provide competitive choices on the ballet across the country. host: where does your group get the money? where does it come from? guest: we are funded entirely by our founder who was a technology entrepreneur building -- it is something he would describe that she wants to contribute to our political system. he believes that the only way to

really leverage change in our democracy is by leveraging technology resources to provide candidates running outside the system with the tools that can change our democracy. host: he wrote a piece saying that they are poised to break the monopoly strangling politics. can you elaborate on that? guest: what we are seeing, since then is a mobilization of independent candidates, certainly at the top of the ticket, but more so, down ballot , increasingly disenfranchised and frustrated with the options that the two-party's are presenting them this year. 60% or more, depending on some of these polls are responsive to voters who are saying, i'm not satisfied with the choices that

i'm being forced to make this year. they are increasingly looking elsewhere. the momentum is being built. other candidates are stepping forward to run as independent candidates. more than anything, they are looking at the choices they are being forced to make and i believe it will trickle down. there has to be a better way for us to support candidates. they have to be more alternatives in our system. they are tired of making the same choices and not seeing a different result based on who is elected. host: you can call in at (202) 748-8000 for democrats. (202) 748-8001 for republicans. independents at (202) 748-8002.

canadian precious sister did an interview, not only talking about her brother as a candidate but the idea of third parties in this space. i wonder what she had to say and i want to get your response to it. [video clip] >> we cannot have people voting for third-party, no matter who they are. in every party, americans have diversity. you have to love your -- adversities. i like bobby and i love bobby, but this campaign is not about bobby. this campaign is about trump versus biden and what we need to do today is focus on biden wedding. bring your communities together and vote for joe biden. a vote for trump.

host: an adamant viewpoint when it comes to a position that you take. how do you respond? guest: we hear this alignment from people invested in the election. the two major tactics in trying to approach third parties or independent voters has been either leaning towards the wasted or spoiled vote. or even just trying to be dismissive of the idea that independent or third-party candidates are filling a demand out there. our view on presidential campaigns and as an organization, we are really focused on local and state election, where we think we can have a profound impact on a trickle up. as an organization, we support

competition. the option for voters to make an informed decision on their ballot. the response i think i would have directly is that this should be left to the voters. i think choice is important. if voters are looking at their options, you find a candidate who is not democratic or republican -- they should have the opportunity to cast their ballot and live with the outcome . host: our first call for you comes from florida. jesse, go ahead. caller: i have a comment.

this area seems like it would be a good time for a third-party candidate. neither of the candidates we have to choose from, biden or trump, are somebody that i want to vote for. but i do not have any other option. there is no other party that can function to a level to win the presidential contest. it is almost taking my vote away. guest: i understand where you are coming from. the advice i would make available to you is to look for those who resonate with your values. the presidential election has the most intense focus. starting with -- our focus is to

help recruit candidates across the country who are aligned with maybe a vision that you have. we do need alternatives who are failing to deliver. not just in washington but across the country when it comes to our politics. host: this is jeremy. caller: thank you for letting me comment. i think the work you are doing is very important. but we have got to realize that we are in a time when we cannot afford to make any critical changes. the political landscape is being manipulated by political scientists.

joe biden, donald trump. you are voting for a way of life and governing. we cannot afford to experiment with third parties during this critical juncture. after this election, fine. i would love to see a third-party and more options but right now, at this critical juncture? we have to vote for joe biden, to restore democracy. thank you. have a great day. guest: i appreciate where you're coming from. to answer your question and for those maybe thinking something similar, this is why i think it is so important to start from the ground up. they do not have these high-stakes considerations.

they are weighing that against the consequence of a campaign. i would encourage them to look at where these hundreds of thousands that have a high impact on our lives often go entirely uncontested. the focus is to help candidates who are affiliated with the mission we are trying to solve. we are anticorruption and we run campaigns. even potentially running, looking at our system and saying , maybe i can be part of the solution. worried about the success i will run into you or the challenges i will run into. that is the core problem we are trying to solve. how do we provide alternatives?

especially local offices that have a huge impact on our lives. host:ng him as an example, what about an outside party that the ability to win versus someone who represents one of the two parties. even on the level that you are at, what is your level? guest: i will tell you, the success that we have had and the candidates that are using our tools are actually running as unaffiliated candidates. many of these people are against

the i have being boxed into any party whatsoever. candidates preventing for offices like school board and local office. 13 of them won their elections. a few of them unseating incumbents. what that says to us is that these are race is back with a little bit of support and the form of understanding best practices, this is a mission and movement that can scale. it could one day become a leader . that is our theory of change. host: in your mind, when it

comes to the candidates that you support or ideology, how do you define that person? guest: we are not necessarily in a position. we tried diligently to support or oppose any specific ideology. we are trying to help candidates running outside of the system noncompetitive campaigns and spread their ideas. we do not advise candidates on what they should think. we will help them, if they have questions about what their community is looking for. but in terms of ideologies, we are not advocating for a specific idea based on the candidates we are supporting. the same, let's hear the ways

that you can have an effective campaign. the problem we've him into, the consumers are not given choices. forced to choose between the lesser of two evils. we are looking to have a functional political system. host: let's hear from richard in oregon. caller: the problem with the two-party system is that they and the -- they have to with the pardon.

there are various issues where it makes sense not to vote with them. here, you can vote with the party. i'm site. i'm having trouble saying what i want to say. anyways, he was a man who was very fiscal responsibility. and also, there are issues. you cannot get anybody to stay

on that one. host: we will let our guests respond to that. guest: what i would say is what we have looking at in our political system and what voters have consistently reaffirmed with our own behavior and action is that they do not look at the system that is dysfunctional and polarized becoming more corrupted. this is not a one party problem. they looked at the two-party system and both were roughly the same. many were unsatisfied. voters are catching up to the idea that these actors in our system is -- are not incentivized to change the

status quo. we keep making changes from one to the other, but we are not seeing big problems getting solved. we do not see them being more open with alternatives because the parties are not interested in changing the status quo. host: it was reported by the new york times that when it came to that candidates, raising $114 million. that is not all the money involved, but when it comes to overall, what would you advise as far as making changes? guest: i think you hit the nail on the head. every cycle, seemingly is the most expensive cycle in recent memory. i'm quite confident that when

the dust settles, we will have a multibillion-dollar -- a lot of it coming from big-money donors. our focus as an organization is to help candidates committed to raising. no less than a majority of our funding will come from real people. it is to help those candidates connect with the voters that they need. to get out, build a grassroots movement. we are seeing that success occur . we are confident that by helping build the two-party system and

providing resource for what they need that they will have alternative success at the state and local level. host: one thing that your group advocates for is the end of dark money influence peddling. guest: i think when you look at the standards that have been set , we have a big-money problem come in the form of super pac and other organizations without having to disclose their donors. that is a real problem in the system. you have actors with tremendous amount of influence, in the terms of shaping public opinion. they are not held accountable to anyone. host: this is jared joining us

with the organization known as good party. let's hear from susan caller: in alabama. good morning, gentlemen. i am in alabama. i'm so glad you're talking about funding because i wonder if he could let us know who funds cornell west? and who is funding robert kennedy? when he was asked where he gets his funding, his response was, i would rather not say. of course, a couple weeks ago, i heard that robert kennedy is funded by the same pack that funds donald trump. i'm wondering if these gentlemen are funded by republicans. and for the host of the show, i

want to say something. my favorite show last year on this network was when the gentleman asked you about kentucky fried chicken. i thought that was hilarious. i still laugh about it when i think about it. but let us know who is funding these gentlemen. thank you for your time. guest: i think i would direct you to the candidate themselves. those candidates should be disclosing their donor. we as an organization in terms of financial contributions that are needed, but these are questions that should be answered by legitimate concerns. our focus this election cycle really is.

especially when they are talking about independent candidates. the focus is to help to train and elect candidates running outside the system who are powered by real people. they can take a stand against anticorruption pencils. schoolboy, countywide offices. host: if you are interested in interviews, we conducted those recently and over time. even some recent ones. if you want to look them up and see what the candidates themselves have to say about certain issues, you can do that

at c-span.org. new jersey, go ahead. caller: i was calling to say that i appreciate the independent view of another candidate. at the same time, if we do not get biden and we end up with trump again, all options will be off the table. the whole system will be changed. thank you. host: when it comes to the system itself, could changes be made to help those candidates? guest: absolutely. many of them are good friends. we are looking to be good partners in the space. to open the doors and maybe change the rule of our political

system, whether that is preventing things like primaries , so they are able to dissipate. given how our districts tend to be, rules to implement voting. there is a ton of impactful ideas that are out there to help make our democracy more competitive. the focus is to have a more competitive system. if and when those rules are changed, it is critical to offer competitive alternatives, especially so because if you have a rule change, you only have republicans and democrats running. you have change the rules but not the players. the result will be largely the same. we see ourselves as partners in the space. our focus is to provide candidates already running and

bring them the tools and resources that they need to run competitive campaigns. if they are able to participate where landscape has been made more favorable, hopefully they will be able to take advantage of the changes. i think they are changes that are needed to reverse the dysfunction in our system. host: overall, how willing i states to make those fundamental changes that your organization advocates for? guest: i think it depends on the state. we are seeing initiatives run by organizations of ours that are happening at the city level. i think there is an incremental approach as well. but i think the appetite is a little bit variable. when you are talking about reforms that are potentially going to take power away from the parties, i think it is fair

to say that the response to the reforms has not been overly enthusiastic. it has to be because a lot of the reforms are really popular with people. the parties are saying, i'm not going to lament these alternatives despite majority of folks supporting but it is not being supported because it is not in the interest of the party to make that change. host: when it comes to this idea , when does the electoral bollard -- where does the electoral college fit in? guest: it is a fair question that reasonable people can argue about the benefits of the cost of the electoral college introducing into the equation. for our organization, it is another optical. it is something that needs to be

answered. it is why our organization is so focused, where we think there is a chance. i encourage anyone interested in learning more and feels like they are alone, our organization is here to support candidates. we think there is a tremendous opportunity for change. electoral college is a candidate -- that is a big acknowledgment. host: we will talk to arthur.

hello. caller: good morning. thank you very much for your segment this morning. unfortunately, i think we are missing the mark. we need a constitutional amendment regarding lengths of terms and how many terms are available to each individual american. this is the only way that things are going to change because there are billions of dollars -- they are going to tell you know, i belong to an organization in california called no more talk. simply getting enough people together to have a constitutional amendment. you get a term limit and limited terms. when your term is finished, you go back to work as the founding

fathers designed. as long as you have career politicians, nothing is going to change. host: ok. thank you. guest: i can resonate with that statement. i personally agree. i think many and my organization would agree with you that it is not something that is intended or is overly helping our political system. the way we are looking to resolve the problem is by bringing new people into the space who have access to the resources required and to help run really viable initiatives. if you are not running outside to have success.

we see voters but especially -- they have a majority of voters looking at them on favorably. more voters than that. they will report that they are exhausted. that is a direct consequence of a system not serving a product that is satisfying the consumers of the democracy. it is by providing new life into this marketplace of ideas. host: our next caller from pennsylvania. you're up. caller: has a third party candidate ever won the president?

guest: certainly not in modern times. you would have to go back to lincoln. but historically, the challenges is -- it can be overwhelming. it drives home the idm. they might be looking especially at the top of the ticket. i care about this country and i care about my community. the solution is to look locally.

these are positions that are escaping the spotlight despite having a tremendous impact on your everyday life it is incredibly important that we have choice. . we want to solve problems for the community and address can earn with our community. host: the people that you help in this process. how much of an avenue is that giving? guest: that is a great question. we are helping work with partner

organizations. i would tell you that of the broadest are independent, where they are in the federal system, only two elected. it is despite a huge volume of opportunity. we are always looking to expand our possibilities. candidates speaking to provide tools to run competitive campaigns. we are trying to support. host: this is donald.

hello. caller: hello. i have a little bit of a different take. we just had our primary a couple weeks ago. people would say, i have to choose between you do not have to put yourself in the position of choosing between the worst of two evils. it is your choice.

you are expressing your choice. people would say you've wasted your vote because you voted third party. they voted for hillary, they wasted their vote. guest: i appreciate where you're coming from. i think that is very resonant in this space. there are options for you that are aligned with the issues you care about. we are trying to provide you choices.

where turnout was incredibly high, the largest group of people that were eligible to vote but did not -- they set out the election. there is a lot of disparaging comments that have been made. they do not really think about the choices we are offering people it was a better choice for them. we use the term rationally. it is a very logical thing. you are going to see voters disengaged. i would like to see whether their political candidates or

people working in the political ecosystem. rather than saying they are disengaging, what is it about our political system answering the third we reject a good part of the idea that given given alternative, they would hopefully see the result resorted -- host: you have talked about it a couple of times. guest: we have been working on technology based on ai. it is helping candidates understand through the training how to run a campaign effectively.

even making the decision to run for office, how do we get informed candidates ready to step up to the plate. it is work. they will cultivate and having candidates before they decide to run is they decide to make a responsible and informed decision. the first step is how to prepare candidates and help them understand what their victory would look like if they were to run. what a campaign strategy looks like without hiring political consultants. if a candidate chooses to run, how do we help them rhyme efficient campaigns?

we do a lot of the core outputs of a political campaign. all of the things that oftentimes keep a young campaign especially at headquarters. selling division and engaging. we built a campaign tracker and its mental-health candidates understand what they need to be doing each week like a health tracker. what are your goals for the week that will keep you on pays for your ultimate destination of winning an election? how do you hold yourself and your team accountable for those goals that you can visualize and make course corrections? it's also important tool loosing candidates effectively used to communicate their viability. especially in races like the

city council elections where there aren't weekly polls being done. a lot of times, candidates resort to the work they are doing to be able to help people understand that they are running viable campaigns and they will talk to their supporters might ask them especially for an independent candidate, how do i know that by supporting him not potentially wasting my vote? the candidate can give a firm, confident answer and saying i'm doing all the things a candidate needs to do to have the chance of living in election and be an effective candidate. i'm knocking on doors and contacting voters on the phone and contacting volunteers. all of that can be captured and presented so i can communicate their viability. host: you can learn more on our guests website. thanks for your time today. that's it for our program today. another addition of "washington journal"