>> "washington journal" is next and we would like to hear from you. text us at (202)-748-8003. we replaced the comment a spec.com/c-span or post on x using --@cspanwj. "washington journal" starts now. ♪ host: washington journal for april 12. the house is in at 8:00 a.m. today, how would you rate mike

johnson's performance? some republicans are critical. democrats have been critical, as a because of the lack he is making on ukraine and his inability to govern his conference, and this comes as the speaker travels to florida today for an event with former president trump. for the first half-hour of the show, how would you rate the performance of house speaker mike johnson? republican, (202)-748-8001. democrats, (202)-748-8000. independents, (202)-748-8002. if you would like to text us your thoughts on the speaker's performance, you can do that at (202)-748-8003. facebook available to you at facebook.com/c-span and you can always post on x at --@cspanwj. the speaker yesterday announcing that the house coming in at 8:00

today for another effort to reform fisa section 702. the initial vote on that went down syria's -- down a series of new proposals. that is "the washington times" headline this morning when it comes to that effort at 8:00 with mike johnson explaining his flip on fisa. if you go to "usa today," the headline this morning -- house gop in chaos after conservatives take vote on fisa, and the add this to the park, saying all this was happening, the efforts on fisa fisa as representative marjorie taylor greene, republican of georgia angled an effort to vacate over johnson's head that would remove him from the speakership, alongside the open rebellion in the house of vote, underscoring the growing frustration of johnston --

johnson from conservatives to see the speaker is in fighting hard enough for them. those are some things that you may see play out at 8:00 and it comes to the speaker's performance specifically, you can comment to the first half-hour of the morning. (202)-748-8001, republicans. (202)-748-8000, democrats. independents, (202)-748-8002. again, you can text us at (202)-748-8003. the speaker, by the way, will be traveling to florida later today for a scheduled event, which former president trump, saying that he will travel to mar-a-lago, the florida estate, to join him for what he has built "a major announcement on election integrity." two men have been planning to get together for a political meeting, but mr. johnson suggested a joint public appearance on a topic mr. trump cares deeply about. it will afford mr. johnson the opportunity to stand shoulder to

shoulder with mr. trump at a precarious moment in his speakership as he works to corral a deeply divided majority around the legislative agenda that many oppose. all while facing the direct of denouncement from marjorie taylor greene, a writer died from the ally, making matters trickier. mr. trump, the former president and presumptive presidential nominee is helping to undermine that agenda. you can throw all those things and as far as your assessment of speaker johnson. rob out of new york, democrat line. what do you think of the speaker's job so far? caller: well, marjorie is making it difficult for him. she is carrying the water of donald jailhouse jailbird trump. she is carrying his water, you know.

i believe that mr. trump is afraid of moscow, putin, afraid of being embarrassed. host: let as the speaker's job specifically, what do you think of the performance? caller: you know, i think he is doing the best he can. i gave him a grade of 65. i think he is doing the best he can with the far right coming at him. i think that just like we have a nickname now, moscow marjorie. the new nickname democrats should repeat over and over is donald jailhouse like richard milhouse nixon, donald jailhouse trump. host: let's hear from george in ohio, republican line on rating the speakership of mike johnson. george, go ahead. caller: first of all, you should have cut that previous caller off because he is calling people names. that should not be condoned by your network.

i think johnson is doing a good job. the thing about what is going on with the country, we need to look at what is going on. marjorie taylor greene, is she really far right? it is a hard road to travel when you look at the democrats. why don't you look at the democratic party and the get all the senators who vote all -- except mention sometimes -- in unison? host: when you say the speaker is doing a good job specifically, how do you rate that? caller: he had to take over an emergency case when mccarthy resigned, but the thing about the budget, marjorie taylor greene makes a point, when you are getting $200 million to the fbi for new headquarters, look what they are doing. they are not even doing a decent job. now they're talking about a threat from homeland security. we have homeland security, but we are letting 8 million to 11 million illegals in our country.

what is homeland security? if you are not securing the border, you are not homeland security. host: ok, in new york, democrat line, hello. caller: good morning, how do you do? host: fine, thank you. go ahead. caller: so far. i would give the speaker a b plus. the reason why is because he is working very objectively because for you to be a good leader, you have to work from the middle, the right, the left, you have to reach out to everyone because if you are going to listen to one person, it is not going to work. he is doing a great job. if marjorie taylor greene brings it to the floor, i hope the democrats will vote to keep him in because he is a guy you can

work with. give him a little more time to make his own decisions, regarding whether you are speaking to the former president or not. we have to listen to everyone. that is what a good leader would do. you have to listen to the republicans, the democrats, independents, everything into consideration. not working alone because working alone, not everybody can work. host: richard, san francisco, california, independent line. go ahead. caller: i don't know what that other gal is talking about. the do-nothing congress, there is no cooperation, he cannot get his own party behind him. they are going around, let's impeach biden, are you kidding? and then he is going to run off and hang out with a guy who was indicted and probably criminally charged before the election? that's the worst. they have passed hardly anything

and blocked everything. even the immigration bill, they said they wanted it but they blocked that. it is crazy. they are the most dysfunctional, disorganized, incompetent party. they are not even the republican party now. they are the trumpster party now, shackled to him. give me anybody but this guy. and mccarthy, as well. just look at it. they spent all these times trying to get people in front of committees, they are using their committees as political weapons. they are there for the american people, what is best for the american people. totally incompetent. host: richard california. you can continue with your thoughts. there is a thought from harriet hagerman, who was on our program yesterday who specifically asked about the speaker's performance. here are her comments.

[video clip] >> right now, he is the speaker of the house. i support mike. i think he is in a difficult position because of the slow majority, and the republicans don't ever walk in lockstep. that is one reason that republicans were very independent thinkers, in contrast to a lot of democrats, and it is what you are seeing play out on the floor. i also think that people make much too big of a deal of this. the reality is is that this is very a democratic republic works. we are supposed to have debates, discussion and fighting for issues that are important to the american constituency. this is the way that governing is going to be if you are willing to make sure that people all have a voice in the way their government should operate. we should not be making these decisions behind closed doors, coming out and announcing to the masses with the laws are going to be. we have to debate, discuss, listen to each other, and we have to be able to voice our own

opinions and then move forward with what is going to be the consensus. this is an example of that. [end video clip] host: more of that interview is available online, our app, and our website. the associated press reporting that the speaker is working with the white house and coming up with a package for ukraine, saying that speaker johnson had been talking with officials about a package that would deviate from this and's $95 billion security package and included several republican demands. it comes after aid was delayed for months. barb is next, democrat, north carolina. thank you for calling. caller: thank you. i only wanted to call and say that he is in a difficult position, but the problem is [indiscernible]

they are too busy trying to be powerful, greedy, and just disrupting everything. they need to learn how to legislate and administer. that is what we need. i would say to go home and take a course on how to be good leaders. host: some of you are texting this, tony in florida, it is hard to evaluate the speaker's performance as he is in an unprecedented position of having a negative result mainly to beaded to dysfunction, and off of facebook, chris engelman says he gets an a for sticking to his constitutional duty. ryan off of facebook says, if y legislation has gotten past, that is a no. subpar at best. and then,ll, i wish and better than he is getting. he understands that the

republicans are a tiny majority and it is impossible to get everything they want. you can text us if you want at (202)-748-8003. in indiana, mark. go ahead on our independent line. caller: good morning. the reason i'm calling is i think republicans are doing as good a job as they can because of the slight majority they have. and the speaker is doing the best job he can. success is not measured by how many bills you pass and how much money you spend of our taxpayer dollars. biden spent all the money on his transportation bill so now we have extreme inflation going on, but inflation is a tax on the floor because we lose the purchasing power of our dollar. we can only by about 80% of the

goods we use to be able to buy when we went to the stores because they spend it on all these evs enter and parking lots and not usable. and we get back to, the best thing is the government does not want to pass any bills at all, especially this fisa thing going on, all they did was spy on trump and come out from the fbi with all this false information on russia, russia, russia, and all the democrats do is continue to lie, and the fact that you live about inflation, biden said yesterday that inflation was so high, when he came in, it was 1.9%, and now it is way up by 3.5%, but in the last three months, 4% and the last month,

at a 5% range. host: we will go to mitchell in, democrat. caller: good morning. whether it is mike johnson, kevin mccarthy, or john boehner, [indiscernible] they don't really have a governing boss trying to pass legislation. they have a governing philosophy using the tools the house offers to try to block legislation and to block anything positive for the country, and the senate is doing the same thing with the filibuster. our nation, this goes beyond the slow majority. i think this just goes about what is there philosophy and how are they going to implement that?

and the framework of our congress is delicate, and unless there is a will to compromise on both sides, especially when we come from different philosophies, nothing is ever going to get done, and you can look at the proposed legislation from the senate on the border and immigration, and this is not new. you go back 10 years ago to 2013, there was another thing that the house killed, and ruth bader was trying to legislate budget matters of president obama to get the conference in order, and they would just fight everything. if you want to do nothing, this is a great conference and you

can do that. host: that is mitchell new jersey, giving his assessment of speaker johnson's performance. you can do the same. (202)-748-8001, republicans. democrats, (202)-748-8000. independents, (202)-748-8002. political reporting this week when it comes to the speaker's job and the fundraiser for republicans, ringing in $20 million, plus, in the first quarter of the year, the story from politico adding that the louisiana republican has worked aggressively to meet high expectations on the fundraising circuit and it indicates success, breaking through with high dollar donors and the party needs to hang onto the house majority this fall. there is more at politico if you would like to read on that. this is from matt in massachusetts, independent line. caller: good morning. i think the speaker politically is worse than useless, he is worthless and worse than

worthless, he is aggressive. these guys teach damage and don't do anything in government, they don't do anything for us. i think the right wing likes them because they do their bidding of trying to dismantle and disrupt government so they can turn around and say, look, government doesn't work. that is their only play. they are disingenuous liars. the worst thing about this is that they are the most -- is that the most global people on the planet are religious people who believe in a father figure in the sky. i cannot respect adult to do that in the year 2024. i just cannot respect it, and to have it injected into government is a dangerous thing. we need to keep these religious extremists out of government and identified them in our social circles and call them out and let them know that this type of

thinking is not welcome in an advanced society. host: let's hear from mary in maryland, democrat. caller: good morning, c-span. i give speaker johnson minus zero, safety i gave mccarthy. what he is going to do is the same. he will go to mar-a-lago and i like what the republican party is doing right now, even though i think they are crazy. they are blocking money to go to israel and ukraine. that war is lost. why do we want to keep sending money to keep killing people? same thing with israel. netanyahu needs to go. if our leadership is not strong enough to deal with that, they don't get my vote, so he can go to mar-a-lago and kiss the ring all he would like, he is still the same fool. the republican party a lost

cause and the democratic party is weak. maybe it is because they are too old, but right now i don't know the difference between republican and democratic parties because i'm watching a genocide take place before my eyes, and we are doing nothing. host: when it comes to the assessment of not only the republican conference with the speaker's performance, it was hakeem jeffries talking about the future of speaker johnson holding onto his job, in light of efforts to pass a bill on ukraine. here is some of that from yesterday. [video clip] >> i made the observation, not a declaration, the observation that if the speaker would do the right thing and allow the house to work its will within up or down vote on the national security bill, then i believe there are reasonable number of democrats who would not want to see the speaker fall and the result of doing the right thing. observation, not a declaration

is we have to have a conversation, and i did not necessarily mean to arrive there. but the conversation -- mean to rhyme with their, but a conversation amongst ourselves and house democrats before making such a solemn decision. >> does that mean you are really not supporting any other type of package? >> our view, and it was expressed this morning in the meeting hosted by the honorable katherine clark, who is doing a great job, is that the only path forward is an up or down vote on the bipartisan comprehensive national security bill. [end video clip] host: more of that honor website and app, if you would like to see it when it comes to reading the speaker's performance, called on the lines, republicans, (202)-748-8001. democrats, (202)-748-8000. s independent, -- independents, (202)-748-8002.

speaker mike johnson -- asking you to read speaker mike johnson's performance as speaker of the house. paul, minnesota, republican. caller: thank you for taking my call. give the speaker a break, nobody would like that job. our legislature is split down the middle. how are you supposed to get much of anything done? that is the way our government was set up to be. how are things supposed to move forward if we are split 50/50 down the middle? the poor guy has a job nobodys want. the democrats are just plain on the split vote, and the poor guy has a tough job. give him a break. host: you are sympathetic to him, but how would you rate how he is doing, specifically? caller: he's still in there, isn't he? he is a tough guy.

i give him a 10. host: ok. paul there in minnesota. you can use letter grades or number grades or just give your assessment over the phone if you would wish. independent line from kentucky, oliver. caller: good morning. how are you? host: well, thank you. what to think of the speaker's job? caller: i think it is a failing grade. listen, i was born in the 1960's, and being born in the 1960's, you saw a lot of things. you saw civil rights, you saw the assassination of president's, any things you saw, but what i remembered as a little boy about politics up until now is that politics were principal. there was a line that if you were democrat or republican that you did not cross, and you did

what was best for the country. he did not always like it. it was not always about democrat or republican. it is just that you did what was best for the country. now, due to the fact that the speaker of the house is at mar-a-lago, with trump, his voice is suede. i mean, i mean, to do a good job and be principled about your job is to do the will of the people and what is right for this country. do not drag it down. lift it up. so i'm just disgusted with politics right now. democrats and republicans. but just more republicans because it seems like -- what they will not go to.

it is almost like we will do anything to get power, to retain power. host: marvin in michigan is next, you are next up. caller: good morning. host: you are going to have to turn down your television please. caller: sorry, good morning. yes, about speaker johnson, he is the least productive we have had in the last 100 something years. when you are going to mar-a-lago this weekend, to me, the ringmaster, and we cannot get anything done with the border, and the people out in gaza, it is just ridiculous. that must stop, and we have to get these people this aid.

we have to go to the talib coffee hours to see what these people of the nations feel. i feel for these people. they bombed that food truck and all that other stuff they have done because i was just having a conversation with the gentleman at the gas station because he is from gaza and has people there, and i was talking to him, -- host: and how does that relate to the speaker's job? caller: because they would not pass border things, and if people come in and make the country bad instead of letting immigrants come in. host: ok, marvin in michigan. peter johnson set to travel to florida today to meet with the former president at an event,

taking a look at what has been described as election integrity. you can look at that, and on the house side today, and effort to pass section 702 of fisa, which went down earlier this week, but new measures in hopes that republicans can get it passed in the house today, and you can see that play out on c-span, our main channel. the house set to come in at 8:00 today to work on the measures. you can follow along on our website, our app, or comment on the speaker's job. until then, you can send us a text and post on her social media site, too. let's hear from marlene in minnesota, independent line. marlene in minnesota, hello? one more time for marlene.

ok. diane in ann arbor, michigan, democrat. hello. caller: hello. i would give mike about maybe a one? he shows up, he is on the floor, but he doesn't do anything. he needs to dump marjorie taylor greene in his ear. he is looking like a wimp. nancy pelosi did not have a problem getting her people in line, but mike does not seem to be able to do it. and you always hear about maga men don't listen to bossi or strong women, well, he is listening to marjorie taylor greene, and when she says jump, he asks how high? he needs to grow a spine. it is not a good look because he is marjorie taylor greene's tool. he needs to pass ukraine aid but he won't because marjorie will

not let him because she is a disciple of trump and putin. host: diane finishes off this half-hour in michigan when it comes to the speaker's job performance. the house is in at 8:00. we will change gears and invite you to participate now and open forum. you can participate by commenting on the speaker's job, other matters in politics discussion, republicans, (202)-748-8001. democrats, (202)-748-8000. independents, (202)-748-8002. again, you can continue commenting on the speaker if you wish, and other things, and we will take those calls momentarily. it was the japanese prime minister addressing a joint session of congress -- technically, a meeting of congress yesterday, on the matters of importance between the u.s. and japan. one thing he talked about was

the importance of the united states and the world. -- in the world. here is a portion from yesterday. [video clip] >> the u.s. shaped the international order in the postwar world with technological power. its champion, freedom and democracy is encouraged with stability and prosperity of nations, including japan. and when necessary, it made noble sacrifices to fulfill its commitment to a better world. united states' policy was based on the premise that humanity is

not want to live by the oppressed and authoritarian state, where you were surveilled and denied from expressing what is in your heart and on your mind. you believe that freedom is the oxygen of humanity. the world needs the united states to continue to play this pivotal role in the affairs of nations. and as we meet here today, on the current of self-doubt among

some americans about what your role in the world should be. this self-doubt is arising at a time when our world is that history's turning point. the post-cold war era is already behind us, and we are now at the inflection point that will define the next stage of human history. [end video clip] host: that was the japanese prime minister. if you would like to see more, you can go to the website, the app. "the new york times" saying that the u.s. will send the top general from america, and the american commander will coordinate with israel what is widely expected to be retaliatory action by iran and discuss the war against hamas in

gaza and humanitarian aid operations, according to officials who spoke on an end immunity because of sensitivity of the matter. it is open lines, (202)-748-8001 for republicans. democrats, (202)-748-8000. independents, (202)-748-8002. this is tom in connecticut, republican line. good morning. caller: sounds like the prime minister of japan has a reasonable understanding of the world as it is much more than our very own president. but getting back to the speaker of the house, he is in a precarious situation. he has a shallow majority, and he is doing the best he can with that. i mean, marjorie taylor greene would like to vindicate the speaker, but she is very much

frustrated with the way things are. as a matter of fact, the house has done lots of things. they have passed a lot of bills and have sent them over to the senate, where the democrat senate has tabled all of their goals, and they are actually the ones who are stonewalling progress or reparation kent varient nomination that we are experiencing right now -- to a very ill nation that we are experiencing right now. host: let's hear from liz in new jersey, democrat line. caller: good morning. the speaker of the house, i would give him a b, at least he has kept the government open, which his party seems to have difficulty even getting there.

i do appreciate that. i think he is making the wrong move by going down to talk to the ex-president, who has been indicted multiple times, who they have chosen for reasons that escape me to be their nominee. the government is set up in three branches, and he is part of the congressional branch. he should not be taking walking orders or kissing the ring of an ex-president, not even a president. he is lowering the prestige and independence of the congress of the united states of america, and he should not do that. i think he has to be able to get his people cooperatively working

with him. marjorie taylor greene i would write off as a bomb hurler who will really not do much while she's in the congress, but he needs to get those republicans and democrats who want to actually govern the united states, needs to get them working together on things for the american people. host: ok, let's hear from perry in south dakota, republican line. caller: thank you for taking my call. i think that mike johnson is actually a very good man, trying to bring correctness -- he says he is a christian man and ones to do the right thing -- and would like to do the right thing in the house. the right thing for him to do with detroit and understand where we are fiscally and it is coming up to be a big problem in

the country, and it is not even talked about in the media at all. by the way, i think that c-span is probably the best media right now, and it is great to be able to call and give your opinion on this type of thing, but i think mike johnson has his hands full. it is hard to operate in the atmosphere he is in, and the leader of japan gave a good speech yesterday on being a good country, and actual good country, and that is what i would like to say this morning. thank you for taking my call. host: let's hear from carrie in new jersey, independent line. caller: thank you for taking my call. i watch you every morning seven days a week, and i appreciate

every piece of information you give the public. three quick things. i watch every morning. i don't understand why people in this country think that they have it so bad. if they look around at other countries, they are just not opening their eyes to what they actually really have. number two, i don't understand why everybody seems to call president trump, president trump. he isn't the president. number three, i don't know what they are so afraid of? i don't know what whoever is so afraid of. number three, about women's rights, i don't understand everything that they are doing and how i can watch tv every morning and watch all these commercials for all these performance-enhancing pills for

men, so if someone can explain that to me -- i would not be baffled every morning with this misunderstanding of how this is happening in this world. thank you. host: that is carried in new jersey on the last point, vice president harris expected to travel to arizona today to discuss issues concerning reproductive rights, especially in light of the supreme court there's recent decision on abortion matters. let's hear from randy in alabama, republican line. caller: hi, i give speaker johnson an f-. i think you should be removed from speaker because he has just done an awfully poor job. i'm ready, i have my disco ball, i have my chicken fried, cold

beer, i just want marjorie taylor greene to remove him as soon as possible. host: that is randy in alabama. several of the papers giving write ups today to the announcement of the recent death of o.j. simpson, including the assessment and "new york times." what did people see when they looked at o.j. simpson? a superstar, killer, abuser, pariah? for many of these at once? disclaimed infamy was an example of what celebrity could make a person and examples of what media can make a country. when it came to the trial, it was all tv, analysis goes, it was a soap opera, legal thriller, interactive whodunit before murder podcasts, social

drama that exposed clause of the legal system, it was a dark comedy with buffoon fillings -- villains. there is more if you would like to read that right up. it also garnered a reaction from the white house press secretary yesterday. here it is. [video clip] >> was there any reaction from the president to o.j. simpson's death? do you know if they ever crossed paths? >> i will say this, our thoughts are with his family during this difficult time, with his family and loved ones, and i will say that i know they have asked for privacy, so we are going to respect that. i will leave it there. [end video clip] host: underline free democrats, steve, texas. hello. caller: i was calling about speaker johnson. i think he deserves an f. the republicans, they agree on bills, and instead of unit to the floor, they kill the bill.

james lankford wrote that immigration bill. that bill was a republican bill and democrats chose to go along with that to get aid for ukraine. so he deserves a complete on everything he is doing because he's listening to trump instead of listening to the american people. trump is a failure, and he will always be a failure. so, listen to the american people. work with democrats, independents, however, republicans who are willing to get something done, put the bills on the floor. host: let's hear from richard in illinois, independent line on the open forum. go ahead. caller: yes, the post office needs to reverse the mail delivery and substantially reduced the cost of stamps and mail delivery. it needs to consolidate

underutilized zip codes and post offices, and it needs to lay off postal workers. people are using email, private delivery, stamps keep going up and up, and it has got to be turned around. thank you. host: jennifer and virginia, republican line. caller: i just want to say i'm so tired is a conservative republican woman of being lumped together into this stereotype as amaga extremist. that is certainly not the case. speaker johnson is trying to do the best he can with what he has to work with, and if anybody out there has actually read the current bill, the whole 125 pages, you will see why this is

in going through. there are reasons. it isn't sustainable, there are too many things that have been added to it that i and many others refuse. i'm on the phone with congresspeople every other day saying, nope, we will not settle. that is all i have to say. thank you. host: jennifer in virginia. reuters reported that a rule requiring gun dealers to obtain federal licenses and conduct back objects, regardless of where they have been finalized, will soon go into effect, according to the justice department. it is aimed at closing the "so-called gun whole loophole" and will clarify what it means to be "engaged in the business so that those selling guns at venues will face the same requirements as gun stores to check the background of would-be buyers that is from reuters -- buyers." that is from reuters. axios said president biden used

campaigns to pay his legal bill, according to two familiar with the matter, and in axios review of records, the payments made through the democratic international committee are at odds with the biting attacks -- biden campaign attacks on trump are spending campaign funds on legal fees. they paid more than 1.5 million to lawyers or firms were present invited during the probe, according to the committee's financial records, and it also adds that when asked about the presidencies of the d&c to pay legal bills, the spokesperson for the d&c told axios that they did not spend a single penny on legal bills, unlike donald trump, who solicits legal fees from his supporters and has drawn down every bank account he can to get his hands on like a personal piggy bank. that is on axios. the house comes in about 15

minutes from now. oklahoma, democrat, bobby. caller: morning. i would like to ask the speaker of the house, is see the speaker or is marjorie taylor greene the speaker? classy so dann scared of bar -- why is he so damn scared of marjorie taylor greene? trump is going to jail, you better get ready, the public and lovers out there. donald trump is going to jail. host: arlene, minnesota, independent. caller: good morning. i tried calling earlier and got disconnected. i'm calling about mike johnson as our speaker of the house. i want to just say, the lady who called from virginia has it exactly right. the reason things do not pass through our house is because the bills they put through has so

many of bad things in there, that the media never ever puts out on the screen where people can read everything. they expect them to go on a computer and read it, and not everybody has a computer, but talking specifically about the bill, if they would have read the whole border bill that was with many, many 2300 pages full of other things that were not necessary. i think mike johnson is doing the constitutional good job that he was put into that place four. people need to know, the bills that come forward, it should be a one line bill, there should not be 2300 pages, there should not be for hundred pages, if you

want -- 400 pages, if you want to do something, put it out there with one thing in the bill and vote on it. that is how their job should be. host: that is marlene in minnesota. donald, ohio, republican. caller: hello. i think that michael johnson is doing an excellent job. he is a call mean -- calming force for the speaker of the house. host: what do you think as far as his accomplishments? what do you think he has done as a standout accomplishment? caller: he has had a lot on his plate from the get-go, and i think he is just trying to make amends, keep the peace, and he is just doing what he was meant to do, and that is all i would

say. host: that is donald in ohio. open forum, several of you commenting on the speaker's job performance, which is perfectly ok, or if you would like to talk about other matters of politics, (202)-748-8001, republicans. democrats, (202)-748-8000. independents, (202)-748-8002. stuart, pennsylvania, independent. caller: hello. i just wanted to remind americans how they forget their history. this country was founded on compromise. right now, the word compromise is a dirty word it seems to be in congress. mike johnson, i think he has done as best he can, considering who he has to deal with, the trumpsters and marjorie taylor greene's, but without compromise, this country is in a bad way.

i wish people would read their history more. have a good morning. host: can i ask a question? caller: sure. host: louis the woman who said that is you? caller: my wife. host: does she want to say something? caller: go ahead. i don't think you want to hear what i have to say. host: you can talk about speaker johnson or politics, but your husband had his say, so if you want to say something, go for it. caller: you know what? if there's anything i have to say, i guess when all these reporters and confrontational people speak about abortion and interview abortion people, it never talks about what are you going to do with all these unwanted children? who's going to take care of them? who's going to feed them? who's going to put a roof over their heads? i would not mind proportions --

pro-life people would -- host: you still there? we lost stuart and his life, getting comments this morning -- wife giving comments this morning. nancy, ohio, democrat. caller: hi. yeah, so in my opinion, mike johnson is a highly compromised individual who lies, he is incompetent, and i think he's doing the bidding of donald trump who was the shadow president for these so-called republicans. and also operating at the behest of vladimir putin. and he is ok with our tax dollars to not do his job and i don't think anybody understands the peril that ukraine will be an iffy fails to bring to the for a vote on the ukraine

package. i think he is a miserable person who ran an uncontested district i became a member of the house. so he is misplaced. he should be somewhere else, running a church or something. host: one of the hearings that took place yesterday, if you did not have a chance to see it, took a look at the topic of journalistic integrity and the ability to protect sources. it featured former cbs news investigator, catherine harwich, and "new york post" what about it, saying she was known for her reporting on the hunter biden laptop scam -- scandal, after she was fired on thursday. that whole hearing available on the network and our app, but here is a portion of her back and forth with representative jim jordan yesterday. [video clip] >> award-winning journalist, had worked there almost five years, had extensive experience and

prior to that, you were also an award-winning journalist with all kinds of reporting of the government, and then you get fired. it is worse than that because they didn't just fire you, what else did they do? >> on february 13 when i was told on a zoom call that my employment was terminated, i was locked out of my emails and the office. cbs news sees hundreds of pages -- seized hundreds of pages of my reporting files, including confidential source information. >> and that is not normal, is it? >> no, that is not my other experience with the other two networks i worked at orr with my colleagues at cbs news. when the network of walter cronkite seizes reporting files, including confidential source information, that is an attack on investigative journalism. >> it sure is. it seems there is a pattern developing, critical of the government in miss atkinson

situation, and then they start doing strange things to your phone lines, your computer, your critical of the government at a major news organization, you have been there five years, you get fired, and maybe there something to that, but what we do know is that they seized your documents. that is scary, as well. you talk about a chilling effect, and the first amendment, i don't know how it can be more chilling. they are stepping in and helping . then stepping in helps because you got your files back, didn't you? >> i did get the files back. if i did not have the support of sag-aftra publicly standing up journalism, i don't believe i would have received the files and they would have been returned. i would like to be clear, congressman, wherever you worked, if this happened to you, it is an attack on free press, the first amendment, it makes it more challenging for reporters

to work in the future. >> of course it does. >> the free flow of information to the public, they call journalism a profession for a reason because it is about an informed electorate and it is a cornerstone of our democracy. i can only speak for myself, when my records were seized, i felt it was a journalistic rap e. [end video clip] host: our website or app is where you can see the full hearing. in virginia, republican line, hello. caller: hello. i just wanted to say the democrats are a bunch of hypocrites. they accuse the republicans of hate, and then they want to kill their babies by abortion. they accuse donald trump of all the bad things. at least he was a businessman who gave people work. he contributed to the economy and society. joe biden has been a politician and the government, and so has

obama, and the democrats want to preach the bible, go have sex, then kill your baby if you don't want it. i have seen small business people shut down because of biden, yet, he says he has made a lot of jobs. i see sitting empty, yet, they have the highest rent that has ever been heard of. people give up their pets because they cannot afford to buy the food or taken to the vet to people who like joe biden's border policy, you should not complain when scholars come and take -- squalors -- squatters, take over your land. host: that was lloyd in west virginia. the caller that brought up abortion, this from "the des moines register" they pulled out their top arguments thursday on

the battle over whether i was most recent abortion law should go into effect. at issue is the law passed last year and a special session, banning abortion after art activity is detected in the sixth week of pregnancy before many women are aware. it was blocked after it was ruled unconstitutional according to the supreme court president three the state has appealed and the justices heard nearly one hour of arguments from both sides. let's go to john in new york, independent. caller: o.j. simpson. well, this shows that racism knows no color, whatever color you are, you can still be a racist. we all know about emmett till, how a white jury in mississippi let murderers get away with murder, a black jury in los angeles let a double murderer get away with murder. so if there is such a place has held, double murder, o.j.

simpson is there right now. host: in new hampshire, gary, democrat. caller: good morning. first of all, i don't agree with the caller from ohio, sr's and everything. number one, donald trump is criminal, insurrectionist, liar and rapist. that is neither here nor there. i feel a little sympathy for mike johnson but not much. he is caught between a rock and hard place. these mag people need to stop and let him mag -- ma people latest -- how can he govern with the threat hanging over his head? it is just like a filling having prison time hanging over his or her head. come on, america. smarten up and get these maga

people out of office, november. host: arthur, go ahead. caller: i have a couple of comments. first, mike johnson is inheriting a week -- what a week previous speaker did, and that was with mccarthy. he allowed extremists to have this vote on allowing one person to actually be able to bring speaker to question and to try and remove him. now, also, i would like to say that we are looking at a dangerous thing in the country. we are seeing a blurring of the lines between the different branches of government, and when mike johnson is going to visit the former resident, that is dangerous. also, we see that the supreme court is doing the bidding of the former president. in terms of israel, i would like

to say that i do believe it is not in the interest of the prime minister of israel to actually end the war. why? because before the war began, he was in hot water in terms of legally, and when you look at what he has done, meaning -- because he killed an official in syria, they actually bombed these aid workers. clearly he does not want the war to end. host: democrats line, hurry up and get your thoughts and because the house is about to come in. caller: real quick on mike johnson, i like what he is doing as speaker of the house. visiting trump right now, trying to make amends or whatever he is doing -- host: