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Jan. 1, 2025 10:04-13:08 - CSPAN

03:03:54

Washington Journal Washington Journal

Participants

Main

cal thomas

24:24

kimberly adams

cspan 39:40

Appearances

brian lamb

cspan 00:40

chris lehmann

nation 03:20

donald j trump

admin 03:52

hakeem jeffries

rep/d 01:49

mark harris

rep/r 01:10

mike johnson

rep/r 00:43

pramila jayapal

rep/d 02:01

Clips

bill christison

00:06

carlos a gimenez

rep/r 00:12

donald j trump [ai]

admin 00:02

jim marrs

00:25

kristen welker

nbc 00:15

william binney

00:07

Callers

jane in washington

callers 00:07

mike in alaska

callers 00:51

mustafa in new york

callers 00:08

virginia in north carolina

callers 00:12

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Speaker	Time	Text
unidentified		Presidential inauguration, C-SPAN.
		Democracy Unfiltered.
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kimberly adams ▲ ● ▼		Good morning.
		It's Wednesday, January 1st, 2025.
		Happy New Year.
		Many people will start the new year with New Year's resolutions.
		And this morning, we want to hear your suggestions for what resolutions lawmakers here in Washington should have for 2025 when it comes to policy, partisanship, or anything else.
		Our phone numbers, for Democrats, 202-748-8000.
		For Republicans, 202-748-8001.
		For Independents, 202-748-8002.
		If you'd like to text us, that number is 202-748-8003.
		Please be sure to include your name and where you're writing in from.
		And if you'd like to reach us on social media, that's facebook.com/slash C-SPAN or on X at C-SPANWJ.
		Now, in terms of what President-elect Donald Trump is resolved to do when he takes office come later this month, he had an appearance on Meet the Press in December talking about the early legislative agenda he'll present to Congress.
kristen welker ▲ ● ▼		You are the first president since Grover Cleveland to win non-consecutive terms.
		Republicans now have control of the House and the Senate.
		What do you plan to accomplish in your first 100 days in office?
donald j trump ▲ ● ▼		Well, we're going to do something with the border and very strong, very powerful.
		That'll be our first signal and the first signal to America that we're not playing games.
		We have people coming in by the millions, as you know, and a lot of people shouldn't be here.
		Most of them shouldn't be here, but we have jails being emptied into our country.
		We have mental institutions from all over the world being emptied into our country.
		So we'll be doing that.
		We're going to be extending within that period or as soon as we can the Trump tax cuts because you know they're coming due and they're very substantial for people.
		And it would be very, I think it will anger a lot of people, frankly, if we don't get an extension of that.
		That's what led us to one of the greatest economies ever.
		And those two things are going to be very vital, very important.
		We're going to be focusing on crime in the cities.
		And we'll work with Democrat governors.
		Most of them are, as you know, if you look at the 25 worst places, they're just about all Democrat-controlled cities and states.
		And we're going to be working with Democrat governors and Democrat mayors.
		And I look forward to doing it.
		But we have to do something about crime and mostly in our cities.
		And we're going to have a lot of other things.
		We'll be working on nominations.
		We're going to still be working on some nominations.
		I think they're going very well.
		We have, for the most part, I think they're going extremely well.
		It looks like Pete is doing well now.
		I mean, people were a little bit concerned.
		He's a young guy with a tremendous track record, actually.
		Went to Princeton and went to Harvard.
		He was a good student at both.
		But he loves the military.
		And I think people are starting to see it.
		So we'll be working on his nomination along with a lot of others.
kimberly adams ▲ ● ▼		The Washington Post Editorial Board took a look ahead at what's coming for the United States in 2025 when it comes to our politics with the headline: 2025 promises to be tumultuous.
		Here's our new year's resolution.
		In a gloomy age, we should welcome the unknown because the future might be better than the past.
		That editorial goes on to say, among other things, the United States is entering a stretch that we assume will be chaotic and tumultuous, but we must allow for the possibility that the next phase of history will surprise in that respect, too.
		That doesn't require ignoring reality, such as the crushing national debt, climate change, or President-elect Donald Trump's record.
		Still less does it call for discounting the lessons of history, such as the dangers of isolationism and protectionism.
		What it does demand is acknowledging that not every plausible negative outcome will be borne out.
		Gallup, the polling company, has a look at some of the issues that are likely to be top of mind for many Americans heading into 2025.
		Gallup has 20 trends that they identify to watch in 2025.
		Among some of the top ones include presidential approval with Donald Trump's reprise.
		Presidential approval is the ultimate measure of whether America's leader is rallying or rankling the public.
		But for Trump, it will also provide an unparalleled opportunity to gauge whether he is overperforming or underperforming compared with his first term.
		Monitoring independents, among whom Trump averaged a 37% approval rating in his first term and never exceeded 47%, will be particularly important in gauging his relative success.
		Other issues that they highlight include presidential approval, immigration, media trust or mistrust, along with U.S. health care challenges.
		Now, let's get to your calls on what resolutions you believe lawmakers should be making in 2025.
		We'll start with Mike in Fairbanks, Alaska.
		Good morning, Mike.
mike in alaska ▲ ● ▼		Oh, good morning, Kimberly and C-SPAN and the world.
unidentified		I have a punch list that is quite extensive.
unidentified		Number one, I'd like our lawmakers to stop spending money.
mike in alaska ▲ ● ▼		Please stop spending money, make the dollar stronger again, get rid of the printing machines, get rid of the IRS.
mike in alaska ▲ ● ▼		Number two, I want all the children found that were lost on the border.
unidentified		It's tragic that they could be using be being used for who knows what.
unidentified		And that's number two.
mike in alaska ▲ ● ▼		Number three, I want all our land back that was taken by corrupt politicians.
unidentified		That's number three.
		Number four, I want all the money take back.
		I want all the money back.
mike in alaska ▲ ● ▼		I want a major clawback on all the money taken by insider trading by all the politicians for the last 50 years.
		I want an apology from our President Trump for promoting, promulgating, and taking the CORA death tax.
		And that's enough for right now, but I love you, Kimberly.
unidentified		I love you, America.
		God bless.
		Good luck.
		And I think we'll do better.
kimberly adams ▲ ● ▼		Edward is in Lawrenceville, Georgia, on our line for Republicans.
kimberly adams ▲ ● ▼		Good morning, Edward.
unidentified		Good morning.
		What resolution I would like to see is no more spending on freebies for everybody.
		We have enough freebies.
		Another thing is that they make a resolution that when the media tells a lie, And it may benefit your party to do that, but you should be at the point where you will say, no, that's not true, and bring it out, the truce.
		I'll give you an example.
		Liz Cheney.
jim marrs ▲ ● ▼		Trump told she's a warmonger and that she should get a rifle and she should go over there and see what it's like.
unidentified		And yet it was reported that Trump was trying to kill Liz Cheney.
		I mean, it's just crazy.
		I'd like to see more honesty.
		A lot of our politicians tell a lie, a bold-faced lie, and then they don't even care if they even get caught.
		They just ignore it.
		So I'd like to see our representatives just be more honest.
		Thank you very much.
kimberly adams ▲ ● ▼		Edward mentioned trust in media, which was also on that list of top 20 trends for Gallup identified to watch, saying that in 2024, 31% of Americans reported trusting the mass media to report the news fully, accurately, and fairly, essentially tying the record low.
		Meanwhile, 36% indicated they had no trust at all in the mass media.
		The 2024 election highlighted traditional news media's challenges in staying relevant in the digital age, but can it compete and repair its image at the same time?
		Anita is in Yispalante, Michigan, on our line for independence.
		Good morning, Anita.
unidentified		Good morning.
unidentified		Happy New Year.
kimberly adams ▲ ● ▼		Thank you.
unidentified		Thank you.
		I wish the media will take China more seriously.
		It was reported in BBC News and on NHK World that she was going to take back Taiwan this year.
		I'm sure he'll take it back through economic incentives.
		And because Taiwan has no friends in the world, because he controls Africa and he controls South America and controls Asia, I wish that the Republicans, especially, and the Democrats understand that China controls Africa through their debt.
		And I know that the Republicans especially, they're not really good on getting rid of debt.
		And I think that's something they're going to have to deal with in dealing with China.
		And I wish that these would show more, I guess, Africans coming on and talking about the policies of Africa and educate America because a lot of times we do not talk about Africa at all.
		And sometimes we have people on, they're not, I mean, there's nothing wrong with certain people, but I wish that more Africans would come on from Senegal, from Ivory Coast, other countries, so that people would know what exactly is going on in those countries.
		Thank you.
kimberly adams ▲ ● ▼		Thank you.
		Anita mentioned relations between China and Taiwan.
		There's a story here in NBC News from today.
		Taiwan's president welcomes exchange with China as she says no one can stop reunification.
		Taiwan hopes to have healthy and orderly exchanges with China under the principles of reciprocity and dignity, Lai Cheng Teng said in his New Year's address.
		And if we go down there, in this article, it says that Lai, who took office in May, has regularly offered talks with China but been rebuffed.
		China views democratically governed Taiwan as its own territory and detests Lai as a separatist.
		And Lai said only Taiwan's people could decide their future.
		Brian is in Virginia on our line for Republicans.
		Good morning, Brian.
unidentified		Good morning, Kimberly.
kimberly adams ▲ ● ▼		What resolutions do you think lawmakers should make in 2025?
		Okay.
		We'll go to John in South Weymouth, Massachusetts, on our line for Democrats.
		Good morning, John.
unidentified		Morning.
		I'm going to get tough on you right away.
		So I think a resolution for reduction in government spending is key.
		How would you feel about answering a question regarding your salary?
		Are you fully government funded or do some private entities also help facilitate your paycheck?
		And what do you make of you?
kimberly adams ▲ ● ▼		So C-SPAN is not government funded.
kimberly adams ▲ ● ▼		It's a nonprofit that's actually funded through the cable industry and also through our supporters.
unidentified		So through regulation, do they receive funding in a third-party sort of way?
kimberly adams ▲ ● ▼		What do you mean through regulation?
unidentified		So there's fees in the Ukraine cable TV bill, I would assume, government fees.
william binney ▲ ● ▼		Do those fees go in turn to fund some of the endeavors that you guys are in?
kimberly adams ▲ ● ▼		No.
		I'm going to go to our frequently asked questions page on C-SPAN, which I believe gets into that.
		Here we go.
		How is C-SPAN funded?
		At C-SPAN, we believe in informed citizenry is vital for democracy.
		For over 40 years, we've provided bipartisan, unfiltered political coverage, funded by cable and satellite partners without a dime of government funding.
		But C-SPAN does ask for donations.
		As fewer people subscribe to cable and satellite, diversifying our funding becomes crucial to continuing offering unfiltered coverage of Congress, the White House, the Supreme Court, and more.
		Your support ensures C-SPAN remains your reliable source for government proceedings, accessible on both traditional TV and digital platforms, allowing you to access our content whenever and wherever you consume news.
		And this is on our FAQ page.
unidentified		Well done.
		So I think though that I don't know the exact figure, 460 some odd government entities, I think it's time to scale back on some of it.
		And that's what I'd like to see as a resolution.
kimberly adams ▲ ● ▼		Okay.
		Next up is Sophia in New York, New York on our line for independence.
		Good morning, Sophia.
unidentified		Good morning, Kimberly.
		It's my first time calling while you've been working since you've been in C-SPAN.
		I told Alex, you are polite, intelligent, and I like the way you fact check us.
		Thank you.
		Happy New Year.
		Merry Christmas.
		And be strong.
		I've told John the first time, please be strong when Mr. Trump is in the office.
		You gotta watch.
		When my darling Steve Scali was there, they hugged his email.
		It was a miserable.
		I'll pray for you.
		I love you.
		And just be strong and just keep the way you do.
		Be fair.
kimberly adams ▲ ● ▼		And Sophia, did you have any resolutions that you wanted for lawmakers heading into 2025?
unidentified		You know, God is watching America.
		He is watching.
		We don't have to worry.
		We have to go through all this stuff.
		Let them do what they do.
		John, whatever, what is it?
		The speaker?
		I don't know.
		I'm not comfortable with him.
		But whatever the decision they make, we're going to be okay, Kimberly.
		Okay.
kimberly adams ▲ ● ▼		Okay.
		Next up is Aurora in Bradenton, Florida on our line for Republicans.
		Good morning, Aurora.
unidentified		Good morning.
unidentified		Can you hear me?
kimberly adams ▲ ● ▼		Yes.
unidentified		How are you?
kimberly adams ▲ ● ▼		Good, thank you.
kimberly adams ▲ ● ▼		What resolutions do you think lawmakers should be making in 2025?
unidentified		I think they should really, really make good resolutions to make America stronger.
		I mean, you know, not so much, oh, I want to go over this party line or that party.
		And I think they should work together and compromise, you know, and not compromise in a way we'll hurt America, but to make America stronger, especially for schools.
		You know, I think they should focus more on school and education and make that, you know, to where the kids will really learn and make schools stronger, you know, and so that they can progress to go to college.
		And we need this kind of community to work and be involved in so many areas that I think schools are not teaching productive stuff and they're coming out of college and they don't know what to do.
		So I think those are the things that they should focus on in education.
		I think it's strong.
		I think, too, that we, you know, we're not the savior of the world, but we've always been there.
		And yes, we can extend a hand, but, you know, more focus on the needs of America for now, because I think we have kind of lost our way in that area.
kimberly adams ▲ ● ▼		Okay.
		Rip is in Fredericksburg, Virginia, on our line for Republicans.
		Good morning, Rip.
unidentified		Good morning.
		I think that all illegal immigrants in the United States should be deported.
		And the reason I say that is all of our references in life have told us that we need to take care of our own, and we do not need to take care of people from other countries.
		I think that the main thing that needs to take place is all the deficits that we have with all the other countries, which is almost every single country in the world.
		Any of their children, which are their people, who come to these United States and we care for and we pay for that amount of money that we use to take care of said people should be deducted from the deficit that we owe that country.
		And if we would do that, those other countries would stop dead in their tracks and say, hey, we're not going to.
kimberly adams ▲ ● ▼		Just to be clear, when you say deficit, are you referring to like trade deficit or federal debt, like held in bonds by people in other countries or other governments?
unidentified		Any amount of money that this country owes another country, regardless of said, should be deleted from the amount of money that we pay for an individual to illegally come into our country, even though Biden flew in massive numbers of people in order to evade having to go through the borders.
		We need to do that.
		We are broke.
		We are dead broke.
		And, you know, it's money that, what is it called?
		I don't like a Bitcoin money.
		All that money is going to usurp the American dollar.
		Could be wrong, could be right, but I think I'm right.
		And I think that if you look at what's going on in the United States, I'm not a Trump guy.
		I'm not a Democrat by any far stretch of the imagination.
		But I do think that Trump has a great handle on what may be able to take place.
		But I think that the references that all of our nation has over thousands of years of the world has given us the references to know.
		And we've thrown all that out with the bathwater.
		And we need common sense.
		And remember, you know, when you put your hand on a red hot iron, you're going to be burned.
		Let's just call a reference.
		Anyway, thanks.
		Good morning.
		Good year.
		Bye.
kimberly adams ▲ ● ▼		Pat is in Braddon, Florida on our line for Democrats.
kimberly adams ▲ ● ▼		Good morning, Pat.
unidentified		Hi.
		Yes, I think that 2025 could be the year of people with disabilities.
		Disabilities across the board.
jane in washington ▲ ● ▼		We had the paralympics in Paris last year.
unidentified		The paralympians should have been invited to the White House.
unidentified		And I think that that is something that would cost money if they went from national to state to county to local for us to make 2025 the year of people with disabilities.
kimberly adams ▲ ● ▼		So I'm looking here, Pat, and it looks like Biden did back in September welcome both U.S. Olympians and Paralympians at the White House following their success in Paris.
kimberly adams ▲ ● ▼		So it looks like some of the Paralympians were able to visit the White House.
unidentified		That's awesome.
unidentified		I missed it.
kimberly adams ▲ ● ▼		That was back in September.
unidentified		And also to save Social Security, Medicare, and make housing affordable for seniors and people with disabilities.
kimberly adams ▲ ● ▼		Pat just mentioned Social Security.
		There's a story here in the New York Post about that looking ahead to 2025 saying Congress must make a Social Security resolution in 2025 and Elon Musk can help.
		This article going on to say that Social Security and Medicare have some 10 years left before their trust funds are exhausted and they'll no longer provide full benefits.
		Congress knows the deadline.
		Every year a report from the program's trustees spells it out.
		The latest figures say Social Security will run dry beginning in 2035 with Medicare following suit the next year.
		Yet those estimates from May are already out of date because the Senate decided to ring out 2024 by passing a proposal that actually makes Social Security less solvent and brings a breakdown a full year closer.
		And I'll skip down just a bit.
		What the program actually needs if it's going to survive another generation is the opposite approach.
		Means testing to match limited resources with the people who need them most rather than expanding payouts to people with other retirement resources.
		And then down here, it also says that if Congress can't get serious about entitlement reform, elections at the start of the next decade will be overwhelmed by the crisis, which will not confront candidates with a choice, which will confront candidates with a choice of big cuts, higher taxes, or quickly, not gradually, raising the eligibility age or implementing means testing.
		The longer Congress postpones the reckoning, the more painful it will be, and the greater threat some next generation Bernie Sanders turns the emergency into a class war.
		Iris is in South Lyon, Michigan on our line for independence.
		Good morning, Iris.
unidentified		Good morning, and Happy New Year to all.
		I believe our government should be investing more money into education and bringing science back into public schools so children have an interest in it.
		We are needing doctors in this country desperately.
		And I think it would behoove our government to put a little bit of their income aside as far as salary towards putting up scholarships for people to study medicine so we have more doctors and nurses in this country and not sending them to other countries to help people out that are producing more doctors than we are.
		We are in desperate need of medical service in this country.
		You should not have to wait months to get an appointment.
		More specialists, more interested in the nation's health and not in their own.
		A couple pennies aside couldn't hurt you guys, really.
		Come on, let's do it.
		Thank you.
kimberly adams ▲ ● ▼		All right, let's get some comments from text message and social media.
		Timbo in Mountain Home, Arkansas says for the New Year's resolutions for lawmakers, I would tell lawmakers to make a resolution to start behaving like adults.
		That's it.
		And Dan in Pennsylvania says, save USAI traditions.
		Dollar as the base currency, English as a national language, daylight saving time, daylight savings time, etc.
		And Rob in Huntington, West Virginia says, it won't happen, but I'd like to see lawmakers push evidence-based solutions to tackle some of the more critical problems facing the country rather than just doing what's popular with their constituents, no matter how misguided it is, to keep their jobs.
		Now, back in November, Representative Pramila Jaypaul of Washington reached her term limit as the head of the Democratic Progressive Caucus, and she gave some comments about what the fight ahead for Democrats specifically will look like in Congress.
		Let's listen to her thoughts.
pramila jayapal ▲ ● ▼		Look, I have said that I think we need to rebuild the party.
		I think for too long our party has been held hostage to big money interests.
		Some of that comes from the fact that we allow money in politics in ways that are incredibly destructive to the voice of the people getting through.
		Some of it is due to longstanding structures like the filibuster, where you can have a simple majority pass all kinds of bills in a Democratic House and then they won't get through in a Democratic Senate.
		But it also has to do with how willing we are to fight for working people and poor people across this country.
		And I'm very deliberately putting in poor and working people because if you look at the results of how we lost the under 100,000 category of voters, this is very important for us to recognize.
		People are tired.
		And you might say to me, well, you know, how come is that a rejection of the Biden-era policies and the things that we got done in the first two years?
		And I would just say it is not a rejection.
		And I haven't seen many of you talking about this, but tell me if some of you have.
		We passed a whole bunch of really important pandemic relief policies at the end of the Trump administration, which he put his names on, but it was Democrats who really pushed for those relief checks and then the beginning of the Biden administration.
		Rent relief, mortgage eviction assistance, public transit assistance, child tax credit, small business assistance.
		You can go through the list of things we passed.
		And then they got taken away.
		They got taken away by Republicans getting elected to the House, and no longer could we generate the will to keep those in place.
		So tangibly, people did lose something.
		They were measurably worse off because now they had inflation with no assistance from the federal government, which Democrats had pushed so hard.
		I don't think we message that well.
		I think we need to figure out how to do better on that.
kimberly adams ▲ ● ▼		Back to your calls asking what resolutions should lawmakers make in 2025.
		Our numbers for Democrats, 202-748-8,000.
		For Republicans, 202-748-8001.
		And for Independents, 202-748-8002.
		Let's go to Kathy in Hanover, Massachusetts on our line for Democrats.
		Good morning, Kathy.
unidentified		Good morning and happy new year.
		I have two basic things.
		One is when there's a split Congress, meaning the House is led by one party, the Senate is led by another, they often pass things either in one, you know, in the House or the Senate and throw it over to the other side, which doesn't get passed because of leadership.
		They can't, you're basically doing nothing, right?
		If you pass something in the House and you know it's not going to pass in the Senate, you might as well do nothing.
		I'm very tired of political leaders doing this, and they should not pat themselves on the back for passing something in one House or Senate that they know is not going to pass in the other Senate or House.
		You might as well do nothing.
		You're getting paid to do nothing, effectively.
kimberly adams ▲ ● ▼		Now, Kathy, I want to hear your other point, but what do you think that's going to look like in a Congress where both chambers are controlled by one party?
unidentified		Well, they're going to rule the roost.
		So they're going to rule the roost, but whichever party is in charge, ideally they would work together.
		But I'm just really frustrated with when the House and Senate are split.
		The other thing that drives me nuts is the amount of vacation.
		People never, people, I don't hear people focus as much as how much time these people take off.
		They take a week in February, they take a week in March, they take a week at Easter, they take a week at 4th of July, they take the whole month of August off.
		They take pretty much a week at Thanksgiving, a week at Christmas.
		The amount of time these people take off, presumably, especially in August, to go fundraise, is insane.
		We pay them to do a job.
		I don't get that much vacation in a year, and I'm sure most other private sector people do not get that much vacation.
		So, I mean, and yeah, I get they're probably working locally, but it's just, it doesn't feel like it's for the people.
		That's all I had to say.
kimberly adams ▲ ● ▼		All right.
		Marty is in Belmore, New York on our line for independence.
		Good morning, Marty.
unidentified		Good morning, and Happy New Year.
kimberly adams ▲ ● ▼		Thank you.
unidentified		Am I hungry?
unidentified		Can you hear me?
kimberly adams ▲ ● ▼		Yes, go ahead, Marty.
unidentified		Yeah, I mean, I wish that these representatives would endorse term limits.
		At one time, this wasn't a full-time job or a career move to be a public servant.
		Eight years, I don't know what the term should be, but it shouldn't be unlimited.
		Somebody should not be there for 50 years.
		It's no good.
		They make alliances with people and they have their little fans where they get paid by people.
		It's just not right for somebody to be in a position of power like that for so long.
		And one more thing I want to look at is Department of Ed.
		Jimmy Carter, God bless his soul, started the Department of Ed in the 70s.
		But since then, education has really gone down.
		I don't think education should be a top-down one person making decisions for everywhere, every state in the union.
		Let people come up with their own system, and then the best ones will survive.
		The best ones will be copied by other states.
		Basically, that's my idea, and that's all he really has.
kimberly adams ▲ ● ▼		Okay.
		Ricky is in Lake Toxaway, North Carolina, on our line for Republicans.
		Good morning, Ricky.
		And Ricky, can you turn down the volume on your TV and then go ahead?
unidentified		Okay, how long this second?
kimberly adams ▲ ● ▼		Well, Ricky, while you work on that, we're going to go to Harold.
		We'll come back to you.
		And Harold is in Livingston, Tennessee, on our line for Democrats.
		Go ahead, Harold.
unidentified		Yes, ma'am.
		I really think that we need to look at, you know, policy that would more tax the wealthy more.
		And I think it's a time that we need to look at churches and other nonprofit organizations, as they call them, paying taxes on things because they just, you know, they get all this money.
		They never pay taxes on it.
		It was really not used in so many cases to help the people that they, like the church is supposed to be, you know, helping out.
		Well, we see churches just building massive churches with that money.
		I think it should be taxed.
		And I really don't like the thing that with Musk and Swabi, you know, two people of not American nationality, not saying nothing against the men, but are running our economy.
		You know, are they going to favor the United States?
kimberly adams ▲ ● ▼		Both Musk and Ramaswamy are American citizens.
unidentified		They are.
		They are, but they're not.
		Roy Swami was born here.
		Musk wasn't.
		I understand that completely.
		But, you know, it's like if I went to China somewhere, become a Chinese citizen or whatever, and I had this big job, my dedication and loyalty would always be to my home country, the United States.
		And I really don't like that part of it.
		Not that they're not smart men.
		They're very capable of doing the job, but where will their loyalty bear it?
		And I think you only need to get around it.
		Here in Tennessee, we have a runaway tig care system that people get on.
		To get on TIG care, they take a job at Pays Insurance because they have to work all the time.
jim marrs ▲ ● ▼		There's a lot of jobs here in Tennessee that have health care offered in factories.
unidentified		And the factories now shortage on workers, but they go side up on TIG care because if they get hit for nothing, they don't want to work in a factory.
unidentified		There's really needs to be something.
kimberly adams ▲ ● ▼		I'm sorry, are you saying teen care?
kimberly adams ▲ ● ▼		I don't know what that is.
unidentified		Team care, it's like a Medicare thing.
kimberly adams ▲ ● ▼		I understand.
kimberly adams ▲ ● ▼		Okay.
unidentified		It's kind of like K-CHIPS is in Kentucky and stuff like that.
kimberly adams ▲ ● ▼		Okay, thank you.
unidentified		And people get old hit and they quit their jobs in the factories.
		We need factory workers, but they will take a job because they really, you know, they don't care whether they have a lot or not, I guess you could say, without talking down to nobody.
		But they get on that.
		And the people here, it's breaking us.
		TIG care is, well, it started out to be a good thing.
		You know, they need to get kids out or whatever, but now people just quit their jobs and get on tank care and put several children over they could have a job at a factory.
		So they're going to have to start paying some of that.
		Right now it's kind of a free thing, I guess, on a New Year's Day that to make Holland complaining like a baby is a bad thing.
		But you fellas have a good New Year.
		Just hope for the best for, you know, President Trump was elected.
		Let's go with it.
		Let's see what happens.
		Thank you.
kimberly adams ▲ ● ▼		Stewart is in DePer, Wisconsin on our line for independence.
kimberly adams ▲ ● ▼		Good morning, Stuart.
unidentified		Oh, good morning.
kimberly adams ▲ ● ▼		What resolutions do you think lawmakers should have in 2025?
unidentified		I actually was just listening to that man's point he was making about the economy and such.
		I was thinking they should bring back homesteading or whatever.
		I'm just thinking to myself, you know, the deal used to be when you stepped off the boat in America, how much less for any citizen, but for everybody.
		You know, you give it your full all.
		You kind of give everything your fullest effort.
		You get like a nice house, a sack of potatoes or whatever.
		But the deal was you kind of give everything your full effort.
		You get a nice, sweet deal out of it.
		That's kind of gone the way of the dodo.
		It's not a good thing, I think.
kimberly adams ▲ ● ▼		Where do you think that land should come from or those opportunities at the time they were taking land that was previously settled by Native Americans?
unidentified		I'm an honorary Native American myself.
kimberly adams ▲ ● ▼		So, I mean, if policies like that were to come back, how do you think that would be implemented?
unidentified		Well, I'm not quite sure, really.
		It's better people than me can figure it out.
		But I think the whole question that a lot of people have, or the problem people have with the modern economy, is it's very exploitative in general, right?
		Where it's like you're going to kind of work very hard at a factory or work very hard in an office in a city somewhere, but you're not making the wages in real terms that you need to actually afford a lifestyle that would justify any amount of like backbreaking labor, right?
		It kind of makes more sense to start off.
		How do I say you start off with like the more basic promise?
		You kind of motivate people with the carrot and not the stick.
kimberly adams ▲ ● ▼		Okay.
		Let's go to Dave in Cincinnati, Ohio on our line for independence.
		Good morning, Dave.
unidentified		Good morning.
		Thank you for taking my call and happy new year.
		Thank you.
		I would just like to see not only the government resolve to solve this immigration so-called problem, which is really not a problem, because we have people from all over the world coming wanting to come and live here and contribute to our great society.
		And I wish Congress and the people in government would realize they're coming here to help us, not to hurt us.
kimberly adams ▲ ● ▼		Okay.
		And now we have back Ricky in Lake Toxaway, North Carolina on our line for Republicans.
		Thanks for getting back in touch, Ricky.
unidentified		You're welcome.
kimberly adams ▲ ● ▼		So what resolutions do you think lawmakers should make in 2025?
unidentified		They should fix for the line for Republican.
kimberly adams ▲ ● ▼		Ricky?
unidentified		Yeah.
kimberly adams ▲ ● ▼		Go ahead.
unidentified		Yeah, I think they should fix the laws tougher and more stricter than they do now.
kimberly adams ▲ ● ▼		Okay.
		In November, Republican Congressman Carlos Jimenez was speaking with the Washington Post about what is ahead in 2025 in terms of GOP legislative priorities.
		Let's listen to that.
unidentified		Well, number one, we're going to prioritize securing the border.
		We need to do that.
		We're also going to prioritize getting destroyed deregulation.
		There's over $3 trillion of regulations that are hampering American ingenuity and our American prosperity.
		We need to get a handle on that.
		We need to get on board with Energy.
		You know, President Trump has said he wants to unleash American potential when it comes to energy production.
		I wholeheartedly agree.
		The best thing that we can do right now is start to substitute Russian oil, Iranian oil, Venezuelan oil with American oil and natural gas.
		Not only will that pamper our enemies around the world, but also help our allies and also help America.
		And so, you know, so those are, in a nutshell, some of the things we need to do.
		Obviously, we also want to start to reduce the cost of government.
		And I know that he's going to be appointing, I guess, Ellen Musk, to look at government and start to slash some of these bureaucracies.
carlos a gimenez ▲ ● ▼		I can tell you, look, when I was the mayor of Miami-Dade County, the first thing I did when I won back in 2011, I had to reduce the government by about 10% because we were going through an economic crisis.
unidentified		I can tell you we did that.
		And you know what?
		We didn't skip a beat.
		The government worked a lot better.
		And we were able to eliminate 10% of the workforce.
		And I don't know how much percentage of the actual cost of government, but it can be done.
		And it needs to be done.
		I think the federal bureaucracy is way, way too bloated.
		People are there making jobs or making work for somebody else and trying to justify their existence.
		And from what I've seen, it's way, way overbloated, and we need to bring it under control.
kimberly adams ▲ ● ▼		We're looking for your suggestions for what resolutions lawmakers should make in 2025.
		Carmen is in Pompano Beach, Florida on our line for Democrats.
		Good morning, Carmen.
unidentified		Hi.
		Yeah, one of mine, well, there's a lot of them.
		I guess the main one would be lying.
		I see a lot of lying going on lately.
		And I would love to see them pass something on news stations where there has to be some kind of system of fact-checking.
		Especially during campaign time, I see a lot of lies going on, being blown around.
		And I think it caused a lot of animosity and divide in the country.
		And I don't think the freedom, you know, the Constitution, but freedom of speech had anything to do in lying out of your butt until you can confuse people so much they don't even know who to vote for.
		And I think if we take care of that, we might get some more honest people in office.
		And when you get honest people in office, they seem to do the better and right thing for the people.
		The whole idea of the government is to take care of the people of the country.
		And if you got liars in there and cheats and stealers and corrupted people, then we're going to get a corrupted, lying, cheating system.
		And I think if you just go back to the beginning and take care of that amendment where, you know, freedom of speech has nothing to do with lying out of your butt, I think that would really help a lot for country to get back on the right track.
		The other thing is, I'm hearing people about like, why are they worrying about taxing the wealthy?
		Well, you know, they're the ones that are lying on the taxes.
		They're the ones getting away and cheating on the taxes.
		We are a bigger country, a lot more people than we ever had before.
		So we need enough taxes to pay for the government to do the job to take care of the people.
		So, you know, you have people like me that work my butt off all your middle-class income paying more tax rate than some of the most wealthiest people.
		A lot of people out there in the country don't even know what they get away with.
		That's the other thing, too.
		You don't hear about the billionaire who took his yacht five miles off the coast of Florida so he can purchase a yacht and not pay any taxes on it.
		You don't hear any of these things in the news.
		You just hear about how the single mom is getting free food stamps.
		That's all we ever hear about.
		We don't hear about the wealthy ripping off to the public.
		And that's it.
kimberly adams ▲ ● ▼		Okay.
		Let's get a couple of your comments from texts and social media.
		RJ from Missouri says there are so many abandoned houses in this country.
		A resolution to fix them up and give them to the homeless.
		And Steve in Massachusetts says make a plan that no lawmakers can lie.
		If they do, they need to leave.
		That includes FBI and police.
		It should be illegal to lie when they interrogate people.
		And David G says on Facebook, stop giving money to foreign governments.
		And Charlotte Andreas, I don't know where from, says, first of all, resolution for lawmakers is to reform our health care system as we are the wealthiest nation on earth.
		There's no rational reasons as to why we are not the healthiest nation on earth.
		Medicare for all is a human right.
		No huge profits for the insurance industry.
		Lower costs for prescription drugs and raise the minimum wage to a living wage because millions of workers should not have to worry about how they will pay their rent or buy food for their kids.
		Grow up and be responsible for your constituents that voted you in, Rid Citizens United.
		You can also send us a message on social media, facebook.com/slash C-SPAN or on X at C-SPANWJ.
		You can also text us 202-748-8003.
		Gina is in Birmingham, Alabama, on our line for independence.
		Good morning, Gina.
unidentified		Okay, I got a lot to say.
kimberly adams ▲ ● ▼		Okay.
unidentified		These people sound like communists.
		I mean, dude, you want universal health care.
		We're $36 trillion in debt.
		It's cost us a trillion dollars a year just to pay interest.
		And as far as the rich pay more, the rich already pay more, except for Hunter Biden, who got away with it because his daddy gave him a pardon.
		He didn't pay no taxes.
		Were there other resolutions, Gina?
		Oh, my resolution would be that the House would make a resolution that says the House cannot pass any more CRs.
kimberly adams ▲ ● ▼		Continuing resolutions and short-term funding bills.
kimberly adams ▲ ● ▼		Okay.
unidentified		Right.
		You've got to pass a budget.
		You've got to balance that budget.
		We are broke.
		We are bankrupt now.
		We have to borrow the money to turn on the lights in the Capitol.
		Does nobody understand this?
		And America is not a democracy.
		If I hear that one more time, I'm going to throw up.
		We are a republic.
		There's nowhere in the Constitution that says anything about a democracy.
		If you don't know the difference, you need to learn.
kimberly adams ▲ ● ▼		Okay.
		Cindy Swill says on Facebook something similar to what we were just hearing that lawmakers need to seriously address our national debt.
		Let the people know what size chunk it's taking out of the budget every year.
		Gregory is in Sherman Oaks, California on our line for Democrats.
		Good morning, Gregory.
unidentified		Good morning, everybody.
		Happy New Year.
		In fact, today, the first day of 2025, is the absolute exact middle of the decade during which quite a few expectations were raised and during which we were supposed to lower the carbon emissions,
		especially from the highly polluting countries, by approximately 50%, to avoid the worst outcomes of climate destruction.
		And we're nowhere, not only are we nowhere near that, they've only gone up.
		I can't believe the inattention to this existential problem that is going to not just make the cost of eggs go up, but make the cost of everything go up, including multiple billion-dollar disasters that are going to become trillion-dollar disasters.
		People are worrying about the difference between a Republic and a democracy or bathroom policies or even the cost of gasoline, which is still pretty cheap and not accounting for its environmental externality.
kimberly adams ▲ ● ▼		So, Gregory, what are you hoping lawmakers will do in this regard in 2025?
unidentified		Well, one thing they need to do is to put a price on carbon.
unidentified		We also need to reinstate the climate accord, the Paris Climate Accord, that I suspect Donald Trump is about to once again evolve.
kimberly adams ▲ ● ▼		Looks like we lost you, Gregory.
		Let's go to Joseph in Green Valley, Arizona, on our line for independence.
		Good morning, Joseph.
unidentified		Good morning.
		I think it's time our people, the 535 elected officials in D.C., realize they were put in place by working people in America.
		They need to do their job.
		Also, people as a whole need to stop looking at the party for the instructions on how to vote.
		People are forgetting to analyze each individual they're going to vote for and find out who they like, not what the party says as the gospel.
		The party rules the world, and that the party is ruled by dollars.
		And people could get it back if they would start looking at who they're voting for and stop looking at the party.
kimberly adams ▲ ● ▼		You said, Joseph, that you want Congress to start doing its job.
kimberly adams ▲ ● ▼		Specifically, what do you want them to be getting done while they're up there on the Hill?
unidentified		Who's telling the party how to vote?
		You hear it that Musk says he's going to do and wants this.
		He's not the elected official.
		Why are they listening to him?
		Why are they listening?
		The budget should come directly from the House of Reps.
		It's not should, yeah, the president comes up with one, either party they come up with, but it still needs to originate from the party or the people.
kimberly adams ▲ ● ▼		I understand from the House of Representatives the funding bills have to start there.
		All right, let's go to Les in Dodge City, Kansas on our line for Republicans.
		Good morning, Les.
unidentified		Yes, good morning.
		I hope Donald Trump and the Republicans and all politicians are listening.
		Right now, one of the biggest problems we have is water.
		Water is a needed resource.
		There are water aquifers, rivers that are drying up, cities, farmers that need water to grow crops, cities that need water.
		And this is something that can be done with the oceans we have.
		If water is taken from the ocean and pumped into desalinization plants, we could build pipelines to pump water across the states to cities and states.
		It could also be pumped into dry riverbeds to be cleaned through the sands down into the aquifers.
		And this can create jobs galore.
kimberly adams ▲ ● ▼		Now Les, do you imagine this is something that should be paid for by the federal government or something the state should be responsible for?
unidentified		It's going to be paid for by itself.
		When people start getting water, they can grow crops like crazy.
		We can have anything we want with these new waters.
		We can grow crops like never before.
		We can have new cities, new towns, new swimming pools, new water attractions, water slides.
		Just ask mayors of cities right now.
		They'll tell you we're running out of water.
		The aquifers are running dry.
		Lakes are running dry.
		California has lakes that are running dry.
		We have a river right through our town, the Arkansas River, that is dry.
		It's been pumped dry by irrigation.
		And this is water we need.
		And it can be taken from the ocean.
		People keep saying the water is filling up because of the melting ice at the North Pole and the South Pole because of climate change.
		There is no climate change.
		But if we start taking water from the oceans, it's going to take water where it is needed and put it into desalinization plants and use, and it's going to create jobs like so.
kimberly adams ▲ ● ▼		Yes, I want to, because what you're talking about may not be familiar to a lot of folks.
		I pulled up an article from December the 13th that in the I believe this is the KLC Journal, one of the Kansas news outlets, saying half of Kansas say they haven't heard of the Ogala Aquifer.
		Here's why you should care.
		The Ogalla Aquifer is a critical source of water in western Kansas, and it's running dry.
		It plays a major role in the daily lives of Kansans, even for the people who don't live on top of it.
		And I'll just scroll down a little bit here.
		The subsurface reservoirs trapped between fractured layers of rock and soil saved the region after the infamous Dust Bowl and remain the source of economic life in the present day.
		But that groundwater has been running out after generations of pumping to support agriculture and the state's economy.
		Just to give folks a little bit of background for what you're talking about, Les.
unidentified		Sure.
		And don't you agree that this would be a job-making facility with welders, truckers, building pipelines, building big water towers for cities that need water.
		And if people say the ocean is filling and rising, this could solve that problem.
kimberly adams ▲ ● ▼		Okay, let's hear from Donald in Washington, D.C. on our line for independence.
kimberly adams ▲ ● ▼		Good morning, Donald.
unidentified		Good morning, and Happy New Year.
		Thank you.
		My suggestion for Congress is to fix immigration and election system.
		And I think that two of them go together.
		I think that when one party believes if you bring in, trucking a lot of minorities, you win elections, and that makes the other party edgy.
		So Congress should make a law that prohibits.
		I'm an immigrant myself, and this should shock people.
		And I'm sure that my friends are going to crucify me for this.
		But if you are not born in the United States, you should not be able to vote.
		And I'm sure that I would be very concerned if I had, you know, have people who migrated to my country and were able to decide elections for me, for my country.
		So why this is important is because we are importing tribal politics from other countries to America.
		And as you can observe now, it is very common for a politician to go somewhere and say, well, I am black or I am half Indian or I'm half this because they are pandering to certain tribal groups.
		So if you are not born here, you should not be able to vote.
		But your children who are born here, who are first generation or second generation Americans, should be able to vote.
		So in that, I mean, that then imagine if you have a large group, look at what happened in, it wasn't in Michigan, the Palestinians were trying to hold your badges hostage.
		And they wanted him to influence his decision making in the Middle East.
		So if you are not an immigrant, if you are not a citizen, an American-born citizen, you should not be able to influence election.
		And this is forcing the hands of American politicians.
		The other thing is, some politicians, I believe that some politicians, when they look at us minorities, they don't actually see human beings.
		They just see votes.
		So if we are able to save this, I'm sure that nobody will see any advantage in talking in minorities because they might not have the opportunity to vote.
kimberly adams ▲ ● ▼		We have a text message from Rich in Kingsport, Tennessee, who says elderly lawmakers should resolve to retire instead of staying in office into their 80s and 90s.
		And Mike in Cleveland, Ohio says congressional pay scale based on performance in helping the people and by how much they got done, starting with just minimum pay rate as a normal citizen.
		Now then, Julian is in Washington, D.C., on our line for Republicans.
		Good morning, Julian.
unidentified		Hi.
		It's great to be on.
		In terms of resolutions for the new year, I'd say the big one is to work across the aisle.
		People always say that every year.
		I think I'm not exactly unique in this.
		I think there are a couple of great opportunities for the coming year.
		In the foreign policy front, I think that with the Abraham Accords caucus in Congress, hopefully there can be work between Republicans and Democrats to push forward a recognition by Saudi Arabia that Israel is here to stay in the region officially and helping to bring greater peace to the Middle East.
		I think on the home front, the Republican Party has moved a bit more to the center, I think, on healthcare.
		And I think that there are certain Democrats that Republicans could certainly work with to help move things better and try and reform the system.
		So, you know, every American can know that they are not going to just have to worry what's going to happen if they're sick money-wise.
		And just generally, I think it's there's a lot of small issues that politicians care about, which don't really fall so clearly between the parties.
		We have these big debates on these major issues, but there's always these really small pieces of legislation that a lot of politicians will find themselves caring about.
		And I hope that despite the intensity of rhetoric, people still work across the aisle to get these, you know, their small bills passed.
		Thank you very much.
kimberly adams ▲ ● ▼		Richard is in Brooklyn, New York on our line for independence.
kimberly adams ▲ ● ▼		Good morning, Richard.
unidentified		Yes, good morning.
		Thank you for having me on and happy new year to you.
		I would love to see the resolution on the part of the government from using the American people as a Ponzi scheme because it seems like a lot of the policies that these politicians are putting before the American people and using Americans as the blame for water shortages and energy problems.
		These are the individuals that's actually causing these problems.
		And then they want to try to sell us something on green energy, this, that, and the third.
		I think that all of these things that they're trying to push on the American people in terms of climate change in particular, I think that these things are just other things that other countries want to bring here, push on the American people through policy.
		And then the next thing you know, we end up coming out of pocket with more money.
		So I would really like for the politicians to do better on that front.
		Thank you very much.
kimberly adams ▲ ● ▼		Well, thank you to everyone who called in sharing your thoughts this segment about what resolutions lawmakers should have in 2025.
		After the break on this first day of 2025, we'll be joined by two top journalists with their New Year's predictions for Washington.
		Up next, nationally syndicated columnist Cal Thomas and later Chris Lehman, D.C. Bureau Chief of The Nation magazine.
		But first, D.C. celebrated with its own fireworks a bit last night here in Washington.
		We had a big thunderstorm came through with some lightning that looks like it struck the Capitol building overnight.
		You can see it there.
		It was quite a show here in Washington, D.C. last night.
		We will be right back.
unidentified		After becoming the longest-serving party leader in Senate history, Republican Mitch McConnell of Kentucky is stepping down from his leadership position this week.
		Watch C-SPAN tonight at 8 p.m. Eastern as we explore the life and career of Senator McConnell.
		He shares his views on the importance of the Senate, his 17 years of leading his fellow Republicans, and plans for his remaining two years in office, as well as other topics.
		Our guest for the program is Michael Tackett, Deputy Washington, D.C. Bureau Chief for the Associated Press and author of a new McConnell biography, The Price of Power.
		Join us for the career and legacy of Senate leader Mitch McConnell tonight at 8 p.m. Eastern on C-SPAN.
brian lamb ▲ ● ▼		Brian McClanahan has a Ph.D. from the University of South Carolina in history.
		Several years ago, he wrote a book titled Nine Presidents Who Screwed Up America and Four Who Tried to Save Her.
		His view on the presidency is not the traditional one you get from most historians.
		On the back of his book, published by Regnery History, the liner notes claim the worst presidents are the ones who want to, quote, reform, unquote, the country through the power of the federal government, which usually means usurping the power of Congress or the people.
		Brian McClanahan focuses a negative spotlight on Andrew Jackson, Abraham Lincoln, and Barack Obama and others.
unidentified		Brian McClanahan with his book, Nine Presidents Who Screwed Up America and Four Who Tried to Save Her.
		On this episode of Book Notes with our host, Brian Lamb.
		Book Notes is available on the C-SPAN Now free mobile app or wherever you get your podcasts.
		Be up to date in the latest in publishing with Book TV's podcast about books with current nonfiction book releases, plus bestseller lists, as well as industry news and trends through insider interviews.
		You can find About Books on C-SPAN Now, our free mobile app, or wherever you get your podcasts.
		Washington Journal continues.
kimberly adams ▲ ● ▼		Welcome back for a look back at the year in politics and ahead for what's to come.
		We're joined now by syndicated columnist Cal Thomas, who is also the author of the book, A Watchman in the Night, What I've Seen Over 50 Years, Reporting on America.
		Welcome back to Washington Journal.
cal thomas ▲ ● ▼		Thank you, Kimberly.
		Great to be here.
		You make me sound old.
		I guess I am.
kimberly adams ▲ ● ▼		Impossible.
		Impossible.
		First of all, Happy New Year.
cal thomas ▲ ● ▼		Thank you, and to you.
kimberly adams ▲ ● ▼		Thank you.
		So let's look backwards first.
		What do you think were some of the biggest political stories of 2024?
cal thomas ▲ ● ▼		Well, you know, a lot of people say conservatives are always looking backwards, but it's good to know the lessons of history, so we repeat the good ones and not the bad ones.
		The most obvious one, of course, is the incredible comeback of Donald Trump.
		Whether you liked him or not, if you follow politics, this is just to pull out a cliche unprecedented in our political history.
		Two assassination attempts, the indictments, the trials, and everything else.
		Nobody's ever done this before in politics.
		I think now also that we are at a point where we've got to do something about the national debt.
		Congresses under both leaders, Democrats and Republicans, keep kicking the can down the road.
		And I think they did that again in 2024.
		Pretty soon, you're going to kick the debt ceiling to the attic, and then it's going to get kicked through the roof.
		And that's where we are right now.
		This Congress absolutely must do something about the debt.
		Now, my favorite story I must tell you for 2024 is the comeback of the Washington Commanders.
		Having been a native Washingtonian, I just, and the former Redskins, and our commanders, I'm just thrilled about the new ownership and what they're doing.
		And we're in the playoffs, and it's going to be fun for professional football in Washington again, at least through the next couple of games.
kimberly adams ▲ ● ▼		Okay.
		Now, then, you mentioned the comeback of Donald Trump in the 2024 election, which overshadowed in many ways the journey of President Biden and his surprise stepping back from the campaign.
		Talk about that process and what maybe the Democrats should have done differently.
cal thomas ▲ ● ▼		Well, I feel sorry for President Biden.
		I think he was misused and abused by his party.
		The cover-up by the media of his mental decline, I think, was a scandal.
		And then when Kamala Harris came in, who did not win a single primary in 2016, and she was the replacement presidential candidate, she couldn't articulate a series of policies that she believed in.
		She was even asked by Brett Baer on Fox News about her role in covering up Biden's mental acuity decline, and she doesn't really answer the question.
		She says, he's always been sharp.
		I've been in meetings with him.
		He's the last guy in the room.
		All of that was lies, and the media covered up for that, and many Democrats covered up for it as well.
		But I think the Democrats' problem is that they don't have an agenda, or they have an agenda that the people rejected.
		They don't have any new ideas.
		They don't have any ideas for how to deal with the debt, foreign policy ideas, and so many other things.
		So I think Donald Trump has a great opportunity if he seizes it and doesn't make it about himself, as he is so often wont to do, to actually get something done that promotes the general welfare, not just the individual welfare of politicians.
kimberly adams ▲ ● ▼		Speaking of Donald Trump as an individual, one of the big stories this year was his legal cases, in particular, his felony convictions, which is a first for any current or former president.
kimberly adams ▲ ● ▼		Why did that not necessarily resonate with Republican voters?
cal thomas ▲ ● ▼		Well, I think for one reason is what Alvin Bragg did in New York, ratcheting up what would have been misdemeanors into 34 individual felony counts.
		A lot of people, and even some Democrats, looked at that as a lawfare, a new word that has been coined.
		And you had Letitia James, the Attorney General of New York, who ran on a platform of, quote, getting Donald Trump.
		Now, people look at that and say, you know, that's not a very good precedent.
		Let's just stick with evidence.
		Now, the whole case, of course, was about whether he paid off an adult porn star as hush money.
		And I don't know where this is going.
		Judge Murshan has not sentenced him yet.
		There are all kinds of options.
		He could forget about it until after Trump's term.
		He could just vacate the thing and go on.
		And of course, you have the Jack Smith thing here in Washington.
		That's gone away.
		Fonnie Willis, who was discredited in Georgia with her relationship with a boyfriend who was on the staff.
		So Trump has come out of this not 100% clean, but they called Clinton the comeback kid when he won New Hampshire in that first election.
		I think Trump now owns that label.
		He really is the comeback kid.
		More than Nixon, more than Clinton.
kimberly adams ▲ ● ▼		So then let's look forward a bit to the first 100 days, which is something we really mark here in Washington.
kimberly adams ▲ ● ▼		What do you see as Trump's top priorities when he returns to office while Republicans have full control of Congress?
cal thomas ▲ ● ▼		Well, full control doesn't mean what it used to when you've got one or two seats.
		But that's another problem for the Republicans.
		Instead of forming a circular firing squad and trying to get purest legislation through, which is almost always impossible, they need to focus on what is doable.
		Now, Trump says his number one priority is going to be the border.
		A judge has stopped the sell-off of materials at the border that Biden was doing for pennies on the dollar.
		And so I think he's going to engage in the mass portation of criminals, violent criminals.
		The polls show that Americans are fine with that.
		Now, where it's going to get a little dicey is when he goes after lower-level illegal aliens who cross the border.
		But I think he's got most of the public on his side on that.
		Then I think the national debt, again, it's $36 trillion.
		The interest on it is $1 trillion.
		No nation has ever been able to survive that kind of debt in history.
		I looked it up.
		You just can't do it.
		You can't have an open border.
		You can't have massive national debt.
		And you can't have a moral structure that defines right from wrong.
		So all those things we have right now in place.
		And I think Trump and the Republican Congress need to deal with that, starting with the debt.
kimberly adams ▲ ● ▼		I'd like to actually circle back to your point on mass deportations.
kimberly adams ▲ ● ▼		Do you support President-elect Trump's plan that he has articulated thus far regarding mass deportations?
cal thomas ▲ ● ▼		Yes, I do, because, look, we have laws and they're immigration laws.
		And if you're going to say those laws don't matter, then Congress should repeal those laws.
		But if you have the laws in place and you allow people to break them, then that adds to the disrespect for the law.
		So which is it?
		I mean, we have to make a choice.
		Again, every other nation on earth has laws about who gets in.
		When I travel abroad, my passport gets stamped.
		I'm only allowed to stay for 90 days without a special visa.
		I'm not allowed to get any benefits from the government.
		I'm not allowed to hold a job in these countries.
		But in America, it seems we've got a y'all-come thing.
		We've got, we are the world.
		Everybody come.
		We can't afford it.
		Hospitals in California have closed down because of the burden of immigrants.
		Social services are now being overburdened.
		You look at some of these meetings in Chicago where people have turned up to criticize Mayor Johnson to his face because they say he's putting illegal aliens ahead of U.S. citizens.
		Same with the military.
		Veterans aren't getting as many benefits as some of the illegal aliens.
		So this kind of stuff has got to stop or we will cease being the United States of America.
kimberly adams ▲ ● ▼		Some of the pushback against what Trump has proposed in terms of mass deportation has come from the religious community and you've written at length about your faith.
		I want to read a statement here from the California Catholic Conference, which says they have a piece here, Am I Not Here, I Who Am Your Mother, referring to some other writings of faith.
		And I want to read, it says, we realize that the calls for mass deportations and raids on undocumented individuals and migrant families have created genuine fear for so many we shepherd into our diocese.
		Rooted in the gospel of Jesus Christ and the sacred dignity of every person, we commit to accompanying and walking in solidarity with you, our migrant brothers, sisters, and families through this uncertain time.
		We will shepherd you spiritually, gather information and resources, and continue to advocate for your dignity and family unity.
		We pray with you that any enacted policies restore a sense of security and peace for citizens as well as those seeking to find a home in this blessed land.
		To achieve that end, policies must reflect empathy and solicitude with due regard for the rights of children and those fleeing violent and impoverished countries while ceasing to provide respite for serious offenders.
		Your thoughts on that?
cal thomas ▲ ● ▼		Well, not all of these, of course, are children or some of the children are used by cartels to get them into the country.
		I'm fine with a lot of what they say, but there are legal ways to do this.
		There are border points where people can show up and demonstrate that they're fleeing oppression, violence in their country, and legally get into the United States.
		The pictures we see on television are none of that at the border.
		They're cutting wires.
		They're coming in from places like China and many African nations and the Caribbean and South America.
		It doesn't appear to me that they're coming in for economic purposes.
		Some of the people interviewed, and by the way, Fox News is the only network that's been doing consistent reporting on this issue.
		Some of those people admit that they're not coming in for persecution reasons.
		They're coming in for economic reasons.
		There's still a way to do that legally through legal border crossings.
		And that's the way to do it.
		And while the Catholic Church is fine in making those statements, and I agree a lot with their principles on human life from the unborn to the end of life, there is a legal way to do it.
		And to suggest that people should ignore the law, in fact break the law, I think is counter to what the scriptures they claim to believe in state.
		We're to obey the law, just laws, and we have immigration laws.
		And if they're not going to obey them, then we need the Congress to repeal them.
kimberly adams ▲ ● ▼		You mentioned the images that we see of people crossing the border on television or on Fox, as you specified.
kimberly adams ▲ ● ▼		But some of the images that we saw in the previous Trump administration were also of family separations, children in cages.
cal thomas ▲ ● ▼		And the Obama administration.
kimberly adams ▲ ● ▼		And the Obama administration as well.
kimberly adams ▲ ● ▼		What do you think about family separations if this gets rolled out in the way that President-elect Trump is talking about?
cal thomas ▲ ● ▼		It's going to be difficult.
		But Trump has said, you know, we're going to deport the whole family.
		And I'm okay with the DREAMers.
		I think something can be worked out with them.
		If you were a child and came to this country, you've been here for 20 years, 30 years, and you have not committing crimes, you're abiding by the law, you've got a good job or whatever, I think we can make provisions for them to stay.
		But if you're part of a cartel operation, you're smuggling in fentanyl and some of these other things, breaking our laws, contributing to the deaths of Americans, then you deserve to be deported.
		And I would point out, and you know this, that there were more illegal aliens deported under the Obama administration than under the Trump administration.
		I think the Biden administration has deported quite a number as well.
		So it's not just Trump.
		I mean, we have to decide.
		We can't decide which laws we're going to obey and which laws we're going to ignore.
kimberly adams ▲ ● ▼		I want to circle back to some of the points you were making earlier around abortion.
		But before that, I want to remind folks that you can call in with your questions for our guests.
		Democrats at 202-748-8000.
		Republicans 202-748-8001.
		And Independents 202-748-8002.
		Of course, this was a big story as well throughout the year of the continuing fallout of the rollback or the overturning of Roe v. Wade.
		President Trump has said he does not support a federal law banning abortions.
		Do you, and what would that look like?
cal thomas ▲ ● ▼		Well, first, we have to do these things incrementally, those of us who are pro-life.
		The country is not there.
		It's taken 50, over 50 years since Roe versus Wade.
		We didn't get to that point in 1973 overnight.
		There was the Playboy philosophy where men could do whatever they wanted with women, pay no consequence at all.
		And Hugh Hefner, the author of that philosophy, said abortion was one of the positive, in his view, results of being promiscuous.
		And then Helen Gurley Brown came along with her magazine and said, nice girls go to heaven, bad girls go everywhere.
		So you had that philosophy of do your own thing in the 70s and 80s with millions now of consequences of unborn babies killed.
		What the media never show you are women who regret having had them.
		They all, the Washington Post and others who ever address this, they always carry stories or op-ed columns by women who say they're glad they had an abortion.
		It would have ruined their lives if they'd had a child.
		But you never hear from the other side.
		So I think this is going to have to be done incrementally.
		The pregnancy help centers, over 3,000 of them in America, are helping women during pregnancy and after with their children and with their expenses and other things.
		Trump can highlight them.
		Legislatively, you know, I think as of this point, Trump is right to leave it to the states for now until we bring the country along to a period of respecting all of life.
		It's not just the unborn.
		You look at people being shot in the street for sneakers or being mugged or shot in the back as the CEO of United Healthcare was.
		There's little disrespect for human life at all levels.
		And now there's talk about euthanasia.
		So we've got to get back to a respect for human life at all stages and all backgrounds before we talk about national federal bans on abortion.
kimberly adams ▲ ● ▼		But what about some things that Trump potentially could do on his own?
		There's a lot of talk about medication abortion.
		For example, I want to read a statement here from the Guttmacher Institute where it says the threats to medication abortion is what we're going to be watching most closely, especially in the first months and year of his Trump administration.
		A lot of the abortion policies that were in place in the first Trump administration and that were dismantled by the Biden administration, we would expect all of those policies to come back.
		What do you think about that?
cal thomas ▲ ● ▼		Well, one of the things that is not receiving much attention now is there is medication to reverse a medical abortion, a medical pill abortion.
		And a lot of women regret starting down that road.
		Many I've talked to, and I've been doing fundraisers for pregnancy health centers for over 30 years who have had abortions regret them.
		They say if I hadn't been so pressured by a boyfriend, a parent, or whatever, I would have made a different choice.
		If I could have seen a picture and ultrasounds, which were not available really 40 or 50 years ago as they are today with their clarity, I would have made a different decision.
		So I think that additional information for women and this abortion pill reversal are all positive steps in the right direction.
		I'm always, when I used to debate this issue, I was amused by people who claimed that I wanted to keep women ignorant.
		I said, well, fine, okay, let's give women more information.
		Well, you're implying that they're not smart enough to figure it out on their own.
		I said, okay, well, then let's take the labels off the bottles and cans at the supermarket because women should be smart enough to figure out what's in the cans without knowing from a label.
		So it gets back to where does human life come from?
		The value of it.
		Are we evolutionary accidents no more valuable than a salad?
		Or are we created by an infinite personal God?
		And that's where our values come from.
		And that's the big debate, and it's been that debate since the Garden of Eden.
kimberly adams ▲ ● ▼		For folks who maybe are unfamiliar with what you were talking about with the medication to reverse abortion, here's a story about it from PBS, Wisconsin.
		What is abortion reversal and where do doctors stand on its practice?
		Opponents of medication abortion promote the use of a prescription to interrupt the process and continue a pregnancy, but scientific research into this practice is lacking, according to this story.
		And it says, for proponents of this practice, they're a chance to help someone possibly maintain a pregnancy after a patient has started medication abortion but then changed their mind and want to continue carrying the child.
		Alternately, those who view abortions as health care say that abortion reversals lack any scientific backing and therefore aren't medically sound and could be unsafe.
		So there's more stories about this, but obviously it's a little bit controversial.
cal thomas ▲ ● ▼		Well, of course, everything's controversial these days, right?
		It's not controversial.
		It doesn't get any attention.
		But yeah, I mean, I've talked to people, the Heartbeat International, which is the largest pro-life organization in the United States with chapters overseas, have stories about this being very effective for women who want to take it and who regret going down the road and starting the abortion procedure.
		So if PBS in, would you say Wisconsin was it?
unidentified		Yes.
cal thomas ▲ ● ▼		Since there's not enough scientific evidence, let's get some more scientific evidence.
cal thomas ▲ ● ▼		If we lack something, let's go for it.
kimberly adams ▲ ● ▼		Okay, well, let's go for your calls with your questions and comments.
cal thomas ▲ ● ▼		Always my favorite time.
kimberly adams ▲ ● ▼		Yes.
		We're going to start with JB in Hot Springs National Park, Arkansas, who's on our line for Democrats.
		Good morning, JB.
unidentified		Mr. Thomas, you were talking about the national debt earlier.
		I think we can all agree that's probably the biggest problem we've got.
		Something I don't understand about it.
		Maybe you can clear me up.
		Whenever we see a pie chart of the debt, you know, of the spending each year, the largest part of it is entitlements.
		Now, my understanding is that there is a separate fund, a Social Security fund.
		When I get a paycheck, they take out money for Social Security out of FICA, and I pay income tax out of a separate deal.
		So if Social Security has a separate fund called entitlements, how would cutting entitlements help the national, help the federal budget any since there are two separate funds, the general fund and the Social Security fund?
		If I'm correct, then cutting Social Security wouldn't help the general, wouldn't help the overall.
kimberly adams ▲ ● ▼		So JB, just before Cal responds, I'll point to some data from the Treasury Department showing that for the fiscal year to date 2025, because we're in that fiscal year, about 20% of federal spending is going to Social Security, 16% to Medicare, some of these entitlements that JB's talking about.
cal thomas ▲ ● ▼		Well, this whole idea of entitlements, you know, when I was growing up, it was inspiration followed by motivation, followed by perspiration.
		Now it's envy, greed, and entitlement.
		If you look at some of these Medicare supplement ads on television, especially during the open season, it's all about free, deserve, and entitled.
		It's not about what you can do for yourself.
		Your Social Security check is borrowed money.
		It is taxes paid by younger people to you.
		Everybody knows Social Security and Medicare is about to go broke within the next decade.
		Democrats, Republicans, Independents, if they're honest, will tell you it's got to be fixed.
		But in Washington, if you fix a problem, you no longer have the issue.
		And the politicians would rather have the issue than fix a problem.
		And that's where we are with Social Security and Medicare.
		Now, I happen to agree with Steve Forbes and some others who have studied this for years, that what we need is an alternative to the system right now.
		And that means investments in the stock market voluntarily, of course.
		People who are on Social Security or near retirement should be able to keep the current system.
		Younger people, say 45 or under, should have the option of being able to invest in the stock market and any other thing and take care of themselves.
		That is the way to preserve Social Security and Medicare for the truly needy and to help people be more financially independent when they reach retirement by deciding to invest for themselves.
kimberly adams ▲ ● ▼		All right.
		Let's go to Kyle in Clearwater, Florida, also on our line for Democrats.
		Good morning, Kyle.
unidentified		Good morning, everyone.
		Kyle, I have a question for kind of how you expect the media treatment of Trump to be.
		So I think most people pro or against Trump understand that, you know, he's a pretty corrupt and unethical person.
		We've known what he's done in the past, even though I think there's a lot of misrepresentation about his role and the extent of it in January 6th and, of course, the documents case.
		But his recent attacks on the media, I'm less concerned about ABC and that $15 million donation, but more kind of him going after anyone that has negative coverage.
		Just recently, Thanksgiving Day post on True Social.
		Insane ranting, scary, concerning.
		This New Year's Day, overnight post, insane, crazy posting.
		He's going after the media.
		So if the media cover and say what he does, they'll get punished.
		So you have to be like a Fox News.
		And when he does all this insane shit, you don't mention it.
kimberly adams ▲ ● ▼		Keep the language clean and allow Cal to respond.
cal thomas ▲ ● ▼		Yeah, well, as a member of the media for over half a century, I started out as a copyboy of NBC News here in Washington and was surrounded by real journalists, people who'd come from newspapers and wire services.
		Today, we have the lowest trust in the media we have ever had, according to Gallup.
		And so I think Trump is really wasting a lot of time and political capital by attacking the media when so many people don't trust it.
		Just look at the last election.
		People didn't believe a lot of this stuff that they were being said.
		And they have so many alternative sources now for information.
		And you can argue that that may be good or bad, depending.
		But I think Trump's wasting a lot of precious time by just attacking the media.
		And I don't like this idea of lawsuits.
		The best way to overcome this is what Ronald Reagan did.
		Speak over their heads to the American people and communicate yourself.
		This constant railing against the media and lawsuits is bad, bad for the country and bad for journalism.
kimberly adams ▲ ● ▼		Ted is in Boston, Massachusetts on our line for independence.
kimberly adams ▲ ● ▼		Good morning, Ted.
unidentified		Good morning.
		The reason I called in was I think you, the moderator, read something about churches remarking on deportation, and the guests here immediately jumped and tried to run away from that, didn't answer it, didn't address it, and started telling us about how cartels bring kids into the country.
		That wasn't the point of reading that passage there.
		It was to get you to remark on ripping children from a country that they are living in right now.
		So I don't care if the cartels bring the kids in.
		They're kids.
		They're here.
		And hey, let me ask you, guests, how old are you?
cal thomas ▲ ● ▼		The guest is named Cal Thomas.
cal thomas ▲ ● ▼		The host is named Kimberly, just so you know.
unidentified		Guest, how old are you?
cal thomas ▲ ● ▼		That's irrelevant.
cal thomas ▲ ● ▼		Get to your point.
unidentified		Willing to tell us.
unidentified		You're not willing to tell us.
cal thomas ▲ ● ▼		Well, you can look me up on that.
		What does that have to do with anything?
		Are you an ageist?
unidentified		If I can look you up, why don't you want to say that?
kimberly adams ▲ ● ▼		So, Ted, did you want him to respond to this passage more thoroughly?
kimberly adams ▲ ● ▼		What specifically are you asking, Cal?
unidentified		My thing here with the age is I don't care about your God or what you think about what the fairy tale in the sky is.
unidentified		I want to talk about immigration here.
kimberly adams ▲ ● ▼		So what's your question?
unidentified		You're from another time.
unidentified		You're clearly from another time.
cal thomas ▲ ● ▼		You know, we used to call older people, as they still do at Asia, full of wisdom, or at least presume they had wisdom until they demonstrated otherwise.
		A lot of these children, there are over 300,000 missing.
		We don't know where they are.
		Many people believe, Border Patrol and others, that they've been sex trafficked.
		Just because you're a child doesn't mean that you are here legally or that you're safe after you get here or that you have a relative to go to once you're here.
		A lot of this stuff is lies being told by the cartels and others.
		We have hundreds of thousands, maybe now millions of gutaways.
		We don't even know where these people are.
		And again, as I mentioned earlier, that if we don't control the border, we don't have a country.
		And as far as my God and pie in the sky, you know, you better check that out because you only get one chance.
kimberly adams ▲ ● ▼		James is in Richmond, Virginia on our line for Democrats.
kimberly adams ▲ ● ▼		Good morning, James.
unidentified		Yes.
		I have two questions for Mr. Thomas.
		Yes.
		The reason Mr. Trump is back in office is talk to low bar judges, and you know it, that put him back in there.
cal thomas ▲ ● ▼		The judges put him back in there?
cal thomas ▲ ● ▼		What about the voters?
unidentified		The low bar of our courts, sir, is the reason he back in office.
unidentified		The next question I'd like to ask you, what would have happened to Mr. Trump between the team, 1950 our founding fathers would have did to him for doing what he did to this country.
kimberly adams ▲ ● ▼		Okay, so it seems like James is asking about the role of the courts in Trump being able to run again, you know, more or less, and his win, and then how the founding fathers might think of the president-elect.
cal thomas ▲ ● ▼		Well, I think the founding fathers would be spinning in their graves far before today because of the national debt, because of the open border, because we're asking too much of government and too little of ourselves.
		This is one of the reasons government has become so big.
		It's government now as a first resource, not a last resort, which the founders wanted.
		Look, we have the court systems, we have laws.
		You have to prove a case against somebody in order to convict them and deprive them of money or of their liberty or even of their life in some cases.
		You can call Trump all kinds of nasty names, and I agree with a lot of the character questions that have been raised about him.
		But he's been given, and this latest appeals court on the E. Gene Carroll case, which went against him, he's getting his days in court, and that's what we have in our American judicial system.
		You may not like the outcome, but I think for the most part, it is fair.
kimberly adams ▲ ● ▼		Eric is in Berkeley Springs, West Virginia on our line for Republicans.
kimberly adams ▲ ● ▼		Good morning, Eric.
unidentified		Good morning, Cal.
		I'm 86 years old, and I've been watching you for many years, and I agree with everything you have to say.
		I'm sure you went to college before they get your education instead of indoctrination.
		Yes, that's right.
		And I would like to ask you one question, other than the national debt, I agree you're on the national debt, but I have a question about the Biden family.
		I know you have witnessed what Congress came up with, bank statements, cancel checks, and the whole works.
		What is your opinion about the corruption of Joe Biden and his family?
cal thomas ▲ ● ▼		Well, they had 20 LLCs, and I don't know of anybody who has had that many LLCs, and we never knew what those LLCs, limited liability corporations, did.
		What did they do with all the money come in?
		Some of the critics have said it's a form of money laundering.
		Went to Biden's brother, Hunter Biden, and all these other things.
		I'd just like to move ahead now.
		The public's judgment has been rendered on that, just as it was rendered on Bill Clinton.
		Let's move ahead.
		This is not creating new jobs.
		This is not lowering gas or grocery prices.
		This is not getting inflation under control.
		It's not controlling the border.
		It's not improving schools.
		Fighting battles of the past is not good for the country.
		And it's so much quid pro quo anymore.
		The Republicans trash a Democrat leader, then the Republicans get back in power, and they're going to trash back and forth, back and forth.
		Most people can't relate to this, but they can relate to high prices and inflation.
		And that needs to be addressed, first of all.
kimberly adams ▲ ● ▼		Sean is in Lakeland, Florida on our line for independence.
kimberly adams ▲ ● ▼		Good morning, Sean.
unidentified		Grand Risers, I got a lot of stuff.
		First off, I'm a firm believer in the Uniparty.
		I don't believe that either one of these political parties is serving the people whatsoever.
		Y'all pick and lose what laws they want to serve.
		You were talking about the laws of immigration.
		If I'm not mistaken, there's a law in the books for immigration that if a company hires someone illegal, they get fined and or lose their business license.
mustafa in new york ▲ ● ▼		Now, I bet you a million dollars to a hot dog that you can't tell me two companies that have lost their business license for hiring immigrants.
unidentified		Yet there's millions of illegals coming in, as you say.
		So, where are these people working?
		These people are coming here for a reason.
		They're coming here to work.
		So, if they're coming here to work, why aren't you all going after the companies?
		Like, if you got an infant station.
kimberly adams ▲ ● ▼		Sean, who are you referring to as you all in terms of going after?
unidentified		The government.
unidentified		The government themselves, they have the right to enforce laws.
kimberly adams ▲ ● ▼		Okay, let's do it.
cal thomas ▲ ● ▼		But they're not doing it, of course, and that's the problem.
		And I don't know what you're talking about about a business license.
		People start businesses.
		There are corporations.
		They have to live within laws.
		They have to file income taxes.
		And yes, you're right.
		There have been laws in the past about penalties for knowingly hiring illegal immigrants.
		And there are many businesses that have a vetting system that if you come in to apply for a job, you have to demonstrate that you are either a legal alien, non-citizen of the United States, and entitled to work, or you don't get hired.
		And if somebody knowingly hires an illegal immigrant, then there are penalties, of course.
		Maybe they're not being enforced, but that's a problem that begins at the border.
kimberly adams ▲ ● ▼		This is interesting because we've seen groups like agriculture organizations even preemptively asking the incoming Trump administration to exempt them from any mass deportations because they're worried about not having enough farm workers.
cal thomas ▲ ● ▼		Well, how did we do this before?
		I mean, before all of this stuff started, there were people who came in legally with visas, with work permits, 90-day work permits, or just during the harvesting season, all done properly and fairly.
		Many of them sent money home to their families from the United States, and then they went home during the non-productive harvest season.
		And then they would come back next season, and that's perfectly fine.
		Let's go back to that system.
		It's legal.
		People don't feel that the ice is going to be at their front door the next day or that they're going to be deported.
		That system worked for years.
kimberly adams ▲ ● ▼		All right, let's hear from Richard in Louisville, Kentucky, on our line for Republicans.
kimberly adams ▲ ● ▼		Good morning, Richard.
unidentified		Yes, I've been a Catholic my whole life.
		Just in the last presidential election, have I really realized what Catholic charities, how important and how instrumental they've been in resettling, bringing in illegal immigrants and then resettling them here in this country with federal money.
		And I'd like to know if, and I'll listen to you off the air.
		I'd like to know if Mr. Thomas, and by the way, thank you so much for what you've done over the years.
		You've been a great conservative voice, and I really appreciate it.
cal thomas ▲ ● ▼		Thank you.
unidentified		I appreciate it.
		But how much money has the federal government given to Catholic charities to resettle these immigrants as they're coming into the United States?
		And I understand they also have programs in the other countries in the southern hemisphere here helping to get them into the country.
		So thank you so much.
		Happy New Year.
cal thomas ▲ ● ▼		Thank you, and thank you for your kind words.
		Yes, Catholic Charities has done some marvelous work in many different categories.
		I don't have a figure right now.
		You can probably Google it or go to DuckDuckGo on how much, if any, the federal government gives to Catholic charities.
		I would think that the church-state separation business would prohibit that unless it is only for work and not for proselytizing.
		But I'd have to look that up.
		Maybe Kimberly is doing it right now while I'm talking.
		But I do think, once again, that churches, religious institutions, everybody for that matter, need to obey the law.
		And I hate to repeat myself for a third time, but tell me laws that you could get away with breaking and still avoid any penalties.
		But people who come in over the border illegally instead of through established checkpoints, of which there are 25 or 30, maybe more at the southern border alone, and then we have some on the northern border, of course, are just flat out breaking the law.
		Now, if you're going to say you're okay with that, then tell me what other laws you would enforce and on what basis.
		Either the law applies to everybody, you've heard that cliche, no one is above the law.
		Well, that's turned into a joke now because clearly some are.
kimberly adams ▲ ● ▼		So I was not able to find an overall number on the amount of federal funding going to Catholic charities, but federal funds do, and I've found multiple references to this.
		Federal funds are directed for services that are provided by Catholic charities, such as support for migrants at the border, as well as some mental health services for people in general, along with other services targeted towards the poor that they get some federal grants for.
		And there have been several articles about that.
		Let's hear from Wes in Spartansburg, South Carolina on our line for Democrats.
		Good morning, Wes.
unidentified		Good morning, Kimberly.
		Great to see you around, Cal.
		That's awesome.
		They used to put you syndicated in our newspaper down here in Spartanburg.
		I like reading your articles.
		It helped me sharpen my points in opposition against conservative thinking.
		But that's neither here nor there.
		I would say this, the message for the new year is brace for impact.
		I'm not so much worried about Trump as I am this incompetent Congress.
		I mean, it basically took the Democrats to drag the last speaker across the line.
		They can't get anything done except for harm, which would be one thing if they went with your privatized Social Security plan.
		George W. Bush, they floated that up.
		They floated that little plan across, and then the 2008 financial crisis hit.
		And it would have been a horrible thing had we invested our monies.
		A little wrong on there.
		You're right that young people do pay.
		Current pays pay for current beneficiaries.
		They can easily fix this.
		Tip O'Neill and Ronald Reagan got together and extended life of Social Security.
		As far as, and they could do it again.
		It's not a problem at all.
		Matter of fact, they could probably help give some of these elderly people and disability people a raise, considering the inflation.
		Well, we got one thing.
jim marrs ▲ ● ▼		We've got a serial philander and a habitual liar that's about to come into the White House with what, six, seven bankruptcies of everything he's touched behind him with exceptional reality taking.
kimberly adams ▲ ● ▼		So Wes, we're just about out of time for the segment.
kimberly adams ▲ ● ▼		I want to give Cal a chance to respond.
cal thomas ▲ ● ▼		Wow, well, there's a lot.
		I mean, you know, all politicians lie at some level, you know.
		And in fact, every human lies at some level.
		The wife comes to the husband, honey, do I look fat in this dress?
		He has two choices.
		He can tell the truth if she does and suffer the consequences, or he can say, no, honey, you look great and lie and sleep in the same bed at night.
		So all politicians lie.
		The ultimate power is with us.
		And you mentioned the Republicans and what they've done in the past.
		It's going to be interesting to see on Friday when the Republicans get together and elect a new House Speaker or maybe re-elect the former Speaker if they're going to continue to engage in a circular firing squad or if they're actually going to focus on solutions to problems which are out there and can be done.
		The Democrats will be united.
		They always are.
		They're very good at this.
		Republicans like Chip Roy of Texas and some others think that Speaker Johnson will not be re-elected.
		And these are purists and they want everything overnight all at once.
		You can't get that in Washington, especially among Republicans.
		You've got to lead and focus on where the people are and bring them along and not just to impose things that are not going to work.
kimberly adams ▲ ● ▼		What are your thoughts on Johnson's prospects, especially now that he's got the endorsement of President-elect Trump?
cal thomas ▲ ● ▼		Well, I think they're good.
		I've interviewed him.
		I think he's a good man, a moral man, a practicing Christian like Jimmy Carter was.
		And I think that his demeanor is quiet and calm, just the opposite of Trump's, which has a lot to attract people to, I think.
		He's been called a nerd and other things, but he's met with every Republican member, he said.
		And he appears not to need their vote.
		It's not about his ego or his standing.
		I think he really wants to do things that are good for the country and that advance policies that once again promote the general welfare.
kimberly adams ▲ ● ▼		You referenced former president, the late President Jimmy Carter, who obviously passed this week.
kimberly adams ▲ ● ▼		Do you have any thoughts, especially since you covered his administration as well?
cal thomas ▲ ● ▼		Well, I didn't cover him as much as Helen Thomas and Wes Pippert, both with UPI, but I did get to know him a little bit.
		I decided to go down to the First Baptist Church here in Washington and join his Sunday school class because I thought it would be a unique experience, and it was.
		He really knew the scriptures.
		He was very, very good.
		And as I say in my column for tomorrow, there's a difference between knowing it and application.
		I had some questions about application.
		But I tell this story, which is kind of fun.
		The Baptist churches, they have a coffee hour afterwards and a table with a little basket to toss some coins into to pay for the coffee.
		So we go down there and he reaches in his pocket, doesn't find any change, and he turns to Rosalind and says, did you bring any money?
		She said, no.
		I said, fine thing.
		President of the United States not having enough money for a cup of coffee.
		Here, I gave him a quarter.
		So he left.
		Years later, we met at another function, and I reminded him of the church basement.
		He reached in his pocket, gave me a quarter, and says, now we're even.
		I kept that on my desk for years, unable to prove it really was him that gave it to me, but we both knew.
kimberly adams ▲ ● ▼		All right.
		There will be a National Day of Mourning for President Carter on January the 9th.
		And you can see behind me the flags are flying at half-staff here in Washington for him.
		Thank you so much.
		Cal Thomas, syndicated columnist and author.
		Thank you so much for your time this morning.
cal thomas ▲ ● ▼		Thank you, Kimberly.
kimberly adams ▲ ● ▼		Now, coming up later, we're going to hear from Chris Lehman, who's the D.C. Bureau Chief of The Nation magazine.
		He's going to give us his political outlook for 2025.
		And coming up next, we'll take more of your phone calls after the break for this first day of 2025.
		Are you optimistic or pessimistic about the year ahead in Washington?
		You can start calling in now.
		And while you're dialing in, we'll show you a portion of some interviews we did in November when C-SPAN spoke to some newly elected members of Congress about their impressions of Washington and what they hope to accomplish in the years ahead.
		We'll be right back.
mark harris ▲ ● ▼		Long days of meetings.
		You know, anytime you're going through conference organization, that seems to be a lengthy process.
		But we got our leaders elected.
		We got our rules set for the conference.
		All of that was a big accomplishment.
		And so, really, I think as we go into the second week, there's probably more of the actual nuts and bolts of orientation is going to be involved in.
		But it's really been a great time to meet colleagues.
		This was a great opportunity this morning.
		Who would have thought that a class photo would be such an opportunity for Democrats and Republicans to be able to converse?
		And it was really neat.
		I had a radio interview I had to do, but it was neat when I was down here doing it and I was looking up and all the conversations that were taking place.
		Gentleman I met was from upstate New York, a Democrat, Josh Riley, and I enjoyed talking to him and meeting him.
		So I think this is been good.
		Very good.
unidentified		It's a little bit like the first week of college, just getting to know a lot of folks.
		You know, we've read about each other, really tough races across this country, and it's just so wonderful to be together.
		I'm just so impressed.
		It's an impressive, impressive class.
		A lot of folks coming out of state legislatures and folks who aren't have incredibly dynamic backgrounds.
		And so it's just very, it's still surreal, a little bit surreal still.
		Last night we visited the archives and to be able to be so close to our founding documents, I steered up a little bit.
		It's hard to believe that amongst all the chaos of this country and certainly the results of last week's election, that moment was really special and it really grounded me on why we are here to protect and defend the Constitution.
		And it was a pretty cool moment.
		Lots of learning, lots of information, getting ready and set up to be ready to go in January.
		It's been exciting.
		You know, I really have enjoyed it.
		I'm a current state senator, so this is different and the same in a lot of ways.
		But I think the orientation has been great.
		I'm getting a chance to meet a lot of great people on both sides of the aisle, and I just did here.
		So we're looking forward to it.
		This is serious work.
		I understand the gravity of the situation and understand the gravity of my position.
		And I'm looking forward to serving the people of Syracuse, Utica, and all of the constituents of NY22.
		What was the moment like when you walked onto the House floor as Congresswoman-elect?
		I mean, I've been a state senator for six years and I'm still not used to that title.
		So, you know, if this ever stops being special, if it ever stops being cool, I'm doing it wrong.
		This is a real honor that so many people put their faith in me to represent them, and I'm never going to take that for granted.
		When you went onto the House floor for the first time as Congressman-elect, what was that like?
mark harris ▲ ● ▼		Oh, that's just sort of an awe-inspiring moment.
		And, you know, our speaker, Mike Johnson, he is an incredible constitutional attorney and knows his history inside and out.
		And just having his personal reflections and explanation of things was just very, very meaningful.
		And so it was a great evening when we walked onto the floor.
unidentified		It was surreal.
		You know, you know how much history has happened in that chamber.
		And to be a part of it, to be there, to be sitting in those seats, knowing what we're about to take on is humbling, it's exciting, and it's an honor.
		It was real, you know.
		I'm also used to assigned seating.
		So I'm a former teacher, but also a state senator.
		So we're going to have to figure that one out.
		I got very emotional when we got to go on the House floor for the first time.
		I've never been there.
		And, you know, I grow up watching the State of the Union, watching everyone walk in and the full Congress there.
		And now I'm going to be able to be there myself.
		So I didn't expect to get emotional, but all of us have worked hard to get here.
		And we're still all very excited and sometimes have to pinch ourselves that we're here.
		Washington Journal continues.
kimberly adams ▲ ● ▼		Welcome back.
		This segment we'd like to hear from you.
		Are you optimistic or pessimistic for the year ahead in politics?
		Our number for Democrats is 202-748-8000.
		For Republicans, 202-748-8001.
		And for Independents, 202-748-8002.
		Before we turn to your calls, we're also following the tragic news out of New Orleans about the accident there, which the New Orleans mayor has declared a terrorist attack on Bourbon Street, although the FBI is not confirming that.
		This reporting from Fox News, at least 10 people are dead and dozens injured in New Orleans after a driver plowed a car into a crowd of New Year's revelers on Bourbon Street.
		Police and city officials said at least 10 people were killed and dozens injured after the driver plowed the car into a large crowd on Canal and Bourbon Street in New Orleans at approximately 3.15 a.m. Eastern on New Year's Day.
		City officials said 30 injured people, including a police officer, have been transported by NOMES to five local hospitals.
		Police are planning to hold a news conference Wednesday morning to discuss the incident.
		And New Orleans Mayor LaToya Cantrell said her city fell victim to a terrorist attack at a news conference Wednesday after the driver plowed into that large crowd.
		However, FBI Special Agent Aletha Duncan said the incident is not a terrorist attack in comments delivered after the mayor spoke.
		The FBI said that improve excuse me at least 10 people were killed and 30 injured after the driver intentionally rammed into the crowd and then began firing a weapon at police officers from his vehicle as he crashed the car.
		Police said the FBI said improvised explosive devices were found and that investigators are working to confirm whether the devices are viable and authorities were urging people in New Orleans to avoid Bourbon Street while the investigation is ongoing.
		Now then, to your calls about whether you're optimistic or pessimistic about the year ahead in politics.
		Bonnie is in Lancaster, Pennsylvania on our line for Republicans.
		Good morning, Bonnie.
unidentified		Yes, good morning.
		It is so tragic what happened in New Orleans.
		But yes, I'm very optimistic, and I believe everybody has to just be cool and wait until the 20th and see what happens.
		The new people elected, no matter what party, I think they're younger.
		I think they want to truly work and represent the people within their communities.
		And this is our last chance.
		This is our last chance of salvaging whatever we have.
		But I do believe that this situation in New Orleans, how can the mayor say terroristic in the FBI say no?
		This is another contradiction.
		We just have to be so optimistic and know that we're going to clean house and be very transparent in 2025.
kimberly adams ▲ ● ▼		The Wall Street Journal has an op-ed that is similar to what Bonnie was saying, that the new year isn't a blank slate, but it's a chance to practice tolerance and treat our neighbors more charitably.
		This William Galston going on to say, we can reform our policies and institutions.
		We can change ourselves gradually in small ways, but we're always beginning from where we are, and history limits what's possible for us to do in the present.
		Neither individuals nor societies can be unburdened by what has been, as Kamala Harris found out the hard way.
		Our past has shaped our present, and the more we claim the right to shape the future, the more accountable we must be for our past.
		Raymond is in Pensacola, Florida, on our line for Republicans.
		Good morning, Raymond.
unidentified		Good morning.
		I'm not sure of either pessimistic or optimistic Because of the last bill that was passed, there was so much extra stuff in there rather than try to help people like in North Carolina and the people that hurt by forest fires.
		Mm-hmm.
		And we got the same people in Congress.
		And I believe right now, I don't like to say that Democrats are going to make sure that they take over again in two years.
		And that's what they go to work on.
		We're not.
		That's all.
		Okay.
kimberly adams ▲ ● ▼		Well, Raymond, you were mentioning the recent government funding bill.
kimberly adams ▲ ● ▼		Now, Speaker Johnson was speaking with reporters at the Capitol after that vote on the government funding bill on December the 20th, talking about President-elect Donald Trump, Elon Musk, and the position of Speaker of the House.
mike johnson ▲ ● ▼		So I was in constant contact with President Trump throughout this process, spoke with him most recently, about 45 minutes ago.
		He knew exactly what we were doing and why, and this is a good outcome for the country.
		I think he certainly is happy about this outcome as well.
		Elon Musk and I talked within about an hour ago and we talked about the extraordinary challenges of this job.
		And I said, hey, you want to be Speaker of the House?
		I don't know.
		He said, this may be the hardest job in the world.
		I think it is.
		But we're going to get through this.
		We are going to unify this country and we are going to bring the America First Agenda to the people beginning in January.
		We cannot wait to get started.
		I hope you all have a great holiday.
kimberly adams ▲ ● ▼		We are looking for your thoughts on whether you're optimistic or pessimistic for the year ahead in politics.
		Some responses we've received on social media.
		Hugh Briss on Facebook says, very optimistic for the top 1%, not so much for the remaining 99%.
		James Hopkins says, as a person of left-leaning and progressive values, I see very little cause for optimism.
		Those like myself who value our safety net, equal justice under the law, diversity, equity, and inclusion, and abortion rights, pro-labor industrial policy, a two-state solution in the Middle East, and strong support for NATO face political opponents that have no regard for those things.
		Rather than joining forces with the new sheriff in charge of D.C., my side instead will have to fight to keep him from destroying our democracy.
		And Grace Womack says, I'm optimistic for Trump being our president, pessimistic that the left will allow him the peace and quiet necessary for Trump to accomplish our plans.
		The same forces that kept America in chaos during Trump's first administration are likely planning a comeback by Soros, Pelosi, Obama, WEF, the World Economic Forum, WHO, World Health Organization, UN, United Nations, and maybe more.
		Now to your calls.
		Danette is in Portland, Oregon on our line for Democrats.
		Good morning, Danette.
unidentified		Good morning.
		I'm, you know, pessimistic because I'm a true Democrat and I think Trump is just a criminal.
		And it really bothers me that we have elected this man to be our president.
		He couldn't get a job at McDonald's if he tried.
		His record would not allow it.
		I am just sad about that and pessimistic, although the one thing I see for optimism is the new people coming in that you saw.
		They're doing it.
		You know, it sounds like they really want to come in and do the right thing.
		And I think if we have two years of Trump, the people that voted for him will understand.
		He has sold his presidency to Elon Musk, who has a huge conflict of interest.
		And between the two of them, they want all the money and they want all the power.
		And anybody who's not a billionaire is going to suffer.
		And maybe that's optimistic because this country will finally understand we have to elect nice, honest men like Jimmy Carter, for example.
		You know, there's something to be said for someone who tells the truth and really tries to help people.
		I don't see that coming in the next year.
		Thank you.
kimberly adams ▲ ● ▼		Larry is in Cherryville, North Carolina on our line for Republicans.
kimberly adams ▲ ● ▼		Good morning, Larry.
unidentified		Good morning.
		Nice to speak with you this morning.
		I am very optimistic about the future here with Donald Trump because he is a man that will make things happen.
		And he'll make our country great again instead of a president like we've had in the past who just watched things happen instead of making things happen.
		And this lady, I disagree with this lady that spoke before about Jimmy Carter.
		I was very much around when Jimmy Carter was president, and I have to say he is the worst president that we've ever had.
		He was a great man, and I voted for him, but it was a terrible mistake because things were really bad under Jimmy Carter.
		Interest rates were very high, and gas could hardly find gas most of the time.
		He did not know how to run a country.
		He should have stayed in the peanut business in Georgia.
		That's all I have to say.
		Thank you.
kimberly adams ▲ ● ▼		Jim Quinn says on Facebook, I'm optimistic that Trump's policies will make America more secure, more safe, and more prosperous.
		Judy is in Sallasaw, Oklahoma, on our line for Democrats.
		Good morning, Judy.
unidentified		Good morning.
kimberly adams ▲ ● ▼		Are you optimistic or pessimistic?
unidentified		I am pessimistic, and I hate to say that, about my country, but I am so afraid of the future of our Congress.
		I just don't think that they can get together and agree on anything.
		And that is going to make it very tough for us who are out here in the real world.
		I'm worried about Social Security benefits.
		I'm worried about my investments.
		And I'm worried about the amount of taxes that my husband and I have to pay at the end of each year.
		We're paying at least 30% of our income in taxes.
		That's not right.
		That needs to be fixed.
		So I guess that I'm very pessimistic.
		And two, I just don't understand how people could support someone who is such a crook.
		And I just, I don't understand how people voted for him.
		So I guess I'm pessimistic.
kimberly adams ▲ ● ▼		Okay.
		In December, House Democratic Leader Hakeem Jeffries spoke with reporters about messaging from those known as MAGA Republicans and their tactics for passing legislation.
		Let's listen to some of those comments.
hakeem jeffries ▲ ● ▼		What we've seen repeatedly amongst my extreme MAGA Republican colleagues is that they say one thing to the American people before the election and then do something different after the election.
		The House Republicans said they were going to protect Social Security and Medicare, and so did their presidential nominee.
		And now we learn after the election that House Republicans are planning to try to cut Medicare and Social Security and end it as we know it.
		House Republicans said before the election that they were focused on improving the quality of life of working class Americans.
		But after the election, they're focused on tax cuts for the wealthy, the well-off, and the well-connected.
		For years, up until this election, the incoming president-elect has said that we're going to build a wall and Mexico will pay for it.
		But now after the election, House Republicans are planning to use the budget reconciliation process to force everyday Americans and hardworking taxpayers to pay for their so-called border wall.
		We all support, on the Democratic side, a strong, a safe, and a secure border.
		We have a broken immigration system, and we need to fix it.
		We need to enhance our border security.
		And we need to do it in a sensible, bipartisan way.
		And Democrats are prepared to do just that.
kimberly adams ▲ ● ▼		Now back to your calls about whether you're optimistic or pessimistic for the year ahead in politics.
		Tom is in Pittsburgh, California on our line for Democrats.
		Good morning, Tom.
unidentified		Well, first of all, good morning.
unidentified		Thank you for taking my call and happy new year.
kimberly adams ▲ ● ▼		Thank you.
unidentified		I don't like to be, I always try to give a positive outlook on stuff, but I have to be pessimistic on the standpoint.
unidentified		We've already seen a preview of a preview of what's to come, that the Democrats and Republicans sat down, worked on a budget, and all of a sudden Leon Musk says, oh, no, take the whole thing.
kimberly adams ▲ ● ▼		So Tom, your line is sounding a little bit muffled.
kimberly adams ▲ ● ▼		I'm wondering if you can just make sure you're speaking directly into your phone.
unidentified		Okay, you hear me now?
kimberly adams ▲ ● ▼		A little bit better.
kimberly adams ▲ ● ▼		Go ahead.
unidentified		Okay.
		See, the thing with this is that, okay, because Leon Musk didn't like what the budget was saying, so he gets on his media and tells, oh, he told the Republicans, cancel the deal, take it.
		Well, who are we, first of all, then who are we dealing with?
		Are we dealing with Trump?
		Are we dealing with the House major leader?
		Are we dealing with Leon Musk?
		The other thing, the reason why I'm saying I'm pessimistic, I'm a veteran.
		And I look at our national security.
		The first time around, Donald Trump talked about getting out of NATO.
		He doesn't realize NATO is a very important part of bringing stability to the world, especially in Europe.
		And that's the part that scares me, especially I'm just going to, I don't know how this is going to play out, but I'm sorry, but I'm very pessimistic about political ideas.
kimberly adams ▲ ● ▼		Sarah is in Manhattan Beach, California on our line for independence.
kimberly adams ▲ ● ▼		Good morning, Sarah.
unidentified		Thank you.
kimberly adams ▲ ● ▼		Sarah, go ahead.
		Are you optimistic or pessimistic?
		And just make sure your TV is turned down.
unidentified		Yeah, sorry.
unidentified		I'll turn it down.
kimberly adams ▲ ● ▼		Thank you.
unidentified		I'm optimistic.
		I'm optimistic about the next year.
		Absolutely.
		I feel that we have a lot of things to work on, but we have seen a lot of people show their true colors this year.
		So looking forward to the next year, we've seen Trump showing that he wants to bring in a bunch of legal immigrants instead of the illegal immigrants that Democrats brought in.
		And we've seen that Musk is all about bringing in H-1B immigrants for all of his companies, for half-drives.
		And we've seen the H-1B program just last year.
		It has a statutory cap of 85,000 visas.
		But 2024, they approved like 900,000.
		So I think that it's a great, we have a great opportunity here.
		We see that people are becoming more conscious.
		They're becoming more race conscious.
		They're seeing the differences between us and the fact that we need to do something or the country will be a brown mess.
kimberly adams ▲ ● ▼		Stephen is in Wilmington, Illinois on our line for Democrats.
kimberly adams ▲ ● ▼		Good morning, Stephen.
unidentified		Yeah, I'm basically pessimistic because of what I see of Trump and the Republicans.
		It's like he seems to be losing his mind and letting Musk run the country unelected.
		The only thing that makes me optimistic is that we've got a better bench on the left with Hakeem.
		You just had him on, and like we've just got smarter people, and maybe that'll keep them in check for four years.
		But for the most part, the Republican Party, they just run on anger and hate and resentment and grievance, and they don't go to do anything good for the people.
		They just go to rip down the government.
		I guess that's my thing.
		Happy New Year.
kimberly adams ▲ ● ▼		Charlene is in Syassette, New York on our line for Republicans.
kimberly adams ▲ ● ▼		Good morning, Charlene.
unidentified		Yes, hi.
		I'm listening to all of this, and I have to be honest with you, I am so optimistic.
		What I've seen in the last four years have been very disappointing.
		Let's get something straight because the Democrats have been in power for a long time, so why haven't things been done?
		You know, I haven't paid attention to politics until Trump had gotten in, and I felt like we had prosperity, companies coming back to the United States.
kimberly adams ▲ ● ▼		Charlene, I want you to finish your point, but can you turn down the volume on your TV, please?
unidentified		I feel optimistic.
		I feel that Trump has great policies.
		And I also feel like he didn't get a fair share when it came to his, when they had all these charges against him.
		I just think that this country now is going to go in the right direction.
		I did not see it with the last four years of the administration.
		They can spend billions of dollars on campaigns, but the people voted and they spoke.
		And now people need to come together in Congress, both Democrats and Republicans, to work for the American people.
		That's all we're asking for, is our fair share and to work for us, not for your own agenda.
kimberly adams ▲ ● ▼		Okay.
unidentified		Thank you.
kimberly adams ▲ ● ▼		Thomas is in Wichita, Kansas on our line for Democrats.
kimberly adams ▲ ● ▼		Good morning, Thomas.
unidentified		How do you do?
unidentified		Happy New Year.
kimberly adams ▲ ● ▼		Thank you.
unidentified		I am a Democrat living in one of the most conservative areas of the United States, the state of Kansas.
		And in opposition to the Democrats that I've called in, who seem to be so pessimistic, it's pathetic.
		I'm very optimistic because I believe in our system of checks and balances, for most of which are we the people, the courts, and the Congress.
		Now, I want everybody to get on the merry-go-round and enjoy the ride with President Trump because in four more years, if we're still living, we'll see a new president, a young, handsome, tall, brilliant man whose first name is Gavin, who's already started his campaign by raising the penalty for shoplifting in California from a misdemeanor to a felony.
		And he started cleaning out the slums of the homeless and the major cities of California, which make them look like big slum places.
		So be prepared.
		In four years, Gavin Newsom will be the next president of the United States.
		Thank you for taking my call.
kimberly adams ▲ ● ▼		Alvin is in Gardner, Massachusetts on our line for Democrats.
kimberly adams ▲ ● ▼		Good morning, Alvin.
unidentified		Good morning.
		I'm calling to say I'm optimistic about our country as a whole.
		As far as my government's concerned, they'll straighten it out.
		America will survive if the people of America want it to survive.
		Now, we could argue about Trump.
		Let Trump do beat Trump.
		Let Trump take this country down to a low that he's never been before, but we will bring it back up.
		I am a progressive.
		Democrat outbook for a Democrat outvote for a Republican.
		But neither one of them at this point deserves my vote.
		But I will allow Trump four years to show me why Republicans actually care about America.
		Democrats do.
		They just can't get their thing together.
		They just happen to follow rules and regulations that just doesn't fraud with America.
		But America will survive.
		That's us.
		We've been surviving for years now.
		And we'll continue to survive as long as we keep the idiots in check.
		Trump, the other idiot, because he got money, he thinks he knows something, he don't.
		Let's take our money back from him.
		Let's take the money that Elon Musk uses for all of his adventures and put it back into the Treasury.
		We don't need to support him.
		He got enough money.
kimberly adams ▲ ● ▼		Speaking of Elon Musk, Mary Hemingway says on X, I'm optimistic.
		We finally have a department to track wasteful government spending.
		Making reference to Doge, the proposed Department of Government Efficiency.
		Mary says she loves it.
		Stacy is in Bismarck, North Dakota, on our line for Republicans.
		Good morning, Stacy.
		Stacy.
unidentified		Calling in to say that I'm optimistic.
		We currently are under a system of enslavement, starting with the Federal Reserve, which is not federal at all.
		It's a private institution that charges us to use money and then to ensure that they get their interest payment on our money, they tax us with income tax.
		And this country was not founded on the people being taxed.
virginia in north carolina ▲ ● ▼		This is a form of enslavement when a piece of you is taken away for you to work.
unidentified		I mean, think about it.
virginia in north carolina ▲ ● ▼		It's ridiculous to be taxed for your labor.
unidentified		It's taking a piece of you.
		It's enslaving you to pay these people for the privilege of working.
		The amendment, and so Trump is talking about taking away taxes on Social Security, on tips, and even hinting at eliminating the entire income tax system, which is a form of enslavement of the American people.
		We rule.
		We do not take orders from other people.
		We are the ones who give the orders.
		And it's about time that we stop this.
kimberly adams ▲ ● ▼		Ellerby on X says that they are optimistic.
		Republicans United in the House and Senate have an opportunity to get good legislation done.
		There are enough Veterans United members to negotiate votes on bills.
		The benefit of getting things done for the people is getting reelected.
		Now then, Hillgrove is in Johnston, Pennsylvania on our line for Democrats.
		Good morning, Hillgrove.
unidentified		Good morning, and Happy New Year.
		I'm a little pessimistic for the first two years of this administration.
		I will be optimistic whenever the midterm elections occur and the Democrats take over.
		But I get sick and tired of people saying that nothing happened under Biden.
		Biden did more good things for this country than Trump will ever do in eight years, believe me.
		But the one thing I wanted to mention is back when he was president, Mario Cuomo and Chris Christie, both governors of opposite parties, agreed on building the tunnel, but putting their amount of money involved in that into it, and they asked for federal help from Trump.
		Trump promised them to help, and then whenever it came down to push-come to shove, he denied him the help.
		Now, that tunnel is being built by Biden.
		The tunnel under the Hudson River will be built, and Trump will probably take credit for it when it's finished.
		That's the kind of guy he is.
		And I'll tell you what, Biden, I think the Democrats were rude the day that they didn't let him run.
		Even if he would have lost, he should have had the opportunity to run for a second term.
		That's my comment for today.
		Thank you.
kimberly adams ▲ ● ▼		All right.
		Charlie is in White Salmon, Washington on our line for independence.
		Good morning, Charlie.
unidentified		Hi there.
		Happy New Year to start.
		Thank you.
		You bet.
bill christison ▲ ● ▼		I guess I'd have to say I'm cautiously optimistic, but very cautious.
unidentified		I'm pretty apprehensive, to be honest.
		I think the problem, I mean, the country has a lot of problems of us.
		And, you know, I look at Trump and I think this guy is sort of like Dennis the Menace.
		He just can't stay serious for five minutes at a time.
		And then I look at the Democrats and I look at what are, I mean, fine.
		If Democrats are listening, you lost.
		Okay.
		Grow up.
		You want to look at he's 14 years old.
		Well, so are you.
		And the rest of us, you know, we're looking at both sides and wondering when or when are you going to calm down, grow up, work together, and start in on the problems.
		They're very real problems that this country has.
		And before I go, I'll just say one thing.
		I have cast righted votes in for president in the last three elections.
		I am waiting for either party, either one of them, to offer us a candidate who is qualified for the office by intelligence, temperament, experience, and character.
		And we haven't had one for quite a while.
		And, you know, just to say one thing, I'd talk to the Democrats and say I'm sick of.
kimberly adams ▲ ● ▼		So, Charlie, your line is breaking up, and also we're out of time for this segment.
		But thanks to everybody who called in, sharing whether you're optimistic or pessimistic for the year ahead in politics.
		Another look for the year ahead in politics.
		We're going to be joined up next by Chris Lehman, who's the D.C. Bureau Chief of the Nation magazine, who's going to join us after the break to give us his political outlook.
		We'll be right back.
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		Washington Journal continues.
kimberly adams ▲ ● ▼		Welcome back for another look at what's ahead in politics in 2025.
		We're joined now by Chris Lehman, who's the D.C. Bureau Chief for the Nation.
		Welcome back to Washington Journal.
unidentified		Thank you very much and Happy New Year.
unidentified		Thank you so much.
kimberly adams ▲ ● ▼		Happy New Year to you as well.
		Let's start looking back at the presidential election.
		What would you say is behind Kamala Harris's loss?
unidentified		Well, you know, there's, I think, a short answer and a long answer.
kimberly adams ▲ ● ▼		Let's do both.
unidentified		Okay.
		I think the short answer is sort of the answer you get from a lot of inside people in the Democratic Party that, you know, she had 100 some odd days to ramp up a campaign.
		There was, you know, the Biden administration was in deep trouble in terms of polling for its approval rating and perspective, you know, Battleground State polling.
		But I think, you know, there are that kind of those kind of reasons apply almost to any election.
		And I think to really understand what happened in this particular election, you have to sort of look at the longer-term history of where the Democratic Party has been going over the past 40 years.
		And there has been a sort of deliberate tactical decision to move away from the concerns of, you know, we heard a lot about the white working class all throughout the first Trump term, but I think there is a definite deficit.
		And if you look at the actual election returns in swing states, you know, Trump performed very well among that traditional, what now traditional constituency for the Republicans, as well as making striking gains in the Hispanic and African-American vote.
		So there is, I think, a failure of the Democratic Party to really reckon with the larger changes that are taking place in our politics.
		My colleague at the nation, Jee Teer, argues that the relevant divide right now is less left and right than system and anti-system.
		And the Republicans represent, obviously, the anti-system.
		You know, they sort of barrel through norms and institutional constraints.
		And Democrats wind up as the party of the status quo.
		And in an election cycle like this, where people were upset and angry and seeking change to run as a status quo, essentially reprising Hillary Clinton's 2016 message that America is already great, which is a way of saying to those voters, you're sort of too dumb to know how good you have it.
		So it's not a strong message.
		There's also an obvious gerontocracy problem in the Democratic Party.
		Sort of to the shame of my profession, we're only now learning the depth of Biden's cognitive troubles in the White House.
		There's a big Wall Street Journal story about that.
		And there was a pretty clear conspiracy to cover up the signs of Biden's decline.
		And that, I think, is a very direct contributor to all the other epiphenomenal issues that I mentioned at the outset.
		They're all grounded in that fundamental failure to reckon with having an incumbent president who basically wasn't fit to run and increasingly seemed to lack the fitness to serve.
kimberly adams ▲ ● ▼		You said the party has a problem with gerontocracy.
		We just saw a committee fight that really got into this.
		Could you lay that out and talk about why you think this is a party-wide issue?
unidentified		Absolutely.
kimberly adams ▲ ● ▼		And also explain what you mean by gerontocracy.
unidentified		Okay, gerontocracy is sort of the rule of the elderly.
		And it's a seniority system which has long held sway in Congress.
		But there's a striking difference between the two parties on this issue as well.
		Republicans basically have a three-term senior committee leadership limit and you're out.
		And Democrats sort of perpetually, you know, it's, as we've seen in one constant in elections, is that control of Congress remains very static because congressional districts are gerrymandered and parties invest heavily in incumbents who are sure to win.
		And you wind up in this situation with the Democrats now on the House Oversight Committee.
		There was a battle between Alexandra Ocasio-Cortez, who is the progressive sort of, I guess, third term now congresswoman from the Bronx and Jerry Connolly, the representative from Virginia, who's 74 years old and is suffering from esophageal cancer.
		And, you know, this fight came after, well, this opening was created, first of all, when Congressman Jamie Raskin went, he had been the ranking member on oversight.
		He challenged Jerry Nadler on the Judiciary Committee for that ranking member post and won.
		So this vacancy emerged.
		And it was a moment when, in my view, the Democratic leadership could have sent a strong signal that they are listening to the base of their party.
		They understand the gerontocracy issue is not working to their favor.
		And at the simple level of optics, you know, to have a woman, a younger woman in this position who's a charismatic leader of the progressive wing of the party, would have been a very smart choice.
		Again, looking at it in terms of this system versus anti-system dynamic.
		If you're bringing in fresh blood, you know, this is something the Republicans have successfully done going back to Gingrich when he was Speaker.
		They are very kind of ruthless in cannibalizing the congressional leadership.
		You know, we saw Paul Ryan was kicked out of the party because he was too far to the left.
		It's a very different model.
		And I think the Democrats should, you know, politics is often the art of copying the tactics of your enemies.
chris lehmann ▲ ● ▼		And the Democrats should be looking at other opportunities rather to introduce new leadership rather than lapsing back into the gerontocratic status quo.
kimberly adams ▲ ● ▼		You lay out some of these arguments in your piece for the nation, what happened to the Democratic Party saying the squalid state of our present political institutions points to a failure of not just individuals, but the system as a whole.
kimberly adams ▲ ● ▼		Are you seeing any initiatives from within the Democratic Party to do something about all of these things you lay out?
unidentified		Largely no.
		I mean, I had been initially hopeful when Ocasio-Cortez announced that she was putting in for the ranking membership position on oversight.
		And that was an opening, and the hammer came down very quickly.
		And, you know, she lost that vote.
		So that sends, again, a very strong message both within the party and to people following these battles that the Democratic Party remains sort of institutionally sclerotic and is not able to respond nimbly to the mandate to change.
		And I think after a big election defeat like this, you have to take a very hard look at what you're doing wrong.
		And the Democratic Party right now seems allergic to that.
kimberly adams ▲ ● ▼		So let's talk about Trump and his incoming administration.
		You have another piece about the movers and shakers in Trump's orbit and influencers.
		Who are you watching?
unidentified		Wow, there are so many.
		And we've seen this whole battery of cabinet nominees who are attracting a lot of media attention and speculation about their prospects for getting appointed in the Senate.
		But I think it's important always in an incoming administration to look at the kind of bureaucratic hardliners, people who sort of impose discipline on a White House and carry forth an agenda.
		So figures like Stephen Miller, who is a holdover from the earlier Trump administration, who is a very militant, hardline person on immigration, introduced the family separation policy, introduced the sort of COVID lockdown of the southern border.
		Trump campaigned on mass deportations to be carried out early in his presidency.
		This is going to be Stephen Miller's sort of chief policy responsibility, and he's a hardcore ideology.
		We know this.
		And so that's going to be important to watch.
		Always the chief of staff in administration is an important figure.
		Trump appointed his co-campaign chair, Susie Wiles, who comes out of Florida politics and is a very connected lobbying figure.
chris lehmann ▲ ● ▼		I will say when I wrote that piece for our print issue, we discussed including Elon Musk, and I think we did not accurately assess the way, the dramatic way in which he sort of fastened himself to Trump at every term.
unidentified		So he is obviously a huge figure to watch and a troubling figure because nobody voted for Elon Musk.
		And we just saw in the shutdown drama of a couple weeks ago that he took a leading role in provoking a crisis and is now in the throes of this, what's being called a civil war in the MAGA movement,
		supporting H-1B visas, which it's a bit of a complicated issue that Silicon Valley relies on these visas to pay foreign engineers to work on software.
		And they have very strict, they're almost a form of indentured servitude.
		The people who get these visas are kind of in thrall to the companies that grant them.
		It's a way that Silicon Valley suppresses wages, which they do in a collusive manner.
		So it's an interesting issue for the MAGA movement because when JD Vance, for instance, gave his RNC speech, he said, we're going to stop this hemorrhaging of jobs to non-American workers.
		And Elon Musk and Vivek Ramaswamy, who are both the head of this new Department of Governmental Efficiency, have said, wait a minute.
		Our business models rely on these visas and we're going to keep them.
		And that sparked a huge uproar.
kimberly adams ▲ ● ▼		We're going to get to your calls shortly.
		Democrats can call in at 202-748-8000.
		Republicans at 202-748-8001.
		And Independents at 202-748-8002.
		Before we turn to that, I want to look at another one of your pieces in the nation.
		Trump's attack on the free press is just getting started.
		The President-elect's recent settlement with ABC News is an early volley in an all-out MAGA war against media independence.
		As a journalist who works for a progressive publication that's often highly critical of President-elect Trump and the MAGA movement, what are some of your concerns?
chris lehmann ▲ ● ▼		Well, my concerns are more for what's happening at places like ABC News, the Washington Post, the LA Times, where you've seen this sort of anticipatory obedience to Trump even before taking office.
unidentified		The ABC case involved a comment that George Stephanopoulos made on air saying that Trump had been found libel for rape in the Eugene Carroll case.
		It was a little the legal nuances are a bit complicated.
		The judge in the case said that the assault in the case did not meet the New York legal definition of rape, but by any common sense understanding of the term, it was rape.
		So Stephanopoulos was, in essence, paraphrasing the finding of a judge in the case.
		It wasn't, you know, the standards for the public.
kimberly adams ▲ ● ▼		This is the case that a lot of people said that had they taken it to court, they would have a very strong case.
chris lehmann ▲ ● ▼		Yeah, and I think in First Amendment law, it's really important to, you know, I generally am not a fan of slippery slope arguments, but this is one where they apply.
chris lehmann ▲ ● ▼		I think, you know, there is a chilling effect when something like this happens and other media outlets inevitably are going to be much more guarded and defensive.
unidentified		And that is not the role of the press.
		The press is supposed to be a fourth estate.
		It is supposed to hold public figures accountable.
		It is supposed to upset them.
kimberly adams ▲ ● ▼		And you mentioned the Washington Post and the Los Angeles Times, and I'm guessing you're referencing their decisions not to run endorsements this year.
unidentified		Yeah, though in...
kimberly adams ▲ ● ▼		Or last year, I should say.
unidentified		Right.
		Right.
		In the case of the LA Times, it's gone further than that.
		The publisher of The Times has sort of issued a diktat to the editorial section that every time they run a piece critical of Trump, they also have to run a supporting piece, which is, again, not how opinion journalism works.
		A lot of veteran Times editors on the opinion section quit over that call.
chris lehmann ▲ ● ▼		He's also introduced this bizarre sort of AI-enabled feature that allows readers to track a bias in the paper's own coverage, which is just bizarre, nonsensical to me.
unidentified		I mean, I think all journalists should treat readers as adults, and they can arrive at their own opinions and judgments, and dissent is healthy.
		So the whole idea that a publisher is trying to get under the hood and modulate reader response is very troubling.
		And it's important to note that the Times publisher, as well as Jeff Bezos, the owner of The Washington Post, they're both billionaires.
chris lehmann ▲ ● ▼		They hold extensive conflicts of interest arising from government contracts.
chris lehmann ▲ ● ▼		So, you know, this is a real problem for journalists.
unidentified		All right.
kimberly adams ▲ ● ▼		Well, let's get to your calls with your questions for our guest, Chris Lehman of The Nation magazine.
		Alex is in Florence, Kentucky, on our line for Republicans.
		Good morning, Alex.
		And please just make sure to turn down your TV, please.
unidentified		Oh, yeah.
unidentified		Am I there, Shield?
kimberly adams ▲ ● ▼		Yes, go ahead, Alex.
unidentified		Can you work on with other journalists in the national, in the big picture, in coming away from all the bias, right or left, pro-life or pro-choice, and those kind of big issues that keep you conflicted, and then you're lying, or they're saying you're lying, and you're saying they're lying.
		And so the conflict seems to be not only just in politics, but also in journalism.
		And that's one of the freedoms we have as a nation.
		And so the journalism should be free.
		So maybe this hasn't changed, but I've been around for 77 years.
		And so I'm thinking, well, maybe you all as journalists can straighten it out or try to on your side and get together and face to face rather than on TV and all the other places where you all are slamming each other.
		Does that make sense?
		Sure.
		And I'm a very big supporter of robust debate and dissent.
		And I do, you know, I'm not normally on TV and I do normally talk extensively with journalists on the right.
		You know, we obviously have differences.
		And I do think, you know, I try, you know, I am, you know, I started off this segment being very critical of the Democratic Party.
		I don't think journalists should carry water for any political party.
		The principal obligation of journalism is to tell the truth as we see it and also to admit when we have blown something.
		So yeah, I absolutely agree that if you go back to sort of the first principles, why we have a First Amendment, it is to promote the cultivation of an informed citizenry in a democracy.
		And we do that, hopefully, by modeling debate and vigorous exchanges of views.
kimberly adams ▲ ● ▼		Horace is in Sherwood, Arkansas on our line for Democrats.
kimberly adams ▲ ● ▼		Good morning, Horace.
unidentified		Happy New Year.
		Thank you.
		This is horse.
		And I was listening to the gentleman, and you was asking him why did the Democrats lose the president this year?
		And it's all because of Joe Biden.
		And I am a Democrat.
		And Joe Biden did say he was going to won just one time.
		And he done what he said he was going to do.
		If he had stepped down and got out of the way and let the Democrats have a regular convention like every other party does, we wouldn't be in the mess that we in now.
		20% of the people just wasn't going to vote for Kamala Harris anyway.
		So that's why we lost out, and that's why we're in the mess that we're in.
		But we will come back.
		Your thoughts on that?
		You know, I very much agree.
		I think, you know, as I was saying earlier, there was this effort to sort of cover up Biden's condition, and Biden went back on his earlier pledge to only serve a single term.
chris lehmann ▲ ● ▼		The idea that he would announce in April 2023 with everything that we are now learning about how things were being run in the White House, it's a scandal.
unidentified		And the Democratic Party needs to own up to that and needs to, you know, clean house.
kimberly adams ▲ ● ▼		And the fact that, as Horace mentioned, there wasn't even a primary process.
unidentified		Yeah, no, this was a very accelerated, you know, process.
		And Kamala Harris was not subject to the normal.
		And, you know, and you can debate, you know, there are some ways in which a shorter presidential election is good.
		There's less, you know, sort of Attack ads and vitriol flowing over a shorter period of time.
		But at the same time, there isn't voter participation.
		There isn't sort of the scrutiny from competition among other candidates.
		In 2020, when Kamala Harris won, she did very, very badly and was one of the first candidates to drop out of that race.
chris lehmann ▲ ● ▼		And I think, you know, the Democratic Party wound up in this position, as the caller said, because of Joe Biden's vanity and hubris.
unidentified		So, yeah.
kimberly adams ▲ ● ▼		And I should correct myself.
		There wasn't a competitive primary in the Democratic process leading up to Biden's nomination.
		Tom is in Bethesda, Maryland, on our line for Republicans.
		Good morning, Tom.
unidentified		Good morning.
		Happy New Year to you.
		Mr. Lehman, thank you for your commentary on the H-1B matter.
		When we enacted the Chips for America Act on the first day of January of 2021, we had provisions in there to repatriate the process of making chips to the United States and to do so by educating American workers in Section 9902B of that law.
		We had very specific requirements that we do that to the exclusion of H-1Bs so that we would have the ability to really have resilience in the United States and not be dependent on foreign sources either of supply or manpower.
		Labor, right.
		And I would just say congratulations for your analysis of that.
		I hope in the next administration that we will correct those mistakes made by the Biden administration in providing all of the benefits of the training money that was contained in that law to construction workers, not to operators of fabs or of the manufacture of passive components that go into the microelectronic systems that we use.
		Chris, you're Chris and Maureen's son, right?
		Are you not?
		No, I am not.
		Sorry.
		You are not.
		Okay, well, you are a different Chris Lehman, and I was going to ask you to wish your parents well.
		They're old friends of mine from the Reagan administration.
		Okay, right, right.
		I know that name, yes.
kimberly adams ▲ ● ▼		I do want to follow up on the H-1B story that you've referenced, and that also our caller referenced.
		The Hill has a story talking about how Musk has called some MAGA supporters contemptible fools as the visa row intensifies, labeling a section of President-elect Trump supporters as contemptible fools as the online debate around the visas for highly skilled workers on the right intensifies.
		A Trump world civil war has been brewing this week.
		This was last week, as Musk and his Department of Government Efficiency partner Vivek Ramaswamy have found themselves on the opposite end of the legal immigration debate with the anti-immigration contingent of the MAGA base.
unidentified		Yeah, I mean, it's a very interesting dynamic because, you know, the Trump campaign has always been about sort of, you know, an America-first agenda in our political economy.
		And that's what has resulted in these, in my view, very harsh and unwarranted immigration restrictions.
		And, you know, it's a very big problem for the Republican Party that you have, you know, people like Musk and Ramaswamy who are, again, I'm saying this once more, they're both billionaires.
		Elon Musk is, in fact, the richest man in the world, and I think it's now worth $400 billion.
		sort of taking this stand that runs against what people who supported Trump thought they were voting for out of their own economic interests.
		And, you know, I think, you know, it pains me to say this, but I think we're at a point where we have to start looking at American power as an oligarchy, much like what took shape after the collapse of the Soviet Union when there was this unregulated economy and people just amassed massive wealth and wound up basically hiring on the government to do their bidding.
		That's kind of where we are now.
kimberly adams ▲ ● ▼		Jay is in Hyattsville, Maryland on our line for independence.
kimberly adams ▲ ● ▼		Good morning, Jay.
unidentified		Yes, real quick, I just got a couple of points.
		It's a small group of us, adamant C-SPAN watchers, call ourselves the crazy 88s.
		Kim, Kimberly, you're doing better, letting people express themselves and get it out without cutting them off.
		So it's up in the air on who's the most controversial host right now for C-SPAN.
		My points are, number one, does Trump lie and exaggerate?
		He absolutely does.
		But a short answer to why did Kamala Harris lose the election?
		One of the biggest lies she told was saying that she was black.
		Her parents had her mom, Indian Hindu, her dad, Irish Hindu, and he admitted himself that he has no African ancestors.
		So how is she black?
		Number two, the lawsuit against ABC, George Stephanopoulos, he lied when he interviewed the representative and saying that Trump was guilty of rape.
		If any of the platforms, if you just tell the truth, you don't have to worry about a lawsuit.
		You don't have to walk on eggshells when you are reporting the truth.
		Then just do it and it will be fine.
		Last point.
		Kimberly, is it true to the fact that Tim Feist, the new CEO that has been at CNN for over 30 years, almost long and I've been alive, is it true that he's complicating removing the caller aspect from Washington Journal?
		Is that true?
kimberly adams ▲ ● ▼		I have not heard anything about that, Jay.
		But I'm going to let our guest respond to some of the other points you made.
		First, about Jay is saying that Kamala Harris is not black, which if you have any response to that at all.
unidentified		Not really.
unidentified		I mean, she went to Howard University.
chris lehmann ▲ ● ▼		I don't think there's I think regardless of how you debate her genetic heritage, we have a culture in which she experienced her lived experience as black, and I don't see any reason to dispute that.
kimberly adams ▲ ● ▼		And before you respond to Jay's point about media organizations not needing to worry about lawsuits if they're telling the truth, I'd like to potentially talk about the fact that Trump has continued to say that he does plan to go after the media.
		Last month, he held a press conference at Mar-a-Lago and discussed some of the lawsuits he's already filed and his rationale for doing so.
		Let's listen to a clip of that.
donald j trump ▲ ● ▼		We're filing one on 60 Minutes, you know about that, where they took Kamala's answer, which was a crazy answer, a horrible answer, and they took the whole answer out and they replaced it with something else she said later on in the interview, which wasn't a great answer, but it wasn't like the first one.
		The first was grossly incompetent.
		It was weird.
		And that was fraud and election interference by their news magazine, a big part of CBS News.
		So as you know, we're involved in that one.
		We're involved in one which has been going on for a while and very successfully against Bob Woodward, where he didn't quote me properly from the tapes.
		And then on top of everything else, he sold the tapes, which he wasn't allowed to do.
		He could only use them for reporting purposes, not for sale purposes.
		And he admits that.
		And I think we'll be successful on that one.
		And we have one very interestingly on Pulitzer, because reporters at the New York Times, Washington Post got Pulitzer Prizes for their wonderful, accurate, and highly professional reporting on the Russia-Russia-Russia hoax.
		Well, it turned out to be a hoax, and they were exactly wrong.
		People, like many people, John Solomon, Sean Hannity's not for Pulitzer, but Sean Hannity got it right.
		Many people got it right.
		Tucker got it right.
		Jesse got it right.
		Laura got it right.
		Janine got it right.
		A lot of people got it right.
		They didn't get anything.
		They gave it to reporters.
		They got it absolutely wrong.
donald j trump [ai] ▲ ● ▼		And now everybody admits it was a hoax.
donald j trump ▲ ● ▼		And I want them to get back, take back the Pulitzer Prizes and pay big damages.
		And I think we're doing very well on that one.
		They have no excuse for it.
		They gave a Pulitzer Prize to writers that got Russia, Russia, Russia wrong.
		And so I think we're doing well.
		And I feel I have to do this.
		I shouldn't really be the one to do it.
		It should have been the Justice Department or somebody else.
		But I have to do it.
		It costs a lot of money to do it.
		But we have to straighten out the press.
		Our press is very corrupt, almost as corrupt as our elections.
unidentified		Any thoughts on that?
		Well, you know, this is a long-standing pattern with Trump.
		Before he entered politics officially, he would sue any person who published something he didn't like.
		He sued one of his biographers for publishing that Trump was not a billionaire.
		And, you know, the writer supported that claim with research and documentation.
		And in his deposition, in that case, Trump said, well, he was a billionaire because he felt like a billionaire.
		So this is, you know, a classic Trump feint and tactic to try to intimidate people.
		And he mentions that it costs a lot of money.
		It also costs a huge amount of money for plaintiffs, many of whom are not as wealthy as Trump is, whether or not Trump is a billionaire.
		And it is a form of harassment by frivolous litigation.
chris lehmann ▲ ● ▼		He also went on to say he was going to and he is suing the Des Moines Register and Ann Seltzer, their pollster, for publishing a poll prior to the election that showed Kamala Harris was winning in Iowa.
unidentified		He calls that election interference, even though he won in Iowa by 15 points.
		I don't know what the harm really he's alleging that, you know, it's a faulty poll.
		You know, you can debate the Russia coverage, but there were close contacts between the Trump campaign and Russian actors in 2016.
		There's no cause to revoke a Peel Exercise, especially, you know, it's sort of the Pew Let's Committee's own judgment, and it could be wrong, but so yeah, it's harassment.
kimberly adams ▲ ● ▼		Richard is in Brentwood, Maryland, on our line for Democrats.
kimberly adams ▲ ● ▼		Good morning, Richard.
unidentified		Good morning to you both.
		Mr. Lehman, you highlighted AOC and Mr. Connolly.
		Equally appalling to me was the pick of Debbie Dingell over the new faced Jasmine Crockett, a lawyer, a young Turk, so to speak, who could have brought a fresh face, new ideas to the Democratic Party.
		I think they failed on that side as well.
		And lastly, secondly, to the call of the crazy 88, aptly named, moving forward, the swagger that Mr. Musk is exhibiting shows that I think, and this is out of conspiracy column, I guess, he has such swagger and arrogance with Donald Trump.
		It's almost like Donald Trump has made some type of Faustian deal with Musk in order to bring forth the victory in the election.
		I've never seen a guy, non-elected, have the arrogance to throw himself into discussions like he did up with the continuing resolution deal.
		And so I don't think the whole story is out yet, Mr. Lehman, that Musk has a hold of some type over Donald Trump because it's just beyond the pale to my humble gift guest.
		But I love your magazine.
		I've been reading it for too many years.
		Not too many, but many, many years.
		I'm 73, and it's not as available as it used to be.
		I see it on Connecticut Avenue back in the day.
		But thank you so much, sir, for your continued work.
		And Kimley, you're doing a wonderful job.
		Y'all have a good new year.
		You too.
		Thank you for the kind words.
		Yeah, well, I think, you know, without speculating about Musk, you know, what we know about Musk's relationship to the Trump campaign is that he spent $250 million in super PAC money to get Trump elected.
		That doesn't meet the formal definition of a conspiracy, I guess, under Citizens United, where we basically don't regulate campaign money in politics anymore.
		But I think the hold that Elon Musk has over Donald Trump is simply money.
		Money is the thing that Donald Trump respects above all else, and Elon Musk has more of it than anyone else in the world.
kimberly adams ▲ ● ▼		Wayne is in Virginia Beach, Virginia, on our line for independence.
kimberly adams ▲ ● ▼		Good morning, Wayne.
unidentified		Hey, good morning.
		Thanks for having me, and happy New Year to everybody.
		I just wanted to let you know my observation from sitting on the fence.
		It's the vanity.
		It's the hubris.
		It's the arrogance of the Democrats.
		Now, this relates to what Americans have seen and absorbed over the last, I don't know, 15 years.
		14 million criminals across our border, phony impeachments, fake rape cases, assassination attempts, allowing Russia to enter Ukraine.
		Never would have happened under Donald Trump.
		PP tapes, destroying evidence at the IRS or Hillary, or guns, the Mexican cartels from Obama.
		It doesn't matter what your color is.
		You know, you seem to, I don't know, be fixated on that.
		It has nothing to do with that.
		And I could go on and on.
		But yes, Americans do want these criminals punished.
		And I think your guest is sitting there giggling and hasn't a clue either.
kimberly adams ▲ ● ▼		Giggling about what?
kimberly adams ▲ ● ▼		I'm not sure what you're referencing.
unidentified		Oh.
		I guess we lost him.
		Yeah.
		Well, that was sweeping.
		And, you know, I think I'll just leave that there.
		Okay.
kimberly adams ▲ ● ▼		Keno is in Lakeland, Florida on our line for independence.
kimberly adams ▲ ● ▼		Good morning, Kino.
unidentified		Yes, good morning.
		Thanks be for C-SPAN.
		I want the liberal press to get many psychologists and psychiatrists to explain why these people voted for a convicted felon and an insurrectionist that tried to destroy the government, our democracy.
		Now, there was a famous book by Harvard professor Bandy Lee.
		I think 27 psychologists and psychiatrists explain Trump.
		But there needs to be a book with 27 psychologists and psychiatrists explaining the voters.
		David Brooks of the New York Times said these people want to dismantle the institutions.
		Why?
		What is happening in our culture and our society?
		I think people are overwhelmed by modern technology.
		But could I ask you to commit to having many different, in your publication, have many different psychologists and psychiatrists try to explain.
		Now, there's many different categories of why people voted in this.
kimberly adams ▲ ● ▼		So, Kino, we're just about out of time for the segment, but I think I understand your question is that you would like mental health professionals to explore people's support of President-elect Trump.
unidentified		Well, I think, you know, there is an extra-rational sort of cult dimension to the Malga movement.
		I don't know that it's something I would pathologize.
		I think there are, I mean, what's complicated about all this is that there are legitimate grievances about the direction of our political economy, the direction of our government, that are, you know, I think the Trump movement is a symptom.
		And I don't know that there's a sort of simple, straightforward psychological diagnosis that would explain it all.
chris lehmann ▲ ● ▼		There are theories about how the authoritarian personality works and how authoritarian movements attract followings based on other than rational and other than conventionally political factors.
unidentified		I think, you know, Theodore O'Dorno wrote a famous study called The Authoritarian Personality that could bear re-examination.
unidentified		But yeah, I think one has to sort of proceed with gingerly with nuance and taking up psychological explanations.
kimberly adams ▲ ● ▼		In the last minute or so we have left.
kimberly adams ▲ ● ▼		I wanted to get your thoughts on the passing of former president Jimmy Carter.
unidentified		Yeah, he's a very interesting and influential figure.
		I think his presidency has been in some ways underestimated.
		I think one way, strikingly, his domestic legacy was actually critical in creating what we now call neoliberalism and a sort of deregulatory approach to the economy.
chris lehmann ▲ ● ▼		Carter took enormous strides to deregulate the trucking industry, to deregulate airlines and finance.
unidentified		And we are in many ways living in the long-term aftermath of those policy calls.
unidentified		And there are people who would argue that we wouldn't have a Donald Trump presidency without the sort of sort of right-leaning revolution within the Democratic Party that Jeremy Carter helped inaugurate.
chris lehmann ▲ ● ▼		That said, he did have an exemplary sort of post-presidency.
chris lehmann ▲ ● ▼		I think he was especially brave in calling out the injustice of the occupation of Palestine at a time when it was far from fashionable to do so.
kimberly adams ▲ ● ▼		He wrote a book called Peace Not Apartheid, which was very controversial at the time.
chris lehmann ▲ ● ▼		Yeah, it cost him a speaking gig at the 2008 Democratic Convention.
unidentified		So, yeah.
kimberly adams ▲ ● ▼		Well, thank you so much.
		Chris Lehman is the D.C. Bureau Chief for The Nation magazine.
		Really do appreciate your time this morning.
unidentified		Thank you so much for having me.
		It's a complete pleasure.
		I love to speak to C-SPAN.
kimberly adams ▲ ● ▼		Well, and thank you to everybody who called in to share your thoughts and your questions today.
		We're going to be back with another edition of Washington Journal tomorrow morning at 7 a.m. Eastern.
		Happy New Year, everyone.
unidentified		C-SPAN's Washington Journal, our live forum involving you to discuss the latest issues in government, politics, and public policy from Washington to across the country.
		Coming up Thursday morning, investigative journalist Dave Leventhal discusses his reporting into who's contributing large sums of money to President-elect Trump's inaugural committee and why.
		Then, Henry Olson of the Ethics and Public Policy Center talks about his recent New York Post op-ed in which he art Donald Trump's White House win signals a historic realignment favoring the Republican Party.
		Join in the conversation live at 7 Eastern Thursday morning on C-SPAN, C-SPAN Now, our free mobile video app, or online at c-SPAN.org.
		Witness democracy in action with C-SPAN.
		Experience history as it unfolds with C-SPAN's live coverage this January as Republicans take control of both chambers of Congress and a new chapter begins with the swearing in of the 47th President of the United States.
		On Friday, don't miss the opening day of the 119th Congress.
		Watch the election of the House Speaker, the swearing in of new members of Congress and the Senate, and the first day of leadership for South Dakota's John Thune as the new Senate Majority Leader.
		On Monday, January 6th, live from the House chamber, witness Vice President Kamala Harris preside over the certification of the Electoral College vote, where this historic session will officially confirm Donald Trump as the winner of the 2024 presidential election.
		And on January 20th, tune in for our live all-day coverage of the presidential inauguration as Donald Trump takes the oath of office, becoming the 47th President of the United States.
		Stay with C-SPAN throughout January for comprehensive, live, unfiltered coverage of the 119th Congress and the presidential inauguration, C-SPAN, Democracy Unfiltered, created by Cable.
		Jimmy Carter has died at the age of 100.
		Here are some of the events and services that will lead up to his burial.
		On Saturday, the Carter family will be part of a motorcade that goes first to Atlanta for a stop at the state capitol and then on to the family home in Plains.
		On Sunday and Monday, the former president will lie in repose at the Carter Center in Atlanta.
		Tuesday, the family travels to the U.S. Capitol in Washington, D.C., where the former president will lie in state in the Capitol Rotunda.
		The public will be allowed to pay their respects starting at 7 p.m. Tuesday evening.

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