Ceasefire, where did the idea come from and why now?
unidentified
So many years ago, I produced a program that is no longer on the air at CNN called Crossfire.
You may remember Crossfire, it was a raucous debate show where Republicans and Democrats would come on, they would debate.
They certainly didn't agree.
They almost never found common ground.
But it was a program on that network at the right time.
Here we are in 2025.
Our country is as polarized as ever.
There seems to be very little agreement.
And most significantly to me at least, there's very little talking.
Republicans and Democrats, at least publicly, you never see them on television having a productive conversation.
You know, where can we find compromise?
Where can we find common ground?
Where can we work together?
And that's what this program is intended to do, is to bring a Republican and a Democrat on every week who, at least for that program, will try to have a productive conversation, reach across the aisle, listen a little bit, see what they might agree on.
And if the goal, as that promo said, is to find common ground, where do you start?
What are a couple topics that you could start on?
unidentified
Well, first of all, I think you start by having Republicans and Democrats listening.
The reality is that conversations like that happen all the time.
You may find a Democrat and a Republican who are veterans, who are friendly, they have a shared experience, and they begin by talking about their experience as a veteran.
Yesterday on C-SPAN, the Republican chairman of the House Ways and Means Committee, who could not be more conservative, talked about how he found common ground with liberal Democrat Maxine Waters because they're both from St. Louis and they both love the Cardinals.
If that's a starting point of a conversation, fantastic.
So whether it's on vets or we've seen Senators Blackburn and Blumenthal work together on protecting teens on social media.
I mean, there are areas where you can begin to talk, but for me, the idea of having a conversation between people who are politically divided on areas where they can find agreement, I think that's good for the country.
Do you have an ideal pairing in mind for this program?
unidentified
I don't have an ideal pairing, although I will tell you that I've, you know, since I've been at C-SPAN for about nine months now, I've had a chance to visit with quite a number of members of Congress, Republicans, Democrats, senators, House members.
And in every conversation, anticipating that we might do a program like this, I asked them, who is your best friend from the other party?
Who do you talk to the most?
Every one of them had an answer.
And then I said, if we did a program where you and that member came on and sort of took off the jerseys for a few minutes and had a conversation, would that work for you?
And almost all of them said, yes.
Now, proof will be in the pudding.
We'll see what happens.
But at least there's some indication that there are willing participants.
American History TV Saturday is on C-SPAN 2, exploring the people and events that tell the American story.
This weekend, at 3 p.m. Eastern, Holocaust survivors speak at a remembrance ceremony marking the 80th anniversary of the liberation of Nazi concentration camps in 1945.
The United States Holocaust Memorial Museum hosted the event at the U.S. Capitol.
Then at 5.45 p.m. Eastern, Tom Hanks' immersive The Moonwalkers film on the Apollo missions to the moon and the astronauts who walked its surface.
President's Four-Day Tour00:01:05
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Mr. Hanks co-wrote the script and narrated the film.
At 8 p.m. Eastern on Lectures and History, University of Texas history professor Mark Lawrence on the rise of Ronald Reagan, his impact on the conservative movement, and the Reagan administration's performance in his first term.
And at 9.30 p.m. Eastern on the presidency, presidential historian Lindsay Chervinski talks about First Ladies Abigail Adams and Betty Ford, both known for their independence of thought and as political advisors to their husbands.
Exploring the American story.
Watch American History TV Saturdays on C-SPAN 2 and find a full schedule on your program guide or watch online anytime at c-span.org slash history.
President Donald Trump has wrapped up a four-day tour of Middle Eastern nations, including Saudi Arabia, Qatar, and the United Arab Emirates.
Earlier, he spoke to reporters briefly about the Russia-Ukraine war and Iran.