C-SPAN’s Washington Journal Open Forum dissects U.S.-Russia Ukraine talks, where callers argue for asymmetric deals over mutual satisfaction, while Aaron McClain (Hudson Institute) joins to discuss Pentagon leaks. Dasha Burns and Ro Khanna criticize Secretary Pete Hegseth’s handling of classified info via SignalGate, citing troop risks and elite impunity. Callers clash on immigration—Democrats condemn Somali fraud in Minnesota, Republicans defend drug interdiction tactics—while an Independent frames migration as a human right. A Texas caller dismisses documentation demands, and Michelle (CA) debunks DEI scapegoating, linking Boeing 747 crashes to design flaws, not hiring practices. The episode ends with a South Dakota caller questioning military waste in drug boat strikes, contrasting it with past Coast Guard efficiency. [Automatically generated summary]
In some ways, the quick resolution in the Middle East is a bit of a red herring here.
It's sort of misleading.
I think it drove this last round.
I think the president was feeling rightly successful about what had just happened in the Middle East.
And the direction from him reportedly was: let's get this done or let's do the same thing.
Same team goes in, does the same thing.
I think that that was highly optimistic.
What you need is leverage.
You need the Russians feeling pressure, which they could be feeling more of right now.
If you want to have any hope of a deal that is mutually acceptable, or at least put it this way, mutually disagreeable to both parties, as opposed to a deal that's just disagreeable to the Ukrainians and the Russians are patting each other on the back.
And if you want to participate, again, the numbers 202-748-8001 for Republicans, 202-748-8000 for Democrats.
And Independents, 202-748-8002.
Right after this program, it's our ceasefire program.
This week, C-SPAN sat down with Democratic Representative Rocana of California and Republican Representative Don Bacon of Nebraska to discuss various issues, including the rising U.S. tensions with Venezuela.
Part of that discussion that they had dealt with the SignalGate report that was released earlier this week from the Inspector General of the Pentagon.
The official response from the Pentagon Press Secretary Sean Parnell is that the Inspector General review is a total exoneration of Secretary Hagseth and proves what we knew all along.
No classified information was shared.
The matter is resolved and the case is closed.
They're saying that he has the authority to declassify.
I want to give a shout out to my brother New Yorker there, who's a Democrat.
He sounds a lot like a Republican.
Wow.
I want to talk about the amount of nitpicking that goes on in the media.
And I think that there should be full political disclosure of every broadcaster, of every reporter.
I think that would be great for them to have and say, Peter Smith, Republican, ABC News.
Because what happens is everything is being filtered through the lens of this political nitpicking that takes place.
For example, the drug votes.
Okay, everybody's up in arms because two guys got killed who were bringing drugs to God knows where.
These are not good people.
They knew what they were doing.
They're being stopped.
They're enemies of the people of America or wherever they may be because today somebody's kid didn't OD on drugs because the drugs never got to them or nobody started drugs today because the drugs never got to them.
It's this constant nitpicking.
I taking people out of the country because they're illegal.
Oh, you're cruel.
It's mean.
Well, you broke the law.
I go into a bank.
I ask for $500 and I walk out and I get arrested.
It's so cruel.
It's so mean.
How many people are sitting behind bars today who have kids at home?
The constant nitpicking and the shift in morality is just very frustrating.
I think we need to pass a law where you're a Republican, Democrat, Independent, and you're a journalist, you need to report that.
Well, let me smile as I say that I am grateful for all of my colleagues who join me at this desk day by day to do what we do and engage with you, the viewer, Sophia.
Thank you for that.
Shelby in Pennsylvania, Democrats line.
Hello.
unidentified
Hello.
Good morning.
I have three questions.
The first one is ICE.
Are they, who are they and where did they come from?
Are they the people that the president released from jail from January the 6th?
Then there's Cash Mattel.
I was watching a television program, and his picture come up, and it talked about his wife being murdered.
And he went to a pizza parlor and ordered a pizza.
Then he went back home, and that pizza wouldn't be ready for 20 minutes.
And he went back home, and I think he murdered his wife.
Allegations aside, what's the third point, please?
unidentified
The Supreme Court, all this has from them giving the permission to Trump to do whatever he wants to do, I think that is the basis of our country's problem.
I just wanted to comment on what happens when conservatives use DEI as a political boogeyman.
And the example I'm going to use is the Boeing 747 crashes.
Elon Musk tweeted, do you want to fly on an airplane where they prioritize DEI hiring over your safety?
And after that, the conservative media amplified this message, turning it into a question of taking your life in your hands with unqualified minorities.
But the actual cause of the crash was a design flaw and corporate executives deciding not to use the money to train the pilots to use this new software.
And I just want to point out that the real damage to women and minorities who are pilots and engineers when they're wrongly accused of being unqualified is a debt they should not have to pay since historically these groups have always suffered under being thought of as less than.
Later on this afternoon, the Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth has set to address the Reagan National Defense Forum.
We're going to show you a lot from that presentation, all of it today.
But at 2.50 this afternoon, you can hear specifically from the Defense Secretary as he talks about various issues, perhaps issues of the news this week.
You can see that on our main channel, C-SPAN.
You can also follow along at C-SPAN Now, our app, and then you can also follow along at c-span.org.
Later this evening, the president will welcome the recipients of the 48th annual Kennedy Center Honors Dinner at a dinner at the White House.
The president will present medals to his guests.
That's actors Sylvester Stallone, Michael Crawford, the rock band Kiss, singers George Strait and Gloria Gaynor.
The coverage of that will start at 5 o'clock this evening or this afternoon on C-SPAN, C-SPANNO and C-SPAN.org.