Do you support or oppose removing confederate statues and monuments from your city, state . Heres how to join the conversation. Democrats 2027488000. Republicans 2027488001. Ll others 2027488002 on ourome your posts Facebook Page and look forward to your tweets. You can send us a tweet at cspan wj. Good morning and welcome to washington journal. We will start following up with the president arriving back to washington late yesterday evening. A nine hour flight from italy. Saying trump calls his First International trip a home run. Wrapping up his first foreign trip he told the troops in italy saturday that his nineday international was a home run. We are getting on that very big plane and heading back to washington. Other reporting on whats ahead will bepresident , who at Arlington National cemetery tomorrow for memorial day. Writing aboutimes possible changes in the trump administration, particularly the communications area. President faces growing crisis on russia ties. Reports about kushner overshadow return. He was returning to a crisis that had only grown in his absence. The white house canceled a president ial trip to iowa in the coming days and was putting together a damage control plan to reorganize his communication wall off a scandal that has jeopardized his agenda and threatens to engulf his family. Wasprivate legal team preparing to move in washington to face new questions about contact between mr. Kushner and representatives of vladimir putin. Aides have recruited a series of prominent washington lawyers for mr. Trump to interview in hopes they might join the legal team. We look at the Washington Post in terms of the president staff. Trump may retool his staff. Tomp and his advisers sicken contain the escalating russia crisis that threatens to consume his presidency, considering retooling of his senior staff in the creation of a war room in the white house. The first part of the program this morning is on the removal from theerate statues city of new orleans over the past week or so. Democrat. 00 2027488001 republicans. 2027488002 others. An opinion piece in the National Review from a commentator, bronze plaques matter. He says, who is next . Those who have fought to maintain slavery have erased, what about those who owned slaves . Their tributes be spared . American slaveowners included george washington, Thomas Jefferson and ulysses grant. Heres a better idea he writes, lets stop this stalinesque historically airbrushing and statues in place. Darla, good morning. I oppose removing any statues. They were drafted, the gentleman from the south. They are bled, suffered. Remove thenk you can past and i think its very unfortunate that we are removing these statues. Host pennsylvania was a union state. There are some statues north of line. Dixon nine caller we have gettysburg where i live. Theres a battlefield. Everyone bled and suffered. People in this country. They have all suffered. We dont have to remove everything in the entire country, the flag, abe lincoln, washington. We will have to remove everything if this continues. I oppose this. People are children of the past have bled and suffered. This is the United States of america. You cant remove every little thing that everyone complains about. We are going to be removing everything. Burning the flag, that should be against the law, by the way. Were going to have to go to washington and go to every statue and monument and say thats not right because the south and the north or the east and the west. Not everybody agrees. We are going to be removing more and more things if this continues. Host from jackson, miss sippy. Independent line. You are on the air. Thanks for taking my call. The removal because theyve been there like 100 years or more. And i live in jackson mississippi. More Union Monuments that choose than there are confederate. They won the war but as long as they are not hurting anybody. When you go to vicksburg or gettysburg and you see monuments to both sides what do you think . Should i think they leave them alone. Its history. Host jackson, mississippi. 2027488000 democrat. 2027488001 republicans. 2027488002 independents. Monumentsntioning the at vicksburg and gettysburg. There are cemeteries affiliated many battlefields across the country. Probably the most famous cemetery in the country, Arlington National cemetery. History goes back to the civil war. Tom cotton writing this morning about efforts to save arlington cemetery. He writes just was born in the tragedy of the civil war. Made a fateful decision to resign from the u. S. Army after a sleepless night in what is now known as arlington house in the cemetery. The union shortly thereafter ceased the plantation which occupied the critical high ground above washington. In 1864. The Union Quartermaster general proposed that 200 acres be converted into a cemetery is a further review. Lee made no attempt to reclaim his old plantation, his oldest. On did selling the ownership back to the federal government and gradually the arlington we know took shape. Its an active cemetery with dozens of funerals daintily. Burial in arlington is a healing and the families of the following deserve. Thats why its important we preserve arlington for the next generation. If Current Trends continue it will run out of space in 25 years. Veterans of every con but cannot hope to be very there even if the highest decoration, some metal of honor. About the removal of confederate monuments hotline is next on the democrat line in houston. Good morning. Caller im from new orleans. I love that city. But those monuments have to be moved because it sets a stigma oldew orleans and those days. All that is over with. We dont see statues of hitlers up. Going to look kind of weird to go around lee circle and not see a statue, but they can put Something Else there that glorifies the whole usa. New orleans is the best and i love it. Host what do you say to people removes aing statues piece of history and we wind up forgetting that piece of history . We will never forget the horrible history that the civil war brought. I dont think we need statues of that were against the United States of america. The southerners were against the United States. Why have that of . Up . Is on theeth republican line. Go ahead. We are rewriting history. The United Nations just voted on a new bible and they removed the jewish people from jerusalem, from israel. You cannot rewrite history. All the american president s that issued orders to kill American Indians. 80 to 90 million indians that lived in america were killed. Host we are asking you about the removal of confederate statues because of the efforts in new orleans this week. 2027488000 democrats. 2027488001 republicans. 2027488002 others. Mayor Mitch Landrieu made a speech to citizens of new orleans explaining his reasons. Here is that speech. I knew that taking down these monuments was going to be tough. You elected me to do the right thing, not the easy thing. This is what that looks like. Relocating these monuments is not about taking something away from someone else. ,his is not about politics blame, retaliation. To solve all of our problems at once. This is about showing the whole ared that we as the city able to acknowledge and understand, reconcile and choose a Better Future for ourselves making straight what has been crooked and making right what was wrong. Otherwise we will continue to pay a price with discord, and violence. It literally put the confederacy on a pedestal in our most prominent places is an inaccurate recitation of our past, it is an affront to our present and it is a bad prescription for our future. Cannot be changed. It cannot be moved like a statue. Whats done is done, the war is over. The confederacy lost and we are better for it. Surely we are far enough removed to his knowledge the cost of the confederacy was wrong. In the second decade of the 21st century, asking africanamericans or anyone else by property that they own occupied by referential statues of men who fought to destroy the country and deny that persons humanity seems perverse. It seems absurd. New orleans mayor Mitch Landrieu. You can send us a tweet. There is one. Bill tweeps, supported 100 . Its no different than germany erecting monuments of hitlers and his staff. , the u. S. Wouldnt be the country it is today. History matters. Be part ofey should a historical installation. Statues is amoving stupid move. This one says a way to remove history. Those who forget are doomed to repeat. Bruce is in fort myers, florida. Go ahead. I am not well traveled or anything like that. Is there another society or country in the world were a loser of a major war, the losing sides flag is still embraced like the Confederate Flag is here . I have never heard of it. Ofidnt even know the statue , of him standing in defiance of the north. He was a traitor to the United States. Statuet know there was a like that that existed. That statue should have never been erected let alone still stand in 2017. Alderprevious callers showing is the complete lack of empathy towards other people at all, especially africanamericans. Its appalling that people are getting so upset about these statues coming down. Of doesnt being prevent things from happening. Nobodys going to forget about slavery. Im glad theyre coming down. It is shameful that people have andear bulletproof vest masks and all of this. The whole city of new orleans everybody should have been for these things coming down. Worker,u can see the roos mentioned the worker in the bulletproof vest and Wearing Masks out of concerns for their safety. Liz is next in new jersey on the democrat line. Caller im calling because i think its up to the states now that they have been up whether they take them down and new orleans have decided to take theirs down. I would be for that. Whats wrong here is many of our callers probably came since the civil war, their ancestors, they have not lost members of their family tree in the civil war. The fight continued for four years which was gruesome and many of my ancestors did fight, did die, were imprisoned in the south. I dont think we need to commemorate those folks who are guilty of treason for what they did. Moving away from the United States of america. If they want to commemorate something hit could be their participation in other u. S. Wars when they were part of the United States but they should the civilmemorating war against the United States of america. Talking about how she thinks is it is a states decision. Another state, alabama has a different approach. Governor signed a bill can confederateg moderates. It would prohibit local governments from removing Historical Monuments on public property is in place 40 years or more. It also prohibits renaming buildings and streets with historical names that have been in place more than 40 years. Debated similar legislation for years. Fred is in huntsville alabama. On the independent line. Glad to call in. Leave them alone. Of whatve as a reminder we dont want to go back to. We take them down, we might forget about them. Leave them up. Have changed. The men had changed. Leave them up. Host lets hear from a red is resident of new orleans. What has the mood in the city been . Caller good morning. Our mayor has become a very inclusive person in our city and decided we love everybody. We are not prejudiced. We dont pick on a Certain Group because of their color or their creed. Monuments to these death and slavery to come down. It is something that shouldve happened years ago and i say god bless our mayor and keep up the good work. We have had people come in here from all over the country. The president we have now has theup the old right altright, the nazis and the racists to bring them here and picket and protest something they arent even involved in. They came with ak47s hung from the neck to protect themselves 600 feet from the school. Do you know what we did . We brought out a brass band. We played songs. We didnt come out with guns. Thats the kind of people we are down here. We are not prejudiced. We dont condone prejudice. God bless Mitch Landrieu. He did the right thing. Theyre not going to take the statue down in jackson park. Caller no. There were four statues that were brought up to the city council. On,statues that were voted the only statues that will come down are the ones that are already down. Are not talking about Andrew Jackson or anybody else. The ones that were planned on coming down are down. To let everybody know we love everybody here. Orleansgelo from new asking about the removal of confederate statues in particular in new orleans. Your thoughts, do you support or oppose that. The government of alabama signing legislation that would from the removal of statues over 40 years old, in effect grandfathering confederate statuary across the state in alabama. Allensenator gerald lending his support, saying i appreciate the governor standing up for thoughtful presentation of the governors history. The memorial preservation act is all ofd to preserve alabamas history so our children and grandchildren can learn from the past. Caller good morning. I believe its a little bit more havent included all of our history and we want to glorify the history in our country rather than being honest and showing all of the history. One example is the inicanamericans that fought world war ii. They didnt come over here from mexico. They were in texas their whole lives. When they came back they werent even allowed to eat in a restaurant. There were mexicanamerican attorneys that fought for their rights. We need statues of them. In oklahoma, the indians that struck oil. We had doctors and elected officials that word at the american murdered the American Indians because they struck oil. We need to be more inclusive and have more of the history rather than glorifying our history. Host are there confederate statues in gainesville or near theyn florida you caller have one at the courthouse right here in gainesville. And a confederate soldier they can give him away. They have tried to give it to the museum, they cant afford to move it. Addlieve they need to another statute and of someone that worked to protect the africanamerican people here. To tell the whole story. Another statue of someone who did good. Who fought for the rights of everyone. Of to reflect those that stood up and spoke up for justice. Host from maryland on the independent line. Good morning. I have mixed feelings about this. I think if they take them down to replace them with jesus. About judas . Caller i said if they take any monuments down, replace them with jesus. Everybody loves jesus. I just want to say to all the people, if a statute is going to hurt you, you are going to have a lonely life. You are not going to live long. Livestatue or monuments your life for you. My father is fullblooded cherokee indian and he loved everything. Everything was beautiful. God makes everything perfect and everything on this earth is perfect. If you start singing monuments live your life youre going to have a lonely life and you are not going to live long. Host we are asking about the removal of statues in new orleans. Of newitch landrieu orleans spoke to City Residents about his decision and the history of some of the statues. Lets start with the facts. The historical record is clear. Robert e lee, geoff davis, pgt beauregard statues were not directed to honor these men, but as part of a movement which became known as a cult of a lost cause. This cult had one goal only to rewrite history to hide the , which is that the confederacy was on the wrong side of humanity. First erected 166 years after the founding of our city, 19 years after the civil war. These monuments were meant to rebrand the history of our city and the ideals of the confederate he. It is selfevident that these men did not fight for the United States of america. They fought against it. They may have been warriors, but in this cause they were not patriots. Statues are not just stone and metal. They are not innocent remembrances of a benign history. Fictionalrate a sanitized confederacy, ignoring the death, enslavement and terror that it actually stood for. After the civil war, these monuments were part of that terrorism as burning a cross on someones lawn. We were erected purposefully to send a strong message about who was still in charge in this city. Host lots of comments on twitter. Thing, good riddance to all monuments that celebrate politicians and warriors who sought to destroy the United States. The confederacy were traitors and losers who do not deserve to be held. Its illegal to fly a swastika in germany. Theirsays, blow them off pedestals like the swastikas at nuremberg. Richard saying, it fails at. Epresenting put them in a museum and move on. Running around with torches and because of a statue seems barbaric and dumb. El paso, texas on the republican line. Good morning. I oppose removing the statues because i have been to numerous battlefields around not just the United States, new mexico, texas, gettysburg and everywhere. I like to walk the battlefield and take the tours, walk with those men walked. Go to the seat of power at the time for the confederacy. Like to walk and go to the places where these men fought and died, whether they were right or wrong. Stationed inas europe, i went to all the battlefields of world war i and turkey. R ii, back into i think the mayor should concentrate more on getting working onand unemployment and jobs to new orleans. In your experience going to battlefields in the u. S. And overseas, your thinking is you to walknor caller in the footsteps and see the places. I was stationed in japan, i followed the japanese and everywhere on open our. Nawa. Oki no host does a monument honor the cause or individuals who have died in that battle . Caller it was a part of history. It was a part of history you cannot erase. They werewere wrong, but still, you would like to g