>> and held 52 americans hostage for 444 days. and sunday watch two american history tv features on the hostage crisis. our guests on "washington general," author stuart eizenstat and former iranian hostage john lubert. and then at 10 a.m. on real america, the 1989 film 444 days to freedom, detailing the hostage crisis. >> with no help coming, the besieged staff retreated floor by floor. one american who spoke farsi -- [inaudible] immediately blindfolded and bound. the americans -- ♪ ♪ >> explore our nation's past on american history tv every

weekend on c-span3. >> the president is due at a rally in tupelo, mississippi, within the next few minutes. we'll is have live coverage as he campaigns for lieutenant governor tate reese who's running for governor in tuesday's election. until the president arrives and starts, here's white house economic director larry kudlow talking with reporters today about the latest jobs numbers. >> yesterday the president -- [inaudible] the impeachment effort is holding back the stock market. do you believe that's true? >> yes, i do, actually. >> why? >> because i think fundamentally, and, you know, your network has reported some pretty prominent, famous investors -- lee cooperman among them, lloyd blankfein among them -- who do not want to see a change in president trump's economic policy. they like the tax cut incentives, they like the rollback of regulations, they like the opening in the energy sector, and they like the fact

that the president is trying to reduce trade barriers and is engaging china in order to protect american, the american economy and defend american work force. they like those policies. and the stock market, which is up about 20%, s&p, year to date -- which, i would argue, by the way, is predicting better business conditions ahead -- the stock market has benefited from these incentive-oriented, supply-side, market-driven policies, and they don't want to see a change. so i think when you get these votes and so forth, and i'm not here to talk about the chronology of impeachment, but nonetheless, yes, i think the impeachment story in fits and starts has hurt the stock market i think president trump is right. now, look, i'll say this, this is not my lane, but i just want to say a couple of things about this. number one, having read that

transcript of the phone call probably a dozen times, it just seems so clear to me that there is no problem with it. there's no legal problem, there's no impeachable problem. it was a congratulatory phone call. and with respect to our concerns about the military assistance to ukraine, those concerns were principally taxpayer protection concerns. we've always wanted europe to do better on costs, on the burden of cost-sharing. when it's nato or, you know, ukraine or whatever. and on corruption, eamon, first of all, corruption was a huge issue in ukraine. that affects the distribution of money. we wanted some time to make sure

that what monies we provided would get to where they're best used in ukraine. and so finishing the corruption issues not in the future, but back in 2015 and 2016 became important. there was never any quid pro quo, however. there's nothing illegal, nothing impeachable. and, you know, i, frankly, think looking at this, i think the process is unfair. and it looks to me like very divisive and partisan process. >> [inaudible] with the president asking -- >> and i don't -- well, hang -- i don't think, i'm trying to answer your question on the market. i think the market sees the same thing, to be honest with you. look, i don't have a chance anymore to watch the network that i used to have, but i watch, you know, the parade of investment experts.

they're all pretty much saying the same thing. there's a certain amount of disruptiveness here, they don't see what the case is, and they do not want a change in economic policies which have done so well. i mean, today's number on an ajusted basis for revision -- adjusted basis for revision prior months and the gm strike is over 300,000 new jobs, 303,000 new jobs. that is a blow outnumber. and it shows the underlying strength of the economy. and i think the investment world does not want the policies to change. so that's my take for you -- >> -- president pence change them if inpeachment were to go all the way down the line? >> i don't have any speculations about any of that. i'm just giving you my personal view on the matter. i just think that -- i don't think there's any there there, and i think, frankly, back in my

lane, if you will, investors do not want a change in economic policy. and, you know, this other thing, let me make another point, another number, okay? you're a numbers guy, and i appreciate the question. not only was today's jobs up 303,000, we are in a middle class boom. a middle class boom. where inflation adjusted after tax income has increased per household by $5,000 or roughly 7% in just two and a half years, and those numbers are far and away better than the prior 16 years under democrats and republicans. that's how good this middle class boom has been. even today, even today on the wage numbers the managers are doing less well than the production workers. non-supervisory production wages up 3.5% the last 12 months. overall, the number was 3. so the people who are benefiting

are the solid middle class working folks in this country, and i think folks on wall street and main street don't want that to change either. so that's my take on the whole thing. let me be as fair as i can be. yes, sir, go ahead. >> on tax cuts, how aggressively is the president pushing for tax cuts 2.0, and where's the status of that process? >> i know -- i'm sorry. we saw some stories about it yesterday. there's really not much new to report. i broke that story, i don't know, a couple months ago. tax cuts 2.0. it's an informal process right now. i'm sorry, i'm trying to be good to both of you. i'm consulting my friend kevin brady of the house ways and means committee who's a brilliant tax guy. we're talking to house members, we're talking to senate members, we're talking to our colleagues inside the administration, we're talking the people on the outside. this is something that would not surface for many, many months. you'll see it much later during

the campaign. it's a forward-looking -- the idea here for tax cuts 2.0 was to provide additional middle class tax relief and to enhance economic growth prospects. but we don't have anything, no details to report yet. it's a work in progress. >> larry? >> yes, ma'am. >> thank you. i know you said you're hoping to have similar timing with -- [inaudible] phase one. president xi is going to be in brazil, is that a possibility in. >> i don't want to speculate. >> are you optimistic about the possibility of still getting signing around that time, if you're able to find a venue? >> well, yes, i'm -- the president is optimistic, more importantly. but as i've reported, the talks are going very well. they're not done yet. there's more hard work, but the talks are going were very well. but the president himself has indicated a good deal of optimism. yes, ma'am. >> where do you guys get the 303? >> hang with me, hang with me.

128,000 payroll, that's the base number, right, i unadjusted. i'm adding to that 95,000 upward revisions for the prior two months which is a remarkable number. and then so that gets you to 223,000. on top of that, we estimate that 60,000 adjustment for the gm strike, that gets you to 283, and we put in 20,000 for the census workers, and that gets you to 303. those are real numbers. >> and a follow up. you said -- >> [inaudible] [laughter] >> i'm sorry, please. >> -- hourly wage? >> yes. >> that's actually down from 3.4. >> no, actually, i believe last month was 2.9. but here's the key point, i'm already -- [inaudible] it's been around 3 for many

months. what's so interesting about that, ma'am, is that this category non-supervisory production, so these are not the managers. these are, you know, workers on the assembly line and construction, they're 3.5. they're doing better than the managers are doing. and i just think that's interesting. i'm not going to go new. i said a lot to eamon. this is a middle class boom. average household 66,000 after inflation and after taxes, people have had a $5,000 increase, $5,000 increase in what my old boss ronald reagan used to call take-home pay. that's a big number in two and a half years. 7% above the prior administration. and, actually, nonpartisan, the republican administration and the democrat administration that preceded us were basically e flat. we're up 5k already in two and a half years. that just shows you, i think,

the success of the programs of tax cuts and deregulation and energy opening and bringing down trade barriers. and that's why, as i said to mr. travers that i do not think -- i don't think investors want a change in policy here. i don't think workers want a change. i don't think hard hats, people on the a assembly line, they don't want a change either. and that's why i think sometimes the stock market affects that when you get these political announcements -- >> larry -- >> one more, i gotta go in. >> people are very disappointed in jerome powell -- >> i'm sorry? >> the president tweeted that people are very disappointed in jerome powell after he cut rates this week. has there been any discussion of trying to get rid of him, and is it a sign that this economy is not as strong as this administration is touting given that rates have had to be cut three times so far? >> let me say a couple things. the president has been outspoken in his views about the fed

chair. second point -- >> getting rid of him? >> there is no conversation of getting rid of him whatsoever, whatsoever. let me just put an exclamation point there. i think monetary policy, my view i agree with potus on this. we had severe, tight monetary policy last year. it was unnecessary, and it damaged the economy, all right? now, they have changed their direction. my view at least monetary policy is in a much better direction now. the target rate is down to 1.5, three-quarters. the balance sheet is expanding, the yield curve is upward sloping. these are positive signs. so that that huge obstacle to growth is now waning. it's moving away. and that's why i think today's job numbers, this 300,000 plus

number is an example. we will see much better economic growth, and also i'm very old-fashioned, i think stock market's a pretty good predicter of business. when the stock market slumped badly when the fed was tightening, the market went down, sure enough business softened. now the market's come back, i don't know what it is this morning, but the s&p 500's up about 21% year to date. i think that is predicting much stronger business conditions for the next year or so. i've got to get an overcoat. thank you very much. [inaudible conversations] >> appreciate it. >> and coming up shortly, president trump will be holding a rally in tupelo, mississippi, a state he won by almost 20 points in 2016. he's there to support lieutenant governor tate reese, the

republican nominee for governor. voters go to the polls tuesday. mr. reeves is currently ahead by about three points according to a recent mason dixon poll published by real clear politics. the president should be out shortly. while we wait, here's a portion of the "washington journal." >> host: joining us from atlanta this morning, the centers for disease control, the principal deputy director. to talk primarily about the vaping-related illnesses the country's experiencing, other public health concerns. doctor, we'll start with that issue and the vaping illnesses, the lung injury cases and this brand new charge from the cdc just this past week as to where things are, showing our viewers that map of concentration of cases. marley most of them -- particularly most of them there in illinois. what is behind these illnesses? do we havewh a better idea of what's going on? >> guest: you know, this is a really difficult outbreak. we have 1,888 cases of acute

lung injury associated with e-cigarette or vaping products. we have cases reported in from 49 states, every state but alaska, and it's a very serious illness with about half of people needing to be treated in intense e care units -- intensive care units. illinois and wisconsin were the first states to recognize disease, but now we have disease in many, many states. and what we see is short onset, acute onset of difficulty breathing, cough, chest pain leading to hospitalization, sometimes leading to a need for mechanical ventilation. and, sadly, we've had 37 people die of the illness. half of the cases are occurring in people who are under 25 years old. so far what we know is that most cases report using e-cigarettes that are associated with

thc-containing pre-filled cartridges. not all. some report only nicotine use, but the majority have a thc pre-filled cartridge exposure. many have gotten those cartridges from informal sources, off the street or from friends or family or online but not from dispensaries or brick and mortar stores. there have been a number of arrests, but there's continuing illness. and as you saw, we had nearly 300 additional cases reported in this past week. so we have strong recommendations for individuals about how they can protect themselves and are continuing to investigate what substance or substances may be in these products that are harming people's lungs. >> host: well, given that marijuana, thc is still illegal nationally, legal in many states, what challenges does the cdc face and other government agencies in terms of researching the cause of this disease, or these illnesses i should say,

and regulating that industry? you mentioned informal sources for some of these vaping products. >> guest: this is very complex. of course, the interviews of patients may -- people may be reluctant to tell you what kinds of products they were using. of course there's about 15% of cases are occurring in teenagers under 18, and they may be reluck p about the to talk about nicotine use as well as thc use. so it's been challenging for the investigators to get the full story, but we believe we are hgetting better data now. the tracebacks are complex. there's very diverse supply chains for legal and illicit products. there are small scale and large scale producers, manufacturers, distributers involved, and then, of course, repackaging. we know there's a big counterfeit market on the packaging and probably on some of theco substances. and for e-cigarettes in general, none of them are legally marketed right now. they're all, the e-cigarettes that contain nicotine haven't

yet got the pre-market approval from fda. so we're in a very complex period to investigate this outbreak can and try to stop it. but i think we are making progress. >> host: i want to welcome those of you who do use vaping products. our lines are set up like this, if you use a product, 202-748-8003. otherwise, eastern and central time zones, 748-8000, mountain and pacific, 8002. we'll get to your calls momentarily. what is the cdc's role primarily in this area? in these diseases, these lung-related diseases? what are you trying the to do, what are you trying to find out? >> guest: cbc's working 24/7 to get to the bottom of this outbreak. we have dispatched disease detectives to assist the states, and we already have a number of staff working together with state and local public health. we're tracking the disease, facilitating investigation of

individual cases. we're working closely with the fda on testing products. the fda is testing the e-cigarette liquids. we are, we have a smoking machine capacity here, and we're testing the air flows that are produced by the devices to try to understand what's in that aerosol and might it be hangerous for the lungs. we also have a clinical team working to advise clinician on how to care for individuals with this illness and learning as much as we can about what works and what needs to be followed. we're looking at clinical samples in our pathology lab to look at the damage that's been done to the lungs and understand whether they're -- there are particular substances that give us a hint about what the problem is in the different products. we're, of course, doing a number of efforts on communication and education to get information out to the public about what steps they can take to protect themselves to work with the health departments about how to

track the disease andnd answer their questions. and then, of course, to work with the clinical community. we've also been on call capitol hill quite a bit answering policymakers' questions. >> host: and in terms of guidance that you can give to folks who do use vaping products whether it's thc products or tobacco products, you're not the fda, but what is the cdc doing to tell people -- what's your primary advice, i guess i'd ask. >> guest: based on what we know at this point, we recommend that people not use e-cigarette or other vaping products that contain t the hc, in particular -- thc. in particular we're recommending that you do not buy products from off the street or to informal sources or online. we don't have all of the answers yet, but in general, regardless of this outbreak, we do not think that e-cigarettes should be, should ever be used by youth, young adults or pregnant women. nicotine can be harmful to the

developing brain, and we have -- our brains continue to develop through about age 25. we think that because we don't know what substance or ingredients in the products may be causing this illness, people may want to consider refraining from the use of e-cigarettes that contain nicotine, but the data at this point are really pointing towards thc-containing cartridges probably with some sort of cutting agents or other solvents or substances that we don't have information for all of the cases and all the products across the country. so those are our recommendations today. we are learning as we go, and we'll update those recommendations as we know more. this is a serious illness. it can cause severe illness complications including respiratory failure, and it can be fatal. we think it's preventable, and as we learn more, we'll tell the public more. but at this time, we're recommending people avoid vaping products that contain thc.

>> host: we said we'd touch on other public health issues, quickly on the flu, the c, the c's flu view, the seasonal activity in the united states increased slightly but remains low. does cdc track also how many people are getting flu shots for the upcoming season? >> guest: we do track that. we don't have the information yet, but later this winter we'll be able to track how well we're doing compared to previous years. one thing to say is that this is a great time to get a flu vaccine. we recommend that everybody six months and over get vaccinated against flu every year. flu can be serious, and even healthy people can get the flu and be severely ill. it may not lead to p hospitalization, but it may lead you to need to stay home and miss some of the events that you're looking forward to. and, of course, for pregnant women, for the elderly, for very young children and for people with underlying medical conditions, the flu can be

deadly. >> host: cdc's deputy director with us up until 10:00 eastern. for a reminder those of you using vaping products, 202-748-8003. we'll hear first from nancy in austin, texas. >> caller: hello. >> host: good morning. >> caller: doctor, a coupleau different things. i appreciate that you're finally talking about this outbreak is from thc. but i'm still concerned that you're still mentioning or complaining nicotine in the same sentence. nicotine not thc, has nothing whatsoever to do with it, so we need to separate these issues. you also mentioned that these were all coming from black market, and most of them are, but there were an instance or two either in washington state or oregon state, i can't remember which which one, where the stuff came from a dispensary. so that's a concern i have. i don't do thc, i only vape nicotine that are the cause of none of these hospitals, and -- hospitalizations, and it just

concerns me that it still keeps beingrn mentioned along with in this thc stuff. there's no reason to smear this entire industry who have saved thousands of lives by getting people off of cigarettes. this is actually something that works. and so it's concerning to me that you guys are still conflating the two together. i wish you, please, would not do that. it doesn't serve the public, and it certainly doesn't serve all the people who are dying daily from smoking cigarettes. >> host: all right, nancy in austin, texas. doctor? >> guest: thank you, nancy. and i'm very glad to hear that you've gotten off of smoking cigarettes. we agree that smoking cigarettes is very bad for people's health and that most adults who smoke want to quit, and we are keen to help them in every way possible. about 10% of the cases at this point do not report using vaping products that contain thc, and they report only exposure to nicotine. we're still trying to understand all the sourceses and whether tt

information is accurate or not. and so at this time, we can't say that the very extensive investigations that have been done in wisconsin, illinois and utah really apply to all other states, because we're still gathering data. but let me say something about nicotine use in e-cigarettes. we know that rates of e-cigarette use among youth are skyrocketing, that we have -- we saw a 78% increase in high school students using e-cigarette -- nicotine-containing e-cigarettes an increase from 2017 to 2018, and in your preliminary data about 2019 shows further increase. we know that many of them never used cigarettes, they went right to e-cigarettes and that the flavors have been a big attractant for the young people. there is general agreement that young people, youth under 25 basically but definitely under 21, should not be using

e-cigarettes containing nicotine. nicotine's harmful for the developing brain, and it can also increase the risk of addiction to other substances. the latest generation of ex-cigarettes -- e-cigarettes are extremely addictive and extremely atrack tiff to teenagers -- attractive to teenagers based on the flavors as well as the nicotine salt. so we are keen to have adults have an offramp for cigarette smoking. we really don't want to get another generation addicted to nicotine. that said, we are investigating this lung injury outbreak and trying to understand where does the data lead. and at this point, the majority of cases report this exposure to thc-containing pre-filled cartridges, and we're very concerned about how those cartridges are being produced locally or nationally and what's in them that's making people sick. >> host: we'll hear next from albert in miami, florida.

>> caller: yeah, am i on? >> host: you are, go ahead. >> caller: yeah, thank you for c-span. i wanted to thank the doctor for her wonderful, insightful comments. [inaudible] around all these teenagers and, yeah, what you're saying is right. there's an epidemic, especially in big cities and, you know, kids vaping. i've been trying to, you know, distance myself from them. but i think that the reason why vaping is so common now in my city and around the united states probably is because of sthe intensive marketing campaign. but i think that the bigger problem -- >> host: albert, are you there? all right. we go to laura in new hampshire. >> caller: hello? >> host: you're on the air, go ahead. >> caller: hi, yes. i'm calling because when i read about -- i had smoked cigarettes

for 30 years and finally found the juul and haven't smoked for a year and i feel 100% better. you know, i lived in england and other countries for these problems that we're having with vaping, and they just don't exist. so i think, you know, they have a highly regulated vaping industry in england, and, you know, i'm talking just about -- i'm not talking about -- al[inaudible] but my problem now is because what i'm using is gone, and i've been, i've done so well with it, ask and i don't know why we can't look to other countries to see what they do and why they don't have these issues and we do. >> host: thanks, laura. >> guest: yeah, thank you, laura. the experience in england is very interesting. as you mentioned, there's a very different environment there with

regulatory and health care systems. one thing that i'm aware of is a lower level of nicotine in the sold there.t are of course, the cdc isn't a regulatory body. we provide the evidence and the data to provide to policymakers about regulation, but we're not in that business ourself. and we're very keen to reduce adult use of cigarettes. and so i'm really glad to hear you were able to quit after 40 years. that is a big accomplishment. at this point the e-cigarette companies including juul haven't gotten the fda approval for use as a access saying device. there's, of course -- cessation device. i believe the fda would welcome applications for review of the data on the public health situation. so i think that the issue of reducing adult smoking and making it easier for adults to

quit cigarette smoking is critical. it'll save lives, it'll save money, it'll improve health. the second factor though is the nicotine products that are addicting a generation of teenagers that never even smoked cigarettes and are now suffering from the really bad consequences of nicotine addiction. so we have a lot of shared interest in offramps for adults and then an interest in cutting off the onramps for kids and not allowing the scurrilous practices in terms of advertising ors marketing in schools or products that are really targeted towards youth when there's really shared belief that children, young teenagers should not be using nicotine products. >> host: and there's news this morning about juul's economic condition with the headline altria takes a $4.5 billion juul

write-down. they write that increasing concerns over the health effects of vaping have prompted them to make apt $4.5 billion write-down on juul, the parent of the thrlboro owner phillip morris valued its stake at $12.8 billion. they said the decision was driven by the cumulative effect of e-vapor bans in several u.s. cities, states and some international markets and the increased likelihood of the food and drug administration imposing curbs on flavored vaping pods. how helpful has juul been in the cdc's efforts to get to the bottom of the problems with e-cigarettes and thc? >> juul has reached out to us official hi to offer assistance -- officially to offer assistance in terms of any information they could providetous, but this investigation is really being driven through the public health system, the state and local public health workers who work tirelessly to investigate

clusters, outbreaks, new concerns as well as to protect their communities' health day in and day out x. that's certainly the core group that we've been working with. of course, also with the fda and in states' other law enforcement or dea authorities. >> host: let's hear from william in eureka, california. good morning. >> caller: hi, good morning, and thank you for c-span. my comment is that since we are focusing on thc-containing cart ridges that any residual solvents like propane or butane that are used in the manufacturing processes are converted to benzene at high temperatures. i think that if we focused on quality control with the fda, we can overcome this problem. what are your thoughts? >> guest: yeah, thank you for those comments. i've been getting e-mails and letters from people who have theories, people with backgrounds in chemistry or

engineering trying to think through what might be going on. we know that e-cigarettes or vaping products have fewer toxins than combustible cigarettes, but there's a lot of different things in them that may be there. there can be, of course, nicotine in the nicotine products, but ultra fine products that can, that get into the small airways and may be damaging. there's organic compounds, there can be flavorings, and we know one flavoring is associated with severe lung damage. it's what's called popcorn lung that particular flavor and can cause. there's also the devices, the electronic device, the metal device may lead to heavy metal exposure, a lead and some others that can be a problem after heating and aerosolization. now, what the particular substance the, ingredient or product problem is in the lung injuries outbreak that we're seeing, we don't know. but we do think there's a lot to

learn, and the chemical changes that occur with the high temperatures in thed vaping product device takes effect really could be harmful. and so we may be seeing a different set of compounds or substances causing different injuries. we're calling this e-cigarette or vaping product associated lung injury, evali, but it may be different products and orfferent injuries. some have talked about lipoid pneumonia, others are talking about a chemical burn kind of injury. and so we're still in the stage of investigation trying to link up what the lung damage looks like under the microscope with what's in the liquid or aerosol that's produced from it. but i think your mention of some of the organic compounds is a real concern. >> host: for our viewers and c-span radio listeners who are using vaping products, that line we've set aside is 202-848-8003.

and a question for you, there, on twitter. we're@c-span wy. this one say -- wj. illness and death from vaping only began recently. it was a relatively safe product for a decade, what changed? that is the question. >> guest: that is a great question. we have enoughes information now to think that this is new, this isn't something we were missing the past few years. there probably were individual cases of this type of lung injury following vaping use, but we've seen a great increase in months.re the market dynamics are probably different right now in terms of a very lucrative market across the country and the ability for small and large business people to make a lot of money possibly by cutting agents, you know, sort of diluting thc oil with other products to increase their profit, using packaging that may be counterfeit from other places to make the product look like

one that is more legitimate. although it needs to be said that none of the e-cigarettes are actually, have pre-approval yet from the fda, so nothing is really legal. but this in any case, i -- in any case, i believe there's a diverse market. whether there's some me too activity in term of people watching youtube videos about how to cut substances and make a profit on it, do it yourself kind of small business, that may have been contributing. these are theories we haven't proven as the critical driver, but i do think that there's a money element to what's going op. >> host: let's hear from robert, chattanooga, tennessee. welcome. >> caller: yes, thank you. my concern is that thc and vaping is has nothing -- no labels on things like this. and why does the fda and the cdc

let companies manufacture the things without labels? we havee labels on everything in this country, even clothes, food, you name it, dog food or whatever. and how in the world can companies get away with not labeling a product that's out there on the market that's causing so much harm to american consumer? thank you. >> guest: yeah, thank you for those comments. as the fda takes, has taken on regulatory authority for tobacco and has now got plans around the e-cigarette regulatory authority, the ingredient information will need to be provided. the thc right now, pretty much the marijuana market, cannabis products are at this point regulated at the state level, and many of those state regulations will talk about, you know, what needs to be done in

harms of the testing and the quality control. but you right that right now the consumer just doesn't know what they're getting. with e-cigarettes you don't really know what all the compounds are that are in there -- >> you can watchhe that entire program on ourly web site, c-span.org. right now it's live coverage of the president at a campaign rally for republican mom fee for -- nominee for governor in tupelo, mississippi. this is live coverage on c-span2. ♪ god bless the usa. ♪ from the lakes of minnesota, to the hills of tennessee -- ♪ across the plains of texas, from sea to shining sea -- ♪ from detroit down to houston

and new york to l.a -- ♪ well, or there's pride in every american heart, and it's time with we stand and say -- time we stand and say: ♪ that i'm proud to be an american where at least i know i'm free. ♪ and i won't forget the men who died who gave that right to me. ♪ and i gladly stand up next to you and defend her still today -- ♪ 'cuz there p ain't no doubt i love this land -- ♪ god bless the usa. ♪ and i'm proud to be an american where at least i know i'm free. ♪ and i won't forget the men who died who gave that right to me. ♪ and i'd