attorney general merrick garland released the following statement. ♪ >> c-span's washington journal, every day, we are taking your calls on the news that the day and discuss policy issues that impact you. saturday morning, the supreme court decision to overturn roe v. wade. joining us will be elizabeth wy dra and zach smith from the

heritage foundation. watch washington journal saturday morning on c-span or on c-span now, our free mobile app. join the discussion with your phone calls, facebook comments, text messages, and tweets. >> at a news conference, kevin mccarthy and several other house republicans celebrated the supreme court ruling striking down roe v. wade.

ms. stefanik: good morning. i'm honored to be here today with my fellow house republican colleagues. today's historic supreme court decision is a victory for the sanctity of life. it will save countless of children. house republicans are incredibly grateful for the pro-life movements tireless efforts for decades giving the voice to the voiceless and protect our most vulnerable unborn babies. as a new mom, i know there is nothing more extraordinary than the miracle of life. hearing sam's heartbeat for the first time -- going to cry -- was the greatest blessing and gift for our family. and i stand unified with my republican colleagues in protecting and promoting the right to life. i'm proud to introduce a pro-life leader and our ranking member of energy and commerce,

cathy mcmorris rodgers. mrs. rodgers: first of all, i thank god for this day. thank god that his mercy is new each day and he's the giver of life. and i ask for the next 50 years and beyond in our country how are we going to define the greatest human rights issue of our generation. the supreme court decision marks a chance for us to restore hope, restore hope in healing to every family in this country, moms and children at every stage of life. and may it begin with each one of us doing our part to protect and celebrate all life in this greatest experiment ever, greatest experiment in self-governance that the world has ever known. however, speaker pelosi and the democrats are forcing an extreme agenda on america through their abortion on demand until birth act. it would nationalize abortion all across this nation.

making america just as radical as china and north korea. it legalizes discriminatory abortion based upon race, sex, or disability. it overrides state laws that protect women from coercion. there's no part of this that celebrates the life, the dignity, the value of every life. i think about my friend, chloe. chloe is a beautiful, smart young lady with down syndrome and at 18 she's appeared before the u.n. twice and spoken and she told the world, embrace, don't erase down syndrome. she's helped pass laws at the state level that would make sure that parents when they receive that prenatal diagnosis of having a child -- a baby with down syndrome they would actually get accurate information as to the potential of that life. democrats want to eliminate laws like closy's. we -- closy's. we must -- chloe's.

we must stand affirm with the court. my hope, my prayer is that america will reclaim our identity as a nation whose god-given rights are life, liberty and the pursuit of happiness for all. and i'm pleased to introduce -- [applause] a gentleman who's made it his life's mission to protect life and reclaim life in america, chris smith, the gentleman from new jersey. [applause] mr. smith: thank you so much. today, ladies and gentlemen, is a brand new opportunity to defend the weakest and most vulnerable from the violence of abortion and that includes the baby and the mother, the co-victim of every abortion. for decades, right up until this very moment, abortion advocates have gone aggressively fostered a cultural of denial,

disrespect, death against babies. back in 1973, the supreme court in roe v. wade, which all know about, they sidestepped it and legalized abortion throughout pregnancy. justice white at the time called that an exercise in raw judicial power. the alooeto opinion -- alito majority opinion issued a couple hours ago at long last recognizes the need for elected representatives at the local and federal level to take the action to -- about abortion. hopefully it will be on the side of protection. as cathy mcmorris rodgers said, there is a law pending that is the threat to the lives of unborn babies. it will allow abortion right until birth and would eviscerate all pro-life policy from women's rights to no law to parental notification statutes throughout the whole country. it passed the house last september. every one of us voted and spoke

against it. and it's pending in the senate. so while this is a major step forward, it is -- it also means we are in an area where we've got to fight even harder to defend these innocent children. again, as i think all of you know, with ultrasound, the visibility of an unborn child is more apparent than ever before. the other side says it's not a human being. what is it you're watching? when mothers give birth to a new baby, long before that, what are the pictures that are on the refrigerator? the pictures of the ultrasound of that unborn child. we want to protect all life. thank you. [applause] my honor and -- introduce ann wagner who is the proud sponsor of the born alive act. mrs. wagner: yes, i am. i represent missouri's second congressional district and i will say today as a mother and a grandmother i am so incredibly

grateful and gratified that the supreme court has finally overturned roe vs. wade. this is an historic moment for families, for mothers, and for the precious unborn children who cannot protect themselves. today, we do give voice to the voiceless. i have always been clear that every child deserves a chance to live. i will always stand for life. and i am hopeful that the state legislatures across the country will take action and swiftly pass protections for our vulnerable babies. the democrats' radical pro-abortion agenda has been forced on americans for far too long, nearly 50 years. democrats, as has been stated, in the u.s. house and senate support abortion on demand up until the moment of birth and even the minute after.

at taxpayers' expense. that position is simply unconscionable. and incompatible with the views of most americans. . this decision is a victory for those who never gave up hope, people like my mother-in-law, loretta wagner, founded the missouri right to life, a pregnancy center called our lady's end, a march for life on the state capitol, helped write the hyde amendment with henry hyde. it is generations of americans who are so happy that they have -- never gave up hope. that's what i would say. that the supreme court would do what is right and return this issue to the states. it will save countless innocent lives. we are entering a new era of

freedom, of freedom for the unborn and i am proud to have always been on the side of my pro-life brothers and sisters who stand here with me today and all across america. we always knew we'd realize frew treu freedom for all americans. i thank you and it is my pressure and -- and it is my pleasure and my honor to introduce a pro-life advocate, the gentlelady from minnesota, michelle fish bach. mrs. fischbach: thank you very musm this is certainly a day that pro lifers have been waiting for for 49 years. today's supreme court decision was a step to protect the most precious and basic right, the right to life. roe vs. wade was unconstitutional. the pro life community has always knownthis. every innocent life is precious, from conception until natural death. but for nearly five decades, abortion has remained one of the

biggest tragedies of our nation. roe put judges in charge of abortion poll circumstances imposing laws, legislated by unelected judges that left americans with no voice. now the american people will be able to decide the issue of abortion through their elected officials. this is what democracy looks like. elected leaders accountable to the people they represent to propose and pass laws that people support. the constitution gives the people this job and the people are ready to protect life. thank you very much and it is my honor to introduce representative julia letlow. [applause] ms. letlow: i want to begin by

addressing this one moment in time. this is an answer to prayers and a shining beacon of hope for the american people. we are here because of nearly five decades our strong pro-life advocates never wavered in their commitment for life. this journey has had many, many ups and downs. but they never gave up. their faith and perseverance has been our movement's guiding light. we are here today because of them. this is their day, their victory, one i never thought i would see in my lifetime. our country owes them a tremendous debt of gratitude. when we talk about what we have fought for, it is this simple truth. every soul is precious and deserves life. as a mom, i can tell you the bond that grows between you and your child over those nine months is a sacred miracle. it is something you feel in

every moment, from the second you find out you're expecting to months later when you watch your precious and innocent child take those first beautiful breaths. well, today is a monumental win for the unborn. i would like to note that being pro-life is about more than saving a child's life. it's a commitment to supporting our mothers. as policymakers, we must work together to bring forward legislation that helps families build nurturing home environments where children thrive and build healthy and happy lives. in today's rule, the supreme court made the right decision by moving this debate to where it belongs, in the hands of the people's representatives. and while we know that much work lies ahead, let us take this moment and honor this history that we are witnessing in our own moment in time. years from now, we will tell our

children and grandchildren about the day when the united states finally and firmly stood for life. thank you, and i yield to my new member, representative maya flores from texas. ms. flores: hallelujah. i woke up this morning praying for this. and i never thought that it would happen. this was a big win not only for south texas, because we are pro life, but it's also a big win for our country. if we want to see real change in bringing crime down, we need to raise a generation to respect life. in the womb. [speaking spanish]

thank you so much. and now, mr. scalise. [speaking spanish]

thank you for always defending the liefs the unborn. [applause] mr. scalise: what a historic days this. what a great victory for life. and it's not just a victory for life. it's a victory for millions of people who have been part of this pro-life movement for decades. who have gone to state legislatures, who have gotten involved in the political process. who prayed and prayers were answered today. the decades of work celebrated today. but the work just begins. now to go and protect life even more because the supreme court's decision overturning roe v. wade correcting that flawed decision finally allows states and congress to protect life in ways that we never were able to for the last 50 years that. debate was silenced during the

years roe v. wade was the law of the land. but that debate just begins again in so many places in this country. one of the most inspirational days of the year is the march for life. it's a day where thousands of young people come to washington, not to cause violence but to celebrate life. and to pray and work that we can end abortion in this country. because for many of them, the first picture they have of themselveses is is in their mother's womb. so when we celebrate this victory, i think back to 2006, when i was a state representative. in louisiana. and i co-authored a law that i wondered if i would ever see implemented. that law says if roe v. wade is overturned, then abortion would end in louisiana. it was signed by our democrat governor, kathleen blanco. because you see life across this country has been a bipartisan battle.

people in the pro-life movement have been bipartisan. when you see the debate up here unfortunately it's become partisan because the far left has tried to shut down this debate. but in so many states, republicans and democrats come together to support life. and i'm so proud to say that right now, in my state that law from 2006 even strengthened by recent actions will now become law. today. i wondered if i would see that. but i now see that moment. in about a dozen other states are going to have their similar laws take effect right now. on this historic day. and many other states are going to start renewed debate that had been shut down for decades but finally begins anew. god bless life, god answers prayers. with that, let me bring up our leader, kevin mccarthy. [applause] mr. mccarthy: only a few of us are speaking today but i hope you acknowledge everyone who is

standing behind me. i hope you acknowledge everybody who is sitting at home. saying the exact same words. that we are. today's supreme court decision is the most important pro-life ruling in american history. by a vote of 6-3, the court affirmed that the power to protect unborn life is returned to the people and their elected representatives. the people have won a victory. the right to life has been vindicated. the voiceless will finally have a voice. this great nation can now live up to its core principles, that all are created equal, not born equal, created equal. americans celebrate this historic victory because we know it will save the lives of millions of children and it will give families hope.

but as encouraging as today's decision is, our work is far from done. americans remain one of only seven countries on earth that allow elective abortions in the third trimester. of those seven countries that america is one of them, there's two others. china and north korea. that is radical. the house democrats continue to support it against the woirves the mesh people. this congress, every house democrat has voted for extreme policies. like taxpayer funded abortion on demand. until the point of birth. the democrat's radical agenda does not have america's support. to the contrary, america rejects because they remain committed to our values and principles.

threats of violence against the justices did not win. and the truth is pro-life americans are not planning a night of rage. the reaction to this principled decision by the court must be peaceful. and the d.o.j. must step up to protect our justices, their family, churches, and pro-life pregnancy centers from unprovoked violence. to the d.o.j., do not be silent. do not stand back and uphold the rule of law. we live in a country that is based on the dignity of all human life. with that, i'll take some questions. yes.

reporter: [inaudible] mr. mccarthy: the supreme court is a different branch of government, they can look at whatever comes before them. i know that life matters. for so many years -- the supreme court is a separate branch of government. they take their positions. reporter: [inaudible] mr. mccarthy: first and foremost, i believe in saving every life possible. look at what we've done. hyde amendment. more importantly, look at what the democrats have done. for decades that was a bipartisan position. why does this new radical agenda when the democrats theek house, the senate and the white house, even the president -- even president bide whon supported that, removed it. look at ann wagner. and when you look at what we can do, we will can't to look

wherever we can go to save as many lives as possible. reporter: you touched on this a little bit but current laws are still in place right now, what would you want to tell the surgeon general? mr. mccarthy: i would tell him in less than 140 days things will change here and he will have a congress that will call him up. he will have the ability of congress to have oversight. he will now have a congress that will hold him accountable. thank you all and most importantly, to america. i continue to pray, one for the safety of everyone, but more importantly we now have a voice for all life. thank you and god bless. [captions copyright national cable satellite corp. 2022] [captioning performed by the national captioning institute, which is responsible for its caption content and accuracy.

visit ncicap.org] >> more reactir joe manchin of west virginia. he was the only senate democrat in 2018 to vote to confirm judge kavanaugh and one of three democrats to vote for justice gorsuch in 2017. his statement reads, susan collins of maine also voted to confirm both justices to the supreme court. in a statement she wrote,

chuck grassley supports the court's decision, saying, ♪ c-span's washington journal. we are taking your calls live on the air on the news of the day and we discussed policy issues that impact you. coming up saturday morning, our focus will be the supreme court decision to overturn roe v. wade . joining us will be constitutional accountabilities center president elizabeth white rep and zach smith.

watch washington journal, live at 7:00 eastern saturday morning on c-span or on c-span now, our free mobile app. join the discussion with your phone calls, facebook comments, text messages, and tweets. ♪ >> six presidents recorded conversations while in office. here many of those conversations on c-span's new podcast. >> season one focuses on the presidency of lyndon johnson. you will hear about the 19 624 civil rights act, the presidential campaign, the gulf of tonkin incident, the march on selma, and the war in vietnam. not everyone knew they were being recorded. >> certainly johnson's secretaries new because they were cap -- tasked with transcribing many of his conversations. in fact, they were the ones who made sure that the conversations were taped as johnson would

signal to them through an open door between his office and fairs. >> you will hear blunt talk. >> i want to report of the number of people that signed to kennedy on the day he died. if i can't ever go to the bathroom, i won't go. i won't go anywhere. i will stay behind these gates. >> presidential recordings. find it on the c-span now mobile app or wherever you got your podcast. >> president biden response to the supreme court overturning the landmark roe v. wade decision which protected women's rights to an abortion, saying, sad day for the court in the country. he called on congress to pass federal legislation protecting abortion rights and he said the health and human services department would ensure the availability of contraception.