On twitter and facebook. We will get to these stories this morning in the morning he news sites as well. News this morning of a horrific plane crash in the black sea near sochi in russia. Russian military plane carrying performers scratches off of sochi. That is the site of the 2014 winter olympics. 92lane carrying 19 people people crashed. The the news crash report from bloomberg this morning. Open phones here on washington journal this morning. Some of these stories closer to home in the Washington Post writing about donald trump and the fate of his foundation. Plans to dissolve charity. Timeline unclear amid investigation. They write that president elect donald trump plans to shut down his charitable foundation. There is actually some reaction from democrats on that as well. The hill reporting, dems salm trump over Christmas Foundation announcement. They slammed trump for the Christmas Even announcement that he would dissolve his charitable foundation. National Committee Call his announcement able to thickly to his or many conflicts of interest and pitiful record of charitable giving. Looking forward to your calls and comments. Tim in North Carolina, good morning. Caller good morning, sir. I think it is funny. Just wondering how anybody can take any word that comes out of trumps mouth anymore. He has gone back on draining the swamp, no amnesty for illegal immigrants, pursuing clinton legally, completely repealing obamacare. He walked back on all of those. The mexican president already stated he will not pay for the wall. Congress will 12 billion for a wall. Here is an idea. How about trump gives every american citizen 1 million . Host how are you spending this Holiday Weekend . Caller i am spending my Holiday Weekend seeing how i am going to survive the trump amnesty. I am looking up every resource that i can to figure out how i am going to get by. Host thanks for calling in this morning. 2027488001. For republicans. It is open phones on this Christmas Morning. Donald and his family attending Christmas Eve services. They write that the services were in palm beach, florida. Trump and his wife arrived at the Church Saturday night, where they were married in 2005. Open phones for any topic. Public affairs, politics, what have you. From the New York Times, reaction to fridays vote in the u. S. On chastising israel for the settlements. This is the front page of the New York Times. Baker writing. He likes standing at the map and regales stories with how israel has made friends with many of the countries shown. Some nearby, some faraway. s point is that israel has moved beyond the days where it conflict with palestinians defined its relationship with the world. Even with trump as a steadfast ally, lets go to bob in hempstead, North Carolina, independent line. Good morning. Caller good morning to you. Changing ourabout tax system so we can improve equality in the country and expand social programs, pay off the National Debt without hurting anybody. Host what do you think is the number one priority in that realm will be . Caller eliminating the income tax for appropriations and individuals and replacing it with a three prong tax system i have developed. Host what would be the Revenue Source for the federal government if you eliminated it . Had easy replacing at least some w do you seeho replacing at least some of that . Caller i see a small sales tax. The second prong would be a tax on giant corporations. Small businesses would not be included. The third prong would be a progressive tax on surplus wealth. This would double the revenue while illuminating income tax eliminating income tax. Host how would you define surplus wealth . Caller they have to be run through a simple computer. 1 at 5 million. Host bob in North Carolina, appreciate that. John is on he our republican li. We lost john. Lets hear from tim in rock hill, south carolina, on our republican line. Caller yes i might make one statement. After about eight years of mr. Obama, now, we have a new way, a new president , and they cannot wait to cut him down. The man is not even in office yet. Lets give him a chance. We had a new time. We are trying to go back to saying Merry Christmas. We are trying to go back to stuff that is traditional. Lets just give the man a chance. Thank you for taking my call. Host thank you. Open phones. In chisholm, minnesota, hello there. Caller yes, good morning. As a matter of fact, i agree with the previous caller. Mp with a, mr. Tru new administration, if he would ,ounsel a little bit more focused on the economy, put people to work, and wants people canas a job, go and buy the stuff. Is so simple. It is economics, stupid. Quit doing the 15 or 20 years we have had. I now. I am a vietnamese that. Vet. I dont think it came out of it. Lets give mr. Trump and his cabinet a chance, and hopefully we can move forward. Thank you very much new year to everybody. Host on this Christmas Morning, a story that has current day implications as well from the about a verys old tradition in the baltics. In the baltics, there may be no war on christmas, but there is a pretty prickly one over the tree. , the capitals of latvia and estonia have which feud. A open phones here on washington journal. We go to itsalso, oklahoma, and hear from vincent. Caller i would agree with the secretary of state pick. I have a little bit of money in it. Host ok. Is that it . Caller yes. Host larry is next in tennessee, democrats line. Go ahead. Caller yes sir. On the day when we celebrate the birth of baby jesus, would put somebody in the white house who has done nothing but diss everything that jesus and god has stood for. He talks about muslims and blacks and women and all these. Where did those ethnicities come from . We have one god. God created all those people and we need to figure out how to get along with those people, and you was abutting the white house who cannot get along with you put someone in the white house who cannot get along with any of those people. Mcdonalds stopped using Ronald Mcdonald as an icon, we put him in the white house, and now i finally understand peoples fear of clowns. Host that is larry in tennessee. Emes reflecting on what the lead editorial is this morning in the washington pos. The universal lessons from jesus. Even those who are not christian can appreciate his words at christmas time. The message of the gospel does. Ave such appeal we go to baton rouge, louisiana. This morning on washington journal. Clyde, hello. Caller happy holidays to you. I was calling in reference to giving donald trump a chance. I wish he would give the president a chance to finish his term before he interferes with international affairs. I think that borders on treason. There has to be a law against that. You cannot have two president s. He should let the president finish his term before the ridiculous comments he is making. Host your concern is trump his being too involved in issues that the president should be handling entirely. Caller yes sir. We can only have one commanderinchief at a time. What he is doing, he is obstructing the president s agenda. He only has a few more days to wait. Thank you for giving him a break. Host we hear from kelly next in rome, georgia. Republican line. Good morning. Caller yes, thank you for taking my call. Host sure. Caller i guess my basic comment look at theng to roles reversed. Andlinton had won everything, Elizabeth Warren has already tried to look for a way to impeach trump. The thing about it is, can what hades would have reigned over if it had been reversed and the Trump Supporters and trump would not have accepted . Clinton has made every single excuse for why she did not win the presidency and everything. Could ever understand it was her message. It was where she did not go. They areabeth warren, already getting up a bill to impeach her. This is ridiculous. The whole time they pounded for, will you accept the election . Thingms to me the only justthey want to do is deligitimize him. Host we go to texas on our democrats line. Caller good morning. I just wanted to say that because trump is elected, i believe that god has put a man after the own heart when obama was in. They did not want to give a chance. Obama did a lot of good. Now, even the good that extends to the caucasians that are without money or education or having hard times, they are getting ready to get them after their own heart because trump is only concerned about the people with money so now it is time to sit back and watch. It will be interesting to see who is going to be hurt. Sentyou said, god somebody up americas own heart, greet and money, and america is getting ready to reap what they sow. Thank you for taking my call. Host thank you for the call on this Christmas Morning. That Buckingham Palace said the queen would stay indoors to recover from a cold, but added she would still participate in the family Christmas Day celebration. We mentioned Donald TrumpsChristmas Eve services in palm beach. President obama and his family continue their holiday vacation in hawaii. The president and first lady recording their final christmas greeting. We will show that you, next. [video clip] obama merryesident Christmas Everybody. For me is getting help from my best friend for our annual christmas weekly address. Given our first christmas weekly address went, i realize barack needed all the help he can get. This is our first christmas in the white house. What . What . You got to stop it. You got to get it together. You will have to pull it together, potus. Celebrating the holidays and the white house over the last eight years has been a true privilege. We have been able to welcome have a million guests. Our chefs have a 200,000 holiday cookies. Barack has treated the American People to countless bad jokes. They are great jokes. Not so funny. A few got a frosty reception. This years white House Holiday theme is the gift of the holidays. Our decorations reflects some of our greatest gift in the nation from our incredible military families to the lifechanging impact of a great education. The greatest gift michelle and i have received over the last eight years has been honor of serving as your president and first lady. Together, we fought our way back from the worst recession in 80 years and the unemployment to a nineyear low. We secured Health Insurance or another 20 million americans and new protections for folks will have insurance. We make america more respected around the world, to on the mantle of leadership in the fight to protect this planet for our kids and much much more. Like so many measures, our country is stronger and more prosperous than it was when we first got here. I am hopeful we will build on the progress we have made together in years to come. Tomorrow, for the final time as the first family, we will join our fellow christians around the world to rejoice in the birth of our savior as we retell his story from now holy night. We will also remember his eternal message, one of boundless love, compassion, and hope. The idea that we are our brothers keeper in our sisters keeper, that we should treat others as we would want to be treated. That we care for the sick, feed the hungry, welcome the stranger no matter where they come from or how they practice their faith. Those are values that help my familysst Christian Faith but that of Jewish Americans and muslim americans, nonbelievers, and americans of all backgrounds. No one better embodies the spirit of service than the men and women who wear our countrys uniform and their families. As always, many of our troops are far from home this time of the year. Their families are serving and sacrificing right along with them. Their courage and dedication allow the rest of us to enjoy the season. That is why we tried to serve them as well as they serve this country. Go to joining forces that got to see how you can honor the Service Members s and military families in your community not is doing holidays, but all year round. As we look forward to the new year, lets resolve to recommit ourselves to the values we shall. ,n behalf of all of the obamas merry Christmas Everybody. We wish you and your family a happy and healthy 2017. Thanks and god bless. Host the final christmas message from president obama and the first lady. We will hear from Speaker Paul Ryan in a moment. Back to open phones. We go to that independent line now in palm beach gardens. It is anthony. Good morning. Caller good morning in merry Christmas Everybody out there. After watching that address, i think the nation will miss the obamas. I was enamore not enamored with hillary but i could not vote for trump. I thought it was totally out of bounds how he went after the nations first black president. That said, im willing to try to be helpful and look forward to the country succeeding maybe with a change in doing things. What concerns me now however is the lack of diversity in his cabinet positions. Seem to older white men be a total reverse of where we had been going under the Bush Administration, the clinton administration, bush the younger, and now obama, and to see it go back to a completely nondiverse list of cabinet officials, some of which have misaligned. I think ben carson being the only africanamerican, a brilliant neurosurgeon. Instead of making him Surgeon General or leader of health and human services, he put him in charge of hut. You want to be hopeful. Christmas is a time to hope. The new years as a time for hope. Watching the obama message there, we will miss that sense of hope and balance and diversity, but maybe things will work out for the best. That is all we could do. Happy new year and thanks for cspan for letting everybody speak. Host thank you anthony. On the front page of the Washington Post this morning, a piece about Jeff Sessions. History is inescapable for sessions. 80 and a stroke survivor. Here is james on our democrats line in richmond, virginia. Good morning. Caller morning. How you doing . Host fine, thanks. Caller i would like to say the last eight years of the president obamas office, people tend to criticize him on his policies. Idea. E up with the congress refused to go along with that. , they are talking about but i will say this to this country. You give everyone an opportunity no matter what they look like or do not look like. We serve ourselves better and come together and not oppose each other. Host appreciate that james. You are breaking up a little bit. We will go to chris, republican caller in texas. Welcome. Caller good morning. Merry christmas to everybody. Iwould just like to say that sent my most honest and sincere prayer for a leader that would abide by a constitution of this country and take everybody into consideration. God answered my prayer with donald trump. Everybody is complaining about it. I dont get it. I would like to think all the intorats that put thei trump office. When you need your help to get this country back online. Merry christmas and have a great weekend. Host thank you. Speaker of the house paul ryan releasing a video on how he is spending his christmas holiday. Here is a look. [video clip] elf. Ke it is a wonderful life is one of my favorite movies of all time. Christmas. Every it is a thing i do. A thing i make my kids do. Is black and white. They are confused about that. A modern Christmas Movie micahs life is elf. Santa is coming to town. Santa. Is he here . Host on this Christmas Morning open phones on this Christmas Morning. A glimpse of what may be ahead in the 115th congress, at least early on. Reaction to the senate by democrats on the floor of the house. Right proposes fines, ethics moves on house members after disruptions. Bloomberg reports st. Paul ryan and his republican lieutenant want to get fellow lawmakers with fines and ethics investigations if they engage in Live Streaming or other disruptions on the house floor. Open phones. Lets hear from iowa and kim upon the democrats line. Caller good morning. About thewas talking story you just came through right now about the house floor. Donald trump has a conflict of interest. Guyhat a problem about this with businesses all over the country and cannot separate his business from governing . To all the people that voted, isnt that a bad thing for our thatry to have a president will be in the oval office that is getting money all across the country . Host do you think that the president elect is taking the right steps in his announced move to end his Trump Foundation . He is taking little it. S, but i cannot believe i have to see it to believe it. Host appreciate you calling in this morning. Comments on twitter. Will love to hear your thoughts. This one from robert. Back to your calls. It is brenda next on the democrats line in st. Louis, missouri. Caller i want to start off by saying every christmas to everyone and have a happy and safe new year. I am not understanding why when i hear some callers call it in say they can finally say Merry Christmas again as if that was something that has been abnnban. They are trying to say it was specifically banned by the obamas. That is not true. I am not getting the fact that they are saying we are trying to legitimize tr