(I'm Not Your) Stepping Stone -- The Monkees

As we enter into our third week of the government shutdown, the questions posed by the media to our politicians (especially Republicans) should be more pointed. There are people who will be making some critical decisions of paying bills or buying food. There are benefits being cut to the most vulnerable of us. There are necessary things that must be done that aren't being done.

Because I'm a helpful kind of person, allow me to pose some questions that the media should be including in their interviews:

• What happened the Mexico paying for the wall? (If interviewee mumbles something about tariffs) Do you know that tariffs do not go to the taxpayers or general fund? Why are we shutting down the US government for something Trump promised the Mexican government would pay for? Isn't that at least as important a campaign promise as the wall itself?
• What is your response to the fact that most Americans do not support the wall?
• What is your response to the general expert consensus that a wall is the least effective method of border security?
• If Trump says that he's willing to let the shutdown go on as long as a year or more, wouldn't that logically negate his ability to declare an emergency to pay for the wall as an Executive Order?
• How much of the money allocated to the wall already has been spent?
• Are you aware that the people on the border are not attempting to enter the country illegally but are people seeking legal asylum and that the US is in violation of international law in its treatment of asylum seekers?
• Are you aware that the Trump administration is lying when they claim that their current border security has picked up thousands of law breakers/potential terrorists? And even if what they say is true, wouldn't that suggest that border security is already adequate?
• The senate unanimously passed a bill to keep the government open and funded border security (without an allocation for the wall). Since Trump reneged on a veto-proof bill, admitting that he just didn't want to look foolish to Ann Coulter and Rush Limbaugh, what will it take for the Senate Republicans to do what's best for the country instead of Donald Trump?

For those lurking producers and journalists (I know you're out there), you're welcome. Take my questions, free of charge, and do something good for the nation.

ABC's "This Week" — Reps. Adam Smith, D-Wash., and Liz Cheney, R-Wyo.; potential 2020 Democratic presidential candidate Julian Castro. Panel: Matthew Dowd of ABC; Meghan McCain of ABC’s “The View”; Mayor Rahm Emanuel, D-Chicago; John James, former Republican Senate candidate from Michigan; and Stefanie Brown James, co-founder of the Collective PAC

NBC's "Meet the Press" — Acting White House Chief of Staff Mick Mulvaney, Sen. Susan Collins, R-Maine; Rep. Steny Hoyer, D-Md. Panel: David Brooks of The New York Times, Matthew Continetti of Washington Free Beacon, former Rep. Donna Edwards, D-Md., and Kasie Hunt of NBC News

CBS' "Face the Nation" — Sens. Lindsey Graham, R-S.C., and Dick Durbin, D-Ill.; A panel of new Democratic reps with Reps. Colin Allred, D-Texas, Jahana Hayes, D-Conn., Max Rose, D-N.Y., and Mikie Sherrill, D-N.J. Political Panel: Dan Balz of The Washington Post, Shannon Pettypiece of Bloomberg News, Mark Landler of The New York Times and Ed O’Keefe of CBS News.

CNN's "State of the Union" — Mulvaney; Sen. Doug Jones, D-Ala.; Reps. Adam Schiff, D-Calif. Panel: Rep. Karen Bass, D-Calif.; David Urban, former strategist for Donald J. Trump for President; Democratic strategist Patti Solis Doyle; and Bill Kristol.

CNN's "Fareed Zakaria GPS" — Ian Bremmer, president of Eurasia Group; Rana Foroohar of CNN; David Miliband, president & CEO of the International Rescue Committee; Michael Pillsbury, senior fellow and director of the Center for Chinese Strategy, Hudson Institute, and Steven Johnson, science lecturer and author of “Farsighted: How We Make the Decisions That Matter the Most.”

CNN's "Reliable Sources" — Connie Schultz, Pulitzer Prize-winning columnist; David Frum of The Atlantic; Frank Bruni of The New York Times; William Arkin, former NBC News contributor. Panel: Karen Finney, former senior adviser to Hillary Clinton; Symone Sanders, former national press secretary for Bernie Sanders; and Dan Pfieffer, former senior adviser to President Obama.

"Fox News Sunday" — White House press secretary Sarah Huckabee Sanders; Rep. David Cicilline, D-R.I.; new House members Rep. Elissa Slotkin, D-Mich., and Rep Mark Green, R-Tenn. Panel: former Rep. Jason Chaffetz, R-Utah; Marie Harf, co-host of “Benson and Harf” and former State Department spokesperson; Jonah Goldberg of National Review; and Mo Elleithee, executive director of Georgetown University’s Institute of Politics and Public Service.

So, what's catching your eye this morning?