BISHOP FORD SLOW BECAUSE THAT POLICE ACTIVITY ALREADY. THANK YOU, SHANNON. LET'S GET BACK TO ONE OF OUR TOP HEADLINES TODAY. AS WE REPORTED JUST A FEW MINUTES AGO, U.S. HOUSE SPEAKER NANCY PELOSI IS IN TAIWAN RIGHT NOW. SHE SAID IN A WASHINGTON POST OPINION PIECE THAT THE U.S. MUST STAND WITH THE ISLAND. >> WE'RE TRIP IS CAUSED THE U.S. AND CHINESE MILITARIES TO BOOST THEIR MOVEMENTS. MATT ABBOTT IS THE DIRECTOR OF GOVERNMENT AND DIPLOMATIC PROGRAMS AT THE CHICAGO COUNCIL ON HIS WORK FOR A DECADE WITH STAFF IN CONGRESS AND TRAVEL TO TAIWAN. MATT, THANKS FOR BEING WITH US. >> THANKS SO MUCH, BEN AND LOURDES. I REALLY APPRECIATE THE OPPORTUNITY. WELL, FIRST, GIVE US THE BRIEF HISTORY LESSON ON WHY TAIWAN IS SUCH A TOUCHY SUBJECT FOR CHINA. ABSOLUTELY. SO 21, IT HAS ALWAYS BEEN TOUCHY SUBJECT FOR TRYING CHINA HAS ALWAYS ASSERTED CONTROL OVER THE ISLAND. HOWEVER, THAT THE CHINESE GOVERNMENT EXERTS DE FACTO CONTROL OVER OVER ITS GOVERNANCE. IT'S ECONOMICS. AND THIS IS AN OPPORTUNITY FOR SPEAKER PELOSI TO REINFORCE AMERICA'S COMMITMENT TO DEMOCRACY. A DEMOCRATIC VALUES, HUMAN RIGHTS UNDER VISIT TO THE ISLAND. >> LOURDES DUARTE: OKAY. SO I WANT YOU TO TALK A LITTLE BIT ABOUT THE POTENTIAL. IS THERE SIGNIFICANT RISK OF MILITARY ESCALATION BY CHINA BECAUSE WE'RE ALREADY SEEING SOME MOVEMENT RIGHT TO MILITARY DRILLS. A FE ANNOUNCED THAT THEY WOULD BE DOING. >> ABSOLUTELY. SO THAT THAT POSSIBILITY. CERTAINLY THERE FIRST WE ALREADY SAW A CHINESE RESPONSE. THE RHETORIC, CHINESE OFFICIALS SPOKE OUT VERY FORCEFULLY AND PUBLICLY CONDEMNING THE VISIT. THERE WERE ALSO REPORTS BEFORE THE SPEAKER'S PLANE LANDED IN TAIWAN. THE CHINESE MILITARY AIRCRAFT CLOSE TO THE MEDIAN LINE UP TO TRY ONE STREET THIS MORNING, WHICH IS CERTAINLY A VERY PROVOCATIVE ACTION. I'M JUST VERY CONCERNED THAT THERE'S THE POTENTIAL FOR MISCALCULATION OR MISCOMMUNICATION BECAUSE ALL IT TAKES IS ONE ACCIDENT FOR A DRAMATIC ESCALATION RIGHT NOW. SO IT'S IMPERATIVE FOR ALL SIDES TO MAINTAIN EFFECTIVE CHANNELS OF COMMUNICATION AND TAKE PROACTIVE STEPS TO DE-ESCALATE WHENEVER POSSIBLE. THAT'S ALWAYS THE DANGER WITH THERE WAS SOME TALK WHEN VLADIMIR PUTIN. >> WHEN IN THE UKRAINE, THE THAT CHINA WOULD BE WATCHING THE WORLD'S RESPONSE TO THAT AND TAKE IT PERHAPS IS AS A SIGNAL OF WHETHER OR NOT IT COULD EXERT MORE CONTROL OVER TAIWAN. DO YOU SEE THAT AS A BACKDROP TO WHY THE HOUSE SPEAKER MIGHT WANT TO GO THERE AND IN A SENSE FURTHER PLANT, THE U.S. FLAG IN TAIWAN? >> ABSOLUTELY. I THINK IT'S IMPORTANT RIGHT NOW TO REINFORCE THAT COMMITMENT TO DEMOCRATIC VALUES, HUMAN RIGHTS AND FRANKLY, I THINK THAT CHINA HAS LEARNED A LOT OF LESSONS FROM RUSSIANS EXPERIENCING UKRAINE IF THERE EVER WERE TO BE A CHINESE INVASION OF TAIWAN. AND WE NEED TO BE VERY FORCEFUL, EVEN NEED TO BE QUITE REACTIVE. AND IN THE EARLY DAYS OF THE INVASION, I U.S. OFFICIALS HAVE STATED THAT THIS IS UNLIKELY, AT LEAST UNTIL THE LATTER PART OF THIS DECADE. BUT THE SAME TIME IT'S IMPORTANT FOR U.S. OFFICIALS TO PICK THOSE PROACTIVE STEPS RIGHT NOW. >> LOURDES DUARTE: ALL RIGHT. SO WHAT I'M HEARING FROM YOU IS THAT THERE IS A WAY FOR HER TO MAKE THIS TRIP AND SORT OF TAKE DE TAP DANCE HER WAY THROUGH THAT TRIP TO MAKE SURE THAT THERE ISN'T DEEPER ESCALATION MEETING, THAT THINGS DON'T GET WORSE AND WORSE RELATIONSHIP BETWEEN CHINA AND YOU >> ABSOLUTELY. I THINK IT'S IMPORTANT TO REMEMBER THIS IS NOT A DEVIATION FROM PREVIOUS U.S. POLICY OR ACTIONS. A SITTING SPEAKER OF THE HOUSE VISITED TAIWAN. 25 YEARS AGO, NEWT GINGRICH FOR DECADES. THERE HAVE BEEN DOZENS OF THESE CONGRESSIONAL MEMBER AND STAFF DELEGATION VISITS AND AT LEAST 7 SITTING U.S. SENATORS HAVE ALREADY VISITED TAIWAN THIS YEAR ALONE. SO THIS IS NOT