it just is a fuel wasn't anything. >> that's such a good way to approach it, to use it as an inspiration point to think about those people who you would expect to connect with your books but the expansion of your audience. and so i bit off of that, i'm curious what were the first books you read what you saw yourself? and like, what did he mean to use any book? >> i don't know that i saw myself but the first book what i felt like oh, i wish that she was my sister, was little house on the prairie. another books are flawed, but in 1978, 1979 those books were everything to me because it was a story about an ordinary girl from the planes whose life was rendered extraordinary by laura ingallss wilder. i still reread those books to this day because they are really

good. i just thought speed we believe this booktv program here but you can watch it in its entirety if you go to our website c-span.org. we take you live now to the u.s. capitol where the sender is about to gavel in shortly to resume work on executive and judicial nominations. live coverage of the center on c-span2. we call to you. you guide us with your precepts, enabling us to honor you with our lives. as our senators work to permit freedom to ring in our nation and world, may they find joy in showing with their lives what they profess with their lips.

lord, use these lawmakers for your glory, as you illuminate our world through their witness. may they fearlessly contend against evil and make no peace with oppression, as you enable them to permit justice to roll down like waters and righteousness like a mighty stream. and, lord, thank you for the trailblazing legacy of justice sandra day o'connor. with pray in your great name. amen. the presiding officer: thank you, dr. black. please join me in reciting the

pledge of allegiance to our flag. the presiding officer: please join me in reciting the pledge of allegiance to our flag. the presiding officer: the clerk will read a communication to the senate. the clerk: washington, d.c, december 19, 2023. to the senate: under the provisions of rule 1, paragraph 3, of the standing rules of the senate, i hereby appoint the honorable richard d. durbin, a senator from the state of illinois, to perform the duties of the chair. signed: patty murray, president pro tempore. the presiding officer: under the previous order or, the leadership time is reserved. morning business is closed. under the previous order, the senate will proceed to executive session to resume consideration of the following nomination, which the clerk will report.

the clerk: nomination, department of justice. christopher charles fonzone of pennsylvania to be an assistant pennsylvania to be an assistant

version with the latest comment . here's some of what the . >> we've got a lot of work to do. the real number is 15, 16 million people adjourned a lot of work to do mental executions and prisons all over the america all over the way africa, asia, all over the world. ts and repubs understand there's more work to do to pass legislation protecting america's security and the security of the western world.

we've made important progress, but negotiations have not been easy, and it's going to take more time. but no matter how long it takes, we must succeed because the stakes are high for america and for our friends in europe and the middle east and around the world. we must send more aid to ukraine to defeat vladimir putin. we must help our friends in israel prevent another terrorist awac like october -- attack like october 7. we must send critical aid to innocent civilians in gaza. republicans and democrats must also continue negotiations on an agreement for securing our southern border. as the past few weeks have made abundantly clear, democrats have always been willing to engage in good faith, realistic negotiations about border security. we agree the border must be fixed, but not at the expense of our values. finding common ground on the border has been difficult. in fact, one of the most difficult issues congress has faced in a good while the

details here matter immensely, and this is not a topic that congress has tackled at this level in many years. while we've made important progress over the past week on border security, everyone understands that we have more work to do and it's going to take more time. later today i'll meet with colleagues at the weekly democratic caucus lunch to give an update on border and supplemental negotiations. now, i thank my completion on both sides -- my completion on both sides -- my colleagues on both sides of the aisle. . i also thank staff from both sides who have been working morning, noon, and night to push us forward. again we still have more to do. it is not going to be sighs and everyone understands it is going to take more time to figure this out, but we must -- we must -- succeed. democrats remain committed to working with our republican counterparts to reach an agreement.

on another matter, it'll be a busy day here on the floor with votes is on three highly qualified nominees to serve in the administration and on the federal bench. for the information of senators, we'll hold votes today on the nominations of christopher fonzone to be assistant attorney general, sara hill to be united states district judge for the northern district of oklahoma, a member of the chair key nation, ms. hill would make history as the first-ever native american woman to serve on the bench in the state of oklahoma. and finally elizabeth richard to serve as president biden's coordinator for counterterrorism. before the senate adjourns for the holidays, we must also pass a temporary extension of faa funding or else funding will run out on december 31. a funding extension for the faa is critical to minimize chaos during the holiday season, so congress must get this done as soon as we can.

before we leave, the senate will also finish confirming the last of the military nominees held up by senator tuberville. a few weeks ago the senate finally confirmed the vast majority of officers and military nominees that were on hold. and at the end of last week, the senate unanimously passed legislation providing for back pay for all military personnel affected by these damaging holds. providing back pay for these military families was the very, very least the senate could do to right this awful wrong. i'm glad we did it. but we're not done yet. there is still 11 nominees that are awaiting confirmation. we'll not leave town until everily last one of these delayed -- until every last one of these delayed nominees is confirmed. i hope we can do so quickly. finally, one of the things i'm best known for in new york is my commitment to visit all 62 counties every year. this year we sell bratted our silver anniversary, the 25th

year of visiting every one of the 62 counties. i love it every bit as much today as i did in my first year. we finished our tour yesterday morning at columbia memorial hospital in columbia county. when i visit the counties, i learn so much, i talk to people, i listen to their needs. when you're up close with people, you see their hopes and their joys as well as their fears, their desires, so many different things. when you sit up close with someone and talk to them and learn from them, it makes a huge bit of difference. you cans do your job as -- you can't do your job as senator unless you are actually in touch with people, not simply talking on the telephone or reading something. and so i do it and i love it. and i commit to the people of new york that i will visit every one of the 62 counties next year, each the least for the 26th time. i yield the floor.

vote: test: independent the chemical. >> good morning. >> what you think? >> i like to say god bless, they

say mean this way that way forwards and backwards and running around in circles because give you a penny, the first guy, i believe he says but a little bit extreme. it scares me is what you say on the show and media outlets. on the fifth of december kellyanne conway's wife, let him go nonstop for 45 minutes and then let them go. it just doesn't seem fair, it happened to trump is so wrong it's not funny, how many people does it take on trump?

everybody. you can't cycle. trump would be almost true with his second term you could have all your crooks and liars upper. everybody but trump is a professional cook. >> you're talking about being on earlier this month. you didn't , if you have what would you have asked him? >> how did he get away with this? about how many viewers you have? >> we don't do ratings on the washington general so hidalgo numbers of viewers watch online podcast and i don't have a daily your number.

>> i tried to call in because when i hear unfair unbalanced one-sided is unjustified the media is dividing this country. it is a shame saying trump is a put us in camps or kilos or whatever, he's going to execute people. i just don't get it. >> that's day in louisiana. republican, good morning. >> god bless lindsey graham even if he is gay, i like him so i am convinced the producers of democrat. i am convinced. i don't care what trump says. okay? i don't care what he says. this

colleagues negotiating on border security were still at the table making slow and steady progress. they're chipping away at years of failure to enact basic commonsense border security policy. reaching an agreement that can pass congress and become law is easier said than done. but i'm very grateful to senator lankford for sticking with it. our colleague's effort to address the glaring national security challenge here at home is the foundation of our broader responsibility to meet the linked threats we're facing around the world, from the indo-pacific to europe to the middle east. needless to say, it's a

particularly dangerous time for nations that care about protecting their sovereignty from totalitarian thugs and savage terrorists. the headlines are filled with evidence that america's most dangerous adversaries are demonstrably not deterred. and it might have something to do with the biden admin administration's penchant for deterring itself instead. america's a global superpower, but far too often our commander in chief has conducted our foreign affairs with hesitation and weakness. remember his administration's overwrought fears of escalation that kept essential capabilities out of ukrainian hands or the

feeble hack measures in response to an ongoing surge in attacks on u.s. personnel in iraq and syria. reports that the biden administration now wants to constrain israel's efforts to destroy hamas are disappointing but not surprising. two months ago, the administration was encouraging israel to slow down its response before entering gaza. now it's telling israel to hasten its operations and wind them down to a close. america cannot afford to lose sight of reality. we must not blur the bold-faced line between a sovereign democracy that takes great pains to avoid civilian casualties and a terrorist organization that

steals humanitarian aid from vulnerable gazans that fuel its war of hate. israel did not choose this conflict. it ended the occupation of gaza nearly two decades ago. but its policy of seeking to lower tensions were rewarded on october 7 when hamas unil unilaterally shattered the ceasefire with rape, torture, terror and murder. hamas, the terrorists who diverted mountains of foreign assistance intended for systemian infrastructure to -- civilian infrastructure to build miles of elaborate terror tunnels, instead. hamas, the cowards who have intentionally -- who intentionally hide their fighters and weapons in schools

and hospitals. hamas, has repeatedly faced a choice between improving the lives of palestinians and killing israelis. ef time -- every time to date it has chosen violence, and as hamas survives with its military capabilities and leadership intact, it will make that choice again and again. this is the reality israel faces. its war cabinet knows they must see this fight through. it's the same reality that recent american presidents have confronted in the fight against al qaeda and isis. but for israel, the determined terrorist threat is on its very borders. and its own citizen soldiers are on the line.

so, i'll repeat what i've said so many times before -- our responsibility as an ally is to provide the time, space, and support israel needs to finish the job. to condemn shameful attacks at moral equivalence to excuse the genocidal violence of hamas terrorists and apply double standards to israel. and to offer counsel to our ally in private, not on front-page genuflections. world leaders who care about the palestinians would do well to focus less on constraining israel in the short-term and more on challenging and ensuring palestinian leaders and organizers in gaza and the west

bank actually care about improving the lives of their fellow citizens in the long term. palestinians deserve better than hamas and its cult of death in gaza. they deserve better than the corrupt and sclerotic palestinian authority in the west bank. now, on another matter, on sunday, jewish residents of our nation's capital were subjected to a disturbing episode of anti-semitic hate. as a torah class at a washington synagogue concluded, and attendees began to leave, they were met on the sidewalk by a man who sprayed them with a foul-smelling substance and yelled gas the jews. all while filming on his cell ph phone. this is just one example of the

reality facing millions of american jews. the same weekend, hundreds of synagogues across the country received false bomb threats, and thousands of incidents of anti-jewish hatred have cropped up on american soil in the months since october 7. a rise that leading watchdogs say is the worst in more than 40 years. the brazenness of this hateful deluge is horrifying by itself, but an even more alarming trend is just how dramatically the moral cancer of identity politics is laying the groundwork for a continued wave of anti-semitism. according to one recent poll, a full two-thirds of americans between the age of 18 and 24 agreed with the following

statement -- jews as a class are oppressors and should be treated as oppressors. that's the view of two-thirds of americans between 18 and 24. this is the scorched earth marxist nonsense that has quite publicly seized america's most elite universities. as our former colleague, the president of the university of florida, put it in a recent column, quote, in this upside down system, an oppressor's speech is violence. sometimes an oppressor's silence is violence. but for the oppressed, every violence is just speech. so, mr. president, i'd like to request unanimous consent to

submit president ben sasses' full comments for the record. this is the ideology poisoning the new generation, the world's oldest form of hatred, and we cannot ignore it. the presiding officer: without objection. mr. mcconnell: i would suggest the absence of a quorum. the presiding officer: the clerk will call the roll. quorum call: the clerk: ms. baldwin.

quorum call: mr. durbin: mr. president. the presiding officer: the majority whip. mr. durbin: i ask consent the quorum call be suspended. it's been months since israelis were killed, some of them americans, including hersch goldenburg poland.

for anyone watching 60 minutes this past weekend the ordeal shared by some of the hostages was harrowing and maujable. these hostages have been subjected to brutal, physical and psychological torture. i have long called for a humanitarian pause by both sides that includes the release of all hostages as quickly as possible. i believe this remains the right path forward, and i hope our government will pursue this goal. but make no mistake, this hamas attack was a reminder that there are still those who do not recognize israel's right to exist. i do, and i understand their right to self-defense. but what has happened since october 7 raises larger questions about how israel should defend itself, how it should retaliate and address the long-term need for two neighboring people to learn to live in peace.

early in this conflict i urged israel to learn from our mistakes in the united states after the deadly attacks on september 11, to not make the mistakes in the falling of rage and pain that we made. i fear some of the important lessons we learned the hard way may not have been heeded by this israel government. while israel has every right to defend itself, the humanitarian toll inflicted on the people of gaza has been of historic magnitude and increasingly becomes counterproductive to israel's long-term security. we are nearing an estimated 20,000 deaths in gaza, a significant majority of those are not hamas fighters. they are innocent women and children. last week the leaders of some of the world's top relief organizations wrote in "the new york times," and i quote, more children have been reported killed in this conflict than in all major global conflicts

combined last year. hospitals had to try to treat civilians without the most basic medicines, using only tylenol for pain management even in amputations and vinegar as a disinfectant, last resort. their growing fear is disease outbreaks will soon replace the war as the primary cause of death in gaza. this is simply not an acceptable strategy. over the last few weeks i have spoken to u.n. secretary general antonio gutierrez, martin griffis and the egyptian foreign minister about reopening hospitals under third-party monitoring. i've also raised the humanitarian toll directly with israeli officials. basic medical needs beyond treating the wounded are staggering and include curbing a potential infectious disease outbreak and caring for

thousands of expectant mothers. as such, i again call hamas and israel to stand down from all military actions around gaza's hospital and allow them to function and be resupplied under a credible third-party monitor. i also continue to remind our israeli allies that any u.s. military assistance must be used in accordance with the laws of war, and as such i've joined senator chris van hollen of maryland on an amendment to the proposed national security supplemental reinforcing this basic point. the burden is higher in times of war for democracies, but adherence to such norms is what makes democracy distinct. this horrible conflict has caused so much suffering, and it is a wake-up call of the need for a two-state solution that allows for a viable palestinian state living in peace, side by side with a secure israel. for years i have warned that

despite heroic efforts at such an agreement, spoilers on both sides repeatedly undermined progress. so we have two challenges, one very immediate. end the suffering and release the remaining hostages immediately. and the second, finally commit to finding a two-state peace agreement. this will take leadership from both palestinians and israelis. and let me be blunt, i do not see the current leadership of either having the vision or political will to take this desperately needed step, but it's the only way forward. it is the only way that the region and international community will fully commit to helping rebuild gaza and support a unified palestinian leadership. it is the only way to end the threat of violence and bring the future of hope to both israel and the palestinian people. i yield the floor.

i suggest the absence of a quorum. the presiding officer: the clerk will call the roll. quorum call: the clerk: ms. baldwin.

trump going to be the next president. i can't wait.

these businesses board of businesses and it wasn't become because of that, because trump president they want to tear up everybody's business so we got that to look forward to so we will have in 2024. >> headline from support with the concern, authoritarian experts, one of those experts is a sociology professor studies nationalists and populist political movement and she says things about trump, often says what he means in the form of a joke and that i don't think we should discount him, a classic trump thing, a grain of truth to

it in a joke. outrageous statements are worth paying attention to what she said. >> good morning. can you hear me? the democrat party, i'm ashamed how week they are and what they did to trump and working in the house chuck schumer the house. he's trying to play golf and those came to the nation we are wicked nation build fighting and

so inaccuracies, his accomplishments, employment opportunity american industry military strength and border security, immigraon law enforcement of this country. he played dictatorship in a better supporters are turning it off. this is jean. >> it is amazing how publicans did no matter what he did no wrong.

i'm, he said that, but what they are talking about. ukraine this is, only you were is always russians this information russia and comes up missing. nobody is talking trump enactments it is.

>> line for democrat. >> donald trump in for college set up one reason president. the electoral college vote. anybody watches, chapter and making them carry out holes fbi

take a look at donald trump's mental capacity. >> good morning. >> good morning. his brother, he has bad choices and word they said they do the same thing we are missing it from stupid things but they don't look at his policies. people's ideas and what they do they look at this, not saying stupid things, have the president. >> good morning.

>> good morning. i was listening to your program trump. the "delete support the newspapers and news programs industries tend to her own spin on things and that shouldn't be but it does happen. i watched speaking about the dictatorship or one day and look at the border wall it came across as a joke those things was going to do this but it was

like the next day came the twist from a different news organization in newspapers is not only trump biden, i'm an independent. biden says things fox news twist and other news agencies. all i can do is call on past presidents history i do like trump when he says make america great again, i think america takes her noses and too many others is in trouble. money left and right out the window to other countries. make america is also with military. >> are you an independent level

fell in 2024? >> i've never voted for him before, i voted for biden but changed my mind. biden is getting old, you can't stop it and along aging the other things. eighty. the democratic party for that reason going to try something different i do believe in the border wall and people coming up and they are looking for a

better life. it's not there full we open up the waters more than chaotic, it's a major problem. >> the senate said to me at 11:00 a.m. on a possible border security immigration feel that might unlock billion eight to ukraine negotiation senators and white house staff on that front the senate care of nominations is for the christmas holiday break. yesterday if you're watching this program we ended early because of the funeral services flying in propose a former justice o'connor offers woman to

serve on the supreme court. the public allowed to pay respect yesterday. today services continue from of the funeral service itself will take place at washington national cathedral, here is a live picture northwest washington d.c. there. services there set to begin 11:00 a.m. eastern and we will bring you live coverage on c-span, c-span.org and chief justice john roberts among those to speak this is rita in pennsylvania. what are your thoughts on donald trump's words on the campaign trail.

>> kimberly people are desperate they want is going to be the president i have to say thank you. i like to ask democrat colors,

what good has biden for the exercise in this country that has escalated anything better than it was when trump the key about soil america, he's talking about cultural background about the things people for not assimilating, they were things changed. democrats have done nothing hundred, over 10 million people come into this country while they can't the language and they want to change the way we live and it's wrong. one day just ask, what was good

for this country? hundreds of attacks on military bases. people donald trump will be a dictator? i remember trump would go to things like that in big trouble. >> 4015 words on the campaign trail, there's more on the campaign trail we need common sense republican party mental institution i will will are the

dea the i will make clear we must any and all resources needed to stop the invasion of our country including thousand currently countries that our current president, thinking he's a fool should follow some of the independent, good morning good morning. it's pretty good for me. i did hear the dictator think i will station, they did not the

blood of america immigration, what are your thoughts on that one i didn't see that one, i get with the left color they will have are going. come go through the system and there's the broke that will from strangers in your house taking you don't take lock the doors and all so. >> stephen california new york, 20 getting sick to my listening

to people who truly believe that trump is america first, i'm sick of it to my stomach but anyway, i want my words, is trump when oh among one of his valleys it was before he got up to the whole, i could hear. when i got this have to have passion for people, i have to feel for fred and he had a crazy on his face and he walks to the podium and shows you he couldn't even say, he had to go back wall

to look nice, from a people he doesn't have to care for others. it's about power and money. that's what he cares about. those were words i spoke. he doesn't have the capability to for people it's about power and money. >> washington, pennsylvania. republican,. >> i think the question is framed long, the question should be what you think about the stupid reaction of liberals to the statement trump made about the dictator on day one? they want he said he wanted their drilling close the border. if i remember correctly on joe

biden's first day he decided he was going to stop drilling and open the border. why is he considered a dictator for doing those things? i am disappointed c-span for petrenko question portrayed about trump what he says in the reaction taken out of context of other people, mostly girls and don't have a fax repeat the facts, they just want to context cynic statements disappointing c-span portrayed that way. >> greenville, north carolina, independent, good morning. >> good morning. all these people there mind about donald trump, when he had the hospital senate and the president, he could do anything

you want to come up the wall go up, mexico didn't pay for it, he is never going to play golf because he's too busy for the state of america but over $100 for his golf trips every weekend he plays golf, golf than any president united states. even his wife plagiarized michelle obama's speech. they been grifters all their lives, they are crooks hard to believe people can see this is what he's doing he should be out. if any of said things, who would be in jail waiting to go to

trial. he's a menace to society, it's disgraceful baby boomers, they fall mind. children complaining baby boomers and this is it, this is our last shot to do the right thing so let's get our heads together to do the right thing for our children and for our country, thank you very much donald trump will find them in jail. it should be no life or democrat, this one. >> i like to call trump, is not an intellectual but he's very

smart and his father taught him how to play america lady just said, his goal is money and power and knows how to play americans because racismdonald

trump. i am not a donald trump hated but observe how you play the game. there's never been anything anyone, any reason to get as much attention in the media as donald trump because he knows how to play america. that's all i have to say. >> five minutes left asking you about donald trump's frederick in the campaign trail has had a lot of attention tightly reacting?

and they wait for the pull back on and then they have to -- get to say what they were supposed to say but the point out something. chuck schumer sat on the steps of the supreme court and he threatened supreme court justices, and two days later i wanting to kill a supreme court justice. what is that? that serious, don't you think? thanks for taking my call. >> host: west palm beach, florida, democrat, good morning. you are next. >> caller: good morning. listen, i just want to say i am a 92-year-old man and i remember when trump's father was -- talk to me. he was really a fan of hitler. he just said dictatorship is not

as bad as people think they're he says one man rules instead of having too many people trying to bring their opinion. that was the same thing his son did. he believes that dictatorship is the best thing for this country. and sooner or later you going to wake up and believe when he becomes president he would become a dictator. so america, be aware. i'll say goodbye to america. so long. >> host: florida, chris, independent. morning your next. >> caller: thanks for taking my call. isn't donald trump a convicted sex offender? i mean the united states is a country of immigrants, unless you have ancestors of in the united states, you know, this is originally a dark and brown indigenous area and they were murdered off by the white people mostly from europe. donald trump is a hypocrite. within his first wife i bought it from yugoslavia i believe? his third wife melania isn't she from like near russia?

he is an awful businessman. how many times did you file bankruptcy, like six? he has no knowledge of how to budget money. and -- from a what you think about the controversies run his recent statement? >> caller: it's discussing the dictator, i mean like if he loses election against his party claim he, it was rigged. did this month happen accident? was issued board somewhere else? he had immigrants to build his buildings and yes donald trump is a dictator minus dictator. thank you. goodbye. >> host: pat in decatur, illinois, republican. good morning. >> caller: good morning. i think regarding the controversy of most recent statements this sad and totally predictable that the media, the washington media and, unfortunately, -- almost like c-span, completely missed date his marks and take them out of context. if a look at to a three sentences before the bloodstream, it, it was clear

that they was referring to the democrats in charge and administration in charge and the bloodstream, the idea that is automatically a racial term is absurd and is just paradigm that press wants to throw out there because everything is about whipping up racial division in the country and painting trump as a racist. i think the bloodstream of this country, i think of things like respect for the law. that's and a bloodstream. i think of things like individual rights. i think things like an educated populace that understands the basis of a constitutional republic. all of those things are being undermined when jeff people that have no understanding of our system of government, are in no way, don't speak the language, are in no way prepared to participate. that's what poisons the bloodstream of her country with a complete lack of respect to our laws and simply the mob

crossing, the mob crossing the border to demand benefits. >> host: time for one more call from linda in laredo, texas. democrat. go ahead. are you with us? >> caller: yes. >> host: go ahead. >> caller: i think trump's rhetoric appeals to the last vestige of the angry white man who feels powerless in the world and is looking for somebody else to blame for his problems. that is one thing. another thing is that everybody forgets that keeps thank you so good on a border compu so good on the border. well, the fact remains that he a title 42 behind him that biden no longer has to be able to use in his tool bucket. so title 42 blocks a lot of people from being able to come into this country.

without trump's health. >> host: linda, do you think there should be a title 42 law that should give this kind of powers back to folks on the border? and his ongoing discussions about a possible border protection, immigration deal, that's one of the options. >> caller: they have to have the same, same or similar reasons, and they don't. >> host: we will talk more about the status of those negotiations over the bit later in "washington journal" today.

>> host: cliff young is back with us, taking the temperature of americans out of right of topics and cliff young want to start with america's use of president biden. it was a big story in the "washington post" yesterday about president biden said increasingly frustrated about his dismal polling numbers,

dismal was numbered "washington post" used. what do you know about biden's approval ratings? >> they are not good. they have been hovering, the ipsos poll, pulls in general hovering in the high 30s and low '40s. what we know based upon extreme -- and united states emily will is a sitting president at 40 present prorating has better than 50-50 chance of winning the next election. that's the tipping point. his numbers have been recently below that. so they are not good and as a reason to be concerned. >> host: high job approval over time from the -- provided by ipsos showing the polling since the beginning of the biden presidency. he that 40% approval, 53% disaroval. of course that moment back in september 2021 follow u.s. withdrawal from afghanistan is no president biden went underwater in his job approval.

how hard is it to come back up above water? >> guest: it's a difficult and i would add to that inflation. inflation had a huge impact on his numbers come something like ten points or so or more. you can improve and present us to improve but is difficult. you never improved than you decline. you never expect to be at the level he was two and half years ago, maybe in the mid-to high 40s here but you would expect if the economy improves and the situation proves his numbers would improve in part. >> host: what about the demographic breakdown when it comes to job approval numbers? what we find out about where president biden is doing well and where he needs to improve? >> guest: you peel the onion of it and there's demographic study been affected. less educated americans, younger americans as examples, having really impacted especially by inflation, by his foreign policies will especially when it comes to the israeli hamas conflict. those are demographics that are not doing well at this point.

there are key constituencies he needs in 2024 and a reason why his numbers are weaker than he would like. >> host: the plessy suing the best as with african-americans,, 59% approval rating, significantly different from his approval rating among white americans 36%, hispanic americans 39%. >> guest: african-americans black americans have always been a key constituency for democrats. they are as well for biden. those numbers have come down. they were in the high 60s before inflation took off and so there's still this inflationary effect in the numbers. definitely black americans are key constituency and one where he needs to double down on. >> host: talk about the end of the year polling on various issues in the united states. cliff young is with ipsos joining us to talk through some of those numbers and also take your calls. phone lines but as usual by

political party. republicans it's 202-748-8001. democrats 202-748-8000.n: independents 202-748-8002 if you want to join the conversation. is with us about for about the next 40 minutes on the "washington the washington he idea that hard wor should pay off for everyone no matter who you are, no matter where you live, no matter what kind of work you do. when work has dignity, people have good jobs with a secure retirement, they can count on medicare, they can count on social security to be there for them. it's why we -- two years ago, we saved the pension of 100,000 ohioans who worked their whole lives to earn a pension and the peace of mind in retirement. it's why we're still fighting for delphi retirees who lost their pensions through no fault of their own, and why we always fight back against attacks on social security. making sure that all americans

have secure retirement shouldn't be a partisan issue. social security and medicare are two of the most popular and unifying institutions in the countries. social security is our government's promise to working men and women, a promise that they will, in fact, be able to retire with dignity. support for social security cuts across party lines, geographic lines, racial lines. americans want not only to protect social security and medicare, they want to make it stronger. martin o'malley, whom we confirmed last night, understands this, a commissioner who will make sure social security administration is accessible and responsive. he will ensure we're keeping this bedrock promise to the american people. we need to do our part, mr. president, in this body too. it means passing my social security fairness act to repeal restrictions from two old laws that are preventing more than three million americans, about 250,000 people in my state

aileen, including ohio -- alone, including ohio law enforcement, from receiving the social security benefits they earned. ohio first responders put their lives on the line to protect our community, they paid into social security, just like everyone else. all these ohio workers are asking for is what they've earned, that is the dignity of a secure retirement. we need to pass my bill to reform the supplemental security income, so-called ssi's pro program's outdated restrictions that punish people for working and saving, prevent eight million americans with disabilities from building a better life for themselves. it hasn't changed in 40 years. we should update it. these americans have even $1, if they have $1 more than $2,000 in their savings account or $3,000 for married couples, not very high, all their ssi benefits are taken away. these outdated rules, there's no

way to save for emergency or plan for a future or have agency over your own lifer. there's broad for for this. it's not partisan. it's not ideological. i ask the ceo's, the committee i chair, the banking and housing committee, i asked the ceo's of the eight largest banks if they supported this change. every one of them said yes. every single one endorsed my bill. the big banks and i don't agree on much of anything, but we do agree on this. by passing our bipartisan bill to update this outdated program, we can fix the root cause of the ssi, overpayments and clawbacks hitting too many ohioans. this has gone on for far too long, hurt too many ohioans who through no fault of their own have been forced to deal with the issue of overpayments because of ssa's outdated policies. ohioans shouldn't be paying for the government's mistakes. martin o'malley, our new

commissioner, made clear to me in a one on one meeting that he's committed to working with us to address the root cause of these overpayments. by increasing the asset limit, we're addressing what ssa, the leading cause of overpayments, stopping them before they ever go out in the first place. these bills are bipartisan. they provide real fixes to real problems for hardworking ohioans, people who don't have special interests speaking out on their behalf. they have us. it's what we should be who's speaking out for them. for years they watched politicians give corporate tax cuts. they watched wall street bailouts, all in many cases in this body while plotting to cut their social security. in the end, mr. president, it's about whose side you're on. i'll always fight to protect social security and to make sure that americans get the retirement that they've earned. i yield the floor.

the presiding officer: the senator from hawaii. ms. hirono: mr. president, as 2023 comes to a close, i rise to mark a year of historic progress for working people in our country. since president biden took office, we've created more than 14 million jobs, including 1.5 million jobs created in manufacturing, construction, and engineering. meanwhile unemployment has been under 4% for 22 months in a row, the longest stretch in over 50 years. and across the country we're seeing the labor movement reclaim its strength. after decades of deklaining union membership, working people are coming together to demand their fair share of the economic success our country is experiencing, success they made possible.

none of this is happening by accident, mr. president. these victories are thanks in large part to the commitment of the biden-harris administration. and to give credit where credit is due, the work of act the secretary of labor julie su. since assuming the top role at the labor department earlier this year, acting secretary su has played a critical role supporting workers and finding consensus to move our economy forward. in june, just months after taking over the department, she helped avoid a potentially disastrous strike at ports all along the west coast. had major portsdom a screeching halt, our country would have experienced massive supply chain disruptions costing our economy billions of dollars. such a shutdown would have been particularly chaotic for hawaii where the vast majority of our goods are shipped to the state.

jean siroca, deshth of the port of los angeles, the busiest container port in the country, said, julie was, quote, a constant and reassuring voice of reason that helped keep both sides at the bargaining table and focussed on resolution. end quote. in october, act the secretary su helped settle a labor dispute between kaiser permanente and union employees which staged the largest health care strike in our nation's history. after weeks of bargaining, kaiser and its employees had failed to reach an agreement, endangering the care they provided to millions of americans across our country. at the invitation of both parties, acting secretary su flew to california to sit at the bargaining table and encourage both sides to continue talking

in good faith. to help bridge the gap between labor and management and keep the lines of communications open, acting secretary su was regularly moving from room to room serving as a critical liaison in the negotiations. with her help, kaiser workers reached an historic deal that included a record 21% wage increase over four years. both sides agree she was critical to reaching a deal with the union calling her support instrumental and kaiser's senior vice president of labor relations saying that julie was, quote, able to get us to articulate when we have common yalts not about a particular package but about our interest in employees and in health care. end kwoechlt that's what jew -- end quote. that's what julie does, helps people find common ground,

setting workers, businesses and our economy up for success. but even after that historic success, many continued to doubt acting secretary su's acumen with one labor economist going so far as to question her skills as a mediator. let's face it, it is not unusual for so-called experts to question the leadership qualities of women with little evidence to substantiate their criticisms. in spite of our detractors, weeks later julie su helped mediate a truly historic deal between the united auto workers and the big three auto companies, resolving the most significant auto strike in modern american history. like kaiser workers, with acting secretary su's support, auto workers secured a transformational contract, a contract that will see uaw salary rise more in the next

four years than they have in the previous 20. sean fain, the newly elected uaw president, showed his mettle in these negotiations as the country watched. significantly he too praised julie su's leadership, citing her work to build trust between labor and management and encouraging them to focus on their shared goals. in addition to these and many other settled labor disputes, acting secretary su is leading many initiatives, major initiatives to make life better for working people in our country and grow the middle class. from expanding overtime protections to strengthening apprenticeship and work training programs and much more. mr. president, julie su's work speaks for itself. she listens, she finds consensus, and she helps those

around her stay the course for as long as it takes. what more could we ask of a secretary of labor? but still there are those who question julie's ability to do the job, either ignoring or willfully dismissing her track record of successes. to be blunt, mr. president, sexism, racism, and double standards apply to women of color are all too common in spite of their denials all around. julie su has been doing the job of secretary of labor for months, and she's been doing it well. but still some of our colleagues cling to baseless criticisms, insisting she is unfit to serve. it's unfair to acting secretary su and to the millions of workers whose lives she has helped to improve. like the committed public

servant she is, julie perseveres, focussing on the important work of her department. along with millions of working people all across our country, i'm grateful for all she and the biden-harris administration have done for workers, businesses, and our economy. this administration and acting secretary su understand that workers are the force that keeps our country moving forward. with their continued leadership, i look forward to more wins for workers and our economy in the years ahead. mr. president, i yield the floor. a senator: mr. president. the presiding officer: the republican whip. mr. thune: thank you, mr. president. president zelenskyy visited washington, d.c. last week to ask the united states continued support for ukraine as it defends itself against russia.

as someone who strongly believes it is in our national interest to aid ukraine as well as our allies israel and taiwan, i'm disappointed that we've not already passed the aid ukraine needs. but let's be very clear, mr. president. the reason the senate has not already passed a national security supplemental is because democrats so far have chosen to prioritize an open border over aid for our allies. democrats have known for months that border security was going to be a part of the national security supplemental. after all, the president himself requested border funding in his supplemental request. republicans have had a border security proposal on the table literally since the beginning of november. but democrats wasted weeks refusing to engage in substantive negotiations even though they were well aware that border security was going to be a requirement for getting the supplemental through both houses of congress. now the supplemental will be pushed to january because democrats have run out the clock

to the point where getting a substantive border security deal passed before christmas is impossible. last week president biden said failing to pass the national security supplemental before the holidays would be a christmas gift to putin. well, mr. president, i'd like to point out once again that the only reason we haven't passed the national security supplemental already is because of democrats and president biden. only one of the two parties has been dragging its feet on negotiations, and it has not been the republicans. a lot of us republicans are eager to get ukraine the aid that it needs, but we cannot, and i say we cannot tend to our national security interests abroad while ignoring the national security crisis right here on our doorstep. president biden wants to talk about a gift to putin, well let's talk about the gift the president has been giving to

terrorists and criminals and cartels for three years now with the chaos we have at our southern border. we've had three successive record-breaking years of illegal immigration at our southern border on president biden's wash. and the president is no closer to getting this crisis under control than when it first started. during october, the latest month for which we have data, u.s. customs and border protection encountered 240,988 migrants at our southern border. the highest october number ever recorded. and i might add that among those numbers in october, mr. president, were almost 1,600 convicted criminals, 50 gang members, 90 people who have warrants out for their arrest, and 12 people on the terrorist watch list. that was just the month of october. now the past 24 hours alone saw

a record-breaking 12,000-plus migrant encounters at the southern border. and i will say the highest, highest daily total ever recorded. and those numbers don't count the got-aways, the individuals the border patrol saw but unable to apprehend. let's be clear, while many of these individuals may have headed to the united states in search of a better life, there is no question that there are dangerous individuals trying to make their way into our country. during fiscal year 2023, the border patrol arrested 169 individuals on the terrorist watch list at the southern border. 169. that was a substantial increase over fiscal year 2022 which was itself a substantial increase over fiscal year 2021.

needless to say, that is not a good trajectory, mr. president. and again, these numbers only refer to individuals the border patrol has actually apprehended. there were 670,000 known got-aways during fiscal year 2023. how many of them were terrorists, criminals, or other dangerous individuals? the answer, mr. president, is we really don't know. we really don't know. but one thing we do know is that the chaotic southern border and the chaos that we've experienced there cannot continue. our country cannot be secure while we have 10,000 people a day pouring across our southern border and hundreds of thousands of unknown individuals taking up residence in our country.

think about it. the record that we had yesterday, as i mentioned, well over 12,000, the single-highest, single-highest day that we've ever had on record in terms of people being apprehended illegally at the southern border. if you annualize that number, you're talking about more than 4.5 million people a yea rannae. 4.5 million a year. that's way more people than a majority of the states in this country in the entire united states of america. mr. president, the federal government is charged with the responsibility for our nation's security. and we owe the american people nothing less than a secure border. and so while i believe it is essential that we get aid to our allies, any supplemental must include measures to address our national security here at home

at the border as well as our national security abroad. i wanted to thank senator lankford for his work. it is encouraging that the white house has finally, and i say finally, because, as i said, we had a proposal on the table at the beginning of november and the white house finally engaged last tuesday, finally has stepped up to take on a role in the negotiations. it's just too bad that they didn't do it weeks ago. but i hope that the president, and democrats understand, that the only acceptable outcome of mission tos is a solution that meets the challenge at our southern border. cosmetic measures and superficial tweaks are not going to cut it. so, mr. president, the ball's in the democrats' court. we need to get aid to allies like ukraine, but we cannot pass legislation to do that without addressing the situation at our southern border.

i'd like to think that democrats would see the necessity of addressing our border crisis irrespective of what is needed to get this bill through congress. but at the very least, i hope that democrats' concern for our national security interest abroad will lead them again to, and again i say finally, get serious with working with republicans to address the national security crisis here at home. mr. president, i yield the floor. mrs. gillibrand: mr. president. the presiding officer: the senator from new york. mrs. gillibrand: it has now been over 70 days -- i ask unanimous consent that the following senators be permitted to speak prior to the scheduled recess for five minutes, senator murray for five minutes, senator collins for five minutes and me for five minutes. the presiding officer: without objection. mrs. gillibrand: mr. president, it has now been over 70 days --

70 days since hundreds of people were kidnapped by hamas. in that time, more than 100 have been released, including four americans. but eight americans remain in captivity. and from what we've heard from those who have been released and rescued, it is likely they are enduring unimaginable suffering. one of the released americans, 4-year-old be a gale -- abigail was kept in an apartment, she shared -- shared one piece of pita bread per day with four others and did not have a shower during the entire 50 days in captivity. her hair was cut because it was filled with lice. we've heard from others that they were kept in complete

darkness for days. some became -- some became psychotic and experienced halluc hallucinations. a child was given ketamine for weeks while others were given sedatives like valium. we heard of reports of self-harm among the hostages, while some who returned have suicide i'dations. many were subjected to psychological torture. a 12-year-old boy was forced to watch videos of the october 7 attack and threatened with a gun when he cried. i have seen those videos. you cannot unsee them once you have seen them. i cannot imagine the nightmares that will plague that boy for the rest of his life. one man was told his wife was dead when she actually was alive. others were convinced israel no

longer existed. a doctor who was treating hostages says that there were, quote, told nobody cares about you. you are here alone. you hear the bombs falling. they don't care about you. we are the ones here to protect it. most children lost between ten% to -- 10% to 15% of their body weight. these kids were starved. they had skin rashes and infections from being held in unsanitary conditions. other children were branded, literally branded with the motor vehicle exhaust pipe to help identify them if they escaped. many came back speaking only in a whisper because they were warned not to make any noises in captivity. many hostages were deprived of medicine and proper medical care. one woman shot in the hand said

a veterinarian performed surgery on her, others were beaten with electric cables. now as the fighting gaza intensifies, the lives of hostages remains in jeopardy. i can't imagine what it must be like to live on only a piece of a pita a day for months. i can't imagine what it would be like to endure constant psychological and emotional torture for 70 days. we know that at least one american hostage, hersh goldberg polin had his hand blown off from a grenade. his mother said that he could have bled to death. the treatment of these hostages are crimes against humanity. they are war crimes. for those who remain captive, we are running out of time. we cannot give up hope. we cannot abandon them. we must go to the end of the

earth to bring them back. these are american hostages. hostages from our ally israel. we cannot stand quiet while they suffer. i yield the floor. mrs. murray: mr. president. the presiding officer: the senator from washington. mrs. murray: thank you, mr. president. mr. president, i come to the floor today thrilled to announce major progress on something i've been working on since my earliest days in the united states senate, replacing the i-5 bridge between vancouver, washington, and portland, oregon. late last week the administration began the review process for grants from the brand-new mega grant program we all worked together to establish in the bipartisan infrastructure law. i was proud to help write the provisions to make sure that the

mega program was funded. i'm ecstatic that the i-5 bridge replacement project will receive $600 million from federal funding to move us forward on a project that is hugely important to washington state, to the pacific northwest, and really the entire country. this has been a long time coming, and i should know. i've been there for just about every step of this journey. i remember meeting with senator hatfield, from oregon, when i was first elected to talk about the need to replace the i-5 crossing between our states, washington and oregon, which was already in bad condition in the early 1990's. we sat down with folks to hold the first of many, many, many conversations about what needed to be done and how to make it happen. this and then in 2003, as the top democrat in the

appropriations on transportation, i held a hearing in vancouver to discuss why this project was so important. back then, i was raising the alarm that peak conditions for traffic would hit 10 hours by 2020. wouldn't you know it, today we are dealing with seven to ten hours of slow moving traffic during the morning and evening rush hours, i have continued to champion this project at every possible opportunity and every juncture other the years, from securing tens of millions of dollars in federal funding for the early stages of this project back when it was known as the columbia river crossing, to sitting down with stakeholders and community leaders dozens of times and holding countless conversations on the thorny issues of moving ahead on a massive project like this, to passing a new provision into law to ease the evaluation process

to make the i-5 bridge replacement project more competitive for federal funding. of course, pressing hard to keep this dream alive when previous efforts fell apart. it has not been easy, as anyone who has been involved in this process over the years knows there's been no shortage of challenges and setbacks. and make no mistake, we still have a lot more work to do to see this project through. but failing to replace the i-5 bridge has never been an option to me because i know how important this is to southwest washington and really to the entire region. let me spell out the stakes for everyone here. too often we take our infrastructure for granted and ignore it until it completely fails. in just about every conversation i had about the i-5 replacement project over the years, i've been clear we cannot afford to forget about this. if we keep kicking the can down the road, one of these days that

entire bridge will collapse. i'm not about to sit back and let that happen. we are talking about infrastructure that dates back to world war i, we have over 130,000 cars a week day and nearly hundreds of thousands of dollars driving buncher to bumper -- bumper to bumper across the bridge that is in serious need of a collapse. it is frightening for everyone who has to drive across that bridge every day, and it is a huge economic liability for the businesses and communities who rely on the goods that are trucked over. beyond the risk of collapse in the future, there are losses caused by traffic we're seeing today, which is hampering billions of dollars in trade and commerce and stealing one of people's most precious resources, their time. it is wasting hours of their lives every day, making them

late for work, making them get home late, keeping them away from their family, friends, and loved ones. we placing this bridge that is overcrowded over 100 years old should be a no-brainer. this project includes vital public transit and roadway improvements like extending the light rail and making the crossing more accessible. as everyone involved in in discussion knows, mega funding is critical to building out the key xoernts of the project. -- components of the project. this is a great and important reminder for all of my colleagues. good things happen when we all roll up our sleeves and work to make good, bipartisan legislation a reamount. so -- reality. a special thank you to the ten bipartisan senators whose

resolve and determination to work together to hammer out the legislation made the bipartisan infrastructure law a reality. the importance and urgency of this project should be obvious. unfortunately, as someone who has to make this argument over and over again, i can tell you it's not always been the case. much like the citizens on the i-5, this bridge replacement project has been stuck in gridlock way too long. i have been pushing hard for years to keep this moving forward and with this announcement we are making good progress. i was delighted to announce this funding -- secure this funding which i worked on for so long, along with my amazing partners like van -- vancouver mayor, secretary roger malar, greg johnson and his incredible staff and all of our southwestern and labor allies and so many others

who joined me in this effort over so many years. this mega grant will be an important mile marker and a sign that we are finally picking up speed. i'm determined to have the additional federal funding we will need to get this done. this announcement is bringing a goal together that we have been working on for decades, bringing the i-5 funding into closer view. i will keep moving forward and working to get the job done. thank you, mr. president, i yield the floor.

colin colin mr. president -- ms. collins: mr. president. the presiding officer: the senator from maine. ms. collins: thank you, mr. president. mr. president, our colleagues are aware that there are a group of senators who are meeting with the administration officials to try to carefully craft an urgently needed solution to the border security crisis. i rise today to discuss the urgent need for bipartisan solutions to address that crisis. mr. president, yesterday set a new record that demonstrates the magnitude of our border security crisis. u.s. customs and border protection officers encountered

a record 12,381 foreign nationals who were entering the united states along our southwest border without authorization. so far this fiscal year, we are averaging nearly 8500 encounters per day, and this month the average is nearly 10,000 per day. that means for the month of december, we are likely to reach a record of more than 300,000 people crossing the southwest border without legal authorization. at the current rate, we are on pace for more than three million encounters in fiscal year 2024 which would shatter the previous

high set last fiscal year. to put this in perspective, mr. president, that is more than twice as many encounters at the southwest border as there are people in the entire state of maine. and these enormous numbers do not include what border patrol agents describe as the got-aways. in other words, those who do not turn themselves in and instead elude capture. these numbers have grown dramatically in the past three years. since fiscal year 2021, we have seen almost 6.6 million encounters in our -- and are on pace to see nearly 9.7 million individuals by the end of fiscal

year 2024. jeh johnson who served as secretary of homeland security under president obama once said that when he was secretary, a thousand migrant encounters a day overwhelms the system. so just think, mr. president, what 10,000 individuals crossing does to the system. and this problem is not limited to the southwest border, even though that is where the problem is most acute. we are increasingly seeing surges of encounters along our northern border, including the state of maine. according to customs and border protection, encounters at the northern border increased 73% in fiscal year 2020 -- 2023 over

the previous year, and a staggering 700% over fiscal year 2021 levels. in the state of mane encounters have increased over 450% since fiscal year 2021. increasingly, what we're seeing is migrants are flying to canada knowing that they will have an easier time crossing the enormous 5,525-mile northern border. just recently, the u.s. border patrol encountered a group of 20 romanians illegally crossing into the united states near holton, maine, in northern maine. two of these individuals were

flagged as transnational criminal organized crime matches and detained for expedited removal proceedings. the remaining 18 were simply released into the local community. communities in maine and throughout our country are struggling to absorb this influx of people who are being released into the interior. the majority of migrants are released pending an adjudication of their asylum claims, but that is a process that can take years. in portland, maine, a city of 68,000 residents, more than 1600 asylum seekers have arrived since january. sanford, maine, which has a population of only 22,000 has

had approximately 400 migrants arrive since may. over the past six months, the city of sanford has spent $1.3 million to provide food, housing, and other required assistance to asylum seekers and their families. now, the irony here, mr. president, is these asylum seekers are not allowed to go to work immediately upon filing their asylum applications. i have introduced a bill that could help lessen the impact on local communities by helping asylum seekers support themselves as they want to do and employers in maine want to hire them while they await their immigration proceedings.

specifically, my bill would shorten the waiting period for asylum seekers who come through legal ports of entry to apply for employment authorization provided that their applications are not frivolous, that they are not detained, and that their identities have been verified with their names run through the federal government's terrorist watch list. mr. president, an out-of-control border which is what we have now posts a -- poses a very real threat to our homeland and our people. this is a national security challenge for our country. since fiscal year 2021, 294 individuals who were apprehended by border patrol at the southwest border were on the

terrorist watch list. that compares to only 11 such individuals in the previous four years combined. and just think how many others are part of the got-aways, those who did not turn themselves in and were -- or were not apprehended by our border patrol. there are also tens of thousands of migrants arrested at our southern and northern borders who have criminal convictions or who are wanted by law enforcement, such absence the two romanians recently encountered in maine. mr. president, not only has the failure to control our border led to unchecked migration, but

it has also contributed to the very serious illegal drug crisis that is affecting communities throughout our country. mexican drug cartels are using the chaos at the southern border to facilitate their trafficking operations. they are sending record amounts of fentanyl into this country, enough to kill every american many times over. maine, like so many states, have seen record increases in recent years in the number of overdose deaths, nearly 80% of which are fentanyl related. we lost 513 mainers in the first ten months of 2023 to fatal

overdoses, 373 of these deaths were fentanyl related. in addition, the mexican cartels use the chaos and the uncontrolled southern border for human trafficking. this is a crisis. it is a humanitarian crisis and it is a national security crisis. and we cannot allow it to continue. mr. president, i have long supported creating legal immigration pathways with appropriate guardrails. immigrants contribute to our great country and our communities in so many important ways. however, it is clear that we must act toll address the -- to

address the ongoing and ever worsening crisis at our borders which adversely affects communities throughout our country. we cannot delay any longer. i am a strong supporter for continuing to provide assistance to ukraine, to repel russian aggression. make no mistake about it, putin will not stop with ukraine. he will go on to recreate if he possibly can his vision of once again having the old soviet union. i believe that if he is successful in ukraine, i will next seize moldova. he then will begin to menace and

threaten our nato allies, the baltic states, poland. so far, mr. president, we have been able to assist ukraine without one american soldier losing his or her life. we should continue to do so. we need to help our greatest a ally, israel, in its fight against the terrorist group hamas. these in many ways are border disputes as well. but we cannot ignore the border crisis that we have in our own country. and that's why we need to work on all of these issues and bring them together in a supplemental funding bill. mr. president, the time to act is now. it is unfortunate that the

administration has been so late to these negotiations. but i still have hope that we can put together a package that will address all of these crises. the border crisis in our own country, the border crisis in ukraine, the border crisis in israel with the terrorist attacks from hamas, and the coming border crisis that we're going to see, i fear, with china's increasingly threatening taiwan. all of those issues need to be addressed in the supplemental. let's get the job done. thank you, mr. president. the presiding officer: under the previous order, the senate previous order, the senate

>> the senate has gaveled out now and is in recess. todalaakers are working on several nominations including the state department unterterrorism coordinator and an assistant attorneyeneral. later senators wil continue work on border security and foreign aid legislation. you have been watching live coverage of the u.s. senate here on c-span2. >> booktv every sunday on c-span2 features leading authors discussing the latest nonfiction books. at 8 p.m. eastern former u.s. aid today editor in chief and vietnam war veteran per prichard recounts his experiences in vietnam, his career in journalism and he shares his recent novel killing grace, a vietnam war mystery. then at 10 p.m. eastern on "after words,"uth simmons shares her journey from poverty

to academia serving as president of smith college, brown university, and prairie view a&m university in her book at home. she's interviewed by offer. watch booktv every on c-span2 and find a full schedule on your program guide for watch online any time at booktv.org. >> cspan's studentcam documentary competition is back celebrating 20 years with this year's theme looking forward while considering the past. we are asking middle and high school students to create a five to six minute video addressing one of these questions. ..

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