yes, we lost the first quarter period with healthcare.gov, but under contact lien's leadership, they turned the corner, got it fixed, got the job done, and the final score speaks for itself. there are 7 and a half million people across the country that have the security of health insurance. most of them for the very first time, and that's because of the woman standing here next to me today. and we're proud for that. that's an historic

accomplishment. that's right. and by the way, in the meantime, alongside 7 and a half million peopling enrolled, healthcare costs under kathleen's leadership, are growing at their slowest rate in 50 years. i keep reading things saying that they're not doing anything about costs, except they're growing at the slowest rate in 50 years. what does that mean? that's in part because of kathleen's extraordinary leadership. health records going from dog-eared paper to high-tech systems. kathleen partnered with the department of justice, and they returned billions of dollars,

record sums to the medicare trust fund. so all told, kathleen's work over the past five years will benefit our country and untold families for years to come. we want to thank kathleen's husband, gary, the first dude of kansas, and their two sons who have been able to share their mom with us these past five years, and cath leap, i know that your dad served as governor of ohio, inspired you to pursue public service, passed away last year, and would have been so proud of you today. so we want to again thank you for your service to our country. [ applause ]

now, we know there's still more work to do at hhs. there's more work to do to implement the affordable care act. there's another enrollment period coming up in six months front now, there's an array of responsibilities to meet over at this large and very important agency. and i could choose no manager as experienced, as confident, as my current director of the office of management and budget, sylvia matthews burwell. [ applause ]

sylvia is from a small town, hinton, west virginia, so she brings the common sense that you see in small towns. she brings the values of caring about your neighbor and order folks to some of the biggest and most complex challenges of her time. she's a proven manager, who has demonstrated her ability to field great teams, forge strong relationships, and demand excellent results at the highest levels, and she has done that both in the private and public sectors. coo of the gates foundation, she worked on the profit pressing challenges. head of the wal-mart foundation, and member of the board at met life, she gained experience in how insurance markets work and how they can work for pins and

families alike. here at the white house, as manager of office of budget she has gained experience. and the deficit has plunged by $4 billion. and that has happened during that time. when the government was forced to shut down last october, and even as most of her own team was barred from reporting to work, sylvia was a rock, a steady hand on the wheel who helped navigate the country through a very challenging time. once the government was allowed to reopen, sylvia was vital in winning the two year budgeting agreement, putting an end to the manufactured crises in washington, expanding opportunity for everybody speaking opportunity. and all the while, she has helped advance important initiatives to bring the

government into the 21st century, including reference to speed up job creation by speeding the process. sylvia is a proven manager and proven results. and she'll need to be a proven manager because these are big tasks, big challenges. from covering families with economic security that health insurance provides, to ensuring the safety of our food and drug supply, to protecting the country from outbreak to bioterror attacks, to keeping the country at the forefront of medical research, all of us rely on the dedicated service of scientists, researchers at hhs and the fda and cdc and nih. all of them are an extraordinary team.

and sometimes the american people take for granted the incredible network of outstanding service that we have, helping to keep us healthy and improving our lives every single day. so i want to thank steven, sylvia's husband, and matthew and helene for sharing wife and mom with us a little bit longer. we'll miss seeing you around the white house, but i know you're going to do an outstanding job as america's secretary of health and human services. i hope that the senate confirms sylvia without delay. she's going to do great. last time she was confirmed unanimously. i'm assuming not that much has changed since that time. with that, i want to give them both an opportunity to say a few words, starting with kathleen.

>> i want to start by thanking you, mr. president and mr. vice president, for giving me the opportunity of a lifetime to serve in this cabinet. i want to thank my hhs family, many of whom are here, at least the health leaders are here for their incredible work. and my personal family, represented today by our older son, ned, and my wonderful daughter-in-law, lisa, my husband, gary is on the bench in kansas today doing multiple hearings, which he does each and every day, and our younger son is in ecuador b. yo ecuador, buh us in spirit. hhs is an amazing department. it is full of bright and talented and hard working people who believe strongly in our important mission, providing healthcare and essential services to all americans.

now, inscribed on the walls of the hunter building where your office will be, are the words of a namesake, and what hubert humphrey said, what the moral test of government is, how that government treats those who are in the dawn of life, the children, those in the twilight of life, the elderly, and those in the shadow of life. and that really describes what we do at hhs. from our work on birth to kindergarten initiatives, to providing for the elderly and disabled, our employees help their friends and neighbors every day. the researchers in nih labs, and scientists working to improve new drugs and devices, are helping to change the face of humanity by advancing new cures in research and innovation. we're advancing public health in the u.s. and around the globe with anti-smoking efforts, and promoting maternal and child health.

finally, behavioral health and physical health issues will be considered both part of the essential treatment, and that's a big step forward. our workers, as the president said, look out for a safe and secure food supply in a global market, and our smart diplomacy with hearts and minds in nations across the globe. we have done transformational work in communities across this country. and that will never be the same again. so at any point in our history, that mission will be highly rewarding and some of the most important work anybody can do. but i have an amazing opportunity. no one has ever had this before. i got to be a leader in hhs during these most historic times. we're on the lines of a long overdue national change, fixing

a broken health system. this is the mostingful work that i've been part. it has been the cause of my life. i knew it wouldn't be easy. there was a reason why no other president was able to pass health reform, despite decades of attempts, but through the supreme court challenge and a contentious election and years of votes, we are making progress, tremendous progress, and critics and supporters alike are benefiting from this law. my important work as legislature, insurance commissioner and governor have been tremendously helpful in navigating the policy and politics of this historic change. but at the end of the day, health is personal. it's personal to all of us. family illnesses and personal health challenges touch us to our core. i spent time as a daughter,

navigating care for ill parents. as a mother and now a grandmother, i've been experienced and worried about prenatal care and healthy babies. we have had family health challenges as all of us have, and finding the right care can be difficult, even with the best context and right resources. so the personal award for me, at the end of the day, are the folks who approach me, the strangers who approach me at a meeting or pass me a note on a plane or hand me the phone with someone on the other end and say thank you. their stories are so heartening, about finally feeling secure, and knowing they can take care of themselves and their families. unfortunately, a page is missing. so i'm just grateful for having had this wonderful opportunity. the president was in austin yesterday at the lbj library commemorating 50 years in the

civil rights effort led by linden johnson. and 50 years ago, my father was part of that historic congress. he served in the congress with the passage of medicare and medicaid. with head starts, and those programs are now in the agency i've had the honor to lead. it seems like a wonderful passing of the baton, and the affordable care act is the most significant social change in this country. in that 50-year period of time. so i am so grateful to have had this opportunity. i appreciate all of the effort and support, i thank my cabinet colleagues who are here on the front row, and not only are they here today on the front row, but they have been part of an all hands on deck effort, making sure that the 7 and a half million people were able to sign up for affordable healthcare. so thank you, mr. president, and what i know, is that sylvia, in

the year that i've had the opportunity to work with her is a trusted and valued friend, a great partner, and she'll be a terrific leader for hhs. so i'll turn it over to her. [ applause ] >> first, i would like to thank you, mr. president and mr. vice president for the trust you placed in my at my role in omb and your confidence and nominating me for this new role. and second, as we all honor kathleen today, i want to personally thank you her as a friend. and i want to express my thanks to the office of management and budget and our counterparts with

whom i've had the opportunity to work closely this year. omb is an extraordinary institution, it's a credit for the professionalism commitment of omb's people, that we have been able to improve this year. i want to thank my family, especially my husband, steven. it's their support that allows me to serve. i'm humbled, honored and excited for the opportunity to build on the achievements that kathleen, the president and so many others have put in place. if confirmed by the senate, i look forward to carrying on the important work ensuring that children, family and seniors have the building blocks of healthy and productive live. whether through implementing the affordable care act, supporting affordable childcare or finding

new frontiers to treat disease. thank you, mr. president. >> give these extraordinary women one more round of applause. thank you, kathleen for your service, and thank you, sylvia. great work. >> there you have it, the tenure of kathleen sebelius is over. and the beginning of sylvia matthews burrell is beginning. during the rollout of the affordable care act, but also being there, as the president indicated, when 7.5 million americans were signed up for affordable health coverage under that act. the president going to say that the final score speaks for itself, was the secretary forced out? >> it doesn't found like that, del, there was friction between the white house democrats and

hhs because they wanted someone to blame over the botched rollout of the website. that was a significant stumbling block. but the president a law that president obama and kathleen sebelius are proud. once the open enrollment period are over, it's time to turn it over to someone else. she was not there just for the website issues, but when the healthcare law was originally created, when the president signed it into law, she was right there with him. and she has been through the process of seeing implementation get started. so in many ways, it has gone full circle, and is she has served longer than many secretary of health and services have put in the time for. but there was this question of when she would go, and when it would be appropriate. if she stepped down a couple of months ago, it may have seemed

like an admission by the obama administration that things didn't go as planned with the healthcare roll out. but now they can say, they have 7 and a half million people enrolled. and it's a higher moment for her to leave more gracefully. >> one of the interesting things that i was listening to her speech, i was trying to remember former health and human secretaries, and the fact that she has been so controversial, she was in a department that changed and there has been so little change in years. >> medicare they have are under the umbrella of hhs. and these have been tough battles, so it's something that secretary sebelius described as the major change in 50 years. she has become the lightning rod. now, prior to the website rollout, she was someone who was on the front lines talking about

healthcare, proudly touting the plan for what the affordable care act would do, and what it would bring to americans, and then last fall, she took responsibility for the rollout problems, and the website issue. she went to congress and said, i'm taking responsibility for this. and she hadn't stopped talking to constituent groups, in the past months, here's how you can enroll and get engaged and make this law successful for you. and what she hopes is that her tenure isn't overshadowed in the last six months, and history will get the affordable care act into shape and into law in the next five years. >> libby casey, thank you very much. and kathleen sebelius leaving after five years, and the pundits and the stories next.

>> more now on that college trip

that turned into a night marry. a bus crash that killed ten people, and it happened outside of the city of orland. >> this is what is left of the horrific collision on interstate 5. the charred remains of a fedex truck and a tour bus packed with high school students. the california highway patrol said that the crash was caused by the driver of the trailer, who is among the dead. >> it went head on with the charter bus. immediate explosion. there are 44 students, three chaperones and the school bus driver onboard, so 48 people. >> miss are not sure why the bus swerved to cross the median.

the high school students from schools across los angeles, were on the way to visit humboldt state university, north of sacramento. >> i just kind of see black, but there's fire in front of the bus, and it's crushed in the front pretty much, so we all start jumping up to run away. >> witnesses describe a fiery aftermath that devoured both vehicles. >> we heard a loud sonic boom at 5:00. and the house shook. the tour bus was fully engulfed in flames, and it kept popping, it was on fire. there was nothing left of the tour bus. >> the police and fire set up a triage on-site. some students walked away from the wreckage, back on the bus, bodies of the victims were draped in blankets. >> right now, the team is putting together all of the pieces of the puzzle, to find out what caused the fedex driver

to crossover the median and any evasive actions that the bus driver may have taken to avoid the crash. >> that florida man suspected in a hit-and-run crash at an orlando day care has surrendered to the place. 28-year-old robert mar chado, is accused of slamming into the day care center, a 4-year-old girl was killed. and others injured. he had a long criminal history involving drugs, and he now faces felony charges the teen accused of going on a stabbing spree may have been bullied. but the police are not confirming whether or not he had problems at the school. he stabbed 24 people with kitchen knives. he is facing multiple charges, including attempted homicide. >> pope francis is asking for

forgiveness for children in the catholic church. apologizing for moral damage carried out by men of the church. he promised sanctions for those involved. and it comes after a united nations investigation into those charges last january. i'm meteorologist, dave warren, and we're in australia now. this is a satellite picture of procedural ida. the category 4 hurricane has been downgraded but still battling the entire region here. this is the satellite picture, as it crosses over land, and it moves to the coast here. here's the track, it begins to push to the south and the east. this entire region being affected by the storm. people are urged to evacuate.

and it's impacted by the center of the storm. but the wind chose to 120 miles per hour, and now it's moving to a category 3 runner, and it may land as a 4. so definitely a powerful storm there. watching the temperatures slowly beginning to climb here in the southern plains, and it's climbing into the 70s and 80s. not much on the radar now, a few showers over the great lakes. rain approaching the great lakes, and it will develop over the or not plains in the next 24 hours. once it moves out, the temperatures will drop a little bit. you see coming into toronto. and well above 70°, close to it in philadelphia. 64 in houston, and 60 in memphis, but look at these temperatures by the weekend. on sunday, 81 in houston, and

memphis, 81. 38 in denver. a big, sharp contrast between the north and the south. and we'll look at a storm developing here. that will pull a lot of moisture up on saturday and sunday. the potential for oklahoma and memphis, arkansas, even for illinois, storms will develop, but they could be severe with damaging wind or hail. and that will be over this region. though the temperatures are climbing, the severe weather risk is there, mainly on sunday. >> the weather is cooperating, but if you have allergies, you might not enjoy the spring flowers like everybody else, and you probably don't know what's causing your itchy eyes and runny nose. but now there's a new test to see what you're allergic to. it only takes a drop of blood and 30 minutes to complete. and it could be used to diagnose other diseases like alzheimer's disease. finally rid of those pesky

allergy tests. we want to thank you for watching, i'm del walters, and you can check us out 24 hours a day by going to aljazeera.com where the news never stops.

story. hello, i'm ray swarez. three big countries three big economies. nafta looks at the trade between with the u.s. and canada, and said let's get rid of the barriers.