a senator: madam president? the presiding officer: the senator from oregon. a senator: i ask unanimous consent that the quorum call be lifted. the presiding officer: without objection. mr. merkley: madam president, i ask unanimous consent that when the senate completes its business today it adjourn until 10:00 a.m. on tuesday, june 23. that following the prayer and pledge, journal of proceedings be approved to date, the important hour be deemed expired, the time for the two leaders be reserved for their use later in the day and there be a period of morning business

with senators permitted to speak up to 10 minutes each with the republicans controlling the first 30 minutes and the majority controlling the next 30 minutes. further, i ask that the senate recess from 12:30 until 2:15 p.m. to allow for the weekly caucus luncheons. madam president, tomorrow we will work on an agreement to consider the legislative branch appropriations bill. if we are able to reach an agreement, we could have votes in relation to the bill. earlier today the majority leader filed nomination for cloture on harold koh. if we're unable to reach an agreement to consider the nomination, that cloture vote would occur wednesday morning. if there is no further business to come before the senate, i ask that it adjourn under the previous order. the presiding officer: the senate stands adjourned until 10:00 a.m. tomorrow morning.

and fairness. >> tonight on the communicator's

a discussion on president obama es choice to lead the federal communications commission with andrew feinberg broadband census and form johnson with dow jones news wire. with the fcc would look like under a new chairman to night eight eastern on the communicators on c-span2. topics at today's state department briefing include the continuing unrest in iran, u.s. relations with china and u.s. navies ongoing surveillance of the north korean ship suspected of transporting beer and nuclear technology. the briefing is conducted by state department spokesman kelly. it's half an hour. >> good afternoon. i think as many of you have heard the secretary on the doctor's advice decided for the g8 foreign ministers meeting and for the lsc meeting has deputy secretary steinberg said just a

few minutes ago, he will go for the meeting which is the back end of the trip and undersecretary burns will represent at the g8 foreign ministerial meeting. the secretary was in the office this morning. she attended her morning staff meetings. she's already made a few phone calls. she made a bunch of phone calls over the weekend as well. the first call she made this morning were to foreign minister for teeny of italy and foreign minister of greece to express regret that she wouldn't be able to attend the two meetings. and with that i will take your questions. >> with other calls did she make? >> i know that she has also

talked, if matt were here he would correct me but for in secretary of the u.k.. is that right? >> what was the topic? >> i hope to have later on this afternoon a readout for you guys that we can give to you all. >> has she been participating directly in the consultations at the white house on iran, developments over the weekend and today? >> she participated via telephone. >> today? >> well, i don't know about today's. we may have more information about that later on as well. but i know that over the weekend she was on the telephone with principles. >> can you tell lost anything more on her condition? is she having reaction to medication or something that has prevented her from traveling the? >> i don't think so. i was in a meeting with her this morning for about 45 minutes and she clearly has mobility issues

with a big cast and slang and she is a right-hander, so she has got some dexterity and mobility issues but she was on top of her game this morning. >> why did you deputy secretary steinberg said special representative paul burke and special envoy initial will also be aimed trieste, i think it is well known the afghan pakistan related meetings. but what is going to be ambassador michel -- senator mitchell's role in trieste? >> i believe it's also a quartet meeting. i hope i'm not ahead of myself by saying that they will be talking about middle east issues as well. >> so he would represent the united states at the quartet? >> he would participate. charlie?

>> it on the sector is condition is she still in the business conducting business of any kind? >> i believe -- >> did she leave? >> i believe she has called a meeting outside the building. i'm not sure whether she is physically here right now. >> two quick questions. deputy steinberg is going to corfu which he has said that the end of the week so this is why he is not going to trieste on the way to corfu? why is bill burns going to that? because he's involved with iran or the p5 plus one or what? >> that's a good question. i think that is what just to collect we. segment my point is the i talions invited the iranians to attend the peace five plus one meeting in italy and the indications that the iranians are not sending anyone because what is happening over there so i wonder if this was a factor in

the decision not to go. in other words did she think if there is no opportunity to go to iran at this point she might as well stay home? >> i think right now she wants to be sure that she is able to pick up a full schedule as soon as possible and she made her decision based on advice from her doctor and has a full schedule of trouble as you know this summer and she just wants to make sure she is on the right path to being able to take up a complete schedule. >> actually i don't know about the schedule this summer. where is she going? >> she will have a full schedule this summer. [laughter] >> on iran a few different things. first, what is dennis ross's status as today? >> today he is here at the state department. he has been in touch with the

secretary. i know that he spoke with her several times over the weekend. he continues to be and i'm probably going to mess up the title but the special advisor for gulf and southwest asia affairs. a lot less are in contact with dennis over the weekend as we were following these very dramatic events in the to kuran. spearman wasden is participating in meetings over the weekend? >> i think it's fair to say dennis participated, yes. >> well this job be out of state or is he actually moving to the white house? >> his job is here at state. >> fri's sermon by ayatollah, did dustin up the prospects for meaningful engagement with the regime? it seemed extraordinarily

strident and hostile to the west. >> you know, i think that, well, you all know our policy about engagement and our policy about preventing iran from obtaining nuclear weapons but i think that the focus has to be what is going on inside iran. this is not about us or on our bilateral relationship right now. this is about iranians and the iranians having their right to express themselves, respect their political will. the president made a very strong statement i thought standing very firmly behind those who

want to have their views respected and be able to peacefully assemble and want to have access to the media. so, right now our focus is on this dramatic situation unfolding inside iran. >> the situation is unfolding in a country with which the obama administration over months now has been attempting to engage and i am simply asking whether the prospects for bus and seeding or not seem to be improving or slipping away. >> well, again, this is a rapid the evil thing situation -- rapidly devolving situation. like all of you, we are following with great interest what is happening in iran and it is a rapidly evolving situation right now.

>> let me put it one last way and then i will yield. a very knowledgeable source told me that field, administration is in the process of recalibrating its entire approach to the nuclear diplomacy issue with iran. is that true? >> what i will say is that this issue of iran and its refusal to meet its obligations to the international community is a matter of great concern to us. but again, right now we want to see this process worked out in a way that the will of the iranians people is respected. >> it sounds like engagement is on hold. >> i'm not saying engagement is on hold. our focus is what is going on

with iran right now. >> it sounds as if you have basically two tracks going. one who would be the nuclear engagement which is separate, is that right? >> right now i am not sure which track you mean if you were talking about a track. if the iranians have not responded to half the air's invitation to join the p-5+1 talks which we said we were willing to sit down so there isn't much to build development going on. >> can you see the situation with the election having a direct reflect on how you deal with the nuclear issue? >> i think it's fair to say this is a very dramatic situation going on in iran and by all indications of the authorities

are very much focused on this dramatic internal situation. >> so what are you saying, they won't do anything on the nukes? >> i'm not saying that out all. it just at the present time the world is watching and all eyes are on the internal situation. >> is the u.s. still willing to have the p-5+1 meeting despite what's going on in iran? >> p-5+1 at the g8? i think it's up to the italian hosts. i think you have to ask them. >> but the u.s. -- >> we have said if they would respond to of invitation that we would take it up. >> one more on the iran. you were sitting watching with great interest can you be more specific help the secretary is watching this because a lot of the dramatic stuff is real-time

coming over to the tv reporting on a twitter etc. and also there is this case of the young woman that died. is the secretary aware of that? is she making any comments about the role of women in this which is significant? >> while i think that as i said before, dennis ross is playing an important role in briefing the secretary. it's been frankly very difficult as it is for all of you to get a good hard, for mobile information about what is going on because of the inability of the media, the representatives of the organizations to cover the situation. it's been dangerous on the streets of the foreign diplomats of course have had no difficulty as well.

she is following the situation with great concern and as i said, these are very dramatic and distressing images that we see. the most distressing of all is the image of this young woman covered in blood. yes? >> [inaudible] -- about iran? >> yes, she has. >> on china -- >> one more on iran. >> i have several more. >> i'm going to run out of material. [laughter] >> this isn't a frivolous question. do you think it is purported to have iranians come to the july 4th parties under the circumstances? is there any thought given to the rescinding the invitations? >> there is no fault rescinding the invitations, >> it's appropriate to have a social dialogue?

>> we have made the strategic decision to engage on a number of runs with iran and we tried many years of isolation and we are pursuing a different path now. >> the president keeps saying -- >> i don't know. >> the president keeps saying it's important for the u.s. to not be seen as trying to influence events inside iran when we or another but the iranians government has begun blaming not just the u.s. but also the british, french and the germans for meddling offer making social net working tools available, by just simply saying they stand with the people accusing them of meddling. this morning we heard from the former prince pahlavi asking president obama and the state department to save more.

is this narrow path of the u.s. is treading? and if so, why? >> well, i think when you have seen in iran which use of friday is when you have seen all along and that is using this as a kind of formal common using the great u.s. as a way to justify a policy for gain public support. so we don't want to get into a polemic necessarily on this. i think when you saw all over the weekend as i said before was a very strong statement by the president setting out these fundamental principles the country was founded on and these are the kind of principles we

are going to stand up for wherever we see them, wherever we see them being violated and >> but if the iranians government is going to go ahead and accuse the u.s. of meddling, why wouldn't there be a willingness to say or do more on the u.s. apart for example asking for an investigation of human rights abuse at the u.n.? >> i think as i said before we've already done all lot and i think because the reasons i went out before i'm not mrs. early -- i don't think we need to get into the kind of washington pteron polemic. i think we need to coordinate and i think that this is

petraeus doing that with our allies. i think we need to do these together. i don't think it is necessarily productive for the u.s., for the u.s. to be out in front. i think we need to do these together. >> sebelius and any element of engagement, the nuclear issue direct bilateral relation -- to allow these -- iranian protesters would to be able to

express their views, to be able to assemble peacefully. these are all very strong statements. >> on the broad level and the trend with iran, the approach toward the nuclear issue on the block level these things are undisturbed by the defense the last few days, correct? >> as i said before right now we are not really focused on the bilateral relationship so much. what we are focused on is what is going on inside iran >> -- what appears to be among the members of the bureaucracy inside iran the? >> i think we are monitoring of these situations very closely. we are monitoring how the iranians people are being treated by their own government. we are monitoring the way the

situation is unfolding. i will leave it at that. >> you talked about the need to coordinate approaches with allies. how have you done that so far? we haven't seen joint statements with the u.s.. how exactly are you correlating -- >> as i said the secretary has called on her colleagues today. we are going to have more opportunity to talk on these multilateral meetings coming up. as far as joint statements are concerned i think we are talking more about common approaches. >> have you had contact with the former -- >> haven't had any. >> [inaudible]

>> you know, i'm not sure so if we can get your information on will get you the information. >> what is your comment on the new development? >> i'm sorry, the new -- >> development -- >> we are supportive of that lessening tension across the street and we would welcome further such development. >> still on time and you issued a travel warning on friday, late friday, about china and the quarantine that is still taking place now. it's been almost two months since the chinese have been doing this. why did it take so long to issue this? >> well, i think we have the embassy has been in contact with

american citizens living in china. and so i know that there's been contact through the abortion system with american citizens. we have addressed this issue, i think in a number of ways, the issue of these quarantine measures. >> have you -- >> but i'm not sure what exactly preceded this advisory of june 19. >> have you under the statement described some treatment of children -- there being separated from their parents because they display symptoms -- have you talked were discussed with the chinese this specific issue and it seems to me that you are making an observation but not doing anything to see

whether we can perhaps change the way. >> no, i know that our embassy and consulates are in very close touch with the chinese government and getting more information about the rationale for these kind of procedure starting to get information about travelers who have been taken off of airplanes and put in quarantine so i know that there has been a constant communication between the diplomatic missions in china and the chinese government. >> there's been no success getting them to change? >> well, we have made our views quite well known. i think we have made some progress but i just don't have the details i can point to right here. go ahead. >> -- the u.s. complained about the recent crackdowns? >> officials from the state

department, u.s. tiahrt, department of commerce based at the embassy in beijing met with government officials at the chinese ministry of information technology and industry and the chinese ministry of commerce to express concern regarding the chinese government requirement all computers sold in china include internet filtering software. we are concerned about its potential impact on trade, the free flow of information and serious technical issues raised by the software. we believe there are other programs which provide users with a wide range of choices for shielding minors from inappropriate content which is the invincible rationale for this. we've also asked chinese to engage in a dialogue how to address these concerns. >> do you feel like -- you

talked about how this commercially -- other commercially available products do you feel this is being used in a simply nefarious, you know, domestic spying or to keep an eye on chinese citizens? >> i think what we are concerned about is the ostensible reason for this, which is an applaudable reason to try and prevent minors from being exposed to pornography. it's just that this particular -- and i'm going to start getting into an area where i don't have real technical knowledge, but this particular software has broader applications than that. it has broader faltering implications. >> and i guess i will try to understand if you don't think their stated reason is true, it's actually their intentions, what do you believe their intentions to be? >> i am not going to try and guess what their intentions are.

we are just concerned this particular software could have broader applications. >> but if you are you are singing and the stated reason is not correct. >> we are just saying it's inappropriate software. it's not -- it does a lot more than just filter out those particular -- it can be used to filter out of their web sites, too. >> so you're talking about free expression -- >> we are talking about free expression, does. >> is it true that the chinese have announced they are rescinding that order? >> i have not seen that. >> a taken questioned? >> a tecum question. >> what do you expect to come out of the u.s.-russian arms talks with geneva? also president medvedev said over the weekend that russia will agree to cut its nuclear warheads if the u.s. meets its concerns on missile defense meaning