-- >> about with that said it is a scary and dark uncertain world? >> that is the state of mankind. it's sad to admit it but it's true. in that context i do think that the u.s. is gradually getting -- >> slightly less dark and scary. >> we are a very resilient country. and i think a much stronger country than any other major economy. ..

>> this sunday night at eight eastern on first ladies come influence in image. we will look into the personal lives of 31st ladies. sarah polk margaret taylor and abigail fillmore. sarah polk had a strong belief in politics and often helped her husband make political decisions. margaret hoover was supposed to

her husband's nomination for president and zachary taylor enjoyed telling people she was praying for his opponent to win. abigail fillmore was the first presidential like other profession and they begin efforts to establish the first white house library. this sunday night at 8 p.m. eastern on c-span's original series "first ladies" influence in image. from martha washington to michelle obama "sundays at eight" p.m. eastern on american history tv on c-span3. as a compliment, see spencer new book first lady's presidential historians on the lives of 45 iconic american women. it's available as a hardcover or an e-book through your favorite bookstore or online bookseller. >> senator tim scott gave the commencement address at south carolina state university.

senator scott is the first african-american elected viewed the u.s. senate in south carolina in the first african-american republican senator elected from the south since reconstruction. his speech is about 10 minutes. >> thank you. welcome to giving to everyone. thank you president evans, for such a kind introduction. and let me say first and foremost that without any question my prayers are with south carolina state university for financial success and for peace and for position of significance that you currently hold. from my days on county council, mr. president, through my days at the statehouse i've been a supporter of south carolina state. and that's your united states senator i will continue to be a supporter of south carolina state university. [applause]

now to the parents. i know that today is a day of joy and happiness. it is a joyful day because you get to see your kids graduating from college. comment of the pairs say thank god for that? hollowly give. all right. and it is -- columbia. it is also a happy to. it is a happy day because as you know and you been thinking about it azure kids graduate, it almost feels like a raise, and that brings a tear to your eyes. now let me speak to the graduates of themselves. graduates, please take just a moment to look around. look to your left, look to your right, hear the voices screaming your name out there? [cheers and applause] all the people. [applause]

i don't think they heard me. i don't think they heard me. i said all the people screaming your name is out there today. [screaming] that's what i thought i heard a. i would be happy, to. i would be happy, to you. now that we tried restore a little order i would be excited if i was sitting in the stands and i would be more excited if i sitting in this seat. if i said sit in the seat ready to get my degree i would ask the speaker to do just a few things. give me a little pieces of the puzzle and then go sit down and shut up. [applause] i knew it. so let me just get on and give you my three pieces to the likes puzzle. the first piece i think is applicable to all of us is

simply, failure is not final if they refuse to quit. i want to say that one more time because i think it is absolutely unequivocally important to emphasize the simple fact that failure is not final if they refuse to quit. i was thinking back during president evans introduction of how i've basically flunked out of high school as a freshman. i remember those days growing up in a single parent household struggling hopelessly drifting in the wrong direction. i failed world geography. i think i'm the only united states senator to ever fail civics, the study of politics last night and i went to the united states and it relies i have plenty of company. [laughter] took folks a little time to get that win. that also failed spanish and

english. now, when you fail spanish and english, they don't call you bilingual. they call you bi-ignorant because you can't speaking any language and that's where, and happy so. i have to blessings. a mentor who believe in me in a way me in a way that i did not, and a mother who believed that all things were truly possible with facing god and the power of a switch. [laughter] now, a switch is a southern apparatus of encouragement. it was applied for my belt to my ankles as often as necessary. and i thank god that because of the strength of my mother, literally and figuratively, i finished high school on time went to college and continued on the journey of life. i believe that the best days of

this class the class of 2015 is ahead of you. that the things that you will do for this country and this world have not been imagined before. i believe the cure to cancer may be sitting in the seats in front of me. i believe the next technological discovery can be found in the heart and in the minds of the students who are getting ready to work in the workforce. i believe in you. i believe in you. the second piece to the puzzle is simply, if you want to stand out in life stand up for someone who cannot stand up for themselves. [applause] if you want to stand out in life, stand up for someone who cannot stand up for themselves or in one classic example of

this is a friend of mine, a couple named molly and george agree. they are the very successful internet company called general engineering lab. they spent a lot of years making profit and then he started traveling the world and through their travels they discovered that many of the challenges many of the sickness is in africa comes from the fact that clean water is simply hard to find. so they sold the business and decided to go full time into the mission of providing clean water in africa. and over the last several years they have provided millions of gallons of water all over the continent in the poorest areas of africa. i met last week a young lady, she was about 15 years old and she was diagnosed with brain cancer that impacted or affected or optical nerves calm and she is now legally blind at 14 or 15 years old. but she decided that she would

dedicate the rest of her life to serving kids like her. and so she started a prom for kids with cancer. she has decided to not sit on the sidelines but be engaged in life and changing life for other people. my third piece to the likes puzzle, is simply to hold on to your dreams. i hope and i pray that you have dreams consistent with god is able to do exceedingly abundantly above all that you can think of. [applause] and if you hold on to god's unshaken hand all things all things -- >> all things. >> i said all things. >> all things.

>> are possible. are possible for you where you sit. it is possible for you to change the world. i am standing here as a living example that even a knucklehead from north charleston can see a dream come true. one of my dreams come and i will tell you that there are several dreamers who are the first taste of defeat before the experienced the most amazing taste of success and freedom. i think of walt disney. has anyone heard of walt disney? well walt disney was fired from his first job because he simply was not creative enough. i know we've heard of oprah winfrey. oprah winfrey was fired from a local tv station because she was simply not fit for tv. and some people have written off

south carolina state university but i am here to tell you that the best is yet to calm. [applause] i look around at all the graduates sitting in front of me and i know that the best is yet to come. this is the universe that is graduated more general officers in our military african-american general officers in our military. 19 united states military generals and perhaps any other school of this size. you see the best is yet to come. i will close because my dreams have taken me all over the world, and i've been working on my singing lesson. because my ultimate dream is to

sing in front of thousands of people and hear the roar and the applause as i mesmerize folks with my singing voice. and back in 1983 when i was graduating from high school from high school, the songs are just a quick before the last 32 years as a song called hold on to your dreams by a group called wigi. you all are too young to know wigi. all right, go ahead and start the music, president. all, he said he forgot the music. never mind. i'm producing it a cappella. will you all help me out? thank you very much. ♪ hold on ♪ ♪ to your dreams. believe -- [laughter] >> you all don't know good music or i'm just going to tell you the worst.

the song simply says hold on to your dream. believe in love and let love be the light to show you the way. because life is going to be hard, and sometimes it's even going to feel unfair except for those who really care. who are their rain and shine sharing your dream, your heart and your mind. congratulations. [applause] >> veterans affairs secretary robert mcdonald deliver the commencement address at the university of utah. secretary mcdonald is a graduate of the university. he earned his mba in 1978 or before leaving the veterans affairs department he served as

president and ceo of procter & gamble. this ceremony was held at the jon m. huntsman center in salt lake city. his speech is about 10 minutes. >> thank you, president pershing, dave for that kind introduction. of course thank you for your service to our country. members of boards of trustees and president pershing, thank you for inviting me to share this important evening. let me begin, first and foremost by congratulating the graduates. you've labored long and hard, done excellent work. and we're here to honor you and wish you the very best as you continue life's journey. [applause] but equally as important are

your faculty, family, and friends here this evening. they've supported you. encouraged you. they are a large part of the reason you're here now. they often sacrificed in ways you never knew about to give you opportunities you would not otherwise have. so, graduates, decide tonight to make a similar difference in the life of someone else. i applaud the university's new tradition the red white and blue tassels and cords for graduating veterans. [applause] to all the veterans graduating tonight congratulations and thank you. thank you for volunteering to serve. thank you for your and your families' sacrifices.

i am deeply honored to be your secretary. [applause] i gladly accepted this opportunity, not only because of president pershing, but also university of utah. it's been nearly four decades since the university granted me my m.b.a. i was a young man then. to you ready to graduate, it might seem like time passed slowly to get to this point. well, hang on things are about to start moving at light speed. so a first takeaway. don't waste a moment. live every day with a clear purpose. fast forward with for me for just a moment. let's say you're at your life stand. maybe you were here in a hospital in salt lake city.

you're surrounded by people you love and who love you. and those people ask you did you accomplish your purpose in life? it would be a sad moment if your response was, well, i don't know. i never decided what my purpose would be. purpose is first and most important. purpose is first and most important. my life has had continuity of purpose. for me it's always been about improving the lives of others, that's why i became a boy scout your it's why i chose to be a west point cadet and officer in the united states army. it's why i joined procter & gamble. and it is why, when president obama asked me i didn't hesitate to seek senate confirmation to serve as secretary of the department of veterans affairs.

my whole life had been leading to this privilege of serving veterans. the power of institutions like the university of utah and the department of veterans affairs is that they help us discover and pursue our purpose, help us begin to bring meaning to our lives and to our work. they bring people together who share a sense of purpose, and they provide opportunity to be part of something greater than ourselves. the core of utah's mission is to serve serve the people of utah and the world through the discovery creation and application of knowledge. veterans affairs' mission is derived from president lincoln's charge in his second inaugural address. as the bloody civil war was drawing to a close, lincoln directed us to serve and care for those who shall have borne

the battle, and their families. it's the best, most inspiring mission i know of. so both utah's mission and va's mission reflect core beliefs that call on us to make a difference in the world. but how do we make a difference? and how do we make a difference in the world? it sounds like an intimidating proposition him and i can tell you exactly how. there's no formula. there's no road map. there's no smartphone application. there are no sure-fire steps to follow. but there is a north star to guide you. that north star is a sense of purpose a commitment to make a difference with your life in the lives of others. and that's the sole message i'd like to leave you with tonight. many of you may have heard loren

eiseley's story of the starfish. let me repeat it. there was a young man walking down a deserted beach, just before dawn. in the distance he saw a frail old man. as he approached the old man, he saw him picking up stranded starfish and throwing them back into the sea. the young man gazed in wonder as the old man, again and again threw small starfish from the sand to the water. the young man finally asked, old man, why do you spend so much energy doing what seems to be a waste of time? the old man explained that the stranded starfish would die if left in the morning sun. the young man replied, but there must be thousands of beaches and millions of starfish.

how can you possibly make any difference? the old man looked at the small starfish in his hand, and as he threw it to the safety of the sea, he said, it makes a difference to just this one. in 1966, robert kennedy told the starfish story but in a different way. he said, each time a person stands up for an ideal or acts to improve the lot of others, or strikes out against injustice he or she sends forth a tiny ripple of hope. these ripples crossing each other form a million different centers of energy and daring build a current that can sweep down the mightiest walls of oppression and resistance. one person can't do much? gandhi did in india. martin luther king did in the united states. nelson mandela did in south africa.

but we don't need to be a gandhi or a martin luther king or a nelson mandela to make a difference in the life of just one person. let me tell you about one of the best days of my life. it wasn't when i graduated west point. it wasn't when i graduated from the university of utah. it wasn't when i was given the opportunity to serve as ceo of procter & gamble or secretary of veterans affairs. one of the best days in my life was when i saw a paralyzed veterans wounded in combat walk, get up from their wheelchair as if they've been able to do that for 40 years and walk. some might call it a miracle. in a sense, it was miraculous, but not in the way you might think. his name was billy, and he could

walk because some good people trained him how to use a device we call the exoskeleton. it wasn't so much about getting someone to walk. that is important. but it's important because of what happens when you don't walk. when you don't walk, your muscles atrophy. your bones become brittle. and your gastro-intestinal system stops working the way it should. so an important aspect is getting the human body to function properly again. but to billy the most important thing was this he could look you in the eye again. it was that simple. it was about being able to look another person in the eye. it was about his sense of human dignity. the miracle wasn't billy standing. the miracle was the sense of purpose that guiding light that drove some very good people to

make a profound difference in the life of just one person. and others will follow. tonight is a great moment to dedicate or re-dedicate ourselves to this quest, finding our purpose making a difference in the life of just one person. don't wait for the one big decision. don't wait for that one big opportunity. start right now. if you get in the habit, the rest will follow. if you're worried about no longer being a student after this evening, don't. be a student every single day of your life. life has a great deal to teach you. thank you very much. god bless you and congratulations. [applause]

>> former astronaut kathryn sullivan holds the distinction being the first american woman to walk in space. she flew three spatial missions including one that deployed the hubble space telescope. she is not a commerce undersecretary for oceans and atmosphere and also heads the national oceanic and space administration. she result gave the commencement address at american university in washington. this is about 15 minutes. >> president kirwin esteemed faculty, friends and family, and, of course graduates of the class of 2015 i am honored to join today for this joyous occasion. graduations always reminded of the first time i sat on the launch pad at the kennedy space center aboard the space shuttle

challenger. you didn't expect that did you? [laughter] like all of you guys i was dressed up that day and uncomfortable for an outfit come and forced to listen to a bunch of people while they drove their way through an elaborate ritual that just would not end. [laughter] and like you the anticipation of what was about to happen to me was a bit overwhelming. preparing to be thrust into uncharted territories accelerated, yet terrified for what was to come. like a lot of you i suspect, i question if i was really ready for what lay ahead. sure i knew every detail of the countdown procedure that was unfolding around us and of course i was well-versed in all the scientific experiments i was responsible for. nakamichi not thoroughly understood every detail of the space suit that would protect me when i floated outside the shuttle. but i still couldn't help but

wonder if all my hard work and extensive technical training had truly prepared me for my next step. as the first american woman to walk in space. okay, before i start droning on let's turn it back to you guys a bit shall we? american university has provided all of you with opportunities to foster intellectual development your creativity and your spirit. antedate you are united by the common experience. but the real strength you take with you today comes from the diversity of perspectives amongst you as a look out upon this assembly i see future leaders eager to develop solutions to the problems of today and take on the challenges of tomorrow. for each of you, today is undoubtedly a day filled with the joy relief come and a tremendous amount of satisfaction. it's the culmination of four in some cases, a five year journey.

but for what it is journey took a lot longer, about 31 years longer. since taking his first higher education class 35 years ago steve campbell studied buddhism in nepal got married, answered your innumerable questions at the university i.t. helpdesk never shied away from asking the hard questions. when asked what it means to him to walk across the stage steve doesn't hesitate. he explained that his au education and still in a more developed understanding of the world and a more vivid appreciation of life itself. for handful of parents, grandparents, aunts and uncles and his audience this is a very special day filled with great pride. as you watch the very first member of your family received a college degree or quit a fabulous moment and tremendous achievement. [applause]

so i suggested to date has not simply a day to celebrate what you have in common as the class of 2015 but also day to revel in your differences and to celebrate the environment that american university provided to foster learning about and learning through the exploration of those differences. on this day we celebrate more than just your journey to this moment. we celebrate the capacity this journey has instilled in you for the road ahead, a capacity help her to continue exploring. that's why i am so excited to be speaking with you today. at t-minus 31 seconds elaborate countdown ritual at the kennedy space center wrapped up and we got the final go for launch. before we could blink the shuttle left off the pad and we're off to infinity and beyond. any worries or hesitation i felt before, it is seriously too late

now. [laughter] within minutes we were over england and i got my first glimpse of this little blue marble called earth. i was overwhelmed by the beauty of our planet entranced with our interconnected systems ebb and flow with one another. from that vantage .1 can hardly make out anything other than sea and land and atmosphere, geographic borders are no more visible than with individual people that live within them. that cosmic adventure introduced me to an entirely new perspective, one that dramatically shaped who i am today. during her time at american university, you have been blessed with an environment that encouraged similar explorations, albeit with randall more gravity and certainly much better food. au challenge you to engage with dissenting viewpoints come once the project to consider the world in a different way. and in doing so this university shielded you from the danger of

collective acceptance and complacency. today is is institutional and each of you a diploma to recognize your achievement. you will be told that this document attests to your accomplishment and will prove to people, potential employers, for example, that you are ready and able to contribute to society. that's not quite right. your diploma is after all just a piece of paper. it does confirm your completed a study that american university with some degree of success but that alone doesn't say anything about the value of what you gained at american university. lastlast..

but because it's a completely captured your imagination and your interests. also your willingness to allow the different as you are to unite you with your colleagues in other people rather than divide you ensure near the expiration of new points of view. your name on that diploma is also a reminder of the hard work and sacrifice invested on your behalf by the people who challenge and support you during your journey to this moment. just like a rocket launch college graduation is more than

an individual achievement. both instances not in the spotlight help us reach the culminating moment in and either stay up late from a struggled with the impossible and put our quest before their own concern. remember and thank those people today and carry the lesson of their sacrifice with you on the next leg of life's journey. pay their gift forward who are on difficult journeys. as of tomorrow, american university will no longer provide you with this wonderful base for intellectual exploration. this protection against complacency and groupthink. you are about to be ejected into a time of massive turbulent global transformation. it's a time as strident and violence give funds among national, regional and tribal lines and all of this is happening at a systemic erosion of trust in public institutions.

so next generation how will you continue to grow through diversity to expand your identifying your days. how you develop the foundational understanding into a force for good? are you ready? for me the experience of being a space-bar me to understand the most pressing challenges in my world more in fact those that face us all collectively. circling the world every 90 minutes for days on end became clear to me all of us on earth are inextricably linked to each other is humankind. there is no high for them. we are one. our very existence is completely dependent on the workings of that little blue marble i can hold in the palm of my hand. so i came to believe i owed it to myself and the people who put me in space to make good on that

unique point of view. it was this newfound perspective that led me to leap into my next professional adventure, putting scientific understanding of the earth to work for all of us and so i returned to earth. i built not found, but built a career focused on achieving the outcome. my work at noaa has allowed me to make good on this and contribute to the problems most pressing in our times in the style to the future, the problems that do not discriminate based on race gender or wealth. this challenges like so many in the past can only be addressed by coming together and thinking of generations yet to come. this'll take listening to each other, learning for new is to have a mind and learned that your experience at american university has instilled on you. as a community are improving your ability to check personal agendas at the door and work

towards productive solutions as a collective. you've been subjected to more diverse background, opinion and experience than many people will ever come to know and i hope you realized or that there was only by taking time to stop and listen to you more able to grow and learn. your experience today has provided you with much more than an academic credential. you had off into the world with ideas and ideals with passion and purpose a strong sense of what it takes to build communities and how vitally community is to life. i am quite sure the answer to my earlier question about your readiness for the next step is yes you are well prepared for what lies ahead. in due time you will surely forget the construction of miami pentameter the name of the most famous impressionist painting

but you will not forget the habit of american university has instilled in you come in or list a strong burning hunger to broaden your lens. we almost strive to never become become complacent in our quest to seek out an understanding of how our world works and perspective is what allows us to find happiness and as importantly true meaning in our lives. your journey to new perspectives begins today. i encourage you to search for controversy, for contrast is revealing and catalytic. to use your ears more than your mouth for learning can only happen when we pause to listen. to take the challenging path always and to not be afraid of change. like gravity, it is everywhere and forever. resistance is futile. always be a better neighbor not because it's expected of you but because it makes you a better

person and you do know it's the right and to do. the gift of education in the habit of expiration are prepared each of you to be leaders in your careers communities and cherish this. the community is made up of people who thinks deeply and act wisely are those most able and perhaps only able to create progress in peace. we owe this to ourselves. we owe this to each other and to the little blue marble called earth. please note each of you as my great admiration as you take this next step. i congratulate you and wish you reach the very best of luck. [applause]

>> south carolina republican governor nikki haley delivered the address of south carolina graduate at the school of business, communication, nursing pharmacy and public health. ms. haley is currently serving her second term in her role as governor. she spoke for about 15 minutes. [applause] >> thank you very much. i want to thank the president and the board. as the daughter of indian parents got my first want to say you know in the indian community your parents raised you and the widely one of three things. doctor lawyer or engineer. now i can tell them i made it. i am a doctor. thank you very much. incredibly honored. members of the faculty and staff

trustees families friends and most a lot to the distinguished members of the university of south carolina's class of 2015. let me say this. it is a great day in south carolina. [applause] it's true. i say that often. the wonderful thing about our state is that each day brings with it a different reason to celebrate. it is something i never take for granted something we should all be proud of. but today today it is different. mark read once that there are basically two types of people. people who accomplish things and people who claim to have accomplished things. the first group is less crowded. today because of the people fill in this arena, because of your hard work dedication, sacrifice

talent, we have made mr. twain's first group a little more crowded. to the faculty sitting around me let me say thank you. shepherding through the wonderful university, the next generation of south carolina's leaders. thank you for being a tutor, a mentor a friend. the great american poet and educator robert frost that i am not a teacher, but in awakener. you have awakened in young minds come entrusted to you a desire to learn and ability to achieve and a capacity to the. today is your celebration too. to the parents and grandparents, brothers and sisters aunts and uncle's, i can feel the pride radiating from you. you should get nothing at rate consequences never realized the log and make no mistake earning a degree from such a prestigious university is a not a great

consequence. you'll hear it from graduates today, the u.s. euro from me as well. they could not have done this without you. to support his family means everything. to the graduates, the class of 2015, from this proud tiger, i say congratulations. i knew you were going to boo me on that one. for the last new years somebody did it in for son and three, some of you like me did it in five. you've called the university of south carolina in your home. it has been a place of challenge and success, friendship and heartache, lesson after lesson, both inside and out of the classroom. over these years you have grown. you have changed and now you've graduated. you've completed this part of

your journey and now the world awaits anxiously to see what you'll do next. believe it or not it was not that long ago i sat where you said faced with those choices and challenges and uncertainties the most evolved the opportunities that lay ahead of you. i've long believed in the benefit of reaching out to those who have been what i'm going, who blocked in the path i am soon to travel. anytime someone can save me a few steps or even better the pitfalls that need done i take that as a huge opportunity of valuable it is. so on this day celebration for you, for your family and friends i would humbly like to share things i've learned along the way. first trust who you are. the first enoch prime minister of israel once had the following. quote, trust yourself.

create the self you'll be happy to live with all of your life. make the most of yourself by fanning the tiny anders harks the possibility into flames of achievement. you don't need to look anywhere outside yourself for confirmation. your god matters. you know yourself better than anyone else does and that will be true forever. know what is right and what is not. it will make you proud and that will make you strong. that knowledge is a wonderful thing if you trust it. don't shy away from who you are or what you know. your core beliefs than the intuition they drive means something. trust them. trust your gut. it will serve you well. second, pushed through the fear. life is easier than our comfort zone but also a lot less

interesting. and the 1960s my parents were living in an ef both born from family to privilege. they were well-educated. they were secured and they had all the comforts of upper-class families in that place and time. it would have remained for had they stayed. but they wanted that are. they knew america was the place of unlimited opportunity and they want those opportunities for their children even if that meant starting over. they left going into the unknown with just $8 in their pocket, moving first to canada and later to the small rural town of bamberg south carolina. i don't pretend to know that taps and the fear they knew when they landed in colombia across from their homes away from friends and families come a place different from anything they ever experienced.

you are when i felt like waking up each day the only indian family and not all southern talent mom determined in her sorry and that proud in his turban. i know whatever fear they felt, they pushed through it. they raised four children, made friends, group business. they built a life and a little more than 40 years after they arrived my parents stood onstage and watched as their daughter was sworn in as the 116th governor of this state they adopt it as their home. quote -- [applause] thank you. quote, i learned courage was not the absence of fear but the triumph over at the nelson mandela. the brave men is not he who does not feel afraid, but he who conquers that fear.

don't be afraid of being afraid. push through it. triumph over it. find the fear and conquer it for a few are putting yourself in situations that make you uncomfortable, living to do. third actions matter far more than words. it's not what you say, it's what you do people will remember you for. the story of america is the story of men and women of action. george washington, susan b. anthony the roosevelt rosa parks the icons of american history changed our world not by what they said but by what they did. even those words we remember so well, the letters and speeches and governing documents were still revere mean to us today because that the deeds we represent. thomas jefferson's declaration of independence would simply be

an elegant latter and not a seminal founding document if it wasn't for the courage of he and his fellow revolutionaries who put not just their freedom but their lives on the line in the war against britain. the gettysburg address in your 272 words philpott to abu schoolchild 150 years after spoken to write great power from abraham lincoln's towering strength a strength that enabled him to stand behind those words, do what was right in free the slaves. stephen martin luther king's i a dream speech, perhaps the most important piece of american rhetoric in the 20th century would mean less if he didn't know he spent his entire life working each day to make that team a reality. as for mattered of course, but they mattered so much more because he lived them. it is not what you say, but what

you do that will ultimately define your life. live with the understanding and knowing that your words matter far less than the actions you take and that those actions are the greatest window into the person you are. fourth whatever you do be great on it and make sure people remember you for it. i've coded a few giant today. mandela frost twain. this comes from a place much closer to home and to my heart. my mother. it was her mantra and she drilled into me from a young age. growing up my parents at an upscale women's clothing store. we all participated one way or the other either after school and on weekends or during our free time. when i was 13 years old or bookkeeper decided it was time to move on and she asked my mother who she should train as a replacement. my mom grabbed my arm and said

train her. the outgoing book per was a third team out of sorts. a 13-year-old bookkeeper couldn't keep the books. teach her. she'll be great at it. it is that philosophy, my mom's philosophy to always, always be great to have carried with me through every stage of my life because of something is worth doing it is worth doing great. it is worth being remembered for. finally, remember after today you represent more than just yourself. you represent the entire university of south carolina. be proud of the university propelling you further on the path to adulthood. it's an amazing place one that is given your experiences and friendships he will no doubt treasure the rest of your lives. makes the university just as proud of you as you are of it.

act with integrity. beyond us. work hard, take risk giveback, be joyful. now and forever that means something. for many of you i'm sure it feels like the greatest day of your life and it should. it is an amazing accomplishment matter what path brought you here. what makes me so excited for you and so proud for the chance to play a small role in your celebration today as i know if you want them, they're a far greater gains in your future. enjoy today. hug your mom dad, brother or sister. the professor, call your grandmother. share with your friends and tomorrow get back to work because we can't wait to see what the university of south

carolina class of 2015 does next. thank you god bless you and may you continue to bless the entire state of south carolina. [applause] >> senator james lankford guilders marks the commencement ceremony. senator lankford was elected in november 2014. previously he served as u.s. representative for oklahoma state congressional district. his comments are about 15 minutes. [applause] >> well good morning to you. it's my honor to be here. this is number 23. business romantic? i took her to a commencement for

anniversary. we will later tonight have a nice romantic dinner around the tv and watch weather like everyone else. welcome to oklahoma. graduates, congratulations to you. it's a very big day for you and your family so i hope you enjoy and take this in the moments that you are able to remember what happened here. there are a couple of moments in your life that you would give free at rice random strangers. this is one of them. if anyone finds that you are graduating total strangers will go great, i something to tell you. this will happen when you get married and again when you get pregnant. at that point you just smile nod. you want to say do i know you but you don't. just take a commercial truck would've helpful to joke what is not because 20 years from now you'll do it to some graduate. someone at the grocery store

you'll find they're about to graduate and you want to produce academic is about life. enjoy. i will throw a couple things i do as well that you can filter and as you choose but i want to put a few things together to say these are significant to not lose track of. number one is this. get out of debt. i know the irony that someone currently serving the united states senate talking about getting out of debt. i get that. [laughter] but i would say this is one of those things you want to get off your back as quick as you can. if you have any debt, do whatever you can to start knocking that out as fast as you can. i know you want to get a real car, real furniture. all of those things in the days ahead as he landed job in a mortgage and all those wonderful

responsibilities. knock out the debt as fast as you can. you'll be grateful to have that off of your back and focus on other things in life. second thing is this. reconnect with your faith. i'm amazed at the number of students i interact with but had a practicing faith until they got midway through college and somehow drifted. i understand this is the united states of america. not everyone has to have the faith. for those who choose to have faith, encourage them to live the faith they have and walk-in now. will always be meaningful to you and your life. if you've grown cold and distant in your faith reengage in your face. there's a lot of terrifying moments that are terrifying and exciting in your life including today. for some of usc graduate today you realize there is adulthood coming monday. for some of you you have successfully postponed that by getting a masters degree soon.

but that terrifying moment of realizing i'm about to take the next step and i do not know what is there, you should have that moment also be a moment where you walk in your face. how many of you have been to the united states capitol before? there is a series of paintings done in the rotunda under the cast-iron dome which looks like it currently has an iron maiden around date for construction happening on the dome. the dome itself is our second tone. the first various wood and copper. the rotunda in the paintings predate the dome above it. it was built during the civil war. the paintings underneath that were built and put in the 1840s. the paintings are to depict the paintings of america.

and 81043 at america began and it's a group of individuals on the deck of a ship huddled around an open bible praying as their ship is leaving from europe. that moment was captured as a terrifying moment for them not knowing where they are going with the reassuring me connection was something very important to us. we don't know where we are going but we know god will be there when they get there. i encourage you to reconnect with your faith. [applause] third, i would encourage you to heal family hurt. they get more personalized to go. in the days ahead your relationship with their families will be more important than what your diploma is today and that diploma is extremely important. i've met many stated as they

went through high school and college got more and more disconnected with their family to me that you know what i'm heading out. it doesn't matter anyway because i'm moving out. i lived a broken relationship behind. what does it matter now. too much works to fix a family hurt. let's say the rest of your life, every bird they come every thanksgiving every christmas, every mother's day, every father's day you will regret that decision. my mom was a librarian. i don't know how smart your parents were of my mom was a librarian. a librarian knows everything and what she doesn't know, she knows where to find it. i grew up with my mom being the smartest woman on the planet. so morris ninth-grade she took a fall and something happened

because she just started deteriorating. about my software of college should start again from academic wisdom. she started getting smarter again. she's back to genius level. now i say that to you to say there is this path of independent but all of us go through. that's good. we are not always living in your parents basement. probably a bigger a man from up here. when there's a broken relationship i don't care where it came from and how it started but it ends when you actually reconnect, when you look each other in the eye and say can we start over again. heal the broken words.

.. i have two more and they are quick. number four a lot of things you do to make money this president wants you to be able to get out

of here landed great job represent the university, make a lot of money and be a good doner back to the university. but you know as well as i do at the end of life the joy you have wal-mart to be how much you made about how much deserved. keep that in perspective. it's the nature of the free market economy as you take care of your family you also take care of the nation and your neighbors. take care of your family. provide for them well but remember to continue to serve. and last is this. don't forget your oklahoma roots and how great the nation is. not everyone here is from oklahoma. i get that. oklahoma state has people from all over the state but we welcome you to continue the name with you because this phenomenal state and a great university, the heritage and tradition spreads around the country. take it with you.

understand that we are americans and we do things a bit different in america. we are passionate about things like inventions. more come out of the united states than any place in the world. we find broken things and fix them. we do not quit. we are americans. that's what we do. quite frankly i get tired of people that come to me and complained about where we are as a nation. i smile at them and say why don't you get up off the couch and get to work because the nation will be turned around month when we complain about it more, but when we engage. [applause] i am fully aware we have a bunch of stuff to work on that happens with each of us engaging. we are americans. we fix things. i had the privilege to visit

with the prime minister at the time of australia. you would like her. she's a redhead. very sharp lady. at the end of her speech she said i have to tell you about when i was a little girl in australia everyone got out of school the day that the americans landed on the moon. we know americans and many in the generation remember well when the americans landed on the moon but all of australia got out of school that day as well. she set off many people have televisions and we all felt someone who had a television, titled in their living room and sat there and watched the americans land on the moon and she said i distinctly remember thinking americans can do anything. then she hesitated and said i still believe that's true.

[applause] it was a reminder again if how the world sees us. i was in central america looking on the immigration issue is going around as a nation. i was meeting with some of their leaders talking about the factors of these children coming to the united states and the leader stopped me and said you don't understand, you are the united states of america. everyone wants to be you. that's who you are. don't lose track of that. you have been prepared and equipped by the university. we need a new generation of leaders and you are now it. welcome to real life leadership and congratulations on being a graduate of one of the greatest universities in the world, oklahoma state university.

god bless you all. [applause] the senate is meeting sunday to debate whether to continue the bulk records collection program. the super pack on senator rand paul's campaign has an ad promoting saying it will be a showdown with senator paul fighting attempts to extend the law and we will have coverage when the senate dabbles and. both are possible at eastern to expand provisions of the patriot act field before congress left for the memorial day recess and it expires midnight. plus contact information and twitter handles also district

maps and a foldout map of capitol hill and a look at the congressional committees, the president's cabinet federal agencies. order your copy today. it is 1395 through the c-span store at c-span.org. ambassador to saudi arabia joseph westphal delivered remarks at oklahoma state university's commencement ceremony. he previously served as undersecretary of the u.s. army from 2009 to 2014. he spoke for about 15 minutes. [applause] >> good afternoon graduates of college of business culture it's great to be with you.

thank you for the honor you bestowed upon me and for the honor of allowing me to address this class. i think that we have missed one of the most important elements and they are all sitting around at this arena so you should give your folks and family and friends a hand. [applause] now in 1970, 45 years ago i graduated from college and attended my commencement. in 2016 which is 45 years from now some of you will be giving or attending a commencement speech somewhere so how will the next 45 years shape and influence your message and how will the society influence the graduate sitting before you?

you will be the first generation to look back reflexively on most of the 21st century rather than looking towards it. if there is one certainty in your life it is that the next four decades will be different than the first two that have brought you here. we can speculate that population growth is a factor as well as environmental impact technological changes and climate. you will tackle many problems that are likely to include war, crime, terrorism, poverty disease and intolerance to name a few entities will be related to a variety of factors associated with the development of such areas of science

medicine and education, politics, civil society, the law religion and i could go on so let me rewind the clock a little bit to an earlier generation that made it possible for me to graduate from college in 1970 and be with you here today. in his book the greatest generation, tom brokaw, journalist, author, former anchor wrote about the generation that lived in the great depression of the 1930s. men and women who fought tierney and evil in world war ii and then came home. some of you may have had a visit to the post-9/11 g.i. bill that it was the original bill enacted in 1944 that gave a great boost to the post-world war ii generation. as stated in his book quote

they gave the world new science literature can art industry and strength unparalleled in history. these men and women gave birth to my generation the baby boomers, and we have come to know how much we've benefited from the country we inherited that became the envy of the world. we fought the cold war ended the vietnam war and witnessed the civil rights movement. conflicts and events but sometimes created a divide between our generations. the values of my parents generations were framed around personal response ability and duty to country honor faith. they were shaped by the trials and tribulations that they had

to overcome. my generation lived through the fall of the berlin wall in the vietnam war and made us challenge the patriotism of our parents generation. civil rights and the war on poverty focused and committed to reducing income and a quality and one year before i graduated from college in 1970, the u.s. landed a man on the moon and that's unleashed the innovative and competitive spirit of the american people the impact still is being felt today. the civil rights movement i talked about earlier offered an opportunity to redefine race and gender relations in america and today the country is far stronger because the courage and sacrifice of those that field it. because of those events that tested my generation and like

all college graduates entering into life come into her generation will not be tested by the endless possibilities before you. as i sat through my commencement address at the university listening to the republican senator from maine i wonder if i would be sent to fight in vietnam war a war that i opposed with most of the class sitting around me that today. i ended up not being drafted and instead centered on the academic career and little did i know that 28 years later i would begin a decade of leadership in the army fighting the war in iraq and afghanistan and working to put into effect the most sweeping policy changes since the truman administration and in our case it was the end of the

policy of don't ask don't tell and the policy to allow women to serve in combat roles. when i graduated from college i could not have imagined the acts of terrorism, the bombing of the federal building in oklahoma city 20 years ago this year and the subsequent attack on 9/11. i wouldn't have predicted that in 2008 we would endure the worst global financial crisis since the great depression of the 1930s and i wouldn't have predicted higher education and government service or the president of the united states asking me to be the ambassador in saudi arabia. responsible for our relations in the country that is of a great strategic and economic importance and at the center of one of the most complex and embattled regions in the world. i also wouldn't have predicted that i would set out from new york to work on a masters degree

master's degree at oklahoma state university. back in those days they thought the rocky mountains were in pennsylvania so they did it so much with respect here. against who was my commencement speaker in 1974 when i finished that masters degree president richard nixon. we held a ceremony here in the lessfield and it was a warm day. the presented a good job -- president did a good job and talked about the change that would have been. his address past day was well received and as all of you know it was in august of 1974 president nixon had to redesign because of the watergate scandal. he concluded his speech by noting that in 26 years, the

graduating class of 1974 with usher in the 21st century. we all thought that was a huge deal because i was some of the interesting words to our generation. on that new year you would look back this day and the judge your generation. let me tell you what i think you would be able to say. yours was a generation that was there that had the strength to see that america played a responsible role so that we did have peace in the world for a generation. yours was a generation that helped america become self-sufficient in energy to help america develop the food resources for ourselves and other nations so that the level as far as people's abilities are raised not only for ourselves but all people. yours was the generation of which great strides were made forward in terms of fighting the

scourge is a disease wherever they existed and most of all that it was the generation that asked questions, not afraid of controversy and that when the chips were down it was strong in the mind and in the right, and believed in what we were doing. i would say to you when the year 2000 comes i'm confident that the members of 1974 oklahoma state university will look back and say yes we met the task. ours was the great generation and i think that he was right about that. all the things he said then have evidence in today's society so so let me conclude by suggesting some of the issues that you may want to consider for your commencement address in 2016. if you were asked what worries you the most many may insert a federal ticker ticker resume and fear of the violent extremism. today the middle east is at the

core of that battle between the majority that wants peace and security and prosperity and that once tierney and domination. great challenges faced us in the middle east bringing a comprehensive peace to israel and the palestinians and their neighbors concluding an agreement with iran to end the pursuit of nuclear weapons negotiating a political solution to the conflict in yemen and dealing with the threat of nonstate actors like al qaeda and iraq and syria. how we address the challenges today will affect your generation tomorrow. the agreements we signed some of the solutions we put in place you will inherit. how will they affect the way that the world sees america and your relationship with a global community? if you believe like i believe that the united states is

stronger as an engaged and constructive partner how you strengthen connections with people around the world and were breakdown barriers will determine what people say in the year 2060. think about it this way. when you stand at the podium in 2060 the world will be a very different place and your advice to graduates will be unpredictable by what it is today. the world you're inheriting today is smaller, more populated, more integrated for instant gratification than the world of my generation inherited. when you deliver that address in 2060 what will you say about the ethics of genetics and robotics and the challenges posed by religion, cultural differences, population growth, and the threats of global health. will you have visited mars by

then how will you make yourself relevant when technology makes your job obsolete? you will live longer than me because of greater access to advanced medical treatment. so what will you do an with an extra 20 to 30 years of productive life? how will changes in climate affect the availability of food and water? you will be living those years alongside more than 9 billion people who will populate the world by the time you gave the commencement address. it's also predicted that by 2043, no ethnic group will constitute a majority of the population making the united states a truly plural nation. will these create stress and tension in the society? or will the more diverse population foster greater innovation and productivity? while the internet continue? and what will be the impact of

the society as a result, what will the university look like, while the professors still stand in for the classroom and deliver lectures? more than any other generation before you you will need to address the inevitable consequences of globalization protectionism, nationalism aggression and other actions that divide and collide. in the next four decades of the century, you will share all of these issues with all of the people of the world. i urge you to think about the words the president obama in the speech in 2009, this is what he said recognizing the common humanity is only the beginning of the task. words alone cannot meet the needs of our people. these needs will be met only if we act boldly in the years ahead and understand the challenges that we face are shared and our

failure to meet them will hurt us all. we have learned from recent experiences that when a financial system weakens in one country, prosperity is heard everywhere. when a new flu infects one human being, all are at risk. when one nation pursues a nuclear weapon of the risk of nuclear attack rises for all nations. when violent extremists operate in one stretch of mountains, people are endangered across an ocean. when innocent people in bosnia and darfur are slaughtered, that is a stain on our conscience. that is what is meant to share this world and the 21st century. that is the responsibility that you have to one another as human beings. so let me say to you, the graduates, i have great confidence that you will act

boldly that you are more capable than any generation before you to lead us into the future and share the world in the 21st century. you come your children and your grandchildren will understand better than all of us that came before you, the challenges that you will share with the rest of the world. i tell my six grandchildren ages six to 11 that they will witness and participate in a new era of invention, entrepreneurship and innovation that will change the course of history. and as you ponder these questions i posed earlier and other tools that you will need to sustain our america with its greatness. and don't be afraid to use them to engage and challenge complacency and do not be afraid to change. it is essential for survival. so congratulations to all of you the class of 2015. when you get home, thank your grandparents and great

grandparents for the greater generation that made it possible for me to be here, for you to be here and that will have made it possible for your future generations to be here as well. god bless you and god bless the united states of america. >> for hulu ceo delivers a commencement address at north carolina chapel hill. he graduated here in 1993 with degrees in journalism and mass communication. he she now runs a subscription video service. this is about 20 minutes. [applause] how's everybody doing out of

their? before i begin i have to capture this. so you move over just a little bit and we will catch a selfie. let's go. [cheering] one more. [cheering] okay. i will sweep that under #uncgrad. thank you president and members of the faculty and members of the board of trustees.

thank you for the very kind welcome. it is an absolute honor to address you today and to congratulate the class of 2015. that's right. [applause] so with the beautiful cover earlier in the ceremony, today is mother's day. none of this would be happening today if it were not for your others love and the estimated 51000, 392 hours of labor was required collectively of your mother's to bring your graduating class of smiling faces and this world. [applause] >> thank you mothers. this is a spectacular day in their lives. wonderful proved to be among the most memorable.

i'm particularly excited to be here today given that i went to the university of north carolina at chapel hill. [applause] my freshman year i lived in the architectural triumph that is in james dormitory. [applause] [cheering] i am a product of the undergraduate business school. [cheering] in addition i'm also a product of the school of journalism and mass communication. [cheering] which is soon to be reprinted the school of media and journalism which i think is a fantastic moment of change for the school. it's been a pleasure to be back on campus this weekend and to be welcomed by the chancellor with a southern hospitality that can be found nowhere else on earth.

you all have been kind. so it must be said that this year rather than choosing from any number of nobel prize laureates or political luminaries to be your commencement speakers, you have chosen me, the guy best known for making it easier to watch recent episodes of south park and family guy. [applause] assuming there were no jedi mind tricks involved it is clear to me that you have chutzpah and moxie. these will serve you very well in life. i would like to share my story with you this morning. i share it in the hope that you may find some benefits. it's a story of dreams failure, perseverance and an unfortunate

run-in with the authorities in southern california. in any event i story goes like this. in 1993 i sat in the same bleachers you currently find yourselves in in my chair line graduation gown excited to graduate. my mother and father were there enjoying the glorious pageantry of it all. my parents got me to the girl that i began dating months earlier, she was a junior. perhaps you are experiencing family moments on campuses and on franklin street. life was pretty good. in the months prior, i did everything i could to land a job in the machinery of hollywood. my dream dating back to when i was a kid was to follow in the footsteps of walt disney.

i've always been fascinated by stories well told and how in the interest of making them better. for most of my senior year here at chapel hill the sum total of the five months of letterwriting and phone calling was no if i was lucky to get a reply and one introduction to movie production. the informational interview was to be conducted at universal studios in los angeles a few days after my graduation. ..

my mother, tearfully, but bravely, shared the news over the phone that my dad had taken his life. he was 47. kind loving husband of 27 years. proud and wonderful father to six children. accomplished professional, having put himself through school earning three degrees. the man i admired most, who taught me so much, was gone from this world three days after i last saw him in this very stadium. things went poorly in the weeks and months that followed.

that movie production job didn't work out the way that i had hoped. i was hired but soon let bo. this was also the time that i learned with the help of the northridge, california, police department, that the cal state northridge parking deck was not looking to welcome reeds college graduates, living out of their subaru hatchbacks each night. i soon found myself working for a temp agency back home on the east coast, installing shelving at a tj maxx that was undergoing renovation. i was personally loss and professionally as far from my dreams as one could be. i mentioned this part of my story because i want all of you the graduating class of 2015, to know that in your moments of personal and professional adversary, that are sure to come you will not be alone.

[applause] everyone in this stadium,er one everyone turns out in this world has struggled and will struggle with personal loss and professional failure. adversity is a necessary and an important part of life. adversity, strengthens us in ways that success can not. the mountain peaks of one's life may getted headlines in the facebook posts but the valleys, believe me it is your journey through the valleys that will define you. back when my dad died i took a cue from how my mom always persevered through adversity. for 30 years she helped my dad

successfully battle manic depressive disorder. and in that noble and successful fight, she chose to face adversity with courage, with kindness, and with optimism. i pick myself up eventually that summer of 1993, making an importantobservation along the way. when things get tough, i believe that we as a species surprise ourselves with how much strength we have deep within. strength that we may never have previously known or ben aware of. in the most trying times, in unimaginable circumstances that well of strength can be drawn upon. we find that we can persevere. you can percent sear. -- persevere. this leads me to the second part

of my story. this is a story about doing what you love, about taking risks and never stopping. i will be the first to admit that my career is not for most people and has been filled with unusual moments of taking risk. i got my first real job at the walt disney company by drawing myself into a comic strip rather than sending a resume'. upon graduating from business school, in 1997, when a debt level that proximated slovenia's gross domestic product, it's true. [laughter] i jumped into a modestly-salaried role at a relatively small private company in the pacific northwest that was trying to sell stuff over the internet. about that internet company. my friends and family thought i was insane to go there, given the uncertainty and the

traditional opportunities that i would be forgoing. but i was intoxicated by a very simple thing that this company offered. [laughter] bad choice of words, huh? believe it or not after college the word intoxicated has different meanings. it is not just -- it is not just tied to he is not here. so -- [applause] this was a mission, not a job. yes, this, there was risk and yes the company would have ended up belly-up as many early stage companies do but it did not. the small cap that joined was

called amazon and i was able to learn for nine years from one of the finest leaders of our time in jeff bezos. i took a risk to do something that loved, an passionately believed in and i'm very glad that i did. doing what you love, pursuing our own path is often the most unsettling option at the outset. the path that others have traveled before you those are the paths that have greater visibility. they appear lower risk, they play better in conversations with the aunts the uncles and the neighbors but don't fall for it. you are better than that, and you have the strength to go your own way. remember i know that each of you has moxie and chutzpah by the bucket loads. i made the decision in 2007 to jump into a new chapter. this time to build a team from day one and to help build a company with a mission to reimagine how television programing was delivered.

we decided to call the company hulu. in the early days ahead of hulu's launch both the company and my decision to lead and help build it were very possible lickly considered truly horrible terrible ideas. we were called clownco by the smartest people in silicon valley. a digital counter, even ran on one of the tech industry's most respected websites to track just how many days it was going to take for the company to implode. it's true. the early days of hulu were among the toughest in my career. i kept reminding myself of that phrase that is attributed to winston churchill. when you are going through hell, keep going. [laughter] but here's the thing that can't emphasize enough for you here today. most people that you run into in

life, including the smart ones, they will be averse to new things, they certainly were in my experience at hulu and amazon. the typical human response, in the face of the new is to ignore, mock, or dismiss it. new is scary. new is the unknown. most everyone does not believe that the new will work until it does. it you think that the world is broken in a certain way and you have a great idea to fix it, do yourself a favor and follow your convictions relentlessly. the path i described will be an uncertain one. but don't let the fear of uncertainty of not having all the answers, be the thing that holds you back from pursuing your dreams.

at your age, it is very natural to have so many questions. who will i be? what do i want to do? where should i live? what makes me happy? it is easy to feel alone in this uncertainty. to feel bad that you don't have all the answers and all the details figured out even though it seems like your friends do. but as you get older you realize, that no one has all the answers. it turns out that life is an exercise in living with a certainty of uncertainty. hulu ended up working out. consumers were ready for a new way tone joy their favorite tv programs. but none of this would have happened in my career had i not chosen to ignore the conventional wisdom, and pursue what i loved, taking considered

risks along the way. and when i found myself going through hell to keep going. before i finish and let you get back to watching ""family guy"" hulu i like to bring things full circle back to here, to kenan stadium. the girl from carolina, the one from my own graduation, that i mentioned at the start well, she is actually here in the stadium again today. and she has four small humans in her wake that keep referring to me as their father. [laughter] [applause] i love you jamie more than you can know.

i better get some brownie points for that. [laughing] my mother also happens to be here today in this special stadium. [cheers and applause] my mother is taking in the glorious pagentry once more and inspiring me each day with her choices of courage, of kindness, and optimism. and so, now graduating class of 2015 -- [cheers and applause] this is when your adventure begins. my wish is that you make it the

most epic adventure possible. dream dream big. take risk. fail. pick yourself back up again. and always always remember this. there is no adversity capable of stopping you once the choice to persevere is made. it has been a true honor and the highest of privileges to address you this morning. i am rooting for each and everyone of you. thank you and congratulations. [cheers and applause]

[applause] >> the u.s. has taken cuba off its list of state sponsors of terrorism. secretary of state john kerry signed an order removing cuba from the u.s. terrorism blacklist as part of the process of normalizing relations. secretary kerry acted 45 days after the administration informed congress of its intent to do so. congress had that much time to weigh in and try to block the move but did not do so. a tweet here from "national journal." coming up tonight on booktv in prime time, some of this year's book fairs and festivals. at 8:00 eastern from tucson, the tucson festival of books. a panel on concussions and the future of football.

at 9:05 eastern, a savannah book festival discussion with lynn scheer author of,ly ride, america's first woman in space. the we hear from helen thorpe soldier girls. and from "the l.a. times" festival of books at 11 eastern a viewer call-in with ben shapiro. the people versus barack obama the criminal case against the obama administration. over on c-span tonight, three former treasury secretaries talk with facebook chief operating officer sheryl sandberg about the state of the economy. she asked all three what issue in the u.s. that would fix or change. here is their answer. >> if you can make one change in u.s. policy unilaterally, one topic, what would it be, one change. >> fixing our retirement system. that will save our future. >> to, he did it. >> fiscal policy and measures that make government work more effectively. >> one change. >> try to get more americans to want to work for the country. >> okay.

put your forecasting hats on. when will the fed first raise rates? [laughter] >> hmmm -- >> i have a you can pass. >> when they think it makes sense. >> ah. >> hank, do better. do better. >> if you ask an english major i say early next year. >> bob? >> i will say another version of what tim said. i don't think it matters when they raise rates. i think it matters they do it at right time in terms of economic circumstances and very difficult -- >> all right. all right. this goes against lightning round. one word who is our biggest global economic competitor? >> ourselves. >> i agree. >> i concur. >> look at that. >> three former treasury secretaries participated in the milken institute's annual global conference. see the entire event tonight at 8:00 eastern on c-span. a number of patriot act provisions including the bulk electronic records collection expires at sunday night at

midnight. the u.s. senate meets sunday afternoon to see if they change that they will gaff develop in 4:00 p.m. eastern. votes are possible at 6:00. efforts to extend the expiring provisions failed before the congress left for the week-long memorial day recess. follow live senate coverage on c-span2 sunday@four. here are some featured programs for this weekend on the c-span networks. on c-span, saturday, starting at noon politicians, white house officials and business leaders offer advice and encouragement to the class of 2015. speakers include former presidentsgeorge w. bush, medically hobson, chair of dreamworks animation. at nine:is a p.m., former staff -- 9:15. across the country with former secretaries of state condoleeza rice and halved lynn albright and philadelphia mayor michael nutter the on c-span 20, saturday morning.

booktv with events from books expo america. beginning at live call-in segments with publishers and authors throughout the day. sunday evening at 9:00 on after words, a look at the case of hollingsworth v. perry which considered cons constitutional of proposition 8 the lawi] that resended right of same-sex couples to mary in california. on american history tv on on c-span 3:00, saturday evening a conversation with fight e white house historian william seale on first ladies that had the most impact on the executive mansion. sunday afternoon just before 2:00. the life and death of our 20th president james garfield who served almost two decades as a congressman from ohio. who was assassinated 200 days into his term as president. get the complete schedule at c-span.org. now scientists authors and journalists examine the phenomenon known pass science denialism. topics include religious and

corporate roots of those beliefs and a look at issues such as climate change, space explore racer and vaccinations. this hour 20 minute discussion was part of the annual conference on world affairs at the university of colorado in boulder. >> all right. let's get started. first of all, may i remind you to please turn off the sound on your cell phones. if you haven't done that already. this is wednesday april 8th, at 10:30. panel number 3263, anti-science, denial in the face of facts. i asked for a science panel. i got an anti-science panel. [laughter] so, i'm tom blumenthal. i'm the former chair of molecular, cellular and developmental biology here in boulder and i'm currently the director of the institute for

down syndrome at the medical school. so, let me briefly introduce the subject. i want you all to try to imagine a world where established scientific facts were accepted because they were established scientific facts. where nobody was deliberately seeking to undermine the public's acceptance of these facts just because they stood to gain financially, or by raising doubts about the facts because they seemed at odds with their religious beliefs. huge numbers of americans simply don't believe facts. people believing in the truth matters a lot not because it affects the truth but because whether or not we act based on truth or fiction matters a lot. this isn't a scientific issue. it's a political one. today's panelists will address the thorny question of how to get people to believe facts even when they don't want to.

so let me introduce the panelists in the order in which they're going to speak. first is michelle thaller. she an astronomer and science communicator. a regular host of "the history channel"'s universe, the "national geographic" es, the known universe and discovery channel's how the universe works. you can say she is narrowly focused on the universe. [laughter] richard alley is evan pugh professor of geosciences at penn state university. he is one of the major figures worldwide in the area of climate change and is also dedicated to educating the public about his about what is happening and what will happen. he taught me that for what man has done to the atmosphere not to have caused global warming, the laws of physics would have to be wrong. third is chip berlet.

he is an investigative journalist and long-time activist in the cause of human rights. he is a democratic socialist and civil rights absolutist. his book right-wing populism in america, too close for comfort, predicted the tea party movement. he is sorry. [laughter]. leonard pitts is a columnist for the "miami herald" and i'm sure that virtually everyone here has read his work. he has won the pulitzer prize and published several books especially on the subject of race in america. so first michelle. >> well, good morning. you know it is one of the gaps in my training as a scientist that i'm finding myself into sort of social situation the as a science communicator i'm dealing this odd cadence of insisting something is false is true and something is true is false. and this is something that i

don't have the rhetorical training. i'm trying to sort of get the chops to do this. this is actually going on in my life right now at this moment. the idea that the false is true that for example nasa could be hiding something from you. right now we have the dawn spacecraft. it actually went into orbit around the largest asteroid in our solar system, ceres this happened three weeks ago. it is amazing. i'm so excited. this is the first spacecraft that uses an ion drive and gone from one asteroid to another. ceres is 600 miles across. there may be evidence of liquid water underneath the surface of this asteroid. we took beautiful images of ceres and there were these odd bright areas inside some of the craters. they were very bright and we're wondering if they're a lighter rock or if we might have seen exposed ice which is very exciting. then all of sudden the images stopped coming. the reason for that because we're using an ion drive.

the thrust is very, very small. has thrust equivalent of blowing on your hand just like that, very very low thrust engine. so we don't do a burn around start looping around the orbit of the asteroid. we have to sneak up into orbit. for last two weeks we're on the night side of the asteroid. that is why there haven't been anymore pictures. we're waiting for two weeks from now we swing around to the day side to get better images. this morning i'm answering emails, what are you hiding? what was in the craters you're not willing to tell us about? the explanation, orbit tall dynamics. doesn't get people emotionally to respond to that i want the month of my life back that that 2012 apocalypse was because i was getting calls from people who were frightened. they were afraid the world was really coming to an end. some people would say i bet the world isn't coming to an end where can i see the wonderful astronomical conjunction happen? the difficult thing to tell them

there was nothing astronomically interesting happening on that date. this thing was whole cloth made up. it is one of the reasons i actually stopped working with the history channel. i was one of the regular hosts for the universe on "the history channel" but they would present a show i was doing about asteroids or possible life on mars from a scientific perspective and then have ancient aliens on right after it. seriously, right after it. they would be presenting these things as equivalent. and, this was enough to make me stop actually working with "the history channel." you know, the, the strange thing was i think this gets at a lot of what is going on with this denialism and somebody called me at nasa, oh, my god, is it true the world will end next week? i deal with a lot of this. i be very polite. i said think about this. do you think i would be here in my office answering the phone if i thought the world was ending in a week?

and i said, you know, start getting worried when all of the scientists buy up expensive wine and max out their credit cards and all go to some tropical island. then you know that something really bad is going to happen. but the this idea that i am not a person that i don't have feelings, and emotions and a family and reason to be alive you know, that i wouldn't react emotionally if i knew the world was coming to an end. what an odd disconnect. you know, somebody wants to separate the fact of being a scientist from the fact that you are a human being. and this is something that i have seen come over and over again. you know, i was listening to the wonderful keynote address that leonard was giving down there. he was using term, he admits he didn't coin it, i heard it before the weapons of mass distraction. when things are going on bad for consumerism or people might say they're bad for the economy or any number of reasons, bad for the reactionary culture for

conservatism and culture, people often will try to distract you with something else. and this started to make me very uncomfortable. i actually really enjoy working with the discovery channel. i talked to the discovery channel producers about it, i'm having a bit of an ethical problem doing a show about the risk the earth stands from a gamma ray burst or the fact that an asteroid could destroy us when there is even greater risk present right now. and you know we are not talking about that on the discovery channel. we are not talking about the huge amount of data that makes human-driven climate change a fact. and you know this is sort of thing that where you know if you asked me for a elevator speech. i'm with an elevator we me for three minutes. why should you believe climate change real, very quickly. what are some of the things i think are the most compelling arguments? well nasa has 20 satellites that deliver climate change

data. it is one of the reasons why we have to really protect our either science budget. these things are very important. some are things like land fat which is just giving data about land use and the health of vegetation and entire land surface of the world for the last 43 years. we have a record on what things have changed in that time. and my friends are flying research aircraft over the ice caps of the world right now. they are wonderful. they're incredible young scientists. young women especially. and you know, we are measuring from orbit one of our satellites, i'm most proud of is grace, the gravity recovery and climate experiment. you know of it, do you? so the thing with grace, grace is two spacecraft that fly about 100 miles apart from each other and there is a microwave beam between the two of them. they can measure the distance between the two spacecraft, accurate tiny accuracy about 100th the diameter of a human hair.

as these two spacecraft fly over the earth they respond to the mass underneath them. when one is flying over a mountain range very massive it gets accelerated a bit by the gravity. it. it dips down a bit changes distance between the two spacecraft. they are above us right now. do complete earth image every two days. they're doing this dance. the reason we measure mass there are areas on the earth where mass is changing very quickly. one of the things we can measure are aquifers. the amount of water deep under the ground from 300 miles up in space. we can measure the amount of water in aquifers hundreds of feet below the ground. we see the aquifers draining. all of this data is not only free to everybody in america, it is free to everybody in the world. we want people to see these data. the other thing we're measuring are on health. ice caps. greenland was, reasonable equalibrium 30 or who years ago.

the ice cap got a bigger in the winter, smaller in the summer. there was a cycle. for the last 15 years, ice cap on greenland lan-based ice cap has lost 200 billion tons a year that has not been replaced. if anything that trend is accelerating. and antarctica, the ice sheets on an arctic can were stable until a few years ago. there is the one sheet that is losing 200 billion tons a year. there is another ice sheet we believe is beyond saving. . .