>> i can't comment on a breaking report but it would not be surprising to me to see those restrictions in the nuclear deal lifted within ten years or iran violate them in the meantime. remember we did a similar deal with north korea and they detonated a nuclear device only 12 years later. >> initial reports from the administration were actually misleading this is not what you were told. >> i'm truly sorry if i misled them about their ran deal. i'm sorry. what we are talking about early and this is what chancellor merkel were discussing in part a couple weeks ago when they said they were violating the nuclear deal. a ran has plenty of missiles that can reach their adversaries in sunni countries or israel. there's only one reason for them to be testing long range

missiles and that's to assault europe in the united states of america. >> first off on a serious note i want to congratulate you on your title. >> being from arkansas, what do you see is hillary clinton's biggest liability as she faces off against donald trump. >> no one trusts her. nor should anyone trust her. she has been in the public eye for 25 years and she has repeatedly lied to the american people. look at what they said last week. not the legal confusion but the lie that he put hillary clinton various assertion. she said she used one device for convenience. we now know it was multiple devices. she did not send or receive information that was classified per we know she did. she did so over 100 times and some of them were highly

classified. she she said she turned over all work-related e-mails. we know that's not the case either. they found many deleted e-mail. she said the state department authorize. we know that's not the case at all. she said there's no chance of a breach of her server by hostile power which was laughable at the time and they could not collaborate corroborate.

over the validity issue. and so when you have that question there's no doubt you are right that trust is a big issue for hillary clinton but it seems to be a big issue for donald trump and some interested in how you would handicap that on both sides? >> you see this on, experience. we know about it are the top whicbutyou also see in the poll. the american people do not trust hillary clinton to tell the truth. he has failed a few fact checking -- >> just a couple. >> fact checkers typically our liberal editorials. and that they are not checking facts like i just laid out about hillary clinton but making arguments about matters of opinion and policy. they shouldn't be calling themselves fact checkers.

>> earlier this year you gave an address to the hudson institute in which he said the u.s. hasn't under incarceration problem of the u.s. is the highest per capita incarceration rate of any country in the world including north korea. my question is do our allies need to lock more people up or is a compelling reason why the u.s. needs higher incarceration rates? >> specific referring to a myth and that is in this weapon overincarceration bomb and we need to thousands of violent felons back out on the street. if you look at rates of offense versus rates of conviction and imprisonment it's something like i don't have exact numbers in my head right now but less than half of violent crime committed in this country ultimately ends up with someone behind bars. i think less than one-fifth of property crime ends up with someone behind bars. idols they think about those numbers and think that four-fifths of all the victims of property crimes on behalf of the victims of violent crimes

did not just as for our criminal justice system and think the we are imprisoning too many people. and that we should be leading the people out. that's one of the reasons why people feel increasingly unsafe on the streets because we've seen crime rise over the last two years which i would suggest is not coincidental but it's also been the last two years with some of the worst kinds of anti-police propaganda has been put out sometimes by political leaders. >> is there any wiggle room in there for you? under the koch brothers have been working hard with many of your colleagues to find some compromise on incarceration? >> i don't think after the events of the last few weeks many americans want to let violent felons back on the street. i should clarify this talk about the federal prison system. state prison system i cannot -- i cannot account for all 50 systems. we should always try to find a way to divert them into juvenile

justice can't go into drug treatment, committee service, probation, that sort of thing. that's the case into federal prison system. less than one half of 1% of federal prisons are in for any kind of events like drug possession. believe me most of those pleated and generally talking to a few hundred people in a federal prison system. if you're in the federal prison system you are almost a certain hardened to violate or repeat offender. i don't think we should put low-level drug offenders or drug users are addicts and i don't think that's the best thing for them. i don't think it's a bad thing for our society. arkansas by and large doesn't do the trick i can't speak to 49 other states that if you're in federal prison you're probably a bad person. >> two more quick question. whatever republican strategist colleagues made a comment about the times and saying in some areas of donald trump cells and works in some areas of the country it's like being stranded in the middle of the ocean holding onto the outside of the boat with donald trump pointed down.

i'm interested in -- >> talk about hillary clinton, to. >> was going to happen this week? is the party going to come together? do you feel like that plate tectonics are converging or pulling apart the? >> i hope so anything so. party unity which is the word of the day is not enough. we can't just be a unified party. we have to be a growing party and reach new voters in new places. let's just face the facts. we've lost two straight presidential elections. we have not won the popular vote in five out of six. we are not a majority of america's republicans. the good is it democrats are not a majority to but not enough to find republicans. with to reach voters who have not been voting for us, even though they been voting force in other elections. i hope what you will hear from the convention this week is not something that's going to help bring republicans together but help bring in millions of independents and democrats to our side who want an america

that be safer and more prosperous. >> the last time and avg you had a baby the next day. this time about a week ago you announced you and your wife announce you are about to have another child is on the way. so final question. have you picked out names of? >> not. do you have any bright ideas? tom, stephen? we just announced we're expecting a christmas baby. we will have a son do around christmas. >> that's great, congratulations. ladies and gentlemen, senator tom cotton. [applause] [inaudible conversations] >> wasn't this on? first of all thank you all very much for joining us. at 4 p.m. you can come back to the call our cocktail caucus. we are going to have wine, beer and brownies and thus doth. music and wildness.

if you think it's wild over there, it's going to be much wilder over here so thank you very much for coming and joining us and we'll see you at 4:00. thanks a lot. [applause] >> more discussion on republican politics and the effect of donald trump campaign on congressional races in just a bit. a reminder you can see every minute of the republican convention on c-span, was odyssey been reading up and give you on demand by go to c-span.org and whether you can browse the full schedule of speakers for the convention including senator tom cotton who we just heard from. he is speaking this evening along with senator jeff sessions, donald trump foreign policy pfizer senator joni ernst. here's a few minutes from this point at the rnc press conference with donald trump's campaign manager as to the question about party unity. [inaudible]

what you message to those folks? >> the party is unified. certainly the bush family while we would've liked to have had them, they have not been, they are part of the path. we're dealing with the future, dealing with fixing the issues that relate to the future. what we would like to have them they do not reflect the broad strokes of the republican party. many of the delegates who supported jeb bush, many of the delegates composed of delegates who supported the other cameras are all supporting donald trump at this convention. by and large, no more than a traditional part of the convention. conventions are healing time, not a time when everything is finally done. we feel the healing time is happening and when we leave, by large is going to be a united republican party, on message. governor pence has helped us to do.

he brings a whole group of segment of the party that has some questions about donald trump because they didn't know. the problems that we feel exist inside or existed inside the party relate to that donald trump has not been a part of the political process for the last 10 years. while that's been an issue with had to deal with it's been much more of an advantage fo for mr. trump because his dark chocolate with any of the problems of the last 10 years and he can bury free of the shackles to talk specific about what the issues are and what needs to be done and who's going to break gridlock without feeling the pressure of having to be conventionally and politically correct india with washington. it's a double edged sword but the party is united. eoc speakers like governor walker, congressman, senator cruz, governor christie, governor huckabee, many may other candidates will be speaking on the program who ran for president as well as other

leaders the party, congressman ryan will be speaking, senator mcconnell to be speaking. so the range of leaders both in washington and in the states and presidential candidates will be a part of this program and are working with as close as we put together this state organizations. spent everybody would be alive with every minute of both republican and democratic conventions. watch it on c-span, listen on the c-span ready app and get video on demand. now more from cleveland on the first day of the republican convention, national republican chair greg walden talked about the possible down ticket effects of donald trump. from the atlantic this is one hour 15 minutes. >> [inaudible conversations]

>> good morning, everybody. can you be? welcome to cleveland. [inaudible] before we get rolling on what to take a moment to thank our underwriters were making our week include the possible come and they are the american petroleum institute, maker's mark. we will have bourbon ballot manhattan's and our custom drinks delegates delight here later today. just not at breakfast. a few housekeeping notes before we get started. we are on twitter hashtag of the atlantic rnc and we've got an allegedly convention at which you can download. it will look for the atlantic convention hq in the apple

store. that will give you every bit of information you could possibly want about what we're doing this weekend also in philadelphia. we've got speakers, session times and updates everything else. and now our session is about the battle for congress. before we do that and move on to the substance i want to put the week and love it if context as we get underway in cleveland. we have seismic events unfolding around us. yesterday there was another police ambush. is one in baton rouge. that was on the heels of more death and racial divide across the country. just last friday a bloody two and chaotic uprising in turkey, one of his encounters with strategic allies. before that and then turned a 19-ton truck into a weapon and killed scores of people enjoying bastille day fireworks in southern france. i say this just to reveal the complexities of the world at a

time when america is about to choose our next president, this is after campaign season has been i think it's fair to say like no other. this week donald trump in indiana governor mike pence will formally become the republican party ticket, presidential ticket. and beyond that as we had to talk about today the control of congress is up for grabs. key races across the country and we will ask the question while republicans maintain control of congress at the house and senate qwikster 34 senate seat races this year. of those 24 are now controlled by the gop and in the house, republicans occupied 247 of the 435 seats in question. let's begin the conversation. we're going to invite oregon congressman greg walden, chairman of the nrcc, the national republican congressional committee, and his job is to keep the republicans in control of the house. my colleague molly writes about politics for the atlantic is to

delete the conversation. molly and congressman. [applause] >> hi, everybody. thank you so much for coming. congressman, thank you for being with us. >> good morning. >> let's start with the question that margaret asked. are republicans going to keep control of the house speak with yes. >> problem solved. everybody can go home. turns out it was a short session to elaborate on that a little. why do you think the republicans are in a good position? >> thanks to atlanta for hosting this event, inviting me to participate. first let me thank margaret for opening comments. on all of our hearts and prayers go out to those across the world and here at home who have been afflicted by the violence that we've seen terrorist actions that we witness. i think in part it is the feeling that many americans have considered it leads as to where we are here in cleveland today. they are frustrated.

if you're in the middle class, you probably feel like you haven't had a race in a long time. by the way you just about to get your obama get insurance rates and they're going out. i was just that in my district yesterday copy before doing panels on the site because were i what that was the topic. about what's happening, lack of access to care. i really think this election can get down to being framed about whether you want to continue things the way they are or whether you are ready for real change. i think americans are ready for real change the way from this administration policies. so that's the first thing. we are not running any vacuum. so often the question i get from the pundits is solely about one nominee, and that person's potential effect pro or con on the race. amazingly there's two nominees or three or four or five of but two major party nominees.

what we see as a look in these races is that hillary clinton is as unpopular in the districts where we are being competitive in most cases ca, not everything the case, as donald trump. but what is distinct is that our members and our candidates are very strong and received a special our members to think that great fundraising. they are doing what they need to do in washington and what they need to get out of. i feel pretty good about where we are at. saying that, we had 26 members in seats bravo, -- seats that barack obama triggered we new editor for election cycle. that make different standards for polling, different campaign strategies. everything was going to be different and we knew that going in. we take nothing for granted. happy with the crew we have. i think we're in good shape. >> i'm going to the voters we don't have this chair in between us. a little more intimate conversation. what would you say is your

ballpark? structurally you're bound to lose at least a few seats. what are you looking at so far? >> i don't give outrageous endeavors. i did that last time, the drive to to 45 and i was wrong. we skated the 247. >> seems like you're a good offensive numbers thing. >> it was a pretty aspirational goal when we put it out. i do feel like we're in good shape. do what he puts and takes. we've got some retirements that create some opportunities but they get some retirements that greagreat opportunities. as with applicable be. be. this notion some a to r. 70-abc's at play is rather preposterous. he would be down to casting maurice rogers, that's a together along the way there are two republicans that don't even have democratic opponent against them. the notion that somehow this playing field has been opened very wide devised the data, defies logic and i don't

understand speakers how many do you think are in place because traditional sort of 20 seats where the battleground is. that's probably pretty logically the case. especially if you figure 26 members insist that barack obama carried, some members that retired. there will be puts and takes speak jamaican get asked a lot about the effects of the top of the ticket. what effect do you think the republican nominee will have on your members and to recruit? >> it depends a district by district. in most cases i would not donald trump is more popular than hillary clinton, but in addition to that our members have their own unique identities because they're working in the districts, below them. they are favorable on tables are very strong it is hubinette doing to work in your district your voters know you. it's a lot easier to link a democrat to hillary clinton because she is like quintessential establishment democratic party continue the

obama administration for ever and ever, amen. that it is to link a republican to donald trump. they will try that. they will have some limited success but they are totally different styles of campaigns. >> it sounds like you're expecting your candidates to want to distance themselves from trump spared no. the candidates get to do whatever they want and you will see in many cases we have members and candidates that are openly embracing the nominee. they are out on television all the time and in the districts. that happens virtually every type of the duplicate for the outfit was the nominee or not. i think you are seeing that in some cases with hillary clinton. >> what are some cases were using that? >> they are sorely shying away and haven't embraced the if they're in a republican seat, which there are not many of those, where they're trying to distance. nancy pelosi was in omaha the other night at dinner with her at ashford and a big kerfuffle about what she d did to help or not at all that.

it's like each of these races is going to be different. >> what are some of your favorite? i'd like to drill down into some individual races. do you have favorite recruits, some great stories we should know about a potential members of congress? >> we've got some good candidates and more are emerging. if you look at brian fitzpatrick running, his brother mike fitzpatrick seat. different personalities. he retired from the fbi counterintelligence, terrorism work to come home to pennsylvania and when. going to knock it out of the park. general don taken in a long who committed off a air force base, truex service for the country running a very positive campaign. the dccc was so scared of getting the nomination they spend $433,000 in his primary to tell voters that he wasn't, that he was more mainstream. thanks, we'll take that and put in the bank.

now what would you say in the general election to give guscott jones, sheriff of sacramento county. you go around the country triple candidates, one into the other. >> arveson sleeper races that maybe are not on my radar as competitive but you see? >> that's how we keep them. >> top secret? >> you know. >> you mentioned the issues and some the things you hear about from constituents when you're back in your district. do you think that the chaos and instability saying, does that change the political landscape? >> absolutely. and i tell you this because we've seen this for the last couple of years. the instability around the world the failed foreign policies of this administration whenever it is the obama-clinton foreign policy. she was the second estate. she did help design and implement what we have now. it's hard to find a place in the

world that's more secure and safe, america's more respected than eight years ago. i have trouble coming up with one. obviously we now know isis is not jv team. they are deadly, organized and sophisticated and they always were. this leads into the angst i think americans feel today that some a leading from behind has left us more vulnerable. that's why you see strength in the issues of foreign policy and american security. we know that because were out in contact with constituents. the democratic congressional committee just discovered this through great polling and focus grouping according to steve israel, the former dccc china. a separate folder, group did and guess what we discovered nasa's duty is an issue. not fooling. they have to do it all figured out you're not in touch with the average american. i think we are. national security is a huge issue. income insecurity is a big

issue. part of what we saw is donald trump on the right and bernie sanders on the left tap into a similar vein of discontent in america. they have different ideas about where to take that but there's a reason that said yourself on for so long as it is people on the left don't feel secure. and think we can do it better. we think there's a better way forward. paul ryan has outlined that in the better way to laser our initiatives for energy, health care reform, other budget issues of separation of powers and it gives americans a positive platform to choose. >> what about crime and domestic instability? trump has talked a lot about being a law and order candidate and making america safe not just from foreign threats but from instability in our cities because of something your candidates will talk a lot about? >> i would assume so, yes, because it's all part of the

saints do of insecurity. if you don't feel safe about going out in the middle of the day or on sunday morning an american city, there's something wrong and you're looking for somebody who can help fix that. when police office are being literally assassinated the inner cities, something dramatically is wrong. from one end of the. >> into the out in terms of these issues i think americans are looking for focused leadership to figure out how to get us in the safe return at home and then you've got the terrorist attacks in the u.s., san bernardino, orlando. people go how does that happen? the our not simplistic easy answers. this stuff is harder to get but we have to do more than what we're doing. >> the answers we for some donald trump involved involve mostly keeping people out, getting rid of foreign intruders, keeping out if not all muslims, people from certain countries that harbor terrorism. is that the platform your members are mostly run a? >> what our members running on,

it is being very careful about how we track people who come here. vis-à-vis form for example. if you look at people are here a document or illegally, about half of them, 47% came here legally on a visa and then overstayed. kind of forgot to go home. you've got others to try and use the system to come in and do bad things. talked to michael mccaul are chairman of homeland security committee can give you all the data that clearly the research that the homeland security committee has done has determined that our people, not many but enough, it only takes one to get through who are trying to use our goodwill as americans to get in your to do harm to us. they've gone overseas and trained. we have to be very smart about how they got out of this. i think that's the key and you see in the take legislative steps to deal very surgically with this problem and very thoughtfully with this problem.

>> do you think donald trump is going to win the general election speakers i think he is every opportunity when the general election the window in america, it's very divided these elections are not landslides. this is not 1984. so it will be a competitive election. i think you are seeing in the polling when you get down to the states that will really be the battling grounds, it's very competitive for tied right now. are using evidence? we hear a lot about trump with arranging the map in some ways, changing the electoral taxe tacs entrance of which states are applicable which dates are and are not competitive speak we see a bit of that. were looking district by district. we look at the statewide but our focus is each race and each campaign. but we are seeing places, if you look at pennsylvania to some recent polling data showed i think trump of the of the polling shows in tampa clearly pennsylvania must be in play.

there are other states where he simply picke pick their artistic stupples a price people were trump is when either i think there's a bit of that going on out there. i think we will not better on the president asked egypt to these two conventions and a kind of subtle zen. i think our house races from what we are seeing our independent of the presidential for the most part. there will always be influences but for the most part our members are identified, our candidates are identified and they are running their own races. >> do you think they can be totally independent speakers i didn't say totally. there's always influenced. >> is that saying there are going to be, say, republicans who are not may be supportive of the nominee he will come up to vote for the congressman? >> i think that's the case. that happens. i think it will happen to me yesterday because we are not going to sit on our hands. we will be doing voter identification determined to those types of voters are.

we will be reaching out to them and will be motivating them to turn out to vote and will be helping them turn out to vote. voter turnout grassroots on the ground is really important element of winning any campaign. we are very focused on that. >> talk to me about tactics because we've heard a lot about the effort that the nominee has yet to make in terms of staff and allocating resources on the ground and advertising things like that it is not a place where the committees pick up the slack and were deployed staff and resources to fill in those gaps? >> we each have our own sort of wheelhouse. we do the house, someone else does the senate. to his great credit reince priebus is that a remarkable job of the republican national committee. let's start with that can compare the rnc to the dnc. the dnc has been wracked with controversy, disarray, threats to throw out the chairwoman. they are essentially broke.

they have not had a good run. they've never gotten over from the last election, which they won in 2012. ..

we go into this when annoying as a presidential year. nobody expected presidential year. we are all adjusting. again i would rather be asked than them. >> i'm going to throw it out for questions in just a couple of minutes to start thinking of your brilliant queries. i want to talk about ohio since were here. i remember traveling around four years ago. what are the competitive seats in ohio. >> that is a really good question. it speaks to and makes my argument. they are not spending any money in ohio.

>> you just think it's all the off the table. >> is there any that you could see coming on. >> they have to go run races but they are competent, capable and proven electoral vote gathers and they are doing a great job. show me the high-profile race in the ohio. the second cycle in a row by the way that they haven't spent a dime in ohio. this used to be the big battleground. go to new jersey. you look at tom macarthur he was a self funder last time. the recruit failed to win the primary.

where is the competitive seed there. you go around the country and go race by race and you realize we are in good shape. we will have our own set of competitive races. >> one seat because i've always been interested in is nevada's third what is going on there? we went through primary on both sides. joe heck leads the ticket. he came to me and said i'm gonna run for the senate i said that's the best news i've heard because for you to win the senate and you can make sure that mike coffman wins his seat and you paid up your dues it fully. simple things happened. i think in some respects, joe is a good friend. a tough race. that is a competitive seed always. you have all of those influences in their winning

last week in washington. they're off to a strong start. it will be a competitive seat. go next door to nevada four. we just did a survey in their that goes with data from last fall that shows crescent hardy ahead. and donald sharp wins that district. >> this is the fourth district. it is more democrat than the third district but when you have somebody of that caliber who knows how to run good campaigns he has to be strong in his district competitive on the floor and well when the second. i will be out there next week helping do events. we feel really good about those races but now you're into the battleground.

>> we have a question. i think we have a microphone. >> the rnc is running as a national security party and donald trump has taken a strong position against isis yet would never heard him distinguish a sunni from a shiite. he doesn't seem to be aware of the fact that carpet bonnie would be destroying civilians. he doesn't seem to be aware that the pkk influence in turkey is influencing how we deal with turkey. he is given no indication that he has any understanding at all of the complexity of the middle east. how do you feel that your candidate can project an image of strength when he seems to have no understanding of the issues?

>> i think you will see him lay out his national security use at the convention and i think that is a responsibility of any candidate. i will not presume to do that for him. i can tell you we have laid out our views in further, i look at a continuation of the obama clinton foreign-policy. when you look at that how do you see that plane out. >> i disagree with you. >> i think that you think that the missile test are okay. >> [inaudible] >> they are violating agreements that they have. but this is the point. this is why americans are frustrated because you enter into a bad deal that puts israel at peril and then

immediately they go and violate other agreements which they have done. >> i think we've heard some good arguments for both perspectives here but if i can restate that in a different way you have alluded to trump being an un- orthodox workup public and and i had been interested in whether he leaves a permanent mark on the party whether he wins or loses do you think he is changing what the republican party stands for? >> every nominee does their own campaign and they have an effect on the party because they are the nominee of the party and they are the spokesperson of the party because republicans around the country came together and said we want you because you are in touch with what we are concerned about. there are a lot of folks in america who are very frustrated with security internationally their health

care premiums going up they are looking for a fighter and they know that something like a donald trump can bring around him very talented and qualified people that can provide the rest of the framework if you well. i think his choice in mike pence is a good choice. he is a very thoughtful guy and i think he will bring a very great addition to the ticket. you build a team is not just one person. >> high. just talking about republican identity again on trade obviously mister trump has said a lot of things about nafta and other areas and they

had been a free trade environment whose party is it now you yourself i think have supported that is at something that is going to change in the future? >> trade coming from the northwest we are very engaged in trade. so trade it really matters i'm wish they would move over to my district. trade really matters. good trade deals matter. what i find most striking when i was a freshman bill clinton was in the white house. he have me on the ag committee in an effort to get succession for china and other deals. we've literally met with the president several times. the democratic party of bill clinton it is a party of burning seniors. when hillary clinton now comes

out against the very trade agreement that she have to be part of pushing and said she can't be there she has met so moved so far to the left you wonder where the trade remains. if you look at tpa which just set up the trademark for debating. i may be wrong on that. there were only 28 democrats. my friends tell me you can count on half of that at most. there is still a strong effort among republicans to engage internationally on trade. there are questions about this agreement that still linger however and my guess is if you put it up for a vote on the floor today it would go down dramatically. and so the industries that benefit they are strongly in support of it. others had been fairly silent.

>> do you think any chance that it goes through in lame duck wears it back to the drawing board? >> don't take this as a partisan comment but when you talk to democrats they say i don't think we would have ten votes for it. in the past the democrats under bill clinton he was able to get 50 or 60 votes for these agreements. that's what it's good to take. we've always had. >> do you think that republican votes would still be there at the democrats could get theirs. >> it was not a trade agreement it was a set up condition for how we would consider as you know. now you're in the nuts and bolts of the trade agreement. you get down in the south and they say we were left down. there's no way we can vote for it.

some of the car manufacturers have issues. so you begin to hear from your members who had voted for trade agreements in the past who say i have problems with this trade agreement. they're unhappy about it. and unless you can figure those pieces out somehow and i'm not sure that you could do that. ironically they do a lot to box in china if you will give us an upper hand or a better hand in those negotiations. i was just over in seoul and tokyo so i recognize the importance of it. but there are some problems with it internally that i think it will preclude a majority vote. so any more things we could

discuss here but we are out of time. [applause] >> david let's start with you. i would like you to fact check what he was saying about the house races. >> he mentioned that ohio there is not any competitive races going on. that is true. they had 12 of those. what he did mentioned that it was part of that. they were going to pick up between five and 15 seats in the house. in the party has separate challenges. for democrats they had three challenges in particular, the first is a message problem. it's been hard for them to tie republican incumbents to

donald trump. only 74 percent of house republicans have endorsed him. they also have a timing problem. by the time he won the nomination in may the filing deadlines have passed and 81 percent of congressional districts so is hard for them to get good challenges. then they also have a geography problem. when you consider where she is likely to run up the score the democratic advantages they are benefiting her and they are happening in a lot of cases in seats that democrats already hold in the house. those voters can help them in the senate race. they will hold onto them for democrats. for republicans is much more of a challenge of governing in 2017 if paul ryan has a reduced house majority.

they also have an image problem considering the 87 percent of house republicans are white men only 43% of democrats are white men. it could actually go up. the challenges that you talked about for republicans are not electoral challenges? >> this is a majority that is a record majority. that could be reduced to where it was after 2012 it would be an median outcome. you also have the house freedom caucus. it's a waiting and the wings. it could span to over 40 members and that means the person most difficult this year of anyone is paul ryan. >> i feel like we have heard that so many times. anthony you have the new pulling on some senate races could you tell us about that. >> we looked at the senate race and let me start here in

ohio and we have portman up by a point even as trump is behind clinton 44-45. he is up by a point in the large point because donald trump is having a hard time in keeping the primary voters from folks that voted against them specifically that his case vocal nurse. -- that is john kasich voters. they say they may not vote or they're just hanging back so people talk in broader terms about will the top of the ticket be a boost or a drag on the ticket i think in the case of donald trump and in the case of all of these republicans who are running in blue states the extent to which they can unify the base

and the party and he can bring over some of those reluctant republicans is really behind a lot of his numbers here that's why he is there as well as he is in iowa where we also pulled but i think at this point bodes well for portland. >> you have portland up 41%-40%. it's very close obviously. it suggests that there could be a lot of ticket splitters in this election. is it going to make a comeback in some of these senate races? >> it's almost dead if you look at the national trends you can go back 20 or 30 years and you can find about a quarter of people who split their tickets in some fashion.

now it is down to something in the mid- single digits. it's five or 6%. if you looked at it last year obama retained 95% senate to house and roughly the same with romney. will it make a comeback this year. potentially guess. there is a couple of things. think about the dynamic behind it. there is one theory of it that people are less informed voters and they just go straight to the party. there aren't that many such voters. the other one though is kind of interesting. if you are a reluctant republican and you're not quite there with trump and suppose you do go over to hillary clinton do you then vote for a republican senator because it might end up being

clinton president because i want to check on her presidency. is that every verse ticket split from the idea of just sticking with the party and going straight down. kind of reluctant republicans. it is a mix in the polls. there are some and we know the story. there are some moderates and independents who aren't quite with trump yet just to put a number on it. he's in about the mid- 70s he obviously needs to get to the mid- 90s by contrast he is in the mid- 80s with liberal in democrats. are they the soccer moms? there is a mix of people who are very conservative they don't think he represents the essence in the values of the

party. maybe the mike pence pick helps with that. you may see some very conservative voters who aren't yet ready to back him. this becomes a turnout problem. >> david, as you mentioned the democrats had have the whole strategy and is to tie house candidates to donald trump and put them over and over again. but you see evidence that that is not necessarily effective. with regard to ticket splitting i think anthony is absolutely right. those who are likely to split their tickets are likely to be well-educated higher income voters. traditionally that has been the group that has differentiated from the top of the ticket and the congressional ballot. in this year we see they are more likely to vote for

hillary clinton but the democrats are doing everything they can in these ads particularly in the 25th district that helps republicans to tell voters that they are putting party ahead of country. we will see if it resonates as we get closer to the election when they start tooting into the congressional races. party image plays a role in this also. and in some of the questions we have ask has the nomination of hillary clinton made you think a better or worse of the democratic party. an outside of the liberal base. the answer is no. and when we ask has the nomination of donald trump made you think better of worse of the republican party. so if you want to talk in round terms about whether or not they bowed for them and

help the senate candidates who are running and just running under that party label the answer at this point seems to be a wild card on the side. having said that the republican incumbents are no names. and that at least gives them a chance and that's why the hear them and see them say i represent our party more than donald trump. and that is a distance that they have. >> who are the most vulnerable republican senators. what happens is by comparison we see the perfect storm in favor of the republicans where they took advantage of. so this year it is very much the reverse of that. you have a number it's probably six or seven who are

republicans sitting senators and now an open seat or two who are running and in states that are reliably blue. give the race in new hampshire and in ohio florida is interesting who will suggest that they actually have an edge there at this point. i know democrats were hopeful that could be a seat that they would pick up. he does seem to have an edge in the polling there at least at the outset. so those are some of the top ones. the string of republicans sitting in blue states where they are worried about that. >> is your big picture prediction a pick up of a few seats. >> simply by the numbers they are likely to pick up a few. whether or not they get the number that they need or they

get the majority that i think is not yet clear. >> david how do you see the geography of the house landscape. when they mentioned that pennsylvania may be more competitive than most presidential years because of the democratics of the appeal because of the way he seems to generate more enthusiasm and quite a bit less among minorities and voters. does that alter where you see competitive districts are they concentrated in a particular district. >> i think pennsylvania is a state to watch. and if you start out with 206 electrical votes that they carried in 2012 and work your way up and say where does donald trump need to win i don't think a path for him to

get there without winning both florida and ohio. but what were the next closest dates in 2012? they were colorado, pennsylvania and virginia. they are younger states they are more diverse states. but if there was one state if he is truly competitive by election day it is pennsylvania. they will all go a long way towards determining the outcome in the senate. if i have to pick two races that intrigued me right now they are the second district and maine second district. what you head in common. keep in mind those are also the states that district is 94% it's a big margin by 2014 and hillary clinton decided to counter by opening a campaign

office in obama -- obama -- omaha. we will see if she can put that suburban and diverse district in play and of course that is just one electrical college vote in each of those places but it still could be interesting. >> it could certainly have an impact. >> both of those seats have a vulnerable house freshmen. it is the first democrat to get elected since 1982. and republicans in northern maine that is the first republican to get elected to the house since 1994. you have an interesting symmetry in these districts as well. >> one of the ideas that rep. greg walden mentioned was the idea that donald trump would be a drag on the republican ticket doesn't account for the fact that they are a drag on the other side of the ticket.

she is also extremely unpopular. do you see not be the case? to make i think we pay exclusive attention at our peril because hillary clinton is pulling just as badly. and we see this across the house landscape. there is a again and again here. with a lot of blue-collar class. they're actually pulling pretty well. it's what they need to defend. on the other hand in the second and third districts you have a suburban electric it. that imperils the strength on those seeds. -- seats. there is an interesting symmetry.

>> do you see any impact of the third party candidate. because of the unpopularity of the democratic candidates. >> right now if you look at the polls poles they are doing relatively well and i have seen some in the low double digits. a combination of johnson and stein. >> i've seen a combination certainly in ours. the third-party candidates don't pull as much as they usually do. or they stay home. it is usually that.

having said that these things are gonna be so close that let not dismiss that. if they have the effect on turnout or vote that goes away from one party to another. that could certainly if you look at the stability of the vote here it is consistent. at least over the last few weeks he has been steady at where he is in the polls. >> it is only going to get more interesting this year. thank you everybody. is now time for your next line up. >> next up is michael steele. he was republican national chair from 2009-2011.

he is now an ms nbc political analyst and he is here with my colleague steve clements. take it away. >> michael think you for joining us. i know you are very uncomfortable with all of the republicans around its comp located for you. you are on record many times talking about donald trump and now he has proven everyone wrong. he is clocked 16 other challengers. the kind of class i would say many of them say he has no chance to win. can you give us your view of what will unfold but what does his path look like? >> in large measure his past lives where it has always been. out across the heartland. out in neighborhoods and communities that have been forgotten for a while by both

political parties he has this ability to keep it real and you know what we are a conventional people in politics we like have things neatly packaged. they don't do anything to unravel the status quo. they basically flips everybody the board -- bird and then he uses double language and they had been doing this. when you go back it was the moment where i said okay i get it now.

he is one of us. how does that work. you are here raising your kids and trying to make ends meet. he connects with me on the things that i'm really angry about and he articulates that. he manifests that back in a way and i think it works for him. and donald trump is really not worried about the process. think about this, he has have probably the worst six weeks to two months any political candidate has head. can we all agree on that? and the latest polls have him tied some up by three some down by seven let's make it worse case 12. what is a tie about where the american people are right now.

i heard you this morning and they were all worried about they do not pull in the celebrities. does she not get it or do they look at you like you're from mars? >> it is just the question of trying to connect the dots. can we get comfortable with the idea that donald trump just doesn't care? as you get comfortable with that space then you can begin to move into some of the other spaces you need to move and in order to understand where the election is . who is it. does he want hollywood stars. he wants his children and his

wife because he wants there. this is about branding in the identification politics. we want to reinforce the identification that you made with us. he's not phased by that. he doesn't care the everyone's that everyone's upset that we have b list stars. but he seemed to care at least at some level in a weird way. >> we were all watching you know all these folks much better.

so how did you unfold. do they help them out in the long run. everybody on the inside that i know tells me that chris christie was who he really was. in a real sense he was torn. between where he saw himself going in the administration and that kind of partner he wanted to help him get there and do the things he needed to do. but even before that having someone prosecute the case i think we can all agree clearly that it was the best at doing that i think he really wanted to pull in that direction but the family have a different perspective. i think we have a different perspective that what they were looking for were a number of things. they wanted someone to bring the party closer together into his orbit. despite the stuff you hear

them say the impression it leaves everybody is like wasn't that great. they had been generally concerned about many elements of the last six or eight particularly his daughter who is savvy, smart and cleared and on two sides. also the process is trying to renegotiate some of that. that was a lot of detention. his had and heart was really with christie for someone that could help bring the party and

a lot of times you don't know john kasich. when you were running and you are running the party did you have this element of those folks that were sitting at home saying they really represent me. and the angry white working-class person. >> it was in a different form than it is today. a lot has changed in the last six years. having a meeting with about 50 people from around the country who wanted to meet with the new chairman. they sit down and they say

were peers -- were pissed. they said let's talk. that was the beginning of the tea party and i asked them a little bit more, what is this all about. we are about a party. they seem to be ignored. the fiscal responsibility to the american people. we have seen how it has morphed and changed into other things. and that box i get the sense of where this was going and michael at that point was to really understand it. to see how we can keep this anger from ripping at the edges and certainly within the interior of the party. particularly given the fact

that they started picking up some of our incumbents. we were losing folks in nevada and elsewhere. guys let's come back to the table and talk. what do you want? let me tell you what i want. i need you to back our guys and we will back years. we are gonna be there to fight with you. then you would be there to fight for us. but we cannot afford to have that. so we focus the energy around some very clear ideas around the economy certainly about healthcare in the beginning of the obama care debate and crystallized in the fall of 2010 with the pelosi effort. either way we executed from

the grassroots all the way up. we got to the point of recognizing that what was going on in small communities was a same thing that was going on and bigger communities. we would take a national issue and we would make the argument if you want your dogcatcher to do a better job you need to fire pelosi. and they said exactly. >> and that is what is missing now. the audience hasn't have the benefit of our earlier conversations but you have always said that there is some uncomfortable conversations that need to be have at the republican party on race, on inclusion and i just wonder when you're sitting there talking about these groups when you look at it today you have all of these protest groups and race is a clearly an issue in this campaign whether it is same-sex mac

marriage the party doesn't seem to be in a place where once a step forward on those issues. how do you deal with that? as a strategist you tried try to while those often say were not going to discuss them now or you just dive in and say we are not doing the nations or the constituents a service. >> i think we had walled off enough. how do you do that with mister trump. one of my frustrations with donald trump is that when we worked over the years is not the guy i see every day on tv. the guy i've got to know is someone who generally cares about workers.

he is the guy who has been and i'm hoping the stories come out this week and this is where the family wants to go with some of this. to this day is still paying the bills for employees who left the employee ten or 15 years ago. they were having healthcare issues. it didn't matter to him. you were someone who worked in his family and his community in his orbit and he helped. that side of the narrative does not get discussed. no one is talking about that other side where he was generally put his own resources at the disposal of others who worked for him. there is a gang in the gang of donald trump. we have seen and i don't know why he is allowed at this narrative it really kind of defines has persona which he

has defined it himself in many respects but there are other narratives about him and how he has engaged with people. i think it to the broader issue of race i'm get a be honest with you i'm not looking to barack obama or hillary clinton to start this or solve this conversation. if you are, it then you are full. the reality of it is is that they need to come to an understanding that there is a real tension that no one is addressing that no one is getting too. too. i was in a conversation the other day someone was making at the point about the goal is to make sure that everyone has economic opportunities and resources, i'm thinking like let's do that but as a black man i have that big house in the great job but the problem is on my way home from that great job i get pulled over by

the cops. then what do i do. it doesn't matter how rich i am or how much money i head in the bank i am a black man in a car at 1:00 in the morning. >> do you get pulled over the reality of it is it doesn't matter. unless you really begin to prepare to have that conversation. i had have the conversation with my boys 27--- in 24. you are the most dangerous person in the car when you get pulled over. and lo and behold just two weeks ago a friend of my recounted the story. it changed in that situation. his son said i can sense the

difference. when you're pulled over this is what you do. and when ask do you know why i pulled you over no sir i do not. that is a conversation that black families are having with their sons right now as we speak . a lot of folks are ignorant of that a lot of folks don't appreciate that and some folks don't even care about that. but it goes to the heart and root of what we are seen happening right now on the streets of our country. i am telling you unless we are serious about this in having this conversation in dealing with attention it is going to get worse not better. it's not a republicans fault or a democrats fault it's us as americans. we stopped giving a damn about each other and we just want to take out all of the pains of

jobs and unemployment and it's your call. that is not what america is. >> when you had delegates around town some of them are really excited others are looking a little bit lost. a lot of people are here saying this is a wash. there are other players involved. a guy named richard temple said with regard to trump in the rest of the party and everyone else running in the party it's like holding onto a boat in the middle of the ocean and trump is underneath hanging onto you. i am wondering this week which is gonna be so much there is a huge republican party. does it help everybody or hurt

everybody. when it has other folks on the ticket. i have not bought into all that for a number of reasons because i think people in large measure they are smart enough to part if the anger and frustration as there is there as much as 2006 you are not going to win no matter how much they like you. that is a party problem. if the anger and frustration is with an individual candidate so i met you running for public office i'm not going to take it out on you if you're already in service or whatever. i think people really part of that for themselves. i don't see that as this kind of election. people are just mad at the

entire party when it comes to the house i would like to make the joke i built that house, it ain't going nowhere. get that notion out of your mind. send a little bit more in play. let's be clear, they were week before donald trump showed up. if you are marco rubio or anyone else those candidates they won't necessarily lose but they were on the bible. they are red senators and blue states. this is a presidential election and we know how we've done nationally. we have to be a little bit careful about how we look at that. >> we just had a one minute left.

he is the coolest dude. he writes election. he's over in the back. and he is a great accent. >> if there's going to be any redrawing of the map do you guess that could be people being persuaded throughout party lines. or is there some magic thing happening with turnout. what will we get for that. other people say that is that misleading part. what do you think is can happen as terms of that. there are some misleading data points.

they were largely and have been for a long time general election voters. they just vote later in the process. new voters who came in and they have given up on the process and said you know what, an f for me to get in. i think what is can happen this november i think we will see more people turn out. i think the debates are going to be the most popular events in the history of this country. i think that people have a view and opinion on this cycle about the candidates they are not liked. so that the idea that it translates into electability does not apply. this is not been a rate. with the burning factor. not a big policy rate.

you know that 40-point plans are winning today. i think it's something that is a little bit more personal and i think that is can a drive them out. the enemy to them in a way that make them want to lash out. i think there is can be a good turnout. and i do say for the record i hope there is. democracy is a precious guest -- gift and not everyone gets to celebrate it around the world. and we should take advantage of it. go vote and express your love dislike, whatever you want to call it for your candidate with a vote. we are both from maryland. you ran for senate in 2006. or are you thinking of coming back one day.

i'd like to give back in the game. senate is a real possibility. it is a genuine opportunity to get back. the idea public service is meaningful and it is personal. you can't keep that ms nbc contract. down the road it is a real opportunity and i tried to make a difference every day. ladies and gentlemen michael steele. that was a thoughtful way to begin the day. we want to think our

sponsors. thank you all so much for being here. we hope to see you all week. [applause] c-span as live with every minute of the republican convention today and over the next three days. here is a look behind the scenes at the technology being used at the convention including an app and snap chat. >> it is all changing. we have to adapt to that. it's really exciting the way we are dealing with this. we know that in the suitemate priority.

everything we touch. we are making sure that there is a constant operation. we are trying to create opportunities that capture content. the operation is really there to support it. we will have the providers and see what we are doing there. it is actually a couple of things. it brings information about the proceedings. they will actually be able to live his treatment there as well. we will also had an experience for the folks that are actually coming here. the information about transportation there.

we are very excited and we hope that they will be able to do that. it just needs more access. it is more than just being in your seat to watch it that's what really does it. i think that is important. it will improve the experience. we watch our snap wash our snap chat a couple of weeks ago. we are using that platform. they were able to reach voters there and get a unique convention there. we were able actually to get that. it is can have some buildout space here. and getting content. look for our gop convention. twitter will be all over happening with that as well. they will also have some media

in that around the country. we also had google that will be the official life stream. it is great to see that. >> she is our little mascot here. we created a little family. you have seen some of the things we have done. we were looking at the delegations. we are at the night. we are really working hard to think about several spots.

we are really appreciative of that. it still takes a lot of work. i imagine we will be running around everywhere. we will try to capture the delegates in the event going events going out on around the convention. you can sort of video that. it's really about making sure everything is amplified and the moments are living on. ..

google play. get audio coverage of every minute of the convention as well as schedule information aboutimportant speeches and events . get c-span on the go with the c-span radio. attorney general loretta lynch presented her predecessor eric holder with the national organization of black law enforcement executives leadership award . for attorney general holder acknowledged digressions between law-enforcement communities and call the police to take on the gun lobby. this is 90 minutes. >>.

[inaudible conversation] the national organization of black law enforcement executives annual conference and opening session is now in session. >> we now have presentation by the united states presence and border protection. please stand.

>> ... [singing] oh say can you see by the dawn's early light what so proudly we hailed at the twilight's last gleaming .

whose broad stripes and bright stars through the perilous fight. over the ramparts we watched were so gallantly streaming. and the rockets red glare, the bombs bursting in air gave proof through the night that our flag was still there. oh, say does that star-spangled banner yet wave over the land of the free and the home of the brave.

>>. [singing] loud as the rolling cds let us march on, let us

march on till victory is on. sing the song, sing a song, sing a song, sing a song , sing a song, sing a song , we come in, we, treading path of the slaughtered. where the gleam of our break store is cast. god of our weary years. god of our silent tears.

thou who hast brought us far on the way. thou who has by dynamite lead us into the light. keep us forever in the path, we pray. lest our feet stray from the places our god where we met the. lest our hearts, drunk with the wine of the world, we forget the. shadowed beneath thy hand, may we forever stand. true to our god, true to our

native land. amen. [applause] i now like to introduce our national chaplain, reverend doctor barbara williams.

>> let us pray. father, again we thank you that we are in this place to honor you. we thank you that we come together to share, to learn, to spend time with one another. looking at our visions not just for today but for the future and as we are here as a collective body to learn and to train we give praise to our brothers and sisters out in the field. we play for those in louisiana with what happened yesterday, we pray not just for ourfallen , we pray for those and their families to stand by their side and for those who grieve. we pray for every incident that has happened in our country and every city and

every state, we uphold the people because you have called us to justice by action. and so iask you to bless this session , i ask you to bless every household that has represented you and father, we thank you for the gifts and abilities you have placed in us to not only see the vision, not only to write the vision but to implement. in your name we pray, amen. >> good morning. it's my pleasure now to introduce you to a stalwart supporter of law enforcement in general and in noble in particular. born in greensboro north

carolina, loretta lynch went on to earn her degree from harvard law school and shortly after that worked as a litigator for a private law firm before becoming a prosecutor at the us attorney's office in new york's eastern district. eventually making news as a senior prosecutor, for the infamous 1997 a versus weimer, police county case she served as us attorney under the administration of president clinton and barack obama and in 2014 was nominated by president obama to be the us attorney general , succeeding the honorable eric holder. after a long delay, i want to emphasize a long delay, in april 2013 she was confirmed and sworn in, becoming the

first african-american woman to hold the position. on a personal note, i want to introduce her as a longtime friend of mine and a colleague and a mentor , someone who's been supported in every role i had but more importantly the role i've had as national president. the events that have unfolded over the last few weeks and months across the country, i knew i had a chance to be on tv with somebody with a calming voice to reassure us that things would be okay but on a personal note , would talk about what was going on and transpiring but she's been supportive of noble in general, making sure we are at the table where we needed to be there to make sure that noble was there all the time and allowed voice where appropriate so is my pleasure to introduce you a friend to noble and if phone to anybody who dares commit a crime in the united states of america. the honorable loretta lynch. [applause] good morning,

please be seated everyone. good morning. wait a minute, good morning. there we go. that's the noble i know. thank my friend gregory for that warm introduction, for that kind introduction but also for his support over my last several months as the attorney general but even before that, for his support and friendship over the years. gregory exemplifies the best of noble dedication to duty, love of community and he lives the motto of his organization, you really could not have had a finer man to lead you for the past year, he has set the bar very high for those who will come after him but i know this

organization being noble, there are those who see that example who arewaiting to go even further. let me also express my gratitude to duane, duane crawford also, friend and colleague for so many years . toiling in the trenches on the issues that now everyone is talking about but have really been at the heart of noble for so, so long. but it is such a pleasure for me to be here this morning. it's always a pleasure to be among friends . i do speak before a lot of groups and while i certainly won't say it is perfectly lovely to testify before congress , it's always good to be among friends. so particular friends who know that the goal that everyone has in this wonderful professional hours, this wonderful profession of law enforcement is not just public safety, not just national security but the most important basic goal of everyone is to defend the rights of everyone who calls this great country home, every single person.

that's been your motto and your mantra for years. of course we know the last few weeks have been very difficult. they have been painful. they have been a painful reminder of how difficult and important the work still is, that noble is doing. that all of us in law enforcement or seeking to do and of course as we were still reeling with thelosses from dallas , from minnesota, from batonrouge, just yesterday we were hit again with more tragedy , more guardians fallen in baton rouge louisiana. american flags again at half mast, families again morning those loved ones, senseless violence again intruding into the publicdiscourse as you try and advance it , these efforts, these incidents occur it and it seems as if it pulls us back into a period when we are so far apart.

more than just on differences of the highway or different sides of the tracks, sometimes we listen and we wonder are we in the same country? that's what we wonder. and of course we deal with the personal loss and shock, just looking at the level of violence here and as in kate indicated in our statement yesterday i condemn these acts of violence in the strongest termspossible because they are so counterproductive to what we are trying to do . and the department of justice is on the ground in louisiana working with the local officials there, agents from the fbi, from atf and the marshall service and i'm so glad to see my directors here also from those purposes, they dispatched their troops as well to offer assistance and i just not at the law enforcement level but at the victim service level because

we know that sometimes after the cameras leave, after the crime scene tape is pulled away the family have to deal with the loss, the very real, very immediate terms and so we're working to work on those issues as soon as possible. and of course as our president said yesterday, there is no justification whatsoever for violence against law enforcement. so i know that i stand with all of you when i say that my thoughts and prayers are with those lives that we lost, the families they left behind needed them like everyone needs a parent, a brother, a sibling. like everyone needed them and they will need all of us more than ever. i know also being here at noble that everyone in this room feels that unique perspective and the particular pain that's born of the broaderexperiences that we bring to bear and the broader world in which we live . and after the tragic murders of the five officers in dallas two weeks ago, one dedicated black police officer of louisiana, officer

montrcal jackson gave voice to the dichotomy that is so often imposed upon us when he wrote so poignantly in words that i know will echo with everyone in this room, he wrote in uniform i get nasty, he looks and out of uniform, some consider me a threat and even still, he urged all americans, this man, this guardian of the community, this protector of all our values, he urged all americans of every background and circumstance, every color and creed with this simple request. please don't let hate in fact your heart. please don't let hate infect your heart. now, we lost officer jackson just yesterday. he was one of the fallen . in baton rouge.

we are devastated by his passing and that of his comrades but my friends, if we are to truly honor his service and honor this man, honor his legacy and mourn his loss, the loss of his friends and colleagues and the too many others who have been we say taken butthey been snatched from us, they have literally been snatched from us , please, we must not let hatred infect our hearts, we must not and that's the message we have to carry from this country, in our work, in our daily dealings, even if we are met with discord and we are met with people who don't understand, even if we are met with those who seek to try and pin blame on something that is really so difficult to discern, we must not let hatred infect our hearts. there's a pain that you feel when you lose a friend or loved one, it's the same pain. it's the same pain.

the hopes, the dreams that we have for our children's future, the same. it is the same. the anxiety, worry we feel when they go out into the world , it is the same. and we always have to remember that we share not just the country but this brief moment of life together. and the issues, the complex and challenging issues that these tragedies have brought to the four can only be met if we find ways to work together . and i know that you know this but i'm here to tell you that as we approach this challenge, as we deal with this issue, as we look into the heart of this country , the voice of this organization , the voice of noble , the voice of all of you is needed more than ever. we need you to seek to the loss of humanity that occurs when any of us are judged at a glance or by the call over our skin or the color of our uniform. any of us.

noble has been at the forefront of the issues since its inception, from the time of lloyd seeley to the present day. [applause] you have walked that be, you have look people in the eye. you have talk to children. you've taught people down from the hatred that can tear this country apart. you have been there, you have done this. we need you more than ever. noble has carried the banner of community policing that is at the forefront of all the discussions now and we need you to raise it even higher in these challenging times. and i'm here to commit to you now today that this department of justice is standing with you . we will stand beside you in this effort. [applause] we are absolutely determined, we've been

working on this for years but now is the time. we are determined to do everything that we can to bridge the divide and heal the rifts and restore trust but most of all, now is the time to ensure that every american, everyone under the sheltering arm of our constitution feels respected, feels supported, feels safe everyone. no matter the color of their skin, thecolor of their uniform, where they live, where they work . this is all our house . this is all our house. we have to protect it. [applause] now some of the things we are tremendously proud to do at the department's advance the recommendation of the president's task force on21st entry policing and i know noble is behind many of those pillars . the brew front for preventing crime reduction, building publictrust and it works . it works.

this can be done. we are also working with our local partners offering funding, offering technical assistance and providing cameras, de-escalation training, education in implicit bias and we offer education in implicit bias throughout the law enforcement community and just last month i'm pleased to note the department of justice has committed to implicit bias training for every federal law enforcement officer in the department and every prosecutor practicing under the shield of the department of justice. [applause] every single one. many of you know our civil rights division is working every day to ensure constitutional policing, to

ensure accountability and to work to rebuild trust. many of you know our office of justice programs, i know you know our cop log, i know you know ron and bork that he's doing and the work we willcontinue to do to give local departments the tools theyneed, the training may require to come home . to come home safely . from funds for best to training and officer safety and wellness because these incidents don't end when the cameras go away. our brothers and sisters who wear the badge, who carry our safety on their shoulders every day go home with that weight still on them. they go back on duty with that weight still on them. they go back on shift with that weight still on them and we have to deal with those issues also. that's just as much a part of protecting our officers as providing them with a vest. and we are also looking to support local jurisdictions as they work and they are working so hard, on innovative and collaborative initiatives that bring communities together. the communities of officers,

the communities of residents, all those communities, all our house coming together. and of course these are important and we are tremendously proud to stand behind them at the department of justice but to say that we have more work to do is to utter a profound understatement. it is to simply note what is so clear across this country. we have to continue working. working to rebuild the trust between law enforcement and the communities that we are so honored to serve. we also have to work to guarantee equal justice under the law or the perception of justice matches the reality and we have to continue to build a safer, be more perfect union that remains our common goal. and i am tremendously proud tostand with noble today and every day to help advance that mission , support that cause and stand with you to realize this promise together. and as part of that, i could not be more honored to introduce to you someone who

truly needs no introduction. a friend, coworker, someone who has put a shoulder to the ground stone on all these issues for years, someone who has made the pursuit of justice islife's work . attorney general eric holder. [applause] he is your friend, he is your colleague. today he is your award recipient. he came to the department of justice as a 25-year-old law school got graduate, ensuring that public officials met their responsibilities to the american people. and he hasnever stopped in that goal . over the course of what has truly been an extraordinary career, as a us attorney, as a judge, as a deputy attorney

general and as the attorney general of the united states, he has advanced fundamental beliefs that have animated him from the beginning that animate this noble gathering and that animate law enforcement at its best, that every individual wears quality, every individual deserves respect and that every individual no matter where they're from, no matter what you look like, no matter where you are born, no matter who you love, every individual deserves to enjoy the full blessing of american life . and throughout his tenure as attorney general, eric holder demonstrated this commitment. he lived this, he walked this walk every day. every single day, not with words but with his actions. he has helped to advance the dignity and the equality of her lgbt sisters and brothers and their families.

he has defended our most fundamental rights including the right to vote. he has held that so dear and that's the right as we know that is increasingly being attacked, particularly in communities of color. he worked to resolve generations old disputes through his groundbreaking efforts in indian country, living up to this country's obligations to the original americans. he has acted decisively to reform our criminal justice system with the smart on crime initiative . he has transformed the way in which we dispense justice in this country. that is nosmall . and he has always, always worked to build the trust between law enforcement and the communities we serve through every part of his career and in every day of his tenure as attorney general now, we know that these actions weren't always easy to take because the best things often are.

the most important things are never easy. he faced opposition, he faced hostility but he recognized, he knew on his own that is his public service, it's our responsibility to approach difficult issues the fierce urgency that they deserve. because he understood as all of us in this room do that staying in place and doing nothing will only erode the progress that so many have fought to achieve. i remember his lessons every day that i walked into the office of the attorney general and i strive to live up to that but most importantly that we cannot burden futuregenerations with the results of our lost time , our inaction or missed opportunity. the time to act is now. we must build a foundation of progress because those that are going to come behind us have the chance to reach

heights we never thought we could reach and we have to strive every day to push our best efforts forward so the work that remains at hand. that's the idea that defines this organization, a work that will live beyond us to make this country a better place. it's the idea that defines rick holder's entire career. it's the principle that guides us today. i believe it's your theme, justice byaction. justice by action , then, now and tomorrow. my friends, the word honorable is a title until it's inhabited by someone who lives it every day. someone whose moral compass has remained steadfast and true from his first job to the current moment. someone who has endured challenge and difficulty in the service of his mission to shield those who are working

to advance goals of justice and equality. someone like our award recipient. you could not have graced this award with a better or more inspirational name . you could not have found a more deserving or more inspirational figure to lead it today and now, my friend it is my great honor, it's my privilege to introduce to you my predecessor, my colleague and my friend the 82nd attorney general of the united states, the honorable eric holder. [applause] >>