harris, author of santa monica pier, a century on the last pleasure pier shows the history of this iconic landmark. >> we see almost 9 million people a year come to the pier. that's all income levels and all interests, almost as many reasons to come to the pier as people to visit it. i think if you were to walk down the pier today, on any given pier, ask why you're here, there would be a different reason. >> watch saturday on c-span2's book tv and american history tv on c-span 3 working with our cable affiliates as we explore the american story. >> the senate is meeting on the second day of the 116th congress, no bill debate planned today only general speeches. meanwhile, leaders continue

negotiations with the president to reopen parts of the government, 14 days into the shutdown. live now to the senate floor. the president pro tempore: the senate will come to order. the chaplain dr. barry black will lead the senate in prayer. the chaplain: let us pray. eternal god, creator of all things, make haste to minister to our needs. lead us from self-inflicted injuries as you seek to use our lawmakers for your glory. in all their labors, guard and

guide our senators until your will is done on earth even as it is done in heaven. may your peace reign in their hearts now and always as they become more aware of the inexhaustible riches of your mercies. we pray in your great name. amen. the president pro tempore: please join me in reciting the pledge of allegiance to our flag. i pledge allegiance to the flag of the united states of america, and to the republic for which it stands, one nation under god, indivisible, with liberty and justice for all.

mr. mcconnell: mr. president. the presiding officer: the majority leader is recognized. mr. mcconnell: i understand there are three bills at the desk due a second reading en bloc. the presiding officer: the clerk will report the titles of the bill for the second time. the clerk: s. 1, a bill to make improvements to certain defense and security assistance provisions, and so forth and for other purposes.

s. 21, making continuing appropriations for coast guard pay and so forth. s. 24, a bill to provide for the compensation of federal and other government employees affected by lapses in appropriations. mr. mcconnell: in order to place the bills on the calendar under the provisions of rule 14, i would object to further proceeding en bloc. the presiding officer: objection having been heard, the bills will be placed on the calendar. mr. mcconnell: so, mr. president, later today, i will join president trump, the democratic leader, and the speaker of the house and our congressional colleagues down at the white house. the meeting represents the latest in the president's ongoing efforts to persuade democrats that appropriate funding for border security is a better outcome than persisting in this partial government shutdown. i would hope that this time around, my friends across the aisle will come prepared to

engage much more seriously on the issue at hand. we may have entered a new congress since our last meeting, but the basic steps that are needed to end this unfortunate standoff really haven't changed at all. we're in the same place. as i have said on several occasions and as the administration has affirmed, any viable compromise will need to carry the endorsement of the president before it receives a vote in either house of congress. under these conditions, mr. president, the package presented by the house's new democratic leaders yesterday can only be seen as a time-wasting act of political posturing. it does not carry the support of the president. in fact, the administration indicated yesterday the president would actually veto it, and it cannot earn the support of 60 of my colleagues over here in the senate. my friends across the aisle

understand the ground rules perfectly well. they know that a solution will need to be palatable to house democrats and senate republicans alike. they know that making laws takes a presidential signature. we all learned that in grade school. in fact, the democratic leader himself insisted, quote, the president must publicly support and say he will sign an agreement before it gets a vote in either chamber. that's the democratic leader that said that. so everyone understands what we need to move forward and successfully make policy instead of simply staging political theater. everyone should understand just how urgently the situation on our nation's border demands our attention. the situation has been accurately described by the commissioner of the c.b.p., the

border patrol as, quote, a border security and humanitarian crisis. crisis. this shouldn't be taken lightly. it should not be viewed as an opportunity for the new house democratic majority to prioritize political performance as an art form ahead of the public interest. so i would urge our democratic colleagues to approach our meeting today with a willingness to join the administration and the men and women of customs and border protection in working to protect our border and bring this partial shutdown to an end. now, on another matter, while these discussions continue, the senate will also be taking up other important work. yesterday, the senior senator from florida introduced a package of four bills that pertain to u.s. policy in the

middle east. i'm a proud cosponsor of this legislation, along with the chairman of the foreign relations committee-to-be, senator risch and senator gardner. it speaks directly to some critical american interests in that part of the world. our security cooperation with key partners, israel and jordan, and the ongoing humanitarian and security catastrophe in the syrians' civil war. first, this legislation recognizes the growing threat iran, syria, hezbollah, hamas, and other terrorist groups pose to the state of israel. it aims to strengthen key elements of our relationship with our closest partner in the middle east. it affirms that the united states needs to walk the walk and authorize military assistance, cooperative missile defense, as well as loan

guarantees. it encourages closer u.s.-israel technological cooperation to better address 21st century threats, and it clearly states that it is official u.s. policy, official u.s. policy to help israel preserve its military edge over those who might wish it harm. the legislation also recognizes the security, economic, and humanitarian challenges the ongoing conflict in syria poses to the people and government of jordan and reauthorizes important legislation aimed at deepening our defense cooperation with this important regional partner. in addition, the bill contains a bipartisan provision from senators rubio and manchin to combat the b.d.s. movement, an aggressive and pos till attempt to delegitimize and economically boycott the state of israel.

this legislation gives state and local governments across america more flexibility to limit their own business relationships with entities that support this horrible effort to hurt our allies -- ally. in effect, this provision allows jurisdictions to boycott the boycotters. let me say that again. to boycott the boycotters. and make sure they don't send taxpayer dollars to companies who embrace this anti-israel posture. now, with respect to the ongoing conflict in syria, there are certainly differing views about the role of the u.s. military with respect to threats emanating from syria. there is no question that we continue to face serious challenges from al qaeda and isis in syria as well as from iran, russia, and the assad regime itself. and i anticipate this body will debate u.s. military strategy

toward syria in the coming weeks as it conducts oversight over the administration's apparently ongoing review of its syria policy. admittedly, there are no easy solutions in syria. i hope the administration and congress will be deliberate and sober as we consider the risk of various approaches to the end game of the fight against the fiscal i fate of -- the physical caliphate of isis. measure lives, the national future of a turbulent yet critical region are all at stake. the debate is forthcoming. i imagine it could be contentious. there should be little debate, however, about the caesar syria civilian protection act which has overwhelming bipartisan support and the endorsement of

the administration. this bill which is included in this package speaks to the human tragedy of the syrian civil war. it provides nonmilitary tools for responding to the atrocities conducted by the regime of bashar assad. it will hold accountable those responsible for the torture and murder of countless civilians -- syrian civilians and provide more leverage for diplomats to end the conflict through peaceful negotiations, consistent with the demands of the u.n. security council resolution 2254. unless the syrian regime changes course and ends its brutality against the syrian people and negotiates a peaceful end to the civil war, the butchers of damascus will find their key financial institutions and industries sanctioned by the united states. this bill will not bring back the hundreds of thousands of

syrians who have been murdered or tortured by the regime, but it will be another arrow in the quiver of diplomats who are seeking to end this awful war and stabilize a region of critical importance to the united states and its allies. so i'm proud to cosponsor the package of legislation that senator rubio introduced yesterday. i'm clearing the way for the bill s. 1 to be debated and voted on here on the senate floor as early as next week, and i look forward to voting to pass this important bill. the presiding officer: under the previous order, the leadership time is reserved. under the previous order, the senate will be in a period of morning business with senators permitted to speak therein for up to ten minutes each. the senator from iowa. mr. grassley: thank you, mr. president. i come to the senate floor today

to pay my respects and to give tribute to a fellow iowan. this fellow iowan served for six years right here in the united states senate. in fact, the iowan who brings me to the floor today is my predecessor, the honorable john c. culver. i'm sorry to learn that senator culver passed away the day after christmas. i have no doubt that his spirit of public service and his commitment to civic engagement will carry on for generations to come. i will come back to this legacy in just a moment. john and i had our differences. he was a democrat, and i'm a republican. but we shared a commitment to public service and working to advance the interests of the people of iowa, the great state of iowa. we both had the privilege to

serve iowans in both houses of congress. for a decade, john represented iowa's second district in the house of representatives from 1965 to 1975. i represented iowa's third district from 1975 to 1980. and then we each had the opportunity to represent the state of iowa here in the united states senate. john made the decision to pursue a life of public service early in his life. after graduating from franklin high school in cedar rapids, senator culver headed east to boston, massachusetts. he earned his undergraduate degree in american government from harvard university. he also played fullback for the crimson football team. he was brawny and had a big

build. in fact, he was even drafted to the nfl. but john punted a career on the gridiron and answered the call to a different vocation, and that was to public service. first, he served for three years in the united states marine corps. then after earning his law degree from harvard law school, he returned home to iowa and ran for public office. when senator culver was serving in the u.s. house of representatives, i was serving in the iowa statehouse. although we shared a passion for public service, we didn't share the same space on the political spectrum. but our constituents expected their elected officeholders to bring iowa integrity to that

job. in politics, family is often a uniting factor. senator culver's son chet, served as governor of iowa from 2007 to 2011. in fact, the last time that i saw john was at governor culver's inaugural ball. i had the chance to tell senator culver, i know how proud you are of your son. that's a feeling i know well, as my grandson is serving his seventh term in the iowa house and serves as chairman of the appropriations committee, a committee i once chaired. senator culver and i then know the importance of family and are fortunate to have family who value public service. when senator culver won election to the u.s. senate in 1974, he won the seat left open with the

retirement of another towering political figure in iowa, the man from ida grove, also the title of a book about former iowa governor and u.s. senator harold hughes. here in the senate, he served with his longtime friend and liberal lion, senator ted kennedy. senator culver served on the following committees: armed services, judiciary, environment and public works, and small business. that brings me to another similarity that senator culver and i share from our respective service in this institution. it's our assignment on the senate judiciary committee and our interest in helping at-risk juveniles avoid a life of crime.

senator culver chaired the senate judiciary subcommittee to investigate juvenile delinquency. he convened oversight hearings to examine the 1974 juvenile justice and delinquency prevention act, now widely known as the jjdpa. at a hearing in 1977, senator culver pointed out that in our state of iowa, 8,400 juveniles were processed through the courts in the year 1965. then at the time of these hearings and the passage of this legislation, by 1974 the number had increased to 20,200, highlighting then the need for reforms like those in the juvenile justice act.

john's leadership on the subcommittee helped make sure that this sweeping new law, passed just three years before, worked to help keep young people on the right track and away from a life of crime. his focus on helping youth lead productive lives became a mission that he pursued long after he left the u.s. senate. four decades later the jjdpa is as necessary as ever. again, going back to statistics from iowa, in 2015, now 40 years after -- or 50 years after that figure i gave you of about 8,000, in 2015 iowa had

14,847 violations of law by a minor and those were adjudicated in our state. that same year i held a congressional hearing to raise awareness about the need to reform and renew that law so that it works effectively to help at-risk youth in the 21st century. the jjdpa had not been updated or reauthorized since 2002. i was pleased as chairman of the judiciary committee to champion a successful bipartisan, bicameral effort to update and reauthorize that act. the updates emphasized substance abuse and mental health services. efforts to help at-risk young people obtain an education, and, of course, accept

stronger responsibility because it had accountability measures to protect taxpayers and to better serve youth who come into contact with the juvenile justice system. then another part of senator culver's work was his work on the commission that had his name, the culver commission. he deserves great recognition for this. the audit was, i'm told, the first of its kind to review the senate's legislative and administrative operations. in senator culver's words, he said the senate needed, quote, a careful and probing study of the whole central nervous system of the senate and its institutional well-being. end of quote.

as the newly chosen senate president pro tempore, and as author of the congressional accountability act, i also want this institution to run as efficiently and effectively as possible for the american people. in 1980, senator culver and i faced off in an election for the united states senate. he was a very formidable opponent and ran a very solid campaign. ultimately i won that election. and while i'm sure that wasn't the outcome that senator culver wanted, john was very gracious. i will never forget his grace and good wishes after that 1980 election. after his departure from the senate, senator culver continued an extraordinary career, practicing law until

2009. he was a gifted athlete and a gifted public speaker. he became an author, a guest lecturer and a visiting professor, carving an extra wide path with extra broad shoulders to inspire generations of young americans to engage in civic life in service and in politics. his list of achievements and awards reflect a tireless devotion to public service and to country. since 1975, he served on the senior advisory committee of the institute of politics at harvard university john f. kennedy school of government. in 2013 he became chair emeritus. in 2012 harvard's kennedy school of government created the john

c. culver scholarship. in 2008 he was presented with the borlog lifetime achievement award for public service. in 2010 he was presented with a congressional joint leadership foundation's leadership award for his work encouraging young americans. he received six honorary degrees, and in 2010 simpson college in indianola, iowa, partnered with senator culver to launch the john c. culver public policy center. the nonpartisan policy institute is designed to educate and to inspire participation in our democracy. it seeks to encourage young people to consider public service as their life's work. john's life reminds all of us

that a life spent in service of others is a life well lived. john's tireless efforts to serve his country and the people of iowa will be long remembered and serve as an example to all who honor his memory. barbara and i extend our deepest condolences to the entire culver family. may god bless them in their time of bereavement and may god bless senator culver. i yield the floor and suggest the absence of a quorum. the presiding officer: the clerk will call the roll. quorum call:

quorum call:

mr. mcconnell: mr. president.

the presiding officer: the majority leader is recognized. mr. mcconnell: i ask consent that further proceedings under the quorum call be dispensed with. the presiding officer: webb. mr. mcconnell: i ask unanimous consent that it be in order to move to proceed to s. 1 during today's session of the senate. the presiding officer: without objection. mr. mcconnell: i move to proceed to s. 1. the presiding officer: the motion is pending. mr. mcconnell: i send a cloture motion to the desk on the motion to proceed. the presiding officer: the clerk will report the motion. the clerk: cloture motion, we, the undersigned senators, in accordance with the provisions of rule 22, do hereby bring to a close debate on the motion to proceed to calendar number 1, s.1, a bill to authorize the appropriation of funds to israel to reauthorize the united states jordan defense cooperation act

of 12015 and halt the -- 2015 and halt the slaughter of syrian people, and for other purposes. the presiding officer: i ask that the reading of the names be waived. the presiding officer: without objection. the presiding officer: i ask unanimous consent that the mandatory quorum call be waived. the presiding officer: without objection. mr. mcconnell: i understand there are three bills at the desk and i ask for their first reading. the presiding officer: the clerk will read the titles of the bill for the first time. the clerk: s. 28, an act to coordinate the defense of majority act. h.r. 21, an act making appropriations for fiscal year 2019 and for other purposes. h.j. res. 1, making further continuing appropriations for the department of homeland security for fiscal year 2019, and for other purposes. the presiding officer: i now -- the presiding officer: -- mr. mcconnell: i ask for a second reading and object to all

en bloc. the presiding officer: without objection. the measures will receive a second reading on the next legislative day. mr. mcconnell: now, mr. president, i ask unanimous consent that when the senate completes its business today, it adjourn until 3:00 p.m., tuesday, january 8. further, that following the prayer and pledge, the morning hour be deemed expired, the journal of proceedings be approved to date, and the time for the two leaders be reserved for their use later in the day, and morning business be closed. further, following leader remarks, the senate resume consideration of the motion to proceed to s. one, -- s. 1, and that the cloture motion ripen at 5:30 p.m. tuesday, january 8. the presiding officer: without objection. mr. mcconnell: if there's no further business to come before the senate, i ask it stand adjourned under the previous order, following the remarks of senator schumer. the presiding officer: without objection.

the presiding officer: the minority leader is recognized. mr. schumer: are we in a quorum? the presiding officer: we are not. mr. schumer: mr. president, now, as we near the third week of the trump shutdown, the impacts on the american people are getting worse with each passing day. nearly 400,000 federal workers have now been furloughed. food safety inspectors, vital to our health and safety, are working without pay and with limited resources. american farmers can't get loans from the usda. working families trying to buy a home are finding out their f.h.a. loans are on hold. we just heard from a constituent of mine in the capital region

near albany. fire police dispatcher whose wife is pregnant. they closed on their first house joyously last week, but now their loan is delayed until the government reopens. that story can be repeated over and over again. our federal courts are running out of money. our national parks are suffering. we've seen the piles of debris and garbage in these beautiful places. and maybe most ironically of all, as the president's talking about making the border more secure, his shutdown is making it less secure. border patrol agents are going without pay, e-verify is offline, immigration cases are on hold, new immigration judges are not being hired. so with all the talk that the president has about making the border more secure, the trump shutdown is making it less secure, and we have provided a

way for him to continue to debate this wall issue but keep the government open. so all of this means that we should be doing everything we can to bring this trump shutdown. excuse me. all of this means we should be doing everything we can to bring this trump shutdown to a swift end. now, my friend, the republican leader, quoted me this morning, so let me now quote my friend, the leader. he has said repeatedly, quote, nobody likes a shutdown. now, leader mcconnell has shown himself to be an adept negotiator during previous shutdowns. why is he abdicating his responsibility now? why is leader mcconnell shuffling off to the sidelines, pointing his fingers at everyone else and saying he won't be involved?

probably because he realizes this president, president trump, is erratic, unreliable, and sometimes even irrational. in sum, president trump is a terrible negotiator. given the unfortunate traits that reside in our president, i understand leader mcconnell's reluctance to get involved. but in truth, they are all the more reason for him getting involved. america needs leader mcconnell to get involved to stop this shutdown. he can't keep ducking this issue. left to his own devices, president trump can keep the government shut down for a long time. the president needs intervention, and leader mcconnell and senate republicans are just the right ones to intervene. fortunately, we have a way to end this shutdown with the help

of our republican friends in the senate. last night, as expected, the house of representatives passed two pieces of legislation to end the trump shutdown. a six-bill package to provide appropriations for eight shuttered cabinet departments and a 30-day continuing resolution for the department of homeland security. both bills received bipartisan support in the house. the logic behind these two pieces of legislation is very simple. we have disagreements on how to best secure the border. president trump wants an -- wants an expensive and ineffective border wall. he promised mexico would pay for it but now demands american taxpayers should foot the bill. democrats believe a border wall is an obtuse public policy and that we have much better, more

effective, less wasteful ways of securing the border. but we don't have to have eight unrelated cabinet departments closed while we sort out our differences. we can reopen the 25% of the government now closed and continue to debate our border security. that's why we split the bills in two. one to reopen the government, and another to keep it running short term while discussions continue about the border. neither piece of legislation should be controversial. the house majority, i give them credit, leader pelosi credit, went out of its way to avoid controversy. they didn't send over a bill with lots of poison pill riders, lots of things that our colleagues here wouldn't like. they sent the very bills that republicans crafted and voted for.

the majority went out of its way to avoid controversy by choosing the legislation crafted and supported by republicans. so let me emphasize that. the six appropriations bills passed by the house last night are the same bills, the very same bills. they have not changed a bit, that republicans here in the senate drafted. they were in charge, and approved. four of them passed this chamber by more than 90 votes. the other two passed nearly unanimously in committee. leader mcconnell voted for every one of them and spoke glowingly about their passage last year. so there is nothing, i repeat nothing in the six appropriation bills that leader mcconnell and senate republicans oppose. there is nothing, absolutely nothing, i repeat, about a continuing resolution for

homeland security that now leader mcconnell and senate republicans refuse to put on the floor because those were -- that was leader mcconnell's idea. he put it on the floor. it passed the chamber unanimously last christmas. so now we're seeing some real cracks in the republican wall. some of my friends in the senate on the other side of the aisle in this body, to their credit, are already saying that we should take up and pass these two bills. seven house republicans newly elected under huge pressure not to voted with these bills. every democrat voted for the bill. there is no dissension there. but a handful of republicans did, too. so it's time for leader mcconnell and president trump, who is the ultimate reason we have this shutdown, it's time for leader mcconnell and president trump to support this package of bipartisan

legislation and reopen the government. in a short time, speaker pelosi and i will head to the white house to meet with president trump and congressional leaders about the government shutdown. i will be joined by my very able colleague, senator durbin, senator mcconnell will be joined by senator thune. senator pelosi will be joined by leader hoyer, and of course leaders mccarthy and scalise will be there as well. at the meeting, we democrats hope to convince the president and leader mcconnell to take up and pass the two house-passed bills, both of which have already been approved by senate republicans. that's the quickest, least controversial way out of the trump shutdown. it separates the fight on the wall from the government shutdown. president trump is holding

hostage, using leverage. hundreds of thousands of federal workers and millions and millions of other americans like the gentleman and his spouse in albany who can't get their f.h.a. mortgage approved. and that story in many ways can be repeated over and over again. so i say to my republican friends, don't let president trump hold hostage all of these fine people who have done nothing wrong themselves. don't let him use the government shutdown to try and get his way, because that's not how it should work and that's not what's going to happen. instead, let's reopen the government, start paying our food safety inspectors, our park rangers, our air traffic controllers, our federal courts, and our border patrol agents so they can do the work they're supposed to do for the american

people. all we have to do is take up legislation that senate republicans already support. i yield the floor. the presiding officer: under the previous order, the senate stands adjourned until 3:00 p.m. on and now to capitol hill for a

press conference with house republican leaders. >> every freshman that came in chose politics over the country but that was wrong. we watched a new freshman use this language, get cheered by their base and watched the new speaker say nothing. that is not the body of what we service and that action should not stand. somebody should stand up to it. i would hope if she wouldn't, others in her caucus would. the republicans were in the majority. you know what our freshman class did? they put a resolution together to work with one another. and got everything a freshman to sign on to it. that is the difference with this new congress. it is wrong. >> who was in your caucus? >> a lot did in that process.

you watched the action we took in our house, responsibility, and you can act out of respect for one another. this is the first time they're going through, they have an opportunity, let's see what action the new speaker will take and what action when these freshmen go away, the first vote to leave government shutdown instead of stand do your job. thank you very much. [inaudible conversations]

>> now here is senate majority leader mitch mcconnell earlier today on the shutdown. >> and our congressional colleagues in the white house. this represents the latest in the president's ongoing efforts to persuade democrats that appropriate funding for border security is a better outcome than persisting in this partial government shutdown. i would hope this time around my friends across the aisle will come prepared to engage more seriously on the issue at hand. we may have entered a new congress since our last meeting, the basic steps that

are needed to end this unfortunate standoff haven't changed at all. we are in the same place. as i said on several occasions and the administration has affirmed any viable compromise needs to carry the endorsement of the president to oversee the vote in either house of congress. under these conditions, the package presented by the house's new democratic leaders yesterday can only be seen as a time wasting act of political posturing. it does not carry the support of the president. the administration indicated yesterday the president would veto it. it cannot earn the support of 60 of my colleagues in the senate. our friends across the aisle understand the ground rules perfectly well. they know that a solution will need to be palatable to house

democrats and senate republicans alike. they know making laws takes a presidential signature. we all learned that in grade school. the democratic leader himself insisted, quote, the president must publicly support and say he will sign an agreement for or against the vote, the democratic leader said that. and make policy, instead of stating political theater. and the situation on the nation's border demands our attention. the situation has been accurately described by the commissioner of the cvp, border patrol, as, quote, border security and humanitarian crisis.

this shouldn't be taken lightly. should not be viewed as an opportunity for the new house democratic majority to prioritize political performance as an art form ahead of public efforts. i would urge our democratic colleagues to have a willingness to join the administration and the men and women of customs and border protection and work to protect our border and bring this partial shutdown to a end. >> us employers -- senate and house leaders will be meeting shortly at 11:30 eastern at the white house with donald trump to further negotiate a resolution to the partial government shutdown, now in day 14.

>> the senior members of the trump campaign, don junior, paul manafort, jared kushner, meeting with a russian emissary who they were told was bringing them dirt produced by a secret operation of the russian government to harm hillary. they said we will meet with you and take your information and use it if they found it useful. they were at least agreeing to conspire in that one act but throughout the rest of the campaign trump and his lieutenants again and again and again denied the russians were doing anything. >> david corn, best selling author and bureau chief for mother jones magazine will be our guest on in-depth, live call in program this sunday at noon eastern. his most recent book, russian

roulette, the inside story of vladimir putin's war in america and the election of donald trump is co-author with michael isicough. his other books are blind goat and showdown. watch in-depth with david corn sunday from noon to 3:00 eastern on c-span20's booktv. >> our washington journal author series concludes with chris mcgill. 's book is american overdose, the opioid tragedy in three acts. good morning. you open the story of the american opioid crisis in wilmington, west virginia in the mid-1990s. why there and why then? >> when i was researching the book, one of the things that was most surprising to me, the book came out in my reporting for the guardian, i am talking to people in west virginia which is a crucible of the